E-Paper PDF 9th December (KHI)

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Monday, 9 December, 2019 I 11 Rabi-ul-Sani, 1441 I Rs 17.00 I Vol X No 159 I 16 Pages I Karachi Edition

PML-N LoNdoN Moot was gatheriNg of ‘abscoNders’: govt g

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STAFF REPORT

pecial assistant to prime Minister on information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous ashiq awan on Sunday lashed out at the pakistan Muslim league-Nawaz (pMl-N) over the recent gathering of its leaders in london, saying that all “absconders” had gathered to discuss legislative matters. in a statement, she said that it was ironic that among the pMl-N leaders gathered in london for consultations on legislative matters were those who were wanted by the law. The entire pMl-N has gathered at the “residence of absconders”, she added.

Firdous also said that it was the right of every prisoner to get medical treatment but it was also the right and obligation of the law to hold violators accountable. later, addressing a press conference, the special assistant said that the entire nation was still waiting for the answers of 18 questions asked by the government from pMl-N president Shehbaz Sharif.

She said that instead of responding to the money laundering allegations, pMl-N spokespersons are trying to divert public attention by unduly criticising the pakistan Tehreek-e-insaf (pTi) government.

To a question about the petition filed by pMl-N Vice president Maryam Nawaz seeking her removal from the exit control

list (ecl), she said that Maryam has not approached the government. “The court would decide the matter under law and constitution,” she added.

Firdous said that pMl-N spokespersons want to evaluate the one-year performance of the incumbent government, but they were not talking about those who remained in power generation after generation, plundered the national wealth and put the national economy on a ventilator.

She said that the government was fully aware of the problems being faced by the general public and necessary measures are being taken to control the price-hike.

Referring to the recently launched ‘Youth entrepreneur Scheme’ by prime Minister imran Khan, she said under the programme, the youth would be given business loans to make them self-reliant and useful members of the society. it is pertinent to mention here that on Saturday, the pMl-N leadership had held an important meeting in london to discuss the parliamentary and political developments in the country, especially in the wake of pending legislation on the army chief’s tenure and the appointment of members and chief of ecp.

The meeting chaired by pMl-N president Shehbaz was attended by senior leaders ahsan iqbal, ishaq Dar, Senator pervaiz Rashid, Khawaja asif, Rana Tanvir, Sardar ayaz Sadiq and Marriyum aurangzeb.

PTI leaders rule out 'in-house change' STORY ON PAGE 02

Pakistan believes in regional cooperation: PM Imran STORY ON BACK PAGE

At least 43 killed in Delhi factory fire STORY ON BACK PAGE

Climate change triggers widespread migration in Pakistan

STORY ON PAGE 02

Pm’S AIDe SAyS nATIon IS wAITIng for ShehbAz To reSPonD To govT’S 18 queSTIonS, TellS Pml-n To SToP DIverTIng PublIc’S ATTenTIon

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SAyS govT fully AwAre of ProblemS beIng fAceD by PublIc, TAkIng neceSSAry meASureS To conTrol InflATIon

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NEWS

PTI leaders rule ouT ‘In-house change’ JAHANGIR TAREEN SAYS IT DEFENCE MINISTER PERVEZ KHATTAK SAYS GOVT WOULD COMPLETE FIVE-YEAR IS TIME TO ‘MINUS’ MARYAM NAWAZ FROM POLITICS TERM UNDER LEADERSHIP OF PM IMRAN

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AKISTAN Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) senior leaders Defence Minister Pervez Khattak and Jahangir Khan Tareen on Sunday ruled out any sort of in-house change in parliament, saying the government would complete its five-year term under the prime ministership of Imran Khan.

Addressing a public meeting here in Nowshera, the minister said Prime Minister Imran Khan-led government would complete its five-year constitutional term. He said opposition leaders, including Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, were spreading “false and baseless propaganda”. The minister said that the gov-

ernment would not compromise on the ongoing accountability process.

Separately, Tareen, who was disqualified by the Supreme Court last year, said no “minus-one formula” would work in case of this government as Imran and the PTI were inseparable. He, however, claimed that the time has come to minus Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) Vice President Maryam Nawaz from political scenario of the country.

Responding to opposition’s efforts of bringing an “in-house change”, he said that the premier and his party were inseparable, while on the other hand, the PMLN vice president is on the risk of becoming politically redundant.

“PTI exists due to PM Imran and the present government is focusing on stabilising the national economy which had been destroyed by the previous rulers of PML-N and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) during the last 10 years,” he said.

“The opposition leaders are being punished due to their corrupt practices during their time in power,” he said, adding that those facing court cases are trying to flee the country and “it appears that Zardari would also leave the country

on medical grounds”.

He said that former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s sons are in London to take care of their ailing father, hinting that the government might not allow Maryam to travel abroad.

Commenting on the appointment of Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) members, the PTI leader said that only the parliament has the right to legislate because of its status as the supreme institution. “It is our [government] and opposition’s shared responsibility to sit together [and resolve the issue],” he said.

On reservations shown by the PTI’s coalition partners, he said that Chaudhry brothers – Pervez Elahi and Shujaat Hussain – did not express any grievance during a recently held meeting with him.

“We have also resolved matters with Balochistan National Party (BNP) chief Sardar Akhtar Mengal in the past,” he added. NEWS DESK

Zardari undergoes medical ECP issue to be sorted by Wednesday: Khattak check-up at PIMS ISLAMABAD

STAFF REPORT

ISLAMABAD INP

A new medical board constituted to examine former president Asif Ali Zardari has started its work, carrying as MRI test of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader was carried out on Saturday.

According to PIMS spokesperson, the board headed by Dr Mazhar Badshah carried out the check-up of the former president. It may be noted that the medical board was formed on the directions of the Islamabad High Court and the court has sought his medical report on December 11. Zardari is already suffering from heart problems, sugar, and other diseases.

The PPP leader, who was arrested in June this year for his alleged role in a multi-billion rupees money laundering case, moved the court on Dec 3 over a month after the former premier Nawaz Sharif was given similar relief. Currently,

under treatment at the PIMS hospital in Islamabad, Zardari moved the petition through his lawyer and nominated the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and Islamabad Accountability Court-II as respondents.

According to the petition, Zardari has been suffering from multiple diseases — like diabetes, cervical lumbar and spondylosis, sensory and motor neuropathy with impaired proprioception. The petition also noted that Zardari is a patient of ischemic heart disease, which means his heart may have an inadequate supply of blood and oxygen.

The petition, while claiming that the former president is being victimised due to political reasons and has been wrongly implicated in false and fabricated cases, requested the court to grant him post-arrest bail on medical grounds in Park Lane reference which is connected with the money laundering case.

PML-N leader's family on NAB's radar over disproportionate assets ISLAMABAD APP

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has initiated an inquiry against Member of National Assembly (MNA) Mian Javed Latif over alleged misuse of power.

According to the details, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) senior leader stands accused of making billions of rupees’ assets in the name of his siblings, under section 9 (a) of the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO 1999).

In this regard, NAB Chairman Javed Iqbal had directed the bureau’s Lahore branch to hold an inquiry and submit the final inquiry report under Section 34(a) of NAO 1999. Following which, the bureau had constituted an eight member combined investigation team (CIT) to investigate the alleged misuse of authority under section 9 (a) of NAO in addition to section 3 of the Anti-Money Laundering Act, 2010.

According to the report, 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.

“The majority of his assets were acquired in the name of his mother, who is a housewife and supposedly a non-tax filer,

to park his black money,” the bureau alleged while adding that NAB has also been investigating the source of funds used to buy six compressed natural gas (CNG) and petrol stations in Sheikhpura and Sarghoda districts, one paper mill in Sheikhupura, a plaza and a house constructed on half acre land as well as two flour mills in Sheikhupura, all of which are owned by his mother, Walait Latif.

“The politician’s mother owns his dera and a building constructed over an area of two kanal and 17 marlas. The building, which is near Sharqpur Chowk in Sheikhupura, has been rented out to APNA Bank whereas his mother and brothers – Anwar Latif, Munawar Latif and Akhtar Latif, also own two brick kilns spreading over more than 20 acre of land in Kot Ranjeet, Sheikhupura district,” the bureau claimed. The investigation would also include the source of funds used to buy 136 kanals of agricultural land in Mouza Hiran Minrar in the name of Amjad Latif and Anwar Latif.

Further, charges against him and his siblings also include the forceful occupation of 24 marla land belonging to Khalid Aleem, resident of Lahore and Mehboobul-Haq, a resident of Sheikhupura, to include into their flour mills.

As a deadlock continues to hinder the appointment of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and chief election commissioner, Defence Minister Pervez Khattak on Sunday said that the government and opposition will reach a consensus on the postings by Wednesday.

He said that the Pakistan Tehreeke-Insaf (PTI) has already approached the opposition parties in this regard for evolving a consensus on the issue.

On Thursday, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) issued directions for parliament to resolve the dead-

lock over the appointment of members of the ECP within 10 days.

The government has named current ECP secretary Babar Yaqoob Fateh Muhammad, Fazal Abbas Maken and Arif Khan, whereas the opposition recommended former bureaucrat Nasir Mahmood Khosa, former ambassador to the US Jalil Abbas Jilani and ex-civil servant Akhlaq Ahmed Tarar for the post of the CEC. On Sunday, Prime Minister Imran Khan and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President and National Assembly Opposition Leader Shehbaz Sharif sent recommendations for ECP members from Sindh and Balochistan to Asad

Qaiser and Sanjrani.

For the post of ECP member from Sindh, the PM had proposed the names of Justice (r) Sadiq Bhatti, Justice (r) Noorul Haq Qureshi, and Abdul Jabbar Qureshi, according to a copy of his letter. He had recommended Dr Faiz M Kakar, Mir Naveed Jan Baloch, and Amanullah Baloch for the office of the ECP member from Balochistan.

Shehbaz had recommended Nisar Durrani, Justice (r) Abdul Rasul Memon, and Aurangzeb Haq for the post of ECP member from Sindh.

Whereas, for ECP Balochistan member, he proposed the names of Shah Mehmood Jatoi, Muhammad Rauf Atta and Rahila Durrani.

Climate change triggers widespread migration in Pakistan KARACHI AGENCIES

Extreme weather patterns, shrinking agriculture, sea erosion, and lingering dry spells have caused widespread migration within Pakistan in the past decade, according to officials and local experts.

More than two million people were displaced by floods that inundated onefifth of the country in 2010, triggering mass migration from rural areas to cities. Of that figure, almost 70% did not go back to their hometowns and permanently settled in big cities to make a living because of the destruction to their homes and farmlands, Ministry of Climate Change spokesman Muhammad Saleem told Anadolu Agency.

He said seasonal, long-term and permanent migrations mainly due to drought and floods, had taken place in southern, southwestern, and northeastern Pakistan in the last 10 years.

About 700,000 people migrate to big cities from rural Pakistan annually on long-term, and permanent basis, he said, citing international surveys.

Pakistan recently has been placed fifth on the list of countries vulnerable to climate change by the Global Climate Risk Index for 2020.

Pakistan lost 9,989 lives, suffered economic losses worth $3.8 billion and witnessed 152 extreme weather events from 1999 to 2018, according to the Global Climate Risk Index. The data also indicates the government, as well as the world, is not taking enough

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measures to cope with challenges and risks climate change poses to Pakistan.

INCREASINGLY VULNERABLE: Pakistan is annually losing more than $4 billion due to climate change disasters. According to a report from the Climate Change Ministry, the country lost $80 billion from 1996 to 2016 because of climate change calamities.

The alarming fact is that climate migration is taking place in all four provinces – Sindh, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), and Balochistan – and the northern Gilgit-Baltistan region.

“Almost 50% of Pakistan’s population is increasingly becoming vulnerable to climate change, which may trigger another wave of mass migration”, Saleem, who has specialization in climate change communications, observed. The ministry has no official statistics, but Saleem believed 15% to 20% of the country’s total 210 million population had moved to big cities from rural areas from the four provinces since 2010 floods. “[The] last nine years have been the worst period for Pakistan in terms of natural disasters like floods, drought, a decline in rains and heatwave. Over the years, these disasters have destroyed or damaged hospitals, schools, roads, sources of livelihoods in different parts of the country speeding up influx from rural to urban centres,” Saleem said. “A few years back, the rural-urban population ratio was 40-60. Now it is fast becoming otherwise.” In Islamabad alone, he added, the city’s population increased to more than 2.2 million from

around 500,000 in 2010. Amar Guriro, a Karachi-based analyst who regularly writes on climate change and environment, supported the view putting the numbers of climate migrants at 30 million in the last 10 years.

A lingering dry spell, he said, had gradually shrunk the agriculture and herding in southern Thar desert and several districts of southern Punjab and southwestern Balochistan provinces, propelling a mass migration to the big cities in recent years.

“The three regions are more vulnerable because they totally depend on agriculture and herding, which depend on the weather, and the weather is marred by climate change,” Guriro told Anadolu Agency.

“Prolonged summers, drought, a decline in rainfall, extreme weather patterns and frequent heat waves, have become a new normal in several parts of the country damaging the local economy and demography”, he opined.

SEA EROSION: A combination of sea erosion and intrusion has submerged several Indus river delta islands, mainly in the Thatta, Badin and Sajawal districts of the southern Sindh province in the last few decades compelling local communities to migrate to the nearby districts or the port city of Karachi, the country’s commercial capital.

Keti Bandar, once a port city on the Arabian Sea near Thatta district, is one of the glaring examples of how climate change has affected the local communities.

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US lawmakerS aSk IndIa to lIft kaShmIr blockade INDIAN-AMERICAN DEMOCRAT SUBMITS RESOLUTION IN HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES SEEKING RETURN OF NORMALCY IN HELD REGION WASHINGTON

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bill has been introduced in the United States House of Representatives asking India to end the restrictions on communications and mass detentions in occupied Kashmir and preserve religious freedom for all residents.

Resolution number 745 was introduced by Indian-American Democrat lawmaker Pramila Jayapal, along with Republican lawmaker Steve Watkins. It observed that it has been more than four months now since political leaders, including three former chief ministers, were detained in Jammu and Kashmir, following the revocation of Article 370 under the Constitution that gave a special status to Jammu and Kashmir.

The internet remains cut off for most people. The resolution in the U.S., which

will be put to vote in the house, says: “…

Urges the Government of India to lift the remaining restrictions on communication and to restore internet access across all of Jammu and Kashmir as swiftly as possible; swiftly release arbitrarily detained people in Jammu and Kashmir; refrain from conditioning the release of detained people on their willingness to sign bonds prohibiting any political activities and speeches; allow international human rights observers and journalists to access Jammu and Kashmir and operate freely throughout India, without threats, and condemn, at the highest levels, all religiously motivated violence, including that violence which targets against religious minorities.

The US lawmakers said they reject arbitrary detention, use of excessive force against civilians, and suppression of peaceful expression of dissent as proportional responses to security challenges.

PM to be conferred with Bahrain’s highest civilian award: Zulfi ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan will receive Bahrain’s highest civil award during an upcoming visit to the Gulf state, the Arab News reported on Thursday. Special Assistant to the Prime Minister for Overseas Pakistanis, Sayed Zulfikar Bukhari told the newspaper that the PM will be awarded the King Hamad Order of the Renaissance in a special ceremony.

The premier would meet his counterpart Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa and King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa during the visit. He will also participate in Bahrain’s national day celebrations. A senior official of the Bahrain government, during his visit to Islamabad in August, had extended an invitation to PM Imran on behalf of the prime minister of the Kingdom of Bahrain.

The PM will begin his three-country tour from December 15 and will first travel to Bahrain and will then attend a conference on refugees in Geneva. Malaysia will be his last stop. This will be the first one-on-one meeting of the prime minister with Bahrain’s king. PM Imran in a telephonic discussion with the king soon after Modi’s revocation of Kashmir’s special status had apprised him about the situation in IoK. INP

OUP organises workshops for teachers on computational thinking LAHORE: As a part of its regular teacher training and development programme, Oxford University Press (OUP) organized workshops for teachers on ‘Computational Thinking’ in Lahore, Islamabad, and Karachi. The sessions were designed for teachers using the Oxford International Primary Computing series published by OUP. Oxford International Primary Computing is a comprehensive and practical six-level course developed to teach students the vital computing skills they need for today’s digital world. With a structured progression and a project-based approach to learning, the course builds digital literacy while giving students the confidence to apply their knowledge and skills to real life situations. The workshops covered issues related to making students understand how modern technology works; enabling them to use a wide range of computer hardware and software for analytical and creative tasks; creating awareness among them about using the internet safely and selectively; and enabling users to write computer programs and develop computational thinking. The training sessions were led by Alison Page who has more than 30 years’ experience as a computer science teacher in secondary and higher education in the UK. She worked for a leading UK agency on the promotion and integration of information and communications technology in education. Alison is the lead author of the Oxford International Primary and Lower Secondary Computing series. PRESS RELEASE

KaShMir witneSSeS higheSt dePLoyMent of indian forceS ISLAMABAD: In the days leading up to August 5 and the scrapping of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, the Valley witnessed the highest deployment of Indian forces, since then, in Indian Occupied Kashmir on Sunday. By August 5, nearly 430 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) were deployed in the occupied territory, including personnel from the CRPF, BSF, ITBP, SSB and CISF, Kashmir Media Service reported. According to a report, the normal deployment in the Valley is about 200 CAPF companies in addition to Indian Army and Police. Each company has about 100 personnel.

The deployment of almost 230 companies was done in the months leading up to August 2019 in the name of security for the panchayat and urban local body elections held in September 2018, followed by preparations for Lok Sabha elections in May 2019 and then the Amarnath Yatra. Post-August 5, the CAPF deployment increased to 653 companies. “There is, since August 5, a stringent day and night deployment throughout Kashmir”, the report said. APP

“…Urges the Government of India to ensure that any actions taken in pursuit of legitimate security priorities respect the human rights of all people and adhere to international human rights law,” the resolution said.

PPP, PML-N will endorse Gen Bajwa’s extension, claims Rasheed ISLAMABAD Minister for Railways Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed on Sunday said that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party would use their right of vote in favour of the extension in the tenure of Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa. Both the political parties would be “exposed badly before the public” if they tried to revert the decision regarding extension, he stated while talking to a private news channel.

As far as the Allied parties support were concerned, the minister said these political parties were not going anywhere. The Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI) has full support of its coalition partners, he

LAHORE: Terming the corrupt enemies of country's development and nation's prosperity, Punjab Governor Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar said on Sunday that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government would not budge an inch from its principled stand against corruption. In his message on the occasion of Anti-Corruption Day here, he said that corruption was the root cause of all problems including economic constraints, price-hike, unemployment and poverty.

The governor said that corruption was the biggest hurdle in development and prosperity of any country. Along with the government, he said that Parliament, religious and political parties and all segments of society would have to play their role in elimination of corruption. APP

added. In reply to a question, he said that the money trail of corrupt elements would be identified within three months.

He hoped that those elements who involved in plundering the national money, would return the amount back to the nation. About the

high inflation, poverty and unemployment issues, the minister said that these were the serious challenges but the leadership of the incumbent government was striving hard to address these issues.

To another question regarding lifting ban on the student unions, Sheikh Rashid said the country was needed the new leadership direly.

He said that leaders of political parties, including PPP and PML-N, were suffering from various diseases and the country should have young leaders to make Pakistan bright and prosperous.

Commenting on the situation in Sindh province, he said that Bilawal Bhutto Zardari of PPP should take care of the problems of Sindh areas. APP

Lahore grabs ‘most polluted city in world’ title again LAHORE APP

Dense smog once again engulfed the provincial capital on Sunday, turning the city into the world's most polluted for the third time this year.

According to the MET department, Lahore's Air Quality Index (AQI) hit 400 collectively on Sunday at several points of the metropolis.

The Punjab Assembly area remained the most polluted area with

an AQI of 594, in Gulberg, the AQI was recorded as 591 while the AQI in the vicinity of Mian Mir Sahib Darbar was recorded at an alarming 571.

Due to the prevailing pollution situation, flu, asthma, cough and breathing problems are being reported in the city and its adjacent areas in high numbers with the poor suffering the most.

On the other hand, the MET department informed that no change is

expected in the weather in the coming few days and advised citizens to prepare for cold and dry weather along with carrying masks at all times to fight the pollution.

Earlier on November 23, local authorities had suggested a proposal to generate artificial rainfall in Lahore to overcome hazardous levels of smog which has engulfed the city and other parts of the province.

The idea was floated by Lahore Commissioner Bilal Lodhi, who had

sent a summary to the government advising to generate artificial rainfall to scale down “lethal levels of smog.”

According to the summary, the cost of this project is estimated at Rs350 million.

The Lahore commissioner told media that the government has approached China, Malaysia and United Arab Emirates (UAE) to purchase the cloud seeding technology which is required for the project.

Four-day calligraphy exhibition

by Buddhist monk concludes ISLAMABAD APP

Sarwar terms the corrupt as enemies of country's development

The US House of Representatives is dominated by democrats who have been extremely critical of India’s restrictions in Jammu and Kashmir. India has been lobbying hard to counter this, and has hired a lobbying firm close to the Democratic

Party to get its message across.

There have been two U.S. Congress hearings on Jammu and Kashmir so far.

In October, India said it is regrettable that a few U.S. lawmakers used a Congressional hearing to question measures to protect the lives of people in Jammu and Kashmir. “It is regrettable that a few members of the U.S. Congress used the Congressional hearing on human rights in South Asia to question the measures taken recently to safeguard life, peace and security in Kashmir,” Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Raveesh Kumar had said.

In occupied Kashmir, unabated military siege and lockdown continued to affect daily life of the people on 126th consecutive day on Sunday. A sense of fear prevails among the local population due to the imposition of restrictions under Section 144 in the territory.

Shops and other business establishments are mostly closed and educational institutions and offices wear a deserted look as mark of people’s disobedience against Indian occupation, particularly anti-Kashmir steps taken

by India on Aug. 5.

A four-day Islamic Calligraphy exhibition titled “Buddhist Monk and Islamic Scripture" by Monk Dr Neung Hur concluded here on Sunday at Aqs Gallery.

The Calligraphy by reverend monk, Dr Neung Hur, was inspired by a spiritual experience at the Bhamala Stupa, Haripur, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, after the conclusion of Buddhist led peace prayer ceremony for Kashmir in October, 2019, which stirred up a thunderstorm with sudden flashes of lightening, giving the present exhibition its theme; the divine

light and spiritual energy.

As an artist in residence at the Gandhara Research and Resource Centre, which is a project of Centre for Culture and Development, Islamabad, the monk, Dr Neung Hur, has produced a large body of work, inspired from local and Islamic cultural and aesthetic traditions, while creatively fusing it with Buddhist inspired colour symbolism, which is on display in the exhibition at the Aqs Gallery, as a token of his love for Gandhara, the Pakistan’s symbol for inter faith harmony.

The artworks draw attention towards the universal human energy that unites us, and lifts the veil over the façade of cultural diversity that

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divide us. The self-realization of the unity of human nature, paves the way for inter-religious understanding and world peace.

The artwork draws on the literal meanings of the calligraphic texts as well as on the interplay of colour symbolism. The artist believes that God is best illustrated through light and light is also a symbol of life. Living creatures cannot exist without light.

Those who aspire to resemble God’s attributes must shine and help others shine with divine light.

In his spiritual vocabulary inspired by Buddhism, the black color represents the dark human self which is blind to the light of God and lives through hate, arrogance, jealousy,

and selfishness. Reverend Dr Neung Hur, is a Buddhist monk from Korea, who specializes as an Oriental doctor and also holds PhD degrees, in the disciplines of Philosophy and Psychology.

Dr. Nadeem Omar Tarar, the Executive Director of Centre for Culture and Development (C2D), told APP that it was amazing that Dr. Neung Monk beautiful created art pieces of Islamic Calligraphy. He said that Monk Dr. Neung Hur is willing to organize more such solo Calligraphy exhibition in the future.

During four-day exhibition, a large number of people visited the Aqs Gallery and witnessed beautiful work of Buddhist Monk.

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KARACHI: Police will record statement of 20-year-old law student Dua Mangi who returned home Friday night a week after she was kidnapped in Karachi’s Defence Housing Authority (DHA). Police officials say Dua will be quizzed about the place where her captors detained her and whether or not ransom was paid by her family to secure her safe release. They said the police along with other law enforcement agencies have been tracing the kidnappers with the help of latest technology. The police officials said Dua Mangi’s family didn’t keep them abreast of necessary information in a timely manner. Mangi had reached home Friday night. Her family members declined to disclose details about how she got back home. Dua Mangi was kidnapped from near a restaurant in Defence Housing Authority (DHA) last Saturday. The kidnappers had also shot and critically injured her friend Haris Fatah when he put up resistance in the jurisdiction of Darakshan police station. INP

Jirga members arrested in ‘vani’ case KANDHKOT: Police have claimed to have arrested members of a jirga over charge of declaring a seven-year-old girl vani and forcibly marrying her off to settle an honourrelated case. According to details, a jirga was held at a local landlord’s place in Kashmore area of the Sindh province to settle-off a case pertaining to honour. The jirga members decided to marry-off a seven-year-old girl and impose fine upto Rs 1.2 million on the man for his alleged involvement in the case.

The authorities arrested all those involved in the case and shifted them to a police station for further probe over an activity declared illegal under the country’s rules. INP

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Karachi worsT hiT By hiV in sinDh wiTh 67.2Pc cases, rePorT reVeals KARACHI

Police to record Dua Mangi’s statement in abduction case

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HE number of registered HIV cases in all districts of Sindh province has risen to 14,582 with Karachi having highest number of cases up to 9810 (67.2 per cent), according to a new investigative report.

The present status of registered HIV cases in Sindh is just a tip of iceberg because the actual number of HIV cases in Sindh is estimated at 61,000. So far, 10,547 patients are on ART treatment.

This shows that the pace of registration is still slow due to low awareness campaigns by the Sindh health department.

Furthermore, despite worldwide attention toward HIV cases in Pakistan, HIV staff in Karachi has not been paid salaries since five months, which is a big negativity of the government. This is also affecting work by staff, revealed the investigative report made by journalist M Nawaz Khuhro under a fellowship program organized by Pakistan

Press Foundation based in Karachi.

National Aids Control Program’s (NACP) latest data shows there are an estimated 58,634 adults living with HIV in Sindh province while enhanced HIV/AIDs Control Program Sindh has registered 2300 HIV positive children in the province by 30 September 2019.

In Karachi’s HIV centers, registered cases breakup is as Civil Hospital Karachi (6774), CHK Paeds (400), SG Lyari General Hospital (398), Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (215), Abbasi Shaheed Hospital (204), Indus Hospital (1536), Aga Khan Hospital Adults (155) and AKU Paed (125).

In interior Sindh HIV centers, Liaquat University Hospital Hyderabad (859), Chandka Medical College Hospital Larkana (2835), CMCH Children Hospital Larkana (761) and GMMMCH Sukkur (250). At Ratodero Centre, 811 people have been found HIV positive.

NACP data shows that at Ratodero centre, screening of 37,558 people was conducted from 25th April to 30th November 2019, out of which 1,195 were founded

suspected HIV positive with 951 children and 244 adults. All those suspected HIV cases were referred to HIV Treatment Center for confirmation, out of which 895 cases were found HIV positive with 754 children and 141 adults. They have been linked to HIV Treatment Center. In an interview to this journalist, Dr Nabila Soomro, Incharge Referral Lab SACP II, Civil Hospital Karachi, said that SACP had launched a mobilization campaign among people of Sindh to raise awareness among them about HIV disease after which more and more people were voluntarily visiting HIV centers in Karachi.

She said that all HIV centers in Karachi were registering people properly besides providing them full medical cover free of cost. Our teams have also visited Central Prison and other jails in Karachi and conducted tests of the prisoners. In Central Prison, 347 prisoners were screened out of which only two HIV cases were confirmed positive while all child or women in Landhi and other jails were found free of HIV which is a positive thing, Dr Nabila informed.

Banning entry of big coaches necessary for ending traffic jams KARACHI PPI

Entry of a large number of big passenger coaches plying between Karachi and hundreds of upcountry destinations is a main source of traffic jams in the residential areas of the city, but the government is not ready to ban the entry of these buses in city limits and compel them use legal bus terminals on highways away from the residential areas of the megacity.

Citizens of Karachi have been demanding for long from the government of Sindh and Commissioner Karachi to issue formal notification of banning entry of all sorts of large intra-city passenger buses and

coaches in city limits in large public interest but in vain. The citizens and media have pointed out that the main menace of illegal intra-city bus stands is Saddar area of Karachi. However, the government is taking action against roadside vending stalls, but it is not summoning courage to take such an action in the same locality against illegal bus stands.

Insiders say that removing an illegal roadside stand is not a big deal, as it is an investment of a few thousand rupees of a low-income citizen, but removing an illegal bus stand is a really big issue, as huge investment of several millions of rupees by influential and powerful people is involved in them and police and local

administration have to think twice before irking these powerful people.

Dozens of illegal bus stands have been operating in different areas of the city, but their main hub is Saddar locality of Karachi. Taj Complex, Shahrah-e-Iraq, Mansfield Street, Castle Street, Taj Street, Aremnian Street, Talha Street and surrounding areas are teemed with dozens of illegal bus stands that operate under the nose of police and other law enforcing agencies.

These illegal bus stands are one of the main causes of traffic jams not only in Saddar area or district South but several other areas of the megacity.

In an interview at CHK, a HIV lady victim, said that in society, people hate HIV patients in fear that they might be infected by them through touching or living with them, but this conception is totally wrong. Fact is that HIV does not spread with touching or living together, as it spreads through reuse of syringes, razors, HIV-infected mother’s milk to child and sex with any HIV person.

In an interview at JPMC HIV center, an HIV victim, aged 39, said that he developed HIV through sex activity with sex workers at Defence area of Karachi.

He said that HIV mainly develops from multiple sex acts and then it spreads through reuse of syringes and razors from one person to another. The HIV victim said that he knew HIV infection through test at JPMC center some months back. “Before it, I was suffering from frequent fevers, allergy and motions. Within two months, my weight went down to 69 kg from 84 kg. He said that there was need to raise awareness about HIV so as to register more cases and provide treatment to the affectees.

Government declares Karachi’s Banyan trees ‘protected heritage’ KARACHI: The Sindh government has declared Karachi’s Banyan trees as “protected heritage of the city”. Sindh Chief Minister’s Adviser on Law and Environment Murtaza Wahab tweeted, “#SindhGovt has declared the old Banyan trees in Clifton & other areas of Karachi as Protected Heritage of the city of Karachi.” “It has been noted with great concern that Banyan trees in the city of Karachi are in the danger of being chopped, discarded and becoming extinct due to negligence and deliberate cutting done by the unscrupulous elements,” read an administrative order issued by the Karachi commissioner on the Sindh chief minister’s directives. “In view of above and on the directives of Honorable Chief Minister Sindh the BANYAN TREES in Clifton and other parts of the Karachi City are declared as “PROTECTED HERITAGE of the city.” INP

Monday, 9 December, 2019

NEWS

KP govt releases rs3.3 billion for reconstruction of 345 schools in erstwhile faTa PESHAWAR: the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Government has released Rs 3.3888 billion for reconstruction and rehabilitation of 345 schools in erstwhile Fata to provide quality education infrastructure to tribal students at their doorsteps. to promote education and increase literacy ratio in all seven merged tribal districts, the government expedited reconstruction and rehabilitation work on 345 schools in erstwhile Fata by releasing Rs 3.3888 billion for speedy rebuilding, renovation and maintenance aimed to strengthen educational network, officials in KP Government told APP on Sunday. Out of this amount, Rs 390 million were released for reconstruction and rehabilitation of 20 schools in Khyber district, Rs 403.9 million for 23 schools in Mohmand district, Rs 173.5 million for 23 schools in Bajaur and Rs 862.7 million for 49 schools in Orakzai district. the Government has provided Rs 593.6 million for reconstruction and rehabilitation of 58 schools in Kurram district, Rs 585.1 million for 104 schools in North Waziristan, Rs 366.5 million for 67 schools in South Waziristan and Rs 7.8 million for one school in former Frontier Region Kohat. Momadgate Cadet College (MCC) in Mohmand district has been almost completed where classes would formally commence from upcoming academic session April 2020. In each class, 20 seats would be reserved for students of Mohmand, Bajaur and Khyber districts. Similarly, 10 seats would be reserved for children of martyrs and 20 seats for students of remaining areas of Pakistan. Planning for commencement of classes in 8th and 11th classes at MCC has been completed and classes would formally begin from April 2020 where 80 students in each class would be admitted. In 2020-21academic session, 80 cadets would be selected for 9th class and 80 students would be enrolled in 10th class from 2022-23 session that would enhance students’ total strength to 400 in MCC. After the merger of FAtA into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the government has accelerated efforts for promotion of quality education in tribal districts by focusing on timely completion of ongoing development projects, provision of free books and scholarship to poor talented students. APP

City Notes M.A. NiAzi t was a violent past few days.

Misri Shah is known for violent crime, but even it must have been shocked by the killing of two twins Faizan and Rehman Sadiq in a clash between two gangs of drug pushers. the deceased had several cases registered against them, it seems. tasleem had three murder cases registered against him, but that did not stop him being murdered seven years ago, in Sialkot. Nauman was accused of the murder, and duly convicted by the Sialkot Sessions Court, but he was released by the Lahore High Court (LHC) which overturned his conviction for want of evidence. But tasleem’s mother Perveen was apparently not convinced, and had three accomplices kill him when he came back to Pakistan from Dubai, where he had gone after the LHC sprung him.

Across the border, the violence has

I

PTI’s end Is near, claIms juI-f chIef

05

FAZLUR REHMAN LASHES OUT AT GOVERNMENT OVER RISING INFLATION, UNEMPLOYMENT

j

NEWS DESK

AMIAt Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Sunday said that Pakistan tehreek-e-Insaf (PtI) government is on the verge of collapse as their Azadi March, which began for the sake of the Constitution, is nearing its destination.

Addressing a rally in Peshawar, the JUI-F chief said that now that “victory is near, it would be a sin to look back”. He said that the numbers in the political gatherings of opposition parties show that the country is united against the PtI government.

Criticising the government, Fazl said that before coming to power, PtI had promised 10 million jobs but a year later, 2.5 million people are unemployed. “Nobody committed suicide out of hunger be-

fore but this too is being witnessed now in this government’s tenure,” he said. the maulana even questioned the government’s claim of having planted one billion trees. “Where are these trees? they must be accounted for.”

He said that Prime Minister Imran Khan criticised the previous governments for the country’s poor economic situation but the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), it its own report, had stated that proper channels were used for sending the money abroad.

Continuing his criticism of the government, the JUI-F chief said that the country is being run by foreign forces despite the fact that the country “had itself of foreign rule years ago”.

He also lashed out at the government for having “sold off Kashmir”. “I don’t know what they obtained in return. they are traitors and will not be allowed to

rule,” he said, adding that the protesters will “rid the country of this qabza group”.

Drawing parallels between the country’s economic situation and the unfinished Peshawar Bus Rapid transit (BRt) project, Fazl said that the whole country has turned into a BRt project. He also criticised the government for taking loans “equal to the loans taken throughout Pak-

istan’s history” and the latest emergency loan of $1 billion from the Asian Development Bank (ABD).

He also said that the government was pursuing corruption cases against the opposition while it was evading questions on BRt and foreign funding itself. “When their turn came, they dismantled the entire accountability commission,” he said.

Shehbaz ran a sophisticated money laundering network as Punjab CM, claims Akbar

ISLAMABAD APP

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Accountability Barrister Shahzad Akbar on Sunday, while reiterating his call for Shehbaz Sharif to answer 18 questions put by the government, said the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president had illegally appointed his blue-eyed individuals in the Chief Minister Secretariat for money laundering.

In a tweet, the SAPM said that Shehbaz Sharif had appointed Nisar Gill as director political affairs in CM Secretariat and also obliged him with a promotion from backdate because he was the key figure to launder billions of rupees abroad in connivance with a sophisticated network laid by the Sharif family.

He said that Shehbaz, who claims to have not even committed corruption of even a penny, had also inducted his cash boys in a fake company Good Nature trading Company that had laundered a sum of over Rs 7 billion through 200 fake telegraphic transfer (tts).

“A new business empire was established by utilizing the corruption amount through a network of fake tts, which was totally separate from the Sharif family’s business of Ittefaq Group. Besides, Nisar Gill, Shahbaz had also appointed Ali Ahmed as his front man as director policy for the similar purpose of money laundering on behalf of Shahbaz family,” he added.

He said that another two characters, Shoaib Qamar and Mansoor Anwar, were also involved in money laundering network as cash boys who used to deposit money in different accounts and withdrew Rs2.1 billion cash from the account of Good Nature Company.

“Rs16 million were deposited in the account of Shahbaz, who transferred the money to tehmina Durrani. the same amount was used for purchasing property in Whispering Pines Villas,” he added.

He said that the same cash boys deposited Rs25 million to Suleman Shahbaz’s account after withdrawing from Good Nature Company. “Similarly another amount was transferred to the bank account of Hamza Shahbaz, who transferred the same to his wife‘s account and utilised the same amount for purchasing properties in Johar town, Lahore. the remaining amount was stashed away through tts. the whole process was done in papers,” he added.

Govt to allocate 2pc job quota for differently abled ISLAMABAD: Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Division (PASSD) Dr Sania Nishtar has said government would allocate 2 per cent quota for differently abled persons in all government jobs. She said Ehsaas was the government’s multi-sectoral and multi-stakeholder coordinated initiative–the biggest and boldest pro-poor programme ever launched in the country. She further informed its objectives to address elite capture and make the government system work for equality of opportunity; provide effective and comprehensive safety nets for the marginalized and the vulnerable and create livelihoods and jobs for the poor, she added. She said government would invest in people for human capital formation and also lift lagging areas. APP

Crimes do not pay (but some do) been against women. A vet was assaulted in Shadnagar, which is a town about 50 km from Hyderabad, the capital of telangana state, and then killed. Protests led to the arrest of three men, who were killed in police custody. the police have been showered with flower petals by a crowd with apparently the same faith in the court system as tasleem’s mother Parveen.

In another case in India, this time in Lucknow, a rape victim who had gone there to attend her case, found herself doused with petrol by four men, and then burned. She made to the hospital burnt, and said that her accused rapist was among perpetrators. then she died. So that would make it what the lawyers call a dying declaration, which is supposed to carry more weight than normal eyewitness evidence, on the assumption that someone about to die would not very well lie. Of course, Macaulay, who

drafted the Indian Penal Code back in 1860, did not know the propensity of Indians to hold so grimly to enmity that dying men would swear that enemy X had pulled the trigger so fatefully, when X was in some different place at the time.

Of course, the dying man may have not said any such thing, being too busy imploring the Almighty to forgive him for a misspent life. But if a lawyer expressed the wish that he had made such a statement, and if a policeman said he could produce such a statement (for a consideration, of course) and swear to its authenticity till he was blue in the face, then it would appear as if by magic. We are not dealing with such a dying declaration out there in Lucknow, and we are merely surprised that all this could have happened with a real live Swami as CM, Swami Adityanath. Of course, he is too busy changing Muslim

place-names, or demolishing mosques.

Well, Usman Buzdar may not be a swami, but the new Information Minister Fayyazul Hasan Chohan is portraying him as a vey holy man, one who has saved Rs500 billion so far, has recovered 900,000 kanals of land. He did not mention how Buzdar flies around at night, with a cape over his shalwar qameez, fighting crime.

Chohan is back presumably because Imran forgave him his remarks about Hindus which lost him the job the first time.

But his successor, Mian Aslam Iqbal, does not seem to have thrown enough doubt on Nawaz Sharif’s illness. So Chohan has been able to make a comeback. After all, he was not accused of corruption, was he?

Imran and other members of the Pakistan tehreek-e-Insaf (PtI) government were no doubt impressed by Chohan, but the real sharpening of the teeth came with

the news that real-estate tycoon Malik Riaz had paid the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) £190 milllion, and it had paid that money to the Supreme Court (SC). Now if SC pays over that money to the government that means more money for development right?

Not really. It just means that the repayments to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will be a little easier. that seems like something desirable, but there are a lot of people wondering why nobody is asking how Malik Riaz got the money out of the country in the first place, with nobody noticing. Imran is also upset over the involvement of Hassan Nawaz in the whole matter. After all, his sons are also in the UK, but catch their names cropping up in any multimillion-pound deals. Still, Malik Riaz has impressed. It’s not everyone who can fling around £190, let alone £190 million.

Monday, 9 December, 2019

06 WORLD VIEW

Facebook is an engine oF antiMusliM hate the world over ‘FACEBOOK HAS A LOT OF WORK TO DO. THE COMPANY SHOULD BE THINKING ABOUT REPARATIONS FOR ROHINGYA AND OTHER INITIATIVES TO END AND REMEDY THE HARMS’ interCePt

d

MeHdi HaSan

EAR Mark Zuckerberg, what happened to you? Back in December 2015, you spoke out loudly and proudly against anti-Muslim hatred. “I want to add my voice in support of Muslims in our community and around the world,” you wrote in a post on Facebook, two days after then Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump announced his plan for a “total and complete shutdown” of Muslims entering the country. “After the Paris attacks and hate this week,” you added, “I can only imagine the fear Muslims feel that they will be persecuted for the actions of others.” The headline in the New York Times? “Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook Reassures Muslim Users.”

Yet here we are in December 2019.

Four years later, you and Facebook have gone from reassuring Muslims to amplifying hate and bigotry against us. You have allowed what the actor Sacha Baron Cohen recently described as “the greatest propaganda machine in history” to be used to target and persecute some of the most vulnerable Muslim communities on Earth.

For starters, Mark, how does it feel to be complicit in an actual genocide? I’m talking of course about the Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar. In March 2018, the chairman of the U.N. Independent Interna-

tional Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar, Marzuki Darusman, told reporters that social media companies like yours had played a “determining role” in the violence, having “substantively contributed to the level of acrimony and dissension and conflict.”

“Everything is done through Facebook in Myanmar,” added Yanghee Lee, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on Myanmar. “I’m afraid that Facebook has now turned into a beast, and not what it originally intended.

You know all this, Mark. Your company has, basically, admitted to it. In November 2018, your own product policy manager, Alex Warofka, acknowledged that you and your colleagues at Facebook had not done enough “to help prevent our platform from being used to foment division and incite offline violence” in Myanmar.

And what have you done since?

Warokfa claims Facebook has “improved proactive detection of hate speech in Myanmar.” Yet Matthew Smith, the founder of Fortify Rights, a human rights nonprofit focused on Myanmar, disagrees: “Facebook has a lot of work to do,” he told me. Yes, your company has appointed more than 100 new content reviewers for Myanmar, but there are more than 20 million Facebook accounts in the country and, as Smith argued, “efforts to date are not enough to tackle the misuse of the platform.”

“It’s not clear that the senior leadership fully understands the gravity of the situation,” he said. “The company should be thinking about reparations for Rohingya and other initiatives to end

Who is making US foreign policy?

and remedy the harms.”

How about India’s Muslim minority communities? Does their fate keep you up at night, Mark? If not, why not? In October, a report by the nonprofit activist network Avaaz accused Facebook of having become a “megaphone for hate” against Muslims in the northeastern Indian state of Assam — where nearly two million people, many of them Muslims, have just been stripped of citizenship by the far-right Hindu nationalist government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Another report, by the South Asian human rights group Equality Labs, found “Islamophobic content was the biggest source of hate speech on Facebook in India, accounting for 37 percent of the content,” as Vice News noted in June.

You haven’t said or done anything about any of this. You have, though, repeatedly met with Modi — the world leader, incidentally, who has the highest number of Facebook followers! You even introduced your parents to him. I wonder: Will you be introducing your parents to any of the Indian Muslims who have had their WhatsApp accounts deactivated by Facebook in the wake of the Modi government’s lockdown in Indian held Kashmir?

How about the Muslims of Sri Lanka? When members of a Colombobased advocacy group called the Center for Policy Alternatives came to your company with multiple examples of inflammatory and Islamophobic videos and posts on Facebook — including a post de-

The Bollywood battle over an 18th century war

AN ANTI-NEOCON PRESIDENT APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN SURROUNDED BY NEOCONS IN HIS OWN ADMINISTRATION

Foreign PoliCy StepHen F CoHen

President Trump campaigned and was elected on an anti-neocon platform: he promised to reduce direct US involvement in areas where, he believed, America had no vital strategic interest, including in Ukraine.

He also promised a new détente (“cooperation”) with Moscow.

And yet, as we have learned from their recent congressional testimony, key members of his own National Security Council did not share his views and indeed were opposed to them. Certainly, this was true of Fiona Hill and Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman. Both of them seemed prepared for a highly risky confrontation with Russia over Ukraine, though whether retroactively because of Moscow’s 2014 annexation of Crimea or for more general reasons was not entirely clear.

Similarly, Trump was slow in withdrawing Marie Yovanovitch, a career foreign service officer appointed by President Obama as ambassador to Kiev, who had made clear, despite her official position in Kiev, that she did not share the new American president’s thinking about Ukraine or Russia. In short, the president

was surrounded in his own administration, even in the White House, by opponents of his foreign policy and presumably not only in regard to Ukraine.

How did this unusual and dysfunctional situation come about? One possibility is that it was the doing and legacy of the neocon John Bolton, briefly Trump’s national security adviser. But this doesn’t explain why the president would accept or long tolerate such appointees.

A more plausible explanation is that Trump thought that by appointing such antiRussian hard-liners he could lay to rest the Russiagate allegations that had hung over him for three years and still did: that for some secret nefarious reason he was and remained a “Kremlin puppet.”

Despite the largely exculpatory Mueller report, Trump’s political enemies, mostly Democrats but not only, have kept the allegations alive.

The larger question is who should make American foreign policy: an elected president or Washington’s permanent foreign policy establishment? (It is scarcely a “deep” or “secret” state, since its representatives appear on CNN and MSNBC almost daily.) Today, Democrats seem to think that it should be the foreign policy establishment, not President Trump.

But having heard the cold-war views of much of that establishment, how will they feel when a Democrat occupies the White House? After all, eventually Trump will leave power, but Washington’s foreign-policy “blob,” as even an Obama aide termed it, will remain.

claring, “Kill all Muslims, don’t even save an infant” — the New York Times reports that nearly every complaint of theirs “got the same response: the content did not violate Facebook’s standards.”

A call to kill all of Sri Lanka’s Muslims, spread through your platform, doesn’t bother you? Doesn’t shock you?

Then there is the U.S. In May 2018, a detailed report by the Southern Poverty Law Center explained how “anti-Muslim content finds a home on Facebook.” A more recent investigation from Reveal found that while “Facebook has removed groups tied to white nationalist organizations … the social network continues to host groups that are openly hostile to Muslims, such as ‘DEATH TO ISLAM UNDERCOVER.’” Again, Mark, you know all this. You do. You can’t plead ignorance. You recently hosted Farhana Khera, of the civil rights groups Muslim Advocates, at your home in California. Khera says she told you “about the pain and suffering that Facebook is causing Muslim communities, here in the United States and around the world.” Did her personal testimony not affect you?

Then again, you previously hosted Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson, who once called Iraqis “semiliterate primitive monkeys,” and Daily Wire founder Ben Shapiro, who has falsely claimed the majority of the world’s Muslims are “radicalized.” Last month, you also had a secret dinner with President Donald Trump and refused to disclose what you discussed with him. (What a difference four years makes!)

Meanwhile, The Guardian revealed this week that two Muslim members of Congress, Reps. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., and Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., “have been targeted by a vast international operation that exploits far-right pages on Facebook to inflame Islamophobia for profit.” The Guardian’s revelations “show how Facebook has failed to stop clandestine actors from using its platform to run … hate campaigns” and how these online Islamophobes have “operated with relative impunity.”

You must be aware of how social media hatred has real-world consequences, right? Patrick Carlineo, who pled guilty to threatening to assault and murder Omar in November, spent years using your platform “to taunt Muslims, attacking them with racist slurs and saying he wished he could confront a group of Muslim politicians with ‘a bucket of pig blood,’” according to The Guardian.

Facebook moderators in the U.S. didn’t lift a finger to stop him. Is it any wonder that Omar agrees with me that you’ve helped put a target on her back?

The sad reality is that, across both the developed and developing worlds, Muslim minority communities are being demonized, targeted, and attacked by far-right nationalists. And these far-right nationalists are being aided and abetted, whether directly or indirectly, by self-styled liberals in Silicon Valley. By Facebook. By you, Mark.

Is this really how you want to be remembered? Not as the founder of a company that brought together 2 billion people online through funny memes and friend requests, but as the founder of a propaganda machine that helped incite and organize the mass killing of hundreds of thousands of Muslims?

What happened to the Mark Zuckerberg of December 2015 who told his Muslim employees that he would “fight to protect your rights and create a peaceful and safe environment for you”? Who told the rest of us that “as a Jew, my parents taught me that we must stand up against attacks on all communities”?

Seriously, where did that guy go?

CONCERNS WERE INITIALLY RAISED WHEN THE FILM WAS FIRST ANNOUNCED. IN 2017, THE AFGHAN CONSULATE IN MUMBAI REACHED OUT DIRECTLY TO THE INDIAN INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING MINISTRY

BBC Sodaba Haidare

“Death strikes where his shadow falls,” wrote Sanjay Dutt, the veteran Bollywood actor who plays the Afghan leader, Ahmad Shah Abdali, in the film Panipat. It was supposed to stir up excitement for the film. Instead, it came close to instigating an international incident, angering an entire country of once-loyal Bollywood fans.

But what exactly has got Afghans so riled up?

Panipat tells the story of a 1761 battle between an Indian empire and an Afghan army, led by Abdali, with the trailer leaving viewers in no doubt that this will be a high-octane ride from start to finish. But it was certain to cause some controversy: after all, to Afghans Abdali is their founding father and hero, but to Indians he’s an invader who killed thousands of Maratha warriors in the historic battle of Panipat, north of Delhi.

Concerns were initially raised when the film was first announced.

In 2017 the Afghan consulate in Mumbai reached out directly to the Indian Information and Broadcasting Ministry. “Ahmad Shah Abdali holds great regard in the hearts and minds of Afghan people,” said Naseem Sharifi, Afghanistan’s consul general in the city. “When the

film was being made we requested to watch it without exposing the plot. Despite our constant efforts, we didn’t get any response from the filmmakers.” But then came Sanjay Dutt’s tweet, complete with a picture of his character, the man Afghans refer to as Ahmad Shah Baba (father). The uproar was immediate. “He’s vicious. He wears kohl. Abdali wasn’t like that. From the way he dresses to the way he speaks; it’s not even Afghan, he’s portrayed as an Arab,” Elaha Walizadeh, an Afghan blogger, told the BBC. For generations, Afghans have grown up with Bollywood films such as Khuda Gawah, starring Amitabh Bachchan as a brave and patriotic Afghan protagonist.

They were a source of joy and hope for many refugees during the dark Taliban era. They played the songs at their weddings, danced to the tunes, memorised famous dialogue and even learned Hindi from it.

But then came films such as the 2018 epic Padmaavat, which saw superstar Ranveer Singh playing Alauddin Khilji, a TurkoAfghan ruler who invaded and ruled Delhi in the 12th Century.

Though the film garnered positive reviews, the portrayal of Khalji as a cruel and vicious ruler offended many Afghans - although they were far from the only group to take issue.

Similarly, Kesari, a 2019 period drama about an epic battle between 21 Sikh soldiers from the British Indian Army and more than 10,000 Afghans, was criticised for stereotyping and vilifying Afghans as invaders who forcibly took land.

Platforms like Twitter and Facebook mean those offended can easily find others who share their disillusionment. “People are seeing the issue of misrepresenta-

tion because of social media. More young Afghans are noticing a trend and having conversations about it,” Walizadeh said.

“Whereas before they were elated at the slightest mention of Afghans in Hindi movies, they now watch it with scrutiny. Though misrepresentation is a global problem, given Afghans’ relationship with Bollywood they expect better.” Some film critics say however that the changing portrayal of Afghan characters could be down to more than just rising awareness on the part of Afghan filmgoers.

Instead they link the rising number of films with negative Muslim characters as an attempt by Bollywood executives to align the industry with India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) - a Hindu nationalist party led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“We have a Hindu majority party which is quite conscious of exploiting the soft power of Bollywood,” said Ankur Pathak, entertainment editor of Huffington Post India.

“Whether that is the prime minister clicking selfies with the

top stars, organising meet-andgreet events or the ruling party encouraging Bollywood to show films about nation-building, there’s an invisible incentive to make films to depict India in a positive light - and by India that means it’s Modi’s idea of India or the BJP’s idea of India, which is pro-Hindu.” It is a dangerous path, Pathak adds. “Misrepresentation of any community does immense damage. Given the current climate it’s something we need to steer clear from,” he said. Film director Ashutosh Gowariker has dismissed the claims.

He told online channel Film Companion: “This film is not about a Hindu-Muslim battle. It’s about stopping an invader. It’s about protecting your borders, your land, that’s the patriotic theme of the film.

In the wake of that we have to show that Abdali did invade but we have kept the dignity of the character.”

But Mr Sharifi, the Afghan consulgeneral, remains worried about the possible fallout from Panipat - despite assurances from Sanjay Dutt that he would not have taken the role if the portrayal was negative.

The consul-general, who also acts as an advisor to the Afghan president, says he wants a panel of experts from both countries to review the film before its release. The BBC asked Sanjay Dutt for a response to the criticism but did not receive a response. For some of Bollywood’s most loyal Afghan fans, the film is likely to disappoint. “Historically Indian cinema has been instrumental in strengthening Indo-Afghan ties,” Dr Shaida Abdali, the former Afghan ambassador to India, tweeted. “I very much hope that the film ‘Panipat’ has kept that fact in mind while dealing with this important episode of our shared history!”

Monday, 9 December, 2019

north Korea condUcts ‘very important test’: Kcna PYONGYANG

n

AGENCIES

ORTH KOREA said Sunday it had carried out a “very important test” at its space launch centre, as Pyongyang ramps up pressure on Washington over stalled nuclear talks.

The announcement of Saturday’s test at the Sohae satellite launch site came just hours after US President Donald Trump said he would be “surprised” by any hostile action from the North. “A very important test took place at the Sohae Satellite Launching Ground on the afternoon of December 7, 2019,” a spokesman for North Korea’s Academy of the National Defence Science said.

The result of the latest test will have an “important effect” on changing the “strategic position” of North Korea, the spokesman said in a statement carried by the official KCNA news agency.

The statement did not provide further details on the test.

Sohae, on North Korea’s northwest coast, is ostensibly a facility designed for putting satellites into orbit.

But Pyongyang has carried out several rocket launches there that were condemned by the US and others as disguised long-range ballistic missile tests.

Satellite imagery taken on Decem-

ber 5 showed a large container box at the site that was “a decent indicator of an impending engine test”, Jeffrey Lewis of the US-based Middlebury Institute of International Studies had said ahead of Pyongyang’s statement.

Rocket engines are easily repurposed for use in missiles and the international community has called Pyongyang’s space programme a fig leaf for weapons tests.

North Korea dismantled the test stand at Sohae amid a rapid rapprochement in 2018 but reassembled it this year, Lewis said, adding, “Still, we had not seen any activity at the test stand” until now. “It is clear that this is one

more sign that North Korea is conducting more missile-related activities as Kim Jong Un’s end-of-year deadline for sanctions relief approaches,” he said.

A senior US administration official said, “We have seen the reports of a test, and are coordinating closely with allies and partners”.

It comes as Pyongyang is ramping up pressure ahead of its December 31 deadline for the US to propose a new offer to kickstart stalled nuclear talks.

Hours before North Korea announced its latest test, Trump had emphasised his “very good relationship” with North Korean leader Kim. “Well, we’ll see about North Korea.

FOREIGN NEWS 07

I’d be surprised if North Korea acted hostiley,” he said on Saturday afternoon in Washington DC. “(Kim) knows I have an election coming up. I don’t think he wants to interfere with that. But we’ll have to see.”

Following his first summit with Kim in June 2018, Trump said Kim had agreed to destroy “a major missile engine testing site” without naming the facility. Kim then agreed to shutter the Sohae site during a summit last year with South Korean President Moon Jaein in Pyongyang as part of trust-building measures.

Kim has held three meetings with Trump since June 2018 but little progress has been made in efforts towards denuclearisation.

On Thursday, the North’s vice foreign minister warned of returning to a war of words with the US, threatening to resume referring to Trump as a “dotard” — Pyongyang’s nickname for the US leader at the height of tensions in 2017. The comments came a day after it warned that if the US used military force against the North it would take “prompt corresponding actions at any level”. At the recent NATO summit, Trump boasted about Washington’s “most powerful military”, adding: “Hopefully, we don’t have to use it, but if we do, we’ll use it. If we have to, we’ll do it.”

Base shooter watched shooting videos before attack PENSACOLA AGENCIES

The Saudi student who fatally shot three sailors at a U.S. naval base in Florida hosted a dinner party earlier in the week where he and three others watched videos of mass shootings, a U.S. official told The Associated Press on Saturday.

Officials investigating the deadly attack were working Saturday to determine whether it was motivated by terrorism, while President Donald Trump indicated he would review policies governing foreign military training in the United States. The Navy on Saturday identified the three victims and hailed them as heroes for trying to stop the shooter and flagging down first responders after being shot. “The Sailors that lost their lives in the line of duty and showed exceptional heroism and bravery in the face of evil,” Capt. Tim Kinsella, the commanding officer of Naval Air Station Pensacola, said in a statement. “When confronted, they didn’t run from danger; they ran towards it and saved lives.” The shooter opened fire inside a classroom at the naval base on Friday, killing three people and wounding two sheriff’s deputies, one in the arm and one in the knee, before one of the deputies killed him. Eight others were also hurt. Both deputies were expected to survive.

The official who spoke Saturday said one of the three students who attended the dinner party hosted by the attacker recorded video outside the classroom building while the shooting was taking place. Two other Saudi students watched from a car, the official said. Ten Saudi students were being held on the base

Saturday while several others were unaccounted for, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity after being briefed by federal authorities.

The FBI identified the shooter in a statement Saturday night as Mohammed Alshamrani, 21. Investigators said he was a 2nd Lt. in the Royal Saudi Air Force and was a student naval flight officer of Naval Aviation Schools Command. A U.S. official on Friday said the FBI was examining social media posts and investigating whether he acted alone or was connected to any broader group. The official wasn’t authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity. Two U.S. officials said Friday that authorities were investigating whether the attack was terrorism-related. They spoke on condition of anonymity to disclose information that had not yet been made public. In remarks at a gathering of top U.S. defense and military officials on Saturday, Defense Secretary Mark Esper was asked whether he could say definitively that the shooting was an act of terrorism.

“No, I can’t say it’s terrorism at this time,” he said, adding that the investigation needs to proceed. He declined to discuss details of the investigation so far.

President Trump also declined to say whether the shooting was terrorism-related. The president tweeted his condolences to the families of the victims on Friday and noted that Saudi King Salman had reassured him in a telephone call that the shooter “in no way shape or form represents the feelings of the Saudi people.”

But in comments echoing those made earlier by Esper, Trump said Saturday that he would review policies governing foreign military training in the U.S.

The U.S. has long had a robust training program for Saudis, providing assistance in the U.S. and in the kingdom. Currently, more than 850 Saudis are in the United States for various training activities. They are among more than 5,000 foreign students from 153 countries in the U.S. going through military training.

“This has been done for many decades,” Trump said. “I guess we’re going to have to look into the whole procedure. We’ll start that immediately.”

Speaking at the Ronald Reagan National Defense Forum in Simi Valley, California, on Saturday, Esper and others downplayed any initial impact on U.S.Saudi ties. Asked whether he would now hesitate to send U.S. forces to Saudi Arabia, he said, “No, not at all.” He said the U.S. and Saudi Arabia have shared security interests, especially with regard to Iran.

The shooting has shined a light on the sometimes rocky relationship between the two countries, however.

The kingdom is still trying to recover from the killing last year of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. Saudi intelligence officials and a forensic doctor killed and dismembered Khashoggi on Oct. 2, 2018, just as his fiancée waited outside the diplomatic mission. Naval Air Station Pensacola is one of the Navy’s most historic and storied bases. It sprawls along the waterfront southwest of the city’s downtown and dominates the economy of the surrounding area. Part of the base resembles a college campus, with buildings where, in addition to foreign students, 60,000 members of the U.S. Navy, Marines, Air Force and Coast Guard train each year in multiple fields of aviation.

Johnson pledges transformative Brexit as nerves are rattled By UK polls LONDON: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he was nervous about his narrowing lead in opinion polls ahead of Thursday’s election but pledged to deliver a “transformative” Brexit that will allow lower immigration. The Dec. 12 election will decide the fate of Brexit and the world’s fifth-largest economy with a stark choice between Johnson’s pro-market Conservatives and the socialist-led opposition Labour Party. “Brexit is the most radical and profound change to the management of this country,” Johnson told Sky, adding that he would lead the United Kingdom out of the European Union on Jan. 31 if he wins a majority in the 650-seat parliament. “Brexit is indispensable – you can’t move forward without Brexit,” said Johnson, the face of the leave campaign in the 2016 referendum before winning the top job in July after Prime Minister Theresa May failed to deliver Brexit on time. Johnson called the snap election after more than three years of political crisis over the United Kingdom’s most significant geopolitical move since World War Two. Voting takes place from 0700 and 2200 GMT on Thursday, with Johnson likely to need more than 320 seats to ensure he can remain prime minister and ratify the Brexit deal he struck with the EU in October. Opinion polls put Johnson ahead of Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, though his lead has narrowed in recent weeks and such polls largely failed to predict the 2016 referendum result or May’s loss of her majority in the 2017 snap election. Asked if he was nervous about narrowing polls, Johnson said: “Of course, we are fighting for every vote. I think that this is a critical moment for this country.” Four opinion polls published on Saturday put the lead of Johnson’s Conservative Party over the Labour Party at between eight and 15 points. The Conservatives are certainly in pole position, but not necessarily so far ahead that they’re guaranteed to win, polling expert John Curtice told the BBC. KREMLIN SHADOW?: With the United Kingdom still split over Brexit, the election has largely been dominated by rhetoric over the EU exit and an array of expensive spending promises on public services by both major parties. Beyond Brexit, the main foreign policy issue has been Corbyn’s claim that Johnson would sell off the much-cherished National Health Service (NHS) to U.S. corporations in a post-Brexit deal with U.S. President Donald Trump. Johnson has repeatedly denied that claim and Trump last week said he wouldn’t want the NHS if it was offered on a silver platter, but Corbyn has used leaked British-U.S. trade documents to argue that Johnson is a threat to the NHS. The leak of the classified documents online is tied to a previous Russian disinformation campaign, social media site Reddit said on Friday, fuelling fears that Moscow is seeking to interfere in the British election. The Kremlin, which says the West is gripped by anti-Russian hysteria, has denied it meddles in Western democracies. AGENCIES

Trump tells Jewish-Americans he is Israel’s best friend HOLLYWOOD AGENCIES

US President Donald Trump aimed to make inroads Saturday in the politically important Jewish-American vote with a Florida speech where he declared himself the best friend Israel has ever had.

At a conference in Hollywood, Florida, the Republican real estate magnate said Jewish-Americans had been wrong to vote for Democrats under his predecessor Barack Obama. “So many of you voted for people in the last administration,” he said. “Someday you’ll have to explain that to me because I don’t think they liked Israel too much.” By contrast, Trump said, “the Jewish state has never had a better friend in the White House than your president, Donald J. Trump.”

He was speaking at a meeting of the Israeli-American Council, a non-profit whose funders include billionaire JewishAmerican casino magnate Sheldon Adel-

son and his wife Miriam — both of them high-profile Trump supporters.

Jews make up only a small portion of the electorate but in Florida they represent a crucial piece of the swing state electoral puzzle. Historically, AmericanJews have voted heavily Democratic.

Trump, who is hoping to repeat his 2016 strategy next year by winning reelection through strategic accumulation of electoral college votes in key states, has worked especially hard to woo Jewish-Americans.

Since taking office he has upended decades of American policy in the Middle East by acceding to a string of Israeli demands and all but slamming the door on Palestinians. This includes recognizing the disputed city of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and also recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, a territory taken from Syria in 1967.

In November, the Trump administration again broke with decades of interna-

tional consensus when it said that it would no longer consider Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian lands in the West Bank illegal.

The policies are also highly popular with right-wing evangelical Christian Republicans — a vital part of Trump’s support base. Despite the aggressive support for Israel, coupled with intense pressure on the Palestinians, the Trump administration says it has a peace plan ready to unveil once an ongoing Israeli leadership impasse is resolved.

Trump has put his son-in-law Jared Kushner, who is Jewish-American but had no previous experience in government before joining this administration, in charge of the peace plan. “A lot of people say that can’t be done,” Trump told the crowd on Saturday. “They say that’s the toughest of all deals but if Jared Kushner can’t do it, it can’t be done.”

Taking direct aim at one of his potential Democratic opponents for the 2020

election, Trump told the audience that left-wing Senator Elizabeth Warren should not get their vote because she would impose heavy taxes.

“Let’s take 100 percent of your

wealth away,” he said in a reference to Warren. One problem, Trump told the gathering, is that some American-Jews, while being “great people, they don’t love Israel enough.”

Monday, 9 December, 2019

08 COMMENT PML-N’s London huddle Opposition must be full-blooded

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He PMl-n has found that one of the disadvantages of having not just eponymous founder nawaz Sharif, but also party President Mian Shehbaz Sharif in london is that meetings have to take place there. the party leadership was taken into confidence on the key issues of the CoaS’s extension kerfuffle and the Chief election Commissioner’s appointment, but the assurance that there would be a change of government soon, and that there would then be snap elections does not sound all that realistic in london, because it is in Pakistan that the PMl-n should be carrying out opposition to the Pti government. if the PMl-n hopes to provide a viable alternative, it is to be done in Pakistan. one issue seems to be the fact that PMl-n President Shehbaz Sharif will have to face more naB cases when he returns to the country, though he obtained bail in the ones he had been arrested in. He might find it more comfortable to remain in london, holding meetings in restaurants, but it is in Pakistan that he can manage better to retain control of the party as well as better oppose the government. there might be attendant risks, but those will have to be taken.

PMl-n Vice-President Maryam nawaz, who is vying for the control of the party, has signalled that her hat is still in the ring by applying to the lahore High Court for her name to be removed from the exit Control list. the reason is apparently that she wants to join her father abroad, but it might well be a final departure from a scene on which she has already been silent ever since she was bailed in her latest naB case. if she goes to the UK with any degree of permanence, she will be departing the country’s politics at least for as long as she is away. if she is made to remain, she will continue to play the silent role she has had to adopt. if she does go the UK, the fatherdaughter nexus, which has prevented him from gaining as much control of the party as he would like, may be reestablished, but abroad, leaving him free to steer the party the way he wants. Whatever the case, the party needs a firm hand at the tiller, which the family’s tribulations have stopped it from getting.

Where did the money come from?

Scant details on the NCA seizure and repatriation of funds

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or a party which has virtually made a creed of the ‘money trail’ and which has been so emphatic about the necessity of accountability, the respect it is showing for Malik riaz’s confidentiality agreement is not only surprising but also suspicious. the shield of the confidentiality agreement is not really large enough for the government to hide behind, for it leaves a number of very pertinent questions unanswered. there is a legitimate demand for the money trail, which led to the surrender of £190 million (about rs 38.6 billion) by Malik riaz to the UK’s national Crime agency, and the nCa then remitting the money to the government of Pakistan for it to be supposedly used to settle the Supreme Court fine of rs 460 billion Bahria town has agreed to pay.

Selling off a property in the UK has raised part of the money, but the question then arises about how that property was bought. How was that money sent abroad? there is also the credibility issue raised by this, because the government’s silence is diametrically opposed to the way it normally trumpets even the most minor of achievements. actual cash recovered, such a large sum, and the involvement, however tangential, of a member of the Sharif clan– how could the Pti refrain from commenting at length, confidentiality agreement or no agreement? that silence raises other suspicions. the first is that Malik riaz has bought the silence, or at least impressed the Pti government enough with his wealth to make it respect the confidentiality agreement. then there is the possibility that any full disclosure would lead to the outing of people presently close to the government.

Unless someone comes up with an honest and full explanation of such aspects of the case as what exactly did Malik riaz admit he did, this whole affair will continue to haunt the government. it should not think the matter is over. While this payment is large, it is only a small fraction of what Malik riaz has to pay. that means that every time he makes a payment, this issue will be revived. the government cannot make this go away, except by coming clean.

Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami

Arif Nizami Editor Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

Umar Aziz

Asher John

Joint Editor

Executive Editor

Deputy Editor

Lahore – Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965

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Climate at crossroads: taming global warming Pakistan should impose a $30 a ton carbon tax by 2030 Dr Omer javeD1

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itH regard to the global warming targets, article 1, clause (b) of the Paris agreement, signed in 2015, indicated ‘Holding the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2 °C above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels, recognizing that this would significantly reduce the risks and impacts of climate change’.

Having said that, a press release produced this week in Madrid (Spain) by the World Meteorological organization (WMo) on ‘WMo provisional statement on the State of Global Warming’ made some alarming revelations with regard to global warming, whereby it was highlighted that ‘the year 2019 concludes a decade of exceptional global heat, retreating ice and record sea levels driven by greenhouse gases from human activities. average temperatures for the five-year (2015-2019) and ten-year (20102019) periods are almost certain to be the highest on record. 2019 is on course to be the second or third warmest year on record.’

Yet the most shocking prediction is with regard to taming the average temperatures, where unlike target set under the Paris agreement, the WMo’s findings suggested an increase in average temperatures, by the end of the century, to a tune of 3 °C to 5 °C; in turn, marking the largest shift in temperatures during the last 10,000 years, around which time the last ice age ended. this holds catastrophic consequences for the earth, the impact of which is already vividly being experienced. according to the Secretary General of WMo, Petteri taalas, ‘if we do not take urgent climate action now, then we are heading for a temperature increase of more than 3 °C by the end of the century, with ever more harmful impacts on human wellbeing. We are nowhere near on track to meet the Paris agree-

ment target.’ Moreover he pointed out ‘on a dayto-day basis, the impacts of climate change play out through extreme and “abnormal” weather.’ also, Mr taalas pointed out that the consequences of global warming were not restricted to any particular country or region, since ‘Countries ranging from the Bahamas to Japan to Mozambique suffered the effect of devastating tropical cyclones. Wildfires swept through the arctic and australia. one of the main impacts of climate change is more erratic rainfall patterns. this poses a threat to crop yields and, combined with population increase, will mean considerable food security challenges for vulnerable countries in the future.’ other organizations are highlighting similar concerns with regard to risks associated with untamed global warming, whereby according to the Pottsdam institute for Climate impact and research and Climate analytics, that a 4 °C gain is likely to cause a) vanishing of ice from both poles, b) a lot of rainforests turning into desert, c) interior flooding of continents at the back of rising sea level, and d) loss of diversity of animals and plants to the extent that the loss would be irreversible.

While the highly negative consequences for the world are clear to see, yet the countries have not stepped up to their pledges made in the Paris agreement, as highlighted by Mr taalas, who further pointed out that resultantly, ‘the number of emissions are somewhat alarming... once again in 2019, weather and climate related risks hit hard... Heatwaves and floods which used to be “once-in-a-century events” are becoming more regular occurrences.’ it is indeed high time for countries globally to come through on their pledges with regard to positively contributing towards lowering global warming. in this regard, ian Parry, in his article ‘Putting a price on pollution’ published in the December 2019 issue of Finance and Development (F&D) magazine of iMF (international Monetary Fund), pointed out that ‘the international community’s response is grounded in the 2015 Paris agreement... For this international response to

work, policymakers need carefully crafted measures that effectively meet their mitigation commitments while at the same time limiting the burdens on their countries’ economies and navigating the political obstacles to implementation. even if successfully implemented, however, current country pledges would cut global emissions by only about one-third of the amount required to meet climate stabilization goals. innovative mechanisms are therefore needed to scale up mitigation efforts at the international level.’ one such innovative mechanism for effectively meeting commitments, with regard to domestic emissions, is the introduction of carbon taxation, which is a tax on the content of carbon in the fossil fuel. according to Mr. Parry, ‘a tax of, say, $35 a ton on Co2 emissions in 2030 would typically increase prices for coal, electricity, and gasoline by about 100, 25, and 10 percent, respectively. Carbon taxes also provide a clear incentive for redirecting energy investment toward low-carbon technologies like renewable power plants.’

Having said that, it would take more than $35 a ton tax in certain countries to tame their global warming impact, since according to Mr. Parry ‘a $35 per ton carbon tax by itself would exceed the level needed to meet mitigation commitments in such countries as China, india, and South africa, and it would be about right to meet pledges in indonesia, the islamic republic of iran, Pakistan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. But even a carbon tax as high as $70 per ton (or equivalent measures) would fall short of what is needed in some countries like australia and Canada.’ in the case of Pakistan, the same article points out that the country pledged under the Paris agreement to reduce the ‘business-asusual’ carbon dioxide level by around 10 percent by 2030, and impose $35 a ton carbon tax. at the same time, Mr. Parry pointed out that ‘another important argument for carbon taxes is that they could raise a significant amount of revenue, typically 1–2 percent of GDP for a $35 a ton tax in 2030... [which]... could be used to lower other taxes or fund green initiatives and other productive investments.’ once again, for Pakistan a $35 a ton carbon tax, held a potential of raising additional revenue of around 1.5 percent of GDP in 2030.

Dr Omer Javed holds PhD in Economics degree from the University of Barcelona, and previously worked at International Monetary Fund. He tweets @omerjaved7

We’re all paying a high price for corporate corruption Today is Anti-Corruption Day Zafar I. anjum

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nternational corruption continues to undermine the progress of developing nations as rogue politicians, civic leaders and corporate representatives conduct “business as usual” to bypass bureaucratic red tape or circumvent competitive processes.

But the world is taking notice and punishing those organisations accused of corrupt practices.

From damaged corporate reputations that lead to brand and stock devaluation to negative investor perceptions, legal action and even jail terms for corporate directors, the high cost of corruption can have a lasting effect on even the most diligent organisations.

Companies worldwide can fall victim at any time to bribery and corruption practices, particularly those organisations with multi-national operations utilising vast networks of third-party agents, suppliers, distributors and consultants. navigating the complex web of multi-jurisdiction laws and regulations around the world related to anti-bribery and anti-corruption practices can be daunting, exhausting financial resources and taxing personnel. But now there’s an all-encompassing solution for building strong global compliance frameworks and safeguarding your organisation from third-party risks.

Situation analysis: the past decade has seen a dramatic rise in the prosecution of organisations accused in bribery schemes. often regarded in many regions as a standard operating procedure necessary to move business along, the practise of bribery is fast becoming a focal point for governments and global watchdogs’ intent on levying heavy fines and penalties for companies involved in the practice. in this situation which with the course of time, regional and international regulations are becoming stricter, particularly companies that are in the supply chain (importers, exporters, third-party service providers or indenters) for any foreign company.

Foreign companies are now being penalised if it is discovered that companies in their supply chain are involved in corrupt practices. these companies are increasingly complying with in-

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ternational laws such as the Foreign Corrupt Practices act (FCPa), Malaysian anti-Corruption. Commission (amendment) act 2018 which introduced a new far-reaching corporate liability provision, the UK Bribery act, Brazilian Clean Company act. this progress intends to eliminate corruption from supply chains and third-party working relationships of foreign companies.

Companies that are not complying with these laws are being panelized and prosecuted heavily. anti-Bribery anti-Corruption was invented to educate, equip and support the world’s leading business organisations with the latest in bestpractice due diligence processes and procedures.

We provide world-class consulting services to organisations seeking to validate or expand their existing compliance frameworks to maintain a competitive edge in the world marketplace. the anti-bribery anti-corruption framework poses a complete suite of world-class services and solutions designed to help organisations mitigate the internal and external risks associated with operating in multi-jurisdiction and multicultural environments.

Bribery and Corruption risk Management: an expert audit of your existing risk management system to assess effectiveness and vulnerabilities while ensuring your organisation adequately complies with FCPa regulations, UK Bribery act laws, anti-Money laundering regulations, and other global, regional and local regulations. iSo 37001:2016 anti-Bribery Management System: Corporate research investigation offers independent global accredited iSo 37001:2016 certification to ensure that your organisation complies with this newly established standard, which is recognised and practised in more than 160 countries worldwide. expert auditors and analysts work with your team to develop policies, communications, training, monitoring and reporting measures that integrate seamlessly with your existing management processes and controls. anti-Bribery anti-Corruption Strategies: third-Party risk Management-3PrM-Certified solution provides the very best in third-party bribery and corruption risk management, corporate compliance programme, providing a proactive approach to mitigating risks from third-party affiliations and protecting your organisation from liability, brand damage and harm to the business. anti-Bribery anti-Corruption presents inno-

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vative and globally accepted risk management solutions with an accredited corporate compliance program that can be applied to any organisation.

Becoming Compliant: the Benefits of iSo 37001 Certification – outcomes: Because iSo 37001 is built around a set of generally accepted requirements, global organisations can become certified in the standard, utilising the services of an accredited third-party certifying body. Certification will add a distinct level of credibility to the organisation’s management systems and must be completed by a qualified, independent third-party specifically versed in iSo 37001:2016 certification.

Becoming certified in iSo 37001 enables the organisation to demonstrate that it has adequate procedures in place to detect and prevent bribery on a multi-national level. additionally, such certification: n ensures that the organisation is implementing a viable anti-bribery management programme utilising widely accepted controls and systems. n You are minimizing corruption and bribery lawsuit likelihood. n lessening the possible litigation penalty through demonstrating an effective and adequate compliance program n assures management, investors, business associates, personnel and other stakeholders that the organisation is actively pursuing internationally recognised and accepted processes to prevent bribery and corruption. n Protects the organisation, its assets, shareholders and directors from the effects of bribery. n Provides acceptable evidence to prosecutors or courts that the organisation has taken reasonable steps to prevent bribery and corruption.

Bribery continues to be a significant problem on a worldwide scale and conforming to an internationally recognised standard to combat the practice while promoting ethics in business will help organisations succeed in the ever-expanding global marketplace.

Zafar I. Anjum is Group Chief Executive Officer CRI Group, ABAC Center of Excellence Limited, and can be reached at info@abacgroup.com

Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

Monday, 9 December, 2019

COMMENT 09 Editor’s mail

Send your letters to: Letters to Editor, Pakistan today, 4-Shaarey Fatima Jinnah, Lahore, Pakistan.

E-mail: letters@pakistantoday.com.pk Letters should be addressed to Pakistan today exclusively

Campaign against democracy

Indian supports to Baloch movement consolidate Trying to draw attention away from Kashmir nava ThakurIa

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Fter the prolonged Kashmir issue, indian focus has been shifted to Balochistan along with Pakistan occupied Kashmir and Gilgit, where the unconditional support to Baloch people for their mission to make Balochistan a sovereign country has been slowly increasing.

From the political class to civil society groups, media fraternity to common indians, the goodwill for the Baloch freedom movement has grown in the recent past which has inspired the Baloch freedom fighters to express confidence in the new-found indo-Baloch friendship. the significant development surfaced when Prime Minister narendra Modi had mentioned Balochistan referring to the relentless freedom struggle by Balochis since 1948 in his 2016 independence Day (15 august) speech from the courtyard of historic red Fort in new Delhi. the people of Balochistan (also residents of Gilgit and azad Kashmir) had acknowledged india and showed goodwill toward its billionplus populace on various occasions, which PM Modi returned back with heartiest thanks. it may not directly influence the foreign policy of new Delhi towards islamabad, but a positive gesture spread across the liberal indians, who preferred to support the Balochis, understandably secular in nature. But the development also created more troubles for the freedom aspiring Balochis as the Pakistani forces increased atrocities subsequently. Several military operations were imposed in Balochistan distressing thousands of Balochis.

Predominantly Muslim Balochis, who are presently on a warpath against the islamic republic of Pakistan for their liberation, claimed that Baloch people got independence from the imperialist British forces on 11 august 1947, ahead of india and Pakistan. Balochistan remained a sovereign nation till 27 March 1948. and since then Baloch people are under Pakistani occupation resulting in atrocities over them. recently a group of Balochis observed the Martyr’s Day on 13 november 2019 in london, which was picked up by the international media outlets including those of india. Making a straight call to india, members of Baloch national Movement, Baloch Students’ organisation and other pro-Balochistan outfits argued that new Delhi should help the Balochis as it had supported Bangladesh Mukti Juddha in 1971.

Baloch patriots across the world urged the indian government along with the USa and UK, to extend support to their freedom movements against islamabad, as the country has slowly turned into a breeding ground of islamist militants that would finally destabilize the security and peace of the entire region, where Baloch people continue following the spirit of secularism even though they are Muslim by majority.

Some days back, Free Balochistan Movement chief Hyrbyair Marri, while talking to a group of scribes in Guwahati through video

conferencing, alleged that the Pakistani forces have gone on rampant exploitation of Balochistan’s resources like natural gas, coal, gold, copper and various minerals. even though Balochistan has a small population (around 13 million), Baloch people are deprived of regular electricity, safe drinking water, and other civic amenities, whereas the province’s infant mortality rate is very high and the literacy rate low.

Marri was also critical of iran (after Pakistan) as both the islamic countries, according to him, did not mind their differences and were on the same page when it came to the oppression of the Baloch. once colonized by europeans, Balochistan is now under the occupation of Pakistan and iran, which compelled thousands of Balochis to sacrifice their lives for a united and independent homeland. But Pakistan has been especially perfidious, lecturing india about Kashmir issues, while over 20000 Baloch had disappeared in the last decade. even women, children and the elderly are not spared by the Pakistani army, lamented Marri. He also added that over 2,000 journalists, teachers, lawyers, and cultural personalities were forcibly abducted, tortured and even killed in a decade.

“We need india’s friendship, support, and help. But rather than using the Balochistan independence struggle as a means to checkmate and counter islamabad, new Delhi should look at Balochistan as an allweather ally and india should see post-independence secular and stable Balochistan which will be one of the factors in bringing tranquility in the the region,” pointed out Marri.

He also referred to a Hindu temple in Balochistan in the programme and described how Muslim Balochis take care of the Shakti Peeth (named Hinglaj Mata Mandir). Positioned in a mountain cave on the bank of Hingol river inside Hingol national Park, which is adjacent to the Makran coast of the arabian Sea in southwest Pakistan, the temple has an idol of Goddess Shakti (Sati), accompanied by Bhairava (a form of lord Shiva). the daughter of Daksha Maharaj, Sati married Shiva against her father’s wish. Mythology narrates, proud king Daksha did not invite Sati (Parvati) and Mahadev for an important Yagna.

However, she wanted to attend the rituals, where Daksha humiliated her husband following which Sati immolated herself at her father’s palace.

angry Mahadev soon arrived there and punished Daksha cutting his head. then Maheswar took Sati’s mortal remains on his shoulder and started wandering with tandava nritya (dance of destruction). With the aim of dousing Shiva’s rage, lord Vishnu cut the mortal remains into 51 pieces through his Sudarshan Chakra. Body parts of Sati fell in various localities on earth and all locations later emerged as shrines for Hindus. it is believed that Sati’s head with Hingul (vermillion/Sindoor) had fallen on the place (now in Balochistan) where the Hinglaj temple is surfaced. the most sacred part (Yoni) fell on nilachal hills of Guwahati (then a part of Kamrup empire), where the sacred Kamakhya temple is located.

More recently, a northeast-india-based nationalists’ group urged the Union government in new Delhi to pursue with the Balochistan authority the revitalizing of the Hinglaj Mata Mandir. Patriotic People’s Front assam (PPFa) argued that the Hinglaj temple is a revered place for Hindus where thousands gather to pray to Goddess Shakti.

“We have appealed to PM Modi to take a personal interest to enhance diplomatic efforts to revive the Hinglaj temple and pave the way for easier ways for indian pilgrims to visit the shrine. as the Baloch nationalists are legitimately secular, they should also be taken into confidence in fulfilling the mission,” said a PPFa statement. now Marri along with other Baloch nationals have taken a task for setting up indo-Baloch friendship platforms in different countries, more precisely in india even though it is a Hindu majority nation. But it is quite amazing that the Baloch freedom struggle has still not mingled with islamist extremism. on various social networking sites, the Baloch nationalists have started wishing indian people on auspicious occasions including the republic & independence Days. they are clear in mind while appealing to the indians as brothers and sisters, saying Balochis are thankful to india for its increasing solidarity and support. indians are also being urged to be the voice for disgraced Baloch people in different forums including the United nations. Many of them even chanted typically indian Hindu slogans like Bharat Jai Hind, Mata Ki Jai and so on.

On various social networking sites, the Baloch nationalists have started wishing Indian people on auspicious occasions including the Republic & Independence Days.

They are clear in mind while appealing to the Indians as brothers and sisters, saying Balochis are thankful to India for its increasing solidarity and support

nava Thakuria is a political commentator.

tHere is a systematic campaign in electronic media by few anchors and selected analysts who blame democracy for ills that afflict this country, thereby negating Quaid’s vision.

Pakistan was created through democratic constitutional struggle waged by politicians with calibre of Quaid-e-azam and many others who rose up through political process and were not implanted by British raj. it were men like Sikandar Hayat, a bureaucrat on payroll of HM Government, serving as Member reserve Bank of india, who was implanted by raj to take over Unionist Party in Punjab after untimely death of Sir Fazl-i-Hussain, a politician in his own right, on 29 June 1936. the British raj excelled in “Divide and rule” through intrigues using paid civil and uniformed bureaucracy as tools. they controlled both Hindus and Muslim, through civil bureaucracy run by DC and Commissioners (there is no post of DC etc in UK), a uniformed security service to quell local population through intrigues and use of brute force such as Jallianwala brutality. it is unfortunate that MaJ vision of a modern democratic welfare was deliberately derailed, the Constitution delayed and country became hostage to vested interests. Quaid succeeded in the words of Wolpert - modify the map of world- creating a nation-state; but within a year of his death his vision was derailed. if Quaid’s democratic Pakistan was allowed to function, Kashmir would have been liberated in 1948 or latest by 1962, there would have been no military action in east Pakistan and this country would not have been engaged in proxy war under Zia. Pakistan would have emerged as an economically powerful state, with its people enjoying fruits of development instead of miseries that they face today.

MALIk TARIq ALI Lahore

Jinnah’s ‘Purana Pakistan’ Martin luther King Jr once said ‘almost always, the creative dedicated minority has made the world a better place’. Jinnah wanted the Pakistanis to respect our minorities. i want to reiterate that Prime Minister imran Khan had promised to give minorities their due rights. He envisioned following the model of the state of Medina. Mr Khan’s zeal was witnessed when he proposed that Dr atif Mian was the panacea for the economic calamity of Pakistan. He desired to see Dr atif as the Finance Minister in his ‘naya Pakistan’. the desire was a rhetorical. nevertheless, Mr Khan coerced Dr atif to resign from the economic advisory Council, owing to his faith; which is indifferent to our economy. Consequently, Dr imran rasul resigned in protest. this robbed our economic Council of competent members. However, Jinnah would have daunted the government’s decision because he guaranteed justice, equality, and opportunities for the minorities. Jinnah was a protagonist of minority rights. He stood for the Muslims when they were a minority in the colonial india. Jinnah must have been disenchanted following this inauspicious decision. the premier idealises Jinnah and pledged to withhold the values of the father of our nation. the white part of our flag denotes Pakistan’s minority. one need not be a Muslim to serve this country. any person regardless of their religion is capable of serving his/her state without prejudice.

Unfortunately, our government has unceasingly disdained almost every other Pakistani, who had the audacity to choose a dissimilar trajectory since the demise of Mr Jinnah.

Pakistan loses her chance to prosper when every Joginder nath Mandal, Sir Zafarullah Khan, abdul Salam and in this case, Dr atif is left to the mercy of the bigots in the country. this is a startling moment for our homeland.

BARRISTER ARSALAn CHAUDHRy narowal

Honey please!

KHairPUr Mirs is well-known for its pulchritudinous and paramount architecture. it is only city of Sindh where there is production Date Palm fruits. the orchards of Date Palm trees are habitats of many living organisms. Such as, Squirrels, Crows, Honey Bees, Parrots and Mynas. the honey bee is only, which is on the verge of extinction because of the use of pesticides on Date palm fruits. there are two types of honey bees in Khairpur Mirs. 1, apis florea which is commonly known by the name, nandhi Makhi (dwarf honey bee) or ‘Desi Makhi’ by the laymen of these areas people. 2, apis dorsata which is commonly known by name Wadi Makhi( giant honey bee) or ‘angrezi Makhi’. apis florea and apis dorsata are distinct in characteristics. apis florea formed their colonies in Data palm trees, azadirachta indica (neem tree), and Mangoes orchards. Whereas, apis dorsata makes their colonies in Mangoes orchards, azadirachta indica (neem tree) and have rarely been seen their hives in Data Palm trees due to their giant beehive and sometimes on buildings as well. apis florea is good pollinator and its honey is delicious in taste as compare to apis dorsata. as eye witness, i have seen apis dorsata sitting in man feces and filthy water. i am not entomologist but i need suitable justification regarding this statement from entomologists? according to research, “Pollinators affect 35 per cent of global agricultural land, supporting the production of 87 of the leading food crops worldwide.” as prominent scientist albert einstein states, “if the bee disappear from the surface of the earth, man would have no more than four years to live.” in fact, seventy to ninety per cent eatable plant is rely on pollinators. Definitely if there would be no bee then there will be no food, if no food, there will be no life. nAIMATULLAH GADHI khairpur Mirs

Monday, 9 December, 2019

10 FOREIGN NEWS

mAlAySIA reporTS fIrST polIo cASe SInce 1992 KUALA LUMPUR

A

AGENCIES

three-month-old Malaysian infant has been diagnosed with polio, the first case reported in the country in nearly three decades, a top health official said on Sunday.

The baby boy from Tuaran in Malaysia’s Sabah state on Borneo island tested positive for polio on Friday after being admitted to hospital with a fever and muscle weakness, Director General of Health Noor Hisham Abdullah said in a statement. “The patient is being treated in an isolation ward and is in stable condition, but still requires assistance to breathe,” he said.

Malaysia was declared polio-free in 2000, after reporting its last known case

of the disease in 1992. Its resurgence comes just months after the Philippines, north of Borneo, reported its first cases of polio since 1993 in September.

Noor Hisham said tests showed the child was infected with a polio strain that shared genetic links with the virus detected in the Philippine cases.

Checks in the area where the baby lived showed 23 of 199 children between 2 and 15 had not received the polio vaccine, he said. “This is a worrying situation as the spread of the disease … can only be stopped with polio immunisation,” he said, adding vaccination rates needed to be above 95 per cent to prevent infection.

There is no cure for polio, which invades the nervous system and can cause irreversible paralysis within hours, but it can be prevented with vaccines.

The virus spreads rapidly among chil-

Smoke haze settles over Australian capital as bushfires burn SYDNEY: Smoke haze from bushfires raging in Australia spread to the capital Sunday, as firefighters raced to contain more than 140 blazes ahead of a heatwave forecast early this week. Australia is experiencing a horrific start to its fire season, which scientists say began earlier and is more extreme this year due to a prolonged drought and the effects of climate change. Residents of Canberra in the country’s southeast woke up to see the capital shrouded in haze Sunday, joining those in Sydney who have endured weeks of toxic air pollution caused by bushfire smoke. Officials said favourable weather conditions had given them a chance to bring several blazes under control before the forecast return of strong winds and high temperatures Tuesday. Among those is a “mega fire” burning across 250,000 hectares within an hour’s drive of Sydney, Australia’s largest city, where ash from the fires has occasionally fallen. Firefighters are now bracing for Tuesday, when temperatures are expected to reach above 40 Celsius in parts of New South Wales state — worst-hit by the bushfires — and gusting westerly winds are likely to fan the flames. “Today (fire) crews will be doing what they can to consolidate and strengthen containment lines, which in some areas will include backburning,” NSW Rural Fire Service spokesman Greg Allan told AFP. But the state’s Bureau of Meteorology warned that the massive fires are “in some cases just too big to put out at the moment”. AGENCIES

dren, especially in unsanitary conditions in underdeveloped or war torn regions where healthcare access is limited.

Afghanistan and Pakistan are the last countries where the disease is endemic.

Noor Hisham said fecal samples from the infected child’s close contacts and his surroundings had been collected in a bid to detect the polio virus.

The authorities have also stepped up monitoring of acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) cases, a common sign of acute polio, he said.

Noor Hisham advised parents to ensure their children were fully vaccinated.

In recent years, Malaysia has faced a challenge convincing some parents to immunise their children. In 2016, five children died from diphtheria, a vaccine preventable disease, prompting an outcry among health officials.

Unrelenting transport chaos as French strike bites PARIS AGENCIES

Public transport in France was crippled for a fourth day Sunday as the government prepared to respond to anger over pension reforms that brought hundreds of thousands onto the streets as workers embarked on open-ended protest.

President Emmanuel Macron, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe and senior cabinet ministers are scheduled to hold a “working meeting” late Sunday to discuss a government project which the country’s powerful labour unions claim will force many to work longer for a smaller retirement payout.

The strikes, which began Thursday over plans for a single, points-based pension scheme, recalled the winter of 1995, when three weeks of stoppages forced a social policy U-turn by the then-government.

Macron’s move to modernise France’s retirement system is part of an election pledge to put the country on a solid financial footing — a mission that calls for painful changes in a country where many people have seen their spending power decline. The biggest labour unrest in years comes as France’s economy is already dented by more than a year of weekly anti-government protests by “yellow vest” activists, and with Macron’s popularity falling.

The mass strike closed schools Thursday, and hobbled commuters in Paris and its suburbs as well as other major cities through the weekend.

Many opted to take days off or to work from home, but thousands had no choice but to squeeze into perilously overfull suburban trains and metros whose numbers were slashed to a

minimum. Regional and international trains, including the Thalys and Eurostar, were also badly affected and many flights were cancelled on the first days of the strike.

Many tourists were left disappointed too, with the world-famous Louvre closing some rooms, and the Paris Opera and other theatres in the capital cancelling performances.

The chaos was set to continue on Monday, with the three main rail unions calling for the action to be stepped up ahead of another general strike and mass protests called for Tuesday.

“In the coming days, we recommend avoiding public transport,” said the website of the RATP public train, tram, bus and metro company on which some 10 million passengers in the larger Paris area rely daily to get to work.

Ten out of the RATP’s 16 metro lines will be offline, four will offer limited service, and the only two driverless metros will run as usual but with a “risk of congestion” during peak hours. Inter-city rail operator SNCF cautioned of potentially “dangerous” overcrowding.

Philippe vowed to the Sunday newspaper Journal du Dimanche he was “determined” to pursue the reform — which will see 42 pension plans merged into one. “If we do not make a far-reaching, serious and progressive reform today, someone else will do a really brutal one tomorrow,” said the head of government.

But the leader of the hardline CGT union, Philippe Martinez, told the paper: “We will keep up until the withdrawal” of the reform plan, which he said contained “nothing good”.

Under pressure, the government held talks with union representatives over the weekend, ahead of Sunday evening’s emergency meeting.

Hong Kongers mark half a year of protest with mammoth rally HONG KONG AGENCIES

Democracy protesters took part in the largest mass rally through Hong Kong’s streets in months on Sunday in a forceful display of support for the movement, with a leading activist warning the city’s pro-Beijing leaders they had a “last chance” to end the political crisis.

Organisers estimated some 800,000 people snaked for hours through the financial hub’s main island as the protests marked six months, a vivid illustration of the hostility that still seethes towards the government after half a year of unrest.

The city’s police force, which historically gives lower crowd turnout figures, told local media 183,000 people attended at the peak, still one of their highest estimates in months.

The rally received rare police permission and came two weeks after pro-establishment parties got a drubbing in local elections, shattering government claims that a “silent majority” opposed the protests.

As night fell the crowds switched on their mobile phone torches, creating a glittering carpet of lights that stretched far into the distance, their chants bouncing off the towering skyscrapers above.

Many of the black-clad attendees voiced anger and frustration that chief executive Carrie Lam and Beijing have ruled out any further concessions despite the landslide election defeat.

“No matter how we express our views, through peacefully marching, through civilised

elections, the government won’t listen,” said a 50-year-old protester, who gave his surname Wong. “It only follows orders from the Chinese Communist Party.”

“I don’t know how long the fight will be,” added another protester, who gave his first name as Kelvin. “So far I can’t see the end but we won’t back down.”

Cantonese popstar Denise Ho, whose music is blacklisted on the Chinese mainland, tweeted a video of the huge crowds with the caption: “Here’s your majority Carrie Lam”.

Semi-autonomous Hong Kong has been battered by increasingly violent demonstrations

in the starkest challenge the city has presented to Beijing since its 1997 handover from Britain.

Millions have marched in protests fuelled by years of growing fears that authoritarian China is stamping out the city’s liberties.

The last fortnight has seen a marked drop in violence and vandalism after the landslide win by pro-democracy candidates.

Police took the unusual step of allowing the Civil Human Rights Front (CHRF) to hold Sunday’s march — the first time the group has been granted permission since mid-August — but they warned they would have zero tolerance for violence by radicals.

CMYK

Trump ThAnkS IrAn AS AmerIcAn freed In prISoner SwAp WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump had rare positive words for Iran on Saturday, thanking the US foe for a “very fair” negotiation to successfully pull off a prisoner swap that saw an American released from Iranian detention amid soaring tensions. The exchange, which took place in neutral Switzerland, involved a Princeton graduate student jailed in Iran for espionage since 2016 and an Iranian national arrested over a year ago in Chicago. “Thank you to Iran on a very fair negotiation,” tweeted Trump, as Xiyue Wang made his way home to his family. The US leader was expected to welcome Wang in person when he arrives in the United States, after a stop in Germany for medical evaluations. “It was a one-on-one hostage swap,” Trump told reporters. “I think it was great to show than we can do something. It might have been a precursor as to what can be done.” A photo tweeted by the American Embassy in Bern showed Wang on a rainswept tarmac in Zurich with an official blue and white US jet in the background, hugging Ambassador Edward McMullen. The Chinese-born American was in apparent good health and in “very, very good humor,” said a senior US administration official.

Tehran had announced the release of its national, Massoud Soleimani, shortly before Trump revealed that Wang was returning home. “Glad that Professor Massoud Soleimani and Mr Xiyue Wang will be joining their families shortly,” Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted — along with a photograph of himself and the scientist on a plane under the words “Going home.” “Many thanks to all engaged, particularly the Swiss government,” which has looked after US interests in Iran in the absence of diplomatic ties, Zarif said. AGENCIES

IrAn unveIlS budgeT of ‘reSISTAnce’ AgAInST uS SAncTIonS TEHRAN: Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani on Sunday presented to parliament what he called a “budget of resistance” against crippling sanctions imposed by archenemy the United States. “Next year, similar to the current year, our budget is a budget of resistance and perseverance against sanctions,” Rouhani told parliament in remarks broadcast on state radio. “This budget announces to the world that despite sanctions we will manage the country, especially in terms of oil,” he added. The budget for the financial year starting late March 2020 comes after fuel price hikes that were imposed in mid-November triggered deadly demonstrations across the Islamic republic. In his speech, Rouhani announced a 15 percent increase for public sector wages in a country whose economy has been battered

by US sanctions. US President Donald Trump began imposing punitive measures in May 2018, after unilaterally withdrawing from an accord that gave Iran relief from sanctions in return for limits on its nuclear programme. The International Monetary Fund has forecast that Iran’s economy will contract by 9.5 percent this year. AGENCIES

poll predIcTS uk conServATIveS To wIn mAjorITy of 38 In elecTIon: SundAy TImeS LONDON: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Conservative Party is on course to win a parliamentary majority of 38 seats in Thursday’s election, according to a new poll, the Sunday Times’ political editor reported. A Datapraxis poll, using the multilevel regression and poststratification (MRP) model, predicted that the Conservatives would win 344 seats, with the opposition Labour Party taking 221, the Times’s Tim Shipman said on Twitter. “Their last MRP, two weeks ago gave a majority of 48,” he said, adding the poll was based on 500,000 YouGov interviews using the Datapraxis model. AGENCIES

Monday, 9 December, 2019

BUSINESS 11

FBR tO take aCtiON agaiNSt SmUggliNg, NDP vehiCleS Strategy afoot to construct gas storage facilities, increase oil stock capacity ISLAMABAD APP

The government is working on a multi-pronged strategy to construct gas storage facilities, which the country lacks for smooth supply of the commodity, especially during peak winter and summer seasons. Under the strategy, a feasibility study had already been started to set up the storage facilities after the experts predicted that the gas supply system would expand from existing 5 Billion Cubic Feet to 7 BCF during next two to three years, a senior official privy to petroleum sector developments told APP. “Currently, we have the system of 5 Billion Cubic Feet (BCF) gas. The demand will increase to 7 BCF in next two to three years, but we have no gas storage system, which is a major problem for us,” he said. The official said the gas demand and consumption was increasing with each passing day, which was being met through import of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and domestic production. “So, there is a need of having proper storage facilities that will be established in collaboration with China.” Accordingly, he said Pakistan had requested the Chinese government to incorporate this scheme in China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects.

Replying to a question, the official said the overall storage capacity of Motor Spirit (MS) and High Speed Diesel (HSD) oil had witnessed around 13.07 percent increase during the fiscal year 2018-19 as compared to the corresponding year. The storage capacity for both the MS and HSD oil had been increased from 1,712,691 MT to 1,936,550 MT during the period under review. The MS oil storage capacity was enhanced from 490,408 Metric Ton (MT) to 594,299 MT, showing 21.18 percent increase during the period under review. While, the HSD oil storage capacity was expanded from 1,222,283 MT to 1,342,251 MT, projecting 9.81 percent increase.

China's November trade surplus with US at $24.60 billion vs $26.45 billion in October BEIJING AGENCIES

China’s trade surplus with the United States for November stood at $24.60 billion, Reuters calculation based on Chinese customs data showed on Sunday, easing from the previous month’s surplus of $26.45 billion. China’s January-November trade surplus with the United States stood at $272.5 billion, according to Reuters calculations based on Chinese customs data. Customs said China’s total trade with the United States fell 15.2% for the first 11 months of 2019, with exports dropping 12.5% and imports slipping 23.3%. It did not provide percentage changes in China’s bilateral trade with the United States for the month of November, however.

ISLAMABAD

P

SHAHZAD PARACHA

RESIDENT of Pakistan Dr Arif Alvi has ordered the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to not only take action against smuggling of Non Duty Paid (NDP) vehicles but also conduct raids on showrooms in Balochistan region.

Documents available with Pakistan Today state that Dr Arif Alvi has rejected the instant representation of the Collector Customs MCC, Quetta and has ordered to uphold the impugned recommendations of the Federal Tax Ombudsmen (FTO).

Collector Customs (CC) Enforcement Quetta had filed a representation against the FTO order in which the later directed CC enforcement to form task force for action against smuggling of Non Duty Paid vehicles but also seize NDP vehicles being piled in Balochistan and conduct raids on illegal showrooms within the region.

In addition to this, documents state that FTO had also directed the FBR to examine seizure reports made from January 2018 and onward and take appropriate disciplinary action against offi-

cers where violations of law had been committed.

Moreover, the FTO directed CC enforcement Quetta to ensure that all seizures in future be made while being compliant with all legal requirements including criminal prosecution against showroom officials from whom the NDP are recovered.

Documents state that the Collector MCC, Quetta in its report mentioned that the whole of Pak-Afghan border and about 450 km of PakIran border fall within the jurisdiction of MCC Quetta. He further informed that 130 new sepoys had been recruited and posted at different stations however due to lack of weapons, their utility and performance in anti-smuggling related activities is generally hampered as the smugglers are better equipped with latest automatic and semi-automatic weapons.

It was also stated that the customs department had issued SOP for sale and purchase of vehicles and notices were issued to the owners of showrooms informing them not to indulge in the illegal business of smuggled vehicles. Moreover, raids were conducted on the showrooms in collaboration with other LEA, and the department seized 3411 vehicles worth Rs 3.2 billion.

Manpower export to Saudi Arabia rises by 207pc this year ISLAMABAD APP

The Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development, during first 10 months of the year 2019, has assisted over 258,215 Pakistanis to proceed Saudi Arabia for prospective job opportunities in various sectors.

According to the data compiled by the Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employment, the manpower export to Saudi Arabia had registered a marked increase of over 207 per cent this year as compared to corresponding year of the last year when 84,091 went there.

However, some 176,947 Pakistanis went to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for different jobs, exhibiting a nominal growth of only 1.7 percent.

The number of Pakistani emigrants to Oman had also increased by 5.8 per cent as 23,998 Pakistanis proceeded to the said country during the 10-month period compared to 22,668 in the corresponding period of 2018.

An official source in the Ministry told APP that Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development Sayed Zulfikar Bukhari had held consultations with relevant authorities in multiple states to augment the number of Pakistani workforce abroad.

He said Zulfi Bukhari had formally requested Saudi authorities to enhance the Pakistani manpower in multi-billion dollars’ project of New Taif City of the Kingdom.

He said Saudi Arabia had also extended an offer for Pakistani manpower’s export through ‘Musaned’- a digital platform launched by the Kingdom to facilitate labour recruitment process and ensure their rights protection.

The process would take some months and after that the Pakistani workforce would be sent to Saudi Arabia through that platform, he added.

The official said the ministry was also in the process of linking up its digital portal with the UAE to set up direct link between its intending emigrants and foreign employers.

The initiative would eventually minimize the middle-man’s role in the recruitment process and help the country to train its workforce as per the international markets’ demand.

He said the UAE Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation had offered its labour market’s database access to Pakistan which would provide up-dated information of job opportunities in the Emirates.

Sharing details of the recent visit of Zulfi Bukhari to Qatar, he said the SAPM had held a fruitful meeting with Qatar’s Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, Yousaf Mohamed-Al-Othman Fakhroo and highlighted the potential of the Pakistani workforce.

Zulfi Bukhari also urged the Qatari minister to expedite the public sector recruitment in the health and energy sectors.

During the meeting, the SAPM also emphasized the need for digital connectivity between the two ministries, which would make the recruitment mechanism more efficient.

71,000 skilled, semi-skilled Pakistanis proceeded to Qatar for various job opportunities: official ISLAMABAD APP

Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development (MoOPHRD) has formally assisted 71,000 skilled and semi-skilled workers to go to Qatar for various job assignments, especially in the construction sector.

Qatar had announced to hire 100,000 Pakistan’s workforce in 2015, a senior official in the ministry told APP. At present, as many as 140,000 Pakistanis were working in Qatar’s various sectors, he added.

The official said around 10,000 Pakistanis proceeded to Qatar for various job opportunities in 2016 and 2017.

However, as many as 20,000 manpower was sent to Qatar during the last year.

“This year, the figure has increased exponentially due to the efforts of the Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Overseas Pakistanis (SAPM) Syed Zulfikar Bukhari on foreign front,” the

official added.

He said more than 23,000 Pakistanis proceeded Qatar during the current year, adding the SAPM, in his recent visit to Qatar, had requested Qatari government to exhaust the present quota of 100,000 and underlined the need for hiring more skilled and qualified Pak-

istani workforce, especially for FIFA 2020 event.

Highlighting the government efforts on the diplomatic front, he said Qatar had already set up visa facilitation centres in different cities to ensure swift processing of intending emigrants’ visas.

The SAPM also discussed the pos-

sibility of establishing Qatar Visa Centres in Lahore and Peshawar so as to augment Pakistani manpower abroad, in addition to protecting their rights, the official added.

Sharing details of the visit, he said Zulfi Bukhari, during a meeting with the Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, Yousaf Mohamed-Al-Othman Fakhroo, highlighted the potential of the Pakistani workforce and urged to expedite the public sector recruitment in the health and energy sectors.

He also emphasized the need for digital connectivity between the two ministries, which would make the recruitment mechanism more efficient.

During a meeting with top executives at Qatar Chamber headquarters, he said it was revealed that the volume of bilateral trade between Pakistan and Qatar had increased from US$1.59 billion (5.8 billion Qatari Riyals) to US$ 2.61 billion (9.5 billion Qatari Riyals) during the year 2018 that projected 63 per cent growth compared to 2017.

Documents state that the customs department admitted that NDP vehicles are found parked in every showroom but are defended by 8 to 10 persons present at each showrooms in case of any threat from law enforcement agencies to the owners or to the business.

Sources told that the FBR is planning to launch a nationwide scheme to offer owners of NDP goods on payment of duty and taxes as well as with fine/penalty and Chairman FBR Shabbar Zaidi said in his tweet on Saturday that “FBR is working on developing an ‘expeditious settlement’ of ‘non duty paid’ fast moving consumer goods available in the market. The purpose of the proposal is to facilitate businessmen and improve documentation without disturbing the business confidence”.

In the aftermath of the verification exercise carried out in major urban centers by the Customs staff, the FBR took the decision to provide a last opportunity to businessmen to legalize their NDP items after paying duty, taxes and penalty surcharge. But its rate is proposed to be less than the rates of the normal duty and taxes.

Sources disclosed that the volume of smuggled items ranging up to $10 billion on an annual basis and this is harming the local industry.

To uplift industry, tourist destinations will be developed on Egyptian pattern, says Zulfi Bukhari ISLAMABAD APP

The government has chalked out a comprehensive plan to initially develop, on Egyptian pattern, the ‘Tourism Cities’ in potential areas of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, to give the industry a new headway. “The plan after its materialization would have significant impact to attract foreign tourists and also add its share in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country,” Chairman National Tourism Coordination Board (NTCB), Sayed Zulfikar Abbas Bukhari told APP. “We are in consultations with an Egyptian company for materializing this initiative as soon as possible and in the first phase potential cities of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will be our target” he added. Nathia Gali and Khushab were among top most choices to be transformed into tourism cities, he said. To a query, he said: “ a-hundred-year plan was a visionary approach to promote tourism, and it's in our consideration now.” He said Executive Chairman of Orascom Telecom Media and Technology (Egyptian Co) Naguib Sawiris had recently held a meeting with Prime Minister Imran Khan and expressed the keenness to invest in diverse fields like mining, tourism, low and high cost housing units and micro banking. “Around 2 billion dollars investment is expected from the Egyptian company in multiple sectors,” he added. Zulfi Bukhari, who is also Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development, said tourism promotion was the top priority of Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaf government and vowed to harness the sector’s full potential. He said the federal government, in coordination with provinces, was taking multiple initiatives to promote these specific sites as tourist havens. Reforms were being introduced in Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) for making it more effective and result-oriented organization, he added. The chairman said the PTDC was also working on an initiative which was aimed at promoting Pakistan tourism industry as a customized brand in the world, adding the brand name was imperative to improve the country’s image abroad and boost inbound tourism in the country.

Monday, 9 December, 2019

12 BUSINESS

US BaNkS' RelUCtaNCe tO leND CaSh may have CaUSeD RePO ShOCk: BiS LONDON

t

government releases Rs297.64bn for development projects ISLAMABAD APP

The federal government has so far released Rs 297.643 billion for various ongoing and new social sector uplift projects under its Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) 2019-20, as against the total allocation of Rs701 billion. Under its development programme, the government has released an amount of Rs135.113 billion for federal ministries, Rs100.56 billion for corporations and Rs 21.52 billion for special areas, according to the latest data released by the Ministry of Planning, Development and Reform. Out of these allocations, the government released Rs26.78 billion for security enhancement in the country for which the government had allocated Rs 32.5 billion during the year 2019-20. An amount of Rs12 billion has also been released for the merged areas of erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) under the government’s 10 years development programme.

Similarly for Higher Education Commission, the government released an amount of Rs14.1 billion out of its total allocation of Rs 29 billion while Rs150.73 billion were released for Pakistan Nuclear Energy Authority for which the government had allocated Rs 301.48 billion in the development budget. For National Highway Authority, the government released Rs93.57 billion against its allocations of Rs154.96 billion. Under annual development agenda, the government also released Rs 6.4 billion for Railways Division out of total allocation of Rs 16 billion, Rs 4.47 billion for Interior Division, and Rs 5.56 billion for National Health Services, Regulations, and Coordination Division.

Revenue Division received Rs 3.2 billion out of total allocation of Rs1.9 billion, whereas the Cabinet Division also received Rs 19.3 billion for which an amount of Rs 39.986 billion has been allocated for the year 2019-20.

The government also released Rs 12.75 billion for Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) block and other projects out of its allocations of Rs 27.26 billion and Rs 8.7 billion for Gilgit Baltistan (Block and other projects).

AGENCIES

HE unwillingness of the top four U.S. banks to lend cash combined with a burst of demand from hedge funds for secured funding could explain a recent spike in U.S. money market rates, the Bank for International Settlements said.

Cash available to banks for shortterm funding all but dried up in late September, and interest rates deep in the plumbing of U.S. financial markets climbed into double digits.

That forced the Fed to make an emergency injection of billions of dollars for the first time since the global financial crisis more than a decade ago.

While the exact cause of the squeeze is unclear - with explanations ranging from large withdrawals for quarterly tax payments to a big settlement of a trade in U.S. Treasuries - BIS analysts said the growing reliance on the biggest U.S. banks to keep the repo market functioning may have been a big factor.

The big four banks, which BIS did not name in its report, have become net providers of funds to repo markets as they account for more than half of all Treasuries held by banks in the United States at the Federal Reserve.

The repo market underpins much of the U.S. financial system, helping ensure banks have liquidity to meet their daily operational needs.

In a repo trade, Wall Street firms and banks offer U.S. Treasuries and other high-quality securities as collateral to raise cash, often just overnight, to finance their trading and lending. The next day, borrowers repay the loans plus what is typically a nominal rate of interest and get their bonds back. In other words they repurchase, or repo, the bonds.

The system typically hums along with the interest rate charged on repo deals hovering close to the Fed’s benchmark overnight rate, which it cut on Wednesday to 1.75%-2.00% from 2.00%-2.25%.

But in late September, interest rates shot up to as high as 10% for some overnight loans, more than four times the Fed’s policy rate, raising concerns about the fragility

of U.S. dollar funding markets.

ATROPHY: After the U.S. Federal Reserve began to run down its $4 trillion plus balance sheet from October 2017, banks’ cash reserves at the Fed also contracted, while their holdings of U.S. Treasuries grew rapidly, the BIS said.

That reduction in cash holdings at the Fed sped up after the U.S. debt ceiling was suspended in early August.

The Treasury drained more than $120 billion of reserves from Aug. 14 to Sept. 17, reducing the cash buffers of the big four banks and hence their willingness to lend in the repo market, the BIS found.

The repo rate rose to an intraday high of about 700 basis points, with some trades reportedly occur-

ring at up to 10%.

“The dislocations suggest that central banks’ post-crisis unconventional operations have left a profound imprint on market functioning,” said Claudio Borio, head of the monetary and economic department at BIS. “Banks get used to a protracted period of abundant excess reserves, withdrawing them may result in unpredictable and sudden market adjustments. It is as if a muscle had atrophied,” he said.

That rush for short-dated secured funding was exacerbated by hedge funds who had ramped up their Treasury repos to fund arbitrage trades between cash bonds and derivatives.

The BIS also noted that the spike in the repo rate spilled over into the currency derivatives market, on which banks rely increasingly for short-term funding.

In the past three years, FX swap volumes have grown to make up as much as 49% of the overall foreign exchange market due to the growing participation of lower-tier banks which depend on swaps for funding as they lack direct access to U.S. dollar markets.

“Repo markets, alongside the.. .FX swap market for U.S. dollar funding, may again find themselves in the eye of the storm should financial stress arise at some point,” Borio said.

“The surge in FX short-dated swap trading. ..underlines this risk.”

Britain's Tesco considers Asia exit LONDON AGENCIES

Britain’s biggest retailer, Tesco (TSCO.L), has signaled a further retreat from its once lofty global ambitions by starting a review of its remaining Asian businesses, which could result in a sale of those Thai and Malaysian operations.

Celebrating its 100th anniversary, Tesco is five years into a UK-focused recovery plan launched by Chief Executive Dave Lewis after an accounting scandal capped a dramatic downturn in trading.

In October Lewis declared Tesco’s turnaround complete and said he would step down next summer.

“Tesco confirms that, following inbound interest, it has commenced a review of the strategic options for its businesses in Thailand and Malaysia, including an evaluation of a possible sale of these businesses,” it said in a statement on Sunday.

The company said the review was at an early stage and gave no details of the approaches received.

“No decisions concerning the future of Tesco Thailand or Malaysia have been taken and there can be no assurance that any transaction will be

concluded,” it added.

Tesco trades from 1,967 stores in Thailand and 74 in Malaysia. In the six months to Aug. 24 the businesses together generated sales of 2.6 billion pounds ($3.3 billion), up 1% at constant ex-

change rates, and operating profit of 171 million pounds, up 42.3%.

At a capital markets day in June, Tesco had said it was well placed to grow in Asia, particularly in Thailand, citing an opportunity for 750 new convenience stores over the “medium term”.

But under Lewis the focus of investment has been the UK, spending nearly 4 billion pounds on the acquisition of wholesaler Booker last year.

In 2015 Tesco sold its South Korean arm to a group led by private equity firm MBK Partners for $6.1 billion. A year later it sold its Kipa business in Turkey to Migros, the country’s largest supermarket chain.

Under its previous management Tesco made costly exits from Japan, the United States and China.

If Tesco does quit Thailand and Malaysia, its only overseas operations, apart from Ireland, will be its loss-making central European division, consisting of stores in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia.

Lewis will be succeeded by Ken Murphy, a former executive at healthcare group Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA.O), at a date yet to be confirmed.

Shares in Tesco closed at 232.2 pence on Friday, valuing the business at 22.8 billion pounds.

China’s November exports fall, but import growth hints of recovering demand BEIJING AGENCIES

China’s exports in November shrank for the fourth consecutive month, underscoring persistent pressures on manufacturers from the Sino-U.S. war but growth in imports may be a sign that Beijing’s stimulus steps are helping to stoke demand.

The 17-month long trade dispute has heightened the risks of a global recession and fueled speculation that China’s policymakers could unleash more stimulus as growth in the world’s second-largest economy cooled to nearly 30-year lows.

Overseas shipments fell 1.1% from a year earlier last month, customs data showed on Sunday, compared with a 1.0% expansion tipped by a Reuters poll of analysts and a 0.9% drop in October.

Imports unexpectedly rose 0.3% from a year earlier, marking the first year-onyear growth since April and compared with

a 1.8% decline forecast by economists.

The better-than-expected import data may point to firming domestic demand after factory activity showed surprising signs of improvement recently, although analysts have noted the recovery could be difficult to sustain amid trade risks.

China’s trade surplus for November stood at $38.73 billion, compared with an expected $46.30 billion surplus in the poll and a $42.81 billion surplus recorded in October.

TRADE TENSIONS: Beijing and Washington are negotiating a first phase trade deal aimed at de-escalating a trade dispute but they continue to wrangle over key details.

A U.S. House bill targeting China’s camps for ethnic Muslim minorities in Xinjiang and other bills supporting antigovernment protesters in Hong Kong have also angered Beijing, further clouding prospects for a deal.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday trade talks with China are “moving right along,” striking an upbeat tone even as Chinese officials held fast to their line that existing tariffs must come off as part of an interim deal. Earlier in the week, though, Trump rattled global markets when he said a deal might have to wait until after the 2020 election.

Top White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said on Friday that a Dec. 15 deadline is still in place to impose a new round of U.S. tariffs on some $156 billion of China’s remaining exports to the United States, but the president likes where trade talks with China are going, he added.

One Chinese official told Reuters that China will implement its own tariffs as a countermeasure if the Dec. 15 tariffs go into place, which may dash any chance of a near-term trade deal.

Trump has demanded that China commit to specific minimum purchases

of U.S. agricultural products, among other concessions on intellectual property rights, currency and access to China’s financial services markets.

China’s trade surplus with the United States for November stood at $24.60 billion, according to Reuters calculations based on customs data, easing from the previous month’s surplus of $26.45 billion.

China confirmed on Friday that it will waive import tariffs for some soybeans and pork shipments from the United States.

DOMESTIC DEMAND: Imports of copper rose 12.1% on the previous month as an improvement in the manufacturing sector stoked higher demand for the red metal, customs data showed on Sunday.

China’s official factory activity gauge returned to growth for the first time in seven months in November, with a private survey showing activity expanding at the quickest pace in almost three years.

But falling industrial profits and factory prices suggest persisting downward pressure on the sector.

Iron ore imports fell for a second straight month in November, pulled down by falling shipments from top miners in Australia and Brazil despite firm demand at mills. Despite the growing strains on the economy, Beijing remains reluctant to implement major stimulus for fear of heightening financial risks given already high levels of debt.

Authorities have instead opted for more targeted measures such as incremental interest rate reductions and bringing forward 1 trillion yuan ($142.1 billion) of the 2020 local government special bonds quota to this year.

People’s Bank of China Governor Yi Gang reiterated in a signed article published last week that China will not resort to quantitative easing and is committed to maintaining a prudent monetary policy.

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The Jewel Company - a Project By Saira Shakira launches in lahore

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Saira Shakira held the exclusive launch of their new venture ‘The Jewel Company’ where they showcased their prodigious collection of diamond, polki and gold jewellery. Event PR was managed by Centaur One. It was a memorable experience as it put forward the excellence in craftsmanship.

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at Petrified Forest national Park, visitors sometimes break the rules (and the law) by taking rocks home with them. according to rangers, they often end up returning the stolen goods in the mail—along with an apology note.

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The russians showed up 12 days late to the 1908 olympics in london because they were using the Julian calendar instead of the Gregorian calendar.

'Release The Snyder Cut' Gets Support From Subway Subway supports "Release The Snyder Cut" as the food franchise donates 15,000 subs to hungry families for the Holidays.

Tuesday saw Ben Affleck tweet for "Giving Tuesday" and that he supports "Feeding America," an organization helping hungry families across the country.

The "Release The Snyder Cut" Twitter included Subway in on the message asking how many retweets will it take to get 10,000 sandwiches for hungry families if they tweet the #ReleaseTheSnyderCut hashtag.

Subway replied "5,000 RTs in 5 hours" and then upped their donation to 15,000.

"So you’re fast… and since you did it in under 214 minutes we are going to up the donation to 15,000 subs! And oh yeah, #ReleaseTheSnyderCut" Subway tweeted to its 2.4 million followers.

Zack Snyder thanked Subway for their support.

"Thank you for your generous support helping feed hungry families across the country.

'The Batman' Has Working Title 'Vengeance' Deepika Padukone posts childhood picture with bestie Divya Narayan It's learned that The Batman has the working title "Vengeance," and that director Matt Reeves has already and a fresh selfie started filming the movie in the UK. The working title "Vengeance" is provided by Production Weekly, a site, that according to its description, "gives professionals working in the film and television industries the most comprehensive production breakdown available on films and TV shows."

Studios give films working titles as codewords in attempts to avoid spoilers and such or not to reveal specific information or filming locations. There is actually a Batman DC Comics comic book storyline with "Vengeance," but that is about Bane, who is not expected to be in Matt Reeves' movie.

A video game for the PS2 from 2001 is also titled "Batman: Vengeance," but that is based on the Batman animated series and revolves around the Caped Crusader investigating the mysterious circumstances of the apparent death of the Joker, but the Dark Knight soon finds himself entangled in a web of his other villains' schemes, including Mr. Freeze and Poison Ivy, all while trying to stop the Joker's plan to destroy Gotham City, who might not be dead after all.

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Deepika Padukone made Sunday special for her fans by sharing a selfie and an unseen throwback picture on Instagram. Posting the selfie, the actor just wrote, “Tadaaaaa!!!” in the caption. Actor Alia Bhatt commented to the picture, “Omg! Beauty!!!!!!”

Deepika also shared a childhood picture of herself with friend Divya Narayan. The two look almost identical, so much so that Deepika captioned it as ‘Humpty and Dumpy’.

Deepika posted the picture on Instagram with a caption inspired by the nursery rhyme ‘Humpty Dumpty.’ She wrote, “This Humpty & Dumpty sat on a wall...& ate curd rice @divya_narayan4!!!” While Divya is on the left in a green and blue jacket, Deepika is in a yellow sweatshirt. Both of them sport short hair and look adorable as pose for the camera with trees in the background.

The picture got more than 8,62,000 ‘likes’ within a few hours, including one from Alia. Deepika’s husband and actor was among the first ones to show his love for the picture.

Monday, 9 December, 2019

14 SPORTS

Juve defeat at Lazio throws open serie a titLe race ROME

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AGENCIES

TALIAN champions Juventus suffered their first defeat of the season Saturday with a 3-1 loss against Lazio in Rome blowing open the Serie A title race. Maurizio Sarri's eight-time reigning league champions remain second in the table, two points behind leaders Inter Milan after 15 matches.

Third-placed Lazio clawed to within just three points of Juventus after their first win at home against the Turin giants since December 2003.

Cristiano Ronaldo put Juventus ahead at the Stadio Olimpico when he picked up a Rodrigo Bentancur cross to tap in after 25 minutes.

But Luiz Felipe hit back for the Romans in front of 60,000 fans, nodding in just before the break.

Juan Cuadrado's sending off for a foul on Manuel Lazzari after 69 minutes proved to be the turning point.

Lazio took control as Sergej

MOSCOW AGENCIES

The World Anti-Doping Agency, whose executive committee meets in Lausanne on Monday, is set to punish Russia's complicity in a statesponsored doping programme with a new four-year ban on Russian sportsmen and women.

It is likely to present more difficulties for Russian athletes wanting to compete on the world stage and for federations who are planning to stage events in a country that has often been a welcoming haven for some of the world's less wealthy sports. However, football and Formula One events in Russia would be exempt.

Here is what the ban would mean for Russia in more details: the athLetes : Russia would be banned for four years from the Olympic and Paralympic Summer and Winter Games. That rules an official Russian team out of Tokyo 2020 and the Beijing Winter Olympics of 2022. It would mean Russian competitors who have proved themselves above doping suspicion would have to compete under the 'neutral' Olympic flag. That was the case at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, when 168 Russians took part in 15 sports.

Beyond that, there would be no official Russian team at the 2020 Youth Winter Olympics in Lausanne nor at the 2020 Summer Youth Games in Dakar.

They would also be barred from all other multi-sport competitions such as the European Games and the Universiade as well as any

Milinkovic-Savic connected with a Luis Alberto assist to fire in a stunning goal.

Goalkeeper Thomas Strakosha denied Ronaldo's header on the line

while Juventus counterpart Wojciech Szczesny atoned for bringing down Joaquin Correa by saving Serie A top scorer Ciro Immobile's resulting penalty.

Felipe Caicedo snatched the third goal five minutes into injury time as Lazio earned their seventh straight win, fuelling ambitions of challenging for a first Serie A title since 2000.

"Lazio for the Scudetto? Maybe, it depends on how much they will be able to continue this extraordinary moment," said Sarri, "let's say it will be a three-way fight."

"The red card changed everything for us," he added.

Juventus had been the only team left in Europe's top leagues to remain unbeaten in all competitions this season. "My lads did something extraordinary tonight," said Inzaghi.

"We are in an excellent period and we must be ambitious.

"I have always had faith in this team. Six weeks ago people said we weren't getting results, but I remained calm.

"We'll enjoy this for a few hours, but from Thursday must get right back on track and aim to stay in the Europa League."

WADA meet with Russia's sporting fate in their hands world championship organised by any of the signatories of the World Anti-Doping Code, which includes the International Olympic Sports Federations.

Russian athletes and their coaches would only be allowed in these competitions if they demonstrate that they have nothing to do with the institutional doping system put in place in the country between 2011 and 2015.

In this case, they would again compete under the Olympic rather than the Russian flag. No official or representative of the Russian government would be allowed at these events, including the president and the top officials of the Russian Olympic and Paralympic Committees. the eVents : For four years, Russia would not be permitted to host or submit a bid to host any of the events listed above.

On top of that Russia would not be able to become a candidate to host the 2032 Summer Olympics whether or not the bidding process falls within the four-year window. Any competition that has already been awarded to Russia which is scheduled to take place during the four-year ban must be withdrawn and reassigned unless, according to WADA, "it is impossi-

ble to do so from a legal or practical point of view".

Clarification will be required regarding federations which are unwilling to review their plans, notably the 2022 World Men's Volleyball Championships and the 2023 Summer Universiade which are both scheduled for the Russian city of Yekaterinburg.

Questions will also be asked about the Wrestling Worlds which are planned for Krasnoyarsk in 2022. the aDministrators: No representative of the Russian govern-

ment would be permitted to work for or sit on the committee of any signatory of the World Anti-Doping Code, which effectively means any international sports federation.

This ban does leave the door open to any Russian citizen who does not officially represent the Kremlin or the government.

Whether this will extend to President Vladimir Putin, who is the honorary president of the International Judo Federation, has not been specified.

Messi hat-trick breaks La Liga record as Barca put five past Mallorca BARCELONA AGENCIES

Lionel Messi broke yet another record by hitting his 35th La Liga hat-trick on Saturday as Barcelona thrashed Real Mallorca 5-2 to keep pace with Real Madrid at the top of the table.

A trio of vintage Messi finishes contributed to five stunning Barca goals, the best of them arguably belonging to Luis Suarez, whose brilliant backheel capped a free-flowing move, involving seven different players. "I knew I had a little gap, my last resort was to try a backheel," said Suarez. "I was surprised," added Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde. "It was an extraordinary goal." But at the end of a week in which Messi claimed a record sixth Ballon d'Or, it was the Argentinian etching his name into the history books again after pulling clear of Cristiano Ronaldo's 34 La Liga trebles to stand alone. "Unbelievable," said Valverde.

"It was a celebration of the Ballon d'Or." The efforts of Messi and Suarez overshadowed Antoine Griezmann's opener but that was impressive too, the Frenchman applying a sumptuous chip after being assisted by his own goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen. An exhibition of creativity at Camp Nou allowed for the occasional lapse in defence and Mallorca's Ante Budimir twice reduced the deficit to 2-1 and 42, even if a comeback never looked likely. Instead, Messi underlined his status as the world's finest footballer with another sublime performance, instant evidence for why he was presented with his latest Ballon d'Or trophy on the pitch before kick-off. Messi now has 12 goals this season, the highest in the division and one ahead of Real Madrid's Karim Benzema, who had scored one and set up another in an equally comfortable 2-0 victory over Espanyol a few hours earlier. It means Madrid and Barcelona are back level on points at the top of the table, with Barca ahead on goal difference. Sevilla, in third, are four points further back. Benzema's own irresistible form in parallel with Messi adds an intriguing sub-plot to the upcoming Clasico on December 18, which looks increasingly likely to decide who will sit first over the Christmas break. "We're talking about Karim a lot recently, in a good way," said Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane.

"He's getting older and that's made a difference, his maturity. "None of us are perfect. But he's asked to chase and he does it. He's asked to score and he does it. I can't ask for more, only that he keeps doing it."

Sudan's first female football stars push for women's rights Within months of Sudan's first women's football league kicking off, the championship's emerging stars are being hailed as icons for equal rights in a country transitioning to civilian rule. Orjuan Essam, 19, and Rayan Rajab, 22, of Khartoumbased Tahadi women's club, have scored several goals already in a tournament that would have seemed unlikely when autocrat Omar al-Bashir was in power.

"I was thrilled to see that authoritarian rule was finally turning into civilian and that women's rights could now be achieved," said Essam, her long hair flowing freely as she trained at a stadium in the capital.

Sudan was once a football pioneer, joining FIFA in 1948 and co-founding the Confederation of African Football with Egypt, Ethiopia and South Africa at a meeting in Khartoum in 1957.

But women's football faced an uphill battle after the country adopted the Islamic sharia law in 1983, six years before then-brigadier Bashir seized power in an

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Islamist-backed coup.

Bashir's 30 years of ironfisted rule ended in April after he was ousted by the army in a palace coup following months of protests, triggering hopes that more liberal, pro-women policies would emerge.

Women were at the forefront of antiBashir protests, expressing anger against centuries of patriarchal traditions and laws that severely restricted their role in Sudanese society. Sudan is now ruled by a joint civilian-military sovereign council, which has been tasked with overseeing the transition to civilian rule as demanded by protesters.

League pushes women's rights: Last month the new authorities scrapped a decades-old public order law, which primarily targeted women for "immoral acts". During the rule of Bashir, thousands of women were flogged or fined under the law.

Today, the launch of women's club football is seen as a much-needed boost for women's rights in Sudan.

Essam, who plays left midfielder for Tahadi, said the world would now know that Sudanese women are not just "meant for raising children and doing household chores". "Women's rights are much more than that," she said. Rajab, wearing a track suit at the practice session, said the tournament was the best thing to have happened to Sudan, showcasing the country's talented female footballers.

"We badly needed it," said Rajab, whose aim is to score in every match.

"Hopefully, I will become a professional player overseas and return to the Sudanese team, if they choose me to represent Sudan in the next World Cup," Rajab said. For Essam, who reads the Koran every morning and wants to become a dentist, football remains a hobby.

Since the championship began on September 30, both players have won praise for their positive team spirit, with Sudanese newspapers splashing their photographs on the sports pages.

Monday, 9 December, 2019

SPORTS 15

Heather Knight seeks new era in upcoming series against Pakistan LONDON AGENCIES

England captain Heather Knight has heralded her side's upcoming series in Malaysia against Pakistan as the start of "a new era", and an opportunity to move on from this summer's Ashes thrashing. After being roundly beaten by a 12-4 margin against Australia, England parted company with head coach Mark Robinson, who had taken charge back in 2015. Lisa Keightley, the former Perth Scorchers coach, has taken over, but will not start her new role officially until January, leaving only a matter of weeks to stamp her mark on the side before the T20 World Cup in Australia in February. Ali Maiden, who served as Robinson's assistant and will continue in the same job under Keightley, will coach the team in Malaysia, though Keightley is set to join up with the tour for the T20I leg. "We've made a few changes with Robbo [Robinson] not being head coach [any] more," Knight told the BBC's Test Match Special, "and we've put a lot of hard work in as a group, and made a few changes from a team point of view as well. "We're really excited to get out and see if those changes have come to fruition. "Lisa's going to come towards the end of the tour and doesn't take over officially until January. We're all really excited to start a new era as a team and move on from what was a tough period for us in the Ashes." England have made several personnel changes since the summer, signalling a changing of the guard. Experienced allrounders Georgia Elwiss and Laura Marsh have dropped out of the squad, while uncapped legspinner Sarah Glenn, 24year-old seamer Freya Davies, and 22-year-old spinner Kirstie Gordon come into the squad.

Mady Villiers, the 21-year-old offspinner who took 2-20 on T20I debut against Australia, is also expected to play a bigger role in the series, while Jenny Gunn and Sarah Taylor have both retired. "We've picked quite a young squad actually," said Knight. "We picked the squad with half an eye on the World Cup, which comes around in Februrary, and it's a massive chance for these girls to impress. "Some of them have had a little taste of international cricket, some of them have had no taste of international cricket [at all].

pcB proposes day-night Karachi test to BangLadesh LAHORE

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AGENCIES

OON after bringing Test cricket back home, Pakistan are hoping to tap into the spectacle of day-night Test cricket. The PCB has asked Bangladesh if they would be willing to play a flood-lit Test match in Karachi as part of a two-Test and three-T20I tour next month. The BCB is yet to commit to the series though, stating that it is still waiting on a security report and a government directive before making a final call.

Bangladesh played their first daynight Test on the tour to India in November, which also happened to be the first day-night match in the subcontinent. Pakistan have already played four Tests under lights, and are set to host their first Test at home in over a decade against Sri Lanka later this week.

"The idea behind encouraging daynight cricket and offering Bangladesh is to counter the problem of dwindling crowds," PCB chairman Ehsan Mani told ESPNcricinfo. "We intend to add at least one day-night Test in our home itinerary.

The benefit, other than better crowds, is

LONDON AGENCIES

James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow and Mark Wood have all been included in a 17man squad for England's Test tour of South Africa.

Anderson and Wood missed the New Zealand tour due to injury, while Bairstow was dropped to allow him time to work on his red-ball game. All three are already in South Africa as part of a training squad.

While Wood is not currently deemed fit for selec-

that we can have an opportunity to extend our cricketing season. Like in Pakistan if the season ends in the mid-April or earlier, we can extend it by having day-night games to fill in an empty window.

"It's really unfair to play Test cricket in front of empty stadiums and with this idea we hope crowds will turn up for this

tion, the England management hope he will recover sufficiently to play some part in the series. He was player of the match in the only Test he played in 2019, England's victory in St Lucia.

But there is no recall for Moeen Ali. Moeen, who requested an extended break from the Test team after struggling during the English summer, has held discussions with the England management in recent days with the conclusion that he should be given a little longer away from the inter-

unique experience after their job in evening. Now, almost every Test-cricketplaying member has started playing daynight cricket and we think at least one day-night Test should be played in a series.

Even India captain Virat Kohli who was bit cautious about the day-night Test, now after the recent game [against Bangladesh]

national game. He is expected to return to the Test squad for the tour of Sri Lanka, where England may well field three spinners.

Moeen's absence allows Matt Parkinson, who went on the New Zealand tour but did not break into the Test team, another opportunity. Zak Crawley, who made his Test debut in the Hamilton Test, also retains his place as a reserve batsman.

That means there is no place for Dawid Malan.

The return of Anderson and Wood means no place for Lancashire seamer Saqib

Mahmood. He is the one man from the Test squad in New Zealand to miss out.

"With James Anderson and Mark Wood returning to the squad, Saqib Mahmood is the unfortunate player to miss out," said National Selector Ed Smith.

"It is not predicted that Mark Wood will be available for selection for the earliest matches. However, he will travel with the team and continue his rehab work with the medical staff on tour. There is no exact date given for his return, but the medical team is working towards him becoming fully available for selection during the tour.

"With that in mind, and given the extended period that James and Mark have had on the sidelines due to injury, it was sensible to have a 17-man squad.

"Moeen Ali, who asked to take a break from Test cricket last summer, remains unavailable for Test selection.

"Jonny Bairstow returns to the England squad after missing out on the New Zealand tour. Jonny, Mark and James are already in South Africa on a training camp ahead of the Test tour."

The four-match Test series forms part of the ICC World Test Championship and will be the first time in the competition that England have played away from home.

The first Test begins on Boxing Day at Centurion.

at home turned into an ambassador of this idea so it's good for the future."

The PCB has been experimenting with day-night first-class cricket for the last eight years starting with the final of the Quaid-eAzam Trophy in 2011, which was played with an orange ball in Karachi. The PCB was also keen to host a day-night Test in 2013, two years before the first one between Australia and New Zealand. The board had approached Sri Lanka to see if it could be possible but the SLC declined saying citing lack of practice with the pink ball.

In 2016, PCB agreed to a day-night Test against Australia in Brisbane in December.

The same year, the PCB organised 10 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy matches including the semi-final and final under lights, to ensure all the teams and players had ample opportunity to experience the pink ball and the change in conditions. Furthermore, a couple of months before the Brisbane Test, they also convinced West Indies to play a Test in Dubai under lights, which Pakistan won by 56 runs. In 2017, Pakistan hosted Sri Lanka in a day-night Test in Dubai, which they lost by 68 runs. In their last day-night Test against Australia in Adelaide, Pakistan were walloped by an innings and 48 runs.

PCB CEO Wasim Khan steps down as head of Cricket Committee SPORTS DESK Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ehsan Mani on Sunday announced that the board's chief executive, Wasim Khan, had stepped down from his position as head of the Cricket Committee. The PCB chairman said that Khan had assumed the role of the cricket committee's chairman when Mohsin Hasan stepped down "because he himself was interested in some positions within the PCB". "He is a full-time employee of the PCB, a chief executive, so he could have exerted a lot of influence over the committee," said Mani, in a conversation with the media. According to the PCB, Mani and Khan had mutually decided it would be best for Khan to step down as the head of the committee and while he will remain a part of the committee, an independent chairman for the committee will be appointed. "I want this to be a completely independent committee comprised of former cricketers, including international cricketers, who can dispense clear advice, do a critical analysis and who have access to all levels of cricket, whether domestic or international. "They can speak to the captain, the coach, challenge our senior officials — even Wasim, discuss the wickets, the pitches, the grounds," said the PCB chairman, as he explained the development. "Wasim, too, is accountable. So it was not appropriate for him to run the committee."

Joshua tightlipped on future after reclaiming world titles Anthony Joshua would not be drawn on his future plans after regaining his world heavyweight titles from Andy Ruiz on Saturday.

The British star won back his WBA, IBF and WBO belts with a one-sided unanimous defeat of Ruiz in Diriyah outside Saudi Arabia's capital.

The victory reinstates Joshua as a major player in boxing's most glamorous division, and instantly renews speculation about a possible unification superfight with WBC champion Deontay Wilder.

But Joshua, 30, said while he remained open to a fight with the unbeaten Wilder, he would not "chase" the fight.

"It's difficult to unite them," said Joshua, who had seen negotiations with

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Wilder's camp fall flat several times before his defeat to Ruiz in June.

"We'll see what happens. Chasing that fight wasn't playing to my benefit, so I'm going to let the path takes it course.

"When the opportunity presents itself to become unified heavyweight champion I'll take it."

Ruiz meanwhile is eager for a third meeting with Joshua. Although Joshua indicated he would be happy to face the Mexican-American again, that fight is unlikely to happen anytime soon.

In the short term, Joshua faces mandatory title defenses against IBF challenger Kubrat Pulev and WBO contender Oleksandr Usyk.

Promoter Eddie Hearn also declined to elaborate on Joshua's future plans.

"Tonight's about celebrating victory," Hearn said. "We'll speak to the governing bodies and see who goes first."

"We are going to celebrate. Anthony Joshua is an amazing ambassador for the sport. Tonight, in Saudi Arabia, he becomes the two-time heavyweight champion of the world and that is beautiful.

"They wrote him off. They said he was all hype. He had to come back from humiliation at Madison Square Garden.

Tonight, he is the governor. The governor of the division."

Joshua, meanwhile, said he had never doubted his ability to regain the titles despite his shocking defeat in New York, when Ruiz knocked him down four times in one of heavyweight boxing's greatest upsets. AGENCIES

Monday, 9 December, 2019

NEWS

Pakistan believes in regional cooperation, says PM Imran ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan while reiterating commitment to the Charter of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) on Sunday, said that Pakistan was a firm believer in the strength and potential of regional cooperation for individual, national and regional development. “Pakistan further believes that effective and result-oriented regional cooperation can be achieved only by adhering to the cardinal principles of sovereign equality and mutual respect as enshrined in the SAARC Charter,” the prime minister said in a message on 35th SAARC Charter Day being commemorated on December 8. The prime minister further reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to the SAARC process and expressed the hope that the hiatus created in its continuous progression would be removed, thus enabling the SAARC nations to forge ahead on the path of regional cooperation for development and to achieve their full potential. On the occasion of 35th SAARC Charter Day, he also felicitated the peoples of the SAARC Member States. The prime minister in his message shared by the PM office media wing, wished the people of South Asia, peace, progress and prosperity. He said December 8, marked the day when leaders with vision and foresight adopted the SAARC charter and pledged to work together for the progress and prosperity of South Asia. “This day reminds us of the enormous responsibility placed on our shoulders by our peoples, and their expectations from their leaders to address the common challenges of poverty, illiteracy, disease and under-development,” he added. During the first summit in Dhaka, on December 8, 1985, the Heads of State and Government from Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, India, Nepal, Bhutan and Maldives, had adopted the Charter of SAARC which marked the beginning of a new era of regional cooperation in the history of South Asia. STAFF REPORT

Gen Bajwa visits Data Darbar

At leAst 43 kIlleD In DelhI fActory fIre NEW DELHI

A

AGENCIES

T least 43 people have died in a factory fire in India’s capital New Delhi, with the toll still expected to rise, police told AFP Sunday.

The blaze broke out in the early hours in the city’s old quarter, whose narrow and congested lanes are lined with many small manufacturing and storage units. “We… have since rescued at least 50 people,” Sunil Choudhary, New Delhi’s deputy chief fire officer, told AFP. They were “labourers and factory workers sleeping inside this fouror five-storied building,” he said, adding that the fire had been extinguished but rescue operations were ongoing.

A senior Delhi police official said eight or nine people were carried out later, bringing the overall number rescued to at least 58. Fire officials said it was very difficult to access the dark, poorly lit premises in the commercial hub of Sadar Bazar.

Local news channels aired footage of firemen carrying people out of the narrow lanes to nearby emergency vehicles. The building was filled with school bags and packing material, fire officials said, but cautioned they were still unsure about the cause of the blaze.

“All the rescued persons were

facturing units in big Indian cities are often located in old, cramped quarters of the cities, where the cost of land is relatively cheaper. Such units often also serve as sleeping quarters for poor, mostly migrant labourers and workers, who manage to save money by sleeping overnight at their workplaces. Lack of planning and lax enforcement of building and safety regulations often leads to such deadly accidents.

“The fire in Delhi’s Anaj Mandi on Rani Jhansi Road is extremely hor-

Suu Kyi set to make history in Hague genocide case THE HAGUE AGENCIES

LAHORE: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Sunday visited the shrine of Hazrat Ali Hajveri, better known as Data Sahib in Lahore, and offered prayers and fateha. The army chief offered prayers and fateha, and the custodian of the shrine presented him with a shawl from the shrine as a token of respect. COAS Bajwa also laid traditional chador on the grave of the Sufi saint. On November 28, the Supreme Court (SC), in its ruling, stated that General Bajwa will remain the COAS for another six months, during which the parliament will legislate on the extension/reappointment of an army chief. INP

rushed to the nearby local hospitals, which have already confirmed 35 deaths. Some of the others are also in a serious state,” Sadar Bazar’s assistant commissioner of police told AFP. “Most who’ve died were sleeping when the fire broke out and died due to asphyxiation,” they said. The police officer — who said emergency personnel remained on the scene — also warned that the toll was likely to rise as “many others are in a critical condition”.

Many factories and small manu-

Former democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi is set to make legal history when she defends Myanmar in The Hague this week against charges of genocide targeting the Buddhist state’s minority Rohingya Muslims.

The tiny west African state of Gambia, acting on behalf of the 57-nation Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, will ask the International Court of Justice to take emergency measures to halt Myanmar’s “ongoing genocidal actions”. But in a highly unusual move, the office of Nobel Peace laureate and Myanmar civilian leader Suu Kyi has said she will lead a team to the UN’s highest court, based in the turreted Peace Palace in the Netherlands.

Legal experts said Suu Kyi would be one of the first national leaders to personally address the tribunal since it was

set up in 1946 after World War II to rule in disputes between countries.

Her plan to appear before the court’s judges for the threeday hearing starting Tuesday was “unprecedented and also very unwise”, Cecily Rose, an assistant professor in international law at Leiden University, told AFP. “States never ever send politicians to lead legal teams at the ICJ,” she said.

Although Oxford-educated Suu Kyi’s background was “impressive, she has no legal qualifications and would be completely at sea before the court,” Rose added. Around 740,000 Rohingya were forced to flee into camps in Bangladesh after Myanmar’s military launched a violent crackdown on the group in 2017, which UN investigators concluded amounted to genocide. The case will be the first international legal attempt to bring Myanmar to justice over the crisis, and is a rare example

of a country suing another over an issue to which it is not directly a party.

Muslim-majority Gambia’s case alleges that Myanmar has breached the 1948 UN Genocide Convention. It is seeking the special measures pending a future decision by the court on whether to take on the wider case. Any final judgment could take years.

Suu Kyi has said she is heading to The Hague in order to “defend the national interests of Myanmar”.

Myanmar is expected to argue that the court has no jurisdiction, that its military operation was targeting Rohingya militants and that its own investigations into alleged abuse are adequate. However, Suu Kyi’s international reputation has been tarnished by her response to the crisis, with critics saying she is acting as an apologist for the same military that kept her under house arrest for many years.

rific. My thoughts are with those who lost their loved ones,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on Twitter.

“Wishing the injured a quick recovery. Authorities are providing all possible assistance at the site of the tragedy,” he added. Arvind Kejriwal, the chief minister of Delhi, described the incident as “very very tragic news.”

“Rescue operations going on.

Firemen doing their best. Injured are being taken to hospitals,” Kejriwal wrote on Twitter.

Protest held outside Sharifs’ Avenfield residence A protest was held outside the Avenfield residence of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leadership on Sunday to demand recovery of “looted wealth”. According to reports, the mastermind of the protest was a certain Chaudhry Tariq Mehmood, who had used WhatsApp groups to call upon people to gather outside the apartments where the former premier Nawaz Sharif is currently staying. In a statement, PML-N said that the protesters, who made “violent threats”, had been reported to the police.

“Mehmood had issued violent threats of entering the property by force, which is an offence, and the police had been informed. We have also told the police that Tariq Mehmood has relations with an extremist group and he is known for issuing threats to community members,” the spokesperson was quoted as saying by a local news outlet. Though Mehmood claims links with the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the party’s UK chapter, while distancing itself from the demonstration, said, “PTI UK does not have any intention to arrange a protest outside the Sharifs’ residence.” According to a media report, Mehmood has also been linked to Musharraf’s All Pakistan Muslim League (APML), Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP), and former interior minister of Sindh, Zulfiqar Mirza. Last year, a few enraged demonstrators tried to enter the residence of the PML-N leaders by knocking down the door. The police were called on the sight to disperse the protesters while a number of PTI and PML-N supporters were taken into custody over their clashes. NEWS DESK

Man eats $120,000 piece of art — a banana taped to wall MIAMI AGENCIES

The move was bananas… or maybe the work was just too appealing.

A performance artist shook up the crowd at the Art Basel show in Miami Beach on Saturday when he grabbed a banana that had been duct-taped to a gallery wall and ate it.

The banana was, in fact, a work of art

by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan titled “Comedian” and sold to a French collector for $120,000. In a video posted on his Instagram account, David Datuna, who describes himself as a Georgian-born American artist living in New York,

walks up to the banana and pulls it off the wall with the duct tape attached.

“Art performance … hungry artist,” he said, as he peeled the fruit and took a bite. “Thank you, very good.”

A few bystanders could be heard giggling before a flustered gallery official whisked him to an adjoining space for questioning. But the kerfuffle was resolved without a food fight.

“He did not destroy the artwork. The banana is the idea,” Lucien Terras, director of museum relations for Galerie Perrotin, told the Miami Herald. As it turns out, the value of the work is in the certificate of authenticity, the newspaper said.

The banana is meant to be replaced.

A replacement banana was taped to the wall about 15 minutes after Datuna’s stunt. “This has brought a lot of tension and attention to the booth and we’re not into spectacles,” Terras said. “But the response has been great. It brings a smile to a lot of people’s faces.”

Cattelan is perhaps best known for his 18-carat, fully functioning gold toilet called “America” that he had once offered on loan to US President Donald Trump.

The toilet, valued at around $5 to $6 million, was in the news again in September when it was stolen from Britain’s Blenheim Palace, the birthplace of wartime leader Winston Churchill, where it had been on display.

Published by Arif Nizami at Plot No 66-C, 1st Floor, 21st Commercial Street, Phase-II (Extension), DHA Karachi and printed at Ibn-e-Hassan Printing Press, Hockey Stadium, Karachi. Ph: 021-35381208-9. Email: newsroom@pakistantoday.com.pk

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