The Government of India is cautioned to be mindful of the unpleasant consequences of such neg igence and take effect ve measures to avoid the recurrence of such violations in future, a statement by the FO stated India fires three officers for accidentally firing missile into Pakistan in March
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KARACHI s ta f f r e p o r t Pakistan s likely to receive a $1 17 b llion loan tranche from the Internat onal Monetar y Fund (IMF) within six days after the ex ecutive Board s approval, State Bank of Pakistan Act ng Governor Murtaza Syed told Bloomberg Tv S p e a k i n g w t t h i n t e r n a tional new outlet Syed said that t h e c o n y ’ s f s r v e amounting $4 the current count is expected to clock at around 3% of the
gross do mestic product The execut ve board of the Fund is scheduled to meet on August 29 ‘Pakistan to receive $1.17b within six days after IMF board’s approval’ C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 05 P M s e e ks Q ata r i i n v e s t M e n t i n e n e r g y, av i at i o n s e c t o r s We d n e s d a y, 2 4 A u g u s t , 2 0 2 2 I 2 5 M u h a r r a m , 1 4 4 4 I R s 1 5 . 0 0 I Vo l X I I I N o 5 5 I 1 2 Pa g e s I Ka r a c h i E d i t i o n g GOvT AlSO SeekING DeFeRReD PAyMeNT PlAN FOR lNG BOUGhT UNDeR lONG TeRM DeAlS
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The BrahMos miss le a nuclear capable land attack cruise missile jointly developed by Russia and India was fired on March 9, prompting Pakistan to seek answers from New Delhi on the safety mechanisms in place to prevent accidenta launches “A Court of Inquir y, set up to estab ish the facts of the case including fixing responsibility for the incident found that dev ation from the Standard Operating Procedures by three officers led to the accidental firing of the missile the air force said in a statement It said the government had dismissed the three officers w th immediate effect on Tuesday According to the US based Arms Contro Associat on the BrahMos miss le’s range is between 300 km (186 mi es) and 500 km (310 m les) making it capab e of hitting Pak stan’s capita Islamabad from a northern Indian launch pad Pak stan had summoned Ind an Charge d Afaires (Cd A) to the Ministr y of Foreign Affairs days after the ncident to record the nation s protest over the incident
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ISLAMABAD ag e n c i e s P RIMe Minister Shehbaz Sharif has in v ted Qatar to invest in Pakistan s en ergy and aviation sectors dur ng a meeting with the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) in Doha on Tuesday The meet ng was attended by federa min sters Syed Naveed Qamar, Mariyam Au rangzeb and Ayaz Sadiq and State Minister hina Rabbani khar Mansoor Bin ebrahim Al Mahmoud, CeO of Qatar Investment Author ity one of the largest sovereign wealth funds of the world, and She kh Fa sa Thani A Thani, Chief Investment Officer of Africa and Asia Pacific Reg ons represented the QIA Dur ng the meeting, the prime minister high l ghted Pakistan s iberal and business friendly in vestment policies in this regard he a so urged Qatari investors to explore the opportunities pre sented by the China Pakistan economic Corri dor (CPeC) a med at promoting regional con nectivity and mutua prosperity Investment n other areas including tourism and petro eum products a so came under discussion ear ier during the Pakistan Qatar Trade and Investment Roundtable PM Shehbaz had sim larly invited Qatar businessmen to invest in Pakistan s energy av ation agriculture live stock mar t me tourism and hospitality sectors lauding Qatar ’s rapid economic devel opment under the visionar y leadership of the Qatar s em r the prime min ster reiterated that Pakistan attached h gh mportance to its re ations with Qatar and wanted to upgrade the trad tionally warm politica ties between the two countries into a comprehensive eco nomic partnership The prime m nister stressed the need to further enhance b lateral economic and in vestment engagement particu arly in the re newable energy including solar and wind power generat on av ation mar time ndus trial and infrastructure development, and hos pitality sectors he underlined that Pakistan s unique geographic and demograph c ad vantages which combined its strategic loca tion with a huge midd e c ass market and a large skilled workforce The PM assured full faci tation to QIA through transparent and expeditious processes As part of the event, a number of presentat ons were made by the relevant min stries h ghlighting the potential of foreign investment in the fields of food security, en ergy marit me aviat on hospitality and tourism sectors
Cour t weighs contempt action against Imran UN chief urges de escalation of political tensions in Pakistan more inside S T
s w i l l s h o r e u p t o $ 1 6 b i l l i o n b y t h e e n d o f F y 2 3 w h i c h d r o p p e d t o $8 bi ion due to de ay n the re vival of the IMF agreement and external flows Pakistan has commitments of $38 billion so we are over f nanced he said add ng that approvals of bilateral help will materialise soon,
It was agreed that designated foca per sons on both s des will closely follow up on the key proposals for investments
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The prime min ster nvited Mansoor bin ebrahim Al Mehmoud and Sheikh Faisa Thani Al Than to visit Pakistan at their earliest con venience to bu ld on the momentum gener ated by the visit Terming Pakistan as a priority countr y the QIA delegation expressed keen interest and readiness to actively pursue n vestment opportunities in Pakistan It may be noted that along with a bal ance of payment cris s due to foreign re ser ves falling to as low as $7 8 bi lion, Pakistan is a so facing a widening current account deficit (CAD) and a historic depreciation of the rupee against the U S dol ar In Ju y t posted inflat on of 24 9% Sharif ’s Qatar visit precedes an Interna t onal Monetar y Fund meet ng next week that is expected to approve a $1 2 bi lion tranche of lending, which has been stal ed s nce the beginning of the year According to Reuters, the PM ’s office did not give detai s of his agenda but two sources close to him said he was expected to offer Qatar shares in state owned enterprises (SOes) inc uding the loss mak ng Pakistan In ternational Air ines (PIA) and the Rooseve t hotel in New york They added that he is a so expected to offer the opportun ty to manage Pakistan s airports and hoped to secure en ergy dea s
o r e x r e
The Indian Air Force sa d on Tuesday the government had sacked three officers for “accidentally ” f r ng a missile into Pakistan in March an incident that the two nuc ear armed rivals handled calmly as there were no casua ties
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Center would have business centers and a 7 Star Hotel which would be linked to the Gaddafi Stadium through a flyover”, Pervaiz explained He said this plan would greatly facilitate the international players’ access to Gaddafi Stadium while relieving the public of the torment of traffic jams on e busy roads of Lahore during the tournaments
On the occasion the UAE ambassador congratulated Pervaiz Elahi on becoming the Punjab chief minister and invited him to visit the UAE It was mutually agreed to start work on the Mubarak Center at Ferozepur Road in Lahore Pervaiz Elahi assured the Punjab government would provide full support for the construction of Mubarak Center, adding that Mubarak Center would be the tallest building in Lahore “State of the art Mubarak
LAHORE/ DG KHAN: On the directives of Punjab Inspector General of Police Faisal Shahkar, different teams of Punjab Police continued relief operation at brisk pace in flood affected areas of DG Khan and Rajanpur The plice continued shifting of people and their belonging to safer places According to a spokesperson for the Punjab Police, during the past 24 hours police shifted 1 380 people stranded in the floodwater to safe places, while 605 cattle of local citizens were also taken to safer places The spokesperson informed that a total of more than 1 200 police personnel are engaged in relief activities, who are working day and night to help the flood victims along with the district administration and other rescue departments He said that in the flood affected areas of Dera Ghazi Khan region, police have distributed relief goods and food packets to the flood victims The relief goods included ration, milk, juice, biscuits and other staple food items On the orders of Punjab IG Police, the DG Khan RPO and DPO personally supervised the relief operation in the field to help the people in flood affected areas RPO Muhammad Saleem participated in rescue operation in the affected areas of Rajanpur Speaking in the occasion, the RPO said that police have distributed relief goods to the flood victims from their own resources, adding that all SHOs have been delivering relief goods to the flood victims under personal supervision S ta f f r e P o r t
Another 39 people have fallen prey to the raging floods caused by torrential downpours in southern and northern parts of Pakistan over the past 24 hours, pushing the overall toll to over 700 since June, officials said The majority of the deaths have been reported in the provinces of Sindh and Balochistan, where hundreds of thousands of people have been stranded by relentless rains and swirling floods At least 25 people have died in Sindh in the last 24 hours as a result of roof collapses, electrocution and drowning, Samaa TV reported, adding that rescue workers, backed by army troops and air force choppers, are struggling to reach the stranded The roof of a mosque collapsed on Monday evening in a remote village in Sindh’s Khairpur district, killing at least seven worshippers and injuring dozens, the district administration confirmed Known as the world s largest dates producing district, Khairpur has been inundated by week long rain spells, damaging 70 percent of the date crop Five members of a family including children were killed when their house’s roof collapsed in Shikarpur district, while another four died in Larkana, the hometown of slain prime minister Benazir Bhutto The remaining deaths were reported in the districts of Dadu, Nawabshah, Ghotki, Sukkur, and Kashmore Nine more casualties were reported from different parts of Balochistan, where incessant rains and flooding overwhelmed hundreds of villages, sweeping away houses, roads, bridges, and animals, and submerging large swaths of land Tens of thousands of people are living in tents and shelter camps set up by the government and non governmental relief organisations Following torrential rains and flooding, the government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has declared an emergency in at least four districts At least two people were killed when the roof of their house collapsed in the remote Bajaur district, which touches neighbouring Afghanistan One of the hardest hit districts, Dera Ghazi Khan, i n P u n j a b , c o n t i n u e d t o r e e l f r o m g u s h i n g f l o o d s caused by massive downpours over the past week, as army and air force planes dropped food packets, water b o t t l e s , a n d d r i e d r a t i o n s o n m a r o o n e d r e s i d e n t s i n s e v e r a l v i l l a g e s A s t a t e m e n t f r o m I n t e r S e r v i c e s
o “ s p e e d u p r e s c u e a n d relief efforts R ains, floods claims another 39 lives
T H E government on Tuesday issued directions to various authorities for controlling the rising inflation while admitting that the high spike in inflation is being driven by petroleum and utility tariff hikes imposed due to the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) terms for granting Pakistan a loan In this regard a meeting of the National Price Monitoring Committee (NPMC) was held to review the historic rise in inflation in the country The meeting was jointly chaired by the Federal Minister of Planning Development & Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal and Minister of State for Finance Dr Ayesha Ghaus Pasha The meeting was attended by the Chief Economist Chief Statistics Office and other relevant officials The committee was informed that other factors such as the depreciation of the rupee high international commodity prices and hoarding amplified the situation further While reviewing the prices of essential commodities
DOHA S ta f f r e P o r t
Lauding Qatar for its mediatory role in Afghanistan, he said the country had established its credibility to promote peace, tranquility and harmony not only in Afghanistan but also in the region The prime minister said Pakistan and Qatar should synergize their efforts in the area of trade and investment He highlighted his government s firm commitment to providing a friendly environment for business and investments in the country
The prime minister assured of the government’s full support to the Qatari investors in deepening their footprint in Pakistan He appreciated the efforts of organizers in arranging the roundtable with Pakistani and Qatari businessmen Earlier, Pakistan s ambassador to Qatar in his welcome address expressed the confidence that the prime minister ’s visit would lead to substantial enhancement of bilateral trade investment and economic ties
h e p a n e l i s t s i n c l u d e d S y e d N a v e e d Q a m a r, M i n i s t e r o f C o m m e r c e ; M s H i n a R a b b a n i K h a r, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs; Ms Alanoud b i n H a m a d A l T h a n i , C h i e f B u s i n e s s O ff i c e r o f Q F C ; M o h s i n M u j t a b a , H o n o r a r y I n v e s t m e n t C o u n s e l l o r ; a n d D r J a v a i d I q b a l P r e s i d e n t o f Pakistan
LAHORE S ta f f r e P o rt Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi and Ambassador of United Arab Emirates (UAE) Hamad Obaid Ibrahim Salem Al Zaabi on Tuesday agreed to start work on Mubarak Center, vowing that close contact will be further enhanced in future to promote economic ties between Punjab and the Dhabi Group Pervaiz Elahi also expressed gratitude to UAE’s Minister Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan as the Dhabi Group would invest billions of rupees in different fields in Punjab Earlier Ambassador of United Arab Emirates (UAE) Hamad Obaid Ibrahim Salem Al Zaabi called on Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi at Punjab House in Islamabad on Tuesday Issues of mutual interest, the promotion of relations between Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates and increasing cooperation in various fields were discussed during the meeting
The Qatar Financial Centre (QFC), the Pakistan Business Council Qatar, and the Embassy of Pakistan in Doha jointly organized the roundtable Ali bin Ahmed Al Kuwari, Finance Minister of Qatar; Sultan Bin Rashid, Undersecretary Ministry of Commerce and Industry of Qatar; and Yousaf Al Khater Jaida CEO, Qatar Financial Canter also participated in the event A large number of leading Qatari business and corporate executives as well as Qatar based Pakistani business community in Doha also attended During the roundtable, a distinguished panel discussed the enhancement of bilateral trade and economic relations The panel discussion mainly focused on exploring new areas of cooperation to forge stronger business to business linkages T Business
Those ruling on 25km of Islamabad acting like ‘rogues’: Fawad Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI) Senior Vice President Fawad Chaudhry said that those who were ruling on just a 25 kilometre area of Islamabad were acting like rogues In a statement issued from Central Media Department here on Tuesday, Fawad lashed out at the imported government for adopted hem handed approach to deal with the PTI and its leadership However he said that PTI despite being in power in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the provincial governments disappointed the party s workers Let me make it clear to our provincial governments, people did not vote for you just to become ministers,” Fawad added S ta f f r e P o r t Police shift 1,380 people, 605 cattle to safer places in DG Khan
ISLAMABAD S h a h z a d Pa r ac h a
NPMC directed relevant stakeholders to keep a close watch on the prices of food commodities and take action against hoarders Ahsan Iqbal said that the government was taking effective measures to reduce the common man s financial burden and prevent the rising inflation “A meeting of the NPMC to monitor the prices will be held on a weekly basis for this he added Ahsan also directed the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) to share its data analysis report in every meeting besides regularly comparing the difference in wholesale and retail prices of essential food items in districts across the country with the help of the Ministry of Food and Industry
KARACHI a n a d o l u ag e n c y
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Public Relations (ISPR) said troops have been busy in rescue and relief operations in flood hit cities of Sindh, Balochistan, KP, and Punjab Army helicopters were dispatched to affected areas in Sindh, Punjab, a n d B a l o c h i s t a n p r o v i n c e s t
He stressed that Pakistan was blessed with immense natural and human resources, and that its geographical location enabled it to become the region’s premier trade, energy and transport corridor This unique advantage made Pakistan a market full of promise and opportunities the prime minister added He underscored that having a large consumer market with an ever expanding middle class, Pakistan offered attractive business opportunities for investors in the fields of food security, energy including renewables, agriculture and livestock, information technology hospitality and tourism sectors
Council Manufacturers irked over need for TCP’s approval to impor t DAP
wednesday, 24 August, 2022 | KARACHI 02 news
The chief minister said that this project was started during his previous tenure Unfortunately, the project fell victim to the vengeful politics of PML N Now his government would advance work on this project rapidly as it would boost commercial activities while creating employment opportunities,” he further said The Punjab CM noted that brotherly relations existed between Pakistan and UAE and added that the time has come to transform these relations into a strategic partnership There are immense opportunities for investment in Punjab and the UAE’s investors could benefit from them,” he remarked and added UAE s cooperation in the development of Pakistan is worthy of praise and the provincial government values its cooperation for the improvement of education health and other sectors “Business to business delegations visits are also important and I would visit the UAE at the earliest opportunity ” said Pervaiz Elahi On the occasion, the UAE ambassador appreciated the CM s interest in investment promotion and mentioned that UAE’s investment companies are interested in investment in Pakistan The Mubarak Center project would further boost bilateral relations “Pakistan is our second home and relations would be further strengthened The UAE leadership stands with Pakistan and we would welcome you on your arrival in the United Arab Emirates,” he concluded Former federal minister Moonis Elahi was also present in the meeting
Elahi to UAE envoy: Time to transform mutual ties into strategic par tnership
The federal minister instructed stakeholders to closely monitor the price index and ensure the projection in order to develop a better policy to control future crises It may be recalled that the SBP has maintained the policy rate at 15% considering recent inflation Meanwhile, in line with market expectations, domestic demand is going towards moderation while the external position is also showing some improvement To cool the overheating economy and contain the current account deficit (CAD), the policy rate has been raised by a cumulative 800 basis points since last September Similarly, temporary administrative steps have recently been taken to curtail imports and the government has planned strong fiscal consolidation for FY23 driving a ‘power-hungr y man’ craz y KARACHI: Asif Ali Zardari co chairperson of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), on Tuesday claimed lust for power is driving one man crazy, in an apparent reference to former prime minister Imran Khan Members of the Sindh cabinet called on Zardari to discuss matters of mutual interest and the flood situation in the country On the occasion the former president said that situation is worrisome in the entire country due to heavy rains and stressed that everyone needs to set aside his politics and instead help the flood affectees Criticising Khan, Zardari said that Pakistan Army troops are fighting militants in two provinces and the former threatens the military police and judiciary and challenges the government to arrest him Judiciary must see if this person is above the law, he added I n P
The prime minister termed the panel discussion during the trade and investment roundtable very productive and informative, which, he said, gave them a way forward for the friendly countries of Pakistan and Qatar enjoying decades old fraternal relations based on mutual trust, respect and support He said Pakistan offered huge opportunities of investment in the areas of agriculture, solar energy, renewable energy and Information Technology (IT) The prime minister said the present government took over at a time when Pakistan was facing huge challenges of hovering economy, trade deficit and huge pressure on resources The prime minister said the only way forward to cut imports, including those of fuel, was to boost the country s exports through increased industrial production and moving towards renewable energies Highlighting the country’s huge hydropower potential he said Pakistan offered foreign investors especially the Qataris to benefit from investing in hydropower generation for immediate profits
Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif Tuesday, describing Qatar as a “reliable friend” of Pakistan, stressed the need of effective bilateral engagement to boost trade and investment ties according to their true capacity and potential Addressing Pakistan Qatar Trade and Investment Roundtable 2022 here, he appreciated Qatar for supporting Pakistan during the era of extreme inflationary trends worldwide and the economic tightness beyond our imagination
Fertiliser manufacturers on Tuesday criticised the government’s decision to regulate di ammonium phosphate (DAP) import by making the Trading Corporation of Pakistan’s (TCP) approval necessary in this regard, fearing that the regulation will undermine efforts to attain self sufficiency and discourage new investments in the country According to details, in a letter to the Ministry of Commerce, the Fertilizer Manufacturers of Pakistan Advisory Council (FMPAC) has said that bounding them to seek an approval for an import without consulting stakeholders is a dismaying situation for the fertilizer industry which has been ensuring timely availability of fertilizers through competitive bidding for over a year FMPAC Executive Director Sher Shah Malik said that it is important to examine the implications of the proposal for the supply chain to avoid unnecessary complexities The intervention of TCP in fertilizer imports will have damaging consequences for both farmers and the domestic industry besides having a significant impact on the economy and food security at large ” he added Manufacturers have warned that while the intervention will lead to product shortage in Pakistan, the proposal of a brokerage fee by TCP will ultimately be passed to the end users by international suppliers According to FMPAC, Pakistan s average DAP annual off take is around 2,000 kt per year This is supplied through 800 kt of local production and 1,200 kt of import As per current exchange rates it is valued around $1 2 billion per year At present, 11 importing companies which include urea manufacturers, importers and few dealers are importing of DAP It may be noted that domestic prices in the country are directly linked to international prices and rupee dollar parity which frequently varies throughout the year The imports are executed at competitive prices and on need basis in line with a comparatively narrow application window
ISLAMABAD S ta f f r e P o r t
PM for effec tive Pak- Q atar engagement to boost trade, investment ties
G o v T s C r A M b l e s T o C u r b I n F l AT I o n Zardari: lust for office
P R I M E Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday appealed to the nation to donate for supporting the relief and rehabilitation of the people and infrastructure in flood hit cities where record rains and flash floods have killed hundreds and rendered thousands homeless He said the government was distributing Rs37 2 billion as cash relief among the flood stricken people Rs5 billion have immediately been released to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to accelerate the rescue, relief and rehabilitation efforts He said Rs25 000 a family in assistance was being paid in addition to the compensation of a million for the family of the deceased and additional support for the injured people and damages to the houses All this requires Rs80 billion It also requires hundreds of billions of rupees to overcome the losses as well as for rehabilitation of the victims, he added The prime minister said the provincial governments were working round the clock in collaboration with the federal government and armed forces He said the country had received unprecedented rains this year breaking the 30 year average rainfall record, particularly in Sindh and Balochistan which caused flash floods to kill hundreds of people Conveying his prayers for those injured in the calamity the prime minister said the flash floods had left a huge number of people homeless besides causing losses to livestock, crops orchards and other properties The prime minister said the government was carrying out relief and rehabilitation works with utmost responsibility and honesty The helicopters had been provided for relief operations in the areas where roads and bridges had been destroyed Sharif also paid tribute to the Pakistan Army officers who were martyred in a helicopter crash in Balochistan during the flood relief operation He recalled the people and the institutions had set an example by showing the passion to sacrifice following the earthquake of 2005 and disastrous floods in 2010 He said the rehabilitation of the flood stricken people could be expedited if the whole nation showed the same spirit to support their countrymen
rabbani condemns police raid in parliament lodges
districts
districts,
The petitioners’ counsel argued before the court that his clients were aggrieved by the act of the Punjab government
on their nomination in an FIR registered at Qila Gujjar Singh police station through supplementary statements He submitted that the FIR was registered on the eve of the election of the chief minister Punjab on April 16, when the Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Muslim League Quaid (PML Q) lawmakers disrupted the voting procedure and created ruckus resulting in adjournment of the session He alleged that the petitioners were implicated in the matter with malafide intention He submitted that a judicial magistrate issued arrest warrants of the petitioners on an application filed by the respondents, wherein it was alleged that the police approached the petitioners but could not find them
Rain forec ast: S indh closes schools, colleges for two days
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P M u r G e s n AT I o n T o D o n AT e F u n D s F o r F lo o D - A F F e C T e e s
LAHORE S ta f f r e P o r t
The Sindh government on Tuesday declared 23 districts of the province calamity hit due to the devastation caused by extraordinary monsoon rains followed by devastating floods Provincial Information Minister Sharjeel Memon said at least 239 people have been killed and over 700 have been injured across the province He added that in the Hyderabad division, 31,684 houses were partially destroyed 25 812 were completely destroyed and 830 cattle were also lost Meanwhile, in Shaheed Benazirabad division, 54,962 houses were partially destroyed 23 000 were completely destroyed and 696 cattle were lost
Some parts of Sindh to receive more showers from today (Tuesday) for two days as a fresh monsoon system enters the province from India today The Pakistan Meteorological Department forecast more showers in various parts of Sindh including Karachi during the next 48 hours under the influence of the new monsoon spell
03news wednesday 24 August, 2022 KARACH ISLAMABAD S ta f f r e P o r t
may
KARACHI S ta f f r e P o r t
The unrelenting spell of the monsoon which started on August 17 has flooded large parts of Sindh, taking the lives of at least 34 people in several districts and injuring a larger number of people
STAff REpORT
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Iranian Ambassador Syed Mohammad Ali Hussaini has assured said that Pakistani prisoners arrested for minor crimes would be released soon The ambassador gave the assurance during a meeting with Federal Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development Sajid Hussain Turi on Monday Both the dignitaries also discussed issues of Pakistani pilgrims visiting Iran and Iraq, a press release said The minister said every year millions of pilgrims from Pakistan visited Iran and Iraq He emphasized that Pakistani visitors should be granted double entry visa for Iran Ambassador Hussaini said inns with all facilities had been established on land routes in Iran to serve the pilgrims Pak Iran bilateral trade and cultural relations also came under discussion in the meeting Minister Turi said Iran and Pakistan had eternal historical, spiritual, fraternal and cultural ties Pakistan attached great importance to its relations with Iran, he said, adding that their bilateral ties, especially commercial and economic, needed to be further strengthened
Turkiye urges Pakistan to increase bilateral trade
ISLAMABAD: The government of Turkiye on Tuesday expressed interest increasing bilateral trade with Pakistan to up to $5 billion stating that both countries have the potential to increase two way trade volume in many items In this regard, Commercial Counsellor Turkiye Embassy Nurettin Demir while addressing the business community during his visit to the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) said that the MUSIAD Expo would be held in Istanbul from November 2 to 5 and urged the Pakistani business community to actively participate in it He recommended that Pakistani businessmen should establish and further business links with counterparts from Turkiye to explore new avenues of promoting bilateral trade between the two countries He said that Turkiye and Pakistan can enhance bilateral cooperation in many fields including machinery and parts, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, tourism and agriculture He said that he can help the Pakistani business community in customs related matters for carrying out trade with Turkiye Demir hoped that a free trade agreement (FTA) between Turkiye and Pakistan would be finalized soon after its ratification from the parliament of Turkiye, which he said will help in increasing trade volume between the two countries Speaking on the occasion President ICCI Muhammad Shakeel Munir stressed that the frequency of the Pakistan Tehran Istanbul railway service should be increased for trade promotion as goods from Turkiye via third countries are reaching Pakistan in 45 days due to which importers and exporters are facing problems a P P QUETTA S ta f P r t
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ISLAMABAD: Former Senate Chairman and Pakistan People s Party (PPP) leader Raza Rabbani on Tuesday condemned the police raid on PTI leader Shahbaz Gill’s residence in Parliament lodges In a statement issued here, PPP Senator Raza Rabbani while condemning the police raid said that the sanctity of Parliament Lodges was violated for the second time in four months “First the former and now the current government has violated sanctity of Parliament Lodges ” he said pointing out that the police cannot carry out any action within the premises of Parliament Lodges without the Speaker s permission The former Senate Chairman added that no one raised voice against the police entry into Parliament Lodges and Punjab Assembly We are destroying the sanctity of democratic institutions with our own hands ” he regretted It is pertinent to mention here that police contingents conducted a raid on residence of PTI leader Dr Shahbaz Gill at Parliament Lodges During the checking of the room, the raiding police team led by senior superintendent police (SSP) confiscated different cards and other items It emerged that Gill s room at Punjab House will also be searched S ta f f decides on putting off 2nd phase of sindh lG polls
ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has decided to postpone second phase of Sindh Local Government (LG) elections in Hyderabad Division and other cities According to details, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Raja Sultan presided over a meeting after deputy commissioners (DCs) of several district approached the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) seeking either to postpone the second phase of local bodies in Sindh or review the situation due to devastation caused by torrential rains During the meeting the ECP decided to postpone second phase of Sindh local government (LG) polls in Hyderabad, Thatta, Badin and Jamshoro Sources further claimed that the electoral watchdog took the decision on the report presented by the Provincial Election Commission It is pertinent to mention here that Deputy Commissioners of Jamshoro and Tando Allahyar districts requested the election commission to delay the second phase of the local government elections in Sindh DC Jamshoro and Tando Allahyar districts in their letters to the election commission have pleaded for deferral of the 2nd phase of the LG Polls in their districts for 45 and 60 days respectively S ta f f r e P o r t
k h a n Ta n d o A l l a h y a r H y d e r a b a d Mitiari, Thatta, and Sujawal districts, the Met Office added It said the
in Dadu
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PDMA Chief Naseer Ahmad Nasir gave a detailed briefing to all the visiting dignitaries on the latest weather situation and ongoing relief activities in different areas On the occasion, Acting Governor Balochistan said according to the Meteorological Department, the series of stormy rains would continue, “so we should be ready at all times to deal with any emergency situation,” and the relevant institutions and departments should ensure the availability of all necessary relief equipment and machinery at various places He said the recent monsoon rains and floods caused massive loss of lives and property across the province, adding that in this hour of difficulty, the people and the government should play active role to help the victims There is an urgent need to keep PDMA s control room and call center alert and active at all times to reduce casualties and losses”, he said Mir Jan appreciated the tireless efforts of the Pakistan Army and the district administration in carrying out relief activities and restoring communication links
PDMA briefs Balochistan Governor, CM Bizenjo, Corps Commander on flood situation
The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday sought record of cases registered against Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML N) leader Sardar Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari and other PML N MPAs, from police till August 24 Justice Muhammad Tariq Nadeem passed the orders while hearing a petition filed by Awais Ahmad Leghari and other PML N MPAs against non provision of record of the cases by the police
The provincial education minister Sardar Shah announced that the education centres will be closed on Wednesday and Thursday following the rain predictions
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“Our nation is ahead of all in the world when it comes to the passion to sacrifice I appeal to you all to support ” the prime minister said
Furthermore four deaths have also been reported in the last 24 hours in the Hyderabad division due to rain
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LHC seeks record of c ases against Awais Leghari, other PML-N MPAs
The Met Office predicted a three day spell of rains starting today with heavy to moderate showers in several cities of the province The Met Office said a “strong low pressure area”, currently located over eastern India, was likely to approach Sindh on August 23 and under its impact, moderate and heavy rain thunderstorms were expected in several parts of the province till August 25 During this period, heavy showers “may worsen the situation” in already submerged areas in Dadu Naushahro Feroze, Qambar Shahdadkot, Larkana, J a c , S Mohammad continuing spell northeastern southern of Balochistan and trigger flash floods Jamshoro and Qambar Shahdadkot as well as downstream death toll 239
Pakistanis jailed for minor crimes to be released soon: Iranian envoy
KARACHI S ta f f r e P o r t
Acting Governor Balochistan Mir Jan Muhammad Jamali, Chief Minister Balochistan Mir Abdul Quddus Bizenjo and Commander 12 Corps Lt Gen Asif Ghafoor visited Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) on Tuesday Adviser to the CM for Home and Tribal Affairs, Mir Zia Langu and Chief Secretary Balochistan Abdul Aziz Uqaili were also present on this occasion
h a h e e d B e n a z i r a b a d , G h o t k i S h i k a r p u r a n d K a s h m o r e districts, it warned T h e w e a t h e r s y s t e m w a s a l s o e x p e c t e d t o c a u s e l i g h t t o m o d e r a t e r a i n i n T h a r p a r k a r, U m e r k o t , Mirpurkhas, Badin, Tando
The Sindh government has announced closure of schools and colleges for two days on August 24 and 25 in view of the heavy rain predictions The two day holiday was announced for schools and colleges by the Sindh government after the prediction of heavy rains across the province
sindh declares 23 distric ts as calamit y hit as
T h e C h i e f S e c r e t a r y a l s o i s s u e d i n structions regarding the formation of spe c i a l s q u a d s t o c h e c k i n d u s t r i a l u n i t s a n d b r i c k k i l n s T h e s e c r e t a r y e n v i r o n m e n t p r o t e c t i o n d e p a r t m e n t g a v e a d e t a i l e d
He said that an action plan had been pre pared to control smog According to a study, 43 percent of contributors to air pollution were from the transport sector 25 percent from industry, 12 percent from power and 20 percent were from agriculture sector This year more than 4000 industrial units were inspected, 79 cases were regis tered, 19 people were arrested and 88 units were sealed he said Similarly, 11,000 brick kilns were in spected, 736 cases were registered and 19 people were arrested The authorities also took action against 29,200 smoke emitting vehicles, lodging 7,000 FIRs and impound ing 17 600 vehicles he added
StAff RepoRt Commissioner Peshawar Division Riaz Khan Mehsud on Tuesday said that 1200 rehabilitated drug addicts would be reunited with families in a colorful ceremony to be held on August 25 During a meeting with a delegation of traders and business community, who announced 314 employment opportunities for rehabilitated drug addicts, it was agreed that besides employment opportunities the rehabilitated persons would also be supervised not to indulge in nar cotics addiction again On the occasion the Commissioner said that Chief Minister Mahmood Khan would handover appointment letters to the rehabilitated drug addicts and later they would be given to their respective families He said that ceremony would be followed by arrest of 700 more drug addicts identified on different streets and roads of the provincial capital and to be shifted to reha bilitation centres to make the city drug free He said the district administration would also start shifting of ICE and heroin addicts who were being kept at home to rehabilitation centres Similarly he said that a campaign would be started from next month in all education institutions to make those drug free, adding that in consultation with the rele vant departments and after approval of the government the dope test of students would be conducted at educa tional institutions and affected students would be shifted to rehabilitation centres
2nd batch of Pakistani students return to C hina soon
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314 rehabilitated drug addic ts to get Commissioner
LG elections: After Malir, Korangi deput y commissioner seeks postponement
The Commissioner said that drug free Peshawar cam paign was started on the special directives of Chief Min ister Mahmood Khan and efforts of district administration department of social welfare and other line departments were commendable in this connection He also appreci ated the role of print and electronic media in creating awareness and identifying the families of drug addicts
Xian as per Covid 19 control and prevention meas ures imposed by the local government for the passen g e s a b L a o r t h e i r respective universities in different cities to continue their education
i line with measures to control smog, Punjab Chief Secretary Kamran Ali Afzal on Tuesday directed the depart ment concerned to take action against those causing environmental pollution
KARACHI S ta f f R e p o R t
Wednesday 24 August 2022 | KARACHI 04 NEWS StAff RepoRt
ban on the use of s u b s t a n d a r d f u e l i n s t e e l m i l l s a n d f a c t o r i e s b e s t r i c t l y e n f o r c e d H e s a i d t h a t a l l the
briefing at the meeting
A four day anti polio campaign started in Swat district and women vaccinators in the p o l i o t e a m s h a v e b e e n m a k i n g h e c t i c e f forts to reach the difficult and remote areas to vaccinate children against the crippling disease
Women workers are also leading in the campaign Gul Meena is among the polio workers who is determined to save the fu ture of children by navigating the difficult m o u n t a i n a n d r o c k y p a t h s o f M a rg h a z a r Valley of Babuzai Tehsil “We mothers and sisters give drops to the children without caring about the heat a n d c o l d f o r t h e f u t u r e o f t h e n a t i o n , d e spite the social setbacks and inappropriate b e h a v i o r o f p e o p l e b u t w e a r e n e v e r d i s couraged and have been actively participat ing in this campaign to save the children of t h e n a t i o n f r o m p e r m a n e n t d i s a b i l i t y f o r the last eight years , Miss Gul said During the ongoing campaign in Swat, 463,462 children will be vaccinated against polio and for the purpose 1,862 teams have been formed in the district EPI coordinator Dr Liaqat Ali said that due to the efforts of the Health Department and cooperation of the public, no case of polio has been reported since 2014 in Swat district and they were trying to keep Swat a polio free district I n c h a rg e B H U K o k r a i D r I m r a n s a i d that initially a campaign against polio was conducted in Swat, which had seen many parent came forward refusing to vaccinate t h e i r c h i l d r e n p o l i o d u e t o w h i c h p o l i o cases were coming up until 2014 But now the situation has changed a lot and aware ness has come among people and parents are happily administering drops to protect children from polio virus According to the police officials, 2,893 p e r s o n n e l o f S w a t p o l i c e a r e p e r f o r m i n g security duties to protect the polio teams, in which 118 officers are supervising these personnel
employment:
Pakistani students who intend to go back to China to pursue their studies
StAff RepoRt Second batch of Pakistani students who were stranded in the motherland in wake of the Covid 19 pandemic will soon return to China to resume offline classes in their respective universities We are working on the second phase of the return of Pakistani students and making all out efforts to bring back the second batch to China as early as possible, Pakistan Ambassador to China, Moin ul Haque said while talking to members of the Pakistani community and students here He said in the first phase, the government in collab oration with the Chinese authorities made arrangements to airlift around 250 students to China However, around 100 students arrived in the Chi nese city of Xian by PIA special flight PK 6854 on June 20, he added A l l t h e s
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Flood water enters Dera Murad Jamali grid station
The Chief Secretary asked the secre taries of the departments concerned to take strict action against those causing air and en vironmental pollution industrial, and ve hicular emissions burning crop stubble and garbage He said that to mitigate the factors behind smog, there was a need to adopt pre ventive measures enhance awareness directed that the provincial departments should work tandem on issue of smog, adding that progress in this regard would be reviewed regularly
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The Chief Secretary issued the direction during a meeting held at the Civil Secre tariat The additional chief secretary (home) administrative secretaries of various depart ments including environment, industries, agriculture local government and officials concerned participated in the meeting
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ISLAMABAD: The US attempts to use the Taiwan question to contain China are doomed to fail and the international community has long been aware of the sinister intentions of the United States and its Western allies against China, analysts have said The recent visit of Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan despite China s strong opposition is meddling in the country’s internal affairs, they said in a seminar on China US relations organised by the Islam abad Institute of Conflict Resolution They added that such a move has seriously undermined peace across the Taiwan Straits and regional stability Taiwan has be longed to China since ancient times, said former Pak istani ambassador to China Naghmana Alamgir Hashmi The United States also disregarded the three China US joint communiques, which clearly state that the Government of the People’s Republic of China is the sole legal government of China, and that Taiwan is part of China, Hashmi said The United States is trying to use the Taiwan question and other issues to contain China, said Zafar Nawaz Jaspal, a professor of politics and international relations at Pakistan’s Quaid i Azam University M o N i to R i N R R
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Flood water on Tuesday entered 220KV Dera Murad Ja mali grid station in Nasirabad, Balochistan The supply of electricity to three districts of Nasirabad including, Jaffarabad, Jhal Magsi and Nasirabad has been discon nected from the last 48 hours The problems of flood hit people have doubled due to suspension of electricity The power disconnection has also created shortage of potable drinking water in the area Meanwhile Pakistan Army troops are carrying out rescue and relief opera tions in flood hit areas of Sindh, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab said Inter Services Public Re lations (ISPR) According to ISPR, rescue and relief ef forts are underway in Hyderabad, Sanghar, Badin, Thatta Jamshoro Naushero Feroze and other flood hit districts of Sindh N e w S D e S k US attempts to use Taiwan to contain China doomed to fail: analysts
It may be mentioned here that Prime Minister She hbaz Sharif in a telephonic conversation with his Chi nese counterpart Li Keqiang discussed the issue of Pakistani students who were desirous of returning to China to resume studies The Chinese premier had assured that China ac corded high priority to this matter As a result, the two sides agreed on the phased return of the Pakistani stu dents subject to the Covid 19 situation in China T h e E m b a s s y o f P a k i s t a n i n B e i j i n g h a d l o n g b e e n e n g a g e d w i t h t h e r e l e v a n t C h i n e s e a u t h o r i t i e s regarding the return of Pakistani students to their uni versities in China T h e e m b a s s y i s i n t o u c h w i t h t h e r e l e v a n t C h i nese authorities for the return of the remaining stu dents as well A c c
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After Malir s deputy commissioner petitioned the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to sus pend the local government elections in certain constituencies of his district his counterpart in Korangi Tuesday approached the agency with a similar petition Saleemullah Odho wrote a letter to the commission regarding the second phase of the polls wherein he pointed out the ongoing monsoon spell wreaked havoc in some union councils of the district The letter read that many polling stations and school buildings have been affected due to record monsoon rains, and the surrounding areas are still submerged in rainwa ter Moreover Odho noted that more torrential rains are expected in Karachi, adding that the conduct of polls and supply of election mate rial will not be possible if more rains hit the district A day earlier, the Malir deputy com missioner wrote to the ECP the monsoon spell had played havoc on the district and there were a number of populated areas which are still in accessible and deprived of basic amenities due to heavy downpour
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A c c o r d i n g t o t h e H e a l t h D e p a r t m e n t , during the anti polio campaign vaccinators have been going door to door to administer a n t i p o l i o d r o p s t o c h i l d r e n u n d e r f i v e years of age to save from lifelong disabil ity Polio teams are also present at health centers and various checkpoints across the district and two doses of polio vaccine are being given to every five year old child on the spot
K A r A c h I: In furtherance of its commitment to eliminate power theft, K Electric conducted as many as 762 anti power theft drives across the city in the first two weeks of August and removed 5,384 illegal kunda connections from its service areas These kunda removal drives that took place in different parts of the city, including Surjani, New Karachi, Gulistan e Johar, Orangi, Liaquatabad, Nazimabad, Bin Qasim, and Malir, among others, unhooked illegal wires weighing over 5,700 kilograms that were illegally connected to KE’s infrastructure and were being used to steal electricity worth millions Director Communications and KE’s Spokesperson Imran Rana commented on the matter, “K Electric strongly condemns these miscreants who use illegal connections to energize their premises Not only they are putting the lives and properties of the masses at peril but also trying to steal the right of our valuable consumers who access the electricity the legal way and pay for it We continue to conduct these anti kunda drives every day and remove thousands of illegal connections but unfortunately these are restored within a few hours of removal However, we would like to assure that we would stop at nothing to crackdown against these culprits It is to make it loud and clear that K Electric is dealing such lawbreakers with an iron hand, and any act of stealing electricity can lead to the penalty of PKR 10 million and imprisonment up to 03 years ”
PAKIsTAN CAN ATTRACT ARouND $30B INvEsTMENT fRoM IsL AMIC woRLD: AshRAfI corporate corner K Electric removes over 5,000 illegal connections; warns stern action against power pilferer
The National Assembly’s (NA) Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Tuesday summoned former chief justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice (r) Saqib Nisar Committee Chairman MNA Noor Alam Khan remarked that the ex CJP was a controversial figure “Rs14 billion were spent on advertisements on the ‘Dam Fund while only Rs9 billion could be collected,” he said MNA Birjees Tahir said the PAC wanted to know as to why the money collected for the Fund had not been spent for the avowed purpose “We are not threatening judges after all,” he remarked The PAC summoned the Supreme Court (SC) registrar for briefing on the Fund PAC chairman said that whenever government officials were summoned, they went to the court against the summons D u r i n g t h e h e a r i n g o f Tayyaba Gul sexual harassment c a s e , w h e n t h e PA C c h a i r m a n a s k e d N a t i o n a l A c c o u n t a b i l i t y Bureau (NAB) Chairman Aftab Sultan where the NAB DGs of other provinces were, he replied t h a t t h e b u r e a u w a s c u r r e n t l y faced with financial constraints; therefore he asked them not to come “However, if I fail to sat i s f y y o u I w i l l d i r e c t t h e m t o a p p e a r b e f o r e t h e c o m m i t t e e , ” he said MNA Noor said angrily that the NAB officials violated t h e c o n s t i t u t i o n “ Tr u t h i s t h a t w e h a v e f a i l e d t o g e t t h e a n swers to our questions from the a n t i c o r r u p t i o n w a t c h d o g o ff i cials he said Responding to a question by the PAC chairman about the NAB officials assets, the bureau chairman said details of these as sets were submitted to the Estab lishment Division “And these are made public only when there is an inquiry against an official he informed MNA Noor said it was unfor tunate that the NAB had not drafted its rules during 23 year period of its existence The NAB chairman told him that the rules would be finalized soon Speaking on the occasion MNA Sheikh Rohail Asghar said that politicians’ assets were not hidden from the public eye And when you submit details of your properties to the Establishment Division, there is no harm in mak ing them public,” he said, adding, When you don t show your as sets despite our continuous insis tence, it amounts to an insult ” A c
LG elections: After Malir, Korangi deput y commissioner seeks postponement
KARACHI: After Malir ’s deputy commissioner petitioned the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to suspend the local government elections in certain constituencies of his district, his counterpart in Korangi Tuesday approached the agency with a similar petition Saleemullah Odho wrote a letter to the commission regarding the second phase of the polls wherein he pointed out the ongoing monsoon spell wreaked havoc in some union councils of the district The letter read that many polling stations and school buildings have been affected due to record monsoon rains, and the surrounding areas are still submerged in rainwater Moreover, Odho noted that more torrential rains are expected in Karachi, adding that the conduct of polls and supply of election material will not be possible if more rains hit the district A day earlier, the Malir deputy commissioner wrote to the ECP the monsoon spell had played havoc on the district and there were a number of populated areas which are still inaccessible and deprived of basic amenities due to heavy downpour
Matric exam high achievers from GB visit Islamabad
NTDC Board of Directors approved increase in salaries of employees
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h a n g e o f h o t w o r d s t o o k p l a c e b e t w e e n t h e PA C a n d N A B c h a i r m e n w h e n t h e f o r m e r t o l d t h e l a t t e r t h a t t h e c o m m i t t e e ’s i n s i s t e n c e o n s h o w i n g a s s e t s w a s a s p e r t h e constitution J o u r n a l i s t r e m a n d e d i n p o l i c e c u s t o d y f o r t wo d ay s PAC summons former C JP S aqib Nisar for explanation on Dam Fund islamabad S TA F F R E P O R T T h e E l e c t i o n C o m m i s s i o n o f P a k i s t a n ( E C P ) h a s s o u g h t a r e p l y f r o m P a k i s t a n Te h r e e k i I n s a f ( P T I ) i n t h e p r o h i b i t e d f u n d i n g c a s e a g a i n s t i t b y S e p t e m b e r 6
The hearing to seize prohibited funding of the party was conducted by Chief Election Commis sioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja Shah Khawar, PTI’s counsel in the case, skipped the hearing in the ECP, while Anwar Man soor Khan also remained absent due to his engage ments at the Supreme Court
ISLAMABAD: As part of an initiative to encourage quality education in Gilgit Baltistan, Chief Secretary GB Mohyuddin Ahmed Wani led a delegation of high achievers of GB Matric exam reached in Islamabad on Tuesday The group of students are in Islamabad on a three day visit On Tuesday they were hosted by Advisor on Kashmir Affairs Qamar Zaman Kaira chairman Federal Board of intermediate and second ary education and Vice Chancellor National Skills University The kids were excited and expressive They impressed their hosts by their knowledge ,con fidence and articulation
In a statement on Monday, the Islamabad police which derisively referred to Farooqui as a YouTu ber” in a series of since deleted tweets announcing the arrest said he was taken into custody after a case was registered against him at the Ramna police station in the capital According to the statement, the journalist, in a YouTube video, had accused the Islamabad police that ti inflicted medieval torture on Gill The police had indicated action against those making “inflammatory, fabricated and false allega tions” against it, the statement recalled Interestingly Karachi police have pleaded igno rance about the matter Zaman Town station House Officer (SHO) Zahid Lodhi said that local police had not arrested Farooqui Top press freedom groups have condemned the ar rest and called on Islamabad to release Farooqui at once In a tweet, “extremely concerned” Reporters Without Borders said the charges against Farooqui were “trumped up” RSF is extremely worried by yesterday s cen s o r s h i p o f T V n e w s c h a n n e l a n t h e a r r e s t o f i t s j o u r n a l i s J a m e e l Karachi police must release him at once it tweeted late on Monday before the journalist was airlifted to Islamabad Freedom of the Press Foundation, a top American non profit organisation which supports free speech, termed the arrest unprecedented censorship Global media organisations, journalist unions and campaign groups have denounced the trend as a seri ous threat to press freedom in Pakistan it observed islamabad S TA
NTDC Headquarter, WAPDA House Lahore, 23 Aug 2022 A meeting of NTDC Board of Director held on Monday at Wapda House Lahore to approve increase in salary and pensions of the employees in line with the notification issued by the Ministry of Finance According to the notification, increase in pay and allowances will take effect from July 1, 2022 The 15% increase has been made on the basic salary drawn by employees in 2017 Ten per cent ad hoc allowances given to the employees during 2016 2017 2018, 2019 and 2021 will now be merged to the basic salaries of the employees, which will form new pay scales 2022 According to the spokesman of the NTDC, the retried employees of the company have also been allowed 10 percent increase in their pensions from April 1, 2022 The Board also approved disparity reduction allowance for employees falling in grade 20, 21 and 22 P R
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To a query Ashrafi said Pakistan Charter ’ was need of the hour for eco nomic stability of the country It was the high time to avoid all differences and take part in nation building activi ties across the board He said the matter of next general elections’ schedule could be sorted out through negotiation Regarding flood situation in Pakistan, he said it was a test of the entire nation and asked the political and religious parties to come forward to help the flood victims
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ECP seeks PTI’s response in funding c ase
The network educates users through its flagship rural health service “Khushaal Sehat” and urban m health service “Healthline” Millions of people in Pakistan lack awareness about life threatening diseases and their prevention Telenor Pakistan s partnership with Roche Diagnostics a leading, global research based healthcare company, will strive to create actionable advice and suggest preventive measures to the public about life threatening diseases, including hepatitis, heart diseases, cancer, and diabetes "Telenor Pakistan continues to find avenues to connect its customers to what matters most to them We are glad to make a meaningful impact towards sustainable, accessible, and affordable healthcare information for millions of Pakistanis, together with Roche Diagnostics,” Khurrum Ashfaque, Chief Operating Officer, Telenor Pakistan said Abdul Qayyum, Country Manager, Roche Diagnostics Pakistan & Afghanistan said, "For 125 years, Roche has been at the forefront in redefining the standard of care to improve health outcomes At Roche Diagnostics Pakistan, our goal is to help increase public health awareness to support the prevention, early detection, and monitoring of diseases In this regard, I am proud of our partnership with Telenor Pakistan that will enable us to jointly empower people to safeguard and manage their own health, thereby enabling patients to test early and treat right " Currently, Telenor Pakistan's IVR based health service Khushaal Sehat offers health advisory services for users who dial in to talk to their general physicians In live shows, speakers from Telenor Pakistan and Roche will educate users about different diseases P R islamabad S TA F F R E P O R T A district and sessions court in Islamabad on Tuesday remanded Jameel Farooqui a journalist and anchor person for Bol TV, in police custody until August 25 after he was arrested for spreading “false informa tion” about the custodial torture of a leader from Pak istan Tehreek i Insaf (PTI) Farooqui was arrested Monday in Karachi for p u r p o r t e d l y m a k i n g “ f a l s e c l a i m s ” o f t o r t u r e o n Shahbaz Gill, chief of staff to former prime minis t e r I m r a n K h a n a g a i n s t I s l a m a b a d p o l i c e i n a move many believe is aimed at gagging the critics of the government Gill was arrested after appearing earlier this month on ARY News in Karachi when he allegedly incited troops and officers to mutiny During the broadcast, Gill, a known critic of the military, said soldiers and officers should refuse to obey “illegal or ders from the military leadership Subsequently, a Karachi judge had given Islam abad police Farooqui’s custody after granting a three day transitory remand to shift him to the capital While being taken to the capital, he claimed that he was tortured, stripped and kept at an undisclosed lo cation for over 12 hours
PM seeks Qatari investment in energy, aviation sectors
05NEWS Wednesday 24 August 2022 | K AR ACHI doHa A P P
An assistant of Khan appeared before the ECP and sought four weeks time to submit a reply and related documents The CEC asked the counsel if all the documents have been already submitted by PTI in the case, why do they need more time? We have sought documents from the party s foreign chapters in the case because many aspects of the matter needed to be explained as per the ECP order in the case,” he replied Denying the four week time period for submis sion of documents, Raja gave two weeks time to PTI and adjourned the hearing until September 6
P R I M E Minister ’s Special Representative for Interfaith Harmony and Middle East Hafiz Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi on Tuesday said Pak istan could attract around $30 billion investment from the Islamic world by promoting ease of doing business Talking to media, Ashrafi who is on an official visit to Qatar these days said Pakistan was focusing on trade and in vestment instead of loan or aid He said the friendly countries such as; Qatar, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates (UAE) were providing assistance to Pakistan in a bid to get rid of the pre vailing economic crisis He said Pakistan was expecting $2 billion from Qatar in bilateral support to help ease the South Asian nation’s funding crunch and the consequent risk of a default adding it would also get $ one billion in oil financing from Saudi Arabia and a similar amount in invest ments from the UAE Ashrafi said it was a matter of pride for Pakistan that it would provide troops for security of the Federation In ternationale de Football Association(FIFA) World Cup in Qatar later this year He made it clear that Pakistan Qatar relations were between the two nations and countries so that the regime change or present political situation in Pakistan would not have any negative impact on their fraternal ties He said Prime Minister Shehbaz s visit to Qatar would impart a renewed impetus to deepening the cooperation between the two countries in diverse fields and further strengthen their growing economic partnership He said Qatar was home to more than 200,000 Pakistanis, who were contributing to the progress prosperity and economic development of the two brotherly countries
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The report further claims that Pakistan is also seek ing a deferred payment plan for the LNG bought under long term deals Currently, the country has two long term LNG supply deals with Qatar to pro vide up to nine cargoes a month We will surely seek any facility of deferred payments on our LNG deals,” an aide to Sharif told Reuters, adding that the country was also seeking support for its foreign reserves to the tune of $2 billion Earlier on Mon day, the Cabinet approved a draft agreement that al lows the government to provide troops for security at the FIFA soccer World Cup in Qatar this year
Telenor Pakistan partners with Roche to create nationwide health awareness
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ISLAMABAD: Telenor Pakistan has partnered with Roche Diagnostics Pakistan to raise health awareness across the rural and urban areas of the country Under the partnership agreement, Telenor Pakistan will educate its Khushaal Watan app users via interactive voice response (IVR), SMS and live shows to create awareness about hepatitis and other diseases with high prevalence and burden in Pakistan Telenor Pakistan operates a suite of digital products and services that connect people to what matters most The Khushal Watan portfolio is a rural lifestyle platform, focusing on m Agri advisories, rural infotainment, and m health
06 Wednesday, 24 August 2022 COMMENT Lahore Ph: 042 36300938, 042 36375965 I K arachi Ph: 021 35381208 9 I Islamabad Ph: 051 2204545 I Web: www pakistantoday com pk I Email: editorial@pakistantoday com pk
A donors’ conference that is what the government decided upon on monday in an effort to reach out to international organisations so that they could be briefed on the flood disasters that are currently ravaging the nation What a sad state of affairs, seventy five years after the nation s independence to not be able to deal even with accurately forecasted calamities, without foreign assistance Being on the dole seems to come naturally to the managers of the country, even at times when there aren t any natural disasters Recurring ImF tranches are the branches we leap from, with an ape like desperation so that we can just coast through to the next branch, the next tranche on the face of it, we are a nuclear power that speaks of its place in geopolitics We claim we are the best functioning democracy in the muslim world, though that is a horribly low bar to have set We also speak of our army, one of the largest in the world But on the flipside, we look for donations to clean up our mess; our economy is in such shambles that recently, when some not so large oil payments were made, the interbank market seemed to have run out of dollars, with container upon container stranded at the ports because importers didn t have the dollars to pay for them our massive military will offer to provide security to Qatar for an upcoming sporting event, but would treat its own government in a similar manner, handing them bills for the relief work that it does, whenever it does it
The writer can be reached at waliejaz04@gmail com
Yousaf Nizami Editor Dedicated to the legac y of late Hameed Nizami Arif Nizami (Late) Founding Editor M A Niazi Joint Editor Umar Aziz Executive Editor Aziz ud Din Ahmad Joint Editor
1) In the pre revocation period, there were two important political groups in Jammu and Kashmir: Unionists and separatists Unionists pre ferred living under the Indian constitution over sepa ration they were in favor of autonomy, not separation Abrogation of articles has changed their direction Now, they are more likely to join the separatists Unionists were under influence of the Indian govern ment but now they have to choose whether to be stooges or separatists 2) India’s bid to deprive Kash miris of their autonomy did not go unnoticed Despite many efforts India failed to bar the internalization of the issue the Indian atrocities may lead to further un rest and may invite non state actors the possibility of terror attacks cannot be overruled 3) An ill thought out plan to abolish Kashmir ’s special status increased the trust deficit between Pakistan and India Currently, there does not seem any possibility of a thaw 4) BJP government gained more control over the Valley It would use the legislative and administrative powers of the state for its fascist designs 5) the welfare devel opment, and growth of the Valley got a serious blow Keeping in mind the above, it would be pertinent to shed a light on the world s reaction to Indian action Pa k i s ta n : It has tried its best to make the Kashmir issue relevant Especially, former Prime minister Imran Khan played an unavoidable role to keep the world abreast of human rights violations in Kashmir Khan offered peace dialogue time and again Khan was aware of two facts: first Kashmir was a nuclear flashpoint It had the potential to push south Asia into instability second, Kashmir like Afghanistan did not have a military solution the modi government created war hysteria in the country It inculcated ultra nationalistic and jingoistic thinking in people through media the modi government s atrocities forced a 19 year old Kashmiri to blow him self up in Pulwama It led to the killing of 40 Central Reserve Police personnel Without any evidence New Delhi heaped all the blame on Pakistan claiming the latter sent terrorists on this pretext, the IAF vio lated Pakistan s air sovereignty and claimed surgical strikes in Balakot on Feb 27, 2019, the PAF retali ated which resulted in the destruction of two Indian fighters and an Indian pilot Abhinandan s capture Khan handed over Abhinandan to the Indian govern ment as a goodwill gesture but to no effect owing to the above mentioned incidents the trust deficit widened and the Kashmir issue could not get the re quired attention Khan took up the matter at the UN He apprised the UN and the world of the gravity of the Kashmir issue Even though Khan made the world community amply aware of the issue, nothing hap pened on ground G u l f s tat e s :the dismal response of the Gulf states left the supporters of Kashmir freedom shocked Neither saudi Arabia nor UAE could con demn the illegal step there may be several reasons for the muslim world’s disappointing response but economic ties with India may be the leading reason the Kashmir and Palestine issues are no longer on the Gulf states’ agenda sadly, UAE’s ambassador to India termed the move India s internal matter to add insult to injury, when the modi government’s atroci ties in Kashmir were on the rise, UAE conferred the highest civilian award on modi It further added to the anger and despair of supporters of the Kashmir cause the muslim World could not take any practical step to deter India the future is also dim usa: Its response was equally distressing and dismaying the UsA is known for brutal realism in global politics In the UsA s scheme, a solution to an issue is only needed if it impinges upon its interests According to a study titled “Critical analysis of the Us mediating role in India Pakistan conflict , UsA pressurized India economically, politically, and diplo matically to solve the Kashmir issue during the Cold war period In those days, the UsA supported Pakistan’s stance because the latter was the former ’s ally in countering communism However, the post cold war era saw a shift in UsA’s policy on Kashmir the UsA emerged as a ‘crisis manager ’ instead of a resolver of the issue after the Cold War As India is UsA s strate gic ally against China’s expansion latter has not changed her policy to Kashmir Kashmir is burning and demanding serious atten tion World powers are pursuing their hegemonic goals the Gulf states’ boat has sunk in the sea of economic interests the scattered muslim world is like a one wing bird that is unable to fly and conse quently it can never make Kashmir fly Pakistan must step up its efforts to solve the Kashmir issue Pakistan has to come out of the economic quag mire as soon as possible; the relevance of a country depends on its economic strength Pakistan needs to make its diplomatic front more active and efficient Pakistan cannot win freedom for Kashmir single handedly; it needs world powers’ support
t H E ruling coalition needs to give a shut up call to elements in its component parties who under an impulse for revenge are baying for PtI chief Imran Khan’s blood A leader of a mainstream party has claimed that mr Khan wanted to spread chaos in the country “with the foreign funding of Israel and India” and should therefore be immediately detained Notwithstanding the way the PtI used NAB FIA and even ANF to torture its opponents, keep them behind bars for months without a shred of proof and conducted their media trial, the parties in the ruling coalition cannot do the same to the PtI as it would undermine their claim that they had made sacrifices to strengthen democracy in Pakistan the ruling coalition needs to be reminded that only under authoritarian and fascistic regimes are political opponents put behind bars on the basis of presumptions alone In democracies governments produce whatever incriminatory evidence they possess before the courts to get alleged foreign agents punished Any major oppressive action taken by the ruling party against an opposition leader without judicial approval is likely to be interpreted as an act of political revenge and lead to protests Even independent observers are likely to question the motives behind the action some of the PtI leaders had already warned in the early hours of monday that their leader would be a “red line” Forer minister Ali Amin Gandapur threatened that if mr Khan is arrested the PtI would take over Islamabad He warned the police not to be a “part of this political war anymore” With its credibility badly damaged while implementing the ImF’s programme, the government might find it difficult to deal with any agitation Even worse, the tussle could lead to the system s fall Instead of provoking an unnecessary face off the government needs to concentrate on its performance and to be seen to be delivering Imran Khan faces a number of cases one of these has landed him in the dreaded Anti terrorism Court In another he faces a contempt of court charge which has already sent a Pm home Any adverse decision against him taken by the courts would be irreversible as it would be enforced by the state
On the dole
Perhaps political scientists should define failed statements or perhaps states to begin with as entities that can shield their citizens from such storms literal and figurative, rather than relatively abstract metrics our very statehood is or should be at stake Like always Avoid provoking agitation
A Rt I C l E s 370 and 35A provided Jammu and Kashmir with some autonomy A glance at history would tell us that Jammu and Kashmir had been losing autonomy since the 1950s History is replete with in stances when presidential orders were used to reduce Indian occupied Kashmir ’s autonomy According to a study, from 1952 to 1986, 42 presidential orders were promulgated eroding Kashmir s autonomy the modi government’s abrogating Articles 370 & 35A was the final nail in the coffin Depriving Jammu and Kashmir of its autonomy was an explicit violation of International law According to international law ex pert Ahmer Bilal soofi, modi’s move violated UN mandated obligations and the Fourth Geneva convention some experts said the modi government divided Jammu and Kashmir into two states which were against the UN resolutions A disputed territory could not be divided into sub territories Another important dimension of the abrogation was that it left adverse impacts on the Valley It posed psychological economic and political challenges snatched autonomy, lockdowns, and the brutalities of Indian forces psychologically affected the people the ratio of probable depression was 50 percent among fe males and 37 percent among males males suffered 21 percent anxiety disorders, females 36 percent the ratio of Post traumatic stress Disorder was 18 per cent among males and 22 percent among females Jammu and Kashmir suffered a loss of Rs17,878 crore from August 5 2019 to December 2019 the tourism, agricultural and industrial sectors suffered losses of Rs 1056 crore, Rs 4591 crore, and Rs 45095 crore respectively scrapping Articles 370 & 35A also has several po litical implications
While some Americans still cling to the belief that we are the shining city on the hill the model for emerging democracies worldwide, what’s becoming disturbingly clear is that our democracy is in danger We project to the world that free and fair elections and protection of personal and political rights are the foundations of a democratic order And we judge other countries by the extent to which they provide for both But while these may be the foundations, it’s accountability and mutual respect between winners and losers that are the mortar that hold these building blocks in place Without them, the entire edifice is at risk of crumbling sadly, the corrosive effects of the lack of accountability and comity are taking their toll on the Us today Examples abound: the Bush administration fab ricated the reasons for the war in Iraq and passed laws and executive orders that violated fundamental rights of both legal immigrants and citizens after the horrific 9/11 terror attacks they also prepared “legal” documents legitimating the use of tor ture there was no account ability for the fabrications, lies, or use of torture And, of course, the 6 January 2021, insurrection and the criminal acts of in citement that preceded it (and continue) cry out for accountability Yet a divided Congress rejected a full bi partisan investigation, forc ing Democrats to proceed with just a few brave Repub licans who risked their ca reers to join the effort to uncover the truth about this unprecedented threat to American democracy What might have been a unified quest for accountability is now challenged by Republi cans as a mere partisan ploy leading Republicans continue to maintain that the 2020 election was stolen and their acolytes are running and winning elections for sensitive posts that will oversee future elections In addition, with new legislation in many states that will make it more difficult to vote free and fair elections may be at risk If the absence of accountability poses a threat to the democratic order the polarization of politics is equally damaging there was a time when the parties, despite their differences, would unite to pass legislation in the national interest and to defer to the White House on presidential appointments some Republicans sup ported civil rights and health and safety legislation and passed budgets, while Democrats supported Reagan’s and Bush s tax cuts and educational reforms Both sides approved appointments and nominations to high office by presidents of the opposing party Newt Gingrich s becoming speaker of the House of Representatives began a new order in Us politics Congress became a partisan club used to pummel the Clinton Administration harassing Clinton for six years, inventing scandals to investigate before finally succeeding in impeaching him for lying about a sexual encounter with a White House intern this partisan dysfunc tion has only grown uglier over time today reaching such disastrous proportions that Congress is unable to muster the votes needed to pass an appropriation to pro vide vaccines to protect against new variants of the coronavirus Instead of a “city on the hill,” we’ve become a lesson in what can happen without accountability and political comity our dysfunctions mimic those of lebanon where sectarianism blocks ac countability for a prime minis ter s assassination or a deadly explosion in Beirut’s port or like Israel, where a former prime minister on trial for cor ruption and influence peddling stymies legislation favoured by his supporters to prevent giving his opponents a vic tory or like Iraq where the losing parties block the win ners from forming a government and the frustrated winners seize parliament, demanding a new election We’re not yet like lebanon Israel or Iraq where criminal behaviour goes unpunished, ideolog ical divisions create paralysis, and the lack of comity results in chaos But unless we take a long hard look in the mirror, recognize the crisis facing us, and take corrective measures, that’s where we’re heading The writer is President of the Arab American Institute
We’re not yet like Lebanon, Israel, or Iraq where criminal behaviour goes unpunished, ideological divisions create paralysis, and the lack of comity results in chaos But unless we take a long hard look in the mirror, recogniz e the crisis facing us, and take corrective measures, that’s where we’re heading
washington watch D r J a m e s J Z o g b y D e m o c r a c y i n d a n g e r T h e i s s u e o f K a s h m i r ’ s a u t o n o m y T h e b r u t a l I n d i a n a s s a u l t o n K a s h m i r c h a n g e d e v e r y t h i n g US democrac y is facing increasing problems 06-07 Comments - 24 August 2022_Layout 1 8/23/2022 11:32 PM Page 1
Concentrate on per formance
wa L i e J a Z n e Ko K a r a
A l m o s t three decades ago, I was on a Us Embassy sponsored speaking tour in Yemen before its 1993 national elections After giving a lecture at the university in sanaa, I met with the leaders of the various political parties at their offices or at afternoon “ghat sessions ” At each meeting I heard complaints about repressive and anti democratic behaviors of the ruling party some were serious human rights viola tions; others were seemingly petty but still threaten ing in a fragile, new democracy they re tearing down our signs ” “they’re passing out money to buy support,” or “they’re harassing our volunteers ” to these latter complaints, I would respond “We’ve had that problem in michigan ” or “We call it ‘walking around money’ and we’ve seen that in Philadelphia, or We faced that kind of harassment from the party establishment during the 1984 Jesse Jackson campaign ” At one point, when my Us Embassy escort asked why I was saying these things I responded: Because they’re true I’m not going to pretend that we’re per fect If I do, why would anyone ever think they could emulate us? I went on to note that while we re not perfect, we do have a system that provides us the op portunity to hold violators accountable, allowing us to correct our errors and rectify abuses I don’t think I could say it today
07 Wednesday 24 August, 2022 COMMENT
RIAZ BHUTTA ISLAMABAD
P R o B l E m s with our power sector have been made so complex and complicated that the sector itself has become a white elephant that is draining the national economy instead of boosting it Gross mismanagement, incompetence, corruption and lack of accountability across all its tiers are the hallmarks of this vital sector the result is its poor financial health and quality of service to the consumers accompanied by an unreliable and unaffordable delivery of electricity across the country As in the past, the whole country faces prolonged loadshedding that has brought economic activities to almost a halt, besides making the lives of the masses miserable However, electricity prices are regularly escalating, making it the costliest commodity in the region and no more affordable to many, thereby encouraging power theft which is already high the inefficiency is so high that many power plants have been shut down or operating at reduced capacities since the order for ensuring adequate fuel supply was not placed at the right time by the powers that be Also, some plants are closed for repairs and unscheduled maintenance the power sector is the main driving force behind a nation s economy Without a reliable and affordable power supply system it is impossible for our economy any economy to take off the irritating part is that no punitive measures are taken against delinquent, inefficient, incompetent and corrupt administrators and officials As a result this important organ of the state is going downhill with no remedy in sight, at least in the foreseeable future We should stop living in a fool s paradise and should face the facts the public has the right to know the factual state of affairs of the power sector from the government, and its plans, if any, to streamline its affairs the government now must give us a timeframe for the provision of a reliable power supply system with zero loadshedding at affordable charges
A C I N G to the ImF, Bangladesh is not at risk of experiencing a crisis similar to the one that occurred in sri lanka An ImF official said Bangladesh is not facing a crisis and its external position is “very different from sev eral countries in the region” When describing Bangladesh s present eco nomic status to the media during an online con ference on tuesday, Rahul Anand, division chief in the ImF s Asia and Pacific Department, said that Bangladesh’s external position is “quite dif ferent from several nations in the region ” According to him, Bangladesh’s external debt to GDP ratio which is close to 14% is moderately low, primarily concessional in form, and has a minimal risk of debt crisis Following his interview that was recently published in the london based daily, Bangladeshi Finance minister AHm mustafa Kamal sent a re sponse to The Financial Times today the re serves stand at $40 billion, enough for more than five months’ import payments and beyond the risk threshold prescribed by the ImF After sri lanka’s economy collapsed, focus shifted to Bangladesh as the nation looked to prevent the financial crisis that broke out in the island nation Concerns about the nation’s eco nomic health arose as Dhaka sought a bailout package from the ImF and amid an increase in fuel costs However, a senior executive from the Washington based global lender dispelled such dire predictions the economist responded to allegations that Bangladesh’s $40 billion reserve was a sign of impending catastrophe by saying that even though Bangladesh’s reserves have decreased, the stockpiles are still large enough to handle four to five months of potential imports there were rumours that the government’s most recent record fuel price increase was a re quirement imposed by the ImF the ImF official, however, refuted the charges, stating that there was no connection between the fuel price increase to bring it into line with the market pricing and the support program sought by the ImF (from Dhaka) the external debt of Bangladesh is only about 14 percent of GDP, which is quite modest
A government report stated that major metropolitan areas generate 87,000 tonnes of solid waste per week Karachi is the largest city in Pakistan which generates more than 16 500 tonnes of municipal waste daily the situation in other cities is no different the negligence of the departments concerned, poor provincial governance, bureaucratic hurdles, lack of public awareness lack of urban management and town planning and insufficient waste management equipment contribute to the problem During the recent monsoon spells, all kinds of filth and garbage kept lying on the roads and streets, and clogged the drains the government should come up with a concrete plan to manage municipal solid waste in order to overcome health problems and to control environmental and land pollution
m U N I C I PA l solid waste, commonly known as garbage or trash, includes all waste material such as plastic bottles, used syringes, expired batteries, food scraps newspapers etc According to a research Pakistan generates 49 6 million tonnes of municipal solid waste per year; the figure has been increasing by more than 2 4 per cent annually Absence of proper management of the municipal solid waste leads to serious environmental problems most of the municipal waste is either dumped or burnt on vacant plots which causes land pollution and releases hazardous chemicals in the atmosphere
IMF’s and
Polarization
Importantly, despite the price increase, Bangladesh continues to provide its citizens with the most affordable options, and the increase in oil prices was intended to reduce a staggering subsidy payment of more than BDt 8000 crore made by the government over the previous four months (February 2022 June 2022) Bangladesh is thinking about importing crude oil from Russia as the price of gasoline in the country rises substantially masud Bin momen, the foreign minister of Bangladesh, announced on tuesday that a Russian expert delegation will soon arrive in Dhaka to discuss the problem of importing crude oil from that country According to the World Bank’s south Asia Food security Update published on thursday, there is no significant food shortage in Bangladesh
The writer is a freelance columnist WB’s assessment of ‘No crisis situation or major food shortage’
Problems with Power Sector
It is important to note that the gov ernment has implemented a number of initiatives to boost the nation s output of both food grains and vegetables Bangladesh wouldn’t experience a food crisis even if it was impossible to buy food from other nations owing to market volatil ity worldwide New rice varieties (BR 89) created by our experts will boost rice output by 50 60 percent However, the reality is that because of the in crease in the cost of diesel, seeds, fertilizer, and other inputs the nation s farmers are now find ing it difficult to continue growing food grains and vegetables Diesel, seeds, fertilizers, and other inputs are extremely important to farmers in order to nurture and grow their crops and veg etables their production costs will rise as a re sult of the increased cost of diesel, seeds, fertilizer, and other inputs However, the country’s aman paddy pro duction has already been severely hampered by the drought like condi tions caused by a lack of rain the majority of farmers in the nation rely on rainwater for the monsoon season s aman paddy cultiva tion the objective of aman agriculture in this season may poten tially be hampered by the lack of rain the administration is committed to ensur ing everyone has ac cess to food As a result, it must come up with strategies for in creasing food produc tion while providing farmers with unwaver ing support Everyone should keep in mind that expanding the agricultural industry needs to continue to be a top focus to meet its de mand, the nation has a sufficient supply of all types of fertilizers 645,000 tonnes of urea fer tilizer 394 000 tonnes of tsP 736 000 lakh tonnes of DAP, and 273,000 tonnes of moP are currently in stock Fertilizer is currently in greater supply than it was during the same time last year the farmers’ farm loan of taka 2830 61 core was also distributed by the state owned commercial banks to ensure the nation’s citizens have access to adequate food, the ministries of agriculture and food must exert all possible effort to com mercialize and profit from agricultural activity the government needs to focus more on our farmers so that the rising costs of diesel seeds fertilizer, and other inputs won’t deter them from growing food crops like grains and vegetables Not least of all the government should take the required actions to provide farmers with cutting edge equipment
NIMRA ANJUM FAISALABAD E d i t o r ’ s m a i l S e n d y o u r l e t t e r s t o : L e t t e r s t o E d i t o r Pakistan today 4 S h a a re y F a t i m a J i n n a h , L a h o re , P a k i s t a n E m a i l : l e t t e r s @ p a k i s t a n t o d a y c o m p k L e t t e r s s h o u l d b e a d d re s s e d t o Pakistan today e x c l u s i v e l y
C o R D
According to the media reports, Rahul Anand, division leader at the ImF’s Asia and Pa cific Department, said Bangladesh is not in a cri sis and its external position is “quite different from numerous countries in the region ” While the sheikh Hasina government has set a target of more than $60 billion in export income for the following fiscal year, Bangladesh’s exports in the 2021 2022 fiscal year exceeded the $50 billion threshold the government was able to achieve a consistent increase in remittances worth $813 million in the first ten days of August thanks to the new opening of the malaysian labour mar ket and a number of other government initiatives the amount of remittances received through the banking system in July was $2 09 billion the most in the previous 14 months Due to sheikh Hasina s astute leadership, the nation implemented a number of preventive steps in response to the surge in spot market lNG prices at the start of the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine Among those measures were planned power outages in vari ous regions of the na tion the suspension of a few development ini tiatives geared toward the future and restric tions on government leaders’ overseas travel to compare Rst money to an ImF bailout package as sought by Pakistan or sri lanka is obviously to ignore the forest for the trees Nasrul Hamid, the nation’s junior minister for Power mineral and Energy Resources, has already given the people of his country the assurance that the ongoing load shedding will end in september He has also made further hints about implementing changes to oil prices in line with international markets
m e h J a b i n b h a n u
t H E political parties and their supporters have embarked upon a dangerous course of polarisation which is not going to be beneficial to anyone the only beneficiary of such a situation can be the enemy Are we knowingly/unknowingly strengthening the hands of the enemy? It is the responsibility of the leaders of all political parties as well as their supporters to ensure that the political temperature does not rise to a dangerous level It seems there is a competition among political leaders to excel in passing derogatory remarks and use foul, objectionable language, which has no justification at all If a party leader and his followers call the other parties and their leaders traitors mir Jaffar and mir sadiq can you expect flowers from the other side? Is it fair to use derogatory words about the defenders of the motherland? Calling names and ridiculing the opponents will not bring laurels in return the shameful and most deplorable act of passing objectionable remarks about the martyred Pakistan Army officers and crew of military helicopter that crashed in Balochistan is unpardonable to top it all, calling the rank and file to defy their seniors is, in fact, crossing the red line which cannot go unnoticed and unpunished the political leaders must be conscious of old sayings, as you sow, so shall you reap’ and that ‘people who live in glass houses should not throw stones’ Who are they trying befool? they must remember the famous Abraham lincoln quote: You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time ” one cannot find anywhere in the world the kind of freedom these political leaders and their followers have been asking for, and as per the famous political science principle ‘your liberty ends where my nose starts’ lastly, one must remember that there ought to be a reaction to every action, especially if the action is despicable Ironically it has become customary that whenever people are caught for misappropriation or a misdeed, instead of facing the music, they try to justify their crimes by pointing fingers at others Can a thief a murderer or a rapist tell the judge that he cannot punish him till he gets hold of all the thieves, murderers and rapists? Can this be called a valid argument in the eyes of law? Whenever someone is charged for a crime or irregularity he/she has to prove his/her innocence and without challenging the investigation under the pretext that many others had also committed such crimes/irregularities earlier Having said that, what is the way out? Enough is enough We must stop calling each other traitors We must stop ridiculing and calling names one must stop taking refuge while avoiding to answer the questions being raised against them and calling others corrupt It is better late than never; everyone must maintain decency and decorum as expected of people’s representatives and national leaders However, law should be allowed to take its own course on the universal principle that everyone is innocent till proven guilty LT COL (RETD) SYED IFTIKHAR AHMED KARACHI
The government needs to focus more on our farmers so that the rising costs of diesel, seeds, fer tiliz er, and other inputs won’t deter them from growing food crops like grains and veg etables. Not least of all, the government should take the required actions to provide farmers with cutting-edg e equipment
M u l t i l a t e r a l l e n d e r s g i v e B a n g l a d e s h a c l e a n c h i t 06-07 Comments - 24 August 2022_Layout 1 8/23/2022 11:32 PM Page 2
Waste Management
The second autopsy I conducted was needed only because the state of Alabama chooses to remain silent and hide information The public de mands to know the truth Civilised society requires more just punish ments than daily devouring of the liver or successive slices into the flesh of the arm The use of medi cine as an arm of state power or to inflict pain, is an anathema to the medical profession Nothing good comes of this Joel Zivot is a practicing physi cian in anesthesiology and intensive care medicine at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia Zivot is a recog nized expert against the use of lethal injection and the tools of medicine for use in the death penalty
n o t j u s t f o r I s r a e l b u t f o r t h e r e g i o n a s a w h o l e T h i s i s a r e s o u n d i n g v i c t o r y f o r I r a n , w h i c h w i l l g e t b i l l i o n s o f d o l l a r s i n the coming years and up to a trillion dollars by 2030 just so the world can get an addi tional delay of a month or two in the com p l e t i o n o f I r a n ’s b o m b T h i s i s n o t h i n g short of madness and complete bankruptcy, a n d I s r a e l m u s t w a r n a g a i n s t i t b e c a u s e
A toxicology report will eventu ally be available from the state au topsy which will tell us what drugs James had in his body when he was killed I also obtained body fluid in order to study what drugs were used to possibly sedate and ultimately kill and am awaiting the results In many ways, what Alabama ap pears to have done to James has par allels with Greek mythology which also serves as a reminder of how the story of the modern autopsy owes its origins to antiquity Prometheus the Titan is said to have given the gift of fire and the skill of metal work to man thereby enabling progress and civilisation Zeus, chief of the gods, was incensed and as a punishment had Prometheus chained to a rock where an eagle would eat out his liver every day only to have it grow back the following day to be eaten once more, in perpe tuity The agony was meant to last Those who wrote this ancient myth knew that the liver actually has the capacity to regenerate, unlike all other visceral organs To figure this out would have required a series of careful post mortem observations
Congress imploding Tribune W ith less than two years to go for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the beleaguered Congress is getting ready for its Bharat Jodo (unite India) Yatra, a five month long pan India march which is scheduled to take off from Kanyakumari and conclude in Indian Occu pied Kashmir However, what the grand old party badly needs right now is a Congress Jodo Yatra Infighting has severely enfee bled it in recent years and undermined its already precarious posi tion as the main Opposition outfit The latest setback is senior leader Anand Sharma s resignation from the chairmanship of the party’s steering committee for Himachal Pradesh, which goes to the polls later this year Sharma, one of the G23 rebels, has cited continuing exclusion and insults to justify his decision Another G23 leader, Ghulam Nabi Azad, had quit as chairman of the cam paign committee in Indian Occupied Kashmir recently It's obvi ous that the Congress attempts to win back disgruntled veterans has come a cropper, with interim chief Sonia Gandhi failing to set the house in order This year, the Congress first helplessly watched AAP wrest power from it in Punjab and then witnessed the collapse of the Shiv Sena led Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharash tra The party has been practically rudderless after Rahul Gandhi stepped down from the president s post in the wake of the 2019 General Election debacle His reluctance to take over the reins again has inordinately delayed the party president’s election The all important question should a non Gandhi be finally given charge? remains unaddressed and unanswered, even as there are contenders such as Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot and Leader of the Opposition in Haryana, Bhupinder Hooda Though Sharma has averred that he remains committed to ‘Congress ideology’, his dissent does not bode well for the party in HP, where it is aiming to dislodge the well entrenched BJP In a typically self destruc tive approach, the Congress seems to be frittering away the gains it had made in the Himachal bypolls last year At the national level, the party s instability will adversely impact the Opposi tion’s ability to take on the BJP in 2024 The Congress must re solve its leadership and organisational issues urgently
Wednesday, 24 August 2022 08 WORLD VIEW Al MoniTor B e n C a s p i t a sense of impending doom has taken hold of Israel’s top security echelons Situation assessments and working assumptions over the past two weeks have led to the in escapable conclusion that world powers will sign a deal with Iran on its nuclear program The disagreements between the more pes simistic views of the Mossad agency and the more relaxed approach of military intelli gence have all but dissipated
T H E A L L I M P O R TA N T Q U E S T I O N S H O U L D A N O N G A N D H I B E F I N A L LY G I V E N C H A R G E ? R E M A I N S U N A D D R E S S E D A N D U N A N S W E R E D D e at h by l e t h a l i n j e c t i o n : I t i s t i m e fo r m o r e t r a n s p a r e n c y 08 WORLD VIEW 24 August 22_Layout 1 8/23/2022 11:03 PM Page 1
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The Department of Corrections has now said they “cannot confirm whether James was even conscious When I examined his body, I found unusual punctures on his skin which may have been intramuscular injections of a sedative Such an inter vention would be an unlawful act not permitted under Alabama s execution protocol, and certainly not permitted as a medical act
A top security source told Al Monitor this week that the agreement would be signed sooner or later because both US Pres ident Joe Biden and Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei want it “Unfortu nately Biden wants it more and the West has gradually given in to Iran on almost all the clauses Both sides are ripe for signing; the Iranians know they will not get more than they already received and President Biden aspires to sign before the mid terms,” the source said on condition of anonymity re ferring to the upcoming November congres sional elections T h s n t T be signed is nothing short of a catastrophe, there is no one else who can do so Sadly, this is all happening at the instigation of Is rael’s greatest ally but that is the situation and we will have to deal with it ” Israel insists it will not be bound by the agreement The top security source added “We will keep using all the ways and means at our disposal to prevent Iran from going nuclear without taking into account this or any other agreement We have no choice A nuclear Iran is a serious issue for the West, but an existential one for Israel’s survival ” The views of Mossad Director David Barnea, who regards a deal with Iran as a “strategic disaster ” appear to have prevailed over those espoused in recent months by the heads of military intelligence and others who believed that of all the bad options currently on the table, a return to the 2015 deal with Iran is the lesser evil The latest details of the emerging agree ment, including the pass it gives Iran on the findings of three investigations by the Inter national Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) re garding suspicions of Iran’s nuclear armament intentions, have won over even the most optimistic Israeli officials to the Mossad’s hard line assessment “Clearly, saying that these findings will be dealt with after the agreement is signed is meaningless The Iranians will not supply explanations The deal will be signed and go into force no one will violate it over the open [IAEA] investigations and we will eventually find ourselves in the midst of a massive Iranian scam without any response from world powers,” an Israeli diplomatic source monitoring the negotiations told Al Monitor on condition of anonymity This proves that the whole agreement is a fraud, based on the assumption that Iran never sought to obtain nuclear weapons, while the pending investigation materials prove the complete opposite Israel concedes that the emerging deal will delay Iran’s nuclear breakout capability from the current one month estimate to some six months That is the time it will apparently take Iran to enrich military grade uranium to 90% level sufficient for one bomb “The problem,” a senior Israeli military source told Al Monitor on condition of anonymity is that we reach the first sunset clause in 2025,” the point at which the deal authorizes Iran to move ahead to within two three months of nuclear breakout time That means that in order to distance Iran by two months from a bomb, the West is going to shower it with billions of dollars This is a disaster ” Israeli experts believe that once the sanc tions on Iran are lifted and its bank accounts are unfrozen, Iran will have access to billions of dollars in the first year and as much as $1 trillion by 2030 “The Iranian economy is about the size of the Israeli one Such sums defy all imagination and will allow Iran to shower money on all the terrorist organiza tions in the Middle East while maintaining its nuclear capability and preparing for a breakout to a bomb This is nothing short of complete madness the Israeli diplomatic source said “We will have to deal with all of this on our own ” The issue of perception is just as egre gious as the economic aspects of the impend ing agreement Israel has already identified signs that its regional allies are coming around to the idea of Iran’s victory and of its transformation into the region’s strongest power that has brought the West to its knees
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Israel resIgned to neW Iran nuClear deal , over Its objeCtIons A TO P S E C U R I T Y S O U R C E TO L D T H AT T H E AG R E E M E N T WO U L D B E S I G N E D S O O N E R O R L AT E R B E C AU S E B OT H U S P R E S I D E N T J O E B I D E N A N D I R A N’S S U P R E M E L E A D E R AYATO L L A H A L I K H A M E N E I WA N T I T. “ U N F O RT U N AT E LY, B I D E N WA N T S I T M O R E, A N D T H E W E S T H AS G R A D UA L LY G I V E N I N TO I R A N O N A L M O S T A L L T H E C L AU S E S…’’
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“We are already identifying movement on the part of our allies toward Iran,” a senior Israeli intelligence official told Al Monitor on condition of anonymity “Gulf states are sending their ambassadors back to Tehran; everyone is preparing for this huge Iranian victory under the auspices of the West ” Israel appears to have resigned itself to the defeat of its prolonged campaign against an agreement The senior Israeli intelligence source believes the disagreement in recent months over Iran’s demand that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps be removed from the US list of foreign terrorist organi zations was simply a delaying tactic “This was not strategic and it was clear the sides would overcome this hurdle or ig nore it The Iranians will know how to chan nel funds to the Revolutionary Guards and circumvent the sanctions on the organization and the terrorism list They are world cham pions in this field We are more concerned with the 2025 sunset clause and the fact that Iran will emerge from the agreement in 2030 immeasurably stronger and very close to nu clear capability Israel will find it hard to live with this ” the senior intelligence source noted Israel s public campaign against the agreement is expected to intensify soon Prime Minister Yair Lapid, who issued a harsh statement this week urging world pow ers to get up and walk away from the nego tiating table,” spoke last week with French President Emmanuel Macron, several days after talking to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz Israeli national security adviser Eyal Hulata is in Washington, where he is ex pected to encounter a cold shoulder Accord ing to Aug 22 reports, he will not be meeting with Secretary of State Antony Blinken Barnea who has issued harsh pronounce ments against Iran, is likely to emerge from the shadows and make his views publicly and clearly known None of this will delay Iran or overly concern world powers “Israel must be prepared and capable of blocking Iran s nuclear capabilities on its o w n , ” t h e s e n i o r I s r a e l i s e c u r i t y s o u r c e summed up “With all due respect to our al l i e s w e w i l l b e t h e o n e s h a v i n g t o d e a l with Iran, and we must ensure that we have a credible and powerful military option and ability to remove the Iranian threat to our e x i s t e n c e i n e v e r y w a y w e s e e f i t T h e agreement will be signed, but it will not in clude us No one else will decide the future of the Jewish state or force it to abandon its security ” Al JAzeerA J o e l Z i vot a S a practising physician, I have studied the autopsies of executed prisoners in order to better understand how lethal injection actu ally kills In July, the prisoner Joe Nathan James Jr was executed by the state of Alabama The circum stances of that death raise troubling questions that are now sparking an outcry I know because I carried out the autopsy that revealed what the state has not Regardless of how one might feel about the rightness or wrongness of capital punishment, it still must com port with the law and not violate the 8th Amendment of the United States Constitution, which bars “cruel and unusual punishments Yet if ac counts are true, James was subjected to a three hour ordeal, as state offi cials attempted to establish intra venous access without any witnesses present It is not possible to ask James to report on his experience but his bodily remains can still tell the story and guide us to the truth Execution is the killing of a per son and Alabama appears to ac knowledge this by officially classifying executions as homicides and performing autopsies on every executed inmate Yet the results of the state s autopsy will not be available for many months not because it takes that long to process autopsy re sults, but because Alabama is unwill ing to publicly reveal what it knows Alabama intends to carry out addi tional executions before the results of James s autopsy are made public I was able to arrange a second autopsy with permission from the family supported by the Forensic Justice Initiative at the non profit civil rights organisation Reprieve I travelled to Birmingham to try to sat isfy the public need to understand the truth and hold accountable any one who violates the law even in the name of the law My examination of James’ body uncovered a story of great distress I saw many failed intravenous punc ture attempts on his arms and two perpendicular skin incisions on the left arm These incisions appear to be attempts by the execution team to es tablish intravenous access through what is known as a “cut down proce dure” In this procedure, a blade is used to slice deep into the skin and identify a vein by direct vision I found two slices on James, indi cating that the first slice was unsuccess ful I cannot know if the second slice even found the vein as the catheter, if it had been there, was removed In the hands of a skilled person establishing two separate IVs in the arms, which is the state requirement for lethal injec tion may take 10 minutes Instead the state appears to have stabbed, jabbed and twice sliced into the arm of James with a surgical blade for three hours When James was finally brought be fore witnesses for his execution, his eyes were closed and he was strangely unresponsive
o u r c e
Despite the numerous challenges from regulatory and macroeconomic factors, the company has managed to earn a positive EBITDA of PKR 1 354 billion compared to the previous year’s negative EBITDA of PKR 11 771 billion Despite the non availability of working capital lines from banks the credit support from the company s single majority shareholder, Vitol, has played a vital role in this achievement The company appointed a new Chief Executive Officer and a new Chief Finance Officer The core management has worked tirelessly under active guidance from the Board of Directors to ensure that the company’s financial statements have been prepared and presented in a way that gives a true and fair view of the affairs of the company p r
M I n I S T E R for Housing and Works Maulana Abdul Wasay on Tuesday said it was the priority of the coalition government to provide housing facility to the govern ment employees in the federal capital While inaugurating the develop ment works of the Bhara Kahu Hous ing Scheme Green Enclave II (Sky Gardens) for the federal government employees he said that quota would be allocated for the lawyers, journalists, members of parliament and common citizens in the residential projects of the federal government “In this time of inflation, the government is utilizing all out resources to fulfill the dream of providing own housing to the govern ment employees for their ease he added Chairman Senate Standing Committee on Housing and Works Senator Hidayatullah Khan, MnA Maulana Kamaluddin, Secretary Hous ing Iftikhar Ali Shallwani, Director General Federal Government Employ ees Housing Authority (FGEHA) Tariq Rashid Chairman Joint Venture Sky Gardens Haji Ismail and senior offi cials of the Ministry of Housing and Works were present besides a large number of allottees
Baitul Mal extends suppor t to PATHWEL for bone marrow transplant to poor patients
SF Combaxx Int’l Squash Tournment 2022 Star ts today
Police warns of ac tion against motorists using LEDs, high beam lights
Hascol unveils results for year ended Dec 31, 2021
ISLAMABAD: The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) held a webinar today on recently introduced "Stewardship Guidelines" with institutional investors and other stakeholders in the capital market In her opening remarks, SECP Commissioner Sadia Khan emphasized the role of institutional investors as stewards of capital and encouraged actions which promote sustainability in terms of environment societal and governance (ESG) aspects The webinar discussion invited a panel of SECP officials, professionals, and industry leaders Speakers included JS Investments Limited CEO Iffat Mankani Jubilee Life Insurance Head of Research Sultan Mehmood, and SECP Additional Joint Director Sabahat Ul Ain During the interactive session, the panelists shed light on measures being taken for improving the overall capital stewardship landscape in Pakistan and how SECP’s stewardship guidelines facilitate maturity of capital markets in this regard During her concluding remarks
Pakistan Nav y continues resc ue, relief operation flood-affec ted areas of Sindh
SECP hosts webinar on stewardship guidelines
ISLAMABAD: On Direction of IGP Islamabad Dr Akbar nasir Khan, Islamabad Capital Police (ICTP) has decided to take strict action against those involved in using high beam lights and Light Emitting Diodes (LED) during drive and fined 5258 Ve hicles during ongoing year S e n i o r S u p e r i n t e n d e n t o f P o lice (Traffic) Dr Syed Mustafa Tanweer said decision has been made to ensure safe road envi r o n m e n t 7th Av e n u e a n d 9 t h a v e n u e n i g h t s h i f t i n c h a rg e s w i l l l e a d t h i s campaign to check use of high b e a m l i g h t s a n d L E D / H I D l i g h t s w h i l e e d u c a t i o n w i n g w i l l a w a r e t h e p e o p l e a b o u t r i s k s i n v o l v e d i n u s i n g t h e s e l i g h t s I C T P s F M R a d i o 9 2 4 i s a l s o a r r a n g i n g s p e c i a l p r o grams informing people about r i s k s i n v o l v e d i n u s i n g t h e s e l i g h t s S S P ( Tr a ff i c ) h a s a p pealed the citizens to cooperate with police so
t and Improve Your Business’
UoW organizes 3- day ‘Star training
rEITErATES CoMMITMEnT To ProvIDE HouSIng FACILIT y To govT PEMPLoyEES
The Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF) in collaboration with Pakistan Air Force will be organising PSF Combaxx International Squash Tournament for Men from 24 28 August, 2022 in Islamabad The event has a prize money of USD 12000/ A large number of squash players are participating in this mega event Sports are an important medium for bringing people together and participation in sports helps in improving leadership, teamwork and communication skills along with promoting a healthier lifestyle and presenting a positive image of the country internationally The tournament is also being organized to provide opportunity to players from all across the country to challenge their mental and physical toughness This tournament is a true manifestation of the PAF's commitment in promoting sports both at national and international levels pr PAF conducts relief operations in flood-affected areas of Sindh, Balochistan
that safe road en v i r o n m e n t c a n b e e n s u r e d i n the city p r
Keeping the tradition of serving the nation during natural calamities, Pakistan Air Force came to the succour of flood affected families of Sindh, Balochistan and South Punjab PAF Bases are actively participating in relief operations on the special instructions of Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu, Chief of the Air Staff, Pakistan Air Force PAF is reaching out to the needy families whose houses have been damaged in the natural calamity As a humanitarian gesture 752 ration packs carrying 2860 pounds basic food items and commodities were distributed amongst the needy families in last 24 hours Moreover, 133 patients were also attended by the paramedical team of Pakistan Air Force pr
09NEWS Wednesday 24 August 2022 | K AR ACHI corporate corner Office of Research, Innovation & Commercialization (ORIC), U o W o rg a n i z e d a t h r e e d a y training on “Start and Improve your Business (SIYB) in col l a b o r a t i o n w i t h I n t e r n a t i o n a l Islamic University, Islamabad SIYB is a flagship program of I n t e r n a t i o n a l L a b o r O rg a n i z a t i o n ( I L O ) a n d f u n c t i o n i n g i n partnership with Prime Minis t e r Yo u t h P r o g r a m E n g r M u h a m m a d A h s e n M i r z a , M a s t e r Tr a i n e r, S I Y B a l o n g with Engr Usama Bin Mansoor and Mr Murad Iqbal, Qualified S I Y B Tr a i n e r s w e r e t h e r e s o u r c e p e r s o n s T h e S t a r t a n d Improve Your Business (SIYB) p r o g r a m f o c u s e s o n h e l p i n g new entrepreneurs to establish a n d d e v e l o p s m a l l b u s i n e s s e s as a strategy for creating better employment opportunities, par t i c u l a r l y i n e m e rg i n g e c o n o m i e s 4 5 m i l l i o n s t a r t u p s a n d e n t r e p r e n e u r s h a v e been trained globally in the last 1 5 y e a r s I t o ff e r e d a w i d e a r r a y o f h a n d s o n p r a c t i c a l b u s i n e s s t r a i n i n g i n k e y a r e a s including idea generation, busi n e s s m o d e l f o r m u l a t i o n b u s i ness validation, sales, costing, a n d f i n a n c i a l p l a n n i n g The trainees were motivated to start their businesses leading to sus tainable livelihood and income generating opportunities for long term financial growth and economic revitalization of their respective communities p r
The minister expressed the hope that all the hurdles would be removed in the housing projects to ensure their early completion Abdul Wasay ap pealed the courts to dispose of the pending cases of the housing projects as the delay was affecting the common people He said the obstacles in the housing project of Pakistan Bar Asso ciation have been removed and it was made active He said the allottees of the Sky Gar dens housing project had been waiting for a long time, but now the development works have been revived and hoped that the developer would hand over plots to the allottees shortly The minister said the government was committed to complete all the public welfare projects soon and the Sky Gardens project was operational after almost six years Director General GFEHA Tariq Rashid earlier briefed the minister about the Green Enclave II (Sky Gar dens) and said that in this flagship proj ect of the federal government the ongoing development work was started on joint venture, in which 70 percent quota has been set for government em ployees and 30 percent for the private sector He said that about 6,000 kanals of land has been allotted to the name of Housing Foundation for the Sky Gar dens project, while another 11,000 kanals of land was also a part of the project In the project, Tariq Rashid said that around 530 kanals of land have been allocated for green areas, while land has also been allocated for schools, colleges and mosques Tariq Rashid said that around 500 kanals of land has been allocated for the construction of apartments Speaking on the occasion, Iftikhar Shallwani said as many as 6000 gov ernment employees would get benefit from the project and the Ministry was committed to fulfill the requirements of the houses to the employees Senator Hidayatullah Khan said that the hur dles in the way of the ongoing projects for government employees should be removed the own houses for the gov ernment employees would be pro vided Haji Ismail said that in the light of the orders of the federal govern ment, all the resources are being used to complete the development works of the project soon and assured that the development work would be com pleted shortly and handed over to the FGEHA p r
kArAchI: Pakistan navy wide scale Humanitarian Assistance & Disaster Re lief (HADR) operations continue in far flung rural areas of Sindh including Sujawal, Jati, Said Pur, Sahto Goth, Lothio Goth Jamali Goth Mallah Goth Panhwar Goth, Urki, Uthal, Lakhra, Mureed Khoso, Pir Jhalu, Keti Bandar, Shah Bandar, Chuhar Jamali, Ghotki, Pir Dino Shah, Saindad Alyani and Mir Pur Khas Pakistan navy personnel rescued locals stranded inside flooded homes and shifted them to safer locations De flooding operations are paced up in dif ferent areas by Pn rescue teams Moreover, free medical camps have also been established at Jati and Pir Dino Shah to provide first aid and free medical facilities to the locals Dedi cated teams of doctors and paramedical staff are providing treatment and free medicines to aggrieved populace in these areas Pakistan navy troops dis tributed ration bags, fresh drinking water and household items including medicines to affected populace Pak istan navy, alongwith civil administra tion and various philanthropist organizations is providing continuous assistance to the flood stricken people while transitioning to rehabilitation op eration in the worst affected areas Re lief operation in Sindh is a practical manifestation of Pn’s resolve to extend all out support to fellow countrymen in
SECP Executive Director Khalida Habib emphasized the need to promote long term value creation and responsible engagement of institutional investors with the investee companies The SECP intends to conduct a post regulatory impact analysis in the future to assess implementation of Stewardship Guidelines
Attendees appreciated SECP for organizing the webinar and called for continuing such initiatives of public engagement and awareness p r
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Baitul Mal (PBM) extends support to Pakistan Thalassemia and Welfare Society (PATHWEL) for Bone Marrow Transplant to poor patients suffering from various blood disorders In this regard, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signing ceremony took place here in PBM s head office Managing Director PBM, Amir Fida Paracha and President PATHWEL Maj Gen (R) Suhaib Ahmed inked the MoU in the presence of Vice President PATHWEL, Dr Jamal Nasir The MoU explains the PBM’s support for Bone Marrow Transplant of poor and deserving patients referred by PATHWEL Addressing the ceremony, Managing Director PBM Amir Fida Paracha said a poor family is inaccessible to the costly treatment of Bone Marrow Transplant As well as supporting the poor patients of cancer, cardiac, kidney, hepatitis and other diseases, PBM is also facilitating thalassemics for their treatment, blood transfusion and medicines On the occasion, Maj Gen (R) Suhaib Ahmed highlighted that PATHWEL has established a centre of Hematology and Bone Marrow Transplant which is providing indoor and outdoor hospital facilities exclusively for the patients suffering from various blood diseases like thalassemia, aplastic anemia and blood cancers Dr Jamal Nasir, in his address, expressed his gratitude to Managing Director PBM for extending the support to PATHWAY and anticipated for the benefit of many poor patients of the country pr
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i n t h e c i t y a n d a v o i d accidents Special squads have b e e n c o n s t i t u t e d t o c h e c k u s e o f L E D / H I D b y m o t o r i s t s while police pickets would be erected at important boulevards o f t h e c i t y i n c l u d i n g E x p r e s s way Srinagar highway (Kash mir Highway), Margalla Road, IJP road, Murree Road,
UK spies acc used over arrest of Sikh blogger in India
FSB accuses Ukraine Russia’s powerful FSB security agency said on Monday it had solved the crime just two days after the incident naming a Ukrainian woman as Dugina s attacker It said the perpetrator had rented an apartment in the same building as Dugina and followed her in a car, suggesting that Dugina was the intended victim However, Russian media reported that Dugin and his daughter had had a last minute change of plans, with Dugina driving her father ’s car The US Department of State said on Monday that it condemned targeting civilians while stating that Ukraine had denied any involvement “I have no doubt that the Russians will investigate this I also have no doubt that the Russians will put forward certain conclusions,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said Russia s foreign ministry retorted that Washington’s reaction “discredits the international activity” of the United States Washington has no moral right to judge human rights in remote parts of the world, since the murder of a journalist is not even commented on from this angle,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on social media Like father, like daughter Dugin, 60, gained prominence in the 1990s in the intellectual chaos that followed the break up of the Soviet Union He had been an anti communist dissident in the last years of Soviet rule He co founded the opposition National Bolshevik Party but quit it to set up the Eurasian party which calls for Russia to reclaim its former territories and create an empire spanning from Europe to Asia Dugin backed Russia’s much criticised 2014 annexation of Crimea, following which he called for a wider attack on Ukraine He was then put on a Western sanctions list
A regular on Russian television the heavily bearded intellectual with the air of a prophet claimed he had an ideological influence on Putin Putin has become increasingly hostile towards the West and some see Dugin’s hand in this, calling him “Putin’s Rasputin” or “Putin’s brain” While Putin has never publicly supported him, on Monday the Kremlin released a message of condolences from the president, denouncing the vile crime that had led to Dugina’s death Ag e n c i e s
The important principle of respect for national sovereignty and territorial integrity as set out in the UN Charter is the bedrock of contemporary interna tional law and international relations, said Zhang Jun, China’s permanent representative to the United Nations “If this principle is ignored and abandoned, the whole system of inter national law will be shaken to its roots The world will return to the law of the jungle and common security will be to tally out of the question,” he warned “For this reason, we must take a clear cut stand always respect the sov ereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, respect the development path and social system independently chosen by the people of each and every country, and respect every country’s effort to safeguard its state unity and national solidarity ” This is a golden rule of state to state interactions, and also the foundation and perimeter for achieving common secu rity, the envoy made the remarks during an open meeting of the UN Security Council on common security
Current prime minister Boris Johnson was foreign minister at the time Britain is bound by international treaties such as the European Convention on Human Rights not to hand over citizens where they are at risk of torture But family members of Johal and other British citizens detained abroad or recently released have called for a law obliging the UK government to actively protect people caught up in such cases Johal from Dumbarton in west Scot land, has filed a legal claim against the UK government and is being represented by British law firm Leigh Day He has filed a petition with the High Court in London and is asking for a public apology and redress from the government
UNITED NATIONS Ag e n c i e s a Chinese envoy said Monday that respect for the sover eignty and territorial integrity of all states is the foundation of common security
Experiences in Afghanistan, Syria, and Iraq among others serve as a warning to us all the time that interfer ing in other countries’ internal affairs under the pretext of counter terrorism, democracy and human rights not only brings huge losses, harm and suffer ings for the countries concerned, but also erodes the common values of mankind, such as democracy and free dom, and it undermines efforts for common security, rather than helping them, he pointed out China always respects other coun tries sovereignty and territorial in tegrity, upholds international fairness and justice, and supports global efforts in achieving common security, Zhang said, adding that China also will take all measures to firmly safeguard its own sovereignty and territorial integrity Zhang called for efforts to estab lish a security concept that meets the needs of the times, which is the prem ise for realizing common security
10 FOREIGN NEWS Wednesday 24 August 2022 | K AR ACHI
SAN FRANCISCO A F P Elon Musk has served former Twitter boss Jack Dorsey with a subpoena in a hunt for material to help him get out of buying the giant social media platform for $44 billion as agreed Records made public on Monday show Dorsey was served with a legal order to give Musk any communications or documents re lated to the takeover deal inked in April as well as information touching on false or spam accounts or how Twitter calculates the number of its active users T h e s u b p k
Hundreds mourn Russian nationalist’s daughter killed in car bomb
PUTRAJAYA T h e A s s o c i AT e d P r e s s
Former Malaysia prime minister Najib Razak lost his final appeal on Tuesday in a graft case linked to the looting of the 1MDB state fund, with the top court unanimously upholding his conviction and 12 year prison sentence The loss means Najib will have to begin serving his sentence immediately, becoming the first former prime minister to be jailed He left the courthouse after the verdict and was reportedly taken to prison The five member Federal Court panel said it found the High Court judge was right in his judgment and that Najib’s appeal was “devoid of any merits ” “This is a simple and straightforward case of abuse of power, criminal breach of trust and money laundering,” said Chief Justice Maimun Tuan Mat who read out the verdict “We are unable to conclude that any of the findings of the High Court, as affirmed by the Court of Appeal, were perverse or plainly wrong so as to warrant appellate intervention We agree that the defense is so inherently inconsistent and incredible that it does not raise a reasonable doubt on the prosecution case,” she said The court ordered Najib to begin his time behind bars He also must pay a 210 million ringgit ($47 million) fine 1MDB was a development fund that Najib set up shortly after taking power in 2009 Investigators allege at least $4 5 billion was stolen from the fund and laundered by Najib s associates Najib was found guilty in 2020 of abuse of power, criminal breach of trust and money laundering for illegally receiving $9 4 million from SRC International, a former unit of 1MDB Najib, 69, has maintained he is innocent and had been out on bail pending his appeals Just before the court delivered its verdict, he stood up in the dock to make a statement protesting the top court’s series of refusals last week to postpone the appeal hearings Najib said he felt he was “unfairly treated” and that his case has been rushed through He pointed out that a leaked verdict by the Federal Court had been posted on a website and said if this was true, it would be a “judicial misconduct of the highest order ” But Maimun said the appeal hearings had ended because Najib’s newly appointed lawyers refused to make any new arguments in protest of not being given more time to prepare Najib appeared in shock after the verdict was read He was immediately surrounded by his family and supporters “This is a historic moment for Malaysia, where the most senior leader has actually now faced an unprecedented moment of political accountability,” said Bridget Welsh, a Southeast Asian expert at Malaysia’s Nottingham University ”For this decision, which is the first of many cases involving this particular scandal, to move in this particular direction really is a testimony to the rule of law in Malaysia, and the strengthening of the demands for the rule of law in Malaysia ”
Reprieve and Redress said Johal was ab ducted in 2017 with a sack over his head while in India for his wedding He was held incommunicado for 10 days and tortured with electric shocks to his ear lobes, nipples and genitals until he signed a false confession
The Indian police have detained a state lawmaker from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party on Tuesday on suspicion of promoting enmity in the name of religion” after Muslim groups demanded his arrest for his comments about Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) The detention of T Raja Singh, a lawmaker in the southern state of Telangana, comes months after his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) suspended a spokesperson for her remarks on the Prophet (PBUH) that had led to a diplomatic backlash against India “He has been charged with promoting enmity in the name of religion,” Joel Davis, a senior police of ficial in Hyderabad city told Reuters “We have detained him and we will arrest him This about the recent video that he posted ” The BJP lawmaker had uploaded a video that contained blas phemous remarks about the Prophet (PBUH) Singh could not be reached for comment The Hindu nationalist BJP would examine Singh’s remarks and take action if he was found to have violated its code, party spokesperson K Krishna Rao told the News18 channel Hundreds of Muslims protested against Singh on Monday evening after the video appeared on social media footage from media showed Ag e n c i e s
Russia vowed “no mercy” for the killers of Daria Dugina, the daughter of an ultranationalist intellectual as hundreds gathered for her funeral following her death in a car bomb blast over the weekend “I believe that this is a barbaric crime for which there is no forgiveness,” Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told journalists on Tuesday, calling for no mercy for those responsible Moscow says Ukrainian intelligence was behind the attack a claim dismissed by Kyiv Alexander Dugin a vocal supporter of the Kremlin s military campaign who has claimed to be close to President Vladimir Putin may have been the intended target of the attack that killed his 29 year old daughter Mourners many carrying flowers paid their respects at a hall in Moscow’s Ostankino TV centre where her black and white portrait was displayed over an open casket Dugin and his wife, both dressed in black, sat next to their daughter s coffin “She died for the people, for Russia, at the front The front it is here,” Dugin said at the ceremony Since childhood among her first words that we taught her of course were Russia, our state, our people, our empire,” he added Dugina was killed Saturday when a bomb placed in her car went off as she drove on a highway outside Moscow
D o r s e y h a s o n t h e t o p i c s d a t i n g b a c k t o January of 2019 Tesla boss Musk, the world’s wealthiest man, has accused Twitter of fraud, alleging the company misled him about key aspects of its business, particularly the number of ac counts that are actually spam or automated “bots” instead of people Twitter has stuck by its estimates that bots make up fewer than five percent of users Twitter also disputed Musk’s assertion he has the right to walk away if its bot count is found to be wrong, since he didn’t seek in formation on that topic when he made the buyout offer
It must be recognized that in the era of globalization, countries live either in security together or in peril together, he noted Clinging to a Cold War mentality and practicing unilateralism, zero sum games bloc confrontation and power politics will not only make it difficult to guarantee one’s own long term security, but will also lead to the escalation of crises and the opposite side of common security, he added
“Evidence has now been uncovered that the British intelligence agencies, MI5 and MI6 may have contributed to Jagtar s deten tion and torture by sharing intelligence with the Indian authorities,” the NGOs said They accused the UK of having acted while “there was a real risk that Jagtar could be tortured, mistreated or face the death penalty” Rupert Skilbeck, director of Re dress, called for a “full review of the way that the UK government responds when UK citizens are tortured abroad” and “the role of the intelligence community in this case” Leigh Day is arguing that an anonymised case study in a 2018 report by a British interior ministry body, the Investi gatory Powers Commission, appears to dis cuss Johal’s case Ag e n c i e s
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Human rights groups on Tuesday said UK intelligence agencies may have shared infor mation with India that led to the arrest and torture of a Sikh blogger from Scotland Jagtar Singh Johal, 35, has been held in detention in India for more than four years He is accused of being part of a terror plot against right wing Hindu leaders and has been charged with conspiracy to murder Our investigators have uncovered crit ical information that in 2017, the UK gov ernment may have authorised MI5 and MI6 to share information about UK citizen Jagtar Singh Johal,” two organisations, Reprieve and Redress, said in a joint statement They claimed this tip off “led to his un lawful arrest and torture in India”
Elon Musk subpoenas former Twitter chief Jack Dorsey
“It would be totally unacceptable for the UK government’s actions to have placed an individual, let alone a British citizen, at risk of torture or the death penalty,” said Leigh Day partner Waleed Sheikh Electric shocks
Malaysia top court upholds former prime minister Najib’s graft conviction
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The company accuses Musk of contriv ing a story to escape a merger agreement that he no longer found attractive “Musk’s counterclaims, based as they are on distortion, misrepresentation, and out right deception, change nothing,” Twitter said in a court filing Rival lawyers have been serving subpoenas for weeks seeking documents or depositions from a wide range of people connected with the buyout, running Twitter’s business, and even with a holding company formed by Musk Twitter co founder Dorsey in November of last year ended his second stint as chief of the company and had voiced support for Musk taking it over The Twitter deal included a provision that if the deal fell apart, the party breaking the agreement would pay a termination fee of $1 billion under certain circumstances Billions of dollars are at stake, but so is the future of Twitter which Musk has said should allow any legal speech an abso lutist position that has sparked fears the net work could be used to incite violence The legal fight is gathering speed as preparations have begun for an October trial in Delaware’s Chancery Court, which special izes in complex, high stakes business battles Twitter has urged shareholders to en dorse the deal, setting a vote on the merger for September 13 While fielding questions at a recent Tesla shareholders meeting, Musk was asked whether his potential ownership of Twitter might distract from his running of the elec tric car company “I think Tesla, you know, would con tinue to do very well even if I was kidnapped by aliens or went back to my home planet he joked, drawing laughter and applause “To be frank, I don’t have an easy an swer,” Musk added He assured shareholders that, for now, he has no plans to leave his Tesla chief role
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Ronaldo c an still fit into Manchester United’s ’s system: Ten HagPCF unveils 4-member cycling squad for Road World Championship
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The Pakistan Cycling Federation (PCF) announced four member Pakistan Cycling Squad for the forthcom ing World Road Championship, to be held in Australia from September 17 25 2022 President Pakistan Cy cling Federation (PCF) Syed Azhar Ali Shah told APP here on Tuesday that in the first phase for the Pakistan team trials were held in three provinces including La hore, Karachi and Quetta Among the shortlisted ath letes, the successful men were Ismail Anwar of Baikistan Cycling Academy and Ezzatullah of WAPDA while the successful women were Baikistan Cycling Academy Zainab Rizwan and Rabia Gharib, he added The two best men and two best women of the Pakistan Cycling Federation will represent the Pakistani cycling team in Australia in the World Championship Presi dent PCF Syed Azhar said that the athletes were se lected on the basis of the best time and speed in the trials He said 202 countries of the world would partic ipate in the championship, in which Pakistan s rank was 108 Shah thanked the Chairman of the selection committee Muazzam Khan, and the members Nusrat Khan, Adnan Ahsan Khan, Haroon General, Jan Alam, Mohammad Ayaz Khan, Javed Khan and Shahzad Butt for their efforts Nick Kyrgios cour t case set for October e r r a m a g i s t r a t e r e j e c t e d h i s a p p e a l f o r a m o n t h s l o n g d e l a y Tu e s d a y K y rg i o s , 2 7 , d i d n o t a p p e a r f o r t h e i n i t i a l h e a r i n g a n d d e t a i l s o f t h e c h a rg e h a v e n o t y e t b e e n d i s c l o s e d D u r i n g b r i e f p r o c e e d i n g s , h i s l a w y e r M i c h a e l K u k u l i e s S m i t h i n d i c a t e d h e w o u l d s e e k t o h a v e t h e c a s e h e a r d o n N o v e m b e r 2 5 M r K u k u l i e s S m i t h d i d n o t o u t l i n e d e t a i l s o f t h e a p p l i c a t i o n , c i t i n g t h e p r e s e n c e i n c o u r t o f a “ l a rg e c o n t i n g e n t o f m e d i a ” H e s a i d t h e w o r l d n u m b e r 2 6 K y rg i o s , w h o r e a c h e d h i s f i r s t G r a n d S l a m f i n a l a t Wi m b l e d o n l a s t m o n t h a n d i s d u e t o p l a y a t t h e U S O p e n i n N e w Yo r k s t a r t i n g o n M o n d a y, s p e n t l i t t l e t i m e i n t h e A u s t r a l i a n c a p i t a l b u t t h e r e w a s a w i n d o w a t t h a t t i m e i n N o v e m b e r M a g i s t r a t e L o u i s e Ta y l o r s a i d s h e w a s b e i n g a s k e d t o g r a n t a n e x t e n d e d a d j o u r n m e n t o f t h e c a s e f o r u n k n o w n r e a s o n s S h e i n s t e a d r e m a n d e d t h e c a s e t o O c t o b e r 4
Wednesday 24 August 2022 KARACH 11SPORTS STAff REPORT W H I T E B A L L powerhouses India and Pakistan have been reward e d f o r r e c e n t s e r i e s s w e e p s b y m a k i n g g r o u n d on the leading teams on the latest set of ICC ODI Team Rankings India completed a comprehensive 3 0 sweep of Zimbabwe away from home ear l i e r t h i s w e e k , w h i l e P a k i s t a n m a t c h e d their arch rival with a hard fought victory b y t h e s a m e s c o r e l i n e i n t h e i r C r i c k e t World Cup Super League series against the Netherlands Those latest results saw India improve their ODI ranking to 111 rating points and third place overall, while Pakistan also re c e i v e d a b o o s t b y m o v i n g t o 1 0 7 r a t i n g points in fourth A n d t h e p a i r h a v e m a d e g r o u n d o n r a n k i n g s l e a d e r N e w Z e a l a n d ( 1 2 4 ) f o l l o w i n g t h e B l a c k C a p s ’ n a r r o w 2 1 s e r i e s t r i u m p h o v e r t h e We s t I n d i e s w h i l e E n g l a n d ( 11 9 ) r e m a i n d o r m a n t i n s e c o n d p l a c e a s t h e y c o n t i n u e t h e i r o n g o i n g Wo r l d Te s t C h a m p i o n s h i p s e r i e s a g a i n s t S o u t h A f r i c a T h e K i w i s d i d h o l d a n i n e p o i n t a d vantage at the top of the team rankings but the fact they lost one 50 over match during their tour of the Caribbean saw their lead reduced to just five rating points New Zealand don’t have to wait long before they get the chance to build on their lead with their three match series against trans Tasman rivals Australia coming early next month in Cairns
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TOKYO A F P Ukrainian badminton player Maria Ulitina has been liv ing in Hungary since Russia invaded her country and says focusing on matches is really hard when you don t have a home”
T20I Batting Ranking: 40 “No 3 is David Warner ” Watson said “He won the Player of the Tournament in the last men s T20 World Cup, with the A u s s i e s w i n n i n g a n d h a s s c o r e d s o m e g r e a t r u n s f o r t h e D e l h i C a p i t a l s ( i n t h e IPL) as well “ H e ’s g o i n g t o h a v e p l e n t y o f f i r e i n his belly to make his mark in a T20 World Cup at home, so he s going to be ready to go ” 4 J o s B u t t l e r ( E n g l a n d ) I C C T 2 0 I
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hane Watson’s top five World T20 players Life in exile ‘really hard’ for Ukrainian badminton player Ulitina 11 Sports 24 AUGUST_Layout 1 8/23/2022 11:14 PM Page 1
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T20I Batting Ranking: 2 “ S e c o n d o n e i s S u r y a k u m a r Ya d a v, ” Wa t s o n n o t e d H e s b a t t i n g i n c r e d i b l y well and he would be my No 2 pick “ B u t I w o u l d n ’t b e s u r p r i s e d a t a l l i f ( I n d i a t e a m m a t e ) K L R a h u l e x p l o d e s i n t h e T 2 0 Wo r l d C u p i n A u s t r a l i a b e c a u s e h e ’s g o t t h e g a m e t o d o m i n a t e i n t h e s e conditions in Australia ” 3 D a v i d Wa r n e r ( A u s t r a l i a ) I C C
“My only little concern with him is, if he doesn t take wickets to start with then h e c a n t a i l o ff a l i t t l e b i t “ B u t I ’ m s u r e he’s been working on that I’d be surprised if he doesn t dominate here
A s e r i e s l o s s i n A u s t r a l i a c o u l d s e e New Zealand relinquish the rankings lead to England, while Australia (101) may get the chance to overhaul Pakistan and move into fourth place with a dominant showing over the next few weeks A u s t r a l i a h o s t Z i m b a b w e f o r t h r e e m a t c h e s i n To w n s v i l l e s t a r t i n g l a t e r t h i s m o n t h , b e f o r e t h e n t h e y h o s t S o u t h A f r i c a f o r t h r e e O D I s a t t h e s t a r t o f O c t o b e r, w h i l e P a k i s t a n d o n ’t h a v e a n y f u r t h e r 5 0 o v e r m a t c h e s f i x t u r e d u n t i l a f t e r t h e T 2 0 Wo r l d C u p i n A u s t r a l i a l a t e r t h i s y e a r iNdia dOmiNaNt REPORT
Australia great Shane Watson has revealed the five players he would select first if given the unenviable task of choosing a World T20I XI Watson is ren o w n e d a s o n e o f A u s t r a l i a ’s b e s t w h i t e b a l l p l a y e r s o f a l l t i m e , a n d t h e s t a r a l l r o u n d e r f u r t h e r s t r e n g t h e n e d h i s c r e d e n t i a l s b y s h o w c a s i n g h i s t a l e n t s i n v a r i o u s d o m e s t i c T 2 0 l e a g u e s a r o u n d t h e w o r l d f o r o v e r a decade In recent times, Watson has turned to coaching to nurture the best limited overs p l a y e r s i n t h e w o r l d a n d t h e 4 1 y e a r o l d only this year joined the Delhi Capitals as their assistant coach in the Indian Premier L e a g u e Wa t s o n u s e s t h a t r o l e t o k e e p a close eye on the best T20I players around the world and is eagerly awaiting the ICC T20 World Cup in Australia later this year Speaking on the latest episode of The I C C R e v i e w, Wa t s o n w a s a s k e d b y h o s t S a n j a n a G a n e s a n t o s e l e c t t h e f i r s t f i v e p l a y e r s h e w o u l d c h o o s e t o p l a y f o r a World T20I XI in Australia 1 Babar Azam (Pakistan) ICC T20I Batting Ranking: 1 “ F i r s t o n e I ’ d p i c k w o u l d b e B a b a r Azam,” Watson said “He’s the No 1 T20I b a t s m a n i n t h e w o r l d , a n d h e j u s t k n o w s how to dominate “ I t ’s l i k e h e ’s n o t e v e n t a k i n g a n y r i s k s , a n d h e s c o r e s i n c r e d i b l y q u i c k l y against the best bowlers in the world “ H e ’s g o i n g t o d o v e r y w e l l i n A u s t r a l i a n c o n d i t i o n s ( d u r i n g t h e T 2 0 Wo r l d C u p ) a s w e l l a s h i s t e c h n i q u e i s v e r y much built for Australian conditions ” 2 S u r y a k u m a r Ya d a v ( I n d i a ) I C C
h e y t a k e o n t h e K i w i s i n what will be a hectic two week period of q u i c k f i r e b a c k t o b a c k s e r i e s f o r A a r o n Finch’s side I n d i a ’s n e x t c h a n c e t o m a k e f u r t h e r g r o u n d o n t h e O D I r a n k i n g s c o m e s w
Manchester United’s new manager Erik ten Hag said Cristiano Ronaldo still fea tures in his plans for the season despite dropping the Portugal international from the club’s starting lineup in their 2 1 Pre mier League win over Liverpool Ten Hag was rewarded for his deci sion to field a frontline of Marcus Rash ford Jadon Sancho and Anthony Elanga as Sancho and Rashford found the net on Monday to secure a first win for United’s Dutch manager Ronaldo came on as a substitute in the 86th minute, but was unable to make an impact during his brief cameo When asked if the 37 year old can still fit into his style of play, Ten Hag told reporters: I think he can “In his whole career, he, under sev eral managers, he did in several styles and systems Ten Hag added “He always performed, so, why he can’t do this? For me, his age is not an issue If you are young you are good enough, and when you are old and you still deliver the performance, you are also good enough Ronaldo was not the only player from the United team that lost 4 0 to Brentford to be dropped, as captain Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw and Fred also started on the bench, with Ten Hag saying the changes were part of his game plan to tackle Liverpool “We have a squad and then we have a way of play a style but also a game plan, and you look what is the best ap proach to the game, and that is what we did today Ten Hag said “We do it every game, so, today we picked those players but can be Saturday (at Southampton) it can be different “We need a squad, because we have many games to cover, and so, if we make a team out of the squad and we stick to gether as a squad then we can achieve a lot I’m convinced about that ” United next travel to 11th placed Southampton on August 27
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Batting Ranking: 17 “ N o 4 f o r m e i s g o i n g t o b e J o s B u t tler,” Watson said “During the IPL, well a lot of times anyway, no one could get him out “ F o u r h u n d r e d s h a s o n l y b e e n d o n e o n c e b e f o r e i n a n I P L , w i t h Vi r a t K o h l i doing that (in 2016) “When he’s in form, and he has been in form, he’s just about impossible in T20 cricket to get out He can hit wherever he wants of the best bowlers in the world “And he knows Australian conditions really well, he’s played the Big Bash and d i d v e r y w e l l a f e w y e a r s a g o , w h e n I played with him at the Sydney Thunder
SYDNEY A F P A u s t r a l i a n t e n n i s a c e N i c k K y rg i o s w i l l f a c e c o u r t o n a l l e g e d a s s a u l t c h a rg e s i n O c t o b e r, a f t e r a C a n b
“So Jos Buttler is going to dominate ” 5 S h a h e e n A f r i d i ( P a k i s t a n ) I C C T20I Bowling Ranking: 13 “And the last one is Shaheen Afridi,” Watson said His wicket taking ability is something special “We saw in the last men’s T20 World C u p h i s a b i l i t y t o b e a b l e t o g e t t h e b e s t batsmen out with that brand new ball I’d be very surprised if he doesn’t really dom i n a t e i n A u s t r a l i a n c o n d i t i o n s , w i t h t h e b a l l s w i n g i n g a r o u n d a n d f a s t b o u n c y wickets
The number U krainian c i t y o f D n i p r o i n F e b r u a r y S i x m o n t h s l a t e r s h e i s s t i l l l i v i n g i n e x i l e a n d s a i d t h e s i t u a t i o n i s n o w t a k i n g a s e r i o u s t o l l o n h e r m e n t a l h e a l t h I d o n t w a n t t o c o m p l a i n a b o u t i t b u t m e n t a l l y i t ’s r e a l l y h a r d w h e n y o u d o n ’t h a v e a h o m e a n d y o u d o n ’t k n o w w h e r e y o u w i l l l i v e t o m o r r o w, t h e 3 0 y e a r o l d t o l d A F P a t b a d m i n t o n s w o r l d c h a m p i o n s h i p s i n To k y o o n Tu e s d a y “ I t ’s h a r d m e n t a l l y, f i n a n c i a l l y I t ’s d i f f i c u l t ”
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consumers a total of 17 100 million would not pay the fuel adjustment charges (FAC) in their electricity bills, as it was now re moved “After this relief announcement, they will not pay a single rupee under the FAC, he added He said about 300,000 users of agricul ture tube wells in the country would also enjoy a complete exemption from the fuel adjustment charges The prime minister further explained that a mechanism in that regard would be an nounced soon, adding they were also review ing other power users’ costs
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The prime minister clarified that it was neither the purpose of the government nor they had discussed such mechanism A committee had been set up to fix the responsibility on the issue which would sub mit its report he said adding the process would take some time The prime minister said a notification was also issued regarding removal of fixed taxes of Rs 3000, 6000 and 10,000 on the shopkeepers
Cabinet agrees to provide troops for World Cup securit y in Qatar ISLAMABAD R e u t e R S
The contempt issue is in addition to charges under the Anti Terrorism Act (ATA), 1997, that police filed against Khan over what they insisted was a threat in his speech about Gill The use of anti terrorism laws as the grounds for cases against political lead ers is not uncommon in Pakistan, where Khan’s government also used them against opponents and critics PTI has dismissed the accusations against Khan as being politically motivated saying they were being used to block him from leading anti government rallies Sharif s government is unhappy with Khan over his threats and although courts usually pardon offenders if they apologise, some politicians have been convicted in the past for disobeying or insulting judges Ahsan Bhoon a lawyer who heads the Supreme Court Bar Asso ciation (SCBA) and is widely believed to be a sympathiser of the Sharif family welcomed the proceedings, declaring no one should be allowed to insult a judge or damage the reputation of the judiciary S ta f f R e p o R t
Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday announced a complete exemp tion for about 17 1 million electricity con sumers out of 30 million in the country from paying fuel adjustment charges in the elec tricity bills As immediate relief measures to the masses, the prime minister said the govern ment had also notified rescinding of levy of fixed taxes on retailers and shopkeepers He announced that out of 30 million
The PTI chief said he was expecting to be ar rested at three or four o’clock in the night, however, party leaders mobilised supporters and workers to flock to Bani Gala Imran s hometown while PTI bigwigs met with him at his residence M I x e D S I g n A L S: Meanwhile, the ruling coali tion flashed mixed signals on its decision regarding the arrest of Imran Khan and appeared to be main taining a smoke and screens line on whether it wanted the former premier behind the bars or not While asserting that they wouldn’t ‘deign’ to in vest energies into political vendetta the leading lights of the constituent parties of the coalition, how ever, seemed to agree to give their blessings to any thing that took place with the due legal course Federal Minister for Information and Broadcast ing Marriyum Aurangzeb said that the PML N led government was not similar to the PTI led govern ment, saying the incumbent government won’t resort to the tactics that the former ruling party did in its four years, especially, arresting its opponents
Punjab Ehsaas Program (PEP) Chairperson Dr Sania Nishtar on Tuesday said the Punjab government had planned to start PEP in the province aiming at providing relief to the people She said this while presiding over a consultative meeting here about legislation on Punjab Ehsaas Program Legal experts Senator Ali Zafar, Sen ator Waleed Iqbal, Punjab Law Minister Khurram She hzad Virk and Law Secretary Ahmed Raza Sarwar participated and shared their views on the legislation Dr Sania Nishtar said that the program was being started in Punjab on the direction of Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf chairman Imran Khan, adding that a law would be passed by the provincial assembly to give legal pro tection to the Ehsaas program in the province She said that initially three projects including Ehsaas Emergency Cash Program, Ehsaas Tahafuz and Ehsaas Ration Riayat were being started under the um brella of PEP asserting that PTI launched the largest Social Security Program in the history of Pakistan through the platform of “Ehsaas” She said that registration in Ehsaas Rashan Pro gram would be started from next month “The Punjab government wants to help the people without hurting their self esteem”, she added Earlier, Punjab Minister for Social Welfare Ghaz anfar Abbas Secretary Waqas Ali Punjab Social Pro tection Authority Vice Chairman Jamal Nasir met with Dr Sania Nishtar They discussed the action plan re garding the field operations of Ehsaas Ration Program and the inclusion of Anjuman Tajran in the program against Imran, other PTI leaders
The federal government on Tuesday lodged two more cases against Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI) Chief Imran Khan and other PTI leaders on charges of violation of section 144 in Islamabad According to details, the federal government has lodged a case against PTI Chairman Imran Khan and other PTI leaders including Murad Saeed, Fawad Chaudhry Faisal Javed Sheikh Rasheed and Asad Umer PTI leaders Shehryar Afridi, Asad Umar, Asad Umar, Faisal Javed, Faisal Wavda, Sheikh Rasheed, Murad Saeed Fawad Chaudhry Dr Shehzad Waseem Zaheer Abbas Khokhar, Raja Khurram Nawaz and Ali Nawaz Awan have also been named in the cases filed in the Aabpara police station The cases have been lodged against Imran Khan and other PTI leaders for violating Section 144 by organizing a rally in Islamabad on August 19, 2022 Earlier in the day, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) issued a show cause notice to the former prime minister and PTI chairman after taking up contempt of court proceedings against him for allegedly threatening Additional District and Sessions Judge Zeba Chaudhry
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T H E Islamabad High Court (IHC) issued a show cause no tice to Imran Khan and sum moned the former prime minister in his personal capac ity on August 31 as it launched contempt proceedings over his purported threats to a junior judge at a weekend rally In a speech at the rally in Rawalpindi on Saturday, Khan vowed to sue the chief of Islamabad police and the judge, Zeba Chaudhry and alleged that She hbaz Gill, his chief of staff, had been tor tured after his initial arrest on August 9 in a sedition case Chaudhry had approved Gill’s phys ical remand even after he complained of custodial torture and sexual abuse, and sought medical treatment We will sue you Khan told the charged meeting, referring to the judge Acting on a mysterious complaint it received against the Pakistan Tehreek i Insaf (PTI) chair, police in Islamabad filed terrorism charges against Khan, further es calating political tensions in the country Tuesday’s notice was issued by a three judge bench headed by Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani and comprising Justice Babar Sattar and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb The issue could be a threat for Khan, who has been campaigning for new elec tions since being forced to step down this year, since a conviction would disqualify him from standing for election, legal ex perts said “It is a criminal conviction,” a retired judge, Shaiq Usmani, told Geo News, adding that Khan could face six months in jail if convicted “Due to it, he cannot contest any election for five years ” The nation has seen at least one prime minister, and some lawmakers, un seated after such disqualifications
ISLAMABAD: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has made it compulsory for Pakistan to get the National Assembly’s (NA) approval before launching any tax amnesty scheme in order for the country to secure its economic bailout, it was learnt on Tuesday According to the Letter of Intent (LoI) sent back to the IMF, the government has assured the Fund that tax amnesty will not be launched through a presidential ordinance The letter states that the: “Issuance of SRO for tax relief or tax amnesty will be banned The government will work with the provinces for harmony in sales tax and the World Bank will cooperate for harmonious policy with provinces However, the LoI states that an amnesty scheme for construction sector and declaration of secret assets will be approved by the NA Finance Minister Miftah Ismail had recently announced of sending back the letter of intent to the lender which was signed by him and acting governor of State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) On August 12 the IMF agreed to the letter of intent forwarded by Pakistan and sent it to Pakistan for getting the required signatures The letter was prepared by Pakistan a month ago Earlier on August 2, the lender had confirmed that Pakistan has achieved all the set targets for the revival of Extended Fund Facility (EFF) programme N p
The first informant report (FIR) lodged by the
UN chief urges de - esc alation of politic al tensions in Pakistan
Punjab govt launching PEP to provide relief to people: D r S ania Nishtar
F i xe d t a x o n r e t a i l e r s w a i ve d : P M e xe m p t s 1 7 . 1 m p o we r c o n s u m e r s f r o m FAC T wo more cases registered
Accompanied by the members of his delegation in Qatar where he arrived on a two day official visit, the prime minister said when they came into power, they had two targets to achieve The coalition government carried the backlog of previous government which had left behind a trail of worst performance and economic decay and due to their pathetic policies, the country was on the verge of de fault, he said, adding but due to the untiring efforts of the incumbent government that danger was over The prime minister said the previous government s poor performance had resulted in the price hike of commodities, but his government continued its efforts day and night to control it He said though they had not achieved much but collective efforts were being made to send back the jinni of price hike back into the bottle’
The cabinet summary reviewed by Reuters said the government of Qatar had requested assistance in security related aspects of the World Cup between November 21 and December 18, and that Pakistan Army had proposed the signing of an agreement between both states for the purpose “The agreement aims to define the obligations of the two parties the specific specialisations and the number of security personnel to be sent by Pakistan to participate in the security and safety operations,” the summary read Qatar ’s government media office did not immediately confirm or respond to a request to explain why Doha has requested the troops or what they will be doing during the tournament There was also no immediate response from the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, which is overseeing the organisation of the World Cup including security The summary did not provide any details of the agreement such as how many personnel could be sent The approval of the agreement comes as Sharif departs for Doha on a two day visit He’s accompanied by his cabinet ministers, according to a government handout on Monday “The two sides will discuss bilateral relations between the two countries especially to move forward cooperation in energy, trade, and investment opportunities,” the handout said Sharif is also scheduled to visit a soccer stadium in Doha where he will be briefed about the efforts undertaken by the host government in the World Cup, the handout added
The cabinet has approved a draft agreement that allows the government to provide troops for security at the FIFA soccer World Cup in Qatar later this year, the information minister said A summary outlining the agreement, to be signed between Doha and Islamabad, was approved by the cabinet, minister Marriyum Aurangzeb told Reuters late on Monday, ahead of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif s visit to Qatar starting today It was not immediately clear when the agreement would be signed between the two countries
pRayeR tImINgS FA J R S U N R I S E Z U H R A S R M AG H R I B I S H A 4:10 5:00 1:30 5:15 7 08 9:15 Wednesday 24 August 2022 NEWS Published by Arif Nizami at Plot No 66 C 1st Floor 21st Commercial Street Phase II (Extension) DHA Karachi and printed at Ibn e Hassan Printing Press Hockey Stadium Karachi for PT Print (Pvt) Limited Ph: 021 35381208 9 Email: newsroom@pakistantoday com pk ISLAMABAD S ta f f R e p o R t
The prime minister regretted that during the debate on the passage of first fiscal budget, they had discussed the issue of fixed tax on retailers and shopkeepers but practi cally the things went wrong which did not reflect reality Imposition of such taxes was against the spirit of what they had discussed he said adding due to such measures, the small shop keepers had to face an extra burden of pay ing taxes
On August 22, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) granted pre arrest bail to former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI) Chairman until August 25 in a terrorism case Imran Khan, addressing a PTI rally in Islamabad, had said that they would file cases against Inspector General Islamabad Police, Deputy IG Islamabad Police and magistrate Zeba Chaudhry for the torture of PTI leader Shahbaz Gill No tax relief without NA approval under IMF conditions
DOHA
Amid strain between the incumbent government and the Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI), the United Na tions Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Mon day urged calm, de escalation of tensions and respect for the rule of law in Pakistan In response to a question about the “increas ingly tense” situation, Guterres’ spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said that the secretary general was aware of the charges brought against former prime minister Imran Khan and that he emphasised the need for a competent, independent and impar tial legal process” He urges calm, lowering of tensions, and re spect for the rule of law, human rights and funda mental freedoms,” the spokesperson added The UN chief had returned to New York on the weekend from a trip to Europe P o L I t I c A L t u r M o I L: Tensions escalated in the political arena of the country after deposed prime minister Imran Khan was booked under terrorism charges on the complaint of Islamabad Saddar Mag istrate Ali Javed for threatening the additional ses sions judge of the federal capital, Zeba Chaudhry
Margalla police said that the PTI chief threatened the additional sessions judge of Islamabad with a view to terrorise the high officials of the police and the ju diciary so that they could not fulfil their duties and refrain from taking action against the party due to fear of Imran
