Epaper_07-04-2023 ISB

Profit

N S C h u d d l e t o d Ay t o d i S C u S S

w Ay o u t o f P o l i t i C A l C r i S e S

Govt to accept decision of fullcour t bench of SC: PM Shehbaz

ISLAMABAD s ta F F r e p o r t

AmId rising the political heat prime minister shehbaz sharif has summoned an extraordinar y meeting of the national security committee (nsc) for friday (tomorrow) at the prime minister ’s house Informed sources have told pakistan today the top c vil and militar y leadership of the countr y w ll partic pate in the meeting wh le the heads of the countr y s intelligence agenc es will br ef the partic pants on nat onal secur ty situation top militar y and civilian leadersh p will participate in the nsc meet ng scheduled to take place at 11am on friday at the prime minister s house inc uding ministers for defence interior nformation f nance ministries besides other important of-

MQM-P advises gov t to avoid a ‘clash’ with the judiciar y

ISLAMABAD s ta F F r e p o r t a delegation of the muttah da Qaum movement (mQm) on thursday cal ed on prime minister shehbaz sharif and advised the coalit on govt to avoid a ‘clash’ with the judiciar y matters pertaining to the ongo ng population census and overall po itical situation n the countr y were a so discussed during the meeting the delegation comprised federa Information technology and telecommunications minister aminul haq and former member of nat onal assembly farooq sattar federal Economic affa rs min ster sardar ayaz sadiq also attended the meeting a pm office statement said min sters including pr me m nister shehbaz sharif have been opposing the decis on of the supreme court of pak stan regarding holding elections in punjab on may 14 according to med a reports on wednesday s meet ng mQm-p opposed confronting the supreme court we should not take any step that creates clash with the apex court mQm-p ministers were quoted as saying during the meeting mQm-p s advis ng not to confront but not tell ng the way out pdm leaders said as per sources and added there may be differences of op nion on the matter but mQm-p is a coa it on party

ficials ch ef of army staff General syed asim munir and chairman Joint chiefs of staff committee General sah r shamsha mir za besides chief of naval and a r staff would also attend the huddle of the power ful body comes against the backdrop of a deepening const tutional crisis in the countr y as the federa government has refused to accept supreme court s dec s on on punjab elections Earl er n the day the national assembly (na) passed a resolution against the top court ’s declaration that the Election commiss on of pakistan s (Ecp) decision to postpone e ections in punjab was llegal the three-member bench headed by chief Justice of pakistan (cJp) Umar ata bandial and comprising Justice munib akhtar and Justice Ijazul ahsan had also f xed may 14 as the date for the poll in the province

ISl AMABAd: prime minister shehbaz sharif on thursday said the government would accept the decision of the full bench of the supreme court in the case for e ections in pun ab and khyber pakhtunkhwa (kp) speaking at the foundation stone laying ceremony of the Islamabad lawyers complex here he sa d however those judges who had earlier recused themselves should not be made part of that bench he recalled that Justice munir was the creator of the doctrine of necessity which took pakistan down to a certa n direction he sa d we respect the supreme court and ust ces and the r decisions should apply on ever yone” ta k ng about proceedings of the supreme court in the case for elections he mentioned that a nine-member bench was formed which was later shrunk to three members as some judges recused In the same case polit ca parties were not made part of the proceedings despite requests he noted the prime minister sa d if the demand for a full bench of the supreme court was accepted in the case for elections in punjab ad khyber pakhtunkhwa then ever ybody would have accepted the decision he sa d the dec sion of supreme court Justice Qazi faez Isa was inva idated through a circular in a case then a six-member larger bench was formed for the same case

NA passes resolution rejecting SC ’s judgment on Punjab, KP polls

ISLAMABAD s ta F F r e p o r t the national assembly on thursday passed a reso ution re ect ng the supreme court of paki s t a n s j u d g m e n t o n pu n j a b a n d k h y b e r pakhtunkhwa elections the resolution, moved by khalid mags , called upon the pr me minister and the federal cabinet not to implement th s judgment as it s contrar y to the constitut on It said the house cons ders the conduct of general elect ons simultaneously across the countr y as the panacea to all the problems It noted that this is in accordance with the procedure laid down in the law and constitution for political and econom c stability the house expressed concerns over interference n pol tica matters saying the judgments of the minor ty are creating anarchy in the countr y and paving the way for div sion in the federating un ts the resolution a so voiced concerns over the wrong interpretation of article 63 (a) of the constitut on and demanded format on of a fu l court of the supreme court to review it the nat onal assembly also passed a resolution unanimously strongly condemn ng the recent Israe i attacks on al-aqsa mosque the reso ution moved by the ppp leader naz baloch sa d the attacks on women and children are a gross vio ation of human r ghts the resolution said this house stands in so idarity with the people of palestine It further said that the attacks have hurt the sentiments of mus ims around the world the house urged the nternational commun ty ncluding human r ghts organizat ons to break silence on th s v olence E a r l i e r t h e n a t i o n a l a s s e m b y i n f o r m e d t h a t t h e g o v e r n m e n t i s e n g a g e d w i t h v a r o u s countries to enhance export of pakistani workf o r c e a b r o a d m nister for overseas pak stanis and human

What s in it for Silkbank

Saudi Arabia commits financial suppor t to help Pakistan secure IMF deal: minister

Why would a South Sudanese bank want to invest over $50 million in a small Pakistani commercial bank? The question was raised early on Thursday morning when a notification hit the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) announcing that the International Commercial Bank of South Sudan (ICB) had expressed its interest in investing up to 50 million euros ($54 5 million) in Pakistan’s Silkbank Limited (SILK) Silkbank s Board of Directors (BoD) held a meeting on April 5, 2023, in which it reviewed and considered the letter of intention and granted its approval to the management to formally pursue the potential investment But what does it mean?

In short, the bank needs the money Silkbank, formerly the Saudi-Pak Commercial Bank is primarily focussed on the consumer segment with a portfolio of services consisting of consumer loans, and credit cards But it has been struggling recently and has found itself in a less than desirable financial position in the last few years The bank reported a profit of Rs 13 2 billion in 2018 Thereafter it reported a net loss of Rs 3 95 billion in 2019 which increased to Rs 6 57 billion at the end of 2020 The bank’s return on equity (ROE), and return on assets (ROA) followed a similar suit ROA and ROE stood at 1% and 18% respectively In 2019, ROA and ROE deteriorated to -2% and -31% respectively They continued to decline in 2020 In 2020 ROA

resource development sajid hussain tur told the house during Question hour that these countries include belg um denmark Germany Greece Iraq Ita y kuwait lebanon l bya portugal and romania min ster for par iamentar y affairs murtaza Javed abbassi infomed the house that measures had been taken to ensure security and safety of people in the public parks of Islamabad he said the government plans to build two new parks in the federal capita respond ng to a call ng attention notice m nister for parliamentar y affairs murtaza Javed abbassi said seven sasta bazaars have been e s t a b l i s h e d i n t h e f e d e r a l c a p i t a l t e r r i t o r y t o ensure provision of essential commod ties to the peop e at reduced rates during the holy month of ramadan he sa d there is a mechanism to determ ne the prices of essent a items and then magistrates monitor the mplementation of the rate list the minister sa d during the holy month of ramadan action has been taken against the profiteers and 67 people have been arrested and heavy fines have also been mposed on them murtaza Javed abbassi said t is for the first time that free f our is being provided to the deser ving families he said despite difficu t economic situation the government is tr ying its best to provide relief to the common man

The Sudanese equation

stood at -2% whereas ROE was -84% The bank s non performing loans have been increasing consistently The increasing trend in the infection ratio from 6% in 2018 to 31% in 2019 and further to 40% in 2020 shows that the bank s loan portfolio has experienced a significant deterioration in terms of loan performance and credit quality over the three-year period

Earlier this year, Silkbank said in a press release that the bank is on a growth trajectory But annual reports have not been made available to the public The bank did experience some positive indicators as well during this time period Deposits increased from Rs 132 7 billion in 2018 by 12% to Rs 148 9 billion in 2019 This trend continued in 2020 where deposits increased by 8% to Rs 160 2 billion

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saudi arab a has conveyed to Internat onal monetar y fund its commitment to provide financing to pakistan state minister for f nance a sha Ghaus pasha said on thursday, a critical support to secure Imf funding saudi arab a s $2 bi lion pledged in external financing support to pakistan is one of the fina conditions for an Imf dea that Islamabad needs to avert a default apparently saud arabia has committed to Imf, and Imf has indicated to us that there has been a correspondence from them ” pasha told reporters in Islamabad

the Imf s resident representative did not mmediately respond to a reuters request for a comment the Imf has asked pakistan to secure assurances on external financing from friendly countries and multilatera partners to fund its balance of payment gap for this fiscal year which ends in June Islamabad has been host ng an Imf mission since early februar y to negotiate a series of pol cy measures to secure $1 1 b llion funding for the cash-strapped economy which is on the verge of collapse

the funds are part of a $6 5 billion bailout package the Imf approved in 2019 wh ch ana ysts say s cr tical for pak stan to avert defaulting on externa payment obl gations the deal w ll also unlock other bilateral and multi ateral financ ng avenues for pakistan to shore up its foreign exchange reser ves which have fal en to four weeks worth of import cover and help it steer out of a balance of payment crisis pasha said Is amabad was a so in talks w th UaE to secure an assurance for a foreign exchange reser ves depos ts n central bank

The South Sudanese bank in question was founded in 2011 by a group of businessmen Now the fact that the bank wanting to invest money is Sudanese may come with some reputational baggage In December last year, Bloomberg had reported that a South Sudanese letter of credit system had been exploited in a billion dollar scam However, the interest in Silkbank is nothing strange and nor is this the first time that the Silk bank has attracted the attention of acquirers In early 2021, Fauji Foundation, which has a stake in Askari Bank, expressed interest to acquire a major stake in Silk Bank When it lost interest Habib Bank Limited (HBL) became interested in acquiring Silk Bank in mid 2021 In

ECNEC approvEs digital ECoNomy ENhaNCEmENt projECt

04- Lane wide dual carriageway, starting from Rajanpur and terminating at Dera Ismail Khan Section Indus Highway, National Highway (N-55)

Caretaker punjab Cm approves punjab Clean air policy along with action plans

LAHORE S ta f f R e p o R t

Caretaker Punjab Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi has accorded the approval of Punjab Clean Air Policy along with the action plans The approval was given in the meeting of Punjab Environment Protection Council held in Lahore He said departments concerned will prepare a detailed working plan for the implementation of the Punjab Clean Air Policy He said the Punjab Government will implement the Punjab Clean Air Policy and Action Plan with the support of the World Bank The Chief Minister also approved the Punjab Plastic Management Strategy and asked to take immediate steps regarding recycling and reuse of plastic

Nawaz expected to arrive in jeddah on april 11 to spend ramadan end

Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif is set to land in Jeddah with his family on April 11 from London His daughter Maryam Nawaz and other Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders will join him in the Saudi port city Sharif is expected to spend the last 10 days of Ramadan as a royal guest in Saudi Arabia according to his party He will spend three days in Mecca and Jeddah before visiting the Prophet s mosque in Medina Additionally, it has been reported that the Saudi royal family have invited Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on a pilgrimage Sharif, whose Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) is the main party in Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), was sacked by the Supreme Court in 2017 and, two years later, left for London for medical treatment While there has been no official confirmation from Sharif or his party regarding his plans to return to Pakistan his trip to Saudi Arabia has raised interest in his potential political comeback

pti moves sC over delay in Kp election

ISLAMABAD S ta f f R e p o R t

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Thursday filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking direction to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor to announce the election for the province The petition was filed through Barrister Gohar Khan on behalf of former KP speaker Mushtaq Ghani The petition states that it is important to hold elections within 90 days once the assembly is dissolved and the Governor was stepping back from his decision as he had already announced to hold elections on May 28

pdm boycotts by-election in Na-118

NANkANA SAHIB S ta f f R e p o R t

The Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) on Thursday announced that it would boycott the upcoming by-election in constituency NA-118 As per the party policy of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate Dr Shazra Mansab Ali Kharl submitted an application to the election commission to withdraw from the election The district election commissioner approved her request and the PML-N candidate would not be contesting in the upcoming byelection It should be noted that PML-N candidate Mian Tahir Jameel had withdrawn his nomination papers on the orders of the PDM leadership in the by-election of NA-108 constituency of Faisalabad a day prior

Foreign-made drone crashes in sheikhupura

SHEIkHupuRA S ta f f R e p o R t

i o n & R e h a b i l i t a t i o n o f D e r a G h a z i K h a n - D e r a I s m a i l K h a n S e c t i o n o f N - 5 5 p r o j e c t a t a r a t i o n a l i z e d c o s t o f R s 11 3 7 7 3 2 8 m i l l i o n w i t h o u t F E C

The project envisages acquisition of land for up gradation/improvement/widening of 329 7 kms long and

The ECNEC also approved Reconstruction of Turbat-Mand Road from Motorway (M-8) to Iranian Border (Radeeq) project at a rationalized cost of Rs 19 571 billion The revised project envisages reconstruction/improvement/up gradation of 115 kms long carriageway starting from Motorway (M-8 GwadarRatodero

Q aiser: PTI open to one -time Constitutional amendment for elec tion delay

ISLAMABAD S ta f f R e p o R t

Asad Qaiser, a leader of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), said the opposition party would be willing to engage with the government if it agreed to hold early elections but added the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) would have to publicly declare its readiness to engage in negotiations regarding the schedule During an interview with Dawn News, he said that if a constitutional amendment was necessary to adjust the schedule beyond the mandatory 90-day period and prevent anarchy in the country his party would support it

The Supreme Court has twice declared that polls in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab where the party of former prime minister Imran Khan disbanded parliaments in January to pave way for snap elections must take place within 90 days from the date of dissolution

The two regions have been under caretaker governments since early January According to the

Constitution, these interim governments are supposed to remain neutral However Khan has repeatedly accused them of taking orders from the central government in Islamabad Qaiser said: We want the government to sit together [for talks on elections] and we are also ready for a constitutional amendment if for one time the [polls] can be extended beyond 90 days What more flexibility can we offer?

D ar, S aad disc usses restruc turing of PIA ahead of UAE tour

ISLAMABAD S h a h z a d pa R ac h a Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar and Federal Minister for Railways and Aviation Khawaja Saad Rafique on T h u r s d a y d i s c u s s e d r e s t r u c t u r i n g o f P a k i s t a n I n t e r n a t i o n a l A i r l i n e s C o r p o r a t i o n L i m i t e d

(PIACL) ahead of UAE tour

According to the Finance ministry FM chaired a meeting on matters of Railways and Aviation at the Finance Division During the meeting, Federal M i n i s t e r f o r Av i a t i o n K h a w a j a S a a d R a f i q u e briefed the Chair on the performance and ongoing p r o j e c t s p e r t a i n i n g t o C i v i l Av i a t i o n A u t h o r i t y,

PIA, and Pakistan Railways The meeting discussed various matters of Civil

Aviation and Railways sectors related to finances taxation, outstanding payments, and cash flows T h e m e e t i n g a l s o d e l i b e r a t e d u p o n p o s s i b l e solutions and measures that can be taken for the r e s o l u t i o n o f t h e i s s u e s i n o r d e r t o e n s u r e t h e p r o v i s i o n o f b e t t e r s e r v i c e s t o a i r a n d r a i l passengers The meeting also discussed the restructuring of PIACL in order to enhance its performance and m a k e i t c o m p a t i b l e w i t h t h e i n t e r n a t i o n a l standards F i n a n c e M i n i s t e r S e n a t o r M o h a m m a d I s h a q D a r a p p r e c i a t e d t h e m e a s u r e s a n d e ff o r t s b e i n g t a k e n f o r i m p r o v e m e n t i n b o t h s e c t o r s a n d p r o m i s e d t o s u p p o r t t h e t i m e l y e x e c u t i o n o f t h e p r o j e c t s o f C i v i l Av i a t i o n P I A a n d P a k i s t a n R a i l w a y s i n e v e r y p o s s i b l e w a y

Punjab, KP polls

ISLAMABAD S ta f f R e p o R t Minister for Law Azam Nazeer Tarar has again d e m a n d e d o f c o n s t i t u t i n g f u l l c o u r t b e n c h t o resolve the matters pertaining to holding elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) B r i e f i n g t h e f o r e i g n m e d i a o n t h e S u p r e m e

Court s verdict and the government s stance on it here in Islamabad on Thursday, he said the solution to the prevailing constitutional, political and legal complications is to hold elections once and same time in the entire country to ensure transparency and fairness The minister said if the elections are h e l d i n P u n j a b a n d K h y b e r P a k h t u n k h w a i n c o m p l i a n c e w i t h t h e c o u r t s o r d e r s a n d a g a i n i n

October after completion of constitutional term of the National Assembly and provincial assemblies o f S i n d h a n d B a l o c h i s t a n i t w i l l c r e a t e a n o t h e r constitutional and political crisis

Responding to a question, Azam Nazeer Tarar said the judgment of the Supreme Court may deter the Election Commission He said the government t h i n k s t h a t t h e j u d g m e n t o f t h e t h r e e - m e m b e r bench is not a constitutional order unless and until t h e c o n t r o v e r s y o f t h e d e c i s i o n s b y 4 - 3 a n d 3 - 2

judges is set right He said the government and the p a r l i a m e n t t h i n k t h a t t h e j u d g m e n t i s n o t executable or difficult to execute R e p l y i n g t o a q u e s t i o n t h e M i n i s t e r s a i d d i a l o g u e i s o n e o f t h e d e c e n t c h o i c e s a t t h e moment to resolve the issues which have become quite complicated now He said if the elections are h e l d i n P u n j a b i n t h e p r e s e n c e o f a p o l i t i c a l g o v e r n m e n t a t t h e C e n t e r i t c a n r a i s e q u e s t i o n s over its transparency fairness and impartiality H e s a i d t h e S u p r e m e C o u r t s h o u l d h a v e considered the ground realities, concerns that were raised and security situation while handing down its verdict as there are security threats in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa He said keeping in view t h e f i n a n c i a l c o n d i t i o n s o f t h e c o u n t r y, i t i s a l s o difficult to print the electoral material twice T h e m i n i s t e r s a i d t h e r e s h o u l d a l s o b e c o n d u c i v e a t m o s p h e r e f o r c o n d u c t i n g e l e c t i o n s a n d t h e c o n s t i t u t i o n p r o v i d e s r o o m t o f i x a l l t h e election related matters under Article 254 H e s aid the political parties w ould have als o concerns over holding elections on the basis of two d i ff e r e n t c e n s u s e s i f p o l l s a r e h e l d i n t w o p r o v i n c i a l a s s e m b l i e s n o w a n d i n r e s t o f t h e assemblies in October

Qaiser further emphasised it is the responsibility of the government to take the initiative for talks and urged the prime minister to publicly announce his willingness to hold discussions He added: Then we will sit and settle the matters together this is the need of the hour that political leaders talk things out

He also accused the government of merely wanting to buy time and not being serious about holding fair and transparent elections

The former speaker of the National Assembly also accused the government of attacking the Supreme Court, observing the recently passed Supreme Court law was a dishonest attempt to provide relief to former prime minister Nawaz Sharif

Qaiser emphasised the Supreme Court had a responsibility to safeguard the Constitution which was currently at stake He assured that the PTI would not engage in political revenge against its opponents if it came to power

According to Qaiser Khan had declared his willingness to forgive those who had attacked him and had advocated for truth and reconciliation

a jK l a unanimously rejects india’s illegal actions in iiojK MuZAFFARABAD S ta f f R e p o R t T h e L e g i s l a t i v e A s s e m b l y o f A z a d J a m m u a n d K a s h m i r h a s u n a n i m o u s l y r e j e c t e d t h e u n i l a t e r a l a n d i l l e g a l I n d i a n i n i t i a t i v e t o c h a n g e t h e d e m o g r a p h y o f o c c u p i e d J a m m u a n d K a s h m i r A r e s o l u t i o n p a s s e d o n t h e o c c a s i o n s u p p o r t e d t h e r i g h t o f s e l fd e t e r m i n a t i o n t o K a s h m i r i s a s p e r U n i t e d N a t i o n s r e s o l u t i o n s T h e r e s o l u t i o n w a s s u b m i t t e d b y t h e L e a d e r o f t h e H o u s e S a r d a r Ta n v i r I l y a s K h a n o n b e h a l f o f L e a d e r o f O p p o s i t i o n C h a u d h r y L a t i f A k b a r, P r e s i d e n t P e o p l e s P a r t y A z a d K a s h m i r C h a u d h r y M u h a m m a d Ya s i n , f o r m e r P r i m e M i n i s t e r R a j a M o h a m m a d F a r o o q H a i d e r K h a n , P r e s i d e n t M u s l i m L e a g u e - N A z a d K a s h m i r S h a h G h u l a m Q a d i r P r e s i d e n t A l l J a m m u a n d K a s h m i r M u s l i m C o n f e r e n c e S a r d a r A t i q A h m e d P r e s i d e n t o f J a m m u a n d K a s h m i r P e o p l e s P a r t y S a r d a r H a s a n I b r a h i m K h a n , f o r m e r P r i m e M i n i s t e r s S a r d a r M u h a m m a d Ya q o o b K h a n a n d S a r d a r A b d u l Q a y y u m N i a z y S a r d a r Ta n v i r o n t h e o c c a s i o n s a i d K a s h m i r i s t h e o l d e s t u n r e s o l v e d i s s u e o n t h e a g e n d a o f t h e U n i t e d N a t i o n s T h i s s e s s i o n o f t h e L e g i s l a t i v e A s s e m b l y a p p r e c i a t e s P a k i s t a n s u n w a v e r i n g m o r a l d i p l o m a t i c a n d p o l i t i c a l s u p p o r t t o t h e K a s h m i r c a u s e a n d s a l u t e s t h e d e t e r m i n a t i o n c o u r a g e a n d s p i r i t o f t h e p e o p l e o f o c c u p i e d J a m m u a n d K a s h m i r T h e A s s e m b l y r e j e c t e d t h e u n i l a t e r a l a n d i l l e g a l a c t i o n s t a k e n b y I n d i a i n I I O J K s i n c e A u g u s t 5 , 2 0 1 9 , t o c h a n g e t h e d e m o g r a p h y o f t h e o c c u p i e d t e r r i t o r y a n d e x p r e s s e d c o n c e r n o v e r t h e i s s u e o f f a k e d o m i c i l e t o n o n - K a s h m i r i s T h e r e s o l u t i o n s a i d t h a t o c c u p i e d K a s h m i r h a s b e c o m e t h e w o r l d s l a rg e s t m i l i t a r i z e d z o n e w h e r e I n d i a i s c o m m i t t i n g s e r i o u s h u m a n r i g h t s a b u s e s i n c l u d i n g e x t r a - j u d i c i a l k i l l i n g s i n t h e g a r b o f s o - c a l l e d s e a r c h o p e r a t i o n s a n d d e s t r u c t i o n o f p r o p e r t y a n d b e l o n g i n g s o f t h e c i t i z e n s T h e a s s e m b l y m e m b e r s a l s o d e n o u n c e d t h e s e a l i n g o f t h e o ff i c e o f t h e A l l P a r t i e s H u r r i y a t C o n f e r e n c e i n S r i n a g a r T h e y s t r o n g l y c o n d e m n e d t h e d e m o l i t i o n o f p r o p e r t i e s a n d t h e d e s t r u c t i o n o f s e t t l e m e n t s T h i s H o u s e a l s o e x p r e s s e d i t s d e e p c o n c e r n o v e r t h e c o n t i n u e d i l l e g a l d e t e n t i o n o f K a s h m i r i p o l i t i c a l l e a d e r s a n d a c t i v i s t s T h e r e s o l u t i o n s t r o n g l y c o n d e m n e d t h e b i a s e d s t a t e m e n t s o f I n d i a n p o l i t i c a l l e a d e r s a n d m i l i t a r y o ff i c e r s a n d s a i d t h a t s u c h b i a s e d s t a t e m e n t s a r e a t h r e a t t o r e g i o n a l p e a c e a n d s t a b i l i t y T h e m e e t i n g r e i t e r a t e d t h e u n w a v e r i n g c o m m i t m e n t o f t h e P a k i s t a n i n a t i o n t o t h w a r t a n y I n d i a n a g g r e s s i o n T h e r e s o l u t i o n d e m a n d e d o f I n d i a t o a l l o w a n i n d e p e n d e n t i n v e s t i g a t i o n i n t o h u m a n r i g h t s v i o l a t i o n s i n o c c u p i e d J a m m u a n d K a s h m i r

Mar yam wants PM Shehbaz disqualified, claims Fawad Chaudhr y

tabling the resolution in the National Assembly against the apex court s verdict the decision will not be changed Firing a broadside at the coalition government for not being willing to contest elections Mr Chaudhry

said The constitution states that elections should be held within 90 days after the dissolution of assembly But the government is not following the constitution of the country The rulers believe they should take away the right of the people to vote He stressed the need for getting out of the political turmoil in a bid to get out of the economic woes He urged PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif to return the national wealth and then moved wherever he wanted Mr Chaudhry also slammed Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari for talking about martial law Bashing Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah for talking about the country’s constitution Mr Chaudhry said “One should not take Rana Sanaullah’ statement as serious when he talks about the constitution

L

aw minister demands ‘ full cour t bench’ to resolve matters of

LAHORE/ISLAMABAD a n a d o l u ag e n c y

aS Pakistan grapples with one of the worst economic crises millions of the countrymen struggle to celebrate the holy month of Ramadan amid skyrocketing inflation

Decades-high inflation and a massive devaluation of the rupee have drastically reduced the already dwindling buying power of millions of people, making it next to impossible for them to make ends meet

The government and the local charities, nonetheless, have come up with several measures to mitigate the impact of inflation at least during Ramadan

Standing in the middle of a queue Gulzar Ahmad was waiting for his turn to buy groceries at a makeshift Ramadan bazaar where he could get a significant

discount compared to the market Located in a middle-income neighbourhood in the central district of Karachi, this discount bazaar is one of the dozens of makeshift facilities where citizens can buy essential food items at a 30 to 50 percent discount during the holy month

Piles of fruits and vegetables could be spotted in the rear side of the bazaar while stalls of staples covered the front rows A price list showing the difference between market and discounted rates were placed at the entrance of the bazaar

I have been buying groceries from here since the advent of Ramadan as it is the only place where I can get stuff at significantly discounted rates, said Ahmad, a retired government employee, who relies entirely on a pension

“I could buy at least limited items from the market during last Ramadan, but this year, it’s unthinkable due to a massive price-

Kp securit y personnel praised as soul of police at mardan darbar

pESHAWAR S ta f f R e p o R t

In line with the directives of the chief of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police Akhtar Hayat Khan a police darbar was held on Thursday at Mardan Police Lines to address the concerns of provincial security personnel

During the event, Khan emphasised the importance of the police and described them as an asset, pride, and soul of the provincial police and the nation He acknowledged their sacrifices and said they are the ones who work hard and face challenges on a daily basis

Furthermore, Khan said that police officers and officials have a responsibility to perform their duties with honesty and to treat the public politely especially in police stations and at check posts

He also emphasised that the appointments of inspectors and assistant inspectors at police stations should be based on merit To ensure that police jawans concerns are addressed without delay Khan ordered top police officials to regularly hold meetings and darbars with them Finally he expressed his gratitude and support for the police personnel who have sacrificed their lives for the safety and security of the country

pti leader shahbaz

gill stopped from traveling for Umrah

kARACHI S ta f f R e p o R t

Senior PTI leader and close aide of Imran Khan

Shahbaz Gill was barred from flying from the Lahore airport to Saudi Arabia for Umrah according to a report on Thursday Gill was leaving for Holy places from the provincial capital but was stopped from going abroad by the immigration authorities Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader was stopped from flying out of the country as his name was placed on the exit control list (ECL) The firebrand politician has been facing sedition charges for allegedly inciting mutiny within the armed forces through his controversial remarks in a TV programme

He was jailed until Islamabad High Court (IHC) granted him bail in the sedition case

on the topic of devolution, World Bank has given a reasonable warning

CONtINuED FROM BACk pAgE

But there is a difference between planning and implementing Although with each new addition the structure of third tier local bodies has gotten clearer the stats of revenue and spending show a different picture In an earlier conversation with Dr Vaqar Ahmad, an Islamabad based development economist, Profit learned that a lot of the financial crunch is owed to delay from provinces The multilateral banks such as the ADB and World Bank have promised program financing of almost $10 billion but it’s not following through because there is delay from the provinces in preparing the prior conditions ” m o v I n g F o rwa r d

The federal government continues to engage on devolved subjects through semi-autonomous bodies that focus on devolved service delivery areas such as the HEC and the NCHD These institutions can be completely devolved to the provinces In addition there continues to be significant federal development spending on devolved areas

The bank suggests an immediate refocus of federal development spending in the provincial domain, which will spring up savings to Rs 315 billion, or 0 5% of the GDP in FY22 However, the only real solution to this continued duplication of effort and waste of resources is to legislate empowered local bodies and hold elections for this third and vital pillar of democracy

hike and rupee devaluation he told Anadolu Thank God, there are still some places that we can afford (to buy staples), at least during Ramadan, he maintained

These bazaars have been set up by AlKhidmat Foundation, one of the country’s largest charities, Sailani Welfare Trust, Baitussalam Welfare Trust and other organizations across the city

The charities which otherwise would arrange street iftars (sunset meal breaking the fast) for commuters and the poor have changed plans this year Things are altogether different and difficult this year not only for the poor but also for the citizens from middle-income bracket due to grinding inflation and unemployment, said Rashid Qureshi, a director of Al-Khidmat Foundation

Speaking to Anadolu, Qureshi said the foundation has shifted its resources from street iftars to discount bazaars so that

ordinary citizens can feel relief to an extent

Pakistan is one of the top philanthropist nations in the world Besides voluntary donations, the government has made it mandatory to pay Zakat, one of the few Muslim nations where it is mandatory on the government level

The Arabic word “Zakat” which translates to “that which purifies” is one of the Five Pillars of Islam This mandatory alms-giving is calculated at 2 5 percent of a person s annual excess wealth that he or she possesses at the end of a year

F r e e - o F - c o s t F l o u r s c h e m e : Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar which Muslims across the globe observe as the month of fasting

A v i d e o g o i n g v i r a l o n s o c i a l m e d i a l a s t w e e k s h o w e d a c r o w d o f d e s p e r a t e c i t i z e n s b r e a k i n g i n t o a n d l o o t i n g a makeshift camp set up by local youths to s e l l s t a p l e s a t s u b s i d i s e d r a t e s i n t h e

eastern district of Karachi The desperation reflects the sentiments of the nation which i s r e e l i n g f r o m a n a c u t e f i n a n c i a l c r i s i s , c o m p o u n d e d b y a n e s c a l a t i n g b a l a n c e o f payments crisis, seeking to secure external financing, with foreign reserves falling to slightly more than $4 billion

Following the sharp depreciation in the rupee, consumer price inflation jumped to 3 5 4 p e r c e n t i n M a r c h i t s h i g h e s t s i n c e J u n e 1 9 7 4 T h e r u p e e i n r e c e n t m o n t h s has hit an all-time low at Rs286 against the d o l l a r b e c o m i n g o n e o f A s i a s w e a k e s t c u r r e n c i e s I t w a s R s 1 8 8 a g a i n s t a d o l l a r u n til A p r il 2 0 2 2 The federal and the four provincial governments for their part have launched a free-of-cost or subsidised flour scheme for the poor and low-income populations across the country

Although hundreds of thousands have benefited from the scheme, nearly two dozens of citizens half of them in Karachi alone have so far lost their lives over the past few weeks in stampedes during the distribution of flour and rations in different parts of the country The federal government has also increased the quarterly stipend for some 0 4 million households from Rs7,000 to Rs9,000 under an income support program named after the slain prime minister Benazir Bhutto

IHC ex tends Imran’s bail in eight c ases

ISLAMABAD S ta f f R e p o R t Islamabad High Court (IHC) has extended the bail of former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan in eight cases till April 18 As per details, the Islamabad high court also accepted PTI chief Imran Khan’s exemption plea

The Advocate General asked the court if Imran Khan did not appear before the court at the next hearing how will the court proceed then

The Chief Justice Islamabad High Court remarked that the petitioner has to appear before the court to file the bail petition but if he did not appear before the court then action will be taken against him as per the law

The court does not want to confine him by mentioning this in the order CJ added T h e I H C C h i e f J u s t i c e a s k e d i f t h e s e c u r i t y i s b e e f e d u p a f t e r t h e a n a l y s i s o f t h e t h r e a t b y t h e A s s e s s m e n t C o m m i t t e e H e s a i d t h a t t h e I G I s l a m a b a d g a v e h i m a b u l l e t p r o o f v e h i c l e b u t h e refused He maintained that a notification regarding PTI chairman Imran Khan s full proof security was submitted in the court but security was not given to h i m a s a f o r m e r p r i m e m i n i s t e r a n d i t w i l l b e considered as taking back his security T h e A d d i t i o n a l A t t o r n e y G e n e r a l i n f o r m e d t h e court that IG has the power to increase security so t h e P T I c h i e f s h o u l d i n f o r m t h e p o l i c e b e f o r e h e comes to Islamabad

govt requires Rs122bn for Peshawar BRT phase -2

pESHAWAR a z i z B u n e R i

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government will require 55 71 million dollars [Rs 122 56 billion] for the second phase of the Peshawar Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project It has been proposed to extend the BRT service to the Khyber Road, Kohat Road and Dalzak Road w h i l e u r b a n m o b i l i t y p r o j e c t i n A b b o t t a b a d a n d Mingora has also been made part of this project The d o c u m e n t o f t h e p r o v i n c i a l Tr a n s p o r t D e p a r t m e n t show that work on the 2nd phase of the BRT will be

CONtINuED FROM pAgE 01

Article 63-A of the constitution was rewritten and the appeal filed by the government in the Supreme Court was still not heard he continued He said no political party could evade elections as it would bury its politics He said a court verdict was given that a prime minister was nothing without his federal cabinet but this principle was not applied on others

He said all the stakeholders should look at their conduct and decide whether they wanted to protect the future of coming generations or they wanted to indulge in fights for their personal interests and take Pakistan in a direction from which nobody could come back We have to protect the future of Pakistan which is faced with many challenges We should take decisions with a cool head and stay united for the

started in July 2024 The Asian Development Bank h a s e a r m a r k e d $ 2 0 m i l l i o n f o r i t b u t t h e p r o v i n c e still needs over $35 million for this purpose

In the phase-2 it has been proposed to connect three corridors to the main corridor It is estimated that Rs12 2 billion will be utilised on the Khyber road corridor Rs19 9 billion on the Kohat road corridor and 13 87 billion on Dalzak road corridor

In order to improve the flow of traffic on Charsadda Road, Rs2 62bn will be spent on roads repairs, while Rs 8 6bn will be required for the construction of the depot

interest of Pakistan,” he said While expressing delight at the construction of Lawyers Complex, he said the project would be built at a cost of Rs 1 8 billion

Earlier the project was only on papers and nothing was done on it he told He directed that sports complex comprising swimming pools should also be made part of the the lawyers complex He said lawyers were a prominent section of society and they played an important role for the rule of law restoration of judiciary and justice since the creation of Pakistan Lawyers bore baton charges and physical violence as they held demonstrations and rallies for the restoration of the judiciary, he added Earlier, Minister for Interior Rana Sanaullah and Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar also spoke and highlighted measures taken for the welfare of lawyers

PPMA vs DRAP: Pharma crisis continues

CONtINuED FROM BACk pAgE

t h e g o v e r n m e n t’s s ay

Sajid Shah the Health Ministry spokesperson said that the government was fully cognisant of the situation and would make decisions bearing i n m i n d t h e i n t e r e s t s o f t h e m a s s e s a n d t h e pharmaceutical industry He told Anadolu, The ministry and the regulatory authorities understand t h e p r o b l e m s t h e p h a r m a c e u t i c a l i n d u s t r y i s f a c i n g d u e t o t h e c u r r e n t e c o n o m i c s i t u a t i o n , e s p e c i a l l y t h e d o l l a r ’s a p p r e c i a t i o n B u t simultaneously we have to protest the interests of 220 million [people] as well

The Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) a nationwide body of health professionals was against the idea of inflating prices However it acknowledged the problems that the pharmaceutical industry faced Some of their points are valid and we fully acknowledge them But the PMA is a patientfriendly body, and it cannot support an increase in the prices of the drugs, considering the ongoing economic conditions of the masses,” PMA President Dr Usman Mako, told Anadolu

“We suggest that instead of increasing prices, the government and the pharmaceutical industry together share the burden of inflation and rupee devaluation he said d a n g e r s o F a n at I o n a l h e a lt h e m e r g e n c y

As the government failed to make inflationary adjustments in medicine prices importers had stopped or drastically reduced the imports of about 100 crucial medicines related to general anesthesia, plasma-derived products, vaccines, oncology products, and biological products, causing a dearth of medicines across the country Abdul Samad, an office-bearer of the Pakistan Chemist and Drugs Association informed Anadolu,

“Most of the importers are nowadays importing a minimum quantity of dozens of essential and nonessential medicines just to keep their licenses intact Otherwise it’s no longer a profitable business for them due to a huge devaluation of the rupee against the dollar In fact Eli Lilly the manufacturer of Humalog medical insulin used to treat diabetes has already closed its operations in Pakistan as the pharmaceutical industry struggles to survive amidst the increasing product costs The exodus of multinational pharmaceutical companies has accelerated in recent years In July 2022, Sanofi Aventis Pakistan limited also exited, sellings its plants to local companies

The consequential unavailability of medicines could inevitably trigger a national health emergency

Due to the absence of medicines in the market patients are already relying on smuggled drugs Potential counterfeit drugs have also become widely available in stores r e c e n t d e v e l o p m e n t s

Previously the matter was to be placed for discussion during the meeting of the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the cabinet on March 27, but it was deferred as DRAP was unable to brief the committee due to a lack of preparation

Therefore, the ECC had directed DRAP to prepare the case again and address the issue with representatives from the pharmaceutical industry

Moreover R6 51bn will be needed to shift the BRT depot to solar energy while Rs2 691bn would be required for the design of urban mobility in Abbottabad and Mingora

Out of the proposed Rs122 56bn the provincial g o v e r n m e n t w i l l a l l o c a t e R s 1 5 9 8 b n w h i l e t h e remaining amount will be borrowed from the ADB T h e A D B h a s r e s e r v e d 2 0 m n d o l l a r s f o r P h a s e - 2

After completing the feasibility study of the project, the KP government will ask the ADB for additional loan The 1st phase of BRT is expected to completed this year

role of shanghai Cooperation organisation in new world order

IStANBuL a n a d o l u ag e n c y

In three questions, Ilyas Kemaloglu analyses the importance of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) for member countries and the new world order with the possible challenges the organisation is facing for Anadolu‘s Analysis Department I s s c o e x pa n d I n g a g a I n s t n ato?

After the end of the Cold War with the collapse of the Soviet Union and the Eastern Bloc in 1991 Russian officials began to question the existence of NATO For Kremlin NATO s presence should have ended after the dissolving of the Warsaw Pact However NATO has continued its enlargement policy and Moscow believes this policy directly targets Russia and each membership negotiation with NATO is causing tensions in its relations with Russia On the other hand, shortly after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia began integrating with neighbouring countries in the political, military, and economic spheres

matric question paper leaked on Whatsapp in lahore

LAHORE S ta f f R e p o R t

Despite tall claims regarding the mechanism to prevent papers from getting leaked out Lahore Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE) has completely failed to maintain the confidentiality of question papers in the examination centers as the question papers were circulating on WhatsApp five minutes after the exams started, according to a on Thursday Papers being sent via WhatsApp have increased the menace of cheating and copying in the examination centers The claims of monitoring the examination centers with CCTV cameras were also put to rest Due to the shortage of government teachers the hiring of private staff was also started in hundreds of examination centers On the other hand the Controller of Examination Muhammad Irfan has denied any such occurrence and said that examination centers are being closely monitored to prevent the paper leakage He has ruled out any chance of paper leakage claiming that all centers have stringent procedures in place and that mobile phones are not allowed in the examination centers

KP

s K y r o C K Et i N g i N F l at i o N l E av E s m i l l i o N s

o F p E o p l E s t r U g g l i N g i N r a m a Z a N

G o v t t o a c c e p t d e c i s i o n o f f u l l - c o u r t

b e n c h o f S C : P M S h e h b a z

e

Are events moving in a fixed direc tion, to exclude politicians?

TH E government’s defiance of the Supreme Court’s decision that elections for the Punjab and KP

Assemblies are to be held on May 18 was made clear by the unprecedented resolution passed by the national Assembly, white the Election Commission of Pakistan had issued an election schedule replacing the one it had earlier issued for April 30, and then cancelled after it postponed the polls to October 8 However, though the ECP issued the schedule as it had been instructed to by the Supreme Court it still did not seem that the elections would take place on time The Supreme Court order did not tie in either the funding or security for the election apart from ordering the government to do the needful That leaves the Prime Minister open to a charge of contempt of court, if he does not make the arrangements The national Assembly resolution did not affect the Supreme Court decision in any way, apart from showing what the coalition parties thought of the decision it also indicated that the PM and his government were in no mood to obey the court order

The most obvious issue is that PTI chairman Imran Khan has not got what he demanded initially national elections He and his party may not even have got the provincial elections they had thought inevitable However the PTI has not lost much compared to the judiciary or rather the Supreme Court which has had its internal divisions thoroughly exposed Indeed it is unlikely that the governing coalition would have been so resolute in its approach had the judiciary been more united in its stance The spectacle of the original nine-member bench set up to hear the election case crumbling away to three members, was not edifying, and not likely to enhance the repute of the Court As if that was not enough, there was the spectacle of a bench headed by Mr Justice Qazi Faez Isa declaring that suo motu cases should not be heard, and its reversal first by a circular by the Registrar and then by a larger bench As if all that was not enough there was the controversy not completely stamped out, over what was the original decision of the Court? If the petition had indeed been rejected 4-3 rather than accepted 3-2 would a contempt petition lie?

Unfortunately, Pakistan s history has been chequered, and the danger seems to be looming that those powers which the judiciary has favoured may be aiming to make a comeback Previous deviations from constitutionality have not worked nor has the hybrid experiment There is no reason to reinforce failure and there must be no further deviations from constitutionality

Niazi Joint Editor Umar Aziz Executive Editor

WH Y are there constant references to Mr Justice Sajjad Ali Shah in the current judicial crisis? Mr Justice Shah had been removed by judicial authority as Chief Justice of Pakistan in December 1997, after having been appointed in June 1994 He retired as a judge of the Supreme Court in March 1998 His appointment as CJP had violated what was t h e n a n i n f o r m a l r u l e o f s e n i o r i t y T h i s h a s n o w b e e n f o r m a l i z e d a s ‘ l e g i t i m a t e e x p e c t a n c y ’ a n d while there are no violations in the appointment of c h i e f j u s t i c e s , e i t h e r o f P a k i s t a n o r o f t h e h i g h courts, the principle has been violated in elevations o f j u n i o r j u d g e s o f h i g h c o u r t s t o t h e S u p r e m e C o u r t o v e r t h e h e a d s o f t h e i r s e n i o r s T h e j u d g e most affected by his appointment, Mr Justice Saad Saud Jan had retired by the time Mr Justice Shah w a s r e m o v e d a n d i t w a s M r J u s t i c e A j m a l M i a n who became CJP in his stead

M Justice Bandial is in no danger of removal as CJP for he has been Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court and CJP strictly in accordance with seniority Though it does not seem germane, Mr Justice Bandial was elevated to the Lahore High Court from the Bar while Mr Justice Shah was elevated to the Sindh High Court from the Bench It was as a district and sessions judge that he served as Registrar of the Supreme Court being the only person to have served as both its Registrar and its Chief Justice

However, perhaps the reason why Mr Justice Bandial is compared to Mr Justice Shah is that both appear to have taken a view of their office different from their brother judges Their brother judges take the view that judge-ship is the pinnacle of achievement, and becoming Chief Justice is nothing more than an administrative arrangement Mr Justice Shah and Mr Justice Bandial and presumably the various CJs between them, seem to have taken the view that they were head of the judiciary Their brother judges seem to take the view that the Supreme Court as a whole has a will of its own, and the CJP should express this

Though the strength of the Supreme Court is fixed at 17 it is represented fully by a two-member bench, from whose decision there is no appeal One major difference between the Pakistani and US Supreme Courts is that the US Supreme Court always sis as a Full Court the Pakistani Court almost never Certainly, there have been almost routine requests made for Full Courts to be constituted and almost routine refusals This makes a certain kind of sense, for it means that the Supreme Court, which already hears a large backlog of cases, can decide eight times as many cases sitting in two-member benches than if it heard all cases as a Full Court The American solution has been to vastly restrict the number of cases it hears by very strict standards of

maintainability Thus the US Chief Justice has no power to form benches All he does is assign the writing of judgements to various judges, just as the CJP does Being able to form benches is a power that places the CJP over his colleagues The US CJ is merely just one judge amongst many, and for long has been part of a m i n o r i t y I n o t h e r w o r d s , h i s d e c i s i o n n e e d n o t prevail Because the CJP can choose his colleagues on a bench he generally gets the decision he himself supports The formation of benches was also an issue with Mr Justice Shah and his colleagues Another aspect that has not been raised is the role of the Chief Justice and of the Supreme Court in the appointments to the high courts and the elevations to the Supreme Court The US CJ has no role in this whatsoever (unless he is consulted by the President, which would be an impropriety) The appointments (there are no elevations, though examples abound of the holder of a judgeship being appointed to a higher court) Appointments are made to federal judgeships by the Senate, after public confirmation hearings which are often scandalous One advantage of this is that while the nominee and his family are emotionally traumatized, perhaps for life there is little chance of the newly minted judge being blackmailed by anyone, as the establishment is said to have done at least with the lower judiciary As the late Judge Arshad Malik indicated members of the lower judiciary are made malleable by guilty secrets Mr Justice Shah’s power of sending various judges to hear cases at various sub-registries was meant to prevent judges coming together to exert the power of the Court but a judgement by a bench at Peshawar served to remove Mr Justice Shah as CJP He did not take the step that Mr Justice Bandial has done, which is to overturn the judgement by another judgement by a larger bench but by getting the Registrar to issue a circular that the judgement is to be ignored The judgement had required a freeze on all suo motu proceedings That would have included the Punjab and KP Assemblies’ election case A peculiar precedent has been created: that the Registrar may reverse any judgement by the Court That makes the Registrarship of a high court very lucrative Just think of all those refused bail in murder cases: how much would they pay to get the Registrar to issue a circular saying that the refusal had no ef-

Cyber-Hygiene between India and Pakistan

In today s digital age the internet has become an essential part of o-ur daily lives

We use it for communication, entertainment shopping and even work However with the increase in online activity there is also a rise in cybercrime Cyber-hygiene is a set of practices that individuals and organizations can implement to protect themselves from online threats This can include regularly updating software and operating systems, using strong passwords and being vigilant against phishing and other types of cyber-attacks It also includes best practices like creating backups of important data and segregating sensitive information The overall goal of cyber-hygiene is to reduce the risk of cyber incidents and to quickly detect and respond to any that do occur

Cyber-hygiene is crucial in safeguarding personal and confidential information from cybercriminals Whether you are an individual or an organization, it is important to protect your digital assets from malicious actors Implementing proper cyber-hygiene practices can help you ensure that your devices, networks, and data are secure Cyber-hygiene helps in mitigating the risks of cyber-threats such as malware phishing and hacking India and Pakistan have had a long-standing tension in their relationship, and this extends to the cyber domain as well Both countries have been known to engage in cyber-espionage cyber propaganda, and other cyber activities against each other

India and Pakistan both have reported cyber attacks on government institutions, infrastructure, and private companies from other countries Reports suggest that these attacks are being carried out by state-sponsored actors or non-state actors with links to the governments

Both countries have been criticized for having a lack of cyber-hygiene in their networks systems and infrastructure Reports suggest that Indian and Pakistani government networks and systems are often inadequately secured and maintained which can make them vulnerable to cyber-attacks

Additionally, a lack of cyber laws and regulations and insufficient cyber-security resources in both countries may lead to a lack of capacity for cyber defense and investigations

Overall, lack of cyber-hygiene is a major concern between India and Pakistan as it can increase the risk of successful cyber attacks which can potentially have significant consequences on national security the economy and public welfare

Cyber-hygiene is crucial for the digital economy and businesses as well Cybercriminals often target businesses to steal sensitive data disrupt operations or demand ransom By implementing cyber-hygiene practices, businesses can protect their networks, devices, and data They can also train their employees on

how to identify and report suspicious activity

Some additional cyber-hygiene practices that businesses can implement include:

Conducting Regular Security Audits: Regular security audits can help businesses identify vulnerabilities in their systems and implement measures to address them

Implementing Multi-Factor Authentication:

Multi-factor authentication adds an additional layer of security to your login process making it more difficult for hackers to gain access to your accounts

Cyber-hygiene is crucial in today’s digital ag e

Whether you are an individual or a business, implementing proper cyber-hygiene practices can help you protect your devices, networks, and data from cyber threats

By maintaining strong passwords, keeping software updated, avoiding suspicious links and attachments, and using antivirus software , you can mitigate the risks of cybercrime .

Encrypting Sensitive Data: Encrypting sensitive data can make it more difficult for cybercriminals to steal or access it

Creating a Cyber-security Incident Response Plan: Businesses should have a plan in place to respond to cyber-security incidents

This plan should include steps to contain the incident, identify the cause, and implement measures to prevent future incidents

There are several essential cyber-hygiene practices that you should follow to protect yourself from cyber threats These include:

Maintaining Strong Passwords: Passwords are your first line of defense against cyber threats It is important to use unique and complex passwords and change them periodically Avoid using easily guessable passwords such as your birthdate name or pet s name

Keeping Software Updated: Software updates often contain security patches that fix vulnerabilities that hackers can exploit Keeping your software updated can help you protect your devices and data from cyber threats

Avoiding Suspicious Links and Attachments: Cybercriminals often use phishing emails to trick users into clicking on malicious links or downloading infected attachments It is important to avoid clicking on links or downloading attachments from unknown sources

Using Antivirus Software: Antivirus software can protect your devices from viruses and other malicious programmes It is important to keep your antivirus software updated and run regular scans to detect and remove any threats

Cyber-hygiene is crucial in today’s digital age Whether you are an individual or a business, implementing proper cyber-hygiene practices can help you protect your devices, networks and data from cyber threats By maintaining strong passwords keeping software updated, avoiding suspicious links and attachments, and using antivirus software, you can mitigate the risks of cybercrime Cyber- hygiene should be implemented regularly and improved upon as needed to ensure the security of your digital assets

The writer is a Researcher at CISS-AJK

fect That would mean bail had been granted, and the accused could snap his fingers at the court the police and the entire justice system on his way out

The Registrar has been recalled by the federal government, and the decision has been overturned by a larger bench which seems to have been assembled expressly for this purpose

While the Al-Jihad Trust case ser ved to remove the Chief Justice and to make the principle of legitimate expectancy explicit, it did not resolve the issue of constituting benches.

Perhaps as a result, the Cour t today cannot really move forward, and take the nation with it, as is required

That particular Pandora s Box has now been opened and the CJP might not be able to close it H o w e v e r i t s h o u l d b e c l e a r t h a t t h e i s s u e a t stake is no longer whether the PTI gets elections, or whether the ECP is allowed to change the date I t i s w h e t h e r t h e C J P c a n t a k e s u o m o t u n o t i c e alone or whether he has to consult any or all of his brother judges The issue of politics might seem central, but it is not The legal profession is deeply concerned with politics It is perhaps a coincidence that both Allama Iqbal and the Quaid-eAzam for Pakistan and Gandhi, nehru and Sardar Vallabhai Patel for India, were all barristers as was Liaquat Ali Khan It is thus unnatural to ask judges to be apolitical It might be possible for those elevated from the subordinate judiciary, because they are not only judges but government servants and thus doubly neutral But for those elevated from the Bar judicial neutrality has to be learned I t i s t h u s n a t u r a l f o r judges to favour a political p a r t y W h a t b e c o m e s r e prehensible is for judges to f a v o u r t h a t p a r t y i n t h e i r j u d g e m e n t s E v e n m o r e problematic is judges who u s e a d m i n i s t r a t i v e p o s it i o n s t o f a v o u r o n e s i d e o r t h e o t h e r M r J u s t i c e Shah avoided that charge at least for whereas he h a d b e e n m a d e C J P b y t h e B e n a z i r g o v e r n m e n t w h e n i t w a s d i s m i s s e d u n d e r A r t i c l e 5 8 ( 2 b ) , h e chaired the Bench that upheld that decision Mr Justice Bandial has not

Whenever a matter reaches the Supreme Court, it is important, whether it be the holding of elections in two provinces affecting 145 million people or a single individual s bail application in a murder case affecting his life However, it seems that these issues, while weighty in themselves, must await the Supreme Court’s sorting itself out Without that its ability to do justice will be compromised

While the Al-Jihad Trust case served to remove the Chief Justice and to make the principle of legitimate expectancy explicit it did not resolve the issue of constituting benches Perhaps as a result, the Court today cannot really move forward, and take the nation with it as is required

The writer is a member of staff

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

Water is an issue of human rights

W O R L D Water Day, observed recently (March 22), honours water while bringing the global spotlight on to the couple of billion people who lack access to clean drinking water The event aims at accelerating change to solve the water and sanitation crisis because water is at the heart of sustainable development

It underpins our economy our health our environment and our way of life Water management that is done responsibly is an investment in future generations, not just the one we are part of Thus, achieving Sustainable Development Goal-6 (SDG-6), which calls for guaranteeing that water and sanitation are accessible to everyone and are managed sustainably is essential if we are to steer the world towards a resilient course that leaves no one behind Conversely, water is directly connected to all major global concerns including growing inequality the loss of natural resources environmental degradation and climate change But we are alarmingly off track, as the world will not reach the SDG-6 target or realise the dream of giving human rights coverage to water and sanitation issues by 2030, and we need to accelerate progress up to four times

At the same time sustainable management of freshwater ecosystems and resources is also necessary for societal advancement and economic prosperity Water cannot, therefore, be disregarded due to the connections between these urgent challenges

Yet, from a national viewpoint, water scarcity is a terrifying issue since Pakistan ranks 14th on a list of 17 countries that are facing the worst water risk Rapid population expansion climatic change causing flood-anddrought episodes inadequate agricultural water management ineffective infrastructure, and water pollution are the major causes of the country s overall water issue It necessitates transformational, national-level activities including good water governance which may offer political institutional and administrative laws practices and procedures for making decisions and putting them into effect To ensure that no one is left behind, it is also necessary to eradicate disparities

In order to achieve SDG-6 and other goals and targets relating to water it is necessary to build capacity for smart technologies that may enhance management and service delivery patterns Also, the key elements of the Water Action Agenda commit to action sustain and scale up implementation and follow-up and review processes will enable replication and scaling up of what works, and bring successful solutions on a global scale

DR AINY ZEHRA KARACHI

Pressure tactics

T H I S refers to the grim reality of mob justice in Pakistan These days, popular political leaders are involved in mob justice, or, should one say injustice They are trying to influence the independent judiciary through different means and tools Going to the court with a rally of supporters is the recent trend At one point we saw that the gates of the court were broken by the goons who went along with their leader, which is alarming and sad What lessons are these politicians teaching to the masses? Just gather a mob around you and there is no fear of being punished That seems to be the only lesson they have

The nation is doomed if such activities are not stopped Other political leaders will follow suit What about those who cannot bring hundreds of workers/followers to the courts? I fear they will resort to some other means and methods to save their skin and put pressure on the judiciary We need to stop this before it gets too late Simply put this is not democracy

a k i n g j u s t i c e s e e n t o b e d o n

Should Pakistan establish trade ties with Israel?

Will the government take any action against BenKhald for his actions, and if so, what will that action entail?

While it is commendable that the government has denied any involvement in this incident it is important to consider the wider implications of an individual citizen being able to carry out trade between Pakistan and Israel against the national stance and principles

Pakistan is under a great obligation from Arab Muslims not to recognize Israel as a member of UnO Although it makes no difference to Israel but Pakistan being a country created with Islamic Ideology has to demonstrate more friendship towards Palestinians There are two approaches

PA K I S TA n and Israel have had a strained relationship since the latter s establishment in 1948 While there has been talk in recent years of improving ties between the two nations Pakistan should not establish trade ties with Israel

In a rare development that has caught many by surprise, the American Jewish Congress announced that a Pakistani-Jewish businessman Fishel BenKhald facilitated the first shipment of food products from Pakistan to Israel The transaction involved BenKhald and three Israeli businesspeople BenKhald runs a Jewish kosher certification business in Karachi where he certifies food products for export to destinations worldwide The shipment reportedly included dates, dry fruits, and spices, which were put on display in a Jerusalem market BenKhald shared a video of the products on Twitter which has since gained over 640,000 views

These reports drew strong reactions from certain quarters in Pakistan which does not recognize Israel

However, the Pakistani government has denied any involvement in the trade between Pakistan and Israel, and has stated that the actions of the Pakistani-Jewish businessman Fishel BenKhald were carried out in his personal capacity and without the support of the government

But this incident raises questions about how Fishel BenKhald was able to export food products from Pakistan to Israel given Pakistan s official stance on Israel?

What measures will the government take to prevent similar violations of Pakistan’s foreign policy in the future?

One approach suggests that Israel is a reality, so Pakistan should also open up trade Though Saudi Arabia still does not officially recognize Israel as a state there have been signs of a potential thaw in the relationship between the two countries, particularly following the signing of the Abraham Accords in 2020 which normalized diplomatic relations between Israel and several Arab countries, including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Sudan It endorses that there are ways and means to coexist even with those who cannot be acclaimed as good friends Trade is a mutual requirement Pakistan may carve out some strategy with care and a constructive debate with all political and religious parties should be carried out to reach a just decision

While this approach has something tp be said for it, it is important to note that Saudi Arabia’s warming relations with Israel have been driven at least in part by the country s own strategic and geopolitical interests Therefore, it is not necessarily comparable to Pakistan s stance on Israel For instance, both Saudi Arabia and Israel are concerned about the influence of Iran in the region and its support for armed groups such as Hezbollah and Hamas Closer ties with Israel could help Saudi Arabia to counterbalance Iran’s influence in the region and strengthen its own security position Additionally Saudi Arabia has been seeking to diversify its economy away from oil and attract foreign investment Improved relations with Israel could help to facilitate increased trade and investment opportunities between the two countries particularly in areas such as technology and tourism

Whereas, Pakistan’s foreign policy stance towards Israel is based on principles of justice and solidarity with the Palestinian cause and cannot be equated with Saudi s approach to foreign relations Pakistan has historically been opposing the establishment of diplomatic relations

the nexus between technology, geopolitics and national securit y

Th e U n i te d St ate s re ce nt l y i nt ro d u ce d a p o l i t i c a l d e c l a rat i o n o n re s p o n s i b l e m i l i t a r y u s e o f a r t i f i c i a l i nte l l i g e n ce a n d a u to n o my

with Israel until a comprehensive and just solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is achieved This position is rooted in the belief that the rights of the Palestinian people should be respected and that any normalization of relations with Israel should only come after a comprehensive peace agreement is reached between the Israelis and the Palestinians Furthermore Pakistan’s decision on this matter is influenced by its own domestic politics and its public opinion, which has been critical of Israel s actions towards Palestinians It is important to note that any decision to establish ties with Israel would be a highly sensitive issue for many people in Pakistan, and it would be expected to generate significant debate and opposition leading to social unrest Many Pakistanis feel a strong sense of solidarity with the Palestinian people and any move towards normalization with Israel would be met with resistance which could damage the government’s legitimacy

Given the complexities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the long-standing support for the Palestinian cause in Pakistan, any change in Pakistan s position on this issue would have to be carefully considered, taking into account the interests and concerns of all stakeholders Ultimately, it is not appropriate to compare Pakistan s position on Israel with that of other countries, and any such matter for Pakistan should be decided based on its own unique set of circumstances interests and considerations

On the other hand, the second approach is more rigid and religious They say that the A|lmighty has declared in the Quran that Jews will never have their independent state The present state of Israel is totally dependent upon the USA and other Western powers In fact it is created through an intrigue against Muslims So trade is not allowed with inimical Jews who are always planning to destroy Pakistan

Maybe this religious group is right in their approach but ground realities are quite different Israel is there on the map of the world as an independent country Although it depends upon support of Western powers, yet it has grown up as an independent state and proved its worth in self-defense of its territory But there remains one question Whether our refusal to recognize and establish any sort of ties with Israel will change ground realities? Or ultimately Israel will collapse in result of our non- recognition Or circumstances will change and we should continue to wait till Muslims become powerful enough to wipe Israel from the map of the world

First and foremost Pakistan’s support for Palestine is deeply ingrained in its foreign policy Pakistan has consistently supported the Palestinian cause, recognizing it as a legitimate struggle for self-determination In contrast Israel has a history of human rights violations against the Palestinian people, including illegal settlements and the use of excessive force against Palestinian civilians Establishing trade ties with Israel would be seen as a betrayal of Pakistan s long-standing support for the Palestinian people Pakistan is currently facing a number of economic and political challenges including high inflation a large fiscal deficit an unstable exchange rate and a challenging security environment In such circumstances, the government’s priority would be to focus on stabilizing the economy and addressing domestic challenges rather than taking any major foreign policy decisions that could potentially distract from these priorities

Furthermore there is little evidence to suggest that establishing trade ties with Israel would bring any significant economic benefits to Pakistan Israel s economy is heavily focused on technology and high-value manufacturing which may not be a good fit for Pakistan’s largely agricultural and textile-based economy Moreover, there are already many other countries with whom Pakistan can trade and establish economic ties making the need for trade with Israel unnecessary

While it is important for Pakistan to maintain an open and engaged foreign policy, establishing trade ties with Israel would be a step too far

In a nutshell to prevent similar violations of Pakistan s foreign policy in the future, the government can take several steps These include strengthening regulations and restrictions on trade and commerce with countries that Pakistan does not recognize or has a hostile relationship with, increasing surveillance and monitoring of individuals and businesses suspected of engaging in unauthorized trade or commerce launching educational and awareness campaigns to inform citizens and businesses about Pakistan’s foreign policy stance, and engaging in diplomatic efforts to strengthen its relationship with such countries Additionally the government should hold those responsible for violating Pakistan s foreign policy accountable for their actions, regardless of whether they acted in a personal or official capacity to send a strong message that violations will not be tolerated

The writer is a freelance columnist

In the final session on Day 1 of ASPI s Sydney Dialogue, Mike Horowitz from the US Department of Defense led a panel discussion on global technology trends In these introductory remarks, I will lay out how the US Department of Defense is thinking about the intersection of technological change in geopolitical competition and what it means for the security environment particularly in the context of the Indo-Pacific, a vital region for the future of the world I want to tell you about three trends shaping this intersection of technological change geopolitics and national security

First, a series of technologies, including artificial intelligence, biotechnology and cyber, are already online and growing more sophisticated every day in ways that are already reshaping economies, societies and militaries For example, the recent public release of large language models like ChatGPT illustrates the way advances in AI and machine learning can revolutionise how we aggregate access and process information everywhere from the classroom to the military

These advances represent general-purpose technologies like the combustion engine and the aircraft in prior generations

They have strategic consequences and the drivers and impacts are so much broader

They reflect a trend where so many of the cutting-edge technologies of today have experienced booms due to private-sector and commercial investment Second, these technological changes are accelerating changes in the security

tE C H buzzwords tend to come and go

quickly Remember the metaverse? Or the fourth industrial revolution, a concept that swept South Korea several years ago? now all attention is placed on what is called generative AI, led by OpenAI s ChatGPT

The popularity of artificial intelligence-powered ChatGPT which generates highly human responses to text queries based on algorithms and a vast volume of data sets, is sparking off a whole host of new phenomena in various applications including computer coding essay writing and information gathering And a flood of AI-based uber-realistic photos and illustrations produced by carefully arranged text prompts is taking the internet by storm

Some welcome the advent of extremely cheap and quickly produced useful answers as well as potentially commercial images based on advanced AI solutions Others joke that a number of commercial industries and professionals may be doomed by the intensifying attacks of AI-generated solutions A look at the fast-expanding adoption of generative AI

environment The 2022 US national defence strategy clearly describes this evolving strategic environment in the way the People’s Republic of China is seeking to leverage technological advantage to create systemic challenges

Furthermore Russia s horrific invasion of Ukraine triggering the largest war in Europe since World War II makes Russia an acute threat that we also think about every day in this context Third we cannot go it alone if we are going to succeed in this complex world As Under Secretary of Defense [Colin] Kahl said last year, this is not a competition of countries It’s a competition of coalitions

Collaboration with allies and partners is not just foundational for US national security interests It s necessary to strengthen and sustain deterrents in light of rapidly emerging technologies The unbreakable alliance that the United States shares with Australia for example is a manifestation of our work and commitment to reduce institutional barriers, including those that inhibit collective research and development, planning, interoperability information sharing and technology sharing

The AUKUS partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States is an illustration of this commitment AUKUS is a generational opportunity that as Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin says will strengthen our combined military capabilities, boost our defence industrial capacity, enhance our ability to deter aggression and promote our shared goal of a free and open Indo-Pacific

AUKUS is a shared long-term investment that will allow us to build defence advantages that endure for decades to come Competing is about creating stability and making conflict less likely helping ensure that free and open Indo-Pacific where all nations can prosper free from coercion But this is not just about competition; it s also about cooperation We need a common understanding of how we develop and use the military tools of today and tomorrow in line with our values

For example, the United States recently introduced a political declaration on responsible military use of artificial intelligence and autonomy This non-binding international agreement establishes strong norms of responsible behaviour for military actions surrounding AI and autonomy, building on lessons learned from over a decade of Defense Department policies

Mike Horowitz is director of the emerging capabilities policy office in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy in the US Department of Defense

YO U can blame David Auerbach for the smiley face emoticon He invented it when he worked for Microsoft on its messenger service in the late 1990s, fresh out of Yale Auerbach had always been precocious He was the first kid on his block in 1980s suburban Los Angeles who had his own computer, an Apple IIe, which he got when he was six His parents both psychiatrists pressed science fiction paperbacks into his hands Their house was strewn with Prozac- and Zoloftbranded pens and mousepads When he was 13, he read all of Vonnegut in two weeks The first program he wrote was a single line of code: Draw a square By age eight, he was writing code to create long animated movies in Logo A f t e r Ya l e a n d t h e s m i l e y f a c e w h i c h h e never saw a penny from since there were no roya l t i e s f o r e m o t i c o n s h e w e n t t o w o r k f o r Google in 2004 at a time when they were hiring b u s l o a d s o f M i c r o s o f t s b e s t e n g i n e e r s A t Google, I got a close-up look at AI and how unpredictable these things could be, and how hard to control ” Auerbach says “If something went wrong AI tended to make it harder to figure out why it had gone wrong, and harder to fix without messing something else up ” ChatGPT was still twenty years away; the AI that he worked on at Google was being used for things like its search engine M o s t o f u s t h i n k o f A I a s s o m e t h i n g n e w b u t i t s b e e n a r o u n d f o r d e c a d e s i n e x a m p l e s s u c h a s t h e R o o m b a v a c u u m a n d C l i p p y, M icrosoft’s much-maligned office assistant Auerbach writes about AI and the implications of Big Te c h i n h i s n e w b o o k M e g a n e t s : H o w D i g i t a l F o r c e s B e y o n d O u r C o n t r o l C o m m a n d e e r O u r Daily Lives and Inner Realities He coined the term “meganet” to describe networks that are inc r e a s i n g l y b e y o n d t h e c o n t r o l o f t h e i r g o v e r nm e n t o r c o r p o r a t e a d m i n i s t r a t o r s , s u c h a s Facebook Twitter Google cryptocurrency netw o r k s e v e n o n l i n e g a m e s T h e p r o b l e m i s n t AI per se, he says “ A I w o r k s w o n d e r f u l l y i n c o n t e x t s l i k e voice recognition or playing chess The problem

Fo r m e r M i c ro s o f t a n d G o o g l e e n g i n e e r D av i d Au e r b a c h s ay s B i g Te c h g u r u s a re r i g ht to b e f r i g hte n e d o f t h e i r ow n c re at i o n Korea

i s w h e n A I s a r e h o o k e d t o t h e s e m e g a n e t s That s when the interaction of hundreds of mill i o n s o f p e o p l e a n d e x t r a o r d i n a r y p r o c e s s i n g power yields feedback loops that send these systems out of control F o r e x a m p l e , M i c r o s o f t ’s B i n g S y d n e y A I c o u l d n o t h a v e s p u n o u t f a n t a s i e s o f r e l e a s i n g n u c l e a r c o d e s a n d g a i n i n g p o w e r i f i t h a d n t been seeded with our very own nightmares of AI taking over ” H i s b o o k c o u l d n ’t h a v e c o m e a t a b e t t e r t i m e L a s t m o n t h a n o p e n l e t t e r a r r i v e d l i k e a warning shot, signed by several of tech s bestknown names including Elon Musk Stuart Russ e l l M a x Te g m a r k Yo s h u a B e n g i o G r a d y B o o c h , a n d S t e v e Wo z n i a k , c a l l i n g f o r a l l A I labs to immediately pause for at least 6 months the training of AI systems more powerful than GPT-4 The letter also warns Powerful AI systems should be developed only once we are confident that their effects will be positive and their risks will be manageable ”

What does Auerbach think of their concerns?

One thing the letter tells us, he says, is that even the people who work on this technology are s t a r t i n g t o g e t p r e t t y u n c o m f o r t a b l e w i t h w h a t it s capable of doing And what they re proposing is basically, ‘Let’s just kick the can and buy ourselves some time to figure it out ’

The nature of their discomfort varies from person to person, he added Some people are c o n c e r n e d a b o u t a c t u a l e x i s t e n t i a l r i s k a n d r eleasing the nuclear codes There are other people w h o a r e p r o b a b l y c l o s e r t o m e w h o a r e m o r e c o n c e r n e d a b o u t t h e t e c h n o l o g y b e i n g u s e d t o manipulate discourse and further confuse reality beyond what it already is W h a t e v e r t h e p r o b l e m s w i t h A I , A u e r b a c h doesn’t think we can fully stop it “The difficulty is what are you actually going to do in the next six months that is going to make things better? he says, referring to the letter “ I d o n ’t s e e a l o t o f t h e i r c o n c r e t e s u g g e st i o n s a s b e i n g o n e s t h a t a r e h u g e l y f e a s i b l e i n t h a t t i m e f r a m e A n d t h e y t a l k a b o u t c o n f idence Who the hell knows what confidence is? A n d h o w d o w e k n o w w h e n w e ’ v e g o t t e n t h e r e ? H e r e s t h e a n s w e r : We a r e n t g o i n g to get there

And we re going to lie to ourselves that we have ”

Regul AtIng CHAtgPt

suggests this dystopian prospect is not so far-fetched

As with other tech fads however generative AI chatbots might lose their momentum at some point after their limitations are revealed and stringent regulatory measures are taken around the world

On Friday, Italy became the first Western country temporarily to block access to ChatGPT over privacy issues The main reason lies in the murky way OpenAI collects and processes data some of which are scraped from internet forums without the consent of users not only the lack of transparency related to privacy but also the accuracy of information generated by ChatGPT has been under fire Fake news, aided by super-realistic AI-generated photos of famous people are already popping up in cyberspace

After Italy s move to ban ChatGPT other European countries are reportedly reviewing wildly popular chatbot services to see whether strict regulations are needed Authorities in France and Ireland contacted their counterparts in Italy to find out more about the ban Germany is said to be considering blocking ChatGPT over data security concerns

Privacy and other related issues are not limited to ChatGPT Other generative AI services from Google and other major tech firms are also saddled with a slew of potentially damaging problems including the massive exploitation of content available on the internet, copyright infringement and the biased manipulation of data

South Korea’s major companies in the finance IT and semiconductor fields are already taking actions to minimize the side effects of chatbot services For instance, Samsung Electronics is reportedly conducting an internal survey on ChatGPT before drawing up guidelines about whether it can be officially used for work purposes A growing number of local companies are rushing to set up rules since more cases in which confidential data got leaked are reported Typing in confidential programming codes in ChatGPT, for example, can result in accidental data leaks

Posco has opted for allowing its employees to use only its internal chatbot service to strengthen data protection SK hynix has blocked the use of ChatGPT in its intranet, while allowing for limited use only when

formal permission is granted following a security review

But banning and restricting the use of generative AI services could bring about potential problems as well If too many local regulations are imposed on new advanced chatbots, the fledgling AI industry might be stuck while other countries are encouraging AI tech firms to advance related solutions

The fear of being left behind is real Italy s Deputy Prime Minister and Infrastructure Minister Matteo Salvini said Tuesday that national competitiveness will suffer compared with other European nations if ChatGPT is not reactivated soon Given the dizzy pace of advances in AI such concerns are not groundless

The Korean government has to study generative AI seriously and start exploring its positive and negative impact on the business, academic and science fields among others More importantly it should make efforts to come up with balanced guidelines that aim to protect users content from reckless data exploitation by chatbot providers and also encourage businesses and individuals to utilize chatbots safely for creative applications

Policymakers should be aware that as far as AI is concerned timing is crucial and they don’t need to ask ChatGPT about when they should start because the answer is most certainly right now

W h y n o o n e c a n c o n t r o l

S A u d I A r A b I A , I r A n S I g n A g r e e M e n t f o r r e S u M I n g d I p lo M At I c r e l At I o n S

iSLAMABAD

s ta f f R e p o R t

IR A N and Saudi Arabia on Thursday signed an agreement for resuming diplomatic relations after the meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang witnessing the signing ceremony, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in Beijing

Upon the proposal of Saudi Arabia and Iran, China today received Saudi Arabian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and Iranian Foreign Affairs Minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, for a meeting in the Chinese capital here Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Moa Ning said during her regular briefing held here

The spokesperson informed that the Chinese foreign minister met with his two counterparts from Saudi Arabia and Iran

The foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and Iran announced the resumption of diplomatic ties and signed a joint statement Both noted that they will continue to advance the process to improve

bilateral relations in accordance with the roadmap and timeline identified in their Beijing talks in March and thanked China for its important role in facilitating the talks she added Mao Ning said that China welcomes and applauds the continued steps Saudi Arabia and Iran have taken to improve their relations, adding, We are ready to

Israel blasted after police attack palestinian worshippers in Al-Aqsa mosque

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Shock and outrage grow as video of Israel s armed police beating Palestinian worshippers during the holy month of Ramadan goes viral Israeli authorities claim they were trying to detain law-breaking juveniles who had barricaded themselves inside the compound Global criticism and concern mounted Wednesday after Israeli police attacked Palestinians inside Islam s thirdholiest site, sparking a military exchange of rockets and air strikes, with fears of further escalation

Two more rockets were fired late Wednesday from the Israel-blockaded Gaza Strip towards Israel the army and witnesses said, and fresh altercations broke out at Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem during the Jewish Passover and the Muslim holy month of Ramadan

Armed police in riot gear stormed the prayer hall of AlAqsa mosque before dawn Wednesday, aiming to dislodge “law-breaking youths and masked agitators” they said had barricaded themselves inside A barrage of rocks and fireworks met the officers, police video showed, and more than 400 people were arrested

On Thursday Israeli police raided the compound for a second consecutive night firing stun grenades and rubber-coated steel bullets at worshippers, according to Al Jazeera Videos from the site show armed troops forcibly emptying the mosque from worshippers who had gathered there for Ramadan prayers

UN chief ‘shocked and appalled’ United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was shocked and appalled by images he saw of Israeli security forces beating people at the mosque, particularly because it came at a time holy to Jews, Christians and Muslims that should be a period of peace his spokesman said White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the United States said he was extremely concerned by the continuing violence and we urge all sides to avoid further escalation

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose country and Israel have been rebuilding ties said:

Trampling on the Al-Aqsa mosque is our red line

Later on Wednesday, Israeli police said dozens of lawbreaking juveniles, some of them masked, threw fireworks and stones” into the mosque and tried again to barricade themselves in as worshippers gathered for evening prayers Officers thwarted and dispersed the “violent rioters” and allowed worshippers to leave police said An AFP journalist saw Israeli security forces blocking access routes to the mosque Israel blames ‘violent rioters’

A spokesman for Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said Israel was creating an atmosphere of escalation, instability and tension”, saying police stormed the mosque and attacked worshippers on Wednesday

evening Violence in occupied Palestine has intensified since the new government of veteran Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took power in December a coalition with the extreme right and ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties 74-year-old Palestinian witness Abdel Karim Ikraiem said Israeli police armed with batons tear gas grenades and smoke bombs burst into the mosque by force and beat the women and men worshipping there early Wednesday

Apple says ‘Hello Mumbai’ at first India store launch

have the will and ability to take the initiative of regional peace and development

“The recent interactions in the Middle East also show that peace and development is what people aspire for and what the trend is leading to, she added

The spokesperson called upon the international community to help Middle East countries resolve differences and enhance solidarity Acts to stoke tensions, create divisions divide and rule and other colonial hegemonic practices will be opposed by people all over the world

Apple Inc (AAPL O) on Wednesday revealed the look of its first retail store in India as several people tried to catch a glimpse outside the store s black and yellow artwork patterned after Mumbai s iconic taxis

Beijing s ta f f R e p o R t

Chinese President Xi Jinping said China stands ready to join France in calling on the international community to avoid an escalation of the Ukraine crisis as China is committed to promoting peace talks and political settlement

Xi made the remarks at a joint press conference with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron after their talks in Beijing on Thursday China calls on all parties to stay rational, exercise restraint and avoid taking actions that might cause the crisis to further deteriorate or even spiral out of control, he said

Xi stressed that nuclear weapons must not be used and nuclear wars must not be fought He affirmed China s opposition to the use of biological weapons under any circumstances, as well as armed attacks against nuclear power plants or other civilian nu-

keep playing a mediating role support both sides in building trust, dispelling misgivings and realizing good neighborliness and contribute China’s wisdom and strength to promoting security stability and development in the Middle East

She said that the further improvement of relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran fully shows that regional countries

Another Forbes 30 under 30 alumnus bites the dust: Frank founder charged in $175mn fraud scheme

She said that as a good friend and a good partner China will as always respect Middle East countries who are the true masters of their future “We are a force for reconciliation peace and harmony in the Middle East C h i n a w i l l i m p l e m e n t t h e G l o b a l S ecurity Initiative, the Global Developm e n t I n i t i a t i v e a n d t h e G l o b a l C i v i l i z a t i o n I n i t i a t i v e w i t h M i d d l e E a s t c o u n t r i e s , p r o m o t e s e c u r i t y, s t ability, development, prosperity, inclus i v e n e s s a n d h a r m o n y i n t h e M i d d l e East she added pr

The Securities and Exchange Commission on Tuesday charged Frank founder Charlie Javice with fraud three months after JP Morgan sued her for allegedly fabricating millions of fake customers to lure America s largest bank into buying her company The U S Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York is also conducting a parallel criminal investigation into the case

The SEC is accusing Javice of [orchestrating] a scheme to deceive JPMC” about the scale and success of Frank s business which in reality had less than 300,000 students signed up to entice the bank to close the deal according to a release

The SEC complaint, filed in U S District Court for the Southern District of New York charges Javice with violating antifraud provisions in the Securities Act of 1933 and Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Rather than help students, we allege that Ms Javice engaged in an old school fraud: she lied about Frank s success in helping millions of students navigate the college financial aid process by making up data to support her claims and then used that fake information to induce JPMC to enter into a $175 million transaction Gurbir Grewal director of the SEC s enforcement division, said in a statement

“Even non-public early-stage companies must be truthful in their representations, and when they fall short we will hold them accountable as in this case ”

Javice was arrested Monday night in New Jersey The SEC is seeking injunctive relief and civil penalties Javice s lawyer Alex Spiro, declined to comment

The 31-year-old s student financial aid startup which landed her on Forbes 30 Under 30 list in 2019, had been acquired to much fanfare by JP Morgan for $175 million in 2021 The bank sued her for compensatory and punitive damages late last year Javice who denies JP Morgan’s allegations at the same time sued the bank, accusing it of spinning up a lawsuit to force her out and

deny her millions in compensation (A JP Morgan spokesperson declined to comment )

A parallel investigation into Javice is also underway at the Justice Department The U S Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York on Tuesday announced the unsealing in Manhattan federal court of a criminal complaint accusing the young entrepreneur of falsely and dramatically inflating the number of customers of her company to sway JP Morgan into the purchase She is being charged with one count of conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud; one count of wire fraud affecting a financial institution; one count of bank fraud; and one count of securities fraud according to a release (Each of the first three counts carries a maximum prison sentence of 30 years, and the final count 20 years ) The case is being led by the office s Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit “Javice engaged in a brazen scheme to defraud JPMC in the course of a $175 million acquisition deal, U S Attorney Damian William said in a statement She lied directly to JPMC and fabricated data to support those lies all in order to make over $45 million from the sale of her company This ar-

rest should warn entrepreneurs who lie to advance their businesses that their lies will catch up to them and this Office will hold them accountable for putting their greed above the law Javice will appear today before U S Magistrate Judge Barbara Moses The suit has become a public mess for JP Morgan with Chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon in January deriding the deal as a huge mistake

In her response to the initial JP Morgan complaint Javice said she was clear about the size of Frank’s customer base, and that there was interest from the highest levels of the financial firm including from Dimon himself in seeing the deal through She claims Dimon personally set his sights on her business because it had penetrated a student market that JP Morgan had long struggled to break into This lawsuit is the culmination of a massive ‘CYA’ effort by those responsible inside JPMC to shift the blame for a failed and now-regretted acquisition to someone they view as an easy target: its young female founder Javice s response reads But JPMC s core claims in this lawsuit are even more implausible than they are meritless

The store is still in barricades and is likely to open this month a person familiar with the matter told Reuters India has become a big market for the Cupertino California-based company, which launched an online retail store in the world’s second-largest smartphone market in 2020 Still, due to its high prices, Apple has only a 3% share of India’s smartphone market Apple has previously faced hurdles in opening physical retail stores in the country with 2021 launch plans delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic Apple products, however, have been sold in India for years on e-commerce platforms such as Amazon com Inc (AMZN O) and Walmart Inc s (WMT N) Flipkart as well as through resellers India is also increasingly becoming a manufacturing base with some Apple products including iPhones assembled in the country by Taiwanese contract electronics manufacturers Foxconn (2317 TW) and Wistron Corp (3231 TW) Apple also plans to assemble iPads and AirPods in India

The first retail store is located in the premier Reliance Jio World Drive mall, home to various luxury clothing and jewellery brands like Michael Kors Kate Spade and Swarovski

The brightly-lit store was inspired by the iconic Kaali Peeli taxi art unique to Mumbai ” Apple said in a statement referring to the city s decades-old yellow and black taxis

People were taking selfies and recording videos on their smartphones outside the store on Wednesday evening with the Apple logo decked out in a variety of colours and a version of the classic Apple greeting showing “Hello Mumbai”

South Korean lawmakers protest Japan’s move to dump nuclear-contaminated water

Members of South Korea s National Assembly on Wednesday staged protest in front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul against Japan’s decision to dump nuclear contaminated wastewater into the sea

The lawmakers, all from the South Korean major opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) had a meeting with Daisuke Namioka a minister at the Japanese Embassy to voice their anger and objection

The National Assembly members later told the press that with the safety of people in Japan and neighboring countries at stake Japan should withdraw its plan to discharge the radioactive wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear power plant damaged in an earthquake in 2011

“We demand that not only South Korea but also other neighboring countries can directly participate in the safety check process [of the nuclear contaminated wastewater] Japan should withdraw its plan to discharge the contaminated wastewater into sea until the neighboring countries express their consent clearly said Yang Yi Won-young, member of the National Assembly from the Democratic Party

The lawmakers also said that the two countries should pause discussions on exporting fishing products until their safety is confirmed and the radioactive wastewater disposal details are provided for supervision

The National Assembly members have planned a travel to Fukushima Prefecture starting on Thursday

In 2011, following a massive earthquake off Japan’s coast, three of the reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station melted down after a 15-meter-high tsunami smashed into the shore-side facility

The tainted water being stored in tanks at the plant is expected to soon reach capacity and the lengthy process of dumping the radioactive water into the ocean is projected to take several decades

Japan decided in April 2021 to start dumping the about 1 25 million tons of nuclear wastewater into the ocean spanning 30 years from 2023 ag e n c e s

China ready to issue joint c all with France for ‘politic al settlement of Ukraine crisis ’

clear facilities Xi also advocated to resume peace talks “as soon as possible ” observe the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, and accommodate the legitimate security concerns of all parties

Xi calls for stable dynamic ChinaFrance comprehensive strategic partnership

Both as firm advocates for a multi-polar world and greater democracy in international relations China and France have the ability and responsibility to rise above differences and obstacles, keep to the overall direction of a comprehensive strategic partnership that is stable mutually beneficial enterprising and dynamic, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Thursday

Xi made the remarks when meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron who is on a state visit to China, in Beijing

Over the past three years and more, despite a changing and unstable international landscape, China and France have worked to-

gether to maintain a positive and sound growth momentum in their bilateral ties Xi noted Xi said the two sides have maintained high-frequency and high-quality strategic communication in a hybrid format, supported each other in the fight against COVID-19 and seen robust growth in bilateral trade and important outcomes from cooperation in aerospace, aviation, agriculture, food and other areas

The two countries have also carried out close communication and coordination on such issues as climate change biodiversity and Africa s development he said

The world today is undergoing profound historic transformation, Xi said, adding that China and France as permanent members of the UN Security Council and major countries with a tradition of independence, should practice true multilateralism for global peace stability and prosperity President Macron s visit to China is the

first by a European head of state after the full resumption of China’s exchanges with the world and the successful conclusion of

China s Two Sessions, Xi said, adding that the visit will inject new momentum and bring new vitality to China-Europe relations

corporate corner

Naval chief heads command & staff conference at Naval Headquar ters Islamabad

I s l a m a b a d: Command & Staff Conference of Pakistan Navy concluded at Naval Headquarters, Islamabad The Conference was chaired by Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Muhammad Amjad Khan Niazi During the conference participants assessed evolving maritime situation in the region and discussed a range of topics related to national security geostrategic affairs combat readiness and training of troops Besides progress on Pakistan Navy s ongoing projects including future plans was reviewd The Naval Chief underlined the importance of maintaining perpetual combat readiness to effectively counter any potential aggression against Pakistan He praised the efforts made towards capability enhancement through acquisition of emerging technologies The Admiral expressed full confidence in high state of operational preparedness of Pakistan Navy in safeguarding maritime frontiers of the motherland Pakistan Navy s commitment in line with Government of Pakistan policies to extend all-out efforts to support earthquake-hit countries Turkiye and Syria through recently conducted International Humanitarian Assistance & Disaster Relief mission by PN ships was reaffirmed p r

Bank Alfalah and NOWPDP team up to create job oppor tunities for persons with disabilities`

K a r a c h I : Bank Alfalah one of Pakistan s leading commercial banks has announced a strategic partnership with Network of Organizations Working For People With Disabilities Pakistan (NOWPDP) a non-profit organization to empower persons with disabilities by creating employment opportunities for them and promote financial inclusion in the banking sector p r

MMBL par tners with Rahim & Sons and K&S to provide affordable financing solutions for Renewable Energy

Pak-UaE agrEE to intEnsif y Efforts to dEal with challEngE of isl amoPhobia

iSLaMaBaD s ta f f r e p o r t

tH E Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates

(UAE) to Pakistan Hamad Obaid Ibrahim Al

Zabi called on Chairman Senate Muhammad Sadiq Sanjrani at the Parliament House on Thursday According to official press release, both the dignitaries discussed matter of mutual interest, including bilateral relations During the meeting, the two discussed the deep fraternal relations between Pakistan and the UAE, which have been bound by common values and culture for the past five decades

In the meeting, both the countries agreed to intensify efforts to deal with the challenge of Islamophobia and to raise a strong voice against the ongoing brutality of Palestinians and Kashmiris

The Chairman Senate expressed Pakistan s commit-

ment to further strengthen its relations with the UAE in all areas of common interests The Ambassador of UAE appreciated Pakistan s development-oriented economic policies initiated by the government Both the dignitaries emphasized the need to explore

new avenues in economic diplomacy and investment to further promote and strengthen economic and financial relations between the two countries “United Arab Emirates is Pakistan’s largest trading partner and major source of investment in the Middle East, and there is still a lot of scope for economic cooperation between the two countries There are vast possibilities of cooperation in the fields of renewable energy trade industry and infrastructure development Sanjrani underlined

The Chairman Senate expressed good wishes for the development and prosperity of the brotherly people of the United Arab Emirates and thanked the UAE for its assistance to the flood victims in Pakistan The Pakistanis living in the UAE are an asset who are playing an important role in the development of both countries The meeting concluded with a mutual understanding to explore more opportunities to further enhance the bilateral relations between the two countries

EAG c alls for reforms to encourage R&D investment in countr y amidst rising inflation, decreasing donations

iSLaMaBaD s ta f f r e p o r t

The Economic Advisory Group (EAG) on Thursday called for institutional reforms to encourage investment in critical research and development areas such as seed development and disease prevention

The EAG, an independent group of individuals dealing with economics, policy matters and private sector, in a report stressed the importance of R&D investment to promote innovation enhance food security and prevent epidemics and pandemics

It noted that with rising inflation 73% of households in the country were experiencing a significant deterioration in savings The government was trying to provide relief to the people through cash transfers and free flour but challenges remain in aid distribution

The EAG called for greater transparency in cash transfer infrastructure and liberalization of cross-border trade

in agriculture as donations had decreased by 50% and the number of people seeking help also increased by 50% The Group praised the Sindh government s efforts to provide relief to citizens in the face of rising food prices W h i l e a c k n o w l e d g i n g t h a t p r o v i d i n g f r e e f l o u r may be necessary in certain areas with limited access t o m a r k e t s t h e E A G m a i n t a i n e d t h a t c a s h t r a n s f e r s were the most effective means of delivering aid, and h i g h l i g h t e d t h e e x i s t i n g i n f r a s t r u c t u r e a v a i l a b l e t o reach out to those in need beyond the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) T h e E A G n o t e d t h a t t h e f e d e r a l a n d p r o v i n c i a l governments had stepped up their relief efforts The Sindh government, for instance, had distributed Rs 3 2 billion in cash transfers through BISP to 1 6 million households across the province with the reported objective of transferring a total of Rs 15 5 billion to 3 8 m i l l i o n h o u s e h o l d s w i t h a m o n t h l y i n c o m e o f l e s s than Rs 50 000 it added

PSX sees sharp increase in shares following news of potential S audi funding

On Thursday the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) experienced a significant increase in share prices

The benchmark KSE-100 index rose by 611 95 points which equals a 1 54% increase According to Raza Jafri the head of equity at Intermarket Securities this increase was primarily due to reports from the media that Saudi Arabia had confirmed its willingness to provide funds to Pakistan, a key requirement set by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a staff-level agreement Although the news is still unconfirmed, investors have seized onto it as a potential way to revive the

Amazon plans to trim employee stock awards amid tough economy

pr ofit r e u t e r s

Amazon com Inc (AMZN O) said it would reduce employee stock awards, a part of its compensation plan, as the e-commerce giant navigates an uncertain economy “We made the decision to reduce RSU (restricted stock units) awards in the final outlook year by a small amount (other years are not impacted) ” an Amazon spokesperson said in an emailed statement without specifying the period of the final outlook year

The news comes weeks after Amazon announced

PARCO S huts Down its Refiner y for 5-D ay S cheduled Maintenance

K a r a c h I: On Wednesday night – April 5 2023

Pak-Arab Refinery Ltd temporarily shut down its refinery operations for five days as part of its scheduled maintenance work The refinery will resume its operations by April 11, 2023 The scheduled maintenance will not affect the supply of both Diesel and Gasoline (petrol) p r

a second round of mass layoffs piling on to a wave of job cuts that has swept the technology sector as a rough economy forces companies to get leaner Business Insider had first reported the planned change in the company s pay structure and said Amazon would reevaluate 2025 compensation in the first quarter of next year to plan for stock variation

The company was weighing the possibility of adjusting its compensation model in the future to be more balanced between base cash compensation and equity, after looking at the combination of an uncertain economy and its compensation budget, the spokesperson said

Careem introduces in-app donations and ‘GO TCF’ c ar type to promote charitable giving during Ramadan

In the spirit of the auspicious month of Ramzan, Careem, the pioneer of ride-hailing services in Pakistan, enables customers to donate to multiple charities directly from the app Embodying the literal meaning of its name in Arabic ‘generous’ Careem also intro-

duces a special Ramadan car type which channels donations to a good cause

Careem s new in-app donations feature channels donations directly to partner organizations including The Citizens Foundation (TCF), Saylani Welfare Trust or Indus Hospital Similarly, customers in Pakistan can now donate PKR 50 to TCF for every ride they take by choosing Careem’s ‘GO TCF’ car type

PTI marks ‘ Thanksgiving D ay ’ to celebrate SC ’s order

LahorE p r Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan cautioned the cabal of c r o o k s i n t h e g o v e r n m e n t o f p o s s i b l e p u b l i c r e a c t i o n i f t h e p o l l s i n P u n j a b w e r e n o t c o n d u c t e d , a s p e r t h e d i r e ctives of the apex court that rejected the doctrine of necessity to uphold the supremacy of law and the constitution in the country Addressing PTI’s “Youm-eTashakur” via video link to celebrate the SC’s verdict regarding the holding of the Punjab Assembly elections on May 14, PTI Chairman said that they welcomed the apex court historic decision in the poll

delay case because the nation was heading towards the supremacy of law I m r a n K h a n s t a t e d t h a t t h e y c e l ebrated the SC s verdict to mark a vict o r y f o r t h e c o n s t i t u t i o n a s unfortunately doctrine of necessity has c o m p l e t e l y d e s t r o y e d o u r c o u n t r y i n t h e p a s t L a s t y e a r s d e c i s i o n b y S C was disappointing but we accepted it To d a y t h e P D M r e g i m e w a s s h a m elessly attacking judiciary he added He stated that Shehbaz Sharif also became the prime minister due to a Sc s order but the rulers were rejecting the SC orders now

forgive us he told his jubilant supporters Imran Khan said that the doctrine of necessity had been adopted to violate the Constitution in the past The judges were threatened and propaganda was started against their families The powerful persons were trying to stop the judges from backing the Constitution he maintained There are two ways through which PDM wants to attack our country first attack judiciary and divide judges and the second one is creating divisions between the army and PTI Imran Khan added The PTI Chairman went on to say that the government was bound to conduct elections in 90 days after the dissolution of the assembly in accordance

with the Constitution I am starting our candidate s interviews from tomorrow he revealed Imran Khan said that they demanded to conduct polls after the toppling of the PTI government I have repeatedly warned the rulers that economic stability cannot be established without political stability The rulers are afraid of the elections due to fear of their defeat Khan added PTI Chairman believed that the coalition partners were running away from elections as their defeat was imminent and they were well aware of it Imran Khan reiterated that the nation can only be driven out of the economic crisis to hold the country s influential people accountable

The coalition government at Center it added announced the provision of free wheat flour in Punjab

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the Federal Capital Territory to provide relief to affected citizens during the holy month of Ramazan In 2020 the government had expanded its existing infrastructure to reach out to 40 percent of households across the country in an effort to provide relief in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, the EAG said In response to these challenges, the Economic Advisory Group (EAG) has called for greater transparency in the cash transfer infrastructure, which it believes will reduce opportunities for corruption compared to physical distribution of relief items

The EAG has also recommended that policymakers across Pakistan learn from their best practices when it comes to providing targeted relief to the masses and that cross-border trade in agricultural commodities inputs and machinery be liberalized to improve the productivity of the agriculture sector in the country

reimagine and restructure to retain Valuable talent

I s l a m a b a d : S & P G l o b a l i n c o l l a b o ra t i o n w i t h N u t s h e l l G r o u p h e l d a w e b i n a r o n C a r e e r D e ve l o p m e n t : C r e a t i n g a Pa t h f o r E m p l o ye e G r o w t h a n d Re t e n t i o n r e c e n t l y L e a d i n g c o r p o ra t e e xe c u t i ve s a n d H R e x p e r t s e x a m i n e d t h e i m p a c t o f t e c h n o l o g i c a l a d va n c e m e n t s a n d o r g a n i z a t i o n a l c h a n g e s o n w o r k p l a c e r e l a t i o n s h i p s T h e d i s c u s s i o n r e vo l ve d a r o u n d t h e i d e a l c u l t u r e o f a w o r k p l a c e t h a t i s c o n t i n u o u s l y e vo l v i n g , m a k i n g i t c r i t i c a l f o r o r g a n i z a t i o n s t o r e d e s i g n a n d r e - t h i n k t h e i r w o r k s t r u c t u r e s t o r e t a i n t h e i r b e s t t a l e n t I n h i s o p e n i n g r e m a r k s , M u j e e b Za h u r, M a n a g i n g D i r e c t o r, S & P G l o b a l , s a i d ; “ We a t S & P G l o b a l s p e n d o u r e n e r g i e s o n d e ve l o p i n g c l e a r g o a l s , e m b ra c i n g c o n t i n u o u s l e a r n i n g , n e t w o r k i n g s t ra t e g i c a l l y, s e e k i n g f e e d b a c k , a n d p r o a c t i ve l y d e ve l o p i n g l e a d e r s h i p s k i l l s a c r o s s t h e t e a m ” M u j e e b f u r t h e r s t a t e d t h a t S & P G l o b a l h a s w o n m a ny a wa r d s i n c l u d i n g B e s t P l a c e t o Wo r k i n 2 0 1 9 , G o l d Awa r d To p I T E x p o r t e r 2 0 1 6 - 2 0 1 8 , P l a t i n u m Awa r d B P O S e r v i c e s 2 0 1 9 , a n d S i l ve r Awa r d i n To p I T E x p o r t e r 2 0 1 9 T h e s e a wa r d s h ave h e l p e d i n t h e e vo l u t i o n o f t h e c o m p a ny a s a p e o p l e - c e n t r i c o r g a n i z a t i o n M u j e e b a d d e d ; “ S & P G l o b a l i s a l s o t a k i n g p a r t i n C o r p o ra t e Re s p o n s i b i l i t y, a n d D i ve r s i t y, E q u i t y, a n d I n c l u s i o n ( D E I ) I n i t i a t i ve s , t h a t i n c l u d e t ra i n i n g o f t h e f e m a l e w o r k f o r c e U n d e r t h e M i l l i o n Wo m e n M e n t o r s h i p ( M W M ) p r o g ra m i n c o l l a b o ra t i o n w i t h U S - Pa k i s t a n Wo m e n ’s C o u n c i l , w e h ave t ra i n e d o ve r 1 5 , 4 0 0 w o m e n f o r va r i o u s S T E M - r e l a t e d s k i l l s O u r t a r g e t i s t o t ra i n 2 0 , 0 0 0 w o m e n a n d w e h o p e t o a c h i e ve i t s o o n ” Ta l k i n g o f t e c h n o l o g i e s , M u j e e b m e n t i o n e d S & P G l o b a l ’s p l a t f o r m ‘ E d g e ’ a s a n e w ve n u e f o r o u r t e a m m e m b e r s E d g e o f f e r s e n t e r p r i s e l e a r n i n g t o t h e t e a m , o f f e r i n g c o u r s e s ra n g i n g f r o m p e r s o n a l a n d p r o f e s s i o n a l s k i l l s t o i n d u s t r y h o t t o p i c s a n d p e o p l e l e a d e r d e ve l o p m e n t p r o g ra m s p r

NSC MeetINg CONveNeD tO ‘USe SeCUrIt y AS Pretext’ tO POllS Del Ay: IMrAN KhAN

PA K I S TA N Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan fired fresh salvo at imported government for convening National Security Committee (NSC) meeting to what he said to use security as a pretext to justify postponement of the elections

In a series of posts at social media blogging site Twitter PTI Chairman said that the imported government-convened NSC would expose the armed forces not only to the judiciary but directly to the nation Imran Khan said that now a meeting of the NSC has been

called to try to postpone the elections and use security as a justification

He stated said that it was now fully clear that Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) wanted to avoid the elections in any case PTI Chairman went on to say that the PDM government brought an unconstitutional law regarding the Supreme Court (SC) and passed a resolution against the judiciary in the National Assembly Reacting over the detention of PTI senior leader Ali Amin Gandapur in Dera Ismail Khan, PTI Chairman said that today complete law of the jungle prevailed in Pakistan Imran Khan said that the PDM and its handlers had a one point agenda – that was to go after PTI workers and leadership

It was decided preemptively to ar-

PSx sends notice to Khyber textile Mills for unusual share price increase

PR OfIt i S L a m a B a D

The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) sent a notice to Khyber Textile Mills Limited (KHYT) last week to disclose if the company has any knowledge about the unusual movement in price or volume in the shares of KHYT in the past month

KHYT s share price increased from a low of Rs 87 to a high of Rs 540 since the beginning of March, registering a massive increase of 509%

The notice was sent by the listed companies compliance department of the PSX It read, It may be noted that PSX has observed that the price in the shares of KHYT has increased substantially during the last month Please note that in case of any material/price-sensitive information that is likely to affect the market price/volume, you are required to share the same to the Exchange ” KHYT replied on April 04, we hereby state that we are not aware of any such matter and/or development that may have resulted in the increase in market share price and volume of Khyber Textile Mills Limited

Furthermore, we would like to assure you that the Company is fully cognizant of all applicable legal and regulatory procedures and requirements and will continue to ensure compliance with the same

It should be noted that on February 27th, 2023, the share price of Khyber Textiles was trading at Rs 87 07 By mid-march, the share price had crossed Rs 200 and by the end of March the share had crossed Rs 400 On Thursday the share price closed at Rs 530 72

This is a massive increasing change of 509% in the share price of the company in just a little over a month There have been no related announcements made public by KHYT over the past few months to the PSX which explains this huge change in share price Profit reached out to the textile mill for comment but received no response

Last week, another textile mill, J A Textile Mills Limited (JATM), also received the same notice from the PSX The stock exchange regulator believed that there had taken place an usual movement in the share price of JATM To this end, it sent a letter to the company to explain or disclose if it knew the reason behind the movement in price JATM published a notice the next day on March 29th to the PSX claiming that the company does not have any material or price sensitive information to disclose” and it disassociated itself with the price/volume surge in the share of the company

To note, the share price of JATM was around Rs 6-7 at the start of the year in January However by the middle of the month the share price started to increase and crossed Rs 10 by month end, reached Rs 20 in early March, and is currently trading at Rs 35 70

The share price of JATM registered a shocking uptick of over 400% in three months Even more interestingly, J A Textile Mills has been shut down since September last year due to tough economic conditions which have forced many textile mills in the country to shut down Profit reached out to JATM for a comment but received no response Company profile Khyber Textile Mills Limited is a Public Limited Company, incorporated on 26th August, 1961 The activities of the Company were the manufacture and sale of cotton/polyester yarn and cloth however due to external factors production was halted in 2017

rest Ali Amin Gandapur despite bails

But they will still be decimated in the elections InshaAllah

o n s: Former prime minister and chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-iInsaf (PTI) party Imran Khan has accused the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government of being afraid of losing the upcoming general elections due to be held later this year

In an interview with Al Jazeera at his residence in Lahore, Khan claimed the government was “petrified” of the increasing popularity of the opposition party citing opinion polls that indicate the

government is likely to be decimated Khan also alleged that the government could even violate the constitution in order to prevent the national elections from taking place Under Pakistan’s Constitution elections must be held within 90 days of the dissolution of a legislative assembly Earlier, speaking at the party’s Youm-i-Tashakur event Khan welcomed the Supreme Court verdict in the election delay case, saying that the nation is heading towards the supremacy of law

On Tuesday the Supreme Court ruled the decision of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to delay elections was unconstitutional and ordered the votes held next month

PPMA vs DR AP: Pharma crisis continues

with skyrocketing inflation and rupee devaluation

Ishaq Dar pleads US ambassador to play role in sealing IMF deal

ISLAMABAD

S ta f f r e p o r t

Pakistan s Finance Minister Ishaq Dar has requested the United States (US) ambassador to play role in International Monetary Fund (IMF) deal

According to sources the Finance Minister Ishaq Dar discussed the IMF deal with the US ambassador Donald Blome and informed him about the current economic situation of the country In the meeting with the US ambassador the finance minister Ishaq dar informed him about the $ 2 billion financing from Saudi Arabia He said that the talks on $ 1 billion financing is in process sources added Media reports said that the United States ambassador Donald Blome assured Ishaq Dar on increasing bilateral cooperation and the IMF deal

Earlier the International Monetary Fund (IMF) confirmed that it has received confirmation from Saudi Arabia on $2 billion in additional deposits to Pakistan

On 5 April, the regulator and pharmaceutical manufacturers decided to not raise medicine prices across the board and discuss the increase on a moleculeto-molecule basis According to the Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (PPMA) officials, talks have been occurring with the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) to negotiate the price hike

Despite the ongoing negotiations no conclusion has been reached due to delaying tactics adopted by the DRAP and the government according to the PPMA Chairman Syed Farooq Bukhari He added, The DRAP and the government are playing back and forth and these delaying tactics have resulted in massive suffering for the industry and people Possibilities of a positive outcome from the talks seem slim

An official of the Ministry of National Health Services (NHS) confirmed that meetings had been held with the manufacturers However they refused to comment further until an agreement was reached

A Background

Previously the COVID-19 pandemic caused an exponential increase in the prices of pharmaceutical ingredients including the raw materials used in drug manufacturing in the international markets This conflated

Consequently the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose by 27 6% in January 2023 as compared to its amount in the same period in 2022 In recent months the rupee hit an all-time low at 286 rupees against $1, which made it one of Asia’s weakest currencies

According to sources “80% of the raw material for the manufacturing of pharmaceuticals is imported The persistent exchange rate fluctuations has created a situation wherein the pharmaceutical companies can t sustain their operations in Pakistan This is compounded with the imposition of duties and tariffs on imported raw material ”

“Inflationary Adjustments” in Medical Prices

Earlier in February, 70 pharmaceutical companies wrote a letter urging the government to increase the prices of medicines in Pakistan due to the rising inflation and significant rupee depreciation in the country The letters were addressed to the federal minister and secretary of Ministry of Health Services Regulation and Coordination and CEO of Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) According to the letter the medicinal companies called the government to adjust the maximum retail prices of medicines according to inflation They also indicated that failure to make such adjustments could lead to the collapse of the domestic pharmaceutical industry in Pakistan

The Chairman of the Pak-

istan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association defended the demand for an “inflationary price adjustment as he perceived this as necessary given the increasing inflation and dollar-rupee disparity

The (local) pharmaceutical industry is on the verge of collapse because of no corresponding adjustment in pricing despite a 60pc increase in the materials cost in recent years, he added

When we demanded a 38pc raise, a dollar was Rs235 And now it s Rs286, which means even this 38pc increase will not be enough said Bukhari However, we are still open to any government offer in this regard ”

If the government does not bow to the manufacturers logical demand, he warned, pharmaceutical companies would be compelled to shut down their units, risking more than 1 million jobs

According to Bukhari a total of 1300 local brands communicated to the government that it was impossible for them to continue their business at the existing cost mechanism

Based on the amalgamation of these factors the pharmaceutical industry demanded a 38% increase However, the government rejected the demand As a result pharmaceutical companies either halted their manufacturing or turned to limited-scale production of scores of essential and non-essential medicines

COAS vows to defend territorial integrit y, sovereignt y of Pakistan against all threats

ISLAMABAD S ta f f r e p o r t

Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Munir has reiterated Pak Army’s resolve to defend sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country against all kinds of threats He was speaking during his visit to forward areas along the Line of Control (LoC) on Thursday The Army Chief said Pakistan Army is determined to support just cause of Kashmiris and seeks resolution of Jammu and Kashmir in accordance with UN resolutions On the occasion he was briefed on the situation along the LOC and operational preparedness of the deployed formations The Army Chief met with officers and troops on the forward positions and asked the troops to extend all out support to the local population remain steadfast and discharge duties with sincerity and devotion He appreciated officers and men for maintaining continued vigil, remarkable operational preparedness and high morale

IHC orders foolproof security for Imran in wake of threats

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has instructed the interior ministry to provide regulations for the protection of former prime ministers in a case linked to Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan s request for security

The former prime minister, who survived an assassination attempt in November and is still recovering has been requesting security, particularly after Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan’s statement which the party viewed as a death threat Khan had previously approached the Lahore High Court (LHC) on March 7, before Sanaullah’s statement requesting foolproof security arrangements and the authorisation to attend court proceedings via video link That same day an Islamabad sessions court judge stated that providing security was the court’s responsibility and requested Khan’s counsel to notify him of any concerns they may have

During the hearing on Thursday,

IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq presided with Barrister Salman Safdar appearing as Khan s counsel in place of Faisal Chaudhry due to his commitments at the Supreme Court

The interior ministry s representative and Additional Attorney General (AAG) Munawar Iqbal Duggal were

An interior ministry representative informed the court that security was being provided but the notification for its approval had yet to be issued The official explained that the federal government is responsible for security in Islamabad, while the Punjab inspector general will handle it for Punjab

The official claimed that “foolproof” security had been given to Khan while he was in Islamabad, prompting Justice Farooq to make a witty comment about fools and ask if security had indeed been provided Safdar mentioned the Wazirabad assassination attempt, and Justice Farooq directed the authorities to provide Khan with the security entitled to him by law

He ordered them to submit the regulations and laws regarding the provision of security to a former prime minister emphasizing the need to review security in light of potential threats

The judge said that everyone should have their legal rights and that the former prime minister deserves security commensurate with his status An order will be issued after the submission of the rules Justice Farooq added

Analysis: On the topic of devolution, World Bank has given a reasonable warning

KARACHI

At a briefing given to journalists a few days ago, the World Bank’s senior macroeconomist Derek Chen provided a sobering statistic: the federal government is spending almost Rs 328 billion a year on ministries that should rightfully have no need to exist

At a time when the country is facing serious economic challenges and is strapped for cash, it boggles the mind why such spending is continuing The answer lies in the continued failure of successive governments to effectively give power to local governments over the past 15 years

The 18th amendment and local bodies Here is what the WB s criticisms come down to In 2010, Pakistan s parliament made the 18th amendment to the constitution which established a three-tier democ-

racy in the country Under this democracy, subjects such as health, taxation and education would fall within the provincial domain leaving the federal government more time to focus on things like defence, foreign affairs, and the economy The idea of any three-tier democracy is that small local bodies (union councils and tehsils in Pakistan for example) take care of everyday matters such as sanitation and healthcare while provincial and federal legislatures are able to focus on bigger picture issues While power has still not been devolved to local bodies (a larger issue that Profit has covered before) there continues to be federal involvement in provincial subjects such as health and education And that has a serious economic impact

Read more: The great local government gambit Not only has the federal government

continued to spend money on what provinces should be spending on, that trend has actually been on an upwards trajectory

According to the World Bank spending on devolved subjects stood at 0 39% of GDP in 2009 and increased to 0 59% in 2022 As a result the non-devolved federal expenditures could not benefit as much as their share improved slightly to a mere 10 37% in 2022 from 10 13% in 2009

Derek Chen in his briefing noted that in the fiscal year 2022, the HEC spent around Rs 70 billion Moreover, Rs 315 billion or so from the federal Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) funding also goes to provincial development projects

The local bodies issue

When the 18th amendment was passed in