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KARACHI staff report Pakistan is likely to receive a $1.17 billion loan tranche from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) within six days after the executive Board’s approval, State Bank of Pakistan Acting Governor Murtaza Syed told Bloomberg Tv. Speaking with the international new outlet, Syed said that the country’s forex reserves will shore up to $16 billion by the end of Fy23 which dropped to $8 billion due to delay in the revival of the IMF agreement and external“Pakistanflows.has commitments of $38 billion so we are over financed,” he said, adding that approvals of bilateral help will materialise soon, amounting to $4 billion, while the current account deficit is expected to clock in at around 3% of the gross domestic product. The executive board of the Fund is scheduled to meet on August 29.
India fires three officers accidentallyfor firing missile Pakistanintoin March Court againstcontemptweighsactionImran
The Indian Air Force said on Tuesday the government had sacked three officers for “accidentally” firing a missile into Pakistan in March, an incident that the two nucleararmed rivals handled calmly as there were no casualties.
“A Court of Inquiry, set up to establish the facts of the case, including fixing responsibility for the incident, found that deviation 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 with immediate effect on Tuesday. According to the US-based Arms Control Association, the BrahMos missile’s range is between 300 km (186 miles) and 500 km (310 miles), making it capable of hitting Pakistan’s capital Islamabad from a northern Indian launch Pakistanpad.had summoned Indian Charge d’Afaires (Cd’A) to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs days after the incident to record the nation’s protest over the incident.
seeks Qatari investMent in energy, aviation sectors Wednesday, 24 August, 2022 I 25 Muharram, 1444 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XIII No 55 I 12 Pages I Lahore Edition g GOvT AlSO SeekING DeFeRReD PAyMeNT PlAN FOR lNG BOUGhT UNDeR lONG TeRM DeAlS
The BrahMos missile — 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 accidental launches.
ISLAMABAD agencies P RIMeMinister Shehbaz Sharif has invited Qatar to invest in Pakistan’s energy and aviation sectors during a meeting with the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) in Doha on Tuesday. The meeting was attended by federal ministers Syed Naveed Qamar, Mariyam Aurangzeb and Ayaz Sadiq, and State Minister hina Rabbani khar. Mansoor Bin ebrahim AlMahmoud, CeO of Qatar Investment Authority – one of the largest sovereign wealth funds of the world, and Sheikh Faisal Thani Al-Thani, Chief Investment Officer of Africa and AsiaPacific Regions represented the QIA. During the meeting, the prime minister highlighted Pakistan’s liberal and business-friendly investment policies in this regard. he also urged Qatari investors to explore the opportunities presented by the China-Pakistan economic Corridor (CPeC) aimed at promoting regional connectivity and mutual prosperity. Investment in other areas including tourism and petroleum products also came under discussion. earlier during the Pakistan-Qatar Trade and Investment Roundtable, PM Shehbaz had similarly invited Qatari businessmen to invest in Pakistan’s energy, aviation, agriculture, livestock, maritime, tourism and hospitality sectors. lauding Qatar’s rapid economic development under the visionary leadership of the Qatar’s emir, the prime minister reiterated that Pakistan attached high importance to its relations with Qatar and wanted to upgrade the traditionally warm political ties between the two countries into a comprehensive economic partnership. The prime minister stressed the need to further enhance bilateral economic and investment engagement, particularly in the renewable energy including solar and wind power generation, aviation, maritime, industrial and infrastructure development, and hospitality sectors. he underlined that Pakistan’s unique geographic and demographic advantages, which combined its strategic location with a huge middle-class market and a large skilled workforce. The PM assured full facilitation to QIA through transparent and expeditious processes. As part of the event, a number of presentations were made by the relevant ministries highlighting the potential of foreign investment in the fields of food security, energy, maritime, aviation, hospitality and tourism sectors. It was agreed that designated focal persons on both sides will closely follow-up on the key proposals for investments.
‘Pakistan to receive $1.17b within six days after IMF board’s approval’
“The Government of India is cautioned to be mindful of the unpleasant consequences of such negligence and take effective measures to avoid the recurrence of such violations in future,” a statement by the FO stated.
UN chief de-escalationurges of political tensions in Pakistan more inside
PM
NEW DELHI agencies
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The prime minister invited Mansoor bin ebrahim Al-Mehmoud and Sheikh Faisal Thani Al-Thani to visit Pakistan at their earliest convenience to build on the momentum generated by the visit. Terming Pakistan as a priority country, the QIA delegation expressed keen interest and readiness to actively pursue investment opportunities in Pakistan. It may be noted that along with a balance of payment crisis due to foreign reserves falling to as low as $7.8 billion, Pakistan is also facing a widening current account deficit (CAD) and a historic depreciation of the rupee against the U.S. dollar. In July it posted inflation of 24.9%. Sharif’s Qatar visit precedes an International Monetary Fund meeting next week that is expected to approve a $1.2 billion tranche of lending, which has been stalled since the beginning of the year. According to Reuters, the PM’s office did not give details of his agenda but two sources close to him said he was expected to offer Qatar shares in state-owned enterprises (SOes) including the loss-making Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and the Roosevelt hotel in New york. They added that he is also expected to offer the opportunity to manage Pakistan’s airports and hoped to secure energy deals.
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 KhyberPakhtunkhwa, 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. Staff rePort Police shift 1,380 people, 605 cattle to safer places in DG Khan
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, in Punjab, continued to reel from gushing floods caused by massive downpours over the past week, as army and air force planes dropped food packets, water bottles, and dried rations on marooned residents in several villages. A statement from Inter-Services 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, and Balochistan provinces to “speed up rescue and relief efforts.”
Elahi to UAE envoy: Time to transform mutual ties into strategic partnership
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.
PM for effective Pak-Qatar engagement to boost trade, investment ties
wednesday, 24 August, 2022 | LAHORe 02 news
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ISLAMABAD Shahzad Paracha 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.
LAHORE Staff rePort 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 PervaizGroup.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.Onthe 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 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. 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.
ISLAMABAD Staff rePort T HEgovernment 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, NPMC directed relevant stakeholders to keep a close watch on the prices of food commodities and take action againstAhsanhoarders.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 TheIndustry.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.
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. Staff rePort KARACHI anadolu agency
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.
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. 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. 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. The panelists included Syed Naveed Qamar, Minister of Commerce; Ms. Hina Rabbani Khar, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs; Ms. Alanoud bin Hamad Al Thani, Chief Business Officer of QFC; Mohsin Mujtaba, Honorary Investment Counsellor; and Dr. Javaid Iqbal, President of Pakistan Business Council. Manufacturers irked over need for TCP’s approval to import DAP
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Rains, floods claims another 39 lives
Zardari:
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.
DOHA Staff rePort 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 Addressingpotential.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”. 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. 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.
GovT sCrAMbles To Curb InFlATIon lust for office driving a ‘power-hungry man’ crazy 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.
“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 floodstricken people could be expedited if the whole nation showed the same spirit to support their countrymen.
“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.
rabbani condemns police raid in parliament lodges
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.
Staff rePort eCP decides on putting off 2nd phase of sindh lG polls
Turkiye urges Pakistan to increase bilateral trade
The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday sought record of cases, registered against Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz (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 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.
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. The provincial education minister Sardar Shah announced that the education centres will be closed on Wednesday and Thursday following the rain predictions. Some parts of Sindh to receive more showers from today (Tuesday) for two days as a fresh monsoon system enters the province from IndiaThetoday.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.
Rain forecast: Sindh closes schools, colleges for two days
aPP QUETTA Staff rePort 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.
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.Boththe 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 Pak-Iranpilgrims.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.
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.
LHC seeks record of cases against Awais Leghari, other PML-N MPAs
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.
LAHORE Staff rePort
PM To DonATe FunDs For FlooD - AFFeCTees
KARACHI Staff rePort
RIMEMinister 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.
urGes nATIon
sindh declares 23 districts as calamity hit as death toll rises to 239 Pakistanis jailed for minor crimes to be released soon: Iranian envoy STAff REpORT
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. Staff rePort KARACHI Staff rePort 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 wereFurthermore,lost. four deaths have also been reported in the last 24 hours in the Hyderabad division due to rain. 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. 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 lowpressure area”, currently located over eastern India, was likely to approach Sindh on August 23 and under its impact, moderate and heavy rainthunderstorms 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, Jacobabad, Shaheed Benazirabad, Ghotki, Shikarpur and Kashmore districts, it warned. The weather system was also expected to cause light to moderate rain in Tharparkar, Umerkot, Mirpurkhas, Badin, Tando Mohammad khan, Tando Allahyar, Hyderabad, Mitiari, Thatta, and Sujawal districts, the Met Office added. It said the continuing wet spell over northeastern and southern districts of Balochistan would persist till August 22 and may trigger flash floods in Dadu, Jamshoro and Qambar-Shahdadkot districts, as well as downstream.
PDMA briefs Balochistan Governor, CM Bizenjo, Corps Commander on flood situation
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Wednesday, 24 August, 2022 | LAHORE 04 NEWS
The Chief Secretary also issued instructions regarding the formation of special squads to check industrial units and brick kilns. The secretary environment protection department gave a detailed briefing at the meeting.Hesaid that an action plan had been prepared 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 registered, 19 people were arrested and 88 units were sealed, he said. Similarly, 11,000 brick kilns were inspected, 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 impounding 17,600 vehicles, he added.
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 collaboration with the Chinese authorities made arrangements to airlift around 250 students to China. However, around 100 students arrived in the Chinese city of Xian by PIA special flight PK-6854 on June 20, he added. All the students underwent 4-day quarantine in Xian as per Covid-19 control and prevention measures imposed by the local government for the passengers arriving from abroad. Later, they left for their respective universities in different cities to continue their education.It may be mentioned here that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in a telephonic conversation with his Chinese 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 accorded high priority to this matter. As a result, the two sides agreed on the phased return of the Pakistani students subject to the Covid-19 situation in China. The Embassy of Pakistan in Beijing had long been engaged with the relevant Chinese authorities regarding the return of Pakistani students to their universities in China.
314 rehabilitated drug addicts to get employment: Commissioner
KaRaCHI Staff RepoRt 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 rainsare expected in Karachi, adding that the conduct of polls and supply of election material will not be possible if more rains hit the district.
Anti-polio campaign starts in Swat
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SWat Staff RepoRt A four-day anti-polio campaign started in Swat district and women vaccinators in the polio teams have been making hectic efforts to reach the difficult and remote areas to vaccinate children against the cripplingAccordingdisease.to the Health Department, during the anti-polio campaign vaccinators have been going door-todoor to administer anti-polio drops to children under five years of age to save from lifelong disability. 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 fiveyear-old child on the spot. Women workers are also leading in the campaign. Gul Meena is among the polio workers who is determined to save the future of children by navigating the difficult mountain and rocky paths of Marghazar Valley of Babuzai Tehsil. “We mothers and sisters give drops to the children without caring about the heat and cold for the future of the nation, despite the social setbacks and inappropriate behavior of people but we are never discouraged and have been actively participating in this campaign to save the children of the nation from permanent disability for 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.
Flood water enters Dera Murad Jamali grid station
Flood water on Tuesday entered 220KV Dera Murad Jamali grid station in Nasirabad, Balochistan. The supply of electricity to three districts of Nasirabad including, Jaffarabad, Jhal Magsi and Nasirabad has been disconnected 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 operations in flood-hit areas of Sindh, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab, said Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR). According to ISPR, rescue and relief efforts are underway in Hyderabad, Sanghar, Badin, Thatta, Jamshoro, Naushero Feroze and other flood-hit districts of Sindh. NewS DeSk US attempts to use Taiwan to contain China doomed to fail: analysts
Staff RepoRt
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 Islamabad Institute of Conflict Resolution. They added that such a move has seriously undermined peace across the Taiwan Straits and regional stability. Taiwan has belonged to China since ancient times, said former Pakistani 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. MoNitoRiNg RepoRt
Nline with measures to control smog, Punjab Chief Secretary Kamran Ali Afzal on Tuesday directed the department concerned to take action against those causing environmental pollution.TheChief Secretary issued the direction during a meeting held at the Civil Secretariat. The additional chief secretary (home), administrative secretaries of various departments including environment, industries, agriculture, local government, and officials concerned participated in the meeting.TheChief Secretary asked the secretaries of the departments concerned to take strict action against those causing air and environmental pollution – industrial, and vehicular emissions, burning crop stubble, and garbage. He said that to mitigate the factors behind smog, there was a need to adopt preventive measures and enhance awareness. He directed that the ban on the use of substandard fuel in steel mills and factories be strictly enforced. He said that all the provincial departments should work in tandem on the issue of smog, adding that progress in this regard would be reviewed regularly.
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 AugustDuring25.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 narcotics 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 rehabilitation 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.
PUnJab ChieF SeCy giveS DireCTive To DePTS To CUrb environMenTal PollUTion
04 NEWS 24 LAHORE_Layout 1 8/23/2022 11:30 PM Page 1
2nd batch of Pakistani students return to China soon LG elections: After Malir, Korangi deputy commissioner seeks postponement
Matric exam high achievers from GB visit Islamabad
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. 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 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.
STAFF
islamabad STAFF REPORT
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doHa APP P RIMEMinister’s Special Representative for Interfaith Harmony and Middle East Hafiz Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi on Tuesday said Pakistan 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 investment 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 prevailing 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 investments from the UAE. Ashrafi said it was a matter of pride for Pakistan that it would provide troops for security of the Federation Internationale de Football Association(FIFA) World Cup in Qatar later this year. He made it clear that PakistanQatar 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. To a query, Ashrafi said ‘Pakistan Charter’ was need of the hour for economic stability of the country. It was the high time to avoid all differences and take part in nation-building activities 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.
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. During the hearing of Tayyaba Gul sexual harassment case, when the PAC chairman asked National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Chairman Aftab Sultan where the NAB DGs of other provinces were, he replied that the bureau was currently faced with financial constraints; therefore he asked them not to come. “However, if I fail to satisfy you, I will direct them to appear before the committee,” he said. MNA Noor said angrily that the NAB officials violated the constitution. “Truth is that we have failed to get the answers to our questions from the anti-corruption watchdog officials,” he Respondingsaid. to a question by the PAC chairman about the NAB officials’ assets, the bureau chairman said details of these assets were submitted to the Establishment Division. “And these are made public only when there is an inquiry against an official,” he informed.MNANoor said it was unfortunate 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 making them public,” he said, adding, “When you don’t show your assets despite our continuous insistence, it amounts to an insult.” An exchange of hot words took place between the PAC and NAB chairmen when the former told the latter that the committee’s insistence on showing assets was as per the constitution. in police custody for two days PAC summons former CJP Saqib Nisar for explanation on Dam Fund islamabad STAFF REPORT
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has sought a reply from Pakistan Tehreek-iInsaf (PTI) in the prohibited funding case against it by September 6. The hearing to seize prohibited funding of the party was conducted by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja. Shah Khawar, PTI’s counsel in the case, skipped the hearing in the ECP, while Anwar Mansoor Khan also remained absent due to his engagements at the Supreme Court. 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 submission of documents, Raja gave two weeks time to PTI and adjourned the hearing until September 6.
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 location for over 12 hours. In a statement on Monday, the Islamabad police — which derisively referred to Farooqui as a “YouTuber” in a series of sincedeleted 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. REPORT
corporate corner K-Electric removes over 5,000 illegal connections; warns stern action against power pilferer
ECP seeks PTI’s response in funding case
PR NTDC Board of Directors approved increase in salaries of employees 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.
PR
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. REPORT from page 01
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.
PAKIsTAN CAN ATTRACT ARouND $30B INvEsTMENT fRoM IsLAMIC woRLD: AshRAfI
ISLAMABAD: A district and sessions court in Islamabad on Tuesday remanded Jameel Farooqui, a journalist and anchorperson for Bol TV, in police custody until August 25 after he was arrested for spreading “false information” about the custodial torture of a leader from Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI). Farooqui was arrested Monday in Karachi for purportedly making “false claims” of torture on Shahbaz Gill, chief of staff to former prime minister Imran Khan, against Islamabad police, in 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 orders” from the military Farooqui’sjudgeSubsequently,leadership.aKarachihadgivenIslamabadpolicecustodyaftergranting
PM seeks Qatari investment in energy, aviation sectors
05NEWS Wednesday, 24 August, 2022 | LAHORE
Journalist remanded
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 secondary education and Vice Chancellor National Skills University . The kids were excited and expressive. They impressed their hosts by their knowledge ,confidence and articulation . STAFF REPORT
LG elections: After Malir, Korangi postponementcommissionerdeputyseeks
KArAchI: In furtherance of its commitment to eliminate power theft, K-Electric conducted as many as 762 antipower 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.”
The report further claims that Pakistan is also seeking 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 provide 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 Monday, the Cabinet approved a draft agreement that allows the government to provide troops for security at the FIFA soccer World Cup in Qatar this year.
PR Telenor Pakistan partners with Roche to create nationwide health awareness
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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, recognize the crisis facing us, and take corrective measures, that’s where we’re heading
The brutal Indian assault on Kashmir changed everything US democracy is facing increasing problems
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06 Wednesday, 24 August, 2022 COMMENT Lahore – Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965 I Karachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9 I Islamabad – Ph: 051-2204545 I Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk I Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk
06-07 Comments - 24 August 2022_Layout 1 8/23/2022 11:32 PM Page 1
Democracy in danger
1) In the pre-revocation period, there were two important political groups in Jammu and Kashmir: Unionists and separatists. Unionists preferred living under the Indian constitution over separation. 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 government but now they have to choose whether to be stooges or separatists. 2) India’s bid to deprive Kashmiris 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 unrest and may invite non-state actors. the possibility of terror attacks cannot be overruled. 3) An ill-thoughtout 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, development, 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. Pakistan : 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 himself 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 violated Pakistan’s air sovereignty and claimed surgical strikes in Balakot. on Feb 27, 2019, the PAF retaliated which resulted in the destruction of two Indian fighters and an Indian pilot Abhinandan’s capture. Khan handed over Abhinandan to the Indian government 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 required 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 happened on ground. Gulf states :the dismal response of the Gulf states left the supporters of Kashmir freedom shocked. Neither saudi Arabia nor UAE could condemn 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 atrocities 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 diplomatically to solve the Kashmir issue during the Cold war Inperiod.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 strategic ally against China’s expansion, latter has not changed her policy to Kashmir. Kashmir is burning and demanding serious attention. 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 consequently 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 quagmire 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 singlehandedly; it needs world powers’ support. The writer can be reached at waliejaz04@gmail.com M.
The issue of Kashmir’s autonomy
waLi eJaZ neKoKara
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 nextontranche.theface 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. 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.
A lmost 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 violations; others were seemingly petty but still threatening 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.”
A. Niazi Joint Editor Umar ExecutiveAzizEditorAziz-ud-Din Ahmad Joint Editor
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 Examplestoday.abound: the Bush administration fabricated 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 torture. there was no accountability for the fabrications, lies, or use of torture. And, of course, the 6 January 2021, insurrection and the criminal acts of incitement that preceded it (and continue) cry out for accountability. Yet a divided Congress rejected a full bipartisan investigation, forcing Democrats to proceed with just a few brave Republicans who risked their careers 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 Republicans 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 supported 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 Housethisintern.partisan dysfunction 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 provide vaccines to protect against new variants of the coronavirus.Insteadof 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 accountability for a prime minister’s assassination or a deadly explosion in Beirut’s port. or like Israel, where a former prime minister on trial for corruption and influence peddling stymies legislation favoured by his supporters to prevent giving his opponents a victory. or like Iraq, where the losing parties block the winners from forming a government and the frustrated winners seize parliament, demanding a new election
washington watch Dr James J Zogby
A RtIClEs 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 instances 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 expert Ahmer Bilal soofi, modi’s move violated UNmandated 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 females and 37 percent among males. males suffered 21 percent anxiety disorders, females 36 percent. the ratio of Post-traumatic stress Disorder was 18 percent 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 crorescrappingrespectively.Articles 370 & 35A also has several political implications.
The writer is President of the Arab American Institute
YousafEditorNizami Dedicated to the legacy of late Hameed Nizami Arif Nizami (Late) Founding Editor
t HE 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.
Concentrate Onperformanceonthedole
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, recognize the crisis facing us, and take corrective measures, that’s where we’re heading.
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 perfect. 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 opportunity to hold violators accountable, allowing us to correct our errors and rectify abuses. I don’t think I could say it today.
LT-COL (RETD) SYED IFTIKHARKARACHIAHMED
RIAZISLAMABADBHUTTA
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.
According to the media reports, Rahul Anand, division leader at the ImF’s Asia and Pacific Department, said Bangladesh is not in a crisis and its external position is “quite different from numerous countries in the region.”
IMF’s and WB’s
The writer is a freelance columnist assessment of ‘No crisis situation or major food shortage’ bhanu
Polarization
Problems with Power Sector
Waste Management mUNICIPAl 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.
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
06-07 Comments - 24 August 2022_Layout 1 8/23/2022 11:32 PM Page 2
07 Wednesday, 24 August, 2022 COMMENT
PRoBlEms 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.
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 market 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 various regions of the nation, the suspension of a few development initiatives geared toward the future, and restrictions 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. 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. It is important to note that the government 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 volatility worldwide.Newricevarieties (BR-89) created by our experts will boost rice output by 50–60 percent. However, the reality is that because of the increase in the cost of diesel, seeds, fertilizer, and other inputs, the nation’s farmers are now finding 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 vegetables. their production costs will rise as a result of the increased cost of diesel, seeds, fertilizer, and other inputs. However, the country’s aman paddy production has already been severely hampered by the drought-like conditions caused by a lack of rain. the majority of farmers in the nation rely on rainwater for the monsoon season’s aman paddy cultivation. the objective of aman agriculture in this season may potentially be hampered by the lack of rain. the administration is committed to ensuring everyone has access to food. As a result, it must come up with strategies for increasing food production while providing farmers with unwavering support. Everyone should keep in mind that expanding the agricultural industry needs to continue to be a toptofocus.meet its demand, the nation has a sufficient supply of all types of fertilizers. 645,000 tonnes of urea fertilizer, 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 stateowned 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 commercialize 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 cuttingedge equipment.
mehJabin
tHE 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.
Multilateral lenders give Bangladesh a clean chit
NIMRAFAISALABADANJUM
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A CCoRDING 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 several countries in the region”. When describing Bangladesh’s present economic status to the media during an online conference on tuesday, Rahul Anand, division chief in the ImF’s Asia and Pacific Department, said that Bangladesh’s external position is “quite different 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.
Editor’s mail
Following his interview that was recently published in the london-based daily, Bangladeshi Finance minister AHm mustafa Kamal sent a response to The Financial Times. “today, the reserves 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 economic 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 thepredictions.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 requirement 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.
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-monthlong pan-India march which is scheduled to take off from Kanyakumari and conclude in Indian Occupied Kashmir. However, what the grand old party badly needs right now is a Congress Jodo Yatra. Infighting has severely enfeebled it in recent years and undermined its already precarious position 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 campaign committee in Indian Occupied Kashmir recently. It's obvious 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 Maharashtra. 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-destructive 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 Opposition’s ability to take on the BJP in 2024. The Congress must resolve its leadership and organisational issues urgently.
“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 twothree 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 sanctions 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 organizations 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 egregious as the economic aspects of the impending 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.
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 organizations was simply a delaying tactic.
THE ALL-IMPORTANT QUESTION — SHOULD A NON-GANDHI BE FINALLY GIVEN CHARGE? — REMAINS UNADDRESSED AND UNANSWERED
“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 AlMonitor 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 resIgned to neW Iran nuClear deal, over Its objeCtIons A TOP SECURITY SOURCE TOLD THAT THE AGREEMENT WOULD BE SIGNED SOONER OR LATER BECAUSE BOTH US PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN AND IRAN’S SUPREME LEADER AYATOLLAH ALI KHAMENEI WANT IT. “UNFORTUNATELY, BIDEN WANTS IT MORE, AND THE WEST HAS GRADUALLY GIVEN IN TO IRAN ON ALMOST ALL THE CLAUSES…’’
Wednesday, 24 August, 2022 08 WORLD VIEW Al MoniTor Ben Caspit 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 inescapable conclusion that world powers will sign a deal with Iran on its nuclear program. The disagreements between the more pessimistic views of the Mossad agency and the more relaxed approach of military intelligence have all but dissipated. A top security source told Al-Monitor this week that the agreement would be signed sooner or later because both US President Joe Biden and Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei want it. “Unfortunately, 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, referring to the upcoming November congressionalTheelections.source noted, “The deal about to be signed is nothing short of a catastrophe, not just for Israel but for the region as a whole. This is a resounding victory for Iran, which will get billions of dollars in the coming years and up to a trillion dollars by 2030 just so the world can get an additional delay of a month or two in the completion of Iran’s bomb. This is nothing short of madness and complete bankruptcy, and Israel must warn against it because there is no one else who can do so. Sadly, this is all happening at the instigation of Israel’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.”
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.
“Israel must be prepared and capable of blocking Iran’s nuclear capabilities on its own,” the senior Israeli security source summed up. “With all due respect to our allies, we will be the ones having to deal with Iran, and we must ensure that we have a credible and powerful military option and ability to remove the Iranian threat to our existence in every way we see fit. The agreement will be signed, but it will not include us. No one else will decide the future of the Jewish state or force it to abandon its security.”
Death by lethal injection: It is time for more transparency 08 WORLD VIEW 24 August 22_Layout 1 8/23/2022 11:03 PM Page 1
“This was not strategic and it was clear the sides would overcome this hurdle or ignore it. The Iranians will know how to channel funds to the Revolutionary Guards and circumvent the sanctions on the organization and the terrorism list. They are world champions 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 nuclear 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 powers to “get up and walk away from the negotiating 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 expected to encounter a cold shoulder. According to Aug. 22 reports, he will not be meeting with Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Barnea, who has issued harsh pronouncements 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.
“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.”
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 agreement, including the pass it gives Iran on the findings of three investigations by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) regarding suspicions of Iran’s nuclear armament intentions, have won over even the most optimistic Israeli officials to the Mossad’s hard-line assessment.
Al JAzeerA Joel Zivot a Sa practising physician, I have studied the autopsies of executed prisoners in order to better understand how lethal injection actually kills. In July, the prisoner Joe Nathan James Jr was executed by the state of Alabama. The circumstances 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 Regardlessnot. of how one might feel about the rightness or wrongness of capital punishment, it still must comport with the law and not violate the 8th Amendment of the United States Constitution, which bars “cruel and unusual punishments.” Yet if accounts are true, James was subjected to a three-hour ordeal, as state officials attempted to establish intravenous 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 person, and Alabama appears to acknowledge 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 results, but because Alabama is unwilling to publicly reveal what it knows. Alabama intends to carry out additional 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 satisfy the public need to understand the truth and hold accountable anyone 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 puncture attempts on his arms and two perpendicular skin incisions on the left arm. These incisions appear to be attempts by the execution team to establish intravenous access through what is known as a “cut-down procedure”. 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, indicating that the first slice was unsuccessful. 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 injection, 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 before witnesses for his execution, his eyes were closed and he was strangely unresponsive. 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 intervention would be an unlawful act not permitted under Alabama’s execution protocol, and certainly not permitted as a medical act. A toxicology report will eventually be available from the state autopsy 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 appears to have done to James has parallels with Greek mythology – which also serves as a reminder of how the story of the modern autopsy owes its origins to Prometheusantiquity.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 perpetuity. 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. The second autopsy I conducted was needed only because the state of Alabama chooses to remain silent and hide information. The public demands to know the truth. Civilised society requires more just punishments than daily devouring of the liver or successive slices into the flesh of the arm. The use of medicine 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 physician in anesthesiology and intensive care medicine at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. Zivot is a recognized expert against the use of lethal injection and the tools of medicine for use in the death penalty.
M InISTERfor Housing and Works Maulana Abdul Wasay on Tuesday said it was the priority of the coalition government to provide housing facility to the government employees in the federal capital. While inaugurating the development works of the Bhara Kahu Housing 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.
Office of Research, Innovation & Commercialization (ORIC), UoW organized a three-day training on “Start and Improve your Business (SIYB)” in collaboration with International Islamic University, Islamabad. SIYB is a flagship program of International Labor Organization (ILO) and functioning in partnership with Prime Minister Youth Program. Engr. Muhammad Ahsen Mirza, Master Trainer, SIYB along with Engr. Usama Bin Mansoor and Mr. Murad Iqbal, Qualified SIYB Trainers were the resource persons. The Start and Improve Your Business (SIYB) program focuses on helping new entrepreneurs to establish and develop small businesses as a strategy for creating better employment opportunities, particularly in emerging economies. 4.5 million startups and entrepreneurs have been trained globally in the last 15 years. It offered a wide array of hands-on practical business training in key areas including idea generation, business model formulation, business validation, sales, costing, and financial planning. The trainees were motivated to start their businesses leading to sustainable livelihood and income generating opportunities for long-term financial growth and economic revitalization of their respective communities.
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rEITErATES CoMMITMEnT
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
SECP hosts webinar on stewardship guidelines
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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, 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. pr Hascol unveils results for year ended Dec 31, 2021 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. pr
kArAchI: Pakistan navy wide scale Humanitarian Assistance & Disaster Relief (HADR) operations continue in farflung 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. Deflooding operations are paced up in different 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. Dedicated teams of doctors and paramedical staff are providing treatment and free medicines to aggrieved populace in these areas. Pakistan navy troops distributed ration bags, fresh drinking water and household items including medicines to affected populace. Pakistan navy, alongwith civil administration and various philanthropist organizations is providing continuous assistance to the flood stricken people while transitioning to rehabilitation operation in the worst affected areas. Relief operation in Sindh is a practical manifestation of Pn’s resolve to extend all out support to fellow countrymen in
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 Pakistan Navy continues rescue, relief operation flood-affected areas of Sindh
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PSF Combaxx Int’l Squash
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
Tournment 2022 Starts today
UoW
“In this time of inflation, the government is utilizing all out resources to fulfill the dream of providing own housing to the government employees for their ease,” he added.
Chairman Senate Standing Committee on Housing and Works Senator Hidayatullah Khan, MnA Maulana Kamaluddin, Secretary Housing Iftikhar Ali Shallwani, Director General Federal Government Employees Housing Authority (FGEHA) Tariq Rashid, Chairman Joint Venture Sky Gardens Haji Ismail and senior officials of the Ministry of Housing and Works were present besides a large number of allottees. The minister expressed the hope that all the hurdles would be removed in the housing projects to ensure their early completion. Abdul Wasay appealed 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 Association have been removed and it was madeHeactive.saidthe allottees of the Sky Gardens 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 Gardens) and said that in this flagship project of the federal government the ongoing development work was started on joint venture, in which 70 percent quota has been set for government employees 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 Gardens 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 government 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 hurdles in the way of the ongoing projects for government employees should be removed the own houses for the government employees would be provided.
ProvIDE HouSIng
Baitul Mal extends support to PATHWEL for bone marrow transplant to poor patients
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 Vehicles during ongoing year. Senior Superintendent of Police (Traffic) Dr. Syed Mustafa Tanweer said decision has been made to ensure safe road environment in the city and avoid accidents. Special squads have been constituted to check use of LED/HID by motorists while police pickets would be erected at important boulevards of the city including Expressway, Srinagar highway (Kashmir Highway), Margalla Road, IJP road, Murree Road, 7th Avenue and 9th avenue. night shift in-charges will lead this campaign to check use of high beam lights and LED/HID lights while education wing will aware the people about risks involved in using these lights. ICTP’s FM Radio 92.4 is also arranging special programs informing people about risks involved in using these lights. SSP (Traffic) has appealed the citizens to cooperate with police so that safe road environment can be ensured in the city. pr
organizes 3-day ‘Start and Improve Your Business’ training
Haji Ismail said that in the light of the orders of the federal government, all the resources are being used to complete the development works of the project soon and assured that the development work would be completed shortly and handed over to the FGEHA.
09NEWS Wednesday, 24 August, 2022 | LAHORE
Police warns of action against motorists using LEDs, high beam lights
WASAy To FACILITy To govT EMPLoyEES
Twitter has urged shareholders to endorse 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 electric car company. “I think Tesla, you know, would continue 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 answer,” Musk added. He assured shareholders that, for now, he has no plans to leave his Tesla chief role.
Indian politician from Modi’s party detained after blasphemous remark
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.”
China always respects other countries’ sovereignty and territorial integrity, 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 establish a security concept that meets the needs of the times, which is the premise for realizing common security.
“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 –Reprieve and Redress said Johal was abducted 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“Evidenceconfession”.hasnow been uncovered that the British intelligence agencies, MI5 and MI6, may have contributed to Jagtar’s detention 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 Redress, 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 Investigatory Powers Commission, appears to discuss Johal’s case. Agencies
10 FOREIGN NEWS Wednesday, 24 August, 2022 | LAHORE
Agencies
“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.
Elon Musk subpoenas former Twitter chief Jack Dorsey
Agencies
Hundreds mourn Russian nationalist’s daughter killed in car bomb 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.
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 Scotland, 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.
– 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.
Najib appeared in shock after the verdict was read. He was immediately surrounded by his family and supporters.
“Our investigators have uncovered critical information that in 2017, the UK government 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 unlawful arrest and torture in India”.
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).Thedetention 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“HeIndia.hasbeen charged with promoting enmity in the name of religion,” Joel Davis, a senior police official 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 blasphemous 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.
“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.
Human rights groups on Tuesday said UK intelligence agencies may have shared information 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.
SAN FRANCISCO AFP 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 related 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. The subpoena asks for anything Dorsey has on the topics dating back to 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 accounts 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 information on that topic when he made the buyout offer.
UK spies accused over arrest of Sikh blogger in India
The company accuses Musk of contriving a story to escape a merger agreement that he no longer found attractive. “Musk’s counterclaims, based as they are on distortion, misrepresentation, and outright 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 absolutist position that has sparked fears the network 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 specializes in complex, high-stakes business battles.
“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.
“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.
Mourners — many carrying flowers — paid their respects at a hall in Moscow’s Ostankino TV centre where her blackand-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.
Malaysia top court upholds former prime minister Najib’s graft conviction
“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.”
– 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.
Respect foR soveReigNty, teRRitoRial iNtegRity fouNdatioN of coMMoN secuRity: cHiNese eNvoy
UNITED NATIONS Agencies a Chinese envoy said Monday that respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states is the foundation of common security. The important principle of respect for national sovereignty and territorial integrity as set out in the UN Charter is the bedrock of contemporary international 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 international law will be shaken to its roots. The world will return to the law of the jungle and common security will be totally out of the question,” he warned.
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.
“For this reason, we must take a clear-cut stand, always respect the sovereignty 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 security, the envoy made the remarks during an open meeting of the UN Security Council on common security.
PUTRAJAYA The AssociATed Press
Experiences in Afghanistan, Syria, and Iraq, among others, serve as a warning to us all the time that interfering in other countries’ internal affairs under the pretext of counter-terrorism, democracy and human rights not only brings huge losses, harm and sufferings for the countries concerned, but also erodes the common values of mankind, such as democracy and freedom, and it undermines efforts for common security, rather than helping them, he pointed out.
“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.
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.
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. President PCF Syed Azhar said that the athletes were selected on the basis of the best time and speed in the trials. He said 202 countries of the world would participate 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 court case set for October SYDNEY AFP Australian tennis ace Nick Kyrgios will face court on alleged assault charges in October, after a Canberra magistrate rejected his appeal for a months-long delay Tuesday. Kyrgios, 27, did not appear for the initial hearing, and details of the charge have not yet been disclosed. During brief proceedings, his lawyer Michael Kukulies-Smith indicated he would seek to have the case heard on November 25. Mr KukuliesSmith did not outline details of the application, citing the presence in court of a “large contingent of media.” He said the world number 26 Kyrgios, who reached his first Grand Slam final at Wimbledon last month and is due to play at the US Open in New York starting on Monday, spent little time in the Australian capital but there was a window at that time in November. Magistrate Louise Taylor said she was being asked to grant an extended adjournment of the case for unknown reasons. She instead remanded the case to October 4.
A series loss in Australia could see 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. Australia host Zimbabwe for three matches in Townsville starting later this month, before they take on the Kiwis in what will be a hectic two-week period of quickfire back-to-back series’ for Aaron Finch’sIndia’sside.next chance to make further ground on the ODI rankings comes when they host South Africa for three ODIs at the start of October, while Pakistan don’t have any further 50-over matches fixtured until after the T20 World Cup in Australia later this year.
“We saw in the last men’s T20 World Cup his ability to be able to get the best batsmen out with that brand new ball. I’d be very surprised if he doesn’t really dominate in Australian conditions, with the ball swinging around and fast, bouncy wickets.“My only little concern with him is, if he doesn’t take wickets to start with, then he can tail off a little bit. “But I’m sure he’s been working on that. I’d be surprised if he doesn’t dominate here.”
LONDON ReuteRs Manchester United’s new manager Erik ten Hag said Cristiano Ronaldo still features in his plans for the season despite dropping the Portugal international from the club’s starting lineup in their 2-1 Premier League win over Liverpool. Ten Hag was rewarded for his decision to field a frontline of Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Anthony Elanga, as Sancho and Rashford found the net on Monday to secure a first win for United’s DutchRonaldomanager.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 several 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 40 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 gameplan, and you look what is the best approach 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 together as a squad then we can achieve a lot. I’m convinced about that.” United next travel to 11th-placed Southampton on August 27.
Ulitina had previously lived in Hungary so she had residence permission for herself and her dog when she fled the war in her homeland with the bare minimum of possessions. She said her training conditions and standard of living were good but “it’s hard to manage” her mental state as the war drags on. She said her family in Ukraine were safe and they speak regularly, but she also worries that the front line of war is moving closer to them.
“So Jos Buttler is going to dominate.”
TOKYO AFP Ukrainian badminton player Maria Ulitina has been living in Hungary since Russia invaded her country and says focusing on matches is “really hard when you don’t have a home”.
Ulitina has been active on the world tour this season and she made a surprise appearance at the All England Open in March, barely a week after fleeing Ukraine for Hungary. “It happened just two or three days before the start and I had no visa or anything,” she said. “It’s big thanks to Badminton England that they asked the government to help so I could go.” Ulitina said she had Russian friends in the past but she has not heard from them since the war began.Russian badminton players have been banned from international competition and she said she “cannot even imagine” what it would be like to face one on the court. “I used to have friends there but since the war started no one even writes or asks anything, how we are or if they are sorry about it, nothing,” she said. “This is really disappointing.”
PESHAWAR APP The Pakistan Cycling Federation (PCF) announced four-member Pakistan Cycling Squad for the forthcoming World Road Championship, to be held in Australia from September 17-25, 2022. President Pakistan Cycling 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 Lahore, Karachi and Quetta. Among the shortlisted athletes, 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.
3. David Warner (Australia) – ICC 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 Aussies winning, and has scored some great runs for the Delhi Capitals (in the IPL) as “He’swell.going to have plenty of fire in his belly to make his mark in a T20 World Cup at home, so he’s going to be ready to go.”4. Jos Buttler (England) – ICC T20I Batting Ranking: 17 “No.4 for me is going to be Jos Buttler,” Watson said. “During the IPL, well a lot of times anyway, no one could get him out.“Four hundreds has only been done once before in an IPL, with Virat Kohli 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 did very well a few years ago, when I played with him at the Sydney Thunder.
The world number 58 drove for four straight days to reach theHungarian border when Russian missiles started firing over her home in the eastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro in February. Six months later she is still living in exile and said the situation is now taking a serious toll on her mental health. “I don’t want to complain about it but mentally it’s really hard when you don’t have a home and you don’t know where you will live tomorrow,” the 30-year-old told AFP at badminton’s world championships in Tokyo on Tuesday. “It’s hard mentally, financially. It’s difficult.”
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 renowned as one of Australia’s best white-ball players of all time, and the star all-rounder further strengthened his credentials by showcasing his talents in various domestic T20 leagues around the world for over a decade.Inrecent times, Watson has turned to coaching to nurture the best limited-overs players in the world and the 41-year-old only this year joined the Delhi Capitals as their assistant coach in the Indian Premier League. Watson uses that role to keep 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 ICC Review, Watson was asked by host Sanjana Ganesan to select the first five players he would choose to play for a World T20I XI in Australia.
Wednesday, 24 August, 2022 LAHORE 11SPORTS STAff REPORT
W onsweepsrewardedIndiaHITE-BALLpowerhousesandPakistanhavebeenforrecentseriesbymakinggroundtheleadingteamsonthe latest set of ICC ODI Team Rankings. India completed a comprehensive 3-0 sweep of Zimbabwe away from home earlier this week, while Pakistan matched their arch-rival with a hard-fought victory by the same scoreline in their Cricket World Cup Super League series against the Netherlands.Thoselatest results saw India improve their ODI ranking to 111 rating points and third place overall, while Pakistan also received a boost by moving to 107 rating points in fourth. And the pair have made ground on rankings leader New Zealand (124) following the Black Caps’ narrow 2-1 series triumph over the West Indies, while England (119) remain dormant in second place as they continue their ongoing World Test Championship series against SouthTheAfrica.Kiwis did hold a nine-point advantage 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.
STAff REPORT
2. Suryakumar Yadav (India) – ICC T20I Batting Ranking: 2 “Second one is Suryakumar Yadav,” Watson noted. “He’s batting incredibly well, and he would be my No.2 pick. “But I wouldn’t be surprised at all if (India team-mate) KL Rahul explodes in the T20 World Cup in Australia, because he’s got the game to dominate in these conditions in Australia.”
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5. Shaheen Afridi (Pakistan) – ICC T20I Bowling Ranking: 13 “And the last one is Shaheen Afridi,” Watson said. “His wicket-taking ability is something special.
Babar, Shaheen feature in Shane Watson’s top five World T20 players
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1. Babar Azam (Pakistan) – ICC T20I Batting Ranking: 1 “First one I’d pick would be Babar Azam,” Watson said. “He’s the No.1 T20I batsman in the world, and he just knows how to “It’sdominate.likehe’s not even taking any risks, and he scores incredibly quickly against the best bowlers in the world. “He’s going to do very well in Australian conditions (during the T20 World Cup) as well, as his technique is very much built for Australian conditions.”
RaNKiNgs bOOst FOR PaKistaN, iNdia FOllOWiNg dOmiNaNt seRies sWeePs
11 Sports 24 AUGUST_Layout 1 8/23/2022 11:15 PM Page 1
Two more Imran,registeredcasesagainstotherPTIleaders
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. 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
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.
NEW YORK ageNcIeS Amid strain between the incumbent government and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday urged calm, de-escalation of tensions and respect for the rule of law in Pakistan. In response to a question about the “increasingly 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 impartial legal process”. “He urges calm, lowering of tensions, and respect for the rule of law, human rights and fundamental freedoms,” the spokesperson added.
Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb said that the PML-N-led government was not similar to the PTI-led government, saying the incumbent government won’t resort to the tactics that the former ruling party did in its four years, especially, arresting its opponents.
Cabinet agrees to provide troops for World Cup security in Qatar
Punjab govt launching PEP to provide relief to people: Dr Sania Nishtar
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 default, he said, adding but due to the untiring efforts of the incumbent government, that danger was over.
waived:
The first informant report (FIR) lodged by the 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 judiciary so that they could not fulfil their duties and refrain from taking action against the party due to fear of TheImran.PTIchief said he was expecting to be arrested 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.
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. 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.
MIxeD SIgnALS: Meanwhile, the ruling coalition flashed mixed signals on its decision regarding the arrest of Imran Khan and appeared to be maintaining 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 invest energies into political vendetta, the leading lights of the constituent parties of the coalition, however, seemed to agree to give their blessings to anything that took place with the “due legal course”.
ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt
UN chief urges de-escalation of political tensions in Pakistan
Fixed tax on retailers PM exempts 17.1m power consumers from FAC
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 Shehbaz Gill, his chief of staff, had been tortured after his initial arrest on August 9 in a sedition Chaudhrycase.had approved Gill’s physical remand — even after he complained of custodial torture and sexual abuse, and sought medical treatment.
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 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 practically, the things went wrong which did not reflectImpositionreality. of such taxes was against the spirit of what they had discussed, he said, adding due to such measures, the small shopkeepers had to face an extra burden of paying taxes. 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 submit 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.
“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 twoday 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.
LAHORE Staff RepoRt 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, Senator Waleed Iqbal, Punjab Law Minister Khurram Shehzad 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 Tehreeke-Insaf chairman Imran Khan, adding that a law would be passed by the provincial assembly to give legal protection 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 umbrella 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 Program would be started from next month. “The Punjab government wants to help the people without hurting their self-esteem”, she added.
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 leaders is not uncommon in Pakistan, where Khan’s government also used them against opponents and critics.
The nation has seen at least one prime minister, and some lawmakers, unseated 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. INp
The UN chief had returned to New York on the weekend from a trip to Europe.
DOHA Staff RepoRt Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday announced a complete exemption for about 17.1 million electricity consumers out of 30 million in the country from paying fuel adjustment charges in the electricityAsbills.immediate relief measures to the masses, the prime minister said the government had also notified rescinding of levy of fixed taxes on retailers and shopkeepers. He announced that out of 30 million consumers, a total of 17.100 million would not pay the fuel adjustment charges (FAC) in their electricity bills, as it was now removed. “After this relief announcement, they will not pay a single rupee under the FAC,” he added. He said about 300,000 users of agriculture 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 announced soon, adding they were also reviewing other power users’ costs.
PoLItIcAL turMoIL: 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 Magistrate Ali Javed for threatening the additional sessions judge of the federal capital, Zeba Chaudhry.
“We will sue you,” Khan told the charged meeting, referring to the judge. Acting on a mysterious complaint it received against the Pakistan Tehreek-iInsaf (PTI) chair, police in Islamabad filed terrorism charges against Khan, further escalating 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 HassanTheAurangzeb.issuecould be a threat for Khan, who has been campaigning for new elections since being forced to step down this year, since a conviction would disqualify him from standing for election, legal experts“Itsaid.isa 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.”
pRayeR tImINgS FAJR SUNRISE ZUHR ASR MAGHRIB ISHA 4:10 5:00 1:30 5:15 7:08 9:15 Wednesday, 24 August, 2022 NEWS Published by Arif Nizami at Qandeel Printing Press, 4 Queens Road, Lahore, for PT Print (Pvt) Limited. Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965. Email: newsroom@pakistantoday.com.pk
CourT ACTIoN AgAINsT IMrAN
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 Association (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.
Earlier, Punjab Minister for Social Welfare Ghazanfar Abbas, Secretary Waqas Ali, Punjab Social Protection Authority Vice Chairman Jamal Nasir met with Dr Sania Nishtar. They discussed the action plan regarding the field operations of Ehsaas Ration Program and the inclusion of Anjuman Tajran in the program.
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.
ISLAMABAD ReuteRS
ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt T HEIslamabad High Court (IHC) issued a show-cause notice to Imran Khan and summoned the former prime minister in his personal capacity on August 31 as it launched contempt proceedings over his purported threats to a junior judge at a weekend rally.
WeIghs CoNTeMPT
