RAWALPINDI Staff RepoRt t hePakistan Army is ‘aghast’ at the ‘defamatory and uncalled for statement’ by Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan regarding the institution’s senior leadership, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Monday. The military’s strong exception comes a day after the former premier, during a public gathering on Sunday, fired a broadside at his political rivals, alleging that Nawaz and Zardari wanted to appoint an army chief of their own choice because a “strong and patriotic army chief” would question their “loot”. According to the military’s media wing, a “regrettable” attempt was made to “discredit and undermine senior leadership” of the army at a time when “the institution is laying [down] lives for the security and safety of the people of Pakistan”. The ISPR statement further said that it was “most unfortunate and disappointing” when senior politicians try to stir up controversies regarding the appointment of the chief of army staff, “the procedure for which is well defined in the Constitution”. “The senior leadership of [the] army has decades-long impeccable meritorious service to prove its patriotic and professional credentials beyond any doubt,” it added. The statement maintained that the politicizing of the senior leadership of the army and scandalizing of the process of selection of army chief was not in the interest of Pakistan nor of the institution. “The Pakistan Army reiterates its commitment to uphold the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan,” the statement added.
Army ‘AghAst’ At ImrAn KhAn’s ‘defAmAtory’ AllegAtIons on CoAs AppoIntment: Ispr Tuesday, 6 September, 2022 I 9 Safar, 1444 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XIII No 68 I 12 Pages I Lahore Edition CONTINUED ON PAGE 03
At their meeting later on Monday, the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) and its allies, a group known as Opec+, will discuss oil output cuts of 100,000 barrels per day among other options, sources from the group told Reuters. “The group is expected to leave output targets unchanged, but it’s likely that a cut will be at least discussed; which, if followed through on, would create more volatility and uncertainty at a time of considerable unease,” said Craig Erlam, senior market analyst at Oanda. Russia, the world’s secondlargest oil producer and a key Opec+ member, does not support a production cut at this time and the producer group is likely to decide to keep output steady, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday, citing unnamed sources. Oil prices have fallen in the past three months from multi-year highs hit in March, pressured by concerns that interest rate increases and Covid19 curbs in parts of China could slow global economic growth and dent oil demand. Lockdown measures in China’s southern technology hub of Shenzhen eased on Monday as new infections showed signs of stabilising though the city remains on high vigilance.
Tuesday, 6 September, 2022 LAHORE 02 NEWS
Oil prices jump more than $2 ahead of OPEC+ meeting
The euro fell below 99 cents for the first time in nearly two decades, while sterling was on the ropes on Monday as Russia’s halt on gas supply down its main pipeline to Europe sparked concerns over energy prices and growth. The euro slid to $0.988 in Asia trade, the lowest level since 2002, while sterling hit a new 2.5 year low at $1.144, and remained close to its pandemicMeanwhile,trough.
Ismaili Imamat donates $10 million to flood relief efforts
The KSE 100-index of the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) Monday witnessed a bearish trend, losing 449.81 points, a negative change of 1.06%, closing at 41,859.30 points against 42,309.11 points on the last working day. A total of 156,803,627 shares were traded during the day compared to the trade of 160,139,274 shares the previous day, whereas the price of shares stood at Rs4.368 billion against Rs4.630 billion on the last trading day. As many as 361 companies transacted shares in the stock market, 76 of them recorded gain and 265 sustained losses, whereas the share price of 20 companies remained unchanged. The three top trading companies were WorldCall Telecom with a volume of 14,843,500 shares and price per share of Rs1.21, Pak Refinery with volume of 12,792,473 shares.
PSX loses 449 points
PESHAWAR Aziz Buneri
WASHINGTON reuters
Oil prices rose more than $2 a barrel on Monday, extending gains as investors eyed possible moves by Opec+ producers to cut output and support prices at a meeting later in the Brentday.crude futures advanced by $2.43, or 2.6 per cent, to $95.45 a barrel by 0850 GMT after rising 0.7pc on Friday. US West Texas Intermediate crude was up $2.21, or 2.5pc, at $89.08 after a 0.3pc gain in the previous session. US markets are closed for a public holiday on Monday.
Euro hits 20-year low on Russian gas halt
As many as 105 mini hydel power stations in nine districts of Malakand and Hazara division have been severely damaged or destroyed completely due to rains and floods, according to a preliminary report compiled by the Pakhtunkhwa Energy Development Organization (PEDO). The damage and destruction has caused a total loss of Rs480 million. According to PEDO’s report, 25 power stations in Swat, 19 in Chitral, 14 in Dir Upper, 13 each in Shangla and Kohistan, nine in Bitgram, eight in Mansehra, and two each in Lower Dir and Buner have been affected. In addition, a 400 KW power station in Bahrain, a 500 KW power station in Utror, a 300 KW power station in Ranolia, a 300 KW power station in Mansehra, a 100 KW power station in Kaghan, a 40 KW power station in Kohistan and 15 KW power station in Swat have been also been affected. According to the organisation’s project director, mini-hydel power stations in Dubir, Lower Kohistan, Kalan, Bahrain and Swat are the worst affected. It may be noted here that PEDO had completed the set up of 316 micro-hydel power stations across the province till June, of which 105 have been affected by the floods.
APP The Ismaili Imamat has announced it will be donating US$10 million to support relief efforts following the severe flooding in Pakistan. $5m will be donated directly to the Government of Pakistan while a further $5m will be provided to the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) agencies in the country, which are engaged in the relief efforts, said a press release here on Monday. The donation comes following a discussion on Sunday between the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Prince Rahim Aga Khan, Chair of AKDN’s Environment and Climate Committee and eldest son of His Highness the Aga Khan, the 49th hereditary Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims. Prince Rahim said “I am deeply concerned about the impact of the current floods in Pakistan, which have been intensified by the effects of climate change. These floods, and the many other weather events we are experiencing around the world, require us all— governments, businesses, communities, and individuals—to redouble our efforts to combat the climate crisis which threatens to engulf us. The institutions of the Ismaili Imamat have been mobilised to support the government in its relief and rehabilitation efforts.”
t
the US dollar index, which measures the greenback against a basket of six currencies with the euro the most heavily weighted, hit a new twodecade high, surging to a top of 110.25.Russia scrapped a Saturday deadline for flows down the Nord Stream pipeline to resume, citing an oil leak in a turbine. It coincided with the Group of Seven finance ministers announcing a price cap on Russian oil. The pound has also been weighed down by concerns over rising energy costs. British foreign minister Liz Truss said over the weekend she would set out immediate action to tackle rising energy bills and increase energy supplies if she is to become Britain’s next prime minister, as expected.“Wecan’t have any confidence in the outlook for natural gas in Europe, and this is a negative for the euro. It heavily depends on Putin,” said Osamu Takashima, Citigroup Global Markets’ chief FX strategist. The yen, at 140.38 per dollar, was under pressure near a 24-year low. The risk-sensitive Australian dollar slid 0.41 per cent and was near a seven-week low at $0.678. “The first order effect seems to be that the heightened geopolitical risk and consequent adverse global demand shocks will probably be the effects dominating,” said Vishnu Varathan, head of economics and strategy at Mizuho Bank in Singapore.“Theadverse demand shocks in a very unsavoury geopolitical environment are probably going to trigger, and reflect, safe demand for the U.S. dollar … the European currencies are perhaps going to be the worst hit and on the back foot.” Outsized rate hikes are on the cards this week. Markets have priced a near 80pc chance of a 75 basis point (bp) hike in Europe and an almost 70pc chance of a 50 bp hike in “OneAustralia.would have anticipated that a hawkish ECB (European Central Bank) should deliver some kind of a tailwind to the euro. But instead what you might get is the policy tradeoff and dilemma biting in,” Varathan said. In the United States, pricing for a 75 bp hike this month has pared back somewhat after a mixed jobs report on Friday, that contained a few hints of a loosening labour market.
The Aga Khan Agency for Habitat and FOCUS are AKDN’s lead response agencies for relief efforts. To date over 8,000 people have been successfully evacuated from affected areas while more than 4,000 families have been provided with food packages since the start of the flooding. Healthcare camps have been set up in several parts of the country by the Aga Khan University and Aga Khan Health Service where over 2,000 flood affected people have been given assistance. AKAH Pakistan, HBL Bank and Jubilee Life Insurance, both part of the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development portfolio, have been active supporters in the relief efforts providing food rations and waterproof tents to over 12,000 families.
During the discussion, the Prime Minister expressed appreciation on behalf of the people and Government of Pakistan for the unwavering support of the Ismaili Imamat and the AKDN institutions. He also expressed his deepest respects for the work that the AKDN institutions have been delivering in Pakistan since its independence.
ISLAMABAD APP
PARIS reuters
ISLAMABAD stAff rePort HEIslamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday wrapped up a petition challenging a ban on live telecast of former prime minister Imran Khan’s speeches and directed Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) to act per the guidelines issued by the Supreme Court in this Duringregard. a hearing chaired by the chief justice of the high court, Athar Minallah, a counsel for PEMRA said the purpose of issuing show-cause was to ensure a delay in the live broadcast of addresses. “Our direction was not for a particular politician,” the counsel said. The chief justice said the PEMRA should act according to the rules and the court would not intervene in its operations. “Are you satisfied with the last order of the court,” the chief justice asked and on receiving an affirmative reply, wrapped up the case. Earlier during the hearing, a lawyer for Khan drew the ire of the bench for his remarks against the appointment of the military’s leader. “Which way you are moving? [sic] Why are you damaging the state institutions,” the court remarked. “You are making it difficult for yourself through such remarks. What message are you giving to the world through these statements?” the court asked, adding that even remarks do not fall under Article 19 of the Constitution which endorses the right to freedom of speech. The court remarked that every citizen is bound to act as per law and such remarks will have repercussions and political leaders should give statements keeping in view that they would also leave an impact on their followers. “You should not expect a relief from court over such actions,” the bench warned.
Floods destroy 105 mini hydropower stations in Malakand, Hazara
Ban on BroadcaSt of Imran’S SPeecheS: Pemra ordered to follow Sc guIdelIneS
Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi on Monday appointed Mian Aslam Iqbal MPA as Senior Minister of the province. The Chief Minister’s House has also issued the notification of Mian Aslam Iqbal as Senior Minister. Mian Aslam Iqbal also holds the portfolio of the Housing Urban Development & Public health Engineering, Industries, Commerce, and Investment & Skills Development.
Punjab faces wheat shortage after devastating floods
STAff REPORT
ISLAMABAD MAnAl JAffery a day after PTI chairman Imran Khan made controversial remarks against the top military leadership of the country, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said that a “long legal battle” would be initiated against the former prime minister very soon. “Some actions have already been taken while some are going to take place soon. Our legal experts are examining it and they will act accordingly,” he said while addressing a press conference in Islamabad on Monday. The defence minister said the legal action against the former premier would be based on “cooked up cases” for political victimisation he had launched during his last tenure and added that the legal proceedings would not depict political vendetta or score settling on political grounds. He also lashed out at the former premier for passing controversial remarks related to the appointment of new army chief, accusing him of attacking the country’s economy and defence institutions under the ‘inimical designs’ of the enemies of Pakistan. The minister said after independence our perpetual enemy India attempted to weaken Pakistan by targeting our economy and armed forces. “Yesterday in Faisalabad, Imran Khan made comments on COAS (Chief of Army Staff) appointment. In the past few months Imran Khan clearly targeted these two areas,” he remarked. Asif said the PTI chairman during his tenure in October past year made the sensitive matter of appointments in armed forces a topic of public discussion. “We passed the no-confidence motion after his allies decided to leave him [Imran Khan]. But after that he started targeting forces and called them names like ‘neutrals’ and ‘animals’,” he said. He emphasised that the pattern of past four months showed that he was targeting Pakistan’s economy and defence. “Yesterday, Khan alleged that the senior generals next in line to be the COAS are going to provide illicit protection to the misappropriations of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) leadership.” He underscored that it was not the job of the armed forces rather they had sworn in to defend the masses and the motherland. “There’s no commitment in their oath to defend the politicians if they do so then they will violate their own oath. Imran Khan is on record for saying that they cannot be neutral and he demanded protection from them.”
“They are afraid that when a patriotic army chief comes, he will ask them about their loot,” he said. Shehbaz, Zardari condemn Imran’s comments: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and other ruling coalition leaders condemned Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan’s ‘poisonous’ allegations that Nawaz Sharif and Asif Zardari want to appoint the army chief of their choice. Responding to Imran’s statement, PM Shehbaz maintained that the PTI chief’s “despicable utterances to malign institutions” were touching new heights “every day”. In a statement on Twitter, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) co-chair Asif Ali Zardari said that the nation could now see who the real “insurgent” was. Without naming the ousted premier, Zardari stated that Imran was attempting to weaken the country which “could not happen” in the PPP leader’s lifetime and that he will not allow state institutions to become a topic of controversy because of one man. “From our soldiers to generals, everyone is brave and loves this country,” Zardari said.
US Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee conferred with Hilal-e-Pakistan award
STAff REPORT Chinese company will provide more solar panels on roof to Pakistan to ease power?, China Economic Net (CEN) reported on Monday. “After entering summer, many areas in Pakistan suffered prolonged power outages, driving up people’s demand for solar panels on roof. In the future, we will focus on the distributed solar power in Pakistan, providing more solar panels on roof for residents as well as industrial and commercial buildings”, said Mr. Li Xiaopeng, Regional Sales Manager of Longi Solar.
Despite breach caused to Manchar Lake at Sehwan in Sindh, the water level in the lake, instead of dropping, has gone further up so much so that now it has entered over 50 surrounding villages located in two union councils and has reached close to the Indus Highway on Monday. Sources in the irrigation department as well as in the district administration told that when the breach was caused at the site of Bagh-e-Yousaf, the water level was 23-feet high, which after 11 hours rose to 25-feet. Sources further disclosed that the authorities had also shelved their plans to cause two more breaches in the lake following rise in water level in the River Indus. Today, they added, water level in the river would be monitored, and that the decision to cause more breaches depended on water level in the mighty Indus.
STAff REPORT Wheat and flour crises have hit Punjab province after flash floods triggered by heavy downpours damaged the crops in the country, source said on Monday. According to sources, flash floods have damaged 0.3 million tonnes of wheat in Rajanpur and Fazilpur districts of Punjab province. Sources said that the Punjab food department has requested the federal government to allow import of one million tonnes of wheat as the province was witnessing a wheat shortage. Sources further said that Punjab’s wheat quota was 16,700 tonnes per day. However, they added, the requirement has increased to 25,000 tonnes. “The province could face famine in December if the government didn’t allow to import wheat,” sources claimed, adding that the price of a 20-kilogram bag of flour has reached Rs890. Meanwhile, Asim Raza – Chairman Flour Mills Association – warned of famine if such situation persists. He pointed out that Punjab was witnessing a wheat shortage, demanding the federal government to immediately increase the wheat quota for the province. Earlier in August, Pakistan Agricultural Storage and Services Corporation (PASSCO) claimed that the flash floods triggered by heavy rains have damaged wheat worth billions of rupees across the country. According to details, the PASSCO revealed the statistics during the meeting of National Assembly Standing Committee on National Food Security, held under the chairmanship of Rao Muhammad Ajmal.
The Chinese solar giant, which has rolled out the first one-stop solar solution in its home country, has signed an MoU with the largest bank in Pakistan HBL to provide financial support to potential solar panel users. Responding to the recent flood in Pakistan, Mr. Li said the company is planning to provide assistance to locals through free distribution of clean drinking water and solar systems. “In addition, we are working with our Pakistani partners to donate a 20KW solar energy system to a local school for the hearing-impaired. We will also roll out a scholarship program in Lahore this month to cover the tuition fee of 20 primary school students for a year”, Mr. Li told CEN. As more extreme weather occurs, the company is adapting its products to the aggravating climate change, such as the operation and maintenance of solar devices under high temperature, which haunted Pakistan this summer, alert of extreme weather conditions, and methods to protect the solar devices when flood hits. Recently, the company supplied nearly 50MW of solar modules to BESTWAY Cement, Pakistan’s secondlargest cement manufacturer. Up to now, the equipment at Farooqia, Chakwal, KalarKahar, and Hattar plants have been installed. After they are connected to the grid, it is expected to generate 77GWh of electricity a year and reduce nearly 600,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions.“Pakistan will add 3,000 MW of wind power and 7,000 MW of photovoltaic capacity by 2030 to meet its target of generating 25% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2025 and 30% by 2030. Undoubtedly, we will see a very strong demand for new energy in Pakistan in the future. We are working with Pakistani partners to propel the country into the Gigawatt Era in terms of solar usage”, Mr. Li added. company provides more solar panels to Pakistan easing power shortage
Punjab cm appoints mian aslam Iqbal a senior minister
The minister lambasted Imran for his accusations and said that it was not the PDM leadership rather he himself would need security for his corruption in prohibited funding, Tosha Khana and other cases. “The armed forces will never do that and they will only defend the honour and security of the motherland for which they spill their blood. Imran Khan’s accusations are a disrespect of the sacrifices of the armed forces,” he maintained.
Indian Cd’A summoned to register strong protest over extra-judicial killing of Pakistani national
affected areas and population. According to a local media outlet, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Senator also explained the ongoing relief efforts. “The devastation on ground is much more than we encountered in the 2010 floods. This time, however, we are unable to find dry ground to land our helicopter sorties providing relief,” she said. “We had a cataclysmic start to the year, with temperatures reaching 53 degrees in Sindh followed by heatwaves and 3 times the normal amount of GLOFs.” Sherry highlighted how the south remains inundated and poses a danger to human health. APP Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has forecast more rain wind/thundershower in Kashmir, Gilgit Baltistan, upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and east Punjab during the next 24 hours.Isolated heavy falls may occur in Potohar region, Kashmir and adjoining areas during the period. Hot and humid weather is likely to prevail elsewhere in the country. According to the synoptic situation, moist currents from Arabian sea were penetrating central and upper parts of the country and likely to continue during next 24-36 hours. During the last 24 hours, rainwind-thundershower occurred at upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, upper/ central Punjab and Kashmir. However, hot and humid weather prevailed in other parts of the country. The rainfall recorded was Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: Kakul 84mm, Saidu Sharif 12, Mardan 18, Malam Jabba 10, Bacha Khan Airport 07, Peshawar (City) 04, Dir (Upper 03, Lower 01), Balakot Punjab: Saidpur 07), Sialkot (City 52, Airport 44), Rawalpindi (Shamsabad, Chaklala 46, Kachhari 35), Mangala 43, Okara 42, Gujrat 39, Attock 33, Gujranwala 24, Jhelum 23, Faisalabad 21, Toba Tek Singh 15, Murree 07, Mandi Bahauddin, Jhang 03, Sahiwal 02, Narowal 01, Kashmir: Muzaffarabad (City 36, Airport 19), Kotli 30, Rawalakot 07 and Garhi Dupatta 06mm. The highest maximum temperatures recorded were Dalbandin 41 C, Nokkundi, and Chilas 40 C.
The Indian Charge d’Affaires (Cd’A) on Monday was called to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to register a strong protest over the extra-judicial killing of Tabarak Hussain, a Pakistani national in an Indian army hospital in Rajouri, Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir“The(IIOJK).Cd’Awas told to convey to his government Pakistan’s strong condemnation of the killing of Tabarak Hussain, a mentally challenged Pakistani national who had inadvertently crossed the border at Naushera in Rajouri district on August 21, 2022 and was mercilessly shot by Indian security forces,” the Foreign Office spokesperson said in a press statement. The Cd’A was conveyed Pakistan’s outright rejection of the claim that Tabarak Hussain died of ‘cardiac arrest’ as purported by the Indian authorities as well as the mischievous narrative being spun that Hussain had been sent by the Pakistan Army. “Government of India has been called upon to share the details of this particular incident, including a credible post-mortem report to determine the cause of death and undertake a transparent investigation to bring to account whoever is responsible for the murder of the Pakistani prisoner. Prompt and expeditious repatriation of the mortal remains of the deceased to Pakistan, as per the wishes of his family was also demanded,” the spokesperson added. The Cd’A was reminded that the Indian claims held no water, as Tabarak Hussain being of unsound mental health, had inadvertently crossed the border in 2016 and had to be repatriated to Pakistan after serving a 26-month long prison term. It was underscored that the incident had further heightened Pakistan’s serious concerns over the safety, security and well-being of other Pakistanis in Indian custody. The Cd’A was also reminded of another brutal extrajudicial killing of a Pakistani prisoner Muhammed Ali Hussain by the Indian authorities recently, it was added.
More rain, wind thundershower likely at few parts of country: PMD
The defence minister underscored that the armed forces of Pakistan had a long tradition of sacrifices where officers and soldiers both embraced martyrdom in the war against terrorism. Recently, he said three-star general, two star general and other officials embraced martyrdom in the Labella helicopter crash while serving the nation in crisis, adding, “Our history has a great number of sacrifices. Our armed forces are playing lead role in disaster relief efforts.” aSIf warnS Imran Khan agaInSt ‘long legal Battle’ Soon
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STAff REPORT President Arif Alvi on Monday conferred the Hilale-Pakistan award on US Congressional delegation head, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee. Hilal-e-Pakistan award is the second highest of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The award recognizes those people who have made meritorious contribution to the national interests of Pakistan.Separately, in a meeting with the US Congressional delegation, Climate Change Minister Sherry Rehman informed them about the assistance required for rehabilitation of the flood
Chinese
army ‘aghast’ at Imran Khan’s appointment:allegations‘defamatory’oncoaSISPr
govt to revise gdP targets owing to devastating floods
CONTINuED fROM PAGE 01
03NEWS Tuesday, 6 September, 2022 | LAHORE NEWS DESk
PTI leader Imran Khan, addressing a public rally at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad on Sunday asked the ruling coalition why they were “afraid of fresh elections”? He added that it was because they knew that they would be eliminated in transparent elections. “The second reason is that the new army chief is coming in November. Zardari and Nawaz want to bring their favourite as the next army chief because they have stolen public money,” he said.
STAff REPORT
over 50 villages inundated in Sehwan despite breach in manchar lake
ISLAMABAD shAhzAd PArAchA Federal government is likely to revise gross domestic product (GDP) targets owing to devastating floods in the country. Sources said that the GDP growth will remain around 2.3 per cent during the fiscal year 202223 (FY23). The International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) had forecasted 3.5pc GDP in a recent report. Sources said that the floods have severely impacted the agricultural sector in Sindh, Balochistan, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). Therefore, growth in the agricultural sector is expected to decelerate by 0.7pc from the planned target of 3.9pc during the current fiscal. The growth in the industrial sector is also estimated to come down by 1.9pc from the planned target of 5.9pc, while the post-flood growth of the services sector is estimated to be 3.5pc against the target of 5.1pc during FY23. Sources said that 37pc of the country’s population has been affected by recent floods, leading to an unprecedented increase in poverty and unemployment, which ultimately could push the poverty rate from 21pc to 36pc while the inflation rate could reach 30pc during FY23.
105 mini hydel power stations in Malakand, Hazara: PEDO According to a preliminary report compiled by the Pakhtunkhwa Energy Development Organization (PEDO), 105 mini hydel power stations in nine districts of Malakand and Hazara division have been severely damaged or destroyed completely due to rains and floods. These power plants, which are located in nine districts across Malakand and Hazara divisions, caused a total loss of Rs480 million. Aziz Buneri
The Parliamentary Task Force on SDGs oversees progress on the climate-related goal of SDGs while Standing Committee on climate change also actively scrutinizes government climate action and environmental response, he added. National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf also called on the global community to take action to tackle the climate crisis and come forward to help Pakistan as it had been affected the most. He further informed that the National Assembly of Pakistan in collaboration with the International Parliamentary Union (IPU ) was hosting a regional seminar that would focus on the ongoing climate catastrophe and this seminar would also draw the world’s attention to the economic and human losses faced by our people, for which we were not even responsible. While appreciating the efforts of the organizers for taking the initiative to hold a dialogue on the importance of introducing climate resilient agriculture in the country, the Speaker expressed hope that this conference would be fruitful for the formulation of a national discourse on agriculture and food security. Prof. Dr. Sher Muhammad, Chairman Department of Agriculture Sciences, AIOU, expressed gratitude to Speaker National Assembly Raja Pervaiz Ashraf for inaugurating the seminar. This three-day international conference was organized by the Department of Agricultural Sciences, Allama Iqbal Open University.
Tuesday, 6 September, 2022 | LAHORE 04 NEWS app C
“The Indian claims of their victory in war were bogus. On ground, there was no evidence to support Indian claims,” an American Radio Service Journalist Rai Milan, who witnessed the 1965 war, had recorded in his published-diary report.
ChInA wIll dIsPAtCh 200 tons of onIons to flood-hIt PEoPlE of PAkIstAn: foREIgn MInIstRy
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari in their separate have already expressed profound gratitude to the Chinese leadership and people for the additional relief assistance for flood victims in Pakistan. The spokeswoman said, since the beginning of the floods, the Chinese side had been standing together with Pakistan and making every effort to provide disaster relief assistance.She said, the Chinese leaders including President Xi Jinping and Premier, Li Keqiang sent messages of sympathy to their Pakistani counterparts. The Chinese government promptly sent urgently needed supplies, including tents to Pakistan. The Red Cross Society of China offered donations to the Pakistan Red Crescent Society. Sub-national governments, organizations and people in China have all expressed sympathies and support in various ways.“A ruthless disaster can bring out the best of humanity. We’re ready to maintain close communication cooperation with Pakistani side to fully give them the help and assistance,” she commented.
Staff RepoRt
September 06 – A saga of unflinching faith, braveryFloodsdestroy
Staff RepoRt
Swayed by its military might and abhorrence for a peaceful neighbour, Indian guns roared and fighter jets took on sorties amidst advancement by Indian ground troops aspiring to capture Pakistan’s bordering city of Lahore by the fall of night. The wee hours September 06 attack on Burki, Kasur and Chowinda sectors was massive, driven by India’s desire for kneeing down Pakistani forces within hours and capturing important cities within a day. But, they never knew that they had challenged a nation endowed with the passion of martyrdom and defence of their motherland till the last drop of blood. The countrymen had woken up perplexed listening to firing voices when the clarion call of Field Marshal Ayub Khan touched their ears, “India has attacked Lahore and Pakistan is at war” and around 100 million Pakistanis responded with faith and belief to their General’sThecall.spirit of nationalism surged and around a 100 million brave dwellers of The Land of Pure (Pakistan) manifested purity of their faith and bravery to thwart Indian aggression making the enemy to eat dust just in a few hours resistance.
Staff RepoRt Speaker National Assembly Raja Pervaiz Ashraf on Monday said that the formulation of national discourse on climate change was the obligation of intelligentsia and academia. He further said that Pakistan was vulnerable to climate change even though it contributed less than 1 percent of global Greenhouse Gasses that warm our planet. He expressed these views while addressing the inaugural session of the First International Conference on “Climate Resilient Agriculture for Sustainable Development & Food Security” organized by Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) in Islamabad. “We need to take preemptive measures to control global warming, universities and academia should step forward to play a role and give suggestions to the policy makers based on research,” he suggested. He said that natural disasters, storms, volcanoes, earthquakes, or floods are not under human control, but with early preparation and timely measures, we can protect ourselves from the effects of these disasters. While talking about the damages to life and property in the country caused by recent devastating torrential rains and floods, he said that the agricultural lands had submerged and all major crops and livestock had perished across the country. The Speaker said the National Assembly of Pakistan was effectively highlighting challenges due to climate change through vibrant parliamentary democracy.
HINAhas put together 200 tons of onions and will soon dispatch via Karakoram Highway to the floodhit people of Pakistan, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, Mao Ning said on Monday. “Based on Pakistan’s needs, the Chinese side has put together 200 tons of vegetables and will deliver them via the Karakoram Highway as soon as possible,” she said during her regular briefing while responding to a question asked by APP correspondent. Mao Ning, a member of the Communist Party of China (CPC), took over as 33rd spokesperson of Chinese Foreign Ministry. China Meteorological Administration provided Pakistan with real-time weather forecast and technological support, she added.She announced that on top of the RMB 100 million emergency humanitarian assistance, the Chinese government has decided to provide additional disaster relief supplies worth RMB 300 million.
Chairman of China International Development Cooperation Agency, Luo Zhaohui on Saturday announced the donation decision during his virtual meeting with Chairman of National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Akhtar Nawaz.
NA Speaker for formulation of national discourse on climate change
Prof. Dr. Azim Khalid of PMAS Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi was the keynote speaker, whereas other speakers include the Rector, Fast National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences, Dr. Aftab Maroof, Dean Faculty of Science, AIOU, Prof. Dr. Irshad Ahmed Arshad, Dean Faculty of Education, Prof. Dr. Nasir Mehmood, Registrar, Raja Umar Younis.
Pakistan looks forward to grasp opportunities under RCEP for better future
Imran wasted four years in pursuing false cases against opponents: Ahsan Iqbal Staff RepoRt Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal Monday said former Prime Minister Imran Khan wasted four years of his government in pursing false cases against his political opponents. Addressing a press briefing here, the minister said Imran Khan had spent millions of rupees in baseless cases but could not prove corruption of even a single rupee against his opponents. He said the person who enjoyed full power for four years, is now innocently doing speeches in public gatherings misleading the people about his intentions. During his power, he said, Imran Khan had followed the agenda of economic destruction and today he is still following the same agenda. “Imran Khan can not tell even a single project that was initiated and completed during his four years’ term. I challenge him”, he said adding that the PML-N government during its tenure (2013-18) started dozens of projects and completed them within three to four years. He said Imran Niazi should tell what actually he means when he claims about real freedom (Haqeeqi Azadi). “Where was the real freedom when Imran Khan was surrendering before the International Monetary Fund (IMF), where was his real freedom when Indian PM Modi forcefully changed the status of Occupied Kashmir, and when the project of national interest China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was sabotaged.” He said the reality is that in 2018, the PML-N left with a prosperous and economical strong Pakistan, however when the allied government of PDM took the charge five months ago, the situation was worst than ever in history of the country as the country was put on the verge of default. He said under the leadership of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the incumbent government has controlled the economic crisis and situation is now far better than that few months ago. Ahsan Iqbal said today the country is facing another challenge of flood devastation and all the individuals and departments, besides the friendly countries are playing active role in the relief and rehabilitation activities in the flood hit areas, but Imran Niazi was busy doing public gatherings. Yesterday, he said Imran Khan attacked the armed forces and its merit system which is well recognized internationally.
“It was an astonishing day. We woke up with the roar of fighter jets,” said Abdur Razzaq Malik, a 61-year old citizen, who had witnessed the War of September 1965 as a minor. “In this perplexing moment, people had gathered at our home to know the updates on the situation at the only radio in whole vicinity when the voice of President Ayub Khan resounded warning India of a lesson learning defeat,” Razzak said. Recalling the sounds of Pakistani fighter jets rising to the skies to defeat the cowardly enemy, Razzak said as soon as the President’s speech ended the people started chanting slogans of Allah-o-Akbar (Allah is the greatest) and resolved to fight the enemy till its defeat. When Pakistan’s valiant forces were fighting with the enemy on war front, the nation was busy in digging trenches, preparing food packets for soldiers and boosting their morale with invaluable support. The whole nation stood united with singers, writers, intellectuals, civil bureaucracy, railway personnel, the police and students playing their due role. Ex-servicemen rushed to recruiting centers for presenting their service to fight on the front as singers galvanized the nation with patriotic songs. Shopkeepers generously donated daily use items for the soldiers fighting on the front. Pakistani women including Girl Guide movement and All Pakistan Women’s Association collected funds, arranged blood donation camps and offered services to the medical corps as nursing volunteers. Students and young people thronged the roadsides to provide food, water and other edibles to their troops. Many flocked to Army Centers to offer their services in the war efforts like digging trenches and joining civil defenseIndianforce.Army’s assurance to its government of capturing Lahore by the evening dashed to ground after stiff resistance on Burki, Chowinda and other major fronts.
The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) is a ray of hope for developing countries aiming to turn green & clean goals into concrete action and Pakistan is looking forward to grasp this opportunity for a better, healthier future, said Commercial Counsellor of Pakistan Embassy in China Ghulam Qadir. Pakistan entered into a much more elaborate Phase-II of the China Pakistan Free Trade Agreement, where over 90% of exports face no tariff, he told the audience at the seminar titled China International Economics and Technology Administration Forum (CIETAF) held at the National Convention Center here. Pakistan is looking to connect FTA into a comprehensive economic partnership with China and other countries including services, technology transfer, and industrialization cooperation, this is a great step for Pakistan and we feel encouraged to enter into larger regional agreements like ASEAN and RCEP, he mentioned.
IHC Chief Justice Athar Minullah heard the case. “We have to clean this stain on the court. You have made an allegation in the affidavit. Now you have to prove it,” he said to Rana Shamim. “As long as there is an affidavit, this court will not accept an unconditional apology. It is important that what is said is being said by whom. You have been a former chief judge; you must realise the seriousness of the matter,” he addressed Rana Shamim. “If a common man commits such contempt of court, it will not be so serious. This affidavit has now become public, and it will affect the fair trial of cases pending in this court,” the IHC chief justice stated. “If the affidavit was not published, it would be my personal document,” Rana Shamim said. “This court will give you a full opportunity for a transparent trial. Call whoever you want to call as a witness; this court will not stop you,” the IHC chief justice assured him. “Provide the details of your witnesses by September 7,” IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah asked Rana Shamim and the additional attorney general.
“Other political leaders including Imran Khan should not contest elections on more than one seat. Until Imran Khan’s resignation is accepted by the National Assembly, he cannot contest the by-election,” it stated.
CoopeRatIonIHCasksex-chiefjudgeRanaShamimtosubmitwitnesses’
The US delegation which also included ambassador Donald Blome reviewed the flood situation on the ground and during an aerial view of the area.The members of the delegation were briefed by Major General Dilawar Khan, Brigadier Hasnat Ahmed and DC Dadu Syed Murtaza Ali Shah about the ongoing relief activities and losses caused by the torrential rains and floods in the affected areas. The delegation praised the rescue and rehabilitation efforts of the armed forces. The US congresswoman also met with flood victims and distributed gifts among them. The delegation reiterated its commitment that America and the American people stood with Pakistan in this hour of difficulty. The hosts reiterated to further strengthen the friendship between the two countries. They assured Pakistan of USís generous assistance in the form of food, tents, and medicines to deal with the flood disaster. app
“The Supreme Court is an institution for the protection of basic human rights. After the contest of elections on more than one seats, byelections are held on those seats again. Millions of rupees are spent on by-elections from the national treasury,” it pointed out. The petition was filed by Mian Asif Mehmood Advocate. Imran Khan, federal government and the election commission were made respondents in the petition.
The Supreme Court (SC) on Monday rejected the appeals filed by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) regarding levying additional tax on the salaried class. A three-member bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Umar Ata Bandial, heard the appeals. During the hearing of the appeals, Justice Mansoor Ali Shah asked the lawyers representing the FBR as to what was the logic behind levying 30 per cent tax on those drawing Rs1 million in salary in the corporate sector. “We want to know the reason behind that,” CJP Justice Umar Ata Bandial insisted. Justice Qazi Faez Isa went even further and said the court wanted to know as to why the tax was not imposed on the lawyers who were paid Rs1 million in fee. “Similarly, we are interested in knowing as to why you did not levy tax on the businessmen having income of Rs1 million,” he said, and added, “Many people in Pakistan earn more than Rs1 million.”
05NEWS Tuesday, 6 September, 2022 | LAHORE
islamabad Staff RepoRt
If such a policy is opted by the government, then it should be the responsibility of policymakers and intelligentsia that it is followed in both letter and spirit. However, such policies have their limitations and change of societal norms that restrict the women from working is the sine qua non for this intricate issue. Some critics of this agreement might say that even if the female doctors are not practicing, they would at least be educated.
Gender Disparity in Medical Profession
list by Sep 7 in contempt case islamabad Staff RepoRt
The Board’s lawyer replied that the additional tax had been levied only on ‘bonus’. Justice Mansoor asked, “Is bonus not part of the Addressingsalary?” the FBR lawyers, Justice Isa remarked that they were free to tax as much as they could. “But treat all professions alike; don’t make a discrimination between the people belonging to different professions,” he asserted. Speaking on the occasion, the additional attorney general (AAG) said that it was the government’s discretion who to tax and how much.
syed m Hamza
US delegatIon vISItS paRlIament HoUSe, affIRmS
U S
islamabad Staff RepoRt
A petition was Monday filed in the Supreme Court against Imran Khan’s participation in the upcoming by-elections on the seats of the National“ImranAssembly.Khanshould be prevented from participating in the by-election until he resigns as Member of the National Assembly,” said the “Legislationpetition.should be ordered for contesting elections on more than one seat. Imran Khan is doing political exploitation by contesting elections on more than one seat,” it added.
SC rejects fBR appeals in case of additional tax on salaried class
pIa to induct five new aircraft in its fleet
There is a consensus amongst our people that educating women would lead to increase in women workforce, notwithstanding the patriarchal ethos of society. However, the facts suggest otherwise even if we look at the healthcare profession which is highly coveted in Pakistan. According to research, 70 % of the medical students are girls but out of those only 20-30 % practice medicine after graduating. It is a huge underutilisation of national resources as heavy subsidies are offered by the state to public medical colleges. Dr Ishrat Husain in his book “Governing the Ungovernable” rightly observes “It costs the state Rs 5 million to produce a medical doctor and the majority of those admitted to medical colleges are girls because they are able to secure places on merit through open competition”. Besides the wastage of national resources, because of those unemployed female doctors, seats are lost for those girls and boys who wish to continue in the profession but fail in getting admission in medical colleges due to high merit. In addition to that, it creates an absence of lady doctors, particularly, in rural areas and the female doctors that stay unemployed do not contribute to national economic growth. The major reason behind this drop-out rate is the phenomenon of “Doctor Bride”. This refers to those female doctors that succeed in getting a good marital match because of the social prestige of medical profession but discontinue working after their marriage. If a female doctor does continue her medical practice, she has to first perform her duties as a doctor and then go back home for her “Second Shift” of household chores, nurturing children, being an obedient daughter in law and a caring wife. Usually, the second shift acts as a huge deterrent whilst taking precedence over a woman’s professional life, resulting in even the willing individual quitting her job. Getting help from paid babysitters, amidst the shortage of day-care-centres, is mostly frowned upon by in-laws, albeit with no rationale. Due to female doctors not practicing, some people tend to argue that there should be a 50 % quota system for men and women in admission process to save the national resources as men would nonetheless continue in the medical profession. Firstly, this cannot be done as the constitution of Pakistan states in clause 2 of article 25 that “There shall be no discrimination on the basis of sex”. Secondly, this would sow the seeds of further gender disparity in medical profession. Thirdly, the admission process should logically be based on merit not gender. However, there is a solution that may seem viable. There should be an agreement or bond mandatory for every student at a public medical college to sign before the start of formal education. The agreement should have a condition that makes it compulsory for medical students to practice for 5-10 years after graduating. In case of non-compliance, the medical license of the individual should be revoked. The newly graduated doctor may be exempted from mandatory practice if he or she is willing to pay the fee of his or her medical education and training i.e., Rs 5 million. As a result, only those female medical students who are willing and in this case, sadly, those girls who have families that are willing and supportive enough to let them continue in profession would study on government expenditure. Seats and opportunities would not be forgone during the admission process. As the agreement is for all genders, it would not cause any discrimination. Husbands and in-laws would eventually get used to their wives and daughters’ in-laws working during the mandatory 510 years period as most of the family members would neither be willing to pay Rs 5 million nor have their “Doctor brides” lose their licenses as it would lower their social stature. It would have a salutary effect on society and push the culture to let the female doctors work as the women would have a valid, though an unnecessary, excuse in front of their families to work. It is pertinent to mention here that it would not only be rewarding for the female doctors but would also help towards better national economic growth. The national resources that would be saved through this step and generated through economic growth as a result of this step may be used to set up daycare-centres to assist female medical doctors during their work hours.
Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee and US Ambassador to Pakistan Donald Blome visited Parliament House and called on Senate chairman and speaker of National Assembly on Monday. Ms Lee, Thomas Richard Suozzi and Mr Blome met with National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervez Ashraf and Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani. Mr Tanveer Ahmad also accompanied the US Duringdignitaries.their meetings, the US delegation exchanged views on mutualMrrelations.Sanjrani said that Pakistan attached high value to its decades-old relations with America adding that the constructive ties between the two countries would pave way for creating peace and progress in the region. A five-member delegation from the US headed by Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee visited flood-hit areas in Dadu district on Sunday.
SC moved against Imran Khan’s participation in by-polls
The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) will induct five new state-of-the-art aircraft on dry-lease for six years into its fleet. The national carrier issued a tender seeking application as wide-body planes will have a capacity of 250 to 320 passengers along with the facilties of in-flight connectivity and in-flight entertainment. These planes PIA earlier this year inducted a second Airbus A320 to increase its fleet. The PIA put in a bid to buy the planes last year; two of them have already made it to Pakistan this year, and two more will in the near future. Following the addition of these aircraft, the Pakistan International Airlines fleet will now consist of 14 Airbus A320 aircraft. Staff RepoRt
“This court considers every accused innocent until convicted. This court will not ask from the journalist about his source. Maybe you will realise, and the court will give you a chance,” the IHC chief justice pointed out. “I have realised that this affidavit should not have been made public,” Rana Shamim remarked. The hearing was then adjourned till September 7.
According to them, this would help in grooming of upcoming generation as Napolean Bonaparte said, "Give me an educated mother, I shall promise you the birth of a civilized, educated nation". But what makes us think that an unemployed female doctor would nurture the future generation any better than an unemployed woman who has a Master’s degree in another discipline which is not as heavily subsidised by the state as medical profession?
Justice Mansoor said that when a company earned profit, it gave bonus to its employees. “But instead of taxing owner of the company, you levied tax on its employee,” the judge regretted. The AAG said that it was the corporate sector which the government had taxed. “And what is the definition of the corporate sector?” Justice Mansoor questioned. The AAG replied there was no definition. The CJP again said he was at a loss to understand what led the government to levy additional tax on the salaried class.
While hearing a contempt case on the news of the affidavit of former GilgitBaltistan chief judge Rana Shamim, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday ordered him to submit the list of witnesses by September 7.
i MRan kHan spent the month of July holding public meetings in Punjab to support Pti nominees in by-elections. the rallies and public meetings continued even after the Pti had formed government in the province. During the several meetings held in august, the major demand was to hold early elections. the meetings continued despite harrowing reports of the disaster wreaked by rains and floods all over the country. there was annoyance in Pti ranks over the army failing to pressurize the federal government to resign and seek fresh mandate. this was expressed in anti-army tweets by Pti’s misled supporters. the arrest of some led to shehbaz Gill’s irresponsible outburst. While provincial government’s supported by Federal administration and armed forces were engaged in dealing with the colossal humanitarian crisis, imran khan remained fixated on early elections putting up the demand in half a dozen public meetings held in Punjab and kP in august. it was quite belatedly that the reality dawned on him that with over half the country under water there was no possibility of early elections. Required to appear in a number of cases before courts, Election Commission of Pakistan and Fia, imran khan threatened to react dangerously like a cornered tiger. in his latest speeches he mentioned khomeini’s bloody revolution as an alternative if elections were not held soon, grudgingly extending the time limit to soon after the end of rains and floods. in an act of sheer indiscretion imran khan took the issue of the appointment of the new COas at Faisalabad public meeting. as he put it if a “strong and patriotic army chief” came, Zardari and sharif would be questioned about their loot, implying that attitude towards ik’s political opponents would determine the patriotism or otherwise of the next army chief. imran khan has finally agreed to visit the flood devastated sindh. it is not yet clear if he would visit a number of devastated areas, mobilize teams of Pti youth to undertake relief work and announce a major amount of funds for the affected population of sindh. khan has also announced another telethon on sunday. there is no doubt about the Pti chief’s ability to collect funds. What is problematic however is his secretiveness regarding the funds spending, as the Fia queries indicate.
Imran Khan in Sindh
A reluctant IK takes note of disaster
AFtAB
Teachers becoming much more accessible is a welcome change. Students now get to see their marked answersheets and discuss them with their instructors – something unheard of in our days
Let them play i t was a nail biter, the match between india and Pakistan the other day. so was the one before this one, earlier on in the asia Cup, which india had won. traditionally, there have been patches where the Pakistani team is really imposing, one that faces a less than stellar indian team, and then there are stretches where it’s the other way around. the one thing that remains relatively constant is that the indians can’t bowl quite as well as us and we can’t bat quite as well as them. the Pakistani team seems to luck into fast bowlers, even if the Board were to go to a random remote village and have try-outs. similarly, the indian reserve of stable batsmen appears like some sort of natural resource, like oil. this dynamic has changed a bit because even though the current era is that of indian dominance, the Pakistani team has developed a stable of superb batsmen of their own, which makes nearly all matches hard won, down-tothe-wire affairs. now, more than ever, can we say those oft-repeated words: there really is nothing quite like an India, Pakistan match. then why aren’t there more of india, Pakistan matches? they could stake a claim at being the biggest sporting event in the world. the sheer economics of it should power through the political hurdles and make a bilateral series take place. Yes, the indian polity is currently more toxic than many outside india realise, but this is still a goal to aspire to. Currently, Pakistan has a political crisis, an economic crisis and, to twist the knife, one of the worst natural disasters in its history, which is exacerbating the other two crises. But the match victory was a respite in these bleak times for people across the country. Both countries need more of such victories. Given how good the teams currently are, it is statistically improbable a series won’t deliver its share of victories to both sides. On a related note: even though images of internally displaced people cheering at the match at their camps are inspiring, it would still be wise and empathetic of the political leadership to not rejoice too much themselves regarding the match victory; it comes across as tone-deaf at this time of terrible loss. more India, Pakistan matches
EditorNizami
Dedicated to the A. Niazi Ahmad
legacy of late Hameed Nizami Arif Nizami (Late) Founding Editor M.
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Joint Editor Umar ExecutiveAzizEditorAziz-ud-Din
The writer
Students, then and now Bright chapter of history
Pakistan Defense Day
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A friend and former colleague recently complained about a private message received on Linkedin from a former student. the message read: ‘Assalamu alikum, sir.’ sadly, people in the teaching community find themselves on the receiving end of this sort of message way too frequently. For a message of this type means one and only one thing: that the sender needs some advice or favour but has no intention of disclosing the matter unless you acknowledge his greeting first. this is a logical and civil approach when paying somebody a visit, but which sadly defeats the very purpose of written communication. What is the problem in returning the greeting? one may be asked. the trouble with that is that in that case, instead of stating the matter, the sender is apt to proceed to inquiring about one’s health and spirits. Whether it is the fear of wasting precious time and energy explaining the details of the matter only to discover that the message fails to elicit a response; or the sender is forced by an unusually gentlemanly and caring disposition on his part is a moot point. (i have a suspicion that for the most part it is the former because many are now resorting to voice messages instead. apparently, even typing one-liners is way too much hard work now.) Be that as it may, those of us who, at any given time, must deal with hundreds of individuals realize after a while that this sort of activity is hardly sustainable. this is where we feel obliged to start ignoring such messages altogether, albeit with some guilt on our part. While on the subject of e-communication, another common failing on the part of students is their propensity for sending anonymous text messages. they fail to realize that while they have, at most, ten instructors at any given time; their instructors have to deal with hundreds of students, past and present. it is grossly unrealistic to assume, therefore, that they would make it a point to have all their numbers saved. these are, of course, very twenty-first century issues, which were non-existent in the pre-it age. there are ways other than the technology-related ones in which we have come a long way from the golden age. (the golden age naturally refers to the era that ended in the 90s when the author graduated from UEt Lahore). Of course, long gone are the days when heroic souls were perfectly willing to risk and accept an F only for the pleasure of triggering a hearty laughter from their fellows. in the Electrical Engineering viva, one such specimen responded to the question ‘What is a motor commutator made of?’ by saying ‘Wood’. although no Faraday by any stretch of the imagination, he knew perfectly-well that wood was the last material a commutator could be made of. But he still said so, to the infinite joy of those who were present and all those who were told about the incident by those students and the exasperated instructor himself. the legend lives to this day. in those days, there were students who had enrolled in a certain program by choice, and those who were there for all sorts of wrong reasons, as is the case today. there were those who dutifully conformed to the rules and regulations, and those mavericks who prided in flouting authority, as is the case today. there were those who were conscientious about their studies to a fault, and those who scoffed at bookworms and ‘thetas’, as is the case today. What was different about that lot, however, was that by and large they were willing to accept the consequences of their actions. those who worked hard expected just returns for their efforts of course, but those who did not study hard displayed any signs of shock when they failed the subject. Few complaints were voiced, and one rarely heard heart-breaking stories like those one hears from students all the time now. High tragedies, where the very heavens conspire against an innocent and misunderstood individual (our hero, the student) by ensuring that he is visited by all sorts of misfortunes. in this respect, there has been a marked decline in maturity and responsibility displayed by the average university student. a major part of becoming an adult (in the real sense) is the transition from ‘the deadline was missed’ to ‘i missed the deadline.’ no student ever misses classes or deadlines now; they are always ‘missed’ (by whom, nobody bothers to specify). always the fault is something/somebody else’s, never the student’s. another case in point from the golden age: an acquaintance studying at the then kEMC missed an exam only to ascertain whether he existed. that is, whether the world would function any differently if he absented himself than if he took the test. He promptly failed, and concluded that indeed he existed (‘i fail therefore i am’). Once satisfied of this, our modern-day Descartes duly appeared for a re-test and passed. this man may have needed experimental verification; but in those days, it was generally accepted by university students that the choices as well as the actions based on those choices had consequences to be manfully accepted. a lot of water has passed under the bridge since the 80s and 90s. in many respects, there have been improvements too. in the 90s even a 5-minutes meeting with the teacher in his office was a rare privilege. teachers becoming much more accessible is a welcome change. students now get to see their marked answersheets and discuss them with their instructors – something unheard of in our days. While the teachers of old were admittedly too inaccessible and distant, now it seems that the line has been crossed on the other extreme of the spectrum. it is one thing for teachers to be friendly with their students; but a teacher is not exactly a friend. His job description stops him from being one. Undue familiarity between the two parties is to the detriment of both, and the educational project in general. if formality is to be relaxed somewhat, it must be from the side of the teacher. and even then, the context is paramount. nauman sahab at sadiq Public school comes to mind. an extremely cheerful and cooperative teacher who played tennis with the students in the afternoons – backslapping, banter and all – but who, during the school hours, made it clear to an overly eager (albeit well meaning) pupil that the latter was only allowed to shake his hand if it was offered to him; that he was not supposed to initiate it. Returning to technology, sMs and email constitute a remarkable improvement on the student-teacher communication front. as is the case with all technology however, there are challenges as well. For example, many students fail to realize that ‘Oki doki’ and ‘Scene ye hai ke…’ – no doubt charming expressions when used among buddies – are hardly appropriate when it comes to communication with their instructors.
06 Tuesday, 6 September, 2022 COMMENT
The author is a connoisseur of music, literature, and food (but not drinks). He can be reached at www.facebook.com/hasanaftabsaeed
P akistan Defense Day is such an occasion when the entire nation expresses its solidarity with the Pakistan army and vows to stand side by side with the Pakistan army at all times. the Pakistan army and the people have never despondent each other in any trial. in this regard, the 6th of september is a memorable day when the Pakistan army and the entire nation defended their independence and national dignity against indian aggression, on that day, patriotic Pakistanis showed an unprecedented solidarity with their armed forces. Verily, it was a memorable demonstration and in the war, there was such a joint struggle of the Pakistani nation and the armed forces that will continue to be a beacon of light for future generations. it is an undisputed fact that the test of faith, character, courage and sincerity of the nation takes place only in war. in this matter, the war of september 6, 1965 is a living example in which the Pakistani nation and the forces of Pakistan cumulatively proved that they are devoted to the spirit of dying for the freedom of the coun-
try. this spirit of self-sacrifice was such a capital that shattered all the dreams of a power many times greater in numbers and weapons than us, and all their plans and pride were mixed in the dust. the Pakistani forces and the nation has made eternal sacrifices together in 1965 war and it is an outcome of the exemplary and eternal sacrifices of these children of Pakistan that Defense Day is a bright chapter in the history of Pakistan and we have a prestigious place in this historical chapter. there is no doubt that india has never recognized Pakistan wholeheartedly from day one and in the pride of its power always looks for an opportunity to act against Pakistan. On september 6, 1965, india attacked Lahore by being drunk with power. Whereas india has always looked greedily at Lahore, the indian forces also have dreams of having breakfast in Lahore. india’s historic city of amritsar is just from Lahore 28 km away and the indian army had invaded Pakistan with the impure intention of having morning breakfast in Lahore but these nefarious and impure intentions of the enemy were thwarted by the zealous, fearless, brave and spirit of martyrdom of the Pakistan army. the dedicated youth of Pakistan armed forces crushed the enemy in a few days and cut the teeth on every front of the foe in such a way that it will not forget this historic defeat for the rest of its life. india has not forgotten the war of september 6, 1965 despite its millions of efforts. if this war is evaluated impartially and without emotion, it comes out that Pakistan easily imprisoned the big rebellious and bloodthirsty victim in a small net. all this was achieved by following the principles of faith, unity and discipline as told by the Quaid-i-azam and if we look at it from any angle, this principle has been the central axis of Pakistan’s success in this war. the unity found by the Pakistani nation for the protection of ideological and geographical borders was an unprecedented practical demonstration of erasing all differences and uniting to defeat the enemy. Pakistan still desperately needs the spirit of september 6, Pakistan army still needs us as a nation, and there is a need for national unity, because the requirements of national defense are still facing huge challenges. Undoubtedly, the forces of Pakistan are trying day and night to deal with the internal and external challenges facing the country, but we as a nation have to give them full support to thwart all conspiracies against the country. anti-national forces are capable of creating differences between the forces of Pakistan and the people. so, we have to thwart all these conspiracies together and on this Defense Day, let us pledge together that whenever the defense of Pakistan needs us, the children of Pakistan will fully defend the motherland together with the forces of Pakistan because Pakistan is once again going through the most critical period of its history. solidarity is greatly needed in these critical times. Pakistan army is standing firm on all fronts for the defense of the homeland. On the one hand, Pakistan are facing a fierce and weak enemy like india and on the other hand, we are having to deal with external and internal distractions. the Pakistan army is also fighting on the internal front along with the defense of the borders, which is on the verge of hollowing out the borders of this Pakistani land but the Pakistani forces are determined to defeat every plot and stance of the enemy. On this Defense Day, the entire nation raises its hands with the pledge of allegiance and prays that allah almighty may save the country from the problems it is facing and may the Pakistan armed forces always be successful in defending the beloved country (amen). tweets @AttiyaMunawer
We need
India has not forgotten the war of September 6, 1965 despite its millions of efforts. If this war is evaluated impartially and without emotion, it comes out that Pakistan easily imprisoned the big rebellious and bloodthirsty victim in a small net.
HASAn SAeeD AttiyA MunAwer
06-07 Comments - 6th September 2022_Layout 1 9/6/2022 12:00 AM Page 1
Yousaf
An informed view based on first-hand observation
Vikrant aircraft carrier : With the $3 billion Vikrant, india will join only a small number of nations with more than one aircraft carrier or helicopter carrier in service. it has become the third country, after the Uk and China, to have commissioned a domestically built aircraft carrier in the past three years. John Bradford, senior fellow at the s. Rajaratnam school of international studies in singapore, said india’s commitment to the ship reflected its “long-term vision to maintaining a world-class naval force.” When its air wing becomes fully operational over the next few years, it will carry up to 30 aircraft, including MiG-29k fighter jets to be launched from its ski-ramp style deck, and helicopters as well as defensive systems including surface-to-air missiles. india’s message to its neighbours is “india has the power, it has the aircraft carriers and therefore the air power to dominate the distant reaches of the indian Ocean”.the Vikrant has a range of 8,600 miles (13,890 kilometers). Besides, india isbuildingscorpion submarines (costing Rs 20,000 crore) with 11,000 km range.these subs can stay at sea for 50 days and can carry missiles, mines and torpedoes to attack surface vessels. india has eight P-3C Orion long-range maritime patrol aircraft, costing Rs 13000 crore. they can fly 4,000 km, stay airborne for 12 hours and attack surface targets with missiles or patrol coastline. add to it procurement of Rafael jets from France.
Editor’s mail
sOME of the videos on social media showing whole buildings just dismantling like a house of cards would scare even those with a heart of stone. We are in the midst of a disaster that could turn out much worse than the 2010 floods or the 2005 earthquake. the misery caused by the flood is compounded by unprecedented inflation and serious unemployment. there may be civil unrest in the days ahead, which could excite foreign rogue elements to make the most of it. there is only one safeguard against such a possibility; unity among the provinces, political parties and institutions. not a single party leader or institution is above board in these troubled times. the government seems preoccupied with its own wish list, while all the opposition can think of is holding political rallies. the future can only be decided in positive terms through some collective decisions by the stakeholders who seem to be least interested in such an undertaking, even though they all individually have the capacity to turn things around with collective action. instead of political rallies, we need some actual wellintentioned politics, and we need it rather badly. Ministers, lawmakers and prominent members of civil society need to raise funds by setting personal examples. the opposition leader should focus his entire attention on at least khyber Pakhtunkhwa (kP) where he has greater control over what happens where. He can effectively raise funds and use all his international contacts and donors to help where it is needed the most. the prime minister, on his part, should make policies for immediate relief across the country and ensure proper and justified use of funds. Pakistan army, as always, is carrying out relief activities. the army chief can ensure rehabilitation and mass-scale volunteering effort by mobilising the enormous youth force of Pakistan. the target should be to reach all calamity-struck areas, particularly Balochistan, the seemingly forgotten province of the country. this is a chance for the leadership across all sorts of divides to show compassion and empathy for the masses by putting aside grudges and petty conflicts for now.
PARVEZKARACHIRAHIM
DR TAIMOOR KHALIDKARACHIJANJUA
The writer is a freelance journalist, has served in the Pakistan government for 39 years and holds degrees in economics, business administration, and law. He can be reached at amjedjaaved@gmail.com
Defense Day
Unity in testing times
in karachi’s Defence Housing authority (DHa) and other posh areas, i see long queues of people along the roads early in the morning waiting to get their free breakfast either from some generous wayside eatery or from some philanthropic organisation or magnanimous individuals. the breakfast so served is wholesome and will cost more than Rs100 if purchased from the market. such queues are a common sight and one can see more than a few individuals in blue-coloured uniforms working somewhere as security guard, waiting for their turn, or having their breakfast on a table close by. it is comforting to note that the organisations serving free breakfast, maintain the dignity of their beneficiaries. it is quite disheartening to see these salaried security guards having to queue up for free meals. Besides, is it realistic to expect reliability and commitment from these individuals in terms of security when they are themselves facing such financial distress? On asking, a group of such guards told me that they were drawing a monthly salary of Rs18,000 for working 12-hour shift seven days a week. the existing minimum wage of unskilled workers, mind you, is Rs25,000 per month across Pakistan. the West Pakistan shops and Establishments Ordinance, 1969, is applicable to workers other than those employed in factories, which regulates the working hours and provides for the grant of leave etc. this ordinance is not applicable to the security guards, which has also been confirmed by a twomember bench of the supreme Court in its judgment dated Oct 3, 2019. However, this exemption does not prohibit the employers of security guards from meeting the spirit of the law. the Convention no. 01 of the international Labour Organisation (iLO), entitled ‘Hours of Work (industry) Convention, 1919’, also ratified by Pakistan, prescribes a maximum work day of eight hours, and no more than 48 hours per week, which means at least a weekly day off. similar limits of daily and weekly working hours have been prescribed by Convention no. 30, entitled ‘Hours of Work (Commerce and Offices) Convention, 1930’. as the security companies mostly work for affluent clients, the latter should not have any issue in bearing the minimum cost of these security guards’ wages and benefits, as provided by the law for other classes of workers. all that is needed is aversion to exploitation. What we generally see is penchant for it. What a pity.
AMjeD jAAveD every new baby be born in Pakistan indebted forever? We consume debts as if they were freebies. We made no effort to get our “odious debts” written off. Pakistan’s debt burden has a political tinge.
Plight of security guards
PESHAWARAZIZA
07 Tuesday, 6 September, 2022 COMMENT
One cannot emphasise how important it is for us to stay united as a nation right now, and steer Pakistan out from not just deep waters, but also from a possible economic meltdown and compromised internal security. Hopefully, once we recover from the issues at hand, maybe our relevant institutions seriously brainstorm and prepare against global climate change and its hazards that we are witnessing currently. the current situation may turn into something much worse if differences and political war-mongering are not put aside for now. this is the least the politicians can do.
Send your letters to: Letters to Editor, Pakistan today, 4-Shaarey Fatima Jinnah, Lahore, Pakistan. E-mail: letters@pakistantoday.com.pk Letters should be addressed to Pakistan today exclusively E VERY year, the day comes and goes by. this year the Pakistani nation should celebrate Defence of Pakistan Day (sept 6) as a day of intro spection.. india is arming itself to the hilt. Despite economic setbacks due to Covid 19, indian economy has stayed put. they do not have to go country to country with a begging bowl.
Pakistan’s debt burden : Will every new baby be born in Pakistan indebted forever? We consume debts as if they were freebies. We made no effort to get our “odious debts” written off. Pakistan’s debt burden has a political tinge. the Usa rewarded Pakistan by showering grants on Pakistan for joining anti-soviet-Union alliances (south-East asian treaty Organisation and Central treaty Organisation). in economics there are burden-of-debt models that could help decide how productively the debt should be so used that both principal and debt-service could be repaid. Unfortunately we spent the debt as if it were a non-repayable windfallWheneverWhatbonanza.apity!the international Monetary Fund’s delegation visits, Pakistan’s representatives keep mum about the politically-motivated odious nature of our debt burden. Political Parties without economic agenda : Parties win elections by pandering to base sentiments of the people. a key element of election slogans is always ‘change’. But, the nitty-gritty of the ‘change’ remains a strictly guarded mumbo jumbo. the taxation proposals do little to squeeze the haves. nothing is done to reduce inequitable distribution of wealth and economic power. no heed is paid to the structure of our society. How did the filthy rich, the feudal lords and the industrial robber barons come into being? if accumulated wealth in a few hands is rooted in wrongdoing, a considerable chunk of it should be mopped up. Vested interests resist the change.theBritish created a class of chieftains to suit their need for loyalists, war fundraisers and recruiters in the post’mutiny’ period and during the second World War. a royal gubernatorial gazetteer states: “i have for many years felt convinced that the time had arrived for the Government to try to introduce some distinction for those who can show hereditary services before the Humble Company’s rule in india ceased. i have often said that i should be proud to wear a Copper Order, bearing merely the words ‘teesri pusht sirkar Company ka naukar’ (third generation Company’s servant).” a feudal aristocracy was created whose generations ruled post-independence governments. some pirs and mashaikh (religious leaders) even quoted verses from the Holy Quran to justify allegiance to the Englishman (amir), after loyalty to allah and the Messenger (PBUH). they pointed out that the Quran ordained that ehsan (favour) be returned with favour. the ehsan were British favours like titles (khan bahadur, nabob, etc), honorary medals, khilat with attached money rewards, life pensions, office of honorary magistrate, assistant commissioner, courtier, etc. a tiwana military officer even testified in favour of O’Dwyer when the latter was under trial. ayub khan added the chapter of 22 families to the aristocracy, a legacy of the English Raj. about 460 scions of the pre-partition chiefs along with industrial barons created in the ayub era are returned again and again to the assemblies. they do not allow agricultural incomes, industrial profits or real estate to be adequately taxed. health-care and education: Pakistan’s healthcare system is in shambles. there
concluding remark : We need to do some soul searching. is it fair to devolve dam building to provinces? to make Pakistan strong, its citizens should contribute their moitié.
Need for soul searching 06-07 Comments - 6th September 2022_Layout 1 9/6/2022 12:00 AM Page 2
Will
MOnsOOn rains and flash floods have inflicted huge losses in terms of lives and materials across the country. thousands of houses, schools, hospitals, roads, bridges and highways stand shattered. Balo-chistan, sindh and southern Punjab have been hit hard, but the devastation has not been much less in khyber Pakhtunkhwa (kP), including the scenic tourist spots in the north. When such calamities strike, the government takes short-term measures and provides financial aid and relief packages. However, the need of the hour is to take concrete measures and make cities and villages resilient to climate change. some of the measures include empowerment of local governments to take control of their respective areas, capacity building of the disaster management machinery to prevent huge losses, prioritising development projects in vulnerable areas, rehabilitation of the victims, implementing proper waste management techniques, initiating urban planning based on international standards, and strict compliance with policies. if Pakistan fails to take proactive actions, it may face socioeconomic, environmental and political turmoil in the years ahead. the citizens acorss the country should share this responsibility equally. they need to promote cleanliness and to take care of public infrastructure.
is only one hospital for federal civil servants that are Federal Government “services” Hospital. instead of establishing new hospitals. the successive civil governments allowed non-employee civilian residents of Rawalpindi and islamabad and those who happen to have CniCs of the said cities to get free treatment at the said hospital. Because of overcrowding, the hospital has become good for nothing for civil servants. Elderly civil centres have to queue up with unauthorised non-employee civilians. there are no separate queues for “civil servants”. Doctors give preferential treatment to non-employees who pay them hefty fees at their private clinics. Civil servants are given long dates for operation theatre procedures. i, for one, am a septuagenarian retiree with cumulative 40 years’ service. i have been directed to wait for next year to get operated by a urologist. the FGsH is the only hospital in the world where beds have been allocated to doctors whose names are printed on walls. the lavatories stink. Essential medicines are unavailable.Evensenior civil servants with a lifetime of service have to stink in general wards. the officers’ wards are allotted to non-civil-servants who have a way with the muckraker doctors. there is need to transfer non-employee patients to nearby PiMs hospital.Or non-employees should be treated as private patients. a thorough probe into hospital funds, medical procurements and unethical practices by doctors is warranted. building kalabagh and other dams: the first priority of most countries, including the Usa, Russia, Brazil, and China, was to build hydel projects, a clean source of energy.. China’s big push into industrial progress was due to a chain of hydel projects like the three Gorges, Gezhouba, Xiluodu, Xiangjiaba, Longtan, Hengshui, nuozhadu, Jinping-i and ii, Yalong, Laxiwa, Xiaowan, Goupitan, Guanyinyan, and ahai. after the commissioning of the tarbela Dam in 1976, the dam could have been built in six years by 1982. the cost per unit of 12 billion units the hydel electricity was Rs.1.5 as compared to Rs. 16.5 per unit from thermal sources. We are losing Rs. 180 billion per year due to ten times costlier production (12billion xRs.15 billion). add to it loss of Us$ 6.12 billion per annum due to the superfluous flow of 30 Million acre Feet of water from kotri Barrage into the arabian sea (one MaF valued at Us$1-1.5 billion).
Climate resilience
FOREIGN ENTITIES THAT CLAIM TO STAND UP FOR UNIVERSAL VALUES END UP COMPROMISING ON THEM IN INDIA
Rich countries caused Pakistan’s catastrophic floodingProject Syndicate Yanis Varoufakis T he blades of the wind turbines on the mountain range opposite my window are turning especially energetically today. Last night’s storm has abated but high winds continue, contributing extra kilowatts to the electricity grid at precisely zero additional cost, or marginal cost, in the language of the economists. But the people struggling to make ends meet during a dreadful cost-of-living crisis must pay for these kilowatts as if they were produced by the most expensive liquefied natural gas transported to Greece’s shores from Texas. This absurdity, which prevails well beyond Greece and europe, must end. The absurdity stems from the delusion that states can simulate a competitive, and thus efficient, electricity market. Because only one electricity cable enters our homes or businesses, leaving matters to the market would lead to a perfect monopoly, an outcome that nobody wants. But governments decided that they could simulate a competitive market to replace the public utilities that used to generate and distribute power. They can’t. The european Union’s power sector is a good example of what market fundamentalism has done to electricity networks the world over. The eU obliged its member states to split the electricity grid from the power-generating stations and privatise the power stations to create new firms, which would compete with one another to provide electricity to a new company owning the grid. This company, in turn, would lease its cables to another host of companies that would buy the electricity wholesale and compete among themselves for the retail business of homes and firms. Competition among producers would minimize the wholesale price, while competition among retailers would ensure that final consumers benefit from low prices and high-quality service. Alas, none of this could be made to work in theory, let alone in practice. The simulated market faced contradictory imperatives: to ensure a minimum amount of electricity within the grid at every point in time, and to channel investment into green energy. The solution proposed by market fundamentalists was twofold: create another market for permissions to emit greenhouse gases, and introduce marginal-cost pricing, which meant that the wholesale price of every kilowatt should equal that of the costliest kilowatt. The emission-permit market was meant to motivate electricity producers to shift to less polluting fuels. Unlike a fixed tax, the cost of emitting a tonne of carbon dioxide would be determined by the market. In theory, the more industry relied on terrible fuels like lignite, the larger the demand for the eU-issued emission permits. This would drive up their price, strengthening the incentive to switch to natural gas and, ultimately, to Marginal-costrenewables.pricing was intended to ensure the minimum level of electricity supply, by preventing low-cost producers from undercutting higher-cost power companies. The prices would give low-cost producers enough profits and reasons to invest in cheaper, less polluting energy sources. To see what the regulators had in mind, consider a hydroelectric power station and a lignite-fired one. The fixed cost of building the hydroelectric station is large but the marginal cost is zero: once water turns its turbine, the next kilowatt the station produces costs nothing. In contrast, the lignite-fired power station is much cheaper to build, but the marginal cost is positive, reflecting the fixed amount of costly lignite per kilowatt produced. By fixing the price of every kilowatt produced hydroelectrically to be no less than the marginal cost of producing a kilowatt using lignite, the eU wanted to reward the hydroelectric company with a fat profit, which, regulators hoped, would be invested in additional renewable-energy capacity. Meanwhile, the lignite-fueled power station would have next to no profits (as the price would just about cover its marginal costs) and a growing bill for the permits it needed to buy in order to pollute. But reality was less forgiving than the theory. As the pandemic wreaked havoc on global supply chains, the price of natural gas rose, before trebling after Russia invaded Ukraine. Suddenly, the most polluting fuel (lignite) was not the most expensive, motivating more long-term investment in fossil fuels and infrastructure for LNG. Marginal-cost pricing helped power companies extract huge rents from outraged retail consumers, who realised they were paying much more than the average cost of electricity. Not surprisingly, publics, seeing no benefits — to them or to the environment, from the blades rotating above their heads and spoiling their scenery, turned against wind turbines. The rise in natural gas prices has exposed the endemic failures that occur when a simulated market is grafted onto a natural monopoly. We have seen it all: how easily producers could collude in fixing the wholesale price. how their obscene profits, especially from renewables, turned citizens against the green transition. how the simulated market regime impeded common procurement that would have alleviated poorer countries’ energy costs. how the retail electricity market became a casino with companies speculating on future electricity prices, profiting during the good times, and demanding state bailouts when their bets turn bad.
CURRYING FAVOUR: India has a long history of overregulation and protectionism. But since Modi’s election in 2014, foreign companies eager to reach India’s enormous middle class have sought to cut through red tape by currying favour with hindu nationalist networks actively involved in violence. India is also a country where the idealism of western governments goes to die. They promote democracy and human rights elsewhere, but in India, they covet partnerships with violent hindu nationalist groups, where the power lies. enhancing trade access is a factor, as is selling weapons. India has been the world’s largest importer of arms since 2012, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. But ultimately, it’s about containing China, which the US sees as its principal strategic rival this century. The consensus among the US strategic community is that India is vital to this effort. While a shared rivalry with China ultimately drives the US-India strategic partnership, Washington colours it in ideological terms - as liberal democracies defending the free world. India’s constitution identifies the country as secular, and its ability to regularly conduct free and fair elections since independence is a post-colonial success story. But India’s hindu nationalist government aims to dismantle the very secular constitution whose legacy it benefits from - and it has succeeded to a large India’sextent.(albeit imperfect) democracy has devolved into “competitive authoritarianism”. Its elections remain credible. But when it comes to censorship, disinformation and religious freedom, India increasingly resembles China and Russia.
Tuesday, 6 September, 2022 08 WORLD VIEW Middle eaSt eye arif rafiq a whistleblower complaint by exTwitter security chief Peiter Zatko, revealed last week, includes alarming allegations that the Indian government forced the social media platform to hire government agents who had access to sensitive user data because of Twitter’s weak security structure. Twitter, which did not respond to Middle east eye’s request for comment, has publicly rejected Zatko’s complaint as a “false narrative”, but has yet to explicitly address the allegations about the hiring of Indian government agents. While Zatko’s allegations have not yet been verified, the reference to “government agents could be related to the draconian internet regulations enacted by the Indian government in February 2021. These rules - triggered partly by Twitter’s clash with New Delhi over demands that it removes accounts in support of antigovernment protesters - require large social media companies to employ Indian citizens in three government-mandated positions, including a law enforcement liaison. The new rules make one of those officials - the chief compliance officer - criminally liable if he or she, for example, does not follow a court order to identify the “first originator” of messages that undermine the “sovereignty” of the Indian state. That these employees must be Indian citizens who physically reside in the country and face the possibility of arrest is why critics have dubbed such rules “hostage-taking laws”. They compel local employees to partake in the censorship of voices hostile to those in power. But Zatko’s allegations go beyond the very public attempts at censorship by India, which led the world in internet shutdowns in 2020. India’s hindu nationalist government has been clamping down on public expression, especially by Muslim minorities and dissident voices.
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Guardian Mustafa nawaz khokar W hAT we’ve witnessed this summer in Pakistan is nothing short of a climate catastrophe. First came the early heatwaves that brought an end to spring, reducing crop yields and increasing the rate of glacial melt. Then came the monsoon downpours that lasted for days on end and wreaked havoc across the country. Onethird of Pakistan is now underwater. More than 1,200 people have been killed and more than 33 million people affected. And the monster monsoon isn’t over yet. experts say the heavy rainfall was caused by higher than average warming of the Arabian Sea. In Sindh province, which produces half the country’s food, 90% of crops are ruined. More than 75% of Balochistan, which covers half of Pakistan, is partially or completely damaged. People’s homes and patches of land are inundated. Of the 650,000 pregnant women who have been directly affected in flood-hit areas, 73,000 will be delivering their babies this month. The sheer scale of destruction those children will be born into is unimaginable. The “third pole”, as it is often called, is a vast mountainous region that stretches from Myanmar to Afghanistan. This frigid wall of ice separates China and seven south Asian countries, including Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan. The region is home to the world’s highest peaks and countless glaciers. The flights from Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, to the northern cities Gilgit and Skardu take barely an hour. In the good old days before Pakistan’s national carrier ran into financial difficulties, it also used to run a weekly flight called the air safari. If you were lucky enough to get a window seat, the journey was a visual feast. The flight would give passengers a tour of the snowcapped “eight-thousanders” (mountaineers’ lingo for peaks above 8,000 metres) and glaciers from the comfort of their seats. Five of these peaks are in Pakistan; our country also has the highest number of glaciers outside the polar Littleregions.growsat such high altitude. But the third pole functions as a water reserve whose 10 major rivers flow downstream from these mountains and sustain more than 1.5 billion people. When you understand this, you start to see the mountains, valleys, and continuously flowing streams and rivers in a different light. The prediction that this magnificent, awe-inspiring landscape will in time be transformed into bare rocks is terrifying. By 2100, a third of the ice sheets in this region will be gone, even if the world limits itself to the global warming target of 1.5C. Temperatures are rising higher than that, bringing the doomsday closer. This is a crisis hardly anyone talks about. The floods that Pakistan has experienced are one of the early signs of this crisis. Climate catastrophe is now in plain sight, for everyone to see. Despite this, major economies have failed to reach a consensus on emission reductions. There have been countless summits and international meetings, and yet we are still not on track to reach net zero by 2050. For countries such as Pakistan, which falls into the unfortunate category of “most vulnerable to climate change”, every failed climate summit is bad news. It is frustrating for us to see rich countries haggle with each other over cutting back emissions while we continue to pay the costs in lives and livelihoods at a far greater frequency than before. The results of western economies’ inertia and apathy are now glaringly obvious. Pakistan contributes less than 1% in global emissions and yet it is one of the countries most at risk due to climate change and global heating. We can only hope that Cop27, which will be held this year in egypt, won’t fall short on expectations. But we’ve been here before: at Cop26, the response of major polluters failed to match the scale of the climate crisis. If this happens again, the message for countries such as Pakistan will be clear: the biggest polluters, despite mounting evidence of deadly climate events such as heatwaves, droughts and floods, are still not willing to compromise on a trade-off between economic growth and saving the planet. If this is the case, countries such as Pakistan, with other vulnerable nations that are responsible for a fraction of greenhouse gas emissions yet are most at risk of climate change, should consider forming their own coalition within Cop to highlight their plight and put pressure on rich polluters to establish a fund that would help them cope with the aftermath of climate catastrophes. The global north has long resisted such calls to establish a fund to help poor countries deal with the effects of the climate emergency and to pay for the damages. Perhaps this is because it would be construed as an admission of guilt. As a consequence of the recent climate catastrophe in Pakistan, millions of lives have been destroyed. The likelihood is that thousands will be pushed below the poverty line. Children will drop out of schools and many mothers will die during childbirth. The effects of the floods will be long term and catastrophic. We’re now living through a crisis that wasn’t of our making. Mustafa Nawaz Khokar is a senator in Pakistan. From 2009 to 2013, he served as the adviser to the prime minister of Pakistan on human rights.
RETREAT OF DEMOCRACY: India has arguably become the largest purveyor of fake news, with state-linked networks that rival or exceed those of Russia in scale. And the hindutva ideology espoused by the BJP and RSS calls for the forcible assimilation of Christians and Muslims. hindu extremists destroyed the 16thcentury Babri Mosque and are building a hindu temple in its place. Calls have been made to do the same to other sites, including the Taj Mahal, an Islamic mausoleum. India is a glaring example of the spread of digital authoritarianism, the retreat of democracy, and the rise of leaders with a cult of personality - the very global issues that feature in the foreign policy discourse found in Washington. And yet, India is left out of congressional hearings or think-tank studies on these topics. New Delhi also avoids official censure in Washington on growing threats to religious freedom. And it remains closely allied with Russia, ramping up oil imports from Moscow this year. Because of its perceived geopolitical importance and the size of its consumer market, India avoids the treatment that a country like China or Russia would get. The grim reality for vulnerable communities in India is this: foreign entities that claim to stand up for universal values end up compromising on them in India, putting their commercial or strategic interests first.
Yanis Varoufakis, a former finance minister of Greece, is leader of the MeRA25 Party and professor of Economics at the University of Athens.
Arif Rafiq is president of Vizier Consulting, LLC, a political risk advisory company focused on the Middle East and South Asia. He is also a non-resident scholar at the Middle East Institute in Washington, DC. Facebook and The
aPPeasemenT
IndIa: TWITTeR,
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SURVEILLING DISSIDENTS: In recent years, India has intensified the use of colonial-era sedition laws and newer counterterrorism powers to charge or arrest activists and journalists, such as Asif Sultan, Fahad Shah and Masrat Zahra. The allegations made by Zatko raise serious questions about whether New Delhi has inside access within Twitter - and potentially other social media platforms - through these mandated officers or other employees, enabling the surveillance of dissidents in India and Indian Occupied Kashmir, as well as critics abroad. If that is indeed the case, and if the Indian government has access to sensitive user data such as phone numbers, IP addresses and direct messages, it could use Twitter as a surveillance tool to target dissidents and other vulnerable groups. For foreign companies seeking access to India’s massive consumer market, appeasement of the country’s hindu nationalist networks is now part of the cost of doing business. While Twitter has pushed back against many of New Delhi’s demands, Facebook has been more brazen, with some of its staff allegedly colluding with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government long before the 2021 internet rules. In 2020, a Wall Street Journal investigation revealed that Facebook executives in India rejected banning hindu nationalist politicians who use the platform to make explicit calls for violence, fearing that it would jeopardise the company’s business prospects. India has the world’s largest number of Facebook users, and its platforms, including WhatsApp, have been deployed by hindu nationalist extremist networks for mob violence. But it’s not just tech companies that are choosing to indulge toxic political forces in India. During Modi’s 2019 visit to the US, Walmart co-sponsored a rally he held with then-President Donald Trump in houston, Texas. The event was organised by a group with links to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), an extremist organisation affiliated with Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The RSS has lobbied against allowing foreign direct investment in India’s retail sector, seeking to protect small retailers.
It’s time to wind down simulated electricity markets. What we need, instead, are public energy networks in which electricity prices represent average costs plus a small mark-up. We need a carbon tax, whose proceeds must compensate poorer citizens. We need a large-scale Manhattan Project-like investment in the green technologies of the future (such as green hydrogen and large-scale offshore floating windfarms). And, lastly, we need municipally-owned local networks of existing renewables (solar, wind, and batteries) that turn communities into owners, managers and beneficiaries of the power they need.
Time to blow up electricity markets
Islamabad staff report Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Muhammad Amjad Khan Niazi NI(M) S.Bt, in his capacity as Pro-Chancellor/ Chairman BoG, chaired the 47th Board of Governors (BoG) Meeting at Bahria University Head Office Islamabad. The session of BOG commenced with a detailed briefing to the Board on various activities undertaken at the University which included growth and diversification in academic disciplines, infrastructure, budget and new initiatives in academic and non-academic domains. Chief of the Naval Staff appreciated the dedicated and extensive efforts of Bahira University in not only imparting quality education to the students but also contributing towards their character and personality building through adopting modern teaching pedagogies. Furthermore, he urged that special focus should be given in developing skills like critical thinking, solutionoriented approach, problemsolving and professional grooming among the students. Earlier, upon arrival, Chief of the Naval Staff inaugurated the Center of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence (CoEAI) at Bahria University Islamabad Campus. During inauguration, CNS emphasized the importance of Research and Development in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its impact on the future of Pakistan. He desired that the R & D conducted at the Center should make Bahria University one of the leading hubs of AI competence both at National and International levels. The BoG meeting was attended by board members including Rector BU, senior Civil/Naval officers and relevant top management of Bahria University.
Joint-Venture agreement between Dhai-R and aWT
Maintenance/Development Work is in process. Therefore power supply of below mentioned feeders/areas will be temporary suspended as per given schedule: On 06 TH September, From 07:00 AM to 12:00 Noon, New Kalyam, Old Kalyam, HPT-3, Industrial, Moorat, Waheedabad, Burma, NDC1&2, I-10/2&3, PHA-2, Metro, Islamic Uniiversity, Bahria University, Dr.A.Q Khan, NUST University, U phone, PTCL, SES, Fazal Ghi, NESCOM, Raja Sultan, Eid Gah, Ali Market, Dhok Najo, TB Hospital feeders and surroundings will be closed. IESCO management apologizes to its esteemed customers for the power outage. If the work is completed ahead of time, the power supply can be restored even before the scheduled time. pr ogRafor ensuring notified lpg prices
Islamabad: Oil & Gas Regulatory Authority has issued directions the Chief Secretaries and District Authorities to ensure the LPG prices, as notified by OGRA on September 1, 2022. It pertinent to mention that the current notified LPG Producer Price is Rs.2,013/- per 11.8 kg cylinder and for the consumer, it is Rs.2,496/-. The district authorities are advised to initiate action against the profiteers under the LPG Production and Distribution Rules 2001, Petroleum Products (Petroleum Levy) Ordinance 1961 and other applicable laws in the best interest of general public. The LPG Plants and Distributors are also directed to clearly display the LPG selling price on gate/passes, receipts for convenience of general public. pr
pr
KaRaCHI: HBL Mobile and Konnect by HBL launch the industry’s first Peer-to-Peer (P2P) QR-based funds transfer facility in line with the mandate of the State Bank of Pakistan. This new and innovative feature enables HBL Mobile and Konnect by HBL to provide clients with an easier and faster way of receiving and sending money for accountto-account funds transfer. Users can now conveniently generate a QR code from their mobile app for transferring funds without sharing lengthy account numbers/IBANs. The feature also offers the option of generating a QR code for a specific amount with an expiry date. Commenting on the launch, Abrar Ahmed Mir, Chief Innovation & Financial Inclusion Officer – HBL, said, “HBL continues to innovate and offer digital products and services, that are designed to transform the current banking practices. With the launch of this first-of-its-kind feature i.e., funds transfer via QR, HBL is empowering its clients with increased banking choices enabled by digital inclusion.” pr paf forhumanitarianundertakingassistancefloodvictims
hbl offers industry’s first peer-to-peer QR based funds transfer facility
A Joint-Venture Agreement for Land Development was signed between Islamabad-RawalpindiDHA and Army Welfare Trust. Secretary DHAI-R, Brig. (R) Nazir Ahmad Khan, and Secretary AWT, Brig. Mukhtar Ahmad (R) signed the JV agreement while Administrator DHAI-R, Brig. Muhammad Jawad , honored the agreement signing ceremony. Other senior officials of DHAI-R and AWT were also present at the occasion. pr Islamabad pr T HENational Transmission and Despatch Company Limited (NTDC) has completed the rehabilitation works of Dadu-Khuzdar transmission line at 2:00 am on 05 Sep 2022. The transmission line was energized and started power supply to QESCO, subsequently electricity restored in major parts of Balochistan province. The NTDC spokesman said that, on the direction of Honourable Prime Minister of Pakistan, Minister for Power and Secretary Power Division, MD NTDC Engr. Dr. Rana Abdul Jabbar Khan andhis team remained at site day and night to monitor the rehabilitation works of said transmission line, which is located in a difficult terrain. However, all available resources were utilized and possible efforts were made to complete the work despite multiple challenges like no access road, non-availability of heavy machinery, no communication service, crossing of flood water and continuous land sliding etc. The NTDC spokesman further said that rehabilitation works on SibbiQuetta transmission line are also being completed on war footing. The spokesman added that the flash floods have caused loss to NTDC infrastructure as well in some areas.
United Bank Limited (UBL) has joined hands with the leading tech investor in the region Shorooq Partners, to enhance the digital banking experience of customers and facilitate them at every step of their banking journey by ensuring seamless and consistent services across all channels. UBL has always focused on providing solutions that are not only innovative but also customer centric. Therefore, this partnership serves as a testament to UBL’s mission of being the leading bank in financial services for its customers and also the most innovative bank in targeted businesses. Through Shorooq Partners’ extensive global portfolio, the bank intends to identify partnerships across fintech investments, digital products, services, design, talent and tech. With digital banking in Pakistan witnessing exponential growth over the past few years, a major shift has also been observed in customer needs which are evolving over time. To keep up with these changing dynamics, it is imperative for businesses to ensure delightful customer experiences which is what this partnership stands for. Present at the ceremony, Shorooq Partners Founding Partner, Mr. Shane Shin said, “UBL is leading the way in digital banking, and we are proud to support the bank in the next phase of its digital journey. With Shorooq Partners investment acumen and a group of portfolio companies, UBL can take customer experience to the next level, delivering digital experiences that delight customers and make banking better across every customer touchpoint. Shorooq Partners is the region’s leading tech investor and our partnership with UBL reflects not only our market leadership, but also our success of working with banks across the region to deliver value across all the stakeholders in our ecosystem including corporates, startups, governments and investors." Speaking at the occasion, Mr. Sharjeel Shahid, Group Executive, Digital Banking, UBL said, “UBL Digital is all about simplifying banking experiences and creating delight for customers. With the global exposure of Shorooq Partners, through this partnership, we intend to bring amazing global experiences to Pakistan.”
Islamabad pr
Pakistan Air Force is actively undertaking Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief operations for rescue and rehabilitation of flood victims of KPK, Sindh, Balochistan and South Punjab. National ISR and Integrated Air Operations Centre (NIIAOC) established at Air Headquarters, Islamabad is working round the clock to coordinate rescue and relief efforts in synchronization with all stakeholders. The centre is also providing all out support to civil administration in the rehabilitation process. PAF helicopter fleet is engaged in rescuing flood affectees and providing critical support in areas that have been cut off by land routes. PAF has also established “Pakistan Air Force Flood Relief Fund” for provision of much needed relief and rehabilitation to the flood victims. Donations for the flood affectees can be deposited in Allied Bank's account number PK85ABPA0010099183680023, Askari Bank's account number PK96ASCM0003851650000097, Bank Islami's account number PK38BKIP0310000096360001 and Habib Bank's account number PK09HABB0022997001211801. pr power shutdown notice
Two-month long Summer Art Camp concludes at PNCA
NTDC CompleTes RehabiliTaTioN WoRks of DaDu-khuzDaR TRaNsmissioN liNe
Two-months long Children summer art camp concluded at PNCA today in a special ceremony organized to engage the young artists in healthy activities during their vacations. Around 50 children of twin cities aged between 6 to 16 years had participated in classes of different fields of visual and performing arts. During the summer camp students learnt the basics of painting, drawing, sketching, keyboard, guitar and violin playing. The level of engagement of every child was assessed to gauge thier learning skills in the closing ceremony. Earlier, theme based puppet show was showcased to create awareness among community regarding rights and responsibilities of children and parents, help and support orphan children and their families by providing equal opportunities of quality education to girls and boys without any discrimination. On the direction of honourable Advisor to Prime Minister on Heritage and Culture, Mr. Amir Muqam, the Senior Joint Secretary National Heritage and Culture Division/ DG PNCA, Mr. Abdul Sattar Khokhar graced the closing ceremony to encourage the young artists. While speaking at the occasion he said that these events will help students enhance their artistic skills. He hoped that parents will keep engaging their children in such healthy and fruitful activities for their bright future. He also distributed appreciation certificates among all the students and teachers of the summer camp session. The ceremony was also attended by renowned artists Mr. Khalid Siddique and Mr. Abbas Shah. The event was followed by art exhibition displaying art pieces created by course participants. Summer Art Camp is a regular feature of PNCA’s programs and is arranged with the support of the National Heritage and Culture Division to boost the skills of future artists and help them with their formal education.
09NEWS Tuesday 6 September, 2022 | LAHORE corporate corner
ubl joins hands with shorooq partners to enhance digital banking
Naval Chief chairs 47th BoG meeting at Bahria University
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the attacks “horrific and heartbreaking” in a tweet, offering condolences and urging residents to heed authorities’ instructions. Blackmore said authorities believe “some of the victims were targeted by the suspects and others were attacked “Torandomly.”speakto a motive would be extremely difficult at this point in time,” she added. Weldon resident Diane Shier told local media her neighbour, a man who lived with his grandson, was killed in the attack. “I am very upset because I lost a good neighbour,” she told the Canadian Press.
After reported sightings of the two men in Regina, the provincial capital more than 300 kilometres (185 miles) to the south, the alert and search expanded to include neighbouring Manitoba and Alberta provinces — a vast region almost half the size of Europe.
Security experts say the ruling Communist Party’s military wing, the People’s Liberation Army, and the Ministry of State Security also sponsor hackers outside the government.Northwestern Polytechnical University, in the western city of Xi’an, is on a US government “entity list” that limits its access to American technology.
Last year, a Chinese man, Shuren Qin, was sentenced to two years in prison by a federal court in Boston after he pleaded guilty to exporting underwater and marine technology to Northwestern Polytechnical University without required licenses.
poliTiCAl ‘jouRney’ of liz TRuss ReAChes Downing sTReeT
Three helicopters were dispatched from Saskatoon and Regina to the remote northern communities to transport stabbing victims and bring a doctor to the scene.
KABUL AFP A suicide bomber struck near the Russian embassy in the Afghan capital Kabul on Monday, killing two staff from the diplomatic mission and wounding several other people, the foreign ministry in Moscow said. In the first attack targeting a foreign mission since the Taliban seized power in August last year, the bomber blew himself up near the entrance of the embassy’s consular section. “As a result of the attack, two employees of the diplomatic mission were killed, and there are also Afghan citizens among the wounded,” the Russian foreign ministry said. Afghan interior ministry spokesman Abdul Nafy Takor gave AFP a different account, saying a suicide attacker was shot dead by Taliban guards at the Russian embassy. An Afghan civilian was killed and several others wounded, he said. As with other recent attacks, heavy Taliban security quickly sealed off the area and prevented media from filming nearby. No group has so far claimed the attack on the embassy. “Without any doubt, we are talking about a terrorist act, which is absolutely unacceptable,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists in ViolenceMoscow.in Afghanistan has largely declined since the Taliban returned to power, but several bomb blasts — some targeting minority communities — have rocked the country in recent months, many claimed by the militant Islamic State (IS) group.
OTTAWA AFP A stabbing spree in an Indigenous community and a nearby town in Canada’s Saskatchewan province left at least 10 people dead and 15 injured on Sunday, police said, as they launched a manhunt for two suspects.
At least one town had suffered “severe damage” from landslides triggered by the quake, CCTV reported. A road to another town was blocked and telecommunications lines in areas home to more than 10,000 people were severed, the broadcaster said, adding that shocks also forced some power stations offline in the areas of Garze and FootageYa’an.broadcast by CCTV appeared to show damaged buildings and a street strewn with fallen masonry in Garze. A video posted online by the China Earthquake Networks Center showed boulders thundering down mountainsides in Luding county, kicking up clouds of dust as tremors swayed roadside telephone wires.
Several checkpoints have been set up on highways and roads across the region, as “maximum” police resources were deployed for the search for the suspects, she added.
Last week, a suicide bomber struck one of western Afghanistan’s biggest mosques, killing at least 18 people, including an influential imam. Cleric Mujib ur-Rahman Ansari, who had called for those who committed even the “smallest act” against the government to be beheaded, was killed in that attack in the city of Herat.
At least 10 dead, 15 injured in Canada stabbing rampage
“We can confirm that multiple people are being triaged and cared for at multiple sites and that a call for additional staff to help respond to this situation has occurred,” it added.
At least 30 people were killed when a strong earthquake struck southwestern China on Monday, state media reported, as violent tremors in a remote region damaged homes and left some areas without electricity.Themagnitude 6.6 quake hit about 43 kilometres (26 miles) southeast of the city of Kangding in Sichuan province at a depth of 10 kilometres, according to the US Geological Survey. The death toll now stands at “more than 30 dead”, according to state broadcaster CCTV. Tremors shook buildings in the provincial capital of Chengdu — where millions are confined to their homes under a strict Covid lockdown — and in the nearby megacity of Chongqing, local residents told AFP. “I felt it quite strongly. Some of my neighbours on the ground floor said they felt it very noticeably,” said Chen, a resident of Chengdu. “But because Chengdu is currently under epidemic management, people aren’t allowed to leave their residential compounds, so many of them rushed out into their courtyards,” she added.
China and the United States are, along with Russia, regarded as global leaders in cyberwarfare research. China accuses the United States of spying on universities, energy and internet companies and other targets. Washington accuses Beijing of stealing commercial secrets and has announced criminal charges against Chinese military officers. The US actions “seriously endanger China’s national security,” said Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning. She also accused Washington of eavesdropping on Chinese mobile phones and stealing text messages. “China strongly condemns it,” Mao said. “The United States should immediately stop using its advantages to steal secrets and attack other countries.”
HEUK’snext prime minister, Liz Truss, takes power as a traditional, low-tax Conservative eurosceptic promising to turbo-charge economic growth. Her position is the polar opposite of how she started out, as the Liberal Democrat-supporting daughter from a family of progressives, who opposed the monarchy and Brexit. Her self-styled lifelong political “journey” has prompted criticism that she lacks genuine conviction and prioritises power over ideology. But her straight-talking style, calls for a smaller state and championing of free trade have proved popular with grassroots Conservatives. Truss, 47, campaigned on a platform of slashing taxes and bulldozing bureaucratic “orthodoxy”, particularly in the finance ministry where she once worked. “For a party that’s gone in a quite populist direction in recent years, she’s been able to present herself as more authentic, more ordinary,” said Tim Bale, of Queen Mary University of London. “She sets herself up as — despite having been in government for eight years — almost outside that establishment and therefore the kind of person that you can rely on to represent you against that so-called ‘blob’.”
10 FOREIGN NEWS Tuesday, 6 September, 2022 | LAHORE T
Two Russian embassy staff killed in Kabul suicide attack
“We are actively looking for the two suspects,” she added.
The Saskatchewan Health Authority told AFP in a statement it had activated emergency protocols to deal with “a high number of critical patients.”
China accuses Washington of cyberspying on its university
State media reported that several aftershocks were recorded in nearby areas. A smaller magnitude 4.6 tremor hit eastern Tibet less than an hour after the initial quake, according to the USGS. Hundreds of rescue workers were dispatched to the epicentre, CCTV reported, alongside footage of firefighters in orange jumpsuits boarding trucks and navigating a highway littered with rocks and other debris. The Sichuan seismological authority said more than 1,000 soldiers had been sent to help rescue workers. Authorities also sent thousands of tents, blankets and foldable beds to the affected areas, according to the broadcaster. Other state media photos showed officials in military fatigues heaving shovels and other equipment along a highway — all while wearing face masks as a Covid precaution.President Xi Jinping called for local authorities to “make saving lives the first priority, go all out to rescue people in disaster-stricken areas, and minimise loss of life,” according to CCTV. A resident of Chongqing said the quake was “pretty noticeable” and that it had shaken the lights and furniture in his fifth-floor apartment.
Strong earthquake in Southwest China leaves 30 dead
The James Smith Cree Nation, with a population of 2,500, declared a local state of emergency, while many residents of Saskatchewan province were urged to shelter in place.
‘Maximum’ police resources A dangerous person alert had been issued in the morning in Saskatchewan, as police responded to multiple stabbings in multiple locations in the Indigenous community and PoliceWeldon.received a call at 5:40 am (11:40 GMT) about a stabbing at the James Smith Cree Nation, followed quickly by more calls reporting further stabbings, at a total of 13 separate locations, Blackmore said.
The American Embassy in Beijing didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
“I was pretty scared,” he told AFP, “but it didn’t seem to faze people here.” – Summer of extremes –Earthquakes are fairly common in China, especially in the country’s seismically active southwest. A magnitude 8.0 quake in 2008 in Sichuan’s Wenchuan county left tens of thousands dead and caused enormous damage. At least four people were killed and dozens more injured after two earthquakes in southwestern China in June. That month a shallow 6.1-magnitude shock hit a sparsely populated area about 100 kilometres west of Chengdu. It was followed three minutes later by a second quake of magnitude 4.5 in a nearby county, where the deaths and injuries occurred.
The hackers targeted a “zero-day,” or previously unreported, vulnerability in the school’s security, the statement said. It said the break-ins were conducted from servers in 17 countries including Japan, South Korea, Sweden, Poland, Ukraine and Colombia.
The virus centre accused the NSA of carrying out other “malicious network attacks” in China but gave no details. It said 13 people involved in the attacks had been identified.
The NSA, part of the Department of Defense, is responsible for “signals intelligence,” or obtaining communications and otherThedata.Computer Virus Emergency Response Center, set up in 1996 by the police department of the eastern city of Tianjin, describes itself as the Chinese agency responsible for the inspection and testing of anti-computer virus products.
A report by Qihoo 360 in 2020 said hacking tools used in attacks on Chinese companies and government agencies in 2008-19 were traced to the Central Intelligence Agency by comparing them with code in CIA tools disclosed by the Wikileaks group.
Northwestern Polytechnical University reported computer break-ins in June, the National Computer Virus Emergency Response Center announced. It said the centre, working with a commercial security provider, Qihoo 360 Technology Co., traced the attacks to the National Security Agency but didn’t say how that was done.
The alleged attackers fled in a vehicle and have been identified as Myles and Damien Sanderson, aged 30 and 31 respectively, both with black hair and brown eyes.
BEIJING Agencies
– Heir to Thatcher? –To Truss’s admirers, her campaign was built on sincere long-held instincts and “She’sbeliefs. always been outspoken. She’s always been a disrupter,” said Mark Littlewood, head of the Institute of Economic Affairs think-tank and a former member of Oxford University’s Liberal Democrat club with Truss. “You really need to understand Elizabeth Truss as a kind of free market liberal,” he told AFP. Truss’s rise to become the UK’s third female prime minister has inevitably led to comparisons with the first: Margaret Thatcher. As foreign secretary for the past year, Truss has been pictured riding atop a tank and sporting a Russian fur hat in Moscow, just like the Tory icon. But she has batted away any suggestion of a deliberate visual ploy. Yet like the “Iron Lady” she is faced with the daunting task of leading the UK out of decades-high inflation, a worsening cost-of-living crisis and industrialFinancialaction.Times political commentator Robert Shrimsley believes Truss is the heir not to Thatcher but to Boris Johnson’s “cakeism” doctrine — being “pro having cake and pro eating it”. She was, he wrote, the choice of a Conservative party that “dislikes hard choices” in contrast to her beaten rival, former finance minister Rishi Sunak, who campaigned for fiscal discipline. – ‘Human hand grenade’ –As foreign secretary, Truss spearheaded a raft of trade deals following the UK’s divorce from the European Union.Truss has branded her initial opposition to Brexit a mistake, despite growing evidence of its economic costs, and has repositioned herself as a champion of the cause. Issues around new trade arrangements in Northern Ireland are causing friction with Washington and Brussels and could prove problematic early in her tenure.Onthe international stage, she has also forcefully confronted Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. But her initial encouragement of Britons to fight there was slapped down by the military establishment, and fuelled criticism that she lacks judgement.Johnson’s former top aide Dominic Cummings likens her to a “human hand grenade”, and some MPs have accused her of excessive self-promotion.
The statement described what it said were NSA software tools with names such as “Second Date” and “Drinking Tea” but didn’t say which might have been used at the university.
Police responding to emergency calls found 10 dead in the remote Indigenous community of James Smith Cree Nation and the nearby town of Weldon, Saskatchewan, Royal Canadian Mounted Police Assistant Commissioner Rhonda Blackmore told a news conference. She said at least 15 other people had been injured and transported to hospitals.
BEIJING The AssociATed Press China on Monday accused Washington of breaking into computers at a university that US officials say does military research, adding to complaints by both governments of rampant online spying against each other.
In Regina, police chief Evan Bray said authorities were on high alert with additional officers deployed as sports fans descended on the city for a sold-out Labour Day weekend match between the Canadian Football League’s Saskatchewan Roughriders and Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
Washington says the university helps the PLA develop aerial and underwater drones and missile technology. Monday’s announcement accused the United States of taking information about the university’s network management and other “core technologies.” It said Chinese analysts found 41 “network attack” tools that it said were traced to the NSA.
IndIa’s KohlI says ‘excItement bacK’ after asIa cup fIftIes
DUBAI afp I NDIA’SVirat Kohli said on Sunday he is enjoying his game again after he hit form with successive halfcenturies in the Asia Cup T20 tournament, including a 60 against Pakistan. Kohli, 33, had come into the tournament that acts as a tune-up to the T20 World Cup in October-November, after a one-month break to deal with mental stress during an extended batting slump.The star batsman, who scored 35 and 59 not out in the two group stage matches, led India’s batting in the key Super Four match against Pakistan. India lost by five wickets in the last over in Dubai, but Kohli seemed to have found his old form in his 44-ball knock, laced with four fours and one six, and said critics never bothered him. “I never really paid attention to these critics,” said Kohli, who recently spoke about “faking intensity” to put up a brave front in his lean patch. “Played 14 years and it doesn’t happen by chance. People have their opinion but that doesn’t change my happiness.”Kohlimissed India’s white-ball tour of West Indies and Zimbabwe to recharge and joined the team ahead of the sixnation Asia Cup. Skipper Rohit Sharma and coach Rahul Dravid insisted in press conferences that Kohli looked fresh. Kohli said he was made to feel welcome in the team. “Took time away and it’s given me a relaxation that it’s not be all and end all of life,” said Kohli. “I was able to find my excitement back and when I came here the environment in the team is amazing. I am loving playing at the moment all over again and feeling good in batting.”
Fear of failure spurs Berrettini into US Open quarter-finals
NEW YORK afp Danill Medvedev said Nick Kyrgios is playing at such a high level that he merits comparison with Grand Slam heavyweights Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. Medvedev was deposed as US Open champion on Sunday by Kyrgios as the fiery Australian stormed to an electrifying 7-6 (13/11), 3-6, 63, 6-2 win to reach his first quarter-final in New York. “Nick today played kind of at the level of Novak and Rafa,” said the 26-year-old Medvedev after seeing 21 aces and 53 winners speed past him. “He has a little bit different game because he’s not a grinder. At the same time he can rally. He’s tough to play. He has an amazing serve. “But from baseline it’s not like when the point starts, you know that you have the advantage. He plays good. He has every shot. “If he plays like this until the end of the tournament, he has all the chances to win it.” Medvedev, who will lose his world number one ranking following his defeat, was attempting to become the first man to defend the US Open title since Roger Federer in 2008. Instead, he ends the Grand Slam year with a runners-up spot at the Australian Open, where he was defeated by Nadal, and last-16 exits at the French and US Opens. Along with other Russians, he was banned from Wimbledon due to the invasion of Ukraine. Medvedev said his physical condition began to deteriorate as the match went on, a legacy of picking up a fever during the tournament. “In the USA, I get sick for sure in the hardcourt swing because the AC is just crazy,” he said.
Left-arm pacer Mohammad Imran made the most of the variations in his arsenal and denied any scoring opportunities to Southern Punjab batters as his 12 balls leaked only 13 runs and accounted for HassanSouthernKhan.Punjab, asked to bat, could muster 41 runs for the loss of four wickets in five overs, which, in the end, proved to be a cakewalk for defending champions Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.AamerAzmat, unbeaten on 14 off 10, dragged Khyber Pakhtunkhwa over the line with three balls spare and seven wickets in hand. Right-arm pacer, Mohammad Ilyas, accounted for Sahibzada Farhan and Sarwar Afridi and was the only bowler in the match to take two Inwickets.thesecond match of the day, Hussain Talat took Balochistan to a 19-run win. Talat dismissed Rohail Nazir and Umar Amin in the sixth over and sent Hasan Nawaz packing in the eighth over in an extraordinary batting collapse that formed the basis of Balochistan’s third win of theSohailtournament.Tanvir registered his highest T20 score with 74 off 42 and hit six sixes and three fours, but such was the magnitude of the top order collapse that it couldn’t save Northern. Aamir Jamal with 35 off 21 was the other batter to show some resistance but all Northern could manage was 162 for seven. Hussain returned three for 17, while his fellow pacer Khurram Shahzad picked up two wickets for 28. It was a solid half-century at the top of the order from Haseebullah and blistering knocks from Shan Masood (45 not out at a strike rate of 155) and Haris Sohail (34 at a strike rate of 179) that lifted Balochistan to 181 for three after they were asked to bat.
ScoreS in brief: Match 1Southern Punjab 41-4, 5 overs (Mohammad Ilyas 13 not out; Imran Khan Snr 1-12, Mohammad Imran 1-13).Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 44-3, 4.3 overs (Aamer Azmat 14 not out; Mohammad Ilyas 2-14; Sameen Gul 1-15).Match 2- Balochistan 181-3, 20 overs (Haseebullah 52, Shan Masood 45 not out, Haris Sohail 34 not out, Asad Shafiq 34). Northern 162-7, 20 overs (Sohail Tanvir 74 not out, Aamir Jamal 35, Hasan Nawaz 24; Hussain Talat 3-17, Khurram Shahzad 2-28). Tuesday’s fixtures: Central Punjab v Sindh at 0930; Northern v Southern Punjab at 1345. Balochistan record wins in National T20 Cup
Haseebullah and Asad Shafiq (34 off 28) added 62 runs for the first wicket in 8.4 overs. Young Haseebullah continued to play the anchor’s role till he was dismissed by Sohail Tanvir on the first ball of the 15th over. Balochistan were 109 at thatShanpoint.and Haris made their experience count and added 72 runs at a run rate of over 11. Shan hit six fours in his 29-ball knock and Haris’ 19-ball innings was studded with four fours and a six. After completion of the 12th match, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were placed at top of the table followed by Balochistan, who have six points from three wins. With four points coming from two wins Southern Punjab and Sindh were placed at third and Northernfourth.stands fifth with one win, while Central Punjab were placed at the bottom.
Tuesday, 6 September, 2022 | LAHORE 11SPORTS
DUBAI MonitoRing RepoRt
NEW YORK agencieS Fit-again Matteo Berrettini says the fear factor helped spur him into the US Open quarter-finals as his impressive recent run of Grand Slam results continued on Sunday.The 26-year-old 13th seed from Rome defeated Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 3-6, 7-6 (7/2), 63, 4-6, 6-2 to set up a quarter-final against Norway’s Casper Ruud. It was the latest solid showing from Berrettini in a Grand Slam singles event. Although the Italian was forced to miss this year’s French Open (injury) and Wimbledon (Covid-19), Berrettini performed well at the four Grand Slams preceding those events. He reached the semi-finals at the Australian Open earlier this year, and in 2021 made the last eight at the US Open as well as the Wimbledon final and the French Open quarter-finals. Berrettini said Sunday his run of results shows he is suited to the demands of Grand Slam tennis. “It’s not a secret for me the Slams are the goal of the season,” he said. “I think it proves that my level is high in Slams, and I’m really solid, that I like to play best-of-five and I play my best tennis in the most important stages of the tour.”Berrettini added that fear of failure was driving his success.“Ithink fear is part of my life and my career,” he said. “Fear is a big engine, it’s something that helps me getting up in the morning, and achieving goals. Without fear I wouldn’t be here. I always say when I’m not tight, when I don’t have fear to lose, I never feel Aftergood.”his semi-final run in Australia this year, hand surgery kept Berrettini out of the French Open. He then withdrew from Wimbledon after testing positive for Covid-19 in June. “I was sick, I had really a high temperature. I was feeling all my bones were broken,” he said. “Obviously now I have an extra motivation. I feel like this year has been tough, surgery, COVID. “But here I am again, healthy, and really looking forward to play my quarter-final.”
ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt Khyber Pakhtunkhwa downed Southern Punjab by seven wickets while Balochistan outplayed Northern by 19 runs in their respective Kingdom Valley National T20 Cup 2022-23 matches at Pindi Stadium Rawalpindi on Monday. In the first match, KP maintained their rhythm and recorded their fourth straight win when they defeated Southern Punjab by seven wickets in a contest reduced to fiveovers due to wet outfield.
KHALiSTAn LinK: After India lost to Pakistan on Sunday night, Singh’s Wikipedia page was vandalised to claim he was linked to the Khalistan Movement. The movement is an aggressive campaign seeking to create a homeland for Sikhs by establishing a sovereign state, calledAccordingKhalistan.to the edit history of the page, an unregistered user replaced the words “India” with “Khalistan” at several locations on the profile at 12:08 am Pakistan Standard Time (PST), Hindustan Times reported. This user also edited his name to first read “Major Arshdeep Singh Langra” and, a minute later, to “Major Arshdeep Singh Bajwa”. They also made some random changes to Singh’s game statistics. The user also replaced the word India with Khalistan in links cited to support claims on the page, leading to a purported Times of Khalistan newspaper that does not exist.
Hafeez urges India to stop ‘humiliating’ Arshdeep for dropped catch
With Arshdeep Singh falling victim to vicious online trolling after India’s defeat to Pakistan in their Sunday Super 4 stage opener of the Asia Cup, Mohammad Hafeez rushed to the 23-year-old’s defence. The “professor” urged cricket fans in India to stop humiliating the pacer, 23, for his dropped catch of middle-order batsman Asif Ali during the 18th over of the nerve-shredding chase. Taking to Twitter, he wrote: “My request to all Indian team fans. In sports, we make mistakes as we [are] human. Please don’t humiliate anyone on these mistakes.Responding@arshdeepsinghh”.tothetweet, one Kamran Malik from Pakistan said: “It needs a broader mindset to understand this, which clearly is missing here. Feeling sorry for Arshdeep.” The pacer also secured support from India legend Harbhajan Singh, who slammed trolls for their “cheap” remarks. The former cricketer tweeted: “Stop criticising young @arshdeepsinghh No one drops the catchWepurposely.areproud of our boys. Pakistan played better. Shame on such people who are putting our own guys down by saying cheap things on this platform bout Arsh(deep) and the team. Arsh is gold.” For their next Super 4 stage fixture, India will face Sri Lanka on Tuesday in Dubai. Meanwhile, Pakistan will play Afghanistan on Wednesday in Sharjah.
KP,
Kyrgios at same level as djokovic and nadal, says medvedev
Defence Day: PM eulogizes armed forces, nation for carrying forward 1965 war legacy by defeating terrorism
ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has said that it is a matter of great pride that the valiant armed forces and the brave Pakistani nation have carried forward the proud legacy of the 1965 war by successfully defeating the monsters of terrorism and extremism in their two-decade-old struggle. “Hats off also to the heroes and ghazis, the men and women in uniform, the personnel of police and other law enforcement and intelligence agencies, who are vigilantly safeguarding the frontiers of the motherland from the external and internal threats in harsh weathers and hostile environments,” the prime minister said in a message on “Defence and Martyrs Day of Pakistan” being observed on Tuesday. Today, he said, the nation was paying its rich tributes to the brave sons of the soil, especially the worthy martyrs who laid down their lives while fearlessly and bravely fighting against the enemy, who was much bigger in numerical strength. “We owe great respect to the parents and families of Shuhada who courageously bore the loss of their near and dear ones,” he added. While they were celebrating the Diamond Jubilee of Pakistan’s Independence this year, the prime minister said his message on the day to the sons and daughters of soil was to keep the flame and the spirit of September 6 alive in their hearts. “I call upon the nation to forge unity in their ranks, for no conspiracy and challenge can succeed if the people are united in their resolve to protect their freedom and defeat such nefarious elements,” he added.
Sharif said joint efforts at the national level were the need of the hour to mitigate the suffering of the flood-affected people.
Tremors felt across northern Pakistan
The quakes come at a time when Pakistan is reeling from floods caused by torrential monsoon rains. Catastrophic floods have left a third of the country submerged as thousands of roads, houses, electric towers and bridges have been completely damaged. app China Pakistan’s trusted friend, partner:staunchestPM
“By inflicting the breach we have tried to save Sehwan town. Water levels on Johi and Mehar towns in Dadu district would be reduced by this breach in the lake,” Shoro told Reuters. On Monday, according to, Sher Mohammad Mallah, the official in charge of the irrigation cell for the lake, the water level in the body had risen to 125 reduced levels (RL) by afternoon, up from 123.2RL recorded Sunday night. He told Dawn the lake’s protective dykes at RD 80, 75, 20 and 10 were “washed over” by waves and strong winds. Meanwhile, Reuters reported it was not clear how many of the 100,000 asked to leave their homes would actually do so. Some displaced by the floods have complained that shelters are crowded, while others are reluctant to leave their possessions.
He said provision of shelter to the displaced persons was direly needed, adding that the government had placed the order for the purchase of seven million tents. Medical camps, he said, had also been set up at the relief camps to avert the spread of diseases.
HISTORIC RAINFALL: Aside from historic rainfall, southern cities of Pakistan have had to contend with increased flooding as a surge of water flowed down the Indus river. The country has already received nearly three times the 30-year average rainfall in the quarter through August, totalling 390.7 millimetres (15.38 inches). Sindh province, with a population of 50 million, was hardest hit, getting 464 percent more rain than the 30-year average. Being downstream on the Indus river, the southern parts of the country have witnessed swelling river waters flowing from the north. Pakistan’s limited dams and reservoirs are already overflowing and cannot be used to stop downstream flows. Tarbela dam along the Indus River in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, has been at capacity — 1,550 feet and 5.8 million acre-feet — for weeks, according to NDMA data.
KARACHI: The prime minister on Monday said his government has decided to double the assistance under Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) for flood-hit people from the existing Rs28 billion to Rs70 billion.
The prime minister expressed gratitude to the friendly countries for extending assistance to Pakistan following the flood losses. He said the magnitude of the disaster was bigger than the capacity of the country to effectively cope.
More evacuations as water level in Sindh lake continues to rise KARACHI Staff RepoRt
The prime minister conveyed deep gratitude of the government and the people of Pakistan for the messages of condolence and sympathy by President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang on the devastating floods in Pakistan, and mobilizing immediate relief assistance for the flood-affected areas in the finest traditions of Pakistan-China ‘All-Weather Strategic Cooperative ChinaPartnership’.hasscaled up its official flood relief assistance to RMB 400 million, including 25,000 tents. Provincial and city governments, friendship associations, enterprises and Chinese people are joining the Chinese government’s efforts to provide the much-needed assistance. Staff RepoRt
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
The devastating floods in the country have killed 1,265 people, injured over 12,000 and left thousands homeless since mid-June, according to the latest figures released by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).
After the government in flood-hit Sindh breached the Manchhar Lake on Sunday to save densely populated areas from gathering flood water, levels in the nation’s largest freshwater lake and parts of the Dadu district were again on the rise on Monday as the authorities struggled to contain the devastating floods. Record monsoon rains and melting glaciers in Pakistan’s northern mountains have brought floods that have affected 33 million people and killed at least 1,314, including 458 children, the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) said. Manchar Lake, which is used for water storage, had already reached dangerous levels and the increased pressure posed a threat to surrounding areas in Sindh, Jam Khan Shoro, provincial minister for irrigation, said. He said about 100,000 people would be affected by the breach but it would help save more populated clusters and also reduce water levels in other, harder-hit areas.
pRayeR tiMingS Fajr SunriSe Zuhr aSr Maghrib iSha 4:10 5:00 1:30 5:15 7:08 9:15 Tuesday, 6 September, 2022 NEWS
The humanitarian relief goods include food items, tents, blankets, medical supplies, survival and hygiene equipment, as well as high-capacity water pumps, according to the spokesperson.
PM eMPhaSIzeS ConSTruCTIve, SuSTaIned Pak, uS engageMenT BaSed on MuTual reSPeCT
P RIMEMinister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday while expressing satisfaction at the upward trajectory in Pakistan-US relationship, underlined the need for a constructive and sustained bilateral engagement based on mutual respect, trust and understanding. The prime minister, in the meeting with a US Congressional delegation led by Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee here, appreciated its visit to Pakistan at a critical juncture when flash floods have ravaged the country. Apart from Congresswoman Lee, the delegation included Congressman Thomas Souzzi and Congressman Al Green. The prime minister underlined that the government was fully engaged in the rescue and relief efforts. He added that the floods had affected over 33 million people, killing 1,300 human beings, and causing extensive damage to agriculture, livestock, property and critical Heinfrastructure.underscored that rehabilitation and reconstruction would pose serious challenges and entail commitment of enormous resources. The continued support, solidarity and assistance from the international community was critical in that context, he added. Prime Minister Shehbaz underscored that despite being one of the lowest emitters of carbon emissions, Pakistan was facing the brunt of climate catastrophe. He stressed that the developed countries must step up their climate ambition, including towards the provision of predictable climate finance for mitigating the adverse impacts of climate change in the developing world.
He urged the nation including intelligentsia and media to focus on the flood situation and set aside highlighting politics. Sharif interacted with the affected people at the relief camp and distributed among them cheques of compensation money. Staff RepoRt
Army captain, four soldiers martyred in North Waziristan IBO
He was talking to Nong Rong, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China, who called him here.
RAWALPINDI Staff RepoRt A Pakistan Army captain and four soldiers embraced martyrdom on Monday during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in KhyberPakhtunkhwa’s North Waziristan district, the military said in a statement. “During the conduct of the operation in Boyya area of the district, intense fire exchange took place between the troops and terrorists,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said. The military’s media wing said that the troops engaged the terrorists’ location, resulting in the killing of four terrorists. “Weapon and ammunition were also recovered from the killed terrorists,” it added. According to the ISPR, the killed terrorists remained actively involved in terrorist activities against security forces and the killing of innocentHowever,citizens. during the intense exchange of fire, 26year-old resident of Wana Captain Abdul Wali, 45-yearold resident of Abbottabad Naib Subedar Nawaz, 34year-old resident of Sargodha Havaldar Ghulam Ali, 33year-old resident of Mianwali Lance Naik Ilyas and 29-yearold resident of Mianwali Sepoy Zafar Ullah embraced martyrdom.Themilitary’s media wing said that sanitisation of the area is being carried out to eliminate any other terrorists found in the area. “Pakistan Army is determined to eliminate the menace of terrorism and such sacrifices of our brave soldiers will not go unpunished,” it further said.
Pakistan received 30 flights of humanitarian aid for flood victims: spokesperson
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Monday recognized China as Pakistan’s trusted friend, staunchest partner, and iron-brother, whose relief assistance was deeply appreciated by the people of the country, and in keeping with the time-honoured bilateral friendship.
The 2.5 percent increase in the volume of the programme has been made in view of the unprecedented damage to infrastructure and crops in the wake of recent floods.
ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt
He said the best tribute to the sacrifices of their martyrs was to rebuild Pakistan in line with the vision of founding fathers. “A country that is strong economically, stable politically and harmonious socially can better defend itself, and promote and safeguard its vital foreign policy objectives. This is what the coalition government is aiming to achieve,” he added. The prime minister said the 6th of September was remembered as a symbol of courage, display of unmatched resilience and the spirit of supreme sacrifice by the valiant sons of the soil.
ISLAMABAD: An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.3 shook parts of northern Pakistan, including Islamabad, in the wee hours of Monday, said the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD). According to the US Geological Survey, the epicentre of the earthquake was located in the Koh Hindukush mountainous region in Afghanistan at the depth of 10 Tremorskilometres.were felt in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Mardan, Abbottabad, Swabi, Mohmand, Bajour, Buner and adjacent areas after which people came out of their homes in panic and started reciting the Quran, according to reports in the Manymedia.said the tremors had been strong enough to wake them, but there have been no reports of injury or damage. Last week, a “moderate” earthquake of 4.7 magnitude jolted the Kalat district of Balochistan. No casualties or damages were reported in the quake.
ISLAMABAD MonitoRing RepoRt Pakistan has received 30 flights of international humanitarian aid for flood victims over the last seven days, a Foreign Office spokesperson said over the weekend. Pakistan has received 12 flights of relief goods from the United Arab Emirates, 10 from Turkey, four from China, two from Qatar, and one each from France and Uzbekistan, Asim Iftikhar Ahmad said.
He said Pakistan armed forces’ role in maintaining peace in various countries under the United Nations banner was also being acknowledged worldwide. It showed their commitment to the establishment of sustainable peace, particularly in the region. “This commitment is the hallmark of our foreign policy. However, with the desire for durable peace, Pakistan cannot remain oblivious to the need for the strengthening of our defence and the procurement of modern-day equipment despite the difficult economic situation,” he added.
Speaking during his visit to a relief camp set up in Qambar Shahdadkot district of Sindh, Shehbaz Sharif said the country experienced unprecedented losses due to floods. He said a fixed stipend of Rs25,000 was being dolled out to each flood-hit family to help it recover its financial losses. He expressed concern the cotton crop in the flood-hit cities of Sindh, which was means of livelihood for locals, was entirely damaged by floods.
BISP assistance for flood victims more than doubled
Earlier in the day, Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal told the media at the National Flood Response and Coordination Center that rescue and relief operation is underway and the government will leave no stone unturned to bring normalcy back to the lives of the flood-affected people. “The scale of devastation warrants a major humanitarian response for 33 million people affected by the floods,” he said, urging the international community and countrymen to help Pakistan in this hour of need.
On this day, 57 years ago, the brave armed forces of Pakistan proved to the world that they were ever ready to defend every inch of the motherland, no matter what the cost, he added. The entire Pakistani nation, the prime minister said, while displaying unprecedented unity and resolute strength, came forward for the support of their armed forces. The show of unprecedented unity and solidarity of the nation galvanized the officers and jawans, pilots and sailors in their fight to secure the motherland against the Indian aggression, he added. “On this occasion today, I congratulate the military leadership on successfully bringing Operation Raddul Fasaad to its logical conclusion. I also commend the role of the security forces, especially the army and navy personnel in saving the lives of thousands of people during recent floods in Balochistan, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Southern Punjab,” the prime minister said.
CMYK Tuesday, 6 September, 2022 | LAHORE
CMYK Tuesday, 6 September, 2022 | LAHORE
