Epaper_22-07-16 ISB

Saturday, 16 July, 2022 I 16 Zil Hajj, 1443 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XII No 375 I 12 Pages I Islamabad Edition

SC ‘expoSed’ Imran’S regIme Change narratIve: maryam

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Staff RepoRt

AKISTAN Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice-President Maryam Nawaz Friday said that the Supreme Court ruling on former deputy speaker Qasim Suri ruling has exposed the former premier Imran Khan’s narrative of the alleged foreign conspiracy.

“When it comes to the country, I can answer

bluntly. The day institutions violate the Constitution they become controversial,” said Maryam Nawaz while addressing a rally in Multan on Friday ahead of crucial by-polls on 20 Punjab Assembly seats scheduled to be held on July 17.

She asked PTI’s workers to join her party’s ranks for the betterment and prosperity of the country.

“Let this country be a proposer and move ahead… I am sending a message of love to PTI’s youth to support PML-N and this country,” she said.

Maryam asked her political rivals to let the incumbent ruling coalition work for the betterment of the country till the next election. “Vote for any one of your choices but don’t waste your vote by casting a ballot for the PTI,” she added.

The ruling party leader said PTI Chairman Imran Khan is asking the people of Punjab to vote for PML-Q leader Pervaiz Elahi after labelling him as the “biggest dacoit” of the province.

“The one who said establishment changed their [PTI] nappies is now a candidate of Punjab chief minister,” she added.

Maryam also said his party after winning the Punjab by-polls will resume the free electricity scheme for lifeline consumers. “We are also providing scooties to working women and in the coming days free laptop scheme for youth will be relaunched”.

She also accused the PTI chief of using a religion card for political gains saying “there is no greater culprit than the one who uses religion in politics”.

Besides political rivals, Maryam said Imran also attacked independent judges and subjected Supreme Court Justice Qazi Faez Isa to victimisation.

Maryam also reiterated that tough times are over and now the country is heading towards “good times” as all the decisions needed to steer the country out of crisis have been taken. “The PML-N has removed all [economic] land mines laid by [previous] PTI government and if the downward trend continues in the global oil market, fuel prices will be further slashed after two weeks,” she added.

Five BLA terrorists killed, jawan martyred in Ziarat op: ISPR RAWALPINDI Staff RepoRt

As many as five terrorists belonged to outlawed Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) were killed during the follow up clearance operation held in the wee hours of Friday to recover the abducted cousin of Shaheed Lt-Col Laiq Baig Mirza and catch the perpetrators.

According to an Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) press release issued on Friday, during the ongoing recovery operation in Ziarat area, a terrorists’ hideout was identified and cleared by security forces near

Khost in Khalifat mountains.

However upon sighting the approaching troops, the terrorists opened straight fire, resulting in the martyrdom of Havildar Khan Muhammad. Shrugging off the firing, the forces managed to besiege the terrorists, the ISPR informed.

Heavy exchange of fire ensued, which led to the killing of five BLA terrorists, the ISPR release said and added the sanitization operation would continue in the area to apprehend the remaining terrorists holed up in the mountainous area and recover abducted Omer Javed.

Cabinet sets up body to implement points raised in SC’s verdict IsLAmAbAD Staff RepoRt

The federal cabinet on Friday decided to set up multiple committees and commissions to probe serious allegations levelled against former prime minister Imran Khan and his party’s office bearers in the vote of no-confidence and the Tayyaba Gul. This was announced by Federal Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb on Friday during a news briefing after the federal cabinet’s meeting.

Aurangzeb said that during Friday’s cabinet meeting, a detailed discussion was held on the recent issues, particularly the detailed order of the Supreme Court of Pakistan in the suo moto case over the rejection of the vote of no-confidence in the National Assembly against then prime minister Imran Khan. The other issue under discussion was the complaint

of Tayyaba Gul against former National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chairman Justice (retired) Javed Iqbal.

On the former, Aurangzeb said that the cabinet passed a resolution welcoming the detailed order and the points raised therein.

She added that the apex federal forum saw the order as a charge sheet against the PTI and its office bearers involved in subverting the constitution.

Further, she said that the apex court’s order cleared that no proof of foreign interference was presented before the court.

“The court has rightly pointed out that if it was such a serious matter, why did the prime minister at the time, Imran Khan, not order an inquiry into the matter and instead adopt silence,” she said.

She added that it was decided that a special committee has been formed, led by Federal Law Minister Azam Nazir

Tarrar, and federal ministers of interior, information and others to review the points contained in the order and prepare a set of recommendations on implementing them.

On Tayyaba Gul’s complaint before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Aurangzeb said that Gul had filed a complaint on the prime minister’s portal of sexual harassment and sexual abuse.

“Instead of taking action, the woman was summoned to the PM house where she was held against her will for 18 days,” she said, adding all video evidence in her possession was seized and then used to blackmail the former NAB chairman to file bogus cases against political opponents.

In this regard, she said that an independent inquiry commission will be set up by the law minister under the Inquiries Act 2017 to probe Gul’s allegations. Moreover, complaints filed by

govt plans crackdown on ‘unscrupulous elements’ on social media IsLAmAbAD Staff RepoRt

The federal government on Friday decided launching a crackdown on those who harass and degrade citizens on social media.

According to details, a meeting was held under the chairmanship of Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, in which Federal Secretary Home, the Punjab IG Police, DG FIA and Acting Chairman NADRA Khalid Latif and other officials participated.

The meeting reviewed issues of harassment of citizens on social media, uploading of immoral videos and also issues related to blackmail and harassment of citizens.

The meeting, chaired by Rana Sana, decided launching a crackdown on those who promote immoral content on social media, harass citizens and tarnish their image through immorality. It was further decided to make effective laws on cybercrime, especially harassment and also uploading, advertising of immoral content.

In this regard, the Interior Minister directed to take strict and immediate action against those involved in cyber-crime said that “it is not acceptable to tarnish the image of a citizen by insulting him or her.”

Rana Sana said that the spread of immoral and insulting content on social media could lead to chaos and disorder in the society. Therefore, strict action will be taken against those involved in such crimes without any discrimination.

The Federal Interior Minister further said that the agencies concerned should adopt a zero tolerance policy against those violating moral values in the society. Citizens can send their complaints to FIA contact numbers and their complaints will be processed without delay, he added.

women against Justice Iqbal in the enforced disappearances commission will also be included in the probe.

She added that the commission will be time bound to complete its probe and submit findings. The federal minister promised that all findings will be made public.

Further, she said that the cabinet considered the decisions of the Eco-

nomic Coordination Committee of the Cabinet taken on July 5.

In this regard, she said that the cabinet approved the decision to import 300,000 million metric tons of wheat.

However, it was directed that its pricing should be per the falling price of wheat in the international market.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

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Saturday, 16 July, 2022 | ISLAMABAD

NEWS

Govt RaISES RS132.89B thRouGh auCtIon oF 3 yEaR, 5 yEaR PIBS kARACHI

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HE State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) accepted bids worth Rs132.89 billion on Thursday’s July 14 auction of Pakistan Investment Bonds (PIBs) against a target of Rs150 billion. The entirety was lifted through 3 year and 5 year PIBs. Interesting to note is the fact that while bids of Rs149.67 billion were placed in 3 year PIBs, the government only raised Rs7 billion despite having a target of Rs50

THE FIRST PIB AUCTION AFTER ANNOUNCING PRIMARY DEALERS FOR THE YEAR billion. This was done at a rate of 14%, signifying that the government did not want to lock itself in at this rate for the next three years. The cut-off yield for 3 month PIBs has increased by 3 bps compared to the last auction on 14 July. The remaining Rs125.89 billion was raised through 5 year PIBs; which was raised at a rate of 13.45%.

Bids for 10 year and 15 year were rejected; whereas no bids were placed on the

20 year PIB and 30 year PIB. On Wednesday, the same day as the Treasury Bill (t-bill) auction where banks had a heavy hand, the 6 month KIBOR hit an all-time high after increasing 35 bps in a day reaching 15.87%.

Tahir Abbas, Head of Research at Arif Habib Limited explains, “The KIBOR has adjusted accordingly after the last monetary policy committee decided to hike rates.”

ANNouNCEMENT oF PRIMARy DEALERS: On Wednesday, the SBP appointed 12 banks as Primary Dealers (PDs) of government securities, along with two companies as Special Purpose Primary Dealers (SPDs) for the FY 2022-23.

Primary Dealers appointed for the fiscal year include Bank Al-Falah Limited, Habib Bank Limited, National Bank of Pakistan, United Bank Limited, MCB Bank Limited,

President writes to PM for steps to end journalists’ harassment

Imran Riaz Khan offloaded from plane NEwS DESk Immigration authorities on Friday offloaded Journalist Imran Riaz Khan from a plane, terming his inclusion on the blacklist. According to details, Imran Riaz was offloaded from a Dubai-bound flight by immigration authorities. Imran Riaz returned to his residence after being offloaded from the plane. Imran Riaz was arrested by Rangers and Police officials from Islamabad toll plaza on July 5, 2022.

Over thirty FIRs had been registered against him in multiple cities of the country. The Islamabad High Court (IHC) granted him bail in all the cases. On July 9, the Lahore High Court (LHC) issued orders to release anchorperson Imran Riaz Khan on bail and adjourned the hearing on the plea for the expulsion of cases till July 19.The Lahore High Court (LHC) directed the journalist to appear before the magistrate on the next working day. The judge remarked that Khan’s lawyer assured the court that he will not give any statement in future which would create trouble.

ISLAMABAD News Desk

President Dr Arif Alvi on Friday wrote another letter to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif asking him to direct the relevant ministries and departments to take remedial measures and preemptive actions to alleviate apprehensions and grievances of the journalists and media persons against incidents of harassment, physical abuse and violence. The president also attached a letter received by him from anchorperson Arshad Sharif, where he has drawn the attention of the president towards the incidents of harassment while quoting a few eminent journalists and information gathered by him through different sources.

The president said, “the Constitution urges the state to provide due rights and protection to individuals. Pakistan has always strived to do so, but in the case of journalists and media persons, if they feel pressurized, fair criticism within the bounds of law, freedom of expression and then democracy itself is threatened”. In the letter addressed to the president, Arshad Sharif had alleged that some unscrupulous elements were threatening to endanger his life and requested the president to safeguard his fundamental rights as enshrined in Articles 4, 9, 10A, 14, 18, 19 and 19A of the Constitution of Pakistan.

LAHORE: Visitors enjoying boat ride in River Ravi. photo by ZubaiR mehfooZ

PM’s son declared permanent PO in money laundering case LAHORE staff RepoRt

Rana Sanaullah, CEC discuss security arrangements for by-polls NEwS DESk Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja Friday contacted Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah on a phone call and discussed with him about the security arrangements during the byelections in Punjab. Meanwhile, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah summoned a meeting for the review of security arrangements for by-elections at interior ministry. The meeting will be attended by the interior ministry officers, security officials and Sindh chief secretary via a video link.

JS Bank Limited, Standard Chartered Bank (Pakistan) Limited, Pak Oman Investment Company Limited, The Bank of Punjab, CitiBank N.A-Pakistan Operations, Industrial and Commercial Bank Of ChinaPakistan Operations, and Habib Metropolitan Bank Limited.

SPDs include the National Clearing Company of Pakistan Limited and the Central Depository Company of Pakistan.

Based on an evaluation by the SBP the top three performing PDs during FY 202122 were Bank Al-Falah Limited, Habib Bank Limited, and National Bank of Pakistan.

A special court in Lahore on Friday declared Suleman Shehbaz, son of the prime minister, and Tahir Naqvi, a second accused, permanent proclaimed offenders as it adjourned the hearing in an Rs16 billion money laundering case until July 30.

The declaration of the prime minister’s son as proclaimed offender means that police believe he was involved in the crime and want to question him. Police say both the suspects failed to appear despite being summoned.

District and Sessions Judge Ijaz Hassan Awan heard the case and sought details of the properties owned by the fugitives in the next hearing. He also censured Nadeem Akhtar, an official of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), for being late, directing the agency’s Lahore director to hold an inquiry against him and present a

report in the next hearing.

The court also sought the death certificate of Malik Maqsood Ahmad alias Maqsood chaprasi, an employee at a business owned by Shehbaz and a central figure in the scam who died under mysterious circumstances in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) last month.

Shehbaz’s brother and Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz was allowed by the court to leave after marking his attendance. The court also accepted Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s request for a one-time exemption from the hearing.

The chief minister had appeared before the court for the hearing of the case being investigated by the agency.

THE REFERENCE: The reference mainly accused Sharif of being a beneficiary of assets held in the name of his family members and benamidars (frontmen), who had no sources to acquire such assets.

It said the family members and frontmen of the Shehbaz family received fake foreign remittances of billions in their personal bank accounts. In addition to these remittances, the bureau said, billions of rupees were laundered by way of foreign pay orders, which were deposited in the personal bank accounts of Hamza and his brother Suleman Shehbaz.

The reference further said that the family of Shehbaz failed to justify the sources of funds used for the acquisition of assets.

It said the suspects committed offences of corruption and corrupt practices as envisaged under the provisions of the National Accountability Ordinance, 1999, and money laundering as delineated in the Anti-Money Laundering Act, 2010. It asked the trial court to try the suspects and punish them under the law.

FBR extends date for payment, submission of return ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has extended the date of payment and submission of sales tax and federal excise return for the tax period of June until July 20 for all taxpayers. In this regard, the FBR on Friday issued instructions to field formations regarding the extension in the date of payment and submission of tax returns. “In the exercise of the powers conferred under section 74 of the Sales Tax Act, 1990 and section 43 of the Federal Excise Act,2005, the Federal Board of Revenue is pleased to extend the date of payment and submission of Sales Tax and Federal Excise Return for the tax period of June2022, for all taxpayers, up to 20 July 2022,” the statement read. staff RepoRt

MoST restarts departmental inquiry into corruption cases ISLAMABAD Ghulam abbas

The Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) has restarted a departmental inquiry into financial irregularities in the Pakistan Standard and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA), an arm of the ministry, Following the National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) notice of a corruption case.

According to documents available with Profit, the ministry has constituted another committee of two members including Chief Finance and Account Officer Shehzad Naeem and accounts officer Nawaz Ahmed Khan to conduct an internal audit of the receipts, investment and expenditure of PSQCA, Karachi, for the financial year 2010-11 (FY21) to 2021-22 (FY22).

Officials privy to the matter informed Profit that the committee visited the officials regularly from July 5 to July 8 to investigate the matter and would be submit their findings to the ministry soon. However, the team has not included over 55 suspicious transactions made during 2014 to 2020 involving over a billion rupees.

Interestingly, MoST had earlier constituted a similar committee to investigate the same case but without any gain. Following audit reports by the Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) regarding massive financial irregularities and illegal appointments at PSQCA, the ministry, in January 2022, had constituted a committee to probe into the matter.

The committee comprising of MoST CAFO Shahzad Naeem and assistant accounts officer Adeel Ahmad was supposed to conduct an inquiry regarding financial and administrative mismanagement allegedly committed by PSQCA Deputy Director Finance Ali Muhammad Bukhari, who is currently on an extended forced leave.

An insider informed this scribe that high officials involved in corruption are trying to protect the main culprit to save their own skin. “The new committee is likely to propose meager punishment like demotion and recovery of some amount from the main culprit instead of initiating a formal investigation and legal proceeding.” they said.

“It seems like the committee’s constitution had been pre-planned plan to give a safe passage to the officials

involved in the mega financial corruption, which is evident from the banking transactions and other documents,” they claimed.

Earlier while taking notice of complaints registered by employees of PSQCA against Ali Muhammad Bukhari, NAB Rawalpindi had asked MoST to provide related information, documents and records of officials allegedly involved in financial and administrative

irregularities and corruption cases.

The complainants have requested NAB to conduct an inquiry and forensic audit of accounts of PSQCA as they suspect suspicious transactions and financial embezzlement worth over a billion rupees.

As per available documents, Bukhari made over 55 suspicious transactions worth millions of rupees from 2014 to 2017 from various accounts of NBP stating that it was for investment in PSQCA. The transactions were suspicious and made in cash which is against GFR rules and violation of government directives.

Apart from these transactions, Bukhari, who served in the finance department of PSQCA from 2008 to 2022, is also allegedly involved in financial irregularities regarding reinvestment worth billions of rupees in various branches of NBP in term deposit receipts (TDRs).

In addition, it has also been alleged that he got two of his sisters, brother and his niece appointed in the PSQCA. Officials at MoST, when contacted, did not respond to queries about the case.

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Saturday, 16 July, 2022 | ISLAMABAD

WIth $150M WB Fund, PLRa aLL SEt to dIGItIzE uRBan Land RECoRdS LAHORE

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HE Punjab Land Record Authority (PLRA) has developed a comprehensive strategy for digitizing urban land records whereas the World Bank will provide 150 million dollars for the completion of the project, Pakistan Today learnt here on Friday.

Ali Raza Butter, a PLRA official, informed Pakistan Today that the World Bank had offered financial and technical assistance to the Punjab government to computerize urban land records.

“In fact, PLRA has digitized and preserved rural land records and facilitated the provision of such services to the public. Recognizing the professionalism of the department, the World Bank also offered financial and technical assistance to the Punjab government in computerizing urban land records,” he said.

According to Butter, “Following this offer, PLRA, in the light of its previous experience and technical capability, began work on a project to computerize urban land records,” he added.

Butter further informed that the preliminary documents for the project

have been prepared by the authority while the implementation plan of the project has also been prepared with the mutual consultation and consensus of the concerned departments.

“Last week, the Punjab Urban Land Systems Enhancement (PULSE) project for computerization of Punjab’s urban records was approved by the Federal Government by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) and the World Bank Board has also approved the project. The PULSE project will receive 150 million dollars in funding from the World Bank and for the implementation of the project, a project implementation unit under the Punjab Land Record Authority headed by the Board of Revenue will be formed.Initially, the gestation period of the project has been fixed at 5 years,” he added.

While explaining about PULSE, Butter informed that the Board of Revenue, Punjab with the technical & financial support of World Bank was preparing the Punjab Urban Land System Enhancement (PULSE) project for the establishment of a unified central database of all types of urban properties, rights and charges.

“The proposed system will not

ECP sets up special control rooms to monitor Punjab by-elections

merely a Geographic Information System (GIS) and Parcel based one but has all possible functionalities to serve as a robust platform for creation of ‘Spatial Data Infrastructure’ (SDI), an inevitable need of the future. The project will provide a complete and transparent record of title in land and immovable property.

Digitization of remaining parts of rural land, digitization of katchi abadi record, automation of sub-registrar record rooms are also part of the project,” he informed.

Butter said that in Punjab, although rural land records have already been computerized and under PULSE, urban and rural computerized records will be linked to computerized geographical maps. “Similarly, like rural land records, urban land records will also be collected from the concerned agencies and computerized and satellite maps will be prepared,” he said.

Butter believed that under the project, a new reform land record system would be introduced and implemented in all institutions across Punjab as computerization of records of all rural and urban lands of Punjab will create an integrated system of land administration.

“These reforms will not only make access to records easier and safer for the public, but will also make it possible to

LHC restrains Anti-Corruption from harassing Sheikh Rashid

NEwS DESk

NEwS DESk

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has set up special control rooms to monitor byelections, being held in 20 constituencies of Punjab assembly on Sunday. According to ECP, separate special control rooms have been established at central and provincial levels. The control rooms would continue working till compilation of polling results. Returning officers, relevant deputy commissioners, representatives of police, Rangers and Pak Army would be present in the control rooms to deal with any emergency. The control rooms would promptly resolve election related complaints.

Complaints could be registered in central control room Islamabad at 051-9210837; 051-9204403; 051-9204402; 051-9210838. Complaint could also be communicated through fax number 0519204404 and email; ddmonitoringisb@gmail.com Provincial control room, Lahore could be contacted at landline telephone 042-99212620; 042-99212209 and email pecpunjabcontrolroom@gmail.com

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday restrained the Anti-Corruption Department from harassing former Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid.

Justice Farooq Haider heard the petition filed in the LHC against the summons of Sheikh Rashid in anticorruption and the court restrained anti-corruption from illegally harassing the political leader.

The court further sought reply from other parties including anti-corruption on July 27.

During the hearing, Sheikh Rashid’s lawyer took the

anP announces to support MQM-P in Karachi na-245 by-poll NEwS DESk Awami National Party (ANP) has announced to support Muttahida Qaumi MovementPakistan (MQM-P) in the by-election on NA-245, Karachi seat. This was announced by ANP Sindh President Shahi Syed while addressing a press conference along with MQM-P leader and former Mayor Karachi Wasim Akhtar. The ANP Sindh President has also vowed to support Muttahida Qaumi Movement in the upcoming local government elections in the province. “We have to get rid of looters for the development of Karachi,” he added. “Both the parties are committed to restore the prosperity of Karachi,” Shahi Syed said, throwing weight behind MQM-P in Karachi NA-245 by-elections and LG polls.

Taking over the presser, former Mayor Karachi Wasim Akhtar called Pashtuns ‘brothers’, saying that they will support MQM-P in the upcoming NA-245 by-election.

“We have to work together to get rid of the growing problems,” he added. He also demanded the equal distribution of shares, saying that every government has neglected the rights of Karachi. The national assembly seat was vacated after the death of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MNA Aamir Liaquat Hussain. Syed Nadeem Haider was appointed as the returning officer for the by-election.

provide instant data at the government level for most public welfare projects such as city planning and housing. The plan will eliminate fraud, fraudulent transfers and fraud in land transactions,” he added. It is pertinent to mention here that due to digitization of land records in rural areas, the revenue of PLRA was gradually increasing every year.

According to the data obtained by PLRA, computerized land document (Fard), transfer services were provided to about 4 million customers during the fiscal year 2021-22, an increase of 15 percent over the previous year.

Similarly, approximately RS 18.6 billion was collected in the state exchequer in terms of provincial government taxes and service charges through convenient and transparent services of land records.

Moreover, out of the total 2,738,290 land documents released, more than 1.6 million documents were released from land record centers, 500,000 through NADRA, 300,000 from Dehi Marakaz e Mall and the rest from other centers.

Furthermore, out of 1.3 million land transfers, more than 850,000 land record c centers, more than 300,000 dehi markaz e malls and the rest were verified by other centers.

stance that the land deal has been done and payment is yet to be made. Sheikh Rashid said that he still has possession of the land as the person who bought the land has to pay 80%.

It is pertinent to mention that Sheikh Rashid had been summoned by the Anti-Corruption Department today (Friday).

Talking about the by-elections after the hearing, Sheikh Rashid said that only clean and transparent by-elections should be allowed. If Imran Khan gave the call, the result will not be good for anyone, he added.

Army soldiers rendering great sacrifices for country: President, PM ISLAMABAD staff RepoRt

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday paid tribute to the martyred Lieutenant Colonel Laiq Baig, saying that the officers and jawans of the Pakistan Army were rendering great sacrifices for the motherland.

Lt-Col Laiq Baig, who was abducted on the night between July 12 and 13 while returning from Quetta, was martyred while two terrorists were also killed in a rescue operation.

The prime minister said the sacrifice of Lt-Col Laiq Baig would not go in vain and the terrorists would be taken to task. He said the entire nation was determined

to eliminate terrorism from the country.

PM Sharif extended condolences to the family of Lt Col Laiq Baig and prayed for the departed soul of the martyred to rest in peace.

Meanwhile, President Dr Arif Alvi also expressed grief and sorrow over the martyrdom of Lt Colonel Laiq Baig Mirza in Ziarat Balochistan.

In a message of condolence, he prayed for the elevation of the ranks of the martyr in heaven and for giving patience to the bereaved family to bear the immense loss with fortitude.

He said the nefarious tactics of the terrorists could not weaken resolve of the nation and the whole nation stood with the armed forces in the war against terrorism.

Elected representatives up against growing child, drug abuse SwAT syeD shahabuDDiN

The elected representatives of village council in Matta tehsil of District Swat on Thursday announced a massive campaign, calling it “Jihad” against the growing incidence of child abuse, including the curse of drugs and immoral activities in the area.

A meeting of the recently elected LG representatives of Village Council Shakardara was held with its Nadeem Khan in the chair. The meeting discussed the growing issue of child and drugs abuse in their areas. The council decided to fine all those found involve in child abuse by Rs100,000, besides exiling the abuser[s] for a period of five years from their area of residence.

The meeting, which was also attended by General Councilor Muhammad Sher Khan, General Councilor Alamgir Bacha, Youth Councilor Javed Ali, Farmer Councilor Liaqat Ali, Female Councilor Khan Ro, showed serious concern over the mentioned social evils.

All members of the council urged that it was their responsibilities to safeguard the youth from the impact of drug addiction and immoral activities, thus the council unanimously approved to take historic decisions to rid Shakardara of drugs and immoral activities.

The written decisions state that those who found taking ice drug in the area will be fined Rs100,000 and those who supply it will be fined Rs200,000, Nadeem Khan confirmed.

“The unmarried girl and the boy will be married off if their immoral activities and relationship are proved, while the accused who abuses innocent children will be fined Rs100,000 and exiled from the area for five years,” the council decided.

Meanwhile, it was also decided to impose a fine of Rs500,000 on the accused for appearing within the limits of the council.

All the members of the council unanimously endorsed the historic decisions and formulated a strategy for implementation of the council’s decisions.

NEWS

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tiktoker hareem Shah apprehended at turkey airport along with husband NEwS DESk Hareem Shah, a well-known Pakistani TikToker, is frequently in the news for a variety of reasons. Her indecent behaviour and remarks frequently get her into trouble. Additionally, Hareem was widely discussed online after her disputes with prominent politicians became public knowledge. Hareem and her husband, Bilal Shah, flew to Turkey for a short vacation a few days ago. Hareem was keeping her admirers entertained with stunning updates from Turkey on social media.

President inks bill of Rahmatullil alameen, Khatamun nabiyeen authority NEwS DESk President Dr Arif Alvi on Friday gave his assent to the National Rahmatullil Alameen and Khatamun Nabiyeen Authority Bill 2022. The president gave his assent to the said bill under Article 75 of the constitution.The bill provides for the formation of Rahmatullil Alameen and Khatamun Nabiyeen Authority.

LG polls 2nd phase: 532 PPP candidates elected unopposed in Sindh KARACHI: A total of 532 Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) candidates have been elected unopposed in the second phase of the local body elections in Sindh. According to data provided by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), at least 532 PPP candidates have been elected unopposed ahead of LG polls scheduled to be held in the remaining 16 districts of Sindh in the second. Moreover, 6 Independents, two Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) and one Pak Sar Zameen Party (PSP) candidate were also elected unopposed. One Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) candidate from Thatta, 5 Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F), and two Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidates were elected unopposed. One Awami Workers Party candidate was elected unopposed too. A large number of PPP candidates had been elected unopposed in the first phase of the LG polls held on June 25, 2022. According to details, 946 candidates have been elected unopposed from 14 districts of Sindh in the first phase of the local body elections in Sindh. More than 20,000 candidates are contesting for 3,822 local body seats while 590 candidates have been elected unopposed. According to the data issued by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), a total of six candidates from seven districts of Karachi were elected unopposed. Four candidates from Malir, one from Korangi and one from Kemari have been elected unopposed.

Meanwhile, as many as 134 candidates in Hyderabad have been elected unopposed. 100 candidates from Sujawal, 85 from Thatta and 70 from Dadu were elected unopposed. staff RepoRt

PIa to operate 19 ashuraarba’een flights for Iraq NEwS DESk Minister for Aviation Khawaja Saad Rafique on Friday said the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) would operate 19 special flights to transport intending Zaireen to Najaf (Iraq) for observance of Ashura [the 10th day of Muharram] and the Arba’een [the Chehlum of Hazrat Imam Hussain (AS)]. The minister, in a tweet, said the national flag carrier would operate eight flights for Ashura and 11 for the Arba’een gatherings, in addition to its weekly regular flights for Najaf and Damascus cities of Iraq.

He said PIA would soon resume its flight operation to Mashhad, Iran.

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Saturday, 16 July, 2022 | ISLAMABAD

04 NEWS

PSX loSeS StockS Significantly aS weekend aRRiveS KARACHI

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he KSe 100-index of the Pakistan Stock exchange (PSX) witnessed bearish trend on Friday, losing 274 points, a negative change of 0.65 percent, closing at 42,074.91 points against 42,348.91 points on the last working day.

A total of 140,118,124 shares were traded during the day compared to the trade of 227,848,374 shares the previous day, whereas the price of shares stood at Rs.5.374 billion against Rs.7.429 billion on last trading day.

As many as 347 companies transacted shares in the stock market, 116 of them recorded gain and 208 sustained losses, whereas the share price of 23 companies remained unchanged.

Sectors contributing to the performance included banks (-69.7 points), exploration and production (-55.1 points), cement (-45.7 points), engineering (-21.5 points) and fertiliser (-19.6 points).

The three top trading companies wer Pak elektron with a volume of 12,025,000 shares and price per share of Rs.16.29, Unity Foods Ltd with volume of

8,962,944 and price per share of Rs.20.19 and Sui North Gas with volume of 5,919,475 and price per share of Rs.39.19.

Allawasaya Tex witnessed a maximum increase of Rs152.6 per share, closing at Rs2,187.6 whereas the runner up

lahore student goes missing LAHORE MoNItoRINg RepoRt

A 20-year-old student, purportedly of Lahore College for Women University (LCWU), went missing from outside the institution, police said on Friday. As per the first information report (FIR), Laiba Khan, a resident of the Maraghzar Colony neighbourhood of Lahore, was dropped off by her brother at the university’s entrance in the morning. however, when her brother went to pick her up at 11:30 am, she did not show up. he then called her on her mobile which was switched off. Later in the evening, Khan’s family filed an FIR with the police. Police said an investigation was underway to find the student, and “she will be recovered soon”.

coronavirus infections near 800 mark after exponential growth ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

Pakistan reported 779 confirmed Covid-19 infections and two deaths during the last 24 hours, after exponential growth saw cases more than double in the past week, the Ministry of National health Services said on Friday. The tally of infected people increased to 1,544,910 after adding the new cases, according to the data released by the ministry. The ministry’s statistics showed 30,428 people died from Covid-19 in Pakistan, with two more deaths recorded on Thursday. On Thursday, 22,099 tests for Covid-19 were conducted in Pakistan while the positivity rate stood at 3.53 percent. Currently, 182 active cases are in critical condition in the country.

was Premium Tex, the share prices of which climbed up by Rs35 to Rs829.9.

Bata (Pak) witnessed maximum decrease of Rs167.44 per share closing at Rs2,182.56 followed by Nestle Pakistan, the share price of which declined by

Rs57.50 to close at Rs5,943.

Overall trading volumes rose to 140.11 million shares compared with Thursday’s tally of 227.84 million. The value of shares traded during the day was Rs5.37 billion.

Rain-related accidents leave 186 dead, 181 injured ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

A total of 186 people were killed and 181 others injured in separate rain-related accidents during the premonsoon season since June 14, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said. Balochistan remained the worst-hit region where 65 people died and 49 others sustained injuries due to torrential rains that triggered flash floods. Local media also reported several incidents of dam bursts, which swept away scores of houses and infrastructures. The Balochistan government on Tuesday imposed section 144 in the province amid more forecasts of rains for a month, a statement by the chief minister’s office said. According to section 144, the public will be restricted from going for picnics at rivers, dams, and other water reservoirs.

Swimming in rivers and water streams will also be banned. 38 people were killed in separate accidents in Sindh including the provincial capital of Karachi which has suffered heavy downpours for over a week.

Minister for Climate Change Sherry Rehman said in a tweet on Wednesday that Sindh and Balochistan were still under heavy monsoon pressure for the last 13 days during which they received 625 percent and 501 percent more rains, respectively, above the 30-year average. She said a further rise in heavy rainfall is expected in the coming days with a weather cycle focusing on Sindh and Balochistan for high precipitation. According to the NDMA, 24 people were killed by heavy rains in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 23 in Punjab, and 15 in other parts of the country. It said that 171 people were injured including 61 in Punjab, 49 in Balochistan, 37 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and 24 in other parts of the country.

Two injured as PML-N office ‘attacked’ in Lahore ahead of by-polls LAHORE Staff RepoRt

A Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) camp office was vandalised and two workers present there were injured when several unidentified people stormed it late on Thursday, party’s candidate Nazir Ahmad Chohan claimed.

Chohan, a Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) dissident, was elected as a member of the Punjab Assembly from PP-167 (Lahore-XXIV) in 2018 but de-seated by

the election Commission of Pakistan (eCP) for crossing the floor during the election for the chief minister when he and 24 of his fellow lawmakers voted for hamza Shehbaz, PML-N vice president. he is now contesting in the same constituency on a PML-N ticket in the by-election that will be held on July 17.

Describing how the events unfolded, Chohan said: “eight to 10 people targeted the office” near the hamdard Chowk neighbourhood. “The attackers broke the windows of my office,” Chohan said, adding that two

workers were injured in the incident.

Footage aired by broadcasters showed broken glass scattered across the floor and a location that appeared to have been ransacked. Meanwhile, PML-N lawmaker Khawaja Imran Nazeer blamed PTI for the attack. “Miscreants who attended a PTI rally attacked Chohan’s office,” he alleged. he added the injured were taken to hospital and the police had reached Chohan’s office.

“The suspects will be arrested with the help of CCTV footage,” Nazeer said.

Rs16.19m relief for plaintiffs on ombudsman’s order LAHORE Staff RepoRt

On the orders of Punjab Ombudsman retired Maj. Azam Suleman Khan, legal relief of Rs16.19 million has been provided to women applicants from several districts in various cases.

A spokesman for the office disclosed in a statement issued on Friday that hanifan Bibi from Faisalabad and Nigina Kausar from Narowal have been given Rs1.9 million each in financial aid while one Sakina Bibi from Lahore secured a legal relief of Rs1.6 million in her case.

The spokesman added that Rs0.9 million was paid to one Salma Bibi from Sargodha and another applicant, Madiha Afzal from Sheikhupura, re-

ceived a financial relief valued at Rs0.8 million by the concerned department.

As a result of action taken by the ombudsman in family pension cases, the spokesman explained that Naseem Akhtar of Faisalabad got Rs0.2 million, Parveen Akhtar of Attock Rs0.2 million, Iqbal Bano of Rahim Yar Khan Rs0.5 million and Nuzhat Shaheen of Khushab gained Rs0.6 million as a widowed daughter while Saima Naureen of Islamabad fetched arrears worth Rs0.1 million in addition to the issuance of family pension after she approached the ombudsman’s office for securing her legal right.

Meanwhile, the remaining pension amount valued at Rs1 million

has been given to Sakina Bibi of Muzaffargarh and the remaining insurance amount of Rs0.1 million has been delivered to Amina Bibi of Bahawalpur after her application to the ombudsman’s office, the spokesman counted.

The statement further said that Shazia Parveen of Jhelum has been paid the remaining emoluments worth Rs2.1 million of her late husband. Job arrears amounting to Rs0.6 million have been given to Gujrat’s Farzana Kauser along with the creation of an OSD post after the involvement of the ombudsman’s office.

Abida Bibi of Vehari and the cowife of her late husband were jointly issued Rs2.3 million as emoluments, the spokesman concluded.

intermittent rain to continue till 18th in parts of country LAHORE INp

A further spell is expected in Karachi on Friday (today) as the series of monsoon rain has been forecast to continue intermittently until July 18, while heavy rains also continue in different parts of Lahore. The weather in Lahore and its environs became pleasant due to rainfall. On the other hand, a tragic incident also took place in the Farrukhabad neighbourhood of Shahdara, when a woman died as the roof collapsed due to rain. The woman was identified as 70-year-old hanniya. The elderly couple and their daughter lived in the house. The roof collapsed when the husband went to the mosque to pray. According to rescue sources, the roof of the house was made of girder and TR. A search and rescue operation has been completed. Meanwhile, the Meteorological Department has forecast another rain in Karachi tonight which is expected to continue for another three days till July 18.

Murad directs police to deal ‘miscreants’ with sternly KARACHI Staff RepoRt

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Thursday directed the Karachi Police to take strict action against the “miscreants” creating law and order situation in the metropolis following rumours making rounds in the city that roads would be blocked. he asked the public not to heed rumours, saying the police will deal with sternly with the elements blocking roads or creating unrest in the metropolis.

The Sindh CM declared that the public as well private properties will be protected,

adding that the provincial government had talked to all the people concerned on the issue. “All the stakeholders are of the unanimous view that they do not support miscreants under any garb,” he added. he ordered the police to ensure that no road will be closed in Karachi and “strict action” would be taken against those found damaging public or private property and creating law and order in the City.

“If any miscreants tries to block any road, they should be dealt with severely,” he said. he further promised that “any mischief” or negligence on the part of the administration would not be tolerated.

The Chief Minister directed the Police to

ensure the routine life of city at all costs.

COMMERCIAL ACTIVITIES REMAINED SUSPENDED: On Friday, commercial activities in several localities of the metropolis remained suspended where the personnel of police and other law enforcement agencies carried out flag marches to maintain law and order. however, after Friday prayers, protests were reported in the Sohrab Goth area where the police detained some people.

City police chief Javed Akhtar Odho told the media that some people tried to torch an old vehicle near Sohrab Goth and damaged other property after zuhr

prayers. he, however, said, the police took immediate action and detained around 10 to 15 people.

“Since Thursday evening, over 45 persons have been arrested over charges of rioting and arson,” Odho said, adding that detainees had been identified with help of video clips obtained from the site.

Yesterday, several political parties, including JI, MQM-Pakistan, Awami National Party, and nationalist leaders Jalal Mehmood Shah and Ayaz Latif Palijo issued statements, urging both Sindhis and Pakhtuns — the two groups at the heart of these tensions — to demonstrate restraint. ‘

Saturday, 16 July, 2022 | ISLAMABAD

NEWS

Cabinet sets up body to implement points raised in SC’s verdict continued from page 01 Moreover, on the ECC’s decision to allow the release of banned luxury goods which arrived at Pakistani ports until June 30, she said that the cabinet decided to approve the decision. However, the cabinet decided that goods which arrived at Pakistani ports within two weeks of the ban being imposed will be released with a 5% penalty.

Similarly, goods which arrived at Pakistani ports after that period were also allowed to enter the country but after paying 15% penalty.

Imran faces popularity test in Punjab by-election iSLamaBad AFP

Former prime minister Imran Khan faces a popularity test this Sunday in a by-election for 20 assembly seats in the most populous province of Punjab.

The vote is seen as a possible bellwether for national elections that must be held by October next year, although Khan has campaigned across the country for an earlier poll since being dismissed by a no-confidence vote in April.

20 Punjab seats fell vacant after the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) disqualified members of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) party at his request when they switched loyalties. The machinations led to a change of government in the province, which is now headed by Hamza Shehbaz, son of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

Analysts say the election gives Khan the chance to gauge how well his campaign to raise popular support is going.

“If he wins, he will say ‘people are with me’ and increase pressure for fresh elections,” political commentator Hasan Askari told AFP. If he loses, “Khan will definitely call it a rigged election”, he added. Khan has drawn thousands to rallies across the country since being deposed, giving lengthy speeches claiming the government was imposed on Pakistan by a US-led conspiracy.

He also blames the current government for soaring inflation, although some analysts say Sharif, just like Khan, inherited the country’s economic woes — which were given some relief this week by an agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to resume a rescue package. Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) party needs to win at least half the 20 seats up for grabs or else they will likely cede control of the assembly to the PTI and its allies. “Stakes are high on both sides,” Askari said. “The future political direction will remain uncertain in Pakistan even in the post-election period.”

Students desirous to return China asked to register online iSLamaBad StAFF RePoRt

The first batch of Pakistani students studying in Chinese universities, who were stranded in Pakistan due to COVID-19, reached back China on June 20, 2022 and joined their institutions after going through mandatory quarantine period. According to a press release issued on Friday, the remaining students who want to return to China for resumption of their studies are advised to register their fresh information at: Moreover, students are advised to fill correct, reliable and accurate information until July 21, 2022. The information will be shared with the Chinese authorities for further procedure and verification of the submitted information.

05

PTI SeekS effeCTIve eCP Role To enSuRe TRAnSPARenCy: QuReShI iSLamaBad

v

StAFF RePoRt

ICE Chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Friday pledged to honour the election code of conduct and expressed party’s desire for peaceful bye-elections and effective role of Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to ensure the process is conducted in free, fair and transparent manner.

While addressing a press conference here, Qureshi thanked former federal minister Syed Hamid Saeed Kazmi and Pakistan Sunni Tehrik leader Shadab Raza, who were seated besides him, for their support to PTI candidate.

Qureshi said, today was the last day

of election campaigning and thanked all the party workers including women

for their active participation. He said that half of election activity was over

and rest of the half would be completed on polling day when people would give their verdict through votes. He said that all candidates campaigned to convince people and now it was up to the voters to decide their fate.

He said, the party has reported to the ECP all the violations of the code of conduct and added that rectifying voters list was the responsibility of the ECP. Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi said there was dire need to ensure that the elections are held in free, fair and transparent manner and added that this tradition should be promoted and strengthened for the cause of democracy. Hamid Saeed Kazmi and Shadab Raza Naqshbandi also spoke on the occasion and promised support to PTI candidate.

ECP asks by-election contestants to end campaign at midnight

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has directed the candidates contesting the by elections on 20 Punjab Assembly seats to end their respective election campaigns until 12:00 am midnight.

According to ECP, all the parties and their candidates had been directed to end their political campaign and public meetings from the midnight falling between July 15 and 16, 2022.

While no candidate or party leader would address gatherings or corner meetings or take out processions in their respective constituencies after the deadline.

The political parties and the candidates must follow the provision of law and exercise self restraint to enable polls could be held in peaceful manner of July 17, 2022. Legal action would be taken against those political leaders and parties which violate the rule.

By elections were being held in 20 constituencies of Punjab Assembly including PP-7

Rawalpindi; PP-83, Khushab; PP-90 Bhakkar; PP-97 Faisalabad; PP-125, Jhang; PP-127, Jhang; PP-140 Sheikhupura;PP158,Lahore;PP-167, Lahore; PP-168, Lahore; PP-170 Lahore; PP-202 Sahiwal; PP-217 Multan; PP-224, Lodhran;PP228, Lodhran; PP-237, Bahawalnagar; PP-272Muzaffargarh;PP-273 Muzaffargarh;PP-282, Layyah and PP288 Dera Ghazi Khan.

Meanwhile, all the necessary arrangements for holding byelections in 20 provincial assembly constituencies, including printing of ballot papers had been completed.The ECP issued standard operating procedures (SOPs) for polling staff to conduct the by-polls on Punjab assembly constituencies scheduled for July 17.

The presiding officers (POs) have been directed to enable the location service feature of their smart phones. The PO should

take a picture of form 45 and WhatsApp it to the RO in presence of polling agents.

The location feature should stay active even while taking the picture of Form 45, the ECP statement reads. Polling agents were to be present when the picture was being taken. In case of a network connection failure, the PO has been told to immediately reach the ROs’ office.

The POs have been instructed to submit the polling record, including Form 45, on time. The RO, meanwhile, was tasked with making all the forensic details part of the record.

ECP has made asked the candidates to ensure training of their polling agents and instruct them not to leave the polling station without receiving the presiding officer’s verified form 45. Every presiding officer was bound to provide signed copy of form 45 to relevant polling agent in the polling station. newS deeSk

Resolution seeking Alvi’s impeachment tabled in Senate ISLaMaBad: A Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) senator submitted in the Senate a resolution demanding proceedings under Article 6 against President Arif Alvi, former prime minister Imran Khan, former minister for information Fawad Chaudhry, and former National Assembly deputy speaker Qasim Khan Suri. The development came a day after the Supreme Court released its detailed judgment in the suo motu it took on Suri’s ruling on the no-confidence motion moved against Khan. Following the verdict, Senator Afnan Ullah Khan approached the Senate and submitted a resolution seeking proceedings under Article 6 against the leadership of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party. In its verdict, the top court said it was not satisfied with the evidence it was provided with in support of Khan’s claim of foreign interference. According to the judgment, during a meeting at the residence of Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, 12 judges of his court recommended taking suo motu notice against of what it later declared was an “unconstitutional ruling” given by Suri. “Suo motu was taken to protect and uphold the Constitution, however the deputy speaker’s decision to reject [the] no-trust motion is unconstitutional, therefore, the PM’s decision to dissolve assemblies is null and void,” it said. StAFF RePoRt

Pakistan stands by Turkey, say leaders on failed coup anniversary iSLamaBad AnAdolu Agency

Pakistan’s leadership on Friday reaffirmed support and solidarity for Turkey as it marks Democracy and National Unity Day, remembering the people killed in the July 15, 2016, defeated coup.

In a statement, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said this day will always be remembered as an expression of the Turkish people’s unwavering trust in the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

“It also reflects the Turkish nation’s resolve to protect & uphold democracy. May the souls of the martyrs rest in peace,” Sharif tweeted.

Former prime minister Imran Khan also congratulated Erdogan and the people of Turkey on Democracy and National Unity Day. “15 July 2016 commemorates the day President Erdogan with the support of the Turkish people defeated attempted coup against him,” Khan said.

Foreign Office also reaffirmed its abid-

ing solidarity and strong support for the people and government of Turkey on the occasion of the sixth Democracy and National Unity Day. “The heroic struggle of the brave Turkish people against the treacherous coup attempt of 15 July 2016 shows that with unity, courage, resolve and commitment, nations can overcome all odds and challenges,” said a statement.

The ministry also paid tribute to all those martyrs who laid down their lives in defense of Turkey’s democracy and stability.

“The exceptional relations between our two peoples — embedded in a common religious, cultural, linguistic, and spiritual heritage — go back centuries and have withstood the test of times.

“With the strong resolve of the political leadership on both sides, the historic, multifaceted strategic relationship between the two countries will continue to grow from strength to strength,” it added.

Siraj ul-Haq, head of the Jamaat-i-Islami party, also paid tribute to the people killed in

the defeated coup attempt.

“The Pakistani nation always stood and continues to stand with our Turkish brothers and sisters in every difficult time,” Haq said He praised the leadership of Erdogan, saying he set an example of people’s support for their elected governments.

2016 defeated coup: Turkey on Friday is commemorating those killed during the defeated coup.

Since its designation in October 2016, every year the country marks July 15 as Democracy and National Unity Day, with events held to commemorate those who lost their lives beating back the putschists and in remembrance of the bravery of the nation.

FETO and its US-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup, which left 251 people dead and 2,734 injured.

Ankara also accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary. The attempt by FETO to over-

throw the government began around 10:00 pm local time (1900GMT) on July 15, 2016, and was thwarted by 8 a.m. the next day.

Standing against the threat, the Turkish

people courageously showed the world that they would not tolerate any attempt to thwart their will as expressed through their democratically elected government.

06-07 Comments -16th July 2022_Layout 1 7/15/2022 11:50 PM Page 1

Saturday, 16 July, 2022

06 COMMENT

Gate Number Four

Imran Khan in a pickle Politics without powerful handlers

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It’s importance is now being revealed

Ti chief imran Khan was left blue in the face when the army rejected his narrative that PTi’sgovernment was removed through a foreign conspiracy. it is customary within the unquestioning PTi followers to accept whatever Mr Khan says as gospel truth. Anyone opposing the PTi supremo’s stand is routinely accused of being on the payroll of the “thieves and traitors”, terms reserved for the leaders of the PMl(n) and PPP. it would have been embarrassing to find those with whom PTi had been on the same page for most of its tenure giving the lie to its narrative The PTi’s conspiracy narrative has been rejected now by the Supreme Court also which maintains that sufficient evidence was not presented to support the PTi’s claim of foreign interference. The contents of the cipher were not shown either to the Supreme Court or to members of the national Assembly. nor has evidence been provided detailing the names of the MnAs associated with the alleged conspiracy and the inducement, coercion or influence used by them to procure other members of the national Assembly to vote for the no-confidence move. imran Khan however remains adamant. instead of paying heed to the apex court’s observations he maintains that the court should have investigated to whom this message for the removal of the PM was addressed.

Fawad Chadhry, who fully supported the way the courts and the establishment treated the PMl(n) and PPP leaders and took part in their media trial, has suddenly turned into a super democrat by criticizing the establishment’s role in politics. He says it is not for a judge or the one who has taken a commission in the Army to do politics. it is an irony that a party that was brought to power by establishment is now cursing it because it thinks the establishment is supporting its rivals this time.

The ruling alliance is divided on how to treat Mr Khan. Some of the PMl(n) leaders who have suffered under the PTi rule want him to be tried under Article 6.

The PPP. which needs support in Punjab to further its agenda in the days to come, wants to deal softly with Mr Khan with Qamar Zaman Kaira asking him to name any judge of his choice so that a proper inquiry commission could be constituted so he may not have any excuse but to accept the findings of the probe.

dr QAisAr rAshid

T

HoUgH Sheikh Rasheed’s Awami Muslim league is perhaps the smallest active political party, it has served the purpose.

The party helped Rasheed ascend to the enviable slot of the interior Minister, the position Rasheed bargained for in return for helping the Pakistan Tehreek insaf (PTi) in the 2018 general elections. After the elections, he kept on writhing in agony while running the Railways for initial two years, until he found his dream job in December 2020.

Popularly known as ‘Pindi Boy’, Rasheed has advertently made all efforts to popularize gate number Four of the general Headquarters of the Pakistan Army in Rawalpindi. He proudly presents himself as the recipient of political favours that the gate doled out. He is of the firm opinion that politics in Pakistan sags without the lift offered by the gate.

During the closing days of the PTi’s government, before the joint opposition instigated the noconfidence move, Rasheed was found advising the PTi’s leadership repeatedly to dissolve the national Assembly and call fresh elections. no one from the PTi’s higher ranks paid heed to his advice. Precious time was squandered in dillydallying. once the move was tabled, the time to dissolve the assemblies was over. With the benefit of hindsight, it can be said that

Defusing an ugly situation Hyderabad is saved by the wisdom of political parties

Will they get away with it?

T

He Sindh government headed off a potentially ugly situation on Friday, which threatened the ethnic peace of Hyderabad, the province’s second-largest city. Though Hyderabad has for decades been dominated by the MQM, to the extent the city’s national Assembly seats are considered safe for the MQM, as has been the city’s mayoralty, it has not been subject to the kind of ethnic tensions that have bedevilled Karachi, where the AnP has been able to establish a toehold because of the Pashtoon minority within it. While Hyderabad is not like Karachi, which can claim to be the city with the most Pashto-speakers in Pakistan, more than any city in KP or Afghanistan, it still contains enough to make the prospect of a clash between the Sindhi-speaking community and the Pashtospeaking community so horrific. it seems that that had happened, and the two communities were only able to pull back from the brink only after a shop was ransacked by a mob. ironically, the shop was run by a Pushtoon, who rented it from a Sindhi.

The tension had arisen not because a Sindhi, Bilal Kaka, had been killed in the course of a clash at a restaurant owned by Shah Sawar Pathan. The horrific part of the incident was the apparent indifference shown by the crew of a police mobile, who had also been at the restaurant dining, but because of its failure to react, even though gunshots were fired under its nose.

Though a potentially ugly and explosive situation was averted because of the good sense of Sindh government, which persuaded both the AnP, representing Pushtoons, and the Jia Sindh Qaumi Mahaz, representing Sindhis, to avoid any clash, the situation is still volatile. The emergence of overt ethnicity occurred in Karachi in 1986 because of the death of a Muhajir girl travelling by a Pashtoon-run wagon. The Qasba Colony massacres claimed at least 49 victims. no one wants history to repeat itself.

An opportunity to united against Indian islamophobia was wasted AsAd Ali

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eligion is a system of faith or worship that influences the way a person thinks about, views, and interacts with the world. one’s religion is often the main source of one’s ethical and moral beliefs. For many believers, religion is a source of great comfort, perhaps even purpose.

Many different religions exist throughout the world. Although religions are often very different from one another in theology and practice, it is arguable that most of them focus upon two near-universal themes: how to behave here on earth, and what to expect when we die. Most religions teach faith in a higher power, be it one’s own spirituality.

Religion is the most sensitive part of every society. every individual, be it Muslims or other religions, is imbued with its religious lines. one must not pass vague or blasphemous comments on any religion as it hurts the sentiments of millions of people across the world. As per the latest report, there are an estimated 10,000 distinct religions worldwide. Approximately, 84 percent of global population espouses different religions such as Christianity, islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, or some form of folk religion. The religiously unaffiliated demographic includes those who do not identify with any particular religion, atheists, and agnostics. likewise, it is the responsibility of every group, organization, and particularly government to provide basic religious rights to the people. They must be provided with every facility to perform their religious duties and prayers. no country can stop someone from performing his or her religious practices anywhere in the country. if any state stops someone from performing religious customs, that is subject to the violations of international charters, conventions and constitutional rights, which must be discouraged.

Unfortunately, a comprehensive and systematic campaign against a particular religion has been launched in india with the indirect support of the government. The main target of the campaign is to malign the Muslim community. it is pertinent to mention here that the campaign was deliberately launched in order to accomplish political and Hin-

Dedicated to the legacy of late Hameed Nizami

Arif Nizami (Late) Founding Editor

Yousaf Nizami M. A. Niazi

Editor Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

Umar Aziz

Joint Editor

Joint Editor

Executive Editor

Lahore – Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965

Rasheed had done his job, but he could not save the government from collapse under the weight of its own indecisiveness.

Perhaps, the PTi’s leadership was overly confident of the clandestine help which gate number Four would extend at the eleventh hour, as it did before, as a duty to protect the government from the tumble. The expectation was despite the fact that political discords were the writing on the wall. Fed on the anti-corruption sloganeering, the ruling artificial construct was falling apart owing to inefficiency and incapacity. Political dissociations were looming both in the Punjab and at the Centre.

This was also despite the fact that all clues had been pointing at the neutrality of the gate. only the PTi’s leadership was oblivious of surroundings and happenings. The party threw itself headlong into the brewing crisis, without fathoming that the so-called hybrid experiment had failed. The scientists had wrapped up their instruments. The joint opposition was upping the ante. The time was running out. The gate intuited failure, and decided to withdraw its tentacles. To the utter surprise and infuriation of the PTi’s leadership, the higher judiciary also shrank to its core. nothing could be saved or recouped. All political capital was lost. This was how the PTi entered into the next phase of political survival: rustle up the foreign conspiracy case. Fuel anti-Americanism and then exploit it to the party’s favour. Make the ignorance of the masses bliss for the party. Revel in the delight. The pliability of benighted minds is the victim. Politics boils down to sheer gimmickry.

The scheme saw daylight. nevertheless, the gimmick finally worked, offering the PTi a moment of rebirth. The price of faltering in dissolving assemblies was paid by making some extra effort. in the past three months, the PTi has significantly recovered from its earlier depression verging on obscurity. Shifting gradually from foreign conspiracy, now the chant is tossing corruption allegations on the opponents– a throwback to the 2018 general elections.

The PTi has been trying to regain the lost opportunity. Politely and coercively, the party has been appealing to gate number Four to roll out the political chessboard once again and offer the party another chance to compensate for its losses. That is, if given a chance, the party can run the government better

I

Karachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9

I

dutva-driven interests. The campaign had started when two senior leaders of the ruling BJP passed derogatory remarks against the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). The comments were passed on a live TV show.

The remarks severely damaged the religious sentiments of not only indian Muslims but the entire community living across the world. Similarly, the remarks have triggered massive outrage not only in india but in different parts of the world. The indian government is receiving worldwide condemnation from Muslim states. The Muslim community is holding worldwide protests against the blasphemous remarks against the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). initially, the indian government, which is led

by Hindu fanatics, had refused even to condemn the remarks, which were made by two of its senior members. However, it has later realized the sensitivity of the matter when Arab nations including Saudi Arabia, UAe and Qatar, unsurprisingly not only condemned the remarks but also summoned indian diplomats to record strong protest on behalf of the government and people.

The indian government has rushed to appease powerful Muslim-majority countries.

That was an eye-opener for the indian government and after that, it decided to suspend its two leaders nupur Sharma and naveen Jindal. The indian government also distanced itself from the remarks and said those were personal comments of two leaders and didn’t reflect BJP policy. The government, however, refused to punish its leaders and instead questioned the response of Muslim states on the matter. it is highly likely that the recent developments in india against islam will have lasting im-

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than before. There was room for improvement, the PTi’s leadership has finally acknowledged. The party wants the gate to set conditions for cooperation once again.

However, there is another school of thought, which says that if the PTi’s leadership had dissolved assemblies before the opposition could initiate the noconfidence move, the country would have been in grave trouble economically. The major challenger would have been the international Monetary Fund (iMF), which could not issue a bail-out package on the assurances of any ensuing interim government. in such a scenario, gate number Four had to shoulder a huge responsibility. The gate had to manage the country economically to avoid an accusing finger of the masses pointed at it for running the hybrid regime show since 2018. The gate narrowly escaped the challenge.

Pakistan is now under the iMF’s thumb. Political makes or breaks and political gains or losses predicate on the iMF’s conditions. Pakistan’s economy is still paying the cost of the sudden shift in the economic policy run by Asad Umar, the PTi’s economic wizard, in the first eight months of the party’s government. The nosedive prevented the country from launching big projects, especially developmental ones. economic downturn forced the dollar to flee the country. economic uncertainty precluded foreign investment even from expatriate Pakistanis.

The rest of the harm was wreaked by the national Accountability Bureau (nAB) which is now fighting the war of credibility– both legal and moral. The story of Tayyaba Farooq gul, a victim of sexual harassment, is a slap in the face of the nAB which saw no voice raised from inside against the highhandedness.

All women protection bills foundered on the office of nAB Chairman, Mr Justice (retired) Javed iqbal, who stooped low while on the pedestal of integrity.

There was no internal mechanism to rectify the ill. The nAB is surviving with this malady.

The tragedy is that the nAB’s said Chairman had earned an MA in islamic law at the international islamic University, islamabad. even the knowledge of jurisprudence in islamic Fiqah and Sharia laws, which he obtained in 1987, failed to edify his character. The student must have struggled a lot to dissociate himself from the knowledge he was learning to advance his legal career. in short, Sheikh Rasheed’s usual sycophantic intonation proclaiming gate number Four as the spring of political upheavals has invited attention of all, including the PTi’s keyboard stalwarts, who are trying to show themselves a matching generation to the mischiefs of the gate.

The writer can qaisarrashid@yahoo.com

be

reached

plications for communal harmony in the country.

Similarly, the role of the indian Media, which is a mouthpiece of the BJP government, also remained biased towards Muslims and favoured BJP leaders who made the controversial remarks. After seeing strong reactions from Muslims, unfortunately, the indian media had launched a counter-campaign to target Muslims. likewise, the indian media vehemently supported BJP’s leaders by playing Hindutva card.

Sadly, the offensive anti-Muslim campaign by the indian media created panic in Arab states, which later went on the backfoot instead of punishing new Delhi. These states preferred economic, strategic and political interests with india instead of promoting religious values. The gCC, oiC and Arab league wasted an opportunity to unite Muslims for a greater cause.

The Muslim state must not compromise on religious red lines. The cold response from the Arab world will strengthen indian government’s anti-Muslim policies in future. They must have stayed firm on their stance against india.

This is right for the Muslim world to join hands and unite to fight collectively against islamophobia, emanating from the West and india.

The recent islamophobia wave in india has categorically unmasked the indian government’s anti-Muslim policy. it is high time for international community, organizations and other human rights watchdogs to come forward and take stringent actions against new Delhi over its islamophobic policies. They must not allow india to get away with all the mess it created against Muslims. india’s economic partners can no longer turn blind eye to the Modi government’s divisive record.

But now, despite india’s growing importance in the global sphere; with its $2.9 trillion dollar economy, membership of Quad and ambitions to become a permanent member of the UnSC; its Hindu nationalist political machine may have gone too far, which is a threat to regional as well as global peace.

But now, despite India’s growing importance in the global sphere; with its $2.9 trillion dollar economy, membership of Quad and ambitions to become a permanent member of the UNSC; its Hindu nationalist political machine may have gone too far, which is a threat to regional as well as global peace.

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Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk

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at

The writer is a freelance columnist

Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

06-07 Comments -16th July 2022_Layout 1 7/15/2022 11:50 PM Page 2

Saturday, 16 July, 2022

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

Problems faced by Baloch students

Cementing Bangladesh-Northeast India connectivity for a win-win Bangladesh is key to India’s land links eastwards dr ArpitA hAzArikA

F

oRMeR director-general of indian nSg (national Security guard), Jayanto narayan Choudhury, said recently that the security challenges india faced in its northeastern region have been controlled and managed, in part thanks to the enormous assistance Bangladesh has provided. it is true that Bangladesh played a major role in ensuring peace in northeast india.

Bangladesh is responsible for laying the foundation for a tranquil northeast india. northeast indian provinces are gaining as regional states.

Bangladesh has been crucial in the region’s efforts to reduce terrorism. northeast india, especially Assam, has been liberated from separatism and extremism thanks to Bangladesh’s transfer of UlFA fighters to india. Bangladesh wants its neighbours to live in peace and harmony.

Bangladesh rejects anarchy and turmoil. As a result, Bangladesh deserves to receive eternal gratitude from northeast india. Conflicts on either the domestic or international front are disliked in Bangladesh. in order to achieve this, Bangladesh and the Chittagong Hill Tract militants signed the ‘Chittagong Hill Tract Peace Accord’ in 1997. in the past, it also returned a number of Chakma refugees to their home country.

Major security concerns that india has long had have already been addressed by Bangladesh.

A substantial portion of the insurgents in india’s northeast have been turned over to india by Bangladesh. These insurgents were operating against india from Bangladeshi territory. The United liberation Front of Assam (UlFA) insurgent group member Major Anup Chetia caused the indian security officials a lot of trouble.

Bangladesh turned him over to india. Bangladesh strictly forbade the activity of those terrorist and rebel organizations that receive support from abroad. Bangladesh truly wishes northeast india well. This should be understood by all the northeast indian region, especially Assam. nevertheless, Bangladesh and india share a border. india and Bangladesh enjoy a cordial, complex, and wide-ranging relationship. The 50th anniversary of bilateral ties is being commemorated by both nations. The other partner in this partnership is Assam. Bangladesh is bordered by five provinces of india, including Assam. Assam, the largest state in india’s northeast Region (neR), and Bangladesh share about 263 kilometers of riverine and land border. The indian government values Assam’s involvement in trade and commerce with Bangladesh given its size, population, and location. Assam is therefore crucial for Bangladesh.

When external Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar visited Dhaka in May, to extend an invitation to Bangldeshi PM Sheikh Hasina Wajid for her upcoming new Delhi visit in September this year, Sheikh Hasina offered india the use of the Chittagong Port. The northeastern provinces of india, particularly Assam and Tripura, will benefit from the prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s recent offer to india. This is particularly important since there has long been a demand for connectivity between Bangladesh and mainland india’s northeast via multiple modes of trans-

port. in-depth conversations were held before efforts to increase capacity on railroads, highways, and waterways were started. over the past few years, successful trial runs and transshipments have also taken place.

West Bengal forms the bulk of the Bangladesh-india border. in terms of commercial operations, this Bengali-speaking region of india dominates. The strength and potential of the bilateral trade relations between Bangladesh and northeast india should be a priority for the northeastern indian states, particularly Assam.

This is something that Assam should pay close attention to. in South Asia, Bangladesh is experiencing an economic miracle. it is real. Therefore, strengthening the business relations between Assam and Bangladesh will be advantageous. Assam ought to take advantage of any prospective connections with Bangladesh. growing connectivity and trade relations could be advantageous for Bangladesh. in this regard, Assam and Bangladesh can work together.

The economic growth of Bangladesh can help Assam. For nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Thailand, and laos, connectivity between Assam and Bangladesh may be advantageous, as a potential link between Bangladesh, india, Myanmar, and Thailand. Also all need to pay attention after Shinde’s insurrection given that Bangladesh is cut off from the northeastern region of india, transit across it is crucial.

Because of this, it is necessary to foster cooperation in Bangladesh’s development. Southeast Asia will be accessible once Chittagong and Mongla ports are fully utilized. Railway, river, and aviation connectivity would improve the area. on the Bangladeshi side of the border, both parties should erect “Border Huts” where people can exchange a range of items for their home currencies.

The ultimate winners would be people from both sides. Both governments anticipate that people will find this style of border cottage to be quite appealing. in the Dhubri area of lower Assam, india and Bangladesh are permitted to construct border huts along the international boundary. Ultimately, using them will be advantageous to the residents of Sylhet and Assam. More land tariff stations can be built along the border between Bangladesh and Assam. This will promote and boost the volume of land-based international trade. The land tariff stations at Sheola, Balla, and Bholaganj could increase and speed up cross-border trade. Bangladesh and Assam tourist exchange could be a potential industry.

Through their borders, Bangladeshi visitors can travel to Assam. The historical linkages that once existed on the border between Assam and larger Sylhet should be strengthened. Reopening long-suspended rail, road, and river connections will improve connectivity between the two nations.

Sutarkandi is the international border between Bangladesh and india and is well known for being a hub of international trade. Fruit, silicon, and coal exports are all carried out through this area.

The location is in the Assam district of Karimganj. However, Assamese can visit places like Malini Chara Tea garden, Bichana Kandi, Ratargul Swamp Forest, Jaflong, Shaha Jalal Dargah, Sri Mangal, and so on, as tourist destinations. on 9 March 2021, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and indian Prime Minister narendra Modi jointly opened the Bangladesh-india

“goodwill Bridge,” noting that regional connectivity not only promoted the friendship between Bangladesh and india but also created strong trade links. According to Modi, such a connection between Bangladesh and india would be crucial for trade between Bangladesh and northeast india, especially Assam. in a joint venture between numaligarh Refinery limited and Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation, Bangladesh and india have signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the building of a high-speed diesel pipeline from numaligarh in Assam to Parbatipur in Bangladesh. As a gesture of goodwill, the indian Railways have already sent a first shipment of 2,200 tonnes of diesel in 50 wagons from Siliguri in West Bengal to Parbatipur. During Modi’s most recent visit, the choice was made to construct the pipeline.

There could be some nRC issues between Bangladesh and Assam. However, these issues should be handled diplomatically and politically.

Bangladesh and Assam should gain from improved connectivity and trade relations.

The potential for increased exports of goods from Sylhet and Bangladesh to Assam in northeastern india is enormous. Assam may help Bangladesh by contributing. Assam can convince the indian central government to support Bangladesh in the event that a solution to the Rohingya problem is needed, cease border killings along the india-Bangladesh border, and sign the Teesta water-sharing agreement as soon as feasible. The Brahmaputra-Barak-Padma-Meghna riverine waterways must connect Bangladesh’s ports with Assam in order to promote regional economic development and restore train connectivity between Bangladesh and the northeast.

Assam and Sylhet have a long-standing friendship. it is necessary to sustain Bangladesh’s bilateral ties with its seven sister states, including Assam and Meghalaya, in northeastern india.

The expansion of trade and commerce between Bangladesh, including Sylhet, and the seven sister states, including Assam, won’t happen till then. Bangladesh and Assam can collaborate in the apparel, medical tourism, iT, and educational sectors. Additionally, Bangladesh and Assam can cooperate in the fight against terrorism, human trafficking, and the illegal drug trade, among other areas. With cooperation from india’sMinisry of external Affairs and the Assam government, the state can fight for improved rail, road, and air connectivity with Bangladesh in the future, as well as an emphasis on fisheries, tourism, organic food, silk, crude oil, and work permits for talented youth.

Bangladesh forms an important triangle with Bhutan and Myanmar around Assam. Assam must be encouraged and assisted by the Union government to benefit from its proximity to these three nations. in general, Assam and Bangladesh have enormous potential for trade, connectivity, people-to-people exchange, and cultural diplomacy. The potential gains should be reaped by Bangladesh and Assam. The moment has come for Bangladesh and Assam to benefit. As Bangladesh paved the way for the Assam peace process in northeast india, northeast india should now pave the way for fulfilling Bangladesh’s needs.

The writer is a freelance columnist

ACRoSS Balochistan, students are faced with a plethora of issues, but frequent load-shedding is the most troublesome one. Some educational institutes have been forced to halt classes as it is impossible for teachers to conduct classes and students to attend classes in the sweltering heat. only a handful of educational institutes including the University of Balochistan in Quetta have generators to ensure smooth electric supply. However, the continuous petrol hikes have raised costs for institutes, which they will be compelled to cover by either raising students’ fees, cutting other resources for students or avoiding using generators.

University students with exams and projects are struggling to prepare and finish their work as they have little access to internet services to conduct research or access study material. Many students go to university libraries to revise in a studious environment, but the university administration has cut off the generator connected to the library. Thus, students have no choice but to stay at home or the hostel.

Mismanagement and corruption within educational institutes coupled with a lack of interest by federal and provincial governments have already harmed education in Balochistan. The ongoing power crisis is further intensifying the problems for the students. i request the government of Balochistan to facilitate educational institutes and urge Quetta electric Supply Company to reduce load shedding during the day.

ABDUL BASIT QUETTA

Megacity woes WiTH rapid urbanisation being witnessed across the world, urban disaster risk management has gained a lot of attention during recent times. The absence of such an attitude in many cases has rendered megacities such as Karachi defenseless. Karachi, with a population of over 20 million, has unfortunately been at a fairly high position in the list of vulnerable cities globally. one such risk whose management seems inescapable is urban flooding.

Urban flooding is of course an unavoidable natural disaster but the risk associated with it is exacerbated by climate conditions — such as high intensity rainfall, high velocity winds, etc — and inadequate drainage systems. The location of urban settlements is quite critical in this context.

Areas along the coast and riverbeds are eventually at higher risk. Karachi has thus been on the hit list so far as urban flooding is concerned. The lives and properties of dwellers have become highly vulnerable as a result.

Moreover, despite the fact that the poor and less privileged communities are most affected, posh areas such as DHA too are no longer safe from urban flooding events. in order to reduce the damages associated with this, it is important to adopt an integrated approach to the problem.

Such a methodology includes: well-controlled residential as well as industrial constructions so that drainage channels are readily available; increased preparedness in terms of staff and machines; and community involvement to improve ownership of the city. it is also vital that instead of the prevailing short-term plans for managing these floods, long-term solutions are introduced to cope up with the increasing risk of destruction.

INTIKHAB ULFAT KARACHI

Significance of skill development THRee factors are globally responsible for human resource development: education, health and a decent standard of living. With time, environmental sustainability is also being considered an essential aspect of human resource development. Most developed countries have attained long-term economic sustainability by ensuring these parameters. Japan, for example, rose from the ashes of Hiroshima and nagasaki owing to its resilient and efficient human resource. Similar is the case with other developed countries.

The United States, which once was highly dependent on Middle eastern countries for energy resources, is now self-sufficient due to its shale revolution. likewise, the impressive economies of certain countries, such as South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia, offer ample evidence of strong correlation between skilled human resource and economic growth. These countries invest heavily in their respective human resources. Their literacy rates stand above 90 per cent, their healthcare systems are exceptionable, and they enjoy a decent standard of living, for they face no energy, water and food crises. Along with these blessings, gender inequality, unemployment, brain drain, high inflation, etc., which have engulfed the under-developed countries, are considered issues of the past in such developed economies. on the other hand, Pakistan, which is blessed with tremendous natural resources, is lacking in achieving its desired economic growth and sustainability owing to its underdeveloped human resource. Although almost 64pc of the population is below the age of 30 years, lack of quality education, substandard healthcare facilities, and paucity of employment opportunities have made them useless in terms of contribution to the national economy. The ousted government tried to bring education reforms through the single national curriculum (SnC). However, without mainstreaming the out-ofschool children, regulating the ‘ghost schools’, maintaining the infrastructure and ending the education apartheid in letter and in spirit, these ‘reforms’ alone have no potential to cure the ills of the country’s education system.

Similarly, the healthcare system is also in a shambles as public-sector expenditure on health was estimated at 1.2pc of gDP in 2019-20, according to the economic Survey of Pakistan 2020-21, which is meagre compared to the global average expenditure on this sector. Therefore, only 1,282 hospitals, 5,472 basic health units (BHUs), 670 rural health centres (RHCs), 5,743 dispensaries, 752 maternity and child health centres, and 412 tuberculosis (TB) treatment centres are present for 220 million people.

A decent standard of living is severely compromised due to extreme poverty. Although on paper, almost 29pc of the populace is below the poverty line, in reality the number is much larger. Such people are deprived of even basic facilities, like clean water for drinking, fuel for cooking, food for eating, and electricity for running their electrical appliances. in Kohistan and many other areas across the length and breadth of the country, women walk several miles every day to collect water as Pakistan is a water-deficit country. We can save water for only 30 days owing to our inefficiency despite having rich water resources.

SHADAB KHAN ISLAMABAD

08 WORLD VIEW 16th July 22_Layout 1 7/15/2022 9:08 PM Page 1

Saturday, 16 July, 2022

08 WORLD VIEW

Don’t expect SauDi arabia to Save the Day FOR MONTHS, BIDEN HAS URGED SAUDI ARABIA AND THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (UAE) TO RAISE OIL OUTPUT

centre for strAtegic And internAtionAl studies (csis) Ben Cahill

e

neRGY is unmistakably on the agenda for President Joe Biden’s visit to Saudi Arabia. A splashy production announcement by Saudi Arabia seems unlikely, although surprises are possible. even if the trip does not produce an immediate breakthrough, more constructive dialogue between Washington and Riyadh on energy matters is sorely needed.

For months, Biden has urged Saudi Arabia and the United Arab emirates (UAe) to raise oil output. Presidents facing high gasoline prices have a limited toolkit, and in times of duress they tend to lean on Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies to raise output. To date, Saudi Arabia’s response has frustrated the Biden administration, and this week’s trip acknowledges that the relationship needs some repair. But a few market realities need to be considered.

First, Saudi Arabia prefers to manage the market through the Organization of the Petroleum exporting Countries and allied producers (OPeC+), not through unilateral moves. Saudi energy minister Abdulaziz bin Salman has consistently emphasized the importance of OPeC+ cohesion, including a central role for Russia.

From the Saudi perspective, strong OPeC+ cooperation has helped the group navigate extreme price volatility in the past two years, and gradually brought the market back into balance. All member states contributed to the largestever production cut instituted in April 2020, and they largely stuck to their production targets despite the perennial temptation to cheat. Achieving this level of discipline was difficult but it has paid dividends. In April, Saudi oil exports generated nearly $1 billion in revenue every day.

Second, Riyadh must manage spare capacity carefully. As OPeC+ has gradually restored more output over the past few years, available spare capacity has dwindled. Saudi Arabia’s production target for August per the OPeC+ agreement is just over 11 million barrels per day (b/d)—a level it has only attained for a few months in 2018 and 2020. Officially, the country’s “maximum sustainable capacity” is 12 million b/d. By the end of August, Saudi spare capacity will be down to about 1.2 million b/d (including some volumes from the neutral Zone shared with Kuwait), and UAe spare capacity will be about 900,000 b/d. Iraq and others contribute a marginal amount. The International energy Agency estimates that by the fourth quarter of this year, global spare capacity could drop to 2.6 million b/d. With such a small

how to rescue and rebuild the uS-Saudi relationship

AtlAntic council Jonathan Panikoff

W

hen he arrives in Riyadh, US President Joe Biden is poised to finally end the purgatory in which the US-Saudi relationship has languished since his inauguration. To many Americans, meaningful engagement with the Saudi government remains anathema.

Still, the Biden administration faces a simple truth: The United States cannot ensure its economic and national security as successfully without Saudi Arabia as a key ally. In the coming years, the country will remain at the center of a variety of interests vital to the United States, including maritime security in the Red Sea and Arab Gulf, counterterrorism, and addressing threats from Iran and its regional proxies. And while the United States does not depend on oil from the Middle east, at least some of its european and east Asian allies will almost certainly be more reliant on it as they move away from Russia’s in the coming years.

This is why reestablishing an effective working relationship between Riyadh and Washington will be Biden’s priority. All other pressing US security interests aside, the administration’s strategic and adversarial global competition with Beijing is reason enough to reset relations with Riyadh: China’s growing economic, diplomatic, and military efforts in the Middle east mean Washington needs to push back against China there as well. While it is unlikely to halt the expansion of economic and some military ties between Riyadh and Beijing, permanently downgrading the US-Saudi relationship would leave China to dominate the Gulf’s economic and security spheres—something that is clearly not in US interests.

The good news for Washington is that its relationship with Saudi Arabia is symbiotic. MBS retains a strong preference for US equipment and security guarantees at a time when Washington remains by far the largest military supplier to Saudi Arabia, accounting for approximately 80 percent of Riyadh’s defense acquisitions. Moreover, Riyadh is aware that while China is the biggest importer of Saudi oil, it’s also the biggest importer of oil from Iran; as long as Saudi Arabia views Iran as an existential threat—and knows the United States is willing to defend the kingdom in a way China has not demonstrated it would—it’s unclear how far the relationship between Riyadh and Beijing can develop.

That provides Washington sufficient leverage to

adjust some of the contours of its relationship with Riyadh and rebuild it in a more stable manner. The administration’s efforts to generate an agreement between egypt, Israel, and Saudi Arabia that would hand over the strategically important islands of Tiran and Sanafir in the Gulf of Aqaba to the kingdom is a meaningful starting point to enhance both regional and US security. Meanwhile, the decision by OPeC+ to boost production—after months of refusing US requests to do so—reflects Riyadh’s own desire to improve the relationship. During his trip, Biden should leverage this momentum to generate a broader set of agreements.

WHAT BOTH SIDES SHOULD OFFER: First, Biden should obtain MBS’s explicit agreement that Saudi Arabia will not host any Chinese military base or dual-use port (similar to the one Beijing was accused of setting up in the United Arab emirates). Second, Riyadh must coordinate with the United States before making any final bilateral agreements with Iran. Saudi Arabia has been among the most vocal opponents of US engagement with Iran over Tehran’s nuclear program; it cannot now seek to unilaterally advance ties with Iran in a manner that would undermine the very regional opposition it so vocally advocated. Third, Biden should emphasize that Saudi assassinations of dissidents will result in the United States canceling contracts for preferred weapons systems (and be prepared to follow through). Such acts undermine Saudi Arabia anyway because they challenge Riyadh’s narrative of the kingdom as an emerging, modern economic power.

Finally, Saudi Arabia should agree that, for the next twenty-four months, OPeC+ will reduce to zero any spare oil production capacity. While that alone would not guarantee lower gas prices in the United States and europe, it would almost certainly contribute to them. In return, Biden should provide Saudi Arabia new security guarantees in the event the kingdom faces a significant attack by Iran or its proxies. Second, he should pledge not to remove any PATRIOT missile batteries for the next three years (notwithstanding in exceptional circumstances, such as a US war with Russia or China). Washington is frustrated that Riyadh’s view of the US security commitment is largely based on the provision of PATRIOT missiles, which are an important defensive tool but just one type of support the United States provides. The White house should work to change that perception; while doing so will take time, in the interim the United States should not yank away the shroud Riyadh values most.

Third, Biden should consider listing Yemen’s houthi rebels as a foreign terrorist organization if they attack Saudi Arabia again. And finally, he should offer to have the Department of Commerce connect additional US and Saudi companies—especially in sectors such as green energy, and in service of Saudi Arabia’s new futuristic city of neOM—and order the US Trade Representative to prioritize the development of additional trade in nonoil sectors. Stabilizing the US-Saudi relationship, which should not simply revert to what it was during the Obama or Trump administrations, will take time. But ultimately, both countries have more to gain by working together than by going their separate ways.

Jonathan Panikoff is the director of the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative and the former deputy national intelligence officer for the Near East.

buffer, there is a risk that adding more output could spook the market and fail to cool prices.

There are always doubts about Saudi Arabia’s ability to reach and sustain peak output levels without damaging its reservoirs—but there are other reasons for the Saudis to be wary. Saudi Arabia has a unique role in the global oil market because it has developed and sustained spare capacity. If it maximizes output and burns through its spare capacity, there will be no room to cover a production shortfall in other countries due to war, accidents, or weather-related outages. But Saudi Arabia will also lose its strategic advantage—especially if it tries and fails to produce at full tilt. For these reasons, Saudi Aramco tends to be quite deliberate in its production pledges. The company is the middle of a production expansion to reach maximum sustainable output of 13 million b/d by 2027, but most volumes will come online in 2025 and beyond. For now, caution is the watchword.

Riyadh also has its own perspective on the current market. Saudi Arabia and the other major oil producers believe Western leaders have lost their way on energy policy. They think fossil fuels will be with us for much longer than Western leaders realize, and they fault the International energy Agency and others for overestimating the pace of the energy transition and downplaying the need for continued investment in oil and gas. From the OPeC+ perspective, market tightness today is partly due to Western sanctions on Russia, and the challenges are too great for Saudi Arabia or the broader producers’ group to fix on their own. They also do not want to over-

react by ramping up supply into a global market facing downside economic risks later this year. Still, Saudi Arabia feels the pressure from the United States and worries that high oil prices will hinder global economic growth and dent demand.

So, what will be the energy deliverables this week?

The Biden administration seems to be lowering expectations, but national Security Adviser Jake Sullivan confirmed on Monday that the president will push for more supply. A surge in Saudi output seems unlikely, and it seems more probable that Saudi Arabia will make a general commitment to add supplies this fall if possible. Any increase is likely to be modest, although a positive supply signal could shift market sentiment.

An alternative scenario is a temporary surge of Saudi production beginning in September. The current OPeC+ production framework expires at the end of August, and it remains uncertain what happens next. Ideally, a new OPeC+ deal would feature higher reference production volumes for Saudi Arabia and the UAe, allowing them space to raise output, while lowering reference levels for countries that habitually fall short of their targets. That is a delicate task, as no country wants to accept a lower ceiling. The next OPeC+ meeting is on August 3, but it may be hard to work through the complexities of a new deal by then. It is possible that Saudi Arabia and the rest of the group will simply operate without a new agreement for some time, effectively producing at will and allowing Saudi Arabia and the UAe to ramp up output.

There are risks to this free-range approach, but it could allow the Saudis to help meet an immediate U.S. demand, while testing the strength of the market.

Ben Cahill is a senior fellow in the Energy Security and Climate Change Program at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C.

biden’s trip to Saudi arabia is unlikely to lower oil prices THE ANSWER ULTIMATELY DEPENDS ON THE BEST INTERESTS OF THE OIL PRODUCERS, NOT THE UNITED STATES production capacity in reserve. Spare capacity makes no sense for for-profit oil companies like those in the United States. Adding production takes time — from several months for onshore shale oil, to several years for new offshore production. however, the national oil companies of the Gulf States have other motives in addition to profit, and some keep spare capacity for strategic and geopolitical purposes. For decades, during times of high oil prices, U.S. presidents have gone to these producers and asked for more oil. Sometimes the producers have said yes (after Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait in 1990) and other times no (rising prices due to growing Chinese demand in 2008). The answer ultimately depends on the best interests of the oil producers, not the United States.

Brookings institution Samantha GroSS

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hen many Americans think about Saudi Arabia, one issue comes to mind — oil.

Americans today are extremely frustrated with the high price of gasoline and want the president to bring them lower prices.

Many likely believe that the trip is primarily about decreasing prices at the pump, despite the president’s emphasis on other issues. however, those people are likely to be disappointed.

WHY ARE PRICES SO HIGH? A number of factors are causing today’s high gasoline prices, most notably lower supply of Russian oil and fuel after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and slow recovery of oil production after the pandemic. Declining refining capacity in the United States is another factor, as some unprofitable refineries have closed and others, especially in California, are converting to biorefineries to take advantage of greater profit margins in the advanced biofuel market. Diesel fuel gets less attention from most consumers, but price rises for diesel have been even steeper than those for gasoline.

More than 40% of european cars run on diesel and the United States is supplying more diesel to customers in europe to make up for declining Russian supply, raising diesel prices in both regions. Since diesel fuels agriculture and transportation of goods, the increasing diesel price is an important driver of inflation.

There are few options in the U.S. presidential toolkit to lower fuel prices in the short term. Biden has been using the ones he has, from the wise move of selling oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to the more economically questionable proposal of a federal gas tax holiday. The ultimate challenge, though, is one of supply and demand. Lowering prices means finding more supply quickly.

WHY DOES THE U.S. NEED FOREIGN OIL ANYWAY? The United States is now the world’s largest oil producer — why would we go to other countries to ask for oil? The answer is that U.S. oil companies do not keep

WHY THE CHANCE OF INCREASING OIL PRODUCTION IS SLIM: If Biden asks for increased oil production during his trip to Saudi Arabia, he is unlikely to be successful. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab emirates are the only countries with spare capacity today. however, that capacity is believed to be limited and they have no motivation to increase production. Both countries are enjoying today’s high oil prices, particularly in light of a coming energy transition that will eventually erode demand. Crude oil and U.S. fuel prices are already falling a bit, largely based on growing fear of a global recession that would reduce oil demand. The United States and europe are also pushing to cap the price consumers pay for Russian oil, keeping supply flowing to markets while preventing the Russians from earning a profit. I’m skeptical of this mechanism, but if it works, oil prices are likely to continue falling. In this environment, oil producers feel that the risk is on the downside and that increasing production is a losing strategy.

Additionally, the Organization of Petroleum exporting Countries (OPeC) and its non-OPeC partners (a group known as OPeC+, which includes Russia) already agreed to increase production quotas this summer.

OPeC+ production had been rising by around 400,000 barrels per day (in a global market of roughly 100 million barrels per day) in recent months, and the group agreed to larger increases of nearly 650,000 barrels per day for July and August 2022. It’s unclear if producers could increase oil supply further, even if they wanted to.

Biden has not emphasized energy as a reason for his trip, but given his earlier statements condemning Saudi Arabia and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the trip could appear to be backtracking or capitulation. he faces the challenge of managing the political fallout from a trip where many Americans have the unrealistic expectation that it will decrease fuel prices. Additionally, Russia is showing no signs of backing away from its war on Ukraine, meaning that the West’s efforts to eliminate Russia’s oil profits aren’t going away either. Leaders will continue efforts to manage the tight oil market, but their toolkit will be limited.

Samantha Gross is the Director - Energy Security and Climate Initiative Fellow - Foreign Policy, Energy Security and Climate Initiative.

Saturday, 16 July, 2022 | ISLAMABAD

NEWS

corporate corner

09

Fertilizer industry sees budgetAry meAsures to increAse ureA Prices Islamabad

A

Federal Minister for National Health Services Regulations and Coordination Abdul Qadir Patel and Managing Director Pakistan Baitul Mal Amir Fida Paracha in a meeting. Pr

Pak-china Joint naval exercise sea guardians-2022

ISLAMABAD: Bilateral Naval Exercise Sea Guardians2022 between Pakistan and Chinese Navy held at Shanghai, China. This was second exercise of its series, first exercise was held at Karachi in 2020. Newly commissioned Pakistan Navy Ship TAIMUR participated in the exercise along with Chinese Navy assets including Frigates, Corvettes, Submarines, Fighters & Surveillance Aircraft & Auxiliary Ships.

Sea Guardians series of naval exercises between Pakistan and China is a manifestation of strong bilateral military relations which promotes safe and sustainable maritime environment in the region. The exercise provided an opportunity to both navies to further hone their professional skills, mutual learning and interoperability. Regular conduct of bilateral and multi-national exercises by Pakistan Navy are indicative of PN’s resolve to maintain good order at sea and close relations with all friendly navies.

It is expected that joint naval exercise with China will further enhance bilateral relationships and cooperation between the two countries in general and navies in particular. Pr

Pakistan Air Force continues relief and rescue efforts in flood hit areas of Karachi

staff rePort

S the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) reported up to 170 percent hike in fertilizer prices, the Fertilizer Manufacturers of Pakistan Advisory Council (FMPAC) have termed the budgetary measures leading to increase in urea price.

According to a statement issued by FMPAC Executive Director Sher Shah that, “the recent price increase has been mainly on account of amendment in sales tax regime.

Additionally, like many other industries, the rising cost of doing business, inflation, rupee devaluation and considerable increase in finance cost have forced the manufacturers to increase prices.

In the approved budget, the fertilizer sector has been exempted from the application of GST due to which input GST has become part of the cost for manufacturers. Further, the government has not made a clear commitment to clear the GST refunds and subsidy receivables of the fertilizer industry.

Urea prices on May 30, 2022 reduced from upto Rs2,033 per 50kg bag to Rs1,850. This reduction was based on the understanding from government to the industry that the upcoming budget would resolve three outstanding issues, namely payment of pending subsidy and sales tax receivables, resolution of mismatch of sales tax and standardization of gas pricing across the industry.

While previous issues remained unresolved in the budget, 10 percent super tax was imposed on the fertilizer industry on the profits of last year. Further 4 percent super tax has been imposed on the profits of the sector.

He further added that, “In a business environment with increasing operating costs and rising interest rates, the fertilizer manufacturers have been fully cooperating with the government to ensure consistent and affordable supplies of fertilizers to the farmers.

In national interest, the industry had agreed to take a hit on their earnings and reduced the urea prices to Rs1,850 per bag, only on the assurance that the government would soon resolve all pend-

ing matters.

Unfortunately, the issues have remained unresolved in the budget and the sector continues to suffer due to the accumulation of GST refunds, subsidy receivables, amendments in the GST regime and imposition of new taxes. Even then, the urea continues to be sold at a discount of over 70 percent against global levels.

He also dismissed the assertion of Sindh Chamber of Agriculture that the manufacturers have in-

SECP enhances limit for insurance companies to invest in ETFs

creased urea prices to pass on the burden of super tax to farmers.

The Sindh Chamber of Agriculture On Wednesday had alleged that fertilizer manufacturers had increased the urea rates to Rs2,350 per bag from Rs1,950 as the federal government had imposed a super tax on the industry.

They termed the price hikes as illegal and demanded the government to take immediate action to bring down the rates.

Pakistan, us vow to boost bilateral cooperation, unlocking trade potential Minister for Commerce Syed Naveed Qamar and Ambassador Katherine Tai, the United States Trade Representative (USTR), held a virtual meeting on 15th July, 2022. USTR, Ambassador Tai underscored the importance of economic-partnership between Pakistan and the U.S. and stressed on unlocking the trade potential between the two countries with special emphasis on the sectors of agriculture and digital trade. Minister for Commerce acknowledged the need for increased cooperation between the two countries in traditional and modern sectors. He further emphasized on holding the U.S.-Pakistan Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) Council meeting to further deepen the economic ties. Minister for Commerce appreciated the leadership of Ms. Katherine Tai in view of the rapidly changing global trade dynamics and wished her a speedy recovery from Covid-19. Pr

King salman relief centre dispatches emergency relief convoy for Flood Victims in baluchistan

ISLAMABAD: On the special instructions of Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu, Chief of the Air Staff, Pakistan Air Force, PAF Bases situated in Karachi are actively participating in relief operations in the rain affected areas of Karachi. PAF teams are reaching out to the needy families whose houses have been inundated in the natural calamity. As a humanitarian gesture, ration packs carrying basic food items and commodities such as flour, rice, sugar, oil, pulses etc. were distributed amongst needy families of the worst hit areas in the recent torrential rains. Pr

open courts best forum to address consumers' issues IESCO management and field formations have always tried to address the issues of esteemed customers on priority basis while at the same time ensuring the provision of best services to them.

In the same spirit and with a sense of professional responsibility, IESCO has issued a schedule of open Katchary in all operational circles. According to the details, In-charges of Islamabad, Rawalpindi City, Rawalpindi Cantt, Attock, Jhelum and Chakwal Circles will hold Open Kachery on Monday, July 18, 2022 from 09:00 AM to 11:00 AM in their offices and will issue necessary instructions to resolve the issues on the spot. IESCO Chief Executive Officer Dr. Muhammad Amjad Khan will be in touch with all the circles in-charge through video link and will directly monitor the open Kachery.

Consumers of IESCO Region should participate in these open Kachery to register solutions to power related issues and suggestions. For more information call Islamabad Circle on 051-9260194, Rawalpindi City Circle on 0519292675, Rawalpindi Cantt Circle on 051-9293048, Attock Circle on 051-4950343, Jhelum Circle on 0544-920276 and Chakwal Circle on 0543-668500. Pr

Islamabad staff rePort

The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP), to encourage participation of insurance companies in the Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) market, has allowed insurance companies to invest in open-ended mutual funds including ETFs. After these new amendments to the Insurance Rules, 2017, the insurance companies have now been allowed to invest 10% of their total investments in any open-ended mutual fund including units of ETF. If insurance companies choose to invest in a mu-

tual fund and ETF, managed by the same Asset Management Company (AMC) it may invest maximum up to 15% of their total investments.

Furthermore, if insurance companies already have investments with an AMC, they may also invest additional 5% of their total investments in ETFs offered by that AMC. The insurance companies’ participation in the capital market, as institutional investors, will strengthen Pakistan’s capital market. The SRO1011(I)/2022, to effect amendments to the Insurance Rules, 2017 and to notify the admissibility limits for investment in the ETFs, has been placed on SECP’s website.

ISLAMABAD: King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSRelief) has dispatched emergency relief trucks carrying 285 tons loaded with essential food items to Baluchistan to meet the needs of flood affected people.

As many as 3,000 Food packages will help flood affected people living in 6 districts of Baluchistan (Lesbela, Khuzdar, Quetta, Pishin, Killa Saifullah, Killa Abdullah).

Each food package comprises all necessary essential food items; weighted 95 kg (contains 80kg of flour, cooking oil of 5 liters, 5kg of Sugar, 5kg of Daal Chana), which is sufficient for the family for the whole month.

The food bags will be distributed in collaboration with the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and local government of Baluchistan. More than 21000 people will benefit from this emergency relief.

This project comes under the umbrella of humanitarian projects by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, represented by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center to assist affected families living in Pakistan. Pr

Saturday, 16 July, 2022 | ISLAMABAD

10 FOREIGN NEWS

BIden lAndS In SAUdI ARABIA, CoUntRy he vowed to mAKe ‘PARIAh’

U

S President Joe Biden landed Friday in Saudi Arabia, sealing a retreat from his campaign pledge to turn the kingdom into a “pariah” over its human rights record.

Saudi state media showed images of Air Force One at the airport in the coastal city of Jeddah after a flight from Israel, making Biden the first US leader to fly directly from Israel to an Arab nation that does not recognise it.

In 2017, his predecessor, Donald Trump, made the journey in reverse.

Biden, wearing sunglasses, emerged from Air Force One to walk down a purple carpet and be greeted by Mecca province governor Prince Khaled al-Faisal and Princess Reema bint Bandar Al-Saud, Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Washington.

While in Jeddah, Biden is expected to meet with 86-year-old Saudi King Salman before participating in a “working session” headed by 36-yearold Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto ruler.

After he took office in early 2021, Biden’s administration released US intelligence findings that Prince Mo-

hammed “approved” an operation targeting journalist Jamal Khashoggi, whose gruesome killing in Saudi Arabia’s Istanbul consulate spurred global outrage.

Saudi officials deny Prince Mohammed’s involvement and say Khashoggi’s death resulted from a “rogue” operation, but it severely marred his reputation as a potential reformer.

Biden now appears ready to re-engage with a country that has been a key strategic ally of the United States for decades, a major supplier of oil and an

avid buyer of weapons.

Washington wants the world’s largest exporter of crude to open the floodgates to bring down soaring gasoline prices, which threaten Democratic chances in November mid-term elections.

– Israeli ties – US officials are also touting efforts to promote integration between Israel and Arab nations. Saudi Arabia has refused to join the US-brokered Abraham Accords which in 2020 created ties between Israel and two of the

kingdom’s neighbours, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.

The kingdom has repeatedly said it would stick to the decades-old Arab League position of not establishing official ties with Israel until the conflict with the Palestinians is resolved.

But it is showing signs of greater openness towards Israel, and on Friday morning announced it was lifting overflight restrictions on aircraft travelling to and from Israel, a move Biden hailed as “historic”. Israeli caretaker Prime Minister Yair Lapid said the decision to scrap airspace restrictions was “only the first step” as the country seeks to strengthen regional ties.

On Saturday Biden is expected to meet Arab leaders from six-member Gulf Cooperation Council as well as Egypt, Jordan and Iraq to discuss volatile oil prices and Washington’s role in the region.

– ‘Political horizon’ in Bethlehem – Jeddah marks the final stop on Biden’s Middle East tour, following Friday’s talks with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas and meetings with Israeli officials a day earlier. Agencies

Saudi Arabia opens airspace to ‘all carriers’ in gesture to Israel Saudi Arabia announced on Friday it was lifting restrictions on “all carriers” using its airspace, an apparent gesture of openness towards Israel hours before US President Joe Biden’s arrival.

The US leader welcomed the “historic” decision, the latest conciliatory move by Riyadh concerning the Jewish state, which it has refused to recognise despite intensive efforts by the Israelis to establish ties with Arab countries.

The Saudi civil aviation authority “announces the decision to open the Kingdom’s airspace for all air carriers that meet the requirements of the authority for overflying,” it said in a statement.

The decision was made “to complement the Kingdom’s efforts aimed at consolidating the Kingdom’s position as a global hub connecting three continents”.

Biden said in a statement Friday that Riyadh’s move came “thanks to months of steady diplomacy between my administration and Saudi Arabia”, where he is set to travel in the afternoon as part of a Middle East tour. “As we mark this important moment, Saudi Arabia’s decision can help build momentum toward Israel’s further integration into the region, including with Saudi Arabia,” Biden said.

Israeli Transport Minister Merav Michaeli on Friday welcomed the Saudi announcement as “an important step” that would

“significantly shorten flight times and lower prices”.

Prior to Biden’s arrival in Israel at the start of his Middle East trip on Wednesday, Washington had hinted that more Arab nations could take steps to pursue relations with Israel, spurring speculation about whether Riyadh would alter its long-held position of not establishing official bilateral ties until the conflict with the Palestinians is resolved. The kingdom did not show any opposition when its regional ally, the United Arab Emirates, established diplomatic ties with Israel in 2020, followed by Bahrain and Morocco under the US-brokered Abraham Accords.

Yet analysts have stressed that any immediate gains are likely to be incremental and that Riyadh will probably not agree to formal ties — not during Biden’s visit or while King Salman, 86, still reigns.

Biden will travel to the Saudi city of Jeddah on the Red Sea coast Friday afternoon, despite a previous vow to treat the kingdom as a “pariah” over the 2018 murder and dismemberment of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

He is to travel directly from the Jewish state to Saudi Arabia — becoming the first US president to fly from there to an Arab nation that does not recognise it.

In 2017, his predecessor, Donald Trump, made the journey in reverse. Agencies

Remove ‘beef’ from signboards, Arunachal sub-division authorities order eateries In yet another anti-Muslim measure, hotels and restaurants across a subdivision in Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh have been ordered to remove the word ‘beef’ from signboards. In an order, the executive magistrate of Naharlagun sub-division, Tamo Dada has asked all the restaurants and hotels within its limits to remove the signboards by July 18. Naharlagun is about 13 km from Itanagar, the capital of Arunachal Pradesh.

Dada said a fine of Rs 2,000 will be imposed on the eateries that do not abide by the directive and their trading licence will be cancelled. The sub-division administration added that the decision has been taken based on the so-called secular spirit of the Constitution.

“Such open display of the word ‘beef’ on the signboards of such hotels and restaurants may hurt the sentiments of some sections of the community, and may create animosity between different groups”, Dada wrote.

Panjang Aboh, a local resident, in a media interview, said that the move was the first step towards imposing a ban on consumption of beef. “If not opposed now, it will be difficult for the non-Hindu communities even to live…This needs to be opposed at any cost,” he added.

Another local, Tasso Chobin Tada, said that the decision was kind of a trial to gauge the reaction of the residents.

“The next move would surely be a ban of beef in a phased manner,” he added. Agencies

Indian SC seeks UP govt’s response over sealing of Azam Khan’s Jauhar University The Indian Supreme Court has sought a response from the Uttar Pradesh government on Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan’s plea, in which he raised an objection to the sealing of Jauhar University in Rampur.

According to Kashmir Media Service, Azam Khan said the UP government has not removed the barbed wire fence from the university, despite the Supreme Court’s stay order.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Khan, said the university cannot function due to the barbed wires. He added that the state authorities are in contempt by not removing the barbed wires as the court has stayed the proceeding. Sibal said he wishes to file a contempt petition against the state government.

Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, appearing for the UP government, said that a barbed wire fence was placed before the court passed an order on 27 May, this year. “We have not done anything post-May 27. The barbed wire was already there,” he said.

The Supreme Court asked the state government to file its response by Tuesday (19 July) and posted the matter for further hearing on Friday (22 July). Agencies

China asks UN Security Council for ban on small arms to Haiti UNITED NATIONS, UNITED STATES Agencies

China has asked the UN Security Council to vote on banning small arms to Haiti, setting up a potential stand-off Friday with the United States whose revised draft resolution does not reflect Beijing’s proposal.

Council members are considering renewing a United Nations political mission to Haiti which expires on Friday night, but whether Chinese diplomats will go as far as to veto the latest resolution remains to be seen.

Beijing has taken an increasingly prominent role in issues relating to Haiti at the UN in recent years — primarily over Port-auPrince recognition of self-ruled Taiwan, which China views as its own territory.

“The situation in Haiti can’t be worse. As

we conduct the negotiations here, the gang violence is escalating in Port-au-Prince,” a spokeswoman for the Chinese mission to the UN said. “An embargo of weapons against criminal gangs are the minimum the Council should do in response to the appalling situation,” she added, echoing the Chinese proposal for Security Council member states to ban small arms.

But the revised text from the United States and Mexico finalized late Thursday and seen by AFP falls short of an embargo, instead calling “upon Member States to prohibit the transfer of small arms, light weapons, and ammunition to non-State actors engaged in or supporting gang violence.”

Gang violence in the Caribbean nation has been soaring — alongside fuel shortages and rising food prices — with at least 89 people

killed in Port-au-Prince alone this week. Aid agencies have said the region is dangerous to access.

Diplomatic sources said Thursday that China has also asked the Council to vote on sanctioning Haiti’s gang leaders, and even sending a regional police force to the violenceplagued island. The individual sanctions would include travel bans and asset freezes, according to a draft text also seen by AFP. Countries that have diplomatic relations with China usually refrain from having official exchanges with Taiwan. Beijing denies any link between its stance at the United Nations and the Taiwan issue, however.

A Chinese diplomatic source told AFP that it was necessary to push political authorities in Haiti to act, and to put those responsible for the violence on notice with legal sanctions.

11 Sports 16 JULY 2022_Layout 1 7/15/2022 11:16 PM Page 1

Saturday, 16 July, 2022 | ISLAMABAD

PAkiStAn, Sri LAnkA cLASh in firSt cricket teSt At GALLe sRi LAnKA

t

news Desk

HE first cricket Test between Pakistan and Sri Lanka will start in Galle on Saturday tomorrow with both sides expected to rely on their respective spin attacks in the twomatch series. The first Test match will start at 9:30 am according to Pakistan Standard Time.

The Pakistani team had landed in Galle on Thursday and were busy in preparations to take on the hosts who just drew their Test series against mighty Australians.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) re-

leased a video, in which the Sri Lankan hotel team warmly welcomed the Pakistan Cricket Team.

The Sri Lankan team is heading into the Pakistan series after two contrasting results in Galle where they first lost to Australia on a vicious turner and then bounced back to hammer the tourists in the second Test. Earlier on Thursday, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) announced an 18-member squad for the Test series against Pakistan.

Pakistan is scheduled to play two Tests in Sri Lanka in Galle from July 16 and in Colombo from July 24 onwards.

The Test series will be played under the ICC World Test Championship Cycle of 2021 – 2023.

Babar Azam reveals why he tweeted in support of Virat Kohli COLOMBO Agencies

eriksen caps remarkable comeback by signing for Man Utd MAnCHesTeR, UniTeD KingDOM Agencies

Manchester United signed Christian Eriksen on Friday with the Denmark midfielder arriving at Old Trafford as a free agent on a three-year deal.

The 30-year-old’s switch to the Red Devils completes an incredible return after his brush with death last year. Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest on the pitch in Copenhagen while playing for Denmark at the European Championship and was forced to leave Inter Milan after recovering due to Serie A health regulations. Eriksen, fitted with a implantable cardioverter defibrillator, proved his form and fitness during a loan spell at Brentford in the second half of last season. He played 11 times in the Premier League for the Bees, scoring once and providing four assists.“Manchester United is a special club, and I cannot wait to get started,” said Eriksen. “I have had the privilege of playing at Old Trafford many times but to do it in the red shirt of United will be an amazing feeling.” Eriksen has experience of working with United manager Erik Ten Hag after training with Ajax as part of his return to football following the cardiac arrest. Ten Hag, who took charge at United in the close-season after leaving the Dutch champions, is looking to revamp his new team after they finished a disappointing sixth in the Premier League last term.

“I have seen Erik’s work at Ajax and know the level of detail and preparation that he and his staff put into every day. It is clear that he is a fantastic coach,” added Eriksen. “Having spoken with him and learned more about his vision and the way he wants the team to play, I am even more excited for the future. “I still have major ambitions in the game, there is a huge amount that I know I can achieve, and this is the perfect place to continue my journey.”

Pakistan captain Babar Azam has disclosed the reason behind his tweets in support of former Indian skipper Virat Kohli.

The 33-year-old Kohli has been out of form and was also dropped from India’s T20 squad for the tour of West Indies.

In a press conference here on Friday ahead of Pakistan’s Test series against Sri Lanka, Babar once again extended his support to Kohli and said: “As a player myself, I know you can go through such a phase (out of form) and I also know what a player goes through in such a phase. In those times, you need support.”

“I just tweeted thinking that it will give just some support. He is one of the best players,” Babar explained. “He is playing a lot of cricket and he knows how to come out of these situations. It

takes time, if you back players, it will be really good,” he added.

It is to be recalled that Babar

tweeted a photo with Kohli yesterday and extended his support. “This too shall pass. Stay strong.”

Shahid Afridi still top of list for most ODI sixes AgenCies Indian captain Rohit Sharma has reached a unique milestone as he became only the fourth player in ODI history to hit 250 sixes. However, Shahid Afridi still remains on top of the list with 351 sixes.

Sharma reached the milestone in the first ODI against England where the opening batsman scored a brilliant 76 off only 58 deliveries including 5 maximums.

India chased down the 111-run target without a loss of a wicket and with 30 overs to spare, stamping their authority over the home side.

The list elite list now includes Shahid Afridi, Universal Boss Chris Gayle, and flamboyant Sri Lankan opener Sanath Jayasuriya. Sharma is the only batsman who’s currently still playing to have made his way onto the list.

In addition to this, Sharma has also become the secondfastest player to reach the milestone as Chris Gayle and Sanath Jayasuriya took more than 10,486 deliveries each. In that regard, Shahid Afridi still maintains his position at the top of that list as well.

Shahid Afridi 351 sixes (6,892 balls) Chris Gayle 331 sixes (12,019 balls) Sanath Jayasuriya 270 sixes (14,725 balls) Rohit Sharma 250 sixes (10,486 balls)

SPORTS 11 Aamir Sohail says big bucks ‘good for cricket’ LAHORe AFP

Former captain and match-fixing witness Aamir Sohail welcomes the deluge of legitimate money into cricket that has seen players make millions in tournaments, saying it reduces the temptation for corruption. Sohail’s playing heyday came between 1990 and 2000, far too early to benefit from the T20 revolution begun by the Indian Premier League (IPL). But the 55-year-old, who was a whistleblower — a term he dislikes — in Pakistan’s 1990s match-fixing controversy, told AFP the big bucks are good for the sport. “It’s good that players are getting good money nowadays,” said Sohail, who played 47 Tests and 156 one-day internationals. “Temptations are there but of late we haven’t had any news of wrongdoing.” “So, if things are under control and cricketers are getting legitimate money, I think that’s very good for the game.” Former captain Salim Malik was banned for life for match-fixing and pace bowler Ata ur-Rehman for perjury after the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) set up a judicial commission to investigate revelations by several players, including Sohail, of match-fixing. Sohail, who is in Sri Lanka as a TV commentator and will call the two Tests starting Saturday involving Pakistan, added current players should not be complaining about too much cricket. “The contemporary cricketer, if he is aspiring to play top level of the game then he should be prepared for its demands,” said Sohail, a left-handed opener who was key in Pakistan’s 1992 50-over World Cup triumph. “Your level of fitness and the hunger should match up to the level of playing for your country.”

He lauded skipper Babar Azam for showing the way to the country’s new generation with his work ethic and prolific run-scoring. “Babar has proved himself with his performance,” said Sohail. “Now he has to live up to those expectations that he has set from his batting and keep on improving.” The 27-year-old Babar has an average of over 45 in 40 Tests and recently hit 196 in the second Australia Test, which ended in a draw. Pakistan lost the series 1-0. Sohail rates the current Pakistan Test team as full of talent but said the fast bowlers need to develop new methods to make the old ball more effective when the reverse swing is not available. “There is definitely room for improvement in Test cricket. We used to rattle opposition batting with our reverse swing in the middle overs,” Sohail said.

Pakistan have been pioneers of reversing the ball, with former speedsters Sarfraz Nawaz, Imran Khan, Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis rattling the opposition batsmen. New Covid-19 rules prohibit the use of saliva to maintain the old ball — a practice that aids reverse swing — and pace bowlers including India’s Jasprit Bumrah believe sweat is not as effective.

But Sohail, also a left-arm spinner during his playing days, insists it’s not saliva but the changed nature of pitches that has resulted in reverse swing becoming ineffective at times — and urged the quicks to make adjustments. “They are good with the new ball, good in the middle overs if it’s reversing but when it’s not reversing then they haven’t got anything new,” he said. “If our fast bowlers learn the art of working with the old ball then our team will go a long way with the kind of talent we have.”

Trials for PM Talent Hunt Hockey League in 5 districts from 23rd PesHAWAR stAFF RePoRt

The schedule of trials for Talent Hunt Youth Hockey League has been announced in five districts under the Prime Minister’s Youth Program jointly organized by Higher Education Commission Islamabad, Directorate of Sports University of Peshawar and Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Women University Peshawar.

According to a statement issued by Director Sports and Chief Organizer Bahra Karam, trials of hockey players of Peshawar Region will be held on July 19-20 at Islamia College Astro-Turf Hockey Ground Peshawar.

Hockey trials of players of Mardan Region will be held on July 23-24, 2022 at Mar-

dan Sports Complex Hockey ground while Trials of Swat Region Hockey players will be held from August 2 and 3 at Astro-Turf Hockey Ground Makan Bagh, Swat.

The hockey Trials of players of Hazara Region will be held from August 17-18 at Abbottabad Police Hockey Ground. Trials of Bannu Region Hockey Players will be held at Qazi Mohib Hockey Stadium, Bannu Sports Complex.

Bahre Karam, a former international athlete who won four gold medals at international level for Pakistan, said that after trials and competitions, now under the Prime Minister’s Youth Program, the supervision and hosting of trials for the Hockey League has also been given to the University of Peshawar, which is a great honor.

He said that in this regard we have full

support. All this is possible only under his patronage, Bahre Kamran said. He assured full cooperation in this regard and we have all the best facilities. He said Vice Chancellor University of Peshawar Prof. Dr. Muhammad Idrees in a short span of time introduced conducive environment for students to have more healthy activities and working on the Prime Minister Youth Talent Hunt in Hockey after hosting the Wrestling and Weightlifting Trials with Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan are key to hunt talented players.

He has taken special initiative to improve the sports facilities of the University of Peshawar including the grounds and in this regard they are also taking further steps which will provide facilities to the players on the one hand and our players would help reach at the national and international levels.

Saturday, 16 July, 2022

prayer timings

NEWS

PuNJab by-PoLLs: ECP adMITs 4 MILLIoN PEoPLE ‘shoWN dEad’ IN voTEr LIsTs LAHORE

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staff report

HE Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Friday admitted in the Lahore High Court that there were ‘human errors’ in the voter lists for the upcoming by-polls in 20 Punjab Assembly seats.

During hearing of a petition, the provincial ECP head showed up in the LHC and admitted to the mistakes, saying that as many as 4 million people have been shown dead in the voter lists due to a data operator’s mistake.

The ECP accepted the “reported errors” in the court during hearing of a Pak-

PTI, PML-N gear up for July 17 Punjab by-polls NEWs DEsK The PTI Chairman Imran Khan and PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz have, over the last few weeks, addressed many public gatherings in different parts of Punjab ahead of the byelections in the province that are set to take place on July 17.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had unseated the 25 dissident members of the PTI who voted for Chief Minister Hamza Shahbaz against their party lines when electing Punjab’s chief minister.

The decision came during the announcement of the verdict in a case pertaining to the dissident members of the Punjab Assembly (MPAs), leaving 20 seats of the Punjab Assembly vacant.

In a bid to win his follower’s support, PTI Chairman Imran Khan Friday addressed his last election jalsas in Faisalabad and Lahore, claiming that his party was going to win all the 20 constituencies.

During the public gathering, the former prime minister alleged that the PML-N was preparing to rig the elections because the party knows that PTI will clean sweep all the constituencies.

“They will break all the records of rigging the elections,” he said while urging his supporters to guard the polling stations on the day of the elections.

Khan said that his party will win against Hamza despite his party’s efforts to rig the elections. “We will celebrate Hamza Shahbaz’s loss,” he added.

Taking a dig at the incumbent government, Khan said the United States imposed these “thieves” upon us so that it could use and discard them like “tissue papers”.

“America does not want Pakistan’s betterment, it only wants to enslave our nation,” said the ex-premier, adding that he does not want enmity with any nation but to be treated as equals.

The PTI chairman vowed to fight against the incumbent government, saying that he will move the Supreme Court. “The Sharif and Zardari families have never done anything sincere during their lives. They have been begging for the last 32 years now,” said Khan.

He said that PML-N Vice-President Maryam Nawaz was the owner of expensive properties in London, adding that “it is a pity that our justice system cannot hold these thieves accountable.”

Highlighting the efforts by the PTI government, Khan said that his party did not increase the prices of commodities in the country despite International Monetary Fund (IMF’s) pressure.

“We provided health insurance, loans, and the industrial sector was developing during our tenure,” added the former PM. “The government increased the price of diesel by Rs130 and then brought it down by Rs40. Today, the price of petrol should have been Rs150 and diesel should have been Rs154,” said the PTI leader. Maryam Nawaz addressing a public gathering in Lahore, said that she was “proudly campaigning for her brother Hamza as the Chief Minister of Punjab.”

Praising CM Hamza for his efforts, Maryam said that the chief minister cleaned the whole province within 24 hours after Eid ul Adha. “This year, the government did not only clean Lahore, but the whole province,” she added.

During her address at Lahore’s PP-168 constituency, the PMLN leader said that “good times were ahead and the difficult times have passed.”

istan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) petition filed against anomalies in voter-lists on Friday.

In the petition, PTI Central Punjab President Yasmin Rashid claimed that the ECP had deemed alive people dead in the voter lists. The provincial ECP head admitted to their mistake and said that they deemed 4 million people as dead due to a data operator’s mistake.

The date in the voter list is also inaccurate and will be rectified, the ECP Punjab head informed the court and added these mistakes occurred due to human error. The Lahore High Court (LHC) concluded PTI’s petition after Election Commissioner Punjab’s head satisfied the court that all these mistakes will be rectified.

Ahsan presents Voluntary National Review of Pakistan at UNECOSOC NEW YORK staff report

Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal Friday presented the Voluntary National Review (VNR) of Pakistan at the 15th meeting of ministerial segment of Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC 2022) at the United Nations.

While presenting the VNR, the minister said Pakistan was a resilient nation. “We are a nation of young people where 64 percent of population is below the age of 30. Youth of Pakistan need good and quality education, and skills to achieve sustainable development for a better Pakistan.”

He said despite having formidable global and national challenges, Pakistan followed its development plans in partnership with the international community and local stakeholders.

“This year’s VNR report contains localisation efforts and innovation in partnership with other different stakeholders, response and recovery from COVID and way forward in the light of lessons learnt to build forward better in the decade of action.”

Ahsan Iqbal presented the Vision 2025 alignment with the Social Development Goals.

He said the SDGs were strategically aligned with the National Vision 2025. “Each pillar is uniquely associated with different Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).”

On the policy enabling environment, he said the SDGs were adopted as a national development agenda through a unanimous National Assembly resolution in 2016. “Soon after, we have established specialised seven SDGs support units at the federal, provincial and special areas to mainstream and localise SDGs.” On the transformation from the last VNR, the minister said in the last three years Pakistan had its first SDGs Status Report 2021.

“Development projects are SDGs integrated, data quality is improving and we are harmonising the data and survey instruments are being standardised,” he said, adding the Benazir Income Support Program (BISP) had a latest National Socio Economic Registry that geotagged all out of school children.

“Pakistan SDGs Index is developed to monitor the progress at goal level and overall; it shows 10 percentage points improve from 2015-2020.”

He said cellular mobile subscribers had reached 182 million; an increase of 8.6 percent in nine months of FY2021. Similarly, Broadband (BB) subscribers reached 100 million – 28

percentage points increase in one year.

He also informed the panel that a center was formed that served as a central agency to manage COVID-19.

“We have followed a three-pronged strategy, i.e., policy of saving lives, livelihood and salvaging economy. For this purpose smart lockdowns were proposed which was an effective policy.”

In addition to a stimulus package, he said, the State Bank of Pakistan also announced a package for business to keep the economy on toes, however, the impact of COVID-19 was unknown to all. “Therefore the first wave cost us negative growth rate in GDP. Our National Statistical Organization estimated that 27.31 million of the working population was affected while 20.6 million could not work in the first wave.”

The minister said the extreme poverty was at 4.4%, while national poverty declined by 2.4 percentage points during 2016 and 2019.

He said the Index Value of SDG 2 increased from 27.47 to 62.92 between 2015-2020. “This growth in the index was contributed to by progress in all three indicators, most of all by the reduction in the prevalence of stunting, malnourishment, and anaemic pregnant women.”

Ahsan Iqbal said the proportion of youth and adults with information and communication technology skills had increased by 3.17 percentage points during 2018-19 and 2019-20, i.e., in one year Maternal Mortality Ratio declined from 276 to 186 in 12 years (2006-07 and 2018-19).

The Gender Policy Framework in 2022 was launched to enhance the monitoring based interventions related to gender, health, education and employment, he added.

“Post pandemic economic growth showed V-shaped recovery with GDP (Gross Domestic Product) per capita increased by 13.4%. This became possible due to State Bank of Pakistan which provided support to the industry equivalent to 5% of GDP in COVID.” The minister said for higher and stable growth “we are focusing on the provision of education and skills to youth, jobs creation, public infrastructure investment through PPP (publicprivate partnership), special focus on CPEC (China Pakistan Economic Corridor), SMEs (small medium enterprises), and digitization of economy. Pakistan’s access to electricity, reliance on clean fuel and renewable energy share in the total final energy consumption is increasing. We are expecting to increase renewable energy share by 30 percent by 2030.”

FAJR SUNRISE

ZUHR

ASR MAGHRIB ISHA

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FAIsALABAD Former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Friday vowed to fight the “thieves” – a term he has coined for the members of the incumbent government – till the last ball.

“I will never let them get away with your Rs1,100 billion,” he said while addressing a public meeting in Faisalabad in connection with Sunday’s by-polls to 20 constituencies of the Punjab Assembly.

Imran Khan said that those who imposed “criminals” via a foreign conspiracy, the nation will never forgive them. “You are my team and I am your captain… and this captain knows how to compete.”

He claimed that Sharifs and Zardaris have never

done anything with honesty, alleging that his party’s opponents cannot win without massive rigging.

The PTI chairman said that after 9/11, our ruler of that time got a call from the US and we entered a foreign war. “Pakistan sacrificed a lot for the US war. We lost 80,000 Pakistanis and even today army soldiers giving sacrifices because of that war.

When democracy was restored, people thought it will talk about the people but the US conducted 400 drone attacks during Nawaz Sharif and Asif Ali Zardari’s tenures.”

He said that he does not want enmity with anyone but he will also never be a slave to anyone. “US doesn’t like leaders who take a stand… it likes cherry blossom leaders like Shehbaz Sharif.”

For the last 32 years, the former PM said, PML-N and PPP were ruling Pakistan. “Whenever

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Petroleum dealers announce nationwide strike on Monday KARACHI: The Petroleum Dealers Association of Pakistan (PDAP) has announced a nationwide strike on Monday, demanding a rise in dealer’s margin.

According to the details, the union has summoned a session regarding the strike and negotiations with the government over the issue. “Petrol pumps cannot operate under the current margin,” they claim.

The petrol dealers are demanding that their margin should be fixed at 6%.

The association lamented that the minimum wage of an employee has reached Rs25,000 and prices of other commodities had also increased, emphasising the need for an increase in their margins.

Banners displaying the strike call and demands of PPDA have been posted at petrol pumps in various cities. However, the government has not contacted the association’s office-bearers to seek a withdrawal of the call so far. Earlier on Thursday, the federal government has slashed POL prices by up to Rs40.54 per litre a downward trend in the global oil market.

Petrol is now being sold at Rs230.24 per litre, diesel at Rs236 per litre, kerosene oil at Rs196.45 and light diesel oil (LDO) at Rs 191.44/litre across the country. inp

Power shortfall recedes by 3000mw LAHORE: Pakistan’s electricity shortfall reduced to 3000 megawatts according to reports on Friday, showing a slight improvement in the country’s energy crisis situation.

According to the details, Pakistan’s power demand currently stands at 27,000 MW while supply has increased to 24,000 MW, providing much needed relief from load-shedding across rural and urban feeders. A Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO) spokesperson said that their power demand and supply are at par as of now; however, load-shedding prevails in areas with higher line losses.

Earlier on June 1, load-shedding in Punjab’s capital had intensified with the duration of power outages reaching up to 14 hours in certain areas.

According to sources, the electricity quota for LESCO had been reduced, which resulted in the shutting down of feeders every hour. In June, demand for electricity had reached 5,300 MW against the availability of 3,800 MW, resulting in a shortfall of 1,500 MW. inp

Widespread rain expected in parts of country ISLAMABAD: Widespread rain, thundershower with scattered heavy falls, is expected in various parts of Sindh, Balochistan and South Punjab, while more isolated thundershowers are likely in Northeast Punjab, upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan. During the past 24 hours, rain/ thundershower (with isolated heavy falls) occurred in Sindh, Balochistan, Punjab, upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.

The rainfall recorded during the past 24 hours, Balochistan: Sibbi 91mm, Lasbella 15, Zhob 07, Khuzdar 05, Ormara 02; Sindh: Padidan 80, Sakrand 72, Shaheed Benazirabad 62, Jacobabad 24, Rohri 17, Badin 12, Karachi (Surjani Town 08, North Karachi 07, Gulshan-e Hadid 06, Orangi Town 04, Nazimabad, Masroor Base 01), Tandojam, Thatta, Sukkur, Hyderabad 06, Chhor, Larkana 03, Mohenjodaro 02, Khairpur, Mirpurkhas 01.

Punjab: Kasur 47, Khanpur 46, Lahore (Tajpura 28, Samanabad 20, Nishtar Town, upper Mall 19, Iqbal Town, Lakshmi Chowk 18, Gulshan Ravi 16, Airport, Mughalpura, Johar Town 13, Chowk Nakhuda 12, Wasa office, city 10, Farrukhabad, Shahi Qila 09), Narowal 19, Sargodha, Bahawalnagar 14, Rahim Yar Khan 07, Sialkot (City 06, Airport 02), Gujrat 06, DG Khan 03, Bahawalpur, Attock, Murree 02, Mangla 01. news desk

Will fight ‘thieves’ till last ball, vows defiant Imran Khan staff report

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they come [to power] they beg. They are shameless people. If they had any honour, they would’ve returned the money they had looted from this country rather than begging,” he added.

Urging people to vote, he hoped that PTI will win in all 20 constituencies and will give “lotas a beating”. “You all have to come out and protect all polling stations because opponents cannot win without rigging,” he added.

Noting that the government will not be able to brought down the prices of petrol and diesel further, he said that PM Shehbaz first raised the price of diesel

by Rs130 and then brought it down by Rs40 per litre.

“Price of petrol should have been reduced to Rs150 and diesel to Rs144 but they are following orders of IMF only. IMF also pushed us to raise prices but we did not,” he added.

Published by Arif Nizami at Plot # 7, Al-Baber Centre, F/8 Markaz, Islamabad, for PT Print (Pvt) Limited. Ph: 051-2204545. Email: newsroom@pakistantoday.com.pk