Epaper_04-04-2023 LHR

Profit

Supreme CourT verdiCT oN puNJAb voTe poSTpoNemeNT LiKeLY TodAY

ISLAMABAD

s tA F F r e p o r t

THE verdict on the petition moved by Pakistan Tehreeki-Insaf (PTI) to cha lenge the decision of the Election Comm ssion of Pakistan (ECP) to delay e ect ons in Punjab until October 8 was reser ved to be announced by the Supreme Court on Tuesday (today)

The three- judge bench led by Chief Justice Umar Ata Band a and includ ng Justice Ijaz-ul-Ahsan and Justice Mun b Akhtar heard all parties nclud ng the PTI ECP and ruling Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) coalition counsels, before reser v ng the judgment

Dur ng the hearings which spanned over a week the case witnessed high drama when two udges of the original five- udge bench Jamal Khan Mandokha l and Aminud-Din Khan, recused themselves from the case

Subsequently the chief justice formed a new bench comprising himself, Just ce Ahsan, and Justice Akhtar to proceed with the matter

Over the weekend a meeting of PDM leaders expressed no confdence in the bench lead ng to a call for a fu l court to hear the case Cha red by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to devise a future strategy for the government the meet ng demanded that present court proceedings be terminated by accepting a different judgment

However on Monday the Supreme Court said the formation of a full court to take up the pet tion was not an option and the govern-

ment could nstead request a larger bench to hear the case

Band a s offer of a larger bench to the government came after Shehbaz Sharif through Attorney General Mansoor Usman Awan forma ly requested the reconstitution of the bench hearing the case

In the plea filed on behalf of the federation the Supreme Court was requested to dismiss the election delay case in light of the March 1 judgment ruling that elections for the provincial assemblies in Punjab and

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa must be held w th n 90 days The petition sa d the proceedings in the current petition shou d be postponed in light of the obser vation passed by Justice Qaz Faez Isa postponing all the proceedings in suo motu matters which the chief ust ce disregarded This [ ] bench in view of submissions made in paragraphs 11 and 12, may graciously recuse from hearing the instant petit on and a bench compris ng of al remaining [ ] judges of th s court who did not hear

[the matter prev ous y] may k ndly be const tuted to decide the questions raised herein it requested BOYCOTT BOYCOTTED: As the hearng commenced Farooq H Naek the PPP counsel was asked if his party had ended its boycott against the court hearing Justice Bandial remarked that polit cal parties had expressed no confidence in the bench for the ast 48 hours Just ce Akhtar expressed his concern over the PPP awyer s presence and questioned how they could present their arguments if they didn t have confidence in the bench

FM Bilawal war ns of ‘mar tial law, emergencylike situation’ if SC larger bench not for med

LARKANA

Ag e n c i e s

Foreign M n ster Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Monday expressed concerns that the countr y could face a martial law or an emergency-like situat on due to the constitutional cr sis that might occur f the Supreme Court does not constitute a larger bench to hear the PTI’s pet tion against the Election Commission of Pakistan s (ECP) decs on to postpone po ls to the Pun ab Assembly

For the past week a three-member apex court bench compr sing Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial Justice Ijazu Ahsan and Justice Munib Akhtar has been hearing the petition and rejected repeated re-

Alleged corruption: T wo SC judges urge SJC to proceed against Justice Naqvi

ISLAMABAD Ag e n c e s

Two judges of the Supreme Court Just ce Qazi Fa e z I s a a n d J u s t i c e S a r d a r Ta r i q M a s o o d have written to the Supreme Judicial Counc l ( S J C ) , u r g i n g t h e t o p j u d i c i a l b o d y t o n i t i a t e p r o c e e d i n g s o n c o m p a i n t s o f a l l e g e d “ m i sc o n d u c t a n d f i n a n c i a l i m p r o p r i e t y a g a i n s t their fellow apex court judge Just ce Sayyed

Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi The SJC is a body of j u d g e s e m p o w e r e d u n d e r A r t c l e 2 0 9 o f t h e C o n s t t u t i o n t o h e a r c a s e s o f m i s c o n d u c t a g a i n s t t o p j u d g e s a n d h o l d t h e m a c c o u n ta b l e T h e c o n s t i t u t o n a l b o d y c o m p r i s e s o f Chief Justice of Pakistan as its Cha rman two sen or-most udges of the SC and the two most senior Chief Justices from the High Courts Justi ce I s a an d Ju s ti ce M as ood are both m emb e r s o f t h e S J C I n a l e t t e r o n M o n d a y addressed to the rema ning three members of the SJC Ch ef Justice of Pakistan Umar Atta Bandia Sindh High Court Chief Justice Ahmed Ali M Sha kh and Lahore High Court Ch ef Justice Muhammad Ameer Bhatt the two SC judges said that several complaints had been received includ ng from the Pakistan Bar Council a leg ng misconduct and financia improp r i e t y b y J u s t i c e N a q v i Tw o c o m p l a i n t s o f misconduct had been filed against Supreme Court s Just ce Naqvi n the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) The first compla nt was fi ed by Advocate Mian Dawood in Februar y th s year against Just ce Naqv seeking an inquir y nto h s a s s e t s I n t h e c o m p l a i n t D a w o o d h a d a ccused the judge of m sconduct and amassing legitimate assets

C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 03

quests from the coalition government for the formation of a ful court bench on the matter Earl er today the court reserved ts verd ct in the case

My concern s that if a larger bench is not constituted then such a const tut ona crisis will be born that God forbid martial law or emergency-type situation [cou d be] imposed again on Pakistan, FM Bilawal sa d today whi e talking to med a reporters in Larkana today acknowledging that he was making a big statement Bilawal whose media talk came after the top court reser ved its verdict, said there was still time for ever yone to “come back to their senses He sa d that the institut ons conduct shou d benefit the nation

and for that t is necessar y that our honourab e judges form a full court to answer this mportant question [regard ng the e ection date] Bilawa said the mpact of a decis on by three individuals would be different from that of a larger bench urging the apex court to cons der the prevalent situat on in the countr y The foreign minister said the criticism of the higher judiciar y from within ts own ranks was historic and an ndication of their no-confidence in these three judges He questioned when it had happened before that a nine-member bench was whittled down to three after protest from its members

Cabinet withdraws ser vices of SC registrar following Justice Isa’s action

ISLAMABAD

Ag e n c e s

In an interesting chain of events a special s tting of the federal cabinet Monday dec ded to withdraw the ser vices of Registrar Supreme Court and asked him to report to the Establishment Division besides asking President Dr Arif A vi to immediately sign the Supreme Court Practice and Procedure Act 2023 so that the countr y could be taken out of the const tutional and po itical cris s

The development came soon after the seniormost udge of the apex court Justice Faez Isa asked SC Reg strar Ishrat A i to step down immediately for violating the constitution of Pakistan and the order of the court presided by him on March 29, 2023 Prime Minister Shehbaz Shar f chaired the special meeting of the federal cabinet he d at the Prime Minister House The min sters considered in detail two-point agenda Minister for Law Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar and Attorney General Mansoor Usman Awan br efed the cab net on different matters The cabinet exam ned the issue of issuance of a circular by the Registrar Supreme Court against the order of Supreme Court The cab net decided to withdraw the ser vices of Registrar Supreme Court and asked him to report to the Establishment Division Justice Isa advises SC Reg strar Ishrat Al to step down immediate y Justice Faez Isa advised Registrar of the apex court to relinquish the office as he does not have the requisite competence ability and understanding to hold this position

Justice Isa wrote a letter to the SC Registrar and also advised him to withdraw the Circu ar issued by him on March 31 as he v olated the constitution of Pakistan and the order of the court dated March 29 2023

Just ce Isa also adv sed the Secretar y Cabinet Division and Secretar y Establishment Divis on through the Attorney General for Pakistan to reca l the officer Ishrat Al to prevent him from further damaging the reputation and integr ty of the SC

The SC justice a so said to the secretaries to initiate discip inar y proceedings against Registrar Ishrat Ali in accordance with the applicable laws as he has apparently violated the court orders passed in Suo Motu Case No 4 of 2022

In the letter Justice Isa addressing the SC regstrar said he does not have the power or authority to undo a udicia order and the Chief Justice cannot issue administrative d rect ons

Justice Isa said “ In your best interest and that of the Supreme Court you shou d w thdraw the Circular immediately and inform all those who have sent it

PM says negotiations under way on IMF ’s final condition

ISLAMABAD M o n i to r i n g D e s k P r i m e M i n i s t e r S h e h b a z S h a r i f a n n o u n c e d o n M o n d a y t h a t t h e P a k i s t a n g o v e r n m e n t h a s a g r e e d t o a l t h e c o n d i t i o n s p u t f o r t h b y t h e I n t e r n a t i o n a l M o n e t a r y F u n d ( I M F ) w h e r e a s n e g o t i a t o n s o n t h e g o b a l l e n d e r ’ s f i n a l c o n d t i o n a r e o n g o i n g T h e s t a t e m e n t c a m e d u r i n g a m e e t i n g o f t h e p a r l a m e n t a r y p a r t y o f t h e P a k i s t a n M u sl i m L e a g u e - N a w a z ( P M L- N ) c h a i r e d b y t h e p r e m i e r h i m s e l f S h a r i f e m p h a s i s e d t h a t t h e g o v e r n m e n t s “ h a n d s a r e t i e d ” d u e t o t h e I M F a g r e e m e n t w h i c h h e b el i e v e s h a s l e d t o r e c o r d i n f l a t i o n n t h e c o u n t r y H e a l s o c r t i c s e d P a k i s t a n T e h r e e k - e - I n s a f ( P T I ) C h i e f I m r a n K h a n a c c u s i n g h i m o f s i g n i n g t h e I M F p r og r a m m e o n s t r i c t t e r m s a n d t h e n v o a ti n g i t, w h i c h h a s l e d t o a n e c o n o m i c q u a g m i r e f o r P a k i s t a n T h e p r m e m i n st e r a s s u r e d t h e p u b i c t h a t t h e g o v e r nm e n t ’ s i n t e n t o n i s c l e a r a n d t h a t t h e s i t u a t i o n w i l c h a n g e S h a r i f a l s o s p o k e a b o u t t h e n e g a t v e l a n g u a g e u s e d b y f o r m e r e a d e r s a g a i n s t f r i e n d l y c o u n t r i e s p a r t c u l a r l y C h n a a n d c o n d e m n e d r um o r s a b o u t t r a d e w i t h I s r a e l s t a t n g t h a t P a k i s t a n w i l l m a i n t a i n i t s p r n c i p l e d p o st o n u n t i t h e P a l e s t i n a n s g e t t h e r r g h t s S e r o u s a l l e g a t i o n s w e r e m a d e o n C h in e s e p r o j e c t s C h i n a i n v e s t e d $ 3 0 b i l o n a n d f a l s e a c c u s a t i o n s w e r e m a d e o n t h e s a m e h e p f u l f r i e n d h e a d d e d T h e p r i m e m i n i s t e r a l s o t a k e d a b o u t t h e d iv d e d S u p r e m e C o u r t a n d e x p r e s s e d c o n c e r n s a b o u t t h e p o l i t i c a d e s t a b i l s e r r e c e i v n g r e i e f f r o m t h e c o u r t d a y a n d n i g h t H e f u r t h e r h i g h l g h t e d t h e f e d e r a l g o v e r n m e n t s e f f o r t s t o h e l p t h o s e i n n e e d i n c l u d i n g p r o v i d i n g R s 1 0 0 b i l l i o n t o f o o d v i c t m s a n d d i s t r i b u t n g f r e e f l o u r t o 1 0 0 m i l i o n p o o r f a m i i e s d u r i n g R a m z a n T h e p r e m e r c o n c u d e d b y p r a i s i n g t h e e ff o r t s o f t h e p a r t y w o r k e r s a n d t h e i r u n w av e r i n g s u p p o r t f o r t h e p a r t y e a d e r s h i p d u r i n g d f f i c u l t t m e s

In surprise move, Shazad Dada is replaced as President and CEO of UBL

g M u h a m m a d J a w a i d I q b a l a p p o i n t e d a s P r e s i d e n t & C E O o f U B L f o r 3 y e a r t e n u r e

However sources w thin the senior management of UBL said they were as

surprised as anyone e se since Dada was a we l liked and wel connected CEO Another cred ble source revealed to Profit that this decision is not completely unexpected Shazad Dada has been a pedigree foreign banker and UBL was his f rst ocal bank st nt However Dada s unique leadership style created tension between him and the UBL board for the past year or so The board frequent y inter fered with Dada s work and somet mes expected h m to ser ve as a rubber stamp CEO which was not acceptable to Dada Consequent y at the end of 2022 Jawaid Iqbal was added to the board with the clear ntention of taking over from Shazad Dada

Dada had been appointed as Presdent and CEO back n July 2020 for a three year period Dada was at the time the h ghest paid banking executive in Pakistan setting a record for earning the h ghest income from the banking industr y at a staggering Rs 340 million

Whi e his tenure was coming to an end, most peop e expected his contract with the bank to be renewed given his tenure saw UBL post strong financia s The bank outper formed its competitors in terms of prof tability and also managed to bolster their digital bank ng wing and revamp their mobile banking appl cation

Dada ’s legacy

A seasoned banker Dada joined

UBL in July 2020 n the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic However the appointment was a challenging one Up unt l this point Dada had mostly ser ved in fore gn banks He had spent the f rst two decades of his career from 19902010 at Deutsche Bank before assuming h s first charge as CEO at Barclays Pak stan where he worked for four years

His immediate appointment pr or to UBL was as CEO of Standard Chartered Bank (SCB) in Pakistan from 2014-2020

The jump from Standard Chartered to UBL marked a trans tion from the head of a sma l foreign bank (currently the only foreign bank in Pakistan with commerc a operat ons) to one of Pakistan s largest banks On top of th s, he was replacing Sima Kamil Kami had joined as the CEO in June 2017 for a three year tenure but was also not g ven a renewal Reportedly, UBL s shareholders were unhappy with some of Kamil ’s

hiring decisions at UBL Apparently there were a so some concerns over UBL’s international div sions loan portfol o a prob ematic area that had persisted since before Kamil s time

Despite the challenging circumstances and this being Dada s first foray nto a legacy Pakistan bank he managed to steady the ship and steer the bank in a profitable direction Under his eadersh p the bank s profits ncreased consistently from Rs 21 billion in 2020 to Rs 30 7 b llion in 2021 and Rs 32 bil ion n 2022 S m larly return on equity (ROE) ncreased cons stently by 11% 15% and 14% in 2020, 2021, and 2022 respective y Perhaps what w l have made shareho ders most happy is that UBL outshone other banks n its boxing div sion UBL s ROE for 2021 and 2022 was h gher than HBL despite the latter having a b gger network

Moreover, the prof t margin of UBL is also significantly higher than HBL’s with UBL recording an impressive 22% profit margin in 2022 31% n 2021 and 22% n 2020, in contrast to HBL s 17%, 21%, and 19% profit marg ns in the fiscal years 2022 2021 and 2020 respect vely

S C r e j e C t S Faw a d C h ’ S r e q u e S t t o d e - S e a l e n t r y p o i n t S o F r e d Z o n e

ISLAMABAD S ta f f R e p o R t

tH E S u p r e m e C o u r t ( S C ) o n

M o n d a y r e j e c t e d t h e r e q u e s t o f P a k i s t a n Te h r e e k - e - I n s a f ( P T I ) l e a d e r F a w a d C h a u d h r y t o o r d e r t o d e - s e a l t h e e n t r y p o i n t s o f t h e R e d Z o n e

The PTI leader appeared in the apex court and said that the entry points of the Red Zone had been sealed

“It seems as if we were in Gaza Even the lawyers are being prevented from

entering the Red Zone Arguments are taking place at the entry points ” he argued before the court We are conducting hearing of the case

It is not necessary for thousands of lawyers to come

If you have given a call to the lawyers talk to them Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial said

The nine workers of Pakistan Tehreeke-Insaf (PTI), whose post-arrest bail petitions had been dismissed in the case of vandalism and torture of policemen in Zaman Park, were Monday produced in an anti-terrorism court (ATC) of Lahore

new information secretar y assumes charge

ISLAMABAD S ta f f R e p o R t

Sohail Ali Khan, an additional secretary in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, on Monday took over as the secretary of the ministry He was welcomed by ministry officials upon his arrival Radio Pakistan reported Khan a PBS-21 officer comes from the Information Group and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to his new position Khan replaced Shahera Shahid the nation s first woman information secretary who has been asked to report to the Establishment Division Reportedly she was also taking a leave and proceeding aboard on a private trip

ihC issues notice to gov t to respond on imran’s securit y request

StAff REpORt

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday issued a notice to the Ministry of Interior and the federal government and sought a response on Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan s request for security

IHC Chief Justice Aamir Farooq heard Imran s plea which was filed following the threatening remarks made by Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah During the hearing Justice Farooq inquired whether Imran is being provided security as a former prime minister The PTI chief s lawyer Advocate Faisal Farid replied that Imran s security had been withdrawn Justice Farooq asked what the standard operating procedures (SOPs) are for providing security in the case of someone who has received threats to their life He furthered that former chief justice of Pakistan Saqib Nisar had withdrawn many security details However, he added that the ex-CJP had also said that security can be provided if someone’s life is in danger “Check if those SOPs are still in the field or not said Justice Farooq Advocate Farid told the court that the alleged threats are being made by those under whom the police function Later the court adjourned the hearing seeking a response from the interior ministry and the federation by Thursday April 6 Earlier Rana Sanaullah had said in an interview that the country s political situation has reached the point where the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) can go to any extent to protect its existence from the PTI chief The country s politics has been brought to the level where the existence of only one of the two [PTI and PML-N] is possible,” the interior minister said He said that when the ruling party feels that its existence is under threat, it can go to any extent against its chief political rival without considering “what is illegal or undemocratic”

ihC issues notice to naB in toshakhana probe over Bushra Bibi’s plea

ISLAMABAD S ta f f R e p o R t

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) issued notices on Monday to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) seeking replies over its investigation into the Toshakhana (gift depository) case while the matter remains sub judice The high court announced its reserved verdict over an application filed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s wife and former first lady Bushra Bibi challenging the summons notices issued by NAB Chief Justice (CJ) IHC Aamer

Farooq and Justice Saman Rafat Imtiaz presided over the hearing During the hearing the petitioner s lawyer Khwaja Haris argued that the NAB notices contained incomplete information They are issuing notices stating that powers were abused without detailing who abused their powers at what level Haris maintained

The lawyer argued that NAB was legally bound to provide information about why someone is being summoned but notices merely state that the inquiry is against pubic office holders

The accused were produced before the court after their judicial remand ended “Weapons and petrol bombs had been recovered from these suspects the investigation report said

ATC Administrative Judge Abhar Gul Khan conducted the hearing It is to be noted here that 93 suspects in the case have been released on bail

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Lahore Monday extended the interim bail of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders till April 17 next in the case of vandalism in the judicial complex during the appearance of

PTI Chairman Imran Khan Judge Raja Jawad Abbas heard the pleas of the PTI leaders Asad Umar Zulfi Bukhari Umar Ayub Hammad Azhar Amir Kayani Ali Nawaz Awan and Raja Khurram Nawaz were among the PTI leaders who appeared before the court

L H C s e e k s r e p Ly f r o m

f e d e r a L g o v t, e C p: While hearing a miscellaneous petition to declare Section 137(4) of the Election Act 2017 unconstitutional, the Lahore High Court (LHC) Monday issued a notice to the federal

government and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and sought a reply from them within two weeks

The petition had been filed against the possible attempts to prevent Imran Khan from being the PTI chairman

LHC judge Justice Shahid Kareem heard the miscellaneous petition of a citizen named Munir Ahmed The federal government and the ECP had been made respondents in the petition

P M L- N e n d o r s e s P D M ’s d e c i s i o n r e g a r d i n g ‘n o t r u s t ’ o n 3 - m e m b e r b e n c h , s ay s M a r r i y u m

ISLAMABAD S ta f f R e p o R t

M i n i s t e r f o r I n f o r m a t i o n a n d B r o a d c a s t i n g

Marriyum Aurangzeb on Monday said the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) had endorsed the d e c i s i o n t a k e n b y t h e P a k i s t a n D e m o c r a t i c M o v e m e n t r e g a r d i n g n o t r u s t o n t h r e e - m e m b e r b e n c h h e a r i n g a c a s e o f t h e p o l l s d e l a y i n P u n j a b and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa H o w J u s t i c e I j a z - u l - A h s a n , w h o h a s r e c u s e d

h i m s e l f f r o m h e a r i n g t h e s o u m o t u c a s e r e g a r d i n g the polls delay, can be made part of the bench which i s h e a r i n g t h e c o n t e m p t c a s e , ” t h e m i n i s t e r s a i d while talking to the media after the meeting of the PML-N’s Parliamentary Party “Othese are the certain questions which needed clarification and on basis of them we have expressed n o t r u s t o n t h r e e m e m b e r s b e n c h [ o f t h e S u p r e m e C o u r t ] M a r r i y u m s a i d a n d a d d e d t h a t e l e c t i o n should be held simultaneously and in free fair and transparent manner

Pakistan, China to ensure high- qualit y development of CPEC-projec ts: Ahsan Iqbal

B E I J I N G S ta f f R e p o Rt

Minister for Planning Development and Special Initiatives Prof Ahsan Iqbal Chaudhary held an i n t e r a c t i v e s e s s i o n w i t h P a k i s t a n i p r o f e s s i o n a l s and students residing in China here at the Embassy C o m m e n d i n g t h e v a l u a b l e c o n t r i b u t i o n s o f o v e r s e a s P a k i s t a n i s i n t h e c o u n t r y s e c o n o m i c g r o w t h a n d n a t i o n a l d e v e l o p m e n t , t h e M i n i s t e r briefed Pakistani Diaspora, about the government s r e f o r m s i n i t i a t i v e f o r r e v i v a l o f P a k i s t a n s economy by presenting the 5Es economic recovery agenda that articulates the government’s efforts to s t a b i l i z e t h e e c o n o m y b y p r i o r i t i s i n g e x p o r t , p r o m o t i n g e - P a k i s t a n t o f o c u s o n P a k i s t a n ’s potential in digital technologies by empowering its y o u t h s a f e g u a r d i n g e n v i r o n m e n t t o m i t i g a t e a g a i n s t c l i m a t e c h a n g e a n d e n s u r i n g w a t e r a n d food security developing energy sector for making i t a ff o r d a b l e a n d s h i f t i n g f r o m f o s s i l f u e l t o r e n e w a b l e s p r o m o t i n g e q u i t y i n t h e c o u n t r y t h r o u g h e d u c a t i o n h e a l t h a n d t a rg e t i n g p o o r e s t areas for accelerated development The Minister emphasized the transformational i m p a c t o f C h i n a - P a k i s t a n E c o n o m i c C o r r i d o r (CPEC) in enhancing economic and trade relations b e t w e e n C h i n a a n d P a k i s t a n t h u s p r o m o t i n g sustainable economic growth in Pakistan H e u n d e r l i n e d t h a t P a k i s t a n a n d C h i n a a r e committed to high-quality development of CPEC through its mutually reinforcing industrial trade health digital and green corridors

A h s a n I q b a l m e n t i o n e d t h a t c o r e r e a s o n f o r P a k i s t a n s l a g g i n g b e h i n d o t h e r c o u n t r i e s w a s political instability and discontinuity in economic p o l i c i e s E c o n o m i c p o l i c i e s n e e d m i n i m u m o f a decade s continuity to give dividends

I n 2 0 1 8 C P E C h a d b e c o m e P a k i s t a n g l o b a l b r a n d a n d t h e w h o l e w o r l d s t a r t e d t o l o o k a t P a k i s t a n a s a n a t t r a c t i v e i n v e s t m e n t d e s t i n a t i o n

U n f o r t u n a t e l y, a f t e r 2 0 1 8 t h e n e w g o v e r n m e n t m a d e C P E C c o n t r o v e r s i a l r e s u l t i n g i n a l o s s o f m o m e n t u m c a u s i n g c a t a s t r o p h i c d a m a g e t o Pakistan’s economy T h e p r e s e n t g o v e r n m e n t i s r e v i v i n g t h e o l d momentum and trying hard to bring back investor confidence in Pakistan he said He emphasised the need for the nation to work

nawaz , pM Shehbaz ‘invited’ to KSa to per form umrah

ISLAMABAD

I N p

i n c o l l a b o r a t i o n m o d e i n s t e a d o f c o n f l i c t m o d e P a k i s t a n n e e d s t o b e u n i t e d i n o r d e r t o a t u r n a r o u n d H e d i r e c t e d t h e e m b a s s y t o h o l d r e g u l a r s e m i n a r s w i t h t h e s t u d e n t s a n d f o r w a r d t h e i r s u g g e s t i o n s t o t h e g o v e r n m e n t f o r implementation T h e M i n i s t e r u n d e r s c o r e d t h e i m p o r t a n c e o f reopening of the Khunjerab border as a crucial step i n r e s u m i n g P a k - C h i n a b i l a t e r a l t r a d e a n d o t h e r activities under CPEC He told that the government has committed to r e s o l v i n g a n d r e m o v i n g a l l t h e h u r d l e s D e s p i t e e c o n o m i c c h a l l e n g e s f a c e d b y t h e g o v e r n m e n t , concrete steps are taken to stabilize the economic turmoil and noted that only exports is the panacea f o r t a c k l i n g t h e e c o n o m i c c h a l l e n g e s t h a t w o u l d move the country on the path of progress H e s t r e s s e d t h a t P a k i s t a n M i s s i o n s A b r o a d must utilize all available resources to facilitate the Pakistani Diaspora and undertake sustained efforts in addressing their complaints in an effective and time-bound manner A p p r e c i a t i n g t h e e n g a g e m e n t o f t h e Ambassadors and Consuls General with overseas P a k i s t a n i s t h r o u g h E - K a c h e h r e y s , t h e M i n i s t e r u n d e r s c o r e d t h a t t h e s e i n t e r a c t i o n s w i t h t h e P a k i s t a n i D i a s p o r a m u s t c o n t i n u e o n a r e g u l a r basis in line with the Prime Minister ’s directive L a t e r t h e p r o m i n e n t c o m m u n i t y m e m b e r s p r o f e s s i o n a l s a c a d e m i c s a n d s t u d e n t s a s k e d questions that were answered by the Minister

Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif have been invited by Saudi Arabia s King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud to the kingdom to perform Umrah as a goodwill gesture The PML-N Quaid is considered close to the royal family Sources said the three-time former prime minister who is in a self-imposed exile in London on medical grounds since November 2019, will depart for Saudi Arabia along with his daughter Maryam Nawaz and other family members via special plane on April 11 Nawaz Sharif will be the state guest in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia He will spend the last 10 days of the holy month of Ramazan in Madina and Makkah However, the final schedule of Sharif ’s visit to the Kingdom has not been announced as yet It merits mentioning here that various ministers and parliamentarians will perform Umrah during the period According to media reports the news of Sharif s planned visit to Saudi Arabia has led to speculation that he may use the opportunity to return to Pakistan

However there has been no official confirmation from Sharif or his party about his plans to return Mr Sharif has been living in London for treatment since 2019

Kashmir prime minister to launch aggressive campaign with oiC help

ISLAMABAD S ta f f R e p o R t

Azad Jammu and Kashmir Prime Minister Sardar

Tanveer Ilyas announced the regional government in collaboration with the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) leadership and Foreign Office will engage the world community, especially the members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), to launch an aggressive campaign on the Kashmir cause Addressing an Iftar dinner hosted for the APHC leadership Ilyas emphasised the need to revitalise the Kashmir campaign with clear and improved direction to expose the rotten face of the Hindutva regime” of Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India The campaign will highlight the Indian atrocities inflicted on Kashmiris resisting Indian occupation in Kashmir including the plight of APHC leaders Yasin Malik, Shabbir Ahmad Shah, Musrat Alam Bhatt, Ameer Hamza, Asia Andrabi, Dr Hameed Fayyaz, and others Ilyas plans to have a sitting with the foreign minister of Pakistan and the adviser to the prime minister on Kashmir Affairs to discuss the campaign procedure and modalities for a result-oriented intervention The delegations of APHC and the AJK government will also comprise members of the diplomatic corps mainly OIC member states civil society and media He stressed the need to shake the conscious of Muslim countries and make them united on one narrative on Kashmir to take all Muslim states and Western countries together for the Kashmir cause which will have a huge impact The OIC delegation will be synchronised with the Kashmir government Hurriyet leadership and Pakistani delegations as one delegation, and a year-long engagement plan with APHC will be prepared

security company “The security company provided

licenses of 13 rifles all of which were issued by the government of Balochistan ” police chief said adding “A letter has been written to the home department for verification of these licenses However licenses of nine rifles were not provided he said Arrested accused Ijaz has confessed that the unlicensed arms were destined to Zaman Park the DPO said Accused Ijaz also confessed that the arms were kept at the place of Ali Ameen Gandapur, he added

PTI leader Ali Ameen Gandapur caused disturbance at Dajjal check post of Bhakkar

that the vehicles in the convoy were carrying some illegal items Bhakkar Police later nominated five

persons including Ali Ameen Gandapur and 33 unknown accused in Dajjal check post rioting case The accused have been booked under terrorism act and other charges P o l i c e h a s a r r e s t e d f o u r a c c u s e d o f r i o t i n g n a m e l y S h a k e e l H a i d e r A l t a f A f t a b a n d N a i k M o h a m m a d D P O M o h a m m a d N a v e e d h a s s a i d A r m s a n d d r u g s h a v e b e e n r e c o v e r e d f r o m t h e a r r e s t e d p e r s o n s , D P O B h a k k a r s a i d

p t i l e a d e r S g et B a i l e x t e n S i o n i n j u d i C i a l C o M p l e x r i o t C a S e

Ayub Hammad Azhar Ali Awan Nawaz and Shehzad Waseem were present in court along with 75 other party workers produced by police PTI s lawyers Sardar Masroof, Ali Bukhari and Naeem Panjotha were also present in the court During the hearing, the judge remarked that until the Islamabad High Court (IHC) gives a decision on the case, the ATC cannot announce a verdict

J u d g e A b b a s a d d e d t h a t w h e n a matter is being heard in the IH C hearings c a n n o t b e h e l d i n s e s s i o n s c o u r t s A t t h i s p o i n t , t h e i n v e s t i g a t i n g o ff i c e r s a i d P T I l e a d e r s h a v e n o t y e t b e e n m a d e p a r t o f t h e i n v e s t i g a t i o n M o r e o v e r, d u r i n g t h e h e a r i n g , P T I l e a d e r S h i b l i F a r a z ’s a p p l i c a t i o n f o r e x e m p t i o n f r o m a t t e n d a n c e d u e t o c o r o n a v i r u s w a s a l s o f i l e d

Panjotha then made his remarks during the hearing and argued that Hasan Niazi was arrested without being present at the premises He furthered that PTI leader Murad Saeed’s house was raided and Farrukh Habib’s in-law’s residence was also raided, adding that PTI leaders have problems appearing in court due to the fear of abduction

punjab anti-corruption summons yasmin rashid in piC scandal

LAHORE S ta f f R e p o R t

Punjab Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) on Monday summoned Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader and former provincial health minister Yasmin Rashid in a case related to ‘corruption’ in the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) As per details the inquiry against Yasmin Rashid has been opened by the anticorruption team and she has been asked to appear before the Punjab ACE on April 4 (tomorrow) at 12pm Executive director PIC and MS and others have also been summoned by the anti-corruption team who are accused of giving a bribe to Yasmin Rashid It reported that PTI leader is accused of corruption in parking, canteen and cleaning contracts of the PIC The suspects are accused of denting the national exchequer of more than Rs1 billion in the purchase of stents at higher rates by neglecting PPRA rules, the sources said and added that they are also accused of buying equipment used in bypass surgeries of heart at excessive rates

terrorist attacks drop 36pc in March: repor t

ISLAMABAD S ta f f R e p o R t

The number of militant attacks in Pakistan dropped by 36 percent in March compared to February said a report on Monday The Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) said in the report there were 37 terrorist attacks last month in which 57 people lost their lives and 72 others got injured, while 59 people were killed and 134 were wounded in 58 attacks in February, said the Islamabad-based think tank The report said there was also a drop in suicide attacks in March as there was only one such attack compared to three in February Last month, the security forces conducted 25 operations foiling several attacks and confiscating a huge cache of arms and ammunition

pakistan conducts first digital nationwide census

ISLAMABAD M o N to R N g R e p o R t

Pakistan has enumerated over 170 million people so far since the ongoing first-ever digital population and housing census started late last month the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) said The PBS said that history is in the making as we continue to reach milestones and exceed targets for Pakistan’s first-ever digital census which is also the seventh overall census of the country According to PBS, over 121,000 trained census enumerators have been conducting the census across the country by using modern technology

The PBS said that modern technology would help provide accurate results which would lead the country to important decisions about the population, leading to equal opportunities for jobs and better utilization of resources across Pakistan

The PBS also urged the public to participate in the census by being responsible citizens to play their role in national development Pakistan conducted its sixth census in 2017 and concluded that the country s population was 207 6 million, growing 2 38 percent from 1998 to 2017, including over 106 million males and 101 million females, said the bureau

The judge then inquired under which plea shall the leaders be given protection

To this, the lawyer replied that an application for protection has been filed in the IHC but a decision has not been made yet The court also accepted the pleas of Shibli Faraz, Murad Saeed, Farrukh Habib and Hasan Niazi for exemption from their appearance today and extended the interim bails of the PTI leaders till May 17

On March 18 the PTI chief Imran Khan reached the G-11 Judicial Complex accompanied by 4 000 activists to appear before a district and sessions court in the Toshakhana case – in which he faced charges of concealing details of the gifts he had acquired from the depository in his asset declarations submitted to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), which had then filed a complaint against him

The head of Pakistan s largest charity slammed the government on Sunday after at least 23 people died during stampedes to get free food during the holy month of Ramadan

The government launched an initiative to distribute free flour among low-income families to ease the impact of record-breaking inflation and soaring poverty during the holy month

Business owners often hand out cash and food in Ramadan especially to the poor

But mismanagement and overcrowding have caused stampedes with at least 23 people dying across

Pakistan ready to work with all SCO

countries for achieving common goals: Amir Muqam

pESHAwAR

S ta f f R e p o R t

Adviser to Prime Minister on Political and Public Affairs Engineer Amir Muqam has stated that Pakistan looks forward to work with all Shanghai Cooperation Organization countries to achieve common goals

Virtually addressing the 20th meeting of Ministers of Culture of the member states of Shanghai Cooperation Organization he said Pakistan attaches a great importance to SCO and strongly believes that it is a unique platform to celebrate our commonalities and to work together to forge a common future marked by our rich cultural heritage

He said we are ready to collaborate with SCO member states by launching joint initiatives, projects and programmes, ensuring effective participation of folk artists in cultural festivals and events, promoting exchange of research scholars, museum technicians as well as and art and craft experts and undertaking joint publications to focus on cultural similarities in the member state The Advisor said we strongly believe that cooperation in all fields of culture is crucial to promoting mutual understanding and cooperation among our member states E n g i n e e r A m i r M u q a m s a i d t h a t P a k i s t a n considers that cultural relations among SCO member s t a t e s a r e c r u c i a l f o r p r o m o t i n g m u t u a l

u n j a b vo t e p o s t p o n e m e n t l i ke l y t o d ay

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To proceed with the hearing Justice Akhtar requested Naek to read out the joint statement that was issued by coalition leaders last week expressing complete no-confidence in the bench

However

Justice Akhtar expressed displeasure with the language used in the statement and said that the court would only hear Naek if he withdrew the statement The chief justice asked Naek to confirm in writing that his party did not boycott the hearing Naek replied that his party had reservations on the maintainability of the petition, but confirmed that they had not boycotted the hearing

Awan informed the court that the government worked under the Constitution and could not boycott

the proceedings

HeIgHteNed seCUrIty: Security outside the top court s building in Islamabad has been beefed up ahead of the hearing Videos from the site showed a large contingent of policemen, wearing bulletproof vests and helmets, deployed outside the premises The entry of any unauthorised person inside the court has been restricted

According to a statement by the Islamabad police there are threats of terrorism in the capital city and there is a fear of malicious elements entering in the guise of lawyers The police have requested lawyers to be vigilant for unknown persons

The statement also clarified that permission from the court registrar is mandatory to attend the hearing but there is no restriction on the entry of lawyers

In surprise move, S hazad D ada is replaced as President and CEO of UBL

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UBL s profit at year end 2022 stood at Rs 32 billion while Allied Bank Limited (ABL)’s and MCB Bank Limited (MCB)’s profit stood at Rs 21 billion and 31 billion respectively s t r I d e s I N d I g I ta L b a N k I N g

Dada’s tenure also oversaw strides in the realm of digital banking for UBL The bank witnessed a remarkable increase of 90% in the number of digital transactions from 20 million in 2020 to a staggering 38 million in 2021 The momentum continued into 2022 with UBL recording a 47% year-on-year growth in the number of digital transactions reaching an all-time high of 56 million, up from 38 million in the previous year This unprecedented growth is a testament to UBL s commitment to innovation, progress, and meeting the evolving needs of its customers in the fast-paced digital age Likewise, the payments transacted digitally through UBL’s platform increased by 55% from Rs 1 1 trillion in 2020 to Rs 1 7 trillion in 2021 and by 53% to Rs 2 6 trillion in 2022 t H e r e p L a C e m e N t J awa I d I q b a L Profit reached out to Shazad Dada to ask whether he had in fact stepped down for personal

reasons or had called it quits for some reason

However Dada has not responded to queries as of yet In the meantime Muhammad Jawaid Iqbal will be replacing Dada as the CEO and President of UBL

The new hiring, which is also for a three year term, has been made from within the bank where Iqbal is currently Chairman of the Board Risk & Compliance Committee (BRCC) and a member of the Board Human Resource & Compensation Committee (HRCC) He has been a member of UBL’s BoD since December 2022

Iqbal also has an investment background He is the founder of Providus Capital (Private) Limited an investment firm that primarily invests in public equity markets of Pakistan With over two decades of banking experience he has worked at senior managerial positions in Emirates Bank International PJSC Pakistan National Bank of Pakistan and Allied Bank Limited He holds an impressive educational background, including a Master s in Business Administration from Bahauddin Zakariya University, Pakistan, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) from CFA Institute, USA, and an Advanced Management Program from Harvard Business School, USA

KP govt wants rapid development of merged distric ts

pESHAwAR S ta f f R e p o R t Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Labour, Excise and Narcotics Control Haji Manzoor Khan Afridi has said that the provincial government wants the rapid development of the merged districts so that the living standard of the tribal people who have been marginalized for centuries could be improved at par with rest of the nation and henceforth they could be fully enabled to contribute in the process of national progress and prosperity

the country Faisal Edhi head of the charity Edhi Foundation called the deaths “unhumanitarian” because of the methods adopted by the government which he likened to publicity stunts This is not the government way to distribute flour on roads he told The Associated Press

He said the government instead needs to put essential items including flour pulses and rice in specific stores at subsidized rates and also ensure their availability This is the respectable way to donate to the poor, he said

The deadliest stampede yet occurred on Friday, when at least 12 women and children died in a crush in the major city of Karachi That charity event was not

He expressed these views while talking to tribal elite during his short visit to Khyber district On the occasion of the visit the people of the area apprised the provincial minister about some of their individual and collective problems and also assured him of their full cooperation in implementing the government policies Haji Manzoor Afridi said that the founder of Pakistan, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, has rightly termed the tribal people as the sword arms of Pakistan, because on the one hand, the patriotism and bravery of the tribals is beyond doubt, while on the other hand, they are naturally the protectors of the geographical borders of the country

u n d e r s t a n d i n g b u i l d i n g b r i d g e s o f f r i e n d s h i p a n d strengthening our cultural ties

He said that Pakistan supports further expansion of cultural exchange programs, organization of the cultural events and festivals and promotion of our cultural heritage among SCO member states under SCO umbrella

He said that SCO has become an important platform for the participating countries to enhance their cultural exchanges and promote mutual understanding

The online meeting was held in the chair of the Minister of Culture of India and also attended by Ministers of Culture of SCO Member States and delegates

FM Bilawal warns of ‘mar tial law, emergency-like situation’ if SC larger bench not formed

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Bilawal also questioned Justice Ahsan s inclusion on the bench when he had originally distanced himself from February s proceedings on the apex court s suo motu notice of delay in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa elections

Regarding CJP Bandial, the foreign minister said: I think when your own court and your own judges express no confidence in your character and the bench, and distance themselves when such an important question is before you, then the constitutional thing to do is to form a larger bench in which all judges sit except those two who were caught on record taking advice from the opposition ” Bilawal added that in such a situation the decision of all the judges would be acceptable to the coalition government He said his party would fight and contest if any court ordered it to utilise funds meant for flood affectees for the battle of Lahore s throne FM Bilawal also criticised Supreme Court Registrar Ishrat Ali, saying it seemed as if he was a super emperor who can strike off the judgement of a threemember bench through a notification whenever he wants” “I think when dictatorial methods are seen in the court and when judges themselves are saying ‘we have a one-man show’ then it will be better the chief justice and our judges get their own house in order and form a larger bench before anyone else takes any steps”

t wo SC judges urge SjC to proceed against justice naqvi

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The second complaint was filed by the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) the apex regularity body of lawyers last month after audio leaks emerged purportedly featuring a conversation about the fixation of a case before a particular bench or judge with former Punjab chief minister Pervaiz Elahi

The PBC in its complaint had maintained that the superior judiciary was already under criticism and the audio leaks attributed to the respondent may have not pricked the conscience of the respondent judge but the Pakistan Bar Council has taken the matter with great concern for the sake of respect and dignity of the superior judiciary of Pakistan”

It had urged the judicial accountability body to hold an inquiry and initiate “proper proceedings” on media reports of Justice Naqvi’s “assets worth crores of rupees”

In the letter today the two SJC member noted that they had been waiting for the Chief Justice of Pakistan to take notice of the complaints and call a meeting of the judicial body over the matter Hon ble Chief Justice [Umar Ata Bandial] we were waiting for you to convene a meeting of the Council to consider the complaint and to ascertain whether there is substance in the stated allegation we must exonerate the respondent judge and fully restore his honour or else submit our report in terms of the Constitution,” the two judges wrote in their letter

“To leave the respondent judge under a cloud of uncertainty undermines both his and the judiciary’s repute ” they further stated

part of the government initiative, but crowds have swelled at distribution centres in recent days

On Saturday in Peshawar clashes broke out between people waiting for flour and police after a food distribution centre reached its maximum capacity of 300 Police officer Babar Khan who was part of the deployment at the Hayatabad Sports Complex said people were standing outside even before the flour distribution began People blocked the road and pelted police with stones Therefore, the police had to resort to tear gas to disperse the crowd and avoid a stampede, he said No casualties were reported and the flour distribution continued inside the complex, he added

S u p r e m e C o u r t ve r d i c t o n P

Ed h i b o s s s l a m s g ove r n m e n t fo r R a m a d a n s t a m p e d e

In praise of lakhs and crores

tH e Y aren’t small, unheard of outfits; the group of civil society organisations that want to facilitate the mediations between the pti and ruling pDM include the heavy hitters: the Human Rights commission of pakistan the pakistan Bar council and the pakistan Federal Union of Journalists these are on top of the list of more than a hundred civil society organizations that want to get the country out of the rut that it is in at the moment the ruling coalition, of course, isn’t hard to convince on the issue, the problem has been on the other side of the aisle But there seems to have been a thawing, of sorts While pti chairman imran Khan himself has reiterated that he isn’t going to attend the multiparty conference he has given consent for his party to do so only to discuss elections, he says the gravity of our current perfect storm isn’t lost out on anyone obviously, external intervention and mediation is welcome; but it is fortunate that this mediation isn’t coming from the usual quarters that particular sort of mediation would be forced, hamfisted and, therefore, unsustainable No, it has come from civil society, which is a silver lining on our otherwise dark situation it is not just civil society however there is speculation that the business community also wants to throw its hat into the ring the captains of industry and commerce aren’t usually the brightest sparks in any situation, but they can smell things pretty clearly when banks refuse to open lcs industrial units are shutting down, while retailers are also suffering, not just from the difficulties of importing ‘non-essentials items,’ but also the ever falling purchasing power of the consumers politics as they say is the art of the possible All sides need to talk

Dedicated to the legac y of late Hameed Nizami

Arif Nizami (Late)

Founding Editor

Yousaf Nizami Editor

M A Niazi

Joint Editor Umar Aziz Executive Editor

Ms Hina pervaiz Butt recently tweeted a stat about the Youtube viewership of a political speech the number itself was baloney which being par for the course for her is hardly deserving of a comment What gave the whole thing entertaining value was her explanatory remark

For not being content merely sharing the stat (20 million) the MpA on reserved seats for women chose to translate it, no doubt for the benefit of the ordinary pakistani mortal who is more at home with lakhs and crores twenty million Butt explained amounted to 20 crores Not that anybody would ever accuse the MpA of possessing an excessively sharp intellect –why only a couple of weeks ago she proudly tweeted that she had passed the GRe But this conversion error on her part attracted some rather merciless trolling, which, to be completely honest was quite enjoyable the tweet was later removed and replaced by a new one – this time with the correct conversion of course, not before netizens had taken screenshots of the original for their record as well as for the amusement of posterity

We owe this sort of fun to the ubiquitous lakh and crore the countrymen encounter everywhere –in conversations newspapers and classrooms right from childhood upwards the charming hybrid of the indian numbering system (which is an integral part of our cherished tradition) and the so-called short scale used in the english-speaking world (which is becoming more and more unavoidable in the modern, global village) is a constant source of entertainment of this sort Blunders such as this always get me thinking about the advent of the indian numbering system in comparison to the short scale one can visualize how the short scale and the resulting millions and billions would have come into existence one imagines a group of influential men sitting down, equipped with pen, paper and common sense, and deciding to group digits by three and putting a separator (a comma for example) before every group counting from the right and proposing new words (thousand, million, billion, trillion ) for every third power of 10 the resulting system is easy to grasp although it suffers from the

notable limitation of being consistent, and therefore being too unsophisticated for the indian psyche

Now try and imagine how the indian numbering system would have come into being it was probably some old man who took it upon himself to devise a system for his countrymen

By a strange coincidence he appears to have put the first separator after the third digit from the right (so far in agreement with the short scale, although for all one knows the indian system may have come into existence earlier, as indian items have a habit of) When it came to putting the subsequent separators one can almost hear the man muttering to himself, ‘Being consistent would be too simple too boring, and therefore too un-indian so let me group all the subsequent digits by two and coin a new name for all these quantities thus, the genesis of the lakh, the crore, the arab the kharab and the like

We ow e t h i s s o r t o f f u n t o

t h e u b i q u i t o u s l a k h a n d

c ro r e t h e c o u n t r y m e n

e n c o u n t e r ev e r y w h e r e –

i n c o nv e rs a t i o n s ,

n ew s p a p e rs , a n d

cl a s s ro o m s r i g h t f ro m

c h i l d h o o d u p w a rd s

We are indebted to that dear old man to this day for the sophistication of the system and all the fun we continue to have with it i am afraid however that somewhere along the line (and i sincerely hope the inevitable is still decades away) the indian numbering system is bound to be dropped in favour of the short scale the short scale has everything going for it: Banks and account-

ants all over the world have adopted it World country and city populations are reported in millions and billions, except in a handful of Asian countries scientists use separators every three digits, and express quantities in kilo mega giga (equivalent to thousand million and billion respectively) Above all the short scale is favoured by all the most influential and powerful nations We were never averse to adopting Western concepts words terminologies and systems anyway it is therefore a matter of time before the mounting pressures of globalization will consign our cherished lakh and crore to the dustbin of history in fact ours may be one of the last generations to have the privilege to count in lakhs and crores everything is stacked up against the indian numbering system What is standing heroically in its favour is the subcontinental aversion to simplicity and common sense Not to mention all the fun associated with converting quantities from one system to another, inevitably making a mistake and causing much merriment all around As far as i am concerned, in the entertainment starved environment that we happen to find ourselves in this last consideration alone outweighs every convenience the short scale has to offer and more The author is a connoisseur of music literature and food (but not drinks) He can be reached at www facebook com/hasanaftabsaeed

Ge o p o l i t i c s is the study of the relationship between geography, politics and international relations it focuses on how geographic factors such as land, water, resources, and population, influence political decision-making and international power dynamics there are several theories of geopolitics that attempt to explain the relationship between geography and politics the Rim land theory is a geopolitical theory proposed by American political scientist

Nicholas spykman in the 1940s the theory argues that the coastal regions surrounding the eurasian landmass known as the Rim land are the most important geopolitical regions in the world spykman believed that whoever controls the Rim land would be able to contain the power of the Heartland which refers to the central region of eurasia as proposed by the Heartland theory of Halford Mackinder spykman argued that the Rim land was strategically more important than the Heartland because it had greater access to the sea and could control global trade and commerce the Rim land includes europe, the Middle east and east Asia and is characterized by a high population density abundant resources, and diverse cultures spykman believed that the Rim land was a key geopolitical battleground because it was the buffer zone between the Heartland and the sea

According to spykman, the United states had a vital interest in controlling the Rim land because it was the only way to prevent the soviet Union from dominating europe and Asia He argued that the United states should support the development of democratic states in the Rim land and provide economic and military assistance to contain soviet influence the Rim land theory was influential in shaping Us foreign policy during the cold War and continues to be relevant today in discussions about the role of the United states in the Middle east and east Asia However, the theory has been criticized for oversimplifying the complex geopolitical dynamics of the region and underestimating the importance of other factors, such as ideology and culture the United states implemented a strategy of containment which aimed to prevent the spread of soviet influence by supporting democratic states in the Rim land and providing economic and military assistance to contain soviet influ-

ence the Us also engaged in numerous conflicts and interventions in the Rim land region, including the Korean War the Vietnam War and various Middle eastern conflicts to protect its strategic interests and prevent soviet expansion even after the end of the cold War, the United states continues to have strategic interests in the Rim land, particularly in the Middle east and east Asia the Us has maintained a military presence in the region and has engaged in various military interventions and operations including the Gulf War, the iraq War, and the War in Afghanistan these actions have been justified on the grounds of protecting Us strategic interests and promoting stability and democracy in the region the United states has had a significant interest in controlling the Rim land, both during the cold War and in the present day due to its strategic importance in global trade and commerce, as well as its role as a buffer zone between great powers the Rim land theory has also been applied to china in various ways some scholars argue that china’s rise as a major global power has shifted the balance of power in the Rim land, particularly in east Asia and that china s control of strategic sea routes in the region poses a challenge to Us strategic interests

china s growing economic and military influence in the region has led some analysts to suggest that china is seeking to establish hegemony in the Rim land china s Belt and Road initiative (BRi), which aims to promote economic connectivity across eurasia and beyond has been seen as a way to expand chinese influence and control over key trade routes and infrastructure in the Rim land others argue that china’s rise may lead to a realignment of power in the Rim land, with countries in the region seeking to balance against chinese influence by aligning with the United states or other powers some scholars also suggest that china s focus on its own domestic development and internal stability

may limit its ability to project power and influence beyond its borders the BRi is a massive infrastructure and investment program that seeks to connect china with other regions of the world through a network of railways, highways, ports, and pipelines the initiative includes investments in numerous countries in the Rim land region, including southeast Asia, south Asia, central Asia, and the Middle east some analysts argue that china’s investments in the Rim land are part of a broader strategy to establish a sphere of influence in the region and gain control over strategic sea lanes and resources the BRi has been criticized by some countries and analysts for creating debt traps and advancing china s strategic interests at the expense of other countries However, others argue that china s investments in the Rim land are driven by economic interests and a desire for regional stability and development chinese officials have stated that the BRi is an inclusive initiative that seeks to promote cooperation and mutual benefits among participating countries the Rim land theory provides a useful framework for understanding china s strategic interests and geopolitical position in the region As china is continuing to rise as a global power its influence in the Rim land will likely remain a key concern for policymakers and analysts alike other countries such as Russia and various european powers have also been influenced by the Rim land theory to varying degrees For example, Russia has historically sought to expand its influence in the Rim land by establishing alliances and controlling strategic ports in the region, while china has sought to increase its influence in the Rim land through its Belt and Road initiative which aims to develop infrastructure and trade routes in the region

The writer has a PhD in Political Science and can be reached at akramzaheer86@yahoo com

E d i t o r ’ s m a i l

S e n d y o u r l e t t e r s t o : L e t t e r s t o E d i t o r pakistan today, 4 - S h a a re y F a t i m a J i n n a h L a h o re P a k i s t a n E - m a i l : l e t t e r s @ p a k i s t a n t o d a y c o m p k L e t t e r s s h o u l d b e a d d re s s e d t o pakistan today e x c l u s i v e l y

The woes of foreign medical students

t H e medical education system in pakistan has several issues that it needs to deal with, i am writing to share the dilemma of foreign students at the liaquat University of Medical and Health sciences (lUMHs), Jamshoro the 2021-22 batch at the lUMHs has 15 foreign students from countries as diverse as palestine sri lanka sweden Afghanistan the United Arab emirates (UAe) and some other Arab as well as european countries it has been over a month since classes started, but foreign students simply cannot understand what they are being taught during the lectures owing to language and related issues it is under- standable that the foreigners cannot follow if the lectures are delivered in Urdu or sindhi However it is rather strange that even when the lectures are delivered in english language local accent and pronunciation patterns of most of the teachers keep the content as alien for the foreign students as they are in Urdu or sindhi i have spoken to several of these foreign students and have come across none who would claim to have understood much thus far they routinely skip classes conducted by most of the teachers due to this very reason What is the point, they wonder this has resulted in a waste of their time and money, for they simply cannot comprehend a word being taught by the teachers indeed some of them are planning to pursue their higher education in their respective countries and some are preparing to leave even in the middle of their courses there are some teachers who are great for foreign students but being a medical student of the new integrated module system is difficult as every subject is interconnected; if you understand all other subjects but suffer in one subject, this will be a huge setback, and one is bound to suffer in the whole course studying here as a foreign student they pay a hefty amount of fees to the institution leaving the studies midstream will result in financial loss but they still want to leave because even if they somehow pass, their degrees will be good for nothing because they are not comprehending anything at all on the flip side the hefty fee these foreign students pay generates good overall revenue for the institution which uses it to fund scholarships and infra- structure development if these students leave and the word of mouth spreads not many will be coming to study here there indeed are many foreign students who keep pakistan as one of the options for their professional studies Will they still be interested after watching their compatriots returning from pakistan in the middle of their studies and without earning their degrees? Hardly

As i understand on the basis of my interactions with foreign students elsewhere in the province, the problem is not specific to lUMHs the fact is that foreign students at other public-sector universities in most parts of sindh have the same complaints they cannot understand a word during the lectures owing to unfamiliar pronunciation and lack of proficiency in english among the teachers it seems there are no teachers development programmes and no one cares about seeking feedback from the students who suffer in silence due to language and communication issues this problem may be overcome by asking teachers to improve their english language skills, which will not only be beneficial for foreign nationals but also for local students But here we can also contend that if we learn english or other foreign languages before applying for a degree programme in the West, why cannot students from the West and other nonenglish speaking countries learn Urdu to adjust to the local culture and society? the government can make it mandatory for all foreign students seeking admission to medical and other general universities in pakistan to first learn Urdu one should take a cue from some european countries, such as Germany where one has to take up language courses to seek admission to some of their universities this will not only generate revenue for the country, but will also be a way to promote the local culture around the world this way the foreign students will not feel left out and will integrate into the local community they deserve it

Dr MuhaMMaD akraM Zaheer

According to Spykman, the United States had a vital interest in controlling the Rim land because it was the only way to prevent the Soviet Union from dominating Europe and Asia

TH e recent reprehensible statement made by israel s Finance Minister Bezalel smotrich, that the palestinian village of Huwara be “wiped out ” is beyond contempt And just a week later he stated that there no such a thing as the palestinian people, which rightfully evoked widespread international condemnation smotrich’s extremely chilling statements will not only severely undermine the normalization process between israel and the Arab states who are at peace with israel, but will also prevent any other Arab countries from normalizing relations with israel as long as the Netanyahu government is in power Moreover, such ugly utterances will make the israeli-palestinian conflict front and center, which israel, and especially this fanatic government wanted to sidestep as it pretends that the occupation is normal and that the 75-year-old israeli-palestinian conflict is of no consequence to understand the gravity of what smotrich, the leader of the ultranationalist Religious Zionist party said it is important to quote him verbatim in the first instance, he stated that i think the village of Huwara needs to be wiped out i think the state of israel should do it ” which evoked unprecedented international outcry instead of condemning him in the strongest terms, prime Minister Netanyahu added insult to injury by characterizing smotrich’s shocking declaration in a tweet four days later as inappropriate inappropriate? stating that israel should wipe out a whole palestinian village with nearly 6,000 men, women, and children is just inappropriate? But then Netanyahu thanked his fascist minister for retracting his statement instead of reprimanding him How absurd and disgusting in paris only a week later smotrich made his second most outrageous assertion stating: there is no such thing as a palestinian people, arguing: Who was the first palestinian king? What language do the palestinians have? Was there ever a palestinian currency? is there a palestinian history or culture? Nothing Whereas this statement

D i s m a l f a i l u r e

was outlandish what has infuriated Jordan in particular and other Arab states beyond words is that the podium where he was standing at was decorated with a variation of the israeli flag showing an enlarged map of israel that comprised the West Bank Gaza and most of Jordan the incensed Jordanian foreign ministry warned of the seriousness of the continuation of these extremist actions issued by the same minister ” adding that smotrich s actions violated the Jordan-israel peace treaty Although the israeli foreign ministry s response that israel is “committed to the 1994 peace agreement with Jordan and recognizes the territorial integrity of Jordan was obviously necessary the stain that was left behind will linger as long as Netanyahu is in power indeed, shouldn’t Netanyahu have been aware of his lunatic minister ’s long-held views of disdain towards palestinians and denial of their right to a state? this is a minister who Netanyahu also put in charge, no less, of the israeli unit that controls border crossings and permits for palestinians this is even more acutely critical when it comes to Jordan, which is extremely sensitive to any suggestion that Jordan is palestine, or even worse that Jordan is an integral part of greater israel as many extremist israeli nationalists would like it to be to claim that the abominable flag was just an ornament, as some israeli officials have tried to do, only smacks the world in the face with the disingenuousness and dishonesty of Netanyahu and his dodgy clan

And what about the international community s reactions to this loose cannon minister who caused irreparable damage to israel s standing in the eyes of its friends and allies? scores of countries, including the Us, Britain, Russia, turkey, canada, and switzerland, along with the UAe, egypt Bahrin the palestinian Authority and the UN have expressed their deep revulsion they characterized smotrich s unrestrained statements as being irresponsible, repugnant, unacceptable, intolerable, dangerous, reckless, inflammatory contradicting moral and human values inciting, provocative, shameful, and completely unhelpful the waste that has spewed from smotrich s mouth will have serious repercussions on israel’s relations with the Arab states on a number of fronts that cannot be mitigated as long as Netanyahu and his culprits are in power, as no Arab state will trust what this government will do or say next the Netanyahu government has lost its credibility and no assurances will assuage the Arab

W h y S a u d i A r a b i a h a s l e f t

P a k i s t a n o u t i n t h e c o l d

states’ concerns to begin with Netanyahu s dream of normalizing relations with saudi Arabia will not be realized, not only because the saudis do not trust him but also because they know perfectly well where he stands on the palestinian issue Netanyahu vowed time and again that there will be no palestinian state under his watch i have been told on a number of occasions by top saudi officials that regardless of Riyadh s tacit cooperation with israel which includes intelligence sharing, the sale of israeli technology, and security collaboration, the kingdom will not normalize relations with israel saudi Arabia remains committed to the Arab peace initiative that it introduced in 2002, which conditioned the establishment of Arabisraeli peace to ending the israeli-palestinian conflict based on a two-state solution Moreover, having just resumed diplomatic relations with iran, the saudis no longer see iran s regional ambition and nuclear program as an imminent threat Although the saudis still want to continue to cooperate with israel on regional security, the degree of cooperation will not be, over time, as pivotal as it has been when iran was considered saudi Arabia’s staunch adversary especially if the rapprochement between the two countries endures For Netanyahu, the saudi move towards iran was nothing but a real slap in the face, mainly because tehran is israel’s arch enemy the debacle over smotrich’s ill-fated statements did nothing but sour saudi-israeli tacit bilateral relations and it will be out of Netanyahu s reach to mend second other than the UAe Bahrain Morocco and sudan which normalized relations with israel under the Abraham Accords, there is no other Arab country that has signaled its readiness to normalize relations with israel if oman and Qatar were remotely contemplating such a move it is no longer on the table at this particular juncture the Arab states view smotrich s terrible statements about the palestinians as a reflection of the position of the Netanyahu government which foreclosed completely any prospect of other Arab states normalizing relations with israel third given the Netanyahu government’s overall new policy in connection with the israeli settlements the likelihood of further annexation of palestinian territories raised serious concerns among the Arab states about the government’s intentions and true objectives the UAe which has moved rapidly to increase its commercial ties

AFTER HIS REMOVAL, MASS DEMONSTR ATIONS ERUPTED ACR OSS PAKISTAN, ALONGSIDE R ARE PR OTESTS IN AR AB GULF STATES, INDIC ATING THAT KHAN’S VOTING B ASE REMAINED SOLIDLY BEHIND HIM

OVER THE PAST DEC ADE, SAUDI AR ABIA HAS PR OVIDED PAKISTAN WITH SE VER AL FINANCIAL B AILOUTS, INCLUDING A $1.5BN LOAN IN 2014, A $3BN DEPOSIT IN 2018, AND ANOTHER $3BN IN 2021, AMONG OTHER AID

with israel, including the import of military hardware, technology intelligence sharing and trade cancelled Netanyahu s scheduled visit to the emirates citing israeli National security Minister itamar Ben-Gvir s visit to the temple Mount the emirates decided to freeze its purchase of military equipment to send a clear message about its profound displeasure with the Netanyahu government UAe president sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan conveyed to israel that “As long as we can’t be certain that prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has a government that he controls, we can t cooperate the reaction to the new developments in israel is not limited to the UAe alone; other Arab states who have normalized relations with israel are now engaged in reassessing their ties and are unlikely to resume business as usual until there is a new israeli government they can trust

Finally the israeli-palestinian conflict was sidestepped by some of the Gulf and other Arab states, and they normalized relations with israel due to their overriding geostrategic interests and because they have become to some degree weary of the palestinians disunity and intransigence the recent mishaps by the israeli government have put the palestinian conflict back at center stage As a result any future normalization of relations with israel by any other Arab country and the expansion of relations with the current government will more than likely be tied directly to progress made by israel on the palestinian front this, in my view, will accelerate the demise of the Netanyahu government the two most extremist ministers smotrich and Ben-Gvir who are ravenous for palestinian blood will not accept any peaceful overture toward the palestinians, especially now following Netanyahu’s defeat in his efforts to subordinate israel’s judiciary to politicians whims of which these two renegades are the staunchest supporters in the final analysis, what has happened in israel in recent days may turn out to be a blessing in disguise the israelis may well be awakened to the reality that what they need now is a new generation of leaders who have a vision, but who are also practical and understand that israel’s future security and well-being depends on developing solid and progressive relationships with the Arab states based on genuine mutual trust to achieve that israel must spare no efforts to end the conflict with the palestinians based on a two-state solution, which will be the key to stability and a comprehensive Arab-israel peace

Dr Alon Ben-Meir is a professor of international relations at the Centre for Global Affairs at NYU He teaches courses on international negotiation and Middle Eastern studies alon@alonben-meir com

Will India’s e-rupee work?

signed to include people who are currently unable to access financial services, but that will be expensive – and i haven’t seen much recognition if any that central banks are willing to shoulder that burden, he told context

TH e removal of imran Khan as pakistan s prime minister in April 2022 ushered in a political crisis, and a year since his departure, it shows no signs of abating the political upheaval in islamabad has transformed into a major cataclysm with impacts on the country s political, economic and social life And as pakistan teeters on the edge of financial default its traditional partners are not coming to the rescue

Khan was ultimately removed from power through a noconfidence vote in parliament after a dispute with pakistan s army chief over the removal of his favoured intelligence chief

Having also refused to allow the Us to use Afghan bases for operations in the country, Khan had become a liability for pakistan’s military establishment

After his removal mass demonstrations erupted across pakistan alongside rare protests in Arab Gulf states indicating that Khan s voting base remained solidly behind him

Meanwhile the coalition government that replaced him under the leadership of prime Minister shehbaz sharif and with the military s backing, fell deeper into the throes of a financial crisis - and the international Monetary Fund (iMF) has delayed a multibillion-dollar bailout it was expected that the sharif government considered more acceptable to global and regional stakeholders, would be able to secure substantial financial grants from states such as saudi Arabia the UAe and Qatar these assumptions were not baseless as the sharif family has close ties with the saudi royals Former prime Minister Nawaz sharif spent his political exile in the kingdom after pakistan s 1999 military coup Unlike Khan whose attempts to project himself as a leader of the Muslim world put him in Riyadh s crosshairs, shehbaz sharif was expected to be politically servile to the kingdom

MOUNTING COSTS: Many believed this political docility and sharif ’s personal links to Gulf royals would eventually be enough for pakistan to secure crucial financial aid - but so far this has not been the case so why are Arab Gulf states and in particular saudi Arabia, reluctant to step in? over the past decade saudi Arabia has provided pakistan with several financial bailouts including a $1 5bn loan in 2014, a $3bn deposit in 2018, and another $3bn in 2021, among other aid A year ago, sharif s new government approached saudi Arabia for a new support package and last August Riyadh opted to renew $3bn in deposits as pakistan continued iMF negotiations

But after pakistan failed to reach a final agreement with the iMF no fresh bailout package was initiated by the saudis last November, General Asim Munir assumed command of the pakistani military, and he swiftly visited saudi Arabia; following his trip reports emerged that the Gulf state was considering increasing its deposits in pakistan s central bank to $5bn and making other investments in the country But beyond a recent $1bn oil-sector deal, little has materialised the reasons for saudi Arabia’s wariness cut across political economic and geostrategic domains While Riyadh has long been a source of financial support for pakistan, the latter s economic crisis has only worsened, and subsequent governments have appeared reluctant to fully implement iMF reforms owing to their inherent political costs this has raised questions within saudi decision-making quarters over the wisdom of repeatedly salvaging pakistan’s economy At the same time saudi Arabia s no-strings approach to foreign aid is changing in general, and the kingdom has been in talks with international financial institutions on new ways to support cash-strapped states such as pakistan it is becoming evident that fiscal belt-tightening and improved governance practices are no longer just the iMF s demands, but also saudi Arabia’s aid conditions vis-a-vis pakistan

POLITICAL INSTABILITY: there is also a political dimension to the saudi disinclination towards providing financial assistance to pakistan since his removal from power Khan has continued to gain ground against the current government with a recent poll putting his popularity at 61 percent, compared with just 32 percent for the incumbent prime minister As the federal government tries to avoid holding elections in key provinces and as the targeting of politicians and political workers by authorities continues, political instability is a given the emphasis by a former saudi ambassador to pakistan on the link between political and economic stability further suggests that renewed financial engagement hinges on a rapprochement between various political players and state institutions the saudi-pakistani relationship also has a geostrategic angle the two countries maintain close defence ties and their armed forces routinely hold joint exercises pakistan has also deployed soldiers to saudi Arabia in training and advisory roles in this way pakistan continues to contribute in an indirect manner towards saudi national security still, pakistan s defence engagement with saudi Arabia has increasingly become low-key and more of tactical significance - a far cry from its military presence within the kingdom during the iran-iraq War thus, even as saudi Arabia recently deposited $1bn and $5bn respectively in the central banks of Yemen and turkey o u t o f g e o s t r a t e g i c s e n s i t i v i t i e s - a n d i n d i s r e g a r d o f i t s

newly adopted foreign aid approach - there remains little app e t i t e w i t h i n s a u d i d e c i s i o n - m a k i n g q u a r t e r s t o d

JU s t outside the Reserve Bank of india’s Monetary Museum – which charts the evolution of money, from barter to electronic transactions –Bachche lal sahani is testing the nation s newest form of currency the e-rupee the 45-year-old fruit vendor is among the first retailers in india to use the central bank digital currency the Reserve Bank of india launched as a pilot on December 1 a month after the trial for wholesale, or interbank transactions, was rolled out since then sahani has recorded only about 30 purchases with the e-rupee, which is one of several digital payment options he offers besides Google pay and paytM But he is hopeful it will catch on with customers many of whom still prefer cash “this works even without the internet We do face network issues at times when we use Google pay and paytM sahani said as he packed apples and pears, and announced the arrival of sweet grapes to a regular customer who paid cash people don t know about e-rupee yet because it is still in its pilot phase it will become popular, but it will take time ” sahani told context

A central bank digital currency is the digital form of a country s fiat, or official, currency that can be used for interbank and cross-country settlements and for retail transactions

More than 100 countries are researching developing or piloting a central bank digital currency, according to the Atlantic council think-tank Nearly a dozen countries have launched a central bank digital currency, including the Bahamas, Jamaica and Nigeria

A central bank digital currency aims to complement rather than replace current forms of money, and holds a lot of promise by way of ensuring transparency, and low cost of operation ” the Reserve Bank of india said in a concept note in october the e-rupee system will bolster india s digital economy, enhance financial inclusion, and make the monetary and payment systems more efficient ” it said the growing popularity of cryptocurrency and financial sanctions following Russia s invasion of Ukraine have also motivated nations to test central bank digital currencies said Josh lipsky, senior director of the Atlantic council s Geoeconomics center

“the rise of cryptocurrency has countries like india worried about monetary sovereignty and look to offer an alternative, especially to dollar-backed stablecoins,” said lipsky, referring to virtual coins that are pegged to the dollar india s pilot is hugely significant as it s one of the world s largest economies, and it has galvanised other countries to take action ” he said

Globally cash use is falling a trend that accelerated during the pandemic Yet about 1 7 billion adults still do not have access to a bank account according to the World Bank central bank digital currencies accessed via e-wallets on mobile phones, can improve financial inclusion, as they can spur adoption of digital payments “particularly when market size and profit potential are insufficient to motivate (the) private sector, the Bank for international settlements said in a report

But many central bank digital currencies are designed to operate via existing financial systems, noted oliver Bullough, a British writer who tracks financial crimes “they could be de-

A bigger motivation for central banks is cracking down on money laundering and other financial crimes said Bullough as cash is largely untraceable, while central bank digital currencies require an iD “No digital currency is anonymous Whether you use Apple pay or a debit card, you can be tracked, he said the only way to avoid that is to only use cash, which is pretty hard ” the Reserve Bank of india in its concept note, said that the potential for anonymous digital currency to facilitate shadow-economy and illegal transactions makes it highly unlikely that any central bank digital currency would be designed to fully match the levels of anonymity and privacy” of physical cash But it is possible to get a legal provision to ensure anonymity for the e-rupee, Reserve Bank of india s Deputy Governor t Rabi sankar told reporters in December Anonymity is a basic feature of currency and we will have to ensure that, he said, without giving further details

DIGITAL DRIVE: the Bahamas was first to launch a central bank digital currency, the sand Dollar in 2020 But authorities have said adoption remains low in china – where Alipay and Wechat pay dominate digital payments – the digital yuan has been tested in several cities and was opened up to foreign visitors and athletes at the 2022 Winter olympic Games in Beijing, even as some experts warned it was a tool for surveillance and control in india digital transactions have surged in recent years, with payments for even small purchases made through the Unified payments interface a Reserve Bank of india initiative that allows real-time transfer of funds between bank accounts last month more than 7 billion transactions worth about $150 billion were made via Unified payments interface, just below a January record, according to the National payments corporation of india the non-profit that oversees the platform Authorities said the Unified payments interface has helped expand access to banking services and welfare programmes But with greater digitisation come concerns around privacy and security With the central bank digital currency, the government can also enforce its adoption and use said srinivas Kodali at Free software Movement of india an advocacy group privacy is the biggest concern with any digital payment system, and especially with a central bank digital currency india s draft data protection law gives the government broad exemptions to access all data, he said “cybersecurity is another worry since any loophole will leave people vulnerable the central bank digital currency, like other digital infrastructure in india, has been developed with no transparency and no citizen participation ” Kodali said even bankers have said they do not yet see a clear advantage of the e-rupee over Unified payments interface that is also the experience of Reshma Dhokle a cashier at a supermarket in a luxury mall in suburban Mumbai the store has done few transactions with the e-rupee she said as it does not work most of the time We have had no users so far, except some bankers who came to test it, Dhokle said

C h i n a U r g e S J a pa n t o S t r e n g t h e n ta l kS , n o t t o f o l lo W U S ’ ‘ W r o n g S t r at e g y ’

BEiJiNG Ag e n c i e s

iN a meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, Chinese Premier Li Qiang has urged Japan to meet China halfway and strengthen dialogue and cooperation, as well as manage discrepancies Officials from both countries also discussed key issues such as the Taiwan question Hayashi s visit to China comes at a crucial juncture when bilateral ties have spiraled down to the most severe situation in five decades Experts see it as offering a window of opportunity for both countries to commit to getting ties back on the right track of managing disputes via dialogue

With Japan yet unable to shake off its distorted views of China and willing to continue to assist the US in containing Beijing, experts said that one visit will unlikely bring substantial changes The onus is on Tokyo to show more sincerity in improving ChinaJapan relations they said

In his meeting with Hayashi Premier Li said he wishes that China and Japan can work together to build a relationship that is required by the new era and he asked Japan

to treat China with honesty and credibility

China and Japan are important trade partners so both sides should realize mutual benefit and achieve win-win cooperation at a higher level said the Chinese Premier Wang Yi director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, told Hayashi on Sunday that currently ChinaJapan relations remain stable, yet disturbances emerge sometimes The fundamental reason, according to Wang, is because some forces in Japan are deliberately following the US’ wrong China policy trying to provoke and smear China’s core interests Such moves are short-sighted strategically wrong on a political front and unwise in terms of diplomacy

Peaceful co-existence and friendly cooperation is the only choice for China-Japan relations China s State Councilor and Minister of Foreign Affairs Qin Gang told Hayashi in Beijing on Sunday Qin urged Japan to build correct recognition of China, strengthen communication and manage disputes properly in the first in-person meeting between the foreign ministers of the two countries in more than three years In the meeting Qin and Hayashi discussed core issues that are affecting ties in-

cluding Japan s plan to dump Fukushima nuclear-contaminated wastewater into the ocean Tokyo s recent restrictions on semiconductor equipment exports and the Taiwan question Qin said the Taiwan question is at the core of China s core interests, and concerns the political foundation of China-Japan relations China urged Japan to abide by the

Oil surges as OPEC+ surprise output cuts shake markets

Oil prices surged on Monday, posting the biggest daily rise in nearly a year, after a surprise announcement by OPEC+ to cut more production jolted markets Brent crude was trading at $84 22 a barrel by 0900 GMT up $4 33 or 5 4% after touching the highest in a month at $86 44 earlier in the session U S West Texas Intermediate crude was at $79 84 a barrel up $4 17 or 5 5%, after earlier hitting the highest

level since late January

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and their allies including Russia shook markets by announcing further production cuts of about 1 16 million barrels per day (bpd) on Sunday he group, known as OPEC+, had been expected to maintain its earlier decision to cut output by 2 million bpd until December at its monthly meeting on Monday The pledges bring the total volume of cuts by OPEC+ to 3 66 million bpd according to Reuters calculations equal to 3 7% of global demand A view shows branded oil tanks at

Boao

M i A n A b R A R

Former World Bank President Jim Yong Kim has said that the debt trap associated with the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) makes no sense and studies have shown the term debttrap diplomacy” is “nothing more than a meme”

“Many U S journalists have smeared the BRI with little or no investigation into its benefits Noting the worsening anti-Chinese sentiments in the U S I call upon Asian-Americans to stand up to the blind hate Jim Yong Kim made the remarks during the The Belt and Road: Sharing the Opportunities of Development forum held at the Boao Forum for Asia 2023 Citing American political scientist and professor of political economy at Johns Hopkins University Debor a h B r ä u t i g a m Kim said that the most ef-

Saudi Aramco oil facility in Abqaiq

Saudi Arabia

As a result Goldman Sachs lowered its end-2023 production forecast for OPEC+ by 1 1 million bpd and raised its Brent price forecasts to $95 and $100 a barrel for 2023 and 2024, respectively, it said in a note he Biden administration said the move announced by the producers was unadvisable and some analysts questioned OPEC+’s rationale for the extra production cut It s hard to buy the pre-emptive and precautionary reasoning – espe-

fective and well-known researcher has not found any evidence to substantiate the claims made about the Chinese debt In fact the term came about because of human negativity bias based on anxiety about the rise of China he noted while quoting from the study If there is one message we give to the C h i n e s e p e o p l e i t i s p l e a s e d o n t r e d u c e y o u r a m b i t i o n t o h e l p o t h e r c o u n t r i e s d evelop their economies and reduce poverty a s y o u h a v e o v e r t h e l a s t 3 0 y e a r s , h e a d d e d Using the Gen-Z slang the acronym G O A T (greatest of all time), the former WB bank president said that it was simply a historical fact that in terms of economic development and poverty alleviation “China is the G O A T the greatest of all times don t let the rest of the world make you the scapegoat Earlier in another session themed Belt and Road: Sharing the Opportunities of Development Jim Yong Kim It may be noted that Kim s comments came against the backdrop of western claims that Beijing was inveigling poorer countries into taking out loans to build expensive infrastructure only to eventually seize control of assets

principles of the four China-Japan political documents and commitments that have been made so far and not to interfere with the Taiwan question nor damage China s sovereignty in any form

Bilateral ties at crossroads: Hayashi’s visit, arranged at a juncture where China-Japan relations have nosedived to the

cially now when the banking crisis had tailed off and Brent had crawled back up towards $80 from its 15-month lows earlier in March said Vandana Hari founder of oil market analysis provider Vanda Insights

The decision may mean OPEC+ still sees economic storm clouds on the horizon, Jorge Leon, senior vice president at consultancy Rystad Energy, said “These cuts may be signaling that OPEC+ believes that there are enough recessionary indicators in the market (and) will further tighten the oil market for the rest of the year and could push prices above $100 per barrel Brent fell last month towards $70 a barrel the lowest in 15 months on concerns that a global banking crisis and rising interest rates would hit demand despite lower OPEC oil output in March due to a halt in some of Iraq s exports

most severe point since the normalization of China-Japan diplomatic relations 51 years ago Yang Xiyu a senior research fellow at the China Institute of International Studies told the Global Times Da Zhigang director of the Institute of Northeast Asian Studies at the Heilongjiang Provincial Academy of Social Sciences, believes that Premier Li s meeting with the Japanese foreign minister demonstrates that China attaches great importance to this visit, and Beijing’s goodwill in pushing bilateral ties back on to a healthy trajectory

In a meeting with Yasuo Fukuda former Japanese prime minister and former chairman of the Boao Forum for Asia on Friday Wang Yi director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China Central Committee warned that China has reason to be concerned about the possible regression of Japan s policy toward China and to question whether Japan will continue to adhere to the direction of peaceful development Japanese media has been hyping the detention of a Japanese national who is allegedly suspected of espionage in China, describing it as the central task of Hayashi’s Beijing visit

McDonald’s temporarily shuts US offices, prepares layoff notices, WSJ repor ts

from borrowing nations Earlier speaking during the session the chairman of the Boao Forum for Asia and former secretary-general of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon said China s commitment to the multilateral approach and global partnership is reassuring and encouraging Emphasising peace and security as prerequisites for achieving sustainable development, Ban noted that there is no decoupling of the two in any way

Burger chain McDonald’s Corp (MCD N) is temporarily closing its U S offices this week as it prepares to inform corporate employees about its layoffs as part of a broader company restructuring the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday In an internal email last week to U S employees and some international staff McDonald s asked them to work from home from Monday through Wednesday so it can deliver staffing decisions virtually the report said It is unclear how many employees will be laid off During the week of April 3, we will communicate key decisions related to roles and staffing levels across the organization,” the Chicago-based company said in the message viewed by the Journal McDonald’s also asked employees to cancel all inperson meetings with vendors and other outside parties at its headquarters the report added McDonald’s did not immediately respond to Reuters request for a comment The fast-food chain said in January that it would review corporate staffing levels as part of an updated business strategy which could lead to layoffs in some areas and expansion in others McDonald s is expected to begin announcing key decisions by Monday

Remembering Shaheed- eJamhuriat Zulfik ar Ali Bhutto

Bashir riaz

Forty-four years ago on 4th 1979, Pakistan’s elected Prim ister and the founder of P People’s Party was killed in now acknowledged as judici der Today his legacy contin live on in the hearts of the Pa people and importantly the p founded is still alive and wid evant in the political landsc Pakistan On this day let u brate Shaheed Bhutto s valor membering his words from j In a document written prison cell, Zulfikar Ali Bhut I was born to serve the peop struct the nation and prevent struction I was not born hanged by a tyrant full of who wanted to appease his re ful nature I was born to free from the bonds of slavery and instill in them the sentiments of selfawareness and self-respect Mr Bhutto wanted to leave behind a heritage of progress and prosperity and fight against the policies of International Monetary Fund and the World Bank which actually help deteriorate the economic system for the developing countries of the developing World When, Shaheed Bhutto took over the reins of the government after the debacle of East-Pakistan he had the unique responsibility of building up a stable Pakistan The country had lost its original identity and deserved to attain its past recognition once more The creation of an independent sovereign state of Pakistan in 1947 was the miracle of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah who breathed his last on 11th September, 1948, a short while after Pakistan s independence Later on, Pakistan was ruled by bureaucracy and military dictatorship, until Zulfikar Ali Bhutto emerged as the

imperialism filling the vacuum of leadership by his dynamic and unswerving personality

During imprisonment, Shaheed Bhutto used to deliver messages to the people of Pakistan through his courageous daughter Benazir Bhutto In his last message, he said, “I am leaving you forever but with a prayer to Allah Almighty to grant my country solidarity unity and integrity

I am leaving this material world forever but god only knows that I am treading one path of truthfulness and honesty of purpose I have no fear of death Allah is with me Truth and patience always survive against tyranny and selfishness

I request Pakistani people to stand against despondency and eradicate the threats of international conspiracies against Pakistan We must be vigilant against such elements and fight with devotion and sincerity for the independence and sovereignty of Pakistan

According to Shaheed Benazir

her father in one of his gs with the party leaders had ably claimed One moment dom is far better to one thouears of slavery He often rethe saying of Imam Hussain be upon him) Death of rend honour is much better than of servitude and dishonor heartening to note his words ah, I bow down my head beur desire; grant me whatever ish and take away whatever sh you are omnipotent ” Hond dishonor is your prerogaadvised his daughter Live brave person after me and die ourageous individual I swear name of Allah Almighty that gations against me are fake ke They are based on dishond political vengeance I hope ople of Pakistan will never bow down before the oppressor and tyrant rulers of Pakistan I have my suspicions about the independence and sovereignty of Pakistan International conspiracies have spread their tentacles around us Beware of them be vigilant always I have full faith and confidence in the intelligence and sagacity of the people of Pakistan that they will display their valor and courage to overcome all the hurdles in their way and will succeed in their desire for progress and development of their dear country A Muslim lives and dies for the sake of Allah

In Pakistan’s history, Shaheed Zulfikar Ai Bhutto set a great example of courage when he chose not to bow down to the tyranny of undemocratic forces and chose to live in the annals of history even if it meant saying goodbye to the material world

The author is former press-secretary to late Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto

corporate corner

CCP prepares comprehensive guidelines on Deceptive Marketing Prac tices

ISLAMABAD: In line with its commitment to safeguarding consumers against anti-competitive behaviour and offering valuable insights to stakeholders regarding Section 10 of the Competition Act, 2010, the Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) has devised comprehensive guidelines pertaining to deceptive marketing practices, and how to steer clear of them

The Guidelines on Deceptive Marketing Practices, which are being issued by CCP under Sections 28 and 29 of the Act, aim to provide a comprehensive explanation of the scope and application of Section 10 of the Act The guidelines draw upon issues raised in cases involving false or misleading advertising and other deceptive marketing practices that the CCP has resolved or adjudicated since 2008 Therefore, they contain general information and illustrative examples based on jurisprudence developed through the Commission s decisions over the years, intended to guide all stakeholders In broad terms, the Guidelines cover key concepts such as the principle of net general impression, material information, false and misleading information, and implied and express claims, among others It also explains various forms of Deceptive Marketing Practices prevalent in the market and provides guidance on how businesses can ensure they do not engage in such violations The Guidelines also touch upon the method of filing a complaint, remedies available under competition law, and the enforcement powers available to the Commission The guidelines have been made available on the official website of CCP, which can be accessed at www cc gov pk Stakeholders are advised to study the Act in conjunction with these Guidelines and to seek legal advice where necessary It may be noted that the information contained in these Guidelines is not exhaustive and does not limit the investigation and enforcement powers of the Commission The Commission reserve its right to amend these Guidelines from time to time In 2008, an Office of Fair Trade (OFT) was established with the goal of encouraging businesses to comply with Section 10 of the Competition Law and improve their trade practices through compliance-oriented approach while taking decisive action against hardcore or flagrant offenders of the Act p R

NHA hec tic effor ts restored traffic between Balochistan, KP

ISLAMABAD: After day -night efforts by engineers and field staff NHA succeeded in opening national highway N-50 at Dhanasar located between Balochistan and KP provinces It is to recall that the traffic was suspended on highway yesterday due to heavy rains and resultant land sliding at Koh Suleman range It is worth to mention that light traffic in hilly hard area was restored in 12 hours while sliding debris was removed with heavy machines in total 24 hours and now the national highway N-50 is open for all kinds of traffic

Undoubtedly it is a big achievement on part of NHA construction experts It was all made possible due to personal interest of Federal Minister for Communications Asad Mahmood as he immediately directed Federal Secretary Communications Captain ( R) Mohammad Khurram Agha for the earliest restoration of traffic at affected portion of highway Making practical advancement NHA Member west zone Shahid Ehsan ullah and General Manager Agha

Inayat along with field staff took emergent steps and completed the hard task even in bad weather conditions and in Ramzan Federal Minister for Communications Asad Mahmood has commended the untiring efforts put in by NHA officials for restoration of traffic in record time period p R

Azerbaijan intends to develop educational linkage with AIOU, Amb Khazar Farhadov

I S L A M A B A D: The Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Pakistan, H E, Khazar Farhadov called on the Vice Chancellor Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU), Prof Dr Nasir Mahmood He expressed his desire for cooperation between AIOU and the universities of Azerbaijan Stressing upon the cooperation, Dr Nasir Mahmood said that AIOU is the only university of Pakistan providing opportunities to enhance education for Pakistanis and international students living all over the world Dr Nasir said that the new generation of Azerbaijan has got a great opportunity to get education and training, they can study online from AIOU Director, International Collaboration & Exchange Office, Dr Zahid Majeed said AIOU's Urdu Department, English Department, and a comprehensive set-up of the Center for Languages and Translation Studies (CeLTS) are ready to cooperate with the universities of Azerbaijan The Ambassador of Azerbaijan and the Vice Chancellor, AIOU agreed to cooperate in educational matters of bilateral interest including student exchange programs and joint degree programs p R

LONDON

S ta f f R e p o R t

Proudly waving the flag of Pakistan across the world in Formula racing circuit, Enaam Ahmed has become the first-ever and the only Pakistani to be a World Champion in K a r t i n g b e a t i n g t h e r e c o r d s o f F o r m u l a

One drivers Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen

Not only that Enaam Ahmed is also the British Formula 3 Champion the first-ever high-level Formula Championship winner in the history of Pakistan, smashing the record of Ayrton Senna by winning 13 races in one season The 23-year-old is going places around the world with his winning streak on the dangerous tracks, driving cars at an average 200 miles per hour – making sure that his car carries both British and Pakistani flags waving Enaam is one of the brightest and most exciting young racing talents in motorsport

He has been winning Championships and breaking records since the age of 14 Enaam Ahmed is also the most successful Pakistani heritage racing driver ever in the history of motorsport because he is also known as the

Why

don’t people pay ta xes?

ISLAMABAD

WR I T I N G for The Express Tribune author Hamid

Ateeq Sarwar explains that the issue of low tax collection in Pakistan has been a persistent challenge for the country s economy Despite levying taxes through law, the ratio of taxes to the size of the economy remains quite low far lower than the spending ambitions and obligations of its federal and provincial governments This has raised concerns about the government s ability to provide necessary services and infrastructure to its citizens Various arguments have been put forward to explain the low tax collection in Pakistan These include a lack of trust in the government, corruption and misuse in the expenditure of public money, and connivance between tax agencies and tax evaders However, many countries with worse records in these areas are still able to collect much more taxes

The root of the problem lies in the counter-intuitive nature of tax compliance The human brain is wired to make

StAff rePOrt

The Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in the South (COMSATS) an intergovernmental organization of 27 Member States, signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) with the Syndesis Health Inc The LOI would enable reaching a Memorandum of Understanding for cooperation in “National Genomic Sequencing Programs”

trade-offs, that is, giving away something only on getting something of equal or greater utility in return Taxes, on the other hand are not linked to any exchange or reward in the short medium or long term Often the beneficiaries of tax payments are sets of people different and remote from those paying the taxes Therefore in a rational world nobody would like to pay taxes unless forced to Even those who are patriotic and understand the national importance of paying taxes may be deterred from doing so due to the fear of harming their business

For instance, honest traders or manufacturers of non-branded goods may suffer a loss if their competitors are not paying their taxes honestly This leads to a situation where many honest taxpayers underdeclare or fail to declare their revenues The deepening of the tax base is not possible without sufficient broadening so as to establish horizontal equity without which no tax enforcement can work Horizontal equity refers to the principle that taxpayers in similar situations should be treated similarly However, in Pakistan, there is extreme horizontal in-

equity, with a large number of people not paying their taxes, which forces those who are filers/payers not to declare their revenues and incomes correctly In order to address this issue tax authorities need to create a perception in the minds of potential and actual taxpayers that paying taxes correctly now is far cheaper and painless than paying later when their tax evasion stands detected They also need to create the perception that the probability of being caught if one is not honest in compliance is close to certainty

According to available data, there are 160 million mobile phone users, 85 million bank accounts (67 million active bank accounts), at least 5 million private vehicles on roads, 350,000 industrial electricity connections and 4 million commercial electricity consumers in Pakistan However the income tax filing population is only 3 5 million (one-third filing zero income returns) and sales tax payers/depositors are 60 000 This highlights the need for a more effective tax administration that encourages tax base broadening and deepening by ensuring horizontal equity and deterrence

Currently, Pakistan's tax collection system relies heavily on withholding taxes and tax collection on formal imports which contributes about Rs5 5 trillion Most of the remaining balance is contributed by large corporations in the form of advance income tax and domestic sales tax This system has evolved due to the peculiar political economy of the country and the reluctance to allocate reasonable resources to the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) While partially effective, it does not encourage tax base broadening and deepening due to the lack of horizontal equity and deterrence Compliance has become dependent on ad hoc measures rather than a consistent and effective tax system In conclusion addressing the low tax collection issue in Pakistan requires a comprehensive strategy that goes beyond ad hoc measures It involves creating a perception of deterrence and establishing horizontal equity to encourage tax compliance

To re a d t h e f u l l a r t i c l e v i s i t w w w tr ib u n e co m p k

for the COMSATS Member States Syndesis Health Inc is a company incorporated in Delaware USA with its business office at New York It accelerates research and innovation for healthcare life sciences and biotechnology companies The LoI was signed by the COMSATS Executive Director Amb Dr Mohammad Nafees Zakaria and Syndesis Health Inc s Co-Founder & Director Mr Kamil Mehmood

This collaboration will enable better healthcare, promote R&D, acquire scientific knowledge technical and technological knowhow for the COMSATS

Member Countries’ Scientific community and citizens and empower healthcare organisations The cooperation will devise technical programs for upscaling healthcare infrastructure in COMSATS Member States and provide AI powered software and analytics

NEPRA conduc ts hearing on Uniform Q uar terly Adjustments for KE c ustomers

ISLAMABAD

p R

NEPRA conducted a public hearing on Monday on the Federal Government s request to apply quarterly adjustments on KE customers These Quarterly Adjustments of PKR 1 5547 and PKR 1 48-4 45 pertains to the 2nd quarter of FY22 and the first quarter of FY23 respectively Application of these adjustments on KE consumers along with their period of recoverability will be determined by NEPRA followed by a notification from the Government NEPRA scrutinized this request and will issue a final decision on the amount to be passed on to customers as per its protocol NEPRA and the Government of Pakistan legislates the governing policies and regulations which determine the costs recovered from customers in their monthly bills Individual Distribution Companies cannot influence the process or make unilateral changes

In the first request, the Federal Government is seeking NEPRA’s approval to apply PKR 1 55 rupees

tiktok introduces a new way to refresh For you feed recommendations

per unit on all customer categories (except Lifeline consumers) for units consumed in July August and September 2022 The amounts will be recovered in bills for the months of April May and June 2023 respectively In the second request the Government is seeking approval to apply charges on units consumed in February and March 2023 to be recovered in April and May 2023 in the following manner: PKR 1 48 per unit for residential customers using up to 300 units except lifeline consumers; PKR 3 21 per unit for residential customers using more than 300 units, and PKR 4 45 per unit for all other categories excluding certain Agricultural consumers A b o u t K-E l E c t r i c: K-Electric (KE) is a public listed company incorporated in Pakistan in 1913 as KESC Privatized in 2005 KE is the only vertically integrated utility in Pakistan supplying electricity within a 6500 km square territory including Karachi and its adjoining areas The majority shares (66 4%) of the company are listed in the PSX owned by KES Power a consortium of investors including Aljomaih Power Limited of Saudi Arabia

IIUI ex tends applic ation submission date for English language courses till April 7th

most successful British Formula 3 driver in history Enaam Ahmed was born to Pakistani parents in London 23 years ago It was at the age of eight that he started taking interest in racing His parents started funding their son s passion by sending him to local Gokarting tracks for children but they had no idea that their son would become a European and World Champion at the age of 14 – winning it one year younger than Lewis Hamilton who became the world champion at age of 15 years

Enaam told this publication that when announced his decision for Car racing his parents told him they will not be funding him anymore and he would need to learn to stand on his own feet to explore the horizon or return to normal life and finish university degree and then do whatever he wants to

Enaam Ahmed left the comfort of his home immediately to live in Japan, Spain, Italy, New Zealand and the United States to focus on professional driving He has not looked back ever since

In the interview the star racer said: “I was 14 years old when I won five championships in one year The two most

Pr

Popular short-video platform TikTok has announced a new feature that allows users to refresh their For You feed if they feel that their recommendations are no longer relevant This new feature is part of TikTok s ongoing efforts to ensure an enjoyable viewing experience for its users while also enabling selfexpression The For You feed is a feature that helps TikTok users discover a diversity of content creators communities and products However there are times when people s recommendations don t feel relevant anymore or provide enough variety To address this TikTok is rolling out a way for users to refresh their For You feed recommendations which allows them to view content as if they just signed up for TikTok The recommendation system will then surface more content based on new interactions This feature adds to a number of content controls that TikTok users already have to shape their experience including the ability to filter out videos that use specific hashtags or phrases from their For You feeds and to skip future videos from a particular creator or that use a particular sound Enabling the refresh feature won t override any settings users have already chosen to enable or impact accounts they ve followed TikTok is constantly working to provide an enjoyable viewing experience and takes multiple approaches to help safeguard its platform For instance TikTok removes content that breaks its rules makes inappropriate content ineligible for recommendation into For You feeds minimizes recommendations of topics that could have a negative impact if viewed repeatedly, and filters out content with complex or mature themes from teen accounts An inherent challenge of any recommendation system is ensuring the breadth of content surfaced to a viewer isn't too narrow or too repetitive

For me it matters the most that I won these races at the world stage as a Pakistani as a Pakistani Not just to do it but to win it, this makes me very proud and there is a long way to go Enaam Ahmed has a driving simulator set up at his home in London when he’s with his parents He’s in the United States where he spends most of his time as that’s where he drives cars as a professional “The training is usually twice a day That s not the hardest part though The most difficult thing to do is to go out at that young age and get sponsors who fund races I always have to perform and to win in order to stay in the game If you don t perform there are no sponsors behind you Right now I race in the US in the series called Indy Nxt which is leading me to IndyCar – the biggest series in the US, he added “I am the first ever and the only Pakistani to take part in these races Alhamdullilah, I am lucky that I have good sponsors from America this year and they have enabled me to live my dream and get to the top in the two biggest racing series ” he concluded

CO M S ATS a n d Sy n d e s i s He a l t h I n c m ove to c o l l a b o r ate i n G e n o m i c S e q u e n c i n g P ro g r a m s

C E m E n t d E s pat C h E s d E C l i n E b y 24 . 1 9 % d u r i n g m a r C h

adversely affecting all industrial sectors, including cement

million tons against 5 006 million tons dispatched during the same month in the last fiscal year

According to a spokesperson of the All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association (APCMA), the construction activities in the country have significantly decreased since the past few months Not only is this creating an alarming situation for the industry, but also drying up employment opportunities for the skilled and unskilled labour attached to the construction sector Continued political instability currency devaluation and poor economic conditions are

According to the data released by APCMA, local cement despatches by the industry during the month of March 2023 were 3 356 million tons compared to 4 710 million tons in March 2022, showing a decline of 28 75% Exports despatches increased by 48 46% as the volumes increased from 295 321 tons in March 2022 to 438,433 tons in March 2023 In March 2023, north based cement mills dispatched 2 82 million tons of cement, indicating a decline of 28 22% against the 3 929 million tons dispatched in March 2022 South based mills dispatched 974 467 tons of cement during March 2023 This was 9 48% less compared to the despatches of 1 076 million tons during March 2022 North based cement mills dispatched

this period were 30 564 million tons against 36 126 million tons during the same period last year, showing a reduction of 15 40% Export despatches were also 34 62% less as the volumes reduced to 3 036 million tons during the first nine months of the current fiscal year compared to 4 643 million tons exports done during the same period of last fiscal year N o r t h b a s e d m i l l s d i s p a t c h e d 2 5 0 4 7 m i l l i o n t o n s o f c e m e n t d o m e s t i c a l l y d u ri n g t h e f i r s t n i n e m o n t h s o f t h e c u r r e n t f i s c a l y e a r, s h o w i n g a r e d u c t i o n o f

1 6 3 3 % i n t h e c e m e n t d e s p a t c h e s o f

2 9 9 3 7 m i l l i o n t o n s d u r i n g J u l y - M a r c h 2 0 2 2 E x p o r t s f r o m t h e n o r t h i n c r e a s e d b y 1 4 5 6 % p e r c e n t t o 7 7 8 , 4 3 7 t o n s d u ri n g J u l y - M a r c h 2 0 2 3 c o m p a r e d t o 6 7 9 4 8 1 t o n s e x p o r t e d d u r i n g t h e s a m e

Govt allows impor t of S oybean seeds on impor ter ’s under taking, fails to ensure non- GMO status

e e d s at

ISLAMABAD G h u l a m a b b a s

Despite tall claims of government and concerned ministry that oilseeds of Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) will not be allowed in the country for being unsafe for consumption, they are now being imported and allowed based solely on importers’ undertakings that they are non-GMO The government has failed to properly inspect and test the imported oilseeds or ensure that they are non-GMO through third-party verification even after losses to both importers and the poultry industry due stoppage of oilseed consignments worth around $400 million at ports

The federal minister of the Ministry of National Food Security and Research, Tariq Bashir Cheema had raised serious objections to the use of GMO soybean in poultry feed, citing its unsafe nature

for human consumption due to its cancerous impact The biggest health risks associated with GMO soybeans are the transfer of antibiotic resistance toxicity and allergenicity which have led to several incidents of allergic reactions

The issue of halted oilseed imports remained in media and discussed in higher public forums for months as the government fell into a difficult situation following pressure from importers and poultry industry to get the vessels released and on the other hand its position to disallow GMO seeds in the country required under an international protocol Cartagena Protocol signed by Pakistan

Later it was decided to inspect/test the oilseeds for GMO and decide about the fate of imported consignments It was claimed by the food ministry that those consignments proved to be GMO would be reshipped/re-exported

However reliable sources informed

that nearly all of the stranded vessels of oilseeds at Karachi port have been released based on importers’ undertakings and fumigation by the Plant Protection Department The Ministry of Climate Change, which is responsible for inspecting GMO seeds has failed to carry out its mandate to inspect and test the imported oilseeds, despite the hue and cry in the media for months

In October of last year the Customs department seized nine vessels without NOCs from the Ministry of Climate Change, an exercise never practiced in the past making it difficult for the country to allow or disallow the seeds Documents show that an importing company has given an undertaking on its letterhead that we hereby undertake that 3000 MT Soybean seed loaded on the vessel MV Cl DAYANG HE is nonGMO and fit for human consumption ”

The Department of Plant Protection is

releasing the importing oilseeds based on similar undertakings

An official source from the Department of Plant Protection has claimed that except for two vessels of soybean, all consignments have been cleared The department’s mandate is to ensure the clearance of pest/insect-free consignments for which they fumigate the imported seeds However, examining whether the imported oilseeds are GMO or not is not within the department s mandate Most soybeans are imported into Pakistan and most of them are GMOs which attract objections from various stakeholders The Pakistan Biosafety Rules, 2005, require the mandatory registration of GMOs and Living Modified Organisms (LMOs) with the National Biosafety Council The registration process involves a detailed scrutiny of GMO or LMO-based products including human health aspects Therefore, the associated threats or benefits to the region will only be fully revealed once these products undergo a scientific review

In 2021, Pakistan imported 2 5 million tonnes of soybean, costing $1 billion in foreign exchange

p e r i o d l a s t y e a r To t a l d e s p a t c h e s b y n o r t h b a s e d m i l l s r e d u c e d b y 1 5 6 5 % t o

2 5 8 2 6 m i l l i o n t o n s d u r i n g t h e f i r s t n i n e months of the current financial year from

3 0 6 1 7 m i l l i o n

last year Total despatches by south based mills reduced by 23 43% to 7 774 million tons during the first nine months of the current financial year from 10 152 million tons during the same period of the last financial year

suzuki announces plant shutdowns for april

Suzuki has notified the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) of extending the plant shutdown for its motorcycles till April 15 while its automotive plant will observe shutdowns on April 7 and April 14 The company has attributed the decision to the restrictions placed by the government in accessing letters of credit to import raw materials, and authorising foreign payments The extension of the motorcycle plant shutdown has increased the total duration of the shutdown from 12 to 27 calendar days

Industry-wide phenomenon: Suzuki s decision comes a mere three days after Honda’s decision to extend its plant shutdown till April 15 as well whereby Honda will cross the one month mark in terms of not having produced cars Toyota announced its second round of non-production days (NPD) for 2023 from March 24 to March 27 after already observing them from February 1 to February 14 and moving to a single production shift Ghandhara Tyre & Rubber Company and Hinopak Motors will also observe NPDs from March 24 to April 3 and March 24 to April 4 respectively Ghandhara Nissan observed NPDs from March 6 to March 10 and shifted to a bi-weekly production schedule for the rest of March Agriauto Industries announced a partial shutdown for the entire month of March, while Sazgar announced NPDs for its four-wheel plant from February 27 to March 4 Similarly Suzuki also observed NPDs for its fourwheelers from January 2 to January 6, from January 9 to January 13, from January 16 to January 20, and from February 13 to February 21 Millat Tractors also closed its plant from January 6 to January 15

Supernet will also be able to offer reliable services in the MENA and Asia region to those customers which were already facilitated to reach out to locations in France, Germany, United Kingdom, Singapore, Hong Kong and Mainland China by the partner Supernet has already started securing orders from this new relationship and is looking to explore other potential areas of collaboration and build on the business relationship Company profile Telecard Limited was incorporated in Pakistan in 1992 as a public limited company, launching public pay phone service In 1995 the company did its initial public offering Launched in the mid 90 s as a payphone operator, Telecard evolved over the years to become one of the most experienced Telecom operators in Pakistan; with licensed Long Distance & International and Local Loop Services combined with end-to-end corporate voice and data solutions Today Telecard itself and through its subsidiaries like Supernet & Super Secure and global partners like Genesys provides a wide range of products, services, and solutions to the Enterprise market segment in the country Founded in 1995, Supernet Limited was launched to provide internet services to Pakistan It is one of the

more than 13 countries

O pponents are waiting for me to be

LAHORE

t

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)

Chairman Imran Khan on Monday said that his opponents were waiting for his party to be weakened or him to be arrested or “murdered”

The situation is very bad and the mafia is jointly trying to divide the judiciary for their personal interests ” Khan said

The former prime minister further stated that the human rights situation was deteriorating, adding that police arrest political workers and treat them like terrorists He said that people had got awareness and it was now impossible to manipulate the situation The PTI chief has also ruled out the possibility of martial law in the

country, saying that military rule is imposed after determining whether or not the masses would accept it If the public is not with you, how can you impose martial law,” the former prime minister said during an interview on Sunday Khan said that they will no longer be following any Constitution if the elections were not held within 90 days If there is no Constitution there s no country, he added Moving on to the former governments of the parties in the ruling coalition during the last 30 years, Khan said that Pakistan went down economically while India and Bangladesh progressed Khan said the country s economy was improving when his government was in the power but unfortunately it was ousted I kept

country s leading telecommunications services provider and systems integrator The company offers a full portfolio of local-to-global integrated communications infrastructure solutions to telecoms, defense, private firms and government sectors/customers and has a wide range of communication and IT technologies spread across Pakistan in more than 200 cities and towns When Supernet was launched it was providing the internet and everything else Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) for one Under EDI, businesses would communicate electronically, rather than through paper and EDI was recently mandated for all nations to facilitate trading and automation S u p e r n e t w e n t p u b l i c i n A p r i l l a

Expor ts plummet by 10% in nine months

ISLAMABAD

G h u l a m a b b a s

Following the import constraints and devaluation of local currency against dollar the exports of Pakistan have plummeted by 10% during nine months through July 2022 to March 2023, according to Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) As per the data, exports of the country slipped to $21 05 billion during the first nine months of the current fiscal year as compared with $23 35 billion in the same period of the last fiscal year On the other hand, the country’s imports plunged by 25%, to $43 94 billion during the period under review as compared with $58 86 billion in the corresponding period of the last fiscal year Therefore, the trade deficit of the country contracted by 35 5% tipping $22 9 billion during the nine months of FY 2022-2023 as compared to $35 51 billion during the same period of the last year The contraction in trade deficit may be attributed to restrictions imposed by the government in May 2022 on import of luxury and non-essential items

Although the ban was lifted in August 2022 after pressure from the International Monetary Fund (IMF)

arrested or murdered: Imran K han

The former premier said that he would introduce reforms in the bureaucracy and judicial system and would strengthen the governance if he came into power again

“I will adopt the concept of truth and reconciliation as Nelson Mandela did He said if the PTI came into power again, it would find out new ways to bring investment into the country and would facilitate the overseas Pakistanis He said they would cut down the expenditures and would utilise their all efforts to reform the governance system

next Punjab chief minister, he said that he did not have any idea so far about the Punjab chief minister

He lashed out at the PDM, saying that they covered up things and spoke lies

giving the benefit of doubt to General Bajwa but later I realised that he was the only man behind the conspiracy against me and my government, he added

I met with a head of the state in a Middle Eastern country and he asked me if Bajwa was with me ” he added pointing out that it was quite surprising for him

To another question who would be the finance minister of the PTI government Imran said the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) had failed but Shaukat Tarin would be the next finance minister When asked who would be the

6% was the growth rate during our government It means wealth creation And right at that time, they removed our government ” he added Responding to another question that whether he would be again on the roads if elections were not held within 90 days Imran Khan said the results were clear because the PDM had collapsed and it was the purpose of their struggle that the people should get justice

He said the people had come to know about their rights and it was the right time that they should be ready for the protests