Epaper – November 7 KHI 2020

Saturday, 7 November, 2020 I 20 Rabi-ul-Awwal, 1442 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XI No 128 I 12 Pages I Karachi Edition

Govt makes face masks mandatory as covid cases spike g

‘We don’t talk like this at rallies’: Bilawal 'shocked' by Nawaz’s statements

Indoor weddIngs to be banned from nov 20; 50pc staff of prIvate offIces to work from home

t

he national command and operation centre (ncoc) on friday issued new restrictions for major cities with high covid-19 positivity ratios and higher disease spread potential, as part of stage two of nonpharmaceutical interventions. the new guidelines, which will apply to karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, rawalpindi, multan, hyderabad, gilgit, muzaffarabad, mirpur, peshawar, Quetta, gujranwala, gujrat, faisalabad, bahawalpur and abbottabad from tomorrow, include: 1. rs100 fine will be imposed on those not wearing a face mask and they will be provided three masks on the spot 2. Indoor weddings will be banned starting nov 20; outdoor weddings will be allowed with a maximum of 1,000 people permitted to attend 3. 50 per cent staff of all public and private offices will be asked to work from home 4. “relatively broader” smart lockdowns will be imposed in hotspot areas. earlier in the day, sindh chief minister murad ali shah said at a meeting of the

province’s coronavirus task force that strict action would be taken against those who violate the coronavirus standard operating procedures (sops), while karachi commissioner Iftikhar shalwani announced that wearing face masks is now compulsory. “cases are on the rise in karachi and hyderabad,” the chief minister said, adding that “where sops aren’t being followed, we must take stern action.” the meeting was attended by sindh Information minister nasir hussain shah, chief secretary mumtaz ali shah, Inspector-general mushtaq mehar, commissioner shalwani, and others, said the provincial government’s spokesperson, murtaza wahab. this news comes after the province has registered 579 cases in the last 24 hours, the highest in three months. at least 216 students and teachers tested positive for covid-19 during the past 24 hours in karachi’s district east. according to details, a sindh health department team conducted random covid-19 testing of students and teachers in the district.

coronavirus in

pakistan

CONFIRMED CASES:

340,251

LAST UPDATED AT 7:14 AM ON NOVEMBER 6, 2020

DAY'S DEATH TOLL:

30

RECOVERED:

NEW CASES:

1,376 DEATHS:

317,086 6,923 SINDH:

PUNJAB:

148,343

105,856

KP:

BALOCHISTAN:

AJK/GB:

ISLAMABAD:

40,148

16,033

4,572/4,332 20,967

the team had taken samples of 9,158 students and teachers of various government schools. a total of 216 out of 9,158 tests came back positive, confirmed the district health office.

In punjab, five more people succumbed to coronavirus during the past 24 hours, confirmed a spokesperson of the primary and secondary healthcare department, taking the death toll in the province to 2,390. the spokesperson added that 321 more people were diagnosed with the coronavirus in the province in 24 hours. he said that 312 more people recuperated from the disease during the period and added that the province has registered 105,856 cases of coronavirus so far. the total number of deaths across the country in a single day increased to 30 on november 5 after a gap of over three months. the last time the daily death toll had crossed the 30 mark was July 29 when 32 deaths were reported. the total tally of covid-19 cases now stands at 340,251, with 317,086 people have recovered from the disease. a total of 35,745 tests were carried out for the detection of covid-19 during the last 24 hours as the country has so far conducted 4,609,513 tests. the positivity rate has dropped to 3.84 per cent after nearing 5 per cent a couple of days back. according to the data shared by the ncoc on friday, a total of 1,376 people tested positive, bringing the number of active coronavirus cases to 16,242 — the highest since august. meanwhile, the global tally of coronavirus cases has reached 49,169,894. a total of 35,071,854 patients have recovered and 1,241,870 have died so far. the Us, the worst-hit country, has 9,926,637 cases. It is followed by India, which has 8,411,724 cases, brazil has 5,614,258 and russia has 1,733,440 confirmed cases. pakistan at present stands at number 28 among the list of countries affected by the coronavirus disease. NEWS DESK

pakistan people’s party (ppp) chairman bilawal bhutto-Zardari on friday revealed that he was “shocked” by pakistan muslim League-nawaz (pmL-n) supreme leader nawaz sharif’s statements during the gujranwala rally of the pakistan democratic movement (pdm) last month. the above was said during an interview with bbc Urdu, wherein bilawal discussed the upcoming gilgit-baltistan (gb) elections, the 11-party anti-government alliance, and more. during the first pdm rally, which nawaz had attended via videolink, the pmL-n chief had asked who made a “state above a state” and went on to name chief of army staff (coas) general Qamar Javed bajwa. bilawal told bbc Urdu that the decision to name the military leadership was solely nawaz’s and that he was blindsided by this.

“It was a shock for me because, typically, we don’t talk like this at rallies. but nawaz heads his own party and I can’t control what he says, just like he can’t control what I say,” bilawal said. bilawal also said that he refrains from making such comments at his own rallies, but that nawaz does have the right to take this sort of stand if he wants to do so. he further added that nawaz, having served as the prime minister, would not have taken these names without good reason. “as far as taking the names of the coas and the IsI [Inter-services Intelligence] chief is concerned, I think — and I am certain — that nawaz will not have done so without any evidence. such allegations should come forward on the basis of evidence,” the ppp chief said, adding that he could not meet nawaz because of covid19, so could not “discuss the mat-

Biden close to White House victory as he builds leads in Pennsylvania, Georgia WASHINGTON agENciES

democrat Joe biden expanded his narrow leads over president donald trump in the battleground states of pennsylvania and georgia on friday, putting him on the verge of winning the white house three days after polls closed. biden has a 253 to 214 lead in the state-by-state electoral college vote that determines the winner, according to edison research. winning pennsylvania’s 20 electoral votes would put the former vice president over the 270 he needs to secure the presidency. biden would also win the election if he prevails in two of the three other key states where he held narrow leads on friday: georgia, arizona and nevada. Like pennsylvania, all three were still processing ballots on friday. as biden inched closer to triumph, he was expected to address the nation on friday evening, according to a person familiar with his plans. the

ter in detail.” bilawal appeared to disagree with nawaz’s statements, as during the interview, he said, “no one person can be held responsible for bringing Imran khan to power.” bilawal also revealed that during the all parties conference (apc) “it was decided that a single institution would not be named, the establishment would.” however, bilawal said, he will “wait for nawaz to bring forward evidence supporting his claims”.

In response to bilawal’s statements, pmL-n spokesperson mohammad Zubair said that the ppp has not had the same experiences that the pmL-n has had. during the same interview, bilawal held the incumbent government liable for the current inflation and shortage of essential food items in the country. “the country is going through a difficult period,” he said, adding “even a weakened democracy is much better than dictatorship”. the ppp chief, who is currently in gb to drum up support for the upcoming elections, said that prime minister Imran khan cannot be trusted. “Imran khan breaks all his promises. he promised to make south punjab a separate province within the first 100 days of his government,” the ppp leader said. “but he didn’t.”

‘BILAWAL’S STATEMENT HIS PERSONAL OPINION’: pmL-n on friday termed bilawal’s remarks regarding the speech of former premier nawaz during the pdm gujranwala rally as his personal point of view. while reacting to bilawal’s remarks, pmL-n spokesperson marriyum aurangzeb stated that whatever nawaz had said in his speech during pdm rally was based on facts. bilawal’s statement shows his own point of view, she added. NEWS DESK

more inside

Maryam ‘taking advantage’ of Pakistanis’ respect for women: Imran STORY ON PAGE 03

opposition alliance aims to protect vested interests: faraz STORY ON PAGE 02 remarks could be a victory speech; a biden aide said he could be declared the winner within hours.

In both pennsylvania and georgia, biden overtook trump on the strength of mail-in ballots that were cast in urban democratic strongholds including philadelphia and atlanta. hundreds of democrats gathered outside philadelphia’s downtown vote-counting site, wearing yellow shirts reading “count every vote.” In detroit, a crowd of trump supporters, some armed, protested outside the counting location, waving flags and

chanting, “fight!” with his re-election chances fading, trump escalated his baseless attacks on the results, appearing at the white house on thursday evening to falsely claim the election was being “stolen” from him. a sense of grim resignation settled in at the white house on friday, where the president was monitoring tv and talking to advisers on the phone. one adviser said it was clear the race was tilting against trump, but that trump was not ready to admit defeat.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

FO denounces Indian CDS’ remarks against Pakistan STORY ON PAGE 02

dollar falls to eightmonth low against rupee; reaches rs159.46 STORY ON PAGE 03

02

Saturday, 7 November, 2020

NEWS

BILAwAL, PTI MInISTerS Ordered TO LeAVe GILGIT-BALTISTAn wIThIn Three dAyS ISLAMABAD

T

GHULAM ABBAS

He Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) Chief Court on Friday ordered federal ministers, government officials and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal BhuttoZardari to leave the region in three days.

A two-member bench comprising Justice Malik Haq Nawaz and Justice Ali Baig announced the verdict on a petition filed over violation of the code of conduct ahead of the upcoming polls.

The court also directed GilgitBaltistan’s Chief election Commissioner Raja Shahbaz Khan, the chief minister, and the chief secretary to implement the decision immediately.

As per the court’s decision, the people of GB are self-sufficient and capable

enough to elect their own representative.

“In view of above, we, by accepting the instant writ petition, direct the Respondents to expel all then individuals from the boundary of Gilgit-Baltistan who falls within the ambit Para-18 of the Code at Conduct framed for GilgitBaltistan General elections 2020 and the definition of Holder Of Public Office, as detailed in Para-5 hereinabove within three days of the passing of this judgment,” said the verdict. earlier on Thursday, Khan had dismissed the criticism over Prime Minister Imran Khan’s address in the northern region ahead of elections, saying it “was not a political gathering”.

Shahbaz had said that the premier had participated at the Independence Day celebrations but that action would be taken against the violators of election rules.

PM Imran had come under scrutiny after he addressed a rally on Sunday where he announced provisional-provincial status for GB. While he had declined to announce any development package for the region due to the election Commission’s restrictions, he did assure the people of his government’s resolve to uplift the area. earlier, PPP leader Sherry Rehman had lamented that the prime minister and federal ministers had allegedly violated the electoral code of conduct by running political campaigns and urged the CeC to take notice. “The prime minister and a federal minister are running the campaign of their party illegally in Gilgit-Baltistan, which is a clear violation of the code of conduct of the elections and a pre-polling rigging,” she had said.

Rehman had added that the federal ministers were addressing corner meetings

and announcing development projects in the campaign, none of which was allowed after the announcement of the GB election schedule. The PPP had also written a letter to the GB CeC about Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan, Ali Amin Gandapur, allegedly violating the electoral code of conduct by campaigning in the elections for the Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaf (PTI).

“Gandapur’s speeches are being telecast by several channels in which he is shown making electoral promises to the electorate,” PPP election Cell In-charge Taj Haider had said in the letter.

Haider had stated in a letter that the Returning Officer of GBLA 16 Diamer-II Chilas had taken notice of Gandapur’s forthcoming visit and restrained him from “participating in the election campaign in any manner whatsoever”.

Jammu Massacre being repeated in Kashmir Valley to shift its Muslim-majority status: Afridi Opposition alliance aims to protect vested interests: Faraz ISLAMABAD TLTP

Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Senator Shibli Faraz has said that the alliance of opposition parties is based on vested interests and a lust for power. In a series of tweets on Friday, the information minister referred to a recent statement of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, wherein the latter talked about Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supreme leader Nawaz Sharif’s speech at Gujranwala rally of the antigovernment alliance, the Pakistan Democratic Movement. Faraz said that Bilawal has shown his distrust of Nawaz. He said that it also shows that they do not pursue a single narrative. In another tweet, Faraz said that the people of Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) have rejected the hollow narrative of the opposition. He said that the successful public meetings of Pakistan Tehreeke-Insaf (PTI) in GB and public support show public confidence in the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan and suggest the party’s electoral victory. The minister said that to include GB in the national mainstream for development is the premier’s vision and promise. Separartely, while addressing rumours about the privatisation of state-owned Pakistan Television (PTV), Faraz categorically rejected the reports. The minister, in a statement, said that PTV is being restructured as per the vision of PM Imran. “The reports regarding PTV’s privatisation are unfounded,” he stated in clear terms. He added the government is in the process of hiring new board members to run the organisation. It is noteworthy that a list of 19 stateowned entities to be privatised was presented in the Senate recently. The state-owned entities likely to be privatised included Roosevelt Hotel in New York owned

by Pakistan International Airlines, Balloki power plant, Haveli Bahadur Shah power plant, SMe Bank, First Women Bank, Pakistan Steel Mills, Pakistan engineering Company, Services International Hotel, Jinnah Convention Centre, Mari Petroleum, Nandipur power plant, State Life Insurance Corporation, Oil and Gas Development Company, Pakistan Petroleum Limited and Giddu power plant.

MIRPUR STAFF REPORT

Pakistan Parliamentary Committee on Kashmir Chairman Shehryar Khan Afridi on Friday warned that Indian regime is replicating the Jammu massacre in Muslim-majority Kashmir Valley to bring about a demographic change in Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK), adding that Pakistan would never allow this sinister plan to be executed.

Addressing a seminar held to pay tribute to the martyrs of Jammu Massacre here in Mirpur, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Afridi said that India was implementing a systematic ethnic cleansing of Muslims from IOK. He said that in 1947, in between 250,000 to 400,000 residents of Jammu - mostly Muslims - were mercilessly murdered by extremists.

The Indian state-orchestrated Jammu massacre was worst in human history after World War-II and India should be declared as a terrorist state, Afridi demanded.

He said that Jammu Martyrs' day is observed to remember the sacrifices of the martyrs when Dogra ruler's force and armed fanatics had killed Muslims in Jammu. He added that children and women were also killed and that many women were raped and kidnapped.

“The massacre of the Muslims of

Jammu is a glaring example of systematic crimes against humanity in the Illegally Indian Occupied Kashmir. Muslims of Jammu have devoted their life, wealth, dignity, relatives and business in the name of Pakistan.

The martyrs of Jammu played their part, now their struggle will be taken to logical end,” Afridi said and added that the sacrifices of Jammu martyrs “will not go waste”.

“Struggle against the Indian aggression would continue until the complete success,” he said and added that Pakistan and its people would remain at the forefront to take the Kashmiri freedom struggle to the next level. He said that those who were martyred by the Indian forces in 1947 were the actual torchbearers of Kashmir Liberation Struggle and raised slogans of accession with Pakistan. He lauded the efforts of Jammu and Kashmir Council for Human Rights in raising the voices of oppressed Kashmiris.

Responding to questions about the reports of provincial status being accorded to Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), Afridi urged Kashmiris not to be trapped in the fake news being projected by Indian media.

“The provisional provincial status to GB would be in line with the United Nations Security Council resolutions,” he asserted. “Kashmir case was for completing the agenda

of Pakistan which has been left over from history,” he said. “India would soon be disintegrated due to its increasing fault lines while the world was raising fingers over the humanitarian crisis developing in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir,” Afridi said. He said that the Kashmir Committee has formed its advisory boards to develop separate strategies on lawfare, culture, social media and digital space.

He accused the political leaders of the country of hypocrisy and lying on the issue of GB and said that during the briefing all parties had agreed to give provisional provincial status to the autonomous region for empowering the locals and development of the region.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) President of Azad Jammu and Kashmir Barrister Sultan Mehmood said that the martyrs of Jammu remind us the cause of freedom of Jammu and Kashmir and the PTI would remain the flag bearer of the Kashmiri freedom struggle.

“Pakistan had raised Kashmir issue in the United Nations Security Council thrice which was a major achievement after 55 years,” he added.

He said that despite the fact that Covid-19 had badly affected Pakistan's diplomatic struggle, Pakistan has made efforts to raise Kashmiri at all international forums.

FO denounces Indian CDS’ remarks against Pakistan ISLAMABAD TLTP

Pakistan has strongly condemned Indian Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat’s irresponsible and gratuitous remarks about Pakistan. According to Foreign Office (FO) Spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri, the Indian CDS’s unabated anti-Pakistan vitriol is reflective both of his completely flawed understanding of Pakistan’s realities as well as his patently politicised approach.

His tirade is also illustrative of the RSS-BJP mindset, a dangerous mix of extremist “Hindutva” ideology and

expansionist “Akhand Bharat” designs. The spokesperson said that it is a sad fact that this mindset has permeated the state institutions of India, including the armed forces.

The Indian CDS’s diatribe against Pakistan cannot divert attention from India’s myriad internal and external wrongdoings. As a consequence of the ‘Hindutva’ policies, religious places in India are regularly desecrated, mob lynching take place with state complicity, and persecution of minorities and disadvantaged segments grows by the day. Most notably, state-terrorism against innocent Kashmiris in Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK) is pursued by India as an instrument of state policy.

PM forms ministerial committee to remove PML-Q's reservations ISLAMABAD MIAN ABRAR

Prime Minister Imran Khan has decided to allay the reservations of its biggest ally in Centre and Punjab, Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PMLQ), by forming a ministerial committee to meet with the leaders of the party and remove their reservations. Reportedly, the prime minister took the decision after taking notice of the boycott by PML-Q of a luncheon meeting he had hosted a day back. The committee, comprising Federal Ministers Asad Umar, Pervez Khattak and Punjab Governor Chaudhary Mohammad Sarwar, is to meet the PML-Q leaders and address their concerns. They were also directed to file a report after meeting the Chaudhry brothers. Federal Minister Shafqat Mahmood confirmed the development and said that the PML-Q is an ally of the Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaaf (PTI) and they will meet soon to allay their reservations. Separately, PM Imran has also telephoned PML-Q chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain to inquire about his wellbeing after he was admitted to Services Hospital Lahore due to breathing difficulties.

IOK facing worst humanitarian crisis: Qureshi ISLAMABAD TLTP

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has said that Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK) is faced with the gravest humanitarian crisis anywhere in the world. In his message on Jammu Martyrs Day on Friday, the foreign minister said that Pakistan will not relent in its support until the Kashmiris realise their legitimate right to self-determination in accordance with the relevant resolutions of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). The foreign minister said that November 6 marks the darkest day in the history of Jammu and Kashmir.

He said on this day, 73 years ago, the Dogra Army backed by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the Indian occupation forces systematically martyred more than 237,000 Muslims in the first massive genocide in the post-World War II period.

The foreign minister said that India’s illegal and unilateral actions of 5 August 2019 are a sad continuation of the murderous intent of the Jammu massacre since they are also aimed at reducing the Muslim majority of IOK into a minority. They represent a blatant violation of the UNSC resolutions and the 4th Geneva Convention. He said that during the past seven decades, Indian occupation forces have tried every possible tool of oppression and violated every single right of the Kashmiri people. He also said that however, history stands witness to the fact that unabated Indian oppression has failed to break the will of the Kashmiri people.

COAS lauds Vanessa’s achievements RAWALPINDI STAFF REPORT

Chief of Army Staff (COAS), General Qamar Javed Bajwa has appreciated the achievements of Vanessa O’Brien, Pakistan’s goodwill ambassador, said the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Friday. The army chief also thanked her for promoting Pakistan as a goodwill ambassador during a meeting at General Headquarters (GHQ), said the ISPR. Vanessa O’Brien carried Pakistan’s national flag to the deepest point in the ocean named Challenger Deep, which is 10,293 meters down, as well as to the earth’s highest point Mount everest. Vanessa is the first woman to reach the earth’s highest and lowest points along with Pakistani flag, setting a Guinness World Record. Since 2017, Vanessa has been pro-actively promoting Pakistan’s image via tourism and foreign investment. She also works with private and public organizations to help facilitate them.

Saturday, 7 November, 2020

NEWS

MaRyaM 'taking advantagE' of Pakistanis' REsPEct foR WoMEn: iMRan

P

NEWS DESK

RIME Minister Imran Khan said that Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz was “taking advantage” of Pakistan’s respect for women and using it to get away with using offensive language against the military

Wheat support price increased to Rs1,650 ISLAMABAD SHAHZAD PARACHA

The federal government on Friday enhanced wheat support price to Rs1,650 per 40kg for the next crop. The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet, during a special meeting held under the chairmanship of Adviser to Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, approved the MSP for wheat crop at Rs1,650 per 40kg. The committee, in its meeting held on October 26, had fixed the support price at Rs1,600.

On Friday, the ECC took key decisions with regard to demand and supply of wheat so as to stabilize the local market and reduce wheat flour prices across the country. A coordination committee was constituted to deal with import of wheat and its logistics and distribution to the recipient agencies on the direction of the prime minister. The committee would be chaired by Dr Hafeez Shaikh and would include Advisor to PM on Institutional Reforms Dr Ishrat Hussain, Industries & Production Minister Hammad Azhar, Special Assistant to PM on Revenue Dr Waqar Masood, National Food Security & Research Minister Syed Fakhar Imam and State Bank of Pakistan Governor Dr Reza Baqir. The Economic Coordination Committee maintained wheat release price at Rs1,475 per 40kg while the chair also approved the grinding ratio of wheat at the base level of 70:30. It was further decided that the ratio for the refined varieties of wheat flour would be decided by the coordination committee later. The forum also approved aggregate release of wheat at 38,000MT per day to the flour mills. This included 25,000MT by Punjab, 8,000MT

by Sindh, 4,000MT by KP and 1,000MT by Balochistan. Meanwhile, the committee okayed Punjab government's request to provide additional 0.7MMT of wheat, of which 0.4MMT would be imported by Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP).

Lastly, a technical supplementary grant for the settlement of outstanding dues of nonlitigant retired employees of Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM), amounting to Rs11.680 billion, was approved by the committee.

leadership.

The above was said after the Sehat Sahulat Card Programme’s inauguration in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).

“I assure you, if it had been another country, she would have been thrown into jail. But because we respect women here, she is allowed to speak openly,” the premier said on the occasion.

PM Imran said that Maryam continued to disrespect the military, who were laying down their lives every day, during a time when the BJP party in India and its “extremist” Prime Minister Narendra Modi, were oppressing the people of Kashmir and threatening Pakistan.

The premier reiterated his stance on not giving the opposition and NRO, and referred

to the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) as the “biggest thieves” who were trying to protect themselves.

The premier pointed out that PML-N supreme leader Nawaz Sharif and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, had accused each other of being corrupt for the past three decades, but had now joined hands.

During GB rally, Maryam says Imran ‘carries a begging bowl’ NEWS DESK Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz took jabs at Prime Minister Imran Khan during a rally in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), saying that the premier would not stand with the people.

Addressing a rally in Skardu, the PML-N VP said, “Someone who does not have honour, who carries a begging bowl, who is brought into power and run by someone else, who cannot stand for his right and respect… that person will not stand for you.”

Maryam claimed that PM Imran was hoping to get an NRO, but stated that he would not get one.

She once again accused the premier of having rigged the 2018 elections, but said that Pakistan had changed in the past two years.

These comments come shortly after the prime minister granted provisional province status to GB. “If PML-N loses due to rigging, then neither GilgitBaltistan nor Pakistan will accept that outcome,” she warned, adding that the only way out of Pakistan’s problems is through Nawaz’s leadership.

“The people of Ganche district know that Nawaz worked for three years trying to making GB a province.

Nawaz worked on it and the world will see that Nawaz will make GB a province,” she said, adding that the PML-N supreme leader had fulfilled all the promises he had made, unlike the premier.

Maryam referred to Imran as an “entertainer” and a “jackal”. She said that he talked about creating 10 million jobs, while 15 million were unemployed.

“He used to say he wouldn’t develop the ‘Jangla Bus’,” she recalled, referring to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s

(KP) Bus Rapid Transit project. “But then he made it.”

“And now those buses are catching fire every day,” Maryam observed. “Neither is he able to run the economy nor do his buses work properly. He rewards his friends through wheat and sugar [crises] then forms commissions,” she added.

Furthermore, she stated that PM Imran had gone from the “selected” to the “rejected”.

On the occasion, she also lashed out against the “turncoats” of the PML-N, who had left the party to join the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

“Lotay do not belong inside boxes, these lotay belong in the bathrooms. These lotay, who go limp under pressure from the selectors and the selected, cannot take a stand for the people,” the PML-N leader said, urging her supports not to vote for them during the elections. “[They] do not deserve the right to ask for votes,” she said.

“Vote thieves have begun circling GB. Whenever they see PML-N or Nawaz winning, they start carrying out rigging. They have taken away nine of our candidates. You can take away our candidates, but you cannot buy the people of GB,” Maryam added.

“I beg Nawaz Sharif, Khaqan Abbasi, Pervez Rasheed, and Barjees Tahir not to give tickets to any lotay in future,” said the PML-N VP at the rally.

She added that those who had done wrong in the past would “face a public outrage and anger led not by Maryam but by you, my youth”.

She will also address public gatherings in Ghokooch, Astor and Chilas on November 8, 10 and 11, respectively.

She will also meet party ticket-holders, officials, workers and supporters.

Govt to introduce 5G technology soon: Amin KARACHI STAFF REPORT

Information Technology and Telecommunication Minister Syed Aminul Haque has said that progress in modern technology can be a milestone for economic development of the country.

Addressing a ceremony of the National Incubator Centre here at Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology (SSUET) on Friday, he said that Digital Pakistan is the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan under which connectivity in all cities of the country will be strengthened.

The federal minister said that the IT Ministry is undergoing revolutionary changes and the government would introduce 5G technology soon. He said that 5G would prove to be an economic milestone for the country.

Haque said that the number of national incubator

centres in the country will be increased in the country as at present there are four such centres working in the country.

He refuted the impression that the IT ministry is not working in Sindh. “The government is serving the masses without any discrimination, keeping aside all political, linguistic and other discrimination.”

The minister said that the IT ministry continued working during the outbreak of pandemic Covid-19.

Assuring youth of every possible help by the government, the minister urged the skilled youth to utilise their skills for the benefit of the country.

He lauded the services of SSUET Vice Chancellor Javed Anwar and expressed the hope that the varsity, under dynamic leadership of its vice chancellor, would soon become one of the best universities of the country. Haque announced to extend full support regarding the IT sector to any varsity of the country including SSUET.

Dollar falls to eight-month low against rupee; reaches Rs159.46 NEWS DESK Pakistani Rupee continued its winning streak against the US Dollar in the interbank market, gaining another 37 paisas on Friday to bring down the value of the greenback back to the level of March 13, 2020. According to a tweet of the State Bank of Pakistan, the US Dollar opened at Rs159.46 and closed at Rs159.09. PKR has gained Rs1.17 against the greenback during this week while it strengthened by Rs1.11 against the dollar last week. “Uptick in remittance inflows ($2 billion per month since the beginning of FY21), a quarterly current account surplus ($792 million) after more than five years (last time a surplus was recorded was in 3QFY15) against a deficit of $1.49 billion in the same period last year coupled with the dollar depreciating against all major currencies (the dollar index is down 10pc since March) are some of the factors that led to appreciation of the rupee,” said Sana Tawfiq, analyst at Arif Habib Ltd. The deferment of $1.8bn loan repayment to G20 till December 2020 – with a further relaxation anticipated till June 2021 – and expected improvement in inflows with the launch of Roshan Digital Account have also helped stabilise the exchange rate, she added.

03

“One goes to London and acts like he is very ill and we all feel sorry for him,” he said, referring to PML-N supremo and Maryam’s father Nawaz. “Even the courts felt sorry for him and asked the government to allow him to go abroad. I asked the courts to at least take guarantee of Rs7 billion from him but eventually, he went abroad.”

PM Imran said that Nawaz was trying to get the army to have a mutiny against its chief in order to protect his money, and asked: “Who could be a bigger enemy of the country?”

He said that the only way for the country to progress was based on the rule of law, adding that the government was trying to turn Pakistan into a welfare state based on the model of the State of Medina.

Economic activities at tourist spots must benefit local people: PM SWAT TLTP

Prime Minister Imran Khan has directed the authorities concerned to ensure that local people get maximum benefit of economic activities at tourist places. Speaking at a briefing on Friday about steps taken by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government to promote tourism in the province, the prime minister further directed to observe cleanliness at tourist spots and unnecessary construction be avoided to maintain natural beauty.

He instructed that consultants of international repute should be hired to further develop tourism spots and start economic activities there. He advised the provincial government to take extra care of local people, while developing tourist places so that they can be benefited to the maximum. The premier was briefed that environment friendly camping pods have been opened for tourists in Gabeen Jabba since August this year, which multiplied economic activities with arrival of more tourists, besides earning revenue. It was said that 100 pods have been installed at various tourist sites of the province, whereas 90 additional pods are reaching Pakistan with the cooperation of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). It was told that a plan has been formulated under which 500 families will be given soft loans worth 400,000 rupees per family, enabling them to spare a room of their houses, equipped with necessary facilities, for tourists. It was informed that work is underway to establish environment friendly modern tourist spots on thousands of kanals of land at Mansehra, Abbottabad, and Swat with the cooperation of the World Bank. It was said that events like skiing, snow marathon, and snowboarding will be organized at Chitral, Malam Jabba, and Kaghan in February next year. Special Tourism Authorities have been established at Kalam, Kumrat, and Kalash in KP. The meeting was also briefed about construction of linking roads worth 372 kilometres long and 14-kilometre-long Kumrat Cable. Earlier, KP Chief Minister Mehmood Khan welcomed the Prime Minister at Gabeen Jabba area of Swat district.

Saturday, 7 November, 2020

04 NEWS

CDWP APPRoves 26MW HyDRoPoWeR PRojeCt in GB AFteR 11-yeAR DelAy ISLAMABAD

A

GHULAM ABBAS

FTER a lapse of more than 11 years, the Central Working Development Party (CDWP) has finally approved a 26MW hydropower project in Skardu, which would be completed under the federal Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP).

The Shagharthang Hydropower Project, which was initially approved in 2009 at an estimated cost of Rs3.356 billion, would now be completed at Rs8.616 billion.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) had agreed to fund two hydropower projects in GB, including Shagharthang Hydropower Project and Thak Chilas Hydropower Project, under Renewable Energy Development Sector Investment Pro-

SHAGHARTHANG HYDROPOWER PROJECT, WHICH WAS INITIALLY APPROVED IN 2009 AT AN ESTIMATED COST OF RS3.3BN, WILL NOW BE COMPLETED AT RS8.6BN gramme. However, due to some bureaucratic hurdle and opposition from India, the loan agreement for the said project could not be materialized.

Since then, official sources said, the project has been facing continuous delay despite appointment of a project director and other staff, "who were being paid for doing nothing". The important project, which was aimed at catering to the electricity demand of Skardu and surrounding areas, has been a demand of the area in every election, they added.

According to available documents, the Ministry of Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit Baltistan had earlier informed the Ministry of Planning that the Economic Affairs Division and Water and Development Authority (WAPDA) could not arrange funding for the important project, which was why the same needed to be funded through PSDP, as the area (Skardu) was desperately in need of additional power supply.

The objective of the project was to construct a run-of-the-river hydropower

project at Shagnarthang (26MW) in order to provide electricity to the consumers of Skardu valley from Basho to Sermik village on banks of the Indus River.

The project was originally approved on 20th Aug 2009 at a total cost of Rs3.356 546 million. The 1st revised PC-I of the project was approved by the Executive Committee of National Economic Council (ECNEC) on 11th Nov 2011 at a cost of Rs4.843 720 million while the 2nd revised PC-I was submitted to the Planning Commission at an enhanced cost of Rs8,616 014.

The CDWP on 30th Sept 2015 deferred the same and constituted a committee to evolve a proper mechanism for sale of energy, cost sharing formula and mode of financing and submitted its recommendations to the forum for consideration/approval. However, the matter remained unresolved for many years.

FBR amends Annex-H filing timeframe for commercial exporters ISLAMABAD TLTP

The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) on Friday amended the timeframe to file AnnexH for commercial exporters. In a statement, the FBR said that commercial exporters are an important limb of the overall export body of Pakistan. Availability of Exports Proceeds Realization Certificate also known as Bank Credit Advice (BCA) is one of the important checks that are required for processing of sales tax refund claims of commercial exporters. According to the statement, during recent meeting of Dr Muhammad Ashfaq Ahmed, Member (IR Operation), with export bodies at Karachi, it was noted that in case of commercial exports, BCA is generally received in six months (one hundred and eighty days) and this time frame is also recognized by the State Bank of Pakistan. The Refund Rules, however, require filing of refund claims within 4 months (one hundred and twenty days) for all types of exporters.

This was a difficulty specific to commercial exporters and the FBR has amended the time frame for filing Annex-H to facilitate the commercial exporters. It is believed that this step would encourage and facilitate them and help exporters to find new markets and expand Pakistan's export base at a rapid pace, concluded the statement.

FBR issues procedure for oversight committee to settle cases NEWS DESK

LAHORE: A view of traffic jam on Ferozpur Road in the provincial capital. Lately, the traffic situation in the metropolis has been worsening. ZUBAIR MEHFOOZ

NBP employees’ benefits increase by Rs 2.57bn in a year ISLAMABAD SHAHZAD PARACHA

The National Bank of Pakistan's employee-related benefits surged to Rs2.574 billion in one year, according to the bank's financial statements for the period ended September 30, 2020.

As per details, the compensations (including salary and other benefits) of NBP employees increased from Rs27.779 billion in September 2019 to Rs30.353 billion in September 2020.

Sources said that the NBP management had hired a number of contractual employees on hefty salaries, which was why the expense in the 'employee benefits' head jumped over Rs2 billion. Overall, around 3,800 employees

were currently working at NBP on three-year contracts.

Meanwhile, the bank's Inclusive Development Group (IDG) losses reached Rs5.945 billion from Rs1.6 billion in just one quarter. Sources said that the NBP president and board of directors had approved restructuring of the bank and in this regard created the IDG. This group managed loans including agricultural credit, SME financing, commercial financing and housing sector finance.

In addition, despite shifting the government business to corporate group, which handles more than 70pc of advances, the losses of this group increased from Rs4.563 billion to Rs10.332 billion in just three months.

On the other hand, international banking group profit was Rs455 million in June 2020, which dropped to Rs133

million in September 2020 despite the fact that profit earning home remittance function was added to this group.

Moreover, the bank's operational expenses with reference to September 2019 also reflected an unusual increase of Rs3.220 billion. In September 2019, the figure stood at Rs42.415 billion while in September 2020, it wwelled to Rs45.635 billion.

During the current management's tenure, the Bank’s penalties increased drastically from Rs124.557 million in September 2019 to Rs295.692 million in September 2020.

But the most alarming figure remained the increase in non-performing loans, which was Rs20 billion higher than the September 2019. Sources said that the main reason for this increase was the lack of monitoring of loans and seriousness shown by the head office.

The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) on Friday issued procedure for assessment oversight committee to resolve cases of settlement filed against assessment notices.

The FBR issued SRO 1184(I)/2020 to notify the rules. Previously, the board had issued draft rules through SRO 957(I)/2020 on October 2, 2020, to seek input from stakeholders. The FBR introduced Rule 231CA to the Income Tax Rules, 2002, for procedures for assessment oversight committee that shall apply to all cases of settlement filed under Section 122D (agreed assessment in certain cases) of Income Tax Ordinance, 2001. As per the rule, a settlement application shall be made electronically by the applicant in person or by his authorized representative, under Section 122D for agreed assessment of the committee on IRS web portal. A settlement application shall be preferred to the committee after the date of service of the notice issued under sub section (9) of Section 122 of the Ordinance and before finalization of assessment. The commissioner shall not conclude assessment proceedings under section 122 if an application, made against the notice issued under sub section (9) of section 122, lies pending before the committee. The committee, after examination of the contents of an application submitted by an applicant and facts stated therein and on scrutiny of requisitioned record, if any, shall afford the opportunity of being heard to the applicant in writing. The committee shall finalize the applications filed under section 122D of the Ordinance within thirty days of receipt of application or within an extended period of sixty days, for reasons to be recorded in writing by the committee.

Chinese envoy discusses CPEC, bilateral ties with Asim Bajwa ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

China’s Ambassador to Pakistan Nong Rong called on China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Authority Chairman Asim Bajwa and exchanged in-depth views on bilateral relations and the construction of the CPEC. Minister Counsellor Pang Chunxue, Chief Executive Officer of Corridor Affairs Authority Ali Sha were present.

“The chairman warmly welcomes Ambassador Nong to take up his new post, saying that the traditional friendship between Pakistan and China is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people and will grow stronger over time.

CPEC is an important project to change the destiny of Pakistan, and it has received the heartfelt support of the Pakistani government and people.

The CPEC Authority is committed to providing a windowed one-stop service for the corridor project, and is willing to further strengthen communication and coor-

dination with China to jointly promote new progress in cooperation in important areas such as Gwadar Port, infrastructure, industry, agriculture, social-economy, and will Effectively protect the safety of CPEC projects and personnel so that the corridor can exert greater economic

and social benefits and better benefit the people of the two countries,” read a statement issued by the Chinese Embassy in Islamabad.

Ambassador Nong appreciated chairman’s firm support for Pakistan-China relations, and thanked him and the CPEC Authority for their work. Nong said that China and Pakistan are all-weather strategic partners, and the CPEC is a pilot project of all-round cooperation between the two countries. With the care and support of the top leaders of the two countries, the construction of the CPEC has continuously achieved positive results. the embassy in Pakistan is willing to strengthen communication and cooperation with the authority, further implement the consensus of the leaders of the two countries, actively prepare for the 10th JCC, deepen and expand cooperation in the areas of industrial parks, agriculture, and social-economy under CPEC and build the CPEC into a model for highquality development of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the statement added.

Saturday, 7 November, 2020

NewS

Biden close to White House victory as he builds leads in Pennsylvania, Georgia continued from page 01

HoW Billionaire Jack Ma fell to eartH and took ant's MeGa iPo WitH HiM SINGAPORE

His campaign is pursuing a series of lawsuits across battleground states, but legal experts described them as unlikely to succeed in altering the election outcome. The campaign’s general counsel, Matt Morgan, asserted in a statement on Friday that the elections in Georgia, Nevada and Pennsylvania all suffered from improprieties and that Trump would eventually prevail in Arizona. “This election is not over,” he said. “Biden is relying on these states for his phony claim on the White House, but once the election is final, President Trump will be re-elected.”

He also said the campaign expected to pursue a recount in Georgia, as it has said it will do in Wisconsin, where Biden won by more than 20,000 votes. A margin that wide has never been overturned by a recount, according to Edison Research. Election officials across the nation have said they are unaware of any significant irregularities. Georgia officials said on Friday they expect a recount, which can be requested by a candidate if the final margin is less than 0.5%, as it currently is. Biden expressed confidence on Thursday he would win and urged patience. In response to the idea that Trump might not concede, Biden spokesman Andrew Bates said in a statement on Friday, “The United States government is perfectly capable of escorting trespassers out of the White House.”

BIDEN MOMENTUM: The close election has underscored the nation’s deep political divides, and if he wins Biden will likely face a difficult task governing in a deeply polarized Washington.

Republicans could keep control of the U.S. Senate pending the outcome of four undecided Senate races, including two in Georgia, and they would likely block large parts of his legislative agenda, including expanding healthcare and fighting climate change. The presidential winner will confront a pandemic that has killed more than 235,000 people in the United States and left millions more out of work, and a country grappling with the aftermath of months of unrest over racism and police brutality. In Pennsylvania, Biden moved ahead of Trump for the first time and had a lead of 9,746 votes by late Friday morning while in Georgia, he was 1,579 votes ahead. Both margins were expected to grow as additional ballots were tallied.

Biden, 77, would be the first Democrat to win Georgia since fellow Democrat Bill Clinton in 1992. In Arizona, Biden’s lead grew slightly on Friday to 43,779 votes, and in Nevada his margin jumped to 20,552. Pennsylvania, one of three traditionally Democratic states along with Michigan and Wisconsin that handed Trump his 2016 victory, had long been seen as crucial to the 2020 race, and both candidates lavished enormous sums of money and time on the state. Trump, 74, has sought to portray as fraudulent the slow counting of mail-in ballots, which surged in popularity due to fears of exposure to the coronavirus through in-person voting. States have historically taken time after Election Day to tally all votes, although in most presidential elections the gap between candidates has been big enough that television networks project the winner before counting formally ends. Trump fired off several tweets in the early morning hours on Friday, repeating his unsubstantiated claims of fraud. “I easily WIN the Presidency of the United States with LEGAL VOTES CAST,” he said on Twitter, without offering any evidence that any illegal votes have been cast.

Twitter flagged the post as possibly misleading, something it has done to numerous posts by Trump since Election Day. In an extraordinary assault on the democratic process from the White House on Thursday, Trump lambasted election workers and advanced unsupported allegations of rigged vote counts. Several networks cut away from his remarks to correct his misstatements in real-time. Biden, who earlier in the day urged patience as votes were counted, responded to Trump’s remarks on Twitter: “No one is going to take our democracy away from us. Not now, not ever.” Trump supporters, some carrying guns, ramped up their demonstrations against the process on Thursday night. In Arizona, Trump and Biden supporters briefly scuffled outside the Maricopa County Elections Department in Phoenix. In Philadelphia, police said they arrested one man and seized a weapon as part of an investigation into a purported plot to attack the city’s Pennsylvania Convention Center, where votes were being counted.

05

c

AGENCIES

ORPORATE China’s shiniest star was just days away from seeing his Ant Group list on the stock market in a record $37 billion deal, when he chose to launch a blistering public attack on the country’s financial watchdogs and banks.

The regulatory system was stifling innovation and must be reformed to fuel growth, billionaire Ma told a summit in Shanghai on Oct. 24 attended by the great and the good of China’s financial, regulatory and political establishment. Chinese banks, he said, operated with a “pawnshop” mentality.

It was this speech that set off a chain of events that ultimately torpedoed the listing of Ant, the fintech titan Ma founded, according to interviews with government officials, company executives and investors. They all requested anonymity to disclose confidential details.

Stung by the attack, Chinese regulators and Communist Party officials set about reining in Ma’s sprawling financial empire, culminating in the suspension of the IPO on Tuesday, two days before the eagerly awaited market debut in Shanghai and Hong Kong, the sources said.

While Ma might not have realised the impact his words would have, people close to him had been baffled to learn in advance about the tone of the speech he planned to deliver, according to two sources close to Ma. They suggested the 56-year-old soften his remarks as some of China’s most senior financial regulators were due to attend, but he refused to budge, believing he should be able to say what he wanted, the sources said.

“Jack is Jack. He just wanted to speak his mind,” said one of the people.

It was a costly miscalculation.

Several senior financial regulatory officials were furious at Ma’s criticism, two sources told Reuters, with one source characterising the speech as a “punch in their faces”.

State regulators started compiling reports including one on how Ant had used digital financial products like Huabei, a virtual credit card service, to encourage poor and young people to build up debt, according to the two people.

THEY SAY TALK IS CHEAP. TELL THAT TO JACK MA The general office of the State Council compiled a report on public sentiment about Ma’s speech and submitted it to senior leaders including President Xi Jinping, the sources said.

Some of the reports indicated public sentiment was negative on Ma and his remarks, the people said.

Top Chinese leaders then became more involved and asked for a thorough investigation of the company’s business activities, which eventually led to the halting of the world’s biggest IPO, three of the sources said.

The People’s Bank of China (PBOC), the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission, China Securities Regulatory Commission, the State Administration of Foreign Exchange，and the State Council Information Office did not immediately reply to Reuters requests for comment.

Ma could not immediately be reached by Reuters for comment and e-commerce group Alibaba, which handles media inquiries for Ma, did not respond to a request for comment on this story from its lead founder.

The chance of the flotation getting back on track in the near-term is slim, according to six of the people, as regulators look to tighten scrutiny of the company. No listing is expected for at least the next few months, two said.

SCRUTINY INTENSIFIES: It was a stunning reversal for Ma, who would have added at least $27 billion to his net worth from the IPO. In years gone by, most regulators had left the billionaire to his own devices, partly because of his close ties to some senior government officials, according to five of the sources, but also because of national pride in his success.

Ma, a former English teacher, is one of China’s internet pioneers, building an e-commerce empire with Alibaba and a fintech giant with Ant. When the PBOC tried to regulate Ant’s payment and wealth management business about five years ago, Ma bypassed the central bank after failing to reach a consensus with regulatory officials and lobbied the central government. The PBOC later dropped those regulation plans.

“Jack Ma did not bypass the customary process of communicating with relevant regulators regarding Ant’s payment and wealth management business,” Ant’s spokeswoman said in an emailed response to Reuters.

But with his Oct. 24 speech, Ma misjudged the shifting priorities of Beijing, according to one senior regulatory source, believing he could challenge the financial establishment yet retain the support of the central leadership.

The bigger picture was that one of the government’s main aims this year is to shore up the country’s financial sector and tighten regulatory oversight to prevent systemic risks in a pandemic-hit economy, the person said.

Even before Ma’s speech, Chinese regulators were gradually increasing their oversight of Ant, which has largely thrived as a technology platform free from costly banking regulations despite its bouquet of financial offerings.

The scrutiny has particularly intensified for the company’s rapidly growing online consumer-lending business, a cash cow, which sources demand from retail consumers and small businesses and passes that on to about 100 banks for underwriting.

REGULATORS MAKE MOVE: The Shanghai speech was the trigger for a major escalation, according to half of the dozen people interviewed, prompting senior political officials to ask regulators, including the central bank and China’s top banking regulator, for the thorough review of Ant’s businesses.

The watchdogs, who had for years wanted to rein in Ma’s fintech empire, moved fast after receiving written instructions from officials including Vice Premier Liu He, a trusted economic adviser to President Xi, said two of the people.

The State Council Information Office did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment from Liu. As part of this drive, regulatory officials rushed to publish a consultation paper this Monday to tighten rules for the country’s micro-lending business, which directly impacts Ant, said one person with direct knowledge.

The draft requires micro-lenders to fund at least 30% of any loan they fund jointly with banks. Only 2% of the loans Ant had facilitated as of end-June were on its balance sheet, its IPO prospectus showed.

Renault takes on 'range anxiety' in electric sales push. But it's a long road READING AGENCIES

Steve Tomlin, who runs a Renault dealership in Britain, says sales of the Zoe small electric car have shot up this year, a turnaround he partly puts down to a fading of “range anxiety”, the fear of running out of power mid-journey.

The revamped model, which has accounted for a third of Tomlin’s sales for a couple of months this year, has a range of 400 km (249-mile). By contrast the previous model, which drew much lower sales, offered 300 km when fully charged.

“Range anxiety has gone away and once you explain how easy it is to live day to day with an electric vehicle, that has a big impact on sales,” said Tomlin, general manager of Martins Renault & Dacia in Reading, about 65 km west of London.

Renault told Reuters that UK sales of the Zoe had more than doubled this year, and that in France its zero-emission cars had outsold its diesel models this year through to the end of September - 19% versus 18% - in a significant milestone.

The company said it had trained 30,000 dealer staff across Europe on electric-vehicle technology.

“At the beginning, we were facing some psychological barrier linked to auton-

omy: oh la la, am I going to have a breakdown, I won’t have any more electricity,” said Denis le Vot, Renault’s head of sales.

“We learned these lessons very well.”

Yet there’s a hard road ahead, and range and staff training is not enough.

High battery costs and lack of manufacturing scale mean electric vehicles (EVs) are still more expensive than conventional vehicles - often in the region of 2030% more.

This means Renault and other automakers rely on government subsidies to support demand, but such aid is patchy across Europe.

Battery costs are, however, expected to fall further, meaning some EVs should cost same as or less than combustion-engine models around the middle of this decade, according to industry experts.

“The first firms to achieve the ultimate goal - an affordable, unsubsidized electric vehicle - will gain a valuable competitive advantage,” Bain & Company said in an Oct. 29 report.

Until then, carmakers need to sustain electric sales and build up production muscle, but avoid overstretching their finances while they sell a lower-margin product.

Renault said its approach relied on making use of government subsidies and offering discounts on EVs, installing free

charging stations for customers, along with the staff training.

In France, government subsidies, combined with a scrappage scheme and discounts from Renault, can shave up to 11,500 euros ($13,600) - more than a third - off the price of the Zoe, for example.

INTENSE COMPETITION: Aside from the financial pressures and the challenges of changing decades-old consumer behaviour, however, Renault also faces fierce competition at a time when all carmakers have to build up EV sales to meet strict EU emissions limits.

The Zoe may be accruing sales, but it was still a distant second to Tesla's Model 3 globally in the first half of this year, while the race is intensifying as carmakers from Volkswagen AG VOWG_p.DE to Toyota Motor Corp invest hundreds of billions of dollars to flood the market with new models.

Transport & Environment, a group campaigning for cleaner travel, estimates EVs will triple their market share in Europe this year, after making up 8% of European car sales in the first half of 2020.

“What has changed this year is not the subsidies but the fact that carmakers have invested in and brought forward adequately-priced vehicles with adequate performance,” said Julia Poliscanova,

Transport & Environment’s senior director for vehicles.

SUBSIDIES DRIVE SALES: Yet, for the foreseeable future, subsidies are crucial.

“Whether it’s China or elsewhere, you still need a government mandate and support for EVs,” said Terrence Curtin, CEO of auto supplier TE Connectivity Ltd. Norway has shown that huge subsidies for EVs, including tax breaks and low road tolls, have worked so well that a typical buyer of a small electric Nissan Leaf is “an average working man aged 30 to 50,” according to Frode Lehne, head of Mobile Skøyen AS, a Nissan Motor Co dealership in Oslo.

Ulf Tore Hekneby, a managing director at Harald A. Moller AS, which imports many Volkswagen group brands into Norway, said 91% of the Audis and 58% of the VW brand cars the company sold in Norway this year to September were electric.

Some European governments are upping their commitments.

Germany, for instance, doubled its electric car subsidies to 6,000 euros in the summer as part of a recovery plan for an auto industry hit hard by the pandemic, while France also raised its subsidy to 7,000 euros from 6,000.

Pandemic protests test Putin's influence in ex-Soviet space BISHKEK AGENCIES

When mobs stormed government buildings and hounded the president from office in the Central Asian republic of Kyrgyzstan after disputed elections last month, Vladimir Putin seemed unimpressed.

“Every time they have an election, they practically have a coup,” Putin told the Valdai discussion club, a gathering of Russian experts, by video conference from his residence. “This is not funny.”

The observation may be valid: Kyrgyzstan, a parliamentary democracy on paper, has experienced three revolutions in the past two decades. But this latest revolution, as the stories of Kyrgyz people like Ulan Kudaiberdiyev reveal, was different.

In March, at the start of a coronavirus lockdown, Kudaiberdiyev lost his job driving taxis in the capital Bishkek. That left his family of eight with zero income for the seven-week period.

By the time the taxi-driver’s mother Rakya got sick with Covid-19, state hospitals

in the former Soviet republic were full. In a gold-rich country where the official wage is less than $250 a month, the family had to borrow money to pay for someone to come in to give her drugs via intravenous drips.

“We just scraped by,” Rakya, 75, told Reuters. Lockdown has been harsh for millions worldwide, and protests are mounting as restrictions multiply. Kyrgyzstan, a state of 6.5 million, is not the only former Soviet republic where they recently caught fire, underlining the fragility of Moscow’s grasp in a region it once controlled.

The Kyrgyz outbreak also shows how quickly economic shock and political frustration in the pandemic can escalate into chaos - and how swiftly Moscow can act to reassert control.

DIFFICULTIES: Putin was already facing a Covid-fuelled political crisis some 4,500 km to the west in Belarus, another ex-Soviet state, where truculent ally and veteran leader Alexander Lukashenko had dismissed the disease, telling people to drink vodka to ward it off.

That attitude angered Belarusian voters, who first mobilised in March to protect

themselves from the virus, then challenged his election victory with rolling street protests that have continued.

Putin’s grip on the ex-Soviet space has also been shaken by a flare-up in the decades-long conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the enclave of NagornoKarabakh. The fighting - the most violent since bloody ethnic unrest in the 1990s does not seem linked to the pandemic, but has seen regional rival Turkey trying to muscle into an area Moscow has long regarded as its own domain.

Saturday, 7 November, 2020

06 COMMENT

Capitalism: Pakistan’s real worry

Post-truth world of American populism Where false claims are more reliable than objective realities

Because of the India-factor, Pakistan became a security-state

W

HiLE politicians all over the world have long massaged the truth to their own benefit, the practice has been taken to a qualitatively much higher level during the ongoing US presidential elections

by President donald Trump. For Mr Trump, denying scientific facts, spreading disinformation and making claims that not only contradict one another but actually turn out to be false, are perfectly legitimate if these help him achieve his goals.

What is more, Trump has a fairly large following that believes in whatever he says without caring to check its authenticity. a highly aggressive fanaticism characterises the lot. President Trump declared victory on Wednesday while millions of votes were yet to be counted including those in key battleground states. He wanted the counting to stop. as it continued as required by law, Trump claimed, without evidence, that he was a victim of mass fraud.

Following the warning given by epidemiologists, an extra-large number of rival Joe Biden’s voters opted for mail-in ballots, the safest way to vote during a pandemic.

Most of Trump’s followers, being disdainful of director national institute of allergy and infectious diseases director anthony Fauci’s advice, decided instead to stand in the queues to vote . as mail-in ballots began to reduce his leads in crucial states, Trump once again demanded a stop to the counting. interestingly, Trump’s supporters and campaign wanted voting to be halted only where he was leading but demanded that it continue in states where he was trailing.

There were demonstrations by Trump’s supporters in numerous cities on Thursday night against an election they believed was rigged or being stolen. Videos showed numerous protestors carrying weapons and shouting racist slogans. There were attempts by mobs to enter the ballot counting centers to ensure that only ballots they considered genuine were counted. Facebook removed on Thursday the so-called “Stop the Steal” group, calling for “boots on the ground to protect the integrity of the vote.”

Some of the group members gave calls for violence.

Whatever the outcome of the presidential election, the poison injected by President Trump’s campaign in american society has caused estrangement among family members, neighbours, colleagues and friends as never before. instead of creating bridges, Trump has raised walls between sections of people.

Dr Noor ul HuDa

“I

ndian agent” is our favorite buzzword. These days, the show-stopper argument in the political drag-race is to prove beyond doubt how one’s rival has pleased narendra Modi. and the mike drops. it appears in bad humour to wonder how Modi’s happiness has become such an over-rated phenomenon. a man’s happiness, after all, shouldn’t be so complex.

The argument probably holds teeth that the india-factor stands behind most of Pakistan’s troubles. However, Pakistan is much greater than playing second-fiddle to any ‘factor’, and Pakistanis are empowered to shape their own destinies in the face of any ‘factor.’ The corollary follows that the reactions of our leadership to the problems created by india, more than those problems themselves, have actually hampered Pakistan’s progress greatly in the longer run. a case in point is Pakistan’s siding with the USa during the Cold War, due to existential threats from india, and the consequent ‘security-state’ that came into being. india, meanwhile, claimed diplomatic superiority by pioneering the non-aligned Movement. Calling this tilt towards the USa a strategic mistake would be a cognitive bias, since none of us today can imagine the burden of sheltering a newly-born state in a hostile neighborhood.

However, an unbiased analysis leads to the conclusion that this attempt to ensure state security brought many perils of itself. aid never comes as a solitary visitor; it arrives with the caveats of subterranean values and grafts of ill-fitting cultures. as the general scheme of things went in the Cold-War era, Uncle Sam’s gifts to Pakistan came with a culture of capitalism and neo-liberal economics. in today’s post-covid-19 world, even the Western economic geniuses are calling for a rollback on neo-liberalism. in the case of Pakistan, the reasons to do so are even more nuanced. a Hadith narrates that, “The biggest trial of my Ummah would be wealth.” Undoubtedly, this hadith has stood the test of time. Today, everything is subservient to the economy. Education, gender, environment, religion, politics; name anything, and it will be found serving only the economic ends. in Pakistan, education is attained merely for the prospects of a better job and degrees are upgraded as a bid to upward economic mobility. Sons are pre-

Lunch with the PM The allies may not be going anywhere, but their cribbing is not over

Eroding strategic stability in region

P

RiME Minister imran Khan’s hosting of a lunch for his PTi government’s allies was not really an unqualified success, not with the largest ally, the PML(Q) staying away. However, he can take comfort from the fact that the allies do not seem to be going anywhere. it seems that the Gda, the MQM, and even the PML(Q) have not yet received a signal from the quarters that gave them the signal to join the coalition in the first place two years ago. The allies did not seem interested in the spiel Mr Khan gave them, one which has becoming increasingly familiar, about not letting the opposition have an nRO, and not compromising on accountability.

There was a greater interest in complaining about the lack of attention they were getting from provincial governments. The complaints of the Gda and the MQM were particularly strident, particularly as they were, along with the PTi, in opposition in Sindh. The JWP had its own complaints about Balochistan, and has threatened to leave the coalition if the promises made to it were not kept.

However, these complaints are not new, though Mr Khan has precluded the usual route of giving allies’ Mnas and MPas development funds, because of his wish to maintain a squeaky-clean image. The problem with this policy is that it means that Mr Khan develops no ties of his own to these parties, and continues to depend on those who delivered them in the first place. However, a common thread among the allies was worry at rising prices. That issue had earlier been raised by PTi ministers and Mnas worried, like the allies, for their seats.

However, Mr Khan should not assume that he can afford to ignore the allies, and get away with nothing more substantial than the occasional meal like this lunch.

Clearly, there is no signal, but it should not be forgotten that the allies will fill the ears of the handlers with ideas detrimental to Mr Khan, which might persuade them, in combination with the current PdM movement, to give the signal Mr Khan should dread.

BaBer ali BHatti

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ndia and the USa inked a landmark defence agreement on October 27 at the third session of india-USa 2+2 talks held in delhi. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and defence Secretary Mark T. Esper visited new delhi to sign the Basic Exchange and Cooperation agreement (BECa) with their indian counterparts. This agreement will allow india and the USa to share high-end military technology, classified satellite data and critical information with each other. The agreement will primarily facilitate the interoperability of forces and the exchange of sensitive and classified information between partner countries. Moreover, the accord will enable india to access precision aeronautical, topographical and nautical data and topographical images from US military satellites. india and the USa have already signed three key agreements including the General Security of Military information agreement (GSOMia), the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of agreement (LEMOa) and the Communications Compatibility and Security agreement (COMCaSa) in 2002, 2016 and 2018 respectively. BECa is considered to be the last of the pacts that america signs with close partners to strengthen the alliance with that country.

By signing such agreements, india has seemingly abandoned both its claimed policies of strategic autonomy and non-alignment while becoming a junior partner of the USa. This will adversely affect its relations with Russia which already views US military alliances with skepticism and further widen the divide with neighboring China. This will also lead to the formation of blocs in the indian Ocean Region, with China on one side and india on the opposing side. Such agreements and holding the exercise at Malabar under the Quad platform both in Bay of Bengal and arabian Sea is a clear manifestation of te indian desire to contain China in the indian Ocean Region and dilute China’s growing influence over rim states. The indian approach is indirectly aimed

Arif Nizami Editor Umar Aziz

Asher John

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Executive Editor

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india. india’s massive acquisition of armaments and expansion of its nuclear forces, including introduction of new destabilising weapon systems, are deat marginalizing Pakistan’s role in the region while velopments with serious repercussions for peace and promoting own role as net Security Provider. stability in South asia.”

Under this latest agreement both sides will share Pakistan’s reservations appear to be axiomatic, classified and sensitive information but it is likely to given the changing regional and global security dybenefit india more. it will make military-grade data namics. Regardless of the fact that the pact is being accessible to india that may help precision targeting. represented as part of efforts to contain China, PakCaptain Vikram Mahajan istani strategists believe that (retired), director, aerothe agreement would impact space and defence at the strategic stability and india US-india Strategic Partnercan conveniently use this ship Forum (USiSPF) capability against Pakistan, Given the growing Indo-US claimed that “given the curthus disturbing the strategic strategic partnership, rent geopolitical situation, parity, causing and triggerthis data will be relevant on ing a new arms race in the Pakistan needs to enhance both the northern and westregion. These technological ern borders of india”. its defense cooperation with acquisitions may have seThis pact has raised verely detrimental implicaChina and Russia in order to tions concerns in the strategic and for regional peace. The academic community of rapidly unfolding dangers sustain and balance the South asia, which is after this agreement suggest equilibrium of strategic terming it as a threat posed that any effort to support to the strategic stability in strategic stability in South stability in the region. the region. The USa’s supasia should focus on the port of india’s regional poliPakistan should also convey balanced and equitable cies and military transfer of technology by its reservations to the USA modernization efforts has major powers to small powbecome a matter of concern ers already engaged in a and the UN about these for all regional states, pardeadly arms race. developments that are ticularly for Pakistan being Given the growing a nuclear state and having a indo-US strategic partnercausing strategic imbalance history of wars and hostility ship, Pakistan needs to enwith india. These develophance its defense in South Asia by virtually ments can potentially insticooperation with China and affecting Pakistan most gate a security dilemma and Russia in order to sustain an arms race between nuand balance the equilibrium clear neighbours. of strategic stability in the The Foreign Office of region. Pakistan should also Pakistan expressed its concerns for the strategic sta- convey its reservations to the USa and the Un bility in the region, “Pakistan has taken note of the about these developments that are causing strategic signing of the Basic Exchange and Cooperation imbalance in South asia by virtually affecting Pakagreement. Pakistan has been consistently high- istan most. lighting the threats posed to strategic stability in South asia as a result of provision of advanced milBaber Ali Bhatti is Coordinator (Research and itary hardware, technologies and knowledge to Media) at Maritime Study Forum.

Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement and Indo-US partnership

Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami

Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

ferred to daughters because of their better economic jahideen not been trained in Pakistan and had OBL scope; prostitution and pornography are multibillion been found hiding in nepal or Bhutan maybe.

Prime Minister imran Khan likes to believe that dollar industries that cannot be rooted-out by any political strongman and all genders other than the our greatest problem of all is corruption. That being one predominant capital-holding gender are com- the case, the policy-makers need to address the root modified and held as property. The environment is cause of corruption and scratch beneath the surface being unsustainably exploited despite disastrous instead of managing the symptoms by kneejerk consequences for the country’s very existence. Re- policies. Catching a few white-collar criminals and ligion is used as a trump-card in politics and as an putting them behind the bars would not improve the established industry in rural areas and suburbs for situation on-ground. We need to realize that a culture where wealth is the monetary gains. and polisole entity that a child tics, by all means, is the strives for till his last breath game of wealthy Seths. does not bode well for any The destruction doesn’t end here. For We need to change our value society. a country where a pandemic is undermined decades, the Western polsystem to eradicate most of just to keep the economy icy-makers have been callrunning does not set a good ing out capitalism for its our problems. Of course, example. it is no surprise, sins. as early as 1938, shifting to an egalitarian then, to find every single american sociologist profession marred by variRobert Merton postulated economy is not a Islamic ous shades of corruption. in his Strain Theory that We need to change our the contemporary culture possibility at this time. value system to eradicate puts pressure on individuHowever, a practically most of our problems. Of als to attain the pre-dominant success symbol, plausible model is that of the course, shifting to an egalitarian islamic economy is which is wealth. inability mixed economies of not a possibility at this time. to acquire wealth puts indiHowever, a practically plauviduals under ‘strain’, Scandinavian states, where sible model is that of the hence, crimes are commitmixed economies of Scandited to be able to attain wealth is not the sole navian states, where wealth wealth and social status. fantasy, rather, community is not the sole fantasy, as recently as 2020, the rather, community service economist noreena Hertz, service and intellectual and intellectual pursuits are in her book The Lonely pursuits are also celebrated also celebrated. The process Century, states that neolibbegins in the classrooms eralism makes us “see ourwhere external exams are selves as competitors, not not taken in the early school collaborators, consumers, years to discourage cutnot citizens, hoarders, not sharers, takers, not givers.” Even before the out- throat competition and making a dog-eat-dog world; break of covid-19, top-notch economists, such as and the absence of huge inequalities doesn’t make nobel Prize winner Joseph Stiglitz, were calling for money a problem. The consequences in these couna modified, and more responsible, “progressive tries are evident; economic superiority, a literacy rate approaching 100 percent, peace, amity, and the capitalism.”

Looking back, one wonders what benefits the lowest crime rates in the world.

Change is the only law of the world, and change capitalist bloc brought to Pakistan. a fragmented social structure vacillating between the traditional is- we must, lest we should proceed to a world where palamic values of the past and the ‘whatever-goes’ triotism, humanity and all other emotions are outdone capitalist mentality, crippling class inequality and by the lust for personal success. poverty, a tainted reputation around the globe, and Dr Noor ul Huda can be reached out at rampant islamophobia. Things would have looked very pleasant for Pakistanis and Muslims had the mu- drnoorulhuda0@gmail.com

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Saturday, 7 November, 2020

COMMENT 07 Editor’s mail Send your letters to: Letters to Editor, Pakistan Today, 4-Shaarey Fatima Jinnah, Lahore, Pakistan.

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

PTI’s governance and crippling economy THE rampant inflation and plunging GdP have engulfed us this year. as per iMF data Mapper, October 2020, GdP growth was -0.4 percent and the inflation was recorded as 10.7 percent. Such worsening conditioning has come up due to an unprecedented hurdle according to the government.

Which is said to be: Corona. State Bank, during corona, overprinted the currency to meet the cash flow as it wasn’t being deposited by people owing to Corona. However, in the present day, the policy of overprinting has pushed the inflation up. it has descended the value of Rupees and dollar has peaked in comparison to it. in the present day, 1 US dollar equals 162 Rupees approximately. incumbent government seems incapable to cope up with the faced issues. Economic indicators are towards gloom and doom in Pakistan. Opposition, taking the advantage of which, has stepped out on the roads against the government. Since the very first day people, in Pakistan, are facing such ups and down in the economy. Will a time appear that it will stand stable on its feet?

Jahangir JamEEl TurbaT

Increasing infection

Terrorism ravaging Pakistan thing else. Further, this school of thought says that the fast deteriorating internal situation of the country is opening space for the discontented to The second school of thought says that the disrupt the national political scenario. added bomb blasts are a spinoff of the internal situation spite is offered by high inflation which is fast of Pakistan. The bomb blasts can be seen in iso- severing the relationship between the public and lation from the assassination of the religious the sitting government. scholar in Karachi. That is, the blast in Peshawar On balance, the second school of thought can be seen in combination with a bomb blast in favouring separatists perpetuating violence Quetta, which was claimed by the BLa. Taken seems to be outweighing its competitor. The together, the separatist ethnic elements have got Tehrike Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is fiercely opactive in Sindh, posed to the act of the Balochistan and Khyber government to fence Pakhtunkhwa in an efthe durand Line. it is fort to capitalize on the known that fencing is given situation of politbound to restrict and The Tehrike Taliban Pakistan ical uncertainty in the regulate mobility (TTP) is fiercely opposed to country. across the border, and This school of the act of the government to this factor offers a thought believes that major hindrance to fence the Durand Line. It is the current wave of vioboth the public in genlence ravaging Pakistan eral and the members known that fencing is bound is against the backof the TTP. Common ground of a conglomerpeople might be ready to restrict and regulate ation of 11 regional and to cross the Pakistanmobility across the border, national political parties afghan border through sitting on the opposition designated visa-depenand this factor offers a major benches havin initiated dent entry check hindrance to both the public points. nevertheless, a countrywide chain of rallies under a shared the TTP takes the fence in general and the members banner called te Pakas a method meant for istan democratic circumventing their of the TTP. Common people Movement (PdM). The free movements across might be ready to cross the activities of the PdM the border from the are gradually raising the points of their choice.

Pakistan-Afghan border political temperature Perhaps, the separatists through designated visaacross the country. in all the three The PdM has been provinces assume that dependent entry check creating two effects. the PdM is somehow First, the PdM has bepoints. Nevertheless, the TTP forwarding and supcome successful in porting their cause and takes the fence as a method catching the attention of is sympathetic to them. policy and decision in short, the ongomeant for circumventing their makers who are now ing political turmoil free movements across the spending more time in seems to have overneutralizing the PdM’s taken the security of the border from the points of narrative than looking country, making it vulafter the internal secunerable to internal setheir choice. Perhaps, the rity of the country. Seccurity disturbances. separatists in all the three ond, the PdM is Further, instead of suibecoming successful in cide bombing the timeprovinces assume that the eroding the credibility device based bombs PDM is somehow forwarding have been used to disof both the sitting government and the derupt peace in Quetta and supporting their cause fence institutions. and Peshawar. Given despite all kinds of the trend, it seems that and is sympathetic to them blackouts on the main more violence is in the electronic media, offing, if the political speeches of all leaders turmoil is not settled. of the PdM are heard on the social media. apparently, the PdM is an Dr Tehmina Aslam Ranjha is an Assistant expression of tr discontent wrecking society. The Professor at t School of Integrated Social Scidisgruntled ethnic elements in three of the coun- ences at the University of Lahore and Research try’s four provinces– Sindh, Balochistan and Fellow ate UoL Centre for Security, Strategy Khyber Pakhtunkhwa– are up in arms to cash in and Policy Research. Currently, she is SDPI’s on the given struggle between the opposition and grantee for a mega project on Countering Viothe government benches. The way the defence lent Extremism. She tweets at Ta_Ranjha. institutions have been impugned, these institudisclaimer: The views expressed in the tions seem to be more focused on salvaging their paper are the author’s own. it is not the policy integrity in the eyes of the people than of any- of the institution.

Violence in Pakistan will be ended by an Afghan settlement Dr teHmiNa aslam raNjHa

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aKiSTan is passing through trying times. On October 10, a renowned religious scholar and an administrator of Jamia Farooqia, Maulana adil Khan, and his driver were gunned down in the Shah Faisal area, of Karachi. The assailants, who had come on motorcycles, were unidentified. On October 25, a bomb went off in the Hazar Ganji area of Quetta, takiing the lives of four bystanders. it was a typical vehicle-borne improvised explosive device mounted on a motorcycle, and detonated through a time appliance. Reportedly, the Balochistan Liberation army, a militant ethnic organization working for an independent Balochistan, claimed the responsibility for the attack. On October 27, a bomb blast devoured the lives of seven innocent students instantly and injured more than a hundred students gathered at a religious seminary (the Speen Jamaat mosque) in the dir Colony area, Peshawar. Early in te morning, someone left a bag of explosive which had been fitted wit a time appliance. The series of violent incidents has caused the alarm to be raised in Pakistan.

Regarding the probable reason for the uptick in violence, there have emerged two schools of thought. One school of thought says that the series of violence is a spillover effect from afghanistan, especially from its south-east region bordering Pakistan. in afghanistan, a conflict is going on between the forces loyal to the Kabul regime and the afghan Taliban. The Kabul regime is also in negotiations with the afghan Taliban at doha, Qatar, to settle the modalities of power sharing after the US forces leave afghanistan, as scheduled, by May 2021. Since 12 September, rounds of talks have been taking place but to no avail.

The afghan Taliban are adamant about re-establishing the islamic Emirate of afghanistan, and thus substituting the current scheme of an islamic Republic of afghanistan. One of the major stumbling blocks is the way the afghan Taliban plan to interpret islamic jurisprudence, as there are sectarian groups inhabiting afghanistan wary of any partisan explanation. These groups cherish their own versions of islamic jurisprudence. Similarly, the rights of women have been a moot point. The afghan Taliban have not yet explained the way they would interpret islamic laws on the rights of women to seek education and work in the fields.

The delegation of the afghan Taliban has insisted on general principles of islamic law and not specifically the law’s application in this modern age. although there is a truce between the US forces and the afghan Taliban, no such truce exists between the Kabul regime and the afghan Taliban, who spare no chance to engage in combat with each other. it is assumed that the afghan Taliban are getting frustrated at the talks and the attendant stalemate and have resorted to disrupt the peace in Pakistan, which pushed them into the talks.

aCCORdinG to statistics, for some weeks, Pakistan is reporting 14 to 16 deaths due to Covid-19 everyday.The most reasonable explanation behind the rising number of cases are the people who are seen violating the SOPs. although everyone is in the know how deadly the virus is, but the Pakistanis are yet to follow the SOPs.if it remains the same, then the government would surely be closing the businesses and industries across the country, including educational institutions.While the country went for a lockdown in the first wave of the virus, students were involved in different injurious activities.They were ruining their lives, and we do not want that to happen once again.Lastly, i would like to request the people to please follow the SOPs to save yourself from novel coronavirus. hammal m nahEEm bugh

Biden v Trump FOR the most integral times of the US presidential election, where donald Trump has twiced become known to be selected, and there’s a huge change in votes between Trump and Joe Biden. in the coming hours or days, donald Trump falsely claimed victory and made unsubstantiated allegations of electoral fraud. However, Biden held a small advantage with votes still left to be tallied, and those states would deliver Biden 270 votes needed in the state-by-state to win the White House. although, Trump still has a path to victory as being a most successful president in america. according to the latest news, Biden takes the lead in Georgia as race for the White House. Surprisingly, Biden jumped ahead of Trump by 917 votes. accepting the fact that , no democratic presidential nominee has won the state since Bill Clinton in 1992. at that time, Clinton narrowly defeated former president George H.W. Bush in that state in part because he and Bush were in a three-way race that included Ross Perot, an independent candidate for the presidency. The election is continued and Biden put himself on the doorstep of the critical threshold of 270 votes needed to become president. The president’s allies launched legal challenges and floated conspiracy theories and Trump tries to keep his hopes alive. But there’s obviously less chances for Trump to make him sure about what he makes such a change in votes counts. barkaTullah TurbaT

Face mask mandatory KaRaCHi Commissioner iftikhar Shalwani on Friday issued a citywide directive, making the wearing of face masks compulsory for all citizens. The decision was taken in view of the rising incidence of coronavirus cases in the port city, according to a press release issued by the commissioner’s spokesperson. Shalwani, who also holds the charge of Karachi administrator, directed deputy commissioners to ensure that all citizens wore masks and to impose penalties of up to Rs500 in case of violation of the order. The commissioner further directed the dCs to ensure that SOPs to combat the virus were being implemented in markets and shopping malls in their respective areas, adding that shopkeepers must ensure that their staff and customers don’t enter the premises without wearing a mask. He added that penal action would be taken against the shopkeepers and market administration in whose premises SOPs were being flouted. To a question about whether commuters will also have to wear masks while riding vehicles, the commissioner replied in the affirmative. mEhmood khan karachi

Babar number 1 again?

PaKiSTan captain Babar azam will be looking to regain the top place in the iCC Twenty20 player rankings, in the upcoming three-match series against Zimbabwe to be held in Rawalpindi from Saturday. Babar, who scored 221 runs including a fine 125 in the final match of their iCC World Cup Super League Odi series against Zimbabwe on Tuesday, has been a familiar name at the top of the Twenty20 batting table and was currently the only one in the top five of all three formats, said a press release issued here. The Pakistan skipper, who has been number one for a total of 774 days in four different stretches since January 2018 and was at the top till September this year, was only eight rating points adrift of dawid Malan (877 rating points), who leapfrogged him during England’s 2-1 home series win over australia. Similarly, Pakistan all-rounder imad Wasim would be looking to move back towards the top spot for bowlers from his current eighth position in the series. ahmad buTT lahorE

Saturday, 7 November, 2020

08 WORLD VIEW

Don’t overestimate the Us election impact on soUth asia

OutlOOk, india

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MiChael KugelMan

s of this writing, the outcome of America’s 2020 election—one closer than many pollsters had projected—was unclear. Given what’s at stake, Americans—and the world— were nervously awaiting the result. And yet, when it comes to south Asia, there’s little reason for anxiety. And that’s because there’s not much daylight between the positions of Donald Trump and Joe Biden on U.s. policy in the region.

In a country as hyper-polarized as America, few public policy issues are nonpartisan. Everything under the sun, from immigration and health care to climate change and the question of U.s. global leadership, amounts to partisanship on steroids—bitterly disputed between America’s two main political parties and their supporters. Even issues that should transcend the poison of partisanship—from wearing a mask during a pandemic to fully supporting U.s. treaty allies—have become political footballs.

U.s. policy toward India, however, is an exception.

It’s one of the few subjects that Republicans and Democrats, and by extension Trump and Biden, agree on.

For this reason, the 2020 election impact on U.s. policy toward India—and south Asia more broadly— shouldn’t be overstated. Geopolitical dynamics, more than the person occupying the White House on Inauguration Day, will influence the trajectory of U.s. relations with India and its neighbors.

The U.s.-India relationship has enjoyed forward movement ever since the early 1990s, and especially since the mid-2000s. Two key U.s. interests with strong bipartisan support—combating terrorism and counterbalancing China—have fueled its growth.

Today, amid a U.s.-China rivalry that’s here to stay, both Democrats and Republicans view U.s.-India partnership as a strategic imperative. They view India as a like-minded player keen to work with Washington to push back against Beijing in the Indo-Pacific region.

The election won’t interrupt the relationship’s latest

surge in momentum, which in recent days saw the signing of a major defense accord that enables Washington to share sensitive intelligence with New Delhi—the last of a series of foundational agreements that America inks with its closest defense partners.

In fact, by traveling to India to sign the accord just days before their boss risked becoming a lame duck, the U.s. secretaries of state and defense telegraphed a significant message: U.s.-India partnership transcends partisan issues like elections, and endures regardless of the government of the day.

To be sure, Democrats are more willing than Republicans to call out India on human rights and religious freedom concerns. Barack Obama famously criticized India on the latter during a 2015 speech in New Delhi.

Additionally, much of the noise on Capitol Hill last year following India’s Article 370 revocation came from Democrats. still, given the bipartisan support for the idea that U.s.-India partnership is essential, any White House—regardless of party affiliation—will limit such criticism to avoid rocking the boat with India.

Widen the geographic lens beyond India, and the bipartisan policy consensus remains entrenched. Both Democrats and Republicans view Pakistan as an important country that warrants a workable relationship, but that is also a difficult partner. Both view as paramount Pakistan’s assistance with peace talks in Afghanistan and continued counterterrorism efforts at home. Both remain open to broadening the relationship into the trade and investment realm—but only after sufficient progress is made on Afghanistan and counterterrorism.

Meanwhile, in Afghanistan, both major U.s. parties support a peace process that ends the war, and the withdrawal of U.s. troops. Democrats favor a more gradual exit, but they want one nonetheless. They wouldn’t want to back out of the agreement with the Taliban, concluded last February, which obliges all U.s. troops to leave by the spring of 2021.

However, while Democrats and Republicans largely operate in lockstep on south Asia policy, there are sharp differences in their foreign policy positions more broadly that carry considerable implications for India and its neighbours. Democrats favor a more conciliatory position toward Iran. They want to bring America back into the nuclear deal with Tehran brokered by Obama.

An even modestly improved U.s.-Iran relationship would be advantageous for New Delhi, Islamabad, and Kabul. All three want stronger commercial ties with Tehran, and they’d rather not have to confront a tough U.s. sanctions regime on Iran.

Then there’s China. A bipartisan consensus exists in Washington that Beijing is America’s top strategic rival, and constitutes a threat to U.s. economic primacy.

But Democrats are more open to exploring cooperation in some areas. Potential spaces for collaboration include, as Biden wrote in a Foreign Affairs essay earlier this year, climate change, nonproliferation, and health security. A slightly less fraught U.s.-China relationship

would be welcomed by Islamabad, Beijing’s close ally, as this would give U.s.-Pakistan relations more space to grow. A mild U.s.-China detente may even be welcomed by New Delhi. After all, the more toxicity there is in U.s.-China relations, the more likely Beijing is to hit out at America’s friends, including India, as it did in Ladakh. The next administration will be confronted with three key south Asia policy questions.

The first is how to reframe the U.s.-Pakistan relationship amid an impending withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan. For four decades, Washington has largely viewed this relationship through the lens of Afghanistan. The second is how to manage a fast-growing U.s.-India security partnership outside of an alliance system that Washington prefers but that New Delhi eschews, insisting that it remains committed to strategic autonomy—and even after the Ladakh crisis, which crystallizes the threat that Beijing poses to both New Delhi and Washington. The trick is to find a happy medium between alliance and alignment.

Finally, the next administration must figure out how to fit south Asia into its broader Asia policy. Both major parties agree on allocating more economic and security resources to the region to push back against China, and they have implemented similar policies: the Asia pivot and rebalance for Obama, and the Indo-Pacific strategy for Trump. To this point, such efforts (with the exception of India policy) have been more focused on East Asia, home to U.s. treaty allies. But China’s increasing inroads into south Asia—mainly through the vehicle of BRI—coupled with its capacity to threaten U.s. partners there highlight the strategic logic of formally bringing south Asia into the Indo-Pacific fold.

The Trump administration’s messaging (in January, a senior official declared that the Indo-Pacific stretches from “California to Kilimanjaro”), along with Indo-Pacific policy documents supporting more cooperation with smaller south Asian states, suggest a desire for including western Asia in the Indo Pacific policy. Given U.s. bipartisan concern about China’s growing reach in broader Asia, such a position won’t likely attract opposition across the aisle.

The 2020 election was one of the most consequential in decades, mainly because it was a referendum on so much—and especially the dramatically different approach that Trump, one of the most unconventional and controversial leaders in modern U.s. history, brought to the presidency.

It’s been a turbulent three-plus-year in Trump’s America. And yet, in the tumultuous sea of U.s. politics, policy toward India and the broader region is a relative island of stability. sure, there may be differences around the margins, but it largely enjoys broad bipartisan support. Continuity is assured, regardless of the election outcome.

Michael Kugelman is Deputy Director for South Asia at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, DC.

GettinG reaDy For mr BiDen With a constrained mandate, he will face strong domestic and external challenges Hindustan times eDitOrial

The election of the 46th president of the United states is over, bar the final official result. While there remain a handful of states yet to finish their ballot tabulating, Democratic candidate Joe Biden requires only a single victory to win the magic number of electoral college votes.

Mr Biden will not be able to claim a decisive mandate. The presidential contest has gone down to the wire. The Democrats failed to recapture the senate and suffered a net loss of seats in the House of Representatives. Donald Trump was able to eat into Democratic margins among the working class and even minorities. If Covid-19 had not struck and Mr Trump had been slightly less abrasive, a second term would have been more than likely.

This election was all about him: Even those who voted for Mr Biden did so largely because he wasn’t Donald Trump.

Mr Biden will take over a nation deeply divided on a number of fronts, and be overwhelmingly absorbed in trying to heal the gaping wounds evident in American society. His administration wants to spend money at home to overcome the pandemic, lay out a green energy path, expand subsidised health care and revamp ailing infrastructure. Much of this will be designed to overcome the social inequities that led to the Trump phenomenon in the first place. But Mr Biden will shy away from the more radical demands of the Left-wing of his party, primarily breaking up tech monopolies and Wall street’s financial conglomerates. He will be harassed from the Right by Mr Trump even as his party’s progressive wing will push him to move further Left, even as Mr Biden’s policy initiatives will be ideologically moderate.

Mr Biden will have his own version of America First. Yes, he will reverse Mr Trump’s stance on immigration, security alliances and, most of all, the multilateral approach on climate. Punitive tariffs will be rolled back, in part because they are ineffective, but trade will be increasingly about reciprocity. The shifting of supply chains and technology coalition-building, both aimed at China, will continue. Middle Kingdom bashing is bipartisan, but there may be marked difference in tactics. Mr Biden’s team version of isolationism lies in the desire to commit less overseas and invest more on the home front. Beijing is unlikely to give him so much leeway. Mr Biden will be tested in the international realm — and having to decide whether home renovation is possible without neighbourhood watch duties.

macron’s task is to show French muslims they have a place in the republic THE PRESIDENT MUST DEMONSTRATE THAT THE SECULAR STATE – WITH A SUBTLE DOSE OF MULTICULTURALISM – WORKS FOR THEM

Guardian

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Catherine FiesChi

s a dual citizen of France and Canada, I never cease to be amazed by the depth of misunderstanding there is about French attitudes to religion. France’s shortcomings in its management of diversity are obvious – as are everyone else’s – but it is important to recognise some basic facts before pronouncing on them.

The first is that the principle of laïcité in France – the country’s particular brand of secularism – is more than posturing: it is a lived, sociological fact.

The extent of secularism in France, especially over the last half century, is well documented. Jérôme Fourquet, in The French Archipelago, provides 350 pages of evidence on the transformation of France – or, as he puts it, the disappearance of the religious in France. To explain the depth of that transformation, he starts with the obliteration of Catholicism.

There hasn’t just been a precipitous decline in Catholic belief and practice, but a near-vanishing of Christian references. In 1945, Catholicism had officially been a minority sport for half a century, but it still played a role in the social space. The years since the war have

seen that role disappear, and Catholic observance reduced to a (very small) minority. As a result, that minority has occasionally become more strident, more “identitarian”, but also quite irrelevant.

Its irrelevance is confirmed by Olivier Roy in Is Europe Christian?, in which he examines the political space occupied by French Catholics. As Roy puts it, no political party in France can afford to put Catholicism at the heart of its political programme – or in fact go anywhere near it, because it speaks to only roughly 5% of the electorate. And switches everyone else radically off.

And this is the key point: France is a nation of equalopportunity heretics. The allergy to granting faith any kind of public role is displayed across the board: most French people will break out in hives at the sight of a procession of priests in the public space, as much as at any other kind of religious display.

Any debate about the rights or wrongs of France’s brand of secularism needs to be conducted within the terms of this generalised anti-clericalism.

Of course, there is a difference between poking fun at a majority culture that is largely confident in itself and its own contradictions, and poking fun at a culturally and economically marginalised minority. There is Islamophobia in France, much as in any non-Muslim majority country, but reducing the principle of laïcité to intolerance or racism – or alleging that it is no more than a vast cover-up – is missing how deep and how wide French suspicion of all faiths runs. so while this across-the-board anti-clericalism may exacerbate social tensions, it is politically defensible and institutionally rooted.

Anyone holding their breath for an about-turn on this is in for a long wait. Most French people would go to the wall for it, including against any Christian church. And those who are looking for France to compromise here misunderstand the nature of what citizenship means in

France: any compromise with any faith will be seen as a breach of the social contract. That is the second basic fact.

However, for the contract to hold, it needs to be renewed with French citizens of all beliefs and of all cultures. And for that to work secularism cannot be deployed simply as an incantation of republican values or used as a test of belonging.

Laïcité needs to be explained. For many (especially young) Muslims it simply isn’t clear how or why this particular ideal can be liberating rather than diminishing: that it offers a neutral space in which to exercise one’s fundamental human rights, including the right to walk away from one’s original tradition or belief.

Taking the trouble to spell this out (it hasn’t been done since the 1905 law separating church and state) is a necessary step. And it is a remarkably difficult one. The renewed emphasis that the French government is hopefully now going to place on the teaching of laïcité – rather than simply beating people over the head with it – gives me hope.

But this takes us to the third basic fact and the recent actions of Emmanuel Macron, which mark a departure from those of his predecessors. Over the past few weeks, Macron has been taken to task for calling for a reformed Islam, and a French Islam. I think his recent actions show two things. The first is a resoluteness in engaging with Muslim media and Muslim organisations abroad. He has made it clear, for example, that he supports the inclusion of Hezbollah in talks on the future of Lebanon.

Domestic engagement with French Muslim organisations may alienate some, given that these groups do not represent all French Muslims. But the fact that they are so actively being brought into the tent suggests a pivotal moment.

Macron is upping the security ante, too, adapting the counter-terrorism strategy France first put in place in the aftermath of 9/11 and developed after the attacks of

2015. And of course this is part of his attempt to square up to Marine Le Pen and her supporters.

But the president may also quietly be setting the stage for a new departure; closer to a strategy of multiculturalism, even if that concept is so fundamentally misunderstood in France that it could never dare speak its name.

I have always argued that multiculturalism, as practised in Canada or singapore rather than Germany or the UK, is a stroke of realpolitik genius. Far from the kumbaya philosophy to which it is often reduced, multiculturalism is first and foremost an incredibly effective if slightly cynical political strategy. It is designed to create a framework for the participation of minorities – complete with all the right financial and political incentives – in exchange for an agreement that each of them becomes just one defined cultural strand among many.

Faith and religion become culture, as do language and ethnicity. Institutions make room for their representation, but as criss-crossing cultural identities rather than currents of belief or faith. Multiculturalism in effect dilutes public faith into culture. This may not sit well with everyone, but it does recognise and cement people’s status in a polity. In the French context, where faith is a private matter but religion can be a matter of cultural affiliation, moving toward such inclusion is more necessary than ever.

More to the point, it is probably the only compromise on the horizon. In advanced democracies with generous welfare states, where the state rather than the market is the gatekeeper to full citizenship rights, a multicultural set of institutions is the only way to balance rights and duties. What Macron is attempting to do – the carrot of engagement and the stick of security – may not immediately quell the sort of violence we have seen in the past few weeks, but it may create the kind of framework in which French Muslims will finally feel an integral part of the republic.

Perhaps Macron has understood that a subtle dose of stealth multiculturalism is the best way to achieve thoroughly republican aims.

Catherine Fieschi is director of the new Global Policy Institute at Queen Mary University London and author of Populocracy.

Saturday, 7 November, 2020

BUSINESS 09 corporate corner 19th Shaukat Khanum Cancer Symposium commences LAHORE: The annual Shaukat Khanum Cancer Symposium has commenced as a virtual meeting to ensure that exchange of ideas and information related to cancer care can continue in these extraordinary times.

The symposium is being held in collaboration with the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) from November 6 – 8, 2020. There are nearly 150 national and international speakers this year and attendance of over 2,500 professionals is expected. This year, the sessions are planned to include a number of topics related to cancer care including breast cancer, lung cancer, stomach cancer, head and neck cancer, hematology, neurology, and paediatric cancers.

Moreover, workshops will be conducted related to cancer research and pathology. PRESS RELEASE

KARACHI: TCL Pakistan continues its partnership with Daraz by becoming co-sponsors for the upcoming 11.11 sale 2020. TCL and Daraz have taken their partnership to the next level with this sponsorship and aim to bring exciting new deals for its consumers offering mega discounts. PRESS RELEASE

LAHORE: Unique Group of Institutes (UGI) Chairman Dr Tariq Sharif poses a group photo with other members during the Seeratul Nabi & Samajiyat Seminar. PRESS RELEASE

Indicators signify economy heading in right direction: FM Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has said that increase in foreign exchange amid coronavirus pandemic reflects overseas Pakistanis' trust in the economic policies of the current government. Talking to State Bank Governor Reza Baqir on Friday, Qureshi noted that the continuation of GSP Plus status for Pakistan by the European Union (EU), appreciation of rupee against the US dollar, and other economic indicators signify that the national economy is heading in the right direction. The minister said that Pakistani ambassadors are diligently highlighting investment opportunities in Pakistan as well as the government's business friendly policies across the world through economic diplomacy. He expressed confidence that the government will soon overcome the economic challenges facing the country. Reza Baqir briefed the foreign minister on the SBP’s performance, increase in foreign exchange and other economic indicators. NEWS DESK

‘PTV being restructured, not privatised’ ISLAMABAD: Information and Broadcasting Minister Senator Shibli Faraz has rejected reports that the government is going to privatise the state-owned Pakistan Television (PTV). The minister in a statement said that PTV is being restructured as per the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan. "The reports regarding PTV’s privatisation are unfounded," he clarified. adding that the government is in the process of hiring new board members to run the organisation. TLTP

ML-1 ProjeCT To ModernISe raILwayS, aCCeLeraTe eConoMIC aCTIVITy: PM ATTOCK

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STAFF REPORT

RIME Minister Imran Khan has said that the Main Line-1 (ML-1) project will modernise the railway system and accelerate economic activity in the country. The prime minister said this while addressing the inauguration ceremony of the upgraded Hasan Abdal Railway Station on Friday.

The premier said that the multi-billion dollar ML-1 project will be executed with the cooperation of China.

After completion, he added, the distance between Karachi and Lahore will be covered in seven hours.

"The project will be an important step towards self-reliance," the PM stated, adding that the country is heading in the right direction as all economic indicators are on the positive trajectory.

Railways will play an important role in Pakistan's economic development, he remarked. Imran Khan said the project will create massive job opportunities and will significantly contribute to economic development.

He noted that trains are a cheap and comfortable mode of travel throughout the world. "But unfortu-

PM IMRAN INAUGURATES UPGRADED HASAN ABDAL RAILWAY STATION, SAYS GOVT STRIVING TO FACILITATE TOURISTS, SIKH PILGRIMS nately, Pakistan railway was not developed by the previous governments."

The premier said with the upgradation, Hasan Abdal Railway Station will now provide better facilities to all passengers, including Sikh yatrees. He said the government is striving to make things easier for the Sikh community, "which will fully be facilitated at the Hassan Abdal Railway Station".

Underlining the need to promote the country's tourism sector, the PM said that worship places of the minorities, including Hindus and Sikhs, should be renovated so that people from different religions visit Pakistan in large numbers.

"If we improve tourism, there will be no need to ask for a loan from anyone. I want Pakistan to become a

Maxus loses four media accounts to IG Square BABAR KHAN JAVED IG Square has won the media remit for Stylo (Pvt.) Limited, United Industries Ltd, MG JW Automobile Pakistan, Mitchell’s Fruit Farms Limited, GFC, and Mughal Steel. Co-founded by Adnan Shaikh and Sarwar Khan, IG Square is a media buying house specializing in fit for format media solutions that embrace data, content, and technology.

Stylo (Pvt.) Limited was formerly a media client of Brainchild Communications Pakistan while MG JW Automobile Pakistan is a new market entrant that chose IG Square as its first media agency in the country. United Industries Ltd, GFC, Mitchell’s Fruit Farms Limited, and Mughal Steel were media clients of Maxus, as confirmed by the Pakistan Broadcasters Association client database.

While speaking to Profit, a spokesperson from GroupM insinuated that the media investment company was still in talks with United Industries Ltd, suggesting

the handover was incomplete. According to the representative, the Maxus office had issued provisional non objection certificates to several clients that IG Square is actively poaching, adding that if the new relationship doesn’t work out, GroupM and Maxus are always ready to help.

“In Lahore, business is won and lost on the tenure of relationships, not on competence or incompetence,” said a leading media professional. “Services offered are somewhat commoditized at the moment, so if you have a long standing relationship with a tier two client, stealing them from your former agency is easy.”

Shaikh, who has served GroupM, Z2C Limited, and Brainchild Communications Pakistan as a chief financial officer, is the cofounder and chief operating officer of IG Square. Khan the chief executive officer of IG Square and former managing director of Maxus, a media agency under GroupM did not comment for this story despite multiple requests.

The Lahore-headquartered media agency is currently in the process of setting up an office in Karachi comprising client services and media management teams. The media agency is also shortlisted for the $5 million Reckitt Benckiser media review, which will announce the winning media agency at the end of November 2020.

While Khan declined to share which global advertising holding company IG Square is affiliated with, the decision by Reckitt Benckiser to shortlist the young media agency suggests that IG Square has either secured a global affiliation or is in talks with one.

Given that IG Square will bid for the Nestle media review in Q1 2021, the latter appears more likely. Currently managed by Maxus Pakistan – soon to be rebranded as Wavemaker Pakistan – the Nestle media account is worth Rs2.5 billion ($16 million) and represents nearly a third of Pakistan billings for the leading media agency.

Govt plans to transform outlook of energy market: minister ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Energy Minister Omar Ayub Khan has said that the government has planned to transform the outlook of the energy market under the new Alternative Renewable Energy Policy.

The minister said this while talking to Ambassador of Denmark to Pakistan Lis Rosenholm on Friday. Tabish Gauhar, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Power, was also present on the occasion.

During the meeting, the outlook of the emerging market of the sector and business opportunities in view of the newly approved Alternative Energy Policy were discussed.

Acknowledging the lead role of Denmark in

clean and green energy at global level, the minister said that Pakistan too is embarked upon tapping the huge indigenous potential of renewable energy. He said that Pakistan’s New Renewable Energy Policy would bring opportunities for investors due to transparent policies of the incumbent government.

He said that the government had set ambitious targets to introduce 25pc renewable energy by 2025, and 30pc by end of 2030, including 45pc share of hydel power generation and 10pc of nuclear energy into the energy mix of the country. While explaining the investment potential in the power sector, the minister said that the government would induct renewable energy-based power plants through open and transparent competitive bidding process, which would lower the cost of production of electricity.

country that does not have to beg anyone," he asserted.

Earlier, the prime minister was briefed on the facilities being offered at the upgraded Hasan Abdal Railway Station.

Speaking on the occasion, Railways Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed said that local resources were utilised for the upgradation of the Hassan Abdal Railway Station.

"The ML-1 project is very important for the development of railways," Rashid said, noting that a reduction in the electricity tariffs for industries is an important achievement of the government.

The British-era railway station in Hassan Abdal has been upgraded to a two-storey structure, with 24,502 square feet of covered area. The boundary of the railway station covering a total area of 101,610 square feet, including passengers’ facilities, was also improved.

Water plants and a new tube well have been constructed to provide clean and cold water to the passengers, while a 300KV generator was installed for uninterrupted power supply at the Hassan Abdal Railway Station. A canteen and a cafe were also set up near the waiting area.

MARKET DAILY

Bears dominate PSX as benchmark index sheds 339 points KARACHI STAFF REPORT

Bears returned to the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Friday, as the benchmark KSE-100 Index failed to hold on to early gains and ended in the negative. Global equity markets, on the other hand, showed a positive trend, whereas crude oil prices slipped lower from the previous close; WTI crude price falling 3.33pc to $37.48 while Brent crude price declining 2.88pc to $39.76. "After posting some gains early in the session, courtesy US elections and spike in commodity prices, the index showed signs of consolidation by making a downward adjustment. Selling pressure was observed across the board, especially banks and exploration & production stocks," said a report issued by Arif Habib Ltd. Despite a positive start to the day, the KSE-100 Index remained in the red for almost the entire session, touching its intraday low at 40,679.61 (-391.69 points). It settled lower by 339.69 points at 40,731.61.

Among other indices, the KMI-30 Index dropped 578.29 points to end at 40,731.61, while the KSE All Share Index fell 181.12 points, settling at 28,667.51. The overall market volumes decreased from 356.59 million shares in the previous session to 349.57 million shares.

Unity Foods Ltd (UNITY +2.92pc), Power Cement Ltd (POWER +5.99pc) and TRG Pakistan Ltd (TRG +7.48pc) led the volume chart, exchanging 48.30 million, 43.59 million and 31.25 million shares, respectively. Sectors that dragged the benchmark to the red zone included banking (-125.17 points), oil & gas exploration (-47.73 pts) and fertilizer (-46.39 points). Among the companies, Habib Bank Ltd (HBL -50.20 points), MCB Bank Ltd (MCB 32.12 points) and United Bank Ltd (UBL -26.30 points) dented the index the most. Shedding 1.18pc from its cumulative market capitalization, the automobile assembling sector turned out to the session's worst performer, with Indus Motor Company Ltd (INDU -1.57pc), Atlas Honda Ltd (ATLH -1.60pc) and Honda Atlas Cars (Pakistan) Ltd (HCAR -1.10pc) ending in the red.

‘SPB committed to facilitating SMEs, women entrepreneurs’ LAHORE SHAHAB OMER

State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Governor Dr Reza Baqir has said that the central bank was committed to serving those sectors that remained ignored in the past, including SMEs and women entrepreneurs.

During his visit to the Lahore Chambers of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) on Friday, Baqir said the SBP was focusing heavily on digital financial services and in this regard was chalking out a system where payments would be made in seconds.

He recalled that the apex bank had recently reduced interest rate by 6 per cent to facilitate businesses affected by Covid-19,

DR REZA BAQIR SAYS SBP IS SETTING UP 'PAKISTAN CREDIT GUARANTEE CORPORATION' UNDER WHICH BANKS WILL GET 60PC RISK COVER ON LENDING TO SMES nothing that exchange rate was now running in a two-way format. "We also postponed actual payments of about Rs650 billion, of which 90 per cent were beneficiary small businesses (microfinance bank borrowers)."

Baqir said the SBP was seriously considering LCCI's demands regarding the Electronic Credit Information Bureau (ECIB), adding that a policy in this regard would be announced in the next few days.

Further highlighting the prudent measures of SBP to avert economic crisis, the SPB governor stated, "Debts of Rs200 billion had been restructured to assist businesses in their mark-up payments. Under the Prime Minister's Employment Finance Scheme, Rs232 billion has been provided for the salaries of employees. Roshan Digital Account facility was launched for overseas Pakistanis, through which an account could

be opened without going to the embassy and without verification of any document."

He informed that a 'Pakistan Credit Guarantee Corporation' was being set up wherein banks would get 60pc risk cover on lending to SMEs. Under the markup subsidy scheme, small houses would be provided 3pc to 5pc financial assistance.

Speaking on the occasion, LCCI President Mian Tariq Misbah said, "There are a large number of businesses who are not being able to clear their bank liabilities in time due to Covid-induced liquidity crisis, hence their names are included in Electronic Credit Information Bureau (eCIB). This makes it hard for them to secure credit from any financial institution. We would request the SBP to

relax this condition till June 2021."

He further observed that even after the customers fully settle their overdue payments amicably with the banks, their names were still reported in the eCIB under write-offs.

"Customers of all banks should be given access to check their own status in eCIB database and banks should intimate customers before reporting any overdue in eCIB, besides giving them reasonable time for reconciliation and settlement of overdue liabilities," he suggested.

Misbah also highlighted the plight of small traders amid coronavirus and urged the SPB to devise new schemes of interestfree loans that could help the traders revive their businesses.

Saturday, 7 November, 2020

10 FOREIGN NEWS

UN CAllS fOr dE-ESCAlAtiON iN EtHiOpiA'S tiGrAy rEGiON NEW YORK

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AGeNCIes

HE United Nations has called for immediate de-escalation in Ethiopia's northern Tigray region, where federal troops have been exchanging fire with the powerful ethnic faction that led the ruling coalition for decades.

Prime Minister's Abiy Ahmed's government is mobilising troops from around the country and sending them to Tigray, after two days of clashes between government forces and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF). "The stability of Ethiopia is important for the entire Horn of Africa region. I call for an immediate de-escalation of tensions and a peaceful resolution to the dispute," UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said in a message on Twitter.

Mr Abiy said on Friday that the mil-

itary offensive had limited objectives.

"Operations by federal defence forces under way in northern Ethiopia have clear, limited and achievable objectives – to restore the rule of law and the constitutional order, and to safeguard the rights of Ethiopians to lead a peaceful life wherever they are in the country," he wrote on Twitter.

Sporadic sounds of shelling could be heard from Abu Rafi town, near the Tigray-Amhara border, at 3am on Friday, a humanitarian worker in the area said. Two foreign diplomats briefed on the violence told Bloomberg they have received reports of heavy fighting in three areas that have caused dozens of casualties.

The areas include north of the city of Gondor, about 420 kilometres north of the capital, Addis Ababa; the town of Homera; and around a military facility at Dansha.

America is more than a one-man show': German foreign minister on US vote

Mr Abiy has so far resisted diplomatic pressure to halt the military offensive. US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo on Thursday called for “immediate action to restore the peace and de-escalate tensions". The TPLF was the dominant political force in Ethiopia's multi-ethnic ruling coalition for decades until Mr Abiy, a member of the Oromo ethnic group, took office two years ago.

Mr Abiy, who has tried to open up what has long been one of the most restrictive economic and political systems in Africa, reorganised the ruling coalition into a single party which the TPLF refused to join.

Countries in the region fear that the crisis could escalate into an all-out war under Mr Abiy, who won the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize for ending a decadesold conflict with neighbouring Eritrea but has failed to prevent outbreaks of ethnic unrest.

The Tigray administration, which is led by president Debretsion Gebremichael, said on Thursday it was well equipped to deal with an attack from any direction.

Two Ethiopian fighter jets were seen flying over Mekelle, the capital of Tigray, on Thursday afternoon, two diplomatic sources told the media, in what was described as a show of force by the Ethiopian National Defence Forces.

Ethiopia closed the airspace over Tigray to all flights on Thursday, and closed all the international and domestic flight routes that traverse its northern airspace. Sudan closed its border with Ethiopia on concern that clashes may spread across its southern border.

The government of Sudan’s Kassala state said the action was aimed at stopping fighters in Tigray Tigray region from crossing the frontier. Kassala’s governor plans to travel to the border areas to assess the security situation, it said.

Eurozone to rebound in 2021 from Covid recession: Commission BRUSSELS

BERLIN ReuteRs

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas on Friday urged both sides in the U.S. election to show restraint until the results were available, adding it was irresponsible to aggravate tensions. “America is more than a one-man show. Anyone who continues to pour oil on the fire in a situation like this is acting irresponsibly,” Maas told Germany’s Funke media in unusually blunt language. “Now is the time to keep a cool head until an independently determined result is available,” he added in some of his first comments on the situation. Counting was continuing in the extremely close U.S. presidential election which hinges on razor-thin margins in a handful of states.

Republican President Donald Trump has launched a flurry of lawsuits hoping to slow down his opponent, Democrat Joe Biden, and tensions have risen in some places. “In order for the result - which has not yet been determined - to be accepted, everyone must first show restraint,” Maas told Funke media in an interview, extracts of which he tweeted. “That includes us.” “Decent losers are more important for the functioning of a democracy than radiant winners,” he added. Biden took a narrow lead over Trump in the battleground state of Georgia for the first time early on Friday, putting the White House within his reach.

“With such narrow majorities, it is very easy to find yourself on the losing side,” Maas said. “This shows how important it is to work to bridge the political divide.” Maas said he expected that once the election result is settled, “the USA will probably not return to the international stage with full energy for the time being”, but he added: “The world needs the USA as a force for order, not as a factor of chaos.”

NEW YORK AGeNCIes

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has extended the authorization of an EU-led peacekeeping force in Bosnia and Herzegovina for another 12 months. The 15member council adopted Resolution 2549, which re-authorizes European Union Force Althea (EUFOR ALTHEA) and the NATO presence in Bosnia and Herzegovina for 12 months starting from the date of adoption of this resolution. The resolution underlines the Security Council's commitment to support the implementation of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the annexes thereto (collectively the Peace Agreement). The resolution reiterates that the primary responsibility for the further successful implementation of the Peace Agreement lies with all the authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina themselves and notes the continued willingness of the international community and major donors to support them in implementing the Peace Agreement, and calls upon all the authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina to fully cooperate with the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals and support investigations and prosecutions in the national system. It welcomes the EU's readiness to maintain an EU military operation (EUFOR ALTHEA) in Bosnia and Herzegovina from November 2020.

Oil tanker Suez Canal transits drop 27pc in October

AGeNCIes

The Eurozone will rebound in 2021 from its unprecedented coronavirus recession this year, but the recovery will be smaller than previously expected because of the second wave of infections, according to the European Commission forecast.

In its regular economic forecasts for the 27-nation European Union and the 19 countries sharing the euro currency, the EU executive arm cautioned however, that uncertainty surrounding the predictions was exceptionally high.

It cut the euro zone growth forecast for next year to 4.2% from 6.1% predicted in July and saw 3.0% growth in 2022 after an unprecedented 7.8% recession this year. The Commission said its forecast assumed Covid-related restrictions would remain, to some degree, until 2022, but that they would be gradually eased next year and that their economic impact would diminish over time.

The forecast also makes a technical assumption that there will be no trade deal between the EU and Britain in place on Jan1, 2021 when the current transition period ends, and that trade will be based on basic World Trade Organization terms.

The Commission expects the euro zone economy will contract 0.1% in the last quarter against the previous three months due to new restrictions to stem the second wave of the pandemic. Ireland, France and Belgium are to be the hardest hit by

UNSC extends authorisation of EU-led force in Bosnia & Herzegovina

COPENHAGEN AGeNCIes

the second wave of COVID-19, with Ireland’s economy contracting 1.1% quarter-on-quarter, France shrinking 1.0% and Belgium 0.7%.

The biggest economy Germany, however, is to weather the storm quite well, registering quarter on quarter expansion of 0.6%, in the last three months, the Commission said.

Eurozone inflation, which the European Central Bank wants to keep below, but close to 2% over the medium term, is to stay at 0.3% this year, and rise to 1.1% in 2021 and 1.3% in 2022.

Thanks to government shorttime work schemes introduced at the start of the pandemic, unemploy-

ment in the euro zone is to rise to only 8.3% this year despite the deep recession, from 7.5% in 2019. It is to increase to 9.3% in 2021 and then fall again to 8.9% of the workforce in 2022. But the pandemic will take a huge toll on public finances, the Commission forecast. The aggregated Eurozone budget deficit will surge to 8.8% of gross domestic product this year from a 0.6% surplus in 2019 before shrinking to 6.4% next year and 4.7% in 2022.

That will boost eurozone debt to 101.7% of gross domestic product this year from 85.9% last year. The debt will keep rising to 102.3% in 2021 and 102.6% in 2022.

The number of oil tankers passing through the Suez Canal in October have seen a sharp 27 percent decline, as demand for oil transports has stayed subdued since the April crash in oil prices that fuelled high demand for oil tankers.

A total of 3,708 oil tankers passed through this key chokepoint for global shipping between 1 January and 31 October, representing 76 less oil tanker transits (or a 2% decline) compared to the same period last year. The steepest decline in October was recorded for LR1 tankers (55,000 – 80,000 DWT), which only saw nine transits, representing a 74% drop.

“The oil product tanker workhorse – the MR recorded the smallest drop in transits, down to 49 from 52 in October 2019, accounting for 16% of total oil tanker transits,” says Peter Sand, BIMCO’s Chief Shipping Analyst. Back in May, a record 100 MR transits took place, representing 21% of all oil tanker transits. At that time, the oil price war worked miracles for freight rates due to a sharp rise in spot market demand, resulting in a monthly record of 482 oil tanker transits. “Since May, the oil freight market has gone from fast forward to reverse, as illustrated clearly by the sharp drop in October for Suez Canal transits,” Sand says. In contrast, dry bulk transits have risen 24.4% (822 more transits) in the first 10 months of the year, whereas containership transits unsurprisingly fell by 14.4% (657 less transits).

‘UK to face border turmoil after Brexit on January 1’ LONDON AGeNCIes

Government failures to prepare for Brexit mean the UK faces “significant disruption” when it is fully free of the European Union on January 1, an official watchdog said on Friday.

The coronavirus pandemic will add to the strain on freight, farming and other economic sectors, especially in Northern Ireland, with or without an EU trade deal, the National Audit Office (NAO) said.

Britain formally left the EU in January but remains bound by its rules under a transition period until the end of this year.The two sides are currently trying to thrash out a new economic partnership, but Britain's full exit will mean changes either way, in particular customs checks for trucks heading to the EU from British ports.

In a report, the NAO backed up complaints by business leaders who have been

warning for months that the government is putting all the pressure on companies to prepare, but failing to do enough itself. “Even if the government makes further progress with its preparations, there is still likely to be significant disruption at the border from January 1 2021 as traders will be unprepared for new EU border controls which will require additional administration and checks,” the NAO said.

NAO chief Gareth Davies said: "The January 1 deadline is unlike any previous EU exit deadline - significant changes at the border will take place and the government must be ready." He added that the situation was all the more challenging because of the Covid19 pandemic.

The watchdog's report said computing systems have yet to be tested for outbound freight, and transit areas for lorries are not ready. It said the government had also yet to appoint enough customs agents, despite their "vital" role in ensuring trade flows

smoothly from next year. Under its "reasonable worst-case scenario," the UK government concedes that queues of up to 7,000 lorries could develop in south-east England from January 1 as the post-transition period kicks in.

It says it has ploughed more than £700 million ($920m) into border infrastructure, but business groups say they are hampered especially by the slow rollout of critical IT systems identified in the NAO report. The auditors also highlighted concerns about checks that will be required for the movement of goods from the rest of the UK to Northern Ireland, which shares a border with EU member Ireland.

Northern Ireland's agriculture department has been "severely hampered" by the ongoing trade talks with Brussels and a "lack of clarity" over the measures required. As a result, the devolved administration in Northern Ireland is having to explore "contingency options" after January 1, the NAO said.

Saturday, 7 November, 2020

Rossi to RaCe in euRoPean GP as title-CHasinG Vinales suFFeRs Pit lane BloW VALENCIA

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AGENCIES

ALENTINO Rossi was Friday cleared to race in the European MotoGP after recovering from coronavirus but Yamaha's joy at seeing the return of their seventime world champion was tempered when title-chasing Maverick Vinales was ordered to start Sunday's race from the pit lane.

Rossi flew to Valencia from Italy on Thursday evening after a first negative Covid-19 test.

"This morning, Rossi took a second PCR

test, as per FIM (International Motorcycling Federation) regulations, and this afternoon it came back negative," said Yamaha in a statement. "The two consecutive negative test results allow Rossi to reunite with the team and take part in this weekend's Gran Premio de Europa."The veteran Italian did not participate in Friday's opening two practice sessions in Valencia. American stand-in Garrett Gerloff managed 19th place. Rossi, 41, missed backto-back races at MotorLand Aragon last month after testing positive for Covid-19.

He stands 15th in the overall standings.

Meanwhile, Vinales, who is just 19 points off the championship lead, will start

Wolff is 'without doubt the best leader' in F1, says Hamilton after Mercedes take title record

Sunday's race from the pit lane, five seconds after the green light is shown at the exit.

Vinales was penalised after exceding the permitted number of engines.

Yamaha also revealed that they will not appeal their 50-point deduction slapped on them by the FIM "failing to respect the protocol required for technical changes".

On the track, Australian Jack Miller produced the best time in Friday's practice while championship rivals Joan Mir and Fabio Quartararo cracked the top 10 despite struggling in a wet opening session.

After dominating on a slick track in the morning practice, Ducati rider Miller set a

'More pressure': Quartararo, who faded badly after starting two of the past three races on pole, showed his frustration by banging his fist on his fuel tank after sliding off the track in soggy morning conditions.

But the French rider, who has won three races this season, moved up the timesheets as the weather improved for the second session.

Mir had initially fared little better than Quartararo in the first run out when he finished 1.6 seconds adrift of Miller in 17th place. The Valencia MotoGP will be held on the same circuit next weekend before the season finale takes place at Portimao in Portugal on November 22. Mir has admitted the pressure is beginning to tell as he closes in on the possibility of becoming world champion without winning a race. With three rounds left, there are still 75 points available.Only 32 points separate the top six after a roller-coaster season truncated by the coronavirus and thrown wide open by the absence of six-time world champion Marc Marquez.

'He surprises me every weekend' – Alonso picks young F1 driver who has impressed him most

AGENCIES

AGENCIES

Mercedes wrapped up a record seventh-consecutive constructors' title at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, and after the race Lewis Hamilton heaped praise on Silver Arrows team boss Toto Wolff, who has overseen all seven championship wins.Hamilton led home team mate Valtteri Bottas at Imola to ensure Mercedes sealed the title win with another 1-2 finish. Asked whether he was surprised that Wolff declined to join him on the Imola podium, Hamilton explained that the team boss’s impact was clear even if he's not always in the limelight.“He’s not trying to be at the front of every photo. He’s not trying to claim anything. He puts the team first. I think that’s- without doubt, he is the best leader here. It doesn’t matter what anyone says, no one has done as good a job as he has,” said Hamilton. The British ace scored a record 93rd victory at Imola, and is well on course to wrap up his own seventh championship title this season, to match Michael Schumacher's record. All but one of Hamilton's titles have been won at the Mercedes team, and he said Wolff is the “best boss you could have”. He said: “I think it’s his mentality, the balance of drive, compassion, understanding and ego. All of them come together to create the best boss you could have. “Every single person in the team, no one’s below him, and he really cares about how everyone is doing: ‘how’re things away from the track?’, ‘how’s things at home with your family – is there anything we can do so you can be better at the office?’ He’s a great guy and I feel privileged to have him as our leader. We wouldn’t have been able to do this without his guidance.” Instead of Wolff it was Mercedes engineer Leo Stevens who got the privilege of spraying champagne with the top three finishers on the podium at Imola, which left Hamilton somewhat bemused. “I thought that he [Wolff] was [to join us on the podium] so I was a bit surprised,” said Hamilton. “I thought that’s why he was at the front. We very rarely see him at the front there and he came and did an interview, so I thought that he was coming up – but I think whilst it would have been nice for him to be up there with us, I think that’s a real showing of a leader,” he concluded.

Next up is the Turkish Grand Prix, where Hamilton could seal that seventh title for himself.

Fernando Alonso will be back on the Formula 1 grid next season, and ahead of his return the wily old veteran has been keeping a close eye on the competition – and has picked out one young driver in particular who has impressed him...

Alonso took two world championships with Renault in 2005 and 2006 but stepped away from F1 after the 2018 season. But he’ll return in 2021 with a rebranded Renault squad, soon to be known as Alpine, with new opponents to face on track.

Asked ahead of last week's Emilia Romagna Grand Prix which young driver was the best of the bunch, Alonso had a firm answer.

“I think there are very, very talented drivers now in Formula 1 and they all came with very nice preparation as well, with driver academies that build the performance and the talent, you know, [to] help them from a very young age. And now they are doing their job,” he said.

PCB wants Younis Khan to lead High Peformance Centre in Karachi

fastest lap of 1min 32.528sec as the Ricardo Tormo circuit dried in the afternoon session.

Aleix Espargaro was a surprise second ahead of Franco Morbidelli, Quartararo's Yamaha-SRT team-mate and the Teruel Grand Prix from winner two weeks ago.

Quartararo bounced back to finish ninth in the second session having come 21st and last earlier in the day. Mir, who leads the MotoGP standings by 14 points, was 10th with both riders over 0.8sec behind Miller.

South African Brad Binder, seventh on Friday, will serve a long lap penalty in Sunday's race as punishment for the KTM rider's collision with Miller in the previous grand prix.

SPORTS 11

“I think from all of them, George Russell is the one that surprises me every weekend. How he’s driving the Williams and zero mistakes and I’m really surprised about his natural speed. So if I have to say

one name, Russell, for the future, is going to be my pick,” he added.

Alonso was speaking before Russell's crash behind the Safety Car at Imola, but the 22-yearold Mercedes backed driver is highly regarded, having enjoyed an unbeaten qualifying record against Williams team mates Robert Kubica and Nicholas Latifi across the past two seasons, even if he has as yet been unable to grab his first F1 points finish.

As for Alonso, he’s been gearing up for his return with a test of the 2018 Renault F1 car at Bahrain, where he has completed 186 laps over two days.

The Spaniard has, however, ruled out an early return to racing to get experience for 2021, as he said in October: “If I race in 2020, it’s because something happened to the two race drivers and I wish that will not happen. “And also I think I will not be 100%, so I prefer to race when I feel that I’m ready to do so,” he said at Imola.

Last five completed matches, most recent first Pakistan WLWWL Zimbabwe LLWWL If Imad Wasim is on his game, Pakistan are usually tough to beat IDI via Getty Images IN THE SPOTLIGHT: ODIs have proved a bit hitand-miss for Imad Wasim, but his importance to the Pakistan T20I side is not open to discussion. A regular with the new ball, it was Wasim's miserly economy rate (6.15), and knack of applying enough pressure to force a wicket or two - he averages 22.35 per wicket - that formed the bedrock of the Pakistan side from 2016-19 that soared to the top of the world rankings in the format. Wasim won't spin the ball much (or at all), but that nagging line and accuracy is tough to attack. If he's on his game, Pakistan tend to get off to flying starts, and once they do, it can get difficult to rein them in.

When Zimbabwe arrived in Pakistan, they put up Elton Chigumbura for the first press conference, which made you wonder if he would be among the central figures for them. So far, that hasn't been the case at all, with the former captain not even making the 15-man shortlist in any of the ODIs. But you won-

der if they might have held him back for the T20I series, in the hope that this format can coax the best of his explosive ability back out from where it's been hiding the past few years. Chigumbura isn't at the top of his powers - or even close to it - anymore, but he was among the stars when his side last visited Pakistan.

And with the top order failing to fire on tour, the thought of Chigumbura being handed a free role in the powerplay piques the interest from a strategic point of view. It might not work; it might not even happen, but do watch out.

TEAM NEWS: Shadab Khan's absence will be a blow to Pakistan, but the format does suit Haider Ali's more belligerent game, and Pakistan could go with an even younger side than the one they chose for the ODIs. At the same time, however, Mohammad Hafeez is also part of the squad, and one wonders whether defeat in the third ODI may bring out chief selector Misbah-ul-Haq's more naturally cautious side.

Pakistan (possible): 1 Fakhar Zaman, 2 Babar Azam (capt), 3 Haider Ali, 4 Mohammad Hafeez/Abdullah Shafique 5 Mohammad Rizwan/Rohail Nazir

(wk), 6 Iftikhar Ahmed, 7 Khushdil Shah 8 Imad Wasim 9 Haris Rauf/Wahab Riaz, 10 Mohammad Musa/Mohammad Hasnain, 11 Shaheen Afridi Zimbawe (possible): 1 Brian Chari/Tinashe Kamunhukamwe 2 Brendan Taylor (wk) 3 Craig Ervine 4 Chamu Chibhabha (capt) 5 Sean Williams 6 Wesley Madhevere 7 Sikandar Raza 8 Elton Chigumbura/Richmond Mutumbami 9 Carl Mumba 10 Richard Ngarava 11 Blessing Muzarabani PITCH AND CONDITIONS: It's an afternoon start, which means dew shouldn't be a factor. And it's generally been dry in Rawalpindi.

STATS AND TRIVIA: Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, the venue for the series, has never hosted a T20I before. Don't expect an individual century in this series.

Pakistan have one T20I centurion - Ahmed Shahzad and he isn't around. Zimbabwe's highest individual score belongs to Solomon Mire, who scored 94 against Pakistan; he isn't on the tour either.

This article was originally published on ESPNcricinfo

AGENCIES The PCB is keen to rope in former captain Younis Khan in a full-time role as the head of the High Performance Centre (HPC) in Karachi in addition to his role as Pakistan's batting consultant. Earlier this year, Khan signed up as the national team's batting coach for the tour of England, where they lost the Test series 1-0 and levelled the T20I series 1-1. This is the third time the PCB has reached out to Khan to coax him into the coaching mix. They had initially wanted him to work at the National Cricket Academy - the predecessor to the HPC - in a development capacity though that didn't ultimately pan out. However, after that, Khan toured the UK as part of the star-studded support staff that also included Waqar Younis (bowling coach) and Mushtaq Ahmed (spin-bowling coach). That short-term stint ended in September. In May last year, Khan was close to taking up a role as the country's Under-19 coach, but the plan eventually didn't come to pass. One of the sticking points, ESPNcricinfo reported, had to do with finances, while the other was with the job profile, as the PCB had proposed Khan only be a mentor and a coach, but he wanted a broader scope and a say in selection as well.

Khan brings with him vast experience as Pakistan's highest scorer in Test cricket, though he has had a frayed relationship with the PCB over the years. It is understood that various senior PCB officials have expressed reservations about working with him.

Provisional 2021 MotoGP calendar revealed 20 ROUNDS HAVE PROVISIONALLY BEEN SET BETWEEN MARCH AND NOVEMBER NEXT YEAR, PORTIMAO, INDONESIA AND RUSSIA ON THE RESERVE LIST The provisional 2021 MotoGP™ calendar has been released as we get a first taste as to what next year’s season might look like. 19 venues are currently on the provisional calendar with a 20th to be decided, while Portimao, Indonesia and the Igora Drive Circuit in Russia are on the ‘Reserve Grand Prix Venues’ list.

The provisional calendar will see the opening race of the season take place in Qatar, our usual opening Grand Prix venue at the end of March.

After a weekend off the MotoGP™ circus heads to Argentina and America on the 11th and 18th of April before the

European leg begins – as usual – at the Circuito de Jerez-Angel Nieto on the 2nd of May. France, Italy, Catalunya, Germany, Netherlands and – subject to homologation – Finland will lead us to the 11th of July, with the next venue on the list currently down as TBC. If the provisional calendar becomes the final one, then Austria and Great Britain host MotoGP™ races in August, before the Aragon and San Marino rounds take place in September.

Then, hopefully, it’s time for the flyaway races. Japan and Thailand will be back-to-back on the 3rd and 10th of Oc-

CMYK

tober, before Australia and Malaysia get underway on the 24th and 31st of October. And then, after a weekend off, the

grand finale will be held in Valencia on the 14th of November as another season draws to a close in eastern Spain.

Saturday, 7 November, 2020

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ChINa CaN help sUpport ‘major ChalleNges’ IN global reCovery: ImF WASHINGTON

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AGENCIES

HINA, built on its rapid return to growth, could lend an impetus to the world’s economic recovery by expanding vaccine access, providing debt relief and sustaining global infrastructure investment, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said.

Confirming that the gross domestic product growth of the world’s secondlargest economy is projected at 1.9 per cent in 2020 and 8.2 per cent in 2021, as it predicted last month, the IMF highlighted the role of China in helping overcome “several

of the major challenges” facing the global economy, which it forecast to contract by 4.4 per cent this year.

“This includes supporting international efforts to expand access to a vaccine, providing debt relief to low-income countries and sustainable financing for global infrastructure investment, and tackling climate change,” the IMF said at the conclusion of its “Article IV Mission” consultation with China.

Early last month, China officially joined the COVAX, an international initiative aimed at ensuring equitable global access to Covid-19 vaccines, becoming the largest economy to support the initiative so far, ac-

cording to earlier media reports.

IMF conducts Article IV Mission consultations with its members annually, in which an IMF team of economists visits a country and discusses with government and central bank officials to assess a member’s economic health and to forestall future financial problems. This year’s tour was done virtually due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which has prompted new lockdowns in many parts of the world and has resulted in the worst global downturn in decades.

“The Covid-19 pandemic has inflicted significant human and economic costs on China, but a major containment effort has helped contain the spread of the virus, and

macroeconomic and financial policies have mitigated the crisis’ impact and quickly returned the economy to growth,” IMF’s First Deputy Managing Director Geoffrey Okamoto said.

Despite the pandemic, important reforms continued in China, including steps taken to further open the financial sector, advance household registration reform, and improve intellectual property protection, Okamoto said in an end-of-mission release.

China’s GDP grew by 4.9 per cent yearon-year in the third quarter, faster than the 3.2 per cent growth between April and June, suggesting “a rapid return to the pre-Covid trend”, according to US economist Stephen

US coronavirus cases climb by record for second day in a row, up over 120,000 AGENCIES

UN says needs $655 million to avert new measles and polio epidemics AGENCIES Severe disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic to immunisation campaigns against measles and polio are putting millions of vulnerable children at risk from deadly and debilitating diseases, United Nations agencies said on Friday. Issuing an urgent call for funding to avert epidemics of the contagious diseases, the UN children’s fund UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO) said $655 million was needed to address “dangerous immunity gaps” in poor and middle-income countries. “We cannot allow the fight against one deadly disease to cause us to lose ground in the fight against other diseases,” UNICEF’s executive director Henrietta Fore said in a statement. Fore said the $655 million needed included $400 million for polio and $255 million for measles. Measles – one of the world most contagious known diseases – has staged a global resurgence in recent years, with ongoing outbreaks in all parts of the world. Vaccination coverage gaps have been further exacerbated in 2020 by Covid-19, and the WHO said data on measles death rates for 2019, due to be released next week, “will show the continued negative toll that sustained outbreaks are having”. With polio, case numbers worldwide had been reduced to extremely low levels before the Covid-19 pandemic, but the transmission of the crippling virus is now expected to increase in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and in areas of Africa where polio vaccination coverage rates have dipped.

“The Covid-19 pandemic (has) hurt momentum as … immunisation efforts were suspended,” the WHO’s director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a news briefing on Friday. “This left children, especially in high-risk areas, more vulnerable to killer diseases like polio, measles and pneumonia.

And now we’re starting to see outbreaks of these diseases.” The WHO’s director of immunisation, vaccines and biologicals Catherine O’Brien told a separate briefing that disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic to health services had led to 91 routine vaccination campaigns being stopped in 53 countries. “They’re coming back, but they haven’t come back fully or as quickly as we were hoping they will,” she said, adding that this was creating “immunity gaps” for measles, polio and several other infectious diseases. “If we don’t act quickly soon for both polio, measles, yellow fever, cholera, typhoid, we will see significant outbreaks in 2021 or 2022,” O’Brien said.

Coronavirus cases in the United States surged by at least 120,276 on Thursday, according to a Reuters tally, the second consecutive daily record rise as the outbreak spreads in every region.

U.S. cases have risen by over 100,000 for three out of the last seven days, putting pressure on hospitals in several states and causing families to rethink their plans for Thanksgiving dinner on Nov. 26.

Twenty out of 50 states reporting record one-day increases on Thursday.

Previously, the most states that reported records for new cases in a single day was 16 on Oct. 30, according to Reuters data.

While the spread of the virus is wide, the outbreak is hitting the Midwest particularly hard, based on daily new cases per capita.

Illinois reported nearly 10,000 new

cases on Thursday and along with Texas is leading the United States in the most cases reported in the last seven days.

Other Midwestern states with record increases in cases on Thursday were Nebraska, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Ohio and Wisconsin. Arkansas, Colorado, Maine, Kentucky, Oregon, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Utah and West Virginia also set records for rises in new infections.

Some cities and states have announced new measures such as curfews or reduced gathering sizes to combat the spread of the virus, but the United States has taken no action at the federal level. Seventeen out of 50 states do not require masks.

Many countries in Europe are shutting high-risk businesses and even ordering national or regional lockdowns in the face of a second wave of the virus.

In addition to rising cases, U.S. hospitalizations of Covid-19 patients rose to over 52,500 on Thursday, up for an 11th consecutive day and getting closer to the record of 58,370 set in July.

North Dakota reported only eight free intensive care unit beds in the entire state on Thursday. Hospitalization are a key metric because they are not affected by the amount of testing done.

Coronavirus deaths are trending higher but not at the same rate as cases.

The United States is averaging 850 deaths a day, up from 700 a month ago.

In recent days, six states have reported their highest one-day increases in pandemic deaths: Arkansas, Idaho, North Dakota, South Dakota, West Virginia and Wyoming.

The pandemic has affected nearly every aspect of American life, including a record number of voters mailing in their ballots in Tuesday’s elections.

WHO sees ‘explosion’ of Covid-19 cases in Europe COPENHAGEN AGENCIES

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Thursday said it was observing an “explosion” of coronavirus cases in Europe and warned of a “tough time” ahead as mortality rates rose. “We do see an explosion…. in the sense it only takes a couple of days to have over the European region an increase of one million cases,” WHO’s regional director for Europe Hans Kluge said.

Kluge, who was wearing a mask even as he was interviewed over a webcam meeting, also said the mortality rate could be seen rising “little by little”. “It’s going to be a little bit of a

tough time, we need to be honest on that,” he said. In spite of the rapidly rising cases, Kluge cautioned that closing schools should be seen as a last resort, especially in light of there being “no reasons to say that schools are a main driver of the transmission”. “We need to keep the schools open really until last because we cannot afford a Covid19 lost generation,” Kluge said.

However, the regional director also said that the “status quo is not an option” and called for “proportionate targeted measures”, which could be scaled up. Kluge stressed that governments should take into account two things: Coherence, so people see that we don’t flip-flop, and… predictability, so peo-

ple know if this threshold is being reached, this is what is going to happen.” He called for the widespread use of face masks. “With general mask wearing and strict control of social gatherings we can save 266,000 lives

by February in the whole European region,” Kluge said. WHO Europe spans 53 countries, including Russia and countries in Central Asia, and on Thursday reported a total of over 12 million cases in the region, with nearly two million in the last seven days.

While managing the Covid-19 pandemic was the immediate concern, Kluge also said there were lessons to learn in case an even more dangerous virus were to appear.

Roach, also former chairman of Morgan Stanley Asia, a New York-based investment bank. During the Article IV Mission, Okamoto held virtual meetings with People’s Bank of China Governor Yi Gang and other officials to discuss the country’s policy mix to secure balanced growth against the headwinds from the global pandemic.

“While the recovery is advancing, growth remains unbalanced as it relies heavily on public support while private consumption is lagging,” Okamoto said, cautioning that China’s outlook faces downside risks, stemming from rising financial vulnerabilities and the increasingly challenging external environment.

India's top general says face-off with China could spark bigger conflict NEW DELHI AGENCIES

India’s top military commander said on Friday a tense border standoff with Chinese forces in the western Himalayas could spark a larger conflict, even as senior commanders from both sides met near the frontline for their eighth round of talks. Chief of Defence Staff Bipin Rawat said the situation was tense at the Line of Actual Control, the de facto border, in eastern Ladakh, where thousands of Indian and Chinese troops are locked in a months-long confrontation. “We will not accept any shifting of the Line of Actual Control,” Rawat said in an online address. “In the overall security calculus, border confrontations, transgressions and unprovoked tactical military actions spiralling into a larger conflict cannot, therefore, be discounted,” he said. Brutal hand-to-hand combat in June left 20 Indian and an undisclosed number of Chinese soldiers dead, escalating tensions and triggering large deployments on the remote, desolate border area. Both sides have since attempted to ease the situation through diplomatic and military channels, but have made little headway, leaving soldiers facing-off in sub-zero temperatures in Ladakh’s snow deserts. Senior Indian and Chinese commanders were meeting on Friday in Ladakh, the eight-round of talks between the military leaderships since the crisis began, officials in New Delhi said. The talks would likely include discussions on a Chinese proposal to pull some troops back from a contested area on the northern bank of Pangong Tso lake, where soldiers were separated by a few hundred metres, according to an Indian official. Infantry troops, backed by artillery and armoured vehicles, are also facing off on the southern bank of the lake, where China has been pushing India to pull back, the official said.

Trump administration advances $2.9 billion drone sale to UAE WASHINGTON AGENCIES

The U.S. State Department gave Congress notification it plans to sell 18 sophisticated armed MQ-9B aerial drones to the United Arab Emirates in a deal worth as much as $2.9 billion, people briefed on the notification said.

The move comes on the heels of last week’s notification of a potential sale of F-35 fighter jets to the middleeastern country.

This would mark the first armed drone export since the Trump administration reinterpreted a Cold War-era arms agreement between 34 nations to allow U.S. defence contractors to sell more drones to allies.

Reuters has reported that UAE has long shown interest in purchasing drones from the United States and would be among the first customers in line after U.S. export policy changed this summer. A $600 million deal to sell four unarmed but weapons-ready MQ-9B SeaGuardian drones to Taiwan was the first to be formally notified to Congress

on Tuesday. This informal notification for the Reaper-style drones is the precursor to the State Department’s formal and public notification.

The U.S. Senate Foreign Relations and House of Representatives Foreign Affairs committees – whose members have criticized UAE’s role in civilian deaths in Yemen’s civil war – have the ability to review and block weapons sales under an informal review process before the State Department sends its formal notification to the legislative branch.

The U.S. State Department may wait to formally notify Congress of the sale once staff and members are briefed on the potential sale, one of the people said. The formal notification gives Congress 30 days to object to any sales.

A U.S. State Department spokesman told Reuters, “As a matter of policy, the United States does not confirm or comment on proposed defence sales or transfers until they are formally notified to Congress.”

The armed MQ-9B drones will also be equipped with

maritime radar and could be delivered in 2024. The package notified to Congress is for 15 with an option for three additional drones, one of the people said.

The UAE is also seeking a package of Boeing Co EA18G Growlers, an electronic warfare version of the twoseat F/A-18F Super Hornet aircraft, that are capable of jamming radar and other advanced capabilities. Growlers are operated buy the U.S. and Australia.

The United Arab Emirates, one of Washington’s closest Middle East allies, has long expressed interest in acquiring the stealthy F-35 jets and was promised a chance to buy them in a side deal made when they agreed to normalize relations with Israel. The informal notification for 50 Lockheed Martin Co F-35 jets was made on Oct. 29.

But any deal the U.S. makes to sell weapons in the region must satisfy decades of agreement with Israel where the U.S.-made weapon must not impair Israel’s “qualitative military edge,” guaranteeing U.S. weapons furnished to Israel are “superior in capability” to those sold to its neighbours.

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