Epaper_22-11-12 LHR

Major parties developing consensus on Merit in next coas appointMent

UK court rejects PM’s adjournment plea in Daily Mail case

g MarriyuM claiMs newspaper failed to prove allegations

ISLAMABAD agencies

terms at his discretion.

while pMl-n’s supremo nawaz sharif held another quiet meeting with prime Minister shehbaz sharif in london to discuss the appointment of next army chief, the pti, pMl-n and ppp leaders accused each other for violating the merit policy in this regard.

ISLAMABAD Mian abrar

threemajor political parties of the country –pti, pMln and ppp – are building their political narratives around the appointment of the next chief of army staff and the leaders of both the parties are accusing each other of violating the merit policy.

chief of army staff (coas) general Qamar Javed bajwa is set to retire on november 29 and the pMl-n — the major stakeholder in the ruling coali-

tion — has been mulling options to appoint the new officer as gen bajwa’s successor.

it is, however, interesting to note that all the three parties had supported a law in January, 2020, to award extension in tenure of the chiefs of the armed forces, enabling general Qamar Javed bajwa get another full term in office.

under the move, both houses of the parliament had voted to pass three bills that set a higher retirement age for the chiefs of the pakistani army, navy and air force, allowing the prime minister to extend their

it was pti chief imran Khan who on friday accused the pMln supremo nawaz sharif of violating the merit-policy in appointment of the next army chief. “the next army chief should be appointed on merit …. but the incumbent coalition government would violate merit as the [pMl-n supremo] nawaz sharif would not let it happen because he wants to control the institutions to save his looted wealth,” said Khan in his speech made to the participants of the long march broadcast through a video link in gujrat.

the pMl-n responded to Khan’s allegations the same evening. planning Minister ahsan iqbal criticised pti chairman imran Khan for being the only politician in the country’s history to play politics on the army chief’s appointment. appearing in talk show, iqbal said it was ‘regrettable’ that someone for the first time in the country’s history was trying to play politics on the issue.

“prime Minister shehbaz sharif will announce the army chief’s appointment in time on merit and professional basis,” he said and added that the next army chief will be announced before november 29.

“when the prime minister returns to the country, he will make the announcement in the next few days or two,” he said and added that the prime minister had his ‘eyes’ on the issue and the announcement would be done at the “appropriate time”.

planning Minister ahsan iqbal has said that prime Minister shehbaz sharif will only have one criterion for the army chief’s appointment: maintaining pakistan’s impenetrable defence and taking the military’s professionalism to a higher standard.

“we have to do the army chief’s appointment on a professional, instead of political, basis”.

iqbal said the issue was a “routine appointment” and speculation should be avoided on the matter.

the london high court of Justice has rejected prime Minister shehbaz sharif’s plea for an indefinite adjournment in the defamation case against british newspaper daily Mail. according to a copy of court order shared by daily Mail reporter david rose, Justice nicklin conducted the hearing on the case on november 9, 2022. the pM’s counsels reportedly sought more time for their client to submit response in the case, saying that the prime minister of pakistan was fully occupied with legal duties.

“the prime minister and common man are equal in this court,” media reports quoted the uK judge as saying in response to the pM’s request.

if pM shehbaz amended reply is deemed not to comply with the requirements set down by law next month, his action will be “struck out”, according to journalist rose. “if that happened, he would have to pay all our [legal] costs since he brought

the case. the same would be true if he and ali imran withdrew,” he added. in a statement, information Minister Marriyum aurangzeb said that the british newspaper delayed the defamation case for one and a half years on different pretexts. “we have won this case to the extent of stating our position,” she claimed.

the information minister said the next hearing of the case has been fixed for december 13 in which she said a detailed response to the allegations will be submitted to the court. pM shahbaz’s brief response in the case has already been submitted while the daily Mail has not been able to prove its allegations in the court yet, she claimed.

“now it [daily Mail] will have to face the law.” in 2020, shehbaz had filed a case in the london high court against the british daily and its reporter david rose for publishing a “fabricated and defamatory” report against him in July 2019.

g nawaz, shehbaz 4th Meeting reMains inconclusive

US reTUrnS PAkISTAn ArTIFACTS TrAFFICked by IndIAn-AmerICAn deALer

THEUnited States has returned to Pakistan more than 100 antiquities recovered from Indian-American art smuggler Subhash Kapoor, New York prosecutors announced Thursday.

Kapoor was convicted in India last week of stealing ancient religious idols and trafficking them to his art gallery in Manhattan. He was sentenced to 13 years in prison.

Kapoor, also wanted by American authorities, was the subject of a massive US federal investigation known as Operation Hidden Idol.

The Manhattan District Attorney’s office indicted him in 2020 and have requested his extradition from India.

New York returned 192 antiquities to Islamabad valued at almost $3.4 million, Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg said in a statement.

Some 187 of the artifacts were seized in relation to the investigation of Kapoor,

Bragg added.

The returned items include a Gandhara statue depicting Maitreya, the enlightened Buddha, and Mehrgarh figures dating to around 3500-2600 BC that were looted from a Neolithic archaeological site in Pakistan.

Kapoor sold the smuggled items at his Madison Avenue-based gallery Art of the Past.

In

LHC issues notices in Lahore CCPO’s plea agianst suspension

StAff REpORt

Lahore High Court (LHC) Justice Abid Hussain Chattha issued notices to the concerned quarters on Friday seeking a reply in a plea challengingCapital City Police Officer (CCPO) Lahore’s continuity of tenure despite suspension.

Establishment Division Islamabad, but the CCPO did not relinquish his duties from the post. After failing to comply with the directives, the CCPO was placed under suspension by the Establishment Division with immediate effect and until further orders.

Justice Aamer Farooq becomes new IHC Chief Justice

iSLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

Senior judge of the Islamabad High Court Justice Aamer Farooq on Friday took oath as the Chief Justice of the Islamabad High Court (IHC). President Dr Arif Alvi administered the oath to Justice Aamer Farooq at the President House. Justice Aamer Farooq became the new Chief Justice of the Islamabad High Court following the elevation of Chief Justice Athar Minallah to the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

ChIEF JUSTICE AAmER FAROOq pROFILE: Chief Justice Aamer Farooq was born on 26th April 1969 and he got his Senior Cambridge certificate in 1986 from St. Anthony’s High School Lahore and Higher Senior Cambridge certificate from Aitchison College in the year 1988. He secured his LLB degree from London University, UK and qualified as Barristerat-Law from Lincoln’s Inn, London in the year 1993. He was enrolled as an Advocate of the Lahore High Court in the year 1994 and as an Advocate of the Supreme Court of Pakistan in the year 2007. He established his law practice at Lahore with an office at Islamabad as well, dealing mostly with banking, commercial, tax and civil matters. Since 2009 until his elevation, he was part of adjunct faculty at Lahore University of Management Sciences. He took oath as an Additional Judge of Islamabad High Court on 1st January 2015 and as confirmed Judge on 23rd December 2015.

CJP administers oath to three newly elevated SC Judges

iSLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP), Umar Ata Bandial Friday administered the oath to three newly appointed Supreme Court judges at the swearing-in ceremony. The CJP took the oath of office to Justice Athar Minallah, Justice Shahid Waheed,

According to petitioner Safdar Abbas Khan, CCPO Ghulam Mahmood Dogar has continued to hold office despite having been suspended by the federal government. The plea sought the respondent CCPO to be directed against serving duties any further.

The CCPO Lahore, federal government through its cabinet division, Punjab through its secretary home department and Inspector General of Police (IGP) Punjab were made respondents in the case.

The petition implored the court that the CCPO Lahore had been transferred with a clear direction to report to the

However, the petitioner alleged that the CCPO has since continued to work at the post till date and argued that the situation has jeopradised the security of a city of two million people. Imploring the court to take notice of the issue, the petitioner argued that as per Police Order 2002, the federal government was empowered to recall the duties of a police officer as capital city police officer.

“The notification issued on September 19, 2022 and November 5, 2022 are unambiguous to this effect hence the CCPO is required to relinquish the post,” added the petition, stating that “such holding of office of CCPO Lahore by the respondent is clearly against the law and

he has no authority to usurp the post”.

Justice Chattha heard the arguments and issued notices to concerned parties seeking a response on the matter.

Earlier, the federal government issued orders to suspend the Lahore CCPO after the Punjab cabinet moved to transfer Inspector General Faisal Shahkar.

Amid mounting political tension between the PTI and PDM, the Punjab government wanted to transfer IG Shahkar, while the federal government wanted him retained.

In Dogar’s case, the Centre had been exercising its powers to remove him from the position, while the provincial government had been vehemently resisting it. A notification issued by the Establishment Division last week read that Additional IG Ghulam Mehmood Dogar (BPS-21) had been placed under suspension.

Orders for the CCPO’s transfer had been issued on September 20, reportedly

after the federal government was annoyed with him over the registration of an FIR under blasphemy charges at Green Town police station against a federal minister and some PML-N leaders. However, the Punjab government had refused to surrender his services.

Tensions between the Punjab government and the federal government have grown deeper.

Advisor to the Punjab Chief Minister on Home Affairs Omar Sarfraz Cheema had said that since the CCPO was working in Punjab, he is “at the disposal of the provincial government” and the Punjab government will not suspend Dogar on “the whims of the federal government”.

Cheema had furthered that the act of placing a provincial government official under suspension at the disposal of the federal government was akin to “undermining the provincial government’s authority”, which he deemed as “unacceptable”.

LHC turns down plea seeking to halt PTI long march

LAHORE Staff RepoRt

Toshakhana disqualification: LHC judge requests for larger bench to hear case

LAHORE Staff RepoRt

A single member bench of the Lahore High Court on Friday requested the LHC chief justice to form a larger bench for hear a petition challenging disqualification of former prime minister Imran Khan in Toshakhana reference.

LHC Judge Sajid Mahmood Sethi heard the petition filed by Jabir Abbas, a resident of Mianwali through Advocate Azhar Siddique. The counsel argued that the ECP is not a court and therefore cannot disqualify any lawmaker.

“The Election Commission of

can take action on a

after 120 days not later than that, the petitioner counsel said. He requested the LHC to nullify the verdict of Imran Khan’s disqualification in Toshakhana reference as the ECP ‘misinterpreted’ the constitution in its verdict.

The plea further stated that if anything illegal has happened, the matter should be forwarded to the relevant authorities as the ECP cannot disqualify anyone.

Capital Development Authority opens financial bids for buses on feeder routes

By SHAHnAwAz ALi

On 15th of September, the CDA advertised a tender for Bus Rapid Transit, seeking bids for 150 buses. The process invited private sector stakeholders of the transporting space to step up and give its financial and technical proposals to the CDA. Upon review, the successful bidder will be announced and will be responsible for the procurement, operations and maintenance of these buses. These buses were to be run on feeder routes all over Islamabad, in a way that they connect the rest of Islamabad’s sectors to the already operational metro bus. The Authority is now set to review the financial bids for the buses to be made operational on feeder routes.

The majority of public transit that exists in Islamabad revolves around the Metro Bus project. While the Metro bus is central to making transport accessible, the metro bus itself is not always accessible to the majority of the citizens of the twin cities. This is due to the fact that there are only a handful of areas that a track (Jangla) can touch upon. To address this issue, the concept of feeder routes was introduced which would make the areas out of reach of the metro stations accessible, through subsidised and cheap transport.

Public transport is also one of the key talking points of the current PMLN premier. In July 2022, PM Shehbaz Sharif inaugurated the blue and green line services to facilitate the passengers of twin cities, connecting the Old Airport

Road and Bara Kahu to the Islamabad Metro Network, respectively. In the same plan, the CDA was to connect the F, G and D-12 sectors of Islamabad using feeder routes.

After the bid closed on the 12th of October, and technical evaluation was completed, the CDA has now hired consultants through the Civic Authority to determine financial feasibility of who gets the contract.

According to a recent media report, transport business giants M/s Daewoo Express and Faisal Movers are currently in the running for this tender. One company wants to operate hybrid diesel buses while the other wants to bring in completely electric buses for this project. The successful bidder will be paid the per kilometre cost of these 8.5

metre long buses, while procurement, operation and maintenance would be at the bidder’s disposal. The project is divided into two phases. The first 75 buses will be made operational in the first 4 months and the remaining 75 will be added in the next 2 months.

The consultant is expected to table their report within one week after which the goal is to make these buses operational before March 2023. A similar project under Punjab Mass Transit Authority is in the works that aims to provide similar feeder routes for the Metro Bus Network within Rawalpindi. Upon completion these projects will create a nexus of Public transport networks between the twin cities which will facilitate the rich and the poor alike.

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday rejected traders’ plea to immediately halt the Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaf’s (PTI) ongoing long march towards Islamabad. LHC judge Justice Jawad Hassan heard a petition filed by Anjuman Tajran Pakistan Supreme Council Chairman Naeem Mir against the PTI’s long march towards Islamabad. In its petition, Mr Mir stated that he feared there would be anarchy in the country if Khan is not barred from holding the long march. “The Constitution does not allow anybody to disrupt commercial activities and peace,” read the petition. The traders are in danger due to the public rallies and long marches, he added. At the outset of today’s hearing, the judge observed that every political party has the right to record its protest and the court had already issued a verdict in Minar-e-Pakistan jalsa case. Subsequently, the Lahore court refused to issue interim order against PTI long march and directed respondents to submit reply by November 14. PTI on Thursday resumed its long march from the same spot in Wazirabad where the party chief Imran Khan was injured during an attempted assassination. PTI’s Haqeeqi Azadi march, which demanded early and fair elections, was brought to an abrupt halt after Imran was shot in the leg during a procession. The former prime minister and several other PTI leaders got injured after a man opened fire near the PTI reception camp at Allahwala Chowk during party’s Haqeeqi Azadi march.

ANNOYANCE OVER CLOSURE OF ROADS, EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS: Meanwhile, the LHC Rawalpindi bench on Friday expressed annoyance over the mismanagement of the Rawalpindi administration, closure of roads and educational intuitions. While hearing a petition filed by a citizen Raja Khalid Mehmood, against the closure of roads and educational institutions due to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) protests at different places in Rawalpindi, LHC Justice Waqas Rauf Mirza remarked that roads and educational institutions had been closed and the administration was asleep. The court asked the Commissioner Rawalpindi why he was acting as a facilitator for those who blocked the roads. The LHC Rawalpindi bench adjourned the hearing till November 16 and directed him to submit a written statement of action against the people responsible for it. Commissioner Rawalpindi, Deputy Commissioner and SSP Operations were also present.

nEw yORK agencieS

Bragg’s office says that since 2011 it has recovered more than 2,500 artifacts worth at least $143 million that were trafficked by Kapoor and his associates.

March, Australia returned to India 13 works connected with Kapoor.

and Justice Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi. SC judges, representatives of the Bar Council, senior lawyers, law officers, judicial officers and staff as well as the families of the three judges attended the swearing-in ceremony. After the oath-taking, the total number of judges in the apex court has increased to 15.

LAHORE: Worst traffic gridlock on Circular Road near Sheranwala Gate due to wrong parking on road. photo by zubaiR Mehfooz

After initial hearing, LHC Judge Sajid Mahmood Sethi asked the chief justice to constitute a larger bench for hearing the case.

Pakistan

declaration

ImrAn To noT LeT bULLeTProoF SHIeLd SePArATe HIm From SUPPorTerS: ASAd UmAr

fAiSALABAD/GUJRAt Staff RepoRt

PAKISTANTehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)

Secretary General Asad Umar announced on Friday that Imran Khan would not let ‘anything’ separate him and the people as he is a kaptaan (captain) who ‘loved his people’, and did not want to be away from them.

The remark comes after leaders from the incumbent government advised the former premier to erect a bulletproof shield on his container as a safety measure following the alleged assassination attempt on him.

During the party’s Haqeeqi Azadi march, Asad, in a message to the chief justice of Pakistan, declared that “Toba, Chinot, Faisalabad, Jhang, Sindh, Punjab” all stood in support of Imran Khan, and that the PTI supporters would not back down, or bow before anyone.

“What this nation and history decide about you, is up to you now,” he added. Quoting Imran, Asad stated that the PTI chief was standing despite being shot and questioned if the nation was ready to stand

with him.

He furthered that he would converse with Imran in the evening who “will be happiest to hear that the women, sisters and daughters of Toba” joined in the march. The convoy, led by Asad Umar and other party leaders, passed through the Gojra tehsil where he was welcomed outside Hamza Usman’s residence.

He thanked the local people in a short speech and then the procession began to move towards its destination. Later, Asad Umar and PTI leader Shahbaz Gill reached Kalma Chowk in Toba Tek Singh.

WAZIRABAD INCIDENT FIR

LODGED BY pOLICE hOLDS NO

VALUE: PTI Central leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said the first information report (FIR) of the Wazirabad firing incident lodged by the police had no “value” as it did not implicate the three high-profile suspects named by Imran Khan.

PTI leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi talks to journalists in Gujarat on Friday. Talking to the media in Guajrat Qureshi said the complainant should have been given priority but the “police seemed helpless”, adding it showed “some people are above the law”.

He said that adherence to the rule of law was vital for Pakistan to progress.

He stated that long march on Islamabad will move towards Gujrat after the Zuhr prayers. “We have selected two points Rehmat Elahi Chowk and then the cavalcade will reach GTS Chowk where Imran Khan will address supporters.

On the other hand Punjab police have reconstituted the joint investigation team (JIT) formed yesterday to probe the assassination bid on PTI chairman Imran Khan in Wazirabad.

The JIT formed by the home department will be convened by Dera Ghazi Khan Regional Police Officer Syed Khurram Ali. It has four members: CPO Lahore (Establishment-II) Tariq Rustam Chohan; AIG/monitoring investigation branch Ihsanullah Chohan; Vehari District Police Officer Muhammad Zafar Buzdar, and CTD Lahore SP Naseebullah Khan.

The team was formed by the Punjab Home Department at the request of Punjab Police Chief Faisal Shahkar.

ImRAN’S SONS LIKELY TO JOIN LONG mARCh: Pakistan People’s Party Punjab chapter General Secretary Syed

expressed

Murtaza

CM Elahi orders surgeries of kids with congenital heart disease at WIC IHC summons Interior ministry officials in petition against proposed PTI sit-in

Staff RepoRt

Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz

Elahi on Friday directed to hire services of expert doctors from abroad along with the establishment of a department for the treatment of children suffering from congenital heart disease.

Chairing a meeting held to review up-gradation of the Wazirabad Institute of Cardiology (WIC), the Punjab CM said that complicated surgeries of children, suffering from heart diseases, would also be performed so that they may not have to go to India for treatment. He also approved a transport facility for the WIC, saying that a hostel and residences should also be built for

doctors.

Similarly, the latest cardiology and urology departments would also be established in Gujranwala Teaching Hospital and Aziz Bhatti Shaheed Hospital Gujrat, respectively. Similarly, more dialysis machines would also be provided to Aziz Bhatti Shaheed Hospital, he added.

The CM further directed the development of best waiting area for attendants, saying that more and more trees should be planted on the hospital premises. It’s sanguine that a majestic mosque has been built with the support of philanthropists, he concluded.

Chief Secretary Abdullah Sumbal, ACS Asadullah Khan, secretary specialized healthcare & medical

education, secretary finance, secretary (coord) CMO, CE and MS Wazirabad Institute of Cardiology attended the meeting.

Cm GIVES RS2.5m ChEqUE TO IBTISAm hASAN: Ibtisam Hasan, who had overpowered the accused who shot at PTI Chairman Imran Khan during long march in Wazirabad, called on Punjab CM Ch Pervaiz Elahi at his office.

The CM praised the bravery of Ibtisam Hasan and gave him a cheque of Rs2.5 million on the behalf of the Punjab government. The CM said that Ibtisam Hasan is the hero of the nation and his bravery cannot be weighed.

The nation salutes the courage of Ibtisam Hasan, he added. You have

achieved a great feat by catching the accused and we are proud of a brave young man like you.

Nasir Mehmood, the uncle of Ibtisam Hassan, was also present.

Meanwhile, Punjab CM Ch Pervaiz Elahi has expressed a deep sense of sorrow and grief over the death of the mother of Provincial Minister Murad Raas. In a condolence statement, the CM extended heartfelt sympathies to the bereaved family and said that he was deeply saddened as the pain of the separation of the mother cannot be described in words. May Allah Almighty rest the departed soul in eternal peace and grant courage to the bereaved heirs to bear the loss with equanimity, he added.

GCU confers PhD degrees, medals on first day of 20th convocation

Staff RepoRt

The Government College University Lahore on Friday conferred the doctorate of philosophy (PhD) degrees on 52 scholars in various disciplines besides academic and co-curricular medals on the first day of its threeday 20th convocation.

Punjab Governor Muhammad Balighur Rehman chaired the first session of the convocation which was also addressed by Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Asghar Zaidi. Besides medals and rolls of honour, a total of two thousand degrees would be awarded this year during the three-day convocation which included 490 MS/MPhil, 374 MA/MSc degrees and 1057 BA/BSc (Hons) degrees.

The University will also confer Lifetime Achievement Awards on 10 distinguished alumni from different walks of life to recognize their career-long outstanding work and achievements.

Speaking on the occasion, Punjab Governor Balighur Rehman said the secret of success is to study, research and be self-accountable.

He said that some time ago there were a lot of discussions that the Chancellor has banned politicians from visiting the universities, which is not true.

However, he said, hate speech is frowned upon all over the world. The governor explained that he has always been in favor of listening to everyone and researching and analyzing what they say on the basis of data and facts available.

He said students of Government College made their

name in different fields like literature, science and politics. He further said that the initiative of the federal government to end the system of interest is commendable. Addressing the graduates, Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Asghar Zaidi said: “75 years into our struggle for nation-building, we are still trying to

evolve a path that might salvage us and put us on the path to progress. We need to tread on the path indicated by Iqbal in his verse and poetry.”

Delving upon the problems in Pakistan’s education system, the VC said that there are three very basic principles on which human life flourishes i.e. diversity, curiosity and creativity, but very unfortunately they are contradicted by a culture of education that is currently prevalent in the country. “All human beings are naturally different from each other but our education system does not encourage diversity. Rather it lays great stress on conformity,” he said.

The Vice-Chancellor stressed that students can learn and excel best through a broad-based curriculum that celebrates their various talents, not just through a small arrangement of course systems and examinations. Earlier, the governor and VC presented “Prof GD Sondhi Medal” for overall excellent performance to Muhammad Ebrahim Naeem and Mahnoor Siddiqui, “Mohammad Idrees Medal” for Best Debater to Areesha Ehsan, “Daud Ilyas Medal” for outstanding intermediate student to Muhammad Arham Tarik, “Dr Saida Karamat Medal” for Best Woman Graduate to Izza Sajid, “Waleed Iqbal Medal” for Best Parliamentary Speaker to Shahjahan Tahir and Ayesha Khalid, “Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif Medal” for Best Urdu Speaker to Zohaib Alam and “Madeeha Gohar Medal” for the Best Female Actor to Taseer Fatima and Zainab Zaman, “Tariq Salman Khan Farani Medal” for best music student to Wajid Mukhtar, while “Thespian Medal” for excellent performance in Dramatics was conferred upon Irtiza Aslam and Salman Tahir.

Wazirabad incident FIR lodged by police holds no value: Qureshi

GUJARAt Staff RepoRt

PTI Central leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said the first information report (FIR) of the Wazirabad firing incident lodged by the police had no “value” as it did not implicate the three high-profile suspects named by Imran Khan.

PTI leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi talks to journalists in Gujarat on Friday. Talking to the media in Guajrat Qureshi said the complainant should have

been given priority but the “police seemed helpless”, adding it showed “some people are above the law”. He said that adherence to the rule of law was vital for Pakistan to progress. He stated that long march on Islamabad will move towards Gujrat after the Zuhr prayers. “We have selected two points Rehmat Elahi Chowk and then the cavalcade will reach the GTS Chowk where Imran Khan will address supporters.

On the other hand Punjab police have reconstituted the joint investigation team (JIT) formed yesterday to probe the assassination bid on PTI chairman Imran

Khan in Wazirabad.

The JIT formed by the home department will be convened by Dera Ghazi Khan Regional Police Officer Syed Khurram Ali. It has four members: CPO Lahore (Establishment-II) Tariq Rustam Chohan; AIG/monitoring investigation branch, Ihsanullah Chohan; Vehari District Police Officer Muhammad Zatar Buzdar, and CTD Lahore SP Naseebullah Khan. The team was formed by the Punjab Home Department at the request of Punjab police chief Faisal Shahkar.

iSLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday summoned the officials of Ministry of Interior in person in a petition against closure of roads due to a sit-in the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has announced to stage in the federal capital. Chief Justice of Islamabad High Court Aamer Farooq heard the case filed by the president of All Traders Welfare Association Islamabad against the proposed PTI sit-in. During the hearing of the case, the court directed that the officer of the joint secretary level of the Ministry of Interior should appear. Sardar Umar Aslam Advocate appeared on behalf of the petitioners while Deputy Attorney General Azmat Bashir Tarar appeared in the court on behalf of the federal government. The court summoned the Interior Ministry official and adjourned hearing of the case till Monday. The petition filed by traders of the federal capital stated that after the no confidence motion against former prime minister Imran Khan, PTI voiced a narrative that their removal was part of an international conspiracy and threatened to overthrow the government by marching into Islamabad. It stated that the Supreme Court earlier this year sought assurance from PTI that they would confine the protest to a specified place. However, the party violated its undertaking and marched towards D-Chowk and set trees ablaze and damaged public properties, it added. The petition expressed apprehensions that the PTI would repeat the same if it was allowed to hold a sit-in in Islamabad. It requested the court to restrain the political party from entering Islamabad’s commercial areas.

Permission for public demonstration should be made conditional with the proper undertaking by PTI of confining itself within the designated place outside the periphery of Islamabad city, it added.

As many as 793 government and private hospitals have been empaneled to provide free treatment facilities to the people of province through Sehat Sahulat Card. This was revealed in the statistics related to Sehat Sahulat Card released by the Department of Specialized Health Care and Medical Education on the directions of Punjab Health Minister Dr. Yasmin Rashid. Provincial Health Secretary Dr. Ahmed Javed Qazi said that people are getting free treatment facilities from 183 government hospitals and 610 private hospitals through sehat sahulat card. According to the details, so far more than 5 lacs and 80 thousand people in Punjab have done free dialysis through sehat sahulat card and so far more than 59 thousand 9 hundred people have got free coronary angiography facility through Sehat sahulat card. So far, more than 58,900 women have had normal delivery and more than 240,000 women have received free cesarean operation facility through Sehat sahulat card. Dr. Ahmed Javed Qazi said that in Punjab so far more than 39,100 people have had free hernia surgery and more than 40,800 people have received the facility through sehat sahulat card. So far more than 40,800 people got free chemotherapy facility through Sehat sahulat card.

LAHORE

Hasan Murtaza on Friday hoped that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan’s sons will join the long march their father had started from Lahore.

Welcoming the arrival of Kasim Khan and Sulaiman Isa Khan in the Punjab capital from London on Thursday, the PPP leader

hope that both of young sons of Khan would lead the long march, which resumed from Wazirabad.

said it would be a pleasure to see the sons of the Kaptaan walking side by side with the workers’ children in the long march.

Sehat Sahulat Card: 793 govt, private hospitals empaneled to provide free treatment facilities

LAHORE Staff RepoRt

LAHORE

PM ShehbAz recent vISIt denoteS unIqueneSS of SIno-PAK reLAtIonS: chIneSe envoy

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

cHINESEAmbassador Nong Rongon on Friday, terming China-Pakistan relation as ‘unique’ said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was the first head of government to visit China after the 20th CPC National Congress.

The Chinese envoy said: “A few days ago, the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China was successfully concluded, and so was Prime Minister Shehbaz’s maiden official visit to China.”

For China and bilateral relations, these two major events were in a sequence, and the significance was self-evident and farreaching, he said in an article, published in local newspaper.

He said the 20th CPC National Congress took place at a critical time as China embarked on a new journey to build into a modern socialist country in all respects and advance toward the Second Centenary Goal. It has charted the course and established the guide to action for the cause of the Party and the country, he added.

The ambassador said Communist Party’

General Secretary Xi Jinping was re-elected by a unanimous vote at the first plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee.

“That will provide the most fundamental political guarantee for China to embark on a new journey towards a modern socialist country in all respects,” he added.

“Facing a highly uncertain world, in which our times and history are changing in ways like never before, China is responding to these uncertainties with its own certainty, hedging the instability of the international situation with the stability of its domestic and foreign policies, and providing a strong and lasting impetus for the recovery of the world economies with high-quality development and high-level opening up, making unremitting efforts for the peaceful development of the region and the world with a responsible attitude, he added.

As President Xi told PM Shehbaz, China will continue its fundamental policy of opening up and providing new opportunities to Pakistan and the rest of the world through continuous development.

“PM Shehbaz was the first head of government to visit China after the 20th CPC National Congress, and China received the Pakistani prime minister with premium cour-

Security beefed up at Imran’s Lahore residence

LAHORE: In view of security concerns of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, a security wall has been constructed outside his residence in Lahore, it was reported on Friday. According to media reports, security was enhanced outside the former prime minister’s residence in Lahore’s Zaman Park after a security alert was issued by the Special Branch. Furthermore, check posts were also set up at the entry and exit points of Zaman Park, and more security cameras were also installed to ensure safety. A special desk was also set up to keep a record of visitors to the former premier’s residence. Authorities also posted women police officers for checking at entry points. Meanwhile, Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Lahore Ghulam Muhammad Dogar visited Zaman Park and reviewed the security arrangements. Staff RepoRt

Arshad Sharif’s murder a joint conspiracy of

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

Federal Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah on Friday alleged that murder of anchorperson Arshad Sharif was joint conspiracy of Ahmad brothers — Khurram and Waqar and Kenyan police. Speaking during a private Tv channel programme on Friday, the federal minister said that murder of Arshad Sharif was not a case of “mistaken identity” but it was targeted killing instead. Rana Sanaullah said that the Ahmad brothers along with Kenyan police killed Arshad Sharif and tried to paint another picture. Both the brothers have become suspicious as they were not providing access to their mobile phones’ data, he added. He said that the deceased reached Kenya from Dubai on sponsorship of Waqar and he was staying in his flat. There were torture marks on Sharif’s body, which corroborate and this was a joint conspiracy of Waqar, Khurram and five Kenyan police officers, the interior minister added. He further stated that those who fired at the journalist were well aware whom they were shooting at. They knew which side Sharif was sitting, he said. “We have the evidence against those who forced Sharif to leave the country. Some people called him and told him to leave while some say that Sharif left due to the situation in the country. However, Arshad Sharif did not want to leave the country,” he claimed. Sanaullah also said that a threat alert was issued to scare the slain journalist. He also revealed that there is evidence of how Sharif was made to sit in the plane from Peshawar. He also said that the person who helped Sharif get an online visa was Waqar, adding that the latter did not know the former before.

tesy.

Peo-

held talks with him. Both sides issued a joint statement and signed or concluded a number of agreements/MoUs in the areas of e-commerce, digital economy, export of agricultural product, financial cooperation, protection of cultural property, infrastructure, flood relief, post-disaster reconstruction, Global Development Initiative, animal disease control, livelihood, cultural cooperation, space, geosciences as well as law enforcement and security.”

“President Xi met with PM Shehbaz twice

in less than two months, and personally invited him to visit China immediately after the 20th National Congress. This well demonstrates the uniqueness of China-Pakistan relations and Pakistan’s important position in China’s overall diplomacy. This matchlessness lies at the highest levels of strategic coordination and political mutual trust – this is why the term ‘ironclad friendship’ is used to describe the relationship between the two countries. Pakistan sees its relations with China as a cornerstone of its foreign policy. China, as President Xi told PM Shehbaz, views its relations with Pakistan from a strategic and long-term perspective, and puts it as a priority in China’s neighbourhood diplomacy.

The envoy said: “The uniqueness of China-Pakistan relations lies in mutual support on issues concerning each other’s core interests. This year, Pakistan gave firm support to China in response to Nancy Pelosi’s visit to the Taiwan region and the attempts to stir up Xinjiang-related issues at the Human Rights Council. Likewise, China supports Pakistan in safeguarding its sovereignty, territorial integrity, security, and promoting its socio-economic development and prosperity.”

“Our close coordination has gone beyond the bilateral level to the multilateral and inter-

national arena, jointly promoting the implementation of the Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative, and working together to make global governance more just and equitable.”

“China-Pakistan relations are also unmatched in the strong support of practical cooperation underpinned by the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which has played a leading role in the Belt and Road Initiative. Under CPEC, 47 projects have been started or completed, with a total investment of more than $25 billion, and 150,000 jobs have been created. The 11th JCC was held on October 27, during which the leaders of the two countries reached an important consensus on the ML-1 project for its early implementation. China also agreed to actively advance the Karachi Circular Railway and encourage Chinese enterprises to participate in solar and other renewable energy projects.”

“In the next phase of CPEC, we will step up cooperation in industry, agriculture, science and technology to better serve Pakistan’s industrialization and enhance its export competitiveness. New concepts like health corridor, industrial corridor, digital corridor and green corridor will become an important part of the high-quality development of CPEC. Moreover, Pakistan’s exports to China are expected to exceed $4 billion this year. Among them, agriculture serves as an emerging growth area.” “Pakistan’s agricultural trade surplus with China reached $640 million last year, an increase of 13 times year-on-year. During this visit, facilitation arrangements for cherry exports to China were made.

Pakistan-Iran Joint Border Commission agrees to boost bilateral trade

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

Pakistan-Iran Joint Border Commission has agreed on boosting bilateral trade.

The two countries issued a joint declaration at the end of the 24th annual meeting of the commission in Islamabad.

Pakistan-Iran Joint Border Commission has taken important decisions on border security, human smuggling and prevention of drugs, promotion of mutual cooperation for the establishment of peace and order on both sides of the border.

The Commission also agreed on

provision of facilities to businessmen for an increase in trade activities, exchange of sports and culture and educational delegations and other related issues.

The Pakistani delegation was led by Chief Secretary Balochistan Abdul Aziz Uqaili while the delegation from Iran

Book on ‘human capital, innovation, and disruptive digital tech’ launched amid galaxy of dignitaries

and ambidextrous behavior. The book also provided a thorough analysis of the role of human capital in industry, firm internationalization, and organizational ambidexterity while keeping contemporary business dynamics in mind. It also outlined strategies for firms to improve their human capital readiness, which forms the basis of this new economy.

was led by Sistan-Balochistan Governor for Law and Order and Enforcement Ali Raza Marhamati.

In the two-day quarterly meeting of joint border commission, delegations forwarded various proposals about boosting bilateral trade between Pakistan and Iran and the way forward.

President awards certificates to participants of 24th National Security Workshop

LAHORE Staff RepoRt

A book titled “Human Capital, Innovation, and Disruptive Digital Technology: A Multi-Dimensional Perspective” written by veteran international and national economists as well as management sciences academics was launched here the other day.

Punjab Minister for Higher Education Raja Yassir Humayun Sarfraz, Chairman Punjab Higher Education Commission Prof Dr Shahid Munir, Vice Chancellors of various universities and dignitaries from civil society were among those who graced the book launch ceremony held in a local hotel of Lahore. The book has been authored by renowned economists and management sciences academics including University of Sargodha Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Qaiser Abbas, Prof Dr Muhammad Shahbaz of Beijing Institute of China and Prof Dr Shujaat Mubarak of Institute of Business Management Karachi.

The book discussed the role of human capital in the context of technological development, innovation, resilience,

Addressing the ceremony, Raja Yassir Humayun Sarfraz congratulated the authors on writing a valuable book for the students of economics and management sciences and stressed on business organizations to make full use of it. He was of the view that the book offered a diverse view of human capital and its multifaceted role and applications in an organization. “Pakistan has very low capital and GDP as it relies heavily on traditional technology. But the world is changing along modern lines, and we need to introduce new ideas into our economy” said by the PHEC Chairman Prof. Dr. Shahid Munir. He went on to say that China has registered 0.6 million patents by 2021. He emphasized economists, especially students using modern technology and introducing innovative ideas to elevate the current annual income which is extremely low.

The author and Vice Chancellor UoS, Prof Dr Qaiser Abbas informed the attendees that the book has been written by keeping in view the post COVID-19 economic challenges. He highlighted the changing role of human capital and social development that led to the necessity of a new paradigm of economic growth. He termed the book very useful for management officers, researchers, academicians and those interested in the dimensions and development of human capital.

ISLAMABAD: President Dr Arif Alvi on Friday awarded certificates to the successful participants of 24th National Security Workshop at a ceremony held at the National Defence University here.

The four-week long workshop was attended by senators, members of the National and Provincial assemblies, bureaucrats, ambassadors, senior officers from the armed forces as well as representatives from civil society. The participants attended the workshop with an aim to comprehend the security environment and develop greater understanding of the different dimensions of national security and challenges faced by Pakistan. Speaking on the occasion, the president congratulated the participants of the workshop on successful completion of the workshop on comprehensive national security.

He commended the role of National Defence University in conducting the National Security Workshops for the benefit of such a wide range of leadership in the country. Staff RepoRt

30pc work completed on 1.2 MGD desalination water plant in Gwadar

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

In order to provide clean drinking water to residents of Gwadar city, almost 30 percent work has progressed on the construction of 1.2 MGD (million gallon per day) Water Desalination Plant.

The desalination water plant is being completed with the Chinese grant of Rs2 billion.

Talking to Gwadar Pro, Dawood Baloch, Project Director of under-constructed Desalination Plan said that it is a matter of immense mirth that work continues to proceed on expeditious and

smooth manner as flow of civil work including foundation work and structure work did not suffer any stumbling block.

“Event previous phase of comprehensive soil testing in the premises of Gwadar Port Free Zone area went uninterrupted under the guideline of Gwadar Port Authority and the government,” he added.

Alongside the ongoing construction of 1.2 MGD desalination plant, GPA rolled out a process to lay down around 1 kilometer long water supply line from plant site to Gwadar city’s main water supply network, he revealed.

He added that through this connectivity, potable water will be supplied to inside taps of residents of Gwadar.

He said that for this purpose, GPA has already commenced formal bidding process seeking services of qualified firms. After the tendering procedure enters into finality on November 16, selected enterprise will be awarded contract to proceed in accordance with rules and regulations.

Another GPA official said that the 1.2 MGD Water Desalination Plant is spreading over approximately one acre.

“The plant is supposed to complete in 12 months but hopefully it is expected

to be completed before April, 2023.”

He said that the water desalination plant is being completed in collaboration with GPA and China Harbor Engineering Company (CHEC)

The 1.2 MGD Water Desalination Plant project, he said, will be enough to meet the water demand of the Gwadar city and Gwadar port.

He said initially a 0.5 MGD Water Desalination Plant project was inked with the conduction of feasibility and survey by government of Pakistan and China. On July 5, 2021, the government approved the 1.2 MGD Water Desalination Plant for Gwadar.

President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Keqiang and Chairman Li Zhanshu of the Standing Committee of the National

ple’s Congress

Ahmed brothers, Kenyan police: Sanaullah

WEEkLy infLAtion EASES

SLiGhtLy to 29.24pC yoy

Islamabad GhulaM abbaS

SHORT-term inflation measured by the Sensitive Price Index (SPI) eased slightly to 29.24 per cent year-on-year (YoY) for the week ending on Nov 10, data shared by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) showed on Friday.

The annual increase in SPI has been on the decline for some time, falling from a peak of 45.5pc in the week ending Sept 1. Last week, YoY inflation was measured at 30.6pc.

However, as per the data the weekly inflation, measured by the SPI, posted an increase of 0.74 percent for the com-

bined income group on a week-on-week basis due to increase in food prices.

The SPI-based inflation is steadily on the rise for the past four consecutive weeks on a week-on-week basis. After rebasing, the SPI started an upward trend with a 4.13pc increase on October 27 as the highest week-on-week increase followed by 3.68pc on Sept 22 driven by an increase in fuel adjustment prices in the electricity bills of consumers.

The annual increase in SPI has been on the decline for some time, falling from a peak of 45.5pc in the week ending Sept 1. Other notable mentions: 44.6pc (Aug 25), 42.7pc (Sept 8), 42.3pc (Aug 18). Prices rose at such a fast pace recently on the back of surging food and fuel prices.

Govt decides to revise policy on provident fund

Islamabad Staff RepoRt

The federal government has decided to revise policy on general provident fund.

According to details, the Finance division has asked the Auditor General of Pakistan to share the special audit of provident funds maintained by offices of CAO (MoFA), Pak PWD, PPOD, MAG, GSP, CDNS, PAk. Mint and Pakistan Railway for further policy consideration on general provident fund.

The Finance division vide letter dated September 8, 2020 had requested to conduct a special audit of provident funds maintained by officers of AGPR, CAO (MoFA), Pak PWD, PPOD, MAG, GSP, CDNS, PAk. Mint and Pakistan Railway.

The office has received special audit reports on general provident fund of central directorate of national savings and draft audit report on general provident fund of Pakistan mint.

The reports of other accounting offices have not been received yet in the Finance division, the letter further stated. It is requested that concerned field audit offices may kindly be directed to share the special audit reports on general provident fund of offices of AGPR, CAO (MoFA), Pak PWD, PPOD, MAG, GSP, CDNS, Pak Mint and Pakistan Railway for further policy consideration on general provident fund.

Ayaz Sadiq becomes convener of ECL committee

Islamabad Staff RepoRt

Federal Minister Ayaz Sadiq has been appointed the convener of the federal cabinet’s exit control list (ECL) committee.

The federal cabinet approved the re-organization of the ECL committee through circulation of a summary. The other members of the ECL committee include Commerce Minister Naveed Qamar, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb and Communications Minister Asad Mahmood. Earlier, Azam Nazeer Tarar was removed from the chairmanship of the legislation committee. The federal cabinet approved the appointment of Tahir Hassan as the Radio Pakistan director general (DG). This approval was also granted through circulation of a summary. He has been appointed as the DG for three years.

The SPI monitors the prices of 51 essential items based on a survey of 50 markets in 17 cities across the country.

During the week under review, the prices of 22 out of 51 items increased, 14 decreased, and 15 remained stable.

In the food group, the items that saw the highest week-on-week increase in prices include onions (27.16pc), potatoes (5.31pc), tea lipton (4.62pc), bananas (4.38pc), sugar (3.60pc), eggs (2.13pc), chicken (1.98pc). In the non-food group, on a week-on-week basis, the long cloth 57″ (1.21pc) and firewood (1.21pc).

On a year-on-year basis, the items whose prices jumped the most included onions (292.30pc), diesel (64.57pc), pulse gram (59.69pc), pulse

moong (54.66pc), petrol (53.85pc), gents sponge chappal (52.21pc), bananas (52.18pc), tea lipton (50.39pc), washing soap (50.37pc), pulse mash (49.58pc), cooking oil 5 liter (46.71pc), vegetable ghee 2.5 Kg (46.02pc) and salt powdered & pulse masoor (45.03pc), respectively.

According to a World Bank report the average Consumer Price Index (CPI)-based inflation in Pakistan would rise to 23pc in the current fiscal year from 12.2pc a year ago due to higher domestic energy prices, flood disruptions and a weaker rupee. Almost similar projections were made by the State Bank of Pakistan as well as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in their recent reports.

Punjab Cabinet SCCLO reviews security for ongoing PTI long march

laHore Staff RepoRt

The Punjab Cabinet Standing Committee on Law and Order (SCCLO) on Friday reviewed the security arrangements for the ongoing long march of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI).

Provincial Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Cooperatives and Environmental Protection Muhammad Basharat Raja chaired the meeting held at Civil Secretariat.

In the meeting, concerned commissioners and RPOs gave briefing on the security arrangements. Chief Secretary Punjab Abdullah Khan Sumbal, Acting

Inspector General Punjab Police, ACS (Home) and other officers also participated.

Chairman Committee Muhammad Basharat Raja said that on the instructions of PTI Chairman Imran Khan, the workers have ended the sitsins and cleared roads leading to the motorways. He directed that the use of bullet-proof rostrum should be ensured on the container. “In the next phase, all arrangements should be made for the long march in Jhelum and MandiBahauddin”, he directed.

The cabinet committee was apprised that 4100 police personnel, snipers have been de-

ployed in Gujarat while traffic duty has also been assigned.

Provincial Minister Raja Basharat said: “The leadership of PTI does not make provocative speeches during the long march, so it is necessary that the leaders of other political parties should also avoid it.”

He said that there should be no other unnecessary political activities during the long march. It was decided in the SCCLO meeting that shops containing inflammable materials will be shut down in the route of the long march. Commissioner Faisalabad Shahid Niaz also told the meeting about the security plan in his division.

ATC awards death sentence to two accused in Dasu terrorist attack

abbottabad Mian abRaR

A special Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Friday handed over death sentence on 13-counts to each of the two accused in Dasu Hydro Power Project (DHPP) terrorist attack case.

The court also imposed Rs 40 million fine on the two convicted terrorists, besides awarding them a total of around 800 years of imprisonment; including life imprisonments. All the sentences shall run concurrently. Benefits of Section 382–B CrPC has also been extended in favour of the accused.

ATC Special Court Judge Sajjad Ahmed Jan delivered the verdict in a camp court, established at Central Jail Haripur (CJH) after the completion of the case hearing where the two

were found guilty and sentenced 801-year imprisonment. The court also issued orders to release the four other accused for not being guilty.

The ATC special court sentenced the accused Muhammad Hussain, alias Syed Muhammad alias Zawan alias Mama, son of Abdul Rahim age 49, resident of Sabin Burat, Tehsil, Matta, Swat, and Muhammad Ayaz, alias Jan, 42, resident of Zurai Balu Jabril Tehsil, Matta Swat, and awarded each a 13count death penalty and 801year imprisonment. The court also imposed Rs 40 million fine on the convicts.

The court ordered hanging each convict on 13 counts for the crime under section 302 PPC (on 13 counts) and 7(A) ATA. They were also imposed a 1.5 million fine per victim

which the heirs of the deceased, would receive and ordered oneyear additional imprisonment in case of non-payment of the fine by the convicts.

The ATC special court also ordered under Section 324 PPC, 32-time 10-year imprisonment for an attempt to murder each convict, two-year imprisonment under Section 337 PPC, two-year imprisonment under Section 427 PPC, and a fine of one million, six months imprisonment under Terrorist Act, Section 11-F (2) ATA, 1996, six months imprisonment under 120/B PPC, life imprisonment under 3/4 EXP for use of explosives.

The other punishments that were awarded to both convicted were under section 21 (I) ATA 1997, sentenced to life imprisonment and six months in prison in 202 PPC.

Major parties developing consensus on merit in next CoAS appointment

contInued from page 01

In a TV interview, PPP leader Qamar Zaman Kaira — whose party also holds an important position in the ruling alliance — said merit would determine who becomes the next army chief. “The [government] will appoint the next army chief from among the top-five senior generals,” Kaira said and mentioned that PM Shehbaz would return to Pakistan and deliberate over the matter with the government leadership and PDM chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman. Lashing out at PTI Chairman Imran Khan, Kaira said the person against whom Khan has reservations was the same man with whom he spent four years in power. Nawaz, Shehbaz discuss appointment of next army chief in London Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif in London on Friday to discuss the appointment the military’s senior-most officer as the next army chief. PML-N vice president Maryam Nawaz was also present. It was fourth meeting without any decision being taken. Apart from the crucial matter of the army chief’s appointment, the highlevel huddle took important decisions in London and the PML-N will later take the coalition partners into confidence over them. Sources said that PM Shahbaz is now returning to Pakistan, following the meetings and he would announce a decision after consultation with the coalition parties’ leaders. He had arrived in the British capital after concluding his two-day visit to Egypt, where he attended the COP27 summit.

Uk court rejects pM’s adjournment plea in Daily Mail case

contInued from page 01

“It was a fabricated and defamatory story which published in the Daily Mail. It was a part of propaganda launched by [Prime Minister] Imran Niazi against the PML-N in the name of sham accountability,” he had said while addressing a news conference in London in January, 2020. The story ad appeared On July 14, 2019 in the British newspaper accusing former Punjab chief minister and his family of embezzling millions of pounds out of £500 million aid lent by the Department for International Development (DFID) for 2005 earthquake victims. As soon as the report surfaced, the PML-N had termed it a conspiracy against Shehbaz hatched by the PTI government. Daily Mail so far fails to prove allegations against PM Shehbaz Sharif: Marriyum Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb claimed that the British newspaper Daily Mail had so far failed to prove the allegations levelled by its journalist David Rose in an article against Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif about alleged misappropriation of public funds. “Now, the Daily Mail will have to face the law,” she said in a news statement. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif filed a defamation case against the Daily Mail and its journalist in a court of the United Kingdom a couple of years back. According to Marriyum, the trail of defamation case would be held in “December 2023”. A short reply in the case had already been submitted on behalf of PM Shehbaz Sharif, she said in the statement. The minister said the judge had fixed December 13, 2022 for next hearing of the case and the reply on the allegations needed to be submitted by the same date. She said cost of the case was being paid and “we have already won our case on the stage of presentation.” She said the Daily Mail had opted to the delaying tactics to delay the case.

PIMS medics await Kenyan report: PFUJ decides on becoming party to Arshad Sharif case

her hope that killers of her son would be exposed with the efforts of the PFUJ.

Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) on Friday decided to become a party to the senior journalist Arshad Sharif’s assassination case and formed a committee in this regard.

After leakage of the graphic photos of Arshad Sharif’s body and post-mortem reports, the PFUJ has decided to become a party to the assassination case. According to the declaration, a delegation headed by PFUJ President Afzal Butt held a detailed meeting with the slain journalist’s mother, wife and his children.

The delegation members included Secretary Finance Lala Asad Pathan,

On the occasion, mother the slain anchorperson shared details with the PFUJ delegation about cases registered against her son. She also informed the delegation about the slain Sharif’s letters to different authorities to seek protection and reasons for his departure

Moreover, the delegation was also informed about the difficulties being faced by the family to get his post-mortem report and death certificate. Sharif’s mother expressed

After the meeting, the journalist’s union formed a five-member committee headed by President Afzal Butt.

The other members of the committee will include Secretary General Arshad Ansari, Secretary Finance Lala Asad Pathan, RIUJ President Abid Abbasi and NPC President Anwar Raza.

PIMS DOCTOR AWAITS KENYAN AUTOPSY REPORT: With reports circulating that senior journalist and anchorperson Arshad Sharif was probably tortured before his murder in Kenya, doctors who performed the autopsy in Islamabad confirmed presence of certain marks on the journalist’s body.

This was disclosed by Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) Director Dr Khalid Masood to media on Friday.

He said that they have yet to receive the report of the postmortem conducted of Arshad Sharif’s body in Kenya. He said that this was the biggest hindrance in ascertaining if the slain journalist was tortured before being killed.

Dr Masood said initial medical reports suggested Arshad Sharif was shot twice.

There are eight to 12 marks on Sharif’s body and a wound on his right wrist, he said, somewhat confirming some of the pictures circulating on the internet which were said to be of Arshad Sharif’s body taken during his postmortem examination.

Islamabad Staff RepoRt

Rawalpindi-Islamabad Union of Journalists (RIUJ) President Abid Abbasi, Secretary Finance Kashan Akmal, National Press Club (NPC) President Anwar Raza, Vice-President Maira Imran, Secretary Finance Nayyar Ali and Joint Secretary Talat Farooq.

from Pakistan and Dubai.

Malfunctioning parties

MUSTAFANawaz Khokhar’s resignation from the Senate will not affect the PPP’s representation in the Upper house, as he was elected from Sindh, where the PPP has an absolute majority in the Sindh Assembly, and can easily elect a replacement. however, especially when coupled with the troubles of Aitzaz Ahsan in the party, the circumstances surrounding his resignation shed a garish light on inner-party democracy.

The PPP was the party most likely not to silence dissenting voices.While there was no dispute allowed over the leadership, which had to go to a member of the Bhutto family, there was nonetheless a tradition of lively internal debate, and expressions of personal opinion. Mr Khokhar had two strikes against him. he had admitted that Balochistan Awami Party Senators had been approached to vote for Yousaf Reza Gilani as Senate chairman.

A year down the line, he had expressed outrage at the alleged police brutality committed upon PTI chairman Imran Khan’s chief of staff Shahbaz Gill. Dr Gill had been in custody on a charge of inciting mutiny in the armed forces.

Mr Aitzaz Ahsan had got into hot water for alleging that COAS Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa had helped Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and PML(N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz be acquitted of charges against them, a charge similar to that tweeted by PTI ex-minister Azam Swati, which had led to his detention. he got into further trouble by going to see PTI chief Imran Khan after the attack on him. he is one of those suspected to switching to the PTI, though he has strongly denied this, as has Mr Khokhar. It does seem that the PPP will not tolerate any criticism of the Army leadership, as in Mr Ahsan’s case, or even of support for someone who has expressed criticism, as in the case of Mr Khokhar. The other parties cannot claim to be much better. Indeed, the PPP’s present ally, the PML(N), and its opponent, the PTI, are probably worse at tolerating inner-party dissent, even though freedom of expression allows the kind of debate that lets a party stay relevant. If the PPP cannot tolerate Mr Khokhar and Mr Ahsan, even if they are not just wrong but wrongheaded, then it needs to look at itself closely. Rumours of switches to other parties could well become self-fulfilling prophecies.

Khan’s letter to the President

Raising pertinent questions

party, the Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI), existed. Nevertheless, one of the major attractions for its voters was the hope of demolishing the confines of traditions, whether these persisted in society or politics. People got fascinated with the PTI’s electoral vow to wipe out the boundaries of the Governor houses and to turn the Prime Minister house into a university. Though these promises remained unfulfilled, the idea such promises encompassed– to change the system– still reverberates with the masses. One way to express thechange was to replace traditions with modernism; the other way was to redefine the boundaries of the state institutions. Apparently, even today, the PTI followers, who are swelling in number, are still dreaming of the “change”– a famous but forgotten slogan– though without naming it.

ONNovember 6, former Prime Minister Imran Khan wrote a letter to Presideonsnt Arif Alvi to invoke the powers of the President as the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces to address certain issues of the abuse of power and violations of the Constitution. In the letter, Khan raised several questions, but two of them invite immediate attention. First, under what law could the two army generals hold a press conference, which was immensely politically charged? Second, what are the legal boundaries of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), which is otherwise meant to be an information office for defence and military issues?

Whether President Alvi could take any action or not is a different thing, but merely questioning the authority of the Army to hold a press conference and challenging the jurisdiction of the ISPR to perform a function more than an information office are quite unprecedented in this country.

Whereas Khan’s several political claims are doubtful, one thing is clear: Khan is determined to contest the limits of the Army and its attendant offices. This is one of the main reasons the multitude are found stirred into following him. The main chunk of his followers is the youth, which is inspired not only by revolutions overthrowing the sitting governments but which is also fed up with the conservative traditional way of life, be it related to family, society or politics. hitherto, it is apparent that the old-school of politics is dying fast. Populism is venerated because it pacifies curiosity about finding something new one day.

Defiance entails its own strength. Interestingly, the GT road has brought both Khan and Nawaz Sharif together. In August 2017, while leading a rally from Islamabad to Lahore, Sharif raised the famous slogan of “vote ko izzat do” (respect the vote’s mandate). In November 2022, Khan is in fact raising the same slogan, though couched in different words, in his Long March from Lahore to Islamabad.

Precisely, it is not that Khan’s followers are becoming anti-state; it is that they are refusing to surrender their rights to the state institutions. They want to protect their sovereign rights from any infringement. These people are becoming averse to the coercion of state institutions and loath to the culture of intimidation. It is a common finding that the state institutions work to suppress the people’s voice while the civil governments remain a silent spectator. The gesture of indolence and inaction cannot last long. It is about to be over

are from various walks of life, perhaps deserting different political parties. The same factor means that Khan’s version of “vote ko izzat do” is bound to survive for years to come, making the PTI a force to reckon with. It is apparent that Khan is raising the country’s political temperature; his followers also demand so– to give vent to their feelings. The emerging situation indicates that Pakistan is changing. Pakistan did not change in 2018, when the PTI raised the slogan of change to reach the corridors of power. Pakistan is changing now. People are getting aware of their rights. The Kakul graduates are losing their relevance. Making and raising warmongering songs and sentimental nationalistic orotundity cannot serve the purpose. The youth, educated mostly from private educational institutes, demand something cultured and concrete. Neither reverence nor terror of the uniform is inhibitory.

Nizami Editor

Pakistan is changing rapidly. Restrictions to suppress views may not work. Voices of dissent may not be muted. Khan is right in saying that “no person or state institution can be above the law of the land.” Further, custodial torture and abductions carried out with impunity by any state institution are unacceptable. The law of the land is equal for all and equally applicable to all sans any exception. A time is reaching swiftly when the shackles of “sacred cows” will be removed.

In 2018, an artificial push to Khan’s political

In the letter, Khan touched a raw nerve when he wrote: “We have been seeing a massive abuse of citizens at the hands of rogue elements within state organizations, including custodial torture and abductions all carried out with impunity”. The point is this: who can disagree with this statement? None, perhaps. There are state organizations, which are after writers, journalists, free thinkers, and any persons who tend to raise their sovereign voices. ending the letter, Khan requested the President to “act now to stop the abuse of power and violations of our laws and of the Constitution, which ensures the fundamental rights of every citizen”. Taken together, the afore-quoted statements are imbued with implications, as these carry an appeal to the youth of the western half of Pakistan. Besides, Punjab is revolting and that irreversibly. The proponents are the youth.

All those who dislike the state’s intrusion into the socio-political sphere are following Khan. The haters

Precisely, it is not that Khan’s followers are becoming anti-state; it is that they are refusing to surrender their rights to the state institutions. They want to protect their sovereign rights from any infringement. These people are becoming averse to the coercion of state institutions and loath to the culture of intimidation. It is a common finding that the state institutions work to suppress the people’s voice while the civil governments remain a silent spectator. The gesture of indolence and inaction cannot last long. It is about to be over. The major respite the Wazirabad incident has offered to the incumbent government is to halt the advance of the long march. The Center might be thinking that Khan is taking along a mob to enter Islamabad, but the Center is overlooking that anti-traditionalists have been supporting the march. Whether the march is successful or not is a different thing, the march has become able to infuse the sense of individual rights in both marchers and bystanders.

In short, Khan’s letter to the President holds lasting implications. The letter represents the thought of the masses, the awakening. It is yet to be seen how the President responds to the letter.

The writer is a freelance journalist and can be reached at qaisarrashid@yahoo.com

Disruptive Repercussions of the Russia-Ukraine War on the Global Economy

due to the stoppage of hydrocarbon elements from Russia has spawned a hike in oil and gas prices. In this scenario, as per one estimation, the oil prices will remain 100$/bl and gas prices 50 percent more expensive if this conflict continues for a longer time.

The aftermath of this incessant war seems horrible in every spectrum. From social cohesion to the economic domain, the impacts have been global. When it comes to economic drawbacks at a global level, then the situation is unpalatable.

The world was recovering from the unfathomable economic injuries caused by the covid-19 pandemic, but this war has exacerbated the plight. Global trade and economic activity are facing multiple problems.

The nature of these conundrums seems complicated and nebulous. This war has caused uncertainty in financial centres and global trade hubs. The economic disruption emanates from three prominent sources: hike in commodity prices, supply chain imbalance, and economic sanctions.

The first global factor in the economy has been an unprecedented rise in commodity prices. From the start of this conflict, there has been a sporadic increment in the prices of food staples and energy resources.

This has been caused due to the elimination of supply chains, erosion of the infrastructure, and harsh sanctions.

In the oil market, the widespread uncertainty

In most european countries, the gas supply from Russia is the main source of daily life usage. So this disruption has given birth to severe issues all over the world, especially in europe. Russia and Ukraine globally export 60percent of wheat and 28.9 percent of sunflower. So this destruction of vital food supply all over the world has caused food scarcity.

The second prominent impact of this conflict has been a severe disruption in supply chains all over the globe. Due to sanctions, trade with Russia has been considered unprofitable. Most of the routes in Ukraine have been severely damaged. As most of the land trade routes between europe and Asia have been severely limited, this has impinged the global trade carried out through these routes. The party most affected by this move has been China; due to its dependence on land routes for trade after the pandemic.

Turkey has closed the Bosporus transit and Ukraine has shut down commercial sea freights. This move has affected the grain supply in this whole region. On the other hand, the suspension of air routes in europe for Russia and vice versa has further spoiled the situation. Almost 35 percent of air freight will face this problem in the revival after the pandemic. Third, the two-edged sword of sanctions has crippled the growth of many developing nations linked with Russia or Ukraine. World powers like China and the UK

have been maintaining trade ties of billions of dollars with these countries. Now when everything is going through stagflation and economic stagnation, the probability of economic

Central Bank of Russia (CBR), and the eU did the same. This move blocked a huge sum of $643 billion to Russia and halted its conversion into roubles. This made a huge impact on global currencies as well. After this decision, the price of the dollar surged all over the globe and other fragile currencies faced the connsequences.

As per WTO’s Trade Forecast 2022-2023, this fiscal year would face a sheer decline in economic growth from 4 percent to 3 percent. In the first quarter of this fiscal year, the US economy lost a considerable share of economic recovery from the pandemic.

The same is the case in europe, Asia, and other regions. This war in Ukraine has brought horrible economic jolts in many developing countries. every industry has been negatively impacted.

The automobile industry has seen the shutting down of many small firms and businesses due to the unavailability of minerals from Russia. More than 50 percent rise in the price of cars and other vehicles proves this gruesome reality.

This economic crisis has debilitated the fragile economic activity of Pakistan as well. The rising inflation, price hikes and depreciating rupee value are caused by this ongoing war.

At the end, keeping in mind all these factors, this war would ravage the global economic activity. It has been a dark year for umpteen developing countries when it comes to economic growth and activity. Now it is time for global leaders and organizations to put an end to this ongoing war as soon as possible. Otherwise, the long-term economic ramifications would be horrible for everyone.

recovery seems pessimistic.

At the beginning of this war, US President Je Biden announced severe sanctions on the

The writer is a freelance columnist

Mustafa Khokhar’s resignation shows up a malaise that afflicts all parties

Themacabre sun of 24 February shattered thousands of lives in Ukraine. The warmongering policies of Russian President Vladmir Putin wreaked havoc on every piece of Ukrainian land. In the garb of a special operation, the slaughter of the Ukrainians has been perpetrated blatantly.

It has been a dark year for umpteen developing countries when it comes to economic growth and activity. Now it is time for global leaders and organizations to put an end to this ongoing war as soon as possible. Otherwise, the long-term economic ramifications would be horrible for everyone

dr QAiSAr rAShid

Yousaf

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

M. A. Niazi Joint Editor

Umar Aziz Executive Editor Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad Joint Editor

Ahmed ShAh

What should the Afghan government’s foreign diplomacy look like?

Thefirst three years after the establishment of the Bolshevik government in Russia were complicated by domestic and international crises. This new communist government adopted the policy of wartime communism as soon as it came to power. This policy meant establishing state control over every branch of the economy by ousting the previously employed owner without compensation. At the same time the Soviet government established a monopoly over trade, production, and distribution systems.

The Bolshevik government overthrew the capitalists and entrusted inexperienced, uneducated workers with the responsibility of managing the industries. As a result, extreme anarchy and chaos occurred in this area. In view of this, a terrible economic disaster hit Russia, a country founded by peasant workers. In the mentioned context, Lenin adopted the New economic Policy (NeP) for the protection of the country at the Tenth Session of the Bolshevik Party in March 1921.

The government's objective in formulating this new economic policy was to recover from the failure of wartime communism and protect Russia from impending financial ruin. According to historian David Thomson, the strategic retreat of Russia's communist leaders was to take one step back to take two steps forward. That is to say, the Bolshevik government kept the communist economy going and restored the capitalist system of the Tsar period.

Despite the fact that state capitalism and communism were mutually exclusive, Lenin had great success in adopting this new approach as a temporary necessity. Adopting this measure in 1921 enabled the beleaguered and faminestricken USSR to win trade agreements and state recognition with nine countries, including Britain, within a few years.

Joseph Stalin canceled this new economic policy in 1927 due to national imperatives. If the USSR, as an idealist state, had thought of continuing to apply experimental Marxian economics to the newly established communist state, it would not have been possible to overcome the country's famine and economic backwardness.

Also, if this system was not abandoned later, then the country's farmers and workers would have faced disaster. When the policy is beneficial for the people of the country, the government will adopt the policy for the welfare of the people, be it Islamic, communist, or capitalist. There are quite a few similarities between the rise to power of the successful revolutionary communist government in Russia and the Islamic government of the Taliban fighting in Afghanistan. Previously, the Taliban was in power in Afghanistan from 1996-2001. On September 11, 2001, US-led NATO forces occupied Afghanistan on the pretext of providing shelter to the Taliban for the Al Qaeda leader Osama Ben Laden.

America and NATO forces were forced to leave the country after 20 years in the face of strong resistance from Taliban fighters. According to the opinion of Afghan citizens appearing in the newspapers, there has been no change in

Afghan people's life even after a year under the rule of the Taliban government. Nor is that likely to change anytime soon in a war-torn country with a weak economy. It cannot be said that the situation was very good even during the previous Ghani government.

According to the news, the public life of Afghans in terms of food has been hit by a tsunami of hunger. Among the many causes of such distress, the most serious is the $9 billion in Afghan reserves locked up in American banks. Not only this, the USA has imposed economic sanctions on the Afghan government. Due to this, the country is not able to establish diplomatic relations with any country. As a result, the country's economy is in a fragile state. Meanwhile, the FAO and the World Food Program (WFP) jointly announced recently that there is a high risk of famine in African countries and Afghanistan next year.

The history of past famines shows that millions of people lost their lives due to famine. Also, the domestic policy of the Afghan government has also had no significant impact on the development of foreign relations. Nevertheless, aid and cooperation from the western world have also stopped. Overall, adulation policies to please the USA and the West to save the Taliban government from the untimely death of the country and people have become inevitable.

Appeasement policy is a necessary regulator to survive in politics. If one looks at history, it is known that in 1918 the USSR made the Treaty of BrestLitovsk despite the huge losses to the enemy country, Germany. Lenin's prudence saved the new Russia from German destruction through the Treaty. In the run-up to World War II in 1939, both the Communist and Nazi nations, despite being opposing nations, signed a non-aggression pact. Through this agreement, the Soviet Union could not prevent the German invasion, but Stalin was saved from hitler's direct attack and got the opportunity to make some military preparations.

To survive in international politics, a newly formed ideological or nationalist state needs international recognition. And due to the USA not giving this recognition, it is becoming very difficult to obtain it from other countries. It is true that the Taliban government is able to maintain secret trade by increasing ties with anti-US coalitions, but with such a policy it will be challenging to save the Afghan people from an ail-

ing economy and a severe famine. The USA needs to keep its supported government in Afghanistan and strategically counter China and Russia. To do this, again, Afghanistan needs international recognition for the sake of the country and its people and to recover the money collected in US banks. This requires strategic agreements with both.

There are examples of strategic agreements with enemies in Islam. Due to political necessity, the Prophet (PBUh) made the Treaty of hudaybiyyah favor the Quraysh for the time being, but the newly formed Islamic state benefited greatly. Moreover, if we look at the history of europe, it can be seen that in 1756 Britain and Prussia (now Germany) were united through the diplomatic revolution, which had a relationship daggers drawn even before this. Analyzing every event in history in this way, it can be seen that countries change their enemies and allies in order to survive.

On August 16 last year, it was reported by the BBC that the USA will recognize the Afghan government only if it provides fundamental rights, the opportunity for women to participate in public affairs, and follows an anti-terrorist policy. As always, the Western media is reporting against the Taliban government on women's rights issues. essentially, the USA has been spreading propaganda against the government against its interests, sometimes in the name of women and human rights. The USA’s desire is to maintain international authority by establishing a strong base against China demands that it form a government supported by it.

The current Taliban government will never allow that restoration of the USA. On the other hand, there is also a need for international recognition as a state for the needs of the country and nation.

The need for both of them will not harm the sovereignty of the Taliban government, but it can be tied to the treaty with the US government on the condition that some interests will be abandoned for a while.

In this case, the Taliban government can think about whether it is possible to come to a bilateral agreement with the West and the USA and take a step back to gain long-term benefits by fulfillment of conditions that are against Islam.

The writer is a freelance columnist

Editor’s mail

Send your letters to: Letters to Editor, Pakistan Today, 4-Shaarey Fatima Jinnah, Lahore, Pakistan. E-mail: letters@pakistantoday.com.pk

Discrimination

eARNINGprofits is a trade phenomenon, and there is nothing wrong with it. however, geographic classism should never be justified. It is clearly in practice at renowned bus stations in Lahore; precisely the one on Bund Road, which has a private bus service that operates throughout the country.

The fact that they have separate waiting halls for passengers of regular and executive buses seems normal until you realise the latter is reserved only for passengers of Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

The worst part is that if you have an executive class ticket for a city other than the capital, you would have to pay an additional Rs200 to use the area. This puts everyone other than those who live in Islamabad and Rawalpindi in an embarrassing situation.

When I asked an official about the practice, he could not come up with any justification or plausible explanation, but simply offered me the permission to use the area.

If such discriminatory practice is not discouraged, I fear this would snowball into more significant societal issues.

SYED TA CENE GILLANI LAHORE

Decades of Autumn

DISASTeRScan hit any nation in various forms and with varying intensities. During these critical times, leadership matters a lot. A nation can survive calamities and regain strength if the leadership takes bold and wise decisions. If the leadership fails to navigate the ship safely in times of crisis, a nation is all but doomed. history is a witness to many stories of both kinds.

The German nation, for instance, was in trouble after World War II when Konrad Adenauer was elected the chancellor to lead a psychologically and physically bruised nation. he set about restoring Germany’s position within europe. But that was not possible without industriali-sation, which could not materialise without regaining the trust of the larger community, and that was not possible without burying the bitter memories of the past.

Within 10 years, Germany was able to secure equality alongside european powers when it got membership of Nato in 1959. Much to the astonishment and envy of the world, Germany emerged as one of the biggest economic powerhouses in europe at an amazing speed and the Germans were no longer considered aliens and maligned people. The entire process was based on thought-provoking ideas, vision and audacious decision-making by the leadership.

Pakistan faced two serious crises of a similar nature; first in the 1980s when the erstwhile Soviet Union attacked Afghanistan, and then in the 2000s in the wake of the infamous 9/11. Both decades in many ways represent the darkest patches in the country’s history. They were truly the decades of autumn that extinguished any hope for a progressive, developed Pakistan.

Unfortunately, luck has not been so kind with Pakistan as it was with Germany in terms of leadership. From one crisis to another, our journey has been downwards since then, and there has been no change in our fate in the last few years despite the entry of newer faces in the power corridors. Marked by demagoguery, politics Pakistan style is nothing but a miserable joke.

MEERAN BALOCH QUETTA

Exorbitant, irrational taxes on smartphones are serving no one’s cause

Theexorbitant taxes imposed by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on smartphones have made it impossible for a common man to buy them anymore. Duties on the latest models of mobile phones are higher than even their actual prices, which has no justification at all.

The authorities apparently are missing the basic flaw in their approach to the matter; a smartphone in today’s world is an item of everyday need. It is not a luxury item.

The imposition of duty and the rate at which it is being applied suggest the authorities are treating smartphones under the category of luxury items.

The imposition of such absurdly high duties is not only barring the locals from acquiring smartphones having the latest features based on fast and easyto-use technology, but is also irritating the visitors from abroad who keep the usage of their smartphones limited to WhatsApp and such other things because using their phones as ‘phones’ means paying taxes when they do not plan to be here for long.

What we can all agree on without much debate, if at all, is that the imposition of duties is not going to help promote the locally manu-factured smartphones as they can never be an alternative to the cutting-edge technology available otherwise.

That being so, there is no point hindering people’s access to the latest multi-purpose smartphones by imposing high taxes, especially when they are useful to those interacting with digital skills and freelancing platforms. They represent a serious source of foreign exchange earnings and, therefore, deserve to be facilitated, not discouraged. Creating hurdles in the way of those bringing in foreign exchange is helping nobody; neither the individuals nor the country.

YASEEN ABBAN KARACHI

Character Building

PUTTINGthe focus of the educational system on personality development may help in developing a society whose citizens believe in advancing societal harmony. Character development by way of educating a student on fundamental ethical values, such as respect, fairness, civic sense and citizenship, and responsibility to self and others should be the top priority of society today in terms of managing aberrant behaviour and disparities in the provision of social equality. honesty, respect, ownership, truthfulness, compassion and civic sensibility are the six dimensions on which character development is predicated. Pakistan must create a beginner-level to professional-level curriculum that promises learners the smartest choice aptitude through the integration of character education into the educational system.

A strong moral foundation is the basis of an endearing personality. Due to the dire economic conditions, people are working merely to make ends meet, which leads to discrepancies in possibilities and biased job selection. As a result, the aspect of exercising a professional attitude and enthusiasm towards work is declining day by day.

It is time to seriously consider changing the curriculum in order to be able to assess students and to facilitate personality development to improve decision-making skills through exposure to risks and opportunities.

KAINAT AHMED KARACHI

muhAmmAd TArAkul iSlAm

The history of past famines shows that millions of people lost their lives due to famine. Also, the domestic policy of the Afghan government has also had no significant impact on the development of foreign relations. Nevertheless, aid and cooperation from the western world have also stopped

COP-27: PaybaCk time fOR RiCh natiOns

iNdiaN ExprEss AjAy ShAnKAr

aTthe ongoing COP 27 at Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt, the iPCC has made it clear that climate catastrophe is unfolding. global warming has already touched 1.1 degrees Celsius and extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and severe. The current commitments and policies of different nations will lead to a temperature rise of 2.8 degrees by the end of this century. The window of opportunity to restrict global warming to 1.5 degrees seems to be closing rapidly. To avert this, carbon emissions must come down 45 per cent by 2030 and touch net zero by 2050. is this likely? no, as of now. is it feasible? Yes.

The g-20 countries account for over 70 per cent of global carbon emissions. What they, especially the US and China, do in the next few years would determine the fate of humankind — their rapid decarbonisation would make the decisive difference. it would also make it easier for the rest of the world to follow. The US, the preeminent global power, has critical responsibility. its per capita carbon emissions, notwithstanding a sharp and encouraging decline from over 20 to 14.6 tonnes per capita, are still the highest in the world, that too by a wide margin. China is next at 8.4 tonnes per capita while Europe is at 6.8 tonnes per capita.

The problem is that on climate change, the US is internally divided with the Republicans still not seeing the need for immediate action. The US did not join the Kyoto Protocol and President Trump took the country out of the Paris Agreement (facilitated by Barack Obama’s leadership), which it has re-joined under Joe Biden. it took leadership on climate change last year, hosting a global summit, which affirmed the 1.5 degrees goal.

However, it took a year of intense effort and compromise for Biden to get the $369-billion dollar funding required for climate action, far less than what was proposed, and that too as a part of the inflation Reduction Act. With this, there is a possibility that the US’s climate commitment for 2030 which it announced last year, at COP26, may be achieved. But even that would be far too little. The US must bring down its per capita emissions, first to the current European levels and then further. The new conservative Supreme Court in the US has recently ruled that climate action by the EPA (Environment Protection Agency) to mandate a progressive reduction in carbon emissions — which Obama had initiated, and which was yielding positive results — is legally not permissible without Congressional approval.

Standalone legislation on climate change does not appear feasible for the present. Biden’s electoral campaign promise for the US to have a fossil fuel electricity system by 2035 remains unfulfilled. Unless scientists, climate activists and civil society worldwide succeed in persuading the Republicans to see reason, there is little hope.

China, having become the factory of the world, emits the most. it has declared 2060 as the year to achieve net zero after the West pledged carbon neutrality by 2050. it needs to reach net zero much earlier. China has the capacity to do so, having acted strategically, and developed technologies and competitive manufacturing capacities across the entire range of renewable energy sectors, ranging from solar panels to electric vehicles (EVs) and batteries.

Electricity is the low-hanging fruit for decarbonisation. Solar and wind are the cheapest sources of electricity. germany, which already gets 40 per cent of its electricity from renewables, has decided to have a fossil fuel-free electricity system by 2035. So has California in the US.

india has displayed commendable climate responsibility with Prime Minister Modi announcing at COP26 that by 2030, the country would create 500gW of fossil fuel-free generation capacity and meet half of our energy needs from renewables. The energy crisis in Europe, with gas prices having risen manifold, has made the economic case for faster movement towards renewables more compelling. The advanced economies — the US, Europe, China, Japan and South Korea — should ideally aim at achieving carbon-free electricity systems by 2030. This would undoubtedly be challenging, but not beyond the technological capacities of these economies. it would also be a strong antidote to the impending recessions in different parts of the world by creating demand and jobs. However, the interests of the powerful fossil fuel industry in postponing this transition would have to be overcome.

Electric vehicles (EVs) have arrived and are gaining market share across the world. Europe has decided to end the sale of internal combustion engine vehicles by 2035 while the UK has already set 2030 as the deadline for this target. The increasing share of renewables in the electricity system will decarbonise EV transport.

High gas prices are pushing heating systems to shift to electricity. As transport and heating systems turn to electricity, which gets decarbonised at the same time, the emissions reduction needed to keep global warming closer to the 1.5 degrees target could become feasible. That said, many industrial processes cannot run on electricity. nor can air transport or shipping. These “hard to abate sectors” continue to present technological challenges in doing away with the use of fossil fuels. Hydrogen can be a substitute for fossil fuels. green hydrogen made from renewables is one such solution. Costs of this alternative fuel are declining. As breakthroughs occur, making industrial-scale deployment feasible for such technologies, the pathway to net zero would begin to get clearer. A rapid transition can be promoted by having lower tax rates for goods whose production has low to zero carbon emissions. A differential import duty structure would incentivise the transition in exporting countries.

The writer, a distinguished fellow at TERI, is former Secretary Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade.

A century into Ataturk's republic

major nuclear attack? Was this the most well co-ordinated flash mob of all time? Then i recalled reading about this annual commemoration.

A few put their hands over their hearts, but most of the Turks observing this moment of silent remembrance on that istanbul avenue during morning rushhour kept their arms at their sides and stood still for a full minute before, all at once, continuing on with their day. it felt like something out of the Twilight Zone, or a more innocent age, and remains to this day the most stirring show of national respect i’ve ever witnessed.

DAVID LEPESKA

Ridingan evening train out of Kyiv late last week, i got the feeling i wasn’t headed towards a specific destination, but simply moving away from something –most likely the bombs and dive-bombing drones, the blackouts and waterless days that had come to define life in the Ukrainian capital.

This got me thinking of Turkey’s political scene and where it might be headed, as inflation continues to hit record highs with a potentially game-changing election looming next spring. Last week, days after the Turkish Republic kicked off its 100th year, the governing AKP marked two decades in power.

“The longer a democratic regime survives, the less likely it is to collapse,” Michael McFaul, a former US ambassador to Russia, wrote in a 2009 book. “The longer an autocracy survives, the more likely it will collapse.”

For much of its history, Turkey’s leaders have seemed to mock this assertion by balancing on the line separating these labels. The country’s founder, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, is a figure whose legacy seems to grow more impressive and more problematic with each passing year.

He is firmly established as a singular moderniser in the Middle East, bringing a relatively stable democracy and a dash of secularism to a region that has seen little of either over the past century. Ataturk also compares favourably to European leaders of his era. Consider that last week marked the centennial of Benito Mussolini’s march on Rome, soon after which he became italy’s leader and forged a fascist totalitarian state. inspired by the italian success, Adolf Hitler launched his famed Munich Beer Hall Putsch the next year. That coup failed, but it made his name and by the end of the next decade, the two were plotting to conquer all of Europe – and nearly did just that.

That Ataturk achieved all he did in Turkey in this same period places him among the handful of great 20th-century leaders. Thursday marks his 84th death anniversary, which will again offer Turks the opportunity to express their abiding pride and admiration in their own inimitable way.

Some months after i moved to Turkey, back in 2013, i was walking along the Bosporus near the fairytale edifice of dolmabahce Palace when passing cars began rolling to a stop, one after another. Pedestrians also froze as the drivers opened their doors, stepped out of their vehicles and stood stock still. i paused and looked around, dumbfounded and unsettled. Had there been an alien invasion, or a

Yet, Ataturk was no saint. Some charge him with failing to halt or curb the Armenian genocide, and in a recent column i wondered if he viewed Arabs as inferior. His 15-year reign is widely seen as a period of autocratic rule. When Turkey held elections a dozen years after the state’s founding, only one party, Ataturk’s CHP, was on the ballot.

Many of his policy decisions – doing away with the Arabic script, banning the fez, ending the caliphate, restricting islamic observances – were made by fiat. And it’s easy to draw a line from Ataturk’s crackdown on islamic influence on public life to the birth and subsequent dominance of the AKP. The Muslim Brotherhood was founded in Egypt in 1928 partially in response to the end of the caliphate. The national Vision party of necmettin Erbakan, essentially a Turkish chapter of the Brotherhood, mentored the AKP’s founders, who in turn nurtured the grievances of conservative Turks marginalised by Kemalism. in creating his secular democracy, Ataturk believed he had to align with the military and put islam in a box; a few generations later, this led to blowback in the form of the AKP. Are Turks now set to chart a new path?

Turkey watchers generally saw the AKP’s emergence and ending of military tutelage as marking a post-Kemalist period. in recent years, there’s been much talk of a post-post-Kemalist era, with Turks moving away from AKP conservatism and strongman politics and towards something else.

Perhaps we’ll start to see a synthesis, as the competing ideologies cross-pollinate. Last month, Kemal Kilicdaroglu – the head of Ataturk’s old party, the main opposition CHP, and the likeliest challenger to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan –suggested a new law enshrining women’s right to wear the headscarf in public.

Alternatively, the coming decades in Turkey might echo the democrat-Republican pendulum swings the US presidency has seen since the early 1990s. Turkish society is probably too polarised to achieve a lasting consensus anytime soon. Success might simply be a string of somewhat free and fair elections, relative stability and a degree of political pluralism.

Seeking stability myself, i settled on Budapest as my first port of call after leaving Ukraine. After a late-night arrival i awoke to dark smoke, charred debris, bombed-out vehicles and fire-damaged buildings. As fate would have it, Kate Winslet and a vast crew were shooting a major Hollywood film about a heroic Second World War photojournalist just outside my window.

Someday soon, Turks might also learn that going someplace new doesn’t always change the scenery as much as one might hope.

David Lepeska is a Turkish and Eastern Mediterranean affairs columnist for The National.

bias, prejudice, contempt and hostility towards a protected characteristic will address the unconstitutional uncertainty created by this ambiguous term and reduce the threshold to a level that more accurately reflects the realities of hate crime offending.

miniSTERfor Justice Helen McEntee wants to pass hate crime legislation by Christmas.

Her long-awaited Criminal Justice (incitement to Violence or Hatred and Hate Offences) Bill 2022 marks a hugely significant step in irish law, addressing as it does a growing social ill which causes widespread harm.

There is incontrovertible evidence that hate crimes threaten societal cohesion and cause direct victims more and longer lasting emotional and psychological harm. They cause similar emotional and behavioural harms among community members who share the identity targeted.

The rights of accused people also demand that we legislate against hate crime. Courts in ireland address hate crime in the absence of a legislative framework, resulting

in inconsistencies in the way that such offences are dealt with.

Whether one is concerned with the needs of society, victims or the accused, introducing legislation to standardise how we address hate crime makes sense. We need to move past the question of why we are introducing such legislation to address the question of how we are legislating against hate crime.

it is vital that in the politically fuelled discussions regarding criminalising hate speech, we do not ignore the content of the hate crime provisions and what they will mean for our ability to respond to hate crime offending.

While ireland has had legislation to address incitement to hatred since 1989, if this Bill is passed we will for the first time have specific legislation that addresses hate crime.

The Bill provides that where an ordinary crime – such as assault or criminal damage – is committed with a hate element, then the offender will be charged with a new offence – for example assault aggravated by hatred, or damaging property aggravated by hatred.

This conviction will go on the criminal record of that offender, marking them out as a hate crime offender. Sexual, fraud or theft offences – which are too often the form of

hate crimes against people with disabilities and LgBTQi+ people – are not included.

There is no requirement that the prosecution prove that they committed the crime because they were motivated by hatred in order for someone to be convicted. Rather, a person who commits an offence for any reason – financial need, greed, addiction, intoxication – and demonstrates hatred towards a group named in the legislation can be convicted.

There is, a qualitative difference between offending motivated by hatred and crimes committed with entirely different motivations where the offender demonstrates hatred to the victim. The Bill will label both types of offenders as people who committed a crime “aggravated by hatred”, which will be on their permanent criminal record.

The argument in support of the demonstration threshold for hate crime that the State is proposing is that motivation is too difficult for prosecutors to prove, and requires that prosecutors get “into the mindset” of the offender.

This lower demonstration threshold would serve well those who consider lots of convictions to be a measure of effective responses to hate crime. But what are the

wider implications and unintended consequences?

The garda – who currently use the motivation, not the demonstration, test for policing purposes – will have to adjust to the resource implications of a much more expansive definition of hate crime.

Courts will have to deal with many more hate crime prosecutions because what constitutes a hate crime has been defined so broadly, with more trials taking place as defendants plead not guilty to avoid the evidenced stigma associated with a conviction for a hate crime.

Administrative records will not be able to distinguish between hate crime offenders who committed crimes because of hatred and those who committed crimes for other reasons; this may have knock-on effects on the work on probation officers, prison officers and garda vetting. Prisons will also have to manage the fallout of an expansionist approach to applying the additional penalties associated with a hate crime conviction. A few amendments are all that are required to avoid these pitfalls and make this legislation operable. From international experiences, we know that replacing the term of “hatred” with a definition of “hate” which includes

Removing the option to convict someone of a hate crime using the demonstration test will ensure the label of hate crime offender is only formally applied to those people who have decided to criminally victimise others out of prejudice.

The demonstration of hate during crimes that happened for other reasons can be addressed by enhancing the sentences of people who have engaged in this type of harm without their having to carry the label of hate crime offender for the remainder of their lives. it will be possible to distinguish those motivated by hate for the purpose of garda vetting, rehabilitation supports and recidivism monitoring. if legislators have the will and the foresight to make these changes, they have the capacity to save this muchneeded legislation and ensure that the experiences of victims are recognised and addressed.

Dr Amanda Haynes is an associate professor in sociology. Dr Jennifer Schweppe is an associate professor in law. They are co-directors of the European Centre for the Study of Hate based at the University of Limerick.

irish timEs

AmAnDA hAynES AnD jEnnIfEr SchwEPPE

THE ADVANCED INDUSTRIAL ECONOMIES NEED TO ACT NOW TO DECARBONISE RAPIDLY ON A WAR FOOTING. THEIR ACTIONS MUST MATCH THEIR RHETORIC. THAT IS THE ONLY HOPE TO RESTRICT GLOBAL WARMING TO 1.5 DEGREES

NatioNal

TURKISH SOCIETY IS PROBABLY TOO POLARISED TO ACHIEVE A LASTING CONSENSUS ANYTIME SOON

SBP governor Calls on FBR Chairman

AMI SySteM lAUnCheD In IeSCO tO ReDUCe POWeR lOSSeS, enhAnCe ReCOveRy: DAStgIR

ISLAMABAD

Staff report

AdvAnCEdMetering Infrastructure (AMI) system has been launched in Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESC) mainly to reduce power sector losses, enhance quality of billing and recoveries, control power loadshedding and address consumers complaints of overbilling.

Minister for Power Engineer Khurram dastgir on Friday while addressing the launching of AMI project here at Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESCO) said that the energy ministry is planning to roll out Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) Meters soon in Pakistan. He said that all electricity meters installed at Rawalpindi Cantonment and Rawalpindi City Circle are being switched to Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) in the first phase with an estimated cost of $95 million.

Khurram said that the Asian development Bank (AdB) has provided $

170 million financial assistance for the AMI project which would help round the clock monitoring of meters. He said that all power distribution companies (dISCOs) have already been directed to install AMI meters on all industrial, commercial, bulk power supply and agriculture connections in order to ensure round the clock monitoring of the meters. He said the AMI system would help identify areas of power pilferage and power losses. The system would also be installed at all high losses feeders and transformers in all dISCOs,

said the power minister.

The AMI system was earlier installed at Multan and Lahore Electric Supply Companies at a very limited level, the minister added.

“The IESCO AMI system would be replicated in other dISCOs,” said Khurram dastgir, adding,” On the directives of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, all out efforts were being made to reduce cost of electricity so that maximum relief could be given to the consumers.”

The power minister also said that the government was going for bidding of

uplift hinges on cognitive, intellectual capabilities of young workforce’

600 MW solar energy projects by the end of this month or in december so that costly power plants could be replaced with cheap power generating resources.

He said that all government owned buildings were also being switched on solar energy. He said it is critical for us that the power consumers are not overcharged and we are making efforts to reduce the cost of electricity in the country.

He also said that once it will be installed in high theft-profile areas, it will be easier to identify spots where theft intensity is high. It is one of the biggest projects in Pakistan and will yield significant learning, said Khurram dastgir.

It is pertinent to mention here that Karachi has been benefitting from AMI Metering since 2010 and has helped KElectric to significantly reduce its aggregate technical & commercial (AT&C) through improved monitoring.

The national Electric Power Regulatory Authority (nEPRA) had also been organizing consultative sessions with K-Electric and XWdISCOs so that AMI can be adopted by them as well.

SeCP registers 2,361 new companies in Oct 2022

Mr. Jameel

of Pakistan called on Mr. Asim Ahmad, Chairman FBR in FBR HQs to exchange views on various issues. They discussed the stuck up consignments and opening of LCs in context of SBP’s recent circulars to the banks. The Governor assured the Chairman that SBP will try to resolve the issues faced by businesses and trade due to changed regulatory framework of Foreign Exchange. Chairman FBR reiterated full cooperation of FBR including exchange of information with SBP. He also informed the Governor about implementation of newly issued foreign currency limitation for passengers travelling abroad. Both agreed on close coordination between SBP and FBR for effective implementation of policies along with improved regulatory environment for economic development. pr

Consultative meeting reviews statistics on gems, precious stones

A meeting was held under the chairmanship of the Chief Statistician Dr. Naeem U Zafar on Gems and Precious Stone Statistics on 8th November 2021 in PBS Headquarter. The main objective of the meeting was to expand the data collection of missing economic areas. The meeting was attended by the representatives of private and public sectors stakeholders including State Bank of Pakistan, Pakistan Gems Jewelers Traders & Exporters Association, Gems & Gemological Institute of Pakistan, Peshawar, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industries, Centaurus Mall and Pakistan Mineral Development Corporation. Dr. Naeem U Zafar highlighted the importance of the meeting and possible contribution of this sector in the national economy. A brief presentation was also given to the participants by Dr Bahrawar Jan, DDG. pr

PSW, DRAP sign MOU for cross-border trade Facilitation

the

aaa Islamabad:

Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) today to further expand their partnership for trade facilitation through the integration of cross-border business processes of DRAP. The integration of DRAP systems under PSW shall provide the electronic submission, processing, and issuance of licenses, imported products (drugs, medical devices, health, and over-the-counter products), No Objection Certificates (NOCs), and other certificates, as prescribed for specified products falling under DRAP’s regulatory jurisdiction. During the ceremony, the CEO PSW, Mr. Syed Aftab Haider, said, “The Pharmaceutical industry has long been identified as a priority sector by the government due to its size and contribution to the national economy and its potential for exports. Integration with the PSW system will help the pharmaceutical industry to reduce its time and cost of trading across borders by adopting the best practices in customs and regulatory clearances centered around technology and digitization of procedures and information requirements”. pr

rags

9th November,

Allama

She said Allama Iqbal

al-

the youth of his nation as hardworking with high thoughts than the youth of other

“Almost all of his poetry, his thoughts, golden sayings,

advice

meant

Said and Allama Iqbal see the future of their nation in children. We should deeply study the lives of our forefathers and make the name of our country known throughout the world by understanding the knowledge and wisdom our elders have left for us,” she concluded Muhammad Arshad, the chief guest of the event, said that Allama Iqbal's poetic philosophy was a doctrine for nation-building and development. “Allah has bestowed every one of us with immense abilities and by exploring and utilizing those abilities, we can realize our dreams into a reality,” he said. He added that today’s topic was actually advice, given by Allama Iqbal to his son Javed Iqbal. pr

the young generation. Both Shaheed Hakim

non-serious element continue to produce fake notification regarding MDCAt

aaa Islamabad: Formal statement issued by Pakistan Medical Commission, that MDCAT 2022 exam will be conducted on 13th November 2022. Some non serious elements are producing fake notifications which may cause confusion among the students. PMC strongly refutes all such fake, false and misleading information being circulated on social media. PMC advised the students to only rely on PMC official website and social media handles for authentic news and information. Further PMC also requested to all those aspirants who still have not downloaded their Roll No. Slips are requested to visit website of the exam conducting university according to their selected centers to download the slip. Following are the links of Universities to download Roll No. Slips. 1. For Islamabad, AJK, Gilgit and International Candidates: https://admission.szabmu.edu.pk/ 2. For Sindh Candidates: https://admissions.duhs.edu.pk/admitcard. php. pr

hBl among investor participate in Finja’s Series A2 Funding Round

aaa Islamabad: Finja, Pakistan’s largest dual-licensed SME digital lending platform, announced fresh capital injection as part of its $10 Million Series A2 financing round, with participation from notable investors including Sturgeon Capital and HBL. This investment round is multi-dimensional and includes equity, debt, and off-balance sheet capital. This is HBL’s second investment in Finja after its initial participation in the company’s Series A1 round.

With this injection, Finja has the capacity to finance more than $50 million over the next 12 months to catalyze the potential of Pakistan's SME sector. This has set the stage to further scale Finja's existing digital co-lending program to support its overall vision of empowering Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and their supply chains with digital credit. This financing is a significant step towards more fully utilizing Finja’s credit engine, which continues to prove its scalability and accuracy, cementing Finja as the sustainable choice for SMEs throughout Pakistan. pr

aaa Islamabad: The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) registered 2,361 new companies in October 2022. This shows an increase of 17% as compared to corresponding period last month. The total number of registered companies now stands at 180,996. Foreign investment has been reported in 77 new companies. These companies have foreign investors from Afghanistan, Austria, Australia, Bangladesh, China, Denmark, Iran, Italy, Jordan, Korea South, Lebanon, Lithuania, Norway, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Yemen, Tunisia, Turkey, the UAE, the UK, and the US.

Total capitalization (paid-up-capital) with regard to newly incorporated companies for the current month stood at Rs3 billion. In October, about 60 percent companies were registered as private limited companies, while 37 percent were registered as single member companies. About three percent were registered as public unlisted companies, not for profit associations, foreign companies and limited liability partnership (LLP). Nearly 99.8 percent companies were registered online. The real estate development & construction sector took the lead with incorporation of 432, information technology with 355, trading with 279, services with 234, food & beverages with 93, ecommerce with 92, tourism with 84, education with 83, corporate agricultural farming with 72. pr

COMSAtS ranked among top #18 in QS Rankings

QS Quacquarelli Symonds Asia University Rankings 2023, QS have ranked COMSATS University Islamabad (CUI) among top #18 in Southern Asia and overall, among the top 150 among the Asian Universities. QS World University Rankings is a system that provides a detailed snapshot of an institution, identifying the best universities based on program strength, facilities, graduate employability, social responsibility and inclusiveness. Prof. Dr. Muhammad T. Afzal, Rector CUI in his message appreciated the Industrious efforts and important role of faculty members in achieving this milestone. He said that “This is indeed a moment of pride for COMSATS University Islamabad that QS World University Rankings : Asia 2023 has ranked CUI in bracket of top 150 universities of the Asia. This great achievement was made possible with the diligent efforts and perseverance of faculty members and management of CUI.” He added that researchers are required to particularly focus on the Sustainable Development Goals and local development priorities before formulating their research projects. He called for enhancing collaboration with the industry to make research and education more impactful. In recent years, CUI has faced several challenges and is on the path of self-sustainability. pr

Air Chief witnesses Bahrain International Air Show

Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber

Chief of the Air Staff, Pakistan

Force was in attendance at the opening ceremony of Bahrain Air Show in which "Pride of Pakistan" JF-17 Thunder aircraft also took part. A large number of delegations from different countries were also present at the occasion. The indigenously manufactured JF-17 fighter jet displayed alongside other aircraft and defence equipment at the event, remained the star attraction of the show. While interacting with the Pakistan Air Force contingent, the Air Chief lauded PAF personnel's performance in the airshow and said that their participation in the event was a matter of pride for the na-

tion

the day, PAF personnel briefed the eager crowd about the combat aircraft’s operational capabilities and sophisticated weaponry. The spectators were ecstatic to see the pride of Pakistan in their midst. Apart from the

static display, the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex- manufactured JF-17 aircraft also presented an aerobatics performance. The excitement of the eagerly awaiting crowd was worth watching as the aircraft roared in the skies of Bahrain. The much anticipated display was thoroughly enjoyed by the spectators and they fervently clapped as the fighter jet landed back at the airstrip. The participation of JF-17 Thunder aircraft in the airshow has proved to be an excellent opportunity to showcase its cutting edge capabilities. It has also given an opportunity to the potential buyers to assess the fighter jet's immense potential in the international market. pr

Ahmad, Governor State Bank

Sidhu,

Air

and appreciated their efforts for bringing laurels to the country. He also praised the PAF team for putting up a nice show at the mega event. Later on, he visited various stalls and met several high ranking officials. Earlier in

‘Socio-economic

KaaaRaCHI: Ms. Sadia Rashid, President of Hamdard Foundation Pakistan said that the socio-economic development of any country along with its respect and perception in the global community relies solely upon the cognitive and intellectual capabilities of its young workforce. She said this in her presidential address at Hamdard Naunehal Assembly session yesterday on the topic: “The way of the hermit, not fortune, is mine; Sell not your soul! In a beggar’s

shine,” held at Bait-ul-Hikmah Auditorium, Madinat

Hikmah to mark the

birth anniversary of

Iqbal. Prominent financial expert Muhammad Arshad was invited as chief guest.

wanted to see

nations.

and

were

to address

Mohammed

VEON CEO Kaan Terzioglu (1st from left) and Jazz CEO Aamir Ibrahim (2nd from right) along with other officials of Jazz, JazzCash and MMBL at VEON Ignite Top 200 event in Dubai. pr

Pakistan Single Window (PSW) and

Drug

aLLeyes in the political world were trained on Friday on Arizona and Nevada, where hundreds of thousands of uncounted votes held the key to control of the U.S. Senate three days after Americans cast their final ballots in midterm elections.

Either Democrats or Republicans can capture a Senate majority by sweeping the contests in both states. A split, however, would transform a Dec. 6 runoff Senate election in Georgia into a proxy battle for the chamber, which among other powers holds sway over President Joe Biden’s judicial appointments.

Meanwhile, Republicans were slowly inching closer to wresting control of the House of Representatives from Biden’s Democrats, which would effectively give them veto power over his legislative agenda and allow them to launch a bevy of investigations into his administration. Republicans had secured at least 211 of the 218 House seats they need for a majority, Edison Research projected late on Thursday, while Democrats had won 197. That left 27 races yet to be determined, including a number of close contests.

The Republican House leader, Kevin McCarthy, has already announced his intention to run for speaker if Republicans take over, an outcome he described as inevitable on Wednesday. Biden told reporters on Thursday he and McCarthy had spoken but said he had

not yet abandoned hope that Democrats could still prevail in the House, despite the tough odds.

“It’s still alive,” he said of their chances.

The outcome of the Arizona and Nevada Senate races, where Democratic incumbents were trying to fend off Republican challengers, may not be known for days yet. Officials in both states have said it could take until next week to finish tallying uncounted mail ballots.

Tuesday’s results fell far short of the sweeping “red wave” that Republicans had expected, despite Biden’s anemic approval ratings and deep voter frustration over near-unprecedented inflation.

Democrats portrayed Republicans as extremist, pointing to the Supreme Court’s decision to eliminate a nationwide right to abortion and the hundreds of Republican nominees who promoted former President Donald Trump’s false claims that the 2020 election was fraudulent. Some of Trump’s most high-profile endorsed candidates lost pivotal races on Tuesday, marring his status as Republican kingmaker and leading several Republicans to blame his divisive brand for the party’s disappointing performance.

The outcome may increase the chances that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who routed his Democratic challenger on Tuesday, opts to challenge Trump for the 2024 presidential nomination. While Trump has not officially launched a third White House campaign, the former president has strongly suggested he will do so and is planning a “special announcement” at his Florida club on Tuesday.

Trump lambasted DeSantis in a statement on Thursday, taking credit for the governor’s political rise, while attacking critics on his social media site, Truth Social.

Even a narrow Republican House majority would be able to demand concessions in exchange for votes on key issue such as raising the nation’s borrowing limit. But with few votes to spare, McCarthy might struggle to hold his caucus together – particularly the hard-right faction that is largely aligned with Trump and has little interest in compromise.

Australia blames Russian hackers for medical data theft

Russian hackers carried out a cyberattack on a major Australian healthcare company that breached the data of 9.7 million people, including the country’s prime minister, police said.

The hackers started leaking the data earlier this week after Medibank — the country’s largest health insurer — refused to pay a $9.7 million (Aus$15 million) ransom. Australian Federal Police commissioner Reece Kershaw blamed the attack on Russia-based “cyber criminals”.

“We believe those responsible for the breach are in Russia,” he told reporters.

“Our intelligence points to a group of loosely affiliated cyber criminals who are likely responsible for past significant breaches across the world.” The hackers have been drip-feeding the stolen data to a dark web forum.

The first leaks appeared to have been selected to cause maximum harm: targeting those who received treatment related to drug abuse, sexually transmitted infections, or pregnancy terminations. Kershaw said it was a crime that could impact “millions of Australians”.

“These cyber criminals are operating like a business with affiliates and associates who are supporting the business.” He added that Australian police would be working with Interpol and seeking the cooperation of their counterparts in Russia.

“We’ll be holding talks with Russian law enforcement about these individuals,” he said. “Russia

“Kershaw said police knew the identities of the hackers but he would not be naming them. “But there are certain areas of the world where the ability to apply any pressure is effectively zero.” Kershaw said Australian police were taking “covert measures” to bring

india’s top court frees rajiv gandhi’s killers

India’s top court Friday ordered the release of six people convicted over the assassination of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi. Gandhi was 46 when he was killed by a woman suicide bomber at an election rally in the southern state of Tamil Nadu in 1991.

The assassination was carried out by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a Sri Lankan armed separatist group.

India’s supreme court said the convicts were being released based on their “satisfactory conduct” in prison and that they had served over three decades of jail time. The six — three of whom had been condemned to death before their sentences were commuted — are the last still in prison for the assassination, although two were already out on parole.

“I am very happy… I am very thankful to each and everybody,” Nalini Sriharan, one of the two on parole, told broadcaster CNN News18.

The “last 32 years have been a struggle”, she added. She and her husband — another of the convicts ordered released by the court — were both initially condemned to death. Earlier this year, the court freed another convict who had faced execution, AG Perarivalan, citing good conduct.

Gandhi became India’s youngest prime minister after his mother and predecessor Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards in 1984.

The family’s Congress party dominated Indian politics for decades and Rajiv’s widow Sonia remains the most powerful figure in the organisation, while their son Rahul is seen as current Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s main political opponent.

Rajiv Gandhi’s killing was largely seen as a response to his move to send Indian forces to Sri Lanka in 1987 to disarm the Tamil rebels. India later withdrew its troops after losing more than 1,000 of them in fights with the rebels. The release of the convicts has been the subject of much debate in India, and Congress condemned the court decision as “totally unacceptable” and “completely erroneous”. “It is most unfortunate that the Supreme Court has not acted in consonance with the spirit of India on this issue,” the party said, tweeting a statement by senior member Jairam Ramesh.

But India has a significant Tamil population of its own, and state governments in Tamil Nadu have repeatedly called for the convicts to be freed.

india, US are natural allies, says

Janet yellen

WAShiNGTON agencies

The United States and India are natural allies that can show the rest of the world that democracies can deliver for their citizens, despite volatility and war, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on Friday.

Yellen, in a speech highlighting the Biden administration’s desire to deepen economic ties with India, said that both the global economy and the democratic idea were at inflection points. Her remarks at a Microsoft research facility on the outskirts of New Delhi came as control of the US Congress was still undecided after mid-term elections on Tuesday.

“The US and India are ‘natural allies,’ in the words of a former Indian prime minister,” Yellen said, adding that both countries waged similar fights for independence to attain freedom and dignity.”

“People around the world are looking to us and asking: can democracies meet the economic needs of their citizens? Can they stand up to bullies and cooperate on the most intractable global problems?” she said.

As the two largest democracies, India and the United States could answer the skeptics by taking actions over the next year and beyond that could “demonstrate the capacity of our democracies to deliver for our people. I am confident that we will succeed.”

Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend the 17th Group of 20 (G20) Summit in Bali, Indonesia, from November 14 to 17, at the invitation of President Joko Widodo of the Republic of Indonesia, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying made the announcement on Friday.

He will attend the 29th APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Bangkok, Thailand, as well as visit Thailand from November 17 to 19, at the invitation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha of the Kingdom of Thailand, Hua said.

At a regular press briefing on Friday, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said the G20 Summit is the first multilateral summit that President Xi will attend after the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.

In the face of a once-in-a-century pan-

demic, Zhao said the world is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century, with the global economy facing a downturn and the cause of global development facing multiple challenges.

As a major forum for international economic cooperation, the G20 Summit should strengthen solidarity and cooperation, coordinate macroeconomic policy and jointly promote the growth of the global economy that is strong, sustainable, inclusive, peaceful and balanced, said Zhao.

Supporting the work of the Indonesian Presidency, China hopes all parties will focus on the theme of “Recover Together, Recover Stronger,” and build a consensus and boost cooperation in the fields of promoting global economic recovery and implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Zhao said.

Noting that the economic cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region is facing new challenges, Zhao said President Xi will deliver

an important speech at the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting, which will expound China’s proposition on deepening Asia-Pacific cooperation and promoting regional and global economic growth.

“We expect all parties to uphold the building of an Asia-Pacific community with a shared future, deepen solidarity and cooperation and boost the implementation of the Putrajaya Vision 2040, aimed at injecting new impetus into the Asia-Pacific and global economic development,” Zhao told the press.

According to Hua, on the sidelines of the G20 Summit and the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting, President Xi will hold bilateral meetings with French President Emmanuel Macron, U.S. President Joe Biden, Senegalese President Macky Sall and Argentine President Alberto Fernandez, among others, upon request.

Regarding the meeting between President Xi Jinping and his counterpart Joe Biden, Zhao said maintaining the stable de-

velopment of China-U.S. relations serves the interests of both sides and is expected by all countries.

“We hope the U.S. can work with China

in the same direction in the spirit of mutual respect, and play a responsible role in safeguarding global stability and development,” Zhao added.

PhONEiX agencies

iSlAmAbAD

Mian abrar

SYDNEY agencies

benefits from the intelligence sharing and data shared through Interpol and with that comes responsibilities and accountability.

the hackers to justice.

“To the criminals, you know we know who you are,” he said. “The Australian Federal Police has some significant runs on the scoreboard when it comes to bringing overseas offenders back to Australia to face the justice system.” Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil on Thursday said the “smartest and toughest” people in Australia were hunting down the hackers.

NEW DElhi agencies

BIsmah maroof, Laura DeLany eye T20 serIes WIn

LAHORE Staff RepoRt

PAKISTANpumped up with 3-0 win in One-Day International series eyed for another clean sweep over Ireland when both sides meet on Saturday at Gaddafi Stadium for the first of the three T20Is. The second and third T20I will be played on 14 and 16 November.

Bismah Maroof-led Pakistan and Laura Delany-led Ireland are eager to showcase their talent, skill and temperament in the shortest format of the game.

All three matches will start at 1000 with the toss taking place at 0930. The PCB will continue to live-stream the series on its YouTube channel. Entrance for the matches is free for spectators with four enclosures –Imran Khan, Rajas’, Fazal Mahmood and Saeed Anwar – open to the public.

Both teams have so far played 15 T20Is against each other, with the hosts winning 13 while the tourists overcoming the former in two games. The last time these two sides faced off in a T20I was in the tri-nation tournament held in Ireland in July this year where Australia were the third team.

Pakistan and Ireland were involved in two matches in the tri-series with Pakistan winning the first one by 13 runs on DLS while the second match was abandoned due to rain. Tomorrow’s match will be the first T20I between the two sides in Pakistan.

In the current ICC Women’s T2oI Rankings, Pakistan are placed at sixth, four places ahead of Ireland. In the T20I rankings, Nida Dar – who was named ICC Player of the Month for October for her allround performance – occupies the sixth spot in the all-rounders’ rankings and 16th in the bowlers’ rankings.

T20 World Cup: shaheen, shadab nominated for Player of Tournament award

KARACHI Staff RepoRt

Two

—

have been

Meanwhile, Tuba Hassan who was earlier ruled out of the ODI and T20I series due to injury in her index finger has been replaced by leg-spinner Ghulam Fatima. Fatima picked up her maiden five-wicket haul in the third ODI and was named player of the match.

Left-arm spinner Sadia Iqbal is also ruled out of the T20I series after injuring her right hand during the practice session. She is replaced by off-spinner Umm-e-Hani – who made her ODI debut in the third ODI. Fatima and Umm-e-Hani were part of the reserve players for the T20I series.

Both captains while talking to the media in the pre-series press conference on Friday have set their sights on a series win.

Pakistan captain Bismah Maroof said : “We are looking forward to an exciting series with Ireland. The T20 World Cup is around the corner; the series will help us to formalise our squad.

“Sidra Amin has performed exceptionally well, she has worked really hard on her fitness and it reflects in her batting. I am hoping she continues to perform the same way and helps the team win in the future.

“We have this series to try out our combination for the World Cup so have included Javeria Khan to utilise her in the T20I format and I hope she performs and helps the team to achieve victories.”

Ireland captain Laura Delany said : “We are looking forward to a fresh start. The series provides a brilliant opportunity for us to play more T20Is.

“We have worked on a few things in the last game which we played here. We have not capitalised much on wicket taking opportunities, and will try to rectify that ahead of the T20I series. We are focused on trying to execute our plans well on the field.

“The players besides cricket are having

a great time over here in Pakistan, the arrangements made for the team here are great and we are thankful to the PCB.”

Pakistan T20I squad: Bismah Maroof (c), Aimen Anwar, Aliya Riaz, Ayesha Naseem, Fatima Sana, Ghulam Fatima, Javeria Khan, Kainat Imtiaz, Muneeba Ali (wk), Nida Dar, Omaima Sohail, Nashra Sandhu, Sadaf Shamas, Sidra Amin and Umm-e-Hani Reserve player: Sidra Nawaz

Ireland T20I squad: Laura Delany (c), Amy Hunter, Arlene Kelly, Cara Murray, Celeste Raack, Eimear Richardson, Gaby Lewis, Jane Maguire, Leah Paul, Louise Little, Mary Waldron, Orla Prendergast, Rebecca Stokell, Shauna Kavanagh and Sophie MacMahon

T20I schedule: 12 November – First T20I 14 November – Second T20I 16 November – Third T20I

Billion dollar teams are out, Pakistan in final: Ramiz

MELBOURNE Staff RepoRt

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Ramiz Raja reached Melbourne to buck up and watch the final of the T20 World Cup 2022.

Speaking to the media in Melbourne ahead of the final between Pakistan and England on Sunday, PCB chairman recalled, “Before the team’s departure, I said that Pakistan will win the World Cup.”

He expressed that he was fully confident about the abilities of the Pakistan cricket team and always tried to motivate them. The former test cricketer confidently stated that the Green Shirts will lift the trophy and bring it home.

Taking an indirect jibe at India’s ouster from the mega event, he said that strong billion dollar teams are now out of the tournament, and Pakistan is in the final.

The national team participated in the net session at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) where the Rambo also met players to boost their confidence.

the T20 World

2022

of the Tournament

The International

Council (ICC) has nominated nine exceptional performers for the award. Shadab is the joint highest wickettaker along with Shaheen for Pakistan with 10 wickets in hand in the mega tournament. “Shadab Khan has been one of Pakistan's star performers in their run to the final of the tournament, starring with both bat and ball. He has been an impactful performer, picking up vital wickets in the middle overs while also playing the role of power-hitter in the middle order brilliantly,” the ICC stated in a press release. “Shadab's major contribution with the bat came during Pakistan's must-win contest against South Africa in Sydney, as he scored a blistering half-century. With the ball, he has picked 10 wickets in six matches, with best figures of 3/22 and a miserly economy of 6.59,” it added. The ICC also heaped praise on Shaheen, who made an impressive comeback in the tournament after recovering from a knee injury. “Shaheen Afridi has slowly but surely regained his groove in the tournament, being back to his best in the last couple of games. The pacer went wicketless in his first two games but has then gone on to scalp 10 in the next four matches, as Pakistan roared their way back from the brink to reach the finals,” the ICC said while lauding the lanky pacer. “Overall, he has 10 wickets in six matches at an average of 14.20 and an exceptional economy of 6.17. Pakistan will again bank on him to work his magic in the final against England,” it added. India’s Suryakumar Yadav and Virat Kohli, England’s Sam Curran, Jos Buttler and Alex Hales, Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza and Sri Lanka’s Wanindu Hasaranga have also been nominated for the prestigious award. Fans can vote for the winner on ICC’s official website. England will face Pakistan in the final of the T20 World Cup, which will be played on November 13 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

The board members had raised concerns on his statement back then, calling it too early. “Still, I said that we have to make this team to dream, and Pakistan will fight hard and give their best performance to win,” he added.

Ramiz Raja had a brief discussion with Mohammad Wasim Jr, Shahnawaz Dahani, and Usman Qadir. Allrounder Shadab Khan did not participate in the optional training session.

Zaryab, Azat win ITF Pakistan Jr Tennis C’ship title

Deniz of Turkey and Uzbekistan’s Imran Khaitbaev by 6-3, 7-5 in a thrilling match and won the ITF Pakistan Juniors Tennis Championships leg-1 title.

President PTF Senator Salim Saifullah Khan congratulated the pair and appreciated them on the win. This was both Azat and Zaryab’s first ITF junior title, and they were given a lot of support by the home crowd. Zaryab’s win, who trains at the NTC, would give a boost to his confidence, and inspire all the other local players.

In the girls doubles finals, Polina Kaibekova (RUS), Deren Ozel (TUR) bt Lia Belibova (MDA), Defne Yuksel (TUR) 6-4,7-5 and won the ITF Pakistan Juniors Tennis Championships leg-1 title.

T20 World Cup: Indian fans selling tickets of final after team’s ouster

MELBOURNE Staff RepoRt

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

In girls doubles finals, Polina Kaibekova (RUS), Deren Ozel (TUR) bt Lia Belibova (MDA), Defne Yuksel (TUR) 6-4,7-5. Girls and boys singles final would be played on Saturday.

Dejected Indian fans, who brought tickets of the ICC T20 Men’s World Cup final, in advance are now selling them at cheaper rates after the team’s humiliating ouster from the mega event. Indian fans who brought tickets to finals for $295 are now selling them at $150 after Friday’s upset defeat at the hands of England in the second semi-final of the the event. In one video, a disappointed Indian fan can be seen selling his ticket for $10 only. It may be noted that Men in Blue were crushed by England team in the second semi final at the Adelaide on Thursday. England captain Jos Buttler won the toss and invited the Men in Blue to bat. The Men In Blue put on 168-6 in their 20 overs. Former skipper Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya scored half-centuries. In reply, England openers Alex Hales and Jos Buttler smashed the Indian bowlers to all parts of the ground. They set the record for the highest partnership in T20 World Cup history with an unbeaten 170-run stand.

Final will be contest of quality bowling vs quality batting: Matthew Hayden

MELBOURNE Staff RepoRt

The T20 World Cup 2022 is an opportunity for the Pakistan cricket team to set the nation alight and alive again with their performances, believes the team’s mentor Matthew Hayden.

Speaking to the media at MCG after a practice session, the former Australian cricketer said that the T20 World Cup final on Sunday between Pakistan and England will be a contest between quality bowling and quality batting. “It’s a very emotional campaign,” he said about Pakistan.

“When it comes to these huge tournaments, we know what it means. It means the opportunity to lift the World Cup [trophy], it means the opportunity to set nations alight and alive again, reinvigorate a nation through its national team’s performance,” he said. Hayden also highlighted the team bonding and how players treat each other on and off the field. “A beautiful metaphor for this team that really, at its heart has got raw talent, mixed with the passion of a nation that loves the game,” he said.

“The highs have been really solid in this

tournament for Pakistan. I think there’s been some really key performances. For me, the other day, it was off the field when Babar was throwing in warm up balls to Rizwan.

To me, that’s very reflective of a culture that’s working, hoping that and building that commonality. I think that’s a beautiful moment,” he said.

Speaking about Ramiz Raja’s pep-talk to the players at the net sessions ahead of the final of ICC T20 World Cup 2022, Matthew Hayden said that Ramiz was reliving some memories of the 1992 World Cup.

He added that the current lot of players will have similar opportunities in their life.

“It’ll be an important chapter of Pakistan cricket as the ’92 campaign was the emergence of another superpower. And, one of the most influential cricketers of all time, Imran Khan, is doing great things. Celebrating democracy is an important part of life, and he’s doing that like a champion,” the mentor of the Men in green said.

Hayden said that there’s been quite a lot of positive energy and mixed with some criticism which he believes to be worthy for an international side.

“I think you can’t come to a tournament

like this and expect to have it your entire way. Our last campaign was very smooth in the T20 World Cup. We won every game convincingly, sort of clinical like we saw our semifinal performance, but that doesn’t necessarily mean anything until you strike the big game. So, here we are in the big game. We’ve taken on board the criticisms, we’ve enjoyed the successes and the failures, both. And, I think we’re ready to play,” he said.

He also praised Pakistan’s opening duo Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam and highlighted that their performance not only

reflects their on-field relationships but also says a lot about their off field chemistry.

“Both are very good leaders. Both men are highly geared towards nationalistic pride, and their commitment to Islam as well, they’ve got each other’s backs, two is always better than one and that’s why the great partnerships are recognized. That’s why you’ll see every player stand up with a 50 or 100 run partnership because it matters.”

“These are key factors for Rizzi and Babar. And that’s it’s generational and cricket as well. You know, who will ever forget that? Hey, isn’t great, it’s partnership, you know, something which I was, and Justin, we’re always like chasing that partnership. Never got there. But that’s, that’s in our heads was important,” he said.

Talking about the Sunday’s final between Pakistan and England at the ICC T20 World Cup, the former Australian cricketer said that it would be quality fast bowling versus quality batting.

“We’ve got four quicks who can really make an impact and create some sustainable damage inside 20 overs. One of the things that I think that India was really missing last night also in the spin bowling department was, you

know, a leg spinning option, a sixth bowling option. This Pakistan side has six genuine options that are seventh as well, you know, should Ifti be required. So, I think the bases are covered. I think both sides actually have got very equal setups when you look at the England setup as well. They’ve got genuinely six bowling options and the handy options of having batting all-rounders as well,” he said.

Replying to a question, Matthew Hayden said that teams get their due diligence done ahead of each contest so it doesn’t matter if two sides have played recently and that’s why you always hear the cliche in sport that it’s on the day that matters.

“It’s on the day who handles the pressure, it’s on the day who’s got their game preparation spot on. It’s on the day who can handle their emotions, and how their own individual games set up the play. It’s how they start and then it’s also how they finish. So, you know all those cliches of the sport, they matter in the big games, and that’s why you often see in semifinals and finals that one side capitulates beyond the point of recognition almost made. Who would have thought last night that India would be defeated wicketless. So anything can happen.

Pakistani players

pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi and all-rounder Shadab Khan,

shortlisted for

Cup

Player

award.

Cricket

Zaryab Khan of Pakistan and Kazakhstan’s Azat Sarsembaev bagged

the boys doubles final of ITF Pakistan Juniors Tennis Championships leg-1, here at PTF-SDA Tennis Complex on Friday. They downed Ibrahim Furkan

NawaZ waNts tO cONtrOl iNstitutiONs

tO save lOOted wealth: iMraN

laHORE Staff RepoRt

FORMERprime minister and PTI Chairman on Friday asserted that the incumbent coalition government would not appoint next army chief on merit as the PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif would not let it happen because he wanted to control the institutions to save his looted wealth.

Addressing the participants of PTI’s long march via video link in Gujrat, Khan said that the next army chief should be appointed on merit.

Imran claimed PML-N has a history of influencing and attempting state institutions to save their looted wealth and evade accountability.

“Prime Minister of Pakistan [Shehbaz Sharif] is visiting Britain to meet his brother who is an absconder and escaped to London under the guise of medical treatment,” he added.

Imran said PM Shehbaz went to

London to take important decisions of Pakistan with the consultation of his “absconder” brother.

“The one [Nawaz] who looted country for the 30 years will make decisions about army chief’s appointment, elections date and caretaker setup,” he said.

“No one can even imagine that this can happen in a civilised society because rule of law prevails there.”

Imran said the decisions that are being taken in London were not aimed at strengthening institutions “because Sharif family does not believe in merit”.

“Nawaz Sharif had recruited criminals in Punjab police by taking bribes… they tried to buy off judges and they [PML-N] attacked former chief justice Sajjad Ali because he was not under their control.”

The PTI chief’s statement came a day after PML-N supremo Nawaz and PM Shehbaz Sharif decided that all decisions concerning the political affairs of

Mumtaz Zahra Baloch appointed new FO spokesperson

islamabad Staff RepoRt

Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, currently serving as additional secretary Asia & Pacific, was appointed on Friday as the new spokesperson of the Foreign Office. She has replaced Asim Iftikhar, who has been appointed as Pakistan’s ambassador to France.

Zahra has previously served as Ambassador of Pakistan to the Republic of Korea (2020-2021), Minister/Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Pakistan in Beijing (2015-2020), Counsellor for Political Affairs at the Embassy of Pakistan, Washington DC (2006-2011) and as Second Secretary at the Permanent Mission of Pakistan to the United Nations, Geneva (1999- 2002).

At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs she has served as Director (America), Director (Security Council and Human Rights) and Director (Strategic Planning) in the Office of the Foreign Secretary. During 20142015, she served as Director (Academic Programme) and later as Director General of the Foreign Service Academy Islamabad. Baloch holds Master’s degree in Physics from the Punjab University, Lahore, a Masters in International Relations from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, USA and a degree from the prestigious Ecole Nationale d’ Administration, France. Also the Foreign Office for the first time appointed a deputy spokesperson. “It has been decided that Ms Saima Sayed, Director General (Strategic Communication Division) will serve as Deputy Spokesperson person of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in addition to her own duties, with immediate effect and until further orders,” read a notification. On the other hand, Pakistan is without a full time foreign secretary for a month and half with no clarity from the government as to why there is a delay in such a key appointment. The position of foreign secretary fell vacant after incumbent Sohail Mehmood retired in late September after reaching the age of superannuation.

Instead of appointing a full-time foreign secretary, the government gave additional charge of foreign secretary to Jauhar Saleem, a grade 22 officer of the Foreign Service and current special secretary Europe.

the country will be taken at the ruling party’s will and judgement “without caving under any pressure from anyone”.

According to insiders, both asserted that no pressure will be accepted in the ruling coalition’s decisions regarding political matters and also held consultations on hot-button issues, including the army chief’s appointment and the upcoming general elections.

The decision was taken during a meeting held at the elder Sharif’s residence in London, Avenfield House.

The meeting came as tensions run high on the political front back home and the country continues to reel from the extraordinary sequence of events in recent weeks, including PTI chief Imran Khan’s undeterred march on Islamabad and the attempt on his life last week that triggered nationwide protests.

Imran claimed former president and PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari and the PML-N supremo have destroyed the country by plundering na-

tional wealth. “They have been sending [looted] money abroad and that causes shortage of dollar in the country.”

Imran said the country would not need to avail IMF bailout package if the “plundered wealth” was recovered from Nawaz and Zardari.

Reiterating his allegations, Imran said the incumbent chief election commissioner was a “servant” of Sharif family and under him fair and transparent elections were not possible in the country.

“They have appointed their ‘henchman’ as NAB chairman to close down their corruption cases and following amendments to the NAB law, no powerful can be held accountable.”

Concluding his address, Imran urged his supporters to participate in the PTI’s long march for their future.

“Do not fear anyone… this is all happening to scare us but don’t bow down to [these tactics],” he said while referring to Arshad Sharif murder and Azam Swati’s private video controversy.

Ishaq Dar discusses business prospects with Etisalat and other Abu Dhabi based companies

According to the Ministry of Finance, a delegation of the UAE based multinational company Etisalat called on Federal Minister Ishaq Dar on Thursday November 10, 2022 at the Embassy of Pakistan in Abu Dhabi.

The delegation apprised the Finance Minister about the ongoing Etisalat operations in Pakistan and their future business plans.

Etisalat is a telecommunications company which currently owns 26% of PTCL’s shares in a deal finalized by the government in 2006.

Since then Etisalat has been holding back $800 million out of $2.6 billion bid proceeds of the majority stakes in PTCL.

The company claims that the reason behind this is the delay from Pakistan in transferring the titles of all the properties owned by Etisalat.

A source had reportedly mentioned that PTCL’s asset management department claimed 3,384 properties of Etisalant, while originally 3,248 properties were finalized in 2006.

At that time Etisalat had made upfront payments of $1.4 billion in a couple of installments. The remaining $800 million were stopped on the premise of non-transfer of all properties in the name of PTCL.

Etisalat also claimed that the number of non-doable properties was not 33 but 363 based on the list provided by the asset management department of PTCL as part of the sale-pur-

chase agreement.

In an attempt to resolve the conflict of correct transfer of properties, the government has included Ahad Cheema as Land Utilization Expert in the PTCL board. Through a tweet the Ministry of Finance informed that Federal Finance Minister Ishaq Dar also held meetings with Mr. Mohammed AlSuwaidi, CEO and Managing Director of Abu Dhabi Holding Company (AHC) and Mr. Syed Basar, CEO and Managing Director of International Holding Company (IHC) today in Abu Dhabi Both sides discussed investment opportunities available in Pakistan. ADQ and IHC expressed interest in investing in energy, agriculture, healthcare and other sectors.

Recovering after ‘medical procedure’: Sanaullah

islamabad Staff RepoRt

Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah was admitted to the AFIC hospital in Rawalpindi Thursday evening due to a heart condition and some tests and procedures were conducted.

However, the news made headlines on Friday evening after a photo of the minister went viral on social media lying on a stretcher for a medical procedure.

The interior ministry later issued a statement quoting the minister that he was doing fine.

“I had visited the hospital for some tests and procedures. I am recovering and would be back to office in a day or two. Please don’t visit me in the hospital as I plan to return home by Sunday,” the statement added.

Sana said that friends and family got worried after his photo went viral on social media. He said that he had an open heart surgery in year 2004 and check-up is mandatory every two, three years.

cOas lauds professional competence of troops in Multan Garrison

RaWalPiNdi Staff RepoRt

Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Friday visited Multan Garrison and interacted with officers and men of Multan Garrison, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement.

According to the military’s media wing, the army chief interacted with officers and men of Multan Garrison.

While interacting with strike formations’ troops, COAS gen Bajwa commended their extraordinary professional competence and devotion to duty in the service of the motherland, the ISPR said. Earlier on arrival, COAS Bajwa was received by Lieutenant General Akhtar Nawaz Satti, Commander of Southern Command. Yesterday, Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa kicked off his farewell visits as he visited Sialkot and Mangla garrisons, said InterServices Public Relations (ISPR) in a statement. The military’s media wing in a statement said that COAS visited Sialkot and Mangla garrisons as part of his farewell visits to various formations. The army chief met officers and men at both locations and addressed the troops, the ISPR said.

“COAS appreciated formations for their excellent performance during various operations, training, and natural calamities,” according to the ISPR press release.

cOP27 must help unlock private, public financing for climate adaptation, mitigation: sherry

sHaRm El-sHEiKH Staff RepoRt

Federal Minister for Climate Change Senator Sherry Rehman on Friday said COP27 must help unlock private and public financing for adaptation and mitigation, which would need $125 trillion to reach net-zero by 2050. The minister was speaking at UNFCCC’s annual conference for climate action, the 27th meeting of the conference of the parties (COP27), being held in Sharm el-Sheikh this year.

“This is no longer about saving our future; it’s a battle to save our present. It is also about saving the land we stand on, and what we expect to build and grow on,” she stated. The Minister was speaking at a high-level side event at the UNFCCC Pavilion titled ‘Gearing towards carbon neutrality in the Asia-Pacific Region’ and recommended that COP27 should enable mechanisms that review mitigation, alongside how regions will cope with the onset of accelerated climate stress, leading to constant climate emergencies. “We need a coalition of the willing to unlock climate finance for governments, countries and entire regions to manage predictability of the future, build resilience capacity, and mitigation for a future that survives the coming climate tsunami,” she stated. Senator Rehman also spoke at a panel discussion titled ‘The Broken Bargain between the North and the South’ at the Pakistan Pavilion at COP27, where she was joined by Director of the International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD), Professor Saleemul Huq, Executive Director for Civil Society Coalition for Climate Change, Aisha Khan, and Head Global Political Strategy, Climate Action Network International, Harjeet Singh.

Did world of cricket miss out on its biggest ever televised event?

ali

The city of Melbourne erupted on the 23rd of October, as Ravichandaran Ashwin lofted Muhammad Nawaz’s last ball for a single. The resounding roar of almost 90,000 spectators sent shockwaves across the 2nd largest metropolitan of the continent. Meanwhile, more than a billion viewers started celebrating in India, as television sets started fearing for their lives across the border.

The devastating scene of Muhammad Nawaz being brought to his knees, was watched by a record-breaking digital viewership of 18 million people, in India alone. While the figures of the televised viewership is estimated to be over 300 million, one begs to wonder if a final between India and Pakistan could have broken the record for the

highest viewership record in the history of televised sporting events.

India and Pakistan collectively house more than 20% of the entire world’s population. An astonishing 1.6 billion people, across the two countries, religiously follow the sport of cricket. Add in a blood-stained history of political rivalry, and no bilateral ties between the two boards. An India vs Pakistan cricket match transcends the sport itself. The economic potential of such an encounter is magnanimous, and the International Cricket Council is aware of that. Unfortunately, India could not qualify for the world cup finals this time. But for a few days, the fans, the pandits and most importantly the organizers were able to dream about an event in cricketing history that could have shattered all existing records of viewership.

According to ICC, the infamous semi

final of the 2011 ODI world cup had a televised viewership of 495 million. Days later, the record was broken by the final between India and Sri Lanka which had a viewership of 558 million. Since then, the countries have only faced off in ICC tournaments and played only one knockout game, namely the final of the 2017 Champions Trophy. That match had a television viewership of more than 324 million. Keeping in mind that all of these were ODI games, and require a much bigger watching commitment than a T20I. It is almost certain that a World T20 final could have brought in a much bigger audience.

But could it have broken the all time record? Between 2011 and 2022, the population of India has gone up by 180 million and that of Pakistan has gone up by 42 million. That is a combined percentage increase of approximately 16%. The median age of India is

28.4 years while that of Pakistan is 22.8. As per the Broadcast Audience Research Council of India, 35% of the live viewership of any cricket game is dominated by the youth. Bearing in mind that a World Cup Final is also viewed by cricket fans across the world, in large countries like Australia, Bangladesh, England, and millions of Indians and Pakistanis living overseas, the number of people anticipating the result of such a game, easily crosses 2.5 billion if not 3. For us to say that more than 600 million people would have tuned in to watch this match, is not just expected, but might be an understatement.

The 2008 Olympics opening ceremony brought in a stark 2 billion live viewers, the 2010 FIFA world cup final brought in the excess of 900 million. Keeping in mind that ICC has only 12 full members, a game of cricket to bring in an even comparable view-

ership is extraordinary. The broadcasting rights of ICC went for $ 3 billion for the next 4-year cycle, which is half as much as IPL’s digital and TV rights went for, during the same cycle. Now, compare this to some of the rich sporting leagues and tournaments in the world, and how much they sell for, one can easily conclude that the ICC is not cashing in on the potential of any Pakistan and India encounters.

The ICC recognises this potential and so do both the boards. However, as of now both the boards choose to subside with their country’s political stand and feel more than selfsufficient, not playing any bilateral cricket. India is too big to rely on Pakistan’s market, and Pakistan has learnt to “make do” just fine without India. How long before this prisoner’s dilemma becomes mutually beneficial, as of now, remains a castle in the air.

islamabad

Shahnawaz

islamabad Shahzad paRacha