Saturday, 25 June, 2022 I 25 Dhul-Qadah, 1443 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XII No 356 I 12 Pages I Islamabad Edition
PM unveils ‘suPer tax’ on lsMs to rein in unbridled inflation g
Assures economic conditions to improve soon
ISLAMABAD
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saleem Jadoon
rime minister shehbaz sharif on Friday announced the levy of a 10 percent “super tax” on large-scale manufacturing (Lsm) industry with the aim to cushion the blow of “unbridled inflation.” “this super tax will help shore up revenue generation, leading to poverty alleviation besides supporting the burden of inflation on the masses.” prime minister shehbaz sharif made the announcement through a video message after chairing a meeting of his economic team in islamabad here on Friday. the prime minister informed that teams will be formed to collect this tax after the passage of budget bill. it is to be noted that the “super tax” has been imposed on industries include: cement, steel, sugar, oil and gas, fertilizer, banks, automobiles and cigarette. in his address, the premier elaborated that the incumbent coalition government had to take the “tough economic” decisions to avoid default and revive economy.
pm shehbaz further said that the additional revenue to be generated through this tax would be utilized for strengthen public services in the education and the health sector, adding that such policies were the need of the hour to reduce reliance on foreign loans. “that is what we call economic freedom; that is what we call coming out of the shackles of slavery of borrowing money,” he furthered. similarly, the premier announced the imposition of another tax on those citizens who earn an annual income of rs150 million or higher. According to the prime minister, those earning rs150 million will have their tax rate increased by 1%. those earning rs200 million will have their tax rate increased by 2%. those individuals earning more than rs250 million will have their tax rate increased by 3% and those earning more than rs300 million will have their tax rate increased by 4%. “the rich would have to do their part to alleviate the burden of inflation on the poorer segments of society. the affluent class must come forward and play their part for making pakistan a prosperous and progressive state,” the
premier underscored while announcing the tax. shehbaz sharif further stated that the budget for 2022-23 would be the “first in history” which lessen the burden on the poor. pm shehbaz criticized the rich for evading tax, stating that it was the responsibility of all segments of the society to pay what owe to the country for a bright future of the next generations. “this state belongs to everyone and they will have to play due to role for its sovereignty, prosperity and progress.” the premier informed that revenue collection teams have been formed and assistance will be sought from all provincial and federal institutions. He also said that modern technology and digital tools would be employed to aid revenue collection. the premier stated that the prevailing economic conditions warrant drastic measures to reduce the burden of inflation on the masses. “the incompetence and corruption of the former ruling pakistan tehreek-e-insaaf (pt) government had destroyed the economy and today the entire nation is paying through the nose for their (pti leadership)’s misdeeds”, pm shehbaz regretted. in his address, the premier assured that economic conditions would improve and confidence in the economy would recover. With regard to the $6 billion bailout package from the imF, pm shehbaz stated that negotiations with the financial watchdog had been successful and if the body had no more requirements, the tranche would be resumed. “We have taken decisions that will prove difficult in the short run but in the long run they will pay off,” he added. the premier highlighted that the coalition government had two options initially; to call early elections or to tackle the economy. He remarked that elections would have been the easier option, however, “history would not forgive us”. “it was not to save the government by rather the country,” he added.
$2.3b Chinese loan to stabilize forex reserves: Miftah ISLAMABAD staff report
minister for Finance and revenue miftah ismail on Friday said that state Bank of pakistan has received us$2.3 billion from china, saying this amount will help shore up the fast depleting forex reserves. “i am pleased to announce that chinese consortium loan of rmB 15 billion (roughly $2.3 billion) has been credited into sBp account today, increasing our foreign exchange reserves,” he said in a tweet. the development came two days after china signed a $2.3 billion commercial loan deal with pakistan, as the government waits for the rollover of three more maturing loans totalling $2 billion. the official foreign exchange reserves stood in single digits at $8.24 billion. However, these loans will give it a boost, opening blocked financing pipelines. pakistan had repaid the $2.3 billion commercial loan in march in the hope to get it back in April. However, china had placed a condition that the money could not be used due to weakening of the external sector position of pakistan. china also wanted pakistan to re-
main committed to the international monetary Fund (imF) loan programme. on tuesday, the finance minister had announced a deal with the imF on budget numbers, aligning the figures with the global lender’s assessments of revenues and expenditures for the next fiscal year. the government has also accepted some of the tough conditions for the sake of reaching a deal with the imF. the global lender’s resident representative esther perez said on Wednesday in a brief statement that “discussions between the imF staff and the authorities on policies to strengthen macroeconomic stability in the coming year continue, and important progress has been made over the fiscal year 2022-23 budget”. However, finance ministry officials said that the understanding reached with the imF on the budget would help complete the legislation process before the end of the ongoing fiscal year on next thursday. in march 2019, the china development Bank had extended a commercial loan for three years at a six-month china shanghai interbank offered rate (sHiBor) plus 2.5%.
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Saturday, 25 June, 2022 | ISLAMABAD
NEWS
SINdh, CENtRE AgREE to StARt woRK oN KCR, RAIlwAy tRACK foR thAR CoAl kArAChi
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News Desk
HE Sindh government and the federal government have unanimously decided to remove all the nags to start mega projects of national interest including Karachi Circular Railway (KCR), laying of railway track to transport Thar coal to upcountry, functionalization of different airports and resolution of land dispute between provincial government and Civil Authority on top priority basis. This emerged in a meeting held between Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and Federal Minister for Railways & Aviation Khawaja Saad Rafique along with their respective teams here at CM House on Friday. The CM was assisted by Minister Transport Sharjeel Memon, Advisor law Murtaza Wahab, Chief Secretary Sohail Rajput, Chairman P&D Hassan Naqvi, SMBR Baqaullah Unar, Commissioner Karachi Iqbal Memon, Secretary
Energy Abu Bakar, Secretary Transport Haleem Shaikh. The Federal Minister was assisted by his team members, including CEO Railways Farukh Tamiur, Additional GM Railways Amir Baloch, CEO Railways Nisar Memon, DS Kashif Yusfani, PD KCR Ameer Daupoto and DG Aviation Khaqan Murtaza, according to a CM’s spokesman. The chief minister said that Karachi was a megalopolis city and its traffic issues could only be solved with the establishment of a modern KCR system which would be supplemented and integrated with different BRT lines. Tracing the history, Mr Shah said that the KCR was commissioned in 1964 and till 1984 it remained an effective mass transportation project. He added that after 1984 its operational efficiency kept deteriorating which resulted in reduction of commuters opting for it and subsequently closed in December 1999. The CM said that the project was included in CPEC priority projects and was approved by the CPEC-related Joint Coordination Committee in December 2016. The
Petroleum division set to finalize sale of ENI Pakistan AhmAD AhmADANi
ECNEC had approved the project at a cost of Rs207,546 million, including Chinese loan of $1.971 billion, he said and added the National Railway Authority, China had approved the feasibility being in conformity with Chinese standards in November 2017. Mr Shah said that the project has been approved from all the relevant forums but nothing has been done on ground. Minister Railways Saad Rafiq said that the prime minister’s visit to China is scheduled shortly where he would accompany him. He added that the KCR was on the agenda of the discussion and hopefully it would be approved. The project envisages construction of 43.225 km standard gauge dual carriage track urban rail mass transit system to be built within a period of three years. The total at grade section is 17.935 km and elevated is 24.21 km and underpass is 1.08 km. Out of 30 stations, 14 are at grade and 16 are elevated. The daily ridership is estimated at 457,608 which is expected to soar to one million per day.
NEPRA notifies Rs5.27 per unit hike in power price for KE consumers AhmAD AhmADANi National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) has notified Rs5.27 per unit increase in the power price for the consumers of K-Electric on account of monthly fuel charges adjustment (FCA) and issued a notification in this regard. According to NEPRA notification, this hike in power tariff for the K-Electric (KE) consumers shall be applicable to all the consumer categories except lifeline consumers while this increase in the power price shall be shown separately in the consumers’ bills on the basis of units billed to the consumers in the respective month to which the adjustment pertains. Similarly, the KE shall reflect the fuel charges adjustment in respect of April 2022, in the billing month of July 2022. While effecting the Fuel Adjustment Charges, K-Electric shall keep in view and strictly comply with the orders of the court(s) if any, notwithstanding this order, said the NEPRA notification. Earlier, KE requested an FCA of Rs5.307 per kWh having an impact of Rs10,216 million and a hearing was held on June 14, 2022. However, the authority (NEPRA) has approved the FCA of Rs5.2718 per kilowatt hour (kWh) for the month of April 2022 having an impact of Rs10,157 million, to be recovered in the bills of July 2022. According to NEPRA decision, the Authority noted that the Power purchase agreement was signed between NTDCL and K-Electric on January 26, 2010 for five years for sale/purchase of 650 MW on basket rates. Subsequently, a decision was made by the Council of Common Interest (CCI) in its meeting held on November 08, 2012 with respect to the modalities for withdrawal of electric power from NTDCL by the Petitioner, wherein it was decided to reduce the supply of energy by 300MW from NTDCL to K-Electric. However, the aforementioned decision of the CCI has been impugned by way of suits /petitions by K-Electric in the Honourable High Court of Sindh at Karachi. No new agreement has been signed between K-Electric and NTDCL till date, and K-Electric is continuing to draw energy from the National Grid, which at present is around 1100 MW.
LAHORE: Dilapidated condition of Jahangir mausoleum due to apathy of Archaeology Department. Photo by zubair Mehfooz
KP assembly passes budget for FY 2022-23 Aziz BuNeri The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Assembly Friday passed the budget for fiscal year 2022-23. The house approved all demands for grants amounting to thirteen-hundred and thirty-two billion rupees. Earlier, the concerned ministers tabled demands regarding the expenditure of their departments. Chief Minister Mehmood Khan congratulated the Finance Minister, his team and cabinet members on the passing of the budget, saying that KP government has presented a balanced budget in the history of the province. The Chief Minister assured the House that all positive proposals of the opposition will be be implemented. The Chief Minister said that during the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal and the Awami National Party governments, the road projects were delayed. He also accused the major political parties – Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and Pakistan Peoples Party – for Pakistan’s economic crisis. The CM said that both the parties obtained the International Monetary Fund’s package 20 times but there was no focus on improving the lives of common and national economy.
The Chief Minister furthered that the federal government has made a record increase in the price of steel and cement in the past two months. The CM slammed Punjab for blocking wheat and flour supply to KP, saying that like other parts of the country the people of KP have also rights on the country’s resources. The chief minister vowed to secure the rights of the province as well as the promised Rs100 billion annually for the tribal districts. Similarly, he also lashed out at the federal government for Rs21 billion cut on the tribal districts development fund. The CM said, “33% of development budget is being given to the people and Rs200 billion is being spent directly on the people.” He said that the province’s revenue has increased from Rs30 billion to Rs75 billion, some 1.8 million jobs have been created, literacy rate has reached 52 to 55 per cent, hydropower generation has increased from 120 to 200 megawatts. The province has attracted a direct investment of $900 million and 44 MOUs worth $8 billion have been signed during the Dubai expo, billion trees have been planted under the Billion Tree Tsunami Project and KP is going to open first livestock university.
The Petroleum Division has prepared a summary to seek Prime Minister’s necessary approval regarding the effective change of control from ENI Pakistan to Prime International Oil and Gas Company Limited (PIOGCL). According to sources, the Petroleum division is all set to finalize the sale of ENI Pakistan to PIOGCL without obtaining a full and firm commitment from HUBCO. They said that the Petroleum division has prepared a summary titled “Effective Change of Control from ENI Pakistan Limited (Companies) to Prime International Oil and Gas Company Limited (PIOGCL)” mainly to secure necessary approval of the premier. They said the Petroleum Division has obtained necessary input from concerned authorities especially, the finance division, federal board of revenue (FBR), securities exchange commission of Pakistan (SECP), Law and Justice Division etc. However, Additional Secretary Petroleum has raised serious concerns and asked the authorities concerned to circulate the summary to the Finance Division and Law & Justice Division for taking specific comments with regard to adequacy of the undertaking submitted by HUBCO to cover the obligations of PIOGCL with reference to work commitment and financial obligations including but not limited to decommissioning cost to be incurred upon expiry of lease and license. Further, the advice of the Securities Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) should be obtained separately with regard to the matters concerning corporate governance and capability of PIOGCL in performing its obligations, said sources. They added that the petroleum division is trying hard to finalize the deal for change of control of ENI Pakistan to PIOGCL. Earlier, ENI Pakistan Limited had entered into sale purchase agreements (SPAs) dated 08-03-2021 with PIOGCL in respect of sale of the entire share capital and in order to effectuate the subject change of effective control/disposition of shares from M/s Eni to PIOGCL, M/s Eni requested the Government of Pakistan (GoP) for its consent under the applicable petroleum rules. And, following to this request of Eni Pakistan, Petroleum Division’s Directorate General of Petroleum Concession (DGPC) in a letter sent on April 1, 2022 to the managing director (MD) of Eni Pakistan Limited had asked to provide an undertaking of M/s HPHL in favour of PIOGCL that in case PIOGCL falls short of meeting its obligation/financing with regards to acquisition price of $16.4 Million and running of ENI Blocks operations in future ostensibly to make sure HUBCO will provide all such financial support to PIOGCL unconditionally including ENI Employee Group’s share. According to sources, after a lapse of two months and six days, HUBCO has now provided a copy of an undertaking only to the extent that HPHL (Hub Power Holding Limited) is fully aware of and understands all the legal and contractual obligations undertaken by PIOGCL pertaining to the ENI transaction. And, HPHL will provide all reasonable support, including financial support to prime, including the EBO’s group share (50% shareholder in PIOGCL), in the event that PIOGCL is unable to meet its financial obligations regarding payment of the acquisition price ( i.e USD 8.2 Million ) necessary for the completion of the ENI transaction. Sources were of the opinion that the Government of Pakistan (GoP) and the Ministry of Energy (Petroleum Division) should analyze the serious ramifications of approving such a dubious case of asset change and operatorship change from one company who is defaulting on its Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) shipments to the country and further worsening the energy crisis in the country to another company with questionable liquidity, profitability, lack of operatorship experience.
President for undoing obstacles to encourage women choose diplomatic career News Desk President Dr Arif Alvi Friday stressed the need to tackle the obstacles for encouraging the women to choose diplomacy as a career and provide them a conducive working environment. The president, in his message on 1st International Day of Women in Diplomacy observed on June 24, said it was also essential to create enabling conditions to
help them alleviate to higher decision-making positions. He said such enabling conditions could be ensured by overcoming deep-rooted legacies of gender bias which still hindered the professional advancement of women. He said the first International Day of Women in Diplomacy was aimed at celebrating the achievements of women in diplomacy, recognize and applaud their outstanding services. The Day is also meant for making a pledge to promote the full and equal
participation of women at all levels of diplomacy. The president said it is indeed encouraging that the number of women ambassadors worldwide was increasing with the share of women ambassadors going from 16% in 2018 to an approximate 22% in 2022. “I am happy to note that Pakistani women diplomats are and have been serving in various capacities from foreign ministers to foreign secretaries and at many Ambassadorial positions in our embassies abroad,” he remarked.
Govt announces fix tax scheme for retailers stAff report The Shahbaz Sharif led government has announced a fixed tax scheme up to Rs10,000 for small retailers. While winding up the debate on next year’s budget in the National Assembly on Friday, the federal minister said that small retailers will have to pay Rs3,000 per month and large retailers Rs10,000, after which they will not be questioned further. There are about 900,000 retail shops in Pakistan and the government wants to
bring up to 300,000 of these shops into the tax net. He said that a new scheme has been introduced for this purpose under which the income tax and sales tax to be paid by these shops would be linked to their electricity bills. The finance minister said that small retailers will have to pay Rs3,000 per month and large retailers Rs10,000, after which they will not be questioned further. Retailers who are trading in gold and whose shops are 300 square feet or less, will have to pay a fixed income and
sales tax of Rs40,000 and sales tax for big stores will be 17%. Miftah Ismail said that withholding tax on gold sold to goldsmiths by common people has been reduced from 4% to 1%. He also announced that a similar fixed tax scheme would be announced for real estate, builders and car dealers. Moving on to the details of other taxes, the government has identified 13 sectors which have made significant profits this year and we have decided that the companies whose revenue is
more than Rs300 million should pay 10% super tax for one year. The sectors including cement, steel, sugar, oil and gas, fertilizer, LNG terminals, textiles, banking, automobile assembly, cigarettes, beverages, chemicals and airlines would have to pay the tax. He further said that an additional tax of 1% will be levied on those individuals and entities whose annual income is more than Rs150 million. Similarly, he said that those earning more than Rs200 million would pay 2% additional tax,3% for more than Rs250 million and those earning more than Rs300 million would be taxed at 4%.
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Saturday, 25 June, 2022 | ISLAMABAD
KARAChI SAfE CIty PRoJECt’S CoSt REdUCEd By RS22B
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News Desk
HE Karachi Safe City Project had been officially initiated on Friday in a graceful ceremony held at Sindh Police Security & Emergency Services Division Headquarters. The project is a joint venture of Government of Sindh and National Radio Telecommunication Corporation (NRTC), according to a news release. In 2016, the Supreme Court had instructed to launch the project. In January this year, Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIGP) Security and Emergency Services Division Dr. Maqsood Ahmed was handed over the additional charge of DG Sindh Safe Cities Authority.
A series of meetings were presided over by the Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah, Chief Secretary Sindh Sohail Rajput and DG Sindh Safe Cities Authority during a short span. Chief Secretary Sindh constituted a committee under the supervision of DG Sindh Safe Cities Authority to evaluate and prepare an enhanced technical proposal/solution as well as a financial proposal of the project. After long deliberations with all the stakeholders, the project cost, which was earlier Rs. 44 billion approximately, was reduced to Rs. 22 billion approximately, with enhanced standards as compared to earlier proposals. DG Sindh Safe Cities Authtority Dr. Maqsood Ahmed chaired a meeting which was attended by the
representatives of Sindh Safe Cities Authority, NRTC, Technical Committee members and all stake holders of the project to officially announced the launch of project. DG SSCA said best technical firms have been selected from among the wide array of options and that the project will be launched in two phases. In the first phase, 4000 cameras will be installed at various points of the city alongwith the up-gradation of 2000 existing cameras. In the second phase, 6000 cameras will be installed across the city. DG SSCA stated that it will be a historic and beneficial project for the people of Karachi in terms of security and surveillance, based on meritocracy and 100% transparency. The DG SSCA & technical team
NEWS thoroughly discussed each component of the project with the NRTC & the vendors. More than 50 representatives of different companies attended various meetings and presented the strength and quality of their products. The essential components which were missing from the earlier proposals were included in the project, such as upgradation of existing 2000 CCTV surveillance system, emergency response system & vehicles, human resource & training facility and digital communication network The following brands would provide technical support in completion of the project. Hikvision, Cisco, NRTC, Oracle, Schneider/APC, Avaya, Vericom, Hytera, Hystar, HP, Optech Pvt Ltd, Global Connect Synergy, Optech Pvt Ltd, Toyota/Suzuki, Caterpillar, DJI and Amped Five. In addition to the technical support, the OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturer) will provide comprehensive operational, technical and maintenance training to personnel of SSCA and NRTC. A prayer session followed by a cake-cutting was also held to conclude the ceremony.
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PhC Abbottabad bench orders ACB to return wapda vehicles, settle property tax issue News Desk Peshawar High Court (PJC) Abbottabad Bench Friday while giving its verdict in favor of PESCO ordered Abbottabad Cantonment Board (ACB) to immediately return Wapda vehicles and settle the property tax and electricity bills issues within a month. The court also issued orders to the PESCO Chief Engineer and ACB Chief Executive in this regard. On the writ petition of WAPDA the PHC Abbottabad bench while giving its verdict in favour of Wapda after hearing both side’s arguments ordered ACB to give back the confiscated vehicles against the nonpayment of property tax by Wapda Abbottabad and settle the issue with the chief engineer within one month. Earlier, during the last two months, a cold war between WAPDA and ACB was on as Wapda officials disconnected the electricity of ACB tube wells due to non-payment of electricity bills in response ACB officials confiscated Wapda vehicles by claiming of non-payments of property tax.
CM, Jhagra administer polio drops to kick off round of anti-polio drive
gSP Plus Status: EU Mission reviews Punjab’s steps
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The European Union’s Monitoring Mission, which had arrived in Pakistan to see its eligibility for GSP Plus extension, on Friday reviewed the steps taken by the Punjab government in nine priority area including human rights, child labor, labor rights and environment protection. During a meeting at the Civil Secretariat, Chief Secretary Punjab Kamran Ali Afzal briefed the mission about the initiatives taken by the provincial government in the priority areas. He said Pakistan attaches great importance to its partnership with the European Union. He said that GSP Plus status is very beneficial for the economy of Pakistan and after getting the GSP Plus status in 2014, Pakistani products got easy access to European markets. The Chief Secretary mentioned the federal and provincial governments are ensuring the enforcement of relevant laws in connection with the implementation of international conventions, and reforms are underway in the areas of human rights, labor rights, environment and others. He further said modern system has been devised for labor inspections using information technology. He said concrete steps are being taken to eradicate child labor and child labor survey has been completed in Punjab. IG Police Punjab Rao Sardar Ali Khan said there is a zero tolerance policy regarding torture of accused in police custody. He said that help is sought from Punjab Forensic Science Agency for investigation of cases on scientific lines. The Chief Secretary also apprised the Mission of the special initiatives being taken for human and minorities’ right, empowerment of women, and social welfare. The efforts of the Punjab government in implementing the international conventions were lauded by the visiting mission comprising officials from the European External Action Service (EEAS) and the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Trade and for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion. The additional chief secretary (home), administrative secretaries of relevant departments including human rights, labor, and environment also attended the meeting.
Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Mahmood Khan along with Minister for Health, Taimur Saleem Jhagra administered polio drops to children here Friday at Police Services Hospital to kick off June round of anti-polio drive in the province. Secretary Health KP Amer Sultan Tareen, Additional Secretary Health (polio) & Coordinator EOC, Asif Raheem, Team Lead N Stop, Dr Hafeezullah Khan, Team Lead UNICEF, Dr Andrew, Technical Focal Person EOC, Dr Imtiaz Ali Shah, Team Lead WHO, Waheed Kamran and relevant officials of health department were also present on the occasion. Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Mehmood Khan said that polio eradication is on top agenda of the provincial government and any negligence in this regard will not be tolerated as it was a matter of our children and national pride. He appealed to parents to help the government in stamping out the crippling virus from the region and vaccinate children in every campaign when the teams visit their house. Secretary Health Amer Sultan Tareen said that the recent polio cases from North Waziristan are tragic for the children and their families, but not a setback for global polio eradication efforts as other countries, including Nigeria – the last country to become polio-free – have seen wild polio surface after 30 months of zero cases. These cases emerged after a long gap of 21 months in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, indicating all the hard work and efforts that went into keeping it polio free for such a long time. He said that we are working tirelessly to contain the virus in the southern districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with emergency vaccination campaigns and ring-fencing around the southern districts, namely Bannu, Tank, DI Khan, Lakki Marwat and North and South Waziristan. Tareen said that great gains have been made in the fight against polio and every effort will be made by the government to sustain those gains by fixing the remaining gaps.
LAHORE: Sacrificial camels start arriving in provincial metropolis ahead of Eidul Azha. staff Photo
Artificial groundwater recharge well inaugurated at Kachnar Park to conserve rainwater News Desk The International Water Management Institute (IWMI) Pakistan, Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) and WaterAid Pakistan on Friday inaugurated the artificial groundwater recharge site in Kachnar Park aimed at conserving the rainwater wasted in the federal capital facing water shortage. The artificial groundwater recharge site in Kachnar Park has been implemented by IWMI and PCRWR through the project “Demonstration of nature-based solutions for improving the resilience of groundwater aquifers in Islamabad”. The project, funded by WaterAid, has identified seven potential groundwater recharge sites in Islamabad. Country Representative – Pakistan and Regional Representative – Central Asia, IWMI, Dr. Mohsin Hafeez gave the welcome remarks and urged the media representatives to highlight water challenges in Islamabad, which have increased due to wastage of rainwater and horizontal expansion of the capital city, over-abstraction of groundwater resources, poor water supply, sanitation and hygiene issues, and unsustainable use. IWMI Pakistan has developed the first state-of-theart artificial groundwater recharge pilot site equipped with complete instrumentation to measure groundwater quality, groundwater level, rainfall, and the amount of
rainfall injected into the aquifer. This project will provide evidence-based information on rainfall contribution towards groundwater replenishment in Islamabad. To overcome water scarcity challenges in Islamabad, IWMI Pakistan has recommended CDA to install rainwater harvesting tank at the household level. Chairman, PCRWR, Dr. Muhammad Ashraf highlighted the role of PCRWR in the project. Moreover, he added that the solution of water supply challenge is linked with rainwater harvesting for groundwater recharge, which needs to be upscaled to address groundwater depletion issues. He highlighted that the annual average rainfall in Islamabad is about 1.3 m whereas, groundwater depletion is about 1 m annually. It means that if we conserve the available rainwater potential efficiently through recharge, we could easily manage the demand and supply gap through groundwater. Joint Secretary (Admin), Ministry of Water Resources, Muhammad Yahya Akhunzada urged the media to sensitize public on rainwater harvesting for watering plants and conserving water resources at large. Member (Finance), Capital Development Authority (CDA), Rana Shakeel Asghar appreciated the efforts of IWMI, PCRWR, and WaterAid Pakistan in piloting the initiative and hoped that it will help to recharge groundwater.
Govt’s ban on import to be lifted on items at Karachi port, says minister Aziz BuNeri The Federal government is likely to lift the ban on shipments that have already arrived at Karachi port before its decision regarding ban on import of certain luxury and non-essential items. In this regard, an assurance was given by Federal Minister for Commerce, Syed Naveed Qamar during meeting of a highlevel delegation of businessmen from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in Islamabad that was led by Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Hasnain Khurshid Ahmad, according to a press release issued here on Friday. The government had imposed a ban on import of certain luxury and non-essential items through notification: SRO/598 (1) 2022, issued on May 19, 2022. Members of the delegation included former FPCCI president Ghazanfar Bilour,
former president SCCI’s Zahidullah Shinwari, Faiz Muhammad Faizi and Industrialists Association Hayatabad Peshawar President Malik Imran Ishaq. According to the statement, a formal announcement is likely to be made by the government regarding lifting the ban on shipments of imported items, which already arrived at Karachi port before the issuance of the notification. A three points agenda has been discussed during the meeting with minister Syed Naveed Qamar, that were included imposition of ban on import items at Karachi port that were arrived before the issuance of government’s notification/decision on May 19, 2022, collection of infrastructure cess by Sindh government and hurdles in way of PakAfghan bilateral and transit trade. On the occasion, Ghazanfar Bilour raised the issues of collecting
infrastructure cess by the Sindh government, while transporting shipments from Karachi port to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. After which, the federal minister assured him that the issue would be taken up with the Sindh government and resolved amicably. The delegation informed the minister Syed Naveed Qamar about a ban on shipments on Karachi port that have already arrived before notification regarding ban on import of certain luxury and non-essential items, because of which shipments stopped at the port. Members of the delegation requested the federal government to lift the ban on those imported items/shipments that have been reached at Karachi port, orders/materials in pipeline before the issuance of the notification. On which, the federal minister Syed Naveed Qamar revealed that the
government is going to make an important announcement on June 27, 2022 (Monday), through which, a ban on shipments already arrived at Karachi port to be lifted. The SCCI delegation urged the federal government to take pragmatic steps to remove hurdles in the way of Pak-Afghan bilateral trade and transit trade that would help to boost the local economy and create more employment opportunities in the country. Hasnain Khurshid, Ghazanfar Bilour, and other members of the delegation thanked the federal minister for taking keen interest towards issues of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa business community and giving assurance for their amicable resolution. The delegation urged the government to take serious measures for prompt resolution of the traders’ community issues.
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PAKISTAn’S hAndlIng of CovId-19 An IMPorTAnT leSSon for world: CASS
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News Desk
ENTRE for Aerospace and Strategic Studies (CASS) Director of Economic Affairs and National Development Dr Usman W Chohan on Friday said Pakistan’s distinct performance in managing the COVID-19 served as an important lesson for the rest of the world. This was one of the key messages at the launch ceremony of the book “Pandemics & Public Value Management”, held here at the CASS, said a news release. The book written by CASS Director of Economic Affairs & National Development, Dr Usman W Chohan, discussed the pandemic in the global and local context through the lens of public value theory.
The book launching ceremony included speakers who were leading academic experts from the United States, Italy and Canada. Professor Karl Moore from McGill University, Canada described the comprehensive nature of the book as ideal for drawing lessons from challenging experiences. He pointed out that one of the most important points in the book was how businesses had evolved, especially during the pandemic and the parallels between the business world and public value. Speaking from the University of Ferrara, Italy,Professor Enrico Bracci stressed that ‘Public Value’ was not just about public value organisations providing service. It was also about co-production, collaboration between states, public service organisations and the citizen in general; and the book demonstrated how
Turkish ambassador pays farewell call on Interior Minister Outgoing Ambassador of Turkey to Pakistan Ihsan Mustafa Yurdogul paid a farewell call on Minister for Interior Rana Sana Ullah Khan here on Friday at the Interior Ministry. Director General Federal Investigation Agency Roy Tahir and other senior officials of Turkish embassy were also present in the meeting, said a statement issued here. Pak-Turkey bilateral relations besides curtailing illegal immigration and human Trafficking to Turkey from Pakistan were came under discussion. The Interior Minister apprised the Ambassador about his yesterday conversation with his Turkish counterpart Suleyman Soylu. The minister thanked the ambassador and Turkish government for their excellent hospitality to Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif and his delegation during the recent official visit to Turkey. He said it has been decided to expedite action against elements involved in illegal immigration and human trafficking from Pakistan to Turkey. News Desk
public value could be usefully deployed. Professor Ana Ruchtsman from the United States expressed her view on the importance of understanding the impact both on lives and on livelihoods from the pandemic and stated that the lessons of this book apply to various international organisations and contexts. Moving forward tailored public health measures would be critical to achieve both public health related goals and economic, trade and labour related goals, she said. The author Dr Usman Chohan’s presentation of his book highlighted the major success that Pakistan achieved through a multi-stakeholder effort that involved political, bureaucratic, and civil society elements working in unison towards a common goal. He argued that Pakistan had demonstrated an outstanding ability to find the scientific basis for solving
Ayaz Sadiq appreciates Miftah Ismail for presenting balanced budget News Desk Minister for Economic Affairs Sardar Ayaz Sadiq Friday appreciated Finance Minister Mifta Ismail for presenting a balanced budget in a difficult economic situation. Speaking in the National Assembly, he said, all the international financial institutions had expressed their mistrust due to backtracking from the commitments made by the PTI government with them. He was of the view that due to U-Turns with international financial institutions of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, the country and the people of the country had suffered a lot. “We have assured them that the incumbent government will honour all the commitments,” he added. The minister said that it was the point of view of coalition partners of the government not to increase the prices of petroleum products, but “We all have decided in the best interest of the country to save the state rather than the parties’ politics”. He said it was unanimously decided to make some tough decisions to save the country from the Sri Lanka-like situation. He said before finalizing the budget document, the government sat with the business community for listening to their suggestions. He said the coalition government wanted to facilitate the business community. The minister regretted that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief staged a sit-in when Pakistan was negotiating with international institutions for financial assistance to steer the country out of the current crisis. “The power was dear to Imran Khan over the interest of the country,” he added. Sardar Ayaz Sadiq reminded that Imran Khan had refused to end the sit-in when the Chinese President was scheduled to visit Pakistan in 2014.
Tax evaders in various industries not to be spared: Kh Asif News Desk Minister for Defence Khawaja Muhammad Asif on Friday said there was dire need to improve the tax culture in the country and those industrialists involved in evasion should not be spared. Speaking here at the National Assembly, the minister said that tax culture would have to be improved in various industries including tobacco and imported vehicles as well as electronic equipment. He said that two industries in tobacco sectors in Pakistan had a total of 60 percent share in market and these were paying tax amounting to Rs. 151 billion per annum. The remaining tobacco industries with share of 40 percent were paying only Rs. two billion tax because of their involvement in tax-evasion through various means. These tax evaders, he said, had contacts in political circles and even reached the parliament to protect their vested interests. The minister said that all politicians and those at the helm of affairs should help to expose tax evaders. He stressed the need to improve tax culture in the country and to bring all into tax net by ending inequality. Khawaja Muhammad Asif lauded Minister for Finance Miftah Ismail and his team for hard work in steering out the country from economic crisis. “We would find a way out after crossing the landmines which the previous government left for us in economic sector and the country would be on right track of prosperity and development”, he added.
problems in society, and Pakistanis should never forget how they synergized their collective efforts to achieve world-class results. Discussing how Pakistan and India had handled the COVID-19 pandemic, President CASS Air Marshal Farhat Hussain Khan (Retd)highlighted that one of the most important differences between the two countries was that for Pakistan, preserving lives and livelihoods, public health and the economy were equally important. He pointed out that the while the pandemic shook the entire health and logistics of the globe, its effects were still continuing and visible on the streets of Pakistan in the form of economic turmoil. While optimistic that Pakistan had the capacity to achieve any target in which it invested its most sincere efforts, he urged that the governmentmust ensure preparedness for the large-scale challenges of the future, which requires hard work in the present time. ‘Decision-making in society must reflect the values of the people and intent to serve the people’, he concluded. The book launch event marked Dr Usman Chohan’s fourth book in the past four years, published with Routledge, and the launch event was attended by scholars, think tank specialists, and members of the public.
Pakistan facing severe climate challenges: Pervaiz Ashraf News Desk Speaker Raja Pervez Ashraf has said that Pakistan like other countries of the world is facing severe climate challenges as water scarcity in the country is getting intensified day by day due to climate change. He expressed these views during a meeting with Dr.Niels Hegewisch Country Director Friedrich Ebert Stiftung FES) in Parliament House on Friday. He said that Pakistan being an Agri based economy needs policy initiative is facing challenge of acute water shortage. Appreciating the support of FES for research based input, he said that research based policy initiatives necessary to tackle climate change induced issues.
He also said that Pakistan and Germany enjoy cordial relations and he welcomed the suggestion of FES for Parliamentary exchanges between both countries. He also stressed on the need to sensitize public through diverse programmes and Seminars. Speaker Raja Pervez Ashraf said that close liason between Public and Parliament crucial for making Parliament more effective. He appreciated the initiative of FES for supporting China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Parliamentary Committee to have direct access to public. He also welcomed the proposal to emulate the same for other Parliamentary committees of National Assembly.
Code of conduct for Sargodha by-elections issued News Desk The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has issued the code of conduct for the bye-elections on two provincial assembly seats — PP-83 Khushab and PP90 Bhakkar — in Sargodha region. Regional Election Commissioner Sargodha Division Amir Javed told APP here on Friday that the ECP was dutybound to take measures to conduct a fair and free by-elections. He said that ac-
cording to the code of conduct, provision of level play field for all contesting candidates without any discrimination would be ensured. The regional election commissioner said that under Clause No 25 of the ECP law, contesting candidates, election agents and their supporters would refrain from speeches intended to arouse parochial, sectarian feelings and controversy of conflicts between genders, sects, communities and linguistic groups.
Saturday, 25 June, 2022 | ISLAMABAD
NEWS
$2.3b Chinese loan to stabilize forex reserves: Miftah continued from page 01 Earlier, wrapping up debate on budget in the National Assembly, Miftah said that the fixed tax will be collected through electricity bills. There are 30,000 gold shops in the country and out of these only 22 are registered, claimed Miftah. We have reduced the tax on those selling gold in shops from 4 per cent to 1%, he said. Talking about the super tax imposed by the government on ‘big industries’, the minister said, the new tax regime would increase the tax burden of companies owned by the PM’s sons too. “My company’s tax burden will also increase by around Rs200 million,” said Miftah. The government will tax the income not expenditures, he said. The minister said that some of the recommendations made by the legislators have been added in the budget. Pakistan has never seen such a farmer-friendly budget, he said adding that Pakistan will be self-sufficient in edible oil and wheat, he said. We are no longer going towards default, we will progress, the minister said. Taking a jibe at the former prime minister Imran Khan, Miftah said Imran Khan talks about self-sufficiency after taking foreign loans. He claimed that the former PM took the country on the brink of bankruptcy. We saved the country from going default, he added. Credit should go to me and the prime minister for that, he said. 4M APPLIED FOR PM SASTA PETROL SCHEME: Finance Minister Miftah Ismail said around four million people have applied for PM’s Sasta Petrol, Diesel subsidy scheme. Out of these, one million have already been registered, he said. There are eight million more registered under the BISP. The Finance minister said that the current fiscal budget will be remembered for its historic deficit. Rs53 billion is deficit for the fiscal year 2021-22, he said. We had to take loans to compensate the deficit, he said. Imran Khan’s government was giving Rs120 billion subsidy on petroleum products. Current account deficit for the fiscal year 2021-22 will be $17b. It was necessary to restart the IMF program to save the country from going default, he added.
Zero tolerance policy on irregularities in medical education system: PMC Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC) has adopted a zero tolerance policy on any irregularity in medical and dental education system in the country to ensure a bright future of students. According to a spokesperson of PMC, the commission is the sole healthcare education regulator of the country that envisions improving standards of healthcare delivery and healthcare education in Pakistan. He said that the PMC is working tirelessly to ensure compliance with medical and dental rules and regulations. He added, the Medical and Dental Council upon the recommendations of the disciplinary committee approved the closure of Muhammad College of Medicine Peshawar due to repeated cases of illegal admissions and demanding donations from the students. In addition to this, the college was caught red-handed by the authority for demanding donations for admissions, he added. He said that right after the decision and closure of Muhammad College, the PMC devised and implemented the replacement plan to secure the future of students and placed them in other medical colleges. news desk
Steps taken to resolve issues relating to trading countries: DG SARC Director General Southern Zone Agriculture Research Center (SARC) – PARC Karachi, Dr. Zakir Hussain Dahri said that the efforts were being made to resolve issues related to meeting requirements of trading countries. He expressed these views while speaking in training workshop on “Regulatory Harmonization in Pakistan for Maximum Residue Limits (MRLS) and Biopesticides,” jointly organized by PARC – Southern Zone Agriculture Research Center (SARC) and CABI here at a local hotel. Being a World Trade Organization member, Pakistan experienced problems in meeting the requirements of trading countries which affected country’s ability to export agricultural products, he said. Highlighting barriers against exports, he told that microbiological contamination, pesticide residues and incorrect food labeling were main reasons for rejection of Pakistan based agro-consignments. “We all are here and scientists are here and we will be able to resolve this issue and increase the exports of agroproducts worldwide,” DG SARC said. app
05
PM PAyinG SPeCiAl Attention to BAloCHiStAn’S DeveloPMent: BiZenjo
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ALOCHISTAN Chief Minister Mir Abdul Quddus Bizenjo on Friday said Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif was paying special attention on Balochistan’s development which was a positive sign for the province. He was addressing a ceremony held on the arrival of the prime minister’ at Gwadar. Apart from federal and provincial ministers, Chinese officials, Gwadar dignitaries and fishermen, relevant federal and provincial officials were also present on the occasion. Bizenjo said if the federal government did not focus on Balochistan, the condition of the province would not change in 100 years while it was gratifying that the prime minister had included Balochistan in the list of his priorities. The chief minister said in order to end Balochistan’s problems, its budgetary share was needed to be increased otherwise poverty could force Baloch people fell prey to the ill motives of external forces which had been creating unrest in the province. He said that we had have high expectations from the PM as he had worked for the development of Punjab. “We are sure that he would play an active role for the development of Balochistan, too,” he added.
Bizenjo said the PM’s visit to Gwadar was of utmost importance saying that the federal and provincial governments had been working together to promote the fisheries sector and implement various schemes for the welfare of fishermen. He said in order to make Gwadar Port a success, the process of development would be accelerated by creating a tax-free zone on the pattern of Chahbahar Port. He said development of Gwadar could help Pakistan progress and it would prove to be an industrial and commercial hub of the country in the future. The CM said that the total cost of the rehabilitation project of Gwadar Old Town was Rs 3305 million for which federal and provincial governments were providing funds on equal basis. “The provincial government had allocated Rs 1652 million for this project in the budget, while plans to connect different villages of Gwadar with Coastal Highway at a cost of Rs 900 million and to link different villages of the area with M-8 at a cost of Rs 700 million were included in the Provincial PSDP”, he mentioned. The CM said Rs 700 million were allocated for the provision of facilities in educational institutions of Gwadar, and upgradation of DHQ Gwadar. Scheme and plan for setting up of Soft-
ware Technology Park in Gwadar had also been included in the budget. The Assembly had legislated the formation of Fisheries Force and the government would provide 2,000 boat engines to the local fishermen, he added. He said that in maritime boundaries unnecessary check posts on uninterrupted trawling and national highways have been abolished. However, he requested the prime minister to remove unnecessary check posts of Customs and Coast Guard. He said regarding Balochistan government performance that more than 200 important decisions were approved through seven meetings saying that the Provincial Assembly passed 25 important bills. He said and added that a farmer card has been issued and green tractors were being provided to the deserving farmers through installments in order to enhance capacity of agriculture sector. He said that fair and transparent elections of local bodies have been held in the province. He said that the provincial government has issued health cards which will provide free treatment to1.8 million families up to Rs.1 million. He said that endowment fund has been set up at a cost of Rs. 2 billion for providing technical education to the youth of Balochistan, saying that Makran University and Agriculture College were
being set up in Panjgur for provision of higher education. The CM said that the provincial government had presented a budget of Rs.612 billion in which Rs.192 billion had been allocated for development projects out of which Rs 59 billion was kept for 3470 new development projects. He said that priority has been given to the sectors of communication, health and education in the provincial budget of the new financial year and thousands of new jobs have been created which would help in eliminating unemployment. He said that Balochistan was facing severe power shortage as agriculture and other sectors were experiencing difficulties due to nonavailability of electricity in the province as per its quota. However, due to shortage of electricity, crops and orchards were not getting adequate water. He urged the PM to pay special attention to resolve the power issue, adding that the Chaman-QuettaKarachi highway project was a fulfillment of the PM’s promise. He hoped that the PM would take all possible steps to ensure timely completion of the project to facilitate the people of Blaochistan. He also requested to the PM to resolve the issues of Sui Gas Lease and Border Trade as soon as possible. news desk
ICRC offers technical support to strength Pakistan’s health system
Pakistan mango exports can increase three folds: President PAHF
persons with disabilities, encourage their social inclusion, and enable a safer working environment for healthcare workers in the country. The minister assured the ICRC’s delegation of the support of the Ministry of National Health Services Regulation and Coordination for its humanitarian activities. The delegation informed the minister that the ICRC works with health authorities and local partners in Pakistan to bolster the country’s healthcare sector through a range of initiatives including strengthening of the continuum of care, provision of physical rehabilitation services and facilitating community first medical aid trainings. Under its HCID initiative, the ICRC is working to address the issue of violence against healthcare workers and facilities by promoting evidence-based initiatives in collaboration with government health departments, leading universities and public hospitals. The ICRC delegation Included Jamal Khan, Deputy Head of Delegation, Dr Mirwais Khan, Head of the Healthcare in Danger (HCID) Initiative, and Imad Aldibee, Program Manager for the ICRC’s Physical Rehabilitation program in Pakistan. The delegation was accompanied by Former Executive Director Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center, Dr. Seemin Jamali. news desk
Pakistan has potential to increase mango-exports three-folds as at present only 5 percent of total produce is exported. This was stated by President of Pakistan Agriculture and Horticulture Farms Shaikh Imtiaz Hussain on Friday, while speaking to the participants of Mango Festival at Clifton, Karachi, said a release. Sharing figures on Pakistan’s mango exports, Shaikh Imtiaz Hussain said that Pakistan exports around 100,000 tons of mangoes yearly valuing around $100 million per annum. This number could grow exponentially if we develop finished products with value addition. International Trade Centre’s export potential map tools had analyzed that Pakistan’s total mango exports had a potential to reach $277 million. He said Pakistan ranked globally among the top 10 producers of mangoes by Pakistan producing about 1.8 million tons annually but very unfortunately around 5% was being exported just because of controllable and uncontrollable losses. About the varieties of mangoes in Pakistan, he said Punjab and Sindh were the country’s two main mango growing provinces. Among the hundreds of varieties cultivated in Pakistan, only 25 to 30 are actually cultivated on a commercial scale. Some of the famous varieties are Chaunsa, Sindhri, Langra, Dausehri, Anwar Ratol, Saroli, Samar Bahisht, Tota Pari, Fajri, Neelum, Almas, Sunera, Desi and Lal Badshah. The most interesting part is that every variety is carries its unique taste and its unique aroma. President PAHF mentioned that Pakistan had potential in this sector, but climate change is inevitable and it is a matter of fact that Pakistan is experiencing recurring heatwaves and droughts. Pakistan is also declared as water-scarce country, whereas the agriculture sector uses over 90% of all available fresh water. This year Pakistan’s mango production has also declined by around 50% as the crop had been severely hit by unusually high temperatures and water shortages. ” We all should take measures to save this most amazing gift of nature that is nutritionally rich with juicy delicious flavor and soul-stirring fragrance,” he emphasized. app
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has offered its support to the government of Pakistan to facilitate in the capacity building of federal health institutions for improving the health system of the country. The support was offered by representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Pakistan during a meeting with Minister for Health, Abdul Qadir Patel on Friday to discuss collaboration on healthcare. The delegation also offered support to strengthen federal and provincial laws for the protection of healthcare, and to improve the provision of physical rehabilitation services across the country. Both sides also decided to further pursue a strengthened partnership and joint activities for improving the health indicators in the country with a special focus on persons with disabilities. The representatives of the ICRC apprised the minister about the ICRC’s humanitarian efforts in Pakistan, with a focus on its physical rehabilitation program as well as the need for increased protection of healthcare. Qadir Patel appreciated the humanitarian support provided by the ICRC over the years and reiterated the government’s commitment to provide universal health coverage to everyone in Pakistan. He emphasized the need to do more to facilitate
Special polio drive in high-risk Sindh UCs begins on June 27 Chief Secretary (CS) Sindh Dr Muhammad Sohail Rajput has said that after the emergence of polio cases in the country, every child entering the province would be vaccinated against the polio virus. He made these remarks while presiding over a review meeting on the polio campaign on Friday at Sindh Secretariat. The meeting was attended by Commissioner Karachi Muhammad Iqbal Memon, Provincial Coordinator for Emergency Operations Center Fayyaz Abbasi, EOC Sindh
Core team members, all Deputy Commissioners of Karachi and Hyderabad, representatives of UNICEF, WHO, and others. Provincial Coordinator for Emergency Operations Center Fayyaz Abbasi in the meeting said that a special campaign will be launched in Karachi and Hyderabad division and other high-risk districts of Sindh from 27th June. He said that 10 cases of poliovirus have been reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. In the campaign starting on Monday, 3.3
million children of High-Risk Union Councils of Karachi, Hyderabad, and other districts of Sindh will be vaccinated against poliovirus and more than 30,000 polio workers will take part in the campaign. Mr. Fayyaz Abbasi further added that Larkana, Sukkur, and Shaheed Benazirabad will also launch a special polio campaign in selected High-risk UCs on 29th June. Fayyaz Abbasi further said that in the last campaign more than 385,000 children
were vaccinated against the polio virus at the transit point of the province out of which 9010 children belonged to South KP. In the meeting, Chief Secretary Sindh Dr Muhammad Sohail Rajput said that all the children entering the province should be vaccinated against polio. “Though no case of poliovirus has been reported in Sindh for last 2 years we have to be more vigilant as population comes to Sindh from other provinces of the country and also from these affected
areas of South KPK. The Chief Secretary Sindh directed Commissioner Karachi to persuade the refusing parents to be vaccinated during the special campaign and also to engage the community and civil society of such parents in this regard. He asked all the Deputy Commissioners to monitor the polio campaign in the respective districts and inaugurate the campaign along with the political and social personalities there. news desk
06-07 Comments - 25th June 2022_Layout 1 6/25/2022 1:03 AM Page 1
Saturday, 25 June, 2022
06 COMMENT
Secret talks with the TTP
Wealth taxation Need for all to share common burden
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The Durand Line and the Pakhtunistan issue are involved
n order to reach a make-or-break deal with the iMF Pakistan urgently needs to raise more taxes. the common man is already suffering due to unprecedented inflation and it would be unjustified to further burden him with taxes. in the past, several amnesty schemes have been introduced to facilitate the privileged classes by enabling them to legalise their wealth. it is time for them to pay back when the country needs liquidity badly. Powerful interest groups that have managed to remain outside to tax net must be brought under it. among them is the rentier class that has made windfall gains from the real estate bubble but has continued to evade even minimal levels of taxation. after over 4000 individuals having $2 billion in bank accounts turned out to be non-resident Pakistanis, there is a need to change the definition of the term to include all those people in the tax net. the government’s decision to impose a new fixed-tax scheme on small traders outside of the tax net is a step in the right direction. it was in fact a measure long due but was being delayed on account of political opportunism displayed by successive governments. the progressive tax on the super rich is badly needed at a time when the gap between the richest and the poorest is on the increase. the 13 thriving industries that have been provided numerous facilities by the government to prosper, owe it to the nation to willingly pay the 10 percent super tax required to reduce the budget deficit. Umpteen times former PM imran khan lashed out at the governments led by his political rivals for sparing the rich when imposing taxes. He said it was his mission to tax those whose luxurious lifestyles did not match the amount of taxes they paid. as the coalition government makes the moneyed class share the common burden with the toiling masses, Pti is inciting the big business to refuse to be a part of the sacrifice being made by the rest of the country.
dr QaiSar raShid
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inCe its inception, Pakistan has been facing a challenge to foreign relations coming from the north western border. in the past, the threat of communist intrusion continued for decades unless 1989 ended the protracted afghan-Russian war. now, the threat is of intervention coming from an islamic militant organization called the tehrki-e-taliban Pakistan (ttP). the ttP traces its history to the Red Mosque issue in islamabad in July 2007. Military operations made the ttP go on the run and take refuge in afghanistan. in 2017, Pakistan started fencing the Pak-afghan border called the Durand Line, which originally stretches from Gilgit-Baltistan in the northeast to Baluchistan in the southwest (and joins the afghanistan-iran and Pakistan-iran borders). the objective of the fencing was to regulate the flow of people and goods from across the border. the ttP, however, considered the act of fencing as Pakistan’s effort to banish the organization permanently. the sense of exclusion chagrined the organization which retaliated by launching attacks on Pakistani soldiers patrolling along the fence. the ttP caused both annoyance and offence perturbing Pakistan. in its recent talks to Pakistan’s military officials, the ttP put a list of demands. One of the demands was to pull up the fence and open the Pak-afghan border, making it as unhindered and un-
A Daniel come to judgement Mr Justice Faez Isa deserves being cleared
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aW Minister azam nazeer tarar has assured allegations of the supreme Court Bar associaiton and the Pakistgan Bar Council that he would ask the Cabinet to be allowed to withdraw the curative review petition that was filed by the previous government against the decision by thesupreme Court, dismissing the presidential referennce filed against Mr Justice Qazi Faerz isa. Mr tarar’s assurance is welcome, for the petition showed the previous government as worrying like a dog with a bone at mr justice isa’s issue, refusing to accept that it was in the wrong. it is perhaps indicative that the case is the one specific instance where ousted PM imran khan has admitted that he was badly advised. that bad advice resulted in painful hearings of the supreme Judicial Council and the supreme Court for Mr Justice isa, and difficult appearances for his wife. the supreme Court decision against the reference should have ended the episode, but whoever was responsible for the original reference was not ready to give up so easily. the reason for this shows that there is all the more reason for the last vestige of this case to be cleared. Mr Justice Fazez isa has legitimate expectancy to become the next Chief Justice of Pakistan, in september 2023, when the incumbent, Mr Justice Umar ata Bandial, retires. apart from the importance of ensuring that Mr Justice isa enters upon office free of any legal proceedings, it is important for the independence of judiciary that there should be no tool available to the government which it can somehow use as a Damocles’ sword over the head of the Chief Justice of Pakistan. apart from a bundle of litigation with political implications which is presently piled up, much of the litigation necessitated by the next general election, including appeals against decisions by election tribunals on election petitions, will come up before a supreme Court headev by Mr Justice isa. it would do to have anything that could give even the semblance of impropriety. the matter, which even the initiator admits was a mistake, should be buried forever.
Why the nation has not become one
Sarmad Sattar
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akistan’s original enigma: a thoroughly impeccably westernized, secular barrister with Victorian manners who promised the subcontinent’s Muslims a separate homeland; that they would finally be able to fulfill their cultural and civilizational outgrowth. Perhaps, Mr Jinnah, your idealism, your aspirations, your dedication, your activism, and your sacrifices are writ large on every page of the inspiring saga of that struggle. We as a nation have travelled too far or maybe not far enough, from your vision of what Pakistan could be- a nation of faith, unity and discipline. You had also played a clinching role in winning the desperate battle of Pakistan for sheer survival in her formative years. Fortuitously though, the young people today comprise over half of the country’s population. starved of opportunities and plagued by pessimism, we feel bottled up and frustrated and trapped in a world where only the rich and well-connected thrive. Yet, remember, the choice to make or mark the future is in your hands. But we portray no signs of loyalty to the values he ordained; unity, faith and discipline were the golden values that Quaid-e-azam Muhmmad ali Jinnah gave us, and the creation of Pakistan paved its way on these intrinsic doctrinal values. We seem to have lost those values. Core values that make us, us. We seem to have compromised on our adopted national motto by the country’s founder. Four months after the emergence of Pakistan on
Arif Nizami (Late) Founding Editor
Yousaf Nizami M. A. Niazi
Umar Aziz
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Forgotten values
Dedicated to the legacy of late Hameed Nizami
Editor Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad
guarded as it used to be. the demand is not acceptable to Pakistan, the Parliament of which considers that demands be brought before it for discussion and decision. no negotiations taking place secretly or any agreement reached clandestinely with the military would be considered legitimate and effective. the Durand Line is the border that Pakistan inherited from British india. along with that, Pakistan also inherited the issue of Pakhtunistan, which aspired for Pakistan’s Pakhtun region joining afghanistan’s Pakhtun region. the dream was a threat to Pakistan’s integration. the communist regimes in kabul were loath to accept the existence of the Durand Line as the legitimate border. this was one of reasons for the popularity of the communist thought in northwest areas inhabited by the Pakhtuns. Before Partition (for example in april 1932), Peshawar experienced a bloodbath when the British came down heavily on a Pakhtun gathering reeking of a pro-communist drive. Pakistan remained distrustful of the role of the communist regimes controlling kabul. Pakistan perceived them fomenting trouble in its northwest. though in august 1976, on his official visit to islamabad, afghanistan’s President sardar Mohammad Daud khan recognized the Durand Line as an international border between afghanistan and Pakistan, the border kept on nurturing differences. Between the lines lingered on the issue of Pakhtunistan. even the government of afghan Mujahideen, who were supported by Pakistan and who took over kabul in 1992 after the end of a civil war (19891992), refused to recognize the Durand Line as a legitimate international border. the same was the attitude of the taliban who took over kabul in 1996. each time, Pakistan was disillusioned at the turn of events but Pakistan felt relief in the fact that the governments in kabul were not antagonistic to Pakistan. in place of communists in kabul, islamists were considered a better choice to dilute the issue of Pakhtunistan. the existence of the tribal belt as Federally administered tribal area (Fata) remained a lifeline for any controversy surrounding the Durand Line. the Fata was a lawless region and a hub of smuggled goods, which were supplied to the rest of the country at the cost of the existence of the local industry. Moreover, to the consternation of many, the Fata became a refuge for fugitive criminals and stolen vehicles from across the rest of the country. Further, the
Fata also earned notoriety for supplying illegal local or foreign weapons to the rest of the country. the Fata’s ungovernable standing posed a challenge of existence to Pakistan, which had been going through the ordeal of the War on terror. Forces of the Usa and of its allies were targeting Fata to destroy any hideouts of al-Qaeda. On 27 March 2009, through his af-Pak strategy, Us President Barack Obama declared Fata part of afghanistan for operational purposes. Whether or not the strategy worked on the ground, the approach alerted Pakistan on the future of the Fata. Further, the strategy offered an implied forthcoming formidable challenge to Pakistan’s sovereignty. Consequently, Pakistan became willing to launch military operations in south and north Waziristan at a heavy cost in terms of both men and material. this was a time for Pakistan to decide on the future of the Fata. Pakistan knew that the dissolution of the Fata would instigate an outcry in the Pakhtun belt but there was no other option. On 31 May 2018, through the 25th Constitutional amendment, the Fata merged with khyber Pakhtunkhwa. By 5 January 2022, except for only around 20 km, Pakistan had completed fencing the Pak-afghan border, part of the Durand Line. now, there is no going back. the ttP is fighting a losing battle. On 15 august 2021, the taliban returned to power in kabul. the taliban are also disputing the legitimacy of the Durand Line. siding with the ttP, the taliban soldiers have also been trying to remove the fence. this is a point of concern for Pakistan. the taliban and the ttP have to understand that the Durand Line was not of Pakistan’s making. after the fall of Dacca on 16 December 1971, Pakistan has become sensitive to the issues of separatism that could harm its integrity. Pakistan no more sees a slogan soaked in separatism as the democratic right of a person, group, or community. Pakistan considers it a conspiracy hatched to disintegrate it further. Pakistan’s sensitivity is understandable and should be respected. in short, the era of unhindered to-and-fro movement across the Pak-afghan border (part of the Durand Line) is over. the Fata is now governable through khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. the ttP cannot use its taliban leverage to dictate its terms to Pakistan. it is better to bring Parliament into the picture on talks with the ttP.
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the world's map, on 28 December 1947, the Quaid instilled a message to the youth of his time, and said: "We are going through fire: the sunshine has yet to come. But i have no doubt that with Unity, Faith and Discipline we will compare with any nation of the world. are you prepared to undergo the fire? You must make up your minds now. We must sink individualism and petty jealousies and make up our minds to serve the people with honesty and faithfulness. We are passing through a period of fear, danger, and menace. We must have faith, unity and discipline." needless to say, Pakistan till date, continues to wonder what kind of state it wants to be. the nation’s founders themselves were in a disagreement, with the Quaid himself being suspected of being a secular person. He announced his motto; Unity, Faith, Discipline, soon after the formation of the state in 1947; but his Muslim League companions were not satisfied with what it meant. Where was islam in it, the religion of the people who were to live in this new state? if ‘faith’ was islam why was it placed secondary to ‘unity’? in the years that followed the Quaid’s death, they tinkered with his motto, laying the foundation of self-doubt that continues to haunt the state today. in today’s day and age, the rhetoric of unity, faith and discipline is only limited to the metallic crescent surrounding the star inscribed with sayings of the Founding Father of Pakistan at the Jinnah Monument in islamabad aka Pakistan Monument and the three marble swords inscribed in karachi; perhaps, its -significance. today, we pride ourselves (and alter egos) in being sindhi, Punjabi, seraiki, Baloch, Pashtun, Mohajir, shia, sunni, ahmedi, etc., not Pakistanis. What sustains this evil is a profile of weakened democracy that empowers the Rajas, nawabs, khan Bahadurs, sardars, and Chaudhrys. suffering from eternal political short-sightedness, with self-serving ambitions has reverted us to the pre- partition culture of cronyism. Unity does not lie only where the situation is in your favour but actually lies where situations are against you but you prove to be on the right track through your collective and consistent efforts towards the matter. the prevalent deplorable state of affairs in our country is an old testament of how united we are as a country. the Quaid dreamt of see-
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ing this nation just like a fist because no evil force can ever defeat a fist but an individual. in islam all the Muslims are brethren to each other, is now what resides in the books of history; perhaps, in practice, it finds no expression. the rising number of religious and ethnic political parties manifests a refusal to imbibe the concept of a ‘one true nation', the single biggest failure of Pakistanis as a whole. We must resolve today, to join hands in building a more prosperous, more just and tolerant Pakistan. they say that if you are not part of the solution, then you are part of the problem itself. How long can we all sit and watch our country constantly being referred to as the most dangerous place on planet earth? How long can we watch our own people killing each other and being killed, all in the name of religion which seems remote to those of us who see our religion as a religion of peace, promoting harmony and a religion that teaches you tolerance? While we cannot remain indifferent to the current crisis, we should stand up and be counted as the conscious voice in support of our country in the spirit of one united Pakistan. this is not only the time for renewing our commitment to the concept, the idea of Pakistan but also, first and foremost to recognize the foresight and vision of our founding fathers in declaring the quest for Pakistan. Moderation should be brought in, and one could argue with the society that we have today much represents the only form of moderation one could hope to ever see fulfilled in this country but does the abandonment of the very basis of its formation make even the inkling of sense? in today's world too, we need to be more united and disciplined, with unflinching faith in ourselves as a nation. One would do good to call upon the wisdom of the stoic Roman emperor, Marcus aurelius, a stoic philosopher, who was the living embodiment of what Plato called “the Philosopher king”, in the Republic, the book that effectively founded Political science. One of aurelius’ most quoted ideas are, “Of each particular thing ask: what is it in itself? What is its nature?”. Pakistan needs to go through a similar dissection, where does this problem really start and is there an underlying mutilated fact in its foundations, perhaps a lingering white elephant in the room that no one in the country wants to face. The writer is a lawyer based in Lahore.
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COMMENT 07 Editor’s mail Send your letters to: Letters to Editor, Pakistan today, 4-Shaarey Fatima Jinnah, Lahore, Pakistan. E-mail: letters@pakistantoday.com.pk Letters should be addressed to Pakistan today exclusively
Kolahoo - A neglected village
Freedom of expression or hurting the feelings of others The blasphemy in India sheds a harsh light on all blasphemers
mUhammad aLi aLVi
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He blasphemy committed by BJP politicians Jindal kumar and and nupur sharma is not a first in recent times in this modern world. a so-called modern and civilized world where disgrace of sacred personalities of other religions is allowed and is considered as a right in the name of freedom of speech, but has no understanding of ethics, morality, and basic human values to respect the feelings and passions of other people. the concept of freedom of speech, especially in a religious context, is a byproduct that keeps on evolving in the modern Western world with the separation of religion from the state after the Renaissance. in the modern world adaptation of religion as a personal or private affair and limiting of the role of religion due to the stationary, rigid, irrational, and illogical behavior of the religious representatives developed an approach of revolt and protest against religious personalities. in this perspective, the lack of importance of religion in daily life, confinement of the role of their religious leaders in all spheres, and shift in the goals of life from spiritual to the material, the so-called human society has been deprived of all rational and human values. this attitude encourages others to disgrace other religions and their religious personalities in the name of freedom of expression and speech. But the West should never forget that the devotion of a Muslim to his religion, religious personality, and sacred text is different and distinctive from the followers of all other religions from the very first day up till now. a Muslim may be non-practicing but cannot listen to a single word against, and cannot bear any disgrace of, his religious beliefs and sacred personalities. Why is it so easy for someone to utter blasphemy against the Holy Prophet (PBUH)? Why do the blasphemers not bother to consider the sentiments of the billions of Muslims around the world? From Mahashe Rajpal to salman Rushdi and taslima nasreen to nupur sharma and Jindal kumar the blasphemers keep emerging, committing blasphemy and hurting the sentiments of the Muslims. Hurting the feelings and sentiments of the followers of islam, which is the second largest religion of the world, is it a freedom of expression and speech? so,the state of anguish often created by the blasphemers as a result of the unbridled power
to speak pleads to the policymakers around the globe that there should be a universal approach to end blasphemy around the globe. Mocking other religions, their beliefs,practices, and committing blasphemy against the sacred personalities is by no means an expression of freedom of speech. no doubt tauhid (oneness) of the almighty is the first and the basic belief in islam. But all teachings of islam revolve around the concept of prophecy and finality of prophethood (PBUH). Because for a Muslim the source of faith, conviction and belief on all teachings and practices of islam is only the Holy Prophet (PBUH). the Quran says: “You n ever raise your voices louder than the Holy Prophet (PBUH). the tone of your voices must be lower than Him (PBUH) because of His(PBUH) respect and dignity. Otherwise your whole good deeds would be wasted because of your loud speaking. When our Prophet calls you, rush and run towards Him (PBUH) leaving all things, even religious practices”. Baad az khuda Buzurg toi qissa mukhtasar (How one can explain your greatness, i can only say that after the almighty, all the greatness and prestige is only for you).(Rumi) allama iqbal expressed his deep love for the Holy Prophet (PBUH) in his Persian verse in the following words: “Ba khuda deewana bash, waley ba Mustafa (PBUH) hoshyar bash“ (if you disobey the almighty, He may forgive you, but your disobedience in respect of Holy Prophet (PBUH) will not be forgiven by the almighty. He further says that if you want to be a Muslim the only criteria is obedience, submissiveness, respect, love, and sacrifice for the respect, dignity, mission and message of the Holy Prophet (PBUH). One should think rationally, humanly and impartially that how is it possible for the followers of this religion to accept any sign of disgrace in respect of their Prophet (PBUH). For a Muslim, the sacrifice of everything for the sake of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) is first and the last a religious obligation. But despite knowing the importance of the Prophet (PBUH) for the Muslims what prompts a blasphemer to commit such an impious act? is it only the illusion of freedom of speech? is it a natural instinct? there can be several reasons for blasphemers to commit such an unsacred act. But three reasons are at the core of the act. 1) the illusion of social, political, religious, cultural, racial, in-
tellectual superiority or hegemony. 2) Weak resistance, reaction, and repulsion to the act. 3) Hidden motives a blasphemer considers himself religiously, culturally, racially, and intellectually superior and thinks that it is his right to mock the religion, pass derogatory remarks, and commit blasphemy. the response to this sinful act is the other thing. typically, the response of the states depends on the relations with the state of the blasphemer. although people protest rigorously, the response of the states is motivated by existing relations. salman Rushdie committed blasphemy but was protected and never punished by the British government. not only that, he was later honoured for his service to literature. the question here is how a blasphemer can be honored in that way hurting the sentiments of the billions of Muslims. the British government did not take into account the sentiments of Muslims around the globe. While the reaction of Muslim states to this incident is another story. the reaction to such incidents usually consists of protests, sitins, and rallies in different states but that does not make any difference. But, the reaction has always lacked a solid collective approach. all the Muslim states should respond collectively, unitedly, effectively and actively against the country of the blasphemer at least in the boycott of the products of that country and breaking the diplomatic relationship. the blasphemy committed recently in india justifies the third reason mentioned above. the hidden motives are sometimes the real reason behind these acts which the governments use to pursue their agendas. though the act was committed by two people, the whole indian government is benefiting from it. it is the duty of enlightened intellectuals all over the world from all the religions to build up a culture of co-existence and develop a sense of interfaith harmony among their followers. islam is the second largest religion of the world. its followers are estimated at 1.8 billion. More than 24 percent of the world population identify themselves as Muslims. islam is the official religion in 26 countries in asia, sub-saharan africa, north africa, and the Middle east. so peace will always be at risk unless these shameful incidents are discouraged entirely.
Islam is the second largest religion of the world. Its followers are estimated at 1.8 billion. More than 24 percent of the world population identify themselves as Muslims. Islam is the official religion in 26 countries in Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa, and the Middle East. So peace will always be at risk unless these shameful incidents are discouraged entirely
The writer is President of the International Turkic Academy
kOLaHOO is a small village located in Balochistan 120 km away from turbat which requires basic facilities such as electricity crisis, no hospital, broken road and quality education. However, road kolahoo to turbat has been under construction for a long time and also it, as a result, all the traffic. their people take more than two hours to reach turbat for their treatment. if one emergency case will their people take time to reach turbat whether the patient would die. Many budgets have been passed to make the road but still, it is the same condition. Many pregnant women have lost their lives due to these broken roads. the road kolahoo to turbat gives a headache, the fine person will be unfine. if a person travels turbat to kolahoo they will be desperately and be lazy because this journey will make them ill. these are conditions of the road how people are being killed by roads. Furthermore, everybody knows how education is essential in today’s world. a primary school just having two classrooms with two teachers, but teachers are not punctual with their duty though there is not any girls school. everyone knows how girls education is important in our society but unfortunately, in our area girls education is being ignored. Girls are working at home and their wishes are being. every girl in the area wants to get the education they have an interest on education. in our area, girls are having wonderful talent, but there are being ignored. Many girls are interested in making pictures, singing songs and more. in fact, in our area of kolahoo teachers are like students one day they come and the second day they are lost, how can our nation develop? in fact, school facilities are not available such as bathrooms and clean drinking water. in our area, people are travelling to another city for getting quality education as i am one of a student of theirs. i came to turbat to get a quality education to make the future bright. these are the conditions of kolahoo schools and how girls talent and interest are being ignored in our area. Moreover, the hospital is also a big issue in our area because there is a lack of hospitals and doctors. in our area, we are suffering a number of problems due to the lack of hospitals. in area if we have small sick then we have to travel turbat for better treatment then surely they have to travel the worst road which makes the fine people unfine. if we get good hospitals we won’t travel to another city for treatment. in our area people. On another side, electricity is the main circumstance in our area. electricity was given to us in 2011 but unfortunately now a year ago there is no electricity in our area. their people are facing a lot of problems then the people are compelled to buy solar to get water and do small farming. if the rain will be there then electricity is lost for ten months and any more days or months. More importantly, every people can’t buy solar it is a big problem for those who can’t afford to buy solar to get light and do farming. if there will not electricity surely there people will face a number of problems. a year ago electricity had gone still they are lost and did not come back. HAMMAL ZAHID KOLAHOO
Politics on Inflation tHe unpredicted and unwelcome return of rapid price increases has reshaped the political landscape with stark consequences for the PDM agenda. the Pakistani people now believe that inflation is the most important issue facing the economy and the country, and they don’t think that this current coalition government is paying attention to it. this explains why so many Pakistanis disapprove of PM shahbaz's economic performance—and why it is undermining his 11 parties coalition government. inflation is always and everything a monetary phenomenon resulting from, and accompanied by a rise in the quantity of money relative to output. inflation has plunged countries into long periods of instability. Politicians have won elections with promises to combat inflation, only to lose power after failing to do so. inflation was even declared Public enemy no. 1 in the United states—by President Gerald Ford in 1974. inflation is associated with more than just economics and electability. it is also linked to political instability. the historical record contains many cases where inflation went hand in hand with major political realignments, coups and even bloody revolutions. this history is worth keeping in mind as countries throughout the world grapple with spiraling prices. in Pakistan, all the political parties have been using 'inflation' as their political campaign. During previous government, the opposition of that time, PDM started political activities against imran khan's government. they held Mahngai Mukao March, Cycle March, tractor March to protect against inflation and to dethrone Pti government. Moreover, no confidence motion was brought out against Mr. khan and he was ousted successfully. When shahbaz sharif of Pakistan Democratic Movement (11 parties coalition) takes over the chair, the biggest challenge before him was to deal with rising inflation. Moreover, it was also PDM's campaign against previous government. But after coming into power, the Coalition government did contrary to what it had promised to the people for reducing the inflation rate and petroleum products prices. PDM government increased patrol prices up to 84 per liter that had once held couple of Mengai Marches in month of march before ousting Pti government in the Centre. after the couple of price hikes, coalition government then blamed the Pti government had fixed the petrol and diesel prices in violation of its promise with the international Monetary Fund (iMF) and now Pakistan could not receive the iMF loan without increasing the prices of petroleum products. in March 2022, the former Pti government gave a Rs38 billion subsidy on fuel, whereas, it planned to purchase oil from Russia at 30 per cent less price as compared to the global market. it may be noted here that india is already purchasing oil from Russia at a lower price. Due to the increase in the petroleum prices, the inflation rate measured by the sensitive Price index (sPi) in Pakistan increased by 3.38 per cent in comparison to the previous week. after Finance Minister Miftah ismail made the announcement to increase the fuel prices on Wednesday, saying that the move is to reduce the fiscal deficit and revive loan support from the international Monetary Fund (iMF), protest rallies and dharnas were carried out in parts of sindh, resenting the hike in fuel prices. the protestors said a rise in petrol price will only lead to steeper inflation making the life of lower strata people more miserable. the protestors also threatened to intensify the stir if measures were not taken to control this spiralling inflation.the prices of high-speed diesel (HsD), petrol, kerosene, and light diesel oil (LDO) have gone up by a massive 83pc, 56pc, 73pc, and 68.4pc respectively, since May 26. SYED TAHIR RASHDI SHAHDADPUR
08 WORLD VIEW June 25_Layout 1 6/24/2022 11:12 PM Page 1
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08 WORLD VIEW
A new Age of globAl wAr AS FAR BACK AS IS KNOWN, EMPIRES HAVE USED WAR TO SUBJUGATE PEOPLES, AND CLASHED WITH EACH OTHER. AND THE WINNERS TOOK WHAT THEY WANTED, WHETHER IN THE FORM OF SLAVES, GOLD OR TERRITORY New StateSmaN MargarEt MacMillan
“Y
ou may not be interested in war,” trotsky said, “but war is interested in you.” We in the more fortunate parts of the world are learning that hard lesson again as we watch the fighting in ukraine. Some of the stories emerging from the conflict could have come from wars in any place at any time: the arrogant and overconfident invaders, heroic resistance, attacks and counter-attacks, siege warfare, ordinary citizens taking up arms, the invaders committing atrocities against civilians. Images of ukrainian soldiers in their trenches recall the First World War. the middle-aged woman who confronted the first Russian soldiers to arrive in her town with a curse that their bones would rest in ukraine’s soil could have come from the trojan wars. Yet this is a conflict of the 21st century too. We are learning more about weapons such as killer drones and thermobaric rockets. Social media is becoming an instrument of war as ukrainians use it to spot and report the movements of Russian troops and as both sides try to disseminate their own narratives – the ukrainians far more skilfully than the Russians. When I look out of my apartment in toronto, I wonder how the neighbouring buildings would look with their windows blown out and their balconies crumbling. I can imagine southern ontario, which looks like parts of ukraine that I see in videos, with trenches or ruined Russian tanks, our young people with weapons and the rest of us sheltering in basements, and all of us wondering how it came to this. And as we watch, we are realising that this war could easily spread and escalate. Russia has not yet attacked territories encompassed by the Nato treaty such as Poland and the Baltic states, but the Kremlin has made dark threats, and they are becoming more explicit. In February, when the war started, Vladimir Putin warned the West of “consequences greater than any you have faced in history” if it intervened. on 1 May Dmitry Kiselyov, a host on the main channel of Russian state television, boasted that Russian nuclear torpedoes could set off a giant tsunami that would engulf Britain and Ireland. the third World War, a possibility that few people outside military and strategic think tanks have taken seriously since the end of the Cold War, is now the subject of anxious discussion among more and more of us. the nuclear arsenals of today are terrifying, with warheads many times more powerful than the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. Yes, the Cold War ended without a nuclear exchange between the superpowers, but that was partly a matter of luck. We now know how close we came to the brink in the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, and how mistakes – a training tape being fed into the wrong machine for example, or technicians mistaking flocks of birds for incoming missiles – nearly led to one side or the other launching its bombers and missiles. After the crisis the Soviet union and the united States established a hotline to ensure
that their leaders could get in touch as quickly as needed. Are our communications as good today? And are we prepared for the errors or incidents which, as we know from the past, can start wars? War did not have to come to Europe in 1914, but the assassination of the heir to the Austrian throne in Sarajevo provided Austria-Hungary with the excuse it needed to destroy Serbia and set in train a series of decisions that led to the catastrophe of the Great War. What if Russia hits targets in Nato countries by mistake or weapons from the West destroy Russian towns or cities? We are shocked by the re-emergence of an evil we thought was firmly in the past. Yet war did not vanish after the end of the Second World War; indeed there has been one somewhere every year since 1945. It only disappeared for those of us living in peaceful parts of the world. Sometimes our militaries fought wars, but for the most part peoples living in the West were not affected directly. the Americas, most of Europe, large parts of Asia, Africa and the Pacific have enjoyed the Long Peace and come to think of war as a relic of the past, or that it is only fought today in faraway places. Even the violent breaking apart of Yugoslavia in the 1990s was explained as a result of “age-old hatreds” among peoples in the Balkans. the type of war being fought seemed different too. Many were wars of national liberation against an imperial power – think of Algeria between 1956 and 1962 or the wars in Indochina from 1946 to 1975. others were civil wars or armed insurrections, as in Nigeria, Northern Ireland or Peru; and in the 21st century there were wars in the name of humanitarian intervention or regime change, as in Afghanistan, Iraq or Libya. unlike the first half of the 20th century or before, there were relatively few state-tostate wars fought by coalitions. In the India and Pakistan wars, the conflicts between Israel and its neighbours, or the Iran-Iraq War of the 1980s, other powers had their favourites but did not intervene directly. the knowledge that direct confrontation could bring about their mutually assured destruction kept an uneasy peace between the superpowers of the united States and the Soviet union. the world still came close on occasion to all-out nuclear war, sometimes as the result of avoidable mistakes, so we should not be overly nostalgic for the Cold War. We are being forced to recognise, however, that our world has become dangerously unstable. the weapons may be more deadly, but the challenges for those who want peace are old. As far back as is known, empires have used war to subjugate peoples, and clashed with each other. And the winners took what they wanted, whether in the form of slaves, gold or territory. the Lion of Venice sculpture in St Mark’s Square, many of the great paintings in the Louvre, or the treasures of the Summer Palace in Beijing – which would come out on mess nights in British regiments – have all been the spoils of war. In Europe the rise of the strong central state expanded its countries’ capacity for war and, too often, the willingness on the part of its rulers to wage it. Louis XIV made war for his own glory, to increase his kingdom through conquest or to protect French industry and trade against competition (what David Hume called “jealousy of trade”). these were not considered by his contempo-
raries to be illegitimate grounds for fighting. By the 19th century, rulers talked more of the needs of the state or the nation, but glory, land and commerce remained part of those needs. the acquisitions of empire around the world, accompanied as they often were by savage colonial wars against less well-armed inhabitants, were seen as a measure of a nation’s power and influence and a way of ensuring control over resources and markets. Few were as blunt as Bismarck, the Prussian then German statesman, who made a famous speech in 1862 before the series of wars in which he created modern Germany. “the position of Prussia,” he stated, “will not be determined by its liberalism but by its power.” Prussia, he went on to say, needed better borders and those would not be determined by negotiations with its neighbours, but by “iron and blood”. Yet as the world changed, with the spread of democracy and the idea that peoples were not subjects but citizens whose wishes must be respected, even Bismarck tried to find a cover for his wars by claiming to be responding to the will of the German people. In 1867, as relations between France and his new North German Confederation worsened, he declared, “If a nation feels its honour has been violated, then this honour has in fact been violated and appropriate action must ensue.” When the new Germany took the French provinces of Alsace and Lorraine in 1871 after its victory over France, German nationalists argued that their inhabitants were German and were simply being restored to their rightful nation. In the 19th and 20th centuries, as the world became globalised and war became deadlier, the powers attempted to establish a global legal regime. the International Court of Arbitration, established in 1923 for settling disputes between nations, was intended to forestall war. the Geneva and Hague conventions were an attempt to control armed conflict and limit its impact on those caught up in it. A series of disarmament conferences and agreements throughout the middle of the
19th century, which the historian EH Carr described as an attempt to “war-proof” international life, had also tried to blunt the onward march of science and technology as they made war more lethal. Later, the 1928 Pact of Paris, also known as the Briand-Kellogg Pact, bound its signatories to renounce war as “an instrument of national policy” (it remains a ghostly reminder of all the hopes that have come to nothing). the League of Nations and its successor the united Nations were more ambitious attempts still to rid the world of war altogether. And yet we now talk of a third world conflict and witness a war of conquest in ukraine. Vladimir Putin uses history to justify his war. In this, at least, he is reflecting the times. As the acceptability of other grounds – dynastic claims, religious missions or, until recently, successful conquest – has receded, claims based on the past have become the dominant excuse for military aggression. In the largely secular world history has become both judge and justification. Nations claim lands on the basis that their ancestors once lived there, sometimes even centuries before. At the Paris Peace Conference, which began in January 1919 and attempted to conclude the First World War, many of the delegations included historians, who worked out elaborate cases to support the claims of their governments. Greece and Italy both went back to the classical age to make their arguments, while the states emerging out of the disintegration of empires in the centre of Europe cited the periods when they were at their greatest extent. Even Saddam Hussein, when he tried to annex Kuwait in 1991, drew on dubious history to claim that it belonged to Iraq. China used history to justify its seizure of tibet and is using it again with taiwan. Now there is Putin. In his speeches over recent years and the long essay he wrote in the summer of 2021, he goes back to the historical state of Kyivan Rus’ – and the conversion of its ruler, his namesake Vladimir, to Christianity at the end of the 10th century – to argue that ukrainians and Russians are one people and
always have been. He also refers to his predecessors Peter the Great and Stalin with regret for the lands that they once controlled and have since been lost. Perhaps he even takes his own arguments seriously. In his hands history has become a weapon of war. But even Putin now seems to be abandoning the attempt to make a plausible history to support his claims. His narrative has shifted so wildly that it no longer makes any sense. Russian troops, so the Kremlin and its mouthpieces said at the start of the invasion, were coming to free the innocent ukrainian people from the drug-addicted Nazis and anti-Semites who controlled their government. But in recent weeks the story has changed dramatically. the ukrainian people are the criminals too. those resisting the Russian invasion are Nazis and need to be punished and reformed. the more wildly implausible the stories become, the less useful the past becomes. So all Putin – and those who will inevitably copy him – is left with is brute force. As thucydides said, “the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must.” What Russia has broken, among much else in its war on ukraine, are international norms – those unwritten yet powerful understandings that govern human behaviour and that can matter as much as more formal agreements. An understanding has existed since 1945 that conquest never justifies itself and that borders should not be changed by force, but only with the consent of those who live there, the acquiescence of the bigger powers and uN approval. that norm was breached when Putin took Crimea and recognised breakaway regions of Georgia and eastern ukraine, and when Donald trump recognised Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, taken from Syria in the 1967 war. Each breach weakens the norm still further. As the Kenyan ambassador to the uN, Martin Kimani, said when Russia invaded ukraine, almost all the countries in Africa came out of colonial empires, their borders drawn by foreigners who divided ethnic groups and largely ignored geography. Yet, he said, “we agreed that we would settle for the borders that we inherited, but we would still pursue continental political, economic and legal integration”. Will others be so wise? there are few borders in the world that cannot be contested and Putin has set a dangerous example, especially if he succeeds in seizing part of ukraine. He and his accomplices can do whatever historical fancy dress they choose, but that will not be enough to cover naked aggression. In a way that Bismarck would recognise, Putin has shown that he considers war a usable tool of state. It matters little that this tool has, so far, proved ineffective. It is the precedent that counts. Will other powers – perhaps China with taiwan, or the uS if it recovers its enthusiasm for regime change – be tempted to make war a policy option? In 1914 Europeans thought that war was something they did not do any more. they were too advanced a civilisation and their countries so intertwined economically that it did not make sense for them to fight. In 1939 they were wiser and more apprehensive about the possibility of war. We may be moving in our thinking from 1914 to 1939. If so, like the democracies then, we will find ourselves taking preparations for war more seriously. Governments and their voters will have to make difficult and unpalatable choices about raising taxes, redirecting expenditures, and ensuring that industry can produce the materials their military forces need. We are going to have to think, more seriously than we have done, about how to shore up the international order. Remember, war is interested in you.
A law to criminalize journalists is an affront to freedom of the press Haaretz
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Editorial
t turns out that efforts to undermine freedom of the press aren’t the exclusive province of the rightist parties in the opposition. Parties in the governing coalition also want to restrict the public’s right to know. MK Eitan Ginzburg (Kahol Lavan), with the support of the chairman of the Knesset’s Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, MK Gilad Kariv (Labor), wants to pass a law at lightning speed to prevent the media from photographing suspects anywhere on court premises. that would alter the current practice, which allows the media to photograph
GINZBURG AND KARIV DON’T WANT THE PUBLIC TO SEE ELECTED OFFICIALS AND CIVIL SERVANTS WHO ARE SUSPECTED OF CORRUPTION BEING BROUGHT TO COURT FOR BAIL HEARINGS people being brought for bail hearings if the case has public importance. But Ginzburg is going even further than that by seeking to include criminal penalties in the bill. It states that publishing a photo of a suspect in court will constitute a violation of privacy and carry a maximum penalty of five years in jail. this is a direct and blatant attack on freedom of the press. Ginzburg and Kariv don’t want the public to see elected officials and civil servants who are suspected of cor-
ruption being brought to court for bail hearings – or, for example, suspected sex offenders, although publishing their pictures could lead to additional complaints against them. the bill doesn’t distinguish between someone suspected of a minor assault and someone accused of corruption or murder. Admittedly, it’s disturbing that pictures of people who were arrested remain online and will come up in every future search even if the cases against them are ultimately closed. the right to be forgotten requires an
in-depth public discussion, but not at the price of preventing press coverage and photographs from the courts. It’s not clear why Ginzburg and Kariv have opted to turn journalists into criminals instead of focusing on the battle against corruption, oversight of the law enforcement system and further legislation against organized crime. It’s also not clear why Kariv, in a highly unusual move, decided not to invite representatives of media outlets and press associations to the
committee’s first hearing on the bill. Kariv would do better to devote the efforts of the important committee he chairs to advancing laws that truly help the public, instead of investing time and energy in undermining the principle of transparency, freedom of the press and media operations while also protecting people suspected of even the gravest crimes by preventing their disgrace from being shown in public. It must be hoped that this bill will be removed from the agenda immediately.
Saturday, 25 June, 2022 | ISLAMABAD
NEWS
09
BuSinESS LEadErS froM Saudi, Kuwait diSCuSS KE iSSuES with PM
corporate corner
ISLAMABAD
Hysab Kytab CEO Yasir Ilyas briefs media about importance of savings and investments across Pakistan and worldwide at JBS House. Pakistan’s leading fintech Hysab Kytab has become a top platform for personal financial management in Pakistan within a couple of years with the number of users surging to over 700,000 in 160 countries. pr
MPCL hosts Corporate Briefing Session Mari Petroleum Company Limited (MPCL) held a Corporate Briefing Session at its Head Office in Islamabad on Friday, in partnership with the Foundation Securities (Pvt) Ltd. A large number of market analysts, members of the brokerage houses, shareholders, and employees attended the session in person as well as virtually on MS Teams. The Managing Director/CEO MPCL, Mr. Faheem Haider briefed the participants about the Company’s business operations including recent achievements, on-going exploration, production and development projects, financial performance and future plans. A Q&A session followed during which the Managing Director and other member of the senior management replied to the participants’ queries regarding different aspects of the Company’s business operations and ongoing projects. The Managing Director appreciated PSX for introducing the corporate briefing sessions, which provide an excellent platform for communication between the companies and the wider financial community. He thanked all the stakeholders for their continued support to MPCL and assured that the Company will continue its admirable legacy of ensuring food and energy security of the Country and contribution towards socio-economic development through its sustainable operations. pr
Japanese navy Conducts drills with Pakistan navy
Karachi: Japanese Maritime Self Defence Force (JMSDF) Ship HARUSAME visited Karachi port. Upon arrival the ship was received by officials of Pakistan Navy. Pakistan Navy and JMSDF are partners in peace and striving to achieve safe and secure maritime milieu in the region. The visit of Japanese ship includes naval drills at sea to further hone professional skills and enhance interoperability. The Japanese Mission Commander onboard JMSDF ship called on Commander Pakistan Fleet. During the call-on matters of mutual interest were discussed and enhancement of bilateral ties in all spheres was re-affirmed. Pakistan Navy in line with Government policies has always contributed significantly towards safety, security and freedom of navigation at high seas. Japanese Navy Ship visit to Karachi and participation in bilateral joint drills is a testimony of PN resolve to work towards regional peace and it will further strengthen mutual collaboration between the two navies. pr
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staff report
delegation of K-Electric's majority shareholders representing Saudi Arabia's Aljomaih Holding Company, Kuwait's National Industries Group (NIG) and Infrastructure Growth and Capital Fund (IGCF) called upon Prime Minister of Pakistan Mian Shehbaz Sharif. Delegation was led by Sheikh Abdulaziz Aljomaih – Managing Director of Aljomaih Holding Company, one of the strongest conglomerates in Saudi Arabia with interests in diversified industries along with Riyadh Edrees – CEO of NIG. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif highlighted that he has constituted a task force headed by former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi to resolve the concerns related to K-Electric for improving the power utility’s cash flows and streaming generation of electricity from its power plants. Task force members including Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Federal Minister for Finance, Miftah Ismail, Minister for Petroleum Dr. Musadiq Malik, and Special Assistant to Prime Minister Ahad Cheema were also present. The delegation briefed the premier about the utility's achievement in the last 17 years. “We enjoy good brotherly relations with Pakistan. This is why we opted to invest in the power sector – which is the backbone of any
economy - of Karachi, which holds a special place as Pakistan’s financial and industrial hub,” highlighted Aljomaih who was also the first Chairman of the company post privatization. “Aljomaih and I have been part of the KE journey since 2005. As part of the largest investment group of Kuwait, we are ambassadors of Pakistan in investment circles across the GCC. KE’s continued success can be instrumental in generating interest in Pakistan’s energy distribution sector,” shared Riyadh Edrees. Post-privatization, over USD 4 billion has been invested in KE’s value chain, enabling it to upgrade the power infrastructure including addition of new power plants. The operational improvements since privatization have re-
sulted in savings of USD 5 Billon to the national exchequer. Today, the company has doubled the number of customers, delivers twice the amount of energy units and has halved the transmission and distribution losses as compared to 2005. The investors further informed that the transformation’s success has attracted investors like Shanghai Electric Power (SEP), one of the major players in the global energy sector. However, the acquisition process - which was formally initiated in 2016 - remained stalled due to unresolved issues, they informed. The delegation also expressed its concerns over the industry's growing challenges that are affecting KE's financial sustainability. The delegation sought support from the premier on the
EIGHTEEN awarded at Asia Pacific property Awards in UK
In recognition of splendid efforts to bring a world class state-of-the-art housing project in Islamabad, EIGHTEEN has won award for best sustainable residential development in Asia Pacific property Awards 2022-23 held in the UK. The official presentation of the Awards was held at the Sheraton Grand London Park Lane, United Kingdom. The objective of these awards is to support and reward the excellence maintained in the property industry worldwide. The international prop-
erty awards celebrate the highest levels of achievement by companies operating in all sectors of the property & real estate industry around the globe. Initially, Eighteen registered huge achievement by winning three prestigious awards in the national level category of these international property awards. Three awards include the best mixed-use development in Pakistan award, the best residential development in Pakistan award, and award for the best sustainable development in Pakistan. pr
resolution of long standing issues such as the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) and the arbitration of historical dues between KE and various government entities, which are deterrents towards the sale of KE's majority shares. The group of investors were accompanied by Mark Skelton, Director of Infrastructure Growth Capital Fund, Shan Ashary, the Chairman of KE's Board and Syed Moonis Abdullah Alvi, CEO K-Electric. The delegation also called upon Dr Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Minister for Energy (Power Division) Khurram Dastgir, as well as Tauseef H. Farooqi, Chairman National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA). During the meetings, KE's investors acknowledged Pakistan's importance as an investment destination. They expressed that considering the historical ties and brotherly relations between Gulf countries and Pakistan, the investment was made at the time when the government was actively looking for investment in the power sector. The delegation also reiterated its firm commitment to resolving the challenges and securing the city's energy future, which is inevitable for the country's prosperity. KE has 3.2 million customers whereas T&D losses have reduced to 15.8% today down from 34.2% in FY05. On the generation front, KE has added 5 efficient power generation plants and fleet efficiency has improved from 25% in 2005 to 38% in 2021.
Supreme Court Expresses Confidence in PMC The Pakistan Medical Commission is the sole healthcare education regulator of the country that envisions improving standards of healthcare delivery and healthcare education in Pakistan. The Medical and Dental Council upon the recommendations of the Disciplinary committee approved the closure of Muhammad College of Medicine Peshawar due to repeated cases of illegal admissions and demanding donations from the students. In addition to this, the college was caught red-handed by the authority for demanding donations for admissions. Right after the decision and closure of Muhammad College, PMC to secure the future of students devised and implemented the replacement plan for the students and placed all students in other medical colleges. The college administration thru its students filed a writ petition in the Peshawar High court. The case had multiple hearings in the court and during the hearing, PMC also shared the placement plant of Muhammad College of Medicine students in front of the court. Based on allegations supported by substantial evidence court directed the FIA to immediately recover all original documents, degrees of students, and the fee/funds from the college. Court also directed the concerned quarter to immediately place the name of the College owner on the Exit Control List, blocking CNIC, Passport, and bank accounts. The college administration later again filed the case in Islamabad high court which was dismissed to be withdrawn. The college administration went again and filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court of Pakistan. During the hearing in the Supreme Court of Pakistan, the honorable court expressed confidence in Pakistan Medical Commission’s operational framework, rules, and regulations. The honorable Supreme Court refused to interfere in the order passed by the Peshawar High Court. PMC is working tirelessly to ensure compliance with medical and dental rules & regulations. Spokesperson PMC stated that the department observes zero tolerance over any irregularity and works on war footings to ensure a bright future for students. pr
Art Exhibition: ‘Reward of Traditional Art’ opens at COMSATS University An Art Exhibition “Reward of Traditional Art” opened at COMSATS University Islamabad Art Gallery. The show is a solo show of miniature and calligraphy by renowned artist Shabana Nazir. The show was inaugurated by Rector COMSATS University Islamabad, Prof. Dr. Muhammad Tabassum Afzal. Also present at the occasion were eminent Miniature Artist Ustaad Bashir Ahmed, ex Executive Director, Pakistan National Council of the Arts, Mr. Jamal Shah and Executive Director, Pakistan- China Institute, Mustafa Haider Syed. Speaking at the occasion the miniature Guru Ustaad Bashir Ahmed praised work of Shabana Nazir. He said nothing makes a teacher happier than the success of his own students and Shabana is one such student whose work has made me proud.She has been practicing miniature and calligraphy since more than 18 years now and that is reflected in her fine work.
Ustaad Bashir won Pride of Performance in 2019 for his contribution is Artwork from Government of Pakistan as well many other prestigious awards including Chughtai award. Renowned artist Jamal Shah whilespeaking at the occasion said that Artists are sensitive to the environment around them, and they work selflessly to shape their society positively. Jamal Shah himselfactor, director, painter, social worker, script writer, singer and song writer. He has served as Executive Director of Pakistan National Council of Arts and is also the founder of Hunerkada College of Visual and Performing Arts. Speaking at the occasion Executive Director Pakistan- China Institute Mustafa Syed Hyder expressed his pleasure over commencement of Art Exhibition on traditional art. It gives me immense pleasure that traditional art and its techniques are being transferred to the coming generations
through legends of art. He further added: the way Shabana has portrayed culture of South Asia in her work it promotes inclusivity, gender equality and tolerance in a society. Mustafa Hyder Syed is Executive Director of Pakistan China Institute over 9 years and has been continuously building stronger ties with China. Prof. Dr. Muhammad Tabassum Afzal, Rector CUI while inaugurating the exhibition said that promotion of Art is a sign of a health and progressive society and COMSATS University has been actively hosting exhibitions that showcases the artwork of Pakistan’s greatest assets, its creative painters, calligraphers and artists.In Charge Comsats Art Gallery congratulated Sahabana Nazir on opening of her solo show at COMSATS Art Gallery. Speaking at the occasion she said “The minute details and excellence in Shabana’s work speaks for them self of hard work that she has put into
her work. The perfection in the use of color and the precision of her strokes are amazing and leaves the audience fascinated. She has
reflected her skills in all techniques of Miniature paintings such as pencil, siyah qallam and guchrang.” pr
Saturday, 25 June, 2022 | ISLAMABAD
10 FOREIGN NEWS
PakiStaN warNS Of GravE SitUatiON iN afGhaNiStaN if CriSiS NOt addrESSEd UNITED NATIONS
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AKISTAN has underscored the need for addressing Afghanistan’s humanitarian and economic crisis, warning that its consequences would be: massive human suffering, more Afghan refugees, revival of internal conflict, and an intensified threat from terrorist groups, like Da’esh. “We are at another inflection point in Afghanistan’s recent turbulent history,” Ambassador Muni Akram told the UN Security Council on Thursday as it examined the policies of the Taliban, who took control of that country in August last year. “We must be clear about our objectives,” the Pakistani envoy said, adding that the primary objective must be to achieve peace and stability in Afghanistan where the devastating earthquake on Wednesday was just one of several emergencies facing the country. As chairman of the Organization for Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Foreign Ministers, he said Pakistan has circulated to the 15-member council a document outlining a pathway to peace, as envisaged by the 57-member organization at the last two ministerial conferences. OIC members call for sustained engagement, including in recovery, reconstruction, education, financial and material assistance, Ambassador Akram said, reiterating that Afghanistan’s access
to its financial resources will be pivotal to preventing economic collapse and urging the Council to ensure that targeted sanctions do not impede the provision of humanitarian aid or economic resources. In addition, he said, they reaffirmed that Afghanistan’s territory must not be used as a safe haven for terrorist groups, recalled their previous statement on Afghan girls’ right to education, and reiterated the central role of OIC member States, Islamic scholars and others in exchanging best practices with Afghan authorities on women’s rights. OIC called on the Security Council to support all such efforts and trusted that both it and UNAMA (UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan) would con-
Chinese neuroscientist receives 2022 L’Oreal-UNESCO BEIJING: Chinese neuroscientist Hu Hailan and four other woman scientists received the 2022 L’OrealUNESCO For Women in Science Award at the headquarters of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in Paris on Thursday evening. Hu, professor and executive director of the Neuroscience Center of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, won the award “for her major discoveries in neuroscience, in particular her work on depression, which has informed the development of next generation drugs for depression,” noted the UN body. The other four winners are Maria Guzman from Cuba, Katalin Kariko from the United States, Agnes Binagwaho from Rwanda and Angela Nieto from Spain, UNESCO said. Guzman was awarded for her pioneering work to better understand and treat dengue fever or “tropical flu,” Kariko for her contribution to the development of messenger RNA technology which has led to the breakthrough in the development of vaccines against COVID-19, Binagwaho for her role in establishing a new public health care system for the most vulnerable in Africa and Nieto for her discoveries on the cell differentiation during embryonic development that improved the treatment of cancer and its spread to other tissues. UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay said at the awarding ceremony that the world needs science, science needs women and science must be more and better open to women at critical moments in their careers. “UNESCO is working on eliminating gender stereotypes in science, through educational and mentoring programs,” she said. UNESCO did not hold any offline ceremonies for the awards over the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Ten winners of the 2020 and 2021 awards were also present at Thursday’s ceremony. For more than 20 years, UNESCO and the L’Oreal Foundation have yearly rewarded five outstanding woman scientists to promote gender balance in science and inspire younger generations of women to pursue science as a career. agencies
sider those elements for normalizing the situation in Afghanistan. The Pakistani envoy also looked forward to working with UNAMA, which must address the impact of bilateral sanctions and help to unfreeze Afghanistan’s assets. Pakistan, he said, remains especially concerned about the terrorist attacks emanating from Afghanistan that are sponsored and financed by “our adversary,” an obvious reference to India. “We will find effective ways to end such terrorist attacks against Pakistan and to end the disinformation campaign which one member of the Security Council which is a state sponsor of terrorism has launched against
my country.” Ambassador Akram said the expanded United States, China, Russia and Pakistan “troika” can advance peace in Afghanistan, including in addressing terrorism. Despite frustration over the lack of progress on several issues, he said, the international community’s engagement with the authorities has produced progress. There are no longer thousands of civilian casualties, the political and security situation has remained “relatively stable”, while the threat of reprisal killings and mass exodus of refugees has thus far been avoided. He expressed hope that “we will make the right choices” to steer Afghanistan towards peace and stability. At the outset, the Pakistani envoy regretted that the Security Council has not invited the Taliban, who actually control Afghanistan, while it heard three Afghans who only represent themselves. The three Afghans were: Yalda Hakim of BBC, Yalda Royan, Consultant for VOICE Amplified, and Naseer Ahmed Faiq, who heads the former President Ashraf Ghani-appointed Afghanistan Mission to the UN as the world body has not yet recognized the Taliban. “I believe that while calls are being made upon the Taliban, the fact that the Council is not able to hear them, calls into question the credibility of this Council’s consideration of the situation in Afghanistan,” Ambassador Akram added.
UN says Al Jazeera journalist killed by Israeli fire GENEVA agencies
The United Nations said Friday that its findings showed that the shot that killed Al Jazeera TV journalist Shireen Abu Akleh on May 11 was fired by Israeli forces. The Palestinian-American journalist, who was wearing a vest marked “Press” and a helmet, was killed on May 11 while covering an Israeli army operation in Jenin camp in the northern West Bank. “We find that the shots that killed Abu Akleh came from Israeli security forces,” UN Human Rights Office spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani told reporters in Geneva. “It is deeply disturbing that Israeli authorities have not conducted a criminal investigation. “We at the UN Human Rights Office have concluded our independent monitoring into the incident. “The shots that killed Abu Akleh and injured her colleague Ali Sammoudi came from Israeli security forces and not from indiscriminate firing by armed Palestinians, as initially claimed by Israeli authorities” she said. She added that the information came from the Israeli military and the Palestinian attorney general.
“We have found no information suggesting that there was activity by armed Palestinians in the immediate vicinity of the journalists,” Shamdasani said. According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). “All information we have gathered … is consistent with the finding that the shots that killed Abu Akleh and injured her colleague Ali Sammoudi came from Israeli Security Forces and not from indiscriminate firing by armed Palestinians, as initially claimed by Israeli authorities,” the OHCR said in a statement. “We have found no information suggesting that there was activity by armed Palestinians in the immediate vicinity of the journalists,” it said, adding that it was “deeply disturbing” that the Israeli authorities were yet to conduct a criminal investigation on the matter. On May 11, Abu Akleh, 51, was covering an Israeli military raid near the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank when she was shot dead. Palestinian officials and her employer, Al Jazeera, said she was killed by Israeli forces. Israel, for its part, denied any responsibility and called for a joint investigation with Palestinians, a move rejected by the authorities in Palestine.
4 killed in Russian military plane crash MOSCOW: The death toll rose to four after an Il-76 military transport aircraft crashed in Russia’s western region of Ryazan early Friday, TASS news agency reported. Five others were hospitalized, the report said. Previous reports said at least two were killed in the crash. TASS reported that the plane made a hard landing after its crew discovered an engine malfunction, citing the Russian Defense Ministry. It was flying a training mission without cargo along the Belgorod-Orenburg route with 10 people on board. The plane was partially destroyed in the crash, causing a fire at the landing site, which has been extinguished. Il-76 is Russia’s main military transport aircraft. agencies
China-Pakistan to hold joint scientific research to build Green CPEC BEIJING news desk
Pakistan looks forwards to China-Pak joint scientific research for the building of Green China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). The Pakistani Ambassador to China Moin ul Haque made the remarks when met Huang Wenjiang, a Research Fellow of the Aerospace Information Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), and Zhou Jinfeng, Secretary-General of China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation (CBCGDF) here at the Embassy of Pakistan. According to China Economic Net (CEN) on Friday, Huang’s team recently released the latest Report of Monitoring and Assessment of Desert Locust in Africa and Asia. As per the estimate of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), up to 40 percent of global crop production is lost to pests annually. Each year, plant diseases cost the global economy over $220 billion, and invasive insects at least $70 billion. Among the invasive insects, desert locust and fall armyworm are the main reasons for the grain reduction and environmental deterioration in Pakistan. To fight the invasive species and safeguard food security, Huang’s team has also released a series of reports of Monitoring and Assessment of Desert Locust specially for Pakistan since 2020. Huang briefed the Pakistani envoy on how China-Pak scientists cooperate in the prevention and control of locusts by the use of remote sensing system for plant pests and disease monitoring and forecasting. Huang also presented fruitful results and good prospects of China-Pakistan cooperation in food security and biodiversity monitoring with the help of the Global Crop Pest Monitoring and Risk Forecasting system, which was developed by Huang’s team. The Pakistani envoy said these are very important to the two nations’ agriculture and Pakistan’s need. He hoped to have further communication on the high-quality building of Green CPEC.
Prince Charles says Commonwealth nations free to chart own course KIGALI agencies
Prince Charles told Commonwealth leaders Friday that the choice to become a republic or abandon the queen as head of state was theirs alone, and expressed “personal sorrow” at Britain’s legacy of slavery. The British heir to the throne addressed the opening of a Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Rwanda as the host nation faced scrutiny over its rights record and a much- Charles is representing Queen Elizabeth II as the 54-nation grouping of mostly former British colonies grapples with questions over its future relevance and modern profile. Republican movements are taking root in a number of Commonwealth nations and some are seeking reparations for colonial-era injustices like slavery. Charles acknowledged the change underfoot and said the Commonwealth — which represents one-third of humanity — would always be “a free association of independent, selfgoverning nations”. “The Commonwealth contains within it countries that have had constitutional relationships with my family, some that continue to do so, and increasingly those that have had none,” he told an audience of presidents and prime ministers. “I want to say clearly, as I have said before, that each member’s constitutional arrangement, as republic or monarchy, is purely a matter for each member country to decide.”
Afghan quake survivors without food, shelter as aid trickles in GAYAN, AFGHANISTAN agencies
Aid trickled to devastated villages in remote parts of Afghanistan Friday but thousands of people remain without food, shelter and water three days after the country’s deadliest earthquake in decades. Wednesday’s 5.9-magnitude quake struck hardest in the rugged east along the border with Pakistan while people slept, killing more than 1,000 and leaving thousands homeless.
Entire villages have been levelled in some of the worst affected districts, where survivors said they were even struggling to find equipment to bury their dead. “There are no blankets, tents… there’s no shelter. Our entire water distribution system is destroyed. There is literally nothing to eat,” 21-year-old Zaitullah Ghurziwal told an AFP team that reached his village in hard-hit Paktika province. The area was still being roiled by aftershocks that were sending frightened locals scurrying from whatever shelter they had
sought in badly damaged dwellings. One aftershock early Friday killed five people, according to Maqbool Luqmanzai, director of health in Gayan district. Aid was starting to trickle through in some areas. AFP saw seven trucks from the United Nations World Food Programme trundle into the village of Wuchkai Friday morning, 24 hours after leaving Kabul, to distribute tents and emergency rations. Two Doctors Without Borders trucks also arrived with medical supplies. Mohammad Amin Huzaifa, head of in-
formation for Paktika province, said heavy rain and floods were hampering efforts to reach those affected. Communications have also been hit as the quake toppled mobile phone towers and power lines. The earthquake struck areas already suffering the effects of heavy rain, causing rockfalls and mudslides that wiped out hamlets perched precariously on mountain slopes. Officials say nearly 10,000 houses were destroyed, an alarming number in an area where the average household size is more
than 20 people. “Seven in one room, five in the other room, four in another, and three in another have been killed in my family,” Bibi Hawa told AFP from a hospital bed in the Paktika capital Sharan. At Wuchkai, a cemetery on a rise overlooking the village had 11 fresh graves — all members of the same family. Save the Children said more than 118,000 children were impacted by the disaster. “Many children are now most likely without clean drinking water, food and a safe place to sleep,” the international charity said.
11 Sports 25 JUNE_Layout 1 6/24/2022 11:24 PM Page 1
Saturday, 25 June, 2022 | ISLAMABAD
SPORTS 11
MiTCHell HiTS THird ToN of eNGlANd SerieS iN New ZeAlANd’S 329 All oUT LEEDS, UnITED KInGDOM
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ARyL Mitchell hit his third hundred of the series before New Zealand were dismissed for a competitive 329 on the second day of the third Test against England on Friday. World Test champions New Zealand are 2-0 down in the three-match series but Mitchell has been a shining light and his 109 in Leeds followed scores of 108 at Lord’s and 190 in Nottingham. Mitchell, 31, is only the fifth New Zealander to score hundreds in three successive Tests. After resuming on 78 not out, Mitchell also scored the 12 extra runs he needed to break Martin Donnelly’s 73-year-old record for the most runs made by a New Zealander — 462 — in a Test
series against England. But his exit, as one of a trio of victims for left-arm spinner Jack Leach either side of lunch at Headingley, came as New Zealand lost their last three wickets for four runs. Leach, whose Test career has been blighted by illness, injury and inconsistent selection, finished with an admirable and economical return of 5-100 in 38.3 overs, giving England captain Ben Stokes a measure of control in the field and the ability to rotate the remainder of an attack missing injured pace great James Anderson. New Zealand resumed on 225-5, with Mitchell and Tom Blundell (45 not out), having once more led a recovery after the visitors slumped to 83-4 with their third century partnership of the series. Mitchell has been the star man for New Zealand dur-
Serena Williams to face unseeded Harmony Tan in Wimbledon opener LOnDOn afp
Serena Williams has been drawn to face French debutant Harmony Tan in the first round of Wimbledon as the American star returns to singles action after a year away. Defending men’s champion Novak Djokovic begins his quest for a seventh title — and fourth in a row — against South Korea’s Kwon Soon-woo, ranked 75th in the world. The early focus at the All England Club will be on 23-time Grand Slam singles champion Williams, who has dropped to 1,204th in the world rankings and is unseeded for the tournament, which starts on Monday. The 40-year-old, who took part in the doubles in Eastbourne this week, has not played singles since she suffered an injury during her first-round match at Wimbledon 12 months ago. Williams’s preparations for the Grand Slam suffered a blow after her doubles partner Ons Jabeur withdrew from the Eastbourne tournament because of a
Shahzaib claims bronze medal in Asian Taekwondo C’ship ISLAMABAD
knee injury on Thursday. The American won the last of her seven Wimbledon singles titles in 2016 but reached the final in 2018 and 2019 after returning from having a baby. Wimbledon is widely considered Williams’s best chance of claiming a 24th Grand Slam singles crown to equal Margaret Court’s all-time record. The last of her Grand Slam singles titles came at
News Desk
Pakistan’s Shahzaib won bronze medal in -54kg (senior khyrougi event) at the 25th Asian Taekwondo Kyorugi Championship at Grand Hoban Gym, South Korea, according to information made available here by Pakistan Taekwondo Federation (PTF) on Friday. A seven-member Pakistan kyorugi outfit is featuring in the event. The team includes Mazhar Abbas, Hamzah Omar Saeed, Mohammad Iqbal, Haroon Khan, Shahzaib Khan and two female players, Fateemaah Tuz Zahraa Khawar and Zoya Sabir. Meanwhile, Lt Col (retd) Raja Wasim Ahmed, president of PTF, who is also in South Korea gave a presentation during the WT Asia General Assembly and got approval for the conduct of 4th Combaxx Asian Open 2022 and 5th Asian Open 2023 in Islamabad Pakistan. This is a great milestone for the federation, which is endeavouring for the promotion and development of Taekwondo in Pakistan.
the Australian Open in 2017. Speaking after Wednesday’s doubles match, Williams had said: “I feel good — as good as one can feel after having such a long time off.” Swiatek Streak: Women’s top seed Iga Swiatek, who has won her past six tournaments, including the French Open, was pitted against Croatian qualifier Jana Fett in Friday’s draw. Romanian 16th seed Simona Halep, who has not played at Wimbledon since winning the 2019 title, has a tough opener against Czech player Karolina Muchova. Britain’s Emma Raducanu will take on Belgium’s Alison Van Uytvanck, providing the US Open champion has recovered sufficiently from a side strain. Djokovic, 35, is bidding to win his 21st Grand Slam, which would take him just one behind Rafael Nadal’s record of 22 majors. It would also be his seventh Wimbledon title, taking him level with Pete Sampras and just one behind Roger Federer, who is not playing the tournament as he recovers from injury. Second seed Nadal, 36, who is set to make his first appearance at Wimbledon since 2019 after winning the Australian Open and French Open this year, faces Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo Britain’s unseeded two-time champion Andy Murray, who is battling an abdominal strain, will play Australian James Duckworth.
1st COAS National Inter-Club Hockey Championship in July LAHORE
News Desk
ing the series but has had several moments of good fortune and he received another lucky break on Friday. The middle-order batsman was on 82 when he edged Matthew Potts, only for diving wicketkeeper Ben Foakes to drop a one-handed chance heading to Joe Root at first slip. BLUNDeLL FeLL iN UNUSUaL FaSHiON: Two balls after the players were informed the Decision Review System had stopped working, Blundell was out lbw for 55 to give the persevering Potts, who returned miserly figures of 1-34 in 26 overs, a well-deserved breakthrough. Although Blundell was struck on the back pad, the ball appeared to be heading down the legside but, with the batsman unable to challenge the decision, New Zealand were now 243-6 following a stand of 120. New batsman Michael Bracewell fell for 13 when
Hockey as a national game, having the most decorated history in the sports book of Pakistan, is nowhere close to its former glory. To revive the Hockey culture and to uplift the hockey as a national game, for the first time in history of Pakistan PHF has taken an initiative for conducting the 1st National inter-club Hockey championship 2022. The championship is scheduled to be held from July 14-23 at National Hockey Stadium Lahore. The event is aimed at promoting the game at the grass route level i.e club level which will help hunt emerging talent from remote areas of Pakistan. The championship is
divided into four stages including district, divisional, provincial and national level. The final national round will see total 10 teams including four teams from Punjab, two teams from Sindh, two teams from KPK, one team from Baluchistan and one team each from Islamabad, AJK, GilgitBaltistan. The championship started with 72 districts and 718 clubs contesting at district level all over Pakistan. The district level stage ended on 25 May 2022 with encouraging response from the district administration. Dormant grounds were activated in many districts. The division level stage was conducted with full zeal and enthusiasm. 69 clubs of 28 divisions from
all over Pakistan participated at division level competition. The provincial level stage will commence from 25 Jun to 03 July 2022. Total 31 club teams including 9 teams from Punjab , 7 from KPK, 6 from Sindh, 6 teams from Baluchistan and 1 team each from Islamabad, GB and AJK will contest to qualify for National level championship. With the support of media and sponsorship of philanthropist, these clubs will make more effort to raise the overall playing standards of hockey. Thus maximum qualified players will be coming up from grass root level. This in turn will help to revive national game and go a long way in restoring confidence of emerging young players.
second slip Zak Crawley held a nick to give Stuart Broad a wicket on the paceman’s 36th birthday. Mitchell completed the fourth hundred of his 12-Test career in style when he lofted Leach over long-off for six. But trying to repeat the stroke, his 228-ball innings ended when he miscued Leach on the stroke of lunch, with Stokes holding a fine catch running back from mid-off.
Punjab’s Hikmatyar, KP’s Hurraira to clash in U17 KP National Junior Squash final PESHAWAR staff RepoRt
Hikmatyar of Punjab and Huraira Khan of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to clash in the final of the U17 category while Mutahir Ali Shah and Muhammad Ahmad of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will face each other in the U19 final of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa All Pakistan National Junior Squash Championship being played here at Qamar Zaman Squash Complex on Friday. Hikmatyar of Punjab defeated Moeen Uddin of Punjab in straight sets 3-0. It was a one-sided affair and Hikmatyar fully dominated the proceedings and did not allow Moeen Uddin to strike back, the score was 11-6, 11-2, and 11-8. Hikmatyar did not take much time and in just 20 minutes of play he raced up to victory. In the second semi-final Huraira Khan of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa recorded victory against Zain Ramzan of Punjab in a 40 minute battle. The score was 11-5, 11-6, 11-13, and 15-13. In the U19 category Mutahir Ali Shah of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa defeated Muhammad Azaan Khalil of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by 30, the score was 11-5, 11-5 and 11-8 in just 28-minute.
German Ambassador upbeat about hockey revival in Pakistan LAHORE staff RepoRt
German Ambassador Bernhard Schlagheck has said that hockey has deep roots and rich culture in Pakistan and it will regain its past glory soon. During a meeting with Olympian, CEO Khawaja Junaid hockey academy Khawaja Junaid at a local hotel on Friday, he said: ‘I have witnessed heyday of Pakistan hockey and wish it to be among the top teams in the world.” Director, Khawaja Junaid Hockey Academy Junaid Chattha was also present during the meeting. Hailing 70-years of Pak-German diplomatic relations, the German envoy said hockey was the strongest bond between the two countries and he will do all within his grasp to help Pakistan hockey. He said sports is a tool to raise standards and achieve togetherness and homogeneity in societies, adding that German embassy in Islamabad will provide all-out support for revival of hockey in Pakistan. Olympian Khawaja Junaid hailed ambassador Bernhard’s services for promoting bilateral ties during his two-year stint. He also thanked the German embassy for the steps it had taken for the promotion of hockey. Khawaja Junaid presented a memento to ambassador Bernhard Schlagheck on the occasion.
PCB approves Rs15b budget for 2022-23 LAHORE staff RepoRt
The Board of Governors (BoG) of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Friday approved Rs15 billion budget for the year 2022-23 with 78 percent of the funds earmarked for cricket-related activities. Chairman PCB Ramiz Raja chaired the 69th BoG meeting at the National High Performance Center (NHPC) Gaddafi Stadium, which approved an operational activitybased annual budget for fiscal year 2022-23. The PCB has budgeted a total spend of rupees 15 billion to cover enhanced central contracts for men’s and women’s cricketers, men’s and women’s international and domestic cricket events in the 2022-23 cricket season with additional local tournaments and matches, the HBL Pakistan Super League 8 and the inaugural Pakistan Junior League (PJL). In view of the Asia Cricket Cup (ACC) 50-over Asia Cup 2023 and the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 to be held in Pakistan, the
BoG approved an allocation of funds for the upgradation of the infrastructure and stadia, which includes floodlights, replay screens, player dressing rooms and new spectator chairs. The BoG, during its second meeting of the calendar year, also approved recommendations to introduce schooling allowance for the PCB lower staff to support education of their children. As part of its strategy to incentivise, reward and encourage its high-performing elite cricketers, as well as to narrow the gap in salaries compared to players of other countries, the BoG approved changes in the men’s central contracts structure with separate red and white-ball contracts with increased retainers; number of centrally contracted players increased from 20 to 33; introduction of Category “D”, which will comprise players who are staging comebacks or knocking at the doors of international cricket and 10 per cent increase in match fees across all formats.
The BoG also okayed increase in match fee for non-playing members from 50 per cent to 70 per cent of the overall match fee The Board also gave its nod to the introduction of captaincy allowance to compensate the team captain for the additional responsibilities that come with that role It also allocated an amount for current players with the aim to manage and reduce the workload of elite players and to ensure that they are fully fit, ready and fresh whenever they play for Pakistan. The BoG approved 15 per cent increase in retainers across all categories, with a single contract concept in the central contract for women Cricketers. In addition to this, the pool of women’s centrally contracted players may be increased from 20 players to up to 25 players. The list for men and women central contracts 2022-23, is yet to be announced by the PCB and it will come into effect from July 1, 2022. The BoG approved creation of Pakistan Cricket Foundation (PCF) as a charitable
trust and it will be part of the PCB’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative with an aim to look after the welfare and well being of its retired cricketers, match officials, scorers and ground staff. The PCB will make the eligibility and qualification criteria public in due course. Initially, the BoG has approved, in principle, an allocation (donation) of PKR 100 million to the Pakistan Cricket Foundation over the course of the forthcoming financial year. The BoG approved amendments to the City Cricket Associations’ territorial jurisdictions in line with geographical demarcations, and also approved affiliation regulations to be complied with for future City Cricket Associations to be recognised. The documents are available on the PCB corporate website under Documents/PCB Model Constitutions. As per approved amendments, Balochistan will have 13 districts, Central Punjab will have 18 districts, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will have 19 districts, Northern will have 11 dis-
tricts, Sindh will have 17 districts and Southern Punjab will have 14 districts. The BoG congratulated the PCB management for successfully holding and concluding an uninterrupted first-ever HBL Pakistan Super League 7 at home earlier this year. The BoG noted and appreciated the 81 per cent increase in media and sponsorship revenues, as compared to the previous edition. The BoG approved building of additional rooms as player residences in Lahore, Karachi and Multan. The BoG, in its 69th meeting, hailed 21year-old leg-spinner Tuba Hassan, who became the first Pakistan women player to win the ICC’s Women’s Player of the Month (for May 2022). The BOG was confident that the women’s team will produce strong performances in the Birmingham Commonwealth Games, ICC Women’s Championship and ICC Women’s T20 World Cups. The PCB Chairman provided an update on the Pakistan Junior League (PJL), which will be held in Lahore in October. The BoG was informed of the keen interest amongst the commercial partners as well as the ICC Member Boards, who have expressed their support by agreeing to release their players.
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Gwadar’S FIShermen TO GeT 2,000 marIne enGIneS, 200 acreS Land FOr cOLOny: Pm GWADAR
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Staff RepoRt
RIME Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday announced the provision of 200 acres of land for the establishment of a residential colony for the fishermen of Gwadar, besides the distribution of 2,000 motorboat engines to help them earn a livelihood. The prime minister stated this in an interaction with local fishermen at Gwadar Business Centre during his daylong visit to the port city. The measures were announced in view of the problems faced by the fishermen of Gwadar in the shape of displacement and difficulty in access to the sea that was affecting the fishery sector. The prime minister said his second visit within a month was aimed at holding direct interaction with the fishermen and get their feedback on the issues being faced by them. To ensure meritbased distribution of marine engines among the fishermen, he directed the Planning Ministry to define a criterion with a set of parametres at the earliest. The process of transparent bidding, he said, would be carried out within three months in line with the PEPRA Rules. PM Shehbaz assured the fishermen of addressing their problems on priority, saying the development of the province was “meaningless” without resolution of the problems of the locals. It was the government responsibility to address the challenges faced by the locals, he added. He said the Federal Government would take the provincial government on
board for consultations on the development projects. On supply of clean drinking water, he said the Gwadar Development Authority had given assurance to complete the process of laying new pipes by September. Regarding electricity, the prime minister said 29-kilometre-long transmission lines for supply of 100 mega watts from Iran was delayed by the previous government, whereas the Iranian side had completed the project on its side. He said the government would bring the matter before the cabinet for approval to ensure availability of power for Balochistan. He said it would develop a base-load of electricity and would be later supplemented by solar projects. An announcement would soon be made on the provision of solar panels to the people of Balochistan, he added. He lauded the sacrifices of local people by braving the challenges during the
Pakistan strongly condemns extrajudicial killing of 11 more Kashmiris: FO
construction of Gwadar Port, which was a harbinger for their prosperity. The PM said the establishment of Gwadar University had been included in the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) and maximum funds would be provided for the education of students at par with rest of the country. He mentioned that the Federal Government allocated a massive amount of Rs 100 billion in the PSDP for the development of Balochistan. Terming the four provinces brothers, he emphasized the importance of sharing resources among them for a win-win situation for all. The prime minister said China was a closet friend of Pakistan, dispelling the impression that the Chinese projects in Pakistan had any semblance with those of the “East India Company” during the British Raj. He said China had always supported Pakistan at diplomatic and economic lev-
els, and urged the people of Balochistan to value the foreign investors whose contribution was significant to the development of Pakistan. The prime minister also listened to the grievances pointed out by fishermen on the occasion and assured them their redressal on priority. Earlier, he witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding on establishment of a 100-bed hospital with collaboration of GDA and Indus Hospital. The world-class hospital will provide medical facilities to the people of Gwadar and adjoining areas. PM, BIZeNJo DISCUSS PoLItICAL SItUAtIoN: Balochistan CM Abdul Quddus Bizenjo called on Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif here on Friday. Administrative matters of the province as well as the political situation were discussed in the meeting. CM Bijenjo appreciated the Prime Minister for visiting Gwadar twice in a month and his vision of giving priority to the development of Gwadar. He also welcomed the government’s decision of providing targeted subsidy on five essential items during the next fiscal year and the Prime Minister direction for increasing the number of Utility Stores in Balochistan. SAttAr’S MotHer DeAtH CoNDoLeD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday expressed grief over the death of the mother of Farooq Sattar, leader of Muttahida Qaumi Movement. The prime minister prayed for the departed soul to rest in peace and for grant of patience to the bereaved family.
Will not accept Punjab by-polls results if rigging continues: Qureshi
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday strongly condemned extra-judicial killing of 11 more Kashmiris in fresh acts of state-sponsored terrorism by the Indian occupation forces in Pulwama and Baramulla districts of the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). Addressing a weekly press briefing here, the Foreign Office spokesperson said since India’s illegal and unilateral actions of August 5, 2019, more than 636 Kashmiris had embraced martyrdom in fake ‘encounters’ and so-called ‘cordon-and-search operations. This year alone, 113 extra-judicial killings of Kashmiris had been recorded. India must realize that the use of brutal force against the Kashmiri people, extra-judicial killings, custodial torture and deaths, forced disappearances, incarceration of the Kashmiri leadership and youth, and other methods of subjugation had failed in the past and would not succeed in the future, he added. The spokesperson said Pakistan also urged the international community to hold India responsible for its brazen suppression of innocent Kashmiris and play its due role in ensuring a just and peaceful resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions and the wishes of the Kashmiri people. He referred to the recent virtual address of Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari to the UN Group of Friends meeting on countering disinformation. Staff RepoRt
LAHORE Staff RepoRt
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi has termed the upcoming by-elections in Punjab a ‘test’ for Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), saying that the party would not accept the results if rigging continues. Addressing a press conference in Lahore, Shah Mehmood
Qureshi said that the by-elections were a test for the electoral watchdog. “We will not accept the results, if rigging took place in the up-coming elections,” he noted. The former foreign minister noted if Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz rigged the elections for few seats then the province would remain politically instable. “The PML-N workers are not satisfied with the party’s candidates for the by-elections. The party should be
allotted ‘lota’ symbol,” he added. The PTI leader further said that the incumbent government has no plans to revive the deteriorating economy. “The present rulers wanted the power to get rid of the corruption cases against him. Their agenda is personal not national,” he noted. Shah Mehmood Qureshi added that the present government has completely failed to control inflation. He further criticized the federal government for imposing ‘Super Tax’ on industries. “The government is continuously dropping petrol bombs on the people of Pakistan,” he added. “The government has inked an agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The rate of electricity will be Rs 21 per unit in August, Rs 24 per unit in September and Rs 25 per unit in October,” he added. A day earlier, the provincial election commissioner sent the probe report to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) after PTI Vice-Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi levelled allegations against the election process.
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Tarin warns of Sri Lanka-like crisis in Pakistan KARACHI Staff RepoRt
Former finance minister Shaukat Tarin has termed the Federal Budget 2022-23 as ‘anti-people’ and ‘bloody’, warning that Pakistan could face Sri Lanka-like crisis if elections are not announced immediately. Addressing a press conference at Karachi Press Club, Shaukat Tarin has urged the incumbent government to stop ‘telling lies’ about the economy, pointing out that PTI’s tenure witnessed “record growth” in all sectors. The former minister said that if the PTI was still in power, they would approach Russia for cheaper oil and would provide relief on petrol and diesel. “You [the government] are taking the country towards default. Instead of imposing any new taxes, the PTI government recovered Rs1,400 billion revenue,” he noted. He also criticized the Prime Minister Shehbaz Shairfled government for imposing ‘Super Tax’ on industries, saying that the new taxes on 13 sectors will further impose burden. “The measure would force industries to shut down and eventually unemployment will increase,” he added. The PTI Senator noted that the PTI regime had a progressive tax system, which benefited the both – citizens and the government. “This government will impose a petroleum levy of Rs700 billion. The small trader will be completely destroyed by such measures,” he added. Shaukat Tarin further said that such measures would bring a storm of inflation and factories would shut down. “Industries would start shutting down with 10 percent ‘Super Tax’, their subsidy was reduced by Rs500 billion,” he added. Referring to Shehbaz Sharif, Shaukat Tarin said after the prime minister’s announcement, the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) witnessed a bloodbath and the Rupee once again fell. He claimed that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) does not believe the incumbent government. Giving details about the PTI’s performance, he said that the government had set up price monitoring committees to control inflation. “However, this coalition regime has closed the committees. They don’t care about the poor and controlling inflation is not their priorities,” he added. The former finance minister warned that Pakistan could face Sri Lanka-like crisis if the elections were not announced immediately.
Imran granted bail in 10 vandalism cases ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt
A district and sessions court on Friday granted bail to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan in 10 vandalism cases linked to the party's 'Azadi March'. The court heard the former premier’s bail plea in 15 cases of vandalism. PTI leaders Asad Umar, Ali Nawaz Awan and Dr Babar Awan also appeared before the court. The sessions court judge granted interim bail to Imran till July 6 and ordered him to submit a bond of Rs5,000 in each case. The judge summoned police for the next hearing and asked the officials to bring the records. Imran obtained interim bail in cases registered in Aabpara Police Station, I-9, Kohsar, Karachi Company, Golra, Tarnol, Bhara Kahu Police Station, Sihala Police Station, Koral Police Station and Lohi Bhair and others. A total of 15 cases were registered against him in 11 police stations. PrIor Pre-ArreSt BAILS Earlier this month, the Peshawar High Court (PHC) granted the ex-premier transitory, protective bail for three weeks in cases registered against him by the government in light of his ‘Azadi March’. The high court, while providing pre-arrest bail to Imran, told him that the petitioner was being granted three weeks bail against a surety bond of Rs50,000 but he could always approach the court in case of any problem.
Pak Navy history studded with glorious traditions of valour: COAS LAHORE StAff REpORt Chief of Army Staff General (COAS) Qamar Javed Bajwa addressed the participants of 51st PN Staff Course at Pakistan Navy War College (PNWA), Lahore. Upon arrival at Pakistan Navy War College, the Army Chief was received by Commandant Pakistan Navy War College Rear Admiral Shifaat Ali Khan. The COAS laid floral wreath at Shahuada Monument to pay homage to martyrs of Pakistan.
While addressing the participants, General Qamar Javed Bajwa dilated on geostrategic environment, national security challenges and response measures. The COAS exalted the role of armed forces in tackling the national security challenges proficiently. The COAS underscored that Pakistan Navy’s history is studded with glorious traditions of valour and sacrifices. He emphasized that Pakistan Navy is a formidable force defending the maritime frontiers of the country and has always lived up to the expectations of the nation. COAS Gen Bajwa appreciated the qual-
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ity training imparted by the Pakistan Navy War College to the officers of Pakistan Armed Forces and friendly countries. tWo terrorIStS KILLeD: Fire exchange took place between security forces and terrorists in general area Kulachi, Dera Ismail Khan District here on Friday. According to an ISPR release, during the exchange of fire, two terrorists were killed. Weapons and ammunition were also recovered from the killed terrorists. The ISPR release added the killed terrorists remained actively involved in terrorist activities against security forces.