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CMYK

Tuesday, 7 January, 2020 I 10 Jamadi-ul-Awwal, 1441 I Rs 19.00 I Vol X No 188 I 16 Pages I Islamabad Edition

Pakistan will not become Party to middle east conflict, Qureshi tells senate g

NA defence body okays services chiefs' tenure bills for second time

ForeIgn mInIsTer assures uPPer House PakIsTan’s soIl wIll noT be used agaInsT any oTHer sTaTe ISLAMABAD

staff report

oreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Monday categorically said that Pakistan will not become party to the conflict in the Middle east following the killing of top iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani in a US air strike. in a policy statement on the issue, the minister began his speech in the Senate by recounting how the crisis-like situation in the region unfolded, starting with the killing of an American contractor in a rocket attack in iraq that led the US to carry out strikes on an iranian-backed iraqi militia. The foreign minister was directed by the Senate chairman to brief the Upper House on developments on the foreign policy front last week. Qureshi told the Senate that according to regional experts, the repercussions of the strike that killed Soleimani could be more severe than the 2011 raid that killed Al Qaeda leader osama bin Laden and the 2019 killing of militant islamic State group chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. He said iraq had decided to send its foreign minister to the United nations to record protest because in their view the strike violated international law and Un charter. The Pakistani government presented its stance on the development on January 3. “i decided to contact the important foreign ministers of the region. Yesterday i talked in detail with the iranian foreign minister and presented Pakistan’s stance on the incident and gained information from him,” he said, adding that he also spoke with the foreign ministers of the United Arab emirates, Turkey and Saudi Arabia. “The situation in the Middle east is very sensitive, fluid and concerning.” He recalled that the iranian supreme leader has promised revenge over Soleimani’s killing while iranian President Hassan rouhani has termed this strike as “international terrorism”. iran’s foreign minister, meanwhile, considers this act as dramatically escalating the regional situation. The Pentagon, on the other hand, acknowledged that the strike was carried out on the direction of US President Donald Trump, Qureshi said. He added that the US State Department had said it was primarily a preemptive action and that

STORY ON PAGE 03

Fawad demands 'accountability' of mediapersons after lucman brawl STORY ON PAGE 03 Washington had reports that Soleimani was planning to attack US soldiers and diplomats. “The White House stated that it was a ‘decisive defensive action’. […]These tensions have not arisen overnight but the situation has been intensifying over a period of time,” the foreign minister said, adding that this specific act by the US has aggravated the situation in the region. He noted that the US claims that their action was “preventive” in nature and was not meant to ignite a war, and now they say they are ready to deescalate the situation. “But at the same time they (Washington) have warned that if iran retaliates, our response will be even stronger than before.” Qureshi then proceeded to present islamabad’s foreign policy position on the fraught regional situation. He said Pakistan “does not support any unilateral action and is against the use of force as it never resolves matters”. “Pakistan backs principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity as enshrined in the Un charter,” he said, adding that Pakistan urges all parties to exercise maximum restraint. “i even urged iran to exercise its traditional wisdom and refrain from any escalatory measures in the larger interest of the region,” the minister added.

He said Middle east cannot be pushed into another war. “it will be disastrous and Pakistan will also face the repercussions of such an occurrence,” he cautioned. “Pakistan’s soil will not be used against any other state,” Qureshi said, adding that Pakistan “will not be party to this regional conflict”. The foreign minister urged the Un Secretary general to play his role in safeguarding the region and “putting out this fire”. “We are constantly monitoring and assessing the situation,” Qureshi announced, adding that he has created a task force in the Foreign office which will keep an eye on this evolving situation on a day-to-day basis and apprise the government and present its recommendations on the issue. Pakistan had on Sunday reaffirmed its resolve not to become a part of any conflict in the region and renewed its offer for mediating in the Middle east crisis. The offer was formally conveyed by Foreign Minister Qureshi during a telephonic conversation with his counterparts from iran, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab emirates and Turkey. This was Qureshi’s first contact with the iranian leadership after the assassination of Maj gen Soleimani in a US drone strike in iraq on Friday.

Protests held across India after Delhi university rampage

ECC approves amendments in power act to ‘curtail circular debt’ STORY ON PAGE 12

Perturbed Pm seeks energy ministry’s report on prevalent gas crisis STORY ON PAGE 11

'Million-strong' homage for General Soleimani brings Tehran to standstill

STORIES ON BACK PAGE & 02

Pakistan tells India to protect its minorities from 'saffron terror'

Trump warns Iran of ‘major retaliation’, threatens sanctions on Iraq STORIES ON BACK PAGE

CMYK Tuesday, 7 January, 2020

02 NEWS

PAkiStAN teLLS iNdiA to PRoteCt itS MiNoRitieS fRoM ‘SAffRoN teRRoR’ ISLAMABAD

STAFF REPORT

HE Foreign Office (FO) on Monday urged the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government to protect its minorities from “saffron terror” while rejecting Indian propaganda regarding the treatment of minorities in Pakistan. In a strongly-worded statement, the FO said: “The RSS-inspired BJP government has absolutely no credentials even to pretend that it is a protector of minorities.” “Those who are responsible for the desecration and demolition of the Babri mosque, massive killings of thousands of Muslims in Gujarat, frequent incidents of mob lynching, and repeated hate crimes against minorities, simply have no feet to stand on. “Rather than feigning any dishonest concern for minorities elsewhere, the BJP government would do better by focusing on the ongoing human tragedy at home and protecting India’s minorities from ‘saffron terror’,” the statement

read. The FO rejected Indian propaganda regarding the treatment of minorities in Pakistan. They said the BJP government was using incidents of alleged persecution of minorities in Pakistan to divert attention from the situation in occupied Kashmir and discrimination against minorities in India. In an unpleasant incident on Friday, two groups had an altercation outside the Gurdwara Janam Asthan in Nankana Sahib over a minor issue, but an individual tried to give communal colour to the dispute. However, it was foiled by the timely involvement of the city administration and arrest of the perpetrators. Following the incident, the FO had clarified that the incident was the result of an “altercation between two Muslim groups” and that it should not be portrayed as a communal issue. Reports said four customers while taking tea at Zaman’s stall in front of Gurdwara Janam Asthan started a conversation about his nephew, Muhammad Ehsaan, who came into the limelight a few months ago after being

accused of forcing a Sikh girl to convert in order to marry her. Zaman reportedly reacted with anger, which led to a confrontation between two groups. A small crowd gathered to raise slogans. A team of Nankana Sahib police had to intervene briskly to control the situation. In today’s statement, the FO said: “The BJP government’s mischievous portrayal of isolated law and order incidents in Peshawar and Nankana Sahib as alleged ‘persecution’ of minorities is part of its smear campaign against Pakistan and a desperate attempt to divert attention from the ongoing state terrorism in Indian Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IOJ&K) and systematic discrimination against minorities in India. “Pakistan completely rejects these fabrications, which will in no way shield the BJP government from opprobrium by the international community on its illegal actions in IOJ&K and the adverse fallout of the discriminatory Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC).” The FO said Pakistan “attaches the

highest respect and sanctity” to places of worship including those belonging to Sikhism. “We categorically reject Indian allegations regarding any ‘attack’ and ‘desecration’ at the holy Gurdwara Nankana Sahib. “These blatant lies are yet another illustration of the quintessential RSS-BJP propaganda drive, which will fail.” The FO said the Sikh community around the globe is aware of the importance that Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government attaches to minorities and their places of worship, adding that the November 9, 2019, opening of the Kartarpur Corridor was a “clear manifestation” of the premier’s vision of this. “Indian attempts to politicise the tragic killing of Pakistani Sikh youth are also mischievous and reprehensible,” the FO said. They said a case had immediately been registered as the crime was reported and a high-powered committee was constituted to investigate the matter. “The law will take its course and those responsible will be brought to justice.”

Govt, Opp mulling new names for post of CEC, ECP members NEWS DESK

Granting extension to services’ chiefs will weaken institutions: PBC LAHORE: The Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) on Monday said that granting extensions in tenure of services’ chiefs would weaken democratic institutions.In a statement, the bar council stated that “it is dismayed at the manner in which extensions in tenures of the army, navy and air force chiefs of staff are being provided through acts of parliament, without addressing the basic issue regarding the necessity and desirability of extending service chiefs’ terms in office”.“Giving extensions to incumbents in any institution creates the perception of ‘indispensability’ and weakens institutions. Personally-specific legislative and policy measures go against the spirit of representative democracy. Transitions are important for institution building and creating viable institutions,” the statement read.“Our history is replete with examples of the damage done by extensions in terms of powerful office-holders. In the third term of a democratic cycle, the mistakes of the past should not be repeated. The doctrine of necessity used to justify and legitimize extraordinary measures should have no place in a democratic dispensation,” it added.We are also disappointed with the political parties’ response. Instead of rushing into a discussion on the procedure for extending the army service chief’s tenure, they should have called for a debate on the need for, and legitimacy of, any extension. We expect the political parties that pledged to uphold civilian supremacy – and who used this promise to gain electoral support – to honour their commitment in the face of this challenge.“The PBC calls on all democratic organisations to endorse its stance in the greater national interest. The AGHS (Asma Jahangir) Legal Aid Cell and the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists, Haqooq-eKhalq Movement (comprising student and trade unions) endorse this statement,” it concluded. STAFF REPORT

The government and opposition parties are considering bringing forth new names for the posts of the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and two members of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), according to a media report on Monday. “Neither side is willing to accept the other’s proposals, and hence the deadlock continues, which may be broken with the new recommendations,” the media outfit quoted a source involved in the negotiations as saying. According to the report, the government is insistent on appointing Babar Yaqoob Fateh as the CEC but the opposition is not willing to agree on his name. A 12-member parliamentary committee on appointment of the CEC and ECP members headed by Federal Minister Dr Shireen Mazari has held a number of meetings to hammer out a consensus but failed to make any worthwhile progress. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Jamiat Ulema-e-IslamFazl (JUI-F) are strongly opposed to the name of Babar Yaqoob Fateh. The post of the CEC is lying vacant since the retire-

ment of Justice (r) Sardar Raza on Dec 6, whereas the positions of the two ECP members were empty for a year now. The two constitutional consultees have not met even once to work out an agreement on these important appointments as Imran Khan is averse to any such contact with Shehbaz Sharif. However, more than once, they have forwarded their respective recommendations to the parliamentary committee for consideration and decision as prescribed in the Constitution.

Senate Deputy Chairman Saleem Mandviwalla’s eldest son passes away The eldest son of Senate Deputy Chairman Saleem Mandviwalla passed away late Sunday night in Karachi after a prolonged illness. 34-year-old Amir Mandviwalla was under treatment at the intensive care unit at Ziauddin Hospital for the past few days. The funeral will be held at the Noor Bagh Graveyard, Mewa Shah on Monday morning. In a tweet, Mandviwalla stated: “My first born, my son Amir left us, may Allah bless him and give him the highest place in jannah and give me and my family the courage to bear this tremendous loss, Ameen.” Saleem, who belongs to a well-known business family, was elected to the post of Senate’s deputy chairman in March 2018, defeating PML-N’s Usman Khan Kakar. NEWS DESK

NAB summons PML-N lawmaker Javed Latif, family members on Jan 13 LAHORE: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Monday summoned Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) lawmaker Javed Latif and his family on January 13 in an inquiry about assets beyond his means of income. Sources privy to the development said the PML-N leader had submitted details of his assets in the NAB on January 1. The joint investigation team has directed Amjad and Munawar Latif to submit their asset details on the next appearance before the anti-graft watchdog. Anwar Latif, Akhtar Latif along with seven members of Javed Latif’s family have been directed to submit the proscribed form detailing their assets till January 13, said sources. The politician stands accused of making billions of rupees’ assets in the name of his family members under section 9 (a) of the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO 1999). In this regard, the record from concerned departments including, revenue, LDA, DCs and banks have been sought, sources said. The assets of MNA Javed Latif rapidly increased after coming into politics, the sources within NAB said and added that Javed Latif, before coming into politics owned a 12marla inherited house in Habib Colony, Sheikhupura, which has now had been extended up to 1.5 acres. STAFF REPORT

Saad Rafique mildly injured in fire at Camp Jail LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz (PML-N) leader and MNA Khawaja Saad Rafique was mildly injured during a fire at Lahore’s Camp Jail late on Sunday. He arrived at the accountability court on Monday with a plaster on his forehead. He told the media that a fire broke out at the NAB barracks at Camp Jail, where he was incarcerated. He hit his head on a rod while rushing to alert the authorities about the fire. Officials say the fire was caused by a short-circuit. No one was hurt other than Rafique. He told the media about his injury during his appearance for the Paragon Housing case. During the hearing, Rafique told the court that it takes him eight hours to go to the National Assembly in Islamabad for sessions and asked for some place in Islamabad to be declared a sub-jail. The statement of Qaiser Amin Butt, who turned witness for the prosecution, was made part of the case records and the suspects’ lawyers were given copies. Butt didn’t appear in court because he was ill. The case has been adjourned till January 13. The Khawaja brothers, Nadeem Zia, Umar Zia, and Farhan Ali were named as accused in the reference comprising 17 volumes. According to the reference, the Khawaja brothers and Nadeem Zia owned 93.2 per cent shares in the Paragon Housing Society. It states that the former railway minister Khawaja Saad Rafique received monetary benefits to the tune of Rs58 million from the society whereas his brother Rs39 million. A total of 122 people recorded their statements against the former railways minister and his brother, it added. STAFF REPORT

Regional peace at stake due to Indian govt's RSS ideology: PM Imran ISLAMABAD APP

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday said that regional peace is facing serious threats due to the Indian government s policies based on RSS-ideology. Talking to a delegation of students from Business Administration Department of Virginia University, who were currently on a visit to Pakistan to have first-hand information about the potential of business and tourism in the country, he said that the oppressive policies of the Indian government had endangered the identity of Indians themselves. He added that Modi government’s policies had endangered the identity and existence of 500 million minorities living in India. The prime minister also condemned the imposition of curfew in

the Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJ&K), which had continued for the last over 150 days and said that the Indian government’s brutalities had exposed the Indian democratic claims. During the interactive meeting, matters relating to challenges faced by the country, reforms agenda of the present government, positive aspects of Pakistani society, existing potential of country in diverse sectors, economic challenges facing the country and the future strategy, were discussed. Imran Khan said that Pakistan was bestowed by Allah Almighty with abundant resources, adding, unfortunately development process in country got stagnant due to corruption and neglect of human resource promotion by previous governments. He said that Pakistan was the fastest developing country in South Asia in the decade of 1960s, but the political

CMYK

philosophies of the decades of 1970s and 1980s not only led to blocking of industrial development but also inclusion of money and corruption in the politics. PM Imran said that he, by keeping in view the loot and plunder and corruption in the society and the plight of common man, stepped into politics and his party succeeded in defeating the country’s two major political parties after 22 years of political struggle. The premier said he was fighting against the mafia which had been creating hurdles in the way of country’s progress. Highlighting importance of human resource promotion and development, he said the previous governments not only neglected human resource promotion altogether but also did not focus on reforms in education and other sectors, adding that challenge before him was not only the elimination of corruption

but also improving the education system. Regarding economy, he said that when Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) took over the reign of affairs, the country was facing severe economic crisis, adding that owing to the present government’s efforts, the country’s economy had stabilized and the economic indicators showed significant improvement. “The country’s economy would witness further improvement and growth due government’s business-friendly policies and various development projects including the construction of five million houses,” he said. Imran Khan went on to say that said that the present government fully believed in the protection of minorities’ rights and deemed them equal citizens. “Our religion Islam and the teachings of the Father of Nation give us the lesson of protecting minorities’ rights,” he added.

CMYK Tuesday, 7 January, 2020

NEWS

NA defeNCe Body okAyS SeRviCeS ChiefS’ teNuRe BiLLS foR SeCoNd tiMe ISLAMABAD

STAFF REPORT

HE National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Defence on Monday unanimously approved the three bills concerning tenures of the services chiefs and the chairman of joint chiefs of staff committee. “The amendments were passed unanimously by the body. I congratulate the entire country and the opposition parties,” Defence Minister Pervez Khattak told reporters, adding that these bills will now be put up for voting in the NA on Tuesday. The new amendment states that the president, on the advice of the prime minister, can specify tenure and terms and conditions of the service of the army, naval and air staff, and the chairman of the joint chief of staff committee. This includes the grant of extension and re-appointments of the services

chiefs. The amendment also fixes the age of the services chiefs at 64 years. Most importantly, the amendment bill ensures that future extensions won’t be challenged before any court on any ground whatsoever. The water-tight bill categorically states: “Notwithstanding anything contained in this Act or any other law, or any order or judgment of any Court, the appointment, reappointment or extension of the Chief of the Army Staff, or the exercise of discretion by the appointing authority in this regard, shall not be called into question before any Court on any ground whatsoever.” Similar wording has been used if the civilian leadership decides to give an extension to the CJCSC. Responding to a journalist’s question, Khattak said all political parties were on the same page regarding the matter. “No one has backtracked, we should avoid rumour mongering. All political parties are on the same page and are standing along-

side the armed forces.” Meanwhile, Law Minister Farogh Naseem told reporters that the opposition was looking for the creation of a role for a parliamentary committee [for services chiefs’ appointment]. “But I convinced them that the changes they are recommending require a constitutional amendment,” the law minister added. “A parliamentary committee’s role will come into play only after a constitutional amendment creates that role… and even the Supreme Court has not asked us to amend the Constitution,” he said, adding that the opposition members accepted his arguments with a “big heart”. The bills were reconsidered by the NA committee on Monday after the body had earlier approved the amendments in a rushed session on Friday. According to earlier reports, a new timeline for the entire legislative process had been agreed upon under which the NA standing committee on

defence after approving the bills on Monday will lay its report before the House on Tuesday and the assembly would pass the bills the same day before referring them to the Senate for a similar procedure. The Senate defence committee, too, would be required to approve the bills on Tuesday and present its report to the house on Wednesday (Jan 8) for the immediate passage of the bills. The government postponed the sessions of the two houses convened for Saturday when the opposition protested over the “undue haste” being shown by the ruling coalition. The government had agreed to the new timeline on the demand of the opposition parties, especially the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) that had presented its own timeline in light of the directives received from the party supremo Nawaz Sharif from London for the whole process, suggesting that the bills should be passed on Jan 15.

Fawad demands ‘accountability’ of mediapersons after Lucman brawl ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry on Monday called for “accountability of TV anchorpersons who are defaming lawmakers for the sake of ratings”. While addressing the National Assembly session, Fawad acknowledged that he came to blows with anchorperson Mubashir Lucman at a wedding in Lahore on Sunday. The federal minister had, in June last year, slapped TV journalist Sami Ibrahim during a wedding in Faisalabad. Seemingly justifying why he had slapped Lucman, Chaudhry recalled that the journalist had broadcast his programme on his Youtube channel two days ago in which “he said there are porn videos of me, a female minister and other girls”. Fawad Chaudhry said when he inquired where these videos existed, Lucman had smilingly told him that “I don’t have them but somebody has informed me [about them].” The minister said not only are all politicians answerable to their families, but each MNA represents 0.5 million votes. “You defame someone for the sake of likes and ratings without any accountability,” he said. The minister said other institutions in the country such as the army and the judiciary have “their own arrangements” to deal with

Mubashir Lucman seeks FIR against Fawad following physical altercation Anchorperson Mubashir Lucman, who came to blows with Federal Minister Fawad Chaudhry at a wedding in Lahore on Sunday, submitted an application to register a FIR against the minister. In the application submitted at the Model Town police station, the anchorperson said he was attending an event along with Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar, Governor Chaudhry Sarwar, PTI leader Jahangir Tareen and various federal ministers and provincial ministers when Chaudhry attacked him. Lucman said he was talking to his friends when Chaudhry “attacked him along with 10-12 of his mussalah ghundas (armed goons)”. “They subjected me to severe violence,” he said, adding that after threatening him of serious consequences and of murder, they left the scene. According to Lucman, two witnesses had seen the whole incident. He claimed that prior to this incident, the federal minister had called and threatened to have him killed if he did not stop his allegations. In his application, Lucman said a case should be registered against Chaudhry and the others. While his application has been submitted, the FIR has not yet been registered. Earlier on Sunday, a fight broke out between the minister and the anchorperson, both of whom were attending the wedding of Punjab Irrigation Minister Mohsin Leghari’s son. According to eyewitnesses, PTI leaders Jahangir Khan Tareen, Ishaq Khakwani and Chaudhry were busy in conversation when Lucman arrived. They said a vitriolic exchange of words took place between the two. The minister told Lucman that he would sue him for defamation. “Chaudhry threatened Lucman that he would not spare him, then slapped and shoved him,” an eyewitness said. As the two scuffled, PTI leaders and some journalists stepped in, he added. While Chaudhry spoke publicly over the incident, Lucman has refrained from commenting on the incident. Late night, he moved an application against the minister. NEWS DESK such issues, but questioned whether it was a precondition for politicians to stand in elections that their respect is available for anyone to tarnish. He complained that the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority or the Cybercrime Wing of the Federal Investigation Agency do not take notices of such incidents when they concern politicians while the courts “move very quickly on contempt when it concerns them”. “But the people sitting in this house and the Senate have respect too,” he said, urging the speaker to take notice of the situation and constitute a

special committee of both government and opposition members to “deliberate why implementation on laws relating to media is not taking place”. ‘REAPING THE HARVEST’: Speaking after Fawad Chaudhry, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) lawmaker Khawaja Asif said lawmakers, and not the media or any other institution, were themselves to blame for such incidents. He said lawmakers use institutions that target politicians against each other, and rejoice when politicians are discussed in the media as

a way of “settling scores”. The PML-N leader said although Chaudhry’s grievance was genuine, “no party including the PTI has been spared by [Chaudhry’s] tongue in the past 13-14 years”. “He is reaping the bitter harvest which he sowed,” Asif alleged, saying people will continue to defame lawmakers until they start respecting each other and the House. He said Chaudhry himself has remained a TV anchor and the record of his shows should be retrieved to see “what he has been doing with people”.

PM imran launches 'Zindagi' app to control drug abuse ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday launched the Zindagi app – a mobile application featuring information on narcotics control. Addressing the event, Imran said drugs are destroying the lives of the country’s youth. “There was a time when we heard there were drugs in universities. Now drugs are present in schools,” the prime minister noted. “The most vulnerable section of our society – our children – are being exposed to drugs, when they don’t have the maturity to deal with the issue.” Prime Minister Imran said the second issue afflicting the citizens is that of child abuse. “People don’t like talking about this issue due to shame but our government’s investigation has shown that it is an epidemic. “In both of these matters, mobile phones have aggravated the situation. We have decided to combat both these issues on an emergency basis,” he announced. However, the prime minister stressed that controlling the two menaces cannot be the responsibility of just the police or any single department, saying: “The whole nation will have to unite to combat these issues.” He said the Zindagi app is an effort to raise awareness among parents and teachers about the dangers of drug abuse and how to tackle the issue. According to a description of the app, Zindagi features a “complete collection of drug awareness, drug prevention and treatment, rehabs locations, success stories and supportive community to help and meditate drug victims”. It is available to download on the Google Play store and the Apple App Store. On the occasion, a book to create awareness about drugs was also launched. Prime Minister Imran emphasised the need to introduce the book in all schools to increase knowledge and awareness about the issue, Radio Pakistan reported.

Dawn CEO Hameed Haroon sends defamation notice to Jami over rape charge NEWS DESK Filmmaker Jamshed Mahmood, better known as Jami, has refused to retract the rape allegation he levelled against Dawn media group’s Chief Executive Hameed Haroon and said “a public apology was not even a distant possibility”. According to a media report, Jami was responding to a legal notice sent to him by Hameed Haroon on Monday under Section 8 of the Defamation Ordinance 2002, asking him for an unconditional public apology and retraction of rape allegations. Jami confirmed that he had received the notice and was in the process of reading through it. “There is a lot that needs to be done for victims of sexual harassment and for future victims,” said Jami,

who is currently in the United States. He also said that he had addressed many of the points raised in Haroon’s notice in his previous posts on social media. Taking to Twitter, he added: “It is self-censorship that hurts me the most than allegations of me joining the establishment.” Last year in October, Jami came for-

ward with the accusation that he was raped by a “media tycoon” 13 years ago and on December 28, named Haroon as his alleged rapist. The legal notice sent by Haroon refers to Jami’s tweets from October 20, noting “the alleged rapist was never specifically named, even though hints and innuendos were dropped from time to time that could conceivably be taken as suggesting that the alleged rapist was our client [Haroon]”. Referring to the series of attacks on the Dawn Media Group in December, when a mob besieged Dawn Media’s offices in Islamabad and Karachi, the notice highlights that “some members of this mob had pictures/posters of our client which made specific reference to the false rape allegations being made by you”.

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“That almost two months after circulating your first tweet on being allegedly raped, and strangely and abruptly travelling outside Pakistan, on December 28, 2019 on the social media platform Twitter, you falsely and maliciously labelled our client as an alleged rapist. “Since then, you have been continuing to circulate this false allegation all over Pakistan, including Karachi and abroad. Our client categorically denies that he has ever perpetrated sexual assault on anyone and categorically denies that he has raped you,” says the notice. “This false and malicious allegation has been levelled at the instigation of powerful interests in the state and society who, for their own motives and the promotion of their own repressive narrative, wish to destroy our client’s credibility, es-

pecially his credibility as a leading advocate of the freedom of the press.” The notice terms the allegation “a false statement […] to injure the reputation” of Haroon and says it aims to subject Haroon to “ridicule, unjust criticism, dislike, contempt and hatred and to target the freedom of the press”. The notice says that unless Jami circulates an unconditional public apology and issues a public statement retracting his allegation of rape from all social media posts and other media outlets within 14 days of the receipt of this notice, Haroon reserves the right to initiate civil and criminal legal proceedings against the director under Section 499 of the Pakistan Penal Code, 1860, and the Defamation Ordinance, 2002, and other applicable laws.

04 ISLAMABAD

Tuesday, 7 January, 2020

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Islamabad police chief escapes unhurt in traffic mishap ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Islamabad police chief Muhammad Aamir Zulfiqar Khan escaped unhurt in a traffic mishap near the capital city’s G-9 area Monday morning. According to a spokesperson for the Islamabad police, the car the IG was travelling in had an accident when he was on his way to the office. His car swerved sharply to avoid colliding with a vehicle coming from the opposite direction but hit another car, he added. The police chief of the capital city remained unhurt while both vehicles were damaged, the spokesperson added. In Nov 2018, Muhammad Aamir Zulfiqar Khan had assumed charge as the inspector general of Islamabad Police. The 21-grade officer had replaced former IG Islamabad Police Jan Muhammad after the Supreme Court withdrew its earlier verdict suspending transfer order of IGP Jan Muhammad. The top court on October 29 suspended a notification about the removal of the former IGP when it was informed that he was removed on the directives of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

KP Assembly starts debate on NFC award PESHAWAR APP

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Monday started a discussion on National Finance Commission (NFC) award after adopting a joint adjournment motion moved by Opposition leader Akram Khan Durrani, MMA’s Inayatullah, ANP Sardar Hussain Baba, PML-N Orangzaib Nalota and Nighat Yasmin Orakzai of PPP. MMA’s Inayataullah while starting the debate said the share of KP province has increased in the award after merged of erstwhile FATA, adding that the share of KP has increased from 42 to 57 per cent. He said under the Constitution, the share of the province would have to increase in every award while keeping in view the increase in population. The debate would be resumed on Tuesday.

RAWALPINDI: A man selects fish at a shop in Committee Chowk. Fish is in great demand in winter season. PPI

SC dISmISSeS IHC deCISIoN AGAINST ForCed reTIremeNT oF NAB emPloyee ISLAMABAD

APP

HE Supreme Court on Monday turned down a decision of Islamabad High Court against forced retirement of a NAB employee, on appeal of National Accountability Bureau (NAB). A three-member bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice

Gulzar Ahmed, conducted hearing on NAB’s appeal against the decision of IHC. During the hearing, the chief justice remarked that the NAB had not assisted the bench on legal points in this case. Addressing the NAB prosecutor, he said the prosecutor should focus on his responsibility adding the prosecutor had appeared before the court without preparation. Justice Ijaz ul Ahsan remarked that NAB

employee Muhammad Shafiq had been retired forcibly on misconduct. However, the NAB had accepted the application of its employee after his forced retirement, and apparently the department was responsible to implement it, he added. Justice Sajjad Hussain Shah remarked that in accordance with the record, the sacked employee had been absent from his job for 1066 days during seven-year service.

Provision of residential plots priority of govt: KP CM PESHAWAR APP

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan has said that provision of residential plots to the deserving people in the province under the Naya Pakistan Housing Programme was the top priority of the incumbent government for which a comprehensive plan was being implemented. He directed to expedite the implementation of the proposed plan for establishing the CPEC City Nowshera. He issued these directives while presiding over a review meeting on the Naya Pakistan Housing Scheme, CPEC City Nowshera and Peshawar Model Town at Chief Minister Secretariat Peshawar. The

meeting was attended by Advisor to CM on merged Districts Ajmal Wazir, Principal Secretary to CM Shahab Ali Shah, SSU Head Sahibzada Saeed, Secretary Housing Hassan Mahmood, Deputy Commissioners of the respective Districts and others. The meeting was briefed regarding progress, activities, responsibilities and timelines for each project under Naya Pakistan Housing Scheme. The Chief Minister was informed that possession of 40,000 Kanal of land has already been taken for the establishment of CPEC City Nowshera whereas the possession of additional 40,000 Kanal of land was under process in which reservations of the locals will be resolved soon after meeting with the concerned authorities.

The NAB prosecutor apprised the bench that the employee had been retired due to continuous absence from office. The employees’ absence had been declared leave without pay, he added. He explained the former NAB official was not awarded two punishments. After hearing arguments, the bench turned down the IHC decision against the forced retirement of NAB employee.

Sanaullah Abbasi takes charge as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa IG PESHAWAR: Newly-appointed Inspector General of Police (IGP) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Sanaullah Abbasi on Monday assumed charge of his office.Abbasi was given a guard of honour at the Central Police Office (CPO) upon his arrival for assuming charge of the office. He visited the memorial of the martyrs to lay floral wreath and offered prayers.In his informal talk with the journalists, IG KP Sanaullah Abbasi said implementation of rule of the law in the province is his topmost priority. He said newly merged tribal districts in the province will be given special preference.Last week, the federal government had removed Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Inspector General of Police (IGP) Muhammad Naeem Khan from his post and appointed a senior police officer, Sanaullah Abbasi as the new police chief of the province.A notification to this effect was issued by the Establishment Division following approval of Prime Minister Imran Khan. STAFF REPORT

Gang looting people by impersonating police oﬃcials busted ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Islamabad police on Monday claimed to have busted a gang of robbers allegedly involved in looting people by impersonating police officials in the federal capital. According to the Lohi Bher police, the gang comprising five members was busted in a raid and looted cash, fake police uniforms, shoes, handcuffs, arms, and ammunition were seized from their possession. A car that they were using to commit robberies was also seized. The arrested suspects were identified as Qamar Mumtaz, Ikramul-

lah, Naimatullah, Imran Sohail, and Muhammad Gul Faraz. The police said the arrested robbers would deprive people of their cash and valuables by impersonating police officials. During initial interrogation, they also confessed to having been involved in multiple robberies, the officials said. The raid which led to their arrest was conducted on the directives of SSP Rural Zone Malik Naeem Iqbal. A team led by the deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Sahala and station house officer (SHO) Lohi Bher police station carried out the raid, said a spokesperson for the police.

Tuesday, 7 January, 2020

NEWS

Islamabad police chief escapes unhurt in traffic mishap ISLAMABAD: Islamabad police chief Muhammad Aamir Zulfiqar Khan escaped unhurt in a traffic mishap near the capital city’s G-9 area Monday morning. According to a spokesperson for the Islamabad police, the car the IG was travelling in had an accident when he was on his way to the office. His car swerved sharply to avoid colliding with a vehicle coming from the opposite direction but hit another car, he added. The police chief of the capital city remained unhurt while both vehicles were damaged, the spokesperson added. In Nov 2018, Muhammad Aamir Zulfiqar Khan had assumed charge as the inspector general of Islamabad Police. The 21-grade officer had replaced former IG Islamabad Police Jan Muhammad after the Supreme Court withdrew its earlier verdict suspending transfer order of IGP Jan Muhammad. The top court on October 29 suspended a notification about the removal of the former IGP when it was informed that he was removed on the directives of Prime Minister Imran Khan. STAFF REPORT

KP Assembly starts debate on NFC award PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Monday started a discussion on National Finance Commission (NFC) award after adopting a joint adjournment motion moved by Opposition leader Akram Khan Durrani, MMA’s Inayatullah, ANP Sardar Hussain Baba, PML-N Orangzaib Nalota and Nighat Yasmin Orakzai of PPP. MMA’s Inayataullah while starting the debate said the share of KP province has increased in the award after merged of erstwhile FATA, adding that the share of KP has increased from 42 to 57 per cent. He said under the Constitution, the share of the province would have to increase in every award while keeping in view the increase in population. The debate would be resumed on Tuesday. APP

Abbasi’s judicial remand extended till Jan 21 ISLAMABAD: An accountability court (AC) on Monday extended the judicial remand of former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi in the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) corruption case till January 21. Former finance minister Miftah Ismail and two other suspects filed petitions in the court seeking exemption from appearing before it in the aforementioned case. The AC issued notice to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) directing it to present its arguments on January 13. Talking to reporters after the hearing, Abbasi said that the incumbent government should explain the flaws made in the Army Act as it impaired the matter. While stressing on the need to rectify the mistakes, he said the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) reviews every bill before supporting it. On September 10, 2018, the apex court had directed the NAB to complete inquiry against Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and others for the alleged corruption in the LNG contract. As the minister for petroleum and natural resources, Abbasi has been accused of granting contract on LNG to favourite company. In June 2018, the NAB approved inquiry against former premier Nawaz Sharif and Abbasi, who was the former minister for petroleum and natural resources at that time. It was also observed that this contract had allegedly caused a loss of billions of rupees to the national exchequer. In January, the NAB interrogated former finance minister Miftah Ismail in the same case. STAFF REPORT

RAWALPINDI: A man selects fish at a shop in Committee Chowk. Fish is in great demand in winter season. PPI

SC dISmISSeS IHC deCISIoN AGAINST ForCed reTIremeNT oF NAB emPloyee ISLAMABAD

APP

Provision of residential plots priority of govt: KP CM PESHAWAR APP

Gang looting people by impersonating police oﬃcials busted ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

KP Assembly condemns killing of Sikh youth PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Monday strongly condemned the killing of a Sikh youth and called for bringing his killers to justice. Responding to a point of order raised by minority member Ranjit Singh, Minister for Information Shaukat Yousafzai said it was a highly deplorable incident of killing. The police were investigating the matter and the accused would be arrested soon. Ranjit Singh, on the point of order, had diverted the attention of the House to killing of Ravinder Singh, brother of a local journalist, in Chamkani area, and the Nankana incident. The House condemned both the incidents and called for early arrest of the culprits. Meanwhile, Shafiq Afridi of Balochistan Awami Party, on a point of order, said the border points between Pakistan and Afghanistan should be opened for trade and business activities. Speaker Mushtaq Ghani, who was chairing the session, told the MPA that sine the matter was related to the federation, therefore, he should submit a resolution over it. The session was adjourned till 2 pm Tuesday. APP

Tuesday, 7 January, 2020

06 WORLD VIEW

Iraq’s vote to expel Us troops Is Iran’s trUe vIctory THIS STRATEGIC COUP DE GRACE WAS DELIVERED NOT BY ROCKETS OR SUICIDE VESTS, BUT BY LEGITIMATE VOTES IN A DEMOCRACY BUILT BY THE UNITED STATES

L A TimeS

Ben ConnaBle

ITHOUT firing a shot, Iran appears to have executed a devastating revenge attack against the United States for the killing of Gen Qassem Suleimani. Using Iraq’s democratic process, Iranian-influenced members of parliament on Sunday voted to expel American soldiers from Iraq. With that, Iran may have effectively won the battle of influence in Iraq. This strategic coup de grace was delivered not by rockets or suicide vests, but by legitimate votes in a democracy built by the United States. Assuming the Iraqi prime minister signs this nonbinding bill into law — there is some chance he may not — American troops would have to be withdrawn. The

Strategic Framework Agreement that established the basis for US military presence in Iraq is unequivocal: “The temporary presence of US forces in Iraq is at the full request and invitation of the sovereign Government of Iraq and with full respect for the sovereignty of Iraq.” Iraqis are very likely to think that the United States violated Iraqi sovereignty in the drone attack in Baghdad that killed Suleimani and others, including Iraqi citizens, however nefarious they may have been. The impacts could be far-reaching and damaging to American strategic interests. No troops on the ground, and ostensibly no aircraft overhead, will mean American forces will lose visibility of — and the ability to strike directly — Islamic State targets in Iraq. It is possible the entire Combined Joint Task Force command currently leading the fight against Islamic

State might have to be relocated from Baghdad. Operations in Syria that are heavily dependent on support from Iraq would be severely weakened. Large coalition bases would have to be closed, leaving European allies and contractors with little choice but to also withdraw from Iraq. Unless Iraqis also fully reject Iranian presence (an unlikely event), the United States would have to consider Iraq effectively lost to Iran. The so-called Shiite crescent stretching from Iran through Iraq to the Levant has been brought closer to reality. If Iran can maintain its foothold in Iraq, it now has won its land bridge across the crescent. If American soldiers are ejected, the Iraqi security forces will lose their most capable and beneficent ally. Iraqis prosecuting the ongoing counterinsurgency against Islamic State would be in serious trouble. American advisors

who have provided logistics and medical support would disappear. The Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service, which has long been dependent on American support, would be cut loose to fend for itself. In all likelihood the multibillion-dollar US Counter-ISIL Train and Equip Fund, the primary source of funding for Iraq’s security forces, would come to a halt as the Americans distributing the equipment are kicked out of the country. American aid to Iraqi civilians suffering from the recent war could very well dry up. How did we get here? Did the US walk into an Iranian strategic trap? Perhaps, but if so, it is in part because the United States has been without a focused long-term strategy in Iraq for years. The Strategic Framework Agreement established in 2008 was shaky from the start. There are two practical options left for the United States in Iraq. President Trump can take this expulsion as an opportunity to reduce America’s involvement in overseas conflicts. Iraq could be effectively dumped into Iranian hands with the hopes that they would make a mess of it and, in turn, be expelled by increasingly frustrated

Is there going to be a war between Hezbollah and Tel Aviv? ACCORDING TO ISRAELI SOURCES, IF WAR IS LAUNCHED BETWEEN HEZBOLLAH AND THE ZIONIST REGIME, MORE THAN HALF OF ISRAELIS WILL FLEE TO LESS DANGEROUS AREAS TehrAn TimeS morteza Helali

Lebanon and Palestine share a 79-kilometerlong border that has suffered from tensions at different times due to the Zionist regime’s expansionist policies. Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000, was not the end of its aggression in the border areas with Lebanon, as it still has occupied parts of the country. While Zionist Regime’s officials, especially Foreign Minister Israel Katz and Defence Minister Naftali Bennett, launches rhetoric against Iran and the Lebanese resistance, its top military and security sources are highly concerned about any war with Hezbollah. THE ZIONISTS’ ENDLESS FEAR OF THE POWER OF THE LEBANESE RESISTANCE In a recent position, a military analyst at the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported that Lebanon’s Hezbollah has become more powerful over the past decades because of Israel’s failure and weakness, and now owns 150,000 missiles. The analyst added that the regime must now establish peace on the southern borders and prepare itself for military operations on the northern borders. The analyst also said, “Hezbollah is now capable of launching 1500 or even more missiles a day at Israel and easily capture Israeli settlements on the northern borders. We should be prepared for possible conflict that may occur at any moment. Israel is going through a difficult phase”. The Commander-in-Chief of the Israel Defence Rav Aluf Aviv Kochavi stated, “Peace with Hamas is a strategic necessity so that the Israeli army can confront the imminent danger by Hezbollah from the north”. ISRAELI GENERAL: ISRAEL IS NOT READY FOR WAR Retired Israeli General Yitzhak Brick affirmed that the Zionist regime army is not ready for war at all, insisting that the regime has been threatened by hundreds of Iranian missiles in the region. Brick claimed that the Israeli army lacked a security doctrine, stating that one is preparing the army for two fronts and the other is supplying hundreds of tanks, and it is unclear what is the job of the security cabinet in this situation? The security cabinet has become a

play thing, and today has the least real impact on the army and military doctrine. The National Security Council has not cared about the security doctrine for a long time. Pointing out that the regime faces an existential threat, the retired Israeli general stated that in recent years, Israel has been surrounded by big and small missiles. Today, there is a possibility of firing 1,500-2,000 missiles weighing 500-600 kg daily into military and strategic areas. Brick added that we are not able to respond because Israel’s air force and missiles cannot counter missile attacks. Israel’s main enemy is Hezbollah, which has great military capability. Amos Harel, the military expert at Haaretz newspaper said that the Israeli army suffers from problems that regard ground operations as a nightmare, from which it is always trying to escape. Harel quoted sources related to Tel Aviv as saying that the Gaza war in 2014 showed the capability of the Israeli army, the last stage of disappointing process that has begun with the 2006 Lebanese war. According to Israeli sources, if war be launched between Hezbollah and the Zionist regime, more than half of Israelis will flee to less dangerous areas. This is while the Zionist regime’s economy will undergo significant problems due to factories shut down, power cut, water shortage, and other war-related problems, even if other fronts be in good condition. In addition, Israelis are concerned about offshore platforms and facilities, in particular, the Tamar, Karish and Tanin gas fields, which are respectively located at 23, 40 and 10 km of the coast. The Zionists, who have incurred huge costs to support the gas platforms, are still deeply concerned. The Zionist army has maintained its air superiority so far, but it does not perform well in terms of secret military infrastructure. The regime’s air force may be able to destroy many of visible targets, but it cannot deal with the movements and armed groups that pursue attrition warfare and carry out covert movements. The Israelis have no confidence in their military capability, and their stance indicates their horror of the power and capability of Lebanon’s Hezbollah.

Iraqis. This would seem to be a strategy of hope, and hope is not a strategy. The other option would be to quickly renegotiate American military presence in Iraq. If the United States could maintain an advisor position, it might be able hold on to its combined counter-Islamic State headquarters and continue funding the training and equipment. All of these things are in Iraq’s interest and they could be renegotiated if American diplomats were empowered to do so. A reset in United States-Iraqi relations and a renegotiation of the Strategic Framework Agreement was needed before the current crisis. If US policymakers and diplomats can settle on a long-term strategy for Iraq, a deal might be reached that could benefit both sides. This would help blunt Iran’s victory, reinforce Iraqi sovereignty and normalise relations that have been anything but normal for far too long. Ben Connable is a senior political scientist at the non-profit, non-partisan RAND Corp. and a retired Marine Corps intelligence and Middle East Foreign Area officer.

It’s time for US troops to leave Iraq IRAQ’S PARLIAMENT PASSED A RESOLUTION CALLING FOR THE US MILITARY FORCES (ALONG WITH OTHER FOREIGN UNITS) TO BE EXPELLED. WASHINGTON SHOULD ACCEPT THE INVITATION USA TodAy Benjamin H Friedman

The reckless decision to kill Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani, along with several other Iraqi and Iranian officials, cannot be undone. But it can be an impetus for the belated exit of US forces from Iraq, who may still avoid needless trouble. Iraq’s parliament passed a resolution calling for the US military forces (along with other foreign units) to be expelled. Washington should accept the invitation. Even critics of killing Soleimani note he was a murderer, who had US “blood on his hands.” While this is true, it’s largely beside the point. US foreign policy does not exist to dispense global justice by punishing the wicked. It exists to serve US security and prosperity, and protect our liberties here at home. Talk of justice distracts from consideration of consequences. Soleimani’s death is likely to lead to bad ones, possibly including broader war, especially if we insist on leaving relatively small numbers of forces nearby to absorb the trouble this week’s strike set off. Soleimani was not a rogue outlaw, but a military official of a sovereign government we were not at war with, making his killing an assassination. His actions, however evil, served Iranian policy. Even Iranians with no love for his ilk now bridle with nationalist outrage. Iranians rally around the flag, too. Adding to the outrage will be Saturday’s news the US strike was a long-planned punitive measure aimed at punishing Iran for actions taken by the Kata’ib Hezbollah militias it supports in Iraq — and not a means to stop an imminent attack on US forces as Trump administration officials claimed. AN IRAN WITH NUCLEAR WEAPONS IS A REAL, FRIGHTENING POSSIBILITY Iran is unlikely to directly attack US forces, given the consequences. But they are now substantially more likely to resume their nuclear weapons programme. That is not only because of the political boost US action has given to hardliners there, but also because of President Donald Trump’s bellicosity. Subjecting Iranians to taunts and threats to destroy their cultural heritage — with US forces stationed around them in Iraq and Afghanistan — reminds them of their weakness and the deterrent value of nuclear weapons.

The more direct consequences are likely to take place in Iraq, where the Iran-linked Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) militias are likely to escalate their attacks on US military forces and other personnel. That could spark a broader conflict with Iran, given the Trump administration’s belligerence. US forces should have left Iraq already. Once the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group’s caliphate was defeated, the US military mission in Iraq became murky. And as the Trump administration pulled out of Iran deal and ratcheted up economic pressure on Iran over the last several years, US forces became a magnet for trouble, more bait for a disastrous war with Iran than a means to US security. With the drone strike, which killed not only Soleimani but Mahdi al-Muhandis, Deputy Commander of Iraq’s PMF and several of his colleagues, stationing US forces in Iraq became even less tenable. The PMF forces are a collection of Shi’ite militias, officially but in fact loosely subordinated to the Iraqi government, that include as many as 500,000 fighters by some estimates. Many of those militiamen, who recently and quite brutally helped fight IS, as did Soleimani, are now likely to turn on the US forces — especially if they are kept in Iraq in the face of Iraqi demands they go. Whatever their quality, the militias manpower makes them a formidable threat. THE PEOPLE OF IRAQ DON’T AND WILL NOT WANT US THERE Popular anger against the United States in Iraq, not only from the drone strike, but the airstrikes days before, which Iraq’s government opposed — not to mention to the botched occupation and civil war it set off — is inescapable now. That makes it difficult for any Iraqi government to back the US force presence or work energetically to suppress renewed Shi’ite resistance to US forces. Violence directed against US forces in Iraq is not likely limited to there. Trump officials insist they will blame militias attacks on Iran, even when it’s not clear they are doing Tehran’s bidding. However unintentionally, they have created a circumstance where US forces in Iraq and Syria face increased attacks, which might then draw them into war with Iran. That is the policy that has brought us to this precipice. No US security goal justifies that risk. The idea that US forces have to remain in Iraq to defeat the remnant of IS ignores the evident will of Iraqis to do that themselves, the historical lesson that US forces have helped spark rather than quell renewed insurgency, and the ability to return to strike IS in extremis. Continuing the mission would be a bad idea, even if didn’t risk a massive and utterly counterproductive war with Iran. Rather than send more US forces to the region where they will join in vulnerability with those already there, the United States should remove its forces from Iraq and begin exiting the broader region. As the events of the last two weeks underline, the smattering of US forces in the region are not accomplishing anything useful, but are enough to pull the United States into another needless war. Benjamin H Friedman is Policy Director at Defence Priorities.

Tuesday, 7 January, 2020

FOREIGN NEWS 07

TURkEy In ToUch wITh IRAn, US And AIMS To cool TEnSIonS ANKARA

AGENCIES

URKEY will work to de-escalate tensions between Iran and the United States and has been in contact with both parties after U.S. forces killed a top Iranian military commander last week, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Monday. Since the U.S. killing of Qassem Soleimani, Tehran’s most prominent military commander, Cavusoglu said he has held phone calls with his Iranian and U.S. counterparts to discuss it. Asked if Turkey would be open to mediating between Tehran and Washington, Cavusoglu said Turkey would support any steps to ease tensions in the region. “We will continue to work with other countries to solve this problem or de-escalate tensions in the coming days,” he said. The issue of Iran-U.S. tensions would be on the agenda during

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Turkey on Wednesday, he said, adding President Tayyip Erdogan had discussed the issue with Iranian, French, Iraqi and Qatari counterparts.

“Our common concern is Iraq turning into a conflict zone for other, thirdparty countries. This is a very serious risk for Iraq and our region,” Cavusoglu said. “Therefore, we will continue to do

US Vice President misleadingly links Iranian general to 9/11 WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump closed out the old year by reprising a selection of his most familiar falsehoods and putting a few of his predecessor’s accomplishments in his own win column. His vice president, seeking to justify the US military’s targeted killing of a top Iranian general, helped begin the new year with a baseless claim tying that general to the 9/11 attacks. What he said: US Vice President, listing some of the “worst atrocities” of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, on Friday: Trump “took decisive action and stood up against the leading state sponsor of terror to take out an evil man who was responsible for killing thousands of Americans. … (Soleimani) assisted in the clandestine travel to Afghanistan of 10 of the 12 terrorists who carried out the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States.” The facts: Pence misleadingly ties Soleimani to September 11, 2001, attacks on New York City’s World Trade Center. There is no evidence that Iran directly supported the 9/11 hijackers, many of them Saudi members of Al Qaeda, nor are there any known reports that Soleimani was involved in assisting with their travel to Afghanistan. First of all, there were 19 hijackers on 9/11, not 12. Pence spokeswoman Katie Waldman later clarified in a tweet that Pence was referring to those hijackers who traveled to Afghanistan through Iran before the attacks. According to a 19-page, the unsigned report found among Osama bin Laden’s personnel effects in the Abbottabad raid, Iran allowed Al Qaeda operatives to pass through its borders from Saudi Arabia to Afghanistan without receiving stamps in their passports or with visas obtained at its consulate in Pakistan. Fifteen of the hijackers were from Saudi Arabia, two from the United Arab Emirates, one from Egypt, and one from Lebanon. AGENCIES

Putin invites Merkel to Russia to discuss Middle East crisis MOSCOW/BERLIN: German Chancellor Angela Merkel will travel to Russia on Jan. 11 for talks with President Vladimir Putin on the crisis triggered by the killing of top Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani in a U.S. air strike, the Kremlin press service said. Merkel will make the trip on the invitation of Putin and they will also discuss the situation in Syria, Libya and Ukraine, it said. Merkel’s spokesman said German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas would accompany her on the trip. Soleimani, viewed as the second most powerful man in Iran, was killed at Baghdad airport last Friday by a U.S. drone. The attack has taken long-simmering U.S.-Iranian hostilities into uncharted waters and stoked concerns about a major conflagration. Germany still wants to save Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with six major powers despite Tehran’s announcement on Sunday that it would abandon limitations on enriching uranium, a German Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Monday. AGENCIES

whatever we can to reduce the cycle of violence.” The United States last week killed Soleimani, the architect of Iran’s growing influence in the Middle East, in an overnight attack in Baghdad authorized by President Donald Trump. Iran has promised vengeance and on Friday condemned Trump as a “terrorist in a suit.” Iraq’s parliament called on Sunday for U.S. and other foreign military forces to leave amid a growing backlash against the Soleimani’s killing, which has heightened fears of a wider Middle East conflict. Cavusoglu said the parliament’s decision was not binding, adding that Erdogan had urged his Iraqi counterpart to act with reason. “The killing of Soleimani didn’t just shift the balances in Iraq, it also did so in Iran. This may lead to radical groups gaining strength,” he said. Cavusoglu said he have also discussed the issue with his Russian, British, Qatari and Pakistani counterparts, and with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

China says US use of force aggravating Middle East tension BEIJING AGENCIES

China criticized the United States for aggravating tension in the Middle East through its use of force in the standoff between Washington and Tehran and urged all parties to exercise restraint to ensure peace and stability. A U.S. drone strike that killed Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani has further escalated the conflict between the two countries already at odds over Tehran’s nuclear activities. Tehran has publicly vowed to avenge Soleimani’s death, and U.S. President Donald Trump has in turn threatened further retaliation to any Iranian attacks against American assets or citizens. “Power politics are neither popular nor sustainable,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said at a daily briefing. “The U.S.’s risky military behavior in recent days goes against the basic norms of international relations.” “We call on the U.S. not to abuse its force, and appeal to relevant parties to exercise restraint to avoid the situation worsening,” he said, adding that China is “highly concerned” about the standoff between Iran and the United States.

Saudi Arabia appeals for calm after killing of Iranian general RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister said on Monday the kingdom does not want to see further escalation of tensions in the region at a “very dangerous moment”, following Friday’s killing by a U.S. drone of Iran’s most prominent military commander. “We are very keen that the situation in the region doesn’t escalate any further. It’s certainly a very dangerous moment and we have to be conscious of the risks and dangers not just to the region but to wider global security,” Prince Faisal bin Farhan told a news briefing in Riyadh. AGENCIES

Britain’s Prince Charles to visit Israel and Palestinian Territories LONDON: Britain’s Prince Charles will commemorate the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz becoming the most senior British royal to visit Israel and the Palestinian Territories later this month. Charles will attend the World Holocaust Forum on Jan 23 in Jerusalem, his office said on Monday, to honor the victims of the Holocaust. Auschwitz-Birkenau in southern Poland was the largest Nazi death camp in World War Two. Charles will then travel to the Palestinian Territories. Prince William and his wife Kate became the first British royals to visit the area in an official capacity in 2018. En route to the Middle East, Charles will stop off at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, to deliver a keynote address to launch the Sustainable Markets Council, designed to find ways to decarbonize the global economy. AGENCIES

Japan PM Abe sticks to plan to deploy forces to Middle East

China also criticized the United States for threatening sanctions against Iraq in response to the Iraqi parliament’s resolution calling for U.S. and other foreign troops to leave the country. “China has consistently opposed the wanton use or threat of use of sanctions,” Geng told reporters. “We wish that relevant countries, particularly major countries outside the region, can do more to promote the Middle East region’s peace and security, and avoid taking actions that escalate regional tensions.”

TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe repeated his plans to deploy the SelfDefense Forces to the Middle East to ensure the safety of its ships, even as tensions in the region erupt in the wake of the United States’ killing of one of Iran’s top military commanders. At a televised news conference on Monday, Abe called on nations involved to make diplomatic efforts to ease tensions and avoid further escalation. “Tensions are rising in the Middle East and I am deeply worried. Further escalation should be avoided and I call on all parties concerned to exhaust all diplomatic effort to ease tensions,” Abe told reporters in Ise, central Japan. “We plan to dispatch Self-Defense Forces to this region to strengthen information gathering and secure the safe passage of Japan-related ships,” Abe said, reiterating a plan unveiled last month ahead of the latest flare-up in tensions. AGENCIES

Unravelling of the Iran nuclear deal

AGENCIES The 2015 deal with world powers to limit Iran’s military nuclear development started unravelling when the United States quit in May 2018, with Iran progressively rolling back its commitments. HERE IS A TIMELINE US PULLOUT: On May 8, 2018, President Donald Trump unilaterally pulled the United States out of the accord and announced the reimposition of sanctions against Iran and companies with ties to it.

“We cannot prevent an Iranian nuclear bomb under the decaying and rotten structure of the current agreement,” he said. Iran has always denied that its nuclear programme has any military dimension. Tehran urged the remaining parties — Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia — to salvage the deal. US SANCTIONS: On August 7, Washington imposed sanctions targeting access to US banknotes and key industries such as cars and carpets. New sanctions on November 5 hit Iran’s vital oil sector and

central bank transactions. Major international firms halted their activities or projects in Iran. In May 2019, Washington ended its sanctions exemptions on eight countries buying Iranian crude. IRAN STARTS WALK-BACK: Iran on May 8, 2019, announced its first step back from the deal, saying it will suspend commitments on limiting the amount of heavy water and enriched uranium it possesses. Trump announced new measures against its steel and mining sectors. On July 1, Iran said it exceeded the 300-kilogram limit on its enriched uranium reserves. Six days later, Iran confirmed that it had also breached the accord’s uranium enrichment cap of 3.67 percent. ‘HIGHEST SANCTIONS’: On September 4, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani lifted all limits on nuclear research and development. Tensions soared after a wave of aerial attacks on September 14 on two major Saudi oil facilities,

blamed on Tehran, however, it denied any involvement. On September 20, Trump announced new sanctions on Iran’s central bank, calling them “the highest sanctions ever imposed on a country”. IRAN TAKES MORE STEPS: On September 26, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) nuclear watchdog said that Iran had started using advanced centrifuges to enrich uranium. On November 4, Tehran said that its enrichment had reached five kilograms per day, more than a tenfold increase, and announced that it had developed two new advanced centrifuges. It came after the expiry of a Tehran deadline for the remaining parties to the deal, to create a mechanism for foreign firms to continuing doing business in Iran. On November 7, Iran resumed uranium enrichment at its underground Fordo plant — its fourth walkback from the accord. On the 18th, it said Iranian heavy water reserves had

passed the limit fixed by the accord. CONCERN MOUNTS: On November 27, France raised the possibility of triggering a dispute mechanism in the deal that could lead to the reimposition of United Nations (UN) sanctions against Iran. On December 5, Britain, France and Germany accused Iran, in a letter to the UN, of developing nuclear-capable ballistic missiles. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif then dismissed the charge as “a desperate falsehood”. ‘FIFTH PHASE’: On January 5, 2020, Iran announced its fifth step back from the deal, saying it will forgo a “limit on the number of centrifuges” while stressing that it will continue cooperation with the IAEA. The announcement came after a US drone strike killed a top Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani in Iraq, sparking fury in Iran. “Iran’s nuclear programme no longer faces any limitation in the operational field,” it said.

Tuesday, 7 January, 2020

08 COMMENT Avoid being carried away by US promises Draw lessons from Iraq

vEry other day the hubris-ridden US President Donald Trump issues an aggressive tweet threatening Iran of terrible consequences if it dares to carry out any action to avenge Gen Qassem Suleimani’s assassination. In the latest tweet, President Trump has claimed that the USA has the strongest military in the world with the latest lethal weapons in its armoury. Iran has been told to choose between acquiescence and destruction. While Iran has yet to undertake any act of revenge, anti-US sentiment is touching new heights in the Gulf region and beyond. After huge protests in Iraq against the US policies, the Iraqi parliament called for expulsion of foreign troops from the country. President Trump threatened Iraq with sanctions and a bill for billions of dollars if the USA is forced to withdraw its troops. The gangster-like bluster would only enhance the already strong anti-US sentiment in Iraq. Pakistan needs to learn from the way the US is threatening and blackmailing an erstwhile ally. The advisories sent by the US embassies in the Gulf to their citizens indicate that they are unsafe after General Soleimani’s assassination. Meanwhile the US Embassy in Islamabad has also issued a countrywide security alert to its citizens. Pakistan government has to draw the right conclusion from the numerous anti-US processions in different cities of Pakistan, including Karachi and Islamabad. Strong anti US protests in Indian-Occupied Kashmir and Kargil also indicate that US citizens are no more welcome there. Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi says that while talking to his counterparts from Iran, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Turkey, he reaffirmed Pakistan’s resolve not to become a part of any conflict in the region and renewed the offer of mediation in the Middle East crisis. The DG ISPr has asked the nation not to pay heed to rumours on social as well as mainstream media regarding the country’s role in the Middle East situation. The ISPr chief termed the suggestions in social media about Pakistan’s possible support for the USA in the present Middle East situation part of the “propaganda” campaign by anti-state elements. Pakistani officials have to avoid being euphoric after talks with US government leaders to avoid providing a handle to these elements to malign the country.

Squeezing the consumer

hErE is more bad news for power consumers across the board: there is a proposal afoot to add a surcharge to the power tariff to help pay off the circular debt, which had reached rs1.72 trillion at yearend. The surcharge comes on IMF pressure, one of its conditionalities being the elimination of circular debt. The increase is supposed to enable its conversion into public debt by providing a means of servicing it. There is to be no pressure on the power losses bleeding the distribution companies of the money needed. If the losses were eliminated or even reduced, the circular debt would melt almost automatically, without forcing a tariff increase. Another change sought by the IMF is a reduction of the powers of the National Electric Power regulatory Authority (NEPrA), to allow the government its former powers over the power tariff. Considering that NEPrA was established because the Washington Consensus institutions (of which the IMF is one) felt the regulatory authority should be independent, not the government, this indicates how reliable such ideas are. That the government feels that circular debt should be eliminated by further burdening the consumer, indicates that it has not opted to lower losses, which needs investment in the distribution system. Not opting may well indicate inability. Though not directly responsible, after the bifurcation of the Power Division, Water resources Minister Faisal vawda has been quick to demand public and imaginative punishments for those suspected of corruption. his silence in this matter, close to his sphere of operations, causes the suspicion the government is trying to avoid the accountability so beloved by it, because it wishes to mask its own gross incompetence. The consumer, domestic, industrial and agricultural, is already suffering not just from power tariff and fuel price increases, but also the general economic malaise. Burdening him with a further increase would mean driving all sectors of the economy further into the ground, thus cutting revenues further, including electricity revenues. There will be a rapid increase in revenues, like the jump when a spring is released, if the government was to cut losses. however, that would mean taking on a mafia that profits from the inefficiency that leads to these losses. That corruption will probably be left alone, as the perpetrators are not PML-N politicians, but the officials who should be removing those losses.

Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami

Arif Nizami Editor Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

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On Islamic economy, Islamic sports and Islamic nuts Fictions, all

haSaN aFTaB SaEED

N a discussion on economy a few years ago, a colleague had passionately announced that the universal solution to all economic woes was the ‘Islamic economic system’. When I asked him what the Islamic economic system exactly was, he replied that he did not know because he wasn’t an expert on the subject. (So, by his own admission, despite having no clue about the Islamic economic system, he was convinced that it was the panacea for all economic ills.) he promised to get back to me after consulting an expert. To this day I am waiting for his return. My colleague (now former colleague) is not entirely to blame. Like countless others, he has been sold something that doesn’t exist. People talk about zakat, but tax is an integral part of all economies. The only Quranic injunction on the subject forbids interest. Sadly, nobody has yet come up with an interest-free working model of economy– one that can deal with the interest-based economy of the rest of the world. Simply calling something old by a new fancy Arabic name doesn’t make it Islamic any more than calling a rose by another name makes it smell any less sweet. There has always been this tendency among the clergymen in all religions of over-

selling their creeds. And it works too, because they always find in large numbers over-enthusiastic congregations. Muslims are the current leaders in this trend. It’s a safe bet that you would have heard long sermons on the ‘Islamic political system’. how voting is a Western concept and Muslims ought to revert to khilafat. Consider these facts: The Prophet (peace be upon him) gave no instructions whatsoever about the procedure to elect/select his political successors, let alone leaders who would come decades or centuries later. The first four caliphs were all elected through different processes. The only thing the Quran has to say on the subject is that the collective matters of people must be managed with their consultation. (Does the modern democracy say anything different?) With the evolution of the human civilisation from tribalism all the way to the nation state, the mode of that consultation is bound to evolve too. There’s nothing un-Islamic (or for that matter Islamic) about voting. The Islamic political system is therefore nothing more than a persistent myth. There are other items that enthusiasts try to bring into the folds of Islam. A lot is made of certain musical instruments that have been labelled Islamic: the duf (traditional one-sided drum), for example. Music is art; and Islam has no problem with any art form so long as there is no element of obscenity or shirk involved. Music is not Islamic (or otherwise) any more than Tv or sports are, although there are those who categorised sports as ‘Islamic’ and ‘infidel’. you would doubtless have encountered people who go on and on about Islamic medicine or the ‘Islamic health science’. Medical science is medical science; and till the last time I checked it had no religion. There are those who are great ones for the use of miswak, and how it’s better than the toothbrush. Some go as far as having a special compartment for the stick beside their front pocket. While there’s no law that prohibits wearing the badge of honour of one’s choice, let there be no doubt that

there’s nothing ‘Islamic’ about the miswak. It’s just a means of cleaning one’s teeth. One finds innumerable books on tibb-eNabavi (medicine of the Prophet – peace be upon him), in which medicinal benefits are associated with certain foods on the grounds that the Prophet (peace be upon him) used or recommended them. here, one can never overemphasise the fact that the mission of the Prophet (peace be upon him) wasn’t to teach medicine, agriculture, warfare or science. In his own words, “you know best about the affairs of your world.” [Sahih Muslim] his mission was to warn mankind about the Day of Judgment and the moral implications of their actions and thoughts– a mission that he performed to perfection. The Quran wasn’t revealed to teach mankind the germ theory, irrigation techniques or prosthetics. It leaves such matters to the specialist of each subject. There’s also no dearth of people who find every scientific discovery in the Quran, after they have been made by others, and call it the Quranic science. There’s science done by Muslims; or rather used to be, because they don’t do it anymore. Now only the non-Muslims and atheists do science; but still it’s not Christian science or atheistic science. It’s just science. And then there are things like the ‘Islamic honey’ being sold in all parts of the country. The sellers don’t tell you whether the honey is Islamic because they make sure that their bees have all converted to Islam; or whether they employ a special ‘Islamic’ way of gathering honey. Could anything be more absurd? Similarly, there are the cashew nuts and the macadamia nuts and peanuts and what not; but there’s no such thing as an Islamic nut. Of course, one can’t deny the existence of Muslim nuts; but by the same token there are Christian nuts and atheist nuts as well. Hasan Aftab Saeed is a connoisseur of music, literature, and food (but not drinks). He can be reached at www.facebook.com/hasanaftabsaeed

Why India and Pakistan love to loathe each other? The enmity is instinctive

Shah Nawaz Mohal

ANy believe the world has gone to the dogs. Fewer and fewer are hopeful about it coming back from the precipice where chaos, entropy and sheer jingoism is becoming the norm. Whether it is Iran/USA, Pakistan/India, China/USA, the propensity to loathe the other is getting translated into actions and assassinations. The past demons have started to rear their ugly heads like real life maniacs hellbent on hunting them whom they have haunted before. Pakistan and India have a long history and an amnesia that keeps them doing all of it over and over again. Does anyone remember when Prime Minister Imran Khan wrote a letter to his Indian counterpart Narender Modi on his re-election and how it wasn’t exactly reciprocated in the manner expected? Nothing new here, dear reader. Alas, nothing at all new. The same old circuitous, never ending, always simmering, shenanigans-dominated soap opera where characters remain the same while the actors playing

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them differ only in height, complexion and size. This time around they proved that they all are small men occupying offices that await greater, more sane, more sagacious men. Many a brilliant, good willed and upright people both in India and Pakistan of late have come to mistake jingoism for patriotism and narrow, harrowing chauvinism for nationalism. It is pertinent that these folks understand that peaceful co-existence is not a choice, it is the compulsory condition for both states whose populace is in the throes of want, misery and need. With the warmongering and intense escalation the dream to uplift millions of their inhabitants remain just that– a dream. Both India and Pakistan run, move, crawl, loiter around in circles, and they never bother to catch their breath and ask few simple questions: What is it that makes us tumble every time; why we are quick to form bonds, give assurances, and make tall claims; careless in keeping them whole, reluctant to abide by what we’ve vouched for and pull the plug right before our palates prepare to taste the much-anticipated fruit of peace and prosperity? This is the Sisyphean circle and both septuagenarians plan to perpetuate it. Fortunately or unfortunately, the past is no foreign country where people did things differently. Don’t both of us believe in doing anything differently? have we learned our lesson? have we opted for a differ-

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ent path to tread upon? We, dearest sirs and ma’ams, just underwent a change of small men in highest offices, and no change of path or heart. No epiphany dawns upon small men. Such incidents, calling other person small, happens when ruthless reciprocity attains the reverence of religious ritual. The practice of returning in the same coin, the tit-for-every-tat, has been etched so deep in our minds that it has become the rule of thumb that trumps all other modes and modalities. Thorough deliberation has given way to a I’ll-teach-a-lesson-they’llalways-remember mindset. read the above lines over and over again whenever things go south between Pakistan and India and they will sound fresh as a daisy. Too wise to not realise that one can fight history, but not geography. Too smart to not learn the latest lesson other nations have learned. We, for the lack of better luck, still assume that we live in a dog eat dog World, where three out of four neighbours are utterly ill at ease with us and have on their fingertips all the instances when they were dealt a wrong hand and left in the dark by their now-friend, nowenemy neighbour, that is, Pakistan. Alas, to the world the ‘all the fiasco and failures’ are just another episode of where we, the Midnight’s Children, are at each other’s throat. remember the Jadhav fiasco, where both Pakistan and India found another opportunity to teach each other

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an ‘unforgettable lesson’. Congratulations to the bombastic, tech-savvy, saffron-clad Shri Modi ji and stubble-brandishing, serious-looking former PM Abbasi for enjoying the ringside view of the endless fight that has consumed many ‘Udaas Naslain’ (Weary Generations) with its appetite not even half diminished. If familiarity breeds contempt on one hand on other, the land, people and things you don’t have are always more beautiful, more splendid, more worthy than the land you possess, people you have and things you own. This good old ‘grass is always greener on the other side of fence’ mindset still sways our kind. Many of us share the fate of our beloved motherlands. We have to put up with misery in all its gory forms because the ‘husbands’ (read leaders) of our land are either posing as mythic Titans or busy in oneupmanship. Pakistan and India have barely lost any opportunity to teach each other ‘lessons’. Now both neighbours revel in a schadenfreude that was cultivated over time and has become so mammoth it’ll take years before Pakistanis and Indians even begin to think of each other as regular human beings, capable of basic human emotions. Dear reader the big lands governed by small men have made their people master the art of hating their neighbour. And the people are loving it. Shah Nawaz Mohal is a law graduate and journalist based in Islamabad. He can be reached at mshahnawazmohal@gmail.com

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Tuesday, 7 January, 2020

COMMENT 09 Editor’s mail

Send your letters to: Letters to Editor, Pakistan Today, 4-Shaarey Fatima Jinnah, Lahore, Pakistan. E-mail: letters@pakistantoday.com.pk Letters should be addressed to Pakistan Today exclusively

Pompeo-Bajwa call

No good will come of this Iraqis are tired of both the USA and Iran

washington watch Dr JaMES J zogBy

hE US drone attack that assassinated Qassem Soleimani, the head of the Iranian revolutionary Guard’s elite Quds Force, represents an unsettling major escalation in US involvement in the region. Given Soleimani’s record, there should be no tears shed over his demise. he and his minions have played a central role not only in Iran’s increasingly violent, destabilising role throughout the region, he also led efforts to brutally repress Iran’s domestic democratic movement and the recent uprising against corrupt Iranian-backed sectarianism in Iraq. Despite this, Soleimani’s assassination is deeply troubling for several reasons. In the first place, no one should be foolish enough to imagine that this will be a “one-off” event. Iran and its allies throughout the region will no doubt find a way to respond to this attack, with the strong likelihood that the USA may become fully engaged in a regional conflict with the Islamic republic. The question, therefore, that must be asked is whether or not the US military and public are prepared for a long-drawn-out conflict that can become damaging, deadly, and costly. Next to be considered is the regional impact of this attack and the conflict that may follow. If recent history has taught us anything, it is that the unanticipated consequences of hostilities must always be considered. In a real sense, the USA and Iran have been at war for a number of years now. The Iranians, feeling the damage done by US sanctions on their economy, have been playing a deadly game testing the resolve of the USA. Their aggressive and provocative behaviour in the Gulf; their meddling in several Arab countries; and their brazen attack on Saudi oil facilities– have all been met with so little response that the Iranians appear to have felt a certain sense of impunity.

Now, the game has changed and a central figure of the Tehran regime has been assassinated. Just as it is unlikely that the Iranians will directly retaliate for this act, it is equally unlikely that they will sit on their hands and not respond to the challenge. What remains to be seen is how and where they will respond and, more importantly, where that will lead us and how great the resultant damage will be. A third consideration is that the attack has taken place in Iraq. If anything has become clear in our recent Zogby research Services (ZrS) polling in Iraq, it is that most Iraqis are tired of their country being used as a playground for regional conflict, especially the conflict between the USA and Iran. In fact, our polling has shown Iraqis increasingly upset with the role played by both the USA and Iran in their country. Majorities see both of these countries as having been the major beneficiaries of the wars that have ravaged their nation since the USA invaded in 2003. Iraqi attitudes toward the USA have long been extremely unfavourable– giving the US single-digit favourable ratings and equally low ratings for “contributes to peace and stability in the region.” Iran fares no better. Up until 2018, Iran’s ratings in Iraq were somewhat higher than those given to the USA. In 2018 we saw a significant shift. For example, when we asked Iraqis what concerned them most about Iran, they told us that it was Iran’s role in their country. And this negative assessment of Iran’s role was shared not only by Sunni Arabs and Kurds but by a substantial percentage of Shi’a Arabs, as well. The bottom line is most Iraqis are fed up with foreign meddling in their lives. Not only have they had enough of the USA and Iran. They appear to be fed up, as well, with corrupt sectarian leaders, violent sectarian groups, and the dysfunctional sectarian political system that was imposed on them both by the US occupation and aided and abetted by Iranian meddling. As the recent uprising in Iraq made clear, young Iraqis, especially Shi’a, were ready to lay down their lives not only to challenge corrupt leaders in their government, but also to challenge Iran’s role in backing these leaders. When we asked Iraqis who they blamed for

the violence against the young demonstrators, a majority obliquely, but pointedly, suggested “outside foreign hands.” The questions that must now be considered are: What impact will this assassination have on domestic Iraqi politics? Will Iranians turn against the USA for this act? Will it be seen as the USA, like Iran, using their country as a playground on which they pursue their deadly competition? Will the fragile unity across Iraqi sect lines hold, or will it fray? And should the Iranian response occur within Iraq, and will this lead to a renewed sectarian conflict in Iraq with Iranian-backed militias engaged, not in a direct assault on the USA, but rather in low intensity but still deadly and destabilising attacks on the USA and its interests and allies? I hope that a few things are clear to the readers. In the first place, I have long been opposed to the so-called Islamic republic of Iran. It was born as a counter-revolutionary brutal and repressive regime that from its inception sought to export its “revolutionary” sectarian ideology. It has meddled in other countries and has become a menacing presence in the region. At the same time, I have long been a foe of US foreign policy in the Middle East. It has often been so short-sighted in the pursuit of its narrowly defined, selfish, and domestically driven interests, that it has brought untold suffering to millions. Because the USA never considered the regional impact of its policies or the consequences of its actions or inaction, we have more often than not been a source of great instability. I opposed the Iraq War precisely because policymakers never understood nor were they equipped to deal with what would happen the day after the Saddam regime fell. For the same reason, I opposed the Obama Administration’s actions in Libya. This is why I fear that no good will come of the assassination of Soleimani. he will be replaced. But the potential for an expanded conflict which no one should want, and for which no one is prepared, is too great. As I said, I’ll shed no tears that Soleimani is gone, instead I will save them for the tragedies I fear are yet to come.

No good will come of the assassination of Soleimani. He will be replaced. But the potential for an expanded conflict which no one should want, and for which no one is prepared, is too great

Dr James J Zogby is President of the Arab-American Institute.

I offer my condolences to an old friend and deputy Chairman of Senate Saleem Mandviwalla on the passing away of his son. Loss of a child is the most painful for a parent. Please join me in offering Fateha for the departed soul and for my friend to have the patience and perseverance to bear this unbearable loss. In the 1980s and 2000s, we had military generals ruling the country that needed international legitimacy. They willingly accepted to make Pakistan a frontline state in the first Afghan war and War on Terror respectively. Both these wars cost this nation dearly and we are still paying the price. In 2020 we have a similar situation when an ambitious General is seeking extension rather than quietly ride into the sunset at the end of his constitutional tenure. The whole nation rejected the legislation for the extension as evident from the backlash on social media. The two major opposition political parties PMLN and PPP have lent their support to the legislation to pursue their narrow interest of the party heads. They are meekly trying to hide behind the parliamentary procedure to justify it hoping that people of Pakistan can be fooled again and again. In this backdrop, the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo chooses to call General Bajwa rather than the so-called elected but powerless foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi or Prime Minister Imran Khan. Why no call was made to the civilian counterpart? It seems bilateral history guided their decision. DG ISPr informed us about what General Bajwa said during the call but did not inform about the demands made by the US Secretary of State. This should raise anxiety in our minds considering our long history of becoming embroiled in foreign wars. I demand that the transcript of the US Secretary of State call to General Bajwa should be provided to Senate and Parliament Foreign relations committees for discussion and debate. It should also be made public so that it is confirmed no promises were made that are detrimental to the national interest. We will not accept any foreign policy decisions that are not holistic but made by only one institution. There seems to be an effort to damage the military institution to entertain ambitions of one individual. I sent a message to both government and opposition, on Sunday night, that legislation for the extension will not be supported until it is made clear it serves the national interests as well as protect the institution. I request all of you to be prepared to oppose it if no proper debate is conducted in the light of our three conditions. The engineered and rigged parliament has so far been unable to serve national and public interests. There is extensive debate in America that President Trump ordered strikes against Gen Qassem Suleimani to distract people from the impeachment proceedings that are expected to start this month by Senate. he has also gone back on his election promise of withdrawing military forces from the Middle East and Afghanistan. The American deployment to Gulf Countries has increased from 3000 in May 2019 to around 14000 by the end of December. There is also talk of further increasing these forces in the next few weeks. These forces are deployed in Kuwait, UAE, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia. This practically means that GCC is now colonised and have lost their sovereignty. This is a concerning development. it is because of that I have suggested in a tweet that special meeting of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and OIC should be convened to de-escalate tensions in the region. Failure to develop a multilateral response to American exceptionalism and unilateralism is detrimental to all regional stakeholders. AbDUL QUAyyUM KHAN KUNDI Lahore

Aleem Dar ThrEE times International Cricket Council Umpire of the years (2009, 2010, and 2011), Pakistan’s International cricket umpire, Aleem Dar, has equalled the record of Steve Bucknor of the West Indies to officiate the most test cricket matches. Taking the field for the 128th time during second Ashes (2019) Test between England and Australia at Lord’s, Mr Dar equalled the record. After he made his test debut in a match between Bangladesh and England at Dhaka in October 2003, he has taken charges of 376 matches across all formats. Apart from Aleem Dar and Steve Bucknor, South Africa’s rudi Koertzen is the only other umpire having reached the three-figure mark in test, having stood in 108 tests before retiring in 2010. The Pakistan Cricket Board has congratulated him for achieving this milestone. We also congratulate him and hope that he would make more record(s) in the future and brighten the name of the country. RIAZ AHMED SooMRo Shikarpur

Garbage in Karachi SIr, through the columns of your esteemed newspaper, I would like to draw attention of the concerned authorities towards the serious problem of garbage in Karachi because when it comes to garbage, Karachi is the king of the trash heaps. The garbage situation of Karachi is becoming worse everyday. Open sewage drains and garbage dumps are giving rise to many harmful diseases. After this Eidul Azha, the waste material is still lying on roads. And the majority of streets were flooded with water and trash, disturbing the citizens. Moreover the stagnant rainwater mixed with the remains of the animals, serving as a serious health hazard for citizens. Karachi needs serious attention and it is also a matter of great concern for the higher authorities. The Sindh government should look into the matter and take some proper steps to make Karachi clean and beautiful. FAtIMA yoUSUF Karachi

Tuesday, 7 January, 2020

10 FOREIGN NEWS

FIRE-hIT AUSTRAlIA gETS $1.4Bn REcoVERy FUnd AS TRooPS dEPloyEd SYDNEY

UAE unveils first multi-entry fiveyear tourist visa NEWS DESK The United Arab Emirates on Monday unveiled its first multi-entry five-year tourist visa in order to boost its tourism industry, according to media reports. The UAE cabinet, in its first meeting of the year chaired by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, the prime minister and ruler of Dubai, approved the new visa policy. At present, tourists from some countries can visit the UAE with a free multiple entry visa for up to 90 days, from the date of entry. The move is expected to provide a boost to the local tourism industry and make it easier for residents to bring relatives to the country for visits. According to the report, Sheikh Mohammed said the new visa would allow tourists multiple entries into the country over a period of five years. He said the move aimed at establishing the Emirates as a “major global tourism destination” was part of wider plans to prepare the country for the next 50 years of development. “The year 2020 will be different because it is the year of preparation for the next 50, the year in which we design the future of the Emirates,” he said. The visa would be available to all nationalities, Sheikh Mohammed was quoted as saying.

Free handouts of cannabis oil at Bangkok medical marijuana clinic BANGKOK AGENCIES

A medical clinic in Bangkok opened Monday offering free cannabis oil to hundreds of Thais seeking relief from cancer, insomnia and muscle pain as the government drives home the economic and health benefits of their gamble of marijuana. Thailand in 2018 became the first country in Southeast Asia to legalise medical marijuana, although many Thais have long used the herb in traditional medicine. The government is eager to harvest the multibillion-dollar potential of weed, investing in tech to extract, distill and market cannabis oils. “Today marks the beginning,” Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said at the launch of the Bangkok clinic.

AGENCIES

ESERVE troops fanned out across fire-ravaged regions in three Australian states on Monday after a horror weekend, as the government pledged $1.4 billion over two years to help recover from the devastating months-long crisis. Catastrophic bushfires have turned swathes of land into smouldering, blackened hellscapes and destroyed an area about the size of the island of Ireland, according to official figures, with authorities warning the disaster still has weeks or months to run. Prime Minister Scott Morrison, whose government has been criticised for its slow response to the emergency, pledged Aus$2 billion ($1.4 billion) of taxpayer money for a national recovery fund. “It’s a long road ahead and we will be with these communities every step of the way as they rebuild,” Morrison said. Firefighters joined by fresh teams from the US and Canada were taking advantage of rainy and cooler conditions to tackle out-of-control blazes ahead of rising temperatures forecast later this week. In the biggest-ever call up of reserves, military teams were deployed across

eastern Australia to help emergency services assess the damage, restore power and deliver supplies of food, water and fuel to cut-off communities. For the first time in Australian history the government also deployed its medical assistance team — normally sent to other nations to lend support in the aftermath of their disasters — to help evacuees. “There is no room for complacency, especially as we have over 130 fires burning across (New South Wales) state still,” Premier of New

South Wales state Gladys Berejiklian said on Monday. Almost five million hectares (50,000 square kilometres) have been razed across New South Wales and more than 1.2 million hectares in Victoria since late September, officials said. That took the total amount of land burnt close to eight million hectares — around the size of the island of Ireland or South Carolina. Twenty-four people have lost their lives so far, with over 1,800 homes damaged.

Two people are missing in New South Wales, the nation’s most populous state. In Victoria, Premier Daniel Andrews established a bushfire recovery agency to help devastated towns. It will be a permanent body, he said, as intense fires will become commonplace. “We should just be honest about the fact that we’re going to see more and more fires, more and more damage as each fire season comes… this is the new normal,” Andrews told reporters. The chair of the newly established Victoria state’s bushfire appeal fund, Pat McNamara, added that this year’s summer bushfire season was a “creeping disaster”. “We’re still not even into what we would regard as the peak of the fire season,” McNamara told national broadcaster ABC. In the usually picturesque southeastern town of Eden, Holly Spence said she spent more than 12 hours defending her family’s farm on Saturday, less than a week after saving it on New Year’s Eve. “We don’t want to go through this for a third time,” the 28-year-old told AFP. Fiona Kennelly, 50, who evacuated with 24 members of her extended family to a motel outside Eden, said she was relieved the easing conditions allowed them to get some respite from the crisis.

Return to right path, Beijing’s new envoy tells Hong Kong BEIJING AGENCIES

Beijing’s new top envoy to Hong Kong said he hoped the protest ravaged city would “return to the right path” as he took up his post on Monday. Luo Huining replaced Wang Zhimin as head of Beijing’s Liaison Office in Hong Kong — the most significant personnel change by China since violent prodemocracy protests erupted in the city nearly seven months ago. The 65-yearold Luo delivered a short statement to reporters in Mandarin — not the city’s lingua franca Cantonese. He gave little clue as to whether Beijing’s approach towards the city would change as it convulses with popular anger against mainland rule. “In the past six months, Hong Kong’s situation has made everybody’s heart wrench. Everyone earnestly hopes that Hong Kong can return to the right path,” Luo said, declining to take ques-

tions from reporters. Millions have come out on the streets since June last year in a wave of protests sparked by opposition to a now-abandoned proposal to allow extraditions to mainland China. But they soon morphed into wider demands for greater democratic freedoms and police accountability in the starkest challenge to Beijing since the former British colony was returned to Chinese rule in 1997. While the huge protest marches have been largely peaceful, smaller groups of hardline protesters have repeatedly battled riot police with more than 6,500 arrested. Luo struck a conciliatory tone in saying Hong Kong had made an “important contribution to (China’s) opening up and modernisation”. And in a brief reference to the political violence he quoted President Xi Jinping’s New Year speech saying “without a harmonious and stable environment, how can there be a home where people can live and work happily”. The Liaison Of-

fice, whose director is the highestranking Chinese political official in Hong Kong, was targeted in July by protesters throwing eggs and graffitiing the building. Luo previously

served as governor of Qinghai province, and was also appointed to senior Communist Party positions in Qinghai and Shanxi provinces, according to state-run China Daily.

Weinstein sex crimes trial set to open in New York NEW YORK AGENCIES

Harvey Weinstein’s high-profile sex crimes trial opens on Monday, more than

two years after a slew of allegations against the once-mighty Hollywood producer triggered the #MeToo movement that led to the downfall of dozens of powerful men. The disgraced movie mogul

faces life in prison if convicted in a New York state court of predatory sexual assault charges, in a trial expected to last six weeks. Almost 90 women, including Angelina Jolie and Gwyneth Paltrow, have accused the 67-year-old of sexual misconduct since The New York Times detailed claims against him in October 2017. But Weinstein, once one of Hollywood’s most influential people, is being tried on charges related to just two women, highlighting the difficulty of building cases around incidents that took place years ago. Former production assistant Mimi Haleyi alleges that the “Pulp Fiction” producer forcibly performed oral sex on her in his New York apartment in July 2006. The second alleged victim is anonymous. She says Weinstein, the co-founder of Miramax Films, raped her in a New York hotel room in March 2013. “The Sopranos” actress Annabella Sciorra will also give evidence as the prosecution seeks to convince the jury that Weinstein engaged in a pattern of predatory sexual behavior. A conviction would signal a watershed moment for the #MeToo movement in the fight against sexual

CMYK

harassment and abuse of power in Hollywood and beyond. “This trial is critical to show that predators everywhere will be held accountable and that speaking up can bring about real change,” 25 of Weinstein’s accusers said in a statement Friday. Seven of them, including actresses Rose McGowan and Rosanna Arquette, are due to hold a press conference outside court at 10:00 am (1500 GMT) Monday, 30 minutes after the hearing is scheduled to begin. Since the #MeToo movement took hold in the wake of a deluge of allegations against Weinstein, almost all men felled from their positions, be it in the world of entertainment or business, have escaped prosecution. The only other trial on the horizon is that of R&B singer R. Kelly, who was charged last year with several assaults on young women, but allegations of sexual impropriety have dogged him for years. American comedian Bill Cosby was sentenced to at least three years in prison in September 2018, although proceedings had started in late 2015, two years before the post-Weinstein surge of allegations. Weinstein’s trial will be closely watched. Some 150 journalists, on top of regu-

lar court reporters, have requested access to the courtroom which only seats around 100. Accusers and #MeToo activists could also crowd the public benches in support of Weinstein’s alleged victims who are expected to endure brutal crossexaminations. Weinstein, who has always maintained that his sexual relationships were consensual, is unlikely to testify. His defense team has been trying to undermine the allegations of the two accusers on the charge sheet since long before the start of the trial. They have produced emails and text messages which they say show that both remained in friendly contact with the accused for several months after the alleged events. Monday’s hearing is expected to deal with logistical matters and should be short.The first battle will be over jury selection, which is expected to start on Tuesday and could take two weeks. In an email interview with CNN, published Saturday, Weinstein suggested he may be able to rebuild his career in the movie business if acquitted. “If I can get back to doing something good and building places that help heal and comfort others, I intend to do so,” he wrote.

Tuesday, 7 January, 2020

BUSINESS 11 ISLAMABAD

AHMAD AHMADANI

AKING notice of the prevalent gas crisis, Prime Minister Imran Khan has sought a report from the Ministry of Energy which failed to meet the demand of gas this winter season. Consumers of all categories were faced with gas shortage despite the fact that the import of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) was continuing as per capacity. The most affected among all categories of gas consumers was the Compressed Natural Gas industry, where businesses were being shut. According to sources, Prime Minister Imran Khan was not happy with the gas supply situation as well as the arrangements made by the energy ministry in this regard. Agitated over the prevalent gas crisis, the PM has sought from the Ministry of Energy a detailed performance re-

PeRtuRbed PM seeks eneRGy MinistRy’s RePoRt on PRevalent Gas cRisis port, which would be tabled in the next federal cabinet meeting, they added. Sources said that the premier had noted that there was no gas shortage in winters during the last two years of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government. “If Energy Minister Omar Ayub Khan and Special Assistant to PM on Petroleum Nadeem Babar fail to satisfy the prime minister regarding gas management in the winter season, their portfolios could be changed.” Meanwhile, talking to the media on Monday, SAPM Nadeem Babar explained that gas supply to general industry and

Jazz becomes second telecom operator to test 5G in Pakistan ISLAMABAD SYEDA MASOOMA

Telecom operator Jazz tested out the fifth generation (5G) of mobile technology at its digital headquarters in Islamabad, where average download speeds of 1,452Mbps and upload speeds of 68Mbps were achieved along with successful HD Voice & Video calls. Previously, China Mobile Pakistan (CMPak), popularly known as Zong, carried out the first official test of its 5G network in the country on August 22, 2019. Back then, both Jazz and Telenor announced that they have conducted their in-house 5G trials but rollout for both of them was hit by license renewal issues. Pakistan Telecommunication Authority had earlier announced that “5G licenses are not being issued, while the authority is encouraging telcos to test the wireless technology before licenses can be issued”. Jazz CEO Amir Ibrahim, talking about the successful 5G trials, said, “We are pleased with the initial 5G trials and are ready to fast track the technology across Pakistan, whenever the process gets initiated by the government. These trials showcase our commitment towards a digital Pakistan, which is why we have been the frontrunners in deploying the latest mobile technology.” “Successful conclusion of these 5G trials is a matter of pride for us as we have always strived to provide the latest technologies to the masses,” said Jazz CTO Khalid Shehzad. “Our network is spread throughout Pakistan and once the prerequisites are set for the commercial launch of 5G in the country, Jazz will ensure no one is left behind in attaining the benefits this next-gen technology will offer.”

Gold price surges Rs2,850 to stand at Rs93,350 Gold rates climbed to an all-time high on Monday, increasing by Rs2,850 per tola to close at Rs93,350. The price of 10-gram gold also recorded an upsurge, witnessing an increase of Rs2,442, to stand at Rs80,032. International markets also recorded a sizeable increase in the price of gold, surging by $26 per ounce. The current price of gold per ounce stood at $1,578. NEWS DESK

CNG sector was suspended from 19th December till 30th December due to acute winter season. He said gas supply was restored for the general industry after 30th December while that for Punjab CNG sector, it would be restored from tomorrow (Tuesday). He said that 1,224MMCFD of gas was being supplied to Sindh while total production from the province was 2,200MMCFD. “Hue and cry by the Sindh government regarding gas supply is illogical,” Babar maintained. The SAPM said despite the fact that the Petroleum Division had sent seven

letters to Sindh government for Right of Ways (RoWs), it “did not bother to respond”. “If the Sindh government did not give RoW under article 168, then there will be acute gas shortage and the province may face up to 300MMCFD shortfall during the next winter season.” He said the Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited (SNGPL) provided 1,230MMCFD gas to its domestic consumers during the winter season. On the other hand, All Pakistan CNG Association Central Chairman Ghias Paracha has rejected the Petroleum Division’s deci-

sion to provide gas to CNG stations of Punjab and federal capital for only two days (Tuesday and Friday) in a week. “We reject the division’s decision... it is strange that that government is ignoring a sector that can help it save approximately $2 billion annually.” At present, total gas consumption in CNG sector was 225MMCFD; consumption in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh was around 160MMCFD, while it stood at 65MMCFD for Punjab. “It is unjust and unfair to temporarily restore gas supply to CNG sector when the LNG is being imported at full capacity,” Paracha lamented.

ECNEC approves seven projects worth billions ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Adviser to Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh on Monday chaired the meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) at the Cabinet Division. The ECNEC considered and approved seven projects put forth by the Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives. The committee considered and approved the ‘Southern Punjab Poverty Alleviation Project (SPPAP Revised-III)’ at a cost of Rs15.52 billion, with Rs7.5 billion as foreign exchange component (FEC). The Punjab government and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) would finance the project, which aims to contribute to poverty reduction in the Southern Punjab region. The project is expected to be completed by 2023. Meanwhile, the ECNEC ap-

proved the ‘Higher Education Development in Pakistan (HEDP-Islamabad)’ at a cost of Rs12.08 billion, with FEC of Rs7.72 billion to be provided by the World Bank. The project has five components; nurturing academic excellence in strategic sectors; supporting decentralised higher education institutes for improved teaching and learning; equipping students and higher education institutions with modern technology; higher education management information system; data-driven services and technical assistance. Moreover, the committee approved the ‘Pakistan Multi-Mission Communication Satellite System (PakSat-MMI)’ at a cost of Rs39.7 billion for the establishment of a geostationary communication satellite and its ground control stations inside the country. As much as 15pc of the project cost would be financed through the federal Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) while 85pc would be provided through

Chinese concessional loan. ECNEC also approved the Tarbela 4th Extension Hydropower Project (Revised PC-I) at Rs122.9 billion. The project aims to expand the present capacity of Tarbela Dam Hydropower Project from 3,478MW to 4,888MW (an addition of 1,410MW) through the installation of three units of 470MW on the existing irrigation tunnel 4. The World Bank would provide 90pc of the financing ($692 million) while the remaining 10pc would be done by WAPDA. The ‘Renewable Energy Development Sector Investment Programme (3rd Revised)’ also got the approval of ECNEC at a cost of Rs12.8 billion, with Rs8.84 billion as FEC. The project would be sponsored by the Punjab government with assistance from the Asian Development Bank (ADB). Furthermore, the committee agreed to the ‘Evacuation of Power from Wind Power Projects at Jhimpir and Gharo Wind Clus-

ters (Revised PC-I)’ at Rs13.40 billion. The project, to be executed by the National Transmission & Despatch Company Ltd (NTDC), would evacuate 1,256MW power from the wind power plants installed at Jhimpir and Gharo wind clusters for the supply to respective load centres of the Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (HESCO) through NTDC transmission network. In Monday’s meeting, a report constituted by ECNEC (on its meeting of 15th July 2019) for the determination of tariff for PC-Ibased public sector power projects was also presented. After analysing the report, it was decided that in future, all power projects (irrespective of fuel technology) funded through PSDP should comply with NEPRA tariff regime by applying to NEPRA for tariff determination. The chair directed the Ministry of Planning to inform the forum on the status of all PSDP-funded projects in the next meeting.

FBR directed to conduct audit of smuggled vehicles’ auctions ISLAMABAD SHAHZAD PARACHA

The Federal Tax Ombudsman (FTO) has directed the tax department to conduct a detailed audit of auctions conducted in the last three years. FTO ordered this on Monday while deciding a suo moto case against the “irregularities” of Federal Board of Revenue’s field formations in seizing the smuggled (non-custom paid) vehicles, determining their assessable value and conducting their auction. The Directorate General of Internal Audit (Customs) has been directed to carry out a detailed audit of auctions conducted by the field formations during the last three financial years

to identify weaknesses in the rules and procedures, and make recommendations to improve laws, internal control and compliance. During the investigation, the FTO found that the customs’ collectorates, while seizing the NCP vehicles, did not nominate or apprehend even a single unlawful owner or culprit. “Criminal proceedings, including lodging of FIRs, have, invariably, not been initiated during the last ten years and most of the seizures were affected against unknown persons.” The FBR’s report regarding the seizure of vehicles by all the collectorates from July 2013 to January 2019, submitted to the FTO office, showed that the number of seized vehicles has increased every year. “During the period under

review, a total of 3,299 vehicles were seized.” The FTO report stated that the influx of NCP vehicles and their seizures had increased which belies the FBR plea of asserting the highest level of efficiency to curb the smuggling of NCP vehicles. “If anti-smuggling activities were conducted seriously with a view to discourage smuggling of vehicles, the influx of such vehicles could have been dropped.” According to the FTO report, in the last five years, 1,662 vehicles were auctioned, including 1,004 vehicles auctioned by MCC (Preventive), Quetta. Of the total, 538 vehicles were disposed of in the first auction, some below the reserve price. This was contrary to the instructions contained in para-7 of the Customs General Order (CGO) 12 of 2002.

Getz Pharma finalises deal to acquire Mitchell’s Fruit Farms LAHORE HASSAN NAQVI

Getz Pharma, one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in Pakistan, is all set to acquire Mitchell’s Fruit Farms Ltd, sources in both the companies confirmed on Monday. On 20th November 2019, Mitchell’s Fruit Farms Ltd had announced that it had shortlisted two firms for a strategic sale of shares along with the transfer of management control, namely Waves Singer Pakistan Ltd and Bioexyte Foods. The notification also mentioned that the company’s board had considered the key recommendations from the management and had authorised Najam Aziz Sethi, Syed Manzar Hassan and Nauman Munawar to negotiate and finalise terms of documents with the preferred bidder. Bioexyte Food (Pvt) Ltd was

incorporated on 25 July 2019 (six months ago). We may not rule out that it is a subsidiary of Getz Pharma, and may be incorporated to acquire Mitchell’s Fruit Farms Ltd. Waves Singer Pakistan Limited was formed after the merger between Cool Industries (Private) Ltd and Singer Pakistan. The company owns the subsidiary Electronics Marketing Company Pvt Limited which deals in buying and selling of renowned brands to generate retailer margins. It owns a network of warehouses, service centres, dealers, and workshops, consisting of nearly 2,000 outlets in the country. Interestingly, the name of Getz Pharma was not mentioned in Mitchell’s Nov 20 notification. But now, all of a sudden, the name of Getz Pharma has started making rounds and is all set to acquire the food giant. As per sources, the acquisition deal is already locked be-

tween the two companies while necessary documents in this regard would be signed soon. A senior Mitchell’s official confirmed about the acquisition but refused to share further details of the deal, including the exact number of shares sold. Prima facie, the management of Mitchell’s Fruit Farms Ltd did not inform the Pakistan Stock Exchange and shareholders about the finalisation of the deal which is required according to the PSX rules. MFFL is the oldest food company in Pakistan. It was established in 1933 by Francis J. Mitchell under the name of Indian Mildura Fruit Farms Limited. After independence in 1947, the company’s name was changed to Mitchell’s Fruit Farms Ltd. Under the brand name ‘Mitchells’, the company gradually expanded its product range to become one of the largest food companies in Pakistan.

Mitchells has been in loss for almost four years and in the last 18 months, the directors of the company had to inject around Rs150 million to keep it afloat. As per Mitchell’s Annual Report 2018, the company failed to achieve previous years sale revenue, as it’s aggregate sales revenue recorded a decline of 14.1pc and stood at 1.628 million. In 2018, the company declared a loss of Rs292.61 million, which was Rs30 million in 2017. MITCHELL’S SHAREHOLDING: The majority shares of the company are owned by its CEO, directors and their spouse and children, which adds up to 58pc shares of the company. This is followed by the general public that owns 27pc of the shares. Approximately 10pc shares are with Modarabas and mutual funds; banks, DFIs and NBFIs hold a negligible share whereas “other”

shareholders mainly include jointstock companies. In the last five years, Mitchell’s share price has declined from Rs807.4 to Rs310 (as on January 3, 2020). Since the announcement of sale of shares by Mitchell’s, the price of Mitchell’s share in the stock market increased from Rs240 on November 20, 2019, to Rs310. Mitchell’s current free float of shares stands at 35pc (2,756,250 shares). A senior Mitchell’s official said as a result of deterioration in the operating results, and increased uncertainty with respect to the future outlook of the company, sponsors of the company had to contribute substantial funds to bridge working capital requirements. He said in 2018, the company’s sales declined to Rs100.4 compared to 2017. Agreeing with him, another official said that the company, following its five-year growth strategy, invested heavily

in developing a stronger infrastructure and expanding its distribution network for increasing its retail penetration. But all the effort went in vain as the expansion of the distribution network failed to increase the company’s topline, he added. “The unabsorbed fixed costs resulted in an excessive outflow of available resources which led to the shrinkage of workingcapital which adversely affected bottom-line results.” An official of Getz Pharma, while confirming the development, told Profit that after acquiring Mitchell’s Food Farms Ltd, the company would try its level best to fully utilize the goodwill of the company and make it a profitable business. When asked about the number of shares being acquired by the company, the official said, “I cannot disclose the details of the transaction at the moment.”

Tuesday, 7 January, 2020

12 BUSINESS

ecc aPPRoves aMendMents in PoweR act to ‘cuRtail ciRculaR debt’

CORPORATE CORNER

ISLAMABAD: Askari Bank Limited and Majestic Lounge have signed an agreement wherein Askari Bank’s world, corporate, platinum and gold credit card customers would have access to Majestic Lounges at Jinnah Int’l Airport and Bacha Khan Int’l Airport. PR

AMENDED RULES TO BURDEN POWER CONSUMERS WITH ‘NEW SURCHARGES’ ISLAMABAD

GHULAM ABBAS

S per its commitment with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet has approved amendments in the power act, which would ultimately burden power consumers in the shape of ‘new surcharges and adjustments’. The ECC, which met with Adviser to Prime Minister on Finance Abdul Hafeez Shaikh in the chair on Monday, approved amendments to the Regulation of Generation, Transmission and Distribution of Electric LAHORE: Vivo, the global innovative smartphone brand, recently unveiled its new ‘S1 Pro’ in Pakistan through a special media launch event. PR

safe-haven currencies in demand amid us, iran tension LONDON: The yen and other safe-haven currencies were in demand on Monday, along with assets such as gold, as investors fretted that the killing of Iran’s most prominent military commander by the United States could trigger a broader Middle East conflict. The moves extended a flight to safety that began on Friday after Iranian Major-General Qassem Soleimani was killed in a US drone strike on his convoy at Baghdad airport. US President Donald Trump warned of a “major retaliation” if Iran hit back, while Iran’s replacement commander vowed to expel the United States from the region. On Sunday, Iran further distanced itself from the 2015 nuclear agreement with world powers, which the United States withdrew from in 2018, saying it would continue to cooperate with the UN nuclear watchdog but would respect no limits to its uranium enrichment work. The Japanese yen surged on Monday to a three-month high of 107.77 versus the US dollar in Asian trading and was last up 0.2pc on the day at 108. Spot gold was 1.4pc higher at an almost seven-year high, and oil rose on fears that any conflict in the region could disrupt global supplies. The Swiss franc, another safe currency, was trading flat too, though close to the four-month high of 1.0824 it reached against the euro on Friday. The dollar was treading water versus six major currencies and was slightly weaker against the euro, with euro/dollar last up 0.1pc at $1.1167. Implied volatility gauges in the most traded currency pair, on the other hand, were relatively calm, suggesting investors are not yet fleeing to add protection to their portfolios by buying currency options. Currencies sensitive to global risk appetite were weaker, including the Australian dollar, New Zealand dollar and Swedish crown. “Iran is almost certainly to respond in some scale, scope and magnitude,” said Lee Hardman, currency analyst at MUFG. Therefore “market participants are likely to remain nervous until there is more clarity over how geopolitical tensions between the US and Iran will proceed,” Hardman said, noting that geopolitical tensions could hurt global economic growth, especially if the price of oil increases. AGENCIES

Power Act, 1997, to address issues pertaining to the ballooning circular debt. The amendments in the existing laws were being introduced as per the commitment made by Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh and State Bank of Pakistan Governor Dr Reza Baqir during the recently concluded first review of the IMF programme. The government has committed to a revised structural benchmark to allow a fresh power tariff increase so that the cost of capacity payments could

MARKET DAILY

KSE-100 plunges over 1,000 points as geopolitical tensions rise KARACHI STAFF REPORT

In line with the trends in world markets, the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) nosedived on Monday, as the benchmark KSE100 Index slipped over 1,000 points amid rising geopolitical tensions. Furthermore, the ongoing conflict between Iran and the US has also caused a hike in global crude oil prices. Brent crude has reached $70 per barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate has climbed to $64.38 per barrel. On the economic front, Adviser to Prime Minister of Pakistan on Commerce Abdul Razak Dawood claimed that Pakistan’s trade deficit has declined by 31pc in the first six months of FY20. According to him, exports rose 3.21pc in JulyDecember 2019 to $11,540 million while imports declined 17.06pc in the same period to $23,182 million. The benchmark KSE-100 Index, which opened the session at 41,900.35, stooped to its intraday low at 41,207.16 after losing 1,116.14 points (-2.71pc). It closed lower by 1,027.06 points at 41,296.24. The KMI-30 Index

declined by 1,892.86 points or 2.75pc to end at 66,985.53, while the KSE All Share Index lost 628.48 points, settling at 29,145.52. Out of the total traded shares, only 28 advanced while 300 declined. The overall trading volumes were recorded at 266.63 million. K-Electric Limited (KEL -1.95pc) topped the volume chart, followed by Unity Foods Limited (UNITY 6.03pc) and The Bank of Punjab (BOP -3.12pc). The scripts had exchanged 46.03 million, 17.57 million and 16.87 million shares, respectively. The oil and gas marketing sector lost -3.66pc from its cumulative market capitalization. Attock Petroleum Limited (APL 2.51pc), Shell Pakistan Limited (SHEL -3.92pc), Pakistan State Oil Company Limited (PSO -3.31pc) and Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited (SNGPL -4.85pc) ended in the red zone. Sakrand Sugar Mills Limited (SKRS -5.74pc) announced its financial performance for the year ended September 30th, 2019. The company’s sales increased by 8.6pc, whereas its earnings per share declined from Rs6.01 to Rs3.51.

be covered within the current month. Pakistan, under the IMF programme, had constituted a committee to eliminate delays in tariff adjustments and to reintroduce the government’s powers to impose tariff surcharges through amendments to the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) Act so that the regulator could determine and automatically notify quarterly tariffs under fresh benchmarks. During the ECC meeting on

Monday, a set of amendments, proposed by the Ministry of Energy, to the Regulation of Generation, Transmission and Distribution of Electronic Power Act 1997, were approved for submission before the federal cabinet. The ECC was informed that the proposed amendments were aimed at bringing more clarity and precision in the market operation, besides ensuring a uniform tariff, timely submission and determination of quarterly and annual tariffs. The committee discussed the proposed draft amendments in detail and recommended their submission to the cabinet with a slight modification in the text to make it in line with the input from some ECC members. After the ECC’s goahead, the proposed amendments would be taken up by the federal cabinet and later submitted to the National Assembly Secretariat for further discussion by the NA standing committee and other relevant stakeholders, including NEPRA, before being put to vote by the House.

Pak-africa trade development conference to commence from 30th ISLAMABAD: The two-day Pakistan-Africa Trade Development Conference (PATDC) would commence from January 30th in Nairobi. As per details, the Ministry of Commerce would organise PATDC on Jan 30 and 31 under its ‘Look Africa Policy Initiative’. A high-level delegation, under the supervision of Adviser to PM on Commerce Razzaq Dawood and Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Querahi, would participate in this conference. In addition, around 100 traders/exporters of the focused sectors, such as textile and apparel, pharmaceuticals, agriculture (rice, sugar, wheat etc.), tractors & agricultural implements, banking, transportation, surgical instruments, leather & sports goods, light engineering & electronics, IT & software and cement, would also be present on the occasion. According to sources, the Kenyan president would inaugurate as well as participate in the conference, which would also be attended by 47 governors of Kenya. Besides, five traders/importers/exporters from the emerging economies, including South Africa, Morocco, Egypt, Tanzania, South Africa, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Eritrea, Algeria, Nigeria, Niger, Tunisia, Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, Libya and Senegal, would also participate in the conference. Under the ‘Look Africa Policy Initiative’, Pakistan was now focusing on Africa as a new frontier of export. Talking to this scribe, Pakistan High Commission’s newly appointed Commercial Counsellor in Nairobi L D Khan said that this conference was a major step towards diversification of market and products. “This initiative has been taken by the MoC to reap the potential benefits of trade and to capitalise on commercial opportunities in the emerging continent.” He said that Pakistan has taken the initiative to capture African market at par with other competitors i.e. India, China, Bangladesh. “MoC is striving hard to bring Pakistani and African public and private sectors at one place so that the dream of shared growth could be realised,” he added. SHAHZAD PARACHA

FIRST QUARTERLY REPORT

SBP releases first quarterly report on Pakistan’s economy for FY20 MACROECONOMIC STABILISATION PROCESS HAS LED TO A DECLINE IN TWIN DEFICITS KARACHI MEIRYUM ALI

The State Bank of Pakistan’s report on the first quarter of the fiscal year 2019-20 is somewhat cautious, with the SBP noting that Pakistan’s economy has moved progressively, but that achieving real GDP growth of 4pc seems unlikely. The report, which was released on Monday, stated that Pakistan’s macroeconomic stabilization process picked up momentum with the initiation of the IMF’s Extended Fund Facility programme. The

ACHIEVING THE REAL GDP GROWTH TARGET OF 4PC APPEARS UNLIKELY report said that the stabilization process has led to a decline in twin deficits. The current account deficit in Q1FY20 fell to less than half of last year’s level, primarily on the back of significant import compression. On the fiscal front, the overall deficit remained lower as compared to the same period last year, which was due to revenue enhancement and expenditure control measures. “On the external front, the balance of payments continued to improve during Q1FY20. Beside significant improvement in trade deficit, and with the receipt of the first EFF tranche from the IMF and increase in foreign portfolio investment, the current

account gap was plugged by the available financial flows. These inflows also helped the SBP to increase its foreign exchange reserves by $656.2 million and reduce its net forward liabilities by $1.3 billion during the quarter,” the report read. But on a less positive note, the SBP noted that the goal of achieving a 4pc growth target will be difficult. According to the report’s executive overview, “Following the modest GDP growth of 3.3pc last year, the government set a 4pc growth target for FY20. This recovery was premised on better performance by the agriculture and industrial sectors...however, based on the sluggish start during the first quarter, it appears that achieving the annual targets for agriculture and industry may prove to be challenging.” Revised estimates for the Kharif season suggest that the production of important crops is likely to fall short of target for FY20, while large-scale manufacturing sec-

tor witnessed a decline of 5.9pc in Q1-FY20 on year on year basis. The report also noted that average inflation reached 11.5pc in the first quarter, which was double the inflation observed in the same quarter last year, and the highest inflation since the fourth quarter of the fiscal year 2012. According to the report, “For consumers, the increase in inflationary pressures in the economy (especially food items) was particularly disconcerting, as it impacted their real incomes. This high inflation outcome was driven largely by the pass-through of exchange rate depreciation, correction in energy prices, shortage of food items, and revenue measures taken by the government.” The SBP expects that inflation will stay within the range of 11-12pc for the full year. As per the report, there were four key developments in the first quarter: first, the SBP continued to keep the monetary policy consistent with the medium-term in-

flation target; and consolidation efforts were also visible on the fiscal front, both on the revenue and expenditure sides. Second, the system of a market-based exchange rate was implemented, to which the interbank foreign exchange market adjusted relatively well. Third, the government abided by its commitment to avoid deficit monetization, including rollover of SBP debt. Fourth, the government actively pursued documentation efforts, including asset revaluations, and tight financial scrutiny. Looking forward, the SBP said that the government must address underlying structural vulnerabilities and put the economy on a balanced and sustainable growth trajectory. There is also a need to build on gains on the ease of doing business front. The SBP also said it is important for firms to leverage on the facilitative policies, particularly the export-promotion incentives.

AwArd winners At Golden Globes

The 77th Golden Globes awards, honouring the best in films and dramas, kicked off yesterday and it was a star studded affair of grandeur and glory. And the winners are... *Best motion picture- Drama * Winner: 1917 *Best motion picture- musical or comedy * Winner: Once upon a time... in Hollywood Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama Winner: Renée Zellweger from Judy Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama Winner: Joaquin Phoenix from Joker Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion

Picture - Musical or Comedy Winner: Awkwafina from The Farewell

Ramy Youssef

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy Winner: Taron Egerton from Rocketman Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture Winner: Laura Dern from Marriage story Best Motion Picture - Animated Winner: Missing Link

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy Winner: Phoebe Waller-Bridge from Fleabag Best Television Series - Musical or Comedy Winner: Fleabag

Apollo 17 astronaut Harrison Schmitt was allergic to moon dust.

Best Performance by an Actor In A Television Series - Drama Winner: Brian Coax from Succession Best Performance by an Actress In A Television Series - Drama Winner: Olivia Colman from The Crown

Best Television Series - Drama Winner: Succession Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy Winner:

Best Television Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television Winner: Chernobyl

At the Gettysburg reunion in 1913, two men purchased a hatchet, walked to the site where their regiments had fought, and buried it.

Javeria Rajput

Anam Farrukh

Aroob

Mehwish Hayat at Bonanza Store Launch

HOLLYWOOD BOLLYWOOD

Bonanza Satrangi launched their new store at Dolmen Mall Clifton, Karachi. Bonanza Satrangi, the leading fast-fashion brand, launched their new store in the heart of the shopping arena of the city, at Dolmen Mall Clifton, and had the film actress Mehwish Hayat in attendance.

Sumbul

'The Mandalorian' Season 2 Coming Fall 2020 Teases Jon Favreau Jon Favreau teases The Mandalorian Season 2 with an image of a Gamorrean Guard on Instagram. "Season 2 of The Mandalorian coming Fall 2020," Favreau posted. The Mandalorian Season 1 recently came to a conclusion, which introduced fan-favorite characters such as the titular character played by Pedro Pascal ("This is the way."); Kuiil, voiced by Nick Nolte, who is known for stating "I have spoken"; the bounty hunter bot, IG-11, voiced by Taika Watiti, who also directed the stellar last episode, and of course then there is The Child, aka Baby Yoda, who has the powers of The Force. Additional episodes also featured Gina Carano as Cara Dune, Carl Weathers as Greef Karga, Agents of SHIELD's Ming-Na Wen as Fennec Shand, who just might have a role in Season 2, and Breaking Bad actor Giancarlo Esposito as Moff Gideon who sports a black Darksaber lightsaber, which in Star Wars expanded universe canon was one of the Mandalorian culture’s most prized weapons and artifacts!

Zainab Raja

Sabina Ahmad

"Bloodcurdling" isn't just an expression: Research shows that watching horror movies can increase a certain clotting protein in our bloodstreams.

Soha Ali Khan shares pictures of Inaaya New Chhapaak teaser shows how chasing a peacock in Australia, feeding sheep Deepika Padukone’s Malti finds it difficult to find a job Actors Soha Ali Khan and Kunal Kemmu, along with their daughter Inaaya Naumi Kemmu, have been stationed in Australia for a while to celebrate the New Year. Both have been sharing pictures from their vacation, the latest is of Inaaya at a petting zoo. In one such picture, shared by Soha, Inaaya can be seen running after a peacock. In other pictures, she is feeding ponnies and sheep. Inaaya’s face is not visible to the camera, but she seems to be enjoying feeding the sheep and ponnies. Inaaya is quite a hit online like her cousin Taimur Ali Khan. Their pictures from their family outing in Pataudi and later in Ranthambore on the occasion of Inaaya’s grandmother Sharmila Tagore’s birthday were eagerly lapped up by fans. On the work front, Kunal saw the release of the trailer of his upcoming film, Malang on Monday. Starring Aditya Roy Kapur, Disha Patani, Anil Kapoor and himself, Malang has been directed by Mohit Suri. Touted to be a crime thriller, the trailer shows us how all the four principle characters have a strong murderous streak in them.

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Deepika Padukone’s Chhapaak is days away from its release. On Monday, the makers of the film released a new teaser of the film. In the teaser, Deepika’s character Malti, now disfigured after the acid attack, tries to get a job but is rejected every time. A scene shows how a friend tells her that restaurants now have vacancy for ‘disabled’ people while a beauty parlour owner rejects her application stating that ‘beauty parlour mein thodi beauty naa ho toh thodi problem hoti hai’. The film is inspired by the real-life story of Delhi’s acid attack survivor Laxmi Agarwal. Called Malti in the film, Deepika essays the role of a survivor and is ably supported by Vikrant Massey. The film, directed by Meghna Gulzar, has created a positive buzz around it. On the choice of Deepika for the role, Meghna had earlier told Mumbai Mirror, “For me, it was important to take a face associated with beauty because when you distort it, like it would happen to a survivor, the contrast and impact is far stronger.

Tuesday, 7 January, 2020

14 sporTs

Teenage sTar gauff makes flying sTarT To new year BrisBane

Agencies

EEN sensation Coco Gauff started the new year in dominant form at the WTA Auckland Classic on Monday while veteran Serena Williams' path became a little easier before she even stepped on court. Gauff was unflustered by two double faults as she negotiated a blustery wind in her opening service game against last year's semi-finalist Viktoria Kuzmova. She recovered to hold serve and then immediately broke Kuzmova on her way to taking the first set 6-3 before racing through the second set 6-1 to wrap up the match in 61 minutes. "Playing in the wind was a bit tough. I'm just glad I got through it," said Gauff who impressed with four aces and cashed in with four out of four break points while saving three out of three on her own serve. Williams, who had won six of her 23 Grand Slams before Gauff was born, is scheduled to meet the 15-year-old prodigy in the quarter-finals if they both win their first two matches. The 38-year-old Williams was drawn to play another Grand Slam winner, Svetlana Kuznetsova, in the first round but the Russian pulled out on Monday with a viral illness. Jelena Ostapenko, the 2017 French Open champion, was also a late cancellation, citing "personal reasons" while Canadian world number five Bianca Andreescu pulled out last month because of an ongoing knee injury. Williams, who will now play Italian qualifier Camila Giorgi in a first-round match on Tuesday,

Japan, nishioka keep surprises coming at aTP Cup had a tough time in the wind at her previous appearance in Auckland three years ago, losing in the second round. But she had a chance to get used to the conditions on Monday when she teamed up with Caroline Wozniacki in the doubles and cruised to a 6-2, 6-4 win over Japanese pair Nao Hibino and Makoto Ninomiya Slovakian Tamara Zidansek produced the one

upset on day one when she beat sixth seed Rebecca Peterson of Sweden in a tightly contested match 7-6 (9/7), 7-6 (7/5). The only other seed in action, Caroline Garcia, needed more than two-and-a-half hours and three sets to overcome American Taylor Townsend. The eighth-seed Frenchwoman dropped the first set 5-7 before recovering to win the next two 6-3, 7-5.

Collins thrashes Svitolina as Kerber, Konta also crash out

BrisBane Agencies

American Danielle Collins thrashed fourth seed and former champion Elina Svitolina in the first round of the Brisbane International on Monday as Germany's Angelique Kerber also crashed out.

Svitolina, the world number five, went into the match as firm favourite but was never in the hunt against Collins, going down meekly 6-1, 6-1 in just 56 minutes. Collins dominated every facet of the match against a disappointing Svitolina, who won this tournament in 2018.

The American served well and returned even better, winning 62 percent of the points off Svitolina's first serve and 61 percent off her second. She joins two other US players in the second round following wins by Sophia Kenin and Alison Riske. Kenin beat Latvia's Anastasija Sevastova 7-6 (7/1), 6-4 while Riske downed Czech player Karolina Muchova 6-4, 6-2. In a battle of former Grand Slam champions, Australia's Samantha Stosur upset former German world number one Kerber in two tough sets. Stosur, 35, has slipped to 98 in the world rankings and has never played well in front of her home fans in Brisbane. But with new coach -- and former doubles partner -- Rennae Stubbs at her side, Stosur played a strong tactical game to overcome Kerber. "She knows all the players, her tactical awareness and everything about the players is excellent," Stosur said. "That was something last year when I was going through without a coach, I found hard to do that day after day. "Even though we know a lot of players and you know what to do, having that other set of eyes doing that is obviously very helpful." In other matches, Czech Barbora Strycova upset seventh seeded Briton Johanna Konta 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, and Ajla Tomljanovic beat fellow Australian Priscilla Hon 6-2, 4-6, 6-4.

BrisBane Agencies

Yoshihito Nishioka notched his second upset to start the season after downing world number 26 Nikoloz Basilashvili in straight sets Monday, as injury-hit Japan continued to surprise at the ATP Cup. The world number 72 won 6-2, 6-3 in Perth to clinch the tie for unbeaten Japan after Go Soeda prevailed over Georgia's Aleksandre Metreveli 4-6, 6-3, 6-2. Japan, who whitewashed Uruguay on Saturday, surprisingly top Group B in the 24-nation event despite the withdrawal of injured star Kei Nishikori and Yasutaka Uchiyama, their third best player, before the tournament. The top eight countries from the round robin go onto a knockout phase in Sydney. Nishioka, 24, has relished the extra responsibility, having beaten Basilashvili and world number 45 Pablo Cuevas, who he thrashed 6-0, 6-1 on Saturday. "I think I played my best tennis and very happy about this," he said of his win against the Georgian. The left-handed Nishioka's pinpoint accuracy rattled Basilashvili, who constantly misfired in an errorstrewn first set before settling. Basilashvili broke in the third game of the second set but was unable to consolidate, as Nishioka overcame service struggles of his own to prevail in straight sets. In the earlier match, veteran Soeda was made to work by Metreveli, who rebounded after a horror debut at the ATP level when he failed to win a game against Spanish world number nine Roberto Bautista Agut on Saturday. Metreveli, ranked 678, was broken early before finally getting on the board in the fourth game to ignite his confidence. He then broke back before dictating with aggressive groundstrokes to claim his first set on tour. Both players struggled to hold serve in a see-saw start to the second set, but Soeda levelled the match after taking advantage of Metreveli's susceptible forehand and cruised from there. "I was really tight in the first set, but I tried to focus after that," Soeda said. "There was so much pressure to win for the team, so I was nervous." Soeda replaced Nishikori, who pulled out of the tournament and the Australian Open with an elbow problem. A Rafael Nadal-led Spain play Uruguay in the later Group B tie.

Big-serving Anderson on path back to the top BrisBane Agencies

Former world number five Kevin Anderson showed he was on his way back after an injury-ruined 2019 when he thrashed Chile's Cristian Garin 6-0, 6-3 in their ATP Cup tie in Brisbane on Monday. Anderson's win clinched the tie for South Africa following Lloyd Harris's 6-4, 6-4 victory over Nicolas Jarry. Raven Klaasen and Ruan Roelofse made it a clean sweep for South Africa when they beat Garin and Jarry in the doubles 16, 6-3, 10-7. Anderson, 33, missed the second half of last year after suffering a knee injury at Wimbledon in July, with the South African undergoing surgery in September. He played his first match back

against world number two Novak Djokovic on Saturday, pushing the 16-time Grand Slam winner to the brink before falling 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (8/6). Djokovic noted that Anderson's absence "didn't really affect his game that much". And after his 74-minute demolition of world number 33 Garin, there is little doubt that the towering South African will be a dangerous unseeded floater in the Australian Open draw. Anderson, who stands at 2.03 metres (6ft 8in) fired down 11 aces in his win over Garin and did not face a break point. "My best ranking is top five, so I would like to get back there," he said. "But the two biggest goals is I want to win a Masters series. I feel like that's something that I'm

definitely a good enough tennis player to do that. I've put myself in good positions but haven't quite taken that step. "And then, obviously, the grand prize in tennis, a Grand Slam. I've been in two finals. That's the ultimate goal for me. It's one that I really feel like I have a good chance of doing it." The 22-year-old Harris, coming off his best year in 2019, was impressive in his win over a player ranked 22 places above him. "I wanted to keep going for my spots on my serve, try to stay as aggressive as possible on the forehand, but the idea was to make him play that extra ball, getting in good defensive positions when he was playing with very strong ground strokes and I think I defended really well," Harris said.

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Tuesday, 7 January, 2020

sporTs 15

lyon roars as ausTralia Crush new Zealand To sweeP series wellingTOn

Agencies

ATHAN Lyon captured five for 50 and 10 match wickets as Australia crushed New Zealand by 279 runs on Monday, capping a golden domestic summer as they swept the three-Test series. The off-spinner led the powerful Australian bowling attack to dismiss the Kiwis for 136 and seal another heavy win over the Black Caps after similar victories in Perth and Melbourne. Australia have been unbeatable this season, winning all five Tests at home -two against Pakistan and three against New Zealand -- after retaining the Ashes by drawing the series 2-2 in England. "It's been a great summer for the Australian Test side," Lyon said. "It's pretty special to be part of it, we have been impressive, pretty clinical, the batters have done well and given us bowlers plenty of time." Australia declared their second innings at 217 for two with David Warner scoring an unbeaten century, leaving the Black Caps with a revised 416-run target in the fourth innings on a wearing Sydney Cricket Ground pitch.

But the Kiwis buckled under the pressure of Australia's superior bowling attack with Mitchell Starc taking three for 25 to support the wiles of spinner Lyon. "They were clinical in all areas and after the first match they put us under pressure session after session," said skipper Kane Williamson, who missed the Test with a virus.

New Zealand were reeling early at 27-4 and never recovered after Starc and Lyon took two wickets each in the middle session to put the skids under the tourists. Starc removed both openers, Tom Latham and Tom Blundell, in the first five overs. Blundell fell to a stunning catch by a diving Lyon at point for two and stand-in

skipper Latham lost a review for leg before wicket. Jeet Raval was out in a review to the faintest of edges on 'Snicko' in Lyon's first over for 12. First-innings top-scorer Glenn Phillips went for a duck after technology detected a faint outside edge to wicketkeeper Paine off Lyon. Ross Taylor became the leading alltime Kiwi batsman, going past Stephen Fleming (7,172) before he was bowled by Pat Cummins for 22 to take his Test aggregate to 7,174. Big-hitting Colin de Grandhomme smacked Lyon for six to bring up his fifty but went next ball hoicking to Joe Burns at deep mid-wicket for 52. Todd Astle was out to a superb diving catch by James Pattinson in the outfield for 17. Starc yorked William Somerville's middle stump for seven and BJ Watling was the last to fall, caught at backward square leg by Pat Cummins for 19. Earlier, Warner completed his 24th Test century and remained unbeaten when skipper Paine declared upon the dismissal of Marnus Labuschagne. "You know you're capable of doing so," Warner said, when asked about how he had bounced back from his disastrous

Dom sibley's maiden Test fifty lays platform for England

Ashes campaign in England last year. "I was in the nets hitting the ball well and had the skipper backing me. To be able to play with freedom helped me. It's all paying off." Labuschagne, who was dropped on four in a regulation caught-and-bowled chance by leg-spinner Astle, was caught at long on off Matt Henry for 59 -- his seventh score over 50 in eight innings this domestic summer. Labuschagne finished the home fiveTest season with a stunning aggregate of 896 runs, made up of his 215 in the first innings, three other centuries and three half-centuries in eight innings. There was drama late in the Australian innings when Warner was given an official warning by umpire Aleem Dar for running down the middle of the pitch in scampering a single. It resulted in five penalty runs being added to New Zealand's first innings total meaning their target was revised down from 421 to 416. The Test was played against the backdrop of one of Australia's most devastating bushfire seasons with at least 24 people losing their lives in blazes raging across the country, including on the outskirts of Sydney.

Squash starlet Hamza Khan clinches British Junior Open 2020

CaPe TOwn Agencies

Joe Root said in the days before England arrived in New Zealand at the end of last year that he wanted his batsmen to "be prepared to play some attritional cricket" after batting "in fast-forward" under Trevor Bayliss. On the third day of the Newlands Test, it appeared his top order had taken that message to heart, as they ground out a substantial lead thanks primarily to Dom Sibley's unbeaten 85. England had seized the Test by the scruff of the neck during the dramatic end to the second day, when South Africa lost five wickets for 58 runs to turn 157 for 4 into 215 for 8, and James Anderson took the two remaining wickets in just 14 deliveries to finish with a five-wicket haul. And after Zak Crawley's frenetic 25, Sibley went about blunting a lacklustre South African attack, putting on partnerships of 73 with Joe Denly and 116 alongside Root to give England an imposing 264-run lead by the close with six second-innings wickets remaining. Anderson made short work of the tail in the morning, removing Kagiso Rabada with a textbook outswinger with the first ball of the day and enticing Anrich Nortje into prodding at a ball outside his off stump to give England a 46run lead. England That dismissal was statistically siglaugh, pushing an outswinger 269 and 218 for 4 nificant, too: it gave Stokes his fifth slightly wide of the off-stump (Sibley 85*, Root 61) channel and drawing an edge catch of the innings, making him the first England outfielder to complete lead South Africa 223 as the batsman looked to unthat feat, and put Anderson out in front furl his cover drive. all out (Anderson 5of Ian Botham as the man with the But that battle aside, most five-wicket hauls for England, South Africa looked a shadow 40) by 264 runs with 28. Anderson's now has 102 wickets of the fit, fierce attack that got the at 20.67 since his 35th birthday, and was the better of England at Centurion, with first 37-year-old to take a five-for for England Maharaj resorting to leg-theory early on bowling seam-up since Freddie Brown in 1951. in his spell and the seamers failing to extract much The early stages of England's second innings life from the pitch. It was suggested that the cooler, were dominated by a fiery duel between Zak cloudier conditions meant the crack that had Crawley and Rabada. After overpitching twice in opened up outside the right-hander's off stump his first over and being punished by England's from the Wynberg End had less effect, but Faf du rookie opener, Rabada began to steam in, as Plessis' uninspired captaincy contributed to the though he had taken the boundaries personally, tameness of the effort. and smacked Crawley on the helmet via the Sibley started slowly, playing primarily bicep in his third over having struck him in the through the leg side and digging in to reach 29 off ribs in his second. 93 balls before first bringing out his cover drive Two balls after that blow, Rabada appeared off Rabada in the 34th over. He found support in to offer some choice words on Crawley's tech- Joe Denly, whose innings of 31 was characterisnique after a 91mph back-of-a-length ball which tically stubborn, albeit lacking in any real fluency. thudded into the splice, and did so again followDenly again faced 100 balls - only Marnus ing his next delivery, a sharp bouncer which Labuschagne (10 times) has done so more often struck the batsman on the shoulder. than Denly (eight) since the start of 2019 - and And while Crawley clipped another full toss set up the innings for England's middle order. A to the boundary, it was Rabada who had the last lofted four down the ground off Maharaj aside,

he was largely subdued as his partnership with Sibley sucked the life out of the hosts' attack, and it came as something of a surprise when he swatted a Nortje bouncer down the throat of Dwaine Pretorius at long leg. Sibley batted with growing confidence alongside Root, as the pair started to score more positively after tea. Particularly strong off his pads and against anything short, Sibley crunched Maharaj for four through point to push the lead past 200 - given his struggles against left-arm spin in his career to date, it was the sign of a man starting to feel at home in an England shirt. Root was delicate, sweeping, paddling and nudging his way past fifty while looking in fine touch, and it took a ball that bounced sharply out of the crack and found his outside edge from Pretorius in the final half-hour to dislodge him; it was the third time in this match that the allrounder had struck with the new ball imminent. One wicket soon brought another, as Nortje removed Dom Bess for a pair. Nortje's bouncer from round the wicket brushed the nightwatchman's glove on its way through to Quinton de Kock, confirmed on review, to offer South Africa a flicker of hope, but seemed only to further expose the underuse of the fastest bowler in the match by du Plessis.

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sPOrTs DesK Pakistani squash player Muhammad Hamza Khan on Monday clinched the Under-15 category title of the British Junior Open 2020 by defeating England's Yusuf Sheikh in the final in Birmingham. Hamza bagged the title in a one-sided final that went 114, 11-3, 11-7 in his favour and lasted a mere 16 minutes. The squash starlet from Peshawar had defeated Yassin Shohdy of Egypt in the semi-final on Sunday. By beating Sheikh, Hamza avenged the defeat of compatriot Muhammad Ammad, who had lost out to the England player in the other semi-final. "I am very happy that I have become the British champion of the Under-15 category. I played many tough matches but I won them all," Hamza said after his victory. "I will compete in and try to win the Under-17 championship as well [next time]," he added. The past few years have brought a number of trophies and medals for Hamza. Since 2017, he has claimed nine gold medals, including two Asian Junior Championship Gold medals. Hamza is the fifth Pakistani to win the British Junion Open U-15 title and the first to do it in the last seven years. Before him, Israr Ahmed had accomplished the feat in 2012. Other Pakistanis to win U15 titles include Shoaib Hasan (20050, Aamir Atlas Khan (2004) and Farhan Mehboob (2002).

Tuesday, 7 January, 2020

NEWS

‘MIllIon-sTrong’ HoMage for general soleIManI brIngs TeHran To sTanDsTIll TEHRAN

AGENCIES

owntown tehran was brought to a standstill Monday as mourners flooded the Iranian capital to pay an emotional homage to Qasem Soleimani, the “heroic” general killed in a US strike. Young and old were packed shoulder-to-shoulder in the streets, including women dressed in black-clad chadors and others wearing loose-fitting hijabs. Soleimani, one of Iran’s most popular public figures, was killed in a United States drone strike on Friday near Baghdad international airport. He was 62. His assassination drove up tensions between arch-enemies washington and tehran, which has vowed “severe revenge”. “He was a hero. He defeated Daesh,” said a woman in her 30s, referring to the terrorist group. “what America did is definitely a crime,” said the woman

who only gave her surname as Mohammadi. “I’m here to mourn his martyrdom. there must be a response but we don’t want war. nobody wants war,” she told AFP. State television said it was a “several million-strong” turnout. Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has vowed “severe revenge” for the US attack, presided over prayers for the slain general. He appeared to cry beside the flag-draped coffins containing the remains of Soleimani and five other “martyrs” killed in the strike. the streets of tehran were so full of people that many were unable to emerge from underground metro stations, semi-official news agency ISnA reported. “there are large crowds at metro stations but as there is also a huge crowd at the street level, it isn’t possible to evacuate passengers,” metro chief Farnoush nobakht was quoted as saying. the sheer number of mourners left many people stuck in sidestreets around Enghelab (Revolution) Street, the main

route of a procession to a ceremony at tehran University. ‘CRUSHING RESPONSE’: It was silent in one alley until a child who climbed a tree to see if the street ahead had opened uttered “Death to America”. People within earshot soon joined in and loudly chanted the same phrase. Chants like “Death to infidels,” and “Death to seditionists” were heard in the procession. But most of the anger was directed at tehran’s arch-enemy washington, and US President Donald trump. one man said he had come to the capital with his wife and child before dawn from Karaj, a city about 40 kilometres (25 miles) west of the Iranian capital. “our message to America is we will hit you. we’ll make you pay for the blood you spilled,” said Mehdi Ghorbani. “America should know they started this, but we will end it,” he told AFP. A group of teenagers stood in a circle holding banners, one reading: “Haj Qasem’s shoe is worth more than trump’s head”. other

mourners called for US forces to be driven out of the region. “we must give a crushing response,” one of the mourners told AFP.

“we must target whatever military base they have in the region. we must attack all that are in the range of our missiles,” said

the 61-year-old businessman who gave his name as Afkhami. “Americans being thrown out (of Iraq) is not enough.”

Trump warns Iran of ‘major retaliation’, threatens sanctions on Iraq WASHINGTON AGENCIES

Pelosi says House to vote on resolution to limit Trump’s military actions on Iran WASHINGTON: U.S. House Speaker nancy Pelosi said the House will introduce and vote on a war powers resolution this week to limit U.S. President Donald trump’s military actions regarding Iran. “this resolution is similar to the resolution introduced by Senator tim Kaine in the Senate,” Pelosi said in a statement late on Sunday. “It reasserts Congress’s long-established oversight responsibilities by mandating that if no further Congressional action is taken, the Administration’s military hostilities with regard to Iran cease within 30 days.” the resolution is likely to win approval in the Democratic-led House, but prospects for passage are less certain in the Senate, which is controlled by trump’s fellow Republicans, many of whom have said they support the president’s action on Iran. Iraq’s parliament called for U.S. and other foreign troops to leave as the backlash against the U.S. killing on Friday of a top Iranian general grew, and trump doubled down on threats to target Iranian cultural sites if Iran retaliates. trump also threatened sanctions against Iraq and said that if U.S. troops were required to leave, Iraq’s government would have to pay washington for the cost of a “very extraordinarily expensive” air base there. AGENCIES

US President Donald trump threatened “major retaliation” Sunday if Iran avenges the killing of a key military commander and he warned of massive economic sanctions against ally Iraq if the country expels US troops based there. the twin threats came as Iran announced it was further reducing compliance with a tattered international nuclear accord, ending limitations on numbers of centrifuges used to enrich uranium. the latest blow to the accord, which was meant to ensure Iran did not develop a nuclear weapon under cover of its nuclear industry, deepened the regional crisis set off by Friday’s killing of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad. trump ordered a US drone to fire a missile at Soleimani, one of the most influential people in Iran’s government, when he was near the Iraqi capital’s international airport. Angry, black-clad mourners thronged the streets of Iran’s second city Mashhad on Sunday to pay last respects to the remains of Soleimani and chant “death to America.” trump bluntly warned Iran against taking vengeance, repeating his insistence that US bombing targets could include Iran’s cultural heritage sites. Critics say that would qualify as a war crime under international law.

“If they do anything there will be major retaliation,” trump told reporters on Air Force one, as he flew back to washington — and a looming Senate impeachment trial — from vacation in Florida. trump had already threatened to bomb 52 unspecified targets in Iran if tehran attacks US troops and interests in the region. In his latest comments, he was adamant that targets could include places of cultural significance in a country boasting an ancient heritage and two dozen UnESCo-listed sites. “they’re allowed to kill our people,” a defiant trump said. “they’re allowed to torture and maim our people. they’re allowed to use roadside bombs and blow up our people. And we’re not allowed to touch their cultural site? It doesn’t work that way.” IRAQ TENSIONS ALSO SOAR: the situation in neighboring Iraq, a US ally, also deteriorated, with the future of some 5,200 American soldiers there in doubt. Many Iraqis have expressed outrage over the killing of Soleimani, who masterminded deep Iranian influence in the country. A top Iraqi military figure Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis was killed in the same US strike. In Baghdad, unidentified attackers launched a pair of rockets Sunday, hitting near the US embassy in the high-security Green Zone for the second night in a row. that was just hours after Iraq’s foreign ministry

summoned the American ambassador over the drone strike. And Iraq’s parliament voted to request the government end an agreement with a US-led international coalition to fight the hardline Islamist group IS in the region. If the government agreed, that would effectively require the departure of US soldiers supporting the local troops in the anti-IS fight. Caretaker prime minister Adel Abdel Mahdi, who called the US drone strike a “political assassination,” indicated he would back the troops’ ouster. He said the choices were immediate expulsion or withdrawal under a timeframe. trump told reporters that a forced departure of US troops would prompt sanctions even worse than those already imposed, to devastating effect, on Iran’s economy. “If they do ask us to leave — if we don’t do it in a very friendly basis — we will charge them sanctions like they’ve never seen before,” trump said. “It’ll make Iranian sanctions look somewhat tame.” trump said the main US base in Iraq was “very extraordinarily expensive.” “we’re not leaving unless they pay us back for it,” he said. Earlier, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo sounded a softer note, saying “the Iraqi people want the United States to continue to be there to fight the counterterror campaign.”

THREATS AND REVENGE CALLS: Soleimani was one of Iran’s most popular public figures, seen as a hero of the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war. He was also the key figure behind Iran’s effective network of proxy militias and alliances across a region where Iran is in often deadly rivalry with US allies Israel and Saudi Arabia. Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has vowed “severe revenge.” what that will look like is the subject of heated speculation in the Pentagon and the white House. Analysts say Iran may be limited in its room for maneuver if it wants to avoid full war with the far more powerful United States. But a former head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards threatened on Sunday to turn the Israeli cities of Haifa and tel Aviv “to dust” if the US attacks targets in Iran. And Khamenei’s military adviser, Brigadier General Hossein Dehghan, told Cnn that Iran’s response to the assassination “for sure will be military and against military sites.” the crisis comes as trump is embroiled in his own domestic political turmoil. He was impeached by the House of Representatives for abuse of office and obstruction of Congress. the Senate, where his Republican party has a commanding majority, is wrangling over when and how a trial will take place, as the clock ticks down on the november presidential elections.

Protests held across India after Delhi university rampage NEW DELHI AGENCIES

Protests were held across India Monday after masked assailants wielding batons and iron rods went on a rampage at a top Delhi university, leaving more than two dozen injured. Controversy over Sunday’s violence at Jawaharlal nehru University (JnU) comes as a new challenge to the government as it confronts major nationwide protests against a new citizenship bill that critics say is anti-Muslim. Some students blamed the university attack on right-wing activists, but they also accused police of doing nothing to stop the violence. At least 28 students and teachers were injured, while doctors and nurses from a nearby hospital who went to treat them were also attacked, their union said. Scores of riot police on Monday pa-

trolled the university — the alma mater of several key ministers in Prime Minister

narendra Modi´s cabinet — picking their way past shattered glass and broken doors

and furniture. they made no immediate arrests, but blamed the violence on “rival student groups”. As condemnation of the attacks spread, more than 1,000 people held a vigil in Mumbai. other demonstrations were held in Bangalore, Kolkata and other major cities. STUDENT GROUPS BLAMED: nobel economy prize winner Abhijeet Banerjee, a former JnU student, said the attacks had “echoes of the years when Germany was moving towards nazi rule”. Modi´s Bharatiya Janata Party denied claims by the opposition Congress that it was responsible, and in turn blamed leftleaning student groups which dominate the university’s politics. the government has promised an investigation, while home minister Amit Shah — a close Modi aide — told university administrators and police to maintain order at the campus, which has been tense since protests in november over fee increases.

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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the unrest comes as nationwide protests continue against a citizenship law passed in December that bars Muslims from a measure granting nationality to minorities from three neighbouring Islamic-majority countries. Hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets across the country, and more than 25 people have been killed. Critics say the legislation goes against India’s secular constitution, but Modi says the new law is intended to help “persecuted” minorities. the street protests have further divided a country that gave Modi a landslide return to power in May last year. Modi’s opponents blame his policies for the country´s sluggish economy and social unease. India´s leading trade unions Monday called for a general strike on January 8 to protest against the government´s “antipeople” policies. More than 60 student unions have supported the one-day strike.