Saturday, 6 August, 2022 I 7 Muharram, 1444 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XIII No 37 I 12 Pages I Islamabad Edition
GOVT DECLARES EMERGENCY IN FLOOD-HIT AREAS
PM directs release of rs5 billion to ndMa
ISLAMABAD
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staff report
HE federal government, on the direction of Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, on Friday declared emergency in the country’s rain and flood affected areas. The prime minister has also directed the Ministry of Finance to immediately release Rs. 5 billion to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), a press release issued by the PM Media Wing here said. He was presiding over a meeting held here to review the flood situation, which was attended by federal ministers, advisors, members of parliament, chief secretaries of all provinces including Azad Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan, Chairman NDMA and Director Gen-
eral Met Office. During the meeting, the Prime Minister was briefed in detail about the ongoing rescue and relief operations in the country. Describing the rescue, relief and rehabilitation of the flood-hit people as a national obligation, he said, “We have to help masses beyond our political interests.” The prime minister said that during his visit to the flood affected areas he talked about unity and national cohesion so that this big challenge could be tackled collectively. The prime minister also constituted a highlevel committee to ensure effective rescue and relief activities through coordination between NDMA and the Provincial Disaster Management Authorities (PDMAs). The committee will comprise Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal, Min-
ister for Communication Maulana Asad Mahmood, Minister for Housing and Works Maulana Abdul Wasay, Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Murtaza Javed Abbasi, Advisor to PM on Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit Baltistan Qamar Zaman Kaira, Chairman NDMA and Secretary Communication. He said that the committee should hold its meeting today (Friday) and give suggestions for better coordination between federal and provincial institutions. The prime minister said that in view of the climate change, there was a need to formulate medium-term and long-term policies. He called upon the provincial governments to send authentic information and reports to the federal government so as to assess the damages caused by rains and flood at the earliest. The prime minister said that in order to avoid rain and flood related losses in future, there was a need of converting all the development projects in line with the climate change priorities. The committees comprising federal ministers, who visited the flood affected areas, briefed the meeting about the problems regarding rescue and relief. In his televised remarks at the meeting, the prime minister said that his visits to the floodhit areas were meant to identify the gaps and address the lack of coordination, if there was any, to tackle the challenge through collective efforts. He said no doubt the flash floods had badly hit the Balochistan province where logistics the rehabilitation efforts was a challenge owing to widely scattered population. He said the joint survey was inevitable to make the government assess the damages and pay compensation for the damaged structures and other losses.
UAE to invest $1b in Pakistani companies: state news agency DUBAI reuters & Monitoring report
The United Arab Emirates intends to invest $1 billion in Pakistani companies across various sectors, state news agency (WAM) reported citing an official source in Abu Dhabi. The UAE is keen to continue cooperation with Pakistan “in various fields, which include gas, energy infrastructure, renewable energy, health care,” the agency added. The move will likely help revive investor sentiment in the country, which has been beset by dwin-
dling foreign exchange reserves as well as a depreciating rupee. However, as an IMF bailout programme becomes clearer, sentiment has improved and the stock market on Friday rallied by some 670 points. The IMF is likely to start the process for releasing the seventh and eighth tranches of a loan programme for Pakistan later this week, IMF and diplomatic sources told Dawn. The report by Dawn claims that IMF had asked Pakistan to get assurances from Saudi Arabia and the UAE that they would
give an expected $4bn loan to the country after the IMF releases its tranche. “The Pakistanis received, and conveyed, the assurance from the two friendly countries,” a senior diplomatic source said according to Dawn. “So, we see no problem in the board’s approval.” But other sources said Pakistan had been warned “not to allow the political situation to go out of hand”. The government had further been told that “street violence and protests by the opposition or a government crack-
CONTINUED ON PAGE 05 down on PTI leaders can have a negative impact on the deal”, the report adds. Moreover, the report quoted a source saying that the US media, while commenting on Gen. Bajwa’s calls to US diplomatic and military officials three days ago, pointed out that “Pakistan’s military, which has directly ruled the country for more than half of its 75-year history, has closely worked with the US and is an official ally in the war on terror against Al Qaeda. And the calls have helped, but even the Americans cannot persuade the IMF to circumvent its procedure”. Another report noted that “the revival of IMF’s bailout package will help Pakistan and encourage other international financial institutions to engage with the country”.
Firepower, cyber have emerged as mainstay of future war: COAS RAWALPINDI staff report
Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa visited the newlyraised Army Cyber Command and its two main components — Cyber Division and Army Centre of Emerging Technologies, the military said on Friday. “Nature and character of warfare are changing. Firepower and cyber have emerged as the mainstay of future war and we need to enhance our capability and capacity in these
domains,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) quoted the army chief as saying. “The newly-raised Cyber Command shall progressively be linked to Tri-Services level and will also form part of national cyber initiatives to have synergy at a national level,” the COAS added. Gen Bajwa was received by Commander Army Cyber Command Lieutenant General Asif Ghafoor. Lt Gen Sahir Shamshad Mirza, Lt General Azhar Abbas and other senior military officers were also present on the occasion.
A day earlier, COAS General Bajwa visited the Military College of Engineering (MCE) in Risalpur and appreciated engineers’ contributions during counterterrorism operations, the military said. The ISPR had 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.
ECP summons Imran in Prohibited Funding Case on August 23 ISLAMABAD staff report
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has summoned Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on August 23 in the prohibited funding case. The ECP posted a notice on its website requiring PTI chairman Imran Khan to appear before the commission regarding the case. ‘”Notice to Chairman Pakistan Tehreeki-Insaf in terms of Rule 6 of Political Parties Rule 2006, in compliance of judgment by the commission dated August 2 in case title Akbar Sher Babar” for hearing fixed for August 23, at 10am. Earlier this week, the electoral body ruled that the PTI did indeed receive prohibited funding and issued a notice to the party asking why the funds should not be confiscated. A three-member ECP bench headed by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja had passed the judgment in a case filed by PTI founding member Akbar S. Babar pending since November 14, 2014. In the written verdict, the commission noted that the party “knowingly and wilfully” received funding from Wootton Cricket Limited, operated by business tycoon Arif Naqvi. The party was a “willing recipient” of prohibited money of $2,121,500, it said. The ECP said that the party “knowingly and wilfully” also received donations from Bristol Engineering Services (a UAE-based company), E-Planet Trustees (a Cayman Islands private registered company), SS Marketing Manchester (a UK-based private company), PTI USA LLC-6160 and PTI USA LLC-5975 which were “hit by prohibition and in violation of Pakistani laws”. It went on to say that the party also received donations through PTI Canada Corporation and PTI UK Public Limited Company. “From both the companies, the amounts received into its accounts of PTI Pakistan are hit by prohibition and in violation of Pakistani laws.” Further, the party received donations from Australiabased company Dunpec Limited, and Pakistani companies Anwar Brothers, Zain Cotton and Young Sports which was again in violation of the law. “PTI Pakistan, through fundraising campaigns by PTI USA LLC-6160 and PTI USA LLC-5975, was a recipient of donations from 34 foreign nationals and 351 foreignbased companies. Collection of donations and contributions from foreign nationals and companies are hit by prohibition and in violation of Pakistani laws,” it said. The electoral watchdog also said that the PTI had been found to be a beneficiary of donations made by Romita Shetty, a US-based business woman of Indian-origin which was in violation of the law. The ECP said the party had only owned eight accounts before the commission and declared 13 accounts to be unknown. “The data obtained from the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) reveals that all the 13 accounts disowned by the PTI were opened and operated by senior PTI management and leadership at [a] central and provincial level.”
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