Epaper_23-01-06 LHR

PRIME M nister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday held a telephonic conversat on with Ch nese Premier Li Keqiang wherein he emphasized Pak stan s unswer ving focus on timely progress of the Ch na-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects

Dur ng the “comprehensive telephone conversation, the prime minister assured the Ch nese Premier that Pakistan would provide a completely secure and conducive bus ness environment for Ch nese investors “ The two leaders ’ discussion was characterized by warmth and cordial ty,

in keep ng with the best traditions of the Pakistan-China All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnersh p,” a PM Office statement said Prime M n ster Shehbaz and Premier Li exchanged New Year greet ngs, noting that b lateral re ations had grown to new heights in 2022 and agreeing to maintain the steady momentum of bilateral cooperation in 2023

Recal ing his vis t to Ch na n November 2022 and w de-rang ng conversations with Pres dent X J nping and Premier Li the pr me m nister underscored Pakistan’s commitment to fostering closer relations with China

He re terated Pak stan s unstinting support on Ch na ’s core nterests Both the leaders also d scussed reg ona s-

sues of mutual interest

Premier Li Keqiang assured the prime m n ster that Ch na viewed Pakstan not only as a strategic fr end but as a countr y whose stabi ity and economic welfare was of utmost mportance to the reg on and to Ch na Ch na would a ways stand in sol darty with Pakistan, Premier Li added Not ng the Internat onal Conference on C imate Resilient Pakistan being held n Geneva on Januar y 9, PM Shehbaz briefed Premier L on the atest progress n post-f ood reconstruct on and rehabitat on in Pakistan He conveyed Pakstan s profound gratitude for Ch na s prompt and generous support for the flood-affected people Prem er Li assured the pr me m n ster

T h e a r m y c h e f a r r i v e d i n R i y a d h o n a w e e k- o n g o f f i c i a l v s i t f i r s t t o S a u d i Arabia and then United Arab Em rates ( U A E ) , u n t J a n u a r y 1 0 , a s Pa k s t a n l o o k s t o h e l p s h o r e u p a i a n c e s w i t h c o u n t r i e s s t r u g g n g w i t h t h e i m p a c t o f r s i n g i n f l a t o n

According to the Inter-Ser v ces Pub ic Re ations (ISPR) Gen Syed Asim Munir will cal on the sen or leadership of the two brotherly countr es to discuss b lateral t es and militar y-to-militar y cooperat on, among other top cs

On Thursday morning he met Prince Khalid bin Sa man the Saudi defence minister, and discussed the ways to strengthen cooperation between the two nat ons the off cial Saudi Press Agency sa d

Accord ng to SPA the general arrived in the oi -rich k ngdom n the ear y hours of Thursday where he was received by the m n ster It sa d the two also emphas sed the strength and durabil ty of b lateral re at ons

M u n i r a n d S a m a n a l s o d i sc u s s e d m i l i t a r y a n d d e f e n c e c o o pe r a t i o n , a s w e l a s w a y s t o s u p p o r t a n d e n h a n c e t h e m

D u r n g t h e m e e t i n g t h e m n i s t e r c o n g r a t u a t e d M u n i r o n h i s a pp o i n t m e n t a s t h e h e a d o f t h e Pa ki s t a n A r m y

Pakistan s foreign exchange reser ves bare y cover a month s worth of imports most of wh ch are accounted for by energy purchases from abroad, w th funds expected under an Internat ona Monetar y Fund ( MF) pro-

gramme hav ng been de ayed

Is amabad also struggles to quell default fears in domest c and internationa markets with a $1 1 bil on IMF bailout tranche stuck due to d fferences over the n nth programme rev ew which should have been completed in November

Other crit cal multilateral and bi ateral financ ng avenues are a so l nked to the IMF programme, which means the nat on s hard-pressed to meet ex-

ternal f nancing needs of over $30 b llion up unt June, including debt repayments and energy imports

Last month the Saud government said it wil help Pakistan’s f nances and wi continue to support Pak stan as much as we can

Previously, it extended the term of a $3 bi lion deposit to boost foreign currency reser ves and he p Pak stan in overcom ng the economic repercussions of the coronav rus pandem c

Edible oil shor tage looms as opening of LCs resisted

ISLAMABAD

domest c edib e oi consumption in 2020 came from imports up from 77 percent in 2000

What most might not realise is that Pakistan is dependent on Ma aysia and Indonesia for its most bas c caloric input Not only are we the fourth largest importer of palm oil we also import soybeans and other o lseeds necessar y to produce edib e oi and the locally essent al Vanaspati Ghee

oilseeds In its recent y released report for the f rst quarter of the f nancial year 2022 the State Bank of Pakistan ncluded a spec al section on rising palm and soybean imports According to the report Pakistan s pa m and soybean-re ated imports stood at US$ 4 bi lion in FY21 rising by 47 percent year-on-year compared to compound average growth of 12 3 percent in the last 20 years The domest c reliance on soybean and palm has been steep y ncreasing since the turn of the centur y As a resu t 86 percent of

Ghee had ong been an ancient staple of the rich n the Ind an subcontinent The cook ng substance made of clarified cow milk was used sparingly to make delicacies on festive occasions Ghee as a signifier of wealth has even been codified nto the Urdu language, with the idiom paancho ung iyan ghee me n entrenched as a mainstream say ng Because most Indians could not afford the product regu ar y inventors in Europe had discovered a method to hydrogenate vegetable oil and turn it nto a substance that conv ncing y mim cked the taste and function of ghee

of China ’s continued support for Pakistan s reconstruction efforts and the success of the Conference

Both eaders agreed to mainta n

close commun cation to fast-track the bilatera cooperation agenda for mutual benef t of the peoples of Pak stan and China n 2023 and beyond

ISLAMABAD S ta f f r e P o r t

P M r e v i e w s i M P l e M e n tat i o n o f e n e r g y s av i n g M e a s u r e s

ISLAMABAD S ta f f R e p o R t

The meeting was informed about the progress made on the implementation of the solarization projects In the initial phase solar panels of 1000 megawatts would be

installed on the federal government buildings

In this connection the process of bidding would be started from next week

It was further told that the process of policy making for the production of solar panels at the local level in the country, had entered the final phase Consultation with the industries related to manufacturing of solar panels had been completed

The participants were apprised that in order to increase the production of electric

motorcycles, the local industry was taken into confidence to formulate a comprehensive policy

It was suggested in the policy that all the industries would be converted by the end of the year to the production of electric motorcycles The participants agreed to the suggestion It was also told that for conserving gas all new gas geysers would come with conical baffles and by the end of the current year, the installation of baffles on the present geysers would be ensured

It was told that the production of high energy consuming filament/ low quality old electric bulbs would not be allowed after the sale of the present stock

The present industries would be converted to the new technology bulbs which consume less energy

The industries which were manufacturing high energy consuming fans would also be transferred to the new technology and a comprehensive plan would be laid down for replacing the old fans

The prime minister directed the implementation of the measures in a given timeframe

Former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, federal ministers Ishaq Dar, Khawaja Muhammad Asif Khurram Dastgir Khan, Advisor to the Prime Minister Ahad Cheema, Minister of State Dr Musadiq Malik Special Assistants Muhammad Jehanzeb, Syed Fahd Hussain, Coordinator of PM Rana Ahsan Afzal and other officials attended the meeting

There would be no talks with terrorists, militant groups: Sanaullah

StAff REpORt

vote of confidence: MPa Bilawal meets imran, puts his weight behind elahi

ISLAMABAD S ta f f R e p o R t

Independent Member of Punjab Assembly Bilal Warraich called on Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan and announced to vote in favour of Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Parvez elahi during the vote of confidence in the provincial assembly The meeting was attended by PTI Central Senior Vice President Fawad Chaudhry and Senior Provincial Minister Mian Aslam Iqbal among other leaders Fawad Chaudhary said that Bilal Warraich met PTI Chairman at Zaman Park, who would give a vote of confidence to Parvez elahi He said that independent MPA Bilal was earlier in Hamza Shehbaz’s camp and voted for him He further said the MPA also endorsed PTI s vision after meeting Imran Khan and the Warraich family would soon formally join the ranks in PTI Fawad went on to say that his inclusion in the party would increase one vote in the Punjab Assembly On this occasion independent MPA Bilal vowed to follow the ideology of PTI, adding that he was happy to join PTI Bilawal stated that he would do politics according to the vision of Imran Khan and would vote for Chief Minister Punjab

MQM-P to remain a par t of the PDM, says tessori

AgEncIES

Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori has said that Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) will not part ways with the ruling Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) While answering a question on a television show regarding the tumultuous relations between the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and MQM-P, the governor said that he hopes that such a situation will not arise in which a rift between the two parties causes concern for the Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) No I don t think such a situation will arise [The] MQM will remain part of [the] PDM We will try that everyone is understanding and not be a cause of trouble for the people,” Tessori replied The Sindh governor furthered that people are already very worried There is no gas across the country, there is a power and water crisis, people are getting unemployed, the economy is unstable At this time, instead of criticising each other [we should] work for the people He maintained that this is not a time for politics but to serve the people The latest statement by the governor comes as MQM-P warned that it would leave the ruling coalition if the second phase of the local government (LB) elections in Karachi were held without changing the present constituencies The LB polls in Karachi and Hyderabad will be held on January 15 Addressing a news conference at the MQM-P s headquarters in Karachi s Bahadurabad neighbourhood earlier this week, the party’s convener, Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, accompanied by members of its Rabita (coordination) Committee, said that the party was ready for the LG polls even if they were held on January 10 as long as the party’s demand for drawing out fresh constituencies in the city was met

Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said on Thursday that the recently held meeting of the National Security Committee (NSC) the highest forum for coordination on security issues had decided that there will be “no talks with any terrorist or militant group”

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

During a press conference in Islamabad on Thursday, the interior minister was asked about the explicit threat issued by the TTP to the PPP and the PML-N for “openly declaring war against the TTP to appease America”

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”

Yesterday, the interior minister had stated 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

During today’s press conference, Sanaullah said that the NSC had clearly resolved that there would be no talks with any terrorist or militant group” He further said that the NSC had concluded that talks if needed should be carried out with the Afghan government so that the importance of the Doha agreement wherein the country had vowed to not allow its soil to be used against others, could be stressed

PTI slams govt for bringing booming economy to its knees

ISLAMABAD

S ta f f R e p o R t

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leadership lambasted the inapt imported government for bringing a booming economy to its knees, which they said could be judged from the fast depleting of foreign exchange reserves, alarming plunge in cement sales and shutting down of hundreds of industries indefinitely

The PTI Central Secretary General Asad Umar said that the hemorrhage continued unabated as foreign reserves witnessed $245 million drop last week, downing to $ 5576 million only

He said that regime change continued to bleed Pakistan Asad Umar raised question as who would be held accountable

PTI Additional Secretary General Omar Ayub expressed alarm over the massive plunge in the cement

sales He said that cement sales were plunged by 20 73% in July-December 22 vs July-December 21 Omar Ayub stated that this was due to the imported government’s inaptitude in handling the economy, causing widespread drop in production, high inflation and rising unemployment He went on to say that the imported rulers were meanwhile busy in increasing the incompetent cabinet size instead of the fixing the fast sinking economy of the country

Lashing out the imported government flawed economic policies, PTI General Secretary Central Punjab Hammad Azhar said that during 2019 Indus motor company shut one of its shift for 20 days However, he said that The News/Geo group flashed it like it was biggest news of the year He revealed: Right now hundreds of industries have shut down for an indefinite period including Millat Tractors today but many media groups playing it down

‘CC T V footage’ shows how video of Imran K han’s attacker was recorded

ISLAMABAD

A purported CCTV footage surfaced on Thursday allegedly showing police officers recording a video confession of the alleged gunman who shot at PTI chairman Imran Khan during a protest rally last year

The former prime minister was wounded by gunfire on November 3 as he led a convoy through thick crowds on his open-top container truck in Wazirabad One person died while several members of the PTI chairman s close circle were injured in the incident

The alleged shooter, Naveed Bashir, was detained shortly after He had claimed in his confessional video statement that he shot the PTI chief as he was “misleading” the nation, which he could not tolerate

The video was leaked to the media shortly after the incident which critics claimed was an attempt to lead people to a premeditated conclusion regarding the attacker ’s motive

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf says a well-thoughtout narrative was chalked out to give the assassination

attempt the cover of religiously-motivated crime

The purported CCTV footage, which surfaced on social media on Thursday, appeared to show the District Police Officer Gujrat handing the Station House Officer his mobile phone, apparently directing him how to record video of the attacker during his confession

The alleged CCTV footage shows the date November 3, 2022 and timestamp of 5:28 PM The video clip was being widely shared on Twitter

The PTI chairman has accused the PML-N-led government of hatching the failed assassination plot which he claimed Thursday was similar to the murder plot of slain former Punjab governor Salman Taseer He said that a conspiracy was hatched to put blame of his murder on religious fanatics

The former premier claimed that two plans were made to assassinate him After failure of the first plan, plan B was made under which Salman Taseer type murder plot was hatched so that they could put a blame of my murder on religious fanatics, he said

I H C d i r e c t s g ov t t o s u b m i t To s h a k h a n a g i f t s d e t a i l s

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has raised questions pertaining to the gifts received by presidents and prime ministers since 1947 and has directed the government to submit these details within a month

IHC

Hasan Aurangzeb issued a written order for the December 26 hearing

As per sources, Advocate Abuzar Salman Khan Niazi filed a request for the implementation of the June 29 decision of the Pakistan Information Commission (PIC)

The court has written in its order that according to the petitioner, on April 23, the Cabinet Division was asked for information in this regard, to which it replied that the information is classified and cannot be provided

Following this, it noted, the petitioner

appealed against this to the PIC, who ordered on June 29 to provide the requested information under the Right to Information Act It is worth mentioning here that during the last hearing, Deputy Attorney General Syed Ahsan Raza Shah had apprised the court that he was not sure whether the Toshakhana record before 1990 was available

“Such information should be present on websites,” he had added

“If that is implemented, then the issue of terrorism in Pakistan and other countries will be solved and Pakistan will be safe if Afghanistan honours its promise ” The minister was also asked about the Afghan government s announcement that a network of Daesh militants involved in the attack on Pakistan s embassy in Kabul had been killed in an operation He said that Pakistan had received information in this regard but until it was verified by the interior ministry, it would be treated as mere information

If it is so then we welcome it and it is their responsibility to provide security to officials in Afghanistan ”

lHC stops eCP from taking coercive measures against imran Khan

LAHORE

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Thursday issued notices to the election Commission of Pakistan (eCP) and other respondents for January 11 on a petition filed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan challenging a notice of the Commission on proceedings to remove him from party chairmanship after his disqualification in Toshakhana reference The court also stopped the electoral watchdog from taking any coercive measures against Imran Khan in the matter till the next date of hearing, besides seeking assistance from the attorney general of Pakistan The single bench comprising Justice Jawad Hassan passed the orders while hearing the petition filed by the PTI chairman Barrister Ali Zafar represented Imran Khan before the court and argued that the eCP issued the impugned notice to Imran Khan on proceedings to remove him from party chairmanship whereas it did not have any powers to hold such proceedings However, the eCP’s counsel raised an objection and pointed out that a full bench had been formed on such a matter At this stage the court remarked that the petition had nothing to do with the matter and asked when Imran Khan resigned from his seat in the National Assembly Barrister Ali Zafar submitted that Imran Khan resigned from his seat in April 2022 He submitted that the NA speaker sent a reference to the eCP against Imran Khan over concealing assets, He submitted that the eCP gave a verdict on the reference and disqualified Imran Khan “We adopted a stance before the eCP that it could not give such a verdict as only a court could do so he added To a court query, Barrister Ali Zafar argued that the verdict had been challenged before the Islamabad High Court and it was still pending The eCP’s counsel argued that the commission just decided the reference forwarded by the speaker There is a provision in the Constitution for disqualification of any member and the matter was sent to the Commission for the purpose, he added The court, after hearing initial arguments of the parties, issued notices to the respondents for January 11 and stopped the eCP from taking any coercive measures against Imran Khan in the matter, till the next date of hearing

from the Toshakhana since 1947

Justice Aurangzeb had asked why the petitioner was limiting the information to the extent of former presidents and prime ministers, and why the public servants should not be included in the list

This shows your intention, Justice Aurangzeb had remarked

He had added that any petition like this was only related to the prime minister earlier last month, the Lahore High Court (LHC) sought the details of gifts taken

Justice Asim Hafeez sought details of the Toshakhana gifts on citizen Munir Ahmed’s plea During the hearing, the federal government’s lawyer had apprised the court that the details could not be provided

However, the court had directed the authorities concerned to submit the details of gifts taken from Toshakhana since 1947, by January 16

PTI chief Imran Khan was facing a scandal regarding the Toshakhana gifts for allegedly indulging in corrupt practices, which the former premier denies

ISLAMABAD

Justice Miangul

PR I M e Minister Shehbaz Sharif

Thursday chaired a meeting to review implementation of the measures taken for saving energy in the country

s i n D H g o v t t e l ls s H C a B o u t w i t H D r awa l o f lg a D M i n i s t r at o r s

KARAcHI S ta f f R e p o R t

tH e Sindh government has informed the Sindh High Court (SHC) that all transfers made after announcement of the local government’s election schedule, have been withdrawn

The high court order in the case of local government administrators’ appointment read, The additional chief secretary Najam Ahmed Shah appeared in the hearing on the court’s order ”

The TLTP learnt that the court order also read “The election commission’s representative has sought time to know the

Mushahid for coherent counter terrorism policy amid naCta’s lead role

ISLAMABAD S ta f f R e p o R t

Chairman Senate Standing Committee on Defence, Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed on Thursday said that there was a need to develop a coherent counterterrorism policy with the National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA) in the lead role The Chairman of the Senate body on Defence made these remarks while presiding the committee meeting held here where the forum was briefed on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border situation amid an increase in cross-border attacks and remedial measures undertaken to ensure peace and security throughout the country a news release said The Committee was also briefed on the deteriorating internal security situation in the Province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with specific reference to the recent attack, capture and hostage situation at Bannu Cantonment, it said Secretary, Ministry of Defence, Lt Gen (R) Hamood Uz Zaman Khan assured the committee members that the security forces were adept and well-equipped to counter any security threat He apprized that a peaceful and stable Afghanistan was in the best interest of Pakistan and engagement with the Afghan side on security and border management was a continuous process Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed was of the view that there was a need to gain strategic clarity to deal with the menace of terrorism for which the National Action Plan should be revisited considering the challenging geo-strategic environment The Chair further emphasized for an effective intelligence-sharing mechanism among different security agencies and enhanced border management between Pakistan and Afghanistan The Committee expressed the resolve that the people of Pakistan stand by the valiant armed forces in such testing times and appreciated the Pakistan Army s successes in the fight against terrorism and continued efforts for bringing peace and stability to the region

6 policemen injure in attack on polio team

D I KHAn S ta f f R e p o R t

Six policemen got injured when unknown assailants opened fire on a polio team here in Musa Zai area road within the limits of Chaudhwan police station on Thursday According to Police spokesman, the police personnel were guarding a polio team when terrorists attacked them in Musazai area by opening indiscriminate firing As a result, six policemen sustained injuries The injured were identified as Imdad Ullah, Muhammad Yaseen Muhammad Zubair and Muhammad Arshad of elite Police Training Center (ePTC) Nowshera platoon besides regular policeman Muhammad Usman and Driver Inayatullah After the attack, the police responded promptly but the militants managed to escape from the scene As the incident was reported, District Police Officer (DPO) Muhammad Shoaib Khan along with heavy contingent of police rushed to the site and shifted the injured policemen to the District Headquarters Hospital (DHQ) They cordoned off the area and started search operation for the assailant who fled after the attack Later, Regional Police Officer (RPO) Muhammad Saleem Marwat visited the DHQ to inquire about the health of injured policemen

P o s t i n g

factual situation about withdrawal of the appointments and transfers ”

Advocate General Sindh has assured about withdrawal of all transfers and posting orders made after the election schedule,” court further said

The court ordered that the factual position should be intimated to the court by

January 10

The bench also observed that in person presence of the Chief Secretary or Secretary Local Government is not necessary

The court had 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 Petition seeks the court to declare the postings in violation of the electoral rules as unlawful and void

The Sindh government on Wednesday removed administrators of Hyderabad and Karachi’s east and Korangi districts recommended by Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), over orders from the election Commission of Pakistan (eCP) The provincial government reversed the appointment of Muhammad Farooque, Syed Shakeel Ahmed and Muhammad Sharif as the administrators of Hyderabad Municipal Corporation and district municipal corporations of Korangi and east districts, respectively

Arshad killing: SC asks JIT to discuss possibility of UN involvement in probe

S ta f f R e p o R t

Supreme Court Justice Ijazul Ahsan has asked investigators to discuss with the foreign ministry the possibility of involving the United Nations in the murder probe of journalist Arshad Sharif

A five judge larger bench, headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, and comprising Justice Ijaz ul Ahsan Justice Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail and

Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar on Thursday heard the suo moto of the brutal killing of journalist Arshad Sharif

T h e T LT P l e a r n t t h a t p o l i c e s u b m i t t e d a 1 3 - p a g e i n t e r i m r e p o r t t o t h e c o u r t a b o u t i n v e s t i g a t i o n s i n t o j o u r n a l i s t S h a r i f ’s m u r d e r f o r t h e perusal of the judges in chambers only T h e c h i e f j u s t i c e n o t e d t h a t t h e r e a r e “ d e e p p o i n t s ” i n t h e r e p o r t t h a t c o u l d not be discussed in the courtroom He f u r t h e r n o t e d t h a t s o m e d i g i t a l equipment belonging to Arshad Sharif

had yet to be recovered

The court noted that some important items/evidence is either with the Kenyan intelligence agency, police or two Pakistani, who were with Arshad Sharif in Kenya in his last days The bench asked AAGP to discuss with the foreign ministry the possibility of involving the United Nations in this matter

The widow of senior journalist Arshad Sharif expressed reservations on two members of the SJIT, saying the two officers of the Team are subordinate

FO rubbishes repor ts of Pakistan air strikes in Afghanistan

ISLAMABAD

The Foreign Office (FO) on Thursday categorically rejected reports claiming that Pakistan had carried out airstrikes in Afghanistan, terming them to be “utterly baseless and malicious” The statement came hours after reports surfaced claiming Pakistan had carried out airstrikes in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province Afghan newspaper Hasht-e-Subh Daily quoted sources as saying that Pakistan bombed targets in Salala neighborhood in the vicinity of Gushta district” on Thursday morning The development comes amid an uptick 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 last year on Nov 28 by the TTP

It also comes as the National Security Committee (NSC) categorically asked Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers, without directly naming them to deny safe haven to Pakistani terrorist groups on its soil and end their patronage, while reiterating its intent to crush terrorist groups operating inside the country with full force The uncharacteristically strong-worded statement issued at the end of the NSC meeting, which spanned two days, said: Pakistan s security is uncompromisable and the full writ of the state will be maintained on every inch of the (sic) Pakistan’s territory ”

The committee agreed on a number of steps to deal with the worsening security situation, which has also drawn the attention of a number of important capitals prompting them to issue advisories for their nationals residing here The most important of all these actions was to send an unequivocal message to neighbouring Afghanistan to end all its support to TTP “No country will be allowed to provide sanctuaries and facilitation to terrorists and Pakistan reserves all rights in that respect to safeguard her people,” the NSC statement said

of the accused, therefore, does not trust them” The chief justice said they can include the retired officers

The chief justice told her to ‘have faith as institutions work on trust’ She then went on to request the apex court to include terrorism and abetment (Section 109) charges in the case “These charges can be added at any point, said Justice Naqvi Justice Mandokhel said the JIT would examine the case from all aspects Justice Naqvi said the court was not interfering in the investigation

ISLAMABAD

An administrative judge of the Islamabad High Court has endorsed the decision of the IHC registrar to send a Class-IV servant on compulsory retirement for using the official vehicle of a lady judge of the IHC without permission

Administrative judge Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayni gave the decision on the departmental appeal of servant Ishaq He had filed an appeal against the registrar s decision of compulsory retirement

The TLTP learnt that the IHC judgment said, “Ishaq, who was formerly employed at the IHC, was working as a waiter in the house of Justice Saman Rafat Imtiaz He admitted that he used the judge’s vehicle at midnight on February 25 last without permission

“The employee did not feel the sensitivity of taking the vehicle 110km away He was not even allowed to sit in the driver s seat of the car The danger and consequences expected from this action

M a r r i y u m b u s t s I m r a n ’s

ISLAMABAD

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb on Thursday said it was only Imran Khan who was responsible for the ruined economy and damaged social fabric of the country as it was the result of his four-year misrule marred by massive unemployment, extreme inflation, poverty, incivility, immorality, and media muzzling

Addressing a news conference the minister busted Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf

f a l s e

of the employee cannot be ignored it added

“The IHC registrar ordered to send the employee on compulsory retirement and grant him the pension The employee s appeal against the decision of the IHC registrar is dismissed,” it stated

“According to the record, the employee violated the discipline many times before The employee was found to have caused damage to the national exchequer by using the judge’s vehicle for 110km The employee left the place of duty without permission in the middle of the night,” text of the show cause notice read

The employee falsely told police officials that he was taking the vehicle on the judge’s orders,” it added In his defence, Ishaq said that he was employed at the house of the judge adding that he was not a driver and a waiter

“My daughter fell seriously ill that night, and I left in the official car of the judge I acknowledge my mistake and seek forgiveness,” he pleaded “Don’t fire me, for I made the mistake while worrying about my daughter he added

n a r r at i ve o f h e l p l e s s n e s s

(PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s narrative of “helplessness”, which was nothing but a pack of lies

The PTI even today had its governments in four federating units, including Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Azad Jammu & Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan but ironically its chairman was complaining of helplessness , she said

Marriyum said Imran Khan had changed his narrative on the “regime change” as he was now blaming only one person instead of a foreign country

“Imran Khan now keeps on hyping that his government was changed by only one person, who also planned for his murder, she said The PTI chief was right as it was only one person – Imran Khan himself who had played havoc with the country, deprived the poor of their livelihood traded off Kashmir, taken historic foreign debts, and looted the national wealth ruthlessly during his four-year rule the minister added

She said it was only Imran Khan who had allowed mafias to rob the national exchequer pushed the country into an

Punjab govt likely

LAHORE

to

extend winter vac ations for one week

The Punjab government is considering extending winter vacations for one more week as the mercury dropped down in the province As per sources, the winter vacations for schools are likely to be extended for one more week (January 9 to 15) on the demand of the parents over cold weather, the sources said It may be noted that the provincial government of Punjab has already extended winter vacations for a week on the orders of Lahore High Court due to smog According to the notification issued by the Specialised Health Department of Punjab the winter vacations in the medical and nursing colleges of the province have been extended till January 8 earlier the vacations were supposed to end on January 2 The notification further said that the clinical students working on rotations will continue discharging their duties in the hospitals earlier on December 27 the Lahore High Court (LHC) ordered to extend winter vacations for one more week amid the increasing threat of smog The orders were passed by the LHC while hearing the petitions moved for seeking the remedy to address the smog issue

Pakistan determined to suppor t right to self- determination of Kashmiris: FM

ISLAMABAD

economic quagmire that caused extreme inflation and unemployment, increased gas and electricity prices, muzzled the media, not only got beaten journalists with their ribs and nasal bones broken but also sent many behind the bars, damaged moral values and promoted the culture of intolerance among the youth by churning out lies consistently

The minister said Imran Khan had boasted to create 10 million jobs and wipe out corruption within 90 days of taking charge of the government, but instead he deprived the youth of sports facilities

rendered 6 million unemployed, and set records of embezzlement and kickbacks

It was also Imran Khan who squarely damaged the social values by instilling vulgarity into young minds, and launched malicious campaigns against the armed forces martyrs and vile attacks on working women

Marriyum said it was astonishing that the person, who remained imposed on the country for four years, was persistently complaining of his helplessness since his ouster from power How a “helpless person” had plundered the Toshakhana and also allowed his cabinet members to get kickbacks by delaying the purchase of LNG from abroad, she wondered

Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has said Pakistan remains determined to play its role to support the right to selfdetermination of Kashmiris through a free and fair plebiscite in accordance with the UN Security Council resolutions In his message on the occasion of the Right to SelfDetermination Day, he said our strong and steadfast moral, political and diplomatic support for the Kashmiri people will continue till the realization of this inalienable right

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ISLAMABAD

K ashmiris observe right to self determination day with firm pledge to continue struggle

(AJK)

KASHMIRIS living on both sides of the line of control and the rest of the world Thursday observed the right of self-determination day with the renewal of the pledge to continue their struggle with full vigor for securing their legitimate right of self-determination through the implementation of the U N resolutions passed this day in 1949

This year too, the right of self-determination day was observed when India by openly violating and denying all international norms and commitments including the United Nations resolutions on Kashmir abrogated the special status of the internationally-acknowledged disputed state of the Himalayan state of Jammu & Kashmir through scrapping article 370 and 35-A

In Azad Jammu Kashmir, special gatherings hosted by various social and political organizations in various parts of the liberated territory especially the capital city of Muzaffarabad Mirpur and Rawalakot were the hallmark of the day The special meetings highlighted the importance of the early grant of the right of self-determina-

tion to Jammu Kashmir people – which was being suppressed and denied by India for over the last 74 years

The meetings strongly condemned the repeated violation of the line of control by India through the frequent incidents of unprovoked firing by the Indian troops on the LoC in AJK They called upon the UNO and other international community to take immediate notice of the increased aggressive designs of India in the region – which they warned, may turn into a conventional war in the region

Bitterly criticizing the United Nations’ hostile and irresponsible role and failures in implementing its security council s resolutions on Kashmir speakers called upon the world body to fulfill its due responsibilities to ensure early holding of plebiscite in the disputed Jammu Kashmir state to pave the way for early grant of the right of self-determination to Kashmiris Speakers reiterated Kashmiris’ just and principled stance before the world that they (Jammu Kashmir people) would continue their struggle for the right of self-determination till the achievement of the ultimate goal

The right of self-determination day reiterates the long cherished demand of the Kashmiris that they should be granted

their birthright to decide about their destiny under the spirit of the internationally-acknowledged U N resolutions Kashmiris observe this day every year to invite the attention of the world especially to remind United Nations Organization to immediately move for implementation of the January 5 1949 UN resolutions on Kashmir to ensure the early grant of internationally-acknowledged right to self-determination to the people of Jammu & Kashmir enabling them to decide about their destiny through a free and fair plebiscite in the internationally-acknowledged disputed Himalayan state of Jammu and Kashmir without further loss of time In the lake city of Mirpur, while addressing the right to self-determination day rally, speakers demanded immediate taking up of the Indian sinister and unilateral act of August 05, 2019, that had scrapped the special status of the disputed Jammu Kashmir State, in the international court of justice to challenge the unlawful action exercised at gunpoint by the fascist Modi-led Indian rule

The Self Determination Day protest rally was held in collaboration with district administration, Civil Society, lawyers, Trade unions, Teachers, and Stu-

dents from Kachery to Chowk Shaheedan Deputy Commissioner Amjad Iqbal, Assistant Commissioner Abdul Qadir, President Sabir Hussain Shah of Mirpur Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Adv Imtiaz Hussain Raja, President DBA Mpr, Sohail Shujah Mujahid, President Trade Union Mpr Ch Ismail President Teachers org district Mpr, Ch Nisar Ahmed and others led the rally

Reiterating full solidarity with the valiant armed forces of Pakistan, the participants raised full-throated Pak Army Zindabad slogans

The participants were holding placards and banners bearing slogans of Give Kashmiris their birth Right to SelfDetermination

In Bhimber district, Right to Self Determination Day rally was held in collaboration with the District administration Bhimbher, Trade union leaders, and local journalists from Hathi gate Bhimbher to Samahni Chowk Teh & Distt Bmr

In the forward town of Samahni close to their side of the LoC in Bhimber district the Self Determination Day rally was held to mark the day in collaboration with the tehsil administration, trade unions of various segments of the society including journalists forums

Imran ordered to appear before FIA in funding probe

whom were based in Australia, Canada, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Cayman Islands

A banking court in Islamabad has asked former prime minister Imran Khan to appear before the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in connection with the probe in the prohibited funding case against his Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) party

In August last, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) declared the opposition party accepted millions of dollars from what it ruled were prohibited sources

The top electoral agency said the party received funds from 34 foreign nationals including Arif Naqvi, a billionaire financier and former boss of now-defunct Abraaj private equity firm and some 351 businesses many of

It said that during the probe, the party took ownership of eight accounts but kept 13 hidden Hiding such information from the ECP is a violation of Article 17 of the Constitution, the agency said In a bail petition, the counsel for Khan had urged the court to stop the agency from arresting the chairman of the party in the case

At the outset of the hearing on Thursday Rizwan Abbasi a special prosecutor requested the court to reject Khan’s plea, while the petitioner s lawyer asked the court to give a two-week extension on medical grounds

Khan s lawyer also requested an exemption for his client to appear before the court for Thursday’s hearing

The prosecutor maintained that Khan has been politically active since the assassination bid on his life during a protest rally in Wazirabad in November

“He is running the political affairs but doesn’t appear in the court,” Abbasi said, requesting the court to reject his plea for exemption

He claimed that Khan neither appeared in the court nor joined the probe, asking the court to tell the investigation officer to visit the former prime minister at his residence in Lahore

When asked about the reason for Khan’s absence from investigations, his lawyer said there were many reasons he couldn’t appear before the investigation officer despite “his willingness”

He said that Khan was injured in an assassination bid and he would appear before IO as soon as the doctors allow

him At this, prosecutor Abbasi maintained the investigation officer could not go to Lahore for interrogation Imran Khan appears on TV but not in the courts,” Rizwan said while requesting the court to take back the decision of Khan s interim bail

Judge Rakhshanda Shaheen turned down the request by Khan’s lawyer to interrogate the former premier at his residence “The investigation officer can hold investigations wherever and however he wants, the court will not interfere ” the judge remarked

Meanwhile, the judge asked Khan’s lawyer to assist the court with why shouldn’t it withdraw the interim bail

She directed Khan to join the probe to ensure his presence before the agency under any circumstances and adjourned the hearing till January 31

Sindh government says ready to hold LG vote

KARACHI

The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) government of Sindh, in a letter to the Elec-

tion Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday, expressed willingness to hold the long-delayed election for local governments in 16 of 30 provincial districts

The letter said the vote could not be held in Khairpur Nathan Shah and Mehar tehsils of Dadu due to stagnating floodwater, and requested the tribunal to suspend the election schedule in the area

Meanwhile, the commission has fixed the hearing of a petition involving the local government polls in Karachi

india curbs undermining peacekeeping operations in occupied Kashmir: un

UNITED NATIONS

A United Nations report pinpointed a series of actions taken by India in the disputed region of Kashmir over the years that have impaired the peacekeeping responsibilities of the Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP), which monitors the Line of Control (LoC), and called for measures to overcome those challenges On the Indian side [sic] of the LOC and (Sialkot) Working Boundary, UNMOGIP military observers have no freedom of movement to conduct operational tasks according to the group s audit report “UNMOGIP military observers and international staff experience long delays in obtaining visas to travel to the occupied Kashmir the report added The group, now numbering 44 observers, was established in 1949 as a peacekeeping mission by the Security Council to act on its behalf as an instrument to preserve and sustain peace in the region “Further,” the report said, “UNMOGIP has not been receiving complaints of alleged ceasefire violations from India since 1972 ” “On the Pakistan side of the LoC and Working Boundary,” the report said the mission conducted 666 observation post tasks: 259 in 2020 and 407 in 2021 received 149 complaints of alleged ceasefire violations; 140 in 2020 and 9 in 2021, and investigated 141 complaints; 132 in 2020; and 9 in 2021 In addition, the group said it received 32 petitions from local authorities in Pakistan: 20 in 2020 and 12 in 2021

MIRPUR

ISLAMABAD S ta f f R e p o R t

RIght to SELf DEtERmInatIon Day: UK , PaKIStan mPS REItERatE

PLEDgE to ContInUE SUPPoRtIng K aShmIRIS’ StRUggLE

aN U M B E R of prominent Members of the Parliament (MPs) of the United Kingdom and Pakistan on Thursday reiterated their pledge to continue supporting the freedom struggle of Kashmiris and vowed to leave no stone unturned to highlight the plight of Kashmiris under the Hindutva regime of India

Addressing a large gathering of Overseas Pakistanis held with regard to the Right to Self-Determination Day being observed by the people of Jammu and Kashmir today, former Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee Shehryar Khan Afridi, Lord Qurban Hussain, Lord Wajid Hussain, MP of UK Imran Hussain, Shadow Minister UK Yasmin Dar

and others vowed to carry forward their struggle for Kashmiris at a reception hosted by Shehryar Afridi and assisted by Overseas Pakistanis Global Foundation (OPGF)

Addressing the audience, Shehryar Khan Afridi said that Kashmir remains close to his heart and he would continue his struggle for the people of Jammu and Kashmir

My forefathers from tribal areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had joined the freedom struggle of Kashmir They gave their sweat and blood for Kashmir cause I would continue supporting the freedom movement in my capacity, he said in his welcome address

Acknowledging the contributions of the overseas Pakistanis, Afridi said that the overseas Pakistanis have made a name for them while waging struggle in foreign

lands and have competed with the best of the best across the world and achieved respect and laurels for the country

He said that the overseas Pakistanis are true Ambassadors of Pakistan and they have contributed a lot for their homeland which is a mira-

cle He said that irrespective of who is in the government in Pakistan, the overseas Pakistanis must contribute to the national cause by sending back foreign remittances to their homeland and they should send more and more dollars back to Pakistan He said the Overseas Pakista-

Federal govt urged to allow elec tricity supply to KP industr y on wheeling charges

s tA f f r e p o r t

nis are baseline of Pakistan and they have been contributing to add to the dignity of the country

Lord Wajid Hussain said that Kashmir would remain top of his agenda and he would keep raising his voice for the Kashmiri people Lauding the efforts of Shehryar Khan Afridi for the Kashmir cause, Lord Wajid Hussain said that Shehryar Afridi has always been ready to contribute to the cause of Kashmir He said that Afridi’s support to the overseas Pakistanis was also unmatched He said that the foreign remittances are a great contribution for Pakistan as overseas Pakistanis are always ready to sacrifice for the cause of Pakistan MP UK Imran Hussain said that the visit of the British MPs delegation to Pakistan had been very informative and inspiring and the delegates would

be carrying back wonderful memories He praised the way Shehryar Afridi raised the issue of Kashmir at all global and local forums and served the Kashmir cause He said that Kashmir struggle was a just cause and he would continue raising his voice at all international forums

L o r d Q u r b a n H u s s a i n s a i d i t was a pleasure to be among overseas Pakistanis working in so many countries He said that the governm e n t o f P a k i s t a n w o u l d h a v e t o c r e a t e c o n d u c i v e e n v i r o n m e n t s o t h a t t h e n e x t g e n e r a t i o n s o f t h e o v e r s e a s P a k i s t a n i s s h o u l d r e t u r n to their homeland and keep sending foreign remittances Her said Kashm i r i s a r e u n d e r o p p r e s s i o n a n d there is a need to work together to the cause of plebiscite to the people o f I n d i a n I l l e g a l l y O c c u p i e d Jammu and Kashmir

Edible oil shor tage looms as opening of LCs resisted

ContInueD froM pAge 01

Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Industry Abdul Karim Khan on Thursday urged upon the federal government to expedite work on the policy of supplying electricity to industries in KP on wheeling charges

Special

If the federal government provides facility of electricity supply to industries on wheeling charges, it would give an impetus to the industrialization policy of KP and attract more industries besides creating livelihood for people at this difficult time of economic recession ”

He expressed these views while talking to newsmen after performing inau-

guration of a marble and granite industrial unit and groundbreaking of a road project in Mohmand Industrial Zone, one among 14 newly established industrial clusters by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Economic Zones Development and Management Company (KPEZDMC) during the last couple of years He said that Pakhtunkhwa Energy Development Organization (PEDO) was working on several mini micro hydropower projects in the province to provide energy demand and the incentive of cheap and uninterrupted electricity to the industry would promote industrialization in the region reeling through the impact of decades-long wave of militancy and terrorism

Abdul Karim said the federal government should work on projects sup-

Rasheed: extrajudicial disqualification of Imran will cost gov t dearly

ISLAMABAD M o n to r n g r e p o r t

Awami Muslim League (AML) chairman Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed warned on Thursday the beleaguered government’s plan to disqualify former prime minister Imran Khan at all costs will cost it dearly In a tweet, the former minister said the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government was imposed on Pakistan in an illegal manner but the move caused Khan’s popularity to soar, who was ousted as prime minister through a no-confidence vote by the alliance in April last year They are deliberating ways how to disqualify Imran Khan It would be another addition to the long list of their other blunders,” he wrote Even a pole would win if it is given a [election] ticket by Imran Khan” Ahmed also hit out at Tariq Bashir Cheema, the food security minister, for advising the public to not consume chicken meat as it is unhealthy A day earlier the AML chief said the government had failed to bring political and economic stability to the country He said the unpopular decisions taken by the government had dented the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and its coalition partners, adding that foreign exchange reserves had decreased by half while inflation was on the rise He also warned the public against the worsening economic situation in the country

plying electricity to industry from Malakand Hydel Power and Pehur Hydro-power project on wheeling charges In the prevailing circumstances of economic recession, it is imperative to take such measures that can provide ease to businessmen besides attracting investors in the country in general and KP in particular, Karim added

He apprised newsmen that with the inauguration of a new industrial unit, the number of total operational units in the Mohmand Industrial Zone has reached eight While work over 13 is in progress and three are near completion and will soon start operation

The industries established in Mohmand are related to marble and granite steel fabrication oil and vegetable and stone crushing

In the newly established industrial zones, KPEZDMC is providing stateof-the-art facilities including 24/7 electricity, foolproof security, water supply, and facilitation in dealing with different government departments

KPEZMDC has also inked MoU with Bank of Khyber for the opening of its branches in these industrial zones and soon a branch will be set up in Mohmand district

He also demanded exemption of sales tax on electricity for industries in economic zones as were allowed to industries performing out of the zones

For a level playing field these industries should also be provided the same facility as is being provided to others for ensuring fair competition in production cost, Karim stressed

FIA ac tion urged over honey trap claim against ac tors

ISLAMABAD

The minister for information has urged the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to initiate legal action after a military critic apparently accused top actors Sajal Ali, Kubra Khan, and Mehwish Hayat of being used as “honey traps” by the top brass of Pakistan Army

According to the Associated Press of Pakistan, Marriyum Aurangzeb condemned the character assassination campaign , saying the entire society must condemn those who are promoting the culture of such malicious campaigns aimed at character assassination and spreading insolence and incivility ”

Her statement came after Adil Raja, a retired Pakistan Army major, claimed in a YouTube video that some of the nation’s female actors were used by the military to trap politicians

He didn t name any actors but he ended up revealing the actors’ initials

Soon after the video went viral, social media users were quick to make assumptions that the actors in question are Ali Khan and Hayat

“It is very sad that our country is becoming morally debased and ugly; character assassination is the worst form of humanity and sin ” Ali wrote

ter assassination’

in a tweet on Monday Hayat, who plays the role of Aisha in Ms Marvel, also called the allegations “baseless” Shame on you for spreading baseless allegations and insinuations about someone you know nothing about and even bigger shame on people who blindly believe this bullshit, she wrote on Instagram

“But this stops and it stops now! I will not allow anyone to defame my name in this way anymore ”

According to the state-owned agency, Aurangzeb said actors are not only an asset of the country but its identity at an international level d u e t o t h e s t a t u s t h e y h a v e e a r n e d i n s o c i e t y through their hard work and stardom She regretted the “character assassination” o f w o m e n w h o a c h i e v e a s t a t u s i n l i f e , b e i t journalism, politics, art or any other field The m i n i s t e r s l a m m e d t h o s e w h o o n l y c a r e a b o u t the honour of their own mothers and sisters but not of other women

“The way some persons abused others for a difference of opinion, launched a vile attack on w o m e n a n d [ w e r e ] i n v o l v e d i n d i s r e s p e c t i n g a n d h a r a s s i n g o t h e r s ’ m o t h e r s a n d s i s t e r s s h o w e d h o w t h e y t h e m s e l v e s h a v e b e e n brought up, the minister said

Edible oil consumption in Pakistan has increased significantly over the last few decades: from 0 7 to 4 7 million tonnes between 1981 and 2020 The main demand drivers are rising population, dietary preferences and increase in per capita income According to the recent SBP report: Pakistan’s per capita edible oil consumption is already higher compared to economies with similar income levels In a statement, Faad Waheed, Acting President, ICCI said that the State Bank of Pakistan had allowed imports related to essential sectors such as food including wheat and edible oil, which was warmly welcomed by the business community of the food sector I C C I’s C o n C e r n s

Reportedly, commercial banks are now conveying to the importers-cum-manufacturers of edible oil that the edible oil has been excluded with immediate effect from the list of essential imports and hence banks are turning down their requests for opening of LCs/retirement of documents, he highlighted This situation was creating a panic-like situation in the market,” Faad said, adding that almost 90% of edible oil in the country was produced from imported oil seeds to meet the national needs of over 4 5 million metric tons per annum

The existing domestic stocks can “hardly meet” the need of 34 weeks, he said stressing it was essential to ensure unhindered opening of LCs/retirement of documents to avoid any shortage of this essential food item in the market He said that the cooking oil industry was facing a unique kind of challenge as despite the discharge of sufficient stocks in custom-bonded warehouses at Karachi, the importers-cum-manufacturers are unable to lift them due to refusal by banks to retire the documents This state of affairs is giving rise to negative market sentiments” and drying up the supply chain of staple food products of ghee and cooking Oil, Waheed warned He urged SBP to immediately issue a clarification on the matter and direct the commercial banks to honor the LCs of the edible oil sector in order to save the common man from further inflation and the edible oil business community from further losses

SBP’s liquid forex reser ves fall by another $245m, to $5.576bn

ContInueD froM BACk pAge

With falling reserves, Pakistan s import cover slides to less than 35 days, but that is not all The SBP recently withdrew restrictions on imports, allowing Authorised Dealers (ADs) to process payments and LCs, without prior permission of Foreign Exchange Operations Department of the State Bank While the SBP has removed the restriction, ADs are asked to prioritise or facilitate imports under essential imports, energy imports, imports by export-oriented industry, imports for agriculture imports, deferred payment/self-funded imports, and imports for export-oriented projects near completion What this means is that without restrictions, the country’s imports may rise, bringing the reserves down; and consequently the import cover too The import cover, which is calculated using the import figures of the last three months, might also be overstated, factoring in for the lack of restrictions in the months to come

IS attackers of Pakistan embassy in K abul killed in overnight raids: Taliban

Pakistan’s embassy and the military airport

Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban killed eight Islamic State militants involved in an attack on Pakistan’s embassy in Kabul last month and arrested nine others in a series of raids targeting key figures in a spate of attacks in Kabul, a government spokesperson said Thursday

Zabihullah Mujahid the spokesman for the Taliban government, said the raids in the capital city and western Nimroz province on Wednesday targeted IS militants who organised recent attacks on Kabul’s Longan Hotel,

Slain IS fighters also included foreign nationals and seven others were arrested in Kabul, while a separate operation in western Nimroz province resulted in two more IS arrests he said

Islamic State had claimed responsibility for an attack on Pakistan’s embassy in the Afghan capital Kabul on December 2 in which a security guard from Pakistan Army was wounded by gunfire

Islamabad called the attack an attempt to assassinate its head of mission, Ubaid urRehman Nizamani, who was unhurt Islamic State claimed the attack was car-

ried out by two of its members armed with “medium and sniper weapons” and was targeting Nizamani and his guards who were present in the courtyard of the embassy

On Thursday, Mujahid provided details of an operation the Afghan forces carried out against the militant group involved in the attack He added the outfit also tried to target Chinese nationals and others in his country

“These members had a main role in the attack on the Chinese hotel and paved the way for foreign IS members to come to Afghanistan,” Mujahid said in a tweet The Islamic State group claimed respon-

sibility for a deadly bombing near a checkpoint at the Afghan capital’s military airport Sunday IS said that attack was carried out by the same militant who took part in the Longan Hotel assault in mid-December

The regional affiliate of the Islamic State group known as the Islamic State in Khorasan Province and a key rival of the Taliban has increased its attacks in Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover in 2021 Targets have included Taliban patrols and members of Afghanistan s Shi ite minority

IS published a photo of the attacker, identifying him as Abdul Jabbar, saying he withdrew safely from the attack on the hotel

after he ran out of ammunition It added he detonated his explosives-laden vest targeting the soldiers gathered at the checkpoint

Mujahid said light weapons, hand grenades, mines, vests and explosives were confiscated by the Taliban s security forces during the raids on an IS hideout in the Shahdai Salehin neighbourhood Local residents reported sounds of several explosions and an hours-long gun battle

The Taliban swept across the country in August 2021, seizing power as US and NATO forces were in the last weeks of their final withdrawal from Afghanistan after 20 years of war

ISLAMABAD s tA f f r e p o r t

— ‘charac

peSHAWAr

Assistant to Chief

ISLAMABAD t

S a v i n g e n e r g y

TH e government’s early closure plan may not work the wonders that have been promised even if one was to accept the figures that the government has let slip, of Rs 82 billion, it will not cover the estimated gap of $33 billion, or Rs 7 5 trillion approximately, at Wednesday s rate of Rs 226 to the dollar, needed this year to finance debt servicing and the current account deficit it is actually the kind of minor tweaking that is carried out as a minor component of a much larger, much more serious, package The pity of it is that the government’s figures are so wildly optimistic as to be just plain wrong Far from the professional caution for which accountants like him are famous, Finance Minister ishaq dar seems to be indulging in a flight of fantasy

There is another reason for this measure to fall flat on its face: KP and Punjab have refused to implement it The federal government may well claim that this is politically motivated, and this might be true because the two provinces have got PTi governments However, those provinces are relying on trader organizations for resistance to this move, which has only been possible because the move has been deeply unpopular among traders, and instead of building up support by solving the crisis which has proved so damaging to it, may well cause it to displease one of its most reliable votebank, the small trader

The government has not taken any of the steps which the iMF is demanding it take, such as letting the dollar loose, and leaving it to find its natural level, which will probably cause plentiful and widespread pain to the consumer However, the present policy of trying to avoid the steps the iMF demands does not seem to be working it may be painful to do what the iMF wants, but the government must ask itself two questions First, is avoiding the iMF’s demands working, in terms of bringing about any improvement in the economy? Second, does it have any real choice? one problem, seemingly insurmountable, is that any measures for the necessary switch to renewable sources, like wind or solar, demands an appropriate lead time While important initiatives, they cannot help the country in its present crisis

Public consequences of private deeds

At Penpoint

No T only has PTi chief imran Khan not gotten over the alleged audioclips leaked almost a fortnight ago, in which he allegedly engaged in explicit talk with a woman, but there is talk of two videoclips having been given a limited release, which are not just explicit but perverted While the audios barely passed muster for general circulation on social media platforms, the videos would not imran has said the audioclips were a violation of Quranic injunctions to place a curtain over the sins of others opponents promptly pounced upon his not denying them

He has already girded himself up for battle by declaring that videos would be used against him, which would be the result of ‘deep fake’ technology However, now he seems to be maintaining a silence on the issue He may be relying on a remark attributed to former US President donald Trump himself mired in scandals, who once claimed that he could commit a murder in public and get away with it However his latest appeal to religion deserves closer attention While Pakistan itself was created on a religious basis, religion has not figured all that much in its politics it is just possible to discern a sort of evolution of islamic, or rather islamist, politics in Pakistan, which corresponds to the change of attitudes among Muslims initially, the colonial experience brought Muslims to the examination of what had happened They had been deposed after all one solution was to return to the past That was on offer by the JUi and the JUP, which were sectarian parties headed by Ulema which looked the most towards a glorious (and perhaps mythical) past However, there was some movement forward, as it could be seen that the Ulema had cooperated with the Raj There was some resistance, no doubt, but there was a great deal of cooperation There were some reformist movements ranging from the Khaksar Tehrik of Allama Mashriqi, to the Jamaat islami The Jamaat was very influential, and it should come as no surprise that the indian and Bangladeshi branches still exist However, another party, the ikhwanul Muslimeen (Muslim Brotherhood) with a similar ideology arose in the Arab world and has given rise to several parties with a greater record of success it has had a better record of electoral success than the Jamaat, as its egyptian branch achieved the Presidency of egypt and the ennahda Party in Tunisia and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, won elections The latter two are Brotherhood foundations but are not affiliated to the main party in egypt

The Muslim League included the religion in its name, The PPP proclaimed as one of its slogans Islam hamara din hai’ (islam is our religion) However, neither party has deviated from the objectives Resolution of 1949 which formed the preamble to the 1973 Constitution, and was later included in the Constitution itself by Zia ul Haq: that no laws were to be made in contradiction to the Quran and Sunnah, and that sovereignty belonged to Allah Almighty, to be exercised by the chosen representatives of the people However, these parties made sure these remained gestures While governing or legislating, neither paid much attention to the latter of islamic law, but propounded the Constitution as supreme law The religious parties did not object, rather joined them However, this dilution does not seem to have worked, and these parties have done badly at the hustings only twice has the JUi been able to head a coalition in one province The second time, it was the MMA coalition under the Musharraf martial law

The Jammat route, of closeness to the military involved taking part in the Kashmir jihad This was an area where the Jamaat got involved, after its participation in the Afghan Jihad The Army did not use it for the next two experiments in political islam, the Pakistan Awami Tehrik or the Pakistan Tehrik insaf neither had any cadres involved in the Kashmir freedom struggle Both were more broadly based than the Jamaat The Jamaat which was something of a reformist party, had more in common with the deobandi School or the Ahle Hadith sect PAT was an explicitly Brelvi platform, while the PTi did not claim ant affiliation, though its leader, imran Khan, was clearly a Brelvi

If he had not been such a vocal proponent of the Riasat-i-Madina, he might have got away with it. Take the example of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. He has been accused of much, but none of it stuck Even before his 1979 hanging, his opponents held as an ar ticle of faith his indulgence in every evil (except using drugs, probably because no one thought of it), his suppor ters either denied it stoutly or said it was OK.

M A Niazi Joint Editor

Editor

After Partition, neither the Jamaat nor the Jamiats did well enough in elections to achieve power However they did develop a nexus with the military The Al-Badar and Al-Shams organizations which fought to keep Pakistan united were Jamaat organizations The Jamaat islami Bangladesh leaders tried and executed for war crimes over four decades later were members of these bodies it is not that other parties did not make gestures

Someone somewhere had decided that the majority of Pakistanis were Brelvis That may or may not be true but no one seems to have won any seats on a Brelvi platform, except in Karachi There is the one time that Maulana Abdus Sattar niazi won in Mianwali, though he had to take a PML (n) ticket in 1990 when he won from the constituency imran Khan sits for The Tehrik Labaik Pakistan has also got some traction as a Brelvi party and has got some votes but no seats except in Karachi

The PTi thus seems to be second phase of political islam its target was the Riasat-i-Madina, and the example imran liked to quote most was of the second Caliph, Umar ibn al-Khattab Therefore, to have to face a charge of moral corruption is all the more

Minorit y Rights in India and Western Hypocrisy

painful it should be noted that there has not been a leader about whom there have not been rumors in Pakistan Those who have been proper while in office have had rumours about prior behaviour, some of it before their ascent to power However no one has had any clips, video or audio, leaked it is also to be noted that there have been no rumours or accusations of other islamist leaders The existence of rumours about one (the gentleman now being deceased) is perhaps evidence that others were not just more discreet, but free from guilt imran on the other hand has questions to answer Unfortunately for him, even if the smears are false, they will stick The question is, what will be their political effect? if he had not been such a vocal proponent of the Riasat-i-Madina, he might have got away with it Take the example of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto He has been accused of much but none of it stuck even before his 1979 hanging, his opponents held as an article of faith his indulgence in every evil (except using drugs, probably because no one thought of it) his supporters either denied it stoutly or said it was oK Bhutto s PPP was not particularly religious, and was even secular Bhutto s morals did not lose him support because voters likely to be swayed by such considerations stayed away from his party anyway it is almost as if the people might now be ready for a new experiment in islam imran was a departure from the ulema, and provided a sort of ulema-free islam which took account of the diaspora experience, but which allowed people to duck obeying any actual injunctions of islam now it might be that the people are getting ready for an islamic solution free of the military That would mean turning to a party like the Hizbul Tahrir, which is active in all Muslim countries, not as separate parties, like the Jamaat or the Brotherhood but as a single Ummah-wide party it has been banned throughout most of the Arab world, as well as Pakistan, but it may just represent an idea whose time has come The advantage of the Hizb is that no single military controls it it’s unpopular everywhere it is possible that only a party like the Hizbul Tahrir could navigate the new political reality Politicians in other parties have long been used to maintaining a double standard, and the public might need someone it can trust That would have to be an outsider, not someone tainted by the system

Gi d e o n Rachman wrote in his book The Age of the Strongman that “There are some characteristics of strongman leadership that span both democracies and dictatorships and which are very evident in Modi’s india The first and most obvious is the encouragement of a cult of personality A charismatic speaker Modi is in his element addressing large crowds, and very rarely submits to unscripted questions As well as stressing his strength in the face of india s enemies, Modi s image-makers have carefully cultivated the idea that the indian leader is a religious and ascetic figure, whose only concern is the good of people”

He also wrote article in favor of Modi, arguing that “india needs a jolt and Modi is a risk worth taking” But Gideon also regretted in this book that he supported Modi and felt very bad he couldn t see the frightening side of him and his policies towards minorities; saying ‘i read those words with some embarrassment’ india s Muslims minorities have faced decades of discrimination which has worsened under narendra Modi’s government The other parties of india were relatively better but due to the environment created by Modi; they also support anti-minority policies The most shocking thing is, despite of not providing rights to minorities, the Western world supports Modi Rachman also stated in this book that “in 2015 President Barack obama, writing in Time magazine, praised the new indian prime minister as reflecting the dynamism and potential of india’s rise’” They are supporting a man who could strengthen the authoritarian environment, which is the threat for the liberal world order; as india is not following any indicator of the liberal world order failing in democracy, freedom of speech and minority rights

This continuous support for Modi from Western leaders can lead to creation of another Hitler Western leaders are just focusing on China, they are not realizing that the emerging Hindutva Realism can become a global threat, but after some time they are going to realize they were making a big mistake india’s nuclear arsenals have also taken a step ahead; they have replaced short range missiles with more advanced technologies Agni-V includes more advanced rocket motors, propellants and navigation systems And its doctrine shift from no First Use is also a big threat

The United nations declaration on the Rights of Minorities emphasizes states must protect the existence and identities of minorities it encourages that a secure environment without discriminating against their identities or religion and any other aspect must be provided to them

However, if we scrutinize the policies of india’s current BJP government, we will see the violation of these rights Under the BJP s government hate speech and communal violence have risen According to indian’s own Ministry of Home Affairs, an approximately 30 percent rise of communal violence has occurred under the BJP government Michelle Bachelet warns of increasing harassment and targeting of minorities in particular, Muslims and dalits

For decades, it was perceived that only Muslim minorities are facing discrimination but now even the Christian minorities are also facing unjust conditions BJP has increased the taxes of Christian gatherings and

Churches A high court judge, over the matter of harassment, says Christian education is highly unsafe for the future of children” on Christmas as revelers thronged Kolkata’s fashionable Park Street and St Paul’s Cathedral

a midnight mass, Modi s government

Missionaries of Charity

organization

by Mother Teresa,

foreign funds

move follows an ongoing government strategy

use the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act

restrict external funding to non-governmental organizations in Agra, a group affiliated with BJP burned effigies of Santa Claus, claiming missionaries were using the holiday to convert others to Christianity in the state of Assam, which has a Christian minority Hindu nationalists entered a Presbyterian church and disrupted services And meanwhile Modi tweets ‘Merry Christmas’ This is totally hypocrisy: on one side they oppress minorities and on the other they try to maintain the status of a secular state Unfortunately international communities are blind to the violation of the rights of minorities

The BJP’s objectives towards Muslims have always been clear and they can be analyzed through examining the Citizen Amendment Act and the national Register of Citizenship controversy which denies citizenship to Muslim refugees and is totally based on religion which discriminates against the minorities in response to this Act, the people came out to protest and experienced the worst communal violence, killing of 50 and injuries of more than 200 protesters

Modi’s silence over the Gujarat Riots has left no secret of his hatred for minorities, which left upwards of 2000 people dead, a majority of whom were Muslim Ac-

cording to a report over the course of several bloody months, 1965 shops, 21 warehouses, and 76 religious shrines were destroyed, the great majority belonging to Muslims The girls with Hijab were not allowed to go inside colleges; they are deprived of the right to get education These are not characteristic of a democratic country Union Minister Anand Kumar Hegde has openly said “there is islam in the world, there will be terrorism until we uproot islam” Still india claims to be the world’s largest democratic country All these incidents indicate the BJP’s attitude towards minorities international communities should not act as they are blind, they must see the violation of minorities rights if Western leaders didn t stop their support for Modi, there will be another Hitler

The writer is a research assistant at CISS AJK and can be reached at hirabashir674@yahoo com

The government ’s energy-saving plan is not going to work the wonders promised

The writer is a member of staff

held

blocked the

the

founded

from receiving

The

to

to

Union Minister Anand Kumar Hegde has openly said “there is Islam in the world, there will be terrorism until we uproot Islam”.

Yousaf Nizami

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

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

Sword of default hanging over Pakistan: Consequences and solutions

D efault will be disastrous

fault and could not be rolled over

As per SBP Governor Jamel Ahmad, the current economic crisis of the country is predominantly caused by devastating floods and exacerbated by some exogenous factors like global recession, the Ukraine-Russia war, and the commodity super-cycle However, he has provided assurances that Pakistan will repay all its loans on time “Pakistan will continue to make timely loan payments while inflows are expected to increase significantly in the second half of the current fiscal year,” Jameel said in a podcast He is giving statements that are heavily reliant on the generosity of friendly countries for survival But what if things do not work as the governor is describing? What if the forex reserves held by the SBP continue to fall? What if Pakistan defaults?

reputation and its economic ratings might decline which can make it even more difficult to borrow money and conduct trade deals Someone might ask Why cannot Pakistan simply print Pakistani rupees in the default period to disburse the salaries of government employees and pay off the local currency debts? The increase in money supply by printing more money might lead to hyperinflation which can be even worse than defaulting Also, printing more money to finance government expenditures might worsen the SBP rating on different indices of central bank independence How to avoid this tidal wave of default and speedily shrinking forex reserves? Pakistan needs to take some drastic measures as a debt-trap country cannot continue living paycheck to paycheck

S o m e t h i n g i s w r o n g w i t h C S S c h e c k s

R e C e n T Ly, the result of the Central Superior Service (CSS) written examination 2022 was announced According to the result 32 059 candidates had applied, 20,262 appeared, and only 393 could qualify; the pass percentage being 1 94

Those who cleared celebrated and those who failed without any preparation were not bothered by the result However, those who had worked really hard and yet failed are the ones who feel the pain of the loss the most When detailed mark sheets of the written examination were issued, the subjects in which many candidates failed related to english essay and composition That has always been the pattern and there are valid reasons for that However the result of Pakistan Affairs surprised just about everyone it seemed as if this subject was particularly targeted to fail the candidates one of my friends secured just 18 marks in the subject He told me that he had calculated the marks of multiple-choice questions (MCQs) in which out of 20, he had scored 14 correct, which meant that he got just four marks out of 80 in the subjective part it seemed the examiner had given on average one mark per question in contrast he performed very well in other subjects, such as in Political Science in which he secured 144 out of 200 marks

Many failed candidates are angry and dejected, questioning the criterion of marking a paper, and asking if the examiners have some sort of guidelines for performing the task Such an attitude is brutal it is also believed that the examiners cannot check such huge number of papers and they seek help either from their students or colleagues in this regard if so, this puts a question mark on the entire paper marking process no matter how an examiner marks a paper, the ultimate losers are the candidates who spend months in some cases years to prepare for the competitive examination The Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) should take steps to ensure transparent paper marking This attitude of targeting a paper shatters the trust of the candidates in the commission, and many may go into depression i have seen many serious candidates who suffered psychologically after unexpected CSS results

MUHAMMAD ESSA QUETTA

Water shor tage

TH e term “default” means a breach of contract or broken promises The international Monetary Fund (iMF) defines a country as in default when the government is either unwilling or unable to repay its creditors Sri Lanka Ukraine Zambia Lebanon, and Argentina are among the economies that have defaulted on their debt in recent times cash-strapped Pakistan is on the brink of default and/or at least in the danger zone as inflation is rising, the dollar getting stronger, cost of borrowing mounting and global growth decelerating Several international financial institutions and economists are raising the alarm about the catastrophic debt crisis of Pakistan The political instability, complicated domestic policies, and a difficult external environment have pushed the country to a challenging economic juncture

The foreign exchange reserves held by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) have fallen to $5 82 billion the lowest level in nearly eight years and hardly enough to cover one month of imports A recent swift depletion of forex reserves is the result of the $1 billion payment against the maturing Pakistan international Sukuk (Sharia-compliant bond) and other external debt repayments Reuters estimated that Pakistan has to pay more than $33 billion to its foreign lenders in the coming financial year, including debt repayments of $23 billion and $10 billion in the current account deficit in order to ensure enough reserves to pay its debt obligations, reduce its massive current account deficit, and evade the sword of default, Pakistan is in desperate need of foreign aid

Pakistan may not be in the Sri Lanka situation yet but it is not very far off as there are some parallel symptoms like dynastic politics, populist decisions like import bans, narrow export base, and unnecessary expenditures if we compare both countries on the repayment capacity, Pakistan has a small proportion (almost seven percent) of its foreign debt in international bonds like Sukuk and eurobond The rest of the debts are a composition of bilateral, multilateral, and commercial debt which can be rolled over from time to time However, the Sri Lankan situation was different where the majority of foreign debts were acquired through floating international bonds whose repayment was a must to avoid de-

There is a plethora of empirical literature a v a i l a b l e t h a t p o s t ul a t e s t h a t f i n a n c i a l m i s m a n a g e m e n t a n d p o l i t i c a l i n s t a b i l i t y have become frequent catalysts of sovereign default They were the m a j o r r e a s o n s f o r d ef a u l t s b y e c u a d o r i n 2 0 1 8 a n d 2 0 2 0 U k r a i n e i n 2 0 1 5 , A rg e n t i n a i n 2 0 1 4 a n d 2 0 1 9 a n d S r i L a n k a i n 2 0 2 2 U n f o r t unately, Pakistan is curr e n t l y d e a l i n g w i t h both culprits of sovereign default

The first consequence that Pakistan may face after getting default or having no forex in the kitty is trouble in borrowing again and likely having to pay massive interest rates if it gets the chance This puts a severe impact on the exports and imports of the country Additionally, the borrowers try to withdraw money from the financial institutions due to low or no trust in the government Secondly, foreign investors try to exit the defaulting country by selling their local assets which leads to the crashing of the exchange rate in foreign markets Again, this channel will influence the trade sector as imports become expensive when the domestic currency depreciates Thirdly, in an attempt to cope with the chaos of loan payments, Pakistan s economy may face a massive tax increase and spending cuts followed by extreme austerity measures Fourthly, default or zero FX reserves might start riots on the streets leading to poorer living standards and a severe banking crisis due to confusion and ambiguity, the general public might try to take all their money out of the banking system in order to avoid money withdrawal, the government may close down its major banks which might invigorate the banking crisis Fifthly, the turmoil generated by all these channels can be experienced in the stock exchange Until the situation is stable no investor might be willing to buy shares in a period of uncertainty Moreover, Pakistan can face a loss of

T h e m a i n i n g r e d i e n t o f a ny c o u n t r y ’s d e f a u l t , “ p o l i t i c a l i n s t a b i l i t y ” , i s l i k e ly t o g i v e a ro u g h p e r i o d t o Pa k i s t a n ’s e c o n o my. I n t h i s c h a o t i c e nv i ro n m e n t , t h e p o l i t i c a l p a r t i e s s h o u l d ex h i b i t m o d e r a t i o n a n d t a k e c r i t i c a l a c t i o n s t o s e t t l e t h i s d e a d l o ck t h a t h a s ov e rc a s t t h e cl o u d s o f u n e a s i n e s s a n d u n c e r t a i n t y.

Populist decisions like import bans are reckless and counterproductive as they lead to an increase in the cost of living via a higher inflation rate Sri Lanka has experimented with the import ban policy to prevent the outflow of forex reserves which ends up as a massive failure our reforms must be focused on superfluous expenditures like subsidies and noncombat military budgets Additionally to prevent the leaking of millions of dollars in untapped revenue and to deal with the matter of tax evasion Pakistan needs a structured and targeted approach The pressure on the rupee would go away only with the FX inflow and/or freezing of outflows in this regard, the government needs to devise novel ways to curb the cross-border smuggling of dollars and other items Moreover, Pakistan needs a strong macroeconomic and financial regulatory structure to ease the economic costs of a crisis information flow plays a vital role in the expansion of chaos and uncertainty in an economy To avoid the spread of misinformation, the government needs to conduct honest public communication through media professionals dedicated to honest reporting about the economy

The main ingredient of any country’s default, “political instability”, is likely to give a rough period to Pakistan s economy in this chaotic environment the political parties should exhibit moderation and take critical actions to settle this deadlock that has overcast the clouds of uneasiness and uncertainty The general public is more concerned about the struggling economy than their filthy plots and campaigns to stick to power

The writer is teaching economics at the Higher Education department Punjab He has a PhD in Economics from the School of Economics, Quaid-I-Azam University

T H e R e is acute and lingering water shortage in the Karachi Administrative employees Cooperative Housing Society (KAeCHS) The area supposedly falls under the ‘A’ category localities of Karachi, and boasts 100 per cent payment for utility bills in fact almost all residents pay even their water bills on time, something unimaginable in many city areas Still, we have been faced with serious water shortage for several months Water is available only for one to two hours a week yes a week! even this diminished supply is now hard to come by as either the motor of a pumping station in Block 5 keeps malfunctioning, or we are often told that there is no supply from the main line The residents are compelled to pay thousands of rupees per tanker to meet their daily water needs, which is an additional burden on them in these days of hyperinflation And this is despite paying water bills regularly The Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) should take practical steps and address the problem on an urgent basis, and make sure that the solution it comes up with happens to be sustainable as well

IRFANUL ZAFAR KARACHI

Teacher’s distress

i am a primary school teacher and have been employed with the Sindh School education and Literacy department for eight years Although my transfer was done from a school in dadu to one in Latifabad, Hyderabad, in 2019, my biometric imprint has not been changed despite my repeated submission of the relevant proforma Surprisingly, the process is moving smoothly on a daily basis for the newly appointed junior elementary and primary school teachers, but no attention is being paid to teachers like me it is the responsibility of the department concerned to change biometrics of a transferred teacher at his/her new place of posting, but that is not what is happening The number of transferred women teachers is huge and they suffer unjustly one feels disappointed that unlike Punjab Sindh has no e-transfer, e-leave and other online facilities for teachers Sindh surely needs some teacher-friendly measures

ZAHIDA RUSTAMANI HYDERABAD

EOBI slumber

THeRe is no denying the fact that the employees old-Age Benefits institution (eoBi) has been doing great service to the elderly pensioners, myself included, since 1976 Having said that, i wish to point out some serious lacunae in the system As a case in point i wish to illustrate my own plight

Since 1991, my spouse and i, both aged above 75 years, have been bonafide beneficiaries, having reached the stipulated age of superannuation and eligibility for eoBi grants After the sad demise of my wife in August 2021, i applied for her monthly share

Accordingly, my request was granted, and i received the said benefit till May 2022 without any hitch However the facility was abruptly discontinued at that point without any information to me, verbal or written Surprisingly, the eoBi was, and has remained, silent on the matter Having waited for more than six months up to november 2022 i approached the eoBi Karachi office located at Awami Markaz with the complaint The official concerned showed me an office memorandum dated April 15, 2022 which mentioned that an insured person shall not be paid for the same period more than one of the [benefits] provided for this Act {clause 28 (1)}” in other words, the bottom line is that both the relevant ministry and the eoBi central office in islamabad were sleeping over the matter for the last six months it was eoBi Karachi’s duty to inform the beneficiaries forthwith This is a serious matter of official negligence and is inexcusable

The authorities concerned should look into the matter rather urgently as it has serious financial implications on the lives of thousands of needy, impoverished and downtrodden elders across the land

MASOOD KARACHI

Dr MuHAMMAD ZeesHAN YouNAs

a f a b r i c at i o n a g a i n s t i s l a m

not abide by the order

The latest prohibitions have followed the demand for adherence to the Taliban dress code and bans against women in employment, women entering entertainment parks gyms public gardens and travelling without a male relative outside their home towns

M i c h a E l J a n s E n

Wh I L e condemning the Taliban s latest misogynist policies, Western governments, aid agencies and media have ignored rulings and statements by eminent Islamic scholars and key organisations which should but do not influence Afghanistan s rulers

The Taliban’s bans began as soon as the movement took power in 2021 when girls were denied secondary education Last month the Taliban expanded this prohibition to women at university and, reportedly, told pupils and teachers in girls’ elementary schools not to return to classes

This was followed by a ban on women employed by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) CARe, Save the Children the Norwegian Refugee Council and the International Rescue Committee responded by suspending humanitarian services for deprived Afghans They jointly declared We cannot effectively reach children, women and men in desperate need in Afghanistan without our female staff ” They pointed out that women workers enabled them to reach “millions of Afghans in need since August 2021” when the Taliban seized power The International Rescue Committee said it employed 3,000 women who constitute 40 per cent of its staff These agencies argued the ban “will [also] affect thousands of jobs in the midst of an enormous economic crisis They demanded that “men and women [should] equally continue our [missions] in Afghanistan ”

The Taliban economy ministry claimed in a letter circulated to all NGOs that female staff were not “observing the Islamic hijab [head covering] and other Islamic emirate laws and regulations , and warned the ministry would close down any NGO which does

The university education edict defied censure from the Cairo-based senior Sunni authority on Islam, Grand Imam Ahmad Al Tayeb of Al Azhar Islamic heritage institution he declared that the ban is “un-representative of Islamic Sharia [canon law] and radically contradictory to Koranic teachings” he called on the Taliban to reconsider the decision and said the prohibition is shocking to the consciences of Muslims and non-Muslims” and should “not have been issued by any Muslim”

he declared Islam firmly denounces such banning as it deprives the legal rights ensured by Islam for men and women alike So, claiming otherwise is a fabrication against this upright religion

he argued that the ban on education conflicts with Islam’s call for both men and women “to seek knowledge from cradle to grave he argued the ban ignored 2,000 sayings of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUh) as well as “historic roles women have assumed in education science and politics

The Grand Imam declared that “if there are issues with the environment or curriculum that some might find problematic [as the Taliban claim] the solution is to fix the secondary problems, rather than create larger ones by halting education of the mothers and sisters and daughters of a society he added: “As a general rule, educating women [contributes] to any society’s growth and prosperity ”

The Abu Dhabi-based Muslim Council of elders opposed the ban, stating that “Islam liberated women from pre-Islamic traditions that deprived them of their rights and rendered them unable to function

As the ban on women attending university had been expected, the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) representatives from Saudi Arabia, the UAe, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain met Taliban acting foreign minister Amir Khan Mutaqi in Doha in November and called the movement to include women fully in Afghanistan’s life As GCC members use Sharia as the basis for their laws, they urged the Tal-

iban to make a reconciliation plan that respects basic freedoms and rights including women’s right to work and education”

Other scholars have pointed out that Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUh) first command to his followers was, “Read!” a skill unavailable to the illiterate he was quoted as saying, Acquisition of knowledge is binding on Muslim men and Muslim women ” he proclaimed: “The best gift from a father to his child is education and upbringing One of his most well-known statements is “Seek knowledge even as far as China ” The Prophet (PBUh) saw the hajj, the Muslim pilgrimage, as an educational opportunity his wife, hazrat Aisha (RA) was a key source of his pronouncements his words are certainly familiar to Taliban clerics, including the figure who has taken the decisions on the treatment of girls and women he is the reclusive religious scholar and Taliban supreme leader hibatullah Akhundzada, who is in his 70s and was based in Quetta in Pakistan for decades Since the Taliban took over, he has relocated to Kandahar but is rarely seen he has the final word on policy he may have chosen Nida Nadim an ex-governor and military commander, to be higher education minister as his goal is to uproot the system of modern secular education established in Afghanistan following the US occupation in 2021 Despite the mass of rulings to the contrary, he considers education for girls and women to be un-Islamic and against Afghan traditions Since his appointment, Nadim has revoked academic standards and administrative rules and appointed unqualified Taliban fighters to official and teaching posts at universities Before denying them university education, he also barred women from engineering agricultural and scientific courses of study and confined them to teaching, nursing and medicine in order to provide females to deal with females, thereby maintaining the strict separation of the sexes The ban on higher education coincides with the widespread movement in Iran led by educated Iranian women who are calling for the overthrow of the Islamic Republic Since the Taliban returned to power last year, security forces have suppressed limited protests by women against the movement s return to practices of the first period of Taliban rule from 1996-2001

What is progress, anyWay?

th e story and character of the Persianate Alexander the Great, known as Iskandar or Sikandar, underwent a great deal of transformation in poetic and prose texts over a millennium What is most striking in the various works written for different audiences is the increasingly imaginative itinerary of the hero’s travels especially with respect to his relationships with the women he encounters in each place

The earliest known verse treatment of Alexander is Firdawsi’s Persian epic, the Shahnamah (Books of Kings), completed circa 1010 Ce, in which Iskandar is represented in the line of ancient Iranian kings Although not a translation of the Greek romance, the main women of Iskandar s life are the same with the addition of a few more

The story of Qaydafah, ruler of Andalusia, is similar to Candace, ruler of Meroe, in the Greek romance She at first refuses to submit to the conqueror and when Iskandar appears before her disguised as his own messenger, she recognises him because she had seen his portrait beforehand In the end she makes a pact with him Qaydafah is not an Amazon and nor does she live in a city solely inhabited by women The Amazon story is a brief interlude and comes a bit later when Iskandar is honoured by the women of harum, a city inhabited solely by women

It is in the India section in a version which is unique to Firdawsi, that we learn about a physician who treats Iskandar ’s over-sexed temperament that has led him to become weak and suffer from insomnia When Iskandar started sleeping alone, he regained his health This picture of him as a Lothario is in sharp contrast to the schol-

Christian sCienCe Monitor E r i k a Pag E

th e notion of progress can be fraught Whose progress? Whose ideals? Whose metrics? In the West at least, progress has long been inextricably intertwined with economic and technological growth In the postwar period economists like Walt Whitman Rostow envisioned progress as a linear path toward modernization Wealthy nations had arrived Poor nations could follow in their footsteps with the right economic policy and machinery Yet that kind of progress has trapped humanity in a seeming paradox: unprecedented wealth and technological capacity paired with deepening inequality polarization, and environmental degradation

The technocratic view of progress has earned its fair share of critics Post-development scholars began insisting in the 1980s that “developed” societies offer no model to follow, given the damage done by overconsumption They decried society s obsession with economic and technological advancement, which tended to silence other cultural ways of thinking about progress

As the Monitor s Points of Progress writer this past year I ve thought a lot about the meaning of progress First, I learned what progress is not It’s not a one-size-fits-all model It’s not a tool to get others to do things your way It s not a smooth caveat-free ride In fact, it’s not a race with any particular destination at all Instead, progress is incremental It’s messy and imperfect And it can feel painfully slow and incomplete even as some 25,000 unhoused individuals moved into homes in houston, for instance, another 500,000 Americans remained on the streets or in shelters But that incremental step forward transformed lives And how the city made it happen can be instructive for other communities

At the Monitor, we take a somewhat unfashionable stance on progress The idea is this: Some values are so innate to human nature, they are actually universal Progress, then, occurs as these values unfold around the globe Values like ingenuity, dignity, and cooperation are not ideological, nor do they prescribe a particular political solution Looking back at the Points of Progress from 2022, I found these and other values paving the way for solutions to emerge, finetuned to the needs of the place economic and technological advancements do matter But maybe these are better seen as the result rather than the source, of progress The good news is that we can all tend and nurture the values that bring our humanity to light That drives real progress

alexander’s encounters with women

HOW PERSIAN LITER ATURE IMAGINED ALEXANDER THE GREAT ’S R OMANTIC REL ATIONSHIPS AR OUND THE WORLD

The authors of the later courtly romances were doubtless familiar with Firdawsi s work but took more artistic liberties in developing Iskandar ’s character Nizami’s Iskandarnamah (1202 Ce) is a mixture of epic and romance, and in this work Nushabah, an avatar of Qaydafah and Candace, is a composite character who is an Amazon queen Nushabah’s name itself means water of life and is linked to Iskandar s quest for immortality

The setting of this episode is changed from Andalusia to Barda, which falls in the poet’s native land, and which was the winter capital connected to two royal women, Mahin Banu and her niece Shirin characters in Nizami’s earlier romance, Khusraw and Shirin

Nizami describes Barda as a virtual paradise on earth which he links to harum the land of the Amazons in Firdawsi’s text Iskandar hears about the hedonistic lifestyle of these women: the entire land appears as an idol temple (sanamkhanah) replete with beautiful and chaste women Iskandar camps near the city from where Nushabah sends him gifts daily This only piques his curiosity and he wants to discover the secret behind such a mythical woman and place In the guise of a messenger sent by himself he enters her splendid court, but being a king cannot play the part appropriately Nushabah has no difficulty recognising him, not just by his behaviour but also from a portrait her artist has made of Iskandar for a rogues gallery of the rulers of her time

Iskandar persists in claiming to be a messenger and vehemently denies being the king Nushabah shows him the portrait declaring: I am a lioness if you are a lion / What is female and male among fighting lions?” This is a reminder to him of her position and ability, as well as a warning to disregard her sex since he is only conscious of her as a beautiful woman Although Nushabah’s behaviour threatens Iskandar ’s masculinity, he is open to learning from her She orders a feast for him, and her attendants arrange a repast that has precious gems instead of food on the plates When Iskandar expresses perplexity at this Nushabah laughs and asks him why he cannot eat what he spends his whole life pursuing! Iskandar experiences a major revelation and praises her A thousand blessings upon a wise woman / Who in a manly way becomes my guide ” She

visits him with her magnificent entourage the next day and they spend the day and night in feasting – on real food Such a sensual setting does not lead to any lovemaking and Nushabah remains one woman Iskandar does not conquer: “Iskandar son of Filqus was aroused, / But did not succumb to those beauties // One, because he was abstentious, / Secondly, because one cannot hunt in a sanctuary ”

Later in the story, Nushabah makes another appearance Kidnapped by the Rus Iskandar vows to rescue her On his way, Iskandar passes the Qipchaq Turkish tribes; his army is tired and has been away from women but when they see beautiful unveiled Qipchaq women, they do not dare make any move out of fear of their king he complains to the tribal elders about the unveiled state of their women: “A woman who shows her face to a stranger / Does not regard her pride and her husband s dignity They respond that it is their custom and “Anyone who hides their eyes in a veil / Looks neither at the moon nor at the sun ” Iskandar consults one of his wise counsellors and by a trick they manage to institute the custom of veiling among the Qipchaq women! As Farzaneh Milani explains, Perhaps the veil, because of its symbolic potency becomes a vessel in which to place both the anxieties and the exhilarations of love and creativity ” Iskandar then launches into a major expedition against the Rus and finally rescues Nushabah and restores her kingdom to her however, in a surprising move, he weds her to Davali, king of Abkhaz, and sends them off with his blessings Thus the Amazon queen is transformed into a respectably married woman

In Amir Khusraw’s A’inah-yi Iskandari (1299 Ce), Kanifu is first introduced disguised as a male warrior fighting on the Chinese side against Iskandar ’s troops When Iskandar engages in single combat with her, Kanifu is captured and her identity as a beautiful woman is revealed to him Not only is Kanifu not an Amazon, there are no Amazons in Amir Khusraw’s work In fact, Kanifu is the only woman Iskandar has a dalliance with in this work – the marriage with Rawshanak is also not included by Amir Khusraw Although Kanifu is ready to be his slave and they feast in his tent their love is not consummated until later It is when he returns from China that

he takes her back as part of his booty Tarsusi’s twelfth century Darabnamah is an epic in prose that includes some exploits of Iskandar, including his relationship with Burandukht (Rawshanak) Another work is the anonymous prose Iskandarnamah dating from the twelfth to fourteenth centuries that survives in a single manuscript in a private collection whose author picks up on the image of a concupiscent Iskandar With seemingly inexhaustible sexual drive he boasts that God has given me such prowess that in one night I have entered ninety chambers ” There are many episodes in which women, including his old aunt, plot to thwart or kill him and the poet expounds on their wily and inherent evil nature In the end, most either perish or are forced to marry the conqueror Iskandar travels easily from Kashmir where he marries the infidel king’s daughter, Mahafarin, to Ceylon, then onto Mecca, Yemen, egypt, Andalusia, and China In this text he is a holy warrior and love involves religious conversion The second half of the work veers into the genre of dastan with even more fantastic adventures with mythical creatures and descriptions of marvels A major part of the narrative is taken up by Iskandar ’s clash with and subsequent marriage with Araqit, queen of the peris

A later prose romance dates from the nineteenth century but is thought to have its origins in the Safavid period The seven-volume work, Iskandarnamah-yi haft-jildi is attributed to Manuchihr Khan hakim and exists in several Qajar era illustrated lithographed editions, although the text varies in them quite a bit The narrative and geography are even more imaginative freely mixing ancient Persian and Islamic characters along with historical and epic events involving demons and fairies In the many places he and his companions visit, they encounter beautiful women and romantic dalliance usually ends with the hero being drugged or captured by inimical forces This work belongs fully to the dastan genre, but with its context updated In one reconstructed modern text, Iskandar roams from europe to India even arriving in Calcutta!

In the range of texts comprising verse and prose Iskandarnamahs, whether he is an over-sexed young man or a philosopher-scientist with only a passing interest in women, the Persianate Iskandar was not portrayed in a same-sex relationship, which is somewhat surprising since homoeroticism was a commonplace feature of classical Persian literature

British LiBrary’s asian and afriCan studies BLog s u n i l s h a r M a

arly Iskandar of the later Persian poets

Sunil Sharma is Professor of Persianate and Comparative Literature at Boston University

Jordan tiMes

Some values are so innate to human nature, they are ac tually universal. Progress, then, occurs as these values unfold around the globe. Values like ingenuit y, dignit y, and cooperation are not ideological, nor do they prescribe a par ticular political solution

AS GCC MEMBERS USE SHARIA AS THE B ASIS FOR THEIR L AWS, THE Y UR GED THE TALIB AN TO MAKE A RECONCILIATION PL AN THAT “RESPEC TS B ASIC FREEDOMS AND RIGHTS, INCLUDING WOMEN’S RIGHT TO WORK AND EDUC ATION”

09 Business-6 January_Layout 1 1/5/2023 11:41 PM Page 1

corporate corner

BalochiStan cM diRectS FoR cRackdoWn aGainSt Wheat hoaRdeRS

QUETTA

Dr Ghulam Muhammad Ali, Chairman PARC and Mr Asad Ullah Habib, President/CEO, ZTBL are exchanging files after signing memorandum of understanding (MOU) between PARC and ZTBL at NARC Islamabad P r

S

BA L O C H I S TA N Chief Minister Mir Abdul Quddus Bizenjo on Thursday directed concerned sectors to crackdown on wheat hoarders and wholesalers with an aim to control the shortage of wheat for the provision of facilities to people in the province

He said that the administration of all the districts should be mobilized and action should be taken against those

who store wheat and sell food items at higher prices saying that people could not be left at the mercy of hoarders and high street vendors The CM said that a special team should be formed for taking action against wheat hoarders and to submit a report of the action to the Chief Minister ’s Secretariat

The District Administration said that in the light of the instructions of the Chief Minister, the operations of special teams are underway in the supervision of Deputy Commissioner Quetta in various parts of the city

102 shopkeepers were arrested for illegal selling and hoarding and fines

Educated, healthy mothers can lay foundation of better society: Governor Punjab

LAHORE

S tA f f r e P o r t

Governor Punjab Muhammad Balighur Rahman has said that the only educated and healthy mothers can lay the foundation of a better society He was talking to Country Representative of United Nation Population Fund (UNFPA) Dr Luay Shabaneh who called on him at Governor House Lahore here on Thursday UNFPA Program and Technical Specialist Shoaib Ahmed Shahzad (SRH/FP) and Technical Specialist Gender/GBV, Tania Durrani were also present during the meeting

Muhammad Balighur Rahman said that only educated and healthy mothers can lay the foundation of a better society He said that an educated society, better heath care facilities and awareness can resolve the problem of over

population Governor Punjab said less resources and ever increasing population hinders the economic growth of any country

He stated that government’s efforts to overcome the problem of majority population can only yield positive results, if people cooperate and supplement these efforts Governor Punjab said that as chancellor he has formed a health consortium in universities and started family medicine program He added that health universities are working on family medicine program which is need of the hour

Speaking on this occasion, Dr Luay Shab a n e h , t h e c o u n t r y r e p r e s e n t a t i v e o f t h e U n i t e d N a t i o n s P o p u l a t i o n F u n d , s a i d t h a t Pakistani health universities are doing excellent work in education, teaching and research field along with providing the best medical facilities to the people

Smar tphone App launched for farmers'

budget-friendly,

MULTAN A P P

Soil Fertility and Research Institute (SFRI) has launched a smartphone application ‘Khad Hasab that can guide farmers on how to ensure balanced application of fertilizers in accordance with their budget for better soil fertility and higher production

Consumers to avail targeted subsidy by showing valid ID c ards at Utility Stores

I s l a m a b a d: Consumers were facing difficulties in obtaining one-time passwords due to the networks of cellular companies, in view of which the Utility Stores Corporation has temporarily stopped issuing one-time passwords for un targeted subsidies Consumers can get these targeted subsidies just by showing their valid ID card (Islamabad) Utility Stores Corporation has launched targeted and untargeted subsidy for the convenience of the people under the Prime Minister s Relief Package To get this subsidy, it was made mandatory for the customers to enter their ID card number before shopping at the utility stores SMS to 5566 and get one time password But the users were facing difficulties in obtaining one-time password due to the networks of cellular companies, in view of which the Utility Stores Corporation has temporarily abolished the one-time password for untargeted subsidy till further orders Now customers can get subsidy just by showing their valid ID card Utility Stores Corporation is working with Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and NTC to find a permanent solution to this problem Consumers registered under Benazir Income Support Program (BISP) will still be able to message their ID card number to 5566 to get subsidy and will be able to purchase subsidized items by getting a one-time password Utility Stores Corporation is always striving for the convenience of its customers P r

The application launched on the instructions of Secretary agriculture Punjab, Ahmad Aziz Tarar would also prevent farmers from making wasteful expenses on fertilizers application guiding them only to need-based balanced application of fertilizers, agriculture spokesman said in a statement on Thursday

Farmers can download the App from their smartphones’ Play Store by typing SFRI in the search box A short video on www agripunjab gov pk’ can help farmers to use of the application to cut unnecessary expenses on fertilizers and ensure the application of only

the type and quantity the soil needed Spokesman said that soil test was imperative to know about type and quantity of fertilizers needed to meet soil deficiencies He pleaded that different types of fertilizers perform different specific tasks adding that Nitriogenous fertilizers including Urea, Ammonium Sulphate, and Ammonium Nitrate increase the height of plants while Phosphorous fertilizers like DAP, SSP, and NitroPhos strengthen roots and promise more fruit with healthy wheat grain Potash fertilizers including SMOP and MOP keep plants healthy and safe against diseases Balanced application of fertilizers can also keep crop safe against negative impact of water shortage and frost

The Khad Hasab application calculates balanced fertilizers doze based on soil analysis result It also calculates best fertilizer doses in available price budget of farmers or with what cash farmers have in hand, says the introductory page of the App developed by Dr Faraz Ahmad

fg h a n d e l e g at i o n v i s i t s r a i l way m i n i s

The meeting was Co-chaired by Syed Mazhar Ali Shah Additional Secretary from Pakistan, Alhaaj Mullah Bakht-ur-Rahman Sharafat, Director General from Afghanistan and Mr Kamalov Akmal Saidakabarovich, Acting Deputy Chairman from Uzbekistan

who joined through video link said a press release The meeting discussed importance of the project, progress made on the initial technical assessments and next steps for early initiation of the feasibility study The proposed project would connect Pakistan with central Asian Republics by connecting existing Railway link at Mazar-e-Sharif with Pakistan railway network It would not only facilitate regional and bilateral trade amongst the participating countries but would also provide better people to people connections to the entire region The meeting ended with the gratitude from the Co-chairs

Two more industries, access road inaugurated at Mohmand Economic Zone

acres The merger of erstwhile FATA into KP has allowed KPEZDMC to functionalize this Zone Speaking on the occasion the CM s aide said that MEZ would be welle q u i p p e d w i t h i n d u s t r i a l p r o c e s s i n g a n d production units and offered many investment and employment opportunities

He said that the zone was bordered by Charsadda, Bajaur and Khyber districts bes i d e s A f g h a n i s t a n , w h i c h w e r e n a t u r a l l y rich in Marble and other minerals includ-

Chief Minister Khyber

of thousands of rupees were imposed in conducting 378 raids at wheat and flour warehouses and shops in the respective areas by special team

About 31 shops were sealed and warnings were issued to 74 shopkeepers, actions will continue continuously by district Administration Quetta

The District Administration advised that people should register their complaints against hoarders and wholesalers in the complaint cell of the Deputy Commissioner in order to provide to public facilities in this regard

and will generate 300 direct and indirect

PESHAWAR

Pakhtunkhwa,

The newly approved Water Supply Scheme would be completed at an estimated cost of Rs 18 583 billion which will provide clean drinking water to more than 2,000,00 population of Mansehra City

In a statement issued to this effect here on Thursday, Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Mahmood Khan has termed the approval of this mega scheme as an important achievement of the provincial government and good news for the people of district Mansehra He said that the project on completion would provide an all-time solution to the long-standing issue of clean drinking water in the city

The Chief Minister made it clear that his government is working under a comprehensive strategy to resolve public issues across the province adding that work on drinking water supply schemes in different parts of the province is underway

He said that the provincial government has initiated Cities Improvement Project worth Rs 97 billion which is aimed at streamlining the civic services delivery with a special focus on the drinking water supply and solid waste management system

Under the project, work on drinking water supply schemes has already been initiated in different divisional headquarters of the province

He said that the provincial government is committed to resolving the issue of drinking water for inhabitants of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in general and major cities in particular

Keeping in view the drinking water shortage due to limited groundwater resources in Mansehra city, the Gravity Flow Water Supply scheme has been planned with a 62 5 Km long supply line The project on completion, will provide uninterrupted clean drinking water to citizens, he concluded

ing, dimensional stones, granite, coal, manganese Ore and limestone

Abdul Karim said that trading activity was reasonably dominant and around 40-50 truckloads per day cross the border to Afghanistan using two crossings; Yaqubi Kandao and Lwar Ghakhai

T h e m a j o r g o o d s m o v i n g f r o m P a kistan to Afghanistan includes timber, poultry, fertilizers and pesticides, etc and the o n e s m o v i n g i n t o P a k i s t a n i n c l u d e s e l e c -

o u l d i n v i g o r a t e i n d u s t r i a l a c t i v i t i e s a n d u p l i f t t h e s o c i o

PESHAWAR

A P P

Special Assistant to Chief Minister for Industries Abdul Karim on Thursday inaugurated 4 5 km access road, 5km zone internal roads Falak Niaz Marble and Dada Minerals Pvt Ltd at Mohmand Economic Zone (MEZ) here on Thursday

employment opportunities, he said after inaugurating the roads and industrial units Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Economic Zones Development and Management Company (KPEZDMC) Chief Zone Management Fakher-i-Alam Sahibzada and Chief Project Planning and Development, Imtiaz Ahmad were also present on the occasion

D

economic condition of district Mohmand, creating employment opportunities for the locals, and kindling hope of revival

A P P

Mahmood Khan has said that the Executive Committee of National Economic Council (ECNEC) has accorded approval to a mega developmental project of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government regarding Gravity Flow Water Supply Scheme Mansehra City

balanced application of fertilizers

President of Naya Nazimabad Gymkhana Syed Muhammad Talha is giving the trophy to the captain of Pakistan Stars, the winning team of the Asarz Premier League season four cricket tournament Uzi Brothers director Umair Ilyas and Zubair Ilyas and others are also present on this occasion P r

Chief Marketing & Communications Officer of K-Electric, Sadia Dada and Muhammad Ali, Director Business Finance, received the highest category, Gold Award from the South Asian Federation of Accountants (SAFA) for the best annual report The utility scored the top spot among 31 Pakistani companies representing 9 industries KE is proud to be a trusted name in local and international lending, and maintains transparency through its audited financial reports P r

ISLAMABAD A P P

A delegation from Afghan Railway Authority on Thursday visited Ministry of Railways to attend 8th Trilateral meeting on Trans-Afghan Railway Project

t r y

C H i n a , P H i l i P P i n E s t o r E s U m E o i l , g a s

C o o P E r at i o n i n s o U t H C H i n a s E a

CHINA M i A n A b r A r

FOLLOWING a candid meeting between leaders of China and the Philippines, the two sides issued a joint statement on Thursday, highlighting the resumption of oil and gas cooperation in the South China Sea as well as the establishment of a diplomatic communication mechanism to resolve maritime issues

Experts said the joint statement, which underscored the importance of maintaining good momentum in bilateral ties, shows the determination of both sides to jointly manage differences and prioritize bilateral cooperation, which not only benefits the two peoples, but also contributes to regional stability

The joint statement followed a candid face-to-face meeting between the two leaders At the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, Ferdinand R Marcos Jr , President of the Philippines, paid a state visit to China from Tuesday to Thursday

The visit is an expression of sincerity and friendship of Marcos toward China and the Chinese people as well as of his strong confidence in the future development of China-Philippines relations at the auspicious start of the New Year, said the statement

During the visit Xi and Marcos held a friendly and productive bilateral meeting, in which they recalled the development of bilateral relations rooted in a history marked by high-level exchanges and enriched by strong economic and people-to-people ties

The two leaders also witnessed the sign-

ing of a series of cooperation documents related to the China-proposed Belt and Road initiative covering fields including agriculture and fisheries, infrastructure, finance, customs, e-commerce and tourism Marcos visit is a good start to ChinaPhilippines relations this year and will bring significant benefits to the growth of bilateral ties in the new era China is ready to work with the Philippines to deepen relations between the two sides so as to make contributions to regional peace and stability said Mao Ning, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, during a press conference on Thursday

The two leaders reaffirmed that they will continue to properly handle maritime issues through friendly consultations and announced the resumption of negotiations on

joint oil and gas cooperation

Moreover, the foreign ministries of the two countries have also established a maritime hotline mechanism and agreed to focus on cooperation and development, jointly safeguard regional peace and stability genuine multilateralism and the common interests of developing countries, Mao added The oil and gas cooperation between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea and the establishment of a diplomatic communication mechanism to resolve maritime issues are two highlights of the joint statement released by the two countries this time Chen Xiangmiao director of the World Navy Research Center at the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, told the Global Times on Thursday

On oil and gas cooperation, China and

the Philippines agreed to bear in mind the spirit of the Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation on Oil and Gas Development between the two countries signed in 2018, and agreed to resume discussions on oil and gas development at an early date according to the joint statement

First of all, the oil and gas cooperation between China and the Philippines could not have been achieved without long-term candid consultations between the two governments, Chen noted During Marcos s visit to China, the two sides officially reached a consensus and wrote it into the joint statement, which is a very important highlight in bilateral relations, he added China can provide capital, technology and experience in cooperation in oil and gas exploration, which will help the Philippines solve its energy security problems, Chen said, adding that the cooperation is a winwin situation

Furthermore, the expert pointed out that the successful cooperation between China and the Philippines has created a good pattern of interaction, which provides a good reference for countries in the region for settling disputes and carrying out cooperation so as to promote and maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea

The two leaders had an in-depth and candid exchange of views on the situation in the South China Sea, reaffirmed the importance of maintaining and promoting peace and stability in the region and freedom of navigation in and overflight in this region and agreed to appropriately manage differences through peaceful means, said the statement

Although the two countries have previ-

K ashmiri journalist released af ter 13 months in jail

Mohammad Manan Dar, a journalist from Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, who was arrested by India s notorious National Investigation Agency (NIA) on fake charges, has been released after more than a year, with the court in the bail order referring to the charges against him as mere assumptions

Mohammad Manan Dar, a resident of Batamaloo area of Srinagar walked out of New Delhi’s Tihar jail on Tuesday evening A family member of Manan Dar who received him outside the jail in presence of his lawyers, in a media interview, said that he [Manan] is in high spirits and looks forward to continuing his work as a journalist

Erdogan urges Putin to declare ‘unilateral’ Ukraine ceasefire

ISTANBUL Ag e n c i e s

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday pressed Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to declare a “unilateral” ceasefire in Ukraine Erdogan spoke to both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in his latest attempts to broker an end to the 10-month war He told Putin that “calls for peace and negotiations should be supported by a unilateral ceasefire and a vision for a fair solution Erdogan’s office said But he made no mention of a “unilateral” ceasefire in his subsequent talks with the Ukrainian leader Erdogan stated that as Turkey we are ready to facilitate and mediate the establishment of a lasting peace between Russia and Ukraine the Turkish presidency said after the call The Turkish leader has used his good relations with both Moscow and Kyiv to try and mediate an end to the war Turkey hosted two early rounds of peace talks and helped strike a UN-backed agreement restoring Ukrainian grain deliveries across the Black Sea Erdogan has also repeatedly tried to bring Putin and Zelensky to Turkey for truce talks But the Kremlin has shown little willingness to soften its approach to Ukraine The Kremlin said Putin told Erdogan that Russia was willing to enter into talks “on the condition of the Kyiv authorities fulfilling the well-known and repeatedly voiced requirements of taking into account the new territorial realities” Russia claims to have annexed four regions of southern and eastern Ukraine over which it has only partial military control Erdogan’s call for a ceasefire followed a proposal earlier Thursday by Russia s spiritual leader Patriarch Kirill for an Orthodox Christmas truce this week

Manan Dar who worked as a freelance photojournalit, was arrested by the NIA along with others, including his brother Hanan Dar, in October 2021 on fake charges under the draconian law Unlawful Activities Prevention Act In its chargesheet, the agency, citing witnesses and data recovered from Manan’s phone, claimed that before his arrest he was working under the cover of a photojournalist” to “share details” about Indian troops and their deployment in Kashmir with Mujahid organizations

In its bail order, the Delhi court ruled that the Indian prob agency’s evidence against Manan is not sufficient to prove the charge The court observed that the evidence brought before the court as well as the witness statements was insufficient to prove that Manan was involved in any illegal activity

Rejecting the NIA s assertion the court observed that the allegation “must be supported by direct evidence” “Mere assumptions or incomplete evidence t o e s t a b l i s h s u c h f a c t s m a y n o t b e s u ff i c i e n t t h e court ruled, observing that the witness statements are inconclusive to prove Manan’s involvement in ‘militant activities

Earlier during the bail hearing, Manan’s lawyers Pankaj Tamanna and Priya Vats told the court that he [Manan] was illegally detained by the agency for two w e e k s a n d l a t e r s h o w n a s a r r e s t e d o n O c t o b e r 2 2 , 2021 and the allegations against him were based on c o n j e c t u r e s a n d d e v o i d o f a n y c o n c r e t e e v i d e n c e After hearing the arguments, the court granted bail to M a n a n o n b a i l b o n d R s 5 0 , 0 0 0 w h i l e b a r r i n g h i m from going abroad

Indian SC halts demolition of 50,000 Muslims’ houses

ISLAMABAD Ag e n c i e s

Thousands of Indian Muslims who faced the prospect of being left homeless in the middle of the harsh north Indian winter won a major reprieve from the Indian Supreme Court as it has paused an eviction drive in Uttarakhand’s Haldwani

There cannot be uprooting of 50,000 people overnight It’s a human issue some workable solution needs to be found,” the Supreme Court said, as it stopped an Uttarakhand High Court order that had cleared the eviction of the people who live in some 4,000 homes after a case that went on for years

The referring to the suggestion by the high court of using force to evict the people the Supreme Court said “It may not be correct to say that paramilitary forces have to be deployed to remove people who have been living there for decades ”

According to a private TV channel, the court also stopped any construction in the area and sought responses from the railways and the Uttarakhand government It said the case will be heard again next month

Supreme Court Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice AS Oka took up the case a day after activist-lawyer Prashant Bhushan made a formal request

The order comes as a major relief for residents who have been holding candle marches sit-ins and prayers to stop the eviction

The area covers a 2-km strip of land near the Haldwani railway station – Gafoor Basti Dholak Basti and Indira Nagar, in Banbhulpura area

Besides houses – nearly half of the families claim to have a land lease – the area even has four government schools, 11 private schools, a bank, two overhead water tanks, 10 mosques, and four temples, besides shops,

built over decades

The matter reached court in 2013 when a petition was originally about illegal sand mining in a river near the area

The district administration, following the court’s order of December 20 after a long litigation, had issued a notice in the newspapers asking people to take away their belongings by January 9

Blaming the BJP government for action against an area where most residents happen to be Muslim, activists and politicians had also joined the protests

Senior Congress leader and former chief minister Harish Rawat held an hour-long maun vrat (vow of silence) at his home in the state capital Dehradun

“Uttarakhand is a spiritual state,” he said, “If 50,000 people including children, pregnant women, old men and women are forced to vacate their homes and come out on roads, then it would be a very sad sight,” he said

ously encountered obstacles and challenges in handling the South China Sea issue, establishing direct communication channels at the diplomatic level can help manage differences, especially in handling maritime emergencies analysts explained

The statement also noted that both sides agreed to further increase trade between the two countries to return to and even surpass the pre-pandemic bilateral trade volume The two leaders highlighted the importance of promoting more balanced trade between the two countries by facilitating greater market access for Philippine exports into China

According to data from China s General Administration of Customs, the trade volume between China and the Philippines from January to October, the year of 2022 reached $72 7 billion, of which $53 223 billion came in exports to the Philippines and $19 477 billion was through imports China continues to be the Philippines’ largest trading partner the largest source of imports and the secondlargest export market

Moreover both China and the Philippines attached great importance to infrastructure development and agreed to carry forward high-quality projects under the synergy of the Belt and Road initiative and the Build, Better, More infrastructure program to spur economic growth The two sides also agreed to explore cooperation in areas such as solar power, wind energy, electric vehicles and nuclear energy for electricity generation, read the statement

Experts said the potential for cooperation between China and the Philippines is limitless and the two sides have complementary advantages

Prince Harr y accuses brother William of physical attack in new book

LONDON A F P

Britain s Prince Harry recounts in his new book how he was physically “attacked” by his older brother Prince William during an argument in 2019 the Guardian reported According to the newspaper the story of the incident appears in Harry s new memoir “Spare,” which is due to be released later this month amid an ongoing row within the British royal family Harry, 38, writes that during a disagreement in the kitchen of his London home William called his wife Meghan Markle “difficult,” “rude” and “abrasive,” before tackling him to the ground as the pair continued to argue the Guardian said He grabbed me by the collar, ripping my necklace, and he knocked me to the floor I landed on the dog s bowl which cracked under my back the pieces cutting into me,” the Guardian quotes Harry’s book as saying Harry then told his older brother to leave William looked regretful and apologized,” Harry recalled, according to the newspaper The daily quoted the exchange between the two princes from the book: William “turned and called back: ‘You don’t need to tell Meg about this ’

You mean that you attacked me?

‘I didn’t attack you, Harold,'” William responded, seeming to use a nickname for Harry The latest reveal about the brothers tumultuous relationship comes as their father King Charles prepares for his coronation in May following the September death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II at age 96 Harry and Meghan, 41, lifted the lid on their experiences in the British royal family in a Netflix docuseries last month about the reasons behind their stunning 2020 departure for North America In it, they blamed much of their unhappiness on racist media reports and tabloid harassment, some of which they claim the family instigated Their move to California, Meghan’s home state, has made the two unpopular in Britain, where they are often portrayed by the media as selfish In excerpts of a television interview to ITV in the UK and CBS in the United States out this week ahead of the book release, Harry said he wants “a family not an institution ” “I would like to get my father back I would like to get my brother back, Harry said

NEW DELHI Ag e n c e s

Pakistan makes shaky star t in 319-run chase

KARACHI

Ag e n c i e s

PAKISTAN started disastrously by losing two wickets without scoring Thursday after New Zealand set them a bold target of 319 to win the second Test in Karachi

Skipper Tim Southee dismissed opener Abdullah Shafique with the second ball of Pakistan s second innings before Ish Sodhi bowled nightwatchman Mir Hamza in the last over of the fourth day

At the close a shocked Imam-ul-Haq was at the crease without scoring and the home team needing 319 runs for victory, or eight wickets in hand to hold out for a draw A loss would be their third series defeat at home in a season after going down 1-0 to Australia and 3-0 to England earlier this year

No team has chased more than 314 to win a Test in Pakistan, which the home team set against Australia in Karachi 1994

New Zealand declared their second innings ten minutes before close on 277-5 after Michael Bracewell hit a career-best 74 not

Novak Djokovic into

Adelaide International

last eight with win over Quentin Halys

tA F F R e P o R t

out and Tom Blundell 74

The pair turned the match during their match-turning 127-run fifth wicket stand Pakistan had the match under control when they had New Zealand struggling at 128-4 from 76-1 at lunch removing Tom Latham (62), Kane Williamson (41) and Henry Nicholls (five)

But Blundell dropped on 21 by wicketkeeper Sarfaraz Ahmed off spinner Abrar Ahmed, punished the home team with seven boundaries and a six before holing out off Agha Salman

Bracewell, whose previous best of 49 was against England earlier this year, was also dropped on 59 by Sarfaraz off Salman

In the post-lunch session New Zealand lost three wickets in the space of 50 balls and 14 runs Latham was smartly caught off a miscued flick at short mid-wicket by Abrar Ahmed from fast-bowler Naseem Shah

With the total unmoved on 114, in the next over Ahmed trapped Williamson legbefore Hasan Ali had Nicholls caught soon after as New Zealand lost three wickets off 50 balls for 14 runs

Field umpires Alex Wharf and Aleem Dar had a horrible day with three of their decisions overturned

New Zealand were jolted in the second over of their innings when Mir Hamza bowled Conway with his first delivery

It was the first time Conway fell without scoring in his 12-match Test career

Pakistan wasted two leg-before referrals on illiamson when the batter was on seven andnine, while Latham overturned a decision against him on 36 all off Ahmed

At the start of the day, Pakistan were dismissed for 408 after adding just one run to their overnight score, in response to New Zealand’s 449 first-innings total

Spinner Ish Sodhi had last man Ahmed trapped leg-before for nought, leaving centurion Saud Shakeel stranded on the other end Shakeel was unbeaten on 125 after a marathon resistance-packed 493 minutes at the crease, hitting 17 boundaries in his maiden hundred Spinner Ajaz Patel finished with 3-88 and Sodhi 3-95

The first of the two-match series also in Karachi ended in a draw

K hawaja on c usp of double ton as Australia demoralise Proteas

SYDNEY

Ag e n c i e s

Novak Djokovic earned a hard-fought win against Quentin Halys to move into the quarter-finals of the Adelaide International on Thursday The Serb rallied back from 5-2 down in the first set and 5-3 in the second to beat the Frenchman 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-5) Djokovic will face Canada s Denis Shapovalov on Friday as he continues his build-up to the Australian Open Australia’s Nick Kyrgios has withdrawn from the second week of the Adelaide tournament with an ankle injury The 27-year-old also pulled out of last week’s United Cup and so will have had limited match time going into the Australian Open which gets underway on 16 January The world number 22 could go into the first major tournament of the season having not played a singles match since an ATP event in Tokyo in October Meanwhile, Djokovic, who beat Kyrgios in the 2022 Wimbledon final, will be bidding for his 10th Australian Open title in an attempt to equal Rafael Nadal’s overall men’s Grand Slam record of 22 The former world number is set to miss this season s Indian Wells and the Miami Open after the United States extended its requirement for international visitors to be vaccinated against Covid-19 Djokovic, who was deported prior to the 2022 Australian Open because of his Covid19 vaccination status, said “it is what it is” when asked about the prospect of missing more tournaments “If it is official then it is What can I do? Nothing,” the 35-year-old said “I’m hoping [to play], but if I can t go, I can t go Seventh seed Shapovalov Djokovic’s quarter-final opponent raced through Thursday’s second-round Adelaide International tie with a 6-4 6-3 victory over Russian Roman Safiullin

Belinda Clark: Australia legend becomes first female cricketer to have statue

SYDNEY Ag e n c i e s

Former Australia captain Belinda Clark has become the first female cricketer to have a statue cast of her, with a bronze sculpture unveiled at the Sydney Cricket Ground Clark retired from the sport in 2005 after winning two World Cups During her 14-year career she hit the first double century in a one-day international, smashing 229 not out against Denmark in 1997 “The sculpture encapsulates being able to have a go, Clark said To be courageous to take on those challenges and break convention “I want people to take away that you can do anything you want if you put your mind to it and you have good people around you and I think I’ve been very fortunate to have had great support and have a bit of an imagination to take my game where I wanted to take it and hopefully the sport is in a better place for it ” Clark played 15 Tests and 118 ODIs for Australia, averaging more than 45 in both formats She is Australia’s leading Test and ODI run-scorer in women’s cricket, with her highest Test score of 136 coming against England in 1998 She captained Australia in 101 ODIs finishing with a win rate of 83%, and also holds the joint record for most ODI hundreds in a year with three in 1997 At the domestic level Clark won seven Women’s National Cricket League titles – five with New South Wales and two with Victoria The award for the best female Australian crick-

Usman Khawaja was stranded just short of a pinnacle double-century when rain interrupted Australia’s run plunder against South Africa in the third Sydney Test on Thursday

In another dominant day for the Australians with the series already won, Khawaja peeled off an imperious unbeaten 195 – his highest Test score –while Steven Smith passed a Don Bradman’s century landmark with his 30th hundred

At the rain-enforced close on day two Australia were 475 for four with Matt Renshaw who tested positive for Covid-19 at the start of the match five not out

The runs kept flowing on another demoralising day for the Proteas Khawaja and Smith shared in a 209-run stand and Travis Head rammed home the initiative with a blistering 59-ball 70 to leave the visitors yet again facing the uphill task of preventing Australia from claiming a series whitewash

K h a w a j a s u r p a s s e d h i s p r e v i o u s h i g h e s t s c o r e o f 1 7 4 m a d e a g a i n s t N e w Z e a l a n d i n B r i s b a n e i n 2 0 1 5

S m i t h p a s s e d B r a d m a n ’s 2 9 Te s t h u nd r e d s w i t h a m a j e s t i c p u l l s h o t o f f A n r i c h N o r t j e t o t h e b o u n d a r y r o p e s t o c l a i m a h o m e - t o w n h u n d r e d o f f 1 9 0 b a l l s

He was out two balls later for 104 when he innocuously chipped back a catch to Keshav Maharaj for the left-arm spinner ’s first wicket of the series Along the way, Smith also overtook Michael Clarke to become Australia s fourthhighest Test run-getter with 8 647 behind Ricky Ponting, Allan Border and Steve Waugh

Only Ponting (41) and Waugh (32) have scored more Test centuries for Australia than Smith, who is second only to the immortal Bradman (99 94) with a current Test average of 60

Meanwhile, Khawaja relentlessly accumulated on his third consecutive Sydney Test hundred and when rain ended play with 14 overs left he had faced 368 balls with 19 fours and a six Before lunch, Khawaja danced a celebratory jig after clipping Kagiso Rabada for two through deep square to bring up another hundred at his most productive ground, where he averaged 98 going into this Test

It followed twin centuries against

England in last year ’s corresponding Sydney Test

“ I g r e w u p h e r e j u s t u p t h e r o a d a n d m y f a m i l y i s h e r e w a t c h i n g , I h a v e f r i e n d s o u t i n t h e c r o w d , i t s a lw a y s a n h o n o u r t o s c o r e r u n s h e r e ” K h a w a j a s a i d

It s a slow wicket and if we get good weather it will definitely break up and first innings runs will be crucial ” Only England s Wally Hammond, Australian Doug Walters and India’s VVS Laxman have scored three consecutive Test centuries at the famous Sydney cricket Ground

Head hit another typical rumbustious half-century before he was brilliantly caught on the ropes by substitute fielder Rassie van der Dussen off Rabada The Australians have already wrapped up the three-match series after hammering the Proteas by an innings and 182 runs in Melbourne after their six-wicket rout in the opener in Brisbane inside two days

So far in this one-sided three-Test series the Australians have amassed 1,303 runs for the loss of 26 wickets at an average per wicket of 50 South Africa in contrast have 644 runs for the loss of 40 wickets at 16 1

Milan beat Salernitana to close gap on leaders Napoli

MILAN

Ag e n c i e s

Milan won 2-1 at Salernitana to resume the Serie A season by closing to within five points of league leaders Napoli Firsthalf strikes from Rafael Leao and Sandro Tonali in Salerno moved the champions up to 36 points, closing the gap on Napoli who face Inter Milan at the San Siro in the day’s late match Milan are also five points ahead of third-placed Juventus ahead of their match at struggling Cremonese Federico Bonazzoli pulled a goal back with seven minutes remaining for mid-table Salernitana after new goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa made a host of saves to deny Milan a wider margin of victory at the Stadio Arechi We were almost perfect because we could have scored one or two more goals to win more comfortably, Tonali told Sky We re aware of the importance of what we did last season, we’ll defend the title to the last bead of sweat we ll leave on the pitch ” Veteran Mexico international Ochoa moved to the southern Italian club, on 17 points, last month and made his first start in the absence of the injured Luigi Sepe Ochoa kept out Leao with an early one-on-one stop before the Portugal international rolled in his 10th-minute opener after skipping round the 37-year-old

Cristiano Ronaldo, the face of S audi Arabia’s new spor ting ambitions

RIYADH A F P

The arrival of football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday as the newest member of the state-owned club Al Nassr marks an enormous step forward in the desert country’s foray into top-level sport

Ronaldo 37 was met with rapturous applause by the packed, 25,000-capacity Mrsool Park stadium in the capital Riyadh

The five-time winner of the Ballon d’Or and five-time winner of the European Champions League signed with the Saudi club until June 2025 for an estimated 200 million euros, following an acrimonious exit from his former club Manchester United after he harshly criticised the team’s owners and coach, Erik ten Hag, in a TV interview

“I’m a unique player It’s good to come here, I broke all the records there (in Europe) and I want to break a few more here ” he told reporters at Mrsool Park stadium

Indeed, his new team s ambitious owners hope to set up a repeat of Real Madrid’s storied “Galactics” of the 2000s, which was stacked with such global stars as England’s David Beckham and

France’s Zinedine Zidane Ronaldo’s presence could well encourage other big names to play

According

At Al Nassr led by Frenchman Rudi Garcia, Ronaldo will be rubbing shoulders with former Ligue 1 players such as Colombian goalkeeper David Ospina Brazilian midfielder Luiz Gustavo and Cameroonian striker Vincent Aboubakar But more than breaking local football

records,

The power of fooTball: Like r e c e n t Wo r l d C u p h o s t Q a t a r, w h i c h a l s o o w n s P a r i s S a i n t - G e r m a i n , S a u d i Arabia has already invested heavily in f o o t b a l l N o t a b l y, i n O c t o b e r 2 0 2 1 , a Saudi consortium snapped up the Engl i s h P r e m i e r L e a g u e c l u b N e w c a s t l e U n i t e d , d e s p i t e a n i n i t i a l l y h o s t i l e r eception from its fans

R o n a l d o s s i g n i n g , h o w e v e r, r e p r es e n t s “ a n e w a n d u n p r e c e d e n t e d s t r a te g y ” , s a y s K a r i m S a d e r, a p o l i t i c a l s c i e n t i s t a n d s p e c i a l i s t o f t h e G u l f c o u n t r i e s “ I t ’s n o t a b o u t b u y i n g a c l u b t h a t w i l l s h i n e i n a f o r e i g n l e a g u e , b u t a b o u t b u y i n g a s t a r p l a y e r w h o s e b r i ll i a n c e w i l l m a k e y o u r o w n l e a g u e s h i n e I t ’s a b o u t b e c o m i n g a f o o t b a l l p o w e r h o u s e i n o n e s o w n r i g h t r a t h e r t h a n a s s e r t i n g o n e ’s p o w e r t h r o u g h f o o t b a l l , ” S a d e r s a i d

While the Portuguese striker is not the first aging football star to end his career in a Gulf country, a player of his calibre has never before signed in the region Off the pitch he is also a fashion icon an influencer and a social media celebrity, with some 570 million followers on Instagram

His mere presence in the modest Saudi league draws a global spotlight to both the league and the country

“Asia has never seen anything like this reported the Dubai-based Englishlanguage daily Gulf News “Wherever he goes, he will capture attention and if only 10% of his followers are interested in his new club, the Saudi League will become one of the most watched in the world ” world Cup 2030?

With Ronaldo’s name recognition, Saudi Arabia is also securing a luxury ambassador in its bid to host the 2030 World Cup FIFA will designate that year ’s host country or countries by 2024

This is the beginning of the operation to seduce the world football authorities as the presence of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had already shown at the opening match of the World Cup in Qatar They come to seek a sacred anointing with Ronaldo, Raphael Le Magoariec, a specialist on the geopolitics of sport at the University of Tours, told AFP

Saudi Arabia s national team created a sensation in their opening match at the Qatari World Cup by beating Lionel Messi s Argentina Now, Riyadh is considering a joint Asia-Africa-Europe bid to host football’s biggest tournament with Egypt and Greece

ADELAIDE

s

in Saudi Arabia

to a club official who wished to remain anonymous, Al Nassr also has its sights on Croatian playmaker Luka Modric as well as Chelsea’s French midfielder N Golo Kanté

a star of Ronaldo’s stature also represents a spectacular coup in the Gulf kingdom’s sporting and diplomatic offensives

Mill at tRactoRS ShutS doWn oPeRationS indeFinitely

lahORE

Millat Tractors has notified the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) that it will suspend production activities on Friday 6 January, in perpetuity Millat has cited a reduced demands for tractors in conjunction with the company’s own cash flow constraints as the reason for its decision the Build-up to this decision: Millat’s decision comes at the backdrop of the company observing two long spells of non-production days in 2022 Millat had previously halted production from March 7 to March 21, and August 31 to September 23 The company had also declared Friday to be a non-production day in perpetuity from December 16 Cumulatively, Millat had observed 44 calendar days in 2022 as

non-production days

millat’s tRouBles: Millat has cited confluence of demand destruction and a liquidity problem as the reason for its decision Both of the aforementioned facts have been well documented over the course of 2022

In terms of demand destruction, Millat is currently experiencing the worst start to a fiscal year in the past five years Five month sales, based on the data provided by the Pakistan Automotive Manufacturers Association currently stand at 5 800 units This is a 58% year-on-year decrease from the 13,954 units sold over the same period last year

In an earlier conversation Raheel Asghar, CEO Millat Tractors, told Profit, “We (Millat Tractors) have seen a reduction, and so have our competitor (Al-Ghazi) There are a number of factors affecting the market The most evident one is the flash floods

of 2022 that rampaged across Sindh, Balochistan, and lower Punjab and directly hit the purchasing power of farmers

Asghar ’s outlook for the upcoming year is equally pessimistic with him telling Profit “I think it’s going to be a matter of survival It’s not going to be a good year for us ”

Regarding cash flow constraints, the issue is likely a result of a culmination of various factors as well The most obvious factor, beyond the immediate drop in sales, is the persistent sales tax issue that Millat and other tractor companies have been at odds with against the Government for the better part of last year Asghar had previously explained the matter to Profit as such The government had previously exempted tractors from the sales tax We were able to obtain refunds from the government for our input costs We will not receive this refund

now, and subsequently we had to increase our prices to cater to this Furthermore in terms of cash flow constraints, Millat is also currently engaged in a legal dispute with the Federal Tax Ombudsman’s Office whilst dealing with the aforementioned two factors as well can we expect a resumption in activity?

There is no question about whether or not Millat will resume activity It will The matter boils down to when Millat had previously notified the PSX about such a halt in production in March when it observed 17 calendar days worth of non-production days

Its notification March 4 similar to now read that it would be ceasing operation in perpetuity It was then on March 21 that it issued the follow-up notification stating that it will resume operations the next day Assuming any specific date for Millat to re-

S ui companies face gas depletion as govt raises alarm

a h m a d a h m a da n i

g gears up following a 10-year economic roadmap discussed at the national security council

The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) started a new exercise of broadening the tax base Special Assistant to the Prime Minister, Tariq Pasha visited the Regional Tax Officers (RTO) of Islamabad and Rawalpindi and assigned specific targets of tax collection This came in light after the National Security Council (NSC) discussed the economic roadmap for 10 years and stressed on the need to broaden the tax base The FBR faced a shortfall of Rs225 billion for achieving the desired target for December 2022 as the tax collection stood at Rs 740 billion against the fixed target of Rs 965 billion The federal government prefers to impose a 1-3% flood levy, a tax revenue collected separately from the Federal Divisible Pool (FDP) by the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award Profit reached out to SAPM Tariq Pasha regarding developments on this but no response has been received yet Similarly, the RTOs in Islamabad have started visiting posh sectors in the city and ensure retailers and small shopkeepers are complying with tax duties under the FBR This is being done with the aim to bring two million retailers under tax net through a simplified single-page tax returns Under the same notification, the FBR has also prescribed a return form for the individuals and the association of persons (AoPs) having turnover of up to Rs 50 million SBP’s

Securit y forces neutralise 11 terrorists in Wana operation

RawalPinDi

S ta f f R e p o R t S e c u r i t y F o r c e s c o n d u c t e d a n I n t e l l i g e n c e B a s e d O p e r a t i o n ( I B O ) i n g e n e r a l a r e a Wa n a , S o u t h Wa z i r i s t a n D i s t r i c t a n d s u c c e s s f u l l y f o i l e d a h i g h p r o f i l e t e r r o r i s t a c t i v i t y D u r i n g i n t e n s e e xc h a n g e o f f i r e , e l e v e n t e r r o r i s t s i n c l u d i n g Te r r o ri s t C o m m a n d e r H a f i z U l l a h a l i a s To r H a f i z a n d t w o s u i c i d e b o m b e r s , w e r e k i l l e d A h a n d o u t i ss u e d b y t h e I S P R s a i d t h a t a h u g e q u a n t i t y o f w e a p o n s a n d a m m u n i t i o n w a s a l s o r e c o v e r e d f r o m t h e k i l l e d t e r r o r i s t s T h e k i l l e d t e r r o r i s t s r em a i n e d a c t i v e l y i n v o l v e d i n t e r r o r i s t a c t i v i t i e s a g a i n s t s e c u r i t y f o r c e s a n d t a rg e t k i l l i n g o f p ol i c e i n S o u t h Wa z i r i s t a n D i s t r i c t

With the country’s gas production falling drastically, the energy ministry has lit the warning becons and submitted a report to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif The report has claimed that Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) will face 16 percent average depletion per annum while Sui Southern Gas Company Limited (SSGCL) to bear the brunt of 5%/annum gas depletion till the financial year (FY) 2024-25

In response the prime minister has advised the petroleum division to enhance the gas production activities to meet the gas needs The production of indigenous natural gas has witnessed a drop alarmingly owing to reduction in the oil and gas exploration and production activities in the country, said sources Sources informed Profit that both the gas utilities (SNGPL & SSGCL) will also bear the brunt of decline in indigenous gas supplies from the gas fields because of natural depletion while this gas depletion trend will also continue in the years to come State of depletion

According to petroleum division s projection SNGPL to face the gas depletion of 652 Million Cubic Feet per Day (MMCFD) in 2022-23, 530 MMCFD in 2023-24 427 MMCFD in 2024-25, 347 MMCFD in 2025-26 and its average depletion per annum will be 16 percent Similarly, SSGCL to face gas depletion of 930MMCFD in 2022-23, 853 MMCFD in 2023-24 840 MMCFD in 2024-25, 798 MMCFD in 2025-26 and its average depletion per annum will be 5 pc

Sharing details of gas depletion

during the last 08 years of SNGPL & SSGCL, sources said that SNGPL had faced gas depletion of 1,442 MMCFD in 2014-15, 1,404 MMCFD in 2015-16 1 373 MMCFD in 2016-17, 1,262 MMCFD in 2017-18, 1,139 MMCFD in 2018-19 1 050 MMCFD in 2019-20, 930 MMCFD in 202021, and 770 MMCFD in 2021-22 And SSGCL had faced gas depletion of 1,190 MMCFD in 2014-15, 1,283 MMCFD in 2015-16, 1,201 MMCFD in 2016-17 1 198 MMCFD in 2018-19, 1,087 MMCFD in 2019-20, 1,060 MMCFD in 2020-21 and 875 MMCFD in 2021-22

The SNGPL and the SSGCL were engaged in the transmission and distribution/sale of natural gas to their respective gas consumers under license from Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) In addition to gas development schemes, the two companies-SNGPL & SSGCL- have been providing gas connection to their customers based on annual targets provided by OGRA However since Financial Year (FY) 2015-16, the consumers gas prices were not adequately revised to be consistent with revenue requirements determined by OGRA which resulted in accumulation of revenue shortfall/tariff differential amounting to Rs 547 billion, as of March 2022

Gas scaRcity causes alaRm in GoveRnment: The sui companies were, therefore, found neither able to recover their investment on gas development schemes and new gas connections, earn any return on that investment not have sufficient gas to provide to the new and potential consumers, said the sources

They added that the premier while chairing a meeting of the CCoE had observed that there was scarcity of gas in the country, therefore no new connections would be provided; however, in case of gas development schemes where network had been partially laid down the same may be completed to avoid wastage of money already incurred thereon And Minister for Finance & Revenue, while endorsing the observation of the chair, stated that only infrastructure of incomplete gas development schemes may be completed and no new gas connection may be provided

Documents available with Profit disclosed that owing to the scarcity o f l o c a l n a t u r a l g a s a n d p r e s e n t b a c k l o g o f g a s d e v e l o p m e n t s c h e m e s , t h e g o v e r n m e n t h a s a lr e a d y d e c i d e d t h a t n o n e w g a s d ev e l o p m e n t s c h e m e s m a y b e approved by any forum while all approved schemes by any forum will b e s h e l v e d w h e r e n o p r o g r e s s h a s been made or no work has been initiated And in order to avoid loss of asset laid to allow sui companies to c a p i t a l i z e t h e l a i d a s s e t a f t e r i t s c o m p l e t i o n i n c o m p l e t e g a s d e v e lo p m e n t s c h e m e s , w h e r e w o r k h a s already been initiated, may be comp l e t e d w h i l e r e m a i n i n g w i t h i n t h e available funds released by the government, however, no new connect i o n m a y b e p r o v i d e d u n d e r t h e s e s c h e m e s u p o n c o m p l e t i o n H o wever, the gas schemes under the poli c y o f 5 - k i l o m e t e r r a d i u s o f g a s fields will continue subject to availability of funding from the governm e n t w h i l e c o m p a n i e s w o u l d c o n s i d e r t h e v i a b i l i t y o f s u c h schemes based on the depletion profile of producing fields

sume production would be incorrect, however 17 calendar days is a good barometer based on past precedence Millat is unlikely to maintain this shutdown for a sustained period because if nothing else, its closest competitor AlGhazi will not be observing any such halt Millat’s last spell of non-production days from August 31 to September 23 led to AlGhazi beating Millat in sales volume for the month of September Millat is unlikely to want to have this instance repeat itself, and that too for multiple months

The tractor industry like the overall automotive market, has struggled in 2022 MIllat’s decision, thus, is understandable Asghar however does believe that the market will improve going forward in 2023 He stated “I think going into next year demand should pick up slightly It s not going to be a full recovery but there should be some improvement in the market, especially as we head towards March because that s when the season is,” when asked about the matter

Former prime minister and PTI Chairman Imran Khan has accused the PML-N-led government of hatching his failed assassination plot similar to the murder plot of slain former Punjab governor Salman Taseer to put blame of his murder on religious fanatics

The former premier claimed that two plans were made to assassinate him “After failure of the first plan, plan B was made under which Salman Taseer type murder plot was hatched so that they could put a blame of my murder on religious fanatics”

Imran said on August 24 journalist Waqqat Satti posted a doctored video in which he was accused of committing a blasphemy

S i m i l a r l y, h e s a i d P M L - N l e a d e r s

The former prime minister was wounded by gunfire on November 3 last year as he led a convoy through thick crowds on top of his open-top container truck in Wazirabad One person died while several members of the PTI chairman’s close circle were injured in the incident

The alleged shooter, Naveed Bashir, was detained shortly after He had claimed in his confessional video statement that he shot the PTI chief as he was “misleading” the nation, which he could not tolerate

The video was leaked to the media shortly after the incident, which critics claimed was an attempt to lead people to a premeditated conclusion regarding the

attacker ’s motive

g in hope of bilateral loans coming in soon, reserves slide again, ever-sodangerously!

Shahnawaz ali

In the most recent update by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Pakistan is yet again at its lowest level of Foreign Exchange reserves, in the last 8 5 years In a consistently declining trend since October the state bank’s liquid foreign exchange reserves have slid to a dangerous $5 576 billion The FX reserves with banks also slid by 39 million dollars leaving Pakistan’s total liquid FX reserves at $11 42 billion

What does the government say?

However, the finance minister remains confident that, the foreign reserves position would be much better in June 2023” he said, while talking to the press on the 4th of January In the same press conference, the finance minister stated that Pakistan is in no way going to default on its loans With an alarmingly low level of Forex reserves, Pakistan looks towards the IMF program amongst other financing sources According to Ishaq Dar, the delay in the 9th review of the IMF is caused by some prior conditions of the Fund The IMF requires Pakistan to provide details on its flood rehabilitation funds He also stated that additional funds from friendly countries, like Saudi Arabia, were expected to come in a few days A statement that he first iterated verbatim more than a month ago

Why are low Reserves Bad?

Pakistan s liabilities for the ongoing quarter stand at $8 3 billion, as per the ministry of finance But a country uses its foreign reserves not only to pay off its debts but to also fund the cost of its imports The country’s ability to fund its imports for a certain period of time is called the import cover of that country

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf says a well-thought-out narrative was chalked out to give the assassination attempt the cover of religiously-motivated crime

Besides PML-N, Imran in today s presser lamented that those who were responsible for the country’s security were also involved in the assassination plot

Imran said his failed assassination plot could not be hatched without the support of “those people whom we consider as the saviours of the country

“Countries break up when establishment turns against the country’s largest political party for whom you [establishment] want to eliminate the leader of Pakistan’s largest political party?”

Imran said only enemy could think of damaging the country’s most popular party “Only two or three people are involved in my failed assassination plot

At the start of his address Imran said the establishment had not estimated that people would take to the streets against his ouster

“Unexpectedly, people protested against the imposition of thieves on the country but they [establishment] refused to reverse their mistake ”

Imran said despite enjoying establishment s support all parties part of the ruling alliance lost 75 per cent by-elections against his party which he said was unprecedented in the country s history

The PTI chief said his political rivals tried to use all means to eliminate him from political scene including hatching his murder plot and trying to disqualify him in the trumped up charges

Speaking about investigation into the Wazirabad attack, Imran said there were three shooters who used different weapons in the attack

iSlaMaBaD

FBR moves to broaden tax base, aims to add 2m retailers in tax net

iSlaMaBaD

g t h e c o m pa n y w i l l c e a s e o p e r at i o n s u n t i l f u r t h e r n ot i c e d u e to r e d u c e d d e m a n d f o r t r a c to r s a n d c a s h f lo w c o n s t r a i n t s

SBP’s liquid forex reser ves fall by another $245m, to $5.576bn