ISLAMABAD staff report
DEFENCEMinister Khawaja Muhammad Asif has said the process for appointment of a new Army Chief will start on Friday (tomorrow) and the nominations will be shared by Pakistan Army. “Consultations on the appointment of next Army Chief will begin after November 18 and Pakistan Muslim league-Nawaz (PMlN) has no ‘favourite’ for the position.”
Speaking to journalists outside the parlia-
At least six policemen were shot and killed by unidentified gunmen in lakki Marwat city of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Wednesday, authorities said.
Officials said the law enforcement personnel died when their mobile patrol came under gunfire in the morning.
According to Radio Pakistan, which described the incident as a terrorist attack, the slain men also included the driver. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.
Mahmood Khan, chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, sought a report from Moazzam Jah Ansari, chief of the provincial police.
In a statement, Khan termed the incident “very unfortunate” and said the “sacrifice of the martyrs will not be in vain”. He also extended condolences to the families of the victims.
The prime minister also condemned the incident. “Terrorists are the enemies of Pakistan and every possible step will be taken to safeguard the country,” he said in a statement.
Paying tribute to the killed police, Shehbaz
Sharif said the “whole nation salutes the sons of the soil who sacrificed their lives for the motherland”.
He urged the provincial government to immediately announce a financial assistance package for the police personnel.
Attacks on security forces and civilians have recently increased in various parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. More than 450 people, mostly security forces, have been killed in such attacks, in the first nine months of 2022 alone. Officials dismissed the violence as “isolated incidents of terrorism.”
“The scale of [Wednesday’s] attack shows the extent to which terrorism has spread in our province,” tweeted Mohsin Dawar, an MP from Miran Shah tehsil of North Waziristan district. “The mainstream and the state have chosen to ignore the large protests against Talibanisation in [Khyber] Pakhtunkhwa,” claimed Dawar who is a member of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) coalition movement.
Islamabad has attributed the resurgence in militancy to the Taliban takeover of conflict-torn Afghanistan, where Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants have taken refuge and continue to direct cross-border attacks from there.
A day after a Geo News programme accused Imran Khan of selling gifts he received from foreign leaders while in power, the former prime minister on Wednesday denied the allegation and vowed to file a lawsuit against the TV station, its anchor Shahzeb Khanzada and a businessman purportedly involved in a banking fraud for defamation.
A set of a specially crafted watch, gold pen, ring, and cufflinks — gifted to Khan by Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman of Saudi Arabia — were apparently sold off for $2 million to Umar Farooq Zahoor, a Dubai-based Pakistan-origin businessman.
Zahoor made the claim in Khanzada’s political chat show Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath which airs on Geo News, a subsidiary of Jang Group. He, however, did not offer any evidence to back up the accusation.
The allegation could have been explosive if only Zahoor, according to a Norwegian newspa-
per, did not have a chequered past. He purportedly defrauded a bank of $89.2 million in the Norwegian capital of Oslo in 2010 — and remains a wanted man in the Scandinavian nation — after allegedly remaining involved in another fraudulent scheme worth $12 million in Bern city of Switzerland in 2004.
“Enough is enough. Yesterday, Geo [and] Khanzada supported by handlers slandered me through a baseless story cooked up by a known fraudster
[and] internationally wanted criminal,” said Khan in a tweet.
“I have spoken to my lawyers [and] I plan to sue Geo, Khanzada [and] the fraudster not only in [Pakistan] but also in the UK [and] UAE.”
The fiasco centres on a government department known as Toshakhana, which during the Mughal era referred to the “treasure houses” kept by the subcontinent’s princely rulers to store and display gifts lavished on them.
Members of the government must declare all gifts, but are allowed to keep those below a certain value.
More expensive items must go to Toshakhana, but in some cases, the recipient can buy them back at around 50 percent of their value — a discount Khan raised from 20 percent while in office.
In a written submission to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), Khan said he purchased items worth nearly Rs22 million ($1 million), and later sold them for more than twice that amount.
ment house, Asif brushed aside the speculations about a deadlock between PMl-N supremo Nawaz Sharif and former president PPP co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari over the name of the next army chief. He said there was no question of a deadlock over the matter when the consultation has not even started yet.
The Defence Minister said there is no deadlock over the nomination of the Army Chief, as the process has not started yet. Replying to a query, the Defence Minister rejected the possibility of any favourites of government among the nominees for a new Army Chief.
Speaking about PTI Chief Imran Khan, Khawaja Aisf said the government is mulling over a punitive action against him for damaging national solidarity, security and integrity for his vested interests. He said Imran Khan has committed a crime against the state by damaging the national cohesion and the country’s bilateral relations with other states.
The minister said that the government was mulling over a punitive action against PTI chief Imran Khan for “damaging national solidarity, security and integrity for his vested interests”.
PRESIDENTDr Arif Alvi on Wednesday emphasized that political stability was interlinked with economic and financial stability and political turmoil would lead the country nowhere, saying he has, therefore, been trying to develop a consensus on major issues to do away with the prevailing uncertainty.
“I wish and have been making sincere efforts to break this political impasse and guide the country to development.”
Talking to Karachi-based journalists here at Sindh Governor House, the president said that he was trying to bring the political and relevant stakeholders to one table to discuss, deliberate and negotiate for achieving consensus on major issues to normalize the political situation.
He pointed out that an important appointment falling in the ongoing month of November should pass exactly as envisaged under provision of the constitution and relevant laws. “In my opinion, the subject appointment might be made in consultation with the relevant stakeholders,” he added.
“Use and adaptation of agreed upon use of technology in the conduct of free, fair and
transparent elections might be deliberated upon by the relevant forums to avoid perpetual allegations of rigging after every election,” he said and hoped that with the continuity of the democratic process things would eventually fall into place.
“Ultimate aims and objectives of leaders and visionaries should be development of the country and progress and prosperity of people,” he maintained and said “I am a humble person and is of the view that only history will determine my performance as a President.”
Dr Arif Alvi further said that social media had enhanced and amplified people’s reach and provided means to communicate with millions of people without incurring substantial costs.
He said that social media platforms had created their own separate niche and space, underscoring that “we should endeavour to understand social media’s full dynamics, influence, efficacy and effect and embrace its positive aspects and learn to avoid and limit its negative fallout like fake news, disinformation and hearsay.”
The president stressed on further strengthening resilience while reacting to everything that was injected in the media and only those things might be taken into proper consideration which were authentic,
Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa visited Karachi today and witnessed various stalls at IDEAS-2022 at Karachi Expo Centre.
COAS also interacted with cross section of visitors and delegates and held separate meetings with various visiting delegates including Bahrain, Italy, Srilanka, Libya, Zimbabwe and UAE.
Later, COAS visited Malir garrison where he laid floral wreath at Martyr’s Monument. During his farewell address to officers and troops COAS lauded their professionalism and devotion to duty. He also praised the troops for their untiring rescue and relief efforts to assist the people during recent heavy floods.
Earlier on arrival, COAS was received by Corps Commander Lieutenant General Muhammad Saeed.
verifiable, and evidence-based to avoid confrontation and remain focused on the political and economic well-being of the country.
He said: “As compared to our neighbours, our nation successfully emerged out of Covid-19 pandemic and was able to save lives and livelihoods of the people through education and communication.”
Referring to the challenges arising of the Russia-Ukraine war and recent catastrophic
floods, he stressed the need for resolution of confronted issues without wasting time to put the country on the speedy path to progress and prosperity.
Responding a question, the president said that he had proposed a high-level advisory body to provide leadership in Artificial Intelligence and Quantum Computing so that a definite direction was provided to the relevant institutions and departments for moving forward which, he
said, took a backstage due to political developments.
He said that in his opinion such developmental projects and initiatives should continue to remain in limelight.
He maintained that the right decisions made at the right time, quality decisionmaking, intellect and knowledge, trained and capable human resources and persistent efforts in the right directions, just and fair application of laws in all situations and on all persons in its true spirit, intent and purpose would help in accelerated development and prosperity of the country.
On another question, he stressed on immediate and concrete steps to realise full potential of Gwadar port and other related projects, speed up work processes and systems to attract and retain foreign investors in large numbers and fully exploit opportunities available to Pakistan in the trade and business sectors to fast-track progress and development.
In reply to a question, the president said that within the confines of the constitution, he wrote a letter to the prime minister, the executive head of the government, in response to the letter received by him from senior journalist, Arshad Sharif (Late) for necessary action as per law.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday adjourned the hearing of the presidential reference on the Rekodiq agreement till Thursday.
A five-member larger bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Umar Ata Bandial and comprising Justice Ijazul Ahsan, Justice Muneeb Akhtar, Justice Yahya Afridi, and Justice Jamaal Khan Mandokhel heard the presidential reference filed in the case. The president — on the advice of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had filed the reference to seek the top court’s opinion on the Rekodiq settlement agreement.
During the course of proceedings, Balochistan government’s lawyer Salahuddin Ahmad said that 25 percent share of the total capital received from Rekodiq project belonged to Balochistan government. Out of
25% of the capital, 15% would be held by the holding and offshore company of Balochistan, he added. He said that Balochistan government would get 25% capital, 5% royalty, CSR and jobs facility.
The Chief Justice asked when would the Rekodiq project be completed?
The counsel said that feasibility studies of the Rekodiq project would begin in two and a half years, and formal work would begin in the next five years. Companies from China, Japan and Russia also approached for the Rekodiq deal but these companies were not ready to pay the $9 billion fine imposed on Pakistan, he added.
Justice Ijaz asked what was the case against Pakistan in International Center for Dispute Resolution and International Criminal Court?
The counsel replied that the International Center for Dispute Resolution had a case
Minister for Climate Change Senator Sherry Rehman on Wednesday called upon the international monetary commitments and related implementations on loss and damage and adaptation due to climate changes “to move faster than the speed of the glaciers melting in Pakistan”.
She was speaking at the High-level Ministerial event on ‘Loss and Damage: From Intention to Action’, organized by the Government of Pakistan at the United Nations UNFCCC Pavilion. The event was conducted with high-level panelists from all over the world including Espon Barth Eide, Minister of Climate and Environment Norway, Saber Chowdhry, Head of Bangladesh Parliamentary Delegation to COP27, Molwyn Joseph, Minister of Health, Wellness and Environment of Antigua and Barbuda, Ms. Milagros De Camps, Vice Minister of Climate and Sustainability from Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources of the Dominican Republic, Mr. Simon Stiell Executive Secretary UNFCCC and Mr. Yannick Glemarec, Executive Director Green Climate Fund.
Sherry Rehman said: “By the time the funds come to us, our climate needs change faster than the pace of funds released. From disaster recovery to a resilient future, the missing link is financed and it’s dispersion, making sure that it reaches those who literally have to keep their heads above water.”
“As we navigate the finish line of intense negotiations at COP27, one thing is
clear: climate finance is now at the heart of the climate emergency, whether it is achieving the Paris Goal of 1.5 C, or delivering on Adaptation and Resilience goals. For countries like Pakistan, facing new records of vulnerability, a crisis of climate impacts along with debt has created huge communities of fragility and impoverishment, where people are unable to reinvent broken lives on the ground they can no longer live or grow or build anything on. Global warming is triggering similar futures of climate distress, driven either by famine, drought, or flooding and rising sea levels which stalk the developing world, the Horn of Africa, the LDCs and the Small Island States, where the gap between needs and resources is too huge,” she added.
She said: “Inaction is no longer an option. We see a commitment to higher goals here at COP27, but from our side of the burning planet, posing perils at multiple levels for societies that are no longer immune from what the Secretary General calls a ‘climate hell'”. Emphasizing the urgency of climate finance needs, Sherry Rehman said, “Long-term climate financing instruments are needed to plug severe capacity deficits in the developing countries right now as the protracted periods of pipelining funds lose potency when resilience needs change faster than the speed of resource dispersion”.
“What has happened in Pakistan will certainly not only stay in Pakistan, we are seeing climate change impacts crossing borders and wreaking havoc, whether it’s hurricane Fiona that has hit Puerto Rico, children starving in Somalia from protracted drought.
against the government of Pakistan for breach of contract while there was a case against the Balochistan government in the International Criminal Court for violation of the agreement. If Pakistan did not sign an agreement by December 15, the company would take legal action, he added.
Justice Yahya Afridi asked other minerals would also be leased apart from gold and copper.
The counsel responded that apart from gold and copper, the lease of all minerals would also be held by Barrack Gold Company.
The Chief Justice asked whether the financial transactions involved in the Rekodiq Agreement would be international in scope.
The counsel replied that transactions in the Rekodiq deal would be through offshore companies. The government of Balochistan would get 32 billion dollars in capital from Rekodiq project in 47 years, he added.
NAIROBI: Director Investigation in Kenya Emmanuel Lagat has asserted that probe into killing of senior journalist Arshad Sharif would be completed within three weeks. In an interview with a private TV channel, Director Investigation Emmanuel Lagat revealed that the laptop and smartphone of Arshad Sharif were missing since the incident took place. “Apart from four police officers, some accused were also identified from the spot,” the Director Investigation added.
Meanwhile, former GSU trainer and security expert George Musamali claimed that General Service Unit – a paramilitary wing in the Kenya Police Service may be involved in the killing of the slain journalist. Staff RepoRt
IslAmABAd: The Federal government has decided to make changes in the Mera Pakistan Mera Ghar scheme. Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar chaired a meeting on the Mera Pakistan Mera Ghar (MPMG) Scheme at the Finance Division. The Chair was briefed on ‘Mera Pakistan Mera Ghar’ housing finance markup subsidy scheme, its financial features and its operational, functional constraints and way forward to provide housing finance facilities to the masses. The meeting also deliberated on some structural changes in the existing Mera Pakistan Mera Ghar scheme to make it more targeted and accessible for the masses to get benefit of the program. Staff RepoRt
PUNJABChief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi on Wednesday approved the purchase of 1200 drones for the police and other departments of the province. The approval was given during the meeting of CM Elahi with the delegation of the famous Chinese company for drone technology, Di-Jiang.
CM Elahi stressed the need of rolling out the latest ‘policing system’ with the help of drone technology, while the working ability of the patrolling police will also be enhanced. The CM also pinned hope on curbing the street and other forms of crime by using the latest technology, adding that the drone cameras could be effective in terms of bringing the criminal mindset to justice.
Pervaiz Elahi added, “With the usage of drone technology, unfortunate incidents – one that happened with a woman at Minar-e-Pakistan in 2021 –
could be prevented through monitoring in parks and recreational spots.
Through strict monitoring by using drones, unfortunate incidents would be reported on time, while the night-vision drones would also play a crucial role in maintaining the law and order situation in the night”. “The flood situation in the country could also be reviewed – by
monitoring the flow of water for 24 hours – through the technology of drone cameras. Additionally, it would become quite easy for the administration to deliver the food items and medicines to the people – affected by floods or other cataclysmic events – through drones on time,” said CM Pervaiz Elahi. Continuing to discuss the possibility
of extending the usage of drone cameras in other fields, CM Elahi said, “With the help of drones, spraying agricultural medicines in the fields would also become quite comfy – effectively – and to determining the production of the agricultural fields would also be assisted. This technology would also pave the way for getting rid of locusts and other insects with immediate effects”. The CM further said that the technology of drones would also be rolled out in the mining and health sectors.
Talking about the improvisation of the technology, CM Elahi said a separate will be constituted in Punjab for the implementation of this programme, while the workers will get training from the Chinese company – about how to use the drone technology.
Furthermore, CM Elahi directed that the file report be submitted as soon as possible to highlight the need for drones in terms of quantity, concluding that acquiring drone technology is a watershed moment in Punjab s history.
The federal government has raised objections over the joint investigation team (JIT) constituted by the Punjab government to probe attack on Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan in Wazirabad.
According to details, Interior Minister has penned down a letter to Punjab Home Department, raising
objections over the joint investigation team (JIT) constituted by the Punjab government to probe attack on Imran Khan.
In the letter, the interior ministry pointed out that the members – included in the investigation teams – belong to the Punjab police. “JIT does not include representative of any other law enforcement agency,” the letter stated.
The federal ministry proposed Punjab government to include
IslAmABAd: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday announced schedule for by-election to the Senate seat from Sindh, fell vacant due to the resignation of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokar. According to a notification issued by the electoral body, the polling for the by-polls to vacant seat will take place on December 8 in the Sindh Assembly. Candidates can submit their nomination papers from November 18, after which the scrutiny of the papers will begin on November 25. The list of candidates submitting papers will be released on November 23 and the nomination papers can be withdrawn till December 3. Staff RepoRt
IslAmABAd: Pakistan’s biggest challenge is to adapt agriculture sector to climate change to ensure food security and boost the country’s economic growth in the wake of growing impact of climate change, said Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal on Wednesday. “We can build infrastructures and dams with such specifications that can withstand the floods and heavy rainfalls but the most challenging task for my country is to adapt our agriculture economy to climate change because it is going to affect our productivity negatively, as all seeds and all practices are not aligned with new challenges”, he said while giving a presentation on Pakistan Floods 2022, Resilient Recovery, Rehabilitation, and Reconstruction Strategy at Pakistan Pavilion in Sharm El-Sheikh International Convention Centre during COP27. The minister said the government would try to develop research-based seeds and practices that could withstand extreme weather conditions such as extreme heat, cold, or rainfalls, according to a message received here on Wednesday. Similarly, he said the government would mobilize all the resources within the government departments to work together to bring resilience to communities and governance structures. The minister added that climate change was no more a fiction but a reality for millions of people around the world including Pakistan which had recently been directly hit by the worst climate disaster and also for the 220 million population that was indirectly affected by the climate disaster. Staff RepoRt
representatives of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Intelligence Bureau (IB) in the JIT.
The letter noted that the province had appointed Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Lahore Ghulam Mehmood Dogar as convener of JIT.
“Dogar was suspended by the Establishment Division. A transparent investigation is not possible by including such an officer in the team,” the letter added.
US Ambassador Donald Blome and Minister of State for Finance, Revenue, Dr Ayesha Ghaus Pasha on Wednesday formally launched a United States government-led initiative to enhance US-Pakistan bilateral trade.
The United States has long been Pakistan’s largest export market, with potential for further growth, said a news release from the embassy of the US in Pakistan.
According to the US Census Bureau, the United States imported nearly $5.3 billion in Pakistani goods in 2021, and US investments in Pakistan went up by 50 per cent in the past year.
The Investment Promotion Activity (IPA), implemented by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), is a five-year project that will help
strengthen Pakistan’s business environment, build the capacity of Pakistani institutions focused on investment promotion, attract foreign direct investment, and increase U.S.Pakistan bilateral trade and investment.
Overall, the project aimed to reduce barriers to investment and trade by improving Pakistan’s investment promotion capabilities.
The project will also provide grants to firms registered in Pakistan that are interested in enhancing trade with the United States and have the potential to attract foreign direct investments. These grants will play a critical role in connecting Pakistani firms with investors in the United States and other countries.
During the launch event, a Fireside Chat on US-Pakistan bilateral trade opportunities, Ambassador Blome remarked, “The United States has been a leading investor in Pakistan for the past 20
years, and US investment in Pakistan is the highest it has been in over a decade. Building on and expanding that strong foundation of economic cooperation, we are continuously seeking to increase bilateral trade, boost investment, and improve entrepreneurial and educational opportunities for Pakistanis.
As a part of the US government’s long-term commitment to helping Pakistanis secure a more prosperous future, USAID is working closely with the Government of Pakistan to streamline its business practices, improve governance, promote regulatory reforms and competition to lower the cost of doing business and strengthening the investment climate for foreign investors in Pakistan.
The newly launched imitative will promote opportunities for enhanced trade and investment between US and Pakistani businesses.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders were on the offensive on Wednesday as they criticised Dubai-based businessman Umar Farooq Zahoor’s claims regarding buying the Toshakhana gifts given to deposed prime minister Imran Khan during his tenure.
The PTI leaders termed Zahoor a “notorious” and “wanted” man. The charges of misuse of the Toshakhana (gift depository) against former prime minister Imran Khan took an unusual turn a day earlier after Zahoor come to the fore and claimed that he had bought some of the state gifts, including an expensive Graff wristwatch worth at least Rs2 billion, from Farah Gogi and Shahzad Akbar.
In an interview with a private TV channel, Zahoor said that he had bought the expensive items, gifted to the
PTI chief by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, for $2 million.
He had further alleged that the adviser to the former premier on accountability Shahzad Akbar had contacted him in 2019 to sell watches, rings, and other gifts. He said that he also has evidence to substantiate the claims he was making.
The businessman had gone on to allege that he was later blackmailed and fake cases of money laundering were registered against him by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) at Akbar’s behest after he refused to listen to the demands made by his former wife Sophia Mirza.
“Farah Khan herself brought the gifts to my office in Dubai and told me that the items had been gifted to Imran Khan by the Saudi crown prince,” he claimed, adding that he was convinced to buy them after he confirmed through his sources.
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) observed on Wednesday that slain journalist Arshad Sharif’s murder trial can be held in Pakistan. IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq made the remarks during hearing of Arshad Sharif’s mother’s plea against the delay in providing his family the post-mortem report. During hearing, the deputy attorney general informed the court that the report has now been provided to the journalist’s mother. Barrister Shoaib Razak appeared before the court on behalf of Sharif’s mother and stated that the post-mortem report was provided to her on Sunday. To the chief justice’s question regarding the developments made in the case in Pakistan, the counsel replied that “nothing was happening here”. Barrister Razak told the court that their application seeking the formation of a judicial commission to investigate the murder was still pending, adding that an FIR could be filed in Pakistan as well. On the point of the FIR, the court observed that even the trial can be held in Pakistan. Justice Farooq cited the murder trial of Muttahida Qaumi Movement leader Imran Farooq as a reference. Later, the IHC disposed of the post-mortem report petition.
POst-mORtem RePORt: In a tweet on November 14, the late journalist’s wife, Javeria Siddique, stated that the family had “finally received the autopsy report of late @arsched from pims hospital”, adding that the family now awaited the formation of a judicial commission by the Supreme Court to probe into her husband’s murder in Kenya.
However, the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad said that it did not hand over the report to Arshad’s family, saying that it might’ve been provided by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). Last week, a private TV channel, citing Arshad’s postmortem reports, claimed that the senior journalist was brutally tortured for hours before being shot dead.
muRdeR cAse: Senior journalist Arshad Sharif, who fled the country after he was charged with sedition, died in Kenya’s Nairobi after being shot, his wife confirmed. “I lost friend, husband and my favourite journalist today, as per police he was shot in Kenya,” Javeria Siddique, his spouse, tweeted. The 49-year-old journalist fled the country in August to avoid arrest after he was slapped with multiple cases, including sedition charges over an interview with PTI leader Shahbaz Gill during which the latter had made controversial comments. Alleging threats to his life, Arshad Sharif had moved to Dubai in August and later relocated to Kenya. The untimely death of the journalist sent shock waves across rights organisations, the media fraternity and civil society and prompted calls for thorough investigation and disclosure of facts.
The Taliban expressed regret for a shooting incident that killed a Pakistan Army soldier over the weekend and led to the closure of a main border crossing in Balochistan. Chaman is the most important border point for trade between the two countries, after Torkham in the mountainous northwest. Talibanappointed spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said Afghanistan “expresses regret” for the incident and has appointed a high-level committee to investigate it. He said the border guard was shot dead by an unknown person. “The security institutions of the Islamic Emirate are trying to pay serious attention to prevent such incidents from happening again,” Mujahid said. The frontier between Pakistan and Afghanistan has seen similar shooting incidents before at Chaman, Torkham and other crossing points.
tHESindh cabinet under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Wednesday approved Rs50 billion for the construction of damaged houses for flood-affected people.
“Each and every owner of the damaged house would be given Rs50,000 to start construction, and when the construction would reach the plinth level the remaining amount of Rs250,000 would be transferred to his bank account to complete the construction,” the CM decided after consultation with the cabinet members.
Sindh Minister for Information Sharjeel Inam Memon informed the media while addressing a press conference along with Manzoor Wassan after the cabinet meeting here on Wednesday.
Sharjeel Memon shared details of the decisions taken by the cabinet with the media. He informed that during the meeting Advisor to CM on Agriculture Manzoor Wassan apprised the cabinet that 3.6 million acres of standing crops had been damaged in the recent floods and the farmers had suffered losses worth Rs421 billion.
It is to be noted that the cabinet meeting held at CM’s House was attended by provincial ministers, advisors, special assistants, Sindh Chief Secretary Sohail Rajput, P&D Chairman Hassan Naqvi, PSCM Fayaz Jatoi, and other secretaries concerned.
Mr Wassan said that it was agreed to begin with the provision of free wheat seed for which Rs13.5 billion were required. He
added that the Sindh government provided Rs8.39 billion while the federal govt was contributing Rs4.7 billion for the purpose.
Talking about mechanism for reimbursement of Rs5,000 per acre to affected farmers, Wassan said that Taluka and district committees were formed, which will be working under a Provincial Committee being headed by DG Agriculture Extension.
On the other hand, review meeting of the flood response chaired by PPPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was held. During the meeting, a committee comprising the Advisor to CM on Agriculture, Minister Information, and Minister for Local Bodies was formed.
The committee held its preliminary meeting and was of the view that in order to expedite the processes, an additional layer of the committee may be incorporated at Tappa level where, Tapedars, Field Assistants of Agriculture, Members of District Council
and Notables may be added who would help in data collection.
The cabinet directed the Agriculture Department to collect data at the earliest so that funds could be provided to the growers. The cabinet approved Rs50 billion for Sindh People’s Housing for Flood affectees (SPFH) to be used for Retrospective Financing for spending the amount on fully damaged houses for the time being so that project may start disbursement till the World Bank financing was available.
The cabinet decided that the funds for the owner of a damaged house would be given Rs 50,000 for starting the construction. When the construction would attain the plinth level the remaining amount of Rs 250,000 would be disbursed.
The cabinet decided to engage well-reputed NGOs so that the entire process could be made transparent.
It may be noted that 1.7 million houses
have been damaged by the flood and the construction of all the damaged houses would cost Rs 160 billion, of them the World Bank has pledged Rs 110 billion, and the remaining amount is being arranged by the provincial government from the federal government and through sources and donors.
Minister Energy Imtiaz Shaikh presenting the village electrification agenda in the cabinet said that the Sindh government was continuously taking necessary measures for the electrification of villages under the Annual Development Program and the main criteria of the selection of villages for electrification include the villages having a population of 100 souls and above; the villages having a maximum of 4 Kms from existing 11 KV line and preference would be given to villages within half kilometer distance from HT line.
The cabinet was told that HESCO has been given Rs6609.161 million for the electrification of 10,890 villages of them HESCO has provided electricity to 5108 villages at a cost of Rs5613.593 million, electrification work was in progress in 337 villages for Rs754.204 million and electrification order for 5445 villages for Rs6367.797 million were under feasibility stage.
Imtiaz Shaikh said that Rs151.737 million were in balance, which may be allowed to utilize for the electrification of more villages. The cabinet approved the proposal.
Imtiaz Shaikh told the cabinet that SEPCO was given Rs3499.634 million for the electrification of over 1.5 million villages.
The SEPCO has provided electricity to 2909 villages at Rs2952.209 million. Work order has been issued for 3893 villages, 3227
villages’ electrification has been approved,151 villages are under the approval stage, and work on 318 villages is in progress.
Similarly, K-Electric has been provided Rs 13.180 million against which 12 villages have been electrified.
The cabinet directed the energy dept to expedite the electrification of the villages through Alternative Energy Solutions like Solar PV technology for solarization through mini/microgrids, provision of solar home systems, solar-based streetlights, solar Tube wells, and other multiple uses.
The cabinet-approved solarization would be carried out through the Energy Department and the provision of new/additional transformers with allied accessories is also included in the village electrification program. Minister Information Sharjeel Memon told the cabinet that the Sindh Protection of Journalists and other Media Practitioners Act, 2021” has been enacted by the Provincial Assembly and notified in August 2021 and its Rules have also been notified.
Memon presented a 14-member draft commission under retired Justice Rasheed Rizvi as Chairperson with four non-ex-officio members, including secretary Information, Secretary Home, Secretary Law, and secretary and nine non-official membersFahim Siddiqui of KUJ, Kazi Asad APNS, Dr. Jabbar Khatak CPNE, Athar Kazi PBA, Ayaz Tunio SindhBar Council, Prof Tauseef Khan HRCP, Shazia Umar MPA, Syeda Marvi MPA, and Ghuma Fariduddin APNEC.
The cabinet approved the formation of the commission.
Pakistan Association of Automotive Parts and Accessories Manufacturers (PAAPAM), in collaboration with the Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC), in the second phase of its endeavor to lower unemployment and promote engineering entrepreneurship in the country, has issued internship letters to hundreds of fresh engineers from Sindh and Balochistan in a grand ceremony held here today. Both bodies of Pakistan have joined hands to launch this landmark national initiative on a regular basis. Addressing the event, Chairman PAAPAM, Munir K Bana, a veteran auto parts maker, stated that this initiative would greatly help eliminate unemployment in the country. The nation has been suffering from the heavy brain drain of trained technicians, and this initiative may go a long way in breaking this flow, he added.The Chairman PAAPAM stated that the auto parts industry was the mother of all engineering activities in the country, and they were committed to fulfilling our social responsibility by offering training to engineers in the right environment.
ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRtIn tolerance toward Muslims and other minority groups is on the rise in Narendra Modi-led India and in occupied Jammu and Kashmir with Hindu groups using violence, intimidation, and harassment against the minorities on daily basis in the country and Indian troops waging a war against civilian population in IIOJK.
A report released by Kashmir Media Service said that when International Day of Tolerance is being observed across the world Wednesday, Modi’s India is becoming more openly and violently intolerant towards religious minorities. It said that the Kashmiri people are subjected to the worst kind of state terrorism for demanding their inalienable right to self-determination, adding hate crimes against Muslims and other minorities has alarmingly increased since Modi became India’s prime minister in 2014.
Pertinently, the day aims to highlight the importance of inclusion, peaceful co-existence and respect for different religious beliefs, values and cultures.
The report said that contrary to what the day aims for, Hindu terrorists under the patronage of Modi government threat and kill Muslims and other minorities and vandalize their places of worship with sheer impunity, adding they are being persecuted physically, psychologically and economically.
The report said that extremist Hindus have been emboldened by BJP-led Hindutva government’s support to unleash terror on members of minorities. It maintained that Muslims, Christians and low-caste Hindus are treated as second class citizens in the socalled largest democracy.
The report pointed out that Muslims and other minorities are living in a state of fear in India as Modi is busy shaping India’s policy according to Hindutva dictates.
The right-wing Hindus, the report stressed, have become a threat to Muslims which is manifested in the killing of hundreds of Muslims on charges of eating/slaughtering beef, opposing the veil Muslim girl students, banning the sale of halal meat, removing the Islamic names of cities, villages & streets and placing Hindu names instead.
Special Representative on Afghanistan Ambassador Muhammad Sadiq on Wednesday stressing the region’s role in promoting peace and stability in Afghanistan said that exploring realistic pathways towards unfreezing Afghanistan’s financial assets was pivotal.
“A roadmap for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of Afghanistan is equally important,” Sadiq said while addressing the 4th Meeting of the Moscow Format Member States.
The fourth meeting of the Moscow format of consultations on Afghanistan was held in Russia, with the participation of representatives from Russia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Iran, Pakistan, China, Turkmenistan, India, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.
Muhammad Sadiq said the international community should consider cooperating with the
Afghan authorities on a ‘hierarchy of priorities’, especially where the Interim Afghan government had shown a commitment to act on countering terrorism and combatting drug trafficking. He emphasized that the pressing humanitarian needs of the Afghan people must be dehyphenated from any political considerations.
Beyond the confines of humanitarian assistance, he said that “we should focus on generating economic activity within Afghanistan to ensure a sustainable future”.
He said after four decades of war and bloodshed, Afghanistan had turned a new page in its history, however, said that now that the war had ended, there was a unique opportunity to secure durable peace.
Muhammad Sadiq said Pakistan was a firm adherent to the primacy of a regional approach to the situation in Afghanistan.
He mentioned that the international community had consistently
urged the interim Afghan government to promote greater political inclusivity. He, however, regretted that unfortunately, there was little to show on this count.
He mentioned that despite assurances by the interim Afghan government, the rights of women and girls also appear to have regressed, not progressed.
Sadiq pointed out that the footprint of terrorist organizations in Afghanistan had yet to be fully eradicated.
He said the advent of the Afghan winter had exacerbated an already dire situation – the World Food Programme had already warned that over half the Afghan population could face a ‘winter of famine’ this year.
He said the international commitments to provide humanitarian support to Afghanistan remained largely unfulfilled.
Afghanistan remains cut-off from the international banking system and faces serious liquidity challenges, he added.
KARACHI Staff RepoRtThe elderly father of four kidnapped daughters on Wednesday moved Sindh High Court (SHC) for their recovery. The father claims that his four daughters were kidnapped by a feudal lord who took them to Gujrat and Rahim Yar Khan.
The cases against the nominated suspects have been registered and SHC has scheduled hearing of the case on November 26. The dejected father said that when he approached the police for case registration, he was told that all his four daughters had married of free will, and they were unable to take any action against it. The police also demanded the father to prove that his daughters had been taken to Gujrat and Rahim Yar Khan. He said that the police were not taking any action against the kidnappers.
KARACHI afp
Three-year-old Afshan’s trip to school is a high-wire balancing act as she teeters across a metal girder spanning a trench of putrid floodwater, eyes fixed ahead. After record monsoon rain flooded her classroom in the south-eastern town of Chandan Mori in the district of Dadu, this is the route Afshan and her siblings now traverse to a tent where her lessons take place. “It’s a risky business to send children to school crossing that bridge,” Afshan’s father, Abdul Qadir, told AFP. “But we are compelled… to secure their future, and our own.” In Pakistan, where a third of the country lives in hardship on less than $4 a day, education is a rare ticket out of grinding poverty.
But this summer, floods destroyed or damaged 27,000 schools and spurred a humanitarian disaster which saw 7,000 more commandeered as aid centres, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). The education of 3.5 million children has been disrupted as a result, the charity said.
Violence, harassment against Muslims among all minorities on rise in India, IIOJK
PUNJABMinister for Agriculture Syed Hussain Jahania Gardezi on Wednesday said that core paddy area should be surveyed for facilitation of farmers with the provision of modern machinery for disposal of crop residuals.
Punjab Minister for Agriculture Syed Hussain Jahania Gardezi was presiding over a meeting held to review disposal of crop residues here in Civil Secretariat on Wednesday.
He said the Punjab government was striving to promote pollution-free agriculture and in this regard, awareness was being provided to the farmers.
In the meeting, Secretary Agriculture Ahmad Aziz Tarar and representatives of the Judicial Water and Environment Commission, established for control of smog, Hina Hafeez Ullah Ishaq and Syed
Kamal Ali Haider also participated.
Briefing the meeting, Director General Agriculture Extension Dr. Anjum Ali said that 2269 cases of setting fire to paddy residue had been reported this year, while 3224 cases were reported last
President Dr Arif Alvi on Wednesday visited the International Defence Exhibition (IDEAS 2022) at the Expo Center, here.
The event was attended by Governor Sindh Kamran Khan Tessori, Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah, provincial ministers, renowned industrialists, ambassadors and other personalities, President Secretariat Press Wing said in a press release.
The participating countries, foreign delegations and their members related to defence industry were also present. On the occasion, a colourful ceremony was held in the honour of president and other guests.
Artists presented folk music of different provinces of the country.
Chief of Balochistan National Party (BNP) Sardar Akhtar Mengal and other members of the commission, formed to address on the grievances of Baloch students and missing persons, called on Chief Minister Mir Abdul Quddus Bizenjo on Wednesday.
Opposition Leader in Balochistan Assembly Malik Sikandar Advocate, lawmakers from the treasury, and opposition benches were also present on the occasion. Chief of the Commission Sardar Akhtar Mengal, and other members, discussed the issue of Baloch students and missing persons with the chief minister, an official handout issued on Wednesday night said. The meeting discussed the progress made by the commission and the Balochistan government’s support in this regard, it mentioned.
Speaking on the occasion, the CM Balochistan assured extending all possible support to the members of the missing person commission. He said the government was committed to address this[missing person] issue on a priority basis.
year. This year there were incidents of paddy burning on 8,733 acres while last year it was 11,619, he added.
Under the directions of Lahore High Court, 702 FIRs were registered against people involved in setting fire to rice
residues. The Agriculture department set up 18000 village volunteer committees to create awareness among the farmers, he added.
On this occasion, Director Agricultural Information Muhammad Rafiq Akhtar, while giving a briefing, said that print, electronic and social media were also being used effectively for the awareness of farmers. So far, the department of Agriculture had also distributed more than 0.1 million copies of literature for the awareness of the farmers, he added.
On the occasion, the Minister proposed to the Judicial Water and Environment Commission to fine those who set fire to paddy residue on the basis of land holding so that small farmers can get relief.
The representatives of the Commission said that they were also examining the amount of arsenic in water by visiting Kasur, Chichawatani and Sahiwal areas to ensure availability of clean water in these areas along with control of smog.
The Ambassador of Kazakhstan congratulated Ambassador Zakaria on his appointment as Executive Director of COMSATS_ an international Intergovernmental organization of 27 countries. The Ambassador said that Kazakhstan attaches high importance to COMSATS and relevant organizations work closely with the Secretariat.
The Executive Director COMSATS thanked the Ambassador and apprised him about various activities of COMSATS and its Centres of Excellence. H.E. Mr. Kistafin wished Dr. Zakaria a successful tenure and assured him of the Republic of Kazakhstan’s full support to COMSATS.
Separately, honorable Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Youth Affairs, MNA
Shaza Fatima Khawaja also visited COMSATS secretariat on 14 November, 2022.
Dr. Muhammad Nafees Zakarai, Executive Director COMSATS received the Hon. Minister. She congratulated the Executive Director on his appointment.
The Executive Director briefed the SAPM on the COMSATS and its activities, which were aimed at benefiting its members in the field of Science, Technology and Inno-
vation in a variety of ways.
The SAPM expressed keen interest in COMSATS activities and to cooperate with a view to benefit from it. The Executive Director underscored the meaningful youth engagement and equipping them with STEM education and skills of modern world needs can bring a sustainable development in the region.
Both agreed that there is a huge potential in the youth bulge of the global south.
The foreign minister expressed his condolences Wednesday to his Turkish counterpart for deadly terror attacks in Istanbul, according to the Turkish Foreign Ministry.
Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and Mevlut Cavusoglu had the discussion in a telephone call, the ministry said in a statement.
Zardari wrote Sunday on Twitter: “Deeply saddened at precious loss of life in explosion at the iconic Taksim square in Istanbul, today.”
“We stand in complete solidarity with our Turkish brethren in this hour of grief and offer our sincerest
condolences to the bereaved families & brotherly people of Turkiye,” he added.
At least six people were killed and 81 injured in a bomb blast, which Ankara said was carried out by the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia.
The YPG, or the People’s Protection Units, emerged as a powerful militant group during the Syrian civil war, which began in 2011. It established a foothold in the north as Syrian government forces withdrew to put down the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad elsewhere.
It is affiliated with the main Syrian Kurdish faction, the Democratic Union Party (PYD), and has a female counterpart, the YPJ.
The Lahore High Court (LHC) turned down a petition seeking the appointment of the senior most general to replace the outgoing army chief, Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa. The petition, submitted by Najma Ahmed, requested the court to direct the respondents to appoint the seniormost person as the next army chief. The central government, law secretary, establishment and law secretaries of Punjab, and Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan were nominated as respondents.
The judges rejected the plea, declaring it was inadmissible for hearing and directed the applicant to move to the Supreme Court to address the matter. The plea further stated that judges are appointed on the basis of their seniority but this principle of seniority is set aside while appointing an army chief. Earlier, Minister for Defence Khawaja Asif rejected the rumours about a deadlock on the shortlisted names’ and the exact time of the appointment process for the new top general.
At least 55 unclaimed bodies from Nishtar Hospital in Multan have been handed over to the Edhi Foundation for burial, the facility’s management said on Wednesday.
Previously, 76 unidentified bodies were buried in various graveyards of the city, it said. “DNA samples of the dead bodies have been collected.” Overall, 131 bodies have so far been buried.
Last month, an adviser to the Punjab Chief Minister spotted mutilated bodies left abandoned on the roof of the hospital. Several videos roaming the Internet showed the horrors of the hospital’s dead house packed with rotten bodies. The bodies and some old wooden cots were thrown on the floor.
Following the discovery, an inquiry committee was formed by the Punjab government to hold responsible persons accountable.
In light of the inquiry report, Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi ordered the suspension of three doctors and two policemen over alleged negligence in the matter.
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He said that no one had the right to harm the country’s prestige and honour.
“Imran Khan has committed a crime against the state by damaging the country’s bilateral relations and national cohesion.” The defence minister’s statement comes a day after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif returned home after his extended stay in London where he was believed to have held closed-door consultations with the elder Sharif and other leaders on the appointment of a new army chief.
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He said the valuation was done through proper channels.
‘NO FOUL PLAY’: Also on Wednesday, hours before Khan sent out the tweet, Fawad Chaudhry, senior vice president of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), made a similar announcement in a press conference, insisting there was no conclusive evidence of foul play.
He, however, acknowledged the gift was sold — but “legally” and in the “market”.
During the press conference, Chaudhry, who was accompanied by party leaders Shireen Mazari and Zulfi Bukhari, said the party “always stood against corruption in Pakistan,” and “we hold ourselves accountable just as we hold others accountable.”
“Imran Khan went to Saudi Arabia for the first time [after assuming the top office] in 2018 and when he met
the king, he was gifted a watch,” he recalled.
“The gifts are received by the chief of protocol, the prime minister has nothing to do with these matters,” he explained. “The prices of these gifts are then determined by the Toshakhana, which sends them to the concerned Prime Minister’s Office in a regular manner where it is clearly mentioned what the value of each item is,” he further said.
“This law has been in place since before the PTI government’s tenure,” the former minister said. “In fact, earlier only 20 percent of the original price was to be paid to the state, but our government raised it up to 50 per cent so that the national treasury could benefit”.
“The watch was received by the chief protocol of the Foreign Office. The same officer deposited this gift in the depository of the Cabinet Division,” he added.
“The evaluation of the watch set by the Cabinet Division had roughly been Rs0.1 billion, and 20 percent
of
PTi chief imran Khan will not get away so easily from the sale of The Toshakhana gifts, especially the watches gifted by saudi Crown Prince Muhammad Bin salman. The Election Commission of Pakistan had already disqualified him from the national assembly for having failed to declare the proceeds of the sale, and now the buyer of the gifts, of which the main item remains the jewelled watch, has appeared on a private TV channel, and has made disclosures which shed a garish light on the whole episode.
The disclosures are not likely to lead to further legal action. as was explained at the time of the original disclosures, Me Khan had sold gifts that he had legally taken back from the Toshakhana after paying 50 percent of their assessed value. However, that value was clearly under assessed, for while the watch was assessed at Rs 85 million, it was sold for the dirham equivalent of about Rs 280 million. apart from imran having been able to obtain the item by paying 20 percent of the assessment, he also obtained a massive advantage from the under-assessment, Though Mr Khan may not face legal consequences beyond those he has already suffered, the political consequences of the new revelations are less easily dismissed by his followers, especially as the country gears up for a general election. While he may be able to get diehard fans to buy whatever narrative he wants to peddle, he will have to explain himself to uncommitted voters, thus expending time and energy he would prefer would go on something else. He may find that the voter may not take his personal integrity as much of a given as it has been doing so far. There is also the nexus, for the first time established between him and Ms Farhat shahzadi ‘Gogi’, woh may have been an aide of Mr Khan’s wife Bushra, but was clearly trusted enough to be entrusted with the task of selling the watch. PM’s interior adviser is also shown as performing the personal service of finding Ms ‘Gogi’ a buyer, raising questions about why he was performing such a personal task. There is the larger issue of the assessment method, which is obviously flawed. Being Bollywood to retain gifts after paying part of the assessed value will only be workable if the assessments are not honest. it might be best not to allow any retention, and compel the surrender of all gifts received to the Toshakhana.
ning with stability on the thermal power produced inhouse. Personally, i always had respect for Jamali sahib but he had surrounded himself with people of vested interests and sycophants. it was also rumored that his appointment was subject to a pre-signed resignation letter. as PM when he refused to take military action in his home province of Baluchistan, he was booted out that very evening.
stalling the accountability process in the country. The age-old and ineffective anti-Corruption Establishment (aCE) has now become more powerful than the once dreaded national accountability Bureau (naB). From a relevant PM like ZaB to the current irrelevant head of government the decline has been painful and uncalled for. after the inclusion of article 6 of the constitution ZaB was convinced that the era of Martial Laws was over, but he was twice proven wrong. as President, Zardari got rid of the Draconian Zia amendment of article 58 (2b) but the power of the establishment could not be contained.
Nizami Editor
ZuLFiKaR aLi BHuTTO (14 aug 1973 to 5 July 1977) was the last real or relevant Prime Minister of Pakistan. all the rest who followed had to toe the line of the all-powerful establishment. Muhammad Khan Junejo, who followed Bhutto, tried to be his own man but was shown the door. Bhutto’s daughter tried to follow in his father’s footsteps but failed. Recently imran Khan went out fighting. as Chairman Pakistan science Foundation (aug 15, 2002 to aug 13, 2005) i interacted with two PMs. i was appointed by the President of Pakistan on the advice of Zafarullah Khan Jamali. after he stepped down shaukat aziz managed to get the slot. On the day of Jamali’s resignation on 26 June 2004 myself and Munawar Baseer ahmed, the then Managing Director sui southern Gas Company, met him to convince him to induct technocrats in technical ministries. He disapproved of the idea on the grounds that they would replace politicians who were elected by the people. i explained to him that technocrats had replaced bureaucrats worldwide about half a century ago. i even left written proposals with him which he agreed to consider.We also discussed the proposal of providing sui Gas to the people of Ziarat to save the destruction of the unique juniper trees.
Before us, his recently appointed Chairman of the alternate Energy Development Board (aEDB) had submitted a proposal through his brother, who happened to be his adviser, to supply the people of Ziarat solar cookers to cook their food on sunny days only. aEDB had also prepared a proposal to run the Pakistan steel Mill on wind energy. Luckily the Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission sought my comments, i did some research and found no reference of a steel mill being run on wind power.
While my push for induction of technocrats did not see the light of day, people of Ziarat were able to get a stable supply of gas to prepare their daily meals even when the sun did not shine and PsM kept run-
shaukat aziz, the Plastic PM, replaced Jamali sahib. He called a meeting of all the senior officers urging them to introduce reforms in their respective departments. after is spiritless, unconvincing speech there was a question-and-answer session. Tasnim noorani, who was federal secretary Commerce, was the first to stand up, saying; “ sir i have only a few months of service left; you should convince the younger officers to start this crusade of change “. as i was involved in fighting the Mafia within PsF, i was the next to stand up; “Most departments are infested with Mafias, will you back us up if we take them on?”. There was silence for a moment, he then gathered himself and said; “Yes as we cleaned up the banking sector, you have my full support”. unfortunately it never came; when it wasasked for, the crusaders were left in the cold. The sharifs and Zardaris had their own agenda of empire-building at the cost of the nation. While their slogan was “Vote Ki izzat”, they collected ‘notes’ for their coming generations. i remained in touch with imran Khan and Dr arif alvi who did their best to provide relief. after the untimely death of naeem-ul-Haq, who was an important link between the party and power, bureaucrats took control of the PM secretariat. according to the PML(n), the Principal secretary to the PM has left the country like their own leader, while iK continues to fight-on. Those who run away establish their guilt. nawaz sharif and azam Khan are now in the same league. as PM shahaz sharif is totally irrelevant. He was just in London to consult with his absconding elder brother nawaz sharif. He has a slim two-seat majority which can slip any time. Baluchistan awami Party (BaP should be called Mai-Bap Party) can slip at a slight nod by the powers that be. after gaining power about six months ago the Pakistan Democratic Movement has succeeded in getting rid of its cases and
Despite his personal popularity iK was shown the door in april this year. With over a dozen disputed electoral contests the democratic system remains derailed. Boot Polish works, not ‘ Vote Ki izzat.
In the words of Comrade Hanif Ramay, “Bhutto Sahib left the struggle from where it had started”. Now IK is leading the charge. He has termed it; “Haqiqi Azadi” (Real freedom through Vote Ki Izzat). His demand for free and fair elections holds ground. Struggle lines are clearly defined, ‘Peaceful or Bloody Revolution’. Sanity must prevail to guard national interests.
The movement for Pakistan was spearheaded by our brethren in the Eastern Wing. after their revolt against the establishment, they went their own way and carved out their own progressive democratic state. On the Western side, ZaB picked up the pieces of what was left of Jinnah’s Pakistan. in defeat the armed Forces were licking their wounds. after the enactment of the 1973 constitution civilian authority was established. The military action in Balochistan in 1975 brought them back in the mainstream of power.
it did not end here, The Hyderabad Military Tribunal was established in which the leaders of the Wali Khan-led national awami Party (naP) were being tried. ZaB was trapped into holding early elections, the agitation that followed was sponsored by the establishment. The democratic order was derailed. in the words of Comrade Hanif Ramay, “Bhutto sahib left the struggle from where it had started”. now iK is leading the charge. He has termed it; “Haqiqi azadi” (Real freedom through Vote Ki izzat). His demand for free and fair elections holds ground. struggle lines are clearly defined, ‘Peaceful or Bloody Revolution’. sanity must prevail to guard national interests. 1971-like confrontation is no one’s interest. People’s power is bound to prevail. Hopefully in his second stint as PM, major structural reforms would be carried out to rebuild institutions while confining the men in uniform in the barracks where they rightfully belong.
The writer is ex-Chairman, Pakistan Science Foundation. He can be contacted at: fmaliks@hotmail.com.
The first-ever visit to Bangladesh by a Russian FM
cided to join the conference after receiving the invitation, including Russia.
on the grounds that Moscow was not restrained while people in her country and across the globe had suffered. she appears to be the first head of the government to urge the sanctions be lifted. This signifies the diplomatic bond between Bangladesh and Russia.
Lavrov is coming to Dhaka on a two-day trip, on november 23-24, his first to Bangladesh, for a ministerial conference of the indian Ocean Rim association or iORa. He will also discuss bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest apart from his key focus on the iORa meeting. This is the first time in Bangladesh’s 50-year history that a Russian foreign minister is coming to Dhaka. On many accounts, his first visit is immensely significant for Bangladesh.
Russian Foreign Minister
according to diplomatic sources, Lavrov will seek Bangladesh on Russia’s side in the ukraine issue as well as bilateral issues. since the war in ukraine, Russia has been under a lot of pressure due to Western sanctions. Different countries are bringing one resolution against Russia in the united nations. Russia is losing these resolutions by a large margin. in such a context, Russia is trying to strengthen relations with friendly countries by visiting different countries.
sergey Lavrov, the foreign minister of one of the most powerful countries in the world, is a brilliant diplomat and civil servant rather than a politician. He served as the un permanent representative of Russia for 10 years. Lavrov has been serving as the Foreign Minister of Russia since 2004. Till date, no higher Russian officials have visited Bangladesh. This makes the visit more important in the geopolitical and geo-economic context. There has been speculation in the diplomatic arena for a long time about the proposed visit. now it is having a successful outcome.
Earlier Bangladeshi Foreign Minister Dr Momen extended an invitation to his Russian counterpart to attend the 22nd iORa Council of Ministers meeting to be held in Dhaka on november 24. Bangladesh, the current chair of iORa, expects over a dozen ministers. Many have de-
since the soviet era, Russia has been a close friend of Bangladesh. The ussR played a strong role supporting Bangladesh during its struggle for independence, and Russian friendship has continued during the post-soviet period. Russia has thus been a true friend of Bangladesh since its very inception. On 25 January 2022, Russia-Bangladesh marked 50 years of diplomatic relations. Russian President Vladimir Putin pointed out that ties between Moscow and Dhaka have been steadily developing in the spirit of friendship and mutual respect.
after some months, Bangladesh Prime Minister sheikh Hasina Wajid called for us sanctions imposed on Russia for invading ukraine to be lifted
Bangladesh and Russia are enjoying a healthy growth in terms of trade and commerce. But both sides have much more to offer. It is expected that the recently concluded Bangladesh-Russia Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation will remove the bottlenecks in further expansion of bilateral trade.
Russia is important for Bangladesh for many reasons. These include nuclear power plant cooperation, import of other commodities including wheat and fertilizer, and potentially being an important partner in resolving the Rohingya issue.
Bangladesh wants Russia closer to Bangladesh to find a solution to the Rohingya crisis. Last month, Momen met his Russian counterpart in astana, Kazakhstan, where he emphasized the strong support of the international community to solve the Rohingya crisis. Bangladesh wants Russia to start a trilateral process with Myanmar to reach an amicable solution to the Rohingya refugee crisis. However, Lavrov didn’t make any commitment straightaway. The MomenLavrov meeting will discuss the promotion of mutual cooperation between the two countries.
Lavrov’s visit will not lead to any new agreements between the two countries. However, the issues that have been reached between the two countries so far and are in the final stage will be discussed in the meeting.
it is worth mentioning that Bangladesh needs Russian assistance in ensuring its energy, food and fertilizer security as Bangladesh deals with the global crisis, because a small country like Bangladesh will have to survive by ensuring those securities. Bangladesh wants to import food and fuel from Russia amid the ongoing crisis around the world. The Russia-ukraine war has increased the oil price in the world market. in such a situation, some countries including india, China are buying oil from Russia at a discount. Last May, Russia also offered to sell crude oil to Bangladesh. Bangladesh will be able to present its demands more strongly with Russia during this visit.
again, there is a huge demand in the Russian market for various products made in Bangladesh, including garments. Because of various complications, Bangladesh is forced to export ready-made garments and other products to the Russian market through other countries. in the business interests of both countries, it is important to resolve these issues through bilateral talks and diplomacy. in the fiscal year 2020-2021, Bangladesh exported goods worth $665.31 million to Russia and imported goods worth $466.70 million.
However, Bangladesh has also partnered with Russia for other purposes, including the south asian country’s first nuclear power plant. Due to the war, funding from Russia for the Rooppur nuclear power plant has decreased. again, sending money from Bangladesh to Russia for the import of equipment for this project has also stopped. in this situation, the two countries are working to normalize money exchange through third countries. Considering the current situation, Bangladesh will explore the possibility of cooperation in the energy sector with Russia during Lavrov’s planned official visit.
Bangladesh and Russia are enjoying a healthy growth in terms of trade and commerce. But both sides have much more to offer. it is expected that the recently concluded Bangladesh-Russia intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, scientific and Technical Cooperation will remove the bottlenecks in further expansion of bilateral trade. it is also to be hoped that Bangladesh-Russia friendly and strong ties will continue in the future.
Buyer’s revelations not only revive questions about Toshakhana gifts, but evaluation proceduresergey Mehjabin bhanu Dr FariD a Malik Yousaf Dedicated to the legacy of late Hameed Nizami Arif Nizami (Late) Founding Editor M. A. Niazi Joint Editor Umar Aziz Executive Editor Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad Joint Editor Bureaucrats have been replaced by technocrats the world over
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THOuGH voices are being raised for restoring student unions in our universities, i have witnessed something at the university of Karachi which suggests that it may not be such a good idea to have the student unions back after all these years.
a recent clash between two student groups is a case in point. such clashes have been a part of the university’s history. Rangers deployed at the campus used to handle rival student groups and pre-emptive measure were always in place to avoid on-campus clashes.
However, recently there have been an increase in clashes involving student groups that clearly have affiliations with one political party or the other. One such clash took place between two groups on Oct 11 and severely affected those who had no links to such groups or violent activities of any type. They were badly injured when some people, having their faces covered, entered the university and attacked the students with iron rods and chains, causing severe injuries.
as a girl student, it is a serious matter that raises concerns over the university’s security mechanism. Following the suicide blast at the Confucius institute, the administration of the university had increased security, but the recent incident suggests a lax security, especially for the girl students. The university administration needs to ensure the safety of students and a peaceful environment conducive to academic learning.
SARAH AYAZ KARACHIThere are people on both sides of the divide who are beneficiaries of the archaic system of governance which has in-built avenues of corruption. no matter how many elections are held the situation is not going to change. We will see the same people in Parliament who have a vested interest in the continuation of the prevalent system which promotes power politics with a strong nexus with corruption.
stipulated in it then why create fuss on the issue?
nothing is above the constitution and all the state institutions as well as those in the government, including the President and those trying to regain political power, are supposed to respect and abide by it. as head of the state, President alvi is supposed to reinforce his credentials as a non-partisan functionary by acting in accordance with the constitution and law of the land and avoid saying or doing things which contradict them.
The fact is that alvi has throughout remained a PTi loyalist and never acted as President of Pakistan. He deliberately avoided taking oath from Prime Minister shehbaz sharif, which was his constitutional obligation, by going on sick leave and consequently the acting President sadiq sanjarani administered the oath. He refused to attend the swearing-in ceremony of the Cabinet and the onus again fell on sanjrani.
He was part of the unconstitutional game plan of PTi that began with the rejection of the PDM no-confidence motion against imran Khan by the Deputy speaker followed by dissolution of the assemblies and declaration of new elections by him. it was thankfully declared unconstitutional by the supreme Court of Pakistan, leaving no doubt about the sinister motives of the PTi leadership including the President. infact what they did was a willful breach of the constitution. The President also remained involved in the political crisis in Punjab, playing the role of a party loyalist.
He also revealed that he has been trying to find a way to early elections, which again is tantamount to toeing the party line rather than an honest and non-partisan view that a President is supposed to have. it is really untenable why there is a need for new and immediate elections in the country. The question is, will they bring angels to Parliament and resolve all the contentious issues and the much hyped phenomenon of corruption?The answer is emphatic no.
in my considered view, as also shared by many political observers, there is a need for electoral and systemic reforms in the country before going for new elections. all the political parties represented in Parliament must set aside their egos and sit together in the national interest to bring these reforms and resolve the contentious issues which have been responsible for political instability in the country. For that imran must go back to the national assembly. serious issues cannot be settled on the streets. The present national assembly is mandated to complete its five years tenure which is a constitutional requirement.
imran Khan was ousted through a constitutional process as also endorsed by the apex court. The PTi undoubtedly has a constitutional right to initiate similar action against the government if it can muster the required numbers.
Democracy can be strengthened by all the stakeholders going according to the constitution and showing unqualified respect for Parliament which is mother of all the state institutions. any conduct contrary to this is inimical to the national and state interests.
self to be a demagogue of first order, failed to bring about an economic turnaround, never acted as a democrat by refusing to have even a working relationship with the opposition, which had reached the assembly through the votes of the masses. Taken together they had obtained far more than the votes polled by PTi. He practised politics of vendetta by instituting false cases against his opponents which were never proven in the courts of law and many of them have been acquitted honourably.
now after having been ousted from power he is telling the people that he did not have the power and decisions were made somewhere else and that it was the establishment which told him nawaz sharif and Zardari were corrupt. These statements are in fact his self-indictment for being a puppet doing the bidding of the establishment. Can such a person be a revolutionary or a reformer? nobody in his right mind can accept his credentials as a revolutionary. He wants political power at any cost and through any means. The Wall Street Journal, dilating on his brand of politics has said, “imran Khan’s vainglory and taste for brinkmanship can tip an already turbulent Pakistani nation into chaos.”
After his ouster from power he came up with a narrative of a conspiracy orchestrated by the USA, endorsed and supported by the establishment, to bring an imported government in power which he has been using as a punching bag to mislead his followers. But now in an interview with The Financial Times, he has said that he no more blamed the USA for the conspiracy. This retracting from the conspiracy narrative is probably the biggest U-turn he has ever taken.
nevertheless, it goes without saying that the current political crisis and instability in the country is a sequel to politics of anarchy and chaos unleashed by imran Khan who is hell-bent to regain political power by inventing false narratives, their relentless propagation to mislead and misguide the people as well as settling the political issues on the streets and also involving courts in them. no wonder then that even the sC has repeatedly asked imran Khan to go back to the assembly and try to find solutions to the political and legislative issues through the parliament. imran’s strategy of incessant attack on the state functionaries and the establishment is a detestable ploy to pressurize, malign and denigrate them.
The fact is that imran’s three-and-a-half year rule was a disaster on all counts. He proved him-
His political career is punctuated with falsehood. Who can forget his rhetoric of 35 punctures on which his campaign against PML -n government and his attempt to oust it, were premised? But when the judicial commission formed to probe the allegations of rigging nullified his contention, he publicly admitted that the allegations regarding 35 punctures was merely a political talk and somebody had told him about it. after his ouster from power he came up with a narrative of a conspiracy orchestrated by the usa, endorsed and supported by the establishment, to bring an imported government in power which he has been using as a punching bag to mislead his followers. But now in an interview with The Financial Times, he has said that he no more blamed the usa for the conspiracy. This retracting from the conspiracy narrative is probably the biggest u-turn he has ever taken. His followers who have been giving credence to false narratives need to review their outlook about the man and refuse to be misled by him.
Malik Muhammad Ashraf is an academic. He can be contacted at: ashpak10@gmail.com.
DEsPiTE all efforts on the part of the government agencies, nongovernmental organisations (nGOs), business community and voluntary organisations, millions of flood affectees are facing multiple problems, including but not limited to, the lack of food, shelter, clean water, healthcare and education. But with winter setting in, their situation is getting worse.
The threat to the existence of those living in tents is imminent. Those who find themselves under open skies are practically doomed. There is a likelihood that the number of casualties would mount during the kind of harsh winter that is expected. as such, the situation calls for urgent attention of the agencies and organisations concerned to focus their attention towards providing built-up shelters, blankets and warm clothing to the victims as a matter of highest priority.
it is proposed that the national Disaster Management authority (nDMa), the army, relevant ministries of the federal government as well as provincial authorities and district administrations should jointly undertake planning on an emergency basis to arrange appropriate built-up shelters where the affectees may be relocated temporarily.
The buildings that are not being currently utilised, such as warehouses, barracks, etc., may be identified where the most vulnerable segment of the affectees — the children, the women and the elderly — could be shifted immediately. Concurrently, necessary administrative measures should be taken to speed up the ongoing infrastructure repair and reconstruction activity as well as cons-truction of low-cost houses to ensure resettlement of the affectees in due course.
TIPOO SULTAN RAWALPINDITHis is with reference to the report ‘no MDCaT centre in Pindi division upsets candidates’ (nov 9). The aspirants of the medical and dental college admission test from Rawalpindi division find themselves in a limbo as the test is scheduled to be held this week (nov 13), for which they now have to travel all the way to Gujranwala to appear in the examination, which is the nearest centre available to them.
The long march by the opposition, which is currently going through the Grand Trunk (GT) Road towards islamabad from Wazirabad, has compounded the misery of the candidates from Rawalpindi and surrounding areas who have to reach Gujranwala to appear in the examination. are the relevant authorities not aware of this stark reality? Or do they actually want candidates from Rawalpindi to miss out on this test? nothing explains this completely irrational decision just days before the actual test.
This is the time when candidates appearing in any exam get down to the hard miles and do their best to be ready for the D-Day. The decision, even if it gets reversed, has caused distraction among the candidates at a critical time. in a way, the decision has already sealed the fate of many an aspirant. according to media reports, the Pakistan Medical association (PMa) also wrote a letter to the opposition leader to defer the march till sunday evening in order to allow the peaceful conduct of MDCaT, which has already been delayed for two months due to the recent floods that hit major parts of the country. But no one is willing to make adjustments even though everyone loves to talk about the future of the nation.
My younger sister, who had been preparing for MDCaT for at least a year, now stands dejected. The policy of the Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC) regarding MDCaT has remained ambiguous.
after a tug-of-war between the proponents of PMC and the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC), the provinces have been asked to conduct the test this year. in Punjab, the university of Health sciences (uHs) has been given the task.
The uHs has shown utter callousness by not establishing a centre in Rawalpindi, which is one of the biggest urban centres in the province. now my sister has planned to reach Gujranwala a day earlier to avoid any mishap that may hamper her bid to reach the centre on time. she is definitely not alone in doing so.
it seems the authorities concerned are least bothered by criticism in the media, which is but an acknowledgement of the fact that facilitating the candidates was not the priority of either the uHs or the PMC.
a friend of mine from attock will have to travel around 300km to appear in the examination in Gujranwala. adding to his worries is the dreaded long march as he will obviously face obstacles along the GT Road. Travelling such long distance is more challenging for girls as, in line with the local traditions, they need a guardian to accompany them. uncertain conditions of traffic on the roads have disturbed hundreds of aspirants from Rawalpindi.
Do our students and youth, especially those who aspire to become doctors, have future considering such apathy by our institutions and politicians?
MUHAMMAD FASEEH UL HASSAN GUJAR KHANhOMe affairs Minister Clare O’Neil has emphasised that australia will adopt a more muscular approach to cyber defence in response to the wave of ransomware attacks against australian firms, including Optus and Medibank. Deliberate ambiguity about what australia is capable of, and what it is willing to do, needs to be at the heart of our strategy.
O’Neil’s declaration that australia’s response will more heavily include “hacking the hackers” – that is, offensive cyber operations – is welcome. This posture should make australia a harder target and hopefully deter attacks. The minister’s public signalling about this pivot from traditional law enforcement to offensive cyber operations builds on changes laid down by the previous government.
in 2021, the Coalition introduced laws to allow the australian Federal Police (aFP) and the australian Criminal intelligence Commission (aCiC) to access data disruption warrants, which allow them to launch cyberattacks to prevent serious crimes.
To support this pivot, a new joint standing operation between the aFP and the australian Signals Directorate (aSD) has been established. The collaboration of the aFP and aSD for this task is necessary for two reasons.
One is capability. as the nation’s premier cyber agency, aSD possesses highly classified tools for collecting intelligence and undertaking offensive cyber operations that law enforcement agencies simply don’t have and would struggle to operate alone. While aSD’s support for law enforcement operations can be a game changer, it does mean there is an intense and growing competition within government for aSD’s skills and capabilities.
after all, aSD’s primary responsibility is to support the australian Defence Force and focus on cyber threats from foreign adversaries.
Second, there is a wicked fusion between purely criminal cyber actors and those working at the direction of foreign states, such as russia, China, iran, and North Korea. This means the aFP must be meticulous when undertaking disruption operations
against an apparently criminal group because it could turn out to be state sponsored.
aSD can help by identifying anonymous actors and shaping operations to either avoid targeting state-backed entities or target them in a way to reduce the chance of retaliation and escalation. This means we can expect many of the operations O’Neil has backed to be conducted in a deniable way so those affected may never know they were hit by australian agencies. it will also mean the australian government will have to sustain a policy of neither confirming nor denying individual offensive cyber operations.
Strategic ambiguity is not just essential to how australia offensively strikes at cybercriminals, it is also key to how the government and businesses respond to attacks, especially those attacks extorting a ransom.
O’Neil has outlined that the government is considering outlawing the payment of ransoms to cybercriminals to disrupt their business model. No one wants to pay a ransom or provide an incentive for extortion, but making the payment of ransoms illegal could
past – an erasure that was retrospectively used to try and vindicate the false claim that africa was an empty continent lying outside of history before colonisation.
Works such as the 16th-century Benin Bronzes, which are not only incredibly complex but also depict pre-colonial interactions between europe and africa, for example, are testaments to the long history and cultural richness of the continent.
to the return of the skeletons to their rightful place. But, equally, it refers to the return (or much-delayed recognition) of europe’s own ghosts – first and foremost the exploitation and violence that characterised its colonial past and upon which much of its present wealth is built.
actually make responding to attacks more difficult by removing a key effectively countering cyberattacks demands swift and united action from government and the private sector, with affected firms working hand-in-glove with security agencies as soon as an attack is detected.
Outlawing the payment of ransoms could discourage companies from working with agencies. instead, companies could choose to keep the attack secret to preserve all possible options for regaining access to their systems. Multinational firms may also choose to process ransom payments overseas in a way that evades australian jurisdiction.
The process of negotiating ransoms is also a critical opportunity for victims to buy more time, and, crucially, it’s a key way government agencies can learn about the attacker and garner valuable intelligence. Outlawing ransom payments could make it harder for agencies to engage in these negotiations. it would also give victims uncertainty about whether they were engaging in illegal activity by simply trying to negotiate with their attacker.
Strategic ambiguity about how australia deals with cybercriminals is important because sometimes paying the ransom may be the least worst option. We know that cybercriminals target essential systems in times of crisis and when lives are at risk, the cost of a ransom could seem insignificant. For example, australia saw ransomware attacks on hospitals during COViD-19 surges. if paying a ransom meant a hospital could continue to carry out life-saving treatment, was it the wrong thing to do?
alongside hardening australia to attack, there also needs to be initiatives that shrink the size of the targets for cyberattacks. This is proving the more difficult task for lawmakers as they search for options that respond to the public’s demand for greater protection but don’t unduly disrupt businesses. One option that should be more closely explored is a data tax.
Taxing how much sensitive customer information businesses store could help protect their client’s privacy and reduce the likelihood of firms being targeted in the first place. This is because a tax on non-essential customer data would disincentivise firms, such as Optus, from accumulating vast lakes of incidentally collected data that isn’t necessary for their core operations, but is otherwise tantalising to cybercriminals.
Stoltz is the Policy Director at the ANU National Security College.
IN 1952, a Swiss doctor brought home from colonial Congo seven skeletons belonging to the nomadic Mbuti people and gave them to the University of Geneva for research.
Seventy years later, Swiss, German and Congolese artists from the theatre and music ensemble GrOUP50:50 travelled to a forest in the Democratic republic of the Congo to meet the descendants of the seven Mbuti whose skeletons were stolen. Together, they developed a ritual to allow the seven spirits to find rest. Consequently, GrOUP50:50 transformed these experiences into a multimedia musical theatre piece about “(neo)colonial crimes, death and mourning”.
Named The Ghosts are returning, the show is part of a growing international mobilisation of african and european activists, artists, and policymakers demanding the restitution of myriad african artefacts and works of art looted in the colonial era and now jealously guarded in europe’s museums and universities.
Congolese artist Mwazulu Diyabanza, for instance, recently “took home” a 19thcentury funerary stone belonging to the Bari people of Chad by removing it from the Quai Branly Museum in Paris, which hosts more than 70,000 african objects. He made similar attempts in Marseilles and amsterdam, each time raising a heated public debate about who the thief really is.
Diyabanza himself appears certain who the real “thief” is. “They were the ones who stole,” he argues. “They stole a part of my history, a part of my identity. and i did what i think everyone here would do if they saw a thief: get back what they took without asking permission.”
His point about identity is key to understanding the significance of the restitution movement. Objects of art, and ritual, help humans navigate their past and their present, providing a fundamental anchor for the self and for the communities of selves that we call society and state.
The cultural dispossession suffered by the african continent during european colonialism was tantamount to an erasure of its
Many of these Bronzes, however, are now not where they belong in West africa, but in european museums.
Human remains and ritual masks also tie africa’s past to its present and inform its current inhabitants of the depth of their heritage.
They should today be scattered across villages, connecting communities with their past through the exercise of the political and spiritual power they yield. Most of these objects too, however, like the seven Mbuti skeletons, are far from home. Taking such treasures away is more than aesthetic spoilation: it is the attempted erasure of a people’s sense of identity.
Pressed by shifting international perceptions and increased artistic activism, european governments and museums are beginning to respond. in July, Germany sealed an agreement with Nigeria to return more than 1,000 looted items, engaging a large array of institutions ranging from State ethnographic Museums to the Berggruen Museum, otherwise known for its extraordinary Picasso collection. in august, the United Kingdom followed suit. France also took action, commissioning a ground-breaking report on restitution in 2019 and returning the Benin treasures in its possession to Cotonou, the country’s largest city, this year.
While the restitution of the most famous works is often decided at the highest diplomatic level, cities are starting to play an equally important role in both physical restitution by municipally-owned museums and, crucially, the people-to-people contact that accompanies the ceremonies for the “coming home” of the works.
On December 13, the French city of Montpellier will host, together with Palermobased Fondazione Studio rizoma, the first gathering of municipalities on the theme of restitution. City-level diplomacy has increasingly been taking centre stage internationally – from issues of climate change to migration. Now mayors and municipal policy are also taking the lead in restitution efforts.
europe has much to gain from this process of restitution. The Ghosts are returning, GrOUP50:50’s play, certainly refers
The restitution movement helps both africans and europeans develop a better and deeper awareness of their past. “For a better future to blossom, we must subject our museums to psychoanalysis,” as GrOUP50:50 violist ruth Kemna puts it in the play.
Contemporary europe, as explained by French philosopher Paul ricoeur, is defined by “pardon” and “reconciliation”. Following two world wars and unspeakable cruelties committed against one another, european countries have eventually stared together into the abyss of their guilt and moved beyond mutual resentment. as a result, they managed to transform a history of violence and hostility into a vast political union. They now could and should expand these rebuilding and reconciliation efforts towards africa. returning africa’s stolen cultural heritage swiftly is the bare minimum europe can do to show it is taking reconciliation seriously. However, this is hardly enough. How does one address the human, environmental and economic pillage suffered by african nations over centuries?
“The Ghosts are returning” also touches upon this question. The equatorial forest that has been the habitat of the Mbuti people for generations is now under threat from illegal logging by multinational – including european – companies. Shouldn’t true restitution include a response to this ongoing pillage too?
europe could decide to hold onto its declining privilege and ignore all calls for restitution and reconciliation. Or it could seize the opportunity to truly engage african states and their civil society in a conversation among equals that could provide both europeans and africans with answers to planetary challenges.
as Cameroonian philosopher achille Mbembe reminds us, the French term for knowledge is “connaissance”, a word that literally means “being born together”. That is a very apt definition of the knowledge that art can transmit. Ultimately, this is what theatre and politics have in common: They force us to come to terms with our ghosts.
Lorenzo Marsili is a writer, political activist, and the founder of international NGO European Alternatives.
Earlier this week, the G-20 summit opened in indonesia, during which the long-awaited meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping took place. That they met at all means the meeting was a success. That it was three hours long is encouraging too, since unsuccessful meetings tend to end quickly and are followed by inconsequential joint statements, which so far has yet to be issued. This suggests honesty, substance and the promise of future substantive talks.
indeed, early reports from the meeting corroborate as much. The two were apparently agreeable on topics such as the dangers of nuclear weapons and the prospect of Secretary of State antony Blinken visiting China in the future, even as they reiterated the fact that they are competitors with different views on issues such as Taiwan. Xi allegedly even said the american model of democracy is obsolete.
as i have argued for a year, progress on this front owes not to the virtue of either side but to the geopolitical realities in which they operate. For the United States, the confrontation was anchored in economics. From the U.S. perspective, China has yet to provide ready access to its market for american goods and has been manipulating the value of the yuan to maximize trade and investment – a charge levied years ago by the Obama administration. Washington argued that given the amount of investment and technology provided by american firms, China needed to be forthcoming, especially since public sentiment suggested the U.S. had been exploited by China. China was in no position to comply with american demands without undermining its own economy. Thus was the american foundation laid.
For China, american economic de-
mands signified a military threat. Beijing could not accommodate the United States and feared an american military response. China is an exporting power, and its well-being depends on the ability of its goods to pass from its east coast ports to the South China Sea into the Pacific and then into the world. The United States could, in theory, mine or close those ports by other means. China’s response to this possibility was to appear as aggressive as possible to convince the U.S. that its economic demands could mean war and that China could defeat the U.S. Navy.
it never meant to break China’s economy; it meant to use the threat of breaking it to influence Beijing’s response. likewise, China never intended to go to war with the United States; it wanted to convince the U.S. it was a real enough possibility to induce a policy change. each appeared ferocious, but each was careful not to push the other too hard.
Two things brought this to a head. The first was russia’s attack on Ukraine. The willingness of Washington to wage a clever war, marrying U.S. weapons to Ukrainian forces, demonstrated a capability China did not believe the United States had in its repertoire. China’s alliance with russia, which was designed to confront the United States in two theaters, collapsed before it was put in place.
China reevaluated america’s military power, will and alliance structure and saw a military conflict as more dangerous to China than to the U.S.
The second was the continued deterioration of the Chinese economy. a longterm cyclical force created a massive downturn that has threatened social stability. regulations on imports from and investment in China could make a bad situation worse. Put differently, China has a lot at stake in their relationship. The United States doesn’t. absent a military threat, the U.S. benefitted from low-cost Chinese products.
The U.S. has little to gain from a military confrontation and plenty to gain from economic cooperation. China had no desire for a war it might lose, and the U.S. had no interest in an economic crisis in China. economic amelioration is very tempting, so long as it’s possible. The meeting this week shows it may well be possible.
George Friedman is an internationally recognized geopolitical forecaster and strategist on international affairs and the founder and chairman of Geopolitical Futures.
ISLAMABAD
stAff report
cHIEFof the Air Staff (CAS), Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu attended the inaugural ceremony of the 11th Edition of the International Defence Exhibition and Seminar (IDEAS 2022) commenced at the Karachi Expo Centre.
IslAmAbAd: Fauji Fertilizer Company (FFC), held its Third Corporate Briefing for the year 2022, in
Securities (Pvt)
best corporate governance practices. FFC has been recognized by Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) as first amongst Top 25 Companies consecutively for 12 years attributed to its Compliance of Code of Corporate Governance, Company Performance and Efficient Management. In the same backdrop the subject briefing for the period ended 30th September 2022 was virtually held from FFC’s corporate Head Office, Rawalpindi. Prominent capital market analysts and dignitary from Pakistan Stock Exchange attended the event. Company Secretary FFC, Brig Asrat Mahmood SI(M) (Retd) opened the briefing and apprised the house about significance of the event. Chief Financial Officer, Syed Atif Ali briefed the house about FFC’s performance for first the period 2022 and assured Company’s commitment to achieve higher standards of performance and sustained earnings.
KARACHI: Sindh government on Wednesday announced formation of a commission for protection of journalists and media practitioners. This was decided in a provincial cabinet meeting presided by the Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah meeting.Secretary Information Department Abdul Rasheed Solangi briefed Cabinet about Commission for the protection of the journalists and media practioners. While briefing the provincial cabinet about the Commission the Secretary Information Department has said that This is only in the Sindh Province, wherein, protection has been given to the media personnel. This is land mark achievement of Government of Sindh to provide safety and security to the journalists community." The commission to promote, protect and effectively ensure the independence, impartiality, safety, and freedom of expression of journalists and other media practitioners." He said The cabinet approved the formission of Commission for the protection of the journalists and media practitioners having 14 Member including Secretary Information Department, Secretary Home Department, Secretary Law Department and 9 private members. pr
IslAmAbAd: The World Bank’s Regional Director for Sustainable Development, John A Roome, in a meeting with the Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Tariq Bashir said that the World Bank will provide financial support to subsidize urea for the floods and rains affected farmers. Federal Minister Tariq Bashir Cheema said that recent floods and rains have resulted in colossal losses of the farming community. “We are trying our utmost to provide relief and assistance to the poor farmers, and help them in rehabilitation,” he added. While appreciating the support extended by the World Bank for flood relief and rehabilitation of the affected farmers, Federal Minister Tariq Bashir Cheema said that the natural calamity was unforeseen and the affected farmers need a helping hand to recover and return to normal. Additional Secretary Muhammad Asif apprised that the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) database can help to identify the farmers for the targeted subsidy. Moreover, the National Flood Response Coordination Centre (NFRCC) has developed a digital application which can help in delivering to the farmers. Federal Minister Tariq Bashir emphasized on enhancing coordination among federal government, provincial governments, the World Bank and other stakeholders to provide relief and help to the needy on most urgent basis. While talking about the World Banks’s Board meeting in December, John A Roome said that the World Bank plans to provide Pakistan financial support of $1.3 billion for emergency, agriculture and housing relief. stAff report
The CAS also visited Pakistan Air Force (PAF) stalls and reviewed the most advanced technologies displayed by Pakistan Air Force at its pavilion, a PAF news release said.
Speaking at the occasion, the Air Chief said, “PAF is committed to developing the most innovative technologies in the country, so as to provide the most modern, effective and impregnable aerial defence of Pakistan.”
The CAS further highlighted a comprehensive plan for the growth of in-country capabilities in the well-established as well as emerging and disruptive technologies in Aerospace, Cyber, IT, Artificial Intelligence and Quantum Computing domains. He also shared the details of PAF’s flagship project National Aerospace Science and Technology Park (NASTP), being spearheaded by the PAF as a project of strategic national importance.
The NASTP project as per CAS’s vision and his own initiative has materialized in record time. Sharing his overall vision for NASTP, the Air Chief said that “the National Aerospace Science and Technology Park will become one of the best Aerospace, Cyber & IT Clusters in the world and will transform the national
landscape with design, R&D and innovation centers for emerging and disruptive technologies to foster research, innovation and development in aviation, space, IT and cyber technologies in order to accrue maximum social, economic, security and scientific dividends for the country.”
iDeaS2022 SeMinar STreSSeS pragMaTic TechorienTeD reSearch To Make pakiSTan a global ai hub: Karachi, 16 November 2022: The unconstrained potential in AI progress demands Pakistan to keep abreast with the advancements in AI and match its pace through research, an imperative for making Pakistan a global hub of AI, data science, Internet of Things (IoT), and others. In this regard, an essential role is played by universities, which serves as key institutions of research, creativity, collaboration, and combining expertise. This was discussed during the sec-
ond day of the seminar ‘Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Defence Market; A Paradigm Shift in Military Strategy and National Security’, which was organized at Expo Centre, Karachi, on November 16, 2022, as part of IDEAS 2022, in collaboration between Institute of Policy Studies (IPS), Islamabad, and Defence Export Promotion Organization (DEPO).
The forum was graced as chief guest by Muhammad Israr Tareen, Federal Minister for Defence Production. Chairman IPS Khalid Rahman delivered the introductory remarks while Dr Yasar Ayaz, CPD/chairman at National Center of Artificial Intelligence (NCAI), moderated the seminar. The speakers included Lt Colonel Dr Ghulam Murtaza, College of EME, NUST, Dr Muhammad Tayab Ali, NCAI, NUST, Major Aon Safdar, College of EME, NUST, Dr Waleed Bin Shahid, MCS, NUST, Lt Colonel Usman Zia,
MCS, NUST, and Sqn Ldr Javeria Farooq, CAE, NUST. The session was followed by a very thought-provoking discussion by a highly proficient panel.
on The 2nD Day of iDeaS2022, being helD in karachi, general QaMar JaveD baJwa, anD chief of The arMy STaff viSiTeD The pof STall: Lt General Ali Amir Awan, Chairman POF Board received the honourable Guest. General Qamar Javed Bajwa, Chief of the Army Staff launched POF’s indigenously produced military series of Drones named “Ababeel”. Initially 3 Drones are made part of the Ababeel Series, comprises MR-5, MR-10 & Vtol V-5. Honourable Guest was briefed about the multi-rotor Ababeel MR-5 & MR-10. Ababeel drones have the capability to carry a payload of maximum 10 kg. With their high endurance these drones can achieve a flight time of maximum 90 minutes in clean configuration and 45 minutes with full payload. Whereas, Ababeel V5 Drone, vertical take-off & Landing capability drone, has endurance maximum 2 hours with full payload. Its payload capacity is 5 kg.Ababeel series Drones are with easy-to-use plug and play payloads having integrated quick release mechanisms, removal and installation time of payloads havebeen greatly minimized. Both day and night surveillance operations are supported and targets can be acquired with its integrated 10 x optical zoom capabilities camera. Another strength is the builtin thermal camera for precise operations especially during the night.
Some 28 leading defense manufacturers from Türkiye are showcasing their military hardware at a defense fair that began in Karachi on Tuesday.
Over 500 international defense manufacturers and over 260 delegates from 64 countries are taking part in the four-day defense exhibition, a leading defense expo in South Asia.
The biennial event billed as “IDEAS 2022,” is taking place after a gap of four years as the 2020 fair could not take place due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Apart from Türkiye, defense manufacturers from China, the US, the UK, European Union, the Middle East, Central Asia, and Africa are showcasing their products at the 11th edition of the fair, according to Maj. Gen. Mohammad Arif Malik, the head of the defense exports promotion authority.
Together with China, Türkiye has the largest representation in the fair with top Turkish defense companies, including the state-run STM and ASFAT, showcasing their products ranging from military hardware to modern drones to tactical mini-UAV systems and cyber security solutions.
The STM-Savunma Teknolojileri Mühendislik ve Ticaret A.S. has naval platforms and tactical miniUAV systems for the exhibition, according to Özgür Güleryüz, the company’s general manager.
The company, which is already involved in modernising Pakistan Navy’s warfare fleet, including submarines, also offers critical solutions in various segments, including naval platforms, tactical miniUAV systems, and cyber security.
The STM will also be displaying its “innovative and modern” defense technologies at the exhibition.
STM500 SubMarine: The STM will be presenting its Istif (I)-Class Frigate, its Pakistan Navy Fleet
Tanker (PNFT), and its STM500 — a small-sized submarine designed using national resources — to visitors.
The company, which produces leading and competitive platforms in the tactical mini-UAV system market segment, will also be introducing KARGU, Türkiye’s first mini-attack UAV; the TOGAN surveillance UAV system; and the ALPAGU fixed-wing attack UAV system, to the South Asian market.
“With its indigenous engineering solutions, STM is engaged in collaborative projects, technology transfer, and business development activities in more than 20 countries, from South America to the Far East,” Güleryüz said in a statement.
Commenting on the company’s participation in the event, he said: “While equipping the Turkish Navy and Turkish security forces with innovative and national systems, we share our experience and engineering capability with friendly and allied nations.”
Today, the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Trust (SKMT) organised a ceremony, the annual Shaukat Khanum Social Responsibility Awards, to recognise the support of generous donor organisations during the year 2021 at a local hotel in Lahore. The event was attended by top representatives of more than a hundred corporate organisations.
On this occasion, Dr Faisal Sultan, CEO of SKMT, acknowledged the generosity of donors and said that over the past twentyseven years, more than Rs. 66 billion have been spent on the treatment of indigent cancer patients. Each year, more than 75% of cancer patients seen at the facilities of Shaukat
Khanum receive financially supported treatment. He said that the organisation functions on the principles of quality and equality, making cancer treatment accessible for deserving patients, which distinguishes it from other charitable institutions. This year, SKMT was awarded full Enterprise Accreditation by the Joint Commission International, which is testament to high standards of clinical excellence available for all patients, across its network of diagnostic and treatment facilities.
Dr Faisal also commented on Pakistan’s third and biggest hospital being constructed in Karachi, which is expected to open in 2023 at a total cost of around Rs. 22 billion.
He said that little drops make the mighty ocean and based on the journeys of Shaukat Khanum Hospitals in Lahore and Peshawar, the hospital management is confident that the third hospital will become operational towards the end of next year. The people of Pakistan have shown their trust in SKMT by donating more each year than the year before because they know that the organisation ensures strict transparency in financial matters and its audited annual reports are available publicly. “The continuing support of our generous donors will enable us to expand our footprint and bring hope to thousands of cancer patients”, he concluded. pr
dONALDTrump, who has mounted relentless attacks on the integrity of US voting since his 2020 election defeat, on Tuesday launched a bid to regain the presidency in 2024, aiming to pre-empt potential Republican rivals.
Seeking a potential rematch with Democratic President Joe Biden, Trump made his announcement at his Mar-aLago estate in Florida a week after midterm elections in which Republicans failed to win as many seats in Congress as they had hoped.
In a speech lasting little more than an hour, Trump spoke to hundreds of supporters in a ballroom decorated with chandeliers and lined with American flags.
“In order to make America great again, I am tonight announcing my candidacy for president of the United States,” Trump said to the phone-waving crowd, which included family members, donors and former staffers.
Trump steered clear of the namecalling that has marked other public appearances, opting instead for a critique of Biden’s presidency and a review of what Trump said were the policy achievements of his own time in office.
“Two years ago we were a great nation and soon we will be a great nation again,” he said.
Trump laid out familiar dark themes from his playbook, denouncing migrants — “We’re being poisoned” —
and portraying American cities as crime-ridden “cesspools of blood.”
He said he would push for the death penalty for drug dealers and rehire members of the military who had been dismissed for refusing to get the Covid-19 vaccine. Although he assailed the US election process, Trump did not use his speech to revive his false claims of massive voter fraud in 2020 and did not mention the violent attempt by his supporters on January 6, 2021, to prevent Congress from certifying Biden’s victory.
On a trip to Indonesia, Biden said “not really” when asked if he had a reaction to Trump’s announcement. On Twitter, he posted a video criticising Trump’s record in office.
There is a long road ahead before the Republican nominee is formally se-
lected in the summer of 2024, with the first state-level contests more than a year away.
Trump’s announcement comes earlier than usual even in a country known for protracted presidential campaigns, and signals his interest in discouraging other possible contenders such as Florida Governor Ron DeSantis or his own former vice president, Mike Pence, from making a bid for the Republican Party’s nomination.
DeSantis handily won re-election as governor last week. Pence has sought to distance himself from Trump while promoting a new book. Other potential Republican presidential hopefuls include Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin, Texas Governor Greg Abbott, former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley and former
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Trump played an active role in the midterms, recruiting and promoting candidates who echoed his false claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him through widespread voting fraud. But many of his candidates in key battleground states lost, prompting some prominent Republicans to openly blame him for promoting weak candidates who derailed the party’s hopes of taking control of the Senate. Control of the House of Representatives remains up in the air, but Republicans are on track to win a razor-thin majority.
Trump will seek his party’s nomination even as he faces trouble on several fronts, including a criminal investigation into his handling of government documents, and a congressional subpoena related to his role in the January 6, 2021, assault. Trump has called the investigations politically motivated and has denied wrongdoing.
Trump, 76, is seeking to become only the second US president in history to serve non-consecutive terms, after Grover Cleveland, whose second stint ended in 1897. Biden, 79, said last week he intends to run for re-election and will likely make a final decision by early next year.
In an Edison Research exit poll, seven out of 10 midterm voters expressed the view that Biden, who remains deeply unpopular, should not run again. In the same poll, six of 10 respondents said they had an unfavourable opinion of Trump.
Azerbaijan on Wednesday rebuffed a French Senate resolution calling for sanctions against Baku and its withdrawal from territory liberated from Armenian occupation in 2020.
The resolution was “completely far from the truth, reflects false and slanderous provisions, and having the character of open provocation, serves to undermine the process of normalization of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia,” said a statement from the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry.
While noting that the resolution was not legally binding, the ministry said it once again demonstrated the “biased and one-sided political position of France as a country that has declared its intention to contribute to the normalization process.
“In general, all the far-fetched claims mentioned in the resolution are another indicator of the ignorance of its authors about the historical facts and the current situation in the region.”
The statement stressed that the Senate had ignored Armenia’s occupation of Azerbaijani territory for nearly three decades, underlining that Karabakh is in-
Currently, the cumulative number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the world has exceeded 600 million. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the global excess mortality is estimated to reach 18.2 million, and the excess mortality rate is 120 per 100,000 people; meanwhile, China’s excess mortality rate is 0.6 per 100,000 people, according to a paper published in March in The Lancet, an internationally renowned comprehensive medicine journal.
The “coexistence with the virus” policy in some countries has caused the virus to mutate and accelerate its spread in the past three years, and the global epidemic is still at a high level. First, what is the “Dynamic Zero-COVID” policy?
“Dynamic Zero-COVID” refers to the dynamic detection and elimination of COVID-19 cases, which prevents the COVID-19 virus from further spreading in the infected region and other areas. “Dynamic Zero-COVID” does not require absolute zero infection, but seeks to control the spread of COVID and prevent a large-scale outbreak or rebound with scientific and precise prevention and control, at the lowest social costs and in the shortest possible time.
ternationally recognized as Azerbaijani territory.
“The rights and security of the Armenian population living in this region are an internal matter of Azerbaijan, and these will be ensured in accordance with the Constitution,” it added. Relations between the two
ex-Soviet countries have been tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, also known as Upper Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.
New clashes erupted in September 2020, and a 44day conflict saw Azerbaijan liberate several cities and over 300 settlements and villages that were occupied by Armenia for almost 30 years.
A tripartite agreement was brokered by Russia to bring an end to the war in November 2020. The ceasefire is seen as a victory for Azerbaijan and a defeat for Armenia, whose armed forces withdrew in line with the agreement.
Separately on Twitter, Azerbaijan’s ambassadordesignate to France, Leyla Abdullayeva, said: “The French Senate resolution of November 15, 2022, once again shows a biased position away from reality on the ground, does not serve the process of normalization between Azerbaijan and Armenia, and harms peacebuilding efforts in the region.”
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron discussed the process of normalization between Baku and Yerevan during a telephone call on Saturday.
Russia on Wednesday accused Ukraine of a deadly blast in Poland, with Belgium saying it was probably caused by Kyiv’s air defences firing at Moscow’s incoming missiles. The explosion in a farm building on Tuesday killed two people, leaving the village of Przewodow in shock and sparking international concern over a possible further escalation of the conflict.
Ambassadors from members of the NATO military alliance went into emergency talks in Brussels after Poland put its military on high alert in the wake of the blast and summoned Russia’s ambassador.
“Based on the preliminary information available, the strikes are most likely a result of Ukrainian anti-aircraft systems that were engaged to take Russian missiles out of the sky,” Belgian Defence Minister Ludivine Dedonder said in a statement.
US President Joe Biden had said it was “unlikely” the missile came from Russia, and the Kremlin said it had “nothing to do with” it.
“Photographs of the wreckage… were unequivocally identified by Russian military experts as fragments of a guided anti-aircraft missile of a Ukrainian S-300 air defence system,” the Russian defence ministry said in a statement. It added that “strikes were carried out on targets only on the territory of Ukraine and at a distance of no closer than 35 kilometres from the UkrainianPolish border.”
But Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba earlier rejected the idea that it may have been a Ukrainian missile. The impact occurred in the village of Przewodow at 1440 GMT on Tuesday, killing two farm workers. Police cordoned off the blast site and sirens could be heard wailing in the distance.
“I’m scared. I didn’t sleep all night,” said Anna Magus, a 60-year-old teacher at the local elementary school.
“I hope it was a stray missile because otherwise we’re helpless,” she said.
Meanwhile, the Belgian defense minister stated that ‘Poland blast was likely caused by Ukraine air defence’ The explosion that killed two Polish civilians in a village near the Ukraine border was probably caused by Ukrainian air defence units firing at incoming Russian missiles, the Belgian defence minister said.
“The missile strikes in Poland last night are being fully investigated by our intelligence service, which is in close contact with NATO partner services,” Ludivine Dedonder said in a statement.
“Based on the preliminary information available, the strikes are most likely a result of Ukrainian anti-aircraft systems that were engaged to take Russian missiles out of the sky.”
According to Dedonder, “pieces of Russian missiles and Ukrainian anti-aircraft fire hit Polish territory… I wish to express my condolences to the families of the victims and the Polish people”.
Why does China choose the “Dynamic Zero-COVID” policy? The total population and the aging population of China are both very huge, and there are a large number of people with background diseases, who are more likely to develop severe and fatal COVID cases than the general population. If the epidemic prevention were lifted, large numbers of people would be infected and killed. According to articles in the journal Nature Medicine, there would be at least 112 million infections and nearly 1.6 million deaths if China copied some countries’ coexistence with COVID policy.
Therefore, China made and implemented the “Dynamic Zero-COVID” policy to prioritize the safety and health of Chinese people, maintain a high sense of responsibility to its people, and explore the feasible policy that best suits China’s national conditions and scientific laws. What is the effect of the “Dynamic Zero-COVID” policy? While the Omicron variant, with increased transmissibility and concealment, is endemic, China immediately coordinated and deployed its resources in examination, epidemiological survey, transportation, isolation, and hospitalization, effectively curbed the spread of
the epidemic, and restored the society’s production and daily life.
In 2021, China’s economic aggregate exceeded 110 trillion RMB and its year-onyear attracted investment increased by 14.9%, hitting a record high, which further consolidates its world economy “stabilizer” and “power supply” position. In the first quarter of 2022, China’s foreign investment still maintained a double-digit high growth, a 25.6% year-on-year increase. Facing severe challenges of the epidemic, the “Belt and Road” construction did not press the pause button, but moved forward against the wind, and demonstrated strong resilience and vitality. In 2021, China’s trade in goods with countries along the “Belt and Road” reached 11.6 trillion RMB, which was a year-on-year increase of 23.6%, a new high in eight years, and accounted for 29.7% of China’s total foreign trade.
In fact, some countries adopted a “coexistence with the COVID” policy simply because they were unable and incompetent to prevent and control the pandemic, rather than not wanting to. After various attempts, these countries could not find an ideal strategy to control the epidemic and thus simply
chose to “coexist with the COVID”, which was precisely the result of their failure to timely and effectively control the epidemic in the early stage and lost the opportunity of “dynamic zero-COVID”.
From the science aspect, it is the “coexistence with the COVID” that increased the risk of the emergence of new variants and caused the continuation of the global epi-
demic. Vaughn Cooper, a professor of microbiology and molecular genetics at the University of Pittsburgh, and Lee Harrison, professor of epidemiology, infectious diseases and microbiology at the same university, pointed out in their article published on the Dialogue website that the emergence of more contagious variant of COVID is due to the out-of-control spread.
LAHORE StAFF RePoRt
SINDHwere guided towards potential safety by an undefeated century by promising batter Omair Bin Yousuf on day-three of the Quaid-e-Azam (QUA) Trophy round nine fixture against Northern while the Central Punjab-Northern match was poised for a draw.
Third consecutive day of the Southern Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa match in Abbottabad was lost due to rain and a wet outfield. Over at the National Bank Cricket Arena (National Stadium, Karachi), Sindh resumed their first innings from the overnight score of 52 for no loss in reply to Northern’s 605 for eight total.
Middle-order batter Omair Bin Yousuf (101 not out, 205 balls, 12 fours) was the star of the day for his side as his unbeaten century took Sindh to 345 for five (97.2 overs).
Omair held the innings together to ensure his side stays poised towards a valuable
contributed 43.
Off-spinner Mubasir Khan took two wickets for Northern. Sindh would resume their innings tomorrow, 250 runs behind Northern with five first innings wickets intact.
Over here at the LCCA Ground, Balochistan finished day-three at 219 for four in their first innings in reply to Central Punjab’s first innings 349-run total. Opener Imran Butt top-scored with 80 off 147 balls (11 fours). The right-hander provided Balochistan a 115-run first-wicket stand with Imam-ul-Haq (43 off 93 balls, seven fours, one six).
Abdul Wahid Bangalzai contributed 43 off 91 (five fours, two sixes). Central Punjab bowlers didn’t allow the Balochistan batters to get away as the run rate was kept under three. Left-arm spinner Zafar Gohar was the most successful bowler for Central Punjab with three wickets for 64 in 24 overs.
Balochistan will resume their innings 130-run behind Central Punjab tomorrow, at stumps on day-three Haris Sohail was unbeaten on 29, Hussain Talat was five not out.
ScoreS in brief: Northern elected
T20I to register a historic series win, 2-1, at Gaddafi Stadium on Wednesday. This is the first T20I series win for any Irish team in Asia while also being the maiden away T20I series vic-
tory for the visitors. After deciding to bat first at the Gaddafi Stadium, Ireland posted 167-4 in their allotted 20 overs. Ireland’s top-order contributed heavily to the team’s score as opener Gaby Lewis led the way with 71 runs in 46 balls. Her impressive knock included 11 fours and a six. Lewis’ fellow opener Amy Hunter scored 40 runs in 35 balls, meanwhile Orla Prendergast notched up 37 runs in 23 balls.
For Pakistan, Nida Dar, Nashra Sandhu and Ghulam Fatima bagged one wicket each.
While chasing the daunting target, Pakistan were all out for 133 in 18.5 overs. Opener Javeria Khan scored 50 runs in 37 balls, with the help of seven fours, but she didn’t get able support from the other end as Pakistan kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Ireland’s Arlene Kelly and Laura Delany claimed three wickets each to restrict Pakistan during the run-chase. Gabby Lewis clinched the award for player of the match and series. She was the top scorer in the three T20Is with 144 runs at a strike-rate of 130.90.
Ireland had defeated Pakistan by six wickets during the first women’s T20I of the series in Lahore on Saturday. Meanwhile, Pakistan bounced back to win the second T20I by six wickets on Monday. It must be noted that, before the T20I series, Pakistan clean swept the ODI series 3-0.
to bat against Sindh at the National Bank Cricket Arena (National Stadium Karachi)
Northern 605 for eight (declared), 154.5 overs (Mohammad Huraira 173, Umar Amin 140, Hasan Raza 135; Zahid Mehmood 4185, Abrar Ahmed 3-231)
Sindh 345 for 5, 97.2 overs (Omair Bin Yousuf 101 not out, Sarfaraz Ahmed 62 not out, Saim Ayub 60, Saud Shakeel 43; Mubasir Khan 2-47)
Toss uncontested – Balochistan bowling first at the LCCA Ground against Central Punjab
Central Punjab 349 all out, 96.5 overs (Qasim Akram 111, Faheem Ashraf 60, Ali Shan 53, Zafar Gohar 41, Bilal Asif 26; Akif Javed 4-97, Kashif Bhatti 2-59, Bilawal Iqbal 2-63, Yasir Shah 2-74)
Balochistan 219 for 4, 74 overs (Imran Butt 80, Abdul Wahid Bangalzai 43, Imamul-Haq 43, Haris Sohail 29 not out; Zafar Gohar 3-64)
No play due to rain and wet outfield –Southern Punjab vs Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium.
Three Lions fans from India outnumbered the home-bred kind nearly 10 to one and expressed outrage at being labelled “fake” as England rolled into their World Cup base in Qatar on Tuesday. As England’s team bus pulled up in the dark at their hotel, the drums were beaten and the horns blasted by Indian fans proudly wearing England shirts and carrying England flags. About 20 English fans were present alongside almost 200 from India’s Kerala state. The supporters waiting for Harry Kane and his teammates also included families from Bangladesh, two young women from China and a Thai man. There was a brief scare when temporary barriers holding back the crowd fell. No injuries were reported. Conversation as the supporters waited was dominated by reports in the British and French media that they were “fake fans”. “This is degrading, there is a lot of frustration,” said Ameen Sharak, an Indian resident of Doha who works as an accountant. Sajid, 29, said Indian football fans in Qatar had been “outraged” by reports suggesting they had been paid to wear the shirts of World Cup nations when thousands took part in a march along the Doha seafront last Friday. “It is purely fake news and I would like to say loud and clear that none of us have been paid in any way,” added Sajidh, who gave only one name. “We are diehard England fans. Since childhood, my favourite player has been David Beckham. We have got Wayne Rooney fans, we have got Michael Owen fans.” The Doha march was dominated by supporters from India wearing Argentina and Brazil shirts ahead of England. Fans who took part said it was organised on social media groups and WhatsApp messages.
“This has hurt us a lot,” said another fan, Anas. “People just do not realise how much football excitement there is in Kerala.” At the last World Cup, a 25 metre (80 feet) effigy of Kane was put up in one Kerala city. “We watch the Premier League every weekend.
Hazara girls upset strong Peshawar team in the final of the Inter-College Games Girls Badminton while strong Peshawar girls lifted the volleyball trophy after defeating strong Bannu in the five-set final played at Abdul Wali Khan Sports Complex Charsadda on Wednesday.
Director Female Games Miss Rashida Ghaznavi was the chief guest on this occasion. District Sports Officer Tehseen Ullah, Games Organizing Secretary Syed Jaffar Shah, Deputy Director HED Arshad Hussain, Miss Nousheen, Miss Bushra, players and officials were also present and witnessed the badminton and volleyball finals played at Abdul Wali Khan Sports Complex.
Directorate General Sports Khyber Pakhtunkhwa along with Higher Education Department (HED), KP is organizing the InterCollege Games wherein the 300 girls are taking part in Volleyball, Cricket and Badminton and the 405 male are taking part in Football, Volleyball and Cricket being
played on different venues.
In the final match Hazara Region handed a shocking defeat to strong Peshawar in a thrilling five sets battle with three singles and two doubles. The score was 3-1 when Hazara girls won two singles and a doubles before Peshawar recorded victories in singles and a doubles. Hazara girls played well and did not give much chance to Peshawar players to strike back.
In the volleyball final, Peshawar players won the title by defeating the team of Bannu region by 3-2, the score was 25-23, 2729, 25-21, 19-21 and 19-17. The final match produced great thrill for the sitting spectators and Bannu girls played very excellent Games.
The chief guest of the ceremony was Miss Rashida Ghaznavi, Director Female Games, who distributed trophies and cash prizes among the players. The winners of the Badminton Hazara was awarded Rs. 110,000 as cash prize while the runners-up Peshawar team got Rs. 55000 as cash prize and trophies and in the volleyball event Peshawar was awarded Rs.
110,000 as winner cash prize while Bannu took Rs. 55000 as cash prizes and runners-up trophy.
Peshawar region secured victory against Malakand while Bannu defeated Swat in the semifinals matches of the volleyball event while in badminton Hazara recorded victory against Mardan and Peshawar beat Malakand team in the semi-finals.
In the Boys Games Government College Peshawar qualified for the Cricket Final. Government College Peshawar defeated Government Post Graduate College Dargai Malakand by 29 runs and qualified for the cricket final of the ongoing Inter-College Games.
Batting first, Government College Peshawar scored 167 runs for the loss of 9 wickets in the stipulated overs, Zubair 57 with nine boundaries and one six, Naseeb Ahmed hammered another cracking 35 of 17 balls with three towering sixes and two boundaries and Qazi Imaduddin stood out with 23 runs with three boundaries.
On behalf of Dargai College, Muhammad Shakir got 3, Muhammad Ilyas 2 and Zarak
Swat girls claimed the despite presence of strong Peshawar, Mardan, Hazara, Bannu, Swabi Regional team in the Inter-Regional Women Games organized by District Sports Office Peshawar in a joint collaboration of Regional Sports Officer Peshawar and District Administration Peshawar here on Wednesday. Deputy Commissioner Peshawar Shafiullah Khan, Additional Deputy Commissioner Peshawar (Relief) Imran Khan, Assistant Commissioner Miss Tania Shaheed, Regional Sports Officer Swat Kashif Farhan, Regional Sports Officer Swabi Tariq Khan, Regional Sports Officer Mardan Nimatullah Marwat, Regional Sports Officer Peshawar Zakirullah and District Sports Officer Peshawar Miss Gul Rukh were present at the closing and prize distribution ceremony. More than 400 players participated in table tennis, tug-of-war, athletics and volleyball competitions. Swabi won first and second position in volleyball. In athletics, Swat won two gold, one silver and one bronze medal and Charsadda took the second position with one gold and one silver medal in athletics. Finally, the chief guest Deputy Commissioner Peshawar Shafiullah Khan distributed the prizes among the players. Addressing the closing ceremony, the Deputy Commissioner appreciated the organization of the Games and said”It is a matter of happiness that there is sports talent and dedication among the athletes in the province.” Developed countries have focused on health and through sports and other health activities for the youth, especially for females, would lead to a healthy society. He said a healthy society comes into existence, through more investment in sports fields, and the burden on hospitals will be reduced. He said”Sports are essential for a healthy society and mental and physical development, more attention should be paid to sports to prevent drugs and other social evils, children and youth should have more opportunities for indoor and outdoor sports.”
“Involving the youth in sports they will perform well in health and education, research and other fields and at the same time bring glory to the country and the nation. He urged the athletes to participate in sports as much as possible. It is welcome that such competitions should be held across the province, the district administration will organize more competitions,” he added.
MINISTERfor Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb on Wednesday challenged PTI Chairman Imran Khan to moving court over Toshakhana issue.
“Yes enough is enough, and Imran Khan would have to be accountable on foreign funding, corruption and money laundering.” In a statement issued here, the minister said that Imran Khan bought the watch for Rs20 million and sold it for Rs280 million through handlers and its proceeds came to Pakistan as laundered money which was not declared.
She said that Imran might file a case in Pakistan, Dubai or anywhere else he would have to show receipts. The minister said the question arises did Imran buy the watch for Rs20 mil-
lion and sold it for Rs280 million the money was brought to Pakistan by Farah Gogi which was not declared. She asked Imran Khan instead of
making announcements should give the date of filing the case. She challenged Imran to tweet the receipt of the sale of the watch along with the date of
filing case in the court.
She questioned what was the fault of Shahzeb Khanzada, Geo News, and Mir Ibrahim if Imran had sold the watch for Rs280 million after purchasing it for Rs20 million only. Marriyam Aurangzeb challenged Imran Khan to disclose who brought the watch money to Pakistan and how.
Taking a jibe at Imran Khan, she said that his handlers Farah Gogi and Shahzad Akbar have been caught. She said that Imran leveled false accusations against others, but when he himself caught red-handed, he claimed the accusations were baseless.
Marriyum Aurangzeb said Imran put political opponents in death cells on false charges, but when he was found guilty, he started mantra of baseless allegations. She reminded that Imran Khan did not respond to any notice of the Toshakhana case and did not join any investigation.
Foreign Office Spokesperson on Wednesday said the firing of BrahMos nuclear capable missile into Pakistan on 9 March, had raised several questions about India’s conduct as a nuclear state including, whether it was actually an accident.
“India also needs to answer questions about the underlying intentions, technical features and reliability of the missile system, safety, security and nuclear command and control protocols, and the presence of rogue elements in the Indian military,” the spokesperson in a press release commented on a query regarding Indian media reports quoting Director General
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
The reports said the firing of BrahMos nuclear capable missile into Pakistan’s territory from India on 9 March 2022 was not a cause for any specific concern for the IAEA.
“The report is a disingenuous attempt by the Indian state-sponsored media to absolve India of its irresponsible nuclear behaviour by directing this question at the Director General IAEA,” the spokesperson said.
The director general’s response could not be purposely misinterpreted to trivialize the incident of a nuclear-capable BrahMos missile fire with grave implications for regional and global security.
The available transcripts showed that DG IAEA
responded in negative when asked whether the IAEA had sought information from the Indian government on the incident.
It should have been qualified by stating that IAEA has no mandate on such matters, it was further added.
“India needs to explain several repeated incidents of nuclear and radioactive material theft and illicit trafficking that are more relevant to the IAEA mandate,” the spokesperson said.
It was expected to report these nuclear security related incidents under the IAEA Incidents and trafficking database.
These critical questions, which remain unanswered, should continue to be of concern to the international community, it was added.
A remote-controlled drone crashed near an Orange Line train terminal at the Thoker Niaz Baig neighbourhood of Lahore on Wednesday, sounding alarm bells for the police
whether the machine carried any explosive material. The police brought in the bomb disposal squad who cleared the device after a thorough check-up, noting it did not contain any explosive material.
The police, however, found a camera was installed under the unmanned aerial vehicle
(UAV). The police seized the drone and launched an investigation to ascertain from where it has taken off and for what purpose.
The chief of Lahore police also took notice of the incident, directing the Saddar Superintendent of Police (SP) to investigate the matter and present a report.
LAHORE/ISLAMABAD staff report
Former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaf Chairman Imran Khan Wednesday accused the “imported government” of bringing changes to the Army Act “for its own benefit”, saying all appointments made by the “imported government” were made for “personal benefits”.
Addressing the long march participants through video link on Wednesday, the PTI chief took a jibe at Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for consulting PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif on the appointment of the next Chief of Army Staff, saying a convict was asked to take important decisions for the country.
Imran reiterated that all important appointments should be made on merit.
The ousted premier also accused a private TV channel of propaganda against him and the PTI and said the businessman they interviewed in Dubai was a “fraud”.
He further said he will approach international courts against the media group and “will file a case for character assassination”.
The PTI chairperson reiterated his party’s demand for early polls and said it was the “only way out” for the present economic crisis plaguing Pakistan. He said people think that the economy is “sinking and doesn’t have the strength to pay debts” and the country faces a dangerous situation as debtors will lose faith and others will lose faith in investing, “which will lead to inflation and unemployment”.
Maintaining that it was important to shore up confidence in Pakistan’s economy, the PTI chairperson said the “only way to do this was to hold free and fair elections”.
“PTI won by a margin of 75 percent in the by-polls despite attempted rigging,” said Imran. Still a threat to his life even after Wazirabad assassination attempt
Meanwhile, PTI Chairman Imran Khan on Wednesday said that there still remained a threat to his life even after the Wazirabad assassination attempt.
During in an interview with France 24 on Wednesday when questioned about any lingering threat to his life, Imran replied: “Well, unfortunately, I do think they could try again. The threat [to my life] remains. Those people who wanted me to be eliminated […] the reason they want me to be eliminated is that my party is by far the most popular party in Pakistan.”
The PTI chief was injured during a gun attack while leading the party’s long march in Punjab’s Wazirabad on November 3. A PTI supporter, Moazzam Nawaz, was killed in the incident while 14 others, including the former premier, were wounded. The suspect was soon after arrested by the police.
Imran said the PTI had won 75 per cent of the recent by-elections held in the country despite “all the other parties put together backed by the establishment”. “We have swept the by-elections because people don’t want these criminals who are ruling Pakistan right now,” he said.
The PTI chief claimed he enjoyed “massive public support” and the only way “to get me out of the way is to eliminate me so I think there is still a threat”.
He added that even though he would take more precautions now upon joining the party’s long march to Islamabad, the fear of
death would not stop him from “pursuing what I believe is a mission to fight for the rule of law in this country.”
Imran said there were “political mafias and institutions” which were above the law, adding that it was the reason for the country’s lack of progress.
“The threat of being killed is not going to stop me from resuming this mission.”
DG ISI preSS conference: In response to a question about the press conference of the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) chief last month, Imran said it was an “unadvisable” press conference, explaining that no ISI head should do a press talk.
“If I reply to it point by point then the institution of the army will be damaged and that’s not what I would like to do because we do need a strong defence force here.
“I think the press conference was also in response to our best investigative journalist who was portraying my point of view. He had been threatened with death after which left the country and was later assassinated in Kenya,” Imran said, referring to the murder of journalist Arshad Sharif.
Imran said there was a “big public backlash” in the killing’s wake and “people pointed fingers at the establishment”. “I felt that the press conference was more to placate the public opinion,” he added.
Talking about his recent change of position regarding the United States where Imran said he no longer “blamed” the US administration for his removal from power, the PTI chief reiterated his claim about the Cablegate cypher and its alleged role in his government’s ouster.
Anchorperson Shahzeb Khanzada Wednesday raised multiple questions over the Toshakhana transactions after PTI Chairman Imran Khan threatened to take him, Geo News, and Dubai-based businessman Umar Farooq Zahoor to court. During an interview on Geo News’ programme “Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Saath”, Zahoor claimed that Farah Gogi and Shahzad Akbar sold the expensive Graff wristwatch, worth at least Rs2 billion, to him — which was gifted by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman to Khan. In an affidavit, the businessman has listed four gifts he purchased from Farah — a close friend of Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi, who was also embroiled in corruption cases recently. Following the revelations, PTI leadership refuted the businessman’s claims and said that no one named Zahoor was sold the Toshakhana gifts. Then, Khan, announced that he would take action against Khanzada, Geo News, and the “fraudster”.
“Enough is enough. Yesterday Geo and Khanzada supported by handlers slandered me through a baseless story cooked up by a known fraudster and internationally wanted criminal,” he claimed. After Khan’s threat, Khanzada spoke over the phone with Geo News and told the former prime minister that all stories are aired after due diligence and he was ready to accept the PTI chief’s challenge.
The journalist asked that if Khan believes that Zahoor was a “fraudster”, then why does he have the gifts? “If [Khan] did not sell the gifts to him, then whom did he sell it to?”
“We always run a story after complete investigation. It isn’t our responsibility to find out to whom were the gifts sold; it is Imran Khan’s responsibility to tell the people.”
Berating the former prime minister, Khanzada said that every time he hosts a show regarding PTI, he makes sure that the party’s leaders are invited, but they never show up. “We will face the PTI chairman in any court he wants to go,” Khanzada said.
Before Khan, his party’s leadership held a press conference, where they mentioned the same thing — the story was baseless, Zahoor’s a fraudster, and they would move the courts. In the press conference alongside PTI leader Zulfi Bukhari, PTI Senior Vice President Fawad Chaudhry said the party has decided to initiate legal proceedings against Zahoor as his claims were baseless.
“In 2018, the Saudi crown prince gifted a watch to Imran Khan and the controversy over the watch’s price has been going on for a while now,” the former federal minister said. Chaudhry said the watch was priced at Rs100 million, and in line with the law regulating Toshakhana, Khan sold it for more than Rs50 million in the market and filed capital gain tax on it.