Epaper_09-04-2023 ISB

ISlaMaBaD S ta f f r e p O r t

President dr arif a vi on sat-

urday sent back the supreme court (practice and procedure) b ll 2023 to the nationa assembly for reconsideration cit ng concerns that it goes beyond the parliament s competence and could be deemed as a colourable legis ation the senate passed the bill on march 30 a ming to str p the chief just ce of the power to take suo motu not ces individually the bill was intial y approved by the federal cabinet on march 28 and ater passed by the national assembly with a few amendments the president po nted out that the supreme court is empowered by art cle 191 of the constitution to make ru es regarding its pract ce and procedure and the supreme court rules 1980 have been in force since their adoption and validation by the constitution any changes to these rules could inter fere with the court s autonomy and independence the president further highlighted that articles 67 and 191 recognize the autonomy and independence of the parliament and the supreme

court respective y barring inter ference in each other s doma n additionally the bill ’s competence to be introduced by the parliament stems from the constitut on part cular y artic e 70 artic e 142-a and entr y 55 of part i of the fourth schedule these provisions exclude the supreme court from the parliament ’s aw-making author ty the bi primarily focuses on the or gina jurisdiction of the court wh ch article 184(3) addresses, but the president has obser ved that such a purpose cannot be achieved

w thout amending the relevant artic es of the constitution the pres dent noted that “ Under such enab ing prov sions of the constitution the supreme court rules 1980 have been made and n force duly validated – and adopted by the constitut on itself this indicates that these rules have been val dated and adopted by the constitution itself he further stated that these time-tested ru es are being fol owed ever since the year 1980 any tinkering w th the same may tantamount to inter ference with the

internal working of the court its autonomy and independence he went on to say that the constitution was founded on the concept of tr chotomy of power three p llars of the state whose domain of power author ty and functions were defined and delineated by the constitution itse f the parliament has a so been given the power under article 67 that states subject to the constitut on a house may make rules for regu ating its procedure and the conduct of its bus ness ”

Govt decides to table SC Bill 2023 in joint session of parliament on Monday

ISl

aMaBad: the government has dec ded to summon a joint sitting of the parliament on april 10 to table supreme court (practice and procedure) bill 2023 aims at clipp ng suo moto powers of the chief Justice of pak stan in an individual capacity the development came after president arif alvi returned the sc bill for reconsideration to the parliament as per the prov sions under the article 75 of the constitut on if the supreme court (practice and procedure) bil 2023 is approved by the o nt session of parliament with majority it w ll be presented to the pres dent again for h s assent if the pres dent does not give his nod to it within 10 days the approva is deemed to have been given the egislation process says if the president refers back a bill to parliament it is considered in a joint session and if passed by majority is deemed to have been passed by both houses sent aga n to president to give assent n 10 days fa ing which assent shall be deemed to have been g ven earlier n the day, president dr arif alvi has sent back the supreme court (practice and procedure) b l 2023 to the national assembly for recons derat on cit ng concerns that it goes beyond the parl ament s competence and could be deemed as a co ourab e legis at on

CJP to hear govt’s plea for withdrawal of curative review reference against Justice Faez Isa

ISlaMaBaD

S ta f f r e p O r t the supreme court (sc) fixed on saturday Justice isa faez curat ve review reference for hearing on april 10 (monday) after the incumbent government submitted a plea ast week to withdraw it chief Justice of pak stan (cJp) Umar ata bandial will conduct an in-chamber hear ng of the government p ea on march 30 prime m nister shehbaz shar f ordered withdrawal of the curative review reference against supreme court ’s senior-most judge Justice Qazi faez isa as the government decided to

not pursue the matter further the federal cabinet had already approved the decision the pr me minister has directed law m nister senator azam nazir tarar to withdraw the curative rev ew reference against Just ce Qazi fa z isa read an officia statement ssued by the prime min ster off ce according to the statement the prem er said that Justice isa and his family were harassed and defamed n the name of presidential reference this was not a reference, it was a revenge action by [ex-pm] imran niazi a v ndictive person against a fa r-m nded judge who followed the

How many more days are ‘a few more days’?

path of the const tution and the law, pm shehbaz said wh le ordering to take back the case he furthered that filing of reference was a nefar ous conspiracy to divide the independence of the Judiciar y and div de t say ng the pakistan musl m league-nawaz (pml-n) and al ied parties had condemned the false reference even during the opposition period “ imran niazi misused the constitutiona office of president for this cr minal act shehbaz said adding that president arif a vi became an instrument in the attack on the Jud ciar y and an accomp ice to a ie ”

g dar tells nation imf tranche will come in a few more days, bUt how believable are his claims

pr ofIt report S h a h n awa z a l the sun sets on the 8th of april as pakistanis ongingly await the 9th review of the imf to be comp eted the review was meant for the first quarter of fy23 and was supposed to happen in november after the review pak stan was supposed to get its next tranche of the $6 5 b llion extended fund faci ity of the imf ever since then the peop e have been to d that the review is going to be completed in a few more days i n w h a t c o u d b e a n o t h e r w o l f- c r y t o s t a b i l z e t h e m a r ke t s a n d i n v e s t o r s e n t i m e n t s t h e f n a n c e m i n i s t e r i s h a q d a r t o d t h e n a t o n t h a t e v e r y t h i n g r e -

q u r e d f o r t h e 9 t h r e v i e w o f t h e i m f i s n o w c o m p l e t e a n d t h e l a s t t h i n g r eq u r e d w a s t h e p l e d g e o f a f r i e n d y c o u n t r y f o r $ 1 b o n a f t e r w h i c h t h e t r a n c h e w i l l b e r e a l i z e d ta l k i n g t o t h e n a t i o n a f t e r c a n c e li n g h i s v i s i t t o wa s h i n g t o n f o r t h e s p r i n g m e e t i n g s o f i m f a n d wo r l d b a n k i s h a q d a r s t a t e d t h a t t h e r e a s o n t o c a n c e l h i s v i s i t s w a s t h e d o m e s t c p o t i c a l s i tu a t o n m r d a r a s s u r e d t h a t t h e c a nc e l l a t i o n o f h i s t r p w a s i n n o w a y a comment on the future of the imf deal a n d t h e d e a l w a s v e r y c l o s e t o i t s c o m p e t i o n

W h y ex p o r t e r s c r y i n g f o u l a t S B P ?

g matter hinges on one thing: how long it takes exporters to convert proceeds for exports into pkr, bringing them back

A n A l y s i s

lahore S h a h a b O m e r pa k i s t a n i e x p o r t e r s a l o n g w i t h t h e lah o r e c h a m b e r o f c o m m e r c e a n d i nd u s t r y ( l c c i ) o n s a t u r d a y h i t o u t a g a i n s t t h e s t a t e b a n k o f pa k i s t a n ( s b p ) for what they cla m are policies that w l reduce the countr y s exports to at least h a l f t h e i r p o t e n t i a l S o w h a t i s g o i n g o n ? lo o k a t i t t h i s w a y g e n e r a l l y w h e ne v e r a p r o d u c t i s e x p o r t e d a b r o a d t h e

o r i n pa k i s t a n i r u p e e s i s k n o w n a s t h e

Suo moto powers: Justice Faez Isa raises questions over six members bench verdict

ISlaMaBaD ag e n c e S

in a rejoinder to the supreme court six-member larger bench verdict senior Judge of the apex court Justice faez isa has ra sed quest ons over the six-member larger bench verd ct recal ing the interim order to postpone suo motu cases proceedings till amendments were made in the sc rules, 1980 on march 29 a spec al sc bench led by Justice isa with a two-to-one majority ordered suspend ng all suo motu cases under article 184(3) of the constitut on until amendments were made to the sc rules governing the chief justice s discretionar y powers the special bench order came on the suo motu case related to exam ning the award of additiona 20 marks to haf z-e-Quran candidates applying for enrollment to an mbbs/bds degree the three-member bench was headed by Justice isa and compris ng Just ce aminudd n khan and Justice shahid waheed subsequent y on apri 4 a larger bench headed by Just ce ijazu ahsan and compris ng Justice mun b akhtar Justice sayyed mazahar ali akbar naqvi Justice muhammad a i mazhar Justice ayesha a malik and Justice syed hasan azhar rizv recalled the interim order authored by Justice isa the larger bench deta led court order stating that Justice isa and Justice aminuddin s order was clearly violat ve of a f ve-member bench s august 2021 order that on y the chief ust ce could take suo motu notice in a n ne-page note issued today Justice isa mainta ned that since the gather ng in a court of six distinguished judges was not permissible under the const tution or under any law the supreme court s order dated 29 march 2023 passed in case no 4 cou d not have been set aside by the 4 april note

r e a l i z a t i o n o f i t s p r o c e e d s h o w e v e r a s t h e e c o n o m i c s i t u a t i o n h a s w o r sened in pakistan and the rupee has slid t o n e w l o w s t h e c e n t r a b a n k h a s f e t t h a t d i f f e r e n t e x p o r t e r s h a v e b e e n ke e p i n g t h e i r m o n e y a b r o a d i n d o l a r s i n t h e h o p e t h a t t h e y w i l l r e a l i z e t h i s m o n e y w h e n t h e r a t e o f t h e d o l l a r g o e s u p t o m a ke m o r e p r o f i t s s i n c e t h e e x c h a n g e r a t e f l u c t u a t e s a n d e x p o r t s a r e p a d f o r i n d o l l a r s t h e s b p h a s s e t a t i m e i n w h c h e x p o r t e r s n e e d t o c o n v e r t t h e i r d o l l a r s i n t o r up e e s a n d b r i n g t h e m b a c k i n t o pa k-

stan if the exporters are not able to do t h i s, t h e s b p s e t s s o m e k i n d o f p e n a t y T h e S B P ’ s p o l i c i e s a n d t h e e x -

p o r t e r ’ s p r o t e s t o n t h e 3 1 s t o f m a r c h t h i s y e a r t h e sbp in a circular said that exporters who a r e a b l e t o c o n v e r t t h e i r e x p o r t p r oc e e d s i n t o r u p e e s a n d b r i n g i t b a c k t o pa k i s t a n b y a p r i l 3 0 t h w i l l n o t f a c e a n y p e n a t y h o w e v e r a n y e x p o r t e r s t h a t w a i t e d l o n g e r t h a n t h a t w o u l d h a v e t o p a y p e n a t i e s e x p o r t e r s h a v e r e a c t e d w i t h i n d i gn a t i o n t h e l c c i n o t e d o n s a t u r d a y t h a t t h e s t a t e b a n k o f pa k i s t a n ( s b p ) i s p a s s n g a n t i - e x p o r t a w s t h a t h a v e t h e p o t e n t i a l t o r e d u c e t h e c o u n t r y s e x p o r t s t o a t l e a s t h a l f o f t h e i r p o t e nt a l e v e

g points oUt sc empowered by article 191 to make rUles for its practice and procedUre

g retUrn of sc bill by president alvi ‘ most UnfortUnate’, says pm shehbaz

Pa k i s ta n r e Pa i d U s $ 1 1 b i n f o r e i g n d e b t s e r v i c e i n Pa s t 1 0 m o n t h s : i s h a q d a r

crisis has been created

The court has ordered the government to release 21 billion rupees for holding elections in Punjab The federal government has been asked to release the amount to the election commission by April 10 he said

The finance ministry has crucial

same day polls key to resolve prevailing constitutional, political crisis: kP governor

peSHAWAr s ta f f R e p o R t

Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Haji Ghulam Ali on Saturday proposed that holding elections in the entire country on the same day is the key to resolve the current constitutional and political crisis

To achieve this all stakeholders should sit together and discuss the matter and whatever decision is made by the Supreme Court should be accepted he suggested while talking to a private TV channel However the governor notes that the situation in his province is different from that in other parts of the country Incidents of terrorism occur every day in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, hence the PTI that is calling for snap polls should be asked whether it is feasible to conduct an election campaign under these conditions”, he asserted The KP Governor said he only has to fix a date for the elections, while it is the federal and provincial governments, as well as the election commission who have to organize the exercise He said he has sent a letter from the caretaker provincial government to the Election Commission of Pakistan and the Supreme Court to address these concerns The KP governor said decisions about the elections must be made calmly as the real stakeholders in this situation are the people of the province the police force and the electoral staff He asked the PTI to explain whether they will be able to conduct an election campaign in this situation Can they organize election campaigns in Wana, Kurram, Bajaur, Mohmand, Khyber, and other areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at this time? he questioned the PTI “Everyone wants the elections to be held, for which all political parties should sit together and discuss how to ensure this”, the KP governor concluded

ctd playing vanguard

role of Punjab Police in anti-terror fight: igP

LAHore s ta f f R e p o R t

Punjab Inspector General of Police Dr Usman Anwar has said that CTD is the vanguard of Punjab Police in the fight against terrorists and due to its effective and timely operations nefarious intentions of terrorists and extremist elements have been thwarted The IG Police directed that the mission of eradication of terrorism should be carried out with renewed determination and the terrorists as well as their facilitators should be brought under the grip of the law Punjab IG Police Dr Usman Anwar expressed the views while addressing Durbar of the CTD officials during his visit to CTD Headquarters here on Saturday

On the occasion, Dr Usman Anwar also reviewed the working of various sections in CTD headquarters and issued orders to the officers He directed that strict legal action should not be delayed for the violation of the laws framed in connection with the national Action Plan and the activities of banned organizations and persons included in the Fourth Schedule should be closely monitored He emphasized that elements involved in terrorism sectarianism tarnishing of peace and extremism should be stamped out The IGP said that there will be no reduction in the provision of modern resources and facilities to the CTD teams He said that the way you arrested 70 terrorists in more than 300 intelligence-based operations this year is commendable The IGP said that four dangerous terrorists met their ultimate end in the confrontation with Police While appreciating the intelligence-based operations of CTD, IG Punjab said that the role and sacrifices of CTD in eradication of terrorism and extremism from the province were commendable

Meanwhile IG Police Dr Usman Anwar visited Jinnah Hospital Lahore and enquired after health of the two police jawans who injured by firing of dacoits in Chung area of Lahore last day The patrolling team of Chung Chowki Sher Shah was fired upon by motorcycle-borne dacoits last day Constable Irfan was shot in tummy while Head Constable Ehsan was shot in the leg IG Punjab kissed the foreheads of the injured personnel and encouraged them during the visit IG Punjab also met the families of the injured personnel On this occasion, he inquired about the health of the injured personnel from the doctors and directed them to provide the best care

another airpor t shutdown for 5 months

responsibility with regard to the amount I have cancelled my US visit in these circumstances on the instructions of the prime minister ” Ishaq Dar said P r e v i o u s g o v e r n m e n t h a s g i f t e d t h e country this financial and economic crisis

It is being said that the IMF has prevented me from attending the meeting It could not do so Pakistan has been a member of the Wo r l d B a n k a n d n o t a b e g g a r f i n a n c e minister said

How the IMF or World Bank could prevent me from the US visit he questioned I will remain present online in the spring meeting he further said

Baidu sues Apple, app developers over fake Ernie bot apps

Hearing of Toshakhana c ase against Imran delayed until April 11

iSLAMABAD s ta f f R e p o R t

A district and sessions court in Islamabad has adjourned the petition filed by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for an early hearing of the Toshakhana case against former prime minister Imran Khan until April 11

During the hearing Khan s lawyer informed the court that neither the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman nor any senior counsel had received a summons notice for the case

The judge subsequently sought a report from the police regarding the summons’ implementation and adjourned the hearing for a short period

After the report was submitted the judge adjourned the hearing until April 11

The case centres on a government department known as Toshakhana which during the Mughal era referred to the treasure houses kept by the subcontinent s princely rulers to store and display gifts lavished on them

thousands of indian sikh pilgrims receive visas for baisakhi celebrations

Government officials must declare all gifts to the Cabinet Division, but are allowed to keep those below

ruling coalition of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) parties has for months alleged Khan and his wife Bushra Maneka received lavish gifts worth millions during trips abroad They included luxury watches, jewellery, designer handbags and perfumes

The ECP concluded in October last year that Khan filed false statements regarding the gifts, resulting in his disqualification for being dishonest and corrupt The electoral watchdog approached the district and sessions court seeking criminal proceedings against Khan for allegedly misleading officials about the gifts

O fficials assure to remove hurdles in Pak-Afghan mutual trade

peSHAWAr s ta f f R e p o R t

Traders during a joint meeting of Pak-Afghan apprised the officials concerned regarding traderelated issues and suggested a number of proposals for their amicable resolution

According to details, a meeting of Pak-Afghan traders held at Torkham Border to discuss the hurdles in the way of mutual trade between the two countries, said in a press release issued on Saturday

The meeting was chaired by the newly appointed Chief Collector Customs Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Fayyaz Anwar

On the occasion the participants held a thorough discussion on the performance of various relevant public sector institutions along with the problems of the business community on both sides of PakAfghan bilateral trade

Apart from the Collector Customs Operations

Peshawar Muhammad Ashfaq, Additional Collector Customs Torkham Muhammad Rizwan, Additional Collector Customs Peshawar Rizwan Mehmood, Deputy Collector Operations Torkham Asma Javed, Assistant Collectors Torkham Imad Mohib, Superintendent Siddique Akbar and PRO Customs

Deptt Sohail, Coordinator and Director of PAJCCI

Ziaul Haq Sarhadi President of KCCI Syed Jawad Hussain Kazmi and Torkham Customs Agents Association members were participated in the meeting

During the meeting Chief Collector Customs

KP Fayyaz Anwar was briefed by Customs staff

Torkham who also visited along with Collector Customs Peshawar Muhammad Ashfaq the newly constructed nLC terminal project

The senior officials inspected various parts of the terminal along with the team and also issued instructions on the spot

In the meeting, representatives from customs,

other departments, including nLC, FC, police and other security departments suggested a number of proposals to solve the obstacles in the way of PakAfghan mutual trade

Zia-ul-Haq Shardi who is also the president of Frontier Customs Agents Association (FCAA) and former senior vice-president of Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) emphasized the need of making steps to remove hindrances in the way of Pak-Afghan mutual trade and transit trade

He explained that there was no issue from the customs department at Torkham, Ghulam Khan, Kharlachi border He, however, said the border management, other institutions took much time on checking, saying that the slow process has caused great difficulties for the business community Sarhadi said while the transit trade containers were cleared within 10 to 12 days at Karachi Port

On the other hand he added demurrage charges were imposed on the containers due to the slow process He said that despite official orders of crossstuffing the directives have not been implemented and detention charges of lakhs of rupees were also levied on each container

The FCCA president suggested that Afghan transit trade goods should be carried out from Karachi to Torkham through Pakistan Railways along with a bonded carrier service

He urged the authorities concerned to allow filing of GD [Goods Documents] at Azakhel Dry port so that the customs clearing agents of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province can also continue their business Apart from all that the meeting also discussed other issues Chief Collector Customs Fayaz Anwar assured the delegation of taking all possible support and cooperation for trade cross border trade facilitation The senior official said that the customs department knew about problems of the business community and assured all issues would be resolved

iSLAMABAD s ta f f R e p o R t

Pakistan has issued visas to over 2 000 Sikh pilgrims from India to participate in the annual festivities related to the Baisakhi festival The pilgrimage will take place from April 9-18 during which the pilgrims will visit Gurdwara Dera Sahib Panja Sahib nankana Sahib and Kartarpur Sahib The main ceremony of Baisakhi a new Year s celebration as well as a critical day in the formation of the Sikh religion, will be held at the Gurdwara Panja Sahib shrine in the town of Hasan Abdal in which thousands of Sikhs will perform the cleansing ritual of ashnan, or bathing The shrine is one of Sikhism’s holiest sites and it is believed that the handprint of the founder of the religion, Guru nanak, is imprinted on a boulder there Baisakhi is also meant to mark the day when Gobind Singh the 10th and final prophet established the discipline of Khalsa through which the faithful can aspire to the ultimate state of purity The visit is in accordance with a bilateral protocol on travel to religious places between the two countries and Pakistani pilgrims also visit India annually under the protocol Pakistan s high commission in India has extended warm greetings to the pilgrims and reaffirmed Pakistan s commitment to protecting the holy shrines and providing necessary facilities to the pilgrims The Sikh pilgrims will enter Pakistan on April 9 and return to India on April 18

PmL-n to agree to polls only if provided level playing field: Javed Latif

LAHore s ta f f R e p o R t

Federal Minister Mian Javed Latif said on Saturday that the Pakistan Muslim League-nawaz (PML-n) would accept the general election 2023 only if its leadership was given level playing field in the political process Addressing a press conference at Model Town, he said no political party wanted to avoid elections, but level playing field should be given to all before holding elections in the current year 2023, adding that the PMLn leadership had always accepted the court decisions and never indulged in politics of agitation He said that nawaz Shaif had faced disqualification and judicial trials despite being innocent but it was time to ensure justice to him who had served the country as the prime minister thrice and contributed to development and progress of the country Javed Latif said that no suo moto was taken on Imran Khan s cypher conspiracy attack on national institutions instigating the institutions to violate the Constitution and law the RTS [results transmission system] malfunctioning to support Imran Khan and the PTI government s performance, which destroyed national economy He said that justice parameters should be the same for all, as no one should be dear to justice and above the law Javed Latif said foreign elements wanted to pressurise the national institutions just to benefit from chaos and political instability, caused by Paksitan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan in the country He said the PTI chief had become a puppet of foreign elements as he always intended to destabilise the national institutions and created hurdles in the way to development and progress of the country

Hussain’s plea for acquittal in Rs17 billion corruption reference dismissed

A c c o u n t a b i l i t y B u r e a u ( n A B ) i n 2 0 1 5 , w h i c h

amounted to Rs17 billion

In August 2015, he was detained during a raid at the Higher Education Commission (HEC) office in

Karachi has rejected the petition of Asim H u s s a i n f o r m e r p e t r o l e u m m i n i s t e r a n d P a k i s t a n

P e o p l e s P a r t y ( P P P ) l e a d e r s e e k i n g a c q u i t t a l i n a corruption case The accountability court announced the decision on Saturday and Hussain, along with other accused, appeared before the court during the hearing T h e f o r m e r p e t r o l e u m m i n i s t e r w a s f a c i n g a c o r r u p t i o n r e f e r e n c e f i l e d b y t h e n a t i o n a l

l e g a l c o n t r a c t s d u r i n g h i s t e n u r e a t S u i S o u t h e r n G a s P i p e l i n e s L i m i t e d (

a P h c L e a d e r U r g e s W o r L d t o ta k e n o t i c e o f r i g h t s v i o L at i o n s i n o c c U P i e d k a s h m i r

iSLAMABAD a p p s E n I O R leader of All Partie s H u r r i y a t C o n f e r e n c e ( A P H C ) , A l t a f H u s s a i n Wa n i , e x p r e s s e d d e e p c o n c e r n s a b o u t t h e w o r s e n i n g s i t u a t i o n i n t h

e o c c u p i e d J a m m u a n d K a s h m i r a n d u rg e d

to take notice

how many more days are ‘a few more days’?

turned into weeks but when the IMF team finally arrived on the 1st of February Pakistan was still not able to secure the Staff Level agreement The two week long visit was followed by negotiations that were supposed to happen virtually As per Ishaq Dar s latest claims those two weeks were the hardest part of the negotiations Little to no news left the boardrooms of these negotiations with the IMF but one after the other steps were taken in lieu of the IMF prior conditions Contentions on fiscal budget revenue collection, exchange rate and smuggling all were resolved, and Pakistan imposed additional taxes worth Rs 170 billion Currency was depreciated but the SLA still did not come through While presenting the finance (supplementary) bill in the Parliament on the 20th of February, the finance minister said that this was the last step required to fulfill the IMF program Later, about a fortnight ago, it was told by the State Minister for Revenue Aisha Ghaus Pasha that the written assurance from friendly countries of financing to Pakistan is something that the IMF team requires What is perhaps because of the tall claims made by Ishaq Dar last year Pakistan now has to prove the worth of its friendships

Since then the entirety of the Q-block has maintained that the IMF deal is about to materialize These presumably last minute housekeeping issues that took a month to resolve finally seem to have come to a close After a long wait Saudi Arabia has assured its financing of $2 billion dollars to the IMF Talking to the nation today, Ishaq Dar said that only a written assurance of $1 billion dollars is needed after which all the prior actions that were required off of Pakistan will be fulfilled In his press conference, he also repeated that due to the Supreme Court s order to give 21 billion for the Punjab elections by 10th April he had to cancel his Washington visit He said that, Of course, the finance ministry and the cabinet have an important responsibility in this regard and I m a part of it The minister said that even though he won t be attending the meetings in person a delegation representing Pakistan will be there It s astonishing that some are saying that I have been told not to go by the IMF The IMF cannot tell me not to attend Pakistan is a member of the World Bank and the IMF It is not a beggar he said He accused some analysts of twisting the facts

“Someone is writing that I did not get the meetings I wanted Someone else is suggesting that I should have ignored the [domestic] crisis and gone anyway,” he stated He also requested that “for God’s sake, please do not portray a picture that harms your own country’s interests ” According to him, despite the worst of the liquidity crisis, the country did not delay its global sovereign payments of $11bn by even a minute

Woman knocks at shc door for justice to slain son

I n d i a n o c c u p a t i o n a u t h o r i t i e s c o n t i n u e u n a b a t e d H e d e n o u n c e d t h e i l l e g a l d e t e n t i o n o f t h e H u r r i y a t l e a d e r s h i p a n d t h e r u t h l e s s s u p p r e s s i o n o f d e m o c r a t i c d i s s e n t w h i c h h a s c r e a t e d a c l i m a t e o f f e a r i n t h e r e g i o n Wa n i e x p r e s s e d h i s a n g u i s h o v e r t h e c o n t i n u e d b l o o d s h e d a n d m a y h e m i n t h e o c c u p i e d t e r r i t o r y a n d u r g e d t h e

i n t e r n a t i o n a l c o m m u n i t y t o t a k e e ff e c t i v e n o t i c e o f t h e w o r s e n i n g p o l i t i c a l a n d h u m a n r i g h t s s i t u a t i o n i n t h e r e g i o n H e a l s o h i g h l i g h t e d t h e m a i n c a u s e a n d c o n s e q u e n c e o f t h e r i g h t s v i o l a t i o n s i n t h e r e g i o n w h i c h i s t h e l i n g e r i n g d i s p u t e Wa n i m a i n t a i n e d t h a t t h e v a l i a n t K a s h m i r i p e o p l e a r e f u l l y d e t e r m i n e d t o t a k e t h e o n g o i n g f r e e d o m m o v e m e n t t o

i t s l o g i c a l c o n c l u s i o n a t a l l c o s t s d e s p i t e I n d i a ’s c o l o n i a l - e r a t a c t i c s He also appreciated Army Chief Gen A s i m M u n i r s r e c e n t s t a t e m e n t o n K a s h m i r a n d s a i d i t h a s s e n t a p o s i t i v e message across the Line of Control (LoC) g e n e r a t i n g a w a v e o f o p t i m i s m i n occupied Kashmir and boosting the morale o f t h e f r e e d o m - l o v i n g p e o p l e i n t h e region

Eidul Fitr expec ted on April 22

LAHore s ta f f R e p o R t

Eidul Fitr is expected to be celebrated across Pakistan

on April 22 The Ruet-i-Hilal committee is set to convene on April 20 to sight the Shawwal moon

If the crescent is sighted on Thursday evening, Eidul-Fitr will be celebrated on April 21, but it is unlikely to be seen

As per the data, the birth of the moon is anticipated to occur on April 20 at 9:13 am In all areas of Pakistan the moon’s age at sunset will be less than 10 hours on the 29th of Ramazan and the difference

iSLAMABAD s ta f f R e p o R t

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif congratulated InterServices Intelligence (ISI) on the successful operation that led to the arrest of a high-value target in an operation against the Baloch national Army (BnA) an insurgent group active in Balochistan In a tweet the prime minister praised the

between sunset and moonset which should be more than 40 minutes will only be 21 minutes in Peshawar

Gilgit Muzaffarabad Charsadda Islamabad/Rawalpindi Quetta and Jiwani and 20 minutes in Lahore and Karachi Hence even with clear weather conditions throughout Pakistan there is no possibility of sighting the moon even with a telescope on the evening of April 20 Eidul Fitr, which marks the end of the holy month of Ramazan, is celebrated with prayers, family gatherings, and feasting The exact date of Eidul Fitr is determined by the sighting of the crescent moon, which marks the beginning of the Islamic month of Shawwal

professionalism of the institutions involved in the operation saying the arrest of Gulzar Imam also known by the name Shambay will help in suppressing militancy in the province and usher in a new era of peace The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), in a press release, had said Imam s arrest was a result of a carefully planned and executed intelligence operation” that spanned over several months and multiple geographical locations, but did not provide

Askari Securities gets green signal to amalgamate into Fauji Foundation’s securities company

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FSL marked the entry of Fauji Foundation in the financial services sector who is a major sponsor o f F S L F o r t h e y e a r e n d i n g J u n e 2 0 2 2 , F S L earned a net profit of Rs 15 9 million as compared to the corresponding year of 2021, net profit was Rs 161 3 million d e tA i l S o f t h e C o u Rt o R d e R

The order approved of the scheme that requested to restructure the companies with Askari Securities Ltd to be amalgamated into Foundation Securities (Pvt) Ltd

The court notice proposed that the complete undertaking and business including assets rights properties benefits power privileges contracts trading terminals servers back-office system trademarks patents liabilities obligations and dues of Askari Securities Ltd are to be transferred to and assumed by Foundation Securities (Pvt) Ltd This was based under the recommendation of the Chartered Accountants after reviewing the financial positions of the two companies

Why

further details The military said BnA had been involved in dozens of terrorist attacks in the country including those on security forces

The ISPR said that Imam s visits to India and Afghanistan were on record and his suspected links with hostile intelligence agencies are being investigated The gas-rich province at the border of Afghanistan and Iran has been a scene of a low-level insurgency by Baloch nationalists for more than two decades

The letter noted that the audited financial statements for the year ending 31 12 2021 of both companies are present with the court and on record

The scheme for the merger was approved by the respective board of directors of both petitioners after thorough consideration of all aspects which included the values and calculations by the Chartered Accountants Moreover it was ensured that the interests and rights of the employees of Askari Securities Ltd will be safeguarded under the merger and a comprehensive policy has been devised to ensure this

It was also noted that the creditors of the two companies have consented to the merger and a letter of Chartered Accountants is also available on record The Competition Commission of Pakistan deliberated upon the arrangement and passed an order approving the merger on 14 2 2022 a copy of which is also available on record

Moreover the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) has also given its approval for the merger of the two petitioners in a letter dated 10 2 2022

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In a statement the president of the LCCI noted t h a t t h e S B P s a s s e r t i o n t h a t e x p o r t e r s a r e stashing their money abroad is entirely incorrect and that this false assumption is having an impact on the policies being formed m At u R At i o n t i m e e q u At i o n : Exporters from different sectors including meat, carpet, auto, agriculture, leather and textile sector, l e d b y f o r m e r p r e s i d e n t L C C I S h a h i d H a s s a n S h e i k h s h o w e d t h e i r s e r i o u s c o n c e r n s o v e r t h e notification issued by the SBP And this is where they have a point too not a l l e x p o r t s a r e t h e s a m e a n d s o m e r e q u i r e a l o n g e r r e a l i z a t i o n t i m e E v e r y e x p o r t i n g s e c t o r

President Alvi returns bill ‘clipping’ CJP’s suo motu powers to parliament

country, there will be fines ranging from 3% to 9 % o n r e a l i z e d e x p o r t p r o c e e d s , ” s a i d K a s h i f Anwar President of the LCCI H e w a s o f t h e v i e w t h a t t h i s m e a s u r e w i l l adversely impact the exporters who are already f a c i n g s t e e p a n d m u l t i - d i m e n s i o n a l c h a l l e n g e s due to the rise in cost of doing business T h i s m e a s u r e i s c o m p l e t e l y u n j u s t i f i e d a s there are often delays in export proceeds due to circumstances which are well beyond the control o f e x p o r t e r s T h i s k i n d o f n o t i f i c a t i o n w i l l u l t i m a t e l y a ff e c t t h e c o m p e t i t i v e n e s s o f o u r exports in the international market LCCI requests the State Bank of Pakistan to review this measure in the best interest of our exports ” T h e L C C I P r e s i d e n t s a i d t h a t 1 0 0 % r a w material of the meat exporting sector is produced i n P a k i s t a n a n d e a c h s e c t o r h a s s e p a r a t e e x p o r t p r o b l e m s H e a d d e d t h a t m e a t c a r p e t a u t o agriculture leather textile sector representatives s h o w e d t h e i r s e r i o u s c o n c e r n s o v e r t h e notification issued by the SBP There are sales t a x r e f u n d s c u s t o m r e f u n d D LT

L

cJP to hear gov t’s plea for withdrawal of curative review reference against Justice isa faez

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He maintained that the lawyers’ organisations including the Pakistan Bar Council had also opposed it saying the government respects their opinion The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) -led federal government on May 23 2019 had moved the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) – the forum that can hold superior court judges accountable – against Justice Isa and Sindh High Court judge Justice K K Agha over non-disclosure of their families foreign assets in their wealth statements

However, in June 2020, the top court had quashed the presidential reference filed against Justice Isa as well as the SJC proceedings that were started on the basis of the reference “Reference no 1 of 2019 is declared to be of no legal effect whatsoever and stands quashed, and in consequence thereof the proceedings pending in the SJC against the petitioner [Justice Isa] including the showcause notice dated 17 07 2019 issued to him stand abated had said a short order

A 10-judge full court had issued the verdict after hearing for over six months a slew of petitions filed against the reference that claimed that Justice Isa had committed misconduct by not disclosing his family members properties in the UK in his wealth statement

Interestingly, former premier Imran Khan had admitted in April 2022 that the filing of a presidential reference for the removal of Justice Isa was a mistake He had conceded his “mistake” during a meeting with the Insaf Lawyers Forum (ILF) members

What is next for Pakistan’s only aluminium can company?

He said the competence of the parliament to make laws stemmed from the Constitution itself

PID (I) 6209/22 02-03 NEWS-9 APRIL_Layout 1 4/9/2023 12:33 AM Page 2

The president highlighted that “Article 70 relates to introduction and passing of Bills with respect to any matter in the Federal Legislative List enumerated in

the Fourth Schedule of the Constitution He further explained that followed and further affirmed are the provisions of Article 142(a) that Parliament can make laws with respect to any matter in the Federal Legislative List However, the president noted that “Entry 55 of Part I of Fourth Schedule while empowering the parliament to make laws in respect of ‘jurisdiction and powers of all courts except the Supreme Court’ especially excluded the Supreme Court ” R e t u R n o f S C b i l l b y P R e S i d e n t A lv i ‘m o S t u n f o Rt u n At e’: P m S h e h b A z Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the return of the Supreme Court bill duly passed by the Parliament was most unfortunate I n a t w e e t o n s o c i a l m e d i a p l a t f o r m Tw i t t e r h e said President Alvi returning the Supreme Court Bill d u l y p a s s e d b y P a r l i a m e n t i s m o s t u n f o r t u n a t e Through his conduct, he has belittled the august Office b y a c t i n g a s a w o r k e r o f t h e P T I , o n e w h o i s beholden to Imran niazi more than the Constitution & demands of his Office ”

ThE state’s three pillars the Executive the Legislature and the Judiciary have been exposed by the current crisis which started with the fall of the PTi government a year ago as not doing their job while its members still enjoy the perks and privileges associated with so doing Perhaps the most glaring example is of the Legislature where almost half the membership belonging to the largest party in the house not only absent themselves on the plea they have resigned and thus take no part in the making of laws but also prevent by-elections being held as they clamour to return These ‘resigned’ members were anxious to continue drawing their salaries, and enjoy the free accommodation of the Parliament Lodges without carrying out their duties With the Legislature not legislating, has the Judiciary done its job better? it is supposed to decide interpretations of the Constitution and law, but now it seems that the supreme Court does not know what exactly it is that it has decided

With Mr Justice Athat Minallah now weighing in, it seems that the original decision, of which the appeal was supposed to have been decided in favour of a May 14 election to the Punjab Assembly, may not have been made The supreme Court seems unable to function, but there is no abatement of the judges salaries or other benefits

The Executive may seem to be functioning normally, but its having to hold a National security Committee meeting before issuing orders for an operation against terrorism showed that one of its portions, the armed forces, has a veto over decisions by the supposed head of the Executive That is a huge distortion, and it could be argued that this is at the root of the present clamour it does mean the Executive is not operating smoothly The Fourth Estate, originally the print media but now including the electronic cannot take the responsibility of getting the system to work not that it is free from pressures of its own mainly in the form of the original three throwing their weights around

The problem seems to be that everyone is operating beyond what the Constitution contemplates Everyone is trying to follow the strict letter of the Constitution and not abide in any way by its spirit There are no constitutional conventions developed which would smoothen the course of operationalizing the Constitution’s provisions Rather than seeking the fulfilment of their aims all stakeholders must go by the book if they want things to work

Dedicated to the legac y of late Hameed Nizami

Arif Nizami (Late)

Founding Editor

Yousaf Nizami Editor

M A Niazi Joint Editor Umar Aziz Executive Editor

Encroachments Galore in Islamabad

Wh e n s t ate i n s t i t u t i o n s e n c ro a c h o n s t ate l a n d

quarters though, are deprived of such amenities

The encroachments are however not limited to the illegal occupations of the green belts and roads it goes way beyond! Chunks of the Margalla hills National Park and Rawal Lake have also been grabbed The judgement of islamabad high Court on land grabbing and encroachment of state land is a serious indictment against the Pakistan Navy The seminal verdict of July 2022 authored by the then Chief Justice Mr Justice Athar Minallah in the case of Prof Zahid Baig Mirza v CDA, is a grim reminder of the extent to which state land is encroached upon by the state agencies

D r Fa q i r h u S S a i n

ThE Capital Development Authority’s signboards describe the nation s capital as islamabad, the Beautiful ! And rightly so, b e c a u s e s i t u a t e d i n t h e f o o t h i l l s o f t h e great himalayas and surrounded by lush g r e e n M a rg a l l a h i l l s t h i s v a l l e y o f t h e P o t h o h a r

Plateau displays a spectacular view of scenic beauty and furnishes a clean and serene environment its location topography picturesque landscape treelined avenues and green belts surrounding the residential sectors, make it an attractive destination for a b o d e a n d t o u r i s m s o c a l m c l e a n s e r e n e a n d beautiful that it looks altogether different from the other urban towns and cities of the country - a place from another world!

Notwithstanding its beauty and serene environment there are encroachments galore in islamabad huge chunks of state land are usurped The perpetrators are not only property developers or land mafia but government institutions or agencies Encroachment of state land and grabbing of public amenities therein by such bodies is a common feature of islamabad Drive on any avenue and the open area or road surrounding a government building is illegally occupied and barriers raised to keep the public out And the greater the power or nuisance value of the department/agency the larger the area or space encroached upon

An example is a major artery of the city (Allama iqbal Avenue), where the green belts, opposite the PAF and Navy headquarters are encroached by them Checkposts are set up and car parking lots established in the green belt; and barricades raised to prevent the entry of public thereinto Even travelling is made dangerous as part of the road is also converted into a parking lot

The issue is on the agenda of the Cabinet Previously two months’ time was given for removal of such encroachments which was then extended to six months The period has since lapsed, but not an inch of usurped land was vacated; and the matter now forgotten! it may be mentioned that green belts around the sectors in islamabad are its special feature: trees are planted there and amenities/facilities provided for the recreation of the general public including walking trails for families and playgrounds for children The residents living opposite the PAF and Navy head-

Chancellor of Choice by Chance

A r l e k a r s h o w s h o w g o ve r n o r s c a n m a ke a d i f f e re n c e Dr rajkumar Singh

This time, the state of Bihar under the Union of india proved luckiest among all where the President of india recently appointed governors and Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar a Goa-born politician having long experience of practical politics as speaker of Goa Assembly, cabinet minister, different party posts within the state and outside was appointed the Governor of Bihar and assumed the assigned duty on February 17

Before joining the state of Bihar, he was the governor of himachal Pradesh from 13 July 2021 to 16 February 2023, where he introduced many innovative ideas to put the education system on rail honestly proving himself as a man of integrity wide vision and determination who never tolerates injustice, corruption or otherwise influencing means in performing pious duties related to the assignment since becoming Governor in the capacity as Chancellor of Universities, he gave a strong message to the universities of the state by stopping the powers of seven Registrars Finance Officer, Financial Advisors, and a few others, appointed by his predecessor, Fagu Chauhan, who shifted to Meghalaya in the same capacity but notified these appointments after notification issued by the central government his active role and interest in university affairs made a history when he decided to preside over the meeting of university senate first in the Jaya Prakash University, Chapra followed by Purnea University, Purnea his honest, active role and interest in improving decades-old cancer-like major and minor diseases of the higher education, prevailing in universities for at least two decades have created sky-high hopes in public and intelligentsia in particular that a golden era of higher education is in the pipeline and soon the dream of an ideal higher education, as against the previous ‘Dark Age’ will come out in the form of reality As we all are aware the prospective vision of a chancellor is closely related to the faultless functioning of universities and the fate of higher education where millions of students are getting regular or technical education with multiple dreams and visions in their eyes which have been blurred in some past years

Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar is the son of the late Vishwanath Arlekar and Mrs Tilomattama Arlekar, was born on 23 April 1954, at

Panaji the capital of Goa his school teachers and college professors remember him as a very bright student he completed his matriculation from st Joseph’s institute Vasco Da Gama Goa and graduated in Commerce (BCom) from MEs College, Vasco Da Gama, Goa From the beginning, he was interested in listening to classical music Marathi light music and watching plays From childhood he was associated with Rashtriya swayamsevak sangh but joined the Bhartiya Janata Party in 1989 at the age of 35 and remained an active member of the Goa BJP along with holding several party posts which include General secretary of BJP of Goa Pradesh, Chairman Goa industrial Development Corporation Chairman Goa state scheduled Castes and other Backward

Classes Financial Development Corporation and south Goa BJP President

After seeing his consistency and commitment to making people s lives easier, he was given an opportunity in 2002 to serve both the people and the party as member of the Goa Legislative Assembly where his ideologies opinion in regards to social service, environment and social development attracted everyone and the party as well As a result, he was appointed as the speaker of the Goa Legislative Assembly and continued there in office

from 16 March 2012 to 1

October 2015

Again this period of three years proved for him a boon where Goa did better in respect of education rate, climate conditions and addition and modification of state policies in this phase of life he worked tirelessly and took all decisions keeping in view the maximum welfare of common people and society and ultimately the historic moment came when the Legislative Assembly of Goa became the first paperless assembly in the country under his guidance and leadership From October 2015 to 2017 he was the Minister of Forest, Environment, and the Panchayat of Goa in the ministry of Laxmikant Parsekar Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar the new Governor-cum-Chancellor of universities has joined the state at a very critical juncture when the New Education Policy 2020 is to be introduced and implemented effectively to give a new direction in all walks of the system in a state where the old system of education is on the right track the problem is smaller; however in states like Bihar it is a herculean task as it ur-

The Master Plan of islamabad declares the National Park, Rawal Lake and green belts the common heritage of citizens and the amenities and facilities open to all There are eight distinct laws for the preservation of the landscape and conservation, protection and management of the National Park and the forests and fauna and flora therein There are three institutions namely Capital Development Authority Environmental Protection Agency and Wildlife Management Board, for the enforcement of such laws

But they remained bystanders during the process of usurpation, or as the Court put it, remained helpless or complacent and certainly, in dereliction of duty

Obviously state land cannot be grabbed or appropriated or arrogated to private use or turned into business/commercial ventures That it has been usurped, amenities snatched and the area rendered out-ofbounds for the general public is deplorable to say the least! More so because it is done as the Court put it by the state institutions and authorities

The successive governments kept a discreet silence and did nothing to stop or prevent the systematic and deliberate usurpation of the state land interestingly, when summoned by the Court, the key government functionaries and law officers remained either tightlipped or supportive of the ridiculous stance that rent of the illegally constructed Monal Restaurant may be collected by the Remount Veterinary and Farms Directorate of the GhQ because more than a century ago a portion of the area – now Margalla hills National Park – was given to British Army for “growing hay” for the army animals

The stance was taken despite the succeeding legislation by the Government of Pakistan, declaring the conservation/preservation of the national park, its habitat ecology and ecosystem and banning any type of construction activities therein interestingly all the three regulatory and management agencies, mentioned above, regard the Monal Restaurant as illegal construction if so why is it allowed to pollute the environment and how come its usufruct becomes kosher for the GhQ?

Notwithstanding the plethora of laws and the Court verdict nothing has changed on the ground The Court orders asking the implementing agencies to remove the illegal structures have fallen on deaf ears They dare not take any step against the mighty and powerful Thus illegal occupation of land and the private and commercial operations of the business ventures continue unabated The Monal

gently requires overhauling of examination, academic administrative and financial spheres to meet the challenges and find a long-term /durable solution in the interest of time to come

T h e a r m e d f o r c e s a r e a s m u c h s u b s e r v i e n t t o l a w a s o t h e r g o v e r n m e n t i n s t i t u t i o n s U n d o u b t e d l y , t h e y a r e r e s p e c t e d a n d r e v e r e d b y t h e p u b l i c , b u t s u c h p r a c t i c e s , f a r f r o m e n d e a r i n g t h e m t o t h e p u b l i c , a c t u a l l y d e n t t h e i r i m a g e . T h e y n e e d t o r e v i e w t h e s i t u a t i o n a n d c o m p l y w i t h t h e l a w a n d c o u r t v e r d i c t

Restaurant is functional, having obtained a stay from the supreme Court When will the case be decided is anybody’s guess!

But going by the current pendency in the Court and consequential delays, it may be years, perhaps decades, before it is decided Meanwhile, the illegalities persist and the judgement of the islamabad high Court is practically thrown into the dustbin it makes mockery of the principles of sovereignty of Parliament the rule of law and supremacy of the Constitution it is a negation of what is guaranteed in the very Preamble of the Constitution, saying, it is the will of the people of Pakistan to establish an order; Wherein shall be guaranteed fundamental rights including equality of status of opportunity and before law, social, economic and political justice

The armed forces are established and regulated under the Constitution and laws The Constitution dictates that The Federal Government shall have control and command of the Armed Forces They are indeed oathbound to “bear true faith and allegiance to Pakistan and uphold the Constitution of the islamic Republic of Pakistan and honestly and faithfully serve Pakistan as required by and under the law”

The armed forces are as much subservient to law as other government institutions Undoubtedly, they are respected and revered by the public, but such practices far from endearing them to the public actually dent their image They need to review the situation and comply with the law and court verdict ( T h e a u t h o r s e r v e d a s R e g i s t r a r S u p re m e C o u r t a n d S e c re t a r y L a w & J u s t i c e C o m m i s s i o n o f P a k i s t a n )

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

M a x i m u m a p p l i c a t i o n o f m o d e r n t e c h n o l o g y , s u p e r v i s i o n t h r o u g h e - g o v e r n a n c e , p r o m o t i o n o f c o m p u t e r - b a s e d p r o g r a m m e s f o r t e a c h e r s , t i m e l y e l e c t i o n o f s t a t u t o r y b o d i e s , s t r i c t s u p e r v i s i o n o f u n i v e r s i t y f u n d s , r e v i e w o f U G / P G s y l l a b u s a n d e x a m i n a t i o n s y s t e m , f o c u s o n g e n u i n e r e s e a r c h w i t h i n t e r d i s c i p l i n a r y a p p r o a c h , p r o m o t i o n o f n a t i o n a l a n d i n t e r n a t i o n a l s e m i n a r s , c o n f e r e n c e s a s w e l l a s d e v e l o p m e n t o f s e v e r a l s k i l l d e v e l o p m e n t p r o g r a m m e s a r e s o m e o f t h e s p h e r e s w h e r e t h e n e w c h a n c e l l o r s h o u l d l o o k f i r s t t o p r o v i d e t h e i n s t i t u t i o n s b a s i c s a n d p u t t h e d e r a i l e d s y s t e m o n r i g h t t r a c k

Of all, the regularization of academic session of different faculties in all universities of the state are not equal and are lagging behind one to three years their scheduled timing, although in last one year and more the government machinery is watching closely the state of the examination system, and other aspects like academic, administrative and financial have become a mess mainly due to mismanagement and corruption from top to bottom Omnipresent and omniscient effects of money power have marred the higher education system in previous years, paralyzing the whole structure for which they were/are established Absence of any strict, effective and honest supervision at higher levels have largely lacked pious intentions and effective steps to get rid of the existing dark age Next to regularization of academic sessions accreditation of universities and colleges from NAAC is second to none as not only funding but quality of research and teaching and innovative methods totally depend on NAAC grading it gave accreditation for a limited period and its renewal/continuation will help institutions maintain quality education and transparency in public however maximum a p p l i c a t i o n o f m o d e r n t e c h n o l o g y, s u p e r v i s i o n t h r o u g h e - g o v e r n a n c e , promotion of computerb a s e d p r o g r a m m e s f o r teachers, timely election o f s t a t u t o r y b o d i e s , strict supervision of university funds, review of U G / P G s y l l a b u s a n d e x a m i n a t i o n s y s t e m , focus on genuine research with interdisciplinary approach promotion of national and int e r n a t i o n a l s e m i n a r s , c o n f e r e n c e s a s w e l l a s d e v e l o p m e n t o f s e v e r a l s k i l l d e v e l o p m e n t p r o g r a m m e s a r e s o m e o f t h e s p h e r e s w h e r e t h e n e w c h a n c e l l o r s h o u l d l o o k f i r s t t o p r ov i d e t h e i n s t i t u t i o n s b a s i c s a n d p u t t h e d erailed

Formula milk

This refers to the article ‘What to do when they cry?’ (March 6) which lamented the rising price of powdered baby milk Actually we must do our best to promote mother s milk it is species-specific, ideal for the growth of the babies and their brain development it protects them from diarrhoea, pneumonia and much else as well Besides breastmilk also protects the mothers from breast cancer and to some extent in birth spacing

The said write-up argued that babies on formula milk are facing malnourishment due to the rising prices and over-dilution That, professionally speaking is just one aspect

Even well-to-do educated mothers are not careful about the sterilisation of the bottle, leading to frequent episodes of diarrhoea and malnutrition among the infants The argument about impoverished mothers being too weak to breastfeed is also flawed because that is not usually the case A pregnant woman needs 300 calories more than the usual, and a lactating mother needs just 200 calories more than a pregnant woman does These 200 calories can also be supplied by a large roti of 125gm of flour A fancy expensive diet is not needed Doctors and family members must be supportive and guide mothers around them to breastfeed

Family spacing is also a critical element that depends on women education and empowerment The clergy should be taken on board on the matter so that they may support awareness campaigns in this regard some women work as domestic labour for well-to-do families They leave their babies with other family members and work from morning till evening Their babies are bottle-fed and become ill and malnourished if they have to work, they must be allowed to bring their babies with them

The problem of drug addiction in such communities is also common Many women say they have to work as their husbands happen to be addicts who do nothing to finance the household society surely needs more rehabilitation centres for addicts, and those selling addictive substances, be they individuals or outlets, must be taken to task rather sternly After all, it is a matter of the country’s future generations

PROF (DR) YASMEEN KAZI KARACHI

Looks like it’s a case of political expediency over economic prudency

This refers to the report ‘sales tax on luxury goods hiked to 25pc’ (March 9) One fails to understand the economic justification for allowing the import of luxury goods while the country is facing an acute dollar shortage

The rich can afford to pay higher cost as that is not an issue for them

As such imposition of general sales tax (GsT) is not going to suppress the demand for foreign brands and compress the import bill Consumer items like confectionary, aerated water/juice, ice cream, fish, cereal, tissue paper, cigarette etc are already being produced domestically of relatively good quality and can meet the entire demand Not long ago the government had allowed import of luxury cars/electric vehicles to satisfy the ego of the ultra-rich, while letters of credit (LCs) for the import of essential medicines had been put on hold it seems there is a complete breakdown of sanity among the economic/finance team Or else it may be a case of preferring political expediency over economic prudency The general perception is that the powerful import-based traders tend to support whoever happens to be running the government in islamabad at any given point And as we all know there is no free lunch As for an argument often cited by the vested interests, a ban on selected imports is permitted under the World Trade Organisation (WTO) regulations where a state faces balance of payment crisis and the reserves are low Therefore the government cannot take refuge under the WTO ruling either squandering borrowed dollars on import of non-essential items is a grave mistake, especially when the country is facing a severe crisis

n i s r a e l r a i d s o n a l - a q s a m o s q U e

BEiJiNG

A n A d o l u Ag e n c y

CH I N A has called on the UN Security Council (UNSC) to hold an urgent discussion about Israel s latest attacks on Palestinian worshippers and subsequent developments

This demand was made by Zhai Jun, China’s special envoy to the Middle East, when he met with ambassadors from Arab states in Beijing early Friday morning

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said

The meeting was sought by the Arab countries ambassadors Mao said Zhai clarified China s stance on intensifying conflicts involving Israel, Palestine Lebanon ” according to the Chinese daily Global Times

An urgent mission currently is needed to enhance situation management China urges relevant parties especially Israel to remain calm and restrained and to avoid any action that would worsen the situation, he told the ambassadors

China actively appeals to Arab states demand and requests the UN Security Council to carry out the urgent discussion over the situation and work to cool the situation down he said

On Wednesday and Thursday, Israeli police detained hundreds of Palestinians from the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in occupied East Jerusalem with witnesses saying Israeli

cops used excessive force including tear

gas

Turkey Saudi Arabia Pakistan

Malaysia Indonesia Egypt Qatar Jordan the UK, and the EU have condemned the atrocities and demanded a “de-escalation” of the situation

Israeli forces and Jewish settlers frequently carry out raids on the mosque

For Muslims, Al-Aqsa represents Islam’s third-holiest site while Jews call the area

Temple Mount

Israel occupied East Jerusalem during the

n. Korea says tested another ‘under water nuclear attack drone’

SEOUL

A F P

North Korea claimed Saturday it had tested another underwater nuclear attack drone, in its latest response to South Korean and United States military drills, though analysts have questioned whether Pyongyang has such a weapon In recent weeks North Korea has tested what state media have described as an underwater nuclearcapable drone, and also carried out the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile

A national defence science research institute in the DPRK carried out a test of underwater strategic weapon system from April 4 to 7 ” the official Korean Central News Agency said

The underwater nuclear attack drone Haeil-2 [ ] cruised 1,000 km of simulated underwater distance [ ] for 71 hours and 6 minutes ”

KCNA added that the test warhead accurately detonated underwater The test perfectly proved the reliability of the underwater strategic weapon system and its fatal attack ability ”

North Korea has claimed to have conducted three tests of underwater drones in less than three weeks so far

On March 23 it claimed to have conducted the first test of the Haeil which means tsunami in Korean able to unleash a radioactive tsunami as it blamed US-South Korea exercises for a deteriorating regional security situation

Five days later it said it had carried out a second test

In response South Korean Defence Minister Lee Jongsup told MPs Seoul was capable of monitoring and detecting such drones infiltrating underwater”

Satellite imagery has also indicated a high level of activity at North Korea s main nuclear complex after leader Kim Jong Un ordered the production of weaponsgrade nuclear material be ramped up North Korea last year declared itself an irreversible nuclear power and Kim recently called for an “exponential” increase in weapons production, including tactical nuclear weapons South Korea and the United States on Wednesday staged joint air drills involving at least one US nuclear-capable B-52H strategic bomber, Seoul’s military said North Korea views such exercises as rehearsals for invasion, and has responded to other recent drills with a spate of increasingly provocative banned weapons tests North Korea is seeking to diversify its delivery mechanisms in addition to increasing its nuclear stockpile Russia has also reportedly developed a similar weapon nuclear-capable Poseidon torpedoes but mastering the complex technology required for such weaponry might yet be beyond North Korea experts said B u t t h e N o r t h s c l a i m s a b o u t t h e t e s t s s h o u l d n o t b e “ e a s i l y d i s m i s s e d f o r b e i n g e x a g g e r a t e d ” , C h o i G i - i l , p r o f e s s o r o f m i l i t a r y s t u d i e s a t S a n g j i U n i v e r s i t y t o l d A F P

Israel star ts c alling up reser vists after attacks

TEL AVIV: Israel began ca ling up police and army reser vists Saturday after separate attacks killed three peop e, inc uding an Italian tourist, in Tel Aviv and the occupied West Bank Despite appeals for restraint violence has surged since Israeli police clashed with Palestin ans inside Jerusalem s flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque on Wednesday with Israel bombarding both Gaza and Lebanon n response to rocket fire a egedly by Pa estinian f ghters

The Italian was killed and seven other tourists wounded when an Israe Arab ploughed a car into pedestrians on the Te Aviv seafront on Fr day evening and flipped over before being shot dead police and emergency ser vices sa d Ital an Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni named the dead man as Alessandro Parini 36 Police ident fied the driver as a 45-year-old from the Arab town of Kfar Kassem in central Israel The terrorist [sic] was neutralised a spokesman told AFP Palestin an movement Hamas wh ch rules Gaza said the attack was a “ natural and legitimate response to Israel s aggression in the Al-Aqsa mosque

Earlier Friday two Br tish-Israeli sisters aged 16 and 20 were k led and their mother seriously wounded when their car was f red on in the Jordan Va ey in the occupied West Bank

The army said it had launched a manhunt for the perpetrators

1967 Arab-Israeli War It annexed the entire city in 1980, a move never recognised by the international community Earlier on Thursday China expressed deep concern about the escalation of the Palestinian-Israel conflict and urged Tel Aviv to avoid further escalation “The international community needs to act with greater urgency and take concrete steps to advance the two-state solution, work for a comprehensive and just resolution of the Palestine issue ‘at an early date ’ and realise peaceful coexistence between Palestine and Israel, Mao said

Following the Te Aviv attack Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed the police to mob lise a l reser ve border police units and directed the army to mobi se additional forces h s office said

Police said four reser ve batta ons of border police would be deployed in c ty centres from Sunday, in addit on to units already dep oyed n the Jerusa em region and in the central city of Lod which has a mixed population of Jews and Arabs In the West Bank Israeli troops came under fire n a drive-by shooting n the northern town of Yabad overnight the army said on Saturday

One h t was identified among the assa ants, an army statement said Cross-border strikes: Friday ’s attacks came after Israel aunched a r strikes and an artiller y bombardment before dawn n response to rocket fire from the Gaza Strip and Lebanon A F P

Yemeni govt holds talks with S audi Arabia to end 3-year civil war

Riyadh Ag e n c i e s

Yemeni government officials have gathered in Riyadh the capital of Saudi Arabia to discuss a comprehensive three-year peace plan to end the country’s civil war a Yemeni diplomat said on Friday

The move signals that regional rifts are easing A permanent ceasefire in Yemen would mark a milestone in stabilizing the Middle East

“Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman held a meeting on Thursday with Rashad AlAlimi, chairman of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) and other high-ranking Yemeni government officials in Riyadh, during which he presented the kingdom s plan for peace in Yemen, the Yemeni diplomat told Xinhua on condition of anonymity

T r u c e a n d r e c o ns T r u c T i o n p l a n : The proposed plan is based on a series of back-channel negotiations between Saudi Arabia and the Houthi rebels in Muscat, the capital of Oman, that have been conducted for the past few months

It s focused on a truce between warring factions, a full reopening of Yemen’s ports and airports payment of wages for public servants, a rebuilding process and a political transition

The plan has three main stages that will be implemented over a period of three years, the diplomat said, adding the Yemeni officials have already shown their initial support for the plan

The first phase of the plan is a six-month truce between warring factions in Yemen, during which hostilities will cease and efforts will be made to rebuild trust and lay the groundwork for peace

The second phase would entail a dialogue to address key issues and grievances among the various Yemeni factions and reopen the closed roads airspace and seaports

The third stage would be a two-year transitional period during which a new and inclusive government would be established, paving the way for longterm stability and peace in the country according to the official

If a truce agreement is reached, the parties could announce it before Islam’s Eid holiday starting April 20 according to Reuters

H u m a n i Ta r i a n c r i s i s : Meanwhile another Yemeni government official told Xinhua that Muhammad Al Jaber, the Saudi ambassador to Yemen, along with an Omani delegation

is planning to meet leaders of the Houthi rebels in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa to discuss the the final arrangements of the truce Oman and the United Nations have mediated previous rounds of negotiations between the Yemeni government, Saudi Arabia, and the Houthi rebel group but previous attempts have failed due to a lack of trust between the warring parties and continued violence on the ground Yemeni observers hope that the proposed peace plan will be a viable solution to the ongoing conflict and alleviate the country s humanitarian crisis The conflict has killed tens of thousands and left 80 percent of Yemen s population dependent on humanitarian aid

In an additional sign of progress in Yemen s peace efforts, the Saudi-led coalition lifted eight-year-old restrictions on imports headed for Yemen’s southern ports allowing commercial ships to dock directly there, including Aden, the Saudibacked government said

dUBai r e u t e r s I n a f u r t h e r a t t e m p t t o r e i n i n i n c r e a s i n g n u m b e r s o f w o m e n d e f y i n g t h e c o m p u l s o r y d r e s s c o d e I r a n i a n a u t h o r i t i e s a r e i n s t a l l i n g c a m e r a s i n p u b l i c p l a c e s a n d t h o r o u g h f a r e s t o i d e n t i f y a n d p e n a l i s e u n v e i l e d w o m e n t h e p o l i c e a n n o u n c e d o n S a t u r d a y A f t e r t h e y h a v e b e e n i d e n t i f i e d , v i o l a t o r s w i l l r e c e i v e w a r n i n g t e x t m e s s a g e s a s t o t h e c o n s e q u e n c e s , p o l i c e s a i d i n a s t a t e m e n t T h e m o v e i s a i m e d a t p r e v e n t i n g r e s i s t a n c e a g a i n s t t h e h i j a b l a w, s a i d t h e s t a t e m e n t , c a r r i e d b y t h e j u d i c i a r y ’s M i z a n n e w s a g e n c y a n d o t h e r s t a t e m e d i a , a d d i n g t h a t s u c h r e s i s t a n c e t a r n i s h e s t h e c o u n t r y ’s s p i r i t u a l i m a g e a n d s p r e a d s i n s e c u r i t y A g r o w i n g n u m b e r o f I r a n i a n w o m e n h a v e b e e n d i t c h i n g t h e i r v e i l s s i n c e t h e d e a t h o f a 2 2 - y e a r- o l d K u r d i s h w o m a n i n t h e c u s t o d y o f t h e m o r a l i t y p o l i c e l a s t S e p t e m b e r M a h s a A m i n i h a d b e e n d e t a i n e d f o r a l l e g e d l y v i o l a t i n g t h e h i j a b r u l e S e c u r i t y f o r c e s v i o l e n t l y p u t d o w n t h e r e v o l t S t i l l r i s k i n g a r r e s t f o r d e f y i n g t h e o b l i g a t o r y d r e s s c o d e , w o m e n a r e s t i l l w i d e l y s e e n u n v e i l e d i n m a l l s , r e s t a u r a n t s , s h o p s a n d s t r e e t s a r o u n d t h e c o u n t r y Vi d e o s o f u n v e i l e d w o m e n r e s i s t i n g t h e m o r a l i t y p o l i c e h a v e f l o o d e d s o c i a l m e d i a S a t u r d a y s p o l i c e s t a t e m e n t c a l l e d o n o w n e r s o f b u s i n e s s e s t o “ s e r i o u s l y m o n i t o r t h e o b s e r v a n c e o f s o c i e t a l n o r m s w i t h t h e i r d i l i g e n t i n s p e c t i o n s ” U n d e r I r a n s I s l a m i c l a w, i m p o s e d a f t e r t h e 1 9 7 9 r e v o l u t i o n , w o m e n a r e o b l i g e d t o c o v e r t h e i r h a i r a n d w e a r l o n g l o o s e - f i t t i n g c l o t h e s t o d i s g u i s e t h e i r f i g u r e s Vi o l a t o r s h a v e f a c e d p u b l i c r e b u k e f i n e s o r a r r e s t D e s c r i b i n g t h e v e i l a s “ o n e o f t h e c i v i l i z a t i o n a l f o u n d a t i o n s o f t h e I r a n i a n n a t i o n ” a n d “ o n e o f t h e p r a c t i c a l p r i n c i p l e s o f t h e I s l a m i c R e p u b l i c a n I n t e r i o r M i n i s t r y s t a t e m e n t s a i d o n M a r c h 3 0 t h a t t h e r e w o u l d b e n o r e t r e a t o n t h e i s s u e I t u rg e d c i t i z e n s t o c o n f r o n t u n v e i l e d w o m e n S u c h d i r e c t i v e s h a v e i n p a s t d e c a d e s e m b o l d e n e d h a r d l i n e r s t o a t t a c k w o m e n L a s t w e e k , a v i r a l v i d e o s h o w e d a m a n t h r o w i n g y o g h u r t a t t w o u n v e i l e d w o m e n i n a s h o p

PL A deploys aircraf t carrier, missiles in drills around Taiwan island

BEiJiNG

fighter jets, a KJ-500 early warning aircraft and a YU-20 tanker aircraft, and the Rocket Force mobilized DF-11 conventional ballistic missiles in the drills

of weaponry and equipment including electronic warfare air-

craft and bombers, are also expected to be part of the exercise A second video released on Saturday evening showed more details of the drills, including the participation of dozens of J-16 and J-10C fighter jets the Y-8 anti-submarine aircraft the H-6K bomber, the Type 054A frigate and the DF-15 conventional ballistic missile During the drills multiple PLA Navy destroyers and frigates quickly approached the island of Taiwan, took advantageous positions and practiced

close-in assault far-range deterrence and air defense, CCTV reported Guided and supported by early warning aircraft electronic warfare aircraft and aerial tankers Air Force fighter jets, carrying live munitions, conducted medium- and long-range air combat drills CCTV reported They used mixed and flexible formations together with tactics including jamming and positioned blocking to quickly search and eliminate opponents seizing and control air superiority in the target regions

In order to completely seize the advantage at the sea and in the air warships and anti-submarine aircraft formed a network and held a successful joint anti-submarine exercise in waters near the island of Taiwan according to the report

Multiple artillery brigades of the Army and conventional missile brigades of the Rocket Force coordinated with the naval and air assault forces and carried out simulated attacks on targets in a move to test their rapid-response firepower and long-range precision strike capabilities, CCTV reported

iran installing cameras in public places to identif y, penalise unveiled women

corporate corner

Turkmenistan Ambassador urges COMSATS University for enhancing cooperation in Science, Educ ation

ISLAMABAD: Ambassador of Turkmenistan/ Dean of the Diplomatic Corps to Pakistan,H E AtadjanMovlamovalong with Embassy’s Third Secretary Mr HemraAnnamuhammedovcalled on Rector, COMSATS University Islamabad (CUI), Prof Dr Muhammad T Afzal at the Islamabad Campus of the later Prof Afzal informed the Ambassador that more than 33 100 Pakistani and 360 international students from 23 countries are studying at COMSATS enrolled in over 100 Bachelors Masters and PhD level programs There was a need to attract more students from Turkmenistan into these programs to allow for cultural bridging between Pakistan and Turkmenistan The Ambassador expressed his keen interest in re-engaging with COMSATS University in establishingbilateral collaboration and cooperation in the field of science and education and urged for organizing exchange visits and conferences between the two sides Mr Movlamov informed that the Turkmenistan is hosting the 2ndMeeting of Turkmenistan-Pakistan Joint Working Group on Science and Education in 2nd Quarter of 2023 in which COMSATS will be invited to participate The envoy also briefed that in the past COMSATS had signed an MoU with Turkmen State Institute of Economics and Management which needed to be reactivated The Ambassador invited COMSATS students participation in international competition for scientific research works among young people on High Technologies and Innovative Projects which is being organized from March 1 to October 10, 2023 pr

E-Health System fully operational for Islamabad Police personnel

I S L A M A B A

D: The Islamabad Capital Police tele-health Clinic is now fully operational and providing efficient and effective medical assistance to the police personnel a Police Public Relations Officer He said that on a daily basis the officials of Islamabad Capital Police are receiving guidance from doctors through the digital clinic, which has the facility to connect them with various specialist doctors The Inspector General of Police (IGP) Islamabad, Dr Akbar Nasir Khan, has implemented several measures for the welfare of the police force, and the activation of the e-Health Clinic is one such initiative aimed at providing quick and easy medical facilities for the force Through this system, police officials can get direct assistance from digital clinic doctors via their smartphones 24/7 and also book appointments with specialist doctors online The facility of all specialist doctors is available in this system Paramedical staff are available at tele-booths round the clock and senior doctors are available online at these booths Islamabad Capital Police personnel can call the helpline number 03-111-100-969 at any time and receive guidance from doctors about any health-related issue In case of an emergency, doctors will visit their homes and provide medical facilities, and all associated fees will be paid by the police department pr

Railways

FBR to monitoR sales, pRoduction oF Big BeveRages, cement companies

ISLAMABAD s h a h z a d pa r ac h a

FE D E R A L Board of Revenue

(FBR) will start

sugar, cement, Beverages and fertilizer is yet to be realized, sources added Recently, FBR after the lapse of one year decided to install the Track and Trace system at the production line of each cement manufacturer despite the resistance of the cement industry The Document states that FBR has directed all officials to conduct initial stock taking in supervision of a senior officer and report in this regard will mandatorily be shared with the Board In case of beverages concentrate daily monitoring of consumption of concentrate shall be monitored for bottlers

Chairman WAPDA for ensuring effec tive safety measures at construc tion sites

ISLAMABAD s ta f f r e p o r t

Chairman Water and Power Development Authority

(WAPDA) Engr Lt Gen Sajjad Ghani (Retd) on Saturday visited Diamer Basha Dam Project in the wake of an incident that took place yesterday at one of the construction sites of the project

The Chairman had a detailed round of the incident s site and interacted with the workers during the visit GM

(Security) CEO Diamer Basha Company GM (Diamer Basha Dam Project) and representatives of the Contractors and the Consultants were also present, said a press release

On the occasion, the management of Diamer

Basha Dam Project briefed the Chairman about causes of the accident and details about rescue and relief operation

The Chairman expressed grief over the loss of precious lives Emphasizing upon the Contractors and the

Consultants to thoroughly re-look at the current safety guidelines, he directed the project management to put in place at all construction sites an effective safety mechanism to avoid such incidents in future

The Chairman also gave away cheques of the compensation amount to the workers who sustained minor injuries in the accident

It is to be mentioned that Chairman WAPDA had already announced compensation of Rs 500 000 each for the families of deceased Rs 500 000 each for the workers severely injured and Rs 200 000 each for the workers with minor injuries

This compensation is in addition to the one which the affectees of the incident will receive from the Contractor as per rules

Diamer Basha Dam Project is being constructed on River Indus, 40-Kilometer downstream of Chilas town Construction work is simultaneously underway on

and daily production and dispatch of concentrate for manufacturers and

ISLAMABAD: The number of Umrah pilgrims and worshipers who visited the Grand Mosque on the night of Ramadan 17 exceeded 1 million Saudi Arabia's General Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques has prepared 5 000 regular vehicles and about 3 000 electric vehicles and linked them through the Naql application Additionally it has recruited 200 Saudi supervisors qualified to monitor the field works of 4 000 male and female workers Saudi Gazette reported a p p

LAHORE s ta f f r e p o r t e r

The Shaukat Khanum Memorial Trust (SKMT)organised a secondfundraising iftar dinner in Lahoreon Friday, April 7, 2023as part of its ongoing Zakat campaign A large gathering of around 800 donors and supporters attended the eventwhere Rs 137millionwere collected

On this occasion DrFaisal Sultan CEO of SKMT gave an overview of the ongoing projects of the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Trust, Show a credible cause to Pakistanis and they will give generously Last year, we were able to provide financially supported treatment worth Rs 11 billion to deserving cancer patients” He said donating for cancer patients demonstrates one of the noblest attributes of humans by celebrating the spirit of kindness to strangers and earning their prayers and gratitude Commenting on the unique features of Shaukat Khanum Hos-

pitals Dr Faisal Sultan said that patients are provided treatment based on the principles of quality and equality At SKMCH&RC we have always taken all possible steps to ensure that the utilisation of Zakat complies with Islamic injunctions regarding utilisation for Zakat-eligible patients SKMCH&RC has also received Shariah compliance certification confirming that its Zakat processes are in line with Islamic principles ” He went on to explain the theme of this year s Zakat campaign and said that cancer burden has three main aspects financial medical and psychological andwith everyone s support we can help ease the burden of cancer In a video message, Imran Khan, Founder and ChairmanBoG of SKMT said that he could not personally attend the event due to security reasons He said that cancer treatment is very expensive and the majority of our people cannot afford it For more than 28 years SKMCH&RC has been collecting

Zakat and providing financially supported treatment to over 75% of all patients He said that SKMCH&RC is of huge benefit not only for deserving cancer patients but also for those who can afford to pay because they are provided treatment according to international standards, at much lower costs than countries like the UK or USA He said SKMT supporters would be proud to know thatthe organisation earned the Joint Commission International s Enterprise Accreditation He said that for a population of over 220 million we need more cancer hospitals and for this reason, the second SKMCH&RC was constructed in Peshawar in 2015 and the third and largest SKMCH&RC is expected to open in Karachi in 2023 He recalled his experience of personally receiving treatment at Shaukat Khanum Hospital Lahore three times in 2009 2013 and 2022 saying he felt extremely grateful that there are Shaukat Khanum Hospitals in our country so that he didn t need to go abroad to seek medical care Highlighting the unique challenges this year Imran Khan said that devaluation of rupee means that importing necessary equipment for Shaukat Khanum Hospital in Karachi remains the biggest challenge Also, due to the prevailing economic situation, more people are expected to be needing financially supported cancer treatment For these reasons he said SKMT needs everyone s support more than ever before to continue the miracle of hope for cancer patients

more than dozen of sites

The Chairman WAPDA also visited under-construction Dasu Hydropower Project and reviewed construction work on starter dam, cut-of-wall and under-ground power house

He was briefed that the second diversion tunnel was scheduled for completion in mid April, while cutof-wall in mid May River diversion system would also stand completed by mid May to pass through River Indus round-the-year

The Chairman urged upon the project authorities to complete construction work as per the schedule The 2160-MW Phase-I of Dasu Hydropower Project is likely to start electricity generation in 2026

cda chief meets and felicitates christian staffers on easter

ISLAMABAD

p r

Chairman of the Capital Development Authority Captain Noor ul Amin Mengal met the staff belonging to the Christian community on the occasion of Easter and congratulated the Christian community on Easter

On the occasion of Easter Chairman CDA announced that the facilities available in the parks of Islamabad will be provided free of cost for the Christian community Moreover the amusement facilities in all parks will be free for the children of the Christian community on the occasion of Easter While issuing further instructions in this regard, Chairman CDA said that the concerned Assistant Commissioners and the concerned officers will ensure that all facilities are being provided free of cost to the Christian community

On this occasion Chairman CDA Captain Noor Ul Amin Mengal further said that the role of the Christian community in the construction and development of Islamabad is very important He also issued instructions to immediately resolve the problems of the Christian employees working in the Sanitation Wing Chairman CDA also distributed cash salary to private cleaning staff

Economic challenges exist but situation not as bleak as being por trayed: Bilal A zhar

ISLAMABAD a p p C o o r d i n a t o r t o t h e P r i m e M i n i s t e r o n E c o n o m y a n d E n e rg y B i l a l A z h a r K a y a n i o n S a t u r d a y s a i d t h e i nc u m b e n t g o v e r n m e n t h a d s u c c e s s f u l l y a v e r t e d t h e looming default and made significant progress towards stabilizing and rebuilding the national economy on a sustainable basis

Responding to a tweet of Atif Mian titled Pakistan s economy is in a tailspin going from crisis to catastrophe , Bilal said although Pakistan faced serious economic challenges but the situation was not as bleak as portrayed in this thread

He said that the current government has averted default and made significant progress towards stabilising and rebuilding the economy

"There is a primary surplus of 0 9% of GDP this year as compared to a primary deficit of 0 6% during last year " he said adding that the current economic difficul-

ties, including inflation, have been directly caused by the disastrous decisions of the Imran Khan government which destroyed Pakistan’s economy in four years and deliberately pushed the country towards default before leaving the government last year

Imran Khan s government not only almost doubled Pakistan s debt but also caused a current account deficit of $17 4 billion in the fiscal year 2022," he said adding that this figure would have been even higher if the current government had not taken mitigating measures after assuming office in April 2022

Bilal Azhar said that the previous government’s actions eroded trust in the International Monetary Fund (IMF) "The Imran Khan government not only broke its promises with IMF to stall the IMF program and push the country towards default but it also actively tried to sabotage the current government s efforts to revive the IMF program

He said that the incumbent government under the dynamic leadership of PM Shehbaz Sharif was taking all necessary measures for the 9th Review to pull Pakistan out of the current economic crisis, adding that the technical level agreement with the IMF had been reached and the Staff Level Agreement had been held up because of lack of assured financing of $3 billion

Pakistan s friendly countries are now moving ahead in this regard," he said adding that the situation will start to move towards normalcy as soon as the agreement with IMF is reached

He said the curbs on imports were not ideal but necessary at this stage to avoid the larger issue of defaulting on our foreign obligations

Bilal Azhar Kayani said that these curbs were only temporary and would be removed once our foreign exchange reserves situation strengthens

The GDP growth slowdown was not only specific to Pakistan but a global phenomenon he added

The Russia-Ukraine war and increased interest rates by US Federal Reserve continued weighing on economic activity globally he remarked

He said Pakistan s economy had also suffered the effects of the tragic floods last year, adding once Pakistan s immediate external account challenges were add r e s s e d a n d t h e g l o b a l o u t l o o k i m p r o v e d , P a k i s t a n would also experience a GDP growth recovery

Another impressive display of generosity at second Shauk at Khanum Iftar Dinner in Lahore

W h AT I S N E x T f o r PA K I S TA N ’ S o N ly

A l u M I N I u M C A N C o M PA N y ?

PA B C ’S A N N U A L G E N E R A L M E E T I N G S C H E D U L E D TO D I S C U S S P R O D U C T I O N C A PAC I T Y E X PA N S I O N L AT E R T H I S M O N T H

P

iSLAMABAD B a K h t n o o r

A K I S TA N Aluminium Beverage Cans Limited (PABC) is gearing up for their Annual General Meeting (AGM) set to be held on the 28th of April this year

But in this case it marks a shareholder meeting at an interesting time for an even more interesting company The PABC is the only producer of aluminium cans in Pakistan and is an integral supplier to all major carbonated drinks bottlers in Pakistan and Afghanistan including giants such as PepsiCo franchisees and Coca Cola bottlers

The company has only been around for six years and in October 2022 announced its intentions to amp up production capacity by over 26% from 700 million cans a year to over 950 million cans But what are the origins of this rela-

tively new company, and how is it expanding so quickly? Very briefly put, nobody in Pakistan had the bright idea to introduce an aluminium cans business in Pakistan until PABC stepped onto the scene in 2017, and now they are expanding so fast that there might not be much room left in the market Better late than never?

On most days the notification on the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) announcing such a meeting wouldn’t be particularly interestingSoft drinks, a consumer item, have been available in glass bottles in Pakistan since the 1950s at least Fast forward to the 1970s, imported soft drinks contained in aluminium cans became available in Pakistan Move to the 1990s and you’ll find that companies have set up factories in Pakistan that do the process of filling aluminium cans with soft drinks Now what about the aluminium can itself?

It s startling that the first local production of aluminium cans only began in 2017- roughly 60 years after soft drinks were first marketed in Pakistan In comes the Pakistan Aluminium Beverage Cans Ltd (PABC) Better late than never the company has constantly been reaping profits Just three years after its formation, PABC sought an initial public offer (IPO) on the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) The company planned on raising at least Rs 3 3 bil-

‘NAB’s reluctance’: PTI moves SC to become party in Shehbaz , Maryam’s acquittal case

iSLAMABAD

S ta f f r e p o r t

In another important development, Pakistan Tehreek-iInsaf (PTI) Saturday decided to become a party in the corruption case involving what it called the “the imported Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his niece Maryam Nawaz due to reluctance of National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to file an appeal in the Supreme Court (SC) against their acquittal in the scam

PTI Central Additional Secretary General Senator Azam Khan Swati filed a formal application in the apex court on Saturday in this regard

In his plea Swati pleaded that the NAB s reluctance to file an appeal in the SC against the acquittal of Shehbaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz in corruption cases involving billions of rupees from the national kitty as the bureau under great pressure since the PDM seized the power through conspiracy PTI Senator in his petition stated that the PTI had decided to become a party in this mega corruption scam requesting the apex court to let the largest party of the country represent the people of Pakistan to become party in the important case

Senator Swati went on to say that the NAB was the first target of the imported government after regime change conspiracy” was launched to help save the skins of the “ruling junta”

He said that the rulers amended the NAB law to clip the wings of the accountability bureau in order to make the body a powerless entity to help protect and safeguard the thieves and crooks [allegedly] involved in billions of corruption from jail Azam Swati reminded the Chairman of NAB had to tender resignation from his post due to the unnecessary interference and constant pressure of the Sharifs

He said that NAB s reluctance to appeal against the acquittal decisions of Maryam and Shehbaz badly dented the national interests Azam Swati stated that the PTI would not allow the loot and plunder of this national wealth, come what may

lion by offering a 26% stake to institutional and ordinary investors

PABC began operations in 2017 as the country s only local manufacturer of aluminium beverage cans Until then, bottlers in Pakistan and Afghanistan were dependent on expensive imports to package their beverages in environment-friendly aluminium cans

PABC supplied to the bottlers of all major carbonated drinks including PepsiCo and Coca-Cola, in both Pakistan and Afghanistan Exports to Afghanistan constituted 35% of the company’s sales in 2020

From its inception in 2017 to expansion in 202, PABC had grown its revenue at an annualised rate of 18 7% In the third full year of its operation (2020) the company s net profit amounted to Rs 610 7 million, up 314% from 2019

The company was significantly helped by strategic lobbying on its part

For instance, in 2017, Pakistan imposed a 20% regulatory duty on the import of aluminium tin cans from Sri Lanka despite a Free Trade Agreement with it apparently to protect PABC As per sources the former Chairman FBR Abdullah Yousaf who had begun working for PABC played an instrumental role in

successfully lobbying for the protection of his new employers No matter that no cans had been imported from Sri Lanka yet: the idea was to cover all bases and potential threats, just in case PABC’s own press release noted: Growing can penetration may increase their sales to 650 million cans by 2025, delivering an annualised growth rate of 19 per year PABC will be its key beneficiary as imports are virtually non-existent due to high freight costs and duties Expansion plans and current financial standing

As things stand PABC s production capacity is 700 million cans which they want to bring up to 950 million cans

According to PABC s latest financials its net sales increased from Rs 5 10 billion to Rs 10 85 billion during the first nine months of 2022 ending September 30 Within this time PABC recorded a growth 0f 88 79% in comparison with the corresponding period last year

How did sales increase so dramatically within a limited time period? The driving factors behind sales growth were currency devaluation metal price increases and the volumetric growth of sales

A sk ari S ec urities gets green signal to amalgamate into Fauji Foundation’s sec urities company

PR Ofit REPORt K a r ac h i

In a notice filed on 7th April 2023, Askari Bank Limited (AKBL) has notified that Sindh High Court has sanctioned the scheme of arrangement for the merger of Askari Securities Limited (ASL) into Foundation Securities Private Limited (FSL) and dissolution of ASL without winding up

In October 2021

ASL received an Expression of Interest from FSL exploring the possibility of a merger between ASL and FSL, which was subsequently accepted by the Board of Directors at AKBL

Under the scheme of arrangement of amalgamation, the entire business operations of ASL will be seamlessly transferred and vested into FSL, along with all its properties assets liabilities and obligations of every nature Furthermore

the shares of ASL will be cancelled, and in exchange, AKBL, as the holder of 100% of ASL shares will be allotted a total of twentyseven million one hundred and forty thousand (27,140,000) shares of FSL In other words for every 1 ordinary share of ASL worth Rs 10 held by AKBL, an impressive allocation of 1 18 ordinary shares of FSL each with a face value of Rs 10 will be issued to AKBL Finally, ASL will be dissolved without undergoing any winding up procedures culminating this noteworthy transformation Askari Securities Limited (ASL) ASL is a security brokerage company that serves investment needs of corporate and retail clients in the capital markets It is a wholly owned subsidiary of AKBL and was incorporated on 16th Oct 1999 It is a member of

Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) Through ASL, investors can invest both in shares/securities as well as commodities For the year of 2022, ASL earned a net profit of Rs 10 19 million as compared to the corresponding year of 2021 net profit was Rs 47 5 million

According to the financial statements of ASL, it was confident that it is geared towards improving profitability substantially once the merger between ASL and FSL is complete Foundation Securities Private Limited (FSL)

KARAcHi m a r i a m U m a r fa r o o q

The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) recently took to Twitter to announce a momentous milestone – the total deposit inflows in the Roshan Digital Accounts (RDA), a special banking facility catering to non-resident Pakistanis crossing a staggering $6 billion However, upon closer examination, it becomes apparent that this figure may not be an accurate reflection of the actual situation as the data only shows inflows but not outflows

medicine are facing issues because of the dire condition of the country s foreign exchange reserves, the Government of Azad Jammu and Kashmir has issued a tender notice on April 3 2023 for the procurement of a Mercedes Benz S 580 AMG Premium Plus Plus Executive edition The car is to be added to the Central Transport Pool of the Services and General Administration Department (S&GAD) The base model of the Mercedes Benz S 580 2022-23 has an average starting price of $124,000 across different markets globally The tender specifies that the vehicle should be a Mercedes Benz Car S 580 2022-23

model unregistered, zero-meter, AMG Line Premium Plus with standard accessories in a black metallic colour The procurement process for this tender is being governed by the AJK PPRA Rules 2017, and prospective vendors must meet certain required qualifications to be eligible to participate

Bidding guidelines These required qualifications include possessing a valid income tax registration certificate and an active general sales tax registration number Vendors must also submit a signed affidavit that confirms they have not been blacklisted, involved in any corrupt or illegal practices, or banned by any procuring agency or the PPRA Additionally vendors are required to attach a bid security amounting to Rs 6,000,000 (Rs 60 lac) in the form of a CDR from any recognized bank made out to the DDO Central Transport Pool Muzaffarabad AJ&K Prospective vendors can obtain the bidding documents, which include detailed specifications, terms and conditions and other relevant information from the Central Transport Pool within business hours Bidding will be conducted through a single-stage, single-envelope procedure, as per the AJK PPRA Rules 2017 All bids must be submitted through registered Dak/Courier services or by hand submission on or before April 18th, 2023, at the office of the Special Secretary/Chairman Purchase Committee located in Block No 3 New Civil Secretariat Chattar Muzaffarabad

A C LO S E R E X A M I N AT I O N O F S B P ' S $ 6 B I L L I O N R D A D E P O S I T I N F LO W S

The graph shared by the SBP is a cumulative bar chart that simply adds up the inflows to the existing sum of inflows For instance the data indicates that the total deposits under the RDA were $5 9 billion, with an additional $155 million registered in March alone Why is this figure misleading? The SBP s celebratory tweet only sheds light on the money that has come in, without providing any information on what has gone out It merely represents the total inflows received to date, without considering the balance

Profit had reached out to an official from SBP who was aware of the intricacies of RDAs back when SBP had made a similar announcement of RDA inflow deposits exceeding $4 5 billion As per the explanation provided by the official which is also applicable in this instance the $6 billion touted by the SBP is simply the sum of inflows that RDA accounts have received since their inception, and does not take into account the withdrawals that have been made during this period In essence, the SBP s focus seems to be solely

At least two soldiers of Pakistan Army embraced martyred and four others sustained injuries when an improvised explosive device (IED) exploded on a vehicle of security forces in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa s (KP) Khyber district, Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) press release said

RAWALPiNDi S ta f f r e p o r t

It said a vehicle of security forces was hit by improvised explosive device (IED) in general area Bara of Khyber district In the explosion, Naib Subedar Hazrat Gul, a 37-year-old resident of Lower Dir and Sepoy Nazir Ullah Mehsud a 34-year-old resident of South Waziristan, embraced martyrdom

The ISPR further said that sanitisation of the area was being carried out to eliminate any terrorists in the area Pakistan s security forces are determined to eliminate the menace of terrorism and such sacrifices of our soldiers further strengthen our resolve ” the military’s media wing further said

PM and adviser file for acquittal in Ashiana housing case

iSLAMABAD S ta f f r e p o r t

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his special adviser

Ahad Cheema have filed pleas in Lahore s accountability court seeking their acquittal in the Ashiana-i-Iqbal Housing Scheme case

Lawyer Amjad Pervez has filed the pleas on behalf of the accused

According to the accused, the supplementary investigation report of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) failed to prove any corruption charges against them

They said the NAB declared them innocent and there is no evidence against them therefore they demanded their acquittal in the case

Meanwhile, the co-accused, including Nadeem Zia Pirzada and Kamran Kiyani have appeared before the court Further proceedings in the case are expected to continue

A tone deaf move

C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 03 C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 03 Published by Asad Nizami at Plot # 7 Al-Baber Centre F/8 Markaz Islamabad for PT Print (Pvt) Limited Ph: 051-2204545 Email: newsroom@pakistantoday com pk S H C S A N C T I O N S S C H E M E O F A R R A N G E M E N T F O R M E R G E R B A S E M O D E L O F M E R C E D E S - B E N Z S 580 A M G P R E M I U M P LU S P LU S E X E C U T I V E S O U G H T B Y G O V E R N M E N T R E TA I L S F O R $124,000 W I T H O U T D U T I E S A m i d e co n o m i c c r i s i s , A J K g o v t i s s u e s t e n d e r f o r i m p o r t e d l u x u r y c a r s s A n A l y i ss A n A l y s i s LAHORE Da n ya l a h m a D

The government s move also raises questions about its priorities and judgement At a time when the country is struggling with high inflation rates soaring prices of essential commodities and an unstable economy, the decision to spend such a huge amount of money on a luxury car seems tone-deaf and insensitive to the plight of the general populace who are grappling with these issues

Compounding the issue, Pakistan has been denying many businesses access to Letters of Credit to import materials needed for their operations due to the foreign currency crisis Yet the AJK government seems to have no qualms about importing a luxury car from abroad while many other important sectors of the economy are struggling to survive

One wonders if the AJK government plans to use the car to navigate the rugged mountain terrain or if it will be reserved for more important tasks such as transporting VIPs However, if you are interested in participating in this tender, ensure to meet the required qualifications and submit your bid before 18 04 2023 at 12:30 PM

on the inflows without considering the outflows or net flow, which can be misleading

past further raises questions about the reliability of the $6 billion inflow figure posted by the SBP In conclusion while the SBP s tweet may have touted a significant milestone in terms of RDA inflows, it is important to approach this figure with caution and consider the nuances of withdrawals net flow and the source of inflows Without a comprehensive breakdown of the data, it is difficult to fully grasp the reality of the situation and the SBP s celebratory tweet may not provide the complete picture prayer timingS FA J R S U N R I S E Z U H R A S R M AG H R I B I S H A 4:50 5:40 1:15 5:00 6 30 8:15