Epaper_22-11-03 ISB

FIA weAponIsed to tAke on government crItIcs

that presently, social media is inundated with false information and rumours against state institutions and organisations with the intent to cause or incite or which is likely to cause or incite any officer, solder, sailor or airman in army, navy, or air force of Pakistan to mutiny, offence or otherwise disregard or fail in his duty as such.”

it further added that these rumours and false information were also being disseminated with the intent to cause, or likely to cause, fear or alarm in the public or in any section of the public whereby any person may be induced to commit an offence against the state or against the public tranquillity.

“Fia has added that these are likely to incite any class or community of persons to commit any offence against any other class or community.”

Xi assures Sharif of support for stabilising Pakistani economy

BEIJING staff report

chinese President xi Jinping on wednesday reaffirmed china’s commitment to invest in Pakistan despite obstacles created in recent years by security concerns and the global economic slowdown.

ISLAMABAD staff report

thegovernment has amended the laws governing the Federal investigation agency (Fia) to empower it with a section of the Pakistan Penal code (PPc) to act against people who intended to spread “rumours and false information against state institutions” on the internet. the cabinet accorded its approval to the amendment to the Federal investigation agency act, 1974, on tuesday, and the Parliament is expected to follow suit later this week.

Previously, the authority was exercised by the police alone. offenders will be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to seven years and will also be liable to a fine.

armed with the updated laws, the agency has been empowered to go after people critical of the government and military for publishing “hate material” on social media platforms, including Facebook and twitter. it wasn’t immediately clear what constituted the so-called hate material, or the mechanism to begin legal action against the suspect.

Sanaullah says will withdraw amends to FIA Act if it impact freedom of expression

ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah on Wednesday claimed that the government would not pass the recent amendment to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Act, given if it negatively impacted the freedom of expression. Speaking to the media persons outside the Parliament on Wednesday, Rana Sanaullah said that the government would consult journalists’ representative bodies and other stakeholders on the bill and withdraw it if it restricts the freedom of expression. He, however, pointed out that there were some negative things on social media that needed to be controlled, saying these “negative things” adversely impacting personal lives of people.

xi Jinping cited the “all-weather strategic partnership” between the countries during a meeting in beijing with Prime minister shahbaz sharif, according to the official xinhua news agency. Pakistan had been struggling with a balance of payments crisis even before devastating floods hit the country this summer, causing an estimated $30 billion or more in losses. islamabad was expected to seek debt relief from beijing, particularly the rolling over of bilateral debt of around $23 billion.

china’s central bank and the state bank of Pakistan (sbP) have signed a memorandum of cooperation recently for the establishment of an rmb clearing arrangement in Pakistan, in a bid to facilitate the use of rmb for crossborder transactions by enterprises and financial institutions in both countries, the People’s bank of china (Pboc) said on wednesday. china and Pakistan should also move forward more effectively with the construction of their economic corridor, as well as accelerate the construction of infrastructure for the gwadar sea Port, Jinping told sharif during their meeting at the great hall of the People — a state building in beijing used for legislative and ceremonial activities. sharif and Jinping also agreed to strengthen multilateral cooperation in diverse fields, including china-Pakistan economic corridor (cPec) and strategic partnership, reported the state-owned associated Press of Pakistan.

according to the summary presented before the cabinet, the “Fia has intimated

g agency gets Powers under PPc to act against PeoPle sPreading ‘rumours’ against state institutions

g cabinet okays amend to Fia act, 1974, which Previously was exercised by Police alone

10 DISCOS SeekS reCOvery Of rS42.6b frOm COnSumerS unDer QTA

ISLAMABAD ahmaD ahmaDani

ALLPower Distribution Companies (DISCOs), except K-Electric, have asked the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) to grant approval for recovery of Rs42.6 billion from their respective electricity consumers under Quarterly Tariff Adjustment (QTA) mechanism.

According to details, DISCOs other than

Gwadar to act as hub of trade, investment under CPeC: official

ISLAMABAD monitoRing RepoRt

K-Electric have sought NEPRA’s approval regarding recovery of Rs42.6 billion from their consumers under QTA mechanism for first quarter (July-September) CFY 2022-23.

DISCOs have sought power price hike on account of capacity charges, variable O&M, Use of System Charge (UoSC) and Market Operator Fee (MOF), impact of T&D losses on monthly FCA and additional recovery on incremental sales. And, NEPRA has called a hearing on the request of DISCOs on November 15.

According to NEPRA, ten DISCOs including FESCO, GEPCO, HESCO, IESCO, LESCO, MEPCO, PESCO, QESCO, SEPCO and TESCO have sought a total adjustment of Rs42.634 billion. Out of the total adjustment, DISCOs have sought adjustment of Rs31 billion under the head capacity charges, Rs2.169 billion worth adjustment under variable O&M, Rs6.341 billion adjustment on account of Use of System Charges (UoSC) and Market Operator

Fee (MOF), Rs 7.408 billion as Impact of T&D (Transmission and Dispatch) losses on monthly Fuel Charges Adjustment (FCA) and additional recovery on incremental sale of Rs4.248 billion.

According to DISCOs application, FESCO has sought Rs6.377 billion, GEPCO Rs5.337 billion, HESCO Rs450 million, IESCO Rs2.704 billion, LESCO Rs9.101 billion, MEPCO Rs10.688 billion, PESCO Rs2.129 billion, QESCO Rs3.663 billion, SEPCO Rs905 million, and TESCO sought

Rs1.282 billion respectively.

Sources in the power sector said that if NEPRA allows recovery of Rs 42.6 billion from the consumers of ten DISCOs then the power tariff of these DISCOs will go up by approximately Rs 2.10 per unit for first quarter (JulySeptember) CFY 2022-23.

NEPRA, in a public notice, has invited all the interested/affected parties to submit written/oral comments or objections as permissible under the law at the hearing.

Imran wants appointment of new COAS on merit

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

Gwadar district will be a hub of trade and investment in the future thanks to the ChinaPakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Mujeeb ur-Rehman Qambrani, director general of Gwadar Development Authority (GDA), said. Addressing a special session on “Gwadar and the Road to Sustainable Development” organised by the Islamabad-based think tank Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), Qambrani said the master plan of Gwadar smart port city envisions the development of an industrial base which will not only create a lot of employment opportunities but also promote tourism in the area. The master plan is inspired by China’s city of Shenzhen and the GDA is vigorously executing it for timely delivery, he said, adding the master plan was finalised after collaboration between Pakistani, Chinese, and other stakeholders. He said that Gwadar international airport being constructed with cooperation from China will be functional in 2023 and will enhance the development process of the district.

Hassan Daud Butt, a senior advisor at the China Study Center of the think-tank, said that Pakistan-China cooperation on the CPEC and combating Covid-19 has transformed Pakistan’s technological pace. “China is building an enabling environment for business and economic opportunities in our country. Therefore, we must prepare ourselves to capture the opportunity,” he added. Also speaking at the event, Sajid Amin, deputy executive director at the SDPI, said the development sector and civil society organizations can play a pivotal role as knowledge partners and in the advocacy of the immense socio-economic potential of Gwadar.

Army Chief visits ASfC headquarters

RAWALPINDI Staff RepoRt

Chief of Army Staff (COAS), General Qamar Javed Bajwa Wednesday visited Headquarters Army Strategic Forces Command (ASFC). During the visit, he interacted with officers and troops and appreciated their professionalism and high state of morale, an Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) news release said. Earlier on arrival, the COAS was received by Commander Army Strategic Forces Command, Lieutenant General Muhammad Ali.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan has said he had no ‘favorites’ but wants the appointment of the new COAS on merit.

Chairman PTI Imran Khan in his interview said “I do not have any favorite, the appointment of the Chief of Army Staff should be based on merit.”

Imran Khan said that former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and

former president Asif Zardari should not appoint COAS because both are ‘criminals’ of the nation.

The former prime minister ruled out the possibility of PTI long march failure and said they are going to Islamabad and his ‘whole plan’ is ready.

“My whole plan is ready, what will I do after Islamabad March is a secret.”

Regarding negotiations with the incumbent federal government, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief said that there can be no more

China set to export high-speed train technology to Pakistan

China is all set to export technology for a 160 km/h highspeed railway train to Pakistan. The first batch of 46 train carriages has been loaded and will be shipped on Nov. 3. Parts for another 184 carriages will be delivered to Pakistan to assemble, the report said, adding this is the first time China has exported the technology, China’s state broadcaster CCTV said on Wednesday.

China and Pakistan should move forward more effectively with the construction of their economic corridor, as well as accelerate the construction of infrastructure for the Gwadar Sea Port, the state media reported.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Xi Jinping met earlier today and agreed to strengthen the strategic partnership between the two countries, including the ChinaPakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

The two leaders met at the People’s Great Hall of China

and talked about broad-based cooperation in the economy and investment besides exchanging views on regional and global developments. Shehbaz and Xi also discussed the need to further promote the ‘all-weather strategic cooperation partnership’ between the two nations.

PM Shehbaz is expected to spend a busy day in Beijing today. He will meet Premier Li Keqiang and is likely to meet with Chinese investors and Pakistani businessmen.

The Pakistani premier landed in Beijing on Tuesday on a two-day official visit to meet Chinese leadership and review the “all-weather strategic cooperation partnership” and discuss regional and global developments.

On his arrival at the Beijing airport, the senior Chinese officials warmly received the prime minister who was heading a high-level delegation.

The premier is among the first leaders to visit China following the historic 20th National Congress of the Communist Party (CPC) of China that elected Xi Jinping as general secretary of the party.

LAHORE Daniyal ahmaD

Toyota Indus Motor Company, the maker of Toyota automobiles in Pakistan, released their earnings for Q1FY23 to the Pakistan Stock Exchange on Friday. The company has started the year with its Q1FY23 earnings at Rs1.29 billion. This amounts to complete collapse in its yearon-year (YoY) profits, as this is 76 per cent

less than the company’s Rs5.42 billion in Q1FY22. Toyota’s total sales revenue for Q1FY23 fell 43 per cent YoY as the recorded sales of Rs37.24 billion in comparison to Q1FY22’s Rs65.5 billion.

The reduction in sales revenue is due to the company’s reduced sales volume. The company sold 8,868 vehicles in Q1FY23 in comparison to the 18,464 units the previous year in Q1FY22. This amounts to 52 percent reduction

negotiations with thieves, who have looted the country’s resources while being in power.

Replying to a question regarding the dissolution of the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governments, Imran Khan replied he can do ‘anything.’

Earlier, the former prime minister clarified that he did not talk about the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa’s extension but urged to maintain merit and defer the appointment of the army chief until fresh elections.

ATC summons Shireen mazari, others in ‘land record tampering’ case

DG KHAN: An Anti-Corruption Court (ATC) has summoned former federal minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Shireen Mazari and others in a case registered against them on charges of “tampering with a land record.” The AntiCorruption Court (ATC) summoned Shireen Mazari and others on November 15 in a case that was quashed by Punjab Anti-Corruption Establishment in September 2022 following order of the Islamabad High Court. The Special Judge Anti-Corruption has not agreed with the Punjab Anti-Corruption Establishment’s decision to quash the case against PTI leader. It is pertinent to mention here that Punjab Anti-Corruption Establishment quashed a case registered against PTI leader Shireen Mazari for tampering with land record. Shireen Mazari was blamed for not giving back the lands secured under land reforms after the Federal Land Commission ruled against her. Shireen Mazari approached the high court that a false report was filed against her by her political opponents. Staff RepoRt

amounting to a total of 9,778 fewer vehicles sold.

The silver lining to Toyota’s woes is that it was able to increase the share of its Fortuner and IMVs sales to total sales whereby these two now account for 28 per cent of total sales, in comparison to 26 per cent last year.

The fall in sales can be attributed to the myriad of problems, such as nonproduction days, inflation, and selective

availability of certain vehicles, that plague the entire industry currently.

However, one reason for the sheer scale of Toyota’s dip is that the company introduced its refund program in July of this year.

Now Toyota has not revealed the true number of refunds that it has given to customers, however, if the revenue figures are anything to go by, then these refunds are likely to have been sizable.

Nothing will matter whether Imran whines, screams or bemoans: Marriyum

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb on Wednesday said innocent people were losing lives due to the “bloody march” of Imran Khan, saying the “Fitna Khan” is hell-bent upon creating chaos and anarchy to achieve “his ulterior motives”.

“The people are fully aware that Imran Khan is a thief, dacoit, liar, incompetent and foreign-funded Fitna,” she said in a news statement while reacting to Imran Khan’s addresses to the long march.

She said the “foreign funded Fitna” had admitted that he was in pain for not getting an opportunity to appoint the new army chief. Marriyum said Imran Khan’s conspiracies would not work as it was Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif who had legal and constitutional rights to appoint the new army

chief.

The minister said Imran Khan had already admitted that he had offered a “lifetime extension” to the army chief for saving his government. The “mark of disgrace” was clearly visible on his (Imran) face, she added.

“Whether he whines, screams or bemoans, nothing will matter as it is Shehbaz Sharif who holds the government (in center),” she asserted.

She asked Imran Khan why he had failed to produce a single piece of evidence against PM Shehbaz Sharif in a court of law to prove the false cases filed by the Pakistan Tehreeke-Insaf’s (PTI) government against the latter.

“If Rana Sanaullah is a murderer then why did your government arrest him on the fake charges of carrying drugs,” she said, adding where were the proofs and videos that his government claimed to have against the interior minister.

She asked Imran Khan to stop hurling allegations at his opponents as it was too late and completely useless for him.

The minister said that the cases, which Imran’s former government claimed were filed on merit, failed to satisfy the court

which gave clean chits to the then-opposition leaders, adding this proved that the cases filed were politically motivated. In reference to the alleged video leak, three years ago, which purportedly depicted former NAB chairman Justice (r) Javed

Iqbal and a woman by the name of Tayyaba Gul, which had then given the impression that the former government was trying to coerce the ex-NAB chairman to file cases against it adversaries, the minister asked that why Tayyba Gul was “abducted” if the cases against the PML-N leadership and others were on merit.

Marriyum said it was Imran Khan’s government which allowed Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif to go abroad. “Now, it is too late (to speak of that),” she added.

The minister said that during his rule, Imran used hollow slogans of accountability against opponents but at the same time offered a lifetime extension to the army chief in a bid to save his skin and the government’s failures.

Marriyum said Imran Khan wanted martial law in the country which reflected his “fascist” and “autocratic” mindset.

ISLAMABAD mian abRaR

Toyota starts year by making money from being a bank instead of a car company

ferTIlIzer InDuSTry wrITeS TO fInAnCe mInISTry AGAInST ‘unwArrAnTeD’ TT SySTem

ISLAMABAD ShahzaD paRacha

THEFertilizer Industry appears to be reluctant to install a Track and Trace system and has urged the government review the enforcement of non-compatible track & trace systems installed on the fertilizer manufacturing facilities.

According to sources privy to the development, the fertilizer manufacturers of Pakistan Advisory Council (FMPAC) have requested the government to review the enforcement of non-compatible track & trace systems (TTS) installed in the fertilizer manufacturing facilities.

In a letter addressed the Finance Ministry, the FMPAC said that the TTS deployment project was initiated for the fertilizer industry in February 2022 in compliance with SRO 250(I)/2019 issued Feb 26, 2019 and Sales Tax General

Govt challenges Swati’s bail in IHC

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

Order No 3 of 2021 issued on March 11, 2021, by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), It reads the tripartite agreements – between the manufacturers, FBR and FBR licensee (M/s AJCL/MITAX/Authentix Consortium) –were signed on April 14, 2022 and the TTS was made operational in the entire fertilizer industry from a set deadline of July 1, 2022.

However, the fertilizer industry has raised serious concerns about the suitability of the system for fertilizer production facilities after confronting multiple technical issues during, and post implementation of T&T system project.

The letter states that the incompatibility of the system with the harsh and humid outdoor environment of the fertilizer industry renders it ineffective and unfit for continuous use.

The stamp detection efficiency is far less [as low as 50%] than guaranteed

value of more than 99%. Stamps reconciliation also generates error with actual production reporting, etc.

Despite the best efforts of the FBR licensee, FBR and industry, these technical issues remained unresolved.

Commenting on the matter, FMPAC Executive Director Brig (r) Sher Shah Malik said that the fertilizer industry is one of the most compliant sectors of Pakistan and has always supported the government’s efforts on documentation of the economy.

He further stated that the Track & Trace system is neither considered suitable for the fertilizer industry, nor is serving any of its stated objectives of enhancing tax revenue, reducing counterfeiting, and preventing smuggling of illicit goods.

He explained that Fertilizer is exempted from GST and Fertilizer sector as a whole is a compliant and transparent

sector and pays its all taxes with no understatement of its sales and production, hence T&T system has no impact on revenue collection.

The FMPAC ED claimed that there is no evidence of counterfeiting urea and other fertilizers. The domestic prices of urea have always been substantially lower than the international market, hence there is no possibility of smuggling of illicit goods into the country. Moreover, it is worth noting the complete system including spares and tax stamps are imported and are an undue recurring cost under the prevalent foreign exchange reserves situation.

Fertilizer industry cautioned the government that the enforced obligation of the T&T system with its unreliable operational efficiency can disrupt the fertilizer supply chain, leading to serious consequences for the agriculture sector.

Govt asks NEPRA to hike power price for KE to maintain uniform tariff policy

The federal government on Wednesday filed a petition in the Islamabad High Court (IHC), challenging bail granted to Azam Swati a controversial tweet case. The Federal Investigation Authority (FIA) technical officer Aneesur Rehman filed the petition in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on behalf of the federal government. The petition stated that the special judge central exceeded his power and granted bail to the PTI leader on his controversial tweet. The Judge granted the bail in other sections as well except Peca 2016. It is stated in the petition to declare the decision illegal and suspend Azam Swati’s bail. The PTI senator’s bail plea was submitted to Prosecutor Raja Rizwan Abbasi and Swati was added as a respondent in the petition. Azam Swati was released from Adiala jail Rawalpindi when a special court granted him bail on October 21 in a controversial tweet case.

kP fails to release funds for power projects

Peshawar: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government failed to release any fund to power generation projects because of the ongoing financial constraints and ‘cold war’ with the federal government. The KP government has included 53 ongoing and new projects in the Annual development program (ADP) of the current financial year to increase the production of electricity. However the KP Finance Department couldn’t release fund to any of these projects since August as a result construction on the power projects is literally stopped. The sources said construction cost of these projects would increased manifold. The provincial Power and Energy department has spent Rs620m from the fund released in the first quarter. The provincial government included 19 projects in the ADP of the Power and Energy Department but just Rs1,000 were allocated in the budget. According to the KP finance department, the provincial government had allocated Rs26.5b for 53 power projects in the ADP of the current year of which just Rs7 billion have been released until August. Staff RepoRt

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

The government has submitted a petition with the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA), seeking 51 paisa per unit hike for the electricity consumers of K-Electric to maintain uniform tariff policy across the country.

According to details, the federal government in order to maintain uniform tariff policy across the country has filed a motion with NEPRA and sought 51 paisa/unit raise for power consumer of K-Electric under quarterly adjustments (QA) for 3rd quarter (January – March) of Financial year (FY) 2021-2022.

According to NEPRA, the authority (NEPRA) in order to arrive at a just and informed decision has decided to hold a hearing on 8th November 2022.

It is relevant to note that NEPRA will take a decision regarding 3rd quarter adjustment for KE consumers and later the government will issue a notification in this regard on the basis of NEPRA decision.

As per federal government’s motion, the Authority is requested to issue separate SoT (Schedule of Electricity Tariff) with prospective application of applicable uniform rates after incorporating tariff rationalization. Such adjustment shall be applicable on the consumption of September 2022, October 2022 and November 2022 to be recovered from consumers in November 2022, December 2022 and January 2023. Respectively, said the government’s motion.

However, K-Electric, has said that this hike is requested by the GoP in order to maintain uniform tariff policy across the country. And, the recovery period is yet to be determined by NEPRA and notified by the Government.

NEPRA, in a public notice, has informed all stakeholders, interested/affected persons and the general public that federal government has filed a motion under section 7 & 31 of the NEPRA Act, 1997 read with 17 of NEPRA Tariff (Standards and Procedure) Rules, 1998 and proposed to increase the consumers end tariff by Rs 0.5087 per kilowatt hour for all consumers categories other than domestic lifeline. And, the government has requested that a hearing may be provided for the purpose of providing detailed submissions.

It is pertinent to mention that the authority had earlier determined periodic adjustment in tariff for the 3rd Quarter of FY 021-22 for DISCOs having uniform rate of Rs0.5087/kWh for three months period and same has been notified vide SRO No. 1587(1)72022 dated 23 August 2022.

In accordance with the National Electricity Policy, 2021, the Government may maintain a uniform consumerend tariff for K-Electric and state-owned distribution companies (even after privatization) through incorporation of direct / indirect subsidies.

Accordingly, KE applicable uniform variable charge is also required to be modified so as to recover the revenue requirements of KE, determined by the Authority consistent with the DlSCOs.

NA Speaker dismisses reference seeking Asif Zardari’s disqualification

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

Speaker of the National Assembly (NA) Raja Pervaiz Ashraf on Wednesday dismissed a reference file by PTI leader Zulfi Bukhari seeking the disqualification of PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari.

The NA speaker dismissed the reference under Article 63(A) of the constitution.

According to details, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf dismissed the reference filed by

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Zulfi Bukhari seeking the disqualification of Pakistan People Party coChairman Asif Ali Zardari. The NA Speaker forwarded a copy of his decision on the reference to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

The reference was filed on October 12. The PTI leader called for the disqualification of the PPP leader for acquiring cars from Toshakhana.

PTI said in a reference that there were reports of proof that Zardari had varied from the law as he had received three cars from Toshakhana when

Xi assures Sharif of support for stabilising Pakistani economy

cONtINuED fROM PAgE 01

Sharif, who met President Jinping just a week after he cemented his place as the most powerful Chinese leader since Mao Zedong, arrived in Beijing on a two-day trip on Tuesday, his first state visit to the neighbouring nation after assuming office in April.

The Foreign Office said the trip is being undertaken at the invitation of Sharif’s Chinese counterpart Li Keqiang, and that the prime minister is joined by Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and high-ranking officials of his administration. The visit follows Sharif’s meeting with Jinping on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Uzbekistan on September 16.

CHINA ‘KEEN’ TO INVEST IN PAKISTAN: Meanwhile, leading

businesses of China have shown “keen interest” to invest in solar, water and other infrastructure projects across Pakistan, APP reported.

The prime minister invited several heads of Chinese businesses to visit Pakistan and invest in the government’s comprehensive solar power project aimed at generating 10,000-megawatt electricity, his office said. He also encouraged Chinese investment in Pakistan’s alternative energy resources including wind turbine power plants.

Sharif stressed the early completion of the infrastructure of Gwadar international airport, to which the Chinese companies assured to complete the project by early 2023.

The prime minister, in a meeting with investors and businessmen, said his government has resolved several issues

pertaining to them and had paid them the pending dues of Rs160 billion. An amount of Rs50 billion was paid to them just on Monday, he recalled.

He said a revolving fund had been established by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on the directive of Finance Minister Ishaq Dar with a seed money of Rs50 billion. He regretted the obstacles allegedly faced by the Chinese companies in the past on matters concerning the payment of imported coal.

He vowed to address on priority the issues relating to the land acquisition for the construction of the Diamer-Bhasha Dam and other hurdles in the way to completion of the Mohmand Dam.

Sharif assured the provision of strict security to the Chinese personnel working in Pakistan and said that acrossthe-board security would be ensured for those deputed on the CPEC projects and

other joint initiatives. He extended condolences over the death of Chinese men and women who lost their lives while working in Pakistan.

To address the water shortage in Karachi, the prime minister said the Centre along with the Sindh government was ready to collaborate with the Chinese companies to resolve the issue. Sharif expressed confidence that strong business and investment linkages between Pakistan and China would lead to the further cementing of bilateral relations.

He thanked the Chinese companies for taking a special interest in Pakistan’s development projects particularly the Gwadar Port, ML-1 railway track and several other projects.

He also expressed gratitude for the generous support extended by China in the wake of recent floods in Pakistan.

Sanaullah says will withdraw amends to fIA Act if it impact freedom of expression

cONtINuED fROM PAgE 01

It is to be noted that amendment to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Act empowers the watchdog to act against those spreading rumours against state institutions on social media. Last week, cabinet members approved a summary on circulation from the Ministry of Interior about amendments in the schedule of the FIA Act, 1974, including an amendment empowering it with Section 505 (statement conducing to public mischief) of the Pakistan Penal Code. The interior minister also stressed that if the bill was against the freedom of expression then “we won’t pass it and won’t be with it.” He said the government would introduce the bill in the parliament and try to achieve consensus but if the journalist community said it infringed their rights then it would not be passed.

Sanaullah said people’s private lives were being affected due to social media which was a “serious matter”. He added that the government was looking into an amendment that could solve this issue without harming the freedom of expression and called on journalists and the media community to provide guidance. It is important to mention here that in April last, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) struck down an ordinance, promulgated by the PTI government, making amendments to the controversial Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act. IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah had issued a four-page order explaining how Section 20 of the law, which criminalises defamation, flew in the face of freedom of expression, a fundamental right guaranteed by the Constitution.

Pakistan could face difficulty in restructuring dollar bonds: report

According to a report by the Financial Times, there could be a big problem in the option to restructure one of Pakistan’s close-to-maturity dollar bonds, and the culprit is that bond’s issuing authority itself. The report states that, to restructure any foreign currency bond, an onerous or extraordinary resolution has to be passed by the issuer. This resolution requires a voting from the bond holders, upon which, if a certain threshold of voters is reached, the resolution is passed. The report suggests that as early as 2003, this threshold was kept up till 75 per cent. In fact, most of the bonds issued in 2014, when this particular bond was issued, this threshold was kept at 66 per cent or lower, reducing the chances of default in case of a holdout. Since there was no penalty on keeping this threshold lower, countries and entities kept this threshold low to save their future interests. Pakistan’s issuing authorities, on the other hand, showed a complete lack of understanding of the market, by keeping the requirement of the passing of an onerous resolution at 90 per cent. And that is not all that is wrong with this bond. The report further goes on to explain how there is another hiccup in the definition of voters. It defines an Extraordinary Resolution as “a resolution duly passed by not less than 90 per cent of the votes cast.” as opposed to “threshold as a proportion of the aggregate principal amount”. monitoRing RepoRt

Most fLood viCtiMs BaCk hoME, fEw rEMain in CaMPs

ISLAMABAD the aSSociated pReSS

tHEgovernment said that most victims of the unprecedented floods that struck the country last summer have now returned to their homes, with only a small portion still living in makeshift camps in the worst-hit Sindh.

The disaster management agency said the latest data shows that slightly less than 50,000 people are currently staying in camps in Sindh, compared to half a million who were living in tents there in September.

The record-breaking floods — which were worsened by climate change, that hit Pakistan last summer — killed 1,735 people and displaced 33 million. In Sindh alone, the floods affected 12 million people and killed 796.

Pakistan has asked the international community to scale up aid

Pakistan’s low-cost airline Fly Jinnah begins operations

KARACHI Staff RepoRt

Pakistan’s new low-cost airline, Fly Jinnah, has started flight operations across Pakistan as the fourth domestic airline. The first flight of the country’s new airline, Fly Jinnah, took off from Karachi and landed at Islamabad airport, where the aircraft was received with the traditional water cannon salute. The airline held the inaugural ceremony of its first flight at a local hotel to mark the start of its operations. The event was attended by members of the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority, Air Arabia Group, etc. Fly Jinnah COO Arman Yahya said that airline will run domestic flights in the first year while international flights will begin in the second year. Arman Yahya further said that flights will also reach small airports, including the one in Skardu. With a fleet comprising three Airbus A320-200, the airline now operates daily flights from Karachi to Islamabad, Lahore and Peshawar, and four flights to Quetta per week. The ticket prices for flights start from Rs13,999, and the passengers will be allowed to carry luggage up to 10kg.

for flood survivors, now threatened by the upcoming winter. Last month, the World Bank estimated that the floods caused $40 billion in damages.

Harsh winter weather could worsen the misery of flood victims — if food and other supplies were not delivered quickly.

Cash-strapped Pakistan was already facing a serious financial crisis before the abnormally heavy monsoon rains hit in mid-June, triggering the floods that at one point left a third of the country’s territory submerged.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in a report Tuesday that there is still standing water in the provinces of Balochistan and Sindh.

And though the floods badly affected the country’s crops, the report said 98 percent of the area for wheat cultivation remains available for the next planting season — a positive sign as Pakistan has already started importing wheat to avoid any food shortage.

Chinese delegation visits PCJCCI

LAHORE Staff RepoRt

A Chinese delegation, led by Gao Qiang, Vice President of Sinovac Global. met SM Naveed, chairman Special Economic Zones/ former president Pakistan China Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Salahuddin Hanif at the Chamber’s Secretariat, here on Wednesday. SM Naveed said that Punjab chief minister had assured that Sinovac Company would be provided land on a priority basis in CPEC Industrial Estate Faisalabad. All the required facilities would be provided to the company in Punjab, he said and added that the project would not only benefit Punjab but the whole of Pakistan and it would be carried forward on a fast-track basis to ensure early completion. He added, “We thank Sinovac Company for supplying vaccines to Pakistan during the corona epidemic. Planning a factory to manufacture plasma medicine products in Punjab is a big step, and we hope that the project will definitely help save lives of people at massive scale.” Gao Qiang said that they were going to invest $200 million (about Rs 45 billion) in Punjab by setting up a factory to manufacture plasma medicine products in Punjab, which would cost about Rs 45 billion. It would also export items worth $500 million. This project would create new employment opportunities and become a new example for Pakistan-China friendship, he added. Secretary General PCJCCI Salahuddin Hanif said that there was a dire need to take notice of the resources and provide maximum support to the developers in order to succeed and achieve our targeted goal. He added that Pakistan could look at China’s experience which had drawn the arbitration rules from the West. He said, “I feel so proud that SEZs are flourishing this way under the leadership of S.M Naveed and definitely open up new vistas of opportunities for business community.”

Yutong Master donates 200 tents, 1,400 ration bags for flood victims

ISLAMABAD: China’s Yutong Bus and Pakistan’s Master Motors donated 200 tents and 1,400 ration bags for flood victims in Sindh province. According to Gwadar on Wednesday, it was disclosed by Yutong Master, a joint venture between China’s Yutong Bus and Pakistan’s Master Motors. More than 33 million people have been affected by monsoon floods across Pakistan since June, 2022. The flood killed more than 2,000 people and destroyed homes, crops and livestock. At least 30 million people are in need for food, medicine and shelter, the JV said.

Staff RepoRt

Karachi gang-rape case: Suspects sent to jail on judicial remand

KARACHI: Judicial magistrate Karachi south sent the two suspects to jail on judicial remand on Wednesday in a gang rape case in Clifton area of the metropolis. The flood-affected girl was allegedly gang-raped by two unidentified persons in the Clifton area of Karachi on Monday. The minor girl – residing at the flood relief camp – was abducted from outside a shopping mall at Karachi’s Clifton Block 4. Two suspects named Ghulam Rasool and Khalid Hussain were presented before the court in the gang rape of a minor girl from a floodaffected family of Shikarpur. Moreover, the police were directed by the court to submit a progress report on the case at next hearing of the case. Earlier, the medico-legal report to ascertain sexual assault allegations in minor girl rape case confirmed that a flood-affected girl was gang-raped in Karachi’s Clifton. The medical report confirmed that multiple culprits sexually assaulted her. The police, while quoting the victim, said that two identified persons abducted a minor girl and sexually assaulted her. Hospital sources said that the girl is eight or nine-year-old.

RepoRt

ECP issues schedule for LG elections in Balochisan

QUETTA: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has released the schedule for the second phase of local government elections in Balochistan on Wednesday. As per sources, these local government elections in Balochistan will be held on specific seats. Mangochar Assistant Commissioner Muhammad Hanif Noorzai has been appointed as the returning officer for Union Councils 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 of the Municipal Committee Khaliq Abad Mangochar and Sub-division of Kalat District. Staff RepoRt

SRINAGAR Staff RepoRt

In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, incarcerated Chairman of International Forum for Justice Human Rights Jammu and Kashmir, Muhammad Ahsan Untoo, has appealed to the international community and world human rights organizations to hold India accountable for its state terrorism in the territory. According to Kashmir Media Service, Muhammad Ahsan Untoo in a message from Kot Bhalwal Jail in Jammu said the entire world is standing

with the people of Ukraine but has turned a blind eye to what India has been doing in IIOJK for the last several decades. He said that the other countries should not link their relations with India to their economic interests but with the Indian human rights record. Ahsan Untoo said that the US Secretary of State, Antony John Blinken, had expressed solidarity with the victims of Mumbai attacks but deplored that he failed to utter a single word for the victims of Indian state terrorism in the occupied territory including the massacres of Kupwara, Sopore.

World urged to hold India accountable for its state terrorism in IIOJK

SwEDEN EMBASSy hOLDS yOUTh DIALOGUE ON ‘RIGhT TO hEALThy ENvIRONMENT’

ISLAMABAD Staff report

THEEmbassy of Sweden in Pakistan on Wednesday hosted a follow up event with the participants of youth dialogue Stockholm+50, partners United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and WWF Pakistan, and Stockholm+50 Youth Task Force.

The lead-up event on the right to a healthy environment was hosted to engage youth for creating policy demands that were presented at Stockholm+50 –a crucial international environmental meeting – on June 2 and 3 by Pakistan’s Youth Task Force representative.

Convened by the UN General Assembly, Stockholm+50 gathered over 4,000 people from nearly 150 countries.

The purpose of the meeting was to come up with bold and urgent action on climate and environment to secure a better future on a healthy planet.

Sherry Rehman, Federal Minister of Climate Change, attended the event in Stockholm.

The Stockholm+50 Youth Task Force, which brought together more

than 700 representatives from youth organisations from around the world, including Pakistan, put forward a Policy Paper in which young people listed numerous demands calling on world leaders to take drastic action to halt and reverse environmental damage with specific points related to biodiversity conservation.

Around 300 young people participated, along with several thousand joining online. The policy paper was mentioned by the Meeting President in the official summary, encouraging world leaders to ensure intergenerational equity.

Federal Minister for Climate Change Sherry Rehman on the occasion said that Pakistan had raised its case at every international forum, highlighting, “What’s happening in Pakistan will not stay here only, and we plan to do the same at COP27”.

She continued, “COP is a discussion forum where long-term deals and discussions related to climate change happen, mainly negotiations on countries NDCs.

She informed the participants that Pakistan had been hit by climate change.

She stressed the need for involv-

PDMC decides on action against negligent dengue workers

LAHORE Staff report

The Provincial Dengue Monitoring Committee (PDMC) on Wednesday decided to take action against dengue workers who committed negligence in their duty in the high-risk districts and issued instructions to the Health Department in this regard. The decision was taken at a meeting held under the chairmanship of Provincial Health Minister Dr Akhtar Malik and Punjab Chief Secretary Abdullah Khan Sumbal. The Additional Chief Secretary (South Punjab), administrative secretaries of various departments and officers concerned attended the meeting while all divisional commissioners and deputy commissioners participated through video link. On the occasion, Provincial Minister Dr Akhtar Malik said that the stakeholders should enhance coordination for removing discrepancies in the dengue data.

ing the youth of the country in making the country’s environment safe. ”Only youth can overcome this issue,” she added

Ambassador of Sweden to Pakistan Henrik Persson welcomed the participants and said “I believe young people are the are leaders of TODAY. That is why the Swedish Embassy will continue to engage with youth. To us, it is an essential, urgent and demographic as well as democratic imperative. We also recognize that for countries such as Pakistan, the key is not reducing emissions but ensuring climate-friendly development pathways and building climate resilience.”

Youth participants who attended Stockholm+50 shared their experiences from the conference and reported back on the presentation of the policy demands. This was followed by an open discussion among the 60 youth attendees, moderated by WWFPakistan, on how to move from policy pledges to practical implementation.

The youth then presented their formulations at a High Level Plenary Closing Session to representatives from the Ministry of Climate Change,

climate activists, diplomats and the press. Speakers at the closing included Knut Ostby, Resident Representative, UNDP Pakistan, Hammad Naqi Khan, Director General from WWF Pakistan. Federal Minister for Climate Change Senator Sherry Rehman was the chief guest of the event. Activists from Fridays for Future and Climate Action Pakistan also attended the event.

Closing the session, Hammad Naqi Khan, Director General WWF-Pakistan said “At WWF-Pakistan, we recognize that young people are the key driving force of positive change. Therefore, we actively engage with youth and give them the knowledge, tools and resources required to contribute to potential solutions and drive public discourse on climate action and sustainable development. Our youth carry immense potential, not only to drive climate action, but to ensure sustainable development.”

In the lead-up to COP27 in Sharm el Sheikh and the wake of effects of climate change here in Pakistan, the youth need to continue to hold world leaders accountable to their demands and translate them into real commitments.

Govt taking steps to promote travel, tourism and trade activities: DTS chief

ISLAMABAD Staff report

Khwaja Imran, Controller of Department OF Tourist Services (DTS) has assured a delegation of Travel Agents Association of Pakistan (TAAP) that the department would make allout efforts to facilitate the TAAP in promotion of travel and trade activities in Pakistan.

In this regard, TAPP delegation led by Zonal Chairman Tauqeer Ahmed Daim and Executive Member Rana Ali Zaigham held a detailed meeting with DTS team led by Khwaja Imran. The delegation briefed the DTS team on the issues being faced by TAAP including the renewal of licenses, bank guarantees demanded by DTS and the rumours of ministry of religious

affairs overtaking the affairs of Umrah facilitation from DTS.

DTS chief Khwaja Imran assured to resolve all issue being faced by the TAAP as the government wanted to promote travel, tourism and trade business.

corporate corner

Admin mulls solution to land disputes in demarcation between districts

Newly-elected Chairman Eng Qamarul Islam Rajachairs Board of Directors meeting

He issued the directives during a high-level meeting of the Deputy Commissioners of Malakand, Lower Dir, Bajaur and Mohmand districts here at Commissioner Office Saidu Sharif.

Deputy Commissioner Malakand Muhammad Arif Khan Yousafzai, Deputy Commissioner Bajaur Fahad Wazir, Assistant Commissioner Mohmand Sajjad Afridi, District Police Officer Bajaur Samad Khan, SP Investigation Lower Dir Mushtaq, Secretary to Commissioner Muhammad Ali and other relevant officers participated. The meeting reviewed ownership disputes whereas, the deputy commissioners concerned informed the commissioner about the efforts

made by the administration and local elders for possible solution to the disputes.

On the occasion, the commissioner instructed the deputy commissioners concerned to speed up their efforts for an amicable resolution of these disputes so that these long-standing problems can be solved according to the facts on the ground. He directed the deputy commissioners of all districts to provide reports to the commissioner’s office based on the efforts made by the local administration and local jirgas held in this regard to further share with the provincial government.

The commissioner said that the Jirga system has a special importance in tribal and Pashtun traditions, therefore, the efforts of local leaders should be included. Presiding over the meeting, Commissioner Malakand Division said that all possible efforts should be made for solutions which are acceptable to all and durable. The commissioner said that resolution of boundary disputes is important for peace and harmony in the region.

Tetra Pak donates Rs22m to PRCS for flood victims

Islamabad: Tetra Pak Pakistan has also stepped forward to donate a generous sum of PKR 22 million to support the Pakistan Red Crescent Society (PRCS) in response to their emergency appeal to maximize flood relief efforts across the country to tackle the alarming situation. The donation cheque was presented by Mr. Misbah Burney, Finance Director of Tetra Pak Pakistan, to Chairman Pakistan Red Crescent Society, Mr. Sardar Shahid Ahmed Laghari at PRCS National Headquarters in Islamabad here on Wednesday. During this engagement, both representatives discussed in detail regarding current challenges faced by the flood victims and the need for all stakeholders to work together and expand the scope of relief efforts. pr

EFU Life wins GBO Award 2022 for best domestic life insurance company

EFU Life Assurance Limited, the leading life insurance provider in the country, has been awarded Best Domestic Life Insurer of the Year – Pakistan, at the Global Business Outlook (GBO) Awards 2022. As an industry leader, EFU Life is committed to innovation in its business processes and product offerings coupled with a strong technological capacity and effective use of digitalization. This is the second consecutive year, EFU Life has been recognized by Global Business Outlook. Speaking on the occasion, Taher G. Sachak, EFU Life’s CEO and Managing Director, said ‘as a Company, our vision is to bring as many households as possible in Pakistan under the insurance safety net by offering a comprehensive range of financial planning solutions that are affordable and suit every pocket’.

SWAT Syed Shahabuddin

Commissioner of Malakand Division Shaukat Ali Yousafzai has directed the district administrations across the division to take measures for a peaceful and sustainable solution to the disputes over ownership of land in demarcation between districts.

Participants of 24th National Security Workshop in a group photo during a visit to Gwadar Port. pr

laHORE: Sharp-Pakistan Chairman Syed Liaquat Banori, Mudassir Javed, Faiza Mir, Hamid Latif and Khamal Zeb at a ceremony held to bid farewell to Punjab IG Prisons Mirza Shahid Saleem on his retirement. Staff photo

Islamabad: IESCO's newly elected Chairman Board of Directors Engineer Qumar-Ul-Islam Raja chaired the meeting of Board of Directors held at IESCO Head Office Islamabad. Chief Executive Officer Dr. Muhammad Amjad Khan briefed the board about IESCO's performance and ongoing projects. Chairman BOD Engineer Qamar-ul-Islam Raja said during the meeting that, IESCO is a prominent power distribution company of Pakistan in terms of performance, but the performance can still be improved. He further said that, a satisfied customer is the proof of the institution's performance and to achieve this goal, the electricity related problems of the customers should be solved on priority basis. Timely issuance of new electricity connections, delivery of electricity bills to the correct address should be made 100% possible. pr

Shehbaz in China

Botched selection of CEC

PAkISTAnI Prime ministers visit China principally to make themselves known to one of Pakistan’s most important allies. It is usually a feel-good visit, but this time the usual animity on political issues does not exist. While neither Pakistan nor China have budged in their respective attitudes to India, there is now a divergence in their attitudes to the USA. This probably reflects the different self-images that they have, with China seeing itself as a global player which can rival the USA, while Pakistan entirely lacks any such aspirations, and has all along seen itself as part of the US camp.

However, while Prime minister Shehbaz Sharif will be busy explaining to his Chinese interlocutors on his maiden trip to China, that Pakistan would not like to offend the USA by siding with China in its dispute with the USA, uppermost in his mind will be the other issues he wishes to raise, and which China would also want decided. on the day of mr Sharif’s departure, the Bureau of Statistics released the october inflation figures, which were dismal. However, they would have shown to the government the need to focus on the economy, for the government has made much of the mishandling of the economy by the previous PTI government. mr Sharif has also left behind him the PTI Long march, which may well have contributed to the political instability that has made China increasingly wary of Pakistan. Former Pm Imran khan is also supposed to have mismanaged relations with China, while mr Sharif’s elder brother nawaz, and he himself as Punjab Cm, are thought to have done better in facilitating the China Pakistan economic Corridor.

CPeC is important, because it is the lynchpin of China’s global posture. The Pakistani request for debt relief (which had been denied Sri Lanka, driving it to default) represents borrowing for CPeC. The modernisation of the main Line from karachi to Peshawar, which will represent a revival of CPeC, is necessary so that can send cargoes to Gwadar, apart from getting

Cargoes from it. Lack of attention by the previous government had led to CPeC virtually grinding to a halt, and the only obstacle to reviving it are awkward questions about the longevity of the government, and the security solution in Balochistan.

SIkAnDer Sultan raja, son-in-law of Saeed mehdi, ex-Principal Secretary to Prime minister nawaz Sharif, was appointed CeC (Chief election Commissioner) in January 2020. He is a career bureaucrat who served under Sheikh rashid Ahmed as Secretary railways. According to Shahbaz Sharif, he was the nominee of the then Prime minister Imran khan.

Unfortunately, the influence of the Sharifs in the bureaucracy has been grossly underestimated by the PTI government, both at the federal and provincial levels. Several blue-eyed officers of the PmL(n) administration managed to get important postings through the hidden ‘Baboo networks’.There is a long list of such botched appointments which have come to haunt Ik.

Bureaucrats control the files and the associated paperwork. They can easily manipulate the summaries and the search process. PSPm Azam khan ran the Pm Secretariat with complete authority as he had the trust of the Pm.

Currently he is being investigated by the FIA (Federal Investigation Agency) for his deeds. Though he himself did not belong to the ‘Sharif Baboo network’ he was unable to contain them. While the world knew about the credentials of raja Sahib and his close links with the ‘Sharif’s’ they were not highlighted to the Pm at the time of the selection. It is alleged that Sheikh rashid was happy with the performance of the Secretary of his ministry and recommended him for this important position.

There was a time that Pakistan railways were a pride of the nation. The network was run by a railway Board composed of professionals and led by a chairman who was a railways man, not a know-all bureaucrat.ever since the Board was dismantled and handed over to the ministry it has been down the hill.

I am curious to know about the exploits of raja Sahib as Secretary railways on the basis of which he was considered fit for the coveted slot of CeC. non-professional management has destroyed the largest land carrier of the country. It has to be brought back under

professional managers.

Conducting credible, free and fair elections has been a big challenge in the Islamic republic of Pakistan. After the enactment of the 1973 Constitution only judges of the superior judiciary could hold this position. The 1977 elections were held under Justice Sajjad Ahmed Jan, a very respected retired judge of the Supreme Court.

The movement that was launched after the electoral contest on allegations of rigging not only derailed the democratic order ,it also brought bad name to the CeC who decided to step down as he was a man of honour. As national elections require a lot of logistic support from the administrative machinery, in India individuals with field experience are appointed to hold elections.

Impressed by the transparent electoral process of our neighbours, I started to support this approach. Finally, after the 18th Amendment bureaucrats were allowed to hold this position. Sikander Sultan raja is the first member of the bureaucracy who managed to land in this slot, but with disastrous consequences. I partly share the blame for this disastrous suggestion. Today Bhutto stands vindicated as he understood the bureaucracy well and wanted them to be kept away from the political contests. In the past only Judges were allowed to hold this position.

The PTI, the largest political party of the republic, has time and again shown its disdain at the partisan conduct of the CeC. A reference was filed against him in the Supreme Judical Council (SJC) in August 2022 while another has been filed this month.

Honour demands that raja Sahib, gracefully go home like Justices Sajjad Ahmed Jan and Fakharuddin G. Ibrahim who, after failing to deliver a credible election, decided to step down. By contrast bureaucrats cling to power and seldom resign.

I still think that the position of CeC calls for administrative experience which the judges do not have, but then the bureaucracy over the years has been tainted to a point of no return. Favouritism and loyalty has been a norm in their selection and promotion, the neutrality and professionalism that once existed is no more to be seen. most bureaucrats still operate under the Victorian Government of India Acts, totally ignoring the Constitution of the republic. Finding a suitable candidate amongst their cadre requires a thorough evaluation, which was not done in this case. Bureaucrats stand by their fellow officers and cover and protect their misdeeds and mal-administration. Time and again I have been told by the senior officers that they were duty bound to defend the decisions taken by their peers even if they were incorrect or unethical.

It has been my experience that the royal Colonial Bureaucracy of Pakistan cannot deliver relief to the public, with Punjab being the worst. Their evilness was neither understood nor addressed by the PTI government. Without a major shake-up the situation will not get better. even today despite their holding office in the province, delivery to the public is dismal.

The Chief minster Secreatriat operates under

closed gates in Gor where entry is controlled. mafias continue to call the shots. Botched appointments lead to botched results which the nation has to endure. It is time to take stock of all such selections and reverse them before it is too late.

For credible elections to take place the CeC has to be pushed out as the appointing authority has realised its mistake. An honourable exit calls for an immediate resignation which is most unlikely, so there has to be a targeted strategy to correct the blunder to move forward in best national interests.

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

Importance of women to the economy

tries or enhance the country’s economic growth with these prevailing numbers.

Women in Pakistan comprise approximately 49 percent of its total population, but women in the labour force are hardly 20 percent. This data illustrates that it is one of many reasons that aren’t being addressed and taken seriously. In developed countries, women are considered a driving force of the economy, And they cannot imagine their economy being strengthened without the participation of women’s labour.

In developed countries, women struggle over the wage gap, equal representation in senior positions and flexibility in working hours. But in developing countries, specifically Pakistan, women are still fighting over their fundamental human rights, even the right to live, the right to education, and the right to freedom. These are a few basic rights women in our country are fighting over.

So, the concept of the gender wage gap and unevenness in representative positions is still hard to catch. Pakistan cannot boost its economic growth with 20 percent of women labour in the market. According to the World economic Forum, Pakistan is the second worst country regarding gender inequality; the worst being Afghanistan.

Women in rural areas of Pakistan mostly work in the

agricultural farms that their families inherit, and they are not paid for their labour. Women tend to work two times more than men on domestic work. If women get paid for domestic work around the globe, they can add 10-40 percent growth to the global GDP. There should be more opportunities for women in every sector, especially in politics. Women’s participation in politics can help more women to fight against the patriarchy. Women in politics or the policy-making offices can bring change by creating more opportunities for women to work. They can maintain checks and balances on policies that can provide a safe environment for women in our society. When Pervez musharraf increased the quota for women in politics, Pakistan improved its position in the Gender Gap index. To counter inequality, we need more women in every sector.

If we systematically increase the number of women in the working sectors, it will boost our economy in many ways. Women play a major role in boosting economic growth and curtailing the country’s poverty rate. For example, according to the report of the World Bank, in Latin America, women played an important role in diminishing poverty estimation, with a 30 percent decline in the poverty rate in 8-10 years.

Gender equality causes windfalls in countries by promoting socioeconomic opportunities for women and transgender people. It gives sustainability to society and the environment. It helps in welcoming more innovations, and it also encourages the tech centre of the country. many women promote businesses that add value to the country’s economic growth. Women’s role in economic development is not only limited to the country’s economy, but it is another way to empower women individually. It makes them independent; it allows them to control their freedom and express their opinions. In Third World countries expressing opinions and being respected for their views would be a new phenomenon.

Women in the economic sector, specifically in business organisations, are helpful for companies to grow effectively. Women in business sectors in senior administration positions perform exceptionally, and it helps companies to grow promptly as compared to the patriarchal pre-eminence companies. In Pakistan, with an inflation rate of 9.50 percent, two household incomes can solve many crises. It can help educate children and procure better healthcare facilities and easy access to good food. These basic and vital issues can be solved easily if women also become breadwinners of the house.

In conservative-culture countries like Pakistan, it is not easy to change society’s benchmarks in a blink. In Pakistan, around 23 million children are out of school and around half of the 12 million girls are out. It is a startling situation and a point to rethink priorities. We cannot produce economists, business people, engineers, doctors, tech giants, etcetera, that can compete with other coun-

It is the priority of the state to take societies in confidence about the benefits of education, especially girls’ education. It is also important for communities to understand the importance of education, which is necessary and will be more important in the coming time. With proper educational opportunities, women can learn skills, and they can become the labour force of the country.

Harassment at workplaces is another challenge constraining families from sending their women to do work equally to men. At workplaces, there should be rigorous policies for harassment, and there should be easy access for women to utilise those committees where they can freely address their issues and problems. The state should initiate easily convenient pick-and-drop service buses for women. There should be beneficial women’s help centres in every city that ensure women’s safety and support them in case of any harassment or domestic abuse.

We learned from covid-19 that we could easily work with flexible timing, and flexibility in time is important for women. Companies and organisations must ensure flexible timings for women to work. In Pakistan, the wage gap is around 34 percent which is greater than in other countries. Wage gap or inequality in working sectors causes trouble in financial growth and can de-motivate women from working harder. more than half the population of women in Pakistan doesn’t attend school, and around 90 percent of women have only a secondary education, which is the major reason that creates a wage gap.

The wage gap is interlinked with education and extraordinary skills; the state has to build more educational institutions to increase the literacy rate, which will help obliterate this huge wage gap. If women are paid equally as men, it not only ends inequality in the working sectors but also encourages more women to get a job.

The writer is a freelance columnist

UsMa asghar

For credible elections to take place the CEC has to be pushed out as the appointing authority has realised its mistake. An honourable exit calls for an immediate resignation which is most unlikely, so there has to be a targeted strategy to correct the blunder to move forward in best national interests

The wage gap is interlinked with education and extraordinary skills; the state has to build more educational institutions to increase the literacy rate, which will help obliterate this huge wage gap.

Dr FariD a Malik

Yousaf Nizami Editor

Dedicated to the legacy of late Hameed Nizami Arif Nizami (Late) Founding Editor

M. A. Niazi

Editor

Aziz Executive Editor Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

Editor

A bureaucrat in the job has not been a successful experiment

women means wasting a valuable resource

Editor’s mail

Agricultural research

SeVerAL hundred farmers converged on Islamabad recently to protest against the soaring costs of agricultural inputs, diesel and electricity. They had initially refused to end their protest unless their demands were accepted and a meeting was arranged with the prime minister. Their protest was called off after a breakthrough in talks with government representatives.

The protests should remind the government of the critical importance of agriculture to the revival of a teetering economy, and the need to control surging food prices, food shortages and soaring poverty. The country’s fiscal and current account woes cannot be tackled on a sustainable basis without drastically and rapidly improving the agricultural economy.

The sector faces multiple challenges, ranging from low yield to erosion in soil fertility owing to the excessive use of pesticides and fertilisers, water-logging and salinity, obsolete and inefficient farming practices, changing weather patterns owing to climate change, and what not.

Sadly, government policies have only aggravated these problems, encouraging fixed cropping patterns, and discouraging a shift to valueadded crops. The policy focus on expanding the cultivable area and increasing the use of chemicals for higher output has endangered food safety and is hindering efforts to boost farm exports.

As agriculture can play a major role in economic revival, the government must allocate sufficient resources for agricultural research, set up initiatives to encourage the adoption of modern farm technologies and practices, and stop influencing farmers’ crop selection.

The population crisis of Bangladesh

THe death toll from a capsized boat in Panchagarh, the northern district of Bangladesh, was reportedly 61 fatalities, confirmed two days after the tragedy struck on September 25. Amidst wailing relatives and vigilant police officers, rescue divers searched haplessly for dead bodies; in high hopes of finding survivors. But prospects were bleak for the ten missing out of more than 80 on board. Alas, this heart-wrenching accident, shocking for many of us, is not an anomaly for Bangladesh, a low-lying nation bordered by the Bay of Bengal with extensive inland waterways. However, the underlying problem is not the ill-omened geography inherited by the country, it is correlated with the rapidly growing population of Bangladesh, and resources that just cannot keep up!

The investigative committee appraising the incident concluded that the boat, bearing a cargo of Hindu pilgrims, was carrying three times its capacity. Due to lax safety standards and nonexistent regulatory oversight, such incidents are commonplace in Bangladesh. According to research, dozens of people die annually in ferry accidents. The fundamental cause: travellers beyond the capacity threshold of the boats. A similar incident sparked a furore in 2015 when more than 78 people died in a collision between a cargo vessel and an overcrowded ferry in a river west of Dhaka, the metropolis of Bangladesh. Such accidents, unfortunately, are not limited to sinking boats.

Lack of regulatory discipline has also constituted a high rate of road accidents. In 2016, more than 157 people died in traffic collisions across the country during the eid holidays, according to the Bangladesh Passengers’ Welfare Association. Bus accidents are particularly acute during festivals as a spate of people travel from urban centres to rural towns to celebrate customary rituals.

The passengers swarm buses while drivers pay no heed to flimsy traffic regulations, disregarding safety protocols en route to earn a quick buck. As a result, about 13,000 people die in road crashes in Bangladesh annually, according to the Dhaka-based Centre for Injury Prevention and research. While many domestic critics traditionally rail at the lack of poor judgment of the passengers and the absence of a strict administrative code, many often discount the factor of overpopulation matching inadequate resources, manifested in paradigms of overcrowded boats and buses.

Bangladesh is the eighth most populous nation in the world, with a population of almost 170 million people. However, its total area is ap-

proximately 147,570 km², the 94th largest land area in the world. This demographil mismatch makes Bangladesh one of the most densely populated countries in the world. Just picture the classic traffic congestions in karachi or a horde of commuters typically dangling from local trains in new Delhi. The officially reported population density in Pakistan and India is 287 people/km² and 428 people/km², respectively. In stark comparison, Bangladesh has a population density of 1265 people/km², the eighth highest in the world. And despite the recent reduction in the fertility rate, about 253 people are added to the Bangladeshi population each hour, according to a report by the national Institute of Population research and Training (nIPorT,- an autonomous research organization in Bangladesh involved in family planning research and projects.

Thus, a surging population alongside trailing means has pushed Bangladesh to the cusp of social and economic fallout.

The economy of Bangladesh has remained in the limelight for the past two decades, growing consistently at an average of around 6 percent annually. Admittedly, Bangladesh has dazzled the world in terms of the pace of its economic growth. It has a per capita income (GDP per capita) of over $2000, outpacing India, the world’s fifth largest economy.

ingly, the news went under the radar, unlike the sensational headlines circulating around Sri Lanka and Pakistan. maybe because, in the case of Bangladesh, the request was devoid of political theatrics in the background. or because the Bangladeshi Prime minister Sheikh Hasina Wazed portrayed the impending crisis as “budgetary support” instead of a desperate bailout.

Unfortunately, that narrative is not served well by recent history. Since 2019, Bangladesh has received budget support to the tune of $5.8 billion from a diverse range of multilateral agencies. In reality, the so-called “symbol of self-reliance,” Bangladesh is facing a fiscal crisis due to endemic corruption intersecting an evergrowing consumption-centric population.

According to the Global Financial Integrity (GFI), a Washington-based think tank focused on illicit financial flows and money laundering, an estimated $8.27 billion were siphoned from Bangladesh annually between 2009 and 2018 via misappropriation of funds in the trade of goods and services.

The Bangladeshi administration should also discern that strategic redistribution and mobilization of its human resources could quickly turn its growing liability into a sustainable asset.

Yet, this would only be possible if the leaders collectively strive for the social rejuvenation of Bangladesh and avoid the greed-stricken schemes that led Pakistan and Sri Lanka to their current crossroads.

However, industrial expansion has masked the inadequacy of resources and opportunities, continually worsening Bangladesh’s social profile. Despite several large infrastructure projects, sprawling roads and energy networks have done little to improve the standard of living in Bangladesh.

According to the Asian Development Bank (ADB), despite one of the highest literacy rates among South Asian countries, more than a fifth of the general citizenry of Bangladesh still lives below the poverty line. A study by Un-Habitat, the United nations Human Settlement Programme for sustainable urban development, revealed that Dhaka is one of the world’s most crowded cities, with more than 44,500 people inhabiting a square kilometer of space. How is Bangladesh ostensibly prospering economically when its population is in dire straits? The answer to such a blatant disparity is not just overpopulation; also shrinking resources due to rampant political corruption.

Despite its phenomenal economic growth, Bangladesh recently requested the International monetary Fund (ImF) for a $4.5 billion loan package, following Pakistan and Sri Lanka as the third South Asian country approaching the multilateral lender in recent months. But intrigu-

Bangladeshi deposits in Swiss banks ballooned by over 55 percent last year while the Bangladesh Bank, the country’s central bank, continued to blank out large scams and bad loans to paint a rosy picture for foreign investors allured by the touted industrial success. Ultimately, while the country is growing at an acceleration, it is sadly at the expense of the general populace of Bangladesh.

The mass exodus of rohingya refugees from myanmar since 2017 has further debilitated the social fabric of Bangladesh. With an influx of hundreds of thousands of foreign refugees and an inceptive legacy of fraudulent elections, I can’t help but visualize Bangladesh following in the footsteps of Pakistan. However, with a diversifying industrial base and a relatively literate adult population, Bangladesh can avoid the lost decades sustained by Pakistan.

The developed world should realize that a festering crisis in myanmar would imperil the development of Bangladesh. And just throwing money with no social construct or regulatory prudence would only exacerbate inequality in Bangladesh that could subsequently lead to radicalization.

The Bangladeshi administration should also discern that strategic redistribution and mobilization of its human resources could quickly turn its growing liability into a sustainable asset. Yet, this would only be possible if the leaders collectively strive for the social rejuvenation of Bangladesh and avoid the greed-stricken schemes that led Pakistan and Sri Lanka to their current crossroads.

The writer can be reached at szainabbasrizvi.14122@khi.iba.edu.pk

Protectors or Violators

ABDUL QADIR TURBAT

THe countries that are acting today like the champions of the climate change cause are, in fact, the biggest contributors to pollution which eventually caused the disaster that the world is facing today. The countries participating in the 27th Conference of the Parties (CoP27) of the United nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UnFCCC) tend to ignore the crimes against climate being committed by certain countries by conveniently looking the other way.

Take, for instance, what Israel is doing in the occupied territories. It has uprooted millions of olive trees in the occupied lands which the Western media chose, and continues to choose, to ignore perhaps because it cannot understand the gravity of the crime. The olive tree is synonymous with Palestine. The trees in Al Walaja village are believed to be a few thousand years old, but are being threatened by the Jewish settlers.

The occupiers have destroyed water resources, poisoned water wells, ruined farm crops, and killed farm animals. Sewage collected from the socalled civilised white settlers is dumped into Arab neighbourhoods, causing and spreading diseases. The list of climate crimes is endless in the region.

The wall built by the occupiers damages trees, plants and natural reserves. Yet millions of dollars from the taxpayers’ money in the Western countries are poured into the settler colonies, many of whom are members of CoP27, to keep the occupation and the agenda of the destruction of Palestine alive.

needless to say, the occupiers of Palestine have regularly bombed Palestinian lands on one pretext or another, destroying infrastructure, and damaging water and electricity lines. Israel has even used white phosphorus bombs on Palestinian populations, adding to the climate change phenomenon, although such bombs are not meant to be used on civilian populations.

Despite all this, the members of CoP27 have continued to supply weapons of mass destruction to Israel and ignore the damage it is causing in the Arabian peninsula that does not belong to it. It is strange that when the damage to the environment is done by the ‘whites’, as in the case of Israel, it is ignored. When it is done by, say, China, all hell breaks loose.

The self-proclaimed ‘civilised’ world should stop haranguing the rest of the world about climate change because no one believes their rants and chants. If CoP27 is really serious, it should hold its own members accountable for the immense damage done to the environment, particularly, but not exclusively, in the Arabian peninsula.

The Arabs — Palestinians, to be more specific — know their land better and can still bring life back in the desert and save the climate. Who is holding them back from doing that? of course, the ‘civilised’ world.

ANGABEEN AHMAD KARACHI

Strange cases of milk prices

THe price of milk in the retail market has gone up once again. The latest hike has been as abrupt as has always been the case over the last couple of years. It is currently available in the open market at anywhere between rs170 and rs200 per litre, depending on the locality.

I understand that the prices of tomatoes, onions and potatoes register a sharp increase every now and then because of the gap between demand and supply. There are times when natural elements hurt the crop, and every now and then we have to import them from neighbouring countries. But milk? What is the issue with milk prices in a country which happens to be one of the leading producers of the commodity in the world?

In the case of tomatoes coming from Iran, ‘patriotic’ Pakistani farmers occasionally destroy consignments coming to karachi, knowing that a surplus would reduce their incomes substantially. one can see the same mindset among leaders of the oil-producing countries who time and again agree to reduce production by millions of barrels per day to manipulate prices.

All this I am able to understand. I really do. What I fail to understand is the mindset and manipulation in the milk market. It is available in abundance — or so we have been told for years — and there is no way of reducing milk production.

Also, milk is not a speculative market, like stocks, currency , gold, etc., where prices fluctuate on the basis of political and economic currents. Surely, the hike in milk prices by the producers could not be due to petrol and diesel prices remaining unchanged, or due to the outcome of recent byelections, or the reported increase in the salary of Punjab legislators, or because President Joe Biden called Pakistan one of the most dangerous countries in the world.

So, then, what exactly is the logic behind the surge in the prices of milk? Pray, tell me.

Zain abbas riZvi

The rapid growth disguises a problem of too many people

Secrecy & empIre

declassified australia ClinTon Fernandes

THe secrecy surrounding Australian foreign and defence policy protects planners from the public that elected them. The war in Afghanistan offers ample evidence. The United States and Australia carried out an assassination campaign against the tactical leadership of the insurgency. Known as the Joint Prioritized effects List (JPeL), it is an intelligence-driven assassination program enabled by drones and special forces.

The dynamic involves assassinating insurgents without dealing with the root causes of the insurgency. Some Australian forces participated in this assassination campaign, which was known by various euphemisms.

The JPeL-based assassination program was no secret to the Taliban, nor to the population of Afghanistan, some of whom were killed or maimed while merely attending weddings or tending their farms. Nor was it a secret to the intelligence services of neighbouring states such as Russia, China, Iran and Pakistan. But it was a secret to the Australian public, who had no way to hold the government to account.

Instead, the Australian Defence Force gave media prominence to Sarbi, a black Labrador explosives detection dog who became separated from her handler, presumed dead, to be found again a year later.

One can hardly blame Australians for lacking expertise when they are deliberately kept in the dark. Policy-makers usually claim they have a unique ability to judge what constitutes harm to national security.

In relation to AUKUS, then Foreign Minister Marise Payne said: “Nobody who is not part of those discussions and is not part of the decision-making process can ever know—and frankly nor should they know—the detail and the depth of the considerations that governments go into. These have to be done in a confidential way.”

But secrecy in these circumstances does not protect the Australian public. Rather, it protects the security establishment from knowledge of its actions by the Australian public. It allows planners to uphold the U.S.-led imperial order under the guise of Australia’s national interest. It insulates the real aims of policy from robust, evidence-based debate. This is not national security in any meaningful sense. For all the mystique and secrecy, practitioners have not demonstrated that they possess some special body of technical knowledge that renders them uniquely qualified to determine what constitutes a legitimate reason for secrecy.

Concepts in national security, foreign affairs and the social sciences more generally are accessible to the average human being. Of course, the intelligence agencies have scientific and technical desks whose analysts assess the existence of (say) weapons of mass destruction

in Iraq. These analysts do require a relevant technical background. But anyone can understand the social and political implications of these studies if institutions do not work actively to exclude them. Judgements about national security or foreign affairs rely not so much on expertise, as on ideology.

It was not that long ago that India — now a great friend and member of the Quad [Quadrilateral Security Dialogue with Japan, Australia and the U.S.] — was regarded as a potential threat to Australia. When India conducted nuclear tests in 1998, the Howard government recalled its high commissioner to New Delhi and imposed sanctions. The Labor opposition condemned what it called “an outrageous act of nuclear bastardry.”

Australia had an important card to play: it has about 40 percent of the world’s known resources of low-cost uranium. It could deny India uranium exports because India did not sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). A few years later, the United States changed its export control laws to permit assistance to India’s nuclear programs. Labor was in office.

The United States asked Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to support the “cooperative arrangement with New Delhi.” Six months later, Foreign Minister Stephen Smith gave a private assurance to his Indian counterpart that Australia would support an exception for the U.S.–India nuclear deal. He confirmed this publicly soon afterwards.

In 2016, the Nuclear Power Corporation of India and U.S.-based Westinghouse Corporation agreed to build six nuclear reactors in India. The next year, Australia’s first shipment of uranium left for India. This made India the only country in the world to possess nuclear weapons, not be a party to the NPT and still be permitted to engage in nuclear commerce. Today, of course, India is considered a partner with Australia in upholding a “rules-based international order” in a “free and open Indo-Pacific.”

Australia has acted as an imperial power. The Department of Foreign Affairs’ internal legal advice, as early as February 1975, was that an Indonesian invasion of Timor-Leste, then known as Portuguese Timor, “would fall into the category of outright aggression.”

Aggression, as the Nuremberg Tribunal declared, is “not only an international crime; it is the supreme international crime differing only from other war crimes in that it contains within itself the accumulated evil of the whole.”

The Whitlam government gave Indonesia the green light to invade Timor-Leste. The Fraser government legitimised the occupation by recognising Indonesian sovereignty over the territory, and helping it diplomatically when its military operations caused the deaths of about 31 percent of its population — the largest loss of life relative to total population since World War II.

Australian intelligence agencies targeted the survivors and their descendants in espionage and other operations for the purpose of depriving them of control over their sole major natural resource: their oil and gas fields. Bernard Collaery, the lawyer who disclosed one operation, fought in the courts to have his trial conducted in public. In July 2022, the new attorney-general finally dropped the prosecution against him.

A public trial might show Australians that the espionage operation occurred under cover of an aid project, jeopardising the safety of Australian aid workers everywhere. It also diverted precious resources of the Australian Secret Intelligence Service (ASIS) away from the war on terrorism. When the ASIS team was in Timor-Leste in September 2004, Jemaah Islamiyah terrorists succeeded in bombing the Australian em-

bassy in Indonesia.

The foreign affairs minister at the time of operations against Timor-Leste, Alexander Downer, worked as a lobbyist for Woodside Petroleum after leaving parliament in 2008. The secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Dr. Ashton Calvert, retired and joined the board of directors of Woodside.

Professor Andrew Serdy, a former Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade officer, said: “Senior officials at all times simply assumed—whether because of direction to that effect by ministers or their offices I do not know—that the national interest was identical to Woodside’s.”

The Australian public should not be accused of callous indifference when the ideological institutions deceive them about what happened in Timor-Leste for 24 years and what the Australian government did.

They do not know, for example, that just an hour’s flight from Darwin, east Timorese women were enslaved sexually without fear of reprisal and with the knowledge and complicity of the Indonesian security forces, the civilian administration and members of the judiciary.

Australia sent weapons to Indonesia and shielded it from international criticism. Tim Fischer, deputy prime minister in the Howard government, praised Indonesian dictator Suharto as “perhaps the world’s greatest figure in the latter half of the twentieth century.”

A bipartisan elite consensus shields foreign policy from public scrutiny, ensuring that it does not enter the terrain of political contestation.

Australian public opinion on foreign policy issues is rational in this sense; a valuable study by Caroline Yarnell showed that public opinion responds reasonably to triggers such as international events and statements by political leaders.

The public responds rationally to the facts it sees. Inconvenient facts are not censored but are buried all the same; in principle, they are discoverable, but in reality they are out of the public’s awareness because, without regular repetition, no one remembers them. And they have to remain unrepeated and unemphasised precisely because of Australia’s democratic freedoms. If they were front and centre, they would never be tolerated by Australians.

The question of whether the powerful really believe in their own benevolence is irrelevant as a guide to political action. It might preoccupy writers and others who are entranced by elite sentiment. For those concerned about reforming foreign policy, however, the task is to change the domestic structure of power.

Clinton Fernandes is professor of international and political studies at the University of New South Wales. A former intelligence officer in the Australian Army, Clinton specializes in strategic studies with a focus on international relations and strategy, especially on issues concerning the national interests of Australia.

This article is an edited extract from Clinton Fernandes’ book, Subimperial Power: Australia in the International Arena.

Kahanism won. Israel is now closing in on a right-wing, religious, authoritarian revolution

THIS MAY BE A BLACK DAY IN ISRAEL’S HISTORY

Haaretz editorial

We need to wait for the final results in order to know the ultimate split between the blocs, but based on the exit polls published by Israel’s three main TV news stations on Tuesday evening, it’s already clear that the big winner in the country’s 25th Knesset elections is the chairman of Otzma Yehudit, Itamar Ben Gvir, and that the big loser is Israel.

Religious Zionism, the Knesset list that distorted the Zionist project and transformed it from the national home of the Jewish people into a project of conservative, right-wing, racist, religious Jewish supremacism in the spirit of Ben Gvir’s teacher and rabbi, Meir Kahane, is now the third largest political force in Israel. That is the true, chilling significance of the election held on Tuesday.

In recent years, Israel has become terrifyingly more extreme. everything we were warned about is happening right before our eyes. Kahanism has been legitimized and spread, and on Tuesday at the polls outdid the party whose leaders are two former Israel Defense Forces chiefs of staff (the National Unity Party); the Kahanist slate is almost three times as large as the movement that founded Israel (the Labor Party). “‘This is the day that the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it,’” tweeted the chairman of the Religious Zionism party, MK Bezalel Smotrich. “Today, Religious Zionism makes history with the greatest achievement for a national religious party since the establishment of the state,” he added. His joy should rattle the calm of every Israeli.

Although as noted, it is still too early to tell how the political blocs will form, as of this writing, Netanyahu might return to government. His apparent coalition will allow him to carry out his plot against Israeli democracy, including a fatal blow against the justice system. Moreover, that coalition might demand this of him. In such a revolution, a number of destructive steps might be taken.

Here are some examples: Fire the attorney general; split the role of attorney general; legislate an override clause that will allow the Knesset to legislate whatever it wants to – even laws that are unconstitutional; allow the Knesset to select Supreme Court justices; restrict freedom of expression; and persecute journalists, Arabs, leftists and members of the LGBTQ community.

We have to hope that the appearance of the blocs will change when all the votes are counted, and that Netanyahu will not be able to form a nightmare coalition, which hinges on the votes of the Kahanists.

Israel is now on the verge of a right-wing, religious, authoritarian revolution, whose goal is to decimate the democratic infrastructure on which the country was built. This may be a black day in Israel’s history.

Germany pushes back against the US by talking to china

eU to collectively engage with China in a positive way.

GeRMAN Chancellor Olaf Scholz is set to visit China this week. It marks his first ever trip to the Asian country, amidst growing tensions between it and the West. But the decision to make the trip and the timing behind it is no coincidence. Scholz is sending a deliberate message to the US that Germany isn’t going to close the door on China, as Washington attempts to force countries to take a side.

In fact, he even made an explicit warning against ‘decoupling’, something the US has also been pushing for, as seen with its aggressive semiconductor-related sanctions last month. But there’s more. Germany also approved a Chinese ownership stake in a critical port, as well as the takeover of a semiconductor company. It’s all part of that same message.

Germany has the most open and enthusiastic policy towards China in europe, or at least it did. Strengthening ties with Beijing was a critical focus for the government of Angela Merkel, who saw China as its biggest and most lucrative export market for automobile and engineering products.

But the US has always resented this. The US wants to politically dominate europe, including Germany. It seeks for Berlin to be a lapdog who uncritically follows its foreign policy agenda. Therefore, the US has long raged against open German foreign policy towards both Moscow and Beijing. It funds think-tanks to aggressively lobby Berlin to follow transatlantic goals, an overt form of foreign influence in the country.

When the conflict in Ukraine broke out, the US believed all its Christmases had come at once and Washington now had the perfect opportunity to make Berlin follow its agenda, and for a while it certainly seemed like that. Olaf Scholz is no Angela Merkel, and at the very least he has talked the talk for most of this year concerning Germany’s foreign policy.

Until reality hit. The costs of the American-led crusade against both Russia and China are exorbitant for Germany and its resource-sparse, export-heavy economy. Germany is facing crippling levels of inflation, its

trade surplus has been wiped out by a surge in energy costs which has culled manufacturing, and what’s worse is that this entire situation has been to America’s own benefit. This prompted rare criticism from French President emmanuel Macron, who effectively said the US was using the conflict to exploit europe.

This has led Germany to hedge its foreign policy options and reassert “strategic autonomy” from the US. The US has devoted considerable effort to trying to sabotage the China-eU relationship, making this a bold act on Scholz’s behalf. While he will have the support of France, who is usually unified with Germany on foreign policy, it will be a struggle to get the entirety of the european Union to follow. The US has gained an ironclad grip over many eU nations (with the exception of Hungary) that have become absolutely fanatical in wake of the Ukraine conflict. This has allowed the US to use small countries, such as Lithuania, to drive wedges in the China-eU relationship, making it impossible for the

To make it worse, the eU institution itself (beyond the member states) has also become increasingly aggressive and vocal concerning China, with leading commissioners such as Ursula von der Leyen being very pro-US. This means the eU’s China policy will continue to be a struggle and tug-of-war concerning multiple agendas. Germany may be the most powerful state, but is even wrestling with itself in respect to its China policy. This means that while Scholz is intent on sending a message to the US in regards to China, one which has been met with a tidal wave of US-centric media negativity, it is going to be challenging to maintain the closeness of the Merkel years.

But one message is otherwise clear: european countries should be able to take their own path and the US has no right to demand their absolute compliance and obedience regarding their own foreign policy goals. Germany’s post-war prosperity is built on being a great power that pursues openness and stable ties with other countries, including geopolitical rivals. There is no going back to the past. Post-war Germany strives to be a responsible country and not a mere puppet of the US. The Biden administration has run roughshod imposing its will on europe. This is a clear message that enough is enough.

UNDER THE GUISE OF PROTECTING THE NATIONAL INTEREST, AUSTRALIA’S SECURITY ESTABLISHMENT ACTS IN SECRET TO UPHOLD THE GLOBAL U.S.-LED IMPERIAL ORDER

rt Timur Fomenko

OLAF SCHOLZ’S UPCOMING VISIT TO CHINA IS A MESSAGE THAT WASHINGTON CAN’T DICTATE BERLIN’S FOREIGN POLICY

corporate corner

IMRAN MISLEADING PEOPLE, SPREADING LIES wITH FOREIGN FUNDING: MEMON

Karachi staff report

SindhMinister for information and Mass Transit Sharjeel inam Memon has said that a foreign conspiracy being hatched against Pakistan, and added that it is not that conspiracy about which imran Khan was talking but it is the imran Khan's conspiracy through which he is busy misleading people and spreading lies in the country with the funding of india and israel. imran Khan is trying to harm the country by spreading lies and creating chaotic situation and he became a security risk for the country as well. Mr Memon said that imran Khan wants to see martial law rule imposed in the country by talking about imposing martial law so that international sanctions would be imposed on the country leading to economic instability in the country. he said that international organizations and countries were sending aids from all over the world for flood affectees and international media was highlighting the flood devastations caused by recent floods in it's headlines but imran Khan has harmed the entire issue and diverted the attention of the national and international media towards the Long March. now, media is not covering or highlighting the plight of the flood victims but imran Khan's long march is focus of the media which is tantamount to a biggest conspiracy and such conspiracy .

Allied Bank partnership with dEngage for unified customer driven marketing platform

This he expressed while addressing a press conference in the Sindh Assembly Auditorium on Wednesday. he said that this person is continuously telling lies and as much as he recites the most Tasbeh then same way talks the most lies. imran Khan has no plan for the development of Pakistan only telling lies and he is merely working on the agenda of india and israel and targeting the national institutions. he said that imran Khan wants to see bloodshed in the country so that he can achieve his goals . On this occasion,

Int’l recognized certification by Saudi Takamol, NAVTTC Pakistan for skilled workers launched

Sindh Minister information also presented video slides on projector before the media containing the comments and interviews of the respectable personalities of Pakistan dr. israr Ahmed, Abdul Sattar Edhi, late hakeem Saeed about imran Khan and others. he told the mediapersons that he wanted to present facts of the past about imran Khan before the innocent people who are presenting fraudy imran Khan as an angel. "in these videos, the renowned personalities of Pakistan revealed the real face of imran Khan infront of the nation several years before imran Khan became the Prime Minister. he said that the late hakeem Saeed had written in his book Japan Ki Kahani' that imran Khan had been nurtured by the israeli lobby as hero of Pakistan for slot of prime minister. he added that Abdul Sattar Edhi had told in his one of the interview that how imran Khan conspired on the behest of hameed Gul to overthrow the government of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto. Sharjeel Memon said imran Khan is a test tube baby who is plotting against the state institutions and he had always supported the unconstitutional forces in the country. he further said that the entire nation was saddened on the murder of Arshad Sharif, but imran Khan and his party had been trying to achieve their own goals by giving a political color to this heinous murder. Minister pointed out that Arshad Sharif had exposed imran Khan in his program and revealed that PTi had received huge foreign funding from india and israel. While analysing the last five days addresses of imran Khan on container, Minister said that imran Khan gave his speeches an islamic touch and a foreign conspiracy touch while the foreign conspiracy drama and cipher narrative of imran Khan is badly exposed now in the country. Adding that it was fake and fabricated narratives of imran Khan hatched to save himself and his associates from corruption scandals. he said that imran Khan hurling abuses against the united states of America during his speeches at every stage but during his tenure, when

Pakistan wants to promote ship recycling industry: Secy

imran Khan retuned from USA visit and after meeting with donald Trump, he said that he was not much happy to win the Cricket World Cup in 1991 as much as he has pleased by visiting America. Memon said that in order to seek USA support, PTi has hired the services of a lobbying firm in the United States. he criticizingly said that imran Khan is delivering lectures on the doctrine of Amar Bil-Maruf but other side, he ran campaign in the support of his ex-brother in law, Zec gold Smith, against Pakistani born muslim during the London elections, and he had also donated £5000 pounds in his campaign.

While referring to a tweet by Zach Goldsmith, Memon said that Mr. Zac Goldsmith declared imran Khan the least corrupt person in the world. The Sindh Minister said that global corruption index related international organizations have revealed that record corruption was observed in Pakistan during imran Khan's tenure when he was premier. imran Khan had used nAB as weapon against his political opponents, while the cases of his people like Pervez Khattak and Mehmood Khan were closed. Sharjeel Memon said that none others but imran Khan's own officers of KPK Chief Minister' inspection team had unearthed kickbacks of Rs. 7 billion in Peshawar BRT during his tenure and instead of taking action against Parvez Khatak, he was promoted by imran Khan appointed as defense Minister in federal government. While raising questions on the composition of Shoukat Khanum Trust Board, he said that family members of imran Khan were placed at the board of directors of Shoukat Khanum Trust hospital and Aleema Khan was also inducted as member into it.

Adding that other members of board were appointed as Minister of health in the federal government.he said that millions of homes are owning sewing machines in Pakistan, but no one has earned billions of rupees from these sewing machines but Aleema Khan is a unique case who purchased properties of Rs 2 billion in abroad which she earned from sewing machines.

Jazz, NFRCC team up to develop APP for seed distribution to flood-hit farmers

ABL has entered into a partnership with dEngage to launch a unified platform for customer driven marketing. dEngage solution will be integrating with all customer communication channels of Allied Bank for event based personalized communication with target audience based on data intelligence. The signing ceremony was held at Allied Bank’s Head Office, Lahore & was attended by Senior Management of both organizations.

Speaking on the occasion, Chief Digital Banking Mr. Sohail Aziz mentioned, “everyone is annoyed with increasing number of marketing messages which are counterproductive most of the time. We are pleased to partner with dEngage to replace bulk messaging into event-based engagements based on data intelligence. This will not only improve our customers engagements but also bring cost efficiency.” pr

HBL hosts Roshan Digital Account Event in London

The assessment of skilled workforce under National Vocational and Technical Training Commission, NAVTTC -TAKAMOL Skill Verification Program (SVP) was conducted at Hazza Institute of Technology, Islamabad today. A total of 88 candidates with required skill set of five trades including building electrician, welding, auto electrician, plumbing and Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) appeared in the skill verification program. NAVTTC management visited the assessment center to oversee the theoretical and practical tests of skilled workers. The assessment consists of two parts, each focusing on an essential aspect of the employment performance, enabling the assessor to check the extent to which the workers are aware of the details of their professions.

Skill Verification Program (SVP), Saudi Arabia is working with NAVTTC to verify the workers skills and ensure longer market engagement in KSA. pr

OGDCL holds free eye surgical camp for marginalize Communities

Islamabad: “The government of Pakistan wants to promote Ship Recycling industry by resolving its outstanding issues in line with the vision of Prime Minister of Pakistan for sustainable economic growth and United Nations 2030 agenda for sustainable development”, said the Chief Guest Mr. Mathar Niaz Rana, Federal Secretary, Ministry of Maritime Affairs (MoMA) while addressing the webinar titled “Implications of IMO Conventions (Particularly HKC) in National and International Context and the Way Forward” - organized by National Institute of Maritime Affairs on 27 October, 2022. He emphasized that the geographical location of Pakistan’s ship recycling yard and the nature of the beach have a competitive advantage over other recycling yards in the region, for which compliance of international obligation is critically important. Director General NIMA Vice Admiral (R) Abdul Aleem HI(M), in his welcome remarks highlighted the significance of International Conventions particularly HKC which offers avenue for green ship recycling by ensuring safe and environmentally sound practices. pr

CDA conducts operations against unauthorized, illegal constructions

Islamabad: Jazz, Pakistan’s leading digital operator and the largest internet and broadband service provider, collaborated with National Flood Relief Coordination Centre (NFRCC), to develop an App for Seed Distribution for the farmers affected by floods, as part of its commitment to provide technological support to the government for flood response and relief. The app is being launched in time for the Rabi season for wheat plantation. Key features of this app include farmer registration, claim submission, stock maintenance, claim verification and seed distribution. Its adoption will enable distribution of seeds to farmers in an efficient, quick transparent manner. Additionally, the industry has assisted its teams with SMS integration, framework for SMS rates and shortcodes, which is led by the Ministry of National Food Security & Research. Whilst speaking about the initiative, Ahsan Iqbal, Chairperson National Flood Response Coordination Centre (NFRCC) stated, “Farmers are scrambling to salvage whatever they can right now, with increasing debts and decreasing yields. With nearly 15% of Pakistan’s rice crop lost, 40% of cotton crop drowned and 4 million acres of crop land washed away, it is imperative for industry to step up and come forward for such tech-based partnerships. It is heartening to see Jazz come onboard and collaborate on this initiative with the government”. pr

UMT hosts its 23rd convocation 2022

lOndOn: HBL in collaboration with Pakistan High Commission London hosted the Roshan Digital Account event for the Pakistani community in the UK. This was the second awareness event by HBL, earlier this year, similar sessions were also held in Riyadh and Jeddah, KSA. The event was graced by H.E. Moazzam Ahmad KhanHigh Commissioner of Pakistan to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Also in attendance were members of Pakistani professional communities, Pakistan High Commission London and HBL UK staff. The Roshan Digital Account event was an effort to create further awareness of the State Bank of Pakistan’s Roshan Digital Initiative. This initiative allows non-resident Pakistanis to open bank accounts digitally from abroad for investment in Pakistan and take advantage of the saving schemes and investment opportunities in the country. pr

Islamabad: The Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL), in collaboration with Al-Shifa Eye Trust Hospital Sukkur, held its second three days Free Eye Surgical Camp at the Rural Health Centre Ranipur to ensure availability of health services to the poor and marginalized communities of Sukkur. Organized under the OGDCL’s CSR Programme, the Free Eye Surgical Camp reflected the company’s welfare policy towards poor people, particularly those in rural areas. OGDCL Regional Coordinator Sukkur inaugurated the 3-day Free Eye Surgical Camp. Dr. Rahim Bakhsh Bhatti (I/C GIMS Hospital Gambat, Mr. Shah Rukh Mangnahar, Assistant Commissioner Ranipur, health department and OGDCL officials, and media persons attended the opening ceremony. pr

Islamabad: On the instructions of the Chairman Capital Development Authority Captain (R) Muhammad Usman Younis, Enforcement Department and Building Control North Directorate carried out operation on Wednesday in sector E-11 against unauthorized buildings. As a result of these operation, many buildings were sealed and unauthorized constructions were also demolished. 6 trucks of equipment were also confiscated. According to the details, Chairman CDA Captain (R) Muhammad Usman Younis in a high-level meeting issued instructions to launch a special campaign against unauthorized buildings in Islamabad. Acting upon directions of Chairman comprehensive operation has been started against the violations of Islamabad Building Control Regulation-2020 and the construction of buildings without permission. ICT officers and Islamabad police also provided assistance in this operation. As a result of this operation, several buildings built in Sector E-11 were not only sealed, but the ongoing constructions were also demolished with the help of heavy machinery, while 3 trucks of equipment were also confiscated from the spot. Moreover, in F10 Markaz, a comprehensive action was taken against encroachments, during which dozens of stalls on the sides of the road. pr

laHORE: University of Management and Technology (UMT) held its 23rd Convocation 2022 on Wednesday, November 02. A total of 2572 graduates were given degrees in various disciplines on this occasion. According to the details 1816 Bachelor, 185 Master, 537 MS/MPhil and 34 PhD degrees were conferred.

Furthermore, 32 Patron Gold Medals, 36 Rector Silver Medals, 03 Rector Academic Excellence Award Gold Medals, 04 Certificates of Excellence, 03 Certificates of Merit, 05 Research Publication Awards for MS/MPhil students, 02 Dr Hasan Sohaib Murad Medal Awards (Gold) for PhD graduates along with cash prize of Rupees 100000 each, 01 Khurram Murad Medal Award (Gold) along with cash prize of Rupees 100000 for MBA graduate, 01 Mubarak un Nisa Medal Award along with cash prize of rupees 100000 to BBA graduate, 02 Dr Muhammad Ahmed Medal Awards along with cash prize of rupees 25000 each to BSHEL graduates, 01 Fast Excellence Award along with cash prize of Rupees 100000 to BSEE graduate and 18 Rector Awards for Entrepreneurship and Innovation were also given away on the occasion.

An awareness seminar on Thalassemia, Hepatitis B and C was organized in Ali Habib Medical Center Naya Nazimabad with the participation of Hussaini Blood Bank. Naya Nazimabad Gymkhana President Syed Muhammad Talha, Dr Labani, Dr Agha Umar Daraz, Chief Pathologist Hussaini Blood Bank CEO Asad Ali and others are prominent on this occasion. pr

MGC Real Estate and Best Western Hotel Group conducted their inauguration ceremony on Wednesday in Islamabad for the launch of Best Western Plus in MGC Jewel, located in Lake View Junction, Bahria Town. The event was attended by Best Western Group’s Thailand and UK teams and Best Western Pakistan CEO Ch Abdul Wahid. Best Western Plus is a 4-star hotel chain from the USA. Meanwhile, MGC Jewel is a 24 Kanal, 26 storey residentialcommercial complex in Bahria Town, Phase 8, and it is going to become the biggest project in Bahria Town in upcoming years. pr

South Korea retaliateS aS North Korea fireS over

SEOUL stAFF rePort

NoRTHKorea fired more than 20 missiles Wednesday, including one that landed close to South Korea’s waters in what President Yoon Suk-yeol said was “effectively a territorial invasion”.

It also fired an artillery barrage into a maritime “buffer zone” that experts said was part of an “aggressive and threatening” response by Pyongyang to large-scale joint air drills the United States and South Korea are conducting.

one short-range ballistic missile crossed the Northern Limit Line, the de facto maritime border, prompting a rare warning for residents on the island of Ulleungdo to seek shelter in bunkers.

Seoul’s military said it was the “first time since the peninsula was divided” at the end of Korean War hostilities in 1953 that a North Korean missile had landed so close to the South’s territorial waters.

“President Yoon pointed out today that North Korea’s provocation is an effective territorial invasion by a missile,” his office said in a statement. one of the missiles landed in waters just 57 kilometres (35 miles) east of the mainland, the military said, calling the incident “very rare and intolerable”.

Pyongyang fired a total of 23 missiles including seven short-range ballistic missiles and six ground-to-air ones, Seoul’s military said.

North Korea also conducted an

artillery barrage, firing into a maritime “buffer-zone” set up in 2018 in a bid to reduce tensions between the two countries during an ill-fated bout of diplomacy.

The huge volley of launches were “provocations against South Korea”, said Go Myong-hyun, a researcher at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if they lead up to a nuclear test,” he added.

South Korea, for its part, said it had fired three air-to-ground missiles into the sea towards the north of the two countries’ maritime boundary.

President Yoon called a meeting of the National Security Council, ordering “swift and stern measures so that North Korea’s provocations pay a clear price”.

South Korea closed some air routes over the East Sea, also known

miSSileS

Chiefs of Staff (JCS) told reporters.

In a statement, the JCS described the missile launch near South Korean territorial waters as very rare and intolerable”.

An air raid warning was issued for the island of Ulleungdo, JCS said, which was flashed on national television and told residents to “evacuate to the nearest underground shelter”.

South Korea’s transport ministry said some air routes in the sea off the east coast of the Korean peninsula have been closed.

The JCS had initially said it detected the launch of three short-range ballistic missiles, but later announced North Korea had fired “at least 10 missiles of various types today towards the east and west”.

as the Sea of Japan, advising local airlines to detour to “ensure passenger safety in the routes to the United States and Japan”.

Russia called for calm, while European Council President Charles Michel said he was “outraged by (the) aggressive and irresponsible behaviour of Pyongyang”.

S. Korea retaliates, calls N. Korea missile launch ‘territorial invasion’

South Korea says it has conducted air-to-surface missile tests in response to North Korean missile launches.

“The North Korean missile launch is very unusual and unacceptable as it fell close to South Korean territorial waters south of the Northern Limit Line for the first time” since the peninsula was divided, Kang Shin-chul, director of operations for the Joint

Japan also confirmed North Korean missile launches, with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida telling reporters he planned to call a “national security meeting as soon as possible.”

Vigilant Storm: Pyongyang’s latest launch comes as Seoul and Washington stage their largest-ever joint air drills, dubbed “Vigilant Storm”, which involve hundreds of warplanes from both sides.

Pak Jong Chon, a high-ranking official in North Korea, said the drills were aggressive and provocative, according to a report in state media Wednesday.

Pak said the name of the exercises harks back to operation Desert Storm, the US-led military assault on Iraq in 1990-1991 after it invaded Kuwait.

UK interior minister denounced for asylum seeker ‘invasion’ comments

British Home Secretary Suella Braverman faced heavy criticism on Tuesday for describing the arrival of asylum seekers as an invasion, with lawmakers across the political spectrum warning of the risk of using inflammatory language.

Her comments came a day after a man used fire bombs to attack an immigration processing centre in the port town of Dover.

Braverman, who is fighting to save her job after she admitted breaching security rules, told parliament on Monday that she was working to stop the “invasion on our southern coast” in reference to the arrival of migrants in small boats across the English channel.

Robert Jenrick, an immigration minister in Braverman’s interior ministry, said his boss’s language reflected the scale of the challenge, after a record number of nearly 40,000 asylum seekers arrived in Britain via small boats so far this year.

But he added: “I think in my role you have to choose your terminology wisely and we don’t want to see incidents like the one that occurred in Dover happen again.”

Braverman was reappointed interior minister by new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak last week, six days after she resigned from the same role for breaching ministerial rules by sending a sensitive government document via her personal email.

She has also been accused of failing to listen to legal advice on the prolonged detention of migrants at another processing centre, and failing to secure adequate accommodation, both claims she has denied.

Roger Gale, a lawmaker in Braverman’s governing Conservative Party whose constituency includes that centre, said her predecessors had found alternative accommodation such as hotels but that had stopped when she took over.

“I don’t accept or trust this home secretary’s word,” he told Times Radio. “She is only really interested in playing to the right wing.”

Conditions at the site at Manston in Kent were last week described by Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration David Neal as “pretty wretched”. A report found people were sleeping on the floor, some were not given access to telephones and were not allowed to close toilet doors fully.

Intended to house around 1,500 migrants for less than 24 hours at a time, numbers have swelled to more than double that, with one Afghan family saying they had been there for 32 days.

“Let’s stop pretending they are all refugees in distress, the whole country knows that is not true,” Braverman told parliament.

Yvette Cooper, the home affairs spokeswoman for the opposition Labour Party, said the rhetoric had deteriorated in line with the government’s performance.

“No Home Secretary who was serious about public safety or national security would use highly inflammatory language on the day after a dangerous petrol bomb attack on a Dover initial processing centre,” she said.

israel’s ‘Bibi’ Netanyahu inches closer to comeback

Israel’s right-wing veteran Benjamin Netanyahu, who has served as the country’s prime minister longer than anyone else, has described protecting the Jewish state from its enemies as his “life’s mission”.

His critics and allies alike concede that the gravel-voiced security hawk is a tireless campaigner in pursuit of an office — the Israeli premiership — which he believes he is uniquely qualified to hold.

At age 73, the leader of the conservative Likud party may be on course for a comeback after initial projection Tuesday in Israel’s fifth election in less than four years indicated the bloc of parties backing him may be headed for a parliamentary majority.

Despite his trial on corruption charges, which he denies, Bibi, as he is known, has the loyal support of the Likud grassroots that propelled his potential return to power.

Netanyahu “will try to do whatever he can to form a coalition, no matter how crazy”, Netanyahu’s former spokesman and Likud insider Aviv Bushinsky told AFP before the vote.

“In his head, he has a mission from God to save the country.” Netanyahu is the son of a historian who was active in right-wing Zionist groups, an ideological inheritance that helped shape his political career.

He was marked strongly by the death of his older brother Yonatan, the only Israeli soldier killed in a 1976 commando raid to free hostages at Uganda’s Entebbe airport.

In a memoir released last month, Netanyahu recalled that he felt he would “never recover” from the loss. “When the news reached me that Yoni had died in Entebbe, I felt as if my life had ended.”

‘My ancient people’

Netanyahu has never engaged in substantive peace talks with the Palestinians, rather overseeing a boom in the expansion of Israel’s West Bank settlements, which are illegal under international law.

Countering Israel’s arch-foe Iran — including its alleged nuclear weapons programme and allied groups like Lebanon’s Hezbollah — has been the centrepiece of his foreign policy.

In his last year in office, Netanyahu, a close ally of former US president Donald Trump, clinched historic, Washingtonbrokered normalisation agreements with several Arab states. Netanyahu has two sons with his wife Sara and a daughter from a previous marriage.

Raised partly in the United States, Netanyahu graduated from the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology. With his fluent English, he regularly appeared on US television, defending Israel throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s — exposure that raised his profile both at home and abroad. Netanyahu became Likud’s leader in 1993 and led the party to victory as Israel’s youngest-ever prime minister in 1996, aged 46.

He lost power in 1999, but regained it 10 years later.

‘He cares about the country’

Despite his advancing age, ongoing trial and past electoral misadventures, there is little doubt about Netanyahu’s thirst to reclaim power.

He reflected on his achievements in the autobiography he wrote after being ousted from office by an unlikely alliance of rivals in June 2021.

“As a soldier, I fought to defend Israel on battlefields,” wrote Netanyahu, who served in the Israeli army’s elite commando unit Sayeret Matkal.

“As a diplomat, I fended off attacks against its legitimacy in world forums, as finance minister and prime minister I sought to multiply its economic and political power among the nations,” he went on, concluding that he had “helped secure the future of my ancient people”.

Netanyahu’s Likud and its allies failed to win a majority in four previous votes and, for the first time since 2009, Netanyahu did not run as the incumbent in Tuesday’s election.

and reasonable at first glance, it can be said that from South Korea’s standpoint, where denuclearization is pursued as primary goal of unification, it is out of tune. Then, what can be an effective way to suppress or make abandon North Korea’s nuclear and missile provocations?

First of all, establishing a preparedness strategy built on a strengthened S.KoreaU.S.-Japan alliance is at the top of the list.

technologies must be sanctioned. North Korea, while avoiding international surveillance, has been secretly and persistently conducting arms trade with the Middle East and African countries through cryptocurrency and illegal cyber-financial activities.

North Korea’s reckless provocations with short- and medium-range ballistic missiles, and Kim Jong-un’s declaration on legislating nuclear strike that has made all possibilities of nuclear renunciation and denuclearization hopeless, is the current situation in the Korean Peninsula. As the international society expresses serious concerns, there is an increasingly loud call for redeploying American tactical nuclear arsenal or moving strategic military assets of the US to the region surrounding South Korea, claiming that an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.

As much as the argument seems logical

Based on author’s experience who commanded North Korean artillery units after graduating from the military academy, such establishment is an instantaneous remedy for Kim Jong-un’s imprudent nuclear tests and his justifications trying to cement nuclear programs as self-defense.

Although, considering China’s role with North Korea based on the G2, some within political circles are voicing an skeptical look toward the trilateral alliance. Nevertheless, one should not forget one truth that strong power based on military ties with allies is the backbone of South Korea’s diplomatic power.

If North Korea’s nuclear program is the fate of Kim Jong-un’s dictatorship, the S.KoreaU.S.-Japan alliance is the that of South Korea.

Secondly, transactions between North Korea and overseas groups purchasing North Korea’s missile and nuclear cutting-edge

In 1989, the UAE negotiated with North Korea to purchase $160 million worth of Mars-5 Missile and multiple rocket launchers. In 2007, Israel bombed the Al Kibar nuke reactor in Syria, which was proven as the facility that North Korea was building under secrecy.

North Korea’s illegal weapons sales are used as slush funds to develop nuclear and missile programs and maintain dictatorship. The 240mm multiple rocket launcher(MRL) produced in North Korea is still one of the best-selling weapons export in Iran, Myanmar, Angola, and Libya.

Maximizing the UN and international societies’ effectiveness over economic sanctions on North Korea by means of blocking Kim Jong un’s black money sources is one of the best ways to curb North Korea’s obsession over nuclear weapons and an immediate cure for changing the dictator’s calculations as well.

Last but not least, attempts to dismantle nuclear disaster in the Korean Peninsula by

the hands of the North Koreans should be employed. Looking backward on international efforts in responding to North Korea’s nuclear program in the past, there have been various trials, ranging from sticks to carrots with U.S.Korea and North-South dialogues, but those efforts have only resulted in the sophistication of North Korea’s reckless behavior.

What does this mean? To answer this question, we must go over the denuclearization strategies and policies in the Korean Peninsula. Moreover, instead of searching for entirely new and extraordinary ideas, we should head out to basic and universal principles.

In other words, the starting point for solving the conundrum should be where the people of North Korea are acknowledged and enlightened with their basic fundamental human values, rights, and dignity. The people should be able to question their Dear Leader’s way of rule with such perceptions as ‘North Korea’s nuclear program is a calamity and a grave to all, not a symbol of autonomy.’

In order for North Koreans to be enlightened with such universal human values, inflow of external news through various media sources such as balloon leaflet, anti-Pyongyang messages broadcast along the border, radio, newspapers and USB must be preceded.

Besides targeting people from specific

social classes having access to TV, radios, and computers, the “Spring in Pyongyang” can only be expected when every North Korean residents are supported and encourages to overcome the brainwashing-educational barriers in North Korea. Media and USB for people with radio and computers; balloon leaflet and newspaper for those without; and loudspeaker broadcasts for residents and soldiers residing near the DMZ(De Militarized Zone) will be effective.

All possible means to awaken the consciousness of the North Korean minds must be put into use. Through such enlightenment, if an increased number of people with a new world view and inter-Korean perspectives can elicit the dismantlement of North Korea’s nuclear weapon program, a genuine change can be achieved.

No matter how strong nuclear power may be, it can never transcend the human rights of the North Korean. And one must never forget that it is the people, who are the strongest brakes to curb Kim Jong-un’s nuclear-galloping instincts. The power of an enlightened crowd is colossal.

The author is a North Korean refugee and secretary general of International North Korea’s Association for Human Rights and Democracy (INKAHRD)

KIm JOO-IL

LONDON Agencies

PAKiSTAn Aim To Win 2nd SuCCeSSive iCC

Women’S ChAmPionShiP SerieS AT home

stAFF RePoRt

BISMAHMaroof-led Pakistan are hoping to carry forward the winning momentum gained in the ACC Women’s T20 Asia Cup as they take on Ireland in the first of the three ICC Women’s Championship ODIs here on November 4 at the Gaddafi Stadium.

Ireland, on their maiden tour to Pakistan, will play three T20Is from 12 to 16 November at the same venue following the conclusion of the ODI series.

These ODIs will be Ireland and Pakistan’s second series in the ICC Women’s Championship 2022-25. While Pakistan defeated Sri Lanka 2-1 in Karachi in June, Ireland lost all three matches to South Africa in Dublin in June.

The hosts enter the series on the back of a productive five-day pre-series camp, which included two intra-squad matches and intense training and practice sessions. Pakistan – who are number eight in the ICC Women’s ODI rankings are ready to make an impression in the 50over format in familiar playing conditions. Meanwhile, Ireland occupy the ninth spot in the ODI rankings.

Pakistan enjoy an historic edge over the tourists in ODIs, having won 12 out of the 18 matches played between the two sides to date. The last time the two sides competed in One-Day Internationals was in February 2017 with Pakistan winning the match by 86 runs courtesy two wickets for 25 in 10 overs from leftarm spinner Nashra Sandhu.

Pakistan captain Bismah Maroof while said on Tuesday : “After a good performance in the recently concluded ACC Women’s T20 Asia Cup, we are now focused on delivering our best in the ODI series which is a part of the ICC Women’s Championship.

“Our aim like other teams would be to get points from the series. We have good blend of experience and youth in our side and it is really good to see young players performing and helping the side to win.

“We are here to play a good game of

cricket and we want fans to come to the stadium and support the team.”

Ireland captain Laura Delany said: “We are delighted to be here in Pakistan, it’s a pretty historical moment for an Irish cricket team to travel to Pakistan for the first time and we will relish the opportunity.

“The ODI series will be a competitive one as ICC Women’s Championship points will be up for grabs. We would like to go out there and put a really strong performance in the first game.

“It’s a brilliant opportunity for the young girls to come to the stadium and get behind the Pakistan women’s team who have been incredibly successful for the last few years.”

he three matches will begin at 9:30am with the toss at 9:00am. The series will be live streamed on the PCB YouTube channel.

Pakistan ODI squad: Bismah Maroof

(c), Aimen Anwar, Aliya Riaz, Fatima Sana, Ghulam Fatima, Kainat Imtiaz, Muneeba Ali (wk), Nashra Sandhu, Nida Dar, Omaima Sohail, Sadaf Shamas, Sadia Iqbal, Sidra Amin, Sidra Nawaz (wk) and Umm-e-Hani

Ireland ODI squad: Laura Delany (c), Amy Hunter, Arlene Kelly, Cara Murray, Celeste Raack, Eimear Richardson, Gaby Lewis, Jane Maguire, Leah Paul, Louise Little, Mary Waldron, Orla Prendergast, Rachel Delaney, Rebecca Stokell and Shauna Kavanagh.

Suryakumar grabs top position for batters in ICC T20 Player Rankings

2017. Yadav’s tally of 863 rating points is also the second best by an Indian, the highest being Kohli’s tally of 897 in September 2014.

India’s Suryakumar Yadav has grabbed the top position for batters in the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s T20I Player Rankings after smashing two half-centuries over the past week in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia.

Yadav’s 51 not out off 25 balls against the Netherlands in Sydney and a valiant 68 off 40 against South Africa in Perth have helped him overtake New Zealand’s Devon Conway and Pakistan’s Mohammad Rizwan, who had held the top spot since 4 September this year.

Yadav is the 23rd player to top the T20I batting rankings and only the second Indian to reach No. 1 in T20 cricket after Virat Kohli, who spent 1,013 days at the top in different periods from September 2014 to December

New Zealand’s Glenn Phillips has moved up five slots to reach a careerbest seventh position after scores of 104 against Sri Lanka and 62 against England, while South Africa’s Rilee Rossouw is another one to enter the top 10 after scoring 109 against Bangladesh, moving up 17 slots to a career-best eighth position.

England captain Jos Buttler’s knock of 73 against New Zealand has lifted him three places to 14th position while

Afghanistan’s Rahmanullah Gurbaz (up four places to joint-17th), South Africa’s David Miller (up two places to 28th), Sri Lanka’s Bhanuka Rajapaksa (up eight places to 29th), Bangladesh’s Liton Das (up two places to 36th) and the

South Africa target fragile Pakistan confidence at T20 World Cup

MELBOURNE AFP

South Africa’s David Miller warned Wednesday they will look to “exploit” Pakistan’s fragile confidence as they strive to seal a Twenty20 World Cup semi-final spot and send their opponents packing. The Proteas were touted as dark horses in the lead-up to the showpiece in Australia and have showed why with a fearsome pace attack and batsmen in form. Ahead of other matches in Group 2 later Wednesday, they topped the table with two wins from three matches including a victory over India. South Africa’s third game was washed out. In contrast, Pakistan are fifth and their World Cup fate will be sealed if South Africa beat them at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Thursday. Pakistan’s muchvaunted opening pair of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan have failed to fire in three matches at the World Cup and are under pressure to find form, and fast. “I think it is an area to exploit,” said middle-order batsman Miller. “This game is all about confidence and they haven’t probably performed the way they’ve wanted to. “But they’re world-class players and we’re expecting them to come out and bring their A-game and be up for the challenge. Bowler Naseem Shah denied that his side are still dwelling on their agonising opening defeat to India. Pakistan were beaten on the last ball by their arch-rivals and followed that up with a shock defeat to Zimbabwe, before thrashing the Netherlands. Put to him by reporters that Pakistan have failed to recover mentally from the India defeat, fast bowler Naseem replied: “No, I don’t think so because everyone is professional and everyone knows about oneself. “We lost against India, but I don’t think anyone is thinking about the India game because as a professional you can’t think about the past when you lose, then especially, you can’t be thinking that.” Miller hit an unbeaten half-century in a nervy fivewicket win over India which underlined South Africa’s title credentials — and their resilience. “I suppose we are finding lots of ways to win,” he said. “We’ve done it over a period of time now. I’d say probably the last year, we’ve found ourselves in tricky situations and managed to get over the line.

Buttler’s captaincy in nZ win ‘bodes well’ for england

PERth ReuteRs

Jos Buttler delivered a real captain’s performance in England’s win over New Zealand at the T20 World Cup on Tuesday and bodes well for the remainder of the tournament, former skippers said. England’s hopes of reaching the semi-finals had been left hanging by a thread after the defeat to Ireland and with their match against Australia washed out last week. But they breathed new life into their campaign by beating New Zealand by 20 runs on Tuesday, with Buttler named Player of the Match after smashing 73 runs and taking a diving catch to dismiss Devon Conway. “After an indifferent start to the tournament, Buttler needed to lead from the front in Brisbane,” Mike Atherton wrote in the Times. “And (he) did so, showing sound judgment at the toss, top-scoring and then marshalling the reply in the field in fine style, including a top-class catch down the leg side… “Defeat would have been all but terminal and so to play so confidently and intelligently, with such verve and dash, in those circumstances bodes well for what is to come.” Buttler also earned praise for his tactics, including the decision to use five bowlers in the opening six overs of New Zealand’s innings. “It was one of (Buttler’s) best games as captain. In his 100th T20 international he really has stepped up,” Eoin Morgan, who was replaced as captain by Buttler in June, told Sky Sports. “Every opportunity he had to impact the game, he tried to take a wicket. He brings Mark Wood back into the game, starts with spin, rotates five bowlers for the first six overs “He is using all his experience and he is flying high. I thought he controlled his emotions really well and made brilliant decisions.” Former England captain Nasser Hussain told Sky Sports Buttler had “obviously done his homework in terms of match-ups”.

Australia pair of Mitchell Marsh (up two places to 31st) and Marcus Stoinis (up two places to 39th) are among others to move up the list. The latest weekly update, that considers performances in matches completed by Tuesday, sees Sri Lankan spinner Wanindu Hasaranga advance four places to second position among bowlers.

Hasaranga, who had become No.1 during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup last year, has moved back towards the top position after taking one wicket against New Zealand and three against Afghanistan. Hasaranga has only three points less than Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan.

England seamer Sam Curran, who grabbed two wickets each against New Zealand and Ireland during this period, is up two places to sixth position while South Africa quick Anrich Nortje has

progressed 11 slots to eighth position after his haul of four for 10 against Bangladesh. New Zealand spinner Mitchell Santner has moved into the top 10 while his team-mates Trent Boult and Tim Southee have taken the 12th and 16th positions, respectively.

South Africa fast bowler Lungi Ngidi’s Player of the Match effort of four for 29 against India has lifted him 11 places to joint-28th with India’s Axar Patel.

India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin (up three places to18th), Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Wasim (up one place to 21st), New Zealand spinner Ish Sodhi (up three places to 22nd) and leftarm seam bowlers Fazalhaq Farooqi of Afghanistan (up four places to joint24th) and India’s Arshdeep Singh (up 16 places to 27th) are the prominent gainers in the bowlers’ list.

MELBOURNE ReuteRs

India resume their bid for a T20 World Cup semi-final spot when they face Bangladesh on Wednesday and coach Rahul Dravid said there is no room for complacency despite the 2007 champions losing just one of their last 11 matches to their neighbours. India registered wins over Pakistan and the Netherlands before crashing to a five-wicket defeat against South Africa, who lead Group 2 with five points. With the top two from the group set to advance, India and Bangladesh each have four points, with Dravid’s side having the edge on net run rate.

“We respect them a lot. I think they’re a very good team,” Dravid told reporters on Tuesday. “This format and this World Cup has really shown us you can’t take any team lightly.

“Ireland showed that against England […] The fact that it’s already such a short format. The margins of victory and defeat even if they’re 12-15 runs, it’s actually two hits. It’s two hits one way or the other and that’s the game.

“On top of that, these conditions have levelled the playing field to a large extent, because the boundaries are bigger. Some of those hits you expect in the sub-continent to go for six […] it’s not happening that easily. People are getting out.”

Dravid’s side, who are without injured pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, said he hoped his bowlers could stem the flow of runs during the latter overs. “It’s an area that we’ve wanted

to look to address, to get better at,” Dravid said. “Obviously Bumrah was one of our guys pencilled in to bowl two of those overs.”

India must beat Bangladesh and Zimbabwe to be sure of qualification.

Bangladesh can also advance with two victories but Shakib said they would need to pull off a big upset against India. “We’ll play our best and try to do that,” he added. In Wednesday’s other Super 12 game, Zimbabwe face the Netherlands.

Swiatek cruises to win over Kasatkina

FORt WORth, UNitEd StatES AFP

World number one Iga Swiatek opened her seasonending WTA Finals campaign Tuesday with a straight sets victory over Russia’s eighth-ranked Daria Kasatkina. Polish star Swiatek, who has enjoyed a stellar year that included Grand Slam singles titles at the French and US Opens, eased to a 6-2, 6-3 victory in 1hr 22min at Fort Worth’s Dickies Arena in Texas. The 21-year-old is the heavy favorite to add to her tally of eight tournament victories at this week’s eight-player tournament. Against Kasatkina on Tuesday, the three-time Grand Slam champion was quickly into her stride, racing to a 3-0 lead after an early break of serve. Swiatek wrapped up the first set in just 37 minutes after securing another break of serve in the eighth game. The second set followed a similar pattern, as she grabbed an early break to take control for a 3-0 lead before closing out the set. Swiatek is aiming to atone for her disappointing display at last year’s finals, held in Guadalajara, when she failed to qualify for the semi-finals. In Tuesday’s other group game, France’s sixth-seed Caroline Garcia defeated fourth seed Coco Gauff in a repeat of their US Open quarter-final in September. Garcia, who reached the semi-finals at Flushing Meadows before losing to Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur, took 1hr 18min to defeat US hope Gauff 6-4, 6-3. The tournament features two groups of four players who play in a round-robin format, with the top two in each group advancing to the semi-finals. This year’s tournament was moved to Texas due to pandemic-related issues with the Chinese city of Shenzhen, which was initially due to host the event, as well as the WTA’s dispute with China over the status of player Peng Shuai.

Dravid says India will not get complacent against Bangladesh

ImRan says ‘Real decIsIOn-makeRs’ saved ‘cROOks’ FROm naB cOnvIctIOn

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

FORMERprime minister Imran Khan — who has repeatedly said that during his tenure, decision-making powers did not lie with him — doubled down on his claim on Wednesday, saying agencies, such as National Accountability Bureau (NAB), were controlled by the unelected institutions of the state who saved the “crooks” in the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) alliance from being convicted.

The statement by the chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), acknowledging his helplessness despite being at the helm of the affairs, came on the sixth day of his protest march to Islamabad.

Khan launched the long march on the capital last Friday to demand early elections, piling pressure on a government already in crisis.

Thousands of people gathered Wednesday in Gujranwala, from where the convoy began the 217-kilometre journey to the capital, expected to take around two weeks with rallies planned along the route.

According to a latest schedule of the long march shared by Asad Umar, secretary general of the party, the protestors will arrive in Rawalpindi on November 10. He said party workers from across the country would spend the day in the garrison city and cross the border into Islamabad on November 11.

Speaking to a charged crowd in Gujranwala, Khan observed that “all officers investigating corruption cases against members of the Sharif family died one after another.”

“No one asked how did they die all of a sudden,” he thundered. “Then, Imran Raza, another officer who was conducting the probe […] later it transpired that he also died.”

FO alarmed over Russia claim Pakistan Ukraine discussed nuclear info transfer

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

The Foreign Office has announced Pakistan will write to Moscow for “clarification” after a member of the Russian Senate, called Federation Council, accused Islamabad of discussing a potential transfer of sensitive nuclear power information with Ukraine.

According to the state-owned RIA news agency, Igor Morozov, a key member of the defense committee of the Russian Senate, claimed that experts from Ukraine traveled to Pakistan to discuss the matter. He offered no evidence to support the claim.

The lawmaker made the remarks during a news conference as part of a special military project in the wake of the nine-month-old conflict in the eastern European country.

Responding to Morozov, Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, spokesperson of the Foreign Office, said the allegation was “unfounded and baseless”, and took Islamabad by “surprise”.

The claim, he said, was made without any rationale and “entirely inconsistent” with the spirit of the relationship between Pakistan and Russia.

“We are seeking clarification on this from Moscow,” the spokesperson added. The crisis in the European country began on February 24 when President Vladimir Putin announced the beginning of a fullscale land, sea, and air invasion of Ukraine targeting her military assets and cities across the country. Responding to his Russian counterpart, US President Joe Biden declared the attack “unprovoked and unjustified” and issued severe sanctions against top Kremlin officials, including Putin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov; four of Russia’s largest banks; and the Russian oil and gas industry in coordination with European allies.

In September, President Putin said Moscow was ready to use nuclear weapons if necessary to defend Russia’s “territorial integrity”.

“We cannot fix the system until the powerful are brought under the law. But there were hidden hands [of the establishment helping them] and these people won’t get convicted.”

“We could not do anything. NAB was not in my hands. Those who were controlling NAB saved these crooks.”

During my tenure, running the affairs of the country was supposed to be my responsibility, but the “orders were coming from somewhere else”, Khan said, while referring to his tenure.

Shehbaz Sharif was about to be convicted in an Rs16 billion money laundering case and he was saved and made prime minister of the country.

Khan added that if he had enjoyed complete authority, his administration could have competed with the reign of Sher Shah Suri — founder of the powerful Sur dynasty that ruled north India in the 16th century.

‘NRO BEHIND HISTORIC INFLA-

TION’: The former prime minister further asked what led to “so much inflation in a span of just six months”. Pakistan’s inflation accelerated more than estimated last month on costlier food, adding pressure on the central bank to resume monetary policy tightening.

Consumer prices rose 26.6 percent in October from a year earlier, according to government data released Tuesday. Food inflation quickened 36.2 percent year-on-year, while transport prices surged 53.4 percent, data showed. Clothing and footwear prices rose 18.3 percent and housing, water and electricity costs rose 11.9 percent.

“They got an NRO; all cases have been quashed. Maryam’s papa [sic] is getting ready to come back, Shehbaz’s cases have also been quashed. Zardari also has his cases settled,” Khan said, offering an explanation.

SC seeks Imran’s reply in contempt case over May 25 events

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

Supreme Court on Wednesday sought an explanation from PTI Chairman Imran Khan on the events of May 25, 2022, related to the party’s first long march, during the hearing of a contempt of court case against him.

The federal government filed a contempt of court plea against the PTI chairman in the Supreme Court over his long march to the federal capital.

In its petition, the government said, “Imran Khan is making announcements to attack Islamabad”, which it claimed was a violation of a court order. It urged the apex court to direct the PTI chief to ensure the implementation of its orders related to protests and sit-ins.

A five-member bench, headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial was hearing the case, while SC Bar Association

President Ahsan Bhoon appeared in the court. Bhoon informed the court that he is representing PTI lawyers Babar Awan and Faisal Chaudhry, who had been served notices.

Upon this, CJP Bandial said that the court didn’t serve any notices but only sought replies from the two lawyers. He said that the court will hear arguments by the government’s lawyer and the replies will be examined later.

During the hearing, Additional Attorney General Amir Rehman maintained that Imran Khan has sought time for a detailed response.

“Khan had given a surety but he has expressed unawareness towards any assurance or the judicial orders,” he said. At which, CJP Bandial enquired about difference of time between the first and second order of the court issued on May 25.

After the response by addi-

tional attorney general, the CJP remarked that the time between the two orders was for taking directives. The court wasn’t informed about from whom the directives were taken, he added.

At this, Rehman told the court that as per Faisal Chaudhry, the directives were taken from Asad Umar as he couldn’t speak to Khan. CJP Bandial asked that why wasn’t the court informed if anyone couldn’t be contacted.

“This needs to be explained. The court had trusted Babar Awan and Faisal Chaudhry. None of them said that they didn’t get the directives,” CJP Bandial said.

CJP Bandial remarked how did Imran Khan know about the court order. He said that the assurance was given by senior PTI leadership which starts from Imran Khan. “Imran Khan sought time for a detailed answer,” he added.

mother requests cJP to set up judicial commission to probe arshad sharif killing

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

In a letter to Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial written by the mother of slain journalist Arshad Sharif on Wednesday, requested the formation of a highpowered judicial commission to investigate her son’s murder. Sharif was shot dead in Kenya allegedly by the local police on the night of October 23, with an official police statment later expressing “regrets on the unfortunate incident” and saying an investigation was underway. Initially, the Kenyan media quoted the local police as saying Sharif was shot dead by police in a case of “mistaken identity”. However, reports from the Kenyan media later reconstructed the events surrounding the killing, stating that an occupant in Sharif’s car at the time of his killing was believed to have shot at paramilitary General Service Unit (GSU) officers.

The government subsequently formed a team to probe the killing. Initially, a three-member body, comprising Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) director Athar Wahid, Intelligence Bureau Deputy Director General Omar Shahid Hamid and Lt Col Saad Ahmed of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) was formed. Later, the team’s size was cut from three to two with the exclusion of the ISI official. On Monday, the federal cabinet, on the request of the Ministry of Defence, also approved the constitution of a three-member commision — led by Justice Abdul Shakoor Paracha and comprising Additional Inspector General of Police Usman Anwar and Hamid — to “inquire into the facts” of the death.

However, the letter from Sharif’s mother Riffat Ara Alvi, alleged that “the real reasons of the case are being concealed” and must be brought to light.

She argued that this was evident for three reasons:

The Kenyan police changing its stance on the death “three to four times”. Federal ministers airing “different fabricated stories” regarding the death even before the investigation team went to Kenya. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif initially announcing that the Islamabad High Court would be requested to appoint a high-power judicial commission only to then form a commission comprising a retired judge and two government officials, thus indicating the government’s “malafide intentions”. She also alleged that the government had “pressured and compelled” the UAE government to expel Sharif.

Alvi requested the CJP to protect the murder case from becoming controversial, to provide justice to the deceased and to appoint a high-powered judicial commission “so that the feeling of insecurity amongst the family members … along with the journalist community is taken care of”. She said that the judicial commission should comprise senior Supreme Court judges to “determine the real motive and identify criminals behind this heinous crime”.

“Only knowing the real motive and criminals and bringing them to justice would end the agony of martyr Arshad Sharif’s family and his journalist fraternity,” the letter to the chief justice stated. Alvi said this would be her “first and last” letter requesting justice and hoped that it would receive due attention because of the “gravity of the case”.

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

The Supreme Court on Wednesday said that an advisory body should be created on the Reko Diq issue to oversee all aspects of the agreement.

A five-member larger bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Umar Ata Bandial and comprising of Justice Ijazul Ahsan, Justice Muneeb Akhtar,

Justice Yahya Afridi, and Justice Jamaal Khan Mandokhel heard the presidential reference filed in the case.

The president on the advice of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had filed the reference last month to seek the top court’s opinion on the Reko Diq settlement agreement. During the course of proceedings, the Chief Justice said that the federal government was investing one billion US dollars in Reko Diq project and the powers had been handed over to the Balochistan government.

The CJP remarked that the state of transparency in this country was that some files in the cabinet were approved without opening it.

He said that in the Supreme Court’s judgment (2013) there was no mention of corruption by the multinational company. The CJP observed that the multinational company had taken advantage due to the fact that the Balochistan government did not have the capacity to refine gold.

‘Strategic ML-1’ railroad project signing delayed, again

ISLAMABAD Mian abRaR

While China and Pakistan signed a number of agreements and MOUs to expand the bilateral cooperation, the key Main Line-1 (ML-1) Railroad Project could not be signed – a decision many see as a blow to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

“Recognizing that ML-1 is a project of key significance under the CPEC framework and of importance to Pakistan’s socio-economic development, the two sides agreed to build upon the leadership consensus and to advance the process of its earliest implementation,” says joint communique issued following the visit.

ML-1 aims at laying a new railroad from Peshawar to Karachi – enabling the trains run from existing 80 miles per hour to 120 miles per hour (m/h). Later, the system would be upgraded to 180 m/h which would cut travel time from Peshawar to Karachi from days to hours. Moreover, the project is

key to revival of freight trains under the China, Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and this railroad could later be expanded into Afghanistan and Iran – boosting Pakistani economy enormously.

A day before leaving for Beijing, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal held an hour-long meeting with the Chinese Ambassador Mr Nong Rong and tried to convince him to push to get the ML-1 project approved.

“The Minister emphasized the importance of several CPEC projects and reiterated that the government is committed to uplift the CPEC projects particularly, ML-1 and Karachi Circular Railways (KCR) projects,” reads an official handout of the Planning Ministry issued on Monday.

“During the meeting, the Minister highlighted the significance of ML-1 and Karachi Curricular Railways KCR projects which are considered to be a ‘strategic projects’. The Minister said that all formalities have been completed in this regard including the approval of the Central Development Working

Party CDWP and ML-1 will have a great economic impact on both Pakistan and China. The delay in the ML-1 will be affected our Railways track which is already in a dilapidated condition after the recent flood,” the Minister was quoted as saying, while emphasizing the importance of this strategic project.

It merits mention that under former prime minister Imran Khan, Pakistan and China were negotiating ML-I and the project could not be signed twice due to disagreement on the price of the project.

An official told Pakistan Today that Khan’s government wanted to get the project signed for US$ 6.1 billion while China wanted the amount to be US$ 8.2 billion –and the agreement could not be signed.

“Another reason was identification of the financing channels for the project. Chinese banks wanted some sovereign guarantees and negotiations in this regard could not be finalized,” the official said.

Interestingly, the federal government has

now agreed to sign the ML-I for US$ 10 billion. “The two countries plan to upgrade line from Karachi to Peshawar with funding from China; a move that comes as the world’s No. 2 economy moves to slow some of its lending due to growth concerns. It is a project of strategic importance,” says a tweet posted at federal govt’s official Twitter handle on Wednesday evening. Still, the ML-I could not be signed despite a significant raise in the project amount.

Another project in agenda was Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) which also could not be signed, according to the joint statement issued by Chinese foreign ministry.

“They also agreed to actively advance the Karachi Circular Railway, which was an urgent requirement for Pakistan’s biggest city,” says the joint statement.

However, the joint communiqué says that the two sides signed and concluded a number of agreements and MoUs covering bilateral cooperation in areas of e-commerce, digital economy, export of agricul-

tural product, financial cooperation, protection of cultural property, infrastructure, flood relief, post-disaster reconstruction, GDI, animal disease control, livelihood, cultural cooperation, space, geosciences as well as law enforcement and security. However, there was no detail of the signed agreements.

Per communique, the Prime Minister extended an invite to President Xi to visit Pakistan. President Xi expressed that he would visit at his earliest convenience. The two leaders pledged to work together to further deepen the bilateral ties.

“The two sides held in-depth exchange of views on the bilateral relations as well as regional situation and international political landscape. The two sides agreed on the importance of China-Pakistan All-weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership amidst the emerging global challenges. The meetings were marked by traditional warmth, mutual strategic trust and commonality of views,” says the joint statement.

asks govt to set up advisory body to oversee Reko Diq agreement