Epaper_22-12-22 KHI

Crisis deepens as punjab Governor, speaker loCk horns over rulinG

LAHoRe/ISLAMABAD staff report

Thefast-changing political scenario continues to take new turn in punjab as on Wednesday governor balighur rehman termed the ruling of punjab assembly Speaker Sibtain khan regarding chief minister pervaiz elahi’s vote of confidence “unconstitutional and illegal”. the governor on december 19, had asked the chief minister to obtain a vote of confidence from the provincial assembly by 4pm on Wednesday. however, on tuesday, punjab assembly Speaker Sibtain khan termed the governor’s orders as “illegal, against the provisions of the constitution and thus stand disposed of”. in his two-page ruling, the speaker maintained that the governor’s orders were not in accordance with article 54(3) and article 127. “the house is in session since oct 23, 2022, and under articles 54(3) and 127. no fresh session can be convened unless and until the current one ends,” the order read.

in a four-page response to the speaker today, the governor addressed two main concerns raised in khan’s ruling — which had said that the governor could not summon a fresh assembly session until the current session was prorogued and that there was a minimum mandatory 10-day period for the chief minister to obtain a confidence vote. regarding the first concern, the governor said he had implied in his dec 19 order that “if the ongoing session was

prorogued by your good self (pa speaker)” any time before 4pm today then “a new session was required to be summoned” at 4pm today for the vote of confidence.

“in the alternate, a sitting of the assembly at the noted time and date could have been summoned in the 41st session of the assembly, which your good self has also noted that it was summoned by me and was never prorogued; or a fresh session specifically summoned for the purposes of requiring the chief minister to obtain the vote of confidence,” the order reads.

the governor said that the constitution did not prevent article 130(7) from taking effect if the assembly was already under session. “your reading of

the constitution essentially renders article 130(7) redundant.” rehman’s order added that the pa speaker’s reliance on a lahore high court judgment was “misplaced inasmuch as the facts and circumstances involved in this judgment are clearly distinguishable”.

the governor further pointed out that the pa speaker’s ruling violated rule 209 of the rules of procedure of the provincial assembly of the punjab, 1997.

“under sub-rule (1), a ruling on interpretation and enforcement of the relevant articles of the constitution as regulate the business of the assembly can only be given on a ‘point of order’. it is evident that no point of order was raised on the floor of the house on december 20, and as it seems, your good

SBP governor’s inaugural report paints bleak picture of economy

self has given the ruling in your office, which is in violation of rule 209(1),” the order explained. governor rehman noted that as the “custodian of the house and holder of an esteemed constitutional office”, it was imperative for the pa speaker not to act in a “partisan manner; or for that matter, in any other way that violates your oath”.

“i would like to draw your attention that, as per the constitution, the assembly’s currently being in session or otherwise does not have any effect whatsoever on the operation of article 130(7).”

the order said the pa speaker’s ruling and actions had enabled the chief min-

ister in refraining from the confidence vote “helping and aiding the chief minister in refraining from fulfilling his duty and preventing the constitutional process to proceed to its logical end leads to the consequences stipulated in rule 22 (7) of the rules of procedure of the provincial assembly of the punjab, 1997,” it concluded.

SPeaker SendS leTTer To PreSidenT alvi: meanwhile, Speaker pa Sibtain has sent a letter to president arif alvi for removing the incumbent governor, punjab minister for environment protection and parliamentary affairs muhammad basharat raja said.

Imran, Alvi discuss Punjab wrangling

LAHORE: President Arif Alvi Wednesday called on Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan amid political wrangling in Pakistan’s biggest province — Punjab. Uncertainty has gripped Punjab as the provincial government and opposition remain at loggerheads over the no-confidence motion and vote of confidence against Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi. The PTI and Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) are confident of having the numbers to ensure the Punjab CM remain in office, while the opposition claims it could upset the ruling alliance. As the political tensions persist, President Alvi called on the former prime minister to discuss the meetings he held with Minister for Finance and Revenue Senator Ishaq Dar and other federal ministers. Both leaders also exchanged views on decisions taken by the PTI’s senior leadership in today’s meeting and the party’s ally, PML-Q. Meanwhile, Speaker of the Punjab Assembly Sibtain Khan has sent a letter to President Alvi for removing the incumbent governor, Punjab Minister for Environment Protection and Parliamentary Affairs Muhammad Basharat Raja said. The former law minister said that under Article 101(3), the president has the authority to remove the governor. Basharat said in the letter written for the removal, the speaker has also complained about the governor’s behaviour. “He has also pointed out the unconstitutional measures of the governor and requested the president to ensure that the governor does not take further unconstitutional steps.”

PRofIt RePoRt ariba shahid

the first ever annual report of the governor of the State bank of pakistan (Sbp) was released on Wednesday, providing a grim picture of the year that was for pakistan’s economy.

the report shows that national cpi (ncpi) inflation reached 12.2% in 2022 compared to 8.9% last year, exceeding the government’s target of 8% as well as the Sbp’s own inflation projection range of 9-11% for the year.

the governor’s report put some of the blame for the worse-than-anticipated numbers on the fact that inflation has been a global phenomenon amid a significantly challenging global environment marked by global supply chain disruptions and the russia-ukraine conflict. The report

the first of its kind, the report is expected to be a regular feature in which a newly autonomous state bank essentially provides a progress report to parliament. back in January 2022, the State bank act had been amended to provide autonomy to the bank from the finance ministry. the amendments to the act also now required that since the Sbp has been granted this autonomy, they submit an annual report to parliament regarding the achievement of the bank’s objectives, the conduct of monetary policy, state of the economy and the financial system.

the report shed light on a number of important topics, including governor

Jameel babar’s remarks on the financial sector, reflections on the growing role of islamic banking in the country, the challenges in terms of monetary policy, and the government’s goal of sustainable, equitable and inclusive economic growth.

The report itself has been divided into four distinct chapters that shed light on: the state of the economy and financial system price stability and the conduct of the monetary policy financial stability and what measures are being taken to support the government’s economic policies takeaways from the governor’s remarks the report highlights steps taken by the Sbp to promote financial inclusion, financial development and the documentation of transactions. these steps include initiatives aimed at increasing remittances and new investments by overseas pakistanis courtesy of the roshan digital account scheme and other measures; digitizing of payments through instant person-to-person payments facilitated by raast; launch of banking on equality policy to improve women’s financial inclusion; and introduction of the digital bank framework for the setting up of digital banks in pakistan.

in the report, governor babar has pointed out that pakistan’s financial sector has substantial room for development across key indicators which are critical for price and financial stability; along with utilisation of pakistan’s productive resource.

the governor notes that pakistan lags behind other developing and emerging economies in terms of financial market development, financial access credit and insurance penetration, and development of capital markets.

“a cross-country comparison reveals that in terms of depth of financial institutions, pakistan is behind other emerging market peers across asia, latin america, europe and africa,” reads the report.

it adds that in the case of financial market depth, pakistan’s relative performance indicates that firms and individuals have very limited financing avenues available to cater to their savings and investment needs. as per the report, pakistan’s financial market debt is roughly 0.1 which is significantly lower than turkiye, brazil, india and china.

identifying the reasons behind this lack of depth, the report claims that this outcome is partly the result of recurring macroeconomic instability, dispute resolution mechanisms, the frequent balance of payments crises and the government’s dominant borrower role in the banking system.

lack of financial inclusion in the country where slightly more than a fifth of the adult population has a bank account (which is lower than that in the em peer countries), also plays a role in the low depth. “to a large extent, the issue of low financial depth is also reflective of the elusive relationship between a majority of the population and the formal financial services industry,” writes the governor.

Centre stands behind Sindh for post-flood rehabilitation: PM

prime minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday said the federal government would not leave the floodaffected people of Sindh in distress and would continue to take measures to mitigate their sufferings. the prime minister, during his visit to pir guddu and kot diji towns of the flood-affected khairpur district, inspected the post-flood rehabilitation work.

pm Shehbaz, in his address to the flood victims, said the people of Sindh suffered from loss of life and property as the floods had wreaked havoc in the province. the federal government, he added, provided the utmost resources to the provincial government to overcome the massive problem. under the benazir income Support programme, the federal gov-

ernment disbursed rs70 billion to the flood victims, he added. Serving the masses and their welfare was the priority of the government, the prime minister said.

Shehbaz Sharif said the rehabilitation and reconstruction work had been completed to a large extent, however, stressed that the de-watering of the inundated areas of dadu required immediate attention.

he said in the wake of floods, some 20 million people, including nine million children, were in dire need of assistance from the government, and it required billions of rupees to address the challenges of food and medicine.

pm Shehbaz mentioned that pakistan was facing the brunt of climate change despite minimal contribution to the global carbon emissions.

KHAIRPUR staff report

g Speaker ‘approacheS’ preSident to bar governor from denotifying cm elahi

PTI chIef unveIls ‘fuTure lIne of acTIon’ In Governor house ProTesT Today

LaHore Staff RepoRt

PTI leader and former minister Hammad Azhar Wednesday said that party Chairman Imran Khan will announce “future line of action” during his address to workers and supporters at a gathering planned to be held outside Punjab Governor House on Thursday (today).

The coalition parties, especially the PML-N and PPP have been engaged in serious efforts to avert the ‘possible’ dissolution of Punjab Assembly since PTI Chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan has announced he will dissolve the assembly on Friday (Dec 23).

Imran had last week said that his governments in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will dissolve provincial assemblies.

Talking to media Hammad Azhar claimed that attempts were being made to “snatch and dishonor” the PTI mandate.

“Our MPAs are getting telephone calls and money offer under a well-thought-out plan by the “Zardari and company” for toppling the PTI Punjab government and averting the dissolution of the assembly as announced by Imran Khan”, he claimed.

Subsequently, the coalition government

had sprung into action to prevent Punjab Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi from dissolving the Punjab Assembly.

In this connection on Sunday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met with PML-Q President Chaudhry Shujaat and ministers Salik Hussain and Tariq Bashir Cheema to

discuss the prospects of CM Pervaiz Elahi to join hands with the PDM.

Meanwhile, former president Asif Ali Zardari continued consultations on the future of the provincial legislature with Shujaat. The federal ruling alliance has its eyes set on the 10 PML-Q lawmakers in Punjab as the tally may swing in its favour if at least seven of the MPAs are ‘persuaded’ to change their loyalties. According to a party insider, both Zardari and Shujaat have been working on these lines. Referring to these developments in a media talk flanked by PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry in Lahore today, Azhar said that the public would not stay quiet anymore.

“This time, the nation will show what it wants […] The people will not become silent spectators. Enough is enough.

“Imran has decided that we will collect a big crowd outside the Governor House to prevent them [the Pakistan Democratic Movement] from taking any unconstitutional steps,” Azhar said.

He went on to say the PTI chief will address the gathering at 5pm and announce

Court returns corruption references against Zardari and Nawaz

An accountability court in Islamabad on Wednesday returned the Toshakhana graft reference against Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) co-chairman Asif Zardari, and former prime ministers Nawaz Sharif and Yusuf Raza Gillani to National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

coas lauds high morale of soldiers, officers of Bannu operation

raWaLpindi Staff RepoRt

Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Munir on Wednesday visited CMH Rawalpindi where he enquired after the health of officers and jawans injured during operation against terrorists at CTD Complex in Bannu. According to an Inter-Services Public Relations’ (ISPR) news release on Wednesday, the COAS remained with them for some time and enquired about their well-being. The army chief appreciated their high spirits and morale and lauded their professionalism during the operation against the terrorists. Talking to a private media broadcast on Tuesday, Pakistan Army Spokesperson Major General Ahmad Sharif said that security agencies in a successful operation killed 33 terrorists, arrested three whereas seven terrorists surrendered, who were holding out a CTD Compound in Bannu city of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The ISPR Director General said that a clearance operation was conducted in the CounterTerrorism Department (CTD). He said that four soldiers embraced martyrdom while 10 others were injured in the gun battle. During the holdout terrorists sought safe exit to Afghanistan via airway, he said. Terrorists were present in the CTD office Bannu since Sunday.

Judge Muhammed Bashir took up the case as an administrative judge after the completion of the term of his predecessor Asghar Ali. He returned the reference to a dirty money watchdog following the amendments to the accountability laws.

The court remarked that after the amendments in the NAB Ordinance, a case cannot be registered on an amount less than Rs500 million.

The case 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.

Government officials must declare all gifts to the Cabinet Division, but are allowed to keep those below a certain value.

More expensive items must go to Toshakhana under the

administrative control of the Cabinet Division, 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.

The ruling coalition of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) parties has for months alleged Imran Khan, former prime minister, and his wife, Bushra Maneka, received lavish gifts worth millions during trips abroad. They included luxury watches, jewellery, designer handbags and perfumes.

Imports of mandated commodities to be done through electronic verification

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According to sources the switch to the electronic clearance system will not only ensure transparency in the imports but also discourage the rampant corruption in the import/export department of PSQCA. The officials of PSQCA are allegedly involved in taking bribes and other malpractices through the manual import system.

The clearing agents have been writing to concerned ministries against the PSQCA officials for their involvement in the corrupt practices. The quality and standard of 166 imported commodities, listed as compulsory items at PSQCA, are inspected by the

authority at ports before release.

Initially PSQCA had agreed to PSW inspection for only a couple of products, but now it’s a complete switchover. “After a successful pilot project for issuance of electronic release orders of PSQCA in the PSWO environment the scope was extended smoothly to more products on November 21, 2022,” said the letter.

In 2020 federal cabinet approved the inclusion of 61 new food and nonfood items in the ‘compulsory certification mark scheme’ of PSQCA, making the total mandated items to 166. PSQCA, under the law, is authorized to test, certify and give licenses to the compulsory items included in the scheme.

the way forward.

Meanwhile, Chaudhry claimed that PTI’s female members were “offered money from Zardari sahab’s party”.

“The MPAs told Imran Khan that they got calls in Multan and Lahore […] they were told to abstain and remain missing from the vote of confidence [against Elahi], but they rejected that too,” he said.

In a double-edged move on Monday, Punjab Governor Balighur Rehman had asked CM Elahi to obtain a vote of confidence from the Punjab Assembly today, while PML-N and PPP lawmakers submitted a separate notrust resolution against him in a bid to bar him from dissolving the assembly.

However, the PTI had said that Elahi would not seek the vote of confidence and termed the governor’s order “illegal”.

Commenting on the matter in today’s media talk, Chaudhry reiterated that the governor’s order was “unconstitutional”, adding that if “Rehman crosses his limits, he can be charged under Article 6 [treason] of the Constitution”.

approves transfer of 30% working interest in Margalla Block from M/s Mol to M/s MPcl

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MPCL has market capitalization of Rs 250 billion and is currently 852 BOPD oil and 761 MMCFD gas. It is one of the many companies in the portfolio of Fauji Foundation Pakistan. The performance guarantee will be acquired from MPCL, once this assignment is approved and the acquiring company becomes the right holder in margalla exploration licence. M/s MOL has cleared all due financial obligations except indexed rental Rs27 billion which is subjudice at Sindh High court. The ECC also considered a summary of Ministry of Maritime Affairs and approved Technical Supplementary Grant in aid of Rs. 822.750 million enabling Gwadar Port Authority (GPA) to disburse the amount of Rs. 250,000/per head to 3291 fishermen registered with Balochistan Fisheries Department for the purchase of boat engines. The ECC approved Technical Supplementary Grant in aid of Rs. 200 million in favour of the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination for Ghurki Trust teaching Hospital (GTTH), Lahore. Ghurki Trust teaching Hospital (GTTH) is a tertiary care non-profit organisation providing “State of the Art” health facilities to the needy & poor patients. The ECC deferred a summary submitted by the Ministry of Energy (Petroleum Division) for foreign exchange coverage to PSO and directed the Ministry of Energy to resubmit the summary after reviewing the numbers.

FTO slams Millat Tractors; directs FBR to take action

The case came to the fore after a complaint was filed to the Federal Tax Ombudsman (FTO) by a Sialkot based farmer, Abaid Ullah. The complainant claimed that Millat Tractors had collected Rs 93,500 as sales tax as part of the transaction, whereas the Government had exempted customers from the sales tax as part of the Finance Act, 2022.

In its ruling, the FTO has held that Millat Tractors has been overcharging its customers by not passing on the relief entitled to them. It has also directed the FBR to take punitive action against the company.

An oligopoly

Founded in 1964 in Lahore, Millat is the authorised manufacturer of the American Massey Ferguson tractor in Pakistan. The company was nationalised in 1972, and made a part of the Pakistan Tractor Corporation (PTC).

The actual structure of the tractor market is somewhat oligopolistic. Millat Tractors has a 70% market share, and a production capacity of 40,000; while Al Ghazi Tractors has a 29% market share, and a production capacity of 30,000.

As the biggest tractor manufacturer in Pakistan, Millat charging tax as part of their invoices despite the government not imposing any tax is a major problem for farmers that have not gotten much needed relief in the wake of this year’s

massive floods.

Already farmers have been complaining that the recently announced Kissan Package has been benefitting the fertiliser and tractor industries instead of the farming community. “Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is describing the package as historic. However, the reality is far from it as most of the steps taken in it are conventional. Under the guise of relief to farmers, real support has been given to tractor and fertiliser manufacturing factories in the form of subsidies and duty cuts for import of tractor parts,” read a statement of the Pakistan Kissan Rabita Committee.

The anatomy of tax fraud

“Look at it this way. There is a

subsidy/refund by the government on the purchase of tractors provided by the government. This is meant for farmers, and not companies and/or people who engage in the business of tractors. So somebody booked tractors with Millat, and what Millat does is that, in conjunction with tehsildars, it acquires the sales deeds of zamindars. It acquires the tractors under their name of the zamindars and then sells the tractors in the market in bulk. However, the Government had provided the zamindars with the refund facility, and thus Millat was benefiting from it ”, says Almas Ali Jovindah, the FTO spokesperson.

“When this complaint reached us, we

identified that there had been a huge default on the part of Millat Tractors. They had taken a huge refund by the government on the fake accounts of agricultural farmers to whom they had practically sold no tractors at all.” Jovindah continued.

Media reports suggest that Millat Tractors has withheld a total of Rs 1.87 billion in relief that was intended for farmers, and instead kept it for itself.

Millat Tractors, in contrast, has notified the Pakistan Stock Exchange that it still awaits the FTO’s official order stating and stating that it has never been party to the proceedings of the decision.

Furthermore, Millat Tractors has stated that “It shall confront this order at appropriate forums.”

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ecc

iSLamaBad Staff RepoRt

aaMIr ZulfIqar aPPoInTed IG PolIce PunjaB

well as the Centre.

Amid political turmoil in Punjab, the federal government on Wednesday appointed Mohammad Aamir Zulfiqar Khan as the Punjab Inspector General (IG) after Faisal Shahkar relinquished charge of the post.

The Establishment Division has also issued a formal notification in this regard which stated that Zulfiqar is presently serving as Deputy Director General AntiNarcotics Force (ANF).

Zulfiqar has also served as IG National Highways and Motorway Police and IG Islamabad Police. He has also been posted as Punjab Additional IG Operations.

He also served as

Ihc bars naB from arrest of PM’s son-in-law

iSLamaBad Staff RepoRt

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) Wednesday restrained NAB from arresting Haroon Yousaf – the son-in-law of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The IHC division bench, headed by Chief Justice Aamer Farooq, also ordered the prime minister’s son-in-law to appear before the court on Thursday (today) for protective bail.

Advocate Amjad Pervaiz appeared before the court on behalf of his client Haroon Yousaf Aziz. Haroon Yousaf, PM Shehbaz’s son Suleman, and daughter Rabia Imran were declared absconders by the court over failure to appear in the case proceedings. Suleman recently ended his self-exile and returned to the country after securing an interim protective bail from the IHC.

PMl-n approaches Ihc to postpone Islamabad lG polls

iSLamaBad Staff RepoRt

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has approached the Islamabad High Court (IHC) seeking postponement of the local government (LG) elections in Islamabad. The PML-N in its application, submitted to IHC, pleaded with the court to delay LG polls in the federal capital on the pretext of an increase in the number of union councils The party has urged the court to accept its application for an early hearing. The federal government Tuesday increased the number of union councils (UCs) in Islamabad 10 days before the scheduled polling day for local government elections, surprising candidates as well as the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). The federal cabinet approved the amendment in number of the union councils after which the federal government notified the increase in the number of UCs in the federal capital territory. The notification stated that under the Local Bodies Act the demarcation of Union Councils must be based on the population figures of Islamabad thus the number of union councils to be increased to 125 from existing 101. Meanwhile, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) said the elections would be held as per schedule on Dec 31. “The Election Commission in exercise of its power under Articles 140A (2), Article 218, (3) Article 219(d) and Article 222 of the Constitution read with Section 219 of Elections Act, 2017 and all other enabling provisions of law hereby decides to continue elections process notwithstanding the notification dated 19-12-2022 issued by the federal government as the said notification is in violation of Section 4 (4) of the Islamabad Capital Territory Local Government Act, 2015,” read the ECP’s order.

cM elahi approves lahore Master Plan 2050

The new IG belongs to the 19th Common of Pakistan Administrative Service. He is regarded as one of the most professional, honest and experienced officers of the Punjab Police.

Earlier in the, the government replaced Chief Secretary Punjab Kamran Ali Afzal, while IG Police Faisal Shahkar relinquished charge of his post.

The new chief secretary belongs to the 23rd Common of Pakistan Administrative Service and has extensive experience in the fields of finance and administration.

He has also served as additional chief secretary, secretary finance, and commissioner Lahore in addition to serving in important positions in various other departments.

Govt hikes PDL to ease IMF concerns: Will it be enough?

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Why the deficit?

The government had budgeted a 26% growth in tax revenue, whereas the IMF forecasted an increase of 21.5% from the previous year, but in the ongoing year only a 16% growth was recorded by the FBR in the first five months. The wide gap between the actual and budgeted revenue figures is an issue that needs to be addressed urgently.

According to sources within the ministry of finance, the IMF has estimated a Rs 300 billion shortfall on account of petroleum levy due to a 15% decline in consumption of petroleum products in the country. Additionally, contraction in imports is also contributing to a shortfall in the FBR revenue collection.

Another reason for the shortfall in revenue is the fact that the government has not been collecting sales tax on petroleum products since February this year. One of the government’s biggest sources of revenue remains untapped.

The government had also deferred the decision to collect a fixed tax from retailers categorised as “small”. This was prompted by mounting pressure from the small retailers community on the collection of Rs 3000 fixed tax per shop. Similarly, the property owners also protested against the Capital Gain Tax forcing the government to reduce it as well.

Are we doing enough?

In order to make up for the

shortfall in revenue, Profit has been informed by senior sources within the finance ministry that the government will extend the Tax Laws (Second Amendment) Ordinance, 2022 for another four months which was introduced on August 23, 2022. This would essentially allow the government to continue certain tax regimes and, therefore, collect an additional Rs 38 billion taxes.

The incumbent government during last week had four important meetings to curtail mounting circular debt to soothe the IMF. The same sources stated that the government may use profits of state owned companies to address the circular debt. However this comes with its own legal and political challenges.

As the government hopes to bring the budget deficit under control, a fundamentally simple solution is applicable. Miftah Ismael, the former minister of finance, had received criticism from all quarters when he moved to increase fuel prices and imposed new taxes. This move helped save Pakistan from going bankrupt, it might have to be repeated.

The question he posed was “should our government be selling petrol at a loss?”. Since we’re running a current account deficit, we need to reduce our spending and increase our income. Fuel prices have skyrocketed globally however domestic prices have been kept stable through counter productive

and regressive subsidies.

Turning around the current account deficit can be done by increasing taxes fuel, this has been done by the government through the Petroleum Development Levy. This not only reduces the spending on importing fuel, but also generates revenue for the government.

But one important aspect that should be considered is that these taxes disproportionately affect the lower income segments of the population which are fundamentally bad for the economy. To bypass this predicament, price discrimination was considered.

The IMF has also highlighted how increasing the levy has reduced the consumption which has somewhat contributed to the deficit as well. However, reducing spending through increased taxation trumps selling petrol at a loss.

This means the same product would be sold at two different prices to different consumer groups. In Pakistan’s case it was considered beneficial if petrol prices for motorcyclists were kept low whereas for motor vehicle owners it would be kept high.

The increase in the petroleum development levy will contribute towards additional revenue. The government needs to take more proactive measures in order to meet its budgeted revenue targets. Time will tell whether or not the government is able to meet its expected revenue targets and ease the concerns of the IMF.

LDA conducts operation against eight illegal housing schemes

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“This is not a new thing, but this is the style of housing societies. After a few days, you will see these illegal societies re-activating in the market and their offices will be established again. Actually demolishing their offices and conducting grand operations against them is not the real solution. The LDA officers should arrest the owners/master-minds of these illegal housing societies and keep the local police in the loop so that these societies cannot do business again,” they added.

However, it’s not that simple. The authorities are also complicit in this crisis. Our sources report that they have under-the-table deals with developers and actually enable them to commit fraud.

Why is the LDA so ineffective to begin with? Despite having strict rules and regulations, there are issues with the field staff. Let’s look at how it plays on the field. If one wants to build a housing society in Lahore, they can’t do it without LDA’s approval. Only if LDA approves, they can start advertising, marketing and gathering investors.

However, LDA’s field staff doesn’t report on time. They take bribes from developers, which gives them enough room to fraud investors. Once the developers

have accumulated the investors’ money, they tend to abandon the project and move overseas.

The sources in LDA informed Profit that all the above-mentioned illegal housing societies were engaged in defrauding the public for more than two years. The LDA doesn’t take timely action against these societies, which gives them a good margin to extract money from investors. “Principally and legally, it should have been that the operation against these societies should have been started only when these illegal projects were started but due to the connivance of the LDA staff, this operation took so long to start,” they said.

Let’s imagine another scenario where the developers actually fulfill their SOPs. They have the land and master plans that meet LDA’s criteria. There’s no need to bribe off LDA officials. However, the LDA field staff would then deliberately be tardy with the process and not officially recognise the society, as they expect bribery. This creates a vicious cycle wherein the LDA agents are so accustomed to receiving bribes that it’s unfathomable to operate outside of it. Though these cases are relatively smaller in number, they still speak to how deeply systematic corruption is within housing societies. Perhaps the LDA needs to have a stronger check on its field agents.

Staff RepoRt

Chief Minister Punjab Chaudhry Parvez Elahi presided over 8th meeting of LDA governing body at CM office on Wednesday in which Lahore Master Plan 2050 was granted approval and laid emphasis to secure agricultural land in future. It was decided during the meeting to enforce sustainable policy measures for maintaining the urban rural balance. It was decided during the meeting to enhance the proportion of green land area from 7 to 20 percent in Lahore and approval was also granted to undertake planning in the Lahore Master Plan for the division, district and town level. The CM directed that planning should be made in the Lahore Master Plan according to the proportion of population in the transport, commercial and industrial areas. He revealed that Central Business District Projects would also be taken into consideration in the Lahore Master Plan. During the meeting approval was granted to promote tourism, environment and urban facilities in the Lahore Master Plan 2050; to issue additional funds for the Area Development Programme for the financial year 202223; improve service structure of the heads of finance, revenue and recovery wings of LDA; make rules and regulations of appointment and promotion in the IT cadre; arrange out of court settlement with the legal heirs of Dr. Iftikhar and other owners; renew an agreement with the Choueifat School. Approval was also granted for PC-1 of LDA city and allotment of substitute plots to the affectees of Mustafa Town. Vice Chairman LDA and Senior Provincial Minister Mian Muhammad Aslam Iqbal, Principal Secretary to CM Muhammad Khan Bhatti, former Principal Secretary to CM G.M Sikandar, Vice Chairman WASA Sheikh Imtiaz Mahmood, MPA Pir Mukhtar, Tariq Sana Bajwa, Secretaries of Housing and Local Government departments, Commissioner Lahore Division, DG LDA and concerned officials attended the meeting.

dense fog: PIa partially shifts flight operation from lahore to Islamabad airport

iSLamaBad Staff RepoRt

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) on Wednesday announced the partial shifting of its international flight operation from Lahore to Islamabad airport due to low visibility at night caused by heavy fog and smog in the provincial capital of Punjab. “All international flights scheduled to operate to/from Lahore between 10 p.m. and 11 a.m. have been shifted to Islamabad from Wednesday night,” PIA spokesman Abdullah Hafeez Khan said in a news release.

Global recession bringing down Pakistan’s IT-based remittances

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Overall, costs of doing business have increased and the soaring inflation rate has resulted in the death of smaller companies as well as talent moving abroad. Secondly, the surge in IT exports in the last two years was because of Covid induced digitisation that brought Pakistan to a global map because of reasonably cheap labour. “There is a trend of a slowdown now since the pandemic induced digitisation was expected to last longer but it isn’t going to,” says Ovais. The surge was also because of the Ukraine conflict that led to IT companies in European countries, as part of severing ties with Russia, moved their IT-related projects to countries like Pakistan. “Most of the IT companies in Pakistan do not export their own products,” says Usman Butt, founder and CEO of Lahore-based RepairDesk. “They take projects from foreign companies and hence any impact on operations of foreign companies directly affects IT businesses in Pakistan.” The slowdown in the global economy recently has led to foreign companies cutting down their growth budgets, which would have a direct impact on companies they work with in Pakistan. “There is a global recession and companies are going towards cost cutting. This will naturally bring a slowdown in IT spending and affect businesses in Pakistan,” says Raza Saeed, founder and CEO of Lahore-based IT company Confiz.

LaHore Staff RepoRt

DIG Operations Lahore, RPO Multan, DIG CTD Punjab, DIG Operations and CPO Punjab.

Zulfiqar has served in Sindh, Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa provinces as

LaHore

Bilawal: Engaging TaliBan sTill ThE ‘BEsT paTh’ forward

WASHINGTON afp

The foreign minister has voiced disappointment over the Taliban’s ban on university education for women but said the best approach remained engagement with Afghanistan’s Islamist rulers.

“I’m disappointed by the decision that was taken today,” Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said on a visit to Washington.

But, he said: “I still think the easiest path to our goal — despite having a lot of setbacks when it comes to women’s education and other things — is through

Unemployed youth given quota job under rule 17-a

LAHORE Staff RepoRt

Kabul and through the interim government.”

Zardari said there were no alternatives to the Taliban, warning of further instability in Afghanistan or the rise of the Islamic State militant group.

“Is the alternative for us to imagine that we can somehow artificially stitch together an alternate opposition that can command the same sort of legitimacy?”

The Taliban, who had initially promised a softer approach than during their 19962001 regime, on Tuesday banned university education for women after already closing down secondary schooling for girls.

The United States, whose troop withdrawal from Afghanistan last year precipitated the collapse of the Western-backed government, warned that the Taliban decision could permanently end any hopes by the militants for a positive relationship.

But Zardari said it was even more crucial to ensure economic support “to create the political space necessary for those within the Afghan regime who actually believe that they should deliver” on rights issues.

Pakistan has a complicated relationship with the Taliban, officially backing the two-decade US war in Afghanistan but facing wide accusations in Washington of sup-

porting the militants.

FM, USAID official discuss postflood assistanceForeign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari in a meeting with Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Samantha Power has discussed the longterm cooperation for rehabilitation and reconstruction of Pakistan’s flood-affected areas.“Had a productive meeting with USAID Administrator. Thanked for her leadership in galvanizing support for flood relief,” he said in a tweet following the meeting.The foreign minister appreciated the United Nations Secretary-Gen-

Girls sweep top positions as UoG declares AD results

On the order of the Office of Punjab Ombudsman, applicants from different districts have been provided with regular jobs in provincial government departments under Rule 17-A of the Punjab Civil Servants (Appointment and Conditions of Service) Rules, 1974. In a statement released on Wednesday, the spokesman stated the Office of the Ombudsman moderated for the employment of Hasnain Ali of Hafizabad in the district education authority while another applicant Muhammad Furqan of Vehari has been employed by the health department. Similarly, the spokesman added that Sahiwal-based Muhammad Amir Iqbal and Muhammad Irfan have been separately recruited by the finance and buildings departments. Alongside this, Maria Ali, daughter of the complainant Zeenat Bibi from DG Khan, has been recruited as a grade-11 junior clerk in the forest department, the spokesman noted. In the meantime, the ombudsman office interceded for the employment of Mirza Zain Ali of Gujjar Khan in Benazir Bhutto Hospital Rawalpindi and Jawad Ali of Gujranwala in the district education authority. Both are recruited as naib qasid. In a separate development, Muhammad Abdul Qadoos of Khushab has been hired as a lab attendant by the district education authority while Shaukat Ali of Nankana Sahib has been employed as a baildar by the irrigation department, the spokesman reported. Similarly, the intervention of the ombudsman office secured a tubewell operator/chowkidar job for Muhammad Talha Khalid of Mianwali in the municipal committee and 47,000 rupees have also been paid to him as a salary for two months. Another applicant Yasir Mahmood of Jhelum has secured the job of a chowkidar in the district education authority after the involvement of the ombudsman office, the spokesman said.

singer Bilqees Khanum passes away

STAff REpORT

Legendary Pakistani singer Bilqees Khanum passed away today. She was married to Ustad Raees Khan who died back in 2017. Her brother Mohsin Raza is also a famous musician. Bilqees Khanum was a treasure to Pakistani Music Industry. She has given some of the evergreen songs to Pakistani Film industry as well. Her tracks recently were featured on Spotify, a music streaming app. Her popular songs include Faasle Aise Bhi Honge, Kuch Din Toh Baso Meri Aankhon Mein, Wo Toh Khushboo Hai , Anokha Ladla and Chaap Tilak. She has sung poets like Parveen Shakir and others who hold a legendary place in Urdu Literature. She was one of the senior vocal artists of Pakistan according to Rekhta. She was fourth wife of classical satirist Nawaz Raees Khan.

Girls made a clean sweep, yet again, by claiming all top positions as the University of Gujrat (UoG) announced the results of Associate Degree Arts/Science/Commerce (part I&II) Annual Examinations for the year 2022 on Wednesday. The results for the BA/BSc/ (Part I & II) B.Com IT (part II) annual examinations were also declared. The exams were held in August and September this year.

The results were announced by a notification issued by the controller of examinations, Ms Tanzila Qamar.

In the Associate Degree Science exams, Emania Khalid of Superior Group of Colleges Mandi Bahauddin bagged the first position with 700 marks, Zoya Jabeen of Ibn-e-Imam Science College, Jalalpur Jattan, Gujrat captured the second position with 696 marks while Nargis Mahnoor of the same college secured the third position with 675 marks.

The first position in Associate Degree Arts annual exams was claimed by Maryam Zafar of Ghazali College for Women, Phalia with 629 marks. The second position was bagged by Nameera Mushtaq of Govt Degree College for Women, Dinga, Gujrat

with 604 marks. The third position was held by an external candidate, Hurmat Jan, with 601 marks.

In Associate Degree Commerce annual exams, Kainat Asghar of Punjab College (W) Lalamusa (Wehnd) secured the first position with 1153 marks. Sana Afzal of Superior Group of Colleges Kotla Arab Ali Khan bagged the second position with 1120 marks. Ayesha Jabeen of Superior College, Gondal Road, Sialkot claimed the third position with 1068 marks.

According to the controller of examinations, as many as 5078 candidates appeared in the part I exams of AD Arts, 1417 in AD Science and 610 in AD Commerce with the pass percentage of 30.49, 35.29 and 15.12 re-

spectively.

In the part II exams, a total of 4244 appeared in AD Arts, 1575 in AD Science, and 352 in the Commerce stream with a pass percentage of 38.06, 74.17 and 44.29 respectively. Meanwhile, a grand prize distribution ceremony was held at Hafiz Hayat Campus in which Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr Shabbar Atiq awarded the position holders with merit certificates and cash awards.

Toppers in each category were awarded a cash prize of Rs25,000. Second position holders received Rs20,000 each while third position holders were awarded Rs1,5000 each. The ceremony was attended by senior administration officials, academics and parents of the position holders.

Five persons die as truck crushes motorcycle rickshaw in Gujrat

GUJRAT Staff RepoRt

Five persons died in a tragic road accident occurred due to low-visibility here in Gujarat on Wednesday.

According to rescue sources, five persons were killed on the spot when a truck went out of control and crushed a motorcycle rickshaw near Sabzi Mandi on GT Road in Gujarat.

Rescue 1122 officials shifted the bodies to Aziz Bhatti Shaheed Teaching Hospital while the driver left the truck and escaped.

The victims belonged to different areas of Gujarat.

On the other hand, IG Punjab while issuing instructions to take special measures to prevent traffic accidents during the foggy season has ordered all the district traffic chiefs in-

cluding Additional IGPHP, and DIG Traffic to deploy additional teams on highways. The Spokesman of the Punjab Police said that the traffic rules should be strictly followed on all the roads and highways of the province, including the installation of fog lights and speed limit restrictions.

The spokesperson said that a vehicle with all its lights and indicators not working will not be allowed on the highway and strict legal action will be taken under zero tolerance for overspeeding and overloading.

The backlights and reflectors must be installed on sugarcane trolleys.

The Spokesman said that strict legal action will be taken on speeding and overloading vehicles. He said Punjab Highway Patrol teams should perform their duties more diligently to protect human lives in accidents in foggy weather.

LHC annuls ECP’s action against officers accused of rigging in Daska by-polls

Staff RepoRt

Five persons died in a tragic road accident occurred due to low-visibility here in Gujarat on Wednesday.

According to rescue sources, five persons were killed on the spot when a truck went out of control and crushed a motorcycle rickshaw near Sabzi Mandi on GT Road in Gujarat. Rescue 1122 officials shifted the bodies to Aziz Bhatti Shaheed Teaching Hospital while

the driver left the truck and escaped. The victims belonged to different areas of Gujarat.

On the other hand, IG Punjab while issuing instructions to take special measures to prevent traffic accidents during the foggy season has ordered all the district traffic chiefs including Additional IGPHP, and DIG Traffic to deploy additional teams on highways.

The Spokesman of the Punjab Police said that the traffic rules should be strictly followed on all the roads and highways of the province, including the installation of fog

lights and speed limit restrictions. The spokesperson said that a vehicle with all its lights and indicators not working will not be allowed on the highway and strict legal action will be taken under zero tolerance for overspeeding and overloading.

The backlights and reflectors must be installed on sugarcane trolleys. The Spokesman said that strict legal action will be taken on speeding and overloading vehicles. He said Punjab Highway Patrol teams should perform their duties more

eral’s humanitarian assistance of $97 million.Samantha Power in a tweet said she discussed with FM Bilawal how communities impacted by Pakistan’s recent floods were faring and the impact of U.S. assistance in the immediate aftermath.She also mentioned that the discussion also focused on working together to build resilience in preparing for future crises.

dense fog intensifies cold weather

LAHORE Staff RepoRt

The cold weather has intensified in most parts of Punjab, due to dense fog on Wednesday. A pall of fog enveloped the most parts of Punjab including the provincial capital which disrupted road and air traffic. Many sections of Motorways remained closed for vehicular traffic. According to the Motorway Police, Motorway M-1 from Swabi to Burhan Interchange and Motorway M-2 from Lahore to Kot Sardar remained closed due to thick fog. Lahore and Multan Motorways remained closed from Faizabad to Darkhana while Motorway M-4 from Pindi Bhatian to Abdul Hakeem. Dense fog also enveloped the GT Road from Shahdara to Wazirabad causing problems for motorists. Eastern Bypass, Motorway also remained from Babusabu and Thokar Niazbeg and Lahore Ring Road was also closed. The foggy weather also disrupted flights operation at the Allama Iqbal International irport, Lahore.

Chief Traffic Office Lahore Dr Asad Malhi appealed to the citizens to be careful in travelling on highways and motorways in foggy condition. He said that due to closure of motorway, the number of wardens had been increased at entry and exit points of the city.

normalcy returns to Bannu

Life returned to normalcy in Bannu city on Wednesday with internet services restored, main roads opened for traffic, and commercial activities fully resumed. After a successful 25-minute military operation against the terrorists besieging the compound of the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) here on Tuesday, security clearance was given. According to the district administration officials, educational activities would hopefully be allowed in the Bannu district from Thursday. Despite the terrorists’ attack on the CTD compound and its four-day possession, normal life continued in the rest of the district, they added. Meanwhile, an explosive improvised explosive device blast was reported in Jani Khel area here in which three terrorists were killed. It was reportedly targeted at a vehicle of the Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS), which was on its way to Spinkai Raghzai area. The BDS officials remained unhurt while a passerby child sustained injuries in the blast and was rushed to a hospital, the district administration said. One of the dead terrorists was identified as Attaullah. The security forces reached the blast spot, cordoned off the area and started search operations.

diligently to protect human lives in accidents in foggy weather.

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday annulled the action of Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) against the officials involved in rigging in Daska by-polls.

The by-election in the Sialkot constituency had gained national importance after the ECP declared the February 19, 2021 polls void due to multiple incidents of violence and serious irregularities.

Later, the electoral body initiated pro-

ceedings against officials involved in the Daska by-poll fiasco. The action was launched after an inquiry report revealed that the NA-75 Sialkot-IV by-election held in Daska was not held in a fair, free, and transparent manner. However, the officials including former Sialkot deputy commissioner challenged ECP’s action in the high court, which reserved the verdict on the pleas on November 25.

Challenging the action, the petitioners had maintained in their pleas that they were no longer the officials of the ECP after the election therefore the action against them was illegal.

BANNU Staff RepoRt

GUJRAT Staff RepoRt

LAHORE

Crisis deePens as Punjab Governor, sPeaker loCk Horns over rulinG

continued from page 01

THEformer law minister mentioned that under Article 101(3), the president has the authority to remove the governor. Basharat said in the letter written for the removal, the speaker has also complained about the governor’s behaviour.

“He has also pointed out the unconstitutional measures of the governor and requested the president to ensure that the governor does not take further unconstitutional steps.”

In the letter, the speaker maintained that the governor is the representative of the president and should be restrained from unconstitutional actions.

Governor can denotify Elahi anytime, says Sanaullah: Meanwhile, Inte-

rior Minister Rana Sanaullah has said that the governor can denotify the chief minister “at any time”, elaborating that it was his right to do so.

“In our opinion, when the chief minister didn’t summon 4pm session and the speaker didn’t play his constitutional role then the chief minister no longer remains at his office. This is the constitutional position,” he said in an interview with Geo News. Sanaullah also rejected the PTI’s allegations about attempted horsetrading.

Earlier, the minister also tweeted that PTI could not “resist” the Constitution.

“We know that they don’t have the numbers required. If they do [have the requisite numbers], then go for the vote of confidence,” the minister said.

PTI claims party MPAs being offered bribes by Zardari

Pakistan ‘disturbed’ after Taliban ban university education for women

united nationS Staff RepoRt

Highlighting the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, Pakistan told the Security Council that engagement with the Taliban was the only viable option to stabilise the region, realising respect for human rights, and eliminating terrorism within and from that country.

“Coercion and isolation have not proved successful in the past, they will prove to be counter-productive now and in the future,” Ambassador Munir Akram stressed while participating in a debate on the situation in Afghanistan. “We need a coherent and practical plan to realize the objectives of the international community through patient engagement with the interim government,” the diplomat told the 15member United Nations body.

The key to reviving the Afghan economy is to inject the financial assets of Afghanistan — especially the $7 billion held abroad — into its financial system.

“Our first priority must remain to reverse the current humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, where 95 percent of the population exists in extreme poverty,” Ambassador Akram said.

He said that during her recent visit to Kabul, Hina Rabbani Khar, deputy foreign minister of Pakistan, had assured the Taliban of Pakistan’s assistance for refugees, improving trade prospects, transit access and technical assistance to Afghanistan.

However, Khar had also made it clear that Pakistan will not compromise on the issue of women’s right to education and work.

In this regard, Ambassador Akram said Pakistan was “extremely disturbed” by the latest announcement on restrictions on higher education for women in Afghanistan, but called for cooperation and persuasion instead of coercion to ensure women’s rights. While there was no credible challenge within Afghanistan to the control of the Afghan interim government, the envoy said that greater political inclusion will serve to advance the goal of peace and stability in the country.

Expressing deep concern over the rise of terrorist violence within and from Afghanistan, he pointed out that While the international media focused on a muchdiminished al Qaeda, “the major threat today emanates from ISIL-K and the TTP, the Tehreek-iTaliban Pakistan.”

Pointing to ISIL-K’s recent attacks against the Russian embassy, Chinese personnel in Kabul and Pakistan’s head of mission, Ambassador Akram said the group remains a potent threat as it continues to receive funding from outside of Afghanistan and is thus equipped to attract recruits.

Describing The TTP as “the largest terrorist group within Afghanistan,” Akram said its safe havens are located in Nangarhar province, close to the Pakistan border.

On the other hand, the PTI has claimed that former president Asif Ali Zardari was offered bribes to party MPAs. “The MPAs told Imran Khan that they got calls in Multan and Lahore […] they were told to abstain and remain missing from the vote of confidence [against Elahi], but they rejected that too,” PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry said in a media talk.

Separately, in a tweet, he said that Elahi had the “complete support” of 187 members of the provincial assembly.

“Ten lawmakers of PML-Q have also expressed confidence in the chief minister. Tomorrow, 177 PTI MPAs will gather in favour of Elahi,” he stated, adding that the political crisis in Punjab was a reflection of the need for snap polls.

Elahi says PML-Q ‘wholeheartedly’

standing with PTI On the other hand, CM Elahi said that his party was “wholeheartedly” standing with PTI chairman Imran Khan.

“Muslim League Quaid-e-Azam is united and will remain united. Rumor mongers are following a specific agenda,” he tweeted, adding that the “nefarious intentions” of those propagating differences will fail. He also held a parliamentary party meeting with PML-Q lawmakers. In a tweet, the chief minister said that the participants discussed the political situation of Punjab and chalked the way forward for the party.

Later, PML-Q MNA Hussain Elahi tweeted that all 10 MPAs of the party assured “complete support for Imran Khan and Pervez Elahi” during the parliamentary party meeting.

SBP governor’s inaugural report paints bleak picture of economy

continued from page 01

He adds that as a result of this many individuals and businesses simply do not approach banks for credit, deposits or other products, such as insurance coverage. Lack of data pertinent to borrowers also alludes banks from lending. Babar notes that while credit bureaus are operational in Pakistan their coverage is low compared to other countries.

Islamic banking’s role

An interesting aspect of the report was its acknowledgement of

and growth of the Islamic Banking industry in Pakistan. “The Islamic banking industry has made significant contributions to the overall growth of the banking sector during the review period,” notes the SBP governor in the report. “Islamic Banking Institutions (IBIs) have shown more accelerated growth and better performance in recent years as compared to conventional banking segment, which reflects the acceptability of Islamic banking and its potential to promote financial inclusion”.

Islamic banking assets reached

around 19.5% of total assets as of end June 2022, while share of deposits reached 20.5%. On a year on year basis, assets and deposits of Islamic Banking institutions were up by 41.4% and 27.0%, respectively by end June, 2022.

The country currently has 22 Islamic Banking Institutions (IBIs) with a branch network of 4,086 branches, including 1,463 windows spread across 129 districts that provide Shariah compliant banking services. IBIs include 5 full-fledged Islamic banking and 17 Islamic banking windows of conventional banks.

Centre stands behind Sindh for post-flood rehabilitation: PM

continued from page 01

He lauded the overseas Pakistanis for contributing Rs2.75 billion donations to the Prime Minister’s Flood Relief Fund, which, he said, would be spent transparently for the welfare of flood-hit people.

He assured the flood-struck people that the government would construct houses for their proper accommodation. He also announced the establishment of a campus of COMSATS University in Khairpur.

The prime minister also met the flood-affected people at makeshift camps and inquired about the availability of facilities being provided to them by the government.

Sindh Governor Kamran Khan Tissori said the coordination between federal and provincial governments was important in providing facilities to the flood-affected people who were facing the challenges of food security and accommodation.

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah mentioned the need for the availability of funds for redefining and clearing the natural water courses so as to minimize the chances of floods. He also sought the Federal Government’s assistance to help the province rectify its drainage system.

Prime Minister Shehbaz was given a briefing on the ongoing rehabilitation and reconstruction projects being carried out in the flood-affected areas. It was highlighted that the areas be restored in line with the feasibility study following a rainfall of 2011-12 that outlined the natural water courses.

It was emphasized that most of the flood-hit areas had been de-watered, with electricity fully restored.

Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, Climate Change Minister Sherry Rehman, National Disaster Management Authority Chairman Lt Gen Inam Haider Malik and senior officials of the provincial government were present.\

Imran, Alvi discuss Punjab wrangling

‘Dissolving assemblies is our constitutional right’

On the other hand, former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Wednesday said that it was his party’s constitutional right to dissolve the Punjab and KhyberPakhtunkhwa assemblies.

The comment by the PTI chief comes after PPP and PML-N lawmakers submitted a no-confidence motion against PTI-allied Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi in a bid to forestall the dissolution of the provincial assembly.

Later, the government announced that Punjab Governor Balighur Rehman would denotify CM Elahi if he does not take a vote of confidence from the provincial assembly.

Talking to a delegation of lawyers at

‘4RF’ action plan for rehab, reconstruction in flood-hit areas

Earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday launched a plan of action named: “Resilient, Recovery, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Framework” (4RF), which will be carried out in the flood-affected areas of the country.

The copy of the 4RF report was presented to the prime minister by Minister for Planning Development and Special Initiatives (MoPD&SI) Ahsan Iqbal here in a meeting.

Ahsan Iqbal apprised the prime minister that the document was based on the loss and damage estimated in the Post-Disaster Needs Assessment report, which was launched in late October this year.

The 4RF document contained short- medium- and long-term climate resilient strategy. The prime minister appreciated the efforts of the Ministry of Planning Development & Special Initiatives, Development Partners, line ministries, National Disaster Management Authority, and the provincial governments for adopting a whole of Pakistan and inclusive approach in bringing out this important framework.

He congratulated the Minister and his team for their hard work.

The prime minister directed that necessary efforts must be made for effective pitching of this framework in the upcoming Development Conference, scheduled to be held on 9th January 2023 at Geneva, Switzerland.

He directed that Ministry of Planning in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Climate Change and Economic Affairs Division may take necessary steps for effective dissemination of the document to all the stakeholders at home and abroad. Secretary Syed Zafar Ali Shah and other senior officials of Planning Ministry were also present in the meeting.

corporate corner

his Zaman Park residence in Lahore, Imran said that the country cannot progress until there is a rule of law. “In order to get out of the slavery of the United States, the justice system must be restored and all institutions must work within their limits,” he added.

He once again accused former army chief General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa of being responsible for the current economic crisis in

Housekeeper assaulted by armed burglars during raid on journalist’s home

iSLamaBad Staff RepoRt

Shiffa Yousafzai, a journalist critical of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), and her family have been left distressed after a raid on Tuesday night by armed burglars that left them fearing for their lives, people close to the anchorperson said.

According to the police, at least two intruders broke into Yousafzai’s home in Islamabad, asked the housekeeper about the family — who was not home at the time — before assaulting him, and made off, during what members of the media described as a targeted attack. Apparently, no items were stolen.

“The men in question also asked the staff about the whereabouts of the family. They also attempted to break into the main residential unit but could not,” the journalist said.

A late-night tweet from the account of Islamabad police said they immediately reached the scene and an investigation was underway.

Marriyum Aurangzeb, the minister for information and broadcasting, said the prime minister “strongly condemned” the incident and sought a report from the chief of Islamabad police.

According to the minister, Shehbaz Sharif said the protection of people’s lives and properties was his government’s topmost priority. He issued directives for tracing the suspects and meting out strict punishment to them.

Meanwhile, Hum News, the TV station Yousafzai works for, reported that a complaint about the incident was lodged at the Kohsar police station.

The report was registered under Sections 342 (punishment for wrongful confinement), 452 (housetrespass after preparation for hurt, assault or wrongful restraint), 506 (ii) (criminal intimidation) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).

The incident was condemned on social media by members of the public who believe Pakistan has experienced the worst deterioration in the safety of journalists under the incumbent government.

“As I am sure you will understand, this incident has left our family extremely distressed — not just myself but our family as well, who feared for their lives and are now struggling with the after-effects,” people close to Yousafzai told the press.

Asad Umar, secretary general of the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) party, said “trampling of human rights and threats to journalists have become a norm [under this government].”

This is a “period of worst fascism,” he tweeted.

“Shameless and vile [action],” tweeted Maria Memon, a broadcast journalist associated with ARY News. A delegation of PTI, including Babar Awan and Ali Nawaz Awan, visited the journalist at her home on Wednesday.

Aurangzeb, the minister, also condemned the event, more than 16 hours after it occurred.

According to the Associated Press of Pakistan, the minister telephoned Yousafzai to express solidarity with Yousafzai and her family. She informed the journalist the police were investigating the incident, and have also been directed to arrest the burglars at the earliest.

the country. Imran said that dissolving assemblies was the PTI’s constitutional right.

However, the lawyers briefed the former premier that the Punjab governor’s move to direct the chief minister to take vote of confidence was illegal.

Imran Khan tasked the lawyers to start a movement regarding the rule of law across the country.

As per the law, the chief minister cannot dissolve the assembly once a no-confidence motion has been moved against him. The governor’s recent requirement for the chief

minister to seek a vote of confidence from the house means he has to ensure that he manages to secure 186 votes in the assembly.

However, the PTI and its allies claim that the move by the PML-N and PTI to oust the Punjab chief minister is illegal and only an attempt to avoid general elections.

The PTI, at the moment, has 177 while the PML-Q has 10 members in the Punjab Assembly. On the other hand, the opposition has a combined 176 members from the PML-N, PPP and Rah-i-Haq parties.

LAHORE: Participants of first annual urs of Allama Nisarul Haq Alvi, Qadri, Naizi. Ulema and mashaikh from all schools of thought paid glowing tribute to Allama Nisarul Haq for his meritorious services for Islam and welfare of general public. Staff photo

The Punjab mess

latest confusion needs good sense to prevail

The confusion in Punjab does not just affect the province, but the whole country. With Imran Khan threatening to dissolve the Punjab and KP Assemblies, the politicians seem to have ignored the plight of the country’s economy, and to have engaged in their favourite pastime of move and counter-move. Punjab seems to be key, for ever since it saw its Chief Minister resigning at the time of the no-confidence motion against Imran Khan in March, the province has lurched from crisis to crisis, with the PML(N) gaining the Chief Ministry only after high drama and a court battle, and the PTI gaining it back in the shape of the PML(Q)’s Ch Pervez elahi. he was widely seen as the potential spoiler for Imran, but the PML(N) has gone after him with a noconfidence motion as well as a request by the Governor for a vote of confidence. Punjab Speaker Sibtain Khan has rejected the Governor’s request on the ground that the Punjab Assembly is in session, and a session to consider the motion can only be considered if the house is prorogued.

That may prove to be the first matter which the other side will go to court to have adjudicated, but it is unlikely to be the last in the present no-holds-barred, devil-takethe-hindmost atmosphere. The no-confidence motion is also likely to see legal tangles. This will not be the first time political matters have gone to court; the last example being Ch Parvez’s own election, where the courts deemed him elected by ruling votes cast in his favour after the presiding officer had ruled them out. The only predictable effect of this going to court is to ensure that the matter is delayed, and the inevitable result will be that economic crisis will grow worse.

The PML(N) does not want fresh elections, because its central government is seeing its political capital disappear as the economy refuses to turn around. Initially, the central government took credit for taking tough decisions, but now it merely seems feckless. The PTI wants fresh elections at once because PTI chief Imran Khan feels that there is a wave in his favour, which may not last forever. however, the only real way out of the crisis is not for the matter to be settled in the courts, but for there to be a dialogue between the two sides, and national elections to be agreed on, though not at a date set by Imran Khan. Politicians must settle the matter among themselves, or else the crisis will just drag on.

Return to the barracks

came out from Paisa Akbar informing the world that the Barrackwalas had taken over. Instead of holding elections for a new political leadership, Martial Law had been clamped together with abrogation of the 1956 constitution.

A. Niazi Joint Editor Umar

Executive Editor Aziz-ud-Din

MeN in uniform stay in the barracks and operate at the borders. Unfortunately, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan has repeatedly come under siege from the ‘Barrackwalas’.

My late father Nazir Ahmed Malik actively participated in the freedom movement. he had unflinching faith in Pakistan. As the first-born free generation, we have seen it all. Bhutto in his book Myth of Freedom talks at length about our so-called independence from the colonial yoke on 14 August 1947. There is a famous Chinese curse, “May you live in interesting times” indeed our journey in the land of the pure has been very eventful.

A lot of events unfolded on the seven or eight kilometre strip called the Mall Road where I was born and raised. It starts at the historic Town hall and ends at the Mianmir Bridge from where the Cantonment limits start. Religiously, on March 23 every year my old man drove the family to watch the Pakistan Day Parade at the Fortress Stadium located across the bridge.

The small two-lane bridge was the only link between the functional city and the barracks. There were two different worlds, one under civilian authority while the other was run by men in uniform. While corruption was well contained in those days, the Cantonment Boards were not free of this menace. Departments like CMA (Controller Military Accounts) and MeS (Maintenance engineering Services) were always dominated by unscrupulous, out-of-control civilians working under men in uniform.

At the age of five, in the year 1958, holding my father’s finger, I stood on the Mall Road near the Kim’s Gun waiting to receive the Long March of Khan Qayyum Khan, the most popular leader of his times. It was a long wait; Khan Sahib never made it. he was captured at the Ravi Bridge and taken to the dreaded dungeons of Lahore Fort.

Finally, the zamima (newspaper supplement)

After a few days an agreement was reached between the Martial Law authorities and Khan Sahib. To gain his freedom, Khan Sahib agreed to retire from politics and go back to his legal practice in Peshawar. With my old man we went to meet Khan Sahib who was badly shaken by his experience under Martial Law captivity. he had lost the will to fight back. It did not end here. In the year 1959, my Maternal uncle, D Salim Wahid Salim, a progressive writer and poet, decided to go on hunger strike outside the gate of the Civil Secretariat. he had three demands: Army to go back to the barracks, investigation into the murder of the first Prime Minister Liaquat Ali khan, withdrawal of surveillance of progressive writers.

After 12 days of hunger, Doctor Sahib was sinking and close to death. The government was in no mood to negotiate with him, and despite family pressure he refused to call off his strike. My mother pleaded with my father to save his life. On her insistence my old man arranged mock negotiations. A retired bureaucrat friend was presented as the Secretary Interior to negotiate with Doctor Sahib, and upon his assurances to seriously consider his demands the strike was called off, a life was saved but the movement for civilian rule badly suffered. Nothing much has changed since then. Doctor Sahib survived but he was not spared, finally his life fell apart. his wife with his two sons went back to live with her parents in Aligarh. he had to pay a heavy price for his resistance.

decided to celebrate his decade of progress in October 1968. Student protests started in Karachi but soon spread all over the country. Ayub was forced to step down in March 1969 but the military rule continued. General Yayha Khan promised to hold free and fair elections which were held in December 1970 on the basis of one man one vote.

The republic can only grow under civilian leadership elected through a credible ballot as was conducted in the year 1970. The Constitution must reign supreme, and those who defy it must face the consequences. The current struggle is not for power, but for civilian supremacy without which no country can survive nor prosper

When the session in Decca of the newly elected legislature was cancelled, civil war broke out in the eastern Wing. Jinnah’s Pakistan was dismembered. even after this debacle the usurper refused to step down. Finally after extreme internal pressure, Yayha Khan was forced out of power. The establishment was made to retreat, civilian authority was restored. Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto came prepared with his Comrades to introduce major changes. Martial Law was lifted in 1972 with the enactment of the interim constitution followed by a permanent version in August 1973.

Pakistan emerged as a constitutional democracy while the ‘Barrackwalas’ were licking their wounds, civilian authority prevailed.

Like Yayha Khan, the outgoing Army Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa has brought disrepute to his institution. There is no justification left for them to operate outside the barracks, their return is inevitable. After 13 manipulated elections the establishment has no facesaving left. It is curtain time for them.Transitions are never easy and must be carefully planned.

My father, the hard core Muslim Leaguer, got disillusioned with politics and focused on his business. The military regime then decided to go after the independent businesses. A fast-track loan-based economic model was adopted. Loans and permits were doled out to the favourites.

empires and emerged, the entire wealth of the nation got concentrated into a few families, the reported number was 22. A corruption-laden scheme replaced the Import Licenses regime. Over- and under-invoicing became the order of the day to steal the much needed foreign exchange.

Finally after ten years of his misrule the dictator

The USA and Europe: Friends or Foes

significant strategic and economic issues.

The USA is going through an intriguing historical time where structural requisites engender friction with domestic demands. Internationally, the USA is pursuing multi-spectrum competition with China, and war has returned to europe after decades of relative tranquillity. The USA wanted to engender a coalition to deter China and Russia. The USA is pursuing policies such as the green energy bill and other economic policies engendering friction with its european allies. As a result of these policies, the european allies can become vulnerable and susceptible to hybrid threats.

US President Joe Biden signed an immense package of green subsidies. The Inflation Abbreviation Act will dole out $396 billion in cooperating funds as early as January, engendering rifts between europe and the USA. This Act gives subsidies and tax breaks to the products made in North America, or countries such as Mexico and Canada, will get a subsidy of $7500. In contrast, those electric cars even whose components are made elsewhere will not get these subsidies. The european politicians are saying that europe is not facing challenges just because of Russia, but also due to the policies of the USA. The eU has listed nine points in the Biden Inflation Abbreviation Act that can

breach World Trade Organizations rules.

This coalition will be challenged due to the economic conditions. According to The Economist, due to the energy shortage in europe, 100,000 extra people can die. european companies are reacting positively to the American subsidies. Northvolt, a Swedish Battery Company, showed its inclination to expand its business in the USA. In addition, Iberdrola, a Spanish energy company, doubled its investment in the US compared to the eU. Basf, a German chemicals giant, recently gave an order for shrinking their business in europe. Multiple CeOs of european companies admonished that the eU can face mass deindustrialization.

The eU is additionally facing the challenge of an energy crisis. The european bellwethers are going to pay the price of it.

French President emmanuel Macron won the last election; however, he lost his majority in Parliament. Many european bellwethers and he faces a winter of discontent because of the low energy prices and looming recession. Albeit there was palliation in inflation this month, inflation remains in double digits.

Ukraine’s war showed that relying on Russian gas is not a reliable concept for the eU.

First, the USA wants europe to take challenges on China, and concurrently, the conflict with Russia is threatening the security of europe. The USA is additionally pursuing policies that are nationalistic, which are compulsory for domestic political stability. The USA and europe need to be more aligned on

Furthermore, it will emasculate the US facility to deter complex security challenges and engender a cumulated front against China. The US additionally wants europe to take a truculent stance against China. europe remained reluctant to follow the USA when it came to China thoroughly. Days before Biden came to power, China secured a critical trade deal with european Amalgamation.

Albeit the Biden Administration even endeavoured to stall the deal till the last mo-

Free and fair elections followed by well thought out plans by party Thinktanks are the best way forward. ZAB had promised ‘Roti, Kapra, Makan’ under a framework of Islamic Socialism. he called his regime ‘Awami Hukamat’ which it was. Relief was provided to the common man together with good governance. ‘Barrackwalas ‘ have to return to their barracks where they rightfully belong.

The republic can only grow under civilian leadership elected through a credible ballot as was conducted in the year 1970. The Constitution must reign supreme, and those who defy it must face the consequences. The current struggle is not for power, but for civilian supremacy without which no country can survive nor prosper.

The writer is ex-Chairman, Pakistan Science Foundation. He can be contacted at: fmaliks@hotmail.com.

tion in the eU.

ment, the eU went ahead with the trade deal. Albeit the US is fortifying Ukraine in the war against Russia and while NATO countries have joined hands against conventional and nuclear threats;, deterrence against hybrid threats becomes less powerful. Recently, the Wall Street Journal published an exclusive story in which it quoted Russia’s head of a propaganda agency as saying it was utilizing information warfare. The USA also accuses Russia of interfering in the anterior election and of spreading misinforma-

Before the Ukraine war, European institutions were under immense pressure and on the verge of collapse. Recently, the French President visited the USA and called for US cooperation in dealing with collective challenges. Albeit the Democratic Party performed well in midterm elections and Trump’s popularity seems to be declining; however, bellwethers are emerging who additionally do not have a wildly divergent view about transnational cooperation, like Trump. It can increase the possibility of the return of right-wing populism in Europe

It can have a negative perspective on the security of europe. First, resentment against the political elite can spread out of hand. Furthermore, it can engender political instability against the political elite in europe. Other countries, such as Russia, can easily weaponize the instability. If it engenders political instability in europe, then information warfare becomes facile. Secondly, the eU has recently faced challenges cognate to populism, and France additionally faced yellow jacket protests.

All these aspects will debilitate the trans-Atlantic coalition at a critical juncture when the continent is facing war, and concurrently, the USA is envisioning a coalition of democracies against China. Facing threats domestically, the eU countries might iterate their stance on China and also collaborate to truncate reliance on the USA. The policy space for the USA is additionally shrinking because it needs to economic growth if it is to end the possibility of returning Trump or any other hardliner.

Before the Ukraine war, european institutions were under immense pressure and on the verge of collapse. Recently, the French President visited the USA and called for US cooperation in dealing with collective challenges. Albeit the Democratic Party performed well in midterm elections and Trump’s popularity seems to be declining; however, bellwethers are emerging who additionally do not have a wildly divergent view about transnational cooperation, like Trump. It can increase the possibility of the return of right-wing populism in europe.

Zohaib Altaf is Research Officer in the CISS AJk. He is working on Nuclear Politics & Disarmament, Emerging Technologies, and New Trends in Warfare

The

Dr fariD a. Malik

There are cracks in the USA-Europe coalition

Yousaf Nizami Editor

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

M.

Aziz

Ahmad Joint Editor

Zohaib altaf

Pakistan has had a long history of military rule, which must end

Pakistan and Russia Expand Strategic Cooperation

The two must overcome the baggage of the past

Pivot to Asia policy which brought the USA close to India to counter China in the region. While keenly observing the shift in alliances in the region, Pakistan chose to revive its relations with the neighbouring states. Regional cooperation was the mantra that brought Russia and Pakistan to forget old conflicts and revive new ties. Therefore, high-level state visits began to occur, and the two nations’ relations continued to show positive indicators.

In April 2001, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Losyukov travelled to Pakistan as part of a state visit.In 2002, Pakistan’s President, Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf, visited Moscow in return. The goal of these high-level visits and meetings was to strengthen bilateral cooperation between the two states in the economic, cultural, development, and technology sectors as well as to launch joint efforts to improve regional peace and stability. This was the first visit by a head of state or government from Pakistan in 30 years.

to buy from Russia but at affordable prices.

Moving further towards regional connectivity, Putin suggested a “Greater eurasia Partnership” in 2016, including the eurasian economic Union (eAeU) members, China, India, Pakistan, Iran, and the Commonwealth nations. Since 2015, Moscow and Beijing have signed agreements signalling cooperation and regional integration because the BRI and the eAeU have the same objective of uniting eurasia through overland trade and infrastructure. In order to achieve the Russian geo-economic vision of a “Greater eurasia,” Pakistan has been designated by analyst Andrew Korybko as the “zipper of Pan-eurasian Integration” through South, Central, and West Asia.

Editor’s mail

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

Water quality in rural areas may improve

The supply of safe drinking water continues to be a major hassle to overcome in flood-affected areas. Chlorine tablets have been cited as a possible quick-relief, but there are other ways of disinfecting drinking water if the chlorine tablets are not available. The three-pot water treatment is a simple method that may be of help.

On day one, put the raw water in pot one. Leave it for 24 hours. On day two, very slowly pour water from pot one to pot two, and, since pot one would be now empty, it should be refilled with raw water. On day three, slowly pour water from pot two to pot three, and use it from pot three after a few hours. The water, which has now been stored for more than two days, will kill schistosomes that cause bilharzia. Other bacteria will also die off the same way. Disease-causing organisms, like pathogens, are ‘adsorbed’ to the suspended solids which will settle to the bottom of the tank, further improving the quality of water. The bottom sediments in all pots are to be discarded. In another method, one pot is placed on top of the other pot. The bottom pot is empty, and should be clean. The other pot, placed on top of the clean pot, contains coarse sand, fine sand and gravel, in that order. Coarse sand is placed on top of the gravel, and the fine sand is placed over the coarse sand. The pot has a hole at the bottom. Raw water is poured over the fine sand, and the water gets filtered as it moves down from fine to coarse sand, and on to the gravel. The filtered water is collected in the bottom, cleaned pot. Biosand filter is a simple household water treatment method which is an innovation on traditional filters. Biosand filter consists of a plastic or concrete container filled with specially selected sand and gravel. Downward flow of water in the filter removes turbidity, pathogens, colour, odour and iron from water. As in the case of slow sand filters, a biofilm (Schmutzdecke) develops on top of sand layer, and this biofilm is instrumental in removing the pathogens.

Once the flood victims are stabilised, the next level of water treatment will be required. The process consists of a two-stage filter system. In the first filter column, shredded coconut fibre is placed, while burnt rice husk is placed in the second column. Water flows from the first to the second column. The second filter unit is placed at a level lower than the first one to encourage gravitational flow of water. The first-stage unit removes the initial turbidity, while the second unit polishes off the effluent. The filter media has the ability to entrap the particles through the process of ‘adsorption’ as against the sand filters, which simply filters out the turbidity. This means that the particles just need to be agglomerated enough to get trapped by the filter media, and not to the extent of getting settled.

Depending upon the operation of the system, the treated water quality would, in general, meet the World health Organisation (WhO) guidelines for the drinking water quality, for taste, colour, turbidity and bacteriological content. Coliform removal in properly operated systems would be more than 90 per cent. In case of highly raw waters with bacteriological pollution, a re-run of such waters through the system is recommended.

Current global circumstances and imperatives have driven Russia to turn to the east and engage in regional connectivity with the Asian States, alongside reestablishing ties with its former adversary Pakistan. Simultaneously, out of the US sphere, Pakistan is also looking for reliable friends in the neighbourhood to work on regional connectivity and stability. Now the million-dollar question is whether both states are going to ignore the shadows of the past and are eager to start a new journey.

Since Pakistan’s independence in 1947, bilateral ties between Pakistan and the USSR, and then with Russia, have remained strained. As Pakistan opted to join the Western bloc by signing its first defense agreement with the US on 9 May 1954, ties between the two countries began to deteriorate in the early 1950s. After Pakistan joined the South east Asia Treaty Organization (SeATO) in January 1955, the situation deteriorated further. SeATO was founded largely to combat communism, which meant combating the USSR, since it served as the global symbol of the communist movement. The USSR strongly disapproved of Pakistan’s choice of foreign policy. Pakistan had established its place in the Cold War by joining SeATO, and this marked the start of a lengthy competition between the two countries.

In later years, Pakistan’s role in the 1960 U-2 spy plane incident, the 1970s China-US rapprochement, and the 1980s Afghan War against the USSR increased this rift between the two. Later on, Due to Pakistan’s recognition of the Taliban administration in Afghanistan and its US-centric foreign policy, ties between Pakistan and Russia throughout the 1990s remained largely cold.

In the first decade of the 21st century, Pakistan and Russia’s bilateral ties began to improve. Pakistan chose to break its ties with the Taliban regime and join the global alliance fighting terrorism. These efforts, however, couldn’t guarantee a faithful alliance from the US. Pakistan was upset with the Obama Administration’s drone policies and nits neglecting Pakistan’s efforts for the War on Terror at the cost of its own national security. Further the increasing rift due to Obama’s

As its ties with the USA deteriorated, Pakistan started to regard the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which is governed by China, as a chance to forge stronger ties with both Russia and China on common ground. In 2004, The Tashkent Summit established a regional organization to combat terrorism, separatism, and extremism while also fostering greater economic growth. Later, the SCO expanded its geographical reach to encompass India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. Russia being the senior member of the SCO always tried to avoid indulging in Pakistan-India rivalry. After the Pulwama attack, India tried to raise the issue at the SCO but Russia refused to address the issue at the SCO summit and Pakistan took a positive step toward bilateral relations between Russia and China.

In 2016, Alexey Dedov, then-ambassador of Russia to Pakistan, is said to have said that Russia “strongly supported” the CPeC and that Moscow and Islamabad had discussed merging the eAeU with the CPeC.Additionally, Pakistani authorities have agreed to allow Russia access to the Gwadar Port. Russia and Central Asia now have access to the Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea, and Persian Gulf. In addition, the port acts as a backup trade route in the event of a blockage.

Pakistan’s expanding residential and industrial energy needs have prompted Russia to agree to supply Pakistan with oil at a reduced price. In this regard, Pakistan has adopted a wise approach by developing better relations with Russia for the fulfilment of its energy demand.

The crisis in Ukraine has widened rifts between the USA and its allies, and Russia and its supporters.

Pakistan, though, managed to preserve a precarious equilibrium in the developing conflict.

Islamabad voiced its worry for the humanitarian situation in Ukraine but refrained from criticizing Russia.

In this regard, Pakistan abstained from voting on the UN General Assembly’s resolution condemning Russia’s invasion of its neighbour and maintaining its “neutrality”.

The flood victims who have been relocated to their villages would need a third method of water treatment. Slow sand filtration is a promising water treatment method for rural areas. The basic principle of the process is simple. Raw water flows through a layer of sand and gravel. The system provides two-fold treatment: filtration and biological treatment. Slow sand filtration is effective in the removal of bacteria, protozoa, viruses and turbidity. Design and construction of slow sand filtration will require some official assistance. The Mehran University of engineering and Technology, Jamshoro, may be a good option in this regard. The benefits accrued from the improved quality of drinking water will become void if the excreta disposal is not managed properly. The flood victims also need to maintain a good personal hygiene, which will be a great barrier against diseases, like body lice, diarrhoea, tooth decay, pinworms, scabies, urinary tract infection and ringworms.

F H MUGHAL KARACHI

Saving QAU land

The Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU) in Islamabad is the country’s topranked state university that has its own identity in the presence of students from all parts of the country. It is unfortunate that university land is under threat by another state entity, the Capital Development Authority (CDA), in the name of Bhara Kahu bypass. The bypass, as designed, will run through the campus, dividing the university into two portions, leaving around 75 acres of university land beyond access.

Similarly, when we look into the strategic interest Russia has started observing in Pakistan is directly linked to Pakistan’s geostrategic position and its vital role in the regional strategic environment. In the sake of maintaining the balance of power during this, Russia now most likely recognizes Pakistan’s justifiable need for defence. In the beginning, the Russian position used to be that India was the best source of hegemonic stability in South Asia. This pragmatic shift likely resulted from the knowledge that Pakistan, which is nuclear-armed, would steadfastly reject India’s hegemony and that China would continue to guarantee Pakistan’s security by maintaining an adequate conventional and nuclear deterrent to counterbalance India. In this scenario, India and Pakistan are supposed to indulge themselves in an arms race, and Russia doesn’t want to fall behind. however, Pakistan is looking for state-of-the-art military weapons

Pakistan has been struggling with rising energy needs, mostly for gas and oil, as well as an expanding current account imbalance brought on by oil payments.A Pakistani delegation led by State Minister for Petroleum Musadik Malik travelled to Moscow in Novemberto conduct negotiations with Russian authorities. Pakistan would pay discounted prices to Russia for its crude oil, gasoline, and diesel.Moreover, Russia isalso extended an invitation to Islamabad to start discussions on long-term liquefied natural gas contracts for the years 2025 and 2026.

Pakistan’s expanding residential and industrial energy needs have prompted Russia to agree to supply Pakistan with oil at a reduced price. In this regard, Pakistan has adopted a wise approach by developing better relations with Russia for the fulfilment of its energy demand. Although building stronger bilateral connections with Russia was formerly difficult for Pakistan, in the age of strategic and economic cooperation and intricate interconnectedness, Pakistan must not avoid rapprochement with Russia.

The writer can be reached atguleayeshabhatti@gmail.com

The students have held protest demons-trations because they are one of the key stakeholders, but no positive response has been received from the administration. The bypass project is illegal, as it violates the Pakistan environmental Protection Act, 1997. The section 12 of the Act subjects all public projects to proper environmental assessment and to have a public hearing. To fulfil the formality, the public hearing was held on Nov 18; months after the construction work had already started. Additionally, no project can be initiated if it harms the environment. The fact is that the project has already claimed the ‘lives’ of thousands of trees. Besides, the project is against the capital’s master plan. The land that is being used for the project is meant for the construction of departments, laboratories, libraries and research centres. It was never meant to play host to some bypass. The authorities concerned must resolve this issue and save QAU land for future generations.

DAMAN ALI ISLAMABAD

Gas crisis

WITh the arrival of winter season, natural gas has become a rare commodity. Unannounced gas loadshedding has increased in different parts of the country, and people are forced to live without gas for hours. Many factories have been shut down due to gas shortage and labourers have been laid off. Children and adults have to go to schools and offices without breakfast.

Disappointingly, the federal and provincial governments do not have any concrete plan to provide relief to the people. They are only trying to complete their tenure by hook or by crook. There is a need for a clear plan of action to deal with such issues. Despite being rich in natural resources, Pakistan is faced with a plethora of problems due to unsustainable policies and meaning-less measures by successive governments. It is time to focus on strengthening the national economy which is only possible by first ensuring some level of political stability.

MUHAMMAD IMRAN UL HAQ LAHORE

BRITISh PM Lord Palmerston stated during the house of Commons session on 1 March 1848, “we have no eternal allies, and we have no perpetual enemies. Our interests are eternal and perpetual, and it is our duty to follow such interests”.

Gul-i-ayesha bhatti

Jazeera MarwaN BiShara

fAsCisM has been on the minds of israel’s friends and foes alike since “the Jewish state” held its latest elections and its former Prime Minister Benjamin netanyahu began negotiations to form a new coalition. Warnings about israel “heading toward a fascist theocracy” or “sleep walking into Jewish fascism” have multiplied.

But all these warnings appear to fall on deaf ears, as netanyahu charts a path back to the premiership in coalition with israel’s fascist parties. He dismisses concerns over the potential demise of israel’s democracy and its worsening reputation in the West, especially in the United states, insisting that when it comes to the future of the Jewish state, it is he, netanyahu, who will have the last word – in israel as in America. that’s probably true. But it is not reassuring. it is catastrophic.

Washington has thus far remained largely silent even as several prominent American Jews spoke against the fascist menace that emerged from the israeli ballot box. rather than addressing concerns directly, the Biden administration spinelessly suggested that it would judge netanyahu’s next government “based on its policies, not personalities”.

if trump was, well, reckless, Biden is an accomplice. As for the Arab regimes which congratulated netanyahu for his victory, i can’t quite find an appropriate word.

But make no mistake, the problem of fascism in israel lies less with the extremist parties that will be part of the next government and more with their enablers –netanyahu and his chauvinistic Likud party which long strove for a Jewish state dominating both sides of the

THe godfaTHer of modern ISraelI faScISm

Jordan river.

in his autobiographical monstrosity, Bibi, My story, which is part self-aggrandisement, part propaganda and part fascist manifesto, netanyahu dedicates a chapter to his late father, Benzion. He boasts of his record as editor of a publication aptly named Hayarden (the Jordan), and as a leading voice in the militant revisionist movement which insisted upon the Jewish right to sovereignty over the whole of historic Palestine. revisionist fighters, who eventually founded Likud’s predecessor Herut, were infamous for their terrorist operations before and during the 1948 war of independence.

that year, a number of leading Jewish voices, including Albert einstein, Hannah Arendt and others, described the Herut Party in a public statement published in the new York times newspaper as a “political party closely akin in its organisation, methods, political philosophy and social appeal to nazi and Fascist parties”.

Like father like son. As preached by his father’s revisionist guru Vladimir Jabotinsky in his infamous 1923 essay, the iron Wall, netanyahu also believes that Jewish settlers must use military force to persuade the Palestinian Arabs to give up their rights to their homeland.

netanyahu entered into politics with this conviction and slowly built himself up as the father of modern israeli fascism. He started by demonising then-Prime Minister Yizhak rabin for signing the Oslo Peace Accords and helping pave the way for his assassination by a Jewish fanatic. Once he became prime minister in 1996, he started grooming a new generation of fascist and racist leaders. the likes of Avigdor Lieberman, Gideon sa’ar, naftali Bennett, and Ayelet shaked all matured under his wing in the Likud party and went on to form and lead their own far-right parties.

Ahead of the last election, netanyahu also godfathered a new relationship between fascist-religious parties Otzma Yehudit and religious Zionism, inviting their leaders, ita-

How old is ‘old,’ and when is a president ‘too old’?

ChiCago Tribune Editorial Board

President Joe Biden turned 80 on nov. 20, and so far, he has given every indication he plans to run for reelection in 2024. if he were to win, his second term would conclude not long after his 86th birthday. too old?

One of Biden’s would-be opponents has previously said he thinks not. Former President donald trump, 76, who has announced he will run again, once declared, “i would never say anyone is too old,” adding at the time that Biden and other rival candidates were making him “look very young.”

America is being led by a president well into what most people would describe as old age. But as trump pointed out, there’s old and then there’s “old.”

Most people associate “old” with changes that go beyond a few gray hairs. As people grow old, inevitably, the heart works harder, the skin feels different, sight and hearing weaken and energy declines. Yet we all know people who seem to defy old age, working effectively, and energetically well into their 80s. the Constitution requires presidents to be at least 35 years old, but it sets no upper limit, and clearly some octogenarians are more capable than others.

Without directly addressing Biden’s age, Vice Adm. Vivek Murthy, America’s surgeon general, acknowledged as much to the tribune editorial Board earlier this month. “there is such a wide range between your actual age and how you perform and function and show up in the world,” Murthy observed.

“thanks in part to advances in medicine and a greater understanding about how to stay healthy through a combination of nutrition, physical activity, medical interventions and sleep and focus on mental health,” Murthy said, “we’re learning how people can be functional and contribute to society and enjoy their lives at ages that 30 or 40 years ago people would not have thought possible.”

research supports Murthy’s perspective. But try telling a youngster that 80 isn’t “old.” Much depends on who is making the assessment of what age is “old,” and the range can vary dramatically from person to person. in one 2021 study, researchers interviewing 300 adults at a Montreal hospital elicited answers ranging from 45 to 100.

the surgeon general recalled that as a young physician he got hooted down by his senior peers when he described a 48-year-old patient as “elderly.” Full membership in AArP is open to anyone 50 and older, though it accepts members below that age — and invitations to join the re-

mar Ben Gvir and Bezalel smotrich, to his family home to personally help bridge their differences. netanyahu wanted to unite them into one electoral list so that they can enter the parliament and help carry him back into the prime minister’s office. And he succeeded. spectacularly.

While polls had predicted the two parties would fall short of the threshold necessary to enter the Knesset individually, united they went on to win 11 percent of the vote and 14 parliamentary seats in the 120-seat Knesset. Worse, Ben Gvir, who is like a netanyahu on steroids, has fared particularly well among israeli youth. netanyahu has also cultivated close relationships with israel’s two main ultra-religious parties – ultra being the operating word – shas and United torah Judaism, which seek authority over religious, educational and social affairs in the Jewish state. now, they will get everything they ever wanted and more. in return, his new extremist partners have agreed to use their parliamentary majority to curtail the role of the judicial branch and end the supreme court’s oversight over the Knesset. this will not only allow netanyahu to tighten his grip over the country, but also help him escape legal accountability following his indictment on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust. these parties have already used their Knesset majority to pave the way for the head of shas party, Aryeh deri, to become a minister despite his conviction for bribery and tax evasion.

Corruption aside, israel’s far-right fanatics are defined by some basic fascistic characteristics, such as belief in a divine and historic nationhood and tradition that is superior to any notion of modern democracy and citizenship; a pronounced sense of aggrievance and victimhood; militaristic tendencies; and cult worship with a golden netanyahu medallion of loyalty to go with it.

they are also driven by an avowed racism towards the Palestinians, whom they view as interlopers in their promised land. indeed, the new netanyahu-led government vehemently opposes the establishment of a Palestinian state, supports the expansion of illegal Jewish settlement in the occupied Palestinian territories, strives to annex part if not all of the West Bank, and denies equality to the native Palestinian minority in the Jewish state. it will demand that the Palestinians admit their historic defeat and recognise the Jews’ exclusive ownership of the country in order to live in peace.

Much of this was predicted by the late professor Zeev sternhell, a Holocaust survivor and israel’s foremost authority on fascism, who explained in his 2018 essay titled “in israel, Growing Fascism and a racism Akin to early nazism” that these fascists “don’t wish to physically harm Palestinians. they only wish to deprive them of their basic human rights, such as self-rule in their own state and freedom from oppression.” though the appointment of the sadistic Ben Gvir as minister of national security is about wishing the Palestinians physical harm. in short, those who continue to doubt that fascism is an impending danger for israel, are not paying attention to how its coalescing chauvinistic forces are planning on ravaging whatever is left of israel’s liberal institutions in order to turn the Jewish state into a full-fledged fascist theocracy. this is no time for appeasement.

Marwan Bishara is an author who writes extensively on global politics and is widely regarded as a leading authority on US foreign policy, the Middle East and international strategic affairs. He was previously a professor of International Relations at the American University of Paris.

Teen social media screen time should concern parents

tiree group often arrive, to the shock of recipients, years ahead of the big 5-0.

A recent survey of 2,000 Americans pinpointed the age at which people consider themselves old at a surprisingly low 57. the World Health Organization states that in most of the developed world, old age is considered to begin at a still-surprisingly low 60. in the U.s., early retirees can begin collecting social security at 62, and Medicare typically kicks in at 65.

it should be noted that some predictable health risks correspond with age. At 65, for instance, the risks from COVid19 become more pronounced, Murthy noted. Korean researchers who studied more than 64,000 emergency-room visits determined that older patients were more likely to be admitted for hospital stays, but the odds were considerably less for the “youngest-old,” aged 65 to 74, than for the “oldest-old” group of 85-plus.

Of course, the exceptions to those guidelines make life interesting. Consider “late bloomers,” who hit their stride in life at ages many would consider old. Colonel sanders, of Kentucky Fried Chicken fame, opened his first franchise at 62, nancy Pelosi became House speaker at 66, after raising five children, and American folk artist Grandma Moses started her painting career in her mid-70s.

republican President ronald reagan, 73 at the time, gave a famous answer to the “too-old” question at a 1984 debate against democratic nominee Walter Mondale, who was 56. “i will not make age an issue of this campaign,” reagan said. “i am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent’s youth and inexperience.” even Mondale laughed.

Leading up to the midterm elections, most democratic candidates carefully avoided stating that Biden is too old to run again, even if they were thinking it. should the GOP nominate a much younger candidate than trump, the contrast with Biden would be impossible to miss, and potentially put a greater focus on Biden’s running mate. For his part, the president has said he will discuss running for reelection with his family over the holidays and announce a decision early next year.

We believe Americans should take Murthy’s word for it: no age is automatically too old to serve. still, voters must consider a candidate’s capabilities, especially if there were to be a national emergency.

reagan used humor to defuse the focus on his age, but questions about his mental capacity continued to dog him. He was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease five years after he left the presidency, though there’s no evidence that he had the debilitating illness while in office.

And let’s not forget that in the 1984 election, where reagan’s age was very much an issue, he went on to beat that whippersnapper Mondale in a landslide.

SMArtPHOnes have always posed a range of challenges for parents of teens. From social media apps and excessive screen time to explicit content and mental health problems, the digital world often seems as threatening as the physical. A new Pew research study shows that when it comes to teens and their smartphone use, parents might be worried too much about certain problems, and not worried enough about others. the study shows that about half (46 percent) of parents of teens are worried about their teen being exposed to explicit content online. this is a valid concern, of course. Adults know explicit content is ubiquitous online and can be damaging to see. But there are ways to mitigate the spread of explicit content, from changing the settings in their kids’ phone to preventing and monitoring such content with apps like Bark. But just as alarming as the availability of explicit content to teens, if not more so, is that the amount of time teens spend on social media can lead to anxiety and depression. About 40 percent of parents polled were worried about teens and social media as it relates to productivity, and less than 30 percent of parents worried their child may struggle with anxiety or depression because of social media use. Almost half of parents surveyed said “they are only a little or not at all worried about social media causing anxiety or depression in their teen.”

Unfortunately, the time teens spend online consuming social media should be cause for alarm, particularly due to the adverse effect it has on their mental health. surveys show half of older teens confess to a near-constant presence online. According to Pew, 36 percent of 13-14 year olds use it “almost constantly.” More than 50 percent of 1517 year olds say the same. teens obsessively use social media; 67 percent use tiktok, 62 percent use instagram, and 59 percent use snapchat. About 95 percent use Youtube. Congress is moving to pass a bill that bans the legislature from even having tiktok due to its origins in China; parents might want to evaluate their teens’ interactions with the app.

As for the volume of use, one recent study showed teens are consuming media on their smartphones for up to nine hours a day.

excessive screen time in and of itself is damaging, for a lot of obvious reasons. Constant

media consumption inhibits healthy activities associated with childhood, like spending time outside, exercising, talking to friends and family, and even doing homework. if it interferes with sleep, that’s even worse.

Ample research shows too much smartphone use produces significant anxiety, depression, and feelings of isolation in teens. teens log on to social media or spend time online trying to make connections, but end up feeling more alone and sad than ever. Faceless communication not only produces feelings of isolation and loneliness but, conversely, increases instances of cyber bullying, susceptibility to sex trafficking, and more.

though i’ve banned most social media, i’ve still battled smartphone time with my own kids, two of whom are teenagers. if i’m honest, a lot of the time i wish i could throw my kids’ smartphones into the nearest lake.

the convenience of communication—when they need a ride home from school after practice, for instance—often feels like it isn’t worth the battle to keep their screen time low and productive, and continue to encourage “real-life” activities outside and with friends and family. i understand the addiction and often tell them i’m not sure how i would have handled having a smartphone as a teen. As an adult, i too, struggle with overuse.

in a recent interview with the BBC to promote a new film about a mother and daughter navigating social media use, actress Kate Winslet expressed her views on teens and social media— and her concern mirrors the trends. “i do definitely feel that the world of social media is frightening to parents because we don’t really know what’s there,” she said. “We don’t know how our children are using it. We don’t know the effects that it’s really having on them.” Later she added, “i really do struggle with social media,” and expressed a desire for the British government to regulate it more.

i don’t think the U.s. government should regulate social media and teen smartphone use, but it is a vital topic for parents to understand and take seriously. Unfortunately, now, parents don’t just have to worry about real-world dangers, but all the ones lurking online and the effects they have on teenagers and their mental health.

Nicole Russell is a mother of four who has worked in Republican politics. Her writing has appeared in The Atlantic, The Daily Beast, and the Washington Examiner. She is an opinion columnist at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

al

ISRAEL’S NEXT NETANYAHU-LED COALITION GOVERNMENT MAY BE THE MOST EXTREMIST IN ITS HISTORY

LIKE FATHER LIKE SON. AS PREACHED BY HIS FATHER’S REVISIONIST GURU VLADIMIR JABOTINSKY IN HIS INFAMOUS 1923 ESSAY, THE IRON WALL, NETANYAHU ALSO BELIEVES THAT JEWISH SETTLERS MUST USE MILITARY FORCE TO PERSUADE THE PALESTINIAN ARABS TO GIVE UP THEIR RIGHTS TO THEIR HOMELAND

newsweek NiColE rUSSEll

corporate corner

PAkISTAN NEEDS FOOlPrOOF MArITIME SECUrITy: MUShAhID

islamabad staff report

Chairman Senate Standing Committee on Defence Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed on Wednesday said the next war was expected to be at sea and not on land, therefore, Pakistan needed to ensure foolproof maritime security.

5th Pak-Turk International Conference

He was delivering his keynote address at the National Institute of Maritime Affairs (NIMA), a two-day International Maritime Symposium (IMS) on the topic “Geo-economic Dimensions of Indian Ocean Region (IOR) - Opportunities for Region and Beyond” on 20 and 21 December 2022, a news release said.

The experts from home and abroad

Pakistan, KSA agree to cooperate for countering illicit currency, narcotics flow

islamabad staff report

5th Pak-Turk International Conference on ‘Emerging Technologies in the Field of Sciences and Engineering’ was organized at University of Wah. The Pak-Turk series of conferences are being regularly organized since 2018 and provide a platform for mutual collaboration and research to academicians, researchers and practitioners from Pakistan and Turkiye. The focus is on advances in new technologies in Engineering, Computing and Basic Sciences. Prof. Dr. Inayatullah Khan, Vice Chancellor UET Taxila, was the Chief Guest of the Ceremony. Mr. Mahmut Kiraz, Educational Attaché Turkish Embassy, Islamabad was the Guest of Honor. In his opening remarks, Prof. Dr. Jameel-Un Nabi, Vice Chancellor, University of Wah welcomed the participants and shared his views on engineering education and scientific developments. Prof. Dr. Mahmut Boyukata, Kirikkale University Turkiye; Prof. Dr. Tuncay Bayram, Karadeniz Technical University. pr

IIU hosts int’l conference on ‘Nation Building in Pakistan: Prospects and Challenges’

A delegation of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia led by H.E Maj Gen Mohammad bin Saeed Al-Qarni, Director General, Narcotics Control called upon Mr. Faiz Ahmad Chadhar, Director General, Customs Intelligence for a bilateral meeting at I&I-Customs Headquarters, Islamabad. During the meeting various issues of mutual interests including matters pertaining to combating illicit trafficking in Narcotic Drugs,

Psychotropic Substances and Chemical Precursors, between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Pakistan came under discussion. It was unanimously agreed that there exists huge scope for exchange of intelligence based information to effectively control illicit flow of currency and narcotics between KSA and Pakistan. Moreover, strengthening cooperation and liaison for exchange of information, on real time basis, between both countries was underscored.

Mr. Faiz Ahmad Chadhar, in-

formed the delegation that Customs Intelligence with a focused approach has accelerated countrywide countersmuggling drive with special focus on drug smuggling. In this connection, the Saudi delegation felicitated Mr. Faiz Ahmad Chadhar over the recent narcotics seizure of high quality Hashish by Customs Intelligence in Quetta. It was also emphasized that the menace of narcotics smuggling can be optimally coped through enhanced cooperation between the two countries.

RIU, NASF hold 2nd Pakistan Food— Nutrition Int’l Summit, Expo-2022

islamabad staff report

A two-day international conference on “Nation Building in Pakistan Prospects and Challenges” jointly organized by Faculty of Social Sciences, Faculty of Education and Iqbal International Institute for Research and Dialogue (IRD), of International Islamic University (IIU) commenced on Wednesday at Quaid-e-Azam Auditorium, Faisal Masjid Campus, Islamabad. Eminent scholars of national and international repute in education, sociology and mass media are participating in the conference. In different sessions of the conference, national and international experts, researchers, academicians and intellectuals discussed various challenges and solutions in the nation building process of Pakistan. Speaking at the inaugural ceremony Mufti Abdul Shakoor, Federal Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony has said that educational institutions are vital for nation building. pr Federal Minister lauded the role of International Islamic University specially in building the national narrative of peaceful Pakistan across the globe. pr

A two-day 2nd Pakistan FoodNutrition International Summit and Expo, focused on “Pakistan’s Needs Food and Nutritional Security” was held by Riphah International University in collaboration with National Alliance for Safe foodNASF at Pak-China Friendship Centre on 21st – 22nd December 2022. The aim of the conference was to highlight the issues and challenges for Pakistan's Food-Nutrition and propose plausible recommendations for national sustainability. The 2nd Pakistan Food—Nutrition International Summit and Expo- 2022 highlighted the issues and solutions related to food, nutrition, its production, and the healthcare business. The overview of the conference was given by Mr.

raised in the last few years. He also said that this conference is very important in context of socio-economic scenarios and government will provide full support to the initiatives that are taken in this conference. Mr. Ahsan Iqbal appreciated NASF, Riphah international University, PPE and all other collaborators for organizing an international level conference on this significant matter.

Zahid Mahmood, vice chief of Air Staff

Whereas Vice Admiral (R) Abdul Aleem moderated the session discussion. Vice Admiral (R) Iftikhar Rao spoke about the Maritime Threats & Challenges in Regional Perspective. He talked about the Malacca strait choke point and its importance to the world, especially to China. He also emphasized that Gwadar is a commercial port and its security is vital for economic dividends.

Dr. Christian Beuger, of University of Copenhagen, talked about the Security of Sealines of Communications (SLOCs) and emphasized collaborative strategy in IOR to meet the non-conventional threats, particularly to SLOCs.

NdcTech wins Best Digital Platform Implementation accolade at IBSi Global Fintech Innovation Awards 2022

Our employees our biggest strength: CEO Indus Motors

KARAcHI: Owing to the continuing LC restrictions imposed by the State Bank of Pakistan and the consequent shut down of its plant at Port Qasim, Karachi, Indus Motor Company (IMC) vows that it will not lay-off its workforce. “Pakistan is at a cross roads both economically and at the political front. The State Bank of Pakistan’s LC restrictions which continue unabated, has adversely affected our operations, halting production intermittently, for the sixth month running now.” remarked the company’s Chief Executive, Ali Asghar Jamali. “Our human resource is our most valuable asset and our biggest strength by far. As we have always done in the past, guarding their welfare during any rough patch is our moral obligation as it is now. Despite these challenging times, and following Toyota’s legacy of tenacity, we are optimistic and standing tall.

InshahAllah, this too shall pass,” said Jamali. pr

US group announce Rs8bn University Hospital in Karachi

IMI a US group of Doctors have collaborated with the Zaidi Abid Foundation and Baqar Health & Education to develop a state of the art University and hospital in the heart of Karachi.

The University Medical Complex (UMX) with a total investment amount of 8 Billion rupees will include a state-of-the-art 500 bedded hospital and medical complex located in Gulistan-e-Johar on University Road.

The 500-bedded health care facility will provide free-of-charge modern treatment and hospitalization services to 200,000 patients in a year from the deprived communities. The advanced treatment facilities will be extended to another 800,000 patients from middle and lower -income groups at highly subsidized rates.

The vision behind UMC is to become a

Center of Excellence in Specialized Healthcare in Pakistan with affordable healthcare for all communities regardless of faith backgrounds, race, ethnicity–serving humanity and saving lives together.

Dr Hussain, representing Baqar Health, told the audience that the UMC would be the embodiment of the cherished dream of likeminded senior healthcare professionals in Pakistan and abroad who wanted to serve a large number of patients in their native land who couldn’t afford best treatment services as they belonged to the deprived communities.

The facility will provide high quality, affordable, equitable, specialized healthcare through an integrated clinical ecosystem of professional excellence, clinical education, innovation and research.

Construction of University Medical Complex begins in Gulistan-e-Jauhar for treating one million deserving patients in Karachi every year.

Representing the Board of Investment, Prime Ministers secretariat, Honorary Ambassador-at-Large on Investment, Mr Zeeshaan Shah said, “I am honoured to be here today for the ground breaking of this monumental project. University Medical Centre will provide state of the art healthcare to citizens of Pakistan and especially under privileged sections of society. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the US diaspora and all stakeholders for collating their investment in this project that I’m sure will be a hallmark for modern healthcare and education in Pakistan in the years to come”.

Dr Dilbar Saeed, representing the IMI, told the audience that the site of Gulistan-eJauhar had been selected for the UMC as this neighbourhood was going to become the centre of the city keeping in view rapid expansion of Karachi as a modern healthcare facility built in this area would be easily ac-

cessible by a large number of patients.

He said the UMC would operate roundthe-clock with emergency treatment facili-

would also give specialised care to cancer patients.

presented their views about the geoeconomic importance of IOR.

Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed, while deliberating on the current global security scenario, opined that it was the most dangerous decade after World War

II. "World is witnessing historic changes; economic and global powers are emerging from East," he added.

The focus of second day proceeding was on maritime security in the context of regional connectivity. Air Marshal

was the chief guest.

KaRaCHi

staff report

ties for both adult and child patients whereas the upcoming healthcare facility

KARAcHI: NdcTech, a long-standing partner of Temenos and wholly owned subsidiary of Systems Limited has recently won the Best Digital Channel/Platform Implementation Award at the IBS Intelligence Global Fintech Innovation Awards 2022. The 4th edition of IBSi’s Global FinTech Innovation Awards identifies and honors technology players, banks, and financial institutions from more than 47 countries. pr

IsLAmAbAd: Pakistan Humanitarian Forum (PHF) secretariat delegation led by Country Coordinator Syed Shahid Kazmi met with SAMP on Political Affairs/Convener National Parliamentary Taskforce on SDGs, Ms. Romina Khursheed Alam to explore possible avenues for collaboration between both secretariats. pr

LAHORE: Abdullah Prince, Inaya Fatima, Faizan Elahi and others cut cake at a Christmas ceremony organized of Lahore Waste Management Company. staff photo

Rana Muhammad Awais Khan, Chairman of NASF, and was inaugurated by Prof. Dr. Anis Ahmad, Vice Chancellor Riphah International University along with Dr. Rashid Aftab, Director of Riphah Institute of Public policy. The Chief Guest, Mr. Ahsan Iqbal, Minister of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives for the Government of Pakistan shared his views on the issues of food

UkRainE’s ZElEnsky TO MEET BidEn, addREss COngREss in WashingTOn

Agencies

UKRAINE’s President

Volodymyr Zelensky will meet US leader Joe Biden and address Congress in Washington on Wednesday, a visit the White House said will send Russia a strong message of Western unity.

The secretly arranged trip comes on the same day Russian President Vladimir Putin plans to meet his top military officials to assess the conflict in Ukraine and set goals for next year in what the Kremlin described as an “important, voluminous speech”.

The visit will “underscore the United States’ steadfast commitment to supporting Ukraine for as long as it takes,” White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.

It will be Zelensky’s first trip outside Ukraine since Russian forces invaded in February, when they planned for a rapid takeover of Kyiv and much of the country.

Instead, the visit to Washington comes on the 300th day of a war that has seen Russian forces halted by a stubborn Ukrainian army backed by Western arms, forced to retreat from captured territory and struggling to avoid further setbacks.

“On my way to the US to strengthen resilience and defense capabilities of (Ukraine),” Zelensky tweeted, also confirming that he will make a speech to Congress.

Zelensky will visit the White House

where Biden is to announce a new arms package worth almost $2 billion that a senior administration official said includes Patriot air defense missiles.

Patriot missiles are seen as crucial to help Kyiv fend off Russia’s punishing missile and drone attacks on its infrastructure.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday that new weapons deliveries would lead to an “aggravation of the conflict” and do not “bode well

for Ukraine”.

He added that Moscow does not expect Ukraine to change its stance on peace talks — including refusing to negotiate while Putin is in power — during the visit.

Zelensky is also expected to address a joint session of Congress, which House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said would be “a very special focus on democracy.”

The visit was quietly planned, beginning with a phone call between Biden and Zelensky on December 11, followed by a formal invitation one week ago and confirmation of the visit on Sunday.

Details of the visit leaked on Tuesday afternoon, with officials stressing to US media that there were still security concerns over Zelensky’s travel.

In White House talks, Biden and Zelensky will discuss the arms and training provided by the United States and allies, sanctions and other pressure on Russia, and economic and humanitarian aid that Ukraine needs, the senior White House official said.

Eye-for-an-eye Islamic justice returns to Afghanistan courts

Taliban returned to power in August last year.

Russia to continue improving combat readiness of nuclear forces: Putin

MOSCOw Agencies

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that Russia will continue developing its military potential and the combat readiness of nuclear forces against the backdrop of Moscow’s offensive in Ukraine.

“The armed forces and combat capabilities of our armed forces are increasing constantly and every day. And this process, of course, we will build up on,” Putin said during a televised meeting with his country’s high-ranking officers.

He added that Russia will also “improve the combat readiness of our nuclear triad”.

The Russian leader highlighted the new Zircon hypersonic cruise missile, which Russian troops will be able to use beginning January.

“In early January, the Admiral Gorshkov frigate will be equipped with the new Zircon hypersonic missile, which has no equivalent in the world,” Putin said. Nearly ten months into the fighting, Russia has faced a series of humiliating setbacks on the ground in Ukraine. The Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu said Wednesday that Russian servicemen in Ukraine are fighting “the combined forces of the West” there. Shoigu also said that Moscow plans to use two Ukrainian port cities on the Sea of Azov that its troop seized during the offensive.

“The ports in Berdyansk and Mariupol are fully functioning. We plan to deploy there bases for support vessels, emergency rescue services and ship repair units of the navy,” Shoigu added.

Kneeling in front of a turbanned judge in a tiny room at the Ghazni Court of Appeal in eastern Afghanistan, an old man sentenced to death for murder pleads for his life.

The 75-year-old admits to having shot dead a relative — out of revenge, he says, because of rumours he had sexual relations with his daughter-in-law.

Under eye-for-eye punishments, officially ordered by the Taliban’s supreme leader for the first time last month, he faces public execution — with the sentence to be carried out by a relative of his victim.

“We have made peace between the families,” the old man pleads. “I have witnesses who can prove that we have agreed on compensation.”

AFP had rare access to a court in Ghazni to see how justice is being administered since the

Hundreds of millions of dollars were spent building a new judicial system after the Taliban were overthrown in 2001 — a combination of Islamic and secular law, with qualified prosecutors, defence lawyers and judges.

Many women were recruited into the system, overseeing cases involving hardcore Taliban militants as well as bringing more gender balance to family courts.

All that has been scrapped by the Taliban, with trials, sentences and punishments now overseen by all-male clerics.

Islamic law acts as a code of living for Muslims worldwide, offering guidance on issues such as modesty, finance and crime. However, interpretations vary according to local custom, culture and religious school of thought.

Taliban scholars in Afghanistan have employed one of the most extreme interpretations of the code, including capi-

tal and corporal punishments little used by most modern Muslim states.

The difference between the system of the former government and today “is as big as the earth and the sky”, says Mohiuddin Umari, head of the Ghazni court, between sips of tea.

‘God guides us’

Officials in Ghazni have shunned the use of its formal Western-style courtroom, and proceedings instead take place in a small side room, with participants sitting on a carpeted floor.

The cramped room, heated by an old wood stove, has a bunk bed in a corner, on which religious books and a Kalashnikov rifle are placed.

The young judge, Mohammad Mobin, listens impassively before asking a few questions.

He then orders another hearing in a few days — giving the old man time to gather witnesses who can testify that the families have agreed to what he says.

US: Taliban release two Americans in ‘goodwill gesture’

wASHINGTON The AssociATed Press

The Taliban have released two Americans held in Afghanistan in what appeared to be a “goodwill gesture,” a State Department spokesman said Tuesday.

The release was not part of any larger prisoner swap, and no money changed hands, Ned Price told reporters. A senior administration official said the US government was currently assisting the two, and

that they would soon be reunited soon with their families. The official was not authorised to speak publicly on the matter and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Neither Price nor the official identified the two Americans.

Washington does not formally recognise Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban, who took power from a US-backed government after NATO forces withdrew in 2021.

Musk says will step down as Twitter CEO once successor found

SAN FRANCISCO AFP

Elon Musk said he would resign as chief executive of Twitter once he finds a replacement, in an apparent response to a poll he launched that suggested users wanted him to step down.

Musk has fully owned Twitter since October 27 and has repeatedly courted controversy as CEO, sacking half of its staff, readmitting far-right figures to the platform, suspending journalists and trying to charge for previously free services.

“I will resign as CEO as soon as I find someone foolish enough to take the job!” Musk tweeted, saying he will then only run software and server teams at Twitter.

In the poll results which were posted on Monday, 57 percent of voters, or 10 million votes, favoured Musk stepping down just weeks after he took ownership of the company for $44 billion.

Musk has used the Twitter polls to take other decisions on the platform, including the reinstatement of the account of former US president Donald Trump and other suspended users.

Earlier this week, he used a laughing emoji to ridicule a report he was in search of someone to take over as boss of Twitter, and tweeted that “no one wants the job who can actually keep Twitter alive.”

Analysts have pointed out that the stock price of his electric car company Tesla has slumped by one-third since Musk’s Twitter takeover, and some suggest Tesla’s board was putting pressure on him to quit his Twitter role. “Finally a good step in the right direction to end this painful nightmare situation for Tesla investors,” said Wedbush analyst Dan Ives on Tuesday.

In discussions with users after posting his latest poll, Musk had renewed his warnings that the platform could be heading for bankruptcy.

Policy by poll?

The unpredictable entrepreneur posted his poll on his resignation shortly after trying to extricate himself from yet another controversy.

On Sunday, Twitter users were told they would no longer be able to promote content from other social media sites.

But Musk seemed to reverse course a few hours later, writing that the policy would be limited to suspending accounts only when that account’s “primary purpose is the promotion of competitors.”

The attempted ban prompted howls of disapproval and even bemused Twitter cofounder Jack Dorsey, who had backed Musk’s takeover.

Analyst Ives noted that “advertisers have run for the hills and left Twitter squarely in the red ink potentially on track to lose roughly $4 billion per year.”

Shortly after taking over the platform, Musk announced it would charge $8 per month to verify account holders’ identities, but he had to suspend the “Twitter Blue” plan after an embarrassing rash of fake accounts. It has since been relaunched.

On November 4, with Musk saying the company was losing $4 million a day, Twitter laid off half of its 7,500strong staff.

Musk also reinstated Trump’s account — though the former US president indicated he had no interest in the platform — and said Twitter would no longer work to combat Covid-19 disinformation.

In recent days, he suspended the accounts of several journalists after complaining some had published details about the movements of his private jet, which he claimed could endanger his family.

Some of the suspended accounts have since been reactivated.

China to work with Russia for a just global governance: Xi tells Medvedev

lations have withstood the test of changes in the international landscape and always developed at a sound and stable high level, said Xi.

China stands ready to work with Russia to keep advancing the bilateral relations in a new era and jointly promote global governance in a more just and reasonable direction, President Xi Jinping said on Wednesday.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, made the remarks during a meeting with Chairman of the United Russia party Dmitry Medvedev in Beijing, who was on a visit to China at the invitation of the CPC.

Over the past 10 years, China-Russia re-

It is a long-term strategic choice made by China and Russia based on their own national realities to develop a comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era, he said.

Beijing and Moscow agreed to upgrade their relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for the new era in June 2019.

ExchangEs bEtwEEn thE ruling PartiEs: The chairman of the United Russia party’s visit to China came

two months after the CPC concluded its 20th National Congress.

During Wednesday’s meeting, Xi noted that it was made clear at the congress that the central task of the CPC is to build China into a great modern socialist country in all respects and advance the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization.

“We have sufficient strength and full confidence in the Chinese path to modernization, which will offer more opportunities for world peace and prosperity,” he said.

The long-term institutionalized exchanges between the CPC and the United Russia party have become a unique channel

and platform for China and Russia to consolidate mutual political trust, promote mutually beneficial cooperation and showcase strategic coordination, providing solid support for the long-term and stable China-Russia relationship in the new era, said Xi.

Noting that the exchanges between the ruling parties of China and Russia are entering “the third decade,” Xi voiced hope that the two parties will continue their in-depth communication on governance experience and how to promote the dovetailing of development strategies and advance multilateral cooperation among political parties.

The two sides should learn from each other on the ruling party’s building and con-

tribute wisdom and strength to the deepening of China-Russia comprehensive strategic coordination, he said.

For his part, Medvedev congratulated Xi on his re-election as general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and on a series of major outcomes of the 20th CPC National Congress.

Under the leadership of the CPC, China’s greater development will not only benefit the 1.4 billion Chinese people but also is of great significance to the whole world, said Medvedev, adding his belief that the decisions and plans made at the 20th CPC National Congress will be effectively implemented.

wASHINGTON

BEIJING Agencies

KABUL AFP

PakIsTan naMes squad foR new Zealand TesTs

LAHORE stAff RepoRt

PAKISTANhas named an uncapped middle-order batter Kamran Ghulam and fast bowler Hasan Ali in the 16-player squad for the two Test series against New Zealand, which will commence at Karachi’s National Bank Cricket Arena on Monday, 26 December.

Kamran has replaced Azhar Ali, who announced his retirement last week, while Hasan Ali has taken over from Mohammad Ali, who, like Faheem Ashraf, has been advised to participate in the ongoing Pakistan Cup in Karachi.

Rauf has not been included

Haris

in the squad as he is recovering from an injury he sustained while fielding in the Rawalpindi Test. However, fast bowler Naseem Shah, who missed the Multan and Karachi Tests due to a shoulder niggle, has been being declared fit and as such, retained in the squad.

Test squad:

Babar Azam (captain), Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel, Shan Masood and Zahid Mehmood

Umpire and match referee appointments for the series:

semi finals of Coca Cola lahore open Polo to be held today

LAHORE stAff RepoRt

The semifinalists have been decided in the Coca-Cola Lahore Open Polo Championship 2022 here at Lahore Polo Club on Wednesday. The first semi final will be contested between Diamond Paints/Sheikhoo Steel at 2:00 pm here Friday (Today) while FG/Din Polo will compete against Diamond Paints in the second semi final at 3:00 pm. Two important matches were played on Wednesday. Hamza Mawaz Khan’s heroics helped Remington Pharma edge past Remounts 5-4 in the first match of the day. Hamza cracked a classic quartet. He was ably supported by Ahmed Bilal Riaz, who scored the remaining one goal. Raja Temur Nadeem converted two goals and Shahid Imran and Major Haseeb Minhas (R) struck one goal each for Remounts. Remounts started the match on a high note as they thrashed in two back-to-back field goals to gain a 2-0 lead. Remington Pharma then made their presence felt by converting a 30-yard penalty to make it 2-1. They played aggressive polo in the second chukker and hammered an impressive hat-trick to take a 4-2 lead. The third chukker saw both the teams playing well and scoring one goal apiece with Remington Pharma still enjoying a 5-3 lead. Remounts played better polo and in the fourth and last chukker and slammed in a goal, but it was too little too late as Remington Pharma won the encounter by 54. Jhon Fisher and Saqib Khan Khakwani supervised the match as field umpires. Tomas Marin Moreno fired in five goals in FG/Din Polo’s fabulous 7-4 goal triumph over Platinum Homes in the second match of the day. Shaikh Muhammad Raffay also played well for the winning side by banging in a brace. For Platinum Homes, Amirreza Behboudi hammered a hat-trick and Agha Musa struck one goal. Platinum Homes began the match with a field goal, taking a 1-0 lead, which couldn’t last long as FG/Din Polo bounced back well by banging in a brace of goals to gain a 2-1 lead. Both sides scored one goal each in the second chukker with FG/Din still having a 3-2 lead.

26-30 December – 1st Test, Karachi

Alex Wharf and Aleem Dar (on-field), Ahsan Raza (third umpire), Asif Yaqoob (fourth umpire); Mohammad Javed Malik (match referee)

3-7 January – 2nd Test, Multan

Alex Wharf and Aleem Dar (on-field), Ahsan Raza (third umpire), Rashid Riaz (fourth umpire); David Boon (match referee)

10 January – 1st ODI, Karachi

Aleem Dar and Asif Yaqoob (on-field), Ahsan Raza (third umpire), Faisal Afridi (fourth umpire); David Boon (match referee)

12 January – 2nd ODI, Karachi

Aleem Dar and Rashid Riaz (on-field), Asif Yaqoob (third umpire), Faisal Afridi (fourth umpire); David Boon (match referee)

14 January – 3rd ODI, Karachi

Aleem Dar and Ahsan Raza (on-field), Rashid Riaz (third umpire), Faisal Afridi (fourth umpire); David Boon (match referee).

PM Shehbaz okays appointment of Najam Sethi as PCB Chairman

ISLAMABAD

stAff RepoRt

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday approved the appointment of Najam Sethi as the new chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

Sources privy to the matter said that notification regarding the change in PCB board of governors will be issued later in the day.

Sources revealed that the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) will release four notifications related to the abolishment of the 2019 constitution of the cricket board; restoration of the 2014 constitution; termination of the two PCB governing body names nominated for the chairmanship under the 2019 constitution and the fourth notification will notify the establishment of an interim “set up” to run the existing board.

he interim selection committee will be formed to announce the squad for upcoming series against New Zealand starting from December 26, they say.

The development comes after the Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC) today moved the summary to remove Ramiz Raja as Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman.

India expect Rahul to play Mirpur Test despite hand injury

DHAKA ReuteRs

India’s stand-in skipper KL Rahul suffered a blow to his hand during practice but the touring side are optimistic the opener will play the second and final Test against Bangladesh beginning on Thursday. India, who won the opening Test in Chittagong by 188 runs and are pushing for a 2-0 sweep, missed the service of regular skipper Rohit Sharma who missed the series with an injured thumb. “It doesn’t (look serious),” India batting coach Vikram Rathour told reporters on Wednesday. “He seems to be fine. Hopefully, he’ll be okay. The doctors are looking at it, but hopefully, he’ll be okay.” Should Rahul miss the match in Mirpur, vice captain Cheteshwar Pujara is likely to lead the side.

Rahul’s injury could mean a Test debut for opener Abhimanyu Easwaran who was added to the squad following Rohit’s injury. India’s pace duo of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja are among the several frontline players missing the series with injuries.

Abdullah upsets Barkatullah in Begum Kulsum Saifullah Khan national tourney

ISLAMABAD Agencies

Abdullah Adnan stunned No. 8 seed Barkatullah in the 2nd round match of men’s singles category of the 8th Begum Kulsum Saifullah Khan National Ranking Tennis Tournament 2022 at Pakistan Tennis Federation Complex Islamabad on Wednesday.

Abdullah won the first set 6-3, but dropped the second set 3-6. However, he stormed back to take the third set 6-2 from the experienced Barkatullah and moved to the next stage.

Meanwhile, top seeds Aqeel Khan and

Muhammad Shoaib pulled off emphatic victories over their respective opponents. Aqeel overpowered M. Huzaifa Khan 6-0, 6-1, while Shoaib eliminated Mahatir Muhammad 6-0, 6-0.

On Wednesday, contests were held in men’s singles 2nd round, ladies singles 1st round, boys 18&under singles 1st round and boys 14&under singles 1st round. Following are the results:

Men’s Singles 2nd Round: Sami Zeb Khan bt Faizan Fayyaz 6-2,7-6(4); Abdullah Adnan bt Barkatullah 6-2,3-6,6-2; M. Abid bt M. Talha KHan 6-2,6-3; Muzammil Murtaza bt Shahzad Khan 61,6-2; Yousaf Khalil bt Imran Bhatti 6-

1,6-4; Mudassir Murtaza bt Saqib Hayat 6-3,6-0; M.Shoaib bt Mahatir Muhammad 6-0,6-0; Aqeel Khan bt M. Huzaifa Khan 6-0,6-1

Ladies Singles 1st Round: Kainat Ali bt Shandana Rabbi 6-1,6-3; Natalia Zaman bt Soha Ali 6-2,6-7(5),6-3;Mehvish Chishte bt Amara Khan 6-0,6-1

Boys 18&Under Singles 1st Round:Hamza Roman bt M. Salar Khan 63,6-4; Mahatir Muhammad bt Nabeel Ali Qayum 6-1,6-1; Ahmed Nael Qureshi bt Yahya Musa Luni 6-1,6-0; Amir Mazari bt Azan Sajid 6-0,6-2; M. Huzaifa Khan bt M. Zaryab Khan 6-0,6-4; Abdul Basit bt Rayan Khan 7-5,6-2;

Boys 14&Under Singles 1st Round: Nabeel Ali Qayum bt M. Arsalan 4-0,40; Abdur Rehman w/o Imdad Ali; Shayan Afridi bt M. Hassan Usmani 5-3,4-0; Muzammil Bhand bt Chengaiz Leghari 4-0,4-0; Zayd Zaman bt Essa Fahd 4-1,40; M. Haziq Asim Asim bt Razik Sultan 4-1, 5-3.

Boys / Girls 12&Under Singles 1st Round: Ahmed Khan bt M. Faizan 4-1,40; Haziq Areejo bt Zayd Zaman 4-1,4-2; M. Hasan Usmani bt Ahmed Shaikh 40,4-0; Shayan Afridi bt M. Maaz Areejo 40,4-0; Ihsanullah Kabir bt M. Taha Raja 4-0,4-0; Anees Khan bt Behroze Maimoon 4-1,4-0.

After World Cup run, Morocco shoots at diplomatic gains

RABAT Afp

Morocco is hoping its unprecedented World Cup exploits can help it win friends and influence people, especially among an Arab public opposed to its 2020 rapprochement with Israel.

Support for the Atlas Lions surged as they battled their way to the semi-final of the football World Cup in Qatar — the first Arab or African team ever to get so far.

Their popularity on the Arab street was helped by players and supporters brandishing Palestinian flags following Moroccan victories, to be seen by millions of live TV viewers worldwide.

That in turn was a diplomatic coup for Morocco against arch-rival and neighbour Algeria, which for decades had seen itself as North Africa’s main champion of the Palestinian cause.

Just two years ago, Rabat sparked criticism across the Arab world for re-establishing ties with Israel.

But international relations expert Tajeddine Houssaini said the agreement, part of a string of US-mediated normalisation deals, “doesn’t mean that Morocco has turned its back on the Palestinian cause”.

“The national team and the supporters only confirmed that in Qatar,” he said, noting that Palestinians had even made up chants glorifying the Moroccan team.

FooTball diplomacy: Morocco’s diplomatic gains go well beyond the Palestinian cause and the Arab world.

“Morocco’s extraordinary run in the World Cup of course burnished the image of the country, which has been using soft power for years to make its mark on the international stage,” said sports politics expert Moncef El Yazghi.

The kingdom already had a track record of using “football diplomacy” to boost its ties with African countries, signing at least 30 cooperation deals with other federations, he added.

Morocco’s winning streak gathered excited fans from South Africa to Tunisia, where supporters ignored a simmering diplomatic spat with Rabat over the disputed territory of Western Sahara.

Even in rival Algeria, where the issue is even more hotly contested, the public took the Atlas Lions to heart — though official media outlets kept quiet about the team’s achievements.

The squad’s unexpected success has “grabbed people’s attention”, French histo-

“This has given Morocco a major symbolic victory over Algeria — but also symbolic, sporting and political revenge against its neighbours,” he said, citing wins over nearby Portugal as well as Spain.

Morocco has been dreaming for decades of playing with the big teams, “and

now it’s become a reality”, he added. Tourism to benefit?

Morocco will also be hoping to convert its raised profile into economic gains, especially for tourism.

The sector is one of the country’s top employers, but it was battered by the Covid19 pandemic and the global economic

downturn exacerbated by Russia’s war in Ukraine. The kingdom has yet to see a return to the 13 million visitors it welcomed in 2019. Lahcen Zelmat, head of the FNIH national hotels federation, said Morocco had an “excellent opportunity”.

The team’s successes “have given us great visibility”, he said, noting Morocco was “familiar for Western Europeans but not necessarily among Asian or Latin American tourists”.

“Today it’s known all around the world, but we will need to work hard to make the most of this unexpected publicity.”

While footballing victories temporarily distracted many Moroccans from their economic woes, the party for the Atlas Lions — who returned home on Tuesday — will soon be over.

Whether the country’s World Cup adventure will have a lasting effect on the country’s economy remains to be seen.

In recent days, Morocco’s image has somewhat been tarnished as Belgian police investigate allegations the kingdom and Qatar bought influence in the European Parliament.

World Cup Qatar host has denied any wrongdoing, while Morocco has offered no official response.

IPC has sent a summary to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to include the names of Najam Sethi and Shakil Sheikh as new PCB Governing Board members in place of Asad Ali Khan and Ramiz Raja.

It is worth mentioning here that Ramiz Raja was appointed as PCB chairman by the former prime minister of Pakistan Imran Khan on September 13, 2021.

rian Pierre Vermeren said.

hIkEs PDL tO EasE IMF

What is PDL, and why not sales tax?

sEnIORsources within the ministry of finance shared documents with Profit that state that the ministry increased the Petroleum Development Levy (PDL) by Rs 5/liter on High Speed Diesel (HSD), Rs 6.09 Kerosene (SKO) and Rs 0.90 Light Diesel Oil on the 16th of December in an attempt to meet the IMF condition of collecting Rs 850 billion through this levy during this fiscal year. With this increase, the government is now collecting Rs 30/liter on HSD, Rs 13.10 Kerosene (SKO) and Rs 16.29 on Light Diesel Oil.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) during a meeting last month had expressed reservations with the Federal government regarding an estimated shortfall in the revenue targets of the government.

One of the points raised in this meeting was that the IMF had estimated a shortfall of Rs 300 billion under the PDL in the current fiscal year. Contrary to the estimates by the IMF the Federal Board of Revenue estimates the shortfall to be around Rs 50 billion.

The government already has a Rs 50/litre development levy in place on the sale of petrol partially meeting the conditions of the IMF, however the government will have to increase the levy on other petroleum products in phases till April next year to the same level in order to completely meet the requirements of the fund.

This decision has been taken to address the predicted budget shortfall. Although sales tax has not yet been imposed on petroleum products, the development levy has been jacked up to somewhat make up for it.

Various governments have used this charge to enhance collections in the face of their failures to broaden the tax net and increase collection in order to cover their ever-increasing expenditure. As you might have figured out, our country for the most part runs a fiscal deficit, that is our government spends more than it is able to earn. The petroleum development levy is essentially a tax levied on the sale of petroleum products, the theoretical purpose of which is to develop infrastructure for petroleum products and help refineries revamp their machinery to increase their efficiency and the quality of their fuel.

All of us pay a hefty development levy on each litre of the petroleum products we utilise, this allows the government to generate more revenues. The question, however, arises; why isn’t the government charging a higher sales tax instead of the development levy?

While talking to Profit, the same sources said that the government has not placed a sales tax on petroleum goods since the federal government is required to pay a share of collected sales tax to the provinces. In the case of the levy, however, the federal government keeps the entire money.

An interesting thing to note however is that despite PDL having increased by the government, the price of all petroleum products witnessed a net decline. This can be attributed to the fact that globally oil prices have stabilised to levels before the Ukraine-Russia conflict.

Without the increase in the petroleum levy the prices were set to decline by Rs 12.5/litre Diesel, Rs 16.09 Kerosene and Rs 10.9 on Light Diesel Oil. Whereas after the increase in the levy the prices only declined by Rs 7.5/liter on HSD and Rs 10 on

ECC approves transfer of 30% working interest in Margalla Block from M/s MOL to M/s MPCL

The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet has approved transfer of 30% working interest of M/s MOL to Mari Petroleum Company Limited (M/s MPCL) in Margalla Block.

MOL Pakistan is a fully owned subsidiary of MOL group that hails from Budapest, Hungary and has been operating in the country since 1999. Its main line of work is crude oil exploration, mining and production. The company claims to have carried out seismic studies on two areas of Pakistan, namely TAL block in Kohat and Margalla block for the development of oil wells. Earlier this year, MOL was awarded a licence extension application for the Margalla Block. Margala Block is governed by

Pakistan Petroleum Exploration and Production Rules 2001. The rules of Pakistan Petroleum (E&P) Rules 2001 require the prior approval of the government for any such assignment to a company “A petroleum right or any working interest therein shall not be assigned without the previous consent in writing of the government.”

The Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar presided over the meeting of the ECC of the Cabinet, today.

Sources said that the Directorate General Petroleum Concession requested for the assignment of 30 percent working interests in Margalla Block from MOL, to Pakistan Mari Petroleum Company Limbed (MPCL), at the ECC meeting. The request for assignment and the draft Deed of Assignment (DoA) are well in line with the provisions of applicable rules.

Kerosene and Light Diesel Oil. Even though this step is in line with objectives set out by the IMF, an interesting point raised by some is to increase the petroleum levy on petrol rather than diesel. This is due to the fact diesel is the fuel of choice used by transporters, therefore an increase in its price would have a greater impact on the price of other goods in theory. The concern of the IMF

While talking to Profit on condition of anonymity, some sources said that the Pakistan and IMF teams are trying their best to resolve a number of pending matters including the expected shortfall in tax revenue to complete the 9th review of the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) programme. The state minister for finance and revenue, Ayesha Ghous Pasha had also briefed the national Assembly’s finance committee on the 16th of December that IMF has reservations over a number of matters including tax collection. This briefing was held on the same day when the announcement regarding the revision of prices of petroleum products came out.

Pasha also shared with the committee that the IMF is asking to not only withdraw untargeted energy subsidies but to end the circular debt of gas and electricity which has surged to a staggering Rs 4 trillion.

The IMF is pushing Pakistan for measures to generate additional revenue; according to some estimates they are expecting a Rs 400 billion shortfall in FBR revenue during this year.

The IMF’s primary concern regarding the budget shortfall is that the country will not be able to meet its financial commitments and potentially default in the near future, unless it has a budget surplus. This can only be achieved by reducing spending and increasing revenues.

Gold prices face yet another high

Domestic gold prices continue their record-breaking spree as 1 tola touched Rs 178,800 after gaining Rs 3,900 on Tuesday. This hike comes in a market where saving options are already restricted and risky.

Since the beginning of January 2022, rates have increased by Rs 52,800 for 1 tola and Rs 45,096 for 10 grams.

In a conversation with Pakistan Gems Jewelry Traders and Exporters Association (PGTEA), Profit learned that gold prices in Pakistan are higher than in the international market. “Price for 1 tola gold in Pakistan is Rs 8000-9000 higher than the price in the international market,” said Akhtar Khan Tessori, Chairman of PGTEA. Rupee devaluation is the reason behind this, he explained. “Dollars have become unavailable in the open

market and are available in black at a much higher rate of around Rs 260. Because of the lack of dollars, people are resorting to buying gold to save their money’s value, which has increased its price,” he said. Prices in the international market have also, however, been fluctuating. The immediate impact was the RussiaUkraine war which increased the price by 4.44% in the first week of March 2022. “If the war had settled, gold prices in the international market would have come down to $1500 (compared to current $1750-1820),” said Tessori. He further said that the overall global economy also has an impact on gold. Due to recession, pure gold bricks have become a preferred choice for saving wealth rather than investing it somewhere else. “If such situations continue, prices are predicted to go up by 30-40%, somewhere around $2500 in the international market,” Tessori added.

LDA conducts operation against eight illegal housing schemes

Lahore Development Authority (LDA) has conducted an operation against eight illegal housing societies in the provincial capital and demolished the structures there. Presently, more than 250 housing schemes in Lahore are operating illegally. According to information available to Profit, a grand operation was conducted against A&M Homes, Palm Villas, Ehsaas Villas, Maraka Marketing and Punjab Estate, while action was taken against Mohalinwal nagar, Bismillah Associates and an illegal land subdivision near Greenview. According to further details, during the operation, offices, roads, boundary walls and other structures of the said illegal housing schemes were also demolished. Such housing societies are unregulated and flawed. The land allotted to building houses is not enough.The layout plans are inappropriate and there is often no space for constructing mosques and parks. Their status as societies therefore remains disputable. Sources also claimed that the said societies will rebuild their boundary walls and offices in a few days and start cheating the people again.

FTO slams Millat Tractors; directs

to

action

The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) is set to take action against Millat Tractors for allegedly overcharging customers in the name of sales tax. The federal government had suspended tax on tractors in an effort to provide relief to farmers as part of this year’s budget.

Millat has been accused of charging the tax despite the government lifting it as part of the Finance Act 2022. Early reports have indicated that Millat has withheld a total of Rs 1.87 billion in relief that was intended for farmers, and instead kept it for itself.

Global recession bringing down Pakistan’s IT-based remittances

Pakistan’s IT exports numbers are showing a trend of slowdown due to a mix of policy issues at home, the waning of pandemic-induced digitisation and a global recession that has brought about a slowdown in the digital spend at companies that outsource IT-related work to Pakistan.

broadly, there is a slowdown in IT exports with growth rate averaging 6% in the last six months of 2022 (June to november), compared to average 17% year on year growth in the six months before June (December to May). The slowdown is also likely going to lead to the government missing its $3 billion target of IT exports this year.

istan. The source elaborated that IT companies’ actual exports would be higher because customers abroad ask companies in Pakistan to have a company in another jurisdiction for easy recourse in case of a legal conflict.

Pakistan Single Window Customs (PSW) has asked Pakistan Standard and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) to switch over to the electronic verification system of imports from December 21, 2022. Through a letter sent to the Director General of PSQCA on December 15, PSW directed to end import of at least 166 commodities (including food and nonfood items) under its mandate through a manual system. Pakistan Single Window is an initiative led by Pakistan Customs which is aimed at reducing the time and cost of doing business by digitizing Pakistan’s cross border trade and eliminating paper based manual processes.

To make the situation worse, IT companies are believed to be disinclined towards bringing money into Pakistan and blurring the line between the actual exports from the country and what is brought into Pakistan against those exports. According to the numbers published by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), growth in Pakistan’s IT increased by 5% on a yearly basis to $233 million. While there is growth, this growth has come down 10% from a peak of $260 million recorded in March 2022.

According to Topline Securities,

For the first five months of the ongoing fiscal year (July to november), IT exports totalled $1.09 billion, a puny growth of 3% year on year. The beginning of the slowdown coincides with the departure of Imran Khan administration earlier this year, which some of the IT company officials said was very supportive of the cause of the IT industry.

The reasons for the decline could be multifaceted, however. In fact, a high-ranking source in the government circles speculated that the actual exports could be on the rise and the fall in numbers could simply be companies choosing not to bring money into Pak-

“If I have a tech company in Pakistan and a customer in Canada, the customer would want to have a company in Delaware to sue me there,” says the source. “Clients abroad also find it easy to not send money to a developing country because we make it difficult for them to send money and the companies here also do not want to receive money from them in Pakistan.”

As a consequence, the company in Pakistan providing IT services to a client abroad would set up a company, say in Delaware, and sign contracts from the company there. If the company in Pakistan provides services worth $2 million to the client abroad, they would only send a fraction of the invoice value back, say $400,000 for operational expenses,

which are recorded as remittances here against IT services but might not necessarily reflect the actual export value.

This could end up in fluctuating IT exports remittances and the decline could have one of its causes that companies simply chose to bring less to Pakistan because they could get better returns through an investment management company in the country where the money was parked. The arrangement of bringing money into Pakistan becomes frustrating if dollar payments are to be made and the rules do not allow the outflow of dollars from the country.

The fall in remittances could be attributed to a few other factors too. Ovais Khan, head of delivery for MEnAP region at Systems Limited says that the declining trend in the growth of IT exports is because of the uncertainty and the government’s focus on the IMF and foreign reserves, the IT industry, that enjoyed a privileged status because of its potential, is not the focus of the government.