Epaper_22-11-11 ISB

Amid politicAl heAt, ShArif fAmily tAkeS key deciSionS in london huddle

g NO PML-N LeADeR INvITeD TO SHARIF FAMILY MeeTING

iNan interesting development, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif and PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif attended a family huddle held to deliberate upon key decisions over a host of issues including the appointment of new army chief. According to various sources, the meeting held at the Avenfield flats following arrival of Shehbaz Sharif from egypt where he attended the COP27 climate conference. It has been reported that Shehbaz would consult Nawaz on the appointment of the Pakistan army chief.

A source told this scribe that Nawaz, Shahbaz,

Maryam, Suleman Sharif, Hasan and Hussain Nawaz and rest of the family members were present. No one from the party was asked to join the meeting.

The sources said that the meeting also discussed the situation arising following recent events in Pakistan including the Corps Commanders’ conference and the failed attempt at the life of PTI chief Imran Khan.

“It was a family meeting with my brother, my nieces and my nephews and rest of the family joined too. We had lunch, gup shup and congratulations to all of you on Pakistan’s win,” Shehbaz Sharif told media following the meeting.

This visit to London is the third such trip since

Imran urges CJP to ‘save nation’ as PTI long march resumes in Wazirabad

ISLAMABAD

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairperson Imran Khan, addressing supporters as the party’s long march resumed from Wazirabad a week after he was attacked, said that the “plan” to assassinate him was first formulated in September which Imran said he had “unearthed in a public rally on September 24”.

According to Imran Khan, all eyes are on the top court now as the nation has “lost trust” in the institutions, saying that Pakistan is becoming a banana republic.

“You [Supreme Court’s chief justice] have to save the country. The nation has lost trust in institutions. You have to fix this as the country doesn’t work without institutions,” he added.

The former prime minister, who was removed from power through a vote of no confidence in the National Assembly in April this year, said that it is unimaginable in western countries what is happening in Pakistan these days. “When will the country’s law give protection,” Imran said.

The PTI chief also said it was a miracle that so many people survived the attack.

Doubling down on earlier claims, Imran held a senior military officer, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah responsible for the attack and said they had used “religious extremism” as a “cover to shunt off the blame”. “For anyone harboring any doubts,” Imran added, “you can tell that he had been told to say this when the attacker claimed he had done this alone”.

“The forensic [report] of the container has shown that there were two types of bullet, meaning there were two shooters,” he added, “so the whole plan they had was that [just like] Salman Taseer was killed by a religious extremist and the matter is sorted”.

Imran also hailed Ibtesam – the young man whose quick thinking had saved the former prime minister – for his “heroic effort”. He also announced again that the party will “take lifetime responsibility” for the children of the victim who lost his life during the attack.

“Our march will not end,” vowed Imran as he reiterated his commitment to the establishment of justice.

Continuing his criticism, the PTI chief said that the senior military officer was behind “what they have done to us, to the journalists, and what they did to Arshad Sharif and what they did to Azam Swati”. “I am the former primer prime minister, the chief of the largest party of Pakistan and I have not been able to register my FIR” because the military officer’s name was mentioned, said Imran.

“He is such a man who is above Pakistani law.

DG ISPR says ‘it’ll be a disrespect to our military’; the military will be disrespected when it fails to take action on the matter,” said Imran.

PTI suPPoRTeRs ConveRge In WazIRabad: As thousands of former prime minister Imran Khan’s supporters are expected to resume their protest march on the capital city Thursday in a bid to seek snap elections, a demand his successor, Shahbaz Sharif, rejects.

Cabinet approves Rs59bn for development schemes of ruling MPs

ISLAMABAD

AhmAd AhmAdAni

The federal cabinet has approved a Rs 59 billion and 43 crore development package for the constituencies of incumbent parliamentarians ahead of the country’s next general elections.

According to sources, a hefty sum of money will be spent on development schemes in the constituencies of members of parliament of the ruling coalition prior to the next general election which are expected to be held in October 2023.

With the PDM government on the ropes because of the country’s dire economic straits and massive protests from the Pakistan Tehreek Insaf (PTI) demanding fresh elections, lawmakers from the treasury benches have been worried about what they will have to show for themselves in their constituencies.

This concern is exacerbated by the fact that while the PTI was in power, parliamentarians belonging to PDM faced delays in the disbursement of development funds for their constituencies.

The summary has been approved by the

federal cabinet through circulation for ratification of release of funds for the execution of development schemes of the members of parliament, despite the funds not being available in the federal budget for the ongoing financial year.

The funds are currently being arranged through the surrendered funds of Pakistan’s four provinces from last year.

The sources added that the federal secretary for the cabinet division has granted approval to surrender the funds of provinces to the finance division.

The surrendered funds are made up of the working capital and surplus funds kept for investment by the provincial governments. Documents available with Profit’s have shown that Punjab has surrendered Rs 35 billion and 27 crore, Sindh Rs 13 billion and 70 crore, Balochistan Rs 04 billion and 89 crore and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Rs 05 billion and 57 crore.

The money is likely to be spent by parliamentarians for the execution of development schemes in their constituencies.

Shahbaz became prime minister in April. Sharif’s visit to London comes two weeks before the end of Pakistan Army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa’s tenure. The army chief is set to retire on November 29. naWaz shaRIF geTs dIPloMaTIC PassPoRT: Meanwhile, the Federal government on Thursday issued a diplomatic passport to former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. The passport was issued after clearance from the Foreign Ministry, sources said.

According to details, the federal government has issued a diplomatic passport to Pakistan Muslim League leader (PML-N) Nawaz Sharif. The passport, issued after Foreign Ministry clearance, will be valid for five years.

The passport has been sent to Nawaz Sharif via Passport and Immigration office.

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government suspended the PML-N leader’s passport after he was declared an absconder by the court. The PMLN leader was issued a regular passport earlier.

LONDON stAff report

Friday,

g NAWAz SHARIF GeTS DIPLOMATIC PASSPORT

IMrAn SAyS ATTACk PlAnned AfTer

‘unPreCedenTed’ PublIC reACTIOn TO OuSTer

LAHORE/LONDON monitoRing RepoRt

IMRANKhan, who was wounded in the leg in a shooting last week when a gunman attacked his convoy, has called the assassination attempt a “plot” which he claimed was conceived after the “unprecedented public reaction” to his ouster in the contentious vote of no-confidence rattled the powers that be.

Revealing details of his attack during an interview with British journalist Piers Morgan, Khan said he was shot four times, with two bullets hitting each of his legs,

during the protest march.

The chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) has accused the prime minister, his minister for interior and an intelligence officer of being behind the attack.

The attack, Khan told Morgan, was a “plot” after the “unprecedented reaction” to his removal from the office of the prime minister in April rattled those who had backed the move.

“So I think from then onwards, they expected the popularity of my party would go down. In fact, it went up. That’s when my life came in danger,” he noted.

Reliving the moment he thought gunshots were firecrackers before

COAS pays farewell visits to Sialkot, Mangla garrisons

RAWALPINDI Staff RepoRt

Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Thursday visited Sialkot and Mangla garrisons as part of his farewell visits to various formations. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the COAS met officers and men at both locations and addressed the troops. He appreciated the formations for their excellent performance during various operations, training, and natural calamities. The COAS advised troops to keep serving the nation with the same zeal and commitment no matter what the circumstances. Earlier, on arrival at Sialkot, the COAS was received by Lieutenant General Muhammad Aamer and Lieutenant General Ayman Bilal Safdar at Mangla garrison.

PM approves financial aid for slain PTI workers, journalist

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb on Thursday said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif approved financial assistance of Rs5 million each for the legal heirs of those who lost lives during the long march of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). The financial grant was approved for the families of Mozam Gondal from Wazirabad, journalist Sadaf Naeem, Samir Nawaz from Rahwali and Hassan Baloch of Lahore, the federal minister said in a tweet. She said the prime minister has directed to hand over the cheques of financial assistance to the families of the deceased persons immediately after completing procedural requirements. Last Thursday, former PM Imran Khan suffered a bullet wound to his leg after a gunman opened fire on his container as he was leading the PTI’s “Haqeeqi Azadi March” in Wazirabad. PTI activist Gondal died in the incident, while several members of the party chairman’s close circle, including Senator Faisal Javed, former Sindh governor Imran Ismail, Ahmad Chattha and Imran Yousaf, were injured. On October 30, the PTI called off its long march for the day when a reporter of a local private TV news channel, Sadaf Naeem, died in an accident involving one of the party’s containers while covering the event near Sadhoke. According to eyewitness accounts, Sadaf had been trying to climb up the container for a live beeper for her channel. However, because of the massive number of participants pushing their way forward and the security at the event backing them away, she accidentally fell down from the container and the vehicle ran over her.

his leg buckled during the assassination attempt, he recalled his life was saved by a “hero” who went to grab a gun from the hands of a would-be assassin.

He said he owes his life to a quick-thinking bystander when gunmen opened fire, hitting him in the leg. The former prime minister was delivering a speech from his campaign truck in the Wazirabad district of Punjab when he was shot.

TV footage from the rally showed a young man grabbing the gun-wielding attacker by the hand and pulling him back.

Khan explained that there were two gunmen, one of whom was on his left side “only 20 feet away”. “The

two heroes that saved me, one was this guy, when he saw him taking this pistol out, this guy immediately went for his hand and when he tried to grab the gun,” he said.

“The gun went down and that’s how I was saved. Because I would have got all the bullets on my top body (but) they went into my legs. Then this other guy tried, he had two magazines still.”

At that point, a dad, who came to the rally with his two kids, tackled the second gunman but was shot in the face and killed.

“So if this guy hadn’t intervened the guy would have fetched two magazines and kept shooting,” he said. “That really touched, not just

me, but the whole of the country.

“There was this picture of him lying dead and his two kids, sitting on either side, trying to wake him up. That was probably the most awful site I’ve seen.”

The former prime minister said he was also saved because he was initially hit in the leg and “collapsed, so the bullets went over my head”.

Describing the moment the bullets hit, Khan said: “First it sounded like firecrackers and then my right leg buckled, because it was hit by these bullets. Initially, it felt like a burning sensation.

“As I was hit on my leg and falling, and as I fell, and the firing stopped, then I realised I had been

saved.

“I checked myself because I was numb in the beginning and I checked my body ‘where am I hit?’… I wasn’t bleeding too much.”

He said he’s now recovering after being treated in Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital which he built after the death of his mother, Shaukat Khanum, from cancer.

He said: “I’ve had three bullets taken out from my right leg and some shrapnel in my left leg.

“So one of the bullets has fractured my shin bone, so that will take a bit of time. But I am recovering and glad – it could have been a lot worse.”

Imran Khan attack: PTI moves court for registration of FIR

WAZIRABAD Staff RepoRt

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has moved a sessions court in Wazirabad over registration of a first information report (FIR) of attack on former prime minister and party chief Imran Khan during long march.

According to details, PTI leader Zubair Niazi has filed a petition in Wazirabad Sessions Court over the registration of first information report (FIR) of attack on Imran Khan during party’s long march.

Zubair Niazi, in the petition, noted that the former

prime minister suffered bullet wounds during the attack, which also claimed a life. “The party had formally requested the police to register a case, but no action was taken,” he added.

The petitioner pointed that that the police did not register the FIR of the incident for several days. “Instead of acting on the party’s request, the police registered a case on their own complaint,” the petition added.

The petition termed the police’s step a ‘violation of the law’, urging the court to direct the law enforcement agency to register the case.

Sanjrani accepts resignation of PPP Senator Mustafa Nawaz

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, a senator of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), formally resigned from the upper house of the Parliament on Thursday, days after party leadership conveyed its unhappiness with the parliamentarian’s “political positions”.

He submitted the letter of

resignation to Sadiq Sanjrani, chairman of the Senate, in Islamabad. Interestingly, his resignationwas accepted by the senate chairman forthwith and the former PPP lawmaker’s seat has been declared vacant.

“I have formally submitted my resignation today. I’m thankful for the positive response and support across party lines which was far beyond my imagination,” he

tweeted, referring to the appreciation he received from politicians — mainly those from the Pakistan Tehreek-iInsaf (PTI) — over his principled stance on the purported leakage of a secretly recorded video showing Senator Azam Swati and spouse in intimate moments.

In a subsequent tweet, Khokar added: “For those who are speculating about my political future, let me state clearly that I’m not joining any political party. I will try hard to maintain my independence.”

He was elected as a senator in March 2018. Two years later, in December 2020, he stepped down as the spokesperson for party chairman Bilawal BhuttoZardari but said he would continue to be a part of the party.

At the time, he said he would be able to comment and express his thoughts “more freely, without any compulsions and responsibility” that came with the position of spokesperson of a party head.

However, reports citing sources in the PPP had said he was “unhappy” and “uncomfortable” with the party leadership over its backchannel contacts with the military establishment.

Three new SC judges to take oath today

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

Swearing-in ceremony of three new judges of the Supreme Court will be held at the Supreme Court Ceremonial Hall on Friday. During the ceremony, Justice Athar Minullah, Justice Shahid Waheed and Justice Hasan Azhar Rizvi would take oath of their offices. Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial would administer oath to the three judges.

Assassination bid: Sons arrive to meet recovering Imran

LAHORE ahmad Saad

Qasim and Sulaiman Khan, both sons of former prime minister Imran Khan, landed in Lahore on Thursday to meet their father who is recovering a week after being shot in the leg in an apparent assassination attempt, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) party said. Mian Aslam Iqbal, Punjab minister for industries and commerce, received the young men at Lahore airport after which they departed for the Zaman Park neighbourhood where Khan is living with his wife, Bushra Maneka, since the attack. Khan was wounded last Thursday after at least two gunmen opened fire on a convoy carrying the former prime minister as he led the protest march on Islamabad to demand snap elections. He was shot in his lower leg but was reported stable in an incident described by his supporters as an assassination attempt. Following the shooting, the party said Khan — who until then hadn’t met his children in over two years — has also spoken to his children and former spouse Jemima Goldsmith who now live in London, among other members of his family. “The news we dread,” tweeted Goldsmith, responding to the news of the attack. “Thank God he’s okay. And thank you from his sons to the heroic man in the crowd who tackled the gunman.” In an interview aired late on Wednesday, Khan told British journalist Piers Morgan he hoped to “see my sons soon”.

China, Pakistan sign MOU on TCM cooperation

BEIJING Staff RepoRt

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on medical cooperation has been signed between a Chinese education group and a Pakistani university, as per a statement by China’s Tang International Education Group.

The MoU, which was signed between Tang International Education Group (TIEG) and Pakistan’s Islamia University of Bahawalpur (IUB), aims to boost cooperation in traditional Chinese

medicine (TCM) between the two countries, Que Haitao, vice director of overseas operation centre at TIEG, told China Economic Net (CEN) in an interview.

Que noted, the cooperation is partly spurred on by the China-Pakistan Health Corridor. “Cooperation on TCM between the two countries has been ongoing for some time,” the vice director said. “We would like to push it forward through education collaboration”.

Que said the first step is to collaborate with Pakistani universities to build a

“More will be done to integrate education with the industry, such as formulating academic and industrial standards for TCM,” highlighted the vice director, adding that the group has a team of some 20 international experts to work towards this goal.

Such a tie-up may be a supplement to Pakistan’s existing medical education. “Few universities in Pakistan offer courses on traditional medicine such as

TCM. Knowledge about traditional medicine may appear in the course of Pharmacy in some Pakistani medical schools,” Prof Dr Yang Zhigang, deputy dean of the School of Pharmacy of Lanzhou University, told CEN in a written interview.

Having conducted a field study of medicinal plants in Pakistan’s plant-rich province of Gilgit Baltistan in 2017, Dr Yang told CEN in an interview that Pakistan has thousands of varieties of medicinal plants, and that the country has fallen short on both health-related and

economic use of medicinal plants, an integral part of traditional herbal medicine.

“Pakistan only has a preliminary study and application of herbal medicine. A lot of valuable herbal plants are wasted during processing,” said Que Haitao, “Working together, we can make better use of such resources and explore more.

Looking forward, Que said that TCM education and ensued industrial collaboration in Pakistan will hopefully bring affordable medical services to the local people.

China-Pakistan medical centre and cultivate TCM talent at technical, undergraduate and graduate levels.

ChIneSe COMPAny TO exPlOre lIThIuM reSOurCeS In PAkISTAn

BEIJING Staff RepoRt

INa move to better investigate and research lithium reserves in Pakistan, a strategic agreement was signed between the China-Pakistan Joint Research Centre on Earth Sciences and Tianqi Lithium Co. at an international conference on lithium battery industry held

in Sichuan China, as per a statement by the China-Pakistan Joint Research Centre on Earth Sciences.

The strategic agreement says that both parties will collaborate on the research and application of lithium resources in Pakistan. Efforts will also go to personnel training and academic exchanges to develop joint research on lithium resources in the country, CEN reported.

fbr starts inquiry against cosmetics company on allegation of tax evasion

ISLAMABAD

Shahzad paRacha

The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has opened an inquiry against Cosmetic company on allegations of tax evasion. According to the documents availble with Pakistan Today, the Directorate General I&I Islamabad has written a letter to directors of I&I-IR Lahore as well as Peshawar with regard to the biggest tax evasion scam by Forvil Cosmetics. A Complaint has been filed against Forvil Cosmetics and FBR database revealed that M/s Forvil Cosmetics are being operated in areas falling under the jurisdictions of RTO Islamabad as well as Peshawar and CTO Lahore. The Islamabad office has directed the regional officers of Lahore and Peshawar to furnish details by October 12, 2022. Meanwhile, the directorate I&I-IR Peshawar has requested additional Commissioner IR RTO Peshawar to provide details of last five years income as well as sales tax audits, assessment and recovery position so as to enable this directorate for further proceedings on this matter.

Cabinet approves rs59bn for development schemes of ruling MPs

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It is relevant to note that a meeting of the federal cabinet’s economic coordination committee (ECC) held last week under the chairmanship of the finance minister considered a summary titled as “Technical Supplementary Grant Amounting to Rs 59,430.228 million in favour of Ministry of Housing & Works from PSDP SDGs Achievement Programme (SAP)” Under Demand No “ 926-FC22D05-Development Expenditure of Cabinet Division During CFY 2022-23” submitted by Housing & Works Division. The federal cabinet’s ratification was sought for the release of these funds in terms of rule 17(1)(b) of the Rules of Business, 1973. It is pertinent to mention that the former Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government in centre led by Ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan had to some extent ignored the release of funds for the execution of development schemes in the constituencies of the members of parliament who belong to opposition parties. However, the ruling coalition government in an apparent bid to appease the voters has resolved to allocate funds for the execution of development schemes especially in the constituencies of their members of the parliament prior to the next general elections in the country.

Lithium reserves have emerged as an important source in the electronic vehicle (EV) industry around the world including Pakistan since the resources are the main raw material of EV battery, which takes up a sizeable portion of EV production cost.

According to Volza’s lithium imports data in Pakistan, Pakistan imports most of its lithium products including lithium

primary cells and batteries from countries such as China, the United States and Germany.

Last year, Pakistan devised the Automotive Industry Development and Export Plan (AIDEP 2021-26) with an aim to boost the local EV industry, bring related manufacturing locally and also reduce the use of fossil fuel.

Headquartered in China’s

southwestern

Khar urges sustained engagement with Taliban government

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

In a meeting with Hassan Kazemi Qomi, special representative of Iran to Afghanistan, Hina Rabbani Khar, deputy minister for foreign affairs, urged sustained engagement of the international community with the interim government in Kabul to ensure the well-being and prosperity of her impoverished people.

Reaffirming Pakistan’s abiding commitment to a peaceful and stable Afghanistan, Khar underscored that

Technical cadre officers of MoF, MoPD protest for nonpayment of technical allowance

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

While the All Government Employees Grand Alliance (AGEGA) are already protesting in a bid to press the government for increasing their salaries and other allowances, the officers of technical and economist cadres have also join in the strike due to non-payment of executive allowance.

While observing the complete pen down strike, the officers of Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Planning and Development have registered their protest against nonpayment of the executive allowance by the government.

According to the protesting officers, the concerned officials have also boycotted the meeting of important committees like the Central Development Working Party (CDWP) and others scheduled to be held at the secretariat.

According to them the Federal Cabinet had decided to give Executive Allowance to all civil servants from Grade 17 to Grade 22 of the Federal Secretariat, Officers.

However the Finance Division, contrary to the decision of the cabinet, has given executive allowance to a few specific groups of officers.

The remaining officers including those of Planning Commission were largely disappointed over the decision. The protesting employees have made it clear that their strike will continue till the notification of Executive Allowance.

Earlier on Tuesday the All Government Employees Grand Alliance (AGEGA), had also initiated their protest in a bid to press the government for increasing their salaries, a 100 percent increase in house rent allowance, and a 150 percent increase in the executive allowance.

The employees of the federal government earlier in the day started their protest by closing all the gates of the Pakistan Secretariat, while later they opened one of its main entrances and moved towards the Parliament House where they had announced staging a sit-in.

The administration was active to convince the employees to end their protest. The employees assured the administration of not blocking the road.

Imran urges CJP to ‘save nation’ as PTI long march resumes in Wazirabad

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The lingering deadlock between the government and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) party has deepened political turmoil at a time when Islamabad is also facing the big challenge of delivering tents and food to those displaced by this summer’s devastating floods ahead of the winter.

Thousands are still living in open areas in the wake of the floods that killed 1,739 people and affected 33 million since mid-June. Fawad Chaudhry, a senior leader from the party, said Thursday their protest march on Islamabad is resuming from Wazirabad where the former premier narrowly escaped an assassination attempt on November 3. A gunman opened fire at a protest rally, wounding the country’s popular opposition leader in the leg and killing one of his supporters.

13 other people were also hurt in the attack, which Khan blames on Prime Minister Sharif and two other government and army officials. Khan has provided no evidence to support the allegation. The government and the military denied Khan’s charge, saying the attacker was

arrested shortly after the shooting and was still being questioned. Police insist the attacker acted alone and was a religious extremist, a claim that Khan and his party reject.

Khan is expected to address the rallygoers via video link, according to his party, which says Khan’s deputies including Chaudhry, will lead the march. Khan himself will lead the march when it reaches Rawalpindi, near Islamabad. The procession, which started two weeks ago, was peaceful until the attack, raising concerns about growing political instability in Pakistan amid its history of political violence and assassinations.

Khan accused Sharif, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan and an official from the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) spy agency and orchestrating the shooting. The minister and Khan and Sharif’s government says Khan’s allegations were a “pack of lies.” The government says it has already ordered a high-level probe into the attack.

Khan’s protest convoy started from Lahore two weeks ago with Khan and thousands of his supporters — in trucks, cars or on foot — marching toward Islamabad for what was to be an open-ended rally until his demands were met.

KP CM announces special package of Rs 5m for family of citizen murdered due to political friction

PESHAWAR

Staff RepoRt

Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has announced a special package of Rs.5 million and government jobs for the family members of the late Rahimuddin, who was killed by armed assailants due to heated political debate that took place on passenger coaster on Swat Motorway last week.

He was chairing a special meeting regarding the tragic incident, during which a person was killed and his brother was injured.

Special Assistant

Minister

Khan, MNA Syed Mehboob Shah, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Amjad Ali Khan, Commissioner Malakand, RPO Mardan, DPO Mardan and other concerned officials attended the meeting. The family members of the deceased were also present on the occasion.

The forum was briefed in detail about the various aspects of the incident, including the progress made on the arrest of absconders involved in the incident.

The Chief Minister directed the authorities concerned to take swift action ensuring early arrest of the fugitives and made it clear that those involved in the gruesome murder should be brought to book at all costs.

The Chief Minister further directed them to complete the prosecution process effectively and said that providing justice to the bereaved family is the first priority, adding that all available resources should be utilized for this purpose.

On this occasion, the Chief Minister also extended his heartfelt sympathies to

the bereaved family and announced a special package of Rs.5 million and government jobs for the family members of the late Rahimuddin.

Talking to the heirs of the deceased, the Chief Minister clarified that nothing can replace a precious human life; however, the provincial government will extend every support to ensure justice is served.

The Chief Minister prayed for the higher ranks of the martyr as well as patience and perseverance for the grieved family members on this irrevocable loss.

deep-rooted fraternal ties underpin the strong bonds of solidarity between the two countries, the Foreign Office said in a statement.

As friends and neighbours of Afghanistan, the minister highlighted the critical role of Pakistan and Iran in this regard.

Earlier, Qomi also called on his Pakistan counterpart Ambassador Mohammad Sadiq. The two diplomats agreed to further strengthen their cooperation towards advancing the mutually reinforcing goals of regional peace and development.

eCP hears contempt case against Imran khan, other PTI leaders

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

The election commission on Thursday heard contempt case against Imran Khan, Asad Umar and Fawad Chaudhry. A four-member panel of the Election Commission of Pakistan headed by ECP member Nisar Durrani heard the case. Advocate Ali Bukhari appeared on behalf of the PTI and sought the ECP to adjourn the case. “Faisal Chaudhry has been in Lahore and could not reach due to blockade of roads,” the counsel said. “Anwar Mansoor has been in Karachi, I am an assistant lawyer and not the advocate in the case,” Ali Bukhari further said. “They have in calls asked me to get adjournment in the case,” he said. “I am filing a written application from Anwar Mansoor for adjournment,” the counsel added. “We have to meet the requirement of justice. You have yourself blocked roads and now saying could not come owing to roadblocks,” ECP member observed. “The court has restrained the ECP against adverse action but not stopped from proceedings in the case,” election commission member further remarked. “Issuing bailable warrants is not an adverse action,” he added. The ECP panel adjourned hearing of the case until November 22.

Japan to continue support for Pakistan in safe water supply projects

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

Ambassador of Japan to Pakistan Wada Mitsuhiro said that the government of Japan would continue to cooperate with Pakistan in the supply of safe water to citizens and the improvement of the sewage treatment system. He was addressing the inaugural ceremony of the project of replacement of pumping machinery at the inline booster pumping station and terminal reservoir in Faisalabad and the groundbreaking ceremony of the project, the improvement of the water treatment plant and water distribution system in Faisalabad. The ambassador said, “With these efforts, I hope the people of Pakistan will remember Japan as the source of clean water.” He emphasized the importance of water supply services for Pakistan. He said that the government of Japan and JICA will continue to assist with water supply services conducted by the Government of Punjab and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Chief Representative of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Pakistan Office, Kinoshita Yasumitsu said “JICA is expecting WASA Faisalabad to take the leading role in sharing tips and lessons learned from our projects to be utilized for reforming water supply management not only in Faisalabad and Punjab province but throughout the country.” He said, “I hope this grant aid project will be successful not only as a single project but as a significant milestone for having a positive impact on the improvement of water supply services in Pakistan in the future.” He added JICA will keep contributing to the sustainable development of the water supply sector in Pakistan.

province of Sichuan, Tianqi Lithium is a global leader in developing and manufacturing lithium products, notably developing lithium-ion battery technologies for application in the electric vehicle and energy storage industries.

to Chief

for Prisons Shafiullah

Bilawal seeks compensation for damages caused By floods

SHARM EL-SHEIKH the aSSociated pReSS

tHEforeign minister repeated calls for compensation for the unprecedented destruction caused to Pakistan by this summer’s flooding, saying debt relief could be a mecha-

nism for doing so.

Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari told The Associated Press on Wednesday at the UN climate summit in Egypt that the world is unequipped to deal with weather-related disasters of this scale and urged countries to find ways to address the issue.

“There’s no pot of gold sitting anywhere

or no financial international mechanism really available to deal with the tragedy of this scale,” he said. His comment comes as Pakistan races against time to arrange tents, food and other supplies for the flood victims ahead of winter just weeks away. Climate-induced flooding killed 1,739 people, displaced hundreds of thousands and caused around $40 billion in

damages, according to the World Bank.

“Many months on from the initial flooding and rainfall, there are still many areas that are underwater,” said Bhutto-Zardari, adding the World Health Organisation (WHO) warned that the country faces a health crisis because of waterborne diseases.He added that instead of “charity” or “reparations” to pay for climate

damage, nations should consider “out-of-thebox solutions that we could propose that can be a win-win for developing countries and developing countries”. One of these is for debts owed by developing countries to rich countries to be written off, allowing nations to spend that money on clean energy and adapting to worsening weather caused by climate change.

IHC rejects petitions seeking disqualification of Zardari, Fawad

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

Islamabad High Court (IHC) Thursday dismissed petitions seeking disqualification of former president Asif Ali Zardari and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Fawad Chaudhry. IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah issued the detailed verdict. “As a judge, I do not claim supremacy over the elected representatives.

The high standard of Sadiq and Amin does not exist for any office holder other than the

elected representatives,” he said in his judgement. “This measure is not even for the unelected people under whose government half the life of this country has passed,” he added. “Disqualification under Article 62 (1)(f) has profound implications.

The Parliament can form its own mechanism of self-accountability for the elected representatives,” he pointed out. “Fawad Chaudhry and Asif Ali Zardari are not convicted by any court.

Disqualification of both the public representatives has been sought on disputed facts,”

Govt of Balochistan establishing facilitation desk in each divisional HQ

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

The Government of Balochistan, under the direction of the Commission, constituted in the light of the IHC order to inquire and investigate the resentments of students belonging to the province of Balochistan, has duly notified the Establishment of missing person cell/facilitation desk in each Divisional Headquarters. Each cell/facilitation desk will be run by respective Commissioner to obtain public feedback, registered complaints and collect/transmit requisite data to central cell in Ministry of Interior. The TORs of the missing persons’ cell/facilitation desk are as under:

Minister: ‘Stubborn’ Imran has triggered chaos

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has mobilised the international community to cooperate in tackling climate change and help Pakistan in the rehabilitation and reconstruction of millions of flood-hit people. Talking to a TV station, he said former prime minister Imran Khan has put the entire nation in turmoil due to his stubbornness to call early elections. About the possibility of imposing the governor’s rule in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Iqbal said it is an extreme step but the Constitution allows the federation to keep the system afloat. He said the country needs economic revival and rehabilitation of flood victims rather than marches and protests. Staff RepoRt

RAWALPINDI: Pakistan

Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers here on Thursday ended the set-ins after three-day protests on Murree Road, Pirwadhai Mor, and Swan Camp on Jhelum Road and opened the blocked roads. The protests and roadblocks triggered the worst traffic mess on city roads, particularly on Murree Road, Old Airport Road, and G.T.Road. PTI workers had started protests demonstration in several areas on the call of their leader Imran Khan who was shot in the leg by a gunman during the long march in Wazirabad. Staff RepoRt

he stated. “Determining the disputed facts requires investigation. Political opponents of both the representatives will benefit during the investigation,” he remarked.

“If both are declared eligible after the investigation, there will be no compensation for them for the damage they suffered,” he emphasised.

“The courts’ involvement in such investigations undermines public confidence in the elected representatives,” the ruling said. “The courts getting into these matters also waste the time of the ordinary litigants,” it added.

PTI ends sit-in protests on Murree Road, Pirwadhai Mor, Swan Camp

cda chairman inaugurate newly built capital hospital

PeoPle-to-PeoPle exchanges, media cooPeration toPs cPaFFc agenda: amb lin songtian

ISLAMABAD Mian abRaR

PRESIDENTof the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC) Ambassador Lin Songtian on Thursday said that promotion of people-to-people exchanges, media cooperation and youth exchange programmes are atop his agenda and he would work with Pakistani officials to make this plan a success.

Ambassador Lin Songtian, who is leading a delegation on his first visit overseas after overtaking as President CPAFFC, spoke to the media here at the Chinese Embassy and briefed on the objectives of his visit to Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

“Media cooperation is helpful to promote people to people exchanges and we will invite Pakistani media to visit China and look for themselves the true story of how China defeated poverty. Youth exchange is also key. Capacity building is fundamental to development like human resources devel-

opment. Vocational training schools are important in this regard,” he said.

He said China and Pakistan have 18 friendship cities and I would like to work to promote this bond so the two cities can work together to further develop together. He said China is working with Pakistan to help develop its under-developed areas and Gwadar’s development into a rich coastal hub for industry. “Pakistan was among first countries to join the Belt and Road Ini-

tiative (BRI) and it has largely benefitted from CPEC. In the second phase of the corridor, China is ready to support Pakistan in its journey to development and prosperity and in this regard. We would extend help to Pakistan in transforming its human resource into skilled labour. We are also working in infrastructure building which is the key to regional and global connectivity,” he added.

He said that keeping in view the

iron-bond of friendship between China and Pakistan, he chose Pakistan as the first country for his overseas visit. He said that the CPAFFC had collected supplies worth 126 million RMB for flood hit people of Pakistan and these supplies would soon be shipped to Pakistan.

“Pakistan is my second home. We always remember that Pakistan always stood for China and also helped Chinese people in natural calamities and fighting COVID-19. I also came to help implement the consensus reached between President Xi and Premier Shehbaz Sharif on promoting people to people exchanges to shape a community with a shared future for mankind,” he said.

He said under the CPEC, China plans to connect China’s Xinjiang with Gwadar through high speed railway as infrastructure building is key to development.

“We are moving to the second phase of the CPEC. I would urge investors from China and other countries to come and invest in Pakistan. I also plan to promote people to people exchanges.

Chairman Capital Development Authority Captain (R) Muhammad Usman Younis visited Capital Hospital on Thursday and also inaugurated newly built the modern laboratory. On this occasion, the officers of the relevant departments were present. According to the details, the newly built laboratory in Capital Hospital is equipped with modern technology to provide all possible facilities to the patients coming to the hospital. In the new and modern laboratory built in Capital Hospital, PCR lab facilities including high speed chemistry analyzer, high speed special chemistry analyzer, blood gas analyzer, electrolyte analyzer will be provided to the patients. On this occasion, Chairman Capital Development Authority Capital Development Authority Captain (R) Muhammad Usman Younis directed that special care should be taken for women and especially senior citizens coming to the hospital. He further directed to identify four suitable places in the city for establishment of collection units. He also the concerned formations to make arrangements for providing facility of home collection. Moreover, Chairman CDA also visited the pharmacy of Capital Hospital and took a detailed look at the problems faced by the citizens and while issuing instructions to the ED Capital Hospital, he said that such a mechanism should be made so that the patients can be treated in the shortest possible time and medicines be provided without delay. Apart from this, Chairman Capital Development Authority Captain (R) Muhammad Usman Younis also visited the new OPD being built in Capital Hospital and reviewed the progress made in the development works. He further said that the construction work should be accelerated and it should be completed as soon as possible and made operational for the citizens. Chairman Capital Development Authority Captain (R) Muhammad Usman Younis while issuing instructions to the concerned departments said that the speed of work should be accelerated and superior quality of work be ensured and all out efforts be made to complete the project before the scheduled time and all available resources should be utilized in this regard.

Agha Hasan Baloch opens STEM education system

QUETTA

Staff RepoRt

Federal Minister for Science and Technology, Agha Hasan Baloch on Thursday inaugurated the STEM education system in Balochistan.

The inaugural ceremony was held at Nawab Ghaus Bakhsh Raisani Government Girls Higher Secondary School, Quetta. Chairman Pakistan Science Foundation, Secretary Education Balochistan, Director Science, Director GSP and school principals also attended the ceremony.

While addressing the ceremony, the minister said that Pakistan Science Foundation has started STEM education system for the first time in Pakistan. “I congratulate the Ministry of Science and Technology and Pakistan Science Foundation for making this vision a reality,” he said adding that under the project, fifty labs in government schools across the country would be developed on modern lines and con-

verted into mini system fab labs.

He noted that training modules on STEM education were being prepared for grades 9, 10, 11 and 12 with an integrated teaching approach. Teachers of these schools will be trained on STEM modules jointly designed by China and PSF, he told. The federal minister said that he believed the success of the STEM project would depend on the cooperation of all stakeholders, departments, especially the STEM-designated schools of the province could play important role in this success.

He said that the intelligence of our youth was our strength and we needed to make full use of this intelligence for the development of our society. STEM education provides us with a path towards this development. One day the project will become the lifeline of our country’s education system, he concluded.

On this occasion, the Chairman of Pakistan Science Foundation assured that the science caravan was going on across Balochistan.

Bail granted to Imran in terror case extended

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

An anti-terrorism court in Islamabad on Thursday extended an interim bail granted to former prime minister Imran Khan until November 21 in a case involving violence during a protest.

A terror case had been registered against the top leadership of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) — including chairman Khan and secretary general Asad Umar — and some 100 workers on charges of violence.

Protests sparked across the country following

the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) decision to disqualify Khan and ruling that the PTI chairman is no more a member of the National Assembly. Ten offences, including a section of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), had been added to the case registered at Sagjani police station on the police’s behalf The court also accepted Khan’s request for exemption from court appearance on medical grounds.

Meanwhile, the court also accepted the bail of Raja Khurram Nawaz, another party leader, restricting police from arresting him till November 14.

Federal Education Minister visits National Skills University Islamabad

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

World bank terms performance of Fbr satisfactory

A meeting was held between Chairman FBR,

Asim Ahmad and Country Director World Bank,

Pakistan, to review the progress of Pakistan Raises Revenue Program on 10th November 2022 at FBR HQ. FBR is implementing Pakistan Raises Revenue Program (PRRP) with financial assistance from the World Bank. The program is expected to contribute to a sustainable increase in domestic revenue by broadening the tax base and facilitating compliance. The World Bank has recently concluded the Mid-Term Review of the program in October to November 2022. Based on initial findings the World Bank has expressed overall satisfaction with the progress of the Project due to major reforms in simplifying tax regime, automating tax administration, expanding tax net, harmonizing GST etc.

The National Skills University Islamabad (NSU) skills learning laboratories/workshops are of international standards. The Government will provide all necessary support to strengthen this university's main and Muridke Campus.

This was stated by the Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training during his visit to various university laboratories.Rana Tanveer Hussain interacted with students, faculty,technologists and inquired about their future employability and university collaborations with employers. He also observed students learning skills by following standard safety procedures.Professor Dr. Zia-Ul-Qayyum, Vice Chancellor of Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU), also joined the workshops tour and briefing session.According to the Federal Minister government organization, mainly the ministries should get their vehicles repaired through NSU-trained personnel.

This has multiple benefits of training national youth, economic and reliable repair supervised by

world-class technologists, and strengthening the university services programs approved by its Senate.Later, upon completing his tour of laboratories and workshops, Rana Tanveer Hussain chaired a briefing session on issues related to the initiation of classes at the NSU Muridke Campus and the brotherly country Turkey project by the TİKA about the establishment of the hospitality center at the premises of the National Skills University Islamabad. Of note, it is essential to mention that TİKA works with an approach that involves sharing Turkey's development experience with other countries and relies on an understanding of "cooperation partnership."

shc urges ecP for holding lb polls without further delay

KARACHI Staff RepoRt

Sindh High Court (SHC) criticized the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for sitting on the local bodies (LB) elections in Karachi and Hyderabad, urged them to hold LB election without further delay. During the hearing of the petitions submitted by PTI and JI on Thursday, the SHC expressed its displeasure over the holdup. Headed by Chief Justice Sindh High Court Justice Ahmed Ali M Shaikh, a 2-member bench took up the case. Justice Yousaf Ali, questioned the ECP counsel during the hearing that why local government elections were being delayed repeatedly. CJ Shaikh remarked that it was ECP’s responsibility to hold local government elections. In his reply, the ECP’s counsel said it was a public holiday on Wednesday due to which the commission’s meeting could not be held. The Chie Justice SHC lamented, “It’s ECP, not a school. So what if it was a holiday? The meeting could have been held. Enough is enough. Go hold LB elections.” He asked where were the reports the court had sought from DG Rangers and IG Sindh. Regarding the ECP’s excuse that LB polls were not being held because of a shortage of security personnel for the election, CJ SHC unleashed a flurry of questions at the defendant’s lawyer. “Which police go to secure flood-affected areas? What are they doing with flood victims and what kind of duty are they performing there,” the CJ Sindh High Court asked. The court sought reports from IG Police and DG Rangers Sindh on the total strength of personnel in the province and how many of them are deployed in floodaffected areas. CJ SHC also questioned the ECP counsel with regard to police duty in flooded parts of the province. “Name a village in Sindh where police carried out an operation for the victims of the flood. What is the total strength of the police in Sindh and where are they deployed right now?” CJ SHC asked. Having no reply, the advocate general, prayed to the court for more time. CJ SHC said the court would not grant the government a lot of time and it would need a report as soon as possible. The court also directed the DG Rangers and IGP Sindh to furnish the court with all the details of their strength or appoint an officer for that. The SHC later adjourned the hearing will November 14.

ISLAMABAD: The Deputy Chairman Sanate of Pakistan Senator Mirza Muhammad Afridi presenting Souvenior to Amb Lin Songlain President Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countires (CPAFFC) during his call on him (L-R) Syed Zafar Ali Lin Songtain Chinese Officiting Amb, Madam Pang CHunxue

ISLAMABAD

Staff RepoRt

Mr.

Mr. Najy Benhassine,

No interest

FinAnCe minister ishaq Dar has announced that the government would be taking back the appeals against the Federal shariat Court decision declaring the banking system based on interest illegal as per sharia law. He has thus committed to a mode of banking that would be shariah-compliant. there is a catch, however, something which goes to the heart of the banking system’s troubled history of riding the banking system of interest: the system which is being held up to so much obloquy as un-islamic was introduced by the Zia martial Law as an islamic mode of banking. there is thus no guarantee that this decision will stand the test of time. true, the existing system was not based on a court decision, but the fiat of a military ruler. However, the present decision is based on the court’s interpretation of the Quran and sunnah.if a differing interpretation is made by future scholars, what is to prevent the court from adopting that opinion? it is a little discouraging that Zia introduced the current system not arbitrarily, but after an extensive consultation of experts in banking and islamic law, only to have that system stigmatized as unislamic. is there any guarantee that the new system will receive permanent approval, and that it might not end up on the scrapheap, condemned as unislamic?

One of the issues that remains to be decided is what is the relationship between Pakistan and its foreign creditors. the road has been opened for an examination of the country’s transactions on the basis of compliance with shariah, which seems at odds with the desperation shown to be compliant with imF conditionalities and to maintain access to global money markets by moving off the FAtF grey list. it should be remembered that both international financial institutions and global money markets are firmly interest-based, and adding this new dimension to the equation will only disturb it.

there is the danger of the government ending up doing what it did last time: giving interest-bearing instruments non-interest-bearing labels. this has to do with the kind of education bankers have had, which is predicated on the system being based on interest. there is the dimension of the banking system’s role in money creation, which is both immense and interest-based. it is not so much what solution is thought up, as what other solutions have been thought up by critics willing to denounce any other solutions as not Islamic.

The road to Rawalpindi

THe attempt on Pti chief imran Khan’s life has had the effect of pushing his Long march into the background, while at the same time the lordly disdain with which he has treated the criminal justice system has meant that his assailant has an increasing chance of acquittal. indeed, the very first step, that of converting the assailant into the accused, has not been achieved, because of the dispute over the Fir. imran insists that the Pm, the interior minister, and the isi’s Director General; the police refused to nominate a serving Army officer without any evidence. they seem to have no objection, though, at nominating the Pm and the interior minister, though, equally without evidence.

the Fir was finally lodged on monday, after the supreme Court intervened. What the police should have done, lodge the Fir itself, was not done for four days. such a delay is usually fatal for the prosecution. the Fir did not name the alleged conspirators. that is one reason why Firs are registered by victims: they would know if there are any conspirators. that meanest the police now had a reason to hold the assailant. the next problem is that in the absence of a medicolegal report, there is no reason for a Fir of assault to be registered. true, the possession of a weapon, and the firing of it, constitute offences in themselves, but for that the crime scene should not have been so blatantly violated. Prominent criminal lawyers would not like to take the case, except perhaps for the fee, because there is no credit to be derived from it, so full of holes is the prosecution case.

Apart from the prejudice against naming a member of the armed forces, let alone a serving general, the police do not like the nomination of persons whose connection with the case cannot be established. even if such persons are exculpated upon investigation, and thus do not have to face trial, their inclusion in the Fir is stressed by the defence to establish that the very Fir, on which the charge is based, is dubious.

A more normal procedure would be to have such persons named in the supplements to the Fir that are prepared by the investigating Officer. if an Fir is filed against ‘unknown persons’, it is in those supplements, which the iO files as he goes about identifying them, that it is explained how these persons were identified (such as the recovery from that person of goods stolen during a burglary). On the basis of these supplements, a formal charge may be made.

‘C’ would mean being liable to arrest, having to get pre-arrest bail, joining the investigation, hiring and consulting a lawyer, and generally suffering much inconvenience. if one succeeds in obtaining quashment of the Fir from a High Court, that can be used to great effect in the defence of the assailant.

One of the effects of nomination, though, would be to establish how powerful imran is.the purpose of nomination is not so much as to get the perpetrator punished, as to get the person nominated arrested.

While Pm, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto had a case of buffalo theft registered againstCh Zahoor elahi, not to punish him, but to accuse him of something that would not lower him in the eyes of fellow villagers.

Burglary or interfering with a minor would have been another matter, sending different signals., tending to disgrace someone in the eyes of his neighbours. that is, for example, the issue with Azam swati’s video, which is a very rural thing. it seems that there is no criminal activity involved, just embarrassing.

An Fir need not be registered by the victim.

technically, it just provides a record of how the police got to learn of the event. Which is why so many Firs, registered after careful consultation with a lawyer, include, after a narration of the incident, with the words, “And then i met the sHO who was on patrol”. the urgency of reporting a crime to the police cannot be over-emphasized, as defence lawyers probe deeply into any delay. the delay that has taken place so far is possibly fatal to any prosecution.

matters much by refusing a proper medicolegal examination in the presence of a magistrate, which was supposed to be one way around his failure to present himself at a designated hospital. indeed, imran should have been treated at the Wazirabad tHQ Hospital if he was serious about pursuing the case. the trial court, the district and sessions court, Gujranwala, would not be happy with a medicolegal examination in a different division.

However, what the incident has meant is that imran has been spared the rest of the Long march. even before the attempt, the Long march had become nothing but a series of rallies in the evening, with imran coming back to Lahore after addressing the crowd, and then rejoining the march the next day for the next rally. now he will only join the march in time for the entry into islamabad.

Liaquat Ali Khan and Benazir Bhutto were assassinated at Liaquat Bagh, Rawalpindi. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was hanged in Adiala Jail Rawalpindi. Imran was still a long way from Rawalpindi, even though he was on his way there

A further complicating factor for any prosecution is the suspension of the entire staff of the police station, including all officers who had initially responded to the incident. One result is that the chain of evidence has been badly disturbed, perhaps beyond retrieval.

it has also generated a sympathy wave for him. How long that wave might last is crucial. Will it carry over to the next election? if those elections take place at the last possible moment, that will be a little under a year from now, enough time for much to have happened. the allegation that the incident was staged is probably because of this.

there are also questions arising about the security of imran’s container. there are also questions arising out of the fact that the Pti controlled the Punjab government and police which let this happen, and which is responsible for the investigation. the Fiir is the only way of dragging in the federal government.

imran has used this incident to up the ante against the establishment. its unfavourable institutional reaction came in the DGisPr’s reaction, which sharply rejected the charge against the Army officer named. even though the nation has passed through a major trauma, the Long march has not turned bloody, which means in turn that hopes for the establishment to oust the government are perhaps even more distant than before the incident.

Yousaf Nizami Editor

M. A. Niazi Joint Editor Umar Aziz Executive Editor Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad Joint Editor

the problem with naming someone in an Fir, who is reported by the police to have no connection established, is that the actual criminal may be acquitted. However, especially in Firs filed in rural areas, the purpose is not so much to gain a conviction, as to bother the person nominated. in this case, for example, nomination for the Pm, interior minister and DG

One effect of this delay has been to embolden the naysayers in the PDm parties, who are expressing doubts over whether imran has been injured at all. the reminder was inevitable of the last illness of Kulsoon nawaz, which was initially dismissed as faked by opponents of mian nawaz sharif, and only whose death stopped this speculation.

true, there are those who perhaps would only be satisfied if imran was killed, but he has not helped

100 bridges open up new growth prospects

people. the country is now regarded as south Asia’s economic tiger because of the enormous socio-economic development that has led to an increase in per capita income to $2824.

Up to 100 bridges have been opened to traffic in 25 districts as part of the process of reaching the aforementioned goal and improving the nation’s economy, 42 of which are in the Khagrachari district alone and 46 of which are in the Chattogram Hill tracts region, which was previously unimaginable.

the hilly areas are long neglected since they are thought to be difficult to access. However, the CHt Peace Accord, which was signed in 1997 and sought to bring peace to the hilly region and improve the lives of its inhabitants, is now responsible for the territory’s rapid development.

Bridges have been built in the regions in order to help maintain law and order and speed up economic development there as part of the government’s vow to increase development in every region of the country.

munication system as well as road infrastructure has improved one more step due to the opening of the bridges. several bridges have been constructed in the country in recent times, the most important of which is the self-financed Padma Bridge. this bridge is a symbol of our capability and a signature of our dignity. Another notable bridge is Payara Bridge.

A bridge is not just a brick-cement-steel-concrete structure; it is also a means of human movement, cultural exchange and trade expansion. the overall economic activity of the country revolves around the communication system. therefore, there is no opportunity to deny the close relationship of the communication system with the development of the country. it is expected that as a result of the opening of 100 bridges simultaneously, the work area of people in different regions of the country will expand a lot. People’s interest will increase especially in agricultural business. those who left their area and moved to Dhaka or any other city due to lack of suitable work

While imran has benefited politically from the attempt, his surviving has meant that he has got the full benefits of the halo of martyrdom. Liaquat Ali Khan and Benazir Bhutto were assassinated at Liaquat Bagh, rawalpindi. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was hanged in Adiala Jail rawalpindi. imran was still a long way from rawalpindi, even though he was on his way there.

and income, will return to their homes. they may take the opportunity of self-employment. their productivity will increase and efficiency will be gained. their investment in various money-making activities will increase.

For the development of communication systems in the country, in addition to road bridges, metro rail, expressway, Udal road, marine drive, bus rapid transit (Brt), Bangabandhu tunnel under the Karnaphuli river and other such mega projects are going on. there is no doubt that the implementation of these will further improve the communication system of the country.

millions of people, particularly those living in the country’s impassable mountainous regions, are ecstatic to see their respective dream bridge open to traffic. the majority of the bridges were built on district roads and regional highways.

the government has also opened three significant new bridges: the third shitalakhya Bridge in narayanganj, the Bekutia Bridge in Pirojpur, and the superstructure Padma multipurpose Bridge. three months after the launch of the Padma Bridge and three other significant bridges, the government deserves praise for opening 100 other bridges.

Prime minister sheikh Hasina on november 7 inaugurated 100 bridges in 25 districts virtually from Ganobhaban. these bridges have freed the ferry service of 33 routes and established direct road connectivity to the respective places with the capital.

Bangladesh has undertaken extensive development plans over the past few decades, some of which have already been put into action and others of which are in various stages of completion, with the goal of joining trans Asian Highways— Asian Highway and Asian railways— to strengthen the nation’s international connectivity. the government’s efforts over the past few years, which have kept the nation’s grassroots at the center of development programmes, are now paying off for the

in addition, the opening of these bridges is likely to have a significant positive impact on the tourism industry because, in the past, many visitors to plains felt dissuaded from following their instinct and discovering the natural beauty of those regions due to the inconvenience of travelling to distant and unsafe locations. it would aid in the development of additional and alternative means of subsistence for the long-term residents of those places who have suffered from poverty, as well as their social inclusion, and biodiversity and landscape preservation.

the inhabitants in the relevant localities would undoubtedly profit from the other bridges that were opened on that day. it is true that there is still a widening economic gap in the nation, and the potential of each region has not yet been fully realized. therefore, the relevant authorities must create an adequate region-based development strategy. the earlier they develop and put the plan into action, the better.

tk 8.80 billion have been spent on the construction of the bridges. needless to say, the country’s road com-

sheikh Hasina’s sincere efforts and strict oversight have made it possible to undertake projects, especially major ones, successfully despite numerous obstacles and the current global crisis. Despite opposition, plots, and hurdles, the government persisted in implementing changes all the way down to the local level.

We expect that individuals in the country’s remote and impassible hilly regions will have no trouble navigating the rivers, lakes, and canals so they may now travel quickly and safely to their intended destinations. in addition, these 100 bridges will transform the entire economic landscape of the regions and have a significant positive impact on trade, industry, tourism, and many other sectors.

the opening of 100 bridges is comparable to a new beginning in terms of ideas, efforts, words, and deeds to carry out the goal and vision. therefore, in order to keep these 100 bridges in good and usable shape, the relevant authorities should check them and maintain them effectively.

writer is a freelance columnist

The federal decision not to appeal the FSC judgement may cause problems

The writer is a member of staff

The

MehjAbIN bhANu

While Imran has benefited politically from the attempt, his surviving has meant that he has got the full benefits of the halo of martyrdom.

The opening of 100 bridges in Bangladesh is comparable to a new beginning in terms of ideas, efforts, words, and deeds to carry out the goal and vision. Therefore, in order to keep these 100 bridges in good and usable shape

At Penpoint M A NIAZI

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

The delays in the case could lead to Imran’s assailant being acquitted

A historic visit

The two countries dealt with a wide range of issues

ing together to further deepen the bilateral ties between the two countries.

Pakistani and Chinese leaders held an indepth exchange of views on bilateral relations as well as the regional situation and international political landscape. Both the sides agreed on the importance of the China-Pakistan All Weather strategic Cooperative Partnership amidst the emerging global challenges. meetings between the visiting Pakistan premier and Chinese leaders were quite obviously and expectedly marked by traditional warmth, mutual strategic trust and commonality of views. needless to mention here that the Pm on arrival in Beijing. was warmly received by China with premium courtesy which reflected the closeness and friendly time-tested relations between the two countries.

Chinese side.

the uniqueness of two countries’ closest friendly relations lie in the strong support of practical cooperation underpinned by the great game changer, the China-Pakistan economic Corridor (CPeC) which was playing a leading role in Belt and road initiative (Bri). As many as 47 projects have either been launched or completed with a total investment of more than $25 billion and large number of 150,000 jobs already created.

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Send your letters to: Letters to Editor, Pakistan today, 4-Shaarey Fatima Jinnah, Lahore, Pakistan. E-mail: letters@pakistantoday.com.pk Letters should be addressed to Pakistan today exclusively

Islamabad Club not quite galloping

tHe club was established under the Companies Act of 1913 in 1967. An area of 244.8 acres was leased to the club by the Capital Development Authority (CDA), which has over the years expanded to about 352 acres; approximately half of a sector, or two subsectors of the capital city. in July 1978, through a Presidential Ordinance, the club ownership was resumed by the government and the company was dissolved. since then, the club has been operating under the Club Ordinance as a statutory body. the club is presently under the administrative control of the Cabinet Division as an attached department of the government.

the administration and assets of the club are in the hands of an administrator appointed by the federal government who is aided and advised by a managing committee, which is also appointed by the federal government. this lingering legacy of the colonial rule has been faithfully retained by clubs all over the country with the objective of providing exclusivity to the ruling elite, and to keep the riff raff, kaala loag, also called the people, away from the rulers’ delicate beings.

During the initial years when islamabad was being constructed and its future residents were being shifted from Karachi, foreign missions and embassies had also started relocating. there was a genuine need to have a place that may enable the foreigners to socialise and entertain themselves. For the lesser mortals, staff welfare centres were built. During the early years, the club functioned very efficiently with its limited facilities. People would meet and gossip over a cup of this and a glass of that. As time passed and the city expanded, restrictions also increased. One such restriction was the prohibition, which forced the foreign missions to form their own ‘clubs’ on their own premises. it is hard to understand why the club took over the cricket ground in F-9 park, which is a public space open to everyone, and access to any part of it cannot be denied to the users. Later, a polo ground was especially developed to satisfy the desires of one of its patrons who had earlier made attempts to have a polo ground even in the chief executive’s residence with stables for his beloved horses.

Lack of class and vision in its operators, the islamabad Club started transmuting into an inexpensive eatery. All those who could afford a million rupees or more started finding entry into it. Besides, all members of parliament and their families were given the right to be club members. not all of them brought manners and etiquettes to the table.

THe friendliest relations among any two countries around the world exist between the People’s republic of China and Pakistan, and are based on mutual trust, confidence, cooperation, assistance as well as unanimity of views on major international and regional issues and concerns. these relations are going to be further promoted, strengthened and deepened following Prime minister shehbaz sharif’s maiden official visit to China in the first week of november ,2022.

the two-day official visit was Prime minister shehbaz sharif’s first bilateral visit after assuming office and had taken place at the personal invitation of President Xi Linping who had invited him to visit China immediately after the 20 national Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC). During the short two-day visit the prime minister met with President Xi Linping and held talks with Premier of the state Council Li Keqiang and Chairman of the standing Committee of the national Preoples’ Congress Li Zhanshu this was President Xi’s second meeting with Pm shehbaz sharif in less than two months.

Prime minister shehbaz sharif went through a hectic schedule of meetings and engagements during the short visit which can easily be described as quite a historic one on the short and long term basis.

Following the visit a comprehensive joint statement was issued by the two sides. During the visit a number of agreements and moUs were signed or concluded in the areas of e-commerce, digital economy, export of agricultural products, financial cooperation, protection of cultural property, infrastructure, flood relief, post disaster reconstruction, Global Development initiative (GDi), animal disease control, livelihood, cultural cooperation, space, geosciences as well as law enforcement and security. the Pm was accompanied by Finance minister ishaq Dar, Foreign minister Bilawal Zardri Bhutto, information minister marriyum Aurangzeb among others who signed these documents details of which will become public in due course of time as these are given practical shape one after the other, by the official quarters concerned of both the countries.

Pm shehbaz sharif felicitated President Xi on his re-election as the General secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, commended his contributions toward continued growth of Pakistan-China relations and invited him to visit Pakistan. Accepting the invitation, the Chinese President said that he would visit Pakistan at his earliest conveniences the two leaders also pledged to continue work-

the leaders firmly reaffirmed that close strategic ties and profound friendship between China and Pakistan was time-tested and resilient, and that the friendship was a historic choice of both peoples that serves the interests of the two countries. the Chinese side reiterated that relations with Pakistan would always be given the highest priority in its foreign policy. the Pakistani side underscored that the Pakistan-China relationship was the cornerstone of its foreign policy and that the Pakistani people always supported the closest friendship between the two countries.

The prime minister’s visit quite historical, successful and productive and the outcome of the visit will be becoming visible much sooner than expected as the leadership of the two countries will be pursuing the decisions, agreements and other concerned matters at the appropriate level respectively to ensure the desired fruits rising from the visit reach the people of Pakistan at the earliest possible without obstacles and hindrances

the Pakistani side briefed the Chinese on the situation in the indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir and the two sides reiterated that a peaceful and prosperous south Asia was in the common interest of all parties, and the Chinese side reiterated that the Kashmir issue should be properly and peacefully on the basis of the Un Charter, relevant Un security Council resolutions and bilateral agreements.

On Afghanistan, the two sides agreed that a peaceful, prosperous, interconnected and stable Afghanistan was fundamental to regional prosperity and progress. China and Pakistan also underscored the need for the international community to provide continued assistance and support to Afghanistan including through the unfreezing of Afghanistan’s overseas financial assets and agreed to continue their humanitarian assistance for the Afghan people as well as enhance development cooperation in Afghanistan including through CPeC’s extension to Afghanistan.

the Pakistani side expressed support for the Global Development initiative and also for the Global security initiative put forward by the

the 11th CPeC Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) was virtually held on October 27, laying a strong foundation for the visit by the Pakistani prime minister, and the leaders of the two countries reached important and much needed consensus on the mL-1 project for its early completion. China has also agreed to actively advance the Karachi Circular railway (KCr) and encourage Chinese enterprises to participate in solar power and other renewable energy projects in Pakistan in the first phase of CPeC, China will also be stepping up cooperation in industry, agriculture, science and technology in order to better serve Pakistan’s industrialization and enhance its export competitiveness, new concepts like health corridor, industrial corridor, digital corridor and green corridor will also become an important part of the highquality development of CPeC, as per the agreement reached between the two sides. the year 2023 will usher in the China-Pakistan Year of tourism and exchange and the Gandhara Art exhibition will be held at the Palace museum, showcasing Pakistan’s diverse culture and long history of interaction with China, according to the joint statement. massive destruction caused by unprecedented heaviest rains and deadliest historical floods in Pakistan and ongoing relief and rehabilitations of the large number of affected people in the country also figured during the talks between Pakistani and Chinese leaders. China announced an extra 500 million yuan emergency aid for post-disaster reconstruction ring the total aid to 1.16 billion yuan (rs 36 billion) thus ranking first among other countries. the prime minister’s visit quite historical, successful and productive and the outcome of the visit will be becoming visible much sooner than expected as the leadership of the two countries will be pursuing the decisions, agreements and other concerned matters at the appropriate level respectively to ensure the desired fruits rising from the visit reach the people of Pakistan at the earliest possible without obstacles and hindrances.

The writer can be reached at zahidriffat@gmail.com

there is little the club management can do today except devolving the cricket academy to the relevant sports body and making a separate polo club for those who can afford to pay to play and to have the facility properly looked after. in fact, the golf club, too, should be turned into a body independent of the club.

M ZUBAIR OSMANI ISLAMABAD

Harrowing PIA incident

i am a Canadian permanent resident with a valid Pakistani passport, and faced an absurd situation at the islamabad airport while on my way back to toronto on Oct 1.

i purchased a confirmed online ticket for islamabad-muscatDammam-Amsterdam sector. i reached the airport three-and-a-half hours before the scheduled flight (PK-291) departure. After a little while, when i approached the PiA counter for check-in, the airline staff refused to board me, saying i had a short transit time at muscat airport. it was two hours, actually. i asked them how the airline could issue a ticket if it had not verified its internal agreement with another airline. i also knew for sure that the minimum connecting time at muscat airport is one hour. i told them that i had flown around the world with similar and even slightly shorter transit times as well. But the PiA staff were not willing to pay heed to anything that i was saying. i told them that i had no checked luggage and that i already had online boarding passes from KLm for muscat and Amsterdam, which would help save time at muscat. But the staff still would not let me board the plane. i sent emails to the ticketing website’s customer service while at the airport, but no one responded. i contacted the KLm helpline, but was asked to get the matter sorted out with PiA.

As it happened, i stayed at the airport for an additional 32 hours to catch the next available flight to Canada via Qatar since i could not go back to my village. in total, i was at airport for almost 36 hours. i told the PiA staff that i had to be in Canada on monday morning and would miss out on an important matter in toronto if i did not travel. As i said, the staff would just not listen to me. All they wanted was for me to listen to them. A passenger or customer should not have to bear the consequences of gross incompetence of airlines or websites selling tickets. this is highly irresponsible on the part of all parties involved.

in short, for me it was a disastrous experience with PiA. never have i felt so humiliated and disrespected as a traveller. it was the first time i had ever been refused by an airline to board. i have not mentioned a single word of the mental agony and stress under which i subse-quently travelled. that is a separate story. Will PiA like to provide me any valid reason for my ‘ineligibility’ to board the flight to muscat? Will anybody like to tell me where i am at fault? if not, who is?

RAJA FAISAL ABBAS ONTARIO, CANADA

Decaying pride

GOrDOn College in rawalpindi is a prestigious institution with a rich history dating back 129 years. today, its structure is on the verge of destruction and needs thorough rebuilding as its classrooms, blocks, offices and grounds are in a dilapidated condition. no serious repairs have been undertaken in the last 50 years since its nationalisation in 1972. the college has nurtured remarkable talent and produced a lot of prominent personalities in all walks of life. students at the college include senior army officers, supreme Court judges, prime ministers and other senior public office holders, artists, actors, journalists, businessmen and corporate leaders. it’s a shame that their alma mater is down in the dumps. the authorities concerned should immediately release sufficient funds for repair, reconstruction and maintenance of the structure. if that is not possible, the college should be declared a national heritage building under the relevant clauses so that its structure along with its rich tradition may somehow be saved.

ZAFAR ULLAH SHAHEEN, KHURRUM SHAHZAD RAWALPINDI

MuhAMMAd ZAhId RIfAt

soon there Will be 8 billion people on the planet

tinue to rise. Floods, storms and droughts are devastating countries that contributed almost nothing to global heating.

the war in Ukraine is adding to ongoing food, energy and finance crises, hitting developing economies hardest. these inequalities take their greatest toll on women, girls and on marginalized groups that already suffer discrimination.

Many countries in the Global South face huge debts, increasing poverty, hunger and the growing impacts of the climate crisis. they have little chance of investing in a sustainable recovery from the pandemic, the transition to renewable energy, or education and training for the digital age. anger and resentment against developed countries are reaching breaking points.

vide governments of the Global South with investments and liquidity, address debt relief and restructuring. as we push for action on these medium-term measures, we are working nonstop with all stakeholders to ease the global food crisis.

the Black Sea Grain Initiative is an essential part of those efforts. It has helped to stabilize markets and bring food prices down. Every fraction of a percent has the potential to ease hunger and save lives.

We are also working to ensure Russian fertilizers can flow into global markets, which have been severely disrupted by the war. Fertilizer prices are up to three times higher than before the pandemic. Rice, the most widely consumed staple in the world, is the crop that will suffer most.

thE world’s population will reach 8 billion in the middle of November — a testament to scientific breakthroughs and improvements in nutrition, public health and sanitation. But as our human family grows larger, it is also growing more divided.

Billions of people are struggling; hundreds of millions are facing hunger and even famine. Record numbers are on the move seeking opportunities and relief from debt and hardship, wars and climate disasters. Unless we bridge the yawning chasm between the global haves and havenots, we are setting ourselves up for a world of 8 billion strong filled with tensions and mistrust, crisis and conflict.

the facts speak for themselves. a handful of billionaires control as much wealth as the poorest half of the world. the top 1% globally pocket one-fifth of the world’s income, while people in the richest countries can expect to live up to 30 years longer than those in the poorest. as the world has grown richer and healthier in recent decades, these inequalities have grown too.

On top of these long-term trends, the accelerating climate crisis and the unequal recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic are turbocharging inequalities. We are heading straight for climate catastrophe, while emissions and temperatures con-

toxic divisions and lack of trust are causing delays and deadlock on a host of issues, from nuclear disarmament to terrorism to global health. We must curb these damaging trends, repair relationships and find joint solutions to our common challenges.

the first step is acknowledging that this runaway inequality is a choice and one that developed countries have the responsibility to reverse — starting this month at the U.N. climate conference in Egypt and the Group of 20 summit in Bali. I hope COP27 will see a historic climate solidarity pact under which developed and emerging economies unite around a common strategy and combine their capacities and resources for the benefit of humankind. Wealthier countries must provide key emerging economies with financial and technical support to transition away from fossil fuels. that is our only hope of meeting our climate goals.

I also urge leaders at COP27 to agree on a roadmap and institutional framework to compensate countries in the Global South for climate-related loss and damage that is already causing enormous suffering.

the G20 summit in Bali will be an opportunity to address the plight of developing countries. I have urged G20 economies to adopt a stimulus package that will pro-

Removing the remaining obstacles to the exports of Russian fertilizers is an essential step towards global food security. But among all these serious challenges, there is some good news.

Our world of 8 billion strong could yield enormous opportunities for some of the poorest countries, where population growth is highest. Relatively small investments in health care, education, gender equality and sustainable economic development could create a virtuous circle of development and growth, transforming economies and lives.

Within a few decades, today’s poorest countries could become engines of sustainable, green growth and prosperity across entire regions. I never bet against human ingenuity and I have enormous faith in human solidarity. In these difficult times, we would do well to remember the words of one of humanity’s wisest observers, Mahatma Gandhi: “the world has enough for everyone’s need — but not everyone’s greed.”

this month’s big global meetups must be an opportunity to start bridging divides and restoring trust, based on the equal rights and freedoms of every single member of humanity’s family of 8 billion.

Antonio Guterres is the secretarygeneral of the United Nations.

israel’s

inTercepT

Daniel Boguslaw

oN the website for the Israeli group Chasdei Meir, one member of the staff stands out: “the Magician.” he’s the only employee of the anti-miscegenation group with a photo that doesn’t show his face. “he hits the streets every day to find Jewish women who are involved with arabs,” his short bio says. “he works his magic to bring the daughters of Israel back to their people.”

this isn’t a Sacha Baron Cohen movie. Chasdei Meir is one arm of a far-right movement whose surging political party, Otzma Yehudit, or Jewish Power, appears to have propelled Benjamin Netanyahu to victory in Israel’s election.

according to exit polls, Otzma Yehudit is poised to seize multiple seats in the Israeli parliament. Otzma Yehudit formed an alliance with two other extremist political parties, haZionut haDatit and Noam, as part of a coalition to boost Netanyahu. Should the coalition take control, as exit polls suggest it will, Netanyahu will reportedly give its leader Itamar Ben-Gvir a seat in his cabinet.

the party — and its leaders — are famously antiarab. On October 13, Ben-Gvir drew his gun in a Palestinian neighborhood in East Jerusalem and told his followers, on camera, to shoot Palestinians. For Ben-Gvir, the provocations against arabs have proved effective at bolstering his image as Israel’s most hard-line extremist politician — and now a kingmaker in Israeli parliament.

the Jewish supremacists who delivered Netanyahu his victory are the ideological descendants of Meir Kahane, an american-born Zionist and founder of the Jewish Defense League, which has been responsible for bombings on american soil, killings, and attacks on both arabs and moderate Jews in Israel. Organs of the Kahanist movement have been consistently designated as terror groups by the U.S. and continue to receive funding from a network of U.S. based allies.

For supporters of Israel in america, the ascent of the

Kahanists raise troubling political issues. as a Nation investigation detailed in 2019, Chasdei Meir, Otzma Yehudit, and haZionut haDatit (also known as National Union or the Religious Zionist Party) are supported by a network of tax-exempt american nonprofits that fund Israeli extremists — many of them based in New Jersey and next door in New York. at least one of the far-right Israeli groups receiving support subsidized by american tax breaks is designated as a terror organization by the U.S.

Many of Israel’s backers in the U.S., however, oppose these groups, and some of them have made it known. at least one liberal Democrat on Capitol hill who can be relied upon to take Israel’s side has reportedly expressed their concern directly to Netanyahu. ahead of the elections, Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., a Democrat and the chair of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee, reportedly issued a stark warning to Netanyahu in a closed-door meeting: “the composition of such a coalition could seriously erode bipartisan support in Washington, which has been a pillar of the bilateral relationship between the US and Israel.”

In his own backyard, meanwhile, Menendez has looked the other way, remaining silent on the network of tri-state organizations that fund the very groups he opposes. (Menendez’s office did not respond to a request for comment.)

the network of tax-exempt organizations in the U.S. funnels donations to Ben-Gvir and his followers, supporting their efforts to ethnically cleanse Palestinians through violent attacks and illegal settlements. the groups are still registered with the IRS, and filings show that since the Nation’s investigation into donations made in the early 2000s, many of the groups continued raising money into 2020, the most recent year for which records are available. Lawmakers and federal regulators appear to have done little. the Intercept also uncovered a previously unreported nonprofit — tomchei tzedaka — tied to the Israeli far right that has raised over $15 million dollars since 2017.

“It is unacceptable that the U.S. government contin-

Drop any illusions that Washington coulD promote peace for ukraine

Global Times

What Washington is concerned about isn’t the peace of Europe and Ukraine, but how to bring down Russia using Ukraine as a pawn and taking advantage of Europe, as well as how to consolidate its hegemony in Europe and across the whole world. the international community should discard any illusions about any of the US’ moves which appear to promote peace. the Biden administration is privately encouraging Ukraine’s leaders to signal an openness to negotiate with Russia and drop their public refusal to engage in peace talks unless Russian President Vladimir Putin is removed from power, according to people familiar with the discussions, the Washington Post reported on Saturday.

Instead of relieving or addressing the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Washington’s main purpose is actually to adopt a new strategy diplomatically in which Ukraine can gain more lasting support from US’ European allies in its conflict with Russia. although encouraging Kiev to engage peace talks with Russia, Washington just hopes to see a fruitless result. the US intends to ensure that Ukraine holds the moral high ground amid the Ukraine crisis, in a bid to obtain more continuous assistance from US’ allies in Europe, Song Zhongping, a Chinese military expert and tV commentator, told the Global times. Despite US’ midterm elections, the result is not difficult to predict. Joe Biden is anticipated to become a lame duck president and his government will be restrained in dealing with foreign policy affairs. Whether the Democratic Party loses the majority of the house of Representatives or both the house and Senate, even though the Biden administration’s support for Ukraine, especially that in diplomacy, will not wane, Washington’s aid to Kiev may be reduced or restricted. Just as the Washington Post report said, “In the US, polls show eroding support among Republicans for continuing to finance Ukraine’s military at current levels, suggesting the White house may face resistance following tuesday’s midterm elections as it seeks to continue a security assistance program that has delivered Ukraine the largest such annual sum since the end of the Cold War.”

Releasing such source a few days before the midterm elections, Washington is to pave the way for the possible adjustment of US’ aid to Ukraine, in an attempt to prolong the ongoing conflict. Under US’ instigation, if Ukraine talks with Russia, the negotiations will end up as a failure as Ukraine can use the pretext that Russia could not meet Ukraine’s conditions, and then the blame of the long-standing conflict between Russia and Ukraine can be passed to Russia. In this scenario, Ukraine will be regarded as the constructive side to the Ukraine crisis, while Russia the destructive one. as a result, Ukraine will gain more firm support and aid from US’ European allies. the Biden administration hopes its European allies to fill in the gap resulted from US’ reduction, according to a Beijing-based expert who asked for anonymity. Notably, US national-security adviser Jake Sullivan has engaged in recent months in confidential conversations with top aides to Putin, the Wall Street Journal cited US and allied officials. Instead of seeking peace, Washington’s engagement with Russia is out of its intent to safeguard its own interest, that is, not to escalate the conflict into a war between the US and Russia, noted Song. the US does not want to see the military conflict between Russia and Ukraine end soon. For Russia, Ukraine, as well as Europe, the longer the crisis, the more detrimental for them; while for Washington, the longer the conflict, the more favorable position it will be in. In spite of European countries’ economies and energy supply heavily hit by the ongoing crisis, they have to supply Ukraine with large amounts of military and financial aid. this is what Washington wants to achieve - exploiting Ukraine as a pawn to drag down Russia and Europe; and amid the whole process, the US merely pays a light price.

kingmakers draw on us

terror classifications

New Jersey in 2001. as recently as 2020, both U.S. organizations have donated to the Yeshivat haRa’ayon haYehudi in Israel, despite the terror listings.

ues to subsidize funds that are used for illegal activities and to fund violent groups operating in Israel-Palestine,” Raed Jarrar, advocacy director at Democracy for the arab World Now told the Intercept. “this is an issue that has been going on for decades. the fact that there are nonprofits subsidized by america taxpayers that support organizations designated by the U.S. government as terrorist groups shows that Israel continues to be treated in an exceptional way in Washington, D.C.”

Just as a tangled web of U.S.-based support groups fund the Israeli far right, a complex and dizzying network of organizations inside Israel and occupied territories is on the receiving end of those transactions.

among the main organs of the Kahanist right is Lehava, a 10,000-strong Jewish supremacist organization that has attacked police, committed arson against mixed Jewish-arab schools, and organized pogroms in arab neighborhoods. Lehava shares its headquarters with Ben-Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit party, and Ben-Gvir, a lawyer, has represented members of the group tried for crimes against arabs. In addition to its political and activist wings, the movement has a religious arm: Yeshivat haRa’ayon haYehudi, or the Jewish Idea, which is classified as a terrorist organization by the U.S. due to its affiliation with Kahane’s ideology.

Groups associated with Kahanism were delisted from the State Department’s official Foreign terrorist Organizations list this year, but remain classified as Specially Designated Global terrorists under Executive Order 13224, which allows the U.S. to block any financial support. Michael Ben-ari, a leader of both the Otzma Yehudit party and the Yeshivat haRa’ayon haYehudi, was denied entry to the U.S. in 2012 for his terrorist affiliations.

the name “Jewish Idea” is itself drawn from the terrorist organization founded by Kahane in 1987. In addition to the yeshiva, a host of groups in Israel, the occupied territories, and the U.S. use the name. One such U.S. group, Friends of haRaayon hayehudi, is based in Skokie, Illinois. the group coordinates with its counterpart, the Charity of Light Fund, Inc., first registered in

Many top officials in the network of Kahanist groups have a history of violence. Levi Chazan, a director of both Friends of haRaayon hayehudi and the Charity of Light Fund, was convicted of shooting nine Palestinians in Ramallah in 1984. Chazan also works with the Kahanist organization Chemla in Israel, which counts multiple operatives in Ben-Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit party as employees. among them is Ben-Zion Gopstein, who runs Lehava and was indicted in Israel on terrorism charges in 2019 for inciting violence against arabs. the vigilante anti-miscegenation group Chasdei Meir, named after Meir Kahane, lists Chazan as a member. the organization says he runs a home to “save” Jewish women.

the US donation button on Lehava’s website redirects to the tomchei tzedaka Corp, registered in Lakewood, New Jersey. according to tax filings, tomchei tzedaka has raised over $16 million dollars in donations since 2017, with most of the funds being passed on to undisclosed organizations in Israel. When reached for comment, a representative of tomchei tzedaka told the Intercept that he could not speak on the relationship between tomchei tzedaka and Lehava due to “Rabbinic law.”

Despite funneling millions of dollars to the Yeshivat haRa’ayon haYehudi and its affiliated groups in Israel, none of the U.S.-based nonprofits or donors to these organizations have faced federal oversight for their actions.the exception is the New York-based Central Fund of Israel, which temporarily halted its activities supporting honenu, a Lehava-linked extremist organization, after facing public pressure and an IRS inquiry instigated by research and advocacy from t’ruah, a Jewish human rights group. (Central Fund denied any wrongdoing in the IRS inquiry.)

Despite the well-documented history of violence swirling around the figures who returned Netanyahu to the prime minister’s office, one member of Congress, Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Calif., spoke out forcefully against Otzma Yehudit in the run-up to the election. “as #Israel heads towards another election in November, I urge Israeli political leaders from all sides of the political spectrum to ostracize extremists like Itamar Ben-Gvir whose outrageous views run contrary to Israel’s core principles of a democratic and Jewish state.” Sherman tweeted. “these extremists undermine #Israel’s interests and the U.S.-Israel relationship, which I and my colleagues have worked to strengthen.”

Japan Times

anTonio guTeRRes

D.C. HAVE EXPRESSED CONCERN ABOUT THE FIGURES IN BENJAMIN NETANYAHU’S COALITION, LITTLE IS DONE ABOUT THE TAXEXEMPT U.S. SUPPORTERS OF ISRAEL’S FAR RIGHT

corporate corner

Rear Admiral Raja Rab Nawaz assumes command as Commander Coast

ShARjeel uRgeS WoRld BANk to fuNd 300 eV BuSeS foR kARAChi

KArAchI staff report

SINDHMinister for Information, Transport and Mass Transit Sharjeel Inam Memon on Thursday has offered World Bank delegation to bring 300 electric buses in Karachi.

Provincial Minister extended this investment offer to world bank delegation during a meeting on Karachi BRT yellow line held at his office on Thursday. The World Bank Practice Manager Transport Shomik Mehndiratta and Senior Transport Specialist Hassan Zaidi represented the world bank in the meeting. Secretary Transport Abdul Halim Shaikh, Managing Director Sindh Mass Transit Authority Cap( R.) Altaf Hussain Sario, Project Director BRT Yellow Line Ameer Fazal, Shaheen Sabir and Muhammad Yusuf Muneer Director SMTA were also at-

tended the meeting. Talking to world bank delegation, the minister added that Sindh government is endeavouring to improve the public transport system on modern lines in the province and said that transport sector has attractive investment opportunities to international investors as government is willing to provide them maximum facilities.

The meeting throughly reviewed the progress on the BRT Yellow Line.

On the proposal of the provincial minister, the representatives of the World Bank agreed to conduct a joint survey on the route of the BRT yellow line to make.Project Director BRT Yellow line while briefing about the project told that the BRT Yellow Line will cost $438 million and 21 kilometer dedicated corridor will be erected between Dawood Chowrangi and Numaish Chowrangi. The corridor will start from Dawood Chowrangi in Korangi Industrial Area via Jam Sadiq Bridge,

Main Korangi Road , FTC Interchange Shahrah-e Faisal , Shahrah-e Quaideen, Kashmir Road Interchange and will integrate with BRT Red Line at Numaish Chowrangi.

On The occasion, the minister also discussed bullet train project between Karachi and Sukkar and told the WB delegation that Sindh government is also planning to run a bullet train between Karachi and Sukkur and sought cooperation of the World Bank. He

said that Karachi-Sukkur is a busy traveling section which offers excellent opportunities for investors.

He said that sindh government has envised a future plan to run a bullet train on the route with initial plan from Karachi to Hyderabad and later extending it up to Sukkur.

The World Bank delegation assured the provincial minister of all possible cooperation in improving the public transport sector in the province.

Childlife signs Mou with italian hospital

MoU signed between Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Italy and ChildLife Foundation. The Consulate of Italy, the Istituto Giannina Gaslini, largest pediatric care hospital in Northern Italy and ChildLife Foundation are promoting an important collaboration in the field of children health care with the objective of saving lives through better use of pediatric emergency rooms and telemedicine services. “Following an adopt-and-operate model, the objective of the collaboration is to modernize and manage children’s ERs of government tertiary care hospitals by building capacity of the doctors, where the sickest and poorest children can access quality care 24/7”, added Dr. Ahson Rabbani, CEO of ChildLife Foundation.

In particular, ChildLife and Gaslini have identified a series of projects aimed at strengthening children’s healthcare. They plan to collaborate on the following initiatives: I. Training – Jointly develop and conduct training courses for health professionals. Approximately 500 doctors will be trained over the next three years. II. Telemedicine - Sharing best practices of telemedicine by both parties to improve and expand their respective Telemedicine network. pr

Shell, Careem and Muawin collaborate for fuel Management Solutions

Sanofi’s Foundation S donates over PKR 378 million for post-flood relief efforts in Pakistan

tion for the flood victims.”

corporate corner

Yasir Ahmed appointed general Manager of hotel Mehran

The Management of Hotel Mehran has promoted Mr Yasir Ahmed and appointed him as the General Manager of the Hotel. Mr Ahmed has more than 20 years of experience of different segments of the hospitality industry. He has been working diligently with Hotel Mehran since 2004. Yasir Ahmed has served in numerous senior management positions in Hotel Mehran including Sales and Marketing, Rooms Division, General Manager's Secretariat, as well as Renovation Projects.

In his long service with Hotel Mehran, Mr Yasir Ahmed has always striven to take the hotel and hospitality industry to higher and newer achievements.

The Management and higher echelons of Hotel Mehran wish Genereal Manager Yasir Ahmed success, knowing he will be an asset to the Hotel. pr

Sanofi’s philanthropic arm, Foundation S, has donated a sum of over PKR 378 M (1.7 M Euros) to support flood victims in Pakistan. Medicinal donation of antibiotics worth 245 million was made to the Indus Hospital & Health Network (IHHN).

The vast donation plan covers PKR 89 million (400,000 Euros) to UNICEF to provide the affected population with delivery kits, water purification caps, water tanks, nutrition kits, and essential medicines. It includes PKR 44.5 million (200,000 Euros) to the Red Cross Croix-Rouge (French Red Cross) to procure emergency aid materials (tents, shelters etc) and water purification systems. Another PKR 245 million (1,100,000 Euros) worth antibiotics were provided to treat approximately 550,000 patients.

Shakeel Mapara, Head of Human Resources, Sanofi Pakistan said, “WHO estimates that 8 million people need essential health assistance despite the receding flood waters. At Sanofi, we want to do our best to help the victims of flash floods. Sanofi is donating its top-notch antibiotics to the Indus Hospital to treat 555,000 people in medical camps. Our employees in Pakistan also came forward to make financial and in-kind dona-

The devastation caused by the floods is vast. A third of the country was underwater. Approximately 55 million people had been affected and 670,000 homes were damaged or destroyed. Additionally, 793,900 livestock – a critical source of sustenance and livelihoods for many families - had died.

Dr. Abdul Bari Khan, President, Indus Hospital & Health Network said, “The devastation caused by the floods is a huge crisis that will take years to rebuild. This is not just the responsibility of one sector. Until we all come together, we will not be able to remedy the situation. We (IHHN) are proud to partner with Sanofi to deliver life-saving medication to those in desperate need.”

Vanina Laurent - Ledru, Head of Foundation S said, “Today, the post flood situation in Pakistan reflects the urgency to bring collective mindsets to pioneer solutions to increase the health resilience of climate- populations. Foundation S is committed to playing its part in addressing climate change and its impact on the health for the most vulnerable population.”

Sanofi Pakistan employees have provided support through in-kind contributions and voluntary financial donations. The team collaborated with the Karachi Relief Trust to help pack 500 ration bags that were sent to villages in Sindh.

Minister solicits support for IT Industry

ISLAMABAD staff report

Pakistan Software Houses Association (P@SHA) has welcomed the unconditional public support extended by the Federal Minister of Information Technology & Telecommunications (MoITT), Syed Amin Ul Haque, for the IT industry. P@SHA strongly supports the solicitation of facilitative measures from relevant public offices to cooperate with the industry to ensure ease of doing business for IT companies.

The Federal Ministry of Information Technology & Telecommunications (MoITT) and Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB) have previously

strongly advocated to implement conducive policies for the industry and build an organized tech ecosystem in Pakistan. MoITT has made genuine and concerted efforts to garner support for strategic demands for the industry.

However, while MoITT and PSEB have been supportive to the industry, other relevant stakeholders have failed to provide a similar level of support. In an unprecedented move, the federal minister for IT has condemned the public office for the lack of cooperation and support.

According to Zohaib Khan, Chairman P@SHA, “The industry acknowledges the stance of the federal minister for IT regarding the challenges of the IT

industry. It is high time that the relevant stakeholders such as the Finance Ministry, FBR, SBP and SECP play their role to facilitate the IT industry. In terms of policy interventions, the industry demands a tax holiday for five years (which was announced till 2025); hassle-free forex retention; 5% cash reward for IT exporters and capacity building through imparting market-driven IT skills for the youth in the broader national interest.” Zohaib Khan added, “While Pakistan grapples with economic crisis, IT & IT-enabled services are the only industry which can potentially stabilize Pakistan’s economy. To bridge the current account deficit, the industry offers an increase in IT Exports and the in-

flow of revenue in the form of investments–both of which are critical to Pakistan’s economy.” It is pertinent to note that in FY 21-22, the IT & ITeS industry export proceeds were approximately $2.6 billion; and, as far as the services sector is concerned, the IT industry achieved the highest exports and it is the only industry with 77% trade surplus.

While Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has given industry the export target of $15 billion, the industry is deprived of the support and cooperation from the government ministries. To achieve the export target, policy incentives have to be introduced and bottlenecks in the ease of doing business have to be removed.

Karachi: Shell Pakistan Limited collaborates with Careem and Muawin, toprovide a dynamic fuel management solution for Careem Captains along with driving awareness on road safety standards. By utilizing a personalized Shell Fleet Card financed by Muawin, Careem Captains can avail fuel on credit on numerous Shell retail sites across the country, thereby completing more rides and growing their income. This initiative also includes an educational-safety programme for Careem Captains, to build awareness about road safety and traffic hazards in Pakistan. pr

KArAchI press release

Karachi: Rear Admiral Raja Rab Nawaz assumed command as Commander Coast (COMCOAST) during Change of Command ceremony held at Karachi. Rear Admiral Javaid Iqbal handed over command to the newly appointed Commander Coast. Upon assumption of Command, Rear Admiral Raja Rab Nawaz is now Commander of all Coastal units of Pakistan Navy. Rear Admiral Raja Rab Nawaz got commission in Operations Branch of Pakistan Navy in 1991. The Admiral has an illustrious career with vast experience of various Command and Staff appointments. His major Command & Staff appointments include Commanding Officer PNS ZULFIQUAR, Fleet Operations Officer to Commander Pakistan Fleet at Karachi, Director Operational Research, Director Naval Operational Plans, Assistant Chief of Naval Staff (Plans), Chief Staff Officer to Commander Pakistan Fleet, Deputy Chief of Naval Staff (Welfare & Housing) and Commander West. pr

Karachi: Mr. Li Bijian, Consul General of the People's Republic of China ���� in Karachi had a meeting. Abbas Akbar Ali, Chairman Amreli Steels Yousuf Karani, at the Consulate premises. Mr. Yang Guangyuan, Economic & Commercial Counselor, and Mr. Chen Junjie, Consular Attache were also present. During the meeting, they discussed many joint ventures and investment projects between the two countries. pr

Karachi: Pakistan’s largest online food and grocery delivery service provider, foodpanda, has partnered with Oware Technologies - a rising supply chain technology company. As a third-party logistics provider for foodpanda, Oware Technologies will also offer warehousing services for 400 pallets per month, at their KOR-6 facility. pr

PNdcTech was the only IT company from Pakistan to exhibit its offerings at Singapore Fintech Festival 2022. Sakina Tahir (first from right) and Hiba Hashim (second from right) were also participants in the FinTech Meet and Greet at the Pakistan High Commission in Singapore. pr

Republicans close in on us House majoRity, senate still up foR gRabs

WASHINGTON ReuteRs

REPUBLICANSwere edging closer to securing a majority in the US House of Representatives early on Thursday, while control of the Senate hung in the balance, two days after Democrats staved off a Republican “red wave” in midterm elections. Republicans had captured at least 210 House seats, Edison Research projected, eight short of the 218 needed to wrest the House away from Democrats and effectively halt President Joe Biden’s legislative agenda.

While Republicans remain favoured, there were 33 House contests yet to be decided — including 21 of the 53 most competitive races, based on a Reuters analysis of the leading nonpartisan forecasters — likely ensuring the final outcome will not be determined for some time.

The fate of the Senate was far less certain. Either party could seize control by sweeping too-close-to-call races in Nevada and Arizona, where officials are methodically tallying thousands of uncounted ballots. A split would mean the Senate majority

would

Democratic incumbent Raphael Warnock and Republican

Herschel Walker both failed to reach 50 percent on Tuesday, forcing them into a one-on-one battle on December 6.

Even

Biden

Biden says Musk’s foreign ties ‘worthy’ of scrutiny

US President Joe Biden Wednesday said that Elon Musk’s ties with foreign countries were “worthy” of scrutiny, amid questions over the Saudi acquisition of a stake in Twitter as part of the tycoon’s blockbuster takeover. “I think that Elon Musk’s cooperation and/or technical relationships with other countries is worthy of being looked at,” Biden said, answering a question from a reporter after a long pause.

“Whether or not he is doing anything inappropriate, I’m not suggesting that… That’s all I’ll say,” he said.

Last month reports emerged that the Biden administration was weighing a national security review of Musk’s $44 billion takeover of Twitter, in part because of a key group of

KABUL AFP

investors backing the buyout.

The investors include Prince Alwaleed bin Talal of Saudi Arabia and Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund. Two US Senators have called for a vetting of the Twitter deal in order to prevent the platform from accessing user in-

formation that could endanger human rights activists and critics of the Saudi government.

“We should be concerned that the Saudis, who have a clear interest in repressing political speech and impacting US politics, are now the sec-

work with Republicans. A White House official said Biden spoke by phone with Republican House leader Kevin McCarthy, who announced earlier in the day his intention to run for speaker of the House if Republicans control the chamber.

“The American people have made clear, I think, that they expect Republicans to be prepared to work with me as well,” Biden said at a White House news conference.

If McCarthy is the next House speaker, he may find it challenging to hold together his fractious caucus, with a hard-right wing that has little interest in compromise.

Republicans are expected to demand spending cuts in exchange for raising the nation’s borrowing limit next year, a showdown that could spook financial markets.

Control of the Senate, meanwhile, would give Republicans the power to block Biden’s nominees for judicial and administrative posts.

MIXed resUlts: The party in power historically suffers heavy casualties in a president’s first midterm election, and Biden has struggled with low approval ratings. But Democrats were able to avoid the sweeping defeat that Republicans had anticipated.

Tuesday’s results suggested voters were punishing Biden for the steepest inflation in 40 years, while also lashing out against Republican efforts to ban abortion and cast doubt on the nation’s vote-counting process.

Biden had framed the election as a test of US democracy at a time when hundreds of Republican candidates embraced Trump’s false claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen.

A number of election deniers won on Tuesday, but many who sought positions to oversee elections at the state level were defeated. “It was a good day, I think, for democracy,” Biden said. Trump, who took an active role in recruiting Republican candidates, had mixed results. He notched a victory in Ohio, where “Hillbilly Elegy” author J.D. Vance won a Senate seat to keep it in Republican hands. But several other Trumpbacked candidates suffered defeats, such as retired celebrity surgeon Mehmet Oz, who lost a crucial Senate race in Pennsylvania to Democrat John Fetterman.

Meanwhile, Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who could challenge Trump in 2024, won re-election by nearly 20 percentage points, adding to his growing national profile.

over 100,000 Russian troops killed, wounded in ukraine: top us general

ond-largest owner of a major social media platform,” said Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut.

Musk has also struck what’s seen as a favourable public posture towards Vladimir Putin despite Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — notably by echoing the Russian president’s talking points on the conflict.

And he has raised eyebrows by suggesting the self-ruled island of Taiwan should become part of China — a stance welcomed by Chinese officials but which deeply angered Taiwanese officials.

Critics point to the industrial ties linking Musk to China, which has increasingly fraught ties with Washington.

The tycoon’s Tesla electric auto company has ramped up production to record levels at its Chinese factory in Shanghai.

spend the day with her sisters.

The Taliban have banned Afghan women from entering the capital’s public parks and funfairs, just months after ordering access to be segregated by gender. The new rule, introduced this week, further squeezes women out of an ever-shrinking public space that already sees them banned from traveling without a male escort and forced to wear a hijab or burqa whenever out of the home.

Schools for teenage girls have also been shut for over a year across most of the country. “For the past 15 months, we tried our best to arrange and sort it out — and even specified the days,” said Mohammad Akif Sadeq Mohajir, spokesman for the Ministry for the Prevention of Vice and Promotion of Virtue. “But still, in some places — in fact, we must say in many places — the rules were violated,” he told AFP late Wednesday.

“There was mixing (of men and women), hijab was not observed, that’s why the decision has been taken for now.” The news was met with dismay by women and park operators — who invested heavily in developing the facilities.

“There are no schools, no work… we should at least have a place to have fun,” said one mother, who asked to be identified only as Wahida, as she watched her children play in a park through the window of an adjoining restaurant. “We are just bored and fed up with being at home all day, our minds are tired,” she told AFP. At the next table, Raihana, 21, who is studying Islamic law at university, shared her disappointment after arriving at the park to

“We were very excited… we are tired of staying at home,” she said. “Obviously, in Islam, it is allowed to go out and visit parks. When you have no freedom in your own country, then what does it mean to live here?”

‘Idle attractIons’

A few kilometres away, the Ferris wheel and most of the other rides in Zazai Park — which offers a spectacular view of the city — have ground to a sudden halt because of a lack of business.

Before this week’s ban, it could accommodate hundreds of visitors on days when women brought their children for family gatherings.

On Fridays and public holidays, even more would flock to the park — one of the few attractions in the city.

On Wednesday, only a handful of men wandered nonchalantly through the complex.

Habib Jan Zazai, co-developer of the complex, fears he may have to close down a business that he has poured $11 million into, and which employs more than 250 people.

“Without women, the children will not come alone,” he told AFP.

He warned such edicts would discourage investment by foreigners or Afghans living abroad, as well as impact revenue collection.

“A government is run by taxes. If an investor is not paying tax, then how can they run?”

Mohammad Tamim, 20, sipping tea in the park during a visit from Kandahar, where he teaches at a madrassa, called the ban “bad news”. “Every human psychologically needs to be entertained,” he said. “Muslims need to be entertained — especially after 20 years of war.”

BEIJING Agencies

Visiting Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen witnessed the signing of more than 10 bilateral cooperation documents after their meeting at the Peace Palace in Phnom Penh on Wednesday.

The documents covered bilateral cooperation in agriculture, infrastructure, education, traditional Chinese medicine, customs, science and technology and climate response, among others.

During their meeting, the Chinese premier and Hun Sen vowed to further deepen mutually beneficial cooperation.

Li noted that China and Cambodia enjoy a deep traditional friendship, a high degree of political mutual trust, and fruitful practical cooperation in various fields.

Pointing out that Hun Sen was the first foreign leader to visit China after the sudden outbreak of COVID-19, Li said that it has left a deep impression on the Chinese people, adding that he is very glad that his first trip abroad in the almost three years during the pandemic is to Phnom Penh to attend the East Asia leaders’ meetings and pay an official visit to Cambodia.

China congratulates Cambodia on its new progress in economic and

precise

— are

date from the United States government

than eight months into the war. Milley also said there is a chance for talks on ending the war, and that military victory may not be possible for either Russia or Ukraine. “There has to be a mutual recognition that military victory is probably in the true sense of the word maybe not achievable through military means, and therefore you need to turn to other means,” Milley said. “There’s… an opportunity here, a window of opportunity for negotiation.” Milley’s comments came after Russia ordered its troops to withdraw from the city of Kherson in southern Ukraine — a major blow to Moscow’s military campaign. But officials in Kyiv reacted with caution, saying the Russian army was unlikely to leave the strategic city without a fight, while US President Joe Biden suggested the retreat was evidence Moscow has “real problems” on the battlefield.

social development, Li said, adding that China views all countries, regardless of their size, as equals and maintains that all countries should observe the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.

China supports Cambodia in taking a development path that meets its national context and playing a more important role on international and

regional platforms, Li said.

China stands ready to enhance high-level interaction and communication with Cambodia, support each other on respective core interests and major concerns, and promote continued and sound development of China-Cambodia comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation to the benefit of their people, Li said.

WASHINGTON AFP

come down to a runoff election in Georgia for the second time in two years.

challenger

a slim House majority would allow Republicans to shape the rest of Biden’s term, blocking priorities such as abortion rights and launching investigations into his administration and family.

acknowledged that reality on Wednesday, saying he was prepared to

WASHINGTON AFP

More than 100,000 Russian military personnel have been killed or wounded in Ukraine, with Kyiv’s forces likely suffering similar casualties, top US General Mark Milley claimed Wednesday. “You’re looking at well over 100,000 Russian soldiers killed and wounded,” Milley said in remarks at the Economic Club of New York. “Same thing probably on the Ukrainian side.” The figures provided by Milley — which could not be independently confirmed

the most

to

more

Taliban ban women from parks and funfairs in Afghan capital China, Cambodia sign over 10 bilateral cooperation documents

How BaBar azam rode confidence to rediscover Batting form?

MELBOURNE agencieS

BABARAzam is back, but the Pakistan captain says he never lacked confidence in his batting even when the well ran dry. “Once there’s a lull, there’s often a storm that follows. So look out, rest of the world, because I think you’re about to see something very special from Babar.”

Pakistan’s head coach Matthew Hayden had warned the world what to expect from Babar in Wednesday’s semi-final. And the captain lived up to his coach’s billing.

A reprieve thanks to a dropped catch off his first ball gave Babar a chance, and he didn’t require a second invitation. Record-

breaking Babar and Rizwan: The world’s best opening pair deliver when it matters.

His 53 from 42 balls was a welcome return to form after what has been a tricky World Cup for the Pakistan captain. Yet the 28-year-old says he always felt confident about his game, even as the runs dried up through the Super 12 stage.

“I’m very confident about my batting,” he told reporters after the win over New Zealand in Sydney. “I struggled a little bit in a few matches, but I feel good, so I continue that momentum in the final.”

Prior to Wednesday’s semi-final, his numbers were befuddlingly poor. In five matches he had scored just 39 runs at an average of 7.80 and a debilitating strike rate of 61.90.

And stretching further back, his 2022 stats haven’t lived up to previous heights either, with 703 runs coming at an average of 31.95 – still good but not the world-class level that had him atop the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s T20I Batting Rankings in the past. But Babar is back, just as Hayden said he would be.

“We all know that in any given career, you have significant moments of ups and downs. And the challenges and the humps along the way, they cement you and your greatness,” Hayden said prior to the semifinal.

“You can’t continue to keep on punching out hundreds and 50s and strike rates of 140plus. There’s got to be moments in time where there’s a lull.

Match fixing sleuths driven by cheating on the rise

LONDON afp

Sports matches arousing suspicions of being fixed globally are on course to break the thousand mark this year but if the match fixers believe they are in for an easy ride they should think again.

63 in 2021. “With the continued growth of betting markets, basketball has always been one of the most popular,” he said. “It is lower down the level, it is not just the top divisions, and new countries getting involved.

“You start to get that perfect sweet spot of betting coverage and the economic status of players involved.” ‘Cat and mouse’

ing to keep tabs on them. “They are professional organisations, they are not amateurs. They don’t work by chance,” he said. “They are very careful and sophisticated, they know what we are doing and they know how our system is able to monitor them.

“It is a constant game of cat and mouse for them to evade being caught.”

Heartbreak for india fans after thrashing by england

NEw DELHi agencieS

India cricket fans were left devastated and angry Thursday after seeing their team and their dreams of a T20 World Cup final against fierce rivals Pakistan crushed by England. Chasing India’s 168-6 in the second T20 World Cup semi-final in Adelaide, England’s Alex Hales and Jos Buttler raced to their target with four overs to spare as they mounted an unbroken opening stand of 170. One of the most one-sided matches in a World Cup knock-out phase was branded a “humiliating loss” by India’s CNN News 18 TV channel. Cricket is by far the most popular sport in India and matches between the national side and England always have an intensity given Britain’s colonial history. “I don’t mind India losing: victory & defeat are part of sports. But I do mind India not showing up today,” Indian politician Shashi Tharoor tweeted. Cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle tweeted the Indian team seemed like a different side between the group stage of the tournament and the knock-out phase. “As one-sided as they get,” Bhogle said of the match. India won the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007 but have failed to reach the final since 2014, and their qualification for the semi-final had raised hopes of finally repeating their early success. Former Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh tweeted a broken heart emoticon while others on the platform suggested replacing current India coach Rahul Dravid. “Sack Dravid, Rohit, Bhuvi, KLR, Axar, Ashwin from T20s. Get fresh blood and wrist spinners,” tweeted Twitter user GabbarSingh, demanding the departure of several of the players. Fans had gathered at cafes and markets across India to watch the semi-final, hoping the team would win to set up a blockbuster final against Pakistan.

“It is why we come to work every day, doing serious work helping our partners to tackle serious crime groups,” Tom Mace, director of global operations for Sportradar Integrity Services, told AFP at their London office.

Sportradar Integrity Services is a global supplier of sport integrity solutions and partner to over 150 sports federations and leagues with clients ranging from FIFA to NASCAR.

Analysts working 24/7 and operating from their main base in London to hubs in Montevideo, Melbourne, Singapore, Las Vegas and Minneapolis pore over screens of live sporting fixtures and betting odds. They watch how bookmakers’ odds move over the course of both pre-match and in-play trading of a contest, aided by their bet monitoring software.

In instances where strong, irregular and unexplainable betting activity is identified, the match is flagged up as suspicious.

Mace, who is armed with various divisions at his disposal including an Intelligence unit, acknowledges the figures are pretty stark.

“Already this year is worse than last year,” he said. “In 2021, we had a record number of 904 suspicious matches and already midway through October, we have surpassed that with 978 suspicious matches.

“With two months to go, we are definitely on track to break one thousand for the first time ever, which is quite shocking.”

Mace, who joined Sportradar 12 years ago after a career in the bookmaking industry, says the matches cover 12 sports in 70 countries.

Football contributes two-thirds of them but the most eye-catching rise is in basketball.

Mace says there are various reasons for basketball creeping up the league table of suspicious matches — 183 this year compared to

Mace — who says “often the players on the pitch are the actors and executors and not getting rich (from the match-fixing)” — admits battling the match fixers is a constant challenge.

“Yes, it is exciting as much as it is disappointing and frustrating working with manipulated sports on a daily basis,” he said.

“This is what is driving our team from betting analysts to our investigators and intelligence operatives.

“What greater motivation to do our part to bring action against these groups?”

Mace says their prey are watching him and his organisation just as he and his team are try-

Mace said the weaponry his organisation can deploy in detecting match fixing is becoming more effective. “The capabilities of betting monitoring are increasing all the time with access to 600 bookmakers odds’ and 300 bookmakers’ account-level data and intelligence,” he said. “We have very wide open source intelligence tracking all the big social media companies and a lot of smaller ones globally.

“We are constantly investing in new technology to help our partners catch the big fish.”

Perhaps the biggest potential deterrent for aspiring match fixers is that they can face not just sporting but also legal sanctions.

Staff RepoRt

Pakistan’s famous win over New Zealand in the first semi-final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup was not the only highlight of the day for Pakistan cricket as the women’s team claimed a 3-0 win over Ireland in the ICC Women’s Championship matches at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.

Pakistan had entered the three-match ODI series against Ireland with four ICC Championship points from three games, and proceeded to register a clean-sweep over the Irish side to pocket six vital points. They have now occupied second spot in the Championship with 10 points. India are currently leading the chart with 12 points from six outings.

During the series, Pakistan captain

Bismah Maroof broke the record of most number of Women’s ODIs for Pakistan, surpassing Sana Mir’s 120 appearances when she stepped onto the field in the third ODI.

Bismah later scored 57 off 70 balls in the match, becoming the first Pakistan batter to score 3,000 runs in Women’s ODIs and completed 1,000 runs as captain in the format.

Sidra Amin spearheaded Pakistan’s batting dominance in the series, topping the batting charts with 277 runs in three innings, which included 176 not out –the highest individual ODI score by a Pakistan batter. With one century and 91 not out in the second ODI, Sidra bagged back-to-back player of the match awards and was also declared player of the series. In the second match of the series, Sidra and seasoned

player Aliya Riaz both made their 50th ODI appearance.

Sidra’s opening partner 25-year old Muneeba Ali Siddiqui scored her maiden ODI century, with her 107 in the first game helping Pakistan post 335 –their highest team total in ODIs. Her 221-run partnership for the first wicket with Sidra was also a record partnership for any wicket for Pakistan in the 50over format.

In the bowling department, the top three positions were grabbed by the hosts. Leg-spinner Ghulam Fatima took eight wickets from three matches, which included her maiden five-wicket haul in the third ODI. For her matchwinning performance, she was bestowed with the player of the match award. Left-arm spinner Nashra Sundhu – who made her 50th ODI ap-

pearance in the first game – took seven wickets in the series which also included her 100th international wicket. Fatima Sana was the third leading wicket-taker in the bilateral series and managed five wickets in three outings.

In the fielding department, Pakistan’s wicketkeeper-batter Sidra Nawaz topped the chart with eight dismissals. During her eight dismissals, she also completed her 100 international dismissals behind the stumps.

A positive development for the Pakistan side was the way young players shone throughout the series. Two players made their ODI debut in Ireland’s maiden tour of the country. Lahore-born Sadaf Shamas became the 86th player to feature for Pakistan women’s team when she was handed the cap by captain Bismah before the start of the first ODI.

rain likely to play spoiler in t20 world cup final on sunday

MELBOURNE Web DeSk

Pakistan cricket fans’ quest to see the national team lifting its second T20 World Cup on Sunday might get unsettled as dark clouds loom over Melbourne with rain likely to spoilsport in Sunday’s final at the MCG. According to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, there is a very high chance of showers, 95 per cent, in Melbourne on Sunday, November 13. As per the ICC rules, there is a reserve day for the knock-out games of the tournament. So, if the final is washed out on Sunday, it will be played on Monday, November 14. If the rain interrupts after the game has started, it will resume on the next day from the same point onwards. However, there is a high possibility of rain on Monday as well. So in case, it rains on reserve day too, a minimum of 10 overs need to be bowled in the second innings to produce the outcome through the Duckworth-Lewis method (DLS), which is an increase of 5 overs from the previous rule.

LAHORE

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A hitchhiker’s guide to shAreholder Activism

RAAfAy KHAN

YOuwake up one day and learn that your relatives have decided to return your portion of your grandfather’s inheritance (yes, an unlikely scenario in real life but let’s roll with it). You wonder what to do with your new found fortune and stumble upon the brilliant idea to invest all of it in the stock market (no wonder your relatives never let you have the money). You buy shares in different companies and are now a proud shareholder on the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX).

What next? Despite your new found investment in these companies, you may very quickly find yourself floating. Aside from the occasional dividend, marginal voting rights, and an invitation to the Annual General Meeting of the companies you’ve put your faith in, there isn’t much to do. And when the companies start acting erratically or when their management is clearly floundering all you can do is sit back and watch. Shareholders that do not have significant stocks in any company rarely have a say in its governance.

Minority ShareholderS: There is nothing more frustrating than observing a trainwreck from the sidelines. So what do you do? Your best bet to having a voice and some say in the governance of the company is by exercising your rights as a minority shareholder. The only problem is, investing a few million rupees into a company does not make you a ‘minority shareholder.’ To gain the title, you have to have at least a 10% share in the company. And the good news is that according to the Companies Act 201, a minority shareholder can either be an individual or a group of shareholders that hold at least 10% of share capital in the company. This means that if you can band together with others that have invested in a company and reach 10% shareholding, you will now be armed with all the rights and privileges of a ‘minority shareholder.’ Assuming you can get your group of fellow investors all on the same page, what next step will you take? The journey ahead will be long and hardfought. While minority shareholders are given rights in the corporate governance laws of Pakistan, they are not really practiced in spirit and are rarely implemented.

Lucky

the rightS of Minority ShareholderS: The question is that of activism. Generally, individuals that hold 10% or more shares in a company are easily able to exercise their rights as minority shareholders. They are heard out by the board and often sit on it as well. But the problem is that multiple smaller shareholders banding together to reach the 10% shareholding mark is rare. If you do somehow manage to band together, you are essentially practicing shareholder activism. The code of corporate governance 2012 asks listed companies to facilitate minority shareholder interests, but these companies are not really going to facilitate you and your friends to interfere in their company just because you bought a minority stake. Nevertheless, your group now has some legal rights.

If you believe the company’s operations are being “oppressive” or “mismanaged”, you can take the matter to court where it can even decide to wind up the operations of the company.

You can move the court to declare the proceedings of a general meeting of the company invalid if the meeting was deemed irregular. The court can call a fresh general meeting.

Your 10% stake also gives you the power to submit resolutions to be discussed in the AGMs.

If you feel the election of directors was rigged or wrongly held, you can again move the court to declare the election invalid.

You are also entitled to propose the appointment of company auditors.

Wild-card: The cumulative voting process

But before your lot starts going to court for every disagreement you have with the company’s board, it is wise to first elect your own director who safeguards your minority shareholder interests. A 2018 paper in the Pakistan Journal of Social Sciences talks about the Cumulative Voting Process (CVS) as a protection mechanism for minority shareholders. The companies act has made it mandatory for listed companies with share capital to have the CVS. However, this mechanism is not applied in spirit.

So, how can minority shareholders elect their own director to the board of a company?

(Author’s note: The following section can only be understood by those who have passed 8th grade Math)

Suppose a company has 4 open seats on the board and there are 5 candidates, namely A,B,C,D, and E. A,B,C,D are the candidates for the majority shareholders while E is the candidate for the minority shareholders. The total shares of the company are 4000 where majority shareholders hold 3000 and minority shareholders hold 1000 shares. Let’s see how the voting process will play out in the Regular Voting System (RVS) and in the CVS.

In the RVS, each share carries one vote for each candidate and each candidate will be voted on separately. In this case, the majority shareholders will give their total 3000 votes to each of their candidates one by one while the minority shareholders will only have 1000 to give only when it’s candidate E’s turn for election. E will not be able to win the election.

On the other hand the CVS system is a little different. In CVS, the total number of votes will be calculated as the number of vacant seats multiplied by the total number of shares which in this case would come to 4 multiplied by 4000, which is 16000 votes. And all of these votes will have to be given cumulatively at the same time. In this case, the majority shareholders have (3000 x 4 = 12000 votes) votes to distribute among their 4 candidates (A,B,C,D) while the minority shareholders would have (1000 x 4 = 4000 votes). We see that in no situation can they appoint all four of their nominees to the board because one candidate (in this case candidate D) will always have less votes than the total votes of the minority candidate.

Consider the diagram below.

Candidate NameRegular Voting System (RVS)Cumulative Voting System (CVS) a........... 3000.............4000 b........... 3000.............3000 C........... 3000.............3000 d........... 3000.............2000 e........... 1000.............4000

Cumulative vs regular Voting System for election of board of directors In the RVS, the majority shareholders have given their 3000 votes to candidate

KIA

A clarification from Lucky Motors Corporation confirmed that the group will continue to be the sole manufacturer of KIA passenger cars in the country after another car manufacturer, Dewan Farooque Motors, had announced they had entered into an agreement with South Korean car manufacturer KIA as well.

The Dewan group’s announcement a few days ago had given rise to speculation that there would be two different assemblers in the country marketing and selling KIA cars. However, according to a notification issued to the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX), Lucky Motors will continue to exclusively manufacture KIA’s passenger car portfolio while the Dewan Group will be launching commercial vehicles.

READ MORE: Dewan Group set to launch KIA cars separate from Lucky Motors

Two KIAs?

Earlier, the Dewan Group had also issued a notification to the PSX announcing a Technology License Agreement (TLA) with KIA Corporation. “We will have commercial vehicles and others as well in our portfolio,” Muhammad Hanif German, Company Secretary at Dewan Farooque Motors, had told Profit.

Questions had naturally been raised over how Lucky Motors would be managing this arrangement in Pakistan. The expectation was always that their portfolio of KIA cars will be quite different from the one that KIA Lucky Motors has. However, no specificities were unveiled by either of the two aforementioned parties until now.

However, a communication relay from KIA Middle East and Africa has affirmed Lucky Motors’ status as the sole manufacturer of passenger vehicles in Pakistan. Furthermore, it elucidates upon KIA’s newfound partnership with the Dewan Group and mentioned that Dewan will be only producing commercial vehicles from KIA’s commercial portfolio.

What Dewan Farooque Motors meant by “other vehicles” being a part of their portfolio is now even less clear than it was a few days ago. Profit also reached out to Muhammad Faisal, the President of Lucky Motors’ Automotive Division, but could not elicit a response from him on the matter. The issuance of this statement by Lucky Motors, merely three days after Dewan’s announcement, highlights the gross nature of speculation that might have run rampant.

So what will Dewan be producing?

KIA’s Bongo pick-up truck is the first in line to be manufactured in Pakistan through the Dewan Group. Interestingly, the notification still utilises the word commercial vehicles. And why wouldn’t it? Dewan may want to open all doors to welcome KIA’s Granbird bus in Pakistan. The Granbird is the only other commercial vehicle that KIA possesses globally in its commercial vehicle portfolio. So obviously, Dewan would place all its eggs in the basket to potentially introduce the bus at a later date to bolster its commercial vehicle arsenal.

The Granbird is unlikely to be in immediate production though. Dewan has a rich history of specialising in producing the well known Shehzore truck. So it only makes sense that it brings up the production of another truck. But in case Dewan does introduce the Granbird, the vehicle is likely to make ripples in Pakistan’s bus industry, which is currently dominated by Chinese brands.

A, then B, and so on, so that all four of their candidates have 3000 votes. The minority shareholders can only give their 1000 votes once to their candidate E so they have no chance of winning in the RVS.

In the CVS, since the majority shareholders have to distribute their 12,000 votes among their four candidates, they may give 4000 to A, 3000 each to B and C, and only 2000 to D. The minority shareholders can simply give their 4000 votes to candidate E. In the final count, candidate D will be eliminated and the minority shareholders will have their candidate on the board.

If you want a recent real-world example of this, consider the elections for the BOD of Merit Packaging in May 2021, a company covered by Profit recently. There were 8 candidates and 7 seats on the board. 5 seats were sure to be filled by the majority shareholders but 3 people were vying for the 2 remaining seats: Ahmed Munaf, Hossain Aga, and Raziuddin Monem. Munaf was the representative of the minority shareholders. The CVS allowed Munaf and Aga to pool their votes and beat Monem to get elected to the board, but the situation could have gone the other way too.

(author’s note: did you pass 8th grade Math?)

Even though you were able to get on the board as a director, it is usually not that simple in real life. Despite the mandatory CVS, most companies in Pakistan don’t use it. According to a survey on listed companies, 80% don’t implement CVS. Further, the management of these companies are not aware of the good corporate governance practices meant to ensure the rights of minority shareholders.

There’s also another catch. You might think you have the same voting rights as everyone else but in Pakistan things are a little different.

The listed companies here are allowed to issue shares with enhanced voting rights. State, family, and groups-owned companies exploit this rule to control public companies, and it’s an uphill battle for small-time-investors-turned-minority shareholders to gain control of the companies they’ve invested in. Are you rethink-

ing your investment in the stock market yet? This is why voting rights are so important because they act as an accountability mechanism for good corporate governance.

While the cumulative voting system is better for minority shareholders than the regular voting system, if the majority shares have enhanced voting rights then there’s not much you can do about it. Some developed financial markets also give enhanced voting rights but these countries also have strong legal systems for the protection of minority shareholders.

There are also some other hurdles to becoming a minority shareholder activist. It’s not easy to find enough other shareholders who will want to partake in your 10% group.

It’s not like other shareholders of a company have a sign on their foreheads looking to form a minority shareholder group. You or others might not be physically present in company meetings to meet others, much less talk to them. Even if you did find enough people, you may not know how to write technical resolutions to be discussed in the meetings.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SECP) of Pakistan, the watchdog of financial markets, lists the protection of minority shareholder interests as one of its foremost priorities but a lot more needs to be done. Some recent amendments require companies to give detailed information in their reports about all affairs of the company (including any court proceedings), mandatory video link facility for participation in AGMs, and reduction of dividend turnaround time (from its declaration to its payment) to 3 working days from 15. In addition, the SECP also organizes training and awareness sessions to safeguard the minority shareholder interests.

ConCluSion: The laws for protection of minority shareholders are there but more of the same is needed. Enforcement of these rules needs to be ensured as many companies flout these with no accountability. Lastly, you as a shareholder need to be aware of your rights and also better inform yourself about the workings of the stock market before thinking of yourself as the next bigshot.

MELBOURNE

ReuteRs

Alex Hales and captain Jos Buttler shone in an unbroken opening partnership as a ruthless England humiliated India by 10 wickets at Adelaide Oval on Thursday to storm into the T20 World Cup final.

England, who won the 50-over World Cup on home soil in 2019, can now become the first team to hold both global trophies in white-ball cricket when they meet Pakistan in Sunday’s final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

They have rehabilitated opener Hales and skipper Buttler to thank as the pair chased down 169 for victory with four overs to spare, leaving a huge crowd of India supporters stunned.

Hales finished on 86 not out, and Buttler, who was unbeaten on 80, completed the statement win in style, blasting paceman Mohammed Shami over his head for six. In the first innings, Hardik Pandya smashed 63 off 33 balls to power India to a competitive 168-6 against England in the second semi-final.

Virat Kohli made 50, his fourth half-century of the tournament, and put on key partnerships including a 61run fourth-wicket stand with Pandya, who tore into the opposition attack in the final overs.

England bowlers were disciplined with Chris Jordan picking three wickets but Pandya broke loose with a flurry of boundaries and smashed left-arm quick Sam Curran for 20 runs in the 19th over.

England, who had two forced changes after Dawid Malan and Mark Wood missed out due to injuries, invited India to bat and KL Rahul began with a cracking boundary off Ben Stokes.

Seamer Chris Woakes had Rahul caught behind off a rising delivery for five.

Skipper Rohit Sharma hit four boundaries after a scratchy start as he and Kohli attempted to rebuild but Jordan, in the side for Wood, broke through in his first over. Jordan ended a 43-run partnership when Sharma mistimed to wide long-on with the score on 57 and India reached the halfway point at 62-2 off 10 overs.

Suryakumar Yadav smashed a six and four off Stokes

but soon fell to Adil Rashid’s leg-spin for 14.

Kohli passed 4,000 T20 international runs with a boundary off Liam Livingstone that took India’s total to 100-3 after 15 overs.

Kohli, who leads the tournament batting chart with 296 runs, reached 50 off 39 balls but fell next delivery to a sharp catch at short third man by Rashid off Jordan.

Pandya smashed four fours and five sixes before treading on his stumps to be out-hit wicket off Jordan’s final ball of the innings. PM Shehbaz tweetS on engliSh win: As England reached the final of T20 World Cup, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Thursday posted an interesting tweet, liking the upcoming Sunday’s match with other finalist Pakistan as the one to be played between the teams with a history of beating India by 10 wickets.

“So, this Sunday, it’s: 152/0 vs 170/0,” he tweeted in brief with reference to the scores of Pakistan and England in T20 World Cups of 2021 and 2022, respectively.

The prime minister took a symbolic dig on India as England beat the blue shirts by 10 wickets at Adelaide, Australia in T20 semi final on Thursday.

MUHAMMAd

LAHORE

Daniyal ahmaD