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Novatex withdraws offer to acquire 75pc holding in Lotte Chemical

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Open trucks of cotton being fumigated with dangerous substance in violation of rules

rs 15.00 | Vol XIII no 192 I 12 Pages I Lahore edition

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa govt opposes 600-MW solar project

ADB to Reprioritize up to $1B for Pakistan’s disaster risk reconstruction

morethan $10 billion have been pledged to pakistan by the international community at the international conference on climate resilient pakistan in geneva. the moot had been planned and called after last year’s cop27 conference at which pakistan was centre stage owing to last year’s super floods that left the country deeply devastated and struggling to finance the

recovery effort. the conference, which was cohosted by the united nations secretary general antonio guterres and prime Minister shehbaz sharif, was attended by heads of state, government representatives, and other stakeholders. Background to the conference: Back in november last year, pakistan had been front-and-centre at the cop27 conference. an annual conference on climate change held under the united nations, last year’s cop had a particularly powerful story in the shape of pakistan where floods

had ravaged millions, destroyed crops, levelled entire villages, displaced 33 million people, and caused an estimated $40 billion in damages all over the country.

according to the center for global development, developed countries are responsible for 79% of historical carbon emissions. Yet studies have shown that residents in least developed countries have 10 times more chances of being affected by these climate disasters than those in wealthy countries. pakistan was hit with a major

wave of climate-change related activity that resulted in death, destruction and total annihilation in some areas. the international media attention that followed allowed pakistan the spotlight at this year’s cop, particularly with the pM being asked to co-chair the conference. un secretary general antonio guterres had also visited the flood affected areas earlier, and championed pakistan’s cause at the conference. While the cop27 conference had been focused on the larger issue of loss and damages for the developing world and climate reparations, there had been sideline discussions between the pakistan delegation and representatives of other countries discussing the possibility of a donor conference some time in the future to collect funds to help pakistan recover from the devastation caused by thefloods.

AbdullAh NiAzi

SPEnding on flood rEcovEry likEly to bE $3 billion by JUnE 2023: AhSAn iqbAl

GENEVA Staff RepoRt

MINISTERfor Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal Monday said that Pakistan faced unprecedented devastation due to torrential rains and flooding in most parts of the country, and the spending on flood recovery in the country might cross US$3

billion by June this year.

Pakistan faced huge economic losses due to damage of infrastructure and loss of crops that led to significant losses in GDP, higher poverty rates, degradation of ecosystem, degradation of environment and climate, job loss and disruption, degradation of environment and climate, while women and girls are also at risk of gender based violence and child marriage, he said while speaking at the International Conference on

Climate Resilient Pakistan, co-hosted by the Government of Pakistan and the United Nations in Geneva.

He said the Post-Damage Needs Assessment (PDNA) — conducted jointly by the Government of Pakistan and its international development partners, including the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the European Union, UN relief agencies, in October — has estimated the aggregate cost of the calamity

at $30.1 billion.

This includes $14.9 billion in damages to infrastructure and $15.2 billion in economic losses. The minimum needs identified for recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction are estimated at $16.3 billion.

He said out of the total $16.3 billion, Pakistan government would spend 50% from its own resources, while it has requested the international community to help Pakistan with $8 billion during next

three years “so that we can rebuild our damaged infrastructure in shortest possible time”. Minister Iqbal said Pakistan’s economy was already in dire straits. The floods have caused a massive impact. The losses to the GDP as a direct consequence of this disaster are projected to be around 2.2 per cent in the financial year 2022.

The agriculture sector accounts for the largest decline at 0.9 per cent. The recovery and reconstruction needs are projected at 1.6 times the budgeted national development expenditure for the Financial Year 2023, he added.

He said Pakistan was the hardest hit among the countries that faced extreme weather-related events and catastrophes last year. The monsoon rains, almost 400% above average in some parts, swamped vast arid regions. Hill torrents and flash floods washed away entire villages.

PTI chairmanship issue: LHC turns down Imran’s plea against ECP

LAHORE Staff RepoRt

lg polls in karachi, hyderabad to be held on Jan 15: EcP

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) ruled on Monday that the local government (LG) polls in Karachi, Hyderabad and Thatta divisions would be held on Jan 15 as per the schedule. The verdict was pronounced by the Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja on a petition filed by MQM wherein it had challenged the decision of the electoral body for the prospective use of two separate electoral rolls in the upcoming elections simultaneously. At the previous hearing, the ECP had reserved its verdict on the plea. On Monday, a three-member bench headed by CEC Raja rejected MQM’s petition, saying that polls in Karachi, Hyderabad and Thatta would be held as per the schedule and on the previous voter list. He directed the Sindh government to complete arrangements for the elections, adding that the chief secretary and the lawenforcement agencies should also ensure that the elections were held on time. Separately, the ECP has requested the Ministry of Interior for the deployment of army and Rangers troops for the upcoming LG elections.

bail of imran in EcP protest case extended

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

A district and sessions court in Islamabad on Monday extended the bail of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan in a case filed against him after demonstrations were held following his disqualification by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in the Toushakhana case. District and Sessions judge Zafar Iqbal resumed the hearing where Khan’s counsel Babar Awan told the court the former prime minister was in Lahore and cannot appear before the court. The judge asked Awan: “Khan has to be provided with the attested copies of the case, will he be able to appear before the court on January 31?” At this Awan replied: “Yes […] he is recovering.” The court accepted Khan’s plea for exemption from personal appearance in the case and extended the interim bail till January 31. Earlier, an antiterrorism court (ATC) reserved a verdict on Khan’s pre-arrest bail plea in case of violating section 144. It is pertinent to mention here that several members of the local leadership of the party were booked in a terrorism case over alleged vandalism during the protests in Islamabad after ECP disqualified Khan in the Toshakhana reference. The ECP disqualified Khan in the Toshakhana reference under Article 63(1)(p).

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday rejected Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan’s plea against the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) proceedings pertaining to his removal as a party head.

The ECP initiated proceedings to

strip Khan of his party’s chairmanship following his disqualification in the foreign gifts reference. The petition filed by the PTI chief in LHC against the proceedings in the reference was declared ineffective.

The court said the PTI chairman has already approached the ECP in this case and the proceedings are going on the PTI petition.

Earlier, the Lahore High Court

(LHC) stopped the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) from removing Imran Khan as chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) following his disqualification in the Toshakhana reference.

The PTI chief in his petition argued that the electoral body was exceeding its powers by trying to remove him as the party head, adding that the ECP issued him the notice “illegally”.

IHC clubs identical petitions regarding LG polls

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday clubbed the appeals pertaining to local body elections and sought cabinet minutes and summary with regard to the increase in the number of union councils.

The bench instructed the AAG to satisfy the bench on the next hearing regarding the increase in the number of union councils. A two-judge bench comprising Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Saman Raffat Imtiaz heard the appeals of ECP, federation, and others regarding the LG polls in ICT. PML-N’s Leader Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, Additional Attorney General Munawar Dogal, Director General Law ECP, and petitioners’ lawyers appeared before the court.

Justice Aamer Farooq remarked that what would happen now as the elections were not held as per the orders of the single-member bench. There was also no election schedule before the bench, he noted.

The petitioners’ lawyer Raja Inam Amin Minhas said that it was not possible to conduct elections on December 31, in the short time span. The single-

member bench issued this order without hearing them, he added. The court asked how the complainants of the voters’ list were affected in this case as the ECP could still hear their grievances at this time. Justice Aamer Farooq remarked that the decision of the singlemember bench was only regarding the elections in 101 UCs. The matter of the voters list would be seen by the ECP instead of this court, he said.

Addressing ECP officials, the court remarked that this situation wouldn’t prevail if the elections were taken place. The chief justice remarked on whether voters couldn’t submit any complaints after the announcement of the election schedule.

DG ECP said that his department was yet to announce a new schedule, adding that the singlemember bench had heard everyone.

The court clubbed the petitions regarding the UCs and voters list with the main case for hearing together and said that now the federation had to satisfy the bench on how the number of UCs was increased from 50 to 125 in one year. The ECP was preparing for elections but the matter of new UCs surfaced. The chief justice noted that today new appeals had also been filed.

Committee to probe alleged blasphemy threat over parking dispute

KARACHI Staff RepoRt

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) on Monday formed a committee to probe the incident of an official allegedly threatening a security officer with a blasphemy case during a parking dispute at Jinnah International Airport’s cargo area last week.

According to footage of the incident, the male official had issued the threat to the female officer after she did not allow him to enter the cargo area in his friend’s vehicle that too without number plate.

The man, in the video, allegedly threatens the female officer with blasphemy accusations, saying he will “call preachers … I am mad and will cut [you] up”.

The video further showed that when the man named Saleem uttered the word “blasphemy”, the woman official told him that he was free to implicate a “Christian” woman in a blasphemy case but in fact it was him who was committing disrespect to his religion.

After the video went viral on social media and the ruling party’s top leadership took notice, the CAA on Saturday suspended the official.

According to a statement by the CAA spokesperson today, an inquiry committee has been formed on the directions of DG CAA and will be headed by the airport services director.

“The committee will hold its first meeting tomorrow (Tuesday),” he said. “Both parties involved have been informed through letters.”

Dar seeks budgetary support to cope with flood challenges

GENEVA Staff RepoRt

Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar on Monday sought budgetary support to create fiscal space for the Pakistan Government to continue substantive relief for over 33 million flood-affected people.

“Pakistan’s urgent expectation from this conference is not merely a commitment of resources for reconstruction and rehabilitation in short-to-medium term but we are also looking forward for budget inflows and assistance during the remainder of the current fiscal year,” he said while cochairing the First Plenary Session:

‘Pakistan’s Resilient Recovery Strategy’, during the International Conference on ‘Climate Resilient Pakistan’.

This, he added, would make it possible for the government to continue providing the much-needed relief to the flood-hit people.

“Let me say a few words that if considered appropriate by friendly countries, debt swaps and other use of financial instruments tied to the relocation of equivalent domestic budgetary resources would also free up these resources to be spent for this noble purpose,” he said.

He said the support from the friendly countries and multilateral donors would not only help with flood relief and rehabilitation but would also create fiscal space and

external debt sustainability for the country.

The minister, however, clarified that Pakistan remained committed to its international obligation and was on track regarding its macroeconomic fiscal reform agenda “which focuses on increasing revenues, increasing spending on social programmes, decreasing expenditure to create more fiscal space for the reconstruction and rehabilitation phase which we have to undertake in the next here years”.

He said Pakistan was now facing challenges on account of additional outlays incurred and projects for flood-related rescue relief and rehabilitation needs. Existing limited space negatively impacted Pakistani’s ability to provide resilience and

Khan pleaded with the court to suspend the ECP notice as well as stop the electoral watchdog from taking further action before the final verdict.

It is pertinent to note here that in the written judgment, the ECP said: “As per the statement of Khan he had purchased the gifts from Toshakhana paying 21.564 million rupees while the Cabinet Division said that the gifts had a value of 107.943 million.

Pakistan receives €87 million from EU for green economy and skilled manpower

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

The European Union will provide EUR 87 million to Pakistan aiming to support green and inclusive economic growth, access to clean energy and enhance the skilled labour force in Pakistan. The programmes are part of the European Union’s support for Pakistan in post-flood rehabilitation and reconstruction process. The programmes will improve agricultural value chains, provide access to clean energy and enhance the availability of the skilled labour force, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit Baltistan and Balochistan. Dr. Kazim Niaz, Secretary Ministry of Economic Affairs and Dr Riina Kionka, Ambassador of the European Union have signed agreements for three new development programmes with funding of EUR87 million by the European Union. The three programmes are designed in close cooperation with the federal and provincial governments. The programmes are part of the broader coordination efforts by the EU and its member states materialised through the Team Europe Initiative. They also contribute to EU’s Global Gateway, the European strategy to boost smart, clean and secure links in digital, energy and transport sectors and to strengthen health, education and research systems across the world. Secretary EAD Dr. Kazim Niaz expressed gratitude for EU support and further said that “EU is the most valued development partner to Pakistan as it held a substantial grant portfolio in Pakistan wherein its focus is, in particular, on socio-economic development of vulnerable communities. Clean and green energy is the yardstick for any sustainable development. EU support in this particular area is necessary for providing desired impetus to all such efforts by Pakistan”. He further expressed his hopes that these three Financing agreements will further contribute to strengthening socioeconomic indicators, as the rural economic transformation, provision of cheap energy and imparting technical training to the youth can greatly benefit poor communities. Ambassador Dr Riina Kionka pointed out that Pakistan has a huge potential, thanks to its people and natural resources.

determination to all those affected by the natural disaster.

He said Pakistan was carrying out the fiscal reforms necessary for long-term recovery and sustainability, however, it urgently needed short-term assistance to navigate through a number of challenges.

“We hope that our friends, partners and supporters always stand with us by providing the required assistance during this most critical phase of Pakistan,” he added.

The minister highlighted the need for fighting climate change together and expressed gratitude to the international community for supporting Pakistan at the time of the unprecedented crisis.

Ishaq Dar said while Pakistan was facing

the challenges faced by global adverse developments, like the Russian-Ukraine war, energy crisis, rising inflation and hiking poverty, it had to face the catastrophe of unprecedented floods in recent history.

He said the floods caused devastation particularly in Sindh and Balochistan provinces, with over 33 million people affected, over 1700 lives lost, 13,000 injured, and millions of women and children became vulnerable while a total of 13,000 kilometers of roads and 440 bridges were destroyed, five million of crops damaged, over two million houses were either damaged or destroyed and around one million livestock was confirmed to have been dead or missing.

He said a significant portion of the country remained submerged in waters for months affecting subsequent crop cycles and closing down schools and hospitals.

MiniStEr SAyS PMl-n AlwAyS kEPt nAtionAl intErESt SUPrEME

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

MINISTERfor Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal said the Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz (PML-N) never compromised on its vital national interests and always kept it, and not

politics, supreme.

Speaking to a TV station from Geneva, the minister said the government of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) coalition was facing difficulties on the economic front due to the redundant economic policies adopted by the previous government of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), but we are hopeful to turn things

MnA Musazai’s house attacked with grenade

PESHAWAR Staff RepoRt

Unknown miscreants hurled a hand-grenade at the house of PTI MNA, Nasir Khan Musazai on Sunday night however no loss of life in the incident was reported. According to Inqilab police, a hand grenade was thrown at the house of PTI MNA Nasir Khan Musazai in Surezai area the vee hours. The blast broke the window panes of the Hujra and caused partial damage to the wall however no harm to life was reported. Police said some important evidence has been collected from the crime scene and an investigation into the incident has been started. The police have also launched a search operation in the area and said the case will be investigated with different angles to ensure the arrest of the perpetrators. It is pertinent to mention here that Musazai had recently announced parting ways with PTI and joining Jamiat Ulema e Islam.

lhc disposes of petition against khan’s disqualification in toshakhana case

LAHORE

Staff RepoRt

The Lahore High Court (LHC) has disposed of a petition challenging the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) move to disqualify Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan in the Toshakhana case. A three-member bench, headed by LHC Chief Justice Muhammad Ameer Bhatti heard the plea of Azhar Advocate. The TLTP learnt that during the hearing, the LHC Chief Justice remarked that the petition had apparently become ineffective as the former prime minister Imran Khan had himself challenged his disqualification. Later, the high court disposed of the petition after Advocate Azhar Siddique withdrew it. The bench also wrapped up a petition seeking the removal of Khan as the PTI chairman as the electoral body has initiated proceedings in the case by issuing a notice to the former prime minster. Earlier, the Lahore High Court (LHC) stopped the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) from removing Imran Khan as chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) following his disqualification in the Toshakhana reference.

SAPM qureshi visits ktdMc

KARACHI Staff RepoRt

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Industries and Production Tasneem Ahmed Qureshi, on Monday, paid a visit to Karachi Tools, Dies and Moulds Centre (KTDMC). He also chaired a meeting and received a briefing to review the performance of KTDMC. The Chief Executive Officer KTDMC, Mansoor Ahmed, and other officers briefed the SAPM that the centre was one of the fastest growing dies and moulds manufacturing setup in Pakistan and its manufactured moulds were being used in CD-70 and CD-125 motorcycles. The SAPM was informed that KTDMC was previously importing raw materials for making moulds, but now the centre was producing it locally while it was also setting up a sheet metal plant to further diversify its product range. The SAPM Tasneem Ahmed Qureshi acknowledged the efforts of centre’s management for making it a self-sustainable entity.

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The framework forms a strong basis for the government’s comprehensive disaster recovery plans, with principles and priorities for future action set out over the short, medium, and long term.

“We highly commend the ownership of both national and provincial governments being well embedded in the framework. ADB is pleased to be part of this strategic task with the government of Pakistan and other development partners,”

he said.

around soon”.

The minister said the speculations on the economy were influencing the markets and added he urged the politicians and media to discourage propaganda against the government.

Iqbal said: “The incumbent government was engaging with International Monetary Fund (IMF), and we are hopeful the lender

will soon approve our ninth review to dismantle the market uncertainty in the country.”

Criticising former prime minister Imran Khan, he said an atmosphere of mistrust with the IMF that was prevailing due to the breach of promises in the four years of the PTI government. He said the donors conference will serve

as a platform to attract international support for the rehabilitation and restoration of flood-hit cities in Pakistan.

He further said Pakistan will present the Resilient Recovery, Rehabilitation, and Reconstruction Framework (4RF) at the conference and seek international support and long-term partnerships for its implementation.

PTI to hold seminar on terrorism upsurge, economic collapse

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

In what appears to be a smart and timely move, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) decided to hold a national seminar in the federal capital today (Tuesday) against the alarming upsurge in terrorism in the country, a widespread lawlessness in the ex-FATA region and fast dwindling economic situation of the country.

The PTI Chairman Imran Khan would be the keynote speaker in the

seminar, which would be attended by allied religious and political parties’ leadership, elders from terrorism-affected areas and people from various walks of life. PTI decided to raise effective voice for the safety and security of people’s lives and property.

The seminar would also be addressed by experts on terrorism and Pak-Afghan affairs. Media representatives would be specially invited to the seminar. PTI central leader Murad Saeed was tasked to make all necessary arrangements for the national

seminar.During the seminar, the speakers would highlight the major causes of terrorism, besides shedding light on reasons of the success of PTI government

Open trucks of cotton being fumigated with dangerous substance in violation of rules

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As per the rules, in case of any cotton trash in the consignment, biosecurity clearance of the consignment shall be subject to followings: a) Treatment with Methyl Bromide at 80 g/m 3 for 48 hours at 21 o C at the port of arrival. b) Transportation of treated consignment in sealed and secure containers to the DPP approved arrangement site of the importer. c) Complete isolation of consignment from consignment with zero trashes before processing. d) After processing, screened trash will be collected and burnt.

When contacted Director Quarantine of DPP, Sohail Shehzad admitted that the fumigation of open trucks was not allowed as per rule. He said that the consignments, being fumigated, should be airtight as per rules. He, however, claimed that he was not aware of the situation at Chaman Border. “I will check and get back to you,” he said. However, he did not respond till the filing of this report.

The Director General of DPP Alla Dita denied such things are happening at Chaman border. What is the fumigation issue?

The fumigation process, which is aimed at avoiding pests in imported consignments, is interestingly carried out by all private firms. The private firms, apart from committing other violations of rules, are alleged to charge importers/exporters extra charges for fumigation of their consignments at ports.

An inquiry committee of MoFS&R, constituted to investigate ‘hegemony’ of private firms in DPP, in its report, prepared by a committee on the directives of Prime Minister secretariat, had revealed how a powerful mafia is practically runs the DDP affairs, especially the major role of the department, the fumigation process of all imported and exported agriculture items.

As per the report, “Inquiry Report on Methyl–Bromide Registration and Import for Phytosanitary Fumigation,” DPP is influenced and practically run by the fumigators who virtually control the entire value chain of the business. Such regulatory capture is generally associated with a high level of corruption.

The committee has informed that interestingly, the importer of Methyl Bromide (MB) and fumigating companies were all one party due to which not only there is a monopoly but also higher cost being charged to importers/exporters by the fumigators.

If fumigators collude with the department, it will increase the cost of imports and exports and lead to unreasonable profits. The fumigators have successfully maneuvered and practically taken over DPP’s regulatory functions. “It is a classic case of regulatory capture by the private sector. An organization with regulatory power to either stop a ship from sailing or stop one from unloading can play havoc if it does not maintain a high level of organizational integrity,” the report says.

Munir meets Saudi crown prince to discuss ties

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The reception was attended by also Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, the kingdom’s defence minister, and Musaed bin Mohammed Al-Aiban, the national security adviser, it added. Ameer Khurram, Pakistan’s ambassador in Riyadh, and other officials were also present.

Gen. Munir will now travel to the UAE to interact with its top civilian and military leadership.

Pakistan’s economy has crumbled alongside a simmering political crisis, with the rupee plummeting and inflation at decades-high levels, but devastating floods and a global energy crisis have piled on further pressure. The latest data from the State Bank of

Pakistan for the week ending December 30 show the country has half the foreign exchange reserves it held a year ago.

Servicing foreign debt and paying for crucial commodities such as medicine, food and energy are among the chief concerns.

Thousands of shipping containers are held up at a Karachi port because banks have been unable to guarantee foreign exchange payments. The cargo includes perishable foodstuffs and medical equipment worth tens of millions of dollars.

Pakistan often looks for financial rescue from allies including China and Saudi Arabia, but analysts say the two countries are holding off until Pakistan gets the International Monetary Fund’s green light.

in ensuring peace and stability in the country in its tenure. They would also discuss in detail the performance of the PDM government that not only wrecked the booming economy but also destroyed the hard-won peace in the country in short span of few months rule. During the seminar, the imported government’s failed foreign and Afghan policies would be highlighted, besides analyzing the strategy to protect Pakistan from the negative implications of the fast changing situation in Afghanistan threadbare.

khyber Pakhtunkhwa govt opposes 600-Mw solar project

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The AEDB had also earlier granted its approval in this regard in a meeting where the chief secretary of KP was present along with stakeholders from other provinces. It is relevant to note here that the proposed initiative for substitution of expensive imported fossil fuel with solar energy is in fact in line with the ARE Policy, 2019 that was approved by the PTI government at the time. aRe Policy 2019

The 2019 Policy for Alternative and Renewable Energy provides a blueprint for further realising the full potential of renewable forms of energy in Pakistan while encouraging competitive pricing. The policy provides a comprehensive framework with a broader scope that encourages the use of renewable resources and the use of energy efficient technology by businesses and residential consumers. The initiatives outlined in the policy are expected to put in place the necessary infrastructure to ensure that renewable energy is completely mainstreamed and integrated into the country’s energy planning, economic, and social development processes, ultimately benefiting the people of Pakistan. aeDB’s Role

Similarly, the AEDB, according to the law, is empowered, “to develop national strategy, policies and plans for utilisation of alternative and renewable energy resources to achieve the targets approved by the federal government in consultation with the board.” Earlier, the AEDB had submitted the relevant documents to Nepra for approval to carry out the bidding process for the solar energy project. And, the authority on Monday after consideration of the documents, conducted a public hearing to make a decision in this regard. It is pertinent to mention that to promote sustainable green energy and to reduce use of imported fossil fuels to arrest the drain of precious foreign exchange, the federal cabinet on October 18, 2022, approved the guidelines for the substitution of expensive imported fossil fuels for energy generation with solar energy. the PRoject

This will be the first 600-MW solar energy project under the initiative, to promote renewable energy; it is planned to be developed in the region of Kot Addu/Muzaffargarh, Punjab. The project site has been finalised after due consideration and research regarding resource availability, existing grid infrastructure, water availability and close proximity with the load centre to maximise the project efficiency and minimise costs. The Central Power Purchasing Agency (CPPA) will purchase all power generated on a 25-year BOOT (Build Own Operate and Transfer) basis while the government of Pakistan (GoP) will provide an exemption from duties and taxes on the import of solar equipment including land for the project and power offtake through the NTDC.

Pakistan’s disaster risk reconstruction

success of the 4RF.

Chen said that Pakistan, despite its very low carbon emissions, is one of the countries most affected by extreme weather events. The floods highlight the importance of building back better with climate resilience. We are very pleased to see the framework reflect the fact that investing in infrastructure alone cannot build resilience – rather a concerted, comprehensive, and long-term commitment can help to reduce risk.

We believe it is critical that

reconstruction work shall be coupled with efforts on macroeconomic stabilization and good governance for recovery. It is also important that the climate adaptation ecosystem should be institutionalized across all sectors.

In the long run, investment in preventive, multifunctional disasterresilient infrastructure and early warning systems has to be prioritized.

We also believe that responsible and accountable implementation and enforcement are pivotal to ensuring the

As Asia and the Pacific’s climate bank, ADB is aiming to deliver $100 billion in cumulative climate financing by 2030.

We’ve initiated the Energy Transition Mechanism, a scalable, market-based approach to accelerate the transition from fossil fuels to clean energy, and as a new approach brought to COP27, we’re piloting the Innovative Finance Facility for Climate in Asia and Pacific, IF-CAP, to scale up climate financing.

In conclusion, I recognize the urgency of our collective action to support Pakistan on its path to recovery and disaster resilience. While we cannot prevent the next natural hazard, collectively we can stop the next incident from becoming a disaster. We are ready to work hand-in-hand with our partners, the government, and the people of Pakistan, to ensure that the good intentions expressed today are converted into making a real difference on the ground, he added.

KP clerics issue fatwa denouncing terrorism

PESHAWAR Staff RepoRt

aMIDan uptick in militant attacks in the country, renowned clerics in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa issued a fatwa (religious decree) denouncing terrorism, it emerged on Monday. The development comes as terrorism is again rearing its head in the country, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.

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

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

year on Nov 28 by the TTP.

The 14-page fatwa, a copy of which is available with Pakistan Today, has been signed by 16 religious scholars from difference schools of thought, including Maulana Qari Ehsanul Haq, Mufti Subhanallah Jan, Dr Maulana Attaur Rehman,

seven killed, 20 injured in bus-truck collision in Balochistan

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

At least seven people were killed and 20 others injured late on Sunday in a head-on collision between a passenger bus and a truck in the Qila Saifullah district of Balochistan, authorities told media. According to the reports, the accident took place around midnight on the National Highway near the Torosaki area when a bus collided with a truck coming from the opposite direction. The deceased and the injured were shifted to a local hospital, the media reported. The death toll may increase as some of the injured were in critical condition, hospital staff told the media. Road accidents frequently happen in Pakistan, mainly due to poorly maintained vehicles, dilapidated roads and negligence of road safety measures.

Maulana Hussain Ahmed, Maulana Dr Abdul Nasir, Mufti Mukhtarullah Haqqani, Maulana Tayyab Qureshi, Maulana Salmanul Haq Haqqani, Maulana Rehmatullah Qadri, Maulana Umar bin Abdul Aziz, Allama Abid Hussain Shakri, Mufti Mairajul Din Sarkani,

Mufti Raza Mohammad Haqqani, Mufti Khalid Usmani, Mufti Sheikh Aijaz and Maulana Abdul Kareem. KP Chief Khateeb Maulana Tayyab Qureshi, one of the signatories, said the ulema had issued the fatwa to answer some questions related to jihad. The Maulana told media that recently, some so-called ulema tried to create chaos using Islam. After that, he said, it became our responsibility to issue the fatwa. In the decree, the scholars condemned “spreading chaos and riots” in an Islamic state. They also termed those “declaring war and picking up weapons against” authorities to be “perpetrators deserving of punishment”.

The fatwa also clarified that “not every person has the right to declare jihad” and that it could only be declared by the head of an Islamic state“.

It further said that a soldier or police official killed by the enemy during battle was a martyr, adding that there was “no doubt about his martyrdom”.

robber killed, policeman injured in islamabad gunfight

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

A robber was killed and a policeman got severely injured early on Monday in an exchange of fire between police and robbers in Islamabad, police said. According to police, three robbers were running away following a robbery in the G-10 neighbourhood of the capital when police encountered them upon receiving the information of the incident. The robbers opened fire at the policemen resulting in a gunfight in which one of the robbers was killed, police said. Two robbers fled away from the site, police said, adding that a search operation was underway to hunt down them.

Punjab students go back to school after winter break

LAHORE Staff RepoRt

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

The Estate Office, Ministry of Housing and Works has started action against encroachments and illegally constructed structures in government residences in the federal capital.

“The final notices have already been issued to the residents of the government residences by the Estate office,” an official in the Ministry of Housing and Works told APP. The official said that the ministry has also decided to vacate government quarters from retired and relatives of late employees, who continue to occupy residences.

“The purpose of the operation is to clear the government residences of encroachments,” he added.

He said the ministry has also sought help from the Capital Development Authority (CDA) and the government res-

Operation against encroachment in govt residences launched in Islamabad Ambassador

idences fall under the administrative control of the Estate Office. The official said the ministry has decided to take action against the construction of extra rooms by the employees and their kith and kin that are living in government-allotted houses.

He said that at present, over 17,000 government houses in Islamabad were under the management of the Estate Office and additional rooms had illegally been constructed by the allottees in over 2,400 residences.

According to the sources, over 25,000 government employees were currently on the general waiting list to get accommodation but they could not be provided with the same as retired employees, their relatives, and relatives of even late government employees who continue to live in government quarters. The sources said they have constructed either an extra room or an entire floor on a government house. It has been decided to remove these encroachments from government residences, and soon a major operation will be launched against these illegal structures, the sources said.

Students at schools across Punjab returned to class in-person as the new term began on Monday following a two-week long winter break across educational institutions in the provincial metropolis due to unrelenting smog. On December 14, the school education department announced week-long winter vacations for schools across the province from December 24 to December 31. But in the last week of December, the high court of Lahore directed the province to propose to the department to implement a two-week-long vacation as a step to help curb smog. Previously, on December 7, it ordered a four-day week to achieve the said objective. Air quality is usually the poorest in Lahore’s winter months of December and January. Every year, a combination of industrial pollution, burning waste and farm fires in neighbouring India fouls the air in the city, making it one of the world’s most polluted cities. The hazardous pollutants across its skyline cause residents respiratory difficulties, eye irritation, and cardiac complications, among other ailments. Earlier, parents and teachers demanded an extension in the vacation.

the required support during the Geneva conference.

Staff RepoRt

Pakistan’s ambassador to the United States Masood Khan said his country was living with the consequences of the worst climate-induced disaster and in need of immediate help from the international community.

In an interview with PBS in Washington, he expressed the hope that under the leadership of the United Nations secretary general and with the influence of nations such as the United States, Pakistan would be able to get

He said: “We hope that we would be able to get pledges for the bulk of the requirements for rehabilitation and reconstruction. Pakistan needs this assistance in the next three years to build climate-resilient infrastructure and to preserve what we already have.”

Thanking the United States for its generous and prompt response to the humanitarian needs in the initial phase of relief and recovery, Khan said the US would announce a substantial contribution to the conference in

Geneva, convene its influence with other governments and with the global financial institutions and would be a partner in Pakistan’s efforts.

On the creation of the loss and damage fund during the COP 27 meeting, Khan said the creation of the fund was an achievement in itself but the fund would also have to be funded. He said we will have to repurpose the global resources to support this fund. He said that we have mobilized all our resources but we need the help of the international community, particularly for this year.

Chinese train coaches compatible with local track: Pakistan Railways official

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

Train coaches, imported from China, are fully 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, Muhammad Hanif Gul, divisional superintendent of Lahore Division at Pakistan Railways said.

It is a standard protocol to test any new induction in the railways before putting it into commercial operations. The same practice has been done for the coaches, imported from China and they have successfully passed the trials, he said in an interview with China’s state media.

“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,” he told

Xinhua. 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 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 very cozy with good seat width, corresponding to the anthropomet-

ric analysis of the population of Pakistan, and have an on-board washroom facility for mobility-impaired passengers, which is a new feature in Pakistan railways.

The coaches will be used as premier trains with special staff and maintenance facilities, Gul said, adding 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, it may develop a capacity in our carriage factories where we will be able to manufacture these coaches on our own,” he added.

ISLAMABAD

urges world to contribute to post-flood reconstruction

OnE diES, 17 tESt POSitivE FOr COvid-19

iSLAmABAd Staff RepoRt

ONEpatient died of coronavirus, while 17 persons tested positive for Covid19 across the country in the past 24 hours, according to the latest figures shared by the National Institute of Health (NIH).

Furthermore, around 20 critical patients have been admitted to various hospitals.

Around 3,399 tests were conducted in the past 24 hours, out of

which 22 persons tested positive for the disease. The positivity ratio was recorded at 0.50 percent.

The death was reported in the Punjab province, while no death was reported from Sindh, Balochistan, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

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

Court summons Khan in Toshakhana case on 31st

iSLAmABAd Staff RepoRt

A local court in Islamabad has accepted PTI Chief Imran Khan’s request seeking exemption from court appearance for today in the Toshakhana case while summoned him to appear before the court on January 31.

Additional Sessions Judge Zafar Iqbal heard a petition filed by the ECP seeking court’s approval to start criminal proceedings against PTI Chief Imran Khan in the Toshakhana reference.

The TLTP learnt that at the outset of the hearing, PTI lawyer Ali Bukhari requested the court to grant Imran Khan a permanent exemption from the

Fog affects flight operation in Lahore

LAHORE Staff RepoRt

Poor visibility caused by fog has badly affected flight operations at Lahore’s Allama Iqbal International Airport as several flights have been delayed on Monday. As per details, the heavy fog has dropped the visibility at the runway of Lahore airport. The departure of PIA flight PK 186 has been shifted to Islamabad airport from Lahore. The international flight between Riaz and Karachi PK748 and the domestic flight from Lahore to Karachi was also delayed as a result of fog. The private airline’s flight from Karachi to Lahore has been suspended. The Lahorebound flight from Sharjah couldn’t land as a result of heavy fog. Earlier, poor visibility caused by heavy fog badly affected flight operations at Lahore’s Allama Iqbal International Airport. The heavy fog has dropped the visibility at the runway of Lahore airport. Dense fog has blanketed different cities of Punjab, including Lahore, paralyzing routine life and disrupting road and air traffic. There is a huge number of passengers at the Allama Iqbal International Airport Lahore because of the delay in flights. The international flight operations between Riaz and Karachi are delayed as a result of fog.

court appearance on medical grounds.

He told the court that his client has already filed petitions seeking court exemption in three different courts.

The lawyer said that he would ask his client to send his medical report on WhatsApp.

However, the junior lawyer of the Election Commission of Pakistan, Saad Hassan, pointed out that the

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

He said that the situation was completely under control and urged the public to avoid listening to rumors. He added that the passivity ratio of corona cases was just 0.3 to 0.5 in the country, while 90 percent of the country’s population had already been vaccinated.

“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 said.

He said that Border and Health Services Pakistan was ensuring the implementation of international health regulations.

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

Imran’s application even did not bear his signature.

He requested the court to issue arrest warrants for Imran Khan on account of his absence.

After hearing arguments from both sides, the court accepted Imran’s request seeking exemption from court appearance for today but summoned him again on Jan 31.

Joint operation agreement of Pak-China Technical Vocational Institute signed

iSLAmABAd Staff RepoRt

In a major development at Gwadar, the signing ceremony for the joint operation agreement of PakChina Technical and Vocational Institute (PCT & VI), built with a Chinese grant under CPEC was held at Gwadar Business Center on Monday.

The joint operation agreement was signed among Shandong Institute of Commerce and Technology (SICT), Gwadar Port Authority (GPA), The University of Gwadar (UoG), China Overseas Ports Holding Company (COPHC) for providing free of cost six-month short courses and three-year diploma programmes with handson technical and professional training to thousands of youths of Gwadar.

Participants will be students of the first batch of representative students from University of Gwadar, local employees of COPHC, GPA and COPHC officers. While teachers and officers from SICT will be joining the ceremony online.

Pak-China Technical and Vocational Institute (PCT & VI) was gifted and handed over by the Chinese government to GPA in September 2021 with an intent to train, prepare and equip the youth of Gwadar / Makran / Balochistan with skill sets for the future needs of Gwadar port, Free zones, smart city, new international airport and other CPEC projects pertaining to commerce,

marine industry, market-based businesses, modern fish practices, real estate, tourism, construction and hospitality and other allied industries.

As per the joint operation agreement, GPA is responsible for supplying spaces and supporting facilities to meet the requirements of teaching, office, and accommodation in the existing new building of PCT & VI. It will cooperate with all government departments to handle relevant procedures as per Pakistan laws and regulations.

It will also coordinate with COPHC for internship and preferential employment of qualified students of PCT & VI. University of Gwadar will be responsible for the operationalisation of the institute at international standards.

It will coordinate with GPA for daily managing, academic and administrative activities and operating expenses.

This PCT & VI possesses 7,350 square meters as a total floor area comprising teaching buildings, training workshops, multi-function halls and dormitories for students and faculty.

GPA official told Gwadar Pro that last year during preliminary temporary arrangements, around 150 trainees passed six-month short courses in collaboration with National Vocational and Technical Commission (NAVTAC) of Pakistan under Prime Minister’s Youth Skills Development programme.

PESCO notifies power suspension in KP from Jan 10 to 16

PESHAWAR Staff RepoRt

Peshawar Electrical Supply Company (PESCO) on Monday notified power suspension from various grid stations of the province from January 10 to 16 due to unavoidable maintenance work. According tothe notification, power supply would remain suspended from 132 KV Jamrud Grid Station on January 10, 12, 14 and 16 from 9am to 3pm, resultantly, consumers of 11 KV Kacha Ghari, Achini Mera, Hayatabad New feeders would face inconvenience. Similarly, power supply would remain remain suspended from 132 KV Phase 7 Hayatabad Grid Station on January 10, 12, 14, 17 and 21 from 9am to 3pm, which will cause inconvenience for the consumers of 11 KV Hayatabad 1,9,10,13 Khyber 2 feeders. PESCO have also notified suspension of power supply from 132 KV Peshawar University Grid Station on January 10 ,12, 14 and 16 from 9am to 3pm, which will affect the consumers of 11 KV Achini and Abdara feeders. The consumers of 11 KV New Deh Bahadar, Old Deh Bahadar, Dora Road, Sheikhan, Sarband, Shahab Khel, Scheme Chowk, Landi Arbab, Sheikh Muhammadi, Bara, Pishtakhara, Saida Abad, and Nodia Payan feeders would also suffer due to suspension of power supply from 132 KV Peshawar Industrial Grid Station on January 10 ,12, 14 and 16 from 9 AM to 3pm. Moreover, power supply would remain suspended from 132 KV PAF Base Grid Station on January 10 ,12, 14 and 16 from 9am to 3pm. Consequently, consumers of 11 KV Badabair, Hassan Khel, Badabair New, Mashogagar, Saphan , Zangal feeders will suffer. Additionally, 220 KV Mardan Grid Station would not supply power on January 10 and 15 from 9am to 3pm, which will make consumers of 11 KV Muhabatabad, Band Road, Muslim Abad, Nissata Road, Sheikh Maltoon, Ahmad Abad, Misri Abad, Rural 1, PRC, Bagh Iram, New Toru, Nawa Kale, Eid Ghah, Gujar Ghari, Charsaddar Road, New Manga, Green Area, New Charsaddar Road, and New Sheikh Maltoon feeders suffer. It has also been notified that power supply would remain suspended from 132 KV Chakdara Grid Station on January 10 and 15 from 9am to 3pm, which will cause inconvenience for the consumers of 11 KV Jalala, Express Batkhela, Thana, Aladhandh, and City Batkhela feeders. Likewise, 132 KV Temargara Grid Station would not be able to supply power on January 11 from 10am to 1pm, therefore, the consumers of 11 KV Temargara and Temargara Express feeders would face difficulty. Besides, power supply would remain suspended from 132 KV Temargara Grid Station on January 11 from 1pm to 4pm, which will create problems for consumers of 11 KV Temargara 2, Dewana.

Dark cloud of implementation looms over more than $10b pledged at Geneva

COntinuEd fROm PAgE 01

How Geneva played out

The prime minister had gone into the conference in Geneva with the hopes of raising $8 billion. In his opening address at the conference, Shehbaz Sharif said that Pakistan needed $8bn from its international partners over the next three years to rebuild the country. Sponsored by France and Germany, the conference has come at a time when Pakistan’s economy is on the ropes with dollar reserves falling to record lows.

Flanked by Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, Minister for Climate Change Sherry Rehman and Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb the mood in the Pakistan camp was tense and there were worries over how close the moot would be able to get to the $8 billion point. However, the conference began to pick up pace with the European Union pledging $93 million, Germany $88 million, and China $100 million.

A major boost was given to Pakistan when the Islamic Development Bank, a multilateral development finance institution that is focused on Islamic finance for infrastructure development located in Jeddah, pledged $4.2 billion in support. According to one report, when the President of the bank Muhammad Al Jasser made the announcement, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif took the microphone out of turn to thank the bank and Jasser for the gesture. In addition to this, the World Bank

also pledged $2 billion, Japan $77 million, and the Asian Development Bank $1.5 billion.

Saudi Arabia also made a major contribution with a pledge of $1 billion. Other pledges included $345 million from France and $100 million from USAid.

Pakistan ended up raising more than $9 billion, going beyond its target. The conference, of course, went beyond just the pledges. The first part of the conference featured high-level opening segments co-chaired by PM Sharif and Mr Guterres, with the official launch of the ‘Resilient Recovery, Rehabilitation, and Reconstruction Framework’ (4RF) which comprises institutional, financial and implementation arrangements for the post-flood recovery, besides international support to forge long-term partnerships to achieve climate resilience.

ImplementatIonal cHallenGes

Much like the COP27 conference, the Geneva Moot has proven to be a pivotal success for Pakistan. With a significant amount pledged in funding, however, the next question is how Pakistan will be spending this. All in all, according to the latest report of the PostDisaster Needs Assessment (PDNA), Pakistan needs at least $16.3 billion for post-flood rehabilitation and reconstruction. The PDNA report, released by the representatives of the government and the international development institutions, calculated the cost of floods at $30.1 billion – $14.9 billion in damages and $15.2 billion in losses.

Yet beyond this immediate need for repa-

rations, Pakistan also needs a clear agenda on what it wants to do on the climate front. There is the immediate concern of rising temperatures, for example. According to Ali Sheikh, an expert on climate change and development, it is in the fundamental national security interest of Pakistan that global average temperatures stabilise at 1.5 degrees Celsius, since a change of 1°C has already caused serious disruptions and brought the economy to its knees. If no action is taken, Pakistan, like many other developing countries, will simply not have the residual resilience to cope with recurring climate disasters.

Pakistan faces a problem where even if it is given the climate financing that it is asking for, it will not know how to spend this money effectively. “It is not a question of financing but of governance. Just look at what you need to be spending money on. You need it for research and development. The losses that have been calculated are all infrastructural, but there is very little attention that has been paid to more long-term solutions. Losses in agriculture are becoming more and more severe and predictable for example but they continue to happen every single year,” explains climate expert Ali Sheikh.

“Even the mechanism we have to estimate loss and the response to it is very flawed. It is based on a top-down calculation instead of a bottom-up approach. In a topdown approach you think in dollars and in big terms, without consulting the real onground stakeholders such as farmers. Even

the calculation of $30 billion in damages is infrastructural for the most part, and it has been calculated by institutions that think they will end up lending some of that amount. The UN Secretary General made a flash appeal based on the projects they were conducting in Pakistan for what they were doing. Each agency places themselves in the centre and makes that the centre of the issue. They are looking at their own business prospects, but the dilemma is that they have all the credibility. This is the kind of study that the government of Pakistan should have been doing. We cannot outsource thinking.” prIme mInIster and fInance mInIster’s speecHes

The premier recalled that Pakistan witnessed a “monsoon on steroids this year” that affected 30m people, displaced more than eight million and washed away roads spread over 8,000 kilometres. “One can go on and on but to truly say, we are racing against time. We are thankful for the support extended to us by the Asian Development Bank, UN, International Monetary Fund (IMF) and several other international organisations.”

He said that from the aid Pakistan received for flood rehabilitation, the state had “responded courageously” to the disaster. “They saved thousands of lives and quickly restored disrupted communications […] we will have to keep making tough choices and I am painfully aware that harsher reforms will make lives harsher than ever before,” he pointed out, contending that the “resource

gap” was so wide that it had to be reshaped.

“The first part of the plan reflects the recovery and reconstruction, bearing in mind that the minimum funding of $16.3bn is required, half of which will be met with domestic resources, half from foreign resources.” I am asking for your support for those who have lost their life savings, homes, and livelihoods and are facing the harsh winter under open skies. I am asking for a sustained international support plan to meet this daunting challenge, for a new lifeline for these people. Together we have to rebuild their lives and their dreams.”

Meanwhile, finance minister Ishaq Dar said that Pakistan was facing unprecedented challenges. “The global community also has a unique opportunity – here and now – to chart a new course, to translate words into action and demonstrate the type of global solidarity the moment and our future demands.”

“Despite being responsible for only 0.67% of global emissions, Pakistan is the 8th-ranked country on the Global Climate Risk Index. It is time to step up support for long-term, systems-based approaches to recovery when disaster strikes. The Government of Pakistan is doing its part in reconstruction, but it will need financial and technical support to tackle the massive development challenges that lie ahead – from building systems for risk anticipation and resilience, to addressing the needs of internally displaced people, and broader threats to regional stability like climate migration.”

One term, please

HOT on the heels of former PM Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, another PML(N) leader, Mushahid Hussein Syed, has also said that it was a mistake to pass the amendment to the army act of 1952, which formally provided for the extension in service to the military chief.

Now, it is clear that the League was against giving an extension to former army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa. And now, former premier Imran Khan also admits for it to have been a mistake of his. But general Bajwa isn’t the subject of discussion; the amendment to the act itself is, one that ostensibly opens the door to perhaps all army chiefs expecting an extension, given the desperation all sitting civil governments are in when the going gets tough (and it does; we’re not an easy country to govern.)

But the League also did sign off on the amendment, so what moral ground does it have to bring this up? Yes, former PM Abbasi had opposed it even then, but that was in his personal capacity; he fell in line - as one does, mostly - when the party decided to back the PTI on this front.

So where do we stand now? Abbasi and Syed’s regret isn’t quite matched by their party’s apex leadership or across the political divide. And Imran Khan’s regret was only at general Bajwa himself, not the amendment.

An oft-cited imbalance between the number of army chiefs that we have had and the number of prime ministers that we have had emerges now and then, on social media, in an easily digestible meme format. But the amendment lends itself to create a situation where the imbalance will almost be baked into the system itself./

We are a praetorian state, unfortunately, and the military has had a disproportionate role in statecraft. We are not talking about direct military coups, of course; one would be hard pressed to find defenders of those in this day and age. We are talking, instead, about the behindthe-scenes manipulation by almost all military chiefs since the return of democracy in 2008. With military bosses outlasting prime ministers, and one-term chiefs being the exception rather than the norm, the civilian government would find a far more entrenched individual to negotiate with in the struggle for civilian supremacy.

Furthermore, even if one were to jettison ideas of civilian supremacy, and focus on the institution: it is bad for the army itself. No individual should be bigger than the institution. If we are to have a fit fighting force, we need to ensure it doesn’t need any one individual or a clique to function well.

IN today’s context it is very difficult to predict the future of anticipation as it will depend on a wide range of factors that are subject to change. In the circumstances, it is likely that anticipation will continue to be a natural part of human experience, as people look forward to and prepare for events and outcomes in their personal and professional lives. In the current global context, there may be some specific trends or challenges that could affect how people anticipate and prepare for the future. For example, in an increasingly complex and rapidly changing world, there may be more uncertainty about the future, which could lead to higher levels of anxiety and stress related to anticipation. The second factor is related to advances in technology that may affect how people anticipate and prepare for the future, both in terms of the information and tools that are available, as well as the potential impacts on jobs and other aspects of society. The third is impacts relates to climate change and other environmental issues, as well as social and political challenges, which affect how people anticipate and prepare for the future. Overall, the future of anticipation in the current global context will depend on a wide range of factors that are subject to change, and it is difficult to predict with certainty how these factors will influence people’s experiences of anticipation. Largely, itrefers to the act of looking forward to or preparing for something in the future. It can involve the process of expecting or predicting what will happen, as well as taking steps to be ready for it. It involves a range of emotions, from excitement and joy to anxiety and fear, depending on the circumstances and the individual’s perspective. It can also involve a sense of planning or control, as people may take steps to prepare for or mitigate potential negative outcomes. In general, anticipation is a natural part of human experience and helps us to navigate the world and plan for the future.

Kinds and situations: There are many different kinds of anticipation, depending on the context and the specific circumstances. Some common examples might include: a. Anticipation of a positive outcome or event which might involve looking forward to something enjoyable or excit-

Individual Anticipation

Today’s Status and Dimensions

ing, such as a vacation, a special event, or the completion of a goal. This type of anticipation can often be accompanied by feelings of excitement and joy, while at the same time a negative outcome or event which help us in preparing for or worrying about something unpleasant or challenging, such as a difficult exam, a medical procedure, or a natural disaster. This type of anticipation can often be accompanied by feelings of anxiety or fear. In the third place, this might involve preparing for or trying to predict an outcome that is uncertain, such as the outcome of an election, a job interview, or a lottery drawing. This type of anticipation can often be accompanied by feelings of uncertainty or anxiety. while in the last place, this might involve preparing for or adjusting to a change in circumstances, such as moving to a new city, starting a new job, or entering a new relationship. This type of anticipation can often be accompanied by feelings of excitement, anxiety, or both. But above all, it can occur in a variety of circumstances and contexts, which might include: anticipating a special event or holiday, such as a birthday, wedding, or vacation, the arrival of a new baby or the start of a new school year, choosing a college or a new joy, d. Anticipating the completion of a project or goal, such as finishing a degree or training for the last the end of a difficult or challenging period, such as a difficult semester of school or a difficult project at work. In each of these cases, anticipation involves looking forward to something in the future and taking steps to prepare for or enjoy it. It can involve a range of emotions, from excitement and joy to anxiety and fear, depending on the individual’s perspective and the specific circumstances.

Positive and negative asPects : Anticipating a positive outcome or event can help to build an anticipation which can have both positive and negative aspects, depending on the context and the individual’s perspective. Some possible positive aspects of anticipation might help build excitement and motivation, as people look forward to something enjoyable or rewarding, and at the same time it provide a sense of purpose or direction: In fact, anticipating a goal or event can give people a sense of purpose or direction, helping them to stay focused and motivated, allowing them for preparation and planning for the future event or outcome can give us the opportunity to prepare and plan, which can help to reduce uncertainty and mitigate potential negative outcomes. However, anticipation can also have negative aspects which largely includes: causing anxiety or stress as people worry about the potential consequences or how to cope with them. In the context, leading to disappointment: If the outcome or event does not meet people’s expectations, anticipation can lead to disappointment and it takes away from the present moment: Focusing too much on the future can lead people to neglect the present moment, which can lead to a sense of dissatisfaction or a missed op-

TTP 2.0

US withdrawal from Afghanistan had far reaching implications not just limited to the region but beyond the region. When it comes to the Af-Pak region it was most vulnerable to dramatic changes enabled by the US withdrawal. The rise in terrorism in Pakistan has seriously raised questions over Pakistan’s security and Afghan policy. But the resurgence of TTP and BLA is not the fall out of US withdrawal but is outcome of years long inflexible counter-terrorism policy and lack of implementation of designed policy. Pakistan is dealing with organized threats from across the spectrum be it far-left ethno centric BLA or Far-right TTP. Since 2019, there is a significant rise in terrorism. The dramatic rise in attacks both in terms of numbers and intensity has exposed the flaws in the prevailing framework. Multiple factors have contributed to this increase in the terrorism. First and foremost was the restructuring of TTP. TTP carried out structural reforms under the leadership of Noor Wali Mehsud. In the last two years, all major splinters groups have rejoined the umbrella of TTP.

This reunification diversified the resources and conventional capabilities paving way for expansion of areas of operations. Moreover, Noor Wali has also tried to change the outlook of the organization from far-right radical global Jihadist organization to more of a ethnocentric militant group having limited political and military goals. As a part of Rebranding drive ttp has restricted its activities. Bombing of Public places has been reduced and group attacks have largely been focused on security targets. Apart from these administrative and strategic overhauling the group also went under the modernization in the last couple of years. TTP has

been able to get its hand on the latest weapons and ammunitions including night visions, M4 assault rifles, and much more. TTP is now the most prominent and immediate threat due to its new loosely connected networks spread across the country, particularly in KPK. The recent attack in Islamabad should serve as an eye opener to the security authorities; TTP has exhibited its capability to carry out high intensity sophisticated attacks deep inside urban centers of Pakistan. This has also high-

lighted the fact that TTP does not need any hard infrastructure inside Pakistan to carry out such highly sophisticated attacks. It’s a matter of debate whether the Afghan Taliban are Taliban 2.0 or not but this TTP is definitely 2.0 especially when talking about its rapid adaptation to changing security dynamics.

Historically, Pakistan and TTP’s high end war has always been around the corner of every futile peace dialogue. Though this time it was enabled by the new In-

portunity to enjoy the present.

imPact on individuals: The impacts of anticipation on individuals can vary depending on the context and the individual’s perspective. Some possible impacts might include: a emotional impacts which involves excitement, joy, anxiety, stress, and disappointment. The specific emotion experienced will depend on the circumstances and the individual’s perspective. In the second category, it has cognitive impacts which can affect people’s thought processes and decision-making, as they consider and plan for potential outcomes or events. It can also affect attention and focus, as people may be more or less able to concentrate on other tasks or activities. In line the third is the behavioral impacts which can influence people’s behavior, as they take steps to prepare for or cope with a future event or outcome. This might involve making plans, seeking information, or practicing certain skills, while its physical can have physical impacts, when the body responds to emotional states such as excitement or anxiety. This might involve changes in heart rate, blood pressure, and other physiological responses. Overall, the impacts of anticipation on individuals will depend on the specific circumstances and the individual’s perspective. In some cases, anticipation can be a positive and enjoyable experience, while in other cases it can be a source of stress or anxiety.

The writer is head of the political science department of the B.N.Mandal University, Madhepura, Bihar, India and can be reached at rajkumarsinghpg@gmail.com

terim Afghan Government, which for almost two years tried to mediate between TTP and Pakistan, evading its responsibility to act against the terrorists for using Afghan soil against neighboring country. Post-US withdrawal the prevailing idea in corridors of Islamabad that Interim Government (IEA) will dismantle TTP and others groups was never practical considering the bond between the IEA and TTP.

The fluid dynamics at the ground level were always going to create trouble not only for Pakistan but or IEA itself as well. Pakistan needs to politically and diplomatically tackle narrative of IEA that TTP is Pakistan’s internal issue despite TTP enjoying safe heavens in Afghanistan. The dealing should be based on state to state grounds pushing IEA to act as a mature state actor contributing positively to the regional security. Moreover, it is important for Pakistan to immediately adjust to the changing regional security dynamics and redesign the security framework and Counter terrorism policy. The national consensus is integral to counter terrorism policy.

The lack of clarity of the mainstream political parties and inconsistent and diverging approach towards the violence negatively contributes towards national resolve to deal with terrorism. Similarly, the overall mechanism shouldn’t be military centric. Political leadership should be more involved in these security matters so that an inclusive comprehensive long terms counter-terrorism policy could be designed. As per the report presented at National security committee CTD KPK overall budget is not even half of that of CTD Punjab. Even majority of which is spent on salaries leaving nothing behind for modernization that includes procurements and upgradation of hardware. This is despite the fact that KPK is on the front in this fight against Terrorism and CTD is acting as first line of defense. The overhauling and modernization should be the top priority and this could be achieved by monitoring the overall performance of the security institutions and analyzing their capabilities to w.r.t the evolving threats.

The writer can be reached at talhaahmed967@gmail.com and on Twitter @talhahamad967

Talha ahmaD

In general, anticipation is a natural part of human experience and helps us to navigate the world and plan for the future.

The lack of clarity of the mainstream political parties and inconsistent and diverging approach towards the violence negatively contributes towards national resolve to deal with terrorism. Similarly, the overall mechanism shouldn’t be military centric.

Dr rajkumar Singh

Yousaf Nizami Editor

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

M. A. Niazi Joint Editor

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

Where the fight was lost

Killing of a Bangladeshi youth

The dire situation of extrajudicial killing in USA

SiDDique

THE United States of America (USA) is popularly known as the ‘Champion of Democracy and Human Rights’. But since the last two decades, in its journey towards a multicultural society, the USA is facing a lot of human rights issues domestically such as hate crimes, structural racism, and extrajudicial killings at the hands of law enforcement agencies. Several statistics show that gun-related violence including hate crimes and extrajudicial killings is taking place at an alarming rate and there exists systemic exploitation of human rights. Every day, US society is facing hate crimes, extrajudicial killings and police violence. Moreover, the government is also failing to introduce or initiate effective policies. Furthermore, in the case of extrajudicial killings, a culture of impunity is also at large. It seems the champion is failing at home lately.

This is not the first time that gunmen swooped in the United States. A young man from an expatriate Bangladeshi community in the US has been gunned down by police at the city of Cambridge in Massachusetts.

The Bangladesh Association of New England organised protests outside Cambridge City Hall on Thursday, condemning the “brutal killing” of 20-year-old Sayed Faisal, a student of the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

They described the death of Faisal, the only child of his family, as a “racist incident by white police officers”. “This is not acceptable in any meaning,” the association said in a Facebook post. It said that members of the association would meet with Cambridge Mayor Sumbul Siddiqi to look for an explanation.“We need to bring justice for this young brother. Police brutality needs to stop,” the post added.

It said members of the association would meet with Cambridge Mayor Sumbul Siddiqi to look for an explanation. “We need to bring justice for this young brother. Police brutality needs to stop.”

In this tragic turn of events, a young Bangladeshi-American student was shot to death by police at the city of Cambridge in Massachusetts on Wednesday. This has stirred protests and angered the Bangladeshi community living in the US state.

According to media reports, the victim is 20year-old Arif Sayed Faisal, a student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Even though he was born in the US, his parents hail from Chittagong’s Fatikchhari upazila, said his uncle Selim Jahangir.

Citing police, CBS News reported that Faisal was carrying a large knife – an allegation boldly denied by Jahangir, who is a Massachusetts resident. According to media reports, they were given no videos showing Faisal carrying a sharp weapon.

Jahangir claimed that Faisal was calm in nature. “We don’t understand why police shot at him?” he questioned.He also demanded fair probe of the incident and punishment of the police officer who opened fire.

Police killings of unarmed people have drawn significant attention in recent years and spurred mass protests.Fatal police shootings re-

main a persistent and contentious issue in the US, prompting protests and ongoing calls for serious reforms to policing.

Meanwhile, referring to the killing, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen on Friday said Bangladesh does not want any hate crime anywhere in the world. Referring to the killing of a Bangladeshi in the US, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen on Friday said Bangladesh does not want any hate crime anywhere in the world.

“The Bangladeshi community there (US) are alleging it to be a hate crime,” Momen told reporters about the death of a Bangladeshi expatriate after being shot by the police at Cambridge in Massachusetts of the US on Thursday. “We want to stop racism, communal violence and establish peace in the world,” Momen said.

On Tuesday, May 24, 2022, blood was shed on the campus of the United States again. A young man named Salvador Ramos killed 19 children and two teachers one by one with a firearm he got as a gift on his 18th birthday. The gunman, Ramos, attacked Rob Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, a small town about an hour’s drive from the Mexican border. Members of the Border Patrol rushed to the scene and shot the young man to death. In other words, another extrajudicial killing took place in the United States.

Such incidents took place many times. Just days before the Tuesday shooting incident, 10 people were killed in a gun attack on a super shop in Buffalo, New York, according to the BBC and AFP. A 2012-gun attack at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut killed 20 children and six others. There have been 26 such incidents in the United States last year. Gun-related attacks are the leading cause of death for children and adolescents in 2020, surpassing road accidents.

A gunman has been shot dead by police near a school in Toronto, Canada, shortly after gunfire erupted at an elementary school in Texas.

These are the example of the extrajudicial killings in the United States and Canada, which are known as the countries of advanced human rights.

The U.S. Department of Human Rights has highlighted the issue of extrajudicial killings in Bangladesh. Highlighting a number of statistics, it has been said that the law enforcement agencies of Bangladesh are involved in these extrajudicial killings.

Let’s take a look at extrajudicial killings by law enforcement in the United States. Turkish media outlet TRT World has provided vital information about the United States being at the top of extrajudicial killings by law enforcement. According to a report published on June 1, 2020, a total of 7,666 people were killed in police shootings in the United States in the seven years from 2013 to 2019. Of these, 1,106 were shot by police in 2013, 1,050 in 2014, 1,103 in 2015,

1,071 in 2016, 1,095 in 2017, 1,143 in 2018 and 1,098 in 2019. Of these, the year 2018 saw the highest number of deaths by police shooting1,143. The average number of people killed every year between 2013 and 2019 is around 1,100. The reports also said that more than 1,200 Black people were killed in police shooting in 2015. These statistics did not include the deaths in police custody or other means of killing.

At the same time, 13 per cent of Black in the United States have been killed or injured in police shootings, at least three times as many as Whites.

A report published by the Washington Post on February 12, 2019, states that the number of people killed in police shootings in the United States has been close to one thousand for four consecutive years. According to the report, 996 people were killed in police firing in 2018 while the number was 987 in 2017, 963 in 2016, and 995 in 2015.

The Associated Press-AP, USA Today and a joint survey of researchers from North-Eastern University found that the United States had the highest number of mass killings in any year in 2019.

In 2020, there were 996 extrajudicial killings in the United States.

Ninety-six per cent of homicides occurred in police shootings. Of the deceased, 27 per cent are African-Americans, although they constitute 13 per cent of the total population. According to the Human Rights Report, no action has been taken against the police in 98.8 per cent of the cases. However, the United States brought charges against Bangladesh on the pretext of human rights violations.

Any extrajudicial killing is bad. Such extrajudicial killings are taking place in many countries. But the United States will not have the courage to take such a step there. Expressing concern, he said: “The United States does not take such action on its own.

In the backdrops of recent events, it is right to say that countries like the United States or Canada should now look at themselves in the mirror. It is high time to change the spectacles they wear for analyzing the human rights situation in Bangladesh.

Apart from international laws and norms, extrajudicial killing is also an act of “ violations of basic human rights,” and it overrides due legal process and “right to justice.”

It seems in the national sphere, the U.S. itself has questionable actions that go against human rights and has a tendency to bypass the existing international laws and norms when it comes to its own interests. Therefore, the U.S. itself is a violator, and it is currently not in a position to “lecture” others about human rights. To be the “actual” champion of human rights, the U.S. must give up its violations, duality, and “immoral” aspects of its policy that raise questions against it.

The writer is a freelance columnist

Editor’s mail

Is there a solution to commercial ‘noise’?

THERE is something I have been witnessing in Karachi, especially in my area of residence, and that has been troubling me for quite some time now. Over the last few years, the city has seen a sharp rise in the trend of setting up of industrial plants and warehouses in residential areas. These activities continue to cause several problems for the residents of such areas.

First, such spots in residential areas attract unruly hordes that are a nuisance to the neighbourhood. The movement of commercial vehicles, along with loud conversations and shouting by labourers or other workers, is a source of discomfort to the residents, specifically in quiet towns and societies. These people are often seen sitting outside their ‘workplace’, smoking, listening to loud music, and staring at women whether they are just passing by or standing in their balconies. Similarly, the workers and customers of these plants often park their vehicles in front of houses in the area, which unarguably disturbs the house-owners. Not only do these actions make the residents uncomfortable, they also upset the peace of the community.

While most locals forgo these hindrances to their daily lives, some actions are more severe and even go against the law. These may include the fact that some of these industrial/commercial activities are not even allowed in residential areas. House-owners usually rent their property, or some portion of it, to these small-scale industries for personal benefit, i.e., an additional source of income. While doing so, official permissions and legal procedures are obviously ignored.

There have been many complaints in the city about this issue, and action has been taken to some extent. For example, in October 2020, the Sindh High Court (SHC) ordered the removal of all illegal reverse osmosis (RO) plants in Karachi. Nonetheless, such unregistered plants continue to secretly operate in the metropolis to date.

Another addition to the list of illegal activities is how some of these plant owners have even made unauthorised sewerage line extensions that cause overflow in residential areas and lead to sewage reflux in the houses.

Furthermore, damage is also caused to government property like roads and public parks; for example, the removal of fences and irons grills is common. In the case of RO and other water plants, the neighbouring houses also suffer from severe water seepage in their walls, which badly hurts their infrastructure. Some residents have also reported that these plants often suck up most of the town’s water supply, leaving close to no water for the residents.

JAVERIA HASSAN KARACHI

Significance of art

A prevalent notion about art in our society is that it is merely a recreation. Confining art to recreational activity trivialises its significance, purpose and social impact. In its simplest definition, art could be a source of communication for people across racial, linguistic, cultural and geographical divides. It gives meaning to thoughts that are beyond verbal articulation. It is a medium of conversation that helps people navigate through disparities and join hands to create an impact.

Art is diverse because it helps establish relationships irrespective of borders or socioeconomic constraints. Art is flexible as it could be revolutionary, blunt, subtly satirical, political or critical. Art highlights socio-political ills. It reflects instincts and thoughts.

It gives an impression of mind, helps to develop vision, gives direction, stimulates purpose, and ultimately enflames change through its thought-provoking depictions. Art is one of the purest forms of expression because it comes from within. Art therapy is a psychotherapeutic technique. Adopting some form of art as a hobby significantly helps reduce symptoms of anxiety, depression, stress and trauma. After exploring art for some years, I have learnt that those who confine it to recreation are irrefutably unaware of its significance.

AYMEN HASAN LAHORE

Overtaxing performers

TO be good at workplace is sometimes not good at all for those associated with public-sector entities. It is rightly said that the reward for a task done well is that it is made your permanent duty. There are people who actually miss-perform or under-perform their duties cunningly so that their responsibility would be put on the shoulders of those who do their tasks and duties assiduously.

To run the affairs smoothly, people at the helm have no qualms about overtaxing the performers. But they forget that they are perpetrating injustice, and that serves no one’s interest in the long run.

When such practices become the norm, as is often seen at public and even private institutions, the good performers would stifle their flair and prefer to do the average. Consequently, dynamism and innovative thinking would stand suffocated because the performers are assigned tasks that fall beyond their expertise and purview.

Such an injustice in division of labour is rampant at educational institutions all the more, especially the public ones wherein teachers who curry favour with the heads of departments get their duties relegated to the dutiful employees who represent the fictional Boxer, the horse, of George Orwell’s Animal Farm. As a swatch, a teacher of English at a prestigious college is unjustifiably asked to prepare students for Urdu declamation and essay writing contests despite the presence of an in-charge of Urdu cocurricular activities, merely because the former brings laurels to the institution in English contests.

When he excuses, lo and behold, he is derided that he should translate into Urdu what he has written in English. He can kill two birds with one stone. Is this not a joke? A competent and efficient leadership makes every cog, major or minor, work as per its position and purpose. In the words of Simon Sinek, an American author and inspirational speaker, we “become leaders the day we decide to help people grow”.

Only then, the yield meets, rather exceeds the input, enhancing the efficiency of the working unit. People must be made to deliver what they are employed for, and not to slide into being deadwood.

However, the irony is the deadwood is easier to get rid of in private institutions than in the public ones whereat multiple tiers of management and authorities make it an almost impossible task. That being so, this cancer is continuing to play havoc with our public resources.

M NADEEM NADIR KASUR

Sufian

The Associated Press-AP, USA Today and a joint survey of researchers from North-Eastern University found that the United States had the highest number of mass killings in any year in 2019.

‘ToWArds peopLe’s WAr And insurrecTion’

of imperialism in South Africa were exposed. There were contending views in the ANC, expressed in the very same journal.

eventually, in his absence, Mzala’s views were defeated. Almost three decades into democracy, the wealth distribution in South Africa still reflects apartheid patterns of ownership. Thus, Mzala’s question as to what would be the use of the struggle and sacrifice if the people cannot control the country’s wealth remains pertinent.

Still, Mzala could not fathom this process outside the prism of people’s war, insisting that the position of the ANC was well known and aligned with that of the SACP. he argued: “To suggest that the ANC would, under the present circumstances, place the disarmed people on the altar of negotiations with a fascist regime is to insult the ANC and to question its sincerity and sense of responsibility to the leadership of the South African oppressed people.”

& Guardian Mandla J Radebe

The West was using the ANC’s alliance with the South African Communist Party (SACP) as a rationale for its lack of intervention, but it is precisely this reasoning that, Mzala said, demonstrated their bias. “This concern with the South African Communist Party is not genuine,” he wrote; “it is merely an artificial excuse created to avoid the responsibility of the United States, as one of the main economic supporters of South Africa, to force her to abandon her inhuman policies and practice.”

he was consistent in his thesis that the United States’ interests were informed by its narrow capitalist interests. Capitalism was another reality Mzala thought should be considered when dealing with the South African revolution. “South African people do not only suffer from national oppression by the colonial system but are also exploited by capitalism as a system of production.”

Mzala was also urging the movement not to abandon the Freedom Charter, particularly clauses such as “All shall share in the country’s wealth”. he declared: “I foresee no circumstances that can arise in South Africa leading to the ANC abandoning this economic policy, for what will be the use of centuries of struggle and so much sacrifice if at the end people cannot control the wealth of their own country?

“A revolution without a radically democratic economic policy, detailing concrete measures for transforming the country’s economic ills and bringing to an end mass exploitation and hunger, such a revolution is not worth a single alphabet of the word ‘revolution’ ”.

These interventions by Mzala were, to an extent, a form of lobbying for a left perspective within the movement. It was through such perspectives that the interests

Mzala was still not done. In the August 1987 edition of Sechaba he continued with his scrutiny of the US with the article “People’s Power or Power-sharing? United States Policy in South Africa”. In this article, he argued: “The belief within the US state department is that interests of the South African Communist Party are served by an inflexible attitude on the part of the Pretoria regime towards negotiation with the ANC, and by the ANC’s focus on increasing military pressure on South Africa.”

To Mzala, this was a complete misunderstanding of the ANC and what it was that united its members. Thus, he asserted that the SACP could not reject negotiations in principle.

To illustrate this point, he went back to the 1962 programme of the SACP: “The party does not dismiss all prospects of non-violent transition to the democratic revolution.”

however, he quickly emphasised the conditions on which the party based this principle: “[This] prospect will be enhanced by [the] development of revolutionary and militant people’s forces. The illusion that the white minority can rule forever over a disarmed majority will crumble before the reality of an armed and determined people. The possibility would be opened of a peaceful and negotiated transfer of power to the representative of the oppressed majority of the people.”

So it was that, with these articles, Mzala entered the fray on the negotiated settlement.

Of course, by 1987, the genie was out of the bottle and it was apparent that a “peaceful and negotiated transfer of power” as envisaged by the SACP was increasingly becoming a likely scenario.

A month before this article was published, in July 1987, a delegation of South Africans from a broad political spectrum met the ANC in Dakar, Senegal. It was at this meeting that the “ANC for the first time in public committed itself to a negotiated settlement to end the political conflict in South Africa”.

Mzala was no fool. he was not debating simply for its own sake; rather, he was addressing a perspective he felt was in danger within the ANC. In the article, he reverted to points raised previously on the process of the transfer of power to the people. he stated that a People’s Assembly “that can set about drawing up a new Constitution for South Africa (after the draft has been thoroughly discussed by the masses in all their walks of life) can only be that which has been invested with supreme authority and power to do so, one that is vested with the sovereignty of the people”.

Although he respected the negotiations process, he was adamant that it should be about nothing else but the transfer of power from the racist minority to the democratic majority. Mzala did not trust the imperialists’ commitments to the power transfer and therefore attached a lot of meaning to narrow concepts such as “power-sharing”. he perceived this to be an attempt by the US to engineer a deal suitable to its interests.

For him, “power-sharing” was a misguided approach to the country’s problem. “It is a concept that may appear ‘logical’ and ‘fair’ only to those who are not at all acquainted with the history of our country, and the source of our national oppression.” To his understanding, the South African struggle was following a path similar to those of other formerly colonised nations on the continent.

Because the apartheid regime with its imperialist handlers would do anything in its power to derail the revolution, Mzala did not discount the possibility of the regime creating “a third force”. Part of the trick, argued Mzala, was for the US “to get the apartheid regime to declare its intention to hold negotiations, even long before it can be prepared to negotiate the transfer of power, and if the ANC refuses to participate, to get together puppet forces of the [Bishop Abel] Muzorewa type, and go ahead and fix a neocolonial solution for South Africa”.

In this regard, he warned the liberation

forces to be vigilant against the imposition of a neocolonial solution: “Such a neocolonial solution, however, is bound to collapse even before it takes off, because the present uprising and war of liberation in South Africa is not led by those puppet forces; moreover, the people of South Africa are politically conscious enough to know who are their genuine leaders, and they equally know what they want.”

Indeed, some attempts along these lines were made, resulting inter alia in a low-intensity civil war in what are now KwaZuluNatal and Gauteng. Mzala’s foresight extended to the issue of minority rights, which would be a significant issue during the negotiations. To this end, he invoked the Freedom Charter’s clause that “all national groups shall enjoy equal rights”.

Thus, he envisioned a South Africa

aligned to the principles of the Freedom Charter where “all people shall enjoy equal rights whatever their colour, race or creed”. he saw no reason for the white section of the population to fear anything in a free South Africa based on the Freedom Charter, which stipulates that “South Africa belongs to all who live in it, black and white.”

This is an edited extract from The Lost Prince of the ANC: The Life and Times of Jabulani Nobleman ‘Mzala’ Nxumalo 1955 – 1991 by Mandla J Radebe, published by Jacana Media.

Mandla J Radebe is an associate professor for strategic communication and director of the Centre for Data and Digital Communications at the University of Johannesburg

What is the state of Awami League as a political party?

AS A PARTY, AWAMI LEAGUE’S BIGGEST AND MOST SHAMEFUL FAILURE HAS BEEN IN CURBING CORRUPTION

hasina was two years old when AL was born in 1948, and has unquestionably been the most resilient, powerful, dominating, effective and successful leader that the AL has ever seen. As I wrote in my last piece, she is Awami League.

This brings us to the question: how healthy is it to have a political party in a democracy where nobody can contest for any post, however insignificant, and further still cannot even express his or her wish to do so and canvass for support and mobilise their team? After the formality of re-electing the president and secretary general, the Council unanimously empowered the party chief to name the rest of the full committee. The culture of selection practised over many years saw a repeat.

As a party, Awami League’s biggest and most shameful failure has been in curbing corruption. Though it appears as the number one “special pledge” in its 2018 manifesto, not only has nothing effective been done to stem corruption, on the contrary, it has been turned into the new “normal.” Corruption has been made a part of the everyday running of things, in which the ruling party can be said to have become an integral part. Nothing moves, attracts attention, and gets implemented without either influence or money.

and bring about a change in the political culture.

Reading what was pledged and experiencing what has been delivered gives us an idea of the state of politics in Bangladesh, and more so about the nature of our political parties (for BNP would replicate the same), and specifically that of the present ruling party.

oNe has to hand it to the Awami League (AL) for its capacity to coin appropriate party slogans that capture the imagination of the public, especially that of the youth, and give it a modern image, explaining in very simple terms what the party will aim for in the immediate future.

For the past two elections, this slogan was “Digital Bangladesh.” how effectively we were able to make it a reality is not the question. It made the party feel modern, and making itself a part of the contemporary world was the political goal, which it succeeded in doing.

For the coming election in January 2024, the slogan will be “Smart Bangladesh,” to be achieved by 2041. Again a very well-chosen two-word slogan that encapsulates the task ahead. And a very cleverly woven and subtly implied message here is: “Keep us in power till then, so that we can deliver this promise.” So, is the Awami League a “smart party” that can deliver a Smart Bangladesh?

The 73-year-old party re-elected its 75-year top leader for the 10th time in its 22nd triennial council on December 24, 2022. When Sheikh hasina’s present three-year term ends in 2025, she will have completed 45 years of continuously running the biggest and most significant political party in the country’s history. Sheikh

Sheikh hasina has run the party for the last 42 years and the government for the last 15 years (20 years, if we include her first term in office between 1996-2001). So, how has being in continuous power for so long, without any check and balance to speak of, affected the Awami League?

As it moves towards the next election, the question that will inevitably come to the fore is of how successful the Awami League has been in keeping its promises.

In their election manifesto of 2018, there was a section titled “Our Special Pledges” containing 19 items. Of those, ones like women empowerment, food security, use of digital technology, implementation of mega-projects, energy security, mechanisation of agriculture, containing terrorism and extremism, elimination of poverty, and enhancement of facilities for the elderly, challenged people and those suffering from autism, are among the areas where moderate to considerable success has been achieved.

Some of the mega-projects have been implemented in good time, but their cost escalation and overall fund repayment burden on the economy may come back to haunt us in the future. energy security has come a long way, but the paying of capacity charges far beyond the needed period and the cost of transition to LNG will have to be seriously looked into in the future, as these put severe strain on future resource allocation.

The reputation of local AL bodies, the personal image of grassroots party workers, let alone of those holding higher positions all the way up to public representatives, have suffered deeply during the party’s tenure in power. The activities of the local government, which is primarily an administrative function, has been usurped into the party. The election process itself has become so moneyintensive that it almost naturally breeds high-level corruption, as the cost of getting “elected” has gone sky-high.

Corruption has not only eaten into our administrative processes, it has – most damagingly – eaten into the very entrails of the ruling party.

In its 2014 manifesto, the AL committed to eliminating “bribery, black money, extortion, corruption in the tendering process, and loan default” (what a joke the last one has become). Nine years on, where are we in implementing the above pledges? The answer is “blowing in the wind.”

If we go further back, to the time when Awami League returned to power in 2008, what did it promise to the people? Under the section titled “What type of Bangladesh we want to see by 2021,” it committed to establish i) a credible election system, an accountable and transparent government, and take all measures to make parliament effective; ii) prevent politicisation of various state agencies and the bureaucracy, making qualifications, competence, honesty and seniority the only criteria for recruitment and promotions in the administration; and iii) inculcate tolerance, democracy, financial transparency, honesty and inner-democracy among all political parties

Awami League today is a party far removed from the ideals of its birth and those of its most glorious phase –our Liberation War. Is its utterances of Bangabandhu’s name with every breath more to follow the party line or to show respect to the Father of The Nation? In fact, it is my view that the biggest mistake that was made over the years was to make no distinction – especially in public – between those who genuinely love and respect Bangabandhu, and those who use his legacy to promote themselves. This is where the genuine and the fake got mixed up and the ideological Awami Leaguers got overwhelmed by the self-serving ones – the latter being far more conniving and richer, with an extraordinary ability to manipulate a situation to their advantage.

In this regard, the Chhatra League comes to mind. During the Six-Point Movement of 1966-67 and, far more so, during the 11-Point Movement of 1969-70, I, as a member of Chhatra Union (Matia Group), had almost daily interactions with the former as our two parties jointly participated in numerous demonstrations, meetings and street agitation. I remember being in the same procession as Sheikh Kamal and thousands of other Chhatra Leaguers, who personified the nationalist slogan “Jago, jago, Bangalee jago” far better than many in the Chhatra Union.

So what does the Awami League, that just concluded its 22nd party council, have to offer to the nation? If the party leadership is the same as before, then will they offer the same things to the nation as before?

During the last decade and a half of Awami League’s rule, our development curve rose while our democracy curve fell. One can say that bridges replaced our voices. While we have more roads, higher per capita income, and rising exports, we also have less participation in governance, a weaker role in electing those who we want to represent us and, most importantly, are able to say far less than what we feel.

Mahfuz Anam is the editor and publisher of The Daily Star.

daily Star Mahfuz anaM

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HE ENVISIONED A SOUTH AFRICA ALIGNED TO THE PRINCIPLES OF THE FREEDOM CHARTER WHERE “ALL PEOPLE SHALL ENJOY EQUAL RIGHTS WHATEVER THEIR COLOUR, RACE OR CREED”

corporate corner Wheat shortage: Punjab decides to check flour mills’ record

Bestway Foundation School, Tatral awards its top positions of SSC Part I Exams 2022

LAHORE Staff RepoRt

PUNJABFood Department on Monday decided to check the flour mills’ record amid the intense wheat shortage. As per details, the food department has asked for three months’ records from flour dealers and shopkeepers. The officials asked if the floor which is provided by the government to floor mills, reaches the shops, as many shopkeepers complain

about the shortage. DFC and AFC food will collect the data in a week. The flour prices hiked up and there is an intense shortage too.

Earlier, the flour prices have jacked up for the eighth time in two months in Lahore. The price of a 1kg bag has increased by Rs 10 in the provincial capital Lahore and is now being sold at Rs 160. The shortage and increased prices of wheat have caused the hike in flour prices. The prices are now increasing on daily basis.

A prestigious ceremony was held at Bestway Foundation School, Tatral to celebrate excellent performance of the School’s students in the SSC Part I Annual Examination 2022 held under Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Rawalpindi and to recognise the invaluable contribution of the teachers in achieving such remarkable result. The ceremony was attended by the guest of honour, Mr. Irfan Sheikh, (Trustee of Bestway Foundation and the Managing Director of Bestway Cement Limited), Dr Zeeshan Hanif (Deputy Commissioner, Chakwal), Mr. Ashir Iqbal Khan (Assistant Deputy Commissioner (G)), Mr. Iftikhar Ahmed Ali (Chief Officer District Council), Raja Haider Abbas (Asst. Commissioner (Choa Saiden Shah)) along with local notables and parents of the students. Speaking on the occasion, the guest of honour, Mr. Irfan Sheikh, said “Education is essential for building a strong and vibrant society. Children are our future, not only for their families but also our country. Our aim must be to produce such productive and responsible citizens who are intellectually, socially and morally well equipped to take up today’s challenges. Teachers’ role is not limited to just educating children but to be exemplary role models for them also. Children’s character-building is a collective responsibility of parents, teachers and the society at large”. pR

Buy Genuine HP Laptops with M&P from the comfort of your home

M&P is an authorized distributor and Service Provider of HP Inc in Pakistan. Thanks to our HP Partner, "Indus Office Automation” on focus towards using digital innovation to drive accessibility and convenience in the consumers purchase journey and help consumers buying Genuine HP with M&P laptops sitting in the comfort of their home. Today at Future Fest 2023, undoubtedly the biggest Technology event in Pakistan, we are excited to launch the App of HP Shop Pakistan available at Google Play Store to download free and online portal www.hpshop.pk Through this app, Consumers can compare prices and features of different models to help in their purchase decisions, it offers multiple payment modes such as Mobile Wallets, Cards, Bank transfers, RTGS payments and Buy Now-Pay Later options etc. plus it offers Free Nationwide Shipping. Furthermore, it assures you that HP Laptop is unopened, factory sealed and you are the first one to unbox it. You can conveniently claim the warranty locally from any M&P HP Service Centers located nationwide where certified engineers replace the faulty parts with genuine parts without any charges. pR

Partnership on supporting childhood growth through good nutrition takes flight

Abbott and Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) teamed up to educate on how good nutrition can support childhood growth and bring awareness to the issues of malnutrition and stunting. Passengers on PIA domestic flights will receive materials on how to recognize and address picky eating behavior and ideas to engage kids in the kitchen, In addition, board games, coloring books and puzzles will be provided to keep children entertained on board. Kids need nutritious foods for healthy growth and development, especially during early, formative years of their lives. When kids are picky eaters for long periods of time, they may not be able to get complete and balanced nutrition through regular diet, and this can lead to serious health issues like malnutrition, immune deficiencies, diminished bone health, stunting and decreased muscle mass, which can have lifelong consequences from poor health outcomes. Growth issues in the first five years may challenge a child’s development and limit future potential, as approximately 60% of adult height is achieved by the age of five. Making sure children get the right nutrition for proper growth and development should be a high priority for parents and caregivers so that all children can grow and live to their fullest potential. pR

Gearing up for a virtual tomorrow, TPL Insurance enters the metaverse

KARACHI pR

With the commitment to redefine insurance in Pakistan through continuous innovation and product enhancement, TPL Insurance has entered the Metaverse focusing on its next generation of customers. To create awareness about its products and develop a personalized experience, TPL Insurance has become the first insurance company in Pakistan to open in the meta space. The metaverse is growing in popularity, captivating people all around the world. From gaming to networking, many people and businesses are exploring the vast possibilities of the virtual world.

Speaking about the launch, Mr. Muhammad Aminuddin – CEO, TPL Insurance, said: “As Pakistan’s leading Insurtech, we take immense pride in bringing disruption to the digital space, creating new developments and offerings in the industry and for the next generation. Our efforts are focused on making insurance easy and accessible for various segments across Pakistan. TPL Insurance will continue playing a pivotal role in driving awareness about the benefits of insurance and providing

customers with innovative solutions.”

With the accelerated progression of the tech and internet experience, the Metaverse enables users to go a step further than just browsing the internet or social media.

Metaverse is a virtual world where people can meet and interact, like their real-life experiences and interactions. As the metaverse expands, so will its use as a marketing platform. This is the first step taken by TPL Insurance to establish a presence in the Metaverse, and insurance policies will be issued and serviced virtually in the upcoming months.

Users can walk around the TPL Insurance gallery, learn about products and offers as well as get quick access to the mobile app and website for real-time policy issuance and servicing.

Commenting on this initiative, Ms. Sarah Dawood – Head of Corporate Brand, TPL Insurance, said, “The metaverse is the start of a new era in Marketing & Brand Communications in Pakistan, and globally, the consumer’s virtual life will now play as important a role as their physical presence and experiences with brands and services. I’m excited to see TPL Insurance as the first insurance company in Pakistan to be in the meta space.”

Stranded snow-tourists in Neelum Valley rescued

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

At least 12 tourists have been rescued by the authorities in the Neelum Valley of Azad Jammu and Kashmir who were trapped in heavy snowfall.

They belonged to the University of Punjab were visiting Kel village of Neelam Valley when they were stranded due to heavy snowfall.

However, the rescue officials managed to reach the snow-blanketed spot and evacuated the students successfully. All tourists have been moved to the guest house safely.

Some roads were reopened after they were cleared of snow but others remained closed, either because of icy conditions or ongoing clearance work.

Earlier, a group of around 230 tourists found themselves stranded in heavy snow at the Pir Chinasi tourist resort in Muzaffarabad.

The tourists who had been visiting the popular high-altitude resort were unable to leave due to the severe weather conditions. Authorities sprang into action, launching a rescue mission to safely evacuate the tourists from the resort.

According to Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), the present weather spell is likely to continue for a couple of days over the upper parts of the country.

The Met Office has forecast more snowfall over KP,

Punjab, Kashmir and GilgitBaltistan during the next couple of days while rain-thunderstorm is expected at scattered places in Islamabad, upper Punjab (Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Lahore, Sargodha, Faisalabad, divisions) upper KP (Malakand, Hazara, Peshawar, Kohat, Mardan, divisions), Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir during next two days. More snowfall is also expected over the hills of Malakand, Hazara divisions, Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir during the period.

Pakistan, Hong Kong sign MoU on education cooperation

ISLAMABAD MonitoRing RepoRt

The Education Bureau of the Hong Kong government signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Education of Pakistan to enhance education collaboration. The MoU provides a framework to facilitate strategic education collaboration between Hong Kong and Pakistan and covers mutually beneficial initiatives, including the exchange of expertise and experience, exchange of educational literature, teaching aids and demonstration materials, as well as exchanges of scholars, teachers, experts, students and other education personnel, according to a press statement. Choi Yuk-lin, education secretary of the Hong Kong government, said that the MoU marks the beginning of a new phase of close cooperation between Hong Kong and Pakistan in the area of education. Hong Kong has signed nine MoUs with countries along the Belt and Road to date, which demonstrates its commitment to and effort in enhancing the internationalisation of education as well as strengthening educational ties and exchanges with the Belt and Road countries, Choi said.

“I am confident that the MoU will facilitate more comprehensive exchanges and collaboration in education between the two places,” she added.

traffic in snowy areas

PESHAWAR Staff RepoRt

Regional Police Officer (RPO) Malakand Sajjad Khan has directed the region police to take all possible measures for maintaining a smooth flow of traffic in the upper and snowy areas of Malakand Division in the current weather situation, said a press release issued here on Monday. He also directed that police remain alert on the main roads in snowfall areas so that passengers, tourists, and other visitors coming there from outside, do not face any inconvenience due to weather conditions or snowfall. He said that tourists come for the purpose of snowfall enjoyment, to get guidance from the police deputed there, regarding going to the tourist places so that they do not face any unpleasant problems or inconveniences. The police force personnel will be present for the protection, assistance, and help the tourists and visitors there, the RPO added. In a message issued to tourists, in view of the recent snowfall and weather conditions in Chitral, Dir Upper, Swat and other parts of the area, to maintain the flow of traffic on main approach roads passing through snowy areas and for tourists going to snowfall venues.

The RPO said that the tourists should take all necessary safety measures during travel to the snowy areas so that they are safe from any inconvenience.

Bangladesh did not stop providing subsidy to its people despite IMF pressure: envoy

KARACHI Staff RepoRt

The Deputy High Commissioner of Bangladesh posted in Karachi, SM Mehboob Alam, has said that despite the pressure of the IMF, Bangladesh has not stopped giving subsidies to anyone, including agriculture, and considering the conditions of the country, it has given the people cheap goods and utility bills.

Bangladesh continued to provide concessions in terms of educational standards, and the primary literacy rate is 99 percent, compared to 18 percent in 1971, and free ed-

ucation and books are also provided to these students, one and a half crore students are being provided scholarships, he said that there are 170 universities, 112 medical colleges in their country, 11 thousand doctors complete their education from these medical colleges every year.

Bangladesh has good relations with all countries including Pakistan, we are not against any country, under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajid, our country is on the path of development, he was talking to senior journalists at his residence on Thursday. On this occasion, First Secretary Muhammad Atiqur Rahman was

also present. To a question, the Consul General said that 500 visas are issued every month from the Karachi Visa Office and if the required documents are available, the visa would be issued in 10 to 15 days.

He said that there is a lot of foreign investment in his country, which has a population of 17 crores, and Prime Minister Hasina Wajid has created 100 industrial zones in which the investors are provided with facilities through One-Window-Operation and The Prime Minister herself is monitoring this entire process, he said that he will try to get the Prime Minister of Bangladesh to visit Pakistan. In the past, the Prime Min-

ister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif, and Federal Minister Ahsan Iqbal have also visited Bangladesh.

He added, that there are more than 300 pharmaceutical companies in his country and Bangladesh has foreign reserves of 48 billion dollars, while from 2009 to 2010 it was only 4 billion dollars. On the other hand, the textile sector of Bangladesh is ranked second in the world. To a question, he said that 85 percent of the population are Muslims, while 15% are non-Muslim, and like Muslims, the days of Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, and Christians are also celebrated, and on these days there is a public holiday

across the country, in our country, everyone has religious freedom. If the media continues its activities with responsibility, there is no restriction on it, if it is biased, such activities cannot be tolerated, he said.

To a question he answered, If a boy or girl gets married in Bangladesh, then citizenship is given. Mr. Mehboob said, Bangladesh provides loans to Sri Lanka and aid is given to Afghanistan. In the past electricity production was 4 thousand megawatts, which is now 25 thousand megawatts, while the need is more than 20 thousand and electricity has been provided to all the backward areas.

Police directed to maintain flow of

Biden visits Us-Mexico Border for first tiMe since taking office

wASHINGToN reuters

PRESIDENTJoe Biden visited the US-Mexico border on Sunday for the first time since taking office, tackling one of the most politically charged issues in the country as he prepares for a re-election bid.

Accompanied by Border Patrol agents, Biden toured a section of the wall that divides the two countries, a signature priority of his Republican predecessor Donald Trump, in an effort to demonstrate that he was taking the issue seriously.

Biden on Thursday said his administration would tighten immigration enforcement by blocking Cuban, Haitian and Nicaraguan migrants at the border, expanding the nationalities of those who can be expelled back to Mexico.

But that has not impressed Republicans like Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who accused him of failing to enforce immigration laws.

“You have violated your constitutional obligation to defend the States against invasion through the faithful execution of federal laws,” Abbott, a possible 2024 presidential candidate, wrote in a letter he handed to

Biden upon his arrival in the state.

Biden told reporters he had not yet read the letter. Joined by Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, the president also visited the Bridge of the Americas, which connects the United States and Mexico, and viewed equipment that border officials use to detect illegal drugs.

Biden hopes to strengthen relations with Border Patrol agents, some of whom have bristled at the rollback of hardline enforcement policies by the White House.

The long-term goal of Congress reforming America’s creaky immigration system is unlikely to succeed given Republicans’ newly assumed control of the US House of Representatives. Right-wing lawmakers have repeatedly torpedoed US immigration reform proposals over the past two decades.

Biden sent Congress an immigration reform plan on his first day in office two years ago, but it floundered due to opposition from Republicans, who also blocked his request for $3.5 billion to beef up border enforcement.Republicans are pushing their own plans for the border after securing a narrow majority in the House of Representatives in the 2022 midterm elections.

Republican US Representative Jim Jordan told Fox News that Biden should

Prominent chinese diplomat Zhao Lijian takes new job

ISLAMABAD Mian abrar

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian, who gained prominence as one of China’s most wise, outspoken but effective diplomats, has been transferred to its department that manages land and sea borders. Zhao, 50, is now deputy head of the ministry’s Department of Boundary and Ocean Affairs, the website of the ministry said on Monday. Zhao became a ministry spokesperson in 2020 after stints in China’s embassy in Pakistan, where he built a large following on Twitter as well as on Chinese social media for his frequent and often combative posts, many targeted at the United States. The innovative style of Zhao Lijian made him the most prominent diplomat which marked a departure from the restraint that had long characterised Beijing’s engagement with the world. In a Twitter post in March 2020, Zhao wrote that the US military might have brought the coronavirus to the Chinese city of Wuhan. Zhao, who often hosted the ministry’s daily media briefing, has 1.9 million Twitter followers. Zhao and the ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on his change in role. Late last month, China promoted Qin Gang, its ambassador to Washington and a trusted aide of President Xi Jinping, to be its new foreign minister, as Beijing and Washington seek to stabilise rocky relations.

Western arms ‘prolong suffering’ of Ukrainians: kremlin

MoSCow agencies

The Kremlin on Monday said moves by France and other Western countries to supply Ukraine with weapons — including light tanks — would only make life more difficult for Ukrainians. “Fundamentally, these deliveries cannot and will not change anything… (they) can only prolong the suffering of the Ukrainian people,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in response to a question on France’s decision last week to send armoured vehicles to Ukraine.

French President Emmanuel Macron last week pledged to send light tanks to Kyiv. The move to supply the French-made AMX-10 RC to Ukraine — a light model in service since the 1980s — would make France the first Western country to send tanks to Ukraine The Kremlin said President Vladimir Putin and Macron remain in contact. Peskov said the leaders being in touch has been “very useful, despite deep differences.” After Macron committed to send tanks to Kyiv, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also faced renewed calls to send tanks to Kyiv.

adopt the zero-tolerance policies pursued by Trump, which included separating children from their migrant parents. “They’ve allowed now a situation where frankly, we no longer have a border,” Jordan said.

Mayorkas on Sunday said international crises and legislative gridlock limited Biden’s ability to reduce the number of migrants making their way to the United States.

“We’re just dealing with a broken system,” Mayorkas told reporters aboard Air

Force One on the way to Texas.

El Paso’s Democratic mayor declared a state of emergency last month, citing hundreds of migrants’ sleeping on the streets in cold temperatures and thousands being apprehended every day.

US border officials apprehended a record 2.2 million migrants at the border with Mexico in the 2022 fiscal year that ended in September, though that number includes individuals who tried to cross multiple times.

‘MARKEDLY DIFFERENT’: At the same time as he expanded his authority to expel migrants, Biden on Thursday opened legal, limited pathways into the country for Cubans, Nicaraguans and Haitians — allowing up to 30,000 people from those three countries plus Venezuela to enter the country by air each month.

While winning praise from some US industry groups desperate to solve pressing labour shortages, Biden’s moves have drawn criticism from human rights activists and some Democrats who say the new restrictions are a retreat from the president’s 2020 campaign promise to restore historical rights to asylum-seekers.

Mayorkas rejected the idea that Biden was reviving Trump-era clampdowns.

“It is not a ban at all,” he said. “It is markedly different than what the Trump administration proposed.”

On the ground in El Paso, migrants greeted the new policy with trepidation.

David Guillen, 43, asked Biden to forgive him and fellow Venezuelan migrants who entered the country illegally, many of whom are now sleeping outside a church in El Paso, fearful of being arrested and deported if they attempt to travel to another city.

Iran hands out three more death sentences over Amini protests

after their sentences were upheld by the country’s supreme court.

Iran has sentenced to death three people accused of killing three members of the security forces during the protests triggered by the death of Mahsa Amini, the judiciary said Monday.

The Islamic republic has been rocked by civil unrest since the September 16 death of Kurdish Iranian Amini, 22, following her arrest for allegedly violating Iran’s strict dress code for women.

The latest sentences, which can still be appealed, bring to 17 the total number of people condemned to death in connection with the more than three months of protests.

Four of those convicted have been executed and two others are on death row

Saleh Mirhashemi, Majid Kazemi and Saeed Yaghoubi were sentenced to death on charges of “moharebeh” — or waging “war against God” — under Iran’s Islamic law, the judiciary’s Mizan Online news website reported.

In addition, they were all found guilty of belonging to a “criminal group with the intention of disrupting the security of the country”, a charge that carries a 10year jail term.

Two others were handed prison terms for the incident that led to the deaths of the three security force members in the central province of Isfahan on November 16, Mizan said.

One of them is professional footballer Amir Nasr-Azadani, 26, who received sentences totalling 26 years in

prison on three different charges including assisting in “moharebeh”.

According to Iranian law, however, he should serve them concurrently, meaning he would be behind bars for 16 years, it said.

Nasr-Azadani’s case and the risk of him being sentenced to death had raised alarm abroad, mainly by FIFPRO, the world union of professional footballers.

All the sentences announced can be appealed before the country’s supreme court, Mizan said. Videos of the court sessions were published by Mizan, along with CCTV images purportedly showing the crimes being committed, and the confessions of the accused.

Iranian authorities say hundreds of people, including members of the security forces, have been killed and thou-

sands arrested during the protests which they have generally labelled “riots”.

Tehran accuses hostile foreign countries and opposition groups of stoking the unrest. On Saturday, Iran executed Mohammad Mehdi Karami and Seyed Mohammad Hosseini for killing a paramilitary force member in November, in Karaj west of Tehran.

Two other men, Mohsen Shekari and Majidreza Rahnavard, were put to death in December after being convicted of separate attacks on security forces.

The executions have sparked global outrage and new Western sanctions against Tehran.

According to London-based rights group Amnesty International, Iran is second only to China in its use of the death penalty, with at least 314 people executed in 2021.

South Asia welcomes Chinese tourists after easing of COVID travel curbs

CHINA Mian abrar

Many countries, especially Southeast Asian nations, are welcoming Chinese tourists after China officially downgraded its COVID-19 management policy on January 8.

Under the new management policy, COVID-19 is downgraded from Class A to Class B in the country. Mass testing no longer exists and citizens infected with the disease don’t have to be quarantined.

International arrivals also do not have to go through nucleic acid testing and quarantine.

The policy shift has received a positive response from many countries, including Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and New Zealand, which all have welcomed Chinese travelers.

Thailand announced its latest entry policy on January 5, saying that all people from other countries and regions will be treated equally and tourists from any country will not be required to provide test results for COVID-19, but they will still need to provide records of at least two injections of COVID-19 vaccine.

Tourism authorities in Thailand said the country is actively preparing for the arrival of Chinese tourists, and they are expecting at least 5 million Chinese tourist arrivals this year, nearly half of the

11.5 million Chinese nationals who visited in 2019. “Marvelous Thailand has been waiting for you for three years,” reads a Weibo post by Thailand’s national tourist bureau, which also contains a hashtag that translates as: “China orderly resumes outbound travel.” Uzaidi Udanis, president of Malaysia Inbound Travel Association, said the government would not impose special restrictions on Chinese visitors arriving after January 8. He welcomes Chinese tourists and predicted that about 3 million Chinese tourists would visit Malaysia this year.

On China’s Twitter-like service Weibo, governments worldwide posted

Cambodia is also looking forward to

of Chinese tourists. Prime Minister Hun Sen said last week that his country would “not require Chinese people to do anything, just to come as normal tourists.” He predicted that Cambodia is expected to receive 2 million Chinese tourists this year. Prior to the pandemic, Cambodia was receiving more than 2 million Chinese tourists per year or nearly 40 percent of its total in-

ternational arrivals.

The Cambodian tourism ministry also extended a welcome to Chinese tourists, saying it is making preparations for the reception of Chinese tourists and encourages tourism companies to carry out relevant certification procedures as soon as possible and make preparations.

Indonesia has similarly announced that it will maintain its COVID-19 policy toward Chinese visitors, adding it will continue to monitor the situation. Currently, like all foreign travelers, Chinese arrivals are required to show proof of complete vaccination against COVID-19.

The Singaporean government too has said there would be no changes in COVID-19 measures for travelers from China. Foreigners who are not fully vaccinated need to undergo pre-departure tests before they can enter the country while short-term visitors are required to buy insurance for COVID-related medical expenses.

Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy of Indonesia Sandiaga Uno said on January 4 that the country is ready to welcome tourists from China.

Moreover, Statistics Indonesia (BPS) recorded that Indonesia welcomed only 94,924 tourists from the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong during the January-October 2022 period, a sharp decline from 2.07 million tourists in 2019, he said.

TEHRAN aFP

photos and videos of famous tourist attractions to leave an impression on prospective Chinese travelers shortly after China announced the lifting of its COVID-19 travel restrictions.

the return

Kvitova wins battle of Wimbledon champions at Adelaide

ADeLAIDe, AuStrALIA: Petra Kvitova won the battle of Wimbledon champions on Monday in Adelaide as she outserved Elena Rybakina — who has now crashed out early in two tournaments leading into next week’s Australian Open. Two-time Wimbledon winner Kvitova beat the current All England Club champion 6-3, 7-5 in round one, exacting a measure of revenge. The 23rd-ranked Russianborn Rybakina won their first head-to-head meeting last year in Ostrava. World number 16 Kvitova never faced a break point in 86 minutes at Adelaide International II, while breaking Rybakina at the tailend of each set to move safely through. “I tried to play faster than Elena,” said Kvitova, who won Wimbledon in 2011 and 2014. “She played really great (in Ostrava), it was a good match and I know that she’s serving really well.I was focusing on my serve and I was trying to wait for some chances to break her,” he said. There are two ATP-WTA Adelaide Internationals this month, with Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka winning the titles in week one. Former World Number one Garbine Muguruza fell at the first hurdle again on Monday, losing to Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic 6-3, 6-4, after being beaten by 2019 US Open champion Bianca Andreescu in the opening Adelaide round last week. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, finalist at the 2021 French Open, also toppled out, falling 7-5, 6-4 to Swiss qualifier Jil Teichmann. It was the Russian’s first match in eight months after ending her 2022 season in May with a recurring knee injury. agencieS

Mbappe slams French football boss Le Graet for ‘disrespecting’ Zidane

pArIS: France forward Kylian Mbappe has come out in support of Zinedine Zidane after the country’s football federation (FFF) president Noel Le Graet said he would not pick up the phone if the former midfielder called him to discuss coaching the national team. The FFF had announced head coach Didier Deschamps’s contract extension on Saturday after he led France to a second consecutive World Cup final, where they lost to Argentina on penalties in Qatar last month.

Zidane had previously been a favourite to succeed Deschamps. When asked if Zidane, a World Cup winner with France in 1998 and a national icon, would now manage the Brazilian national team instead, Le Graet toldRMC: “I don’t give a damn, he can go wherever he wants. “I know very well that Zidane was always on the radar. He had a lot of supporters, some were waiting for Deschamps’s departure… But who can make serious reproaches to Deschamps? Nobody. “He (Zidane) does what he wants, it’s none of my business. I’ve never met him, we’ve never considered parting with Didier. ReuteRS

RIZWAn pOWeRS pAKISTAn TO eMphATIc WIn OveR neW ZeALAnD In FIRST One-DAy

KARACHI Mian abRaR

pAKISTAN beat New Zealand by six wickets in the opening one-day international (ODI) of the three-match series at the National Bank Cricket Arena in Karachi on Monday.

Wicketkeeper Batsman Mohammad Rizwan lead Pakistan assault as Captain Babar Azam chipped in with a handy knock of 66 off 82 deliveries. Fakhar Zaman led the assault with 56 runs off 77 balls. Rizwan remained unbeaten on 77 off 86 balls. In his classic innings, Rizwan despatched six boundaries and one six.

Haris Sohail scored 32 while Agha Salman remained not out on 13.

Earlier, fast-bowler Naseem Shah grabbed his second five-wicket haul on Monday to help Pakistan restrict New

Zealand to 255-9 in the first day-night international in Karachi.

The 19-year-old dismissed opener Devon Conway in the first over of the

match for nought to kickstart Pakistan, who won the toss and sent New Zealand in to bat at the National Stadium.

Shah, who finished with 5-57, returned

Cricket Centre, Prince Club, Township Whites emerge victorious in K-20 Cup 2023

Sham ud Din, Zeeshan Shabbir and Anas Mustafa took one wicket each.

Prince Club successfully chased the target on the last ball of the match by scoring 175 for 4 wickets. Player of the match Ammar Tariq played sensational knock of 71 runs of 52 balls, smashing 8 fours and 3 sixes. Sham ud Din (29*), Shoaib Arshad (27) and Anas Mustafa (26) also shone with bat. For MT Club, Usman Shahid (3-25) and Mohsin Irshad (1-35) bowled well.

for a second spell to account for Glenn Phillips (37), Michael Bracewell (43), and Henry Shipley (nought) to derail the visitors’ batting. Shah, whose first five-wicket haul was against the Netherlands in August, rounded off his night by dismissing Mitchell Santner for 21 in the final over.

Tom Latham (42) and Daryl Mitchell (36) restored the innings during a fourthwicket stand of 56, while Phillips and Bracewell added 66 off 59 balls for the sixth — before Shah dismissed both in successive overs.

Skipper Kane Williamson scored 26 before he was beautifully bowled neck and crop by debutant leg-spinner Usama Mir, who finished with 2-42.

Phillips hit a six and a boundary in his 53-ball knock, while Bracewell cracked four boundaries and six off 42 deliveries.

Opener Finn Allen smashed six boundaries in his 27-ball 29.

Cricket Centre, Prince Club and Township Whites registered contrasting triumphs in 20-K Cup 2023 T20 Cricket Tournament matches, played here at different venues on Monday.

Basit Ali batted Cricket Center Club to a 26-run victory over Model Town Whites in the sixth match of the tournament. Basit Ali’s unbeaten convincing knock of 50 runs of just 24 balls was the highlight of the match and for this brilliant knock, he was awarded man of the match award. Cricket Center, batting first, posted a decent total of 178-5 in the allotted 20 overs. Anas Mehmood was though the top scorer from the winning team as he scored 54 runs off 42 balls with the help of 6 boundaries and 1 six, yet the star batter from the winning side was Basit Ali with his smash-

ing unbeaten knock of 50 runs while opener Ameer Hamza struck 22 runs. Naveed Malik (4-20) and Shahab Khan (1-40) bowled well for MT Whites.

Model Town Whites replied strongly but their middle order failed to deliver as they could score 152-6 in 20 overs, thus losing the match by 26 runs.

Opener Aon Shahzad played brilliant inning of 69 runs while Naveed Malik scored 25 and Farhan Khan hit 16 runs.

For Cricket Center, Ali Zafar took two wickets and Saif-ur-Rehman and Asif Ali Khan got one wicket each.

Prince Club overpowered Model Town Club by 6 wickets in highlycharged seventh match of the tournament. Model Town Club, batting first, scored 171 runs for the loss of 7 wickets.

Farman Ali hammered 56 runs, Muhammad Saleem 27 and Hassan Rizwan 23 runs. For Prince Club, Usman Dhillon grabbed 3 for 31 and Ahmed Hassan,

Muhammad Shoaib’s superb bowling guided Township Whites to a thrashing 110-run victory over Lucky Star Club in the eighth match of the tournament. Shoaib bowled four overs and conceded just 14 runs to grab four wickets.

Township Whites, batting first, posted a mammoth total of 191-8 in allotted 20 overs. Rana Ayan Ali was top scorer with 59 runs while Naeem Khan smashed 48, Kamran Afzal 27 and Ali Ahmad Jutt 19 runs. Adil Sarwar bagged 2 wickets for 23.

Lucky Star Club could score paltry 81-10 in 12.2 overs, thanks to outstanding bowling by man of the match Muhammad Shoaib. Junaid Ali (25), Awais Shahzad (20), Imran Dogar (15) and Hanan Zahid (11) could cross the double figures. Besides Shoaib, Kamran Afzal and Muhammad Yasin claimed 2 wickets each. On Tuesday (January 10, 2023), two matches will be contested. Shinning Club will vie against Shah Kamal Club while Apollo Club will play Shah Faisal Club.

Sarfaraz

Test, Babar Azam T20, Shan Masood likely to lead in ODI

ISLAMABAD: A proposal to change the fortune of the national team is under consideration as three separate captains are expected to lead the cricket team in the three formats. According to sources, Babar Azam will continue to lead the Twenty20 side but is likely to lose the leadership responsibilities in the other two formats. Sarfaraz Ahmed in Tests while Shan Masood will be taking on the role of ODI captain. However, the selection of the left-hander will be subject to improvement in performance. Shan was recently named vicecaptain for the three-match ODI series against New Zealand starting Monday. Sources revealed that Babar and some seniors were not happy with the decision. Babar was not consulted regarding Shan’s appointment, but future coach Mickey Arthur’s opinion played a role. While the South African has not officially taken over as coach, he is in touch with the PCB and continues to give advice. Arthur signed Shan for his county team and handed over the leadership. He believes that Shan could be a good future captain for Pakistan. While Shan is receiving all the green signals, it was made clear to the batter that he’ll first have to improve his performance and after that the final decision will be taken. Babar’s captaincy has been questioned lately after Pakistan failed to win a single Test at home last year. Sarfaraz is likely to take on the leadership responsibility in Tests after he scored most runs (335) against the Kiwis. In the recently concluded second Test, Sarfraz’s century helped Pakistan overcome the defeat. Staff RepoRt

Australian Open no-show fuels fears for Osaka’s tennis future

with the standards that she has.

Naomi Osaka has not played a tennis match since September and her withdrawal from next week’s Australian Open has raised concerns that the former world number one may never appear on the court again.

Osaka’s social media accounts have stayed silent since Tennis Australia tweeted on Sunday that the two-time Melbourne champion would miss the first Grand Slam of the year, giving no reason for her absence.

Osaka’s posts over the past few months have shown her travelling in Europe with her boyfriend, the rapper Cordae, and announcing that her sports management agency had signed up world number two Ons Jabeur.

But there has been little evidence of the Japanese player spending time practising on the court, fuelling speculation that the fourtime Grand Slam champion’s tennis career could be over at the age of 25.

Tennis writer Ben Rothenberg, who has authored a biography of Osaka due out later this year, believes she has already taken a

“meaningful step back” from the sport and is deliberately keeping quiet.

“I think she might want to be opaque about it because she doesn’t want to put a label on it necessarily,” he toldAFP.

“I don’t think she would use the word ‘retiring’, but if she was stepping away from the sport for a while — and it could be for any length of time — I don’t know that she would want to speak that out loud.

‘More Down thAn up’ Osaka has previously talked about struggling with her mental health and revealed that she suffered from depression. She spent all of 2022 outside the top 10, enduring first-round defeats at both the French and US Opens and withdrawing from Wimbledon with an Achilles’ injury. She also split from long-time coach Wim Fissette last summer, replacing him with her father Leonard Francois.

Her last appearance was at the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo in September, where the home favourite withdrew before her secondround match, complaining of abdominal pain. She told reporters at that tournament that she had gone through “more down than

up” in 2022 and that she had “learned a lot” about herself. She is now ranked 47 in the world, having hit the summit for the first time in 2019. Rothenberg believes Osaka is “recalculating things” and may decide that she is not prepared to make the sacrifices needed

to continue as a professional tennis player.

“For her, the math is not adding up right now, for her to want to make the commitment,” he said. “She knows how much work it is and how all-encompassing and preoccupying it is to be an active full-time player

BuSIneSS IntereStS: Osaka has several interests outside of playing tennis, including her sports management agency Evolve, which counts Jabeur and Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios among its clients. She has also invested in Pickleball, a tennislike sport that is growing fast in the United States, and boasts numerous endorsements. Her website describes herself as not only a tennis player but also a “fashion nerd”, “entrepreneur” and “social change advocate”.

Osaka was named the world’s top-earning woman athlete for 2022 by Forbes, with reported earnings of $51.1 million, even as her tennis career continued to dive.

Rothenberg says there will be significant pressure from sponsors urging Osaka to “stay on the hamster wheel” of professional tennis. But he says the fact that she has chosen not to proves that she is “making this decision for herself”. “Whatever her reasons may be, players almost always err on the side of choosing to play,” he said. “So for her to hit pause, I think shows a good deal of control of the situation.”

TOKYO afp

LAHORE Staff RepoRt

NovAtex WithDrAWs offer to Acquire 75Pc holDiNg iN lotte cheMicAl

NOVATExLimited has withdrawn its public announcement of intention (PAI) to acquire 75.01% shares of Lotte Chemical Pakistan Limited (LOTCHEM).

The announcement was made by the manager of the offer, Arif Habib Limited (AHL), to the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSx) on Monday.

According to the notification issued by the manager of the offer, the PAI was with-

drawn because the parties were unable to agree on the terms of the transaction. The initial acquisiton announcement was made six months ago on July 13, 2022.

The share price of LOTCHEM closed at Rs 24.85 on Monday, down 4.64%.

lotte CheMiCal Pakistan: LOTCHEM was incorporated in Pakistan on 30 May 1998. The principal activity of the company is the manufacture and sale of Pure Terephthalic Acid (PTA).

Lotte, the South Korean conglomerate, acquired the majority shareholdings in Pak-

Munir meets Saudi crown prince to discuss ties

ISLaMaBaD/RIYaDH StAff RepoRt

The general began his first week-long trip to the kingdom and the United Arab Emirates on Thursday as Pakistan, struggling with the impact of soaring inflation and dwindling forex reserves which have plunged to a multi-decade low, looks to help shore up alliances with oil-rich sheikhdoms. According to SPA, Salman welcomed the army

istan PTA Limited (PPTA) in September 2009. Subsequently, the name of the company was changed to Lotte Chemical Pakistan Ltd. The corporation is the single largest shareholder of LOTCHEM with a 75.01% shareholding.

The company has the capacity to produce 520,000 tonnes of PTA annually through its state-of-the-art plant located at Port Qasim, Karachi. The plant at the port was built using ICI’s state-of-the-art technology when it was commissioned in 1998. It produces Purified Terephthalic Acid

(PTA), an essential raw material for Pakistan’s textile and PET packaging industries, and forms the backbone of the polyester chain, including Polyester Staple Fibre, Filament Yarn and PET (bottle grade) resin. In addition to its own manufacturing facilities, the company has helped create a large infrastructure network at the Port Qasim vicinity, which includes a chemical jetty, raw water pipeline and manufacture of industrial gases through third-party contracts.

novatex liMited Novatex Limited is a leading name in

polyester filament yarn, polyester chips and PET Resin in Pakistan. Incorporated in 1991, it started manufacturing textile grade polyester chips by the year 1997. In 2002, it diversified itself as a manufacturer of Pet Resin. In 2007, two new plants were installed i.e. for production of Polyester Chips Amorphous Grade and another facility to produce Pet Resin –Bottle Grade Chips. In the same year, the company also started producing pet preforms of various grammage from selfproduced pet resin. In 2012, Novatex commenced production of BOPET films under the brand name of Krystofilms, which is the biggest plant of Pet films in Pakistan.

The company also exports its products across the globe in Europe, Middle East, South Asia, North Africa, East Africa, New Zealand, South and North America.

chief at the winter camp in Al-Ula, an ancient Arabic oasis city located in Medina, earlier in the day. “During the reception, they reviewed bilateral relations and the ways of enhancing them, in addition to a number of issues of common concern,” the agency reported.

ISLaMaBaD GhulAm AbbAS

The Ministry of Food Security and Research (MoFS&R) is fumigating imported cotton and other goods with toxic Methyl Bromide in open trucks at the Chaman Border. At a time when the ministry has not allowed the import of Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) soybean oilseeds to produce edible oil and poultry feed, the fumigation has raised eyebrows over the internal consistency of the ministry’s policies.

The fumigation of imported agricultural inputs with Methyl Bromide is a general policy, but the problem in the current situation is that the cotton being fumigated is open on trucks bringing it in from the Afghanistan border. The fumigation process is supposed to be completed with airtight containers since the substance is harmful to human health.

Images and visuals made available to Profit have shown the cotton being fumigated on top of open trucks. Importers have claimed that the ministry is doing this to charge hefty charges from them at the border. Since the fumigation is a requirement, the ministry charges importers for doing this. However, it is being done without due dili-

gence and in sheer sheer violation of the rules.

As per experts the fumigation of open trucks is not as per international standards as the open trucks can never be airtight and through this process applied fumigants get leaked and spread in the air and surroundings that may cause serious health issues for general workers and people living in nearby areas. “Furthermore the fumigation in such a process becomes ineffective and just a waste of time and resources. There is no need for mandatory fumigation with methyl bromide. Only if the quarantine pest is identified after inspection, the fumigation with methyl bromide can be exercised,” said one source.”The fumigation can only be done in airtight structures like containers and enclosed fumigation chambers.”

As the visuals show some cotton bales are even visible from outside of the trucks. In this situation, fumigant will spread in the air and will cause damage to the exposed people i.e cancer and other skin disease and ultimately will damage the ozone layer and will damage the environment.

Methyl BroMide: As per documents, the excessive and misuse of methyl bromide can damage the ozone layer causing sun rays to

reach earth directly. Besides, the spread of Methyl Bromide damages human health as it causes cancer to exposed persons. Recently, Methyl Bromide was in the news because of the recent kerfuffle over GMO soybean oilseeds stuck at Port Qasim in Karachi. The government had stopped shipments of the oilseeds triggering panic in the edible oil and poultry industries — both of which are dependent on the oilseeds. News had come in that to deal with the GMO issue, the oilseeds were being fumigated with Methyl Bromide — which can cause serious harm to human health.

According to sources, the unnecessary fumigation of trucks, the supply of goods to market also get delayed as after fumigation, the trucks are bound to stay for 72 hours for exposure and if trucks are released without fulfilling the condition of 72 hours, as mentioned in import permit, it will be noncompliance of import permit conditions.

As the images show cotton trash in the consignment, which as per the rules of Department of Plant Protection (DPP), an attached department of MoFS&R, also needed biosecurity clearance by the relevant department.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa govt opposes 600-MW solar project

ISLaMaBaD AhmAd AhmAdAni

The federal government’s solar project planned to be built in Muzaffargarh was opposed by PTI’s provincial government of KP in a public hearing held on Monday by the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA). The project has been envisioned to slowly wean the country off the use of expensive fossil fuels for energy generation. The 600-MW solar project will contribute green energy in place of thermal power generation. During the Nepra hearing, the representatives of the KP government said that the federal government has not consulted them before launching the project. This, according to them, goes against the ARE policy approved in 2019. The opposition came despite the legal opinion in favour of the project provided by the Ministry of Law and Justice based on the Alternative and Renewable Energy (ARE) Policy. The KP government has declared that the federal government cannot start the solar energy project at Muzaffargarh (Punjab) without getting approval from the Council of Common Interest (CCI) since the provincial government was not consulted. The CCI is a constitutional body of Pakistan’s government. The president appoints it on the recommendations of the prime minister. The council settles power-sharing conflicts between the federal and provincial governments.

On the contrary, the representatives of the federal government were of the opinion that the Ministry of Law and Justice had also provided a legal opinion that is in line with the overall renewable energy strategy, therefore the opposition, they believe, is pointless. Documents available with Profit disclosed that the law division has supported the proposed solar projects from a legal point of view. Representatives of the federal government said that the solar project is going to start under the purview of the Alternative Energy Development Board (AEDB).

ADB to reprioritize up to $1B for Pakistan’s disaster risk reconstruction

Staff RepoRt

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will reprioritize up to $1 billion for climate and disaster risk reconstruction as well as resilience support over the next three years for Pakistan. This was stated by ADB Vice President (Operations 1) Shixin Chen while speaking at the International Conference on Climate Resistant Pakistan 2023 in Geneva. “ADB has acted swiftly to support Pakistan’s flood response. Beyond our contribution to the PDNA and the government’s 4RF, we approved a $557 million emergency flood-assistance package to Pakistan on top of a $1.5 billion countercyclical program, which also partly supports social protection and food security in flood-affected areas. Meanwhile, sizable additional co-financing has been mobilized,” he said. Going forward, ADB will reprioritize up to $1 billion for climate and disaster risk reconstruction as well as resilience support over the next three years. Key sectors of support include agriculture and natural resources, urban services, social protection, health, and public financial management. We welcome the continued efforts with development partners on co-financing to maximize the impact of our support to Pakistan. He congratulated Pakistan on the timely completion of the Resilient Recovery, Rehabilitation, and Reconstruction Framework (4RF) derived from the Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA), which demonstrated the strong leadership of the government of Pakistan with the joint efforts of development partners.

MuHaMMaD RaafaY KHan

Gen. Syed Asim Munir, the new army chief of Pakistan, and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia met early Monday to “discuss bilateral relations” between the two nations, according to the Saudi Press Agency.

Open trucks of cotton being fumigated with dangerous substance in violation of rules