Issuu

Sunday, 7 August, 2022 I 8 Muharram, 1444 I rs 15.00 I Vol XIII no 38 I 12 Pages I lahore Edition

PROHIBITED FUNDING CASE

FIA opens probe; summons vArIous pTI leAders, workers

PEShaWar

agencies

HE Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Saturday kickstarted its countrywide investigation — launched a day earlier — into the utilisation of funds from “prohibited” sources by PTI after an Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) ruling that the party secured illegal donations. A total of six inquiries have been opened simultaneously in major cities of Pakistan, including federal capital Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta and Karachi. According to FIA authorities, 13 accounts have been identified in which these funds were transferred, and the agency has issued notices to the banks under which these accounts have been operating. Courts have also directed these banks to submit complete details of these bank accounts to the FIA in order to help the inquiry teams with the investigation.

The probe was launched on a letter written by PTI founding member Akbar S Babar, requesting an investigation against the PTI for receiving funds through accounts opened in the name of junior employees. FIA SuMMonS PTI lEAdErS, EMPloyEES: The investigation agency also summoned former National Assembly speaker and senior PTI leader Asad Qaiser and Punjab Minister Mian Mahmood-ur-Rashid along with others. A day earlier, the FIA had called four employees of the PTI secretariat to investigate the money laundering and embezzlement in these funds, and statements of these employees were recorded. Confirming that he has received a notice from FIA, Asad Qaiser wrote on Twitter: “I want to tell the imported government that we are not afraid of such filthy tricks.” “The imported government should avoid using the national institutions for taking political revenge,” he said, advising them to sow as much as they can bear later.

FIA Peshawar’s office has summoned Qaiser on August 11 (Thursday) at 2pm. The notice sent to the former speaker stated that as per the verdict on Akbar S Babar’s case, Qaiser has two bank accounts and he is associated with the functioning of those two accounts; therefore he has been asked to appear before the inquiry team to answer questions regarding the details of the bank account. According to sources, FIA has formed five investigation committees comprising of three members each in different cities, while a committee has been set up at the headquarters for coordination. Sources further added that the committees will proceed with the investigation in line with the directions of the ECP; the terms of reference (TOR) have been issued in this regard. FIA Director-General Mohsin Butt is overseeing all investigations. In Karachi, the FIA has formed a five-member team headed by Deputy Director Bank Circle Rabia Qureshi comprising Assistant Director Rauf Sheikh, Inspectors Sabeen Ghauri, Aftab Watoo, and Sub Inspector Rahat Khan. The committee has been directed to investigate funding companies, individual bank accounts, and all other monetary details, which are to be later shared with the central committee formed in the headquarters. The FIA launched the investigation on a letter written by Babar, requesting a probe against the PTI for receiving funds through accounts opened in the name of junior employees. Akbar S Babar formally approached the FIA to initiate a probe against the PTI on Wednesday. Babar told the FIA that the PTI’s financial board in 2011 illegally authorised four employees of the party’s central secretariat to collect donations in their personal accounts from within Pakistan and abroad.

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PM seeks donations for flood relief fund iSLaMaBaD staff report

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday set up a relief fund for people affected by the nationwide flash floods and appealed to the philanthropists and well-off segments of society to support the victims. The prime minister said the

nation set a global precedent by making donations during the 2005 earthquake and 2010 floods to support the affectees. He stressed there was a need of showing a suck-like spirit. The prime minister observed the historic rainfall triggered a massive catastrophe which hit Balochistan, leaving a trail of unmatched destruction.

Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab were also hit, he said, adding that despite the troubling economic situation, the government released Rs5 billion for the people desperate for food and clean water. Sharif, while making an appeal to the wealthy, said they should support the government’s efforts in the rehabilitation of the

affectees. The affected brethren required support with rekindling passion like one exhibited by the Ansar of Medina. The government has declared an emergency situation in the flood-hit areas. The provincial governments have also been called on to declare affected areas as calamity-hit so that relief efforts could be expedited.

Saved country from imminent default: Miftah Karachi app

Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Miftah Ismail said that the federal government had made tough decisions and saved the country from going default. He further said that the country was experiencing an incredible challenging environment. He stated this while talking to media persons during his visit to Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) here on Saturday. The federal minister said that he was never willing to go to International Monetary Fund (IMF) for loan but the circumstances compelled him to do so. Miftah added that we were giving petrol subsidy of $500 million and did not export anything. In addition the minister said that Pakistan had been close to default when the PML-N-led government came into power which is why he approached the International Monetary Fund (IMF) days after becoming the finance minister. Finance Minister Miftah Ismail clarified that neither the State Bank of Pakistan nor he had “directly intervened” to bring the dollar’s value down, stating that it was influenced by market factors. The rupee has been on an upward trend against the dollar in the interbank market, gaining Rs16.26 since July 29. During his address, Ismail also doubled down on the government’s decision to curtail imports for the next three months, stating that it was a necessity. “We have imposed a ban on CPU cars, mobile phones and home appliances which we will not remove till September. The restrictions on [import of items with H S Codes starting with] 84 and 85 are with reason,” he said. However, the minister said authorities were working on identifying items used by exporters for manufacturing products and their import would not be stopped. He assured that the government had not stopped payments on any letters of credit that had been opened in the past and would not do so in the future as well. The minister noted that the country’s imports last year stood at $80 billion while its exports were a mere $31bn. The country’s current account deficit was $17.5bn while the trade deficit, after subtracting the remittances, stood at $18bn, he said. “If you create such a wide deficit, there will be pressure on your rupee. Today, Bangladesh has increased the price of petrol to 308 (per litre). They are also under pressure. There is a very challenging environment globally.”

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PTI used foreign funding to sabotage democracy, CPEC: Marriyum iSLaMaBaD staff report

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb on Saturday fired a broadside on Imran Khan for trying to sabotage democracy, China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), and national economy through the foreign funding the party received over the past decade. “A conspiracy project, launched by Imran Khan, was executed in the country through the foreign funds received by his party during different periods including 2008-13,2013-18 and 201822,” she said while addressing a news conference along with Coordinator to the Prime Minister for Economy and Energy Bilal Azhar Kayani. She said, Imran Khan tried to weaken the parliamentary system and democracy in 2013 under the project which came into effect in 2008. He incited his workers to attack the Supreme Court’s building, launched a civil obedience campaign, and made

attempts to halt the CPEC by bringing political stability in the country. “These were the milestones, delivery points and commitments which Imran Khan made to his funders in exchange of the foreign funding,” she said, adding the followers of the PTI’s chief would have to ask from him where this funding was spent. She said Imran Khan asserted that he made a blunder by approving the appointment of Sikander Sultan Raja as the chief election commissioner, but in reality, the major mistake was committed when Nawaz Sharif was ousted from his office for not taking salary from his son. Marriyum said it was unfair to compare Imran Khan with Nawaz Sharif who, as prime minister, eliminated terrorism, ensured 6 per cent economic growth, created massive employment opportunities for youth and above all, improved the country’s standing at the International level. She said the nation needed to look into the reasons behind the “Imran proj-

ect” under which Kashmir was sold, CPEC projects stopped and the country registered negative economic growth. Imran Khan, during his government, rendered the youth jobless, created anarchy and political instability and imprisoned the media persons, she added. The people had to understand that Imran Khan was responsible for the current crises which were created to fulfill the commitments made with the foreign fosters. She said the so-called truthful and honest Imran Khan had miserably exposed before the nation after the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) verdict in the PTI’s prohibited funding case. “The party of a foreign agent has been declared a “foreign-aided party” under the Political Party Ordinance, 2002 and the Election Act, 2017,” she remarked. The minister said Imran Khan was trying to mislead the nation by consistently telling lies over a case that was investigated by the ECP for eight years.

The PTI sought 51 adjournments, changed nine lawyers, and filed 11 petitions with the court seeking delay in the announcement of the decision and an order to refrain the ECP from making foreign funding details public. She said the PTI chairman had

“knowingly” and “willfully” received prohibited funding from a number of foreign firms and individuals, which he acknowledged by himself by submitting false affidavits in the ECP five times.

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02-03 NEWS 7 AUGUST_Layout 1 8/7/2022 1:02 AM Page 1

Sunday, 7 August, 2022 | LAHORE

NEWS

Rana Sana teRmS PtI’S Call fOR PublIC gatheRIng ‘POlItICal Stunt’ ISLAMABAD

Staff RepoRt

EDERAL Minister for Interior Rana Sanaullah Saturday said the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman call for public gathering with aimed to protect his theft, is just a political stunt. Talking to private news channel, he said election commission in its verdict has exposed Imran Khan before the nation.

Rana Sanaullah said Imran khan had received money from foreigners on the name of charity and that money used in politics. Rana Sanaullah said PTI has granted permission to hold a public gathering at the Parade Ground Islamabad as they have already organized two power shows there but would not be allowed to enter in the Red Zone. The party leadership has decided that the former prime minister Nawaz Sharif would return home at the time of general elections

OIC statement on IIOJK unnerves India ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation’s statement, calling for reversal of all illegal and unilateral measures taken in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir by Narendra Modi-led fascist Indian government on or after 5 August 2019 has unnerved India. In the statement, the OIC General Secretariat issued in Jeddah said the August 5 marked the third anniversary of illegal and unilateral actions in IIOJK, which were “followed by additional unlawful measures including illegal demographic changes”. “Such illegal actions can neither alter the disputed status of Jammu and Kashmir nor prejudice the legitimate right to self-determination of the Kashmiri people,” it said. The OIC called for respecting the fundamental freedoms and human rights of the Kashmiri people and for the “reversal of all illegal and unilateral measures taken on or after 5 August 2019”. The OIC General Secretariat also urged the world community to take steps for the resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions. Responding to the statement, Indian External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi dismissed the OIC call for rolling back the changes made to the status of the occupied territory repeating the old mantra that IIOJK.

and to lead the campaign, he added. He said the government would not take pressure by any political group to announce early elections and would complete their constitutional tenure. Rana said the PTI would be lost seven seats of National Assembly, it contests byelection on their nine vacant seats. He said that the PTI was on the back of the negative social media propaganda against Pakistan Army after the Lasbela helicopter crash that killed five officers.

The Minister said the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) teams have commenced its inquiry into PTI’s prohibited foreign funding case. He said the government would be locked up the PTI leaders if not cooperated with FIA officials during the probe and would also be registered FIR if find out their involvement in money laundering and embezzlement of these funds. The investigation began following a letter written by PTI founding member

Akbar S Babar, requesting an investigation against the PTI for receiving funds through accounts opened in the name of junior employees, he added. The government has submitted reference against PTI in the Supreme Court in light of the Election Commission’s verdict in prohibited funding case as per the law.

Lower Dir: PTI MPA Malik Liaqat Ali critically injured in targeted attack LOWER DIR agencieS

PTI’s member of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Malik Liaqat Ali Khan was critically injured while four others lost their lives after unidentified men attacked him. The police said that the MPA was on his way to his village Nagotal in Lower Dir District, when he was attacked by armed assailants. The PTI MPA is being shifted to Peshawar due to his critical condition. According to the police, a Levies Force official and a policeman were martyred, and three more people were injured due to the firing. The injured were shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital Timergara, said

the police. The victims who were killed during the firing include Khan’s brother and his nephew. KP Chief Minister Mahmood Khan took notice of the incident and directed inspector general of police (IG) to take necessary steps for the immediate arrest of the suspects involved in the attack. Condemning the incident, the chief minister termed it a cowardly act and said that the culprits cannot escape from the law. “The people involved in the incident will be arrested and brought to justice,” vowed the CM. CM Mahmood also wished for the speedy recovery of the MPA and other people who got injured. While he expressed condolences to the families of the martyred police and levies personnel.

FM Bilawal reaﬃrms Pakistan’s support for ASEAN eﬀorts in Asia Pacific PHNOM PENH Staff RepoRt

Foreign Minister Bilawal BhuttoZardari Saturday expressed support for efforts in the Asia Pacific led by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and extended Pakistan’s support for the Cambodian presidency of the bloc. The foreign minister held a meeting with his Cambodia counterpart, Prak Sokhonn, on the sidelines of the 29th ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) meeting, the Foreign Office said in a press statement. Zardari underlined the critical importance of ARF for regional security and expressed Pakistan’s continued commitment to the body. He also expressed Pakistan’s keen desire to enhance its engagement with ASEAN nations. The foreign minister

congratulated Sokhonn on successfully hosting the summit and appreciated the hospitality extended to the Pakistani delegation. The two diplomats also discussed regional issues of mutual interest. They appreciated the friendly ties between Pakistan and Cambodia and

expressed their determination to further develop mutually beneficial cooperation. The foreign ministers also agreed to enhance high-level dialogue and engagement between the two countries and to promote business-tobusiness ties.

LAHORE Staff RepoRt

Saad wants railways to devise strategy for flood-fighting in future LAHORE Staff RepoRt

Federal Railways and Aviation Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique has directed the Railways administration to devise a comprehensive strategic plan to tackle flood waves in future. Presiding over a meeting at the PR headquarters here on Saturday, he appreciated the Railways for organising relief arrangements and provision of food and medical facilities to the affectees in flood-hit areas of Balochistan. He said that the PR was still facing the after effects of the damage to the track due to heavy rains in the areas of Mitting and Bolari of Karachi division. He also directed the administration to make old coaches useable at the Railways Mughulpura Workshops on immediate basis. “It should be ensured that cost the coaches could be recovered within the given time of the coaches,” he added. The minister asked the staff to make plan of upgradation of the workshops by replacing old machinery with the modern one on urgent basis. He directed upgradation of warehouses at the workshop so that better monitoring and protection of the goods could be made. The Railways should make plans to establish stalls in every division to generate more revenue for the department, he said.

Speaker asked to decide plea seeking removal of ‘turncoat’ opposition leader

The minister stresses on solarization of different sections of the department and asked to start it from railway factories in phase one. He ordered to complete installation of furnace arch machinery in the Mughulpura workshops within the current year. Earlier, the minister was given briefing on provision of food hampers and medical facilities by the PR department to Balochistan’s citizens of the flood-hit areas.

National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf has been asked to decide on the appointment of Raja Riaz Ahmad, a turncoat Pakistan Tehreeki-Insaf (PTI) MP, as opposition leader in light of a recent Lahore High Court (LHC) judgement. A letter was sent to the speaker by Barrister Azhar Siddique, counsel for the PTI party, who demanded the decision on Ahmad’s fate be made within 30 days as ordered by the court. “Opposition leader has an important role to play in the National Assembly which included the selection of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) members and appointments in National Accountability Bureau (NAB),” he said. He further blamed the opposition leader for being in bed with the administration of Shehbaz Sharif and not playing his constitutional role. The development came hours after the court disposed of a petition seeking Ahmad’s removal and instructed Ashraf to decide on the matter within four weeks. On August 3, the high court was approached for Ahmad’s removal, citing that PTI was still the leading opposition party in the House and he was given the position without its approval. The petition, moved by Siddique, stated Ahmad was appointed without consulting his party, the largest in the House since the speaker was yet to approve the resignations of its MPs. Ahmad was appointed as opposition leader with the support of 16 opposition MPs, including those who parted ways with party chair Imran Khan, in May, days after PTI resigned from the assembly en masse. Ahmad joined the race for office along with Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) MP Ghos Bakhsh Mahar, following the withdrawal of Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) MP Moonis Elahi. His application was signed by 17 MPs who nominated him for office.

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Sunday, 7 August, 2022 | LAHORE

NEWS

CaPaCIty-buIldIng SummIt held fOR unIveRSItIeS’ RePReSentatIveS ISLAMABAD

Staff RepoRt

HE USAID-funded Higher Education System Strengthening Activity (HESSA) has organized a three-day annual capacity-building and knowledge-sharing summit. The summit was organized to bring together 15 HESSA partner universities’ representatives to strengthen the structure and mechanisms for students support services in their respective institutions. HESSA is a USAID-funded project partnering with the government of Pakistan to improve Pakistan’s higher education system in a bid to increase the employability

of university graduates. The inaugural session was attended by Anne Flaker, Director Education Office, USAID, alongside Dr. Habib Ali Bokhari, Vice Chancellor, Kohsar University, Murree. Dr. Nadeem Ul Haque, Vice Chancellor, Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE), was the keynote speaker. The summit, which marked the launch of HESSA’s students support services initiative, engaged over 80 representatives from partner universities representing all provinces of Pakistan. The group constituted deans, directors, managers, faculty members, and administrative officers working with students support services or managing student affairs

Pakistan sends humanitarian assistance worth Rs2,650m for afghanistan

in their respective universities in one of the six thematic areas—Financial Aid, Career Readiness, Student Leadership and CoCurriculars; Alumni Engagement and Development; Student Entrepreneurship; and Mental Health and Psychosocial Well-being. Delivering the keynote remarks, Dr. Nadeem Ul Haque, Vice Chancellor, PIDE, highlighted the need for a paradigm shift, with a focus on empowering students to unleash their innovative skills rather than restricting them to traditional classroom learning. He appreciated HESSA and its interventions for improvement of the higher education ecosystem. “The best university is one that empowers you to thinker, to grow, and to innovate; mere book-learning gets

Prolonged monsoon rains adversely impact date crop PESHAWAR

ISLAMABAD

Staff RepoRt

app

Early arrival of monsoon season and prolong downpour in most parts of the country badly damaged dates production, depriving thousands of people of annual income besides pushing price of the commodity in market due to widening demandsupply gap. Growers and traders associated with cultivation and selling of dates in Sukkur and Khairpur districts of Sindh province, the largest date producing region contributing 50 percent to the country’s annual produce of 550,000 to 650,000 tonnes of dates, are of the opinion that prolonged downpour damaged around 70 percent of dates harvest in these districts during current year season. Dates are grown in all the four provinces of Pakistan over an area of about 75000 hectors while Kharipur and Sukker are the largest producing areas followed by Baluchistan, Punjab and D.l.Khan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. More than 400,000 tonnes of dates are produced from orchids spreading over thousands of hectors of land in these two districts of Sindh, providing livelihood to thousands of poor laborers. “This year’s monsoon rains were very unusual, surprising for date growers associated with the practice from the last several decades,” observed Iqrar Ali, an orchid owner. “Long rain spell during the peak season affected natural ripening of dates, turning the taste from sweet to sour besides causing drop of pre-mature fruits from trees,” Iqrar explains in a talk with media. “Almost half of date fruits are damaged due to rains which continued for around twenty to twenty two days in Sindh,” estimates Gurmak Das, a date dealer who inherited this trade from his father. Damage to yield has caused sever increase in price of commodity as on August 2. 2022 around 40

A total of 15,390 tons worth Rs2,650 million in humanitarian and relief consignments had been, so far, dispatched to the Afghan people under the PakAfghan Cooperation Forum’s (PACF) arrangements. The humanitarian assistance had been sent to Afghanistan via 83 convoys, including 743 trucks and four C-130 flights, till August 5, a press release said on Saturday. On Friday, a truckload carrying 17 tons of food items for the flood-affected Afghan people of Kandahar was handed over to the Afghan authorities in a ceremony held at Zero line, Chaman border crossing. The relief assistance was donated by AlKhidmat Foundation. DC Chaman Hameed Zahri handed over the aid to Haji Waheed Ullah, representative of Governor Kandhar, while representatives of the Al-Khidmat Foundation were also present on the occasion.

neither bat nor Imran’s politics will remain in next polls: muqam SWAT Syed Shahabuddin

Advisor to Prime Minister on Political and Public Affairs and President PML-N Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Engineer Amir Muqam on Saturday claimed that neither Bat, nor Imran Khan’s politics will remain in the next general elections. He was addressing a Workers’ Convention of Malakand Division at PML-N House in Sangota, Swat here on Saturday. The convention continued for five consecutive hours, in which the party officials from all districts of Malakand Division participated and expressed their views on various issues. Engineer Amir Muqam said that reports of Transparency International, Financial Times and the decision of the Election Commission were enough to prove that Imran Khan was the biggest thief, adding that Imran had now been a “declared international bandit.” He said that attention is being paid to the party organization in Malakand division and the party will be organized at the grass-root level soon. Amir Muqam said that they are aware of the difficulties being faced by the common man, blaming that the government inherited all these crises and difficulties from the incompetent Imran Khan. “We have not come to govern but to save the country. The destiny of the country is changing with hard work of Shehbaz Sharif day and night efforts and in these circumstances the nation should not be disappointed because Allah willingly, we will overcome these difficulties very soon,” he vowed. Amir Muqam said that they condemn giving funds to social media activists from the public treasury. “The time will come soon when everyone will be held accountable for their corruption and plunder in the country.” Engineer Amir Muqam said that he had served the masses before and will continue to do so in the future because the purpose of his life was to serve the public and this region. “Allah willing, the country is moving in right direction under the leadership of Shehbaz Sharif and the situation will improve very soon. The people should be satisfied as the PML-N team is using all its energies to steer the country out of all crises,” he concluded.

you nowhere,” he said. Dr Bokhari emphasized the need to create linkages with the industry to produce an employable workforce. “We need to bridge the gap between the industry and the university to produce skillful and employable youth, and this can only happen when the teachers, trainers and master trainers have access to knowledge and practical know-how,” he added. Shaza Fatima Khawaja, Special Advisor to the Prime Minister on Youth Affairs, addressed the participants via video-link on behalf of the Government of Pakistan. She highlighted government’s initiatives to produce skilled workforce through PM’s loan schemes, skills program, and the laptop schemes.

kg of dry date (chowara) is sold at a price of Rs. 26,000 against the routine price of Rs. Five to Seven thousand per mound (40 kg), disclosed Gurmak. Talking to APP from Sukker, Gurmak Das said good quality date is not available in market even at a price of Rs. 10 to 11 thousands, almost double from the normal price of Rs. Five to six thousands of the traditional fruit. Gurmak said he is 41 years old and has never witnessed such kind of prolonged rains in Sukker where weather mostly remains dry and hot. Now a days the weather is very pleasant due to long duration of rain spell, but this respite from scorching heat is suitable for humans and not for dates which needs dry and hot weather at time of ripening, he opined. About estimates of losses, Gurmak guessed that usually annual production consists of around 2.5 to three million bags (40 kg each) of dry date (chowara) which may reduce to 1.5 million bags this year. “Most of the losses due to damage to crop has been suffered by traders who had made advance payments to orchid owners as booking for purchase of their produce at suitable time,” shared Hub-e-Ali Jatoi, President of Dates Market in Sukker Division comprising of more than 250 shops. The number of daily laborer associated with dates business in the area both men and women are in thousands who all suffered due to reduction in production. Losses are part of business and we face time and again due to damage to crop due to bad weather or disease, but this year’s loss is unprecedented and enormous, says Hub-e-Ali. Damage to dates crop will also have negative impact on trade of the commodity which is exported to different countries including neighbouring India, Bangladesh and Nepal, he added. Pakistan is the world’s fifth-largest producer of dates and our exports are estimated around $107.4 million worth of fresh or dried dates to the world.

Sindh govt bans drone cameras for Muharram processions KARAcHI Staff RepoRt

The Sindh government on Saturday imposed a ban on the use of helicams or drones for video recording by media channels during processions and majalis from Muharram 8 (August 7) to 10 (August 9). According to a notification issued by Sindh Home Secretary Dr Saeed Ahmed Mangnejo, the province-wide ban was imposed in the “larger interest of safety and security of participants of processions on 8th, 9th and 10th Muharram 2022”. “Whereas the government of Sindh

is satisfied in view of the present security environment, it is necessary to make immediate measures and full proof preventive security arrangements at religious gatherings and to obviate any chance of misuse by undesirable elements,” it said. “Therefore, the government of Sindh in exercise of the powers conferred under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code do hereby impose a complete ban on the use of heli-cams for video recording by media channels during processions and majalis carried out of 8, 9, and 10 Muharram.” The government has authorised SHOs concerned to register complaints under Section 188 of the Pakistan Penal Code against those found in violation of the ban. On Friday, the government had also banned pillion riding in the province from August 5 to August 11 as a security measure.

US-based resource persons from the University of Utah and the Institute of International Education (IIE) facilitated the summit. Woven around the six thematic areas, the discourse teed-off with dissemination of the findings of PIDE, which recently conducted a HESSAcommissioned needs assessment on the status of students support services across Pakistan as well as in HESSA’s 15 partner universities. Here onwards, the participants will develop strategic plans and initiatives for their institutions across the lifecycle of the HESSA project and beyond. The HESSA project seeks to enhance the support services available to students during and after their time at universities. It is working with university staff to develop and implement initiatives that will foster soft skills development for better student employability, improve student access to financial aid and scholarships, strengthen on-campus engagement services like career support, enhance networks and community engagement with student development activities, develop alumni support services, and foster an enabling environment for student entrepreneurship.

fbR tightens noose around unregistered retailers KARAcHI inp

The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has issued a list of 114 unregistered retailers (Tier-1) and decided to take action against these big retailers for not integrating with the FBR’s Point of Sale (POS) system. According to the statement released by the country’s tax collection body, these 114 retailers are operating out of the documented regime and not depositing collected sales tax from consumers into the national kitty. The board has decided to raise sales tax demand against these big retailers (Tier1), who do not integrate with the FBR’s POS system by the deadline of August 10, 2022. Last month, the FBR issued a list of 101 big retailers (Tier-1), which are required to be integrated with the FBR’s POS system and were denied 60 percent input tax credit in case of nonintegration. FBR has stated that the input tax claim of all aforementioned Tier-1 retailers would be disallowed upon filing the sales tax return for the month of August 2022. The FBR’s notification also stated that in order to operationalize this provision of law, a system-based approach has been adopted.

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Sunday, 7 August, 2022 | LAHORE

04 NEWS

NatioNal SaviNgS gearS up for two Shariah compliaNt SchemeS Next moNth ISLAMABAD

Ghulam abbaS

HE National Savings is likely to launch in next month two Shariah-compliant schemes to be known as “Sarwa Islamic Savings Account (SISA) and Sarwa Islamic Term Account (SITA).” Both the Shariah-compliant schemes will be

operational in all the National Saving centres across the country. According to details, the Central Directorate of National Savings has established an Islamic window with name of “Rafa National Savings (RNS)” to provide different Shariah compliant investment accounts under “Sarwa Islamic Savings Account Rules, 2019. These rules have already been

approved by the federal cabinet, and operation of this scheme will be allowed from all national savings centres. To ensure Shariah compliance of the schemes and operations, a Shariah Supervisory Board comprising renowned Shariah scholars has been appointed by the central directorate of national savings. While the Sarwa Islamic Savings Account will have no tenure,

Pakistani among three Muslims likely ‘targeted, killed’ in New Mexico NEW YORK: The murders of three Muslim men, one of them from Pakistan, in New Mexico’s largest city in the past nine months were likely linked and they appear to have been targeted for their religion and race, police said. Two members of the same mosque were shot dead in Albuquerque in the last ten days and there is a “strong possibility” their deaths are connected to the November killing of an Afghan immigrant, according to a city police official. In all three cases victims were ambushed and shot without warning, city police said. “There’s one strong commonality in all of our victims — their race and religion,”. ReuteRS

the Sarwa Islamic Term Account will comprise of four different tenures of one year, three years, five years and ten years. Initially, SITA-3 years and SITA-5 years will be offered. A notification issued by the ministry of finance says the expected rate of profit payable on the deposits made in Sarwa Islamic Savings Account (SISA) will be

13.50 per cent, profits payable on the deposits made in five-year Sarwa Islamic Term Account (SITA) will be 12.60 per cent, and 13.28 per cent on three-year SITA. As per a senior official of CDNS the SISA account will be opened for unlimited period and will remain valid for principal payment and profit payment thereof, till such time it is linked to SITA account or in-

vestment is encashed or withdrawn by the registered holder. The Sarwa Islamic Savings Account (SISA) is the Shariah-compliant alternative of the regular savings account of CDNS, and minimum investment amount of SISA is Rs100 and profit is calculated on daily closing balance of the account, paid on monthly basis. The minimum investment amount under the Sarwa Islamic Term Account (SITA) will be Rs50,000, and profit would be paid as per anticipated profit rates based on investment amounts and paid at maturity for one year SITA, halfyearly for three years SITA, monthly for five years SITA, monthly or yearly for ten years.

Punjab cabinet okays foolproof security for Ashura LAHORE Staff RepoRt

Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi on Saturday ordered a comprehensive security plan to ensure peaceful environment during Muharramul Haram, especially on Youm-e-Ashur at all costs. The chief minister directed the members of district and divisional peace committees to play their proactive role in the promotion of harmony and religious harmony during Ashura-e-Muharram. Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi was presiding over the first meeting of Punjab Cabinet meeting on Saturday which approved to chalk out a foolproof security plan for Ashura-e-Muharram. The cabinet approved a four point agenda as it decided to impose ban on pillion riding on 9th and 10th Muharram while mobile service will remain suspended in the sensitive areas as well as on routes of procession. On the occasion, the CM asserted that the provincial ministers, advisers and special assistants will oversee security arrangements in their districts and directed the provincial ministers, advisers and special assistants to visit their respec-

KP govt sends 32 truckloads of relief goods for Balochistan aﬀectees PESHAWAR Staff RepoRt

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has sent relief goods to Balochistan government for the affected by recent floods due to torrential rains, said the spokesman of Pakistan Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) on Saturday. On the directives of Chief Minister KP Mahmood Khan, the members of Provincial Cabinet included Kamran Bangash and Barrister Mohammad Ali Saif sent the 32 truckloads to government of Balochistan. The relief goods consisted of 1,000 tents, 2,000 blankets and 1,000 meters, one thousand hygiene kits, one thousand mosquito nets, and 20 D-watering pumps. In addition to above, the food package comprising 1000 boxes of food items were sent to people of Balochistan. Several household commodities were included in the boxes that are 40Kg flour, 5Kg rice, 3Kg Cooking Oil, 3Kg Sugar, 2Kg Daal Chana, 1Kg Mong, 1Kg Daal Masoor, tea items and other essential things. Speaking at the event, Advisor to KP CM on Information, Barrister Mohammad Ali Saif said the PTI government will not leave the flood affectees alone of Balochistan during this situation.

tive districts forthwith so as to monitor the steps being taken for the protection of the lives and properties of the masses. He directed to hold regular meetings at district level to ensure peace and security on Youm-e-Ashur and also directed to ensure CCTV coverage of all processions and Majalis. The CM asserted not to make any compromise on the publication and distribution of objectionable materials and indiscriminate action will be taken on violation. He directed to ensure implementation on the prohibition of the code of conduct besides directing the law enforcement agencies to maintain a close liaison and the security arrangements should also be regularly monitored. The CM directed prompt implementation on the special aid and relief package for the flood affected areas and expeditious redressal of damages should be done. The Punjab cabinet assented to reconstitute the Cabinet Standing Committee on Finance and Development under the supervision of Punjab Finance Minister Mohsin Leghari. The Punjab cabinet also approved reconstitution of the Cabinet Standing Committee on Legal Affairs under the chairmanship of Minister for Public Prosecution and Coopera-

tives. The participants of the meeting also offered fateh for the higher ranks of the Pak Army officers martyred in helicopter crash in Balochistan and paid homage to the martyrs. The cabinet expressed their heartfelt sympathy and condolence with the family members of the martyred officers. The Punjab cabinet members also expressed their deep sense of sorrow and grief over the loss of human lives due to flood and rains and offered Fateha for them. During the meeting, the CM lauded the martyred Lt-Gen Sarfaraz Ali and other army officers who sacrificed their lives during the performance of their duties. Addressing the meeting, the CM vowed to focus only on public service in the province. “You are my team and we all have to provide relief to the people by uniting as a team”, he stated. He urged the cabinet members to work in such a manner for the public welfare which can significantly differentiate the performance of the incumbent government. He exhorted the cabinet members to deliver their responsibilities for the people of the province. Provincial Ministers, Advisers, Special Assistants and officials concerned attended the meeting.

Sunday, 7 August, 2022 | LAHORE

NEWS

corporate corner Chancellor Riphah University, Lt-Gen (r) Ashraf Saleem visit Diabetes Centre

InTRA-PARTy PoLLS SUSPenSIon: PML-Q APPRoACheS LhC AGAInST eCP LaHore

The Diabetes Centre (TDC) Islamabad was visited by Chancellor Riphah International University Mr Hassan Muhammad Khan and Lt Gen (Rtd) Ashraf Saleem. On arrival , management of this hospital including Chairman Dr. Asjad Hameed and CEO Mr. Tahir M. Abbasi received and greeted them with a warm welcome The guests were given a visit to various departments and services engaged in treatment. They appreciated the management's vision, treatment and the efficiency of related services and treatment procedures. Officials of TDC and Riphah International University later agreed on an agenda to materialize the matter of cooperation. Pr

Saved country from going default, claims Miftah continued from page 01 Ismail said Pakistanis should live within their means and in a dignified manner instead of asking for loans. “If we have exports of just $30bn, then we should not import as much. If we do not have products to sell to the world, we should not buy things from it either.” He said he felt ashamed when he had to meet the ministers of other countries and ask them for loans. “We were giving subsidies worth $500bn on petrol and [had imports worth] $7.5bn and were not exporting at all. We have to go to Saudi Arabia and UAE and ask them to deal with the IMF (International Monetary Fund). “We were selling petrol cheaper than the UAE. We were selling it cheaper than the country from which we buy refined oil,” he added. He acknowledged that mistakes would be made and exporters might face problems in importing the material they needed to manufacture products. Ismail said when he had been advised to remove the fixed tax on traders using less than 300 units of electricity, he had responded, “What can I do then but close the ministry? It amounts to removing tax on 96pc of shopkeepers. Why bother the other 4pc? We should just go home.” This is not a government versus business thing, the minister said, adding that curtailing imports was a necessity. “Give me three months. We are all in this together. Let me save this country from problems. Pakistanis will start importing again.”

Balochistan floods: Six more dead, tally reaches 176: PDMA QUETTA: Six more people have been reported dead due to heavy rains and floods in Balochistan, taking the total to 176, PDMA said. According to data shared by the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) six more people, including five men and one woman, have lost their lives due to floods in different regions of Balochistan. PDMA said that a total of 176 people have been reported dead amid the heavy rains and floods in the province. The total includes 77 men, 44 women and 55 children, PDMA said. Deaths were reported in Bolan, Quetta, Zhob, Dakki, Khuzdar, Kohlu, Kech, Mastoong, Harnai, Qila Saifullah. INP

staff rePort

HE Pakistan Muslim LeagueQuaid (PML-Q) on Saturday filed a petition in the Lahore High Court (LHC) against the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) decision on postponing its intra-party elections. PML-Q Central Secretary Kamal Ali Agha filed the petition his counsel Safdar Shaheen Pirzada. In the petition, he said that the ECP’s order was tantamount to halting the procedure of the party’s election. He requested that the court annul Ch Shujaat as the PML-Q president, adding that he could become party chief through the intra-party elections if he desired to do so. Advocate Safdar stated that the impugned order passed by the ECP was

against the laws and facts of the case, therefore, not sustainable in the eyes of law and was liable to be set aside. He further maintained that the ECP could only issue directions or orders according to the necessities of the performance of its functions and duties, but its move in this reference did not fall under the commission’s jurisdiction. “It is limited to functions of the Commission as prescribed under Elections Act, 2017,” he said. He argued that Article 175 of the Constitution recognised only those courts that ‘may be established by law’ as per the express wording of the Article. “It is well-settled that the assumption of power by an authority not mentioned in the Constitution would be illegal, unconstitutional and not liable to be recognised by any court. It is equally trite that any illegal act by a public functionary cannot be protected

by the courts” the petition stated. “Section 208 of the Election Act, 2017 provides that the election of a political party shall be in accordance with the procedure as provided by the Constitution of that political party. That Article 41.1 of the Constitution of PML states that PML Council shall perform the function to elect the President and all other officer bearers of PML,” he highlighted in the petition. He further asserted that article 49 of the constitution of the PML-Q provided that the working committee shall be the principal executive organ of the PML and shall perform functions, which include considering and passing resolutions, and taking necessary steps with regards to matters arising from time to time relating to the objective of the PML-Q, and to ensure that any actions are not inconsistent or at variance with the aims and ob-

PTI used foreign funding to sabotage democracy, CPEC, economy: Marriyum continued from page 01 Marriyum said Imran Khan blamed others for corruption, but when his robbery came to the fore, he tried to give it an angle of technicality. He became naive about the funding of his party and termed it a technical matter. “It is not a technical matter, rather an open and shut case of foreign funding as no party can receive any aid from a foreign government, individual or firm under the political parties Order 2002,” she observed, adding the PTI concealed the bank accounts in which funding poured in from abroad. “This is a matter of misappropriation as Imran Khan used donations for political and personal purposes,” she said, noting that the PTI opened undeclared bank accounts in the name of the party’s secretariat employees. The people, she said, needed to understand that it was not a matter between the PTI and PML-N, but rather between the former, 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 Imran Khan remained a major hindrance in the foreign funding case’s proceeding as described by the ECP in its decision as “the worst abuse of law had happened.” She said Imran Khan, who received funds and charity from overseas Pakistanis, for flood relief activities and other natural

disasters, spent them for personal and political purposes. Marriyum said the senior leadership of PTI including Imran Khan were signatories of the funds received by his party in the undeclared bank accounts. “The money trail of the PTI’s foreign funding and details of the undeclared bank accounts have come to the fore. Imran Khan has been declared a criminal and the veil of Sadiq and Ameen is removed from his face,” she added. “Till the day, Imran Khan has not denied that he did not receive money from Romita Shetty (an Indian businesswoman) and Wootton Cricket Limited,” she said, slamming the PTI for posting fake interviews of overseas Pakistanis, who claimed themselves as its funders, on its social media accounts. She dared Imran Khan to post the interview of Arif Naqvi and other foreign nationals and firms’ members who sent dollars, pounds and other currencies as fund to his party. Arif Naqvi was presented as a front person to conceal real identities of other foreign sources, she added. The PTI received funds Wootton Cricket Limited, Bristol engineering services and Eplanet Trustees from 2013, she said, adding the companies set up in the United States included 34 foreign nationals. She said the PTI claimed to open two LLCs abroad including LLC 5975 and LLC 6160. 13 foreign nationals and 231 firms had contributed funds in LLC 5975, while 31 foreigners and 120 com-

panies in the other one. There were other companies which were opened by the PTI to collect foreign funding. “There was no technicality if the donations were used for political purposes,” she added. She said the PTI had disclosed the names of the front persons who collected the funds from the different countries. Their videos were on the record, she added. Imran Khan committed a crime which was proved by the State Bank of Pakistan and ECP, the minister remarked. Imran Khan never informed the ECP that he received funds in the accounts of his party secretariat’s employees including Muhammad Arshad, Tahir Iqbal, Muhammad Rafiq and Numan Afzal. The FIA investigation was underway which was being conducted in a transparent way. She said the funds were also received in the personal accounts of other PTI leaders including Asad Qaiser,Imran Ismael, Shah Farman, Saif ullah Niazi and others. In this case, Imran Khan and finance boards’ members were co-signatory of these accounts. The minister also mentioned the names of some foreign funders including Mukesh Kanda, Charn Jeet Singh, Charles, Michael and others. Ironically, his party continued to receive the funding, but Imran Khan did not know. She said Imran Khan, being prime minister, could not prove corruption of a single dime against the PML-N leaders during his four-year rule.

River Indus continues to flow in medium, low flood: FFC iSLamaBad staff rePort

The Federal Flood Commission (FFC) has said that River Indus is flowing in “Medium Flood” downstream Taunsa at Guddu and in low flood at Sukkur respectively. According to daily FFC report on Saturday, all other main rivers of the Indus River System (Rivers Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi and Sutlej including the Indus at Tarbela, Kalabagh, Chashma & Kotri) are flowing in normal flow Conditions. The combined live storage of Tarbela, Mangla & Chashma is 7.726 MAF (i.e. 57.39% of the total 13.461 MAF). According to Flood Forecasting Division (FFD), Lahore, a monsoon low has developed over Northwestern Bay of Bengal (India) and is likely to become

marked and may affect Sindh, Balochistan along with DG Khan Division (Punjab) significantly from August 10th-13th. Trough of Westerly Wave continues to prevail over Northeastern Afghanistan and adjoining areas with Seasonal Low lying over Northwestern Balochistan. Mild moist currents both from Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal are penetrating into upper parts of the country up to 4000 feet. For the ensuing 24 hours FFD, Lahore has predicted scattered thunderstorm/rain of moderate intensity over the upper catchment of River Indus. Isolated to scattered thunderstorm/rain may also occur over Rawalpindi, Sargodha, Gujranwala, Lahore, DG Khan & Bahawalpur Divisions (Punjab), Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Eastern Balochistan and the upper catchments of Rivers Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi & Sutlej during

the same period. As per FFD, Lahore “Weekly Significant Weather Outlook” for river catchments, scattered rainfall of moderate to heavy intensity with isolated very heavy falls is expected over upper catchments of all the major rivers and widespread rainfall of heavy to very heavy intensity over Suleman Range (DG Khan & Rajanpur districts of Punjab Province) including Sindh & Balochistan from August 10th-13th. Heavy rains may generate Urban Flooding in Rawalpindi/Islamabad, Gujranwala, Peshawar, Nowshera, Mardan, Faisalabad and Lahore Divisions during the said period. Flash flooding is expected in local Nullahs of Islamabad/Rawalpindi, Shakargarh, Sialkot, Narowal, Abbottabad, Mansehra, Dir, Karak, Lakki Marwat, Bannu and Kashmir. Heavy Rains may develop Urban

Flooding in Karachi, Thatta, Badin, Hyderabad, Dadu, Jamshoro, Sukkur, Larkana, Shaheed Benazirabad and Mirpurkhas from August 11th-13th. Flash flooding may occur in Qilla Saifullah, Loralai, Barkhan, Kohlu, Mosa Khel, Sherani, Sibbi, Bolan, Kalat, Khuzdar, Lasbella, Awaran, Turbat, Panjgur, Pasni, Jiwani, Ormara, Gwadar and Hill Torrents of Dera Ghazi Khan during the said period. Catchment areas of Rivers Ravi, Jhelum and Chenab may receive heavy downpour causing water level to rise significantly during the forecasted period. All related organizations are advised to remain Vigilant, take timely actions on warnings issued by the concerned organizations to ensure safety of low lying area communities, public & private property besides irrigation, drainage & flood protection infrastructure etc.

jects of the PML-Q. The lawyer maintained that Shujaat’s actions were in contravention of the objective of the resolution. He submitted that article 50 of the constitution of the PML-Q further provided that the working committee shall have the power to appoint a central election commission to organize and conduct elections in accordance with the relevant provisions and it shall consist of five members. It maintained that the ECP passed an illegal order to grant status quo to Shujaat to halt the procedures of the PML elections which were in accordance with the constitution of PML and Elections Act, 2017. “It is further prayed the court that the operation of the impugned Order may kindly be suspended till the final decision of this petition”, the petition concluded.

Prohibited Funding Case: FIA opens probe, summons various PTI leaders, workers continued from page 01 A sum of Rs11.104 million was deposited in the accounts of the PTI employees which was beyond their known sources of income, Babar said in his letter. He wrote that the funds were received through the accounts of employees Tahir Iqbal, Muhammad Nauman Afzal, Muhammad Arshad, and Muhammad Rafiq. Acting on this letter and the ECP ruling on this case, the FIA is probing the utilisation of funds from 13 undeclared accounts and has issued notices to the account holders. Sources close to these developments say FIA also wants to probe whether there are unknown accounts, besides looking into sources of funding in these accounts, how much funds were sent through them and whether funds were transferred in accordance with the laws of host countries.

Grenade at store selling flags in Balochistan kills one Quetta MoNItorINg rePort

Suspected militants threw a grenade at a roadside store selling national flags in Balochistan early Friday, killing a man and wounding 14 people, police said. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack in Quetta. A senior police officer, Fida Hussain, said the wounded were taken to a nearby hospital. Wasim Baig, a spokesman for the provincial health department, said one of the wounded was in critical condition. For nearly two decades, Balochistan has been the scene of a low-level militancy. The government says it has quelled the insurgency, but violence in the province has persisted. Pakistan will celebrate Independence Day on August 14, the date in 1947 when the country became independent from British colonial rule when United India was divided.

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Sunday, 7 August, 2022

06 COMMENT

Northern Balochistan has a case for attention

Imran Khan at bay Fears of a technical knockout

Pushtun areas are being ignored

HE ECP’s damaging judgement held PTI chief Imran Khan responsible for violating Pakistan’s laws while collecting party funds from foreign nationals and foreign-based companies. The ECP’s verdict exposed his claims of adherence to law, honesty and integrity. What is more it generated pressures on the PTI leadership from different quarters. The ECP has issued a notice to Mr Khan, summoning him on August 23 in the prohibited funding case. The coalition government has sent a reference to the ECP seeking the PTI chairman’s disqualification for failure to mention the amount received by him after selling Toshakhana gifts in his tax returns. Meanwhile the FIA is questioning employees of the party’s central secretariat who were allowed to receive funds from within Pakistan and abroad in their personal accounts. The PTI chief thinks the ruling alliance and the establishment are baying for his blood. Drawing on a siege mentality, he wants millions to turn out to back him in his fight. Former federal minister Fawad Chaudhry has announced staging a big public gathering in Islamabad where according to him the party will give a deadline to the government for the announcement of general elections. He has demanded dissolution of assemblies in a month. To show that he enjoys massive support from all over the country, Khan has announced that he alone would contest on all the nine vacant NA seats in bye-elections scheduled next month in Punjab, KP and Sindh. Imran Khan is no doubt a crowd puller. But the problems he faces cannot be resolved by fiery speeches delivered in public gatherings. The judiciary and the military establishment have already rejected r Khan’s narrative of his government’s fall being an outcome of a foreign conspiracy. Now he is confronting ECP which accuses him of blatant disregard of the country’s laws while the government has approached the ECP seeking IK’s disqualification under Article 62 (1) (f) of the Constitution for hiding his income from the sale of Toshakhana gifts. What can save Imran Khan is sound legal defence. Khan needs to realize that Pakistan’s Penal Code does not have separate laws for celebrities, be they actors, models, sportsmen or politicians.

AbDul rehmAn

In our academic and political discussions, there is a widely believed consensus that Northern Balochistan is a peaceful region while Southern Balochistan is not. Such understanding of Northern Balochistan, which is contrary to the ground realities, is depriving the region and its people of its due rights and attention. Balochistan is a multi-ethnic province; home to Pashtuns, Balochs, Brahuis, and some other minority ethnic groups. Territorially, Balochistan is widely segregated between Northern Balochistan and Southern Balochistan where Pashtun and Baloch live respectively. If the Baloch and Brahui are considered two separate ethnic groups, Pashtun emerges as the majority ethnic group in the province. However, owing to the unfortunate series of Baloch separatist movements and sectarianism in Southern Balochistan, it snatched the attention of academicians, policymakers, and politicians from Northern Balochistan. Therefore, there is a need to unveil the myth of “peaceful Northern Balochistan” and call for due attention from both the provincial and federal governments. Northern Balochistan, previously known as British Balochistan, was a developed region compared to Southern Balochistan. However, since the establishment of Balochistan as a province, Northern Balochistan was ignored by the policymakers with the excuse that Southern Balochistan requires attention and resources due to security issues and sectarianism. Both in terms of security and development, Northern Balochistan has not received its due share of attention and resources. CPEC (China Pakistan Economic Corridor) which is believed to be the gamechanger for both Balochistan and Pakistan, is

Eating humble pie Inevitable revulsion against PTI’s campaign

HE degree of offence taken by the Pak Army at tweets smearing the Corps Commanderr Quetta and four other officers in a helicopter crash while on flood relief duty, can be gauged from the fact that the DG ISPR, Maj Gen Babar Ikftikhar felt constrained to address the issue at a press conference. The social-media activist expressed his ire against the Chief of Army Stasff by wishing him on board the helicopter. This is offensive to General Bajwa as well as the families of the martyrs. The offending youngster, Muneeb Kiyani, has apologized. PTI chief Imran Khan, in an attempt at damage control, has condoled with the familyi of Lt Gen Sarfraz Ali. However, The PTI’s propensity to ignore all canons of good taste and common humanity, is now coming back to bite the institution that was on the same page with it. This incident, where a PTI supporter crosses the bounds of civilized behaviour and then is forced by his or her own conscience to apologize, is not the first. The sloganeering against Ahsan Iqbal at Bhera, followed by the sloganeering family apologizing to him, is still fresh in memory. An old-stle MPA once said that you could say anything on the floor of the House. Wehen one crossed the line, one would simply take back one’s words. Is the PTI trying that? After the decision in the foreign funding chase, The PTI is less restrained than before. However, these tweets markeda ne low: solely to score political points, and points which were not essential. The PTI has introduced a culture of crudity and bad manners. Noe that those once on the same page have seen how the PTI is willing to sacrifice good manners where it sees the slightest political advantage. The PTI itself should be worried about this phenomenon, as it is only a matter of time before it falls victim to it. It must concert measures with other parties to deal with this.

Dr AbDus sAttAr AbbAsi I was really excited when I received an invitation to join a ‘National Consultation on the Economy of Pakistan’ on July 19 in one of the leading hotels of Lahore. Most of the participants arrived on time which suggested everyone’s eagerness in the discussion. Some leading journalists, academicians, authors, serving and retired government officials and judges, religious scholars, development sector representatives, lawyers, engineers, economists and businessmen participated in the consultation. There was significant diversity in thoughts and ideas of participants. Generally religious scholars were of the view to link economic policies with rudimentary practices of early Islamic society with the belief that it is the responsibility of the Creator to feed every living organism on this planet, including human beings. Which is undoubtedly true but why do we forget that “man shall have nothing but he strives for”?. Why are we taught to earnestly pray for “which is good in the world”? Why are we told to “disperse in the land to seek His Bounty”? We need to develop a balanced view of life. It is undeniable that majority of Muslim population at the moment is suffering due to the weak economic conditions of Muslim societies. Muslim populations are fundamentally dependent on non-Muslim societies for reasonably comfortable life in modern times from transportation to cellular communications, from medicines to food commodities and from furniture to fixtures and fittings. You name anything for comfort, efficiency and productivity it will have origin in a society other than Muslims. Which I think is unbecoming of followers of a religion which was based on Iqra– reading, understanding, analysis and evaluation. Attractive part of the session was the participation from different walks of life and from different parts of the globe. The meeting was held in the backdrop of the recent verdict of the Federal Shariat Court to ban interest (riba) from all financial institutions of Pakistan. Therefore the initial focus of the discussion

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The widely believed misconception that “Northern Balochistan is peaceful” needs to be dispelled in political, academic, and policy debates so that this region can get its due share of rights and attention from the policymakers

The backdrop was the FSC verdict on riba

Arif Nizami (Late)

M. A. Niazi

People of Northern Balochistan are compelled to come to Quetta, the capital city, in case of any health emergency. The transportation system is barely intact in Northern Balochistan with no major roads in the region. One of the most alarming issues in Northern Balochistan is the growing trend of white-collar criminals and land mafia. In recent years, white-collar criminals under the name tag of Malaks and Khans are active in spreading hate among sub-castes of Pashtun in the region. They are steering the sentiments of their people for their political and economic purposes. Some believe that these Khans and Malaks are working under the patronage of some state elements. If these elements are not addressed and stopped at the earliest, they can divide subclans of the Pashtuns and can instigate conflicts between them. Northern Balochistan is as important as Southern Balochistan. For decades, Northern Balochistan has been ignored by policymakers, politicians, and academia due to the security issues in Southern Balochistan. If Northern Balochistan is ignored much longer, and development projects are not initiated, this could further exacerbate the sense of deprivation among the people. The people of Pashtun areas also claim that they never get their due share in the provincial government. The grievances of Northern Balochistan must be addressed before this region also drifts towards violence and conflict. The growing trend of white-collar criminals under the umbrella of so-called Malaks and Khans must be halted, even if it is allegedly sponsored by some state elements. The fear of possible religious extremism in Northern Balochistan, in the wake of the new government in Afghanistan, must also be addressed before it takes root in society. The widely believed misconception that “Northern Balochistan is peaceful” needs to be dispelled in political, academic, and policy debates so that this region can get its due share of rights and attention from the policymakers. The writer is Working as a Research Officer at Balochistan Think Tank Network, BTTN, Quetta.

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almost invisible in Northern Balochistan. Out of ten transportation projects under CPEC, five are completed/in-progress in Southern Balochistan while only two are planned for Northern Balochistan. The development of Gwadar city, establishment of Gwadar International Airport, and the only two power projects for Balochistan are also based in Southern Balochistan. Such ignorance of Northern Balochistan by the policymakers is creating a sense of deprivation among the people of Northern Balochistan. Northern Balochistan shares its borders with the Pashtun majority areas of Afghanistan to the northwest and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to the north. For almost two decades, Northern Balochistan has been the victim of religious terrorism. Due to the porous border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, the religious terrorists frequently execute cross-border terrorist activities without many hurdles. Due to the shared ethnic relationship between the people of Northern Balochistan and Afghanistan, religious terrorists have expanded their influence, especially in the border areas while strengthening their ideological roots in the region. Such grass root expansion of religious terrorist ideology is worrisome for both the province and the country. The security situation in Northern Balochistan is worsening day by day. Religious extremism and Baloch separatists are working to sabotage peace in the region. In the areas of Ziarat and Harnai, Baloch separatists are actively targeting security personnel. Recently, the Baloch separatists abducted and killed a serving officer of the Pakistan Army, Lt Col Laiq Baig Mirza and claimed responsibility for several attacks on security check posts. In terms of development, Northern Balochistan is one of the most underdeveloped regions in the country. It lacks education, health, and the basic necessities of life. As per the 2017 census data of the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, the education statistics in the region are alarming with a literacy rate of 33 percent in Zhob, 32 percent in Killa Saifullah, 52 percent in Pishin district, and 42 percent in Loralai district. The health infrastructure is almost absent with no major hospital in the entire Northern Balochistan.

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was on miseries and exploitation of riba which usually culminates its cycle with economic depressions in different societies but in recent times we witnessed the global impact of such economic turmoil. The Banking system, tax regimens, trade embargoes, global financial treaties, monopolies, all are blamed for the sufferings of masses in modern capitalistic economies. All claims of a trickledown effect are usually challenged by relevant experts calling for overall transformation of the financial and economic system to bring prosperity for the less advantaged. It has become a real task for economic and financial experts to enact a system ensuring equitable distribution of wealth which human society witnessed for hundreds of years in the Islamic super-continental state. Contemporary financial and economic experts in the session were emphasising the need of expanding the tax net to overcome current difficulties of the country besides other initiatives to expand and strengthen the overall economic conditions of Pakistan. Most of the participants were surprised when a presenter from the UK on a visit to Pakistan told the audience that they pay 20% VAT (value added tax) and then almost 20% on savings to fulfil their national responsibilities. It convinced all participants to inculcate the culture of paying tax but almost everyone was not convinced with current practices of FBR and emphasized the need of tax reforms for the convenience of traders and business organizations. After the speeches of religious scholars a trade representative raised his concern that if interest is considered as a war against the Creator then why there is such a significant prosperity in western countries where interest is not prohibited. There are several justifications to this observation from the religious community such as they will get their share of happiness in this life but will not get anything in the Hereafter. However, we should remain cautious about such claims because who knows what happens in the life after death. The kind of observation from the trade representative is based on apparent facts but lacks deep understanding of business dynamics of Western communities. There is a huge segment of leading global business organizations around the world which

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operates on zero leverage which means without interest-based financing for their operations. Second, venture capital to nurture new entrepreneurs and businesses contributes exceptionally in the contemporary business landscape which is identical to Islamic shariah compliant mudarabah financing, in some cases angel investors opt for the agreement which is same as the musharakah. Many participants advocated adopting fundamental practices of Islam for economics referring to it as the economics of Madina, at the same time several argued to strengthen modern economic indicators for the sustainability of the country. land reforms, tax reforms, electoral reforms, reforms in import and export policies, targeted subsidies, human resource development, attracting overseas Pakistanis with special policies and incentives; almost every aspect came under discussion with 26 contributors to the dialogue. It is important to note that everyone in the hall stressed the need for political stability in the Country. A representative of The Financial Markets Association of Pakistan (FMAP) gave some interesting suggestions, such as tagging imports with exports, balancing expenditures and income, per USD rebate for overseas Pakistanis on their remittances which can increase remittances threefold, significant devaluation of rupee in coming months beyond Rs 250 per dollar was also predicted. Finally the host and the president of Jamat-e-Islami ex-senator and ex-minister of finance KPK Siraj-ul-Haq gave his concluding remarks. He referred to ex-chairman FBR who said that the economy of Pakistan had already defaulted. He stated that in Islam both the market and the mosque are declared as sacred and any fraud and misappropriation is prohibited in these two places. He said that despite our extensive capability to produce agricultural goods we are subject to shortages. He shared his personal experience as KPK finance minister, giving budgets without deficit if there is authentic control on government expenditures. He invited people from all walks of life to join the mission to ensure economic prosperity of Pakistan without necessarily joining his party. The writer is Associate Professor Management Sciences and Head, Center of Islamic Finance COMSATS University (CUI) Lahore Campus. He can be reached at drabdussattar@cuilahore.edu.pk

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Sunday, 7 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

Challenges of a bipolar patient in Pakistan BEING a patient of bipolar disorder is challenging in Pakistan — a country where anachronistic stereotypes and superstitions still prevail. Bipolar disorder is one of the deadliest psychological disorders. It is characterised by severe mood swings — high confidence followed by depressive thoughts. Teenagers are most likely to develop this disorder. The victims develop suicidal thoughts, face insomnia, lose appetite, struggle to concentrate, and live with a grudge. Followed by depressive seizures, they face hypomania — a condition in which the patients feel extremely energetic and confident. This weird attitude often results in inducing misconceptions in the minds of people around them. The victims are taken to the shrines instead of a psychiatrist. Even though the disorder is a leading cause of growing suicides among young people, it remains a taboo that society has yet to overcome. It is believed that 14.3 per cent students between the age of 15 and 25 years suffer from this disorder in Pakistan, without knowing it. There are hundreds of psychiatrists available in hospitals. A visit to a good psychiatrist is a simple solution to the problem. A few counselling sessions and medication can take the victims out of their troubles, but that visit to the psychiatrist remains elusive. KASHISH ALI KASHMORE

Penalties

A drone strike on a dormant target Helping Pakistan find a potential new role nAqi AkbAr

E was a written-off asset in the world of terror; specifically, Islamist terror. Dr Aiman Zawahiri, the number 2 of one-time terror group Al Qaeda, whose sole claim to action and fame has been the 9/11 attacks, was tracked and shredded to pieces at his “retirement” home in Kabul by the CIA. That blast from the past at least gave the incumbent US President Biden the cause to take credit in an otherwise uneventful presidency since 2020. It also activated the debate that what were the reasons for he US reentry into the Afghan war theatre. Linked with that debate has been naturally; what is in store for the Pakistan real rulers; and the establishment in months and years to come. First Dr. Zawahiri; a doctor by profession with specialisation in phthalmology; he belonged to the last generation of Ikhwan ul Muslimoon (IM) who opted to go a bit further into actively confronting what that cadre called the post-colonialism nation states through armed struggle. His generation was also significant by another count. Shedding the inhibition of spilling innocent blood for political goals. The IM cadre of Zainab al Ghazali and Syed Qutb believed in changing minds; the change which would pave the way for the regime change of the society.he doctor’s generation, after serving long prison terms in Egyptian security prisons, felt that changing the mindsets was an exercise in futility. What was productive was violent means to remove what they called the pagan system. The October 1973 war anniversary parade in 1981, when Anwar Sadat, the Egyptian President was killed by IM cadres in the Army was the flashpoint of that new strategy, which the IM could not sustain for long as the Egyptian establishment moved swiftly to take control of the situation. They repeated that strategy with Hosni Mubarak again in 1995, but without success. Dr Zawahiri’s tying up with Osama Bin Laden in the following years was very much influenced by that strategy. History had something else in store for them. The 9/11 attacks in the USA, instead of “beginning of the end” proved to be the failure of that strategy for all times to come; forcing Muslim identity to be apologetic for all they believe in. However, as a criminal is chased by his detractors; the Al Qaeda Doctor too had a similar end. The way US President Biden explained thye care the CIA took in avoiding collateral damage to anyone else from the Zawahiri family, explains that all he earned through all those years was a repute which had no relevance when he was being shredded by the Hellfire missile in that Kabul apartment. Anyhow, as the critics of the War on Terror as well as those of the methodology of the law enforcement agencies engaged in neutralizing terror, terrorism control too has become an industry for many; establishments, political par-

ties, movements and even Godly movements who claim to be unworldly, not concerned about the utility of “Dollars”; apparently; as the news streaming out of Afghanistan and Kabul suggests. To move a bit further, the flight of drone from Qatar all the way to Afghanistan capital Kabul, avoiding Iranian airspace for obvious reasons, one is forced to think, if the intended warhead “kissed” with consensus, the Pakistani airspace along with the drone fired at that Kabul apartment. Debate has already kicked off amongst the geopolitical analysts on the ground whether Pakistan has returned to the fold of the Pentagon defence axis in the coming days and months. As the smokescreen of he media gradually removes the doubts, reports and analysis are already streaming in that a faction of Taliban might have been instrumental in supervising the drone strike with precision. The Taliban, who were sanctioned by the USA right after the withdrawal of the US forces in August 2021, are now being offered dollars supposedly to ease the humanitarian crisis. Similarly, the Taliban and the USA are already into talks over release of funds. Even more ominous is that the supreme leader Mullah Haibatullah in a statement issued last month has sought s friendly relationship with the USA. These gestures are a far cry from the 1996 version of Taliban who were genuinely unworldly and ready to be good hosts for the Arab militants. Given these gestures, a US change of heart cannot be ruled to bail out the Taliban; while it is strangling another theocratic regime in the region; is a sharp contrast for even a layman to notice. A system of governance where women are not allowed many rights and that system is tolerated by the USA, makes any observer reminiscent about the USA of the last millennium when it stood strong with the most rabidly conservative Gulf monarchies led by Saudi Arabia, while it sided with the Turkish military in suppressing much progressive Turkish Islamists; not to ignore US opposition to Islamists ruling Tehran. The point to make is that if it suits the USA; the most conservative elements of any society are worth courting. If it does not suit them; it can be the other way round. Here it should not be neglected that the US invasion of Iraq benefited Iran. US strategists in

targeting Dr Zawahiri might have created an excuse to re-enter Afghanistan. The rationale behind that; would be not to lose any other regional entity to Iranian Tomans. As the picture becomes clearer for any observer and reader; the Dollar “gift hamper” is not just for the Taliban only; it might also encompass the Pakistani established order. The somewhat out of way peace gestures by the Pakistani clerics; not an all inclusive crowd to the Taliban as well as the TTP strongly suggests that it is not just the ground realities which are at work, rather there are geopolitical currents which are causing the many players to talk to each other. The somewhat return to the normal of the US Dollar in the Pakistani market all points to the background changes being controlled by the global powers. For Pakistan any renewed role in the War on Terror means the general street level perception of the common Pakistani stands vindicated. At the start of the political crisis in Pakistan in March 2022, many might have shrugged off the narrative as a product of PTI victim mentality; that the USA was behind the ouster. The slowly unfolding situation; where the Pakistani airspace is likely to be used more to hunt down Al Qaeda/ ISIS/TTP militants, means, and that will be believed by the man on the street, that Imran Khan’s narrative of “absolutely not” was not standing on crutches. Given the fact that Imran Khan is now faced with a minefield of hurdles to cross before he can be Prime Minister again, the PTI leader stands even more vindicated on pure moral grounds that the narrative he stood for was the correct one. The reemployment of Pakistan in the regional designs of the waning US power might have the economic bonus associated with that.Already we can see that the timing of the COAS’s SOS to the IMF with the permission of Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif and the drone attack in Kabul are being treated as linked developments, not to ignore the recovery of the rupee by Rs 10, not a small positive development. The killing of a written-off asset might not be news in itself; but it indicates a set of developments which might impact the economy, the geopolitics of the region and Pakistan. The ThPakistani establishment, a decades-old comrade in arms of the Pentagon, should not have been left alone by the principals; when new initiatives were afoot in the region.

Given the fact that Imran Khan is now faced with a minefield of hurdles to cross before he can be Prime Minister again, the PTI leader stands even more vindicated on pure moral grounds that the narrative he stood for was the correct one. The reemployment of Pakistan in the regional designs of the waning US power might have the economic bonus associated with that

The writer is a freelance columnist

IT was good to learn that the police force has stepped up efforts to punish traffic violators. Unfortunately, the very small penalties will not deter the habitual law-breakers and some more visible punishment impacting the pocket as well as their image will have to be introduced to make roads in Karachi and other cities of Pakistan safer. When the first martial law was promulgated in 1958, one observed an army jeep suddenly stopping at bus stops and a soldier with a stick directing people waiting for a bus to make a queue. This scenario was repeated all over the country for a few weeks and as a results people, as per my recollection, started getting into a queue automatically for at least the next 10 years. Similarly, vehicles of persons driving on the wrong side were stopped and the driver was asked to get down on his knees and hold his ears. This was basically to shame the person, and it worked. We need to reintroduce such relatively strong penalties not only for streamlining traffic, but in all aspects of life to put emphasis on discipline in the conduct of our lives if we want to progress as a nation. We have often heard the lament that Pakistanis strictly follow the laws of other countries, but start taking liberties with law as soon as they land in Pakistan. This is primarily because of the poor accounta-bility and hardly any penalties on the law-breakers. Citizens of other countries are not angels. Their behaviour is subconsciously tailored by the strong accountability and penalties in their respective countries, where visitors from Pakistan would have hardly ever observed people driving on the wrong side of the track. MOIN MOHAJIR KARACHI

Scarcity of Colleges EDUCATION is the most salient need which depicts the real image of society. One without education is like a bird without wings, a body without soul and a flower without beauty. Women are the most prominent part of our society. Institutions play an essential role in the flowering of education. For a long time, the residents of Kohi Goth (UC 14) Malir, have been highlighting sensitive issues but I want to grab the attention of relevant authorities regarding the aforementioned hypersensitive problem. The scarcity of girls’ colleges in Kohi Goth has become a grave threat to all girls. After completion of their secondary education, they confront numerous impediments. Some of them do not have permission to get out and most of them are unable to bear the expenditures of education. 20% of girls are enough able to go out in order to achieve education and 80% of girls are deprived of educational rights. The government of Sindh and the Higher Education Commission (HEC) is requested to establish a girl college in Kohi Goth district Malir, Karachi. MUHEEM ABDUL NABI KARACHI

Our Ruling Elite IT is time that the paid and elected ruling elite of this country, who aspire to hold public office, must be seen to have all their stakes in this country, no conflicts of interest, and lead by example in their total commitment to Pakistan. This country was created by politicians with integrity and character, who were not smitten by greed for assets and real estate allotments. In 1930 Quaid left for London, where he served as a successful barrister, bought a house in Hampstead and was well settled. However, when he was approached by Allama Iqbal and others to return to India, he sold that house and returned back to lead the All-India Muslim League, never to return back to England. In his 11th August, 1947 address to the First Constituent Assembly MAJ warned about the cancer of corruption, that years of colonial rule had nurtured to buy loyalties of natives, willing to betray their motherland and serve the British Raj. The British used land and titles to lure the paid servants of the state to serve them loyally. Unfortunately, since 1955, these remnants of the British Raj conspired to derail Jinnah’s vision of a modern democratic welfare state to be replaced by a security state, serving their former colonial masters. We may be amongst the few countries whose paid and elected elite are allowed to own vast assets abroad, settle their families there and yet be eligible to hold sensitive public offices in the civil and uniformed services. Our paid bureaucracy, both civil and uniformed, while in service have no restriction to buy properties abroad, facilitate their families from acquiring immigration and after retirement shift abroad, to live with there. Individuals holding important sensitive public offices are facilitated to sell their assets in Pakistan, including lands allotted to them, and transfer proceeds of such sales to their foreign bank accounts. MALIK TARIQ ALI LAHORE

Sunday, 7 August, 2022

08 WORLD VIEW

Bangladesh’s decision to hike fuel prices will hurt every section of society IF THE GOVERNMENT TAKES THE IMF LOAN AND CONTINUE IN THIS VEIN, THE CRISIS WE ARE FACING WILL NOT BE RESOLVED. WITHOUT A SOLUTION TO CORRUPTION AND EXCESS AND WITH GROWING PRIVATION AND COMMERCIALISATION, IT IS THE PEOPLE OF THIS COUNTRY WHO WILL BEAR THE BRUNT OF THE GOVERNMENT'S WRONG CHOICES

Star, BangladeSh anu muhammad

It is very difficult to find any logic behind the government's sudden decision to hike fuel prices, especially since global oil prices are starting to come down - this week, US oil prices fell below USD 90 per barrel, from USD 120 just two months ago. The government justified its decision by referring to previous global price hikes, as a result of which Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) incurred losses amounting to around Tk 8,000 crore. However, it should be remembered that when the price of oil was globally low in the past, prices in Bangladesh were not reduced. At the time, the government saved a sizeable fund from profits earned - around Tk 47,000 crore over a few years. Why, then, did the government not adjust this gap with the funds it has saved up from previous profits, which exists only because the people paid more than what was necessary for the fuel they used? Whether IMF conditionality is a reason behind this rise in prices is not something we can confirm with any certainty, but it is certainly a possibility. Whenever the IMF gives loans to countries, it almost always comes

with some common conditions and a certain style of crisis management. The same straitjacket is fitted onto every country. One of the main aspects of this is an increase in the prices of utilities such as gas, electricity, oil, water, and sometimes even education and healthcare, regardless of how important the reasons are for the government to invest in these sectors, or how much of an impact price hikes might have on ordinary people. These conditionalities are imposed in the name of getting rid of fiscal deficits, but the objective is to protect different global, capitalist interests. So it is not illogical to speculate that the Bangladesh government is taking this dangerous decision due to pressure from the IMF. Before raising prices as a reaction to global changes, one must think of the consequences. In a country where inflation is already high and the prices of essentials are soaring, high oil prices are guaranteed to have a knockon effect on almost all other goods, as well as transport costs and rent. Ordinary people have already reduced consumption, and their debts have started to pile up. Keeping this context in mind, there are a number of alternative paths the government could have chosen. One was to use the profit the government received when they were importing oil at low prices and selling it to the people at high prices. Another alternative would have been to simply lift the duty levied on imported oil, which would have reduced prices. Also, last week, the PM shared the information that we have sufficient stock of octane and petrol in Bangladesh as by-products of gas extraction. If this is the case, then why should the volatility of the global market have any impact on us? Given that there are zero production costs when it comes to by-products, why are prices not falling instead? There are a lot of inconsistencies for which the people deserve answers. As a long-term policy, Bangladesh also had the option of safe and cheap gas exploration for greater energy sovereignty. The deal with the American multinational

corporation ConocoPhillips is an example of the state of this sector. In 2009, we objected to a contract for gas exploration and production with ConocoPhillips because it held provisions for export. We argued that we should reserve the gas extracted for our own needs, but the government argued that the need to extract gas was so urgent that no consideration could put a stop to it. Our protests were dispersed, often with violence, the contract went ahead, and ConocoPhillips' share value went up. They went on to give a sub-contract to another company, which after a while changed their minds and left. And in the last 13 years, that gas has remained unexplored. At the time, the alternative model we suggested was a bit like the Padma Bridge one. We could work with foreign companies in the fields where we have limited expertise, but we opposed any contracts that would give them authority or ownership over our resources. We wanted to build our own national capacity, not only in terms of gas extraction, but also in terms of tapping into renewable energy sources. I believe if the government had gone down that route, then the situation in Bangladesh would be completely different right now. Instead, the government played into the hands of interest groups in favour of importing LNG, and our focus also shifted towards coal and nuclear energy. The country became dependant on imports, foreign loans and foreign companies for our energy needs, creating an unsustainable system that not only made us vulnerable but ultimately contributed to environmental destruction as well. What happened in Sri Lanka is a warning for us. There are certain similarities between our two countries, such as taking on mega-projects without due process, loan dependency, lack of transparency in decision-making processes, monopolisation by a few groups, a lack of accountability, etc. Bangladesh's main advantages are high remittance and export earnings, which are keeping us afloat despite capital flight and widespread corruption. However, policymakers

are continually failing to deal with the root causes of the crisis that we are now being faced with. It is dangerous to be so dependent on imports when there is such high pressure on foreign exchange reserves. But what created this pressure in the first place? Capital flight, or the laundering of money abroad by influential persons, now stands at around Tk 70,000-80,000 crore, according to international estimates, although some independent analysis suggests the amount could be twice as much. Stopping or at least controlling it should have been a priority for us. Yet, in the last budget proposal, the finance minister gave a green signal to these money launderers by making a provision for legalising money laundered out of Bangladesh in exchange for only 7-15 percent tax. Highcost imports for mega-projects are also putting pressure on forex reserves. In this scenario, stopping unnecessary imports, controlling unsustainable mega-projects that operate without transparency, and controlling capital flight should be the government's main priorities. If the government takes the IMF loan and continue in this vein, the crisis we are facing will not be resolved. Without a solution to corruption and excess and with growing privation and commercialisation, it is the people of this country who will bear the brunt of the government's wrong choices. The negative impacts will be potent for the country's huge majority including informal workers, many of whom fell further into poverty during the pandemic. This vast and extremely vulnerable population will be forced to cut household costs, which will then go on to have wider impacts on nutrition, education and health, especially for women and children. Ultimately, the government's irresponsible, illogical and unkind decision to raise fuel prices will harm people in every section of society and ultimately injure economic productivity as well. Anu Muhammad is a professor of economics at Jahangirnagar University. This article is the result of an interview taken by a member of The Daily Star editorial team.

geopolitics of oil and inflation

Centre for StrategiC and international StudieS William Reinsch

Both the U.S. government and the G7 are considering polices to simultaneously address high oil prices and inflation as well as Russia’s control over energy markets. However, the proposed U.S. crude oil export ban would do little reduce inflation, and instead could have the opposite effect of actually increasing U.S. gasoline prices. The effects of the G7 price cap, alternatively, would depend on a few key actors, namely Russia, China, and India. Ultimately, prices levels may eventually decrease not due to government intervention but rather because of growing fears of an economic downturn. Q1: Would stopping U.S. crude oil exports help reduce inflation? A1: Curbing or banning U.S. crude oil exports would not help reduce inflation and could further increase it. The price of gasoline and diesel in the United States is based on global energy markets, not just the U.S. domestic market. The United States exports on average about 3 million barrels per day of crude oil, meaning if these exports were cut, there would be a decrease in supply in the global markets which would cause the price of oil to increase. Some industry experts have acknowledged that West Texas Intermediate (WTI) prices—the key U.S. crude oil benchmark—may fall if exports are banned. However, petroleum product prices in the United States reflect global prices. If crude exports from the United States fall and global supply diminishes, product prices may well rise as a result. A ban on crude oil exports also ignores

the differences between types of crude oil. The United States largely exports light, sweet crude oil, while Gulf Coast refiners are optimized to process heavier crudes with higher sulfur content. Furthermore, U.S. refineries are already operating near full capacity, so an increase in U.S. crude oil supply may not help. Additionally, even if there were a ban on U.S. crude oil exports, currently no such ban would be in effect for refined oil products. An export ban on refined products would add to the global scarcity of refined products and would likely drive up prices of U.S. gasoline and diesel products. Banning crude oil exports would also increase the U.S. trade deficit. A ban on crude oil exports would remove an export outlet for upstream producers and could lead them to shut in production. The decrease in U.S. crude oil production would thus cause a decrease in U.S. net exports of crude oil and petroleum products, increasing the U.S. trade deficit. Decreased production of U.S. crude oil would also likely make the United States more dependent on foreign oil in the long term as a need to recover lost U.S. production. Increased dependence on foreign oil could be offset, however, if renewable energy replaced the decrease in domestic crude oil production. Q2: Would a ban on oil exports hurt the European Union? A2: Lower oil supplies would drive up global prices, simultaneously hurting net importers like the European Union, and benefiting Russia, where revenue from oil and gas made up 45 percent of its federal budget in 2021. As Europe begins to institute a partial embargo on Russian crude oil and petroleum products, access to U.S. oil will become even more critical for Europe. In the months since the invasion of Ukraine, U.S. exports have reached their highest ever since the ban on U.S. crude oil exports was lifted. The United States is projected to have sent 1.4 million barrels of oil a day to Europe during the second quarter of 2022, a 30 percent increase from last year, with Europe now accounting for roughly 42 percent of all U.S. crude oil exports. Meanwhile, the supply of oil from the North Sea is expected to decline, placing further importance on U.S. exports. Representative Ro Khanna (D-CA), a proponent of enacting the export ban, has suggested that Europe could be exempted.

However, as exports to Europe constitute such a large percentage of total U.S. exports, a European exemption would significantly reduce any intended effect of the ban. Furthermore, key U.S. allies such as Canada, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and Taiwan are major importers of U.S. crude oil as well, and they would still be negatively affected by an export ban. These regions have already seen their imports decrease as Europe consumes more U.S. crude oil. Q3: How would the proposed G7 oil price cap affect global oil markets? A3: The effect of the proposed G7 oil price cap on global markets depends largely on three key countries: Russia, China, and India. The potential effect on oil markets is predicated largely on how Russia would respond to such a cap. The price cap would likely be set between the discounted price of Urals blend and Russia’s marginal cost of exploration, which is estimated at $40 per barrel. The idea is to set the price cap high enough to incentivize continued production and exports but low enough to reduce Russian revenue. If the price cap were successfully implemented, global oil prices would likely fall and inflation would likely decrease. However, Russia may refuse to sell at the capped price level in an effort to exert its leverage and drive up prices. Outside of Russia, China and India’s reaction to a price cap will also determine its effect. China and India are two of the largest importers of crude oil in the world and have increased consumption of Russian oil since the invasion, benefiting from the steep discount. If India and China don’t agree to the proposed price cap, then it would likely stop the proposal in its track. The G7 has reportedly had positive discussions with both China and India regarding the price cap, pitching it as a way for the two countries to buy Russian gas at an even steeper discount. The implementation of a price cap and effective establishment of an oil buyer’s cartel could change global oil markets in the long run, as it would create a counterweight to the oil supplying cartel of OPEC. An accelerating renewable energy transition would also increase the viability of an oligopsony by reducing global demand for fossil fuels. Q4: Would an oil export ban comply with WTO rules?

A4: It is likely that an export ban would not comply with WTO rules. The organization does not regulate how much of a resource a country produces. Instead, regulations only come into effect once the resource has been extracted and can be exported. When the United States first allowed crude oil exports in 2015, much of the debate leading up to the decision to remove the ban centered around the legality of the ban in the first place. The Obama administration worried about potential South Korean and NATO challenges to the ban. In 2014, one of the lawyers that represented the United States at the creation of the WTO claimed that the arguments for the ban, based on national security and the need to prevent a domestic oil shortage, could not be successfully defended. In 2013, when the United States was considering a similar export ban on liquefied natural gas (LNG), a former WTO appellate judge stated it was certain such export restrictions would be in violation of the WTO if challenged by another member. However, Senator Ed Markey (D-MA), a proponent of keeping the ban in place, at the time argued that it was consistent with U.S. commitments under the WTO. Senator Markey argued that exceptions outlined in Articles XX and XXI of the GATT allowed for the United States to curb crude oil exports as a matter of domestic security. Senator Markey also highlighted the inclusion of several OPEC nations in the WTO, even though they restrict domestic oil production in order

to manipulate prices, as further proof that a crude oil export ban is in keeping with WTO commitments. Thus, if the United States were to impose such a ban on U.S. crude oil exports, it would likely be litigated at the WTO with an uncertain outcome. Q5: How do recession fears affect the proposed oil policies? A5: Growing fears of a recession could decrease the price of oil enough to make either an export ban or price cap moot. Recessions historically cause the price of oil to decrease, as quickly falling demand brings lower prices. In July 2008, for example, crude oil reached $145 per barrel, but by December 2008, it had fallen to $35 per barrel. Estimates suggest that during a recession a decline in demand of 10 percent can cause the price of crude oil to decrease between $35 to $50 per barrel. The Brent Crude oil benchmark has already decreased by over $20 per barrel over the last month as recession fears intensified. If this continues, oil prices could fall enough to make a price cap ineffective and unnecessary. Similarly, a ban on U.S. crude oil exports could be unnecessary if the price of oil were already low. Instead, such a ban could harm U.S. production at a time when the United States would be trying to encourage growth. William Reinsch holds the Scholl Chair in International Business at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, D.C. Grant Reynolds is an intern with the Scholl Chair.

Sunday, 7 August, 2022 | LAHORE

NEWS corporate corner pakistan navy ship taimur participates in bilateral naval drill in malaysia

Islamabad: The newly commissioned Pakistan Navy Ship TAIMUR visited Naval Base Lumut, Malaysia during return passage from China to Pakistan. Upon arrival at port, PN Ship was received by Defence Attaché of Pakistan at Kuala Lumpur Cdre Nasir Mahmood and senior officials from Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN). On this occasion, the military band of Malaysia played tunes as part of welcome gesture. The visit of PNS TAIMUR included harbour and sea phases. In harbour phase table top discussions on professional matters and bilateral interactions with military leadership were held. Afterward at sea, bilateral naval exercise MALPAK-IV was organised to enhance interoperability between the two navies. During the port visit, the Commanding Officer PNS TAIMUR, Captain Yasir Tahir called on Deputy Western Fleet Cdr of RMN and CO KD SULTAN IDRIS I. During the interactions, matters of mutual interest and bilateral cooperation were discussed. On the occasion Commanding Officer of PN ship conveyed well wishes from Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Muhammad Amjad Khan Niazi for the people of Malaysia in general and Malaysian Navy in particular. Officers of RMN and diplomatic corps in Kuala Lumpur visited onboard PNS TAIMUR. Visiting dignitaries were briefed about Pakistan Navy initiative of Regional Maritime Security Patrol in Indian Ocean Region. PN Officers also visited RMN training facilities and ship KD JEBAT. Visit of Pakistan Navy Ship to Malaysia and participation in naval drill provided an opportunity for both friendly countries to further enhance the existing close diplomatic ties and cordial relations. pr

aiou delegation visits indonesian education ministry Islamabad: A delegation of professors from Allama Iqbal Open University held separate meetings with high officials of the Indonesian Ministry of Education and Pakistani Ambassador, Muhammad Hassan, yesterday. The Pakistani delegation was led by the Director, International Collaboration and Exchange office, AIOU, Dr. Zahid Majeed. Dr. Zahid briefed the ministry officials that Vice Chancellor, AIOU, Prof. Dr. Zia Ul-Qayyum wanted to further improve and strengthen the academic cooperation with Indonesian universities and the purpose of our visit with VC, AIOU is to further increase the academic cooperation with the universities here. Dr. Zahid Majeed told them that MoU with Jamia Darunnajah has been extended and the students and teachers of Darunnajah will be able to get English and Arabic language training from Allama Iqbal Open University. New educational programs will be introduced with the cooperation of AIOU and Indonesia Open University Terbuka. Officials of the Ministry of Education, Indonesia praised the educational services of Allama Iqbal Open University at the international level. Dr. Zahid gave a brief presentation on the varsity's profile, recent initiatives and collaborative projects with international universities. He also requested the cooperation of the Indonesian Ministery of Education and the Pakistani Ambassador in introducing various educational programs in Indonesia. The ambassador assured his full support for AIOU. pr

Chinese Company installs free solar power plants at Bahawalpur hospital BEIJING

Agencies

hina’s renewable energy solutions conglomerate Zonergy has installed four solar power plants at different buildings of Bahawal Victoria hospital in Bahawalpur district of Punjab province. The plants, having a total peak generation capacity of 325kW, have been installed by the Chinese company free of cost under its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) agreement with the government of Punjab, China Economic net (CEn) reported. a 40kW solar power plant was set up at the hospital’s blood bank, which caters for the whole region. Other plants were installed at the emergency building and cardiac and kidney centres. The solar plants also have storage facilities, which will resolve the issue of

power outages at the hospital’s critical departments. The administration of the hospital has recognised and appreciated Zonergy for the completion of the proj-

ect at one of the key hospitals in a relatively less-developed area of Punjab. Zonergy has completed a 300 megawatts solar power plant project in

Bahawalpur under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) initiative. The company will expand the project up to 900 MWs with a total investment of US$1.5 billion. The project caters for the need of 200,000 households and has created 3,000 jobs for Pakistani youth. The company’s CSR initiative also includes an annual internship programme for two public-sector universities of Bahawalpur,installation of solar power plants (20+25 kW) at two degree colleges, a 15 kW solar power plant at the Bhaili higher Secondary School, Multan,5kW solar power plant in emergency departments of two hospitals at Bahawalpur and Multan, development of two resource centres for training on solar and other renewable energy technologies at two universities of Bahawalpur and Multan, installation of 180 kW solar power plant at nishtar hospital, Multanand installation of water filtration plant in Bahawalpur.

Hindu extremists push boycott of Bollywood ‘Forrest Gump’ remake MUMBAI Afp

according to Forrest Gump, life is like a box of chocolates because “you never know what you’re going to get”. now, an indian remake of the movie has been hit by boycott calls over yearsold comments by its Muslim star aamir Khan. it is the latest example of how Bollywood actors, particularly minority Muslims like Khan, are feeling increased pressure under hindu nationalist Prime Minister Modi. “Laal Singh Chaddha”, an indian spin on the 1994 hollywood hit with Tom hanks, is expected to be one of india’s biggest films of 2022. This is due in large part to its main star, 57year-old Khan, one of the indian industry’s most bankable actors with past blockbusters like “3 idiots” (2009) and “Dangal” (2016). But ahead of the august 11 release, the internet is awash with clips from a 2015 interview when Khan expressed a growing “sense of fear” and that he and his then-wife discussed

leaving india. “She fears for her child. She fears about what the atmosphere around us will be. She feels scared to open the newspapers every day,” he said. More than 200,000 tweets, many from supporters of Modi’s BJP party, have been shared since last month calling for people to spurn the movie with the hashtag #BoycottLaalSinghChaddha. “aamir Khan married two hindu Women, yet named his kids Junaid, azad & ira. (hindu co-star) Kareena (Kapoor) married a Muslim & promptly named her kids Taimur & Jehangir,” said one tweet, referring to the children’s typical Muslim names. “That’s enough reasons to boycott Lal Singh Chaddha, basically a production from Bollywood’s Love Jihad club. #BoycottLaalSinghChaddha,” it added, using a derogatory term coined by hindu nationalists who accuse Muslim men of marrying hindu women and forcing them to convert.

1968 plane wreckage found on Swiss glacier GENEVA Afp

Wreckage from a plane that crashed in the Swiss alps in 1968 has been discovered on a glacier more than 54 years on, police said. The pieces emerged on the aletsch Glacier in the southwestern Wallis canton, near the Jungfrau and Monch mountain peaks. Wallis police said the

wreckage was discovered on Thursday. “investigations have determined that the parts were from the wreckage of a Piper Cherokee, registration hBOYL, which crashed at this location on June 30, 1968. Recovery work will be undertaken as soon as possible,” police said. The 24 heures regional newspaper said that on board were a teacher, a chief medical

officer and his son, who were all from Zurich. They had a fatal accident 500 metres south of the Jungfraujoch saddle between the two peaks. The bodies were recovered at the time, but the wreckage was not. “at the time of the accident, more than 50 years ago, the technical means to recover aircraft wreckage in difficult terrain were limited,” the police said.

mobilink microfinance Bank, CBa partner to promote access to digital financial solutions for underserved segments Islamabad: Pakistan's largest digital bank, Mobilink Microfinance Bank Limited (MMBL), and CBa, a leading digital distribution platform working to promote micro-entrepreneurship in Pakistan, have joined hands to increase peoples' access to premium digital financial services across the nation. This partnership will strengthen access to financial products and services through digital platforms and improve financial literacy. Chief Finance & Digital Officer MMBL, Sardar Mohammad abubakr, and CEO CBa, Ghazanfar ali Khan, inked this exciting agreement at the MMBL head Office in islamabad, in the presence of senior management from both organizations. MMBL is one of the country's leading proponents of financial inclusion, wholly committed to serving marginalized and underserved people while bridging the digital divide in the country. The bank leverages its elaborate portfolio of innovative digital and financial services to consistently provide convenient access to banking products and services to entrepreneurs and Micro, Small, and Mediumsized Enterprises, specifically in remote and hard-to-access areas. CBa, on the other hand, is the largest Digital Distribution Platform with more than 20,000 retailers in the country that provides one-stop retail solutions, including various financial services, telcos airtime, utility bill payments, digital ticketing, evouchers, mobile handsets purchasing, digital courier services and loan repayments. addressing the gathering, CFDO MMBL, Sardar Mohammad abubakr, stated, "We are excited to collaborate with CBa . pr

China to press on with drills around Taiwan as US relations nosedive BEIJING Afp

China has doubled down on its retaliation for US house Speaker nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, announcing a suspension of cooperation with Washington on key issues as it was set Saturday to continue massive military exercises in the Strait. Relations between the two superpowers have nosedived in the wake of Pelosi’s trip to China’s self-ruled neighbour — which it claims as its territory — prompting calls from the Un for an urgent de-escalation of tensions. and Friday saw the environment become the latest victim of the geopolitical jousting, as Beijing said it would withdraw from a series of talks and cooperation agreements with Washington — most notably on climate change and defence cooperation. The world’s two largest polluters had

pledged to work together to accelerate climate action this decade and vowed to meet regularly to tackle the crisis — a deal that now looks shaky. Beijing is due to press ahead Saturday with some of its largest-ever military drills around Taiwan — exercises aimed at practicising a blockade and ultimate invasion of the democratic island, analysts say. “in the waters around Taiwan island, more than 10 destroyers and escorts of the Eastern Theater Command navy approached from different directions to carry out containment operations,” the Chinese army’s Eastern Theater Command said in a statement on Friday’s drills. and in a bid to show just how close China’s forces have been getting to Taiwan’s shores, Beijing’s military overnight released a video of an air force pilot filming the island’s coastline and mountains from his cockpit.

China’s state broadcaster, CCTV, has reported that Chinese missiles have flown directly over Taiwan during the exercises — a major escalation if confirmed. But Taipei has remained defiant, insisting it would not be cowed by its “evil neighbour” as it reported Friday that 68 Chinese warplanes and 13 warships had crossed the “median line” that runs down the Taiwan Strait. ‘PunIshIng the whole world’: The scale and intensity of China’s drills have triggered outrage in the United States and other democracies, with the White house summoning China’s ambassador to Washington on Friday to rebuke him over Beijing’s actions. and Beijing’s decision to withdraw from hard-won cooperation on climate change has now sparked wider fears about the future of the planet. “it’s obviously worrying and raises con-

cerns,” alden Meyer, a senior associate at E3G, a climate-focused think tank, told aFP. it’s “impossible to address the climate emergency if the world’s number one and number two economies, and number one and number two emitters are not taking action,” he said. “and it’s always preferable that they do that in a collaborative way.” national Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters in Washington the decision was “fundamentally irresponsible.” “They’re actually punishing the whole world, because the climate crisis doesn’t recognise geographic boundaries and borders,” Kirby said. “The world’s largest emitter now is refusing to engage on critical steps necessary to combat the climate crisis.” Un Secretary-General antonio Guterres warned the two superpowers must continue to work together — for the world’s sake.

“For the secretary-general, there is no way to solve the most pressing problems of all the world without an effective dialogue and cooperation between the two countries,” his spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. ‘the new normal’: But with tensions over Taiwan having risen to their highest level in nearly 30 years with an elevated risk of military conflict, experts told aFP the latest downturn in relations between the two superpowers could be deep and long-lasting. “The relationship is in a very bad place right now,” said Bonnie Glaser, a China expert at the German Marshall Fund. The suspension Friday of bilateral military and maritime dialogue while China continues its military exercises was “particularly worrisome,” she said. “We don’t know what else they will do,” she said. “We just don’t know if this is just a temporary thing.”

Sunday, 7 August, 2022 | LAHORE

10 FOREIGN NEWS

15 MaRTyRED, 125 InJURED as IsRaEl COnTInUEs aIRsTRIKEs On Gaza GAZA CITY, PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES

Agencies

T least 15 Palestinians have been martyred and 125 injured as Israeli warplanes are continuing to strike military targets throughout the Gaza Strip for the second day on Saturday. Israel hit Gaza with air strikes on Saturday and a Palestinian militant group retaliated with a barrage of rocket fire, in the territory’s worst escalation of violence since the war last year. Israel said it was forced to launch a “pre-emptive” operation against Islamic Jihad, insisting the group was planning an imminent attack following days of tensions along the Gaza border. A building struck down in an Israeli air strike, amid Israel-Gaza fighting, in Gaza City, August 6, 2022. /Reuters The Israeli airstrikes, dubbed “Operation Breaking Dawn,” targeted “10 terrorist operatives” of the PIJ in Gaza to “eliminate the threat to the citizens of Israel,” according to the Israeli military. Dozens of rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip into Israel on Friday evening by the PIJ, all of which were either intercepted or fell in open areas, causing no injuries, the Israeli military said. According to the Israeli Defense Forces, the group launched some 80 rockets in southern Israel. Nearly half

of them fell short in Gaza, and 46 crossed the border, of which 33 were intercepted by the Iron Dome defense system, and the rest fell in open areas, causing no injuries. Egypt’s official Ahram news site reported that Egyptian officials were mediating between Israel and Palestinian groups in Gaza in an effort to end the fighting and restore the 2021 ceasefire agreement. “Egypt is conducting intensive communications with the Palestinian and the Israeli sides to end the ongoing escalation in Gaza,” the report said, citing an Egyptian official. Israel’s army is preparing for its aerial operation in Gaza to last a week,

Pelosi’s ‘farcical’ Taiwan trip boosts one-China consensus: China PHNOM PENH: U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to China’s Taiwan region turned into a “farce” that has not only backfired but consolidated the one-China consensus among the international community, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi told a press conference in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on Friday. In response to what the U.S. calls the precedent of a similar visit by a previous speaker, Newt Gingrich, to Taiwan 25 years ago, Wang said, “That was a serious mistake, and past mistakes cannot be used as an excuse to repeat them today.” He said that because of U.S. bullying, over 100 countries have spoken up, reiterating their commitment to the one-China principle and voicing their support for China’s legitimate position. It’s a complete rumor and slander that the U.S. claims that China has changed the status quo in the Taiwan Straits, he said, adding that it is America and separatist forces in Taiwan that need to be held accountable for breaking the status quo. “The People’s Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China. This is the real status quo of the Taiwan question,” the foreign minister said. He urged American leaders to take a good look at the Three Joint Communiques that are the pillar of China-U.S. diplomatic relations as the documents will help them to learn what the real status quo is and who exactly changed it. The same goes for Taiwan’s Democratic Progressive Party, which keeps seeking “Taiwan independence” and manufacturing “two Chinas or one China and one Taiwan” at different times, he said. They are flagrantly changing the status quo, Wang added. “If Sun Yat-sen were still alive, he would also say that Tsai Ing-wen is an unworthy descendant.”

saying Saturday that there are currently no discussions on a ceasefire with Islamic Jihad militants. The military “is preparing for the operation to last week” and is “not currently holding ceasefire negotiations,” an army spokesperson told AFP, confirming reports in Israeli media. ‘Will NOt sHy aWay’: Israel’s closure of a key goods crossing four days ago resulted in Gaza’s power plant shutting down on Saturday, due to a “fuel shortage,” a spokesman for the enclave’s electricity distributor said. Diesel for the plant is usually trucked in from Egypt or Israel, which closed its two border crossings with Gaza on Tuesday citing security

concerns. “Israel isn’t interested in a wider conflict in Gaza, but will not shy away from one either,” Prime Minister Yair Lapid said in a nationally televised address on Friday. Air raid sirens sounded across southern Israel on Saturday, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or major damage. Officials in border areas urged people to stay close to shelters, which have also been opened in the coastal city of Tel Aviv. Hamas has fought four wars with Israel since seizing control of Gaza in 2007, including the conflict last May. Both Hamas and Islamic Jihad are considered terrorist organisations by much of the West.A flare up with Islamic Jihad came in 2019, following Israel’s killing of Baha Abu al-Ata, Jabari’s predecessor. Hamas did not join the fray in that episode. Hamas’s moves now could prove crucial, with the group facing pressure from some to restore calm in order to improve economic conditions in Gaza. fivE-yEar-Old girl – Mohammed Abu Salameh, the director of Shifa, Gaza City’s main hospital, said medics are facing “acute shortages of medical supplies”. On Friday, the health ministry reported “a five-year-old girl, targeted by the Israeli occupation” was among those killed.

Sikh bodies observe black day in IIOJK JAMMU Agencies

In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), various Sikh bodies including Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar), Sikh Intellectuals Circle, International Sikh Federation and Sikh Students Federation, observed the 5th August as black day to condemn the Indian illegal action of repealing the special status of the territory on that day in 2019. According to Kashmir Media Service, a meeting of senior Sikh leaders was held in Jammu under the chairmanship of S Narinder Singh Khalsa, Chairman of Sikh Intellectuals Circle Jammu and Kashmir and President of IIOJK chapter of Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar). In the meeting, it was unanimously resolved to resist the communal agenda of present fascist rulers of India to convert the Muslim majority occupied territory into a Hindu majority. Narinder Singh Khalsa while addressing the meeting said at present disputed Kashmir is the most militarized region of the world and after India’s 5th August 2019 illegitimate action, IIOJK has become a hell for innocent civilians who are living under the constant fear of siege, illegal detentions, extra-judicial

14 MEPs pen letter to EU chief on worst HR abuses in IIOJK BRUSSELS Agencies

Fourteen members of the European Parliament (MEPs) have written a letter to the European Commission’s President Von der Leyen and Vice President Borrell conveying serious concern over the ‘grave and systematic human rights violations by Indian troops in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir. The letter says the people of Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir are being subjected to intolerable suppression of their freedom and fundamental rights for the past over seven decades. The MEPs highlighted that since August 5, 2019, it appears more evident that India has abandoned any political approach to the situation in IIOJK and is managing it with almost exclusively military means. The letter says as per the Amnesty International Report of 2021 and since the revocation of IIOJK’s special status in 2019, the Indian authorities have arrested many human rights defenders including journalists and activists under the draconian law, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. They urged the Commission’s president and vice president to express their concerns with the Indian Government and impress upon India to fulfill its obligations under International Law, especially the imperative of protecting civilians.

DPRK foreign ministry condemns Japan’s nuclear-contaminated water discharge plan

killings, torture and rape etc. He said that the world human rights organizations like Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and Genocide Watch have raised strong observations about the mistreatment of the Kashmiri civilians. He thanked the people and government of Pakistan for organising rallies and public debates to denounce the Indian illegal occupation and illegal actions of 5th August 2019 and for expressing solidarity with the oppressed people of IIOJK. We,

the Sikh community of J&K, appeal to international community to take decisive and serious action to stop India from committing crimes against humanity in Kashmir, he said. Other prominent Sikh leaders present in the meeting included Amanjit Singh Aman, Inderjit Singh, Amarjit Singh, Manjeet Singh, Gurmeet Singh, Ram Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Ranjeet Singh, Rajinder Singh, Mohinder Singh Khalsa, Jaswinder Singh and Harmanan Singh.

The foreign ministry of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Friday condemned Japan for approving the discharge of wastewater contaminated by the wrecked Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant into the ocean. Despite strong opposition at home and abroad, Japan has officially approved the Tokyo Electric Power Company’s plan to release the water into the Pacific Ocean. The Pacific Ocean is not Japan’s sewer, and the move will cause serious pollution in the ocean – the common property of all mankind, the DPRK’s foreign ministry said in a statement. The Japanese government’s approval of the discharge plan reflects its despicable, shameless and cunning characteristics at the expense of the interests of the international community for its own selfish interests, the ministry said. It is a brazen act putting private interests above the international public interest and a criminal act that threatens the safety of human lives, the ministry added. In July, Japan’s nuclear regulators approved the plan by the power company, which may start to release the polluted water in Spring next year. If the 1.25 million tonnes of water is discharged along the coast of Fukushima with fast ocean currents, it will spread to the opposite waters in over 50 days, thereby damaging the global marine environment and the health of residents of Pacific Rim countries, CMG has reported, citing experts. Agencies

Chinese FM makes 3-point proposal to strengthen East Asia cooperation PHNOM PENH Agencies

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday made a three-point proposal to enhance East Asia cooperation during the 12th East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Wang said that the East Asia Summit was founded with the clear purposes of promoting regional peace, stability and development, emphasizing its adherence to the centrality of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and its commitment to the integrated development and common prosperity of East Asia. At present, the international and regional situation is undergoing complicated changes, coupled with prominent problems of uncertainty and instability, Wang said.

The post-pandemic economic recovery remains sluggish, the negative effects of the Ukraine crisis spill over, the problems of energy, food and finance emerge one after another, and the stability of the industrial and supply chains has been seriously impacted, said Wang. He pointed out that regional countries expect the East Asia Summit to play a positive role in building consensus among all parties and properly addressing challenges. “We should review the original purposes of the summit, steadily steer its direction of development, and prevent small exclusive cliques from impacting the regional architecture,” he said. Wang Yi (R) talks with Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan on the sidelines of the 12th East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Phnom Penh, Cambodia,

August 5, 2022. /Chinese Foreign Ministry Wang called for upholding true multilateralism and open regionalism, advocating the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, and safeguarding basic norms governing international relations underpinned by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. WaNg Put fOrWard CHiNa’s tHrEE-POiNt PrOPOsal fOr tHE NExt dEvElOPMENt Of tHE suMMit: First, insisting on carrying out dialogues on political security in a constructive way. Wang urged regional countries to uphold the spirit of openness and inclusiveness, adhere to the Asian approach, and accommodate the needs and concerns of all parties. “We should respect each other, seek common ground while reserving differences,

and not draw lines along ideology,” he said. He called on all the parties to adhere to the principle of sovereign independence, conduct dialogues and exchanges on an equal footing, and refrain from interfering in internal affairs of other countries. “We should consolidate the ASEANcentered regional cooperation architecture and oppose bloc confrontation in the region,” he said. Second, strengthening the summit’s impetus for development and cooperation. Wang said the countries should give priority to development and livelihood, increase investment in areas such as poverty reduction so as to solve the development issue and achieve common development, Wang said. While the countries make a new fiveyear action plan, the common aspiration of

regional countries to achieve sustainable recovery should be duly reflected. Third, promoting the capability of jointly addressing risks and challenges. Wang urged support for ASEAN in building regional vaccine production and distribution centers and strengthening capacity building in public health. He also called on the countries to implement the cooperation initiative on global food security, jointly promote energy security and accessibility, and ensure a stable energy supply. Wang said the countries should support the liberalization and facilitation of trade and investment, maintain the stability and smooth flow of industrial and supply chains, and build the free trade area of the Asia-Pacific and an Asia-Pacific economic community.

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Sunday, 7 August, 2022 | LAHORE

ThrEE morE PakIsTaN GraPPLErs ExCEL IN CWG BIRMINGHAM

stAff RepoRt

HREE more Pakistan grapplers – Mohammad Sharif Tahir, Asad Ali and Tayyab Raza got off to a flying start in their respective categories of wrestling in the Commonwealth Games 2022

in Birmingham on Saturday. In the Men’s Freestyle 74kg division, Tahir overpowered Vake of Tonga 11-0 to march into the quarterfinal, taking place later on Saturday. He will face Canada’s Jasmit Singh Phulka to book a semifinal berth. In the Men’s Freestyle 57kg division, promising pugilist Asad

amassing 10 technical points. He will now take on Scotland’s Cameron Nicol in the quarterfinal. Earlier, on Friday, Pakistan’s Inam Butt (86kg) and Zaman Khan (125kg) won silver medals, while Inayatullah claimed bronze in the 67kg division of the Men’s Freestyle wrestling event.

defeated England’s Harvey Ridings 10-0 in just one minute and 15 seconds to move to quarterfinal wherein he will take on Namibia’s Romio Ricardo Goliath later Saturday. Raza is also through to the quarterfinal in the Men’s Freestyle 97kg category. He outwitted Rashji Mackey of Bahamas,

Top seed Rublev reaches semifinals at rainy Washington WASHINGTON Afp

Top seed Andrey Rublev won twice to reach the semifinals of the ATP and WTA Washington Open, dispatching Americans Maxime Cressy and J.J. Wolf in the US Open tuneup. World number eight Andrey Rublev defeated 32ndranked Cressy 6-4, 7-6 (10/8) in one hour and 42 minutes then eliminated 99th-ranked wildcard Wolf 6-2, 6-3 in 78 minutes. Rain Thursday night forced double duty upon Rublev and several others Friday but more storms provided everyone a major rest break between matches. Rublev rolled through the first set against Wolf in 28 minutes. Wolf, who ousted Danish ninth seed Holger Rune earlier, denied three break points to open the second set but double-faulted to surrender a break in the third game and Rublev cruised from there. Next in Rublev’s path will be Japan’s 96th-ranked Yoshihito Nishioka, who outlasted British 16th seed Daniel Evans 7-6 (7/5), 4-6, 7-5 after three hours and 35 minutes. Nishioka, who spent more time on the court in one match than Rublev did in two, improved to 5-0 all-time against the 40th-ranked Englishman in the rain-interrupted affair. Rublev seeks his fourth title of the season after Marseille, Dubai and Belgrade to match Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz for the most ATP trophies this year. Two later quarter-finals would determine the other semi-final pairing, with Wimbledon runner-up Nick

Kyrgios playing hometown hero Frances Tiafoe and Sweden’s Mikael Ymer facing American Sebastian Korda. Kyrgios, Tiafoe and Korda finished off triumphs early Friday in matches that were halted by Thursday storms. Australia’s 63rd-ranked Kyrgios, who won the most recent of his six ATP titles at Washington in 2019, beat US fourth seed Reilly Opelka 7-6 (7/1), 6-2 while 10th seed Tiafoe ousted Dutch eighth seed Botic van de Zandschulp 4-6, 6-2, 6-3. World number 54 Korda, 22-year-old son of 1998

Australian Open winner Petr Korda, dispatched Bulgarian fifth seed Grigor Dimitrov 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 to earn a date against 115th-ranked Ymer. Kanepi to face Saville: Estonia’s Kaia Kanepi defeated Anna Kalinskaya 6-7 (4/7), 6-4, 6-3 in the only quarter-final completed before the rain delay. “I don’t know how I actually managed to win,” Kanepi said. “It was a very tough match. It was so hot.” Kanepi, her age and world rank at 37, seeks her fifth career WTA title but first since the 2013 Brussels Open. Her only hardcourt title came at Brisbane in 2012. She next faces 88th-ranked Australian Daria Saville, who beat Canadian qualifier Rebecca Marino 6-1, 7-5 in a storm-halted match to reach her first semi-final since 2018 at Acapulco. World number 20 Victoria Azarenka, a two-time Australian Open champion, won her postponed match over Czech Tereza Martincova 7-6 (9/7), 6-2, to reach her first WTA quarter-final since January in Adelaide. But her double-win bid was spoiled by 21-year-old Chinese lucky loser Wang Xiyu, a 95th-ranked left-hander who reached her first WTA semi-final in June at Valencia. Wang, seeking her first WTA title, rolled over 33year-old Azarenka 6-1, 6-3 in 80 minutes, the same length as Azarenka’s earlier match first set. Next up for Wang will be the winner of the quarter-final between 10th-ranked reigning US Open champion Emma Raducanu, the 19-year-old British second seed seeking her first semi-final since her epic title run, and 60th-ranked Liudmila Samsonova.

Nasser Hussain wants youngsters to learn cover drive from Babar Azam ISLAMABAD stAff RepoRt

India beat England in thriller to reach CWGs cricket final

SPORTS 11

Pakistan captain Babar Azam is dominating among batters currently in world cricket and a few of his shots stand out among all the modern greats, one of them is the cover drive. There has been debate over who has the best cover drive in today’s cricket with Virat Kohli, Shai Hope, Joe Root and Kane Williamson being the potential ones to have command over this particular shot. But former Former England cricketer turned commentator Nasser Hussain thinks that if any youngster wants to learn to play cover drive, they must watch Babar Azam. “Sorry Indian fans I’m gonna be biased and go with Babar Azam. I nearly went with Kohli but he is slightly different He has the fast flick of the wrist but Babar has the conventional way of playing it,” he added.

“If any young boy wants to learn cover drive, I would say watch Babar Azam. It must be noted that Babar Azam is the only batter to be ranked in the top three across all formats. He holds the top spot in white-ball formats while he is placed at the third spot in Test cricket.

Nunez saves Liverpool from opening day defeat at Fulham LONDON Agencies

Jurgen Klopp admitted Liverpool deserved no more than a 2-2 draw against newly-promoted Fulham in a pulsating start to their Premier League season on Saturday. Aleksandar Mitrovic twice put the impressive hosts ahead, but Darwin Nunez came off the bench to make a huge impact on his Premier League debut. The Uruguayan, who arrived at Anfield in a deal that could rise to 100 million euros ($102 million) from Benfica, flicked home to level at 1-1 and then teed up Mohamed Salah for an equaliser 10 minutes from time. Liverpool’s season had got off to a flying start by getting the better of Manchester City to win the Community Shield in what was billed as an early showdown between the two title contenders. However, the Reds were punished for a sluggish performance in the first hour in what could prove a costly concession of two points. “The best thing about the game was the result,” said Klopp. “We got a point from a really bad game. “The result was fine, I don’t think we deserved more than that. The performance can be massively improved.” Mitrovic scored 43 goals in as many games last season as Fulham romped to the Championship title and gave Liverpool an early warning as he stabbed just wide inside the first minute. Much to Klopp’s frustration on the touchline, the visitors did not wake from their slumber and were finally punished on 32 minutes when Mitrovic outmuscled Trent Alexander-Arnold at the back post to head in Kenny Tete’s cross. “We have to respect Liverpool but of course do our job and trust ourselves,” said Fulham boss Marco Silva. “We did a great first half, almost perfect the way we controlled and blocked. Second half, we matched them.” Liverpool flickered into life before the break as Luis Diaz smashed against the post from a narrow angle. However, it was not until the introduction of the towering presence of Nunez that the Champions League finalists began to pose a persistent threat. Nunez was at fault when Fulham were inches away from doubling their lead when he was caught in possession and the ball was fed to Neeskens Kebano, who drilled off the inside of the post. At the other end, Liverpool’s new striker quickly made his presence felt as an audacious flick from Salah’s cross was saved by Marek Rodak. Moments later a replica move did deliver Nunez’s first Premier League goal as he backheeled in from Salah’s low cross 26 minutes from time. At that point there appeared only one winner, but Mitrovic showed a surprising fleetness of foot to turn Virgil van Dijk, who clipped the Serbian striker inside the box. Mitrovic coolly slotted the resulting penalty low past Alisson Becker, but Fulham failed to hold out in the final 18 minutes for a famous win. Another long ball into the box towards Nunez caused panic in the Fulham defence and the ball eventually fell kindly to Salah to score on the opening weekend of the Premier League for a sixth consecutive season.

BIRMINGHAM, UNITED KINGDOM Agencies

India beat hosts England by just four runs to reach the final of the women’s Twenty20 cricket competition at the Commonwealth Games on Saturday. Opener Smriti Mandhana starred for India, smashing 61 off just 32 balls, and Jemimah Rodrigues made an unbeaten 44 as they made a challenging 164-5 at Birmingham’s Edgbaston ground. England were in with a chance with captain Nat Sciver (41) and Amy Jones (31) at the crease but both were run out in the desperate scramble for runs. England finished on 160-6 off their 20 overs. India’s Sneh Rana took 2-28 in her four overs while Deepti Sharma conceded just 18 runs in her spell. India will face either Australia or New Zealand in Sunday’s final, with England meeting the loser of that match for bronze. India’s captain Harmanpreet Kaur said she was delighted her team was performing under pressure. “Other players were also taking responsibility so my job is easier — I don’t have to tell them what to do” she said. Kaur praised the “outstanding” Mandhana. “People are coming out of the box and are ready to do whatever is possible for the team — that’s what you need from your teammates,” she said.

Pakistan, India weightlifters unite on and oﬀ Commonwealth podium BIRMINGHAM Afp

Two hulking weightlifters from opposite sides of the often tense Pakistan-India frontier shared the podium at the Commonwealth Games — and then celebrated together to their favourite rapper. The affinity between Pakistan gold medallist Nooh Dastgir Butt and India’s Gurdeep Singh, who came third in the 109+ kilogrammes category in Birmingham on Wednesday, stands in stark contrast to the nucleararmed neighbours’ political rivalry. Those tensions often spill into the sporting arena — they only play each other at cricket in multi-nation events, despite it being by far the most popular sport in both countries. The two weightlifters come from either side of Punjab, a state divided between the neighbours at Partition 75 years ago, and have a common language and culture. They also share a love of the music of murdered Punjabi rapper Sidhu Moose Wala.

The two strongmen were born about 250 kilometres (155 miles) apart and according to 26-year-old Singh first met in junior championships six years ago. They “would share tips about diet. Conversing in Punjabi obviously helped our friendship”, he told The Indian Express from Birmingham. Commonwealth Games champion Butt, 24, described them as “very good friends”. “After the gold, I first congratulated Gurdeep and later, we did a small celebration where we danced to Moose Wala’s songs,” he said. Moose Wala, also known by his birth name Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu, was shot dead in his car in the Indian state of Punjab in May. The 28-year-old was popular on both sides of the border and among Punjabi communities abroad, especially in Canada and Britain, with his death sparking anger and outrage among fans across the world. Butt, born into a family of wrestlers, said he also enjoyed support from across the border. “I have more fans from India than Pakistan in the

weightlifting community,” he said. “The kind of love India has given me, no other country has given me.” His father Ghulam Dastgir Butt, a 16-time national champion wrestler, added: “I get surprised when people talk that India and Pakistan are born enemies. “The amount of love and respect India has given to me, we also love Indian players and Hindustan the same,” The Indian Express quoted him as saying.

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Sunday, 7 August, 2022

pRayeR tImINgS

NEWS

PM ShEhbaz dEnounCES ISRaElI tERRoRISM, baRbaRISM agaInSt PalEStInIanS ISLAMABAD/JERUSALEM

Staff RepoRt

RIME Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday strongly condemned the latest wave of Israel airstrikes on Gaza Strip, which killed more than 15 people, including a fiveyear-old girl. “If impunity [and] barbarism had a face, it would have been that of Israel, which has targeted Palestinians without any care for consequences,” Shehbaz Sharif tweeted on Saturday. “Pakistan strongly condemns Israeli airstrikes,” the prime minister wrote in a tweet. Martyrdom of 15 Palestinians including a 5-year-old girl in Gaza is latest act of Israeli terrorism. If impunity & barbarism had a face, it would have been that of Israel, which has targeted Palestinians without any care for consequences. Pakistan condemns Israeli air strikes on Gaza: FO Pakistan Saturday strongly condemned recent air strikes by Israel on Gaza that resulted in deaths including of

a five year old girl, and injuries to so many innocent Palestinians. The Foreign Office Spokesperson in a statement said, the latest spate of aggression was typical of the Israeli atrocities, illegal actions and indiscriminate use of force against innocent Palestinians over the decades in complete defiance of international human rights and humanitarian laws. “Pakistan calls upon the international community to urge Israel to put an immediate end to the blatant use of force and flagrant violations of human rights of the Palestinian people. It is imperative to immediately stop the aggression. We renew our call for a viable, independent and contiguous Palestinian State, with pre1967 borders, and Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital being the only just, comprehensive and lasting solution of the Palestinian question, in accordance with the relevant United Nations and OIC resolutions,” he added. Israel pounded Gaza with air strikes, triggering a barrage of retaliatory rocket fire from the territory. Israel said it was targeting the Islamic Jihad group amid days

ECC approves Rs5b grant for compensation to flood affectees

of heightened tensions following the arrest of an alleged fighter in the occupied West Bank earlier this week. A blast was heard in Gaza City, where smoke poured out of the seventh floor of a tall building on Friday afternoon. Video released by Israel’s military showed strikes blowing up three guard towers with suspected fighters in them. The fighting ran into a second day on Saturday as Israel again attacked the strip with air strikes, prompting Palestinian retaliatory rocket fire as Israel Defense Forces (IDF) broadened their offensive in the West Bank, arresting 20 people in early morning raids. ‘PRE-EMPTIVE’ ATTACKS: Meanwhile, Yair Lapid, the prime minister of Israel, said the Jewish state was “forced” to launch a “pre-emptive counter-terror operation against an immediate threat” posed by the Islamic Jihad group, following days of tensions along the Gaza border. Israel and Islamic Jihad have both confirmed the killing of a top leader of the fighter group, Taysir al-Jabari, in the Friday strike on the building in the west of Gaza City. Islamic Jihad said the initial Israeli

PTI seeks clarification over Pakistan’s possible role in Zawahiri killing ISLAMABAD

ISLAMABAD

Staff RepoRt

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) sought clarification from the government as to whether Pakistan’s airspace was used to stage a drone strike in Kabul that killed al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri. The query came a day after Maj. Gen. Babar Iftikhar, director-general of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), dismissed as speculation a report that RX9 Hellfire missiles — a specially designed, secret missile reportedly used to take out the terrorist leader — were allowed to cross the nation’s airspace to enter Afghanistan. There was “no question on the use of Pakistani soil in Zawahiri’s killing,” Gen. Iftikhar stressed, while referring to an earlier, similar statement made by the Foreign Office. “It is impossible that ‘Pakistan’s soil’ has been used for this.” Responding to the chief military spoesperson, Fawad Chaudhry, senior vice president of the party, tweeted: “The question is whether Pakistan’s airspace was allowed to be used to not.” “Repetitive statements on Pakistan’s land not being used are unclear,” he added, arguing that relevant ministries would have to issue a formal statement over the matter. The August 2 strike on Zawahiri — who, alongside Osama bin Laden, masterminded the attacks of September 11, 2001 — came nearly a year after US troops withdrew from Afghanistan, and represents the first publicly declared American counter-terrorism strike inside the country. Among a multitude of arguments in favour

After deliberations, the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) on Saturday accorded approval to the Technical Supplementary Grant of Rs. 5.00 billion for NDMA for rescue, relief and compensation for death and injuries of affectees of the floods-2022. Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Mr. Miftah Ismail presided over the meeting of the ECC of the Cabinet held here. Minister of State for Finance and Revenue Dr. Aisha Ghous Pasha, Coordinator to the PM on Commerce and Industry Mr. Rana Ihsan Afzal, Coordinator to the PM on Economy Mr. Bial Azhar Kayani, Chairman NDMA, Federal Secretaries and other senior officers attended the meeting. National Disaster Management Authority Islamabad presented a summary in the special meeting of ECC for allocation of funds to NDMA for flood affectees on the directions of Prime Minister. Chairman NDMA requested that block allocation of Rs.5.00 billion may be made to NDMF for relief and rescue activities in the flood affected areas and death and disability compensation of the affectees. The amount will be allocated from contingency provision of the Finance Division as block provision to NDMF. The Finance Minister also directed for transfer of funds immediately, for timely help of the affectees.

Punjab to get new top babu as Kamran ali afzal seeks transfer ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

Punjab Province is all set to get a new Chief Secretary (CS) as the incumbent CS Kamran Ali Afzal Saturday wrote a letter to the federal government, conveying his inability to continue his current assignment “owing to personal reasons” and requesting that his services be withdrawn with immediate effect. According to well informed sources, Babar Hayat Tarar is likely to be appointed new CS Piunjab vice Kamran Ali Afzal. The letter by Kamran Ali Afzal, a copy of which is available with Pakistan Today, has been addressed to Federal Secretary, Establishment, Mr Inamullah Khan. Kamran Ali Afzal, along with the then Inspector General of Police (IGP) Rao Sardar Ali Khan, had came under severe criticism for massive arrests and severely torturing PTI workers and rights activists during the PTII long march on May 25. Pakistan Tehreeki-Insaf (PTI) however has distanced itself from the CS request for transfer to the center though the party had welcomed transfer of IGP Rao. Afzal’s appointment was approved in September 2021 when PTI’s Usman Buzdar was in charge. He was the fifth Punjab chief secretary during the three years of the previous PTI-led government and belonged to the 21st Common of the District Management Group. Punjab Chief Minister Parvez Elahi had expressed his annoyance at Afzal and former police chief Rao Sardar Ali Khan over their action against PTI legislators and deploying the police force on the floor of the Punjab Assembly earlier this year. PTI Chairman Imran Khan, in his public meetings, had also lambasted the chief secretary, former police chief, as well as commissioners and deputy commissioners — particularly those posted in Lahore and Layyah in the wake of the PTI’s long march on Islamabad on May 25. PTI leaders had warned the officers that his party would initiate legal and departmental actions against them after coming to power again. On some occasions, Imran had named both the top Punjab government officers in his public meetings and announced making them an example, accusing them of taking the side of the ruling PML-N. Omar Sarfraz Cheema, adviser to Punjab chief minister on information, was questioned about the matter during a press conference in Lahore and said it had nothing to do with the PTI. “What his role has been in the last 2.5-3 months is before you and maybe he did not feel [right] about moving forward together because he has his own priorities and service career [to think about],” Cheema said.

bombardment amounted to a “declaration of war” before it unleashed a flurry of more than 100 rockets towards Israel. Meanwhile, in the West Bank, Israel announced the arrest of 20 people, including 19 Islamic Jihad members, in early morning raids.An IDF statement said soldiers and agents from the Shin Bet internal security agency had operated at several West Bank locations, “in order to apprehend Islamic Jihad terrorist operatives.” Out of 20 people detained in the latest sweep, “19 of them are Islamic Jihad,” the army claimed. The latest deadly escalation in Gaza was sparked by Israel’s arrest earlier this week in the West Bank of Bassem al-Saadi, a key Islamic Jihad member Israel blamed for orchestrating a spate of attacks. Islamic Jihad, an Iran-backed group, has a strong presence in Gaza and the West Bank, a Palestinian territory occupied by Israel since 1967. Israel insisted that Islamic Jihad fighters in Gaza were planning to attack southern Israel in retaliation for Saadi’s arrest, forcing it to launch what the army called “pre-emptive” strikes.

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China’s MEC commissions 810MWS power plant ISLAMABAD INp

The China Machinery Engineering Corp. (CMEC) successfully commissioned two gas turbines (405 MWs each) of the Punjab Thermal Power Ltd. (PTPL) power plant in the Jhang district. “We have started simple-cycle commercial operations from the two RLNGbased gas turbines of total 810 megawatts capacity”, told PTPL. Work on the 443 MWs steam turbine is also underway at fast pace to achieve the combined-cycle commercial operations, it added. CMEC executed the project as the EPC (Engineering, Procurement and Construction) contractor. PTPL has also signed an agreement with CMEC for operating the two gas turbines until the steam turbine is put into commercial operations, after which the two parties will renew the agreement to include the combined-cycle operations as well, an official of the CMEC said. Work on the steam unit is almost complete but will take around six more months in achieving commercial operations due to complicated pre-commissioning procedures including chemical cleaning of the boiler, the official said.

Profit rate on Regular Income Savings Certificates increased ISLAMABAD INp

The government on Saturday changed the rate of profit given on the National Saving Schemes. The government has raised the profit rate on the Regular Income Savings Certificates to 12.60 percent, adding 24 points to the profit rate. However, the profit rate on Pensioners, Behbood (Welfare) and Special Saving Certificate would remain unchanged. The profit rate on Special Saving Certificate will remain same i.e. 13 percent.

Weekly currency report: Rupee gained 6.40pc against uSd KARAcHI INp

of and against the strike, some supporters laud the move as a serious blow to al-Qaeda’s image and operational capability. Conversely, critics say it doubled as a ploy by President Joe Biden to bolster sinking political support in the United States, arguing the strike will have little effect in tangible terms for combating terrorism in Afghanistan and the region. Whether Pakistan also provided critical intelligence to Washington confirming Zawahiri’s whereabouts remains a secret thus far. “Pakistan’s cooperation with the United States on counterterrorism is one area which should remain an important bilateral space even when no US boots are on the ground and in the region,” said Dr. Rabia Akhtar, a non-resident senior fellow with the Atlantic Council’s South Asia Center.

The local currency in the last week gained by Rs 15.3 in the interbank market against the US dollar. According to the weekly currency report issued by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), an increase of 6.40 percent was recorded in the PKR’s value against the US Dollar. The Greenback dropped from Rs 239.37 to Rs 224.04 in the interbank market in the last week. However, the local currency gained by Rs 26 in the open market and settle at Rs222. The highest rate of the USD against PKR was recorded at Rs248 while the lowest was Rs222. The EURO dropped by Rs26.50 against the PKR and settled at Rs226, while the price of the British Pound fell by Rs30 in the week. The Emirates Dirham fell Rs 6.50 and settled at Rs 60.80.

Peaceful resolution of disputes critical for sustainable peace in South Asia: Bilawal PHNOM PENH app

Minister for Foreign Affairs Bilawal Bhutto Zardari Saturday said peaceful resolution of long-standing disputes in South Asia was critical for sustainable peace and long-term prosperity of people. Speaking at the 29th ASEAN Regional Forum Ministerial meeting here, he said, “We also believe that, while focusing on the Ukrainian conflict, the world must not lose sight of other disputes, protracted conflicts, and situations of foreign occupation, which have the potential to destabilize the entire Asia-Pacific region.” “We strongly condemn and reject illegal and unilateral measures to perpetuate unlawful occupation and to effect demographic changes in occupied territories, in gross vio-

lation of UN Security Council resolutions and international law, including the 4th Geneva Convention.” He said such actions had vitiated the environment for meaningful and result-oriented dialogue. Given the right conducive conditions, all outstanding disputes could be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy in the interest of regional peace, stability, and prosperity. He congratulated the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) family for coming together at this important juncture in the collective efforts to promote dialogue and cooperation for peace and stability in the Asia Pacific. “As we gather today for in-person meetings after several months of long-distance diplomacy, our region and the world at large are beset with challenges in multiple domains.” “This is truly an inflection point in history, and the steps we

take, or fail to take, would have profound consequences for the future,” the minister noted. He said the Covid-19 pandemic was unprecedented in terms of its global scale as well as socio-economic impact. The international cooperation and solidarity that it engendered was also unparalleled. “Yet, we also saw the unfortunate rise of the phenomenon of vaccine nationalism as countries competed for the same resources to save lives and protect their populations.” Going forward, he said it would be important to develop mechanisms and processes for a more coordinated response to future health crises, undertake efforts to ensure vaccine equity, and fight future pandemics in a more humane manner. Covid-19 exacerbated the economic woes of nations from North to South. Supply chains were dis-

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

rupted, unemployment mounted, growth rates plummeted, and debt burden accumulated, Bilawal continued. He said the Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI) was laudable for providing much needed relief to developing countries in distress. “More can, and should, be done for reinforcing the recovery efforts, especially in the global South.” He called climate change an existential threat and said its impact on sustainable development and human well-being was incalculable. “As I speak, my country is ravaged by floods caused by unprecedented rains. Dozens of towns and villages have been inundated and thousands have been displaced,” he informed adding, “We fear that the damage to crops would exacerbate food insecurity and inflation that have already reached alarming levels because of the current global trends.”