Asif said the data was “confirmed and verified” and more revelations would be forthcoming. The defence minister termed the PTI’s alleged campaign, party leader Shahbaz Gill’s comments regarding the army and subsequent claims of him being tortured in police custody as “diversion” tactics to remove attention from the verdict in the foreign funding case. Asif said that Imran had subsequently distanced himself from Gill’s comments when he saw that the move had ended up hurting the PTI instead of accruing any dividend or political benefit. The defence minister called for this process of diversionary tactics to be “stopped immediately”.
Referring to reports run in the media a day ago, Asif said an investigation into the campaign had found that 529 Pakistani accounts, 18 Indian accounts and 33 accounts from other countries were involved. “This investigation is reaching its conclusion,” he said, adding that action would be taken on the results in accordance with the law and the Constitution. He said the matter had shamed the entire nation before the martyrs’ families that “there are such people found among us who can fall so low for their political motives.”
Campaign against Pak army ‘joint project’ of PTI, India: Kh Asif
CPEC laying foundation for sustainEd
modErnisation:EConomiCPm Thursday, 18 August, 2022 I 19 Muharram, 1444 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XIII No 49 I 12 Pages I Islamabad Edition
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UAE president awards Gen Bajwa Order of Union medal islamabad staff report Pakistan and the United Kingdom on Wednesday signed the landmark agreement for repatriation of convicted criminals and immigration offenders from the UK to“I’mPakistan.proud to have signed a new landmark agreement with our Pakistani friends to return foreign criminals and immigration offenders from the UK to Pakistan,” British Home Secretary Priti Patel announced in a tweet. “This deal shows our #newPlanforImmigration in action, as we deliver for the British people,” she further wrote on her official Twitter handle.
The deal will allow Pakistan and the UK to repatriate their convicted criminals. However, it will only allow the repatriation of citizens sentenced by relevantThecourts.firstround of negotiations on a criminal extradition treaty took place in october 2019. Later in April 2021, the then interior minister, Sheikh Rashid met British High Commission Christian Turner and discussed the repatriation of former prime minister nawaz Sharif, who is in London after his release from prison on medical grounds.
g SAyS SIno-PAK TIeS IMPoRTAnT fACToR PeACe, STABILITy In ReGIon
PM Shehbaz further said that the two countries support each other on the issue of mutual core interests. Pakistan has always firmly supported the one China Policy and believes that Taiwan is its inalienable part, he added. Moreover, the premier stated that Pakistan-China relations are an important factor for peace and stability in the region and the Heworld.went on to say that the development strategy of the coalition government depends on how to repair the economic fundamentals that constrain us from realizing our existingfurthermore,potential.PM Shehbaz said in order to stabilize the economy, we urgently need to lay the foundation for the long-delayed structural reforms, adding that the government also needs to deepen economic and trade relations with friendly countries. In his concluding remarks, the prime minister said that public policy transformation from geopolitics to geo-economics represents a consensus that we should realise the potential of to accelerate Pakistan’s development. He added that the core of our development strategy remains to safeguard the wellbeing of the Pakistani people and make Pakistan a self-reliant state. RaWalPiNdi staff report United Arab emirates (UAe) President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al nahyan has conferred the order of the Union medal on Chief of Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa “in recognition of his significant contributions to the promotion of bilateral ties”, ISPR, the military’s media affairs wing said on Wednesday.Themedal is the second highest honour awarded by the UAe to senior officials of friendly countries. According to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the army chief, who is on a visit to the UAe, called on the emirati president and discussed with him matters of mutual interest, bilateral defence and security cooperation and the regional security situation in the Middle east. “The leaders agreed that Pakistan and the UAe share a great history of cordial relations and a deep-rooted spirit of brotherhood, which is transforming into an enduring partnership,” the ISPR said. According to the ISPR statement, other recipients of order of Union include former Lebanese president emile Lahoud, Bahrain Prime Minister Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Britain’s Prince Philip, Dutch King Prince WillemAlexander, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and Russian foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. As for Gen Bajwa, he has previously been awarded the Medal of excellence by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the Bahrain order (first class) award by Prime Minister of Bahrain Prince Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa, Jordan’s order of Military Merit by King Abdullah II, Medal for the Common Wealth in Rescue and Letter of Commendation of Russian Mountaineering federation by a Russian envoy during his visit to Pakistan in December 2018 and Turkish Legion of Merit during a visit to Turkey in 2017, the ISPR said.
islamabad staff report P RIMeMinister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday said that the ChinaPakistan economic Corridor (CPeC) is laying the foundation for sustained indigenous economic modernisation.Inaninterview with the Global Times, he said over the past 10 years, the construction of CPeC projects has helped Pakistan reduce the bottlenecks caused by past power shortages and weak infrastructure. PM Shehbaz said the government will continue to work closely with China to enhance the momentum of cooperation between the twoRegardingcountries. Pak-China friendship, he said the all-weather strategic partnership between Pakistan and China is deeply rooted in people’s hearts, covering all areas of bilateral cooperation.
“Their channels say, ‘the work Imran Khan is doing for us, even if we had spent billions of dollars we would not have been able to create the kind of network to safeguard and advance India’s interests in Pakistan as how the PTI and its leader is doing,’” the defence minister said. Asif claimed that while the nation was mourning the Lasbela helicopter tragedy, the PTI’s social media accounts, with the help of Indian and other offshore social media accounts, were running a “smear campaign” against the country and the army.
Pakistan, UK sign ‘landmark’ pact on repatriation of convicted criminals
islamabad staff report Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Wednesday alleged that a “negative” social media campaign targeting the tragic incident of an army helicopter crash amid flood relief operations in Balochistan earlier this month was a “joint project” of the PTI and India against the Pakistan Army. After the chopper crash in Lasbela, a section of social media activists and certain political zealots launched an abhorrent and unacceptable online campaign to advance their personal and political malice, which drew a strong reaction from people belonging to all walks of life, political leadership and the state institutions. The ruling coalition blames the PTI’s social media team for launching the smear campaign at the behest of PTI Chairman Imran Khan. Addressing the issue at a press conference in Islamabad today, Asif said 18 Indian accounts were found to be involved in the social media campaign.
ISLAMABAD AhmAd AhmAdAni Terming the aviation business in Pakistan one that is not commercially viable anymore, Shell Pakistan Limited (SPL) on Wednesday decided to discontinue its aviation operations across the country and informed the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) in this regard. As per details, SPL has taken this decision in a meeting of its board held on 17th August, 2022 and communicated its decision to General Manager, Pakistan Stock Exchange Limited, Karachi in accordance with Section 96 of the Securities Act 2015 and clause 5.6.1 (a) of the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) Regulations.“Youare requested to kindly inform the TRE Certificate holders accordingly,” reads SPL Director & CFO letter. Presently, SPL carries out its aviation related operations at four locations. They are Jinnah Airport (JIAP) Karachi, Quetta International Airport (QIAP), Begum Nusrat Bhutto Airport (BNB) in Sukkur and Nawabshah Airport (WNS) in Sukkur.
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ISLAMABAD StAff RepoRt Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Wednesday highlighted fraternal ties between Pakistan and Iran, rooted in shared history and cultural and linguistic affinities.Bilawal Bhutto also reaffirmed commitment to further strengthen bilateral cooperation in all areas of mutual interest. Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was speaking after receiving Iranian Minister for Roads and Urban Development Rostam Ghasemi, here on Wednesday.Welcoming the delegation, the Foreign Minister highlighted fraternal ties between the two Bilawalcountries.Bhutto Zardari underlined the need for fully utilizing existing potential between the two countries in energy, air links, and connectivity. He expressed the hope that opening of new border crossingpoints and establishment of border markets would improve livelihood and facilitate movement of people and goods. The Foreign Minister expressed gratitude for Iran’s steadfast support on the Kashmir cause, particularly by the Supreme Leader. Mr. Rostam Ghasemi, while thanking the Foreign Minister for receiving the delegation, remarked that the 21st session of the Pakistan-Iran Joint Economic Commission (JEC) offered new avenues in expanding bilateral ties. He concurred with the Foreign Minister on the need for fully exploring all opportunities and expressed readiness to work together for the mutual benefit of the two countries. The Iran’s Minister for Roads and Urban Development is visiting Pakistan for 21st Session of the Joint Economic Commission being held in Islamabad from August 16 to 19.
China lauds PM Shehbaz’s remarks on bilateral relations, CPEC Imran refuses to respond to FIA notice in prohibited funding ISLAMABAD StAff RepoRt Former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-iInsaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Wednesday refused to respond to the notice sent by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in a case pertaining to prohibited funding. Former Attorney General Anwar Mansoor Khan on behalf of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman sent a reply to Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). The reply was sent to Amina Baig, Deputy Director of FIA Commercial Bank Circle, Islamabad, in which he termed FIA’s malice in sending the notice. Imran Khan, in his written response, told that he was neither bound nor obliged to provide information and will take legal action against the agency if notice is not withdrawn in two days. It further stated that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) did not give a decision but issued a report.
Thursday, 18 August, 2022 ISLAMABAD 02 NEWS ISLAMABAD StAff RepoRt T HESupreme Court on Wednesday dismissed Mutthida Quomi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P) petition seeking postponement of Sindh local government elections.A three-member SC bench comprising Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Ayesha A Malik heard the petition filed by MQM’s Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui and others against the Sindh Government regarding delimitation of constituencies for the local bodiesDuringelection.the course of proceedings, the court directed the MQM-P to approach the relevant forum if it wants to delay the second phase of elections.
The court noted that the constitutional points that were not raised by the petitioner at the Sindh High Court could not be raised with the Supreme Court. It was referring to the MQM-P’s objections against Section 10(1) of the Sindh Local Government Act (SLGA), which the MQM had reportedly not raised with the Sindh High WrappingCourt.up a separate plea filed by Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and Jamaate-Islami (JI) for holding the polls in line with the schedule, the chief justice said that the elections would be held on time “come what may.” Hafiz Naeemur Rehman, Jamaat-eIslami Karachi Chief, also requested the bench not to pass any order which could delay the LG elections in Karachi. Salahuddin Ahmed, counsel representing the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf also supported the timely LG elections. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) citing heavy rains and other reasons had postponed the second phase of the local bodies’ elections till August 28 which was originally scheduled to take place on July 24. The chief justice said it became clear that the delimitation of constituencies was carried out by ECP and the local administration.TheAssistant Attorney General (AAG) maintained that the Sindh government had framed guidelines for delimitation in light of Supreme Court’s orders. The chief justice noted that the SC could not rule on such points that were raised before the Sindh High Court (SHC). Advocate Khalid Jawed Khan counsel for the unopposed elected representatives appeared in the court and said that the number of union committees was decided by the provincial government in Punjab and KP while the Election Commission held delimitation of constituencies in other provinces. Demarcation and delimitation of constituencies were done by taking into account factors other than population, he added.He said that the vote for the prime minister was equal whether the constituency of the National Assembly was 400,000 or 1000,000.Thedifference in the proportion of votes varied in each constituency from local government election to the National Assembly, he added. The chief justice asked why were the points raised by MQM not taken up in the Sindh High Court? He said that a few days before the polling, a request was made to stop the first phase of the election. He said that how Supreme Court could consider new points in appeal. Khalid Jawed Khan said that the Constitution also did not give the Election Commission authority to change the number of constituencies.Thenumber of constituencies was determined by the constitution and by law, he added. The Advocate General Sindh said that MQM did not approach the delimitation authority. The Election Commission and the Provincial Government work together, he added. He said that several delimitation of constituencies had been changed on the instructions of the Election Commission. The voters did not care about the delimitation of constituencies, he added. He said that the problem of political parties was only the election of mayor. He asked who knew from which party the mayor would be elected. The chief justice said that the delimitation of constituencies should not be so general.TheElection Commission had to explain to the court on what basis the delimitation of constituencies were done, he added. He said that the problem was not only about elections but also about development schemes and funds. Cases had come from inside Sindh that two districts had been merged to form one constituency while on the other hand two constituencies of a district had also been created, he added. He said that there should not be a constituency of 400,000 voters and other 1000,000 voters. There was talk of making South Punjab a separate province due to lack of proper representation and funds, he added. He said that the court would hear the position of the Election Commission on these points in another case. The Advocate General Sindh said that demarcation also examined the facilities available to the public. The Secretary Local Government Sindh saidthat the speed and spread of development in different areas was also an aspect.The chief justice said that it had become clear that the delimitation of constituencies were done in collaboration with the Election Commission and the local administration but it was not clear on what basis delimitation of constituencies was done. The Advocate General Sindh said that the Sindh government had made the delimitation guidelines in the light of the Supreme Court decisions.
Shell Pakistan Ltd. (SPL) to discontinue aviation operations across Pakistan
According to SPL, the encouraging turnaround is mainly driven by improved business performance focusing on strategic priorities such as differentiated fuels and lubricants, the positive change in pricing formula to pricing agency S&P Global Platts’ indexes by the government, and safe and efficient fuel operations. During this period, the mobility business launched 13 new retail sites which will help deliver increased volume. Shell V-Power remains the market leader in the premium fuels category. Through successful dialogue with the government, we will see expansion of our network in Punjab, that will help us grow. Furthermore, the company (SPL) authored a book on Road Safety titled “Once upon a Road” with the aim of driving the behaviors in keeping roads safer in Pakistan. The book will be part of the Care Foundation school curriculum of sixth grade across Pakistan, said SPL.
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Pak, Iran need to exploit mutual existing potential: Bilawal ISLAMABAD App The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Wednesday appreciated Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for his words uttered on multiple occasions on Pak-China bilateral relations and the China-Pakistan Economic Cooperation (CPEC). “Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif spoke highly of China-Pakistan relations and CPEC on multiple occasions. He is very committed to the practical cooperation between our two countries. China appreciates that,” Spokesperson Wang Wenbin in a response to a question asked by APP during his regular briefing. PM Shehbaz Sharif, in an exclusive interview with the Chinese daily Global Times, touched upon a wide range of topics such as Pak-China relations, regional and world situations, CPEC and the upcoming 20th National Congress of Communist Party of China (CPEC). Wang Wenbin said CPEC was an economic initiative that was conducive to promoting regional connectivity, peace, stability and development.“Chinaisready to work with Pakistan to follow through on a common understanding between our two leaders,” he added. He said on the basis of ensuring sound and steady construction and operation of the existing projects, the two countries would focus on cooperation of such areas like industries, agriculture, science and technology, and information technology so as to build CPEC into a demonstration project under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Under the strong leadership of President Xi Jinping, he added, China had achieved remarkable development achievement.Thespokesperson expressed the confidence that the successful convening of 20th Party Congress would pave way for a new blueprint for China’s development in future. “It will surely and greatly promote China’s cooperation with countries around the world, including Pakistan and make a positive contribution to the progress of mankind,” he added.
According to a letter of SPL’s Director & Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Zarrar Mahmud dated August 17, following the expiry of the leases related to the above airports, the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has floated a joint-tender inviting participants to bid for the operation of six airports, including all four of the airports currently operated by SPL (listed above) as well as Skardu International Airport (KDU) and Gwadar International Airport (GDU). After due consideration of a wide range of factors, including legal compliance, and financial and commercial considerations, SPL has taken the decision to not participate in the tender, said SPL Director & CFO letter. It added that SPL is committed to the safe handover of operations to the CAA and/or relevant stakeholders as appropriate at the airports at which it is currently operating.Itisrelevant to note that SPL in its letter to PSX has also made it clear in its letter that the final date of exit from these airports will be communicated after consultation with CAA. According to SPL, Shell Pakistan remains committed to continuing all its other businesses and operations in Pakistan, which remain unaffected. The Company will actively work to minimize impact of current challenges and endeavor to capture opportunities to ensure the company plays a key role in developing Pakistan’s energy future. It is pertinent to mention that the Board of Directors of Shell Pakistan Limited (SPL) has also announced the company’s half year results and posted a profit after tax of PKR 7,469 million compared to the profit of PKR 2,153 million made in the same period last year.
SC dISMISSeS MQM-P PleA For delAy In SIndh lG
Punjab, Imran flout court’s orders by refusing Gill’s custody to ICP: Marriyum ISLAMABAD StAff RepoRt Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb Wednesday said the Punjab Government had refused Shahbaz Gill’s custody to the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) police on the directives of Imran Khan, which was “violation of the court’s orders”. “This is contempt of the court,” she said in a news statement while reiterating the orders of the court which had approved a two-day physical remand of the PTI leader Shahbaz Gill, earlier in the day, on the request of the ICT police. She said Shahbaz Gill, who was booked in a seditious case by the ICT police and “medically fit”, had been abducted by the Punjab government on the directives of Imran Khan. “Shahbaz Gill is the ICT police’s prisoner and no law allows the Punjab Government to write a letter for issuance of a “Robkar” (orders of court),” she said, adding the court had given its decision and he (Shahbaz) was remanded to the ICT police custody.
FAISALABAD: A District and Sessions Court approved a two-day physical remand of three arrested suspects for abducting and torturing a female medical student, Khadija, in Faisalabad. According to details, the court approved a two-day physical remand of the arrested suspects –identified as Shoaib Asghar, Faizan and Tayyab. Meanwhile, the court has also sent a woman – named Maham – to jail over her involvement in torturing the female student. Meanwhile, Human Rights Committee Chairperson Mehreen Razak has sought a report from the Punjab police over Faisalabad incident. “IG Punjab should present the report in three days,” she said. StAff RepoRt Chinese delegates visits nACTA headquarters
ISLAMABAD StAff RepoRt Higher Education Commission (HEC) Chairman Dr Mukhtar Ahmed on Wednesday said that there was a need for the political leadership to cooperate in ensuring quality and implementation of effective policies in higher education.Briefing the National Assembly Standing Committee on Federal Education and Professional Training, he said that the highest burden on the higher education sector at present was the payment of pensions – around Rs500 billion annually – to the retired employees of theTheuniversities.meetingof the standing committee was held in Parliament House, and was presided by the committee Chairman Makhdoom Syed Samiul Hasan Gilani.
NewS DeSk The Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday asked the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to proceed with the second phase of the local government elections in Sindh as per the schedule announced by the election watchdog last month. In July, the ECP announced that the second phase of the polls had been postponed due to possible monsoon rains in the province in addition to Muharram. The polls were supposed to be held on July 24, but after the change in date, they would now take place on August 28. A three-judge bench of the apex court led by Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial asked the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) to take the issue of the delimitation of constituencies to the relevant forum. Meanwhile, a Jamaat-e-Islami leader also requested the bench not to pass any order which could delay the LG elections in Karachi. The counsel representing the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Salahuddin Ahmed, also supported the timely LG elections. It may be noted that the MQMP had sought a restraining order from the top court against the second phase of the local elections in Sindh. In June, the Sindh High Court rejected pleas filed by major political parties, including the MQM-P to delay the local government elections. The SHC, while rejecting the plea to halt elections, had directed the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to hold the polls in the province as per the schedule.
ndMA To ConduCT dAMAGe ASSeSSMenT Survey In rAIn-hIT AreAS: AhSAn IQbAl SC directs ECP to proceed with second phase of Sindh LG polls
ISLAMABAD: Deputy Director General, Ministry of Public Security (MPS) of Peoples’ Republic of China, Gao Fei along with a delegation on Wednesday visited National Counter Terrorism Authority’s (NACTA) Headquarters. Muhammad Tahir Rai, National Coordinator, NACTA briefed the delegation on authority’s contribution to counter terrorism and extremism, said a press release. Rai emphasized the significance of cooperation in sharing expertise in counter terrorism domain. StAff RepoRt
On this occasion, the committee passed the International Institute of Technology, Cultural and Health Sciences Bill presented in the Lower House by Member National Assembly Qadir Khan Mandukhel by majority vote, while the rest of the bills on the agenda were postponed due to nonavailability of movers.Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) Director General Dr Ikram Ali Malik, while briefing the committee participants on the agenda item of the employees who were on deputation in the federal capital, said that at present a total of 328 people were serving on deputation in the FDE. Among them, he said, there were 84 employees whose tenure as deputationists was less than five years, while 244 were those who had spent more than five years as assistants.
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HEC chief counts political leadership role for higher education Sindh oblivious to threats of medical waste disposal
He informed that 98% of Tarbela Dam had been filled to its capacity while only 38% of Mangla dam had so far been filled due to less rains in the catchment areas.
The committee was told by the HEC chairman that the letter written by the HEC to the vice chancellors of all public sector universities clarified that the work on the appointment of new vice chancellor should start six months before the post became vacant, so that the teaching and administrative affairs of the university were not affected. It was a tragedy that currently the private as well as government sector universities across the country had made education a means of making money, Dr Mukhtar said. Sargodha University at present had no vice chancellor, registrar or a treasurer. In a short span of ten years, the university had affiliated around 850 private colleges for the sole purpose of making money, he added. The private colleges which have been affiliated are established in one room or in ten marla houses, he said.
03NEWS Thursday, 18 August, 2022 | ISLAMABAD
INISTERfor Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal Wednesday said, the federal government has directed the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to jointly conduct a damage assessment survey of recent heavy rains and flash floods across the country. All provincial governments and Pakistan Army would fully support the NDMA to conduct the survey to expedite the rescue and relief activities in the flood hit areas of the country, the minister said while addressing a press briefing along withe Chairman NDMA, Lt. General Akhtar Nawaz.The minister said, the NDMA would conduct a joint survey with the help of all provinces to assess the real damage incurred to the houses and the people across the country.For this purpose, he said the federal government had offered every type of support to the provinces without any politicalFurtherdifferences.hesaidthat after the survey, the presentation of the total losses would be presented to the multilateral partners such as World Bank to receive help from the internationalChairmaninstitutions.NDMAsaid some 630 people had been died and 1130 people were injured until now 630 people died, 1130 people inured due to recent rains and flash floods. Moreover, he said 1.087 million people were directly or indirectly affected from the rains, 72,500 houses were damaged and 1.011 million animals were affected. This year, he said on average, the country faced 150% more than average rainfall. Balochistan was the worst hit province which received 280% more rains followed by Sindh that received 228% extra rains. However he said Kashmir received less than average rainfall during the Monsoon season.
The NDMA Chairman maintained that three districts of Balochistan including Lasbela, Jhal Magsi and Jafarabad were badly hit by the rains, three from Punjab including Mianwali, DG Khan, Rajanpur, three from Sindh including Dadoo, Sajawal and Thatha, and four from KP including DI Khan, Tank, Laki Marwat, Kohistan and Charsada.Hesaid the information given were based on the initial assessment while the final and accurate assessment would be ascertained after the joint damage assessment survey. Federal Minister Ahsan Iqbal said the country was facing unprecedented heavy rains across the country especially in Balochistan. He said the pattern of rainfall was changing due to climate change and the pattern impacted Balochistan, Southern KPK and Punjab and some areas of North Chitral and Gilgit ManglaBaltistan.dam,he said could not filled to its capacity due to less rains in the catchment areas of the dam. Ahsan Iqbal said Prime Minister had formed a special committee comprising of federal government representatives and ministers to assess the real damage during the recent rains and flash floods. Under his direction, the minister informed that the affected people were being given Rs one million each and 80 percent people had been compensated so far. A special package has also been decided by the PM for Balochistan, he added. He said the people who fall under BISP criteria would be given emergency package under which food and other necessities would be provided.
APP There is no separate handling on modern lines of around 1,100 tonnes of garbage generated daily from hospitals in Karachi, as haphazard disposal of medical waste creates a serious public health risk. This was stated by Dean of Architecture and Management Sciences of the NED University of Engineering & Technology Prof Dr Noman Ahmed, in his keynote address at the National Waste Management Conference organised by the National Forum for Environment and Health (NFEH) on Wednesday. Dr Ahmed said the municipal workers and scavengers in the city were prone to deadly infectious diseases as they handled the hospital waste daily without any safety precautions, the same way municipal garbage was handled in Karachi. He lamented that there was no check at all to stop scavengers from extracting useful and recyclable material from the hospital trash as the practice should come to an end to safeguard public health. He said the hospital waste was quite often mixed with the regular municipal trash generated in the city, instead of the former’s disposal in a safe manner. The senior faculty member, who remained involved in different studies on waste management practices, emphasized that hospital waste should be properly segregated before its disposal on a scientific basis. He said the government should provide maximum resources and support for developing an efficient system of hospital waste disposal, as unsafe practices in that regard had seriously compromised public health during the coronavirus pandemic. Dr Ahmed said that barring a few big private hospitals in Karachi, other healthcare facilities didn’t have any specialized system to handle their waste, as their management wanted to perform the essential task with minimal Managingspending.Director of Sindh Solid Waste Management Board (SSWMB) Zubair Ahmed Channa told the audience that a very haphazard system was in place before the SSWMB had come into existence in 2014 for the disposal of 11,000 tonnes of municipal waste generated in Karachi daily. He said the private contractors and scavengers who had been collecting waste from different neighbourhoods of the city prior to the establishment of the SSWMB hadn’t ensured that the trash collected by them should ultimately reach Karachi’s two proper landfill sites, as instead the garbage was thrown at various dumping points near residential localities. He said that before the SSWMB had put in place its proper waste collection system, different agencies in Karachi, including cantonments didn’t ensure that the waste collected by them should reach the two landfill sites for proper disposal. He said that SSWMB had ensured that up to 9,000 tonnes of waste reached the landfill sites daily, as just a year ago only 3,000 tonnes of garbage had been reaching the sites for safe disposal. Channa said that he had been facing immense difficulties to convince the residents of a number of localities and office bearers of various industrial estates in Karachi not to depend any more on irregular private contractors for waste collection. Instead, they should fully rely on SSWMB for the same. He said that owing to improper handling and disposal of trash in Karachi, it was utterly difficult to utilize municipal waste for useful purposes like wasteto-energy and recycling projects. Wasif Ijlal, CEO of TransKarachi, said the Red Line BRTS project being built in Karachi from Malir Halt to Numaish would generate minimal carbon emissions as it would operate on biogas generated from dung collected from Karachi’s Cattle Colony.
Suspects remanded in police custody in Faisalabad student torture case
Punjab govt awards division status to Gujrat district NewS DeSk
KPrA hosts workshop to build officials capacity for tax collection SwAT Syed ShAhAbuddin To increase tax compliance and build capacity of the government departments in tax collection and withholding, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Revenue Authority (KPRA) organized a workshop for the officials of government departments in district Swat. The workshop was arranged by KPRA Mardan and Malakand region with the financial assistance of USAID-funded Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Revenue Mobilization Activity at Swat Serena. The participants were including officials of District Administration, Universities, Educational Boards, Local Government, Water, and Sanitation Services Mardan, and District Accounts. On the occasion, KPRA Director General Capt (r) Shahbaz Tahir Nadeem shed light on the role of the withholding agents in the administration and collection of sales tax. He told the participants that withholding is not a tax, it is a mechanism, and being government officers it is their responsibility under the law to withhold tax from the service providers. “Our job is to facilitate you. Our Mardan and Malakand region is available for your support and assistance,” he said. He also shed light on the importance of sales tax on services for the development of the country and the province. KPRA Additional Collector Mardan and Malakand Musarrat Zaman in their opening remarks thanked the participants for attending the workshop and USAID-KPRM for financially assisting KPRA in conducting the workshop. “KPRA is working on the education and training of its taxpayers and withholding agents. The aim of the workshop is to build the capacity of government departments’ officers to efficiently withhold sales tax on services for KPRA and address issues they are facing within withholding tax from the service providers,” he said. Deputy Collector Mardan and Malakand Abdul Wahab briefed the participants on the KP Sales Tax on Services Withholding Regulations 2020 and explained the whole process of how to calculate, and withhold sales tax from the service providers, and how to submit their sales tax returns. “One the aims of the workshop was to educate withholding agents on the difference between the sales tax on goods which is administered by the Federal Board of Revenue and sales tax on services which is administered by KPRA,” he said adding that as per law it is the responsibility of withholding agents to properly calculate, withhold, submit sales tax on services for KPRA. Assistant Collector KPRA Afaq Ali educated the participants on the taxable services that fall in the ambit of sales tax on services and the rates of the tax on different services and answered their queries.
The Punjab Government on Wednesday announced to elevate Gujrat district to division, taking the total number of divisions in the province to 10. According to details, Gujrat was elevated to the division after Governor Punjab Baleegh-ur-Rehman gave the final approval. Gujrat city has been made the division headquarters of the newly formed division. The notification said that the division would include three districts, Gujrat, Mandi Bahauddin and Hafiz Abad. Moreover, sources say that the Punjab government has decided to elevate Jalalpur Jattan and Kanjah to Tehsils. Department of Revenue has started pushing the paperwork to finalize the elevation, sources say. It is to be noted that Chief Minister Punjab Chaudhary Perwaiz Illahi belongs to Gujrat and he has been elected MPA from the same area. PML-Q has been voicing their demand to elevate Gujrat to a division in the past as well.
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Punjab Minister for Housing, Urban Development and Public Health Engineering Mian Aslam Iqbal presided over a meeting here at the Housing Department on Wednesday to review the Master Plan Lahore Division 2050. International Consultant Alex informed the meeting about his study regarding the projects through video-link, said a spokesperson for the Housing Department here. The provincial minister ordered for presenting a road-map within a week regarding the completion of the master plan of Lahore and said that they would not be allowed arbitrariness by sitting in closed rooms regarding the master plan.
EDERALMinister for Commerce Syed Naveed Qamar has stressed on the need to enhance cooperation among the member states of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in various fields, including regional trade, economy, investment, and science and technology.
Qaumi Jirga vows to keep guard over peace in Swat
The participants of Qaumi Jirga on Wednesday declared that residents of Swat rendered every sacrifice to defend peace and would never allow any element to hurt this peace in Swat District. The elders of Swat Qaumi Jirga were speaking at a Qaumi Conference held at the Swat Press club here on Wednesday. Local Elders, traders, transporters, lawyers and leaders of all political parties except the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf participated in the conference. Swat Qaumi Jirga’s leader Mukhtiar Khan Yousafzai, Abdul Khaliq, Khurshid Kakaji, Abdul Jabbar Khan, Sher Shah Khan, Ahmad Shah Khan and others addressed the conference and said that the people of Swat would never allow anyone disrupt peace in Swat. “We lost thousands of people and precious property,” they said and added that they knew the value of peace. The elders said that Swatian are true Muslims and they could no longer be befooled with any slogan. “We are true Muslims and live our life according to Islam,” they declared, adding they would never allow anyone to rule them with might of weapons.They said that they were surprised that every element wanted to bring Islam to Swat despite the fact that its residents were already Muslims.
Naveed Qamar stresses eNhaNced trade cooperatioN amoNg sco states
Nha restorationstarts Battal-Naranofbridge sTAff RepORT The National Highways Authority (NHA) on Wednesday started repairing the damaged Battal Naran Bridge with the help of heavy machinery and also prepared a temporary alternative passage for vehicular traffic. While talking to the media, an NHA spokesperson said, “Earlier last night all return traffic from Naran was stopped and now after establishing a temporary passage light traffic has been cleared including tourists”. Federal Minister of Communications Maulana Asad Mehmood has instructed member KP assembly Murshid Amin to restore the traffic soon. On the directive of Federal Minister of Communications, Secretary of Communications Captain (R) Muhammad Khurram Agha is personally supervising all the work.
“The master plan preparation project should be completed transparently and at a fast pace,” he added. He said that there was a need to promote the trend of highrise buildings in the city. The provincial minister was informed that the work on preparation of new master plan of the city was continuing rapidly. He was also informed that the assessment report, inception report and indicator report have been completed. Secretary Housing Shakeel Ahmed, Lahore Development Authority Director General Aamir Ahmed Khan and officers and engineers of LDA attended the meeting.
Naveed Qamar said Pakistan was working to gain greater market access for its exports, and diversify markets and the export basket along with establishing linkages for industrial innovation and production. It could only be achieved through greater openness of the economy, he added. He recalled that Pakistan proposed at Qindao that the establishment of PakistanSCO Trade, Transit and Energy Corridor would offer the SCO member states the use of its road and rail network, and access to international sea lines of communication for trade, transit and commercial logistics through Karachi and Gwadar. It would also realize the cherished aspiration of land and maritime connectivity among the Middle East, Central Asia, China and South Asia, he added. For regional connectivity, the minister said, Pakistan had started negotiations with the SCO states to tap the transit potential of the region for trade and regional connectivity, and actively pursuing to materialize the long term Naveedarrangement.Qamarsaid, “Through this forum we also expect that this forum would create a dialogue platform to discuss problems and prospects for mutually beneficial trade-economic, investment and cultural- humanitarian cooperation among SCO member states and operate based on the principles of openness.” Pakistan, he said, was looking forward to the meetings of business council, exhibitions fairs, business forums and other events of the interested parties under the SCO to enhance further cooperation among the member states. He said Pakistan fully shared the SCO’s strong support for multilateralism, free and transparent trade according to the WTO (World Trade Organization) rules and enhanced economic cooperation among its member states. He reaffirmed Pakistan’s strong commitment to the ‘One-China’ Policy, and firm support to China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. The minister said,”We know that the world is already reeling through a critical security situation due to the Ukraine conflict, with destabilizing implications for international food and energy security” and it could not afford another crisis that had negative consequences for global peace, security and economy.
The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Wednesday sought a response from the federal government and KE in a case related to the collection of General Sales Tax (GST) on electricityPresidentbills.Anjuman-e-Tajjran Karachi, Javed Shams filed plea with the SHC against collecting GST via electricity bills. Javed Shams in his plea said collection of GST from the small traders and retailers via electricity bills is illegal. The bill with General Sales Tax was also sent to the traders who consumed a single unit of electricity in the month. The traders’ body president pleaded with the court for immediate hearing of his plea as the fixed tax has been included in the bill.After the initial hearing, SHC while issuing notices to the federal government and KE sought their response. Earlier, Karachi school moved the Sindh High Court (SHC) against collection of General Sales Tax on electricity bill. A private school filed a plea with SHC against the school for sending an electricity bill with GST. We are running a school, not a retailer, the plea stated and added that KElectric has slapped Rs6,000 each GST on the four commercial electricity meters.
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Pakistan, the minister said, attached great importance to the SCO as “it allows us to underscore our interest in regional peace, stability and development and support for regional cooperation”. It would not only provide a platform to forge closer ties with China and Russia; the two key players in the region, but also “allow us to explore greater economic linkages and cooperation with Central Asian countries in the areas of energy and transport, and would help us in promoting Pakistan as a regional trade corridor,” he maintained.
aslam iqbal reviews master plan Lahore 2050 News Desk
million citizens attained treatment facility from private hospitals under the programme while 367,000 patients got the facility from government hospitals. As many as 1.266 million patients had been treated from January 1, 2022 to August 17 whereas Rs 26.86 billion was spent during this period on the provision of indoor healthcare facility. The secretary said that the programme was being implemented in 809 public and private hospitals where more than 82,000 beds were available for indoor healthcare facility. Under the Sehat Sahulat Programme, dialysis, gynaecology, cataract, cancer, cardiology, hernia and other medical facilities are being provided.
The minister said said as per a report of the International Monetary Fund, in 2021 the average GDP (gross domestic product) growth of the SCO member states was about 5.3%. Trade volume (exports) of Pakistan with SCO states reached $3.44 billion with an increase of 30.6% during the FY 2021-22. He said,”We are striving to move away from a consumptive economy towards an investment and export-driven economy. “We intend to achieve this through free trade and transit agreements, regional connectivity, the ‘Make in Pakistan’ initiatives, rationalization of tariffs, and an industrial policy framework, which will put Pakistan on the path of industrialization.”
Rs40b spent on treatment of 19m people through ‘Sehat Sahulat’ programme GST collection in bills: SHC seeks reply from govt, KE
Trough the inter-regional relations, the SCO had gained significant development, however, their full potentials had not yet been exploited, he said addressing a twoday SCO Economic Forum in Tashkent, according to a message received here on Wednesday.Theminister said regional trade, economy, investment, science and technology, cultural-humanitarian and other opportunities could significantly strengthen the foundation of cooperation among the SCO member states. “I am delighted to say that Pakistan, ever since its accession as full member, has desired to play a pro-active role towards promotion of cooperation in political, security, economic, cultural, and legal areas,” he Pakistan,added.hesaid, shares with the SCO and its members, deep rooted historical and cultural links, and strong economic and strategic complementarities. “We are fully committed to promoting the Shanghai Spirit which lays emphasis on equality, trust, coexistence, respect for cultural diversity, and a desire for shared development,” Naveed Qamar added.
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The Punjab government has spent Rs 40 billion on treatment of more than 19 million people through the Sehat Sahulat SikandarHealthmentAccordingProgramme.toastate-issuedbyPunjabSecretaryImranBalochhereonWednesday,about1.534
Thursday, 18 August, 2022 ISLAMABAD 04 NEWS IsLAMABAD app F
swAT Syed Shahabuddin
LAHORe Staff RepoRt
F InAnCe Minister Miftah Ismail was hailed for bringing the mammoth trading community under tax net. However last month he had to roll back the fixed monthly tax on traders after PML(n) Vice President Maryam nawaz pleaded the community’s case. The exemption was calculated to have caused a rs30 billion dent in the national exchequer while helping nearly 1.8 million retailers to remain outside the tax net. The step coincided with the drastic increase in income tax on salaried people and corporates as the government endeavored to meet IMF-mandated revenue targets. As the entire country made sacrifices in one way or another, the interests of the PML(n)’s core constituency in Punjab were well protected. Politics thus took toll of economic priorities. After losing the recent by-elections in Punjab, former PM nawaz Sharif and those close to him have been looking for an opportunity to increase the PML(n)’s ratings in the province. They think that the increase in petroleum prices by their own government has given the party a chance to seek popularity. Vice President Maryam nawaz on Tuesday said party supremo nawaz Sharif “strongly opposed” the government’s decision to raise petroleum prices as he could not allow the burdening of the people with another penny. The party chief had reportedly maintained that if the government’s hands are tied, he would not be party to this decision. nawaz Sharif’s walkout from the meeting could indicate loosening of his grip on PML(n) leaders. It may not be feasible for Maryam nawaz to play on both sides of the wicket. Her denial of support to hike in petroleum prices will not help consumers queued up at petrol stations. By continuing to retain the party office she makes herself responsible for whatever PM Shehbaz Sharif‘s government does. To attract voters in next elections the PML(n) needs an effective narrative which currently it does not possess. “Vote ko izzat do” has become shop soiled. There is little to attract the urban youth in PML(n) rallies. This shows why Maryam nawaz failed to compete with Imran Khan in attracting charged audiences during her recent byelection rallies in Punjab.
06 Thursday, 18 August, 2022 COMMENT Lahore – Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965 I Karachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9 I Islamabad – Ph: 051-2204545 I Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk I Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk
T He Faisalabad police has acted swiftly, and arrested the six accused of having assaulted, sexually harassed and humiliated a girl, making her lick their shoes, shaving her eyebrows and cutting off her hair, all for having refused the marriage proposal of her friend’s father. The father, a factory owner of the city, is to be faulted for his disregarding the disparity in age between himself and his daughter’s friend, but the brutality of his response at rejection has taken him from the ridiculous into the criminal. Crimes against women take place the world over. However, Pakistan has special circumstances which make matters worse. One can argue interminably about how much the laws contribute, but the fact remains that no matter the laws that are passed, they will be operationalized by the same police and the same courts which make both police stations and courts seen as hostile places for women. A major difficulty can be seen in the current case, where it is likelier than notthat money will change hands, and tuner police will flub the investigation. This will be fully used by the defence legal team during the trial, and the accused will walk out of the dock without a stain on the name. In a way, this case will be a test case, and it remains to be seen whether the guilty parties, who showed a particularly debased sense of amour-propre, will be punished or not. There is something wrong with a system where, if the victim lacks sufficient stamina, the guilty will get off unpunished or with a mild slap on the wrist. Apart from the state becoming the main pursuer of all cases, but especially such crimes against women, its personnel, both in the police stations and in the courts, must be duly sensitized towards the plight of victims of such crimes. However, the education system must also play a role. A perverted sense of honour was clearly at play, and it is for the schools to make individuals realize that the kind of barbarity that was on show in Faisalabad is actually the kind of behaviour an honourable person avoids. Will the humiliation of a young girl fade?
MUHaMMaD ali alVi Pakistan which was once the fastest growing country in the region can learn from the Turkish transition from controlled to real democratic order. Today the country is a constitutional democracy, adherence to which can ensure our march forward provided it is followed in letter and spirit.
The writer is freelance columnist YousafEditorNizami Dedicated to the legacy of late Hameed Nizami Arif Nizami (Late) Founding Editor M. A. Niazi
Joint Editor Umar ExecutiveAzizEditorAziz-ud-Din Ahmad Joint Editor
Dr FariD a Malik
U nder recep Tayyip erdogan, the 12th President, Turkey is ready to assume the leadership of the Islamic Ummah. In the 20th century, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk founded the Turkish republic. Ataturk was a graduate of the Ottoman Military Academy who rose to be a general. during World War I when Turkey was under siege, he defeated the Allied Forces in 1915 in the famous Battle of Gallipoli. It was the last military victory of a Muslim General. He then resisted the break-up of his country but in the process dislodged the centuries-old Ottoman empire. He remained at the helm from 1923 till his death in 1938. He founded the republican People’s Party that has ruled Turkey for extended periods. In his own words; “I am a dictator so that Turkey may never have another”. As the ‘ republic ‘ came into being after a ‘ Military Victory ‘, a constitutional role was given to the men in uniform. Both Zia and Musharraf desired such a ‘ Supra Constitutional Body ‘ for Pakistan but did not succeed. The Turkish ‘Sipah-e-Salar’ was given constitutional authority to dislodge an elected government when he felt necessary and then hold elections at the appropriate time as determined by him. due to this unbridled/unaccountable authority for decades Turkey remained the ‘ Sick man ‘ of europe. In the year 1981 after finishing my MS programme, I was driving home across europe. early October morning I entered Turkey from Greece. It was a pleasant morning, after two years hearing the sound of ‘Azan ‘ was music to my ears. On finishing my prayers, my car was cleared by the customs staff. As I was about to leave two military men in uniform stopped me for a thorough search. Surprised by their intrusion, I told them that I had been cleared by the customs but they were adamant. On my objection I was told that the country was under Martial Law and the Army had absolute control with no questions asked. At this stage I tried to use my charm by relying on the age-old ‘ Pakistan-Turkiye Haqqi qi Gardés ‘ (Pakistan-Turkey were real brothers) mantra but they were unmoved. Finally after searching every nook and corner of my automobile, I was let go. At the fake end of my long drive, trouble lay ahead for me in the friendly Muslim country as it was in a mess. In September 1980 General Kevin evren the Army Chief had dismissed the civilian government to become the acting President. Turkey had shortages of all kind. There was regular gas and power load shedding. The law and order situation was out of control. I had to throw cigarettes as extortion to wade my way through the young boys who were standing on the roadside with stones. The entire structure was also dilapidated and illkept. Though there was lots of love and respect for Pakistanis amongst the civilian population, there was overall gloom and doom. On my way to Konya to experience ‘ Maulana rumi ‘, I was greeted with open arms with offers of free food and gasoline. The population was sharply divided; while a few women wore skirts a vast majority were conservatively dressed. reverence for ‘ Mevlana ‘ as they pronounced was widespread. I was welcomed as a pilgrim not a mere tourist. It was 1996 when I went back to Istanbul with my wife and children. The city had been transformed by the elected mayor erdogan. He had launched his ‘ Turkish national Movement ‘ party to enter the political arena. After completing his basic ‘ Madrassa education ‘ erdogan had graduated from the Marmara University in Istanbul. He had mass appeal amongst the conservative and middle of the road population; only the secular Kemalists were against him.
Gimmickry is no alternative to narrative
06-07 Comments - 18 August 2022_Layout 1 8/17/2022 10:49 PM Page 1
Faisalabad outrage
The writer is ex-Chairman, Pakistan Science Foundation. He can be contacted at: fmaliks@hotmail.com.
P AKISTAn turned 75 on the 14th of August 2022 and the nation celebrated the occasion with excitement, passion, and patriotic zeal, and fervour. Pakistan is a reality with nuclear capability and the world has accepted its significance. Its naturally gifted geography has helped it stand the test of time and stay firm despite manydespitehardships.the plethora of problems it has faced, Pakistan is one of the Asian powers with a key strategic position and has an important role to play in the world. Be it peace, security, and welfare. The people of Pakistan have excelled in every field. They have made the country proud. Be it in the field of sports, arts, science, technology, education, and literature. Pakistan has seen it all in these 75 years. From wars to the separation of east Pakistan to terrorism and finally winning against it, the state has survived. It has overcome all the hurdles. And after 75 years, the people of Pakistan and the world expect Pakistan to stand up on its feet. It can no longer be termed as a state in its infancy as the time has come to stand tall and solve all its problems. There are many questions that need answers. There are many problems and confusions the state of Pakistan and its people are going through that need solutions. Political instability is the root cause of all the problems. 75 years have passed but still, the dream of political stability remains a dream. There are numerous reasons for the current crisis in the country but the most important is that no one has been held responsible for political instability in the country. The governments have kept on changing, the people have kept on selecting parties on their wishes rather than performance, the non-democratic forces have intervened and the family dynasties have ruled. But no one is ready to take the blame. To survive, Pakistan needs political stability. And for that purpose, both the politicians and voters have to play their Pakistan’spart.education budget is one of the lowest in the world and Asia. every year there is much debate around the allocation of a reasonable budget for education. But, it can no longer continue in the same way. Given the problems the education sector is facing, it is high time Pakistan starts spending enough money on education to make sure no one is left behind. Pakistan is a water-scarce country. And the country is running out of time. The whole country may face water scarcity by 2025. But, water governance and management remains an elusive dream. Low productivity of high water-consuming crops, waste of fresh water and lack of dams, and poor water management at the domestic level is making things worse for the country. Pakistan needs to find the solution quickly as climate change is speeding up the process. Pakistan is among the 10 countries that are most vulnerable to climate change. Climate change will have adverse effects on water resources in Pakistan. And then there is a lack of accountability culture. Be it individuals, groups, or institutions, no one is above the law. But no one is ready for accountability. no one presents himself for accountability. This hurts the smooth functioning of the system. To survive everyone has to make itself accountable and develop a culture of Pakistanaccountability.at75needsto find answers to the question of gender inequality. Pakistan ranks second-last in terms of gender equality. For a country with 107 million women, this has to change as the people of the state follow a religion that has granted enormous rights to women 1400 years back and the constitution that allows for equal rights and privileges for women. Other than the problems and confusions faced by the state there are sections of society that face different problems and confusions. And to progress, they have to sort out these problems. A section of society is still confused about the norms, values and culture they want their children to adopt. They are Pakistani but they want their children to follow the foreign culture. They want their children to learn and speak english and get an education abroad to dominate others. They consider the values and culture of the nation as vague and old. As a result, they create a generation that may be able to speak english fluently and is foreign qualified but is not inclined towards Pakistani culture and see it as a poor and secondary culture that is for mediocreSimilarly,Pakistanis.thereis a section of society that is confused between Islamic and modern education. There is absolutely no harm in getting both but for them preferring Islamic education over others is better. In this way, they are preventing their children from moreThenopportunities.thereisafaction of society that has a colonial mentality. It may be living in a free Pakistan but is confined in the cages of negativity and pessimism and is a liability rather than an asset to the country. Then there exist people who create an atmosphere of hate and insecurity. They try to spread social, political, religious, and cultural hate and disturb the social fabric of the country. And, lastly, there is a large section of society. This major chunk of society understands the problems Pakistan is facing, is cooperative, respects others’ rights, performs its duties and is always ready to serve Pakistan. But is in a state of confusion about how to play its part. It can play a great role if it starts to do its bit in its capacity. “Pakistan Noor hai aur Noor ko zawal Nahi” (Wasif Ali Wasif). (Pakistan is light, and light is never snuffedPakistanout.) and its people have passed the initial test and now the time has come to find solutions to the persisting problems. And things will start to change when every individual will play their part.
Turkey from Ataturk to Erdogan
The path of development without military intervention
PML(N) losing fast in Punjab
Fearing his election victory as Prime Minister (PM) he was banned from contesting. He fielded his close confidant Abdullah Gul as PM. After coming into power, the PM removed the ban on erdogan thus paving the way for him to come into power. Once in the saddle erdogan moved fast to rebuild Turkey from the ashes of repeated military interventions. Under his astute leadership his country transformed from Sick man to Strongman of europe. He then amended the constitution to finish the role of the Armed Forces in running the country. Those who resisted were removed. People’s power was restored.
Pakistan and its people at 75
After two terms as PM, erdogan elevated himself to the position of President of the republic. Today the country is vibrant which has started to re-assert itself as the power to be reckoned with. The West as always conspired to remove erdogan through a military coup while he was visiting his hometown. Tanks were deployed in Ankara the capital. erdogan immediately flew back and landed safely to a hero’s welcome by the masses. even the tanks were surrounded by the people. The strong Turkish Army had to surrender for the first time in history by laying its arms before its own people. The republic survived and the revisionists were made to bite the dust. erdogan then moved fast to reform the Armed Forces by confining them to the barracks where they rightfully belonged. While Ataturk is still revered as the father of the modern republic his supra constitutional role for his fellow soldiers has been down awayerdoganwith. has created a legacy of development and growth while balancing religion with the challenges of the times. Amongst the Islamic Ummah Turkey, Malaysia and Indonesia have done well under able civilian leadership. Iran has also developed but under strict religious control for which they continue to face international sanctions. Pakistan which was once the fastest growing country in the region can learn from the Turkish transition from controlled to real democratic order. Today the country is a constitutional democracy, adherence to which can ensure our march forward provided it is followed in letter and spirit. Today, erdogan of Turkey stands out as the most important leader of the Muslin World who is destined to play a major role in reviving the past glory of the Ummah.
It’s time to do something
B AnGLAdeSH’S success in protecting human rights is being appreciated in the international arena as well. Bangladesh has given shelter to the rohingyas who fled to Bangladesh due to brutal torture in Myanmar. efforts are being made to involve the international community for the return of the rohingyas to their own country with safety. It will serve as an example to the rest of the world how the current prime minister, Sheikh Hasina Wajed, has treated refugees from all over the world and the rohingyas who have been protected in Bangladesh. The current prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, is known as the “Mother of Humanity” in the international community. ‘Sheikh Hasina: Mother of Humanity’ was the title of a cover story of a prestigious dutch diplomat magazine. By agreeing to open the border with Bangladesh to provide sanctuary to Myanmar nationals forcibly made to flee from rakhine State in Myanmar, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has saved the lives of millions of oppressed people. If Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had not given shelter to the rohingya in Bangladesh, Myanmar would have suffered the worst genocide since World War II. And if that were the case, the international community was highly to be criticized. Bangladesh serves as a role model for the entire world by hosting refugees. Bangladesh can teach the rest of the world. because there are refugees from Afghanistan, Syria, Ukraine and other countries. The global community must take Bangladesh’s experience and apply it. More than a lakh rohingya have received temporary housing from the government in Bhasanchar as part of the Asrayan-3 project. The project offers safe housing, comfortable living, and all contemporary amenities, including livelihood facilities, to the rohingyas in Bhasanchar, Charaishwar Union, Hatia Upazila, noakhali. Over a lakh rohingyas will benefit from the creation of the Bhasanchar Asrayan-3 project, which will cost around Tk 3,95,000 crore. To make Bhasanchar livable, the Bangladesh navy has been tasked with overseeing infrastructure development, afforestation, and security. The rohingya were temporarily relocated with the help of the housing project, which was implemented on 1,602 acres of the 6,428 acres of available land on the 13,000 square kilometer island. Bangladesh has been promoting and protecting all human rights of its population in a people-centric and ‘whole of society’ approach. In the connection with that, there is Bangladesh’s significant progress in social development, human rights including that of women and girls, strengthening institutions and the rule of law, and in addressing global challenges such as terrorism and violent extremism, cybercrimes, drugs, and related crimes. We can highlight the prompt and effective measures taken by the government to address the pandemic-induced health risks and its imminent impact on the ongoing social economic activities, and achievements of Bangladesh in the social sector. With the aim of protecting human rights, Bangladesh has been continuing to cooperate in all fields, including modernizing the human rights commission and increasing the capacity and facilities of the commission’s officers and employees. As an independent and impartial institution, the commission is playing an active role in the protection of human rights in the country. Bangladesh enacted the ‘national Human rights Commission Act, 2009’ and established a full-fledged Human rights Commission accordingly. The Bangladesh government has already increased the commission’s manpower and budget allocation and other facilities to strengthen the commission. For the first time the national Inquiry is being conducted by the commission to prevent violence and rape against women. The current government’s ‘zero tolerance policy’ is playing a strong role in upholding human rights in creating a society free from drugs, terrorism and corruption.
The main issue of human rights is to guarantee fundamental rights. everyone should be assured of life. Treatment, food and drink, movement and work should be guaranteed. Clothing and accommodation should be arranged. Bangladesh has now achieved these. Country’s children do not starve to death now. Bangladesh has built 18,500 clinics for healthcare. Various training arrangements have been made to eliminate unemployment. Bangladesh is ahead of many countries in terms of human rights. In light of the recommendations from the authorities and organizations concerned with the development and protection of human rights, the government of Bangladesh has already taken various steps. The government is trying its best to protect human rights. As part of this, reforms have been brought in various fields including administration. The report also mentions that all violent acts of violence have been banned. Our government is working relentlessly for justice and peace of the common people. To confirm this, our Prime Minister has recently sent 31-point instructions to the district Commissioners. not only that, recently during the Police Week, the Prime Minister directed that common people should not be subjected to any harassment or torture. Since signing the United nations Anti-Torture Charter, Bangladesh is very careful in following its conventions. For this purpose, Bangladesh has taken various steps in the law, administration and judicial departments. not only that, it has also taken various initiatives with civil society and our development partners. Bangladesh has reformed its prisons so that human rights are not violated. The authority of Bangladesh is very strict in stopping abuse of children and women. It is providing all kinds of support to abused women and children. Those who are involved in these tortures are being brought under strict punishment. Anti-torture committees have also been formed in neighborhoods. Bangladesh has taken various steps in view of several resolutions adopted by the United nations General Assembly. Bangladesh has enacted codes of conduct for law enforcement officials, guidelines for doctors, anti-cruelty to prisoners’ laws and regulations related to torture prevention and punishment process.
FURQAN HYDERHYDERABADSHAIKH Editor’s mail
POrTIOnS of Hub bridge, which connects several cities of Balochistan with Sindh, especially Karachi, have been washed away by recent heavy rains. According to the national Highway Authority (nHA), the bridge, constructed in 1972, has collapsed. This makes Hub Bypass the only alternative route for all sorts of traffic, and that may end up putting the said bypass under pressure because it was never built with that kind of load in mind. As for the bridge, it was supposed to be rebuilt after 20 years, in 1992, but, unfortunately, upon the completion of its life, the relevant authorities and their qualified engineers found it more ‘practical’ to simply declare the bridge worthy enough even if it had been in a bad shape for a couple of years even back then. Over the last three decades, the issue of the reconstruction of the bridge was raised on several occasions owing to its dilapidated condition, but somehow the relevant authorities always found it good enough. now that it has finally collapsed, the relevant authorities — and of course their ‘wonderful’ engineers — should be grateful that it has collapsed without causing any major loss in terms of human life. It is an opportunity for the relevant authorities to make amends for their past behaviour by reconstructing the bridge and make it actually ‘fine’, and to do it in the shortest possible time. The toll taxes that the authorities collected on a daily basis should be sufficient to build an entirely new bridge.
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Bangbandhru rightly said in the General Session of the United nations on 25 September 1974, “Bangladesh’s struggle is a symbol of the universal struggle for justice and peace.” Therefore, it is natural that Bangladesh will stand by the oppressed people of the world from the beginning.’
The Torture and death in Custody (Prevention) Act was passed in 2013. Bangladesh’s criminal laws prohibit all forms of violence that amount to torture. The Constitution of Bangladesh allows Parliament to make laws to protect fundamental rights. The Constitution also asks Parliament to refrain from enacting laws inconsistent with the fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution. In Bangladesh departmental action is taken against the police officer responsible for any misconduct including torture. Any aggrieved person can complain to a senior police officer about torture in or out of security custody. Administrative action is taken against policemen under the Public Servant disciplinary and Appeal rules of 1985, Bengal Police regulations of 1943, Police Officers Ordinance of 1976. Apart from this, ACC, Parliamentary Standing Committee, national Human rights Commission and even the High Court are working to monitor the activities of law enforcement agencies. Strict action is being taken if the allegations against any member of the law-and-order force are proved. 27 rAB members have been accused in seven murder cases in narayanganj. 17 cases have been filed against members of the law enforcement agencies in the past years. Apart from this, many have been punished for different periods. Apart from the government, several statutory institutions like national Human rights Commission, Law Commission, Legal Services Organization are playing an important role against torture. Bangladesh is a country of communal harmony. The government attaches utmost importance to the security of religious minorities. In case of any kind of attack on minorities, strict legal action is taken against them. Civil society and bloggers in Bangladesh have the opportunity to freely express their opinions besides having their safety Accordingensured.tothe constitution, the protection of fundamental rights can be sought from the high court department. Any person can file a petition in the High Court in case of violation of human rights. The High Court division can issue orders to any authority in the republic to enforce humanTherights.decision taken by the Bangladesh Supreme Court is binding on all subordinate courts. In case of disobeying any order or direction given by the Supreme Court, then the Supreme Court can issue any order or direction to investigate the contempt thereof. The Supreme Court has issued various directives to stop all forms of corporal punishment in primary and secondary educational institutions and to prevent sexual harassment against women in educational institutions and workplaces. The government is complying with these instructions of the court. The best example of Bangladesh giving utmost importance to protecting human rights is sheltering 1.1 million rohingya. When the Myanmar government perpetrated extreme torture on the rohingya, we opened the border thinking about human rights. Whenever there is talk of their return to Myanmar, the Bangladesh government has always remained firmly committed to a policy of non-forced repatriation. Bangladesh is steadfast in its commitment that they will be repatriated only when their security, safe life and basic human rights are guaranteed in Myanmar. However, the High Court’s play an appropriate role against extrajudicial killings and torture and pass necessary orders to ensure justice. But there might have some allegations of human rights violations in Bangladesh. Bangladesh needs to address these issues promptly. Bangladesh will have to move forward still.
COUnTrIeS around the world focus on quality education, healthcare, infrastructure and essential services, but the government has different priorities in Pakistan where such things are nowhere to be found. Our country is blessed with abundant resources, but those at the helm of affairs do not utilise them efficiently for the benefit of people. The people continue to suffer in one way or the other. For instance, the recent rains in Hyderabad laid bare the incompetence of the authorities and the dilapidated drainage system of the city. Hethalo Maal Piri is one such locality suffering from foul smell of accumulated water, mosquitoes, sewerage sludge on the street, and just about everything that goes with such a polluted environment. due to the poor state of affairs, the residents are unable to even visit mosques for prayers. One can hardly find any district government officer in this time of need. The government should change its priorities for the better so that the locals may heave a sigh of relief and carry on with their activities of daily life.
07 Thursday, 18 August, 2022
The pace of reconstruction is critical because the transportation business and trading have been affected badly. There have been shortages of domestic goods as they cannot be supplied to Turbat, Panjgur, Pasni and Gwadar since the collapse of the bridge. This, in turn, has added to the price hike that was already a major concern for the people. The Balochistan government and the nHA should act promptly and must start the reconstruction process so that transportation and trade may resume and inflation may also be curbed in the affected areas.
GULSAMEEN HASSANTURBAT Revival of Lollywood
MeHjabin bHanU Making sure people get justice
06-07 Comments - 18 August 2022_Layout 1 8/17/2022 10:49 PM Page 2
OUr film industry was deservingly waiting for the renaissance after its collapse at the beginning of the new millennium. due to ubiquitous presence and ready availability of Hollywood and Bollywood movies on digital platforms, Lollywood movies faced existential threats. As the history of the nation suggests, it bounces back after a brief hiatus, and the same was true of the tinsel town. The second decade of this century has witnessed a number of Lollywood blockbusters that are on a par with their counterparts across the border. The need is to give time and space to the newcomers in order to let them thrive in the entertainment world. It is incumbent upon us to quote a few instances to prove the worth and rebirth of our movies in recent times. Movies like The donkey King, Teefa in Trouble, Load Wedding, Punjab nahi Jaungi, Actor in Law, na Maloom Afraad are just a few examples of the resilience of our producers and actors who seem to have vowed never to let down the audiences. done consistently, such an attitude would change everyone’s opinion about Lollywood movies. These movies are good by any yardstick. Artistic diligence and creative input are easily visible in our cinematic outpourings. Perfectionism is being targeted now. We should not let ourselves down by disoriented comparison between our movies and those of the other countries as the former is gearing up for its promising start, while the latter has achieved its peak. Let us see a swatch. The donkey King, being an animation movie outwardly meant for children, showed maturity of script, had witty dialogues, sharp quips and puns along with political and satirical commen-tary that made it a worthy watch for the elders as well. Its sound tracks and lyrics were the icing on the proverbial cake. The canvas is expanding, and the subject is branching out. Teefa in Trouble was a real entertainment piece. Load Wedding and Actor in Law were thesis movies on social evils. Punjab nahi Jaungi was a cultural movie. However, the only area that has not been tapped into yet is our education system. It must be made the focus of our film productions. Movies made on such subjects caused a stir in the education sector of their respective countries, and brought about a paradigm shift in policy-making and pedagogy. We should also try such subjects. All these movies and others of their ilk herald the renaissance of Pakistani cinema. They also falsify the retrogressive views of some nihilistic art critics who toll the bell for artistic productions in our part of the world. They live in a fool’s paradise when they crow that art has already scaled its apogee, and classics should not be expected anymore. The current silver screen creative renderings can successfully make them disillusioned. These views are not of a movie critic, rather of a layman who was once quite vociferous exponent of world movies and now an avid viewer of Pakistani movies, and who has judged local movies objectively. Our movies should be given a fair chance. It can be claimed positively that our indigenous silver screen productions can certainly attract and sustain the attention of the viewers, and have the potential to bring about a change in the thinking of even their hardline critics. M NADEEM KASURNADIR
Change for betterment
COMMENT Why Hub bridge should be rebuilt immediately?
The writer is a freelance columnist
Bangladesh’s role in promoting human rights
Daily Star Editorial i t is quite alarming that more than 73 percent of cybercrime victims in the country do not seek legal assistance, and that more than half of those who do find the support to be inadequate, as per a recently released report of the Cyber Crime Awareness Foundation. the report also found that a meagre 7 percent of the victims were “satisfied” with the support they had received. that gives a very poor impression about the state of our cybercrime-fighting ability. As previous reports on cybercrimes have also found out, cybercrimes are rising and evolving at an alarming rate in Bangladesh. As the patterns of crimes have evolved, so have the criminals. And their victims, according to the latest report, fall between different age groups: more than 80 percent were found aged between 18 and 30, 13.57 percent aged below 18, 5.03 percent aged 31-45, and less than one percent over 45. Young people, it seems, are the biggest victims of cybercrimes. However, since most victims are reluctant to pursue legal recourse – due to lack of awareness, lack of faith in law enforcers and the justice system, fear of hassles and social stigma, etc. – and since official data on the matter is barely collected, it is also possible that many elderly people are also falling victim to such crimes, without even realising its gravity. On the other hand, young people are definitely being victimised more when it comes to online bullying, receiving pornographic material, defamation threats and online intimidation. Meanwhile, getting defrauded when shopping online and having one’s account hacked are also occurring frequently. Reportedly, female victims of cybercrimes have been found to be more reluctant to pursue justice through the legal system. And that is another concern that requires the administration’s immediate attention. the fact that our justice system is not much gender-friendly was bound to spill over to the cyber space. therefore, the authorities – particularly the cybercrime fighting unit of the police – must take steps to address this situation. Since the police have a specific unit to work on the issue, they must have the willingness and required manpower and tools to reach out to all the victims who report to them and provide them prompt and necessary support. Additionally, the government must spread awareness among people that can help prevent them from falling victim to such crimes, and can also help encourage them to seek legal recourse.
An excerpt from ‘the LAst White mAn’ by mohsin hAmiD
Thursday, 18 August, 2022 08 WORLD VIEW
Despite having a number of laws in place to fight cybercrimes, the state of our cybercrime-fighting ability has remained quite appalling.
PEN P sainath p RIMe MInISteR narendra Modi’s lockdown speech of March 24, 2020 gave a nation of 1.4 billion people four hours to shut itself down. It would devastate hundreds of millions of livelihoods within days. Minutes after Modi’s speech, his government listed the essential services that would remain operational through the lockdown.Refreshingly, that included ‘print and electronic media, telecommunications, internet services, broadcasting and cable services.’ In the next few months, major media houses, mostly corporate-owned or controlled, sacked between 2,000 and 2,500 journalists. they achieved much of this by extracting ‘voluntary resignations and retirements.’ the classification of media as an essential service did not save a single job. Or life. Covid-19 killed at least 700 journalists in the first 20 months of the pandemic. All these numbers are gross underestimates. the sackings, especially. I was a member of the Press Council of India sub-committee to investigate the retrenchments; our letters seeking information from major media houses were met with anger and aggressive lawyers’ replies. the country’s biggest newspaper group told us that the Press Council had no right to question the sackings. they were recruitment and labor issues and had nothing to do with press freedom (the Council’s purview). the government stayed silent on the sackings. the media’s failure to cover the exodus of millions of migrant laborers from cities back to their villages was not unrelated to the Great Downsizing. these same segments of the media, too, have said barely a word in their editorials on the arrests, detentions, denial of bail, and the hundreds of cases against media persons—some under sections of laws not applied to journalists in over 100 years. the ‘mainstream’ media’s silence on the assault on democracy that India has seen for years now is not just about cowardice—though there’s dollops of that—but also about complicity and collaboration, coaxing and coercion. Sure, there are rare exceptions—like the Dainik Bhaskar group that held out bravely despite the income tax and other raids on it. Mostly, though, truly courageous resistance has come from smaller, non-corporate media whose journalists and editors suffer severe harassment, tax raids, arrests, jailing. that have seen donors and sponsors pull their funds in fear. that are unsure of paying their staff salaries in the current financial year. the new trend: arresting journalists and editors for ‘economic offenses’—‘money laundering’ being the official favorite. that vilifies journalists, hurting their credibility and making it hard for them to be viewed as political prisoners. It’s worth knowing that four major public intellectuals assassinated in the past decade—narendra Dabholkar, Govind Pansare, M.M. Kalburgi and Gauri Lankesh—had this in common: they were journalists, columnists or writers who wrote in Indian languages. Also, rationalists who challenged religiousMeanwhile,fundamentalism.thesuper-rich, heading India’s biggest corporate houses, are rapidly acquiring more media properties. (With 166 of them, India ranks 3rd among nations in dollar billionaires. But ranks 131 in the Un Human Development Index). Owners whose billions flow from government contracts and huge public resources privatized for their benefit, and who contribute fantastic sums to the ruling party. What did bother the government was the Parisbased Reporters Sans Frontieres’ ranking India 142 (among 180 nations) in the World Press Freedom Index, 2020. (this year’s rank – 150). And twitter’s latest transparency report confirms India made more ‘legal’ demands than any other nation to remove content posted by verified journalists and news outlets during July-December 2021. We’ve also seen what amounts to months of internet shutdowns across entire regions like Indian Occupied Kashmir. Indian journalists can always be shown the error of their ways. the worst you can do with non-Indians is to deny them visas. Yet, they acted swiftly to rebut the RSF report and index ranking. In May 2020, the government set up an ‘Index Monitoring Cell’ (IMC) on the directive of the Union Cabinet Secretary, perhaps the country’s most powerful bureaucrat. One who reports directly to the two most important men in India—the Prime Minister and Home Minister. I was one of the IMC’s two original journalist members. In December 2020, a subgroup presented the committee with a draft report striking for the absence of the word ‘draft’ on its cover. It failed to reflect the content of our discussions. And it made outrageous claims, some of which seemed to mock the sufferings of journalists in Indian Occupied Kashmir. I wrote a note of dissent which, among other things, listed 100 instances of arrests of, legal notices to, and FIRs and cases filed against, journalists in the span of just some months. Such as the October 2020 arrest of Siddique Kappan, a freelancer from Kerala who had gone to Uttar Pradesh to cover the Hathras rape and murder atrocity against Dalits. He was not allowed to meet a lawyer for weeks and remains in jail 22 months later. Or Zubair Ahmed, a journalist in the Andamans booked on multiple charges for this tweet: ‘Can someone explain why families are placed under home quarantine for speaking over phone with Covid patients?’ Ahmed died by suicide this July, supposedly in depression—but an investigation is still on. Immediately after that note of dissent went in— the committee simply vanished and has never been heard of since. Right to Information queries have failed to elicit any reasons for this. My friends find me ungrateful. ‘At least,’ they say, ‘it was the committee report that disappeared, not the journalist.’ And so you have the Indian media @75. For three of my four decades as a journalist, I argued that the Indian media are politically free but imprisoned by profit. today I’d say they are still shackled by profit, but are increasingly politically imprisoned as well. P Sainath is the founder and editor of the People’s Archive of Rural India. He has been a rural reporter for decades and is the author of ‘Everybody Loves a Good Drought.’ mAjor meDiA houses, mostLy corporAte-oWneD or controLLeD, sAckeD betWeen 2,000 AnD 2,500 journALists. they AchieveD much of this by extrActing ‘voLuntAry resignAtions AnD retirements.’ the cLAssificAtion of meDiA As An essentiAL service DiD not sAve A singLe job. or Life. coviD-19 kiLLeD At LeAst 700 journALists in the first 20 months of the pAnDemic
08 WORLD VIEW 18th August 22_Layout 1 8/17/2022 10:38 PM Page 1
india’s media: shackled by profit, politically imprisoned Why goingcybercrimesareunpunished?
Scroll Mohsin haMid o ne morning Anders, a white man, woke up to find he had turned a deep and undeniable brown. this dawned upon him gradually, and then suddenly, first as a sense as he reached for his phone that the early light was doing something strange to the color of his forearm, subsequently, and with a start, as a momentary conviction that there was somebody else in bed with him, male, darker, but this, terrifying though it was, was surely impossible, and he was reassured that the other moved as he moved, was in fact not a person, not a separate person, but was just him, Anders, causing a wave of relief, for if the idea that someone else was there was only imagined, then of course the notion that he had changed color was a trick too, an optical illusion, or a mental artifact, born in the slippery halfway place between dreams and wakefulness, except that by now he had his phone in his hands and he had reversed the camera, and he saw that the face looking back at him was not his at all. Anders scrambled out of his bed and began to rush to his bathroom, but, calming himself, he forced his gait to slow, to become more deliberate, measured, and whether he did this to assert his control over the situation, to compel reality to return through sheer strength of mind, or because running would have frightened him more, made him forever into prey being pursued, he did not know. the bathroom was shabbily but comfortingly familiar, the cracks in the tiles, the dirt in the grouting, the streak of dried toothpaste drip on the outside of the sink. the interior of the medicine cabinet was visible, the mirror door askew, and Anders raised his hand and swung his reflection into place before his eyes. It was not that of an Anders he recognized. He was overtaken by emotion, not so much shock, or sorrow, though those things were there too, but above all the face replacing his filled him with anger, or rather, more than anger, an unexpected, murderous rage. He wanted to kill the coloured man who confronted him here in his home, to extinguish the life animating this other’s body, to leave nothing standing but himself, as he was before, and he slammed the side of his fist into the face, cracking it slightly, and causing the whole fitting, cabinet, mirror, and all, to skew, like a painting after an earthquake has passed. Anders stood, the pain in his hand muted by the intensity that had seized him, and he felt himself trembling, a vibration so faint as barely to be perceptible, but then stronger, like a dangerous winter chill, like freezing outdoors, unsheltered, and it drove him back to his bed, and under his sheets, and he lay there for a long while, hiding, willing this day, just begun, please, please, not to begin. Anders waited for an undoing, an undoing that did not come, and the hours passed, and he realized that he had been robbed, that he was the victim of a crime, the horror of which only grew, a crime that had taken everything from him, that had taken him from him, for how could he say he was Anders now, be Anders now, with this other man staring him down, on his phone, in the mirror, and he tried not to keep checking, but every so often he would check again, and see the theft again, and when he was not checking there was no escaping the sight of his arms and his hands, dark, moreover frightening, for while they were under his control, there was no guarantee they would remain so, and he did not know if the idea of being throttled, which kept popping into his head like a bad memory, was something he feared or what he most wanted to do. He attempted, with no appetite, to eat a sandwich, to be calmer, steadier, and he told himself that it would be all right, although he was unconvinced. He wanted to believe that somehow he would change back, or be fixed, but already he doubted, and did not believe, and when he questioned whether it was entirely in his imagination, and tested this by taking a picture and placing it in a digital album, the algorithm that had, in the past, unfailingly suggested his name, so sure, so reliable, could not identify him. Anders did not normally mind being alone, but as he was just then, it was as if he was not alone, was, rather, in tense and hostile company, trapped indoors because he did not dare to step outside, and he went from his computer to his refrigerator to his bed to his sofa, moving on in his small space when he could not stand to remain a minute longer where he was, but there was no escaping Anders, for Anders, that day. the discomfort onlyHefollowed.began,he could not help it, to investigate himself, the texture of the hair on his scalp, the stubble on his face, the grain of the skin on his hands, dry, the reduced visibility of the blood vessels there, the color of his toenails, the muscles of his calves, and, stripping, frantic, his penis, unremarkable in size and in heft, unremarkable except in not being his, and therefore bizarre, beyond acceptance, like a sea creature that should not exist. Anders messaged in sick the first day. On the second he messaged to say he was more sick than he thought, and probably out for the week, upon which his boss called him, and when Anders did not answer, his boss messaged saying you better be dying, but he left Anders alone after that, other than, an hour later, sending a brief coda, you don’t work, you don’t get paid. Anders had not yet seen anyone since he had changed, and he was not keen to see anyone, but he was out of milk and chicken breast and canned tuna, and there was only so much protein powder a man could reasonably be expected to consume, which meant he had to go out and face the world, or at least the clerk at the grocery store. He put on a cap and wedged it low.
What happens when a white man’s skin suddenly turns dark?
Karachi: Pakistan’s premier conglomerate, Engro Corporation (PSX: ENGRO) announced its financial results for the first half of the year ending June 30, 2022. Overview Of financial PerfOrmance Engro Corporation’s standalone revenue increased from PKR 8.6 bn in 1H 2021 to PKR 16.6 bn in 1H 2022, exhibiting a substantial growth of 92%. Higher revenue was primarily due to higher dividends received from Engro Polymer & Chemicals Limited (EPCL) and Engro Fertilizers Limited (EFERT) which, in turn, were driven by strong underlying business performance. Resultantly, the Company achieved a 29% higher PAT of PKR 12.5 bn in 1H 2022 against PKR 9.7 bn in 1H 2021, translating into an EPS of PKR 21.66 per share (2021: PKR 16.81 per share). On a consolidated basis, Engro Corporation’s revenue grew by 27% to PKR 177.5 bn in 1H 2022 from PKR 139.3 bn in 1H 2021. The Company posted a PAT of PKR 16.8 bn in 1H 2022, which is 42% lower than PKR 29.1 bn in 1H 2021. The PAT attributable to the shareholders is PKR 7.4 bn, translating into an EPS of PKR 12.87 per share (1H 2021: PKR 29.60 per share). Despite organic revenue growth, imposition of super tax on current and prior year earnings weighed on the conglomerate’s consolidated profitability. Engro Corporation announced an interim cash dividend of PKR 11/- per share for the year. This is in addition to the PKR 12/- per share dividend that has already been announced during the year, bringing the cumulative payout to PKR 23/- per share.
BOP announces
POrtfOliO PerfOrmance review Fertilizers: The domestic urea market exhibited growth of ~12% in 1H 2022. EFERT sales remained steady during the year touching 1,098 KT versus 1,167 KT during same period last year. By enabling indigenous production of urea, EFERT contributed ~USD 0.8 bn in import substitution for Pakistan, and sold urea at a discount of ~78% over international prices. Profitability of the business was impacted by super tax imposition to the tune of PKR 5.2 bn. EFERT posted a PAT of PKR 5.4 bn in 1H 2022 vs PKR 10.5 bn in 1H 2021. Petrochemicals: The petrochemical business continued its upward momentum and EPCL sales increased to 120 KT in 1H 2022 against 96 KT in 1H 2021. Timely expansion and operational reliability supported Pakistan in avoiding USD 72 mn incremental outflow in the form of import substitution. EPCL recorded sales of PKR 45.4 bn in 1H 2022 compared to PKR 30.5 bn in 1H 2021. The 49% increase is attributable to higher international pricing and capacity enhancement on the PVC front. EPCL reported a PAT of Rs. 7.1 bn in 1H 2022 against PKR 7.3 bn in 1H 2021, despite the super tax impact of PKR 2 bn. pr
Karachi: AKBL announced half year earnings (profit before tax) at Rs.12.157 bn depicting a YoY increase of 80% on the back of strong delivery by all business segments. Profit after tax at Rs.6.313 bn (ePS: Rs.5.01) shows an increase of 53% YoY, less than PBT growth primarily due to an extraordinary jump in income tax levy on banking companies announced by the federal government in recent budget. Total revenues increased by 11% YoY to Rs.23 billion contributed by robust growth across key income streams. Operating expenses were well contained and effectively declined by 3% YoY despite the addition of 23 new branches and high inflation. This trend reflects the effective implementation of various cost rationalization initiatives and has also placed AKBL’s cost to income ratio amongst the best in industry for the current period. The total asset base grew by 23% during the six months to Rs.1.54 trillion (38% YoY). Askari Bank has been pursuing a strategy to grow market share of retail business, particularly retail deposit and current accounts in the business hubs of central and south regions. The results of the strategy are reflecting in the current financial results; current accounts grew to Rs 355 billion, with total deposits at Rs.1.085 trillion. Current account mix improved to 32.7% with the CASA (current and saving accounts) ratio increasing from 80% in December’21 to 82% in June ’22. The Bank continued to facilitate all sectors of the economy particularly lending to private sector and trade business; the loan portfolio increased by 14% over December ‘21 to Rs.578 billion (26% YoY). The Bank has been assigned entity rating of ‘AA+’ (Double A Plus) with stable outlook. pr financial results for 1st half year
FCCU unveils commemorative book on 75th Independence Day
1H 2022 Results
lahOre: Fatima Fertilizer recently received an international acclaim by the International Fertilizer Association (IFA) through the Green Leaf Award that recognizes outstanding performance in safety, health and environment (SHE) in fertilizer production among the association’s members and is an integral part of its protect & sustain product stewardship initiative. The honor was claimed by Fatima Fertilizer by marking the first runner-up position in the nitrogenous fertilizers category of IFA’s prestigious 2022 Green Leaf Award for showcasing excellence in the overall management of safety, health and environment (SHE) in the fertilizer manufacturing operations. The exalted IFA Green Leaf Award is considered a global gold-standard by fertilizers manufacturers around the world and awarded by the IFA being the only global fertilizer association having 400 members in 70 countries around the world. An independent panel of experts diligently evaluate all performance indicators in accordance with the awards' evaluation criteria before the most deserving winners are selected. These global recognitions encourage and enable companies to strive for the highest standards of safety and well-being in the workplace and also help to protect the environment. The award is hosted after every two years and receives overwhelming interest by all member organisations, including a record number of 25 eligible applications for 2022. While speaking about this achievement, Mr. Fawad Ahmad Mukhtar, CEO Fatima Fertilizer said, "We are proud of this achievement and will remain committed to our continued efforts towards becoming a global leader in practicing HSE management systems to ensure the safety and well-being of our employees.”
09NEWS Thursday, 18 August, 2022 | ISLAMABAD corporate corner
of
MCB’s pRofit BEfoRE tAx inCREAsEs By 30pC
AKBL announces HY-2022 results
Lahore pr A meeting of the Board of Directors of The Bank of Punjab was held on August 17, 2022 to consider and approve the un-audited Financial Statements for the 1st half of year ended on June 30, 2022. The Board reviewed Bank’s performance for 1st half of the year 2022 and noted with satisfaction that all financial indicators are well aligned with Bank’s strategic goals and current positive momentum shall lead the Bank to desired annual business targets.
Lucky Cement wins Environment Excellence Award 2022
Whereas, Leverage Ratio stood at 3.27% as against requirement of 3.00%. The Bank has been assigned long term entity rating of “AA+” by M/s PACRA with short term rating being at the highest rank of “A1+”. The Bank currently has a network of 688 online branches (including 121 Taqwa Islamic Banking Branches and 16 sub-branches). Further, the Bank has a network of 669 ATMs providing 24/7 banking services to the customers. Besides that, Bank is also offering Branchless Banking, Mobile Banking, Internet Banking and Cash Management services to its clients.
Lahore pr t heBoard of Directors of MCB Bank Limited (MCB) in its meeting under Chairmanship of Mian Mohammad Mansha, reviewed performance of the Bank and approved the interim financial statements for the half year ended June 30, 2022. The Board of Directors has declared a 2nd interim cash dividend of Rs4.0 per share i.e 40%, in addition to 50% already paid, bringing the total cash dividend for the half year ended June 30, 2022 to 90%. With strong build up in core earnings, MCB’s Profit Before Tax (PBT) for the half year ended June 30, 2022 increased to Rs32.5 billion with a historic high PBT of second quarter of Rs17.6 billion. Retrospective application of tax amendments along with higher tax rates for current period enacted through Finance Act, 2022 resulted into 87% effective tax rate for second quarter. Profit After Tax (PAT) registered a decline of 25% from Rs14.74 billion to Rs11.13 billion; translating into earning Per Share (ePS) of Rs9.39 compared to an ePS of Rs12.44.Onthe back of strong volumetric growth in current account and favorable yield curve movements, net interest income for h1’22 increased by 24% over corresponding period last year. YoY average current deposits of the Bank registered a growth of Rs. 86.30 billion (+17%) while the CASA deposits averaged at Rs1,366 billion; hence, the average CASA to total deposits ratio was measured at a level of 93% in Non-markuph1’22. income registered a growth of 36% and aggregated to Rs. 12.90 billion against Rs. 9.50 billion in the corresponding period last year. The growth achieved is broad based and driven primarily by the prudent positioning of foreign exchange assets/liabilities amidst comparatively favorable swap curves and diversification of revenue streams through continuous enrichment of service suite while upholding highest service standards; foreign exchange, dividend income and fee & commission income rose by 195%, 28% and 12% respectively. MCB strives to inculcate operational efficiencies across its entire spectrum through optimization, automation and streamlining of business processes. This relentless focus has enabled the Bank to prudently manage its operating expense base despite sustained inflationary pressures due to currency devaluation and rising commodity prices, higher compliance related regulatory charges, expansion in branch outreach and regular performance and merit adjustments of the human Capital. For h1’22, the operating expenses of the Bank were recorded at Rs. 19.44 billion, growing by a modest 13% year on year, while the cost to income ratio significantly improved to 38% from 42% reported in corresponding period last year. Proactive monitoring and recovery efforts led to a net provision reversal against non-performing loans (NPLs) which aggregated to Rs. 1,696 million for the period under review. The coverage and infection ratios of the Bank were reported at 86.78% and 7.87%, respectively. On the financial position side, the total asset base of the Bank grew by 3% and was reported at Rs. 2,039 billion. Gross advances registered an increase of Rs. 15 billion (+2%), as the consumer lending book further consolidated its traction gained in the last year and grew by Rs. 5.4 billion (+14%).
Karachi: Lucky Cement Limited (psx: LUCK) won the Environment Excellence Award at the 19th Annual Environment Excellence Awards 2022, organized by The National Forum of Environment and Health (NFEH). The award ceremony was held at a local hotel on 16 August, 2022. Lucky Cement received the award in recognition to its commitment towards sustainable development and contribution towards protecting the overall environment for a greener Pakistan. Instituted seventeen years ago, The Annual Environment Excellence Awards are the benchmark for environmental standards in Pakistan. Speaking of the occasion, Mr. Amin Ganny, Chief Operating Officer, Lucky Cement Limited, said, “We at Lucky Cement believe in environment-friendly practices and are committed towards conserving the environment.” He further added that “Implementation of sustainability into our core business operations has always been one of our main objectives. We follow a comprehensive Environmental Management and Monitoring Plan. The management strongly believes in preserving the ecosystem through the management of gaseous emissions, particulate matter, noise levels, effluents (sewage) and solid waste.” Sustainable development forms a significant part of Lucky Cement’s business strategies and is one of the key factors that have led the company towards progress and growth. Lucky Cement also holds the prestigious ISO 14001 certification for environmental management, ISO 9001 certificate for its quality management system, and OHSAS 18001 for its occupational health and safety. The National Forum for Environment & Health was established in 1999 and is a non-profit organization with the aim to facilitate and promote environmental, healthcare, and educational awareness amongst the masses. The NFEH is an accredited NGO with United Nation Environment Program (UNEP) and its activities have been appreciated & supported by the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Governor of Punjab, Federal and Provincial Ministries of Environment.
fatima fertilizer receives international gold-standard acclaim for best HsE performance
2022
During 1st half of the year, the Bank posted before tax profit of Rs. 8.36 billion as against Rs. 7.37 billion earned during 1st half 2021 with a growth of 13%. Bank’s Net Interest Margin (NIM) improved to Rs. 15.86 billion as against Rs. 13.88 billion during 1st half 2021 registering a growth of 14%. Similarly, Non-Markup/ Interest Income (excluding gains on securities) increased to Rs. 4.46 billion as against Rs. 2.77 billion during 1st half 2021 showing an increase of 61%. Profit after tax remained at Rs. 5.42 billion as against Rs. 5.60 billion during 1st half 2021. earnings per Share (ePS) remained at Rs. 1.82 per share as against Rs. 1.88 per share for 1st half 2021. Bank’s Total Assets as at June 30, 2022 improved to Rs. 1,254.4 billion as against Rs. 1,197.0 billion as of December 31, 2021. The Deposits of the Bank also improved to Rs. 1,032.0 billion as against Rs. 1,003.0 billion as on December 31, 2021. Investments and Gross Advances were recorded at Rs. 524.2 billion and Rs. 571.2 billion, respectively. equity improved to Rs. 56.9 billion and Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) stood at 12.62% against regulatory requirement of 11.50%.
Lahore pr To commemorate the 75th Independence Day of Pakistan, Forman Christian College (A Chartered University) launched a special booklet highlighting 75 outstanding alumni who contributed to nation-building. FC College is more than 150 years old, and we have thousands of alumni making tremendous contributions nationally and globally. The booklet was launched on August 16, 2022. The ceremony was attended by the members of the board of governors, alumni, students, faculty, staff, and senior leadership of FCCU. In his address, Dr. Jonathan Addleton, Rector of FCCU, stated that Chief Justice Mian Abdul Rashid who administered the oath of office to Quaid-e-Azam as Pakistan’s first Governor-General was a Formanite. Our hostels housed refugees and the college provided services to the sick and injured during the partition.The75 names highlighted in this booklet only scratch the surface in terms of the many thousands of individuals with a Forman connection who served their country well, whether as diplomats, politicians, business leaders, entrepreneurs, soldiers, spiritual leaders, academics, or in a range of other occupations. Some have done so to widespread acclaim and public recognition; in other cases, dedicated individuals from all walks of life and from all parts of the country have labored anonymously within their communities to serve those around them and make a difference. Dr. Addleton added, “Looking ahead, we are equally committed to strengthening the moral foundation, intellectual skills, and empathy for one's fellow citizens that are needed to both build and strengthen Pakistan”. Mr. Attiazaz Munawar -ud -Din, the President of the Alumni Association, and the CeO of Khazana enterprises stated that he was proud to be a Formanite and was extremely happy to see the current students being rated highly by the job market. he appreciated the services of the institution, the academic team, and the improvements in infrastructure at the college campus.
pr Engro Corporation
islamabad: The Ministry of Commerce and the Revenue Mobilization, Investment and Trade (ReMIT) Project of UNITC (United Nation’s International Trade Centre) launched rollout of WTO’s TradeFacilitation Agreement (TFA) for cross-border regulatory agencies. Concluded at the WTO’s 2013 Bali Ministerial Conference, the TFA contains provisions for expediting the movement, release and clearance of goods, including goods in transit. The TFA entered into force in February 2017. Same year in October 2017, Pakistan became the 51st member of World Trade Organisation (WTO) to ratify the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA). The Advisor the Prime Minister on Government Effectiveness, Mr Jahanzeb Khan chaired this national event. Heads of cross-border regulatory agencies, including FBR, Customs, Commerce, Pakistan Standards Quality Control Authority (PSQCA), Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP), Animal Quarantine Department (AQD), Department of Plant Protection (DPP), Anti-Narcotic Force (ANF), Pakistan Single Window (PSW) and other departments participated. Among the business community exporters, importers, industry representatives and port operators also participated in the event. The program was sponsored by UK Government through Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO). UN-ITC, which is a joint agency of the WTO (WTO) and the United Nations (UN) provided the technical assistance. Ms Nadia Aftab representative of UNIDO expressed their views on behalf of UN’s Resident Coordinator. She shared about the trade related technical assistance being provided by UNIDO in broader spectrum of trade facilitation. pr
pr pakistan launches rollout roadmap for Wto-tfA for cross-border agencies
Chineseexercisetroops will travel to Russia to take part in joint military exercises led by the host and including India, Belarus, Mongolia, Tajikistan and other countries, China’s defence ministry said on Wednesday. China’s participation in the joint exercises was “unrelated to the current international and regional situation,” the ministry said in a statement. Last month, Moscow announced plans to hold “Vostok” (East) exercises from Aug 30 to Sept 5, even as it wages a costly war in Ukraine. It said at the time that some foreign forces would participate, without naming them. Its last such exercises took place in 2018, when China took part for the first time. China’s defence ministry said its participation in the exercises was part of an ongoing bilateral annual cooperation agreement with Russia. “The aim is to deepen practical and friendly cooperation with the armies of participating countries, enhance the level of strategic collaboration among the participating parties, and strengthen the ability to respond to various security threats,” the statement said. Under Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, Beijing and Moscow have grown increasingly close. Shortly before Russia’s Feb 24 invasion of Ukraine, Beijing and Moscow announced a “no limits” partnership, although US officials say they have not seen China evade US-led sanctions on Russia or provide it with militaryRussia’sequipment.eastern military district includes part of Siberia and has its headquarters in Khabarovsk, near the Chinese border.
The cruise missile launch came as South Korea’s President Yoon Suk-yeol marked 100 days in office Wednesday, telling reporters at a press conference that he did not support regime change by force in NorthYoon,Korea.who took office vowing to get tough on Pyongyang, earlier this week laid out details of his “audacious plan” to offer massive aid to Pyongyang — if Kim Jong Un will give up his nuclear weapons.
North Korea fired two cruise missiles Wednesday, Seoul’s defence ministry said, ending a month-long lull in Pyongyang’s record-breaking spate of weapons tests this year. The isolated nation has not tested a cruise missile — which are not banned under United Nations sanctions on Pyongyang — since January, the Yonhap News Agency reported. The last time North Korea conducted a weapons test was July 10, when they fired what appeared to be multiple rocket launchers. “Early this morning, we detected that North Korea fired two cruise missiles into the West Sea from Onchon, South Pyongan province,” a ministry official told AFP, using an alternative name for the Yellow Sea. “The US and South Korean military authorities are analysing detailed specifications such as flight distance.” North Korea has conducted a blitz of sanctions-busting tests this year, including firing an intercontinental ballistic missile at full range for the first time since Washington2017.andSeoul officials have also warned that the isolated regime is preparing to carry out what would be its seventh nuclear test.
North Korea fires two cruise missiles, Seoul says China, Russia join foRCes to DenounCe Pelosi’s ‘PRovoCative’ taiWan visit
10 FOREIGN NEWS Thursday, 18 August, 2022 ISLAMABAD
Analysts say the chances of Pyongyang accepting such an offer are vanishingly slim, as North Korea, which invests a vast chunk of its GDP in weapons programmes, has long made clear it will not barter its missiles away. Agencies Republican rebel Liz Cheney lost her seat in Congress Tuesday to an election conspiracy theorist, US media projected, in the latest sign of her party’s break with traditional conservatism to embrace Donald Trump’s hardline “America First” agenda. Once considered Republican royalty, the lawmaker from Wyoming has become a pariah in the party over her membership of the congressional panel investigating the January 6 assault on the US Capitol — and Trump’s role in fanning the flames. Defeat for the 56-year-old elder daughter of former vice president Dick Cheney in the Wyoming Republican primary marks the end of the family’s four-decade political association with one of America’s most conservative states. The Republican nomination to contest November’s midterms instead goes to 59-year-old lawyer Harriet Hageman — Trump’s hand-picked candidate who has amplified his false claims of a “rigged” 2020 election.Butthere is already speculation that Cheney may challenge Trump for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024 — or even run as an independent — and insiders are expecting her to deliver a concession speech in the next hour that will double up as the launchpad for her political future. “No matter what the outcome, it is certainly the beginning of a battle that is going to continue and is going to go on, and as a country, we’re facing very challenging and difficult times,” Cheney told CBS ahead of the polls closing. “We are facing a moment where our democracy really is under attack and under threat.” Cheney had framed her campaign as a battle for the soul of a party she is trying to save from the anti-constitutional forces of Trumpism. She was the last of 10 Republicans in the House of Representatives who backed Trump’s second impeachment to face primary voters. Four retired rather than seek reelection, three lost to Trump-backed opponents, and only two — California’s David Valadao and Dan Newhouse of Washington state — have made it through to November’s midtermCheneyelections.votedin line with Trump’s positions 93 percent of the time when he was president but he didn’t pull his punches as he sought vengeance for her role in the House committee probe. Trump has made Cheney his bete noire, calling her “disloyal” and a “warmonger,” prompting death threats that have forced her to travel with a police escort. The blonde, bespectacled former attorney has been made persona non grata by the Wyoming Republican Party, whose chairman himself participated in the protests on the day of the US Capitol assault. In her state — the first to grant women the right to vote, in 1869 — the congresswoman was forced to run a kind of shadow campaign, with no rallies or public events. She even avoided the traditional election day photo op Tuesday, eschewing media at her local polling station to instead cast her ballot in nearby Jackson. “Liz is representing the constituents that are in her mind, and they aren’t the constituents of Wyoming,” said Mary Martin, chairwoman of the Republican Party in Teton County — Cheney’s Wyoming base. There were also elections on Tuesday in Alaska, where 2008 Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin’s comeback battle — to complete the term of a congressman who died in office — divided locals. Fourteen years after rising to international fame on the losing Republican presidential ticket headed by John McCain, Palin remains popular among women as the “soccer mom” who pioneered the ultra-conservative “Tea Party” movement that paved the way for Trumpism. But many voters blame her for abandoning her single term as governor halfway through, amid ethics complaints, and a recent poll showed her to be viewed unfavorably by 60 percent of Alaskans. The results in Palin’s race are not expected for several days. Agencies
A nine-year-old Dalit student, who had suffered injuries on his eye and ear after his teacher thrashed him for drinking water from a pot meant for so-called upper caste Hindus at a private school in Rajasthan’s Jalore district, died in a Gujarat hospital where he was taken for treatment. Reports said, police have arrested the teacher and charged him with murder and under the strict law that protects India’s scheduled castes and tribes. The FIR registered in the case says Dalit student Indra Kumar Meghwal was “naive and did not know that the pot had been kept aside for the teacher from the upper caste”. “Teacher Chail Singh told the boy, ‘You are from a lower caste. How dare you drink water from my pot!’. He then thrashed him,” it says. “Indra was a child, he didn’t know that the matki (earthen pot) that he drank from had been kept separately for the savarna jaati (upper caste) teacher. Indra mistakenly drank water from the matki of Chail Singh,” reads the FIR registered in the case under Section 302 (murder) of the IPC and relevant sections of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The FIR adds that after Indra drank the water, the teacher abused him with casteist slurs and beat him up. It says that as a result of the beating, the child sustained internal injuries to his right ear and eye. As per a report published in Indian media, for 24 days, the family of a nine-year-old Dalit boy from Rajasthan’s Jalore district took him from one hospital to another before the child breathed his last at the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital. The family members of the Dalit child victim also claim that after the incident, they were asked by the Rajputs of their village – the community to which teacher Singh belongs – to arrive at a compromise and not go to the police. Agencies
BEIJING MiAn AbrAr C HINAhighly appreciates Russian President Vladimir Putin’s criticism of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s provocative Taiwan visit as Putin’s position shows ChinaRussia high-level strategic coordination and the firm support the two countries have rendered each other on issues concerning their core interests, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin on Wang’sWednesday.comments came after Putin criticized Pelosi’s Taiwan visit as being “a carefully planned provocation” at the 10th Moscow Conference on International Security on Tuesday. Putin slammed Pelosi’s visit to the Taiwan region, saying it was “not just a trip by a single irresponsible politician, but part of a deliberate, conscious US strategy to destabilize and deteriorate the situation in the region and the world; a brazen display of disrespect for the sovereignty of other countries and for its international obligations. We see this as a carefully planned provocation,” Russian news agency TASSPutin’sreported.remarks show Russia’s consistent and firm support to China over the Taiwan question with the upholding of the “four no principles,” including no recognition of “Taiwan independence,” no “two Chinas” or “one China, one Taiwan,” and no support for Taiwan’s membership in international organizations which only sovereign states can join, as well as no weapons sale to Taiwan, said Ding Xiaoxing, director of the Institute of Eurasian Studies at the China Institutes of Contemporary InternationalPutinRelations.accused the US of trying to prolong the conflict in Ukraine in his opening address at Moscow Conference on International Security, saying some Western countries are trying to divert their domestic public’s attention from acute social and economic problems by shifting their own failures onto Russia and China, Tass reported. Ding told the Global Times that the tensions across the Taiwan Straits are among spotlight topics at Moscow Conference on International Security and China-Russia back-to-back strategic coordination will grow stronger. “Most countries in the world support China over Pelosi’s highly provocative visit to the island,” Ding noted. According to Wang, more than 170 countries have spoken up for justice. “They reiterated their one-China commitment and support for China’s efforts to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Wang said. “China will continue to work with the international community to safeguard the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and to jointly maintain regional and global peace and stability,” Wang said. China to send troops to Russia for ‘Vostok’
Top Republican Trump critic Cheney loses seat in US Congress
Pakistan CG, Mayor of Wuxi agree to cement bilateral trade, investment BEIJING: Consul General of Pakistan in Shanghai Hussain Haider visited Wuxi city in China’s Jiangsu province and called on Zhao Jianjun, the Mayor of Wuxi Municipal People’s Government. The two sides agreed on the need to strengthen the bilateral trade, investment and people-topeople cooperation through enhanced dissemination of information, and facilitating greater interaction between public sector departments concerned and businesses. Pakistan Investment Promotion Seminar was also organized jointly by the Consulate General Shanghai and Wuxi Municipal People’s Government. The seminar was attended by 22 companies from different sectors including textile, automotive and auto parts, logistics, medical equipment, and metallurgy. The Consul General Shanghai briefed the participants on Pakistan’s economy, incentives for Chinese investors in Pakistan and the priority sectors for FDI. The Mission will remain engaged with the interested companies and the Wuxi govt to encourage the Chinese enterprises to invest in Pakistan. Agencies
Dalit student dies after upper caste teacher beats him for ‘drinking water’ from his pot
stAff RePORt T HEInternational Cricket Council (ICC) announced the 2023-27 FTP cycle, which is packed with action. For Pakistan, the trend remains the same and the Men in Green have a number of series during the 2024-25 period. Due to a jampacked schedule, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will be forced take Indian Premier League (IPL) as Pakistan Super League (PSL) cannot be hosted in the aforementionedPCBtimeframe.ishosting an ICC event after almost 30 years as previously Pakistan hosted the 1996 ODI World Cup, which means that hosting the 2025 Champions League will take priority. This means that the PSL’s tenth season’s transfer window will be held between March and May, which will clash with IPL’s extended transfer window. “The certainty and clarity around our home bilateral fixtures until 2027 provides us the platform to put together a robust commercial programme, so that we can optimise the exploitation of our commercial rights,” said PCB Chief Executive Faisal Hasnain. It is worth mentioning that this is the first time any T20 league is going head-to-head with the cash-rich IPL.
The number of matches may increase depending on where Pakistan finishes in the ICC and ACC events between 2023 and 2027, as well as in the 2025 and 2026 three-nation ODI series. The Future Tours Programme is prepared collectively by the ICC Member Boards. As such, the PCB will continue to work with its fellow Members and may include more matches and/or series, depending on the player availability and window for international cricket in the calendar. In the ICC World Test Championship 20232025, Pakistan will play Tests against Australia (away), Bangladesh (home), England (home), South Africa (away), Sri Lanka (away) and West Indies (home), while their matches in the 20252027 championship are against Bangladesh (away), England (away), New Zealand (home), South Africa (home), Sri Lanka (home) and West Indies (away).
IsLAMABAD STAFF REPORT
The three-nation ODI series has returned to Pakistan’s calendar for the first time since 2004-05. New Zealand and South Africa will join Pakistan in the tri-series in 2025, which will take place in the build-up to the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, while England and Sri Lanka will participate in the series in October/November 2026. The PCB has scheduled white-ball matches with one eye on the ICC global events. While Pakistan will host the Asia Cup 2023 and triangular series in February 2025 in the lead up to the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 and the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, respectively, it will play 11 T20Is against the Netherlands, Ireland and England in the build up to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, which will be jointly hosted by the United States and the West Indies. Likewise, ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, which will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, Pakistan will play Australia in three homeApartT20Is.from Australia, three other sides –Afghanistan, Ireland and Zimbabwe – will also play white-ball matches in Pakistan between 2023 and Pakistan’s2027.
PCB confirms Pakistan men’s team FTP between 2023 and 2025
PCB Chief Executive Faisal Hasnain: “While finalising our Future Tours Programme 2023-2027 in a tight and densely-packed cricket calendar, we have given priority to context, quality and player workload. We have also tried to find an appropriate balance across all the three formats so that these continue to co-exist meaningfully. “I am sure that our cricket fans will be delighted to know that top-ranked and attractive sides such as Bangladesh, England, New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka and the West Indies will visit Pakistan to compete in matches for the ICC World Test Championship. Additionally, Afghanistan, Australia, Ireland and Zimbabwe will also tour Pakistan for the white-ball matches, which means 10 of the 12 ICC Full Members will play cricket in Pakistan during the four-year period. This is exciting!“We are also mindful that our sides must be provided with the best preparation opportunities so that they perform strongly in ICC competitions. Accordingly, this has also been an integral part of our strategy around scheduling, as we have scheduled appropriate international matches in the lead up to the ICC events. “Furthermore, and in line with our vision for triangular ODI series to contribute in increasing excitement and attracting greater audiences, we have so far scheduled two tri-series in February 2025 and October/November 2026, involving New Zealand and South Africa, and England and Sri Lanka, respectively. This is also something for the fans to look forward to. “The certainty and clarity around our home bilateral fixtures until 2027 provides us the platform to put together a robust commercial programme, so that we can optimise the exploitation of our commercial rights. This will enable us to hopefully increase our revenues and channel these back into the further development of our cricket, all across from our grassroots talent hunt to our international playingRemember,facilities.”Cricket Pakistan had posted last month about the next two FTP cycles citing the possibility of change going forward.
PakiSTan SuPer League To cLaSh wiTh inDian Premier League in 2025 Tentative Dates for PSL:
FTP 2023-2027 reflects that it will play hosts to 10 out of 12 ICC Full Member nations for the first time in more than two decades.
NA body for free, fair PHF elections to revive national game
July – Pakistan to Sri Lanka (two Tests) August – Pakistan to Afghanistan (three ODIs) September – ACC 50-over Asia Cup in Pakistan October/November – ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup India 2023 December/January – Pakistan to Australia (three Tests) February/March – West Indies in Pakistan (two Tests, three T20Is) May – Pakistan to Netherlands (three T20Is), Ireland (three T20Is) and England (five JuneT20Is)– ICC Men’s T20 World Cup USA/West Indies 2024 August2024-25– Bangladesh in Pakistan (two Tests) October – England in Pakistan (three Tests) November – Pakistan to Australia (three ODIs and three T20Is) November/December – Pakistan to Zimbabwe (three ODIs and three T20Is) December/January – Pakistan to South Africa (two Tests, three ODIs, three T20Is) January – Pakistan to New Zealand (three ODIs and three T20Is) February – New Zealand and South Africa in Pakistan (ODI tri-series) February/March – ICC Champions Trophy Pakistan 2025 May – Bangladesh in Pakistan (three ODIs and three T20Is) July/August – Pakistan to West Indies (three ODIs, three T20Is) August – Afghanistan in Pakistan (three T20Is) August/September – ACC T20 Asia Cup (host/venue TBC) September/October – Ireland in Pakistan (three ODIs, three T20Is) October/November – South Africa in Pakistan (two Tests, three ODIs, three T20Is) November – Sri Lanka in Pakistan (three ODIs, three T20Is) February – Australia in Pakistan (three T20Is) February/March – ICC Men’s T20 World Cup India/Sri Lanka 2026 March – Australia in Pakistan (three ODIs) March/April – Pakistan to Bangladesh (two Tests, three ODIs and three T20Is) April/May – Zimbabwe in Pakistan (three ODIs and three T20Is)
News Desk Player workload management, meaningful and exciting bilateral cricket, and preparations for the ICC global events were the cornerstones of the Pakistan Cricket Board’s strategy and philosophy while preparing the men’s Future Tours Programme 2023-2027, which was confirmed and unveiledThetoday.PCB has scheduled around 238 days of international cricket during the four-year period comprising 27 ICC World Test Championship fixtures (13 home and 14 away), 47 One-Day Internationals (26 home and 21 home) and 56 Twenty20 Internationals (27 home and 29 away). These include matches in the ACC 50-over Asia Cup and the ICC Champions Trophy, which Pakistan will stage in 2023 and 2025, respectively.
The committee however, directed that the IPC Minister Ehsanur Rehman Mazari to hold meetings with respective government functionaries of all provinces to groom the talented Pakistani players from the gross-roots level especially schools and colleges as to compete at international level. Earlier, the IPC minister and secretary apprised the committee about the efforts made by them to promote sports and tourism in Pakistan and problems faced by them in this Theregards.meeting was attended by MNAs – Ms Wajiha Qamar, Syeda Nosheen Iftikhar, Ch Zulfiqar Ali Behan, Rana Mubashir Iqbal, Ms Nasiba Channa, Ms Mahreen Razzaq Bhutto, Syed Mehmood Shah, and senior officers of the concerned ministries and departments Dream oDi debut for naseem Shah, agha Salman LAHORe APP The first ODI between Pakistan and Netherlands ended in a victory for the visitors in Rotterdam, but the match set in motion a new chapter in professional lives of fast bowler Naseem Shah and batting all-rounder Salman Ali Agha, who debuted in the match. Both the debutants made the match memorable for themselves through their impressive performances. Pakistan beat Netherlands by a narrow margin of 16 runs in the high-scoring first ODI of the three match bilateral series. Fakhar Zaman (109) and Captain Babar Azam (74) laid the foundation of a big total through their 168-run partnership for the second wicket, and it enabled the later batters to push for 314 runs in 50 overs. Babar was unlucky to miss on yet another 100 after he miscued a hit and was caught at mid-off while Fakhar Zaman completed his 7th hundred in the ODIs. Pakistan batting coach Muhammad Yousaf bestowed the ODI caps on Agha Salman, while Pakistan ace bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi gave the cap to Naseem Shah. Naseem Shah has already played with Afridi when he debuted in test match at the Gabba, Brisbane Australia in 2019. The fast-bowler dazzled the spectator through display of intimidating fast-bowling and picked three wickets for 51 runs in 10 overs, while Salman Agha, batting at number 8, left his mark with a short innings of 27 off 16 balls. Salman Ali Agha was demoted in the batting order considering the fact that Pakistan needed quick runs after the fall of Mohammad Rizwan in the 40th over of Pakistan innings with the team total at 212-4. Power-hitter Khushdil Shah, vice Captain Shadab Khan and Muhammad Nawaz batted ahead of him but with the fall of Muhammad Nawaz in the 46th over Salman Ali Agha joined Shadab Khan at the crease and coined valuable 48 runs in 4.1 overs. Agha Salman played a sedate innings and scored at ease in the death overs against both pace and spin bowlers. He also bowled four overs and conceded 25 runs. The all-rounder has strengthened his case for a permanent place in the middle order through the mature innings against the Netherlands. Naseem Shah, on the other hand, bowled with precision and venom and was the most economical of the fast bowling trio as he conceded 51 runs for the three scalps. These 51 runs included four wides and as many no-balls in his quota of 10 overs and more control can do wonders to his bowling. Naseem has been hailed by the connoisseurs of the game for pitching the bowl up throughout his spell and making the ball talk on a pitch which helped batters most of the time. Naseem Shah is the right candidate to complement Shaheen Shah Afridi in the fast bowling department and re-live the era of the great Ws (Wasim Akram and Waqar Younas) in the years to come. Both the youngsters have done justice to their selection and are hoped to do well for the Pakistan cricket in the coming days.
Dc Peshawar Paralympic games, asma wins gold in 100m wheelchair race PesHAwAR STAFF REPORT Asma Khan wins gold medal after upsetting current national gold medalist Sakina Afridi of the 100m wheelchair event part of the ongoing Deputy Commissioner Peshawar Paralympics Games held in connection with the 75th Diamond Jubilee Independence Day which concluded here on Wednesday. The first DC Peshawar Sports Festival for Special Persons in the series of Diamond Jubilee Independence Day celebrations has ended at Tahamas Khan Football Stadium, Assistant Commissioner Peshawar Miss Tania Shaheen along with Regional Sports Officer Peshawar Zakir Ullah were the chief guests of the closing ceremony. District Sports Officer Peshawar Miss Gul Rakh, Chairman Special Life Foundation, Chairman and International Athlete Zawar Noor Zia, Caretaker of the Tehmas Khan Football Stadium, Youth Afridi and others were present. The festival for persons with different abilities produced great thrills for the sitting spectators and this was Asma Khan who won the gold medal by defeating current national champion Sakina Afridi in the wheelchair race. In the wheelchair cricket event Raheel XI defeated Tariq XI by 16 runs. Raheel XI skipper Raheel, national cricketer, won the toss and scored 116 runs and bundled out Tariq XI by 100 runs and thus won the match by 16 runs. Irshad XI defeated Syed Nabi XI by two runs in another thrilling match in the wheelchair junior cricket, Zabihullah got first position in 100m wheelchair race, Musal Khan took second position, In badminton standings, Fahad and Asad won first, Adeel and Aftab won second, Gulshan and Shakina won first position in Bocce, followed by Asma and Razia in Women Bocce Games, Usama, Akmal and Saber won first in Men Bocce, Shakeel and Azmat won second position, in the tug of war Shaam got first and Bilal got second, Adeel got first in standing tug of war, Aftab got second, Akmal got first in table tennis wheelchair, Zabiullah got second, Gulshan and Karisma got first in table tennis standing girls, Aram and Mehnaz got second.
HBL PSL 2024 January/February 2024 HBL PSL 2025 March/May 2025 HBL PSL 2026 Dec 2025 / Jan 2026 HBL PSL 2027 Jan/Feb 2027
Thursday, 18 August, 2022 | ISLAMABAD 11SPORTS
2024-252023-24 11 Sports 18 August 2022_Layout 1 8/17/2022 11:01 PM Page 1
The National Assembly Standing Committee on Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC) wants free and fair elections of the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) to be conducted so that the national game can prosper and regain its lost past glory. The meeting which was held here under the chairmanship of Member National Assembly (MNA) Nawab Sher Waseer unanimously passed a resolution that the Prime Minister of Pakistan who was the Patron-in-Chief should appoint a Senior Technocrat to ensure transparency in the upcoming PHF elections so that Pakistan Hockey could advance in a prompt way. In the meeting, the committee members expressed concern over the below par performance of PHF as the World Ranking of Pakistan hockey was on the decline (6 to 18) due to lack of attention and mismanagement of previous PHF management. The committee also recommended that a third party audit of PHF should be conducted to check the financial irregularities made by previous management so that culprits could be penalized, accordingly. In the meeting, the committee was also briefed by Ex-Olympians on how to bring the national game back on track. The committee also directed the Ex-Olympians to submit a summary on how to remove the deficiencies in the existing system. Meanwhile, the committee also expressed concern over the non-cooperative and irresponsible attitude of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officials as they were unable to satisfy the Committee with their answers. The Committee therefore, decided to hold its next meeting in Lahore to discuss the overall performance of However,PCB.the IPC committee lauded the top performance given by Pakistani athletes in the recently concluded Commonwealth Games 2022. The athletes bagged two gold, three silver and as many bronze medals in the mega event. The committee also appreciated the announcement of cash rewards for the medal winners and said this would encourage the athletes to do more and win laurels for the country.
ISLAMABAD APP Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb on Wednesday alleged that the media faced the worst fascism during the four-year rule of Imran Khan, who himself had been declared “fascist” by the international media watchdog. The minister, in a news statement, said Imran Khan had no right to speak about media freedom as it was he who had imposed the worst restrictions on the media while being in power. “Imran Khan should rather be ashamed instead of lecturing others on media freedom as journalists were abducted and their ribs were broken during his rule,” she added. The relentless assault on the press freedom, closure of the Parliament’s building and arm twisting of the media through the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), she said, were the hallmarks of Imran Khan’s government. More than 10,000 journalists became jobless during the tenure of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. The minister alleged that Imran Khan had ruined the media industry economically and created a division among the media houses. His ‘grief and sorrow’ was limited to the ARY news channel only, she added.
PSX gains 240 points
An additional district and sessions court on Wednesday remanded PTI Leader Shahbaz Gill in the Islamabad police custody for 48 hours in a sedition case. However, Punjab administration resisted the custody which created a drama. However, finally Capital Police took Gill’s custody. Additional District and Session Judge Zeba Chaudhry heard the review petition of the prosecution following the directives of Islamabad High Court (IHC). During the hearing, Special Prosecutor Rizwan Abbasi pleaded that the judicial magistrate had granted only two-day physical remand of the accused after his arrest whereas the prosecution required his custody for further investigation into the matter. He said that the accused had been lying with the investigators, adding that there was a need to conduct a polygraph test. He said that the duty magistrate had ignored various aspects in rejecting the request of further physical remand. The prosecution had received further details from PEMRA regarding the interview of the accused.
ISLAMABAD: Workers’ Remittances fell by 8.6% to $2.52 billion in the month of July’22, from $2.76 billion recorded in the previous month, the latest data issued by SBP showed today. “Remittances remained strong in July, however, the monthly decline was due to considerably fewer working days because of the Eid holidays. The daily average rate of remittances was 18% higher in July than in June, SBP said in a tweet. Similarly, on yearly basis, remittances witnessed a fall of 8% from $2.73 billion in July 2021. Country-wise remittances inflows during July 2022 were mainly sourced from Saudi Arabia ($580.6 million), United Arab Emirates ($456.2 million), United Kingdom ($411.7 million), and United States of America ($254.3 million). News Desk
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Rizwan Abbasi said that the accused had admitted before the police that his one mobile phone was with his driver. The investigation officer, he said, had clearly written that the prosecution needed to prob various aspects besides recovering the devices. It had to be find out that whether the accused had given this statement on advice of someone else or not, he said, adding that who had given approval of the script. He further pleaded that police had not considered Gill’s statement as true then why the judicial magistrate had accepted it as final. The prosecutor said that in ordinary cases the police were given normally eight days physical remand of any accused but this case was pertaining to a criminal conspiracy. He read out the judgment of IHC and said that it was necessary for the investigation officer to be satisfied with the investigation findings. The police had found new developments in every day of remand. He said that the police were requesting further physical remand of the accused so this should be granted. No one could refuse that the accused arrived on TV channel by himself and gave controversial statement.
The European Union and United States said on Tuesday they were studying Iran’s response to what the EU has called its “final” proposal to save the deal.
decreaseRemittancesby8pc to $2.52b in July
ISLAMABAD APP F EDERALMinister for Finance and Revenue, Miftah Ismail here on Wednesday highlighted that self-reliance, export promotion, farm productivity enhancement and educating children were four basic principles to lead the country towards growth and development. Addressing the “Leaders in Islamabad Business Summit” here the minister said Pakistan was not at the place where it should have been now according to the vision of Qaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. He said, there was a dire need to identify the mistakes that kept Pakistan behind in progress as compared to the other countries. The minister identified key principles to lead the country towards progress which include ‘living within means’ arguing that unless the income matches the expenditures, the country could not progress. He said that the country had witnessed huge debt burdens, citing last year’s Rs5200 billion deficit while it remained around Rs3500 billion per year for last four years whereas the deficit was recorded at Rs1600 per annum during the 5 years of Pakistan Muslim League government and it was even less in Pakistan Peoples’ PartyThegovernment.ministersaid that the debt has more than doubled during the past four years, however it would be contained at Rs4000 billion during the current year. He said, the country had to borrow Rs4000 billion from other countries to meet its expenditures. He maintained that had the debt been utilized for enhancing productivity it was no problem however when there is no productivity the debt only burdens the generations. The minister said due to the measures introduced by the incumbent government, the inflows of dollars have increased by around $800 million compared to outflows during the current month. Secondly, the minister said, there was a dire need to have focus on enhancing exports from the country by diversifying the field. He said, no proper heed was paid to this sector as the exports form the country could not witness any substantial growth during past eleven years. Rather, the exports receded in terms of quantity. He said, the government introduced import substitution initiative besides taking measures to encourage companies to export 10 percent of their produce. Third, the minister said, enhancing agriculture productivity was imperative for progress. He said, the country was witnessing around 15 percent wheat harvesting losses whereas as it had to import 1.1 million tons of grains worth $450 million to meet its requirement. He said instead of importing, if proper attention was given to agriculture and harvesting losses are curtailed, it would reduce import bill. The minister also highlighted the importance of separating rural and urban poverty and highlighted the importance of making strategies that would make the poor rich instead of make rich people richer. The minister said the fourth principle was educating the children, saying that every 10th uneducated child in the world was Pakistani as country’s half of children population was out of schools. Miftah said, since 1970 governments have failed to provide desired education, even private sector could not deliver, though there are certain exceptions. He said, if a generation of children is properly educated it would resolve problems of coming generations.
Honda Atlas Cars Pakistan announces price reduction for entire CKD portfolio
LAHORE DANiyAl AhmAD Honda Atlas Cars Pakistan Limited (HACPL) has announced a price reduction across its entire completely-knocked-down (CKD) portfolio. This decision completes the downward revision across the Big 3 with Toyota Indus Motor Company (IMC) and Pak Suzuki Motor Company reducing their prices on Monday and Tuesday respectively. “We are cognisant of the limited purchasing power due to the price increases. We have considered the idea of a downward revision if the PKR appreciates against the USD.” said Amir Nazir, General Manager of Sales and Marketing at HACPL, to Profit back in July. This downward revision seems to be the one that Nazir had hinted to Profit. This decision also comes after Honda saw a 28% decline across its combined four and two wheel portfolio last month in July. This is also almost a month after HACPL announced a 29% contraction in its profits for its first quarter of 2022 against last year. This decision by HACPL now completes a downward price reduction across the entire Big 3. Whether the newer entrants follow suit remains to be seen. Furthermore, Honda has, like PSMC, also chosen to not disclose any downward price revision on its motorcycles as of yet.
ICP take custody of Gill after resistance by Adiala admin Imran imposed ‘worst curbs’ on media, should not lecture on media Marriyumfreedom:
Oil slips to six-month low as recession fears weigh WASHINGTON mARiAm ZeRmiNA Oil hit a six-month low on Wednesday after a brief rally as concerns about the prospect of a global recession that would weaken demand overshadowed a report showing lower US crude and gasoline stocks. Figures on Wednesday did little to improve the economic backdrop, showing British consumer price inflation jumped to 10.1 per cent in July, its highest since February 1982, intensifying a squeeze on households. Brent crude fell as low as $91.51, the lowest since February, and by 0931 GMT was down 5 cents at $92.29. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude fell 20 cents, or 0.2pc, to $86.33. “The oil market is struggling to shake off recession fears, and there is little to suggest that this will change any time soon,” said Stephen Brennock of oil broker PVM. Earlier, prices gained support from a report showing lower US crude and fuel stocks. Crude stocks fell about 448,000 barrels and gasoline by about 4.5 million barrels, said sources citing American Petroleum Institute figures on Tuesday. Official inventory data from the Energy Information Administration is out at 1430 GMT. Oil has soared in 2022, coming close to an all-time high of $147 in March after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine exacerbated supply concerns. Prices have fallen since as those concerns were edged out by the prospect of recession. “There are growing downside risks as a result of the growth outlook and ongoing uncertainty around Chinese Covid restrictions,” said Craig Erlam of brokerage Oanda. An exodus of participants, especially hedge funds and speculators, has made daily price swings far greater than in previous years. On the oil supply front, the market is awaiting developments from talks to revive Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, which could eventually lead to a boost in Iranian oil exports if a deal is reached.
Published by Arif Nizami at Plot # 7, Al-Baber Centre, F/8 Markaz, Islamabad, for PT Print (Pvt) Limited. Ph: 051-2204545. newsroom@pakistantoday.com.pk
ISLAMABAD: The KSE 100-index of the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) turned around to bullish trend on Wednesday, gaining 240.08 points, a positive change of 0.55 percent, closing at 43,676.56 points against 43,436.48 points on the last working day. A total of 607,995,986 shares were traded during the day compared to the trade of 518,045,853 shares the previous day, whereas the price of shares stood at Rs11.129 billion against Rs16.215 billion on last trading day. As many as 356 companies transacted shares in the stock market, 153 of them recorded gain and 171 sustained losses, whereas the share price of 32 companies remained unchanged. The three top trading companies were K-Electric Ltd with a volume of 209,086,000 shares and price per share of Rs3.73, WorldCall Telecom with volume of 53,211,500 and price per share of Rs1.30 and Hascol Petrol with volume of 48,292,000 and price per share of Rs6.67. Sanofi-Aventis witnessed a maximum increase of Rs.50 per share, closing at Rs1,540 whereas the runner up was Systems Limited. APP
Imran’s FaisalabadrejectednominationinNA-108
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MIFtAh teRMs selF-RelIANce, expORt pROMOtION As pRe-RequIsItes FOR pROgRess
The nomination papers filed by PTI chairperson Imran Khan to contest by-elections from National Assembly Constituency NA-108 were rejected on KhanWednesday.hadfiled his nomination papers from all nine constituencies of the National Assembly and his papers were accepted in eight constituencies. However, interestingly, the district election commissioner in Faisalabad found fault with Khan’s Khan’sassets. papers were accepted for constituencies NA22, 24, 31, 45, 108, 118, 237, 239 and 246 including Mardan, Charsadda, Peshawar, Kurram, Faisalabad, Nankana, Malir, Korangi and Karachi’s District South, However,respectively.thedistrict election commissioner for NA108 said that the former prime minister did not provide a satisfactory answer to the objections related to his assets, and therefore, his nomination papers were rejected. The returning officer issued the final list after checking all the documents. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) announced September 25 as the date for the by-polls after National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf had on July 28 accepted the resignations of 11 PTI lawmakers — nine on general and two on reserved seats. However, Khan’s papers have been accepted in the remaining eight constituencies.
PRAyeR timiNgs FAJR SUNRISE ZUHR ASR MAGHRIB ISHA 4:10 5:00 1:30 5:15 7:08 9:15 Thursday, 18 August, 2022 NEWS
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