SHARJAH Mian abRaR Last-minute heroics by young sensation Naseem Shah in the last over helped Pakistan secure a birth in the final of the Asia Cup 2022 and send India packing. In a low-scoring thriller, Pakistan defeated Afghanistan by one wicket as Afghanistan had set a 130-run target for Pakistan after being asked to bat first by BabarTheAzam.match appeared to be in the bag after Afghanistan were dismissed for 130, however, Mohammad Nabi and Co. gave the Green Shirts a run for their money with their exceptional bowling. Pakistan lost Fakhar Zaman and Babar Azam in the first six overs and when they lost in-form Mohammad Rizwan at the end of the ninth over with just 48 runs on the board, it seemed that the Men in Green were in trouble. Afghanistan’s bowlers continued piling up the pressure but Iftikhar Ahmed and Shadab Khan’s 42-run partnership helped ensure that by the end of the 16th over, the target was within reach. The tide turned in Afghanistan’s favour after the partnership was broken and Pakistan lost quick wickets cheaply. In the last two overs, Pakistan needed 21 off 12 balls and had just three wickets in hand. In the second last over, Fareed Ahmad took two wickets, including the crucial wicket of Asif Ali. By the end of his over, Pakistan needed 11 off 6 balls and just had their numbers 10 and 11 — Naseem and Mohammad Hasnain — on the crease. However, Naseem’s two sixes from the first two balls of the penultimate helped Pakistan snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. The one-wicket win meant that Pakistan will now take on Sri Lanka in the final of the Asia Cup. Afghanistan were off to a flying start and looked set to set a big score once their openers started to hit the ball over the However,park.
The pressure eventually got to Karim Janat and Ibrahim Zadran who were struggling to middle the ball. In the 12th over, Nawaz dismissed Janat to put Afghanistan three down. From then on, regular dismissals by the bowlers and tight bowling by the Men in Green put Afghanistan in check. It was only two boundaries by Rashid Khan in the last over that pushed Afghanistan to 129-6 and helped them set a 130-run target for Pakistan. For the Men in Green, Haris ended up with two wickets while Nawaz, Shadab, Hasnain, and Naseem took one wicket each. For Afghanistan, Ibrahim Zadran was their highest run scorer who ended up with 35 runs off 37 balls.
Sharif recalled that during his previous visit to Tank and Dera Ismail Khan cities immediately after the floods, the people were in the rehabilitation phase until the floods hit them again. He lauded the administration and army for acting in unison while contributing their efforts to the rescue and rehabilitation of the affected people across the country.
Death toll rises to 1,343 as flood relief, rescue operation underway at brisk pace claimsgovttobeingConspiracyhatchedtopplePTIinPunjab,Imran Naseem Shah’s last-minute heroics take Pakistan to Asia Cup final CONTINUED ON PAGE 05 CONTINUED ON PAGE 03
In addition, Rs1 million would be given as compensation money to the relatives of the deceased.
“So if the no-confidence vote succeeds in Punjab, then according to them [the PML-N], it will be done by the establishment,” he said. Elaborating on his claim further, the PTI chief stated that the “conspiracy was being hatched” to bring PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif back to the country. However, Imran said that he was unfazed by Nawaz’s return. “I am waiting for you to come back. And when you do, it is my promise that the nation will welcome you in a way which has never been seen before in the country.” But, the PTI chief contended, “while the nation is reeling from floods and there is an economic crisis, you are playing these political gimmicks”. “Don’t you have any care for the country and its people? You are destroying everything.”
The prime minister outlined the damages to crops and livestock by floods which earlier used to be the means of livelihood for the locals. He said the government had ordered the purchase of 0.2 million tents with an aim to provide shelter to theSharifhomeless.lauded the efforts of Minister for Communication Maulana Asad Mahmood and Army Chief Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa for putting their efforts into pacing up the relief and rehabilitation activities. He also acknowledged the donations sent by the friendly nations to help Pakistan overcome the challenges. In Swat, he regretted that violation of building hotels and resorts in the river stream resulted in damages.
PM urges for sustainable MechanisM to control cliMate change Thursday, 8 September, 2022 I 11 Safar, 1444 I rs 15.00 I Vol XIII No 70 I 14 Pages I lahore edition
PTI chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan on Wednesday claimed that a conspiracy was being hatched to topple the PTI government in Punjab, alleging that his ministers in the province were being threatened to accept bribes by “Mr X and Mr Y”. Addressing a rally in Chishtian, he said that PTI’s Punjab lawmakers were being offered bribes worth millions of rupees. “And Mr X and Mr Y are threatening them to accept these bribes.” Imran implied that the Punjab government would be toppled via a no-trust vote and subsequently showed a series of past statements by PML-N leaders where they could could be heard saying that the establishment played a “third party” role in the noconfidence movement against him earlier this year.
“But, let me warn you, no matter what you do, you will be defeated,” the PTI chief added.
PESHAWAR Staff RepoRt t HEprime minister on Wednesday said worst floods in the country’s historic caused heavy losses to lives and infrastructure, emphasising need for introduction of a sustainable system to cope with the challenges of climate change. Shehbaz Sharif said huge sums were required to carry out relief and rehabilitation efforts in the flood-hit areas, and vowed that the entire process would be carried out in a transparent manner.
DADU/QUETTA/SUKKUR Staff RepoRt Floodwater torrent from Manchhar Lake on Wednesday inundated Indus Highway and submerging seven union councils while 18 people lost their lives and 17 others got injured in various flood-related incidents during past 24 hours, taking the death toll to 1,343 since June 14, throughout the country. The armed forces including Pakistan Navy and PAF intensified its relief and rehabilitation operation across the country. According NDMA and Sindh PDMA authorities, the authorities have been engaged in fighting to prevent the roaring lake from bursting its banks. The officials said Larkana-Hyderabad Indus Highway was submerged completely while the land link of Dadu and Larkana with Sehwan and Hyderabad was cut off. “The Indus Highway from Wahar to Sehwan Toll Plaza is submerged and he police blocked the road by erecting barriers to avoid any damage,” the police said.
MoheNjo-DAro AIrPorT CloSeD: The Mohenjo-Daro Airport, which has been lying closed for three years, is adding to the problems of people who are stranded in their areas due to the closure of main roads amid floods. The Larkana-HyderabadKarachi Indus Highway is blocked due to floodwater. Similarly, the Sukkur-Sukrand-Hyderabad National Highway is also closed for traffic due to inundation. The locals have demanded that the flight operation at Mohenjo-Daro Airport should be resumed immediately. The flood-hit people in Khairpur Nathan Shah, living on the roofs of their houses, hungry and thirsty, are still waiting for aid. They told the media that no one had informed them about the floodwater torrent which inundated their area, leaving them stranded on the roofs of their houses. They added that dozens of stranded people were falling prey to different diseases including malaria and diarrhea. “Due to the lack of medical facilities, the lives of many people are at risk,” they expressed concern.
iSlAmAbAD Staff RepoRt
The prime minister said it was a time to rise above politics and demonstrate the spirit of service and welfare for the people. He said the coalition government raised the relief money under Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) from Rs28 billion to Rs70 billion for flood-affected people. He said every affected household would be provided Rs25,000 in a transparent way to help them mitigate their sufferings.
Addressing the locals and flood victims after reviewing restoration work at Sago Bridge in Dera Ismail Khan, the prime minister said the country was grappling with unprecedented floods. With the assistance provided by a philanthropist, the first batch of 100 prefabricated houses having two rooms and a toilet would be built in the city to accommodate widows and orphans in the first phase. He said the houses would be built in two weeks and he would personally visit the site to assess if the project could be replicated by the government in other parts of the country.
Haris Rauf dismissed the explosive Rahmanullah Gurbaz in the fourth over and Mohammad Hasnain removed Hazratullah Zazai to bring two new batsmen to the crease. Once the openers were dismissed, Babar brought in Mohammad Nawaz and Shadab who put pressure on Afghanistan with their tight bowling.
Imran also criticised the suspension of YouTube service across Pakistan during his Peshawar rally yesterday, saying that the government was cracking down on journalists supporting PTI and channels showing his speeches out of fear. “They are scared and want to disqualify me,” he said, adding that it was why “fake cases” were being registered against him. “But now that all of their techniques are failing, they are trying to turn the institutions — army and judiciary — against me.
Govt to spend Rs20b on cotton seeds, climate resilient production
Federal Minister for Industries and Production Syed Murtaza Mahmud directed the committee members to revisit the criteria for the registration of seed companies.Headded that the federal government will consult provincial governments and devise a mechanism to penalize companies which are providing substandard quality seeds. The meeting was further informed that inferior quality cotton seeds affect farmers, ginners and the textile industry alike. Therefore, the Ministry of National Food Security and Research is designing an awareness campaign for farmers to educate them about the ways to improve productivity and improve farmingStressingskills.the need to improve R&D in the country, Mahmud urged the textile industry to pay cotton cess arrears in order to improve cotton research activities.Itmay be mentioned here that production of the crop has declined from over 12 million bales about a decade ago to around 7 million bales last year. Cotton growers have been suffering mammoth losses over the last three years due to the crop’s sensitivity to the environment, quality of production and other factors.
“The IHRF has no view on the political content of the speech of Mr @ImranKhanPTI in Peshawar, except for three clear statements: it is legitimate, it is peaceful, and it should not be censored,” it added. The tweet came after the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), in an apparent attempt to throttle Khan’s aim to get his message across, temporarily restricted access to YouTube just as he was about to address the gathering. The ban was confirmed by internet tracking website NetBlocks, which reported YouTube being “briefly” blocked on multiple internet providers, second such event in less than a month. The organisation noted the disruption came despite the Islamabad High Court (IHC) lifting a ban imposed by the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) on the live broadcast of Khan’s speeches. “NetBlocks recommends against the use of network disruptions and social media restrictions to limit political speech, given their disproportionate impact on fundamental rights including freedom of expression and freedom of assembly,” it said. Prior to NetBlocks’ confirmation, a number of social media users had reported disruption in the website’s service. A similar incident occurred on August 21 on the night of Khan’s address to a rally in Liaquat Bagh of Rawalpindi. NetBlocks had confirmed that disruption as well. On Tuesday, the Pakistan Tehreek-iInsaf (PTI) and its leadership blamed Sharif administration for the development, vowing that the ban won’t be able to stop the party or Khan from spreading his message of Haqeeqi Azaadi (real freedom). Khan was ousted from power in April after losing a contentious no-confidence vote in his leadership. Since then, he has vocally opposed the new government of the multiparty Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) and pushed for fresh elections.
ORMERprime minister Imran Khan accused the government Wednesday of “unacceptable” censorship after the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) apparently blocked national access to YouTube to prevent a rally speech from being broadcast live. Khan retains widespread support despite his April ousting and has staged mass rallies across the country calling for early elections and railing against the government. His speeches frequently draw top ratings on television, with highlights trending on social media in Pakistan. On Tuesday night, however, YouTube was down across much of the country as Khan addressed a rally in Peshawar, with London-based internet outage monitor Netblocks confirming the disruption. “Access was restored after the speech concluded,” Netblocks told AFP. YouTube has not commented on the matter, while a representative of the PTA said they had “no idea about it”. Last month, the government’s media regulatory body banned Khan’s speeches from being broadcast live, on the grounds they were inciting unrest, but this week the Islamabad High Court (IHC) ruled the order illegal. Still, no TV channels broadcast Tuesday’s speech. On Wednesday, Khan accused the government of censoring him, saying the move would damage the country’s“Theyreputation.areimposing complete blackout of my speeches not only from mainstream media but also by blocking YouTube,” he tweeted.“This fascist government of cabal of crooks and their backers are willing to harm the interests of Pakistan simply out of fear of (his party) PTI’s soaring popularity. Utterly callous and unacceptable.” Last month, ARY News, a popular cable television station critical of the current government, was taken off air but a court last week also ordered the ruling illegal. Another cable television station, Bol News, was suspended last week — ostensibly for operating with an expired licence — and insisted later it was being “punished for showing what the government doesn’tFreelike”.speech campaigners have long criticised the creeping censorship and control of Pakistan’s internet, printed and electronic media. “It is digital martial law,” said Usama Khilji, a digital rights activist. The country has a history of those in power using the police and courts to stifle their political opponents, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also has several pending cases from when he was in opposition.Thepolitical crisis comes as the country grapples with the worst floods in its history, with some 33 million people affected by record monsoon rains that have left almost a third of the nation under water.
IMran accuses governMent of ‘unacceptable’ censorshIp
The meeting which was chaired by Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Tariq Bashir Cheema was attended by Minister for Commerce Syed Naveed Qamar, Minister for Industries and Production Syed Murtaza Mahmud, relevant government bodies and stakeholders. The meeting consulted stakeholders and reviewed proposals for the enhancement of yield and cultivation area. Members of the committee were informed that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on August 20 had approved Rs10 billion for the cotton research and development endowment fund. These funds will be released in three tranches over a period of three years. They decided to use the funds to improve seed quality in addition to modernising and developing climate change resilient production technologies. Besides, members decided to encourage technology providing seed companies to market their cotton seeds in Pakistan. In this regard, a committee has been constituted which will negotiate with seed companies and facilitate them in entering the localThemarket.committee was briefed that the latest seed technologies will help enhance productivity and benefit the sector as farmers will be encouraged to grow more cotton through such incentives.
rights body slams Youtube blockag to ‘censor’ imran
Federal, provincial govts working in unison to devise mechanism For penalizing companies providing substandard quality seeds
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ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt Qamar Zaman Kaira, adviser to the prime minister on Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, warned Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chair Imran Khan that illegal action will be taken against him for “using unethical language” and “hurling baseless accusations” against state institutions. The nation is well aware of the person who is spreading chaos in the country, he said while talking to a news channel. The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) stalwart alleged that Khan was attempting to destabilise the country by inciting “chaos and anarchy”, adding that the government will not allow his “nefarious designs” to succeed. “Imran Khan was pushing the country towards extreme polarisation,” he said. “The state, Constitution and the respected institutions were being challenged by Imran Khan which would not be tolerated anymore [sic].” Replying to a question, he said legal action would be taken against Khan. Every troop and officer of the Pakistan Army was patriotic, he said. The army had rendered unmatched sacrifices for the security of the country, he added. martial law’
ISLAMABAD Ghulam abbaS
Imran secures bail extension over violation administrativeof authority
‘Digital
NEW YORK/ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt International Human Rights Foundation (IHRF), a New York-based rights and advocacy group, criticised the government of Shehbaz Sharif over its attempt to muzzle the “legitimate and peaceful” voice of former prime minister Imran Khan. “This is what the government of Pakistan does not want you to see,” the group said in a tweet, sharing a YouTube link to the speech Khan delivered to a packed-tothe-rafters Peshawar rally Tuesday night.
Thursday, 8 September, 2022 LAHORE 02 NEWS
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The government has decided to spend Rs20 billion on production of high quality seeds of cotton and developing climate resilient production technologies in a bid to revive the crop which has suffered due to climate change and use of substandard seeds in recent years. Speaking with Profit, an official source informed that the decision was made in a meeting on cotton revival that took place here on Wednesday.
Minister warns Imran of action over ‘immoral language’ against institutions
LAHORE: Special persons with visual impairment block Canal Road to press their for job quota on Wednesday. photo by ZubaiR mehfooZ
ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt A district and sessions court in Islamabad extended until September 27 the interim bail of former prime minister Imran Khan and the leadership of his Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) party in a case pertaining to violation of Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC). The law empowers district administration to issue orders in the public interest that may place a ban on an activity for a specific period of time. Such a ban is enforced by the police who register cases under section 188 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) for violations of the ban. Section 188 carries a maximum penalty of six months in prison or a fine, or both. In August, a first information report (FIR) was registered against Khan on charges of flouting a ban on public gatherings exceeding four persons imposed under Section 144 by holding a rally to protest against the arrest and purported torture of Shehbaz Gill, his chief of staff, in Islamabad on the 20th. Additional District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Zafar Iqbal took up the applications moved by Khan and his aides — including Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed, Asad Umar, and senators Faisal Javed Khan and Saifullah Niazi, among others. Babar Awan, counsel for Khan, told the court that Niazi and Umar weren’t even in Islamabad at the time of registration of the case.
SHC rebukes officials over ‘failed flood relief response’
A delegation of Qatar Charity headed by Nawaf Abdullah Hamadi called on Commissioner Malakand Division, Shaukat Ali Yousafzai here on Wednesday. The delegation included Qatar Charity Country Director Amin Abdur Rahman, Ahmed Abdullah and A Rehman Bakumal from Bahrain and Michelle Shakir Dawood from Kuwait, and others. Member Provincial Assembly Mian Sharafat Ali, and Additional Deputy Commissioner Swat Sohail Ahmed were also Duringpresent.themeeting, the Qatar Charity delegation discussed with the Commissioner various aspects of possible assistance from Qatar for the flood-affected districts of Malakand Division. The Commissioner expressed gratitude to the Qatar Charity delegation for expressing solidarity with the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, especially the Malakand Division, in this hour of need. He also thanked the Qatar Charity and government for providing assistance and support for rehabilitation of the flood affected people. On the occasion, Shaukat Yousafzai said that there is a strong relationship between the people of Qatar and Pakistani, saying the people of Qatar have always taken care of Pakistani people in every hour of difficulty. While discussing various proposals, the Commissioner Malakand Division said the flood situation in Malakand Division has damaged tourism infrastructure which is fundamental for the economic development of this area. He said that in the field of education, schools have also suffered damage, and infrastructure related to agriculture has also suffered a blow. The commissioner said that a large number of houses and private property were also damaged due to which the families are also facing financial difficulties. He informed that by imposing emergency in the affected districts, rescue and relief work was carried out on war footing due to which the affected families received timely support, adding that road and other infrastructures need restoration for economic development of the Malakand division.
CONtINuED fROM pAgE 01 Situation in other areas of Sindh Jama Lakheer Goth of Dadu district has been inundated completely, and the people are moving from one place to another on the charpoys tied to drums. The floodwater has wreaked havoc on the villages of Tando Muhammad Khan. The locals have moved to safer places. The floodwater has also submerged hundreds of villages in Jhangra area of Benazirabad.18more die as hundreds more evacuated from flood-hit areas As many as 18 more people lost their lives and 17 others got injured as the Army helicopters carried out another 20 sorties to rescue hundreds of flood affectees. This was said by the National Flood Response Coordination Centre (NRCC) in a statement issued on Wednesday. The NFRCC informed that 18 people lost their lives and 17 others got injured due to flash floods during past 24 hours throughout the country. The flood death toll has now risen to 1,343 while the number of injured persons stood at 12,720. So far 383 Army Aviation helicopters sorties have been flown to various areas for evacuation of stranded people. In last 24 hours, 20 sorties have been flown and evacuated 217 stranded individuals and delivered 30 tons of relief items to the flood affectees. Moreover, uptil now 3,847 stranded individuals have been evacuated through helicopter sorties. So far 147 Relief Camps in Sindh, South Punjab and Balochistan and 278 Relief Items Collection Points have been established across the country for collection and onward distribution of relief stores for flood affectees. Up till now 4,973 Tons of food items along with 925 tons of sustenance items and 28,50,229 medicine items have been collected so far. 4377.9 tons of food and 887 tons of sustenance items and 2,596,769 medicine items have been distributed up till now.
The government on Wednesday decided to withdraw the authority of the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) to decide prices of petroleum products. According to sources, the market will determine the prices of petroleum products starting from November An important meeting was held under the chairmanship of OGRA Chairman Masroor Khan. The heads of oil marketing companies, petroleum division and other officials participated in the meeting. According to the sources, the issue of deregulating the prices of petroleum products was discussed in detail in the meeting. Oil refineries and other parties will also be taken into confidence for the formulation of final TORs. citing fundamental rights, Maryam moves lhc for return of passport
The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Wednesday expressed resentment over the government’s failure to provide relief to floodAnvictims.SHCdivision bench, comprising Justice Zafar Ahmed Rajput and Justice Shamsuddin Abbasi, heard petitions filed by flood victims against the government’s failure to provide relief to the affected people. The Sukkur Commissioner, Chief Engineer Sukkur Barrage and officers from other districts appeared in the court. “How much tent cities have been set up for flood victims on the court’s order,” the court questioned the officials. “Tent cities have been established in some areas,” officials replied.“They are talking rubbish, no help is being offered by the government, people are dying,” petitioner’s counsel Ghulam Shabbir Shar said. “Despite the court’s restraining order, they are administering cuts to canals,” senior lawyer said. “This situation has emerged due to encroaching and blocking natural routes of the water flows,” he lamented. “Are you servants of people or ministers, MNAs and MPAs,” Justice Zafar Rajput questioned officials. “Don’t deem yourself servants of ministers, MNAs and MPAs,” Justice Rajput said. “Everyone knew, where the relief items for flood victims are going from government offices. Relief items are being kept at out-houses, bungalows and godowns of Waderas,” he said. “No one cares about humanity, do you want to kill these people,” Justice Rajput questioned sternly. “People are sitting at roadsides and become victims of accidents. Do you want these people die in road mishaps and snakebite,” he questioned. “Human lives are precious, save them. When MNAs and MPAs will be part of the rehabilitation committees, they will seek their personal benefit,” the bench observed. “All highways of Sindh have been under the water and movement has become impossible,” Nisar Bhanbhro advocate said. “People dying with hunger as 10 rupees biscuit pack is impossible to get even in 50 rupees,” he said. “Food items are unavailable,” he further said. The court exasperated over the absence of the deputy commissioner of Khairpur, which is the most affected district in Sindh. The bench ordered DC Khairpur to appear immediately and adjourned hearing for one hour. Chief Engineer Sukkur Barrage replying on the question of Justice Zafar Rajput about drainage of the rainwater said that the water can be drained out vial Rohri Canal to Indus River. “The water level will drop in the river within next three days. The rainwater from Khairpur, Noshehro Feroz, Nawabshah and Matiari districts will be drained out with three drains,” CE Sukkur Barrage said. The court also ordered all possible help to the flood victims and setting up maximum tent cities. It also ordered officials to meet food and medical needs of the flood affected persons.
LAHORE Shahab omeR r UMORSabout suspension of biometric verification system for transfer (BVST) of vehicles and motorcycles in Punjab have left car dealers, agents and even the common man in a real quandary about “what to do” at Punjab Excise Taxation and Narcotics Control Department’s (ET&NC) offices.Muhammad Ashfaq Khalid, a car dealer who came to the head office of ET&NC located at Fareed Kot House informed this scribe that there are more than 17 vehicles in his showroom, which could not be sold due to the“Actually,BVST. prior to the introduction of biometric system by ET&NC, people did not pay much attention to transfer of ownership of vehicles and motorcycles. A common practice in the market was to check the original documents of any vehicle before buying it and if the vehicle was in the name of the seller or someone else, a transfer deed was taken from the seller/owner. This transfer letter/deed was kept open as this was done so that when a car dealer sells a car to someone, he fills this open letter in the name of the buyer so that the vehicle or motorcycle is transferred to the name of the buyer,” he said. Khalid further informed that now after the BVST, the procedure for transfer of ownership of vehicle or motorcycle had changed.“Under the biometric system, a vehicle buyer has to submit transfer fee online through ePay app and transfer of a vehicle ownership is possible only after the biometric verification of the original owner of the vehicle i.e., the person in whose name the vehicle is registered. However, we have bought many vehicles in the market following this old practice. Even many people who are not fully aware of the biometric system still buy vehicles under this system. It is now very difficult to contact the owners of the vehicles, which were bought through open letter. Even if the owners of these vehicles are contacted, they make many demands for BVST. We have repeatedly requested the excise officers to restore the old style of vehicle registration for some period so that transfer of such vehicles can be made possible. Even now we were getting the same information from various sources that the biometric system has been postponed due to court orders but nothing like that happened here,” he lamented.However, when contacted, some officials of ET&NC informed that neither biometric system has been suspended, nor there are any such orders from any authority. Ashraf Bhatti, an official of Motor Branch of ET&NC informed this scribe that registration of vehicles and motorcycles is being carried out under biometric system.
The MFRCC said that more than 250 medical camps established so far in which more than 98,551 patients have been treated all across the country and provided 3-5 days’ free medicine. Ration and other sustenance items collected through Army Relief Items Collection Points distributed in Sindh (287 Tons), Bln (125.7 Tons), KP (100 Tons) & South Punjab (35 Tons) 1200 Tents procured by Pak Army have arrived Pakistan for onwards distribution to flood affectees, the NFRCC said. On the other hand, Pakistan Navy established 16 Flood Relief Coordination Centers and 06 Central Collection Points all across the country. The Navy also distributed 1127 Tons ration including 2,532 tents and 419,577 liters mineral water in various districts. In addition, two tent cities have also been established where 807 families (2,687 personnel) have been accommodated.Moreover, PN’s 23 Emergency Response teams (ERTs) deployed in 10 districts have rescued 12,476 stranded people. These ERTs are equipped with 48 motorized boats and 2 Hovercraft, which can be operated both in water and land and is considered most suitable platform for such kind of operations. Pakistan Navy has also deployed 2 helicopters in interior Sindh and up till now, in 43 sorties, these helicopters rescued 440 stranded people and distributed five tons of ration while eight diving teams of Pak Navy have also carried out 24 diving operations in affected areas across the country. The Pak Navy also established 42 medical camps in which 29,664 patients have been treated till to date. On the other hand, Pakistan Air Force also conducted 75 C-130, 81 MI-17, 34 AW-139 air sorties, rescued 1,521 personnel, distributed 3,083 tents, 155,897 food packets, 1341,727kg ration, 152,117 liters water, and established 19 tent cities, accommodating 13,295 people, 50 relief camps and 41 medical camps in which 35,780 patients have been treated across the country so far. At present, PAF is fully engaged in relief and rehabilitation in different cities of Sindh including Nawabshah, Sukkur, Mirpur Khas, Talhaar, Jacobabad, Sehwan, Perpatho while in Baclochistan, Samungli, Qilla Abdulllah and Qilla Saifulllah.
Death toll rises to 1,343 as flood relief, rescue operation underway at brisk pace
SWAt Syed Shahabuddin
SuKKuR Staff RepoRt
ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt
ruMours about pause In bvst of vehIcles, bIkes leave cItIzens In lurch
03NEWS Thursday, 8 September, 2022 | LAHORE govt decides to withdraw petrol pricing authority from ogra
Similarly in Punjab, the PAF has been carrying out relief operation in Rajanpur and DG Khan while in GB, the PAF is busy with relief and rehabilitation in Gilgit Skardu, Ghizer, Naltar, Ganche and Nowshera, Charsadda, Kheshgi, Saidu Sharif, Shangla and Laram areas of KPK. Meanwhile, the Met office forecast mainly hot and humid weather in most parts of the country along with rain and thundershower at few locations in KP & GB. According to Met office report, mainly hot and humid weather is expected in most parts of the country – partly cloudy weather is expected at few locations in upper KP, AJ&K & GB. Contagious diseases cases on rise in flood-hit areas An outbreak of contagious diseases has surfaced in flood-hit areas, citing sources ARY News reported on Wednesday. “In last 24 hours, 87,373 cases of infectious diseases have been reported,” according to sources. “Most of the cases being reported from the flood-ravaged areas of Sindh,” sources said. “Overall, 14,686 cases of diarrhea have been reported across the country in last 24 hours, 10,802 cases of the disease were reported from Sindh,” sources said. “Diarrhea also rapidly spreading in flood-stricken areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan,” according to sources. In Balochistan 1890 cases and KP 1382 cases of the contagious disease reported.
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“Many people are also asking us whether the BVST has been suspended and we are telling them that it is not. I receive many cases of transfer of ownership through transfer letters on a daily basis and I send them back saying that transfer is possible only under a BVST. If any decision had been taken in this regard, we should have received orders for it, but we have not received any orders,” Malik informed. Similarly, ET&NC’s Region C Establishment Branch official Mohammad Muawiya also clarified that the transfer of vehicle or motorcycle is not possible without a biometric system. “We keep hearing rumors of the suspension of BVST every day. Actually, there are many vehicles and motorcycles in the market whose ownership transfer is difficult due to this system. But this system is for the betterment of people. It was introduced so that the agent mafia can be tackled and the people can easily process the transfer of vehicles without any hassle,” he maintained. An inspector of the Excise Motor Branch informed that according to his estimation, there are more than 300,000 vehicles in Lahore alone which are not giving any kind of income to the department due to the BVST. “We receive cases of cars and motorcycles on a daily basis and believe me, sometimes showroom owners are worried about the transfer of their forty to fifty vehicles because the owners of these vehicles are no longer providing BVST for the showrooms and asking money for it. Now, at the same time, the annual token taxes of such vehicles are not being collected and the money that is to be received by the department in terms of transfer of ownership is also not being received. However, there are definitely rumors that the ownership transfer of some vehicles and motorcycles may be allowed through transfer letters this month, but this will not mean that the biometric system will be suspended.
qatar charity delegates, commissioner huddle to explore ways for flood affectees rehab
ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz approached Lahore High Court on Wednesday for the return of her passport, which has been in judicial custody for the past four year. Maryam originally submitted an appeal on April 21 in the Lahore High Court, saying that she wished to perform Umrah and visit London to see her ailing father Nawaz Sharif. But later she had withdrawn her application. However, now once again, she filed the application through her lawyer Amjad Parvaiz. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has built a politically motivated case against Maryam on false allegations, her counsel maintained in the application. In the past four years, no sugar mills reference has been registered against her, the petition said, adding that a person cannot be deprived of their fundamental rights for a long period of time. Therefore, the court should order the registrar high court to return the passport, the petition maintained. Maryam Nawaz had surrendered her passport in the LHC to secure bail in the Chaudhry Sugar Mills case.
novations, new technologies, new approaches, new development…” Moin ul Haque expressed his excitement. Ghulam Qadir, Commercial Counsellor of the Embassy of Pakistan in China, told the reporter, “This fair is a wonderful opportunity for Pakistan and other countries to represent themselves and showcase their unique products. In terms of services, this is one of the areas where we are focusing more and where we are trying to carve out a win-win solution for enterprises of both countries.” “China is already Pakistan’s largest trading partner and last year our trade volume hit a record level. We expect that in the next 3 to 5 years, we can double this level,” Moin ul Haque told CEN, adding that both countries are working together to expand bilateral trade, especially to boost Pakistan’s exports to China. The ambassador pinpointed, “Our cooperation in trade in services is currently a weak area, so using this platform of CIFTIS, we hope to improve our bilateral trade in trade, like logistics, financial services, e-commerce.” “Surely we are looking forward to our participation not only in CIFTIS, but also in other trade fairs, like China International Import Expo to be held in November,” he further said.
SIndH Staff report An outbreak of contagious diseases has surfaced in flood-hit areas, citing sources. “In last 24 hours, 87,373 cases of infectious diseases have been reported,” according to sources. “Most of the cases being reported from the flood-ravaged areas of Sindh,” sources said. “Overall, 14,686 cases of diarrhea have been reported across the country in last 24 hours, 10,802 cases of the disease were reported from Sindh,” sources said. “Diarrhea also rapidly spreading in floodstricken areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan,” according to sources. In Balochistan 1890 cases and KP 1382 cases of the contagious disease reported. Total, 20016 cases of skin infection reported in flood victims in a day. Sindh reported 16,107 cases of skin infection, while Balochistan 1802 and KP 1168 patients of skin infection, sources said. In last 24 hours 15,532 cases of lung infection reported in floodhit areas, 11,190 cases of them in Sindh, 1749 cases in Balochistan, 1374 cases in Punjab and 1219 cases of lung infections were reported from KP, according to sources. Overall, 655 cases of eye infection were reported in flood hit areas of the country. Moreover, 384 suspected cases of typhoid reported from the floodstricken areas, according to sources. In last 24 hours, five cases of snakebite were reported in these areas, three of them in Sindh and two in Balochistan. Moreover, 34,749 cases of other diseases were also reported from flood-hit areas in last 24 hours, sources added.
Floods destroyed Sindh, joint efforts needed for relief activities: Syed Muhammad Shah Pak-Sino trade volume expected to double in 3-5 yrs: Moin ul Haque
The provincial president Pakistan Muslim League (N), Sayed Shah Muhammad Shah on Wednesday said the unprecedented rains had damaged infrastructure in different parts of the country while Sindh was the worst affected province. Addressing a press conference here at Hyderabad Press club, Shah Muhammad Shah said his party had suspended political activities due to the floods and started providing rescue and relief assistance in flood hit areas. He said Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif had visited all the four provinces and the Gilgit-Baltistan and also announced a grant of Rs 15 billion for flood affected people of Sindh. He appealed to Pakistan People’s Party, MQM and other allied parties to suspend all political activities and join hands with his party in assisting rain hit people who has been displaced after their houses and residences were submerged. Shah Muhammad Shah said that the national and provincial assembly members of Muslim League (N) were collecting funds for the relief of the flood victims and soon they will visit affected districts to distribute relief goods among the affectees. He said that in this difficult time, we have to help the flood victims and to ensure their rehabilitation. He praised Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah decision to save majority population. PML-N leaders Soorath Thebo and others were also present on the occasion.
“In this sense, all countries are a community with a shared future in the face of meteorological disasters, and the future lies in data sharing,” he added.
SIndH Staff report
Contagious diseases cases on rise in flood-hit areas
ECP issues notice to Imran, CM Mahmood Staff CorreSpondent District Monitoring Officer (DMO) for by-election in NA-31 Peshawar-V Shahabuddin has issued notice to PTI Chairman Imran Khan on the charges of using official resources for public meeting, and participation of the public office holders including the KP chief minister in it. The DMO has summoned the PTI Chairman Imran Khan to clarify his position by himself or through his counsel in office in Malak Plaza, Kohat Road on September 9, said ECP press release issued here on Wednesday. The DMO has also summoned KP Chief Minister Mahmood Khan, Provincial Ministers Taimur Saleem Jhagra, Ishtiaq Urmar, Shaukat Ali Yousafzai, Kamran Bangash, Anwar Zeb Khan, Mohammad Iqbal Wazrir, Special Assistants Mian Khaleeq-ur-Rehman and Wazir Zada to explain their position by themselves or through their counsel on September 9 at 10:00 a.m.
Staff CorreSpondent Pakistan, China trade volume is expected to reach in double figures in next 3-5 years, said Pakistan Ambassador Moin ul Haque. “Last year Pak-Sino trade volume hit a record level. We expect that in the next 3 to 5 years, we can double this level,” he said in an interview with China Economic Net (CEN). The recent 6-day long China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) was successfully held in Beijing. It witnessed an active engagement of Pakistani officials, experts, merchants and so on. “Every year CIFTIS is growing and becoming bigger and bigger. I think this is China’s strength – in-
Thursday, 8 September, 2022 | LAHORE 04 NEWS
LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday announced to form a two-member bench to hear Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz’s (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz’s plea about returning her passport to her. The first hearing of the plea would be heard in LHC on September 7, 2022. According to details, two member bench would be headed by Justice Ali Baqir Najafi. According to details, Maryam Nawaz filed a petition in the LHC seeking the return of her passport. In the petition, the PML-N vice president said that her passport has been in judicial custody for past four years. The petition said, “Till now, National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has failed to submit challan in Chaudhry Sugar Mill case,” pointing out that the court granted bail to PML-N leader on merit.
CHIna Staff CorreSpondent a SPakistan is heavily hit by the rare flood, the country is stepping up cooperation with Chinese meteorological companies, China Economic Net (CEN) reported on Wednesday.“Currently, we are working on the provision of automatic weather stations (AWS) and technologies. If conditions permit, we are also looking to building meteorological labs with our Pakistani partners”, Zhuge, CEOZOGLAB,of a professional Chinese manufacturer specialized in instruments for atmosphere and environment, told CEN. The quantity and quality of meteorological equipment in China top the world. For customers in South and Southeast Asia, Chinese meteorological equipment is more cost-effective compared with similar products with the same index and precision manufactured in the US and European countries.“Aset of automatic weather station sold at around RMB 300,000 by western countries can be bought at around RMB 200,000 from China”, he said, citing the AWS for field environment monitoring displayed during the InternationalChina Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) which ended yesterday in Beijing. “The cost is controlled at RMB 50,00060,000. Automatic Weather Station is a very economical option for Pakistan compared with the radars and satellites which require long-term, huge investment”, Zhuge added. According to the CEO, Pakistan and China can also collaborate to establish meteorological standards to improve the accuracy of the data acquired by the existing weather stations.“Taking a step further, China can provide the meteorological radars, satellite receivers, etc. to Pakistan to set up a three-dimensional meteorological observation system that covers equipment on the ground, in the sea, in the air and in the space”, informed Mr. Zhuge. He further elaborated that meteorological alert is different from weather forecast. The former, which targets the meteorological disasters, requires a whole set of observation devices and equipment.
04 NEWS 8 September 2022 (Lahore)_Layout 1 9/8/2022 12:14 AM Page 1
lhC forms two-member bench over Maryam nawaz’s passport return plea
ChInEsE MEtEorologICal CoMPany stEPs uP CooPEratIon wIth PakIstan
EmbaSSy oPENiNg to StrENgthEN furthEr Pak-EthioPia bilatEral tiES: ENvoy
LAHORE: Students sing national songs during a function held to mark Defence Day at Town Hall. Staff photo corporate corner meezan bank launches PoS terminals & online Payment gateway to fast-track Digital Payments in Pakistan
The envoy said that the two sides have been able to maintain a positive trajectory in sustaining high level interactions and cementing cooperation in diverse spheres, including political, economic and agriculture, sports and youth to youth exchange program besides the youth of South Africa would come to play side-by-side with Pakistani youth in different games particularly football. He said, South African world famous cricketers and football stars have more fan following and the people of Pakistan, specially the youth love to watch these stars in action.
Sharif also visited the Sago Bridge, which had been swept away due to flash floods. He was informed that the bridge in the first torrential wave was restored within two days, however, the work was in progress after it was hit by a second wave of flood.
OGDCL working with NAB over years on awareness
islamabad Staff RepoRt Former Prime Minister and Peoples Democratic Party President, Mehbooba Mufti, has said that the administration in North Kashmir’s Baramulla district has given verbal orders to its officials to register non-local labourers and Indian forces’ personnel as voters in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir. According to Kashmir Media Service, Mehbooba Mufti’s statement comes a day after chief electoral officer (CEO) of IIOJK Hirdesh Kumar chaired an allparty meeting over the special summary revision of electoral rolls in TheJammu.PDPchief in a tweet said that according to reports, verbal orders were passed at a meeting in Baramulla on Monday by district Tehsildar to enroll non-local labourers, CISF (Central Industrial Security Force), CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force), BSF Border Security Force) and army personnel as voters. The authorities must come clean on this, she said. Strong resentment is prevailing among the people in IIOJK over the summary revision of electoral rolls after the CEO last month announced that every citizen of India staying ordinarily in the territory can register as a voter and cast vote in the next assembly elections after abrogation of Article 370. He said nearly 25 lakh new voters are likely to be added to the electoral rolls during the summary revision exercise. Except BJP, almost all political parties hit out at the proposed move.
Anticorruption drive has resulted in an excellent impact in eradication of corruption and to recover looted money from corrupt elements by adopting “Accountability for All” policy much needed since its inception to ensure merit and encourage the culture of transparency which itself remained unprecedented.
“The South Africa and Pakistan have been locked in a friendly bond since long, which has grown with important trade ties along with other inter-government communications, he added. They discussed ways and means regarding strengthening the trade ties besides youth-to-youth exchange program and help each other in the sports sectors. HC Madikiza also offered that South Africa would provide expertise for the promotion of football in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in particular and in the country in Expressinggeneral.solidarity with flood victims, the envoy appreciated Legends of Pakistan and Shahid Khan for holding a football match for the relief and rehabilitation of flood victims in Landi Kotal, Khyber District and Peshawar Sports Complex wherein national and international footballers participate. “It is very good that the whole of the football family is extending solidarity with this football match in this hour of need,” Mthuthuzeli Madikiza said. He said Pakistan and South Africa were enjoying well established diplomatic relations. Mthuthuzeli Madikiza assured Shahid Khan of visiting Peshawar to express solidarity with our brothers and sisters who were affected by the recent flood. Shahid Khan Shinwari, a former national football player, said that the two countries have developed a strong relationship, which is based on mutual trust, respect and cooperation. Underlining that warmth and cordiality characterized the Pakistan-South Africa relationship, he highlighted the growing linkages between the two peoples.
Pm urges for sustainable mechanism to control climate change continued from page 01 Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazal ur-Rehman thanked the prime minister for extending assistance to the people of flood-hit areas and acknowledged the services of civil administration, army personnel and welfare Heorganisations.saidrehabilitation of displaced persons was the upcoming big challenge following the cumbersome task of rescue. He stressed a sustainable solution to floods in the area including the building of small dams like Tank Zam and Nawab Haider, and also big ones like Gomal Zam dam. Earlier, the prime minister was briefed about the damages incurred to people and infrastructure.
05NEWS Thursday, 8 September, 2022 | LAHORE islamabad app a MBASSADORof Ethiopia to Pakistan, Jemal Beker Abdula on Wednesday said that Ethiopia’s decision to formally kick-started its diplomatic mission from Islamabad would help further strengthen bilateral trade and economic relations between the two Incountries.anexclusive interview with APP, he said that Ethiopia and Pakistan would develop a legal trade framework that further incentivizes both countries’ investors and enhances trade volume. The Ambassador said diplomatic relations between Ethiopia and Pakistan were established in 1958. So since then, both countries have had good relations and strong cooperation and support in international peace and security. Moreover, Pakistan has also supported Ethiopia in the United Nations Security Council, so it gives full support, and “we are very grateful to Pakistan for that,” he said. Commenting about Ethiopia’s interest in CPEC, he said that CPEC is one of the grand infrastructure projects between Pakistan and China. It will link Pakistan with the rest of the world, adding that the Gwadar and Djibouti is the shortest route, and strategically it can connect Pakistan to the rest of Africa. Under the Belt and Road Initiative, the Railway project from Djibouti to Addis Ababa Railway has already been completed. He added that Ethiopia is looking into it and special interest in the CPEC’s project. Answering a query related to on arrival visa policy for Pakistanis, the Ambassador said that one way to ease people to move from one place to another and that they are coming and investing in Ethiopia is ensuring that their visa process is updated and fast and reliable. So, our government has a policy to ease visa procedures for all countries, including Pakistan, who are interested in visitingEarlier,Ethiopia.Ethiopian Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Redwan Hussain Rameto had also said, “Ethiopia is considering providing visa-on-arrival facility for businessmen from Pakistan so that they can easily visit the African nation in a bid to explore business opportunities,” It is pertinent to mention that Pakistan and Ethiopia’s trade volume is around $63 million. While the exports of Ethiopia to Pakistan are about $24.6 million, Pakistan’s exports to Ethiopia are $38.6 Explainingmillion.the trade volume and economic collaboration between both countries, the Ambassador said that this is a core issue where both countries need to work together and increase economic diplomacy. For instance, Pakistan has developed look Africa initiatives. This African initiative is one way that Pakistan can reach the African market. Africa is a 1.2 billion population market, and the future of trade is now in Africa and Asia. However, both countries must work hard to enhance people-to-people exchange in all fields, including science and technology, academia, the construction industry, pharmaceutical, and garments. Ethiopia’s coffee and tea are delicious and inexpensive, which would be exported to Pakistan. Similarly, Pakistan’s textile and pharmaceutical exports would be helpful to trade volume as Ethiopia was importing major pharmaceutical products from Pakistan. After setting up factories in Ethiopia, the export goods could be sent to different African countries. However, “we must create a legal framework that incentivizes the investors, the second also keeps their property rights.” He further stated that Ethiopia and Pakistan could enhance academic cooperation, and his mission would play its role in starting educational exchanges as it could strengthen youth capacity building.
ISLAMABAD: In a message on Pakistan Navy's Day, Naval Chief Admiral Amjad Khan Niazi has said that 8th September marks a golden chapter in the history of Pakistan Navy when it’s Officers and Men demonstrated indomitable courage and bravado by undertaking successful bombardment of Dwarka. "It is the day to acknowledge the sacrifices of Shuhadas and Ghazis who were imbued with staunch and fearless spirit and were unassailable in the face of a devious enemy during the 1965 War. The conviction in their cause and unmatched gallantry left the enemy bewildered and all its plans in disarray," he said. "During Operation Dwarka, codenamed ‘Operation SOMNATH’, PN Flotilla comprising seven major warships of Pakistan Navy heavily bombarded Indian port of Dwarka, destroying important shore installations including Indian radar station and a radio beacon. The swift attack by PN Ships trounced the Indian Navy and condemned their pride to dust. PN Submarine Ghazi, reigned the Indian Ocean during 1965 War and blunted the Indian Navy with its unnerving and unchallenged presence," he added. He said Pakistan Navy is cognizant of regional developments and is maintaining round the clock combat readiness to respond to any emerging contingency. "PN is also enhancing its regional outlook by maintaining continuous presence in the international waters and significant engagements with regional partners to beef up integration and interoperability. Besides, Pakistan Navy is acquiring state of the art technologies to transition towards a more agile, effective and sustainable future force. Pakistan Navy is aware of its emerging responsibilities and vigilantly guarding CPEC Project by raising dedicated force structure and augmenting security measures to safeguard vital national security interests. Pakistan Navy is also committed to developing maritime sector in order to fully realize the fruition of Blue Economy," he concluded. pR
KArAchI: Meezan Bank, Pakistan’s leading Islamic bank has launched Point of Sale (POS) payment and online payment gateway services to further enhance its digital retail offering and fast-track the country’s digital ecosystem. The Bank will act as a link between merchants, issuers and payment networks by offering them state-of-the-art POS machines and make cashless transactions available over the counters, enabling retailers to benefit from the adoption of digital payments. The POS machines support acceptance of local and international cards, card and mobile tap payments and integration with the retailer system. With the launch of POS and e-Commerce Acquiring services, Meezan Bank will now be able to digitize payments for a large number of unserved retail customers who prefer Islamic banking. A ceremony was recently held at Meezan Bank’s Head Office to acknowledge the contribution of the key individuals in this project. This ceremony was attended by Mr. Ariful Islam - Deputy CEO, Meezan Bank and other senior team members. pR islamabad Staff RepoRt Oil & Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) has been working with NAB over the years on awareness and preventive efforts to eradicate corruption, and has held several seminars etc. Once again, in collaboration with National Accountability Bureau (NAB), OGDCL arranged a seminar on the subject of “Our Faith, Corruption Free Pakistan” here in the OGDCL Head Office, Islamabad. Mr. Khalid Siraj Subhani, Managing Director/CEO stated that just as corruption takes many forms, anti-corruption efforts vary in scope and in strategy, thus, a general distinction between preventive and reactive measures is sometimes drawn. He also appreciated the initiatives taken by the Bureau and welcomed the Chief Guest and Speaker of the event Mr. Zahir Shah, Deputy Chairman, NAB and other officials from NAB. Adding further he accentuated that as an organization, from time to time and with experience, we have made efforts to ensure corruption free environment and has always been encouraging proposals that support transparency.
Pak-SAfrica going to unveil Quaid-Mandela Youth Exchange Program soon: Madikiza
September 8 marks golden chapter in Pak Navy's history: Naval Chief
Kashmir’s former PM accuses Modi of registering non-locals, Indian forces’ personnel as voters in IIOJK
pesHaWar Staff RepoRt High Commissioner of South Africa in Pakistan, Mthuthuzeli Madikiza on Wednesday said that soon a Youth Exchange Program would be launched between South Africa and Pakistan, saying the programme would be named after two prominent leaders of this century – Nelson Mandela and Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. “The Youth Exchange Program aims at sensitizing our coming generation on struggle by the two great leaders for their peoples at one hand and enhancing youth-to-youth contact to further cement bilateral ties between the two brotherly countries”, Mr Madikiza informed. The South Africa HC expressed the view during a meeting with former national footballer and Convener of Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industries for Pakistan (FPCCI), Afghanistan and Central Asian States Shahid Khan Shinwari. Objective of the meeting was extending bilateral trade ties, businessto-business contact, youth and sports exchange program between the two friendly countries.
The Chief Guest and Speaker highlighted the scope and aim of the institution and the best practices for conduct effective investigations. He also emphasized on the methods in which participants can play an integral role in eliminating this evil from the society.
Dera Ismail Khan deputy commissioner, in a briefing, said heavy rains between August 17 and 27 wreaked havoc in the district with 70 percent of the population getting affected by the floods. He said the hill torrents from west to east swept away a large area before falling into the Indus River and mentioned the challenges including permanent rehabilitation of people after their temporary shelter. A National Highway Authority (NHA) officer apprised the prime minister that the 600-kilometre long N-55 Dera Ismail Khan-Razmak Highway was restored in two days while the N-35 Karakoram Highway up to Kuchal drain towards Kohistan was restored by Frontier Works Organisation (FWO).
06 Thursday, 8 September, 2022 COMMENT
Trying to gag Imran
Mr Khan attracts crowds because he has a narrative that appeals to the youth. Khan maintains that his opponents have made money out of politics and acquired properties abroad that they did not possess before entering politics. He also maintains that his opponents follow dynastic politics where political offices are inherited rather than acquired on the basis of merit. Mr Khan meanwhile runs the PTI like a dictator holding no genuine inner party elections and maintaining secrecy about the sources of funds and their handling. The award of party tickets shows that he has no objection to the dynastic politics practised by some of the PTI leaders.
M.
The writer is a Doctor of Physical therapist (DPT)/MS-SPT and currently working in a private hospital in Islamabad.
P TI chief Imran Khan has obviously hit a nerve, and now all efforts are being made to ensure that he does not get his message across. The ban by PEMrA on live broadcasts of his speeches may have been stayed, but his Peshawar rally speech was not broadcast live. As an additional flourish, YouTube went off the Internet for Pakistani users at the time of his speech, and was restored only after it was over. The only effect seems to have been to deprive those who earn through their YouTube channels. Both TV and Youtube showed recordings later, as if the purpose was to stop the spreading of Mr Khan’s views, it was only delayed by a matter of minutes. There is a harder path, that of developing a counternarrative, proving Mr Khan’s narrative wrong. Mr Khan’s opponents should realize that he has views which are worthy of attention, and the media cannot ignore them. An informed electorate is the bedrock of any democracy, and if the present government, the armed forces, and other interested groups, want democracy to flourish, they must ensure that Mr Khan is as able to express his views as any other person. If he says something objectionable, he should be punished, but only after he said it, and the judiciary decides he has violated the law, not because anybody in the executive feels embarrassed. More important than the losses incurred is the derision worldwide that Pakistan will face because of the YouTube shutdown. The lesson for everyone is that any institution powerful and thin-skinned enough will arbitrarily shut down social media to delay a message. However, the days of control have gone. Apart from technological means of overcoming such barriers, like VPns in this case, it is impossible to shut down social media. If the worst comes to the worst, it would be possible to put up a platform outside the country to spread subversive messages. The fate of the original remarks by Mr Khan which provoked this, at his Faisalabad rally, should be an object lesson: they are freely available for all who want to hear on social media.
I n the July by-elections in Punjab the PTI humiliated the PML(n) by clinching victory in 15 constituencies, while the PML(n) managed to win only four. Another competition awaits the two parties over the next few weeks on six seats. While the PML(n) ruled Punjab in July, this time the province is under the PTIPML(Q) administration. The real threat to the PML(n) however comes from partychief Imran Khan who continues to attract crowds despite losing the government.
Turning off Youtube and stopping TV broadcasts counterproductive test of strength
Dr FariD
Founding Editor A. Niazi Joint Editor ExecutiveAzizEditorAhmad Joint Editor
O n April 9, Imran Khan, the elected Prime Minister of Pakistan, was removed from power through a no-confidence motion against him. Earlier another elected PM Benazir Bhutto overcame a similar motion moved against her on 2 november 1989. While IK’s popularity skyrocketed after his ouster, BB’s politics was badly stained, and she never recovered from this debacle. In the case of IK it was a great victory for moral conduct, while BB fell into the trap of immoral compromise. IK could have saved his government by buying votes as Asif Zardari did in 1989 to save the regime of his wife and then to pull down IK in 2022. In both cases the democratic order was seriously damaged but IK came out ahead due to his ethical approach by saying no to the ‘Lota ‘. The ‘Money Game’ in politics was started in 1985 by nawaz Sharif, an ‘establishment tout ‘. After the death of the third usurper in 1988, BB emerged victorious in the electoral contest that followed. To gain power she was made to compromise. nawaz remained the Chief Minister of the largest province, and important portfolios of Foreign Affairs, Finance and Defence were taken away from her control. As heir of the Bhutto legacy she tried her best but was repeatedly cornered by the establishment through their ‘political touts’. As a final blow, nawaz succeeded in buying PPP dissidents and then confined them in the isolation of Chhanga Manga. Zardari reacted by using the financial muscle of the state, he gathered his ‘herd of Legislators’ and airlifted them to Swat. In the final showdown BB pre-
Dr aqib Sagheer IK as always has snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. NS will have to look after his faltering ‘Platelets’ in London together with his two absconder sons who are wanted by the courts in Pakistan. Well done, IK, for a new dawn of democracy as envisioned by the founding fathers not the usurpers and dictators that followed a Malik
YousafEditorNizami Dedicated to the legacy of late Hameed Nizami Arif Nizami (Late)
The PML(n) has meanwhile suffered further slippage in goodwill on account of the negative impact of the policies dictated by the IMF on people’s livelihoods. This is reportedly affecting the morale of the PML(n) ‘s candidates, who want party Vice President Maryam nawaz to campaign in their constituencies.
The PML(n) has no narrative to attract the masses. For a brief period the party relied on “Vote ko izzat do” (‘respect the vote’) which moved few outside the party circle and was soon abandoned. The party hopes that a campaign by Maryam nawaz in the constituencies could be the best answer to Mr Khan’s populist rhetoric. As far as the general elections are concerned, even some of the PML(n) leaders admit that these can be won only if nawaz Sharif is in the country to lead the campaign. There are others who hope that Mr Khan would be disqualified by courts which would have a negative impact on the PTI’s campaign, leading to the PML(n) candidate’s victory. This reflects defeatist thinking. Deviations on the part of politicians considered dangerous can best be treated through public criticism. Disqualifying a mainstream politician from participating in politics or from leading his party needs to be shunned as it is likely to turn him into a martyr in the eyes of his followers.
Umar
P HYSIoTHErAPY as described by World Physiotherapy is a health care profession concerned with human function and movement and maximizing physical potential. It is concerned with identifying and maximizing the quality of life and movement potential within the spheres of promotion, prevention, treatment/intervention, habilitation and rehabilitation. It uses physical approaches to promote, maintain and restore physical, psychological and social wellbeing, taking into account variations in health status. It is science-based, committed to extending, applying, evaluating and reviewing the evidence that underpins and informs its practice and delivery. Physiotherapists and Physical Therapists (PTs) work within a wide variety of health settings to improve a broad range of physical problems associated with different ‘systems’ of the body. In particular, they treat neuromuscular (brain and nervous system), musculoskeletal (soft tissues, joints and bones), and cardiovascular and respiratory systems (heart and lungs and associated physiology). Physiotherapists work autonomously, often as a member of a team with other health or social care professionals. Physiotherapy practice is characterized by reflective behaviour and systematic clinical reasoning, both contributing to and underpinning a problem-solving approach to patient-centric care. People are often referred for physiotherapy by doctors or other health and social care professionals. Increasingly, as a result of changes in health care, people are referring themselves directly to physiotherapists (first-line access) without previously seeing any other health care professional. Trends in Canada and Australia, for example, are even exploring the role of the physiotherapist within the triage system of emergency departments. Physicians like Hippocrates, and later Galenus, are believed to have been the first practitioners of physiotherapy, advocating massage, manual therapy techniques and hydrotherapy to treat people in 460 B.C. After the development of orthopaedics in the 18th century, machines like the Gymnasticon were developed to treat gout and similar diseases by the systematic exercise of the joints, similar to later developments in physiotherapy. The earliest documented origins of actual physiotherapy as a professional group date back to Per Henrik Ling, “Father of Swedish Gymnastics”, who founded the royal Central Institute of Gymnastics (rCIG) in 1813 for massage, manipulation, and exercise. In 1887, PTs were given official registration by Sweden’s national Board of Health and Welfare. Because the body of knowledge of physiotherapy is quite large, PTs tend to specialize in specific clinical areas. These include: MSK/ortho-Cardiopulmonary, neurology, Paediatrics, Medicine, rheumatology, older People/Geriatrics, Medical Conditions, Pain, Women’s Health. oncology. Extended Scope. Public Health. Stroke is the main cause in the world for paralysis in which one side of the body becomes weakened and having hearing and/or speech impairments and having difficulty in walking Physical therapists are specialists skilled and educated in proper rehabilitation methods. They are knowledgeable about surgical procedures and treatment goals and work closely with your referring physician in order to develop individualized rehabilitationPhysicalprogrammes.therapists blend their knowledge about surgical procedures and rehabilitation with what they identify about your body— providing the ultimate customized care. They will look at your movement patterns, habits, and limitations; evaluate your rate of healing; and design a programme that will help you return to action. A patient with a stroke needs a physiotherapist to enable him to walk and make himindependent. Different hospitals in Pakistan are doing work and focus especially on rehabilitation like Shifa International Hospital Islamabad in which physiotherapists are working in different departments like in surgical ice orthopaedics and others. Physiotherapists enable the patients to become independent. Physiotherapy is an important intervention that prevents and mitigates the adverse effects of prolonged bed rest and mechanical ventilation during critical illness. rehabilitation delivered by the physiotherapist is tailored to the patient’s needs and depends on the conscious state, psychological status and physical strength of the patient. It incorporates any active and passive therapy that promotes movement and includes mobilization. Early progressive physiotherapy, with a focus on mobility and walking whilst ventilated, is essential in minimizing functional decline. Many people, especially in Pakistan, are unaware of the benefits of physical therapy. They just want painkillers. Due to a lack of awareness and not having education they are unable to know about it. In CoVID-19, the physiotherapist also plays a role with other multidisciplinary teams and helps the patients to breathe. There are many techniques which are used for breathing that physiotherapists used for their patients.
Aziz-ud-Din
the PML(N)
8th September is World Physical Therapy Day and is celebrated all over the world for the awareness of physical-related issues .It is celebrated to raise awareness about the crucial contribution of physical therapists and chronic pain therapies done by them to keep people well and fit. This day marks the unity and solidarity of the global physical therapy community. It is an opportunity to recognise the work that physiotherapists do for their patients. The importance of physiotherapists is accepted worldwide but in Pakistan, they are not having jobs, many of them are jobless and having mentally stresses. They lack a council, and numerous institutions are awarding Doctor of Physical Therapy degrees while failing to meet the requirements, which would lower the calibre of physiotherapists. The government must act so that the HEC criteria are met. As it is said, “Knowledge is power.” Young physiotherapists must work hard in their studies to advance their knowledge and abilities. They mustalso raise awareness of physical therapy in their communities and assist those who are dependent in becoming self-sufficient.
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vailed with 12 votes. Since then politics in the land of the impure have been rendered impure, and buying and selling of votes has become a norm. Being a master strategist IK refused to follow the nawaz/Zardari approach. This time the Sindh House in Islamabad was used as a ‘Lota Camp’ where the PTI dissidents were holed up. Currently the contest was ‘Moral vs Evil’ not ‘Evil vs Evil’ as was the case in 1989. naturally ‘Moral Authority’ always prevails in the end. I remember the words of my late father; “no compromises; do not fear confrontation”. He strongly believed that in the end it is the game of stamina. IK being an outstanding sportsman maximized his advantage by fighting it out till the last ball, signalling an end to the ‘Zia Dark Ages’ launched through the ‘Establishment Touts’. Zardari has proven to be the biggest tormentor of democracy, ‘Siasi Bemari’ ( Political Illness). First he grounded Bhutto’s party by going against its basic progressive ant- establishment ideology. Lahore, where the party was launched, was taken over by the Sharifs. Punjab was once the bastion of PPP, where the Jiyalas were willing to give blood for the party but no more, it’s all about money now. Zardari was the chief architect of the no-confidence motion against IK. His objectives were clear: Finishing of corruption and money laundering cases, denting the popularity of PML(n) in Punjab while gaining the lost ground for his party. While he has so far succeeded in the first two only, the PML(n) has lost its shine but Kaptaan is the net gainer, and Zardari has badly failed to capture the largest province of the country. Yes, Bilawal may have a future, but only if he denounces his father’s politics and adopts the Bhutto ideology of service to the nation.Politics in the republic has been contaminated twice, once by Ayub Khan in the 150s and secondly by Zia-ul-Haq in the 1980s with the induction of businessmen in the political arena. ‘ The Ayub Era ‘ended with the free and fair elections of 1970 in which all his ‘Touts’ were wiped out together with his Pakistan Muslim League (Convention). Mujib’s Awami League captured the Eastern Wing while Butto’s PPP won big in the Western. The 1985 partyless elections opened the floodgates of corruption. Ethics, morality were all left behind in search of wealth. Zardari was impressed by the rise of the Sharifs and decided to pursue their path to glory. He prevailed over the Sharifs in the 1989 no-confidence motion but has been a big loser in his 2022 attempt as IK refused to play by his rules of the game. A few years back I got hold of an interesting book titled The Power of Ethical Management. It was indeed an eye-opener. Strength comes through clean and honourable conduct and never without it. IK has decided to take-on the combined forces of evil; the masses have understood the dirty games being played by the players of status quo. There is no going back now. After over three decades of total darkness, light is visible at the end of the tunnel. Another free and fair electionwill clean the ‘Zia Mess’. The PPP being an ideological party may survive, provided it gets rid of the enemy inherited through marriage. The father-son journey that started with selling Bambino Cinema Tickets in the black may be ending soon.
IK as always has snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. nS will have to look after his faltering ‘Platelets’ in London together with his two absconder sons who are wanted by the courts in Pakistan. Well done, IK, for a new dawn of democracy as envisioned by the founding fathers not the usurpers and dictators that followed. The writer is ex-Chairman, Pakistan Science Foundation. He can be contacted at: fmaliks@hotmail.com.
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Defeating the No-confidence motion of
Yet another
Physical Therapy Today is World Physical Therapy Day
Zardari helped the 1989 no-trust motion fail, but made this year’s succeed
By-elections in Punjab
Importance
T HE recent floods have affected 33 million people all over the country and almost one-third of the country is still submerged. It is considered the greatest humanitarian crisis in South Asia caused by natural calamity. According to the national Disaster Management Authority (nDMA), the aftermath of floods has severely affected 80 districts out of 160 all over the country, 31 in Balochistan, 23 in Sindh, 17 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), 6 in Gilgit Baltistan, and 3 in Punjab. Additionally, 10 million houses have been destroyed, 730,483 livestock deaths have occurred , 1,162 human deaths, 3,554 people injured , 243 bridges collapsed, and 5,063 km of roads are affected by this calamity till the last week of August. The disaster’s financial estimation cannot be accurately taken or perceived at a moment due to submerged land. In this regard, Sindh is the worst affected province with more than 14 million people being considered ‘badly affected’, according to nDMA, from which 377,000 people are forced to live in camps. Balochistan comes out as the second most affected province where more than 9 million people had to leave their houses and 7,000 are being rovided accommodation in camps. Gilgit Baltistan has declared for the first time ‘calamity-hit’ districts. Extreme weather conditions place the country in a hazardous zone with unpredictable weather patterns. A decades-long rainfall record has been broken in Sindh and Balochistan in July and August receiving 500 percent more precipitation than the annual average causing excessive torrential rain with the glacial melt in the north of the country. This year, Pakistan has received more than 190 percent more rain than normal. Due to this, the country has faced flash flooding, glacial lake bursts, and cloud bursts with massive economical and physical loss. However, in the current year, Pakistan is placed as the 8th most vulnerable country on the disaster list due to climate change,by the Global Climate risk Index 2022.
Declaring currency at Airport
The writer is Adjunct Assistant Professor at Riphah International University, Islamabad. She can be reached at saira.asad2011@gmail.com
Dr Saira kazMi Regarding the loss of crops, it is estimated that at least 3.6 million acres of crops across the country are affected by floods which include 438,000 acres in Punjab, over 35,500 acres in KP, 304,000 acres in Balochistan, and 2.85 million acres in Sindh. Already the Ukra ine-Russia war has affected the export of wheat and other edibles to its major exporters in South Asian countries
on the other side, Pakistan is in economic and political turmoil and facing additionally, the natural calamity. Inflation is already at the record highest of 27.26 percent, breaking the records of the last 49 years. After getting the bail-out package of $1.17 billion from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Pakistan has great challenges to overcome the losses caused by floods within its limited resources. It Seems that Pakistan is expecting a difficult winter ahead, especially inthenorthern areas, Balochistan and Gilgit Baltistan. The weather conditions in these areas are harsh, and during winters temperatures can drop to around freezing. According to nDMA’s preliminary information, the major damage occurred to water, sanitation and hygiene infrastructure. regarding this, 30 percent of the damage was observed in Balochistan, 20 percent in KP and up to 50 percent in the hardest-hit areas of Punjab and Sindh. Pakistan is in a crisis by requiring more financial assistance now in rebuilding efforts, securing gas imports, meeting the demands of IMF, and managing the inflation, on which people are already facing a financial burden. The basic food necessity is hard to be afforded at lower income levels. In this regard, the petrol price has already been raised to rs. 2.07 per litre reaching rs. 235.98 per litre. Meanwhile, Kerosene oil by rs.10.92 per litre ( to rs.210.32 per litre), and Light Diesel oil by rs. 9.79 per litre making the increased rate of rs. 210.54 per litre. With such a higher price, a common citizen is finding it difficult to afford his daily mobility. on the other side, unexpected higher fuel charges have been adjusted in the monthly electricity bill for August. Thus, people have been observed on different platforms raising their voices against inflation, and looking for cushioning, where the country is having a poverty ratio of 39.2 percentin 2022. By looking at the present scenario of rains, Pakistan has so far faced eight monsoon cycles this year, which normally goes to four. According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department, Pakistan has received the maximum rains this year and itis considered the wettest year. It is being forecast that the rain will go on till octo-
I am by occupation a barrister and have taught law at numerous universities. I have, however, recently entered the realm of intellectual property laws in Pakistan, and I have to say I have been appalled at what I have witnessed. There are hundreds of oppositions every month that are pending. Sadly, it has been years since this lapse. The consequence of these delays is that both local and foreign clients form a negative impression of the Intellectual Property organisation (IPo) system in Pakistan. For this reason, I felt it pertinent to highlight some of the shortcomings within the present intellectual property structure, and to propose certain recommendations.
The trademarks registry should uphold a system of transparency and accountability, and should improve its filing, acceptance, examination and publication processes. It should speed up the pending oppositions, provide comprehensive justifications, and enhance technology and equipment.
Besides, this new condition for all passengers is bound to create yet another opportunity for officials of different shades and hues to make some quick bucks by way of harassment and delays.
THE Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has made it mandatory for all inbound/outbound passengers to declare currency and other valuables in a prescribed form that is handed out to all passengers. Customs authorities are required to collect and check its veracity with each passenger. Customs officials first check the passport of the passenger, which has many details that have to be written all over again in the said form, like date of birth, nationality, address, etc., and then they check the form as well.
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THE arena of intellectual property laws is an intriguing one, especially in Pakistan. I say intriguing because on the surface, the matters of trademark registration and protection appear straightforward, yet when we delve into the rather intricate process, we realise that numerous complexities lay beneath the surface. As with most laws and regulations in Pakistan, intellectual property regulations, too, are very eloquently drafted, laying out procedures and penalties. But the harsh reality is that those procedures are rarely adhered to, and, even if they are, the delays within the processes are a gargantuan cause for concern. The clients rely heavily on the lawyers for results, and that, too, speedy results; but, with a system that is slow and meandering, the lawyer unfortunately loses credibility in front of the client.
In addition, applications are not properly vetted and scrutinised thoroughly, thus resulting in unnecessary oppositions which puts extra burden on registered owners. The filing, acceptance, examination and publication process is immensely slow and obsolete, and requires serious overhauling. Another massive cause for concern is the predicament of the nature of disposal of trademark oppositions where ironclad cases have been rejected with a mere short order. There is hardly any justification or basis for such orders and there is no justification as to why some cases are being heard and decided while others have been pending for considerably longer periods of time.
07 Thursday, 8 September, 2022 COMMENT
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IP Mechanism
What is the point? Similarly, other information being asked through the form is irrelevant, such as flight date, flight time, flight number, destination, airport of departure and arrival (why ‘arrival’ when one is landing in Pakistan?), primary contact number in Pakistan, purpose of visit, etc. Then there is a list of declarations, like gold, jewellery, precious/semiprecious stones, any other declaration to be made to Customs, which is a bit vague. All this is a lot of hassle for even those who can fill out the form themselves, but what about those who cannot? And there are many. In fact, keeping in view our demographic profile of overseas Pakistanis, especially in the Gulf region, the majority of passengers happen to be the ones who cannot fill out such forms on their own. Their plight is not what the CAA seems to realise one bit. Besides, owing to their incapacity, such passengers seek help from others and then struggle to explain the officials in case there is a discrepancy in the form because it has been filled up by someone else in a hurry. This adds to passenger backlog on airports, resulting in frustration and undeserved misery to the rest of the travellers. As per the government, it is the requirement of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). Is this form being filled at all other international airports outside Pakistan? Doesn’t the government consider the difficulties and limitations of our passenger profile on international flights, or the international community is actually so dumb?
ber, creating an unusual and difficult situation for a country which is struggling from its economical and political upheavals. The heavy rainfall has caused the Indus river to flow hard. The most affected provinces, Sindh and Balochistan have received rainfall 500 percent above average till August, according to the nDMA. regarding the loss of crops, it is estimated that at least 3.6 million acres of crops across the country are affected by floods which include 438,000 acres in Punjab, over 35,500 acres in KP, 304,000 acres in Balochistan, and 2.85 million acres in Sindh. Already the Ukraine-russia war has affected the export of wheat and other edibles to its major exporters in South Asian countries. The future of importing wheat in this regard also seems to suffer more. In this situation, we have witnessed outstanding support from the country fellows, different organizations, political parties, armed forces, and foreign countries in providing for and facilitating the affectees wholeheartedly. one agenda with the aim can be seen in this regard and wishing for the same on political grounds.There is a need to think and work on this issue for the future. Pakistan requires more dams for the collection of water instead of getting it wasted. The consumption of water has increased, so there is a need to save water for future use. The loss can be reduced by strict measures such as not granting permission for construction on river banks and river shoulders. However, standing water also gives breeding sites for mosquitoes that cause malaria and dengue fever. Apart from the aftermath of floods, the outstanding approach on one agenda is being observed that is highly appreciable as with limited resources, the government cannot work alone. May Allah take out Pakistan from the emerging crisis and keep the solidarity among all on all issues. Especially, in politics, by looking at the unpredictable election results and differences in ideologies resulting in aggressive clashes on the ground.
The aftermath of Pakistan’s Catastrophic Floods
ZAFAR HASANKARACHIKHAN
Editor’s mail
There has been so much destruction that all must follow the same agenda
The government should withdraw this notice and do away with this condition of filling the most absurd of forms by all inbound/outbound passengers, for it is bound to create chaos at airports and more hassles for passengers, especially those who are not able to fill the form on their own.
In the light of this, it is of paramount significance for our intellectual property registration and protection services to provide remedy to inadequacies and shortcomings in order to once again provide credibility to both local and international clients and ultimately to ease the burden and indefatigable efforts of the intellectual property lawyers, who work tirelessly towards assisting their clients and to genuinely change the system for the best.
SANA KARACHIPIRZADA
The trademark registry should also improve the lacuna in the shortage of staff and embellish the skills and knowledge of its staff in order for them to speedily and diligently deal with the applications. Pakistan’s position in the international market means trade has increased, and, as a consequence, counterfeit products are posing more of a risk than before.
Intellectual property offices in Pakistan are, to put it bluntly, in a state of disarray. They are greatly understaffed and lack state-of-the-art equipment and technology. Furthermore, as mentioned previously, opposition cases have been pending since decades, and the tragedy is that more than half of these cases are based on incorrect information that has not been updated in the gazettes which then culminate into further oppositions which unnecessarily waste time and resources. With the increase in intellectual property applications both locally and internationally, the shortage of staff at intellectual property offices poses a serious issue.
Moreover, the trademarks registry requires more transparency and accountability; the purity of the registry has by and large collapsed. A perusal of any recent Trademarks Journal reveals that the majority of trademarks being filed in Pakistan are either filed directly by the applicant or through unknown practitioners having little or no expertise in intellectual property laws. The registry is aware of this. Such practitioners ought to be investigated and, if necessary, barred from private practice.
NOT ENOUGH REGULATION: The nGO isn’t happy with that statement. It believes there is not enough regulation over bottled water. “It is unacceptable to let bottled water manufacturers sell water polluted with microplastics but presented as supposedly ‘pure’.” not so long ago, Dasani bottled water, a CocaCola product worth $3.79 billion in sales, was discovered to be no more than common tap water to which they add table salt and Epsom salt — magnesium sulphate, which is why the brand was pulled from the UK market. So, you might safely conclude that you can drink almost any old tap water, as long as it’s not stored in one of the billions of plastic bottles headed for landfills but in your own insulated metal bottle to keep it cold.
Bottled water: How pure is it?
tinian. An earlier draft of the directive contained a requirement of notifying the Israeli authorities within 30 days from the onset of the romance, but that was dropped, perhaps after international media scrutiny.
Sydney Morning Herald Ross Gittins I n Professor Ross Garnaut’s much-praised speech to last week’s jobs summit, he told a story about politicians desperately seeking workers. At about the time Anthony Albanese was in Fiji talking about recruiting nurses, the West Australian premier was in Ireland, also trying to recruit nurses. He sought a meeting with the Irish minister for health, but without success. Why? Because the Irish minister was in Perth trying to recruit nurses. Garnaut’s point was that, when a country underpays its nurses, it’s open to having them pinched by another, better-paying country. But I drew a different conclusion. It’s all very well for the nation’s employers to go to Canberra complaining about the desperate labour shortage and demanding that the government lift its target for how many visas for permanent immigrants it will issue this year. Albanese was persuaded to raise the target from 160,000 to 195,000. But when we’re short of skilled labour at the same time many other rich countries are also short, raising the target and achieving the target are two different things. My guess is that we’ll be hearing complaints about labour shortages for years to come. And I’m not sure that will be a bad thing. Give me a choice between a jobs market that’s “tight” – as it is now – and one that’s “loose”, with high unemployment, and I know which I’d prefer. Journalists are trained to be sceptical of claims people make. And when economists hear people complaining that they can’t get enough workers, or that there’ll be shortage of X thousand teachers/doctors/chicken sexers by the year Y, they’re more questioning than sympathetic. For a start, some part of the worker shortages we keep hearing about is caused by people off work because of COVID. This, surely, must be a problem that will ease in coming months. For another thing, while shortages of skilled workers get the most publicity, many of the shortages are actually for relatively unskilled work as a waiter or behind a counter. When economists hear businesspeople complaining they “can’t get the staff”, their first question is: have you tried offering a higher wage? What employers never say is “with the low wage and bad conditions I’m offering, I can’t get any takers”. Think fruit-picking. When you hear of bosses so desperate that they’re giving their existing workers a “loyalty bonus” or offering new workers a “sign-on bonus”, remember this: paying any kind of once-off bonus is a way of avoiding granting a proper pay rise. This means they’re not yet at desperation point. Sometimes I wonder if businesses are delaying improving pay and conditions while they increase pressure on the government to solve their problem the easier and cheaper way, by hastening the post-pandemic inflow of skilled workers on temporary visas, plus backpackers and overseas students. But though employers have used high levels of immigration to keep wages low and reduce the need for educating and training our own young people, I doubt they’ll be able to return to that lazy, second-rate world. Garnaut says immigration is much more likely to raise, rather than lower, average real wages if it’s focused on the permanent migration of people with genuinely scarce and valuable skills that are bottlenecks to valuable Australian production, and which cannot be provided by training Australians. The other much-praised speech at the jobs summit came from the boss of the Grattan Institute, our top independent think tank, Danielle Wood. Garnaut and Wood had the same message: with the unemployment rate down to 3.4 per cent, we must seize this chance to return to the “full employment” Australia hasn’t enjoyed since Garnaut (and I) were growing up in the 1950s, ’60s, and early ’70s. Wood wants achieving and maintaining full employment to be our “economic lodestar”. Already being so close to it “means that more people who want a job now have one. It means that some people otherwise at the fringes of the labour market – young people looking for their first job, people with a disability, older workers, and the long-term unemployed – are now seeing doors open in ways they haven’t in the past,” she said. “When unemployment is low, it lowers the cost of leaving a bad job and finding a better one. This is good for productivity. “Poor-performing businesses that survive, not on the strength of their products or services but off the back of exploiting their workers, are driven out. Investments and workers flow instead to better-run businesses. “And when workers are harder to find, businesses have an incentive to invest in new equipment and processes, which ultimately boosts productivity and drives higher living standards,” she said. Garnaut agrees. “Full employment is hard work for employers,” he said. “Many prefer unemployment, with easy recruitment at lower wages. Yet full employment has advantages for many employers. It brings larger and more stable demand for consumer goods and services for businesses selling in the Australian market. “And for employers who identify as Australians, it brings enjoyment of a more cohesive and successful society.”
Ross Gittins is the Economics Editor of The Sydney Morning Herald.
Why labour shortages can be good for you – and the economy
ICROPlASTICS from plastic water bottles can be found everywhere — in meat and dairy products, fish, human blood and even close to the summit of Mount Everest. We assume that a bottle of water sourced from a spring would be devoid of impurities. It is — until the water goes into the bottling process. Through water and food consumption, the average person consumes an estimated 5 grams of plastic each week — the size of a credit card. In 2018, scientists at the State University of new York tested plastic bottled water and found twice as many plastic particles in it than in tap water. You may as well drink almost any old tap water as long as it’s not stored in one of the billions of plastic bottles headed for landfills. This summer, it’s hot, if you haven’t noticed. In a desperate effort to keep cool, we are drinking more bottled water than ever. Perhaps we shouldn’t. French nGO ‘Agir pour l’Environnement’ (Acting for the Environment) put France’s best-selling mineral waters under the microscope. It scrutinised Evian, Perrier blue bottle, Vitell, Volvic, Cristaline, Badoit, and the supermarket chain Carrefour’s water from the Montclar spring in the Alps. Results of their tests were released in late July. 78 percent were contaminated with miniscule fragments of plastic less than 5 millimeters long.
Still, I wonder who exactly lovers would have to notify and how – by email or in a pink letter, with kisses and flowers, with an invitation to the engagement party? And that’s not all. If foreigners have any such emotional intentions before visiting, they must say so on their visa application. Tourism? no. Business, no. Study? no. Romance? Yes! To be sure, falling in love with a Palestinian is no walk in the park – it is constant drama, if you get my drift. But Israel is making sure falling in love with a Palestinian in Palestine is hell. Indeed, the sole purpose of this directive is to isolate, complicate, and control Palestinian lives. It is hateful and it is destructive.Foreigners may ask for a resident permit, if they marry a Palestinian, but those permits are given on an annual basis at best. Such requests will go through the Palestinian Authority (PA) first, which has its own requirements, and then to the Israeli occupation authorities, where they may be turned down and sent back to the PA, all of which is only meant to disrupt Palestinian lives and humiliate them and their loved ones through a bureaucratic nightmare. A permit may also be denied even if the applicant meets the required conditions, and could be revoked any time after its issue. The directive warns that the Israeli occupation force will be conducting “periodic checking” to ensure permit conditions are met, which could only mean Israeli soldiers knocking at the door after midnight. Sarcasm aside, this war on love is no joke. Thousands of people are living in limbo because of Israel’s bans on foreigners in love, many of whom are Western citizens. If a permit or its extension is refused for whatever reason by some random Israeli officer, a spouse won’t be allowed to resubmit a request for a permit for another five years. This means they won’t be able to see their loved ones, their sons and daughters for five longSpeakingyears. of tortured Palestinian love and apartheid, the Israeli parliament passed a new law in March denying naturalisation to Palestinians from the occupied West Bank or Gaza married to Israeli Palestinian citizens, forcing thousands of Palestinian families to either emigrate or live apart. But then again, “an unjust law is no law at all”. Reading through the new directive, I noticed one clear difference with the draft procedures first published in February, which is the absence of quotas for foreign students, and lecturers (150 and 100 respectively), a limitation that elicited an objection from the European Commission for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth. Under the EU’s Erasmus programme, Israel received almost five times more students and lecturers from Europe than Palestine did in 2020. It has also received almost $2bn in grants from the EU’s Horizon 2020 programme for innovation and the European Investment Bank. In other words, Europe, like the US, has leverage with Israel. If they don’t use it for peace and justice, they should at least do it for love.
WONDER WHO EXACTLY LOVERS WOULD HAVE TO NOTIFY AND HOW – BY EMAIL OR IN A PINK LETTER, WITH KISSES AND FLOWERS, WITH AN INVITATION TO THE ENGAGEMENT PARTY?
der at Israel’s sadistic assault on yet another aspect of Palestinian life: love. Israel’s latest directive on foreigners’ entry into the occupied Palestinian territories was published on September 4 and has been given the dubious title: “Procedures for entry and residence for foreigners in the Judea and Samaria area”. Judea and Samaria?! not even “administered Palestinian territories”, or “autonomous Palestinian area”, let alone “occupied Palestine”. At any rate, I held my nose and skimmed through the 90 pages of the document governing the entry of foreigners into the Palestinian bantustans which, needless to say, differ from entry into Israel and its illegal settlements in “Judea and Samaria” and which, of course, is seen as normal and acceptable within the Israeli apartheid state system. Most of the provisions of the directive are humiliating, some – truly offensive. Take the part about the Israeli government reserving the right to demand from entry permit applicants a bank guaranty or a “guaranty in cash” of more than $20,000 to approve a permit of entry into the Palestinian territories. But the most offensive part is the one relating to any love affair between a foreigner and a Palestinian, which first got my attention in a news item, stating that: “Foreigners must tell the Israeli defence ministry if they fall in love with a Palestinian in the occupied West Bank, according to new rules.” According to the directive, foreigners must inform the ministry of defence if they become involved emotionally with a Pales-
Marwan Bishara is an author who writes extensively on global politics and is widely regarded as a leading authority on US foreign policy, the Middle East and international strategic affairs. He was previously a professor of International Relations at the American University of Paris.
FROM PURE TO POLLUTED: We’ve tended to assume that a bottle of water sourced from a spring would be devoid of impurities. It is — until the water goes into the bottling process. In 2018, scientists at the State University of new York tested plastic bottled water and found twice as many plastic particles in it than in tap water. Danone and nestlé, producers of bottled waters, dismissed the French nGO’s findings. So, too, did trade association nMWE (natural Mineral Waters Europe). Responding for the bottled water industry, it said not enough was yet known about the subject. Even the World Health Organization (WHO) agreed. It concluded there was insufficient information to draw a firm conclusion on the toxicity of microplastics, and no reliable information suggesting it was a concern.
MIGHT AS WELL EAT YOUR CREDIT CARD: Really? A 2019 World Wildlife Fund report concluded that through normal water and food consumption, the average person consumes an estimated 5 grams of plastic each week — the size of a credit card. Toxic chemicals also adhere to the surface of plastic such as the film we use to microwave food or supermarkets wrap our produce in. “The possibility of plastics in our fruit and vegetables is extremely alarming,” said ocean campaign director for Greenpeace USA, John Hocevar. He added: “Decades of plastic use have contaminated our air, water and soil. Eating just a bite of an apple could now mean eating hundreds of thousands of bits of plastic at the same time.” He called for additional studies, “To assess how much plastic we are consuming through our produce each day and examine how it is impacting our health.” In response to the French nGO’s findings, nMWE did agree that microplastics are “everywhere,” even in the air we breathe, with over half caused by car tyres and building construction.
Thursday, 8 September, 2022 08 WORLD VIEW al Jazeera MaRWan BishaRa I SRAEl loves war, even a war on love. It also loves peace but only at the expense of basic Palestinian rights. Before we get to Israel’s latest bizarre assault on Palestinian romance, let us briefly address its tragic relationship with war, for no other country has fought as many wars in so few years. none. Well, except perhaps the United States. Since its inception in 1948, Israel has fought a dozen plus wars of all sorts – conventional, asymmetrical, counter-insurgency, and wars of attrition. It has bombed and besieged Arab cities and even threatened the use of nuclear weapons to wipe out those trying to wipe it out. And these for the most part have been wars of choice, which Israel started as part of its perpetual in conflict with its neighbours. According to its strategic doctrine, Israel will have to fight more than a few wars to attain peace on its terms; and only war, not peace, may ensure its long-term security. Espousing this war-loving logic, the country’s revered first prime minister, David Ben Gurion, said – in a moment of candour – that it would be worthwhile for Israel to pay an Arab leader a million pounds to start a war with the newly founded colonial state. His top general, Moshe Dayan, was also terribly enthusiastic for war to complete Israel’s conquests, even without US support. From there on, as Israel became stronger, war became even more attractive. Israel’s love for war is rational and strategic. As a colonial entity, Israel could not have become independent without war. War has been used to weaken its enemies and preserve its military superiority over all its neighbours. Moreover, Israel’s wars helped it expand its frontiers and colonise newWarterritories.alsogives Israel meaning and purpose. It is why Israelis adore their military, which has functioned as a unifying force, shaping the new nation. For decades, the military Israelised Jewish immigrants arriving from various countries and cultures, instilling in them a new fighting spirit and nationalistic sentiment. The military has made every Israeli youth a participant in the colonial project. War has proven great for business too, since Israel has proven masterful on the battlefield. Battle-tested weapons against regional foes have become Israel’s most prized exports. Indeed, the security sectors, both in terms of advanced hardware and sophisticated software, have attracted the lion’s share of foreign investments in recentButdecades.Israel’s war on the Palestinians has not been limited to the military front. It has also waged war on Palestinian culture, landscape, environment, demography, civil society and religion, as part of its violent occupation. Recently, I’ve written about Israel’s bizarre war on ice-cream. Today, I find myself once again shaking my head in won-
MICROPLASTICS EVERYWHERE: They’re everywhere, these microplastics. Scientists have found them in meat and dairy products, in fish, in human blood — even close to the summit of Mount Everest. Most of the microplastics, the report concluded, came from plastic bottles.Moreover, when subjected to strong heat and light it found that “These water bottles could release even greater quantities of microplastics.” Umm, would that be the plastic bottle nestled alongside you on your beach towel in the sun? Plastic kettles and baby bottles also shed microplastics, researchers at Trinity College Dublin reported last October. If parents shake baby formula up in hot water inside a plastic bottle, they calculated the infant could end up swallowing more than one million microplastic particles each day.
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Julia Watson is an award-winning cookbook writer and blogger of “Tabled,” a blog with recipes and curious facts about big food business.
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Israel’s War on love
ISLAMABAD: The Federal Minister for Commerce, Syed Naveed Qamar on Wednesday visited IPO-Pakistan along with the Secretary Commerce, Mr. Sualeh Ahmad Faruqui and Special Secretary Commerce, Mr. Ahmad Mujtaba Memon. A comprehensive briefing by Ms. Shazia Adnan, Director General, IPO-Pakistan, was given on the role, mandate, national and international collaborations, legislative achievements and accession to international treaties of IPO-Pakistan. The Federal Minister appreciated the performance, achievements and awareness activities by IPO-Pakistan. While discussing the enforcement of IPR mechanism of the country, the Minister expressed the need of an Enforcement Coordination Committee in Hyderabad, as it is the second business hub of Sindh after Karachi. Later the Federal Minister assured the appointments of Policy Board and the Chairman on urgent basis. Furthermore, the Minister also asked for the follow up meeting and to focus on complete automation of the organization for the ease of doing business and service delivery. The Secretary Commerce Mr. Sualeh Ahmad Faruqui commended the IPO’s role in promoting and registering GIs in the country. The Special Secretary ,Mr. Ahmad Mujtaba Memon also emphasized the importance of appointment of the Chairman, IPO-Pakistan and constitution of Policy Board on priority basis. pr three gangsters held with cash, weapons
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Comprehensive efforts needed to combat climate change: VC AIOU Govt to foster latest seed technology for enhanced cotton productivity
karachI staff report t HENBP has collaborated with NGOs to provide clean drinking water amidst surging threats of waterborne diseases as unprecedented rains and floods in Pakistan have caused the devastation of an enormous magnitude in various parts of the country. The unprecedented rains and floods in Pakistan have caused the devastation of an enormous magnitude in various parts of the country. Officials estimate that more than thirty-three million people have been affected, and more than a thousand have lost their lives due to flooding. The Pakistani nation, civil society, and humanitarian organizations are continuing rescue and relief efforts.
Narc hosts two-day conference on ‘plan to increase national wheat production’ Islamabad staff report
09NEWS Thursday 8 September, 2022 | LAHORE
Naveed Qamar lauds performance, achievements by iPo-Pakistan
Islamabad staff report
corporate corner Bank alfalah chairman pledges $10m for flood relief efforts in Pakistan Bank Alfalah’s Chairman, His Highness Sheikh Nahayan bin Mubarak Al Nahayan, and the Board of Directors, have graciously approved that Bank Alfalah will contribute to the flood relief efforts ongoing in Pakistan. They have approved a fund amounting to USD 10Mn (Rs. 2,180Mn) to help with the extensive aid and rescue work required across the country. The pledged amount will be distributed by Bank Alfalah for the flood relief activities including donations through selected NGOs and organizations to provide immediate relief and a substantial amount will be earmarked for infrastructure rebuilding in the medium to long term to help the affected areas attain normalcy. This gesture by the Chairman & Board of Bank Alfalah is unprecedented and is a testament to the strong bond between UAE & Pakistan while reaffirming the strong positioning of Bank Alfalah as being a truly caring bank. pr
Federal Minister for Industries and Production Syed Murtaza Mahmud directed the committee members to revisit the criteria for registration of seed companies. He said that the companies which are providing sub-standard quality seeds should be penalized. He added steps should be taken to protect farmers from spurious seeds. Federal government will consult provincial governments to devise a mechanism for it. Federal Minister Syed Murtaza Mahmud stressed on uplifting R&D institutions of the country.
PAF observes MARTYRS’ DAY
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Air Force observed 7th September as Martyrs’ Day at all PAF Bases throughout the country. The day started with special Du’aa and Quran Khawani for the Shuhada of 1965 & 1971 Wars and those who laid down their lives in action since the creation of Pakistan. Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu, Chief of the Air Staff, Pakistan Air Force was the Chief Guest during a Martyrs’ Day Ceremony held at Air Headquarters, Islamabad. Addressing on the occasion, the Air Chief said that PAF has proud history of sacrifice, valour and professionalism. Brave sons of the soil have always responded to nation’s call and marked glories with their blood during 1948, 1965 & 1971 Wars, Ops Sentinel and Operation Swift Retort. Pakistan Air Force has evolved due to great legacy of our forefathers and we are striving hard for the advancement in space, electronic warfare, cyber, niche technologies and indigenous defence capability to ensure our sovereignty and territorial integrity". Air Chief appreciated the efforts of PAF personnel for relief and rescue operations during the recent floods. He further expressed solidarity with Kashmiri brothers and sisters in their indigenous and just struggle for self-determination. To pay homage to the martyrs, the Air Chief laid floral wreath at the Martyrs’ Monument and offered “Fateha”. Principal Staff Officers, Officers, Airmen and PAF Civilians attended the ceremony. Earlier in the day, a wreath laying ceremony was also held at the grave of Pilot Officer Rashid Minhas Shaheed, (Nishan-i-Haider) at Karachi. Air Vice Marshal Zaeem Afzal, Air Officer Commanding Southern Air Command, offered ‘Fateha’ and laid floral wreath at the grave of the Shaheed on behalf of Chief of the Air Staff, Pakistan Air Force. pr
NBP collaBorates with NGos to Provide cleaN driNkiNG water to flood victims
ISLAMABAD: The Shalimar police team of Islamabad Capital police apprehended three members of criminal’s gang involved in numerous robberies and recovered looted cash, weapons and motorbike from their possession, a police public relations officer said. Following the directions of the Inspector General of Police Islamabad Dr Akbar Nasir Khan and on special orders of DIG Operations, Islamabad capital police had started a crackdown against criminal elements in order to save the precious lives and property of citizens. He said the Shalimar police team under the supervision of SP Sadder used the latest technology and human resources and arrested three members of a notorious dacoit gang who were involved in a series of robbing incidents and looting people outside the banks. Police team also recovered looted cash, 4.05 million cash, motorbike and pistols with ammunition from their possession. The accused were identified as Abdul Rahim, Raja Waseem Khan and Muhammad Waseem. Cases against nominated accused have been registered and further investigation is underway. DIG Operations Sohail Zafar Chatha said that the safety of the lives and property of the citizens is our prime responsibility and no laxity will be tolerated in this regard. “The officers with good performance will be rewarded while the officers showing laxity towards their official duties will be dealt with iron hands” he maintained.
Two-day’s conference was held at the National Agricultural Research Centre (NARC), Islamabad under the plan to increase the national production of wheat and integrated use of fertilizers. Mr. Zafar Hassan, Federal Secretary, Ministry of Food Protection and Research was the chief guest of the event. Agricultural scientists from all over the country, officers of the Department of Agriculture Extension and farmers participated in the conference. In the beginning, Dr. Muhammad Yaqoob, National Project Director (Wheat) explained the aims & objectives of the Conference. Addressing the inaugural secession of the two-day national conference on "Efficient integrated nutrients management technologies for enhancing wheat productivity in Pakistan", Federal Secretary Ministry of National Food Security and Research Mr. Zafar Hassan said that wheat was the main crop of the country, which was being grown over 22 million acres to fulfill local dietary needs. He said that average output of wheat in the country was recorded at 30 mounds per-acre, which was lowest as compared the output of developed economies of the world. He added that lower productivity of wheat was another challenge as it was insufficient to tackle with increasing demand of growing population, adding that under such circumstances, the responsibilities of local agriculture sector has further increased to maintain food safety and security. He further asked for enhancing the use of bio-fertilizer in order to reduce dependency on costly imported fertilizers, besides encouraging the production of organic agriculture products for profit maximization as well as protect the local eco-system and environmental degradation. Federal Secretary expressed the hope that the outcomes of the conference would be helpful for formulation of a comprehensive policy to enhance per-acre output of wheat, by sharing the knowledge and experiences of local as well as foreign experts. Speaking on the occasion, Chairman PARC Dr Ghulam Muhammad Ali said that the council. was making efforts to extend the outcomes of its research and development to the door steps of farmers, adding that efforts were on to ensure provision of high yielding seeds verities to growers.
Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Tariq Bashir Cheema chaired a meeting on cotton revival to consult stakeholders and review the proposals for enhancement of yield and area of cotton crop. The meeting was attended by Minister for Commerce Syed Naveed Qamar, Minister for Industries and Production Syed Murtaza Mahmud, relevant government bodies and stakeholders. The committee members decided to encourage technology providing seed companies to market their cotton seeds in Pakistan. In this regard, a committee has been constituted, which will negotiate with the seed companies and facilitate them in introduction of cotton seed with new technology in the local market. Federal Minister Tariq Bashir Cheema said that the latest seed technologies will help to enhance productivity, while the sector will benefit from the transfer of technology. He said that farmers will be encouraged to grow more cotton through such incentives.
Islamabad pr The three-day international conference organized by the Department of Agricultural Sciences; Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) concluded yesterday. Vice Chancellor, AIOU, Prof. Dr. Zia Ul-Qayyum was the chief guest of the closing ceremony. Managing Director, Lok Sanjh foundation, Dr. Shahid Zia was the keynote speaker. Pro ViceChancellor, PMAS Aird Agriculture University, Dr. Fayyaz ul Hassan, Dean Faculty of Science, AIOU, Prof. Dr. Irshad Ahmed Arshad, Dr. Daniel Abreu, Federal University of Mato Grosso, Sinop-Brazil and Chairman, Department of Agricultural Sciences, Prof. Dr. Sher Muhammad were among the other guests. Dr. Axel Garcia y Garcia, University of Minnesota, USA, presented the recommendations. Vice Chancellor, AIOU, Prof. Dr. Zia Ul-Qayyum said that there is a need to make concerted efforts at various levels to combat the causes, effects, and serious threats of climate change. He emphasized that research centers and advanced laboratories should be established in higher educational institutions, especially universities, to formulate a comprehensive policy to deal with the effects of climate change so that incidents like recent rains and floods never happen again. He added that Allama Iqbal Open University has a strong network of regional offices in different cities of the country, we will work with the Agriculture Institute of Brazil to develop action plans to address the impacts of climate change and ensure food security and raise awareness through this nationwide network. Other speakers congratulated the organizers of this first international conference .138 agricultural experts and scholars from different parts of the world made this conference a success by sharing their papers and experiences. Foreign experts congratulated Allama Iqbal OpenUniversity for holding a conference on this very important topic. they said that Allama Iqbal Open University can raise awareness on a wider level to promote the agricultural sector and ensure food security through a strong nationwide infrastructure.
Health Officials have reported an outbreak of waterborne diseases, diarrhea, skin diseases, and eye infections in the flood affected areas. National Bank of Pakistan, in collaboration with Thardeep Microfinance Foundation and Rural Community Development Program (RCDP), has stepped up to provide immediate aid to the vulnerable communities in Pakistan by providing Water Purifiers developed by PakVitae to provide flood affected households access to clean drinking water. These Water Purifiers has patent coverage in 82 countries and have undergone rigorous testing by independent & ISO certified labs to meet the standards established by the US Environment Protection Agency (EPA), NSF International & World Health Organization (WHO) and removes bacteria, parasites, microplastics & turbidity. NBP President & CEO (A) Mr. Rehmat Ali Hasnie announced additional measures to provide relief to the flood victims by contributing PKR 50 million to the Prime Minister’s Flood Relief Fund. He mentioned that NBP has also launched a digital payments platform enabling people across the globe and within Pakistan to donate using their preferred payment method, i.e., Credit/Debit Card, International bank transfer, local bank Direct Debit, Wallets, ATMs, and 1Bill. The President (A) NBP has appealed to the nation to donate generously in these challenging times.
One century on, cult of Mussolini persists in Italy
Johnson assembled the youngest and most ethnically diverse Cabinet in history when he was elected prime minister in 2019. His three finance ministers included two men of South Asian origin and one of Kurdish background.
The founder and President of the world-renowned human rights organization Genocide Watch Dr Gregory Stanton has said that India is preparing for “genocidal massacres” of 200 million Muslims. Dr Stanton was addressing a panel discussion organized by the Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC) at the annual convention of Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) in Chicago. “India has all of the preparatory stages for more genocidal massacres,” Dr Stanton said at ISNA’s 59th convention in Chicago, citing the discriminatory Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), the dehumanization of Muslims through hate speech, and the “non-prosecution of lynching and other crimes committed by Hindus against Muslims.” He said, “Persecution of Muslims is reflected in termination of Kashmir’s autonomy. Much Muslim property has been expropriated or destroyed, and Muslims have been displaced into enclaves.” “A climate of impunity reigns, in which eyewitnesses to mass murders of their own families have been terrorized into recanting testimony, and the killers have been acquitted,” he added.
The quake also rocked buildings in the provincial capital of Chengdu — where millions are confined to their homes under a strict Covid-19 lockdown — and in the nearby megacity of Chongqing, residents told AFP. At least 13 aftershocks of magnitude 3.0 and above had been detected as of 7 am local time (2300 GMT) on Tuesday, the China Earthquake Networks Center said. The provincial grid operator yesterday said power had been restored to over 22,000 households and that 12 emergency shelters in Ya’an were connected to a temporary power supply after the quake knocked out electricity across swathes of countryside. Beijing’s cabinet on Monday said it had dispatched a special team to lead the efforts, with CCTV reporting more than 6,500 people had been sent as part of the emergency rescue response. But the China Meteorological Administration warned that quakestricken areas would experience “significant rainfall” until Thursday and that landslides could hamper rescue work.
Dr Stanton warned about the influence of the Hindu supremacist paramilitary group Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), which is the parent ideologue of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), saying that the RSS now pushes its violent supremacist ideology in, “schools, trade unions, cultural societies, and religious groups all over India.” He pointed out that the RSS also runs camps of the Bajrang Dal, where young Hindu boys are taught the ideology of Hindutva and where hatred and fear of Muslims are openly advocated. These camps receive large financial contributions from Indians abroad, especially through the India Development and Relief Fund, he added. Agencies
PREDAPPIO Afp One hundred years after he took power, the cult of Benito Mussolini persists in the small Italian town of Predappio, where his tomb draws tens of thousands of visitors each year. Many are just curious but others are driven by nostalgia for a past that weighs heavily on the party tipped for victory in the general election on September 25 — Giorgia Meloni’s post-fascist Brothers of Italy. A white marble bust of “Il Duce” adorns the crypt in the family chapel in the cemetery of this northeastern town, where Mussolini was born, while his sarcophagus is draped with the tricolour Italian flag. “We will never forget you!” says one message in the gold book of condolences, while others say: “We will be reborn” and “ComeOneback!”young visitor with a shaved head, visibly moved, brushed the tombstone with one hand before giving the Fascist salute to the man described on one of the ribbons in the crypt as the “father of the country”. Others who came with their families took a more nuanced view of the legacy of Mussolini, who took power after the socalled March on Rome in October 1922 before installing a dictatorship in 1925 that lasted until “Mussolini1943.was a great statesman. He promoted labour law and social protection. But he made mistakes with his alliance with Hitler and the shameful racial laws,” said Fabiana di Carlo, a 42-year-old civil servant visiting from Rome with her daughter. Her view is typical of many Italians, who draw a line between what Mussolini did before and after his alliance with the Nazis and Italy’s entry into World War II. An IPSOS survey last year found 66 percent of Italians between 16 and 25 agreed the Fascist regime was “a dictatorship to condemn in part but which also brought benefits”.
When he took over in 2005, the party had just two ethnic minority members of parliament out of 196, and he set out to ensure that his party more closely resembled the modern Britain it hoped to lead. The next year, Cameron introduced a priority list of female and minority candidates to be selected, many for safe seats in the House of Commons.
10 FOREIGN NEWS Thursday, 8 September, 2022 | LAHORE BEIJING Afp T HEdeath toll from a strong earthquake that struck southwest China has risen to 74, state media reported Wednesday, as thousands were evacuated into temporary shelters and heavy rains threatened to cause more landslides.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 on Monday, according to the US Geological TheSurvey.state-run People’s Daily said that 34 people died in Sichuan’s Ya’an city, while 40 deaths were reported in neighbouring Ganzi prefecture. More than 21,000 people have been evacuated from areas prone to landslides or building collapse, state broadcaster CCTV said. Rescuers are still scouring remote villages in the country’s mountainous southwest in a race to find survivors of the earthquake, with dozens of people believed stranded or missing. “My head was stuck between the two columns, and my legs were sandwiched between the tables,” one woman who was trapped for nearly five hours under a collapsed hotel in the town of Moxi, one of the worst-affected areas, told state-run Red Star News. “I could only lie in one position, resigned to my fate. I don’t know who saved me,” she added, saying she had worried for her children and whether their school building had collapsed. “I could only think about whether the children were crying for their mother.” Dramatic footage aired by state broadcaster CCTV showed kindergarten teachers waking up napping children and rushing them out when the quake hit.
Cleverly, whose mother hails from Sierra Leone and whose father is white, has in the past spoken about being bullied as a mixed-race child and has said the party needs to do more to attract Black voters.
NOsTAlgiC ATTiTuDEs: The legacy of Fascism is being reexamined in this centenary year due to the surge in support for Meloni. Her party grew out of the Italian Social Movement, which was itself founded by Mussolini supporters after his death in April 1945. In Predappio, many visitors said they would be voting for Meloni.
The changes followed a years-long effort by former leader and Prime Minister David Cameron.
Truss was a beneficiary of this push. “A key part of ensuring the strength and resilience of any group, including a political party, is the avoidance of everyone thinking and acting in the same way — the avoidance of group-think,” said James Arbuthnot, a member of the party board’s committee on candidates when Cameron introduced the changes.
Genocide Watch founder says India is at cusp of massacresgenocidal
LONDON ReuteRs
Liz Truss’s cabinet is Britain’s first without white man in top jobs
However, the upper ranks of business, the judiciary, the civil service and the army are all still predominately white. And despite the party’s diversity campaign, only a quarter of Conservative members of parliament are women and 6 percent from minority backgrounds.
Suella Braverman, whose parents came to Britain from Kenya and Mauritius six decades ago, succeeds Priti Patel as the second ethnic minority home secretary, or interior minister, where she will be responsible for police and immigration. The growing diversity is in part thanks to a push by the Conservative Party in recent years to put forward a more varied set of candidates for parliament.
British governments have until a few decades ago been made up of mostly white men. It took until 2002 for Britain to appoint its first ethnic minority cabinet minister when Paul Boateng was appointed chief secretary to the Treasury.
The new British Prime Minister Liz Truss has selected a cabinet where for the first time a white man will not hold one of the country’s four most important ministerial positions. Truss appointed Kwasi Kwarteng — whose parents came from Ghana in the 1960s — as Britain’s first Black finance minister while James Cleverly is the first Black foreign minister.
“I don’t think there is any risk of returning to historic Fascism,” said Gianfranco Miro Gori, a local leader of the National Association of Italian Partisans, the name for the WWII anti-fascist fighters. “But it is possible there will be a crackdown in the authoritarian sense and a restriction of freedoms, such as freedom of the press,” he However,said.39-year-old Ivano, an admirer of Mussolini who works in a vineyard in Cuneo in northwest Italy and was visiting Predappio, insisted there was nothing to fear from“SheMeloni.isn’t Fascist. She’s Atlanticist and anti-Putin,” he said. FAsCisT sOuvENiRs: Mussolini’s tomb draws more than 70,000 visitors a year and there is a lively tourist trade in Predappio, where numerous shops sell fascist souvenirs.
ChIna earThquake deaTh ToLL rIses To 74
They included di Carlo, who said the Brothers of Italy leader was “intelligent and competent”, and voiced hope she would become Italy’s first female prime minister. Meloni insists there is “no room for nostalgic attitudes of Fascism” in her party — which advocates a eurosceptic, nationalist Christian programme — although it has rejected calls to remove the MSI’s tricolour flame from its logo. Her likely ascent to power is causing concern both at home and across Europe. But she is polling at around 24 percent, as part of a right-wing coalition that together commands around 47 percent support.
Rishi Sunak, whose parents came from India, was Kwarteng’s predecessor in the finance job and the runner-up to Truss in the leadership context. “Politics has set the pace. We now treat it as normal, this diversity,” said Sunder Katwala, director of non-partisan think-tank British Future, which focuses on migration and identity. “The pace of change is extraordinary.”
TRACK RECORD: Nevertheless, the Conservatives have the best track record of political firsts among the main political parties, including appointing the first Jewish prime minister in Benjamin Disraeli in 1868. This is despite the fact ethnic minority voters are much more likely to back the opposition Labour party and the ruling party has faced accusations of racism, misogyny and Islamophobia. Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson apologised in 2019 for describing Muslim women wearing burqas as looking like letter boxes.
The Conservatives have elected all three of Britain’s female prime ministers, Margaret Thatcher, Theresa May and now Truss. The first lawmaker of Asian descent, Mancherjee Bhownaggree in 1895, also came from the Conservatives.
GUWAHATI Agencies Congress leaders from the Indian state of Assam have written to India’s National Commission for Minorities (NCM), urging it to investigate the demolition of a madrasa in Bongaigaon and ensure justice for its 224 students. In a letter to the NCM chairperson, Iqbal Singh Lalpura, the Congress Member of Indian Parliament Abdul Khaleque, and Members of Assam Legislative Assembly, Pradip Sarkar, Abdur Rashid Mondal, Asif Nazar and Abdul Batin Khandakar said that the state government demolished the Markazul Ma’arif Qurania Madrasa in Bongaigaon “in blatant disregard to the rule of law”. The madrasa was razed to the ground on August 31, following an order issued by the Bongaigaon district magistrate on August 30. The order had said that the madrasa did not have the necessary documents for multipurpose activities on a single campus with multiple buildings. “The district administration did not give sufficient time to the 224 residential students of the madrasa, who were mostly minors, to vacate the premises. The students had to vacate in the middle of the night, and had no shelter as most of them came from far-off places,” the Congress leaders said in the letter. It was also an act of inhumanity towards these students who have been denied the right to education by such an unlawful action, they maintained.“Thebuildings were demolished by exercising the power conferred upon by the Disaster Management Act, 2005. It is pertinent to mention that the building of the madrasa had permission from the local panchayat and the construction was completed three years ago,” the Congress leaders pointed out. In this case, the law has been violated and misused, thus bringing down the building under the garb of safety, they said. The Congress leaders urged the NCM to intervene and investigate the entire matter and ensure justice for the 224 students of the now demolished madrasa. It is to mention here that four madrasas have been demolished in the Assam state since August 04.
In letter to Minorities Commission, Congress seeks probe into Assam madrasa demolition
England recall Hales from international exile for T20 World Cup Agencies
Agencies Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur became the first African woman in history to reach the semi-finals of the US Open on Tuesday as France’s Caroline Garcia ended the hopes of American teenager Coco Gauff to advance to the last Jabeur,four.who also claimed a notable first in July as the first woman from Africa to reach the final at Wimbledon, scored a 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) win over Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic. The 28-year-old will now face Garcia in the semi-finals after the inform 17th seed dispatched the 18year-old Gauff 6-3, 6-4 in Tuesday’s otherTomljanovicquarter-final.had landed in the quarter-finals after a run which included a third round victory over Serena Williams, in what was most likely the 23-time Grand Slam champion’s final singles match before retirement.But the Croatia-born Aussie’s battling campaign came to a grinding halt against the dynamic fifth-seeded Jabeur, the Tunisian attacking from the outset and never letting up. Jabeur said she had been infused with belief since reaching the Wimbledon final, where she was beaten in three sets by Kazakhstans’s Elena Rybakina.“Ibelieve more in myself,” Jabeur said. “After Wimbledon it was very positive. Even though I lost the final, I knew I had it in me to win a Grand Slam. And here I am in the semi-finals of the US Open.” Jabeur is known affectionately as the “Minister of Happiness” by fans in Tunisia for the joy that her progress on court has brought to her homeland. However Jabeur admitted she had let her frustration get the better of her on Tuesday, when she banged her racquet in frustration several times after coughing up multiple service breaks in the second set. “I think I’m gonna be fired from my job as Minister of Happiness,” she joked. “It is tough to manage my frustration. I apologise for my behavior. I really wanted to keep calm but the racquet kept slipping away from my hand.” Tomljanovic admitted she had been outfoxed by an opponent she described as “crafty.” “When she’s playing well, it’s very hard to find where to go,” Tomljanovic said. “Just really impressed with her game.” Jabeur will head into her semi-final against Garcia aiming to extend an unbeaten record against the Frenchwoman after wins at the 2019 US Open and 2020 Australian Open. Garcia reached the first Grand Slam semi-final of her career after an ultimately emphatic win over American hope Gauff. “My head is buzzing, I can’t describe how I feel,” Garcia said after a quarter-final she dominated almost from start to finish. Garcia arrived in New York fresh from winning the Cincinnati Masters, and Tuesday’s win was her 13th straight singlesThevictory.28-year-old said she was flourishing after regaining full fitness. She took a two-month break from tennis leading up to the French Open in June to recover from an ankle problem.
DUBAi AFP Rohit Sharma played down concerns about India’s form ahead of next month’s T20 World Cup after successive Asia Cup defeats, insisting the dressing room atmosphere remained “relaxed and chilled”. India lost their second Asia Cup Super Four match to Sri Lanka with a ball remaining in Dubai on Tuesday to leave their dwindling final hopes at the mercy of other results. “You don’t worry if you lose two matches,” Sharma, who smashed a 41-ball 72 in India’s 173-8, told reporters. “We don’t talk like this in the dressing room, because we have played so many matches after the (last) World Cup and won. I don’t think it’s a cause of worry.” If fierce rivals Pakistan — who similarly overhauled India with a ball to spare on Sunday — beat Afghanistan on Wednesday, they will knock India out and go on to face Sri Lanka in Sunday’s final. “There is no garbar (Urdu for disarray),” said Sharma. “From the outside, it looks garbar but we have no such feeling. “I know how the media reacts when you lose a match and there are questions raised, that is normal. You can look inside the dressing room that the boys are relaxed and chilled.” Sri Lanka chased down their victory target of 174 after veteran seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar leaked 14 runs in the 19th over, leaving seven needed off the final six balls. Kumar had given away 19 runs in the 19th over in India’s defeat to Pakistan, who needed 26 off the final two overs, but Sharma defended his bowler. “Experienced batsmen get out and bowlers leak runs as well, these things are normal and happen,” said Sharma. “Bhuvi has been playing for so long, and has worked for us for so many years in the ‘death overs’ and won us games.
Alex Hales’s long international exile is over after he was recalled to the England squad for the T20 World Cup in Australia as a replacement for the injured Jonny Bairstow. The 33-year-old Nottinghamshire batsman has not represented his country for three-and-a-half years, having been dumped on the eve of the 2019 World Cup in the aftermath of two failed recreational drug tests. While his official ban only totalled 21 days, in line with England and Wales Cricket Board policy, he was left out in the cold after what then white-ball captain Eoin Morgan described as a “complete breakdown in trust”. Now, with Morgan retired, Bairstow sidelined by a “freak” leg injury and fellow opener Jason Roy dropped due to lack of form, circumstances have combined to hand Hales a fresh chance. Hales recently became the first Englishman to reach 10,000 runs in the Twenty20 format, and also has useful experience in Australia’s Big Bash League so knows the tournament pitches well. The hard-hitting batter has scored 1,644 runs in 60 T20 internationals at an average of 31, with a strike rate of more than 136 per 100 balls. Hales will also be available for the upcoming tour of Pakistan. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed the player’s recall in a short team update issued on Wednesday. Test captain Ben Stokes, speaking ahead of the third Test against South Africa, said of Hales’s return to the international fold: “At the end of the day, everyone’s goal is to win that World Cup for England. “My goal, Alex’s goal and everyone else’s goal who is part of that squad is to win the World Cup. It’s an injury that presents an opportunity to someone else.
‘Chilled’ India not worried about Asia Cup defeats: Rohit
PesHAWAR StAFF RePoRt Wapda’s Abdul Basit clinched the trophy of the 45km from Ring Road Peshawar to Cherat Check Post for both professional and amateur cyclists held in connection with the Pakistan Defense Day Road Cycle Race on Wednesday. On the occasion of the closing ceremony, DG Sports Khalid Khan and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Senior Vice President of Sports and Culture Wing Shahid Khan Shinwari distributed prizes among the athletes at the Peshawar Sports Complex. He was accompanied by President of Pakistan Cycling Federation Syed Azhar Ali Shah, President of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Cycling Association Nisar Ahmed, Assistant Director and International Swimmer Asad Khan Hoti, International Footballer Arshad Khan, Atiq Shinwari, Director of Sports Islamia College University Ali Hoti and other important personalities were present. The 45 kilometer race was held from Ring Road Peshawar to Cherat Check Post. The race included amateur and professional categories. Sajid Ali Khan took the second position with one hour, 34 minutes and 14sec and Umar Farooq of Mardan took the third position with one hour, 34 minutes and 16 seconds. In the amateur category, Ismail of Peshawar clocked one hour, 35 minutes and 22 seconds got first position, followed Nabiullah from Peshawar who took the second position with one hour, 35 minutes and 24 seconds, and Junaid took the third position with one hour, 35 minutes and 26 seconds.
Wapda’s Abdul Basit wins Pakistan Defense Day Cycle Race
“In tournaments like the World Cup, Asia Cup, here the challenge is you face different teams with different plans,” said Sharma. “We have discussed this in the dressing room that we should be thinking ahead of the opposition and then we will get results,” he said. “But we should not think about it too much. Yes, pressure is there, and our work is to make the boys realise how to deliver in pressure situations.”
Jabeur to lock horns with Garcia in US Open semi-finals
isLAMABAD StAFF RePoRt Khyber Pakhtunkhwa finished the Rawalpindi leg on a high note as they recorded the first 200-plus score of the Kingdom Valley National T20 Cup 2022-23, despite winning all their five matches of the tournament. In the first match, Mohammad Sarwar Afridi’s 38 not out helped KP knock Balochistan by 27 runs of the 202-run target. KP’s perfect title defence continued, as Sarwar spanked three sixes and smashed four fours to lift Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to 201 for five after his captain Khalid Usman elected to bat. Aamer Azmat, who made 13-ball 22 not out, duly supported him, as the two added 49 runs in the last 19 balls. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, despite losing Mohammad Haris in the first over, were provided a solid start from Sahibzada Farhan (48 off 33) and Kamran Ghulam (57 off 38) with an 84-run second wicket stand. Farhan struck seven fours and Kamran’s destructive half-century was studded with four sixes and as many fours. When it came to defending the towering target, pacers Mohammad Imran and Imran Khan Snr provided their side regular breakthroughs as Balochistan were bowled out for 174 with seven balls spare. Mohammad Imran finished with four for 28 and Imran Khan Snr returned two for 29. Sarwar made his presence felt in the second innings as well with two wickets, however, he was a touch expensive leaking 43 runs in four overs.
RizWAN REPlACEs BABAR To BEComE ToP-RANKED BATTER iN T20 RANKiNgsKPfinishes
National T20 Cup Rawalpindi leg on a high note
Thursday, 8 September, 2022 | LAHORE 11SPORTS LAHORe StAFF RePoRt m OHAMMADRizwan has become the No 1 ranked T20I batter in the world, displacing Babar Azam at the top of the charts, according to the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s Player Rankings for T20Is released on Wednesday. Rizwan has been in stunning form in the Asia Cup, leading the chart with 192 runs in three matches. Rizwan was Pakistan’s mainstay with the bat in their matches against Hong Kong and India, scoring 78* and 71 respectively in their back-to-back victories. His performances have seen him gain the top spot, overtaking Babar who has endured a lean run in the tournament so far. Rizwan becomes only the third Pakistani batter to top the T20I rankings chart after Babar and Misbah-ul-Haq. Babar has been at the top of the T20I batting charts for 1155 days in his career (as of September 7). In other big movements in the batting chart, Pathum Nissanka has gained one spot to move up to No 8, after his brilliant run in the Asia Cup. Nissanka has notched up scores of 20, 35 and 52 in his last three matches, with his latest performance helping Sri Lanka beat India in a Super Four encounter. Afghan batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz is one of the biggest movers, gaining 14 spots to No 15, driven by his 84 against Sri Lanka in the Super Four clash. Indian skipper Rohit Sharma also moves up four spots to No 13 after his 72 against Sri Lanka. In the bowling chart, Afghan and Sri Lankan spinners have been the biggest gainers after their terrific performances. Mujeeb Ur Rahman’s (Afghanistan) 2/30 has helped him gain three spots, to move to joint No 6, along with Akeal Hosein (Sri Lanka). Maheesh Theekshana of Sri Lanka has been at his economical best during the Asia Cup, registering figures of 1/23, 1/29 and 1/29 in the last three games and has been richly rewarded. He breaks into the top ten, moving up five spots to No 8. Pakistan’s Shadab Khan also moves up one spot to No 14 after 4/8 and 2/31 against Hong Kong and India respectively. Meanwhile, David Warner of Australia has gained one spot, moving up to No 6 in the One day International (ODI) batting rankings, mainly on the back of his 94 against Zimbabwe in the third ODI. Mitchell Starc, also of Australia, moves up three spots in the bowling rankings to No 12 after aggregating five wickets in his last three ODIs. Glenn Maxwell moves up one spot to No 9 in the all-rounders’ chart after registering figures of 4/52 in the first ODI against New Zealand in which Australia prevailed in a thriller.
So we should not judge him on two or three games.” ‘Pressure is Up-and-comingthere’left-arm quick bowler Arshdeep Singh delivered the final over in both matches and faced a torrent of social media abuse, largely because he is from the Sikh minority, after dropping Asif Ali on nought in the 18th over against Pakistan. Ali went on to smash a match-winning 16 off eight balls, but Sharma insisted the 23-yearold had been unaffected. “Honestly guys, here guys don’t look too much into social media these days. Few losses here and there, one dropped catch, we don’t look too much into it,” said Sharma. “Yes, he was himself disappointed because it was a catch that could have been taken but again if you saw his confidence when he came and bowled that last over… he is a confident lad.” Sharma and India, who have a poor recent record in global tournaments, are under pressure to deliver at the T20 World Cup in Australia in October and November, having won it only once at the inaugural 2007 event. They last lifted the 50-over World Cup in 2011 and the ICC Champions Trophy in 2013, though they did win the last Asian Cup in 2018, when it was played in the 50-over format.India failed to make the semi-finals of last year’s T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and lost in the semi-finals at the 2019 50-over World Cup in England.
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The prime minister directed the authorities concerned to make arrangements to display the gifts to acquaint the masses about the fraternal ties with the friendly countries.
The statement added that OGRA will also hold a meeting with refineries and other stakeholders in the second phase in order to obtain their point of view to develop a roadmap to develop final TORs for deregulation.
It is likely that the prices of POL products will be deregulated from November 1, 2022. It is pertinent to mention that oil caters to 31 per cent of the country’s energy requirements. State-owned Pakistan State Oil (PSO) has been importing 50pc of the petroleum products whereas the other half is produced by local oil refineries. If the proposed deregulation of petroleum products goes ahead, PSO and local oil refineries will compete against eachItother.isalso pertinent to mention that no refinery has been set up in Pakistan for over a decade. Similarly, upgradation of the existing refineries in accordance with latest technology has so far been not fully achieved.
ISLAMABAD app
According to a cabinet division notification issued here, “The Prime Minister does not wish to retain any of the gift Items presented to him during his visits to Saudi Arabia and UAE dated 28 – 30 April, 2022.” The prime minister also decided that as a policy, all precious gifts be taken on charge by Toshakhana and consequently be permanently displayed at Prime Minister House. The gifts would be displayed in secure display cabinets, equipped with alarm system, under responsibility of the Toshakhana.
In its written order, the IHC found Imran’s reply, submitted on Aug 30, to be “unsatisfactory” asking him to submit a second reply in seven days.
Sharif cannot appear in court today due to important government engagements, hence the request for one day’s exemption should be granted. FIA has nominated respondents in a baseless case,” Pervaiz told the judge.
Oil falls to 7-month low on renewed demand fears, rate hike expectations
again
He said the previous government had committed to the IMF that the government would not give any amnesty to the businessmen and subsidies on petroleum, gas and electricity but going against the commitment, then government offered amnesty in February 2022 and then providing subsidy on electricity on petroleum products and the electricity. He said this was the reason why the rates of electricity and petroleum products sky rocketed now. The finance minister said the PTI government had put Pakistan’s economy on the verge of default and Pakistan was on fourth number of the defaulting states. However, he said due to the prudent policies of the current coalition government, the country had come out of crisis. Miftah Ismail said Imran Khan government did not work on the renewable energy including the solar energy. “Had he worked on the installation of solar energy, the rates of the electricity would be much lower now”, he said adding that if the electricity load shedding is reduced to zero, the prices would further increase which the government might not afford.
ISLAMABAD staff RepoRt Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday decided not to retain any foreign gifts and ordered that all precious gifts, he received during foreign visits, would be permanently displayed at PM’s House.
LAHORE staff RepoRt
It is relevant to note that the prices of petroleum products like petrol and high-speed diesel (HSD) are currently regulated while the price of furnace oil is deregulated. However, the government had earlier decided to give a free hand to the oil industry for setting petroleum product prices and asked OGRA to thrash out terms of references (ToRs) for the deregulation of the oil sector in order to promote competition and efficiency.
While being Punjab chief minister, Shehbaz Sharif had also been depositing all the foreign gifts with Toshakhana during last 10 years and also set similar example while being the prime minister.
Imran submits another reply to IHC, regretful but offers no apology
The dollar hit a 24-year high against the yen on Wednesday after US economic data reinforced the view that the Federal Reserve will continue aggressive policy
Inflation rate to come down from next month, claims Miftah
Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Miftah Ismail Wednesday hinted at slow down in the inflation rate from next month. “The nation would have to bear the higher rates for one more month”, he said while addressing a press conference here along with the Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif. He said former Prime Minister Imran Khan did not follow the commitment made with the International Monetary Fund (IMD) especially with regard to subsidies on electricity, gas and petroleum products.
Dollar crushes yen as aggressive Fed bets ramp up WASHINGTON ReuteRs
During the previous hearing, IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah remarked that he was personally hurt by the written statement submitted by the former prime minister. “You must understand the seriousness of the matter and answer thoughtfully or else the court will proceed with the matter.”
HEOil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) on Wednesday conducted a meeting with Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) on the planned deregulation of petroleum (POL) products following the government’s decision to deregulate the oil sector.Themeeting was presided by Chairman OGRA Masroor Khan, while member gas, member oil, member finance, senior executives of OGRA, Ministry of Energy (Petroleum Division), chief executive officers of OMCs, members of the Oil Companies Advisory Council (OCAC) and other industry players were in Accordingattendance.toastatement released by the authority, OMCs presented their point of view in the meeting and their suggestions were discussed in detail.
Thetightening.Chinese yuan sank to a two-year trough, closing in on the psychologically important 7 per dollar mark despite steps by authorities to stem its decline. The Philippine peso slid to a record low.
The Special Court (Central-I) had summoned the father-son duo in July to frame the charges, however, Amjad Pervaiz, counsel for the prime minister, requested on Sharif’s behalf a one-day exemption from appearance citing his busy schedule in Islamabad due to flood-relatedMeanwhile,activities.during the proceedings, Pervaiz and Muhammad Aurangzeb, counsel for Shehbaz, appeared before the court and filed separate pleas seeking acquittal of their clients in the“Shehbazcase.
The prime minister also instructed to put on display the gifts he had received during his visit to Saudi Arabia and the UAE on April 28-30, 2022. These gifts included: one wrist watch (A. LANGE & SOHNE Datograph Fly backNo.242655), pair of cufflinks (Chopard), One Pen (Chopard), One Ring (Chopard) and One Rosary/Tasbeeh The(Chopard).giftsalso included a wrist watch “Rolex” (model No. 326259TBR-Sr No.(85C423E3). The two diamond studded wrist watches deposited by the prime minister valued Rs 270 million with one valuing Rs 100 million and the other Rs 170 million.
“I feel sorry if a female judge is hurt,’ the PTI chief wrote.
ISLAMABAD ahmad ahmadani T
MOSCOW ReuteRs Oil prices fell more than $1 on Wednesday to their lowest since before Russia invaded Ukraine as Covid-19 curbs in top crude importer China and expectations of more interest rate hikes spurred worries of a global economic recession and lower fuel demand. Brent crude futures fell $1.35, or 1.5 per cent, to $91.48 a barrel by 0420 GMT after slipping 3pc in the previous session. The contract hit a session low of $91.35, the lowest since Feb 18. US West Texas Intermediate crude futures shed $1.55, or 1.8pc, to $85.33. The benchmark fell to a session low of $85.17, the lowest since Jan 26. Oil pared strong gains made on Monday after the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and their allies, a group known as OPEC+, decided to cut output by 100,000 barrels per day in “FadingOctober.theOPEC+ production cut bounce wasn’t that hard to do given a laundry list of global economic challenges,” said Edward Moya, a senior market analyst at OANDA, in a note. “Despite some betterthan-expected US services data, global growth isn’t looking good at all and that is trouble for crude prices.” A strong US dollar, aggressive rate hikes, a spike in bond yields, and a slowdown in China’s growth are factors pressuring oil prices, said Tina Teng, an analyst at CMC Markets. “In short, oil futures markets are pricing in ‘stagflation’ in the global economy,” Teng added. China’s stringent zeroCovid policy has kept cities such as Chengdu, with 21.2 million people, under lockdown, curbing people movement and oil demand at the world’s secondlargest consumer.
The wrist watches received by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif during his visit to Gulf countries were far costlier than the ones received by predecessor Imran Khan.
ISLAMABAD staff RepoRt PTI Chairman Imran Khan on Wednesday submitted a new reply in the Islamabad High Court in a contempt case extending his regrets over his ‘inadvertent’ rant against a female judicial officer but there was no mention of any apology.
The IHC has summoned Imran and his lawyers on September 8 at Earlier2:30pm.inAugust, the IHC issued a show-cause notice to the PTI chairman over a contempt of court case after his remarks against Additional Sessions Judge Zeba Chaudhry and asked him to appear personally before the bench on August 31.
The euro languished not far from Tuesday’s two-decade low, well below parity, as European Union ministers prepare to meet on Friday to discuss the energy crisis that is hammering industry and squeezing households. A report overnight showed the US services industry unexpectedly picked up last month, reinforcing the view that the economy is not in recession and giving the Fed leeway for another super-sized 75 basis-point rate rise on Sept Markets21.currently give that scenario 75 per cent probability, with 25pc odds for a half-point hike. The dollar soared as high as 144.38 yen for the first time since August 1998. Japan’s currency is extremely sensitive to moves in long-term US rates, and the yield on the 10-year Treasury note climbed as high as 3.365pc in Tokyo trading, a level not seen since June 16.
OGRA AnD OMCs DIsCuss DeReGulATIOn OF POl PRODuCTs
In his reply, the former premier expressed his remorse saying that he was sorry over his remarks against the female judicial officer. He confessed that his remarks were unintentional as he didn’t mean to hurt the sentiments of a female adjudicator.
The Islamabad High Court in its previous hearing on Aug 31 gave PTI Chairman Imran Khan another chance to submit a “well-considered” response in the contempt proceedings initiated against him for his controversial remarks about District and Sessions Judge Zeba Chaudhry, who had approved his chief of staff, Shahbaz Gill’s physical remand in a sedition case.
The PM House source informed that in the first phase, five such cabinets dedicated to each country including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Turkey and China will be prepared to showcase the gifts received from the respective countries.
To be displayed at PM House, PM decides not to retain any foreign gift
pRayeR timings FAJR SUNRISE ZUHR ASR MAGHRIB ISHA 4:10 5:00 1:30 5:15 7:08 9:15 Thursday, 8 september, 2022 news
An accountability court in Lahore on Wednesday deferred the indictment of Shehbaz Sharif and his son Hamza Shehbaz in a Rs16 billion money laundering case after the prime minister and his son moved fresh pleas seeking acquittal in the Sharifprobe.andhis family are facing charges of money laundering of billions of rupees using accounts operated in the name of their businesses and employees, according to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).
The agency has nominated Sharif and his sons — Shehbaz and Suleman Shehbaz — as the principal accused in the case. 14 others have been named in the first information report (FIR) under sections 5(2) and 5(3) (criminal misconduct) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, read with 3-4 of the Anti-Money Laundering Act. While Shehbaz is no longer chief minister of Punjab, his father is expected to request parliamentary immunity from prosecution as he did in the hearings held after he assumed the office of the prime minister following a contentious no-confidence vote against his predecessor, Imran Khan, in April. The two have already been granted pre-arrest bail in the case. Suleman was declared proclaimed offender by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in 2019 after he refused to appear before the dirty money watchdog despite repeated summons.
Japan’s top government spokesperson, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno, told a news briefing that the administration would like to take necessary steps if “rapid, one-sided” moves in currency markets continue, ratcheting up the rhetoric to describe the yen’s nearly 9pc month-long decline. Earlier in the day, Japanese Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki was quoted using the same language by Jiji news agency. “The speed at which the dollar is appreciating against the yen is getting out of control and is at risk of becoming unanchored,” said Davis Hall, head of capital markets at Indosuez Wealth Management Asia. “Right now you’re drawing in everybody to stop out by throwing in the towel,” he said. “We could reach 148 without MOF (Ministry of Finance) action.” However, many analysts see intervention as difficult with the momentum behind the yen’s decline against the dollar driven by a widening divergence in monetary policy. Unilateral action would be even less effective, they say. “Foreign central banks are prioritising dealing with inflation, and cannot afford to worry about exchange rate fluctuations,” said Rikiya Takebe, senior strategist at Okasan Securities. “Currency intervention or policy revisions by the Bank of Japan are likely to be difficult, and it will not be easy to stop the yen from falling.” The dollar will remain a force to reckon with over the remainder of this year and into the next as US interest rates rise and the economy outperforms its peers, according to currency strategists in a Reuters poll. money laundering —
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
Indictment of PM, son in
case deferred
To a question, the minister maintained that the prices of petroleum products were directly linked to the international market therefore, he was unable to predict the future prices. He said due to floods, shortage of some commodities including tomatoes and onion was witnessed due to which the prices increased but now they were coming down. To another question, he said the government was in contact with the IMF with respect to the devastation caused by the recent floods. He said the damage needs assessment of the floods had not finalized yet, and the government was working with the World Bank to provide the reliable and occurate assessment of losses in recent floods.
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AfRICA wIll nOt beCOme A PAwn fOR U.S. In RUSSIA-UkRAIne CRISIS
Talks between delegations from Ukraine and Russia in Belarus' Brest region.
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RENEWED COLD WAR CMYK Thursday, 8 September, 2022 WORLD VIEW stephen nDegwA t hE bombshell by South african President Cyril Ramaphosa condemning the United States-led north atlantic Treaty Organization (naTO) for the conflict in Ukraine must have come as a shocker to the West. Further, the South african former freedom fighter and leader of the patriotic african national Congress (anC) stated categorically that he would not bow to pressure to condemn Russia for its “special military operation.” in what could be seen as South africa’s official position, Ramaphosa stated in South africa’s Parliament last week that “the war could have been avoided if naTO had heeded the warnings from among its own leaders and officials over the years that its eastward expansion would lead to greater, not less, instability in the region.” Basically, the U.S. and its allies have unfairly and forcefully had their way with everyone else in the world for so long, more so africa, which they still believe is, going by their condescending attitude, technically a “dark continent.” Therefore, it must have been rather disconcerting for Ramaphosa to speak truth to power on the Russia-UkraineRamaphosa’sconflict.sentiments are representative of the unstated feelings flowing through not just africa’s leadership but the citizenry as well. But it seems like there was extreme pressure for Ramaphosa to state otherwise as a way of giving the impression that africa supports the West’s hegemonic approach. By coercing one of africa’s most influential leaders to misrepresent the continent’s genuine feelings, the West could also have succeeded in alienating the continent from China. if push eventually comes to shove, then the West would have it that africa would at worst remain neutral, or at best join the anti-Russia brigade. But in an interview with the nikkei financial newspaper, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni disabused this notion by stating that China-style diplomacy was “much better” than the West’s. he contended that the West’s response to the conflict was full of “double standards” and extolled the virtues of China’s diplomatic approach of non-interference in other countries’ domestic affairs. it is also instructive that Ramaphosa’s courageous statement came after he had personally talked on the phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The latter has actually spoken with several leaders from around the world, while his Ukrainian counterpart has been talking unilaterally to the Western bloc. Therefore, it is rather obvious who is genuine in their angst seeing that, as Ramaphosa acknowledged, the crisis has been building over many years as the international community gave a deaf ear to Russia’s grievances about naTO’S intrusive eastward expansion.
“C hina and the U.S. must not only guide their relations forward along the right track, but also shoulder their share of international responsibilities and work for world peace and tranquility,” said Chinese President Xi Jinping during a video call with U.S. President Joe Biden at the latter’s request, showing the wisdom and commitment of the leader of a major country. Four months after the two leaders’ last virtual meeting in november 2021, the global situation changed significantly. incitement by the U.S.-led naTO further aggravated hostilities between Russian and Ukraine, leading to military conflicts. as the culprit of the Ukraine crisis, the U.S., instead of taking responsibility, churned out misinformation against China and piled pressure and coercion on China in an attempt to shift blames and take advantage of the crisis. This has not only further challenged China-U.S. relations, but also upset world peace. The two heads of state having a candid and indepth exchange of views on China-U.S. relations, the situation in Ukraine and other issues of mutual interest at such a crucial moment is of great significance to the two countries and the world in general. During the call, Biden reiterated the position that the U.S. does not seek to have a new Cold War with China, change China’s system, revitalize its alliances against China or support “Taiwan independence,” and that it has no intention to seek a conflict with China. in response, Xi said he took these remarks “very seriously” and noted that the “direct cause” of the current strain on China-U.S. relations was that “some people on the U.S. side have not followed through on the important common understanding reached by us, neither have they acted on President Biden’s positive statements. The U.S. has misperceived and miscalculated China’s strategic intention.”
The african Union made its own pronounced on the matter on February 24 at the onset of Russia’s special military operation and called for the intervention of the United nations (Un). The organization’s statement was bent on seeking Russia’s ceasefire and negotiations under the auspices of the Un. however, subsequent and ongoing revelations of the West’s meddling coupled with racial discrimination against africans during the evacuation of civilians across the borders from Ukraine has brought in a new dynamic. individual countries like South africa, and kenya before it, have also already expressed their views.
The following article has been taken from Chinese-language column “The Real Point.” It reflects the author’s opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.
‘He who tied the bell to the tiger must take it off’: America should show the world its sincerity
Asif DurrAni P akiSTan will host the 48th Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) of the Organization of islamic Cooperation (OiC) in islamabad from March 22 to 23. The session will coincide with the 75th anniversary of Pakistan’s independence. While Palestine and kashmir have remained a permanent agenda item on the organization’s agenda, there are also issues of islamophobia, terrorism and the situations in Bosnia, Yemen and Libya. Millions of our afghan brethren still remain at the mercy of international aid and confront an uncertain future at the hands of hunger and disease. The deleterious impact of the COViD-19 pandemic is yet to be fullyThecontained.proposed theme of the 48th Session, “Partnering for Unity, Justice and Development,” is a clarion call not only for the Muslim world but the entire humanity facing discrimination. While Pakistan may seek to build “partnerships” across the islamic world and build bridges of cooperation to address the challenges facing Ummah, or the Muslim community, there is also a need to look at the emerging geopolitical paradigm at the regional level. Special attention has to be paid to the regions suffering from perennial tensions in the Muslim world, such as the Middle East. held under the shadows of the Ukraine crisis, in which the world is once again pushed to the renewed Cold War, the OiC meeting will have the opportunity to look at the emerging threats to the world and options that the islamic world can avail to put across its point of view effectively. The OiC meeting assumes importance because of the severe sanctions imposed on Russia by the U.S. and EU countries. The most affected sector under these sanctions is energy. Russia is the world’s top exporter of crude and oil productscombined, producing about seven million barrels per day, or seven percent of global supply. in addition, Russia is the world’s largest grains and fertilizers exporter and a top producer of palladium, nickel, coal and steel. The bid to exclude its economy from the trading system will therefore hit a wide range of industries and add to global food security fears though many islamic countries, endowed with vast energy resources, may have windfall profits due to the sanctions on Russia. The forthcoming CFM should afford a rare opportunity for the member states to formulate a common position about the world challenges. it would also be a rare occasion to draw lessons from the partisan attitude of the West toward white people and the people of color. While the Ukrainians have been welcomed in Europe as normal citizens, asians escaping Ukraine faced discrimination and slurs at the Polish and Romanian borders without refugee status. although the OiC countries have realized that few countries have supported the Russian military operation on Ukraine, the attitude of the U.S. and EU is equally reprehensible to instigating Ukraine to provoke a violent response from Russia. Behind the Russian attack lie the severe Russian complaints against the american and European attitude of pushing the envelope while expanding the north atlantic Treaty Organization well beyond the Western threat perception. The islamic countries will have to look at the emerging Cold War situation from twin agenda points, first dealing with peace, security and stability in the Muslim countries, and second, how to refrain from block-politics to secure their interests. indeed, none of the islamic countries’ situation is ideal. apart from external interference in the name of “arab Spring,” which caused disasters for Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, iraq and Syria, the islamic countries have been grappling with tensions within their ranks, such as Saudi-iranian tussle in the region. Secondly, the entire islamic world will sooner be facing a stark choice of either supporting the U.S.-led global order or the one which defies its dictates. after the end of the Cold War, Francis Fukuyama’s book, “The End of history and the Last Man,” made a sweeping statement that humankind had “reached the end-point of post-war history and the universalization of Western liberal democracy as the final form of human government.” however, it did not happen as predicted by Fukuyama. China’s rise based on “meritocracy” set a new paradigm through whole-process people’s democracy. The country has lifted over 800 million out of poverty – a marvel that the best democracies could only dreamButabout.theU.S.-led Western order, through their military-industrial complex, may push the world into bloc politics. Just look at the post-9/11scenario, where islamic countries have been on the receiving end. Countless Muslims were killed in afghanistan, iraq, Libya and Syria on the U.S. watch, and millions became refugees on various continents. naturally, the emerging order would directly impact the islamic world, which spans over a vast geographical expanse connecting Europe, africa and asia. individually, islamic countries could be pressurized to join the american-led world. alternatively, however, the OiC has a choice whether to emerge as a neutral bloc to assert its identity or as a formidable alliance with friendly relations with the american-led world and other countries. The OiC can decide on peace and security issues on merit. Moreover, a neutral OiC can also play the role of a mediator between the countries in conflict. Given the divisions within the islamic Ummah’s ranks, a unified neutral stance over the renewed Cold War may sound premature. Still, the gathering storm on the international horizon would soon force the countries to adopt a unified stance for their individual and regional interests. Asif Durrani is a former Ambassador of Pakistan in Iran and the United Arab Emirates. He served as a Deputy Head of Mission in Kabul from 2005 to 2009. Currently, he is a senior research fellow at Islamabad Policy Research Institute. The article reflects the author’s opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.
Real challenges await the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation
Ramaphosa took a totally different tack from Martin kimani, kenya’s Permanent Representative, in his statement to the Un. kimani’s February 22 statement seemed to criticize Russia’s special military operation. Given that it was a knee-jerk reaction using the stated Un stance, the view today would definitely be different in light of the new developments. in retrospect, kenya must be in a quandary about its ultimate position. Since independence, the East african country has had a long cordial diplomatic relationship with Russia. The communist country was a destination for tertiary education for thousands of kenyan students post-independence.internationalrules should not be weaponized and applied to achieve predetermined outcomes favoring certain favorites to the detriment of those presumed powerless and inconsequential in the geopolitical scheme of things. While the West piles pressure on Russia to halt the conflict, it refuses to be accountable for its toxic actions in ThoughUkraine.largely unspoken, forthright statements like Ramaphosa’s are currently reverberating around the continent. Experts expect that such observations will soon become common currency as the truth of the conflict unfolds with the debunking of international media propaganda. however, what may not be immediately clear is why Ramaphosa seems to have been given clout to the extent that he was even suggested as a probable mediator. Well, Ramaphosa is seen as a sincere leader whose views are untainted by geopolitical passions. Moreover, the fact that he comes from africa means it is assumed that he would have no personal or national stake in any of the warring parties. an african proverb says, “When a fool becomes enlightened, the clever man is in trouble.” africa has come of age and is not willing to be used as a rubber stamp to undermine or antagonize other countries’ genuine grievances. The countries have learned the hard way after experiencing the brunt of divide-and-rule tactics that have stunted their growth and unity for decades. Stephen Ndegwa is a Nairobi-based communication expert, a lecturer-scholar at the United States International University-Africa and an author and international affairs columnist. The article reflects the author’s opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.
Xi’s frank and straightforward statement pointed out america’s failure to deliver on its promises as well as its deepgoing misconception of China as an “imagined enemy,” accurately identifying the crux of the problem in China-U.S. relations. Taiwan is the most complex and sensitive issue in China-U.S. relations. The current U.S. government, although having repeatedly underscored its commitment to the one-China policy, has gone back on its own words by acts that severely jeopardized peace across the Taiwan Straits and further strained bilateral relation. During the video call, Xi stressed that some people in the U.S. had sent a wrong signal to “Taiwan independence” forces, which was “very dangerous,” and that mishandling of the Taiwan issue would exert a disruptive impact on China-U.S. relations. Xi’s remark was a reaffirmation of China’s solemn position on the Taiwan issue and a clear warning to the U.S. Washington must take it seriously and exercise caution over its words and deeds to avoid getting itself into trouble.
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Xi also talked about “international responsibilities” and restated China’s standpoint on the Ukraine crisis. he emphasized that “as leaders of major countries, we need to think about how to properly address global hotspot issues and, more importantly, keep in mind global stability and the work and life of billions of people. Sweeping and indiscriminate sanctions would only make the people suffer.” Xi went on to point out that the “pressing priority” of addressing the Ukraine crisis was to keep the dialogue and negotiation going, avoid civilian casualties, prevent a humanitarian crisis, and cease hostilities as soon as possible, while an “enduring solution” would be for major countries to respect each other, reject the Cold War mentality, refrain from bloc confrontation, and build step by step a balanced, effective and sustainable security architecture for the region and for the world. This means that China has offered a general plan to resolve Ukraine crisis, which involves both guiding principles and specific means, and addresses both the conflict itself and its root cause. These proposals are a reflection of China’s wisdom and its deep concern for the people, and represent the latest effort it made to dissolve the Ukraine crisis. “The more complex the situation, the greater the need to remain cool-headed and rational. Whatever the circumstances, there is always a need for political courage to create space for peace and leave room for political settlement,” said Xi. as the saying goes, he who tied the bell to the tiger must take it off. now that Biden has expressed Washington’s willingness to keep the lines of communication with China open to prevent the escalation of the situation, Washington must match its words with its deeds. Seeking China’s support and cooperation on the one hand while attacking, vilifying, threatening and sanctioning China on the other will never work. it is worth noting that the video call between the two leaders coincided with the 50th anniversary of signing of the Shanghai Communique by China and the U.S. 50 years ago, when the then leaders of the two countries recognized that in spite of disagreements, China and the U.S. did not have the intention to change each other’s systems and therefore may cooperate based on common interests. This is the key spirit of the Shanghai Communique and still makes sense after half a century. Biden also mentioned the Shanghai Communique during the call, holding that the Sino-U.S. relationship would shape the world order in the 21st century. Where is this relationship heading? The U.S. may find some clues in history. “The stable development of bilateral relations will benefit both countries,”, the two heads of state agreed that the video call was constructive and directed their teams to promptly follow up. it is the hope on China’s side that the U.S. honors its words, acts on the common understandings between the two leaders and fulfills Biden’s political pledges. On both putting China-U.S. relations back on the right track and properly solving the Ukraine crisis, the U.S. should not disappoint China and the world yet again!