Epaper_22-10-13 ISB

Lahore court acquits shehbaz, hamza in money Laundering case

g SHEHBAz, TWo SoNS BooKED IN Nov 2020 UNDER ANTIMoNEy LAUNDERING ACT

that no direct transaction had been made in the bank accounts of PM Shehbaz and his son from benami (unnamed) accounts.

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had booked Shehbaz and his two sons, Hamza and Suleman, in November 2020 under Sections 419, 420, 468, 471, 34 and 109 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, read with Section 3/4 of Anti-Money Laundering Act. Suleman had been declared a proclaimed offender by the court for his constant absence in the trial proceedings.

Amjad Pervaiz submitted that the case was made on the basis of malafide intention, adding that no amount was transferred in the accounts of Shehbaz Sharif or Hamza Shehbaz. He further submitted that as per the law, the prosecution had to prove its case, whereas the prosecution could not present any evidence on the charge of bribery.

New NAB law to promote systematic corruption, SC observes

ISLAMABAD staff report

the government level.”

LAHORE staff report

special court on Wednesday exonerated Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his son Hamza Shehbaz from Rs16 billion money laundering case registered by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).

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Special Judge (Central-1) Ijaz Hassan Awan announced the short verdict reserved earlier in the day after hearing detailed arguments of Advocate Amjad Pervaiz, who represented PM Shehbaz Sharif and Hamza Shehbaz, and FIA prosecution.

Both the prime minister and Hamza Shehbaz did not appear before the court

on Wednesday and a legal team submitted separate applications for their exemption from personal appearance for one-day. The court was requested to exempt the prime minister and his son as the premier could not appear due to his official engagements whereas Hamza Shehbaz had back pain.

During the proceedings, Advocate Amjad Pervaiz stated that the written arguments had also been submitted in the court. He submitted that no prosecution witness had given the name of Shehbaz Sharif and Hamza Shehbaz, adding that the investigation officer attempted to distort the statements of the witnesses.

During hearing, the FIA had told the court

The defence counsel submitted that he had never seen such a case in his career where the prosecution was contesting the case without evidence.

However, FIA Prosecutor Farooq Bajwa submitted that accused Masroor Anwar used to operate the account of Shehbaz Sharif. Amjad Pervaiz submitted that it was against the facts as Masroor Anwar never operated the account of Shehbaz Sharif.

The FIA prosecutor submitted that all benami accounts were operated by employees of Ramzan Sugar Mills. The defence counsel replied that the record of the case had been compiled during previous government tenure.

pakistan, Azerbaijan agree to hold fast track discussions on energy collaboration

Pakistan and Azerbaijan on Wednesday agreed to hold fast-track discussions on energy collaboration between the two countries through robust engagement.

The bilateral relations were discussed in a meeting between Prime Minister Shehbaz

Sharif and the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev in which the two sides renewed their commitment to intensify and deepen bilateral engagement in diverse areas of mutually beneficial cooperation. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the Sixth Summit of Conference for Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) being held here.

Both leaders reviewed the progress of various ongoing initiatives for promoting connectivity, trade and investment.

During the meeting, the prime minister underlined the need for fostering close cooperation between the two countries in the field of energy, which was a high-priority area for his government.

Shehbaz Sharif informed the

Azeri president that he had nominated the Minister of State for Petroleum as the focal point for bilateral energy cooperation between Azerbaijan and Pakistan who visited Baku during the last month. He also proposed leadership-level consultations in Islamabad aimed at advancing Regional Connectivity which was received positively.

The Supreme Court bench hearing PTI plea against amendments to NAB Law on Wednesday observed that the new laws would promote systematic corruption as amendments have allowed provision of financial benefits that do not fall within the category of the NAB law.

The three-member bench, comprising Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Ijazul Ahsan, heard PTI lawyer Khwaja Haris’ arguments on Imran’s plea, who claimed the new NAB laws “are a violation of fundamental rights”.

During the hearing on Wednesday, Imran’s counsel argued that as part of NAB amendments, the decision of the federal cabinet and working development parties had been excluded from the jurisdiction of accountability watchdog. He termed the new laws violation of the international conventions of anti-corruption.

Justice Bandial remarked that important decisions in the country are taken jointly by the federal cabinet and committees, and if all its members were to be deemed accused, “who would take the decisions then?”

“If the parliament starts doing everything, the decision-making process will slow down,” he said.

The CJP questioned the history of NAB law’s application, recalling that cases pertaining to LNG (liquified natural gas) contracts were lodged without proper examination of the facts. “Such contracts are prepared on

The top judge said that several bureaucrats were made to serve jail time only to be later acquitted in the reference, adding that “sometimes things are not under the control of the bureaucracy”.

Talking about cases regarding assets beyond means, he said that such cases were considered a crime across the world.

“We will review the NAB amendments in the context of international standards and local laws,”

Justice Bandial observed.

Meanwhile, Justice Shah inquired if those who managed to come out scot-free from the NAB laws could be punished under any other law.

“There is no other law for misuse of power,” the PTI lawyer replied, adding that after the new amendments, it had become impossible to prove corruption of more than Rs500 million.

At one point during the hearing, Justice Ijazul Ahsan observed that the new laws would promote systematic corruption. “The amendments have allowed the provision of financial benefits that do not fall within the category of the NAB law.”

Here, Haris said that action against public officeholders could be taken only after proving the financial benefit they had gained. “A case won’t be merited even if the officeholder’s front man and children were misusing the powers.”

Subsequently, Justice Shah asked if the amendments would have been challenged if they were passed in 1999.

ISLAMABAD staff report

PTI Chairman Imran Khan on Wednesday reiterated his claim that though he was the prime minister of the country, he did not enjoy power to run the country’s affairs independently.

“While running the country was supposed to be his responsibility during my time as the country’s chief executive, actually rule was of “someone else”.”

The former prime minister made the latest revelation during interaction with journalists in Lahore.

The PTI further claimed that had “half the power been given to him” in his three and a half years long government would have competed with the performance of Sher Shah Suri — the famed founder of the Sur Empire.

It is not the first time the PTI chief has insinuated that his government was not at liberty to call all the shots.

In an interview in June with anchorperson Sami Ibrahim for Bol News programme Tajzia, the former prime minister

had admitted he did not enjoy absolute power, indicating that the actual centres of power in the country lay elsewhere and “everyone knows where that is.”

In the interview, Imran was asked to recall the events of the night of the noconfidence vote against him, who was issuing orders and who had impeded the cases against the PPP and PML-N leaders.

CeNtre reSpoNSIBle for ‘AlArmINg’

SwAt SItuAtIoN: Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaf (PTI) Chairperson Imran Khan has said that the ongoing “alarming” situation in Swat was a matter for the federal government and the PTI-led provincial government had been alerting the federal government for a long time.

The former premier’s remarks came in response to a journalist stating that the situation in Swat was bad and that the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa chief minister, a member of the PTI, had not visited the area. Imran was talking to media personnel at the Islamabad High Court (IHC) following the hearing for his protective bail after the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) booked him and several

other PTI members in a prohibited funding case.

A day earlier, people in Swat staged massive demonstrations to protest against a militant attack on a school van that left the driver dead and two students injured.

The federal cabinet expressed serious concerns over the firing incident on the school van in Swat on Monday, and strongly condemned the incident which triggered mass protests against the regrouping of militants in the scenic mountainous valley.

At a time when thousands of people of Swat are protesting against violence and calling for peace in the region, the cabinet via the official statement merely expressed concerns and condemned the incident without expressing solidarity with the people or its resolve to take concrete action against those challenging the writ of the state.

‘oNly ptI hAd legAl fuNdINg’: During the media talk outside the court today, a reporter questioned if Imran believed the incumbent coalition government would succeed in arresting him, to which he said “maybe”.

In response to the claims that the PML-N would hunt him down, Imran Khan said that he had “more stamina than the Sharifs”.

Commenting on the prohibited funding case, the PTI chief maintained that only one political party had legal funding and that was “Tehreek-e-Insaaf”. He added that the funding for other political parties was fraudulent.

ASTANA, KAZAKHSTAN staff report

PSO wInS ArbITrATIOn CASE In LCIA AGAInST GunvOr: SOurCES

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

PAKISTANhas won an arbitration case in London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA) against the international commodity trader Gunvor Group Limited over charging excessive payment for liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies.

According to sources, LCIA has made a decision in favour of state-owned oil giant-

Pakistan State Oil- in a case which was initiated by the Gunvor in 2020 following the deduction of excess payment by PSO.

The LCIA has, however, now awarded $14.6 million along with other costs to PSO.

PSO was approached for comments on said LCIA decision. But it did not offer official words citing ‘confidentiality’.

An official source in the petroleum division while talking to Pakistan Today/Profit on condition not to be named

Pakistan, Afghanistan bilateral trade increases 66 percent since Taliban rule

ISLAMABAD ShahzaD paRacha

The bilateral trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan increased to $213 million from $128 million since the Taliban reigned the government in August 2021, thus increasing 66.60% in trade between two countries. According to details, Pakistan Exports recorded $88.30 million in September 2022 which was $49 million in September 2021. Similarly, an increase of (58%) from $79.11 million to $125.40 million also witnessed in imports during the last one year. Overall bilateral trade with Afghanistan in September 2022 was $213.70 million and it increased by 22% in comparison to August 2022. Meanwhile, an increase of (66%) from $75.46 million in August to $125 million was observed in imports in September 2022 whereas the exports decreased (11%) in September compared to August 2022. Export of goods like, Rice, fresh vegetables, medicines, fresh fruits, confectionery items and dairy products increased in September 2022. Whereas exports of items like slag, tableware, household articles, plastics, decreased in the reporting month. Sources said that Agro exports to Afghanistan have increased by 67% from $76.69 million to $127.95 million in 1st Quarter of FY 23 as compared to previous FY same period. Similarly, non-agro exports have increased by 84% in September 2022 as compared to previous year September whereas in 1st Quarter Non-Agro exports have increased by 60% as compared to previous fiscal year 1st quarter. Pakistan’s major agro export items are vegetables, fats, food preparation products, rice, potatoes and bananas whereas Pakistan’s major nonagro export items are pharmaceutical products, cement. On the other hand, imports of goods like fresh fruit, cotton, tomatoes, onions, steatite, Coal, chromium, Iron scrap increased in September 2022. Similarly, in the month of September 2022, Imports from Afghanistan have increased by 58% from $79.12 Million to $125.36 Million as compared to the month of September last year. Whereas in 1st Quarter of FY 23, imports from Afghanistan have increased by 67% from $151.19 million to $252.82 million as compared to previous FY same period.

PAC seeks PSF performance report within month

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

The Public Account Committee (PAC) Wednesday directed Federal Secretary for Science and Technology to submit performance report of Pakistan Science Foundation (PSF) within a month. The PAC, which met here with Noor Alam Khan in the chair, took exception to the violation of the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) rules in the Ministry of Science and Technology. The audit authorities were directed to submit a report to the PAC in that regard. The committee also reviewed the audit objections of year 2019-20 of the Ministry of Science and Technology. On the issue of illegal recruitment, the secretary admitted that the illegality in the appointments and promotions in the department. Noor Alam said the secretary was responsible to maintain all kinds of discipline in his institution. The PAC referred the matter of illegal appointments and promotions to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). The body directed the concerned to determine matter in one month that who was responsible in the regard. As regards the funds placement in private banks by the independent institutions, the Finance Division informed that investment in the banks by the independent institutions had been banned. The Chairman PAC directed that a letter should be written to all the independent institutions and they should be instructed to avoid keeping and investing their funds in private banks under the 2019 policy.

confirmed that LCIA has sided with PSO and awarded $14.6 million to PSO as well as the other costs in an arbitration case which was initiated by Gunvor in 2020 against the PSO.

Earlier, the PSO had signed a shortterm LNG supply contract with Gunvor for supply of 100 Million Cubic Feet per Day (MMCFD) for a period of five years and made excess payment to Gunvor on account of port charges for four and half years for LNG shipments to Pakistan.

However, the management of Pakistan LNG Limited (PLL) had later on pointed out that Gunvor was receiving excess payments from PSO. After the PLL management had identified excess payments Gunvor was receiving, the PSO deducted the excess payment.

Subsequently, Gunvor filed a case against the PSO in the international court (LCIA).

It is pertinent to mention that Pakistan has been facing severe energy crisis as

global LNG suppliers i-e Italy-based Eni and Swiss Gunvor have been cancelling promised shipments of LNG following a hike in the price of LNG in the international market mainly owing to Russia-Ukraine war.

The LNG shortage caused by the defaults has been taking its toll on the country’s resources as Pakistan has been opting for the expensive diesel to generate power while LNG-fired output dropped to the lowest owing to LNG shortages.

Measures taken to promote regional trade: Qamar

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

Minister for Commerce Syed Naveed Qamar said on Wednesday that the incumbent government was striving hard to promote and develop regional trade, particularly with Central Asian states by introducing modern trade and business technologies, besides facilitating the business communities across the region.

Addressing a three-day conference on “Peer Learning Initiatives, National Single Window Implementation and Management” organized by Pakistan Single Window in collaboration with Ready4Trade Central Asia (R4TCA) project, the minister said that the trading process could be eased by using the latest techniques.

The minister also expressed government’s commitment to deepen political, diplomatic, and trade relations with all neighboring countries.

It is pertinent to mention here that the event had brought together customs

and trade experts from Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan to share their knowledge, experiences, and regional best practices for the development and implementation of the national single window.

The minister said that in order to enhance and further promote the trade ties with regional countries, government had finalized trade agreements with Afghanistan and Uzbekistan, adding that agreements would also be made with other Central Asian Republics (CARs) including Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.

He said that bilateral trade with Afghanistan witnessed significant increase, adding that it could be further intensified by facilitating and providing special incentives. He said that opportunities would also be explored to further enhance trade and commerce with Central Asian states.

Our ties with Central Asia go back several centuries and both regions have benefited from the free flow of idea, goods, and people across the international

boundaries from ancient times, he said adding that government was also keen to revive ties through increased engagement at government to government and people to people levels, and by providing the enabling environment to promote regional trade and connectivity.

The minister further said that Pakistan Single Window was one of the most important reform initiatives to have been

At least 11 killed in bus fire near Jamshoro’s Nooriabad town: police

Khairpur Nathan Shah from Karachi.”

The officer told media that the fire was caused by a fault in the air-conditioning system of the coach, adding that the bodies and injured people have been moved to Liaquat University Hospital Jamshoro.

Meanwhile, Edhi volunteers have also rushed to the spot for rescue and relief work.

Taking notice of the incident, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has instructed the deputy commissioner of Jamshoro to immediately reach the site with ambulances.

undertaken in the public sector, adding that once completed, the platform would integrate 77 government agencies, ministries and department in addition to private sector entities and service providers to provide all cross-border trade related services to the traders and other stakeholders on one single platform.

As part from the initiative, we are reviewing our entire trade regulatory framework and improving our business processes through business process reengineering, identification and elimination of process; resource redundancies and digitization, he added.

Meanwhile, speaking on the occasion representatives of the diplomatic core from Central Asian States stressed the need for rationalizing transportation cost of goods to make regional trade more beneficial, besides establishing banking network. They also urged the need for facilitating trade by addressing the bottlenecks in border crossing and simplification of shipments clearance procedures.

Amin meets tech companies delegations, startups at GITEX 2022

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

Federal Minister for IT and Telecommunication Syed Amin Ul Haque on Wednesday met with the different delegations of tech companies including Huawei, and successful startups on the sidelines of GITEX Global 2022 in Dubai. Matters related to IT and telecommunication were discussed during the meetings, said a news release received here. Senior officers of the Ministry of IT were also present in the meetings. Meanwhile, on the sidelines, Ignite and Huawei Pakistan signed an MoU intending to develop and expand a framework of cooperation between both organisations to strengthen relationships through talent development activities and startup programs.

JAMSHORO Web DeSk

At least 11 people, including eight children, were killed and dozens injured after a passengers bus caught fire near Nooriabad in Sindh’s Jamshoro district on Wednesday, according to the police.

Nooriabad Deputy Superintendent (DSP) Wajid Thaheem confirmed that eleven bodies were retrieved from the coach out of which eight were children.

Among three, he said, one was a woman and two were men. “They belonged to the Mughairi community and were returning to

“The injured persons should immediately be moved to the hospital and the administration should provide all kinds of support to the families,” he said in a statement.

CM Murad has also summoned an investigation report of the incident.

More assistance needed as floodwater still stagnant in Sindh, Balochistan: Sherry

ISLAMABAD

app

Federal Minister for Climate Change

Senator Sherry Rehman on Wednesday said the worst affected areas of Sindh and Balochistan due to torrential rains were still inundated whereas the country needed more humanitarian assistance to accommodate 33 million affected population.

Addressing a news conference here convened at a short notice, the Minister said there was less discussion in the media on flood devastation as the situation in Sindh and Balochistan was still worst where water was stagnant in the areas.

Senator Sherry Rehman said it had emerged as the largest natural catastrophe in the world as there was no match to mega climate event occurred in

the history.

The World Bank had estimates $40 billion loss and damages in the country due to massive monsoon torrential rains, he said, adding, “33 million affected people — is a huge figure which is seven million more than the entire population of Australia. The super floods of 2010 only affected 20 million people. The damage in my view will rise further.”

She added that 20.6 million population was still in urgent need which was larger than the combined population of Portugal and Switzerland. “It has been the 18th week since the calamity hit the region and the relief operations are underway. However, no further deaths reported so far. There is no example of such protracted relief operations in the entire world.”

The Minister mentioned that some 1,717 people had died whereas 12,867

Federal Minister for IT & Telecom, Syed Amin Ul Haque was the chief guest at the MoU signing ceremony. Federal Minister for IT also visited Ignite Pavillion and appreciated startups for participating in GITEX 2022. Speaking on the occasion, Federal Minister for IT Syed Amin Ul Haque said that investment in Pakistani startups saw 30 per cent increase during the last four years. Ventures’ investment in Pakistani startups is the proof of trust in Pakistani policies, he added.

million still needed assistance, the Minister briefed.

The Geneva flash appeal received a welcoming reception.

got injured, over 13,000 kilometers (km) roads and 436 bridges got damaged. It was a mammoth task to rebuild such massive connectivity infrastructure washed away by floods, she added.

Sherry Rehman noted that resilient rebuilding planning was underway in two departments whereas many buildings like dispensaries were underwater particularly in Sindh.

“70 percent of the 33 million affected are women and children. 3.4 million Children are predicted to go hungry. 8.2 million people require urgent medical services, while 4 percent of the disaster affected population is actually pregnant,” she said.

Some 11 districts of Sindh were underwater that were below sea level and water drainage in such areas was an uphill task, she said. There were six lac shelters created so far whereas 7.9

Highlighting the crop damages due to floods, she said 9.4 million acres of standing crops were inundated and damaged, that would be directly putting at risk 14.6 million people, in the line of a food sector and agriculture crisis.

“Livelihoods will continue to face aftershocks and 15.4 million more people will be pushed below the poverty line.”

During Rabi crop season, the farmers would bear more impacts, she added. “3.9 million out of the 15.4 million was targeted by UN affected that will face serious malnutrition as 70% of the total impacted are women and children.”

She mentioned that some Rs 65 billion ($298 million) were delivered to the flood impacted families through BISP emergency cash relief.

The Minister further underlined that the crops particularly rice, cotton, and sugarcane would bear direct losses with cotton sustaining the most of the losses, adding, “There will be a direct long term impact due to it.”

nrO TO ‘dACOITS’ TAnTAMOunT TO EnMITy wITH COunTry: IMrAn

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)

Imran Khan lambasted the “imported government” for amending the NAB laws to quash billions of corruption cases of the ruling elites, saying that giving NROs to the dacoits was tantamount to enmity with the country because it gave them license to corruption.

Addressing the Islamabad Trade Union Workers Convention, PTI Chairman said that a system based on injustice cannot work and a country where there was a different laws for rich and poor could not prosperous.

He said that cases have been waived and

NRO has been given for more robbery, adding that how can such theft be allowed in a poor country?

Imran Khan said that foreign powers wanted weak and puppet governments in Pakistan whom they could be used easily, adding that if he had assets abroad, he would not have had the courage to say absolutely not that was the reason his government was removed through conspiracy to impose the puppet on the nation who did not have the courage because they had assets outside of Pakistan.He said that India was buying oil from Russia at a 40 percent lower price but Pakistan cannot because the imported government did not have the courage to annoy their masters.

PTI Chairman stated that the country was

SJC regularizes services of 11 LHC judges

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

The Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) on Wednesday recommended regularization of the services of 11 additional judges of the Lahore High Court (LHC). Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Umar Ata Bandial presided the meeting of SJC meeting. The council decided to regularize the services of 11 judges out of 13 which include Justice Tariq Nadeem, Justice Amjad Rafiq, Justice Abid Hussain Chatha, Justice Anwar Hussain, Justice Ali Zia Bajwa, Justice Sultan Tanvir, Justice Raza Qureshi and Justice Raheel Kamran. The council, however, dropped the names of Justice Shan Gul and Justice Sohail Nasir.

Parliament passes three bills

StAff REpORt

The joint sitting of parliament on Tuesday approved three bills while the session was boycotted by the PTI. The session was held under the chairmanship of National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf. The House passed the Trade Arrangements Amendment Bill 2022 Islamabad, Domestic Workers Amendment Bill 2022 and Dyslexia Special Measures Amendment Bill 2022. The bill for production, transmission and distribution of electricity could not be presented due to the non-participation of PPP member Jam Abdul Karim Bijar. The government tried to present a bill related to parents without an agenda but backtracked due to the opposition of federal minister Syed Naveed Qamar. Meanwhile, raising objection, Jamaat-e-Islami MNA Maulana Abdul Akbar Chitrali held the interest system responsible for the prevailing economic crisis in the country. He said the government and the PTI had agreed on the continuation of this system. He said one of his bills which was against the interest system had been pending for the last three-and-a-half years. Chitrali pointed out that the Shariat Court had also announced a verdict declaring the prevailing interest-based banking system as against Sharia. He urged parliament to send the matter to the relevant committee.

Speaking on the occasion, National Assembly Member Mohsin Dawar called for the issuance of South Waziristan MNA Ali Wazir’s production order, saying much discussion had been held on his imprisonment. He said Wazir should be presented in the House. Dawar questioned why was Wazir incarcerated, pointing out that PTI leader Shahbaz Gill was also released “in two months” after being granted bail in a sedition case. “We should be told whether Ali Wazir’s problem is a domicile or something else?” he asked. “The ECP said that elections could not be held in Kurram due to law and order [situation]. Can’t all the state institutions together hold polls there? This way general election will not be held in the tribal districts.” Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Murtaza Javed Abbasi called for “seriously” looking into the law and order situation in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. He condemned former finance minister Shaukat Tareen for his purported audio leak with K-P finance minister in which he is calling for “sabotaging the IMF programme”.

flourishing, as economy was booming but all of sudden the hard-gained achievements of PTI government were reversed when these thieves were brought to power.

Imran Khan blasted the coalition partners in the government and said that all these cable of crooks were taking long marches against his government for inflation in the country but these self-centered greedy incompetent government broke 50 years record of inflation in the country, compounding the miseries of people of the country manifolds.

He went on to say that today the nation was being asked to sacrifice despite the fact that the salaried class was reeling under back-breaking inflation while the dacoits were busy in giving themselves NROs in

billions of corruption cases.

“I was not a public office holder in Pakistan, I used to play cricket, but I showed 40 years old contracts. I sold my London flat and brought money to Pakistan,” he added.

He raised question that if a cricketer can give a money trail, how can a 3-time prime minister not?

He said there was a $250 billion fine in rental power but he talked to the president of Turkey and canceled the fine. Talking about closure of industries in the country, Chairman PTI said that the 20 percent industry of Faisalabad were closed now contrary to it during PTI era, the industries were flourishing and people for getting massive employment opportunities.

Imran Khan said that Ishaq Dar was

Japan to further investment in power sector, Wada tells Dastgir

Pakistan for improving its economic and social infrastructure.

Japanese Ambassador to Pakistan Mr Mitsuhiro Wada on Wednesday said that Japan has been investing in Pakistan’s power sector and assured to further enhance investment in power sector of the country. The ambassador expressed the views in a meeting with Minister of Energy Engr Khurram Dastgir Khan here Wednesday.

The ambassador appreciated the government initiatives for promotion of solar energy, saying Japanese companies were interested in solar energy sector.

Showing satisfaction at the current level of excellent bilateral ties, the minister appreciated the longstanding engagement of Japan with

The ambassador expressed gratitude to Khurram Dastgir for his presence at the funeral of late former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe. Mr. Wada reiterated Japan’s support for Pakistan in the face of devastation caused by floods.

The minister said he was much impressed by the kind gesture of people of Japan, as they have been sending letters and money to Pakistan’s embassy.

The minister lauded the Japanese investment, particularly in the energy sector. He highlighted that Pakistan’s energy sector offers vast opportunities for investment especially in renewable energy.

‘inDriver’ comes up with new brand

KARACHI Staff RepoRt

After getting recognition as a better and affordable passenger service and its expansion to 707 cities of 47 countries with over four million users daily, inDriver Company, an International Services Platform, has announced to rebrand itself as inDrive— inner motivational force to do something good for humanity.

Now, it has transformed into a group of companies and non-profit development programmes. The company, bringing innovative ideas and initiatives, had ambitious goal to offer comfort and convenience also in other services where direct transactions at fair prices were attainable, told inDrive’s Communication Manager for South Asia region, Sidra Kiran to media persons attending the rebranding ceremony late the other evening.

Kiran said inDriver (now named inDrive) was conceived from “Independent drivers” with whom the passengers directly contacted and negotiated the fare to the satisfaction of both sides.

The idea worked very well as other companies providing same service fixed fare at their own choice and frequently changed it. During the rush or odd hours the fare usually increased by 50 percent. That was seen “unfair and injustice to the passengers”, she added.

In 2012, it was started in Russia under a social media group and the service was tagged as taxi “Yakutsk”. On boosting response, later the App inDriver was launched. inDrive’s Chief Executive Officer, Arson Tomsky had also such experience of being overcharged for odd hours traveling, Sidra informed.

In Pakistan, she said, this passenger service was launched in 2021 and now in operating in 11 cities including Karachi, Hyderabad, Lahore, Faisalabad, Sialkot, Multan, Gujranwala, Sargodh, Peshawar and Abbottabad. Further spread to other cities in Pakistan was on cards.

inDrive had also planned to step cargo and courier service as well, she said.

The communication manager said that pursuing its mission of better serving the humanity, the company and its shareholders would allocate greater resources towards non-profit projects in the areas of IT, education, environmental safety, healthcare, art and sports.

The company had been successful at launching and operating these types of programs with one prominent example being BeginIT, a social and educational project benefitting orphans and the children from low-income families with basic education in IT. Over time, the number and scale of “such projects will grow as we strive to provide fair access to services, education, fintech, ecommerce and food delivery for growth and development”, in addition to develop large-scale non-profit development programs, she continued.

Kiran highlighted that the new brand retains continuity while “reflecting the reimagined mission and values of the company”. With rebranding, the company would offer better and more services.

Earlier, video message by Founder and Global PR Director of inDrive, Natalia Kolmakova was played. It is worth mentioning here that inDrive service ranked second world-wide among ridehailing services in terms of monthly installs on Play Market and AppStore, with a total of over 150 million downloads.

Chinese vaccine technology catalyzes Pakistan’s livestock products export

Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD)-Free Certification proved to be a prerequisite for the promotion of Pakistan’s meat export to major markets of the world, with a potential to reach 1-3 billion U.S. dollars annually.

China has experience theoretically and practically in the construction of animal disease free zones. We are willing to share our technology with Pakistan and deepen cooperation to boost its livestock exports to China, Prof. He Cheng, Coordinator of China-Pakistan Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation & Extension Center, China Agricultural University said.

Currently, Pakistan’s livestock sector is suffering from animal diseases,

such as Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD), Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD), Brucellosis, and Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR). Due to noncertification of disease free zones, Pakistan could not compete with major exporters such as New Zealand, Australia, Brazil, etc.

Vaccination is an effective means of building immune barriers. Regarding core vaccine technologies, China has developed cutting-edge technologies of FMD vaccines, including inactivated vaccine, peptide vaccine and virus-like particle (VLP) vaccines, CEN reported.

Last month, a Chinese delegation consisting of He Cheng, Dr. Li Shoujun, President of Tianjin Ringpu Bio-Pharm Group, a veterinary vaccine and pharmaceutical company in China, and two vice-presidents of the company visited Pakistan’s related governmental sectors including Pakistan Agricultural Research Council, private companies and local dealers.

Li signed an MoU for producing Chinese vaccine with Prof. Khalid Naeem, coordinator of Grand Pharma (pvt) Limited, a Rawalpindi-based

company. According to the MOU, the first batch of Chinese FMD antigens and adjuvants will be shipped to Pakistan this month, indicating that high-quality FMD vaccine will be produced locally and supplied to livestock with Chinese technology.

“We are also looking forward to developing joint ventures with local companies and manufacturing poultry vaccines and pharmaceutical raw materials in Punjab province. With the introduction of protocols of sustainable healthy husbandry and eradications of major animal diseases, FMD free zone will be established in Punjab and promoted to other provinces. In the future, fresh beef, mutton and chicken will be exported from Pakistan to China and other international markets,” Prof. He concluded.

imported from London to fix the fast dwindling economy who during his previous PML-N ruined the economy of the country.

“The economic growth was 5.7 percent in PTI’s third year and 6 percent in the fourth year, when the economy goes down, everyone is affected,” he added.

Imran Khan said that the economic survey released by the imported government testified PTI government performance, adding that the World Bank admitted that Pakistan provided the most employment in the subcontinent at the time of Coronavirus.

Imran Khan further said that during PTI tenure, Pakistanis abroad sent a record $ 31 billion, adding that in our era, the farmers got full payment, which they spent on the land due to which record crop was produced.

IHC seeks Interior Ministry report on CnIC’s issuance to Altaf Hussain

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday sought a report from the Interior Ministry after consultation with the Foreign Office in a petition seeking issuance of Computerized National Identity Card (CNIC) to MQM leader Altaf Hussain. Justice Mohsin Akhter Kayani heard the case filed by Altaf Hussain through his counsel. During the course of proceeding, the counsel for National Database Registration Authority (NADRA) informed the court that as per record Altaf Hussain was not registered with the authority. He might have been issued identity card before the establishment of NADRA, he added. The court observed that a person wanted to get registered his power of attorney but the high commission was not admitting him. Whether any Interior Ministry official had viewed the application of petitioner, Justice Kayani asked. The court also expressed concern over absence of the representatives of the Interior Ministry and Foreign Office. After the recession, the representatives of two ministries appeared before the bench. The court was told that the CNIC and passport of Altaf Hussain were blocked on the court’s direction. The court sought a report from the Interior Ministry and adjourned the case till October 26.

ISLAMABAD

Mauritius OFFers expertise FOr tOurisM prOMOtiOn in paKistan

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

MAuRITIuSHigh Commissioner to Pakistan Rashidally Soobadar on Wednesday offered his country’s expertise to exploit Pakistan’s untapped potential of tourism sector, saying he believed it can significantly contribute to the national economy.

“Mauritius has a very organized tourism sector which contributes 25 per

cent to its economy and I offer my country’s technical assistance to promote services and system to make Pakistan an international tourists’ hub” he said in an interview with APP.

Quoting Pakistan’s “mesmerizing scenic northern areas and weather conditions” Soobadar said Pakistan was an ideal country and, “I suggest the authorities concerned to adopt Mauritius model to make it an ideal tourists’ destination.”

He said his country, a small island with 1.2 million populations, annually attracts

over 1.5 million tourists which, “reflects how we have exploited tourism sector to contribute in our national economy.”

The Mauritius High Commissioner also offered to train Pakistani youth in hotel management as tourism sector’s success “lies in the quality services being offered at these facilities establish around tourist destinations.”

“We have a very soft visa policy for Pakistanis and his country is ready to further facilitate to the willing students from here, who can benefit from the education

opportunities available there.”

The Mauritius has 100 percent literacy rate and its national are enjoying free education, however, intending Pakistani students can be accommodated on a nominal fee structure, he added.

He said that tourism sector had emerged as an engine of growth in Mauritius, and it is one of fastest growing socio-economic sectors that was fueling economic growth and creating jobs and business opportunities.

Recommending Pakistan to make tourism a national subject, Rashidally said, besides good road infrastructure and standard hotels quality transport was also vital to facilitate and attract tourists.

He also highlighted opportunities for the Pakistani manpower in Mauritius health sector and said, “the country has $13000 per capita income which is quite attractive for the Asian workforce.”

Cars’ sale drops 50.34pc in Q1 FY23

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

The sale of cars during the first quarter (Jul-Sept) of current fiscal year 2022-23, has dropped by 50.34 percent as compared to the same quarter of last year, a latest data released by Pakistan Automobile Manufacturing Association (PAMA) on Wednesday.

According to the data, as many as 28,571 cars were sold during the period under review as opposed to 57,539 units in the same period of last year. The breakup figures showed that 5,045 units of Honda Civic and City were sold during the corresponding period of the year 2022-23 as compared to the sale of 7,793 units last year, thus showing a dip of 35.26 percent. Toyota Corolla and Yaris cars’ sale also de-

creased by 53.63 percent as it went down to 6,415 units current year from 13,836 units in the same period of previous year.

However, Suzuki Swift’s sale went up by 354.07 percent as its sale increased to 2,116 units from 466 units last year, whereas the sale of Hyundai Elantra also increased from 724 units to 901 units. Sale of Suzuki Cultus decreased to 1,823 units during current year, whereas during same period last year, the sale was recorded at 10,114 units while the sale of Suzuki WagonR also decreased to 1,413 units from 5,488 units in same period of last year.

Suzuki Alto’s sale also witnessed a sharp decline of 40.80 percent from 15,681 units to 9,283 units during the months under review, whereas the sale of Suzuki Bolan decreased to 1,189 units as opposed to sale of 2,941 units in same period of last year.

Four new board members appointed in CDA stock exchange loses 148 points

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

The 100-index of the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) lost 148.34 points on Wednesday, a negative change of 0.35 percent, closing at 42,007.14 points against 42,155.48 points on the last working day. A total of 238,657,372 shares were traded during the day compared to 304,838,249 shares the previous day, whereas the price of shares stood at Rs 7.853 billion against Rs 9.845 billion on the last trading day. As many as 353 companies transacted their shares in the stock market, 122 of them recorded gain and 204 sustained losses, whereas the share price of 27 companies remained unchanged. The three top trading companies were K-Electric Ltd with 34,446,000 shares at Rs 3.06 per share, WorldCall Telecom with 30,541,000 at Rs 1.51 and Telecard Limited with 16,271,000 at Rs 11.66 per share.

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

The Federal Government appointed four new Members to the Board of theCapital Development Authority (CDA), as CDA Chairman Captain (Retd.) Muhammad usman Younis had opted for fresh faces in his team.

Following the approval of a summary by the Cabinet Division, separate notifications were issued by the Ministry of Interior regarding the appointment of four career officers, two of them from the Inland Revenue Service, as CDA Board Members.

Waseem Hayat Bajwa, a BPS-20 officer from Inland Revenue Service has been notified as Member Planning with immediate effect.

He is considered a competent officer also served

as Director General of the Federal Government Employees Housing Authority.

Afnan Alam Khan, a BPS-19 officer of Audit and Accounts Service has been appointed as Member Planning with immediate effect. Afnan Alam was already serving as Deputy Director of General Estate in CDA and also held charge of Director Land.

Naveed Ilahi, a BPS-20 officer of the Customs Service, was Member Estate and also held charge of Member Planning. In his capacity as DDG Estate and Director Land, he endeavoured to resolve the problems of affectees.

Syed Mazhar Hussain Shah, another BPS-19 officer of the Inland Revenue Service has been posted as Financial Adviser/Member.

India replicating Israeli model of settler colonialism in IIOJK: Speakers

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) AJK chapter and Legal Forum for Kashmir (LFK) jointly organized a report launch and press-briefing on the imminent situation in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) in the wake of India’s settler colonial program.

Colonial Diary, a repository of settler colonial diktats in IIOJK was launched on Wednesday to apprise the international community of Indian machinations political, legal, and economic subjugation of Kashmiris which amounts to war crimes under International Law.

The report has been compiled by the team of Legal Forum for Kashmir (LFK). It includes the around 220 legislation, administrative changes, orders, notifications, and press releases by the Indian State in the last three years

gust 2022) after the abrogation of Article 370.

Colonial Diary is the repository of settler colonial diktats by the Indian administration in IIOJK.

The documents included in the repository are the various legislation, administrative changes, orders, notifications, and press releases by the Indian State after the abrogation of Article 370.

The repository includes various laws, articles, and bills on different issues and with diverse themes including Land acquirement for military purposes, the Roshini Act, Termination of government employees under 311 (2) (c), Waqf properties, Pandit Migration, Jammu Kashmir Reorganization Act (2019), Domicile Certificate, Delimitation Commission, etc.

On August 05, 2019, the Parliament of India unilaterally passed the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019 containing provisions to reconstitute the Indian.

To a question about China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project, he said his country was interested to reap trade benefits from One Belt One Road initiative but some modalities were required to be determined for Free Trade Agreement between the two countries.

After completion of the CPEC project the trade ties would be boosted with the entire region especially the African continent and Pakistan’s access to those markets can help its economy, he remarked.

The High Commissioner noting the cultural and historic similarities between the two countries said the cooperation could be extended in this area of common interest.

Mauritius, Rashidally said, stood by the people of Pakistan in the times of calamities and his country’s government and people’s recent air shipment of relief goods for the flood affected here was testimony to this.

Fifth annual Ombuds Day today

LAHORE Staff RepoRt

The fifth annual ombuds day will be celebrated all over the world, including Pakistan, on Thursday to sensitise the people about the institutional mechanism of protecting their rights so that no government official or department could be negligent in upholding the legal rights of the citizens. This was stated by a spokesman of the Office of Punjab Ombudsman in a statement issued on Wednesday. The spokesman explained the provincial ombudsman office was playing an important role in ensuring good governance through the eradication of corrupt practices and maladministration. It has realised government officials are accountable to the people and no dereliction would be tolerated in this regard. In this way, the establishment of a law-abiding society is bolstered and the public trust in the government is also strengthened, the spokesman asserted. He maintained that the Office of the Ombudsman Punjab was playing an important role in protecting public rights by providing them with free and expeditious relief. In the 25 years since its birth, the office has redressed 347,369 public complaints. Information and Communications Technology (ICT) has been dexterously employed for the prompt registration of public complaints; the spokesman noted and added that local plaintiffs and expatriates, from across the globe, could lodge their complaints to the concerned regional office through the website or bilingual mobile application OPMIS.

Killer of 19 people in Karachi arrested from Lahore

LAHORE Staff RepoRt

Four dangerous suspects, including a hired killer involved in the murder of 19 people in Karachi, have been arrested in Lahore on Wednesday. Police officials claimed that all of the suspects, including the hired assassin Wasi Iqbal and Nigerian drug traffickers named Abuzar, and two other suspects Nazobi and Farhan who are from various parts of Karachi, were apprehended from a posh hotel in Gulberg area of Lahore. Wasi Iqbal was detained before locating the target, according to the police, who also said that interrogation has been started. Police also seized drugs and highquality cocaine from their possession.

CHINeSe eNvoy SHowS INtereSt IN HouSINg, mANufACturINg SeCtor

Pakistan came under discussion during the meeting.

AMBASSADORof China to Pakistan Nong Rong on Wednesday evinced keen interest in exploring investment opportunities in the country’s housing and manufacturing sectors.

Federal Secretary Housing and Works Iftikhar Ali Shallwani welcomed the commitment and interest of the envoy who was called on him here at his office, said a news release.

The secretary also extended his full support in this regard.

The emerging housing market in

Both the officials also discussed various bilateral matters including Pakistan-China long-standing relationship which was marked by cordiality and friendship.

Iftikhar Ali Shallwani highlighted that the relationship between the two countries had been transformed into ‘All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership’ with joint efforts of successive generations and leadership.

The Secretary requested Nong Rong to attend the upcoming first International Housing Expo-2022. The envoy extended his support in that regard.

I was a ‘powerless’ prime minister, admits Imran

continued from page 01

“It is a pity that the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) is not bringing forward the funding of other political parties”, he said, alleging that the CEC was “biased” and a man of the federal government. He highlighted that the high court had ordered that all fundraising cases should be heard together.

“If the Election Commissioner brings up the funding of other political parties, it will be apparent as to whose funding is legal”. Prior to the IHC hearing his bail petition, Imran was asked what would happen if he was not granted bail. “Jail”, the PTI chief replied, emphasising that he was “ready” to go to prison.

Audio leaks: A reporter proceeded to ask Imran if he objected to his audio being recorded or released. Imran replied that surveillance of premiers took place all over the world, but “targeted recording” did not. He further stated that intelligence agencies had surveillance, but it was their job to protect them and not to tap the phone and release recordings.

New NAB law to promote systematic corruption, SC observes

continued from page 01

“A law is only challenged when defects are revealed in its implementation,” Haris said, adding that the new NAB laws were formed to benefit “certain people”. He alleged that the first target of the incumbent government was to close its NAB cases. “Can we just let billions of rupees spent on NAB investigations go to waste? “Do the judges of accountability courts have doubts that they can’t serve justice,” the PTI lawyer argued. The court subsequently adjourned the hearing till October 18. Imran’s Petition Against NAB Law Amendments In his petition, Imran Khan has claimed that the amendments to the NAB law were made to benefit the influential accused persons and legitimize corruption. The coalition government led by the PMLN had introduced 27 key amendments to NAB Law, but President Dr Arif Alvi did not accord his assent to these. However, the bill was adopted in a joint sitting of parliament and notified later. The petition pleaded that the fresh amendments tend to scrap corruption cases against the president, prime minister, chief ministers and ministers and provide an opportunity to the convicted public office-holders to get their conviction undone.

Quest for automation, WSSP installs first of its kind SCADA system

peSHaWar staff report

Local Government Minister Faisal Amin Khan Gandapur on Wednesday inaugurated Supervisor Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system and Automatic Water Testing Devices installed on Water and Sanitation Services Peshawar (WSSP) tube-wells.

In an effort to switch towards automation, the company installed first of its kind SCADA system on 46 tube-wells in the province and automatic water quality sensors to check water quality in its first phase.

The project is implemented with financial assistance of UNICEF and technical support from University of Engineering

Technology Peshawar (UET) at a cost of Rs12.9 million.

WSSP Chief Executive Officer Dr Hassan Nasir, GM Planning, Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting (PMER) Syed Zamirul Hassan, Zonal Manager Anwarul Haq were present on the occasion.

The PMER General Manager briefed the minister on importance and operation of SCADA will enable WSSP automatic switching of tube-wells and get accurate data on electrical and water supply parameters.

He said the data would be saved through GSM or mobile SIM on a website and a monitoring dashboard that help WSSP measures exact power consumption of each tube-well

and quantity of water it pumps into water supply system.

“WSSP can also ascertain if a tube-well’s water production capacity is increasing or decreasing, enabling the company to devise long-term plan on basis of that data in future,” the general manager said. The minister was also briefed on installation of automatic water quality sensors installed on six tubewells at a cost of Rs5 millions.

The general manager explained that the devices would automatically take samples from water and test its quality.

“It will instantly test water sample with less chances of error, save transport cost and timely identification of contamination,” he said.

Australia, Indonesia commemorate 20th anniversary of Bali bombings

iSLamaBad staff report

The memorial paid tribute to the courage and resilience of those affected by the attacks of 12 October 2002, which killed 202 innocent people, including 88 Australians and 38 Indonesians, and left hundreds of others wounded in Bali.

Speaking at the commemorative ceremony held here on Wednesday, Australian High Commissioner Neil Hawkins highlighted the subsequent close cooperation between Australia and Indonesia and emphasized the commitment of both countries to countering terrorism and violent extremism.

“The shared grief of the Australian and Indonesian peoples gave rise to a shared resolve: Australia and Indonesia have worked together to strengthen regional responses to the threat of terror-

ism and violent extremism.” Mr. Hawkins said. Indonesian Ambassador Adam Tugio remarked that successful prevention of violent acts of extremism calls for an inclusive approach involving youth, professional media, religious leaders and relevant stakeholders both at the national and global levels.

“Two-decade remembrance of tragedy in Bali is a valuable opportunity to renew and reiterate our collective commitment to strengthen the voice of moderation, tolerance and respect for cultural diversity”, added Mr. Tugio.

The ceremony was attended by representatives from across the diplomatic community, including other nations that lost citizens in the bombings. In addition to the ceremony in Islamabad, the occasion was marked with commemorative events in Australia and Indonesia, including local communities in Bali.

Pakistan, Azerbaijan agree to hold fast track discussions on energy collaboration

continued from page 01

Both leaders reviewed the close and cordial bilateral ties, with a view to further enhance cooperation in the areas of trade, investment, education, information technology, security, agriculture, connectivity and energy.

The prime minister also briefed President Aliyev on his government’s efforts to rehabilitate the millions of flood-affected people in Pakistan and restore their livelihoods, damaged by the unprecedented climate change-induced natural disaster.

He underscored that damage to standing crops and the inability to cultivate in the upcoming sowing season had exacerbated the

threat of food shortage in the country.

He said the import of urea was essential to avert this danger and revive the agricultural produce in the country. President Aliyev assured him of Azerbaijan’s full support in this context.

The two leaders also discussed regional and global issues of common interest.

Prime Minister Shehbaz appreciated Azerbaijan’s steadfast position on Jammu and Kashmir and its valuable role as a member of the OIC Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir.

He reaffirmed Pakistan’s principled support to Azerbaijan on former NagornoKarabagh and appreciated President Ilham Aliyev’s endeavors for bringing long-term and sustainable peace in the South Caucasus.

This was the second interaction between the two leaders as earlier they met on the sidelines of SCO in September 2022 at Samarkand, Uzbekistan and afforded a productive opportunity for catalyzing multifaceted bilateral economic engagement in keeping with the great tradition of amity and cooperation.

PM ARRIvES IN KAZAKHSTAN TO PARTICIPATE IN CICA SUMMIT: Earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday arrived in Kazakhstan’s capital Astana to participate in the 6th Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), being held on 12-13 October.

Lahore court acquits Shehbaz, Hamza in money laundering case

continued from page 01

The FIA prosecutor submitted that Gulzar Ahmad’s account continued to be operated even after his death, adding that Masroor Anwar made transactions from accounts of Shehbaz Sharif and Gulzar Ahmad.

At this, the court questioned the FIA prosecutor whether he had any evidence or record in this regard.

To which, the prosecutor replied that there was no evidence of this on record.

Subsequently, the court, after hearing detailed arguments of the parties, reserved its verdict on the acquittal applications, which would be announced later.

THE CASE: The FIA had in December 2021 submitted the challan against Shehbaz and Hamza to a special court for their alleged involvement in laundering an amount of Rs16 billion in the sugar scam case.

“The investigation team has detected 28 benami accounts of the Shehbaz family through which money laundering of Rs16.3 billion was committed during 2008-18. The FIA examined the money trail of 17,000 credit transactions,” according to an FIA report submitted to the court.

The amount was kept in “hidden accounts” and given to Shehbaz in a personal capacity, the report added.

This amount (Rs16b) has nothing to do with the sugar business (of the Shehbaz family), it claimed. The money received from the accounts of low-wage employees by Shehbaz was transferred outside Pakistan via hundi/hawala networks, ultimately destined for the beneficial use of his family members, the FIA had alleged.

TWITTER ABUZZ WITH CELEBRATORY

COMMENTS: Taking to Twitter, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif thanked God for victory in the “false, baseless, and political revenge-based case of money laundering”. “We stand vindicated in front of the court, law and nation today,” he added. Former Punjab chief minister and PM’s son Hamza also tweeted that the “truth has emerged victorious” today, recalling that he was detained in the “political case” for 22 years. PML-N leader Talal Chaudhry, in an interview with DawnNewsTV, called the verdict “PML-N’s victory”, saying that “such fake cases were bound to be exposed one day”.

“Today is a day of victory and reflection,” he added. Meanwhile, the PML-N, in a tweet on its official Twitter account, said: “Another fabricated case created for political victimisation comes to its inevitable end.”

PTI REACTION TO ACqUITTAL: PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry tweeted that the verdict passed today was a “slap on the nation’s face”.

“On one hand, [they] are seeking funds for flood victims. On the other hand, one family has looted billions of rupees,” Fawad said, going on that the laundered money belonged to the people of the country.

Foreign funding action

THaT imran Khan had cases registered against him was made inevitable when the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) announced its verdict in the prohibited funding case last month. The ECP had not ordered the registration of a case against either PTi members in the judgement, but the verdict contained findings that indicated criminal activity by Mr Khan and others. The case registered centres on the donations made by arif naqvi of the abraaj Group. Mr Khan and others are accused of having filed false affidavits to the ECP in connection with these donations.

The registration of the case came after the Federal investigation agency examined the verdict, as well as asked various stalwarts of the PTi, including Mr Khan himself, to explain their position. it is not as if Mr Khan and his party colleagues supinely waited for the Fia to act. Mr Khan first vignored the Fia’s summons, and only joined the investigation after a court battle. Though he was given bail till Octobr 20, this may be the case in which he is actually arrested. The government may only be using this arrest, or its threat, as a pawn in the chess-game it is playing over the PTi’s expected Long March, for which Mr Khan is expected to give the date, but has not so far. Meanwhile, other PTi luminaries have obtained bail in Lahore, after having been nominated in the Fir. The case, opened up by the ECP verdict, has been tuly inter-provincial, as the Pia has spread its enquiries to PTi office bearers in islamabad, Lahore and Karachi.

While the PTi Long March may be an additional issue, the registration of this case is merely an addition to the various legal battles he faces. The prohibited funding case has not completely played out before the ECP, and it is also seized with the Toshakhana reference. Then there are audio leaks. They too may well result in proceedings against him. There are allegations of depredations wrought in Punjab which are on hold now that the government has passed into the hands of Ch Pervez Elahi.

While Mr Khan may be innocent of all wrongdoing in all of these cases, only the most bullheaded of PTi supporters would not concede that these charges do not deserve a probe, and a thorough one at that. However, that thorough probe must not be allowed to degenerate into a witch-hunt, as has too often been the case.

Where Darbaris Flourish?

Lurching from crisis to crisis

started praising the new boss. Qudrutullah Shahab Sahib was the Principal Secretary to the President at that time, like azam Khan was to imran Khan during his recent regime.

Principal Secretary to the Prime Minster (PSPM) is a key player in the administrative set-up. The exploits of azam Khan as PSPM are now being exposed. in order to improve delivery in his next stint in power, imran Khan should appoint a better person to run the PM Secretariat. Shahab Sahib, a very respected bureaucra,t refused to serve under the new ‘King’. Before he left the ‘cour’t, he warned the General that these very courtiers till the day before were heaping the same praises on the now deposed ‘ King ‘. By not getting rid of the dirt by making a fresh start, the second usurper was trapped from day one.

a few years in power (by 1975) iK was not that lucky.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-insaf (PTi) reached its political peak in the Lahore Jalsa of 30 October 2011 with the help of new players. the ‘comrades of change’ who could deliver the Haqiqi azadi that iK is now fighting for. By the next big show of power on 25 December, 2011 only 56 days later at the Mazar-e-Quaid, the same old Darbaris had surrounded the ‘Crusader of Change’. For Javed Hashmi there were loud chants of Baghi Baghi which i could not digest. after the rally, Comrade ahsan rashid had arranged a lavish dinner at the Sheraton Hotel where the old PTi ideologues shared bread with the new ‘Electables’ (Seasoned Darbaris) who were now assigned to lead the charge.

THE islamic republic of Pakistan has turned into the land of the darbaris (courtiers), into ‘Darbaristan’. Political leaders make tall promises to the nation. but once in the corridors of power get trapped by these ‘Parasites of Powe ‘ (POP) who are driven by survival instincts. These lethal beings have special skills to please the boss and then surround him or her. Some of them always remain in power while others remain loyal to the party leadership.

Party jumpers were hit hard by the recent Supreme Court decision when 20 ‘Lota’ (turncoats) lost their seats in the Punjab assembly. in the re-elections that followed, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-insaf (PTi) was able to grab back 15 seats which resulted in the collapse of the Hamza Shahbaz government. The largest province of the country is now back with PTi while the imposed federal coalition government finds itself cornered. Thr “Sab Theek Hai “ (all is well) mantra seems to have lost its shine after a long time which augurs well for the much-needed change.

When ayub Khan, the first usurper and ‘international Darbari’ was toppled by his army Chief Gen Yahya Khan, the Darbaris of the ayub ‘Court’

in a world driven by technology, Continuous improvement (Ci) is the way forward, as only change is permanent for which new players are needed. in the words of allama iqbal; “ Hazar au mujid sey bezar karay “ (not being satisfied by the status-quo). Zulfiqar ali Bhutto was able to deliver change and good governance due to his fresh players, not the old and failed lot who were part of the problem.

The current decline that started with Gen Ziaul-Haq, the third usurper, continues unabated as the Darbaris remain unchanged. in the social media several posts appear that compare the cabinet members of the fourth dictator with the ones that followed; unfortunately many faces remain common till today

Like ZaB, iK started off well. While ZaB was trapped by the Darbaris after

Everyone seemed excited about the induction of Javed Hashmi and Shah Mahmood Qureshi. When I could take it no longer, I posed a simple question; “ What cabinets have they been a part of? “ There was no answer, only silence. I was then reminded of a famous saying of Einstein; “We cannot solve the problems with the help of the people who created them.”

Everyone seemed excited about the induction of Javed Hashmi and Shah Mahmood Qureshi. When i could take it no longer, i posed a simple question; “ What cabinets have they been a part of? “ There was no answer, only silence. i was then reminded of a famous saying of Einstein; “We cannot solve the problems with the help of the people who created them.”

Comrade Hanif ramay, the great orator, had a clear distinction between the terms; “Mard-e-Burhan and “ Madar-e-Burhan “ (Those who create crieis and those who solve them). Unfortunately, in the land of the pure this distinction, ‘Mard vs Mada ‘ does not exist today, which is why the crises remain unresolved. individuals who manage to reach the corridors of power through ‘ TC ‘ (Shoe Shining) are either incompetent or corrupt, merit is seriously compromised right under the nose of the President and PM.

The message should be understood loud and clear: “Darbaris cannot deliver”. They can only provide a short term lull before the storm comes with its devastation like the floods that we are under today. Pakistan is back in stormy weather and will remain there till the exit of the pleasing the- boss and donothing ‘courtiers’. The nation awaits ‘ Mard-eBurhan’ to be in the saddle without the traditional all-weather darbaris. Climate change has hit the republic hard. Storms are now routine for which ‘ Merry-Weather’ players are now obsolete.The slide cannot be reveresed unless these non-performing courtiers are shown the door.

Yousaf Nizami Editor

Dedicated to the legacy of late Hameed Nizami Arif Nizami (Late) Founding Editor M. A. Niazi Joint Editor Umar Aziz Executive Editor Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad Joint Editor

Mahsa Amini: Zan, Zindagi, Azadi

Iranian women are in the streets demanding justice for Mahsa amini and an end to the suppression of women in iran. Mahsa amini was allegedly killed by the “Guidance patrol” - who apprehend women if they are believed to be improperly dressed in public. as the whole world mourns the tragic death of Mahsa amini by marching in solidarity with the iranian protesters, the government in iran is ruthlessly crushing them. Since the islamic revolution in iran, women have been subjected to social and political barriers. Under iranian law, women are forced to fully cover their bodies from head to toe in public places. amid the ongoing crisis in iran, the protestors cry the slogans of “Zan, Zindagi, Azadi” (Woman, Life, Freedom), demanding equal rights for women.

in iran, religious laws were enforced in 1979, when islamic revolutionists overthrew the Shah of iran. The clergy government adopted strict social codes for women while restricting their social and political life. in iran, women are forced to wear closed types of clothes while not showing their body parts in public areas.if anyone is found violating the dress code, she is liable to face punishment. Mahsa amini was apprehended from a railway station in Tehran by iran’s morality police for her alleged inappropriate dress in public. She died after spending three days in police custody. Her family members alleged that she died due to torture during custody. The killing of Mahsa amini has drawn anger and unrest among iranians as thousands of iranians came out in protest.

instead of showing sympathy towards the protesters, the iranian government is ruthlessly trying to crush the movement. The security forces and the Basij

(religious militia) have tried to suppress the protesters. The iranian Supreme Leader ayatollah Khamenei has also endorsed the actions of security forces while calling the protests a US-israeli plot. iranian President Ebrahim raisi has blamed the West for inciting violence in iran. according to the reports, as of Wednesday, 154 protesters have been killed by the iranian security forces. The political structure in iran is lopsided, with no legitimate and effective opposition. The strings of any government are controlled by the clerical leadership under ayatollah Khamenei. People and media refrain from targeting the country’s leadership openly as they fear persecution.

Mahsa amini’s death has incited an outcry from human rights activists both domestically and internationally. in Tehran, thousands of female school and college students took off their mandatory headscarves in support of women’s rights and fundamental freedom. iranian diaspora along with the international community has collectively endorsed the women’s rights activists in iran.

The current wave of protests has transcended the ethnic and religious lines of iran. amini’s death has also been criticized widely by celebrities, politicians, and members of civil society. although the ongoing protests are

triggered by the death of Mahsa amini, people are taking out their frustration against the decade-long unethical treatment of women, failure of economic policies, corruption, and social restrictions on women.

The demonstrators are demanding the removal of social restrictions against women. First and foremost, the protestors are demanding that moral police must be held accountable for the death of Mahsa amini. Second, the protesters want to eliminate laws that make hijab mandatory for females. Women in iran are demanding that they should be given the right to choose to wear hijabs. Third, the women of iran are demanding freedom, equal rights, and political representation.

iran is a classic example of gender inequality, where

Iran is a classic example of gender inequality, where women are denied their fundamental rights. However, many believe that the current generation of Iran is different from previous ones. The modern generation of Iran wants to choose what to wear and what not to wear.

The writer is ex-Chairman, Pakistan Science Foundation. He can be contacted at: fmaliks@hotmail.com.

women are denied their fundamental rights. However, many believe that the current generation of iran is different from previous ones. The modern generation of iran wants to choose what to wear and what not to wear. The young generation of iran is more politically and socially aware and thus wants more social and political freedom. it is not possible to effectively run a country by marginalizing half of its population, thus iran needs to ensure active and effective representation of women. Therefore, Zan, Zindagi, Azadi should be protected in iran for the sake of the wellbeing of both the women and the country.

The writer is working as a Research Officer at Balochistan Think Tank Network, BTTN, Quetta.

abDur rehMan

Dr FariD a Malik

Whither the ‘socialist’, ‘secular’, ‘scientific, and ‘humane’ India?

BJP is going against the basis of India’s Constitution

india’s most populous state,Uttar Pradesh, equated cows with human beings. india’s Uttarkhand assembly passed a resolution for “declaration of the cow as Rashtra mata, national mother.”

Muslims and dalits run cow slaughter and small-scale beef trade. To deprive the beef-eating minority of a cheap source of food, Uttar Pradesh Hindu-monk chief minister adityanath launched a crackdown on them in June 2020.

He directed his administration to book the “offenders” under india’s national Security act. Simultaneously, he approved an ordinance to increase the penalty for cow slaughter up to 10 years imprisonment and a fine up to rs 500,000. in October, even the allahabad High Court expressed ennui at the “frequent misuse” of provisions of the Uttar Pradesh Cow Slaughter act, 1955, and noted that it was being used to implicate innocent people. adityanath adamantly responded that his government will “protect cows at any cost” as if the cow were a citizen.

Mr Justice Mahesh Chandra Sharma of rajasthan High Court surprised reporters by saying, “all doctors are frauds and we could have all been cured of diseases with nothing more than cow’s milk.”

He urged the Centre to declare the cow india’s national animal and recommended life imprisonment for cow slaughter”. Physicians must have smiled at his assertion that “cow inhales and exhales oxygen”, and “a peacock is a lifelong celibate like Krishna”.

Editor’s mail

Problems of Banking System

iT has been three years since i got my account opened in a private bank. i kept using its services. There was no problem until my transactions through the mobile application of the bank concerned started becoming continuously unsuccessful.

it showed different messages whenever i tried to carry out any transaction. Sometimes it said, ‘The system cannot process the request currently. Please try later’. at other times, i was told that my debit number or debit pin had expired.

Upon this, i called bank’s helpline and registered complaints several times. i got the same reply that there was no problem at the bank’s end. i was puzzled that if it was absolutely fine, why the transactions were unsuccessful. Who was stopping me from making transactions when the bank said everything was fine at their end?

To unravel this mystery, i decided to visit the head office of the said bank in Lahore. it was really an embarrassing experience. i was treated there like an alien from another planet. i met a bank representative who was more interested in knowing how i had managed to ‘sneak into the head office’ instead of why i was there taking time out of my tough schedule and facing the scorching sun on that extremely hot day.

i was referred to different floors of the building, but no one was ready to listen to me and resolve the issue. i was not even offered a seat during the time i was there. There was one official on the sixth floor of the building who at least gave me enough time to explain the matter. He checked my phone and acknowledged that there was an issue with the bank’s app. it was unfortunate that he, too, never took my problem seriously and told me that he would not be able to do much as there was no issue at the bank’s end. i wonder if the bank’s app is not the bank’s end, then who exactly is responsible for it.

i tried to meet the relevant officials, but was not allowed to do so as if i was not the bank’s client but some unwanted intruder who would only bother the officials. i left the head office without getting the issue resolved. We often complain about the public sector and bureaucrats for their arrogance, but even the corporate sector is no different. it is also plagued by the colonial mindset. That is why Pakistan lags behind the developed world and is even behind some of the developing countries. Will the State Bank of Pakistan, the regulatory body, like to have a word with the banks in this regard?

FARAZ ALI SHAH LAHORE

Significance of Parks

Dr Subramanian Swamy, a member of the rajya Sabha (Council of States, or Upper House of indianParliament) has filed a writ petition to get the words “socialism” and “secularism” deleted from the Preamble to the indian Constitution. This petition along with a similar petition (WP(c) 645/2020), is listed for hearing by chief justice of india’s Supreme Court on 23 October. india is neither “socialist” nor “secular”. Socialism postulates “to each according to his need, and from each according to his ability”. Does india care a fig for this socialist principle?

“The top 10 of india’s richest control rs 31.71 billion of the rs 66.36 billion wealth owned by 142 dollar billionaires. india’s dollar billionaires are equivalent to 26.67 percent of the country’s fiscal year 2022 GDP. Gautam adani rules the chart, breaking into the top five globally, ahead of Bill Gates. Long reigning no.1 Mukesh ambani is the second richest in india. The indian tycoon Gautam adani has been named the world’s third richest person with an estimated $137 billion (£117 billion) fortune and becomes the first asian person to break into the top three of world’s wealthy (Indian tycoon Gautam Adani named world’s third richest person, The Guardian, august 30, 2022). Whither Marxian “dictatorship of the proletariat” and class struggle between “classes and masses”?

With a net worth of rs 30.7 million, india’s prime minister narendra Modi, portraying himself as a former tea-serving waiter, is no pauper. (Prime Minister Modi’s net worth has jumped to rs 30.7 million as per his latest declaration from rs 28.5 million last year). narendra Modi owes his electoral victory to financial support by the rich. The yearlong farmers’ uncompromising protest was actuated by the perception that “crony capitalism” is hands in glove with Modi.

another bitter reality that caricatures the indian Constitution is article 51a of the indian Constitution. This unique provision stipulates that it is a fundamental duty, the eighth one, of every citizen in india “to develop a scientific temper, humanism, and the spirit of inquiry and reform”. But, it appears that even after seven decades of independence, indians are still mired in superstition. Just recall india’s Defence Minister rajnath Singh emblazoning a rafale fighter jet with an‘om and decking it with flowers, coconut, and lemons, purportedly to ward off evil.

Yogi adityanath, saffron chief minister of

Besides cow-related nSa cases, during the last year 2020, until august 26, a total of 1716 cases were registered under the Uttar Pradesh Prevention of Cow Slaughter act and over 4000 people were arrested.

The nSa was legislated to detain a person without a charge for up to 12 months if he or she was a threat to national security or law and order. The Yogi wants to convert ayodhya into a Vatican, a Mecca.

The national Crime records Bureau omits data on burning Muslims alive, cow-related lynching, and offenses committed for a religious reason. Hindus believe that Lord Krishna took along a cow from the heavens when he descended on earth.

according to India Today, a black-andwhite-feathered pigeon was caught on 17 april 2015 after it perched on the shoulder of Constable niraj Kumar, who was on guard duty at a post in roranwala, 500 meters from the border with Pakistan. BBC reported a “spy Pakistan pigeon” was arrested and Xrayed in india.

Kumar “immediately caught the pigeon and informed Post Commander Ompal Singh”. The commander then searched the pigeon and found a paper with a number starting from 0302.

The BSF directed police to lodge a first information report (Fir) against the pigeon. The BSF could not decode the mysterious number, wrapped with adhesive tape on the pigeon’s left leg.

Senior Superintendent of Police Dhruv Dahiya replied to the BSF that “he did not think Fir could be registered against the pigeon as it was a bird, not a human being”.However, he clarified, ‘We have referred the matter to our legal experts for their opinion’.

Last year, in May, BSF captured another “Pakistani spy pigeon” and handed it over to police in occupied Kashmir. a Pakistani villager later said he was the owner of the pigeon and refuted the allegation of it being “a spy or a terrorist”.

Earlier, in 2015, also, a pigeon was captured by indian forces for crossing the indo-Pak border into india’s Pathankot area.

Subsequently, the rashtriya Sevaksangh held a conclave distributing a pamphlet echoing Sharma’s sentiments. The rSS’s rising influence among all strata of indian society cannot be ignored. Huffington Post of 3 august 2017, published a detailed report on the benefits of cow-and-dung recipes. These recipes included (a) a cow-dungand-urine beauty soap that could stall aging. Krishna looked like a 12-year-old as he used such soap. (b) Cow dung and urine (gao mutra and gau gober) could prevent radiation when used to construct a bunker or rubbed on a mobile phone. This compound can defuse even an atomic bomb. (c) Pregnant women should have cow dung-urine derivatives for normal delivery.

india’s prestigious institute of Technology received about 50 proposals from top research institutions across the country to explore the benefits of panchgavya (mixture of cow urine, cow dung, milk, ghee, and curd).

india’s Union Ministry of Science and Technology has constituted a 19-member panel to conduct detailed research on cow derivatives and their benefits.

actor akshay Kumar remorselessly admitted that he drinks cow urine daily. Cow dung is also used in Hindu religious fire (agni) yajna as an important ingredient.

The rSS’s ubiquitous influence in all realms of indian government has warped gullible indians’ minds. in a speech Mohan Bhagwat (rSS) asserted that “all indians were Hindus, denying religious differences and thereby rejecting the multiculturalism inherent in the secularism set out in the constitution. Six months after Modi’s victory, he stated, “The cultural identity of all indians is Hindutva and the present inhabitants of the country are descendents of this great culture. a “Hindu religious assembly” exhorted people to arm themselves with the latest weapons to carry out Muslim genocide.

The US Commission on international religious Freedom called for putting india on the religious freedom blacklist. its report noticed: ‘in 2019, religious freedom conditions in india experienced a drastic turn downward, with religious minorities under increasing assault’.not only Muslims but also Christians, Dalit and other minorities are persecuted communities.

india claims to be a secular, socialist, enlightened country. But, reality caricatures its constitution, society and polity.

The writer is a freelance journalist, has served in the Pakistan government for 39 years and holds degrees in economics, business administration, and law. He can be reached at am-

THE other day, i went to the Model Town Park in Lahore for a morning walk. This huge park is green and beautiful that emanates refreshing vibes and makes me feel fresh and energised. However, i observed something there that disturbed me a lot. Some visitors were throwing water bottles and wrappers wherever they wanted. i was disappointed to see their attitude. People have become so lazy and arrogant that they do not even put any effort to use the trash bins installed in the park.

This country, this city and these parks are ours, and they represent us to the people living outside. if tourists from other countries visit our parks, they take with them memories of littering and ignorance. The problem persists at our historical places, too, which not only ruins the scenic view, but also our image as a community. Keeping our parks and our city clean should be our first priority. People need to throw the trash in the bins, not around them. This is the first step towards a successful and productive future for the country and this will deliver a positive image to the others.

TAIMOUR HASSAN LAHORE

Beggars mafia

SOME beggars deserve our sympathy and support as they have a disability and cannot support themselves. But, unfortunately, most of the beggars we see nowadays on the streets are healthy individuals. For them, begging is a source of income and an easy way to make a living. They also include some crooks who beg to cover up their crimes. The reputation of the country is damaged by the menace of begging. Begging should be considered a criminal offence under the law. For those who are truly needy or helpless, the government should open shelters. Those who are able-bodied should be made to work. They must go without meals if they are unable to work. Such healthy and wealthy impostors do not deserve our sympathies and charity. People can thus play a big role in ending this evil. The authorities concerned should take appropriate action without further delay.

MEHAK ANJUM LAHORE

Rights of employees

WHEnEVEr an employee asks for a day off, or even a half-day leave, the bosses use the occasion to pry into the personal affairs of the employee. The reason most often relates to one’s personal life, and not everybody feels comfortable sharing the details with the bosses. The way out, thus, is to concoct some lies to satisfy the officialdom. Some even take a day off without giving advance notice.

The fact is that the bosses have no right to dissect someone’s personal life in the name of granting a leave of absence. Leave within the specified annual quota is an employee’s right. Moreover, the officially allotted casual leaves must be issued without asking for reasons. Peeping into one’s personal matters on such occasions must be deemed as harassment.

M. NADEEM NADIR KASUR

Tax on Green Energy

THiS is with reference to the planned tax on solar power. With this step, Pakistan will surely take a huge backward step that will nullify every effort made so far to encourage the use of green energy. Undeniably, the government is deep down in a financial crisis and is trying to squeeze additional revenues from wherever it can. However, long-term implications of such policy decisions are probably not been given any thought.

India claims to be a secular, socialist, enlightened country. But, reality caricatures its constitution, society and polity

Queen elizabeth ii is dead but the apology for massaCres, slavery, famines and looting never Came

ulation and enslaving of the rest.

The 16th and 17th centuries also see the rise of the slave trade from Africa to the Caribbean and the Americas. It destroys African society and its economy, what Walter Rodney calls how europe Undeveloped Africa. The plantation economy — based on slavery in the Caribbean and continental America — created large-scale commodity production and global markets.

Prabir Purkayastha

hoW should we remember Queen elizabeth II and her 70 years on the British throne? It’s perhaps better to consider after the media parade about her funeral is in the rearview mirror.

A number of people have reacted to the glorification of her rule, pointing out the British royals’ direct connection to the slave trade, Britain’s colonial massacres, mass famines and its loot from the colonies. Britain’s wealth — $45-trillion at current prices from India alone — was built on the blood and sweat of people who lost their land and homes and are today poor countries.

Lest we forget, the slave trade was a monopoly of the British throne, first, as the Company of Royal Adventurers Trading into Africa in 1660, later converted to the Royal African Company of england. The battle over “free trade” fought by British merchant capital was against this highly lucrative royal monopoly so that they could participate in it as well, enslaving people in Africa and selling them to plantations in the Americas and the Caribbean.

According to Western legends of the european Age of Discovery, co-terminus with enlightenment, was what started it all in the 16th century. explorers such as Vasco de Gama, Columbus, and Magellan went across the world, discovering new lands. The enlightenment led to the development of reason and science, the basis of the industrial revolution in england.

The Industrial Revolution then reached europe and the United States, creating the difference between the wealthy West and the poverty-stricken rest. Slavery, genocide, land expropriation from “natives” and colonial loot do not enter this sanitised picture of the development of capitalism. or, if mentioned, only as marginal to the larger story of the rise of the west. Actual history is quite different. Chronologically, the Industrial Revolution takes place in the second half of the 18th century. The 16th and 17th centuries are when a small handful of Western countries reached the Americas, followed by the genocide of its indigenous pop-

While sugar, the product of the plantations, was the first global commodity, it was followed by tobacco, coffee and coca, and later cotton. While the plantation economy provided commodities for the world market, let us not forget that slaves were still the most important “commodity”. The slave trade was the major source of european — British, French, Dutch, Spanish and Portuguese — capital. historian Gerald horne writes in his article, The apocalypse of settler colonialism, in the Monthly Review, on 1 April 2018: “The enslaved, a peculiar form of capital encased in labour, represented simultaneously the barbarism of the emerging capitalism, along with its productive force.”

Marx characterised it as so-called Primitive Accumulation and as “expropriation”, not accumulation. Capital from the beginning was based on expropriation — robbery, plunder and enslaving of people by the use of force; there was no accumulation in this process. As Marx writes, capital was born “dripping from head to foot, from every pore, with blood and dirt”. The British royals played a key role in this history of slavery and the so-called primitive accumulation. Britain was a second-class power at the beginning of the 17th century. Britain’s transformation was initially based on the slave trade and, later, the sugar plantations in the Caribbean.

Its ships and traders emerged as the major power in the slave trade and, by the 1680s, held three-quarters of this “market” in human beings. out of this, the Royal African Company, owned by the British Crown, held a 90% share: the charge for Britain’s domination of the slave trade was led by the British royals.

Interestingly, the slogan of “free trade,” under which slogan the World Trade organisation (WTo) was created, was the British merchant capital wanting the abolition of the Royal Monopoly over slave trade. It was, in other words, the freedom of capital to enslave human beings and trade in them, free of the royal monopoly. It is this capital, created out of slave trade and outright piracy and loot, that funded the Industrial Revolution.

While slavery was finally abolished, in Britain it was not the slaves but the slave owners that were paid compensation for losing their “property”. The amount paid in 1833 was 40% of its national budget, and since it was paid by borrowings, the UK citizens paid off this “loan” only in 2015. For the people of India, there is another part to the story. As the former slaves refused to work on the plantations they had served as slaves, they were replaced by indentured labour from India.

To go back to the British royalty. The Crown’s property and portfolio investments are currently worth £28-billion,

making King Charles III one of the richest persons in the United Kingdom. Charles III personal property itself is more than a billion pounds. even by today’s standards of obscene personal wealth, these are big numbers, particularly as its income is virtually tax-free. The royals are also exempt from death duties. In the 300 years of the history of British colonialism, brutal wars, genocide, slavery and expropriation were carried out in its name and under its leadership. After the Industrial Revolution, Britain wanted only raw materials from its colonies and not any industrial products: the slogan was “not even a nail from the colonies”.

All trade from the colonies to other countries had to pass through Britain and pay taxes there before being reexported. The complement of the industrial revolution in Britain was de-industrialising its colonies, confining them to be a producer of raw materials and agricultural products.

Why are we talking about Britain’s colonial past on the occasion of the death of Queen elizabeth II? After all, she only saw the last 70 years when the British colonial empire was liquidated. This is not simply about the past, but that neither the Crown nor its rulers have ever expressed any guilt over the brutality of its empire, and its foundation based on slavery and genocide.

No apology for the empire’s gory history; not even for the massacres and mass incarcerations that took place. In Jallianawala Bagh, which elizabeth II visited in 1997, she called the massacre a “distressing episode” and a “difficult episode”; not even a simple “We are sorry.” Prince Phillip even questioned the number of martyrs. how do we reconcile the anger that people who suffered from Britain’s colonial empire feel about their leaders making a bee-line to pay homage to the Queen? Does it not shame the memory of those who laid down their lives in the freedom struggle against the British Crown that India lowered the national flag to half-mast to honour the Queen?

one can argue that this happened long before elizabeth II took over the Crown, and we cannot hold her personally responsible for Britain’s colonial history. We should. She as Queen represented the British state; it is not elizabeth, the person that people want an apology from, but the titular head of the British state.

That is why Mukoma Wa Ngugi, the son of Kenya’s world-renowned writer Ngugi wa Thiong’o said, “If the queen had apologised for slavery, colonialism and neocolonialism and urged the Crown to offer reparations for the millions of lives taken in her/their names, then perhaps I would do the human thing and feel bad. As a Kenyan, I feel nothing. This theatre is absurd.”

Mukoma Ngugi was referring to the Mau Mau revolt for land and freedom in which thousands of Kenyans were massacred, and 1.5 million were held in brutal concentration camps. This was 1952 to 1960; Queen elizabeth II came to the throne in 1952, very much in her lifetime.

Prabir Purkayastha is the founding editor of Newsclick.in, a digital media platform. He is an activist for science and the free software movement.

democrat senate disaster ahead

water rights. he labeled Miniature Mark as California’s third senator – ouch – and super-glued him to Biden.

Townhall.com kurt schlichter

the recent Arizona Senate debate between Republican Blake Masters, Democrat Mark Kelly, and that Libertarian who was eerily focused on the age of consent laws being way too high, taught us two important things besides that you should never let a Libertarian babysit your tween. First, Mark Kelly is going to get crushed, and second, he’s short, and after Blake beats him in November, he should find something else to do with his life, like toiling for mithril in the mines of Moria or maybe bearing a ring to Mordor.

Blake is surging, and he’s not alone. Conservative candidates for the Senate, written off by the establishment as a bunch of crazy Trumpy radicals, are looking like they are going to win all or most of the key races. how do we know? Well, don’t believe the polls (even the good ones) but do consider their direction, as well as the directions of gas prices (up) and the stock market (down). oh, and there’s that whole nuclear war thing. everybody loves their Ukrainian flags and emojis until hydrogen bombs start detonating over their hometown.

All the smart people told us that we need to write off Arizona because Blake is too, well, something to win. But even before the debate Tiny Mark, the guy who puts the “ass” in “astronaut,” was losing ground. Then he stood there on that debate stage – yes, he was standing up – as Blake loomed above him just pummeling him on the open border, on 87,000 new IRS agents, even on

If I had any sympathy for Democrats, I would have felt some after that brutal pummeling, but I don’t, so I laughed. Come November, it seems likely that Mark Kelly will need a new career – I hear Willy Wonka is hiring down at the chocolate factory.

But the good now is not only in Arizona. Next door in Nevada, where the grudging consensus even among leftist journalists is that my pal Adam Laxalt is well ahead of another Schumer Stepford Senator, whose name escapes me because she made zero impression during her time in DC. She’s stuck explaining how inflation was about 1.5% when Trump left office and is at least 8% now under the guy she votes with every single time. She’s a real piece of work – she does things like attend events for the “Latinx” community that does not exist outside of blue-check Twitter and university seminars. Actual hispanics, who are tired of subsidizing bums with their taxes and paying more at the pump because of the bizarre pagan weather religion of the wine women of San Francisco and Manhattan, are not falling for it. The Latinx Revolt and the concurrent move of hispanics to the GoP is perhaps the biggest story of this cycle and a true nightmare for the Democrats.

But black voters are swinging right as well, particularly men. In Georgia, that may well mean defeat for the incumbent governor, Stacy Abrams – whether she admits it or not remains to be seen. In the GA Senate race, the Democrats tried to dump a bunch of slime on herschel Walker hoping that pro-life people would be so busy clutching their pearls that they would let radical abortionup-to-kindergarten fanatic Raphael Warnock win because of principles and stuff. Nope – we are woke to that okey-

doke and it is not happening. herschel’s going to win it.

The Lump is losing ground to Dr. oz in Pennsylvania. Besides the bizarre growth on his neck, which is independently running for a seat on a local water board, the people of the Keystone State are having to consider Fetterman’s terrible policy positions, like the one on letting murderers out of jail early and if they kill someone else, oh well. That’s probably a really good argument for appealing to key Democrat constituencies like college professors, purple-haired nineteen-year-olds with daddy issues, and murderers, but not normal people. And Pennsylvanians are resolutely normal people. They are not going to be swung by Fetterman’s recent endorsement by the American Association of Phrenologists.

As people get to know Dr. oz, they come around. I have watched him, talked to people who know him, and spoken to him myself. I was struck both by his intelligence – there are not a lot of dumb cardiac surgeons – and his genuine love for the country that gave him so much. I went from skeptical to proud to support him because he earned my support. The more Pennsylvanians get to know him, the better they like him. And it helps that he’s not a freakish communist ogre who can’t form a coherent sentence.

The Democrats keep approaching the ohio race against JD Vance with all the misplaced hope of a Bulwark staffer’s bride approaching her wedding night – of course, what is going to figurately happen to Tim Ryan will not end up happening to the bride, at least not for nearly as long. Ryan is a 100% Pelosi pet whose voting record is a match for Marin County, not Mahoning County. JD is going to crush him.

There are some other mildly contested races out there. eric Schmitt, Missouri’s terrific and very America First attorney general, will walk away with that race

Curbing hate speeCh

Need to avoid pick-and-choose action against offenders

Tribune

the Supreme Court has acknowledged that a petitioner may be right in claiming that the ‘entire atmosphere is getting sullied’ due to hate speech against minorities, even as it has sought responses from the Uttarakhand and Delhi governments on action taken by the police against the speakers who spewed communal venom during Dharam Sansads last year. The court’s remarks come weeks after it had stated that ‘hate speech is like a layered thing, like killing someone, you can do it in multiple ways, slowly or otherwise.’ The court had not only pulled up the Centre for remaining a mute spectator to the goings-on, but also emphasised the need for stricter regulations to monitor TV debates which often degenerated into platforms for hate speech.

Speeches that demonise certain groups often inflame communal passions, posing a threat to peace as well as law and order; what’s worse, they undermine India’s secular credentials.

New Delhi had to do a lot of diplomatic firefighting after the controversial statements made by a couple of BJP leaders about the Prophet (PBUh) triggered a backlash from Islamic nations. The onus is on the political and religious leadership to restrain the hotheads and rabble-rousers and weed them out whenever they cross the line.

The prompt registration of an FIR against the Vishva hindu Parishad and other organisers of an event in Delhi, where a BJP MP and other speakers allegedly stoked communal tensions, conveys the stern message that nobody is above the law. hate speech, however, is not always unleashed on minority communities. Sometimes, one minority group may use it to target another, or even direct it at the majority community.

During a rally organised by the nowbanned Popular Front of India in Kerala in May, a boy raised slogans that called for the killing of hindus and Christians. The now-banned outfit did not even offer an apology for this extreme form of hatemongering. With their credibility at stake, law enforcement agencies must crack the whip on all offenders who fan the flames, no matter which community they belong to.

since the Show Me State showed us its wisdom in not nominating the flawed eric Greitens. Ted Budd should beat the radical Dem in North Carolina. People have high hopes for Joe o’Dea in Colorado, though I got some inside info that his longshot challenge against the incumbent Democrat timeserver is looking a bit longer. he recently announced that George W. Bush was coming out to campaign for him, which raises the question of whether Mitt Romney was available – not a great move in my view. Mitt, like W another garbage back-stabbing jerk who masquerades as a gentleman but eagerly betrays his supporters whenever he wants to suck up to his country club caste, will not support Mike Lee in Utah. It won’t matter. Lee will scramble egg McMullin – his forsale pollsters generating fake reports of a close race should get their money up-front.

Tiffany Smiley in Washington is a great candidate. Unfortunately, Washington has become a communist garbage state so it will be tough though doable in a big red year. Dan Bolduc in New hampshire has been written off by most people against Bidenette Maggie hasson, but again, in a good red year, he could make it happen. on the upside, he’s (old) Army, though he’s a general on the downside. Don’t write him off though.

Now, what needs to happen? Money. Mitch McConnell needs to get off the sidelines in Arizona and send some cash to Blake. The rumor is that the Murder Turtle fears a guy like Blake in the Senate. Well, he’s coming, and maybe the smart play is to bury the hatchet under a pile of C-notes right now.

And Donald Trump needs to come in hard with cash too. he backed a lot of these guys in the primary, so if they win, he wins. But if they lose, Trump gets the blame, and he should. Conservatives are getting annoyed that Trump seems to be hoarding cash instead of helping. What he needs to do now is write some checks and tell everyone about it. And so do all of you! Get activated, get out there, and get this win won. We’re looking good – the over/under is 52 seats – so it’s time to run up the score. Break them, like Blake broke Mini-Mark.

Kurt Schlichter is the Senior Columnist at Townhall.com, where his column appears twice a week. He is also a Los Angeles trial lawyer admitted in California, Texas, and Washington, D.C., and a retired Army Infantry colonel.

CoNservatives are gettiNg aNNoyed that trump seems to be hoardiNg Cash iNstead of helpiNg. What he Needs to do NoW is Write some Cheques aNd tell everyoNe about it

corporate corner

ITC sensITIses Pak-CenTral asIan offICIals

sIngle WIndoW’s ImPlemenTaTIon

ISLAMABAD:

Staff report

aPeer Learning Initiative on Single (PLI) Windows Implementation and Management is organized by the International Trade Center (ITC) in the framework of the European Union funded Ready4Trade Central Asia (R4TCA) and hosted by the Pakistan Single Window. The event brings together public and private sector customs and trade experts from Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan to share their knowledge, experiences, and regional best practices for the development and implementation of the national single window. Mr. Naveed Qamar, the Federal Minister for Commerce was the Chief Guest at the opening session while the keynote address was delivered by Mr. Mukarram Jah Ansari, Member Customs Operations, Federal Board of Revenue.

ericsson Pakistan launches graduate Program to nurture technology leaders

The Federal Minister of Commerce Syed Naveed Qamar appreciated the efforts of PSW and stated that since this is the first in-person event in Islamabad on a very important theme it makes it even more special. He restated Pakistan’s commitment to trade facilitation and said, “ Our government is committed to deepening our political, diplomatic, and trade relations with all our neighboring states. Our ties with Central Asia go back several centuries and both regions have benefitted from the free flow of idea, goods, and people over national and international boundaries from ancient times. Our

government is keen to revive those ties through increased engagement on government to government and people to people levels, and by providing the enabling environment to promote regional trade and connectivity.” The national single window for trade and transport is an established concept that provides a digital platform for electronic exchange of information amongst different stakeholders engaged in cross border trade. The Single Window digitizes all cross-border trade related processes, procedures, regulatory and information requirements and allows for electronic processing of customs declaration and other cross border trade related documents such as import permits, licenses, export certificates, and other documents providing a paperless and streamlined cross-border trading environment. The three-day event aims to present and discuss the state of development and implementation of the NSWs in these countries to enable mutual learning, discuss past and present challenges in implementa-

tion, and share best practices and lessons learned. It will also ensure that regional networks of exports are established, intensify sharing knowledge on obstacles to trade, strengthen trust among experts and formulate coordinated solutions in facilitating trade and border practices. In his welcome note, Mr. Pierre Bonthonneau, ITC Senior Trade Facilitation Adviser said, “Peer Learning Initiatives are to network with the same people who are facing similar challenges, to exchange ideas for bringing reforms and to create a human infrastructure that is necessary for coordination and connection of countries for trade reforms” Pakistan recently rolled out its own single window-Pakistan Single Window-on June 30, 2022 in line with its commitments under the WTO’s Trade Facilitation Agreement. The system integrates Pakistan Customs, Department of Plant Protection, Animal Quarantine Department, Federal Seed Certification & Registration Department, Pakistan Standards & Quality Control

Authority, and the Export Development Fund. In addition, 29 commercial banks are also integrated with the PSW platform for exchange of cross border trade related financial information in real time. PSW has successfully integrated with the IBM/Maersk owned Tradelens system while technical discussions for integration with the China Single Window are currently in progress. PSW is hosting this event as part of its trade facilitation and regional connectivity agenda.

Given that Pakistan provides the shortest and most viable route to the marine shipping lanes to the Central Asian Republics and Western China through its warm water ports at Karachi and Gwadar, it recognizes the need for effective coordination amongst the regional customs administrations and is therefore making a focused effort for deepening its engagement with the Central Asian states to promote mutual learning, cooperation, and technical collaboration. The cross-learning during this PLI will enhance participants’ understanding and stimulate discussion on strategic digitization reforms that consider the existing regional IT infrastructure, its potential for interoperability, and integrated data flows, and will pave the way for further cooperation on trade data exchange to reduce border clearance times. As part of the EU financed R4TCA, PLIs are designed to network with professionals from the same field, learn from their peers about regional best practices, and brainstorm on ways to further coordinate and harmonize border practice.

ISLAMABAD: Ericsson has announced the launch of its graduate program in Pakistan to offer young talents worldclass learning and career development opportunities. The Ericsson Pakistan Graduate Program is focused on nurturing Pakistan’s technology leaders of tomorrow, said a press release issued on Wednesday.

With experts from Ericsson training and supporting young Pakistani talent, the Ericsson Pakistan Graduate Program provides on-the-job, project-based, classroom training, and online learning in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and advanced technologies within the advanced connectivity era and as a contribution to the Digital Pakistan Policy. The graduates are gaining valuable work experience, skills and knowledge that enable graduates to gain professional project-based knowledge, in a fast-changing ICT sector. Aamir Ahsan Khan, President and Country Manager of Ericsson Pakistan says: “Ericsson has been in Pakistan for 60 years and giving back to society is one of our strong pillars. pr

ogra, naB organise seminar titled: ‘our faith Corruption free Pakistan’

ISLAMABAD: A seminar on “Our Faith Corruption Free Pakistan” was conducted by Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) in collaboration with National Accountability Bureau (NAB) which was attended by senior management of NAB and OGRA jointly. The event was conducted to create awareness against the evils of corruption and how public sector organizations can play thier part in the eradication of this evil.

Mr. Masroor Khan, Chairman OGRA welcomed the participants and informed that the definition of corruption requires to be revisited in its true sense as merely using delaying tactic in official task is also comes under the umbrella of corruption. He further added that corruption is one of the root causes of poverty, conflict and state fragility. It undermines the states' ability to effectively deliver services and maintain the rule of law, affects the business climate.

COMSATS University Islamabad and PMD ink MoU to advance Climate Research

COMSATS University Islamabad witnessed the event.

The MoU will enable cooperation between CUI and PMD in implementing forecast-based action program and promote evidence based- early decision support system and extreme weather advisories.

Cass to hold two- day International moot on strategic Threat and response

ISLAMABAD pr

Department of Meteorology, COMSATS University Islamabad and Pakistan Meteorological Department have inked a memorandum of understanding on Wednesday to advance research on weather patterns. The signing cere-

mony held at Islamabad Campus was presided over by the Rector CUI, Prof. Dr. Muhammad Tabassum Afzal while Prof. Dr. Sajjad A. Madani, Registrar CUI and Mahr Sahibzad Khan, Director General Pakistan Met Department signed the document. Senior officials of Pakistan Met Department and

The Department of Meteorology, CUI and PMD have held a healthy knowledge exchange relationship since 2005 said Dr. Kalim Ullah, Chairman, CUI Meteorology Department. Formalizing the cooperation will enable both institutions to advance in achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for improving.

Save The Children commits $50m for post-floods rehab

As the post-flood rehabilitation of damaged schools infrastructure across Sindh will take a long time to complete, the provincial government and Save the Children has planned to set up 600 Temporary Learning Centers (TLCs) in four districts of

The aim of GSTAR is to explore pressing challenges emerging from the global strategic environment and technological developments impacting national security and providing inputs on future counterstrategies, especially in the aerospace sector. The Centre for Aerospace & Security Studies (CASS) is holding its twoday flagship International Conference called ‘Global Strategic Threat and Response (GSTAR)’ from 19-20 October 2022 under the core theme ‘Evolving Global

Order: Challenges and Opportunities.’ A curtain raiser for media was held at CASS today with a view to share the details of the conference. Representatives from all major national and international media houses attended the curtain raiser. The media personnel were also shown around CASS premises and briefed about the Centre’s work. The biennial GSTAR is a unique international forum, initiated by CASS to review the most significant global strategic trends and challenges by bringing together national leadership. pr

Sanghar, Shikarpur and Khairpur with an aim to resume students’ educational

following the devastating floods.

process, Save the Children has committed USD

order to ensure the smooth and effective

million

the

this

Save The Children has signed a Letter

Education

Islamic relief eyes scaling up flood relief activities

(SEF) and Legal

scaling

ADB funded BRT Red Line an important project of Karachi: Memon

Sindh Minister for Transport & Chairman Trans Karachi Board of Directors Sharjeel Inam Memon while presiding over 20th meeting of the board on Wednesday has said that Asian Development Bank funded BRT Red Line is an important project of Karachi. Sindh government wants to complete it on time so as to facilitate Karachiites with modern, affordable and comfortablecsystem of transport. The minister directed secretary transport and managing director Sindh mass transit authority (SMTA) to remain in contact with six utility companies for transfer of their installation from the route of BRT Red Line so that infrastructural development work is expedited. He said that no delay would be tolerated in the completion of the project.

Mr. Memon Minister added that after the start of Peoples bus Service and BRT Abdul

Sattar Edhi (Orange Line), Pakistan Peoples Party’s Sindh government is committed to deliver BRT red line project in time.

He said: commuters of Model Colony , Malir Cantt:, Safooran, University Road , Civic Center.

, Jail Chowrangi and adjourning areas will be connected with BRT Green line at Numaish Chowrangi

(TLCs)

Junction. The minister said that development work on lot 1 and lot 2 of the project has been started. In lot -1 from tank chowk to Safroon , construction of bus station at Tipu Sulatn and Racecourse station started. He said that construction of two underpasses at Tipu Sulatn and Racecourse also commenced, while control of land has been handed over to contractor for construction of depot at Malir Halt . “Work on NED station, Karachi University Station and Shaikh Zayed Station has also been commenced on Lot 2 section of the project, which is stretched from Mosmiyat up to Numaish Chowrangi, he added . Sharjeel Inam Memon said that Sindh government has allocated the land for construction of biogas plant of the project in Landhi and it's control has been handed over to Trans Karachi for the construction of the biogas plant of the project. He directed trans Karachi to start tendering process for construction of bio gas plant soon as possible.

ISLAMABAD: The recent monsoon floods have halted millions of lives and did damage beyond estimations which might take years to recover. Islamic Relief Pakistan being an experienced humanitarian organization was among the first responders on ground. The organization through its emergency relief efforts has reached half a million people and aims to reach half a million more in the coming monthsincluding the worst affected areas including Dadu and Mirpur Khas in Sindh, SohbatPur and Jaffarabad in Balochistan alongside Dera Ismail Khan and Nowshera in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Country Director for Islamic Relief Pakistan, Mr. Asif Sherazi, who himself is a seasoned humanitarian is of the view that recurring disasters are alarming and the country can’t bear these for long.

“Our efforts have been directed upon providing timely and lifesaving aid to the affectees.

KArAchI

pr

Syngenta Pakistan collaborated with ‘Sehat Kahani’ to provide online, digital healthcare services, round-the-clock for farming community devastated by recent floods.

LAHORE: Dr Abdur Razzaq, Ehsan Nadeem, Amir Hashmi, Fazalur Rehman Butt, Omar Javed Awan and Aslam Mughal in a group photo with Dyal Singh Trust Library Director Mian Aftab Ahmad Joyia at a farewell ceremony on his retirement. Staff photo

IrAn’S KhAmEnEI CAllS AntI-govt ProtEStS

rIotS’ dESIgnEd by EnEmy

been killed.

IRAN’s Supreme Leader called anti-government protests “scattered riots” designed by the enemy, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Wednesday.

“These scattered riots are the passive and clumsy design of the enemy against the great and innovative developments and movements of the Iranian nation,” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said.

Clashes between protesters and security forces persisted across Iran on Tuesday, with social media videos showing tanks being transported to Kurdish areas, which have been a focal point of the crackdown on protests over Mahsa Amini’s death in custody.

Protests calling for the fall of the clerical establishment have swept Iran since Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman, died on September 16 while being detained by the morality police in Tehran for “inappropriate attire”.

While observers do not believe the unrest, now in its fourth week, is close to toppling the government, the protests mark one of the boldest challenges to the Islamic Republic since the 1979 revolution, with reports of strikes spreading to the vital energy sector.

The authorities are waging a deadly crackdown. Videos on social media showed trucks moving dark green tanks to Kurdish areas, raising the stakes in the revolt. Reuters could not verify the video

footage.

Tensions have been especially high in Kurdish regions, given Amini’s ethnic background. Human rights groups say Iran’s Kurdish minority of more than 10 million has long been oppressed — a charge the Islamic Republic denies.

The Hengaw human rights group reported “intense conflict” on Tuesday between protesters and security forces in three cities in Kurdistan province: Sanandaj, Baneh and Saqez, where Amini was buried last month.

Protesters in Saqez set fire to a statue

UAE can play ‘significant’ role in resolving Ukraine war: Putin

SAINT PETERSBURG Agencies

Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomed the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) role as a mediator in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, adding that the Gulf nation can play a “significant” role in efforts to reach a resolution.

He made the comments during a meeting with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (MBZ) in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

“I’m aware of your concern about the development of the situation and your desire to contribute to the settlement of all disputed issues, including today’s crisis in Ukraine,” Putin said.

The Russian president furthered that the mediation efforts by the Gulf nation have helped “moving toward resolving the situation.”

“I’d like to point out that it’s indeed a substantial factor that allows us to use your influence for moving toward resolving the situation,” added Putin. MBZ is currently on a visit to Russia. He is one of the few leaders to make the trip to Moscow since the Ukraine war started.

The UAE president took to Twitter after meeting his Russian counterpart and said that they had agreed on “the importance of engaging in dialogue to reduce tensions and arrive at a diplomatic solution.”

of local members of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards Corps, Hengaw said.

In video footage shared on the widely followed Twitter account group Tavsir1500 from Sanandaj, shooting could be heard and women screaming. Reuters could not independently verify the footage from Hengaw or Tasvir1500.

At least 185 people, including 19 minors, have been killed, hundreds injured and thousands have been arrested by the security forces, according to rights groups. The government says more than 20 members of the security forces have

Iranian authorities have said they will investigate civilian deaths.

They have blamed the violence on an array of enemies, including armed Iranian Kurdish dissidents, with the Revolutionary Guards attacking their bases in neighbouring Iraq a number of times during the latest unrest.

Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi reiterated accusations that Iranian Kurdish dissident groups were supporting the protests and said security forces would “neutralize the desperate anti-revolutionary effort”.

EnErgy sEctor: Energy installations in southwest Iran were hit by strikes for a second day on Tuesday, with workers protesting at the Abadan oil refinery, Kangan, and the Bushehr petrochemical plant, according to the Tavsir1500 Twitter account.

Videos posted on the account showed a few dozen workers chanting “Death to the dictator,” referring to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

A regional official said the workers at the Assaluye plant were angered by a dispute over wages and were not protesting over Amini’s death. Governor Ali Hashemi said some Iranians had tried to hijack the workers’ protests by chanting anti-government slogans, according to Iran’s Young Journalists Club News Telegram account. Agencies

Saudi FM says efforts to ‘extend truce in Yemen still stand’

Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud told Al Arabiya TV that the efforts to extend the truce in Yemen still stand.

The kingdom, the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen and the Yemeni government are “keen on extending the truce,” the Saudi-owned TV reported on Wednesday quoting the minister. On October 3, the United Nations envoy for Yemen scrambled to revive a six-month truce after a missed deadline raised fears of a return to war and prompted rebel threats against Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Special envoy Hans Grundberg pledged “relentless efforts” to reinvigorate the truce, which lapsed in the last week of September after bringing a sharp reduction in clashes since it came into force in April. Iran-backed Houthi rebels have been fighting a Saudi-led pro-government coalition since 2015 in a war that has left hundreds of thousands dead and created the world’s worst humanitar-

ian crisis according to the UN. Grundberg’s plan to extend the truce — which was initially set to last two months and was renewed twice, to half a year — and to broaden it to new areas of the agreement was rejected by the Houthis.

His proposal included paying civil servants’ salaries, opening routes into the rebel-blockaded city of Taez, expanding commercial flights from the rebel-held capital Sanaa and allowing more fuel ships into the port of Hodeida, also controlled by the Houthis. It also contained commitments to release detainees, resume an “inclusive” political process and tackle economic issues including public services.

But the northern-based Houthis, who seized Sanaa in 2014 and control large swathes of the Arabian peninsula’s poorest country, said the proposal “does not live up to the demands of the Yemeni people and does not establish the peace process”.

“The Yemeni people will not be deceived by false promises,” the Supreme Political Council said, demanding revenues from Yemen’s oil and gas resources, according to the Houthis’ Yemen News Agency.

Aid groups have raised the alarm for the long-suffering people of Yemen, including 23.4 million Yemenis who are dependent on humanitarian aid. “Over the past six months, the truce had given millions of people in Yemen respite from fighting and hope for a more lasting settlement of the conflict,” said Fabrizio Carboni, regional director for the International Committee of the Red Cross.

“We call on all parties to keep the dialogue open and put the needs of the Yemeni people first.”

As well as fighting on the ground, hostilities have been marked by coalition bombing raids and rebel drone-and-missile attacks on oil facilities in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, a major partner in the anti-Houthi alliance. Agencies

US scrambles to prevent export curbs on China chips from disrupting supply chain

NEW YORK Agencies

The U.S. is scrambling to tackle unintended consequences of its new export curbs on China’s chip industry that could inadvertently harm the semiconductor supply chain, people familiar with the matter said. By late Tuesday, hours before a new restriction took effect, South Korean memory chipmaker SK Hynix said it got authorization from the United States to receive goods for its chip production facilities in China without additional licensing imposed by the new rules.

The Biden administration had planned to spare foreign companies operating in China such as SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics from the brunt of new restrictions, but the rules published Friday did not exempt such firms.

The two South Korean companies, together with U.S. chipmaker Micron Technology, control almost all of the market for DRAM, a type of memory chip that is critical to computers and smartphones.

As published, the rules require licenses before U.S. exports can be shipped to facilities with advanced chip production in China as part of a U.S. bid to slow China’s technological advances.

And as of midnight Tuesday, vendors also cannot support, service or send non-U.S. supplies to Chinabased factories without licenses if U.S. companies or people are involved.

As a result, even basic items like light bulbs, springs, and bolts that keep tools running may not have been able to be shipped until vendors are granted licenses. And without the minute-by-minute support the foundries need, they could begin shutting down, one source said.

“Our discussions with the Department of Commerce led to an approval to supply equipment and items needed for development and production of DRAM semiconductors in Chinese facilities without additional licensing requirements,” SK Hynix said in a statement. The company said the change would help avoid disruptions to the supply chain and that the authorization is for a year.

Another source said the temporary fix was until a longer-term solution could be worked out.

At least one other non-Chinese company received a similar authorization, a third source said.

A U.S. Commerce Department spokesperson did not directly respond to a request for comment on the authorizations, but said the department hopes to get input from stakeholders about the rule and may consider changes.

A White House spokesperson also did not respond to a request for comment.

“Unless the authorization was issued, a variety of equipment and other suppliers would have had to pull their personnel from the fabs in China,” one of the sources said. A “fab” is a chip factory.

Plenum gives final touches to preparations for China’s 20th CPC National Congress

The 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) concluded its seventh plenary session in Beijing on Wednesday with a communique issued.

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, made an important speech at the four-day session, which was presided over by the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee.

It was decided at the plenary session that the 20th CPC National Congress will open on October 16 in Beijing, according to the communique. Entrusted by the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, Xi delivered a work report to the plenum.

The plenary session also discussed and adopted a report to be made by the 19th CPC Central Committee to the 20th CPC National Congress, a work report of the 19th CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) to the congress, and an amendment to the CPC Constitution.

The three documents will be submitted to the upcoming congress for examination and deliberation, read the communique.

During the session, Xi delivered ex-

planatory remarks on the draft report by the 19th CPC Central Committee to the 20th CPC National Congress. Wang Huning made explanations on the draft amendment to the CPC Constitution. The seventh plenary session of the 19th CPC Central Committee opened in Beijing on October 9, with 199 full members and 159 alternate members present. Members of the CCDI and leading officials of related departments were also present in a non-voting capacity.

‘Extraordinary past fivE yEars’: The past five years since the 19th CPC National Congress have been unusual and extraordinary, said the communique.

Over the past five years, the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has held high the banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and united and led the whole Party, the armed forces and the people of all ethnic groups in completing the historic mission of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and thus realizing the first centenary goal, and in embarking on a new journey toward building a modern socialist country in all respects and advancing toward the second centenary goal, the communique said.

Over the past five years, the CPC Cen-

tral Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has united and led the whole Party, the armed forces and the people of all ethnic groups in effectively coping with the grave and complex international situation and a series of major risks and challenges, and pushing forward socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era in an energetic manner, according to the communique.

Many tough problems that remained unsolved for a long time have been solved, many things of vital importance and longterm significance have been accomplished, and major achievements that captured the attention of the world have been scored in the cause of the Party and the country, the communique said.

The communique noted that these major achievements have been the result of concerted efforts of all Party members and all Chinese people under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, and the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.

It emphasized that the Party has established Comrade Xi Jinping’s core position on the Party Central Committee and in the Party as a whole, and has defined the guiding

role of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. This reflects the common will of the Party, the armed forces, and the Chinese people of all ethnic groups, and is of decisive significance for advancing the cause of the Party and the country in the new era and for driving forward the historic process of great national rejuvenation.

‘victory in fighting against corruption’: The session took stock of the work of the 19th CPC CCDI, noting that discipline inspection commissions at all levels, under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, had resolutely implemented the Party’s strategic decisions of selfreform and full, rigorous self-governance.

An overwhelming victory has been achieved in the fight against corruption, and this has been consolidated across the board, it read.

The session analyzed the current situation and the tasks, and hosted in-depth discussion on major issues including upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics on the new journey in the new era, and building a modern socialist country in all respects. It made full preparation for the

upcoming 20th CPC National Congress, the communique said.

The session also endorsed the expulsion of Fu Zhenghua, Shen Deyong and Zhang Jinghua from the CPC, as was decided by the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, as well as the punishment on Li Jia, who was removed from his post in the Party.

‘favorablE conditions for 20th cpc national congrEss’:

The session also fully affirmed the work of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee since the sixth plenary session, which took place in November last year.

It was noted at the session that over the past year, confronted with a complex and challenging international situation and demanding tasks of advancing reform, promoting development, and maintaining stability at home, the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee has fully implemented Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, and united and led the whole Party, the armed forces and the people of all ethnic groups in securing new and major achievements in the undertakings of the Party and the state, creating favorable conditions for convening the 20th CPC National Congress.

ISlAmABAd

UN offIcIal laUDs PakIsTaN’s coUNTer-TerrorIsM, Peace efforTs

RAWALPINDI Staff RepoRt

UN Under-Secretary-General Department of Peacekeeping Operations Jean Pierre Lacroix Wednesday called on Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa.

During the meeting at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi, matters of mutual interest and the overall regional security situation were discussed.

The army chief appreciated the role of the office of the under-secretary in promoting UN core values and their response during crises.

The UN dignitary acknowledged Pakistan’s contribution to UN peacekeeping missions and extraordinary achievements in counter-terrorism.

He expressed grief over the devastation caused by floods in Pakistan due to climate change and offered sincere condolence to the families of the victims.

A day earlier, COAS Gen Bajwa met SecretaryGeneral of the Muslim World League and President of

PM hails, PTI censures acquittal of father-son duo in money laundering case

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

While Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and other PML-N leaders welcomed the Special Court verdict in Rs 16 billion money-laundering case on Wednesday, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leaders criticised the verdict, saying it was a ‘slap in the nation’s face’.

Prime Minister said they stood vindicated before the court, the law and the people despite facing the worst kind of political oppression and misuse of state machinery during the previous government that had held the institutions as hostage.

On his Twitter handle, the prime minister referred to the verdict of a special court in Lahore, and said it had acquitted him and his son Hamza Sharif from a money laundering case that had falsely been framed upon baseless accusation and political victimization.

The prime minister said Allah Almighty had blessed them in the form of acquittal from the baseless money laundering case. The more, they thanked Allah Almighty, the less it would be, he added.

In a tweet, PTI Senior Vice President Fawad Chaudhry said that the allegedly laundered “Rs24 billion have been sacrificed for the sake of the father-son duo”.

“On one hand, [they] are seeking funds for flood victims. On the other hand, one family has looted billions of rupees,” Fawad said, adding that the laundered money belonged to the people of Pakistan.

Taking a jibe at the court’s decision, another PTI leader Maleeka Bokhari tweeted that the “country’s major criminals” and “convicted thieves” have been “respectfully acquitted” today. While PTI’s Parliamentary Leader in Sindh Khurrum Sher Zaman stated that he was not surprised at the acquittal of PM Shehbaz and Hamza.

“The prosecution’s strings are in the hands of the imported government. We could foresee their purpose of coming into power,” he tweeted, adding that the resignation of the Federal Investigation Agency’s Director General and the absence of a witness is the actual sign of favouritism.

the Organisation of Muslim Scholars (Saudi Arabia) Sheikh Dr Mohammad bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa.

The two sides resolved to continue playing their part for peace and stability and betterment of the Muslim Ummah. During the meeting, matters of mutual interest, bilateral security cooperation, and regional peace and stability came under discussion.

The secretary-general said Pakistan has a signifi-

cant place in the Muslim world, and it is playing a vital role in peace and stability in the region.

In response, the army chief said the relations between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are based on bonds of brotherhood and mutual trust.

Moreover, British High Commissioner to Pakistan Dr Christian Turner also called on the army chief at the GHQ, the military’s media wing said.

According to ISPR, during the meeting, matters of mutual interest and regional security situation, including bilateral cooperation in various fields were discussed.

The COAS said that Pakistan values UK’s balanced role in regional affairs and the country looks forward to enhancing mutually beneficial relationships based on common interests.

The visiting dignitary expressed his grief over the devastation caused by floods in Pakistan and offered sincere condolence to the families of the victims.

The dignitary appreciated Pakistan’s efforts for regional stability and also pledged to play his rule enhancing cooperation with Pakistan at all levels.

Year on, IESCO shrugs off FIA probe into ‘irregularities & corruption’

ISLAMABAD ahmad ahmadani

The management of Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESCO) has failed so far to provide relevant record and appear before the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), carrying out investigation into various “irregularities & massive corruption” in the power distribution company.

Based on various allegations, the FIA has been carrying out investigation into various irregularities & massive corruption within the management of IESCO.

According to sources, the FIA had earlier initiated a probe into alleged illegal electrification of numerous unauthorised housing societies along with installation of commercial transformers.

Upon further investigation, the

FIA discovered additional discrepancies such as alleged illegal appointment of contractual employees and subsequent “regularisation” of these employees to permanent roles in the company. Funds have also

been allegedly misallocated through bogus tendering carried out allegedly by the IESCO management.

The alleged corruption and discrepancies have been combined into a single investigation by the FIA.

Despite the seriousness of the alleged crimes, two years have passed since the initial inquiry began and the management of the company has so far avoided providing relevant record and appearing before the FIA. “Instead of providing records and appearing before the FIA, IESCO management which is involved in the alleged irregularity & corruption has initiated internal inquiry in order to cause delay in the FIA inquiry,” said sources.

Official sources in FIA, requesting anonymity, confirmed that FIA has sent several notices to the IESCO to present relevant records and appear before the agency for over a year. But, IESCO management instead of providing the record and appearing before FIA has so far ignored and paid no heed to the repeated notices of FIA.

Now FIA has changed its inquiry officer (IO) and handed over the inquiry 326/2020 to a new IO who is expected to conclude this inquiry in the near future, said official sources in FIA. When Pakistan Today/Profit contacted IESCO spokesman said, ”Inquiry regarding Xen Civil, operation directorate IESCO confirmed that departmental inquiry after intimation to FIA has been started against Xen Civil Division and outcomes will be forwarded to FIA”.

Responding to question regarding illegal connections to societies, the spokesman said: “Planning & Engineering In-charge and officer Mr Naqvi confirmed that any area electrified after fulfilling all codal formalities and reminder to all remaining circles has been issued to provide details of such connections and if any officer or official found guilty action detail may also forwarded”.

Sharing details about the alleged corruption in the illegal electrification of numerous unauthorised housing societies and installation of commercial transformers.

Malala reviews devastation during visit flood-hit Dadu

DADU Staff RepoRt

Nobel Laureate Malala Yousafzai on Wednesday visited the flood hit area of district Dadu and reviewed the devastation caused by the monsoon rains and the flash floods.

Accompanied by her father Ziauddun Yousafzai, Sindh Health Minister Dr Azra Pechuho, Education Minister Syed Sardar Ali Shah and singer Shehzad Roy, Malala Yousafzai inspected the Chhandan area of Juhi and lamented the devastation caused by the flood. The purpose of the Nobel Laureate’s visit is to help victims in rehabilitation as floods had devastated hundreds of thousands families in Sindh and other parts of the country. Malala visited the embankment of MNV drain and also met the flood hit families and the children living there in tents.

Malala Yousafzai also inspected the tent settlement in Chandan Deh and met the flood victims.

On arrival at the tent village, Ms. Yousafzai was warmly received by women belonging to flood affected families. On this occasion, the Nobel laureate has mingled with the affected families.

In his briefing, the Education Minister Sardar Shah informed that 12000 schools were destroyed due to floods, which has affected the education of 2 million children. Sardar Shah said that many areas are still under water and after drainage if the flood water, the damaged schools will be identified.

Malala expressed her concern over destruction of educational institutions due to which education of children had been affected. Malala sat down and talked to the flood affected women during her visit to the camp and listened to their problems.

She encouraged the flood affected women saying that they are brave as they were coping with these difficult times. The Deputy Commissioner Sayed Murtaza Ali Shah also briefed the Nobel Laureate about the destruction caused by the floods in the district.

On this occasion, DC and SSP Dadu also presented a gift of Ajrak and Shawl to Malala Yousafzai on behalf of Sindh Chief Minister.

Later, Nobel Laureate Malala returned back to Karachi after observing destruction caused by the floods in Sindh.

Int’l aid agencies pledges Rs26.35b for KP flood-hit infrastructure

PESHAWAR aziz BuneRi

International aid agencies have assured projects worth Rs26.35 billion in flood-affected districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The Planning and Development Department (P&D) said that though the international aid agencies have assured assistance to eight administrative departments, five departments didn’t receive positive response.

The KP government has also decided to transfer Rs19b from ongoing projects to flood-hit districts of the province to immediately restore damaged infrastructure. However, despite all these measures, the

provincial government still faces a shortage of over Rs23.17 billion. According to the P&D Department, administrative departments had requested support from international aid agencies for the restoration of floodaffected areas and infrastructure. The largest assurance of Rs11.58 billion has been received by the Energy departments. Similarly, the agricultural department has secured assurance of Rs3 billion, Rs2.76bn by the irrigation department, Rs2.70 billion by elementary and Secondary Education Department, Rs2.31 billion by the Health Department and Rs2.31 billion by the Communication and Works Department while the Tourism and Sports Department has secured a pledge of Rs1.8 billion and Rs290 million respectively.

However, the Local Government Department, Urban and Rural Development, Department of Higher Education, the Finance Department, Department of Food and Multi-Sector Development have failed to secure any commitment of support from the foreign donor agencies.

On the other hand, the KP government decided to transfer Rs19.70 billion from various ongoing projects, of which Rs6.97 billion will be allocated for the construction of roads and Rs4 billion to health sector. The KP government needs a total of Rs69.23 billion for infrastructure maintenance, of which Rs26.35 billion have been assured by international aid agencies but the government still facing a shortfall of Rs23.17 billion.

Centre to assist KP in curbing terrorism in Swat, other parts of province

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

The Prime Minister’s Steering Committee on Peace on Wednesday reviewed the recent spate of attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, particularly in Swat, and decided to assist the provincial government in curbing terrorist activities in the region.

The development comes a day after a school van was targeted in Swat’s Charbagh area, which left the van driver dead and two students injured. The attack was the latest in a series of incidents of violence that have gripped the valley in recent days, prompting citizens to take to the streets against the rising tide of insurgency.

According to Rescue 1122 officials, the van was taking students to a school in

Gulibagh area of the Charbagh tehsil when unidentified assailants, riding on a motorcycle, had opened fire. The driver was killed on the spot, while two students were moved to the hospital after sustaining injuries.

Locals have blamed the banned Tehreeki-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) for the attack, but the group has denied responsibility. Any other organisation has also not claimed responsibility so far.

The steering committee’s meeting today was chaired by Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah.

According to a statement, the participants — which included MNA Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, MNA Khalid Hussain Magsi, MNA Mohsin Dawar, Advisor to Prime Minister Amir Makam, former KP governor Shaukatullah Khan and former Senator Muhammad Saleh Shah — re-

viewed the situation in Swat in detail.

“The committee expressed concern over the increasing incidents of terrorism in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and expressed solidarity with the people of Swat against terrorism.”

The statement said that all the participants had unanimously decided to provide full support for the eradication of terrorism in the province.

They also observed that instead of politics, the KP government should ensure public order in the province and cooperate with the federation. “Extremism and terrorism are on the rise in KP, but the provincial government is busy planning sit-ins against the federation,” it added.

Later, in a tweet, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said that the steering committee had unanimously decided to “abet the provincial

government in curbing terrorist activities”.

“The KP government must ensure peace in the province rather than playing petty politics in the name of a long march against the federal government,” he said, referring to PTI chairman Imran Khan’s much-anticipated ‘Azadi March’ on Islamabad.

The minister added that it was “unfortunate” that members of the committee belonging to the PTI — Ali Muhammad Khan and Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif — had refused to attend the meeting.

Meanwhile, speaking to reporters outside the Islamabad High Court earlier today, Imran said that the ongoing “alarming” situation in Swat was a matter for the federal government to see, and the PTI-led KP government had been alerting the centre for a long time.

Fatima Fertilizer’s crucial role in recovering From agriculture devastation caused by recent Floods

Whilethe recent floods in Pakistan have caused severe damage to life, assets, and property, the agriculture sector has also been severely affected. Pakistan's agricultural sector is most important for the economic development of the country and it is considered the backbone of our economy in terms of GDP growth.

Climate change has had a very negative impact on this sector. According to the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council, the recent floods have destroyed crops on which the country's export income depended. According to the Ministry of National Food Security and Research, these floods have affected more than 8 million acres of crops, including rice, cotton, pulses, oil seeds and vegetables.

Sindh tops the list facing a loss of Rs. 300 billion in the agriculture sector.

Balochistan's agriculture sector has suffered a loss of Rs200 billion while KPK's agriculture economy has borne the brunt of more

than Rs36 billion. Due to the damage caused by these floods, not only has it become challenging to meet the country's food demand, but the potential income from agricultural exports is also expected to decrease manifold. Moreover, Pakistan is the fourth largest exporter of rice in the world and according to the Federal Bureau of Statistics, Pakistan exported a record value of rice worth $2.5 billion during the financial year 2021-22, while this year the rice crop has been badly affected due to floods. Agriculture experts say that if thousands of acres of agri-land is not restored on high priority, the country may soon face a food crisis. Pakistani authorities have already had to import tomatoes and onions from neighboring countries such as Afghanistan and iran.

During this difficult time, Fatima Fertilizer is at the forefront of helping distressed farmers. The company is providing all possible support to the farmers and helping them to cope with the ongoing chal-

lenges. Fatima Fertilizer is striving hard to tackle the issue of climate change and its negative impact on agriculture. To achieve this, it is enacting its vision of transforming the country's agriculture model by modernizing the sector with the latest technologies and precision farming methods.

A good example of this is the Sarsabz Pakistan Mobile App for farmers, which has recently marked a record number of more than one hundred thousand downloads in a short time span of ten months, making it the country’s fastest-growing mobile app within the agriculture sector and the top-rated educational app on Google Playstore. The Sarsabz Pakistan app caters to multiple needs of the farming community, providing them with timely farm advisory and information updates on important topics including climate change, weather forecasts, and more to help maximize their crop yield and productivity.

Agri-land has been severely affected by

the floods and water is still standing in the fields. in this situation, not only Kharif crops have been damaged, but the upcoming cultivation of Rabi crops is also under immense threat. in such a situation, if steps are not taken soon, there may be more losses. in these circumstances, the problems faced by agricultural farmers will also have a major impact on the potential demand for fertilizer.

Fatima Fertilizer is also proactive in exploring the most ideal solutions to challenges faced by farmers by customizing its business strategy to mitigate the impact of climate risks and build a Sarsabz Pakistan.

According to data from the country's National Fertilizer Development Center, the country's fertilizer sales were 146,000 tonnes in June and suddenly fell to just 26,000 tonnes in August. Similarly, total sales in April-August this year declined by 36 percent to 427,000 tonnes compared to the previous year. in the 2021 Kharif season from April to September, DAP sales

stood at 879,000 tonnes. however, Pakistan did not import DAP in August. its imports are expected to pick up soon, as buyers have started preparing tentatively for the Winter Rabi months despite the impact of floods on domestic consumption in recent months. A cargo of DAP is also expected from Saudi Arabia.

Crops grown since the beginning of the monsoon season such as rice, cotton, pulses, fodder, onions, tomatoes and other vegetables have either been washed away or destroyed due to the flood waters, so it is important to focus on winter crops to ensure food security. Agronomists believe that to save Pakistan from the growing food security crisis, the government should mobilize all financial and technical resources and play an important role in bringing the critical sector back on its tracks. Special incentives should be provided to the farmers to compensate for their great losses so that they can get back on their feet.