Epaper_14-04-2023 ISB

Profit

SC ruleS againSt implementation of JudiCial reformS Bill 2023

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

ISLAMABAD S ta f f R e p o R t

tHE Supreme Court of Pakistan on Thursday ruled against the implementation of the Judicial Reforms Bill, following an eight-page order issued by an eight-member larger bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar atta Bandial

The ruling came after the initial hearing on the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Bill 2023 case, following four petitions – filed by advocate Khawaja Tariq Rahim and others an eight-judge bench led by Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar atta Bandial includes: Justice Ijazul ahsan, Justice Munib akhtar Justice Sayyed Mazahar ali akbar naqvi, Justice Mohammad ali Mazhar, Justice ayesha a Malik, Justice

Syed Hasan azhar Rizvi and Justice Shahid Waheed took up the petitions against of the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Bill, 2023

The written order stated that the bill would not be implemented regardless of whether the President signs it or not

The Supreme Court issued notices to major political parties including Pakistan Muslim League-nawaz (PML-n), Pakistan People s Party (PPP), Jamiat Ulama-e-Islam (JUI-F) Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) Balochistan awami Party (BaP), Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)

The hearing of the case was adjourned till May 2

Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar ata Bandial while hearing the plea against the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Bill 2023, observed that the apex court holds parliament in high esteem

The court also issued notices to the federal government, attorney General for Pakistan Mansoor awan, the Pakistan

g i s s u e s n o t i c e s t o m a j o r p o l i t i c a l p a r t i e s, A G p, p B c, s c B A, o t h e r r e s p o n d e n t s

Bar Council the Supreme Court Bar association and other respondents in the case

The Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Bill 2023 aims at curtailing chief justice of Pakistan s power to take suo motu motice

Four petitions against the bill have been filed in the Supreme Court

Earlier during proceedings, Chief Justice Umar ata Bandial observed the Supreme Court will examine whether a draft law clipping his office s powers violates the Constitution of Pakistan

The bill, which has been passed by parliament and sent to the president for assent cuts down the chief justice s powers to constitute panels, hear appeals or assign cases to judges in his team, according to a copy of the bill

PDM opposes bench hearing case on bill clipping top judge’s powers

ISLAMABAD S ta f f R e p o R t

The government Thursday rejected a l a rg e r b e n c h s e t u p t o h e a r p e t i t i o n s challenging a bill to clip the powers o f t h e c h i e f j u s t i c e , p r e v e n t i n g h i m f r o m t a k i n g s u o m o t u n o t i c e s i n a n individual capacity on issues of fund a m e n t a l r i g h t s , a n d c o n s t i t u t e b e n c h e s f o r v a r i o u s c a s e s a n i s s u e which has deepened the rift between t h e r u l i n g P a k i s t a n d e m o c r a t i c M o v e m e n t ( P d M ) c o a l i t i o n a n d t h e Supreme Court Seeking amendments to the existing law, the legislation called the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) act 2023 was introduced last month after the apex court took a suo motu notice of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) delaying elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

AJK SC rejects Tanveer Ilyas’ plea against disqualification by high cour t

MUZAFFARABAD

S ta f f R e p o R t

The azad Jammu and Kashmir Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed a plea of former aJK premier Sardar Tanveer Ilyas, challenging the High Court judgement which disqualified him from being a member of the Legislative assembly and holding any public office for two years The high court judgement, which was passed on Tuesday, held him in contempt for remarks he had made in a function in Islamabad over the weekend in which he indirectly blamed the judiciary for affecting the functioning of his government and interfering in the domain of the executive through the grant of stay orders He had particularly referred to a $15 million Saudi-funded education sector project, saying it had been in a limbo because the court had issued a stay order on it Similarly he had also taken strong exception to the de-sealing by the courts of tobacco factories involved in tax evasion to the tune of billions of rupees” The ruling saw him lose his office

Soon after he appealed to the aJK SC against the high court s decision The petition for interim relief was part of the appeal his lawyers had submitted to the apex court on Wednesday

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ISLAMABAD

S ta f f C o R R e S p o n D e n t

Subsequently on Wednesday the Supreme Court formed an eight-judge bench to take up several identical pet i t i o n s m o v e d t o c h a l l e n g e t h e b i l l H e a d e d b y C h i e f J u s t i c e U m a r a t a Bandial the bench comprised justices Ijaz ul-ahsan, Munib akhtar, Mazahar ali akbar naqvi, Muhammad ali M a z h a r ay e s h a M a l i k S y e d H a s a n azhar Rizvi and Shahid Waheed notably absent from the bench are Justices Qazi Faez Isa and Justice amin u d - d i n K h a n w h o h a d p r e v i o u s l y ruled that the top judge did not have t h e p o w e r t o f o r m s p e c i a l b e n c h e s , leading to the postponement of all suo motu cases

In a statement released hours before the proceedings began on Thursday the government rejected the bench and referred to it as controversial

Kh Asif war ns of strikes on ter rorist sanctuaries in Afghanistan

ISLAMABAD

S ta f f R e p o R t

The statement by Justice Bandial on Thursday was made after the federal government rejected several identical petitions against the legislation during the hearing, the judge noted the importance of judicial independence but also expressed respect for parliament

Lawyers for petitioners azhar Siddique and Imtiaz Rashid Siddiqui, and awan appeared before the court

Siddiqui presented his arguments saying the case was of great importance in the current scenario He noted that since the restoration of the national assembly last april the political divide and crisis had escalated, with the government and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) unwilling to hold polls in Punjab and KP He further highlighted that a deeper crisis had arisen after the Supreme Court’s instructions to hold elections with the court and judges personally criticised

The lawyer contended that the proposed legislation was an attempt to interfere with the independence of the judiciary

In a major development, former president asif ali Zardari and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman and Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari called on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday and urged the premier to open dialogue with the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan

The prime minister received the two leaders at the PM s House during the meeting, the trio discussed in detail the prevailing political situation in the country The meeting also delibearted upon the recent decision of the Supreme Court of Pakistan on holding of the elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Meanwhile, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Thursday constituted a three-member committee to develop a consensus among political parties on opening a dialogue channel for resolution of the ongoing political crisis

The three-member committee comprises: former premier Yousaf Raza Gillani Federal Minister Syed

naveed Qamar and SaPM Qamar Zaman Kaira The committee will approach all parties in the coalition government to discuss the issue of dialogue among the political parties including the PTI

The development came after former president and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) co-Chairman asif ali Zardari urged Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif to hold talks with opposition party – Pakistan Tehreeki-Insaf (PTI) saying that the nation cannot afford any odd situation

“I will request PM Shehbaz Sharif to hold talks with the opposition and set no conditions before

agree to provide us with materials for payment one year later Furthermore, it is difficult to forecast the exchange rate one year in advance It is not feasible to operate a business under such circumstances ” he adds suzuki s motorcycles and tHe price of not being a Honda clone: Suzuki’s motorcycle plant originally shut down from March 20 to March 31 This was later extended until april 15, and finally until the current april 28 Suzuki’s motorcycle plant lockdown is notable because of its volume and sales relative to other competitors who

they begin talks ” asif Zardari had said while addressing the Convention on the Golden Jubilee Celebrations of the 1973 Constitution on Monday The PPP co-Chairman also asked the opposition to call on Shehbaz Sharif for talks “as he is the prime minister We cannot afford any odd situation now The PTI is now approaching us for dialogue, but its chief wants such decisions which are in his favour he added We will never bow to the violation of law; we will fight on every front to safeguard the Constitution and the country, he vowed

defence Minister Khawaja asif has warned afghanistan s Taliban rulers that Islamabad will strike terrorist hideouts inside the neighbouring country if they fail to rein in anti-Pakistan militants “We have communicated to Kabul during our last visit that please as our neighbours and brothers whatever is emanating from afghan soil is your responsibility, he remarked in an inclusive interview with Voice of america published on Wednesday asif ’s comments come on the back of his earlier statement that the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) were using afghan soil for carrying out attacks in Pakistan The defence minister said that in his visit to afghanistan in late-February he reminded the Taliban administration to live up to their cross-border security commitments forbidding terrorists from using afghan soil to plan and conduct attacks on Pakistan or Islamabad will take action If that is not done at some point we ll have to [ ] resort to some measures, which will definitely wherever [terrorists] are, their sanctuaries on afghan soil we’ll have to hit them ” he said We ll have to hit them because we cannot tolerate this situation for long asif went on to say that the afghans responded to this “really well” “They responded well really well Perhaps for them to disentangle the TTP from this stage of course they want to disentangle, this is my impression [that] they want to disentangle but this disentanglement perhaps will take time “But they are doing well and we wish them well and we don t want to get into a situation where this situation with the [TTP] escalates and we do something that is not to the liking of our neighbours and brothers in Kabul ” during the interview asif was asked whether he believed the Taliban s claim that the TTP were not using afghan soil to carry out attacks in Pakistan He responded by saying They still operate from their soil asif was also asked about his assertion that the TTP were using weapons left behind by the US forces in afghanistan “Have you provided any evidence of that to the americans?” the interviewer asked It can be seen all over the place on the streets of Kabul, I saw it myself, the minister responded He said that the TTP were using “light weapons assault rifles ammunition night vision goggles and sniper rifles which were left behind by US troops

‘Funds not available’: NA body on finance rejects bill seeking funds for polls

ISLAMABAD S ta f f R e p o R t

The national assembly’s Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue on Thursday rejected a bill seeking release of Rs21 billion in funds for holding elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in line with the directives issued by the Supreme Court Talking to a private TV Channel after the committee meeting, panel chairman Qaiser ahmed Sheikh said that the bill was rejected “This bill as it was not allocated in our budget and the finance minister has said that funds are not available, there was no other option [so] we rejected it

which use older technology, are fully localised all

We do not have any other fund, right the committee does not have funds of its own” he said The Supreme Court on april 4 had fixed May 14 as the date for the polls in Punjab and directed the federal government to release Rs21 billion in funds to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) by april 10 for elections to both assemblies The government, however, instead of disbursing the funds to the commission, referred the matter to Parliament The bill titled “Charged Sum for General Election (Provincial assemblies of Punjab & Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) Bill 2023 , had been tabled by Finance Minister Ishaq dar in the na and the Senate on Monday However both sessions had been adjourned that day during Thursday s meeting the committee Chairman Qaiser ahmed Sheikh raised an objection on why the bill was presented before the finance committee and not the budget committee The committee then rejected the bill The bill stated that funds required for conducting elections in both the provinces shall be “an expenditure charged upon the Federal Consolidated Fund (FCF) which it said comprises all revenues received by the federal government, all loans raised by the government and all money received by it in repayment of any loan ” It said it shall “override other laws and have effect notwithstanding anything contained in any other law, rules and regulations when it was in force The bill further said that the proposed law would stand repealed once elections for both assemblies were held, noting that the general elections and polls to the Sindh and Balochistan assemblies need not be held for it to be repealed

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02-03 NEWS-14 APRIL_Layout 1 4/14/2023 1:19 AM Page 1

F I A A R R E S T S I m R A n

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The federal government on Thursday declared a nationwide public holiday for five days on the occasion of Eidul Fitr The holidays will begin on Friday, April 21, and run until Tuesday, April 25, according to a notification issued by the Ministry of Interior Earlier, the Ruet-e-Hilal Research Council (RHRC) said that Eidul Fitr is likely to be celebrated across the nation this year on Saturday, April 22 The council’s SecretaryGeneral, Khalid Ijaz Mufti, said that the committee’s meeting is set to convene on Thursday April 20 in order to sight the Shawwal moon If the crescent is sighted on Thursday evening then Eidul Fitr will be celebrated on Friday April 21 However he added it was unlikely that the moon will be sighted the same evening He said that Eid will most likely be celebrated on April 22 after completing 30 fasting days of the holy month of Ramazan According to the council the birth of the moon is expected to occur on Thursday, April 20, at 9:13am Pakistan time On the evening of the 29th of Ramazan, the moon s age at sunset should be more than 19 hours for sighting However, in all areas of Pakistan, it will be less than 10 hours, it added It said that the difference 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 Eidul Fitr marks the end of the holy month of Ramazan during which Muslims fast from dawn until dusk The festival is typically 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

Three terrorist killed in Turbat IBO: ISPR

RaWaLpINDI

S ta f f R e p o R t

Three terrorists were killed in an Intelligence-Based Operation (IBO) conducted by the security forces on Hoshab Turbat road According to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) the terrorist was involved in placing the Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) The army s media wing said weapons and ammunition were also recovered from the killed terrorists In a statement on the Intelligence-Based Operation in Turbat the ISPR said that security forces will foil every attempt which disturbs the peace of Balochistan

Ashraf emphasises unit y to tackle issues faced by Islamic nations

ISLaMaBaD

S ta f f R e p o R t

National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf emphasized the importance of unity among Islamic countries to address the issues faced by the Muslim world during a meeting with Iran s Ambassador to Pakistan, Seyed Mohammad Ali, on Thursday

The two officials discussed matters of mutual interest including bilateral cooperation regional peace and security and trade and economic ties between Pakistan and Iran Ashraf praised Ali s successful diplomatic assignment in Pakistan and his contributions to strengthening the brotherly ties between the two countries He expressed gratitude to Iran s Supreme Leader Ayatullah Ali Khamenei and President Raisi for their support of the Kashmir cause and pledged Pakistan s support for Iran’s core issues including the nuclear deal and human rights issues Ashraf also congratulated Ali on the revival of Iran and Saudi Arab diplomatic relations calling it a positive step that would lead to improving regional peace and stability and increasing cooperation among Muslim countries to overcome the current challenges faced by the Muslim world Both officials reiterated their commitment to fighting terrorism, which poses a common threat to both Iran and Pakistan, through joint concerted efforts They also acknowledged the positive trajectory in bilateral relations, including enhanced engagement at multiple levels and frequent exchange of visits and telephone calls between the leadership on all matters of significance

’ S S E c u R I T y c h I E F O n

t h a t G h u m m a n w a s a c r e d i b l e p a r t y l e a d e r a n d w a s r u n n i n g e s t a b l i s h e d i n t e r n a t i o n a l b u s i n e s s e s i n d i f f e r e n t c o u n t r i e s T h e y s a i d h e w a s a u t h o r i s e d t o h a n d l e t h e p a r t y s i m p o r t s a n d e x p o r t s A n o t i f i c a t i o n w a s i s s u e d o n S e p t e m b e r 3 0 2 0 2 0 w i t h t h e s i g n a t u r e s o f t h e p a r t y s c h i e f o r g a n i s e r S a i f u l l a h K h a n N i a z i

ICP serves notice on Secretary Railway on citizen complaint

Veterans fully back Imran’s stance on politic al, economic stability

LaHoRe S ta f f R e p o R t

A ten-member delegation of Veterans of Pakistan called on Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan at his residence here at Zaman Park and expressed their full support to his stance that political stability and economic recovery could only be achieved through immediate free and transparent elections

During the meeting the veterans voiced deep concern over the imported government s policy that sow the seed of hatred against the institutions

The delegation included Brigadier (R) Mian Muhammad Mahmud Founding Member; Secretory (R) Shamshad Ahmed Member CEC; Lt General (R) Ali Kuli Khan, President Lt General (R) Asif Yasin Malik, member CEC; Lt General (R) Tahir Ali Qureshi, member; Lt General (R) Sabih Bokhari, member; V Admiral (R) Khawar Shah, member CEC, Air Commodore (R) Khaled Bashir Cheema, member; Brigadier (R) Naeem Sadiq,

member and Major (R) Shahbaz Anwer Sulehria

Secretary Information

The Veterans of Pakistan expressed serious concern over the attempts of the ruling coalition to intensify the constitutional crisis in the country and the negative implications of the fast deteriorating economic situation on the national security They strongly condemned attacks on state institutions, especially on the judiciary, by the government through the parliament, adding that the imported government was sabotaging the Constitution by not holding elections within the stipulated constitutional timeframe During the meeting they criticized the imported government for wasting the hard-gains in war against terrorism by rendering matchless in the decades-long war They strongly condemned the use of naked power against the citizens The Veterans of Pakistan declared full support to Chairman PTI s stance for supremacy of constitution, rule of law and establishing solid link between people and institutions in the country

Punjab gov t sends notice to Imran Khan

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The Excise & Taxation Department of Punjab has sent a luxury house notice to the former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan

As per details the notice stated that the PTI chairman Imran Khan has a pending tax amount of Rs 3 6 million

The notice was dispatched to Zaman Park by a twomember team of the Excise & Taxation Department comprising ETO Adeel Amjad and Inspector Amna Rashid

The Punjab Excise & Taxation Department said if the PTI chairman did not clear the pending tax the department will approach the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP)

Earlier, Islamabad police summoned former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan for an investigation into nine cases registered against him The Islamabad police had summoned the PTI chief for an investigation in two cases, while the former premier was also directed to appear before police at Police Lines Headquarters for a probe into 7 other cases All cases against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief are being investigated by the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD)

The Establishment Division has called on all ministries/divisions and provincial governments to submit suitable nominations for the vacant post of Ambassador for the Permanent Mission of Pakistan to the World Trade Organization (WTO) Geneva

The deadline for submissions is 28th April 2023

In order to fill up the vacant post of Ambassador for Permanent Mission of Pakistan to the WTO, Geneva, the Establishment Division, in a circular dated 13th April, 2023, has asked the ministries/division and provincial governments, Government of Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan to forward suitable nominations of BS21/22 officers to Joint Secretary (T) Establishment Division Pak Secretariat Cabinet Block Islamabad by 28-04-2023 Incomplete nominations and those received after due date will not be entertained said a circular issued by the Establishment Division According to the Establishment Division s circular in order to be considered for the position the candidate must be a serving officer in BS-21/22 and possess a Master s degree in Business

Administration, Public Administration, Public Policy, International Law, Economics, International Trade, Law (General), Management Sciences, Investment Promotion Management, Commerce or a related field Additionally, they should have experience in federal government particularly in Prime Minister ’s

t e r e s t e d o ff i c e r s m u s t p r o v i d e a C V s h o w i n g p e r s o n a l d a t a w i t h p h o t o g r a p h s g i v i n g d e t a i l s o f t h e i r e x p e r i e n c e a n d e d u c a t i o n a l q u a l i f i c a t i o n s T h e y m u s t a l s o p r o v i d e a c e r t i f i c a t e f r o m t h e i r p a r e n t ministries/divisions/departments stating that there are no disciplinary/criminal proceedings pending a g a i n s t t h e m a n d t h a t t h e o ff i c e r i s n o t a beneficiary of plea bargain or NRO

A c e r t i f i c a t e f r o m r e l e v a n t m i n i s t r i e s / d i v i s i o n s / d e p a r t m e n t s s t a t i n g t h a t t h e officer has never been recalled from a foreign post by the Government of Pakistan/parent department

The summons of all cases has been dispatched to Khan s Zaman Park residence The notices said Khan should appear before the investigation teams to record his statement In case of non-appearance the law will take its due course

Fire at Karachi garment factor y kills four firefighters

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

At least four firefighters were killed and over dozen others wounded when a building collapsed after it caught a massive fire in Karachi the provincial governor said early Thursday According to officials the fire erupted in a Bedsheet cloth factory on Wednesday morning which spread and engulfed the entire building Local authorities immediately launched an operation to control the blaze however it continued till midnight The operation to control the fire continued till 2:00 am on Thursday when the fire was controlled and then the cooling work started It was a four-story building and because of some (undetermined) reasons the building collapsed Dawn quoted District Deputy Commissioner Taha Saleem as saying Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori also visited the site late at night and said four firefighters lost their lives while another 14 were wounded and were shifted to local hospitals Visited collapsed building in new Karachi industrial area I am sad for those who lost their lives in the line of duty Tessori tweeted Pakistan has had a history of industrial accidents due to poor infrastructure and a lack of safety standards Many factories are operating in residential areas

SC: Ar t, literature can’t be declared ‘obscene’ without objective assessment

commonly accepted standards of decency must

interpreted as the prevailing contemporary

norms

sensibilities The

said that an

assessment of the play or drama as a whole should be carried out, rather than picking and choosing its parts, and that only the excessively obscene part of a program should be prohibited from broadcasting while allowing the rest to air after being modified

PTI REGImE’S dElIBERATE nEGlIGEncE BEhInd l APSE In FIFA cuP’S cOvERAGE By PT v: mARRIyum

FE D E R A L Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum

Aurangzeb on Thursday informed the National Assembly that “deliberate negligence of the previous Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) regime to benefit a private channel was behind the lapse in the FIFA World Cup’s coverage by the Pakistan Television (PTV)”

She apprised the National Assembly that a complete report on the FIFA World Cup s coverage lapse by the PTV would be tabled before the House after completion to reveal facts behind missing an important international event due to deliberate

negligence of the previous regime to benefit a private channel

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) was probing the issue of telecasting rights to A-Sports was underway and its report on completion would be presented in the House she added

The minister was responding to a question of Shagufta Jumani of Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) pertaining to the failure of PTV to live telecast the Federation International Football Association (FIFA) World Cup 2022 hosted by Qatar that had incurred huge revenue loss and deprived the nation of a global event, besides supplementary questions from other assembly members Marriyum said getting the football world

Pakistani delegation attends spring meetings of WB’s board of governors

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Ministers for finance and economic affairs will also join these meetings virtually to renew relations with international financial leaders and seek their enhanced support for post-flood rehabilitation and reconstruction needs to build back a better future for the flood affected people of Pakistan and to put the economy back on track

Ecc approves loan scheme model for e-bikes, e-rickshaws

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The ECC considered a summary of Aviation Ministry and approved an increase in GoP guarantee related to USD denominated loans of PIACL to the tune of Rs15,607,394,711/- by enhancing the existing guarantee limit from Rs247 630 billion to Rs263 237 billion ECC also approved Rs261 million in Technical

Supplementary Grants/Supplementary Grants in favour of Ministry of Housing and Works for execution of development scheme – Construction of railway underpass Jahanian District Khanewal $0 5 million equivalent to Rs 142 5 million Rupee Cover in favour of the Ministry of National Health Services

Regulations and Coordination committed by SAARC Development Fund for a standard package for strengthening preventive and curative activities for mental health and condition of Covid-19 research activities, Rs 250 million in favour of the Ministry of Housing and Works for repair & maintenance of Supreme Court of Pakistan building, Judges residences, rest houses & sub- offices in various cities and Rs 22 million in favour of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for payment of liabilities of electricity

Kh Asif warns of strikes on terrorist sanctuaries in Afghanistan

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When asked whether this point had been raised with the Americans Asif said: What is the use of talking to Washington? They left that sort of hardware on foreign soil because they couldn t carry it The interviewer pointed out that the US State Department s response to Pakistan s assertion was that they did not have an independent assessment She also asked whether Islamabad needed the help of the US in fighting terrorism in Pakistan I do not see any logic in that, the minister said My personal view is that we can take care of this [ ] menace ourselves,” Asif said, giving the examples of Zarb-i-Azb and Raddul Fassad He also termed the resurgence in terrorism in the country to be a “grave mistake” by the previous PTI government Military leadership to brief lawmakers on security situation Separately while speaking on the floor of the National Assembly on Thursday Asif said that the House would be given an in-camera briefing tomorrow (Friday) on the country s security situation He said that the military leadership would brief parliament regarding the state s policy on countering militancy stating that the security establishment was cognisant of the prevailing situation Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the same and assured that a healthy interaction would take place tomorrow in which legitimate concerns raised during the session would be answered Last week, the top civil and military leadership reaffirmed their commitment to thwart terrorism threats and vowed to relaunch the National Action Plan (NAP) within 15 days to crush militants reportedly coming in from Afghanistan The decisions were made at the National Security Committee (NSC) meeting which the government said was in continuation of a previous meeting convened after a militant attack inside Peshawar s police headquarters in January in which 86 people mostly police officials were martyred Political parties, including allies of the federal government, however, have expressed their concerns over the possible military offensive against militants, with most saying that those who brought back the militants should be brought to justice before launching an offensive against militants Addressing the NA session today, MNA Ali Wazir said that the country’s current policy regarding militancy needed to be reviewed “I appeal to the incumbent government that those responsible for the rise in terrorism [ ] those who brought these militants into Pakistan should be punished he said

cup’s rights was not done in months rather it was a year long process that started in 2021

The previous regime did not start the process timely that left the Pakistani screens deprived of an international event

However her ministry under he leadership engaged Tensports to manage coverage of the world cup and got it telecast across country but the exclusive rights were not available to the PTV, she added

Earlier, Parliamentary Secretary for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhary Muhammad Shahbaz Babar told the House that the PTV had always broadcast the international football tournaments

He said the bidding for the FIFA World Cup’s telecast rights was closed in 2021 He alleged that former information minister

Chaudhry Fawad Hussain deliberately gave the rights to the private sports channel ASports A departmental report in that regard was being compiled and would be sent to the Minister for Information who would brief the House soon whereas strict action would be taken against the responsible for the negligence he added Sheikh Rohale Asghar of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) said the FIFA World Cup issue was a previous matter but the Pakistan Super League-8 was aslo not broadcasted live on the PTV and asked the parliamentary secretary to apprise the House about any action if taken in that regard Shagufta Jumani however rejected the three-member departmental committee

probing the issue and termed it a mere eye wash as all of the members were from the PTV, who themselves were responsible for the negligence

Separately the Information Minister also said that the economic situation had been improving in the country with a gradual reduction in “federal, trade and current deficits

When we assumed responsibility of the government Pakistan had been out of the IMF programme our default risk had risen the government was losing more than Rs 100 billion monthly on unaffordable fuel subsidy Last year our imports were $80 billion and exports were $31 billion said the minister in a series of tweets

She said the country had the largest trade deficit of $49 billion and current account deficit of $17 5 billion We also had record budget deficits in all PTI years, she added Marriyum, however, said that the economy was being stabilized by reducing the current account deficits The minister said the prices of commodities were increased due to the flood and repayment of the massive loans taken by the PTI government

A JK SC rejects Tanveer Ilyas’ plea against disqualification by high court

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On Thursday, AJK Chief Justice Raja Saeed Akram led the Supreme Court bench to hear the appeal

During proceedings the former premier ’s legal team maintained that the High Court judgment was violative of the constitutional provisions and established principles of administration of justice

The appellant [Ilyas] was not given a proper opportunity of being heard and to be defended by his counsel they maintained adding that Article 45 of the Interim Constitution provided the proceedings for contempt to be regulated by the subordinate law, The

Contempt of Court Act 1993

They alleged that the High Court had ignored the laid down procedure provided under the Act

The High Court was not empowered to disqualify the former premier they contended because an imprisonment of at least two years laid the basis for disqualification while the sentence awarded by the High Court to him lasted barely five minutes

Justice Akram observed that when Ilyas had admitted the commission of contempt in black and white, what else did the [High] Court need to convict him?

As the CJ announced that the court had noted all the arguments and would consider them during the

PDM opposes bench hearing c ase on bill clipping top judge’s powers

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The coalition also vowed to resist attempts to take away parliament s authority and to interfere in its constitutional scope The ruling alliance termed the formation of the bench unprecedented observing the pleas were a d m i t t e d e v e n b e f o r e t h e c o m p l e t i o n o f t h e l e g i s l a t i v e p r o c e s s T h e y f u r t h e r a d d e d t h a t t h i s move was equivalent to sabotaging the credibility o f t h e c o u n t r y ’s h i g h e s t c o u r t , m a k i n g t h e constitutional process of justice “meaningless”

T h e c o a l i t i o n p a r t i e s l a m e n t e d t h e n o ninclusion of judges from Balochistan and Khyber P a k h t u n k h w a h i g h l i g h t i n g t h e l o o p h o l e s i n t h e formation of the “controversial” bench which does not include any of the judges who raised questions on the powers of the chief justice

The statement added that attempts to snatch the authority of the parliament and to interfere in its constitutional domain would be resisted

T h e s t a t e m e n t m e n t i o n e d t h a t t h e t o p c o u r t judges, Justice Isa and Justice Khan, had in their earlier judgments openly expressed their objection t o t h e o n e - m a n s h o w , b i a s e d a n d d i c t a t o r i a l behaviour, and the formation of special benches

T h e r u l i n g a l l i a n c e m a i n t a i n e d t h a t t h e constitution of the controversial bench in haste and fixing the bill for hearing apart from the will and

intent, also clearly expressed the decision to come, w h i c h w a s s a d a n d t a n t a m o u n t t o m u r d e r o f justice Shortly after the release of the statement, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar flanked by ministers Q a m a r Z a m a n K a i r a a n d A m i n - u l - H a q a m o n g o t h e r c o a l i t i o n p a r t y m e m b e r s h e l d a p r e s s conference Ta r a r e x p r e s s e d c o n c e r n o v e r t h e p e t i t i o n s challenging the bill to curtail the chief justice of P a k i s t a n s p o w e r s w h i c h w e r e b e i n g h e a r d b y a s e l e c t i v e b e n c h l a c k i n g t h e t w o m o s t s e n i o r judges He claimed that the bench was formed on a p i c k a n d c h o o s e b a s i s , a n d c r i t i c i s e d t h e conflict of interest arising from the fact that the bill was passed against the top judge, and he himself w a s l e a d i n g t h e b e n c h H e n o t e d t h a t a l l t h e b a r c o u n c i l s h a d u n a n i m o u s l y r e j e c t e d t h e b e n c h ’s formation The law minister further said the perception of a r i f t b e t w e e n p a r l i a m e n t a n d t h e j u d i c i a r y w a s i n c o r r e c t a n d t h e p a r l i a m e n t h a d t h e r i g h t t o l e g i s l a t e f o r t h e i n t e r e s t o f t h e p e o p l e a n d strengthen institutions H e s a i d i t w a s n o t t h e r i g h t t i m e t o t a k e u p pleas against the bill as it has not yet become an A c t H e a l s o h o p e d t h a t t h e b e n c h w o u l d b e d i s s o l v e d t o d a y a n d i n s t i t u t i o n s w o u l d n o t interfere with parliament s right to make laws

Af ter Covid slump, S hifa International continues on its path of expansion

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When the pandemic hit it hit hard and Shifa was not spared In November 2022 the hospital r e p o r t e d a s i g n i f i c a n t d e c l i n e i n r e v e n u e a s a result of the Covid-19 pandemic The company e s t i m a t e d a l o s s o f a p p r o x i m a t e l y R s 1 3 7 0 m i l l i o n i n r e v e n u e s i n t h e F Y 2 0 2 0 d u e t o c a n c e l l e d o r p o s t p o n e d m e d i c a l s e r v i c e s , including liver transplants M o r e o v e r, t h e n u m b e r o f v i s i t s t o i t s o u t p a t i e n t d e p a r t m e n t d r o p p e d b y 1 7 % c o m p a r e d t o F Y 2 0 1 9 , w h e r e a s i n p a t i e n t v i s i t s d r o p p e d b y 9 % R a d i o l o g y a n d o n c o l o g y d e p a r t m e n t s w e r e t h e o n e s t o c o m e o u t o f t h e p a n d e m i c u n s c a t h e d S h i f a ’s n e t i n c o m e d r o p p e d b y 3 5 % t o R s 5 0 5 m i l l i o n h o w e v e r t h e a v e r a g e r e v e n u e p e r occupied bed grew by 12% to Rs 43 514 million H o w e v e r t h e c o m p a n y d i d n o t l e t t h e

p a n d e m i c c o m p l e t e l y d e r a i l t h e i r e x p a n s i o n p l a n s a n d p e r s e v e r e d b y c o n t i n u i n g t o i n v e s t i n h o s p i t a l i n f r a s t r u c t u r e a n d p l a n s t o o p e n a h o s p i t a l i n Ta n z a n i a p o s t- pA n d e m i C r e s t r u C t u r i n g : L a t e l a s t y e a r, i n D e c e m b e r 2 0 2 2 S h i f a I n t e r n a t i o n a l H o s p i t a l s a n n o u n c e d t h a t t h e y w i l l b e m a k i n g c h a n g e s i n t h e c o m p a n y ’s t o p m a n a g e m e n t a s t h e f o r m e r C E O D r M a n z o o r H Q a z i w a s s e t t o r e t i r e i n M a r c h t h i s y e a r I t w a s c o m m u n i c a t e d t h a t D r Q a z i w h o w a s a p a r t o f the original team that founded Shifa in 1985 will b e r e t i r i n g d u r i n g a d i ff i c u l t f i n a n c i a l t i m e f o r the hospital Earlier this month the former Chief M e d i c a l O ff i c e r D r Z e e s h a n b i n I n s h t i a q u e t o o k o ff i c e a s t h e n e w C E O o f t h e c o m p a n y I n t h e m o s t r e c e n t d e v e l o p m e n t i n S h i f a I n t e r n a t i o n a l L t d s l o n g - i n - m o t i o n e x p a n s i o n p l a n s , t h e c o m p a n y h a s n o w a n n o u n c e d t h a t i t w i l l a c q u i r e 5 0 % s t a k e s o f S h i f a F o u n d a t i o n s ’s s u b s i d i a r y S I H T ( P v t ) L i m i t e d

E x p l a i n e r : Wh at d o F B R ’s p ro p o s e d a m e n d m e nt s m e a n fo r to u r i s t s a n d t h e i r ve h i c l e s ?

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The amendment proposes to require the customs officer to record the passport and vehicle information of the importer and communicate it to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) for the purposes of sub-clause (2) of clause 81 Currently, there is no such requirement S u b - c l a u s e ( 2 ) o f c l a u s e 8 1 s t a t e s t h a t a p e r s o n w h o t e m p o r a r i l y i m p o r t s a v e h i c l e i n t o P a k i s t a n c a n n o t l e a v e t h e c o u n t r y u n l e s s t h e y e i t h e r e x p o r t t h e v e h i c l e o r o b t a i n a n i m p o r t

A m e n d m e n t t o C l A u s e 84: This clause r e l a t e s t o t h e r e c o n c i l i a t i o n o f c a r n e t v e h i c l e s

The amendment proposes to add a new sub clause (Sub clause 84A) which requires the officer-inc h a rg e o f a c u s t o m s - s t a t i o n t o c a r r y o u t a reconciliation of all vehicles entered through that c u s t o m s - s t a t i o n a t t h e e n d o f e a c h m o n t h A n y vehicles that are outstanding after the expiry of t h e r e t e n t i o n p e r i o d w i l l b e i d e n t i f i e d a n d necessary steps will be taken for the recovery of d u t i e s a n d t a x e s a n d f o r t h e s e i z u r e o f s u c h

vehicles Currently there is no such requirement

course of hearing the main appeal, the former premier ’s counsel prayed that at least the apex court should suspend the operation of the notification issued by the election commission till the final disposal of the appeal

However the request was not granted

It was not immediately clear when the court would start hearing of the main appeal Meanwhile shortly after the court was adjourned a large number of angry PTI workers including women who had gathered in the Chattar neighbourhood and started chanting slogans against the decision As they moved towards the apex court building, police stopped them and upon resistance from the crowd, the police resorted to batons

PM direc ts to launch c ardiac surger y ser vices at Recep Tay yip Erdogan Hospital

ISLaMaBaD S ta f f R e p o R t

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has directed the officials concerned to launch cardiac surgery services at Recep Tayyip Erdogan Hospital Muzaffargarh soon He issued the direction during his visit to the Hospital in Muzaffargarh The Prime Minister directed the Hospital administration to make other departments operational to extend more facilities to the masses Flanked by Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb the Prime Minister inspected emergency surgical wards operation theatres ICU and CSSD of the hospital He also inquired from the patients hailing from Layyah, Bahawalnagar and Multan about the healthcare facilities being extended to them at the hospital

‘Funds not available’: NA body on finance rejects bill seeking funds for polls

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Dar not serious about economic affairs : Earlier, during meeting of the NA Standing Committee on Finance Chairman Qaiser Shaikh criticized Finance Minister Ishaq Dar for skipping the meeting summoned to discuss election funds The meeting discussed the issue of funds release to the Election Commission of Pakistan for the elections in Punjab and KP However, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar did not attend the important meeting on which the committee chairman lashed out at his own party s finance minister Qaiser Sheikh said that the Finance Minister was not serious about the economic affairs of the country The presidents of the National Bank and the Agricultural Development Bank have been absent for a year from the committee he added He said that the government bill should not be passed unless the finance minister attends the meeting The chairman also said that if Ishaq Dar does not appear in the standing committee, he will resign from its chairmanship

SC rules against implementation of Judicial Reforms Bill 2023

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Under the new law, decisions regarding suo motu cases and bench formation would be taken by a three-member committee He argued that whether the president assented or not the proposed act would eventually become part of the law The Supreme Court was empowered to ensure that justice prevailed and all institutions were bound to adhere to the court s orders he contended The court has superior jurisdiction under Article 184(3) of the Constitution The present case was aimed at clipping the CJP s powers The lawyer requested the bench to stop the law ministry from notifying the bill into law until the case was wrapped up Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif s government is involved in a row with the Supreme Court over the holding of snap polls in two provinces where former prime minister Imran Khan had dissolved the governments this year in a bid to force early elections The government claims it is not economically viable to hold snap elections first ahead of a general election due in October

The Supreme Cour t’s judgement obliges PEMRA to judge by objec tive standards

t is appreciable the Supreme Court of Pakistan, even though the eye of a constitutional storm, still makes decisions on matters involving the ordinary citizen a three-member Bench rejected the appeal by the Pakistan electronic media Regulatory authority, which it had against a Sindh High Court order striking down the ban it had placed on a certain drama serial the Bench noted that the matter had not been taken to the Council of Complaints this stops the way of an individual exercising his personal prejudices but does not throw open the media to anything being broadcast the Court has also set certain principles, and in this respect, will be useful to the regulator as well as those it is to regulate as the Court said, art and literature could not be termed obscene without a holistic review; and its saying that something was obscene or vulgar only if it was offensive to the commonly accepted standards of decency the Bench recognized that these standards were in a state of flux and it was the Council of Complaints consisting of a chairman and five citizens of eminence which would decide if something was too much the standard set by the Court should extend to the censor boards, For it would be impossible to operate a system in which the boards and PemRa were operating according to different standards there has to be an end to the prevailing attitude, where, diametrically opposite to what the Court ruled, censorship takes place because of dislike as the Court said art would’ offend shock or disturb’ but this was covered by the constitutional protection of the freedom of speech the attempts to impose a gag on something that is disliked on aesthetic grounds in the name of obscenity should stop after this judgement though it could have gone much further, the judgement errs on the side of caution, though it does take into account the freedom the Constitution grants the Council of Complaints provides a mechanism by which it would be possible to judge what is acceptable to society as a whole, and what was not it takes the question of judging what is right and wrong out of the hands of a single individual and prevents him or her from imposing personal prejudices the important point was made that the taboos of yesteryear may be acceptable today so the dead weight of the past must not be imposed

Nizami (Late)

Founding Editor

M A Niazi Joint Editor Umar Aziz Executive Editor

TH e Supreme Court presented an appearance of disarray that made its ability to adjudicate appear dubious With that, the whole structure of the state became dubious Perhaps one reason for the apparent disarray is the doctrine of the separation of powers every state has, and has had throughout history three major components: the executive the Judiciary and the legislature the legislature makes the laws, the executive executes them (and sees that the citizenry obeys them) and the Judiciary adjudicates any disputes including about what the law actually is in history, the norm has been for one person to enjoy the powers of all three Kings did, for example, but english Kings introduced getting agreement from parliaments Ultimately parliaments absorbed the King s powers, and a Cabinet and Prime minister emerged enjoying the executive power they had to be able to make laws so the person who could legislate, in other words commanded a majority in the Commons, was given the executive power the Judiciary remained relatively independent but the head of the judiciary the lord Chancellor was a member of the Cabinet

When the USa separated, it carried out a number of innovations One was to have an elected King or President another was to establish a separation of powers, so that you had to make a choice members of the legislature if given executive power by induction in the Cabinet had to give up their legislative office and there was no question of the head of the judiciary sitting in Cabinet the course of constitutional development of the UK and the USa followed their respective paths and the prime ministerial and presidential systems respectively evolved When British colonies became independent a new problem arose: they had prime ministerial systems and written constitutions Now written constitutions meant that there had to be a constitutional court exercising the power of judicial review basically the power to strike down any law passed by the legislature, because it contradicted the Constitution the indian Supreme Court has gone to the extent of announcing a ‘basic structure’ doctrine which states that the legislature cannot so amend the Constitution as to make it deviate from the basic principles those principles, that structure, is not defined except by the Court and thus is problematic the Prime minister s control over the legislature is what gives him the power over the Judiciary, for it is controlled by the Parliamentary Commission which allows him to recruit the Judiciary s members However, he has no judicial powers himself, as did Kings the separation of the three branches was expressed by the constitutional restriction on legislators discussing the conduct of the superior courts or their judges Now that principle seems to have been thrown out the window, and the conduct of the Supreme

Why Climate diplomacy is a must for Balochistan

The countr y ’s biggest province is also the most vulnerable

Cl i m at e diplomacy is a current hot topic in international forums which can become a blessing in disguise for the province that bears the most brunt of climate change in the country Climate diplomacy could be a tool for continued policy debates in Pakistan which in 2019 ranked 18th out of 192 countries vulnerable to climate crisis according to the information ranked index after the pandemic the country has increasingly been experiencing recurrent floods and heat waves, making it the seventh most vulnerable country to climate catastrophes this vulnerability has become a potential blessing in disguise for Balochistan as it attracted the serious attention of the federal government and people Balochistan’s strategic location provides the province with rich resources but its underdevelopment has left it poorer than other regions of the country the recent gushing floods have brought the attention of the media to the province, which is no less than a blessing for the neglected people as the region was facing immense droughts and heatwaves before that which resulted in the loss of vegetation fertile

Above all, the province’s civic population must also acknowledg e the blessing in disguise and realiz e its responsibility, par ticularly with respect to bringing the government’s attention more to the aggressive climate crisis. Balochistan desperately needs to prepare itself for the future consequences and must act smar tly to have a prosperous future in all realms of society

lands, and groundwater the food insecurity rate was already threatening without any prior attention according to iPC 41 percent of the population was at risk of malnutrition due to the loss of vegetation that resulted from droughts However such a blessing came after the huge suffering by the people Despite being one of the driest regions in the country, Balochistan has witnessed a significant increase in rainfall recording a 411 percent excess over the 30-year average the flash floods intensified the threats attached to the region as per the data shared by the National Disaster management authority (NDma) the recent floods caused immense damage across Pakistan, with over 36,500 houses being destroyed a significant portion of these houses approximately 60 percent were located in Balochistan moreover, the floods had a severe impact on the education sector, as nearly 800 schools were affected in Balochistan alone 600 schools suffered severe damage and the already handicapped educational system was crippled the road and railway lines were cut off and Balochistan was isolated

Such isolation initiated roundtable discussions on a national level with civil and military stakeholders for the well-being of the province While commenting on the implications of climate-induced hazards and vulnerabilities in Balochistan, lt Gen inam Haider malik, Chairman National Disaster management authority in an organized expert roundtable on Understanding Climate-Security Nexus in Balochistan stated: “We should consider a complete security model in addition a lack of readiness leads to a lack of capacity to manage calamities indeed, effective management of natural disasters requires continuous policy discussions and decision-making by policymakers thus despite the passage of time, the issues surrounding floods in a given province should not be disregarded or forgotten Rather the experiences and lessons learned from previous floods should be viewed as opportunities to uplift the province’s status through proactive climate diplomacy initiatives Such initiatives will not

Court, is freely criticised in Parliament there can be little respect left for the judiciary when the Prime minister, on the floor of the House, is so scathing in his criticism of the Supreme Court as was mian Shehbaz Sharif true the executive derived from the legislature has not fared better in recent times Politicians have been painted as corrupt, thieves and dacoits another difficulty in Pakistan has been the power of a part of the executive the military Not only has it carried out four takeovers, but it has always depicted politicians as corrupt and devoted to looting the public exchequer it is possible to see something of the envy of the salaryman in them it is significant that imran Khan used this particular trope to great effect in his campaigns it is worth noting that corruption allegations reached imran just as they reached other politicians and as they reached the four military regimes indeed, imran has now made it part of his postouster campaign that even when not ruling, the military is corrupt His argument seems to be that he was ousted so that senior members of the military could indulge in corruption which he would not tolerate thus it was that the only part of the executive that still had some respect among the public lost that though the military has not become target for public contempt the respect shown to its members is more in the nature of fawning on the powerful, rather than respect for the gallant defenders of the country which is what they have been hitherto used to it is worth noting that military men, judges and politicians may no longer enjoy respect among the public, but there has been no failure of deference

The problem seems to be that a new constitutional arrangement is required, but the normal means of making it are also not available . The system is clearly dysfunctional, and the only solutions offered are more of the same, by the PDM, or elections, by the PTI Both seem to be showing that they do not have the solution.

Now there are whispers when they have left the room an exception must be made of Pti supporters who shouted slogans at ministers in public places it would be a frightening sign of disintegration if such public displays of rudeness started to target either judges or military men One is reminded of how Vietnam-Warera US soldiers would not wear uniforms away from the barracks, a few going as far as to wear wigs which would hide their haircuts, which were unmistakable in that longer-haired era

Perhaps the most damaging to the polity is the spectacle the Supreme Court presents, not just of s ome judges favouring one political party but of the disarray in the courts the whole country goes to the courts for a decision on an issue; now they are confronted with the sight of a Supreme Court

only mitigate the impact of future disasters but will also enhance the province’s overall resilience and reputation Climate diplomacy is a tool for negotiating sustainable development that takes into account environmental concerns Climate diplomacy is of paramount importance for Balochistan because it could not only reduce non-traditional security threats but also possibly initiate a pathway for continued policy debates related to other issues that concern the region the region covers 43 percent of the total area of the country, has poor infrastructure, and has the lowest population the population in Balochistan has been decreasing due to a combination of ongoing threats, but this trend could be reversed if policymakers focus attention on the region Pakistan as the chair of G77 in COP27 established and built a consensus regarding the loss and damage fund and built a new exposure pathway toward regional diplomacy this initiation could be a plus point for the current stakeholders of the province Balochistan alone bears 60 percent of the damage from the recent climate catastrophe Out of every 10 three casualties were from Balochistan, which is the largest number compared to other regions of the country Balochistan would remain a hotline in future climate crisis discussions because, despite the severe damage caused by floods, the roads, bridges, and railway lines have not been reconstructed and remain open to the public the provincial government should play its role to engage the continued federal attention towards the province and demand their due share even more in terms of developmental projects national budget allocation, education, and health facilities Unfortunately, the provincial authorities have been neglectful and there have been no policies in place to address these issues until now Climate change and its glaring effects on the province are an opportunity for the gradual processing and development of the region Opportunities like these should not be wasted due to a lack of policy action above all the province’s civic population must also acknowledge the blessing in disguise and realize its responsibility, particularly with respect to bringing the government’s attention more to the aggressive climate crisis Balochistan desperately needs to prepare itself for the future consequences and must act smartly to have a prosperous future in all realms of society

The writer is an Internee at the Balochistan think tank network

engaging in very public wrangles about what that decision actually was though there are calls for the resignation of the Chief Justice, their assumption seems flawed in theory, if not in practice a CJP should not take the assumption that he is head of the judiciary seriously as one judge of the Supreme Court, he should not view being in the minority on a decision as some sort of insult most importantly he must not be seen as pursuing a political agenda the issue of imran s arrest showed this a court had ordered his arrest the executive had tried to execute this but could not the superior judiciary granted imran bail He was thus shown as somehow superior to the state the government seems to be getting in on the act Getting resolutions passed forbidding it from obeying the Court s order, and holding National Security Committee meetings appear meant to make it impossible for the Supreme Court to hold anyone in contempt there is still the touching faith the Court wishes to appear fair With the executive dancing to the wishes of a part of itself, the judiciary seemingly not able to take a decision and a legislature woefully incomplete (the largest party is not in the National assembly, two of four provincial legislatures stand dissolved) the Constitution itself appears no longer viable a Constitution after all is merely a description of how the executive, legislature and Judiciary interact if they are not functional the document must be reviewed the country is used to extra-constitutional means in the shape of military takeovers the first two coups abrogated the constitutions in 1958, the constitution had not been fully operationalised in 1971, the abrogation was of a handed-down military-drafted constitution the 1973 Constitution seems to have been more robust or rather to meet the needs of the coupmakers as it was not abrogated but twice overthrown { held in abeyance is the phrase used) and then revived the problem seems to be that a new constitutional arrangement is required but the normal means of making them are also not available the system is clearly dysfunctional, and the only solutions offered is more of the same, by the PDm, or elections, by the Pti Both seem to be showing that they do not have the solution Nor do the self-appointed Wise Ones, whether in black or khaki the only paths left are increasingly desperate

The writer is a member of staff

E d i t o r ’ s m a i l

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

Two decades later, Iraq yet to recover

tHiS month 20 years ago march 20 to be precise the West attacked iraq, accusing it of having Weapons of mass Destruction (WmDs) which later turned out to be nothing but a pack of lies the United States under George Bush and the United Kingdom under tony Blair were the masterminds of this criminal act against iraq, in particular, and the arabian peninsula, in general iraq has always been a target of the europeans and the Zionists the West may harp on about climate change but it seems to forget its own history of the damage it has caused During the Gulf war in 1990 President George Bush Senior had ordered the use of shells that poisoned iraqi soil, just as the israelis today are doing to the Palestinian land this has contributed to the climate change crisis enormously as if the destruction of iraq and thousands of deaths of its people owing to the Western invasion were not enough endless sanctions by the US and europe weakened iraq to unimaginable level it was then that the final push started to take over the country and its vast resources for which the pretext of imaginary WmDs was used the West deliberately targeted the iraqi infrastructure, healthcare facilities and water system to feed its own military-industrial complex the West wanted to show its capability to instill fear in other countries giving them a clear message that they should not mess with the West or they would meet the same fate to give such a message to their adversaries, they have often unleashed brutal military power against weaker countries this is because they knew too well that challenging a powerful country like China or Russia would result in an equally powerful response Just see the Western reaction to the Russia-Ukraine conflict or the Russia-China friendship the West is worried Seriously worried With thousands of iraqis dead injured and made homeless their resources stolen and no WmD found, the country today is in chaos there is no peace in iraq for which the US had invaded the country iraq needs justice, and so does libya where, again the West attacked a resource-rich country on the basis of lies today the West is crying hoarse telling the world refugees are landing on its shores if the West stops its foolish belligerence against small and weak countries, things will be different and there will be no refugee crisis No libyan, iraqi Palestinian or Syrian wants to live outside their country they want to go back home despite the daily dose of lies being given to the world by the Western media about people wanting to live in countries where life is so much better

Nothing can be farther from truth

Loan scheme

ANGABEEN AHMAD KARACHI

N at i O N S and leaders who never learn from history lead their nation to similar fate as that of Granada abu abdullah had also liquidated the last fort of the muslim Spanish empire, in Granada, because there was way more spending than the income

For the last few years our political leadership has been walking the same dangerous path that has doomed nations more often than not in history

During the government of Benazir Bhutto, i had scrutinised the Prime minister’s Self-employment Scheme in 1990-91 through the National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) Some startling facts had come to light the NBP had lost over Rs10 billion due to massive corruption without achieving any result as most of the loans were sanctioned to political cronies and friends of the bankers’ mafia the adviser on finance V a Jaffery disagreed with my findings but when it was confirmed by the bank he too felt sorry During the same period, complaints were investigated against corrupt bankers responsible for the tragedy of the Bank of Credit and Commerce international (BCCi) again there were exotic tales in the air Recently i was surprised by media reports suggesting that certain government schemes related to the national youth have been assigned to a bank which is hardly worthy of the ‘reward’ Pakistani account holders i think have a reason to worry

h e s l i p p e r y s l o p e

Mi G R a N t smuggling and human trafficking are two interconnected issues that have plagued the world for years causing untold suffering and misery to millions of people the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime defines human trafficking as “the recruitment, transportation transfer harboring or receipt of persons by means of threat use of force or other forms of coercion, abduction, fraud, deception, the abuse of power, or a position of vulnerability to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person for the purpose of exploitation

On the other hand, migrant smuggling refers to the facilitation for financial or other material benefit of the illegal entry of a person into a state of which the person is not a national or resident in simple terms, migrant smuggling is the act of moving people across borders illegally while human trafficking is the exploitation of these people many stories about the trafficking of brides, forced prostitution and organ harvesting have proliferated in the recent past according to the Global Slavery index 2021 an estimated 3 19 million people are living in modern slavery in Pakistan the United States Department of State’s trafficking in Persons Report 2021 notes that Pakistan does not fully meet the minimum standards for eliminating trafficking, but the government is making significant efforts to do so the majority of human trafficking victims in Pakistan are women and children who are exploited for sexual and labour purposes in 2020 Fia reported a significant increase in human trafficking cases, with 413 cases registered compared to 204 cases in 2019 according to a 2020 report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the most common form of human trafficking in Pakistan is for forced

Modern-day slaver y COMMENT

labour, particularly in the brick-making, agriculture, and domestic work sectors the international labor Organization (ilO) found that child labour is prevalent in Pakistan, with an estimated 12 5 million children between the ages of 5 and 14 engaged in work many of these children are vulnerable to exploitation and abuse including human trafficking and smuggling the international Organization for migration (iOm) reported that in 2019, it assisted 14 725 Pakistani migrants who were stranded or in distress in various countries with the highest number in iran, followed by Saudi arabia and Oman the smuggling of migrants is a significant problem in Pakistan particularly along the Pakistan-iran border according to a 2020 report by the UNODC smugglers charge up to $10,000 per person to take them from Pakistan to europe or North america the issue of unemployment and poverty in various countries has created a vulnerable population susceptible to human trafficking and smuggling this situation is exemplified in Pakistan where scores of individuals are crossing national borders through illegal routes due to the twin crises of rising inflation and unemployment these individuals are often referred to as “economic migrants ” as they are seeking better opportunities and living conditions elsewhere However their desperation to leave the country exposes them to exploitation and abuse by human traffickers and smugglers who take advantage of their precarious situations a disturbing trend of Pakistani girls being trafficked to China under the guise of fake marriages and employment has also emerged Shockingly these innocent victims are being lured by deceitful Chinese grooms and matchmaking agencies, only to be sold into the black market of sex and organ transplants it’s crucial for the media to clearly distinguish between smuggling and trafficking and sensitize the public on this issue Journalists and academia should be trained to understand the difference between “human smuggling” and “human trafficking the key distinction lies in freedom of choice: smuggling involves a person willingly entering into an agreement to gain illegal entry into a foreign country, while trafficking involves coercion and exploitation the Fia has already developed a National action Plan against trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of

Why is Modi so scared of histor y textbooks?

migrants’ (2021–2025) which aims to promote the detection of trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants improve the position of victims and intensify the enforcement of criminal liability as such addressing this problem requires a coordinated global response that tackles its root causes this response should involve governments and international organizations working together to provide better job opportunities social safety nets and education programmes which can help people break out of the cycle of poverty and avoid becoming victims of trafficking and smuggling

Raising awareness about the dangers of human trafficking and smuggling is also essential in preventing this problem this can be achieved through education programmes, media campaigns, and community outreach initiatives media can also highlight the warning signs of trafficking and smuggling, such as false job offers, fake marriages or being transported in cramped spaces additionally, support and protection should be provided to victims of trafficking and smuggling this can include access to legal services, healthcare, and safe housing Governments must also strengthen their laws and law enforcement capabilities to prevent and prosecute trafficking and smuggling offences this should involve harsher penalties for traffickers and smugglers and increased efforts to hold those responsible accountable for their actions Furthermore collaboration between countries is necessary to combat transnational trafficking and smuggling networks which often involve multiple countries migrant smuggling and human trafficking are not just issues affecting developing countries; they are global problems every year, thousands of people are trafficked or smuggled across borders with many falling victim to horrific abuse forced labour and sexual exploitation the existence of trafficking routes is often linked to terrorism

Th e P M ’s p a r t y i s e d i t i n g t e x t b o o k s t o c re at e a f a n t a s y o f I n d i a a s a H i n d u - o n l y n at i o n t h at h a s a l way s b e e n l o v i n g a n d j u s t Tr u t h b e d a m n e d

minister at the time – have been removed

School textbooks have made indian muslims an inalienable part of the national memory with their history long predating an invasion and their immense contributions an inescapable reality so this legacy must be deleted mughals and muslim rulers must be referenced only as cruel invaders this approach is in sync with the renaming of muslim-sounding towns and roads the historic city of allahabad is now Prayagraj aurangabad is Chhatrapati

aF t e R nine years in power indian Prime minister Narendra modi’s Hindu nationalist government has finally defeated the long departed mughal empire and other muslim rulers it has quietly pushed them to the margins in school textbooks where they had occupied significant territory for the past seven decades recent revelations show

Several pages on the mughal rulers and Delhi Sultanate have been deleted from the textbooks of different classes the mughals have not disappeared entirely, but students will no longer learn of the milestones and achievements of some of india s most important rulers even though their legacy lives on in the architecture and cultural landscape of india it’s shocking – how will students make sense of present-day india without understanding the role and contribution of mughal and muslim rulers?

Yet these edits aren t surprising they are in keeping with the ideological agenda of modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which seeks to portray india as a historically Hindu-only land any other presence especially of muslims, is to be seen as an intrusion and pollution – a distortion of the ideal original past that the BJP wants to persuade indians was the reality

Sambhaji Nagar and Osmanabad is Dharashiv the demolition of the Babri mosque in 1992 in ayodhya was part of this great anti-muslim cultural purge the Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi and the Shahi mosque in mathura have been identified as next in line the marginalisation of mughals and muslims in textbooks mirrors what muslims in modi s india are facing in real life the recent textbook edits are part of a cultural genocide

But this war against history has many more enemies it isn t enough that the past and the present be uniquely Hindu they must also be harmoniously Hindu anything that shows conflict or tension in society must be eliminated that s why, in addition to muslim history, the truth about caste and its legacy of untouchability and exclusion are also being whitewashed by the textbook revisionists, who want future generations to believe in the fantasy of an india that was – and is – free of conflict more recent history also makes the BJP uncomfortable, such as the Hindu extremist background of Nathuram Godse the man who assassinated mahatma Gandhi in 1948 Godse was part of a Hindu supremacist network led by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh organisation the ideological fountainhead of the BJP He killed Gandhi because of Gandhi s insistence on a secular india the parts of history books that detailed these links have been deleted too and Godse comes across as a lone wolf

Sections in textbooks on the 2002 mass killings of muslims in the state of Gujarat –which happened under modi s watch as chief

Similarly, examples of gender-related discrimination have also been deleted it is as if india has been a society that has never seen any discrimination against any social group on any basis meanwhile, a more contemporary section on how water theme parks for the wealthy co-exist with drought-hit farmlands in the central region of Vidharbha has also been removed from social science books the BJP wants the world to believe that indian society is Hindu and Hindu society has always been just, loving and absolutely non-discriminatory in its essence But the obscene reality is just the opposite Children reading these fantastic tales about india live in conflict-ridden situations this approach is not only about controlling the past or painting it in Hindu colours it is also about the future, a dark, undemocratic future into which the BJP is dragging india a strong state and obedient masses are central to the idea of an india that modi s BJP wants to build it already portrays itself as synonymous with the indian state in keeping with this thinking references to social and political protest movements defending democratic rights have been removed from textbooks instead of citizens holding the state accountable the BJP wants the people to be accountable to the state Officially, the textbooks were edited to reduce the learning load for students But even a cursory look at the removed parts shows a clear pattern the changes are driven by the idea of portraying india s past as essentially Hindu and as a nation without discrimination and violence to create a Hindu india out of a secular nation the BJP needs to build a fake history of a fantasy land Rewriting the past is about giving the Hindu supremacist ideology legitimacy for the future while sending truth to its grave Apoorvanand teaches Hindi at the University of Delhi He writes literary and cultural criticism

and drug routes, making it easy to move illegal drugs and proceeds of crime without any traceable footprint

One of the biggest challenges facing efforts to tackle migrant smuggling and human trafficking is the lack of cohesion among various law enforcement agencies Different agencies may have different mandates work in silos or lack adequate resources to address the problem effectively this lack of coordination leads to gaps in the response, with many victims falling through the cracks For instance a person may be rescued from a trafficking ring but not provided with adequate support to help them recover from their ordeal another major obstacle is the absence of reliable data Human trafficking and migrant smuggling are illegal activities, making it difficult to obtain accurate statistics on the number of victims and the scale of the problem this lack of data hinders efforts to develop effective interventions and allocate resources where they are most needed

Furthermore, the insensitivity among the masses towards migrant smuggling and human trafficking remains a major barrier to combating the problem many people view migrants and refugees as a threat to their security and livelihoods and fail to recognize their vulnerability to exploitation this lack of empathy perpetuates a cycle of abuse and exploitation, making it difficult to address the root causes of the problem to effectively combat migrant smuggling and human trafficking it is important to adopt a multidisciplinary approach that involves all stakeholders this approach should involve coordination among different law enforcement agencies the development of reliable data collection and reporting mechanisms and the provision of adequate resources to support victims in addition, there is a need for increased public awareness campaigns to sensitize the masses on the realities of migrant smuggling and human trafficking Such campaigns should focus on the causes and consequences of these activities the signs of exploitation and the importance of reporting any suspected cases to law enforcement agencies it is only through collective efforts that we can put an end to the suffering and misery caused by migrant smuggling and human trafficking

The writer is a freelance columnist

s t c r i c k e t i s b e i n g

s a b o t a g e d

Te S t cricket should be in its prime england is the most aggressive team in history india and australia are uncommonly good, and New Zealand has just played two of the most exciting matches of all time Yet from marylebone to melbourne to mumbai administrators are sabotaging cricket s finest form every cricket lover knows that the charm of the five-day format relies on pitches that provide a balance of power between bat and ball too many pitches this winter failed to meet that basic requirement australia played South africa on an overgrown Queensland meadow and won within two days their away series against india, who are the hardest team to beat when they’re playing at home promised a classic instead it was tawdry india produced pitches that were so spin bowler-friendly that each of the first three matches was over in three days then, in the fourth test, when india only needed a draw to win the series, they produced a pitch so good for batting that it was unlikely either team could take enough wickets to claim victory the worst pitch of all was in Rawalpindi where Pakistan hosted england on a surface that was a batting paradise Only england s ultra-aggressive approach and Ben Stokes’s remarkable captaincy turned what Pakistan had apparently hoped would be a boring draw, into a thriller these sorts of pitches are meant to be

The dIre ouTLook for gLoBaL groWTh

fear of a self-fulfilling prophecy So it chose to warn of hard-landing risks especially if inflation was not properly controlled more compelling than this assessment of current conditions was the imF analysis of its long-term forecasts over the past 15 years these show a dire trend instead of thinking the world could sustain a growth rate of almost 5 per cent a year which it believed in 2008, the fund now reckons the sustainable rate is only 3 per cent in the 30 twice-yearly forecasts it has produced since april 2008 the imF has revised down the long-term outlook almost every time Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas, imF chief economist, says now that the slowdown was “predictable” Perhaps so but it was not predicted by the imF the truth is that this persistent slowing of mediumterm global growth prospects was not at all easy to forecast as China india and other significant emerging economies became a larger part of the global economy, their dynamic performance pulled global medium-term growth rates higher emerging economies represented 37 per cent of global output in

1990 compared with 59 per cent now this was the dominant global force until 2008

But that has had to be balanced with the tendency of these countries annual growth rates to slow as they became richer each new rail or road link, for example, represented a smaller boost to their economies and growth rates What the imF and most other forecasters repeatedly got wrong was that the domestic slowing of emerging economies has been much more powerful since 2008 than their still rapid relative growth rates and ever greater weight in the world economy more worrying still is that the slowing growth story is not really one of convergence with the richest countries at all it is much more accurate to say that over the past 15 years, medium-term growth prospects have slowed everywhere in the US and other advanced economies in China in other large emerging economies and in poor countries the only notable exception is india Some of this deterioration is the inevitable effect of slower population growth and ageing societies But

disincentivised by the international Cricket Council’s demerit points system whereby a ground that receives five points in five years is temporarily banned from hosting test matches laughably, both india and Pakistan successfully appealed and had points rescinded the pitches will be much better this summer when australia tour england for the ashes this is the most iconic contest in test cricket but instead of affording the ashes pride of place in the summer schedule, the england and Wales Cricket Board (eCB) are compressing it this year (and one assumes going forward) the five ashes matches are going to be squashed into six and a half weeks that means there’s no chance that the fastest bowlers – england s mark Wood and Jofra archer – are going to play all of them Wood and archer – the most exciting sights in the sport – are going to have to be rested and rotated during cricket s greatest series if that weren t enough, almost all of the ashes is going to be played during school term time How are the next generation going to be inspired to watch test cricket if they’re in double maths? the most plausible answer is that the eCB wants young people to be inspired by its Frankensteinian creation, the Hundred, which takes place entirely during school holidays the women s Hundred has done great things for cricket, but the collateral damage of fitting another men s competition into the overcrowded summer is that the ashes will become a fast-food binge this summer is just the beginning, and the future looks even bleaker the international schedule agreed for 2023-2027 makes test cricket a format preserved for australia england and india, and occasionally lent to so-called lesser nations such as the current world test champions New Zealand the irony is that, as an entertainment product , test cricket has probably never had more potential across the world we have a golden generation of fast bowlers and several of the best batsmen ever But unless administrators cast aside narrow-minded national interests test cricket will shrivel Summer 2023 may herald the end of cricket as we love it

that is not the whole story; much of it comes from countries prioritising short-term resilience over efficiency and dynamism the pandemic taught companies and governments the importance of resilient supply chains Putting eggs in many baskets is safer but has a cost the two largest economies China and the US view each other as strategic rivals and prioritise resilience and security over trade and integration although politicians talk about jobs created at home when trade goes down the cost of trade barriers outweighs the benefits in terms of domestic politics, resilience when defined as political stability can mean avoiding difficult and unpopular but necessary reforms Only the braver politicians, such as emmanuel macron, try to implement changes as unpopular as France’s decision to raise the retirement age the question is whether the balance is right too often, resilience is presented as a benefit without costs But a constant weakening in global economic growth rates will hamper the transition to net zero and the fight against global poverty; it will raise geopolitical tensions and leave many populations extremely dissatisfied there is a place for resilience in policymaking But we need to understand the costs as the imF has shown this week, they are high

In addition, there is a need for increased public awareness campaigns to sensitize the masses on the realities of migrant smuggling and human trafficking

Te

F O R E I G N M I N I S T E R S O F PA k I S TA N , I R A N h O L d TA L kS O N A F G h A N I S S U E

UZBeKISTAN S ta f f r e p o r t

FOREIGN Ministers from China, Russia Pakistan and Iran on Thursday held the second informal meeting on the Afghan issue in Uzbekistan Chaired by Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang, the countries came to several agreements, including calling for the U S to lift its unilateral sanctions against Afghanistan and appealing to the Afghan authorities to build an inclusive government that protects the interests of all people, including women, children and ethnic minorities

At the meeting Qin hailed China Russia, Pakistan and Iran s joint efforts to ensure the smooth transition of the situation in Afghanistan but also pointed out that while the war in Afghanistan has ended, the Afghan problem is far from being solved

Qin said that China recently released The Global Security Initiative Concept Paper and China s Position on the Afghan Issue,” which advocates a spirit of solidarity to adapt to the profoundly adjusted international landscape a win-win mindset to deal

with the complex and intertwined security challenges and reaffirms a political approach to promote the resolution of international regional hotspot issues such as Afghanistan

Promoting a political solution to the Afghan issue should abandon the Cold-War mentality of bloc confrontation and adhere to the principle of indivisible security, the Chinese foreign minister noted

He pointed out China, Russia, Pakistan and Iran should unite and cooperate to encourage the international community to pay more attention to the security issues related to terrorism in Afghanistan

Qin also called for building consensus and synergy to combat the “three forces ” to help Afghanistan effectively deal with the terrorist threat and draw a clear line with terrorist forces

He urged efforts to encourage and support Afghanistan to follow a modernization path that is in line with its national conditions adding China is willing to help Afghanistan to turn their land-locked country into a land-linked one under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative and through extending the China-Pakistan Eco-

nomic Corridor (CPEC) and the China-Central Asia-West Asia Economic Corridor (CCWAEC) to Afghanistan taking a coMprehensive, balanced and objective view

When asked to comment on Afghan authorities recent decision to ban Afghan women from working with the United Nations in Afghanistan, Qin voiced concern over the issue

However Qin also told reporters at the

press conference after the meeting that although the issue of women’s rights and interests is important it is not the whole problem of Afghanistan nor is it the core and root cause of the Afghan problem

The international community should look at the Afghan issue in a comprehensive balanced and objective manner, he stressed, adding the Afghan problem needs a comprehensive and systematic solution

Only with social stability controllable

Walmar t closing stores in Chic ago leaves workers in shock

PR OFI

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Walmart is closing stores in Chicago, citing financial losses, plunging its hundreds of staffers into deep financial uncertainty with the sudden move as the chain-store giant presses ahead with layoffs to introduce automation

“Today we have made the difficult decision to close four of our stores in Chicago, Walmart said in a press release Walmart which operates a total of eight markets in Chicago, said four stores would be closed on April 16, but their pharmacies will continue to serve customers with prescriptions for up to 30 days Walmart is closing stores located in Kenwood, Lakeview, Little Village and Chatham neighbourhoods of Chicago

These stores lose tens of millions of dollars a year, and their annual losses

nearly doubled in just the last five years

The remaining four Chicago stores continue to face the same business difficulties but we think this decision gives us the best chance to help keep them open and serving the community

“Over the years we have tried many different strategies to improve the business performance of these locations, including building smaller stores, localizing product assortment and offering services beyond traditional retail the company said in a release As we looked for solutions, it became even more clear that for these stores there was nothing leaders could do to help get us to the point where they would be profitable ”

Walmart said all the staffers at these four stores were eligible to transfer to other Walmart locations and will be paid through August 11

The company will keep its other four

Leaker of US intelligence is gun enthusiast in his 20s, says Washington Post

WASHINGTON

r e u t e r S

The person who leaked US classified documents prompting a national security investigation is a gun enthusiast in his 20s who worked on a military base the Washington Post reported on Wednesday, citing fellow members of an online chat group The person shared classified information to a group on the instant messaging platform Discord of about two dozen men and young boys who shared a mutual love of guns, military gear and God, the Post said The Post based its report, which did not name the person, on interviews with two members of the Discord chat group Reuters was unable to verify the details of the report Discord said in a statement earlier on Wednesday that it was cooperating with law enforcement The Department of Defense and the Department of Justice did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment The Department of Justice opened a formal criminal probe last week after the matter was referred by the Pentagon which is assessing the damage done by what may be the most damaging release of classified US information in years The person went by the handle OG, slang for Original Gangster, or an old-school traditionalist The person was described by one of the Post s sources as being in his early to mid-20s and was looked up to by members of the group He s fit He s strong He’s armed He’s trained Just about everything you can expect out of some sort of crazy movie ” said one member of the chat group, who was under 18 and spoke on the condition of anonymity with the permission of his mother the Post reported In what appears to be the gravest leak of US secrets in years pictures of sensitive documents were posed on Discord and other platforms including the online messaging board 4Chan, the encrypted Telegram global messaging app and Twitter

Chicago stores open to give them the best chance at operating in the future

Last week, Walmart said inflation would continue to pressure its business this year, and that it would slow hiring as it builds out automation technology “We believe over time the number of associates will grow but at a slower pace than in the past as we complement people growth with technology and automation ” Chief Financial Officer John David Rainey said at the company s investor meeting in Tampa, Florida Walmart said inflation continues to impact its business as shoppers add more lower-margin groceries to their carts over higher-margin apparel and home goods Rainey’s comments come after the retailer on Tuesday said it expects about two-thirds of its stores to be serviced by automation within three years, and reduce costs taken to process a package by 20%

Last month hundreds of workers at

five Walmart facilities that fulfill e-commerce orders are being asked to find jobs within 90 days at other company locations a spokesperson confirmed to

Reuters

About 200 workers at Pedricktown, New Jersey and hundreds of others at Fort Worth Texas; Chino California; Davenport, Florida; and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania were let go due to a reduction or elimination in evening and weekend shifts the spokesperson said

The layoffs at Walmart, a retail bellwether because of its size, could be a harbinger of further turmoil in the US economy, which many economists predict could enter recession this year

“We recently adjusted staffing levels to better prepare for the future needs of customers, Walmart said in a statement, adding that it would work closely with affected associates to find jobs at other locations

US defence contrac tors ’ ‘provoc ative’ trip to Taiwan region may worsen S ino -US tension: exper t

The US is planning a trip to send dozens of defense contractors to the island of Taiwan for another round of provocative arm sales as analysts said this just proves that Washington has no sincerity to ease tensions with China and the regional situation will remain tense or even worsen Chinese military said that US defense contractors are just using the shortcomings of island s military industry in the fields of drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to cheat the secessionist authorities out of their money It would have almost no military significance, as the People s Liberation Army (PLA) holds overwhelming advantages against the island’s military strength in all fronts Japanese media Nikkei reported on Tuesday that Around 25 US defense contractor representatives are planning a trip to Taiwan to discuss joint production of drones and ammunition

Rupert Hammond-Chambers, president of the “US-Taiwan Business Council” told Nikkei that the trip is expected in early May The delegation will be headed by Steven Rudder retired commander of the US Marine Corps Forces, Pacific, and it would mark the first defense industry visit to Taiwan since 2019 the report said

The delegation is expected to hold talks with people from the defense industry of the island and may also meet with Tsai Ing-wen regional leader of the island Hammond-Chambers told the Japanese outlet the goal of the trip is to promote defense industry cooperation with Taiwan ”

Chinese military expert Song Zhongping told the Global Times on Wednesday that sending such a big delegation of defense contractors means that the US

is strengthening its encouragement and support for the secessionist authorities on the island ”

It proves that the US has no sincerity to manage the differences with China and Washington will even take more provocative actions to challenge China on the Taiwan question, the most sensitive redline and a core interest of China said experts They expect that the tension in Taiwan Straits will continue and it will be more difficult for Washington to seek talks or help from Beijing when the US is suffering from a messy economic situation Hammond-Chambers said Taiwan is interested in airborne, surface, and underwater drones, in addition to ammunition “The US delegation which will contain several US defense contractors with drone expertise, will look for areas to provide advanced technology and jointly develop drones” with the relevant companies on the island the report noted

With US defense contractors struggling to meet Ukrainian demands for the conflict with Russia, Washington is open to the idea of contractors working with the separatist authorities of Taiwan Nikkei said Wei Dongxu, a Beijing-based military expert, said the military industrial complex of the US sees huge profits in selling drones after the extraordinary performance of UAVs in Ukraine and US defense firms will find opportunities to earn money from Taiwan as they know Taiwan is behind in developing drones on its own

In many cases reported by the media, Taiwandeveloped drones commissioned in their military forces have frequently crashed or gone missing in

security and economic development can women’s rights be fundamentally protected

Qin said China advocates that the international community continue to help Afghanistan develop its economy and improve people’s livelihood continue to provide humanitarian and development assistance, the Chinese foreign minister noted

He also called for guiding and promoting moderate and prudent governance in Afghanistan through dialogue and communication so as to effectively protect the basic rights and interests of all Afghan people including women and children and ethnic minorities u s should draw lessons froM afghan issue

The White House recently released a report about the decisions made regarding the 2021 U S withdrawal from Afghanistan largely blaming the former U S administration and bad intelligence for the chaos R e s p o n d i n g t o t h e r e p o r t Q i n a t t h e p r e s s c o n f e r e n c e s a i d t h e U S f a i l u r e i n A f g h a n i s t a n i s a m i l i t a r y f a i l u r e , a p o l i ti c a l f a i l u r e , a s w e l l a s a c o u n t e r- t e r r o r i s m f a i l u r e

An ally is not a ‘vassal’: Macron defends European strategic autonomy

AGeNcIeS

French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday stressed the importance of European strategic autonomy renewing his advocacy of the concept of European sovereignty and defying some nay-saying from U S politicians “Being an ally does not mean being a vassal doesn t mean that we don t have the right to think for ourselves, Macron said at a press conference in Amsterdam, wrapping up a state visit to the Netherlands The latest remarks were consistent with what he said on Tuesday when he urged Europe to be able to choose our partners and shape our own destiny,” instead of being “a mere witness of the dramatic evolution of this world” in a speech at the Nexus Institute in The Hague The French president s renewed calls for European strategic autonomy from the United States came in spite of what some call controversy caused by his recent remarks on the Taiwan question Last week, on his flight from Beijing to Guangzhou during a state visit to China, Macron told reporters that Europe had to reduce its dependency on the U S and avoid getting dragged into crises that are not ours, referring to a possible crisis over the Taiwan question between Washington and Beijing reported China Daily Macron’s call welcoMed and supported: A senior politician from Germany s governing Social Democratic Party (SPD) on Wednesday welcomed Macron s call for the European Union (EU) to become more independent from the United States Regarding the Taiwan question, Europe must indeed try to formulate an independent role if possible and not appear as an appendage of the United States in the region, Rolf Muetzenich, parliamentary group leader of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s SPD, told public broadcaster ARD Europe’s weight in Asia however is limited according to Muetzenich We are second maybe even third-tier important in this region, he said, stressing that a “differentiated view” is better than always only talking about which side you attach yourself to Germany s Left Party also supported the French president s idea of greater strategic independence of Europe It is a “worthwhile goal if it is combined with the objective of becoming the world s peace power, Left Party politician Dietmar Bartsch said European Council President Charles Michel on Tuesday suggested Macron’s push for strategic autonomy from the U S was not an isolated one among EU leaders, according to China Daily “There has been a leap forward on strategic autonomy compared to several years ago said Michel On the issue of the relationship with the United States, it s clear that there can be nuances and sensitivities around the table of the European Council Some European leaders wouldn t say things the same way that Emmanuel Macron did I think quite a few really think like Emmanuel Macron ”

C hina, India aggressivel y buying cheaper spot LNG

Cheaper spot prices for liquefied natural gas (LNG) are luring price-sensitive buyers back in Asia with China and India recording rising imports in March

The spot price of LNG for delivery to north Asia LNG-AS was $12 50 per million British thermal units (mmBtu) in the week to April 6, steady from the previous week, which was the lowest level since June 2021

The price has dropped 67 per cent from its northern winter peak of $38 per mmBtu, reached in mid-December and is also down 82 3pc from its record high of $70 50 from August last year hit when European demand for the super-chilled fuel surged during the

energy crisis sparked by Russia s invasion of Ukraine China’s imports of LNG are estimated by commodity analysts Kpler at 5 55 million tonnes in March, up from February s 4 95 million and also well above the 4 77 million from March last year

China lost its status as the world s biggest importer of LNG back to Japan last year largely because its utilities pulled back from the spot market as prices surged India was another LNG importer stung by the record high spot prices last year, but is returning to the market as prices retreat India s March imports are estimated at

also recorded higher arrivals in March from February What’s worth noting is that Asia’s overall imports of LNG were largely steady in March, coming in at 22 35 million tonnes, up slightly from February’s 22 18 million, but down on a per day basis

This is largely because developed country importers such as Japan typically see lower imports as the peak winter demand season ends with March arrivals pegged at 5 58 million tonnes, down from 6 54 million in February South Korea, Asia s thirdlargest LNG buyer saw March imports of 4 41 million tonnes down from February s

5 13 million

At the same time, Europe’s LNG imports appear to be heading higher implying that utilities are also taking advantage of lower

spot prices to maintain high natural gas inventories which are vital to stave off the threat of a complete end to already vastly curtailed flows of Russian pipeline supplies Europe’s March LNG imports were 11 49 million tonnes up from February’s 11 37 million according to Kpler

More importantly, Kpler is estimating a further rise in April with 11 87 million tonnes assessed as arriving this month

The question for the market is whether the signs of stronger demand in Europe and among some buyers in Asia will be enough to spark a renewed rally in spot prices

And if spot prices do head higher, how quickly will that translate to lower demand from price-sensitive buyers in Asia such as India and Pakistan

corporate corner

'zombie' 07 Business-14 LHR ISB_Layout 1 4/13/2023 11:17 PM Page 1

ISLAMABAD

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Writing for Dawn author Sakib Sherani explains that the term zombie banks is used to describe barely surviving banks and firms that are financially unviable but are kept alive by repeated government bailouts this article poses the question of whether there can be "zombie" countries that are nominally sovereign and independent, but only on paper Such countries would have suffered state breakdown with a collapsed economy and an inability to service debts and obligations to foreigners they could only meet essential import needs through

OGDCL, PARCO sign MoU for new joint venture in energy sec tor

Oil & Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) and PARCO ink MOU for new projects, as part of business diversification and energy transition strategy This MOU was signed for collaboration and Joint Venture Opportunities in the Energy Sector including Oil & Gas infrastructure projects Both sides will constitute joint working groups to evaluate opportunities undertake feasibilities and establish joint ventures for commercially technically and economically feasible projects OGDCL & PARCO have joined hands to explore opportunities of business growth to ensure term sustainability and for enhancing shareholders value In the 1st phase world class consultants would be engaged for the identification and evaluation of new opportunities

Both companies have also identified certain specific projects and areas of cooperation, which will help in materializing tangible progress on a fast track basis

The companies were represented by Mr Ahmed Hayat Lak-MD/CEO OGDCL &, Mr Shahid Mahmood Khan-MD PARCO and witnessed by Senior Management of both the companies p r

AIOU to hold conference on Pak-Turkiye relations

I s l a m a b a d: A one-day international conference on Pakistan-Turkiye relations will be organized on May 3 2023 in Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) in collaboration with Turkiye s Yunus Emre Institute Conference will be presided over by the Vice Chancellor AIOU, Prof Dr Nasir Mahmood, while Ambassador of Turkiye in Pakistan, Mehmet Pachaji will be the chief guest of the opening ceremony Renown personalities from Turkiye and Pakistan will express their views on Pakistan-Turkey relations, language and culture, Khilafat Movement as well as Allama Iqbal, Maulana Rumi and Yunus Emre Allama Iqbal Open University invited Academicians and experts from various fields to attend and present papers in this conference The Education Attaché will discuss the Turkiye education system and teacher training Coordinator Yunus Emre Institute for Pakistan Dr Halil Tokar will talk about the cooperation between Allama Iqbal Open University and Yunus Emre Institute The calligraphy of Turkish calligraphers on Asmaullah Al Husna will also be exhibited in the premises of the conference hall The university has appointed Dr Muhammad Arif as the coordinator of the conference p r

IESCO issues power suspension schedule for today

According to Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESCO) s spokesman, System

Maintenance/Development Work is in process

Therefore power supply of below mentioned feeders/areas will be temporary suspended as per given schedule: On 14th April 2023, From 07:00 AM to 11:00 AM Islamabad Circle Angori NCP Mangial Shadara Shahpur Khaya Ban Iqbal Pir Sohawa QA University Punjab House Bari Imam Mandla Athal NIH Feeders Chakwal Circle Dera Muslim feeder and surrounding areas will remain closed IESCO management apologizes to its esteemed customers for the power outage If the work is completed ahead of time, the power supply can be restored even before the scheduled time p r

ISLAMABAD S ta f f r E p o r t

Pakistan

tehreek-e-insaf (Pti) leaders came down hard on the imported government for using same old brutal and fascist tactics against the party leaders and workers as the cabal of crooks were now sinking to new lows and trying to target Chairman Pti imran Khan by issuing him issued a tax notice in his late mother s name Shaukat Khanum who passed away 38 years ago in a statement on thursday, Pti senor leaders Asad Umar, Dr Shireen Mazari and Zulfi Bukhari strongly condemned the attack on the house of a sen-

tem with the economy in a tailspin

that an unequivocal and immediate return to constitutional rule and the rule of law is the only way forward the timely holding of free and fair elections by a credible and neutral set-up and the transfer of power without impediment or conditions to the elected civilian government will defuse the multiple pressures that have built up However, ultimately, the Federal Interior Minister visits POF Wah Lt Gen Ali Amir Awan, HI(M), Chairman POF Board briefed the FederalMinister about production capabilities of POF He was told that,POF consists of 14 Production Units and 19 Subsidiaries, in which26,000 employees are serving POF has been catering the defence requirements of Pakistan Armed Forces POF is also exporting Arms &Ammunition to more than 40 Countries to earn Foreign Exchange Federal Minister Interior appreciated POF's production capabilities andits role to fulfil defence requirements of Pakistan Armed Forces withstate of the art arms and ammunition He lauded POF's role in providing modern arms and ammunition to Law Enforcement Agencies ofPakistan p r

handouts and bailouts from friendly countries A significant portion of the population would have grown tired of a corrupt self-serving elite leading to businesses and the affluent moving their capital abroad Lebanon is an example of a failed state, and Pakistan is in danger of becoming one Widening internal fissures and a chain of events since the establishment's regime change operation in April 2022 have accelerated Pakistan's downward spiral into political economic social and institutional chaos the wheels appear to have come off the political sys-

Pakistan, Uzbekistan agree to timely completion of Trans-Afghan R ailway projec t

ISLAMABAD S ta f f r E p o r t Pakistan and Uzbekistan have agreed on timely completion of trans-Afghan railways project among Pakistan, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan saying that it will enhance regional connectivity the understanding to this effect was reached at a meeting between Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina rabbani Khar and Acting Minister for Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan Saidov Baxtiyor Odilovich on the sidelines of the 4th meeting of the neighbouring

countries of Afghanistan in Samarkand D u r i n g t h e m e e t i n g t h e t w o M i n i s t e r s e xc h a n g e d v i e w s o n t h e f r i e n d l y r e l a t i o n s b e t w e e n P a k i s t a n a n d U z b e k i s t a n a c r o s s a l l d o m a i n s e sp e c i a l l y c o n n e c t i v i t y t r a d e a n d i n v e s t m e n t a n d p e o p l e t o p e o p l e c o n t a c t s Both sides expressed satisfaction at the current trajectory of bilateral exchanges in the economic, trade and investment domains Early operationalization of Preferential trade Agreement between Pakistan and Uzbekistan was also discussed in the meeting with a view to further enhancing bilateral trade

Newly transferred police officers assume charge

ISLAMABAD I N p the situation of peace and security had visibly improved in Balochistan due to operations of the law enforcement agencies in the province and fencing of Pakistan-iran boder and as a result army would soon go back to the barracks according to security experts the experts say the arrests of gulzar imam Shambay and Mahil Baloch during successful intelligencebased operations were reflective of the fact that the people of Balochistan had completely rejected the activities of miscreants the trust of people in the secu-

rity forces and civil law enforcement institutions was increasing with the passage of time the intelligence-based operations could only succeed when people convey critical information to the intelligence institutions and the arrests of gulzar imam Shambay and Mahil Baloch became possible due to this cooperation the state undertook activities to end the criminal activity of miscreants and similarly, the people of Balochistan should also ramp up their efforts against the miscreants Political analysts say after the return of army to the barracks, the people of Balochistan have to show unity to foil the designs of the miscreants

I s l a m a b a d: Newly appointed police officers in Islamabad capital police Muhammad Shoaib Khurram took charge as Capital Police Officer Safe City Islamabad and Dr Muhammad Iqbal took charge as SSP Investigation Islamabad, a police public relations officer said He said that, upon assuming their respective positions, CPO Safe City Muhammad Shoaib Khurram met with all staff members and conducted a detailed briefing about various branches He visited all branches and issued appropriate instructions for further improvement He also directed officers to enhance the efficiency of Safe City cameras through the use of modern technology and improve surveillance and monitoring systems across the city He emphasized the need to improve e-challan, traffic management systems, Pukar-15 helpline, and other services, and encouraged all officers and officials to work hard with dedication Similarly, SSP Investigation Dr Muhammad Iqbal held an introductory meeting with staff members and conducted a detailed briefing about various branches He directed officials to prioritize the safety of citizens' lives and property, and emphasized that everyone including himself is subject to the law He made it clear that misuse of uniform or authority will not be acceptable and urged all officers to work as a team performing their duties properly under the police rules Together as a team they will play a key role in making the peaceful enivornment in the city he added p r

KP Cabinet approves preparation of rules for general sales tax

ISLAMABAD S ta f f r E p o r t P r e s i d e n t D r A r i f A l v i h a s u p h e l d t h e p e n a l t y o f dismissal from the service of an assistant vice president of the Zarai taraqiati Bank Limited (ZtBL) f o r s e x u a l l y h a r a s s i n g a w o m a n e m p l o y e e o f t h e state-owned bank the Federal Ombudsman for Protection against Harassment of Women at Workplace (FOSPAH) had imposed a fine of rs500,000 on the accused, which the president enhanced to rs600,000, considering the serious mental trauma the victim had suffered the president’s decision came after he rejected a

representation filed by the accused against the FOSPAH decision, as well as a representation filed by the bank on behalf of the accused for lack of locus standi He noted that the accused had failed to identify any irregularities in the proceedings conducted by FOSPAH which were based on a true appraisal of evidence Alvi emphasised that in Pakistan the Constitution and the law promote the establishment of a society where women are free to work and have a safe environment in all public places enabling them to become fully participating members of society Additionally the president upheld the order that the complainant be reinstated in service as her termination had been in utter violation of the law and rules

K hunjerab pass reopening may bring great prosperity for GB people

BEIJING

a p p

Ajmal Khan, Vice President gilgit-Baltistan Chamber of Commerce (gBCi) on thursday said Khunjerab

Pass was a great blessing for the gB people as it was the sole venue where trade took place and locals were dependent on trade across the border the Khunjerab Pass the only official crossing between China and Pakistan resumed two-way pass e n g e r t r a ff i c o n A p r i l 3 C o n n e c t i n g g i l g i tBaltistan with China s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous r e g i o n i t w a s s h u t t e r e d i n 2 0 2 0 t o c o n t a i n t h e spread of COViD-19 pandemic Before COViD-19, exports were mainly pine

ior lawyer Azhar Siddique Pti Central Secretary general Asad Umar said that the attack on Azhar Siddique's house was highly condemnable He asked what message was being sent by attacking a senior lawyer s house talking about arrest of Pti s leaders and workers he paid tribute to Pti s workers and iLF and said that a total of 509 Pti s workers were arrested from islamabad in just 4 weeks However, he praised the iLF lawyers for playing effective role in providing legal facilitation to the detained workers

Pti Senior Vice President Dr Shireen Mazari said that the world moved on but our State continued to use

nuts Pine nuts from Diamer in gB Bannu in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa used to pass through Khunjerab Pass

When pine nuts were being exported about rs 4-5 billion could be earned said imran Ali President of gilgit-Baltistan Chamber Of Commerce

Currently, the highest demand in China is for cherry from gilgit-Baltistan Cherry of gilgitBaltistan is considered to be the best quality in the world," imran Ali told China Economic net in an interview "the cherry of gilgit-Baltistan ranks 7th in the world it is flavorful, delicious and of good quality

When it is exported, we will get yuan or dollars from there " Ajmal Khan told CEn Apart from this walnuts are exported from gilgit-Baltistan and also seasonal fruits that come from Punjab like mangoes

same old tactics to try and intimidate political leaders standing for democracy and rule of Law Fatima Jinnah challenged Ayub and was sent threat over water bill imran Khan gets notice issued against late mother Shaukat Khanum who died 38 years ago she added Dr Mazari stated that they were now sinking to new lows trying to target Pti Chairman, as they have no shame Sick petty minds petrified of nation s support for imran Khan and Pti,” she added talking about PDM’s targeting of Supreme Court bench, she said: “now PDM media supporters plus some lawyers not only want a larger bench but

a bench that includes judges of their choice ”Dr Mazari went on to say that soon they would demand that they should actually appoint SC benches! Seeing SC judge ensconced between Asif Ali Zardari and Dar in nA just one of increasing absurdities going on in Pakistan Condemning attack on senior lawyer Azhar Siddique she said that now lawyers were filing cases or defending cases against government were also being targeted typical fascist scare tactic to terrorise “today Pakistan state was moving fast towards total fascism Stay strong Azhar Siddique, as your case hearing today before 8 mbr SC bench has shaken the fascists ” she added

PEsHaWaR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Government has approved the preparation of rules for general sales tax on goods and services by meeting the final condition of the IMF Briefing media about the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa cabinet decisions, CM Adviser for Finance, Himyatullah Mayar and Information Minister Feroz Jamal Kakakhel said that IMF's last condition was fulfilled today They said Rs 6 billion in revenue is to be generated from these rules They said currently the province has a draft of Rs14 billion while the salaries amount is Rs48 billion and the province was not in a position to pay it in advance due to the poor economic position of the province a p p

S ikh yatrees spend busy day at Gurdwara Panja S ahib

HassaNabdal: The Sikh pilgrims from India had a busy day here Thursday when 2668 Sikh pilgrims were brought to Gurdwara Panja Sahib Hassanabdal in police escort The force and the officials of the Endowment Department have gone along and taken them out of Gurdwara Panja Sahib and counted them in a line and sent them to Vali Kandahari Sundus Ishaq DSP

Hassanabdal Syed Kazim Shah Mungal supervised the process District Police Officer Attock Dr Sardar Ghiyas Gul Khan visited Gurdwara Panja Sahib Hasan Abdal to review the security arrangements and instructed his staff All the employees should perform their duties diligently and the respect of the Sikh pilgrims is very important, he directed The Sikh pilgrims while talking to APP lauded the the government of Pakistan for making foolproof security and the accommodation arrangements on the occasion a p p

At t a c k o n A z h a r S i d d i q u e’s h o u s e h i g h l y c o n d e m n a b l e : A s a d

Z T B L d e p u t y l o s e s a p p e a l a g a i n s t s ex u a l m i s c o n d u c t s a c k i n g

Pe a c e, s e c u r i t y i m p r ove d i n B a l o c h i s t a n a f te r o p e r at i o n s a g a i n s t m i s c r e a n t s

E C C a P P R o v E s lo a n s C h E m E m o d E l

F o R E - B i k E s , E - R i C ks h aw s

r

ISLAMABAD

s h a h z a D pa R ac h a

d

THE Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet on Thursday approved the Prime Minister s Youth Business & Agriculture Loan Scheme (PMYB & ALS) model for ebikes and e-Rickshaws

Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar presided over the meeting of the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet e-Bikes and rickshaws: First the Ministry of Industries and Production submitted a summary regarding financing facility for electric bikes (e-bikes) and e-Rickshaws and presented details on viability demand of electric bikes and incentive structure for potential users to make electric bikes affordable

Sources said that the federal government has allowed the import of Electric vehicles specific parts at the rate of

pakistani delegation attends spring meetings of WB’s board of governors

A high-level Pakistan delegation comprising Dr Kazim Niaz, Secretary Economic Affairs Division, Hamed Yaqub Sheikh Secretary Finance Division and Jameel Ahmed, Governor State Bank of Pakistan, is currently in Washington DC to participate in the spring meetings of the Boards of Governors of the World Bank Group (WBG) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) The spring meetings are held annually to bring together central bankers heads of IFIs ministers of finance and development, private sector executives, representatives from civil society organisations and academics to discuss issues of global concern, such as the world economic outlook, poverty eradication economic development and aid effectiveness The Pakistani delegation will participate in a number of bilateral meetings with the senior management of WBG and IMF and interact with finance and economic ministers from around the world to discuss global development initiatives and their impact on Pakistan’s economy Minister for Finance and Revenue Senator Muhammad Ishaq Dar, and Minister for Economic Affairs, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq joined and led the delegation in important bilateral meetings virtually So far, the Pakistan delegation has held 17 bilateral meetings during the first three days with senior management of IMF WBG Rating Agencies IFC JICA, US Treasury and Economic teams Secretary EAD, Dr Kazim Niaz, also represented Pakistan in the high level WBG event titled Operationalizing the World Bank Group s Country Climate and Development Report” which illustrates a vision for building long-term and systemic resilience against climate and natural disasters while promoting green and inclusive socio-economic development The delegation has also planned to hold a number of other bilateral meetings in coming days, particularly with the president of WBG president of AIIB deputy managing director IMF, regional vice president of WB for South Asia to discuss current and potential portfolios in Pakistan and their economic activities ISLAMABAD G h u l a m a b b a s

Almost all of us have heard that Pakistani businesses are not competitive globally because of the lack of implementation of the international standards Even businessmen desire a one window solution to this problem As desired by the industry traders and exporters the Ministry of Commerce (MoC) is going to formally launch the first ever National Compliance Centre (NCC), which is aimed at ensuring international compliance requirements and facilitate the manufacturers, exporters, and certification agencies through information sharing and training/capacity building

According to official sources the ministry is going to launch the center on April

r s e s p s m a p u n j a b ’ s d e c I s I o n to

1% Customs Duty and 1% Sales tax to facilitate the manufacturing of Electric vehicles in the country

The Ministry of Climate Change in its EV policy 2019 aimed that by 2030, at least 50% of all the two and three wheeler sales in Pakistan would be electric

According to details, a comprehensive presentation on e-bikers was made to the federal government on December 28 2022

It was informed that more than 26 million motorcycles are in the country and the annual market size of locally produced motorcycles is more than 2 million

Existing bikes on the road consume fuel of $3 billion annually and EDB has issued 22 manufacturing licenses to manufacturers of E-bikers and 7377 units of electric motorcycles were manufactured in 2021-22

Sources said that the average cost of an e-bike with a lithium battery and specific standards is Rs 190,000 To help affordability the government has introduced four financing schemes including

cash purchase model, price sharing model, Easy Loan model and PM’ Youth Business and Agriculture loan scheme model for e-bikes/e-Rickshaws

Under the scheme, clean loans up to Rs 0 5 million will be given under TierI (T1) of PMYB & ALS at 0% markup rate for repayment in three years

To explore the three-year option, a meeting with representatives of SBP and other stakeholders was conducted that supported the scheme and appropriate amendments in the PM’ Youth Business and Agriculture loan scheme for E-Bikes and E-Rickshaws if deemed necessary

Sources said that the all four abovementioned schemes are different in terms of financial requirements and require financing either from the government or commercial banks This facility will be available for up to 15000 E-Bikes/Rickshaws in the current financial year The modalities of the scheme will be worked out by the Ministry of Industries & Production in

FBR imposes 20% customs dut y on impor t of tea whiteners

coordination with PMYB & ALS

priCe of sugAr : The Ministry of National Food Security and Research tabled a summary on the price of sugar during the month of Ramdan and briefed the meeting on the outcome of the Sugar Advisory Board’s meeting with Pakistan Sugar Mills Association (PSMA) regarding retail price of sugar

The ECC endorsed the decisions of the meeting that PSMA Punjab Zone has agreed to provide 20 000 MT of sugar at retail price o f Rs 95 per kg during the month of Ramdan ( till Eidul-Fitr) for sale to the general public through the Government of Punjab at district level

The ECC further directed to make arrangements with other provincial PSMAs on similar patterns for provision of sugar in other provinces/areas

The ECC considered and approved the summary of the Ministry of Commerce regarding declaration of Customs Station Angoor Adda as authorized export land route to Afghanistan and through Afghanistan to Central Asian Republics

9090 The IRS authorities claimed that Tea Whiteners are not the product of Chapter 1901 and should be classified under PCT 2106 9090 based on the test report conducted by Deputy Chemical Examiner (DCE) Customs Dry Port Mughalpura, Lahore The issue was raised by the IRS in the context of the admissibility of zero rating & exemption under 5t & 6th Schedule of the Sales Tax Act 1990 on Tea Whiteners of various brands being manufactured locally in Pakistan The manufacturers challenged the subsequent proceedings initiated by the IRS based on the Test Report on the grounds that the Classification Committee had already issued Classification Ruling for Tea Whiteners The Board referred the representation to the Classification Committee for its views/comments Both parties agreed that Tea Whiteners are not products of Chapter 04 The manufacturers contended that Tea Whiteners are milk preparations falling under HS Code 1901 9090 However, the IRS representatives argued that Tea Whiteners are neither natural milk nor milk preparations of HS Code 1901 9090 Instead Tea Whiteners are food preparations of Chapter 21 subheading 21 06 falling under HS Code 2106 9090 The FBR’s classification committee has notified that Tea Whiteners are classifiable under PCT heading 2106 9090, as per Chapter II of CGO 12/2002

KARACHI

p R o f i t R e p o R t

On 13 April 2023, Company Secretary of Shifa International Hospitals Limited Muhammad Naeem announced that they will acquire 50% stakes of SIHT (Pvt ) Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Shifa Foundation, according to Sections 96 and 131 of the Securities Act 2015 and Clause 5 6 1 of the Rule Book of the Pakistan Stock Exchange Limited (PSX) It was informed that the decision was made during a Board of Directors meeting held on 12 April 2023

In addition the company has decided to convene an Extraordinary General Meeting on 18 May 2023, at 11:00 AM at its registered office in Sector H-8/4 Islamabad The purpose of the meeting is to obtain shareholder approval for the disposal of its entire shareholding in its subsidiary Shifa Medical Center Islamabad (Pvt ) Limited ( SMCI ), and to make additional equity investment in the hospital project of its other subsidiary Shifa National Hospital Faisalabad (P t ) Limited ( SNHF ) The recent announcement marks an interesting turn in the history of Shifa which in 2019 had embarked

upon an ambitious expansionary plan that had initially been disrupted by the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic But where is the hospital headed?

shifA internAtionAl hospitAl ltd- A ConCept mAteriAlised: In 1985 a group of talented healthcare professionals dwelling in New York City conceived an idea that was to revolutionise medical care in Pakistan Spearheaded by the visionary Dr Zaheer Ahmad, the team set out to establish Shifa International Hospital –a state-of-the-art facility that would provide top-notch medical services to people across the country Accompanied by Dr Manzoor H Qazi Mr Muhammad Zahid Mr Samiullah Sharief, and Dr Sabir Ali, the team wasted no time in getting to work Fast forward to the present day Shifa International Hospital has become a shining example of excellence in healthcare With hospitals in Islamabad Faisalabad and G-10/4 Islamabad as well as medical centres, pharmacies, and lab collection points in different cities across the country the company is dedicated to improving the lives of people in Pakistan and beyond Shifa International Hospital Ltd

expansion plans have been long underway In 2019, Shifa International Hospital Ltd announced their plans to expand outside of their home base in the Islamabad-Rawalpindi metropolitan area by constructing a new hospital in Faisalabad and a new ambulatory and diagnostic centre in Islamabad The hospital in Faisalabad was to be operational within three to five years from October 2019 Meanwhile the diagnostic centre was supposed to extend outpatient care, diagnostic and laboratory services and minor surgeries that can be done in an ambulatory setting The company had planned to finance both projects through raising Rs2 6 billion over the course of three years from the directors’ and owners’ personal pockets and its own free cash flows The two projects were managed by Shifa s newly-named subsidiary, Shifa Development Service Ltd (SDS) The company’s management expressed interest in Faisalabad as a growing urban centre of Pakistan with three times the population of Islamabad and an estimated metropolitan gross domestic product (GDP) of $20 5 billion in 2019

Chinese company to establish breeding farms across Pakistan

ISLAMABAD n p

LAHORE

Da n i ya l a h m a D

The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has passed SRO

t o u r i s t s w h o m a y e v a d e t a x e s o r i l l e g a l l y t r a n s f e r o w n e r s h i p o f t h e i r v e h i c l e s So what exactly are the changes? We will seek to explain each of them in this explainer Amendment to ClAuse 76: This clause relates to the definition of a tourist This is perhaps the least intrusive of amendments, as it leaves the vast majority of the text as it is The only C o n t i n u e d o n pa g e 03

changes identified are cosmetic Amendment to ClAuse 77 : This clause relates to the value determination for provisional release The amendment proposes to add a

to clause 77 stating that the value of goods for provisional release will be

1969 This provision is not explicitly stated currently Amendment to ClAuse 81 : This clause relates to the record-keeping requirements for importers

A Chinese company Hangeng Trading, specialized in animal husbandry livestock and aloe vera is establishing breeding research centers and health units across Pakistan to improve the country s agriculture and livestock industry Gwadar Pro reported on Thursday quoting China Overseas Port Holding Company (COPHC) In an interview with Gwadar Pro Ali Bukhari Coordinator of COPHC said that the company has signed MOUs with the federal and provincial governments in animal husbandry and livestock as they are interested in investing in these sectors to develop breeding farms and animal health units He said that the Chinese expert team of professors will bring breeding technology and animal vaccines to Pakistan They will hold workshops and seminars to educate students and farmers The animal vaccine will be easily accessible to local farmers and because of the vaccine the farmers can keep their animals safe from the effects of climate change Bukhari said that agreements will be signed with universities of each province In Rahim Yar Khan, Punjab the construction of a breeding farm along with a animal health care unit is already under construction while KPK breeding farm will start soon Khawaja Fareed University of Engineering and Information Technology Rahim Yar Khan (KFUEIT) and HanGeng will jointly establish a breeding research center at KFUEIT which will work on livestock farming breeding center, student training programs and research on different varieties of aloe vera, he added The representative of COPHC said that MOUs have also been signed with some other Pakistani universities including Lasbella University, Balochistan and University of Agriculture Faisalabad These joint agreements between the two countries will improve agriculture and livestock breeding practices in Pakistan Ali Bukhari believed that with Pakistan having significant potential in these sectors, the transfer of advanced technologies and expertise could potentially help enhance productivity, efficiency, and overall output The Chinese animal vaccines can prevent the spread of diseases and improve the health of livestock The Chinese enterprises are expected to bring huge employment opportunities in our agriculture and livestock sectors They are employing local people as they deal with animal husbandry and livestock Their business link is directly with the locals especially farmers ” he added

18, 2023 As per details, the proposed National Compliance Centre (NCC) will have a federal-level office with provincial secretariats to ensure coordination at the national level The NCC will have an organizational structure consisting of eight compliance clusters and additional clusters may be established in the future as needed The clusters will focus on various areas of compliance such as human rights labor rights climate change governance and democracy, sanitary and phytosanitary standards, quality assurance standards, sustainability traceability for textiles digital trade/e-Commerce competition and services sectors The NCC will act as a repository of all international compliance requirements and develop a user-friendly online database and

other resources to assist businesses, industries, agricultural producers, public and private sector stakeholders and other entities to understand and comply with international regulatory requirements

The NCC will also hold regular outreach activities including workshops and training to build the capacity of stakeholders regarding compliance regimes and disseminate relevant information through various means

Furthermore, the NCC will liaise with concerned institutions/agencies/organizations (international or local) for information sharing partnering in awareness campaigns, and developing regional/sectoral/product-specific compliance solutions The NCC will also hold regular dialogues between public and private

sector stakeholders to encourage the adoption of compliance regimes and improve competitiveness at the firm level

The NCC will review production processes and support the adoption of international best practices through trade policy measures The NCC will also assist businesses associations industries and agricultural producers in adopting international best practices through technical experts hired on a short to medium-term basis Additionally, the NCC will assist small and medium-sized enterprises in developing business strategies for the adoption of international compliance requirements and facilitate access to international certifying bodies for domestic businesses, associations industries and agricultural producers

It may be added that the multilateral

trading system brought through the advent of the World Trade Organization (WTO) by binding tariffs is being eroded by the imposition of non-tariff barriers Importing countries under the guise of meeting specific regulatory, environmental, social, health, and quality compliances impose these barriers Pakistani manufacturers and exporters often face such unforeseen requirements especially when exporting to developed countries and countries forming various Economic Blocs Customs Unions Free Trade Areas, etc In most instances, it adds to the cost for Pakistani manufacturers There was a need to constantly upgrade our production processes making them climate-friendly, sustainable, and more inclusive especially in terms of sharing benefits from international trade agreements and market access concessions with those involved in the supply chain at all levels