Epaper_22-11-14 LHR

D e s p i t e p u t t i n g u p c o m m e n D a b l e f i g h t, pa k i s ta n lo s e t 2 0 f i n a l t o e n g l a n D

MELBOURNE ag e n c i e s

eNGLAND beat Pakistan by f ve wickets at the Melbourne Cr cket Ground (MCG) on Sunday to win their second Twenty20 Wor d Cup title and burn sh the r c a m as the pre em nent superpower in white ba l cricket

30 years after losing the 50 over World Cup final to Pakistan at the MCG England turned the tables on the men in green with brilliant death bowling and a Ben Stokes half centur y that reeled in a modest victor y target of 138

With a l rounder Sam Curran record ing a miserly 3 12 Pakistan col apsed in the final overs to fin sh on 137 for eight after being sent n to bat by Eng and capta n Jos Buttler

The heavy ra n forecast never h t the MCG as England led by the unflap pable Stokes reeled in the total with six ba ls to spare

Leg spinner Adil Rashid did the early damage for England w th two w ckets, includ ng the key sca p of captain Babar Azam for 32 before Pakistan crumb ed in the final overs, losing 4 10 England who were again w thout in

But another big stand wasn’t to be, with R zwan dragging a deliver y from

on to his stumps on 15 Pakistan who powered past New Zealand by seven wickets to make the fina , managed just 39 1 off the six over powerplay where only two fielders are a lowed outside the 30 yard circle

The introduction of Rashid soon after reaped an immediate reward with Haris (8) attacking h m on his first ball on y to sky a s mple catch to Stokes

Azam ed Pakistan to 68 2 at the halfway point of the innings and then Masood began swing ng the bat hitting a four and s x off L am Livingstone

B u t o n c e a g a i n Ra s h i d g o t t h e b r e a k t h r o u g h p u l l i n g o f f a d i v i n g c a t c h f r o m h s o w n b o w l i n g t o c l a m t h e v t a l w c ke t o f A z a m, w h o s e 3 2 c a m e o f f 2 8 b a l l s

Ift khar Ahmed only lasted six balls before Masood and Shadab Khan (20) fell in the space of two runs as Curran and Chr s Jordan kept the lid on any hope Pakistan had of a late flurr y Seal ng their second T20 Wor d Cup England are now the first nat on to hold both g obal white ball trophies having won the 50 over World Cup on home soil n 2019

Six dead, dozens injured in explosion at Istanbul shopping street

ISTANBUL, TURKEY ag e n c e s

An explos on tore through a busy Istanbul shopping street on Sunday, k lling six and wounding dozens in what Turkey s president said bore the s gns of a terror attack

Po ice cordoned off an area around Istikla Street where crowds were dense on Sunday after noon, and helicopters flew over the c ty centre as sirens sounded

President Recep Tayy p Erdogan condemned what he called a “ vi e attack ” that ki led six peop e and wounded over 50 others

“ It might be wrong if we say for sure that this is terror but accord ng to first signs there is a smel of terror there Erdogan told a press conference

“ The relevant units of our state are working to find the perpetrators behind this vi e attack Er dogan told a telev sed press conference He also said nitial signs pointed to a “ terror ” attack n the explosion in Istanbu which wounded 53 others

The attempt to take over Turkey and the Turkish nation through terrorism w ll not reach its goa today or tomorrow he added

I was 50 55 metres (yards) away suddenly there was the no se of an explosion I saw three or four people on the ground witness Cemal Denizc 57 told AFP

“ People were running in panic The no se was huge There was b ack smoke he sa d

The explosion occurred at around 4:20 pm (1320 GMT) in the famous Istikla shopping street which is popu ar with oca s and tour sts Area targeted previously

Authorit es offered few deta ls and no groups im mediately cla med the blast but Turk sh cities in the past have been struck by Islam sts and other groups

Istik al Avenue had already been hit in the past during a campaign of attacks in 2015 2016 that targeted Istanbul and other cities including the capital Ankara

Those bombings were mostly blamed on the Is amic State group and outlawed Kurd sh mil tants and killed near y 500 peop e and njured more than 2,000

Sunday s explosion occurred shortly after 4:00 pm (1300 GMT) n the famous Istiklal shopping street wh ch is popular with locals and tourists

According to images posted on social media

at the time of the explos on t was accompanied by flames and immed ately triggered panic, with people runn ng in al direct ons A large black crater was also visible in those images as well as several bod es lying on the ground nearby

According to an AFP video journalist on the scene pol ce estab ished a large security cordon to prevent access to the damaged area for fear of a second explosion

Istiklal n the h stor c district of Beyoglu, is one of the most famous arteries of Istanbu entirely pedestr an on 1 4 kilometres (nearly a mile)

Criss crossed by an o d tramway, ined with shops and restaurants it is used by large crowds during the weekend

In the neighboring district of Galata, many stores closed early wh le some passers by who came running from the site of the explosion, had tears in the r eyes

A mass ve dep oyment of security forces equally barred a l entrances, while a heavy deploy ment of rescue workers and police were visible

A react on came quickly from Greece which “ unequivoca ly ” condemned the blast and ex pressed condolences to the government and

people of Turkey

According to images posted on social media at the time of the explosion it was accompanied by f ames and mmediately triggered panic with peop e running in all d rections A arge black crater was also vis b e n those mages as well as several bodies lying on the ground nearby

Istiklal Street had a ready been hit in the past during a campaign of attacks in 2015 2016 that targeted Istanbul

C aimed by the Is amic State group those at tacks ki ed nearly 500 people and injured more than 2,000

President PM express condolences over loss of ives n Istanbul b ast

President Dr Arif A vi and Prime M nister Muham mad Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday expressed the r condolences to Turk ye over the loss of precious ives n Istanbul b ast

On h s Twitter handle the prime minister ex pressed h s deep anguish over the explosion at Is tiklal Avenue Istanbul and conveyed condolences to the brotherly people of Turk ye on part of the government of Pakistan and its peop e

Protest against rising ter ror rocks Wana

WANA, SOUTH WAZIRISTAN

s ta f f r e p o r t

Hundreds of people Wana took to streets on Sunday and voiced their concerns against against the recent wave of terrorism in the region They chanted slogans in favour of peace and urged the admin istration and po ice to take ef fective measures for protection of life and honour of the people

A s p e r d e t a i l s, h u n d r e d s o f p e o p l e s t a g e d a s i t i n Wana headquarters of South Waz ristan triba district to ex press their anger over the de t e r i o r a t i n g l a w a n d o r d e r situat on and recent wave of t e r r o r s m n t h e r e g i o n d e m a n d i n g c i v i l a d m i n s t r a t o n

f

store peace in the area

Call for the protest under the name Peace march was given by Wana Siyas Ittihad (WSI) and hundreds of resi dents participated in t to vent their concern against fast de teriorating law and order s tu ation n the region Holding black flags the protest partic pants marched from Wana Bazaar and converged near the Javid Sultan camps

A large number of Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf, Jamaat i Is ami and other pol tical parties workers and eaders also at tended the protest

On the occasion the pro t e s t e r s c h a n t e d s l o g a n s i n f a v o u r o f p e a c e a n d d e m a n d e d a b a n o n a r m e d

groups in the d str ct They de m a n d e d t h a t t h e g o v e r n m e n t s h o u l d i m m e d i a t e l y t a c k l e t h e r i s e i n t e r r o r a n d k i d n a p p n g s f o r r a n s o m i n c i d e n t s b e s i d e s i m m e d i a t e l y order release of parliamentar ian A i Wazir who has been incarcerated for the past two y e a r s T h e y a l s o d e m a n d e d a d e q u a t e s e c u r i t y f o r t h e p u b i c c o n t r a c t o r s a n d traders in the reg on Saeed Wazir a member of the WSI, to d the med a that a contractor namely Tariq Wazir was abducted from the Wana market a week ago by unidentif ed persons Tariq Wazir should be recovered im med ately,” he demanded S a e e d u r g e d t h e c i v i a d m i n i s t r a t o n t o f u l f i l i t s r e

s p o n s i b i l i t i e s t o m a i n t a i n p e a c e a n d o r d e r i n t h e a r e a T h e p o i c e s y s t e m s h o u l d b e s t r e n g t h e n e d a n d t s p o w e r a n d p r i v i l e g e s s h o u d b e i n c r e a s e d He also to d Dawn com that no government represen tatives had yet made efforts to negotiate with the protes tors warning that if the author ties failed to fulfil their demands, another protest will be staged on November 20

La s t m o n t h, t h o u s a n d s o f p e o p l e i n K h y b e r Pa k h t u n k h w a t o o k t o t h e s t r e e t s t o s h o w t h e i r r e s o v e a g a i n s t t e r r o r a f t e r a s c h o o l v a n n C h a r b a g h c a m e u n d e r g u n f r e, l e a v i n g t h e d r i v e r d e a d a n d t w o c h d r e n i n u r e d

jured batsman Dawid Malan and pace bowler Mark Wood won the toss and sent Pakistan nto bat

R zwan and Azam shared a centur y partnership in the sem final against New Zealand and soon settled, with Rizwan c earing the ropes off Chris Woakes for the first six of the n ght in the fourth over

Curran

It’s tIME fOr judICIAry tO stAnd wIth nAtIOn, IMrAn urGEs CjP

LAHORE N e w s D e s k

Bandial “to stand with the nation to save the country from thieves

“Time has come for judiciary to stand with the nation and bring powerful under the law Imran Khan said on Sunday while addressing the PTI’s long march participants via video link “I respectfully request honourable chief justice sahab on behalf of the nation to stand with the nation to uphold rule of law in the country ”

Imran said people have lost confidence in the government and the system after what happened to the slain journalist Arshad

Sharif and PTI Senator Azam Swati “Respected Chief justice you have to provide justice to them ”

The PTI chief lamented that being the former PM and head of Pakistan’s ‘largest political party’ he could not even get registered an FIR of failed assassination attempt on him “Now we want our courts to assert their authority ” The former PM also referred to his petition that he filed against NAB amendments, saying that he was expecting judiciary to strike down legislation which he said was aimed at protecting corruption “Nation is looking towards judiciary and chief justice ”

The incumbent government which was imposed on the country by handlers” has miserably failed to resolve the country’s economic woes, he said “I have been demanding to hold early

GB Cs directs swift actions for computerisation of land record

GILGIT A P P

The chief secretary of Gilgit Baltistan presided over a meeting to decide a plan of action for proceeding with swift update and computerisation of land reforms and records In the meeting the following were the major decisions MoU between the region and the Board of Revenue, the government of Punjab shall be signed within one week This MoU will be aimed to help GB move on for swift update and computerisation of the land records Among other help, the government of Punjab shall extend technical cooperation and give exposure visits and training to the GB officials GB Board of Revenue has also drafted Land Reforms Act which shall be presented in seminars all across the GB for discussions and consensus building Wider public consultations shall be held involving all stakeholders Commissioners shall hold these seminars forthwith A consensus draft of the law shall be presented to the Cabinet and GBLA for promulgation Settlement records of unsettled districts shall be prepared and records of the settled districts shall be updated on a war footing Land records of all districts including lands developed by the ETI project shall be digitized through a specialized team A consultant team for this purpose shall include a multi pronged experienced HR with wide experience in digitization and land records preparation The capacity of BoR shall be built to transform it into an effective, modern organization to settle land disputes and promote socioeconomic development besides keeping the best land revenue records GB Govt to adopt e procurement By 31st Jan: Meanwhile, GB Chief Secretary Muhiudeen Wani in a statement on Sunday e procurement would be adopted by the Giglit Baltistan government from 31st January onwards to promote good governance, transparency and efficiency in the tendering process He said it was certainly a stepping stone towards e governance a cornerstone of good governance, adding, “The GB government has set up its own Procurement Authority which conducted its first meeting under my chairmanship yesterday [Saturday] with Farrukh Atiq Khan, the first MD of the board, briefing the meeting regarding its working and aims He said it was decided that all the actions needed to operationalize the authority such as setting up of workplace, hiring of staff, and adoption of e procurement technology would be completed no later than 31st of January, 2023

elections since they toppled my government seven months ago They [government] are taking the country towards destruction and destroying its economy he said

“How can those who have destroyed the economy and institutions resolve the country s problems?

Imran said the ones who ‘imposed’ the incumbent rulers on the country made a mistake and added that no efforts were made to “fix this mistake by holding early elections” The PTI chief claimed that the major hurdle to holding early elections was PML N supremo Nawaz Sharif

“He [Nawaz] is scared of elections because he knows that he will lose to PTI he is pushing the country towards destruction for his vested interests,” he added

Accusing the PML N leaders of corruption and money laundering, Imran said

how come dishonest people can take decisions about the future of the country

“A criminal [Nawaz] sitting in London is taking decisions about the future of the country and deciding about the appointment of next army chief,” he said

Imran said he had been demanding snap polls because only free and free elections can pave way for political and economic stability in the country

The former PM said the by election results have established that people have rejected the thieves imposed on the country

“The objective of long march is to make people aware of what is happening to them No matter how much you scare people impose restrictions on media but social media is there and youth have awakened ”

Imran said unprecedented number of people will gather in Rawalpindi by the time long march reached there to “demand their rights Speaking about the foreign policy Imran asked the coalition government led by PML N to tell one thing that it has achieved by polishing boots

“They criticise me for internationally isolating country I always wanted to pursue independent and sovereign foreign policy,” he added

PTI

Qureshi led the participants of party’s now divided long march on the federal government in Kharian Secretary General Asad Umar led the march in Faisalabad and Pervez Khattak led the one in Nowshehra

While addressing supporters at Samundri earlier today, Asad Umar attacked the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, calling him “cherry blossom and alleging the rival party leadership was running scared of the public Umar also criticised the premier for “running away to his fugitive brother

“They used to think that by oppressing and forcing people, the people would get scared added Umar expressing faith that the “Haqeeqi Azadi March” would soon “achieve its objective”

On the other hand Qureshi in a press conference questioned why “the uncertainty” was emerging ahead of an “important appointment and why important decisions were being made in Lodon

Earlier today, PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry engaged in a Twitter spat with Defense Minister Khwaja Asif over the issue claiming “any leader interested in long term relations with Pakistan would maintain its distance from present rulers”

Imran tr ying to make army chief appointment controversial: senator

ISLAMABAD

Pakistan opposes UN resolution urging death penalty halt

UNITED NATIONS

The General Assembly of the United Nations passed a nonbinding resolution calling for a moratorium on the death penalty, overcoming protests from a bloc of states including Pakistan that said it undermined their sovereignty The resolution, which calls for “a moratorium on executions with a view to abolishing the death penalty ” was passed by a 126 to 37 vote with 24 abstentions

The Third Committee of the 193 member body which deals with social humanitarian and cultural issues had approved the draft resolution which will now come up for the General Assembly’s endorsement next month

The draft resolution calls on states to suspend executions, with a view to abolition, and asks that countries restrict their use of capital punishment, share information about the sentencing and executions they carry out and respect international standards to protect people facing execution

The Czech Republic speaking on behalf of the European Union, said they pushed for the draft resolution believing capital punishment failed to deter criminal behaviour

Justice systems are run by humans and are,

therefore, exposed to mistakes and aggravated by social stigmas and political pressure particularly in countries with no independent judiciary, the EU statement said

The death penalty primarily affects poorer persons and those belonging to marginalized groups, it added After several countries called the draft flawed in attempting to reinterpret existing human rights instruments, it was adopted following the approval of an amendment, which garnered 103 votes in favour to 68 against with 13 abstentions

The amendment affirmed, “the sovereign right of all countries to develop their own legal systems, including determining appropriate legal penalties in accordance with their international law obligations”

Pakistan voted in favour of the amendment, but cast a negative vote on the full draft resolution

Explaining his vote, Muhammad Rashid, third secretary at Pakistan’s mission to the UN, said that while the amendment has been adopted Islamabad does not agree with the overall framework of the resolution Noting that there was no consensus for or against the death penalty he said every country has an inalienable right to decide its own laws, recalling that the International Covenant on Civil and Political rights allows for the death penalty in a manner consistent with a state’s law and judicial processes

Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML N) Senator Afnan Ullah Khan lashed out at PTI chairman Imran Khan claiming he was turning the process of army chief appointment into a controversy something he said may harm the peace and stability of the country Talking to a TV station he said the coalition government wanted to make the country’s political atmosphere pleasant, adding that anti state elements were trying to create a chaos like situation in the country and taking advantage of the situation He further asked Khan to play a responsible role to ensure peace in the country and foil the nefarious designs of Pakistan s enemies He said that the Prime Minister had a ‘close eye” on the issue of the army chief ’s appointment and that the announcement would be made at an appropriate time, adding, the army chief s appointment will be announced on merit instead of a political basis The army chief ’s appointment is a constitutional matter, it will be decided according to the Constitution, he said and questioned whether we’d take advice from the person who was running an Indian lobby and giving the statements against the institutions

MGI, COP27 to open new avenues for development in Pakistan, ME: Ashrafi

ISLAMABAD

Prime Minister’s Special Representative for Interfaith Harmony and Middle East Hafiz Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi on Sunday said the Middle East Green Initiative (MGI) and 27th session of the Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27) would open new avenues for development in Pakistan and the Middle East countries Ashrafi, who is also the chairman of Pakistan Ulema Council, in an exclusive talk with APP informed that the MGI signified Saudi Arabia s commitment to international sustainability efforts and enabled the region to help protect the planet by clearly defining an ambitious road map that significantly contributed to achieving global targets He said religious leaders were constantly creating awareness on the climate change challenges besides the intersect and interfaith dialogue at the global level He said under the patronage of Saudi Arabia’s Prime Minister and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and with the support of the government of Egypt, the World Conference on Environment had determined an effective and positive direction at the global level in general and in the Islamic world in particular

At long last an FIR of the assassination attempt on Imran Khamn was registered, and at longer last the Long March was restarted with Imran Khan addressing a daily rally enroute via television

I would suspect the PTI is distancing itself from the FIR on legal advice A delay of four days in the filing of the FIR leaves almost no chance of a conviction However, if the PTI claims that it wanted to register the FIR, but the police refused to do so because of whom it wished to name,it might cover the delay

Frankly though I suspect Imran of doing his best to get his assailant acquitted I mean, his refusal to have a medicolegal exam his refusal to let the container be impounded as case property, his omitting to have the recovery from his leg of bullets they all add up to him making the assailant get off, even though he was caught virtually in the act

I m also intrigued by the insistence of the PTI on naming senior officials, which goes beyond just stubborn ness, or a desire to extract political mileage I think there is a hidden wellspring of concern for the Wazirabad police, a desire that their children do not have to go hungry and that there is no burden on Imran’s pocket, or on that of his donors If those names had been

included, surely they would have paid good money, a healthy sum, to get a clean chit from the police That might explain why Imran is not putting forward any evidence Hemust have some, or he wouldn t have insisted so hard on their being nominated

The PTI has control, so if the offending three are arrested, I suppose their interrogations would be conducted by Shahbaz Gill and Azam Swati And by the way, there was some speculation about why Imran wore dark glasses all the time even at night There was a lot of ill natured speculation about him using stuff that would make them bloodshot or red rimmed much as there was vicious speculation about why he wouldn’t go to a government hospital (he didn t want their labs finding any illegal substance in his blood samples) Actually, dark glasses at night are a Mianwali fashion statement There should also be a Rayban or Gucci sticker which he was careful not to

peel off It isn t cold enough, but wait for him to use some men’s suiting with the brand name displayed in a thin strip on side, as a shawl, and all you want is for him to have cheekoos (pieces of leather which make an irritating squeak with every step) inserted into his Peshawaris, and he will be hailed as a well dressed man about town all the way from Mochh to Isakhel, from Piplan to Kundian

By the way I wonder if TV has different rules than newspapers I couldn’t help noticing that the two journalists killed before and during Imran s Long March Arshad Sharif and Sadaf Naeem, were TV journalists Atrshad Sharif had been a newspaperman before joining TV but I don’t know if he was taught the basic rule: “Never become part of the story ” The idea was that you couldn t oil out of filing a story with the excuse that you had been killed

And if you weren’t alive to file the story, who would?

Well the take home from the T20 World Cup final is that not only have we lost, but we have been deprived of the boons of Babar Azam as PM He has not only been spared having to go on a Long March after being turned out of office, but having to father an illegitimate daughter or to eat organic food He’ll also have to marry three times Well, different pages will prevail Somehow I now get what the whole struggle of the captaincy was Attempts to get on the same page?

I know one person who s OK with this final: Rishi Sunak He supported England with a good conscience, because opposing Pakistan would go down well with those in India who were happy at his becoming PM The England India semifinal must have been tough for him and he probably said he deidn’t ;ile cricket,but preferred soccer

former prime minister and PTI Chairman Imran Khan on Sunday urged Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Umar Ata

Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood

LAHORE: A large number of citizens watching Pak England T20 World Cup Final on big screen installed at Hockey Stadium by Punjab Sport Board Photo by zubA r Mehfooz

w O r k O n A G r E E M E n t t O d E C l A r E P u n j A B ,

C A l I f O r n I A A s s I s t E r s tAt E B E G I n s : C M

s tA f f r e P o r t

PROGRESS with regard to making an agreement to declare Punjab and California as ‘Sister State’ has been initiated and a special letter had been issued to Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi on behalf of the Head of California Legislative Assembly Chris R Holden in this regard

According to handout issued here on Sunday, the CM had been extended an invitation to ink his signatures on the Sister State relationship agreement between Punjab and California

The CM chaired a meeting to review the matters relating to the

agreement in which former federal minister Moonis Elahi also participated

Former federal secretary and P&D chairman Salman Ghani apprised about the details and ingredients of the Sister State relationship agreement between Punjab and California

The CM directed to give a final shape to the Sister State relationship agreement between Punjab and California forthwith He said that the agreement would enhance trade, economic business relations between Pakistan and California and would increase bilateral investment He highlighted that relations in the sectors of education, health, information technology, environment and culture would be promoted He underscored that this

agreement would further strengthen the mutual relations between Punjab and the state of California

The chief minister said that a special section would be set up in the Planning & Development Board in order to give a final shape to the agreement which would give the

matters a final shape with regard to the agreement

CM said that all matters relating to the agreement to declare Punjab and California Sister State would be finalised soon He said though the Punjab government delegation had been given an invitation to visit

Business communit y lauds natural gas rationing for domestic consumers

percent over the years maximum growth among all the sectors, a third largest energy source in the world

Appreciating the judicious decision of natural gas rationing for domestic consumers, the business community has urged the government to make this prudent decision a permanent feature throughout the year as 50 percent of total gas in Pakistan is consumed by households which is one of major hindrances in economic growth of the country

Talking to a delegation of industrialists and traders led by Ch Jawad Hafeez, which called on him here on Sunday Coordinator to Federal Tax Ombudsman Meher Kashif Younis lamented the domestic sector gas consumption has grown 13

He said in most of developed countries, a single energy source is provided at the domestic and commercial levels to make best use for industrial and agricultural sectors whereas in Pakistan both resources power and gas is supplied at household level badly hampering economic growth especially during peak winter season

Meher Kashif Younis said Pakistan is the most gas intense country in the world and has less than one percent share in world gas consumption which are met through imported and indigenous resources He said natural gas and LNG contribute more than 40 percent to the country’s current energy

sewerage scheme approved on Punjab ombudsman order

mix including gas used in power generation He said it s unfortunate, gas in Pakistan is sold even below its cost which has caused colossal loss to gas companies He said now it’s high time that government must ensure first uninterrupted supply to industries and agriculture sector followed by commercial and domestic consumers as practiced globally to strengthen the fragile economy He said on the other hand government must educate and persuade the people to use other alternative resources for household needs and allocate their share to industry which will bring prosperity in the country

The Coordinator to Federal Tax Ombudsman said industry is backbone of the economy and all out incentives are offered to industry to contribute

California so as to participate in the agreement signing ceremony but we would be pleased if the Californian delegation make this agreement by coming over to Lahore

The CM apprised that the Legislative Assembly of California had passed the agreement resolution to declare Sister State relationship between Punjab and California He added that a reference had been given in the letter being sent by Mr Chris R Holden about the resolution passed from the California Legislative Assembly relating to the agreement to declare Punjab and California Sister State relationship adding that the copy of the letter had been sent to Ambassador of America in Pakistan Mr Donald Blome Director of USAID Mission and the

officials concerned CM stated that Chris R Holden apprised him that the later was highly pleased to extend him a formal invitation about the Sister State relationship agreement between California and Punjab He hoped that under the leadership of CM Pervaiz Elahi agreement of Sister State relationship between Punjab and California would soon be signed

Provincial Adviser Amir Saeed Rawn, Chief Secretary Punjab Abdullah Sumbal former Federal Secretary and Chairman P&D Salman Ghani, former Principal Secretary to CM GM Sikander Secretary Local Government, DG Punjab Emergency Services Dr Rizwan Naseer and the concerned officials attended the meeting

towards accelerating economic growth and social development in every sphere of life

He said industries are engine of growth and power and gas are lifeline Meher Kashif Younis said disruption of energy supplies from the world’s largest supplier Russia is resulting in a hike in energy prices throughout the world He said this a significant setback for an oil importing country like Pakistan thereby shrinking the country’s purchasing power even more He cautioned that Pakistan is facing a severe gas shortage and urgently needs to carefully assess its strategic position in the global and regional context and more informal but timely decisions that are essential for its survival

Boosting c are sec tor along modern lines top government priority: minister

On the orders of Punjab Ombudsman retired Maj Azam Suleman Khan, the Local Government & Community Development Department has prepared a development scheme of about Rs148 million to lay a new sewerage line in the Grand Trunk Road area of Lahore from Jallo More to Wara Gujran neighbourhood to improve the environmental and public health The project would be completed in the current fiscal year a spokesperson for the office said A letter has also been sent to the revenue department for a suitable piece of land to construct a disposal station This action has been taken on the application of one Usman Gujjar from Wara Gujran who complained to the ombudsman s office that locals are suffering from diseases and the neighbourhood on the outskirts of Lahore has turned into a pond of dirty water due to a lack of drainage system

s tA f f r e P o r t

The government was revamping the health sector for the provision of modern facilities for better treatment to members of the public and ensuring transparency in Medical and Dental Colleges Admission Tests (MDCAT) said Minister for National Health Services Abdul Qadir Patel on Sunday

Speaking to PTV News, he said the government

was paying special attention to the health sector to ensure well equipped advanced health facilities for the people All available resources were being used to provide better health facilities and any kind of negligence will not be tolerated in this regard

Replying to a question related to the MDCAT test he said the exam was conducted as scheduled on November 13, and in which “we will ensure its complete transparency and merit

The management of the Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC) conducted the test after taking all four provinces into confidence, he added

The government was taking all urgent measures to facilitate medical students, he said and added PMC had introduced a computer based exam system to enhance transparency and allow all students to compete on a level playing field

The minister said the government has also started the cleanliness drive and renovation of the government hospitals The availability of medicines and installation of new magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines in public hospitals was being ensured, he added

Emergenc y funding stressed to cop with climate crisis

ISLAMABAD

A P P

A group of experts on Sunday said urgent funds were needed to tackle the crisis of climate change in Asia especially Pakistan to enhance expenditure on vital public services such as health, education, and social protection

It said that climate disasters forced to invest in reconstruction and rebuilding and developing countries including Pakistan are cutting expenditures on public services and social protection and resulting in more people being pushed back into poverty Chairing a seminar on the Impact of Climate Disaster on Economy”, Shahzad Ali Malik said that already more than 50 percent of Asia s population lives below the $5 50 per day poverty line said a press release He said between 2013 and 2020 only

about $113 billion in public climate finance from international providers was committed to these countries, equating to an average of just over $14 billion per year

He said what is worse is that more than half of this amount is being provided in the form of loans that must be repaid to some degree Only one third of the total available funding is for adaptation which is needed to tackle climate impact he added He said most often, people from marginalised and lower income backgrounds experience the worst effects of the climate crisis and are the least prepared to deal with the consequences

But those people who have been suffering have done the least to cause this crisis, he said, adding the international financial support to build climate resilience and green societies are negligible and it s clear developing countries in Asia are not able to adapt to current and

future climate stressors alone

Malik said in the absence of adequate financial support, developing countries are reverting to taking on debt to deal with climate impacts and risk falling into debt distress

He said governments and the providers of climate finance must urgently ensure that scaled up and grant based adaption finance reaches vulnerable communities at the local level to respond to their actual needs

They should also clearly underline the pathways to meet their commitments including the doubling of adaption finance

He said Pakistan has experienced one the hottest springs in recorded history with temperatures topping out at 50C in some places impacting hundreds of millions of people

Another speaker Shiasta Mobeen from Kohsar University Murree said the UN in its latest report warned that many of the climate

six dead, dozens injured in explosion at Istanbul shopping street

CONTINUED fROM pAGE 01

T h e p r i m e m i n i s t e r a l s o p r a y e d f o r t h e s p e e d y r e c o v e r y o f t h o s e w h o h a d b e e n i n j u r e d i n t h e e x p l o s i o n I h a v e l e a r n t w i t h d e e p a n g u i s h a b o u t t h e e x p l o s i o n a t p o p u l a r I s t i k l a l a v e n u e i n t h e h e a r t o f I s t a n b u l G o v t & p e o p l e o f P a k i s t a n e x p r e s s d e e p e s t c o n d o l e n c e s t o t h e b r o t h e r l y p e o p l e o f Tu r k i y e a t t h e l o s s o f p r e c i o u s l i v e s & s e n d p r a y e r s f o r t h e s p e e d y r e c o v e r y o f t h e i n j u r e d , ” h e p o s t e d i n a t w e e t M e a n w h i l e , t h e p r e s i d e n t a l s o s t r o n g l y c o n d e m n e d t h e e x p l o s i o n a n d e x p r e s s e d s o l i d a r i t y w i t h t h e g o v e r n m e n t a n d p e o p l e o f Tu r k i y e o v e r t h e i n c i d e n t H e s a i d t h a t t h e y s h a r e d g r i e f w i t h t h e p e o p l e o f Tu r k i y e H e s a i d t h a t t e r r o r i s m w a s a c o l l e c t i v e i s s u e o f t h e w o r l d T h e p r e s i d e n t p r a y e d f o r t h e d e p a r t e d s o u l s a n d f o r t h e b e r e a v e d f a m i l i e s t o b e a r t h e l o s s w i t h f o r t i t u d e , P r e s i d e n t S e c r e t a r i a t P r e s s Wi n g s a i d i n a p r e s s r e l e a s e H e a l s o p r a y e d f o r t h e q u i c k r e c o v e r y o f t h e i n j u r e d p e o p l e A n e x p l o s i o n o n I s t a n b u l ’s p o p u l a r p e d e s t r i a n I s t i k l a l Av e n u e k i l l e d a t l e a s t f o u r p e o p l e a n d i n j u r e d 3 8 o t h e r s , T RT r e p o r t s a i d I s t a n b u l G o v e r n o r A l i Ye r l i k a y a o n h i s Tw i t t e r h a n d l e s a i d t h a t t h e r e w e r e c a s u a l t i e s f r o m t h e b l a s t t h a t o c c u r r e d a r o u n d 4 : 2 0 p m l o c a l t i m e ( 1 3 2 0 G M T ) o n S u n d a y A c c o r d i n g t o t h e i n i t i a l r e p o r t s , f o u r p e o p l e l o s t t h e i r l i v e s a n d 3 8 p e o p l e w e r e i n j u r e d i n t h e e x p l o s i o n t h a t t o o k p l a c e o n I s t i k l a l S t r e e t , ” h e f u r t h e r t w e e t e d C o n d e m n i n g t h e I s t a n b u l b l a s t , F M B i l a w a l B h u t t o Z a r d a r i t w e e t e d , “ D e e p l y s a d d e n e d a t t h e p r e c i o u s l o s s o f l i f e i n t h e e x p l o s i o n a t t h e i c o n i c Ta k s i m s q u a r e i n I s t a n b u l , t o d a y ” “ We s t a n d i n c o m p l e t e s o l i d a r i t y w i t h o u r Tu r k i s h b r e t h r e n i n t h i s h o u r o f g r i e f a n d o ff e r o u r s i n c e r e s t c o n d o l e n c e s t o t h e b e r e a v e d f a m i l i e s & b r o t h e r l y p e o p l e o f Tu r k i y e ” t h e f o r e i g n m i n i s t e r a d d e d P a k i s t a n Te h r e e k e I n s a f ( P T I ) c h a i r m a n a n d f o r m e r p r e m i e r I m r a n K h a n c o n d e m n e d t h e b o m b b l a s t i n I s t a n b u l a n d e x p r e s s e d s o r r o w o v e r t h e l o s s o f p r e c i o u s l i v e s H e e x p r e s s e d c o n d o l e n c e s t o t h e Tu r k i y e P r e s i d e n t R e c e p Ta y y i p E r d o g a n f o l l o w i n g t h e i n c i d e n t F o r m e r p r e s i d e n t a n d P a k i s t a n P e o p l e s P a r t y P a r l i a m e n t a r i a n s ( P P P P ) p r e s i d e n t A s i f A l i Z a r d a r i c o n d e m n e d t h e b o m b b l a s t i n I s t a n b u l Tu r k i y e H e e x p r e s s e d h i s d e e p s y m p a t h y a n d c o n d o l e n c e t o t h e Tu r k i s h g o v e r n m e n t a n d t h e p e o p l e Z a r d a r i s a i d t h a t t h e w o r l d m u s t t a k e p r a c t i c a l m e a s u r e s t o e n d t e r r o r i s m a n d e x t r e m i s m H e s a i d t h a t a t t a c k i n g i n n o c e n t p e o p l e i s u n f o rg i v a b l e A s i f A l i Z a r d a r i p r a y e d f o r t h e s p e e d y r e c o v e r y o f t h o s e i n j u r e d i n t h e e x p l o s i o n

ISLAMABAD

LAHORE

LAHORE

MeCHAniSM To Be evolveD in UniveRSiTieS To Help flooD-AffeCTeeS ReCoveR fRoM TRAUMA: GoveRnoR

LAHORE

S ta f f R e p o R t

pUNJAB Governor Balighur Rehman said that it will take a lot of time to come out of the social, economic and psychological ef fects caused by flashfloods saying a mechanism will be evolved in universities to help the flood affected people recover from the trauma

“The public and private sector universi ties worked actively to collect relief goods and funds for the flood victims as well as visiting the flood affected areas ”

Punjab Governor Balighur Rehman was talking with Dr Amjad Saqib Founder and Chairman of Akhuwat Foundation, Kamran Shams, Salim Ranjha, Rana Tariq, Dr Rizwan and Mian Shahid Iqbal from Ba

40,000 par ticipated in MDCAT tests at DUHS

KARACHI

f R e p o R t

Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS) Karachi on Sunday conducted the Medical and Dental College Apti tude Test (MDCAT) for the Session 2022 23, in which 44 thousand students are participating across the province of Sindh MDCAT was conducted simultaneously at NED University Convocation Ground and Dow University Ojha Campus Cricket Stadium in Karachi, Liaquat Uni versity of Medical and Health Sciences (LUMHS) in Hy derabad (Jamshoro), Bilawal Sports Nawabshah in Shaheed Benazirabad, Khairpur Medical College Play ground and Govt Naz Pilot Secondary School in Khairpur Mirs Around 16954 students from both locations in Karachi, 15408 from Hyderabad (Jamshoro), 8556 from both locations in Khairpur Mirs and 3077 students from Nawabshah participated NED University Karachi had six separate entry points for boys and girls About 12 000 stu dents were having their test in NED University while the remaining 5,000 students were attempting their test in Dow University Ojha Campus In this regard, strict secu rity arrangements have been made to deal with any kind of emergency situation, in which law enforcement agen cies, Rangers and Police along with ambulances and med ical aid volunteers were also present

hawalpur Economic Development Forum who called on the governor at Governor House here on Sunday

During the meeting, rehabilitation of the flood victims, construction of houses and es pecially how to get the flood victims out of trauma were discussed

Speaking on the occasion, the governor urged the students of the universities to play a role in bringing the flood victims out of the psychological effects

H e s a i d t h a t e v e r y o n e h a s t o p l a y h i s role till the complete rehabilitation of the flood victims

Balighur Rehman appreciated the wel f a r e o rg a n i z a t i o n ’s r e c o n s t r u c t i o n o f houses and other rehabilitation works for t h e f l o o d v i c t i m s O n t h e o c c a s i o n , t h e Punjab Governor along with the members o f B a h a w a l p u r E c o n o m i c D e v e l o p m e n t

F o r u m p r e s e n t e d a c h e q u e o f o v e r R s 1 5 million to Akhuwat Foundation Chairman D r A m j a d S a q i b f o r e d u c a t i o n a l s c h o l a r s h i p s t o t h e s t u d e n t s b e l o n g i n g t o B a hawalpur Division

Meanwhile the Punjab Governor said d u r i n g a m e e t i n g w i t h t h e d e l e g a t i o n l e d by the founder and chairman of Implemen t a t i o n M i n o r i t y R i g h t s F o r u m P a k i s t a n Samuel Pyara, that according to the vision of Quaid e Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, all minorities living in Pakistan have equal rights He said that protecting the rights of m i n o r i t i e s i s o u r d u t y a n d r e s p o n s i b i l i t y He said minorities played a significant role i n f o r m a t i o n o f P a k i s t a n , a d d i n g t h a t t h e role of minorities in the development and stability of the country is commendable O n t h i s o c c a s i o n , G o v e r n o r P u n j a b also thanked Bishop Nadeem Bhandar and

P a r v e z M a s i h f o r t h e i r h e l p t o t h e f l o o d v i c t i m s O n t h e r e q u e s t o f t h e d e l e g a t i o n , t h e G o v e r n o r o f P u n j a b a l s o a g r e e d t o h o l d a c e r e m o n y a t t h e G o v e r n o r ’s H o u s e i n t h e h o n o u r o f t h e p e o p l e w h o h a v e r e n d e r e d s i g n i f i c a n t s e r v i c e s f o r t h e r e h a b i l i t a t i o n o f t h e f l o o d v i c t i m s H e s a i d t h a t t h o s e w h o s e r v e h u m a n i t y s h o u l d b e e n c o u r a g e d O n t h i s o c c a s i o n , S a m u e l P y a r a s a i d that the constitution of Pakistan is the best constitution in the world regarding minori t i e s H e s a i d t h a t a l l m i n o r i t i e s l i v i n g i n P a k i s t a n h a v e e q u a l r i g h t s a n d r e l i g i o u s

‘ I n d i a c a n n o t c h a n g e K a s h m i r ’s d i s p u t e d s t a t u s t h r o u g h i t s m i l i t a r y p r e s e n c e

S ta f f R e p o R t

Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) is the highest milita rized zone in the world as over 1 million Indian troops remain deployed in cities, towns and villages across the territory to brutally suppress the Kashmiri people Brutal militarization has created a humanitarian crisis in IIOJK as the terri tory is under military siege since India il legally landed its troops in Srinagar on 27 October 1947 said a report released by the KMS on Sunday It said Kashmiris are engaged in a peaceful political movement and India

cannot change the disputed status of Kash mir through its huge military presence

The Modi regime can t subdue Kashmiris through its military might, it added The report said huge concentration of Indian troops has made the territory a giant open air prison for its residents, adding Kashmiris’ plight has increased on an un precedented scale since 5th August 2019 when Modi led fascist Indian government repealed the special status of Kashmir and imposed military siege there For how long will the world community remain silent on brutal militarization of IIOJK?, the report questioned and said that Kashmiris cry for right to self determination could not be si lenced by military means

Chitral APC demands supply of elec tricity to Koh Valley

CHITRAL S ta f f R e p o R t

The participants of an All Party Conference (APC) held in Muroi Bala area of Chitral demanded sup ply of electricity to Koh valley On this occasion former MNA S h a h z a d a I f t a r u d d i n w a s c h i e f g u e s t w h i l e t h e c o n f e r e n c e w a s p r e s i d e d o v e r b y f o r m e r M PA M o u l v i A b d u l R a h m a n I n t h e A P C , t h e e l d e r s o f t h e a r e a s a i d t h a t t h e a r e a n e a r t o 1 0 7 M W o f G o l e e n P o w e r h o u s e i n L o w e r Chitral more than 25,000 Popula t i o n a r e s t i l l d e p r i v e f r o m p o w e r supply for the last eleven months This area was previously supplied e l e c t r i c i t y f r o m t h e R e s h o n h y d r o p o w e r p l a n t o f t h e p r o v i n c i a l PEDO (Pakhtunkhwa Energy De v e l o p m e n t O rg a n i z a t i o n ) d e p a r t m e n t , b u t i n 2 0 1 5 , t h e R a t i o n power plant was destroyed due to

f l o o d s a n d w a s r e s t o r e d a f t e r s i x years in 2021

Meanwhile, the area was sup plied electricity by the WAPDA power plant PESCO (Peshawar Electricity Supply company) but last year there was a dispute between the provincial and federal electricity de partment i e PEDO and PESCO over line loss and tariff i e electric ity rate because WAPDA’s electric ity is very expensive per unit and PEDO s electricity is cheaper as comparative to WAPDA As a result of this dispute, this area has been de prived of electricity for the last eleven months

The elders of the area warned that if this problem was not solved a s s o o n a s p o s s i b l e , t h e n p e o p l e w i l l b o y c o t t a n d d i s c o n n e c t t h e electricity that supplying here for only 3 hours in 24 hours and at the same time we will be forced to go out on roads including women and

’

children too Leaders of Jamaat e Islami, Jamiat Ulema e Islam, Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf Pakistan Muslim League N, Awami National Party, Pakistan People’s Party and other political and religious parties also expressed their views at All Parties Conference

Talking to the media residents including students o expressed their frustration and regret over the diffi culties they faced due to lack of electricity The people of the area warned that if the political leaders do not solve this problem then no candidate in this area should bother to ask for votes, we will not cast our vote for anyone They warned that if this prob lem is not solved So we will once again compel for protest and maybe we will also disconnect the power line that has passed through our lands and houses

Rs2.2b set aside for

free

distribution of wheat seeds to flood hit farmers: Bizenjo

The incumbent provincial government under the lead ership of Chief Minister Balochistan, Mir Abdul Qud dus Bizenjo has taken a revolutionary step for initiating a program to distribute free of cost seeds of wheat amongst the peasants of flood affected dis tricts of Balochistan province in order to restore agriculture sector of the province According to a statement issued by the Chief Minister s Secretariat here on Sunday, the incumbent provincial govern ment under the leadership of Chief Minister Balochistan Mir Abdul Quddus Bizenjo has taken a revolutionary step for initiating a program to distrib ute free of cost seeds of wheat amongst the peasants of flood affected districts of Balochistan province in order to restore agriculture sector of the province It said that an amount of Rs 2 2 billion had been re flected for the program with the approval of the provincial government 381000 bags of wheat s seeds would be procured which would benefit more than one lac peasants in 34 districts of the province The program aims at ending the apprehension of the dearth of wheat in the wake of floods

Sik h yatrees per form religious rituals at Gurdwara S ahib Kar tarpu

On

“We

of

They

wish that conditions of visas should be relaxed They said the both neighboring countries should not create difficulties in the routes for the people to come and go, but should make ease Sardar Preet Singh, party leader of Shiromani Gurdwara

(tomorrow)

freedom The delegation included Bishop Nadeem Bhandar, Parvez Masih from UK a n d C a n a d a , S a m e e r a H u s s a i n A d v o c a t e H e a d o f L e g a l Te a m o f I m p l e m e n t a t i o n M i n o r i t y R i g h t s F o r u m P a k i s t a n a n d

Kashif Naimat Advocate High Court

ISLAMABAD

LAHORE S ta f f R e p o R t

Indian Sikh yatrees visiting in Pakistan to attend the 553th birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak Sahib on Sunday visited Gurdwara Kartarpur Narowal and per formed their rituals Deputy Commissioner Narowal Muhammad Shahrukh Niazi DPO Imran Razaq and Sar dar Inderjit Singh member of Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC) received the yatrees A documentary was also showed to the yatrees on the construction of Gurdwara Sahib

the occasion, sikh pilgrims said:

received a lot

love in Pakistan, the Pakistan government made best ac commodation, food security arrangements for them”

expressed their

Bandhak Committee India, Sardar Diljit Singh Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee, Sardar Sharanjit Singh Jatha Leader Haryana Committee, Sardar Shamsher Singh Jatha Leader Kashmir Committee, along with offi cials of groups of various states and regions of India, were also present They thanked the government of Pakistan and Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) for excellent arrangements According to the ETPB spokesman, after a one day stay in Gurdwar Sahib, yatrees would return to Lahore on Monday

K e e n t o e x P lo I t f u l l P o t e n t I A l o f b I l At e R A l

t I e S w I t h PA K I S tA n : b R A z I l I A n e n v o y

ISLAMABAD a p p

bR A Z I L I A N Ambassador to Pakistan Olyntho Vieira, on Sunday said that Brazil and Pakistan were collaborating to expand trade volume be tween the two nations

In an interview with APP, he stressed the need for expanding businesses from both the countries to look more thor oughly into the prospect of investments, joint ventures or partnerships in sectors like textiles and meat processing

The envoy said that Brazil and Pakistan were regional giants with similar populations, common positions in many issues of the international agenda and sharing challenges such as poverty and the effects of climate change, which the two countries could fight jointly

He mentioned these elements as the basis for the amicable and fruitful 74 year long diplomatic relationship between both the countries, which re sulted in warm and friendly relations

Brazil was the first nation in South America to recognize Pakistan, in 1948, and to establish an Embassy in Pakistan’s former capital Karachi, 70 years ago Since that time interactions between the corresponding govern ments and civil groups have intensified

and increased in frequency

The ambassador there was much potential existed which should be har nessed between the two countries

He claimed that Brazil and Pak istan’s cooperation in the sphere of de fence had been one of the most promising areas with constant ex change of high level visits and person nel for military courses

The ambassador in response to a query regarding trade between Brazil and Pakistan said it had been on an up ward trajectory since 2018, uninter rupted even in pandemic times

After reaching US$ 1 billion in 2020, he continued, “bilateral trade reached, according to our [Brazilian] numbers, US$ 1 3 billion at the end of 2021, up further 24 9% from the pre vious year

“Pakistan is already one of the top 40 export markets for Brazil and one of the top 6 markets for Brazilian soy beans, which are known worldwide for their quality and high sanitary stan dards” he remarked

Cotton is Brazil’s second most im portant export to Pakistan which used in the textile industry, he added

According to Asian Development Bank (ADB) in 2020 Brazil was the third largest supplier of materials used in Pakistani exports, making up a value chain that connected the two nations

he observed

Olyntho Vieira, was of the opinion that even with these encouraging im provements, several troubling aspects of Brazil Pakistan bilateral relations could not be ignored

First, it has a significant dollar im balance towards Brazil (which imports less that US$ 100 million from Pak istan); second, it is largely concentrated in two products the aforementioned cotton and soybeans, which account for more than 80% of Brazilian exports to Pakistan; third, and most importantly, the trade is currently performing much below potential

“Overcoming distance to create chances that concur to the economic de velopment of the two countries and the well being of the two peoples is the challenge put out to the respective gov ernments and business groups”, he said Brazil was able to take 19% of the grains market thanks to the advanced technology created by the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa) for the cultivation of new and more resilient crops that survive in harsh environments, he added

This technology is willingly shared with developing nations that have a technical cooperation agreement with Brazil, helping to advance agriculture and lessen starvation Currently, Brazilian universities and Pakistani

13 dead in 1,197 road accidents across Punjab

LAHORE: At least 13 people were killed and 1,242 injured in 1,197 road accidents in Punjab during the last 24 hours Of whom, 648 people were seriously injured who were shifted to different hospitals, whereas, 594 people with minor injuries were treated on the spot by rescue medical teams As many as 587 drivers 41 underage drivers 147 pedestrians and 521 passengers were among the victims of road accidents Statistics show that 306 road accidents were reported in Lahore which affected 311 people placing the provincial capital at top of the list followed by 101 in Faisalabad with 115 victims and at third Gujranwala 71 with 68 victims According to the data, 1045 motorbikes, 80 auto rickshaws, 128 motorcars, 13 vans 11 passenger buses 35 trucks and 81 other types of auto vehicles and slow moving carts were involved in road accidents S ta f f R e p o R t

IRSA releases 87,700 cusecs water

ISLAMABAD: Indus River System Authority (IRSA) on Sunday released 87,700 cusecs water from various rim stations with inflow of 63,700 cusecs According to the data released by IRSA, water level in River Indus at Tarbela Dam was 1521 28 feet and was 123 28 feet higher than its dead level of 1,398 feet Water inflow and outflow in the dam was recorded as 28,200 cusecs while outflow as 38,000 cusecs The water level in River Jhelum at Mangla Dam was 1147 85 feet which was 97 85 feet higher than its dead level of 1,050 feet The inflow and outflow of water was recorded 12,800 cusecs and 27,000 cusecs respectively The release of water at Kalabagh, Taunsa , Guddu and Sukkur was recorded 45,500, 41,100, 31 800 and 10 300 cusecs respectively Similarly from River Kabul, a total of 12,400 cusecs of water released at Nowshera and 3,300 cusecs released from River Chenab at Marala S ta f f R e p o R t

sugarcane growers are working to gether to create a variety that is ideal for the climate of Pakistan

“The potential for this field is enormous he said

In response to a question about im proving people to people contacts be tween the two countries particularly in the education sector, the ambassador replied that this was a typically disre garded aspect of relations between the two countries

The more our populations get in contact and know each other, the more opportunities arise for trade and coop eration he added

He noted that many Pakistani stu dents were currently taking their Mas ter and Doctorate courses in Brazil, and that the Embassy was also looking into establishing a Brazilian directorate in a prestigious Pakistani university, so that Pakistani students could learn about Brazilian culture and improve their Portuguese’s skills in order to more easily apply for post graduate courses in Brazil

T h e a m b a s s a d o r s t a t e d t h a t h e wanted to see more Pakistanis travel t o B r a z i l a n d v i c e v e r s a s i n c e P a k istan was a fascinating location and one of the best kept secrets for visi t o r s a n d a d v e n t u r e r s ; a l l t h i s w o u l d a s s i s t s t r e n g t h e n a n d e n h a n c i n g o u r cooperation

COP 27: Durrani emphasizes on climate crisis dialogue among global parliamentar y community

National Assembly Deputy Speaker Zahid Akram Durrani on Sunday emphasized on facil itating dialogue on the climate crisis among the global parlia mentary community

H e s a i d i t w o u l d h e l p i d e n t i f y i n g i n t e r p a r l i a m e n t a r y s o l u t i o n s f o r a m o r e s u s t a i n a b l e w o r l d Durrani said Pakistan need support of international com munity for tackling devastating impacts of climate change

The deputy speaker along with noted parliamentarians from Pakistan, attended the par liamentary meeting, held on the occasion of the 27th session of the Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27) The meeting which was jointly organized by the Inter Parliamentary Union and the Egyptian House of Repre sentatives took place on 13 No vember 2022 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt

On this occasion Pakistani delegates touched upon the key

climate issues including emis sions reductions scaling up adaptation efforts and mobiliz ing climate finance for develop ing countries that are on the front lines of climate change

They drew attention of the world parliamentary leaders to the fact that the recent devas t a t i n g f l o o d s h a d c a u s e d s e v e r e d a m a g e t o t h e l i v e s a n d properties of millions of peo

The parliamentary delega tion is comprised of legislators Syed Mehmood Shah, Nuzhat Pathan Zeb Jaffar and Parlia mentary Secretary on Climate Change Naz Baloch

PPf organizes workshop on ‘Monitoring and Repor ting Attacks on Journalists’

ISLAMABAD

S ta f f R e p o R t

PPF organized a workshop on Monitoring and Reporting Attacks on Journalists to reduce the rate of impunity for crimes against journalists in the capital territory Islamabad Implementation of the “Protection of Journalists and Media Professionals Act, 2021” and the formation of commission required under the Act was stressed during the two day workshop organized by the Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) on 12 and 13 November 2022

The role of journalist unions and unity among the unions were also stressed during the workshop The workshop was organized by Pakistan Press Foundation under the project Civil Society for Independent Media and Expression (CIME) in collaboration with the European Union The workshop aims to promote the safety of journalists by providing training on reporting and monitoring attacks on journalists in Islamabad, and on using the provisions of the recently enacted journalists safety laws

The discussion, activities and presentation in the workshop helped the participants understand the mechanism of reporting attacks or any incident that happened with journalists Protection of Journalists and Media Professionals Act 2021 and Right of Access to Information Act, 2017 were discussed in detail and stressed the usage and implementation of these acts

The participants of the workshop, who were the office bearers of different press clubs, commended the efforts of Pakistan Press Foundation for organizing such training sessions and requested to continue similar training sessions

can’t change

t

Jammu

Kashmir (IIOJK) is the highest

remain

over 1

zone in the world

suppress the

people According to a report released by Kashmir Media Service on Sunday brutal militarization has created a humanitarian crisis in the IIOJK as the territory is under military siege since India illegally landed its troops in Srinagar on 27 October 1947 It said Kashmiris are engaged in a peaceful political movement and India cannot change the disputed status of Kashmir through its huge military presence The Modi regime can’t subdue Kashmiris through its military might, it added The report said huge concentration of Indian troops has made the territory a giant open air prison for its residents, adding Kashmiris’ plight has increased on an unprecedented scale since 5th August 2019 when Modi led fascist Indian government repealed the special status of Kashmir and imposed military siege there

For how long will the world community remain silent on brutal militarization of IIOJK?, the report questioned and said that Kashmiris’ cry for right to self determination could not be silenced by military means

Dipping mercur y increases demand for traditional winter delights

Market, Super Market, Aabpara Market and F 10 Markaz are attracting a large number of customers

The demand of the traditional winter delights has registered an increase soon after the cold wave gripped different parts of the country with the onset of the second rain spell of this winter season

The food outlets and markets of the fed eral capital can be seen jam packed with the food lovers who are buying the popular win ter items like Chicken Corn Soup, Doodh Jalebi Gajar ka Halwa Kashmiri Tea Samosas, Pakoras, fried fish and dry fruits etc especially during the rainy day

A number of stalls carrying these de lights at various markets including Melody Market, Karachi Company, Jinnah Super

Sadia Ajmal a university student said that winter is my favorite time of the year when my days are not enjoyable without having fish soup or hot coffee

She said that when the cold breeze of winter season blows, these foods not only satisfy your appetite but also help reduce the effects of chilly weather

Ajmal Khan a fish buyer was of the view that fish is the most favorite food for his family during the winters which he used to buy almost every week

The increased prices of the fish has al though impacted our purchasing capacity of the buyers but we cannot imagine the winter

season without fish

“We all like to have fish barbeque parties or go for enjoying fried fish, however, my children prefer to eat finger fish he added

Sadiq, who is a piece rate worker, said that fish and dry fruits are too expensive and not affordable to buy so he has no option but to buy peanuts, samosas and pakoras for his children to make them happy

He said that the purpose of buying such items is mainly to have a family time in which all of the family members can have discus sions over the cup of tea and such food items

Hamid Ali, a shop keeper at Karachi Company told that most of our customers are youngsters especially students living in hostels who roam around the place with their friends in evening time and visit us to enjoy the soup

ISLAMABAD

‘India

Kashmir’s disputed status through its militar y presence’: Repor

ISLAMABAD

Indian Illegally Occupied

and

militarized

as

million Indian troops

deployed in cities towns and villages across the territory to brutally

Kashmiri

ISLAMABAD

Buying soup for the people is not that much hard in the prevailing price hike situ ation so I am having good business these days, he added

Murder most foul

Th AT journalist Arshad Sharif was murdered in Nairobi, not killed by accident as a result of a mistaken identity at a Kenyan police post, now seems clear however it is not clear at this point who was behind his killing, with everyone pointing a finger at their opponent It does seem clear however, that his death has been turned into a political football, which is very unfortunate, as he did not deserve to be treated with such a lack of seriousness The entire incident deserves to be treated with the sort of seriousness that would lead to a solution rather than the sort of finger pointing that is now going on

One of the main difficulties is that the murder took place in faraway Kenya which adds to the difficulty of investigation It is symbolic that it was only discovered in the autopsy conducted in Islamabad, after the corpse was brought back to Pakistan, that Mr Sharif was severely tortured before being killed, to the extent of having his nails pulled This not only exploded the claim of an accidental killing, but also made any findings of the autopsy in Nairobi totally unreliable Then there is the failure of the Kenya Police in a host of areas, ranging from the recovery of Mr Sharif ’s laptop and mobile, to providing access to Pakistani authorities to Mr Sharif s companions at the time of his killing who were also his hosts Such access, both to resident high Commission staff and to the visiting investigative team, required diplomatic initiative and activism That does not seem to have been shown It should be remembered that Pakistani authorities do not have jurisdiction in Kenya, and very little or no ability to get things done the way they do in Pakistan, by throwing their weight around Pakistan can only progress in this investigation if there is proper diplomatic backing, which has not been visible so far

The worrying thing about Mr Sharif ’s murder is that whichever narrative is shown to be correct, the killing was ordered by someone high up, who would now want a cover up That makes it all the more necessary that there be a proper and thorough investigation which would clear away all the cobwebs of doubt and suspicion, and leave the guilty exposed, and liable to the just punishment of the law Mr Sharif was not a political football but a journalist of high calibre whose murderers deserve to be punished

Will the currency clearing deal with China help Pakistan?

DU r I N G the recent visit of Pakistan s prime minister to China, the two nations inked a memorandum of cooperation on the clearance of the Chinese currency the yuan, in Pakistan A clearing system, also described as a clearing house, serves as the interme diary between two parties and is also the agency through which financial instruments such as stocks, bonds, and currencies are often exchanged however, one lingering question remains: can such an unprece dented step address Pakistan’s economic woes?

Pakistan is in the grip of a crippling balance of payments crisis At the time the trade structure is un favorable since imports vastly outnumber exports According to Pakistani analysts and businessmen, the move is intended to minimize reliance on the US greenback The move comes at a time when Islam abad’s currency reserves are rapidly depleting and the rupee is under pressure from mounting imports

A Niazi Joint Editor

Aziz Executive Editor Aziz ud Din Ahmad Joint Editor

Arguably, fluctuations in currency distort local business confidence and exacerbate the balance of payment crisis, particularly via trade deficits The rupee has already depreciated substantially against the dollar, and it will continue to lose value as a result of the probable negative spillover impact of an in crease in interest rates and tighter monetary policy in the USA On the other hand, the yuan’s benefit as a pricing tool stems from its stability, expanding sig nificance in international settlements and payments, and support from China’s economic strength For in stance, since the worldwide cobid 19 outbreak, the Chinese Yuan has depreciated less than other major currencies versus the US dollar The Japanese yen has dropped 48 percent from its high since the outbreak, while the euro has been down 22 percent following a 27 percent drop in the British pound, and the Ko rean won has dropped 33 percent The Yuan fell by

16 percent however, opting for the Yuan clearing deal is not the panacea for all economic woes The prime issue is the alarming trade deficit with China In FY22, the overall trade volume between the two nations reached $20 billion, with Pakistan exporting less than $3 billion and import ing $17 2 billion from China Chinese exports to Pakistan have surpassed $150 billion in the previous ten years Almost 40 percent of Pakistan’s overall trade deficit results from trade with China In the short term, the currency clearing agreement will assist Pak istan by reducing pressure on the rupee against the dol lar by approximately 20 per cent however unless Pakistan’s trade balance with China improves, the country may face another balance of payment crisis, even if payments are made in Chinese currency Pakistan must strive for corrective measures to bal ance its unbalanced trade structure, as well as funda mental policy adjustments First Pakistan must enhance its productive capacity and value addition in goods Agriculture productivity is relatively poor in compari son to regional competitors; for instance cotton yield in Pakistan is 1 7 tonnes per hectare, compared to 9 tonnes per hectare in China human capital investment is critical for increasing labour productivity Pakistan must aim to strengthen its knowl edge capital, which will be a significant driver of future productivity, diversity, greater innovation, and hence higher growth Second, it is imperative to have person to per son or business to business contact, which connects o u r s m a l l a n d m e d i u m s i z e d b u s i n e s s e s t o t h e g l o b a l v a l u e c h a i n T h i s w i l l m o d e r n i z e a n d u p grade our industrial structure while also generating m u c h n e e d e d r e v e n u e Vi e t n a m , f o r e x a m p l e , i s linked with Samsung in the manufacture of mobile components and earns a sizable $72 billion annu

ally In Pakistan, the bulk of manufacturing indus tries is inward looking that is meeting the demand of domestic users Industries such as fan and elec tronics have enormous potential and must integrate with the global value chain to acquire skills and en hance manufacturing capacity

Third, the timely completion of Mainline 1 (ML 1) is essential since it will offer tremendous economic ben efits ML 1 is a vital project of the China Pakistan eco nomic Corridor (CPeC) and comprises a major infrastruc ture rehabilitation of the 1680 km of railway rails from Karachi to Peshawar The project will assist in the relo cation of industries to eco nomic zones as well as the transfer of freight from road ways to trains It will not only lower transportation costs but also increase efficiency, re ducing travel time between the two cities by half

A slight increase in interest rates by the Federal Reser ve raises the value of the US dollar, rendering Pakistani items uncompetitive on the global market. Because the yuan is less sensitive to worldwide volatility, Pakistani goods may be more competitive for expor ts to China and find a larg er market share in the Chinese as well as other Asian markets

This is because the potential for trading in yuan is expanding as its reser ves in global central banks grow

Finally, at the present, the majority of trade be tween Pakistan and China is conducted in US dollars The Chinese yuan is more stable than the US dollar since it is not a worldwide currency Against this setting, yuan based payment systems have the potential to significantly boost Pakistan’s export com petitiveness

A slight increase in in terest rates by the Federal reserve raises the value of the US dollar rendering Pakistani items uncompeti tive on the global market Because the yuan is less sensitive to worldwide volatility, Pakistani goods may be more competitive for exports to China and find a larger market share in the Chinese as well as other Asian markets This is be cause the potential for trad ing in yuan is expanding as its reserves in global central banks grow Thus, Pakistan must take advantage of a once in a lifetime trading opportunity under the China Pakistan free trade agreement (Phased II) spanning 2019 2024, in which substantial tariff con cessions have been offered to Pakistani exports

Against this backdrop, India and Bangladesh

to start formal negotiations for a Comprehensive economic Partnership Agreement (CePA) From trade to connectivity and from the socio economic to the in frastructural arena, the agreement may bring forth a pro found sense of cooperation and partnership Under this agreement, the two governments will recognize each other s needs and requirements in the context of their de veloping economies and will explore all options includ ing economic and technical cooperation, for promoting, facilitating, expanding, and diversifying trade between the two countries based on equality and mutual benefit

be signed with Thus India already has enough experience in negotiating a CePA deal

Bangladesh needs to skillfully negotiate with India for mutually beneficial investment opportuni ties Bangladesh s graduation from the least developed country (LDC) category in 2026 will also be a factor in the negotiation on the CePA Bangladesh needs to emphasize getting the privileges of this agreement even after the graduation from LDC

To identify the pros and cons of the deal a joint feasibil ity study was also conducted

The result of the study showed that CePA would boost Bangladesh’s export earnings by 190 percent and India’s by 188 percent The same study also reveals that the gross do mestic product (GDP) of the two countries is also ex pected to rise, by 1 72 percent and 0 03 percent respectively

Bangladesh is a large market for India with increas ing consumer power So, there are manifold investment opportunities for India in Bangladesh Indian foreign di rect investment (FDI) in Bangladesh has started to rise

First of all Bangladesh is the second largest exporter of ready made garments in the world and India is a very large market, whereas India has cot ton and Bangladesh can do yarns and garments Joint in vestment between the two countries can be increased under this agreement

Bangladesh is already in ad vanced talks with Tata Group and Ashok Leyland Tata group already has an assembly plant in Bangladesh It can bring a large automotive investment for Bangladesh

Other than these sectors, India can invest in the area of food, pharmaceuticals, leather and leather products, textile and apparel sector agro based Industries and farm machinery plants, automobiles, light engineering and electronics, ceramics, ICT sector, banking and financial services, telecommunications, and mega construction projects Bangladesh is establishing three large Special eco nomic Zones for Indian entrepreneurs In these special regions, Indian investors will be able to set up factories to cater to the supply chain needs of Bangladesh and

India has huge opportunities to generate power from renewable sources, such as solar and hydro At present, India has renewable energy plants with the capacity to generate 151 GW, which accounts for around 39 percent of its total power generation Also, India has set a target of expanding its capacity to 500 GW by 2030 Bangladesh can increase the share of renewable and green energy in its total consumption by either investing in India’s renewable energy projects to get electricity through cross border lines, or importing electricity with out investing in generation projects

Not only that, the Bangladeshi market has a huge de mand for the products of West Bengal due to the cultural similarity But as of now, there had been no significant investments from West Bengal to facilitate any formal trade relations Similarly, West Bengal has a large num ber of consumers who are highly interested in Bangladeshi goods (such as in the food and garments sectors) Bangladesh can be an exclusive area of invest ment especially for West Bengal centric investors On the contrary Bangladesh can invest in India in the field of food and beverages, agro processing, pharmaceuti cals, plastics and rubber products, leather and leather products textile and apparel jute and jute products ce ment, spinning mills, electronics and batteries, travel and tourism and ICT sectors

If the abilities and sources of the two countries will be used for each other ’s growth, this may benefit both countries under the Comprehensive economic Partner ship Agreement Along with the investments there will be prospects for employment opportunities in Bangladesh So, the officials from both sides should start the groundwork of this agreement and exploit exclusive investment opportunities to facilitate bilateral trade as soon as possible

The writer is an Assistant Professor at the Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan He can be reached at kamal@awkum edu pk

Th e post Covid 19 world has witnessed a shift in regional economic cooperation strategy from multilateral to bilateral cooperation agree ments In the past years India Bangladesh re lations have been on an upward swing The two countries have made strides in bilateral relations as well as in aspects relating to sub regional cooperation Cross border trade has increased manifold with improvement in connectivity networks

have agreed

CePA is an instrument for facilitating bilateral trade between India and Bangladesh The main benefit of CePA is, it doesn t have to clear the threshold of WTO, but is a more comprehensive framework in nature India had ear lier signed CePA with three countries, namely UAe, South Korea, and Japan Bangladesh will be the fourth country it will

since 2014 Annual average FDI from India stood at $90 million in the last decade It is, however, quite low com pared to FDI from China which stood at $245 million annually on average So Indian investment is still small compared to other developing partners of Bangladesh CePA may be helpful in boosting this connection

the North eastern states of India and to export to other parts of the world

This may benefit both countries under the Comprehensive Economic Par tnership Agreement Along with the investments, there will be prospects for employment oppor tunities in Bangladesh

Yousaf Nizami Editor

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

M

Umar

Political theatre of Pakistan and the poetr y of resistance

and Famida riaz that they were producing against Martial Law dictator Ziaul haq while living abroad Parveen Shakir who was the lit erary face” of state run PTV and state run radio was writing rejoinders like:

Tohmat laga ke maa pe jo dushman se daad le Aise sukhan farosh ko mar jaana chahiye (Those orators who take appreciation from enemies by abusing their mother must die)

Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Ahmed Faraz, Famida riaz, and many more had to leave the country to avoid wrath of Ziaul haq while habib Jalib and many others had to stay in the country and kept battling subjugation of Ziaul haq who dur ing his speech at the National Writers confer ence on 25 November 1980, said that everybody from businessmen to teacher and from a profes sor to a writer had to do their work within the parameters and guidelines of the religious values and nothing else would be accepted and allowed

Whosoever wanted to retain his position in society like Ashfaq Ahmed Bano Qudsia Jamil Jalibi, and many more, well understood the mes sage of General Zia and had no problem during and even after Zia’s regime while those who were deaf, had no reasonable place in society during his one decade long regime

had a changed face by 2007 A resistance move ment against Musharraf started at the beginning of the year 2007 and on 2 October 2007 Musharraf had to resign from Pakistan Army al though he should have retired in 2002 or maxi mum in 2003 if he was not the one who had the power to decide who could stay in Army and who could not?

The resistance movement against Musharraf resulted in the rise of the importance of resist ance poetry and several poems were produced during the lawyers movement against Mushar raf however, such poetry as was created for a specific movement or circumstance, did not sur vive and died out when the movement died out, and on 7 August 2008 President Musharraf was no more in power Now almost after 14 years, the alleged po litical role of the military is again under question and this time it is PTI that is targeting the mili tary for its suspected intervention in politics, and the haqeeqi Azadi March is against the military establishment of Pakistan led by former Prime Minister Imran Khan who himself was appar ently a product and project of the military

Streets of parking lots?

T h e r e seems to be no writ or governance as far as the traffic and car parking issues are concerned in areas around Bahria University in Islamabad Parking has become a major issue for university campuses as enrollments have grown over the years and the availability of parking spaces has not been able to keep pace with it Students continue to struggle to find places to park, which causes parking violations and parking in streets and roads, violating the rights of the residents of such areas

We the residents of sector F 8/2 main Margalla road and all the connecting streets, are facing a huge difficulty in even walking from one place to another as all the streets, roads, parking spaces, grounds and parks in the vicinity are full of parked vehicles

It is a huge challenge for the residents to drive through those closely parked vehicles to go about their life The students and drivers of private taxis and vans are difficult to interact with due to their short tempered ill mannerism Such interactions only add to the frustration

The same is the case in areas like Ayub Market and the adjoining roads and streets where vehicles of a private company are parked in every nook and corner A few lawyers are the lone exception who are ‘allowed’ to park their own vehicles in the area The prevailing situation indicates a collapse of governance, and calls for some immediate intervention from the respective university administrations, district management and, indeed, the Capital Development Authority (CDA)

M IRFAN SIDDIQUE ISLAMABAD

Celebration

The 553rd anniversary of the birth of Guru Nanak is being celebrated this week The first Guru he was born in 1469 in the historic city of Nankana Sahib, which is part of Pakistan The Sikh community generally gathers at either Nankana Sahib (pictured below) or Kartarpur where devotees from all over the world come for the event called Guru Nanak Jayanti where the ‘Akaal Takht’ is illuminated, which is a sight as beautiful as it is spiritual

The celebrations usually start a couple of days before the actual day in different gurdwaras marked by the recital of Akhand Path (the unimpeded prayer) for a non stop session lasting 48 hours

On the day, early morning processions, or ‘Prabhat Pheris’, are taken out followed by Nagarkirtan which is a march led by five people with swords and the triangular Sikh flag in their hands

At the ‘Langar ’ , food is served to everyone without any discrimination with the main attraction being the Kada Parsad

The concept of this free kitchen is to warmly welcome anyone and everyone Gurdwaras across the world provide shelter and food to those in need all year long because it is considered Seva a service to the larger community The main purpose of all gatherings related to the ‘Guru Nanak Jayanti’ event, however, is to remember the teachings of Guru Nanak Sahib and his services for the community in the hope of being able to follow the path defined by him

he was a spiritual existence all his life, and that includes even his childhood The man was able to convince a lot of people to move away from the path of negativity with his spiritual teachings AJEET KUMAR

TARACHAND TALREJA KARACHI

Religious sectarianism

Fr e N C h philosopher Jean Luc Nancy (26 July 1940 23 August 2021) said that poetry makes the difficult, the ab solutely difficult easy” This is the rea son poetry had been used since ancient times as a successful resistance tool emmanuel Folorunso Taiwo, the author of Poetics of Resistance in Roman Antiquity, be lieves that voices of dissent, whether verbal or written, have the historical background of being symptomatic of governments characterized by oppressive policies and brutal force he writes that in both ancient and contemporary times, re sistance poetry assumed different meanings in dif ferent creative contexts and academic disciplines

In ancient times poetry was considered “so dangerous” that is why it had no place in the ideal state of Plato who barred poets and come dians from being part of the city state history testifies that comedy and poetry had been two metaphysical brutal swords to fight against ruth less regimes In his Republic Plato condemns the poets and exiles them from his idyllic city The Republic is perhaps one of the greatest literary works of all time and a poem in its own right though written in prose For Plato, everything is dangerous that has the potential to challenge the writ of the State therefore comedians and poets must be thrown away from the city (State)

A nazm (poem) written by Ahmed Faraz in 1982 when he was living abroad has become very popular in social media among followers of Imran Khan nowadays Faraz’s poems and writ ings harshly disapproved of the military regimes of Gen Ayub Khan, Gen Ziaul haq, and Gen Pervez Musharraf his work cost him arrest, fi nancial strangulation and social purge while other poets standing on the other side of the di vide, like Ahmed Nadeem Qasmi and Parveen Shakir had been enjoying their exceptional rise under the patronage of the State When Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Ahmed Faraz, Famida riaz, and habib Jalib were writing against military dicta torship, Parveen Shakir was writing rejoinders to their anti establishment poetry In response to the poetry of Ahmad Faraz

If Ahmed Nadeem Qasmi can be considered the poet of the State, then we can call Ahmed Faraz a poet of resistance Qasmi had always been awarded by Martial Law rulers he had been conferred with a Pride of Performance Award by the President of Pakistan Gen Ayub Khan in 1968 the Sitara i Imtiaz by the Presi dent of Pakistan Gen Ziaul haq in 1980 and he enjoyed a lifelong government job in Majlis Taraqqi e Adab (July 1974 2006)

The post independence resistance poetry in Pakistan was mostly written against the Martial Laws of Gen Ayub Khan Gen Ziaul haq and Gen Parvez Musharraf Some poems of habib Jalib written under Ayub’s Martial Law once again became popular during Ziaul haq Martial Law and even during Musharraf ’s hybrid rule because their connotations and denotations rep resented the same subjugation that had been faced by the public under military dictators be fore General Musharraf

I believe Musharraf s Martial Law was the first practical test of a hybrid system when he coined the term of “Chief executive of Pakistan” instead of Military dictator or military ruler or Chief Martial Law Administrator Technically speaking, it was the first time Pakistan was offi cially proclaimed a corporate entity headed by a Chief executive in uniform, and this experiment went on from the day Musharraf clamped Mar tial Law on 12 October 1999 till 2002 have you ever read that a country is run by a “Chief executive”? Yes, we know almost all private corporate sector entities have Chief executives while countries are run by presidents, prime ministers, kings, queens, or military dictators By the time of Musharraf, resistance poetry was no more in the mainstream Nevertheless, it never died and resistance poetry had been pop ular and had been produced in smaller cities and towns of Southern Punjab, as well as in Balochistan

By 2007, Musharraf was losing ground for several international reasons he was no more the only option for the US led War on Terror that

Pro military writers always provide a point against politicians stating that almost all politi cians rose to power through the military and were raised in the lap of the military dictators and then they became critical of the military es tablishment My understanding is that there had been no place in Pakistan where politicians could rise because there had always been mili tary rule and intelligent politicians made their ways under the patronage of the then dictators When Zulfikar Ali Bhutto came back to Pakistan for serving his country there was the military rule of Gen Ayub Khan so he had to join the band if he wanted to place himself in Pakistani politics he revolted against the military the mo ment he got the opportunity and formed his po litical party Mian Nawaz Sharif decided in the early 1980s to rise as a politician and that was the time of the Zia Martial Law, so he had to go through the corridors manned by the military ruler Imran Khan decided to enter into politics in 1996 when there was no military rule but he had to join the band soon by supporting the ref erendum of General Musharraf in 2002 So this is not the sin of politicians rising under military rulers, rather there had never been a free political arena available in Pakistan where there were no Martial Laws from the early 1950s till the end of the 20 h century

I compare the political scene of Pakistan to a theatre So called democracy has been arriving on the power stage as a comedian performance or a chorus that arrives between the two main performances (acts) or at the time when there is a need to change the backdrop of the stage ac cording to the demand of the forthcoming new scene Let me add here that the poetry of resist ance had always been a part of theatrical per formances, mostly it was performed at the end of the main scene of political theatre Will this theatre go on as before? I wait for an honest answer

The writer is an international award winning journalist who has been in the field since 1988 and appears in national and international media as analyst and political scientist

T h e r e was a time when the people of Pakistan were afraid of religious sectarianism They thought the wave would potentially wipe out everything else Somehow or the other the threat was controlled though not eliminated The recent threat, almost of similar intensity, is that of politics of intolerance If anything, its grip on the affected is clearly more blinding than much else

For instance, we had never heard of family feuds and friction among friends due to disagreement in a discourse involving religious views But in a parallel world this is happening all the time if people are discussing current politics in Pakistan And who is not discussing it? None

Politics is an important component of socialisation and education It helps people become aware of their rights and to know about their duties It enacts positive changes in society and urges people to speak up when their rights are usurped in any sense It creates a sense of meaningful identity among the masses and has an impact on the way people think and act But, unfortunately, all this seems to carry nothing but textbook value in Pakistan In practical terms, we clearly live in a different world

The rise in intolerance is not a sudden happening The phenomenon definitely has its history and reasons Pretty much since independence, we have not been practising politics in its real sense It is no wonder, then, that political instability has become a teasing tale for us We have politicians who don’t think twice before injecting their own ugliness into the minds of their followers

There is a clear cut difference between freedom of speech and hate speech, between dissent and bigotry, between objectivity and prejudice, between criticism and defamation, and between truths and half truths Politics the way we practise is nothing but an institution that encourages people to go beyond the limits even if they happen to be limits of civility, decency and humanity

All the unethical ways of the so called politicians have weakened and are weakening, the social fabric severely Speeches full of downright hatred laced with prejudice are proselytising the behaviour of society at large And that in a nutshell explains the increasing intolerance

respect for elders, love for the younger, care, social bonds and social values are fading and our penchant for politics is driving society, particularly the young towards a stage where emotion will always outweigh logic, and intolerance will always triumph over coexistence

We need some solid steps to change our understanding of politics and its practice There must be some parameters for voicing one s criticism of anything or anybody Moreover, our academics and other stakeholders having due social upbringing must do whatever they can do to refine the minds of the young they interact with Is there hope? It is difficult to say, really Difficult, because just to realise and acknowledge the need to change our understanding of politics and its practice needs some level of rationality Do we have it in us Do we really want to have it in us? That is a question we must first ask ourselves

Poets

can

IslAm AND the West: the eNtIre BINAry Is fAlse

Ar G U A B LY the most damning binary division to have plagued our reading of world history, from the rise of Islam to this day, is the fictional bifurcation presumed between two compelling illusions codenamed Islam and the West

Just like any other unexamined binary Black and white, male and female, good and evil the presumed existential distinction between Islam and the West needs critical attention What exactly are these two fetishised categories, cast into an almost cosmic conflict against each other?

Just turn to any media you regularly visit or read print or broadcast, old fashioned or online: Islam and the West are there as two polar opposites Islam is bad, the West is good; Muslims are “Indians” westerners are “cowboys”; Islam is dark, the West is white; Islam is reactionary, the West is progressive This binary has obviously created whiplash effects as Muslims react instinctively arguing that Islam is really good, and the West has misrepresented it, etc But either way, Islam is here, the West is some where else and the two are quintessentially apart

The late Zionist orientalist Bernard Lewis’s 1993 book, Islam and the West, sums up not just the tired cliche of this binary but in fact his own entire academic and political career of wedging an insurmountable wall between Muslims and the vacuous abstraction he cele brated as “the West”

Over the last few decades, scores of academic and popular publications have sought in an earnest ecumeni cal spirit to bring the two closer together and to question this Manichaean division Islam is not as bad, they would argue; the West is not as good; Islam has influenced the West and the West has had a prolonged colonial and im perial presence among Muslims

Some observers are doing their best to prove that the West has been wrong about Islam and yet as two distinct truths and two competing realities, they con tinue to be existentially and almost providentially cast against each other reactionary thinkers want to exacer bate this distinction, while progressives and liberals want to ease the tension But still, as author rudyard Kipling would say Oh east is east and West is West and never the twain shall meet ”

OLD COLONIAL CLICHÉ: In my latest book The end of Two Illusions: Islam after the West (University of California Press, 2022), I have sought not to make amends between Islam and the West but to dismantle altogether this illusory binary, a solid byproduct of eu ropean modernity or what they call “enlightenment”, and the rest of the world knows as the darkest chapters of predatory colonialism

My contention here is not that Islam and the West are really friends not enemies; that they have been kind not hostile to each other; and thus that we should be drawn to a kindhearted white european, such as the newly minted King Charles III who has been quite kind to Mus lims My contention is that this entire binary is false and flawed, a colonially manufactured dualism such as white and Black, master and slave, male and female that we must once and for all overcome and dismantle

But what would we gain by dismantling and discard ing this old colonial cliche? My contention is that it would bring us to the cusp of a whole new way of reading Is lamic, and indeed world, histories In making this argu ment, I am neither too beholden to our contemporary history, nor too drawn to ancient histories rather, a com bination of both near and distant histories is geared to wards a steady analytical purpose: to dismantle the binary

Thus, my book ranges from today’s front page news coverage back to the deepest and most revelatory histo ries of the last two centuries and earlier The result is a provocative and certainly unsettling proposition that dis mantles one of the most dangerous delusions manufac tured between two vastly fetishised abstractions “Islam” and “the West” and thus disorients those habit ually accustomed to this way of dividing the world to understand (and rule) it better

Liberating the world from this false and falsifying bi nary, my contention is that the whole civilisational divide

imagined between these two cosmic universes has para doxically defined their entanglement in ways that have scarcely anything to do with the lived experiences of ei ther Muslims or the diverse and changing communities held together by the myth of the West I thus propose that we read the fetishised concept of “the West” as an ideological commodity and civilisational mantra invented during the european enlightenment serving as an epi centre for the rise of globalised capitalist modernity

TROUBLED ALLEGORY: In a similar vein Oriental ist ideologues have gone around the globe manufacturing equally illusory abstractions in the form of inferior or in fantile civilisations in India China Africa Latin Amer ica, and perforce the Islamic world all to cross authenticate and centre stage “western civilisa tion precisely because in and of itself this deeply trou bled allegory would not and could not stand on its own rooted in a hegelian single track and deeply racialised philosophy of history the allegory of the West” is otherwise too fully aware of its Mediterranean, Asian and African roots and conditions Casting that po tent plurality of histories out of its repressed memories all hangs on sticking to the illusion of “the West”

The “Islam” that this “West” has crafted, coined and studied is the byproduct of this illusory disposition The juxtaposition between that “Islam” and “the West” is equally illusory, having scarcely anything to do with the lived experiences of Muslims across ages and continents I thus turn the Marxist conception of religion as “the opium of the people” and the Freudian conception of re ligion as an illusion upside down and against themselves, to propose that both Karl Marx and Sigmund Freud were in fact theorising “the West”, in the bosom of which illu sion they thought they were theorising religion

This argument might be of some interest to those critical thinkers who are already looking beyond the de bilitating terror of such binaries, engaged in far more emancipatory frames of historical thinking But by the same token, it might agitate and frustrate racist civilisa tional warmongers who have made a lucrative career of investing in such binaries

“This book should have been written a long time ago, wrote the eminent historian Ilan Pappe in a review In his precise estimation the book targets “the greatest fabricated binary of this century: ‘Islam and the West ’”

The rest of his assessment best sums up the book: This old Orientalist and destructive juxtaposition has survived until today and provided the moral justification for the brutal American assaults on Afghanistan and Iraq

“This book offers a different genealogy for the emer gence of this constructed binary, positioned one against the other in a poisonous and artificial relationship offering an alternative de racialized and humane per spective visions of the past and future that will be es sential for all who are embroiled and affected by this insidious and violent construct ”

Will Netanyahu, Ben-Gvir bring Israel back to the Dark Ages?

“Beast Parade” in Jerusalem in response to the city’s an nual Gay Pride parade Anti gay activists marched through the city with goats and donkeys to highlight what they called “deviant acts” of same sex relationships

“At home, everyone can be abnormal and people can form whatever family unit they want but they can t make demands from me, as the state,” he told students in a recording obtained by Army radio

When challenged by a student who called his remarks homophobic, he retorted, “I am a proud homophobe ”

h

working,

for turning this

land into a hopeful, bright, blos

country would be turning in their graves if they knew what had transpired of late Benjamin Netanyahu having brokered a merger be tween right wing extremists Bezalel Smotrich and Ita mar Ben Gvir, together forming the ultra nationalist religious Zionist Party was able to secure a remark able comeback

his newly elected government, in which women hardly feature, will likely comprise the Likud party, the religious Zionist Party and two ultra Orthodox parties

Our new leaders want to drag us back to the Dark Ages, imposing their beliefs and bigoted views on the rest of us

THE BIGOTED VIEWS OF ISRAEL’S NEW LEADERS: Perhaps the first sector of society likely to suffer will be the LGBTQ+ community No longer will all Israelis be able to express themselves freely and openly Whereas in other countries in the region gay peo ple are beheaded, simply for being gay, here in Israel we are proud of our open, inclusive and tolerant society

Sadly however there is a very real possibility that Tel Aviv, a gay capital of the world, will soon become a thing of the past and gay pride will be all but a happy memory

If you think I m being hyperbolic Smotrich the leader of the religious Zionist Party, the third largest in the newly formed parliament, once described himself as a proud homophobe

In 2006, he was involved in organizing an anti gay

he’s since attempted to distance himself from those remarks blaming youth and stupidity for his transgres sion however, there has been no substantive or mean ingful alteration to his anti gay stance

As recently as 2019 Smotrich also advocated strongly in favor of running the justice system along the lines of religious Jewish law Separation of “church and state something that progressive Western society holds dear, is an anathema to this man Instead, he believes that the country should aspire to run itself as “in the days of King David The Jewish people is a special people that need to live according to the Torah,” he told KAN radio

And it’s not beyond the realms of possibility in deed, some believe it is quite plausible that other areas of everyday life will be affected due to the religious Zionist Party’s influence Jewish conversion may face stricter rules, and permits given to some stores and su permarkets in secular areas to remain open on Shabbat may be canceled Smotrich is also calling for football games that are held on Shabbat to be canceled too

Most worrying, the powers of the Supreme Court will likely be curtailed under the rZP’s watch Smotrich, who is eyeing the position of justice minister, said that the Supreme Court “has been a bugbear of the Israeli right for years, owing in large part to it overturning or striking down government legislation, or preventing government decisions from being carried out ” according to an i24NeWS report

In what is widely perceived to be a blow to democ racy “leading politicians in the presumptive coalition want to pass a so called “override clause,” which would enable a majority or super majority in parliament to override court rulings

It’s a slippery slope and scary, echoing that of Iran and other fascist/theocratic states The emasculation of the

courts and an independent judiciary is, of course, one of the very hallmarks of fascism That it comes in the form of a kippah wearing Jew does not make it any less so racism is another of his revolting qualities Last year, Smotrich said that David Ben Gurion, Israel’s first prime minister should have finished the job and kicked all Arabs out of the country when it was founded he also believes that Arab and Jewish mothers should be segre gated in maternity hospitals It s only natural that my wife would not want to lie next to someone who just gave birth to a baby who might murder her baby in another 20 years he tweeted Ben Gvir Smotrich s partner is ar guably even more extreme in his views haaretz labeled him “One of the best known faces of right wing radical ism in Israel As a lawyer he is famed for defending rad icals suspected in cases of Jewish terror and hate crimes

An impartial legal system that affords everyone a fair trial is not his reason for taking on such clients; rather it’s ideology and a sincere belief that their actions are jus tified he has defended many “hilltop youths” whose aim is to build illegal settlements Whereas the majority of Is raelis see them as criminals, Ben Gvir calls them the “salt of the earth” “These kids who settle the hilltops of Judea and Samaria are the biggest Zionists that exist You un derstand that I don’t do it for the money,” he said in an interview with haaretz in 2016 “The reason I do it is be cause I truly believe I need to help these people In his teens, Ben Gvir became a disciple of Meir Kahane, hav ing joined Kach, the racist party founded by the Ameri can born Kahane, which was later outlawed I found in this movement a lot of love for the Jewish people, a lot of truth, and a lot of justice,” he said

Ben Gvir experienced his first taste of fame a few weeks before the assassination of prime minister Yitzhak rabin, when he appeared on television brandishing a Cadillac emblem stolen from his car he threatened: We got to his car and we’ll get to him too ” The man was as good as his word when on November 4, 1995, Yigal Amir, (another rabbi Meir Kahane devotee) did indeed get to him ” gunning him down after a peace rally in Tel Aviv

Ben Gvir ’s reputation as a teen provocateur (he has been indicted more than 50 times for various forms of incitement) led to his disqualification from serving in the army “The IDF lost out when they didn’t take me,” he lamented Many would beg to differ

Only last month, Ben Gvir ’s actions during clashes between Jewish settlers and the local Palestinian resi dents in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of east Jerusalem, served as a timely reminder that the army made the right decision Instead of trying to quell the sit uation, Ben Gvir fanned the flames by brandishing a gun and telling the police to shoot at the Palestinian stone throwers “We’re the landlords here, remember that, I am your landlord, he shouted

Until 2020 Ben Gvir had a photograph of the Amer ican Israeli terrorist, Baruch Goldstein, in his home In 1994, Goldstein massacred 29 Muslims at the Cave of the Patriarchs he removed the photo as a matter of po litical expediency to “soften” his image

Smotrich and Ben Gvir are unarguably the big win ners in last week’s election There has been much spec ulation regarding how they will behave in government; whether they will mellow, becoming more moderate with the responsibilities of office

This is wishful thinking The best guide to future conduct is past behavior Too many seek to excuse or ex plain their history

At Netanyahu’s instigation, their union has placed them at the helm of the largest component of the bloc that will form the next government As a result they are in a position to demand and expect powerful positions They will not be easily fobbed off with peripheral jobs

Ben Gvir a man who has had numerous brushes with the law, has made no secret of his desire to become public security minister This is a man with a history of incitement The very idea that he could within weeks be the overlord of Israel’s police force beggars belief

There are, of course, many who contend that their ambitions will be thwarted by the less radical elements in the coalition What that fails to take into account is, while Netanyahu may not support the more extreme ide ological designs of the religious Zionist Party he des perately needs such legislation for entirely personal reasons Make no mistake there will be the Israeli ver sion of the so called French Law prohibiting the in vestigation and prosecution of a sitting prime minister Lo and behold, the case of “The State of Israel vs Ben jamin Netanyahu will disappear into the ether To those who seek to deny or minimize the dangers posed to the future well being of Israel by the likes of Smotrich and Ben Gvir I borrow the words of Dr Maya Angelou “When people show you who they are, believe them the first time ”

The writer is a former lawyer from Manchester England

middle east eye H A M D DA b A S H i

Hamid Dabashi is Hagop Kevorkian Professor of Iranian Studies and Comparative Literature at Columbia University in the City of New York, where he teaches Comparative Literature World Cinema and Postcolonial Theory

T H E FA L S E D I V I D E B E T W E E N I S L A M A N D T H E

W E S T H A S L I T T L E T O D O W I T H T H E L I V E D E X P E R I E N C E S O F M U S L I M S A C R O S S H I S T O R Y

T H E A L L E G O R Y O F ‘ T H E W E S T ’ I S O T H E R W I S E T O O AWA R E O F I T S M E D I T E R R A N E A N , A S I A N A N D A F R I C A N R O O T S A N D C O N D I T I O N S

Jerusalem Post A N D R E A S A M U E L S

We r e does the election leave us? Those free thinking, hard

progressive pioneers, responsible

once barren

soming

I S R A E L’S N E W L E A D E R S WA N T TO D R AG U S B AC K TO T H E DA R K AG E S, I M P O S I N G T H E I R B E L I E F S A N D B I G OT E D V I E W S O N T H E R E S T O F U S

corporate corner

IesCo notifies power suspension schedule

ISLAMABAD: Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESCO) on Sunday issued a power suspension programme for Monday for various areas of its region due to necessary maintenance and routine development work According to IESCO Spokesman, the power supply of different feeders and grid stations would remain suspended for the period from 09:00 AM to 04:00 PM, Hazro, Nadtopa, Radio Pak II, Darya Sharif, Shehanka, Radio Pak I, Shamsabad, Ghorghashti, Lawrencepur, Hattian, Qaziabad, Visa, Maskinabad, Musa , Bhikri, Line Park, Mengan, Kariala, Mangwal/Jamalwal, Al Qasim Mill, Sarkal Feeders, From 09:00 AM to 03:00 PM, Sanghui, New Sanghui, Chotala, Feeders, From 09:00 AM to 02:00 PM Chhata Bakhtawar Radio Pak Ameer Hamza Feeders and surroundings staff report

PAkIsTANI yoUTH ReADy To CoNTRIbUTe

ISLAMABAD

s ta f f r e p o r t

Minister welcomes timely Chinese suppor t in flood rehabilitation effor ts

“I am thankful to the Chinese government as they helped us not just in statement and words, but they are helping us practically which shows that Pakistan China friendship is unprecedented,” he said Highlighting the team s work he said the experts went all the way into the most flood affected parts of Pakistan, especially the interior areas of Sindh, and provided great help which won t be forgotten by the people of Pakistan On the occasion, Huang Wenxin, head of the visiting team, said his team has carried out intensive work exchanges with its Pakistan counterparts, and visited relief camps and medical camps in the flood affected areas to investigate mosquito borne disease and the residual chlorine content of drinking water Huang said the Chinese medical team also provided free clinical treatment to local patients and urgently needed medicines and medical supplies to local health departments “We will submit relevant work reports and are willing to continue to exert our professional expertise to contribute to the reconstruction of the post disaster health system in Pakistan,” he said

According to the latest data released by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), a total of 1,739 people were killed and 12,867 others injured in the floods, which affected over 33 million people M o n i to r i n g r e p o r t

“P

A K I S TA N is focusing on innovation, technol ogy, and digitalization We have one of the youngest populations in the world, which is talented and tech savvy and is ready to contribute to the global effort ”

This was stated by Moin ul Haque Pakistani Ambassador to China at the “Belt and Road” Internet International Cooperation Forum one of the sub fo rums of the World Internet Conference (WIC) 2022 held in Wuzhen, China, ac cording to China Economic Net (CEN)

With the theme “Towards a Shared Digital Future in a Connected World Building a Community with a Shared Future in Cyberspace,” this year ’s WIC Wuzhen summit brought together more than 2,000 representatives from over 120 countries and regions

They showcased more than 200 projects which aimed at building a com munity in cyberspace and using digital technologies to promote social fairness Pointing out that building a digi tally inclusive community is a collec tive global responsibility the ambassador emphasized that Pakistan would not be far behind, and would be a willing partner in a shared concept to build a resilient, sustainable, and inclu

sive digital future for all

“While constructing a global digi tal infrastructure we should enable the developing countries to be an equal partner to increased investments and technical support ” , the envoy said

‘Cooperation and development’ is one of the key focuses of WIC 2022 Amid climate change, COVID 19 epi demic and economic tremors, ‘global efforts is a lesson that should be drawn from the responses to past global crises

The ambassador called on renounc ing the old mindset of zero sum games or the winner takes it all mentality, stat ing that “We could not put cyberspace beyond the concept of mutual support, mutual trust, mutual benefit ”

PMC successfully conduc ts MDC AT exams at national, foreign venues

Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC) on Sun day successfully conducted a single day Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) exam at national and international venues

According to PMC, MDCAT 2022 was a paper based exam, which was conducted through provincial public universities, super vised by PMC The commission and all provin cial universities successfully arranged the exam PMC President Prof Dr Noshad Ahmad Shaikh said that students’ bright future was their top priority and the commission was working tirelessly to facilitate them

He said that 204,253 students from Pak istan appeared in the MDCAT exam while the total number of registered candidates who ap peared in national venues was 203 791

He added, PMC also made international centers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) where the total number of international candidates ap pearing for test was 462 He informed that in the Province of Punjab 83,142 candidates ap peared; while 43,994 candidates in Sindh; 46 229 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa; 9 238 in Balochistan; 645 in Gilgit; 2,718 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir; 17,825 in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT); while 222 candidates in KSA center and 240 in UAE center

He said that the MDCAT examination was conducted in cities including Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Multan, Faisalabad, Ba hawalpur, Gujranwala, Sahiwal, Sialkot, D G Khan, Karachi, Jamshoro, Dera Ismail Khan, Malakand, Nawabshah, Khairpur, Swat, Swabi Peshawar Mardan Kohat Bannu Abbot tabad, Quetta Gilgit, Muzaffarabad, and Mirpur

The president PMC said that he personally remained at the Gilgit MDCAT center, where the PMC had conducted this exam for the first time to supervise the test

He said that special assistance had also been provided to a few handicapped candidates who required help to fill answer sheets He said that it was the right of all students to fulfill their

He

Meanwhile, Minister for National Health Services Abdul Qadir Patel appreciated the hard work of the PMC’s Counsel to maintain the best standards in successfully conducting MDCAT exam

He lauded vice chancellors and examina tion heads of all public sector medical univer sities for displaying transparency in the conduct of exams

He said that the original task mandated by the federal government was to ensure that MDCAT tests were held in a transparent “which could not be done during the previous regime due to shady practices now being investigated by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA)

He said that the current PMC council had conducted this exam through public sector medical universities to avoid controversies and doubts of students and parents in the case of al lowing private entities to hold this test

He wished all the students and parents good luck in future endeavors, saying, “I know it’s an exam of a complete family, not just one student I know how much it’s hard to become a doctor It’s a profession of extreme talent and hard work and I wish all these students to add value to the medical profession and the country ”

Ran Chengqi, Director General, China Satellite Navigation Office and Spokesperson of BeiDou Navigation Satellite System said that “We seek to actively cooperate with other countries in navigation satellite systems to achieve compatibility and win win re sults, jointly improve the performance of systems and share that with the whole world, especially the developing and the Belt and Road countries Participants from the corporate sector believe that the trend of Chinese enterprises and brands going global is unchanged Judging from the Prime Minister ’s concluded visit to China, IT cooperation between the 2 nations would be sustained and deep

UNHCR to celebrate 30 years of DAFI scholarship programme tomorrow

ISLAMABAD

s ta f f r e p o r t

The UN Refugees Agency (UNHCR) and Inspire Pakistan are organizing a “30 years of DAFI scholarship celebration event for refugees on Tuesday (tomorrow) here at Crystal ball room, Marriott Hotel

The Albert Einstein German Academic Refugee Initiative Programme (DAFI) is a global initiative funded by the Government of Germany and implemented by UNHCR across the globe In Pakistan UNHCR is implementing the DAFI programme through Inspire Pakistan His Excellency, Mr Alfred Grannas, the German Ambassador to Pakistan will be the Chief Guest of the event and UNHCR Country Representative in Pakistan, Ms Noriko Yoshida and Chief Commissioner Afghan Refugees (CCAR) Mr Saleem Khan, will also attend the event

We kindly request you to please assign a reporter, photographer and/or cameraperson to cover the DAFI Programme Media representatives are requested to send their details (i e exact name and designation of each representative) to Mr Hasham khan (hasham@inspirepk org) no later than 11 a m on Monday, 14th November

The event will start at 10 00 am, however, the camera crews are requested to arrive early to setup their cameras at the designated location

Three brick kilns sealed

LAHORE

The local administration has sealed three brick kilns in Multan for emitting excessive smoke in order to control smog during the winter season These kilns were sealed during a crackdown on the brick kilns polluting the environment as well as creating smog

Cases have also been registered and fines imposed on the kiln owners as smog has been declared as a calamity under the Punjab National Calamities (prevention & relief) Act 1958 The team visited six brick kilns and sealed three kilns over not having on zigzag technology The team also arrested two outlaws and handed them over to the Muzaffarabad police station while FIRs got registered against their owners

Pak istani fresh cherries gaining market access in China

istan

Pakistani fresh cherries is gaining market ac cess in China, it was reported by China Eco nomic Net (CEN) on Sunday

During Pakistani Prime Minister Shabaz’s visit to China earlier this month, the General Administration of Customs of China (GACC) and the Ministry of Food Se curity and Research of Pakistan signed the Protocol on Phytosanitary Requirements for Export of Fresh Cherries from Pakistan to China by exchanging signed texts, thus marking that fresh cherries produced in Pak istan have won China’s market access

According to a report released by the Ministry of Planning Development and Spe cial Initiatives of Pakistan, cherries in Pak istan mainly come from Baluchistan and Gilgit Baltistan (GB) regions with a plant ing area of about 5,931 acres and a yield of approximately 6,000 tons, which is about 2/3 of the world average

The ministry estimates that 10% of the cherries are available for export currently, worth about $1 77 million, with a broad

space for further export

There is a huge demand for imported cherries in the Chinese market China im ports more than 200,000 tons of cherries an nually, making it the world’s largest consumer of cherries

The approval of Pakistani cherries to enter the Chinese market is expected to drive the development of Pakistan s domestic cherry industry, Dr Gu Wenliang, Agricul tural Commissioner of the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan said in a recent interview with China Economic Net

He added, “China and Pakistan can co operate to introduce Chinese technology to expand the planting area of cherries, im prove the unit yield and fruit quality and in vest in the construction of cold treatment facilities, which will not only meet the de mand of the Chinese market but also bring foreign exchange earnings to Pakistan ”

Since 2019, relevant Chinese and Pak istani departments have initiated risk analy sis for the export of fresh cherries from Pakistan to China The two sides have reached an agreement on the list of quaran tine pest and cold treatment conditions and

finally signed the export protocol

Dr Gu informed that Pakistan’s cherry or chards should focus on environmental friendly production and biological control of quarantine pests should be enhanced during cultivation

All cherries exported to China must be treated cold Conditions of cold treatment fa cilities and sanitary conditions during pro cessing packaging storage and shipping of cherries need to be further improved,” sug gested him

Explaining the transportation Dr Gu said that fresh cherries are of high value and those produced in Baluchistan can be exported from Pakistan to China by air cooling

“As Pakistan Customs further improves its inspection and quarantine facilities at Suster Pass, cherries produced in the GB re gion can also be exported to China via re frigerated containers at Khunjerab Pass added him

Under the China Pakistan Free Trade Agreement, cherries from Pakistan that meet the requirements can enjoy zero tariffs when exported to China

According to the Protocol on Plant Quar antine Requirements of Pakistan Fresh Cher

Since

At

ISLAMABAD

ries Exported to China the exported cherry orchards, packaging plants, refrigerated ware houses, and related processing facilities must be reviewed and filed by the Ministry of Food Security and Research of Pakistan, and the ministry will provide the list of names to GACC for approval and registration

November 2021, China and Pak

have signed four protocols on exports of agricultural products to China including onions, buffalo embryo, Rhodes Grass, and fresh cherries

present, the two sides are carrying out risk analysis on the export of dried chilies, potatoes, dairy products, cooked beef, and other agricultural products to China

ISLAMABAD: China came forward with timely support for Pakistan in fighting recent disasters caused by devastating floods in the country, Minister for Health Abdul Qadir Patel said Patel made the remarks here during a session with a visiting Chinese medical team consisting of 13 members including experts in the field of clinical medicine and health and pandemic prevention from China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region

ISLAMABAD s ta f f r e p o r t

wishes and it was our responsibility to help them to fulfill their dreams

said that the entire PMC staff had worked day and night to make all necessary arrangements to conduct MDCAT He said that students had been provided with the best facil ities to appear in the exam

BideN to SeeK red liNeS iN talKS with Xi

US President Joe Biden said Sunday he will seek to establish “red lines” in America’s fraught relations with Beijing in high stakes talks with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping

The superpower sit down will come on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Indonesia Monday with leaders from the world’s 20 largest economies holding their biggest gathering since the pandemic Biden said he was going into his first face to face with Xi as president “stronger”, after his Democratic Party s unexpected success in midterm elections they had been forecast to lose heavily

But the summit comes with Beijing and Washing ton s rivalry intensifying as a more powerful and as sertive China tries to disrupt the US led international order The world’s two largest economies are at log gerheads on everything from trade to human rights in China’s Xinjiang region and the status of the self ruled island of Taiwan, and Biden said he expected “straight forward discussions” with Xi

“I know Xi Jinping, he knows me,” he told re porters in Phnom Penh where he met with Asian lead ers before heading to the G20 on the Indonesian resort island of Bali

We have very little misunderstanding We just got to figure out what the red lines are,” Biden said The US president hopes to “come out of this meet

Biden seeks N. Korea strategy in talks with Japan, S. Korea

SEOUL A F P

US President Joe Biden will seek ways to rein in Pyongyang after its barrage of missile tests in talks with South Korean and Japanese leaders Sunday a day before a high stakes encounter with China’s Xi Jinping A record breaking spate of launches by the North in recent weeks has sent fears soaring that the reclusive regime will soon carry out its seventh nuclear test The White House says Biden will press China to curb Pyongyang’s activities when he holds his first face to face meeting with Xi on Monday on the sidelines of a G20 summit in Indonesia Biden will meet his South Korean counterpart Yoon Suk yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Sunday to discuss ways to address the threat posed by the North’s “unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs”, the White House said The three way meeting on the sidelines of an East Asia Summit in Phnom Penh comes after a flurry of tests by the North earlier this month, including an intercontinental ballistic missile Pyongyang ramped up its launches in response to large scale US South Korean air exercises, which the North described as “aggressive and provocative” Biden will use his closely watched talks with Xi on Monday to urge China to use its influence as North Korea’s main ally to press Kim Jong Un s regime to cool down US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said the president would not make demands but would warn Xi that further missile and nuclear build up would mean the United States boosting its military presence in the region something Beijing bitterly opposes North Korea represents a threat not just to the United States, not just to (South Korea) and Japan but to peace and stability across the entire region,” Sullivan told reporters D i p l o m at i c b l i t z: Biden flew to Phnom Penh from the COP27 climate conference as part of US efforts to boost its influence in Southeast Asia as a counter to China

ing with areas where the two countries and the two presidents and their teams can work cooperatively on substantive issues, National Security Advisor Jake Sul livan told reporters as Biden flew to Bali Biden will push China to rein in North Korea after a record breaking series of missile tests fuelled expec tations the reclusive regime will soon carry out its sev enth nuclear test

China is Pyongyang’s main ally and while Biden is not expected to make demands, he will warn Xi that further missile and nuclear build up would mean the United States boosting its military presence in the re gion something Beijing bitterly opposes Biden met Japan and South Korea’s leaders before flying to Bali, with the allies pledging a “strong and resolute response to any North Korean nuclear test

The US China talks will cast a long shadow over the first post pandemic G20, a reunion that Russian President Vladimir Putin has pointedly opted to skip

He is instead sending his Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who arrived on Sunday evening Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has made the trip to Bali logistically difficult and politically fraught, and while the war is not officially on the summit agenda the conflict will dominate discussions

Soaring energy and food prices have hit richer and poorer G20 members alike and both are directly fu elled by Putin’s war

There is likely to be pressure on Russia to extend a deal allowing Ukrainian grain and fertiliser ship

ments through the Black Sea when the current agree ment expires on November 19

At a minimum, Biden and his allies want the G20 to make it clear to Putin that nuclear war is unaccept able Even that once uncontroversial position is likely to be blocked by a mixture of Russian opposition and Chinese unwillingness to break ranks with its ally in Moscow or give Washington a win

At a recent meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Xi said a nuclear war could not be won and should never be fought

Ryan Hass, a former director for China at the US National Security Council, said Xi likely will not be as magnanimous in his meeting with Biden ”

“He will not want to be perceived as satisfying a request from Biden whether on Ukraine nuclear use North Korea, or any other issue,” Hass told AFP G20 host Indonesia still careful not to favour either China or the United States is not confident that the leaders will be able to break the deadlock

A s t r i n g o f G 2 0 m i n i s t e r i a l m e e t i n g s , h o s t e d b y I n d o n e s i a i n t h e r u n u p t o t h e s u m m i t , h a v e f a i l e d t o a g r e e o n a f i n a l j o i n t c o m m u n i q u e a p r o c e d u r a l s o u n d i n g t r a d i t i o n t h a t c a n b e i m p o r t a n t i n d r i v i n g c o o p e r a t i o n “ H o n e s t l y, I t h i n k t h e g l o b a l situation has never been this complex” said Indone s i a n g o v e r n m e n t m i n i s t e r L u h u t B i n s a r P a n d j a i t a n o n t h e e v e o f t h e s u m m i t “ I f e v e n t u a l l y ( t h e G 2 0 ) l e a d e r s d o n o t p r o d u c e a c o m m u n i q u e , t h a t ’s t h a t , i t ’s O K ”

Taliban ban Afghan women from gyms and public baths

Promotion of Virtue, told AFP

Gyms and public baths are now also off limits to Afghan women the Taliban confirmed Sunday, days after banning them from parks and funfairs

Women are increasingly being squeezed out of public life since the Taliban’s return last year Most fe male government workers have lost their jobs or are being paid a pit tance to stay at home while women are also barred from travel ling without a male relative and must cover up with a burqa or hijab when out of the home Schools for teenage girls have also been shut tered across most of the country since the Taliban s August 2021 return

“Gyms are closed for women because their trainers were male and some of them were combined gyms,” Mohammad Akif Sadeq Mohajir, spokesman for the Min istry for the Prevention of Vice and

He said “hammams” tradi tional public bathing houses that have always been segregated by gender were now also off limits

“Currently, every house has a bathroom in it so it won t be any issue for the women,” he said Sana, 23, a university student, gave a different explanation “The main reason for closing the doors of parks gyms and hammams lies in the anti women ideology of the Taliban,” she told AFP Afghanistan today has turned into a dungeon for women They want to send women to a black hole “Today, with the closure of these facilities, women are com pletely imprisoned in a home s four walls ” One video clip circulating on social media which could not immediately be verified showed a group of women, backs to the camera, lamenting the gym ban

It s a women only gym the teachers and trainers are all

women,” a voice says, breaking with emotion

“You can’t just ban us from everything Do we not have the right to anything at all?” Activists have said the increasing restrictions on women are an attempt to stop them from gathering to organise opposition to the Taliban’s rule Small groups of women have staged frequent flash protests in Kabul and other major cities risk ing the wrath of Taliban officials who have beaten and detained them The United Nations this month voiced concern after the Tal iban disrupted a press conference in the capital, submitting female participants to body searches and detaining the event organiser and several others

“I have been to parks and ham mams many times it always gave me joy,” said 19 year old Fatima

“I never thought my presence in hammams or gyms could be an issue for anyone ”

israel’s Netanyahu poised to retake reins of power

JERUSALEM A F P

Israel s president on Sunday is set to formally designate Benjamin Netanyahu to form a government, a victory for the former veteran prime minister who had vowed to return to power

After a period of unprecedented political gridlock that forced five elections in less than four years polls on November 1 gave Netanyahu and his far right allies a clear majority in the 120 seat parliament

The result has all but sealed Netanyahu s comeback paving the way for him to form a government that could be the most right wing in the country’s history

President Isaac Herzog will formally assign him the task at around midday (1000 GMT), after 64 lawmakers recommended Netanyahu be tapped for the job

The veteran right winger, who is on trial over corruption allegations that he denies, will have at least 28 days to build a coalition with his allies two ultra Orthodox Jewish parties a rising extreme right alliance called Religious Zionism

The 73 year old Netanyahu is expected to deliver a speech following Herzog’s announcement

His moves over the coming weeks will be closely scrutinised, as unease mounts in some quarters over Netanyahu’s policy plans and the goals of his controversial governing partners

The new government is widely expected to pass sweeping judicial reforms, a long held priority of Israel s right

That could include a so called “override clause,” giving parliament the right to overrule the supreme court any time it declares legislation to be illegal

Netanyahu’s government may also take full control over appointing supreme court judges a role currently held by a panel of lawmakers, sitting judges and lawyers

“It is difficult for me to exaggerate the damage and danger of the proposed reforms said Suzie Navot a constitutional law professor at the Israel Democracy Institute think tank

p o rt f o l i o a l l o c at i o n s: Netanyahu can seek a two week extension to his initial mandate, but is expected to announce a coalition deal reasonably quickly, given broad ideological unity within the incoming government

Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich co leaders of the Religious Zionism bloc, have publicly demanded control of two key ministries public security and defence Ben Gvir, a firebrand known for anti Arab rhetoric and incendiary calls for Israel to annex the entire West Bank, has repeatedly urged for the security services to use more force in countering Palestinian unrest

Violence has soared between Israel and the Palestinians, and recent months have been the deadliest period in years in the Israeli occupied West Bank according to the United Nations, with near daily army raids and an increase in clashes and attacks on Israeli forces

Netanyahu’s previous terms in office saw what little remained of the Middle East peace process collapse in a surge of Israeli settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank Herzog, whose role is largely symbolic, was reported to have tried to convince outgoing premier Yair Lapid and his defence minister Benny Gantz to form a unity cabinet with Netanyahu, in order to keep Ben Gvir from entering government

Western perspec tive towards China ‘distor ted’: Singaporean scholar

islamabaD: Recently a video of a Singaporean scholar rebutting Western journalists’ “smear style” questions has gone viral In the video, which was shot during a recent forum on China held in Singapore, a Western reporter claimed China’s success was based on “high level repression” in his question In response, Kishore Mahbubani, a Singapore based scholar and former diplomat, said the question shows the “distorted perspective” of reality in the media’s perception of China If the Communist Party of China only relied on repression to stay in power, it would not create the most dy

namic economy in the world China is by far the most dy namic economy in the world and delivered the fastest grow ing economy for 30 years,” Mahbubani said Mahbubani explained that China’s achievement came through educating the Chinese people to an unprecedented level, adding 129 million Chinese left China freely in 2019 and all came back almost twice the population of the UK Such could not never be happened in a state of repression He also mentioned China s climate change policy is far more responsible than those of the United States,

which has not once but twice withdrawn from global en vironment protocols, with the Bush administration leav ing the Kyoto protocol and Trump administration leaving the Paris Accord By contrast, the largest reforestation project in the world is being carried out by China He said that the West now wants China to pay the economic price for its carbon flow, yet the West does not want to pay for what it put into the atmosphere, given the US and Europe are historically the largest and second largest emitters of greenhouse gases Ag e n c e s

D e m o c ra t s s e a l co n t r o l o f U S S e n a t e w i t h w i n i n N e v a d a

Democrats will hold onto control of the US Senate after Senator Catherine Cortez Masto won re election in Nevada Edison Research projected on Saturday, handing a major vic tory to President Joe Biden

Still, Republicans remained close to winning control of the US House of Repre sentatives as officials continued counting ballots cast in Tuesday’s US midterm elec tions Cortez Masto narrowly defeated Re publican challenger Adam Laxalt a former state attorney general who was endorsed by former president Donald Trump With Masto s victory on the heels of Democratic Senator Mark Kelly winning re election in Arizona late on Friday, Democ rats will control at least 50 Senate seats, with Vice President Kamala Harris able to break ties in the 100 member chamber

“America showed that we believe in our

democracy, that the roots of democracy are deep and strong Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, told a news conference The Senate is currently split 50 50 between Democrats and Republicans The newly elected Senate will be sworn in on January 3

Continued control of the Senate means Democrats will still be able to approve Biden s nominees such as federal judges Should a vacancy open in the next two years, that would mean any appointees to the Supreme Court

If Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock were to win the December 6 Georgia runoff election against Republican challenger Her schel Walker, that would expand Democrats’ majority to 51 49 That would give Democ rats an additional edge in passing the few bills that are able to advance with a simple majority of votes instead of the 60 needed for most legislation

It would also dilute the influence of

Democratic Senators Joe Manchin in West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema in Arizona “swing” votes who have blocked or delayed some of Biden’s major initiatives, including expansions of some social programs WasHinGton statE UpsEt: It could take several days or more before the out come of enough House races are known to determine which party will hold the majority in the 435 seat chamber Republicans con tinued to have an edge, but returns were still flowing in for several races, including many in liberal leaning California

Biden, speaking in Cambodia, said his party would be focused on winning the Georgia Senate race but regarding the prospect of keeping control of the House he said: It s a stretch H o u s e R e p u b l i c a n s , s h o u l d t h e y p r e vail, have pledged to try to roll back Biden v i c t o r i e s o n b a t t l i n g c l i m a t e c h a n g e a n d want to make permanent a series of 2017 t a x c u t s t h a t w i l l e x p i r e T h e y a l s o h a v e

planned investigations into Biden adminis t r a t i o n a c t i v i t i e s a n d p r o b e s o f t h e p r e s i dent’s son, who has had business dealings with Ukraine and China

Democrats scored a significant upset on Saturday with a projected victory in Wash ington’s 3rd congressional district, where Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez de feated Trump endorsed Joe Kent

In Nevada, Democrat Cisco Aguilar won the race to be the state’s next secretary of state, the top election official He defeated Jim Marchant a Republican who supported Trump’s false claim that he lost the 2020 election to Biden because of voter fraud

Democrats also defeated Republican can didates in Michigan and Arizona who had supported Trump s false claim and sought to be their state’s top elections officials

Democrats got an important boost late on Friday when Kelly the Democratic sena tor for Arizona, was projected to hold onto his seat, defeating Republican Blake Mas

ters, who like Laxalt was endorsed by Trump Masters has not conceded the race

“We’ve seen the consequences that come when leaders refuse to accept the truth and focus more on conspiracies of the past than solving the challenges that we face today,” Kelly, a former Navy combat pilot and astro naut, said in a short victory speech to his supporters in Phoenix on Saturday No winner was projected yet in the race for Arizona governor, where Democrat Katie Hobbs held a narrow lead over Re publican Kari Lake another pro Trump election denier

JUDicial nominations at staKE: A Democratic controlled Senate will provide insurance to Biden that his nominees to fill dozens of federal judgeships will win con firmation That would be particularly crucial to Democrats if a seat on the Supreme Court, which now has a 6 3 conservative majority were to open up in the final two years of Biden’s term

NUSA DUA, INDONESIA

PHOENIX R e u t e R s

KABUL Ag e n c e s

PakiSTan

AKISTAN captain Babar Azam shared his opinion after his side lost to England in the final of T20 World Cup 2022 on Sunday at Mel bourne Cricket Ground (MCG) Speaking during the post match pres e n t a t i o n c

that Pakistan were 20 runs short while set t i n g t h e t a rg e t A

S

a heen s injury was one of the reasons why Pakistan lost the match

“Congratulations to England team, we felt like everyone came here to support us thank you so much,” said Azam “The way the team has gone in the last four matches [was] incredible I told the boys to play their natural game, with freedom

20 runS ShorT WhilE

bowling is one of the best but unfor tunately Shaheen s injury cost us a differ ent result but that’s part of the game

Buttler was ecstatic after his side’s vic tory in the final

“This is the icing on the cake, to win the T20 World Cup, just immensely proud A l o n g j o

t we’re reaping the rewards Fantastic tour nament,” said Buttler Buttler also heaped praise on Ben Stokes for scoring a crucial fifty in the final

“He [Stokes] is the ultimate competi tor In anything he does a hell of a lot of e x p e r i

fectly, the impetus he and Moeen had took it away from Pakistan he said

Buttler´s side held Pakistan to 137 8 in front of a partisan 80 462 fans at a heaving Melbourne Cricket Ground, with player of the match Curran bagging 3 12 and Adil Rashid chipping with 2 22

In reply, England slumped to 49 3 in the sixth over as they struggled to get any mo mentum against a fiery pace attack with boundaries hard to come by But Stokes (52 not out) and Moeen Ali (19) used their experience and cool heads to guide England to 138 5 with six balls to spare, climaxing a riveting tournament that spanned 45 games over nearly a month

P r e s i d e n t, P M fe e l p r o u d ove r G r e e n S h i r t s ’ f i g h t b a c k i n I CC T 2 0 f i n a l

ISLAMABAD ag e n c e S

President Dr Arif Alvi and Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday praised the fighting spirit of Pakistan cricket team in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup final against England

In their respective tweets, the president and the prime minister observed that the national team played well despite posting a low score They also congratu lated the T20 World Champion England team

“Congratulations England, good all round perform ance to lift the cup Well played Pakistan, you bowled good and tried your best despite a low score, the pres ident posted on his Twitter handle

The prime minister, in a tweet, said that team Pak

Swat Green beat Swat White in Women Volleyball final

SWAT S ta f f R e p o R t

Swat Green defeated Swat White after a tough fight in the final at 3 2 in the District Swat Women Volleyball Championship organized by District Sports Officer Swat on Sunday Regional Sports Officer Malakand Kashif Farhan was the chief guest on this occasion Dis trict Sports Officer Swat Obaid Ullah, officials, players and students spectators were also present during the competition In the final, Swat Green won the trophy by defeating Swat White by 3 2 in a thrilling five sets bat tle the score was 22 25 23 25 25 21 25 19 and 15

13 According to the details, on the special instructions of Deputy Commissioner Swat Junaid Khan, a volley ball tournament was organized for women in which four teams from Swat participated The teams of Swat Green, Swat White, Swat Red and Swat Blue In the first semi final Swat Green defeated Swat Red by 3 1 the score was 21 25, 25 20, 25 21 and 27 25, in the sec ond match, Swat White defeated Swat Blue by 3 0, the score was 25 22, 25 23 and 25 18

Pakistan must ride wave of confidence in T20 World Cup final

MELBOURNE

a f p

Captain Babar Azam told his rejuvenated Pakistan side to ride the wave of four consecutive victories and win the Twenty20 World Cup final The 2009 champions suffered last ball losses to India and Zimbabwe to start their tournament but bounced back to surge into Sun day’s final against England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) We have lost the first two matches (but) the way we came back the last four matches, we’ve performed very well,” Azam said at his pre match press conference I m more excited than nerv ous [ ] it is no doubt that pressure exists, but it can only be suppressed with confidence and belief in our selves And for good results, it is important that one must do so ” Pakistan are slight underdogs against Jos Buttler ’s England, but Azam is banking on the strength of his fast bowlers to give them an edge, particularly in the six over powerplay “England is a competitive team, their (10 wicket) win to reach the finals against India was a proof of that, he said Our strategy is to stick to our plan and use our pace attack as our strength to win the finals “Utilising the powerplay to grab as many wickets will be essential for the match

istan fought back hard and brave

“Great bowling performance But England played better today We are proud of our boys in green for mak ing it to the final match of this mega tournament,” he posted a tweet

England beat Pakistan by 5 wickets after achieving the target of 138 in the finals of T 20 World Cup, 2022

After winning the toss and opting to bowl first, England limited Pakistan to 137 runs before chasing down the target in 19 overs to win the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG)

Ben Stokes scored a half century to lead the three lions to victory and winning the trophy for the second time Sam Curran and Adil Rashid shone with the ball NetizeNs praise pakistaN for fightiNg performaNce: Meanwhile both former and cur

rent cricketers supported the Men in Green and praised their fightback despite losing in the final England is the first men s team to hold both the ODI and T20 World Cup titles

B e n S t o k e s s c o r e d a n u n b e a t e n 5 2 r u n s i n 4 9 b a l l s t o h e l p h i s t e a m t o v i c t o r y M o e e n A l i c a m e i n f o r a c a m e o o f 1 9 r u n s i n 1 2 b a l l s a t t h e t a i l e n d o f t h e r u n c h a s e M e a n w h i l e , J o s B u t t l e r s c o r e d 2 6 r u n s i n 1 7 b a l l s Pakistan suffered a significant setback near the end of the run chase when star pacer Shaheen Afridi walked off the field with a knee injury During the in nings the lanky pacer could only bowl 2 1 overs C r i c k e t f r a t e r n i t y p r a i s e s P a k i s t a n f o r t h e i r e f forts despite losing to England in the T20 World Cup 2 0 2 2 g r a n d f i n a l

S h a h e e n Af r i d i s u ffe r s i n j u r y d u r i n g T 2 0 Wo r l d C u p fi n a l

137 runs with the loss of eight wickets in the first innings

The three lions were strug gling inside the powerplay as they lost the first three wickets of the top batters

Shaheen Shah Afridi twisted his knee while taking the catch of Harry Brook in Shadab Khan’s over Afridi was in pain and was sent to the dugout for a checkup

After bowling just one deliv ery in the sixteenth over, Shaheen struggled to continue his spell and left the field as he struggled to continue his third over

In the end, the result came in favor of England as they won the final match by five wickets with one over remaining in the innings and became the T20 World Cup champions for the second time

TarGET: a z am

England can make ‘best’ period with World Cup win

LONDON

England manager Gareth Southgate called on his players to shut out the noise ahead of this month’s World Cup, and focus instead on the opportunity they have to become the greatest team in the country’s his tory with victory in Qatar Southgate’s side reached the semi finals of the 2018 World Cup and the final of last year s European Championship but England have failed to win a major trophy since lifting the World Cup on home soil in 1966 England begin their group campaign against Iran on Nov 21 and also face the United States and Wales in Group B “With the players we want to talk to them about the excitement of going to a World Cup Southgate said We un derstand the need to comment on the off field things that surround this tournament, but we want the play ers to feel that enthusiasm that they ve had since kids We want to fuel that “We want them to transi tion from a hectic club schedule to thinking about England We want to talk to them about the fact that this, whatever happens over the next four weeks, has been the second best period for English football We can make it the best The World Cup will give Eng land’s players a chance to prove themselves in inter national football, with Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham among those seeking a break through on soccer ’s biggest stage Southgate heaped praise on the 19 year old midfielder, saying he is showing maturity beyond his years Mature in how he works, how he trains, how he speaks,” Southgate said “He competes it is probably the thing we love about him more than anything else That has a line at times and undoubtedly there will be moments, while he is young, that it will be crossed But he’s a very exciting player and he s one we ve got a good body of experience into early ” kaNe iN peak coNditioN: coNte

England

C r i c k e t f r a t e r n i t y p r a i s e s Shaheen Afridi for his efforts in the final

England captain Harry Kane will be in the best physical and mental condition when he embarks on his second World Cup finals campaign this month, Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte said Kane scored his 12th Premier League goal of the sea son in a 4 3 win over Leeds United on Saturday in his 22nd consecutive start for Spurs in this campaign The 29 year old s workload in recent weeks has stoked fears of potential fatigue in Qatar but Conte said the striker will be raring to go when England begin their group campaign We are talking about a really world class striker,” Conte told reporters “He can continue to improve and to become stronger and stronger Now he’s arriving at this World Cup in the best physical condition and also mental condition

Lee credits Hayden for turning Pakistan’s for tunes around in T20 WC

MELBOURNE

ag e n c e S

Pakistan, led by Babar Azam, will face England in the T20 World Cup final today at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) Pakistan were down and out after losing their first two matches against arch rivals India and Zimbabwe Still, a remarkable turn of events saw them ad vance to the semi finals and eliminate New Zealand in the knockout stage to qualify for the final Former Australia pacer Brett Lee has credited Matthew Hayden, Pakistan’s Mentor, for turning the team s fortunes around Hayden has been an inspiration as evidenced by videos of the former Aus tralia opener giving dressing room speeches He also gets along well with the entire Pakistan unit Hayden was also Pakistan s batting coach during the T20

the big occasion He wasn’t overawed by the big crowds and stature of playing in a World Cup, an Ashes, or a Boxing Day Test His record in those big games would be among the best of his career be cause he knew how to compartmentalize and put things into perspective to get the best out of him as an athlete, he added Further Lee said about Hayden: “All of the lessons he’s learned from playing at the highest level in high pressure situ ations that he’s now passed on to Pakistan are to trust yourself and play with free dom I can almost hear him telling the guys in the locker room about having the confidence to express yourself as an ath lete and be the best version of yourself

“Whereas a lot of people get to those big situations, and we saw it with India, where they second guess themselves, they’re hesitant they’re a bit overawed by the situation

MELBOURNE AUSTRALIA

MELBOURNE ag e n c i e S

Pakistan and England faced off in a crucial final of the T20 World

Cup at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG)

after winning the toss, decided to bowl first and re stricted the Men in Green to just

ImraN stIll waNts to meNd

Us tIes desPIte CIPher row

want to lead must have good relation ships with everyone, especially the United States he said

O R M E R prime minister

Imran Khan still favours mending ties with the United States despite a diplomatic row which began in October last after the administration of Presi dent Joe Biden took the decision to downgrade the historic relationship Months after the fall of Kabul to the Taliban in August last year, the United States used a public event in arch rival India to lay out in blunt terms the new parameters of Islam abad Washington relations, stressing there would be no equivalence with its deepening ties to India

We don t see ourselves building a broad relationship with Pakistan, and we have no interest in returning to the days of hyphenated India Pakistan Wendy Sherman, the deputy secretary of state, told a gathering in the port city

of Mumbai That s not where we are That’s not where we’re going to be ” Months later, in April, Khan was ousted from office in April through a contentious vote of no confidence which Khan blamed on the United States a charge Washington has repeatedly de nied In an interview with the Financial Times newspaper the chairman of the

KP yet to receive share under NFC of past 28 months

PESHAWAR A z z B u n e r i

During the past 28 months the federal government has been paying an average of Rs1 billion per month to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government under the National Finance Commission (NFC) In a total, during these 28 months, the centre has paid Rs27 79 billion less than its share to the provincial government, especially during the current financial year The record shows that during the four months of the current fiscal year, the federal government paid Rs14 75 billion less than the province’s right The documents of provincial Finance Department show that during the fiscal year 2020 21, the KP government was paid Rs11 54 billion less than its share in tax revenues by the federal government in 2020 21 despite having the Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI) government in the center

Total tax revenues were Rs4,701 billion in which the share of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was Rs429 61 billion but the province was provided Rs418 7 billion According to the document, during the fiscal year 2021 22, the volume of federal tax revenues increased to Rs6 125 billion, in which the share of the province was Rs560bn however, the province was paid Rs558bn However, in the fiscal year 2022 23, provision of funds to the province further decreased According to the statistics of the finance department Rs2 148 billion were collected during the four months of the current financial year, in which the share of the province was Rs196 39 billion but Rs181 64 billion were paid to the province while Rs14 75 billion are yet to be paid In July of the current financial year, the federal government collected Rs459bn, of which Rs41 97 billion was the province’s share, but it received Rs38 76 billion was paid In August, federal government collected Rs491 billion, the share of the province was Rs44 89 billion, but the province was paid Rs43 24 billion Similarly, in September the federal government collected Rs685 billion in taxes, in which the province’s share was Rs62 63 billion but it received Rs56 18 billion

Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI) party said “he no longer blamed the US” for the con fidence vote and wanted “dignified” ties with Washington if he returned to office in the coming general elections

Referring to the circumstances around his removal, Khan said “it was over” “As far as I’m concerned it’s over it s behind me The Pakistan I

“Our relationship with the US has been as of a master servant relation ship or a master slave relationship and we’ve been used like a hired gun But for that I blame my own governments more than the US,” the Times quoted the former prime minister as saying

Following a rise in popularity due in part to his anti American rhetoric, many observers now predict that Khan and his party might witness record suc cess in the next general elections due to be held next year

Khan is leading an anti government march, with convoys arriving from across Pakistan, on Islamabad, and is in sistent on “not returning until targets are achieved” The PTI chairman demands a date for the snap elections

The long march was paused last week after Khan was targeted in an at tempted assassination in Wazirabad

D a r s ay s U S c a n ’t s t o p Pa k i s t a n f r o m p u r c h a s i n g R u s s i a n o i l

What is being described as put ting up a brave face Finance Minister Ishaq Dar said on Sun day claimed that the US cannot stop Pakistan from purchasing Russian oil, saying Pakistan is going to avail this “facility” soon

While addressing Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML N) workers in Dubai the fi nance minister said during his visit to the US last month, he had a meeting with the officials of the US State Department in which the matter of oil purchase from Russia was discussed

Dar furthered that the US authorities were informed that

they cannot stop Islamabad from buying oil from Moscow as the country’s neighbor India is already buying oil from them

Dar also said that the min istry will try to purchase oil from Russia on similar terms as it has with India

“In the next few months, you will see that the government will take important steps in favor of Pakistan in this regard added the finance minister Dar added that the country has financial dealings with Saudi Arabia, China, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE)

“ D u r i n g t h e p r i m e m i n i s t e r ’s v i s i t t o S a u d i A r a b i a , m e e t i n g s w e r e a l s o h e l d w i t h t h e S a u d i a u t h o r i t i e s F r o m

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

Dar also said that Saudi Arabia will set up a refinery in Gwadar, adding that this is an investment of around $11 or $12 billion

He further said that this project was started in October 2015 that he was in Riyadh at that time and that he had meet ings with high Saudi officials

Due to the political crisis and change of government in Pakistan, this refinery could not be established, now it has been decided to establish the refinery again the finance minister added

Global communit y possesses spirit of unit y in climate debate, lacks action: sherr y

SHARM EL SHEIKH

Federal Minister for Climate Change Senator Sherry Rehman on Sunday said the world at the global forum of UN Climate COP 27 had a spirit of unity collaboration and cooperation but there was lack of action hindering the way to a climate resilient future

In her keynote address at the Parliamentary Meeting at the 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 27) under the auspices of Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU), the Minister said there was a climate clock running at the 27th conference of the parties (COP 27) meeting where there were intense negotiations underway

Prior to the address of the minister, a two minute video prepared by the Ministry of Climate Change was played highlighting the Century Breaking Climate Events in Pakistan

Senator Sherry Rehman said, “Let us pay attention to what we are doing to each other and this planet And there s no other option for us and no ‘planet B’ where we can migrate ”

She added that the video clip was a tiny projection of the scale and magnitude of the century breaking climate catastrophes

“As the UN secretary general said a scale and tragedy we have never seen before ”

The Minister warned the forum that the global warming was not going to stick to the 1 5 degrees temperature rise rather hurtling towards 3 degrees future

She said, “I am coming from a country where there has been 3 degrees Celsius rise in overall summer heat which is not habitable for human civilization I do not think that we need to be sanguine or indifferent to the coming crisis for humanity and the planet we live on ”

Senator Rehman emphasised that it was not a prophecy of dome and was happening now, adding, “I didn’t show the other video that showed what went on the year The forest fires, heatwaves and it’s one after the other There has been a record over 53°C highest temperature where the people have died from such shocks

Industrialists urge PM, CM to inter vene as SSGC halts gas to industr y

KARACHI

s tA f f r e p o r t

With the advent of the winter season, the gas crisis seems to have worsened as the Sui Southern Gas Com pany Limited (SSGC) halted gas supply to industries across Karachi

In adherence to the Ministry of Energy (Petroleum Division) gas load management plan, that places do mestic and commercial customers on top of the priority list it has been decided to suspend gas supply to all general industries from November 15 to February 28, 2023,” a statement issued by the gas company read It said the decision is aimed to meet the rising de

mand of domestic customers in Sindh and Balochistan It is pertinent to mention here that all CNG stations in Sindh have already been shut down for two and half months due to gas shortage

INDUSTRIAL ASSOCIATION REJECTS GAS HALT, URGE PM, CM TO INTERVENE: Mean while Industrial Association of Pakistan on Sunday re jected the notice of no gas supply to industries According to details, the Industrial Association of Pakistan rejected the government s notice to not supply gas to industries in the winter season The association would urge the federal government to find ways to pro vide gas to industries, President Karachi Chamber said Vice President Javed Balwani said that the Prime

Mnister and Chief Minister should intervene and save Karachi’s industries from closure The government has not considered any recommendation given by the In dustrialists committee, Faisal Mueez said

The committee had recommended shifting load management to a circular basis so industries are not shut completely It is not clear how export oriented in dustries would be provided gas in winter, Javed Bal wani said

The association said that they reject the policy of gas load shedding

Javed Balwani said that the gas supply is 34% while the industries are getting only 18%(721 mmcft) gas supply

Cu s t o m s co n f i s c a t e d ve h i c l e s g o m i s s i n g f r o m w a r e h o u s e

A gap between customs seizures and ware house stock of vehicles has emerged in the warehouse of the directorate of custom intel ligence, Lahore pointing at massive misap propriation of government assets by or with the connivance of custom officers

Sources disclosed there were differences between the number of seizures and the en tries in warehouse registers (DA register) in most of the custom field formations including intelligence directorates across the country but the customs high ups are avoiding tally ing these two registers allegedly because they know any such exercise would uncover mas sive misappropriations by custom officers

Pakistan Customs keeps two types of reg isters including seizure register and warehouse register commonly known as DA register

Seizure register shows the number of ve hicles or other contraband goods seized whereas the DA register contains record of the seized goods stored in the customs warehouse

Sources revealed that there were awful and eye opening gaps between the entries of these two registers in almost every customs field formation which the custom officers in cluding high ups of the department were keen to cover and conceal

Recently, an audit team pointed out that seized vehicles were found missing from the customs state warehouse, Islamabad as many seized vehicles were unlawfully given to the high ups of the customs department and other high placed public office holders who could help the custom officers who illegally distributed such vehicles gain and prolong postings on lucrative money making posi tions The seizing custom officers showered the seized vehicles on any one who could

help them make money or could help them avert the consequences of their corruption

Member customs operations told this scribe that currently an audit of SWH Islam abad was going on to reconcile the records

He told that in each customs enforcement field formation, there is an ongoing process of detaining goods, seizing and confiscating goods and releasing goods through auctions

Member Customs operations further told that under customs regulations, periodic stock taking in the customs warehouses had been prescribed Moreover, he added, the staff of the auditor general of Pakistan con ducted regular audits the customs records, files and registers

However, contradicting all these claims of member customs operations, an officer of the customs Intelligence and Investigation in his letter to the DG customs intelligence revealed that a huge quantity of seized goods

placed

goods

Sources said that the high ups of the customs intelligence were awfully silent in the matter

The custom officer also pointed out that most of the bidders of auctioned goods re fused to take delivery of the auctioned goods from the customs state warehouse due to the reasons that the deputy custodian of the warehouse was not in habit of deliv ering the complete quantity auctioned

On contact, the DG Customs intelligence told that he would check the matter on Mon day as the matter was prior to the posting of new team in the custom intelligence depart ment Meanwhile, the sources added hat col lusion of the senior customs officers in the misappropriation of the seized goods and their verbal distancing from these misappro priations on one pretext or the other were a usual part in the life cycle of the customs revenue loss scams

ISLAMABAD s h A h z A d pA r Ac h A

in the intelligence SWH at Lahore were missing due to which the previous deputy custodian of the ware house avoided to hand over the seized goods to him under a proper handing over exercise and that pre vious custodian asked him to take the charge on the basis of previous stock taking held in February 2022 However, he added, the pre vious stock taking report was not authentic and correct, as that report had been written about six months ago and did not take into account so many fresh goods deposited in and so many old seizures released from the warehouse during the period

to the bidders The custom officer s letter to the DG custom intelligence helps confirm the fact that many seized goods in cluding seized vehicles go missing from the customs warehouses due to collusion of the junior and poor supervision of the supervi sory custom officers

ISLAMABAD s tA f f r e p o r t