H o w f e a s i b l e i s T h a r c o a l r a i l w a y ? g i s n o w r i g h t t i m e f o r lo n g -a w a i t e d p r o J e c t ?
the upcoming federal cabinet meet ng is like y to grant its approval to a proposed 12-po nt energy conser vation p an to benefit the countr y with rs 353 bi lion worth annual sav ngs, it was relably learnt on saturday according to sources, a 12-point energy conser vation plan has been devised which will be presented dur ng the next week in the upcoming meeting of the federal cab net for its approval they sa d that multiple sessions were held in power division to identify and evaluate and strategize potential energy effc ency and conser vation measures and, it was noticed that there was an urgent need for upgradat on of energy efficiency and conser vation standards and strict enforcement/compliance they sa d rep acement of inefficient appl ances and consumer awareness for responsible use of energy were other key areas which were identified for action as a nationa priority federa m nister for defence khawaja muhammad asif has completed consultation with the stakeholders said sources after thorough consultation and evaluation of various efficiency and conser vation measures a detai ed plan and implementation strategy had been developed, they added “ if the federal cabinet grants its approval to the proposed energy conser vation plan then it will benefit by rs 353 billion worth annual savings to the countr y said sources they added that the proposed 12point energy conser vation plan can benefit the countr y on y with the cooperat on of federal and prov nc a governments documents available with profit disclosed the implementation roadmap of the proposed 12-point energy conservation plan under which several measures including work from home, wedd ng hal s timings restaurants hotels and markets c osing timings deadl ne to stop manufacturing of ineff c ent fans, stopping manufactur ng of ncandescent bu bs, procurement of energy efficient fans, led/energy efficient equ pment by public sector organisation, energy efficient housing, mandator y conical baffles for new geysers insta lation of con ca baffles in existing geysers, a ternate switching-off streetlights encouraging e-bikes energy con-
ser vation awareness campa gns through media/socia media and tV etc and water conser vation have been proposed and, in th s regard, cabinet d vision ipc (for coordinat on with provinces) ministr y of industries and product on, fbr, ppra, neeca, power d vision provincial governments pak stan engineering council (pec) m nistr y of sc ence & technology, ministr y of petroleum sngpl/ssgcl cabinet division provincial chief secretaries, ict/cda, pemra will play role to mplements the proposed energy conser vation p an in the countr y

Under the proposed energy conservat on p an work from home of the 20 percent staff can save rs 58 b llion while wedding halls timings will be limited to 10 pm, restaurants, hote s and markets closing timings be limited to 8pm and this measures after implementation can save rs 62 b llion per annum while cabinet div sion ipc (for coordinat on with provinces) w ll ssue directions to the provinces under article 149 (4) of constitution of pakistan to implement the said measures s m larly, the deadline set to stop manufacturing of ineff cient fans s July 1st 2023 while it is projected that imposition of tax/duty on nefficient fans can save rs 15 bill on and the ministr y of industries and production federal board of revenue (fbr) w ll play their role to implement this measure l kewise stopping manufacturing of incandescent bulbs is februar y 1st 2023 and mposition of tax/duty on nefficient bulbs can save rs 22 billion while m nistr y of industr es and product on and fbr w l ensure mplementation of this
measure furthermore, procurement of energy efficient fans, led/energy effc ent equ pment by public sector organ sat ons (publ c sector only to procure energy efficient equipment) will be ensured by ppra and neeca as per the mplementation roadmap of the proposed energy conser vation plan energy efficient measures to be incorporated in building codes/housing societies bye- aws by c vic/building control authorities and power divis on provincial governments pakistan engineering counci wil ensure the implementation of t min str y of industries and production m nistr y of science & technology ministr y of petroleum, sngpl/ssgcl will ensure implementation of mandator y conical baffles for new geysers manufacturing by december 2023 and insta lation of conica baffles in existing geysers n one year can save rs 92 billion annually while t w ll start from islamabad immed ately after ts approval it is also earnt from the document that cabinet d vision provincial chief secretar es will ensure mplementation of alternate switching-off streetlights by issuing directions to provinces under article 149(4) of constitution of pakistan and this measure can save rs 4 b llion/annum accord ng to available documents, e-bikes shall be encouraged while duties to be eliminated on e-bike manufacturing, establishment of charg ng stations starting from lahore & islamabad and ministr y of industries and production, and fbr will ensure mplementation of th s measure
y

KArACHi
chief of army staff (coa s) general syed asim munir has stressed the need for a nat onal consensus to steer the countr y out of the current economic and secur ty challenges he was speaking as the chief guest at the commissioning parade of 118th midshipmen and 26th short ser vice commiss on he d at the pakistan naval academy, in karachi, on saturday earlier upon arrival at the academy the coa s was received by chief of the naval staff admiral amjad khan niazi pak stan s passing through one of her most crit cal unctures and this requires deve opment of national consensus by al stakeho ders to sai through the confronted challenges of economy

and terrorism gen munir was quoted as saying at the parade by the militar y ’s media wing the ispr the coa s congratulated the commissioning term for successful comp etion of tra ning and becoming guardians of maritime frontiers of pakistan mar time domain is continuously sh fting mainly due to technological advancement, where n only those navies would prevail and prove effect ve that would align with professionalism and modern trends of war fare,” he further sa d the army chief appreciated pakistan naval academy for imparting quality education not only to pakistani cadets but a so to cadets from friendly countries he advised the young officers as future leaders to lead by their conduct character, professional acumen, and
foresight later, the ch ef guest gave away awards to the cadets with outstanding per formances the prestigious Qua d-azam gold medal was awarded to lt kashif abdul Quyyom pn for his overal best per formance midshipman naufi mal k was awarded the coveted sword of honour for his overall best per formance army chief gen munir also visited malir garrison where he aid a floral wreath at the martyrs monument he also addressed the officers of karach corps, rangers and other cafs at malir garrison t h e c o a s u n d e r s c o r e d t h e n e e d f o r f o c u s o n p r o f e s s i o n a n d d e m a n d s o f m o d e r n w a r f a r e a n d d i r e c t e d i n f o rm a t i o n o p e r a t i o n s e a r l i e r o n a r r i v a l, t h e c o a s w a s r e c e i v e d b y l i e u t e n a n t g e n e r a l b a b a r i f t i k h a r c o m m a n d e r ka r a c h i c o r p s
the long-awaited pro ect of connecting the thar coa deposit by railway to the pak stan railway network s set to soon rece ve financing pc-i of the pro ect has reported y been prepared and is expected to be approved soon the total project cost of rs 58 240 billion would be supported on an equal cost sharing basis through the public sector development programme and the annual development p an Background infor mation pr me m nister shehbaz sharif had nstructed on october 5th that the thar coal m nes be inked to the countr y ’s ra lway network by march 2023 during a conference presided over by the prime min ster, it was determined that the federal and sindh governments would work together to complete the project of connecting thar coal mines to the rail network during the conference he further stated that the connection of thar coal mines to the railway network local coal would be used in power plants instead of imported coal th s would save $2 bill on per year from the power plants that were previously using imported coal on march 8, 2019, special ass stant to the pr me m nister on power sector of the previous government convened a meeting of all stakeholders to finalise the modalities for thar coal m nes rail connectivity project as a result, pak stan rai ways freight transport company (prftc) conducted a bankable feas bil ty study for the thar coal mines rai connect vity with the nat ona railways network from Ju y 2019 to march 2020 on the adv ce of the ministr y of railways follow ng rapprochement by engro energy limited through a joint venture of consultants the goa of the feasib lity study was to exam ne the overal potential for extend ng ra l links strategically and to make suggestions for project implementation of the most acceptable development opt on in terms of track alignment, techn ca standards financials and organisat on the fina version of this feasibility study was submitted n may 2020 it is unden able that development projects of th s nature would be extreme y benefic al in the long run given the long expected life of the thar coal mine deve opment projects around it would yie d benef ts n the development of labour skil s, emp oyment and wou d facil tate cost effect ve transportation of thar coal around the countr y Who will execute the project ? the company assigned the role of developing th s project is the pakistan rai way freight transportation company (prftc) the primar y object ve of th s company as the name suggests is to handle the movement of freight spec a ly coal by rai from port area at karachi to up-countr y the company is granted mmense power in terms of planning, designing operat ng and managing the operations of freight transportat on the company also has complete authority to procure, own, control and maintain locomotives and rolling stock for the purpose of transporting coal prftc has further authority to develop as well as maintain its own terminals maintenance depots yards s d ngs and other ancil ar y facilities the government has granted these powers to the company to ensure eff cient transportation of freight
Why is a railway needed? rail transportat on s cr tical for any economy as it allows for the shipment of raw commod ties over great distances apart from coal railways can fac litate the flow of passengers and other types of freight deeper nto sindh rail has the capacity of no other land transportat on option as train wagons can carr y up to 100 tons of freight more than three times that of a truck another essential feature is econom es of scale, which means that f xed costs per unit wou d decrease as volume increased
W o r l d S ta r t S t o r i n G i n 2 0 2 3 a F t e r t u r B u l e n t y e a r
AgENcIES
the crowds gathering at Sydney’s sparkling h a r b o u r t o w a t c h 1 0 0 , 0 0 0 p y r o t e c h n i c s illuminate the southern sky were expected to number more than one million

“ I t ’s b e e n a f a i r l y g o o d y e a r f o r u s ; g e t t i n g p a s t C o v i d o f c o u r s e i s g r e a t
D a v i d H u g h - P a t e r s o n t o l d A F P a s h e waited near the Sydney Opera House in a g r o w i n g c r o w d L o o k i n g f o r w a r d t o t h e future as well,” the 52-year-old said
Many will be looking to cut loose this New Year ’s Eve after a few pandemicdampened years, setting aside pinched budgets and a virus that is increasingly forgotten but not gone
In Pakistan, Prime Minister Imran Khan was ousted through a rare vote of no confidence won by the opposition – a move m a n y c r i t i c s s a y w a s e n g i n e e r e d B u t t h e c h a n g e o f l e a d e r s h i p p r o v e d t o b e f a t a l a s t h e c o u n t r y w h i c h w a s p r o g r e s s i n g a t 6 p e r c e n t o f t h e G D P n o w i s f a c i n g a n i m m i n e n t d e f a u l t a s f o r e i g n r e s e r v e s h a v e f a l l e n f r o m U S $ 1 6 8 b i l l i o n t o a m e r e U S $ 5 1
Sydney will be among the first major cities to ring in 2023, restaking its claim to b e t h e “ N e w Ye a r ’s E v e c a p i t a l o f t h e w o r l d a f t e r t w o y e a r s o f l o c k d o w n a n d coronavirus-muted festivities
Australia’s borders have reopened and
S y d n e y a u t h o r i t i e s e x p e c t e d a l m o s t h a l f a b i l l i o n m o r e p e o p l e w o u l d s e e t h e festivities online or on television
“If we can bring everyone together in celebration and looking to the year ahead with renewed optimism and joy, then we’ll see that as a job well done,” said fireworks organiser Fortunato Foti
For some, 2022 was a year of Wordles, the Great Resignation, a new Taylor Swift a l b u m , a n O s c a r s l a p a n d b i l l i o n a i r e meltdowns
I t a l s o s a w t h e d e a t h s o f Q u e e n Elizabeth II, Brazilian football icon Pele, M i k h a i l G o r b a c h e v, J i a n g Z e m i n , a n d S h i n z o A b e F o r m e r p o p e B e n e d i c t X V I died on New Year s Eve
I n N o v e m b e r t h e g l o b a l p o p u l a t i o n s u r p a s s e d t h e h i s t o r i c m i l e s t o n e o f e i g h t billion people B u t 2 0 2 2 i s m o s t l i k e l y t o b e
Bilawal facilitates new Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang
ISLAMABADForeign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Saturday facilitated Mr Qin Gang on his appointment as China’s Foreign Minister In a tweet on Saturday, the foreign minister said he is looking forward to work with him, taking China-Pakistan all-weather cooperative strategic partnership even to greater heights Meanwhile, Qin Gang in his reply thanked Bilawal for his warm congratulations and reciprocated the sentiments he expressed in his Tweet Qin Gang was appointed as the new foreign minister, according to a decision made by the 13th National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee on Friday Qin Gang, the incumbent Chinese Ambassador to the US, has replaced Mr Wang Yi, who is a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and State Councilor
Securit y forces kill four terrorists in Bannu operation
RAWALPINDI SSecurity forces killed four terrorists and recovered ammunition and weapons in an Intelligence-Based Operation (IBO) in general area of Jani Khel, Bannu District On 31 Dec 22 Security Forces conducted an Intelligence Based Operation in general area Jani Khel, Bannu During the conduct of the operation, intense fire exchange took place between own troops and terrorists Own troops effectively engaged the terrorists location Resultantly, four terrorists got killed while weapon and ammunition was also recovered from the killed terrorists The killed terrorists remained actively involved in terrorist activities against security forces and killing of innocent citizens However, during intense exchange of fire, Sepoy Muhammad Wasim (age 25 years, resident of Khairpur) having fought gallantly embraced shahadat Sanitization of the area is being carried out to eliminate any other terrorists found in the area
‘ A p e A c e f u l s k y ’ : M o r e t h a n 3 0 0 d a y s i n t o R u s s i a ’s b o t c h e d i n v a s i o n o f U k r a i n e , a b o u t 7 , 0 0 0 c i v i l i a n s h a v e b e e n killed and 10 000 more injured according t o t h e O ff i c e o f t h e U N H i g h C o m m i s s i o n e r f o r H u m a n R i g h t s A b o u t 1 6 m i l l i o n U k r a i n i a n s h a v e f l e d t h e i r homes For those who remain, an 11:00 pm to 5 : 0 0 a m c u r f e w w i l l b e i n p l a c e a m i d
p e r i o d i c b l a c k o u t s a n d R u s s i a n m i s s i l e b a r r a g e s W h i l e s o m e w i l l m a r k t h e occasion with quiet candlelit prayers, others intend to party through the night in a collective show of resolve
In past years, “people always stayed with us until three or four in the morning so staying here for another hour or two will not be a problem”, said Kyiv restaurateur Tetyana Mytrofanov There seems to be a dulled appetite for grand celebrations in Vladimir Putin’s Russia
Moscow has cancelled its traditional fireworks show after Mayor Sergei Sobyanin asked residents to vote on how to mark the occasion
Muscovites such as Irina Shapovalova, a 51-year-old nursery worker said their main wish for 2023 was for “a peaceful sky above our heads”
State-owned broadcaster VGTRK has promised to provide a “New Year ’s atmosphere, despite the changes in the country and the world
The new year will kick off with a new leader in Brazil, where Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva takes the reins on Sunday following his razor-thin win in October polls However, China begins 2023 battling a surge in Covid infections after unwinding restrictions to contain the virus
While vaccines have allowed life to return to semi-normal in most parts of the world, the virus is continuing to thwart China’s attempts to move on Hospitals in the world s most populous nation have been overwhelmed by an explosion of cases following the decision to lift strict “zeroCovid rules
Chinese President Xi Jinping told the country in a televised New Year ’s Eve address that, despite the outbreak, the light of hope is right in front of us”
President calls for renewal of pledge to put Pak istan on journey of progress, prosperit y
President Dr Arif Alvi has stressed upon the nation to renew its journey of transforming Pakistan into a peaceful, prosperous and welfare Islamic state on the basis of golden Islamic democratic tenets
Felicitating the Pakistani nation and the international community on the arrival of new year 2023, the president prayed for the peace, progress and prosperity of the motherland entire Muslim Ummah and the world
The president recollecting the past year s challenges confronted by the Pakistani nation including Covid 19 pandemic and floods, said that they had surmounted all those issues by virtue of their hard work, valour, sacrifices resolve and determination
After containing the coronavirus pandemic, huge areas of Pakistan were inundated by historic floods, he said adding that during the floods he had undertaken visits to the affected areas and reviewed the losses In those areas, he also met with the flood affected people and heard their issues besides everywhere he witnessed ordeals and the damages, , President Secretariat Press Wing said in a press release
The president said that he not only came across such a vast devastation, but also witnessed the determination, sacrifices, unity, patriotism and resolve of the nation
The president underlined that they would have to utilize their capabilities to steer Pakistan out of the challenges and putting it on the path of progress and development The country was being faced with host of challenges like economic, political instability, law and order rising specter of terrorism climate change poverty and the increasing population
In the new year, the nation, in unison, has to set its priorities to overcome these problems We have to

work with national solidarity, unity, discipline, continuous struggle, passion and devotion for making Pakistan a prosperous developed democratic and stronger country,” he added
The president said that the new year also required that they should ensure enhanced efficacy and performance of the democratic institutions for a stronger and stable Pakistan
He also stressed upon the need of capacity building of the institutions and entities by introducing reforms in the relevant laws and rules, adding for the national development all the stakeholders have to take the practical steps for upholding the constitution, ensuring provision of justice, transparency, capacity building, meritocracy and resolution of the public grievances

The president also called upon acceleration of efforts for complete rehabilitation of the flood affected people and for bringing the weaker segments of society out of poverty
A society could not be completed and established without the inclusion of persons with disabilities and womenfolk in the mainstream of business and other social activities, he added
The president also underpinned adoption of habits to conserve and utilize the natural resources and energy with responsibility and emphasized upon the need of focusing on development of human resources and education
2022 was terrible for economy, says Fawad C h
LAHORE S ta f f R e p o R tThe government, in liaison with a “puppet” election commission, was making a mockery of the public and the Constitution of the country, said Fawad Chaudhry, senior vice president of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) party, on Saturday Criticising the government of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) coalition, the former minister said 2022 proved disastrous for the economy as the cost of living soared owing to political instability

A series of shocks from flooding to surging inflation cause the nation s external, fiscal and
economic metrics to further deteriorate
Just last week, Pakistan was downgraded by S&P Global Ratings, an American credit rating agency, which cut its score by a notch to CCC+ from B- The agency said it expected Pakistan’s dwindling foreign reserves to remain under pressure in 2023
In his tweet, Chaudhry urged the Islamabad High Court (IHC) to enforce its judgement regarding local government elections in the capital
His tweet came as the government and Election C o m m i s s i o n o f P a k i s t a n ( E C P ) m o v e d i n t r a - c o u r t appeals in the high court against its verdict requiring t h e t r i b u n a l t o h o l d e l e c t i o n s i n I s l a m a b a d o n
LG polls: Voters protest outside ‘ locked ’ ECP polling stations in Islamabad

ISLAMABAD
S ta f f R e p o R t
Federal Capital residents came out to cast their votes for local government elections in Islamabad staged protests after finding all the designated Election Commission of P a k i s t a n ( E C P ) p o l l i n g s t a t i o n s c l o s e d a n d t h e s t a ff m i s s i n g , d e s p i t e c o u r t o r d e r s t o h o l d l o c a l p o l l s o n December 31 2022
A d a y e a r l i e r, t h e I s l a m a b a d H i g h C o u r t ( I H C ) , w hile accepting the petitions of P akis tan Tehreek-eInsaf (PTI) and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) for nullification of ECP’s decision of LG polls’ deferral, directed the e l e c t o r a l b o d y t o h o l d t h e e l e c t i o n s a s p e r t h e s c h e d u l e B u t t h e E C P c h a l l e n g e d t h e I H C o r d e r o n Saturday
The electoral body had cancelled the December 31
schedule to hold the local government elections in the federal capital earlier this week, citing the change in the union councils of the capital territory
H o w e v e r t h e h i g h c o u r t i n i t s o n e - p a g e s h o r t order, asked the federal government to ensure that “it a s s i s t s t h e e l e c t i o n c o m m i s s i o n i n h o l d i n g t h e l o c a l government polls”
Earlier this morning, the ECPfiled an intra-court a p p e a l a g a i n s t t h e o r d e r s o f t h e h i g h c o u r t t o h o l d local government polls in Islamabad today
The PTI, taking to Twitter, claimed that voters are waiting outside the stations, but that the ECP staff is missing despite the court s orders to hold elections
PTI Chairman Imran Khan said that the ECP has “shown it is B team of imported government and its backers by not implementing IHC s orders
“PDM, fearful of the people, is running away from
a l l e l e c t i o n s R i g h t t o v o t e i s a f u n d a m e n t a l d e m o c r a t i c n o r m & P T I s t a n d s c o m m i t t e d t o i t , ” h e added
PTI Senior Vice-President Fawad Chaudhry said that action should be taken against the ECP
P T I l e a d e r S h i r e e n M a z a r i s a i d t h a t t h e E C P b i a s ” h a s b e e n e x p o s e d a s t h e b o d y h a s “ c o m m i t t e d c o n t e m p t o f c o u r t t o p l e a s e [ a ] c a b a l o f c r o o k s a n d c o n s p i r a t o r s b y n o t a l l o w i n g L G e l e c t i o n s p o l l i n g today despite IHC order”
P T I S e c r e t a r y G e n e r a l A s a d U m a r s a i d t h a t t h e v o t e r s a n d p a r t y t e a m s a r e p r e s e n t a t t h e p o l l i n g stations but the ECP is missing in action
U m a r a s k e d w h y t h e E C P d i d n ’t p r e p a r e f o r elections when the court proceedings were going on He requested the court to take action against the ECP for “committing contempt of court”
nearly 1,700 journaliStS, inCludinG 93 FroM

PakiStan, killed over l aSt 20 yearS: rSF
1,700 journalists have been killed worldwide, including 93 from Pakistan, over the past 20 years, an average of more than 80 a year, according to an analysis published by Reporters Without Borders
The two decades between 2003 and 2022 were especially deadly decades for those in the service of the right to inform”, said the Paris-based media rights campaigners
imran’s gov t left countr y on brink of bankruptcy, says minister
MULTAN S ta f f R e p o R t
“Behind the figures, there are the faces, personalities, talent and commitment of those who have p a i d w i t h t h e i r l i v e s f o r t h e i r i n f o r m a t i o n g a t h e r i n g , t h e i r s e a r c h f o r t h e t r u t h a n d t h e i r p a s s i o n f o r j o u r n a l i s m , R S F s e c r e t a r y - g e n e r a l C h r i s t o p h e D e l o i r e s a i d Iraq and Syria were the most dangerous c o u n t r i e s t o w o r k a s a j o u r n a l i s t , a c c o u n t i n g f o r “ a c o m b i n e d t o t a l o f 5 7 8 j o u r n a l i s t s k i l l e d i n t h e p a s t 2 0 y e a r s , o r more than a third of the worldwide total , RSF said
T h e y a r e f o l l o w e d b y M e x i c o ( 1 2 5
k i l l e d ) , t h e P h i l i p p i n e s ( 1 0 7 ) , P a k i s t a n (93), Afghanistan (81) and Somalia (78)
T h e d a r k e s t y e a r s w e r e 2 0 1 2 a n d 2013, “due in large measure to the war in S y r i a ” T h e r e w e r e 1 4 4 k i l l i n g s i n 2 0 1 2 and 142 the year after, the report said
This peak was “followed by a gradual fall and then historically low figures from 2019 onwards
But deaths increased again in 2022 in part because of the war in Ukraine So far t h i s y e a r, 5 8 j o u r n a l i s t s h a v e b e e n k i l l e d doing their jobs up from 51 in 2021 E i g h t j o u r n a l i s t s h a v e b e e n k i l l e d i n
Ukraine since Russia invaded in February This compares to a total of 12 media deaths there over the preceding 19 years
Ukraine is currently the most dangerous country in Europe for the media, after Russia itself, where 25 journalists have been killed over the past 20 years “Since (President) Vladimir Putin took over, Russia has seen systematic attacks on press freedom including deadly ones as RSF has repeatedly reported They include Anna Politkovskaya s high-profile murder on 7 October 2006 ” the rights group said
Elsewhere in Europe, Turkey was ranked third most dangerous followed by France “as a result of the massacre at the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo in Paris in 2015”
Reporters run the greatest risks worldwide in areas where armed conflict has occurred
But RSF stressed countries where no war is officially taking place are not necessarily safe for reporters and some of them are near the top of the list of those where killings have occurred
“In fact, more journalists have been killed in zones at peace than in zones at war during the past two decades, in most cases because they were investigating organised crime and corruption
The Americas accounted for almost half of journalist murders, many in Mexico, Brazil, Colombia and Honduras
“America is nowadays clearly the World’s most dangerous continent for the media, RSF said
KP, Balochistan witnessed alarming rise in terror attacks during 2022: Repor t
These terrorist attacks that targeted civilians and security personnel included IED ambushes and suicide attacks mostly in Pakistan Afghan border regions
This took the fatalities in the province (including e x - FATA ) t o n e a r l y 6 4 % o f a l l t h e f a t a l i t i e s i n t h e country i e , followed by Balochistan which suffered 26% of terror-related deaths it claimed
Javed Latif a minister and leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), declared former prime minister Imran Khan failed to deliver any productive initiative during his years in office period because he was busy misguiding the public in rallies Talking to a TV station, the minister claimed that Khan left the country on the brink of bankruptcy and the government of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) coalition was correcting the economic direction of the country He said the previous government did not launch a single development project between 2018 and 2022 All major projects of the country were on the credit of his PML-N party he said On the demand for snap elections, Latif said that it was wrong to assume the government was avoiding elections, claiming the country was not in a position to afford early elections
KARAcHI S ta f f R e p o R tSindh Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon has announced to send a legal notice to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Fawad Chaudhry over ‘horse-trading’ allegations against him In a statement, the provincial minister termed the accusations levelled by PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry ‘baseless’, announcing to send a legal notice in this regard Sharjeel Memon, in the statement, asked the PTI leader to prove the allegations and file a case in Punjab against him Earlier Fawad Chaudhry had announced registration of a case against two Sindh Ministers – Sharjeel Inam Memon and Nasir Hussain Shah – in Punjab, accusing them of horsetrading He alleged that the provincial ministers offered money to two PTI female MPAs after noconfidence motion was tabled against Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi He announced that a disqualification reference would be filed against the two Sindh ministers for trying to buy MPAs Fawad Chaudhry also censured Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah for opposing the organisation of the Islamabad local government (LG) polls despite the court orders Reacting to Sanaullah’s statement, Fawad Ch told ARY News that the interior minister should resign from his position if he cannot give security for the Islamabad LG polls He said that Sanaullah always faced humiliating defeat whenever he organised elections Fawad alleged that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is working as a subordinate institution of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N)
The year 2022 ended with December as the deadliest month for Pakistan while the country suffered as many a s 3 7 6 t e r r o r a t t a c k s i n l a s t y e a r t h a t r e s u l t e d i n a n i n c r e a s e d n u m b e r o f c a s u a l t i e s i n K h y b e r Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan provinces
T h e C e n t e r f o r R e s e a r c h a n d S e c u r i t y S t u d i e s (CRSS), in its annual report released on Saturday, said that the majority of these attacks were claimed by the b a n n e d t e r r o r o u t f i t s s u c h a s Te h r e e k - e - Ta l i b a n Pakistan (TTP), Daish (Islamic State Khorasan) and Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA)
As a whole Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province experienced an exponential rise in violence whereby the fatalities there also remained higher
T h e h i g h e s t v i c t i m s o f v i o l e n c e w e r e c i v i l i a n s government officials and security personnel Among civilians there were some foreigners as well, the report said
T h e C e n t e r s a i d t h a t a f t e r N o v e m b e r 2 8 , a n unprecedented spate of terrorist violence ensued in KP and Balochistan with over two dozen attacks in the month of December alone
M o s t o f t h e t e r r o r i s t v i o l e n c e o r i g i n a t e d f r o m e a s t e r n A f g h a n i s t a n , t h e r e p o r t q u o t e d t h e o ff i c i a l s further said with top Tehreek Taliban Pakistan (TTP) elements operating from Afghanistan
M o s t o f t h e t e r r o r i s t s t r i k e s w e r e c o n c e n t r a t e d i n B a n n u Wa z i r i s t a n B a j a u r a n d K u r r a m d i s t r i c t s T h e s e d i s t r i c t s d i r e c t l y a b o u t A f g h a n p r o v i n c e s o f K u n a r, N i n g a r h a a r, P a k t i a , P a k t i k a a n d t h u s a s s p r i n g b o a r d f o r t e r r o r i s t a t t a c k s i n t o P a k i s t a n i mainland, the report said
CCPO L ahore says welfare of police officers top priority
S
Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Lahore, Additional IG Ghulam Mahmood Dogar listened to the problems of police officers and personnel of different wings at Orderly Room, at District Police Lines Qila Gujar Singh here on Saturday CCPO Lahore along with SSP Admin Atif Nazir heard the problems and issues of police officers and personnel of different wings and units of Lahore police
Apart from operations, investigation and security wings, more than 150 serving and retired police
officers and officials posted in various units of Lahore police including Dolphin Squad, Police Response Unit, Anti-Rite Force appeared before CCPO Lahore for redress of their grievances
Those who appeared for personal hearing in the orderly room included the officers and officials who were either dismissed suspended from service or having fined and other punishments CCPO Lahore heard the employees continuously for four hours and issued orders on the spot for the redress of their grievances He issued orders on 25 welfare related requests of police employees including their financial assistance He directed to process 58 requests pertaining to transfer postings and leaves of
Tarar: Imran wants ‘selec tion’, govt wants elec tion
while holding polls He questioned how could millions of Islamabad residents be deprived of their right to vote

The minister said that Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) was deliberately trying to make the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) controversial
police personnel accordingly
CCPO Lahore approved 18 appeals of dismissed, suspended and other police officers with various punishments for his personal hearing
Ghulam Mahmood Dogar issued orders for proper action on seven requests for change of inquiry and reinquiry in different matters of police employees
S p e a k i n g o n t h i s o c c a s i o n , h e s a i d t h a t t h e w e l f a r e o f p o l i c e o ff i c e r s a n d p e r s o n n e l w a s a m o n g h i s t o p p r i o r i t i e s H e s a i d t h a t p o l i c e o ff i c e r s a n d personnel should appear in the orderly room or come t o h i s o ff i c e d i r e c t l y f o r t h e s o l u t i o n o f t h e i r p e r s o n a l p r o b l e m s a s t h e i r l e g i t i m a t e p r o b l e m s w o u l d b e r e s o l v e d o n p r i o r i t y b a s i s
Azam Nazeer Tarar, minister for law and justice said former prime minister Imran Khan wanted to get “selected” again while the government looking to hold general elections
In a statement, the law minister said all Khan wanted was “selection” but the government wanted elections He underlined the need to consider the requirements of law and transparency
The PTI is making the ECP controversial due to Toshakhana and foreign funding cases against Khan,” he claimed Tarar was of the view that holding a free, independent and transparent vote was the basic requirement of the law and Constitution He said the courts would be presented with a legal stance vis-à-vis the delay in holding the local government elections in Islamabad The polls were due in 2021 but the PTI did not conduct the elections at that time, he said, questioning why they are making a spectacle now ”

PTI MNA from Rajanpur Jaffar Leghari dies
He
The
the last four decades
My condolences and prayers go to his family May Allah give them the strength and patience to bear this loss,” he added
‘Horse-trading allegations’: Sharjeel announces legal action against Fawad Ch
UN rEfErS ISraElI oCCUPatIoN of of PalEStINE to WorlD CoUrt
NEW YORK a f ptH E UN General Assembly asked the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to consider consequences for Israel over its occupation of Palestinian territories, a day after the Jewish state s most rightwing government ever took over

The General Assembly voted 87-26 with 53 abstentions on the resolution with Western nations split but virtually unanimous support in the Islamic world including Arab states that have normalised relations with Israel and backing from Russia and China
The resolution calls on the UN court in The Hague to determine the “legal consequences arising from the ongoing violation by Israel of the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination” as well as of its measures aimed at altering the demographic composition, character and status” of the holy city of Jerusalem
The Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations Riyad Mansour said the

vote sent a signal to the new government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over its efforts to “accelerate colonial and racist policies and hailed nations that were “undeterred by threats and pressure ”
“We trust that regardless of your vote today, if you believe in international law and peace, you will uphold the opin-
Peshawar, Mardan admin bans all CNG stations for one month
PESHAWAR: The district administrations of Peshawar and Mardan divisions on Saturday imposed a ban on opening of all CNG stations in the districts from January 1 to January 31 In separate notifications the decision has been made on the recommendation of Sui-Northern Gas Pipeline Limited (SNGPL) and Home and Tribal Affairs Department All the CNG stations situated in both divisions would be closed to ensure a sufficient supply of gas to minimize the suffering of the domestic consumers The ban has been imposed under section 144 of Cr PC and strict action would be taken against those found guilty of flouting the order under section 188, said official statements s ta f f R e p o R t
Deput y Editor Daily
Jang passes away in Karachi
ISLAMABAD: Deputy Editor of Daily Jang Karachi Mudassir Mirza passed away in Karachi on Saturday at the age of seventy Before death, he went home late at night on Friday from the office and was alone at home According to Wasiq son Mudassar Mirza his father was not answering his phone On his request, the neighbors went inside the house where they found him dead Neighbor Ismail said that Mudasir Mirza was immediately rushed to a private hospital in Gulshan Iqbal where doctors confirmed his death Mudassar Mirza’s neighbor Ismail said that his body was kept in the mortuary, his son-in-law and wife are reaching Karachi by a 4 o clock flight after which the funeral prayer and burial will be announced Ismail further said that the body has been kept in the mortuary and the funeral prayer and burial will be announced later s ta f f R e p o R t
Pro
ISLAMABAD s ta f f R e p o R t
ion of the International Court of Justice when delivered,” Mansour said
Speaking ahead of the vote, the Israeli ambassador Gilad Erdan called the resolution “a moral stain on the UN ” “No international body can decide that the Jewish people are occupiers in their own homeland,” Erdan said
“Any decision from a judicial body which receives its mandate from the morally bankrupt and politicised UN is completely illegitimate,” he said
The resolution also demands that Israel cease settlements but General Assembly votes have no legal force unlike those in the Security Council, where US ally Israel wields veto power
The United States, Britain and Germany opposed the resolution while France abstained
“We do not feel that a referral to the International Court of Justice is helpful in bringing the parties back to dialogue,” British diplomat Thomas Phipps said “It is also the position of the UK that it is inappropriate without the consent of both parties to ask the court to give an advisory opinion in what is essentially a bilateral dispute ”
Among Western nations that backed the resolution was Portugal, whose representative acknowledged the “risk of over-judicialising international relations” but said the world court “underpins the international rules-based order which we seek to preserve ”
K hyber Teaching Hospital enter tained 1.54m patients during 2022

469 dengue patients were treated after hospitalization in this year
Pioneering US television journalist Barbara Walters dead at 93

WASHINGTON
Barbara Walters, one of the most visible women on US television as the first female anchor on an American network evening news broadcast and one of TV s most prominent interviewers died on Friday at age 93, her longtime ABC News home said Walters, who created the popular ABC women’s talk show The View in 1997 died at her home in New York, Robert Iger, chief executive of ABC‘s corporate parent, The Walt Disney Company, said in a statement The circumstances of her death were not given
“Barbara was a true legend, a pioneer not just for women in journalism but for journalism itself Iger wrote
As many as 1 54 million patients with different ailments were treated in Khyber Teaching Hospital (KTH) Peshawar – one of the major hospitals of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during the outgoing year of 2022
According to the KTH spokesman, a total of 1,008,605 patients were brought to emergency department, 38,147 patients were operated on while 18 56 370 various types of laboratory tests were done in the hospital during this period In the year 2022 Khyber Teaching Hospital became the only hospital in Pakistan to be ISO certified
Khyber Teaching Hospital is
the second largest hospital in the province where various patients belonging to different parts of the province get treatment facilities every year This hospital consists of 1300 beds and also give treatment facilities to neighboring country Afghanistan 60,932 dengue cases were tested 11 887 came positive and
At the same time, many development works were done, which happened for the first time in the history of Khyber Teaching Hospital, in which 20 modern modular operation theaters were built for the first time in the province at a cost of 350 million, 338 million were allocated for the renovation of four old wards At the same time Doctors Hostel cost 121 million from 447 million a modern 1050 ton HVAC air condition plant was installed in the hospital
Other projects that have been completed included the establishment of a new 25-bedded Dialysis Unit, a modern Day Care Center for the children of hospital employees
Islamabad’s security tightened on eve of New Year night
ISLAMABAD
According to the reports, more than 3,000 personnel of police and Rangers were deployed at different sensitive points including entry and exit points of the capital for New Year s eve
Meanwhile, the Sindh government took back a notification imposing a ban on pillion riding in Karachi ahead of New Year s Eve, hours after the Karachi commissioner ’s move
ashmir group will obser
a free and impartial plebiscite ”
In occupied Jammu and Kashmir, the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) has announced the people of Kashmiri will observe 5 January as Right to Self-Determination Day by organising demonstrations and seminars to invite global attention towards the dispute
Ghulam Ahmad Gulzar, a senior leader of the group while making the announcement in a statement, said the unresolved dispute is a big question mark on the credibility of the United Nations
“If the UN wants to restore its credibility it needs to implement its resolutions on Kashmir without further delay,” he said
It was on January 5, 1949 when the Security Council passed a historic resolution saying: “The question of accession of the State of Jammu and Kashmir to India or Pakistan will be decided through the democratic method of
Right to S elf-Determination D ay on Jan 5
Gulzar said that seven decades have passed but the promised plebiscite remains unfulfilled to date
The politician lamented the UN did nothing concrete to implement its resolutions which emboldened India to militarily crush the struggle He said that by deploying over one million trigger-happy troops, India has turned occupied Kashmir into a gigantic prison
Indian troops who have been given license to kill Kashmiris are trampling humanity under their jackboots he added
“Martyrdom of over 100,000 people, destruction of 150,000 structures, molestation of more than 13,000 women is a glaring proof how India is hell-bent on annihilating Kashmiris and occupying their land he informed Gulzar said that after 5 August 2019, the government of Narendra Modi, the prime minister of India has broken all previous records of brutalities It is using Israel-in-
spired tactics to deprive the people of Kashmir of their land and impose its devilish Hindutva agenda in the region
Issuing domiciles to thousands of non-locals, granting them land in occupied territory and introducing other anti-Kashmir and antiMuslim laws have made the evil intentions of Hindutva forces very clear that they want to strip Kashmiris of their identity, culture and land
He appealed to the people of Kashmir and Pakistan across the world to organise largescale protest demonstrations in different countries of the world and to invite the world s attention towards the Kashmir issue
He also urged the world community especially the UN to take concrete steps for the settlement of the Kashmir issue M
In a broadcast career spanning five decades, Walters interviewed an array of world leaders including Cuba’s Fidel Castro, Britain’s Margaret Thatcher, Libyan ruler Moammar Gadhafi, Iraqi ruler Saddam Hussein, Russian presidents Boris Yeltsin and Vladimir Putin, and every US president and first lady since Richard and Pat Nixon
“I never thought I’d have this kind of a life,” Walters said in a 2004 Chicago Tribune interview “I’ve met everyone in the world I ve probably met more people, more heads of state, more important people, even almost than any president, because they’ve only had eight years
Walters’ critics said she too often asked softball questions and she was long skewered for a 1981 interview in which she asked Hollywood actress Katharine Hepburn what kind of tree she would like to be Walters pointed out that she only asked because Hepburn had first compared herself to a tree She knew how to ask tough questions, too I asked Yeltsin if he drank too much and I asked Putin if he killed anybody,” Walters told the New York Times in 2013 Both answered no Celebrity interviews also were an important part of Walters’ repertoire, and for 29 years she hosted a preOscars interview program featuring Academy Award nominees She also had an annual “most fascinating people” show but dropped it when she decided she was weary of celebrity interviews
SPEECH IMPEDIMENT: Walters reached the top of her field despite difficulty pronouncing R’s a trait that made her the target of a biting “Bawa WaWa” impersonation by Gilda Radner on the “Saturday Night Live sketch comedy show in the 1970s Walters said the spoof bothered her, until her daughter told her to lighten up Walters was born in Boston Her father Lou Walters worked in show business as a nightclub owner and booking agent, and was credited with discovering such talent as comedian Fred Allen and actor Jack Haley, who would go on to play the Tin Man in the motion picture classic The Wizard of Oz
After graduating from Sarah Lawrence College, she worked in public relations before joining NBC‘s Today show as a writer and segment producer in 1961 She began getting air time with feature stories such as a report on her one-day stint as a Playboy bunny and became a regular on the program
WoMen, kIds aMong 1,200 afghan MIgRants jaIled In PakIstan
tH E police in multiple raids detained at least 1,200 Afghan nationals, including women and children who had entered Karachi without valid travel documents, officials said The arrests brought criticism from around Afghanistan after images of locked-up Afghan children were circulated online The detentions underscored the strained relations between the two neighbours
Police and local government officials said the detainees will be deported to Afghanistan after serving their sentences or when the paperwork for their release is completed by their attorneys Officials claim that most of the detainees wish to return home Although Pakistan
Imran regretting failure to make Pakistan bankrupt: Marriyum
iSLamaBad S ta f f R e p o R troutinely makes such arrests multiple and apparently coordinated raids were launched beginning in October to detain Afghans staying in Karachi and elsewhere without valid documents Gul Din an official at the Afghan Consulate in Karachi, said he was in contact with Pakistan about a “quick and dignified return” of the Afghan citizens to their homeland Pictures of some Afghan children crammed into a cell of the central jail in Karachi went viral on social media, drawing appeals for their release along with their parents At least 139 Afghan women and 165 children are among those being held at a high-security jail in Karachi, according to a report released this month by National Commission on Human Rights
The report was based on interviews with scores of imprisoned Afghan detainees
In the Afghan capital of Kabul Abdul Qahar Balkhi
a spokesman for the foreign affairs ministry said embassy officials had expressed their concerns during meetings with their Pakistani counterparts
The Pakistani authorities have repeatedly pledged swift release of these detainees,” he told The Associated Press, saying Pakistan was yet to succeed in “fully deliver on the commitment
“We believe that such degrading treatment of Afghans in Pakistan is not in the interest of any party,” Balkhi said He said Afghans were advised not to enter Pakistan “unless absolutely necessary and without proper documentation ” In Karachi, Murtaza Wahab, a spokesman for the Sindh government said police recently arrested only those Afghans who were residing in the province without valid documents He said such detainees will be deported
He did not say how many Afghans were arrested for illegally residing in Sindh this year
But Moniza Kakar, a lawyer who helps such Afghan detainees, said at least 1,400 Afghans were being held in Karachi’s jails “We are not sure exactly how many Afghans are currently being held at jails in Pakistan So far, we have facilitated the release of hundreds of Afghans to their country, she said Kakar said some pregnant Afghan women who fled Afghanistan to seek medical treatment and for other reasons, are among those detained in Karachi and elsewhere in Sindh province She said one of the female Afghan detainees recently gave birth to a child in the Hyderabad jail
Kakar said dozens of Afghans were deported to Afghanistan last month after they completed their sentences which are usually up to two months However she suggested that such sentences should be only verbal and symbolic so that the detainees can be sent back to their countries quickly
Millions of Afghans fled to Pakistan during the 1979-1989 Soviet occupation of their country, creating one of the world’s largest refugee populations Since then Pakistan has been hosting Afghans urging them to register themselves with the United Nations and local authorities to avoid any risk of deportation
Bilawal castigates Imran for ‘damaging’ economy, democrac y
karaCHiMinister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb said on Saturday that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan was regretting his failure to make the country financially bankrupt In a statement in reaction to Imran Khan s tweet, she said that the foreign agent regretted that his commitment to bankrupt the country has not been fulfilled She said that the foreign agent and Tosha Khana thief was running away from the elections The minister said that Imran Khan was thrown out of power by exercise of the democratic right of a no-confidence vote Despite remaining in power for over three years, why Imran did not hold the local body elections, she asked Castigating Imran, she said that the PTI was committed to conducting elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, what happened to that commitment? What happened to the commitment to give one million jobs and building five million housing units, she said while taking a jibe on PTI leadership
Rocky year for edible oil
Continued from BaCk page
As seasons became favourable and rains reduced in number The production became better in September and October showing slight changes in prices due to small and medium level shocks This period is also considered the peak harvesting season The prices were considered to come down further According to Director of an Indian consumer goods company, Godrej International, Dorab Mistry, Palm oil was expected to trade between 3500-4500 MYR up until March” With Monsoon rain hitting the soy producing region, the prices once again went onto the higher trajectory W h e r e d o W e s ta n d r i g h t n o W?:
As of Friday, the 30th of December, the last day of trading this year, the Bursa Malaysia exchange closed at the price of FCPO at 4174 MYR The price saw a sudden rise of 4% on the last day of the year, as a senior official at the Coordinating Ministry of Maritime and Investment Affairs, Septian Setio, told media that Indonesia is likely to restrict the exports of palm oil to secure domestic supply for the first quarter of 2023 Setio said that the government will continue to evaluate the export ratio periodically taking into account cooking oil availability and prices “This is (also) a preventive measure against the potential increase in domestic cooking oil prices as demand goes up during the month of Ramadan which will fall in March and April of 2023 ” said a senior official at the Trade Ministry Pakistan saw a large amount of imports in the last 3 months, due to low prices But as Ramadan approaches a similar demand side problem is faced by Pakistan as is faced by Indonesia The prices that were jacked up during the months of March to June, have not come down as proportionally as expected The government which was adamant on providing relief to the importers of palm oil in March, has since left the industry rather unregulated causing no semblance of relief in the prices of the said commodity, despite a global decrease in prices
Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has lambasted former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan for damaging the country’s economy and democracy
Addressing the party’s candidate for local government (LG) elections, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman said that sending the ‘selected packing was a victory for the ‘die-hard’ party workers
“We took to streets against the ‘se-
lected’ and his politics of hatred,” Bilawal Bhutto said, adding that they traveled from Karachi to Islamabad and returned triumphantly after ousting Imran democratically He regretted that Imran Khan’s politics of hatred has damaged the society, adding that the former premier destroyed the economy and brought the country close to default He alleged that Imran Khan had released terrorists from jails The accused responsible for the APS attack is now free and roaming abroad,” he claimed, alleging that Imran Khan released terrorists and
How feasible is Thar coal railway?
Continued from page 01

Railways are also globally accredited for expediting the industrialization process, as the introduction of rail transportation coincided with an industrial takeoff in various countries It also boosted economic development and population growth
Currently internationally imported coal from South Africa, Indonesia, and other nations is being used to meet the needs of Pakistan s industrial units Thar coal can easily offset this for not just foreign exchange savings and indigenized fuel mix, but also energy security, local development, community upbringing infrastructure growth and equity returns for the government, in addition to paid royalties
P r o j e c t d e ta i l s : A transportation system s fundamental features include universality and simplicity of access Transportation systems must be designed and arranged for the efficient, convenient, and speedy movement of huge volumes of commodities
According to the “final feasibility report” for the new train link, four initial options were identified following a complete reconnaissance survey on the ground and information gathered through satellite images and drone studies
Following a cost-benefit analysis the route option connecting the mining area with New Chhor in District Umerkot through Bitra and Chachro emerged as the finalised plan for this railway line
Based upon the feasibility study,this approved routing of the new track is particularly advantageous in that no resettlement or canal irrigated land will be met all along the track
Additionally this railway alignment provides optimum coverage of all Thar Coal Mine Blocks and far-flung population areas in Tharparkar district while avoiding any existing infrastructural relocations, adding to the value
The proposed route is roughly 105 kilometres long and connects the Coal Mine area to the Pakistan Railways network near New Chhor station F i n a n c i a l c o s t s: The feasibility report calcu-
brought them to tribal areas “Imran calls us imported but he himself imported the terrorists” he added Bilawal Bhutto further said that terrorism was Imran Khan s biggest sin and he should be held accountable for it “The PTI chief should be asked why terrorism returned to the country, the foreign minister added The foreign minister noted that whenever a free, fair and transparent elections would be held the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) will be victorious He said the country was passing through a difficult period but the PPP
would steer the country out of this phase We had saved Pakistan from economic and security disaster in the past, and we will again do it,” he vowed Bilawal said that in his view, the strength of his party was politics of unity where people of various backgrounds and ethnicity were welcomed and treated with equality
Speaking of the local government (LG) elections in Karachi, the PPP Chairman said LG polls would be held in Karachi on January 15, vowing that the next mayor of the metropolis would be form PPP
be transported from Thar, using American rolling stock would cost approximately Rs 47 billion and using Chinese equipment would cost Rs 34 6 billion
lated the capital cost of infrastructure, rolling stock, and operating and maintenance costs of the project based on preliminary engineering and technical design of the railway system
According to the summarised costs of the different aspects of the projects the total cost of construction of the railway track from Thar to Chhor would cost approximately Rs 24 3 billion Whereas a further capital expenditure on the improvement of the railway track from Chhor to Hyderabad would cost Rs 3 8 billion
There are several other factors that need to be considered and finalised before a definite cost figure can be calculated For instance there are two scenarios that have been highlighted in the feasibility study to be considered with regards to train traffic on the railway network The Traffic Forecast survey was conducted as part of the feasibility to estimate the amount of coal to be delivered to various consumer destinations in the different parts of the country
Two scenarios were explored for assessing the project s traffic forecast In Scenario 1, the overall quantity of coal to be transported is around 10 million tons per year, but in Scenario 2, the total quantity of coal to be transported is 10 6 million tons per year to consumers in the down country Based upon this analysis the exact costs associated with rolling stock would be evaluated
The word “rolling stock” is a broad term used in the railroad business to describe anything with rail wheels Locomotives, freight cars, flat cars, and other vehicles that employ steel wheels on railroad rails are all included in the definition Within this domain the feasibility also presents two alternative options As for option 1 the purchase of American equipment would be considered, which although is more expensive is considered to be of better quality and have a longer life Whereas in option 2 Chinese equipment would be purchased
To summarise impact on capital costs in the various combinations of the total quantity of coal transported and the rolling stock to be used for this purpose are as follows In the instance of 10 million tons per year to
In the scenario that 10 6 million tons per year is to be transported to various consumers around Pakistan going American for rolling stock would cost approximately Rs 26 8 billion and going to the Chinese would cost Rs 19 6 billion
However another factor that is crucial in arriving at the final decision, is the operating and maintenance cost of said rolling stock In the case of Chinese equipment the cost is higher as compared to running American machinery, the figure is anywhere between Rs 400-600 million per year t r a n s a c t i o n s t r u c t u r e: The transaction could be set up in a Take or Pay format This option is based on the premise that the rail project will be built and operated by a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) This is a subsidiary established by a parent business to mitigate financial risks For all intensive purposes it is a company too
Because the risk is limited to the company, this is one of the safer types of transactions However, because this Take or Pay model will rely on the capacity payment system, the current tariffs of both NEPRA and Thar Coal Energy Board must be carefully studied in order to determine the returns on such a Take or Pay basis For the company, the transaction might alternatively be structured on a Government Guaranteed Revenue Model In this case, the company will seek an agreement with the relevant government agency under which it will invest in the track structure and recover its investment through capacity fees and variable costs from the power plants
However, in order for the company to make such a large investment, the company will need a government guarantee, which will include tax exemptions at the operational level as well as general subsidies for a certain time period to allow the company to recover the initial investment cost from tariff payments
The transaction might also be structured in the form of a rail line concession This solution is heavily reliant on the company bearing full market risk The Government of Pakistan, through the Ministry of Railways, can be approached under this paradigm to enter into a concession arrangement
Govt struggling hard to revive national economy destroyed by PTI: Ahsan Iqbal
Federal Minister for Planning Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal has said the current coalition government is struggling hard to revive the badly destroyed economy after compromising its political stakes on national interest
Addressing a press conference here on Saturday, Iqbal said the PTI during its tenure, not only damaged the economy but it also ignored the law and order situation as well as war on terrorism
He alleged the PTI was brought into power by giving NRO to Imran Khan Niazi through RTS system in 2018 elections and an illegible, inexperienced and incompetent
government was formed He added the PTI government through devaluation of currency and other inappropriate steps, had thrown the country into the worst inflation and debts The minister said that the economy was allowed to weaken from 2018 to 2021 during 4 years of the PTI rule
“Now the country is bearing the burden of Rs 5000 billion of debt services per year which was Rs 1700 billion in 2018, he said and added that almost 100 per cent resources were being used for payments of debts and the country needed more loans to be run
“No doubt it is very crucial time for the nation, but we will succeed in bringing the country out of the crisis" The economy and peace should not be politicized expressing hope that Imran Khan Niazi would stop
enmity with the country by suspending his anti-state campaign ” he asserted
He said that not a single word was said by any international financial institution about default of the country but the PTI and Imran Khan were continuously making campaign to create a psychological atmosphere about it which was actually a hybrid war against the nation He alleged that Niazi and his team was spreading desperation among the citizens which could be dangerous for the society He said that the PTI deliberately doing all of this as it had used all funds of PSDP for providing subsidy on petrol till April 2022 and the exchequer got empty
He said that at least the PTI should shut their mouth if they could not take part in the building of the economy He alleged that the
PTI and Imran were targeting Pakistan and the agreements it had made with IMF and other financial supporters of the country, adding that now the PTI had launched a drive against international help to meet the financial burden due to climate change and flood Is it nationalism, he questioned
The minister said that the anti-Pakistan campaign would fail as the government would continue its struggle for the betterment of the country To a question about the local bodies election, he said that the PTI should answer the question that who did unconstitutionally terminated local bodies and violated the orders of the Supreme Court
He humbly appealed to the judiciary to eliminate the perception that Imran was always given a safe passage and the opponents of the
PTI were even disqualified The minister criticized the master plan of the provincial capital made by the current Punjab government and said that the provincial government did not take all stake holders on board in this case
To a question, he said that the PML-N turned around the economy in 2013 and it would successfully do the same in few months To a question about the next general elections, Ahsan said that according to a decision by the Council of the Common Interests (CCI), elections could not be held before the new national census, adding that the results of the census were expected in April 2023 and 4 more months were needed to prepare voters lists, so constitutionally, the next elections would not be possible before October 2023
I s l a m a b a d L B p o l l s
Disobedience of IHC puts ECP in invidious position
IT was perhaps inevitable that the Islamabad High Court order to the Election Commission of Pakistan, that it hold the local body elections in Islamabad on December 31 as scheduled, should be disobeyed It could be said that the order should not have been passed, because there was no way the ECP could have obeyed it, but the fact of the matter is that the ECP has disobeyed a court order and not just any court, but one that interprets the Constitution at the same time, one cannot help seeing that the ECP is merely doing its best to obey the law, as passed by the competent authority, Parliament Parliament did not pass any law postponing the poll It ‘merely’ passed a law increasing the number of seats The ECP had to then postpone the polls so as to delimit the Islamabad Capital Territory afresh as it was not a simple matter of carving a prescribed number of union councils into two, it meant a fresh delimitation exercise The ECP is already under fire from the PTI, mainly because it has received adverse decisions in two cases, the prohibited funding case, and the Toshakhana reference, both leading to criminal prosecutions against its Chairman, mr Imran Khan While it is true that the ECP must perform its duty according to the law, it is also true that the PTI has complained loudly against the Chief Election Commissioner, mr Sikander Sultan Raja, in the past, even though it has emerged triumphant in a spate of by-elections since mr Khan’s ouster as Prime minister in april While the ECP should not come under pressure from the PTI, or any party for that matter, postponing the poll without giving an alternative date, especially when the electorate is ready to go to the polls, and when the candidates have completed their preparations does appear too much, especially now that it has led to the current disobedience The IHC should also keep in mind that it is developing an unwanted reputation for giving decisions in the PTI s favour It must not lose sight of the adage that justice must not only be done, but be seen to be done Lurking in the background is the PDm government, which should have legislated the necessary changes in time for the ECP to have conducted both the necessary delimitation and the polls on the announced dates
Impact of Climate Change on Food Securit y in Pakistan

Hunger and malnutrition are increasing
Food security is defined as when all people, at all times have physical and economic access to sufficient safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life Climate change impacts all dynamics of food security First, it puts strain on the physical access to food due to the low production and impacts the production of food through indirect impacts such as floods, droughts, and extreme weather conditions Secondly, when food production and supply chains face disruption food prices automatically go up, impacting economic access to food due to inflation When physical and economic access faces disruption due to climate change it also impacts the nutritional aspect People need more food to eat that can fulfil their dietary needs in a country where people are already facing food insecurity due to economic conditions Climate change can further exacerbate food insecurity
When it comes to Pakistan Climate change greatly impacted physical access to food The recent flood in Pakistan has wreaked havoc on crops Pakistan is currently dealing with a severe food crisis that was caused by the floods a total of 78,000 sq km (30,000 sq miles) of cropland were flooded throughout 81 districts There are estimates that more than 80% of the nation's crops were harmed One of the worst-hit provinces in Sindh, which produces a sizeable portion of the nation s food Sindh's loss of agricultural land and crop damage has left farmers' organizations like the Hari Welfare association and the Sindh abadgar board extremely upset They assert that floods have negatively impacted more than 15 million people, including farmers and agricultural workers who earn a living regularly Food crops like rice, onion, tomatoes and other vegetables that had been growing on thousands of hectares had been destroyed Transport of the food that had survived has been severely disrupted by the destruction of the more than 6000km (3,728 miles) of roads and bridges according to forecasts in the World Bank's 2021 Climate Risk Country Profile "yield decreases in numerous essential food and cash crops, including cotton, wheat, sugarcane, maize and rice" are expected in Pakistan during the next ten years
the World Bank report titled Country Climate and Development the poverty rate in Pakistan may go up by 4 7 percent It means that an additional 9 million people are going into poverty an increase in poverty and combined with high inflation, is going to create massive challenges to people's economic access to food, which is going to be a hurdle in ensuring nutritional security in Pakistan Pakistan is now ranked 92 out of 116 nations in the Global Hunger Index Thirty-eight million people were already experiencing moderate to severe food insecurity before the floods, with the majority of them going to bed hungry, particularly women and children The WHO estimates that 18 percent of Pakistani youngsters are clinically undernourished
Nizami Editor
F a i t h
-So, climate change can create long-term challenges for physical access to food which will also translate into economic hurdles to food security These impacts of climate change occurred in a nation suffering from rising inflation which was already at a 14- year high of about 25 percent in July before the floods occurred according to the report released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, prices of essential items have risen 44 percent due to climate change according to
A l i g n e d F i n a n c e
Children and older women are the most impacted demographic groups They will experience the worst of this catastrophe The floods have directly impacted at least 33 million people, both in rural and urban areas In a study conducted in September by the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and its collaborators and it was discovered that more than 70 percent of those questioned in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province reported having trouble getting much less nutrient-rich food The significant $40 billion economic loss at-
P a k i s t a n a n d m a n y o t h e r n a t i o n s i n t h e g l o b a l S o u t h a r e s u f f e r i n g a s a r e s u l t o f t h e g l o b a l N o r t h ' s l o n g - t e r m e x c e s s i v e e x p l o i t a t i o n o f t h e e n v i r o n m e n t I n t h e l o n g t e r m , t h e g o v e r n m e n t s h o u l d d e v e l o p c l i m a t e r e s i l i e n t i n f r a s t r u c t u r e w i t h t h e i n t e r n a t i o n a l c o m m u n i t y ' s h e l p F u r t h e r m o r e , t h e r e i s a n e e d f o r i n c r e a s e d r e s e a r c h t o u n d e r s t a n d t h e i m p a c t o f t e m p e r a t u r e v a r i a t i o n o n t h e p r o d u c t i o n o f d i f f e r e n t c r o p s i n P a k i s t a n . I n a d d i t i o n , t h e g o v e r n m e n t s h o u l d s t a r t d e v e l o p i n g s e e d s t h a t c a n g r o w i n t h e s e n e w k i n d s o f e n v i r o n m e n t s
tributed to the flood is based on un estimates The situation in other provinces is not better than this Therefore, Climate change is a long-term threat to food security in Pakistan a country such as Pakistanh as a huge population and also an agro-economy It cannot afford a disruption in agriculture because its economy depends on it The government should make short-term and long-term policies In the short term, the government should concentrate its efforts on removing floodwaters from agricultural sites in rural areas so that winter crops can be sown there This will prevent the nation from experiencing a protracted issue with food security Pakistan and many other nations in the global South are suffering as a result of the global north s long-term excessive exploitation of the environment In the long term, the government should develop climate resilient infrastructure with the international community's help Furthermore, there is a need for increased research to understand the impact of temperature variation on the production of different crops in Pakistan In addition, the government should start developing seeds that can grow in these new kinds of environments
Human progress usually remains a source of satisfaction and inspiration when we look at the comfort and convenience we have achieved during the centuries Our systems have evolved to prompt delivery of innumerable services to maintain daily life Going digital helped us save several resources including a huge amount of time, to utilize this precious resource for other productive undertakings
However some fundamental approaches to manage financial resources which occupy central place in human instinct couldn’t manage to escape from the clutches of selfinterest and exploitation In its current incarnation, a financial industry tempered by the greed is good era is scrambling to accommodate new generations of investors who place a high premium on environmental and social goals
according to the equity funds tracked by
Informa Financial Intelligence, the ESG (environmental social and governance) subset or socially responsible investment (SRI) attracted over $35 billion in 2019 Investors and fund managers must tackle individual challenges posed by this emerging trend Each investor places varying emphasis on separate parts of the ESG trifecta Investors criteria vary, both in terms of duration and the degrees of return, in which each they are willing to forgo to achieve ESG goals Financial professionals are struggling to find credible tools and benchmarks to construct, test and maintain ESG-friendly portfolios with enough flexibility to meet the diverse goals of the investor pool and fiduciary responsibility making an impact involves stopping ignoring our world’s problems and making even a small contribution towards a better future It means to do our part in supporting initiatives which offer solutions to pressing problems such as famine water scarcity and poverty, to name a few It is to join the movement of like-minded, compassionate people who realize that we have to act now together, to have a better future tomorrow Julie Taylor argues, “all people experience difficulties of one type or another Some people have financial burdens and others deal with family problems There are three durations of stress: life events, chronic strains, and daily hassles and uplifts Life events include the birth of a child, divorce, and death; anything requiring adaptation during a short period of time Chronic strains, such as illness and injury, occur over a long period of time Daily hassles and uplifts are the common everyday stressors of life, including studying and family no mat-
ter what gender, racial, or economic background a person is born into there will always be stressors in life How people handle stressors is significant What people turn to in times of trouble is relevant Similar to procrastination, some people strive under pressure and some cannot handle the heat Likewise with life s difficulties some peo-
ing mapped 360 separate organizations connected to abrahamic Dharmic and other religions Total net assets mapped are valued at approximately $5 trillion The breakdown by religion is as follows: Christian aligned capital ($260 billion), Islamic sovereign capital ($3 trillion) and Islamic private finance capital ($1 trillion) Dharmic capital ($300 billion) and Jewish capital ($16 billion) according to the report, “Only 3 percent is specifically attributed to impact creation or socially responsible investing, or ESG For Christian funds, this number is 1 percent
M a k i n g a n i m p a c t i n v o l v e s s t o p p i n g i g n o r i n g o u r w o r l d ’ s p r o b l e m s a n d m a k i n g e v e n a s m a l l c o n t r i b u t i o n t o w a r d s a b e t t e r f u t u r e . I t m e a n s t o d o o u r p a r t i n s u p p o r t i n g i n i t i a t i v e s w h i c h o f f e r s o l u t i o n s t o p r e s s i n g p r o b l e m s s u c h a s f a m i n e , w a t e r s c a r c i t y , a n d p o v e r t y , t o n a m e a f e w
ple turn to methods of coping like smoking or drinking Others seem to strive in the midst of trouble Something seems to separate the two responses That is one’s faith which helps them through the stressors of life It allows them to see a different perspective and continue to have faith in something greater than they are ” a recently published Oxford Faithaligned Impact Finance Report identified significant opportunities for faith-aligned capital to create an impact in climate-focused investing, and ESG/SRI initiatives The faith-aligned finance and impact invest-
while for Islamic funds it is 3 22 percent

Impact investing represents between 0 6 percent and 2 percent of global assets under management suggesting perhaps that Islamic finance may be ahead of the global average Initial interviews aimed at understanding why more faith-aligned capital was not being used to create impact found that there is likely a significant number of investment decision-makers in the faith world that also prioritize return and do not necessarily accept that faith-aligned capital should be treated any differently than other capital when it comes to investments In
other cases, there appear to be religious objections to generating a return when the intention is to create impact ”
Impact investment has been defined as: Investments made with the intention to generate positive and measurable social & environmental impact alongside a financial return Impact investments can be made in both emerging and developed markets and target a range of returns from below market to market rate depending on investors' strategic goals
The Report further suggests: millennials 45 percent of whom consider social responsibility a factor in investment decision-making and also state a desire to invest their funds to help others will over the next 10 years be benefitting from trillions of dollars moreover, 90 percent of women investors believe in making a positive impact on society an exciting spectrum for sustainable investment aligned with SDGs has been delineated while identifying three categories including ‘impact only’ ‘impact first’ and ‘finance first with expected returns Impact only is about grants and philanthropy; however, surprisingly the market size for ‘impact first’ has been shown in billions of dollars with expected returns up to 11 percent In the category of ‘finance first’ sustainable investment spectrum has the potential of trillions of dollars with expected returns as high as 18 percent Report concludes that a greater movement of capital toward impact creation is about to take place, with faith-aligned actors potentially leading the way
The writer is Associate Professor Management Sciences and Head Center of Islamic Finance COMSATS University (CUI) Lahore Campus He can be reached at drabdussattar@cuilahore edu pk and tweets @drabdussattar

F a i l e d s t r a t e g i c d e p t h
first
NEWS tickers again indicate talk of another round of war on terror Despite the fact that the proverbial ‘spine of terror ’ has been broken many times since the incidents of 9/11 the fall of the Taliban in Kabul, Lal masjid and Tehrik Taliban Pakistan waves of terror It is ironic that during the two decades the Pakistani state; best represented by the established order, has simply failed to reign in what is called a ‘vicious circle of terror in Pakistan a superficial look at the causes might lead any reader towards what was the fallout of 9/11, a deeper look will reveal that Pakistan too had skeletons in the cupboard and what happened during the last two decades in fits and starts was Pakistan s half hearted attempt to nullify the ill impact of the policies it tried to evolve in the aftermath of the 1971 secession of East Pakistan Ironically the fallout of 1971 too was the making of that very established order
In 1971, the defeat of the military might of Pakistan established order, along with the loss of half of the country; and the creation of a new state of Bangladesh, sent into frenzy the established order to find the way out in a rare moment of retrospect Pakistani geopolitical planners thought that with half of the country gone; a hostile neighbour in the east, they felt that Pakistan needed to have strategic depth in the form of a client state which Pakistan can relate to, or depend on in times of crisis
Iran was never Pakistan’s favourite for the job despite the fact that the cultural context was strong; the geopolitical linkages were not so bad It was Iran which recognised Pakistan after 1947 In the aftermath of the 1965 war-related arms embargo, it was again Iran which provided on its payment voucher the former West German F-86 aircraft; the machines which were handy assets for the next conflict in 1971 Compared to that afghanistan never recognized Pakistan with an open heart Having more common grounds with Indians; through the left movement Ironically the Taliban despite their socalled post-9/11 maturity in the post august 2021 period; still harbour the same feelings about the Durand Line as were felt during Zahir Shah’s reign
Pakistani military planners, despite these ground realities; took a dangerous gamble; that of cultivating afghan groups for its own ends When the Governor of the then nWFP; a PPP leader was killed in a bomb blast in Peshawar university in 1975, the ZaB government used the incident to remove the non-compliant governments in nWFP and Baluchistan On the foreign front; it started cultivating the dissident element in afghanistan
The Kabul of the 1970s was a strange mix of left politics and religious radical groups making their respective presence felt in the campuses It was no coincidence that radical students like Gulbadin Hekmatyar and ahmad Shah masoud found their opponents in the left face to face
T h e s e v e r y I s l a m i s t s t u d e n t s w e r e t h e ones; who were invited by the left-wing PPP government to Pakistan and assured of assist a n c e i n t h e i r a r m e d c o n f r o n t a t i o n w i t h t h e monarchy in afghanistan The events of 1973
Kabul The 1978 c o u p a g a i n s t S a r d a r D a u d i n s t a l l e d a l e f t i s t g o v e r n m e n t i n K a b u l Wi t h t h e I s l a m i s t s a lready working with the Pakistani intelligence f o r d e p o s i n g t h e m o n a r c h y ; t h e t a rg e t w a s changed to the left wing one The invasion of afghanistan by the then Soviet troops in 1979 p r o v i d e d t h e P a k i s t a n i e s t a b l i s h m e n t w i t h a godsent opportunity to push for the dream of strategic depth; In simple words, it meant that t h e a f g h a n i s t a n l i b e ra t e d f r o m t h e S o v i e t y o k e w o u l d a l w a y s t r e a t P a k i s t a n a s a b e n e f a c t o r B e i n g t h e b e n e f a c t o r ; P a k i s t a n w o u l d b e a b l e t o d i ct a t e i t s t e r m s t o t h e successor government i n K a b u l ; t h e p o l i c y planners visualized It w a s n o c o i n c i d e n c e t h a t w h e n t h e J a m i a t I s l a m i b r o k e r e d c o u p w h i c h d e p o s e d t h e leftist Dr najibullah in april 1992 it was the whole Pakistani establ i s h m e n t ; c o m p l e t e w i t h I S I c h i e f C O a S and the Prime minister huddled up in the PaF C - 1 3 0 w e n t t o K a b u l to congratulate ahmad S h a h m a s o u d T h e m o r t a r f i r e b y H e km a t y a r t r o o p s w h e n t h e Pa F p l a n e w a s a b o u t t o l a n d ; w a s i n f a c t i n d i c a t i v e o f t h e e r r a t i c b e h a v i o u r o f t h e a f g h a n p o l i t i c a l e l i t e ; w h i c h P a k i s t a n t h o u g h t ; i t w o u l d b e able to cultivate in the long run
geopolitics had new tests in store for them In august 2021 the americans in a strange tactical move left afghanistan, leaving the region bewildered about the next steps When the Taliban regained the control of Kabul; they tried to enforce their own decades old creed in the same manner The month of august 2021 coincided with the Islamic month of muharram; which during the Karzai and Ghani governments has been a business-as-usual scenario for the small Shia minority in afghanistan The Taliban hordes started removing ashura banners in Kabul and elsewhere
The strategic depth quagmire allows the deep state a unique opportunity to drastically review its priorities That can include a review of foreign policy; national security imperatives; a move from national security-centrism to trade-centrisim and above all mending fences with other borders. A cool minded soul-searching is the only option available
What happened till 1994 is history However the assertion by the then PPP government’s Interior minister, referring to the surging Taliban hordes as ‘our boys’ was indicative of the Pakistani establishment s flirtation with yet another group in afghanistan; which could accord them the dreamed-off strategic depth The formal ascension of the Taliban in november 1996 was in a way the culmination of the Pakistani dream It was not unusual to dial Kandahar with the Quetta PTCL code or Jalalabad with the Peshawar code That strategic depth also benefited a new breed of sectarian militants; who had the divine liberty to cross over into afghanistan and vanish after undertaking a ‘massacre’ of ‘infidels worse than the infidels in the settled areas of Pakistan
The 9/11 episode put off the lid of secrecy of the Pakistani establishment’s affair with the Taliban movement The american occupation of afghanistan put in cold storage the Pakistani dreams of ever having the strategic depth That period was punctuated with Lal masjid episodes in Islamabad, followed by the birth of the Pakistani chapter of Taliban, the TTP; which was a far more blood-spilling variant of the Taliban
The Pakistani establishment undertook a number of offensives between 2009 to 2016; in a way trying to neutralize them However, the
Ironically, the clerics in muharram congregations in Pakistan during the same period were advised by the sleuths not to criticize the resurgent Taliban
On the other hand the Taliban were mysteriously advised by their equally mysterious well-wishers to be soft in their implementation of their dictates on the society

These advisories again revealed the continuous infatuation for the Taliban in the hearts of the Pakistani establishment However, it was not so to begin with as the Bannu incident reveals the undercurrents, the TTP seems to be in comfort with the resurgent Taliban in Kabul Given the fact that the TTP is active in the non-settled areas; hitting symbols of the Pakistani state especially the KPK police, Pakistan seems to again lose the game as things stand, the fencing issue between Kabul and Islamabad reveals for all practical purposes that the socalled honeymoon is over While the future of afghan and Pakistani relations might get into the cold stage, the baggage of the flirtation with half-baked Islamists like the Taliban through the last three decades has come to its logical end
G i v e n t h e f a c t t h a t f a i l e d e c o n o m i c t a k eoff breeds militancy in any society; the stakes f o r P a k i s t a n a r e g r e a t , b u t o p t i o n s a r e f e w P a k i s t a n c a n n o t g o t o w a r w i t h a f g h a n i s t a n ; w h i l e n o t r i s k i n g e q u a l p r e s s u r e f r o m t h e I nd i a n s i d e I r a n i a n s h a v e b e e n e ff e c t i v e l y a l i e n a t e d s a v e f o r s o m e b r o t h e r h o o d s t i l l l i ng e r i n g f r o m S a f a v i / m u g h a l e r a s T h e We s t i s a l r e a d y a l i e n a t e d b u t f o r a f e w j o b s i t w a n t s P a k i s t a n t o u n d e r t a k e
The strategic depth quagmire allows the deep state a unique opportunity to drastically review its priorities That can include a review of foreign policy; national security imperatives; a move from national security-centrism to tradecentrisim and above all mending fences with other borders a cool minded soul-searching is the only option available
The writer is a freelance columnist

Brutal customs
OnE of the old customs ghag is a tradition common among the people of mountai-nous regions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), formerly called the Federally administered Tribal areas (Fata), and in Balochistan, in which a person intends to marry a woman without her consent
It is known as a pre-planned announcement and clear intention of the man to marry a particular woman This inglorious practice is carried out in many ways
For starters, a man sends his proposal to the woman’s house, or the man fires three aerial gunshots while standing in front of her doorstep, and announces her name publicly
moreover, when ghag has been announced on any girl’s name, she is not allowed to marry another man; she will either marry the culprit or stay single for life Ghag is also used as a tool to exact revenge on the girl s family by claiming the girl without her consent It ruins the life of the woman and her family
There have been several unreported cases of suicide because of ghag This social evil has destroyed the lives of many hapless women
This is an old custom that continues to humiliate the dignity of women in blatant violation of the fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution
The KP government, with help of some secular parties of the province, has decided to declare this custom illegal In the proposed legislation, it has been mentioned that a person who will be found involved in this offence will be liable for seven years of imprisonment and Rs6,000 fine
Ghag is a social evil and a sign of regressive mentality, and this should be eliminated from the northern areas so that women may choose their groom as well The provincial government may organise public awareness campaigns and tell people how this shameful practice violates the dignity of women and contravenes the freedom and rights given to them by Islam In this regard, the help of the clergy can be vital
In addition to the move by the provin-cial government, the federal government should also bring this abominable practice to an end mere legislation will not suffice; strong implementation of the laws is essential for doing away with such regressive practices
AYAZ ALI BHATTI THARI MIRWAHOnline stadium tickets
THIS refers to much acclaimed online booking facility of match tickets by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), and the lack of crowd at the national Stadium in Karachi I had bought five online tickets for the second day of the third Test match between Pakistan and England through the relevant booking platform, and I can tell you why there were so few people at the ground
During the booking process, while I was about to enter my card details, the website started updating itself and I lost the information that I had already typed in I tried to enter the information again but before the payment section, a website prompt said I cannot buy more than one transaction against a single CnIC after a couple of attempts I contacted the booking platform and asked for resolution of the matter I was sent a link for payment within 15 minutes, which I did almost immediately after few minutes I got a message to the effect that I had been issued the tickets When I opened the link to my surprise and frustration, all five tickets had been allotted on far away seats rather than the seats that I had paid for I again called the booking company which took several minutes to connect me to an agent I was told that the website official would adjust all seats in the enclosure But again they gave me a surprise by telling me that online or printed tickets would not work I have to go to one of four booths available in this mega city for original printouts
When I visited one of the four booths, I was told that all the booths had been shifted to the Expo Centre parking lot and that I had to go there for having these tickets issued How can we expect better attendance at matches if one has to go through such pathetically cumbersome procedures? We are being victimised for merely wanting to see matches live while the whole city suffers from traffic jams due to road blockades
Would anybody from the PCB clarify the reason behind such complete nonsense? What I am particularly interested in is in under-standing the word ‘online tickets’ in this case
AFFAN RASHEED SIDDIQUI KARACHIModel bazaar rent
anOTHER Rs2 700 increase in the rent of the Johar Town model Bazaar soon after the double increase last year has stunned all stallholders of the bazaar It is against what has been written in official policies that are said to be promoting the welfare of small-scale entrepreneurs
I wonder how one can pay Rs10,000 rent to the management when the total investment in the enterprise is Rs15,000? The bazaar management is just accumu-lating money and passing the entire burden on to the shopkeepers
When I had earlier contributed to this segment ( model Bazaar ; Sept 22) regarding the twin increase in rent the management concerned instead of taking remedial measures, sent a group of ‘handlers’ who surrounded me in a harassing gesture, asking me why I had done that
It is not basically the issue of rent It is about net earnings middleclass investors are earning in millions by running grocery shops, and yet they pay rent equal to what is being paid by those like me This is ruining the business of all low-scale investors and playing havoc with their lives by depriving them of their livelihood because not paying such massive rent will lead to shop cancellation Besides, we had no relief or relaxation in paying the rent during the recent Covid epidemic which had also affected our business adversely The relevant authority needs to focus on a lot of other, more critical aspects than merely increasing shop rents For instance, the bazaar certainly needs to have a proper check on the vegetable and fruit stalls and other substandard grocery being sold there
The bazaar hardly has customers on weekdays, and business mostly takes place on Sundays due to the adjacent Sunday bazaar which brings people to the area in numbers and it is on Sundays that the bazaar needs better security arrange-ments, especially on the back side where the carparking lot is situated The security guards there are often in a lethargic mood owing to lax supervision The relevant authorities should look into the issue, asking the model bazaar ’s management to facilitate the vendors instead of harassing them in various ways
HUSSAIN KHAN LAHOREArE EcOnOmisTs TO bl AmE fOr EcOnOmic crisEs?

ing to deaths of despair and turning to populism in reaction to a political system that is not helping them
Not only did most economists fail to predict the crisis; by some accounts, they facilitated it After all, they are proud advocates of the globalization and technological changes that have enriched a narrow financial and managerial elite redistributed income and wealth from labor to capital, destroyed millions of jobs, and hollowed out communities and their residents lives Worse, when confronted with deaths of despair some economists blame the victims and those who try to help them
AS 2023 approaches, it is clear that an evergrowing number of people hold democratic capitalism in disrepute, and economists along with it But how much responsibility and what kind do economists bear for our economies’ ills?
In 2010, an influential, Oscar-winning documentary portrayed us as scoundrels concerned only with our own financial gain and as lobbyists and apologists for the rich, who reward us generously for our work Our pronouncements are often predictable from our politics
Moreover, we economists often assume a mantle of policy expertise for which we have no qualification, with predictably disastrous outcomes Even so thoughtful critics contend that we still retain great influence over economic policy and thus continue to cause great harm But does the fault lie with just a few powerful individuals or is there a deep flaw in economics that continuously leads its practitioners astray?
I tend to favor the latter hypothesis American democratic capitalism is serving only a minority of the population well The 2008 financial crisis and its grim aftermath gave the lie to the fable that everyone would benefit from letting financiers get richer In the intervening years, less-educated Americans have been succumb-
According to my friend and colleague Alan S Blinder who has held several different roles in government and public policymaking, politicians rarely do what economists suggest Instead, they use economic analysis in the way that a drunk uses a lamppost: For support not illumination The problem is not that all economists are paid hacks who adopt positions to please their masters though there are plenty of those It is that even good work can be selectively misused
Similarly, Jason Furman, who served as chief of President Barack Obama’s Council of Economic Advisers, rejects the idea that economists have too much sway, arguing that he “could only dream of having the power” that is attributed to his profession And other administration economists have claimed that, at best, they play only a negative role of stopping bad things from happening Politicians must respect budgets but they often live in fantasy worlds where their pet schemes pay for themselves Economists in the Council of Economic Advisers or the Congressional Budget Office play a valuable role in bringing some realism to the policymaking process
I believe that Blinder and Furman are correct, but not always When Lawrence H Summers was US secretary of the treasury in President Bill Clinton’s administration, from 1999 to 2001, he used his enormous intellect, knowledge and persuasiveness to weaken restrictions on the international flow of speculative funds, as well as on derivatives and other more exotic financial instruments It is worth remembering that other economists including Blinder and Joseph E Stiglitz, fiercely opposed those decisions Many have since argued that those Clintonera changes contributed to both the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis and the global financial crisis a decade later
Earlier, when Robert Rubin was treasury secretary, Summers was his deputy and the libertarian business economist Alan Greenspan was chairman of the Federal Reserve, Time Magazine featured the three men on its cover as the “Committee to Save the World,” teasing an article about how they had prevented a global economic meltdown so far ” That cover was the product of a time when most economists felt more admiration than antipathy To a greater or lesser extent, we bought into the notion that modern economics had given us the tools to sweep away the growth-restricting regulations of the past, many of which were based on prejudice and myth, not science I suppose a mea culpa is now in order
It is important to recognize that this earlier episode was exceptional Janet Yellen, another immensely distinguished economist who now serves as treasury secretary, does not have the same influence or power As Ezra Klein of The New York Times observes, she holds real weight in internal discussions and so do some others but economists are one of many voices at the table, not the dominant voices President Joe Biden does not listen to economists in the way that Clinton or Obama did Beyond that, Yellen and Summers are themselves exceptional cases Academic economists do not usually get to be treasury secretary John Maynard Keynes, who spent much of his life advising policymakers, and not without effect, had a different view of the power of economists He wrote: The ideas of economists and political philosophers, both when they are right and when they are wrong, are more powerful than is commonly understood Indeed the world is ruled by little else ” Note his inclusion of the word “wrong”; it is not just good ideas that survive and prosper
For example, Rep Jeb Hensarling, a Texas Republican who chaired the House Financial Services Committee from 2013 to 2019 says he became a politician to “further the cause of the free market,” because “freemarket economics provided the maximum good to the maximum number Hensarling s view is an example of what James Kwak of the University of Connecticut School of Law calls “economism,” the idea that the world operates exactly as described in introductory economics textbooks
There is folly on the left, too If the right cannot see the flaws in markets the left can be equally blind to the flaws in government that prevent it from acting reliably to fix the flaws in markets Government, it is imagined, is a representative body elected by fully informed citizens, whose job is to correct markets’ flaws, be it the tendency to monopoly, the exploitation of workers or excesses of income inequality In practice however the US government does not operate this way; like other governments, it often makes things worse and can be beholden not to all of its citizens but to the beneficiaries of the system
In my view, a central problem of modern mainstream economics is its limited scope The field has become unmoored from its proper basis, which is the study of human welfare As Amartya Sen contends the discipline took a wrong turn with the British economist Lionel Robbins famous and now-dominant definition of economics as the allocation of scarce resources among competing ends That was a terrible narrowing of scope compared with what the American philosopher Hilary Putnam called the “reasoned and humane evaluation of the social well-being that Adam Smith saw as essential to the task of the economist ”
Sen contrasts Robbins’ definition with that of the late 19th and early 20th-century economist Arthur Pigou, who wrote: “It is not wonder, but rather the social enthusiasm which revolts from the sordidness of mean streets and the joylessness of withered lives, that is the beginning of economic science ” Economics should be about understanding and doing away with the factors behind the sordidness and joylessness that come with poverty and deprivation Once again, Keynes’ “General Theory” has a good summary The political problem of mankind he avers is “how to combine three things: Economic efficiency, social justice and individual liberty
We appear to have abandoned the last two of Keynes’ trio We need to overcome our fixation on money alone as a measure of human well-being We need a better acquaintance with the way that sociologists think And above all, we need to spend more time with philosophers, recapturing the intellectual territory that used to be central to economics
Angus Deaton the 2015 Nobel laureate in economics is Professor Emeritus of Economics and International Affairs at the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs and Presidential Professor of Economics at the University of Southern California


Acentury after its demise the Ottoman Empire may seem like a footnote a geopolitical order that has long since disintegrated and been relegated to the annals of history, with little relevance today Two new books, however, take the centenary of its collapse as an opening to offer fruitful reflections on the enduring cultural legacy of the Ottomans, how their empire ended and what was lost when it did
“The cultural heritage left by the Ottoman Empire has often been neglected, sometimes even wilfully ignored,” writes Diana Darke in summing up the thrust of The Ottomans: A Cultural Legacy Her engaging illustrated survey examines the Ottomans’ broad cultural impact on the diverse lands they ruled, as well as their often-overlooked medical and scientific innovations
In contrast, Ryan Gingeras’s “The Last Days of the Ottoman Empire looks in depth at the empire’s final years starting with the Allied occupation of Istanbul in late 1918 after the signing of the World War I armistice and leading up to the abolishment of the sultanate on Nov 1, 1922 His account seeks to dispel the idea that the undoing of the empire loomed as an inevitable outcome by the time the Ottomans conceded in the Great War, showing instead how what followed was a complicated period of not only violent conflict but also intense political negotiation over the region s future
Darke’s book aims to cover the huge sweep of an empire that lasted for more than six centuries after its founding by the nomadic warrior Osman I in 1299 longer than the Roman Empire and encompassed lands stretching from the Balkans and south-
eastern Europe through the Levant and into North Africa She attributes the empire’s durability in part to several characteristics: its ability to absorb diverse groups of conquered peoples through an official tolerance of multiculturalism and religious pluralism; its welcoming of refugees and migrants (including the Jews of Spain after the Inquisition); its promotion of trade and an open market; and a spirit of meritocracy in governance and administration
Her book is organized thematically around subjects including architecture, music, literary traditions and discoveries in astronomy Darke describes the Ottomans significant role in developing the technique of vaccination against smallpox, decades before it became common in Europe; they were also the first to maintain a permanent military band, whose cymbals and kettledrums European armies later adopted
Indeed, the undoubted highlight of “The Ottomans” is its superb selection of nearly 150 full-color images illuminating the many cultural and historical facets Darke explores, with detailed captions that add further context These range from splendid tilework and architectural monuments to Ottoman miniatures, Orientalist paintings, manuscripts, maps, historic photos, vintage postcards and stamps Even those well-versed in Turkey and the region will find much that is rare and noteworthy, including a tile from Kutahya, an important center of ceramics, adorned with Orthodox Christian iconography of the Virgin and Child; a 1486 manuscript portraying a female health worker assisting with childbirth; and an illustrated 19th-century map of the aqueducts supplying Istanbul s extensive water system
Darke, who has written several other books on the Middle East and the Islamic world and is a nonresident scholar at the Middle East Institute, writes in her introduction that she does not seek to pass judgment on the Ottomans one way or the other ” It’s clear that her aim is to showcase their oftenunderappreciated legacy, not to offer critical scrutiny
But in making her case for the Ottomans,
Darke at times seems to be writing from an almost defensive position, as if addressing a primarily European audience apparently still traumatized by the centuries-old terror of Muslim “barbarians” at the gates This leads her to go a bit overboard in trumpeting the Ottomans, especially when crediting them with nearly everything that emerged from the lands they once ruled In her chapter on cuisine, for example, she almost categorically dismisses any other culture s claims to the region’s shared culinary heritage writing that many foods such as baklava and kebabs are Turkish in origin but have been “misappropriated by other nations ”
Gingeras, on the other hand offers a far more sobering account of the empire in focusing on its final years While historians have often treated the stretch from 1918 to 1922 as either something of a postscript to a centuries-long imperial history or as a preface to Turkey s republican era, Gingeras delves into the period as worthy of detailed examination in its own right
Gingeras asserts that the empire’s demise was far from a foregone conclusion, even though some viewed it as long overdue” by the end of World War I For a couple of years after 1918, Mustafa Kemal (Ataturk) and the other nationalists leading what became known as Turkey’s War of Independence continued to defend the idea of an empire ruled by a sultan from the six-century-old dynasty But the brutal independence war, and the significant political
changes that accompanied it, finally turned the tide against the sultanate Meanwhile, the notion of “Ottoman” citizenship began to give way to a new identity of “Turkishness ” Gingeras posits that the Ottoman government essentially sealed its own downfall in two ways: by failing to defend the country amid multiple encroachments from British, French and Greek forces and by actively working against the nationalists who actually were engaged in defending what was left of Ottoman territory
“By the spring of 1920, it became increasingly clear that stalwarts of the Ottoman establishment including the sultan himself, aimed to crush the National Movement by force This drive, ultimately, proved decisive in undermining the integrity and the legitimacy of Ottoman dynastic rule he writes The next year, the fledgling National Assembly in Ankara enacted a constitution that omitted any mention of the role of the sultan “From 1921 onward the National Assembly spoke for the government of Turkey, not the Ottoman Empire ”
Gingeras, a historian of the Middle East who teaches at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif , has written five other books on Turkey and the Ottoman Empire, among them the somewhat wider-angle “Fall of the Sultanate: The Great War and the End of the Ottoman Empire, 1908-1922 The Last Days also incorporates the voices and stories of people who left written accounts or oral histories, such as an orphaned Armenian boy in Antep, provincial officials and officers on the front lines, using their experiences to reflect larger developments and themes
The final decades of the empire saw massive numbers of civilian deaths and movements of people, in addition to extensive combat-related casualties Gingeras ex-
amines the implementation of the Armenian genocide by Committee of Union and Progress leaders beginning in 1915 citing estimates of between 600,000 and 1 2 million Armenians killed, as well as the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Assyrians Greek Orthodox and other Christians He then shows how sweeping ethnic violence and forced deportations mainly of Christians, continued during the War of Independence “What happened between 1918 and 1922 was not so much the dismantling of a state as the destruction of cultures and whole communities,” he writes
As Christians were killed were expelled or fled, enormous waves of mainly Muslim refugees arrived from surrounding regions Gingeras cites staggering population upheavals: nearly 510,000 refugees from the Balkans; up to 900,000 people internally displaced as of the end of World War I; 147 000 uprooted by the Greek invasion of Anatolia; 50,000 Bulgarian Orthodox Christians expelled This culminated after the war in an orchestrated “population exchange,” in which Turkey sent 1 2 million Orthodox Christians to Greece in return for taking in 400,000 Muslims Thus could the emerging Turkish nation-state claim a nearly homogenous makeup of Turks that denied the existence of even fellow Muslim Kurds as a distinct identity
In lamenting the loss of the Ottoman Empire’s great diversity, Gingeras shares a common thread with Darke She surveys the Ottoman and Islamic architectural heritage in Greece and the Balkans and notes that because of contemporary politics, those nations mostly give short shrift to the teaching of the period in schools Both authors emphasize that this common history has relevance not only to those in the modern Turkish republic but also to the diverse peoples across the former Ottoman lands The empire’s tumultuous end, Gingeras writes, is a story Turks, Greeks Armenians Arabs and Kurds could and should share equally ”
The Ottomans, A Cultural Legacy By Diana Darke Thames & Hudson 288 pp $39 95

The Last Days of the Ottoman Empire By Ryan Gingeras Allen Lane/Penguin 368 pp $47 95
Vanessa H Larson is a multiplatform editor at The Washington Post who writes about culture, art and film, particularly that of the Middle East and Islamic world

corporate corner IIOJK COnTInues TO suffer blOOdshed, hr vIOl ATIOns by

ISLAMABAD
S tA f f R e P o R t
AN annual report prepared by Legal Forum for Kashmir (LFK) d e l i n e a t e s t h e s i t u at i o n o f h u m a n r i g h t s i n I nd i a n i l l e g a l l y o c c u p i e d Jammu and Kashmir (IOJK)
Achieve it all with Team S ave D reams at S ultana Foundation
T h e L F K r e p o r t c o v e r s t h e t i m e p e r i o d f r o m J a n u a r y t o D e c e m b e r 2 0 2 2 L i k e p r e v i o u s y e a r s , 2 0 2 2 again witnessed bloodshed of Kashm i r i s a n d s i l e n c i n g o f K a s h m i r s c i v i l s o c i e t y, a r b i t r a r y a r r e s t o f h u m a n r i g h t s d e f e n d e r s , j o u r n a l i s t s and religious clergy
The unparalleled censorship and blackout on all forms of media coverage about the ongoing situation in the war-trampled region has made it
more vulnerable for human rights organizations and media to work freely T h i s r e p o r t a g e a n d r e v i e w i s a l s o n o t b e r e f t o f p r e d i c a m e n t D a t a c o l l e c t i o n a n d s u r v e y i n g w a s d o n e i n u t m o s t c o n v o l u t e d m a n n e r a s t h e t h r e a t o f p e r s e c u t i o n l o o m e d f o r o u r v o l u n t e e r s o n g r o u n d I n d i a i n t e n s i f i e d i t s m i l i t a r y d e n s i t y i n K a s h m i r- d e p l o y i n g a n d m o b i l i z i n g a g g r e s s i v e l y 9 0 0 , 0 0 0 f o r c e s I n a d d i t i o n t o t h i s I n d i a h a s e n g a g e d m o r e t h a n 1 3 0 , 0 0 0 p o l i c e p e r s o n n e l i n a n t i - r e s i s t a n c e o p e r at i o n s a n d c r e a t e d m o r e c o u n t e r i ns u rg e n t a g e n c i e s l i k e S I A a n d S I U T h e y e a r w i t n e s s e d t h e k i l l i n g s o f 1 8 1 f r e e d o m a c t i v i s t s b e s i d e s t h e e x t r a j u d i c i a l k i l l i n g o f 4 5 c i v i l i a n s I t s a i d 2 4 I n d i a n t r o o p s w e r e k i l l e d d u r i n g t h e y e a r
Social work is a path that is filled with countless opportunities to impact lives both individually and collectively The importance of social work lies in its aim to confront social issues in all facets of life; from providing the one-on-one support of family welfare to shaping legislative policies that eradicate systemic injustices It is a code of life that involves helping others overcome challenges Consolidating on our previous projects and working together for making life easier for the under-privileged &in order to make dreams come true, Team Save Dreams accomplished yet another milestonein December, 2022 as our team members visited Sultana Foundation located in Farash Town, Lehtrar Road, Islamabad Sultana Foundation as it stands today, is a monument of how a small group of people inspired by the call of a visionary for a noble cause, can bring so much of achievement in such a short time Sultana Foundation programs instill ideas of discipline and leadership in our youth to prepare them to reconstruct a society of justice and cherished values Sultana Foundation was established as a pilot project right in the heart of the villages, which could serve as a model for others It all started from a group of like-minded people, meeting once a week in Islamabad under the name of HalqaIslah-e-Fikr, found in the year 1987, by Chairman Dr NaeemGhani, who was already running free dispensaries at a few places in Rawalpindi, Islamabad and the surrounding villages in the name of Maqasid-e-Insania H AyA H B A H R o N
USC facilitating public under PM Relief Pack age

dies on these five food items under the Prime Minister Relief Package
Punjab CM condoles death of Tanveer A zam Cheema

Utility Stores Corporation with the government of Pakistan facilitates the nation in providing more efficient and transparent subsidies to the people under the Prime Minister Relief Package
Keeping in mind the difficulties and problems faced by the nation, the Prime Minister of Pakistan Mian Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif has announced to provide targeted subsidies on basic daily routine food items through Utility Stores Corporation These items include flour, sugar, ghee rice and pulses The subsidy will be available from the 1st of January 2023
Consumers and buyers who are enrolled in the Benazir Income support program (BISP) and whose poverty index score is equal to or below PMT-32 will be provided special targeted Subsidies on these essential food items which include flour, rice, pulses, sugar, and ghee
For these registered consumers with BISP flour will be available at Rs 400 per 10 kg bag ghee for Rs 300 per kg, and sugar for Rs 70 per kg However, Rs 15 to 20 will be saved on rice and pulses per kg The monthly purchase limit for these consumers has also been set, according to which they can buy 40 kg of flour, 5 kg of sugar, and 5 kg of ghee monthly Besides them all other consumers of Utility Stores Corporation will also be provided subsi-
For these consumers the flour will be provided at Rs 648 per 10 kg bag, ghee at Rs 375 per kg, and sugar at Rs 89 per kg Meanwhile, a Rs 1 5 t o 2 0 p e r k g d i s c o u n t o n t h e p u r c h a s e o f pulses and rice will also be given The monthly p u r c h a s e l i m i t f o r t h e s e c o n s u m e r s i s a l s o s e t according to which they can buy 20 kg of flour 3 kg of sugar, and 3 kg of ghee F o r t h e p e o p l e o f K h y b e r P a k h t u n K h w a , the flour will be provided for Rs 400 per 10 kg bag at all the sales points and mobile stores established on the instruction of the Prime Minister of Pakistan All the consumers/customers are requested to send their I D card numbers from their mobile phones to 5566 through SMS They will receive a one-time password (OTP) after which they can avail subsidy and can purchase items This OTP is applicable at all Utility Stores
This new system will facilitate the consumers in buying the subsidized items in a very transparent manner and will also save their time Through this new system availing subsidy on these five food items (flour, ghee, sugar, pulses, and rice) will be easier and the rights of the deserving consumer will not be violated
However, this is to be noted that the ID card and One-time password are only required for the subsidized food items not otherwise
Modern method introduced for enlarged prostate treatment in Pakistan
LAHORE
A P P
Federal Board of Revenue has demonstrated a remarkable revenue collection performance in the first six months of the current financial year 2022-23 and has collected Rs 3428 billion for the first six months against Rs 2929 billion collected in the corresponding period of last year depicting an increase of 17% FBR collected Rs 740 billion for the month of December 2022 against Rs 599 billion in the same month last year showing an impressive growth of almost 24% as compared to the same month last year This performance is despite huge import compression and zero rating on petroleum Direct taxes collection continues to grow at a robust pace, which has shown growth of 66% during the month of December 2022 compared to December 2021, a clear indicator of the policy of shifting tax burden on wealthy and affluent Direct taxes collection for the first six months has also registered an unprecedented growth of 49% This was achieved despite the fact that certain policy interventions having revenue impact of Rs 250 billion introduced through Finance Act 2022 could not be implemented as these are subjudice in the courts Target for the month of December was Rs 965 billion which could not be achieved due to the aforementioned reason The revenue collection performance is also exceptional when viewed in the context that FBR has also issued refunds of Rs 176 billion during the first half of the current financial year as against Rs 149 billion during corresponding period of last year P R
Crackdown launched on people storing gas in plastic bags


Special Assistant to Chief Minister on Information Barrister Mohammad Ali Saif has said that a crackdown against those involved in gas storage in plastic shopping bags from gas pipelines in Karak is in progress and several persons have b e e n a r r e s t e d a f t e r t h e r e g i s t r a t i o n o f F I R against them
In a statement issued here on Saturday he said that a similar crackdown is also continuing in some other districts of the province wherein people filling gas in plastic bags in houses
He said that a joint operation of the district a d m i n i s t r a t i o n a n d S u i N o r t h e r n G a s P i p e l i n e Limited (SNGPL) is being carried out against t h e e l e m e n t s w h i c h a r e n o t o n l y p u t t i n g t h e i r
own lives in danger
T h e m o d e r n m e t h o d R E Z U M h a s b e e n i n t r o d u c e d f o r t h e f i r s t t i m e i n P a k i s t a n f o r t h e t r e a t m e n t a n d o p e r a t i o n o f e n l a rg e d p r o s t a t e g l a n d s P r o f e s s o r o f U r o l o g y D r K h i z a r H a y a t G o n d a l P o s t G r a d u a t e M e d i c a l I n s t i t u t e a n d A m e e r u d d i n M e d i c a l C o ll e g e , w h o i s t h e p i o n e e r o f t h i s p r o c e d u r e i n P a ki s t a n , r e v e a l e d i t o n S a t u r d a y i n a s t a t e m e n t t h a t i n s t e a d o f o p e n s u rg e r y o f t h e p a t i e n t h e a d o p t e d n e w m e t h o d a n d s u c c e s s f u l l y c o m p l e t e d t h e o p e r at i o n o f e n l a rg e d p r o s t a t e i n a p r i v a t e h o s p i t a l h e r e b y s i m p l y i n j e c t i n g w a t e r s t e a m H e s a i d t h a t i ns t e a d o f a n e s t h e t i z i n g t h e p a t i e n t , t h e p r o c e d u r e i s c o m p l e t e d b y a u s c u l t a t i o n a t t h e s p e c i f i c p l a c e ( l o c a l a n e s t h e s i a ) I t i s a l s o a s a f e m e t h o d f o r p e op l e s u ff e r i n g f r o m v a r i o u s c o m p l e x d i s e a s e s i nc l u d i n g c a r d i a c i s s u e s , h e s a i d H e s a i d t h a t p r o s t a t e e n l a rg e m e n t i s g e n e r a l l y k n o w n a s a d i se a s e o f a g e d p e o p l e h o w e v e r i n s o m e c a s e s y o u n g p e o p l e a l s o s u ff e r f r o m p r o s t a t e e n l a rg e m e n t d i s e a s e , w h i c h n o t o n l y h i n d e r s t h e m f r o m u r i n a ti n g , b u t a l s o a ff e c t s t h e i r r e p r o d u c t i v e s y s t e m a n d m a k e s t h e m u n a b l e t o p r o d u c e c h i l d r e n H e s a i d t h a t i t h a s b e e n o b s e r v e d t h a t m a n y c o m p l i c a t i o n s a r i s e i n t h e p a t i e n t a f t e r t h e o p e r a t i o n o f t h e p r o s t a t e ( g l a n d ) w i t h t h e t r a d i t i o n a l m e t h o d a n d t h e p a t i e n t d o e s n o t h a v e c o n t r o l o v e r u r i n e a n d i n m o s t c a s e s , a u r i n e b a g h a s t o b e p l a c e d p e r m an e n t l y W h i l e t h e n e w m e t h o d s u rg e r y i s c o m p l e t e d i n l e s s t h a n 3 0 m i n u t e s w i t h R E Z U M m o d e r n t r e a tm e n t t h e r e f o r e t h e p a t i e n t d o e s n o t h a v e t o s t a y i n t h e h o s p i t a l f o r a d a y, n o r d o e s h e n e e d t o t a k e m e d i c i n e s , h e s a i d
S eminar urges increased dair y cooperation between Pakistan and C hina
BEIJING
N P
Pakistan and China enjoy cooperation potential in animal husbandry and agricultural and related products, and should continue to strengthen in-depth cooperation in the livestock industry and open a new chapter for agricultural exchanges, said a diplomat Ghulam Qadir trade and investment counsellor of Pakistan in China, addressed a seminar on major diseases in Pakistani buffaloes held in Nanning
The counsellor stated that Pakistan has the capability of processing dairy products for export to the Middle East and expressed
hope that more Chinese companies would invest in Pakistan
He stated: “The two sides should continue to strengthen major animal disease prevention and control establish foot-and-mouth disease-free zones, and promote the export of Pakistani buffalo genetic material livestock and poultry products to China and other international markets ”
This week, the China-Pakistan Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation and Extension Center, China Agricultural University, and Royal Cell Biotechnology (Guangxi) Co Ltd hosted a Cooperation Seminar on the prevention and control of major dairy buffalo diseases in Pakistan
In her welcoming speech, Teng Cuijin, chairman of Royal Cell welcomed the visit of the Pakistani Embassy and Chinese industry experts, and hoped that through the e
institutes and industry-leading ent e
o
e prevention and control of major animal diseases of buffaloes in Pakistan, and meet the quarantine ins pection technical s tandards of the Chinese Customs
On the occasion, Zhao Deming, Director of the National Animal Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy Laboratory at China Agricultural University, underlined the prevention and control of animal diseases
as a key issue to solving the bottlenecks in the trade between China and Pakistan
H e p o i n t e d o u t t h a t t h e s e n s i t i v e a n d specific diagnostic techniques introduced by Prof Yang Lifeng from the university will help build disease-free farms and monitor BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy) in Pakistan
He Cheng, the coordinator of the ChinaPakistan Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation & Extension Center presented the cooperation content, technical framework, and preliminary cooperation basis of major cattle and sheep epidemic prevention and control projects in Pakistan
He also discussed the construction plan
ease
in 2023
of
X i e We n q i a n g , Te c h n i c a l
i
I n n e r M o n g o l i a B i g v e t B i o t e c C o , L t d , i n t r o d u c e d t h e r e q u i r e m e n t s a n d t e s t i n g s t a n d a r d s o f W O A H f o r t h e c o n s t r u c t i o n o f i m m u n e - f r e e a r e a s , a n d h o w f o o t - a n dm o u t h d i s e a s e m a r k e r v a c c i n e w a s a pp l i e d t o t h e c o n s t r u c t i o n o f i m m u n e - f r e e a r e a s i n P a k i s t a n
About 20 delegates from Inner Mongolia, Shijiazhuang, and Guangxi attended the seminar
Indian troops launched 200 Cordon and search operations (CASOs) and Cordon and Destroy Operations (CADOs)FBR achieves unprecedented growth of 66pc in collec tion during Dec 2022 as compared to Dec 2021
X i i N s p i R e s , i N s t i l ls c o N F i d e N c e i N
c h i N e s e N at i o N v i a N e W Y e a R s p e e c h
bEIjINg Ag e n c e scH I N A will be a country that performs miracles through hard work as it goes forward, Chinese President Xi Jinping said while delivering his 2023 New Year address on Saturday night, the 10th such speech he has given since 2014 He also hailed the determined effort every Chinese has made in overcoming unprecedented difficulties and challenges and called for more unity as the light of hope is right in front of us
President Xi’s New Year address quickly became the top trending topic on China s social media Sina Weibo on Saturday night with more than 250 million netizens viewing related posts and joining in discussions Many netizens reposted highlights from Xi’s address to commemorate the year of 2022, with even more leaving their best wishes for the country and calling for people to embrace a brighter 2023
“The year 2023 is approaching From Beijing, I extend my best New Year wishes to all of you President Xi said at the beginning of his address Then he noted that convening of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China has sounded a clarion call of the times for the Chinese people forging ahead on a new journey
An ambitious blueprint has been drawn for building a modern socialist country in all respects and advancing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization, he said
President Xi hailed China’s achievements on social and economic developments, military advancement and major projects as well as the successful hosting of the Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics in 2022
“None of these achievements would have been possible without the sweat and toil of the Chinese people Sparks of talent are coming together, and they are the strength of China!” Xi said
As prevention and control of COVID-19 had been a key topic for Chinese in 2022, President Xi also addressed the Chinese people’s fight against the COVID-19 epidemic
“Since COVID-19 struck, we have put the people first and put life first all along Following a science-based and targeted approach, we have adapted our COVID response in light of the evolving situation to protect the life and health of the people to the greatest ex-
Nor th Korea fires three ballistic missiles after unprecedented year of tests
SEOUL Ag e n c i e sNorth Korea fired three ballistic missiles toward the sea east of the Korean Peninsula on Saturday, the South Korean military said The launches were the latest in an unprecedented number of missile tests conducted by North Korea this year Pyongyang presses on with weapons development amid speculation it could test a nuclear weapon for the seventh time The three short-range ballistic missiles were fired from around 8 am local time (2300 GMT) from North Hwanghae Province, South of the capital Pyongyang, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said Japan s defense ministry said all three flew at an altitude of around 100 km (62 miles) and covered a range of around 350 km (217 miles) South Korean military also said the missiles flew about 350 km “North Korea’s ballistic missile(s) launch is a grave provocation that undermines peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula as well as the international community,” South Korea s Joint Chiefs of Staff said, condemning it as a clear violation of the U N Security Council resolution and urging it to stop immediately U S Indo-Pacific Command said the latest launches did not pose an immediate threat to U S personnel or territory or Washington’s allies Still, they highlighted the destabilizing impact of North Korea’s weapons program
tent possible,” Xi said
With extraordinary efforts, we have prevailed over unprecedented difficulties and challenges, and it has not been an easy journey for anyone said Xi noting that “We have now entered a new phase of COVID response where tough challenges remain
“Everyone is holding on with great fortitude, and the light of hope is right in front of us Let’s make an extra effort to pull through, as perseverance and solidarity mean victory, Xi said China has faced a complicated and challenging year in 2022 and finally made it to the end with the efforts of every Chinese citizen President Xi’s New Year address demonstrated the changes the Chinese society has experienced and showed the Chinese leader ’s deep care for the Chinese people, Zhang Yiwu, a professor of Peking University, told the Global Times

After three years hard efforts to keep COVID-19 at bay, China has gradually optimized its virus response in 2022 and implemented a major shift in its epidemic policy by downgrading COVID management and announcing the reopening of international borders from January 8, 2023 The crucial step has paved the way for China to gradually walk out of the epidemic and fully integrate with the world President Xi’s words reflecting on everyone holding with great fortitude also impressed Chinese netizens with many recalling the collective striving of the country in the fight against COVID19 and the sacrifice of medical workers and people working across all sectors of society and expressed their wishes for the country to overcome the current epidemic wave
“Every Chinese is the hero in 2022 and our country has also been a hero We are ready to usher in a new year in 2023 with our motherland and wish our country to enjoy long-term prosperity,” wrote one netizen
Unity is also a key word in President Xi’s speech, stressing that China will be a country that draws its strength from unity
“Ours is a big country It is only natural for different people to have different concerns or hold different views on the same issue What matters is that we build consensus through communication and consultation When the 1 4 billion Chinese work with one heart and one mind, and stand in unity with a strong will, no task will be impossible and no difficulty insurmountable, Xi said
Former pope Benedic t X VI dies aged 95
VATICAN CITY
Former pope Benedict XVI has died at the age of 95, the Vatican announced Saturday, almost a decade after he became the first pontiff to resign in six centuries
With sorrow, I inform you that the Pope Emeritus, Benedict XVI, passed away today at 9:34 in the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery in the Vatican,” Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said in a statement
The German pope emeritus, whose birth name was Joseph Ratzinger, had been living a quiet life in a former convent inside the Vatican grounds since his shock decision to step down in February 2013

His health had been declining for a long time, but the Vatican revealed on Wednesday that his situation had worsened, while his successor Pope Francis called for Catholics worldwide to pray for him
His death brings to an end an unprecedented situation in which two “men in white” Benedict and Francis had co-existed within the walls of the tiny city-state
While there is no rulebook for former popes, Benedict’s funeral is expected to be at the Vatican, presided over by Francis
In 2005 the body of John Paul II the last pope to die lay in state before a funeral mass in St Peter ’s Square attended by one million people, including heads of state s c a n d a l a n d i n - f i g h ti n g: Benedict had almost entirely withdrawn from public view, his health reported to be shaky and the few photographs that emerged of him exposing his frailty
Back in 2013, he had cited his declining physical and mental health in his decision to become the first pope since 1415 to give up the job as head of the worldwide Catholic church
Benedict was a brilliant theolo-
gian but his papacy was beset by Vatican in-fighting and a scandal over clerical sexual abuse of children that rocked the Catholic Church the world over, in which he was criticised for a lack of leadership
The abuse scandal overshadowed his final months after a damning report for the German church in January 2022 accused him of personally failing to stop four predatory priests in the 1980s while archbishop of Munich He denied wrongdoing and the Vatican strongly defended his record in being the first pope to apologise for the scandals, who expressed his own “deep remorse” and met with victims
Russia alters National Wealth Fund currency mix , removes dollar assets
MOSCOW Ag e n c e sRussia will continue to limit the share of assets denominated in currencies from “unfriendly” states in its National Wealth Fund (NWF), the Russian Finance Ministry said Friday in a statement
According to the statement the share of the Chinese yuan in the NWF will be doubled from 30 percent to 60 percent, and the share of non-cash gold will increase to 40 percent as part of the NWF s newly approved regulatory asset structure

At the same time, Russia will fully remove the dollar assets from its wealth fund, and reduce balances in the British pound and Japanese yen to zero
These changes will better adapt the currency composition of the NWF to the challenges facing Russia in the current macroeconomic and geopolitical climate, the ministry said
R u s s i a s h e l l s s e v e R a l to w n s: Russian forces shelled several towns near Kupiansk, in the northeast Kharkiv region recaptured by Ukraine in September, the General Staff report said, as well as settlements in Luhansk
Areas of Zaporizhzhia region, to the south, also came under Russian shelling, including the contested town of Hulyaipole There was also shelling in and around Ukrainian-held Nikopol, on the opposite side of the Kakhovka reservoir from the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station

On the southern front, there was renewed Russian shelling of infrastructure in the city of Kherson –abandoned by Russian forces last month – and Kachkarivka, further north on the west bank of the Dnipro River
Russia’s Defense Ministry said earlier it had carried out a “massive strike” on energy and military industrial targets to disrupt Ukraine s ability to repair equipment and move troops
Zelenskyy said the attacks were on energy infrastructure and most were repelled
Since October, Russia has been launching near weekly mass missile and drone strikes against civil infrastructure across Ukraine, leaving millions of people with no heat or power in the dead of winter Russia says its aim is to reduce Ukraine s ability to fight Kyiv says the attacks are intended to harm civilians
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said victory for Russia over Ukraine is “inevitable” as he hailed Russian soldiers heroism in a New Year s video message We meet the New Year in a difficult military-political situation,” Shoigu said “At a time when there are those who are trying to erase our glorious history and great achievements, demolish monuments to the victors over fascism, put war criminals on a pedestal, cancel and desecrate everything Russian
Russia’s authorities announced soldiers and state employees deployed in Ukraine will be exempt from income tax, in the latest effort to encourage support of its military operation there The new measure concerns all those fighting in the four Ukrainian territories Russia has declared as its own, although it does not completely control them: Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia
Russia will allow countries to pay debt settlements for gas supplies in a foreign currency, according to changes made by President Vladimir Putin to his earlier decree on ruble payments for gas
Residents protest cour t order to vac ate over 4,000 houses in Muslim area in Uttarakhand
Hundreds of residents in Uttarakhand’s Haldwani held massive protests after the High Court directed the removal of 4,000 houses in a Muslim area of the city The court order gave residents of Gafoor Basti a week’s time to vacate

Several people took to social media to express their anguish and protest against the court’s directive to demolish the houses which have been there for decades
A social media user Umair Siddiqui wrote that around 50,000 people are being rendered homeless In Haldwani thousands of families are being destroyed in the name of removing the encroachment at the railway land In the incident, 50,000 people will be made homeless,” he said
Hazrat Salman Miya, vice president of Jamaat Raza-e-Mustafa, will be visiting the area, he said On Thursday residents took out candle marches against the decision to remove their homes, Siddiqui said sharing a video of the event wherein a massive crowd was present Two days ago, residents held massive demonstrations The protesters were carrying placards which read: “Tell us what would be our future”, “Tell us why we are being discriminated against Women also participated in the protest in large numbers
Another social media user, Uzair Ahmad, said a meeting was held in New Delhi with the leaders of Jamiat Ulema-i-Hind and some Supreme Court advocates They all expressed solidarity with the protesters
Congress leader and leading advocate, Aarfa Khanam, from Delhi also went live on
Facebook to talk about the issue She alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party government in the state is targeting the area because most of the residents are Muslims We respect the judiciary But what kind of justice is this that you make fifty thousand people homeless but you didn t make any arrangements for their rehabilitation,” said Khanam
In 2016, the court had ordered demolition of all houses, but the residents pleaded before the court that the railways should have heard them before issuing the eviction notice arbitrarily After hearing all the parties, the court now directed the railways to start the process of removing all 4 365 illegal slums from its land A division bench of Justices Sharad Sharma and R C Khulbe, after completing the hearing in the matter on November 1, reserved the verdict, which was pronounced on December 20
Z v e r e v c r a s h e s i n f i r s t at P m at c h s i n c e J u n e i n J u r y at u n i t e d c u P
rU S T y former world number two Alexander Zverev crashed to defeat Saturday in his first ATP match since tearing ankle ligaments at the French Open in June
The two-time ATP Finals champion hit eight double faults in losing 6-4, 6-2 to 81st-ranked Jiri Lehecka at Sydney s Ken Rosewall Arena to give the Czech Republic a 1-0 lead in their tie against Germany
It was Zverev s first competitive match since tearing three right ankle ligaments during his Roland Garros semifinal against Rafael Nadal, when he left the court in a wheelchair A planned return at the Davis Cup i n S e p t
extreme pain
The Olympic champion, who has dropped to 12 in the world from a careerhigh two before his injury, was clearly
still struggling against Lehecka
He fended off break points at 2-3 in the first set but a double fault at 4-5 handed the Czech set point and he grabbed the opportunity, converting with a lob
The German worked two break points in the first game of the second set but blew
shoaib, Barkatukllah seal doubles title of serena hotels tennis tournament

The duo of Muhammad Shoaib and Barkatullah battled back to beat Muhammad Abid and Mudassir Murtaza in the final to lift men’s doubles title of the the 7th Serena Hotels National Ranking Tennis Tournament 2022 at PTF-SDA Tennis Complex Islamabad on Saturday They won the exciting contest 4-6,6-3(10-7) Contests in other categories were also held on Saturday
Results:-
Men’s Singles Semi-Finals: Muhammad Shoaib bt yousaf Khalil 6-1,4-6,6-4; Aqeel Khan bt Muhammad Abid 6-2,6-3
Ladies Singles Semi-Finals: Sarah Mahboob bt Meheq Khokhar 6-1,6-0; Esha Jawad bt Noor Malik 6-0,6-0

Boys Singles 18 & Semi-Finals: Sami Zeb Khan bt Bilal Asim 7-5,2-6,6-1: Mahatir Muhammad bt Hamid Israr 62 3-6 6-3
Boys Singles 14 & Semi-Finals: Abdul Basit bt S Hamza Hussain 6-4,2-6,7-5; Abubakar Talha bt Amir Mazar 6-3, 6-1
the chance with some wayward shots With his serve not firing, he was broken to go 3-1 behind and despite breaking straight back couldn t sustain the pressure with another double fault, helping Lehecka go 2-4 in front and there was no way back
“I knew before the match that he didn’t play for a while but with a player like this it can of course mean nothing said Lehecka, 21, after one of his biggest wins “I was able to show up in crucial moments All the experience from last year, losing to good players, gave me the confidence to play against a player like him
The Czechs lost their opening tie in the tournament a new 18-country mixedteams event being held in Brisbane Perth and Sydney to the United States 4-1 Germany were making their first appearance Spain’s 22-time Grand Slam champion Nadal and Polish women’s world number one Iga Swiatek play later World number two Nadal opens Saturday’s second session in Sydney against Britain s Cameron Norrie ranked 14 They have played four times before, with Norrie yet to win Swiatek who has led the rankings for 39 weeks, faces yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan at Brisbane’s Pat Rafter Arena, having won their only previous meeting in straight sets
20-K cup t20 cricket tournament from Januar y 5

LAHORE
A P PBenzema
MADRID
Ag e n c e S
buries
World Cup woe with double strike in Real vic tor y
Karim Benzema buried his World Cup nightmare with two late goals as Real Madrid defeated Valladolid 2-0 on Friday to go top of Spain s La Liga Ballon d’Or winner Benzema was selected in the French squad for the World Cup in Qatar but a thigh injury in training saw him forced to withdraw before the opening game He then announced his retirement from international football following the tournament where France were runners-up to Argentina
On Friday he tucked away his first goals since October 19 when Real defeated Elche
However, he had to be patient with his first goal coming in the 83rd minute from a penalty awarded when Javi Sanchez was punished for handball
Helped by a red card for Valladolid’s Sergio Leon, Benzema then added his second of the night six minutes later from a pass by French compatriot Ed-

uardo Camavinga
The victory moved Real one point clear at the top but Barcelona can reclaim pole position on Saturday when they tackle city rivals Espanyol Sevilla dug deep to claim a point in a 1-1 relegation scrap at Celta Vigo Fourth last season, Sevilla have just two wins from 15 games this term
On Friday, they came from a goal down with Kike Salas scoring the leveller on 54 minutes
after they fell behind to a firsthalf strike from Gabri Veiga Sevilla remain third bottom in the table on 12 points with Celta two places better off on 13 Sevilla, who played in the Champions League this season, replaced coach Julen Lopetegui with Argentinian taskmaster Jorge Sampaoli in October Elsewhere on Friday, Almeria drew 1-1 with Cadiz while Borja Mayoral scored twice as Getafe beat Mallorca 2-0
Man Utd’s Rashford dropped for ‘disciplinary ’ reasons: Ten Hag
For years, this event was played under the title of Col (retd) Fateh Sher Khan Memorial T20 Cup but this year it has been given a new title, said Nabeel Ahmad, patron and sponsor of the competition while talking to APP on Saturday
He said the tournament is a step forward and a part of his years’ long efforts to revive cricket at grassroots level and to engage upcoming cricketers in a competitive action packed cricket activity
“In recent years, we’ve seen that club cricket is dying because of insufficient high profile club cricket tournaments Lahore which is a hub of club cricket and known for producing international cricketers is gradually losing its role and status as a nursery of early level cricket, said Nabeel who also runs and owns Michigan Cricket Stars professional franchise in USA
He said being a former cricketer he has special passion for the game and that’s why he always sponsors this cricket event to play his role in the development of cricket at early level and to contribute in the overall development of the game in Pakistan while living in America
Nabeel, a Pakistani American and former chief executive officer (CEO) of the United States Of America Cricket Association said his late beloved father, Col Fateh Sher Khan rendered meritorious services for his motherland
He said altogether 20 teams will showcase their talent in the event which aims at promoting cricket at grass-roots level and to revive the club cricket
“The competition carries a total cash prize of rupees over one million with winner pocketing Rs500,000 and runners up walking away with Rs, 250,000”, he added
The other cash awards are: MOM Rs3000; Best Bowler Rs25,000; Best Batsman Rs25,000; MOM semi final Rs10,000; MOM Final Rs20,000 and Most Sixes Rs20,000
The participating teams are , Ali Garh cricket Club, Apollo Cricket Club City Gymkhana Cricket Club Cricket Centre Club, Golden Star Cricket Club, Ludhiana Gymkhana Cricket Club, Lucky Star Cricket Club, Model Town Cricket Club, Model Town Greens Cricket Club, Model Town Whites Cricket Club, PakLions Cricket Club, Pindi Gymkhana Cricket Club, Prince Cricket Club, P & T Cricket Club, Shah Faisal Cricket Club, Shah Kamal Cricket Club Shinning Cricket Club Township Whites cricket Club, Valencia Cricket Club and yu Slim Cricket Club
The opening match will be played between Model town greens and Pindi Gymkhana at Model town greens ground
Nadal crashes in season- opening match as Swiatek cruises at United Cup
“It was a super physical match and huge to get through that and finally beat him He’s beaten me easy the last few times ”
fect start with a dominant 6-1, 6-3 win over Kazakhstan’s yulia Putintseva
of
Rafael Nadal lost his opening match of the season Saturday in the countdown to the

number one Iga Swiatek cruised to victory at the United Cup
Nadal who was also below-par at the seasonending ATP Finals in November, crashed to Britain’s 14th-ranked Cameron Norrie 3-6, 6-3, 64 in the mixed-teams tournament in Sydney
The 22-time Grand Slam champion struggled with his first serve, getting just 58 percent in, which ultimately cost him a first defeat to Norrie in their fifth meeting
It s pretty crazy I never won a set before (against him) so firstly, I wanted to do that and I had to stay super patient,” Norrie said after the 2hrs 44mins battle at a packed Ken Rosewall Arena
There was little to separate them in the opening games with a first break point in game six for Nadal, but Norrie saved with a half-volley
Nadal’s relentless pressure earned him a second and this time the Spanish world number two converted with a searing cross-court forehand before methodically closing out the set in 52 minutes
But his poor first-serve was an issue and he was broken to go 4-2 behind in the second set He saved two set points but Norrie nailed a third on his serve to level at one set-all
Nadal fired consecutive double faults to open set three and while he recovered to hold his serve once more deserted him in the fifth game when he was broken and the 36-year-old couldn’t find a way back

In Brisbane, Swiatek got Poland off to the per-
She broke three times in the first set and twice in the second to completely overpower her opponent in just 64 minutes I m pretty happy with my performance first matches of the season are always rusty so I’m happy that in the important moments I was very composed Swiatek said
“I feel that representing Poland is always really special I am willing to focus even more because when I go on court I have goosebumps
“It’s hard to play so well when you’re so emotional, but I have to get used to it and I m really proud to represent my country I feel like this is a really inspiring tournament ”
C R u C i A l M o M E N T S: Also in Sydney former world number two Alexander Zverev slumped to defeat in his first ATP match since tearing ankle ligaments during his French Open semi-final against Nadal in June
P M P l e d g e s t o ta k e Pa k i s ta n o n Pat h t o P r o s P e r i t y
ISLAMABAD
s ta f f r e p o r t
Pr I m e minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday expressed his resolve to take Pakistan towards the destination of economic and political stability and social betterment

In a message on the eve of the new year, the prime minister prayed for the prosperity and welfare of the whole humanity He said that 2022, was a year in which floods devastation increased miseries and problems for the people
The prime minister reiterated to bring light into the lives of 33 million flood affected people of the country in the year 2023 He wished that the new
year might be an end to price hike and terrorism and ensure security to lives and economic prosperity
The prime minister observed that the world was confronted with various challenges like climate change He said that they had to secure the future of the coming generations on durable foundations in the new year The prime minister also expressed resolve for the creation of new opportunities for the youth in the new year He also prayed for the freedom of Palestine and Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir
Paying tribute to the bereaved families of Shuhada, the prime minister expressed condolences and prayed for the high ranks of the departed souls
FBr fails to achieve dec revenue target
Federal Board of revenue has failed to achieve December 2022 revenue target by rs225 billion
As per the details, FBr has collected rs740 billion revenue in December against the target of rs965 billion Overall, the FBr has collected rs 3428 billion for the first six months of the current fiscal year
According to handout issued by FBr that the tax department has demonstrated a remarkable revenue collection performance in the first six months of the current financial year 2022-23 and has collected rs 3428 billion for the first six months against rs 2929 billion collected in the corresponding period of last year depicting an increase of 17% FBr collected rs 740 billion for the month of December 2022 against rs 599 billion in the same month last year showing an impressive growth of almost 24% as compared to the same month last year This performance is despite huge import compression and zero rating on petroleum Direct taxes collection continues to grow at a robust pace, which has shown growth of 66% during the month of December 2022 compared to December 2021, a clear indicator of the policy of shifting tax burden on wealthy and affluent Direct taxes collection for the first six months has also registered an unprecedented growth of 49% This was achieved despite the fact that certain policy interventions having revenue impact of rs 250 billion introduced through Finance Act 2022 could not be implemented as these are subjudice in the courts Target for the month of December was rs 965 billion which could not be achieved due to the aforementioned reason The revenue collection performance is also exceptional when viewed in the context that FBr has also issued refunds of rs 176 billion during the first half of the current financial year as against rs 149 billion during corresponding period of last year FBr also appreciates all those taxpayers who contributed to this collection and recognizes the endeavors of all field formations and officers for their untiring efforts and commitment to optimize revenue collection in difficult times where taxes on imports have been showing negative growth
The revenue collection figures are clear indicators for the achievement of the assigned revenue targets for the current financial year This unprecedented growth in tax revenues, especially direct taxes underscore the resolve of the Government and FBr to make Pakistan a thriving nation FBr hopes that when import restrictions are eased and court cases come to a logical conclusion, the lost revenue will also be retrieved during the current fiscal year meanwhile, minister for Finance and revenue Senator mohammad Ishaq Dar Saturday chaired a meeting on the revenue performance of the FBr
R o c k y ye a r fo r e d i b l e o i l
of Palm oil in the next three months
One of the biggest food imports for Pakistan has historically been palm oil Infact Pakistan is the 4th largest importer of Palm oil and oilseeds like soyabean etc And not just Pakistan Palm crude is one of the cheapest oils when it comes to cooking food in most of the countries The year 2022 was not a walk in the park for both the producers and the consumers of palm oil The year saw historic highs and record lows in the palm oil market causing volatility and at times losses as well
According to the State Bank of Pakistan, Pakistan imported Palm and Soybean oil in excess of $3 3 billion this year This is a 33% increase as opposed to the FY21 Despite import restrictions in place Pakistan has already imported a considerably larger amount of palm and soybean oil between JulNov in FY23, than it did in FY22
Being such a major import the prices of palm oil are almost as important as any other global commodity Let us have a look at how the prices of Palm oil were affected throughout the last year and how that can act as a lesson for the years to come
How is the price of Palm oil determined:
The prices of Palm oil are determined by looking at the value of the future contracts for Palm oil A widely accepted and used standard is the FCPO contract that is listed at the Bursa malaysia exchange The value of this contract is the future price
The year 2022 started as the FCPO contract was hovering around 4400 mYr/T (malaysian ringgit per tonne) The value is not very different from what the value currently i e; 4177 mYr However during the year the prices have been on a pirate ship of their own, going up and down with each passing month Palm oil on the rise;
With the start of this year came the russia Ukraine war, a phenomenon that caused fuel and commodity prices to skyrocket Not only did the fuel prices cause a rise in the shipping cost but also increased the viability of palm oil to be used in various crude oil blends as a fuel
In addition to that, supply shortfalls aggravated by droughts in Latin America, and labor shortages due to floods in malaysia, collectively added up and took the prices of palm oil to a record high The value touched the values of 6000 and eventually 7000 mYr, for the first time in history
Why did it come down?

According to experts the mid-year marked a period of economic recession for major importers of palm oil The production that had attained a 3year high was left stranded as major importers placed import restrictions meanwhile, China, the single largest importer of Palm oil saw its first COVID case, igniting a new series of lockdowns Causing the market to go completely bearish in the months to come The prices for FCPO dipped below 4000 mYr, and uncertainty prevailed
Pakistan’s diplomatic proper ty in Washington auc tioned: repor t
ISLAMABADA property, owned by the Pakistan diplomatic mission in the American capital of Washington and has been put up for auction, has likely gone to the highest bidder one Shahal Khan of Burkhan World Investments, according to a report
Khan is believed to have offered $6 8 million for the property Burkhan World is based in Washington and claims to “invest in projects that it believes will have a positive impact on our society”,
the report said

In an emailed response to the newspaper, Devin Orrego Guevara, a representative for Burkhan World confirmed that the highest bid for the property was submitted by Khan
The diplomatic status of the property was revoked in 2018, which made it liable to pay taxes to Washington In 2019, the embassy had paid $819 333 but there was an outstanding tax liability of $1 3 million
Further, this outstanding tax would increase by $100,000 per quarter, according to the report
Pe t r o l p r i ce s t o r e m a i n u n c h a n g e d
ISLAMABADFinance minister Ishaq Dar announced on Saturday that the price of petrol and diesel will remain unchanged heading into 2023 In a televised address, the finance minister said the price of kerosene oil and light diesel will also remain the same

The price of diesel will remain at the existing price of rs227 80 per litre petrol at rs214 80 per litre, kerosene oil at rs171 83 per litre and light diesel oil at rs169 00 per litre, he added
The finance minister said that following a rise in the prices of petroleum products in the international market, the Oil and regulatory Gas Authority (Ogra) had recommended a slight upward revision in the tariff for kerosene and light diesel oil The regulatory authority s recommendation was not passed by the government on Prime minister Shehbaz Sharif ’s directives, Dar added
The decision was taken after considering that the weather is cold and the poorest people use light diesel oil for tubewells while kerosene is also used by people earning the lowest incomes,” he said
“According to the prime minister ’s directives it has been decided that the government will absorb the levy on these two products and reduce the collected amount to maintain these prices ” He also later said that the decision to keep prices unchanged was taken to provide relief to the common man despite increase in the prices of these products in the international markets!”
On December 15 the government cut the price of petrol by rs10 and diesel by rs7 5 The price of kerosene oil was slashed by rs10 on Nov 30 while the price of light diesel oil was reduced by rs7 5 per litre
democracy bows out: eCP, gov t challenge islamabad lg vote order
ISLAMABAD/LAHORE
The election Commission of Pakistan (eCP) and coalition Pakistan Democratic movement (PDm) government asked the Islamabad High Court (IHC) to withdraw its practically impossible verdict requiring the former to hold the already delayed election for local government in the capital on Saturday Separately the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) party of former prime minister Imran Khan moved a contempt petition against the top agency for “deliberately disobeying the court order
The commission “should be convicted and sentenced in an exemplary manner, in the interest to maintain the sanctity of judgments and honourable courts,” the petition, moved by Ali Nawaz Awan, a party mP from Islamabad requested the court meanwhile, the government petitions, claiming the judgement was “tenable on legal as well as a factual aspect because it was not passed on ground realities however, are yet to be fixed for hearing, Pakistan Today has learnt
On Friday, the high court, hearing identical petitions moved by the opposition PTI and the Jamaat-i-Islami parties challenging Tuesday s decision of the election tribunal to postpone the vote “for the time being”, ordered the agency to hold the election on Saturday The following morning long queues were reported outside polling stations across Islamabad as voters came out, braving the cold, to cast their ballots, but the staff of the election commission remained “missing”
The weather did not appear to have deterred the determined Pictures and videos posted on social media showed plenty of queues
In a tweet, Imran Khan, former prime minister and chairman of the party noted that by not implementing the court order, the commission had proven that it was a “B team of the imported government and its backers”, an apparent reference to the military establishment “PDm, fearful of the people, is running away from all elections The right to vote is a fundamental democratic norm and PTI stands committed to it,” he said
Separately, in a video statement, Asad Umar, secretary general of the party said PTI teams were present outside polling stations since morning but no one from the tribunal showed up “I want to ask the election commission [ ] why were you not prepared to hold the vote,” he asked “How can you say you were not ready?”
“We request the court to give its verdict against the election commission which is guilty of committed contempt of court he continued Its officials should be removed from their positions ”
responding to the chargesheet, Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, a leader of Pakistan muslim League-Nawaz (PmL-N) defended the decision to defy the court order, claiming it was virtually impossible for the government to mobilise the staff and material in less than 24 hours
He said the target of mobilising at least 30,000 personnel and the delivery of election materials alone was difficult to meet “At least 25,000 election staff had to be moved to man the polling stations which was not possible that too on a weekend he said
He noted most of the staff comprised school teachers under the Federal Directorate of education (FDe), a government agency which oversees schools and colleges in Islamabad And FDe staff is currently on winter vacation, he said
He also took the credit for holding the last local government elections in the capital in 2015 after 1979
The mP noted the metropolitan organisation formed under the last electoral process had completed its tenure in January 2021 while Khan was in power
Why didn t the PTI administration hold local bodies elections in Islamabad for over a year after that,” he asked ‘GERRYMANDERING’: The fiasco, which government critics dubbed an attempt at gerrymandering, began to unfold last week when the federal government decided to delay the election announcing an increase in the number of seats in the capital from 101 to 125, at a time when the vote was just round the corner This increase in the union councils required new delimitations a process that is expected to take several months to complete
Initially, the election tribunal rejected these amendments saying the move was against the election laws, and announced the elections would be held per the schedule
P R O D U C E R S , E X P O R T E R S , I M P O R T E R S A N D C O N S U M E R S A L L
I M PA C T E D, A N D M AY C O N T I N U E TO B E I N F U T U R E