Issuu

Monday, 27 June, 2022 I 27 Dhul-Qadah, 1443 I Rs 40.00 I Vol XII No 358 I 48 Pages I Islamabad Edition

IgnorIng provInces’ role In nAp ImplementAtIon led to rIse In terrorIsm: pm

LAHORE

staff report

RIME Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday said the role of provincial governments in implementation of the National Action Plan (NAP) would be revived which had subsided over last four years and the ignorance of the provinces’ role in the NAP had led to the rise in terrorism. Chairing a meeting to review the law and order situation in the country, Shehbaz Sharif said that it was inevitable to ensure law and order in the country for revival of the national economy and country’s development. He also expressed concern over the rise in street crimes in the country and instructed the law enforcement agencies to take measures for protection of lives and properties of the people. The prime minister said that the public opinion could only be turned in favour of the police and law enforcing agencies only when they show performance. During the meeting, the premier was briefed on the law and order situation across the country as well as Pun-

jab province, terror threats as well as the measures being taken to curb the scourge. The meeting also reviewed implementation of the steps to eliminate the sources of terror financing and relevant laws. The prime minister appreciated the performance of the law enforcement agencies regarding the fulfilment of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF)’s action plan. He said the whole nation was united against terrorism and stood side by side with the country’s armed forces. “Our struggle will go on till the elimination of terrorism. The government will never compromise Pakistan’s security and defence,” he remarked. “We will continue our struggle till the complete eradication of terrorism,” the PM said. “We will not compromise on Pakistan’s security and defence.” While directing the law enforcement agencies to ensure protection of lives and property of the people across the country, he said ensuring law and order was a key requirement for the recovery and development of Pakistan’s economy. A recent report by a local think-tank, PICSS, had noted that the lethality of terror attacks rose by 46 per cent in 2021,

with 388 total deaths of which 184 were civilians, stating the remaining 192 of those killed were security forces personnel – a 66 per cent increase in the casualties of Pakistani security forces from the year before. It said that over 600 people were injured in the terror attacks of 2021, including 389 civilians and 217 security forces personnel. The report showed that the average number of militant attacks per month in Pakistan increased from 16 attacks per month in 2020 to 25 monthly attacks in 2021 — the highest on record since 2017. Balochistan was the most turbulent province in 2021 where 170 deaths were recorded in 103 militant attacks. PICSS noted that Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa saw 162 attacks leaving 180 people killed. In Sindh, it said, 15 militant attacks left 23 dead while in Punjab 10 attacks left 10 people dead. Three militant attacks were reported in Islamabad, resulting in three deaths while a single attack was reported in Azad Jammu and Kashmir in 2021. PM NOTICES MNA ABSENCE FROM BUDGET SESSION: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has taken strict notice of absence of most of the lawmakers in the National Assembly’s budget session, it was learnt on Sunday. Stressing complete quorum during passage of the federal budget 2022-2023, the prime minister has called a meeting of the treasury MNAs, belonging both to the government and the allied parties, on Monday (today) which is aimed at ensuring their presence during the National Assembly’s budget session. Shehbaz Sharif will also host a dinner reception for the lawmakers at the PM House on Monday night. PM Shehbaz will also brief the participants on talks with the IMF. Sources said that PM would seek suggestions from the lawmakers to tackle inflation and other economic challenges.

Two soldiers martyred, seven terrorists killed in NWA gun battle: ISPR RAWALPINDI staff report

Two soldiers were martyred and seven terrorists killed during an exchange of fire in North Waziristan’s Ghulam Khan Kalle area, the military’s media affairs wing said on Sunday. According to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), soldiers “effectively engaged” the terrorists, killing seven of them and recovering weapons and ammunition from them. It added that the terrorists were “actively involved” in terrorism activities against security forces. The ISPR said that Subedar Munir Hussain, 44, resident of Parachinar, and Havildar Babu Khan, 38, resident of Dera Ismail Khan, “fought gallantly” during the battle and were martyred. “Area clearance is being carried out to eliminate any other terrorists found in the vicinity,” the statement said. A day ago, four terrorists were killed during an intelligence-based operation conducted by security forces in North Waziristan’s Dossali area. On Friday, two terrorists were killed in Kulachi area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Dera Ismail Khan. Meanwhile, four terrorists were killed during an intelligence-based opera-

Vote count underway in violence-hit LG polls in Sindh KARACHI staff report

The first phase of local government elections in Sindh on Sunday remained quite appalling as reports of violence, firing, kidnapping of polling staff, attack on polling stations and disruption in election process are keep pouring in, again taking the vote to a point where its credibility could be questioned. Polling for the first phase of local government elections in Sindh is underway which started at 8am and will continue till 5pm without any break in 14 districts of the province including Sukkur, Shaheed Benazirabad, Larkana, Mirpur Khas, Umarkot, Tharparkar, Sanghar, Naushehro Feroze, Kanbar-ShahdadKot, Shikarpur, Jacobabad, Kahmor, Ghoki and Khairpur. But as soon as the balloting started, reports of violence also started trickling. Assailants make polling staff hostage, run away with election material. Some unknown assailants attacked three polling stations in Nawabshah and made the polling staff hostage over there. After making the election staff hostage, the unknown attackers made off with ballot papers, ballot boxes, stamps and other election material. The balloting could not be started as yet in Ghulam Murtaza Bhutto, Nawaz Ali and Social Security polling stations in Union 8

in Nawabshah. On the other hand, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf activists alleged that the attack was launched because the ECP rejected the form of PPP chairman. In another incident, the PTI workers violated the election code when they used their mobile phones inside a polling station in Nawabshah. They took photos of ballot papers and uploaded them on social media. Candidates requested the ECP to take notice of this violation. Besides this, health workers kept on harassing women voters at Ward 9 polling station in Umarkot asking them to cast votes in favor of their candidate. The activists of Tehreek-i-Labbaik (TLP) have disrupted polling in UC 6 Ward No 1, Nadir Shah dispensary in

Nawabshah while raising objection on allotting wrong election symbol during the polls. They objected to the allotment of another election symbol i.e. Queen to the TLP chairman and vice chairmanship contenders other than TLP’s official election symbol of ‘Crane’. The TLP supporters after halting election process, raised slogans against the ECP for allotting wrong symbol. According to reports, a clash broke out between the activists of Pakistan Peoples Party and Jamiat Ulma-e-Islam during the polling in Ward No 10 of Kandkot. Supporters of both the parties beat their opponents with clubs. Several people got injured during the fight and the election staff halted the balloting.

Meanwhile, some armed people kidnapped the poll staff from polling station Tori in UC Daddr in Kandkot. The armed men opened fire and snatched election staff including presiding officer. They also took away ballot boxes with them. A video footage of the incident available in which it could be seen that armed men were kidnapping the staff. The administration called in a heavy contingent of police and Rangers. But so far, the election staff could not recovered. There was a sense of fear in the atmosphere of Tori polling station. According to reports, the polling staff was allegedly kidnapped by Bhio gang. The polling process has not started yet. In another incident, people in village Rasool Bakhsh in Tangwai’s broke open the gate of polling station No 8 and entered the booth. Police tried to stop them but they failed. The polling process was halted in polling station of Farid Mehr in Sukkur following a scuffle between two rival groups. An activist of the JUI was injured in the fight and was shifted to a local hospital. The JUI leader Muhammad Saleh accused the SHO of the area of violence, adding that people who came from outside, they attacked our workers.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

tion conducted by security forces in the Dossali area of the North Waziristan district, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said. "During the exchange of fire, four terrorists got killed. Weapons and ammunition were also recovered from the killed terrorists," the military's media affairs wing said. It added that the terrorists were "actively involved in terrorist activities against security forces". On June 24, the Pakistan Army had killed two terrorists in Kulachi area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Dera Ismail Khan district. Earlier, security forces had killed six terrorists belonging to the Baloch Liberation Front (BLF) during a search operation in Paroom area in Balochistan's Panjgur district. Security forces had conducted an operation on a tip-off regarding the presence of terrorists in Zamran Range near Paroom. The ISPR said the slain terrorists were involved in attacks on checkposts as well as IED attacks on security convoys in Paroom and surrounding areas of Panjgur. The forces also recovered a huge cache of arms and ammunition which, according to the ISPR, were to be used by terrorists for disrupting peace in the area.

more inside

Nawaz Sharif, PM Shehbaz deeply attached to Kashmir cause: Marriyum STORY ON PAGE 03

Amid financial constraints, GB hikes MPAs salaries by up to 135pc STORY ON PAGE 02

Saudi Crown Prince confers top Saudi honour on COAS Bajwa STORY ON BACK PAGE in today’s issue

attention Some readers have complained that they are not getting the magazine with their newspaper copy. Please call or WhatsApp us at the following number to register a complaint. Contact: 0307-7338168 irfan.farooq@pakistantoday.com.pk

02-03 NEWS 27 JUNE_Layout 1 6/27/2022 1:32 AM Page 1

Monday, 27 June, 2022 | ISLAMABAD

NEWS

AMid finAnCiAl ConstrAints, GB hiKes MPAs sAlAries By uP to 135PC ISLAMABAD

GhulAM AbbAs

HE Gilgit-Baltistan government has increased salaries of lawmakers from 56 percent to 135 percent amid financial constraints and austerity measures announced by the federal as well as provincial governments. Through a resolution unanimously passed by the members of ruling and opposition parties, the Gilgit Baltistan Legislative Assembly (GBLA) approved a bill for increasing salaries and benefits of the Chief Minister, Speaker, Deputy Speaker, Provincial Ministers, Parliamentary Secretaries and Members of the Assembly by up to 135 percent.

Interestingly, the lawmakers have approved the bill at a time when the centre has hardly restored the previous budget of the region after a drastic cut. The centre after much hue and cry had agreed to maintain the previous level of budget to both GB and Azad Jammu Kashmir (AJK). It had earlier decided to cut both the nondevelopment and development budget of GB and AJK along with other provinces. GBLA members from opposition parties, which were earlier critical of the regional government for its failure to get the required budget from the centre, were also happy to see the bill regarding salary increase in the regional assembly. After passage of the bill by the assembly ahead of budget of the budget

Winder dam to irrigate 10k acre land in Balochistan ISLAMABAD APP

Winder Dam having storage capacity of about 54,000 acre feet of water storage capacity would irrigate over 10,000 acres land. An official of the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) told APP that Winder Dam project would be completed in 4 years with a cost of Rs13 billion in Lasbela district of Baluchistan. Completion of the dam would increase ground level water and reduce shortage of the water in the area. Agriculture and livestock would be benefited in the area after completion of the dam. He said with the positive efforts of the present Federal and provincial government’s project was approved on March 16, 2020 which was previously pending since 2009 due to lack of funds. He said water supply to the lands from the dam through canal could also be ensured. Replying to a question, he said that Rs1.1 billion would be saved in the construction of the project keeping in view the austerity measures of the central government. Replying to another question, he said the Winder Dam is situated across the Winder River 125 Kilometer from Karachi, 66 Kilometer from Uthal and 25 Kilometer from Winder Town in Lasbela District of Baluchistan; despite it could also generate 03 megawatts of electricity.

‘Collective Qurbani’ trend increasing due to exorbitant prices of sacrificial animals NEwS DESk Most people are giving preference to the ‘Collective Qurbani’ on Eid-ul-Azha due to the high prices of sacrificial animals. This was revealed in a survey of the cattle market on Sunday. The residents of various localities have decided for combined sacrifices with the cooperation of various religious and social organisations including local seminaries and mosques. Others have opted to go for combined Qurbani (sacrifice), this year, with their relatives and friends. “It is better to take part in the combined Qurbani arranged by a nearby madressah or mosque, and we will do so because we have to spend Rs 18,000 to Rs 30,000 for a share,” said a customer, The steady increase in animal prices in the recent years has led to the trend of collective sacrifice, another visitor Naeem Qurashi said. The average price of a healthy goat and sheep in the market is Rs 60,000 to Rs 80,000 while the bull price is between Rs 150,000 to 300,000.

being presented on Monday (today), salary of the GB Chief Minister has been increased from over Rs500,000 to Rs780,000 (56 percent) whereas salary of Speaker GBLA has been increased to Rs780,000 from existing over Rs400,000 per month with 95 percent increase. The salary of the Deputy Speaker has jumped from Rs376,000 to Rs650,000 (72.8 percent) while the salary of the Provincial ministers has been increased from Rs352,000 to Rs600,000 (70 percent). As per the approved bill, the salary of the chairman of the standing committee has been increased from Rs 240,000 to 565,000 (135 percent). The salary of members of the assembly has also been enhanced from Rs 210000 to Rs

465000 (121 percent). As per the officials, the bill was presented in the assembly for a second time during a session on Saturday, chaired by Deputy Speaker Nazir Ahmed, as earlier the same was turned down with objection. The Deputy Speaker informed the House that there was nothing objectionable in the Bill therefore it has been presented again. Later both the opposition and government members present in the House unanimously supported the Bill and it was passed unanimously. As per a member of the assembly the copy of the bill was not in the folder of any member of the Assembly, not even in the folder of the provincial ministers.

President underscores tapping youth’s potential thru latest education ISLAMABAD News Desk

President Dr Arif Alvi Sunday stressed the need for focusing more on the education and skill sets improvement of the youth and creation of more space for the womenfolk in the mainstream of economy. During a conversation premiered live on YouTube, a popular social media platform, the president said that the world had been moving at a faster pace with regard to latest development in information and technology sector and the research and knowledge. “Pakistan must immediately board on that fast moving train of information and knowledge,” he said urging the country’s political leadership and parliamentarians to focus more on education and human resource development. The president opined that an intellectual and smart leadership was must to take a country on the path of progress and development by equipping youth with the latest education and by making investment upon enhancement of the human resources. The president said the country was producing about 27,000 IT graduates whereas in India the numbers of IT graduates stood around 800,000. The president cautioned that if this huge youth and women bulge of the country was not properly utilized, then they would become an elderly bulge. The president said that in the next few years, according to an estimate, the world would require 80 million trained people in the realm of information and technology and artificial intelligence by 2030. He said that IT sector possessed huge opportunities and stressed upon the need to overcome the formal brick and mortar educational system.

These issues were like bottlenecks which should be removed, he added. The president said with use of latest technology, Pakistan could become a bread basket of the world in the field of agriculture. To a query, he said that the government policies always determined the economy of a country. The president observed that elections should be held on the basis of issues. He said in today’s world policies were so dynamic that these required constant transformation and in different sectors, like the education and technology, the world was witnessing an exponential growth. The president opined that if a leadership possessed smart thinking, nothing could stop a country from heading on the path of progress and development. Responding to another question, he said Pakistan had faced the global Covid 19 pandemic with efficient response. He cited that the pandemic had disrupted the global supply and demand chain, adding but when compared with the global economy, Pakistan had performed better. Stability could be achieved when there was betterment in policies, he said, and expressed his optimism that Pakistan would be soon out of the economic challenges. The president shared that implementation of policies in Pakistan always took time whereas the changes around the world were taking place at rapid speed. About Pakistani diaspora, he said that they had great affection for their motherland. But he regretted that after imparting them education and skills and qualities, they had exported such talent to abroad which was ‘wastage of human capital’. The president also emphasized upon creation of awareness over the issues of growing population.

Bugti, Hamza agree for joint strategy to curb drug traﬃcking NEwS DESk Minister for Narcotics Control Nawabzada Shahzain Bugti and Chief Minister of Punjab Hamza Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday agreed for a joint strategy to curb drug trafficking and its use in the Punjab province. Minister for Narcotics Control Nawabzada Shahzain Bugti met with Chief Minister of Punjab Hamza Shehbaz

Sharif and discussed domestic and political situation in the country, said a statement issued here. The minister said use of drugs in educational institutions would be discouraged while public will also be made aware of use of different types of drugs and its dangers. In the meeting, CM Punjab assured all-out cooperation for the prevention of drug trafficking.

Why is Ali Wazir to be jailed? CITY NOTES M A NIAZI

Some nasty and mean-minded people out there, who’ve been saying that it’s perfectly all right to sling Ali Wazir in durance vile for daring to say things against the Army in a speech in Waziristan, but not to take any action against Imran Khan for his accusations that the ‘neutrals’ were animals for not supporting the right, which is him. As far as I know, Ali Wazir doesn’t want the Army on his side. Imran does. Perhaps both can learn from Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, who has for some time suffered because of the accusation that he was behind the brutal murder of Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi in 2019 in Saudi Arabia’s Istanbul consulate. True, Imran Khan had him visit

Pakistan at a time when he was persona non grata in most countries. Even Imran, according to a highly unreliable source, baulked at the invitation to dinner at the Saudi Embassy. Far from being persona non grata, the Crown Prince has hosted the US President, Joe Biden, who campaigned on a platform which demanded the MBS be punished for the murder. As if that wasn’t enough, MBS went on an official visit to Turkey where he was received by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The visit was to the capital, Ankara, and did not include an Istanbul leg, where an inspection of the consulate by the Crown Prince would have almost automatically been on the schedule. That should give Imran hope. I mean, if there is life for MBS after the Khashoggi murder, then why not life for Imran after dismissal by conspiracy. And if the USA can

forgive MBS to the extent of having Biden go visit, why can’t it it learn to live with Imran again? As for the reasons why it overthrew him, he can leave the Shehbaz government to take the steps it wants, and the USA let him come back. Through those who he can call neutral, though Ali Wazir wouldn’t know what hit him if he had the temerity to do so. I wonder why this Friday there was no rise in petrol prices. Instead Finance Minister Miftah Ismail imposed a one-time tax on company profits. Well, let’s hope this one-time stayed one-time. Previous onetime measures din’t stay one-time. Like the income tax, which had been introduced as a wartime measure to help the UK finance World War-I. Well, it’s still around. And then there was of the fiduciary issue of £14 million to help finance the Napoleonic War. A

AJK govt presented people-friendly budget despite financial constraints: Abdul Majeed NEwS DESk Azad Jammu Kashmir Finance Minister Abdul Majeed Khan said that despite difficult circumstances, the government presented a balanced and people-friendly budget that will prove to be a step towards improvement of people’ lives Khan expressed these views while addressing a post-budget media talk in the State metropolis on Sunday. Additional Chief Secretary Development Dr. Sajid Mehmood Chauhan, Secretary Finance Ismatullah Shah and Secretary Information and IT Ms. Midhat Shehzad were also present on this occasion. Speaking on the occasion the finance minister lauded the efforts of AJK Prime Minister Sardar Tanveer Ilyas Khan, Chief Secretary, Additional Chief Secretary Development, Secretary Finance and his team for presenting the best budget. Now that the budget has been presented in the Assembly, Khan said that it was incumbent on the opposition to play its due role in the House to get it passed. “The government will provide Rs. 100 million for the earthquake victims in Afghanistan and will try to reach out to the Afghan brothers as per the policy of the government of Pakistan,”he said. Highlighting the salient features of the budget, he said, “Annual grant of Press Foundation has been increased from Rs 3.3 million to Rs 5 million whereas Rs. 85 million has been allocated for advertisements in the current financial year while Rs. 100 million has been allocated for the next financial year”. Regarding the reduction of power losses in transmission lines, he said that the government was going to set up a private company (DISCO) to tackle this issue effectively. He said that the Rescue 1122 service has been launched in Tehsil headquarters adjacent to LOC. “In addition, Bomb Disposal Squad Units and Bike Ambulance Service are being set up in the Sub-Divisions located on the LOC,” he added. “Tourism and Archaeology Secretariat has been set up for the promotion of tourism”, he added. The finance minister further said that the directorate of EMIS has been established for monitoring and obtaining data of biometric devices installed in educational institutions. He said that Rs. 418.494 million has been provided to the victims of disaster relief in the current financial year. “About Rs. 500 million has been proposed for the procurement of medicines, equipment and repair of ambulances in the health sector in the current financial year and an increase of Rs. 700 million has been proposed in the financial year 2022-23”, he said, adding that Rs 100 million has been allocated for the prevention of Corona epidemic. He said that a subsidy of Rs. 280 million was given by the government to provide cheap flour to the people during the Holy month of Ramadan. To improve law and order situation and countering the threat of terrorism, he said, “Counter Terrorism Department has been set up in AJK and the required posts and funds have been provided to the department to counter terrorism effectively.” He said that additional District and Sessions Judge Court in Abbaspour, Additional District and Sessions Judge / Additional District Criminal Court in Samahni District Bhimber and Additional District Qazi Abbaspour Court have been set up to ensure delivery of justice to the people at their doorstep. He said that funds have also been earmarked for AIIMS Hospital Muzaffarabad, Cardiac Hospital and Tandali Hospital in the budget. He further said that in addition to water usage charges other issues were being discussed with the central government.

fiduciary issue meant that the Bank of England would print banknotes that weren’t backed by gold. Well, now all money consists of fiduciary issues, because none of the money is backed by anything, except government securities. The banknote contains a promise to pay by the Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan. The bearer is promised the money ‘on demand’. But no one makes the demand. Once upon a time, under the Raj, you could demand and would be paid silver rupees, each coin of a certain weight and purity. Now, if you presented the promise to pay, once the derisive laughter had subsided, you would be given government securities for the amount on the note. In short, more paper. So a measure introduced partially to finance a war, has now swept out gold and replaced it with fiat. Imran might be interested to know that the replacement of gold by fiat currencies has made it possible for the USA to exert dominance over the world. You see, the US dollar has replaced

gold. Countries now use gold to buy dollars. The other countries have to kick and bite, fight and strive, and sell goods abroad, to afford to buy goods from abroad. Like us. The USA? It just prints more dollars. So what’s happened is that any country running up a surplus has got piles and piles of dollars. Which is just paper. Well, China instead has bought US government securities, over $1 trillion worth. That means China has sent over goods to the USA, and in return it has got paper. And it has a handicap in the trade war the USA started, because if the dollar grows weak, the value of that paper mountain, goes down. Meanwhile, the UK’s PM, Boris Johnson, is showing he’s learned a thing or two from Imran. Boris Johnson has not only been convicted of violating covid-19 revelations, but has led his party to two byelection defeats. But is he giving up? Not at all. He is refusing to give in to any Malawian conspiracy. But he hasn’t bothered to offer the explanation the PTI is already giving for its performance in the coming Punjab by-elections: rigging.

02-03 NEWS 27 JUNE_Layout 1 6/27/2022 1:32 AM Page 2

Monday, 27 June, 2022 | ISLAMABAD

NEWS

nAWAz shArif, PM shehBAz deePly AttAChed to KAshMir CAuse: MArriyuM ISLAMABAD

stAff rePort

EDERAL Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb on Sunday said both Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) leader Nawaz Sharif and Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif have always raised the Kashmir issue at every international forum because of their emotional attachment with the cause. “The government will express solidarity with the Kashmiris on August 5 against the Indian move of revoking the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir’s special status,” she said in a meeting with Senior Hurriyat leader and Chairman Jammu and Kashmir Salvation Movement President Altaf Ahmed Bhat who arrived at her

residence to congratulate her on assuming the portfolio of Information Ministry. Meanwhile, Pakistani embassies around the world were directed to expose the Indian initiative of unilateral revocation of Kashmir’s autonomous status by nullifying article 370 of the Indian constitution, she added. The government is committed to extend moral, political and diplomatic support to Kashmiris in line with Nawaz Sharif’s vision. She added that the steps taken by India on August 5 were not recognized then by the government of Pakistan and would not be accepted now. “Kashmir is a disputed territory whose future remains to be decided and it can only be resolved by giving its people the right to decide on their future through plebiscite in accordance with the

Men dominate senior positions in first Women Bank limited AhMAD AhMADANI Men have been dominating the senior positions of First Women Bank Limited (FWBL) in contradiction to the vision of the Islamic world’s first woman Prime Minister (PM) Benazir Bhutto Shaheed. According to sources, not a single man was part of the management team of FWBL till December 2021 since the establishment (1989) of the FWBL. However, the former Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government inducted men in the bank and currently top eight senior management positions including President of FWBL are occupied by the men. “This is altogether contrary to the basic aim and vision of the then premier Benazir Bhutto (Shaheed) for establishing the FWBL in the country,” said sources. They added that the then PM Benazir Bhutto Shaheed while congratulating the first President of FWBL through a letter dated 03 December 1989 expressed the need of the women staff to foster economic independence of the country’s women. A copy of the letter of former Prime of Pakistan Minister Benazir Bhutto Shaheed available with Pakistan Today/Profit disclosed that the then premier while congratulating Miss Akram Khatoon, the first President of the First Women Bank Limited Karachi, said that the establishment of FWBL is aimed at giving a fillip to career women of the country who at present have little access to institutional credit. “We would also like to see that the women’s bank may employ, other than for security purposes, only women,” said Benazir Bhutto Shaheed. She added that this will not only enable working women to have greater job opportunities but it will encourage ‘pardah nasheen’ ladies to avail of the services of the bank for purposes of account and saving. Benazir Bhutto Shaheed also said that the democratic government would like the women’s bank to come up with saving schemes for women. It is also to encourage women who do not have traditional collateral, to secure loans for employment ventures and it is for the bank to determine what terms of collateral it should offer its women clients, said Benazir Bhutto Shaheed.

United Nation’s resolutions.” she added. The United Nations should implement its resolutions on Kashmir and give Kashmiris their birthright. Former Mayor Rawalpindi Sardar Naseem Khan and Tahira Aurangzeb, mother of the Federal Information Minister were also present on occasion. Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said that Kashmir and Pakistan cannot be separated from each other. “Leaders of Hurriyat and Kashmiri people have made immense sacrifices for their freedom which cannot be ignored,” she added. Talking on the occasion, Chairman J&KSM Altaf Ahmed Bhat said that the measures taken by India on August 5 were illegal, unconstitutional and immoral. India has been busy and brought Israeli-style demographic changes in IIOJ&K and so far more than

four million hardcore Hindus have been issued Kashmiri residency certificates, which was totally illegal and unconstitutional. He said that in order to suppress the Kashmir Independence Movement, India had imprisoned the leaders of Hurriyat in false and baseless cases so that the voice of Kashmiris could not reach the world. Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Shabbir Shah, Yasin Malik, Zafar Akbar Bhat, Qasim Faktoo, Asiya Andrabi, Naeem Khan and many other Hurriyat leaders were behind bars, he lamented. Recently, Indian agencies assassinated Syed Ali Gilani and Ashraf Sahrai in custody, he said, adding India wanted to suppress the voice of Kashmiris by force. “Every day Indian army is killing innocent Kashmiris through fake and baseless crackdowns and encounters,” Bhat remarked.

Bankrupt Sri Lanka seeks discounted Russian oil AgENCIES Cash-strapped Sri Lanka on Sunday announced sending ministers to Russia and Qatar to try and secure cheap oil a day after the government said it had all but run out of fuel. The government meanwhile extended a two-week closure of non-essential state institutions until further notice in order to save fuel, maintaining only a skeleton staff to provide minimum services. Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera said two ministers will travel to Russia on Monday to discuss getting more oil following last month’s purchase of 90,000 tonnes of Siberian crude. That shipment was arranged through Coral Energy, a Dubaibased intermediary, but politicians have been urging the authorities to negotiate directly with President Vladimir Putin’s government. “Two ministers are going to Russia and I will go to Qatar tomorrow to see if we can arrange concessionary terms,” Wijesekera told reporters in Colombo. Wijesekera had announced on Saturday that Sri Lanka was virtually out of petrol and diesel after several scheduled shipments were delayed indefinitely due to “banking” reasons. Fuel reserves were sufficient to meet less than two days’ demand and it was being reserved for essential services, Wijesekera said while apologizing for the situation. The state-run Ceylon Petroleum Corporation on Sunday hiked the price for diesel by 15 percent to 460 rupees ($1.27) a liter and petrol by 22 percent to 550 rupees. Since the beginning of the year, diesel prices have gone up nearly four-fold and gasoline has almost

tripled. Wijesekera said there would be an indefinite delay in getting new shipments of oil and urged motorists not to queue up until he introduces a token system to a limited number of vehicles daily. US takes stock: A delegation from the US Treasury and the State Department meanwhile arrived to “explore the most effective ways for the US to support Sri Lankans in need”, the US embassy in Colombo said. “As Sri Lankans endure some of the greatest economic challenges in their history, our efforts to support economic growth and strengthen democratic institutions have never been more critical,” US ambassador Julie Chung said in a statement. US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Treasury for Asia Robert Kaproth and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Kelly Keiderling were in the delegation. The embassy said it had committed $158.75 million in new financing in the past two weeks to help Sri Lankans.

About 1.7 million residents need “life-saving assistance”, according to the United Nations which issued a flash appeal last week. Four out of five people in the nation of 22 million have reduced their food intake due to severe shortages and galloping prices, the UN noted. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe warned parliament on Wednesday that more hardships were on the way. “Our economy has faced a complete collapse,” Wickremesinghe said. “We are now facing a far more serious situation beyond the mere shortages of fuel, gas, electricity and food.” Unable to repay its $51 billion foreign debt, the government declared it was defaulting in April and is negotiating with the International Monetary Fund for a possible bailout. Sri Lanka’s official inflation at the end of May was 45.3 percent, according to official data, but private economists have placed it at 128 percent, the second-highest in the world after Zimbabwe.

imran forgives employee caught with spying device at Bani Gala ISLAMABAD stAff rePort

Dr Shahbaz Gill, the chief of staff of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman, said on Sunday that former premier Imran khan has pardoned the employee who was involved in spying at his Bani Gala residence. Dr Shahbaz Gill produced the Bani Gala employee before the media who was allegedly caught red-handed installing a spying device at Imran Khan’s Bani Gala residence. He said that the 23-year-old employee has been caught installing a spying device. He added that the employee is facing life threats and he was pardoned by Khan. “I want to give a message to those who have used the employee for spying on Imran Khan that they should not violate the sanctity of the private residences of the people. This employee was working at Bani Gala for the last six years and he brought a device here but was caught before installing it.” The employee, whose face was covered with a cloth, admitted before the media that he brought the device and was caught before installing it. “I am grateful to Imran Khan for forgiving me. I have made a mistake and everyone should forgive me.” Spying attempt on pti chief: A spying attempt on ex-PM and PTI chief Imran Khan had been foiled yesterday. An employee of Bani Gala was paid to install a device in the former prime minister’s bedroom. However, the spying attempt was foiled after another employee informed the security team about the installation of the device. After receiving information, the security team of Bani Gala detained the employee and handed him over to the federal police. Meanwhile, PTI leader Shehbaz Gill has asserted that the party had pointed out several times that Imran Khan’s life is in danger. “In this regard, we have informed all relevant agencies, including the government,” he added. Talking exclusively to ARY News, Shehbaz Gill claimed: “An employee – who cleans the former premier’s room – was paid to install a spy device,” terming the act ‘heinous and unfortunate’. “Our people are being threatened to get information. Such shameful acts should be avoided,” he added. The PTI leader further said that the ‘arrested’ employee has made several revelations – which he refused to share at the moment.

strategic reforms in specialized healthcare in offing: sufi ISLAMABAD stAff rePort

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has decided to initiate strategic research and development reforms in specialized healthcare. Head of Prime Minister’s Strategic Reforms Salman Sufi, in a press statement on Sunday, said that these reforms would include assisting and enhancing the number of entities for the local development of specialized equipment for cerebral palsy, prosthetics and assistive devices. Moreover, specialized music based learning for patients with cognitive impairment would be introduced, he added. Under the proposed reforms, the low cost special wheel-chairs and other assistive material would be locally manufactured, so that these requisite items could be easily available to the ordinary citizens. The government would also take steps to provide subsidy on these items, Sufi added.

K-12 education and translated work of Pakistani female fiction writers ISLAMABAD syeD AfsAr sAjID

Agents of Change is an in-depth exploration of ‘the problematic landscape of Pakistan’s K-12 education and the people leading it’ by its co-authors Amjad Noorani and Nadeem Hussain. It has been described as ‘an informed commentary on education policies and practice in Pakistan’. Feminine Foot Print on Pakistani Literature comprises a translated version of nineteen Urdu short stories by a mix of old and young female fiction writers from Pakistan, selected and rendered by Amir Rizvi, a seasoned translator and bilingual litterateur. This review is intended to deal with the two publications separately. The book is an incredible story of commitment and resolve placed within the larger historic and material context. It is an

important compendium of informed and reflective commentary on education policies and practice in Pakistan. The authors have successfully initiated a deeply political conversation. However, to borrow from Antonio Gramsci, they promote a ‘politics of consent’ in the realm of education. (Harris Khalique) Renowned fiction writer Muhammad Hanif regards the book as a ‘must read for educators and policy makers’. Physicist/educator Pervez Hoodbhoy opines that it (the book) ‘lays out the enormity of the problem that Pakistan faces in educating its youth’. The book is dedicated to late Abdul Sattar Edhi, the iconic humanist who inter alia introduced the first nation-wide non-profit ambulance service in the country. Apart from the opening prologues, appendices, postscripts, and the index, the book is split into seven chapters, viz. ‘Fixing

the problematic education system’, ‘The incredible story of TCF (The Citizens Foundation)’, ‘The Saleem family of Ibrahim Goth’, ‘Agents of change’, ‘The right to education’, ‘The madrasa as an institution of education’, and ‘Education reform: The essentials’. The concept and methodology of TCF (The Citizens Foundation) forms the core theme of this book. Dr. Shashi Buluswar, from the University of California views it (TCF) as ‘the world’s single most effective NGO in Education.’ It operates a vast network of schools, teachers and students of which a vivid detail is charted in the second chapter of the book. The authors ‘cohesively bring forward the scale of TCF’s 25 years of intervention, that provides both qualitative and quantitative basis to decisively shape the direction of primary and secondary

education in Pakistan, laying the foundation for development of individuals with civic responsibility and consciousness to address challenges humanity is globally facing’. Thus to quote Salman Humayun of the Institute of Social and Policy Sciences, Islamabad, ‘This book holds great value for policy research organizations, think-tanks, and development practitioners globally. It roots the debate on delivering quality education to all children in Pakistan in the context of elite capture, institutional challenges, inequity, and marginalization. It argues that the education challenge is not only technical in nature but also deeply political; and reforms that fail to establish a vibrant interface between the technical and the political are likely to be short-lived. Political yet non-partisan advocacy embedded in robust data and evidence is the key.’

04 NEWS 27 JUNE_Layout 1 6/27/2022 1:26 AM Page 1

Monday, 27 June, 2022 | ISLAMABAD

04 NEWS

SoCiaL media eRaSed Line between tRuth, Lie: daStGiR kARACHI

NewS DeSk

EDERAl Minister for Power Khurram Dastgir Khan on Sunday emphasized on dissemination of true and verified content through media, especially social media. like politicians, the media has its own barriers and challenges in revealing certain truths. “Social media has erased the line between truth and lie, and this in my view is extreme reporting,” he stated. Having sufficient power and resources, one can alter reality,” he regretted while delivering his keynote address in the concluding session of two-day conference on ‘Extreme Reporting: Conflict and Peace in the Digital Age’ held at the Centre of Excellence in Journalism, at Institute of Business Administration. Minister of State for Energy Dr Musadik Malik, United States Consul General Mark Stroh and IBA’s Executive Director Dr S. Akbar Zaidi were prominent amongst the participants. The minister said that the extreme re-

porting was an endeavor that required strength and courage. If one looks at Pakistan’s history there had been courageous men and women who had tried to express the truth, for which they suffered a lot, the minister added. For example, the minister said, journalists were shot in broad daylight and kidnapped—not only they but their families also suffered. He maintained that the media had failed to save the public from lies. It might be an exaggeration to say but the erasure of the line between truth and lies was endangering democracy worldwide. But in this country, the democracy was treated as a soft target and as a leaf of plant to be crushed, he asserted. He agreed that the media had many challenges like the elected lawmakers because there were certain truths that could not be revealed in the country. The minister touched upon the civil military relationship and how it impacted the economy, the 2018 elections which he said were managed. United States’ Consul General in Karachi Mark Stroh, after distributing

KP govt to release Rs280b to LGs in next financial year PeSHAWAR Staff RepoRt

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government will release Rs280 billion to local governments representatives of which Rs200 billion will be for employees salaries’ and Rs4 billion for development expenditure. According to the Provincial Finance Commission, Rs170 billion has been allocated for the employees of subordinate departments in the settled districts, including Rs5 billion for new recruits. Rs29.40 billion has been earmarked for other expenditure out of which Rs19.74 billion is for provision of facilities in schools. Similarly, a grant of Rs5.40b will be provided to the Tehsil Municpal Administrations (TMAs) of the settled districts of which Rs3 billion will be for the financially weak TMAs, Rs212 million has been earmarked for cantonment boards while Rs2.80 billion has been earmarked for Village and Neighborhood Councils. Similarly, Rs30 billion has been allocated for salaries of employees of subordinate departments in the merged districts, of which Rs3 billion will be for new recruitments while Rs9.86 billion for ongoing expenditure of which Rs 8.58 billion will be for education. Similarly, a grant of Rs675m has been earmarked for TMAs of tribal districts out of which Rs550m will be for weak TMAs. A grant of Rs305m has been earmarked for Village and Neighborhood Councils. A development fund of Rs37b has also been set aside for the local governments of the settled districts and Rs4b for the local governments of the tribal districts. Thus, a total of Rs41b will be released to local governments representatives.

awards, in his brief comments said that it had been a really fascinating couple of days – workshop and two-day conference on digital media held at IBA-CEJ. The US was supporting the said centre

and training because they were committed to supporting journalists in Pakistan. “We are proud to support this training programs at the CEJ-IBA,” he held. A strong professional press was impor-

tant – especially in conflict – and it was through such trainings and conferences the journalists could learn to play their instrumental role in shaping the discourse, he advocated.

On int’l day, Pakistan renews resolve for a drug free society, world ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

Pakistan on Sunday joined the international community to observe the “International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking”, reiterating its steadfast resolve to create a drug free society and the world. In a statement, the Foreign Office spokesperson said the drug abuse undermined public health and the socioeconomic development besides challenging the national security and prosperity. He said Pakistan itself was a poppy free country, but its population became a victim of regional opiate production and trade. He said the illicit drug production and its trafficking was a major problem in Pakistan’s neighbourhood and it had been at the forefront of the efforts to actively support the ongoing global and regional initiatives that aimed at fighting against drug production and trafficking.

The observance of this day manifests Pakistan’s steadfast resolve in creating a drug free society and world, he added. The spokesperson said that Pakistan closely engaged in the Paris Pact Initiative and UNODC’s Regional Program for Afghanistan and Neighboring Countries.

“Under the Triangular Initiative (TI), we are cooperating with Iran and Afghanistan to fight this menace. In addition to international and regional cooperation, a number of counter-narcotics measures have been taken at the national level including the adoption of a National Anti-Narcotics Policy in 2019 and the creation of InterAgency Task Force on Counter-Narcotics,” he remarked. He said that protecting the youth and the future generations from this menace was inevitable for a safe and prosperous world. “On this Day, we reaffirm our commitment to strengthening action and cooperation to achieve a world that is free of drug abuse,” he pledged. The United Nations General Assembly decided to observe June 26 as the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking in 1987 as an expression of its determination to strengthen action and cooperation to achieve the goal of an international society free of drug abuse.

Electric fans export increases 2.33pc in 11 months ISLAMABAD

Churches security beefed up in Pindi

Staff RepoRt

The exports of electric fan witnessed an increase of 2.33 percent during 11 months of fiscal year (2021-22) as compare to the corresponding period of last fiscal year. The country exported electric fan worth US $28.520 million during July-May (2021-22) as against the exports of US $27.872 million during July-May (2020-21), showing growth of 2.33 percent, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS). In terms of quantity, the exports of electric fan however decreased by 10.16 percent by going down from 1,782 to 1,601 , according to the data. Meanwhile, on year-to-year basis, the exports of electric fan grew by

RAWALPINDI Staff RepoRt

51.85 percent during the month of May 2022 as compared to the same month of last year. The exports of fan from the country during May 2022 were recorded at $3.646 million against the exports of $2.401 million in May 2021.

On month-on-month basis, the exports of electric fan dipped by 11.78 percent during May 2022 as compared to the exports of $4.133 million in April 2022, the PBS data revealed.

The Rawalpindi District Police on the directives of City Police Officer Syed Shahzad Nadeem Bukhari here on Sunday enhanced security at churches. According to the police spokesman, Divisional Superintendents of Police, SDPOs and SHOs on Sunday checked security at churches in their respective areas and briefed the police personnel deployed there. He informed that Rawalpindi police have made strict measures to ensure security of the Christian community at churches. CPO further ordered effective patrolling in their respective areas. The police also decided to take strict action against beggars and asked hotels to maintain a proper check in and out records of visitors, spokesman added.

India using torture as tool to suppress Kashmiris’ struggle in IIOJK NeWS DeSk In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, India is using physical, mental and psychological torture at a large scale as a tool to prolong its illegal hold on Kashmir and to suppress the Kashmiris’ struggle for right to self-determination. A report released by the Research Section of Kashmir Media Service on the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, today, revealed that Indian troops during their unabated acts of state terrorism martyred 96,079 Kashmiris including 7,242 in custody and fake encounters since January 1989 till date. The report said that Indian troops and police personnel arrested 164,906 Kashmiris, including women and children, during crackdowns and military operations since 1989 till date. “These arrested people were physically and mentally

tortured by the Indian army, paramilitary and police personnel in different interrogation centers, police stations and jails. The use of torture by the troops has been widespread and indiscriminate in occupied Jammu and Kashmir,” it said. It said 96,622 Kashmiris, including men, women and children, have been injured due to the firing of bullets, pellets, teargas shells and systematic use of torture by Indian troops and police personnel on the people in IIOJK since 2000. It said hundreds of persons, including 19month-old Hiba Jan, 8-year-old Shahid Fayaz, 9-year-old Owais Ahmed, Asif Ahmed Sheikh,10, Aaqib Zahoor, 16, Ulfat Hameed, 17), Bilal Ahmed Butt. 17), Insha Mushtaq, 18, Tariq Ahmed Gojri,19, Faizan Ashraf Tantray, 19, Nadeem, 15, Sahil Hameed Butt, Ifra, Shabroza, Parvez Ahmed, 20, Danish Rajab, 24, Shakeela, 30, Zahid

Nisar, 14, Yawar Yousuf, Qisar Ahmed and Arif Ahmed Wagay, 22, have lost their eyesight in one or both eyes due to pellet injuries. The report said Indian Army and police have established scores of torture centres in occupied Kashmir where innocent Kashmiris are subjected to various kinds of brutal methods to extract information and confessional statements from them. “Cargo, Harinivas, Papa-1 and PapaII, and Humhama and police stations are the most notorious interrogation centres where thousands of Kashmiris lost their lives due to severe torture during interrogation. Even top APHC leader, Muhammad Ashraf Sehrai, died in custody, while prominent liberation leader, Muhammad Maqbool Butt and Muhammad Afzal Guru, were hanged to death on the basis of a confessional statement and fake cases which was extracted on the basis of torture during custody,” it added.

Monday, 27 June, 2022 | ISLAMABAD

NEWS

PReSIDent CongRAtuLAteS APS SuRvIvoR on hIS eLeCtIon AS PReSIDent oxfoRD unIon

RESIDENT Dr Arif Alvi Sunday congratulated Ahmad Nawaz, a survivor of Army Public School, Peshawar terrorist attack on being elected as President of Oxford Union. The president on his Twitter handle, said that youths were the biggest hope of Pakistan. Despite all setbacks, Pakistan would keep on shining and rising, he added.

PIA resumes direct flights to Kuala Lumpur, Doha LAHORE staff report

After the removal of Covid-19 restrictions, a flight of the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) left for Kuala Lumpur from Lahore on Sunday morning as the national airline has resumed direct flights to Malaysia. The PIA has also added to its rapidly expanding network the direct flights from Karachi and Lahore to Qatari capital Doha. The airlines had already resumed its direct flights to Doha from Islamabad. In a simple ceremony at Lahore Airport, a cake was cut and flowers were presented to the passengers. The PIA is already operating two weekly flights from Islamabad to Kuala Lumpur. The national airline is increasing the number of its flights on the special instructions of the minister for aviation. “The number of flights to tourist destinations is increasing on the occasion of summer vacations,” said Aviation Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique. “Direct access is now being provided from Lahore to the tourist destinations within the country and abroad,” he added. “Flights from Lahore to Gilgit and Skardu are also being operated, and now flights to Baku and Kuala Lumpur have also been arranged,” he stated. “The purpose of these flights is to provide direct and comfortable travel facilities to the people through their national airline,” he pointed out. About addition to direct flights to Doha, the PIA in a tweet said “PIA is rapidly expanding its network. After Islamabad to Doha flights, the PIA is adding flights to Doha from Karachi and Lahore as well. So, don’t miss out on your plans to visit Doha for business, work or to watch FIFA World Cup @FIFAWorldCup.”

Citizens suffer as bakeries, stores closed on Sunday to save energy All the bakeries and general stores across Lahore city were closed by the district administration on Sunday as part of the Punjab government’s power saving campaign. Citizens complained that the district administration deprived the lively people of Lahore from traditional breakfasts, sweets and other meals on holidays. Children’s favorite cakes and pastries also went out of their reach due to the closure of bakeries and other shops. Talking to media, a citizen said that he visited two or three bakeries to buy a cake for his mother’s birthday, but he could not find one. “How much electricity will be saved by closing the bakeries during day time?” questioned another citizen. “We used to have breakfasts outside on Sundays, but the district administration has deprived us of this too,” citizens complained. “It is incomprehensible to close breakfast points, bakeries and general stores as part of power saving campaign,” they said. “We used to buy ration from general stores on holidays, but now the district administration has made it difficult for us to do shopping on holidays,” they complained. It is to be noted here that the district administration officials and police personnel patrolled in different areas of the city to ensure implementation of the Punjab government’s orders of shops’ closure. Lahore Deputy Commissioner Umar Sher Chattha said that the wholesale and retail stores, bakeries, general stores, warehouses, shopping malls, private offices and warehouses would remain closed on Sunday. news desk

nEws dEsk

Ahmad Nawaz had lost his brother Harris in the heinous Peshawar massacre on 16th December 2014 along with other students and members of the teaching staff. “Our biggest hope are youth of Pakistan. I congratulate Ahmad Nawaz, an APS survivor who also lost his brother Harris in the heinous Peshawar massacre, on being elected as President of Oxford Union. We must register that despite all setbacks Pakistan will keep on shining & rising,” the president posted.

Vote count underway in violence-hit LG polls in Sindh cOntinuEd fROm pAgE 01 Polling halted at two Polling stations in Qambar shahdadkot: The election commission stopped polling at two polling stations in Qambar Shahdadkot following reports of mismanagement and theft of election material. The balloting was halted in Naseerabad’s UC Damrah 46 and City Ward 12 when the ECP received reports of theft of voters’ lists and wrong election symbol allotment to the candidates, respectively. The residents of UC Damrah 46 protested against the theft of voters’ lists. A large number of police contingent reached the polling stations to avert any untoward incident. Thirteen people got injured in a firing incident in Abal Garhi polling station in UC Dangro, Ghutki. The balloting was halted after a scuffle broke out between the supporters of PPP and GDA in the polling station. The incensed PPP workers broke windows of the car of GDA contestant. The injured were shifted to a local hospital for medical treatment. However, a large force of police reached the place and controlled the situation. Later, the balloting was resumed. Meanwhile, 10 people including two contestants were injured in a fight in Thal. Reportedly, supporters of PPP and JUI were indulged in a clash in a polling station in Thal. They used batons and clubs to beat each other up. As many as 10 people including PPP contender Attaullah and JUI contestant Wali Muhammad got hurt. The polling station was shut down after the clash and police contingent was called in. As many as 9,290 polling stations have been set up in 14 districts. The total number of registered voters is over 11.4 million and the election commission has printed 2,950,000 ballot papers for the first phase of the LG polls. Strict security arrangements have been made in order to maintain law and order. Government has deployed over 40,000 policemen across polling stations in the province while Sindh Rangers are also on standby. Pakistan Army officials have also been deployed at sensitive areas including Shikarpur, Garhi Yaseen and Town Chuk. Carrying any kind of weapons is also prohibited under Section 144. In many districts, candidates have been elected unopposed. On the whole, peaceful balloting is going on in Khairpur, Tharparkur, Thal, and Shikarpur. A number of journalists were beaten by election candidates and their supporters in Kot Diji for filming the disturbances at a polling station. The policemen present on the occasion acted as mere spectators as cameras and mobile phone of the journalists were snatched at Gul Muhammad Soomro Polling Station. A journalist fainted and fell on the ground due

to the torture. A brawl broke out between supporters of PPP and PTI at Bachho Bhoot polling station in UC Kloi, Thrparkar. The supporters of PTI and former Sindh chief minister Arbab Ghulam Rahim’s son Arbab Anayatullah fought with each in front of police. Due to their scuffle, the voters got scared and ran away. According to reports, several activists including Arbab Anayat got injured during the fight. Reporters: Haider Khanzada, Muhammad Ramzan Mirani, Ikhlaq Chandio, Yasir Kinrai, Zafarullah Bhutto, Reporter GR Junejo and Saleem Mirani Separately, a man killed and some were left injured in separate incidents of violence during the local bodies polls on Sunday. A man was shot dead and three were injured during a clash between JUI and PPP workers in Sukkur. The two parties were clashing over election proceedings at a polling station in Rohri. Police were called to diffuse tension as the faceoff between PPP and PTI workers continues at Saleh Pat polling station in Sukkur. According to officials, polling was stopped in ward 1 while PTI candidate protested the illegal appointment of a male officer in the female booth of ward 4. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has postponed elections in some areas including Ghotki district’s Mirpur Mathelo after wrong names of candidates were printed on ballot papers. It is mention over here that 647 polling stations for 87,508 voters. Security have been tightened with deployment of 2,438 policemen, 11 companies of the Pak Army on standby and 1,509 Rangers were also deployed. Meanwhile, Voter counts are going down in Rohri, which has 12 wards, due to very hot weather . The temperature is 47°C and it feels like 51°C. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Sunday conducted the first phase of the local government elections in 14 districts of Sindh and also a bye-election in Swat in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. According to the ECP spokesperson, the commission had made adequate arrangements to hold these elections in a free, fair, and transparent manner. A total of 9,023 polling stations were established including 1,910 male, 1,895 female, 5,218 joint, and 224 improvised polling stations for 11304860 registered voters in 14 districts. He said that foolproof security arrangements were made while Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja personally monitored the election process. Similarly, special instructions were issued by the CEC to district monitoring officers and monitoring teams to remain vigilant while security agencies were directed to maintain peace during the election process, he added.

RDA inflows rise to $4.356 billion in May Inflow of remittances under Roshan Digital Account (RDA) rose to US $4.356 billion by the end of May 2022 as compared to US $4.167 billion till end of April, according to a latest data released by the State Bank of Pakistan. The data showed that the inflows of remittances during the month of May were recorded at $189 million as compared to $245 million in April and $290 million in March, 2021. Roshan Digital Account (RDA) was launched by State Bank of Pakistan in collaboration with commercial banks operating in the country. These accounts provide innovative banking solutions to millions of Non-Resident Pakistanis (NRPs), including Non-Resident Pakistan Origin Card (POC) holders, seeking to undertake banking, payment and investment activities in Pakistan. As per data, expatriate Pakistanis from 175 countries had deposited the funds to 416,837 accounts opened through RDA. The number of accounts has also been increased from 403,750 in April to 416,837 in May 2022, which means some 13,087 new accounts were opened in May. The scheme that started in September 2020 received lukewarm response from the overseas Pakistanis who deposited only $7 million in the opening month, however with the passage of time the interest kept on increasing as the inflow reached to $40 million in October 2020 and $110 million in the subsequent month. On June 21, the RDA marked a historic day when it received the highest ever daily inflows of $57 million, taking the accumulated deposits in RDA to over $4.5 billion. news desk

Kyrgyz envoy hopes for completion of CASA-1000, energy projects Ambassador of the Republic of Kyrgyzstan to Pakistan Ulanbek Totuiaev on Sunday hoped that the CASA-1000 projects would be completed soon to meet Pakistan’s energy needs for enhancing the bilateral cooperation in this sector. The CASA-1000 project, which was aimed to bring surplus electricity from Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan hydropower stations in summer times to Pakistan through the territory of Afghanistan, Ambassador of Kyrgyzstan,Ulanbek Totuiaev told APP here. The Ambassador said”This massive infrastructural project will be beneficial for all of its parties by fulfilling the energy needs and strengthening regional connectivity. He said that nowadays the governments of participating states are actively working on the completion of the project.” “Together with that, the process of building electricity lines is also going on,” he added. “I strongly believe that the above-mentioned project will be completed successfully and on time for the benefit of our countries” he said

Question on future of the Quadrilateral Traffic and Transit Agreement (QTTA) among Pakistan, China, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, he replied that due to some certain circumstances, such as the difficulties with transiting goods through the territory of Afghanistan, in past problems with crossing Chinese border because of COVID-19 pandemic and some other issues, the potential of QTTA was not being used in full manner. He said the QTTA was signed on March 09, 1995 in Islamabad to facilitate transit traffic and trade among the member countries to provide an effective connectivity network between Central Asia and Gwadar port of Pakistan in Arabian Sea. The Ambassador said “I would like to point out the problems with transit routes, particularly, in the winter period, when the main roads are being timely or permanently blocked.” “In this regard, nowadays between the countries of the above-mentioned agreement there is a task to increase the efficiency of it

by making certain amendments in accordance with the modern conditions, or finding other more convenient ways for transiting goods.” Replying to another question, he said”Kyrgyzstan and Pakistan are highly close countries with deep historical, cultural and religious roots.” Both Kyrgyzstan and Pakistan from ancient times were part of a single common region, he said. Ambassador Totuiaev said”As evidence to it, it is possible to mention the legacies of the ruler of the Mogol Empire Zahriddin Babur, located in the south of Kyrgyzstan.” He said “Due to this, there are many similarities in terms of culture, traditions, customs between the people of our countries.” “Today the relations between two countries are characterized as fraternal and friendly,” he added. “Therefore, the people of both our countries are highly interested in cooperation with each other in various spheres with primary focus on trade-economic cooperation,” he said. Replying to a question on bilateral

trade, he said that within last year the figures of Kyrgyz-Pakistani trade-economic interaction were not so high. However, I with great optimism foresee the future rapid development of trade interaction between our states, especially taking into consideration the focus of both our governments, directed on enhancement of cooperation between the countries of the region. He said”Kyrgyzstan can play an important role as link between South Asia and CIS countries together with countries of the European Union.” At the same time, Pakistan might serve as the gateway from the countries of Central Asia to external markets, especially taking into account the large seaports, located in Sindh and Balochistan provinces, he added. “I truly believe that these peculiarities will serve as a key point for future influence of the trade relations between our countries on regional connectivity” he said. He said the bilateral trade between Kyrgyzstan and Pakistan had a huge poten-

tial, which was, however, not fully explored and utilized. “I call upon both sides to actively cooperate in order to overcome the problems which are influencing this issue,” he added. The ambassador said that first of all, there was a lack of mutual awareness and as the representatives of business-circles of both sides were not completely aware of the tradeeconomic and investment opportunities. “The effective trade between Kyrgyzstan and Pakistan is possible in various spheres.” However, in order to effectively use the existing potential, businessmen and companies should pay more attention to the trade opportunities and more actively interact with partners from each side. Ambassador Totuiaev said that another key issue was the difficulties of logistic roots between both countries, especially taking into consideration the peculiarities with transiting good via the territories of Afghanistan, and China, and the absence of convenient road and railway connection. agencies

06-07 Comments - 27th June 2022_Layout 1 6/26/2022 11:59 PM Page 1

Monday, 27 June, 2022

06 COMMENT

Phases of gradual decadence

The crises ahead The Russia-Ukraine war is the new energy reality

Pakistan’s economy is in trouble

tAtE Minister for Petroleum Musaddiq Malik has warned of gas loadshedding in winter, and the continuing of power loadsheding in summer, because liquefied natural gas (LNG) has become expensive. Senator Malik should get credit for frankness, but does not solve the basic problem of the Pakistani people who have got to swelter in summers and freeze in winters. Pakistan is unable to accept bids for LNG cargos in winter, because the price of LNG has gone up from $4 to over $400 per unit. LNG prices have gone up through the roof because of the Russia-Ukraine war, which has seen European counties, previously reliant on Russian gas, now scouring the world for LNG, and in effect pricing Pakistan out of the market. Getting LNG at any price might sound good, but would mean that alternatives, like buying stocks of furnace oil, would be foregone. the Russia-Ukraine War is not going to go away any time soon, and thus has to be accepted as the new reality. the reliance on hydel power, seems misplaced, as it depends on monsoons that have not yet arrived, and which climate change is making even more problematic. Like the war, climate change is not going to go away. Even the activities within the sphere of human control, have been left to their fate. It is no good to say that the crises people are facing are because of the landmines laid by the previous government; the problem is that the longevity of the government is doubtful; more to the point, whatever policy it makes will be reversed by its successor. the transition for the PtI to the coalition is a case in point. No one knows whether the present government will be around in winter, or next summer, or whether elections will have been held, and a replacement in place. the present government seems to wish to escape the present crises by throwing the blame for them on its predecessor, which does not solve the problem of either industry or the common man. Dr Malik did say that there will be some improvement after July 15, but this is another of the succeeding dates given by the government. It should realize that it cannot kick this particular can down the road any further, or for much longer. the government knows that climate change will cause a later winter, and an earlier summer next year as well. It must make provisions for next year while assuming that the twin crises, of the war and climate change, will still be there.

Dr rajkumar Singh

RoM its creation Pakistan remained predominantly an agricultural country and for five decades 1947-1997, it registered an average growth rate higher than the world’s despite relatively unstable pseudo-democracy, sectarian violence, and religious extremism. the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, stayed respectively at 6.8 percent, 4.8 percent, and 6.5 percent but declined in the second half of the 1990s due to globalisation where Pakistan lacked foreign investment and as such, its trade gap had widened resulting in imports outstripping exports. Currently, the country is in a debt trap, about to become a defaulter of foreign loans and other liabilities, which started much earlier in 2008-2012 when it was characterised as unstable and highly vulnerable to face the situation internally and externally. Several factors of the time and earlier had contributed a lot in putting the country in a delicate situation which include the Asian financial crisis, economic sanctions, global recession, severe drought which lasted four years, post9/11 military action in Afghanistan, influx of large number of refugees from Kabul and terrorism. Before these, Pakistan was considered by the World Bank as the top reformer country of the region and number 10 reformer globally because it had made it easier to start a business, reduced the cost to register a property, increased penalties for violating corporate governance rules and provided many facilities to traders and licence holders. the economic scenario of Pakistan has worsened in last five years and global financial institutions like, World Bank and International Finance Corporation’s flagship has gave red alert to the country under the

The PML(Q) in crisis The PML(Q) shows signs of being in an internecine crisis

The monsoon needs joint planning Samina akhter

t is gratifying to note that Bangladesh and India both resolved to work more closely together for further collaboration in the areas of common rivers and water resources management, among other things, during the seventh session of the Joint Consultative Commission meeting held in Delhi on June 14. Since the start of the covid-19 epidemic, there had only been one virtual JCC meeting; this was the first one to take place in person. However, according to media reports, a number of government officials and climatologists agree that India and Bangladesh cooperation in flood water management and forecast should be strengthened to reduce damages caused by common natural calamities occurring in the two countries. this is due to the fact that the flood situation across IndiaBangladesh’s northeastern part is getting worse. As Assam, tripura, and Meghalaya are only a few of the Indian states that border Bangladesh, their infrastructure development projects and weather patterns have a significant negative impact on Bangladesh’s ecosystem and topography. the first is the depositing of sediments from upper streams (Indian states Assam, tripura, and Meghalaya) in lower stream harbours, lakes, and rivers, which is a major factor in the development of such massive floods. there are 54 rivers going through both India and Bangladesh with a direct impact on both populations. In recent years, harsh weather has become more frequent in Bangladesh and India, resulting in significant damage. Environmentalists have cautioned that climate change may increase the frequency and severity of disasters, particularly in Bangladesh’s low-lying and highly populated areas. As crucial as collaborative cooperation is for the two countries’ effective flood water management, it

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many cases the influence became more fatal as the debt increased. that year, a World Bank report ranked Pakistan’s economy 24th -largest in the world by purchasing power and South Asia’s second largest economy with about 15 percent of regional GDP. the major source of foreign remittance in Pakistan is Pakistani diaspora and Pakistanis in UAE, Saudi Arabia, the Gulf states, Australia, Canada, Japan, UK, Norway and Switzerland who contributed a significant amount of foreign currency in 2015 Agriculture contributed only 20.9 percent which also provided 43.5 percent of the employed labour force and is the largest source of foreign exchange earnings. Pakistan today is on the verge of economic disaster due to the external public debt of over $90 billion. An ADB estimate says its GDP is expected to remain at 4.0 percent in 2022 and 4.5 percent in 2023 while it also forecasts the inflation rate at near 11.0 percent in 2022 and 8.5 percent in 2023 but per capita GDP growth of the country is hoped to be at 2.0 percent in 2022 and 2.4 percent in 2032. the ADB analyses economic and development issues in developing countries in Asia with the help of various data and prevailing indicators to rank the country in spheres of population, poverty, annual growth, inflation and government finance in Asia and the Pacific. Earlier, in 2018, Imran Khan assumed office and promised to create new jobs, new housing, and economic reforms. However, remaining in office till early 2022, he failed to fulfil these commitments. In the country there is an environment of chaos and uncertainty as a result of organised crime, corruption, a weak regulatory atmosphere and subversion of the legal system. to improve Pakistan’s economic condition, the IMF in 2022 urged the elimination of subsidies on basic foods as well as on electricity and gas, but in contrast, the budget of 2022-2023 has not entirely eliminated these subsidies. thus, the Shehbaz Sharif government is facing a tough time on several issues, the economy being at the top with no near solution in sight.

In the country there is an environment of chaos and uncertainty as a result of organised crime, corruption, a weak regulatory atmosphere and subversion of the legal system.

The writer is presently Professor and Head, Department of Political Science and Dean of Social Sciences at B.N. Mandal University, Madhepura (Bihar), India. His 21 books published in addition to 900 articles in national and international journals and daily newspapers from 25 foreign countries.

India-Bangladesh-Nepal-Bhutan-China flood management cooperation urgent

N a way, it is sad. the PML(Q) has been a ruling party only 20 years ago, but now it has been reduced to a pressure group, and by the 2018 elections, was left to negotiate the Punjab Speakership for its Punjab President Ch Pervez Elahi, whose bid to become Chief Minister has been defeated. Now it seems, the party’s split, which has seen Ch Pervez and his son Moonis on one side, that of the PtI, and cousin and party chief Ch Shujaat and his son Salik on the other, that of the PDM coalition, and in particular PPP chief Asif Zardari. the consequences of the collapse of the PML(Q) are obvious for national politics, but the immediate effects on Punjab politics are to be seen. Ch Pervez has become the last redoubt of the PtI’s Punjab power fortress, and with Punjab CM Hamza Shehbaz obtaining a majority after the by-elections to the seats where PtI members were disqualified for voting for him, his position becomes weak to the point of vanishing. then there is the politics of Gujrat district, where the Chaudhrys have got strong roots, as well as strong enmities. If the Chaudhrys contest the coming elections divided among themselves, then it is possible that the dominance of the Chaudhrys since 1985, after emerging in 1962, will be ended. In a way, the PML(Q) story is a cautionary tale about the rise and fall of Pakistani politics. the cousins seem disunited in ways that the brothers do not. (Ch Shujaat and Ch Pervez are actually cousins, but are married to the other’s sister, and are as close as any brothers). other parties can learn, particularly the PML(N). If Ch Parvez and Ch Shujaat maintain mutual respect, so do Mian Nawz Sharif and Mian Shehbaz. But just as the Chaudhrys’ children do not see eye to eye, nor do the Sharifs. But that is the price to be paid for dynasticism.

Editor Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

Ease of Doing Business Index where it was getting a lower rank gradually, from 108 in 2020 among 190 countries to 136 in 2021. Regionally too, in economic freedom it ranked 153rd in 2022, and 34th among 39 countries of the Asia-Pacific region. It showed that the five-year downward trend of Pakistan’s economy went deep further. the economic difficulties of Pak people are growing by leaps and bounds mainly due to repayment and servicing of external debt, which is also faced by 52 other countries. In previous decades, this issue has hit the country most, making the curtailment of public facilities a compulsory option for the government of the day. In today’s context, Pakistan has a large population and as a result, is considered as the hub of a large labour force and manpower resources. It has the sixth largest accumulation of manpower according to the CIA World Factbook in 2017, which estimated a 57.2 million labour force where 43 percent was engaged in agriculture, 20.3 percent in industry, and 36.6 percent in services. there is the issue of child labour which has been raised by several trade unions as it extensively supplies its child labour to other countries including in the Persian Gulf and the Middle East. In terms of purchasing power it is the 23rd largest country of the world and the 42nd largest in nominal GDP as the phase of rapid economic reforms remained for a while from early to the middle of 2000s when the government raised development spending and reduced poverty level by 10 percent with an increase of 3 percent in GDP, but as the inflation increased by 25 percent in 2008, Pakistan became bound to obey the fiscal policy backed by the IMF to avoid further complications in the country’s foreign trade. the downward slide in Pakistan’s economy continues further and especially since 2013 serious deficiency was recorded in two sectors, rail transportation and electrical energy, which marred overall development. the economy is largely considered semi-industrialised which also holds the features of a diversified economy and co-exists with less developed surrounding areas. During 2015-16 the gap between imports and exports became more than double with exports at $20.81billion while imports were $44.76 billion which produced a negative balance of trade of $23.96 billion. the persistent borrowing of foreign debts cast a long negative impact on economic growth and in

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is also necessary for Indian counterparts to assess Bangladesh’s shared rivers. It is a sad fact that India has been indiscriminately draining water from trans-boundary rivers during dry seasons over the years, leaving several Bangladeshi rivers nearly dead and unable to handle monsoon floods Numerous local experts and media reports claim that many of Bangladesh’s rivers have essentially become streams and constrained waterways, making them utterly incapable of draining out a sudden surge of incoming water when India opens its floodgates to release excessive water deposits during the monsoon. While we do not advocate that Bangladesh’s Indian neighbours suffer from heavy rains and flooding, the fact that Bangladesh is located downstream means that millions of Bangladeshis do suffer when water is released suddenly. For instance, the teesta River suddenly rose in volume after India opened all 54 floodgates at the Gajoldoba barrage just 12 days prior, engulfing 63 villages in five northern districts in Bangladesh and isolating roughly 100,000 people. this particular water discharge, which involves opening all floodgates simultaneously, calls for caution and also humanitarian compassion. Furthermore, the teesta barrage inside Bangladesh was put at risk by the abrupt release of water from upstream, forcing Bangladesh’s barrage authorities to activate all 44 floodgates at the barrage. In order to regulate floodgates during monsoon and floods, both nations must work together to develop a damage control and early warning system. Making one’s life simpler shouldn’t come at the expense of others. to reduce the harm brought on by the tragedies common to both nations, India and Bangladesh should work together more closely in managing and forecasting floods. this is relevant because of the present disasters affecting Bangladesh’s Eastern and Northern regions, where people are coping with their suffering and losses. Indian residents who live downstream adjacent Bangladeshi territory across the border are also having similar issues. Environmentalists fear that climate change could

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cause additional disasters, especially in Bangladesh, which is heavily populated. the South Asian neighbours have recently witnessed more extreme weather, resulting in significant damage. India has offered Bangladesh help in managing floods as both nations’ northeastern regions are being devastated by floods. We also experienced flooding in the northeast. “We’re now sharing long-term flood control data,” the Indian External Affairs Minister said, noting that the two neighbours shared 54 rivers. It is a piece of good news for Bangladesh and India both. Joint cooperation in this regard is required for serving common interest. the Ganges, Brahmaputra, and Meghna (GBM) river basin, which India and Bangladesh share with Bhutan, China, and Nepal, is home to a number of water management issues brought on by floods, droughts, and water distribution. Whether it be erosion or flooding, there should be a shared knowledge of the issues. Scientists from both nations, as well as perhaps China as it is also a part of the GangaBrahmaputra sstem, should work together to find answers to the issues. thus. China must cooperate with India, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal also. China can’t remain silent on this issue. With India and Bangladesh bearing the brunt of floods every year as a result of their location in the world’s second-largest river basin, experts in both countries are emphasizing the importance of taking an “integrated approach” and “regional co-operation” to reduce the enormous economic and human costs. there are numerous water management difficulties caused by floods, droughts, and water distribution in the Ganges, Brahmaputra, and Meghna (GBM) river basin, which India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, and Nepal all share. there should be a common understanding of the problems, whether it be erosion or flooding. to develop solutions, scientists from both countries—and perhaps China as well, given that the Ganga and the Brahmaputra are connected—should collaborate. However, deadly flood reminds us the urgency of India-Bangladesh-Nepal-Bhutan-China flood management cooperation The writer is a freelance columnist

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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

Russian Oil

Nourishing a viper in the bosom The new cadre is attacking the very institutions hat nurtured it

a Letter from Prometheus agha iqrar haroon

NDEPENDENt journalism and democracy in Pakistan have always been in survival mode because both are interlinked and both contest the writ of anti-constitutional forces. Working journalists realize that a hybrid cadre was developed in Pakistan around 2008 to mitigate professional journalists and this hybrid cadre called itself Sahafi (journalist). Making a mockery of politicians and Parliament has been the core term of reference of members of this clan who neither respect Parliament nor the politicians, rather both are their prime targets. their articles and their talk shows end by leaving a message that all politicians are corrupt and the parliamentary system has failed to deliver therefore a new constitution is needed to replace the parliamentary system with a presidential form of government or any such political system in which the power lies with a single person instead of directly elected representatives of masses. By abusing politicians, Parliament, and the Constitution, this cadre of vloggers, bloggers, anchors, and political analysts successfully filled television screens and prime places in op-ed pages by 2014. they were elevated as senior experts, senior analysts, and social scientists by the state institutions and state-funded think tanks. By 2018, they had already replaced working journalists who reached television screens and op-ed pages after going through long journeys via newspaper newsrooms, or reporting rooms. Soon this new cadre became mouthpieces of different power grids. the front rows during media briefings and dinners in the Presidency, Prime Minister House, Chief Minister Houses, and Governor Houses were filled with these hybrid journalists. Hundreds of unknown websites having no physical addresses or credible names were launched to establish this cadre as “credible writers”. Seasoned and working journalists had no option but to watch what was going on and to survive the social and economic strangulation they were victims of. Unluckily, there are no

rules laid down by the state to determine who can be a journalist therefore this new cadre who had never been in journalism before landing in media outlets faced no resistance from journalist right platforms. this new cadre is composed of doctors, engineers, showbiz celebrities, bank employees, shopkeepers, real estate developers, and retired officials of the civil-military bureaucracy. they are those who did not opt for journalism as their career like any working and professional journalist but they entered this arena in the sheer quest of enjoying the power and pleasure a manipulating and cunning media person could enjoy. Having no ethical teaching of journalism, this cadre from the very first day was considered as dangerous and I remember one of the senior journalists while talking to me in 2018 foresaw that the system is nurturing snakes, and sooner or later they will bite the system. I thought he was commenting so negatively because he was thrown away from mainstream journalism. Alas, his prophecy came true within years. Now the majority of these hybrid journalists are biting the state institutions almost every passing moment. Look at the social media and television screens where they were placed, you will listen to their venom-filled comments against state institutions and they are protected layer by layer so even state institutions look helpless in front of them. the system when it was launching them, could have thought that it would manage them and they would only bite others. However, the history testifies that nourishing a viper in one’s bosom always results in a fatal bite, nonetheless it could be too late to regret. Unfortunately, we do not learn from history. Lucius Seneca was a Roman Stoic philosopher, dramaturge, and one of the ministers of Nero of Rome. Seneca in his letter written to his friend Gaius Lucilius who was a Roman satirist said, “there are many whose faults go undetected only because they are weak and cannot harm much to others but when their (social, economic) strength grows, they will act no less daringly than those whose fortunes have already given them an opportunity because they lack only the resources to display the full extent of their iniquity. “

Are we habitual of nourishing vipers? Do we have an antidote to the venom this hybrid media is injecting into our social body?

Giving an example of a viper, Seneca further writes: “Even a poisonous snake is safe to handle in cold weather when it is sluggish. Its venom is still there, but inactive. In the same way, there are many people whose cruelty, ambition, or self-indulgence fails to match the most outrageous cases only by the grace of fortune. Just give them the power to do what they want, and you will see: that they want the same things as others do.” Historians believe that the example of a snake cited by Seneca actually comes from the story of Aesop known as a fable of “the Farmer and the Viper”. the Greek historian Herodotus mentioned Aesop was a storyteller slave who lived in Ancient Greece during the 5th century BCE. the moral of “Farmer and the Viper” is that kindness to evil will be met by betrayal. this moral is the source of the idiom “to nourish a viper in one’s bosom”. the story tells us a farmer who finds a viper freezing in the snow and he picks it up and places it within his coat in a gesture of sympathy to save the snake’s life. the viper, revived by the warmth of the farmer’s body, bites his rescuer, who dies realizing that it is his own fault. Interestingly, this simple story had been under philosophical discussions by Stoic philosophers who formed Stoicism. Stoics were of the view that every living thing must act according to its innate qualities, and the snake has the innate quality of biting and releasing venom in someone’s body. they believed that a wise person, who adopts a philosophical attitude toward life, always knows that breaches of trust are common enough to be expected around us. Marcus Aurelius Antoninus who was a Stoic philosopher and the Roman emperor (from 161 AD to 180 AD) writes in his dialogues known as “Meditations” that it is sheer madness to expect the bad to do no wrong; for that is to wish for the impossible. But to allow that they should do wrong to others, yet demand that they should do no wrong to yourself is senseless and tyrannical. — Beware lest you nurture a snake in your bosom, as the saying goes. the wise persons accept that the world is full of foolish and vicious people so they anticipate potential threats, and get ready in advance to deal with dangerous people. Are we habitual of nourishing vipers? Do we have an antidote to the venom this hybrid media is injecting into our social body?

Historians believe that the example of a snake cited by Seneca actually comes from the story of Aesop known as a fable of “The Farmer and the Viper”. The Greek historian Herodotus mentioned Aesop was a storyteller slave who lived in Ancient Greece during the 5th century BCE. The moral of “Farmer and the Viper” is that kindness to evil will be met by betrayal.

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

CHALLENGING times require leaders to take tough decisions in the larger interest of their people. Various media outlets have confirmed that India has purchased oil and coal from Russia at significantly discounted rates, defying all calls from the West to do otherwise amidst massive sanctions slapped on the latter. However, Pakistan, entangled in severe economic troubles, is unable to follow the footsteps of the neighbouring country, which calls for deep introspection on why the country has failed to take sovereign decisions. the economic strength of a country is directly related to its ability to make independent policy choices in the international arena. India is the world’s fifth-largest economy by nominal GDP. Some of the world’s topnotch companies have relocated their businesses to India owing to favourable business policies and a vast market of more than a billion people. Besides, the country has developed deep economic ties with the world’s leading economies, such as the US, China, Russia, and Europe. Strong economic interlinkages develop deep ties among countries, which deters them from severing mutual relations at the cost of losing significant financial margins. the bilateral trade between India and the US alone stands at $ 119.42 billion in 2021-22. therefore, despite showing displeasure at India’s decision to trade with Russia in these trying times, the West did not penalize the former, seemingly owing to deeply ingrained economic and strategic partnerships. Unlike India, Pakistan couldn’t buy discounted petroleum products from Russia as it included risks of the West punishing the country on multiple fronts. the US holds significant sway in IMF and FAtF, which are sufficient to bend Pakistan to its knees due to their massive significance in supporting our fragile economy. thus, to be able to take an independent course in foreign relations, Pakistan should strengthen itself by strengthening the domestic economy and developing deep-rooted economic ties with other nations. Failure to do so will keep us moving in circles, as we have been doing for the last 75 years. ASAD AZIZ KHUSHAB

Empowering teenagers It will be very beneficent if teenagers are allowed to have their licence at the age of 16. the first reason for this is because many teenagers work and need to get to their jobs. For example parents may not always be able to drive their children to work. When 16 year old can drive, they are able to drive themselves to work and not very about how they will get there. the second reason why this is a good idea is because it gives parents a break from driving and reducing their stress. Specifically when parents have multiple children in different schools having different activities, that teen can share the driving responsibilities by taking over the driving duty a one of the younger sibling. this greatly helps the parents who may not be able to be into places at the same time for pick and drop off. the last reason is that being able to drive at 16 fosters Independence and responsibility. For instance, the teenager is now able to go places on their own and do things for themselves such as going to the store in order to buy their school supplies or get new shoes. In conclusion, it is clearly advantages to many when teens are able to drive at the age of 16 that is as long they are responsible and abide by the rules of the road. RIMSHA MUSHTAQ SUKKUR

Water pollution WAtER pollution is one of the major threats to public health in Pakistan. Drinking water quality is poorly managed and monitored. Pakistan ranks at number 80 amongst 122 countries concerning consuming water pleasant. Drinking water sources, both surface and groundwater are infected with coliforms, toxic metals and insecticides for the duration of the country. Various ingesting water quality parameters set through WHo are regularly violated. Human activities like improper disposal of municipal and industrial effluents and indiscriminate packages of agrochemicals in agriculture are the primary elements contributing to the deterioration of water fines. Microbial and chemical pollutants are the primary elements accountable solely or in combination for various public health problems. M ZAFAR GHOUS RAHIM YAR KHAN

Impact of mobile phones EASE is good, but too much ease is harmful for our emotional and psychological wellbeing. For those looking for a proof, one doesn’t need to look any farther than our youth and their use of cellphones. No youngster today is complete without a cellphone and the incessant usage of instant and social media messaging apps. From morning till late in the night, all their affairs and communications appear to be conducted via text or social media. though inescapable and definitely a necessity in modern times, excessive exposure to informal texting language, where words are abbreviated or cut short for typing ease, results in their misplaced adoption of such shortcuts in other essential spheres, significantly affecting the literacy skills of students. Young people who are used to phrases, such as ‘Bcz’ instead of ‘because’ or ‘IDK’ instead of “I don’t know”, also tend to use them in academic and professional settings, reducing their overall quality of work. they get so used to the informal way of writing that they reduce their capabilities of differentiating between informal and formal settings and expanding their understanding of the use and impact of language and good communication practices. More often than not, the youngsters, who are so used to emoji suggestions on their phones, fail to come up with proper emotional responses to real-life conversations that are marked by humanto-human interactions. this sets them back, emotionally as well as psychologically, as they miss out on productive and learning interactions with peers and mentors. therefore, in order to tackle the issue, students should be encouraged to lessen their use of ‘textism’ and be taught to keep in mind to use proper language and good communication practices in personal, academic and professional lives. AIJAZ AHMED SUKKUR

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08 WORLD VIEW

Why a US WaR WITh IRan WOULd Be a CaTaSTROphe A WAR WITH IRAN WOULD BE A FAR WORSE BLUNDER THAN IRAQ, NOT ONLY FOR ITS FALLOUT BUT ALSO BECAUSE A CLEAR PEACEFUL ALTERNATIVE EXISTS

Middle east eye AssAl rAd

N september 2002, then israeli prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu testified in front of Congress to support the Bush administration’s push for a Us invasion of iraq. At the time, Netanyahu claimed that there was no doubt that iraq was developing nuclear weapons and erroneously stated: “if you take out saddam, i guarantee you that it will have enormous positive reverberations on the region.” six months later, the United states illegally invaded iraq, found no weapons of mass destruction, and unleashed decades of violence and war in the region. Now, israel is using the same playbook to push for a military buildup against iran, led by the Us. At the same time, hawkish voices in the Us are pressing president Biden to break a campaign promise of accountability for saudi Arabia and pursue greater security pacts contingent on “normalising” relations with israel. Yet, this strategy ignores the need to include iran - a central power within the region - in its security architecture and overlooks the important ongoing dialogue between these state actors and the progress made.

rather than seeking an actual peace, these calls for pressure-only policies on iran further risk an escalation that could entrench the Us in another “forever” war. Nearly 20 years after the invasion of iraq, it is commonly understood as a historic mistake of Us foreign policy. however, we do not need hindsight to understand that a war with iran would be a far worse blunder, not only for its fallout but also because a clear peaceful alternative exists. STOKING FEARS: Much like the case of iraq, hawks in the Us and israel have tried to stoke fears of iranian nuclear weapons in order to justify a possible war. in fact, the public has been told that iran is on the verge of building nuclear weapons for decades. still, the supposed threat of iran developing nuclear weapons was finally resolved through diplomacy. Despite strong opposition from israel and proponents of war in the Us, under the obama administration the Us and iran, along with the international community, reached a landmark agreement in 2015 known as the Joint Comprehensive plan of Action (JCpoA) or the iran nuclear deal. the JCpoA delivered unprecedented international oversight and access to iran’s nuclear programme and imposed strict limits to guarantee iran could not weaponise its programme, in exchange for economic relief from sanctions for iran. Not only did the international Atomic energy Agency (iAeA) repeatedly report that iran was complying with the deal - even after the trump administration backed out of the deal in May 2018 and violated it by reimposing sanctions - but president Biden also attested to the merits of

the deal as a candidate in 2020 and emphasised that it was trump that walked away from the deal, not iran. Despite this admission and the years Biden spent lambasting the former administration’s failed iran policy, his administration has essentially maintained the policies of his predecessor, including sanctions that continue to impede the flow of humanitarian goods in a pandemic and the designation of iran’s revolutionary Guards Corps (irGC) on the Us list of foreign terrorist organisations (Fto). ANOTHER DISASTROUS WAR: While as a presidential candidate Biden promised to repair the JCpoA, his administration squandered an early opportunity to restore the agreement before iran’s June 2021 election. it ushered in a new hard-line administration in iran and the Us remains outside of the deal. With Biden failing to restore the historic deal, iran has continued to grow its nuclear programme by enriching uranium and producing a stockpile far beyond the limits they maintained under the JCpoA. it is a point of irony that the very groups and individuals who worked to undermine the deal have used it in recent weeks as a measure of iran’s expansion. though opponents of the deal often claimed to want a “better deal”, the push for another disastrous war in the Middle east appears to be the real intention of hawkish voices. the urgency of the current situation is stressed by recent iAeA reports stating that iran, for the first time, now has enough medium-grade fissile material for one bomb.

it is important to note that iran would have to make the political decision to pursue a weapon and that this process would take one to two years itself. however, the present circumstances will likely magnify calls for military action, especially once diplomacy is taken off the table. Given this prospect, Biden’s iran policy and his administration’s posturing on the JCpoA is dangerously shortsighted. Just consider the current war in Ukraine. While Us officials have consistently employed the rhetoric of international law to rebuke russia’s illegal campaign, escalation to military conflict or bombing iran would violate the same rules-based order and evoke the memory of a preemptive strike against iraq. Witnessing the death and devastation in Ukraine and concerns over nuclear escalation with russia, it is all the more crucial to weigh the consequences of war. this is not to mention the global impact of such conflicts, as can be seen in rising food and energy costs, a looming global food crisis that will starve many already facing food insecurity around the world, and inflation in the United states that is heavily impacting the lives of American workers. A war with iran will likely worsen these conditions, especially the significant flow of oil through the strait of hormuz in the Gulf. Under such dire circumstances, the last thing we can afford right now is escalation or war with iran. A HISTORIC BLUNDER: in fact, American public opinion is against more wars, which is why both the Biden and trump administrations promised to “end endless war”

Lessons in diplomacy from a master of the dark arts

Guardian Andrew Anthony

hristopher hitchens once called henry Kissinger a “stupendous liar with a remarkable memory”. Leaving judgment aside on the first part of that description, at 99 Kissinger seems set on proving hitchens right on the second. While many people who make it to that age struggle to recall their own name, the grand old man of realpolitik has produced a study of six national leaders – Konrad Adenauer, Charles de Gaulle, richard Nixon, Anwar sadat, Lee Kuan Yew and Margaret thatcher – entitled Leadership. As is evident from the subtitle, six studies in World strategy, Kissinger, the geopolitical guru, is most interested in how leaders act on the world stage rather than, say, if they lie to their parliaments or transgress their own laws. At the heart of his political outlook is the notion of strategy, and that in turn is informed by a concept of national interest and power relations that hasn’t changed much since the mid-17th century and the Westphalian settlement. of course, how strategies actually play out in the real world, and to what degree the best-laid plans are post-rationalised, is a question that lends itself to creative interpretation or historical revision. Kissinger met or had dealings with all six of his subjects, most obviously richard Nixon, for whom he was both national security adviser and secretary of state. And so there is an added layer of self-interest. As such, his portrait of Nixon is predictably sympathetic, while not hiding some of the man’s notable character flaws. Unsurprisingly, he hails his efforts in foreign policy, which were all but indistinguishable from Kissinger’s own. the pair were famously close, in an operational sense, and both were keenly appreciative of the benefits of secrecy. Much of his study of Nixon is taken up with two policies: the protracted

effort to extract the Us from the Vietnam war, and the bold attempt to build new relations with China, partly as a means of undermining the soviet Union. But behind the headline initiatives were decisions that left no shortage of death and destruction in their wake. in a typical piece of Nixon strategy, to bring peace to Vietnam he began secretly bombing Cambodia, thus helping to create the conditions for the monstrous Khmer rouge to prevail. Kissinger, who was initially against the Cambodian campaign before heartily backing it, skims over this episode. on a similar scale of mass murder was pakistan’s and islamist militia’s suppression of Bangladesh’s independence movement, as east pakistan sought to breakaway from its more powerful sibling, West pakistan. estimates of the death toll vary between 300,000 and 3 million. But while the savagery was taking place, the Us maintained a diplomatic distance, refusing to condemn pakistan – not least because it was through pakistan that it was conducting its secret negotiations with the Chinese. in any case, Kissinger pats Nixon (and himself) on the back for averting a global war over Bangladesh. As he puts it, neatly sidestepping the genocide that took place, what was important to the White house was “the maintenance of an appropriate international equilibrium”. the world, viewed through Kissinger’s eyes, is not so very different from the kinds of inter-house machinations dramatised in Game of thrones, and you could picture him as the hand of the King, forever whispering fiendish plots and dark truths to a paranoid master. if Nixon was someone for whom strategic manoeuvres were often prioritised over moral considerations, then we’ve recently witnessed an American president who had no strategy – beyond ego fulfilment. one of Donald trump’s few achievements in office is that he made Nixon seem, by comparison, like a towering political giant. Kissinger’s treatment of thatcher, whom he refers to as a dear friend, is uncomplicated by the societal tensions that are her legacy. the kind of freemarket policies she introduced heralded an asocial individualism that remains a contradiction for oldstyle conservatives, which in many respects she was. instead, he concentrates on the Falklands, her cold war stance and her handling of the irA, none of which is original in presentation. the most finely drawn portrait of the six is of De Gaulle. if a vital aspect of leadership is self-belief, then few leaders have ever displayed more of it in less auspicious circumstances. When he named himself leader of the Free French, De Gaulle had had only a fortnight’s political experience as deputy defence minister. he was barely known in London, where he set about establishing a government in exile that was to all intents and purposes him. he annoyed every ally he met – in particular

in what has become a popular catchphrase in Us political discourse. even in a war effort that Americans support, like Ukraine, the majority do not want the Us to risk war with russia. Additionally, a majority of Americans continue to support the 2015 iran nuclear deal. this is not surprising given the failures of Us militarism - most notably the swift takeover of Afghanistan by the taliban after 20 years of war - and the enormous cost of these conflicts to American taxpayers as many struggle at home. A war with iran - a country with a larger population than iraq and Afghanistan combined and a stronger position in the region in the wake of Us wars - would be another historic blunder with far worse outcomes than what we have already seen. the merits and nonproliferation benefits of the JCpoA speak for themselves. however, the costs of the failure to restore the deal and the potential for conflict go beyond the limitations placed on iran’s nuclear programme. in a recent speech about the war in Ukraine by former president George W Bush, an ironic slip of the tongue revealed the truth of his own legacy: “...[t]he decision of one man to launch a wholly unjustified and brutal invasion of iraq.” though he immediately corrected himself to say “Ukraine”, under his breath he added, “iraq too”, prompting laughter from the audience. if Biden does not correct his current course on iran soon - which undermines the successes of the administration, he served for as vice president - his legacy may also be a war of his own making. Dr. Assal Rad is the Research Director at the National Iranian American Council, where she works on research and writing related to Iran policy issues and U.S.-Iran relations.

Brick by brick: On the 14th BRICS Summit BRICS countries have shown they can cooperate where their interests align Hindu

T Franklin roosevelt but also his host, Winston Churchill – and yet through sheer determination and a refusal to accept the weakness of his position he made himself into the figurehead of French liberation. After the D-day landings he gave a speech in the main square of Bayeux addressing the crowd as if they were all members of the French resistance, celebrating the French war effort and not even mentioning the British and American troops who’d suffered terrible casualties fighting their way ashore. A war hero in the first world war, De Gaulle enabled the French to see themselves as staunch resisters to the Nazis, all but removing the stain of Vichy from the French imagination. he created a political reality, Kissinger writes, “by sheer force of will”. You sense that Kissinger, who has never undersold himself, admires De Gaulle’s gall, but it’s his statecraft that most commands his respect: “on every major strategic question facing France and europe over no fewer than three decades, and against an overwhelming consensus, De Gaulle judged correctly.” that’s a large claim, but then Kissinger prides himself on being able to see the grand sweep of history, undistracted by minor diversions. it’s made him a kind of Yoda for foreign policy geeks. to his critics he will always be the man who told the Chilean dictator Augusto pinochet that he was sympathetic with what he was trying to do. it’s a shame he didn’t include an essay on that brutal leadership. Leadership: Six Studies in World Strategy by Henry Kissinger is published by Allen Lane (£25).

he 14th BriCs summit, which concluded on June 24, revealed much about the grouping of five emerging nations. that this bloc of five disparate countries has not only made it to its 14th summit, but has been able to demonstrate some concrete, albeit modest, outcomes of cooperation, such as the emergence of the New Development Bank (NDB), suggests there remains a strong convergence of interests amid undeniable differences. indeed, ever since the first summit in Yekaterinburg in 2009, BriCs has had more than its fair share of naysayers, particularly in the West, and has been derided as a talk shop. in his address to the summit on June 23, which was hosted by China this year and held virtually, prime Minister Narendra Modi described the binding glue as “a similar approach to global governance”. that approach, according to the lengthy joint Beijing Declaration that followed, was premised on “making instruments of global governance more inclusive, representative and participatory”. that is certainly a laudable goal. however, the NDB, which has since its launch in 2015 funded around $30 billion worth of projects in emerging nations, still remains for the grouping an isolated example of their common interests translating into tangible outcomes. that points to another summit take-away: despite a tall agenda, the bloc remains constrained by differences. For instance, on two key issues for the grouping — UN reforms and terrorism — members india and China have found themselves on opposing sides of the debate. india and Brazil have made common cause on pushing for an expanded UN security Council, yet China has suggested it is not in favour of a permanent seat for india. on terrorism, the recent blocking by China of an attempt by india to sanction the Let terrorist, Abdul rehman Makki, at the UNsC sanctions committee, served as a reminder of contrasting approaches. indeed, those two different approaches found mention in the Beijing Declaration, which acknowledged both india’s concerns on a lack of transparency at the sanctions committee and Chinese claims, seemingly driven by the desire to shield pakistan, that these cases amounted to “politicisation”. on Ukraine, the bloc affirmed a commitment to respect sovereignty, despite russia’s actions, and stopped short of condemning NAto, as russia and China have done, reflecting different views within BriCs. these differences certainly cast doubt on the bloc’s loftier goals of reorienting the global order. they do not, however, suggest that the BriCs countries cannot cooperate on issues where interests align, whether in financing projects, as the NDB has done, working on climate change, as india and China have continued to do despite the LAC crisis, or even on space cooperation, where the five countries have agreed to create a joint constellation of remote sensing satellites.

Monday, 27 June, 2022 | IslAMAbAD

news corporate corner Excellence award in Client Onboarding by rBi Trailblazer awards asia 2022 ISLAMABAD: Mobilink Microfinance Bank Limited (MMBL), Pakistan’s largest digital bank, has been recognized for its services in offering innovative digital financial solutions at the 13th Annual Retail Banker International (RBI), Asia Trailblazer Awards 2022. MMBL won the prestigious title of 'Best Retail Bank in Pakistan' along with an honorable mention of 'Highly Commended’ for Excellence in Client Onboarding through its premium digital financial services application - MMBL DOST. Organized in collaboration with Retail Banker International (RBI), UK, Middle East Economic Digest (MEED), UAE, and GlobalData (Singapore), the 13th annual edition of RBI Asia Trailblazers Awards celebrated retail banks and leaders in adapting to the modern customer in these unprecedented times. The awards program celebrated the best-in-class retail banking and consumer finance institutions and individuals for their innovative service offerings and commitment to customer excellence. For the 13th edition of the coveted awards this year, MMBL was among 50 winners selected from over 300 entries across the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region. The winners were announced in a virtual ceremony given ongoing COVID-19 safety protocols. pr

iESCO operations circles incharge to conduct e-court via Facebook live tomorrow Prompt and timely action for the rectification of customer’s complaint is the top priority of IESCO Management. By following same on the instruction of Ministry of Energy (Power Division) and Chief Executive Officer IESCO Dr. Muhammad Amjad Khan all IESCO Operation Circles Incharge will listen to the complaints and suggestions of power consumers across the region through Facebook Live and telephone calls. According to details on Tuesday, June 28th 2022 from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm consumers of Islamabad, Rawalpindi City, Rawalpindi Cantt, Attock, Jhelum, Chakwal Circles and surrounding area can participate in Facebook Live E-Katchery via facebook IDs of Islamabad Circle, SE IESCO Islamabad E-Kachery Phone No. 051-9260194, Rawalpindi City Circle, SE IESCO Rawalpindi-City E-Kachery Phone No. 0519292675, Rawalpindi Cantt Circle, SE IESCO Rawalpindi-Cantt E-Kachery Phone No. 051-9293048, Attock Circle, SE IESCO Attock E-Kachery Phone No. 0514950343, Chakwal Circle, SE IESCO Chakwal E-Kachery Phone No. 0543-668500, Jhelum Circle, SE IESCO Jhelum E-Kachery Phone No. 0544-9270377. Chief Executive IESCO Dr. Muhammad Amjad Khan will also attend EKachery held at IESCO Operation Circle Islamabad office. IESCO customer can be participate in this Facebook Live E-Kachery directly with their name, address, contact number and electricity bill reference number. pr

Eight outlaws involved in criminal activities rounded up in Capital ISLAMABAD

Bahrain rOyal FaMily TO ESTaBliSh POwEr gEnEraTiOn PlanTS in PEShawar ISLAMABAD staff report

OYAL Family of Bahrain is all set to establish the latest technology-based water power generation plants at Kabul River for Nova City Peshawar. According to the details, a high-level international delegation of investors from Egypt, Saudi, Bahrain and Germany under the leadership and guidance of Chairman & Founder Royale Nova His Highness Shaikh Khalid Mohammad Salman Al Khalifa visited NOVA City Peshawar’s site on Saturday. The team was led by Director and Co Founder Royale Nova His Excellency Shaikh Naser Shabib Omair Al Jabor Al Noaimi. The delegation really appreciated the site selection and gave in-principle approval for a huge investment in providing the latest technology-based water power generation plants at Kabul River in Nova City Peshawar. This project will redefine the era of development in the real estate sector as it entails the most modern amenities and technology-driven services.Royale Nova group is keen to make investments in multiple sectors in order to provide the most modern and nature-friendly habitat at NOVA CITY Peshawar. Director and Co Founder Royale Nova Shaikh Naser Al Noaimi also directed their international team of engineers and architects to immediately assist

NOVA in the planning of NOVA City and investments in multiple sectors to provide the most modern, state-of-the-art habitat at NOVA City. On this occasion, Ch. Junaid Afzaal Dy. Chairman

Islamabad Capital territory police have arrested 08 outlaws from different areas of the city and recovered 07 liquor bottles and weapons with ammunition during the last 24 hours, a Police Public Relation Officer said. He said that, DIG (Operations) Sohail Zafar Chatha had ordered crackdown against criminals. Following these orders, Sihala Police team apprehended two accused namely Romal Khan and Hakeem Khan and recovered two 30 bore pistols with ammunition from their possession. Likewise, Bani Gala police during snap checking apprehended four accused namely Mohsin Ali, Muhammad Amjad, Muhammad Dawood and Mian Ali Ehtsham and recovered one Kalashnikov, one 44 bore rifle, one 12 bore rifle with ammunition and seven liquor bottles from their possession. Similarly, Koral police arrested two accused namely Danish Tahir and Muhammad Adnan and recovered one 30 bore pistol with ammunition and a dagger from their possession. Cases against all the nominated accused have been registered and further investigation is underway. DIG (Operations) Sohail Zafar Chatha ordered to intensify the crackdown. “Safety and security of the citizens is our foremost priority and no laxity will be tolerated in this regard” he added.

ISLAMABAD pr

The Directorate of Information Communication Technology

(ICT), Allama Iqbal Open University conducted a two-day orientation session for regional directors and their staff for professional grooming and devel-

College of Physicians and Surgeons of Pakistan (CPSP) on Sunday awarded FCPS award to Dr Mahmud Aurangzeb in recognition of his lifetime achievements in teaching, practice and advancement of Surgery. President CPSP Prof. Dr. Shoab Shafi and Senior Vice President Prof. Dr. Khalid Masood Gondal along with Councilors of CPSP hold a ceremony here at a local hotel for holding meeting with Post Graduate Fellows and Supervisors. On this occasion, they awarded Dr Mahmud Aurengzeb for his services and recognition with CPSP. The CPSP was established in 1962 by the visionary General Wajahat Burki, the Minister of Health of East and West Pakistan. Dr Mahmud Aurangzeb is the grandson of President Ayub Khan and Miangul Jahanzeb, the last Wali of Swat State. Dr Mahmud Aurangzeb graduated from Khyber Medical at the age of 22. He then proceeded to the United Kingdom for his higher surgical training working at the Royal Post-Graduate Medical Institute at Hammersmith Hospital,

International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking was celebrated on June 26 2022 (Sunday) across the globe to raise awareness of the major problems that illicit drugs create in society. The day is supported by individuals, communities and various or-

opment. The inaugural session was presided over by the Registrar, AIOU, Raja Umar Younis. He said that this training session was necessary after the digitisation of the educational system of AIOU. Regional heads and their staff should be able to assist and guide the students in using the online facilities and students should not face any problems in accessing the Aagahi LMS Portal and CMS. Director General Regional Services, Dr. Malik Tauqeer Ahmad Khan said that after the training, the Regional Directors will become Master Trainers who will be able to guide the students in a better way. Director ICT, Arshad Manzoor guided about CMS and Aagahi LMS portal.

Edgware General Hospital and the Royal Brompton Hospital in London. He qualified his FRCS by examination from all three Royal Colleges namely, England, Edinburgh and Glasgow. In 1993, he returned to Pakistan to work as a Senior Registrar at Khyber Teaching Hospital, his Alma Matar. He steadily went up the ladder becoming Professor of Surgery in 2009 and then Head of the Department in 2013. In 2018 he was appointed CEO of the Post-Graduate Medical Institute and in 2020 he became Dean of Khyber Medical College. Since 2020 he is a member of the National Medical and Dental Academic Board of the PMC. In 2015 he was elected Central President of the Society of Surgeons of Pakistan. He became an examiner for the final FCPS Surgery in 2002 and has supervised over 200 trainee surgeons. He has 48 scientific publications. He introduced Laparoscopic Surgery in 2002 and established it as a safe therapeutic modality in the Province. news desk

International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Traﬃcking observed ISLAMABAD

& Co Founder Royale Nova ( also Chairman NOVA GROUP) congratulated the people of KP and Pakistan on this landmark development and marked it as bringing a new era of real estate development in KP.

Training workshop for regional directors concludes at AIOU

CPSP gives FCPS award to Dr Aurengzeb

ganizations all over the world. An event to commemorate the World Drug Day 2022 by UNODC, Ministry of Narcotics Control and Anti-Narcotics Force Government of Pakistan, event took place in Islamabad. People from all walks of life international and national counter parts, Civil Society, students, housewives, children and media joined the event there was also an

arrangement of walk for people. Secretary Ministry of Narcotics Control Ms Humaira Ahmad graced the event and gave his remarks on the drug abuse and prevention and applauded UNODC, ANF and ministry of narcotics control for their work in controlling drug usage. Representative UNODC Mr. Jeremy Milsom also gave his remarks on the occasion.

PM abolishes OTP system use for purchases at USC MAnAL JAffery Keeping in view the plight of the public, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has abolished the One Time Password System (OTP) used for purchases at utility stores. Original ID cards will now have to be displayed at the counter for purchasing subsidized items at utility stores, said a Press release issued by Utility Store Corporation (USC) here. The photocopy requirement has also been removed and declared to receive a confirmation SMS to the customer’s registered mobile number after purchase. The Utility Stores Corporation is pursuing a strategy of transparent transfer of federal government subsidies to the real beneficiaries. The Utility Stores Corporation is gradually increasing the number of POS counters at every supermarket store and mini market in Lahore and Islamabad on the direction of the Prime Minister. All zonal managers have been urged to contact all the Deputy Commissioners of Punjab and ICT for providing water coolers, tents, chairs, fans to the customers at the utility stores. Tent and water supply is already in place and orders have been issued to further improve it. Under the federal government subsidy, sugar is available at Rs 70 per kg, ghee at Rs 300 per kg and a 10 kg bag of flour at Rs 400 at all utility stores across the country. Rice and pulses are also being subsidized. In addition, more than 1,500 standard items are available at a much lower price than the general market.

Monday, 27 June, 2022 | ISLAMABAD

10 FOREIGN NEWS

RUssia stRikes kyiv ResideNtial bUildiNg ahead Of g7 sUMMit KYIV, UKRAINE

agencies

USSIAN strikes hit a residential building in Kyiv on Sunday, the first attack on the capital in almost three weeks, sparking calls by Ukraine for more support from G7 leaders meeting in Germany. Four people, including a sevenyear-old girl, were taken to hospital following the early morning strikes on a neighbourhood that includes a weapons factory, said city mayor Vitali Klitschko. Moscow meanwhile said its forces had carried out strikes against three military centres in northern and western Ukraine, including one near the border with Poland. The high-profile attacks, just over four months since Russia invaded its neighbour, come ahead of a week of Western diplomacy focused around the G7 and NATO summits. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will address both gatherings, where allies including US President Joe Biden will take stock of their support for Kyiv and of sanctions imposed on Moscow. Biden on Sunday condemned the attack on Kyiv as “more of their barbarism”, referring to Russia. The G7 talks opened Sunday with the announcement of a ban on imports of Russian gold, but Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called for more. He posted on Twitter a photo of an injured child being carried on a stretcher, who he said was “sleeping peacefully in Kyiv until a Russian cruise missile blasted her home”. The “G7 summit must respond with more sanctions on Russia and more heavy arms for Ukraine. Russia’s sick

imperialism must be defeated”, he said. The European Union this past week offered a strong show of support when it granted Ukraine candidate status, although the path to membership is long. – ‘Intimidate Ukrainians’ – Russian forces sought to encircle Kyiv in the first few weeks after the February 24 invasion, but Sunday’s attack was the first strike on the capital since early June. Klitschko said the attack was a Russian missile strike intended to “intimidate Ukrainians” ahead of the NATO summit. It was the third time since the invasion that this northwest neighbourhood had been hit. A weapons factory nearby produces air-to-air and antitank rockets among others. An AFP team said there was a fire on the top three floors of the building and its stairwell was completely destroyed. Afterwards, residents gathered at the bottom of the building, many of

them in tears. One woman was still wearing a bathrobe. “I woke up at the first explosion, went to the balcony and saw missiles falling and heard a huge explosion — everything vibrated,” 38-year-old Yuri told AFP, declining to give his surname. Edward Shkuta, who lives next door, said there had been four missiles since 6:30am. A building “was directly hit on the top floors and I saw wounded people coming out”. ‘Fully occupied’ – In recent months, the fighting in Ukraine has focused on the eastern Donbas region, which has been partially under the control of pro-Moscow separatists since 2014. The Russians made a strategic breakthrough Saturday when they took the industrial hub of Severodonetsk, the scene of weeks of fierce battles that have left it largely destroyed. Severodonetsk’s mayor said it had been “fully occupied” by Russian troops after Ukrainian forces retreated

to better defend the neighbouring city of Lysychansk. Pro-Moscow separatists on Saturday said Russian troops and their allies had entered Lysychansk, which faces Severodonetsk on high ground across the Donets river. Its capture would give Russia control of the entire Lugansk region in the Donbas, Ukraine’s industrial heartland. At talks on the sidelines of the G7, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and French President Emmanuel Macron said they saw an “opportunity to turn the tide” in Ukraine, a Downing Street spokesman said. But Johnson also cautioned Macron — who has maintained a dialogue with Putin, unlike the British leader — that “any attempt to settle the conflict now will only cause enduring instability”. STRIKES HIT UKRAINE MILITARY TRAINING CENTRES: Russia said Sunday that its forces had carried out strikes against three military training centres in northern and western Ukraine, including one near the Polish border, just days before a NATO summit. The bombings were carried out with “high-precision weapons of Russia’s aerospace forces and Kalibr missiles,” Russian defence ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said in a statement. Among the targets was a military training centre for Ukrainian forces in the Starychi district of the Lviv region, around 30 kilometres (19 miles) from the border with NATO member Poland. The other two training centres were in the central Zhytomyr region and northern Chernihiv region. Konashenkov did not say when or from where the missiles were fired.

Village life left in ruins after deadly Afghan quake Village life has always been tough for Afghans in the rugged mountains of the east, but compared to what they are enduring today it was paradise. A 5.9-magnitude earthquake rumbled through the area last Wednesday, killing more than 1,000 people, injuring three times that many, and leaving tens of thousands homeless. “If life before was not really good — because for years there was war — the earthquake has made it even harder for us,” says Malin Jan, who lost two daughters in the quake. All 14 houses in his village of Akhtar Jan were flattened, and survivors — including some from outlying hamlets — are now living in tents among the ruins. Two small makeshift camps have been set up in dusty gardens, with stunted grass grazed by three cows, a donkey, two goats and a flock of chickens. In tents pitched in a circle, about

35 families — more than 300 people including many children — are trying to survive. Living in such close proximity to non-relatives is anathema to Afghans — particularly in the conservative countryside where women rarely interact with strangers. Sanitary conditions are likely to deteriorate rapidly — there are no toilets, and people have to draw water from a well to wash. “Before the earthquake, life was nice and beautiful,” says villager Abdu Rahman Abid. “We had our houses and God was good.” He gives a gruesome count of those he lost in the rubble — his parents, his wife, three daughters, a son and a nephew. “The earthquake killed eight members of my family and my house is destroyed,” he says, looking weary. “There is a big difference now. Before we had our own houses and everything we needed. Now we have nothing and our families are living in

tents.” Neighbour Malin Jan is already looking ahead, fearful of what the future holds. The harsh winter, which lasts almost five months in this remote midmountain region, will arrive in September. “If our children stay in this situation their lives will be in danger

because of the rain and snow,” he says. Massoud Sakib, 37, who lost his wife and three daughters, also fears for the months ahead. “Even living in a house is difficult during winter, so if our houses are not rebuilt by then our lives will be in danger,” he says. agencies

Johnson warns Macron off settling Ukraine war ‘now’ British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and French President Emmanuel Macron said on Sunday that they saw an “opportunity to turn the tide” in Ukraine, as London warned against trying to “settle” the conflict now. A Downing Street spokesman said the leaders, meeting at the G7 summit in Germany, “agreed this is a critical moment for the course of the conflict, and there is an opportunity to turn the tide in the war”. But Johnson also cautioned Macron that “any attempt to settle the conflict now will only cause enduring instability”. It also risked giving Russian President Vladimir “Putin licence to manipulate both sovereign countries and international markets in perpetuity,” Johnson warned, according to the spokesman. Unlike Macron, who has continued dialogue with Putin, Johnson has rejected talks with the Kremlin leader, who he has called a “dictator” since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24. In an interview with British media, Johnson said that the West should have “very, very honest” discussions on the fallout of the war, including on inflation. Asked if he was worried that support for Ukraine was weakening in the face of the blowback of the conflict, Johnson said he thought “the pressure is there and the anxiety is there, we’ve got to be honest about that”. agencies

Norway pays tribute to victims of Oslo shooting Norway paid tribute on Sunday to the victims of a deadly shooting near a bar in the capital that shocked the normally peaceful country and led to the cancellation of a Pride march. The altar of Oslo cathedral was draped in a rainbow cloth for a service to remember the victims of the attack, attended by Crown Princess Mette-Marit. Investigators are probing the motives of the suspected gunman, who opened fire in the early hours of Saturday, killing two and wounding 21. “Oslo is in mourning. The whole country has been shaken by this attack,” the Norwegian Protestant Church said. It come 11 years after right-wing extremist Anders Behring Breivik killed 77 people in a shooting spree that shook the nation to its core. “Bullets cannot kill love,” said the head of the Church, Olav Fykse Tveit. The shooting occurred at around 1:00 am on Saturday (2300 GMT on Friday) near the London club in Oslo’s packed nightlife district, where parties were in full swing. Two men in their 50s and 60s died. Twenty-one other people were wounded. Police quickly arrested the suspect, whom they described as a 42-year-old Norwegian man known to the nation’s security services. Norwegian media named him as Zaniar Matapour. The suspect “has a long history of violence and threats”, PST chief Roger Berg said. He said the man had been on the PST’s radar “since 2015 in connection with concerns about his radicalisation.” He also had “difficulties with his mental health”, Berg added. Police ordered the man to be placed under “judicial observation” to determine his mental state. He refused on Saturday to be questioned as to his motives. On Saturday, the intelligence services raised the country’s threat level from moderate to “extraordinary”. afp

Xi Jinping underscores importance of respecting public opinion BEIJING agencies

Chinese President Xi Jinping has underscored the importance of better listening to the people’s voices by making good use of the internet and other channels, after millions of public suggestions were made on the work related to the upcoming 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC). Xi, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks in a recent instruction on studying and absorbing netizens’ suggestions and views on the work related to the upcoming 20th CPC National Congress, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Sunday. The Chinese president stressed better respecting public opinion and following the aspirations of the people, according to Xinhua. Noting that the 20th CPC National Congress is an important event on the Party and

the country’s political agenda, Xi said the collection of public opinion via online platforms is an effective way for Party members and the general public to contribute ideas to the country’s development and the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. It is also an example of the wholeprocess people’s democracy, Xi noted. Successful practices in the solicitation of public views on the Party’s national congress should be summarized to offer a reference for better implementation of the Party’s mass line under new circumstances, Xi said. More than 8.54 million suggestions have been submitted from April 15 to May 16 across all platforms – People’s Daily, the Xinhua News Agency, China Media Group and Xuexi Qiangguo – ahead of the 20th CPC National Congress, which is scheduled to be held in the second half of 2022. Xuexi Qiangguo is an app for people, especially Party members, to learn about Party theories and news on political affairs. Soliciting ordinary people’s opinions re-

flects the CPC’s principles of serving the people, relying on the people and achieving whole-process people’s democracy, Zhang Shuhua, director of the institute of political sciences of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Sunday. Online suggestion mechanism is efficient for the people. It also expands their participation in political affairs, Zhang noted. Latest data from China Internet Network Information Center showed the number of netizens in China has surpassed one billion. Eight categories of topics were set for public suggestions on the work related to the upcoming 20th CPC National Congress – the Party leadership, new development theories, reform and opening-up, whole-process people’s democracy, rule of law, culture, people’s well-being and ecological civilization. Opinions will be sorted and analyzed, and some may provide a direct reference for the work of the 20th CPC National Congress, while others may be adopted by government departments as a reference for

decision-making, Zhang noted. Underscoring the concept of listening to people’s voices ahead of the 20th CPC National Congress – which will be held at an important conjuncture as China embarks on a new journey toward socialist modernization – is equivalent to underscoring the importance of democracy for the CPC’s governance and development, Chen Chengxin, another research fellow from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Sunday. Understanding public opinion helps decision-makers to formulate policies reasonably and solve practical problems that citizens are concerned about, which is how China pursues democracy in reality. On the contrary, Western democracy – where politicians can wantonly manipulate public voices – has fallen to election farces and political shows, Zhang noted. Nowadays, it is no surprise to see news of Western politicians speaking fabulous words in front of microphones to comfort

their people, but they cannot help breaking out in curses even before shutting off their microphones, Zhang noted. Using online platforms as channels to solicit public opinion has been a long-time tradition for the CPC to listen to people’s voices on a broad range of other occasions, such as the formulation process of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25), discussions of the Civil Code, and in the daily work of local governments, Zhang noted. Chen, who also participated in studying the messages left on the board on the People’s Daily, told the Global Times that the message board on this platform in the past 16 years has addressed more than 3 million pieces of questions raised by netizens from across the country. Every message will be read, sorted and delivered to relevant departments, Chen said, citing examples of effective problem-solving through the online channel, including relocation or reconstruction of schools in rural villages and telecom fraud cases.

11 Sports 27 JUNE_Layout 1 6/26/2022 11:54 PM Page 1

Monday, 27 June, 2022 | ISLAMABAD

SportS 11

SPrinter ShaJar abbaS bagS gold medal in QoSanov memorial athleticS c’ShiPS

newS DeSk

AKISTANI sprinter Shajar Abbas has won a gold medal in the 100m race of the ongoing Qosanov Memorial Athletics Championships in Almaty, Kazakhstan. As per details on a private news channel, the 22-year-old clocked 10.41 seconds in the sprint to clinch the gold medal. Kazakhstan’s Vitaliy Zems finished second, crossing the finishing line in 10.47 seconds. Meanwhile, Thailand’s Bandit Chuangchai ending in 10.51 seconds, secured the bronze medal. Earlier, Abbas also set the national record by com-

pleting his 100m heat in 10.38 seconds. The record was previously held by Afzal Baig, who clocked 10.42 seconds during the 2005 Islamic Games. Abbas wasn’t the only one who won a medal for Pakistan as his fellow sprinter Abdul Majeed Baloch also bagged a bronze medal in the men’s 400 meters final. He finished in third place with a time of 46.86 seconds. Both Abbas and Baloch have also qualified for the final of the 200m sprint, which will take place later today. Meanwhile, Amir Sohail clinched Pakistan’s third medal in the event with a silver in the 1500m race. Recently, Pakistani athletes also bagged five medals, including two gold, during the second Imam Reza Cup

in Mashhad, Iran. Pakistan’s sprinters Abbas and Baloch bagged gold and bronze medal, respectively, in the 200m race. Abbas crossed the finishing line in 20.91 seconds, which is a new competition record for gold in Mashhad. Meanwhile, Baloch took 21.41 seconds to finish in third place. Mueed won silver medal in the 400m event by finishing the race in 46.73 seconds, which is a new men’s national record for Pakistan in the event. Mohammad Yasir won a gold medal in Javelin Throw. Meanwhile, Shehroz Khan won a silver medal in the high jump event.

Paralympic athletes to be honored on Monday: DG Sports KP newS DeSk Director General Sports Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khalid Khan Sunday said that all the Paralympic Athletes who excelled at the provincial, national and international levels would be honored in an award ceremony to be held on Monday (June 27) at 5.00 pm at Lala Rafique Sports Arena. Talking to the media men, DG Sports Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khalid Khan said that the prestigious awards would be given to all Paralympic Athletes who have shown outstanding performance at national and international levels. Khalid Khan disclosed that the Paralympic athletes who remained as part of the Games conducted by Directorate General Sports for Persons with Different Abilities at the Inter-Provincial and National levels would also be honored with awards. He said, Secretary Sports Tahir

Orakzai would grace the occasion as chief guest and would distribute the awards to the players. He said that the Directorate General Sports Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is going to have first ever award ceremony in the history of people with different talent. He said that the provincial government was paying full attention to the people with different abilities and besides providing them opportunities to play, various training camps and awareness seminars have also been organized. DG Sports Khalid Khan said that under the Adopted Sports Program, a three-day summer training camp was also organized at Nathiagali for the people of different abilities to overcome social barriers and build selfconfidence. He further said that the players who will be awarded the awards include all the national and international players of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and merged tribal districts.

Those nominated for the awards are Samiullah Khan, Salman Khan of Peshawar, Zabihullah, Abdullah Jan,

Masood Jan of Charsadda, Zawar Noor Zia of Peshawar, Zainab Bibi, Altaf-urRehman of Chitral, Sanaullah Khan of Lakki Marwat, Zainab Noor of Abbottabad, Sanaullah of Chitral, Sakina Afridi of Khyber district, Haseena Begum of Peshawar, Ehsanullah, Jazib Naveed of Tarbela, Khalid Khan of Peshawar, Muhammad Idrees of Mardan, Ayaz Khan of Peshawar, Zawar Hussain of Mardan, Shahnaz Hassan of Peshawar, Misal Khan of Charsadda, Ishtiaq Ahmed of Abbottabad, Habibullah of Peshawar, Irfanullah Engineer of Bannu, Syed Sher Ali of Khyber, Syed Nahar of Charsadda, Asadullah of Mardan, Muhammad Bilal Khan of Dir Lower, Zakir of Mardan and Khurshid Alam of Dir Lower. He said a total of 33 athletes would get their awards on winning medals at national and international levels in tennis, powerlifting, table tennis, crutches races, badminton, running, athletics, basketball, blind kicking, archery, etc.

Glad Yasir confident of better show against SL ISLAMABAD News Desk

Pakistan’s top leg-spinner Yasir Shah was rejoiced for a comeback to the national squad and seemed optimistic to perform well in the Test series against Sri Lanka beginning next month. Pakistan squad training sessions kicked off at Pindi Stadium, Rawalpindi from Sunday and would continue till July 1 in preparations for the Test series against Sri Lanka. Players who were in England for country cricket Azhar Ali, Mohammad Rizwan and Shan Masood would not be part of the camp and will join the team ahead of their departure for Sri Lanka on July 6 from Lahore. Meanwhile, Fawad Alam would join the camp on June 27. The first Test between Pakistan and Sri Lanka would be played at Galle from July 16, while the second Test at Colombo from July 24. Speaking to media after the training sessions, Yasir Shah said he had worked hard in the National High Performance Centre at Lahore and has also performed well in the white ball cricket in domestic season. “I’m also trying to play in every format. My performance in Sri Lanka has been good and hopefully I’ll try to replicate the same in the upcoming series,” he said. “I have worked on my ‘googly’ under the guidance of former leg-spinner Mushtaq Ahmed and head coach Saqlain Mushtaq,” he said. Shah was instrumental in Pakistan’s 2-1 victory over Sri Lanka on their last tour of the island in 2015, snaring 24 wickets at 19.33. He comes back into the side after regaining full fitness. He played his 46th and

last Test, to date, against the West Indies in August 2021. About his recovery from the injury, he said it took him time to recover but he was positive for his performance ahead.

He also expressed that after comeback, he and skipper Babar Azam held frequent talks in which the prolific batsman had given him confidence and told him to keep bowling on line and length.

Paralympic athletes also our assets and heroes: Jahangir Khan StAff reporter Legendary squash player and former World Champion Jahangir Khan said that sports has the power to build a better society and the Olympic Moment can bring people and nations from diverse origins, linguistic backgrounds, cultures and faiths together in peace and harmony. This he said while speaking as a chief guest at a function held in connection with the second phase of World Olympic Day celebrations by Pakistan Olympic Association Environment Commission (POAEC), said a press release here on Sunday. The objective of the Olympic Day celebrations is to spread the message to seeking togetherness, highlighting the power that sport has to build a better world, by uniting people under one roof in sports activities. As part of this, people are encouraged to move together for peace through a range of local and international activities. Jahangir Khan said that tree plantation was very much part of the Olympics and UN Charters and the objective was to spread the message of the importance of greenery and plants for the world environment from the platform of sports grounds. Jahangir Khan said that for regaining past glory in squash, we will have to provide training on modern lines to our players at grass root level to produce world class champions. He also lauded the efforts of POAEC Chairman Lt Col (retd) Waseem Janjua and Member Tehmina Asif for inviting special athletes to Olympic Day celebrations, saying that they were also an importance segment of the society. They are very much talented and God-gifted which can be gauged from their superb show at international event where they have grabbed various medals and laurels for the country to make us proud at international events. Member Environment Commission Tehmina Asif observed that our objective to provide equal sports opportunities to para athletes and the purpose of their participation in today’s programme was to also highlight their role in sports. She announced that soon a programme will be held for these special athletes to acknowledge and encourage them in their endeavors in sports. Later, the squash legend distributed gifts hampers among special athletes and took selfies with them which produced smiles on the faces of the special persons, who enjoyed the company of Squash legend.

Balochistan, Punjab victorious in T-20 Super League matches MAnAL JAffery Balochistan and Punjab earned victories in the matches of the PBCC Blind Cricket T20 Super League 2022 at Ayub Medical College Cricket Ground, Abbottabad on Sunday. In the first match, Balochistan outplayed Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by 10 wickets. Badar’s all-round performance helped Balochistan to thrash KP. In the morning, KP won the toss and decided to bat first but their decision proved off beam. Badar Munir opened the bowling for Balochistan and took the hattrick in the first over and KP couldn’t re-

cover from this big jolt. KP made 164 runs for the loss of 8 wickets in allotted 20 overs, Sanaullah was their top scorer with 68 runs off 51 balls and Naseeb Ullah made 55 runs. Badar Munir took 4 wickets and Kamran Akhter claimed 2 wickets. In reply, Badar’s devastating innings of 100 runs off 38 balls featuring 15 (4’s) and 3 sixes helped Balochistan to reach the target in just 9.5 overs without any loss. Akmal Hayyat also chipped in with 44 runs off 27 balls. Badar was declared man of the match. In the second match, Punjab downed Sindh by 24 runs. Sindh won the toss and decided to bowl first. Sindh tighten the

screws till the 10th over and Punjab was hovering at 88 runs for 2 wickets, thereafter Punjab accumulated 131 runs in the last 10 overs of the innings and finished at 219 runs for the loss of 7 wickets. Muhammad Rashid was the star with the bat, he made 119 runs off 61 balls and was declared man of the match. Sindh in reply, tried well but fell 24 runs short of the target. Sindh made 195 runs for the loss of 7 wickets in stipulated 20 overs. Nisar Ali made 52 runs off 22 balls and Faisal Mehmood remained unbeaten at 40 runs. Shahzaib Haider took 2 wickets while Sajid Nawaz and Anees Javed claimed a wicket a piece.

Monday, 27 June, 2022

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NEWS

Saudi Crown PrinCe ConferS toP Saudi honour on CoaS Bajwa SHEHBAZ GREETS GEN BAJWA ON RECEIVING TOP SAUDI HONOUR ISLAmABAd

staff report

ENERAL Qamar Javed Bajwa, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) has been conferred upon King Abdulaziz Medal of Excellence for making significant contributions in defence cooperation between both the Countries. The award was conferred during a visit by COAS to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) on an official tour. During the visit, COAS called on Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, 1st Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister of KSA and General Fayyadh Bin Hamed Al-Ruwaili, Chief of General Staff (CGS) Saudi Armed Forces at Jeddah on Sunday.

During the meetings, matters of mutual interests, bilateral defence & security cooperation and regional peace & stability were discussed. COAS said that Pakistan values its historical and brotherly relations with the Kingdom and acknowledges its unique place in the

MoS hina Khar leads Pak delegation at ChoGM ISLAMABAD: Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar has led a delegation of Pakistan at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) held in Kigali, Rwanda on June 24-25. Themed as ‘Delivering a common future: connecting, innovating, and Transforming’, the summit discussed the issues concerning the Commonwealth, including postcovid economic recovery, disruptions caused by pandemic and conflict, the challenge of climate change and sustainable development, promotion of democratic values and fundamental freedoms and enhancement of trade among other matters. The summit which was convened after a hiatus of nearly four years, was one of the largest in-person gatherings of heads of government following the pandemic, Foreign Office Spokesperson said in a press release on Sunday. It provided a useful opportunity for the member states to take stock and set the organizational agenda for the next two years. As head of the Pakistan delegation, Minister of State Khar represented Pakistan at the CHOGM plenary, the retreat and the intergenerational dialogue. She also participated actively in Commonwealth Foreign Affairs Ministerial Meeting held on June 23 in the run up to the Summit. The minister held productive bilateral meetings with the Deputy Prime Minister of Australia as well as Foreign Ministers of Kenya, Tanzania, Singapore, New Zealand, Sierra Leone, Jamaica and Dominica, and the UK’s Minister for South Asia, Commonwealth and the UN. news desk

Islamic world. Both sides agreed upon enhancing defence cooperation in the fields of Joint Training, Air Defence, Counter-terrorism and Communication and Information domain. ‘They also agreed to further enhance cordial relations and deep spirit of broth-

erhood into enduring strategic partnership, being vital players in the region with significant responsibility towards unity of Muslim Ummah. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has congratulated Chief of the Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa after the Pakistani Army Chief was decorated with the highest medal by the government of brotherly Saudi Arabia. In a couple of tweets uploaded on Sunday, Shehbaz Sharif declared that Pakistan considers the security of Saudi Arabia as its own. “We are completely resolved to further cementing our multifaceted bilateral relationship including excellent defence cooperation,” he added. Extending his heartiest congratulations to Army Chief General Bajwa, Shehbaz Sharif wrote, “It is a great honour for the people and the armed forces of Pakistan. Heartiest congratulations to Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa on conferment of King Abdulaziz Medal for his contributions to strengthening defence ties between our two brotherly countries.”

PTI defeats PDM candidate in PK-7 Swat by-polls SWAT syed shahabuddin

The ruling party PTI’ candidate Fazal Maula won the bypoll to PK-7 by defeating ANP candidate Hussain Ahmed alias Khan Nawab here on Sunday. According to unconfirmed and unofficial results, the PTI candidate Fazal Maula grabbed 18,042 votes and won the seat while ANP candidate Hussain Ahmed remained runner-up with 14,665 votes. The polling for the vacant seat, fell vacant after the death of ANP’s MPA Waqar Ahmad Khan, started at 8am in the morning and continued till 5pm without any break. The ANP candidate also had the support of the PDM, but there was no interest in

polling from the workers of these parties and PTI candidate Fazal Maula easily won the seat from the ANP. In the 2008 general elections, ANP’s Waqar Ahmed Khan had won this seat. In the 2013 elections, Dr Amjad Ali of PTI had won and Waqar Ahmed Khan had lost it. In the 2018 elections, PTI’s Dr Amjad Ali again defeated Waqar Ahmad Khan but later vacated the seat as he had won two seats. However, during by-poll to PK-7, Waqar Ahmad Khan of ANP won the seat with the support of the opposition parties. When Waqar Ahmed Khan died of a cardiac arrest last month, the ANP fielded his uncle Hussain Ahmed Khan alias Khan Nawab in the by-

poll with the support of the PDM, but the provincial ruling party PTI Candidate Fazal Maula won the seat. There were two main factors for victory of PTI candidate Fazal Maula in PK-7 in by-election: firstly KPK CM Mahmood Khan had announced a full package in form of development projects such as engineering university in PK-7, a PAEDS hospital and many others schemes in Kabal Tehsil. Secondly, the lack of interest of PDM local leadership and workers in the favour of ANP candidate Hussain Ahmad Khan also added to his defeat. After the defeat, the ANP workers staged a sit-in in Kabal Chowk and protested outside the Returning Officer’s office.

Govt striving to revive economy: Sanaullah Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan said on Sunday that the government was trying its level best to revive the economy and, for the purpose, difficult decisions had to be taken by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to fulfill the commitments made by the previous government with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Addressing a workers’ convention at the dera of Mehar Hamid Rasheed on Millat Road, he said, “We respect all state institutions. But the previous incompetent government failed to deliver during the last three years.” Their focus was only to crush the opposition and in this connection, former prime minister Imran Khan

himself reiterated loudly in the public meetings that he would not spare anybody belonging to the opposition. He said that Imran Khan crossed all limits of victimisation and even during his visit to America, he gave very irresponsible remarks. “When he (Imran) failed to trap me in false and bogus cases, he instituted a case of narcotics against me,” Rana Sana added. He said that due to ill-conceived policies and failure of Imran Khan, the country had reached the verge of default. “Imran Khan failed to focus on the real and core issues of the country and he signed an agreement with the IMF. news desk

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LG Polls: MQM-P cries foul at rigging; threatens to quit coalition govt KARACHI: MQM-P leader Waseem Akhtar has demanded the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) immediately halt the election process in Sukkur, Mirpurkhas, and Nawabshah, crying foul at the anomalies and rigging in the election process. “We do not want fingers to be pointed towards the ECP after the way local government elections are being held,” he said while addressing a press conference in Karachi. Waseem Akhtar said that fair and free elections are not possible in the current atmosphere and said that at some polling stations, there are no ballot papers while voters have also stayed away from the process after violent incidents. He said that the entire media was running footage of ballot papers being forcibly taken away during the polling, raising questions on the claim of free and fair elections. He lamented that there was no progress on agreement with PPP and the prime minister has formed a committee to look into the matter. “If progress is not being made on the agreement then we will be forced to decide our future with this government,” he warned. He blamed that urban centres are deliberately mixed with rural areas to damage the political stake of MQM-P. “I want to tell Asif Zardari that this is not democracy. There should not be such delimitations that are aimed at damaging MQM-P,” he said and added that Karachi was already counted as half in the population census. He said that the MQM-P finalized agreements in Centre and province before joining the government. We have joined federal government but will only join the provincial government until the local government Act is being transformed as per the directives of the Supreme Court,” he said. He reminded the coalition government that it was standing owing to the votes of MQM-P. “They are prime minister, chief minister and ministers due to MQM-P,” he said and warned that if the party’s concerns are not addressed, the coordination committee could take a decision to quit the coalition government. staff report

Pakistan, iMf to strike deal after budget approval The talks between the Pakistani authorities and International Monetary Fund (IMF) staff will now resume after the approval of the budget for incoming fiscal year 2022-23, during which the two parties will strike a deal for a loan facility. It may be recalled that the Fund confirmed major progress in Pakistan-IMF parleys last week. Sources within the Ministry of Finance said that the talks are expected to resume on June 28, and Finance Minister Miftah Ismail and State Bank of Pakistan governor will sign the contract on Pakistan’s behalf. The sources further stated that Pakistan has requested IMF to enhance the programme to $8 billion instead of $6 billion and asked for an extension of a year to prolong the programme till 2024. They said the budget for the next financial year will be around Rs10,000 billion, while 11% sales tax will be levied on petroleum products with effect from July 1, 2022. Moreover, it has been decided to levy Rs50 per litre on petroleum products. Pakistan has agreed to apply Rs5 per litre levy on petroleum products, raise the target of tax collection from Rs7,005 billion to Rs7,450 billion, target of customs collection from Rs950 billion to Rs1,005 billion and the target of General Sales Tax (GST) collection from Rs3,008 billion to Rs3, 300 billion. Moreover, the target for income tax collection has been set at Rs55 billion. The policy framework will be handed over to Pakistan in the next two days, sources added. Miftah, on Friday, had said that the government will not be giving any more subsidies on petroleum products and the levy on the commodity will go up to Rs50. In an interview to a private Tv channel, the minister said the previous government left Pakistan on the brink of default and they should not have given subsidies on petroleum products and energy. news desk

Super Tax to be applicable retrospectively from Tax year 2022 AhTASAm AhmAd & ShAhzAd PArAchA The Federal Board of Revenue is set to collect an estimated Rs80 billion from Super tax and Rs120 billion from Poverty Alleviation tax which will be applicable on companies and individuals retrospectively. As per sources, the tax would be charged on the income pertaining to the tax year 2022. “The financial sector including banks will have to pay the Super tax on the income declared for the tax year ending December 2021. While other companies that follow the regular tax year, spanning from 1st July to 30th June, would pay the Super tax for the tax year ending 30 June 2022.” Abdul Qadir

Memon, a senior Chartered Accountant, told Profit. But finance minister Miftah Ismail tells Profit that banks will be exempted from the retrospective effect since they closed their books by December 2021. Till the filing of this report, there was no clarity on how banks and other corporates whose tax year follows the calendar year will be treated under this new provision, with market sources saying they are included but the government saying they are not. The common practice is to apply the amendments to the tax law, proposed in the budget, prospectively. However, the parliament has the prerogative to approve the ap-

Published by Arif Nizami at Plot # 7, Al-Baber Centre, F/8 Markaz, Islamabad, for PT Print (Pvt) Limited. Ph: 051-2204545. Email: newsroom@pakistantoday.com.pk

plication of any tax amendment retrospectively. As per the proposed section 4C, “Tax shall be imposed for poverty alleviation for the tax year 2022 and onwards at the rates specified in Division IIB of Part I of the First Schedule, on the income of every person.” The retrospective application will prevent the companies from passing on the tax incidence to the final consumer. As per Ashfaq Tola, President ICAP, “The applicability of the Super Tax (Poverty Alleviation Tax) would be in the tax year 2022, and the rationale behind it is to prevent the impact from being passed on to the final consumers.”