Issuu

Friday, 5 August, 2022 I 6 Muharram, 1444 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XIII No 36 I 12 Pages I Lahore Edition

Independence sans economIc sovereIgnty meanIngless: pm g

SayS govt takeS pain to bring life to normal in flood-hit areaS DERA ISMAIL KHAN/PESHAWAR

staff report

rime minister Shehbaz Sharif questioned on thursday the kind of independence enjoyed by pakistan while being “economically enslaved” by the international monetary fund (imf). “economic sovereignty is of great importance for any nation to protect and sustain independence.” addressing flood-affected people during his visit to di khan and tank district in khyber pakhtunkhwa, pm Shehbaz said the prevailing political crisis, depleting foreign reserves, delay in the imf’s loan disbursement, and rupee devaluation have had an adverse impact on the economy, saying the country is seeking financial assistance on an emergency

basis. “what have we done during the past 75 years since independence when we are economically enslaved by the imf and other financial institutions?” pm Shehbaz said that the collective efforts by the federal and provincial governments were inevitable to ensure early rehabilitation of the people affected by flash floods caused by torrential rains. the prime minister said that the coalition government would take decisions that would steer the country out of every crisis. the prime minister also urged the kp government to enhance the existing compensation rs0.8 million for the deceased to rs1 million for bringing it at par with that of the federal government. “financial compensation is nothing [compared to the loss of their dear ones], but it will help them live through the challenges of life […] this is not a

SayS coalition govt would take deciSionS to Steer country out of all criSiS

competition; this is complimentary; this is our responsibility,” he added. the government is striving to provide relief and rehabilitate the flood affected areas of tank and dera ismail khan the prime minister claimed that no politics on floods would be done and the federal and provincial government would work together to provide relief to flood victims of the country. during the visit, the prime minister was briefed on the damages and relief activities in flood affected areas of the two districts. the prime minister was informed that a total of 437 houses were damaged besides causing damage to standing crop, livestock in pai, ranwal and its adjoining including Shahbaz garah, chirhi, therhi areas of tank. the national disaster management authority (ndma) on behalf of the federal government distributed five

truckload of food besides providing compensation worth rs1 million each to the families of those lost lives in the calamity. the district administrations of tank and dera ismail khan made effective measures for rehabilitation and relief of flood affectees areas. an amount to the tune of rs0.5 million would be given for completely damaged houses each while rs250,000 is being given to partially damaged houses. Similarly, the kp government provided rs0.8 million to the families of each victim. in these of tank, three medical camps were established while one temporary camp was set up in amakhel area and provided medical treatment. Similarly, clean drinking water was arranged for these areas after pumping out rainwater from the area. the prime minister also visited the flood affected area of prova where a

relief camp was established in a ramak school where about 200 to 300 families were given food and noon food items besides provision of medical treatment. the flash flood damaged about 293 houses besides destroying 1720 hectares of agricultural land. the prime minister also interacted with flood affected people of tank and dera ismail khan and assured full support of the government in this challenging time. the prime minister also addressed at certain points during the visit flood-hit areas of tank and dera ismail khan stressing collective responsibility of federal and provincial governments to extend relief and rehabilitate flood affected areas. he said that every challenge including floods could be tackled with unity and collective efforts.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

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Friday, 5 August, 2022 | LAHORE

NEWS

REvERSE ILLEGAL, uNILATERAL ACTION Of AuG 5, PAkISTAN uRGES INdIA ISlamabad

Staff rePort

OREIGN Office Spokesperson Asim Iftikhar on Thursday urged India to reverse its illegal and unilateral actions of August 5, 2019 and take necessary steps to create an environment conducive for meaningful dialogue for peaceful resolution of the

Kashmir dispute. Speaking at weekly news briefing in Islamabad here on Thursday, the FO spokesperson said India has issued millions of fake domiciles aimed at demographic engineering in order to turn the Kashmiri Muslim majority into a minority in their own land. He said India has employed censorship, and crackdown on civil society, human rights defenders,

lawyers and journalists, who are harassed and persecuted under the draconian laws. The Spokesperson said New Delhi’s illegal steps to undermine the internationally recognized disputed status of occupied Jammu and Kashmir and to alter the demographic structure of the Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir in violation of international law and relevant UN Security Council

resolutions on the Jammu and Kashmir dispute. He said since August 2019, at least 660 Kashmiris have been martyred by Indian occupation forces in IIOJK. Asim Iftikhar said despite all these actions, India has miserably failed to dampen the resilient spirit of the Kashmiri people, who continue to stand firm in their total rejection of Indian illegal

occupation. He said the Pakistani nation will join the Kashmiris in IIOJK, Azad Kashmir and the world over in solemnly observing Youm-e-Istehsal to denounce the Indian atrocities in occupied Kashmir. Paying rich tributes to the Kashmiris’ struggle, the Spokesperson assure Pakistan’s unambiguous, steadfast and all possible support for the realization of their right to self-determination.

One terrorist killed, Sepoy martyred in North Waziristan

Senate passes 2nd ‘NAB Amendment Bill’ amid PTI senators walkout ISlamabad

RaWalpINdI

Staff rePort

PTI senators, along with other opposition members, stage a walkout after the National Accountability Act 1999 (NAB) amendment bill passes from the upper house on Thursday. According to details, the NAB amendment bill was passed from the upper house on August 4. The bill, passed from the National Assembly yesterday, was tabled in the Senate by Law Minister of State Shahadat Ali. PTI senator Shibli Faraz said that the government should just empty jails, as passing this bill is similar. Why cannot NAB investigate cases under Rs500 million? the PTI leader questioned. The government has disarmed NAB, the National Assembly has become a rubber stamp, Shibli added. Three amendments suggested by Jamat-e-Islami’s Mushtaq Ahmed were rejected by the house. The opposition tore copies of the bill and staged a walkout from the house. The NA passed the National Accountability (Second Amendment) Act, 2022 with a majority vote, amending theNational Accountability Ordinance, 1999 (NAO). According to the bill, the offence of corruption and corrupt practices as per the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO), 1999, will be tied to the value of Rs500m.

Hate speech plea: SC asks petitioner to ‘come prepared next time’ ISlamabad Staff rePort

The Supreme Court (SC) on Thursday directed petitioner in the case of making provocative speeches against the state institutions by former prime minister and PTI Chairman Imran Khan and other party leaders to come to the court next time prepared about some important questions related to the case. The court asked Qausain Faisal, the petitioner, as how Article 184/3 could be invoked for an individual when the said article was related to public interest. “Please let the court know which basic human rights PTI leaders have violated through these hate speeches,” the court asked the petitioner. The SC asked as to why the petitioner did not approach the forum concerned first if he thought that the defendant was guilty of breaching the laws. Justice Ijazul Ahsan said categorically as to why the court should hear this petition. “Will from now on the apex court should start hearing the cases of injury to human feelings?” he questioned. He further said there must have been media reports on these remarks. “This is another thing that only few media houses are reporting facts these days,” he remarked. Speaking on the occasion, Justice Yahya Afridi remarked that no harm was done to the superior judiciary by such “inciting remarks.” SC had the right to initiate contempt of court proceedings in the case.

Govt announces withdrawal of fixed tax on small traders’ electric bills ISlamabad Shahzad Paracha

The federal government on Thursday decided to withdraw the fixed tax regime on electricity bills for small traders who can benefit from this for a period of one year. The announcement in this regard was made by Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Miftah Ismail and Federal Minister for Power Khurram Dastgir Khan. Miftah Ismail said that Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz had given directions to review this matter and after deliberating for a whole day, the government decided to withdraw the fixed tax for small traders for a period of one year. However, Khurram Dastgir said that the old system will remain intact for the first three months of the current fiscal year and the government will discuss the fixed tax regime with traders after three months. It is pertinent to mention here that the government had introduced a fixed tax for small traders on their electricity bills in the FY23 budget. As per the decision, commercial electricity bills up to Rs30,000 would be levied with a fixed tax of Rs3,000 as of July 1, Rs5,000 tax would be levied on bills between Rs30,001 and Rs50,000 whereas bills exceeding Rs50,000 but below Rs100,000 would be subjected to a fixed tax of Rs10,000.

LAHORE: CCPO Ghulam Muhamood Dogar and other police officers offer fateha for police martyrs during a ceremony at Liberty Chowk. (Inset) Women light candles to pay tribute to martyrs. Photo by zubair Mehfooz

PDM huddle postponed owing to PTI protest Staff RepoRt A meeting of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), which was scheduled to be held on Thursday (today), has been postponed owing to the PTI protest against ECP. According to details available with ARY News the PDM leadership has postponed their third sitting due to the protest of Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaf (PTI) and other security reasons. PDM and its allied parties were to hold a meeting at the Prime Minister’s House today for the third consecutive day seemingly to finalize a future course of action against Imran Khan.

In yesterday’s sitting, the former prime minister and PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif had urged the coalition

government to immediately file a reference against the PTI in Supreme Court.

Security Forces conducted an Intelligence Based Operation (IBO) in general area Miran Shah, North Waziristan District, on reported presence of terrorists. During the operation, one terrorist was killed, says a handout issued by the ISPR. Per the handout, the troops executed a successful operation during which weapon and ammunition was also recovered from the killed terrorist. The killed terrorist remained actively involved in terrorist activities against security forces. However, during intense exchange of fire, Sepoy Ansar Ali (age 30 years, resident of Narowal), having fought gallantly, embraced Shahadat. Sanitization of the area is being carried out to eliminate any other terrorists found in the area. Pakistan Security Forces are determined to eliminate the menace of terrorism in every nook and corner of the country. Sacrifices of our brave soldiers will bring long term peace in the country.

Nazir Chohan, others granted bail in terrorism case laHoRe Staff rePort

Pakistan, EU launch Multi-annual Indicative Programme worth 265m euros ISlamabad Staff rePort

European Union (EU) and Pakistan have launched a six year Multi-annual Indicative Programme for 2021-2027 worth 265 million euros. This was discussed in a meeting between the Ambassador of the European Union to Pakistan Dr. Riina Kionka and Federal Minister for Economic Affairs, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq in his office. Matters of mutual interest were also discussed in the meeting. The Minister for Economic Affairs welcomed the Ambassador of the EU and extended gratitude for taking out her time to visit the Ministry. He further appreciated the reciprocal and congenial relations that Pakistan shares with EU and apprised the Ambassador that the development co-operation between Pakistan and EU goes back to 1976 and Pakistan is looking forward to further enhancement of relations. Moreover, he highlighted the current flood situation in the country and apprised the Ambassador about the

donor coordination in immediate flood relief during this disastrous situation. The Ambassador appreciated the effort and further assured coordination between both parties on achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The meeting was followed by joint launching of the Multi-annual Indicative Programme (MIP), covering the period 2021-2027. An initial grant of 265 million Euro has been earmarked for the period from 2021 to 2024 between the Ambassador of the European Union to Pakistan, Her Excellency, Dr. Riina Kionka, and the Secretary of the Economic Affairs Division (EAD), Mian Asad Hayaud Din. “This grant provided by the European Union will support the goals set out by the Government of Pakistan in its Vision 2025” said Secretary of the EAD Mian Asad Haya ud Din. The objectives of the current MIP are guided by the country’s strategic development priorities and the overall geopolitical programme of the European Commission (2019-2024), with the aim to further enhance integrated cooperation, as outlined under the Strategic Engagement Plan (2019).

An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Thursday granted bail to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Nazir Chohan and eight others in a case pertaining to terrorism and attacking policemen. According to details, Anti-Terrorism Court Judge Abhar Gul Khan announced the reserved verdict in a case related to attack on policemen in Lahore. The ATC approved the bail of former Punjab lawmaker Nazir Chohan and eight others, subject to submission of a surety bond worth Rs100,000 each. It is pertinent to mention here that Chohan was arrested in relation to an armed clash between the PTI and PML-N workers during the by-election to PP167. Earlier in June, the son of a PTI candidate in PP-167 Khalid Gujjar was injured after PMLN candidate Chohan attacked a party office in Lahore during election campaign. PTI candidate Khalid Gujjar had claimed that their office in PP-167 was attacked by Nazir Chohan who tore apart their banners as his guards opened fire.

PML-Q EC backs Ch Shujaat as party leader ISLAMABAD: the Pakistan Muslim League’s (PML-Q) executive council has expressed its confidence in party leader Chaudhry Shujaat and decided to issue a show cause notice to Kamil Ali Agha and other participants of the Lahore session of the party. According to details, PML-Q held its executive council session on Thursday and backed Chaudhry Shujaat Hussian as the party head. The council denounced Kamil Ali Agha’s statement about Chaudhry Shujaat’s health. The PML-Q executive council also announced to issue show cause notices to Kamil Ali Agha and other participants of the party meeting held in Lahore. The council also decided to challenge the action to remove Chaudhry Shujaat as the party head in the court. Staff rePort

FM Bilawal, Singaporean counterpart agree to enhance bilateral cooperation Staff RepoRt Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari met his Singaporean counterpart, Dr. Vivian Balakrishnan, on the sidelines of the 29th Association of the South Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum Ministerial Meeting in Phnom Penh on Thursday. The two Foreign Ministers reviewed

the state of Pakistan-Singapore bilateral relations and agreed to enhance bilateral dialogue and cooperation. They also exchanged views on the global and regional issues of mutual interest, a press release issued here by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan discussed the potential

for bilateral trade and economic cooperation between the two countries. Foreign Minister Zardari expressed admiration for Singapore’s development model and the lessons it offered to developing countries including Pakistan. He emphasized the importance accorded by Pakistan to its relations with Singapore, which is a key partner

in ASEAN Regional Forum. He also expressed Pakistan’s keen desire to enhance its collaboration with ASEAN. Noting the importance of regular high-level exchanges between the two countries, the two Foreign Ministers agreed to remain in close contact to maintain the momentum in bilateral relations.

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Friday, 5 August, 2022 | LAHORE

NEWS

21-MEMBER PuNjAB CABINET LIkELy TO TAkE OATH TOdAy laHoRe

SaleeM jadoon

HE oath-taking ceremony of 21member Punjab cabinet is likely to be held here on Friday (today) as the CM’s House has contacted Punjab Governor Balighur Rehman for the oath-taking ceremony. According to CM’s House sources, the 21-member cabinet of CM Pervaiz Elahi will take oath at Punjab Governor House. It is to be recalled that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan approved an 18member working cabinet for the Punjab government during his visit a couple of days

ago. Only PTI ministers would take oath in the first phase According to details, the members of the Punjab cabinet, announced earlier on Thursday, have been assigned portfolios. The portfolios assigned to the cabinet members are as follows: Mohsin Laghari will be the Finance Minister, Taimoor Malik Bhatti will Sports Ministe, Raja Yasir Humayun will be Minister for Information Technology and Higher Education; Ansar Majeed Niazi will be Minister of Labour; Raja Basharat will be Minister for Cooperatives and Prosecution; Sardar Shahabuddin will be the Minister for Livestock; Muneeb Cheema has been

Punjab announces ‘free education’ for children of martyred cops Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi has announced to provide free education to children of martyred policemen. The Punjab chief minister announced the development while addressing a ceremony in Police Lines, Lahore. The ceremony was held in relations to police martyrs day being observed today (Thursday). Speaking on the occasion, CM Pervaiz Elahi announced that the provincial government was working on a law to provide free education to children of martyred policemen. “The government will also create employment opportunities for the children,” he added. CM Punjab also announced an increase in the amount of compensation to be paid to policemen who embrace martyrdom in the line of duty. “The government will provide new vehicles for police patrolling,” he added. Pervaiz Elahi added that the government will monitor the measure itself by constituting a monitoring cell. He also criticised the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) for ‘neglecting’ the police force. “The nation will never forget the sacrifices of police force and will continue to remember them with great regard and honour,” he said. Police Martyrs’ Day is being observed today (Tuesday) across the country to pay tributes to police personnel who have rendered their lives for the security and stability of the country. Staff rePort

Shah Mahmood’s daughter to contest NA-157 by-polls as PTI candidate Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Vice Chairman Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi said on Thursday that his daughter Meherbano Qureshi would contest the NA-157 by-polls as a PTI nominee. Addressing a press conference here, he said, his daughter filed nomination papers for NA-157 bye polls after approval of PTI Chairman Imran Khan. He said that election were no more reliant on role of beraderies or personalities, rather, it was a contest between ideologies. He said, PTI would register victory in NA-157 bye polls the way it won the recently held PP-217 bye elections that was won by Zain Qureshi, a development that had left the NA-157 seat vacant. Qureshi advocated stronger role of women in mainstream political activities and added that his daughter was an educated mother who could play active role in development of the country. Staff rePort

Freedom, sovereignty and peace are the concepts, which are oblivious to Kashmiris. Extra-judicial killings, rapes, abductions and burned houses shape the reality of a common Kashmiri. Indeed, a world unknown to us and an issue neglected by international community. The major crime of Kashmiris is their identity, which is deeply rooted in their religion. Muslims around the world are facing this crisis due to political and strategic reasons. However, Palestinians and Kashmiris are the ones who are most affected by identity politics. Although, British Empire is the common denominator behind miseries of these two unfortunate nations, we should be mindful of the reality that, over the decades, it is identity that has kept them resilient. The recent crisis in Kashmir has a direct linkage with global trend of identity politics, which gave rise to populist xenophobic leaders like Narendra Modi. This global trend has been in the making since the start of this century. In this context, this century

Minister of Food and Energy; Mehmoodur Rasheed will be Minister of Local Bodies; Mian Aslam Iqbal will be Minister of Housing and Ali Abbas Shah will be Minister of Forests. Apart from this, it has also been decided to make Ahmed Owais the Advocate General of Punjab, while Musrat Jamshed Cheema will be made Special Assistant to Chief Minister and is likely to be given the Information Department. Dr. Arsalan Khalid will also be made Special Assistant to the Chief Minister and will be given the IT department. CM SEAT IS ENOUGH, NO OTHER MINISTRIES NEEDED: Pakistan Muslim

US donates 36 vehicles to KP for pandemic monitoring, management ISlamabad Staff rePort

The United States government, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Thursday presented 36 vehicles to the government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP)’s Health Department to help strengthen tracking and management of infectious diseases, including Covid-19. US Ambassador to Pakistan Donald Blome and KP Minister for Health and Finance Taimur Saleem Khan Jhagra led the handing over ceremony at KP Governor’s House, said a press release here. “This year marks the 75th anniversary of USPakistan partnership,” remarked US Ambassador Donald Blome. “We are proud of our contributions to improve lives here in KP, and we are committed to making the world a better place for the Pakistani people. With these vehicles and the training provided by USAID, KP health professionals are better equipped to provide accurate and timely information in remote locations and help health officials make informed decisions to protect the public.” Taimur thanked Donald Blome for his visit and

extended support. He extended his gratitude for USAID support in different health interventions on behalf of the KP government. Talking to the media, Taimur said, “The KP Department of Health is grateful to USAID for the timely support of vehicles provided to all District Diseases Surveillance and Response Units in KP. These 36 vehicles will be fully utilized for COVID-19 surveillance as well as for vaccination campaign monitoring. We cherish our partnership with USAID for strengthening the health system in the province.” Across Pakistan, the US has donated 61 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to date, with an additional 16 million pediatric doses announced and expected to arrive soon. Since the start of pandemic, the US government has provided nearly $70.4 million in direct support and $13.8 million in in-kind support to assist the Pakistani people in the fight against COVID-19, with another $20 million planned to support further vaccination efforts in Pakistan. The US has also provided 200 ventilators for 64 Pakistani hospitals, which increased Pakistan’s respiratory care capacity by 30 percent, and trained 400 healthcare workers on how to operate these ventilators.

FIA, SBP, other agencies to probe matter of illegal accounts of PTI: Rana Sanaullah ISlamabad Staff rePort

Minister for Interior Rana Sanaullah on Thursday said that federal investigation agency (FIA), State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), and other agencies to probe the matter of illegal accounts of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). The reference would be filed against Imran Khan after the approval of the cabinet in next few days, he said while talking to a private television channel. The election commission, he said has given verdict about illegal accounts being maintained by PTI to run the party affairs in the past, he said.

Plight of the Kashmiris SHeRoz HaSHmI

assigned Ministry of Transport; Murad Raas will be Minister for Schools Education; Dr Yasmin Rashid will supervise Ministry of Health; Khurrum Virk will oversee Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs; Hashim Dogar will be Minister of Interior and Prisons; Sardar Asif Nakki will be Minister for Excise and Taxation; Ali Afzal Sahi will be Minister of Works and Communications; Nawabzada Mansoor Khan will be Minister of Revenue; Hussain Jahanian Gardezi will be Minister of Agriculture; Ghazanfar Abbas will be Minister of Social Welfare; Latif Nazr will be Minister for Mines and Minerals; Sardar Hasnain Bahadur Dareshek will be the

begins with an economic and technological revolution. The political and economic gurus termed it globalization. This was the peak of neo-liberalism which broke the space-time continuum. Modes of communication and trade were rapidly evolving. This revolution expanded the size of world economies. This increase in GDP and trade volume demanded more skilled human resources from across the world. This century has also seen parallel development at political and strategic level in the form of 9/11 attacks, which shaped the narrative against Muslims. Later on, wars in Middle Eastern region were episodes of this development. Henceforth this century began with two meta-narratives one was inclusive and other was exclusive in nature. Gradually, with the passage of time, antiMuslim narratives at political and strategic levels gained traction among masses when hyper-globalization hit the world. The markets became saturated, unemployment increased and on top of that, recession took over the world economies. This was the time, when countries started to become more inward looking. Foreigners working in other

The ECP report has also revealed that PTI leadership didn’t submit the details of all accounts before the ECP, he added. The mis-declaration and false affidavit submitted by PTI was a criminal act as per law of the country, he remarked. The full bench of Supreme Court, he said would decide the matter of foreign funding. The minister said that government would file the reference in light of the report of ECP, for seeking further action from apex court. In reply to a question about early elections as demanded by PTI during protest demonstration, he said, Imran Khan should take initiative for dissolving assemblies in Khyber Pakhtunkhawa and Punjab for fulfilling his desire.

countries became victims of this global trend. Then, minorities faced the wrath of this development. These circumstances gave rise to a new breed of xenophobic politicians who capitalised on the fear of people. These types of elements have always existed in different societies but never got a share in power. However, this was the perfect time for their rise. This is how identity politics engulfed the whole world. They consolidated their supporters and successfully made the narrative of us vs. them. In this context, a meta-narrative against Muslims assisted such elements in diverse societies. In India, Narendra Modi rose on the wave of Islamophobia and xenophobia, which not only affected Kashmiris but also India. He strengthened his support on the basis of anti-Muslim rhetoric. Since the rise of Narendra Modi, we have seen heart-wrenching visuals of Muslims being killed, lynched and burned. This development has also exposed the false secular image of India. Amongst others; Kashmiris also became victims of Narendra Modi’s ideology. What is alarming, is that Modi government’s actions regarding abrogation of Article 370 and integration of State of Jammu and Kashmir into the Union of India. After this development, analysts argued that

this was an effort by India to change the demography of the region. Indeed, it is true, but the aim is much higher than this. India wants to change the whole social, political and economic fibre of the IIOJK. We have seen an increase in atrocities, violence and oppression. Kashmiris have been fighting against such atrocities for decades. In this context, Pak has been a consistent supporter of Kashmiri freedom struggle at various levels. However, the situation has reached a stage of stalemate. India continues to advance its agenda in IIOJK. But on the other hand, political elite in Pakistan are entangled in internal political affairs. In this context, political polarization in the country has divided people along political lines. There is a need for political leaders to make a consensus on issues like IIOJK. At the state level for the resolution of Kashmir issue Pak should opt for two strategies. First strategy is short-term in nature and suggests that, along with its traditional stance on selfdetermination, Pakistan should also plea the Kashmir case under International Humanitarian Law. Government of Pakistan must develop the strong legal basis it has with regard to the dispute. This legal basis is further strengthened by Indian contradictions and extra-judicial killings.

League (PML-Q) leader Monis Illahi has said that they do not need any other ministry as they have the upper position in the province. The PML-Q leader met with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chief Imran Khan in Bani Gala on Thursday and assured him that their party does not have any further demand. Both the leaders discussed matters pertaining to the formation of the cabinet in the Punjab assembly. Talking to the media after the meeting, the PML-Q leader said that he has assured the PTI Chief that they have no further demand after they have been given the Chief Minister’s seat.

NEPRA reserves decision on Rs4.15 per unit hike for hydel power stations ISlamabad Staff rePort

The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) on Thursday reserved its decision over the petition of WAPDA Hydroelectric for determination of power tariff for the financial year 2022-23. As per details, NEPRA has conducted a hearing regarding bulk supply tariff petition filed by WAPDA Hydroelectric for FY 2022-23. The hearing was held under NEPRA chairman Tauseef H. Farooqi while NEPRA members Rafique Ahmed Shaikh and Maqsood Anwar were in attendance. According to the NEPRA, WAPDA has requested to increase the power tariff of its 21 power stations by Rs4.15 per unit for FY 2022-23 which was earlier fixed at Rs3.68 per unit for FY 2021-22. NEPRA on Thursday completed its hearing on the tariff petition of WAPDA Hydroelectric for FY 2022-23, however NEPRA has reserved its decision which will be issued after scrutiny of the data. Earlier, WAPDA requested NEPRA for determination of revenue requirements of Rs121.808 billion for the ongoing fiscal year (FY 2022-23), which is 20 percent higher than the NEPRA’s determined revenue requirements of Rs101.382 billion for the FY 2021-22. During NEPRA’s hearing on bulk supply tariff petition filed by WAPDA Hydroelectric for FY 2022-23, following questions were discussed in detail: Whether Petitioner’s request for allowance of O&M expense amounting to Rs23, 616 million is justified? Whether Petitioner’s request for allowance of depreciation charge amounting to Rs8,025 million is justified?. Whether Petitioner’s request for allowance of WACC based return on power stations amounting to Rs30,385 million justified? Whether Petitioner’s request for allowance of WACC based return on investment on power projects amounting to Rs34,265 million justified? Whether other income claimed to be Rs767 million justified? Whether Petitioner’s request for allowance of Regulatory Gap amounting to Rs26,285 million justified? Whether the Petitioner’s request for payment of NHP at the uniform rate of Rs1.10 per kWh justified? Whether WUC, at par with NHP paid to provinces at Rs.1.10 per kWh, for Mangla HPP, NJ HPP and any other future public sector projects of AJK justified? Whether PPRA guidelines/rules were followed during procurement of goods/services under the project/plants? Whether the claims under Tariff Petition are eligible payments i.e. as per approved PCI/approved contracts and government policies in vogue? Whether it is justified to consider higher tariff for small hydel plants being inefficient and with low plant factor?

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Friday, 5 August, 2022 | LAHORE

04 NEWS

Bad Blood, incidents claim woman among six lives SWat

Syed Shahabuddin

ix persons including a woman died and four others sustained injuries in different incidents in Swat District. According to the Madyan police, a man gunned down his brother over a domestic dispute in Tirat village. “The accused identified as: Laiq Zada shot dead his younger on the spot,” said the Madyan police, adding that the accused fled the scene after the crime.

CM, MQM delegation discuss repair to infrastructure damaged by heavy downpour Staff RepoRt A 17-member MQM delegation led by Khawaja Izhar called on Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah here at CM House to discuss repair and maintenance of the infrastructure damaged in Karachi and Hyderabad during recent heavy rains. The other delegation members were Javed Hanif, Mohammad Hussain, Hamid uz Zafar, Rashid Khilji, Adeel Shahzad and others. Provincial Ministers, Sharjeel Memon, Nasir Shah, Saeed Ghani, Murtaza Wahab and Waqar Mahdi also attended the meeting. MQM leader Khawaja Izhar told the chief minister that the heavy rains have badly affected the infrastructure of Karachi and Hyderabad. He added that the craters have developed in the roads and sewerage lines have also been damaged. Khawaja Izahr said that due to damaged roads and drainage lines, flow of traffic in both the cities, Karachi and Hyderabad has become a serious prob-

lem, therefore traffic jams have become the order of the day. The chief minister told the MQM delegation that his government has already allocated Rs 5 billion for the repair and maintenance of the roads and sewerage system of the city. He added that another amount of Rs 1.5 billion was approved by the cabinet to repair damaged road and drainage lines located on the route of seven Peoples Bus Service launched recently in the city. Syed Murad Ali Shah said that a separate budget for repair of roads of Hyderabad has also been approved by the assembly. He assured the visiting delegation that the repair and maintenance works in both the cities would be started very soon. The CM Sindh said that he has also directed all the deputy commissioners, including of the city to assess the losses and damages caused by heavy rains to the life, property/houses, crops so that necessary action could be taken to support the people.

The police have registered a case against the culprit and launched a hunt to arrest him. In another incident, a young man identified as Zafar Ali died on the spot after slipping off a high rock and falling down in Laikot village in Bahrain Tehsil. Similarly, a man died on the spot while four others got severely injured after a fight broke out between two groups over children’s dispute in Patanay area of Mingora City. According to Mingora police, Shaukat Ali from one group was killed in the firing while his brother

Wali Khan and father Khizawar were injured. From the other group, two persons – Gul and Nizamuddin also sustained gunshot wounds. The dead body and injured were shifted to Saidu Teaching Hospital while the police have registered a case against both the groups. Meanwhile, the dead body of a 12-year-old boy was recovered from Swat River at Shamozai area in Barikot Tehsil who had drowned five days ago. A social activist and diver Hilal Ahmad recovered the dead body after a five-day continuous search

operation. The dead body was shifted to Civil Hospital Barikot. According to Banr police, the dead body of an identified woman was found in Swat River near Kanju Bridge. The Rescue 1122 team shifted the body to Saidu Sharif Teaching Hospital for post-mortem. Similarly, according to Barikot police, Azizur Rehman who was a market watchman committed suicide by shooting self over unknown reasons. The Ghalegay police have registered a report and started an investigation into the matter.

Police martyrs paid glowing tribute on Youm-e-Shuhada ISLaMaBaD Staff RepoRt

To commemorate the sacrifices of valiant police officers on Thursday ‘Youm-e-Shuhada-e-Police’ was observed at National Police Bureau here. Special ceremonies were organized in the honour of the police martyrs at all the police lines and memorials across the

country in which police contingents paid salute and paid tribute to the eternal sacrifices of the martyrs. In this regard, Director General National Police Bureau Mehr Khaliq Dad Lak paid glowing tribute to the Police Shuhada who rendered their lives for the bright future of Pakistan. A NPB organized a graceful ceremony, which included Police

guard of honour, floral wreath laying by the DG National Police Bureau at Shuhada Yadgar, Fateha Khawani and Dua for martyrs. On the occasion, the DG NPB expressed that thousands of police officers have laid their lives and thousands have been maimed or injured in war against terrorism and organized crime, adding that these martyrs have performed be-

yond the call of duty. Their remembrance is recognition of their deeds beside a source of inspiration, for other contemporaries, to strive for the best, and not yield being second best. To pay tribute to their brave martyrs, all Police organizations across the country have marked the “Police Shuhada Day” with traditional enthusiasm.

Punjab announces public holidays on Muharram 9th and 10th Staff RepoRt Punjab government Thursday announced public holidays on the 9th and 10th of Muharram-Monday and Tuesday. As per the notification, all public and private organizations will remain close on both days. The public holidays fall on August 8th (Monday) and August 9th (Tuesday). Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi chaired the meeting of Ittehad Bain-ul-Muslimeen Committee Punjab on Wednesday which was attended by the ulema of all schools of thought. Earlier, Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi chaired the meeting of Ittehad Bain-ul-Muslimeen Committee Punjab on Wednesday which was attended by

the ulema of all schools of thought. The meeting offered Fateha for the martyrs of the army helicopter crash and the people who lost their lives in rain-related incidents in the country and extended sympathies to the bereaved families. The significant initiative of the chief minister for making the affidavit of the Finality of Prophethood (PBUH) mandatory in the marriage certificate was appreciated in strong words. The ulema said that this historic step would be remembered always and termed CM a “Mujahid Wazir-e-Ala.” The CM said that ulema and mashaikh had always guided the nation and appreciated their role in maintaining brotherhood, tolerance and unity in the society. He added that special

IHC seeks comments on appeal of Ghauri Town’s owner The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday sought comments from respondents in an appeal filed by the owner of Ghauri Town Housing Society against the decision of lower court in matter pertaining illegal possession on 135 acres of land. Justice Sardar Ijaz Ishaq heard the case filed by accused Chaudhry Abdul Rehman, the owner of the housing society. The court adjourned the case till second week of September with above instructions. A District and Session Court of Islamabad had announced five year imprisonment sentence along with Rs 0.5 million fine to the accused in case regarding illegal occupation of the said land. The accused had approached the IHC and challenged the verdict of session court. Staff RepoRt

Tehsil Chairman Darband joins PTI Tehsil Chairman Darband Dilbar Khan called on Chief Minister Mahmood Khan the other day and formally announced to join Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). Dilbar Khan was elected Tehsil Chairman Darband, Mansehra as independent candidate. Dilbar, who joined PTI along with his supporters, has expressed full confidence in the leadership of CM Mahmood and the polices of PTI government for welfare of people. The chief minister welcomed the new entrants on joining PTI and said that as per vision of PTI Chairman Imran Khan, the provincial government had established the best local government system. Staff RepoRt

committees, including administrative, police officials and ulema had been formed in districts for religious tolerance and peace during

Muharram. In order to maintain societal peace at the grassroots, decisions will be made in consultation, he said.

Friday, 5 August, 2022 | LAHORE

NEWS

corporate corner Nestlé Pakistan donates 60,000 litres water for flood effected peoples LAHORE: Nestlé Pakistan has donated 60,000 litres of Nestlé Pure Life water to National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to facilitate their relief activities across flood-affected areas following the torrential rains during recent monsoon spells. Sharing his thoughts, Waqar Ahmad, Head of Corporate Affairs and Sustainability, Nestlé in Pakistan and Afghanistan said, “Access to clean drinking water for those affected by flooding across Pakistan has become an issue. Nestlé has always been at the forefront in responding to the call of government of Pakistan for climatic and humanitarian disasters to help citizens in need.” Nestlé Pakistan and NDMA have worked closely to carry out relief work for the people and the communities affected by natural calamities, and believes it has an essential role to play during times of crisis. pR

PTI submits Suri’s order accepting MNAs resignations before IHC The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) has submitted the record of the National Assembly before the Islamabad High Court (IHC) showing former deputy speaker Qasim Suri approving and notifying resignations of 123 MNAs of the party. The IHC led by acting Chief Justice Aamir Farooq was hearing a petition from the PTI against phase-wise acceptance of MNAs’ resignations. He directed the secretary National Assembly to submit the record and issued notices to the speaker, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), and the secretary cabinet division. PTI counsel Advocate Faysal Chaudhry said that Qasim Suri accepted the resignations of 123 PTI MNAs and his successor has no right to reverse his decision. “Accepting some of the resignations out of 123 is against the law and regulations,” he said. The PTI also submitted an order from the then deputy speaker to accept resignations on April 13 who also directed to notify it in the gazette. Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf recently accepted the resignations of 11 PTI MNAs. The resignations of 11 PTI MNAs including Shireen Mazari, Ali Muhammad Khan, Ijaz Shah, Farrukh Habib, Shandana Gulzar, Fazal Muhammad, Fakhar Zaman, Abdul Shakoor Shad, Jameel Ahmed and Akram Cheema were approved initially and more resignations will be accepted in phases. The NA Speaker held consultations with Khursheed Shah, Ayaz Sadiq and Khawaja Saad Rafique before accepting the resignations and sent a letter to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to denotify the lawmakers. News Desk

SHC unhappy with FIA’s dillydallying in $100,000 disappearance case KARACHI staff RepoRt

The Sindh High Court (SHC) Thursday expressed displeasure over delay in producing a challan by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) against a woman banker in a case of disappearance of $100,000 from a private bank locker. “You have released other officials. All your emphasis is against one person,” Justice Iqbal Kalhoro reprimanded the FIA officials. He said that the accused was deprived of the right to bail because the challan was not being produced against her. “Produce the challan or stop opposing the bail application,” he stated. The SHC judge also directed the FIA to submit the challan to the court concerned after collecting the records within two weeks.

All SeT To oBServe ‘YouM-e eSTeHSAl’ ACroSS loC TodAY ISLAmABAd/muZAffARABAd

staff RepoRt

N response to the call of Pakistan and Jammu Kashmir State leadership from across LoC, all set to observe the 3rd anniversary of bleak August 5, 2019 day as “Kashmir Siege Day” on Friday (today). In Pakistan, the government has planned a series of activities including seminars and conferences to mark Youm-e-Istehsal and express solidarity with the oppressed Kashmiri people. Meanwhile, rallies in support with the oppressed Kashmiri people would be staged across the country with vibrant participation of people from all walks of life. “The whole nation will give a message to their Kashmiri brethren that the people of Pakistan would always stand with them in their just struggle for right to independence and against the atrocities committed by the Indian forces,” read a statement/ Kashmiri people on both sides of the Line of Control and all over the world will also observe Youm-eIstehsal to condemn unconstitutional step taken by India on August 5, 2019. The activists of all the political parties of the

country will record protests over Indian state terrorism meted out against innocent and unarmed people of IIoJK through rallies and other activities. The civil society organizations will also arrange seminars and other programs to highlight gross human rights violations against the Kashmiri people. One minute silence is to be observed across the country. Traffic to be halted for one minute and sirens will be played. The print media, Radio Pakistan and television channels will play Pakistan and AJK national anthems immediately after one-minute silence. Ministry of Foreign Affairs has released the teaser of song ‘Jalta Hai Kashmir’, which will be aired on August 5, to expose the atrocities of Indian army in Kashmir and show solidarity with Kashmiris against the Illegal occupation by India. On the other hand, people of Jammu and Kashmir dwelling both sides of the Line of Control and rest of the world with mass anti-India protest rallies and demonstrations to express severe indignation against Delhi’s sinister action of revoking special status of the internationally-acknowledged dispute state of Indian Illegally occupied Jammu Kashmir (IIOJK). In AJK, the day will be marked with the mass anti-India protest rallies and processions at small and major cities and towns across the liberated ter-

Pakistan backs China opposing Pelosi’s Taiwan visit: Report Pakistan, Russia and North Korea have issued strong statements to express solidarity with China, opposing Pelosi’s Taiwan visit, says a report published by Gwadar Pro on Thursday. Other regional countries such as UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, with an economic future linked to China, are rapidly moving close to Beijing’s position on Taiwan and other international issues. These countries also attended the Beijing Winter Olympics in February 2022, rejecting the American call for a boycott. While China continues to have a rock-solid support in Asia, from the Solomon Islands to Saudi Arabia, the US is losing its allies fast. Pakistan reaffirms its strong commitment to the “One-China” Policy and firmly supports China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Though the economic crunch has made Pakistan soften its stance on many international and regional issues, its commitment towards China is unequivocal, uncompromising, and unflinching and that is not subject to any sort of pressure. One more thing needs to be made clear. Pakistan-China relations are strategic while PakistanUS ties are tactical. Pakistan’s relationship with China is based on mutual interests and mutual benefit. The US, on the other hand, uses its relationship with countries to its own advantage. The visit by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has trig-

gered off tensions in and around the Taiwan Strait and would have far-reaching implications. This is an act of blatant provocation challenging the sovereignty of the world’s second biggest economic and military power. The ill-planned visit only reflected its arrogance and its spite intention to infringe upon China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. While the world is still assessing and examining the objectives of the visit, one can understand that the US plans to provoke China and test its resolve in defending its geographical boundaries and sovereignty. This visit may further destabilise the already polarised Asian region. This also proves that the arrogance of the US is touching new heights. China till date has given a measured response showcasing its maturity in the international arena and strong resolve to defend its sovereignty. It is heartening to note that Beijing has refused to be lured into the US trap. Nancy’s visit also reflects the hidden frustration of the Biden administration after the failure of its policy to mobilise the world against Russia in the wake of the ongoing Ukraine war. It is also clear that the overarching long-term objective of the US is to throw the Asia region into turmoil, which is the fastest developing region in the world. Perhaps the US policymakers want the Asia Pacific to suffer so that the rise of China could be slowed down.

However, the US policymakers need to realize the fact that China cannot be isolated and its development cannot be slowed down as China has enlarged its influence across the world especially in the developing countries. Pakistan, Russia and North Korea have issued strong statements to express solidarity with China, opposing Pelosi’s Taiwan visit. Contrary to what Pelosi has said in Taiwan, in 1971, the US affirmed to China that it would pursue new principles with regard to the Taiwan question, which include: the United States would acknowledge that there is only one China in the world and Taiwan is a part of China, and the U.S. side would not support any “Taiwan independence” movement. In the August 17 Communique released in 1982, the US reiterates that it has no intention of infringing on Chinese sovereignty and territorial integrity, or interfering in China’s internal affairs, or pursuing a policy of ‘two Chinas’ or ‘one China, one Taiwan’. Four decades have passed, and the US failed to honor its commitments. The US policymakers need to acknowledge the fact that there is a world beyond America. They must know that power has a shelf life and the US is exhausting it. Cracks are already emerging and the US imperialism is imploding. It would soon be no more in a position to invade and steal the resources of the developing and sovereign nations at will.

Independence sans economic sovereignty meaningless: PM ContInued fRom pAge 01 The Prime Minister said that Rs5 Lakh would be provided for each destroyed house and Rs 250,000 for each partially damaged house. He said a joint survey of Federal, Provincial Governments, NDMA, PDMA and others relevant authorities would be conducted to asses crops and livestock damages caused by floods so that compensation amount could be provided to genuine affected people. He also directed national highways authorities to immediately start reconstruction of road infrastructures in flood affected areas after completion of the survey.

On the occasion, PDM Chief Fazlur Rehman said that work on Nawaz Sharif Govt’s mega projects that was halted during last fours in DI Khan would be restarted and the Prime Minister would be requested to come again to DI Khan to announce more mega projects for people of southern districts of the province. Earlier, JUIF leader Maulana Ziaur Rehman briefed the prime minister about flood damages in Tehsil Paharpur and adjoining areas. He appraised the PM that floods have damaged the sewerage system due to negligence of the KP Government and urged the Prime Minister to issue directives for its de-silting. Earlier, the Prime Minister was

welcomed by PDM Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman and thanked him for visiting floods hit areas of Tank and D I Khan districts. PM wins hearts of flood affected PeoPle: The federal government won hearts and minds of the flood-affected people in Dera Ismail Khan and Tank districts as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif personally visited the affected areas and met with the local people. During the PM’s visit to Tank, a senior citizen thanked the prime minister for sympathizing with them. While communicating his emotions, the senior citizen fell into tears and said in his native language that “it is for the first time during his 60 years life that any PM vis-

iting his area.” The prime minister hugged that elderly man and assured him of full support and cooperation of the federal government during this time of distress. Another citizen, while talking to APP, said the different institutions including FC, Pak Army, Police, Rescue 1122 provided relief work to the locals. Besides, the food items were also distributed among the victims during this testing period, he said. The local peoples said the road infrastructure has been badly damaged due to recent flood and rains. They, however, thanked the prime minister for announcing immediate repair and maintenance work of the infrastructure.

ritory including Muzaffarabad’ Mirpur, Rawalakot, Bhimbher, Kotli, Neelam valley, Bagh, Jhelum valley, Haveili and Palandri to express indignation against the above unilateral Indian action stabbing the special status of the disputed IIOJK this day last year at the gun point – denying all international norms and commitments. A high level meeting held in AJKs capital Thursday gave final touches to the arrangements for observance of “Youm-e-Istehsaal” across the liberated territory on August 05. AJK President Barrister Sultan Mahmood Chaudhry and Prime Minister Sardar Tanveer Ilyas and his cabinet colleagues are stated to participate in the protest rally to mark scheduled Aug. 5 ‘Kashmir Siege Day’ Youm e Istehsal with protest against Indian sinister action of revoking Special status of IIOJK unlawfully. In Muzaffarabad a big protest rally will be taken out from Domail which will terminate at the UN observer mission. The AJK prime minister will lead the rally. AJK Cabinet Ministers, representatives of APHC, leaders of the political parties and representatives of civil society will also participate in the rally. The participants of the rally will present a memorandum to the UN observer mission.

Balochistan death toll from monsoon rains, flooding reaches 166 The death toll has reached 166 as two more lost their lives due to the continuous monsoon rains and flood in Balochistan. The monsoon rains have wreaked havoc in the province for the past two months. 166 people have died due to rains so far, while 75 people were injured. According to PDMA officials, a total of 15,337 houses have been damaged, 23 thousand 13 cattle have been killed and crops on two lakh acres of land have been completely destroyed. It was further added that the Administration, Pakistan Army, Navy and FC officials are carrying out relief activities in different areas of Balochistan. staff RepoRt

06-07 Comments - 5th August 2022_Layout 1 8/5/2022 12:34 AM Page 1

Friday, 5 August, 2022

06 COMMENT

The morning after

Better to reduce differences through talks Then go for marches or litigation

PTI tries to adjust to life after the ECP verdict

TI chief Imran Khan has blinked first in the eyeball-to-eyeball confrontation with the government. on Monday Mr Khan had called on supporters to rally outside the headquarters of the Election Commission of Pakistan to demand Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan raja’s resignation. Two days later PTI Secretary General Asad Umar told activists to get ready for the protest. Interior Minister rana Sanaullah however made it clear that while the government was willing to allow the PTI to hold a gathering inside F-9 Park or the Parade Ground, it was determined not to allow a protest anywhere in the red Zone, including outside the ECP offices. It was sensible on the part of Mr Khan to cancel the protest gathering and instead send a PTI delegation to meet the CEC as well as other members of the commission to record the party’s protest over the verdict on prohibited funds. It is not clear if the decision to reduce confrontation came from Mr Khan or was taken on the advice of others. It is nevertheless realistic. After the withdrawal of support by the establishment, the PTI has to move cautiously as the party will have to bear the consequences of any misstep taken by the leadership. Mr Khan should have realized by now that while it is easier to announce million marches, these can turn out to be futile if an elected government decides to crush these with the help of the state’s repressive machinery. While opposition parties sometimes resort to agitations, these are undertaken only after exhausting all other options. The PTI is now taking its grievances to courts though the best way is to resolve these through talks with the federal government. Mr Khan is in haste to return to power and therefore wants immediate elections. The ruling alliance challenges his claim that “markets were tumbling, industries were closing down and the economy is in a free fall.” It maintains that it has significantly reduced the trade deficit, leading to the rupee making its highest single-day gain of rs9.59 in the interbank market. The ruling alliance claims that by the end of this month friendly countries and the IMF will fulfill their financial commitments. Keeping in view that things seem to be improving, albeit slowly, the PTI would do well to allow the ruling coalition the remaining few months to fulfill its promises instead of giving birth to uncertainty by seeking immediate elections.

At Penpoint M A NIAZI

S the worst over? What was apparently to be Imran Khan’s worst moment was seemingly over, as the foreign funding cse, or the prohibited funding case was announced by the Election Commission of Pakistan. Though it was the final verdict in the case, there was an odd incompleteness about it. It seems to consist entirely of loose ends that are yet to be tied together. For a start, the Pakistan Tehreek Insaf has not been banned, and its fate left to the electorate. Before that, it is for the federal government to decide whether a reference is to be filed in the Supreme Court, which is the only forum that can ban a party for being foreign-funded. The Political Parties Act is very liberal in one respect, in that it places nbo restrictions on a Pakistani individual donating to a party, but illiberal in prohibiting no corporate person, such as a company or an NGo, from donating to a party. It is also ultra-natioanlistic, in that it prohibits any party receiving any money from any foreign national, NGo, government or even foreign-registered company. According to the ECP, the PTI took donations from foreign companies, as well as from individuals whose names said theory were not Pakistanis. Therefore, the PTI was in violation of the law. Though not a separate offence, some of the donors bore names which screamed Indian origin. It might be remembered that Imran sacked his third Finance Minister, Hammad Azhar, not just to accommodate his fourth, Shaukat Tarin, but also because hehadf chaired a meeting of the Economic Coordination Committee of the Cabinet which approved foreign trade. Perhaps the argument might be made that when the donations were made, India had not yet abolished Article 370A and changed the status of occupied Kashmir, but it has not been made. It might be interesting to see if the same names cropped up in Indian political donations. Imran’s first foray into collecting donations, the Shaukat Khanum Hospital, not just included donations from Indian expatriates, but saw a number of fundraising events at which Indian film stars were the star attractions. His internationalism was also on show when he included a number of dual nationals in the Cabinet as special assistants and advisers. Indeed, his current chief of staff, Shahbaz Gill, is also said to have a US green card, putting him on track for US Citizenship. However, while this may be laudable from one perspective, it makes it illegal from the point of view of Pakistani law. This internationalism may explain the sympathy for him among the Diaspora. Indeed, in a number of ways, he is a member of the Diaspora. However, that

Transport strike Intercity buses go oﬀ the roads

HE intercity transporters all over the country have gone off the roads, as their strike entered a third day on Thursday, as they struck against the imposition of various taxes and the raising of various cesses. The strikers are protesting the increase in the token tax, toll tax, challan fee, excise duty and the increasing price of petrol. This is one sector in which the devil’s bargain with the IMF is going to hurt, and there may well be other sectors facing problems. The real problem the transporters face is that they are running at a loss at present fare levels. There is a problem with raising those rates. That is done by the provincial governments, but as there is as yet no Transport Minister in Punjab, with ex-PM Imran Khan agreeing only on Wednesday to the names for a Punjab Cabinet, because transporters are interlocked in the provinces, until someone takes responsibility for the portfolio in Punjab, an agreement with one province would be meaningless. The portfolio was previously held by the PTI’’s Jahanzaib Khichi, who may not be in one partial list of PTI ministers, but who has not been ruled out of contention. Apart from petrol, price of which has risen internationally, the other increases are clearly revenue enhancing measures which mean to enhance revenues so as to meet IMF demands, It will not possible for any government to roll back any of these increases without upsetting its own budget, particularly its spending pledges to the federal government, which will then find it cannot meet the targets set by the IMF. Intercity transporters threaten strikes whenever they want a fare raise. After some dickering with the provincial governments, a strike is averted, usually because the provincial governments all wish to avoid a disruption in intercity passenger transport. The system whereby the provincial government had its own buses had meant that the could always be used as strikebreakers, and saved both people and government from such blackmail. However, the IMF will not allow provincial governments to adopt this solution, and the government will have its hand forced as usual.

AlI JAN MAqsood

or around two weeks until now, families of Baloch missing persons have been protesting outside the Governor’s house in the red zone asking for the formation of a judicial commission– which was formed by the provincial government– to probe the recent Ziarat incident where nine persons were killed by the state forces, who linked them with the separatist group Baloch Liberation Army, with the other demand of assurance from the Chief of Army Staff that there would be no such ‘fake encounters’ of the ‘missing persons’ in future. on the other hand, the recent floods due to the heavy rainfalls have brought havoc in the most deprived province of Balochistan by adding more to the social and economic tensions of the people. Amid the given two problems, Balochistan stands in the midst of deprivation and gets least attention from both federal and proovincial government. right after EidulAzha, a DHA colonel, Laeq Mirza was abducted and killed by a separatist organ-

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Another side-effect of the verdict is that the PTI now has an interest in the investigation into the allegations against Punjab CM Usman Buzdar and Ms ‘Gogi’ Farhat Shehzadi. The ECP verdict involves Imran too directly.

The province has been hit by a double-whammy

Arif Nizami (Late)

M. A. Niazi

tually spent on an election. Giving donations is actually a subtle way of giving a bribe. That explains why the law does not permit companies or foreigners to donate to parties; it is to prevent lobbyists making donations to be heard. Then there is the elegant little US law which lets politicians keep money donated for an election, if they decide not to contest. Now if that is not open to bribery, then what is? And even if the money is duly spent on the election, is there any reason why someone should be able to bend the ear of a lawmaker solely because he has deep pockets? This is something characteristic of capitalism, and explains why the law, especially taxation law, favours cxertain industries. Then there are spending limits. These are never observed and the ECP has played an enabling role by accepting the candidate’s returns without sufficient scrutiny. What that means in the Pakistani context is that the legislator, no matter which party he belongs to, is going to enter the House as a law-breaker. Both lobbyist and legislator are likely to combine to ensure that the laws made favour the lobbyists, and not for the common good. The ECP perhaps should not be faulted for failing to address these issues, for that was not what it was meant to do. The PTI has been issued a show-cause notice to explain why the impugned money should not be confiscated. The ECP can neither disqualify Imran nor ban the PTI. The former can be done only by a court. The latter through a writ to the Supreme Court. Both steps are in the hands of the federal government. The disqualification of Imran will probably be pursued by the PML(N), for any relief given to him could not be denied Mian Nawaz Sharif. The PTI will claim that it has not been damaged, that no one believes the prejudiced ECP. However, the biggest piece of evidence for ECP prejudice is the verdict itself, which serves to make comprehensible the recent PTI campaign against the ECP and the CEC. Another side-effect of the verdict is that the PTI now has an interest in the investigation into the allegations against Punjab CM Usman Buzdar and Ms ‘Gogi’ Farhat Shehzadi. The ECP verdict involves Imran too directly. It would be nice to have someone else trashed in public. The writer is a member of staff

Where does Balochistan stand now?

Dedicated to the legacy of late Hameed Nizami

Editor Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

does not help him from the legal perspective. It must be noted that Tehrik Insaf registered in the USA and the UK as companies so that it could collect donations, and pass it on to the party. However, while the original donations may have come from Pakistani nationals, they came into conflict with the law, because they were foreign-registered companies. The scrutiny committee revealed a party in a state of financial disarray. If the disarrasy was because of incompetence, then some doubts arise as to the competence of the party chief in accepting those accounts. If on the other hand, the disarray was deliberate, because Imran and other senior leaders were using party funds for private purposes, as is being alleged by government spokesmen, then Imran is exposed as a cynic, one who is personally corrupt, yet campaigns on the basis of ending corruption. Doubts about competence are very serious, and lend weight tb to the government’s claim that he sank the economy during his stint in office. Some sense begins to emerge from the PTI’s demand that other parties be investigated as strictly as it has been. Generally, that demand has been met with an agreement in principle, though that support rapidly dissipates when the PTI demands simultaneous investigation. The attitude of the PTI seems to be that it will not accept punishment for its misdeeds until other parties have been cleared It should be remembered that a Pakistani politician once told an acolyte that since coming into politics, he had never even paid for so much as a pair of socks. T%hat attitude could be contrasted with the attitude of another politician, who possessed broad acres, and who simply sold a square of his vast holding every election. Imran’s miserliness is legendary, in that old companions of his playing days come forward and relate another tale of how he refused to spend. Would such a person spend on politics? other parties, if investigated, might show a similar pattern, where party leaders, who could operate the party accounts, would spend on themselves. Inadvertently, the ECP and the PTI may have combined explosively to unveil the Pakistani version of what is perhaps the most crucial dilemmas of modern democracy: how to finance elections. There are two dimensions to the problem. one is making sure that money raised for an election is ac-

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isation between Ziarat and Quetta, against which the armed forces launched an operation in the area. After a few days, ISPr claimed the killing of nine persons belonging to the banned outfit. When the corpses were transferred to civil hospital Quetta, they were gradually identified as those of “missing persons” by their family members whose cases were registered with Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP), a non-profit organization working for the recovery of Baloch missing persons. VBMP claimed to have registered those cases with governmental officials and submitted them to the courts as well. Against the incident, the families protested and turned to the red zone outside the Governor’s House in Quetta from July 21 onwards. However, neither the government nor any member of the armed forces have met them yet to listen to what they have to say. Their demands are not illegal nor are their concerns invalid about the safety of their loved ones. If the Balochistan Chief Minister feels their demands are valid– which he signaled with the formation of a judicial commission– why does not he visit the sit-in camp of the families and speak to them? In fact, the CM’s statement after the formation of the commission, too, was controversial. In a statement, he said: “People were on edge on the Ziarat incident due to which a misunderstanding was growing between the masses and the institutions. To remove the misunderstanding of the masses, the judicial commission was formed.” With his statement, he has already convicted the Baloch families and is saying that the commission would only remove the misunderstanding of the masses while he has acquitted the latter party before the probe. Are the families– who are eyewitnesses of their loved ones’ arrests and disappearances– in a misunderstanding with the institutions? That’s so pathetic of a ‘public representative.’ The tensions for Balochistan do not end here. The recent floods have devastated a large portion of the region causing heavy casualties of life and property. According to the Balochistan Chief Secretary, 127

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people have lost their lives owing to the recent floods due to the rains including seven members of the same family. He added that around 10,000 homes have totally got ruined across the region, including the destruction of around 565 km of roads and 197,930 acres of agricultural lands. It has also destroyed the date season in the Makran region. The floods and losses were thoroughly neglected for so long until very recently when the masses took on the government for their responsibility for the flood victims and losses. The Balochistan Chief Minister, after his short visit and aerial review of the Lasbela region, went to Islamabad for things other than the recent issues of Balochistan, while the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif visited Balochistan and announced financial assistance to the families whose human life was lost including financial assistance to those whose houses were damaged. But things would have been different if the government took early actions to avoid the casualties and damage caused until now. For instance, when the floods had caused early losses, the government could take measures to keep the masses away from such areas as were likely to be affected by the floods. Sadly, it seemed that the government was never concerned about the floods in the region which enhanced the losses of precious lives of the people, including losses to their homes and other assets. on one hand, where the families of Baloch missing persons have been vociferating before the government to be heard by sitting in heavy rains at Quetta for around two weeks without being visited by any governmental official, on the other hand, the recent floods have increased the tension of the residents of the region. People from across Balochistan, after finding the government light about the floods, are asking the nation to help them. While the families of missing persons are continuously chanting towards the Baloch masses to be their voice so that they may get timely justice. In-between, Balochistan’s masses have lost faith in all the parliamentary politicians and their parties who only think of their self-interests. The writer is a freelance columnist

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Friday, 5 August, 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

Why plastic bags should be banned PLASTIC bags remain one of the biggest environmental hazards because they are difficult and expensive to recycle. Yet, they are part of our lives despite several bans having been imposed on their usage over the years. Most plastic bags end up at landfill sites where they may take hundreds of years to photodegrade. During that time, they turn into toxic particles that contaminate the soil and groundwater. More worryingly, these particles enter the food chain when animals, like cows and buffaloes, ingest them. These plastic bags cannot and should not be burned because that pollutes the environment. Scientists have also discovered that plastic bags cause many deadly diseases, such as cancer, immune system disorders and asthma. The authorities concerned should conduct surveys to ascertain the damage caused by plastic bags to human beings, animals and the environment. They should get all stakeholders on board and raise public awareness about the adverse effects of using these bags. The government must make a concerted effort to replace plastic bags with environment-friendly material, like paper and jute bags. MARYAM SAJID RAWALPINDI

Conformity vs Creativity

Judicial intercession and political maturity Disrespecting court judgements has become a staple of politics ChANgeZI sANdhu

HE Pakistan Democratic Movement boycotted proceedings of the bench of the Supreme Court. The bench was deciding the constitutional validity and status of the ruling of deputy speaker of Punjab Assembly regarding election of the Chief Minister of the province. PDM expressed grave concerns about its lack of confidence in judges of the bench. Most parties called for the formation of a full court bench for the hearing of the case. The Chief Justice of Pakistan, Mr Justice Umar Ata Bandial, turned down the request of formation of a full bench by terming it not a grave issue for full bench. The crisis has been overcome, but the situation in the midst of the political tension reflected how much our politicians are politically mature, how much they seem to be inclined toward public and national interests, how much respect they have for state institutions, especially the judiciary, and what kind of changes are required to reframe some parts of the Constitution. once again, history is repeating itself. The credibility of the third pillar of state, the judiciary, is at stake because the institution has been targeted for a few years by certain political parties against which decisions are passed. Especially, in the midst of recent political leg-pulling for power games, the impartiality of the judiciary is being questioned. No doubt, the ruling of the apex court shook the tectonic plates of national politics, especially in Punjab. That is the reason directly or indirectly affected political allies accused the top judiciary of partiality. It means that the new and wellcooked narrative to make the third pillar of state controversial is being injected and made to prevail by the PDM and other political parties. The narrative is being projected, and later on will be encashed during the election campaign for political motives as Imran Khan encashed the narrative of American intervention and regime change. Political victimization of the judiciary, especially in the ongoing political battles, will put smudges on the real face of democracy. our political leaders are playing a very devastating role by making the judiciary controversial to gain their political objectives. Everyone can observe a newly-devised Pakistani version of democracy in the last two decades, although it has deep historical roots. In this version of democracy, followers and leaders of one political party counter the corruption scandals of other politicians by mentioning the corruption scandals of opponents despite condemning their own political leaders’ corrupt practices. Blind subordination of voters, and even within the party leadership, has prevailed in our political discourses that is against the

spirit of democracy as nobody within the respective party can oppose the decision of Nawaz Sharif, Asif Zardari or Imran Khan. If someone dares to swipe at any policy within the party against its leadership, he will have to face the music with dire consequences. The most dangerous aspect of the Pakistani version of democracy is to rely on state institutions to rule in power corridors. Currently, the judiciary is the target to legitimize rule on the basis of its decisions. Surprisingly, a political party against which a decision is given rejects the decision by alleging favoritism and “bench fixing”. However, if the same bench passes judgment in favor of that party in another case, then the decision is termed as historical, progressive, unbiased, on merit, democratic and independent. Similarly, the leadership of PML(N) celebrated the decision of the same bench of Supreme Court against which the PML(N) is against now, when the ruling of NationalAssembly Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri was declared unconstitutional, but the PTI accused the same bench of Supreme Court of favoritism. In that case, the PML(N) praised the judiciary by making statements about its independence and the positive role of a judiciary in democratic development. However, when the same bench comprising of Chief Justice Bandial, Justice Munir and Justice Ijazul Ahsan declared the ruling of Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari unconstitutional that paved the way to form government in Punjab by the PTI and the PML(Q), the leadership of the PML(N) attackeded the bench of the apex court with severe concerns and allegations. It was tried to pressurize the judiciary through press conferences, and harsh statements of severe consequences, before announcing the decision of the case. Sadly, the same attitude was adopted by the PTI against this bench of the Supreme Court when the court set aside the ruling of Qasim Suri. Similarly, the Election Commission of Pakistan announced its findings on February 2 in the foreign funding case against the PTI. According to the decision, the PTI took prohibited funding. Now again, the PTI is lashing out at the ECP because the decision is against its leadership. on the other hand, other political parties, especially the PDM termed the decision unbiased and in the best

interests of Pakistan. However, the ECP is yet to decide the cases of the PPP, the PML(N) and the JUI(F) regarding sources of funding following the judgment of 2017 of Chief Justice Saqib Nisar. Presumably, if the decision would be against these three parties, they would question the impartiality and reputation of ECP as the PTI is doing right now. And the PTI will welcome the ECP’s decision with golden words, if it goes against PPP, PML(N) and JUI(F). Consequently, state institutions become weaker that directly affects democratic development. The attention of institutions, politicians, judges, representatives, and media is diverted from public problems. It seems that our political parties are not mature enough to accept the realities. They always seek ways to misguide the public on any issue to increase vote banks. No doubt, difference of opinion is the beauty of democratic society, but following opportunism for power is a slow poisoning not only for democracy but also for political parties. In Pakistan, a fake narrative is built up on any issue to make it a burning issue, especially after being in opposition. Media houses are financed to promote the false narrative to create hype to mislead the public. A favourable bidding environment is created for the TV channels in government projects. Consequently, all these factors lead to shaping up a Pakistani version of democracy that makes the country deviate from real democracy. Debates carve out the inner beauty of democracy that lead to maturity and development of the system through eventual refinement. So, there could be healthy debates on the basic spirit of separation of powers between state institutions in our country. Some concerns of the political class could be considered about judicial intercession and activism. Constructive debates must be given space in national paradoxes on dangerous imbalance of power, institutional interventions, rewriting the outdated parts of the constitution and much more. All stockholders should sit together to address such debatable issues but only for national cause despite protection of their rule and corruption. The dire need of the time is political consensus for our national cause.

There could be healthy debates on the basic spirit of separation of powers between state institutions in our country. Some concerns of the political class could be considered about judicial intercession and activism

The writer is a practising lawyer and a member of the American Bar Association, and can be reached at ch.changezi.sandhu111@gmail.com

AMErICAN linguist and philosopher Noam Chomsky meticulously portrayed today’s schooling system — especially in developing Asian countries, particularly Pakistan — when he said that the institutional role of the schools “for the most part is just to train people for obedience and conformity”. His words, grounded in reality, clearly depict our obsolete and fragile education system. In our country, children are taught from the very beginning in a way that they are expected to be obedient and submissive to what is being imparted. Asking questions is considered a negative trait among students. As expressed by French philoso-pher Michel Foucault, the central theme of a school is surveillance over children — whether they nod their heads to the given instructions or think on their own. Students are warned against thinking beyond what is being delivered, and are appreciated for being rote-learners and reproducers on the exam day. In doing so, curiosity, inquisitiveness, creativity and critical thinking are compromised. These are all indispensable skills for anyone planning to not just survive but to contribute something to the world. The only way to get out of this mess is through efforts from individuals concerned. Teachers have to work on their own on this model by encouraging students to ask questions, think of ideas and bring something new to the table. FAIZAN RAZA LARKANA

Thermal energy THE non-functional Sukkur thermal power station is located at the right bank of Indus river between Sukkur and rohri. The power station was shut down in 2005. At that time Pakistan had the capacity to generate ample electricity for domestic and industrial use. Today, Pakistan is facing an acute shortage of energy and we have to put up with loadshedding for 12-16 hours which can be minimised because the Sukkur thermal power station has the capacity to generate 50-100MW of electricity. According to a 2011 report, the Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) cannot afford to run this power station with unpurified domestic gas, and, therefore, it should use unrefined natural gas available in nearby areas. The electricity generated from the plant can meet the needs of Sukkur city and will considerably reduce the burden. In the ongoing power crisis, federal and provincial governments should take necessary and collective measures to manage the situation by ensuring that all nonfunctional thermal power plants, including the one in Sukkur, are functional. FAHEEM HUSSAIN SUKKUR

BRC THE provincial government established some prestigious educational institutions called the Balochistan residential Colleges (BrCs) in Loralai, Khuzdar, Turbat, Zhob and Uthal. This was done to impart quality education to the youngsters of the relatively impoverished province. The teaching staff for these institutions is selected in BPS-17 and above from across the country, while the remaining employees of BPS-16 and below are appointed on the basis of their local certificates or domiciles. Since their inception, the provincial government has been providing regular budget to all these institutions despite the fact that the Act passed by the Balochistan Assembly in 2005 contains the word ‘grant-in-aid’. The governing body of these institutions approved an attractive allowance of 75 per cent for those associated with these colleges in order to attract competent, qualified and dedicated people from the entire country. In addition to carrying out teaching duties, the staff members also monitor student hostels in post-academic hours in order to ensure smooth academic and administrative issues, if any, being faced by the boarders. In July 2015, the federal government announced freezing all special allowances of the employees working in different departments. Following the budgetary announcement, the finance department also capped the attractive allowance of the BrC employees. Since then, they have been deprived of this allowance despite their hectic efforts to convince the authorities concerned about its specific nature. The education department and colleges for higher and technical education moved a summary in favour of the employees to the chief minister via finance department for approval, but the latter raised objection, saying that the allowance would be admissible provided the institutions were brought within the pool of grantin-aid instead of the regular budget. This grant-in-aid is no problem for the employees, but how can a system being run on a regular budget since 1989 be abruptly changed overnight? Dozens of employees have retired from service and are receiving monthly pensions from the department. Besides, the majority of the employees have joined the service through proper channel, leaving lucrative posts and pensionable jobs behind. In the current phase of galloping inflation, the employees of these residential colleges can hardly manage their domestic expenses. Without the suspended allowance, they live from pay cheque to pay cheque. GULDAR ALI KHAN WAZIR ZHOB

08 WORLD VIEW 5 August 22_Layout 1 8/4/2022 11:02 PM Page 1

Friday, 5 August, 2022

08 WORLD VIEW

How Joe Biden Became tHe fatHer of tHe iranian nuclear BomB “THIS SUMMER, IRAN WILL TURN INTO A DE-FACTO THRESHOLD NUCLEAR STATE,” BARAK WROTE, ADDING THAT IRAN’S URANIUM ENRICHMENT PROGRAM HAD NOW ADVANCED TO A POINT WHERE IT COULD NO LONGER BE SET BACK WITH MILITARY STRIKES OR SABOTAGE InteRCePt

Murtaza hussain

resident Joe Biden has struggled mightily to pass any part of his domestic agenda. Yet there is one outcome he can take direct credit for, an accomplishment that, because of Washington’s screwed-up political incentives, he pulled off with almost no opposition. After decades of halting progress to develop nuclear weapons capacity, Iran is now turning the final screws to bring them to that threshold. Iran is now closer than ever to developing an actual nuclear weapon — beyond the point where assassinations, sabotage, or even a campaign of airstrikes could significantly hinder its nuclear capacity. Both hawkish and dovish segments of the U.S. press point to a plain fact undergirding this development: The nuclear deal struck in 2015 is toast. Iran’s path to the bomb is of course of its own making, but it has been helped along the way by Biden’s stubborn refusal to make the compromises necessary to revive the 2015 nuclear deal. Biden’s predecessor Donald Trump withdrew from the deal in a fit of pique, and Biden campaigned on getting back in. When push came to shove, however, Biden refused to undo Trump’s aggressive measures. It’s hard to say that the nuclear deal is definitively finished because, in theory, both

parties could miraculously come to terms at any time. It could be accurately described as a zombie: not quite dead, but not about to have life breathed back into it either. White House Middle East coordinator Brett McGurk reportedly told a group of think tank experts this Wednesday that any return to a deal was “highly unlikely.” Earlier, the European Union’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell Fontelles, said, “I have concluded that the space for additional significant compromises has been exhausted.” Both sides must now sign the deal on the table if they want to move forward, he added. The problem is that both the Americans and Iranians have already said that the deal currently on the table is unacceptable. The Americans deserve the bulk of the blame: It was the U.S. that violated the agreement in the first place. Now, both sides — as well as regional countries — will be worse off amid the continuing fallout. Perhaps the most interesting statement about the death of the nuclear deal came from the country whose political leadership did the most to kill it: Israel. In an article published in Time this week, Ehud Barak, a former Israeli prime minister, laid out his case for why the end of the deal has ensured that Israel’s worst fears of a nuclear Iran will now become a reality. “This summer, Iran will turn into a de-facto threshold nuclear state,” Barak wrote, adding that Iran’s uranium enrichment program had now advanced to a point where it could be no longer be set back with military strikes or sabotage. Barak, far from a dove, argued that the

U.S. and Israel should have made plans to immediately attack Iran in 2018 after pulling out of the nuclear deal. For “unexplainable reasons” they failed to take this step, which would have set the program back by years. Instead, nuclear progress continued despite Trump’s “maximum pressure” campaign. Iran’s enrichment programs are now beyond the point where they could be effectively targeted by outside attack. Barak said that the ship had sailed on stopping a nuclear Iran. In lieu of even some weaker, limited new nuclear deal, Barak wrote, Israel and its neighboring states must simply try to contain an Iranian state that has finally crossed the nuclear threshold. Iran has said, at least, that it will not build an actual nuclear bomb, and it likely won’t do so any time soon. Even after developing the capacity, mastering the technology necessary to deliver a warhead will take some time. The ability to maintain plausible deniability is also important for the Iranian government, which would like the benefits of a nuclear deterrent without taking the political heat. (Israel has maintained a policy of ambiguity — refusing to confirm or deny its nuclear arsenal — for decades for this reason.) Recently, while noting that there was no decision to build a weapon, a top Iranian official said that Iran, in fact, has “the technical ability to build a nuclear bomb.” The statement was later walked back by the Iranian side but reflected a significant shift in tone from past statements that have been clearly against even the possibility of nuclear weapons development. Biden’s response to all these events has

been the worst of all worlds: disappointing his pro-diplomacy base while failing to placate his political enemies. The nuclear deal was the signature diplomatic agreement of the Obama administration, in which, of course, Biden served as vice president. Upon taking office, Biden had a strong political opportunity to snap back into U.S. compliance with the deal, the minimum terms of which the Iranians had continued upholding despite Trump’s maximum pressure campaign. Instead, in apparent fear of angering his political opponents by looking weak, Biden declined to immediately reenter the agreement that was signed — something that Iranian officials indicated that they would’ve accepted once he took office. Due to domestic political pressures, Biden continued playing hardball instead of making a good-faith bid to reenter the deal. Now, it looks like he has nothing to show for any of it. In the real world, outside of the funhouse-mirror debates of American politics, a nuclearized Iran is likely to seriously con-

strain U.S. decision-making in the region for generations to come. The U.S. technically could wage a fullscale war against Iran that would eliminate or severely degrade the nuclear program, even possibly leading to the collapse of the Iranian state. Outside of a few particularly psychopathic corners of Washington, however, there is little appetite among U.S. elites for starting such a massive conflict. The American public is even less likely to support it. After two exhausting decades of fighting futile wars in the Middle East, the idea of starting yet another with a country over twice the size of Iraq would be politically radioactive for any president. The U.S. is largely stuck now with a longterm mess of its own making. Negotiating with Iran was often depicted by U.S. leaders as doing a favor to the Islamic Republic. The reality, though, was that the deal served legitimate U.S. interests: preventing nuclear proliferation, while sparing Americans from another armed conflict in the region. Contrary to the statements of longtime Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his backers in the U.S., who tend to dominate Israel lobby organizations, the deal also served the interests of Israel, according to Barak and many other current and former Israeli political and intelligence officials. Former Mossad director Tamir Pardo, of all people, has said that withdrawal from the deal was nothing less than a “tragedy.” That tragedy is now becoming tangible reality — on Joe Biden’s watch. Although Trump started the process that brought us to this point, it was only thanks to Biden’s mixture of weakness and indecision that the world will now likely be faced with a Middle Eastern equivalent of North Korea, rather than a version of Iran, as envisioned by the nuclear deal, that may have become economically dependent on the West. For this, Biden has only himself to blame. He hasn’t accomplished much as president, but it looks like Biden will have one legacy achievement to look back upon: fathering the Iranian nuclear bomb.

the decline and fall of newspapers ONE RECENT STUDY SHOWS THAT IN OUR COUNTRY OF 332 MILLION PEOPLE, NO NEWSPAPER HAS A PRINT CIRCULATION OF MORE THAN 1 MILLION. ONLY NINE HAVE MORE THAN 100,000 SUBSCRIBERS

RCP Charles lipson

few years ago, you would have unfolded your newspaper and read opinion and analysis like this. Those days are gone. Today, most of us get our news and commentary online, perhaps supplemented by network or cable television, although TV viewership is far smaller than in the days of “The Big Three.” Buried alongside those iconic broadcasters is the public’s confidence in news from all sources. Only 16% of Americans say they have a “great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in newspapers, only 11% in TV news. Those numbers keep sinking. Today, if Walter Cronkite ended his broadcast, “And that’s the way it is,” most people would just smirk. How dramatic is this change in the way we get our news? What’s driving it? What have we gained and lost? And how do these changes affect our deeply divided nation? The most important point is the most obvious: The changes are huge – and irreversible. One recent study shows that in our country of 332 million people, no newspaper has a print circulation of more than 1 million. Only nine have more than 100,000 subscribers. Among the 25 largest papers, only one showed an increase in circulation, and it serves a retirement community. It’s shocking, really, that a paper with less than 50,000 subscribers is among the nation’s largest. The decline is relentless. Print papers are losing one out of eight subscribers every year. Their daily circulation, over 63 million at its peak in the 1980s, is now about one-third that size. Over 25% of all American

newspapers have died in the past 15 years. What is driving this tectonic shift, away from print and toward online news? In a word, technology. Cheap, ubiquitous computing is killing print papers by introducing competition and choice. This new, competitive environment has destroyed papers’ profitable monopolies for local advertising dollars. The changes are far-reaching: *Online news is now readily available, much of it free. *The instant availability of online news means that tomorrow’s print edition is already “old news” before the paper is thrown on the porch. *The proliferation of websites for news, ads, and merchandise has demolished a main source of newspaper income: their ability to charge monopoly prices for classified ads and full-page layouts from Macy’s, Nieman-Marcus, and Marshall Field’s. They could charge those high prices as late as the mid-1990s because general circulation papers were the only way to reach the entire consumer market in New York, Chicago, or Dallas. No more. And, of course, classified ads quickly migrated online to Craigslist, killing that very profitable revenue stream. *Local papers must now compete with sites from other cities and even other countries. Papers that were once confined to local markets, like the New York Post, have developed a huge national reach, in part because they offer a rare alternative to left-wing papers like the New York Times and Washington Post. The Daily Mail, once confined to London, has developed such a large following in the U.S. and Australia that its online site now includes sections focused on those countries. Magazines that were once weekly, like Newsweek and Time, now change their content every day, which makes them competitors with other daily news sites. Another magazine, Britain’s Spectator, changes its content daily and has such a large U.S. online readership that it has developed a site oriented specifically to U.S. readers. *Online-only sites have proliferated. Some, like RealClearPolitics and Politico, are truly national. Others have replaced local papers in New Orleans and Memphis, jettisoning the legacy overhead costs. Still others,

like Substack, host hundreds of serious columnists, including some, like Bari Weiss, who was driven out of the New York Times newsroom for apostasy. John Kass, until recently the Chicago Tribune’s most prominent columnist, left the paper for similar reasons and started his own website. Weiss and Kass are hardly alone. *Most of the remaining “print” papers have become essentially online operations. The Washington Post, for example, has only 159,000 print subscribers but over 3 million online. That means readers in Tulsa or Tucson, who never had access to the Post or Times, can now read those national papers. That’s good news for readers but bad news for local papers unless they can provide unique local content. That’s what the best papers do. But even there, fresh sites are springing up online to provide local content without the overhead of print operations. *“Chat” sites, such as Twitter, have become unexpected sources of news and opinion – some of it well informed, some of it useless noise. There is no editorial filter, as there is for established publications. There are only algorithms, which censor junk, disinformation, and, unfortunately, some legitimate content (either inadvertently or tendentiously). Equally important, they create an echo chamber by directing different content to different users. Some observers, especially conservative ones, have cast a skeptical eye on this contemporary media landscape and blamed the decline of print publications on “woke” newsrooms. They are mistaking the cart for the horse. It’s true that most newsrooms are woke, woke, woke. So are elite law firms, consulting firms, social media giants, entertainment companies, advertising firms, university faculty, and so on. Their employees, having completed their ideological training at places like Harvard, Brown, and Oberlin, tell us their pronouns in every email and wonder if Bernie Sanders might be too moderate. They dominate today’s journalism, and their dominance is reflected in their papers’ content. In a country that is evenly split between left and right, that tilt leaves a lot of readers unhappy, and some have undoubtedly dropped their subscriptions. Some papers also died during the pandemic, though most were already facing bleak futures. But the coronavirus and

ideological bias are not the main reasons why print papers are on the road to oblivion. They are on that road because technological innovation devastated their old business model. This technological shift actually encourages newsroom bias. Why? Because, as online sites proliferate, readers can easily gravitate to those that reflect their views. This self-selection reinforces the sites’ incentives to tailor their content to keep those users and attract more like-minded ones. In this segmented market, with lots of different niches, news organizations pick their target audience. For MSNBC, that audience is progressive. The channel wants to attract more of them, not challenge their views or garner a few conservatives. By contrast, PJ Media is trying to reach more conservatives, not futilely chasing progressives. That’s Marketing 101. The problem for journalism is that this “niche” logic has distorted general-interest papers, like the Los Angeles Times. It gives free rein to ideological bias among reporters and editors, muddling their editorial perspective with “hard news” coverage. The logic behind this bias is powerful. All of us are attracted to sites that confirm our views and buttress them with friendly content. Social scientists call it “confirmation bias.” Now that we have so many alternative news sources, that bias drives our choices, from CNN to Fox News. And it drives those outlets to produce content their viewers find ideologically appealing, not challenging. There are some exceptions, of course, like RealClearPolitics, which aggregates and produces opinion pieces from left, right, and center and hires reporters to write the news of day straight. But this even-handedness is rare. Most outlets have slipped into comfortable ideological niches. The result is landscape littered with “news silos,” each appealing to its chosen market segment. The social and political effects are far-reaching. As news consumers, we have more options than ever (good), but we are increasingly insulated from opposing views (bad). The days of general-interest local papers like the Memphis Commercial-Appeal are gone. Those of big-city papers like the Chicago Tribune are fading fast. We are hunkering down in our silos, where never is heard a discouraging word, at least not about “our side.” This insularity is bound to deepen our country’s ideological divide. That’s very bad news indeed. Charles Lipson is the Peter B. Ritzma Professor of Political Science Emeritus at the University of Chicago, where he founded the Program on International Politics, Economics, and Security.

Friday, 5 August, 2022 | LAHORE

NEWS

corporate corner Motorway Police observes Youm-e-Shuhada

MEEzAN BANK, ARIF HABIB GROUP jOIN HANDS FOR APARTMENT DEVELOPMENT KARACHI

RIF Habib Group (AHG), and Meezan Bank Limited (MBL) have entered into a strategic partnership to jointly develop and sell apartment towers at Naya Nazimabad. This collabo-

ISLAMABAD: Parliamentary Secretary to Ministry of Communications Shahida Akhtar was the chief guest at National Highways and Motorway Police’s ‘Youm-eShuhada’ ceremony in Islamabad on Thursday. She was welcomed by Inspector General Khalid Mahmood before she addressed families of the martyred and distributed rewards to best performing officers of National Highways and Motorway Police. In her address, the parliamentary secretary recognized the sacrifices of 45 martyred National Highways and Motorway Police officials including one lady officer who sacrificed their life in the line of duty. She also appreciated efforts taken by NHMP, especially the recent #NoMore campaign and reiterated her commitment to improving the welfare of NHMP officers through advocating for an increase in salaries improving the welfare of families of martyred officers. IG Khalid Mehmood thanked families of the martyred and emphasized the role of shuhada in the development of NHMP as an island of excellence. IG Khalid Mehmood thanked the Federal Minister for Communications Asad Mehmood, and Parliamentary Secretary to Ministry of Communications Shahida Akhtar Ali for their support and advocacy in improving the welfare of NHMP officers. pr

Commander Defence Forces Of Hungary Calls On Air Chief

ration will allow customers to opt for the Shariah Compliant Home financing services offered by MBL. MBL has entered into a Musharakah Agreement with Globe Residency REIT(GRR), for development of 3 Apartment Towers consisting of 408 apartments of 2 Bedrooms. Construction of Towers is already underway, and their

grey structure is expected to be ready in eighteen months. GRR is being managed by Arif Habib Dolmen REIT Management Limited and Arif Habib Real Estate Development Company is the Development Advisor. In total GRR is constructing nine towers, which were launched in November 2021.

UBL continues to have a stellar 2022 UBL declared Profit Before Tax (PBT) of Rs. 34.2 billion for the half year ended June 30, 2022, an impressive growth of 32% over last year. The Bank recorded a one-off taxation adjustment related to prior year profits as well as higher taxation due to change in the tax regime amounting to Rs. 9.0 billion during the period. This impacted the earnings per share (EPS) for the period, which was measured at Rs. 9.69 (H1’21: Rs. 12.25). Excluding the taxation impacts, UBL's EPS stood at Rs. 16.9, while the RoE is measured at 23.9% for H1’22 (H1’21: 19.5%). UBL’s capital base remains strong as the Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) was measured at 18.8% as at Jun’22, an excess of 6.3% over regulatory minimum requirements. The Bank declared dividends of Rs. 4.0 per share for the second quarter of 2022, which takes the overall dividend distribution to Rs. 9.0 per

share for the half year ended June 30, 2022. UBL records strong growth of 29% in top line revenues The Bank earned gross revenues of Rs. 59.8 billion for H1’22, an increase of 29% over last year. Markup income witnessed a significant increase of 29%, driven by active buildup within the Bank’s low-cost funding base, deployed within an asset portfolio which repriced well in line with the market interest rates. Non-markup income of Rs. 14.7 billion was earned in H1’22, well ahead of last year, owing to significant increase in foreign exchange income as well as strong revenue growth across all major fee-based services. The cost to income ratio further improved to 40% from 43% last year. Provisioning expense remained controlled with strong recoveries against non-performing accounts across both domestic and international businesses. pr

EFU Life Wins ‘Brand Of The Year Award 2021’

ISLAMABAD: Lieutenant General Romulusz RuszinSzendi, Commander Defence Forces of Hungary called on Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu, Chief of the Air Staff, Pakistan Air Force in his office today. The visiting dignitary appreciated sound professionalism of PAF personnel and also acknowledged the achievements made by PAF over the years, especially through indigenization. The Air Chief highlighted that both countries enjoy cordial relations and reiterated his resolve to further enhance the existing bilateral cooperation between the PAF and Hungarian Air Force. Both the dignitaries agreed to further revitalize defence ties including training and indigenous production. Various matters of professional interest and regional security also came under discussion during the meeting. pr

Power Suspension Schedules For Today According to Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESCO)’s spokesman, System Maintenance/Development Work is in process. Therefore power supply of below mentioned feeders/areas will be temporary suspended as per given schedule On 05 th August, From 07:00 AM to 12:00 Noon, Domeli, Bagwal, Paidyal, Machine Mohallah, Kala Base, Jakar, Mumtaz Shaheed, Dina City, Col. Akram feeders and surroundings will be closed. IESCO management apologizes to its esteemed customers for the power outage. If the work is completed ahead of time, the power supply can be restored even before the scheduled time and the surrounding power will be cut off. pr

EFU Life Assurance Limited, the leading private life insurance provider in the country, has been conferred with ‘Brands of the Year Award 2021’ for the Best Life Insurance Company by The Brands Foundation. The Company has

been awarded this title 10 times. ‘Brands of the Year Award’ is a distinctive and premier recognition for a brand recognized as a champion in its industry category based on current year market standing and consumer prefer-

ence. It honors only that single brand in each category every year which dominantly led through all the levels of selection criteria. EFU Life is pioneer of the unit linking concept in Pakistan and has always been at the forefront of groundbreaking innovations in products, technology and services with an Insurer Financial Strength rating of AA+ (Outlook: Stable) by VIS. The Company is committed to building on to the brand and providing comprehensive accessible and affordable insurance plans to meet the diverse needs of individuals through different stages of their life. pr

Special historic museum set up at Hamdard Matab Arambagh KARACHI: A special historical gallery-cum-museum has been set up at Hamdard Matab Arambagh, dedicated to Rooh Afza’s unique journey spanning over a century, and the rich cultural heritage it shares with the subcontinent. The gallery was unveiled yesterday at Hamdard Matab Aram Bagh, hosted by Hamdard Pakistan. Ms. Sadia Rashid, Chief

Mutawallia, along with the senior-most member of Hamdard, serving the organization for over 70 years, Hakim Mohammad Hameed graced the occasion as chief guests. While sharing an interesting fact about Rooh Afza’s history, Ms. Sadia Rashid informed the gathering that Shaheed Hakim Mohammed Said expressed happiness with the

first 12 bottles he sold. “From such a humble beginning, Rooh Afza now is a leading export brand, reaching consumers of more than 36 countries,” she said. The museum encompasses Rooh Afza’s evolution from a refreshing drink to provide relief during heatwaves to an iconic brand representing Pakistan. pr

VC of PIDE visits CDA ISLAMABAD: Vice Chancellor of Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE) and his team met the Chairman Capital Development Authority (CDA) at the CDA Headquarters on Thursday. During the meeting, it was discussed that due to high traffic pressure on the roads and lack of effective parking arrangements, citizens face problems like traffic jams. In this regard, paid parking plazas will be constructed in the areas where there is more traffic and parking problems. In this regard, the plaza to be built in the blue area will be started as a test case. Before implementation, all stakeholders including the business community will be taken into confidence. Later it will be implemented in other areas also. These measures will not only increase revenue but also help in better handling of parking management. Chairman CDA appreciated the proposal given by PIDE during the meeting and the response to it and asked that this proposal should be implemented immediately. pr

Bank of Khyber signs MOU for promotion of Digital Economy in KP

The Bank of Khyber Raast Islamic Banking & Enablers Insight (Pvt) Ltd signs MOU for promotion of Digital Economy in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by holding seminars, training workshops, awareness sessions, and specialized courses on the importance of Digital Economy. The collaboration will encourage employment opportunities by accessing International Ecommerce marketplaces and promote Digital / Online business startups. pr

Engro and Excelerate Energy Sign MoU to Develop Private RLNG Sector in Pakistan Karachi: Engro Eximp FZE, a subsidiary of Engro Corporation, announced today that it has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (“MOU”) with Excelerate Energy, Inc. (NYSE: EE) (Excelerate), a leading provider of flexible LNG infrastructure solutions around the world, related to the development of a private sector gas marketing business in Pakistan. Under this MOU, both partners will jointly evaluate the possibility of establishing a regasified LNG (RLNG) marketing business with maximum participation from the country’s private sector. This initiative has the potential to increase private company participation in Pakistan’s LNG sector and enhance Pakistan’s energy security by opening up new RLNG supply avenues for businesses and consumers. This endeavor comes at a point when the need for energy security has become a critical issue globally, and particularly for Pakistan, against the backdrop of current geopolitical dynamics. Ghias Khan, President & CEO – Engro Corporation stated, “I am delighted that Engro’s collaboration with Excelerate Energy has been strengthened through this agreement. pr

Mari Petroleum registers record sales of Rs95 billion for financial year 2021-22 KARACHI pr

Strengthening its performance track-record, Mari Petroleum Company Limited (MPCL) has announced excellent financial and operational results for FY 2021-22. Net sales were higher by 30 percent from last year, amounting to Rs. 95.1 billion. The Company has reported highest ever profit before tax of Rs. 52.1 billion for the year, which is 19% above last year profit before tax. The net profit would also have been higher by 22% by exceeding Rs. 38 billion, had the super tax not been levied by the Government. Even with the impact of super tax, the net profit has touched the highest ever mark of

Rs. 33.1 billion, which is 5% higher than last year’s net profit. Increase in EPS to Rs. 247.8 per share from Rs. 235.7 per share of the previous year is reflective of growth in net profit. The above results were achieved as a result of increase in production, better prices and greater financial discipline. The Company’s natural gas production increased by 5%, while crude oil and condensate production remained steady, which translated into the highest-ever production of 36.91 MMBOE. The year witnessed a landmark Gas and condensate discovery in Bannu West Block, which is estimated as the largest discovery in over a decade in the Country and is the first-ever gas discovery in the North Waziristan district. The post-acid well test rates were

in the order of 50 MMSCFD of gas and 300 barrels per day of condensate. The Company in collaboration with all stakeholders is working to fast track the commercialization of discovery in the larger national interest. The exceptional operational and financial results is a reflection of the commitment, dedication and relentless efforts of the management and employees and the steer of the Board of Directors. The Company contributed Rs. 80 billion to the Government exchequer in the form of royalty, taxes, levies and duties. Indigenous production of natural gas, crude oil and LPG by the Company contributed in country’s import substitution by approximately USD 3 billion, on account of fuel import bill during the year.

MPCL Board of Directors has recommended final cash dividend of Rs. 62 per share (620%) for approval of the shareholders in the upcoming AGM in addition to the interim dividend of Rs. 62 per share (620%). With this, the total dividend (including the interim) for FY 2021-22 will come to Rs. 124 per share (124%). MPCL has HSE at the core of its values and compliance with the standards reflect its seriousness towards enhancing employee safety, lowering workplace hazards and providing better and safer working environment. The Company demonstrated an enviable safety performance with all HSE indicators well within the targets and exceeded against all key performance indicators in

comparison to International Oil and Gas Producers (IOGP) – Worldwide benchmarks. The Company also won five new exploration blocks in the last bidding round in joint venture with other leading companies, acquired working interest in one more block; and acquired an offshore block in Abu Dhabi as a joint venture partner. Further, the Company continued its CSR initiatives in priority areas of health, education, sports, and infrastructure development. The Board of Directors thanked the Ministry of Energy (Petroleum Division), Law Enforcement Agencies, other Government departments, JV Partners and other stakeholders for their valuable support that was crucial in accomplishing different milestones.

Friday, 5 August, 2022 | LAHORE

10 FOREIGN NEWS

ChInA resOlutely reBuKe G7 stAtement Over tAIwAn reGIOn BEIJING

Agencies

HINESE State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday slammed the so-called statement of the G7 foreign ministers and the EU high representative over China’s Taiwan region following U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to the island, saying it “calls white black.” Wang made the remarks as he attended the China-ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The joint statement issued on Wednesday, claimed China’s “escalatory response” to Pelosi’s visit risks increasing tensions across the Taiwan Strait while calling on China not to “unilaterally change the status quo by force” in the region. The Chinese foreign minister refuted the G7’s groundless accusations against China’s reasonable and legitimate initiatives to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity. “The statement of the G7 foreign ministers calls white black, confuses right and wrong, and makes groundless accusations against China’s reasonable and lawful measures to safeguard sovereignty and territorial integrity. How do they have such rights? Who gives them that right?” said Wang.

He pointed out it is the U.S. who stirs up trouble, provokes crisis and continues to escalate tensions, adding U.S. blatant provocation has set a bad precedent. “If there is no correction and no countermeasures, will the principle of non-interference in internal affairs still exist? Should international law be upheld? How should regional peace be guaranteed?” Wang asked.

He also called on the international community to oppose any moves challenging the one-China principle, and unite to safeguard peace and stability in the region. Speaking at a regular press conference on Thursday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying also lashed out at the G7 countries over its so-called statement, saying the hypocrisy and ugliness of the G7 have

been fully exposed as they have turned a blind eye to Pelosi’s Taiwan visit before it happened, but have now jumped up to accuse China when it is taking actions of justice. Hua reiterated that China has the right to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity, saying U.S. acts seriously undermined the one-China principle as well as China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. “The fundamental cause of the current tension across the Taiwan Strait is that the U.S., who in disregard of China’s strong opposition and solemn representations, connived at the visit of the No. 3 official of the U.S. government to China’s Taiwan region aboard a U.S. military aircraft,” she stressed. Responding to the claim in the G7 statement that “it is normal and routine for legislators from their countries to travel internationally,” Hua said that China always firmly opposes any form of official exchanges between the region of Taiwan and countries who have diplomatic relations with China, and the one-China principle is an important political foundation for the seven countries to establish diplomatic ties with China. The heads of the legislatures of the seven countries are supposed to follow the foreign policies that the governments acknowledge and commit to, she noted.

Posters urging people to mark August 5 as Black Day appeared in IIOJK SRINAGAR Agencies

In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, posters continue to appear in various parts of the territory urging the people to mark August 5 as Black Day. According to Kashmir Media Service, on August 05, 2019, Narendra Modi-led fascist Indian government repealed the special status of IIOJK and put the territory under military siege. The posters were pasted by the Wurasa-i-Shuhada Jammu and Kashmir, Jammu Kashmir Liberation Alliance, Falah Party Jammu and Kashmir, and Kashmir Resistance Alliance on walls, pillars and electricity poles in different areas of Srinagar, Budgam, Sopore, Baramulla, Kupwara, Pulwama, Shopian, Kulgam and other districts of the occupied territory. The posters also asked the people in IIOJK to observe complete shutdown, tomorrow, in the territory to send a clear message to India that the Kashmiris reject its forcible and illegal occupation of their motherland. They maintained that August 5 is one of the darkest days in the history of Kashmir because on this day in 2019, India had robbed the Kashmiris of their rights. The posters further said that Modi regime’s illegal moves were rejected not only by the Kashmiri people but also the international community. The posters called upon the Kashmiri people to hoist black flags to show their resentment against the Indian illegal occupation. The Kashmiris have also been appealed to continue their peaceful struggle for their inalienable right to self-determination till the accomplishment of the mission of their martyrs.

Russia sentences US basketballer to 9 years in jail; Biden says it’s unacceptable MOSCOW Agencies

A Russian court sentenced US basketball star Brittney Griner to nine years in prison on Thursday after finding her guilty of deliberately bringing cannabis-infused vape cartridges into Russia, a ruling that US President Joe Biden called “unacceptable.” Griner was escorted out of the courtroom in handcuffs by police after the ruling, turning to reporters and saying: “I love my family.” Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medallist and a Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) star, was arrested in midFebruary as she arrived to play for a Russian side during the WNBA offseason. Her case threw the Texan into the geopolitical maelstrom triggered when President Vladimir Putin sent troops into Ukraine on February 24, propelling U.S.-Russian relations to a new

post-Cold War low. Her sentencing could now pave the way for a US-Russia prisoner swap that would include the 31year-old athlete and an imprisoned Russian who was once a prolific arms dealer. Griner had admitted having the vape cartridges containing hashish oil but said it was an honest mistake. Before the verdict, she tearfully pleaded with a Russian judge not to “end her life” with a harsh prison sentence. The court also fined her $16,990. Biden, under pressure to help free Americans held in Russia, called on Russia to release Griner immediately and said his administration would continue to work for her release. “Today, American citizen Brittney Griner received a prison sentence that is one more reminder of what the world already knew: Russia is wrongfully detaining Brittney,” Biden said in a statement. “It’s unacceptable, and I call on Russia to release her immediately

so she can be with her wife, loved ones, friends, and teammates.” Griner’s lawyers said they would appeal. Her defence team said the court had ignored all evidence they had presented, as well as Griner’s guilty plea. “Taking into account the amount of the substance — not to mention the defects of the expertise — and the plea, the verdict is absolutely unreasonable,” her defence team said in a statement. The Russian prosecutor had called for Griner to be sentenced to 9-1/2 years in prison if she was found guilty of bringing illegal drugs into the country. ‘Honest mistake’ Griner was detained at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport on February 17 with the cartridges containing hashish oil in her luggage. While she pleaded guilty, she said she had neither intended to bring a banned substance to Russia nor to hurt anybody.

Taliban say ‘no information’ about Al Qaeda chief Zawahiri in Afghanistan The Taliban said on Thursday they have no knowledge of Ayman al-Zawahiri’s presence in Afghanistan, days after US President Joe Biden announced the Al Qaeda chief’s killing by a drone strike in Kabul. Zawahiri’s assassination is the biggest blow to Al Qaeda since US special forces killed Osama bin Laden in 2011 and calls into question the Taliban’s promise not to harbour militant groups. “The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has no information about Ayman al-Zawahiri’s arrival and stay in Kabul,” said an official statement — the Taliban’s first mention of his name since Biden’s announcement. Zawahiri was believed to be in charge of steering Al Qaeda’s operations — including the 9/11 attacks — as well as serving as bin Laden’s personal doctor. A senior US administration official said the 71year-old Egyptian was on the balcony of a three-storey house in the Afghan capital when targeted with two Hellfire missiles early on Sunday. Thursday’s carefully phrased Taliban statement neither confirmed his presence in Afghanistan nor acknowledged his death. “The leadership of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has instructed the intelligence agencies to

hold a comprehensive and serious investigation,” it said. “The fact that America invaded our territory and violated all international principles, we strongly condemn the action once again. “If such action is repeated, the responsibility of any consequences will be on the United States of America.” The Taliban reiterated in their statement that there was “no threat” to any country from Afghanistan’s soil. They called on Washington to adhere to the Doha pact signed in February 2020 that paved the way for the withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan, ending two decades of US-led military intervention in the country. In announcing Zawahiri’s death on Tuesday, Biden declared “justice had been delivered” to the families of victims of the 9/11 attacks on the US. Sunday’s drone attack was the first known overthe-horizon strike by the US on a target in Afghanistan since Washington withdrew its forces from the country on August 31 last year, days after the Taliban swept back to power. The house targeted in the strike is in Sherpur, one of Kabul’s most affluent neighbourhoods, with several villas occupied by high-ranking Taliban officials and commanders. Agencies

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Friday, 5 August, 2022 | LAHORE

SPORTS 11

Nooh Butt dediCates CWG GoLd medaL to father KARACHI

stAff RepoRt

OLD Medalist Muhammad Nooh Dastgir Butt has dedicated his success to his father on the morning after his historic feat as he won Pakistan’s first gold medal at the Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham. The 24-year-old broke Pakistan’s miserable spell with a gold medal in the +109kg event and set the Commonwealth Games record by lifting 405kgs. Nooh did it without his personal coach, which is his father Ghulam Dastgir by his side, and he felt every moment was demanding him to rise to the occasion. “The only thing I had on my mind was that gold medal,” Nooh told The Express Tribune as the conversation progressed. “I just thought that I can do this and I took decisions

with that in my mind.” He first made the record in snatch with 173 in the third attempt and then dominated the clean and jerk with 230kg in the first attempt making the rest of the eight weightlifters chase him for the heavyweight title. He then claimed the gold medal with a 232kg lift when he was challenged by New Zealand’s David Andrew Liti, who failed to top Nooh by 11 kgs to settle for silver. India’s Gurdeep Singh grabbed a bronze medal, but it was Liti that was pushing Nooh to get off the rails. The battle for the top position was mainly fought in the clean and jerk part of the competition. Nooh asserted his dominance with an incredible 230kgs in his first attempt but towards the second and third attempts Liti tried to put him on the spot by gradually increasing his weights on the lifts, but Nooh took

some crucial decisions, which his coach would not agree with. “Liti was competitive and he was trying to get me to go slow, but I decided, keeping in my previous international experiences that I will go all out. I will not decrease weights and I knew I will need more than 230kgs of weights towards the end to win, and that is exactly how it panned out,” said Nooh. Nooh won bronze medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and had bronze and silver medals in the Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships from 2015 till 2017, besides other international records in juniors. He has given 14 years of his life to the sport and has trained each day like a soldier, in his own words. The Gujranwala-based athlete had been aiming to make a successful come back since December 2021, and he had overcome the darkest period of his career as he had to back

away from the Tokyo Olympics race with a thigh injury. The recovery took Nooh more than a year and a half, but he finally came back strong at the World Championships in December, where he bagged a silver medal. Sweet redemption: It was the Commonwealth Games that Nooh was targeting since his recovery that would set his path to the qualification for the 2024 Paris Olympics. The stakes have been high for Nooh and he wanted to showcase years of hard work his family has put into his life as a professional weightlifter. The 2018 Gold Coast bronze medal was a consolation that the youngster was not able to accept. His father did not speak to him after that bronze medal, as he now sees it one of the most motivating factors to bring him where he is today. “I wanted to lift 231kg at the

2018 Commonwealth Games, but I had made a mistake and I failed. It really stuck with me. I’m happy that I set that right with 232kgs now in clean and jerk, secondly this is about my father who has worked so hard with me, for me and gave everything I needed to win. He is the reason why I am here,” said Nooh. The heart of Nooh’s story is the love for his father and their love for him that makes him a unique individual. every win iS a love Story: Nooh further revealed that when he was at the top in the competition, he was thinking about the time he spent training with his father, who scolded him often and guided him even more. With the support pouring in at home after the win, Nooh said that he had not spoken to his father yet. “Everyone is calling him now. There is a media attention, and I still

did not get to speak to him. I just wanted to talk to him so I am looking forward to that,” said Nooh. Although he is in Birmingham with his younger brother Hanzala, 19, as the latter competed in the 109kg category with an injury, Nooh still misses his parents. When asked what message he would like to give his father, a former weightlifting champion himself who won accolades for Pakistan Nooh replied: “I just want to thank my father. I want to thank him for being my father, for supporting me, for guiding me, for giving me everything he could, for scolding me, because each of those things he told me not to do or corrected me have helped me today. Even though I hated them at the time because I was younger and I was just learning, now I just want to thank him for every word he said to me to make me a better weightlifter.

Aussie upsets Pegula as Halep, Hurkacz fall at Washington WASHINGTON AgeNcies

Australia’s Daria Saville upset top-seeded defending champion Jessica Pegula 7-5, 6-4 on Wednesday at the ATP and WTA Washington Open, where Hubert Hurkacz and Simona Halep also exited. World number 88 Saville ripped the seventh-ranked American in hot and humid conditions while Romanian third seed Halep retired with illness down 7-5, 2-0 to Anna Kalinskaya. “I stayed really composed,” Saville said. “I managed the energy really well. It was very hot. But I thought it’s hot for everyone so get on with it.” Polish second seed Hurkacz crashed out in his second-round match at the US Open hardcourt tuneup, falling to Finland’s Emil Ruusuvuori 6-4, 7-6 (7/3). Wimbledon runner-up Nick Kyrgios of Australia defeated US 14th seed Tommy Paul 6-3, 6-4 to book a third-round date with US fourth seed Reilly Opelka. World number 63 Kyrgios, whose most recent title came at Washington in 2019, broke to open and close the first set. Paul’s fourth double fault gave the Aussie a match point and his forehand shot beyond the baseline gave Kyrgios the victory in 85 minutes.

Javeria Khan hits back at critics for personal attacks on players’ lives ISLAMABAD News Desk

Pakistan women’s cricket team allrounder, Javeria Khan, has lashed out against the critics claiming that half of them probably don’t even follow women’s cricket and attack players’ private lives. The women’s team is currently going through a restructuring phase; new talented cricketers such as Tuba Hassan are being unearthed to lay a solid foundation for the future. However, the critics remain gullible as they are quick to pounce if the team underperforms. Pakistan recently suffered another loss and this time around, the loss came against Australia in the Commonwealth Games 2022. Following the loss, Javeria Khan expressed her discomfort by sharing a post on her social media accounts. “Those who do not follow Women’s Cricket in Pakistan, consider it their inalienable right to slam the players if they underperform. Questioning selection of the team, accuracy of shots, playing techniques or approaches, and strategies applied during the game is welcome,” wrote Javeria. She further claimed that constructive criticism is always welcome; be it for men’s cricket or women’s cricket. “Constructive criticism is always healthy, whether relative to women’s or men’s crickets. But restoring to vile comments, and attacking players’ private lives is both outrageous and unwarranted. One should first step and walk in another person’s shoes before coming up with sweeping judgments or labeling someone as a failure,” she further added. The Pakistan women’s cricket team recently received good news as PCB decided to increase their match fees in order to attract more talent to opt for representing the country.

Saville booked a quarter-final match against Canadian qualifier Rebecca Marino, who beat Germany’s Andrea Petkovic 6-3, 3-6, 6-1. The 28-year-old Russian-born Aussie won her only WTA title at the 2017 Connecticut Open but dispatched Pegula in 98 minutes for her second top-10 win of the year after downing Ons Jabeur at Indian Wells in March. “Everyone’s attitude is I’m here to win the tournament and I’m no different,” Saville said. “I’m playing really good tennis right now. I’m excited for more.” Saville fell to 627th in the world rankings after Achilles tendon surgery that sidelined her for most of last year. Now she’s into her third quarter-final of the

year after Miami and Guadalajara. “I’m happy,” Saville said. “It creates good reputation. Players are going to say, ‘She’s playing well. She has some good wins this year.'” Ruusuvuori, set to rise one shy of his career-high to 43rd in the world rankings, denied Hurkacz on all four break-point chances to advance after one hour and 44 minutes. “I just tried to hang in there and stay as tough as can,” Ruusuvuori said. “Long rallies, they really drain you and you start to feel dizzy during the points. Very tough.” His third-round foe will be Sweden’s Mikael Ymer, who ousted 15th seed Aslan Karatsev 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 after eliminating three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray in round one. Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka ousted Aussie 11th seed Alex De Minaur 3-6, 7-6 (8/6), 6-2. The world number 96 will next face seventh seed Karen Khachanov. US third seed Taylor Fritz beat Australia’s Alexei Popyrin 6-4, 6-3 to book a third-round match against British 16th seed Daniel Evans. World number 13 Fritz comes off a five-set Wimbledon quarter-final loss to Rafael Nadal and two weeks in a boot with a stress fracture in his left foot. “It has felt great. No pain at all. It’s a really good sign,” Fritz said. “Gives me a lot of confidence moving forward.”

Fahad reaches table tennis next round of 32 by winning 3 matches in a row APP Hailing from a remote village of Chitral district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan’s top ping pong player Fahad Khawaja has qualified for the round of 32 of men’s single table tennis competition by winning three consecutive matches in the Commonwealth Games2022 (CWG) in Birmingham, the United Kingdom. Talking to APP on phone, the jubilant Fahad Khawaja said he was proud to represent his motherland in the table tennis singles of the ongoing CWG. In the final group match, Fahad Khawaja defeated Darren Douglas of Trinidad and Tobago. He won all three matches of Group No. 15 and qualified for the round of 32. In the first match of Group 15, Fahad Khawaja defeated Guyana’s Christopher Franklin 40, while in the second match, he beat Bangladesh’s Mohtasin Ahmed 4-1. His next very important match is against England’s world no. 74 Paul Drinkhall in round of 32 of men’s single table tennis, to be played at 4:45 pm

PKT on Friday. It merits mention that Fahad’s younger brother Ummam Khawjah, 17, who is currently ranked 2nd in Pakistan, missed the CWG for not being granted airfare by the quarters concerned. But Ummam has his name in the Pakistan team list for the Games and even the games management issued accreditation. In the recently held National Table Tennis Championship both Fahad and Ummam reached the final and Fahad took the championship trophy while Ummam got the runners-up trophy as both were playing for Pakistan Wapda. Since Ummam Khawjah was not granted airfare, the Pakistan table tennis team could not participate in double competitions. Although two athletes had participated in the Commonwealth Games-2018 held in Gold Coast, Australia. When contacted dejected Ummam Khawjah, he said table tennis was being treated as a stepchild in Pakistan. “I hope things will go in favour of tennis in Pakistan, and I will be able to represent my country in the future events internationally.

PCB falls short of expected offer for Pakistan Junior League sponsorship LAHORE web Desk

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has received less than 25 per cent of the reserve price for the Pakistan Junior League’s title sponsor. The board kept a reserve price of about PKR 45 crores (44 crores and 80 lakhs) for three years, however, both the companies in the race offered PKR 9 crores only. There will be a re-bidding on Friday, big companies have already not participated in the bidding. According to details, the first edition of PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja’s dream project PJL will take place in October. All the attention of the cricket board is on this event these days only. PCB’s hopes were tarnished by the opening bids of title sponsor in the past few days. A total of three companies participated in the bidding. These included services industries, four-man event management and Transworld. Services industries was disqualified for not submitting bid security and now only two parties are left. Both offered a bid of PKR 9 crores each for three years, the amount for one year is Rs 3 crore which is not even 25% of the reserve price. PCB is frustrated with the situation and both parties have been informed about the reserve price. The board have asked them to submit new bids which will be opened on Friday. In this regard, sources say that the market is under pressure these days, there have been problems due to the increase in the value of the dollar and also this is an event for junior cricketers, therefore, who will give PKR 45 crores to PCB. The dream of huge financial gains from PJL does not seem realistic.

Babar Azam and Co praise Pakistan athletes for securing medals at CWG22 ISLAMABAD stAff RepoRt

Pakistan has made a fantastic start to their Commonwealth Games 2022 as Nooh Dastgir and Hussain Shah picked up gold and bronze medal respectively. Nooh Dastgir picked up Pakistan’s first gold medal whereas Judoka Shah was the first Pakistani to win any medal at the ongoing Commonwealth Games 2022. Shah outplayed Breytenback 10-0 in just under three minutes in the ~90kg event category whereas Nooh Dastgir won the 109+kg weightlifting competition.

Seeing Pakistani athletes succeed on the global stage, the Pakistan cricketers jumped at the opportunity to raise their voices for them and shower them with praise. Pakistan cricket team captain Babar Azam praised Nooh on his Twitter account and added that all athletes deserve proper infrastructure. “Extremely proud of these superstars. All our athletes deserve proper structure, support and state-of-the-art facilities,” he wrote. Pakistan’s vice-captain Shadab Khan also extended support to the athletes participating in the CWG22 and spoke highly of Nooh Dastgir.

BACK PAGE 5th August 2022_Layout 1 8/5/2022 1:49 AM Page 1

Friday, 5 August, 2022

pRayeR tImINgS

NEWS

ARMy chIef lAUDS engIneeRS’ oUtStAnDIng PeRfoRMAnce In wAR on teRRoR ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa visited the Military College of Engineering (MCE) in Risalpur and appreciated engineers’ contributions during counter-terrorism operations, the military said on Thursday. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement that the army chief laid a floral wreath at Shahuada monument and offered Fateha upon arrival at the MCE Risalpur. The COAS was also briefed about training modules and various training facilities at MCE including Counter IEDs Explosive Munitions School (CEMS), Combat and Civil Engineering wings. He was told that the CEMS, a state of the art training facility, is contributing phenomenally for training of Pakistan Army, Pakistan Air Force (PAF), Pakistan Navy (PN), police and officials from friendly countries. “This training has been a key element for successful operations during the war

against terror as it enabled manpower to search/identify IEDS laid by terrorists and clearing/dismantling terrorists infrastructure and area clearance ensuring force protection,” the military’s media wing said. Gen Bajwa also visited the Structural

Sugar production expected to increase by up to 2m tonnes: fBR LAHORE: The Federal Bureau of Revenue (FBR) has predicted an increase of 1.5 to 2 million tonnes in sugar production during the upcoming crushing season, citing better growth of the sugarcane crop due to monsoon rains. In this regard, an FBR spokesperson on Thursday said that the country will have 1.2 million tonnes of sugar at the start of the next crushing season, recalling that sugar mills produced a total of 1.2 million tonnes of excess sugar in the last season. He said that monsoon rains have caused a growth of 10pc in sugarcane crops this season, which will result in increased sugar production, adding that people will have to bear the burden of the excess production if the government does not export the sugar. The spokesperson added that precious foreign exchange could have been earned if the government had not decided to ban sugar export. “The government could have formulated a strategy to export the surplus stocks in phases to inject over $1 billion into the national exchequer,” he added, lamenting that the ban was retained despite having a surplus stock of 1.2 million tonnes. INp

Pakistan’s service exports up 17pc in fy 2021-22 IsLAmAbAd: Pakistan recorded an increase of 17.20 percent in service exports during the fiscal year 2021-22 compared with the previous fiscal year. The country’s exports of service during July-June (2021-22) were recorded at $6.97 billion against exports of $5.95 billion during July-June (2020-21), as revealed by Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) data. On a year-onyear basis, service exports during the month of June 2022 grew by 11.75 percent to $646.01 million against exports of $578.10 million during June 2021. app

Lab at MCE designed to test and verify various standards of huge infrastructures. He also met the Corps of Engineers champion team of the International PACES competition and lauded their professionalism and skills. “The COAS appreciated the

Corps of Engineers for their outstanding contributions during various operations, particularly during counter-terrorism operations.” Later, the ISPR said Gen Bajwa visited the School of Armour and Mechanised Warfare (SA&MW) Nowshehra. The COAS was briefed about training aspects of the school with a focus on mechanised warfare training regime as per future battle field requirements. He inaugurated a newly-built training complex for Tank VT4 which will provide cutting-edge training system to train Armoured Corps officers and men on newly inducted one of the most potent and modern war fighting machines, VT-4 tanks, in Pakistan Army. The COAS also inaugurated the Centre of Excellence for Mechanised Warfare Training which will enhance the technical and tactical capacity of students. “The COAS lauded SA&MW for staying abreast with emerging future battlefield challenges and preparing officers and men to overcome new threats,” the official statement read.

PTI stages protest, demands CEC’s resignation ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) on Thursday staged a protest outside the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and demanded the resignations of the members of the election body including Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja. The PTI Senators, MNAs, and other party leaders including Asad Umar, Omar Ayub, and Sheikh Rasheed marched toward the ECP office in Islamabad and chanted slogans against the incumbent CEC who they termed as biased toward the party. “We have come here to submit charter of demands to the commission,” Asad Umar said, demanding that the members of the ECP should resign to uphold the supremacy of law and the Constitution. He demanded that the political instability should be ended through restructuring the incumbent ECP. The party leaders were stopped by law enforcers initially to march towards the ECP office ; however, they were later allowed to go to the gate and submit an MoU, demanding the resignation of CEC and other ECP members to a representative of the commission. They submitted charter of demands to the ECP official and resolutions of the two provincial assemblies, demanding removal of the CEC Sikandar Sultan Raja. It is to note that former prime minister Imran Khan has given a “peaceful public protest” call at F9 Park around 6pm against the incumbent Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja and the Election Commission of

Pakistan (ECP). In a tweet on Thursday, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman said he will be addressing the gathering between 7:007:30pm. Imran maintained that the CEC and ECP are in cahoots with the “imported” government and tried a technical knockout against PTI after Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) got routed in the Punjab by-elections “despite support of state machinery and ECP shenanigans.” The ex-premier highlighted how the coalition government, ECP and CEC are “cowering in fear” about the same happening to entire Pakistan Democratic Movement in the general elections. It is pertinent to mention that Imran had given a protest call outside the ECP after the latter announced the verdict in the prohibited funding case. Shortly after, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah had said that no one will be allowed to enter the red zone and the security was beefed up around the ECP of-

fice with high barricades on Thursday morning. It is pertinent to note that Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration on Thursday rejected the Pakistan Tehreeke-Insaf’s request for holding a public gathering at NADRA Chowk falling within the area of Red Zone which had been declared “no protest or gathering zone” to maintain law and order. However, the ICT administration proposed the PTI two other sites including F-9 Park and H-9 ground for the purpose subject to certain terms and conditions. “The section 144 of Criminal Procedures Code (CrPC) has been imposed on gathering of persons in Islamabad including Red Zone and specifically, no participant is allowed to enter in and around the Red Zone,” said a notification issued by Deputy Commissioner Islamabad Irfan Nawaz Memon for intimation of peaceful public gathering in Islamabad.

Cabinet okays sending ‘declaration’ to SC against PTI: Marriyum ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

The Federal Cabinet on Thursday principally decided to send a “declaration” against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to the Supreme Court in light of the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) verdict in its prohibited funding case. “The PTI has been declared a foreignaided party by the ECP in its decision which was given after eight years under the Political Parties Order 2002 and the Election Act 2017,” she said while addressing a news conference after the Federal Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. She said the Law Minister and ministry briefed the federal cabinet over the legal position of the verdict. The law ministry was given three days time to prepare the declaration for presenting it before the cabinet in its next meeting, she added. Citing the section 3 of Political Parties

Order 2002 which stated that “if a party receives any aid, financial or otherwise from any government or political party of a foreign country or any portion of its funds from a foreign nation”, she said the federal government was legally bound to take action against the PTI for “knowingly” and “wilfully” receiving prohibited funding from a number of foreign firms and individuals. She said the ECP investigated the PTI’s prohibited funding for eight years, while the party sought 51 adjournments, changed nine lawyers and filed 11 petitions with the court for seeking delay in announcement of the decision. The minister said the PTI got enough time to justify their funding, but it failed to do so and now its leaders appeared in the media to respond to the queries over “foreign funding” to their party. She said the people needed to understand that it was not a matter between the PTI and PML-N, but rather between the for-

mer, the State Bank of Pakistan and ECP. The case against the foreign funding received by the PTI was filed by its own member Akbar S Babar and the PML-N had nothing to do with the matter, she added. The minister said other aspects of the ECP’s decision were very important which were related to the “false affidavit” submitted by the PTI’s chairman and concealment of 16 bank accounts opened in the name of its senior leadership including Imran Khan and employees of the party’s secretariat. According to Marriyum who cited the ECP’s verdict, the foreign individuals and companies which funded the PTI included Wootton Cricket Limited, Bristol engineering services, E planet Trustees, PTI USA LLC, PTI Canada Corporation, Dunpec Pty Ltd, Australia, Romita Shetty—an Indian business women, and others. She said Imran Khan, as chairman of PTI, had submitted an affidavit with the ECP which stated that “no funds from any

source prohibited under the Political Parties Order, 2002 were received by the party; statements contain an accurate financial position and the information is correct to the best of my knowledge.” Imran Khan submitted the same affidavit to the ECP five times with his signature, Marriyum said while castigating him for consistently telling lies in writing. According to the Political Parties Order, all the parties had to submit this affidavit with the ECP every year, she added. As it had been established that the PTI had received foreign funding in the bank accounts of its employees, the cabinet had directed the interior ministry and Federal Investigation Agency to conduct an independent and impartial inquiry into the matter while keeping in view different aspects including money laundering, fake accounts, misappropriation of funds and above all the utilization of donations for the political purposes.

FAJR SUNRISE

ZUHR

ASR MAGHRIB ISHA

3:49

12:09

4:57

5:21

6:56

8:27

Rupee continues sharp recovery against US dollar ISLAMABAD NewS DeSk

Pakistani rupee (PKR) continues to gain value against the US dollar in the interbank market on Thursday, the local unit has so far appreciated over 8 rupees in early trade against the US dollar in the interbank with trades being reported at 220 per USD. The SBP interbank closing rate for today was Rs226.15 per USD, rupee appreciation was 1.17%. The rupee had also gained sharply a day earlier, as the dollar fell by 9.8 or 4.19% with the previous day closing of 228.8 per USD. Experts say that the rupee’s drop in the last week of July was not due to demand-and-supply issues, but rather due to the pressure from exporters who were anticipating higher profits in the days ahead. Whereas Pakistan’s latest trade numbers revealed that the import bill had gone down by almost $3 billion in July which prompted hoarders to run back to exchange units for cashing in on their profits. NewS DeSk

PDM files reference against Imran, seek disqualification ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

A group of MNAs associated with the Pakistan Democratic Movement on Thursday filed a reference with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) seeking the disqualification of former prime minister Imran Khan for allegedly receiving prohibited funding from a number of foreign donors. The reference was submitted by MNA Barrister Mohsin Nawaz Ranjha to Chief Election Commissioner Sikander Sultan Raja, carrying signatures of lawmakers Agha Hassan Baloch, Salahudeen Ayubi, Ali Gohar Khan, Syed Rafiullah Agha and Saad Waseem Sheikh. In its verdict on Tuesday, the election watchdog ruled that PTI had “wilfully” and “knowingly” received prohibited funding from a number of foreign donors. In its order, the commission had also said that it was “constrained to hold that Imran Khan failed to discharge his obligations as mandated under the Pakistani statutes”. The ruling coalition began demanding disqualification of and strict legal action against the PTI chief soon after the ECP announced its verdict in the case. On Tuesday, PDM chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman pressed upon the government to “make an example” out of Imran Khan. “A reference should be filed against Imran Khan as he is no more Sadiq and Amin (truthful and honest),” the PDM leader had said at a press conference after a meeting of the multi-party alliance at the PM House on Wednesday to decide the line of action against Imran. The reference demanded the ECP to disqualify Imran under Sections 2 and 3 of Article 63 of the Constitution, read with Article 62(1)(f). It also carried documentary evidence to corroborate their claims against the ex-PM. Article 62(1)(f) says: “A person shall not be qualified to be elected or chosen as a member of Majlis-eShoora (Parliament) unless […] he is sagacious, righteous and non-profligate, honest and ameen, there being no declaration to the contrary by a court of law.” Article 63(2) says: “If any question arises whether a member of Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament) has become disqualified from being a member, the Speaker or, as the case may be, the Chairman shall, unless he decides that no such question has arisen, refer the question to the Election Commission within thirty days and should he fail to do so within the aforesaid period it shall be deemed to have been referred to the Election Commission.” While, Article 63(3) reads: “The Election Commission shall decide the question within ninety days from its receipt or deemed to have been received and if it is of the opinion that the member has become disqualified, he shall cease to be a member and his seat shall become vacant.” It is pertinent to mention here that the PTI had on Wednesday moved a reference before the Supreme Judicial Council against CEC Raja on Wednesday. The prohibited funding case — previously referred to as the foreign funding case — was filed by PTI founding member Akbar S Babar and has been pending since November 14, 2014. Babar, who is no longer associated with PTI, had alleged serious financial irregularities in the party’s funding from Pakistan and abroad. The PTI has, however, denied any wrongdoing and maintains the funding is not from prohibited sources. In March 2018, a scrutiny committee was constituted to examine the PTI’s financing.

Published by Arif Nizami at Qandeel Printing Press, 4 Queens Road, Lahore, for PT Print (Pvt) Limited. Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965. Email: newsroom@pakistantoday.com.pk