Epaper_22-11-13 ISB

President ‘mediating’ talks to bring Political temPerature down

prove situation but matters are be ng kept under wraps to so that th ngs progress amicably ”

I am playing a role of mediator as supreme commander of the armed forces but I am not a broker,” he asserted Speaking about security measures being taken in the federal capita ahead of PtI s long march to Is amabad the president said conta ners were used for trade across the world but in Pakistan they have been given a new use

President alvi said al polit ca part es have demanded early elections at some point in time and added that even Supreme court had d scussed the possibility of early polls to end the politi ca deadlock

LAHORE s ta f f r e p o r t

PreSIdent d r a r i f a l v i h a s s a i d t h a t a s s u p r e m e c o m m a n d e r o f t h e a r m e d f o r c e s h e w a s p l a y i n g h i s r o l e t o b r i n g d o w n t h e p o t c a l t e m p e r a t u r e i n t h e c o u n t r y

“

I am tr ying to reduce tens ons and bring all pol tical parties to negot ating table to save democracy from derail ng and improve situat on the president said wh le nteracting with a group of journal sts here at governor house in la

hore on Saturday dr alv admitted that although his constitutiona role does not allow him to mediate between polit cal parties par ticu ar y on the matter of army chief s appointment he is tr ying to reduce ten sions to save democracy

President alv who be ongs to Pak istan tehreek e Insaf (PtI) said that he d dn’t take instructions from Imran khan

I am on friendly terms with him We share same opinion but I don’t seek h s counsel ” the president added

President alv said negotiations are under way to reduce the fr ction and im

responding to a question about es tablishment s role n politics the presi dent sa d he cannot rewr te histor y but can on y tr y to make th ngs better Pres dent a vi s remarks came the same day his party chief criticised Pr me minister Shahbaz Sharif and other party leaders for holding a meeting in london to decide the Pakistan army ’s next chief as he addressed participants of the party s haqeeq azadi march in lala musa

“ the mportant decisions of the countr y are taken abroad and by those who have looted Pak stan for the last 30 years ” Imran khan said n reference to Shehbaz purportedly discussing the key appo ntment and other issues of na tiona mportance with his elder brother nawaz Sharif dur ng his unscheduled london vis t

Saudi crown Prince’s Pakistan visit ‘ postponed ’

ISLAMABAD s ta f f r e p o r t

Saudi crown Prince and Pr me min ster muhammad bin Salman s much anticipated v sit to Pakistan has been post poned, the foreign ministr y confirmed on Saturday accord ng to the fore gn m i n i s t r y o f f c i a l s t h e S a u d i c r o w n Pr i n c e s v i s i t t o Pa k i s t a n a n d o t h e r r e g i o n s o f S o u t h a s i a h a s b e e n p o s t p o n e d a d d i n g t h a t t h e crown Prince would only visit the Indones an city of ba for the g20 summit they claimed that new

date of h s visit to Pakistan would be announced soon It is important to mention here that Pakistan s govern ment was optim stic about the Saud crown Prince s visit despite the political turmoil in the countr y

last month Prime m nister Shehbaz Sharif said that the crown prince would soon be visiting Pak stan and that he had expressed will ngness to support development pro ects in the countr y inc uding an announcement for a $10 bi ion investment for the es tab ishment of an oil ref ner y the prem er ’s remarks

had come days after he concluded a three day trip to the k ngdom during wh ch the two eaders resolved to upgrade bilateral t es and fraternal bonds t h e c r o w n p r n c e h a d l a s t v s i t e d Pa k i s t a n i n fe b r u a r y 2 0 1 9 d u r i n g t h e t e r m o f f o r m e r p r i m e m i n s t e r I m r a n k h a n during his v s t the inau gural sess on of the Saudi Pak Supreme coordination council was he d the coun cil was formed to put n place a h gh level institu t ona mechanism to fast track decisions n key areas

of b lateral cooperation and for c ose mon toring of their implementat on

P T I ’ s c a r a v a n s c o n v e r g i n g a t Ra w a l p i n d i f r o m v a r i o u s l o c a t i o n s

ISLAMABAD

M i a n a b r a r

While Prime minister Shehbaz Sharif is busy in his effort to convince his elder brother and party Qua d nawaz Sharif over the next army chief, Pakistan tehreek i Insaf (PtI) caravans are head ng towards federal capita w th huge number of party workers from various locat ons of the countr y this time around, the PtI may also find t easy to storm the capital as Pml n s trump card Interior minister rana Sanau lah is hosp talised w th heart a lment the PtI announced that though its chief Imran khan was nursing his wounds in his lahore residence after a failed assassination attempt at his life, various party leaders would be lead ng caravans from various locat ons s multaneous towards federal capital according to the issued tweet PtI vice chairman Shah mahmood Quresh is leading the march and is in la a musa r ght now Qureshi has a ready been joined n by party ’s Sindh chapter president al Zaidi who led a caravan from S ndh Pa r t y ’ s a n o t h e r l e a d e r, h a l e e m a d i l S h e i k h s l e a d i n g a n o t h e r c a r a van from interior Sindh and would be o ning Qureshi ’s main caravan later next week

anther major convoy is ed by asad umar who stated from toba tek Singh and now has reached Jhang the caravan will reach rawa pindi after passing through faisa abad and Sargodha PtI general Secretar y asad umar has reached Shorkot in Jhang distr ct leading the ong march ral y but PtI’s biggest show would arrive n rawalpind from khyber Pakhtunkhwa the bastion of the PtI three major caravans from various parts of kP would arrive rawalpindi where Imran khan would receive them

PtI genera secretar y kP ali amin gandapur wou d lead a caravan

from southern d stricts including north and South Wazirisatn, bannu, dera Is mail khan lakki mar wat etc

S h e h r y a r k h a n a f r i d i w o u l d e a d a c a r a v a n f r o m Pa r a c h a n a r ku r r a m a g e n c y d a r r a a d a m k h e l a n d ko h a t d i s t r i c t s asad Qaisar and murad Saeed wou d ead a rally from Peshawar while Per vez khattak would ead a ral y from hazara division all caravans from kP would converge on Pe shawar Islamabad motor way and then would ead towards rawa p ndi Qasim khan Suri would be leading a rally from ba ochistan and he would directly arrive rawalpindi

PtI azad kashmir ral y wou d be lead by aJk Prime m nister Sardar tan veer I yas who is set to join the marchers in rawalpindi while chief minister kha id khursheed khan would lead a ra ly from g lgit baltistan

PtI s off cial tw tter account shared photographs of asad umar and Quresh interacting with supporters there who addressed huge ra lies on their way PtI leader asad umar has sa d the “haqeeqi azadi ” s not just for mer prime m nister Imran khan s war and that the “ peop e of the countr y are a so an equa part of it addressing a rally n Jhang the ex planning m nister urged the support ers of Imran to stand by their party leader during the current struggle during his speech in Jhang, asad umar stated that Imran khan bel eves the next coa S shou d be appo nted based on merit further he slammed the Pml n leaders sitt ng in london making decisions for Pakistan” refer ring to nawaz Sharif he said that the leaders were seeking advice from a thief who fled the countr y ” responding to a question asad sa d that the PtI had not “started a war to come into power and h ghl ghted the party s successes ncluding the v ctor y by a great lead n the Pun ab elections on Ju y 15

PM ‘extends’ London stay after consulting Nawaz over next army chief

LONDON/ISLAMABAD

fo lowing a flurr y of family meetings with disgraced former prime minister nawaz Sharif and his children in london to dis cuss the appointment of the new army chief among other political matters Shehbaz Sharif who was scheduled to land in Is amabad on friday night, changed his plans and dec ded to stay on n the brit sh capital the deve opment was a so con firmed by marr yum aurangzeb Sharif s m nister for information, who sa d the prime minister had extended h s stay in the european countr y for a day khawa a asif, minister for defence, who is travell ng with the prime m nister but reportedly was not present during the meeting, confirmed the develop ment on geo news on thursday ever y thing will become clear in the coming

few days he told the station

aurangzeb had previously shared a v deo showing the Pakistan musl m league nawaz (Pml n) supreme leader see ng off the prime minister from what appeared to be the Stanhope house of f ces of the Sharif fam ly n london after a marathon meeting that according to some press reports lasted over two hours

Shar f “ is not just my eader and my elder brother but also someone who has been a p lar of strength for me throughout my l fe his affect on [and] love is a source of conf dence and in spiration for me,” he tweeted, respond ing to the v deo of him touch ng the feet of his e der brother

Sharif is now expected to return early on monday he had reached london on Wednesday on what his party de clared was a “ pr vate visit ” after attend ing coP 27 climate change conference in egypt

this is Sharif s third tr p to london after assum ng the nation’s top office in apri and comes ahead of the al mportant appointment of the successor to gen Qamar Javed bajwa who is due to retire on november 29 asif has also accused Imran khan, chairman of the Pakistan tehreek e Insaf (PtI) party of tr ying to inf uence the ap pointment and making it controversial over the last few months khan has repeated y quest oned how the cor rupt ” ruling Pak stan democratic move ment (Pdm) all ance could pick the next army chief he has alleged that asif al Zardari, co chairperson of Pakistan Peo ples Party (PPP) and nawaz want to name a chief of their choice in order to evade accountability for corruption charges aga nst them meanwhile, the PtI resumed its protest march to Is amabad on thurs day to demand early elections

g SayS tryIng to Save democracy from deraIlment, ImProve SItuatIon

g SayS though he belongS to PtI, he doeSn ’t take InStructIonS from Imran

Bl aSphEMy accuSEd cannot BE proSEcutEd on BaSIS of ‘drEaMS, vISIonS’, rulES lhc

General could not point out any circumstances that might indicate malice on his part,” Justice Tariq observed in his detailed judgement issued on Saturday

tH E Lahore High Court (LHC)

quashed a first information report (FIR) registered under blasphemy charges observing that a person could not be prosecuted merely on the basis of what he sees in his dreams or for sharing his thoughts visions or emotions with others

Justice Tariq Saleem Sheikh held that the police failed in collecting substantial evidence to establish the offence against the accused and observed that those suffering from mental illnesses should be provided treatment and protection against punishment “If we examine FIR we find that the offence under section 295 A PPC is not made out There is no allegation that the petitioner did anything to offend any group of people or insult their religion or religious beliefs Furthermore, the Assistant Advocate

There is no evidence to suggest that the petitioner intended to offend or harm the religious sensibilities of complainant or any other person with his statements Justice Tariq added

It is pertinent to mention that a resident of Sohrabwala, Tehsil and District Mianwali on August 30, 2021 had filed a complaint with the Station House Officer (SHO) of Police Station Saddar alleging that the accused petitioner held sacrilegious beliefs that he began propagating to the general public about six months ago

According to him, the accused petitioner claimed that he could fly and see Allah Almighty and various companions of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) in his dreams He further claimed that on August 26, 2021, the accused made similar statements before a

crowd “Such propagation hurt the community s religious feelings and was likely to incite violence ” Finally the police on August 30, 2021 registered an FIR 337/2021 for an offence under section 295 A of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC)

“Investigation regarding an offence usually begins when information about it is given to the officer in charge of a police station Its primary objective is to determine the facts and circumstances of the case, said the LHC judge in the verdict

The principle of fair investigation requires that when a police officer investigates an offence, particularly one under Chapter XV of the PPC, he should determine whether the accused is mentally sound “He [the investigation officer] must apply to the competent forum for his psychiatric evaluation if he suspects mental illness ” said the judge

The law in Pakistan protects people with mental illnesses or impairments Section

464 of Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) ordains that a person of unsound mind who is incapable of assisting in his own defence cannot be tried Section 84 of PPC recognises the legal insanity defence It states that a person cannot be held criminally responsible for an act, if due to unsoundness of mind at the time of committing it, he was incapable of knowing the nature of the act or that it was wrong or illegal

According to the World Health Organisation, mental disorder cases account for more than 4% of Pakistan s total disease burden It estimates that 24 million people require psychiatric care, Justice Tariq wrote in the judgement

The counsel for the petitioner contended that the FIR was politically motivated and concocted story He argues that it does not state what blasphemous notions the petitioner holds and when he expressed them The only specific allegation against

him is that on August 26, 2021 that he told a group of people about his dreams and claimed to have seen Almighty Allah and certain holy personages Such narration is not an offence under section 295 A PPC

Assistant Advocate General Mukhtar Ahmad Ranjha refuted the petitioner counsel s contentions He submitted that the petitioner ’s thoughts and beliefs are blasphemous and sinful, and the law prohibits their expression He contends that the accused deliberately and maliciously concocts false stories which offend other people s religious feelings

Although the petitioner was engaged in his nefarious activity for quite some time, FIR pertains to the specific incident that occurred and the prosecution witnesses support the prosecution case “The FIR cannot be quashed because there is sufficient incriminating evidence against the petitioner,” said the assistant advocate general

Mixed messaging: PTI says Imran disinterested in army chief appointment

LAHORE/ISLAMABAD

Imran compromised national interests for personal political gains: Marriyum

ISLAMABAD

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb said on Saturday that PTI Chairman Imran Khan compromised national interests for personal political gains In a statement, she said Imran Khan who was a foreign agent made mockery of himself, the country and the nation The minister said now all the antics of Imran Khan had been exposed, who she opined had been running a show since the 2014 sit in Castigating Imran Khan she said four years of PTI rule was a classic example of inefficiency, incompetence and lies Imran Khan destroyed employment opportunities and caused inflation as PTI would be remembered for four years of loot and plunder in the country Referring to Tosha Khana, she said gifted watches and necklaces were looted She said Imran abused opponents ran dirty campaigns against martyrs and instigated a revolt against national institutions The minister said the time had come to stop Imran s dirty drama targeting opponents and institutions

Jaffar Express train to resume operation from 20th: Kh Saad

LAHORE

The Pakistan Railways has decided to restore Jaffar Express train (Peshawar Quetta) up to Mach railway station from November 20 The decision was taken in a meeting presided over by Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique at Pakistan Railways Headquarters here on Saturday During the meeting, it was decided that passengers from Mach to Quetta would be transported through buses under security of the Balochistan government The railways has especially constructed seven new washrooms and two power generators has been installed at Mach Railway Station to facilitate passengers The minister directed the administration to install new benches and additional water coolers besides security of passengers The minister appreciated the Divisional Superintendent Quetta for completing 50 percent Hirok bridge on war footing It was decided that suggestions would be sought from the chamber of commerce to increase revenue at Quetta Taftan section The minister also directed to get approval of revised PC 1 of shifting railway stations to solar energy as earlier as possible On the occasion, the participants were briefed about occupancy and earning of trains and decided to make evaluation of each train The divisional superintendent Peshawar has been ordered to take strict action against encroachers

Just a day after Imran Khan called the meeting between Shehbaz Sharif and Nawaz Sharif, supreme leader of Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML N) to discuss the appointment of the next army chief a “tragedy”, Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI) Saturday said the former prime minister was not interested in the process to appoint the successor to Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa who is due to retire on November 29

Addressing a rally of charged supporters in Jhang a day after the party resumed the protest march on Islamabad to demand snap elections, Asad Umar, secretary general of the opposition party said Khan “has no interest” to appoint a military chief of his choice as he has “no extraconstitutional job that he wants institutions to perform He said whoever “deserves the office on merit, should get it ”

Conflicting signals are emanating from the office of the chairman of arguably Pakistan’s largest political party on the way Khan is dealing with the issue of the all important appointment

Just a day earlier, Khan, while addressing participants of the march in Gujrat through a video link, observed it was tragic that a convict former

prime minister Sharif was being consulted on the nation’s important matters by a person who he said succeded him “through a conspiracy”

Before that on November 8 Khan said he didn t see any problem anymore if the appointment is made by the Sharif administration Asked whether he had demanded the appointment be made in consultation with him and/or his party, Khan told a group of journalists: “No, they can appoint whoever they want ”

Objected to the meeting in London on Saturday Umar, however, compared it to “as if decisions of a family limited business” were being taken He also recalled that Nawaz was not only a suspect but a convict” in a host of corruption cases

He also added that PTI was the party to succeed with the greatest majority from Jhang in 20 constituencies’ elections in July

The march for “Haqeeqi [real] Azaadi” is not just Khan s war , the people of the country are also an equal part of it,” he added, urging the supporters to stand by Khan during the “struggle”

The party relaunched the march in Wazirabad on Thursday, the same town where gunmen attacked and wounded Khan a week earlier, after the former prime m i n i s t e r t o l d h i s s u p p o r t e r s t o k e e p u p t h e a n t i government march

Heavy police contingents were deployed for the

“ O u r m

r

w o u l d n ’t s t

, ” K h a n s a i d , a d d i n g the protest will instead gather strength as it closes on Islamabad

K h a n s a i d n o t h i n g c o u l d d e t e r h i m f r o m g o i n g a h e a d a s l o n g a s t h e s n a p p o l l s w e r e n o t c a l l e d a d d i n g t h a t h e w o u l d j o i n t h e p r o t e s t m a r c h i n Rawalpindi in some days

I will not back off as long as I m alive he said

P r i m e M i n i s t e r S h a r i f h a s r e j e c t e d t h e d e m a n d , s a y i n g t h e e l e c t i o n w i l l b e h e l d a s s c h e d u l e d l a t e r next year

SHARM EL SHEIKH R e u t e R s

Pakistan will not be satisfied unless UN climate summit negotiators unlock e m e rg e n c y c a s h f o r t h e c o u n t r y t o r e b u i l d a f t e r t h i s y e a r ’s d e v a s t a t i n g floods, the climate minister said

“The dystopia has already come to o u r d o o r s t e p , ” S h e r r y R e h m a n t o l d Reuters in an interview on the sidelines of the COP27 summit in Egypt

S h e l a m e n t e d t h e g l a c i a l p a c e o f c l i m a t e d i p l o m a c y, s a y i n g i t c a n n o t meet the needs of a country struggling t o r e c o v e r f r o m c l i m a t e f u e l e d f l o o d i n g t h a t c a u s e d m o r e t h a n $ 3 0 billion in economic losses

“ T h e p o l i t i c a l a d v a n c e s w e m a k e h e r e w i l l h a v e v e r y l i t t l e m e a n i n g o n the ground unless there is a transfer of resources that shifts the needle on how people face the future,” she said

P a k i s t a n i s p l a y i n g a h i g h p r o f i l e role at the COP27 summit in Egypt this y e a r, s e r v i n g a s o n e o f t w o c o c h a i r s invited by conference host Egypt with the other being Norway

P a k i s t a n a l s o r e p r e s e n t s t h e G 7 7 u m b r e l l a g r o u p o f d e v e l o p i n g c o u n t r i e s , p u s h i n g f o r a d o u b l i n g i n f i n a n c e t o h e l p p o o r n a t i o n s a d a p t t o climate impacts

To d a t e , o n l y a b o u t a t h i r d o f c l i m a t e f i n a n c e d e l i v e r e d h a s g o n e

toward adaptation projects and the full sum promised $100 billion per year h a s n e v e r b e e n p a i d i n f u l l L a s t y e a r s a w j u s t o v e r $ 8 0 b i l l i o n transferred P a k i s t a n w a s k e y t o g e t t i n g t h e thorny issue of “loss and damage” onto t h e o ff i c i a l U N s u m m i t a g e n d a a d i p l o m a t i c c o u p a f t e r d e c a d e s o f resistance from rich nations The move o p e n e d t h e d o o r f o r t a l k s t o a d d r e s s

v u l n e r a b l e c o u n t r i e s ’ d e m a n d t o b e c o m p e n s a t e d w h e n h i t b y c l i m a t e fueled disasters B u t i n c r e m e n t a l p r o g r e s s m a d e i n these discussions, which can go on for y e a r s , s t i l l w o u l d n t b e e n o u g h f o r Pakistanis back at home to consider the talks a win, she said If I say, well, adaptation has now been put as a priority’ or ‘there’s a 5 0 5 0 a l l o c a t i o n i n t e r m s o f p r i o r i t y

b e t w e e n m i t i g a t i o n a d a p t a t i o n ’ i t ’s n o t g o i n g t o m e a n v e r y m u c h t o s o m e b o d y w h o s e h o u s e h a s b e e n b u r n e d d o w n b y a f o r e s t f i r e o r s o m e b o d y w h o h a s l o s t a f a m i l y member in the floods, she said

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has c a l l e d o n r i c h c o u n t r i e s t o o ff e r c o m p e n s a t i o n a n d d e b t r e l i e f t o h e l p cover Pakistan’s efforts to rebuild and fortify the country against more severe climate impacts

S e p t e m b e r s f l o o d s e n g u l f e d v a s t areas of the country, affecting some 33 million people and leaving hundreds of thousands homeless

Rehman said that any new money pledged either for loss and damage or for adaptation needs to be followed up with speed and agility”, because countries like Pakistan have no time to waste She said she supported the call by t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s , B r i t a i n a n d o t h e r c o u n t r i e s t o o v e r h a u l i n t e r n a t i o n a l financial institutions to better respond t o t h e d i s a s t e r s e x p e c t e d a s t h e atmosphere continues to warm

There is a recognition [at COP27] t h a t w e a r e f a c i n g a n e w c l i m a t e n o r m a l f o r t h e w o r l d , ” s h e s a i d “ B u t t h e r e s t i l l i s n t a r e c o g n i t i o n t h a t t h e f i n a n c i a l s y s t e m t h a t ’s b e e n r u n n i n g the world is not going to be able to bail out the millions that are dying and in need ”

LAHORE s ta f f R e p o R t

security of the marchers

a

c h

o p

atc IndIctS alI Z aIdI, othEr ptI lEadErS In long March vandalISM caSE

KARACHI s ta f f R e p o R t

accused, accusing them of arson, rioting, and attempted murder

K a r a c h i

Former federal minister Ali Zaidi, Khurram Sher Zaman, Bilal Ghaffar, Arslan Taj, Muhammad Ali, Jamal Siddiqui, Firdous Shamim Naqvi, Mohsin Ali and Ashraf Ali have been nominated in cases registered under terrorism and attempt to murder charges at Soldier Bazaar and Ferozabad police stations

An FIR No 359/22 under the sections 147 148 149, 186, 353, 324, 283, 435, 109, 427 and 504 of the Pakistan Penal Code read with the Section 7 of the Anti Terrorism Act was registered at the Soldier Bazaar police station on the complaint of SHO Waqar Azeem

The FIR said that almost 700 PTI workers gathered

at Numaish Chowrangi and blocked the road after provoking the masses

Earlier PTI said the Sindh police launched a crackdown against Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI) workers and activists protesting at Karachi s Numaish Chowrangi in connection with the party’s long march to Islamabad

PTI Karachi chapter leadership had announced to observe a sit in at the city’s Numaish Chowrangi to protest against the regime change in Pakistan

The police swing into action as soon as PTI workers and activists including women reached Numaish Chowrangi to stage sit in in connection with the party s Islamabad Azadi March

a JK’s Sericulture dept , poonch varsit y to

ISLAMABAD

s ta f f R e p o R t

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday said t h a t f o r m e r p r e m i e r N a w a z S h a r i f w a s n o t o n l y h i s e l d e r b r o t h e r b u t a l s o h a d b e e n a p i l l a r o f s t r e n g t h t h r o u g h o u t h i s l i f e

S h e h b a z S h a r i f i s s e e n s h o w i n g r e s p e c t t o N a w a z S h a r i f w h o w a s s t a y i n g i n L o n d o n f o r m e d i c a l t r e a t m e n t s i n c e 2 0 1 9 T h e f o r m e r p r e m i e r a l s o r e c i p r o c a t e d t h e w a r m t h w i t h a ff e c t i o n t o h i s y o u n g e r b r o t h e r M i a n N a w a z S h a r i f i s n o t j u s t m y l e a d e r a n d m y e l d e r b r o t h e r b u t a l s o s o m e o n e w h o h a s b e e n a p i l l a r o f s t r e n g t h f o r m e t h r o u g h o u t m y l i f e H i s a ff e c t i o n a n d l o v e i s a s o u r c e o f c o n f i d e n c e a n d i n s p i r a t i o n f o r m e , ” t h e p r i m e m i n i s t e r w r o t e o n Tw i t t e r

Gill, Ammad to be indic ted in sedition c ase on Nov 22

of the case,” lawyer Ali Bukhari said, adding that some people accused were on bail while one had passed away referring to journalist Arshad Sharif

promote cottage industr y

MIRPUR (AJK)

A local sessions court fixed on Saturday the indictment date in the Shahbaz Gill sedition case to November 22

According to a statement from the investigation officer (IO), besides Gill and head of a private TV channel Ammad Yousaf no concrete evidence against any of the other accused, including CEO of the private news channel, was found

He maintained that the police had already given a statement that there was no solid evidence against Salman Iqbal, Khawar Ghumman, Adeel Raja or Sadaf Abdul Jabbar

Public prosecutor Rizwan Abbasi informed the court that nothing had come on record for any of the accused except for Gill and Yousaf The IO added that the challan for these two was completed

However, Gill’s lawyer argued that all allegations were related to the same programme He further added that the proceedings could not continue unless there was a complete report

He said that the investigating authorities did not complete the probe even after three months; they said if something else happens they will add it to this case too

Additional Sessions Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra stated that the court had the authority to proceed with the case

if it wanted to which the lawyer replied that the trial could only be started by looking at the law

He argued that the prosecution had said there was only one programme and one kind of allegation but then said there was no concrete evidence against others

“In this context, the court has to record the statement of the investigating officer and make it part

The statement of the investigating officer was then recorded The judge reiterated that the court had the power to proceed with the trial regardless of whether the challan was complete or incomplete

During the hearing, the prosecutor maintained that the charges should be framed at the next hearing as Section 265(C) of the Pakistan Penal Code should be applied, which calls for the supply of statements and documents to the accused

The counsel for Gill stated that the prosecution maintained in its statement that they did not want to pursue the case against the other accused, which Additional Sessions Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra confirmed was written

Taking note of Yousaf s request for being granted permanent immunity, the prosecutor stated that they had no objection to it once the charges are framed Gill s lawyer told the court to also look at the provisions of the coup d’état in relation to the colonial law and fair trial, adding that the court had to examine the evidence on which the case would proceed

The court maintained that the counsel could discuss whether or not charges could be framed after getting copies of the relevant documents, which would be distributed seven days before the trial begins

Sericulture Department of Azad Jammu & Kashmir and Poonch University s Entomology Department have decided to exchange bilateral cooperation for the promotion of Kashmir ’s cottage industry of Sericulture under the spirit of ongoing broad based poverty alleviation programme across the liberated territory The two public sector institutions took the decision during a day long capacity building workshop of the Sericulture farmers, hosted by the AJK Sericulture Department at University of Poonch in Rawalakot on Friday Sericulture is the traditional and home based industry of the state of Jammu & Kashmir, established in Azad Jammu & Kashmir in 1951 The awareness, training workshop on Sericulture was attended, among others, by a large number of students, faculty members of the University and Sericulture farmers as well as senior officers of the department of Sericulture of Azad Jammu & Kashmir Faculty members of Poonch university Dr Junaid Dr Imran and Dr Shahid also made special efforts to organise the workshop on Sericulture successfully, Director, State Sericulture Department Syed Asghar Ali Shah later told APP here on Saturday elaborating objectives of holding of the event Sardar Nasir Rahim, the Dean University of Poonch Rawalakot while addressing the inaugural session lauded move of the Sericulture Department to join hands with faculty of the University for such an important and noble cause Deputy Director Sericulture Tahir Masoud Entomologist Research Centre, Rizwan Ullah Khan, Assistant Director Fahad Keyani and ASDO Salaar Mehmood from Sericulture Department unveiled comprehensive presentations regarding historical background of the Sericulture in AJK since its emergence in the liberated territory, Impact of Sericulture on Livelihood, Poverty Alleviation Women Empowerment National Economy and Environment of the State The presentations made by the officers of the Sericulture department also highlighted various uses of mulberry and mulberry products including medicines and silk garments etc Dr Umer Ayyaz Shaikh, Assistant Professor Department of Entomology also briefed about various diseases of the silkworms and management plans to protect the silkworm rearing practically During the event some potential farmers also shared their practical experiences and appreciated the efforts of the Sericulture department regarding training and provision of required facilities to 1500 farmers in AJK

Pakistan-Uzbekistan direc t air flights to boost bilateral ties: Deputy PM

ISLAMABAD

a p p

Uzbekistan s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Tourism and Cultural Heritage Aziz Abduhakimov said the direct air flight between Pakistan and Uzbekistan will be started soon which would promote bilateral economic and tourism ties

In the first phase, the flight will be started from the city of Samarkand in Uzbekistan to Lahore, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Tourism and Cultural Heritage Aziz Abduhakimov told APP, adding that the tourism conference will also be held in Samarkand

He said that in the second phase direct flights to Karachi and Islamabad will be started from other cities of Uzbekistan, including Tashkent and Khiva

He said that the direct air link will increase bilateral economic and trade activities and tourism on both sides and it will help the people of both countries to come closer

Aziz Abduhakimov said the Tourism Conference to be held in Uzbekistan will

increase the tourism integration of Uzbekistan not only with Pakistan but also with all the Muslim countries of the world

He said that holding such a conference would strengthen Uzbekistan’s partnership with other countries in the future and promote local tourism

He said that there is a lot of potential for Islamic tourism in Uzbekistan which can be visited by tourists from Islamic countries

Uzbek Deputy PM said that Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva are the centers of Islamic heritage and learning which are very attractive places for Muslim tourists

He said that Muslim saints and Sufis including the shrine of Hazrat Imam Bukhari, are in Uzbekistan where millions of Muslim tourists come every year

He said that the leadership of Uzbekistan is paying full attention to the promotion of tourism here and tourism has a very important role in the economy of any country Aziz Abduhakimov said that according to the vision of the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev tourism has a very important place in the economy of Uzbekistan and special attention is being

paid to it

He said that the government of Uzbekistan is promoting direct flights with various countries of the world, which will improve economic, trade and tourism links with these countries

He said that apart from this, “we are also relaxing the visa policy and providing ease in the visa process for tourists

He said that in the last ten months till October 30, 3 6 million tourists visited Uzbekistan and in the next two months this

number is likely to reach 5 million

The minister said that this number is 40 percent more than the number of tourists visiting Uzbekistan in 2021

He said that the United Nation body, UNESCO has declared Samarkand as the best destination for international tourism

He said that there are all kinds of facilities for tourists from Islamic countries including Halal food, which they can take advantage of

He said that Uzbekistan is currently on top in the Global Muslim Tourist Index and thus many global rating agencies have declared Uzbekistan as the best place for tourism

The Deputy PM said that Samarkand is the tourism hub of Uzbekistan where there are great opportunities for tourism In this way, we are providing modern tourism facilities and all kinds of infrastructure in this place, which will boost the local tourism

He said that Samarkand is also the world center of Islamic culture and science, where great scientists and sociologists and scholars of world fame were born

The prime minister ’s remarks on Twitter came in response to a social media post showing him and elder brother Nawaz Sharif hugging each other with traditional warmth as the former left there after their meeting in London

A n t i

ar r o r i s m C o u r t ( AT C ) i n d i c t e d 1 5 P a k i s t a n Te h r e e k e I n s a f ( P T I ) l e a d e r s i n c l u d i n g A l i H a i d e r Z a i d i a n d K h u r r u m S h e r Z a m a n i n a c a s e p e r t a i n i n g to alleged vandalism during the party’s long

The ATC heard two cases against PTI leaders on Saturday PTI leaders Ali Haider Zaidi Khurrum Sher Zaman, Jamal Siddiqui, Arsalan Taj Ghumman, Firdous Shamim Naqvi and others appeared before the court The police officials submitted charges against the

Nawaz Sharif not only my elder brother but pillar of strength, says PM

jointly

ISLAMABAD s ta f f R e p o R t

PunjAb CAbinet CoMMittee for resolvinG trAffiC ProbleMs durinG lonG MArCh

A

CCommit t e e o n L a w a n d O r d e r (

L O ) h a s d i r e c t e d t o e n s u r e f l o w o f t r a ff i c d u r i n g t h e o n g o i n g l o n g m a r c h o f

P T I a n d s a v e p u b l i c o f t r a ff i c p r o b l e m s P u n j a b M i n i s t e r f o r E n v i r o n m e n t P r o t e c t i o n a n d C o o p e r a t i v e s B a s h a r a t R a j a c h a i r e d t h e m e e t i n g o f S C C L O h e l d a t C i v i l S e c r e t a r i a t o n S a t u r d a y T h e m e e t i n g w a s a l s o a t t e n d e d b y C h i e f S e c r e t a r y P u n j a b A b d u l l a h K h a n S u m b a l a n d o t h e r c o n c e r n e d o ff i c e r s

T h e C a b i n e t C o m m i t t e e i s s u e d n e c e s s a r y i n s t r u c t i o n s a f t e r a d e t a i l e d r e v i e w o f t h e s e c u r i t y f o r t h e l o n g m a r c h o f P a k i s t a n Te h r e e k i I n s a f ( P T I ) T h e c o n c e r n e d c o m m i s s i o n e r s R P O s a n d d e p u t y c o m m i s s i o n e r s b r i e f e d t h e m e e t i n g

T h e S C C L O d i r e c t e d t h a t a l l p e t r o l p u m p s l o c a t e d i n t h e r o u t o f l o n g m a r c h s h o u l d b e s h u t d o w n a s a s e c u r i t y m e a s u r e C h a i r m a n C o m m i t t e e M u h a m m a d B a s h a r a t R a j a d i r e c t e d t h a t s p e c i a l a t t e n t i o n s h o u l d b e p a i d t o t r a f f i c a r r a n g e m e n t s o n a r r i v a l o f l o n g m a r c h i n b i g c i t i e s Tr a ff i c p l a n s h o u l d b e p r e p a r e d i n a d v a n c e a n d

i m p l e m e n t e d a c c o r d i n g l y t h e c h a i r d i r e c t e d H e e x p r e s s e d c o n c e r n o v e r t h e p a r t i c i p a t i o n o f p e o p l e f r o m t h e r e a r o f t h e l o n g m a r c h a t s o m e p l a c e s w i t h o u t c h e c k i n g a n d d i r e c t e d t h a t n o o n e s h o u l d a l l o w e n t e r i n g t h e m a i n c o n v o y w i t h o u t c h e c k i n g

T h e m e e t i n g d e c i d e d t h a t n e c e s s a r y a r r a n g e m e n t s i n a l l m a j o r h o s p i t a l s o f R a w a l p i n d i b e r e a d y b e f o r e t h e l o n g m a r c h ’s a r r i v a l

C h i e f S e c r e t a r y P u n j a b A b d u l l a h K h a n S u m b a l d i r e c t e d t h a t t h e s e c u r i t y S O P s d e c i d e d f o r t h e l o n g m a r c h s h o u l d b e f o l l o w e d i n l e t t e r a n d s p i r i t “ D e p l o y m e n t o f p o l i c e p e r s o n n e l s h o u l d b e b a l a n c e d , t h e r e i s n o r o o m f o r a n y l a x i t y h e w a r n e d

5 7 k i l l e d i n s t re e t c r i m e i n c i d e nt s i n

K a ra c h i i n O c t a l o n e : C P LC

S ta f f R e P o R t

The port city of Karachi, which the fi nancial hub of the country is facing an alarming increase in the menace of street crime and 57 people have been killed while resisting robbery bids and other in cidents in the month of October, revealed a report of the Citizen Police Liaison

Committee (CPLC) According to the CPLC report, 211 cars were snatched or stolen in October out of which 49 stolen or snatched cars were recovered by the police

During the outgoing month, around 5 , 0 0 0 m o t o r c y c l e s w e r e s n a t c h e d o r stolen, out of which only 323 could be r e c o v e r e d A d d i t i o n a l l y, 2 2 6 0 p e o p l e w e r e d e p r i v e d o f c e l l p h o n e s , o u t o f

w h i c h 3 9 w e r e r e c o v e r e d , t h e C P L C added

It added that 57 people were killed i n m u l t i p l e i n c i d e n t s w h i l e t w o k i d napping for ransom incidents were re ported during the period in question K a r a c h i h a s w i t n e s s e d a n “ a l a r m in g in cr eas e” in s tr eet cr ime af ter th e flashfloods hit parts of the country es pecially Sindh province, Additional In

s p e c t o r G e n e r a l ( A I G ) K a r a c h i J a v e d Alam H e m a d e t h e s e r e m a r k s w h i l e briefing the media on police response a g a i n s t i n c r e a s i n g c r i m e r a t e s i n K a r a c h i A f t e r t h e r e c e n t f l o o d s , Karachi has seen an extraordinary in crease in street crimes in the city,” he s a i d , a d d i n g t h a t p o l i c e h a v e i n t e n s i fied action against rising crime

Pa k i s t a n , H u n g a r y e nt e r b i l at e ra l d e fe n ce co o p e rat i o n a g re e m e nt

ISLAMABAD

The Ministry of Defence of Hungary and the Ministry of Defence of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan have signed a bilat eral agreement on Defence cooperation t h a t w o u l d p r o v i d e s o l i d l e g a l f r a m e w o r k f o r e n h a n c i n g d e f e n c e c o o p e r a tion between the Armed Forces of both the countries

T h e a g r e e m e n t h a s b e e n s i g n e d d u r i n g t h e v i s i t o f S e c r e t a r y D e f e n c e

a l S e c r e t a r y M i n i s t r y o f D e f e n c e R e a r A d m i r a l F a i s a l A m i n w h o h a d v i s i t e d B u d a p e s t f r o m N o vember 10 11, said a press release is sued on Saturday

In a ceremony arranged at Hungar ian Ministry of Defence, the State Sec

r e t a r y a n d S e c r e t a r y D e f e n c e s i g n e d the “agreement between the Ministry of Defence of Hungary and the Ministry of Defence of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan on Defence cooperation”

During the meeting, both sides ex changed views on regional and global security and matters of mutual interest particularly in defence collaboration The deadly flood situation in Pak istan also came under discussion The Secretary Defence Pakistan thanked the Hungarian State Secretary for arrang

PESHAWAR

S

Chairman Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) and senior leader of the Pakistan Dem ocratic Movement (PDM) Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao has said that the coalition government will complete its constitu tional tenure and general election will be held on time He expressed these views while addressing a press confer ence in Tangi district Charsadda on Sat urday On the occasion Member of Tehsil Council Mussarat Bibi w/o Jamil Khan Bacha, Alamzeb Khan, Kach Kaka Mehraj Khan and other PTI ac tivists announced to join QWP

Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao alleged that Pakistan Tehreek i Insaf (PTI) through long march was paving way for anarchy and lawlessness in the country The government can t be changed through long march and one should have to adopt constitutional way for the purpose he clarified He said that Chairman PTI Imran Khan wants to make the appointment of new army chief controversial He de manded the government to introduce its

line of action to combat the propaganda of Imran Khan

The QWP chief said that the country was not in position to partake in anarchy and politics of protests as the masses were already suffering due to inflation and unemployment

He said that former PTI government devastated the economy of country and we are currently bearing what it had sown in four years He said that without political stability, economic stability in the country was not possible

Commenting over the defeat of PDM candidate in recent by election, Aftab Sherpao said that it was due to failure of government to overcome in flation Distress in masses was increas ing and government needs to take steps to provide relief to masses he sug gested He strongly condemning the blocking of roads and said that first time in history a government was closing passage ways He said that PTI led KP government has not raised voice for rights of province and KP despite self sufficient in gas and power production, people of province were facing load shedding

Man gets death for killing ex-wife

ISLAMABAD

S ta f f R e P o R t

A district and sessions court in Rawalpindi handed down a death sentence and ten years of imprisonment on Saturday to the former spouse of a US citizen of Pakistan origin after finding him guilty The body of Wajiha Swati, 47, who was killed by Rizwan Habib, her former husband, over a property dispute was found late last year and brought to Rawalpindi for further in vestigation Swati arrived in Pakistan in mid October to settle issues with Habib and went missing Habib who was arrested on suspicion of murder in Decem ber, confessed Saturday to killing Swati the day she arrived in the city By January police had arrested six accused in the murder case, including Hurriat Ullah, Bangash s father, and Sultan, his servant The five ac cused apart from Bangash were charged with aiding and abetting the murder At the hearing on Saturday, Muhammad Afzal Majoka, an additional sessions judge, sentenced Hurriat Ullah and Sultan to seven years in prison each The other three suspects Yousuf, Za hida, and Rashid were acquitted due to lack of evi dence A team of US investigators also attended the proceedings According to police, it had emerged dur ing the investigation that Swati was demanding back her property worth millions of rupees which she had transferred in the name of Habib before their divorce

Gov t likely to register 0.7m illegal Afghan nationals

r o a d m i s h a p s a n d f i r i n g h e r e o n S a t u r d a y

R e s c u e s o u r c e s s a i d t h a t t h e a c c i d e n t t o o k p l a c e n e a r B e n a z i r B r i d g e a t

S p i n n i R o a d Q u e t t a r e s u l t a n t l y D e p u t y C o m m i s s i o n e r L o r a l a i J a m i l A h m e d

R i n d w a s k i l l e d w h i l e h i s c o m p a n i o n w a s i n j u r e d U n i d e n t i f i e d g u n m e n s h o t d e a d a r e s i d e n t o f D e r a M u r a d J a m a l i i d e n t i f i e d a s A b d u l B a s i t i n C h a n d n i C h o w k a r e a o f Q u e t t a a n d f l e d t h e s c e n e T h e b o d i e s a n d i n j u r e d w e r e s h i f t e d t o d i ff e r e n t h o s p i t a l s a n d p o l i c e a f t e r r e g i s t e r i n g s e p a r a t e c a s e s i n b o t h i n c i d e n t s s t a r t e d i n v e s t i g a t i o n s

The federal government has started consideration for granting Afghan citizens cards to over 700 000 illegal Afghan nationals in the country The government would discuss the matter with relevant stakeholders before reaching a decision According to details, the federal government is considering registration of illegal Afghan residents The Afghan residents could also get facilities like opening a bank account, medical, and educational facilities Earlier, a total of 800,000 Afghan refugees were given Afghan Citizen cards It is to be noted that on Friday, Rangers arrested 122 Afghan citizens, who were residing illegally in Karachi Sindh Rangers and police in a joint action rounded up 122 illegal immi grants, who were attempting to enter Sindh from Balochistan According to Sindh Rangers spokesperson, the personnel of the paramilitary forces and police searched the passenger bus in a routine practice wherein they encountered 122 suspects who, Rangers and police claimed, were Afghan nationals who had il legally penetrated into Pakistan The arrested included 89 men, 20 children and 14 women, the Rangers spokesperson said During the biometric verification their Pakistani identity could not be proven, after which they were handed over to the Balochistan government for deportation to Afghanistan

LAHORE S ta f f C o R R e S P o N d e N t

B I N E T

S C C

Govt to complete its tenure, elec tion to be held on time: S herpao

KARACHI

ISLAMABAD

S ta f f R e P o R t

Lt Gen (r) Hamooduz Zaman on the in vitation of State Secretary for Defence P o l i c y a n d D e f e n c e D e v e l o p m e n t , M i n i s t r y o f D e f e n c e , H u n g a r y, D r G a s p a r M a r o t h O n t h e o c c a s i o n L t Gen (r) Hamooduz Zaman was flanked b y A d d i t i o n

ing the bilateral meeting At the end it was mutually agreed to conduct such visits for promotion of defence ties between both countries

ta f f R e P o R t

AlwAys kept nAtionAl interest supreme: nAwA z

pA K I S TA N M u s l i m L e a g u e N a w a z ( P M L N ) s u p r e m o a n d f o r m e r p r i m e m i n i s t e r o f P a k i s t a n h a s s a i d t h a t h e h a s a l w a y s k e p t i n t e r e s t o f c o u n t r y a n d i t s p e o p l e s u p r e m e w h i l e m a k i n g d e c i s i o n s “ T h e p e r s o n w h o c l a i m s o f r u l e o f l a w h a s h i m s e l f a d m i t t e d h i s f a i l u r e t o a c h i e v e t h e t a s k d u r i n g h i s g o v e r n m e n t C a n o n e t r u s t s u c h p e r s o n , ” h e q u e s t i o n

P M L N C h i e f w a s t a l k i n g t o a d e l e g a t i o n h e a d e d b y M N A a n d P r e s i d e n t o f P M L N f o r G u l f a n d M i d d l e E a s t A h s a n u l H a q B a j w a w h i c h c a l l e d o n h i m a t h i s r e s i d e n c e i n L o n d o n Vi c e P r e s i d e n t P M L N M a r r i y a m N a w a z a n d f o r m e r f e d e r a l m i n i s t e r A b i d S h e r A l i w e r e a l s o p r e s e n t d u r i n g t h e m e e t i n g H e s a i d t h a t t h e P M L N o ff e r e d p o l i t i c a l , e c o n o m i c s t a b i l i t y t o t h e c o u n t r y d u r i n g i t s p a s t t e n u r e s a n d w i l l a l s o e n s u r e t h e m i n f u t u r e T h e P M L N s u p r e m o c a l l e d o v e r s e a s P a k i s t a n i s a s v a l u a b l e a s s e t s t o t h e n a t i o n a n d c o u n t r y, s a y

i n g t h a t a l l p o s s i b l e f a c i l i t i e s w o u l d b e e n s u r e d f o r t h e m H e s a i d t h a t t h e n a t i o n w a s w e l l a w a r e o f t h o s e w h o d e c e i v e d t h e m a n d n o w t h e i r a s s o c i a t e s h a v e a l s o s t a r t e d r a i s i n g v o i c e a g a i n s t t h e i r m i s d e e d s

N a w a z c l a i m e d o f r e c o r d d e v e l o p m e n t i n t h e c o u n t r y d u r i n g P M L N g o v e r n m e n t s a n d s a i d t h a t i t w o u l d t a k e d e c a d e s t o m e n d t h e f o u r y e a r d e v a s t a t i o n o f P T I g o v e r n m e n t

H e s a i d t h a t i t w a s h i g h t i m e t o e n s u r e t h e r u l e o f l a w a n d s u p r e m a c y o f c o n s t i t u t i o n t o p a v e t h e

c o u n t r y o n v e n u e o f r e a l d e v e l o p m e n t a n d o p e n n e w w a y s o f p r o s p e r i t y o f t h e c o u n t r y m e n A h s a n u l H a q B a j w a a p p r i s e d t h e p a r t y c h i e f a b o u t o rg a n i z a t i o n a l m a t t e r s o f P M L N O v e r s e a s a n d h i s r e c e n t v i s i t s t o U n i t e d A r a b E m i r a t e s a n d S a u d i A r a b i a N a w a z S h a r i f l a u d e d t h e e ff o r t s o f A h s a n f o r s t r e n g t h e n i n g t h e p a r t y i n G u l f a n d M i d d l e E a s t H e a l s o a s k e d t o i s s u e s p e c i a l d i r e c t i v e s t o t h e o ff i c e b e a r e r s o f P M L N i n a l l c o u n t r i e s t o r e s o l v e t h e i s s u e s o f o v e r s e a s P a k i s t a n i s e s p e c i a l l y l a b o u r e r s o n p r i o r i t y b a s i s

M i n i s t e r : I m r a n t r y i n g t o m a k e i n s t i t u t i o n s c o n t r o ve r s i a l

asserted the prime minister has full authority to appoint the army chief on merit

Qamar Zaman Kaira, advisor to the prime minister on Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan, has criticised Imran Khan, chairman of Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI), for “trigger ing unrest” in the country by his protest march

Talking to a TV channel he said Khan was lying to the nation in pub lic rallies and trying to make the se curity institutions controversial He

He, however, said the govern ment was ready to hold talks with the opposition party for resolving political issues, but it will not accept any unconstitutional demand

He suggested the PTI leadership should avoid issuing controversial statements which may harm the peace and stability of the country Unfortunately PTI leaders have been issuing irresponsible statements

soon after the firing incident, which should be avoided Kaira said

The minister said removing the government and holding snap elec tions was purely an undemocratic and unconstitutional demand made by the PTI He said: “We are a strong believer in peaceful dialogue with political parties ”

Unlike PTI leadership the gov ernment’s representatives never is sued any irresponsible statements and they only responded to their charges in a polite manner, he added

Turkey helps Pak istan mitigate food security challenges

aimed at assisting small scale farmers who have suf fered huge losses in terms of ready to reap crops and cash due to massive floods and rains

Turkish state run aid agency is assisting flood battered farmers in Pakistan to mitigate a looming threat to food security caused by recent super floods and rains that in undated millions of acres of croplands across the country

The Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) has launched a program to provide wheat seeds to thousands of farmers to help them grow crops in Sindh and Balochistan that have been severely affected by the near apocalyptic floods Wheat is the main winter crop and a major source of income for millions of farmers across Pakistan

So far the relief agency has distributed 60 tons of wheat seeds to 700 small scale farmers in eight worst affected districts of Sindh, TIKA Karachi Coordinator Halil Ibrahim Basaran told Anadolu Agency

The districts include Badin, Mirpurkhas, Umerkot, Matiari Sanghar Nawabshah Dadu and Khairpur

The TIKA held the latest ceremony in Matiari dis trict to provide wheat seeds to over 100 farmers in col laboration with Sindh Agricultural University in Tandojam, Hyderabad district, and the Rural Agriculture Extension Department Sindh, according to a statement issued by the Turkish relief agency on Friday Basaran said at the ceremony that the program is

Since the floodwaters have receded, he further said, now seeds and fertilizers are the key requirements of the millions of farmers in the flood hit areas

One of the program’s beneficiaries, Ghulam Mustafa, thanked Ankara for its support, saying: “We always heard about the friendship and brotherhood between Türkiye and Pakistan, but today we have witnessed it ”

Turkey has so far sent 15 planes and seven trains loaded with relief goods, including tents, boats, food items, medicines, vaccines, and other items on the in structions of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Au thority (AFAD) has also set up three “tent cities” in the Dadu, Hyderabad, and Noshero Feroz districts of Sindh, providing temporary housing to some 3,000 flood af fected people

Aside from killing over 1,700 people, the drenching monsoon that began in mid June and lasted until late September inundated a third of Pakistan washing away hundreds of thousands of houses, schools, bridges, and animals and destroying millions of acres of cropland

The massive floods have caused $30 billion in losses to the nation’s already struggling economy, mainly in infrastructure and agriculture

C hina-aided hydropower projec t bolsters energy struc ture, transforms lives

ISLAMABAD ag e n c e s

Life has taken an incredible turn for 24 year old Qais Qadeer when he, as a scholarship student a few years ago, joined China Three Gorges Corporation, a Chinese company constructing a hydropower plant on river Jehlum

Now working as an operation engineer at the Karot hydropower project in Punjab, Qadeer told Xin hua that he is living a successful and fulfilling life that a person like him could never dream of T h e p r o j e c t i s o n e o f t h e China aided power projects being b u i l t i n t h e c o u n t r y u n d e r t h e f r a m e w o r k o f t h e C h i n a P a k i s t a n Economic Corridor (CPEC) Since the groundbreaking of the project i n A p r i l 2 0 1 5 , t h e C h i n e s e a n d Pakistani engineers and workers at the project have jointly overcome

different challenges including the Covid 19 pandemic

Cherishing his unbelievable journey, he said he gets to learn a lot from Chinese instructors and super visors, both during his studies in China and at the hydropower station in Pakistan

“I was a fresh graduate when I joined this project after completing my studies in China, but the envi ronment here was so conducive that I adopted all the techniques in a very quick manner I am proud to be part of the project which will im mensely benefit the people of Pak istan in economic and social ways besides alleviating energy short age,” he said

The Karot hydropower project would facilitate Pakistan to achieve renewable energy goals by produc ing clean and cheap energy, Noorul Arifeen Zuberi a senior advisor of the China Three Gorges South Asia

Investment, said

The 720 megawatt hydropower project is expected to annually gen erate some 3 2 billion kilowatt hours of clean electricity once put into full commercial operations in June this year, reducing 3 5 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year

Based on the Chinese standards and technologies, the project is of tremendous importance as it will not only help Pakistan improve its en ergy structure but will also promote the sustainable development of the local economy and society while contributing to the global goal of carbon neutrality, he said

Zuberi said over 4,000 jobs, di rectly or indirectly, were provided to local people every year and stu dents were awarded fully funded scholarships, adding that billions of rupees were paid by the company in taxes to the Pakistani government during the construction phase

corporate corner

T h e L a h o r e Y M C A h e l d a s p e c i a l e ve n t t o c e l e b ra t e C y b e r S a t u r d ay Pa r t i c i p a n t s o f t h e t ra i n i n g w o r k s h o p i n a g r o u p p h o t o g ra p h w i t h M r s A n d r e w M c M i l l a n f r o m U K a n d o t h e r g u e s t s p r

LONDON

s ta f f r e p o r t

ISLAMABAD s ta f f r e p o r t

ISLAMABAD

L o n g M a r c h r e s u m e s

tH e P t i h a s r e s u m e d i t s L o n g M a r c h f r o m

Wa z i r a b a d , t h e s p o t w h e r e p a r t y c h i e f i m r a n

K h a n w a s a t t a c v k e d l a s t w e e k A f t e r a h i a t u s o f a w e e k , t h e L o n g M a r c h h a s r e s u m e d w i t h a s l i g h t l y d i ff e r e n t f o r m a t M r K h a n i s n o l o n g e r o n t h e c o n t a i n e r b e i n g c o n t e n t t o a d d r e s s t h e M a r c h a t t h e e n d o f t h e d a y ’s p r o g r e s s v i a v i d e o l i n k f r o m h i s L a h o r e r e s i d e n c e i n Z | a m a n P a r k B e f o r e t h e a t t a c k , h e h a d s h u t t l e d t o t h e M a r c h f r o m Z a m a n P a r k e v e r y d a y, g o i n g b a c k t o Z a m a n P a r k a f t e r h i s a d d r e s s H e h a s p r o m i s e d t o j o i n t h e L o n g b M a r c h w h e n i t r e a c h e s R a w a l p i n d i t h e L o n g M a r c h h a s a p p a r e n t l y b e e n s p l i t i n t o t w o , w i t h f o r m e r m i n i s t e r a n d p a r t y s e c r e t a r y g e n e r a l A s a d U m a r l e a d i n g a r a l l y f r o m J h a n g , w h i c h r e a c h e d to b a te k S i n g h , w h i l e t h e m a i n r a l l y r e a c h e d L a l a M u s a , o n S a t u r d a y i n h i s F r i d a y a d d r e s s , M r K h a n i n d i c a t e d w h y h e h a d f e l t i t n e c e s s a r y t o l a u n c h t h e L o n g M a r c h e v e n t h o u g h t h e p a r t y h a d n o t c o n d u c t e d t h e n e c e s s a r y g r o u n d w o r k a n d i t s e e m e d t h a t i t w a s c o m m i t t i n g t h e s a m e m i s t a k e a s M a y 2 5 , w h e n i t w e n t i n t o t h e L o n g M a r c h h a l f c o c k e d B y t h e t i m e M r K h a n r e a c h e d Wa z i r a b a d , w h e r e t h e a t t e m p t o n h i s l i f e t o o k p l a c e , t h e c r o w d s h a d t h i n n e d c o n s i d e r a b l y, a n d t h e t h i n c r o w d s s e e m e d a s t h i n , t h e i n c r e a s e d s y m p a t h y w i t h b M r K h a n b e i n g b a l a n c e d b y t h e d e c l i n e i n i n t e r e s t b e c a u s e o f h i s a b s e n c e

On Friday, though, Mr Khan gave his take on the subject engrossing everyone’s attention without saying anything beyond what he had said before: the appoint ment of the next Chief of Army Staff Mr Khan has not shown any advance over the position he had taken when he said that nawaz Sharif should not be involved, as he wanted only to appoint a COAS who would ig nore his corruption though he did not say so, it has be come obvious that the Long March is directed at influencing the prospect of appointment While mr Khan said he wanted the appointment made on merit, he has managed to create the impression that he sees the COAS merely as the person who selects the dG iSi He has made it clear that he sees the COAS as able, and somehow responsible, to deal with corrup tion, though he has not made it clear if the ability to lead the Army has any place in hos calculations

I s I n d i a ’ s e x p a n s i o n i s t a p p r o a c h c r e a t i n g a m i l i t a r y i m b a l a n c e i n t h e C a u c a s i a n r e g i o n ?

which are close to China and its allies Pakistan and Azerbaijan are among them

WHAt would be your response when y o u a r e i n t h e m i d d l e o f a w a r a n d s o m e o n e e q u i p s y o u r e n e m y w i t h the latest weapons?

What would be your reaction when you know that your enemy has been attacking you in the past and planning for a new attack again and someone is loading your enemy with new military technologies?

On October 17, 2022, i wrote an article titled india is fueling the fire by providing latest weapons to Armenia" about the indian export of manufactured Pinaka multi barrel rocket launchers and anti tank rockets with a range of ammunition to Armenia now we have another news within a month for another big military hardware deal between the two countries On november 9, 2022, Bharat Forge Limited re ceived an export order worth $ 155 50 million US dollars for 155mm artillery guns the company while communicating with the Bombay stock exchange stated “We are pleased to inform you that Kalyani Strategic Systems Limited, a wholly owned sub sidiary of the Company, has been awarded an export order for a 155mm Artillery Gun platform to be exe cuted over a 3 year time frame” the company refrained from disclosing the buyer's name however indian newspaper Business Standard reported on november 9 2022 that Bharat Forge s subsidiary sold 155 mm artillery at $155 mm to Armenia the point here is that company claims this deal is with a non conflict country, “this order, to a non conflict zone, is a great testament to the Gov ernment of india s Aatma nirbhar Bharat agenda and its sustained push to promote exports of indigenously designed developed and Manufactured (iddM) ad vanced defense platforms from india it is a pity to see that india’s Aatma nirbhar (self reliance) agenda entered a hopeless situation of sell ing arms to a conflict zone india has every right to Aatma nirbhar Bharat but fueling the Azerbaijan Ar menia conflict for commercial purposes shows the ruthless ambition of the make in india project that seems to have no ethical boundaries and no moral values it is the right of any sovereign country to fight for its self reliance but not at the cost of humanity and cynical eagerness to fuel a war Armenia, as the world has witnessed in 44 days of patriotic war is not interested in any resolution the Armenian Army has no miliary morality as they can dig out the graves of Azerbaijanis and humiliate the corpses even the United nations confirmed that Armenia’s aggression toward Azerbaijan has no legal or moral justification Moreover, the Armenian Army is committing war crimes and india is eager to be come an accomplice india’s loathsome desire to be relevant and Armenia’s criminal army are a lethal combination

i believe india is doing it by design as Azerbaijan always stands with Pakistan over the Kashmir issue and otherwise also Azerbaijan and Pakistan have a unique political relationship that is beyond territorial boundaries and geographical distances Pakistan was among the first states to recognize Azerbaijan’s independence follow ing the 1991 Soviet collapse Pakistan and Azerbaijan have always been engaged in military hardware tech nology share and exports Recently, in June 2022, Azerbaijani defense Minister Col Gen Zakir Hasanov and Pakistani Chief of Air Staff Air \Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmad Babar Sidhu discussed mili tary, military technical, and military educational co operation

the meeting took place in Baku on June 29 and both talked about expanding mil itary, military technical, and military educational do mains Pakistan military leadership, as well as Azer baijan, know better than me what plans are underway but i know this June meeting is opening new corridors for further enhancing military to military relations be tween both countries india must not forget Pakistan’s military hardware production capability and the long standing relation ship between Pakistan and Azerbaijan if india will keep fulling the war Azer baijan is not alone

A Baku based political expert and journalist from nejat İsmayilov in one of his articles published in the year 2020 write that Pak istan is the most cooperating country for Azerbaijan particularly in the field of military cooperation be tween the two countries it is pertinent to cite a state ment of a Member of the Azerbaijani national Assembly, tahir Rzayev who commented on india’s arms sales to Armenia, if Armenia has india, Azer baijan has Pakistan ” this statement helps to analyze the existing relations

We know India has an expansionist approach but I thought this approach would remain within the region I believe Pakistan must keep an eye on the entrance of India in the guise of Aatma Nirbhar as far as in the Caucasian region with military hardware offers

Another political scientist and journalist Sey m u r M a m m a d o v w r o t e r e c e n t l y a n a r t i c l e t i t l e d “ B l o c k a d e o f A z e r b a i j a n b y i n d i a i n B R i C S ” i n which he maintained that india’s blockade of Azer baijan to BRiCS is for two reasons first it does not w a n t a n y c o u n t r y c l o s e t o P a k i s t a n i n t h i s g r o u p a n d t h e s e c o n d r e a s o n i s t h a t tu r k e y P a k i s t a n Azerbaijan military alliance is something that hurts india China is already in BRiCS and to push the dragon out of BRiCS is impossible for new delhi but it can block those countries entry into BRiCS

We remember that the Armenian national Secu rity Service at the height of the 44 day patriotic war alleged “someone from outside the region” had been fighting against Armenia on the ground and indian media reproduced news items that this someone from outside the region” is Pakistan i can say Ar menian national Security Service and indian media collaborated on this issue without creating diplo matic problems for Armenia by directly naming Pak istan While Armenian media was constantly accusing turkey of transferring militants from the Middle east to the conflict zone Armenia also claimed that Azerbaijan and turkey were recruiting Syrian soldiers to Karabakh the question is why india and Armenia are col laborating so closely india has cordial diplomatic rela tions with Baku and both have a high trade level an nual Azerbaijan export to india is expected to pass $1 5 billion million by the end of 2022 as it has already surpassed the figure of US$ 1,429 million from January to September 2022 in 2020 Azerbaijan ex ported $458 million to india the main products were crude petroleum ($453 millin), Halogens ($3 14M), and Spices ($622k) during the last 25 years the exports of Azerbaijan to india have increased from $60 3k in 1995 to $1 000 million plus in 2022 Azerbaijan has been very friendly with india though having rela tions with Pakistan but Azerbaijani media covers india positively i am sur prised what has triggered india to stand blatantly with Armenia is beyond any iota of doubt an aggressor in the region Being a student of diplomacy, i need to figure out what india has in mind while intervening in a faraway region where it had no military interests in the past We know india has an expansionist approach but i thought this approach would remain within the re gion i believe Pakistan must keep an eye on the en trance of india in the guise of Aatma nirbhar as far as in the Caucasian region with military hardware offers

The writer Shazia Cheema is an analyst writing for national and international media outlets She heads the DND Thought Center She did her MA in Cognitive Semiotics from Aarhus University Den mark and is currently registered as a Ph D Scholar of Semiotics and Philosophy of Communication at Charles University Prague

7 c o v e r e d i n c l o u d s o f f a i l u r e

United nations Climate summits are held an nually to concur on the steps the world bell wethers can take to inhibit the ascension in earth's temperature the earth's temperature has risen 1 1°C and is heading towards 1 5°C if the temperature rises that much it will have a colossal impact on every aspect of human life in 2014, 194 coun tries signed the Paris Climate Agreement to constrain temperatures under 1 5°C this year s COP27 confer ence in egypt is consequential in many ways because countries such as Pakistan faced massive climate in duced disasters which have decimated the economy peo ple, and infrastructure the world is facing an energy crisis due to the Ukraine crisis there is no visible way to attain climate goals except nuclear energy because things are getting out of hand, and countries are moving towards failure in this situation the goal of keeping the temperature rise to under 1 5°C seems unattainable Countries that pledged to inhibit their emissions did not do so the world has already become 1 2°C sultrier than the pre in dustrial level Furthermore, the impact of Greenhouse gases remains for a long time Consequently, it seems in feasible to procure the goal of constraining the temper ature rise to under 1 5°C this goal of cutting emissions doesn't seem facile and needs massive investment Ac cording to one estimate the world will require $1 trillion invested annually to procure the Paris Climate Agree ment goal to procure the goal of the Paris Climate Agreement utilizing nuclear power is very eminent in its reports, the interGovernmental Panel on Climate Change verbal

ized using proven technology to limit temperature rises to under 1 5°C nuclear energy is the only power source that can perpetuate energy without disruption it is the cleanest proven source of power the world has right now the US and France are getting 20 percent and 70 percent of their energy from nuclear power, respectively Scientists at the Massachu setts institute of technology experimented on 1000 scenar ios that can be acclimated to provide clean energy to the USA the purest and most re liable source of potency was nuclear technology Further more, nuclear power plants need less space than wind and solar power plants and en gender energy more effi ciently than them However, nuclear power has so many stigmas affixed to it due to accidents such as three Mile island Cher nobyl, and Fukushima, the world bellwethers are reluc tant to utilize the full power of nuclear energy in addi tion, these accidents can transpire; however the focus should be on finding the so lution to these quandaries, not consummately ignoring its efficacy in addition, if we study the deaths caused per unit of electricity, nuclear technology causes 0 007 deaths com pared to 24 6 of coal 18 4 of oil 4 6 of biomass and 2 8

The world will fail to achieve the target of circumscribing temperature increases under 1.5°C, which will have devastating consequences for the developing world However, adopting nuclear technology still presents countries with hope if significant powers decide to cooperate

of gas if the world leaders did not adopt the proven nu clear technology out of trepidation, an thu fail to to ab breviate greenhouse gas emissions more people would die, especially in developing countries Research from Climate impact Lab illustrated that people in low income countries would become victims of climate change more than those of more affluent countries According to its re cent report, even if countries meet their Pairs Climate Agreement pledges, in the cities like Faisalabad in Pak istan, the yearly all cause death rate could increase by 67 deaths per 100,000 Furthermore, the world will always need more elec tricity in the future because temperatures will increase due to climate change in this sce nario, people will be stuck in a cyclic process in which they will utilize more electricity to keep themselves cool, which will further deteriorate the cli mate if we do not find a way to provide electricity from ex cellent nuclear resources ergo, world leaders, and com panies need to find a solution to the quandaries cognate to nuclear technology

Companies like terra power are endeavoring to build next Generation nuclear reactors Utilizing the Super Computer simulation, they produced a model of a nuclear reactor that engenders less atomic waste and can additionally work on the waste of other nuclear reactors Furthermore, they build it under ground, which can avert it from attacks, and radioactive

material is stored in pins that expand if it overheats, which slow downs nuclear reaction these innovative solutions are the desideratum of the hour the non Pro liferation treaty also emphasizes using placid nuclear technology; however this seems arduous in the current multi spectrum geopolitical environment the Russia Ukraine war will also impact the devel opment of nuclear power reactors Russia is developing more nuclear reactors worldwide, and China is following it due to the current geopolitical competition, the USA would not help Russia and China to build nuclear reac tors and develop a cognition of dependency in other countries Furthermore, significant powers must coop erate for the peaceful spread of atomic energy the world will fail to achieve the target of circum scribing temperature increases under 1 5 C, which will have devastating consequences for the developing world However, adopting nuclear technology still presents countries with hope if significant powers decide to co operate

The writer is Research Officer at CISS, AJK He tweets @zohaib24hdj

Yousaf Nizami Editor

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

M A Niazi Joint Editor

Umar Aziz Executive Editor Aziz ud Din Ahmad Joint Editor

I n t o t h e t h i c k c l o u d s

TOdAy, every nook and corner of a workplace; in the side lanes of a mar ketplace where sales activity is slack; for obvious reasons; human voices are abuzz like working honey bees they are discussing what can be called a position of political suspense everyone is keeping his cards close to his chest; whether it is a property decision, marriage of a kid or a new business the reason being ex treme political uncertainty into which the coun try has been plagued since the start of the current calendar year the reason being a clash of egos; personal as well as institutiona,l which have held the whole country for almost any year the sor riest part of that stalemate has been that there is simply no effort made by any of the stakeholders to arrest the trend it looks like the political quagmire is like the giant deg (utensil for cook ing) where every personality, every institution is trying to put its share of pulses, spices, water and other ingredients so that the final dish the Haleem, has the best flavour

From unusual press conferences from the most elusive government paid employees to the towering political personalities, not to ignore the top bosses of the top institutions, no one is in terested in arresting the destructive trends; which seems to have held the society, individual lives and even professional human beings hostage Pakistan despite its history of dictatorship and autocracy, had not among its media count jour nalists; who were killed unceremoniously and rather in a gruesome way the divisions within the fourth pillar of so ciety are glaring if one pack of journalists have nothing but to praise the leader whose brand managers they are; the other band might be doing the established order or the established order s favourite boy s bid Many journalists might have known the CiA, KGB, Mossad and SAVAK stories of political detainees’ nails being torn out of their limbs and must have read many stories as part of their self education However, today Pakistan is witness to the spectacle where one band of insensitive media has the gall to show to the prime time audience things, which many journalists might have only read, but not experienced

Obviously, the big question is where the country is heading from here the question is alarming on the count that there is no effort on part of the institutions to arrive at any point of agreement and accordingly follow the agreed path the constitution and the rules of business of Parliament allow forums of debate between the political and military leadership to sort out things; take decisions in a professional manner as should be the protocol and culture of a mature polity or democracy However, unfortunately Pakistan has ceased to be a mature polity any more instead of the fact that each institution comes out clean with the culture of clean infor mation for the perusal of its prime stakeholders;

the people of Pakistan; it is a guessing game all the way round When the beleaguered common person joins the nodes or the dots, the picture that emerges is too graphic to be digested easily the so called professional level appoint ment in Pakistan has been inflated almost to the level of elevation of a monarch in a primitive land in the distant past Practically for any one trying to analyze the situation objectively it lead to wonder, if that appointment was so important to justify a political game back in April; or to corner a political trend consequently Apparently, today many people have the false belief that Pakistan is on the edge of a rev olution Pakistani ground facts support that feel ing as the situation on every front; be it economic, diplomatic or social; is ripe for a change of basic rules of business terms of ref erence etc

However, the wheeling and dealing which can at most qualify as palace conspiracy is being marketed as revolution in the making talks with lower tiers of the deep state points to a dichotomy between the leadership and the human fodder; the masses the party out in the wilderness might have the reason for chanting a flowery slogan of rev olution; but for the top leadership it is a pure bid to get into the corri dors of power that has been the precise reason that the party of revolu tion has not vacated many key posts it continues to be bluffed by its so called supporters in the right places however it is not ready to create a dis tance with them and look for the real revolu tion it is because it never wanted a revolu tion; but a piece of priv ilege in the bread held hostage by the estab lished order and its cronies Practically no one is thinking for the common person

The new Pakistan; much abused and hijacked by the established order and its propped up groups, now and then needs a new cadre; something like the Turkish and Iranian experiences; evolutionary and revolutionary. Old Pakistan, emanating from Clifton, Model Town or Zaman Park simply does not have the capacity to meet the challenges Conclusively, Pakistan is being taken for a ride once again It is high time that the competent and pious claim their rightful place in the affairs of the society

As things have transpired; a person’s appointment was the bone of contention when revolutionary politicians were in power in islamabad and the same is now when the other band of revolutionaries now control the affairs of the state! these mysterious men on horseback all dress up in green headgear to hide their cruel faces; alas!

Matching that opportunism on part of the po litical forces who hope to be established order favourites in the coming farce of elections or the ones posing as revolutionaries but actually trying

to have a share in the bread referred to above the recent decimation of humans professionals through murder, either economic or actual, cre ates a strong impression that the political forces have opportunistic goals Whether it is PPP PML(n) coalition using the slain journalist issue for settling scores with the established order; or the Pti making use of the murder for their own petty political ends; no one is thinking of what the common person is thinking the common person is fed up with the Games of thrones and wants a real change However, unfortunately, the coalition ruling the country does not want this; nor do the revolu tionaries standing outside have any intention to do that the fourth pillar of state, which derives much of its strength from the people's approval is bewildered it is keeping a profile above any political like or dislike; though that pillar is reg ularly hounded by embedded journalists; who feel that this or that leader has the capacity to take the country out of the quagmire the fact of the matter is that the people need to look through the hap penings and decide for themselves if they want to be the pawns in the established order games or want to tread the path based on their own senses of deduc tion towards that end; a long term and short of education of masses is imperative What is going to be settled in a few weeks with ani mated performances by all the actors, are not going to solve the pressing problems the country faces; espe cially its efficient mid dle income groups and budding youthful pop ulation the two a b o v e m e n t i o n e d groups do not need yet another round of musi cal chairs the new Pakistan; much abused and hi jacked by the estab lished order and its propped up groups, now and then needs a new cadre; something like the turkish and iran ian experiences; evolutionary and revolutionary Old Pakistan, emanating from Clifton, Model town or Zaman Park simply does not have the capacity to meet the challenges Conclusively, Pakistan is being taken for a ride once again it is high time that the competent and pious claim their rightful place in the affairs of the society

The writer is a freelance columnist

Teen Drug Addiction

tHeRe is a rise in the number of drug addicts in the country Unfortunately, most of them happen to be teenagers it all starts with smoking According to reports nine out of 10 adults who smoke cigarettes daily first tried smok ing by age 18 With an increasing number of flavours and options available in vapes and e cigarettes, youngsters are inclined to use these products even more One of the main causes of drug use among teenagers is peer pressure youngsters post their pictures on social media using these substances, which encourages, even compels, others to try them as well trying to fit in among the cool squad they fall prey to drug addiction before they even realise in addition to peer pressure, lack of social skills as well as cultural and social influences are also important factors teenagers use recreational drugs to lighten their worries and take some time off it begins as a naive attempt but soon turns into a fatal habit Overdose of certain drugs can also lead to death if someone is suspected of having fallen in the drug trap, those around the individual must try to be helpful tactfully and then do their best to be supportive during the withdrawal phase of addiction

MARYUM NUSRAT KARACHI

Cit y that it was

tHe civic conditions have become pathetic in the ancient city of Jhelum it is quite disappointing for me, as i have wonderfully nostalgic memories of my birthplace, where we lived till 1957 the house given to my father by his employers, the Pakistan Railways, had a huge orchard it comprised a large variety of fruit trees, including pomelo (chakotra), which has now become extinct in Pakistan it used to be a large sized grapefruit but red from the in side when ripe A creeper of white roses around a tall tree greeted the visitors at entrance through the wooden gate, which could be conveniently opened from the outside as there were no security issues at the time the town has historic importance as the first encounter between Alexan der the Great and indian Raja Porus took place on the banks of Jhelum River in 326BC Porus surrendered to Alexander despite his large army and 200 bat tle trained elephants When asked by Alexander how he wished to be treated, Porus famously replied, treat me as a king would treat another king im pressed Alexander treated him with dignity the Railway Colony in Jhelum is located on a hillock According to grapevine, the mound had come into ex istence due to the fallen temporary houses meant for Alexander s troops At the base of the colony an old man used to live in a mud house who possessed a collection of ancient coins dug out by him over the years in those days, the Jhelum River was a spectacular sight and visitors to its banks had a great time interacting with serenity especially in the mornings when the fresh and cool breeze attracted a large number of ‘walkers’ the civil administration and other bodies concerned should restore the glory of Jhelum so that people may again be able to enjoy the sounds and sights of a great city

PARVEZ RAHIM KARACHI

Abhorrent VIP Culture

tHe recent delay in release of salaries of public servants in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) exhibits the alarming situation which the province might face in the coming months KP outrightly failed in managing its expenses On the one hand, the political class has its own patterns of behaviour, while, on the other, the senior bureaucracy seems to be interested in carving out more administrative units so that they may get new fiefdoms to rule over the chief interest of the bureaucracy lies in obtaining more perks and privileges out of an economy that is already struggling the executive al lowance is a glaring example of such benefits the superior services were cre ated by the imperial power to raise a class of natives that may help them in keeping the subjects under control even after a passage of 75 years, we dearly cherish their legacies that were only exploitative in nature things get worse owing to the bloated size of the government machinery which is becoming difficult to manage Moreover, providing every officer with trappings, such as gas guzzling SUVs and pickup trucks or daalas in common parlance along with heavily armed guards in full battle gear has already exacerbated the financial situation Besides the administrative services, the provincial po lice department has a track record that can be easily rated way below zero in my opinion, there is no need for the police department as half of the policemen are deployed around the families of the well connected ones, while the other half is out there to extort money from law abiding citizens in addition to these issues the KP police department within a few years has raised new squads that have no role in the prevention of crime these squads, which often have fancy names, can only be spotted in pickup trucks or security details of again the well connected people the police department, in fact, should be disbanded to save the taxpayers’ precious money these colourful security squads are nothing but a burden on the provincial treasury Last but not least the culture of disgusting government car number plates, which is a symbol of privilege in our society, also adds to discontent in what happens to be a highly fragmented society We are already in a self destruction mode We still have a room to atone for our past’s ill conceived decisions, which actually were decisions conceived without con science Otherwise, chaos and anarchy are knocking right at our doors and we are only a step away from system collapse

HAIDER ALI PESHAWAR

Proper Identification

After four long years, Pakistan has earned freedom from the shackles of the Financial Action task Force (FAtF) the real challenge now is to keep the current status unchanged the major responsibility rests with banks in Pak istan when it comes to following the anti money laundering and counter fi nancing of terrorism (AML/CFt) guidelines to fend off money laundering, at the time of opening a bank account the Know your Customer (KyC) form is mandatory regarding the evidence of the source of income despite using modern software systems, banks fail to prevent money laundering the flaws that had landed Pakistan in hot soup deserve serious consideration by the bank ing industry As fintech platforms flourish, banks need to be more vigilant to avoid dirty money in their institutions Often, banks demand the production of the original identity card and there are times when they keep a copy of it before completing a transaction the funny thing is that no authentication is done in such cases with the national database and Registration Authority (nadra) por tal if someone is, say, an absconder, the CniC is blocked by courts or law en forcement agencies, but the bank will still complete the transaction simply on the basis of the original card

TAHA SOOMRO KARACHI

akbar

WhO's gOing tO stOp the madness Of extremist ministers Of next israeli gOvernment?

Ra am parties in last week s election

BEN GVIR HAS FREQUENTLY DESECRATED AL AQSA MOSQUE ALONG WITH HIS SUPPORTERS AND CARRIED OUT JEWISH RITUALS, WHICH ARE BANNED BY THE ISRAELI LAW

aS Benjamin netanyahu the head of the largest right wing Israeli party Likud, is going to form the most right wing government the country has ever had, expectations are rising that he will give influential minis terial portfolios to far right Ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich

Prior to his victory and during his elec toral campaign Ben Gvir told his supporters that he was eyeing the ministry of public se

curity, which oversees internal security, in cluding the security of prisons, where Pales tinian resistance fighters are serving long sentences in inhumane conditions now, according to the Israeli media, he is seeking to get become minister of educa tion and give his ally, the extremist Smotrich, the ministry of defence If this happens Amos Harel of Haaretz said it "will have significant impact on the ground " Harel, who is a leading Israeli reporter and analyst of military and security issues stated that Smotrich "will be an integral part of the next netanyahu government While these two extremist far right Is raeli Jewish politicians are becoming senior officials with extremist and racist goals at the top of their agenda who will be able to deal with them, deter their racist ambitions or rein in their madness

In an article published in Israel Hayom Ben Gvir attempted to lower his extremist tone He compared his past and current views and explained how he changed but in

the same article he wrote: "I don t plan to apologise for who I am, but I think that if you get to know me you will change your views about me and my positions For too long too many Israelis have been afraid of enemies from within and without no more!"

During his electoral campaign, Ben Gvir said he would seek to ease the Israeli occu pation army's rules of engagement to allow Israeli soldiers "to more easily shoot to kill Palestinian suspects, the Times of Israel re ported adding that Smotrich has cam paigned for the same thing

As he was leaving the Office if the Prime Minister Yair Lapid who lost the post in the election lamented the defeat of the left wing parties in Israel, saying: "After a loss in the elections there is always fallout there is always anger It s human and understand able, but we have a much more important mission We must join forces in the fight for our beloved country In the Knesset, in the streets, in all possible arenas " Lapid knows very well how such far

right religious politicians are harming the country s governability as well as public re lations in the international arenas So he has already started to mobilise power, seeking allies to form a strong united opposition aimed at restoring the power of the left

In an event held in memory of late ex t r e m i s t U S b o r n R a b b i M e i r K a h a n e , w h o s e e x t r e m i s t f o l l o w e r s h a v e a t t a c k e d a n d s o m e t i m e s k i l l e d b o t h I s r a e l i s a n d A r a b s , B e n G v i r h a i l e d t h e c o n t r o v e r s i a l f i g u r e w h o s e o rg a n i s a t i o n h a s b e e n l a belled terrorists by the US, and defended h i s v i e w s a s h e i n s i s t e d t h a t u l t i m a t e l y Rabbi Kahane was about love Love for Is r a e l w i t h o u t c o m p r o m i s e , w i t h o u t a n y other consideration "

Speaking at the same event another far right Israeli Jewish activist, Baruch Marzel, who was a former political partner of Ben Gvir said: "nothing will stop unless we drain the swamp," reinforcing a previous call to expel the over 300,000 Palestinian citi zens of Israel who voted for the Balad and

During the meeting with Israeli Presi dent Issac Herzog, Ben Gvir said he was cer tain that if I speak with the world, they will realise and acknowledge that I don't make generalisations against all Arabs " He was also reported by Israeli media saying that he had "started to meet with diplomats and will work to explain the positions of Otzma Yehudit around the world, in reference to his political party

If Ben Gvir is handed the Ministry of Public Security, he will have control over law enforcement on Al Aqsa Mosque where extremist Israeli settlers and officials, includ ing him, have been seeking a change to the status quo at the expense of Muslim rights Ben Gvir has frequently desecrated Al Aqsa Mosque along with his supporters and carried out Jewish rituals which are banned by the Israeli law He has a long history of inciting violence and seeking the deportation of Palestinians from their homes in the Palestinian neighbourhoods in the vicinities of the Muslim holy site Who will deter him and stop his mad ness when he becomes a senior government official with immense power? Who will stop him ordering Israeli police to shoot to kill Palestinians?

Guardian S a r a h b o S e l e y

tHE modern sweet shop has long removed from its window the screw top glass jars full of gobstoppers and lemon sherbets that used to tempt kids to spend their pocket money on the way home from school Instead, there is an array of slim boxes in a rainbow of bright colours “Banana ice”, “pink lemonade”, “blueberry sour rasp berry”, “cotton candy ice”, they are labelled

The jewelled boxes contain Elf bars: disposable e cigarettes The rules say they are for adults only Under 18s are not allowed to buy them, even if they wander in to look at the confectionery that is also for sale in some of these shops But everyone knows the pretty toys also end up in the hands of children, who may even have learned how to use them from influencers on Tik Tok

It’s hugely alarming for the parents of teenage kids who catch a whiff of strawberry in the bedroom They might in the past not have known that their child was experimenting with a scrounged fag behind the bike sheds after school Smoking was once so widespread that it would be a rare child who didn’t take a puff at some point, hopefully choking on the fumes and never touching a cigarette again

Overall smoking rates in the UK have come down massively: fewer than 15% of adults today say they smoke, down from a peak of more than 45% during the 1970s This is thanks to the long and hard fought war on tobacco But in recent years, many experts in the UK argue that e cigarettes have played a part in that victory, providing the addict with the nicotine hit without the deadly tar

Others, especially in the United States, say they are the devil s handiwork hooking kids on nicotine ex posing them to harmful chemicals and potentially routeing them back to tobacco in the long term The eagerness with which the Big Tobacco companies have moved into e cigarette manufacture, as their markets in rich countries stall, only supports that belief

The transatlantic schism over vaping and health s p a r k e d b y t h e a

the San Francisco

as California, have been hurling every legal and financial penalty they can find at Juul whose USB stick sized e cigarettes, launched in 2015, have taken off among young people

There have been stories of high school epidemics with waves of flavoured vapour emanating from bags in the back row of class Juul agreed in September to

pay $440m to 33 US states following two years of in vestigations into its marketing practices The company was accused of deliberately targeting young people with launch parties and social media advertising At the time, it had already removed fruit and candy flavours from its range

In the UK, however, the government broadly ac cepts the advice from Public Health England, now the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, that va ping is very much less harmful than smoking fa mously it said 95% less and is a useful tool for those who want to quit The nHS encourages smokers to try vaping instead, wherever it can, though it is handi capped by the absence of a medically licensed e ciga rette

These health experts want to focus on the large numbers of middle aged people with a smoking habit that is likely to kill them, many of them in deprived areas of the country Almost 6 million people in Eng land still smoke A quarter of all deaths from cancer are smoking related In June, Dr Javed Khan, former Barnardo’s head published a review commissioned by the (then) health secretary, Sajid Javid, into what should be done to make smoking obsolete His third recom mendation was “promote vaping” More than half 57% of adult vapers in the UK are ex smokers, says campaign group ASH (Action on Smoking and Health)

But the underage kids using disposable vapes from Elf Bar and Geek Bar, made in Shenzhen, China, and available online as well as in the stores, present a dis tressing problem because nobody wants kids to get addicted to nicotine and also a diversion of energy and resources from the vital battle against tobacco ASH s data says 83% of 11 17s have never tried an e cigarette, but this year 7% said they were currently va ping, which is up from 4% in 2020 Recent analysis of data from the US by researchers from San Francisco and Massachusetts general hospital suggests kids first try e cigarettes on average at the age of 13 and one in 10 of those who vape puff on it just after waking up

How to solve this? It’s hugely difficult, not helped by entrenched positions on the use and misuse of vapes What we surely need though is a clampdown on the advertising and marketing of e cigarettes that are at tractive to young people We have cigarettes in plain packages why not extend that to all nicotine products?

Bin the pretty boxes and sweet flavours We also need the existing rules on sales and marketing to children to be policed Local authorities have too much to do with too little money They are too cash strapped to ensure shops don’t sell to under 18s It is time, as campaigners such as Action on Smoking and Health and Cancer Re search UK have been saying, and Khan recommended to the government, for a windfall tax on the tobacco companies The polluter must pay

S a r a h B o s e l e y i s t h e G u a rd i a n ’ s f o r m e r h e a l t h e d i t o r

On October 9, the new Indian Express reported a significant piece of news: the Committee of Parliament on Official Language headed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah had recom mended that the medium of instruction in higher educational institutions, including Central univer sities, should mandatorily be Hindi Use of Hindi as medium of instruction and other ac tivities should be Hindi in all technical and non technical institutions in the country and use of English should be made optional the report said

Just as drastically, the committee recommended that government entrance exams which are now conducted in both Hindi and English should drop English It is mandatory to work in Hindi in the institutions of the Gov ernment of India,” the report argued “In such a situation, the necessity of knowledge of Hindi is important at the time of selection of employees Therefore, the committee recommends that the knowledge of Hindi should be en sured for the selection of employees

ECHOES FROM THE PAST

In the 1960s, the Committee of Parliament on Offi cial Language was a part of the compromise that ex tended the lifetime of English as an official language of the Union government beyond the original 15 year limit decided by the Constituent Assembly

While English was retained in response to wide spread agitations in mainly Tamil nadu, as a concession to Hindi speakers, the committee would continue to steadily push the use of Hindi in government sectors Set up by the Union Home Ministry, the committee would consist of 20 Lok Sabha members and 10 Rajya Sabha members and would “review the progress made in the use of Hindi for the official purposes of the Union”

Like in the 1960s, today s Hindi push from Delhi has also angered the Southern states The chief minister of Tamil nadu bluntly described the committee’s recom mendation as the start of a language war

BJP’S ELECTORAL CALCULUS

THE

Given the sharp reactions in states such as Tamil nadu, what explains the BJP s sharp push for the Hindi language? The answer might lie in a mixture of votes ideology and jobs

The BJP, even after its expansion in the Modi era, is a party whose principal strength lies in the Hindi belt In the 2109 Lok Sabha election, the saffron party won nearly 60% of its seats from the Hindi belt This skew is not unique in modern Indian history In its heyday the Congress too had its core in the Hindi belt (although its geographical spread was relatively more balanced than the BJP) The size and politico cultural contiguity of the Hindi belt means that for a party to be dominant at the Centre, it must be popular among the Indian Union’s Hindi speakers

Thus, like the Congress before it, the BJP has a strong incentive to push Hindi to remain the pole of Indian pol itics To this electoral factor is added the BJP s Hindutva ideology, which imagines a uniform, European style na tionhood that requires a single language as a necessary

condition for state formation In fact, one of Hindutva’s prominent slogans in the early years of independent India was Hindi Hindu Hindustan

A HUnT FOR JOBS

A third factor, however, might be the most powerful A push towards language identity in the context of India is not simply a theatre of identity politics: it is a play for jobs Language, via exams, education and the written lan guage of an office is a powerful tool to both include as well as exclude communities

This battle was first seen in the Constituent Assem bly as Hindi was sought to be pushed as a national lan guage The move alarmed politicians from the coastal states, who had till then dominated the bureaucracy of the Raj As historian Joya Chatterji put it the assault on English as a language of government threatened one of the few remaining weapons in the much depleted ar moury which Bengal s bhadralok still possessed While the Constituent Assembly eventually decided to keep both Hindi and English as official languages, this only served to delay the outcome which had so alarmed non Hindi speakers in the Constituent Assembly In 2018, for example, 60% of central civil service entrants were Hindi speakers an incredible change from 1947, where coastal states had dominated the upper bureaucracy

ADVANTAGING HINDI

T h i s i s n o t t h e o n l y e x a m p l e T h e s p e c i a l s t a t u s g i v e n t o H i n d i i n a n u m b e r o f c e n t r a l e x a m s h a s r e s u l t e d i n a m a j o r a d v a n t a g e t o H i n d i s p e a k e r s a f a cility rarely available to people from non Hindi states F o r e x a m p l e , t h e C o m b i n e d G r a d u a t e L e v e l E x a m i n a t i o n f o r G r o u p B a n d C o ff i c e r s i n t h e U n i o n g o v e r n m e n t i s c o n d u c t e d o n l y i n H i n d i a n d E n g l i s h E v e r y y e a r t h e e x a m i s t a k e n b y m i l l i o n s o f I n d i a n s b u t o n l y H i n d i s p e a k e r s c a n t a k e i t i n t h e i r m o t h e r t o n g u e , g i v i n g t h e m a n a d v a n t a g e u n a v a i l a b l e t o c a n d i d a t e s f r o m o t h e r s t a t e s

The BJP’s strong push for even more Hindi in gov ernment jobs and educational institutions reinforces this trend attempting to shut out non Hindi speakers from lu crative government jobs and creating an easier path for Hindi speakers

Why is this happening now? Part of the reason is the pull factor of the approaching 2024 Lok Sabha elec tions But also important is the dire employment situa tion in the Hindi belt The year started with job riots in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, with angry young men attack ing trains and setting them afire Later in October, a state government exam in Uttar Pradesh was in the headlines as the number of candidates was so great, at 37 lakhs, trains were overwhelmed in the state Viral images of impossibly packed bogies and stations circu lated on the Internet

The number of jobs the Modi government’s Hindi push will create will be small In fact it might not even create any by the 2024 elections But the party will be hoping they can help offer a glimmer of hope to angry youth in the Hindi states Unfortunately they will also simultaneously anger states in the South, whose chief ministers have already started demanding that their lan guages too get representation in Central government jobs on par with Hindi

Middle eaSt Monitor M ota S e M a Da l l o u l

corporate corner

CdA huddle mulls introduction of intelligent traffic system in capital

ISLAMABAD: A meeting regarding the introduction of intelligent traffic system in Islamabad was held under the chairmanship of Capt (r) Muhammad Usman Younis, Chairman Capital Development Authority on Saturday

The meeting was attended by Member Engineering, Member Planning, Deputy Commissioner Islamabad, SSP Traffic and other officers of CDA In the meeting, a presentation was given on the intelligent transportation system by the students of NUST University It is pertinent to mention here that after the video of NUST University students regarding shifting traffic signals to automatic traffic system in Islamabad went viral on social media The CDA chairman called these students to CDA headquarters and take presentation from them so that the results can be reviewed and improved in real time In this regard, Chairman CDA was briefed that this system will be camera based and cameras will be installed at each signal which will automatically turn green or red by monitoring the traffic volume with the help of these cameras Similarly, when the traffic pressure is high, this system will automatically shift to green color so that more traffic can pass and citizens do not face problems like traffic jam pr

FBR clarifies present policy based on direct tax dominated system

ISLAMABAD: While Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) appreciates and acknowledges the importance of direct taxes and income tax as highlighted by the authors in news item captioned Dismal Income Tax Collection , published in a section of press on November 11, 2022, it is clarified that the present policy of FBR and the Federal Government is also based on direct tax dominated system i e the principle of equity where tax contribution is proportional to “ability to pay” As a result, direct taxes collection continue to register steady growth and during the first four months of the current year direct taxes/income tax have risen to 886 billion which is 41% higher than the direct tax inflows during the same period last year It is also mentioned that there is a shift in the tax mix and the ratio of direct tax to indirect tax is also increasing Resultantly, during first four months of the current year, percentage contribution of direct taxes in overall revenue has increased to more than 41% for the first time in a decade, as against 36 39% in the past few years as has also been quoted by the authors Although, FBR does not agree with the notion that withholding taxes are collected in indirect mode, FBR, during the last few years, has adopted the policy of reducing withholding tax provisions and introducing measures which directly target the rich Even, during the current year’s budget, maximum amendments were introduced regarding direct taxes These amendments were aimed at taxing affluent and wealthy class by including provisions such as super tax, CVT on foreign assets, deemed rental income on the assets of the rich and higher rates for companies earning high profits such as banks These provisions alone have a revenue impact of approximately Rs250 billion At the same time certain withholding tax provisions were eliminated and consequently, the percentage contribution of withholding taxes in direct taxes has also been reduced to 65 8% during first four months from 67 15% during corresponding period of the previous year pr

AIG police conducts inspection of various police stations

ClImAte ChAnGe ReAChed CRItICAl

InFleCtIon poInt FoR woRld:

islamabad s ta f f r e p o r t

sE N AT O R M u s h a h i d H u s s a i n S y e d c h a i r m a n o f t h e S t a n d i n g C o m m i t t e e o n D e f e n c e , o b s e r v e d t h a t t h e f l o o d s t h a t d e v a s t a t e d t h e c o u n t r y i n s u m m e r w a s a n i n f l e x i o n p o i n t f o r P a k i s t a n a s w e l l a s t h e e n t i r e w o r l d

S p e a k i n g d u r i n g a p a n e l d i s c u s s i o n t i t l e d I s A d a p t a t i o n T h e N e w

C l i m a t e N o r m a l ” h e l d i n P a k i s t a n P a v i l i o n a t t h e C O P 2 7 c l i m a t e c o n f e r e n c e i n E g y p t , S e n a t o r S y e d h i g h l i g h t e d t h a t c l i m a t e c h a n g e w a s a b o r d e r l e s s i s s u e , a p r e s s s t a t e m e n t s a i d

SKMT’s Dr Kh Shehr yar receives IHF Gold Award at 45th World Hospital Congress

islamabad

The management of the Shaukat Khanum Me morial Trust (SKMT) is pleased to announce that SKMT recently won Gold Award in the Sultanate of Oman Excellence Award category for Health Services During Crisis The Interna tional Hospital Federation (IHF) announced the winners on the 10th of November as part of IHF Awards 2022 ceremony at the 45th World Hospital Congress in Dubai The ceremony was attended by global hospital and healthcare

I D E A S 2022 to begin from Nov 15 at K arachi Expo Centre

Karachi p r

The 11th edition of Interna tional Defence Exhibition and Seminar (IDEAS 2022) is scheduled from 15 18 No vember 2022 at Karachi Expo Centre The event as per its tra ditions will showcase a num ber of splendid activities encompassing world’s advance defence technology demon strations, international semi nar, IDEAS Karachi Show, networking, and business ex

pansions through B2B and B2G engagements IDEAS 2022 will bring together de fence industries from across the globe to showcase their lat

ISLAMABAD: Following the special directives of Inspector Generalof Police (IGP) Islamabad Dr Akbar Nasir Khan, AIG General and DevelopmentMaria Mehmood visited various police stations regarding the inspection of policestations and obtained reports regarding administrative problems faced by policestations and reviewed the ongoing development works According to the details IGP Islamabad had issued special orders regarding theinspection of all police stations and other development works In this regardAIG General and Development visited rural zone police stations including PS Khanna,Koral, Lohi Bher, Sihala and Nilore The AIG conducted a complete inspection of the police stations and alsoreviewed the ongoing development works in them She also obtained reports fromthe concerned officers about the administrative problems faced in the policestations After that she will also visit all other police stations and a comprehensivereport will be submitted to IGP Islamabad for further orders IGP Islamabad hasgiven instructions that the development works started in various policestations should be completed on a priority basis No laxity will be toleratedin this regard pr

The National Security Policy was adopted in consultation with all stake holders and leading to a paradigm shift and redefinition of national security, he said Now, the focus is more towards human security environmental secu rity, livelihoods, health, population and education of the people

S e n a t o r S y e d c o m m e n d e d t h e s e c r e t a r y g e n e r a l o f t h e U n i t e d N a tions for becoming an advocate of cli m a t e j u s t i c e A t a g l o b a l l e v e l , h e d e m a n d e d t h e m a j o r p o w e r s s h o u l d

h i f t t h e i r f o c u s f r o m g e o p o l i t i c s t o humanitarian issues

Ke’s Roshni Bajis Building safer societies

Malir, Shah Faisal, Bin Qasim, Surjani, Orangi, and others Their intervention also enabled the conversion of almost 30,000 illegal connections to legalized, metered electricity users pr

S hif ting Alliances: Polic y challenges for US in S outh A sia

islamabad

M u s ta n s a r K l a s r a

US Foreign policy in South Asia mainly revolves around three key indi cators i e economy, security and issues pertaining to governance

One factor that kills the trustwor thy relationship between any two states is the abrupt shift in foreign policy The shift in favor of one state at the cost of others is not considered to be a sensible move in international arena That’s what US did in the last few years in South Asia

Pakistan and US has always re mained key partners at different levels of international politics Pakistan once enjoyed non NATO ally status in the aftermath of 9/11 However India US relations also kept on evolving increas ing concerns in Islamabad COM CASA and PECA agreements between India and US are two significant exam ples of their bilateral relations and shift in Foreign policy of US towards India

It is beyond doubt that alliance net works of the US is one of the most en during and highly successful element of its foreign policy, but in contempo rary world politics China challenge has created significant troubles for the US When it comes to South Asia, it is the established truth that India and Pak istan are two highly important rather

critical countries of South Asia

The US clear tilt towards India would not only create troubles for Pak istan but also for the US as well Unrest in Afghanistan, presence of terrorist or ganizations, China’s rise, issues with Iran are some of the challenges that the US may encounter Americans delicate dance with India will no longer be use ful to address all these above men tioned foreign policy challenges in South Asia One thing that is worth mentioning in the context of US and Pakistan relations is that the US needs to view Pakistan by the bilateral prism Looks like this angel is missing since the last 75 years

Emerging Indo US strategic cooper ation has significantly changed security and economic led architecture of South Asia China is actively pursuing its eco nomic goals across the region China’s active model of connectivity is over shadowing the US economic as well as security advantages in the region

The prime objective of the US in South Asia was always to exercise dominant role in the region but fault line of American policy experts for this region was that they were unsuccessful in formulation of uniform policy for the South Asian region where prism of strengthening of the bilateral relations was missing Americans are continu ously making this mistake even till

today Indo US cooperation is to con tain China; Pak US cooperation was al ways maintained under the context of Afghan conundrum The US needs to mitigate several challenges in this cru cial South Asian region A vital chal lenge in South Asia is the rise of China and its engagements with SAARC countries at different levels

China is enjoying healthy eco nomic and security relations with Pak istan and at the same time its continuous trade pattern with India de spite having border issues SCO is an other platform that is connecting almost all the South Asian nations in cluding Iran China is not letting any room free for US in the region US dis criminatory policies in South Asian re gion, in particular, for India and Pakistan is creating trust deficit for it in the region

Refugee crisis and unrest in Afghanistan is another policy chal lenge for the US On top of that the threat of terrorism and extremism is still very much alive despite of US two decades efforts in this regard

In the light of these challenges, marginalizing Pakistan in its foreign policy context can never be fruitful for the US in South Asia Islamabad and Washington both need to realize that peace and stability can never be achieved without building trust and

uniform policies for the region These adjustments and revival of trustworthy relationships on equal and bilateral lev els are badly needed for US to engage with nations of South Asia

Pakistan is the only country in the South Asian region that stood with the US against violence and militancy since 1947 In recent years despite tensions and misunderstandings both US and Pakistan found ways of cooperation and collaborations at different levels

In recent years as US China compe tition picked up, it also constrained rela tions of Pakistan with the United States There is still space for cooperation be tween Pakistan, America and China in Afghanistan Pakistan has lost its utility for the US as a mediator in Afghanistan

There is still an opportunity for Pakistan to cooperate in the US efforts to counter any potential resurgence of terrorism in the region Regional ri valry endures and taking on new di mensions Pakistan has always remained a key partner for US in all the domains i e trade security and educa tion Before shifting alliances, internal dynamics of South Asia are badly needed to be addressed by international community, in particular by China and the US collectively

The author is a PhD Scholar at the Area Study Centre, Quaid i

Uni

Referring to climate justice and cli mate financing he termed these two is sues as a priority and a collective re sponsibility towards humanity

Responding to a question on the political debate regarding the climate

crisis Senator Syed recalled his first public hearing of the climate commit tee in 2014 which he organised in the Parliament wherein he stressed re defining national security towards a people centric approach

Azam

versity Islamabad

K A r A c h I : Chairman NEPRA, Tauseef H Farooqi, commended the second cohort of KE’s Roshni Baji program for their contribution in promoting a culture of safety across Karachi s most densely populated neighborhoods These remarks were made during a meeting with the graduating batch held at KE’s Distribution Network Academy with Chief Distribution Officer, Amer Zia, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, Sadia Dada and Chief People Officer, Muhammad Rizwan Dalia Between the 2 cohorts, 100 women have been part of the Roshni Baji program since its inception in February 2021 The program was conceived to drive awareness among communities on the best practices for safe usage of electricity and its conservation and allow KE’s female customers in these areas who primarily reside at home access to the utility as well Through their efforts, these women have educated over 460,000 households to date across Lyari, Baldia, Korangi,

Supreme Court Bar Association President Abid Zuberi presents a bouquet to PPPP Women’s Wing President and MPA Faryal Talpur at her resident p r

est technological innovations A large number of senior civil and military delegations and trade visitors would also be witnessing IDEAS 2022

leaders, with Gold, Silver and Bronze Awards given in seven categories Established in 1929 the IHF is working towards improving quality of service delivery in international healthcare

UkraINe says West oN Way to ‘joINt vICtory’ after rUssIa retreat

kY I V said on Saturday that the West was on its way to joint victory over Moscow after Ukraine said it had wrested back Kherson, the first major urban hub to fall after Rus sia s invasion on February 24

London meanwhile said Russia’s “strategic fail ure” in the strategic Black Sea port city would sow doubt among the Russian public about the point of the war in Ukraine

There were very few who believed that Ukraine would survive,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said as he met US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on the sidelines of a Southeast Asian summit in Cambodia “This is coming, and our victory will be our joint victory a victory of all peace loving na tions across the world ”

Blinken hailed the “remarkable courage” of Ukraine s military and people and vowed that US sup port “will continue for as long as it takes” to defeat Russia The humiliating Russian retreat was a huge boost to Ukrainians after months of suffering

The secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council, Oleksiy Danilov, said the liberation of all annexed territories was just a matter of time

“We are not going to put anything on ice,” he said “We are not a freezer ”

The Ukrainian national anthem rang out in Kher son’s central square as a small crowd sang along while huddled around a bonfire a video published by Ukraine’s parliament on social media showed

“Special units are already in the city,” President

Countries request UN human rights debate on Iran: document

GENEVA R e u t e R s

Germany and Iceland submitted a request on Friday on behalf of dozens of countries to hold a special session at the UN Human Rights Council on the ongoing protests in Iran later this month, a document showed The request called for the session to address the deteriorating human rights situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran, especially with respect to women and children,” according to the letter signed by the two countries’ ambassadors Anti government demonstrations began in September after the death of a Kurdish woman, Mahsa Amini, who had been detained by morality police for allegedly flouting the Islamic Republic’s strict dress code imposed on women They have since grown into a popular revolt and rights groups say hundreds of protesters have been killed in the government crackdown The government has blamed Amini’s death on preexisting medical problems At least one third of the UN Human Rights Council s voting members supported the proposal, as is required for meetings outside of the body’s normal agenda, meaning its convening is a formality Dozens of others also signed up, the German diplomatic mission in Geneva said bringing the total number of backers to 44 It did not immediately provide the list The letter requested the meeting take place on November 24 Iran has opposed the convening of the meeting in private meetings, diplomats told Reuters Its diplomatic mission in Geneva did not respond to an emailed response for comment on the planned debate on Friday

Extraordinary victory

About 50 kilometres (30 miles) from Kherson, An driy Zholob, a commander of a medical unit, said they had been greeted by smiling faces and given embroi dered towels which we display on our vehicles”

“We see children running to meet us and greeting us,” Zholob told AFP

In the nearby region of Mykolaiv, which Russian forces have failed to capture despite months of attacks governor Vitaliy Kim said the entire region apart from the Kinburn Spit in the south had been returned to Ukrainian control

The US hailed Ukraine’s “extraordinary victory” in recapturing Kherson from the Russians on Saturday

“It’s a big moment and it’s due to the incredible tenacity and skill of the Ukrainians, backed by the re lentless and united support of the United States and our allies,” US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said Sat urday that Kherson could prompt ordinary Russians to question the war

“In February, Russia failed to take any of its major objectives except Kherson, Wallace said in a state ment “Now with that also being surrendered, ordinary people of Russia must surely ask themselves: ‘What was it all for?'”

Kuleba however warned that Kyiv still sees “Rus sia mobilising more conscripts and bringing more weapons to Ukraine” and called for the Western world’s continued support Ukrainian television back on

In Kherson, Kyiv’s forces reconnected the local television network to Ukrainian broadcasters after local media reported that retreating Russian forces blew up the television tower and energy facilities leav ing the city without power

Russia’s defence ministry said “more than 30,000 Russian servicemen about 5 000 pieces of hardware and military equipment and materiel have been withdrawn”

Kherson’s full recapture by Kyiv would be a po litical and symbolic blow to Putin and open a gateway for Ukraine’s forces to the entire Kherson region, with access to both the Black Sea in the west and Sea of Azov in the east

‘In tears’

In Ukraine s capital the news was met with joy Wrapped in flags, popping champagne corks and belting out the Ukrainian national anthem, residents of Kherson living in Kyiv gathered in the city’s central Maidan square to celebrate

I didn t believe it at first, I thought it was going to take weeks and months, a few hundred metres at a time, and now we see them arrive in Kherson in one day it s the best surprise said Artem Lukiv 41 a Kherson resident living in Kyiv

The Kremlin meanwhile insisted that Kherson was still part of Russia This is a subject of the Russian Fed eration There are no changes in this and there cannot be changes,” spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters

A full Ukrainian recapture of the Kherson region would disrupt a vital land bridge for Russia between its mainland and the Crimean peninsula which Moscow annexed from Ukraine in 2014

Kherson was one of four regions in Ukraine that Putin claimed to have annexed in September

S h a r p a t t a c k s o n Tr u m p f r o m R u p e r t M u r d o c h ’s n e w s o u t l e t s

YORK

Former president Donald Trump has taken some hits in the aftermath of the midterm elections, but the un kindest cuts may have come from a source that was once among his biggest backers the media empire of magnate Rupert Murdoch

The New York Post’s front cover on Thursday put Trump s face over the drawing of a boy from a well known nursery rhyme The headline: Trumpty Dumpty

“Don (who couldn’t build a wall) had a great fall can all of the GOP’s men put the party back to gether again?” the newspaper wrote

The Wall Street Journal s opin ion section ran a sharp editorial headlined, “Trump is the Republi can Party s Biggest Loser While Fox News’ biggest stars were rela tively quiet, the former president heard enough discouraging words to attack the network on social media

Trump was blamed for sup porting losing or underperforming candidates like Mehmet Oz in Pennsylvania Don Bolduc in New Hampshire and Blake Masters in Arizona which cost Republicans a chance to make big gains in the House and Senate, as many had

predicted

The Journal’s editorial men tioned each of those names and more, saying that Trump had “a per fect record of electoral defeat” since his victory over Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election

“Democrats succeeded again in making Trump a central campaign issue, and Mr Trump helped them do it the Journal said

The newspaper on Thursday also ran a guest column touting Florida Gov Ron DeSantis as an alternative to Trump for the 2024 presidential election, and an ex cerpt from former Vice President Mike Pence’s new book headlined, My last days with Donald Trump ”

On the Post’s website, veteran columnist John Podhoretz dubbed the former president “Toxic Trump ”

Podhoretz wrote that Trump was “the political equivalent of a can of Raid” and “perhaps the most profound vote repellent in modern American history ”

The Post ran an editorial urging DeSantis to run for president A day earlier, the newspaper ’s cover fea tured a triumphant picture of De Santis with the headline, “DeFuture ”

A spokesman for Murdoch’s News Corp said he had no com ment on the editorial choices It s not like the outlets have never crit icised Trump, but the tone and tim ing were noteworthy

Non Murdoch affiliated con servative figures and outlets took some shots at Trump The Wash ington Examiner wrote that Repub licans needed to choose between electoral success or Trump, while American Thinker said Trump is devolving into a permanent liabil ity, according to The Righting newsletter

Some Fox News stars tread lightly into the critical territory Jesse Watters talked Wednesday of a 2024 presidential election re match between Trump and Presi dent Joe Biden

“Does Trump win?” Watters said “I hope so I love the guy A week ago, I would have said slam dunk But after how last night shook out, I don’t know now De mocrats will walk over hot coals to vote against Trump, but will Re publicans do that to vote against Joe Biden?”

Another Fox host, Laura Ingra ham didn t mention Trump s name but said the populist movement is about ideas, not one person

Bahrain heads to polls without opposition candidates

Bahrainis headed to the polls Saturday but a ban on opposition candidates means the elections will bring no meaningful change despite a record number of people vying for seats, rights groups said

More than 330 candidates, including a record 73 women, are competing to join the 40 seat council of representatives the lower house of parliament that advises King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, who has ruled since his father died in March 1999

This is up from the 293 people including 41 women who ran for parliament in the last election in 2018

Lines formed outside some of the kingdom’s 55 polling stations before they opened at 8:00 am (0500 GMT)

Amina Issa, head of a polling station in Manama, said turnout was “intense since the first hours, and the numbers are steadily increasing”

But the country, ruled by a Sunni dynasty, has barred its two main opposition groups from fielding candidates the Shiite Al Wefaq and secular Waad parties which were dissolved in 2016 and 2017

This election will not introduce any change said Ali Abdulemam, a UK based Bahraini human rights activist “Without the opposition we will not have a healthy country,” he told AFP

The elections come more than a decade after a 2011 crackdown on Shiite led protesters demanding political reforms Since then, authorities have imprisoned hundreds of dissidents including Al Wefaq’s leader Sheikh Ali Salman and stripped many of their citizenship

Official websites hacked Amnesty International said this week elections would be held in an “environment of political repression”

A government spokesperson pushed back against that criticism on Saturday, saying in a statement that Bahrain was a “vibrant democracy”

The exercise of political rights in Bahrain is protected by the constitution, barring cases where nomination requirements are not met this is standard practice in all democratic countries, the spokesperson said

“Requirements include not having a criminal record or not belonging to a society dissolved due to their court proven involvement in acts of violence in contravention of legitimate political activity ”

The spokesperson added: The right to vote too is also a constitutional right, but not an obligation No one is penalised for choosing not to vote ”

A hacking operation on Friday targeted the official elections website as well as websites for parliament and the state news agency, though all three were restored by Saturday afternoon

The interior ministry said on Twitter the sites were targeted to hinder the elections and circulate negative messages in desperate attempts” to discourage voting The identity of the hackers was not immediately clear Nearly 350 000 people are eligible to vote Saturday Polling stations are due to close at 8:00 pm (1700 GMT)

“The atmosphere is good I didn’t wait in line for more than 10 minutes,” said Nouf Ibrahim, a mother of three in the capital Manama Justice Minister Nawaf bin Mohammed al Maawda said voting was running smoothly”

Strategic ally In 2018 Bahrain passed so called political and civil isolation laws, barring former opposition party members from running for parliament and sitting on the boards of civil organisations

Citing Bahraini civil society figures, Human Rights Watch in October said the retroactive bans have affected between 6,000 and 11,000 Bahraini citizens

The elections “offer little hope for any freer and fairer outcomes HRW said

The latest vote comes less than a week after Pope Francis concluded a landmark visit that aimed to promote interfaith dialogue his second to a Gulf nation following a 2019 trip to the United Arab Emirates

C h i n e s e p r e m i e r c a l l s f o r s t r e n g t h e n i n g C h i n a - A S E A N t i e s

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Friday at tended the 25th China ASEAN Summit during which he called for enhancing coop eration with ASEAN countries, and jointly maintaining regional peace and stability

Li said that in November last year, the two sides held a special summit to commem orate the 30th anniversary of China ASEAN dialogue relations and formally inaugurated a comprehensive strategic partnership

At that summit, Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed jointly building a peaceful, safe and secure prosperous beautiful and amicable home, he recalled

The regional and international environ ments are undergoing profound and complex changes with rising uncertainties and desta bilizing factors, he said

He said that China and ASEAN are comprehensive strategic partners with a

shared future, and have stood together through thick and thin “Picking sides should not have to be our choice Openness and cooperation are the viable way in meet ing our common challenges ”

China, he said, will continue to take ASEAN as a high priority in its neighbor hood diplomacy, and will all along support ASEAN’s community building as well as ASEAN centrality in East Asian coopera tion, he said China stands ready to work with ASEAN to stay focused on development and cooperation, and build a closer China ASEAN community with a shared future he added To this end, Li made a series of pro posals Both sides need to forge a stronger consensus on development cooperation and better synergize their development strate gies, he said, calling for improving the qual ity and efficiency of their practical cooperation China will set up a special loan on China ASEAN common development to

intensify cooperation on post pandemic re covery, he said Calling for bolstering the drivers for de velopment Li said both sides need to further tap the potentials of cooperation

Trade between China and ASEAN has grown against the odds of COVID 19 in the past three years, he said, adding that they have become each other ’s largest trading partner Since the two sides have jointly an nounced the official launch of negotiations on a new round of upgrade of their free trade area, Li called on China and ASEAN to use this opportunity to raise the quality and level of trade and investment cooperation

The Chinese premier also urged China and ASEAN to consolidate the underlying support for development, including acceler ating the establishment of the China ASEAN Public Health Research and Development Collaborating Center

Over the past two decades, by commit ting to the full and effective implementation

KYiV, uKRAiNE ag e n c i e s

Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on Telegram, posting footage in which Ukrainian troops appeared to gather with residents

bEijiNG

of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC), China and ASEAN countries have gradually identified an effective pathway for enhancing trust and

managing differences, gained good experi ence of dialogue, cooperation, and joint gov ernance, and maintained overall peace and stability in the South China Sea Li said

NEW

DubAi

s ta f f R e p o R t

S h a D e S O f ’ 9 2 f O r Pa k I S Ta n a h e a D O f T 2 0 W C f I n a l

PA K I S TA N is back at the venue where the legend of the cornered tigers was forged 30 years ago, and England is again the final foe There are so many similarities between this unlikely run to the T20 World Cup final and the one inspired by Imran Khan in 1992 when Pak istan beat England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground to claim its first World Cup title in the 50 over format

There are also differences, of course For a start, skipper Babar Azam is not 39 years old

K h a n w a s t h a t a g e , a n d i n t h e twilight of his career, when he de scribed his team as cornered tigers a n d w e n t o n t o l e a d t h e m t o t h a t t r i u m p h a n t w i n o v e r E n g l a n d i n the final

Babar is 28, but he could match Khan’s feat at the MCG on Sunday when his team yet again meets red hot favourite England this time cricket format which was non exis tent in the 90s

For some it s difficult to fathom how the stars aligned for Babar and Khan in Australia three decades apart For instance both Babar and Khan lost their opening round games at the MCG; arch rival India got the better of them in 1992 and 2022 Pakistan went on to win their last three games ahead of the semifinals on both occasions but both Babar and Khan had to bank heavily on the results of other games to go through to the knockout stage on the last day of the group stage

New Zealand was the opponent in both semifinals with the Kiwis batting first both times And top it all, England trounced top ranked India by 10 wickets in the second semifinal on Thursday so that Pak istan could tick another box in the retelling of the story

“ S e n s a t i o n a l p e r f o r

Hayden, a former Australia opener, t

the locker room after Wednesday’s

Cricket Ground “It was just an ex

traordinary effort ”

Hayden told a news conference Friday that the 1992 World Cup was important for Pakistan and the game globally because it was the emer gence of another superpower under 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 he was in the 92 World Cup So, yeah, it is im portant for sure ”

Babar s belief in his planning and relying solely on his match ups

against his opponents has been a key to success He s not one to take cues from what former Pakistan crick eters suggest on the dozens of pri vate television channels focusing on his team These former cricketers were vocal after the team lost to India and then got beaten by Zim babwe in back to back Super 12 losses that that placed the team in a tight corner in Group 2 Pakistan’s 1992 World Cup win ning fast bowler Aqib Javed was among those who advised Babar to bat lower down the order in the

Fa n s u r g e d t o vo t e fo r p l aye r o f T 2 0 Wo r l d C u p

Virat Kohli (India)

The best cricketers on the planet have been lighting up the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 over the past month and fans are reminded not to miss their chance to vote for the Player of the Tournament

Nine players have been shortlisted and five have the chance to advance their case in the final, with three Englishmen and two Pakistan stars on the shortlist said a statement of the ICC here on Saturday Voting will re main open until the closing stages of the final, which takes place at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground and sees both sides looking to lift the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup trophy for a second time The Player of the Tour nament will be decided by an expert panel and the fans vote will contribute towards the decision Fa n s c a n v o t e h

Uzbekistan

The leading run scorer in competition with 296 Kohli’s four half centuries included the unbeaten 82 which inspired his side s dramatic four wicket victory over Pakistan

Suryakumar Yadav (India)

With 239 runs at a remarkable strike rate of 189 68, Yadav has been a key injector of momentum for India and has become the No 1 ranked batter in the world in the MRF Tyres ICC Men s T20I Player Rankings over the course of the tournament Shadab Khan (Pakistan)

A key part of Pakistan s run to the final with bat and ball Shadab has picked up 10 wickets gone at just 6 59 an over and made vital contributions with the bat notably a 22 ball 52 in the win over South Africa Shaheen Afridi (Pakistan)

player

bag Pakistan Jrs Tennis C’ships title

ISLAMABAD S ta f f R e p o R t

I m r a n K h a i t b a e v o f U z b e k i s t a n c l i n c h e d t h e b o y s s i n g l e s t i t l e o f I T F P a k i s t a n J u n i o r s Te n n i s C h a m p i o n s h i p s l e g 1 h e r e a t P T F S D A Te n n i s C o m p l e x o n S a t u r d a y I n B o y s S i n g l e s I m r a n K h a i t b a e v o u t p l a y e d A m i r A s y l k o z h a e v o f R u s s i a b y 6 1 , 6 2 w h i l e i n G i r l ’s S i n g l e s L i a B e l i b o v a ( M o l d o v a ) b e a t P o l i n a K a i b e k o v a ( R U S ) 6 4 , 6 4 S e n a t o r S a l i m S a i f u l l a h K h a n P r e s i d e n t P T F w a s t h e c h i e f g u e s t a t t h e c l o s i n g c e r e m o n y H u m a y u n S a i f u l l a h K h a n F o r m e r P r o v i n c i a l M i n i s t e r K P a n d a l a rg e n u m b e r o f p a r t i c i p a n t s a n d t e n n i s l o v e r s a l s o w i t n e s s e d t h e f i n a l P r e s i d e n t P T F, s a i d t h e c o n d u c t o f s u c h e v e n t s i n P a k i s t a n a n d p a r t i c i p a t i o n o f f o r e i g n p l a y e r s w o u l d f u r t h e r p r o m o t e t h e s o f t i m a g e o f P a k i s t a n b e s i d e s p r o v i d i n g a n o p p o r t u n i t y f o r P a k i s t a n i p l a y e r s t o c o m p e t e w i t h q u a l i t y p l a y e r s H e a l s o s h o w e d s a t i s f a c t i o n w i t h t h e o v e r a l l a r r a n g e m e n t s w h i c h a r e i n p l a c e f o r t h e c o n d u c t o f t h e e v e n t H e t h a n k e d t h e I s l a m a b a d P o l i c e f o r p r o v i d i n g w i t h f o o l p r o o f s e c u r i t y f o r t h e e v e n t a n d m e d i a f o r h i g h l i g h t i n g t h e e v e n t c o m p r e h e n s i v e l y H e T h e P r e s i d e n t P T F a l s o t h a n k e d A r i f Q u r e s h i I T F W h i t e B a d g e R e f e r e e f o r s u p e r v i s i n g t h e e v e n t i n a h i g h l y p r o f e s s i o n a l m a n n e r M e a n w h i l e , t h e I T F P a k i s t a n J 7 Wo r l d J u n i o r s Te n n i s C h a m p i o n s h i p s l e g 2 c o m m e n c e d S a t u r d a y h e r e a t P T F Te n n i s C o m p l e x I n B o y s S i n g l e s Q u a l i f y i n g R o u n d 1 , A d a G u l e r ( T U R ) b t S y e d R a a h i m Ve q a r ( PA K ) 6 2 6 2 ; M a h a t i r M u h a m m a d ( PA K ) b t P u d i t P h a p a t s i r i k u l ( T H A ) 6 2 m 6 2 ; K i v a n c B e d i r ( T U R ) b t M Ta l h a K h a n ( PA K ) 6 1 , 6 0 ; T h a n a t h i p P o t i ( T H A ) b t M u h a m m a d S a l a r ( PA K ) 6 3 4 6 ( 1 0 5 ) ; G e h a s h Ti s s e r a ( S R I ) b t H y u g o S a w a d a ( J P N ) 6 3 , 6 1 I n B o y s S i n g l e s Q u a l i f y i n g R o u n d 2 , Ya h y a M u s a L u n i ( PA K ) b t H i s h a m M a h m o o d ( PA K ) 7 6 ( 1 ) , 6 2 ; A k a a s h D e S i l v a ( S R I ) b t H a m z a R e h m a t ( PA K ) 6 1 , 6 1 ; A z a t S a r s e m b a e v ( K A Z ) b t Z a e e m G h a f o o r ( PA K ) 6 0 6 0 ; A d a G u l e r ( T U R ) b t I b r a h i m S o h a i l ( PA K ) 6 0 , 6 1 ; M i k h a i l S v a n i d z e ( G E O ) b t M a h a t i r M u h a m m a d K h a m ( PA K ) 7 6 ( 4 ) 6 1 ; A b d u l B a a s i t h C a d e r ( S R I ) b t T h a n a t h i p P o t i ( T H A ) 7 6 ( 3 ) , 6 3 ; K i v a n c B e d i r ( T U R ) b t J o n a t h a n H i i ( A U S ) 6 0 , 6 0 ; G e h a s h Ti s s e r a ( S R I ) b t M u s t a n s i r A l i K h a n ( PA K ) 6 0 , 6 2 T h e T h i r d R o u n d o f t h e q u a l i f y i n g m a t c h e s w o u l d s t a r t o n S u n d a y

semifinal because he d only scored 39 runs in five group games

Instead, Babar went to the prac tice nets for more than an hour on the eve of the knockout game against New Zealand while his teammates preferred to relax at their hotel He then produced a half century which eased Pakistan to victory in the semifinals

Babar ’s opening partner Mo hammad Rizwan’s weakness on the off side was also the talking point in the Pakistan media, but he posted a half century, too They combined in a ninth century opening stand the most by any opening pair in the world in T20s

The battery of four pacers is an other asset for Babar, which he mis calculated only once in the tournament when he preferred to keep his fourth fast bowler Moham mad Wasim on the bench

But he s is a quick learner and he ensured Wasim played in every game thereafter to supplement Sha heen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah

However, if there’s one player

who has turned Pakistan s fortunes around it’s “Little Dynamo” Mo hammad Haris, who had never played in the batting conditions of Australia After both Haider Ali and Asif Ali struggled with form in early group games Haris did what a young Inzamam had done for Imran Khan in 1992

Wi t h t h e e x p e r i e n c e o f o n l y one T20 international against Eng l a n d i n S e p t e m b e r, H a r i s f i r s t s m a s h e d a n 11 b a l l 2 8 a g a i n s t S o u t h A f r i c a b e f o r e p l a y i n g v i t a l c a m e o s o f 3 1 a n d 3 0 a g a i n s t Bangladesh and New Zealand

Needing 19 off the last 15 balls for victory in the semifinal, Haris sealed the game by smashing New Zealand’s express fast bowler Lockie Ferguson for a four and a six off successive deliveries And that pleased Hayden

“Harry, it was a little tricky sit uation, but that was another injec tion of great energy, great enthusiasm,” Hayden said “That’s a complete performance and I think that the world is going to see a lot more of that ”

Back from injury with a bang, Shaheen’s 10 wick ets to date have included four against Bangladesh and another two in the semi final against New Zealand the seamer going at just 6 17 an over along the way Sam Curran (England)

Curran started the tournament by becoming the first England bowler to take a T20I five wicket haul and has been Jos Buttler s go to man at the death, holding his nerve at clutch moments Jos Buttler (England) The England skipper has led by example, forming a fearsome opening partnership with Alex Hales and scoring 199 runs at a strike rate of 143 16 Alex Hales (England)

Hales has made his return to international cricket count and is England’s leading run scorer heading into the final, his tally boosted by a brutal unbeaten 86 in the 10 wicket win over India in the last four

Top -ranked Nor thern and S indh face off in Q uaid-i-A zam Trophy

LAHORE S ta f f R e p o R t

This first class season has produced some exciting contests and outstanding individual performances and the penultimate round of the Quaid i Azam Trophy that begins on November 13 Monday promises more excitement with the two best sides locking horns in Karachi

T h e i c o n i c N a t i o n a l B a n k C r i c k e t A r e n a i n K a r a c h i w i l l h o s t t h e f i x t u r e b e t w e e n t o p r a n k e d N o r t h e r n a n d s e c o n d p l a c e d S i n d h T h e t w o s i d e s have dominated the points table for majority of the s e a s o n a n d s e e m o n c o u r s e t o s e c u r e b e r t h s i n t h e f i n a l W h i l e N o r t h e r n a r e 1 3 p o i n t s c l e a r o f S i n d h w i t h 1 2 2 p o i n t s , S i n d h w i l l r e m a i n w a r y o f t h i r d p l a c e d C e n t r a l P u n j a b w h o a r e o n l y s e v e n p o i n t s b e h i n d t h e m

N o r t h e r n e n t e r t h i s c o m p e t i t i o n a f t e r s e c u r i n g a d r a w a g a i n s t s t a r s t u d d e d C e n t r a l P u n j a b a t t h e L C C A G r o u n d i n L a h o r e t h a n k s t o a h e r o i c f o u r t h i n n i n g s h a l f c e n t u r y f r o m 2 0 y e a r o l d a l l r o u n d e r M u b a s i r K h a n

Pak U-19 thrash Bangladesh in second ODI to level series

Pakistan Under 19 team defeated Bangladesh U 19 team by 128 runs in second ODI match played at Mul tan cricket stadium here on Saturday The three matches series is equal with 1 1 In the second match of the three match ODI series played between Pakistan and Bangladesh U 19 teams, Bangladesh was bowled out for 114 runs in 28 overs in chasing of 243 runs

Seven players of Bangladesh couldn t enter into dou ble figures as Ashiqur Rahman was the highest scorer with 42 runs, Shahryar Saqib scored 16 runs while Iqbal Hussain remained not out by scoring 11 runs Pakistani bowlers performed well as Muhammad Zee shan took three wickets, Ali Raza and Ali Asfand took two wickets each while Muhammad Ismail and Arafat Minhas got one wicket each Earlier, Bangladesh won the toss and invited Pakistan to bat Pakistan scored 242 runs for the loss of 8 wickets in fixed 45 overs Tayyab Arif from Pakistan scored 66 runs with the help of 6 fours and 3 sixes Shahwaiz Irfan played an aggressive innings of 52 runs included 4 sixes and 3 fours, Arafat Minhas hit 8 fours and a six in a respon sible innings of 57 runs not out, Muhammad Farooq 13, captain Saad Baig 13 and Uzair Mumtaz added 12 runs in the total Maruf Mridha and Iqbal Hussain took two wickets each while Chowdhury Muhammad Rizwan, Muhammad Rafi and Wasi Siddiqui got one wicket each Pakistan’s Arafat Minhas was declared the best player of the match for his outstanding per formance The final match of the three match series will be played at the Multan Cricket Stadium on Monday, November 14

Shadab Khan: Pakistan’s match-winner who brings ‘fire and life’

ADELAIDE

No matter what happens when Pakistan face England in Sunday s final at the MCG Shadab Khan has had a T20 World Cup to remember Starring with both bat and ball, the 24 year old all rounder helped energise Pakistan’s flagging campaign when all seemed lost

After last ball defeats to India and Zimbabwe, Shadab pulled them back from the brink with three wickets against the Netherlands for their first win

He then turned up with a fiery 22 ball 52 and bowl ing figures of 2 16 during his man of the match per formance against South Africa

The Proteas’ subsequent shock defeat to the Nether lands helped Pakistan gatecrash the semi finals

Shadab has been shortlisted for player of the tour nament and could well win it if Pakistan do the busi ness against England in the decider at the Melbourne C r i c k e t G r o u n d When team mates and coaches talk about Shadab they all refer to one thing

“He brings invaluable energy to the team,” captain Babar Azam said Shadab’s commitment and relentless energy whether it be in training or matches galvanised Pakistan’s drooping World Cup

Like many Pakistan cricketers, Shadab’s beginnings were humble He grew up playing cricket on the rough pitches of the Mianwali district, a farming community near the banks of the Indus River in Punjab

It also happens to be home to former prime minister and cricket legend Imran Khan and former captain Mis bah ul Haq People who know him well said Shadab has always been relentless in his dedication

“Shadab’s commitment to cricket is unparalleled,” said his club coach Sajjad Ahmed “He used to sleep around 9:00 pm and reach the ground before sunrise

“That’s been his routine for years so that he can practise as much as possible ”

It was Ahmed who suggested Shadab should be come an all rounder and not just focus on batting

Graduating from club cricket to district level and to Pakistan A , Shadab featured in a 2016 junior World

Cup in Bangladesh and finished joint top wicket taker for his team with 11

The year after HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise Islamabad United picked him as an emerging player “We were picking players in the draft for PSL 2017 and every other team was passing him on so I asked Misbah about him,” recalls Hassan Cheema, strat egy manager of United Misbah said that Shadab has that fire and instinct that he had not seen in a player for years

“Six years later, you can see his competitive fire and life he brings in the team is invaluable, Cheema told AFP But to talk only about his energy and commitment risks downplaying Shadab’s talent As a leg spinner variations are Shadab s assets and he has had success extracting bounce from the hard Australian pitches at the World Cup When he bats and fields his style is ag gressive his triple ability gives Pakistan flexibility in team selections

It was then Pakistan head coach Mickey Arthur who brought him into the side in 2017

MELBOURNE

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MULTAN

LAHORE

The youngster was the player of the Quaid e Azam Trophy 2021 22 and has proved to be a vital cog providing the right balance with his crucial per formances with the bat and ball this season Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa bagged five points each in the last round as their match at the Pindi Cricket Stadium was abandoned But, Sindh have been on a high In the seventh round, they recorded their third win by beating Southern Punjab by 202 runs Northern and Sindh are the only sides with three wins this season When they met earlier in the season the match ended in a draw

ShArIfS TAkING key DeCISIoNS oN foreIGN L AND To SAve CorruPTIoN moNey: ImrAN

that he was making the important ap pointment controversial “I never made it controversial

TH E Pakistan Tehreek i Insaf (PTI) Chairman criticized Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif and other party leaders for holding a meeting in Lon don to decide the Pakistan Army s next chief as he addressed participants of the party’s Haqeeqi Azadi March in Lala Musa

“The important decisions of the country are taken abroad and by those who have looted Pakistan for the last 30 years,” said the PTI chief in refer ence to Shehbaz purportedly dis cussing the key appointment and other issues of national importance with his elder brother Nawaz Sharif during his unscheduled London visit

The PTI chairperson also reiterated that the army chief should be appointed on merit and said dismissed allegations

He added that he does not want a NAB chief, a judge or an army chief of his choice as he wants “the best people on the basis of merit”

Speaking on the defamation suit filed by the premier against a British daily, Imran said Shehbaz was in deep trouble

He further said that the PML N president was mistaken if he could issue orders as per his will and “it will be the biggest challenge for Shehbaz Sharif as now he has to explain the al legations leveled against him by the British publication

Imran also urged people to partici pate in the long march “This is not Imran Khan’s movement, this is your movement

Addressing the youth of the coun try, he said that a nation that is “not

truly free and which remains enslaved, has no value or future” “An enslaved nation only attains true freedom through justice,” said the PTI chief Kickstarting the march in Jhang today, PTI secretary general Asad Umar stated that Imran Khan believes the next chief of army staff (COAS) should be appointed based on merit

Further, he slammed the PML N leaders sitting in London making de cisions for Pakistan” Referring to Nawaz Sharif, he said that the leaders were seeking advice from “a thief who fled the country”

Responding to a question, Asad said that the PTI had not “started a war to come into power”, and highlighted the party s successes including the vic tory by a great lead in the Punjab elec tions on July 15

The PTI leader had reached Jhang earlier today, where he received a warm welcome by a crowd of supporters

He visited the shrine of Hazrat Sul tan Bahu ahead of resuming the march for the day Asad said that Haqeeqi Azadi was not just Imran Khan’s war” but that the “people of the country are also an equal part of it” He urged the PTI supporters to stand by their party leader Further PTI leader Faisal Javed Khan said that Imran will address the marchers today via video link in Lala Musa adding that the sea of people will turn towards Islamabad under the leadership of Imran Khan” where a peaceful protest will take place In a tweet, PTI Vice Chairperson Shah Mehmood Qureshi leading the procession at Lala Musa said he be lieved that not only will “our move ment for real freedom be successful but Imran Khan will also soon become the country’s prime minister again” Salute to the passion and spirit of the people of Gujarat,” he tweeted, adding that the next stop will be Lala Musa

COAS lauds troops for ser vices to nation in the line of dut y despite all odds

LAHORE

S ta f f R e p o R t

Chief of Army Staff (COAS)

PTI to approach SC for probe into life attempt on Imran: Qureshi

LAHORE

Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI) on Saturday decided to move Supreme Court (SC) against the assassination attempt on the party Chairman Imran Khan Addressing a press conference PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that the party will file a petition in the Supreme Court to seek orders for investigation into the murder of Arshad Sharif, the Cypher issue Senator Azam Swati s video leak and assassination attempt on Imran Khan The PTI stalwart also expressed gratitude to the people of Gujarat for the warm welcome offered to Haqeeqi Azadi march” and the way people came out in numbers The former foreign minister maintained that despite Imran Khan’s physical absence in the long march, the PTI narrative is getting more and more popular with each passing day The PTI vice chairman said that Pakistan was being taken in the wrong direction, saying transparent and fair general elections were the only solution to the country s worst economic situation

Ali Sar faraz new DG NAB Lahore

ISLAMABAD

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chairman on Saturday appointed Ali Sarfaraz Hussain, a grade 20 officer of Pakistan Administrative Service, as new director general of NAB Lahore The notification issued by NAB Deputy Director Hamza Nehal Tariq, the federal government has handed over Ali Sarfaraz s services to the NAB on deputation for three years Ali Sarfaraz will replace Mirza Sultan Muhammad Saleem who was removed from the DG NAB Lahore post on Friday Mirza Sultan Saleem had been ordered by the NAB chairman to report to the NAB Headquarters in Islamabad

General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Saturday visited Lahore Garri son and laid floral wreath at Martyrs Monument and offered fateha during his farewell visit

According to the Inter Serv ices Public Relations (ISPR) the COAS inaugurated Lahore Gar rison Institute for Special Educa tion and visited various school facilities for special children dur ing his visit The COAS also in augurated state of the art Hockey Arena, where he interacted with veteran hockey legends COAS said, “Youth of Pak istan is our asset and such facil ities are must to provide them an enabling environment to

achieve excellence in sports ”

He also interacted with of ficers and men of Lahore Corps and Pakistan Rangers Punjab

During his farewell address, the COAS lauded troops for their services to nation in the line of

He

PTI years in government epitome of incompetence, claims marriyum

ISLAMABAD S ta f f R e p o R t

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb claimed that four years of the Pakistan Tehreek i Insaf (PTI) government was a classic example of inefficiency, incompetence and lies

She claimed without evidence that former prime minister Imran Khan compromised national interests for personal political gains In a statement, she said Khan a “foreign agent made a mockery of himself the country and the nation The minister further claimed now that all the antics of Khan had been exposed, it was clear he had been running a show since the 2014 sit in

Khan destroyed employment opportunities and caused inflation to soar as PTI s years in power would be remembered for the loot and plunder of the country Referring to foreign gifts reference against Khan, she claimed watches and necklaces gifted to the prime minister were “stolen”

Khan abused opponents, ran dirty campaigns against martyrs of the Pakistan Army and instigated a revolt against institutions, she claimed, adding the time had come to stop his dirty drama targeting opponents and institutions

New Zealand’s Greg Barclay re-elected ICC chairman

ciated their

and

of moth

FIA ac ted beyond jurisdic tion in lodging FIR on critic al tweet: IHC

ISLAMABAD

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has ruled that the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) acted be yond its jurisdiction by registering a case on a controversial tweet

The IHC on Saturday announced a verdict in a case related to the smear campaign against the state institutions on social media following the ouster of PTI led government in April this year

Justice Babar Sattar accepted the petition of a citizen and quashed the case which was lodged by FIA over posting of a critical tweet

The court reprimanded the federal agency saying that FIA had made a mockery of the state by registering the case which was “aimed at im posing illegal censorship on freedom of expres sion” The court said in the verdict that posting a tweet using any hashtag is not tantamount to com mitting a crime Wrongdoing can only be estab lished if any person himself has said anything wrong in the content of a tweet it added

The court lamented that FIA wanted to create suspicion in public by registering such cases The Twitter user had spoken of enforced disappear ances while referring to ‘Vigo vehicle’

Earlier this month, the government had au thorised the Federal Investigation Agency to take action against those who intended to spread “ru mours and false information against state institu tions” on social media

The federal cabinet on October 27 approved an amendment to the FIA Act 1974 with a sec tion of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) for this purpose It gave the nod to a summary on cir culation from the interior ministry for changes in the FIA law

“[The] FIA has intimated that presently, so cial media is inundated with false information and rumours against state institutions and organisa tions with intent to cause or incite or which is likely to cause or incite any officer, solder, sailor or airman in army, navy, or air force of Pakistan to mutiny offence or otherwise disregard or fail in his duty as such,” the summary read

The former New Zealand Cricket boss succeeded Shashank Manohar in 2020 and retained the job for another two years with the board’s full support, the sport’s governing body said “Over the last two years we have made significant strides forward with the launch of our global growth strategy that provides clear direction to build a successful and sustainable future for our sport,” said Barclay

“It is an exciting time to be involved in cricket and I look forward to continuing to work closely with our members to strengthen the game in our core markets as well as grow it beyond that, ensuring more of the world can enjoy cricket,” he added

Mukuhlani said the continuity of Barclay an Auckland based commercial lawyer, was “in the best interests of the sport” “I, therefore, decided to withdraw my candidacy,” he added ag e n c i e S

R e m i t t a n c e s f a l l b y 1 5 . 7 p c i n O c t o b e r o n Yo Y b a s i s , r e ve a l s S t a t e B a n k D a t a

tances have not gone below this level since August 2020

The State Bank of Pakistan revealed the country wise overseas workers’ remittance data for the month of October on Friday The remittances hit a record low of 2 215 billion dollars for the first time since February 2022 With the exception of a 2 month decline in January and February in 2022, the remit

Pakistan is currently going through one of the worst balance of payment crises in its history In such a situation inflow of foreign capital is determinant to not only our devel opment, but sustenance as well Owing to a large amount of Human Capital moving out of the country, Pakistan has been histori cally reliant on foreign remittances as one

of its key forex inflows These remittances have seen a gradual decline since the month of August The figures have gone down by a total of 9 27% in the current fiscal year, between July to October, as compared to the same time period last year

Pakistan saw a decline in remittances from workers in all major countries Includ ing the USA ($15 million), UK ($ 29 mil lion), Saudi Arabia ($ 46 1 million) and

UAE ($ 47 3 million) Media reports sug gest that this decline is seen due to increase in transfer through illicit means like hawala and hundi Because of an economic slow down throughout the world, the gap be tween dollar rates in the formal and informal markets has widened, encouraging people to send money through informal channels Since the majority of the decline in remittances is seen from GCC countries,

despite economic growth in these countries The decline can be attributed to informal channels

I f P a k i s t a n i s t o s e e e c o n o m i c g r o w t h , i t h a s t o f i n d a w a y t o c u r b t h e i n f o r m a l i n f l o w a n d o u t f l o w o f f o r e i g n r e s e r v e s D e s p i t e f o r e x c o n t r o l s i n p l a c e , a n e s t i m a t e d 3 0 p e r c e n t o f P a k i s t a n e x i s t s i n “ s h a d o w e c o n o m y ” , a h u g e p a r t o f w h i c h i s f o r e i g n t r a d e

Greg Barclay was on Saturday re elected unopposed as independent chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC) after Zimbabwe’s Tavengwa Mukuhlani pulled out of contention

duty despite all odds

appre

professionalism

devotion to the defence

erland Earlier on arrival, the COAS was received by Corps Commander Lieutenant General Salman Fayyaz Ghani