Epaper_23-01-09 KHI

PM in Geneva to co-host cliMate Resilient confeRence

GENEVA/ISLAMABAD Saleem Jadoon

Primeminister muhammad shehbaz sharif on sunday arrived here along with a high-level delegation to co-chair an international conference on ‘climate resilient Pakistan’, along with un secretary general antonio guterres,

being held on January 9.

foreign minister bilawal bhutto Zardari, minister for finance ishaq dar, minister of climate change sherry rehman and minister for information and broadcasting marryium aurangzeb accompanied the prime minister, Pm office media wing said in a press release.

in the conference, Pakistan will outline the framework vision for rehabilita-

tion and reconstruction and emphasis upon the need for global support and long-term partnership to implement it. in the inaugural high-level opening segment, the official document would be unveiled over reconstruction and rehabilitation of the flood-affected areas, and feature partner support announcements. the prime minister and the un sec-

retary general will also hold a joint press stakeout.

Pakistan unveils post-disaster framework plan at international conference

Pakistan would place a comprehensive post-disaster framework plan for recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction before development partners and friendly countries at the international conference on resilient Pakistan in

geneva on January 9.

Prime minister shehbaz sharif will cohost the conference along with the un secretary-general antonio guterres.

leaving before geneva, the prime minister in a statement said, “bridging the funding gap is key to restore critical infrastructure, rebuild lives and livelihoods and revive economy.”

in

opening threatens closure of steel, construction, allied industries

seeks help with $16 billion

g Pakistan unveils Post-disaster framework Plan at international conference today

PTI looKIng forwArD To menD TIes wITh esTAblIshmenT, sAys fAwAD Ch

JEHLUM Staff RepoRt

PAKISTANTehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) senior leader Fawad Chaudhry said on Sunday his party was looking forward to restoring ties with the establishment.

The former federal minister was addressing the media in his hometown,

grenade lobbed at hujra of PTI mnA in Peshawar

PESHAWAR Staff RepoRt

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) Member National Assembly Nasir Khan Musazai’s hujra was attacked with a hand grenade here on Sunday, the police confirmed. “Fortunately, I am in Islamabad and there is no casualty due to the grenade attack,” Musazai told media and said that unknown men lobbed a hand grenade at his hujra adjacent to his home in Peshawar. In the wake of his critical stance towards the PTI earlier this week, the lawmaker claimed receiving a “threat alert” from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan. “KP CM Mahmood Khan informed me regarding a threat alert on WhatsApp two days ago. He told me to quit politics and save myself,” he told Geo News, adding that the chief minister advised him to make special safety arrangements for himself. “The chief minister may have sent me the threat alert with good intentions,” Musazai added. He shared that in their bid to stop him from quitting the party, PTI leaders — including former NA speaker Asad Qaiser — contacted him. It was also reported that Musazai will join the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) following his meetings with the party’s chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Senator Maulana Atta-ur-Rehman.

Ch shujaat rules out PA dissolution, early elections in country

LAHORE Staff RepoRt

Veteran politician and Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain on Sunday ruled out the possibility of Punjab Assembly dissolution and early elections in the country. “Neither the Punjab Assembly would be dissolved, nor there is any possibility of early elections.” PML-Q supremo Ch Shujaat expressed the views during a meeting with JUIF leader Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri who, along with a party delegation, called on the latter at his residence in Lahore on Sunday. Ch Shujaat comment comes as the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has delayed the dissolution of the Punjab Assembly until a final decision from the Lahore High Court’s (LHC) decision in Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi’s denotification case. On December 23, the LHC restored CM Elahi after Punjab Governor Balighur Rehman denotified him for failing to take a vote of confidence in the Punjab Assembly. However, after hearing the arguments of the Punjab government and others, the LHC suspended the notification following Elahi’s undertaking that he would not dissolve the assembly before the next hearing. During a meeting with the senior party leaders in Lahore on Saturday, PTI Chairman Imran Khan said that the Punjab CM’s vote of confidence was subjected to the court’s decision on Jan 11, asking them to be prepared for the confidence vote in case the court orders to take it.

where he voiced his opinions on different issues, including the matter of Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi’s vote of confidence. He made it clear to the PTI s dissident lawmakers, adding that the PTI will have no problem if the party s defectors form their own parties.

Taking about the number games in the PA, Mr. Chaudhry claimed that the PTI’s number games ahead of CM Elahi’s vote of

confidence were complete, adding that the party was eyeing January 11 to deal with the matter in the PA.

Schooling the coalition government, Mr. Chaudhry said the coalition government had no plan to deliver for the country, adding that the rulers were now eyeing to get financial aid from friendly countries like China and Saudi Arabia. Underscoring the issue of inflation, Mr. Chaudhry said the ongoing

week witnessed a back-breaking inflation of up to 31 percent, adding that there was also an expectation of the inflation getting increased by another three per cent.

Complimenting his own party, Mr. Chaudhry claimed the country was not suffering from incitement because of the PTI’s leadership, adding that there was a fear of incitement if the masses poured onto the streets without the leadership.

‘Dejected’ Aleem Khan has no intention of joining PPP or rumoured new party

LAHORE MonitoRing RepoRt

Abdul Aleem Khan, a former aide to ex-prime minister Imran Khan, dismissed a report claiming he was expected to join the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) or launch one comprising “clean politicians”, a reference to Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) defectors from central and southern Punjab.

Work on Lawi Power Project resumes in Chitral after nine month

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) has resumed construction work on 69 megawatts Lawi Hydropower Project in Chitral district.

Construction work on the project was stopped for the past nine months due some security and financial issues. Provincial Secretary Energy and Power, Nisar Ahmad Khan, visited Lawi, Koto and other Hydropower Project sites in Chital and Dir Lower districts. On this occasion, Project Director Koto Engineer Sultan Rom and Deputy Director Engineer Muqeemuddin briefed the secretary over the progress so far made on this important power project.

He said that due to security reasons, several Chinese engineers working on the project had left their work and

went back. However, Chinese workers have returned after improvement in security situation. Muqeemuddin said that construction work is in full swing and all the required machinery has also been transferred to the project site.

Secretary Nisar Ahmad Khan, during visit to the Lawi Power Project site in Chitral, directed contractors, consultants and field staff for all efforts to complete the project within due date as the project was already stalled for several months. He said the provincial government has resolved the security and financial issues and Chinese engineers have also returned, therefore, further delay is unacceptable.

According to the KP Power and Energy Department, Chinese engineers working on various projects left the country after the deadly attack in Kohistan due to which the work on many projects was stopped for several months.

Baloch political heavyweights ‘turn’ Jiyalas after meeting Zardari

QUETTA/KARACHI Staff RepoRt

Several political leaders from Balochistan including federal and provincial minister on Sunday joined the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) in a meeting with the party’s co-chairperson and former president Asif Ali Zardari in Karachi.

Those who joined the PPP included former federal minister Sardar Fateh Mohammed Husni, former provincial ministers – Nawabzada Gazin Marri and Tahir Mahmood, Coordinator to Chief Minister Balochistan Nawabzada Jamal Raisani, Mir Farid Raisani, Mir Abdullah Rahaija, and Mir Allah Bux Rind.

Speaking to the politicians, the former president said that PPP had been struggling hard for the rights of Balochistan as his party had historical links with the province. Congratulating the newly-joined party members, Zardari said that PPP was the “strongest actor” in the politics of Balochistan, and it would never compromise on the rights of the people of Balochistan.

Dealing with teachers

City noteS

Something’s wrong with Americans. This school shooting thing is getting ugly. On Friday, it seems, in Newport News, Virginia, which is hardly the centre of the world, a six-year-old shot his teacher. He was involved in an ‘altercation’ with her first, then shot her. She survived, probably because the shooter was just a child, but she was wounded severely, because it was point-blank range. I would suspect that the kid came from a home where there were plenty of guns and ammunition around. He probably didn’t like the teacher, and got the weapon because of that. I hope I’m right to

say that he wasn’t carrying around the weapon for self-protection. I know they have weapons checks at high schools, but I suppose they don’t bother with them at elementary schools.

Here our kids are happy because the holidays have been extended a week because of smog. I hope they don’t get funny ideas about their own teachers. It’s not just that example they have, but also that of Imran Khan, who was shot in the leg about two months ago. To hear the PTI tell it, Gen Qamar Javed Bajwwa did the shooting, and Shehbaz Sharif handed him the gun, after it was loaded by Rana Sanaullah. Maj Gen Faisal Naseer was whooping bablis in the background, and emitting those barhaks mandatory on such an occasion.

Last week, Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) leaders quit the ruling party in Balochistan and joined the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).

The announcement was made after Balochistan’s members of provincial assembly—Saleem Khosa, Zahoor Buledi and Arif Muhammad Hasani met with Zardari at Bilawal House in Karachi.

Other BAP leaders including: Haji Malik Shah Gorej, Mir Wali Muhammad, Mir Asghar Rind, Mir Faiq Jamali, Sardarzada Faisal Jamali, and Agha Shakeel Durrani were also present in the meeting.

The development came as the PTI chief alleged that the establishment was involved in ‘political engineering’ to weaken his party in a bid to install a ‘weak’ government in the country. “Unfortunately, we have not learnt any lesson from the past as political engineering is still undergoing. MQM is being merged, BAP is being pushed into PPP, and efforts are being made to strengthen PPP in South Punjab,” he said while addressing a PTI women workers’ convention in Karachi via video link on Sunday.

As for the kid, I haven’t heard he made the lalkara, which is necessary if one is to get a confusion. The kid’s lalkara would probably not be about a buffalo theft, but should provide a succinct explanation of why he was shooting.

But maybe Imran has moved on, and is now more focused on the latest videotape release, which shows that Mrs Imran engaged in pretty dubious talk with Zulfi Bokhari. This might explain why she tasked him with selling the watches Imran had received from foreign leaders. I wonder bif Imran had heard of Caesar’s wife? Caesar, on his second wife, was elected Pontifex Maximus, and his wife hosted the Bona Dea festival. Another politician, Publius Clodius Pulcher, was caught at the womanonly festival, disguised as a woman. He is said to have gone there to seduce Pompeia. Caesar did not give evidence at Pulcher’s subsequent trial, which resulted in his acquittal, but he did divorce Pompeia,

Once a confidante of the former prime minister, Aleem resigned first as a senior minister in the provincial cabinet of Punjab in November 2021 after losing interest in the government primarily after not being considered for the chief minister’s office or any other active role, and then from the party altogether in the midst of a no-confidence vote against Khan in April 2022.

On Sunday, Dawn reported that a group of over two dozen PTI dissidents, led by former party secretary general Jahangir Tareen and including Aleem, were weighing options to either join the PPP or form a new party.

Another politician, Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar — who had quit Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), as well as the office of Punjab governor, in 2015 to join the cricketer-turned-politician — has strained ties with both parties, and sees his future lying with either the party of Bhuttos or the Tareen group.

In April last year, at least 25 PTI lawmakers in the Punjab Assembly, including Aleem, voted for Hamza Shehbaz, PML-N candidate, in the election for the post of Punjab chief minister, in violation of the party position.

However, under a court order, these legislators stood disqualified for the rest of the parliamentary term.

However, Aleem, responding to the report, denied the claim, and said: “There is no truth in the reports of my inclusion in a new political party.”

“I am not a part of any political party, neither do I have any intention of joining any,” he said, adding the reports circulating on media were “baseless”. The former minister also said he enjoyed good relations with Sarwar and Tareen but “right now, I am only focused on welfare work.”

Aleem had taken over Samaa TV station in 2021 through one of his companies. According to BBC, the shares of the TV station were shifted to Park View Limited, a real estate company jointly owned by him and his daughter, in September of that year. Aleem is also a member of the board of governors of Channel 24, formerly Value TV.

saying, “Caesar’s wife must be above suspicion.”

Speaking of suspicion, it seems that there’s a strong suspicion that a technocratic set-up, a sort of Cabinet of all The Talents, is going to be set up, with a mandate to fix the economy. How do you fix the economy? By avoiding a default. Things don’t look good. The Shehbaz government has not really been able to handle the crisis, has it? The PTI has not indicated how it will do things any differently. We’ve had technocratic cabinets in the past, whenever we’ve had martial law, and they’ve only been able to keep head above water because of the USA’s need for us .Ayub had the SEATO and CENTO alliances, Yahya had the US rapprochement with China, Zia the Afghan Jihad against the USSR, Musharraf the US invasion of Afghanistan. Besides, the technocratic model has been tried in Bangladesh. Did it work?

Anyhow, while it might not have worked, it didn’t change the reality of the death of Pope Benedict XIV, born Joseph Ratzinger, who resigned as Pope in 2013, after eight years on the papal throne. He was 86 then, having taken office when 78. There was some suspicion that he had been a Nazi, and he was old enough for that, but in his favour, it should be pointed out that he was 18 when World War II ended, so the chances are that he wasn’t. True, his schooling occurred during the Nazi years. However, it was poignant to see he lived to see in Chistmas, but died on the morning of New Year’s Eve, and thus missed the good old Germanic festival of Yule.

While there was a close to the exPope’s life, there was a close here, perhaps on a wider scale. Shops, restaurants and wedding halls all closed early, with the government hoping this would save fuel, and thus we would avoid having to shell out foreign exchange.

LAHORE: Activists of Awami Rickshaw Union and civil society members stage a protest against worst inflation and price hike outside Press Club. photo By zuBaiR Mehfooz

Ma niazi

PESHAWAR aziz BuneRi

8m PeoPle sTIll DIsPlACeD AfTer summer flooDs, un TolD

RepoRt

sOMEeight million people remain “acutely displaced” after last summer’s floods in Pakistan, since waters still have not receded in some areas, the nation’s permanent representative to the UN in Geneva said.

Khalil Hashmi told a press conference there was an urgent need for housing, and

that flood damage had impacted agriculture, and people’s livelihoods.

Hashmi was speaking ahead of a highlevel conference on Climate-Resilient Pakistan next week to be attended by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and UN SecretaryGeneral Antonio Guterres.

Knut Ostby, Resident Representative in Pakistan of the UNDP development agency, told the press conference that more than 1,700 had been killed in the monsoon flooding disaster.

Meanwhile, at least two million homes were destroyed or damaged, along with around 13,000 km of road, 3,000 km of railway track, 439 bridges, and 4.4 million acres of agricultural land.

Since there is still standing water in several areas, “many people cannot get back to their regular livelihoods” and therefore remain reliant on humanitarian assistance, he added.

He also warned that although the Pakistan flooding was “unprecedented,” it

could happen in other countries.

The International Conference on Climate-Resilient Pakistan, co-hosted by Pakistan and the United Nations, will take place at the UN Office in Geneva on Monday.

The aim of the conference is to bring together public and private sector leaders to generate international financial support for communities impacted by the floods in Pakistan, as well as to rebuild damaged infrastructure.

CM Sindh directs SSU, Reserve Police to help Karachi Police eliminate street crime

KARACHI Staff RepoRt

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah in an attempt to purge the city of street criminals, has directed the IG police to mobilize the SSU force and Reserve Police on the roads to support the district police.

“I want the city police to make their mission successful and eliminate street crime”, he said. In case of failure, he directed the IG to immediately transfer or

remove the concerned SSP and SHOs.

The Chief Minister directed the IG to deploy the police, reserve and SSU force at the hotspots and intensify police patrolling for vigilance and keep sharing their photos, location as well as deployment plan with him.

He also instructed the IG to keep him informed about the actions taken against the criminals along with the number of their arrests, so that necessary instructions could be given to the prosecution department for bringing

govt takes practical steps for protection of journalists’ rights: marriyum

ISLAMABAd Staff RepoRt

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb on Sunday said that Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM’s) government had taken practical steps for the protection of the rights of the journalist community. In her congratulatory message to the newly elected office bearers of Peshawar Press Club, she said that the incumbent government fully believed in freedom of expression. Marriyum Aurangzeb congratulated Arshad Aziz Malik on his election as President, Rizwan Sheikh as Vice President, Irfan Musazai as General Secretary, Tayyab Usman as Joint Secretary, Imad Waheed as Finance Secretary and other members of the governing body on their success in the elections. The minister said that journalists of the press club had always promoted positive and responsible journalism in the country. She expressed her hope that newly elected body of Peshawar Press Club would devote its skills and energy for the welfare of the Press Club and the journalist community. Marriyum expressed her best wishes for the newly elected office bearers of Peshawar Press Club.

efforts on to resolve issues faced by Pakhtuns, says Amir muqam

LAHORE Staff RepoRt

Advisor to Prime Minister on National Heritage and Culture Engineer Amir Muqam said on Sunday that the coalition government, led by Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz (PML-N), was making sincere efforts to resolve the issues facing the Pakhtuns in the country, as they all were patriotic Pakistanis. He was addressing an oathtaking ceremony, organised by the Pakistan Pakhtun Welfare Trust (PWT) Punjab at Aiwan-e-Iqbal on Sunday. He said sacrifices rendered by the Pakhtuns for stability and security of the country would always be remembered, adding that “We always stand by our Pakhtun brethren”. He said he, as a representative of Pakhtuns, would always raise voice for their rights, adding that every ethnic group in the country should work for betterment of the country by setting aside its personal differences.

them to book.

Murad Ali Shah directed the IG police to intensify the crackdown against repetitive, habitual street criminals, drug peddlers who have either been bailed out or at large.

Shah said that the people of Karachi have already seen worst law and order, mayhem at the hands of terrorists as well as other criminals. “After a lot of sacrifices endured by the police and other law enforcement agencies in the line of their duty, the government

restored law and order with the support of Karachiites”, he said and added that now, the people of this city could not be left at the mercy of street criminals and we have to develop sense of security amongst the citizens by eliminating the street crime all together.”

The Inspector General of Police, Ghulam Nabi on the directives of Sindh Chief Minister, has issued necessary instructions to the city police, SSU and Reserve Police for their mobility in the aid of district police, Karachi.

PM in Geneva to co-host Climate Resilient conference

COnTInUEd fROM PAgE 01

He said that millions of Pakistanis, affected by unprecedented devastation due to floods, looked for compassion and solidarity to build back better.

“Humanity is at an inflection point in the world history. Our actions today will shape the resilient future for our succeeding generations, the prime minister posted on his Twitter handle.

He said that he would take the opportunity to present the case of flood victims before the world. “I will also throw light on steps my govt. has taken for relief and rehabilitation,” he further posted.

In Pakistan, record monsoon rains and melting glaciers last September displaced some 8 million people and killed at least 1,700 in a catastrophe blamed on climate change.

Most of the waters have now receded but the reconstruction work, estimated at around $16.3 billion, to rebuild millions of homes and thousands of kilometres of roads and railway is just beginning and millions more people may slide into poverty.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, will present the recovery framework at the conference where United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres and French President Emmanuel Macron will also speak.

Guterres, who visited Pakistan in September, has previously described the destruction in the country as “climate carnage”.

“This is a pivotal moment for the global community to stand with Pakistan and to commit to a resilient and inclusive recovery from these devastating floods,” said Knut Ostby, United Nations’ Development Programme’s Pakistan Representative.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday departed to Geneva along with a high-level delegation to co-chair the conference along with UN Secretary.

Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Minister for Finance Ishaq Dar, Minister for Climate Change Sherry Rehman and Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marryium Aurangzeb accompanied the prime minister, PM Office Media Wing said in a press release.

During the conference, Pakistan will put emphasis upon the need for global support and long-term partnership to implement the framework plan.

In the inaugural high-level opening segment, the official document would be unveiled for reconstruction and rehabilitation of the floodaffected areas and feature partner support announcements.

The prime minister and the UN secretary general will also hold a joint press stakeout.

Leaders and high-level representatives from several countries and international financial institutions, foundations and funds are expected to attend the conference, both in person and virtual format.

The conference will bring together governments, leaders from the public and private sectors and civil society to support the people and the government of Pakistan.

The reconstruction framework to be presented before the conference will lay out a multisectoral strategy for rehabilitation and reconstruction in a climate-resilient and inclusive manner.

Secondly Pakistan will try to secure international support and forge long-term partnerships for building Pakistan’s climate resilience and adaptation.

Left for Geneva to co-chair cLimate moot: Earlier, Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday left for Geneva to co-chair an international conference on ‘Climate Resilient Pakistan’, along with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Minister for Finance Ishaq Dar, Climate minister Change Sherry Rehman and Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marryium Aurangzeb accompanied the prime minister, PM Office Media Wing said in a press release.

In a series of tweets, the prime minister said that he will present the case of flood victims before the world during climate conference.

PM Shehbaz Sharif said he will also throw light on steps taken by the government for relief and rehabilitation of the flood-affected people.

rasheed warns of ‘thrashing march’ as inflation hits multi-decade high

ISLAMABAd MonitoRing RepoRt

Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad, president of Awami Muslim League (AML) and former interior minister, on Sunday warned of a “thrashing march instead of an inflation protest”, lamenting the government had no control over the markets as the price of basics such as eggs, dairy products and wheat shot up. In a tweet, he said the people were either starving or will face starvation this year, claiming that 2023’s first death from hunger had been reported in Mirpur Khas city of Sindh. “The first martyrdom [sic] for seeking two meals a day has taken place in Mirpur Khas. Now, instead of inflation, there may be a thrashing march [against the government]. The foreign exchange reserves have fallen to $4.5 billion, less than three weeks’ worth of imports,” he said. Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves barely cover a month’s worth of imports, most of which are accounted for by energy purchases from abroad, with funds expected under an International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme having been delayed. “We need a map to avoid nine months of destruction and default,” the former minister said. Taking a jibe at the federal government, Ahmad said the 76-strong cabinet had failed to provide even a sack of flour to the public. He also warned of destruction if the election schedule was not announced in 100 days. Vegetable and fruit prices have soared across Pakistan as devastating rains ruin crops and disrupt supplies, a sign of how the worst floods in decades are creating food shortages at a time of financial crisis. Members of the public were already facing rampant inflation before the flooding and the economy is in turmoil, with fast-depleting foreign reserves and a record fall of the rupee against the dollar.

eCP announces verdict on lgs polls conduct in Karachi, hyderabad today

ISLAMABAd Staff RepoRt

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will announce the reserved verdict on the conduct of repeatedly-delayed local government elections in Karachi and Hyderabad on Monday (today). The ECP had reserved verdict on petitions filed by MQM-Pakistan, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) over local government elections in Karachi and Hyderabad. A threemember ECP bench, headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, reserved the verdict after hearing arguments of the MQM-P and other parties. During the hearing, the Sindh government sought a week to submit arguments in the case as Additional Advocate General Fauzia Zafar appeared before the ECP unprepared. The CEC abolished the defence right of the provincial government after its lawyer showed up in the case without preparation. In a petition, the Jamaat-e-Islami called upon the Election Commission of Pakistan to fulfil its constitutional responsibility by holding local government elections in Karachi and Hyderabad on time. PPP-led Sindh government and MQM-Pakistan had moved ECP over delay in LG polls due to delimitations issue.

Health expert lauds key Chinese role in global response to Covid-19

ISLAMABAd Xinhua

China has played a key role in the global response to the Covid-19 pandemic by providing medical supplies and health assistance to other countries, a Pakistani public health specialist told Xinhua in an interview. “In terms of contributions to the global fight against the epidemic, China has provided significant assistance to other countries through donations of medical support, equipment and other forms of aid,”

said Bilal Ahmad, a public health scientist at Central Care, an international nongovernmental organisation working in health and education.

China has also shared its experience and knowledge with other countries and participated in international efforts to develop vaccines and treatments for Covid19, he added.

In terms of healthcare, Ahmad said, China increased its capacity to treat Covid19 patients rapidly, adding that it had also developed and approved several vaccines,

which have been used to immunise large portions of people at home and across the world. The health scientist noted that China’s efforts to contain the spread of the virus had been widely acknowledged by the international community.

Highlighting the recent optimisation of China’s pandemic response measures, Ahmad said that countries must be flexible and adaptable in their approach to preventing and controlling the spread of Covid-19.

There are many factors that can influence the epidemic prevention policies,

such as the prevalence of the virus in a given area, the capacity of the healthcare system to cope with new cases, and the potential impact on the economy and society, he said.

“Governments will consider all of these factors when making decisions about epidemic prevention policies and base their decisions on the best available scientific evidence and expert advice,” the health scientist added.

He said that China kept adopting a scientific approach against the virus since the beginning of the outbreak while

employing strong economic fundamentals and measures to stimulate demand.

Ahmad noted that China has made significant efforts to support its economy and mitigate the impact of the pandemic on society, and its response actions to Covid19 have also had a positive impact on the global economy.

China is a major player in the global economy, and its efforts to stabilise its own economy while supporting global trade and investment have been beneficial to other countries as well, he added.

gEnEVA MonitoRing

PuNjaB MINISter HINtS at legal aCtIoN agaINSt

eCP over uNIoN CouNCIlS delIMItatIoN

LAHORE Staff RepoRt

FAYAzul-Hasan Chohan, spokesperson of the chief minister, said the Punjab government and the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf (PTI) party will initiate legal proceedings against the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) following the “lopsided” delimitation of union councils in the province.

In a tweet, Chohan said he rejected the notification and said the notification announcing the delimitation was an attempt to impose the tribunal’s decision on the government “without public opinion.”

The decision was taken in bad faith and the commission is taking such measures to benefit a certain political party, he said, refer-

ring to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

He further said such decisions were tantamount to robbing the people of their right to vote. The agency is more petrified of the election than the federal government.

His tweet came a day after the chief minister, Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, comprehensively reviewed the notification and rejected it “for being lopsided”.

He also said a legal and constitutional course of action would be adopted to contest the notification as it did not fulfil legal requirements.

Elahi said the one-sided notification was an attempt to bulldoze public opinion. He said local people and administration were not taken on board with regard to consultations and decisions leading to the delimitation of union councils.

Sports goods exports witness 29.36pc increase: PBS

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

Sports goods exports during the first five months of the fiscal year of 2022-23 increased by 29.36 percent as compared to the exports of the commodity during the corresponding period of last year.

During the period from July 22-Nov 22, Sports goods were worth US$174,676,000 as compared to exports of US$135,034,000 during the same period, last year.

According to the data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, the exports of gloves increased by 2.73 percent, worth US$30,857,000 in the current fiscal year, as compared to the exports of US$31,724,000 during the same period of last year. Meanwhile, other exports also increased by 5.56 percent as the exports recorded during the current fiscal year were US$41,843,000 as compared to the exports during the same period of last year which were US$39,639,000.

Snowfall disrupts routine life in Kalam, Chitral, Malakand

SWAT Staff RepoRt

The incessant rain coupled with the longanticipated snowfall in Kalam, Chitral and Malakand disrupted routine life and restricted people to indoor, the locals said on Sunday.

According to Regional Meteorological Department, the intermittent downpour started in the morning with 4 inches of snowfall recorded in the above-mentioned districts.

Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) has also issued necessary directives to all the departments to ensure essential equipment during snowfall and to clear the link roads. The temperatures of hilly areas decreased up to below minus level. The minimum temperature level in Kalam was recorded -5, Parachinar -6, Dir Upper -2, and in Malam Jabba was decreased up to -1.

All the link roads were closed due to heavy snow while traffic flow on main roads also affected due to landsliding and snow daubing.

The routine life was disturbed due to snowfall and disrupted the power supply in different areas while Wapada officials were working to restore the electricity.

People in upper areas were confined to their homes while business activities were also affected. The met office also predicted more rain and snowfall in upper parts of the province during the next 24 hours

524 Afghanistan migrants freed from Karachi prison

Afghanistan.

Hundreds of Afghan migrants, including women and children, have been released from a jail in Karachi, Afghanistan’s authorities said Saturday. The police in multiple raids last month detained at least 1,200 Afghan nationals who entered Karachi without valid travel documents.

The arrests brought criticism from around Afghanistan after images of locked-up Afghan children circulated online. The detentions underscored the strained relations between the two neighbours.

The 524 released Afghan nationals include 54 women and 97 children, Afghanistan’s embassy in Islamabad said. A video shared by the embassy on Twitter showed women and children behind the main gate of the prison, waiting to be released under supervision of Pakistani and Afghan authorities.

Another video showed men seated in a bus ready to depart for

Millions of Afghans fled to Pakistan during the 1979-1989 Soviet occupation of their country, creating one of the world’s largest refugee populations. Since then, Pakistan has been hosting Afghans, urging them to register themselves with the United Nations and local authorities to avoid any risk of deportation.

According to a recently con-

ducted UN-backed survey, 1.3 million registered Afghan refugees are residing in Pakistan.

A report from National Commission on Human Rights said there has been a drastic rise in Afghans seeking to enter the country for reasons ranging from fleeing persecution to seeking medical aid and looking for job opportunities, since the Taliban seized power in August 2021.

17 dead, 840 injured in Punjab road accidents

LAHORE Staff RepoRt

At least 17 persons were killed and 840 others injured in 825 road traffic crashes in Punjab during the last 24 hours. As many as 444 seriously injured people were shifted to different hospitals while 396 with minor injuries were treated at the incident site by the rescue medical teams.

The data analysis showed that 395 drivers, 27 underage drivers, 99 pedestrians and 363 passengers were among the victims of the road traffic crashes. The statistics show that 174 accidents were reported in Lahore, which affected 178 persons, placing the provincial capital at top of the list, followed by 76 in Faisalabad with 81 victims and at third Multan 53 with 49 victims.

According to the data, 670 motorbikes, 53 autorickshaws, 107 motorcars, 14 vans, 11 passenger buses, 23 trucks and 79 other types of vehicles and slow-moving carts were involved in these road accidents.

18 new Corona cases reported in last 24 hours: NIH

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

Health officials on Sunday said that 18 new Coronavirus cases were reported during the last 24 hours across the country.

As per data shared by the National Institute of Health (NIH), the case positivity ratio is 0.40 percent while 22 patients were in critical condition.

APCOYF chief showers Chinese envoy with praise over invaluable services

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

President All-Pakistan Chinese Overseas Youth Federation (APCOYF) Aasma Ismail on Sunday said Chinese Ambassador Nong Rong’s services in enhancing Pakistan-China relations were of great value as through his efforts, Pakistan-China friendship and diplomatic relations have become stronger and more stable.

She expressed these views on the occasion of a special event for the celebration of the Chinese New Year organized by the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China here, a news release said.

She also held a meeting with the Chinese ambassador, during which the ways to further cement the Pakistan-China relations were discussed.

Chinese Ambassador Nong Rong praised the services of Aasma Ismail for the Federation and invited her to visit China. He said that Aasma Ismail played a vital role in strengthening Pakistan-China friendship from the platform of her organization.

Nong Rong said that after three years of continu-

ous efforts, the Chinese government was able to control Covid-19. “Now, as before, China’s doors are open for tourists and business communities from around the world,” he said.

Aasma Ismail thanked Chinese Ambassador Nong Rong and said she was planning to organize the Pakistani Youth Cultural Show in different cities in China in July 2023 from the platform of the All Pakistan Chinese Overseas Youth Federation.

“We wanted to make a film on Pak-China friendship, the story of which is in the final stages. It is our effort to further strengthen the Pakistan-China friendship that would remain forever,” she added.

She also presented an honorary shield to Chinese Ambassador Nong Rong in recognition of his valuable services.

Later, Aasma Ismail, in her address to the participants of the event, said, “We congratulate the Chinese Communist Party on its success. We support the Pakistan–China youth policies of President Xi Jinping.”

She said that Pakistan-China relations have become more stable with the passage of time.

No death was reported from the Coronavirus in the last 24 hours while 4,447 Covid-19 Corona tests were conducted. One case was reported as confirmed from 304 tests which were conducted in Islamabad, four confirmed cases out of 844 tests in Lahore, four confirmed cases from 242 tests in Karachi, two confirmed cases from 430 cases in Peshawar and two confirmed cases out of 156 tests were reported from Rawalpindi.

Meanwhile, Minister for National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination, Abdul Qadir Patel said that the government has strengthened the role of Border and Health Services in Pakistan to deal with any sub-variant of Covid-19.

The minister said there was a surveillance system at all entry points of the country including airports. He said that there will be rapid tests and screening of passengers at all airports.

He said the situation was completely under control and asked the general public to avoid listening to rumors. He added that the Corona case passivity ratio was just 0.3 to 0.5 in the country while 90 percent of the country’s population already got the COVID-19 vaccine.

“An efficient system with a proper management team is fully functional in the country to remain vigilant and is ready to make an emergency plan to deal with any sub-variant of Covid-19,” the minister added. He said Border and Health Services Pakistan was ensuring the implementation of international health regulations.

He said in case of any untoward situation, the health system was fully prepared to deal with any subvariant of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 including BF.7 in the country.

Indian troops killing innocent youth in IIOJK: Saghar

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

The Convener of All Parties Hurriyat Conference Azad Jammu and Kashmir (APHCAJK) chapter, Mehmood Ahmed Saghar has said that the Indian troops have accelerated their atrocities in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir and are martyring innocent youth under the guise of siege and search operations.

Mehmood Ahmed Saghar in a statement

issued in Islamabad said India is continuously increasing its state terrorism in IIOJK and even today two youth were martyred in Poonch district while 18 Kashmiris were arrested from Rajouri district.

Paying glowing tributes to the martyred youth, he said India’s cruel tactics cannot change the reality of the Kashmir dispute and urged India to give up its oppressive policy towards Kashmir and resolve the lingering dispute by giving Kashmiris their birthright to self-determination.

The APHC-AJK convener said India has declared a war against the Kashmiris and has detained thousands of Kashmiri youth in various jails and detention centers in India and the territory. He said that despite the Indian atrocities, the Hurriyat leadership and people were standing on the sacred mission of freedom. The Kashmiri people should be given the right to decide their own future, he added.

Mehmood Ahmed Saghar said implementation of the United Nations resolutions is the only solution to the lingering Kashmir

dispute. He said lasting peace will be established in South Asia with the settlement of the Kashmir conflict.

He demanded of the United Nations to take notice of the Indian atrocities in IIOJK and resolve the long-pending Kashmir dispute according to its approved resolutions.

He said that due to India’s illegal occupation and the non-resolution of the Kashmir conflict, not only the Kashmiri people are suffering from serious problems but also pose serious threats to world peace.

KARACHI the aSSociated pReSS

LoW Gas Pressure muLTIPLIes

PuBLIc mIserIes In TWIn cITIes

ISLAMABAD staff RepoRt

WITHthe increase in cold, shut-off or low gas pressure in various parts of the twin cities has multiplied the problems of domestic as well as commercial consumers. The low or zero pressure specially during morning and evening timings compelled the residents of the twin cities to buy breakfast, lunch and dinners from markets which is much expensive as well as an unhealthy option for families.

A number of families have started using substitutes compressors, cylinders, electric roti makers and electric stoves to cook food which is not risky but also very expensive option for the consumers.

Beside the issues of domestic consumers, the commercial users especially restaurants, hotels and Tandoor

owners are also facing the same issue and using alternate to run their businesses. They also increased the rates saying that they can’t manage the gas expense in the routine prices and are forced to transfer that burden to the customers.

Shazia Bibi, a house wife living in Arya mohalla Rawalpindi while talking to APP said, “Normally I prefer to cook healthy and hygienic food for my family but now the outage of gas has compelled us to buy unhygienic food from the restaurants almost regularly which is effecting the health of my family.”

She said,”Many restaurants are also taking advantage of the situation and increased the prices of food which badly disturb the overall budget which is a big concern for me.”

A working women Sadia Ali said, “The low gas pressure in my area has multiplied my problems as I can’t finish my kitchen work on time and get late from

my office almost every day.”

She said,”Restaurants and Tandoors are not a good solution as there are long queues outside during break-

Efforts afoot for availability of authentic version of Quran with literal translation: Abdul Shakoor

ISLAMABAD staff RepoRt

Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Mufti Abdul Shakoor said that the Ministry was making all out efforts to ensure the availability of authentic version of the Holy Quran with its literal translation at every nook and cranny of the country.

In an exclusive talk with APP here Sunday, he said the following version of the Holy Quran with translation subsequently be published after seeking the seal of approval of provincial Quran Boards.

The minister said that the standard version of the Holy Quran published by the Matbooa Anjuman Himayat Islam and translated by Matbooa Elm Foundation had been notified at the federal capital level by the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony and Ministry of

Federal Education respectively.

He said that all the stakeholders concerned were requested to get the above notified prescriptions and

make arrangements for their availability at tehsil, district and province level.

He said that Quran Compulsory Education Act 2017 was passed by the Parliament and it ensured compulsory teaching of the Holy Quran to the Muslim students in all the federal capital and public sector educational institutions controlled by the federal government.

On the recommendation of the Ittehad Tanzeemat Al-Madaris Pakistan (ITMP), the Ministry of Federal Education constituted a committee comprising representative from all sectors to reach a consensus on the translation of the Holy Qur’an with regard to its compulsory teaching in the schools, he added.

Mufti Shakoor said that after several meetings of the said committee, a unified translation of the Holy Quran was prepared and a letter with the signatures of all the committee

members was also published by the ILM Foundation.

Later, the Secretary of the aforesaid committee was asked to get a soft copy of the Holy Quran from the ILM Foundation and forward it to the provincial Awkaf Department to take approval from their respective Quran Boards, he maintained.

He said that Islamabad administration was requested to ensure the availability of standard version of the Holy Quran at the suitable places.

He also expressed the hope that it would help remove the controversy of distorted translation of the Holy Quran which had caused furry amongst the Muslims across the country due to a particular segment of the society. It should be noted that this authentic copy of the text of the Holy Quran was completed in 2016 and its agreed Urdu translation was completed in 2020.

Lord Qurban Hussain urges world to shun duplicity, resolve Kashmir dispute

tions in Kashmir and provide the right of self-determination to the Kashmir. But one thing always remember that cruelty does not exist always ultimately it has to end up at any day.

fast and dinner times which are times of rush for working people.”

Saleem Akram resident of G-10/3, while sharing his views told, “My mother is a patient of arthritis which gets more intense during winter.”

Doctor has advised to provide heating facility in her room during winter but the outage of gas has compelled us to electric heaters which was much expensive and we are unable to afford that expense on regular basis, he told.

He said that we were using LPG as an alternate option but the increase in demand of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) amid cold weather conditions has creates shortage of LPG and the suppliers also increased the price of this alternate.

He urged the government and Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited (SNGPL) to address the issue and ensure uninterrupted supply of gas especially for the domestic consumers.

Laiba Khatton, another housewife said, “Cylinder and compressors are unsafe options for me as I witnessed a cylinder blast in my area which scared me and I never adopt these options to cook food.”

She said, “Since we are facing the problem of gas load shedding I had made it routine to cook food in the midnight when gas pressure turns normal.” “I also bought an electric roti maker but its taste is altogether different from the one made on gas,” she added.

Member British Parliament Lord Qurban Hussain urged the international community, UN bodies and world powers to shun ‘double standards’ and find out lasting and permanent solution to Kashmir dispute.

In an exclusive interview with daily Pakistan Today, Lord Qurban Hussain lashed out at the world for the double standard and non-serious attitude to resolve the decades-long Kashmir issue.

“If world shuns its duplicity and stands with its own formulated international laws, norms and values, then it can easily settle the dispute by just pushing Indian government to implement the UN security council resolutions”, he said.

He raised questions as to how the Western World implemented the UN resolutions elsewhere in the world especially in western world while they adopted altogether a different approach to execute similar resolution in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

He further stated that in the case of South Sudan, the UNSC passed a resolution, which was implemented at once, resulting in their independence.

Lord Qurban stated that all the steps taken by India since 1947 to date regarding Kashmir are totally illegitimate and in sheer violation of local as well as of international laws.

New Delhi has violated UN security council resolutions by refusing the UN commission to enter Kashmir, and denying even UN observers to investigate growing human rights violations. India is openly challenging all the international laws, rules and regulations and the world is mere looking the world worst human rights violations in the occupied valley as silent spectator. India is not intended to reverse its decision of August 2019 rather than moving one step forward by executing another are plans.

They are rapidly changing the Muslim population ratio there and issued domicile to the lacs of Muslims in this regard to get them out from the valley. So, it may be in the future plans of India that after changing the population ratio India would say let’s do census on

Kashmir now.

Do you see any serious thinking, any plausible formula or any thinking in any think tank which can be admitable to the India, Kashmiris and Pakistan? There are various think tanks who are discussing this issue but actual problem lies India’s end, It’s important to see that, is India going to accept anything on Kashmir issue, especially in the presence of current extremist govt of Modi, looks not working. Pakistan and Kashmir want to resolve this issue through negotiations but India is not interested in its peaceful solution.

Soon after India’s decision to revoke special status of IOK, how do you see such developement? Before this unilateral action (revoking special status of Kashmir) taken by India on Kashmir, India used to tell the world that Kashmir issue is a bilateral issue and Pakistan and India has agreed upon on this in the Shimla Agreement as well, so world has nothing to do with this. Now what about that bilateral status after taking unilateral action by revoking special status of Kashmir through article 370 and 35 A. I think Pakistan lacks in highlighting this point at international forums, that no more Shimla agreement exists now and it’s not a bilateral issue any more. India will keep on doing such actions in future as well until and unless the India is not being pushed and pressurized by the world to stop human rights viola-

Although UN Security Council sessions were called but looks those sessions useless. Noting any decision was made which can force India to reverse its decision of 5th August 2019. Nothing any decision was made in those sessions which forced India to not violate human rights in Kashmir. Similarly, nothing any decision was made which can force India to reduce their army strength in Kashmir. Nothing such type of decision was taken which can end impunity given to the Indian army according to their army act. Nothing any decision was made which can force India to provide right of self-determination to Kashmiris. Similarly Indian army’s cruelty on Kashmiris cannot be challenged in any court. So how can we say that those UN security council’s sessions were useful.

And if we see Muslim countries and especially Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC) role we see that is very disappointing also. We don’t see any concrete actions/steps taken by the OIC regarding Kashmir issue.

Head of Genocide Watch, Gregory H. Stanton, who revealed and made prediction many years before 1994, that genocide is going to take place in Rwandan, the same Gregory Stanton crying since a year on that in Assam and Kashmir genocide is taking place. Similarly, amnesty report “A LawLess Law” with its shocking revelations and thousands of people faced genocide even with their names and home addresses were pointed out. I have also said on the floor of lords and it’s on record that Hurriyat Leader Yaseen Malik is being punished of life imprisonment in fake cases. The circumstance may change any time. Who has though that Soviet Union will be tore apart after Afghan invasion. But the world has saw Soviet Union to broken into pieces after ten years of Afghan invasion. So, India don’t think like this that she is a big power and will remain always like that.

Kid cured of life threatening GB syndrome after 103 days

MULTAN staff RepoRt

A kid suffering from GB syndrome, a life-threatening disease of hands and feet, was discharged from Children Complex after 103 days of hospitalization, including 71 days spent on a ventilator.

An official source at Children Complex told APP on Sunday that Mujhaid, 12 was a patient of Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS), a rare disorder in which the immune system of a person’s body attacks his/her nerves.

Weakness and tingling in hands and feet are usually the first symptoms, and if the patients are not cured, the lower part of their bodies are paralyzed, he said, adding that GBS is a lifethreatening disease.

He informed that the patient was discharged from the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) through the continuous efforts of Dr Asim Khursheed and his team.

Tracheostomy was conducted after 25th day of ventilation, he said, adding that the patient developed ARDS, Vent associated Pneumonia, and Resistant UTI, which are usual infections after a patient was placed on a vent, the source explained.

The kid left the hospital with a smiling face after 103 days of treatment, he said.

QWP criticizes PTI for staging protests against spiraling inflation

PESHAWAR staff RepoRt

Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) Chairman Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao on Sunday criticized the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) for staging protests against spiraling inflation and said the recent price-hike was the result of the wrong policies of the previous government. He stated this while speaking at a gathering in Watan Kor where scores of women political workers announced joining the QWP.

Aftab Sherpao said that it was ironic that the ones whose flawed policies caused inflation were now protesting against it. He said that the PTI could not deceive the people through such tactics. PTI leader Imran Khan must face the reality and accept his failure instead of blaming others, he said adding, the economic situation started worsening during the PTI government due to its incompetence. Aftab Sherpao said that the PTI had pushed the country towards bankruptcy and its leaders were now bent on creating anarchy, which was not good for the economy. He maintained that political stability was a prerequisite for a strong economy.

He also expressed concern over the rising price-hike and said the incumbent federal government should take pragmatic steps to provide relief to the people.

Expressing concern over the worsening law and order and attacks on the police in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, he said the provincial government should pay heed to this issue or else the situation could spin out of control.

He said his party was in favour of empowering the women through education so that they could play their role in the development of the country. He said the QWP would spare no effort to help resolve the issues being faced by the women.

Known political figures Murad Ali Tajik and Dr Gohar Ali Shah also announced joining the QWP on the occasion.

ISLAMABAD Bilal Hussain

Punjab imbroglio

PUnjAB’Sproblems antedated the fall of Imran Khan’s PTI government at the center. In fact, Mr Khan’s selection of Usman Buzdar as Chief Minister of the country’s largest province even though he lacked any previous ministerial experience, or possessed any other exceptional qualities, subjected Punjab to a wealth of poor governance. It was no help that when Mr Khan’s backers sought Mr Buzdar’s removal when he proved to be completely out of his depth, yet Mr Khan refused, only to summarily remove him and replace him by Ch Pervez elahi, when it seemed he might himself be removed. Ch Pervez became CM by virtue of a court order, and his remaining in office is now once again before the Lahore high Court, which takes up the matter of his denotification by the governor on Wednesday.

Because Ch Pervez alone can advise the dissolution of the Punjab Assembly, Mr Khan is in his hands. Until he dissolves, the KP Assembly will not dissolve. however, the relations between the two have begun to fray. Ch Pervez wants seat adjustments for the coming general elections. Mr Khan is not giving any. If Ch Pervez has to take the vote of confidence as requested by the governor, PTI members are the ones who will give the slip, leading to his losing office. If there was a failure of the PML(Q) when the last voting for CM took place, this time, if there is any slip-up, it will be because of the PTI.

It should not be assumed that matters will be solved if Ch Pervez succeeds in obtaining a vote of confidence. Win or lose, the margin of victory for either side will be thin. The losing side will fall prey to the temptation of trying to win over the few MPAs it needs to topple the CM and install its own man. This is going to continue until the house is dissolved, and there is a caretaker CM in place. There is the example of Abdul Quddus Bizenjo, who was Balochistan CM for only six months in 2018; the present Punjab house has got more than eight months to run. Ch Pervez does not want to forgo this period, especially with the next budget coming up. his reluctance to dissolve the Assembly is shared by many PTI members, including those on the backbenches. It was the ‘betrayal’ of allies that cost Mr Khan the Prime Ministership. An ally may stop him play his last card, that of dissolving the assemblies.

Being political is not a luxury, It’s a necessity!

SeeMIngLy, people have negative perceptions of politics in our society. Perceiving it as a means to achieve self-centered interests in a way in which one has no regard for others, people generally in their comments mention politics in negative terms. Oftentimes, anyone smart in wheeling and dealing is usually termed as “too political” and people become cautious in all their dealings with that “too political” character. generally, people at the grass root level consider politics at the societal and state level not their cup of tea. They think that it’s the sphere of people, especially of those who are not from their ranks. Usually, among the middle class, it’s not encouraged to participate in politics. From family structures to academic structures, the whole infrastructure is repulsive to any kind of participation in politics, perhaps because of its negative connotations. There is a general disconnect between people at the grass root level and people who are active in politics. The question is whether politics is such a bad monster that we all should keep ourselves away from or if there is something wrong with our perception of it. In other words, is being political a luxury or a necessity?

Let’s explore politics in the context of power. If we put it in simple words and especially in an academic context, politics is the “study of power”. Question is, what is power? Recently, while participating in the 2nd International Conference organized by Punjab University, Lahore, last month, one presenter explained the concept of power in a very interesting way, and here I would like to share that. Power is the ability to influence someone in three domains that comprise action, cognition, and emotion. In simple words, power is the ability to make someone do what you want him or her to do. (Action). Power is the ability to make someone think the way you want him/her to think. Power is the ability to make someone feel the way you want him or her to feel. Let’s make it simpler.

Power defined in the “Action” domain is known usually as hard Power. how can it be exemplified? A case in point is the state. The state through its driving organ, that is government, exerts hard power through the support of its various organs like police, bureaucracy, and other punitive measures enshrined in the constitution in case someone violates a law. So, in this way, the state moulds citizens to act in a particular way through a list of Dos and Don’ts coupled with rewards and punishments. here, it’s important to mention that the state cannot effectively exert hard power until the government is legitimate.

tion” domains is known as Soft Power. how can it be exemplified? Civil society in any country holds soft power. Civil society constitutes media, universities and research think tanks, and so on. It’s the civil society that moulds society’s perception and cognition. Thus, in this context, universities are hives of soft power as they shape the perceptions and cognitions of students’ lot through the dissemination of critical curricula. here, it’s worth mentioning that soft power, if effectively utilized, can have more real-time impact than its counterpart which is hard power.

To emphasize the above point, here is a small example. Colonizers came into our region with a command over hard power initially; however, they ruled over the Subcontinent for centuries and are still ruling over our minds through their effective strategy for exerting soft power. Colonizers have left our region but we are under the shackles of their soft power. Our minds are hijacked. We still prefer to write and speak in their language, which is english. We have made speaking english a sign of intellect, which is tragic. We are crushing our students’ minds and potential with a kind of structural violence when we ask them and expect them to express their understanding of the world in english which is not their native language.

main. Also, in all these states what is being depicted is that humans either support the status quo or try to mould the status quo around them, and thus they become political.

the political system. It can be in any shape. It can be voting. It can be writing. It can be speaking. Academic institutions should proactively engage students with political insights and dissemination of curricula

After learning the various insights of politics in the context of power and knowing the fact that politics is within us and around us, it’s important that we proactively participate in politics. We have a lot of structural issues in the shape of illiteracy, poverty, hunger, patriarchy, etc. All these issues can only be resolved if we redefine our approach to politics.

M. A. Niazi Joint Editor Umar Aziz Executive Editor Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad Joint Editor

Power defined in the “Cognition” and “Percep-

We still have no say in the knowledge domain. We are relying on western theoretical frameworks and are foolishly trying to understand our reality through their theoretical frameworks. Such is the force of soft power. We have got independence from colonizers, but, still, we are not independent mentally. Anyhow, let’s bring it back to politics. I think that we need to reconsider our approach to politics. Politics is all around us. We are breathing politics at every moment. Whenever two humans interact, politics is there. When I say, politics is there, it’s because both humans try to influence each other either in the “Action” domain or in the “Cognition” or “emotion” domain. every aspect of human interaction or expression is politics. Our silence is politics. Our laughter is politics. Our anger is politics. Our sadness is politics. Our frustration is politics. It’s because, in all these states, humans influence each other either in the action domain or in the emotional or perception do-

dition. In order for these businesses to succeed, it is also necessary to connect the dots and build the necessary economic and policy environments.

Theunstable way of life in Pakistan is one of the largest potential contributors to climate change, which has been deemed an existential hazard. Pakistan is not an exception to the global world, especially the urban population, which has evolved into a society that is mostly driven by consumption. This excessive consumption and consumerism, along with the growing population, cause billions of tons of waste to be produced every year. Only 15 percent of this garbage, which totals billions of dollars in worth, is recycled; the remainder is dumped in landfills or dumped openly. In addition to causing loss of finite resources, this also causes other major issues.

Due to a lack of proper waste management systems and general civic illiteracy, Pakistan's excessive garbage generation poses an even greater challenge. Zero waste, which is defined as "producing little or no waste," is one of the potential solutions. Our civic duty as a community is to practice zero waste.

Lack of waste management infrastructure in Pakistan, like in other developing nations, is causing major issues with the environment and public health. In addition to producing an excessive amount of solid garbage every day, the nation has also, and more worryingly, emerged as the primary repository for hazardous waste in the globe. In urban Pakistan, our problem is that we view garbage as kachra (waste), something that is unwanted and needs to be thrown away. The crisis in solid waste management that can be seen every day on Pakistani urban streets is caused by this mentality.

The solid waste management sector functions as an interconnected "process chain" with management beginning even before waste generation, with the goal of lowering waste generation levels, as by regulating or advocating decreased packaging. Reuse, recycling, and segregation can thus take place in the home, thereby lowering the amount of garbage that needs to be collected and transported. Reuse, recycling, upcycling, and energy generation components may be integrated at different points throughout this cycle.

Many inorganic waste components can be recycled in homes, much as they were in the past, and kitchen trash can be composted to support healthful activities like kitchen gardening. Once the waste journey extends beyond the home and if your vision is to pursue zero waste rather than disposing and burning as is the case currently, many interesting opportunities for promoting start-ups and entrepreneurship emerge. In these situations, community-based entities and the private sector can join the "circular economy" cycle to create jobs and businesses, resulting in a healthier, more environmentally friendly city. It is possible to reuse a lot of inorganic waste parts.

The fact that we close our eyes to such chances defies sense. The government has failed to launch and promote composting-based projects in a metropolis where more than 50 percent of garbage is organic, where the result not only serves as recovered waste but may be linked with an objective of environmental protection. Recycling still takes place in the unorganized sector with little access to technology and expertise, but because the products are inferior, recycling does not maximize economic benefits.

Around the world, recycling of e-waste, as well as recycling of plastic, wood, and metal-based materials, is a lucrative industry with significant amounts of value ad-

The United Kingdom alone dumped approximately 40,000 tons of waste in Pakistan last year; Pakistan lacks the capacity to segregate ordinary and hazardous waste, raising major environmental and health problems; this information was recently given to the Senate Standing Committee on Climate Change. The remaining 25,000 tons came from Iran and over 20,000 tons from the United Arab emirates. Despite being a member of the Basel Convention, industrialized nations use Pakistan as a disposal site for over 80,000 tons of electronic and plastic trash, posing risks to the environment and public health. Because recycling e-waste is more expensive, wealthier nations frequently export their waste to developing nations.

Senator Sherry Rehman, the Minister of Climate Change, emphasizes the importance of capturing imported hazardous waste materials, noting that "our country has been receiving all types of packed garbage from different parts of the world with an average annual tonnage of 80,000." We have developed a long-overdue policy to address this.

Many things need to change in order to move closer to the zero waste objective, including priorities, policies, mindsets, and the governance architecture that

When I say, we need to redefine our approach to politics, I mean that we need to encourage people’s active participation in politics. Proactively, we need to address misconceptions of people and institutions regarding their engagement in politics.

We need to encourage people around to share their say in the political system. It can be in any shape. It can be voting. It can be writing. It can be speaking. Academic institutions should proactively engage students with political insights and dissemination of curricula critically so that they are well-equipped to deal with the issues of the modern world head-on. After all, being political is not a luxury; it’s a necessity.

Inamullah Marwat is a lecturer at the Department of Political Science & International Relations at the University of Management & Technology, Lahore. He can be reached at inamullah.marwat@umt.edu.pk

supports them. Decentralization should be planned. To encourage private enterprise, a supportive policy and regulatory environment must be mapped out. The promotion of standard practices and the backing of locally created technology are both necessary.

The associated crosscutting benefits, such as a greener city, increased economic prosperity, a healthier city with lower health costs, and revitalized public spaces by reclaiming and designing vibrant public spaces that are currently contaminated with garbage, need to be captured when designing sustainable cities.

The collection, treatment and disposal of waste material have been causing significant harm to human health and the environment. And we need to get serious about managing this waste tracking, separating and then treating it sustainably, instead of the unscientific and unregulated manner it has been handled over the years.

The writer is a Researcher at Center for International Strategic Studies, CISS, Muzaffarabad working on Strategic Transitions and Realignments, International Politics and Security of Climate Change, and can be reached at rimsham156@gmail.com

The Author, did her graduation from University of Balochistan, Quetta, in department of International Relations.

The PTI’s latinos with the PML(Q) are not going to lead to a solution

rImsha malIk

The collection, treatment and disposal of waste material have been causing significant harm to human health and the environment. And we need to get serious about managing this waste tracking, separating and then treating it sustainably, instead of the unscientific and unregulated manner it has been handled over the years

Inamullah marwat

We need to encourage people around to share their say in

critically so that they are well-equipped to deal with the issues of the modern world head-on

Politics has got a bad rap One component of tackling climate change

Yousaf Nizami Editor

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

Editor’s mail

Playing Nero’s flute

Thegovernment has half-heartedly announced austerity measures to combat fuel, energy and financial crises in the country. As expected, it has met strong resistance from traders, hoteliers and wedding hall owners, as these measures will drastically damage their businesses.

naturally, as these measures are prepared by the bureaucrats, there is no mention of steps like doing away with the provision of free electricity and fuel to anyone regardless of profession and position, ban on using helicopters and aeroplanes by government functionaries, cut on excessive and unnecessary foreign trips, and encouraging the use of virtual meetings rather than people travelling for the purpose. And where travelling is necessary, only economy class should be allowed, and the people concerned should stay in government guest houses instead of hotels. nobody is making such suggestions. Why?

Moreover, large entourages with dignitaries in local and foreign trips is a burden on the country’s exchequer. It is an unnecessary practice, and is used as a means to favour individuals on taxpayers’ account. I am sure no such measures would be taken, or even considered, as all those in power are playing the proverbial nero’s flute.

MALIK UL QUDDOOS KARACHI

The price of interference has been high

any of them should share who was behind granting the status of ‘Sadiq’ and ‘Ameen’ to Imran.

Former Prime Minister Imran Khan had not contested some of his audio leaks including one with a lady from the Kalabagh area. This alleged audio leak tells us what kind of man was chosen for making a Riyasat-e-Madina in Pakistan.

Benefactors and the beneficiary are throwing filth on each other’s faces and politicians who are painted as corrupt, illiterate, and incompetent are enjoying reading tales of alleged corruption and moral bankruptcy of “larger than life and stronger than state” elements.

very critical of the role of Pakistan’s military interference in politics, the misconduct of politicians as well as the intelligence failures which permitted the infiltration of Indian agents all along the borders of east Pakistan. In 2000, some parts of the Report were leaked to Indian and Pakistani newspapers. After the leaks, the government decided to publish the Supplementary Report therefore the original report is still in the files of “Top Secret”.

New opportunities

WIThthe changing global dynamics, there are signs the world is moving towards multipolarity. If so, it will have its own challenges just like every ‘new world order’ has. Moving forward, energy will be increasingly used for maintaining global hegemony. The changing global world order brings both opportunities and challenges for Pakistan. The major challenge to our foreign policy is to maintain a balance in ties with the United States and China. Also, Pakistan has to interact with other countries while keeping in view its own core national interest. Pakistan is already shifting its policies from geostrategic to geo-economics, and we must move forward on that path. Pakistan needs to exploit resources in central Asian states and Afghanistan. For this, peace is imperative in the region. Pakistan must align its foreign policy according to the changing global world order.

WAQAR BADAR KANDHRO LARKANA

Lax security

Aretired lieutenant-general in his latest article wrote that 2022 was an arduous year —perhaps one of the worst in Pakistani history. yes, he is truly right if we watch events with a military outlook because the reputation of the military is put at stake after so many people spilled so many beans including the former COAS gen (retd) Qamar Bajwa about what the military had been doing with Pakistan by manipulating domestic events through political engineering. Whatever gen (retd) Qamar Bajwa had said about the role of the Army in Pakistani politics was known to be facts by the majority of people but now the factsheet had been stamped by a former military chief.

The year 2022 was a blessing for the country, except for floods that destroyed over 33 percent of the agricultural land of Pakistan since almost everybody is exposed by everybody who was hand in glove just before April 2022. everyone who has an interest in the politics and the history of Pakistan knows what the Army generals had been doing with this country since the first assembly was sent home and the first martial law was clamped. By defeating Madare-Millat (Mother of the nation) who was a sister of the Quaid e Azam, the Father of the nation, in the Presidential elections of 1965, the military understood that everything could be achieved with the stick that every Army Chief carries.

There is nothing new about what Imran Khan has been claiming and accusing the Army of. Since Imran Khan was granted the status of ‘Sadiq’ and ‘Ameen’ (honest and righteous) by the Supreme Court of Pakistan therefore his allegations against gen (retd) Bajwa and his team for planning to kill Imran are a serious issue and must be addressed. Khan also claimed that he wanted to snub corruption in Pakistan but the former Chief always stopped his (Imran’s) attempts to eliminate corruption. The former COAS is blaming Khan for the economic meltdown the country is facing today. I believe both ex-partners are spilling half-truths (although there is no such thing as a half-truth if we talk about the philosophical theory of truth) and halftruth still lies inside them. Both are washing dirty linen in public and god knows for how long they would continue this practice. At least

I personally believe Project Imran was a disaster for the country but the closure of this project has become a disaster for those who consider they are always right and know every situation better than anybody. general Ayub used to say that he knew how to handle bloody politicians and then he had to resign when the student movement put him inside his guarded Army house. Once gen (retd) yahya Khan claimed in an interview with a foreign journalist that he knew the realities of former east Pakistan as clearly as he knew his palm. Within four months after this interview, Dhaka fell like a house of cards. gen Ziaul haq used to consider himself the best friend of the USA in South Asia, and then his C-130 was blown in the air (Along with the US Ambassador). Facts are still under thick fog as to who was behind this mango bust but the country is still facing the burden of radicalization he injected into society and now the Mujahideen he crafted have given birth to their third generation in the form of TTP. gen (retd) Musharraf was also known for his confidence and he used to say he knew Pakistan more than anybody; now he cannot live in Pakistan as he is a fugitive in many court cases, but his gift of terrorism is still strangling the country.

In one of my previous articles I already mentioned that the political history of Pakistan is full of allegations and events; indicating how chiefs of the Pakistan Army were allegedly involved in political engineering and stealing elections.

Madr-e-Millat (Mother of the nation) Fatima jinnah lost the 1965 elections against the then chief of Pakistan Army Ayub Khan through postelection rigging and manipulation of the electoral college, and general Ayub got himself elected as the President of Pakistan.

After 1965, Pakistan went for elections in 1970. These elections were the first general elections held in Pakistan (east and West Pakistan) on an adult franchise basis. One person One vote power was too strong for the establishment to get results of its choice. Awami League of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman emerged as the majority. he was the same man who supported Fatima jinnah against Ayub Khan in the 1965 election and served as chief election agent of Fatima jinnah in east Pakistan. Mujib was arrested two weeks before the election, charged with sedition, and jailed for a year by general Ayub.

The West-Pakistan-centric establishment headed by gen yahya Khan was not ready to transfer power to the east-Pakistan-centric Awami League and then a series of events resulted in the Fall of Dhaka. The hamoodur Rahman Commission Report is the best available document that tells what actually happened in 1970-71. Its primary conclusion was

After the Fall of Dhaka, the next general elections took place in 1977 which were followed by the clamping of the 11-year-long Martial Law of gen Ziaul haq who held a referendum on 19 December 1984, and voters were asked whether they supported Zia-ulhaq’s proposals for amending several laws in accordance with the Quran and Sunnah, whether they wanted this process to continue, and whether they supported the Islamic ideology of Pakistan. Official results declared it was approved by 98.5 percent of voters, with a turnout of 62.2 percent. Ziaul haq held 1985 Party-less elections to legitimize his rule and became President through the then Parliament which had no political party sitting on the floor of the house.

next Party-based general elections were held in Pakistan on 16 november 1988 after the death of Ziaul haq and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), led by the late Benazir Bhutto won 94 of the 207 seats in the national Assembly. her government survived only two years and she was deposed by then-President ghulam Ishaq Khan and the country went for another general election in 1990. Islami jamhoori Ittihad (IjI) (Islamic Democratic Alliance) was formed to defeat Benazir Bhutto and the decision of the Asghar Khan case in the Supreme Court tells how the then Chief of Army Staff of Pakistan Army general Mirza Aslam Beg formed and used the IjI to steal votes for Mian nawaz Sharif.

Between 1990 to 2018, the country documented political Ping-Pong, and nawaz Sharif, Benazir Bhutto, and her party were sent home sometimes through the 8th Amendment, sometimes through courts, and once through a corporate-sector kind of Martial Law because gen (retd) Musharraf did not like the word “Martial Law Administrator”, so he coined the term “Chief executive” of the country.

There was also nothing new in general elections 2018 and allegations of stealing election through pre-poll manoeuvring and engineering, polling day rigging and post-election RTS fiasco raised several questions. Project Imran was placed in KPK, Punjab, as well as in the Centre.

According to the last available reports, the military has decided to refrain from political engineering but no action would be taken against those who had been defying the 1973 Constitution till February 2021— the date the former COAS cited as the last month the military had been manipulating political moves. I believe the military should focus on the rehabilitation of its reputation which is possible only through action and not only resolve that it would refrain from playing as the third team in political arenas.

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

nORThKarachi is a huge locality that is populated mostly by people of lower socio-economic category. As it happens, the entire area — every nook and corner of it — is extremely unsafe because people get mugged in broad daylight right outside their homes. Unfortunately, street crimes have remained uncontrollable for a very long time, and the phenomenon has seen a serious uptick in recent months. People from the privileged classes can hire security guards, but this is only a fantasy for those barely earning their bread and butter. Whenever an incident is reported, or something goes particularly wrong, like shooting resulting in an injury or even death, personnel of law-enforcement agencies come to stand guard on that particular spot only to show their existence. even this ‘protection’ lasts no more than a day or two. This has become a routine practice. The residents want nothing but an end to this worsening situation, and that cannot happen without the deployment of law-enforcement personnel across the area. Merely standing on the main roads does nothing to ensure the safety of the locals.

SYED SAIF UL HASAN KARACHI

FBR must overcome the trust deficit

DeSPITesuch a large national population, less than three million citizens file income tax returns. Successive governments have tried their best to increase the number of tax filers by offering lesser withholding tax (WhT) on different purchases, but, regardless of what the government of the time does, people have shown zero interest in this critical regard.

One of the major reasons is the fear among the masses that if they come in the tax net once, the tax authorities or their staff will take undue advantage and may also blackmail them or indulge in some other illegal acts. To counter the situation, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) should first give assurance that income tax filers will not be harassed or even asked for unnecessary documents. The board should make it clear that there will be no misuse of the filers’ information even when a change of government takes place. Policy consistency has never been our strong point and that alone is enough to make people wary of one initiative or the other. The FBR surely needs to cross the barrier.

The government must offer privileges to all those citizens who are filing their tax returns regularly. There should be privilege queues for filers at airports, immigration counters, railway stations, police stations, driving licence offices, government offices and all provincial and federal departments. All taxpaying citizens who are also filers should be given priority at public and private spaces. We can add to the list of incentives and privileges by following the example set by the developed countries where taxpayers are respected and offered incentives. This will not only increase the number of taxpayers, it will also show them that paying taxes and filing returns is beneficial for all concerned.

HUSSAIN SHABBIR KARACHI

Worsening flour crisis

A reduction of 60 per cent in wheat quota of flour mills has created a flour crisis across the country, including Punjab. Flour has become a rare commodity in the market. Citizens are forced to wait for hours outside Utility Stores to get flour bags. If the government does not take emergency measures to prevent the artificial shortage of flour, the situation will go out of control. The price of wheat has reached the highest level in the country’s history with a bag of 40kg being sold at Rs3,700, while flour is not available even at Rs130 per kg. People are frustrated. Profit-making enterprises are suffering losses and presenting a scene of chaos and devastation. Both the government and the main opposition parties have disappointed the people and hurt their sentiments. The government needs to take measures to ensure a smooth supply of flour on a controlled price sooner rather than later.

IMRAN UL HAQ LAHORE

a letter from Prometheus agha Iqrar haroon

75 years of Pakistani politics and the “Season of Confessions”

BiG money is chokinG indiA’s free press — And its democrAcy

THE RECENT RESIGNATION OF ANCHOR AND MODI CRITIC RAVISH KUMAR UNDERLINES HOW MONOPOLISATION IS THREATENING INDIAN MEDIA

nels seen as brave enough to challenge the Modi government reflect broader fears centred on a question that journalism around the world has been grappling with: what happens when the ownership of platforms meant to protect free speech is concentrated in the hands of a few elite businesspeople?

Al JAzeerA SomdEEp SEn

WheNpopular Indian television journalist ravish Kumar announced his resignation from New Delhi television Ltd (NDtv) — the country’s oldest private broadcaster — at the end of November, it was a grim reminder of the vanishing independent news media landscape in the world’s largest democracy.

It was no ordinary departure. Kumar had been a popular voice on NDtv for a quarter of a century and is known for his fearless, hard-hitting reporting and willingness to take on those in power. Of late he has criticised other news outlets for taking a stance explicitly in favour of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government and for stoking communal discord between hindus and Muslims.

Yet Kumar felt compelled to quit after the world’s third-richest man, Gautam adani, became the majority shareholder of NDtv. adani is considered close to Modi, who used the tycoon’s aircraft for campaigning ahead of the 2014 national election. Since 2014, when Modi came to power, adani’s wealth has jumped from $7bn to $110bn.

adani has insisted that NDtv under his ownership will retain its independence to call out the government when it has “done something wrong”. But the worries about his takeover of one of the few Indian tv chan-

Or as Kumar said: “how can a channel, bought by a corporat[ion] whose success is seen to be linked to contracts granted by the government, now criticise the government? It was clear to me I had to quit.”

a GLOBaL PrOBLeM to be sure, this isn’t a problem unique to India. Corporate monopolisation of media has increasingly been under scrutiny in the United States. In 2017, Bernie Sanders wrote of how Comcast, News Corp, Disney, viacom, time Warner and CBS — just six companies — owned 90 percent of the media in the country. Forbes wrote in 2016 that 15 billionaires owned all major national newspapers, including the New York times, the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post.

In the United Kingdom, the Media reform Coalition has described “concentrated ownership” in the sector as a “significant problem for any modern democracy”. In 2015, 71 percent of the UK national newspaper market was dominated by three companies – News UK, Daily Mail Group and reach. By 2019, their market share had grown to 83 percent, and by 2021, to 90 percent.

Some countries have regulatory measures in place to curb media monopolisation. In Germany, for instance, no single company can control “more than 30 percent of all tv audiences”.

But the landscape varies across europe: In Italy, the holding company Fininvest, which is controlled by the family of former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, owns all

three of the country’s main tv channels as well as the nation’s largest publisher for newspapers and books.

India’s economic boom since the 1990s has spawned a fast-growing media industry, with a market size expected to grow from $21.5bn in 2021 to $54bn in 2026. this has resulted in a news media landscape that now boasts more than 100,000 newspapers and 380 news channels. add the rapid growth of internet and social media usage, and a wide variety of news platforms ought to be available to the Indian consumer.

But like in the West, Indian media too is increasingly owned by a select few corporations. the first warning bells were sounded a decade ago when reliance Industries –India’s largest company in terms of revenue – entered the media sector.

In 2011, the Indian parliament passed the Cable television Networks (regulation) amendment Bill that made “digitisation of cable television across the country manda-

tory in three years”. But as arvind rajagopal, professor of media studies at New York University pointed out at the time, the bill also effectively paved the way for concentrated corporate control of media since “the largest cable service providers [were] already owned by broadcasting companies”.

In January 2012, reliance — headed by Mukesh ambani, the world’s eighth-richest man — invested in the heavily debt-ridden Network18 media group.

the result was the creation of India’s largest media conglomerate which included a bouquet of general news and business channels in english, hindi and several regional languages. Journalists and analysts raised concerns over how this would impact the media coverage of a company, reliance, whose decisions influence the nation’s economy. In 2014 reliance took complete control of Network18 in a hostile takeover. rajdeep Sardesai, the editor-in-chief of the company’s flagship channel CNN-IBN, resigned.

In his farewell email, he wrote: “editorial independence and integrity have been articles of faith in 26 years in journalism and maybe I am too old now to change!”.

today, the ties between big business, politics and Indian media extend beyond any one company. Zee Media Corporation, another influential tv network, is part of the conglomerate essel Group, which is led by Subhash Chandra, a former member of the upper house of the Indian parliament. his candidature was supported by Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

a 2019 report by reporters Without Borders found many other similar examples. Odisha tv is owned by the family of Baijayant Panda, who is the BJP’s national vice president and spokesperson. News Live, one of the most popular tv channels in India’s northeast, is owned by riniki Bhuyan Sarma, wife of the BJP chief minister of the northeastern state of assam, himanta Biswa Sarma.

‘GODI MEDIA’

ravish Kumar coined a term that captures this unholy mix of news, money and politics: Godi media. “Godi” means lap. Godi media refers to the lapdog nature of the many pro-establishment mouthpieces that the Modi years have birthed. and looking at how the mainstream Indian media has celebrated events like the BJPled demolitions of the homes of Muslim activists or criticised farmer protests in 2021, it’s hard to get away from a sense that Kumar is spot on.

Meanwhile, amid a spate of attacks on journalists and government critics, India is slipping in the World Press Freedom Index, where it is now ranked 150 among 180 nations.

It’s important to cling to the hope that the tide will turn. Yes, good journalism needs money. But it also needs freedom. If media monopolisation cuts out critical voices like Kumar’s, it can never be healthy for Indian democracy.

Somdeep Sen is associate Professor of International Development Studies at roskilde University in Denmark.

Greenhouse

obServer Editorial

Aceremony in tehran last week marking the third anniversary of the assassination in Iraq by a US drone of Qassem Suleimani, a senior commander of the Islamic revolutionary Guard Corps (IrGC), conveyed a defiant message to the west. “We have not and will not forget the blood of martyr Suleimani. the americans must know that revenge is certain and the murderers will have no easy sleep,” Iran’s hardline president, ebrahim raisi, vowed.

Iran has already attempted to avenge Suleimani’s death through what US officials say was an IrGC plot to kill John Bolton, Donald trump’s former national security adviser. It is demanding the arrest of more than 150 american and British “suspects”, including trump, who ordered the drone strike. tehran has also imposed sanctions on western officials and, bizarrely, the raF base at Menwith hill, North Yorkshire, which it claims assisted the strike. the UK is expected to follow the US in designating the IrGC a terrorist group.

the evident depth of anger and enmity felt within Iran’s regime over Suleimani’s killing and many other long-festering grievances is not wholly surprising, yet it should give western governments pause. It fuels an evolving, many-fronted threat to western security interests. It also reflects a huge strategic defeat: the failure of a decades-long US and europe-led policy of engagement and the consequent emergence of the Islamic republic as an implacable foe.

Bad blood may be traced back to the 1979 toppling of the Shah, a key US ally. Israel, and to a lesser degree Saudi arabia, views Iran as an existential threat. Its backing for Syria’s dictator and antiwestern Shia militias in Lebanon, Yemen and Iraq is seen as all of a piece.

the risk of open confrontation with the west is further aggravated by three explosive issues. One is the anticipated collapse of long-running talks to deny Iran nuclear weapons-making capabilities. If diplomacy fails, the prospect of military action by Israel is real. a second source of added tension is Iran’s supply of “kamikaze drones” to russia for its war in Ukraine. On Friday, the US slapped yet more sanctions on Iran in bid to curb this dangerous escalation. Most threatening of all perhaps, at least from the

mullahs’ perspective, is culturally and ideologically destabilising support across the western world for the ongoing struggle for women’s rights inside Iran – and for an end to executions, torture, censorship and clerical repression. Like their peers inside the country, thousands of demonstrators gathered in London this weekend to demand a new, free Iran. the old order trembles.

Was Iran’s descent into domestic tyranny and international pariah status inevitable? Moderate presidents Mohammad Khatami (1997-2005) and hassan rouhani (2013-21) encouraged hopes of rapprochement with the west and more progressive policies at home. that they ultimately failed was in part attributable to the hostility of hardliners and conservative control of the Majlis (parliament).

Would-be reformers also struggled with a powerful, corrupt IrGC and the baleful influence of its chief, the fiercely anti-american supreme leader, ayatollah ali Khamenei. It is at him, principally, that the wrath of those protesting against the death of Mahsa amini is aimed. If Iran is to change, they rightly insist, Khamenei must go.

the regime’s slide into lawless illegitimacy is Khamenei’s dire legacy. So, too, is a succession of bad foreign policy choices, typified by his “look east” strategy favouring ties with russia and China over the west. Yet policy mistakes and complacency by politicians in the west have also contributed to the crisis.

Barack Obama tried hard to make engagement work. the result was the 2015 nuclear deal. But republicans in Congress blocked the across-the-board easing of sanctions that tehran expected. that fail-

ure to deliver undercut rouhani and the reformers politically as Iranians’ economic plight inexorably worsened.

Western policy further shredded with the advent of trump. egged on by Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s hard-right prime minister, he reneged on the nuclear deal in 2018. Iran has since greatly increased its weapons-related capabilities. What trump and Netanyahu said they most feared – a nuclear-armed Iran – has been brought closer by their political machinations.

Obama’s decision not to intervene directly in Syria’s civil war left the door open to the IrGC and its ally, russia. Likewise, the west’s failure to seriously address the Israel-Palestine conflict allowed Iran’s hardliners to grow their influence with hezbollah in Lebanon and hamas in Gaza. Meanwhile, Israel’s escalating “shadow war” brought a series of provocative assassinations of Iranian officials and scientists.

With Iran now positioned as russia’s major wartime ally, the potential for these various strands of conflict to merge into a large confrontation is obvious. Yet, surprisingly, there is little discussion in western countries about what to do. Do the US and its allies seek regime change in Iran? If so, do they plan to actively assist the protesters?

If not, then a rethink is urgently required about how best to rebuild a constructive dialogue with the majority of Iranians who reject their country’s increasingly desperate, illegitimate leadership – and dream of a prosperous, democratic future. What, exactly, is the west’s policy towards Iran? a fresh start is needed, before it’s too late.

ToronTo Sun Editorial

Whatevergovernments around the world are doing to lower greenhouse gas emissions, it’s not working. entering the new year, emissions from fossil fuels and cement production in 2022 were virtually identical to the highest level ever recorded — 36.7 billion tonnes in 2019. the estimate for 2022, with final calculations still being done, is 36.6 billion tonnes, up from 36.4 billion tonnes in 2021 and 34.8 billion tonnes in 2020. however, 2020 was an outlier year because it was the first year of the pandemic, which caused a global recession. the only other time emissions fell in the modern era occurred from 2008-09, caused by the global recession that started with the subprime mortgage derivative scandal. Logically, emissions this year will go down from 2022 because of the current recession, but relying on recessions to lower emissions isn’t desirable or sustainable. By contrast, replacing coal-fired electricity with natural gas is the single most effective way we have to lower emissions, using existing technologies, because natural gas burns at half the carbon dioxide intensity of coal. In Ontario, for example, the previous Liberal government eliminated the use of coal to produce 25% of its electricity, using natural gas and nuclear power, which emits no greenhouse gases, from 2003-14. as its environment ministry noted at the time, “the elimination of coal stands as the single largest greenhouse gas emissions reduction action on the (North american) continent.” Unfortunately, the government also wasted billions of dollars on inefficient and intermittent wind and solar power, which cannot provide base-load power to the grid on demand and must be backed up by natural gas. Canada generates 9.5% of its electricity from coal compared to 60% for China and 70% for India. If the rest of the world used as little coal as Canada does to generate electricity, the problem of rising emissions would be solved. the most effective way Canada, the world’s fourth-largest producer of natural gas, could lower emissions globally would be to develop the infrastructure needed to transport natural gas from Canada’s interior to tidewater, convert it to liquified natural gas and export it globally on ocean-going tankers. Unfortunately, our ability to do this is in its infancy.

Ztbl eager to utilize ParC expertise for farmers prosperity: president

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

ZTBL will collaborate with PARC for up-scaling PARC innovative technologies to uplift the livelihood of farming community. PARC and ZTBL extend into a joint venture where PARC through technical expertise and ZTBL the credit permission this technical and financial combination with help in transforming of agriculture which will improve farmers livelihood.

PARC in the presence of Members of Board of Directors, ZTBL, has signed an MoU with Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) to establish a collaborative relationship in promoting and adapting latest/novel agricultural technologies, practices, techniques and Agri mechanization for improving Farm efficiency and for the benefits of farming community. Under this MoU PARC and ZTBL may work jointly to conduct Webinars, field days, seminars, workshops etc. to disseminate latest developments in agriculture for uplifting the livelihood of farming community.

Dr. Ghulam Muhammad Ali, Chairman PARC said that PARC will facilitate/invite ZTBL in training and capacity building in improved Agricultural Technology, crop production practices, Dairy/livestock management, Agricultural entrepreneurship and provide technical assistance/guidance to ZTBL in Transformation of ZTBL Farm Islamabad into Agriculture Tourism Center. Dr. Ali said that PARC will advice ZTBL in development of new loan products and value addition in existing loan able credit products for development of Agriculture Sector and shares their research outputs with manufacturers/suppliers of agricultural machinery, progressive farmers across the country.

Staff Shortage Core Point: Pia SubmitS rePort in SC on 5-year finanCial Plan

KARACHI ppi

tHEPakistan International Airlines (PIA) has submitted a report containing the five-year financial plan to the Supreme Court following rejection of request for permission to recruit 200 employees, including 80 pilots on Dec 17. The apex court has sought the PIA to submit a detailed report in this regard. It is to be noted that the Supreme Court has banned new recruitment in PIA since 2018.

The PIA submitted the report through its counsel Salman Akram Raja in the apex court. The report, prepared on the International Air Transport Association (IATA)’s recommendations, revealed that PIA is facing an extreme shortage of professional and skilled employees in the areas of flight operations; services; information and technology; and finance.

“Total separation of employees in PIA since 2018 is 5,793 out of which 1,199 employees pertain to flight operations (pilots), flight services (cabin crew), finance, and IT department. No fresh hiring has been

made whereas our immediate requirement is 250 employees for the year 2023,” read the report.

A three-judge bench of the SC, led by Justice Ijazul Ahsan, will take up the PIA plea next week seeking permission for the recruitment of 250 skillful workers. The report revealed that as the SC restricted the national carrier from recruiting any manpower since 2018, the airline was unable to induct fresh blood, resulting in an increase in the average age of its existing employees to 45.2 years.

This has created a deficiency of operational crew and new employees having the latest technologicalcum-corporate knowledge with the contemporary

Chinese imported wagons to uplift railways’ image, enhance skills: Official

LAHORE Xinhua

Train coaches imported from China are completely compatible with the local track, and have been approved for a commercial run after the initial trial at one of the fastest tracks in Pakistan, an official of Pakistan Railways said.

950 sites identified for installation of CCtV cameras under rwp Safe City Project

RAWALPINDI Staff RepoRt

Over 950 sites have been identified for the installation of closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras to be mounted under Rawalpindi Safe City Project to monitor the city areas. According to a Commissioner’s Office spokesman, the administration was finalizing a plan to install 4,000 CCTV cameras under Rawalpindi Safe City Project on the roads to monitor all the city areas. He informed that Commissioner Rawalpindi division Saqib Manan, while reviewing the progress of the project, said that the project would help control crime and improve the law and order situation in the city. He said in order to boost the surveillance and keep a vigilant eye on criminal activities in Rawalpindi, the Punjab government had decided to enter into an agreement with the Safe City Authority to install CCTV cameras in the city. The cameras would work under an integrated system and the project would also helpthe police and the local administration in traffic signal management besides vehicle surveillance and tracking. The project would also play a key role in ensuring security during important public events. He said that modern technology is used all over the world to maintain law and order in big cities, traffic control, and other civic facilities and this system would also be used for Rawalpindi city. The spokesman said that a control and command center would be established at City Police Office, which would regulate swift emergency and police responses, such as intelligent traffic management, dispatch of police units, Rescue-1122 response, criminal identification, and virtual surveillance.

It is a standard protocol to test any new induction in the railways before putting it into commercial operations, Muhammad Hanif Gul, divisional superintendent of the Lahore division at the Pakistan Railways, said. The same practice has been done to the coaches imported from China and they have successfully passed the trials.

“These are very good coaches with some enhanced features, the ergonomics are very good, technology is very good and when we use them in train services, people of Pakistan will have a very good experience,” Gul told Xinhua in his office in Lahore.

From the contract to acquire 230 coaches from

China, the first batch of 46 coaches arrived in Pakistan at the end of last November, and are currently parked in Lahore and are expected to start operations in the coming weeks.

Under the technology transfer agreement, the remaining coaches will be imported to Pakistan in the form of components and manufactured in Pakistan with China’s technical assistance to enhance Pakistan’s ability to produce trains independently.

The coaches were acquired through transparent bidding in which the Chinese company was preferred among all others from different countries, he said, adding that Pakistan provided a list of specifications according to local standards, and the track and the trains were accordingly designed, Gul said.

Talking about the quality of the new addition from the perspective of passenger comfort, he said that they are cosy with good seat width, corresponding to the anthropometric analysis of the population of Pakistan, and have an on-board washroom facility for mobility-impaired passengers, which is a new fea-

skillset required to uplift the national flag carrier to an era of advancement and innovative strategic commercial operations,” the report stated.

It is also mentioned that the PIA had recently arranged code-sharing with Turkish Airlines. The report added that an increase in the frequency of flights would be a key requirement for running operations smoothly.

“As an outcome of the code-share arrangement with Turkish Airlines, the PIA is projecting an annual revenue of Rs205 billion for the year 2023,” it added.

“The fresh induction of manpower is critical for the achievement of the projected revenue. Moreover, IATA in its plan has also recommended to the PIA for enhancement of fleet and a corresponding increase in human resources based on competence,” the report added. It is also stated that despite the lack of support from the government, the PIA had been able to add four A320 aircraft and one A320 Simulator to its fleet during the year 2022.

“A total of 22 weekly flights to the UK and six weekly flights to the EU could not be added due to the EASA suspension; remote audit planned on March, 7 2023 subsequent to which operations to these destinations are likely to resume depending on the outcome,” it added.

ture in Pakistan railways.

The coaches will be used as premier trains with special staff and maintenance facilities, Gul said, adding that “it will substantially enhance the image of Pakistan railways and it will provide comfort to the passengers as to be another feather in the cap of the Pakistan-China collaboration.”

Talking about the transfer of technology from China for the manufacturing of trains in Pakistan, he said that it is a step forward to help Pakistan develop a strong industrial base as the two countries have an old collaboration in terms of technology.

“It will enhance the technological capability of Pakistan and in the future, Pakistan may develop a capacity in our carriage factories where we will be able to manufacture these coaches on our own,” he added.

The local engineers are very capable but their talent goes wasted due to a lack of proper training and direction, and the absence of industrial units in Pakistan, the official said, adding that the technology transfer project will also enable Pakistan to tap the potential of the young engineers in the future.

The China-imported coaches to Pakistan have the capacity to run 160 km per hour, but they will be operated at a speed of up to 120 km per hour until the planned upgradation work of the railway track is done.

Four-day hajj expo begins in Jeddah today

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

A major exhibition and conference, being started in Saudi Arabia’s port city of Jeddah on Monday, will discuss, among other things, the role of electronic measures in facilitating Muslims’ undertaking of the annual Hajj rites in the country.

At the centre of the event, officially known as Hajj Expo, is the “Makkah Route Initiative”, a Saudi plan aimed to facilitate pre-departure procedures for Muslim pilgrims

Saudi Interior Ministry last year relaunched the “Makkah Route Initiative” that gives pilgrims from five countries access to facilities including finalising Hajj-related procedures in their home countries.

The initiative, which was kicked off on a trial basis in 2017, covers pilgrims from Pakistan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Morocco and Bangladesh, Gulf news reported.

Facilities offered to pilgrims coming from the five countries include issuance of electronic visas at

The role of Punjab to promote Tourism

Tourism is very close to human nature, through tourism man learns, experience culture and adventure offered by nature.

Tourism is undoubtedly a huge sector of revenue generation and promotion of country’s soft image toward the world.

Pakistan is gifted with beautiful landscape and the rich vibrant culture is unmatched to any other place in the world. Tourism not only a source to accelerate economy but also bring foreign exchange to Pakistan. There are many countries with tourism as a major source of economic progress and with huge potential Pakistan must explore the possibility of expanding economy through the medium of tourism. 131 countries are ahead of Pakistan in the list of tourism earnings, And it is a very minor i.e. zero point two percent of Pakistan's GDP.

On the direction of Punjab Chief Minister

Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, the Provincial Department of Tourism is playing a very important role for the promotion and development of tourist places. Managing Director Punjab Tourism Development Corporation Agha

The Hajj Expo, running until January 12, will feature a discussion session titled “Planning for Creativity—a future vision for Hajj and Umrah services” aimed to throw light on electronic measures including

the “Makkah Route Initiative” and outcomes of digital transformation in pilgrimage-related services.

The participants in the event will also address efforts to develop services offered to pilgrims including housing, hospitality, catering, healthcare and enriching their experience.

The Hajj Expo aims to bring together decisionmakers, entrepreneurs, innovators and researchers to look into and implement a host of solutions and innovative choices to enable pilgrims to undertake their journeys easily and comfortably as well as to propose future projects to develop related infrastructures and religious and historical sites, according to SPA.

The event is seen as an opportunity for investors to forge partnerships with all governmental and private sectors to boost fast-paced digital transition and technical applications to serve pilgrims.

Several ministers of Islamic affairs from around the world and diplomats based in Saudi Arabia as well as governmental and private sector institutions engaged in the Hajj and Umrah services are expected to attend the gathering.

Cholistan

6 to 12 February 2023

Cholistan Jeep Rally has three categories. It is a 500 km track covering the three districts of Rahim Yar Khan, Bahawalpur and Bahawalnagar, where dirvers get chance to show

their skill to drive through sand. From this rally, where the soft image of Pakistan is highlighted in front of the world, tourists also get to know about the beauty of the south, the beauty of the desert and the magnificent forts. Apart from this, more forts in Cholistan desert of 16 thousand square kilometers become the center of attraction for tourists. These include Dingarh, Meerut, Khangarh, Bhajnot, Majgarh and Jamgarh forts. Cholistan Desert Jeep Rally is not just motor sports but a complete cultural festival. Overnight stay in tents for tourists, bonfire, local food festival, camel ride and Sufi night round it off. In this international event, Department of Tourism gets full support and cooperation from Bahawalpur Division Administration, Pak Army Bahawalpur Corps and Hobara Foundation. The Punjab Tourism Department has done a great job highlighting Wadi Sonkalr Kahar, Chakwal as a lake city, Koh Sulaiman, Dera Ghazi Khan, Kotla Satian,

Patriata Rehan Chah, Shala Mar Bagh, Tomb of Jahangir and many other such places have been converted into tourist centers. To facilitate and increase the confidence of tourists, the Punjab Tourism Squad (PTS) has been launched, which will help promote good and responsible tourism across the province. The squad consists of more than 100 officers, including 11 women officers, who will be deployed in three (North, Central and South) zones of Punjab on special occasions, starting from Murree (North Zone).

Agha Muhammad Ali Abbas said that there were two aspects of the training of Punjab Tourism Squad, one was the Emergency Service Academy (1122) and the other was to create welfare projects in collaboration with TDCP's Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management. The squad will arrange first aid, help vehicles and mountain bikes to climb the hill easily during rain. It will take care of the safety of foreign tourists and provide them with facilities. The hotel rates will be regulated so that no tourist can be exploited. Punjab Tourism Development Corporation

already had 4 double decker buses while 5 more double decker buses have been added.

The MD said that to promote night tourism, Haran Minar bus service will also be run from Lahore every fortnight to visit tourist places Punjab tourism dept. Also planning to do motor boot camps, motor sports in Rahim Yar Kahn, Layyah and other districts.

Punjab tourism department is also involving Universities to involve their students for beautification of tourists sites, a zoo with the collaboration of wild life dept. Has been added. PTDC also planning to open museum in Multan, Hafizabad, Gujranwala, formation of new gallery in Harapah museum.He said that the arrangements of the Lahore Museum have also been entrusted to the Punjab Tourism Department, after which 49 million PCs were prepared for its improvement. V cameras have been installed. Punjab Tourism Development Corporation has approved the first tourism policy of Punjab in the light of the instructions of Chief Minister Punjab Chaudhry Pervez Elahi and Secretary Tourism Punjab Asia Gul.

HAfIz IjAz

Muhammad Ali Abbas is a competent and hardworking officer. He has achieved innumerable achievements to promote tourism in the province and has set plans for the future which, if implemented without any hindrance, will revolutionize the tourism sector. He has informed that the 18th TDCP International

Desert Rally and Cultural Festival will be held from

in Bahawalpur. Many countries including Norway, Hungary, Bulgaria, Poland, Romania, UAE, Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Bahrain, Jordan, Gulf countries will participate in the rally.

home, finalising passport procedures as well as tagging and sorting out luggage at the departure airports. Accordingly, on arrival in Saudi Arabia, those pilgrims head directly to their residences in the holy cities of Makkah and Medina while their luggage is delivered right to their places of stay.

German police detain iran man suspected of planninG attack

CASTROP-RAUXEL ReuteRs

Germanpolice have taken into custody a 32-year-old Iran citizen suspected of having procured deadly poisons cyanide and ricin to commit an “Islamist-motivated” attack, authorities in western Germany said on Sunday.

The residence of the suspect in the city of Castrop-rauxel was searched as part of the investigation, according to a joint press release from the Duesseldorf public prosecutor’s office and police in the cities of recklinghausen and muenster.

“The suspect is suspected of having prepared a serious act of violence endangering the state by allegedly procuring cyanide and ricin to commit an Islamistmotivated attack,” the statement said.

This, police said, carries a prison sentence of between 6 months to 10 years.

Police seized electronic storage devices but found neither cyanide nor ricin during the search, Holger Heming of the Duesseldorf public prosecutor’s office

told reuters TV.

Castrop-rauxel is located in north rhine-Westphalia, Germany’s most populous state, whose Interior minister Herbert reul said: “We had a serious tip-off that prompted the police to intervene during the night. The authorities are now in-

sweden can’t meet some turkey demands for nato bid: pm

Turkey, which has for months blocked naTO membership bids by Sweden and Finland, has made some demands that Sweden cannot accept, Sweden’s prime minister said on Sunday.

“Turkey has confirmed that we have done what we said we would do, but it also says that it wants things that we can’t, that we don’t want to, give it,” Ulf Kristersson said during a security conference also attended by naTO chief Jens Stoltenberg.

“We are convinced that Turkey will make a decision, we just don’t know when,” he said, adding that it will depend on internal politics inside Turkey as well as “Sweden’s capacity to show its seriousness.”

Sweden and Finland broke with decades of military non-alignment and applied to join the US-led defence alliance in response to russia’s February invasion of Ukraine. But Turkey has refused to approve their bid until the two countries take steps, including joining Turkey’s fight against banned Kurdish militants. most of Turkey’s demands have involved Sweden because of its more robust ties with the Kurdish diaspora. Finland’s foreign minister said that the country would join naTO at the same time as its neighbour.

“Finland is not in such a rush to join naTO that we can’t wait until Sweden gets the green light,” Pekka Haavisto, told reporters at Sunday’s conference. In late December, Turkey praised Sweden for responding to its security concerns but stressed more was needed to win ankara’s full backing for Stockholm’s stalled naTO membership bid. agencies

vestigating at full speed.” Heming said the tip came from a security agency of a “friendly state”, without elaborating. mass tabloid Bild said the agency in question was the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of the United States. Police said a second individual was

detained as part of the searches, adding a decision on whether to issue an official arrest warrant would be made at a later date as the investigation is continuing. Heming confirmed the person to be the suspect’s brother. ricin, found naturally in castor beans, can cause death within 36 to 72 hours from exposure to an amount as small as a pinhead. no known antidote exists.

according to German domestic intelligence services, the number of members or supporters of religious causes has shrunk by 1.5 percent to 28,290 individuals in 2021, citing the “military breakup” of the so-called Islamic State group.

On December 19, 2016, anis amri, a failed Tunisian asylum seeker, drove a truck into a crowded western Berlin Christmas market, killing 11 people and injuring dozens.

news about Sunday’s searches also comes a month after German authorities arrested 25 members and supporters of a far-right group that the prosecutor’s office said was preparing a violent overthrow of the state.

Over 100 ex-Indian bureaucrats seek action against MP for hate speech

NEW DELHI agencies

a group of civil servants has sought action against Bharatiya Janata Party mP Pragya Thakur for urging Hindus to stock weapons at home to cut the heads of muslims and Christians in India.

addressing an event organised by the Hindu Jagarana Vedike in Karnataka’s Shivamogga city on December 25, the Bhopal mP had asked Hindus: “Keep weapons in your homes, if nothing else, at least keep knives used to cut vegetables sharp.”

In response to the hate speech, the former civil servants in a statement issued under the banner of the Constitutional Conduct Group said that that Thakur was targeting muslims with her remarks.

“It is also possible that she was sending out a warning against Christians and other non-Hindu communities as well,” they added. “She is obviously fomenting hate against non-Hindu communities and advocating violence against them.”

The statement was signed by 103 retired civil servants, including former Delhi Lieutenant Governor najeeb Jung, former Chief Informa-

tion Commissioner Wajahat Habibullah, former Indian administrative Services officers Harsh mander, Julio ribeiro and aruna roy.

The former bureaucrats said strict action should be taken against Thakur as she has not only committed several offences under the Indian Penal Code but violated the oath taken by her as a member of Parliament to uphold the Constitution of India. “By her incendiary hate speech and her repeated acts of propagating hate, she has forfeited the ethical right to be a member of Parliament,” the statement added.

Biden faces Israel quandary with new Netanyahu government

WASHINGTON the associated pRess

Israeli Prime minister Benjamin netanyahu’s new government is little more than a week old but it’s already giving the Biden administration headaches.

Just days into its mandate, a controversial member of netanyahu’s right-wing Cabinet riled US diplomats with a visit to a Jerusalem holy site that some believe may be a harbinger of other contentious moves, including vast expansions of Jewish settlement construction on land claimed by the Palestinians.

and, netanyahu’s government adopted punitive measures against

the Palestinians that run in direct opposition to several recent Biden moves to boost US-Palestinian relations, including restoring assistance to the Palestinian authority that had been cut during the Trump administration and allowing Palestinian officials to visit the United States.

The new government is an unwelcome complication for a Biden national security team seeking to shift attention away from the middle east and toward rivals like China and russia. It also comes as republicans take control of the House of representatives and are eager to cast Biden as unfriendly to Israel ahead of the 2024 presidential election.

Bracing for more turmoil,

Biden is dispatching his national security adviser to Israel in midJanuary in a bid to forestall potentially deepening rifts between his administration and its top mideast partner. That visit by Jake Sullivan may be followed by other highlevel trips to Israel, including one by Secretary of State antony Blinken, according to administration officials.

Their message goes beyond warnings about inflaming tensions with Palestinians: It’s also about not cosying up with russia, particularly now that moscow is relying on Israel’s main enemy, Iran, in its war on Ukraine; and not upsetting the delicate middle east security balance.

iran determined to form joint military working group with pakistan: cmdr

TEHRAN agencies

Chief of Staff of the Iranian armed Forces major General mohammad Baqeri has called for forming a joint military working group between Tehran and Islamabad. General Baqeri made the remarks in a telephone conversation with Pakistan’s Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Sahir Shamshad mirza. Over the phone, Baqeri congratulated General Shamshad mirza on his appointment as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee of Pakistan.

Baqeri said that the armed forces of Iran and Pakistan have had cordial ties, especially in ensuring security in joint borders.

Launch of border markets is an effective step towards deepening security in the joint border crossings, General Baqeri underlined.

For his part, the Pakistani general said there is no obstacle to development of bilateral interactions.

Shamshad mirza termed the Pakistan-Iran joint border as the border of peace and friendship.

He further said his country has always been a supporter of the Islamic republic in the international arena, in the issue of nuclear energy in particular. He went on to say that Pakistan prioritizes formation of a joint military working group between the two countries. The Pakistani official also appreciated the Islamic republic’s stance on the issue of Kashmir.

Once, Supreme Leader of the Islamic revolution ayatollah Seyyed ali Khamenei had said “Kashmir is an issue of humanity.”

indians evacuated from ‘sinking’ holy town of Joshimath

authorities in one of the holiest towns in the Indian Himalayas were evacuating panicked residents on Sunday after hundreds of houses began developing yawning cracks and sinking, officials said.

The cause of the apparent subsidence in Joshimath in the northern state of Uttarakhand was unclear, but residents blamed the building of roads and tunnels for a nearby hydroelectric project.

Prime minister narendra modi has called a highlevel meeting for later on Sunday to discuss the problem after the government formed an expert panel to carry out a “rapid study” into the cause.

Local official Himanshu Khurana told aFP that at least 60 families had been relocated into shelters and many more were likely to be shifted out from their sinking dwellings. residents said a much larger number had already fled their homes and that around 600 houses and hotels were sinking in the town of around 20,000 people. another official said on condition of anonymity that several areas in the town had been “demarcated unsafe” and entry restricted.

“People are deeply worried. The fear is that the town is sinking,” he said as helicopters surveyed the area. many locals have been forced to sleep out in the freezing cold and said they had been warning authorities for weeks and in some cases months about cracks in buildings and roads, some of which were oozing brown muddy water.

One woman, Vineeta Devi, said that in October cracks began to appear in her walls which have now become so wide that her house is on the brink of collapse, like 25 other houses in her neighbourhood.

“What will happen to my children? How would they study now?” she said to aFP. “We made this house with our life’s earnings, but now it’s gone,” said Sunaina, another resident.

Pilgrims: around 1,800 metres above sea level, Joshimath is a major gateway to a number of important religious sites in the Himalayas, attracting thousands of pilgrims every year.

China welcomes first arrivals following lifting of COVID restrictions

BEIJING staff RepoRt

The first flights under China’s new “no quarantine” rules for international travelers landed at airports in Guangzhou and Shenzhen in southern Guangdong Province early on Sunday morning, the national customs authority said on Sunday.

Officials said 387 passengers were aboard two flights from Toronto and Singapore on the day the country ended its strict COVID-19 restrictions for travelers.

They said the flights arrived just after midnight, and all passengers had completed

customs clearance procedures by 1:32 a.m.

noting the COVID-19 prevention and control measures have been proactively improved, Yu Jianhua, Director of General administration of Customs, stressed that it was necessary to implement the optimization and adjustment work of customs in a steady and orderly manner.

Yu added customs authorities should maintain the emergency response capacity and do a good job in epidemic prevention and control to continue building a quarantine defense line at ports.

On the same day, the Hong Kong Special administrative region resumed cross-border

travel with the Chinese mainland. many other Chinese borders also saw cross-border travels.

In Jiegao, a border community in ruili City, southwest China’s Yunnan Province, a businessman, who imports and exports grain from ruili, told CGTn that he was waiting to go to myanmar. ruili City had experienced multiple lockdowns due to COVID-19.

The businessman said he had been waiting for the opportunity for three years and the border reopening would definitely help his business. myanmar woman, who works in ruili, told CGTn that she was looking forward to returning her hometown as the border reopened.

at Shanghai Pudong International airport, a man surnamed Jiang, who was the first to complete the immigration procedures, told reporters that “it is very convenient all the way from exit hatch to border inspection and clearance. International travel saw a surge on the day the policy took effect, according to data from online travel platform Tongcheng Travel.

The data showed the number of inbound and outbound ticket orders on January 8 increased 628 percent year on year, hitting a peak since march 2020 when China worked to contain domestic COVID-19 outbreaks while preventing the virus from being imported.

among them, inbound flight orders accounted for 48 percent and outbound flight orders accounted for 52 percent, showed the data, adding that outbound Chinese tourists who booked tickets through the platform flew to more than 100 cities in 53 countries and regions.

China announced in December that it was lifting COVID-19 restrictions that mandated international arrivals undergo nucleic acid tests and quarantine.

Inbound travelers only need to take a PCr test within 48 hours before departure, and they no longer need to apply for a health code from Chinese diplomatic and consular missions.

NEW DELHI agencies

‘No Need to aNswer aNyoNe’: BaBar slams critics Before New ZealaNd odis

KARACHI staff report

PAKISTAn’s all-format captain Babar Azam has sent a clear message to his critics, saying he does not have to appease anyone.

“My job is to play cricket and enjoy my game,” he said in a pre-series press talk on Sunday. “I do not need to answer or satisfy anyone. I know my game and my responsibility, be it as a batsman or as a captain.”

The strong reply from Pakistan’s captain came at a time when the national side has just finished its home Test season with a series whitewash by England, followed by a nil-nil draw against new Zealand.

Ahead of the three-match One-Day international series against new Zealand, commencing tomorrow, Babar said his team would try to switch from the Test mode as quickly as possible and continue their momentum in the white-ball format.

“We have been playing positive cricket in white ball. We will try to continue this momentum and begin this new year with positive results” he added.

Talking about Shan Masood’s possible inclusion in the playing XI since he has been named as the team’s vice-captain in the upcoming ODIs, the skipper

maintained that none of the players was certain to play the upcoming matches.

“At this moment, I cannot say about any individual player, be it vice-captain or XYZ, that he will be part of playing XI ” he said.

“We will play our best XI and try to win this series” he added.

With three uncapped – Tayyab Tahir, Usama Mir and Kamran Ghulam – and two returning – Haris Sohail and Shan –players selected in the squad, Babar insisted it was not difficult for him to accommodate new faces in the team.

“They (Haris and Shan) have already played for Pakistan. Tayyab Tahir and Kamran Ghulam are the top performers in domestic cricket and they must grab it if they are given the opportunity to play for the national team” he said

The three-match series is a part of the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League. The second and third ODIs will take place on January 11 and 13, respectively.

Pakistan ODI Squad: Babar Azam (captain), Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Haris Sohail, Imam-ul-Haq, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, naseem Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Shahnawaz Dahani, Shan Masood, Tayyab Tahir and Usama Mir.

Djokovic survives marathon before winning Adelaide title

ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA afp

Pakistan’s Ba club to participate in arias futsal Usa cup from 20th

PESHAWAR staff report

A strong Pakistan Futsal team is going to take part in the forthcoming International Arias Futsal Cup to be scheduled from January 20, 2023 at Inspire Courts, Gilbert Arizona United States of America, Secretary Pakistan Futsal Federation Dr. Malik Adnan said in a statement issued here on Sunday.

He said teams from around the world including the Pakistan are ready to participate in the prestigious Arias Futsal USA Cup. He also thanked the Futsal Federation of the United States for inviting the Pakistan team besides extending all out support to the Pakistan Futsal Federation.

Malik Adnan said that it was good experience for the Pakistani players to get international exposure after playing in Turkey and recently held the World Cup in Paraguay. He said B.A Futsal Club is representing Pakistan in the International Arias Futsal USA Cup.

Adnan said that the same B.A Club was also Champion of SA Garden and that was why the SA Garden Lahore was sponsoring a 10 member’s Pakistani team with eight players and two officials. Besides getting international exposure, it will also help us in promoting Futsal in the country, he added.

Malik Adnan said that soon after the Arias Futsal USA Cup, the team of United States would visit Pakistan for the three match Series and most probably one match each would be played in Lahore, Islamabad, Karachi and Peshawar.

He said talks have already been continued with the government of Punjab, Sindh for hosting the United States Futsal teams and arrangements in this connection have already been kicked off. “We are making all arrangements for the important 3-Matches Series of the United States team visiting Pakistan,” Malik Adnan said.

Top seed novak Djokovic saved a match point Sunday before defeating Sebastian Korda to win the Adelaide International and reinforce his status as a heavy title favourite for the Australian Open.

The 21-time Grand Slam winner needed more than three hours to stamp his authority on his unseeded American opponent, son of former world number two Petr Korda, 6-7 (8/10), 7-6 (7/3), 6-4.

In doing so, Djokovic extended his unbeaten streak in Australia to 34 straight matches.

The winner of 92 career titles now heads to the Australian Open in about a week with momentum in his bid to secure the Grand Slam for a 10th time, helped by the ab-

sence at Melbourne Park of injured world number one Carlos Alcaraz.

Djokovic, the 2007 champion at Adelaide in the early days of his career, called the pre-Open tune-up week “very special for me”, thrilled by overwhelming fan enthusiasm.

“It’s been an amazing week. To

be standing here is a gift definitely,” said the Serbian world number five, who missed last year’s Australian Open after being deported over his vaccination status.

“I gave it my all today and throughout the week in order to be able to get my hands on this trophy. “The support I have been getting in the last 10 days was something that I don’t think I’ve experienced too many times in my life,” he added, with packed pro-Djokovic crowds whenever he played.

“It definitely felt like playing at home.”

Djokovic nullified Korda’s match point while serving at 56, 30/40 in the second set, coming good on an overhead to make the save before the set moved into another tiebreaker which the Serb won.

7th Parco t20 cup opens with a glittering ceremony

KARACHI staff report

Following successful conduct of six editions of PakArab Refinery Ltd (PARCO) T20 Cricket Tournament, the company kick-started the seventh edition of the tournament in a colorful ceremony at Moin Khan Academy in Karachi. The tournament features Pakistan’s robust petroleum industry with 12 leading companies participating in the tournament. Mr. Shahid Mahmood Khan, Managing Director PARCO, addressed the grand inaugural ceremony and shared his views, “I am delighted to inaugurate the seventh edition of this exhilarating tournament as the last PARCO T20 Cup was held in 2015. The last couple of years were challenging not just for Pakistan but for the world. The teams of Pakistan’s prominent oil and gas companies participating in this tournament include: PARCO, TOTAL PARCO Pakistan Ltd., Shell Pakistan Ltd., Cnergyico PK Ltd., Pakistan State Oil Ltd. (PSO), Oil and Gas Development Company Ltd. (OGDCL), Pakistan Petroleum Ltd. (PPL), national Refinery Ltd. (nRL), Attock Petroleum, Pakistan Refinery Ltd. (PRL), Hascol Petroleum Ltd., and United Energy Pakistan Ltd. The teams will contest in 33 exciting and thrilling matches. Tournament’s regular updates can be viewed HERE.

medvedev confident he can beat djokovic, Nadal at australian open

MELBOURNE

The Russian, a losing finalist at the last two Australian Opens, crashed 6-3, 6-4 to a dominant Djokovic

Friday evening in the Adelaide International semi-finals.

Despite the defeat, he said he felt “really great” and was in a good place heading into the opening Grand Slam of the year after an under-performing 2022, where he dropped to seventh in the world rankings.

Maharaj, Harmer defy Australia’s win push in Sydney Test

SYDNEY afp

Keshav Maharaj and Simon Harmer frustrated Australia’s push for victory in the third and final Test at Sydney to help build their team’s best innings of the series on Sunday.

Australia, entering the final day chasing 14 wickets for a series whitewash, were denied by the resilient Proteas pair after removing Marco Jansen in the first hour.

At lunch with two sessions left, South Africa were 244 for seven and just 32 runs away from saving the follow-on which would effectively kill off Australia’s hopes of an audacious win in the rain-marred Test with the home side having to bat again.

Maharaj, batting positively, was un-

It

Bangladesh

ing change brought about the early breakthrough.

Part-time off-spinner Travis Head enticed an edge and Jansen was caught behind by Alex Carey for 11.

Harmer was dropped on 28 in a sharp chance for Marnus Labuschagne at short leg off Head and next ball Carey fumbled another possible chance.

Australia’s buoyancy notably ebbed as the Proteas continued to hold them at bay under sunny skies.

Australia are bidding for a series clean sweep to seal a place in the World Test Championship final in London in June.

Australia are 2-0 up in the series after winning the opening Test by a sixwicket rout in Brisbane inside two days, then hammering the Proteas by an innings and 182 runs in Melbourne.

Despite weeklong ultimatum, no PCB official comes up to resign

decide a new action plan next week as unannounced consent for the salary cut has been shown. Some officials are also expected to be dismissed.

no resignations from any top officials of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) came forward despite the management committee’s one-week ultimatum issued last week.

PCB Chief Executive Faisal Hasnain, and many other top directors, had received a oneweek ultimatum last Sunday to accept a 3040% cut to their current salaries or they could opt to resign and ‘go home’.

With no resignation of any PCB top official post deadline, the board members have admitted that their high salaries were not justified.

The management committee will now

According to sources, the new PCB administration was not satisfied with the heavy salaries of some directors and head of departments.

The monthly salary of Faisal Hasnain is around Rs2.6 million, Chief Financial Officer Javed Murtaza is Rs1.4 million while Director High Performance nadeem Khan receives Rs 1.4 million.

Director Infrastructure and Real Estate nasir Hameed Rs0.9 million, Director Media and Communication Sami Al Hasan Burney

Rs1.3 million, Chief Medical Officer najeebullah Soomro Rs1.1 million while Director International Cricket Operations Zakir Khan receives almost one million rupees per month.

All these members were asked to either choose retrenchment or go home. The management committee will decide who should be dismissed with three-month salary and who should be retained.

Zakir Khan will retire on April 3 at the age of 60, but he also has three months. Director HR Serena Agha resigned a few days ago, she was given Rs9.8 lakhs per month.

no resignations from any top officials of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) came forward despite the management committee’s one week.

Daniil Medvedev heads to Melbourne and the Australian Open still believing he has the weapons to beat “best in the world” novak Djokovic despite being outplayed by the Serbian star in Adelaide.

on

LAHORE staff report

beaten on 49 with Harmer on 45. They had put on 72 runs for the eighth wicket.

is South Africa’s longest Test innings since April 2022 against

and only the second time the tourists have passed 200 in this series. Jansen and Harmer stoically held out for almost an hour before a bowl-

DeLAy In LCs’ openIng tHreAtens CLosure oF steeL, ConstruCtIon, ALLIeD InDustrIes

ISLAMABAD Ghulam abbaS

LIKEsome other manicuring industries, the steel industry is also moving towards closure, as the non-issuance of letters of credit (LCs) is paralyzing the production activities of the steel industry.

The steel industry is moving towards closure, as the non-issuance of letters of credit (LCs) is paralyzing the production activities of the steel industry. The industry is facing acute difficulties in import of raw material due to delay in opening up of the LCs. The Banks are blatantly refusing to open LCs for citing reasons that the Govt has instructed to open up LCs only for the essential items. If this situation persists it will result in shortage of steel in the country that will lead to further escalation in prices of steel. The steel industry heavily relies on imported Raw Material, so, the curbs on the opening of LCs have badly affected the production activities. Due to non-release of import documents and consequent non-avail-

ability of raw material, many steel mills are on the verge of closure. Many steel units have already shut down and others are facing disruptions in production.

Through a letter sent to concerned ministries, Pakistan Association of Large Steel Producers (PALSP) has informed that if the issue of delay in opening LCs is not addressed forthwith, the steel industry is going to bear heavy losses.

The representative body of large steel producers has urged the State Bank of Pakistan and Minister for Finance to help the troubled steel industry by ensuring timely opening of LCs.

“The import bill per month of the long steel industry is only 150m $ per month. If the LCs are not opened just to save this small amount, this could lead to a much bigger loss of national economy as a result of the closure of the steel sector. This will naturally lead to a shutdown of cement factories, tile and cable manufacturers if there is no steel available. It is pertinent to note that during the COVID19 crises, the steel and cement industries were termed as essential industries critical to the economy that were allowed to op-

erate,” Wajid Bukhari, Secretary General of PALSP, said in the letter.

According to the association the Long Steel industry’s crisis has been impounded due to ongoing economic turmoil and uncertainty in the country.

Factors like continuous rupee depreciation, colossal increase in cost of inputs (raw material, energy, petrol, logistics), sky rising interest rates, tremendous inflationary pressure is making running of the industry viable especially the Long steel industry which produces steel for the construction industry. In such a situation, delay in opening of LCs will cause further dent in industrial growth.

The situation will cause a shortage of construction steel in the country which will badly affect all kinds of construction activity in the country.

To great detriment of the industry, the SBP has issued an EPD Circular (Letter No. 20 of 2022) – Import of Goods on Dec 27, 2022. According to the circular SBP has instructed banks to prioritize/facilitate imports of various categories especially essential goods but surprisingly they have totally ig-

nored the raw material of steel. While the imports by industries who heavily rely on imported raw material, due to non-availability of raw material locally, must not be stopped at any cost.

PALSP fears that if the issue of delay in LCs is not addressed forthwith, it will result in unbearable consequences for the industry. This will not only make the steel sector suffer but other linked industries, especially the Construction industry, will also suffer.

As a result of closure of the industry, this could lead to increase in NPLs of the banking sector. The steel industry fears that the closure of steel industry could result in closure of 45 allied construction related industries causing massive lay-offs & joblessness.

As per the steel sector the situation is not only hitting the industry but it will result in a major dent in revenue of the Govt. A sharp decline of 40.58% in Pakistan’s scrap imports has been witnessed during the first 4 months (July 22 to Oct 22) of the current fiscal year. Steel industry is one of the major revenue contributing sectors in the country’s economy.

Imran responsible for current crisis, says Sanaullah

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

Minister for Interior Rana Sanaullah Khan on Sunday said that Imran Khan is responsible for the current crisis in the country and the entire nation has come to know about the history of his lies, fraud, and forgery.

In reaction to Imran Khan’s statement, Rana Sanaullah Khan said that Imran Khan is repeating the crime he has been committing for four years by calling the names of others.

The minister said that it was the decisive phase on April 10, 2022, when the process of destruction of the country was stopped through the power of the Constitution. He termed Imran Khan as a foreign agent and de-

clared him responsible for current crisis in the country.

The minister said that Imran’s incompetence and corruption have led the country towards an economic crisis and he is so much idle person who had badly failed even after preparing for 22 years.

“Imran Khan is such an incompetent person who has failed because he was surrounded by a nexus of opportunists and his revolutionary steps include theft of watches and selling national interests,” he added.

Rana Sanaullah Khan said that Imran’s revolutionary measures’ have been heard by the nation in audios. He said that the incumbent government has saved the country from economic default and made Imran Khan’s dream untrue. Minister for Interior said that Imran Khan expressed his anger by slamming others

for being disrespected by Pervaiz Elahi every day.

‘PML-N always keeps county’s interest supreme’ Federal Minister for Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives, Ahsan Iqbal on Sunday said that the PML-N has always kept the country’s interest supreme instead of politics. Talking to a private channel from Geneva, the federal minister said that the PDM-led government was facing difficulties on the economic front due to the redundant economic policies of the previous government, but we are hopeful to turn things around soon”.

The minister said the negative speculations on the economy were badly affecting the market and business activities adding he urged the politicians and media to discourage propaganda against the government.

Acceptance of IMF conditions to take

inflation 40pc: Hammad Azhar

LAHORE Staff RepoRt

Former energy minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Hammad Azhar Sunday warned that inflation will further rise by 40% if the PDM’s coalition government accepts the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) conditions to finalise the ninth review of Pakistan’s $7 billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF).

Addressing a ceremony here on Sunday, the former minister also said that a severe crisis of food items lies ahead.

Taking a jibe at the PML-N-led coalition government, he said that the economy has been brought on the verge of collapse during the past nine months.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, he said, should take the nation into confidence on the issues. “Pakistan will have to decide on a new programme with the IMF as the ongoing deal with the international lending body will expire in June this year. Hence, it is necessary that there should be a newly-elected government in Islamabad that strikes a new deal with the lending body.”

Stressing the need for early elections and continuity of policies, the PTI leader said that a government that has a mandate of 5 years can take this decision.

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Dar meets IMF delegates in geneva to restart stalled bailout programme

ISLAMABAD ReuteRS

An International Monetary Fund (IMF) delegation will meet the finance minister on the sidelines of a conference in Geneva beginning on Monday, a spokesperson of the lender said on Sunday, as Pakistan struggles to restart its bailout programme. The lender is yet to approve the release of $1.1 billion originally due to be disbursed in November last year, leaving Pakistan with only enough foreign exchange reserves to cover one month’s imports.

“The IMF delegation is expected to meet with Finance Minister [Ishaq] Dar on the sidelines of the Geneva conference to discuss outstanding issues and the path forward,” a spokesperson of the IMF said in a message to Reuters. The conference in Geneva, co-hosted by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres, will look to gather international support for the country in the aftermath of devastating floods last year.

The floods killed at least 1,700 people and caused billions of dollars of damage to critical infrastructure.

A plan laying out a timeline and the financing of the rebuilding effort has been a sticking point in talks to clear the ninth review that will release $1.1 billion in IMF funds and unlock other international funding too.

Dar has been critical of the IMF lately, publicly saying that the lender was acting “abnormally” in its dealings with Pakistan, which entered the $7 billion bailout programme in 2019. The IMF spokesperson also said its Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva had a “constructive call” with Sharif regarding the Geneva conference and supported Pakistan’s efforts to rebuild.

CoAs gen Asim Munir visits Holy Kaaba

ISLAMABAD NewS DeSk

Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Munir, who is on an official visit to Saudi Arabia, visited Majid Al-Haram in Makkah where the doors of Holy Kaaba were exclusively opened for him. In pictures and video clips posted on social media on Sunday, the army chief could be seen walking out of the Holy Kaaba at the Grand Mosque in Makkah.

Another video clip shared on social media showed Gen Asim Munir visiting the Masjid-e-Nabwi, Islam’s secondholiest mosque, as Saudi security personnel escorted the military commander. The army chief embarked on his first trip to Saudi Arabia earlier this week as Pakistan is seeking another financial bailout package from the kingdom to shore up its depleting foreign reserves.

The army chief will visit Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from January 4 to 10, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR). “The COAS will be meeting the senior leadership of both brotherly countries to discuss matters of mutual interest, militaryto-military cooperation and bilateral relations, focusing on security-related subjects,” read an official handout from the military’s media wing.

Pakistan seeks help with $16b flood rebuilding at UN conference

GENEVA ReuteRS

Pakistan and the United Nations are holding a major conference in Geneva on Monday aimed at marshalling support to rebuild the country after devastating floods in what is expected to be a major test case for who pays for climate disasters.

Record monsoon rains and melting glaciers last September displaced some eight million people and killed at least 1,700 in a catastrophe blamed on climate change.

Most of the waters have now receded but the reconstruction work, estimated at around $16.3 billion, to rebuild millions of homes and thousands of kilometres of roads and railway is just beginning and millions more people may slide into poverty.

Islamabad, whose delegation is led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, will present a recovery “framework” at the conference where United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres and French President Em-

manuel Macron are also due to speak.

Guterres, who visited Pakistan in September, has previously described the destruction in the country as “climate carnage”.

“This is a pivotal moment for the global community to stand with Pakistan and to commit to a resilient and inclusive recovery from these devastating floods,” said Knut Ostby, Pakistan representative at United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Additional funding is crucial to Pakistan amid growing concerns about its ability to pay for imports such as energy and food and to meet sovereign debt obligations abroad.

However, it is far from clear where the reconstruction money will come from, especially given the difficulties raising funds for the emergency humanitarian phase of the response which is around half funded, according to UN data.

At the COP27 meeting in Egypt in November, Pakistan was at the forefront of efforts that led to the establishment of a “loss and damage” fund to cover climate-related destruction for countries that have contributed less to global warming than

wealthy ones. However, it is not yet known if Pakistan, with a $350 billion economy, will be eligible to tap into that future funding.

Organisers say around 250 people are expected at the event including high-level government officials, private donors and international financial institutions.

Pakistan’s ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Khalil Hashmi, said Islamabad was willing to pay for about half of the bill but hoped for support from donors for the rest. “We will be mobilising international support through various means,” he said. “We look forward to working with our partners.”

An International Monetary Fund(IMF) delegation will meet Pakistan’s finance minister on the sidelines of the conference, a spokesperson of the lender said on Sunday, as Pakistan struggles to restart its bailout programme.

The IMF is yet to approve the release of $1.1 billion originally due to be disbursed in November last year, leaving Pakistan with only enough foreign exchange reserves to cover one month’s imports.