Epaper_23-01-05 LHR

PM Positive for suPPort froM friendly countries at Geneva Moot

SoHBAtpUr stAff report

Primeminister shehbaz sharif on wednesday said the government and people would have to put in their effort the make the rehabilitation of the flood-hit country possible, alongside the help of friendly countries. speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the government boys secondary school of kili jia khan that was rebuilt, the Pm expressed hope that the “civilised” world would come to Pakistan’s aid to support the reconstruction and rehabilitation of flood-affected areas at the international conference on climate resilient Pakistan scheduled to be held in geneva on january 9. Pm shehbaz said he would co-chair the moot with the united nations secretary-general antonio guterres. he also shared that he was “constantly

contacting” the leadership of friendly countries to invite them to the conference.

“yesterday, i talked to malaysian Prime minister anwar ibrahim…he assured of sending a delegation to the conference. he will also join through Zoom,” he said and mentioned his telephonic interactions with the leaders of turkey, qatar and the uae for the purpose.

the Pm said the government had already distributed rs100 billion among the affected people through the benazir income support Programme (bisP) but a lot more funds were still needed to pay compensation for one million houses destroyed by the flood and many people were yet awaiting assistance for their rehabilitation.

in december, Pakistan had identified a funding gap of $8.2 billion against the $16.3 billion total flood rehabilitation and reconstruction requirements — setting the

goal for the international donors’ conference next month. the $8.2 billion gap appeared too large to be filled in the geneva conference amid a low response to the un’s $816 million emergency appeal, high risks of Pakistan’s sovereign default, and possible derailment of the international monetary fund (imf) programme because of imprudent economic policies.

earlier, Pm shehbaz unveiled the plaque of a newly built smart school building, while vowing to develop the facility at par with the danish schools of Punjab.

he committed to inaugurate the upgraded school on march 23, to be equipped with it facilities like an e-library, hostel, solar energy and playgrounds.

he also announced the construction of 12 danish schools across balochistan to provide equal educational facilities to the poor children of the province.

the prime minister sat with the students in their classroom, mingled and also played with them on the ground.

he told the students that education and skill training could only enable the country to cope with poverty and illiteracy. he said education was the only tool to put Pakistan on the course to progress and prosperity as well as bringing about a revolution. the Pm, who was given a briefing on the status of reconstruction and rehabilitation works, also interacted with the flood-affected families.

shehbaz applauded the performance of the government officers and provincial leadership for completing the school building within two months and also announced tamgha-e-khidmat award for three officers, including the chief secretary and the secretary of education.

Ishaq Dar hints at introduction of mini-budget

stAff report

federal finance minister ishaq dar on wednesday hinted at bringing a mini budget in the foreseeable future, confirming that the government will impose a flood levy to increase it’s revenue.

responding to other questions during the Press conference, the finance minister said that the government is looking to impose tax on the income generated through foreign exchange, by the banks.

the flood levy was a major demand of the imf to reinstate the program. he said that there is no issue in the 9th review and the present government is committed to complete the international monetary fund (imf) programme.

the imf has not only sought details of the current quarter but they also wanted to know how the funding of $16 billion, for the rehabilitation of flood affected areas, would be met? and in how much time?

ishaq dar said that the country would not default as saudi arabia and china would provide deposits in a few days. he also said that the country’s foreign exchange reserves are pro-

jected to be in a much better position by june 2023.

he said that tax numbers for the first half of the fiscal year are also almost final and had the sindh high court not issued a stay order on the collection of super tax, the government could have met the december target as well. on the topic of the Pti white paper, the finance minister ishaq dar termed it as selective, misrepresented and misleading.

he said the economic situation since april 2022 was strongly influenced by the legacy that the new government got from the previous regime. however, that context was missed in the Pti presentation, while also ignoring the international economic situation, the commodities supercycle, russia-ukraine war impacts and catastrophic floods in the country. these realities should have been kept in mind for making fair analysis, according to the finance minister.

he said the international monetary fund (imf) had predicted that one-third of the globe would be in serious recession in 2023 and Pakistan was no exception. the fund had already projected the growth at 2.7 percent of gdP.

profit report

AsAd UllAh KAmrAn

to help stabilise the economy, the federal cabinet resolved on tuesday to take drastic steps, such as closing markets at 8:30 p.m. and wedding halls at 10.00 p.m. this is part of the government’s greater plan to cut back on energy consumption in order to save precious foreign exchange reserves.

according to defence minister khawaja asif, “with this initiative, which has been taken in consultation with trade bodies, there will be a saving of around rs 62 billion (annually).” during a press conference, asif also stated that, “the approval to the conservation plan has been accorded in line with the advice of the power division. it will come into force at once across the country.”

Previously, on may 10, 2022, the

cabinet conducted a comprehensive assessment of the situation and directed the cabinet division to organise a ministerial committee on energy, water, and food conservation.

according to the cabinet’s decision, the ministerial committee was established on june 14, 2022, under the chairmanship of the federal minister of defence, with the objective of evaluating and recommending energy, water, and food conservation measures.

finally, in october last year, the power division provided the cabinet with the “efficiency and conservation measures implementation roadmap,” at a meeting convened by Prime minister shehbaz sharif.

the cabinet was informed on major worldwide developments that have interrupted the global energy supply chain. as a result, the price of crude oil and imported coal has grown considerably in the last nine months.

Will shutting down markets really save Rs 62 billion?

the concept is based primarily on saving electricity and, as a result, foreign exchange currency. Pakistan’s energy generation is mainly reliant on fossil fuels such as oil and gas. the strategy focuses on lowering electricity demand, which reduces the need to import these expensive fossil fuels.

although the plan is a step in the right direction, the practicality of the policy needs to be assessed more

deeply. consider the fact that during winter months the demand for energy naturally dips since fewer fans and air conditioners are being used.

the data published by the national electricity Power regulatory authority (nepra), shows that traditionally demand for electricity dips by up to 30% on average during the winter months as compared to the summer months. and consequently, the reliance on imported fuels for energy also dips. the latest data published by nepra

shows that in november last year, nearly 60% of the electricity demand was met through hydel and nuclear energy. this means that the need to import fossil fuels for energy is lower in winter months; this can be particularly attributed to the higher contribution of nuclear energy. while talking to Profit on the condition of anonymity, a senior analyst said the plan to close markets and wedding halls early is wholly “counterproductive”. this is due to the fact that a majority of the electricity tariff is made up of capacity payments. Capacity payments?

capacity charges comprise bank loan repayments and other financial costs, fixed operational costs, and independent Power Producer profits or the internal rate of return as specified in nepra’s power policy tariff.

a senior government official, on the condition of anonymity while talking to Profit explained that the decision about power purchase is made considering the peak demand during summer. naturally, it isn’t the same in winter and therefore, capacity charges have to be paid

iSLAMABAD

KARACHI Staff RepoRt

MUTTAHIDAQaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) Convener Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui said Wednesday that “pre-poll rigging” was underway ahead of the local body elections in Karachi and Hyderabad.

After a delay of several months and court cases, the local body polls in the districts are going to take place on January 15. The elections were repeatedly postponed due to floods and a lack of security personnel.

In a press conference in Karachi

alongside Jamaat-e-Islami leader Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman, Siddiqui claimed: “Two separate voter lists existed in Karachi and Hyderabad.” “We want elections to be conducted on time […] protests are our constitutional right and we will exercise that right on January 9,” the MQM-P leader said.

Siddiqui said the MQM-P was aware of JI’s point of view regarding the local polls and the party has listened to the MQM-P’s concerns very carefully and showed sympathy.

“We came here on a very serious issue,” said Siddiqui. He remarked that JI and MQM-P believe that “basic democracy is real democracy. Those who believe in feudal democracy consider basic democracy as a

serious threat.”

The pre-poll rigging in Karachi and Hyderabad is already done, said Siddiqui, adding that “major tampering was witnessed in the delimitation of the constituencies”.

Siddiqui said the MQM-P demand local body elections immediately but they should be conducted in a “free and fair” manner. “How can the elections be accepted when the rigging before the polls is already done?”

Negotiations are underway with the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the people would be informed about the situation, said Siddiqui, after the negotiations between the parties seem to have hit a snag.

Meanwhile, speaking at the press conference, JI Karachi Amir Rehman said

that in the era of dictatorships, local body elections were held but the democratic governments refrain from holding them.

“We had struggled hard in the General Ayub-led regime. We also went to the courts regarding the voter lists and highlighted this issue,” he said, adding that elections were held in 2013, 2015, and 2018.

“The elections took place under unapproved consensus,” he said, but noted that “elections [taking place] are better than no elections at all”.

Naeem further told the journalists that the city seeks its “own representatives” so that its issues city could be resolved. He also demanded the “empowerment of the local representatives”.

“We will not support the postponement of the local body elections in any case. We want the local body elections to take place,” said Naeem.

“We maintain that parties should raise their voice on their own platforms regarding the issues”. The JI leader said that “we are going to stage a sit-in in front of CM House Karachi tomorrow (January 5)”.

He also remarked that local body elections were not held from 2009 to 2015, adding that, in 2015, the polls were held only after court orders.

JI’s focus has always remained that local body elections should be held and there has always been the “issue of voters lists and for that, we went to the courts as well”.

centre responsible for prevailing woes of KP, says cM

LAHORE Staff RepoRt

Maryam nawaz to return Pakistan

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb on Wednesday said Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Senior Vice President Maryam Nawaz would return to the country in “third week of January”. On her return, Maryam Nawaz would assume her new responsibilities as “Chief Organizer” of the party, the minister said in a tweet. Marriyum Aurangzeb said the PML-N vice president departed for Geneva today from London for her surgery. “Quaid PML-N Nawaz Sharif is accompanying her,” she added.

Pakistan’s trade deficit shrinks one-third to $17b

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

Pakistan’s trade deficit narrowed by 32.65 per cent to $17.133 billion during the first half (July-December) of the current fiscal year, data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) showed. In December 2021, the deficit had clocked in at $4.816bn. According to PBS data, the exports during July-December (202223) were recorded at $14.249 billion against the exports of $15.125 billion in JulyDecember of 2021-22, showing a decline of 5.79 per cent. Meanwhile, the imports decreased by 22.63 per cent during the period under review by going down from $40.56 billion last year to $31.382 billion during the current year. On a year-on-year basis, the exports declined by 16.64 per cent to $2.304 billion in December 2022 against the exports of $2.764 billion in December 2021. The trade deficit widened by 2.36 per cent on a monthon-month basis and stood at $2.857 billion in December 2022 when compared to $2.791 billion in November 2022.

The funeral prayers of two officers of the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD), who were gunned down in a targeted attack in Khanewal, were offered on Wednesday.

According to details, the funeral prayers of CTD Assistant Director Naveed Sadiq Sial and Inspector Nasir Abbas were offered in Multan, Khanewal, and Lahore, which was attended by civil and military officials as well as family members.

Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi and Director General (DG) Inter-Services Intelligences (ISI) Lt-Gen Nadeem Anjum and senior military officers attended the funeral prayers offered in Lahore.

It is to be recalled here that two officers of the CounterTerrorism Department (CTD) were gunned down by unidentified assailants in Khanewal city of Punjab province on Tuesday.

The incident took place at a hotel in Khanewal city, wherein unidentified assailants opened fire at two officers, killing them on the spot.

In a statement, Additional Inspector-General of Police (AIGP) Shahzad Sultan vowed to arrest the suspect involved

RAHIM YAR KHAN Staff RepoRt

As many as 12 members of an extended family died of a ‘mysterious disease’ in a Tajpur Pirwala village in the suburbs of Rahim Yar Khan on Wednesday.

According to police and health sources, the gruesome incident took place in Basti Laghari locality of village Tajpur Pirwala in Rahim Yar Khan district.

The health sources informed the family members died in a span of 15-20 days. The patients first fell ill with low fever, and later the fever increased, coupled with severe pain and sweats.

Meanwhile, Dr Hassan Mahmood – Deputy District Health Officer (DDHO) – said that the authorities have collected samples of water and food from the affected house and sent to laboratory for forensics. “The matter will be clarified after the forensic report,” he added.

Couple suffoCated to death: A couple suffocated to death while sleeping without turning off geyser in Muhammad Nagar area of Wazirabad on Wednesday.

According to police and Rescue 1122, the ill-fated couple,

identified as Muhammad Azam and Fehmida, fell asleep without turning off geyser. A result, they died due to suffocation caused by gas leakage. two die in okara pile-up: In another accident, two people died and three others sustained injures in a pile-up involving a trailer, mini-Mazda and a bus on National Highway in Okara due to poor visibility caused by thick fog on Wednesday morning.

Three ambulances and rescue vehicles of Rescue 1122 immediately reached the accident site after receiving information.

According to rescue officials, the collision left two people dead on the spot while three people suffered injuries.

The rescue teams provided first aid to the injured and shifted them to DHQ City Hospital for further treatment. One of the deceased was identified as Khanke Pattoki resident Muhammad Kashif s/o Ashraf while the other, who was about 30-years-old, could not be identified. The rescue teams also removed the dead bodies of the deceased to DHQ City Hospital after completing legal formalities.

SWAT Syed Shahabuddin

Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Mahmood Khan on Wednesday hit back at the federal government, saying the breakdown in law and order situation in KP was due to the “incompetence and double standard” of the “imported government” at centre. “The Defense Minister is a non-serious person who is criticizing our police and CTD just to cover up their incompetence and injustice,” the KP chief minister said and added that the KP police force was fighting on front line and criticism on them was unacceptable and intolerable. “The imported rulers should provide budgetary share and rights of the province instead of criticizing our institutions.“ KP Chief Minister Mahmood Khan expressed the views during different functions he attended during his daylong visit to district Swat. He participated as the chief guest in the passing-out parade of first batch of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Tourism Police wherein he also distributed shields to police personnel who achieved prominent positions in the training. He also attended and addressed the Prize Distribution Ceremony of the Sports Festival 2022-23 which was organized by the Elementary & Secondary Education Department. As many, 37 different games were organized in which 56,000 students participated from all over the province. On the occasion, he maintained that the imported government wants to create financial instability in the province by withholding its revenue share. “The provincial government has completed many welfare projects including the successful completion of the merger of erstwhile FATA into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Erstwhile FATA was promised with Rs100 billion budget per year to address their longstanding deprivations but only Rs5 billion have been released so far”, Mahmood Khan regretted. He said the imported government had withheld the funds of settled and merged districts, which was blatant injustice with the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He said that the provincial government had to build universities, schools, infrastructure, police stations, communication networks and other facilities in the tribal districts. “Apart from this, arms are also to be purchased for the police which cannot be done unless the federal government provides due funds to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa”, he added.

UAE,” Pakistan Ambassador to the UAE Faisal Niaz Tirmizi said in an interview with Emirates News Agency.

The bilateral trade between Pakistan and United Arab Emirates is expected to grow up to double from the US$10.6 billion volume achieved in 2021-2022, Pakistan’s top diplomat in the UAE said on Wednesday.

The last calendar year recorded a US$10.6 billion in trade “the highest volume Pakistan had in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region,” he added.

“The potential is much more. I have been tasked by the political leadership of my country to increase trade, promote business opportunities, investment and elevate cultural interaction between Pakistan and the

The Ambassador said that the UAE and Pakistan were enjoying historic relations.

“Pakistan was the first country to send its ambassador six months before the formation of the UAE. “We sent our economic, agriculture, and defence advisors way before that,” Tirmizi said.

“Pakistanis consider the UAE their second home and vice versa. The close geographical proximity between the two countries gives a great opportunity to work together,” he further stated.

Around 1.6 million Pakistanis are residing in the UAE and during 2020-2021,

they sent $6.11 billion in remittances.

The Ambassador confirmed that Pakistan has started negotiations on the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) with the UAE and hoped to have significant progress by the year’s end.

“Yes, we are working on this, it is very important. The Ministry of Commerce of Pakistan is in touch with the relevant authorities in the UAE and hopefully, we will make some significant progress on this agreement before 2023.”

The UAE is the biggest trading partner of Pakistan in the MENA region, he said, adding that CEPA would provide an opportunity for the two countries to increase their bilateral trade many folds.

The Ambassador highlighted three sectors namely Fintech, IT, and Startups, where Pakistan and the UAE can further collaborate. “Last year, our exports increased to US$3 billion in these sectors. We have skilled manpower and new startups. I will be focusing very closely on this, because I think there are immense opportunities between the UAE and Pakistan to further collaborate.”

Ambassador Tirmizi said that the UAE was the most generous country that provided humanitarian relief to flood-affected areas in Pakistan, thanking President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, for his noble gestures.

The UAE established an air bridge to transport humanitarian aid to the people

affected by the unprecedented floods. “They have sent over 70 flights carrying relief items,” he said. “This was critical for those people affected by the floods.”

The ambassador said that the UAE has taken a lead in climate change as it is hosting COP28 in November 2023, and has the headquarters of IRENA, which is an intergovernmental organisation supporting countries in their transition to sustainable energy. “Climate change is something that is really impacting the lives and livelihood of so many people,” he noted, adding that Pakistan is only contributing less than 1 percent to global greenhouse gas emissions and is one of the most vulnerable countries to the impacts of climate change.

by mid January, claims Marriyum

in the killings. “The facts will be brought out by investigating the matter”, the Additional IG added.

Later, Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Pervaiz Elahi sought a report from the Punjab Inspector-General of Police. Meanwhile, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said that the attack was condemnable, also seeking reports from the IG as well as the chief secretary.

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

efforts afoot to brIng ttP to talKs, says InterIor MInIster

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

aMIDan uptick in terrorist activity in the country, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah on Wednesday assured the nation that the government was taking steps to counter terrorism.

Pakistan has seen a rise in terrorist attacks across the country, believed to have been planned and directed by the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) leaders based in Afghanistan.

The TTP, which has ideological linkages with the Afghan Taliban, executed around more than 100 attacks last year, most of which happened after August when the group’s peace talks with the Pakistan government began to falter. The ceasefire

was formally ended on Nov 28 by the TTP.

Addressing a press conference here, Sanaullah said the state’s efforts against terrorism could not be publicised as it would compromise its success.

“But this should not be taken to mean that nothing is being done,” the minister said, adding that tremendous efforts against terrorism were underway and the nation should rest assured about the matter.

Commenting on the recent meeting of the National Security Committee (NSC), he said that the forum had resolved to adopt a “zero tolerance” policy against terrorism with “no mixed messages and no differentiation between good or bad terrorists”.

“Whoever is involved in terrorism is a terrorist,” he asserted.

Sanaullah further said that authorities

would take pre-emptive action against terrorist schemes and those involved would be apprehended in order to prevent such incidents from occurring in the first place.

He said that the NSC had also decided that the provincial counterterrorism departments (CTDs) would be provided training by the federal government in order to make them more effective.

The minister said that the forum had also discussed setting up of a national body for coordinating with the various CTDs in an effort to make them more efficient.

‘Efforts underway to bring TTP to table’

At the same time, Sanaullah said that efforts were underway to bring the outlawed TTP to the negotiation table but the group would first have to set aside arms and surrender before the law and the

Constitution.

He said Pakistan needed to deal with the situation in such a manner as to keep the TTP at the “lowest level” and keep the number of terrorist incidents to a minimum.

“You will see the decisions that were made in regards to this being implemented in the coming days.”

His remarks come after the NSC on Monday reiterated its intent to crush terrorist groups operating inside the country with full force.

afghan taliban’s remarks and ttp’s threat: During the press conference, the minister was also asked about the recent remarks from the Afghan Taliban and the explicit threat issued by the TTP to the PPP and the PML-N for “openly declaring war against the TTP to appease America”.

Pakistan rejects Indian minister’s ‘baseless, frivolous’ accusations on terrorism

Staff RepoRt

Pakistan on Wednesday rejected the “baseless and frivolous” accusations made by Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, calling the Indian official’s tirade a “reflection of growing frustration” over New Dehli’s failure to malign and isolate Islamabad.

Earlier this week, the Indian minister made a veiled attack on Pakistan during a press conference in Vienna along with his Austrian counterpart Alexander Schallenberg.

“We spoke on the threats to international peace and security that are

online tax-filing startup befiler announces $1.5m seed raise

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posed by terrorism, including its crossborder practices, violent extremism, radicalisation and fundamentalism. Their effects cannot be contained within a region especially so when they are deeply connected to narcotics and illegal weapons trade, and other forms of international crime. Since the epicentre is located so close to India, naturally our experiences and insights are useful to others,” he alleged.

Responding to media queries today, Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zehra Baloch said: “Pakistan rejects the baseless and frivolous accusations made by the Indian External Affairs Minister. His latest tirade is a reflection of growing

frustration over India’s failure to malign and isolate Pakistan.”

She said that for the last several years, India has engaged in a malicious campaign to mislead the international community through a fictitious narrative of victimhood and vile anti-Pakistan propaganda.

“This practice must stop.”

The official added that India’s continued anti-Pakistan diatribe cannot hide its brazen involvement in fomenting terrorism on Pakistan’s soil; nor can it conceal the reality of state-sponsored terrorism in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

“Instead of pointing fingers at others,

India should itself end its involvement in terrorism, subversion, and espionage against Pakistan.” Only a few weeks ago, she said, a dossier was released containing irrefutable evidence that substantiated India’s involvement in the 2021 terrorist attack in a peaceful Lahore neighbourhood.

“From the death of over 40 Pakistani nationals on Indian soil in the 2007 Samjhota Express tragedy to the arrest of Kulbhushan Jadhav, a serving Commander of the Indian Navy, from within Pakistan in 2016, the evidence of Indian involvement in terrorism and sabotage is irrefutable and spans over decades and geographies,” she recalled.

The TTP statement pointedly mentioned PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif by name, as well as their respective parties, and warned religious parties against “activities against us”. “I never said that we want to attack Afghanistan or someone there,” Sanaullah said. However, as stated before, if any terrorist is planning to attack Pakistan or stage a terrorist attack then, as part of international law, “we can and should engage”.

Sanaullah said the NSC meeting had concretely decided that talks about any concerns or issues would only be held with the Afghan government.

Regarding the threat issued by the TTP, he said that a “general threat” was present and the government was already taking the necessary precautions.

shc seeks election commission’s reply over lg administrators’

KARACHI Staff RepoRt

The initial round of funding for the startup comes after a period of over three years while startups in Pakistan have been aggressively raising funds. According to Akbar, fundraising late was to avoid any major dilution during early stages of the startup. “Earlier, it was just an idea and investors would have been taking most of the risk which would have led to major dilution for founders. We wanted to avoid that. Now that we have proven this to be workable, we have raised the round,” Akbar says. According to Akbar, the round was raised at a good valuation, which was not disclosed to Profit. The company plans to spend the $1.5 million on expansion, with a sizeable chunk going towards product development and adding new product offerings. The startup further plans to enter into partnerships with corporates and business associations to increase documentation and tax compliance.

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He emphasized that after the NFC award, provincial governments have the financial resources. “If they can enhance their procurement targets, then they should,” he said. Federal Minister Tariq Bashir Cheema said that the import bill of oilseed import is expected to be $6 billion this year. He said that the provinces should promote oil seed cultivation to reduce the burden on the exchequer. Federal Minister Tariq Bashir Cheema said that there are enough strategic reserves to meet the demand of Afghanistan. He said that smuggling will not be allowed and if any country requires wheat, then it should approach the government.

Govt chalks

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

out

outsourcing plan for Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore airports

The civil aviation will keep the airport security and air traffic control with it. The CAA earns Rs 30 bln per annum from three largest airports of the country, sources added.

The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Wednesday ordered the election commission to submit its report by January 09 over appointment of district administrators after election schedule announced. “If any transfer or postings of officials happened after announcement of the election schedule,” the high court bench comprises of Justice Iqbal Kalhoro questioned. The Sindh government has submitted its reply. The election commission has sought time for submitting its reply, the court observed. The ECP should look into transfer and postings after announcement of the local government election schedule, court said. The bench adjourned further hearing of the case until January 09. The court had yesterday issued notices over a petition challenging appointment of district administrators on political grounds after announcement of the election schedule for local government polls in Karachi and Hyderabad. According to the petition Furqan Utaib, Syed Shakeel Ahmed, and Muhammad Sharif have been appointed district municipal administrators.

“These administrators are also members of the MQM Rabita Committee,” the petitioner said. “The appointment of these officers on political grounds, has been an effort to influence the results of the local government elections,” petitioner pleaded.

The federal government has prepared the outsourcing plan for Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi airports, sources said on Wednesday.

The Civil Aviation Authority has finalized the framework on the instructions of the prime minister, sources said. “A tender will be published in international journals for outsourcing of the airports,” sources said.

According to sources, the government has decided for outsourcing of Karachi, Islamabad and Lahore airports.

“The government has planned to prefer friendly countries for airports’ outsourcing,” according to sources. “The firms from Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, China and Turkey will be invited on preferential grounds,” sources said.

Sources citing the Planning Division have said that the country will earn 250 to 300 US million dollars in a year from outsourcing of airports.

The government will contract to outsource airports for 25 years, sources said. Under the agreement airport terminal services, parking, airport storage, cargo handling and cleaning sections will be outsourced, sources said.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in December directed to initiate the outsourcing process of three major airports under the public-private partnership.

The concerned authorities were ordered to initiate the process of outsourcing Jinnah International Airport Karachi, Allama Iqbal International Airport Lahore and Islamabad International Airport.

The prime minister directed that in the outsourcing process all concerned departments should take steps efficiently. He further said transparency should be ensured in this process.

The meeting was given a detailed briefing on the outsourcing of airports. It was informed that outsourcing airports are a normal profit-seeking practice throughout the world. It was told that initially Islamabad International Airport and Lahore Airport will be outsourced under a public-private partnership. The outsourcing of airports will not only provide revenue to the government but will also help improve facilities for international travellers, according to Radio Pakistan.

ECNEC approves PM’s Youth Laptop Scheme

in two years.

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) has approved the Prime Minister’s Youth Laptop Scheme-HEC (PhaseIII) at a cost of Rs 10,827.28 million.

Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar chaired the meeting of the ECNEC.

As per the details, the ECNEC approved PM’s Youth Laptop SchemeHEC (Phase-III) at a cost of Rs 10,827.28 million in order to provide an opportunity to young and talented students studying in public sector higher education institutes across the country including AJK and GB.

Under the envisaged Phase-III project, 100K laptops would be distributed among meritorious students

Under the PC-1, the cost of around 74000 laptops were Rs8 billion but it has not surged to Rs10.8 billion in revised PC-1, sources added.

In addition, sources said that ECNEC has directed a technical committee to finalize the specifications of laptops in three days. Sources close to development told this scribe that HEC has also requested not to change the specifications of laptops and if this happens then the procurement would further delay two to three months.

Reportedly, HEC has started the process of procurement of laptops as it has also received bids from companies.

Meanwhile, the ECNEC also approved the National Development Internship Programme. The programme is in line with the vision of the Prime Minister of Pakistan to mainstream the youth and involve

them in national development. The programme aims to enhance the capacity of young Pakistanis in their relevant educational areas and enhance their practical and technical skills and provide opportunities to introduce fresh ideas in the development sector of Pakistan. The expenditure of the programme will be met from the development projects being implemented under PSDP.

Planning commission submitted a summary regarding the Indus Highway (N-55) additional carriage Project. The ECNEC considered and allowed 15% of procurement for one of the four components of the project in US dollars as per ADB guidelines. The project was already approved by the ECNEC on 1st October,2022 at cost of Rs. 44,703.89 million with ADB share of Rs. 40,233.50 million (US$ 241.27 million).

It Ministry lays blame for poor internet service on sbP

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As many as 5000 sites were affected by the flood in the country, Member Telecom informed the standing committee on information technology. There is no internet service while travelling on motorways and even Karachi, which is considered to be a business hub. Briefing the parliamentary body on IT&T, Haris Chaudhry, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Universal Service Fund (USF) said that terrorists had blown out internet services. He said that the security situation in Balochistan had also caused the shutting down of 148 mobile towers, which had affected the internet outreach to the customers. He said these towers are not being turned on for security reasons. Internet service will be improved with the improvement in security situation in Balochistan province, said Haris Chaudhry, CEO, USF. The officials of USF informed the parliamentary body that 17 people who worked in the telecom industry were taken hostage in Balochistan last year. IT Ministry officials also informed the parliamentary body that the profitability of the telecom sector in Pakistan had dipped due to current economic challenges. The ministry officials said that internet users increased by 60 million in four years, the additional secretary of the Ministry of IT said that from January to November last year, more than 10 million new users were added. One-and-a-half million internet users are increasing monthly, IT Ministry officials said, adding that three to four licences have been issued in a month. Despite the bad economic conditions, new companies are coming in the telecom sector, IT Ministry officials informed the parliamentary body. They further said that three million people had been trained in the IT sector, and business training included video editing. They further said that freelancers had earned $29 million last year.

stop eating ‘poisonous’ chicken until gMo issue solved, warns food minister

ISLAMABAD

ISLAMABAD Shahzad paRacha

Govt to help madrassas impart modern education, says pm shehbaz

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

pRIMEMinister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday said that the government would extend its maximum support to the seminaries to help them impart education in accordance with modern-day needs.

The prime minister, in a meeting with a delegation of Ittehad-e-Tanzeemat-eMadaris, also assured them for providing maximum administrative autonomy to the seminaries and easing their registration process.

The delegation of Ittehad-e-Tanzeemate-Madaris (ITM), led by Jamiat Ulema-eIslam (JUI) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, called on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and held a discussion with him on the affairs of

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

Minister for Railways Khawaja Saad Rafique Wednesday declared that all the coaches imported from China are perfectly fit and compatible with the Pakistan railways system, elaborating the new coaches will have the capacity to run at a speed of 160 kilometers per hour whereas against 120 kilometers per hour – the current maximum speed limit of trains.

Unlike the rumors and propaganda, these coaches will significantly improve train service. All the coaches are well inspected by Pakistan Railways, found completely fit, and will be operated with Green Line, set to be launched during the current month,” said the minister in a tweet.

Responding to rumors that coaches imported from China were not compatible with the Pakistan railways system, the minister asserted all the coaches were inspected thoroughly and after which they were approved

madrassas on Wednesday.

Lauding the services of the seminaries for religious education, he said that around five million students were studying there free of charge. The seminaries also teach the

students to memorize the Holy Quran besides playing their active role to protect Pakistan’s interests.

The heads of five madrassas boards were part of the delegation including : President

of Jamiat Ulema Islam-F Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Maulana Mufti Taqi Usmani, Maulana Muhammad Hanif Jalandhri, Mufti Munibur Rehman, Sahibzada Abdul Mustafa Hazarvi, Senator Prof Sajid Mir, Maulana Abdul Malik, Maulana Afzal Haidri, Maulana Abdul Kabir Azad and Maulana Fazal Rahim.

The delegation briefed the prime minister about the issues related to the madrassa boards. The issues related to the registration of madrassas and the implementation of the National Action Plan (NAP) were also discussed during the meeting.

On the occasion, the prime minister also organized a lavish dinner for the delegation members.

Speaking on the occasion, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that madrassa were an important means of promoting Islamic teachings.

“Madrasas can be called a big network of Pakistani and Islamic NGOs. Four to five

million children are studying in madrassas in the country,” he added.

“It is the desire of the government to lend a hand in this social service,” he pointed out. The prime minister also said that the government would extend every kind of help to madrassas for providing education, adding that madrasas always protected the interests of Pakistan.

He said half of the students enrolled in seminaries were girls and thousands of them were orphans. The students were also getting free books and education at the seminaries.

He also expressed condolence over the death of renowned religious scholar Mufti Rafi Usmani and said that not only Pakistan, but the whole Muslim world recognized his services to the religion.

Federal Ministers Rana Tanvir Hussain, Marriyum Aurangzeb, Rana Sanaullah Khan, Mufti Abdul Shakoor, Special Assistant to PM Syed Fahad Hussain and senior officers were also present.

“The new coaches will have the capacity to run at a speed of 160 kilometers per hour whereas the current maximum speed limit of trains is about 120 kilometers per hour. These coaches will significantly improve train service.” The modern coaches would offer an improved train travel experience in the country to 220 million people, many of whom rely on trains for long journeys. “The new coaches comprise economy, AC standard, and AC parlour classes for passengers and luggage and brake vans.

mazari slams govt’s silence over zionist minister’s visit to al-aqsa compound

to run on a trial basis. Saad Rafique said that after the successful trial, all the coaches were now ready to run and will be seen running on the railway tracks in couple of days.

He said false and baseless propaganda by the sponsored pages to undermine Pakistan Railways’ image and efforts to facilitate the passengers.

The minister said that Pakistan Railways

would take legal action against the pages spreading fake news about the department.

It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan Railways has received the first batch of around 46 of the total 230 high-speed modern coaches from China, which would not only help modernize the railway operations rather generate enhanced revenue for the department.

Pakistan Railways had carried out a test run of the new coaches on the Main Line-I (ML-I) starting from Karachi to Peshawar via Rohri, Sukkar, Bahawalpur, Khanewal, Lahore, and Rawalpindi before beginning the commercial travel. After receiving 46 completely built units (CBUs) manufactured in China, Pakistan Railways would soon begin manufacturing of 184 similar coaches at its carriage factory in Islamabad with the assistance of Chinese engineers under the technology transfer agreement.

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

The United States Embassy in Islamabad is marking 75 years of bilateral partnership with Pakistan by illuminating the building at One Constitution Avenue in the capital.

The illumination starts the evening of January 3rd and will continue through January 11th, said a press release issued here by the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad on Wednesday.

Using innovative technology pioneered by partner organization 3D Illumination, the three-dimensional, moving projection highlights key themes and images of Pakistan-U.S. relations from the past 75 years. Previously

used with famous landmarks such as the Washington Monument and Eiffel tower, this type of projection has rarely been seen before in Pakistan.On the occasion, U.S. Mission Chargé d’Affaires Andrew Schofer said, “Through 75 years of diplomatic relations, the United States has worked with Pakistan to support energy, agriculture, public health, education, infrastructure, and people-to-people connections. We are proud to use this unique technology to show the Pakistani people the breadth and depth of our longstanding bilateral partnership and look forward to exploring opportunities for future collaboration and partnership, including through the U.S.Pakistan Green Alliance framework.”

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senior Vice President Dr Shireen Mazari lashed out at the imported government for observing silence over the Zionist minister’s visit to Al-Aqsa compound, which was even condemned by the US, indicating that covert agenda of regime change to recognize Israel remained alive. Dr Shireen Mazari, in a statement on Wednesday, condemned Zionist minister’s visit to Al-Aqsa compound. However, she said that Pakistan remained silent. “Seems one covert agenda of regime change, the recognition of Israel remains alive,” she added. Dr Mazari stated: “Ministry of Foreign Affairs and imported Foreign Minister’s silence is revealing.” Reacting over Khwaja Asif’s irresponsible remarks regarding birth control, she said that this man was not only pathetic but shameful too. “This idiotic statement shows his inability to utter anything rational,” she added. Dr Mazari stated that bunch of crooks who have been brought into government by powerful conspirators to destroy Pakistan. About court’s conditional bail to Azam Swati warning him of re-arrest if he repeated the offense, Dr. Mazari said that so now in Pakistan using an abusive word is a criminal offence? “Then almost everyone should be abducted and jailed because abusive words are used daily! While highly distasteful, nowhere in a democracy at least can abusing be a criminal offence,” she said. “This bail condition is intended to silence Swati,” Dr. Mazari added.

street criminal involved in over 400 robberies arrested

KARACHI Staff RepoRt

LAHORE Staff RepoRt

The chicken meat prices have been continuing to rise in abnormal way in different parts of the country for the last few days, exposing the administrative check of the provincial and district governments over prices of eatables. Citizens were seen returning empty handed from the chicken shops specially in Lahore as sellers complained short supply of chicken from the retailers and poultry farms. The crisis came to light and prices of broiler chicken meat shot up after chicken feed and soybean feed disappeared from the markets. The Pakistan Poultry Association has already announced countrywide protest against continuous increase in prices of broiler chicken on Jan 5. The association’s spokesperson said their members would assemble at Thokar Niaz Baigh and stage protest for the acceptance of their demands. He said the poultry feed had almost vanished from the local markets because of unannounced restriction on the import of soybean and other raw material. According to the spokesperson, raw material-led ships had been paying $400,000 daily penalty for the last two and half months.

Pakistan Rangers Sindh and Police in a joint intelligence-based operation in Bangali Para arrested an alleged accused involved in more than 400 street crimes. According to a news release on Wednesday arrested was identified as Murtaza Khaskeli. The arrested accused confessed to committing over 400 robberies in different parts of the megalopolis.

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

LAUDS MADRASSAS’ SERVICES FOR PROTECTION OF INTERESTS OF PAKISTAN

iSLamaBad Staff RepoRt

tHESupreme Court of Pakistan on Wednesday dismissed the Customs Department appeal challenging the lower courts’ decision to hand over a vehicle to a citizen while imposing Rs50,000 fine on the department for bringing frivolous petition to the court.

SC Justice Qazi Faez Isa and Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar heard the case pertaining to release of a non-custom paid vehicle to a citizen on Wednesday.

Customs Intelligence DG Faiz Hameed appeared before the court. During hearing, Justice Isa told off the Customs DG saying if he was above the law. The judge asked him why he was not handing over the vehicle to the citizen when three

courts had ordered him to do so.

“You have impounded the vehicle and consigned it warehouse to get rusted.

PM positive for support from friendly countries at Geneva moot

continued from page 01

Pakistan is facing not only humanitarian and health emergencies – with 33 million people, about a seventh of the population, impacted by flooding – but also an education crisis, communities and officials warn. Earlier the UN children’s agency (Unicef) said that the flooding has damaged or destroyed more than 26,600 schools nationwide, while at least 7,060 others are being used as temporary relief camps and shelters for the displaced.

More than 3.5 million children have had their education disrupted, Unicef said, in a country that even before the floods had the world’s second highest number of out-of-school children – 22.8 million of those aged five-16, or 44% of that age group.

“Having already endured some of the world’s longest school closures due to the (Covid-19) pandemic, (Pakistan’s children) are experiencing yet another threat to their future,” Unicef’s global education director, Robert Jenkins, said in a statement. The ministry of planning says Rs197 billion ($918 million) is needed to meet its education recovery costs – an amount higher than the United Nations’ total $816 million humanitarian funding appeal for the country.

Petroleum sector gets Rs296.10m in 5 months for nine projects

iSLamaBad Staff RepoRt

The government has released funds amounting to Rs296.10 million to advance nine ongoing petroleumrelated projects during the first five months of the current fiscal year under the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP 2022-23) against a total allocation of Rs1.48 billion.

Out of the total disbursement of Rs296.10 million, around Rs19.40 million have been spent on petroleum projects to accelerate oil and gas exploration activities during a five-month period (July-November 2022), according to official data available with APP. As per the PSDP document, the incumbent government had earmarked Rs150.560 million for the establishment of the National Mineral Data Centre (NMDC) Directorate General of Minerals, Rs303.700 million for expansion and up-gradation of Pakistan Petroleum Corehouse (PETCORE) for its sustainable operations to facilitate oil and gas exploration research in Pakistan (HDIP), Rs100 million for Geological Mapping on 50 Toposheets, out of 354 unmapped Toposheets of Outcrop Area of Balochistan Province, Rs70 million for Legal Consultancy Services for drafting of Model.

Who will make up for the loss,” the judge asked the Customs DG. The DG replied it’s a unique case.

Justice Mazhar chipped in saying “What’s unique in this case! The collector has logged that the owner of the vehicle has paid all taxes and duties.”

Justice Isa inquired what would be the price of that 1997 model car. The DG replied it would be worth around Rs2000,000 to Rs2500,000. Justice Isa observed that the citizen had spent more than the worth of the car in terms of litigation fees and time. He wondered why in the first place, the Customs Department did not secure borders to stop the arrival of non-custom paid vehicles in Pakistan.

With this, the court dismissed the Customs Department appeal against the release of the confiscated vehicle.

The court also imposed Rs50,000 fine on the Customs Department for filing unnecessary petitions in the higher courts, thus wasting their time.

Would shutting down lights early really help save Rs62 billion?

continued from page 01

He further elaborated that considering there’s a single purchaser of the electricity produced, it has to pay for the peak demand, that is the excess capacity of electricity which can be availed but isn’t due to decreased demand in winter.

Payments for this have to be made either way, therefore, demand destruction would not bring down bills as much as the government would want.

Knowing this, does it make sense to force early market closure to save energy and save foreign exchange reserves? What would be practical?

According to the same government official, the solution lies in the decentralisation of the electricity market along with concentrating on improving efficiency in

the existing grid by lowering line losses and theft. Additionally, according to the Pakistan Economic Survey the commercial sector only accounted for 7% of the overall consumption during the financial year of 2022.

Introduction of the Competitive Trading Bilateral Contract Market (CTBCM) by Nepra is considered to be a step in the right direction. In Pakistan, the market structure has been a single-buyer model, in which the Central Power Purchase Authority purchases power on behalf of the distribution companies (Discos).

In November 2020, Nepra approved the CTBCM model, which offered a plan for opening Pakistan’s wholesale electricity market, with the goal of allowing bulk power consumers (with 1MW or higher demand) to pur-

chase electric power from Discos or a competitive supplier of their choosing.

In June of last year, Nepra authorised its licensees to launch the market on a trial basis for six months. According to the Nepra website, “this transition towards CTBCM will help achieve benefits of de-bundling the power sector.”

This would effectively allow bulk power users to have a choice in electric power supply at negotiated rates, resulting in lower costs and more reliable power for all consumers.

However, last month, Nepra alleged that CTBCM implementation was stalled for without naming individuals or organisations. The Discos’ opposition stems from the fact that this model would end their monopoly in the sector.

Ishaq Dar hints at introduction of mini-budget

continued from page 01

Correcting the PTI at one point, Ishaq Dar said that the PTI claims that when the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) government ended in 2018, the fiscal deficit was 7.6 percent of GDP which is not true as the fiscal deficit was 5.8 percent.

“Infact, PTI in 2019 increased the fiscal deficit by 7.9 percent while we had left that deficit at 5.8 percent”, he said and added that the PTI government was unable to increase tax collection to Rs 8 trillion in a year time as they claimed.

He also said that the current account deficit was increased in 2018 mainly due to 26% import of machinery equipment, massive investment in energy projects to eliminate load shedding and for security requirements.

Finance minister said that GDP growth during the PML-N tenure ranges from 4.05 to 6.10% while growth ranges from -0.94 to 5.97%

in PTI tenure and GDP in-terms of dollar increased by $112 billion in PML (N) tenure while in PTI tenure it increased by only $ 61 billion.

Drawing another comparison, Dar said that per capita income during PML (N) recorded 27.3 percent growth ($389 – $1768) while in 42 months’ tenure of PTI the per capita income reached $1798 only. The investments as a percent of GDP was also higher during PML(N) tenure as compared to the PTI tenure and the confidence of investors and their sentiments were much better in PML(N) than in PTI tenure.

He also said that the PTI’s claim of 1.5 million jobs being lost in the textile industry & many more in other industries, is based on perception and has no supporting evidence.

PTI’s claims to create 5.5 million new jobs during 2019-2022 was incorrect, he stated that only 3.2 million new jobs were created

during 2019-2021 according to the Labour Force Survey.

Answering to other questions, he admitted that the LSM was affected and production of major Kharif crops had declined namely, cotton (24.6%), Rice (40.6%) Sugarcane (7.9%) and Maize (3.0%).

He also added that despite global economic meltdown and internal devastating flood situation, value added sectors are showing positive and satisfactory growth.

Karachi LG polls delay fear: JI to stage protest outside CM House today

KaracHi Staff RepoRt

Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Karachi Chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman on Wednesday announced staging massive protest outside Sindh Chief Minister House on January 5 over fear of another delay in local bodies’ elections in the city.

He alleged that Sindh government and Muttahida Qaumi Movement -Pakistan (MQM-P) were hatching a conspiracy to escape elections.

Hafiz Naeem slammed the conspirators for doing so whenever they were heading towards polls in the metropolis.

He said that Sindh government and MQM – fearing to lose against JI – are dodging the elections. Taking strong exception to any further extension in the polling date, he called for the electoral exercise in the megacity on January 15.

Elections cannot be postponed by citing delimitations and voters a reason, said JI official.

CM Murad seeks acquittal in Nooriabad power project reference

iSLamaBad Staff RepoRt

Sindh

Sindh chief minister along with other accused appeared before an accountability court in the Nooriabad reference. CM Murad Ali Shah while challenging the reference sought acquittal from it.

Shah citing the Nooriabad project approved by the provincial government said in his plea that case of abuse of powers in the Nooriabad Power Project cannot be filed against him.

The hearing of the reference was adjourned until January 12.

Sindh CM Murad Ali Shah is facing charges of misusing power in the disbursement of funds for energy-related projects in the province, according to the reference filed by NAB.

It alleged that public funds worth billions have been embezzled for Nooriabad Power Company and Sindh Transmission and Dispatch Company.

Sindh CM Murad Ali Shah has been among 17 persons nominated in the graft reference by the NAB.

Karachi to get colder this weekend

KaracHi Staff RepoRt

Karachi is likely see cold days between January 7 and January 8, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has forecast.

On Wednesday, the lowest temperature in the city was recorded at 11.5 degrees Celsius. The mercury will drop further throughout the week, however northern and north-western cold waves will continue to blow across the city.

A Met department spokesperson said the

cold waves may continue till the first week of January, adding that the maximum temperature this weekend will be between 9 and 11 degrees.

While speaking to reporters, Chief Meteorologist Dr Sardar Sarfaraz said following this week, Karachi will likely see westerly winds from Balochistan.

Humidity will remain at 25% and wind speed is currently at 12 kilometers per hour.

The dip in temperatures was experienced in multiple other parts of the country as well. Following this, fog reappeared in major cities

of Punjab such as Lahore, Sialkot and Faisalabad.

Visibility on the highway and motorways dropped below 50 metres after which it was closed for traffic. The Lahore-Pindi Bhattian M-2 motorway and Pindi Bhattian-Faisalabad M-4 motorway have been shut.

The motorway police have requested people to avoid travel unless absolutely necessary and use fog lights. In case of an emergency, people can call 130.

A number of flights from Lahore were delayed or canceled because of the fog as well.

Chief Minister (CM) Syed Murad Ali Shah on Wednesday challenged the Nooriabad Power Project reference filed against him in the accountability court.

Inflation speeds up

The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics’ report on inflation for depressing reading. The general inflation Consumer Price Index showed a year -onyear increase of 24.5 percent in December.This was more than the 23.8 percent increase recorded in November, which was horrible, but a slight improvement from the 26.6 percent recorded in October. That was a peak, and it was only to be expected that there would be a decline in November, but clearly it did not show that the economy had turned the corner, nor that inflation was falling. The increase in December was actually in line with the Finance Ministry’s projections, which p5redict inflation for the year ranging between 21 percent and 23 percent. however, these figures seem a little optimistic, inflation running at closer to 25 percent than anything else.

Inflation of over 20 percent has got to be cause of concern, but there are some factors which make it of greater concern. There is no real good news to be awaited, which would bring inflation down. There is not much of a decline expected in international oil prices, and the conflict which pushed them up, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, continues. Rather than a decline in the dollar, once the present repressive measures cease, the resulting fall in the rupee will be inflationary. This is optimistic; because a fresh debt servicing payment is falling due; and a default, on the cards, may well send the rupee into freefall, in which case the Finance Ministry projection will seem wistful thinking. Already, a large gap between urban and rural inflation indicates the baneful effects of the monsoon floods are by no means over.

Perhaps the worst aspect of the whole dilemma is the fact that the government does not seem to have a plan.

Finance Minister Ishaq Dar seems busier dickering with President Arif Alvi in an attempt to find a way out of the present political crisis, than in managing the economy. It is not going to be easy, for the government is likely to panic at its inability to rein in inflation, which has reached the point where the poor will have to cut back on food, and the middle-class on other expenses. It has to go into an election towards the end of the year, and may launch one or two cosmetic schemes. Any real relief it tries to give, will run up against the IMF The IMF, it should be remembered, is not concerned with the government’s political fortunes, but the country’s ability to service its debt.

Technocrats versus Politicians

Khan’s eBDO was almost erased. Able and honest politicians like Khan Qayyum Khan were back in the arena. In the party there were ‘Technocrats’ as well who worked closely with the political leadership to contain the evil designs of the establishment of its time. Technical expertise combined with political will delivered results. Through lateral entry Bhutto replaced the know-all and do-nothing generalists with technical experts who were trained to manage in their own area of expertise. engr Masood hasan was appointed Secretary Defence Production, Nasim Ahmed Secretary Information, Dr Muhammad Ajmal Secretary education to name a few.

to boycott the partyless elections in 1985. It was a PeBDO (People’s elected Bodies Disqualification Ordier). Later on she realized her blunder and blamed the ‘Uncles’ for misleading her. Despite her compromises the PPP remained an anti-establishment progressive party till her assassination in December 2007.

Under Asif Zardari it has now turned into another brand of Muslim League but with a different name. Personally, as a technocrat’ with a track record of political activation, I am against getting rid of politicians through eBDOs of all kinds including the recent one by the outgoing Sipah-eSalar to reimpose corrupt political leadership.

WhILe the world over ‘technocrats’ has replaced ‘bureaucrats’, only in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan are they pitted against the ‘politicians’. Ayub Khan’s eBDO (elected Bodies Disqualification Order) was perhaps the most devastating conspiracy against the founding fathers of the freedom struggle who were able, honest and bold to lead the nation towards the real cherished freedom.

It did not end here, for permanent derailment of the struggle and the continued hegemony of the ‘royal’ ways a third-rate political leadership was imposed on the nation. While the lack of delivery is projected as a failure of the politicians, in fact the real culprit is the inept, status-quo driven colonial bureaucracy which controls the files and paperwork.

A politician always reads the pulse of the people, and as such his inputs are vital in running the system; but unfortunately the current breed of ‘establishmentTempered Players’ lack the ability to take on the entrenched, sluggish, karwai-driven bureaucracy to deliver relief to their electorate. File work is not their forte where business of the state is conducted. As the ‘baboos’ exercise executive authority they always have the final laugh while the elected representatives of the people have to face the wrath of the dissatisfied public.

I do agree with my friend Comrade Pervez Saleh that politicians have to go through the grind to understand the nuts and bolts of their chosen field. The implanted ones after the 1985 partyless elections were launched to rob the nation of their resources and rights and they have lived up to their design.

All brands of Muslim Leagues have caused irreparable damage to the democratic order and continue on harm’s way, some by remaining in power while others out of it. The emergence of the Pakistan People’s Party in 1967 tilted the balance towards civilian supremacy through the elected representatives of the people. as Prime Minister Bhutto knew the art of paperwork and movement of files. The ‘baboos’ were unable to hide behind the record or seek protection from obsolete colonial-era laws.

Solid relief was delivered to the masses. Ayub

Climate Challenge

was to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. There were two main overriding themes: justice and ambition.

My late father Nazir Ahmed Malik joined the AllIndia Muslim League in 1935. he rose to be Senior Vice President and Secretary Finance of the Ludhiana Muslim League. For his struggle in the freedom movement he was awarded the prestigous Tehreek-ePakistan Gold Medal in 1990. All his life he did not join any other political outfit. After Partition the family moved to Lahore, leaving behind a very flourishing watch business, to start all over again.

Soon he got disillusioned with the domination of vested interests in the politics of Punjab. The Mamdot-Daultana tussle for control of the province did not sit well with him, he decided to focus on his entrepreneurship ventures.

The hold of the bureaucrats over the levers of the state have to be done away with for the republic to function and move forward. With the help of the technocrats. The politicians may succeed in regaining lost ground, finally putting to rest the conspiracy hatched against civilian supremacy ‘by the few unscrupulous players like Ghulam Muhammad, Iskander Mirza, Ayub Khan, Zia-ul-Haq, Pervez Musharraf and Qamar Javed Bajwa through various forms of political manipulation.

In the early 1960s Ayub Khan decided to embark on his imported economic plans. My father’s uncle Dr Anwer Iqbal Qureshi (AIQ), who had retired from the IMF, was invited by the dictator to join his team of experts. AIQ travelled by train from Karachi to spend time with my old man before proceeding to Rawalpindi. A very interesting after-dinner discussion took place that night.

AIQ briefed us about his loan-based fast-track economic model. The plan did not sit well with my father, the upright entrepreneur and politician who understood the ground realities. he warned the able technocrat that money would be squandered and misspent, resulting in corruption and defaults. The ‘technocrat’ prevailed over the ‘politician’ with disastrous consequences: now the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is close to default with rampant corruption at all levels.

Ayub Khan’s eBDO of August 1957 knocked out the entire political leadership of its times. Zia succeeded in inducting his political players after Benazir decided

The bureaucracy needs a major overhaul. having personally interacted with the current lot of political players, barring a few the bureaucratic inertia is overwhelming for them. Their poor understanding of the system and weak documentation is appalling.

Imran Khan brings credibility to the arena but without the help of able technocrats he has a daunting task at hand. Technocrats have to be pitched against the bureaucrats, not politicians. In another free and fair election, only honest politicians should be awarded party tickets as was done in 1970. executive authority should be excercised by technocrats after inputs from the elected representatives who understand ground realities together with needs of the common man.

The hold of the bureaucrats over the levers of the state have to be done away with for the republic to function and move forward. With the help of the technocrats. The politicians may succeed in regaining lost ground, finally putting to rest the conspiracy hatched against civilian supremacy ‘by the few unscrupulous players like Ghulam Muhammad, Iskander Mirza, Ayub Khan, Zia-ul-haq, Pervez Musharraf and Qamar Javed Bajwa through various forms of political manipulation. Instead of eBDO we need NeBDO( Nonelected Bodies Disqualification Order) for the will of the people to prevail. Technocrats and politicians have to work together for civilian supremacy as it was before October 1958 when the Khakis were in the barracks where they rightfully belong.

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

The recent COP 27— the United Nations Climate Change Conference— from 6 November to 20 November this year in Sharm el Sheikh, egypt—took several decisions to combat the burning issue of climate change. COPs are an important instrument in the climate change initiative tool box.

The Conference of the Parties (COP) is the main decision-making body of the UN Climate Change Conference (UNCCC). The first COP was held in Berlin- Germany in 1995, and later on in major cities around the world. As a result of these events, several treaties and funding apparatus have developed.

According to the mainstream scientific consensus including major reports by the Inter-Governmental Panel of Climate Change published in 2022, the reality is far worse than predicted. The most radical and sweeping cuts would only help stop an environmental catastrophe as the world is about to reach a global temperature rise of 1.5°C within the next 20 years. The most alarming aspect of the report is that the world temperature could rise up to 4°C till the end of the century if drastic actions are not taken.

In the recent conference, the delegates and members of civil society pushed leaders for urgent and timely climate action that the world needs. The purpose of this year’s conference

Justice is for those on the frontlines who did so little to cause the crisis, including the victims of the recent floods in Pakistan that almost swamped one third of the country. On the other hand, ambition is to keep alive the goal of 1.5°, the red line we must not cross, and bring back humankind from the climate cliff-edge.

equally important is to rebuild the broken trust and climate financing. Climate financing is crucially important for developing countries. Developing countries need financial assistance to rebuild physical and social infrastructure devastated by extreme weather such as heavy rains and floods in Pakistan and other several countries.

At the same time, reaching on an agreement for funding will be a major landmark. The “Loss and damage” fund must be set up immediately and filled with cash with a reliable roadmap for the developing economies suffering from devastating impacts of climate change. It is unclear yet on how the finances would be provided and from where.

In a report by the Organization for the economic Cooperation and Development (OeCD), the potential economic and social impacts of environmental degradation are particularly serious with developing countries due to dependence on natural resources for economic growth and the vulnerability to energy, food, water security, climate change and extreme weather risk.

It is appropriate to mention here that

many governments have also established some form of structure that begins to address their environmental problems. however, there are inherent barriers within these governments such as corruption, bureaucratic inefficiencies and lack of political willingness that are preventing visible differences from being seen. All the while, wealthy nations have capitalized on industrial technology that have encouraged these problems. They did it first. But we need to tackle these challenges. however, there are two things to keep in mind.First of all, the root cause of what is causing this— the emissions being ejected into the atmosphere. We need to invest enormously in renewable sources of energy, and not rely so much on fossil fuels. Depending on fossil fuel is doubling the problem. The partnership for just energy transmission is very important.

So, emissions need to be cut down, and that is the immense task. Moreover, particularly after the pandemic, and also the energy crisis in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the energy issue has further aggra-

vated. So, in the wake of such crises, the question is how the world would deal with those impacts to minimize the damages of adaptation. So, these, among others, are two multipronged challenges the world is facing now.

For this challenge to be met, an extra effort is required by all countries to reduce emissions to achieve the desired goal. It needs the critical role of indigenous commu-

The climate challenge is a gigantic one that demands all kinds of changes. Survival and prosperity of humanity is at risk. The consequences of climate change are not local but global. We must responsibly consider that It’s time to take collective action to prevent the looming disaster. If not, all of us will suffer. Together we can make the world better

nities and the voice of civil society. It is rightly said that the most dynamic and vibrant source in the world is people power.

The world should take the climate challenge more seriously and it is extremely important. education and awareness programmes, climate related research, knowledge sharing and data collection will be highly useful to achieve the desired goal. Besides, early warning systems and forecasts would immensely help addressing climate-related challenges. This will require serious commitment to a greener future— pathways towards mitigation and adaptation.

The climate challenge is a gigantic one that demands all kinds of changes. Survival and prosperity of humanity is at risk. The consequences of climate change are not local but global.We must responsibly consider that It’s time to take collective action to prevent the looming disaster. If not, all of us will suffer. Together we can make the world better.

The writer studied public administration at the University of Brighton- UK, and presently serving as Provincial Secretary in Government of Baluchistan.

December’s figures showed that inflation is picking up again

DR FARID A. MALIk

Yousaf Nizami Editor

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

M. A. Niazi Joint Editor

Umar Aziz Executive Editor Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad Joint Editor

ZAFAR ALI BULEDI

Technocrats must join hands with politicians against bureaucrats

Editor’s mail

HTPs are just as evil as cigarettes are

ThIS is with reference to the report “Plan to regularise ‘heated tobacco products’ under fire” (Dec 4). As a chest physician, I strongly oppose the proposal to approve this new tobacco product in the country.

heated tobacco products (hTPs) consist of a small tobacco stick that is heated electronically rather than burned. The tobacco industry is actively trying to tell the people, especially the young, that the new product is a safer alternative to smoking. As the industry is closing its cigarette manufacturing plants all over the world, it is introducing newer tobacco products so that their deadly business of making the youths nicotine addicts.

Apart from heated tobacco, the industry has also introduced electronic cigarettes as well as smokeless tobacco products in the form of nicotine pouches. A high percentage of Pakistani youth has started using newer tobacco products without realising their associated long-term health risks.

Scientific research shows that the heated tobacco products emit substantial levels of carcinogenic tobacco-specific nitrosamines as well as toxic and irritant substances. Nicotine and tar levels have been found to be almost identical to the conventional cigarette.

The Ministry of health should not approve the sale and consumption of heated tobacco products. Instead, a nation-wide campaign should be launched to make both the children and the grown-ups fully aware of the potentially deadly impact of using these new tobacco products.

PROF JAVAID KHAN KARACHI

Balochistan needs opportunities

Innovative methods are needed

of people in the province live in multidimensional poverty. The unemployment rate in the province stands at 4.3 percent for this year which means some 531,050 people in the province will remain unemployed for this fiscal year.

Moreover, according to the International Labour Organization (ILO), the participation rate of youth in labour for Balochistan is 44.44 percent which is the lowest among the provinces of the country. It also claims, “there has been no youth employment strategy or policy over the last 70 years [in the country]”. These figures give an idea of desperation among the youth of the country in general and of the province in particular.

job will hardly go violent or commit a crime. even connecting lesser opportunities with an increase in the number of insurgents in the province is not a bad hypothesis either. Because it is common sense that a person who has a family to feed and has a government job or other opportunities of earning a respectable livelihood, is less likely to join the insurgents and go against the state. While those who hardly earn anything, are exposed to vulnerabilities, particularly when they keep listening to their people`s grievances with the state. Such people are more likely to react.

A road in need is a ‘business’ indeed

IN the 21st century one can hardly imagine a scenario where vehicles inch through a narrow road made as an alternative route across a riverbed. But the people of hub have been practically having such an adventure on a daily basis. Surely, it is out of compulsion; not choice.

Since the collapse of the main bridge that once connected Balochistan with Sindh’s capital city, Karachi, commuters from and to Karachi have been left to fend for themselves when it comes to crossing the riverbed.

MANy scholars reflect that income stability is a great source of satisfaction, let that satisfaction be at both the individual or the collective level. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals number eight which talk of “decent work and economic growth” is also related to income stability. The Gross National happiness Index has nine indicators or domains of happiness, the top three of them, that is, psychological well-being, health, and education, are in one way or other are also related to income stability or economic wellbeing of an individual or a society. According to a research paper published in the “Journal of Happiness Studies, income inequality is found to have a negative effect on life satisfaction. Where does Pakistan’s poorest province, Balochistan, stand in this regard is a question worthy enough to be analyzed critically.

According to an Assistant Professor of Business Administration in the Organizational Behavior Unit at harvard Business School, Jon Jachimowicz, “… cash is key in [an] important way: it helps people avoid many of the day-today hassles that cause stress.” he and his colleagues did research and found that financial hardship is an established source of shame, leading to guilt. Because, “we have normalized this idea that when you are poor, it’s your fault and so you should be ashamed of it,” he argues.

In yet another paper Jachimowicz and his colleagues argue that financial instability causes greater distress intensity in everyday life. The paper also hypothesizes that money may not buy happiness, but it can reduce the intensity of stress in daily life. Like from ordering an Uber to paying an unexpected hospital bill, you need money. In a survey conducted by Jachimowcz and his colleagues, where they observed 522 participants for 30 days, they reached the conclusion that money reduces intense stress, brings greater control, and high incomes lead to higher satisfaction.

however, figures show dissatisfaction in Balochistan in this regard. For instance, as per the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics some 30 percent of Balochistan`s population which is over 3.5 million, had reported food insecurity by the end of the first quarter of 2020. According to Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, over a million people (1,178,000) in Balochistan are stressed and some 571,000 are in crisis. Over 70 percent

While the opportunities for livelihood in the province are minimal, 0ost of the people of the province dream of having a government job. It is because they are told since their childhood that they should work hard and bring good grades to get a respectable Sarkari Naukri (government job) after completing their education. Also, government jobs ensure old age pensions.

Second, lack of career counseling leads many on the track of becoming either a doctor or an engineer, where many are filtered out in the very first attempt and are left with fewer options. Most of them then opt for competitive exams and many get in an unending race of doing double and triple BA or MAs without acquiring marketable skills.

even those who want to adopt modern trends of learning and earning online, fall victim to slow internet, electricity load-shedding, and lots of disappointments on account of increasing responsibilities and fewer opportunities. A great number, particularly from interior Balochistan, lower middle class, and lower class, start helping their parents in earning a livelihood for their families, and quit education.

The provincial government should make genuine efforts to legalize trade and human capital movement across the borders with Iran and Afghanistan to ensure the smooth running of the borders and encourage investors to invest in Balochistan and create opportunities by making industries in the province. This is only possible when there is peace in Balochistan as the road to progress goes through peace

Governments (federal as well as provincial) can meet the challenge by first and foremost, ensuring peace in the province. Without peace, no other right can be ensured. Second, an integrated and coherent youth employment Strategy is necessary to make a significant impact, as concluded by the provincial consultation on youth employment held in Quetta in November 2017 in collaboration with the Prime Minister`s youth Program and ILO . Seven areas were discussed in that consultation; i) education and training; ii) employment opportunities in the province; iii) employment of the youth in rural value chains; iv) employment [of the youth in mega development projects; v) overseas employment; vi) self-employment & enterprise development and; vii) social protection for unemployed youth.

The alternative route is narrow, dusty and bumpy (as can be seen in the accompanying picture by Ayaz Khan), and is only meant for light traffic. however, with the tacit approval of personnel belonging to lawenforcement agencies, drivers of heavy vehicles have been using the route from the very first day. It is quite apparent that the law-enforcers are not among those praying for an early end to the repair work related to the bridge that collapsed during the last monsoon.

The dusty road is actually their highway to quick material gains. The road is in need of getting some semblance of a half-decent, built-up shape, but the ‘business’ opportunity is too big for too many to be squandered just like that, it seems.

Long and heavy vehicles frequently break down on the dirt track, for it is in no position to handle such massive weight and caves in. The route also has spots with inclination so steep that even cars, auto rickshaws and motorcycles struggle to surmount them. It is at these spots that dumper trucks, coaches and long vehicles mostly break down. This naturally causes severe and frequent traffic jams. But, then, who cares?

In such a scenario, students, office-goers and patients suffer every single day. Students reach their institutions late, while patients undergo interminable suffering. I wonder if someone somewhere is in a position — and willing — to do something about this whole sordid affair. For starters, it would be nice if this route is dedicated, as per the initial plan, to light traffic alone, leaving the rest to use the bypass.

NAVEED AHMED AWARAN

Legalised extortion on Lahore streets

Talking of private jobs, there are not many industries in the province that can give jobs to so many unemployed people. The wages are also low. While those who depend on daily wages are also open to poverty every now and then. Opportunities for a prosperous business are also not good in Balochistan, particularly in the south for security reasons. Quetta, the provincial capital, has almost, already reached its maximum capacity in this regard.

Trade on the porous borders of Iran and Afghanistan remains the last option for many to earn a respectable livelihood, but the closure of these borders and harassment by the security personnel on both sides is a great source of distress and depression among the people.

Furthermore, various studies also show that poverty and income inequality lead to crimes. It is also assumed that a person with a government

Universal Basic Income (UBI) can be social protection for unemployed youth (area number 7). UBI is a government programme in which every adult citizen of the state receives a fixed amount on a regular basis. A province like Balochistan can mould the model a little to provide a basic amount to its unemployed and needy citizens until they are provided with decent employment. Third, efforts should be made to make fast internet available in every corner of the province and encourage youth to learn online means of earning through reputable and free platforms like Digiskills.pk. They can earn a suitable amount through freelancing, without being a burden or a liability on the government, as the government does not have thecapacity to offer enough jobs.

Finally, the provincial government should make genuine efforts to legalize trade and human capital movement across the borders with Iran and Afghanistan to ensure the smooth running of the borders and encourage investors to invest in Balochistan and create opportunities by making industries in the province. Th5is is only possible when there is peace in Balochistan as the road to progress goes through peace.

The writer is Research Fellow at Balochistan Think Tank Network, Quetta.

IT cannot be said with surety for other cities, but shopping in Lahore, especially the DhA area, has become more of a headache than a source of joy and enjoyment.

The so-called ‘token system’, whereby each car is charged for parking at a spot, was, in its initial form, limited to kerb side parking, followed by provision and accessibility of huge parking plazas in the vicinity of markets and offices for which the public was charged according to hours.

The aforementioned systems have proven to be effective in Australia along with many other countries which have efficiently managed to tackle the load of parked vehicles off their roads to designated spots. It is technically for these services that people are charged on hourly basis.

Sharing a bit of my personal experience of living in Australia for a while now, the authorities actually encourage people to use these facilities and avoid parking on the roads by offering free spots for first two to three hours. My recent visit to Lahore, however, has metamorphosed my perspective on this take. Why not commercialise every inch of the road and extort money from public by whatever means one can? And that, too, with such minimal investment as printing misspelled booklets of parking tokens, hiring from among the unemployed public, and giving them uniforms with ‘DhA’ written on them.

The spots right in front of the shops situated in designated commercial areas that were once free for parking are now charged Rs50 every time a vehicle is parked irrespective of the duration of occupancy or the presence of an attendant. Furthermore, one will be charged as many times as an individual parks the vehicle in the area in front of different shops. So, to illustrate, if I wish to make stops at three different locations within the same area, I will be charged thrice. This unjustified capitalisation of public roads, when objected to, is responded with an absurd suggestion to rather park on roads elsewhere. In that case, they might as well install traffic lights on the kerbs, because no space is expected to be left on the roads once all the vehicles are eventually parked on them. Living in DhA was once considered a luxury, but that is no more the case because of the mindset that still enslaves the relevant development authorities. The departments concerned should pay heed to this latest form of corruption before putting on display in the entire city banners telling us, ‘Say no to corruption’.

AMINAH MOHSIN SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA

AsADULLAh RAIsAnI

memoiR of foRmeR iB and RaW officeR as dulat

THERE ARE NO GREAT SECRETS SPILLED OUT IN THE BOOK, ALTHOUGH THERE ARE ENOUGH JUICY TITBITS THERE TO KEEP THE READER HOOKED

shouting “Maaro saalon ko (kill the b*******)” and swarmed the compartments, looking for Sikhs. Dulat somehow escaped unhurt but two Sikhs found on the train were murdered in cold blood.

Scroll SuShant Singh

it was in 1991 that amarjit Singh Dulat was first assigned the job of talking to Kashmiri separatists. as a plethora of people started arriving to meet him, some of them insincere, the wily spook developed a habit of saying directly: “Baat karni hai, toh sachhi baat karo (If you want to speak, speak the truth.)” the one impression that you end up after reading his latest book, a Life in the Shadows: a Memoir is that he is speaking the truth. Or what he knows or believes to be the truth. It is unlikely to win him any popularity awards among his tribe of spooks. But the significance of Dulat’s account goes well beyond that.

LIFE IN THE INTELLIGENCE BUREAU: there are no great secrets spilled out in the book, although there are enough juicy titbits there to keep the reader hooked. You would learn that during the Vajpayee government, Natwar Singh, and Brajesh Mishra kept a line of communication between the Congress and the BJP going. the cold relationship between LK advani and Mishra, or how Jaswant Singh often cut a lonely figure in that government. Or that the previous King of Bhutan would directly ask for the R&aW chief. as did Bangladesh PM Sheikh hasina and the then Sri Lanka President Chandrika Kumaratunga, who would hold personal meetings with the R&aW chief. In her meeting with Dulat, Kumaratunga unrolled a map in front of him and without any preamble, asked “tell me, where is Prabhakaran?”

the book has numerous anecdotes about Giani Zail Singh when he was the President of India and insisted on taking Dulat as his security officer on all his official trips abroad. Dulat believes that Giani got disillusioned with Indira Gandhi after Operation Blue Star and took out his anger on Rajiv Gandhi. he had made up his mind to resign as President in protest after Blue Star, Dulat reveals, but was convinced by godman Yogi Bhajan against doing so. Formerly a customs officer in India, Bhajan started a flourishing ashram in New Mexico for curing addiction and was recognised by the akal takht. he was later disgraced and accused of emotional, sexual and physical abuse in the US. as PM, Rajiv Gandhi banned the entry of Bhajan into India.

It is 1984, the anti-Sikh violence that took place after Indira Gandhi’s assassination, that deliver the most moving paragraph of the book. as head of the IB station in Bhopal, Dulat was heading from Delhi to the capital of Madhya Pradesh in the tamil Nadu Express. the train was forcibly stopped in Dholpur by anti-Sikh rioters who were

“I got off the train, shaken to my soul,” writes Dulat. “to be honest with you, I have often thought that this – the autumn of 1984 – was the first time that I began truly thinking of myself in terms of my identity: as a Sikh. If I was anything first, I realised, I was a Sikh. Until all this had happened, I never thought of myself as anything but an Indian. Now, as I watched Sikhs across the north of India being murdered ruthlessly, I shared their fear and helpless anger.” this was not his first experience of communal violence either. as a young boy in Rawalpindi and Delhi, he was a witness to the horrific madness that had gripped religious communities in north India during India’s partition. Even his father’s official residence, an ICS officer, was not spared after bullets were fired upon it by the local Muslim ShO whose family had been murdered in Pakistan. he witnessed what was to become a routine event during those months, a single passenger slitting the throat of a tonga driver, who happened to be a Muslim. his privileged background was of tremendous help as an intelligence official. he dealt with officials, bureaucrats, diplomats and politicians, who came from a similar socio-economic stratum, and this made it easier for him to be accepted as one of their own and be trusted. Dulat’s easy-going and amiable personality was an asset too, although many would have wondered what was hidden behind that charm and good-humoured facade. Nevertheless, he was a successful intelligence official, rising to the top to be the Number 2 in Intelligence Bureau where he spent most of his career before taking over as head of the Research and analysis Wing. after his retirement, he was brought in as advisor on Indian Occupied Kashmir affairs in Vajpayee’s PMO from January 2001 to May 2004.

the book is at its most powerful when talking of Indian Occupied Kashmir – it runs throughout the narrative and is the abiding passion of his life. he has understood the Kashmiri psyche and empathises with them, like no other government official.

that association began in 1988, when he was first posted to Srinagar. With candour rarely found in books like these, he blames himself for the failures of intelligence that couldn’t prevent Indian Occupied Kashmir from going up in flames of separatism in those years. But he is clear-eyed enough to point to bigger mistakes made over the years. he worries that the separatism and militancy in Indian Occupied Kashmir has acquired a radical flavour in response to harsh majoritarian policies of the current regime.

his attempt to get Shabir Shah to fight the 1996 assembly elections, as directed by the government, did not bear fruit. he reveals that in 2002, after the National Conference lost the elections, the Vajpayee PMO conveyed to the Congress party that it didn’t want Mufti as CM and Congress should form the state government instead. Sonia Gandhi didn’t agree. abdul Ghani Lone makes an appearance, as does Yasin Malik.

Several readers may wonder on the need for a full chapter on Doval, and if it was thought to be included to serve as click-bait and help the book make newspaper headlines. But the book is anyway engrossing, though the Doval chapter does the readability quotient no harm. Kashmir remains the biggest theatre “where Doval’s ideas of muscular power are playing out.” as he (Doval) told Dulat, “there has been enough talking. Now, we are no longer going to talk.”

Despite this official position, Dulat repeatedly stresses on engaging all shades of Kashmiris in a proactive and open conversation. he is relentless and untiring, reminding of the Greek myth of Sisyphus, condemned by the Gods for eternity to repeatedly roll a boulder up a hill only to have it roll down again once he gets it to the top. In his essay on Sisyphus, albert Camus saw it as a metaphor for the individual’s persistent struggle against the essential absurdity of life. there can be no place more replete with the essential absurdity of life than today’s Indian Occupied Kashmir. In making a sensible and humane case in this theatre of the absurd lies the significance of Dulat and his new book.

Rising unemployment

Job creation biggest challenge for government

Tribune

that the unemployment rate in India surged to 8.3% in December 2022, the highest in 16 months, should be a cause for concern among the economic policy-makers. according to data published by the Mumbai-based Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE), the unemployment rate had fallen to 6.4% in September — which was attributed to hiring around the holiday and festive season — but it rose steadily after that, to 7.8% in October and 8% in November. among the states, haryana’s unemployment rate stands at a staggering 37.4%, while it is 28.5% in Rajasthan and 20.8% in Delhi. this news, coupled with the warning by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that a third of the world would be hit by recession in 2023, presents a sobering prognosis for the immediate future. according to the CMIE data, the urban unemployment rate rose from 8.96% in November to 10.09% in December, while the rural unemployment rate fell marginally during this period, from 7.55% to 7.44%. Experts say that the rise in unemployment cannot be explained by the seasonal movement of labour in and out of agriculture. One factor that has contributed to the rise is the increase in the labour participation rate — which takes into account people who are working or looking for work — to 40.48% in December. the agriculture sector had absorbed a large number of workers who lost their jobs during the Covid pandemic, but experts say that people who returned to the cities and towns still are either looking for jobs or are underemployed.

While India remains one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, the fact remains that jobs have not been created at a steady pace and exports have fallen. the MSMEs have been struggling since 2016, as is borne out by the fact that the unemployment rate was about 5% five years ago as compared to 8.3% now. Overall, the picture does not look good — the country’s current account deficit reached an all-time high of $36.4 billion in the July-September quarter, the trade deficit with China has risen to record levels, and the rupee had a terrible year, falling from Rs 74.33 to Rs 82.72 to the US dollar in 2022, a decline of 10.14%. all this, along with the IMF warning, suggests that we are in for another difficult year.

a new world energy order is taking shape

GLOBAL OIL TRADE IS DE-DOLLARISING SLOWLY BUT SURELY

and Gulf Co-operation Council leaders in December marked “the birth of the petroyuan”, as Credit Suisse analyst Zoltan Pozsar put it in a note to clients. according to Pozsar, “China wants to rewrite the rules of the global energy market”, as part of a larger effort to de-dollarise the so-called Bric countries of Brazil, Russia, India and China, and many other parts of the world after the weaponisation of dollar foreign exchange reserves following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

diminution of the dollar-based financial system in general, often point out that China doesn’t enjoy the same level of global trust, rule of law or reserve currency liquidity that the US does, making other countries unlikely to want to do business in renminbi.

such as Mexico, Brazil, argentina, Zaire, turkey and others by US commercial banks from the late 1970s onwards led to several emerging market debt crises. Petrodollars also accelerated the creation of a more speculative, debt-fuelled economy in the US, as banks flush with cash created all sorts of new financial “innovations”, and an influx of foreign capital allowed the US to maintain a larger deficit.

Franklin

on the american cruiser

It was the beginning of one of the most important geopolitical alliances of the past 70 years, in which US security in the Middle East was bartered for oil pegged in dollars.

But times change, and 2023 may be remembered as the year that this grand bargain began to shift, as a new world energy order between China and the Middle East took shape.

While China has for some time been buying increasing amounts of oil and liquefied natural gas from Iran, Venezuela, Russia and parts of africa in its own currency, President Xi Jinping’s meeting with Saudi

What does that mean in practice? For starters, a lot more oil trade will be done in renminbi. Xi announced that, over the next three to five years, China would not only dramatically increase imports from GCC countries, but work towards “all-dimensional energy co-operation”. this could potentially involve joint exploration and production in places such as the South China Sea, as well as investments in refineries, chemicals and plastics. Beijing’s hope is that all of it will be paid for in renminbi, on the Shanghai Petroleum and Natural Gas Exchange, as early as 2025.

that would mark a massive shift in the global energy trade. as Pozsar points out, Russia, Iran and Venezuela account for 40 per cent of Opec+ proven oil reserves, and all of them are selling oil to China at a steep discount while the GCC countries account for another 40 per cent of proven reserves. the remaining 20 per cent are in regions within the Russian and Chinese orbit.

those who doubt the rise of the petroyuan, and the

Perhaps, although the oil marketplace is dominated by countries that have more in common with China (at least in terms of their political economies) than with the US. What’s more, the Chinese have offered up something of a financial safety-net by making the renminbi convertible to gold on the Shanghai and hong Kong gold exchanges.

While this doesn’t make the renminbi a substitute for the dollar as a reserve currency, the petroyuan trade nonetheless comes with important economic and financial implications for policymakers and investors.

For one thing, the prospect of cheap energy is already luring western industrial businesses to China. Consider the recent move of Germany’s BaSF to downsize its main plant in Ludwigshafen and shift chemical operations to Zhanjiang. this could be the beginning of what Pozsar calls a “farm to table” trend in which China tries to capture more value-added production locally, using cheap energy as a lure. (a number of European manufacturers have also increased jobs in the US because of lower energy costs there.)

Petropolitics come with financial risks as well as upsides. It’s worth remembering that the recycling of petrodollars by oil-rich nations into emerging markets

that trend may now start to go into reverse. already, there are fewer foreign buyers for US treasuries. If the petroyuan takes off, it would feed the fire of de-dollarisation. China’s control of more energy reserves and the products that spring from them could be an important new contributor to inflation in the west. It’s a slow-burn problem, but perhaps not as slow as some market participants think.

What should policymakers and business leaders do? If I were chief executive of a multinational company, I’d be looking to regionalise and localise as much production as possible to hedge against a multipolar energy market. I’d also do more vertical integration to offset increased inflation in supply chains.

If I were a US policymaker, I’d think about ways to increase North american shale production over the short to medium term (and offer Europeans a discount for it), while also speeding up the green transition. that’s yet another reason why Europeans shouldn’t be complaining about the Inflation Reduction act, which subsidises clean energy production in the US. the rise of the petroyuan should be an incentive for both the US and Europe to move away from fossil fuels as quickly as they can.

Financial TimeS

Rana FOROOhaR

oN Valentine’s Day in 1945, US president

Delano Roosevelt met Saudi King abdul aziz Ibn Saud

USS Quincy.

But the central character of his Kashmir story, to no one’s surprise, is Farooq abdullah who, he contends, has been misunderstood and therefore given short shrift by New Delhi. he has seen the senior abdullah change after 2019, and believes that there can be no forward movement in the Valley without an active role for him. Because of ajit Doval’s alleged role in creating the PDP, he remains sceptical of Mehbooba Mufti: “We will only know for sure [which side she is on] once elections are held again in Kashmir some day.

corporate corner

ICAP Council Member M Ali Latif Appointed as SBP’s Board Director

INvEStMENt uNDER CPEC tO REACh $62B By 2030: REPORt

islamabad staff report

tHetotal planned investment under China Pakistan economic Corridor (CPeC) is $62 billion between FY2015 and FY2030, out of which $27.4 billion projects have been realized, with energy sector (power generation, coal mining and transmission lines) representing 76 percent.

ment Policy Institute (SDPI).

KE committed to highlight importance of safety

It covers power generation projects, both fossil fuel and renewable, of about 11 GW. To date, about 5,520 MW energy projects have been completed. More than half of these projects are coal-based power plants, according to an annual report on renewable energy released by Sustainable Develop-

The report says the completed projects under the corridor include 1320 MW Sahiwal Coal-fired Power Plant, 1320MW Coal-fired Power Plant at Port Qasim, Karachi, 1320MW China Hub Coal Power Project, Hub, Balochistan, 660 MW engro Thar Coal Power Project, 1000 MW Quaid-eAzam Solar Park, Bahawalpur, 50 MW Hydro China Dawood Wind Farm, Gharo, 100 MW UeP Wind Farm, Jhimpir, Thatta, 50 MW Sachal Wind Farm, Jhimpir, Thatta, 100 MW Three Gorges Second and Third Wind Power Project, Matiari to Lahore ±660 KV HVDC Transmission Line Project, and 720 MW Karot Hydropower Project, AJK/Punjab.

The projects that are under con-

struction include 1320 SSRL Thar Coal Block-I (2×660MW), 330MW HUBCO Thar Coal Power Project, 330MW HUBCO ThalNova Thar Coal Power Project, 884MW Suki Kinari Hydropower Project, KP, and 300 MW Coal-Fired Power Project, Gwadar.

Similarly the CPeC projects that are under consideration include 1124 MW Kohala Hydropower Project, AJK, 700.7MW Azad Pattan Hydropower Project, AJK/Punjab, 1320 MW Thar Mine Mouth Oracle Power Plant, 50 MW Cacho Wind Power Project, and 50 MW Western energy (Pvt.) Ltd. Wind Power Project.

The report said that Pakistan has committed in NDC 2021 that no new coal plant will be financed. Balance of Payment (BoP) crisis, along with

Defence Minister visits Air Headquarters

New coaches fully fit and ready to run on track: CEO Railways

Chief Executive Officer Pakistan Railways Salman Sadiq Shaikh has strongly denied the news published in an English daily that states that bogies imported from China are unfit to run in Pakistan. He said that unprofessional reporting was done on a technical subject that needs proper understanding before commenting on any of its aspect. Sadiq said that the purpose of this news is nothing but negative propaganda about Pakistan Railways. He added that these passenger coaches are fully compatible with the system of Pakistan Railways. The CEO said that the new coaches were thoroughly inspected and de-processed after which they were cleared to run on trial basis. pr

Railways police stations turn digital

Defence Minister of Pakistan, Khawaja Muhammad Asif, called on Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu, Chief of the Air Staff, Pakistan Air Force during his visit to Air Headquarters, Islamabad today. Matters pertaining to evolving geo-strategic environment and regional security situation were discussed during the meeting. The Defence Minister lauded the matchless professionalism of

PAF and stated that the government would utilize all its resources to modernize Pakistan Air Force to ensure an impregnable defence of the country. He admired the revamping of training by PAF to produce well- equipped and skillful work force to cope up with ever-changing challenges of aerial defence and national security. He also lauded the exceptional response of Pakistan Air Force during the rescue and rehabilitation of flood victims in the aftermath of recent floods in the country. The

DDWP approves 14 development schemes for division

Air Chief briefed the visiting dignitary about various ongoing projects being carried out by Pakistan Air Force with special focus on modernization and development of indigenous capabilities. Chief of the Air Staff also briefed the Defence Minister about his vision of PAF's National Aerospace Science & Technology Park (NASTP) project and highlighted that the mega project was aimed at fostering collaborative research, development and innovation in the domains of aviation.

high circular debt and surplus capacity have already scaled back future CPeC investment, as indicated by the shelving of the 1,320 MW Rahim Yar Khan coal power project in 2019.

In November 2020, Pakistan announced suspending coal-based power projects under planning and initial construction stages as part of Pakistan’s climate action efforts and formalized this under the country’s revised 2012 NDCs.

The decision was a follow-up to a report from an independent ninemember committee set up in 2019-20 to review the independent power project contracts, including CPeC contracts, which offered higher returns compared with global standards, the report added.

Shan Foods achieves grade AA BRC rating for 3rd consecutive year

karachI: Maintaining its excellence in quality & food safety, Shan Foods has achieved the ‘AA’ grade rating for the third year in a row in the Brand Reputation Compliances Global Standard (BRCGS) re-certification audit, becoming the first spice company in Pakistan to achieve ‘AA’ rating consecutively 3rd time.

Apart of being certified on BRC Food Standard, Shan Foods holds certifications which are recognized globally such as FSSC, QMS, EMS, OHSMS and Halaal certifications i.e. PS 3733 OIC SMIIC 1 and JAKIM MS 1500.

Commenting on the achievement, Mushkbar Zehra, Director Quality Assurance, HSE & Compliance at Shan Foods, remarked, “This is just one of the chapters in Shan Foods' success story, and we intend to keep expanding and bringing our customers' happiness and high-quality food.” pr

21pc growth in RW forecast in next eight years

ISLaMaBaD: As many as 21 per cent growth in renewable energy (RE) has been forecast in next eight years till 2030. Sources told APP here that as per the forecast, the total generation from wind, solar and bagasse would be enhanced from from 2949 megawatt (MW) to 13,686 MW during the said period.

Sharing details, they said the share of solar would wind would be over 5000 MW, solar 7,932 MW and 749 MW bagasse. The government has revised these forecasts based on stronger policy support and ambitious climate targets announced for COP 26, i.e. Alternative Renewable Energy (ARE) Policy (30% share of solar and wind), Indicative Generation Capacity Expansion Plan (IGCEP), National Electricity Policy 2021, and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) (60% capacity share of renewables and hydro by 2030.

They said in terms of tariff determination of renewables, the current cost of generation from different sources show that renewables were becoming increasingly competitive with conventional fossil fuel-based sources. The current generation mix included wind and solar with much higher older tariffs of Rs 25.25/kWh and Rs 24.41/kWh and latest plants with tariffs as low as Rs.16.20/ kWh and Rs.19.14/kWh.

They said the tariffs determined by NEPRA for wind power plants in the last decade have reduced from Rs.12.77/kWh to Rs.6.39/kWh.

Pakistan’s energy mix witnessed an offtake of renewables over the past decade. Renewables contribute about 4 per cent of total power sector generation while wind alone contributes more than two-thirds of renewables generation.

Director Development Robina Kosar and officers of all concerned departments were present at the meeting. pr

Energy generated from solar and wind jumped from almost zero in 2011 to 4,320 GWh of electricity units in 2021. pr

Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Tariq Bashir Cheema has said that there is no shortage of wheat in the country and the strategic reserves are satisfactory.

While addressing a presser in Islamabad, Federal Minister Tariq Bashir Cheema said that he will propose to the Prime Minister to provide wheat to the flour mills in Islamabad through PASSCO (Pakistan Agricultural Storage & Services Corporation). “The daily requirement of the forty flour mills in Islamabad is 38,000 bags of 20kg. Punjab government is not providing enough to these flour mills and resultantly there is a shortage of 17,000 bags per day,” he added. He said that since the millers are buying from the open market to meet the shortfall, the price of wheat flour is rising. He reminded that the Punjab failed to meet its wheat procurement tar-

get for the year and approached the Federal government to meet the shortfall. He stressed that the Punjab government should provide mills in Islamabad with the required amount. Federal Minister Tariq Bashir Cheema said that there are 38 points in Islamabad where the government is providing wheat flour at a low price to provide relief to the public. While talking about the delay in the announcement of the support price of wheat by the Federal Government, Federal Minister Tariq Bashir Cheema said that the Sindh government has set wheat support price at Rs 4,000 per 40kg, which is very high. He hoped that the issue will be settled soon in a meeting between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. He said that that after 18th Amendment, prices of the essential items are controlled by the provincial governments. He stressed that provincial governments should take responsibility and take measures to ensure food security of essential items and control prices.

Federal Minister Tariq Bashir Cheema said that wheat

flour mills are grinding less than their capacity across the country, which is resulting in artificially high prices. He stressed that the provincial governments should take action against them. He emphasized that after the NFC award, provincial governments have the financial resources. “If they can enhance their procurement targets, then they should,” he said. Federal Minister Tariq Bashir Cheema said that import bill of oil seed import is expected to be $6 billion this year. He said that the provinces should promote oil seed cultivation to reduce the burden on the exchequer. Federal Minister Tariq Bashir Cheema said that there are enough strategic reserves to meet the demand of Afghanistan. He said that smuggling will not be allowed and if any country requires wheat, then it should approach the government. “Federal Government has spent billions of rupees through BISP (Benazir Income Support Programme) for rehabilitation and resettlement of flood affected families despite financial constraints,” he said.

MULTaN: Divisional Development Working Party (DDWP) on Wednesday approved 14 development schemes across the division and revise the estimate of all development schemes of the Highways department. The approval has been given in a meeting held here under the chair of Commissioner Multan Division Ashfaq Ahmed Chaudhry. The development schemes including nine for Khanewal, two for each Lodhran and Multan, and one for Vehari district have been approved and would be completed with funds of Rs 1611.9 million. Speaking on the occasion, Commissioner said that all development schemes would be completed within the given time. He said that there would be no compromise on the quality of material and added that strict action would be taken over negligence.

islamabad

staff report

karachI: The council member of Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan (ICAP), Mr. M. Ali Latif, is appointed as Non-Executive Director on Board of State Bank of Pakistan (SBP).

Mr. M. Ali Latif is a Fellow Member (FCA) of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan (ICAP). He has over 20 years of experience in the audit and tax profession and is responsible for managing a wide ranging portfolio of private and public sector clients across different economic sectors. He is currently working as Partner in “M/s Muniff Ziauddin & Co., Chartered Accountants – Representing BKR International. pr

The company recently held an awareness session with over 700 students at the Prince Ali Boys School in Malir, educating children and teachers on how to protect themselves in case of a fire, steps they can undertake to combat negative effects of climate change, and the benefits of using electricity wisely. they were also given information on KE's environmentally friendly paperless billing initiative which is saving 4000 trees and 265 million gallons of water annually. pr

Lahore: The digital system is being introduced in all major police stations of railways across the country with the assistance of Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB). A MoU signing ceremony in this regard between Railways Police and PITB also took place at Central Police Office, Railways. The project has been launched as per the vision of the IG Pakistan Railways Police, Rao Sardar Ali Khan. pr

islamabad staff report

South Korea’S Yoon warnS of ending militarY pact after north drone intruSion

SEOUL agencies

SouthKorean President Yoon Suk-yeol said on Wednesday he would consider suspending a 2018 inter-Korean military pact if the North violates its airspace again, his office said, amid tension over a recent intrusion by North Korean drones.

Yoon made the comment after being briefed on countermeasures to North Korean drones that crossed into the South last week, calling for building an “overwhelming response capability that goes beyond proportional levels,” according to his press secretary, Kim Eun-hye.

“During the meeting, he instructed the national security office to consider suspending the validity of the military agreement if North Korea stages another provocation invading our territory,” Kim told a briefing.

the 2018 deal, sealed on the sidelines of a summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in, calls for ceasing “all hostile acts”, creating a no-fly zone around the border, and removing landmines and guard posts within the heavily fortified Demilitarised Zone. the government has

not said how many mines and posts were removed, citing security concerns.

Abandoning the pact could mean the return of the guard posts, live-fire drills in the former no-fly zone and propaganda broadcasts across the border – all of which drew angry responses from Pyongyang before the pact.

Inter-Korean relations have been testy for decades but have grown even more tense since Yoon took office in May pledg-

charlie hebdo draws iran’s ire for publishing Khamenei cartoons

TEHRAN agencies

Iran warned France on Wednesday it would respond after “insulting” cartoons depicting Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei were published in the satirical magazine Charlie hebdo. the weekly had published dozens of cartoons on the same day ridiculing the highest religious and political figure in the Islamic republic. the magazine said the cartoons were part of a competition it launched in December in support of the protests triggered by the September 16 death in custody of Mahsa Amini, an Iranian Kurd who was arrested for allegedly violating the country’s strict dress code for women. “the insulting and indecent act of a French publication in publishing cartoons against the religious and political authority will not go without an effective and decisive response,” tweeted Iran’s Foreign Minister hossein Amir-Abdollahian. “We will not allow the French government to go beyond its bounds. they have definitely chosen the wrong path”. the French magazine said the contest aimed “to support the struggle of Iranians who are fighting for their freedom”.

Iranian authorities say hundreds of people, including members of the security forces, have been killed and thousands arrested in what they generally describe as “riots”, and have accused hostile foreign powers and opposition groups of stoking the unrest.

ControvErSiAl ChArliE hEbdo: the French satire magazine is not new to controversy, especially in the Muslim world. In 2015, it published blasphemous sketches, prompting an attack on the magazine’s office on January 7, 2015, in which 12 persons were killed. the issue later resurfaced in 2020 when the magazine republished the sketches on September 2 to coincide with the trial of 14 people accused of helping the attackers carry out their gun rampage against the magazine staffers.

ing a tougher line against Pyongyang.

During the election campaign last year, Yoon said Pyongyang had repeatedly breached the agreement with missile launches and warned he might scrap it. he said after taking office that the pact’s fate hinges on the North’s actions.

Yoon has criticised the military’s handling of the drone incident, in part blaming the previous administration’s reliance on the 2018 pact.

he has urged the military to stand ready to retaliate, even if that means “risking escalation.”

Yoon ordered the defence minister to launch a comprehensive drone unit that performs multi-purpose missions, including surveillance, reconnaissance and electronic warfare, and to set up a system to mass-produce small drones that are difficult to detect within the year, Kim said.

“he also called for accelerating the development of stealthy drones this year and quickly establishing a drone killer system,” she said. South Korea’s army operated two drone squadrons within its Ground operations Command since 2018, but they were primarily designed to prepare for future warfare.

the defence ministry has said it plans to launch another unit focusing on surveillance and reconnaissance functions, especially targeting smaller drones.

“the upcoming unit would carry entirely different tasks, conducting operations in various areas,” Defence Minister Lee Jong-sup told parliament last week. to boost its anti-drone capability, the ministry announced plans last week it would spend 560 billion won ($440 million) over the next five years on technology such as airborne laser weapons and signal jammers.

Brazil’s Lula puts US, China among his first official visits

agencies

Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will make his first official trip to Argentina at the end of January, before visiting the united States, Portugal and China, an official said tuesday.

Lula, as the 77-year-old leader is commonly known, will participate in the summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (Celac), which takes place on January 23 and 24 in Buenos Aires.

the leftist leader, who was sworn in as president of the South American country for the third time on Sunday, will meet with uS counterpart Joe Biden in Washington, on a still “undated” trip, according to a source in the president’s office.

the trip to China, Brazil’s largest trading partner, will be “after March,” the same source added.

China’s foreign ministry on Wednesday confirmed an invitation to the Brazilian president, although it did not provide a date for his visit.

“China places high importance on the China-Brazil comprehensive strategic partnership, and welcomes President Lula’s visit to China at a time convenient for both parties,” spokeswoman Mao

Ning said at a briefing.

Senior Chinese official Wang Qishan attended Lula’s inauguration ceremony in Brazil on Sunday.

the Brazilian presidency also confirmed that Lula will be in Portugal from April 22 to 25.

Lula, who led Latin America’s largest economy twice between 2003 and 2010, is giving the first signs of wanting to break Brazil’s international isolation after four years under far-right predecessor Jair Bolsonaro.

In his inauguration speech in Congress, he announced a new role for Brazil in the world by resuming “South American integration” and the reconstruction of the “high and active dialogue with the united States, the European Community and China.”

the new foreign minister, Mauro Vieira, said Monday at the inauguration ceremony that Brazil will have “a huge reconstruction job” after the “unprecedented setback” of Bolsonaro’s reign.

amid rare public display of anger, russia says toll from ukraine strike rises to 89

MOSCOW agencies

the toll from a ukrainian New Year strike in Makiivka has risen to 89, Moscow said Wednesday, after Russians gathered to mourn the troops in a rare public display of anger and grief.

Russia said in the early hours of Wednesday that more bodies had been found under the rubble in the town of Makiivka in the Russian-controlled region of Donetsk and the toll had risen to 89.

the defence ministry declared that the tragedy had taken place because Russian troops had used cell phones, giving away their location to ukrainian forces. Russia said on Monday that 63 troops had been killed, the biggest loss of life from a single strike reported by Moscow since the start of the offensive in February. “the number of our dead comrades has gone up to 89,” Lieutenant General Sergei Sevryukov said in a video statement released by the defence ministry early Wednesday. More bodies had been found under the rubble, he added.

ukraine struck a temporary base in Makiivka at 12:01 am local time on January 1, using uS-supplied hIMARS rocket systems, Sevryukov said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin had just delivered his traditional New Year’s address. the Kremlin chief hailed “our heroes” fighting in ukraine and declared that “historical rightness is on our side.”

ukraine has taken responsibility for the strike and said the toll could be much higher. Russian war correspondents said many of the victims were reservists recently mobilised into the army. the admission of the heavy losses came after the war correspondents, who have gained influence in recent months, accused Russia’s top commanders of fatal incompetence. Sevryukov said Wednesday that it was the use of cellphones by soldiers that had led to the deadly strike.

“Currently, a commission is working to investigate the circumstances of what has happened,” he said.

“But it is already obvious that the main reason for what has happened was the turning on and massive use by personnel of mobile phones within reach of enemy weapons contrary to the ban.”

he said measures were being taken to ensure such incidents would not happen in the future, and all those responsible will be punished. the new announcement came after mourners gathered in several cities of the Volga region of Samara — where some of the servicemen came from — to mourn the dead.

– ‘Grief unites’ –

Some 200 people laid roses and wreaths in a central square in the city of Samara as an orthodox priest recited a prayer.

Soldiers also fired a gun salute at the commemoration, where some of the mourners could be seen holding flags for the ruling united Russia party. “It’s very tough, it’s scary. But we cannot be broken. Grief unites,” Ekaterina Kolotovkina, head of a group of army spouses, said at the ceremony. Similar gatherings were reported in other cities including tolyatti, home to Russia’s largest carmaker AvtoVAZ

Sevryukov also said that Russia had destroyed ukraine’s multiple launch rocket system used in the attack on Makiivka.

WASHINGTON staff report

the uS is “deeply concerned” tuesday by Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvi’s visit to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound despite warnings that it could stoke tension.

“We’re deeply concerned by any unilateral actions that have the potential to exacerbate tensions precisely because we want to see the opposite happen,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said at a news conference. “We want to see tensions reduced. We want to see tensions diminish,” he said.

“the united States stands firmly for preservation of the historic status quo with respect to the holy sites in Jerusalem,” Price told reporters in response to a question about the visit that sparked tensions in the region.

Any “unilateral actions” undercutting the historic status quo are “unacceptable,” he said. the visit has the “potential to exacerbate tensions and to provoke violence,” he said. “We continue to be deeply concerned by that very intensifying violence in the West Bank.”

UAE, ChinA CAll for Un SECUrity CoUnCil mEEting ovEr Al AqSA moSqUE on the other hand, the united Arab Emirates and China called tuesday for a uN Security Council meeting after Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir entered Al-Aqsa Mosque’s courtyards in occupied East Jerusalem amid warnings of unrest.

the Council is expected to convene on thursday, diplomats said. the visit drew fierce condemnation across the world, with the uS, Israel’s closest ally, expressing deep

concern over the recent developments.

”We’re deeply concerned by any unilateral actions that have the potential to exacerbate tensions precisely because we want to see the opposite happen,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said. ”the united States stands firmly for the preservation of the historic status quo with respect to the holy sites in Jerusalem.”

he added that any unilateral actions undercutting the status quo are ”unacceptable.”For Muslims, Al-Aqsa represents the world’s third-holiest site. Jews, for their part, call the area the temple Mount, saying it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times. Israel occupied East Jerusalem, where al-Aqsa is located, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. It annexed the entire city in 1980 in a move never recognized by the international community.

BRASíLIA

NoRTje’S double STRike leAveS AuSTRAliA AT 147-2 oN RAiN-hiT dAy

Agencies

SouTHAfrica strike bowler Anrich Nortje claimed the key wickets of David Warner and Marnus Labuschagne on Wednesday to prise Australia’s grip on the third Test in Sydney as rain plagued the opening day. Nortje was the Proteas’ star man as he removed Warner cheaply for 10 and late in the day denied Labuschagne (79) his 11th Test hundred.

As bad light and rain conspired to prematurely end the first day, Australia were 147 for two with usman Khawaja, who averages 98 in Sydney Tests, unbeaten on 54 and Steven Smith yet to score.

Nortje got the big breakthrough with a ripper, taking the edge of Labuschagne’s bat to get him caught behind and end his 151ball stay.

“I was trying to hit good areas, not trying to be fancy, just trying to keep it simple and try to hit the wicket as hard as I could,” Nortje said of the crucial dismissal.

“Luckily I got something out of it. It wasn’t really a big set-up, just more to try

and stay consistent and luckily we got some nip and bounce there.”

The pacer earlier struck in his second ove of the day when he had Melbourne Test double-centurion Warner caught at slip by Marco Jansen for 10.

No sooner had Smith arrived at the wicket after Labuschagne’s departure that the players left the field for bad light for the final time.

“Definitely very frustrated. obviously, it always makes you very angry as a batter when you get out and then everyone walks with you off the field,” Labuschagne said of his dismissal.

“But at the end of the day he bowled a really good set there and that one obviously just kicked.”

It is the sixth bedevilled Sydney Test out of the past seven to be affected by rain.

‘Thought it was out’ There was controversy earlier in Labuschagne’s innings when on 70 he edged Jansen to Simon Harmer at slip.

The on-field umpires referred the decision with a soft signal of out, only for third umpire Richard Kettleborough to rule that the ball had touched the ground between the fingers of Harmer.

Nortje said of the decision: “All of us thought it was out. Simon was convinced that it went straight in and from the angles, to us it looked as though he got his fingers underneath it… so unfortunately we didn’t get that one.”

Khawaja also survived a review straight after lunch on 25 as he reverse-swept Harmer and was given out leg before wicket, but replays showed the ball touching the glove.

The opening day was also marked by Matt Renshaw, recalled for his first Test for Australia since April 2018, returning a positive Covid-19 test after the toss was taken and the team composition confirmed.

ut team officials said he would continue to play in the match with his symptoms only described as mild.

Renshaw was transferred to a separate dressing room from his teammates where he will prepare for the rest of the match, and spent most of play sitting away from the team runners near the Australian dug-out.

Skipper Pat Cummins won his fifth successive toss and decided to play an extra spinner with left-armer Ashton Agar, and Renshaw coming in to bolster the batting,

stAff RepoRt

The event, which involves altogether twenty top most local clubs of the city, promises exciting cricket in the shortest version of the game. Apart from the hosts ground, MTG, four other grounds of the city will hold the matches of the competition, which has been sponsored by Nabeel Ahmad, who is also the patron of this annual activity.

The competition previously known as Col Fateh Sher Khan Memorial T20 Cup, is being organized to pay homage to Nabeel’s father in recognition of his services for the homeland. The event offers a total prize of Rs over a million with special cash prizes for top performers.

According to Nabeel Ahmad, the prime objective of holding this event on annual basis is to revive club cricket and tape new talent. “While living in America, I am contributing in a national duty to promote cricket as collective efforts are needed to infuse a new life in Pakistan’s dying club cricket,”

said Nabeel, himself a former cricketer. n Friday (January 6), Model Town Greens will play against P&T Gymkhana at Model Town Greens ground at 11:00 am in Pool A while in Pool B, Cricket Centre Club will vie against Yu Slim Cricket Club at Cricket Centre ground at 11:00 am. on January 7, Pindi Gym Vs Golden Star; on Jan 8, Ludhiana Gym vs Apollo Club; on Jan 9,

Cricket Centre vs Model Town Whites, Model Town Club vs Prince Club and Township Whites vs Lucky Star Club; on an 10, Apollo Club vs Shah Faisal Club; on Jan 11, Golden Star vs Pak Lion, Prince Club vs Lucky Star Club, Ali Garh Club vs Valencia Club and Golden Star vs P&T Club.

on Jan 12, Model Town Whites vs Shah Kamal, Pak Lion P&T Club and Shinning

Club vs Yu Slim Club; on Jan 13, Model Town Club vs Lucky Star Club and Cricket Centre vs Shah Kamal Club; on Jan 14, Pindi Gym vs P&T Club and Apollo Club vs Valencia Club; on Jan 16, Model Town Club vs City Gym, Township Whites vs City Gymkhana and Ludhiana Club vs Valencia Club; on Jan 17, Township Whites vs Prince Club, Model Town Greens vs Golden Star Club, Apollo Club vs Aligarh Club and Model Town Whites vs Shinning Club.

on Jan 18, Model Town Club vs Township Whites, Ludhiana vs Ali Garh, Yu Slim Club vs Shah Kamal, Lucky Star vs City Gymkhana and Model Town Greens vs Pak Lion; on Jan 19, Shah Faisal vs Valencia Club, Mode Whites vs Yu Slim Club and Shah Faisal Club vs Ali Garh Club; on Jan 20, Cricket Centre vs Shinning Club, Prince Club vs City Gymkhana and Shah Faisal vs Ludhiana Club; on Jan 21, the last league match will be played between Pindi Gym and Pak Lion Club.

The quarterfinals of the tournament will be contested from January 22 to 25, the semifinals will take place on January 26 and 27 and the grand final will be held on January 28. The PCB affiliated umpires match referees and scorers will officiate in the matches, which will be shown live on different social media platforms.

Al Nassr of Saudi Arabia will hold a signing ceremony on Tuesday for superstar Cristiano Ronaldo. “All eyes on Riyadh as the world’s greatest@Cristiano will be unveiled in Al Nassr colours for the very first time,” the team tweeted. Cristiano Ronaldo shared a message for fans in a video on his way to join the team, saying: “See you soon Nassr fans.”The signing ceremony will be held at Riyad’s Mrsool Park stadium with a 25,000-person capacity at 1600GMT. AlNassr on Saturday confirmed the inking of Ronaldo on a free transfer, saying: “History in the making.”

stAff RepoRt

AdeLAIde, AUSTRALIA Agencies

Former world number one Daniil Medvedev locked in an all-Russian Adelaide International quarter-final with Karen Khachanov Wednesday, while Aryna Sabalenka stormed back to book her place in the last eight.

Medvedev, runner-up at the last two Australian opens, blew away the new year cobwebs with a 6-0, 6-3 romp over Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic.

It came a day after the 2021uS open champion had to save nine set points against first-round opponent Lorenzo Sonego before the Italian retired hurt.

“I think it was a great match. Miomir is a tough opponent, a highranked player so there are no easy guys left in Adelaide,” third seed Medvedev said of the 29th-ranked Serb.

“I’m not sure there were any (easy opponents) from the first round, so really happy to be through, happy with my level.”

The world number seven dropped just 12 points in a whirlwind 28-minute opening set before closing out the

match comfortably.

Next up is eighth seed Khachanov, who eased past Britain’s Jack Draper 64, 6-2.

Rising Japanese star Yoshihito Nishioka also went through. Having dispatched fifth seed Holger Rune in the first round, he backed up to beat American Mackenzie McDonald 6-4, 6-3.

His reward is a last-eight clash with either Australian qualifier Alexei Popyrin, who stunned second seed Felix Auger-Aliassime on Monday, or American Marcos Giron.

World number five Sabalenka came back from 1-5 down in the first set to fight past dogged Russian Liudmila Samsonova 7-6 (10/8), 7-6 (7/3) and make the quarter-finals.

She will meet Marketa Vondrousova for a place in the last four after the Czech player’s dominant 6-0, 6-4 dismissal of Estonian Kaia Kanepi.

“When you’re 1-5 down there’s nothing to lose and you just go for your shots without thinking,” Sabalenka said of clawing back against a player who collected trophies in Tokyo, Cleveland and Washington last year to crack the top 20.

Saud Shakeel registered his maiden Test century but Pakistan’s lower-order collapse left the second Test against New Zealand evenly poised at Karachi’s National Stadium on Wednesday.

The hosts, replying to New Zealand’s firstinnings 449, finished day three on 407-9 after losing four quick wickets in the final session.

Saud, who forged a 150-run partnership with Sarfaraz Ahmed for the fifth wicket, was unbeaten on 124, which included 17 fours.

Abrar Ahmed, who denied Ish Sodhi a hattrick, was yet to open his account at the other end.

Saud went into the match with five halfcenturies in his first four tests and the hundred duly arrived in his fifth, on his home ground.

Earlier, Pakistan lost Imam-ul-Haq, who made 83 before falling caught behind off New Zealand captain Tim Southee in the only dismissal of the morning session.

Southee reviewed the original not-out decision and replays confirmed the ball had brushed the toe-end of Imam’s bat before nestling in Tom Blundell’s gloves.

Sarfaraz (78) joined Saud in a union of local boys who scored freely after the lunch break to narrow the deficit.

Sarfaraz brought up the third successive

fifty of his first test series in nearly four

Saud

Bracewell

Sodhi

KARACHI

years but the hundred he was looking for did not materialise. Two balls after getting an lbw decision against him overturned, Sarfaraz was stumped off Daryl Mitchell.

took a single off Michael Bracewell to bring up his hundred and got a reprieve on 102 when Tom Latham grassed a simple catch

at short point off Southee.

took a brilliant catch in the slips to remove Agha Salman for 41, however, and suddenly wickets started tumbling.

bowled Naseem Shah and Mir Hamza with successive deliveries but Abrar blocked the hat-trick delivery. The opening Test ended in a draw.

LAHORe

The 20-K Cup T20 Tournament will get underway from Thursday (today) with hosts Model Town Greens Club, taking on Pindi Gymkhana in the inaugural match here at Model Town Greens ground.

SydNey

squeezing out in-form paceman Scott Boland on a dry cracking Sydney Cricket Ground pitch.

South Africa did likewise, with off-spinner Harmer ousting Lungi Ngidi while Heinrich Klaasen replaced Theunis de Bruyn at

number three.

The Australians have already wrapped up the three-match series after hammering the Proteas by an innings and 182 runs in Melbourne following a six-wicket rout in the opener in Brisbane inside two days.

Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr to hold signing ceremony on Tuesday for Cristiano Ronaldo

ISTANBUL Agencies

CeMenT deSPaTCheS deClIned By 21% durInG July TO deC-22

pROfit REpORt Ghulam abbas

THEcement industry is facing a continuing decline after the total domestic and export cement despatches of the country fell to 21.764 million tons during the first six months of the current fiscal year compared to 27.456 million tons during the corresponding period of last fiscal year.

The nearly 21% decline comes as a result of the economic slowdown in the country. Domestic shipments during this period were 20.030 million tons against 24.065 million tons during the same period last year showing a reduction of 16.77%. Export despatches were also 48.86% less as the volumes reduced to 1.734 million tons during the first six months of the current fiscal year compared to 3.391 million tons exports done during the same period of last fiscal year.

The data from the All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association (APCMA) shows during the month of Dec-22, cement despatches declined by 15.55%.

Total Cement despatches during Dec-22 were 3.881

IT Ministry lays blame for poor internet service on SBP

The country’s Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication has laid the blame for poor internet service in the country squarely at the feet of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP).

At a meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunication, officials of the IT Ministry claimed that the current poor quality of phone and internet services in the country is because of a ban imposed by the SBP on opening the Letters of Credit (LCs) for the import of machinery and cable. The country has been facing a significant slowdown in terms of internet speeds and reliability over the past few months. Meanwhile, due to the country’s dwindling dollar reserves, the SBP has been desperately trying to stop the leak and has been delaying the opening of LCs for different industries. The IT Ministry has said that crucial equipment required to maintain and upgrade the country’s internet infrastructure has been unable to come into the country because the SBP has not been opening the necessary LCs. “LCs of the telecom industry are banned by State Bank of Pakistan,” said officials of MoIT&T at the meeting. “When the machinery cannot be imported, how can we get quality internet?”

According to ministry officials, the country currently has a shortage of fibre optics. They said that there was not enough fibre available in the country to improve the quality of internet services. They said the internet service is functional only because of the microwave signals. There are neither phone signals nor internet in Karachi or Hyderabad, said Salah Uddin,a committee member.

Another committee member Alia Kamran said that there has been much talk of launching 5G technology in the country despite the fact that 4G service is not available. Another member of the Telecom Department of the ministry said that they were concerned about the country’s service quality and that 99 broadband licences have been released to improve internet service while Pakistan has been connected to France optic cable from Karachi.

million tons against 4.595 Million Tons dispatched during the same month of last fiscal year.

Local cement shipments by the industry during the month of December 2022 were 3.676 million tons compared to 4.057 million tons in December 2021, showing a decline of 9.41%. Exports shipments also declined by a massive 61.88% as the volumes reduced from 538,002 tons in December 2021 to 205,061 tons in December 2022.

In December 2022, North based cement mills dispatched 3.010 million tons cement showing a decline of 11.60% against 3.405 million tons dispatched in December 2021. South based mills dispatched 870,355 tons cement during December 2022 that was 26.86% less compared to the despatches of 1.190 million tons during December 2021.

Exports from North based mills increased by 95.18% as the quantities increased from 27,885 tons in December 2021 to 54,427 tons in December 2022. Exports from the South were reduced by 70.47% to 150,634 tons in December 2022 from 510,117 tons during the same month last year.

North based Mills despatched 16.522 million tons cement domestically during the first six months of current fiscal year showing a reduction of 18.06% than cement despatches of 20.163 million tons during July-December 2021. Exports from the North increased by 6.29% percent to 578,074 tons during July-December 2022 compared with 543,888 tons exported during the same period last year. Total despatches by North based Mills reduced by 17.42% to 17.100 million tons during the first six months of the current financial year from 20.707 million tons during the same period of last financial year.

Domestic despatches by South based Mills during July-December 2022 were 3.508 million tons showing reduction of 10.10% over 3.902 million tons of cement dispatched during the same period of last fiscal year. Exports from South declined by 59.39% to 1.156 million tons during July-December 2022 compared with 2.847 million tons exported during the same period last year. Total despatches by South based Mills reduced by 30.90% to 4.664 million tons during the first six months of the current financial year from 6.749 million tons during the same period of last financial year.

online tax-filing startup Befiler announces $1.5m seed raise

Stop eating ‘poisonous’ chicken until GMO issue solved, warns food minister

After the government announced that the food ministry would facilitate the import of soybean based poultry feed, Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research (MoFS&R) Tariq Bashir Cheema has said that non genetically modified organisms (GMO) oilseeds would be imported from now.

The minister went so far as to say people should stop eating chicken as it was harmful to health, since currently poultry was being fed with meals made from GMO oilseeds. Addressing a press conference here on Wednesday he said that GMO soybeans are toxic causing diseases like cancer.

The months-long saga of the oilseeds stuck at Port Qasim, which had taken a number of ugly turns, had recently been solved with the government making special provisions to release the oilseeds stuck at the port due to bureaucratic red-taping. The issue had stung the poultry and livestock industry quite acutely since the residual material that is left after extracting oil from oilseeds, called ‘meal’, is used to feed poultry and cattle..

He said that before 2015, GMO soybeans were not included in poultry feed, after that the poultry mafia went around and imposed taxes on local soybeans, which made imported soybeans cheaper and local soybeans more expensive. After hampering local Soybean the mafia started importing GMOs soybean while earning around Rs 2 billion rupees against im-port of the product worth RS 1 billion.

Imported soy-beans are harmful to health and spread disease. “My insistence has benefited that now non-GMO soybeans are being ordered which are not harmful to health,” he claimed.

Flour prices in Islamabad

While talking about wheat/flour prices Cheema has said that there is no shortage of wheat in the country and the strategic reserves are satisfacto-ry.

Online tax filing portal Befiler has announced a $1.5 million seed raise from international and local investors, the company announced in a statement today.

The round was co-led by US-based Cistech Capital and Pakistan’s Lakson Venture Capital (LVC), along with participation from local investors. Befiler has earlier received a Rs3 million grant from the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) as part of the central bank’s Innovation Challenge Facility (ICF) for Digital Financial Services.

The process of filing tax returns directly with the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) is cumbersome, requiring knowledge about how taxes work, the information that needs to be reconciled and then submitting that information at the tech-based platform of the FBR. There are two hurdles in this process: knowledge about how taxation works and financial literacy is low, and a majority of the people are not reasonably tech savvy to be able to file their returns online directly with the FBR. As a consequence, people end up turning to lawyers to file their tax returns for them against a fee. Except that in this case, the fees could run in a few thousand rupees.

Befiler is gunning to solve this problem that if people face complications in filing tax returns directly with FBR, the app makes it easier for them by collecting very basic information on the app and making calculations easy, and using in-house representatives throughout the process to make filing easier. And it does so by charging a fee that would be less than what a lawyer would charge. In fact, Befiler is hoping that with such mechanism in place, at least those people that do not file tax returns because of these reasons would be encouraged to do so.

“From scratch, tax laws have been incorporated so that a user does not have to worry about them,”

says Akbar Tejani, the founder and CEO of Befiler told Profit. “A simple question like what is the salary and how much tax has been deducted from that, and the resulting impact on the wealth in terms of tax credit, all that is taken care of in the portal.”

The other problem with filing directly with the FBR, which Befiler says it mitigates, is accuracy. While filing returns in the FBR’s systems, any inaccuracy can lead to notices from the FBR. On the other hand, Befiler is focused on decreasing the inaccuracies to begin with reducing the chances of FBR haunting a filer because of these inaccuracies.

But since its launch in 2019, Befiler has been able to accumulate over 20,000 active taxpayers on the platform – a slow growth trajectory while Pakistan’s active taxpayers stand at 3.38 million. The startup, however, says it has 460,000 users that use other services like advisory and company incorporation in the US beside filing tax returns.

In its defence, Befiler is unlike your eCommerce startups that users can order products from on a recurring basis. Filing returns happens only once a year in a country where people are usually reluctant to pay direct taxes. The higher income groups, on the other hand, hire professional consultants to manage their finances who find ways around taxation and file returns for them.

Any growth would be slow and not based on discounts, but rather through word of mouth or other marketing efforts. Befiler has, therefore, been a startup that has been focused on controlling burn, generating better unit economics, as Akbar says.

“We are focusing on increasing retention and reducing cost of acquisition to keep our unit economics positive. We understand that times are tough and we have managed to keep growing at a level that burn is controlled and it does not come at the cost of sustainability,” says Akbar.

He said that he will propose to the Prime Minister to provide wheat to the flour mills in Islamabad through Pakistan Agricultural Storage & Services Corporation (PASSCO). “The daily requirement of the forty flour mills in Islamabad is 38,000 bags of 20kg. Punjab government is not providing enough to these flour mills and resultantly there is a shortage of 17,000 bags per day,” he added.

He said that since the millers are buying from the open market to meet the shortfall, the price of wheat flour is rising. He reminded that the Punjab failed to meet its wheat procurement target for the year and approached the Federal government to meet the shortfall. He stressed that the Punjab government should provide mills in Islamabad with the required amount. Federal Minister Tariq Bashir Cheema said that there are 38 points in Islamabad where the government is providing wheat flour at a low price to provide relief to the public. While talking about the delay in the announcement of the support price of wheat by the Federal Government, Federal Minister Tariq Bashir Cheema said that the Sindh government has set wheat support price at Rs 4,000 per 40kg, which is very high. He hoped that the issue would be settled soon in a meeting between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.

He said that after the 18th Amendment, prices of the essential items were controlled by the provincial governments. He stressed that provincial governments should take responsibility and take measures to ensure food security of essential items and con-trol prices.

Federal Minister Tariq Bashir Cheema said that wheat flour mills are grinding less than their capacity across the country, which is resulting in artificially high prices. He stressed that the provincial governments should take action against them.

Economic meltdown warrants tough decisions: Imran

LAHORE staff report

Former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has said ‘tough decisions’ should be taken by the new government that comes with a mandate.

“Whoever comes to power as a result of elections would have to take tough decisions. This [PDM] government doesn’t have the moral authority to take tough decisions,” the PTI chief said while addressing the launch of PTI’s white paper via video link.

The deposed prime minister’s comments come as a default risk looms over Pakistan, the rupee continues to depreciate against the US dollar, and forex reserves have plunged to record lows — covering merely a month’s imports. The former premier lamented the country’s economic state highlighting the increase in inflation. “Prices of flour, electric-

ity, petroleum products and food items have all increased. Today, the country’s industries are shutting down,” Khan said, highlighting that the nation is afraid of seeing the country’s direction.

He claimed that around 750,000 Pakistanis had left the country in the last eight months. Khan also stressed the need for increasing the country’s exports.

“For 30 to 40 years, we did not consider increasing exports. Pakistan won’t be able to stand on its feet for as long as the exports don’t increase. When I met exporters, they informed me about the obstacles,” the PTI chairman revealed.

Circling back to his demand for elections in the country, the former prime minister said: “The economy is linked to politics. It cannot improve without political stability.”

He said that elections were the only solution to get the country out of the economic crisis. “The election is necessary to end in-

stability. No matter what initiative is being taken, the election is the only solution,” the PTI chief said.

Advising the ruling government in the Centre about its decisions regarding the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Imran Khan said that approaching the IMF raises the issue of autonomy.

“When going to the IMF, one has to adhere to their orders. You cannot make your own decisions. Instead of going to the IMF, attention should be paid to exporters,” he added.

Talking about his government’s performance in line with managing the economy, the PTI chairman said that the growth rate was 5.7% to 6% in his tenure and the statistics were presented in the cabinet.

“When the growth rate statistics were presented before the court, the members weren’t believing. It was the best performance in Pakistan’s history,” the ousted premier said, further claiming to have created

5,500,000 jobs in the country.

He also spoke about including taxpayers in the system in collaboration with the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) and refraining from increasing the prices of petroleum products.

Globally, Imran Khan said, the prices of edible oil and coal increased; however, his government still kept them low.

“We developed the Ravi City plan to save Lahore in an attempt to bring investment from overseas Pakistanis. We tried to bring foreign investment to increase our servers,” he shared during his address.

Highlighting the economic progress during his party’s rule up until April last year, the ousted PM claimed that owners of textile industries spoke about not finding enough workers. He also alleged that his government was targeted with the propaganda that he (Imran Khan) was “destroying the country”.

Pakistan, according to the PTI chairman,

should be managed like never before. “Major changes in the system of governance will have to be introduced in the country to improve its economy. Establishing the rule of law has become inevitable,” he said, underlining how Pakistan is facing challenges of unemployment and inflation at present.

“Investors don’t trust Pakistan’s system of justice,” the PTI chief claimed.

He added that a fair and transparent election was the first step to finding solutions to all issues.

“A government with a mandate should arrive and take tough decisions because the imported government cannot. This government came to power through action not election,” Khan alleged.

Recalling his discussions with former chief of army staff (COAS) General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa, the former prime minister said that he had become a ‘jack of all trades’.

pROfit REpORt taimoor hassan

pROfit REpORt Ghulam abbas

pROfit REpORt ahmad ahmadani