Epaper_23-01-11 ISB

PM grateful as donors exceed flood recovery goal with $9bn Pledge

ing funds to fight climate disasters in poorer countries.

shehbazSharif thanked the international donors who committed over $9 billion to help Pakistan recover from ruinous floods last year, exceeding Islamabad’s external financing goals and paving the way for a new model of rais-

Officials from some 40 countries as well as private donors and international financial institutions gathered at a meeting in Geneva as Islamabad sought funds to cover around half of a recovery bill amounting to $16.3 billion.

The meeting’s co-hosts, the United Nations and Pakistan’s government, said

more than $9 billion had been pledged from bilateral and multilateral partners. among the donors were the Islamic Development bank ($4.2 billion), the World bank ($2 billion), Saudi arabia ($1 billion), as well as the european Union and China, Information Minister Marriyum aurangzeb said. France and the United States also made contributions.

“a big thank you to heads of states

and governments, european Union, our development partners and United Nations for making Resilient Pakistan Conference a resounding success,” the prime minister tweeted.

he also mentioned the proactive role of antonio Guterres, secretary general of the United Nations, in highlighting the plight of flood-hit people.

“The UN secretary general has

shown stellar leadership all along. People of Pakistan will forever remain grateful,” he said.

Sharif said the world witnessed how the nations came together in a show of solidarity to create a model of win-win partnership to lift suffering humanity out of tragedy. “I was deeply moved by the compassion on display at Geneva Conference. Together we will rebuild lives and hopes,” he said.

“Today has truly been a day which gives us great hope,” said hina Rabbani Khar, Pakistan’s minister of state for foreign affairs. “I think the message from the world is clear: the world will stand by those who go through any national calamity.”

Pakistan’s textile industry lays off 7 million workers, threatens to shut down

‘Kaam Kaam Kaam’ on hold after Diamond Supreme Foam suspends production

Imran warns against strikes in Afghanistan amid twin Taliban threats

ISLAMABAD staff report

‘Calls from unknown numbErs’: PTI urgEs Coas To EnsurE nEuTralITy of InsTITuTIon

StAff REpORt

PAKISTANTehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)

Senior Vice President Fawad Chaudhry claimed Tuesday that the party’s lawmakers in Punjab were allegedly offered bribes from “unknown numbers” to shift their loyalties and urged Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir to launch an independent in-

quiry into the matter.

“The new army chief is apolitical and the institutions are not supporting any particular party in the country,” Chaudhry said while addressing a press conference in Lahore following a meeting with PTI Chairman Imran Khan.

“Unfortunately, our MPAs from Muzaffargarh told the former prime minister that they received calls from unknown numbers

lHC orders to implement verdict on issuance of noC to ramzan sugar mills

LAHORE app

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday ordered to implement its verdict about issuance of a no objection certificate (NOC) to Ramzan Sugar Mills in two days. Justice Shahid Karim passed the orders while disposing of a petition filed by Ramzan Sugar Mills for implementation of the court orders about issuance of the NOC for making the mills operational. During the proceedings, the court expressed displeasure at the late appearance of the Excise and Taxation Department (E&TD) Director General Dr Asif Tufail. The director general sought apology and assured that it would not be repeated in future. However, he failed to satisfy the court over not issuing NOC to Ramzan Sugar Mills, in response to a court query. Subsequently, the court ordered implementation of its orders within two-day and disposed of petition. The court, on Dec 10 ordered the E&TD Punjab to issue a NOC for making the Ramzan Sugar Mills operational while allowing a petition for the purpose.

PmD alert: rain to benefit standing crops, subsides foggy conditions

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

Rain with snowfall over the hilly areas is likely including Islamabad, Potohar region, Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, and northern and western Balochistan during the next 24 hours. According to Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) alert issued here on Tuesday, heavy rain with snowfall is expected in Murree, Galliyat, Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, northern Balochistan and upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during the next 24 hours. It is added the rain will subside dense fog in plain areas of Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and upper Sindh. According to the synoptic situation, a westerly wave affecting western parts of the country was likely to grip upper and western parts in the next24 hours and may persist in upper parts from January 11-13. The PMD has alerted the concerned authorities about the possible impacts of the rain during the next two days. The PMD warned that heavy snowfall may disrupt and cause closure of roads in Murree, Galiyat, Naran, Kaghan, Dir, Swat, Kohistan, Mansehra, Abbottabad, Shangla, Astore, Hunza, Skardu, Neelum valley, Bagh, Poonch and Haveli from January 11-13. The possibility of landslides in Upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan can’t be ruled out. Tourists are advised to remain extra cautious during the spell. Rain will be beneficial for the standing crops particularly in parts of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Foggy conditions are likely to subside during the forecast period. Temperatures are likely to fall significantly during and after the spell.During the last 24 hours, cold and cloudy weather prevailed over most parts of the country while 02 mm rain was recorded in Kalam. Foggy conditions prevailed over plain areas of Punjab and upper Sindh. The 01 inches snowfall was recorded in Astore and Kalam while traces were found in Bagrote.

and were offered bribes to change their loyalties,” he added.

Unknown people met the members of the joint investigation team (JIT) tasked with probing the assassination attack on Khan and tried to dictate to them about the probe, he said, quoting the media reports.

Expressing serious concerns over the matter, the PTI leader urged the army chief to ensure the neutrality of the institution.

“We do not know that the allegations are true or not,” he said and underlined the need for an independent investigation to bring forth the truth.

He maintained that in the previous elections, Rs1.2 billion were offered for five MPA by the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM). “We want to keep a working relationship with the institutions. We don’t want to get into a fight with in-

Bailable arrest warrants for Imran Khan, Asad Umar, Fawad issued

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday issued bailable arrest warrants for Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaf (PTI) Chief Imran Khan, senior leaders of his party Asad Umer and Fawad Chaudhry.

A four-member bench headed by Nisar Durrani announced the reserved judgment in contempt of ECP case. The bench rejected the pleas for exemption from appearance in contempt of the Election Commission case. The ECP has directed PTI leaders to secure bail against surety bonds of worth Rs50,000 each before January 17.

Last year, the top electoral body initiated contempt proceedings against the PTI leaders for allegedly using foul language against Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja and ECP. It had served several notices on them, asking them to appear in person and explain their point of view.

However, the PTI leaders did not appear before the ECP and later challenged its powers to initiate contempt

Minister hints at political utilisation of flood aid pledges — ‘rebuild economy’

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

Rana Sanaullah Khan said the financial pledges made at the United Nations climate conference in Geneva will provide a significant boost to Pakistan’s economy and serve as a rebuke to those who have falsely claimed the country is facing default. On Monday, international donors announced their commitment to provide Pakistan with over $10 billion in aid to assist with recovery efforts following last year’s devastating floods. The conference, co-hosted by Pakistan and the United Nations, brought together representatives from approximately 40 countries, as well as private donors and international financial institutions.

During the conference, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Pakistan will require an additional $16.3 billion over the next three years to begin rebuilding and enhancing its ability to withstand the effects of climate change. He emphasised that while the country will work to cover half of this cost, it is imperative that the international community provide support for the remaining expenses. In a statement to the press on Tuesday, the interior minister

Pakistan

celebrated the “major achievement” on behalf of the nation in his statement to journalists outside the Punjab Assembly.

Khan announced the international donations made at the recent climate conference in Geneva serve as evidence of the trust and support the world has for Pakistan and its coalition government. He also stated that the donations are a refutation of the negative propaganda that has been spread in recent months. The minister said the government had initially aimed to collect $8 billion, but was able to secure pledges exceeding $10 billion, with the possibility of even more donations to come. Khan emphasized that these funds are not loans, but rather grants that will aid in pulling the country out of the crisis caused by the previous government and opposition. He also said this will bring an end to the drama of the popularity of the opposition leader Imran Khan. Additionally, the minister has alleged there is some suspicious activity going on in the Punjab assembly where he was stopped from entering the assembly by the speaker and chief minister on what he called an “unconstitutional” and “illegal” move which he claims Chaudhry Parvez Elahi, the chief minister of Punjab, is trying to use to run away from a vote of confidence.

bailout

LAHORE Staff RepoRt

Pakistan will require another bailout programme from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) after the ongoing package concludes, former finance and revenue minister Miftah Ismail says.

During a talk show, he said Pakistan could avert the risk of default if the international lender conceded to resume its current programme. Ismail said the risk of default won t subside without IMF support, adding the

PM Shehbaz Sharif to visit UAE tomorrow

ISLAMABAD app

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif will undertake a two-day official visit to the United Arab Emirates on January 12-13.

The prime minister will visit UAE on the invitation of President of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Foreign Office spokesperson said in a press release on Tuesday.

The prime minister will be accompanied by a high-level delegation, including key members of the cabinet. This would be the prime minister's third visit to the UAE after assuming office. During the visit, the prime minister will meet the UAE president with particular focus on advancing economic, trade and investment ties between the two brotherly countries and creating increased opportunities for the Pakistani workforce in the UAE.

The two leaders will also exchange views on a range of regional and global issues of mutual interest. The prime minister will meet with the UAE Prime Minister and Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Muhammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

During the visit, the prime minister will hold meetings with the Emirati businessmen and investors to discuss ways to enhance bilateral trade and investment.

rising dollar demand was due to its purchase to hedge against the fear of default. Ismail said Pakistan received more aid than expected during the Geneva conference and this would allow Islamabad to negotiate more comfortably with the Fund. Furthermore, Saudi Arabia and China could be approached for new loans, he pointed out.’

The ex-minister further said the financing gap had increased, but it would automatically shrink, adding the gas tariff hadn t gone up since September 2020, therefore, it was time for industries like fertiliser and cement, as well as rich consumers, to pay higher tariffs.

The UAE is home to around 1.7 million Pakistanis who have been playing a pivotal role in the success story of the UAE, for the last five decades, contributing to the progress, prosperity and economic development of the two brotherly countries.

“Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates enjoy close and fraternal ties based on common faith and traditions, shared history and heritage; deep-rooted cultural

stitutions,” he added.

Terming Khan an “asset of Pakistan”, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader said that talking about minus Khan was tantamount to weakening the country.

Stressing the need for snap polls, the PTI leader said that elections are the only way to bring political stability to the country.

Responding to a question about the number game in Punjab Assembly, the PTI leader claimed that his party has the support of 188 MPAs in the House.

He maintained that they would announce their future strategy tomorrow after the court’s verdict. The PTI leader reiterated that they would dissolve the assemblies soon.

Responding to a question, the PTI leader said that PML-Q did not demand 20 seats, adding that they would make seat adjustments with the ally party in the province.

PTI leaders express dismay with ECP called it bias

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

came hours after the ECP’s decision

issue bailable arrest warrants for PTI chief Imran Khan and other senior party leaders, Asad Umar and Fawad Chaudhry, for failing to appear before the commission in contempt proceedings. The ECP had initiated contempt proceedings against Imran as well as Umar and Fawad for constantly issuing statements against the electoral body and its chief election commissioner. In a tweet, Fawad said that “the ECP’s decision to issue a bailable warrant is an insult to the high court’s decision”.

“The case had been fixed for January 17, which was moved up to today against the rules and the case was decided,” he claimed. Fawad went on to say that it was “yet another biased decision” by the ECP members and asserted that the PTI leaders would “pursue a contempt of court case against this decision in the high court”.

Meanwhile, Asad Umar took the opportunity to remind the electoral watchdog to focus on its primary responsibilities instead. “They are engaged in these tasks instead of conducting elections,” he said, adding that “they are themselves in contempt of court for not having conducted Islamabad local body elections.”

Top Pakistan, China diplomats hold phone talks

BEIJING Staff RepoRt

Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang on Monday held a phone conversation with his Pakistan counterpart Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari at the latter’s request. Qin said China and Pakistan enjoy a special friendship and high-level mutual trust, and the close high-level interactions between the two countries have injected a strong impetus into the development of bilateral relations. China is ready to work with Pakistan to take the important consensus between leaders of the two countries as a guidance, continuously deepen their traditional friendship, and join hands to forge an even closer Pakistan-China community with a shared future in the new era. Qin stressed that as the Chinese Lunar New Year is approaching, China pays close attention to the safety of Chinese citizens in Pakistan, and hopes that Pakistan will continue to take effective security measures. For his part, Zardari once again congratulated Qin on taking office as the Chinese foreign minister, saying that the ironclad friendship between Pakistan and China is the “North Star” that guides Pakistan’s foreign policy toward China, and the Pakistani side looks forward to jointly promoting the PakistanChina all-weather strategic cooperative partnership to a new level.

affinities, geographic proximity and identity of views on several regional and global issues. Regular high-level

exchanges and visits are a key feature of this relationship,” it was further added.

Senior leaders of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Fawad Chaudhry and Asad Umar on Tuesday expressed their dismay with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) as they called it out for its bias. The condemnation by both leaders

to

proceedings under Section 10 of the Election Act 2017 in different high courts. On Tuesday last week, the Supreme Court of Pakistan allowed the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to continue its proceedings against PTI Chairman Imran Khan, and his party leaders Asad Umar and Fawad Chaudhry in a contempt case filed against them over controversial remarks against the electoral body.

will need another IMF

programme after conclusion of existing one: Miftah

lHC PuTs fIa on noTICE for ‘sIDElInIng

InquIry’ In IllEgal alCoHol ImPorT CasE

ISLAMABAD Shahzad paRacha

lAHOREHigh Court (LHC) on Tuesday issued notice to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) for allegedly sidelining an inquiry pertaining to the “valuation fraud” in an alcohol import scam.

While issuing notice, Justice Malik Shahzad Ahmad Khan directed the Additional Director General North, FIA, to

appear before the Court on January 26, 2023.

Ch Sarfaraz Ali Deyal, the Advocate for the petitioner Syed Amir Shabbir, had filed an application under section 3 & 4 of the Contempt of Court Ordinance 2013 and Article 204 of the Constitution against the additional director general FIA.

The petitioner claimed in his petition that he had submitted an application before the DG FIA and Chairman NAB against the corruption and illegal acts committed by the Customs officials in collusion with certain

smugglers. The LHC had directed the additional director general (ADG) of the FIA to complete the inquiry within four weeks by June 3, 2022 but the ADG FIA failed to comply with the court direction.

It is pertinent to mention here that former deputy director customs Talib Hussain, on the directions of DG Post Clearance Audit, had conducted an audit of the company named “diplomatic bonds”.

Talib Hussain stated in his audit report that Alcohol worth Rs3 billion was illegally

imported into Pakistan every year in the name of foreign missions or embassies working in Pakistan. The company owner, Saeed Ahmad, had also taken an alcohol import license in the name of Farances Shahzad but reportedly Shahzad did not know about it.

Reportedly, the customs department did not take any action against the fraudulent importer of alcohol. On the other hand, the customs department not only allegedly sidelined Talib Hussain as punishment for

US urges Pakistan to ‘continue’ with reform agenda

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

The State Department said the United States wanted to see Pakistan “continue down the path of reform,” while answering a question about Islamabad’s request to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to relax its conditions. Ned Price, a spokesperson of the State Department, said it was ultimately up to the IMF to decide whether to soften its stance on Pakistan’s bailout programme, which was discussed at a donors’ conference in Geneva a day earlier. The spokesperson added the US will continue to be a partner to Pakistan on all of its priorities, including security, economics and humanitarian issues. Price also announced that the US will provide an additional $100 million in funding for flood protection, clean energy, agriculture and infrastructure reconstruction in Pakistan, bringing the total contribution to over $200 million.

Health Card facility afoot for balochistan’s fishermen

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

The government of Balochistan has planned to launch Health Card facility for registered fishermen soon, under which health insurance coverage of Rs 1 million will be provided to 89,886 fishermen of the province, and their families. The health card will be provided to the fishermen in Gwadar district in the first phase, and the fishermen from Lasbela and Hub would be facilitated later. Talking to APP, an official of Balochistan government said the objective of the program was to improve the health status of the targeted population through increased access to quality health services, and to reduce poverty through reduction of out-ofpocket payments for health expenditures. He said currently around 89,886 fishermen were registered in Balochistan and there would be 100 percent coverage under the initiative. “The beneficiaries can avail healthcare services in the public and private hospitals”, he added. “The provincial government has also launched multiple incentives for fishermen to ensure maximum contribution of fisheries sector in the provincial economy. “In addition to digitalization, more initiatives would be rolled out soon to boost the sector which remained neglected for the last couple of decades”, he said. The provincial government was striving hard to provide basic facilities, including clean drinking water and education to uplift the living standard of fishermen thus making them enable to contribute towards economy, he said. Many projects like, ‘Fish Processing Plant’ at Gwadar, ‘Fisherman Cooperative Housing Society’, ‘Sea Ambulance Service’ and ‘Installation of monitoring system in boats’ were in pipeline, which would eventually increase the potential of the sector, he added. The roads and other Infrastructure were also being upgraded for easy access of the local fisherman to the port for transporting their fish to the markets, he added. “The province has a capacity to produce good quality fish and would generate more revenue by providing access to the global market,” he said. A hospital equipped with latest technology was also being set up at Gwadar to provide the best health facilities to the people of the area. He said the provincial government had also decided to provide basic facilities to the fishermen and other people associated with the fisheries. “The government will take more steps to save the fishermen’s livelihood”, he ensured adding the department should complete the land requisition process soon to establish eight new jetties in the coastal areas.

“I am pleased to share that today the United States announced an additional $100 million of recovery and reconstruction funding, bringing our total contribution to over $200 million,” he told the daily press briefing. The funding, the spokesperson added, will be used for flood protection and governance, disease surveillance, economic growth and clean energy,

climate-smart agriculture, food security, and infrastructure reconstruction.

“The funding also includes humanitarian assistance to support flood relief and recovery efforts in refugee-hosting areas,” he said.

“Our flood-related assistance complements our broader efforts to form a US-Pakistan Green Alliance that looks at the range of climate and resilience issues central to Pakistan’s reconstruction. Pakistan’s recovery and reconstruction will be a continuing process in the months and years ahead, and we will continue to support Pakistan in its efforts to build a more climate-resilient future for its people.”

International donors on Monday committed over $9 billion to help Pakistan recover from ruinous floods last year, exceeding its external financing goals and paving the way for a new model of raising funds to fight climate disasters in poorer countries.

PA remains chaotic amid PML-N’s ‘number game’ claims

LAHORE Saleem Jadoon

Atta Tarar, Special Assistant to Prime Minister, on Tuesday claimed that their numbers in the Punjab Assembly had been completed.

Speaking to the media, Atta Tarar said their 177 members were present in the assembly on Monday while the number of the Punjab government members was 140. “I am telling the numbers after a complete work and I am confident that our numbers will be complete while Pervaiz Elahi’s numbers will not be complete as women candidates have also been saying they do not want to vote for Pervaiz Elahi,” he said.

Mr Tarar further said Pervaiz Elahi was reluctant to take the vote of confidence and the government had run away along with Moonis Elahi. Sooner or later, the vote of confidence would have to be taken since a hollow person was sitting on the chair of the chief minister.

He further claimed that the federal ministers could not enter the Punjab Assembly. “The Punjab Assembly is not the district council of Gujrat and will not allowed to be so. The PTI and its allies are fighting over who

did more corruption,” he added. Earlier, the special assistant was stopped from entering in the Punjab Assembly.

Meanwhile, the situation in the Punjab Assembly remained chaotic for the second day on Tuesday with opposition lawmakers raising slogans against Chief Minister Parvez Elahi.

Prior to the start of the session, doors of the assembly were closed and security guards remained on high alert after yesterday’s session saw ruckus as the opposition challenged CM Elahi to prove he had the requisite numbers to secure a vote of confidence.

However, PML-N lawmakers — who accused Elahi and PA Speaker Sibtain Khan of instructing police to bar their entry — were able to force their way inside. During the session, which began after a three-hour delay, opposition lawmakers once again chanted slogans against Elahi, calling him a “dakoo” (robber) as Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah and PML-N leader Ata Tarar looked on from the visitor’s gallery. PML-N’s Mashhood, speaking on the floor of the assembly, again challenged Elahi to prove he had the requisite numbers for securing a vote of confidence.

unearthing this scam but also dismissed the petitioner and whistle blower Amir Shabbir from government service.

According to the information, former additional director FIA Abubakar Khudabaksh had recommended registration of FIR against the import company’s owners and others but after the retirement of Abubakar, the FIA sidelined the enquiry and took no interest in its completion. Now, the court has summoned the FIA officials to explain their inaction on the court order.

Political parties need to sit together for political stability: saad

LAHORE Staff RepoRt

Federal Minister for Railways and Aviation Khawaja Saad Rafique on Tuesday said the centre alone couldn’t bring political stability in the country as all political parties would have to join hands for the purpose. Talking to reporters outside the accountability court in Lahore, where he appeared in connection with the Paragon City scam case, he said steps had been taken to improve the institutions and that the people would see results soon. He said Imtan Khan had left Pakistan on the brink of default, adding the PDM parties had joined hands for political stability despite political and ideological differences. The former minister said that no one could be minus in the political scenario, adding late Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was not even minus. “A person is minus because of his/her works. The federal minister was of the view that the economic and general devastation created in the country couldn t be fixed in two or four months. Rafique said a case related to the railways had been fixed in the Supreme Court of Pakistan for hearing and that the Chief Justice had already said that railways was lifeline for Pakistan and the states support was needed to improve the railways. Earlier, an accountability court adjourned the hearing in the Paragon Housing Society scandal case against federal minister Khawaja Saad Rafiq and his brother MPA Salman Rafiq till January 23. The court had summoned the witnesses against the acquittal of the Khawaja brothers for the next hearing to record their statements. A total of 122 witnesses are included in the NAB reference.

8 million and destroyed key infrastructure.

China-Pakistan joint drills strengthen ties, enhance interoperability: Pak Naval Chief

BEIJING Staff RepoRt

Chief of Naval Staff of Pakistan Admiral M Amjad Khan Niazi has said that the interaction between the navies of Pakistan and China provided an opportunity to enhance interoperability, share experience to optimally utilize common sensors, iron out procedures and “further elevate our relations.”

In that regard, the Sea Guardian series of exercises serve the objectives of fostering interoperability and sharing professional experience to deal with contemporary traditional and nontraditional security threats, he said in an exclusive interview with Global Times.

Pakistan Navy plans to host the AMAN-23 multinational maritime exercise in February this year, with the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) Navy, having taken part in previous editions, are again expected to participate.

China and Pakistan have been maintaining close naval and maritime exchanges and cooperation in recent years, including joint drills.

Elaborating briefly on the upcoming exercise, Admiral Niazi said that Exercise AMAN was the premier multinational maritime exercise of Pakistan Navy which

“has been conducted biennially since 2007.”

“The exercise is conducted with the aim to develop synergy between participating naval units to tackle maritime security challenges by enhancing interoperability between regional and extra regional navies at different levels of technological prowess”, he added.

He said that the eighth series of Exercise AMAN would be held in Karachi from February 10 to 14, this year. “The format of the exercise has two distinct phases: First, the harbor phase which will be held from February 10 to 12, followed by the sea phase from February 13 to 14”, he added.

During the harbor phase, various professional and social activities will be conducted to share experiences on contemporary maritime security challenges and coordinate modalities of sea exercises. The sea phase includes exercises and an international fleet review to demonstrate unified resolve against maritime terrorism, piracy, and other prevalent illicit activities at sea.

Admiral Niazi said that Pakistan Navy was expecting a wide range of participation from across the globe, as 43 countries participated in Exercise AMAN21, despite COVID-19 restrictions.

He expressed the confidence that Exercise AMAN-23 would contribute

significantly in fulfilling the common desire of participating maritime nations for regional peace and shared prosperity through such collaborative efforts.

Regarding purpose and goals for conducting the exercise, he said that there were a number of non-traditional threats that prevailed in the wider Indian Ocean region such as terrorism, piracy, drugs smuggling, and arms trafficking.

“The vastness of the oceans makes the maritime arena an attractive avenue for illegal activities and no country has the capability to single-handedly counter these challenges. Collaborative maritime security has thus evolved as an established norm and the Pakistan Navy is actively involved in international and regional efforts. Exercise AMAN is Pakistan’s humble but focused initiative in this regard.”

“The word AMAN in Urdu means

‘Peace’ and the motto of the exercise is ‘Together for Peace’ which demonstrates the importance and united resolve of all participating countries and partners in this cause”, he added.

Admiral Niazi said that the AMAN series of multinational exercises was significant in fostering regional cooperation for the maintenance of good order at sea, improving interoperability, sharing experiences, and exhibiting common resolve against terrorism and organized crimes in the maritime domain.

“Participation in this exercise has been growing at a steady pace since its inception, with the exception of AMAN21 in view of the COVID environment. The increased participation reflects growing trust in the value of the exercise and acknowledgment of the Pakistan Navy’s efforts in promoting collaboration between regional and extra regional navies in the face of diverse non-traditional security threats”, he added.

On the importance of holding joint exercise, he said that Pakistan Navy-PLA Navy relations were a reflection of Pakistan-China strategic ties and range from training exchanges to high-level visits, port calls by ships, navy-to-navy expert-level staff talks, and the regular conducting of bilateral exercises.

Pm grateful as donors exceed flood recovery goal with $9bn pledge

CONtINuED fROM pAGE 01

Achim Steiner, the United Nations Development Programme Administrator, characterised the outcome of the conference — where pledges exceeded Pakistan’s goal — as “quite unusual”, saying that donor pledges often fell short of objectives. Waters are still receding from the floods caused by monsoon rains and melting glaciers that killed at least 1,700 people, displaced around

UNICEF UrgES AIDINg 4mN ChIlDrEN StIll lIvINg NEAr CoNtAmINAtED FlooDwAtEr

UNITED NATIONS

MonitoRing RepoRt

tHEUnited Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on Monday urged the international community to help up to four million children in Pakistan still living near stagnant and contaminated floodwater. These children are suffering from skyrocketing acute respiratory infections, a leading cause of child mortality worldwide, UNICEF said in a press statement. Meanwhile, the number of children facing severe acute malnutrition in floodaffected areas between July and December last year “nearly doubled” as compared to 2021, it said, adding that

some 1.5 million children are still in need of lifesaving nutrition interventions.

“Children living in Pakistan’s floodaffected areas have been pushed to the brink,” Abdullah Fadil, UNICEF representative in Pakistan, said in a statement.

“The rains may have ended, but the crisis for children has not. Nearly 10 million girls and boys are still in need of immediate, lifesaving support and are heading into a bitter winter without adequate shelter. Severe acute malnutrition, respiratory and water-borne diseases coupled with the cold are putting millions of young lives at risk,” he said.

“We know the climate crisis played a central role in supercharging the cascading calamities evident in Pakistan.

Chinese artificial flowers, plants grace homes, events in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD Xinhua

In Rawalpindi, the China Flower House offers a wide range of lifelike artificial flowers and plants imported from China, enticing everyone entering the shop with their appealing colours, designs and diversity.

“Pakistani people love to decorate their houses, offices, gardens, wedding parties and other events with these beautiful Chinese flowers and plants made from polyester. Literally, no one can tell whether these are real or fake from their shape and texture,”

Muhammad Abbas, the 40-year-old manager of the decor shop, told Xinhua while sorting a cluster of long-stemmed red and black roses for a customer.

“Besides their alluring appearance, these products are made from high-quality material, are easy to maintain without any hassle, and are cost-effective … there is no fading of colours, and they look fresh and pretty all the time … these are the basic features that home and event decorators are in love with,” he said.

Abbas said he has been involved in the business for the last 20 years, and never witnessed a decrease in demand and sales of Chinese flowers and plants, adding that Chinese manufacturers’ abilities in upgrading the quality and designs to meet the demand of local customers are exceptional.

Talking to Xinhua, 38-year-old Naseem Zadi said she has come to buy flowers for her newly built house which she wishes to decorate. “If you ask me, I would say these Chinese flowers have replaced the real ones as many people do not have enough time on their busy schedules to take care of real flowers or plants and they look lovely and attractive as well,” Zadi said. With such a large variety, they are available in every shape and size, she said, adding that she is customizing her pots of flowers to fit her tastes and needs. Assembling different coloured blooms at a shop selling Chinese-made flowers in the federal capital Islamabad, Huma Mateen, an event manager and a professional decorator, said one of the most important ingredients of decorative embellishments is flowers. “Events and parties are incomplete and boring without eye-catching floral arrangements. Though China has been making amazing products of all kinds, these artificial flowers and plants are my most favourite. I hope the Pakistan-China friendship keeps blooming beautifully and splendidly like these flowers,” Mateen added.

Mohsin Malik, a Chinese flower trader in Islamabad, said thousands of people in Pakistan are affiliated with the fast-growing business and are making profits. “Local traders buy at a comparatively low rate from Chinese suppliers and sell them here with a good margin. They are still affordable for customers as artificial flowers and plants of the same quality, imported from other countries, sell at exorbitant rates in the market.

We must do everything within our power to ensure girls and boys in Pakistan are able to fully recover from the current disaster, and to protect and safeguard them from the next one,” he added.

Official statistics showed that as of Thursday, more than 1,700 people in the country had been killed in the monsoon rain and floods starting from mid-June last year. Some 8 million people remain “acutely displaced,” since waters still have not receded in some areas, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva Khalil Hashmi said Thursday.

UNICEF said it and its partners have started providing warm clothing kits, jackets, blankets and quilts to nearly 200,000 children, women and men,

screened more than 800,000 children for malnutrition, 60,000 of which identified as suffering from life-threatening conditions named severely acute malnutrition, and brought safe drinking water to over a million people and hygiene kits to another million. So far, primary healthcare interventions have reached nearly 1.5 million people, and 4.5 million children have been immunized against polio in 16 flood-hit districts, it said. UNICEF urged the international community to provide additional humanitarian assistance, and ensure the timely release of funding to save lives before it is too late.

The organization’s current appeal of $173.5 million for this effort remains only 37 percent funded, it added.

Hungarian envoy suggests exchange programme with Pak universities

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

The Ambassador of Hungary in Islamabad Mr. Béla Fazekas has suggested HEC Pakistan create a forum for promoting the exchange of best practices between universities in both countries.

He called on Chairman Higher Education Commission (HEC) Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed at the Commission Secretariat here on Tuesday.

Various opportunities were discussed for bilateral educational cooperation. Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed acknowledged the longstanding educational partnership between the two countries which includes scholarships to Pakistani nationals since 2016.

The Ambassador informed Chairman HEC that the number of scholarships offered per year will be increased from 200 to 400 and that the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two countries will be effective from 2023 to 2025. Chairman HEC affirmed that the Commission would make full use of these scholarship opportunities.

Mr. Fazekas also emphasized the importance of investing in skills-based education in addition to degree courses.

Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed agreed that the global economy is increasingly moving towards a focus on skill-based employment, and suggested collaboration between skills-focused universities in Pakistan and Hungary to pro-

mote investment in skills.

The Ambassador also pointed out that Pakistan and Hungary have similar priority areas for research and development, specifically in fields such as Agriculture, Veterinary Sciences, Sports Sciences, Engineering, and Technology.

Mr. Fazekas stressed that Hungary places great value on its relationship with Pakistan which is built on shared interests and that Pakistan-Hungary Alumni Network has been set up in the same context.

The network fosters cultural exchange and understanding, helping to break down barriers and promote mutual respect and understanding between the two countries.

Saudi Arabia revives Pakistan’s pre-pandemic Hajj quota

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

Saudi Arabia has revived Pakistan’s pre-pandemic Hajj quota of 179,210 pilgrims with the draft of annual Hajj agreement removing the upper age limit of 65 years.

The Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony’s Spokesperson Muhammad Umar Butt informed APP that Minister Mufti Abdul Shakoor had requested the Saudi authorities to further reduce the mandatory Hajj expenses as it would help lessen the maximum burden on the Pakistani pilgrims who wanted to perform Hajj. The Saudi Minister of Hajj and Umrah Dr. Tawfiq Fawzan Al Rabiah had given a positive indicator into the matter, he added.

The spokesperson said the minister who is on an official visit to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia these days to attend the four-day Hajj Expo 2023 – a major exhibition and conference – met Osama Samkari, chairman of a bus transport company Nicaba Sayarat and discussed provision of better travel facil-

ities to the pilgrims in Mina, Arafat and Muzdalifah.

He informed that Mufti Abdul Shakoor met with his Saudi counterpart among other several important figures and visited various organizations.

He said the participants were briefed on modern Hajj arrangements and facilities in light of Saudi Vision 2030 at the conference.

He said this year, it would be mandatory for Hajj applicants to have a bank account in Pakistan and a machine-readable passport which should not be expired before December 26, for Hajj 2023.

Umar Butt said Hajj applications would likely be called by the end of February and the religious affairs minister would announce the final Hajj Policy 2023 after the cabinet’s approval.

On this occasion, Secretary of Religious Affairs Dr. Aftab Akbar Durrani, Saudi Ambassador to Pakistan Nawaf bin Said Al Maliki, Hajj Director Sajid Asdi and representative of Hajj Organisers Association of Pakistan (HOAP), an association of private Hajj scheme operators, were also present with the minister.

Ex-DBA president among two shot dead

FAISALABAD Staff RepoRt

Unidentified assailant shot dead two car riders including former president District Bar Association (DBA) Faisalabad Chaudhry Naveed Mukhtar Ghumman in the area of Batala Colony police precincts. A spokesman for police said here on Tuesday that two armed motorcyclists intercepted a car with registration number LEB-7696, near Gol Masjid, LCM School Sammundri Road, and opened indiscriminate fire on the vehicle.

As a result, Ch Naveed and car driver Binyameen received bullet injuries and died on-the-spot, whereas the accused managed to escape from the scene.

The lawyer community protested against killing of the ex-DAB president in broad daylight on a busiest road of Faisalabad and boycotted the court proceedings. They also staged demonstration and demanded immediate arrest of the culprits involved in the murder. Receiving information, City Police Officer (CPO) Syed Khalid Mehmood Hamdani rushed to the spot and directed Superintendent of Police (SP) Iqbal Town to probe the matter and submit a report on urgent basis.

He also constituted a special police team under supervision of SSP Investigation and directed it to arrest the culprits involved in the crime.

The bodies were shifted to mortuary for postmortem. Apparently, the incident was the outcome of an old enmity. However, its real facts would come to light after investigation, police spokesman added.

Shariat court orders establishment of transgender protection centre

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

In a move to ensure the provision of due rights to transgender individuals, the Federal Shariat Court (FSC) has directed the Ministry of Human Rights to establish a transgender protection centre for underage and elderly eunuchs. The directive was issued by a two-judge bench of the court, comprising acting Chief Justice Syed Muhammad Anwer and Justice Khadim Hussain Shaikh, during a hearing on a set of petitions challenging the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2018.

The court expressed dissatisfaction at a report furnished by the Ministry of Human Rights, stating that the government was “not doing enough” for the protection of the rights of transgender persons.

The chief justice further ordered the ministry officials to hold a meeting with the convener of the ministerial committee, Zamurud Khan — who also serves as the patron-in-chief of orphanage Pakistan Sweet Homes — to draft a report on the building and standard operating procedures for the proposed centre.

The secretary of the Ministry of Human Rights informed the court that a committee under the chairmanship of Khan had already been established.

However, Khan stated the ministry had not yet provided a building for the protection centre, causing delays in the establishment of the centre. The court ordered the ministry to expedite its measures and to submit a progress report along with the standard operating procedures at the next hearing on January 17.

Current year may witness influx of Chinese tourists in Pakistan

BEIJING

Staff RepoRt

After three gloomy years of cross-border tourism due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the year 2023 is expected to witness a boom in the tourism sectors of Pakistan and China.

The current year, named as PakistanChina Year of Tourism Exchanges, may witness a resurgence in the wake of no pandemic restriction across both countries.

“Exchanges have already started online. We are also working with Chinese tourism associations to develop business linkages. Soon we will finalize a calendar of events and activitie,” Aftab ur Rehman Rana, Managing Director of Pakistan Tourism Devel-

opment Corporation (PTDC) told China Economic Net (CEN).

He believes that China, one of the biggest players in the tourism economy at the global level, will find a lot to explore in Pakistan, where a lot of business opportunities are coming up for individual investments in the tourism and hospitality sector. “Many Chinese people working under CPEC returned to China during the pandemic, now it’s time for them to come back with their families for a good visit. I expect that a number of Chinese tourists will visit Pakistan if we have better facilitation of border crossing, economical air ticket packages, and inter-city transportation between major cities like Beijing, Urumqi, Islamabad, Lahoreů, he said.

The traffic will be two-way. He told CEN reporter that in China, the silk route was a very popular travel route that had also attracted many tourists from Europe. In Pakistan, the rich history, culture, festivity, and music, will offer a unique travel experience.

In this regard, PTDC has already developed a detailed guidebook on Pakistan in Chinese language. Video films on Pakistan will also be developed with subtitles in Chinese to help Chinese tourists know more about Pakistan. A working committee, having representatives of both the sides, will be formed to make the collaboration in tourism promotion more fruitful.

“It’s the most favorable time for bilateral tourism. It’s also time to make the visa pol-

icy more tourist-friendly on both sides. Tour operators should be encouraged to develop group tour packages so groups of tourists

could go an organized matter on a set itinerary and see the beautiful sites on both sides,” he further said.

CHiNA PLEDGEs ADDitioNAL AiD oF $100

MiLLioN For FLooD viCtiMs iN PAKistAN

iSLaMaBaD staff report

CHINAis pledging an additional $100 million to continue supporting Pakistan’s recovery efforts from the devastating 2022 floods, announced Luo Zhaohui, chairman of the China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA), while attending the International Conference on Climate-Resilient Pakistan held in Geneva, according to China Economic Net (CEN).

Officials from some 40 countries as well as private donors and international financial institutions are gathering for a meeting in Geneva on January 9 as Islamabad seeks help covering around half of a total recovery bill of $16.3 billion.

This funding reinforces China’s commitment to the Pakistani people and will help address the climate crisis.

When coupled with the nearly $200 million in flood relief provided before from the Chinese government, this brings the total China commitment to date to nearly $300 million.

Also, China will help Pakistan train 1,000 technicians and officials in disaster prevention and reduction from 2023 to 2025, Luo added.

Luo noted that China can really empathize with Pakistan, which is suffering from floods unseen in several decades.

China has embarked on post-disaster reconstruction projects such as smart hydrology, shelter and mobile medical vehicles. China will continue to provide real-time weather and disaster early warning services and share post-disaster reconstruction experience with Pakistan, he pinpointed.

Wapda awards contract for Rs11.922b Mangla Refurbishment Project

iSLaMaBaD staff report

The Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) has awarded Rs11.922 billion contract for Package XI of Mangla Refurbishment Project for Units 9 and 10 to G.E Hydro France.

The contract includes manufacturing, supply, installation and commissioning of the two units, says a press release issued here on Tuesday.

General Manager (Hydel) Development, WAPDA, Ihsan Ullah and representative of G.E Hydro France Abubakar signed the agreement in that regard, the press release added.

WAPDA Chairman Lt Gen (Retd) Sajjad Ghani, Member (Power) WAPDA Jamil Akhtar, project director of Mangla Refurbishment Project, senior officers, representatives of the consultants, and the contractors were also present on the occasion.

DCs told to supervise anti-polio vaccination drive from 16th

LahOrE staff report

The health authorities have set a target of vaccinating more than 22 million children up to the age of five years during the five-day anti-polio campaign scheduled to start in all districts of Punjab from January 16. The health department has planned the deployment of 84,500 mobile teams and 0.2 million health workers to administer vaccine to children during the drive to be continued till January 20. Punjab Health Minister Dr Akhtar Malik and Punjab Chief Secretary Abdullah Khan Sumbal presided over a meeting of the Provincial Taskforce on Polio Eradication at the Civil Secretariat on Tuesday. Secretary Primary Health Dr Irshad Ahmed, representatives of international organizations working for polio eradication and relevant officers attended the meeting while all the divisional commissioners and deputy commissioners participated through video link. Dr. Akhtar Malik directed all the deputy commissioners to personally supervise the anti-polio campaign in the districts. He said that 100 percent coverage must be ensured in high-risk districts of Lahore, Rawalpindi and Faisalabad. He mentioned that the country has to be made polio-free for the health and safe future of children. Chief Secretary Abdullah Khan Sumbal directed the deputy commissioners that the success rate in Lot Quality Assessment Survey (LQAS) should not be less than 95 percent. He said that public health is the responsibility of the state, and negligence in this regard would not be tolerated.

Court indicts PML-N MNA in land grabbing case

LahOrE staff report

An anti-corruption court in Lahore has inducted Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) MNA Chaudhry Muhammad Ashraf in a land grabbing case. Special judge anti-corruption court justice Arif Mehmood indicted PML-N MNA. The TLTP learnt that the court has also summoned witnesses in the case. However, the hearing was adjourned for January 30. Earlier, the court granted bail to PML-N MNA Chaudhry Muhammad Ashraf’s bail plea in a land fraud case. Ashraf got bail against surety bonds of Rs100,000. It is pertinent to mention here that Punjab anti-corruption establishment team Tuesday arrested PML-N MNA Chaudhry Muhammad Ashraf over ‘land grabbing’ charges. The PML-N MNA from NA-161 Sahiwal is accused of occupying 157 acres of government land.

“WAPDA is implementing Mangla Refurbishment Project with an approved PC-I cost of Rs 52.224 billion. The project is being carried out in various phases, wherein the generating units are to be refurbished by closing down one tunnel (two generating units) at a time”, it said.

“The refurbishment works have been divided

Responding to this, Pakistani Prime Minister noted in his Twitter account that the world has witnessed how nations can come together in a show of solidarity to create a model of a “win-win partnership” to lift suffering humanity out of tragedy. “I was deeply moved by the compassion on display at Geneva Conference. Together we will rebuild lives and hopes,” he added.

Pakistan said that donors had committed to giving more than $8 billion to help it recover from last year’s devastating floods in what is seen as a major test for those who pay for climate disasters.

Pakistani Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb sent a tweet saying that pledges had reached $8.57 billion – more than the $8bn it had initially sought. The Pakistani government will provide $8bn from its own funds towards the “resilient Pakistan” programme.

Water is still receding from the floods caused by monsoon rains and melting glaciers which killed at least 1,700 people and displaced around 8 million in Pakistan.

into 11 different packages. Prior to signing of Package XI, as many as nine other packages have already been awarded, while works on four packages have been completed. Refurbishment of the first two units was completed in 2022, while refurbishment of all 10 generating units is likely to be accomplished by year 2026-27”, it said.

Mangla Refurbishment Project, on its completion, will enhance generation capacity of the existing Mangla Hydel Power Station from 1000 megawatts (MW) to 1310 MW, thus adding 310 MW additional power with an average 1,610 million units of additional energy per annum to the National Grid.

It may be mentioned that the USAID is providing US$150 million as grant and AFD is providing 90 million Euros as loan for Mangla Refurbishment Project, while the remaining amount is being arranged by WAPDA through loans and from its own resources.

IT Ministry finalises draft of TASRF

iSLaMaBaD staff report

The Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication (MoITT) has finalized the draft of the first-ever Telecom Airwaves Spectrum Refarming Framework (TASRF).

“Telecommunication is glad to finalize the framework on spectrum refarming which is first of its kind prepared with recommendations from Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA), Frequency Allocation Board (FAB) and industry stakeholders after multiple consultations,” said a news release.

Federal Minister for IT & Telecommunication Syed Amin UI Haque said the draft has been uploaded to the MoITT website for open consultation before approval of the Federal Cabinet.

He said frequency or airwaves spectrum refarming is a process governing the repurposing of frequency bands that have historically been allocated for legacy cellular services for new generation of mobile technologies, including emerging technologies, Internet of Things & 5th Generation Technology for on ground inclusion of 4th Industrial Revolution.

Amin said that in view of the increasing demand for cellular and radio communication services worldwide, emerging technologies, Spectrum refarming is considered a powerful and innovative

approach to manage the spectrum dynamically so as to make it available for newer commercial applications 5G, Internet of Things, broadband wireless access and digital broadcasting.

The framework shall enable the effective utilisation of the available frequency spectrum for front-end and backhaul frequencies, increase potential business viability for licensees, better quality and coverage of mobile broadband services and emerging technologies including additional revenues for the national exchequer. The framework shall enable Operators to have a sufficient contiguous spectrum to support the simultaneous operation of multiple technologies in a frequency band. Based on international developments, including but not limited to, technological trends, the vendor reports, Telecom operators’ feedback, R&D landscape, survey reports and most importantly the recommendations from ITU, IEEE, ETSI, 3GPP.

Dawlance and Habib-Metro Bank extend Financial Facilities for contractors

Karachi pr

Dawlance is Pakistan’s leading manufacturer of home appliances, which has now signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Habib-Metro Bank Limited (HMBL) to enable the suppliers and contractors of Dawlance, to undertake Supply Chain Finance (SCF) transactions with ease. The objective of this collaboration is to provide the Dawlance vendors with the option to avail invoice financing from the CashNow® platform of HMBL. The CashNow® portal is a convenient tool - structured to execute SupplyChain Finance transactions for vendors and contractors of resourceful companies. So, Dawlance vendors can derive tremendous advantages by availing HMB financing facilities, against their invoices, for smooth execution of Supply-Chain Finance transactions. The Chief Executive Officer of Dawlance – Umar Ahsan Khan said that: “I would like to thank the Habib Metro Bank for creating synergies with Dawlance to enhance the easeof-doing-business in Pakistan. We are committed to support and build-capacity of our vendors and contractors, who play a pivotal role in enhancing the quality of our innovative products and strengthening Dawlance as a technology-leader in Pakistan, with sustainable growth. This collaboration with Habib Metro Bank is aimed at strengthening our contractors’ ability to meet their financial and business needs.” Dawlance is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Arcelik - the 2nd largest manufacturer in Europe. It is committed to create greater solutions and convenience for its business associates, while catering to the evolving needs of the customers in Pakistan and exporting high quality products to other countries. Dawlance’s award-winning technologies to conserve more than 55% energy, for promising long term sustainability.”

K-Electric to Undertake Maintenance Work at Johar Grid

Karachi pr

KE will be undertaking a critical maintenance activity at Johar Grid on Wednesday, January 11, 2023, to ensure the stability and reliability of power supply to consumers residing in these areas. The activity requires a shutdown from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM during which areas associated with the grid may experience temporary interruption in supply. All customers registered on 8119 have been informed about this maintenance shutdown via SMS in advance. For further guidance, customers may also reach out to KE’s Call Center 118, SMS service 8119, KE Live app, social media platforms, and WhatsApp self-service portal 24/7 in case of any complaint.

Seven new Corona cases reported in last 24 hours: NIH

iSLaMaBaD staff report

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

As per data shared by the National Institute of Health (NIH), the case positivity ratio is 0.28 percent while 17 patients were in critical condition.

No death was reported from the Coronavirus in the last 24 hours while 2,472 Covid-19 Corona tests were conducted. As many as 151 tests were conducted in Peshawar out of which three cases were confirmed with a ratio of 1.99%, while 384 tests were conducted in Lahore out of which three cases were reported confirmed with a ratio of 0.78%.

Meanwhile, Minister for National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination, Abdul Qadir Patel said

that the government has strengthened the role of Border and Health Services in Pakistan to deal with any subvariant of Covid-19.

The minister said that there was a surveillance sys-

tem at all entry points of the country including airports. He said that there will be rapid tests and screening of passengers at all airports.

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

“An efficient system with a proper management team is fully functional in the country to remain vigilant and is ready to make an emergency plan to deal with any sub-variant of Covid-19,” the minister added.

He said 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 COVID-19 including BF.7 in the country.

PTI’s messaging

imRAN KHAN’s recent decision to make his Lahore residence the base of the party’s current operations instead of Banigala from where he ran the country as Pm has been forced by two realities facing the Pti and its chairman. Both are tied to Punjab. there is the uncertainty surrounding the future of Pti’s government in Punjab that Ch Pervez elahi is currently fully in-charge of, is maintaining a semi-diplomatic ‘my way or the highway’ approach towards imran Khan’s confidence vote and assembly dissolution insistence. imran Khan would ideally prefer to be closer to the action. then there is the fear of arrest in islamabad, bailable warrants for which were issued by the eCP on contempt charges yesterday against imran Khan and two senior members of the party. there is also the issue of mobility owing to his leg injury which evidently is taking more time than expected to fully heal for the plaster cast to come off. in the process of trying to force early elections and maintain relevance in the political arena, there is an increasing reliance on amplifying the party policy of attacking the PDm and specific institutions. ironically, the intensity and frequency of the controversial accusations and insinuations that make up this onslaught seem to be feeding off of how ineffective this policy has so far been, as it continues to increasingly become hyperbolic and unsupported by evidence.

Perhaps it is time to change tack and focus on the task at hand: general elections at the end of this year. one example of this is the white paper that the Pti has put forward on the economy through former Finance minister shaukat tareen, which is an important dissection of the current economic predicament the country faces. When it first got a proper shot and playing the role of an effective opposition, the Pti delivered by maintaining a fair balance (minus the dharna days) between unparliamentary provocative rhetoric and legitimate criticism of the government’s policies. of late, there has been an alarming tilt in messaging aimed solely at polarizing an already overly-polarized electorate, taking inappropriate digs at opponents and general character assassination through social media trolling. A more mature Pti that brings correction to this imbalance will be a more mature national party that contributes to, rather than takes away from, the democratic evolution and development of the country. such change begins from the very top and unfortunately there is no indication of such sudden character reform to happen.

A radical idea to save Lebanon

Out-of-the-box thinking is needed

ties to implement.

What’s troubling is the futility of calling on the very same corrupt sectarian leaders who have driven the country to ruin to reform themselves out of business —with the us and other international bodies offering incentives or sanctions to motivate them to adopt these measures.

there is nothing new in all of this. Recall French President emmanuel macron’s visit to Lebanon in 2020, shortly after the horrific ammonium nitrate explosion in the Port of Beirut that killed hundreds, left thousands homeless, displaced hundreds of thousands more, and inflicted $15 billion in property damage. macron’s visit to the site of the devastation was inspiring, in large measure owing to the fact that no Lebanese leader had done so. He used the occasion to issue an ultimatum that Lebanon would not receive the international aid it desperately needed unless it made significant economic reforms.

pool of accomplished political and business professionals in the Lebanese emigre community)…and tasked with the organizing and conducting an election of a constituent assembly to write a new constitution with a subsequent referendum.”

there are two observations that can be made with certainty. in the first place, there is no doubt that Lebanon‘s sectarian leaders will reject such a radical proposal, as will Hezbollah, since it threatens their power and sources of wealth. But, as we have seen in the past, relying on these leaders and groups to find a way out of the mess they have created is a nonstarter. A radical proposal to save Lebanon may be the only way forward.

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

WitHout exaggeration, Ralph Nader is one of the transformational figures in recent us history. Because of efforts he helped lead, we drive safer cars, have cleaner water and air, and have a range of safety protections in our homes and places of work. it wasn’t easy. to build the movement for change, he had to confront major us corporations, banks, and powerful political lobbies, all of whom had entrenched interests in maintaining the status quo.

i also know Ralph Nader to be a deeply committed Arab American of Lebanese descent who is a tireless advocate for justice for Arabs and against discrimination here in the usA. For months now, he and i have been discussing the continuing crisis in Lebanon and what, if anything, can be done to pull the country back from the abyss and create viable institutions that can provide needed services and earn public trust.

i am prompted to share some of his ideas after reading a lengthy paper recently released by the American task Force on Lebanon and the middle east institute: “us-Lebanon Relations: setting a New international Framework for a more Responsive Government.” Both groups have established a record of making valuable contributions to us foreign policy discussion. And while their diagnosis of the problems facing Lebanon are on target, some of the recommendations they offer leave me confounded.

the AtFL-mei report correctly begins with the ominous warning: “Lebanon is on a tragic trajectory, never before seen in its history…Lebanon’s failings can be attributed to endemic corruption by the political class and the ‘state within a state’ impunity of Hezbollah.” this is all true, but then, without even a hint of irony, the report continues: “Lebanon’s leaders must take the necessary risks to reverse their country from falling into the abyss of an economic and political meltdown.” it then goes on to recommend specific and needed reforms for the Lebanese government, parliament, ministries, and political par-

the problem, of course, was: To whom was the ultimatum directed? Who was to be the agent of reform?

When, in the following days, we witnessed the same political leaders responsible for Lebanon’s plight meeting to discuss macron’s challenge, it was clear that nothing would happen. And nothing did.

Reflecting on this conundrum, Ralph Nader sent me a memorandum providing both an analysis of the Lebanese crisis and a radical proposal for a way forward.

He begins by observing that “Lebanon is a failed state…its staggeringly corrupt, sectarian government enriches a cabal of leaders… at the expense of the Lebanese people…many of Lebanon’s political pathologies are enshrined in its Constitution which…prescribes sectarian divisions.”

Even with such broad public support, it will not be easy to upend entrenched interests, but as Nader demonstrated in the last century, neither was fighting major US corporations, banks, and political lobbies. What he proposes for Lebanon is a path that should be seriously discussed to spur a far-reaching debate about what it will take to save the country

second, based on our three decades of polling in Lebanon, we know that substantial majorities of Lebanese, across all regions and religious groups, have little confidence in the traditional sectarian parties and leaders and, more importantly, want to rewrite the constitution to provide for one-man/one-vote representative elections. We saw a manifestation of this during the october 2019 uprising, in which over one million Lebanese took to the streets demanding that all of the old guard elites go.

Sometimes it seems a very strange coincidence that Bollywood has always been dominated by muslim actors, actresses, directors, poets, musicians and writers. From Naseeruddin shah to irfan Khan and from A. R. Rahman to Javaid Akhtar and shabana Azmi, salman Khan, Amir Khan, Farah Khan, saif Ali Khan, shah Rukh Khan and sanjay Dutt, the list of muslim artists is very long.

Certainly credit of this dominance goes to the talent and skill of these artists but we cannot negate the positively unprejudiced rather impartial behavior of the indian audience in making them popular and dominant in the Bollywood industry. Keeping aside the religious philosophies they follow, the indian people have always proved themselves true lovers of art by appreciating the muslim artists.

it is also a fact that some extremist miscreants in india have always tried to generate hatred against the muslim artists but they could never succeed in achieving their petty goals. most of the time, it is the BJP behind all such movements. the BJP desires to politicize ‘art and artists’ but the general public has an opinion altogether otherwise.

Recently a video clip of Guru Paramhans Acharya has gone viral on different social media platforms in

But, Nader continues, there is a way forward because “the Lebanese constitution also acknowledges that…the people are the source of power and sovereignty” leading him to conclude that “the people collectively retain the right to dispense with the current constitutional dispensation and provide for a successor better suited for their liberty, safety, and happiness.”

Based on this, Nader calls for “representatives of a broad spectrum of Lebanese public opinion petition the uN security Council under Chapter Vii to establish a uN transitional Authority for Lebanon headed by a designee of the secretary General and entrusted with the short-term governance of Lebanon with apolitical experts (drawn from vast

Let art remain secular

Hindutva rabble-rousing over a film song’s colours

whichParamhansis seen threatening to burn shah Rukh Khan alive. Guru Paramhans is a seer in Ayodhya and ‘enjoys a very bad’ repute with reference to the hatred against the muslims and other minorities in india. in that video clip, Paramhans pretends to be agitated on a song of an upcoming movie Pathaan. Deepika Padukone,one of the highest-paid actresses in india, is starring in Pathaan with shah Rukh Khan. A song of this movie, ‘Besharam Rang’, is very much viral on social media nowadays. in that song Deepika is wearing a saffron bikini and shah Rukh Khan is in green costume. Paramhans says that the selection of these two colors is symbolic; the saffron colour represents the Hindus and green the muslims.He objects that the ‘coming soon’ movie is propagating jihad and he has termed shah Rukh Khan a ‘jihadi

.Another BJP mLA from maharashtra, Ram Kadam, has also objected to the shah Rukh -Deepika song. Ram Kadam said in his recent tweet that anything that “disrespects Hindutva” will not work in maharashtra. A similar message was conveyed to the makers of Pathaan earlier by BJP minister Narottam mishra in a public statement. He had criticized Deepika’s saffron costume and sRK’s green costume and asked the makers to change them. He added that if the changes are not made, Pathaan’s release in madhya Pradesh will be threatened.He further said, “i feel the title of the song ‘Besharam Rang’ is also objectionable in its sense.”

most of the BJP leaders raising illogical objections to Pathaan and the song Besharam Rang have a long history of spreading hatred against the muslim community and other minorities in india. Guru Paramhans is the same person who two years back had threatened to take ‘Jal samadhi’ if the country was not declared a Hindu state by october 2 2021. ‘Jal samadhi’ is suicide in which a person ends his life by immersing himself in water. Now this is the beginning of 2023, india has yet not been declared a Hindu

state and Paramhans is still alive and making hate speeches against the minorities in india. the same is the case with Narottam mishra. on April 10, he played a very horrible role in escalating the tension between the local Hindu and muslim communities in Khargone, madhya Pradesh.

A Ram Navami procession was organized by a Hindu nationalist organization allied to the ruling BJP, somewhere around 5 pm. that was the exact time muslims were gathering for evening prayers at the neighbouring Jama masjid. As planned by the instigators, some miscreants started pelting stones from both sides. it all resulted in burning of vehicles, houses, shops and imposing of curfew in the area.

instead of calming the people, Narottam mishra started blaming the muslims for the whole disaster. siding with the Hindu agitators, he warned the muslims during his talk with the NDtV, “if muslims carry out such attacks then they should not expect justice.” it must also be kept in mind that mishra is madhya Pradesh Home minister too. such horrible extremists are no doubt a continuous threat for the peace and calm of every society and the role of political parties standing behind such characters is also questionable. india has never lacked people with a sensible, balanced and moderate mental approach. that is the reason today that many NGos are trying to convince people to boycott the Party which is supporting such ‘Gurus’ as Paramhans Acharya.

As far as art is concerned, it never belongs to any religion; it is a very vast canvas which invites and allows every artist to paint a picture according to his own skill and talent. Be it Hollywood, Bollywood or Lollywood, the actors are never recognized or appreciated with reference to their religion. so many times a Hindu actor has to play the role of a muslim scholar and so many times of a Christian priest. same is the case with muslim actors.

Karan Johar is no doubt a great name in the list of

the key to Nader’s proposal for saving Lebanon is the empowerment of two groups of Lebanese who up until now have been forced to sit on the sidelines while watching a country they love dying a slow death—hemorrhaging its people, wealth, and hope. the proposal provides the opportunity for Lebanese civil society to petition the uN and then vote on a referendum to write a new constitution. And by engaging the Lebanese emigre community in the transitional Authority, the proposal invests this extraordinarily successful group of Lebanese by inviting them to help reform and rebuild the institutions of the country.

even with such broad public support, it will not be easy to upend entrenched interests, but as Nader demonstrated in the last century, neither was fighting major us corporations, banks, and political lobbies.

What he proposes for Lebanon is a path that should be seriously discussed to spur a far-reaching debate about what it will take to save the country.

some may dismiss this proposal as radical. But because Lebanon is worth saving, radical ideas, as improbable as they may seem, demand to be tried, if only because all other options have failed.

For maintaining the serenity on the face of the world around us, we must discourage such narrow-mindedness and prejudice as Art is something above all such petty matters. And by burning the precious Shah Rukh Khan alive, Guru Paramhans Acharya would get nothing but more disgust, more animosity and more hatred along with a death-sentence

Hindu Film Directors. His super-hit movie Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, was released in 2016. most of the actors and actresses in that movie were the Hindus and they all played muslim characters.

For maintaining the serenity on the face of the world around us, we must discourage such narrow-mindedness and prejudice as Art is something above all such petty matters. And by burning the precious shah Rukh Khan alive, Guru Paramhans Acharya would get nothing but more disgust, more animosity and more hatred along with a death sentence.

The writer is an Associate Professor of English at Govt College of Science, Multan

The writer is President of the Arab American Institute

ALI SUKHANVer

Dr JAmeS J. ZOGby

Yousaf Nizami Editor

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

Pak-Russia energy diplomacy

to ease the economic sanctions imposed as retaliation for its invasion of ukraine so that thetaps may be switched back on over the winter. the overall supplies in November 2022 were 1.86 Bcm, compared to 10.09 Bcm in November 2021, revealing the magnitude of Russian supply restrictions.

progress to date. the framework of the gas pipeline project was altered during the rule of Pakistan tehreek-e-insaaf (Pti), and the two statessigned an agreement saying that Pakistani companies would have 76 percent of the shares and Russia would keep the remaining 24 percent.

Editor’s mail

Balochistan and its share in Reko Diq

tHe Reko Diq gold and copper mining project has been renewed and resettled with certain modifications in terms of policy and conditions by the federal government, and with this has ended the long investment dispute with tethyan Copper Company (tCC).

Relevant to this development is the newly-adopted Foreign investment (Promotion and Protection) Bill, 2022, passed recently by both houses of parliament. A few sections of the legislation are seen with a grain of salt by the people of Balochistan. there is no denying the fact that Balochistan is a relevant stakeholder in Reko Diq, and it is essential that any agreement or deal signed with any foreign company or investor should be shared with the provincial hierarchy, and all the genuine reservations of the people need to be addressed.

the pathetic developmental landscape of Balochistan is a convincing proof of the bitter reality that the province has not received its due over the years. it is the least developed, the poorest, the most illiterate province whose growing population has been reeling from abject poverty, lack of food, clean drinking water and modern and innovative learning techniques. the youths of Balochistan run from pillar to post to get a job or a livelihood, but due to low economic activity and business in the province, they end up dejected. the health structure is in a shambolic state. the people are at present enduring the worst form of gas, water and electricity shortages. the hapless people of the province are shown the sky and then find themselves languishing under open skies; homeless and shelterless. they are told tales of billions of dollars coming in worthy projects, but are left to fend for themselves because the province never gets its due share in such projects. the promised benefits that projects like the China-Pakistan economic Corridor (CPeC) and saindak were supposed to bring to the province have failed to bring prosperity in the life of the common man in the province. one wonders what good the Reko Diq project will be for the masses. there is a justified feeling of distrust among the people of Balochistan in this regard. if the federal government is sincere about dispelling the impression, it needs to make genuine effort and go a long way to assure the people of Balochistan not through words but through actions that this time no injustice would be done to them, and that any benefit accrued from Reko Diq would be spent on the develop-ment of Balochistan and its people, too. ASMA

QASIM QUETTA

Media: The ideology manufacturer

GUL-I-AyeSHA bHATTI

FeDeRAL state minister for Petroleum,musadik malik stated on December 5 that negotiations for the purchase of liquefied natural gas (LNG)were now under on with private Russian companies. He also mentioned that islamabad had contacts with the federal LNG producers in Russia. therefore negotiations over the pipeline projects with moscow have advanced significantly. the Russian Foreign minister also mentions the supply of Russian Crude oil to Pakistan.

Russia, which is often referred to as an “energy superpower,” is the world’s top exporter of both natural gas and oil. it has long been the main source of petroleum and natural gas for the eu.since Russia invaded ukraine in February 2022, things have gotten worse as a result of an energy stalemate with europe. in may2022 Gazprom cut off supply through the Yamal-europe pipeline that crosses Poland, just 44 hours after ukraine restricted the flow of natural gas through its territory into europe and accused Russian forces of interfering. According to RiA Novosti, sanctions imposed on euRoPol GAZ, the parent company of Gazprom, led the business to halt shipments. europe is currently experiencing the biggest energy crisis in years.

After 11 months of the ukraine war, Russia has given indication of resuming the energy supply to europe. According to Russia’s Deputy Prime minister Alexander Novak, who spoke to the Russian state news agency tAss on December 25, Russia is prepared to restore gas deliveries to europe via the Yamal-europe gas pipeline and it can also send supplies to Pakistan and Afghanistan in the long term.

“the european market remains relevant, as the gas shortage persists, and Russia has every opportunity to resume supplies. For example, the Yamal-europe pipeline, which was stopped for political reasons, remains unused, and “Novak said,” the increased demand for Russian gas cannot be ignored”

“today, we can confidently say that there is a demand for our gas. therefore, we continue to consider europe as a potential market for the sale of our products. it is clear that a large-scale campaign was launched against us, which ended with acts of sabotage against Nord stream,” he said.

these remarks are the most glaring proof yet that Russia is trying to put pressure on europe

traditional war is an expensive option and states lose economically even though they win it militarily. Russian eagerness to resume the gas and oil supply and explore eastern opportunities along with western demands is obvious. And here we can find its convergence of interest with Pakistan. Because of its energy crisis and high inflation, Pakistan is looking for cheaper and easily accessible options to manage the supply of oil and gas for local consumers. in this regard, moscow urged that Pakistan first honour its pledge to the Pakistan stream Gas Pipeline (PsGP), the main project, which would be built from Karachi to Lahore. the Pakistani government’s response included a revision in the PsGP project’s model. the Russian side claimed that, with the exception of a few ownership agreement elements, the project’s GtG (government-to-government) model had already been decided upon.

the Pakistan stream gas project, also known as the Northsouth gas pipeline, is a long-delayed gas pipeline that is crucial to the economy of Pakistan. it is decided to be constructed in association with Russian companies. in order to transport imported Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) from Karachi on the Arabian sea coast to power plants in the northeastern state of Punjab, the two states decided to construct a 1,100 km (683 miles) pipeline in 2015.

two important gas-related projects— the Pakistan Gas stream Project and the iranian offshore gas pipeline— have proved difficult for Pakistan to implement. these two projects have been in the works between Pakistan and Russia for a number of years, but have been stalled by us disapproval.

the pipeline was initially to be built by Russia under the build, own, operate, and transfer (Boot) model. According to this proposal, moscow would finance 85 percent of the project and hand it over to inter state Gas systems (isGs) of Pakistan after 25 years.

Rt Global was chosen by Russia, while isGs was chosen by Pakistan, to assist in making the initiative a reality. the usA placed sanctions on Rt Global not long after both states decided to move forward with the venture. Later, Russia selected a number of companies to begin the project’s construction. However, there hasn’t been any

the PGsP is not the only one in Pakistan, another collaboration pact was struck by Gazprom and the Pakistani oil and Gas Development Company Limited (oGDCL)in 2017. in accordance with the agreement, Pakistan and Russia agreed to examine the possibility of supplying gas to Pakistan and other countries as well as to build hydrocarbon projects there and in other countries. A $10 billion agreement was inked by Gazprom and Pakistan in 2018 to perform a feasibility study for the construction of an offshore pipeline between iran and Pakistan. the Northsouth Pipeline Project and underground gas storage facilities in Pakistan were promised investments totaling $14 billion by the Russian side back in 2019.

these decisions are further influenced by other market actors.

Pakistan receives significant amounts of oil from Kuwait and saudi Arabia. saudi Arabia supplies Pakistan with crude oil, whereas Kuwait supplies refined petroleum products. some of the goods are arranged through spot cargo.

Qatar has controlled the gas market in Pakistan while saudi Arabia and Kuwait have dominated the oil market. According to authorities, “under this circumstance, Pakistan and Russia might have an energy agreement that would assist in strengthening the strategic relationship between the two states.” in order to provide the Pakistani delegation with virtual support while they are in Russia for negotiations, the government has also established a high-level committee made up of heads of oil corporations, primarily from the government sector.

Another step is that moscow intends to prepare a presidential order prohibiting Russian traders and corporations from selling oil to states that participate in the system to cap the price of Russian oil. in this case, Pakistan cannot trade oil with Russia if it is relying on receiving a No objection Certificate (NoC) from the usA. An oil and gas trade agreement is being negotiated between islamabad and moscow at a time when energy projects between the two states have been put on hold because of the conflict in ukraine.other participants are the usA and saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Qatar.

The writer can be reached at guleayeshabhatti@gmail.com

tHe rise of social media back in 2003 with the launch of the social media platform myspace which further opened up spaces for Facebook in 2004 and lot others, enabled every one of us to showcase our thoughts to the outer world. But as a consequence, it also scooped some major concerns of societal imbalance in freedom of speech.

social media platforms gave freedom of speech to people, where people can express their liking or disliking. the urge to express feelings to the outer world isn’t a simple step forward in the evolution of human society, it started in the feudalist era to the dictatorships, where the freedom of speech was prohibited. A wish to express freely could cost a severe punishment or even loss of life. But at present, whether it’s the critics of the economic policy of a country or cultural change, the people have a lot on their minds which they could further deliver to the other members of the society. However, it has also negatively affected the society by benefiting the political and socially dominant groups of society to induce their ideologies through these platforms. imagine a partisanship of political parties of a country, where social media become biased to put forward an agenda of a single party and hence it results more societal polarization. it’s the people who need to get well aware that how they could stop becoming the media stooges. Consider taking third person view point, in this case, an international coverage of a view point which was nationally presented by social media. And one should try to be specific to write about an opinion, so it should be not the case that, listening to a single source of information and start making assumptions about that particular view. And last but not the least, choose a bunch of carefully selected words when writing about someone on social media, the basic purpose is to knock at the door, not to blast a door into parts.

ASIM NAVEED LAHORE

Fighting child marriage

FoRCeD marriages is a serious issue and it exists worldwide even today. it is a form of marriage in which one or both of the partners are placed in a wedlock against their will or without their voluntary consent.

Child marriages is a form of forced marriage because, irrespective of the consent being involved, both parties are not legally of proper age and mentally or physically mature enough to decide on marriage. such marriages are strictly prohibited by section 310-A of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), which carries a maxi-mum prison sentence of seven years and a minimum penalty of Rs500,000 for violating the Child marriage Restraint Act, 1929. Despite such laws on the book, the marriage of under18 girls is widely prevalent in Pakistan, where the rate is the sixth highest globally. According to the united Nations international Children’s emergency Fund (unicef), three per cent of Pakistani females under the age of 15 years and 21pc under the age of 18 years are married off, and it continues to be regarded as an integral cultural tradition.

the underlying reasons for child marriages could be poverty and dowry as well as social and religious influences. it is high time people realised that doing so violates not only human rights, but also children’s rights and could have long-term harmful effects on both girls and boys.

For girls, it could lead to mental health concerns, a lack of access to opportunities and education, and several negative health impacts. For boys, this could mean being unprepared for responsibilities, like becoming fathers at a young age, supporting their families, and not having access to career possibilities. Child marriages may also have a negative impact on the economic development of countries as a result of overpopulation and poor participation in the labour market. many programmes to prevent child marriages have been initiated at national and international levels, such as the international Day of the Girl Child and the Global Campaign for the Prevention of Child marriage. However, there is still a need for more stringent laws and their implementation to stop child marriages.

ARIYA SHERAL KARACHI

There are several hurdles before Pakistan can get Russian oil or gas

Another step is that Moscow intends to prepare a presidential order prohibiting Russian traders and corporations from selling oil to states that participate in the system to cap the price of Russian oil. In this case, Pakistan cannot trade oil with Russia if it is relying on receiving a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the USA.

What Brazil’s uPrising means For the Country

For months, it appeared that Brazilian democracy had dodged a bullet. For all of President Jair Bolsonaro’s warnings about a flawed system, and Donald Trump-like threats of unrest if he were to lose the oct. 30 election, the protests he encouraged seemed to have dissipated. The winner, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, was inaugurated on New Year’s Day. And while some of Bolsonaro’s hard-core supporters still demanded a reversal of the results, it seemed that the majority had considered the Trump playbook and tossed it aside.

That narrative held until midafternoon Sunday, when Bolsonaro’s supporters stormed the Three Powers Square in the nation’s capital, Brasília, breaching buildings that house Brazil’s congress, supreme court and the presidential palace. Suddenly, it looked like the Bolsonaristas, as they are known, had followed the Trump path very closely, and Brasília’s Jan. 8, 2023, looked remarkably like Washington’s Jan. 6, 2021.

Now — as then — thousands of protesters had been bused in from around the country, shouting their versions of “stop the steal” and demanding the ouster of the new president.

Here they were, just like the Jan. 6 mob, breaking windows and trashing furniture, office equipment and even old paintings in the nation’s most important government buildings. At the Supreme Court, they overturned the table where the justices sit to hear cases. And they took selfies as they did their damage — much as the Jan. 6 insurrectionists had done.

Even their language was similar. “We always said we would not give up,” one protester declared in a video taken during the rampage. “Congress is ours. We are in power.” And here, as in Washington two years ago, there were allegations that some police had stood by as the rampage went on and that the military had been slow to intervene.

Ultimately, now as then, order was restored by day’s end. A key difference: This was a Sunday, and so the buildings were largely empty. That may have meant more vandalism, but it also meant there was no repeat of the threats to lawmakers.

The new president, who is known as Lula, blamed Bolsonaro for “inciting” the mob. For his part, Bolsonaro condemned the violence, saying via Twitter that “destruction and invasions of public buildings, like what occurred today,” are not part of democracy. But he also denied he had anything to do with what had happened. Bolsonaro has been in Florida, having flown there two days before his term ended in December; many analysts believe he left the country not just to avoid the ceremonial passing of the presidential sash to Lula — a traditional symbol of the peaceful transfer of power in Brazil — but also to skirt arrest, as the new administration scrutinizes abuses of power on his watch.

The day after was relatively calm in Brazil. officials said they will investigate the slow response of law enforcement, and they pledged to hold the Bolsonaristas accountable. More than 1,200 people have been detained.

“They will not succeed in destroying Brazilian democracy,” said Lula’s Justice Minister Flávio Dino. “We will not accept the path of criminality to carry out political fights in Brazil. A criminal is treated like a criminal.”

But critical questions remain — much like the ones that have haunted the U.S. in aftermath of the Jan. 6 insurrection: What was Bolsonaro’s precise role? More broadly, what does the eruption in Brasília mean for the future of democracy in Brazil? Has misinformation taken root in ways that will be difficult to counter? And — a question for both countries: To what extent did Trump and his followers encourage and assist the Bolsonaristas who carried out their version of a Jan. 6-style violent protest?

For early answers, Grid turned on Monday to two experts on Brazilian pol-

itics: Tanguy Baghdadi, an expert on international relations based in rio de Janeiro and a political commentator for the Brazilian broadcaster GloboNews, and Thomas Traumann, a journalist and former presidential spokesman during the administration of Dilma rousseff, Brazil’s leader until 2016.

Grid: With Lula’s inauguration, most of us outside Brazil had assumed that the country had avoided a Jan. 6-style insurrection, that Bolsonaro’s provocations during his ultimately ill-fated campaign appeared to have to come to naught and that the threat to a peaceful transition of power had passed. So what happened on Sunday?

Thomas Traumann: Well, it wasn’t only those outside who were wrong, but Lula’s government was also wrong. The fact is that right after the election, there were some pro-Bolsonaro protesters who were blocking roads and demonstrating against the result, and this went on for three or four days. There was real tension. When those demonstrations did not work, they started to camp outside military buildings all over the country, asking for the army to intervene, for a military coup. But near the end of the year, everyone assumed that even this was not much of a risk. It was Christmastime; it didn’t seem as if many people who were involved wanted to continue in these camps.

But then what happened is that right after the inauguration, there were posts all over social media — WhatsApp, Telegram, Facebook groups — calling for a big demonstration on Sunday. So this was known. I mean, we are talking about something like 100 buses coming from all over the country to Brasília, parking in front of the main military base in Brasília, to undertake a major demonstration on Sunday. The Lula government of course knew what was happening, and they asked the local police to keep an eye on things. And the police said, “oh, it’s all quiet, not a problem, they’ll just demonstrate and stay away from the main federal buildings.”

Tanguy Baghdadi: The security forces were letting people walk right in. And these people sought destruction. They wanted to produce images like the ones from Jan. 6, images to feed their idea of people taking power with their own hands.

The Brazilian right looks to the American right for inspiration. They see them as an example — and they admire Trump. There is speculation that it happened on a Sunday so that more people could attend, so that people had time to get to Brasília. But I wouldn’t be surprised if they actually wanted it to happen on the 6th and simply settled for the closest possible day when they could do it.

G: What about Bolsonaro’s role in what happened on Sunday? We know he was out of the country, in Florida since just before his term ended. What, at this early stage, can be said about his planning this or urging on the insurrectionists who attacked Brasília?

TT: We don’t yet know the full truth, but there’s no doubt about the fact that he has been inspiring these people for four years.

TB: Bolsonaro is what brought them all together, but now Bolsonarism is going beyond Bolsonaro. If you notice, there weren’t that many references to Bolsonaro. Many weren’t asking for Bolsonaro to go back to power; they were asking for military intervention.

G: So then what importance — if any — should we attach to the fact that Bolsonaro was in Florida when the protesters stormed the congress and other buildings in Brasília? What should we read into it?

TB: I believe the right feels almost abandoned. That’s why they were

trying to turn to the armed forces. And again, because neither Bolsonaro or the armed forces were able to stop Lula from taking power, they moved on to storming the capital.

I do, however, think it made once difference, him being in the U.S.: If Bolsonaro was in Brazil, there would have been expectations for him to join the movement, participate more. But because he was away, no one expected him to do it — to lead the masses, to lead the armed forces. It was about more than one person, more than just Bolsonaro. It was about the movement.

TT: I think the fact that he was out of the country is not the most important thing. He went out of the country basically because he was afraid being arrested.

G: Coming back to the specific events, we’ve seen reports about the police on the ground and how they were at best unhelpful in stopping the violence from taking place, and at worst in league with the demonstrators. What do you think about the role played in all this by law enforcement?

TT: There is no doubt about complicity [on the part of the forces on the ground]. Maybe in their defense they might say that they only thought this would be a demonstration, not an attack, but the fact is that it took them two or two and a half hours to do something about it. It was only after all this was on national TV that they took real action. When they actually took action, it was a very fast operation. So they could have fixed it quite easily.

TB: The best way to explain this is to think of the armed forces as one big institution. And that institution has a role, a duty, to perform for the state. And their duty was to stop the attack. That was their institutional duty.

That’s the official side. But then there’s the human side, because the people in that institution — many of them agree with Bolsonaro’s ideology. And these people, had it not been for the uniforms they were wearing, would have joined the attackers and stormed the buildings, or at least be cheering them on. We saw this partly play out, when they let the attackers pass.

It’s also important to note that Bolsonaro himself rose up from the armed forces. So they have this mutual relationship of support.

G: We have seen hundreds of people arrested. And investigations into events are still ongoing. But the morning after, what is the mood like in Brazil?

TB: When it comes to the bigger political picture, they’ve been asking for military intervention — and I don’t think what happened gets them any closer to it. The armed forces personnel that truly believe in this cause and believe this will happen are in the lower ranks. They are not willing to do it in the higher ranks.

TT: I feel what we are seeing today, the morning after, is a big backlash against what happened. People are in shock. They are really shocked. And you have, as a result, a unique union right now between the supreme court, and the speaker of the house and the president of the senate, and Lula together. There is a sense that Bolsonarism has become a liability. So they want to get as far away from it as possible, even people who previously supported Bolsonaro.

So I don’t see this as a risk for Brazilian democracy, of a coup in Brazil. I feel that basically Bolsonaro is the great loser of what happened. Not Lula.

Nikhil Kumar is the deputy global editor at Grid, reporting on global affairs. Mariana Labbate is the editorial assistant for Grid’s Global team. Tom Nagorski is the global editor at Grid, where he oversees our coverage of global security, U.S.-China relations, migration trends, global economics and U.S. foreign policy.

THE KEY EVENTUALLY TO OPPOSITION UNITY IS NOT JUST THE ARITHMETICAL COMING TOGETHER OF PARTIES, BUT THEIR CAPACITY TO CREATE A JOINT NARRATIVE

has an all-India narrative built around the persona of the Prime Minister.

So, in this scenario, is opposition unity possible or is it just a chimera? The idea of a national opposition is mired in uncertainty and questions about whether disparate parties, often with conflicting interests, can indeed come together. Yet today, more than ever, there is a need for them to do so. Small competing forces must bury the hatchet and come together for their own survival. It is also in the interest of the nation and democracy to have a robust opposition. It is, therefore, imperative for nonBJP forces to try and crack the opposition matrix.

Election, the latter often does poorly. Problems also arise where the Congress is not part of a front, but challenges the regional party; such a situation exists in Telangana where the ruling Bharat rashtra Samithi is facing a challenge from the rising BJP, even as the Congress remains a player, however small. Therefore, the question that rightly emerges is: how can parties become partners against the BJP when they are fighting each other?

The answer lies in recognising that all coalition exercises in the past involved a level of statesmanship, a give-and-take and a recognition that it was the need of the hour.

informally selecting candidates for each seat.

After all, opposition parties need to keep fighting on and they did win two recent byelections in Khatauli and Mainpuri in Uttar Pradesh (while they lost rampur to the BJP in the midst of scenes of certain voters not being allowed to cast their ballot). Intriguingly, Chaudhary has also been talking about coming to an arrangement with the Bhim Army, a very small force that, however, can be seen as representing Dalit and Bahujan interests. The game in UP, therefore, must be about creating synergy and getting structures in place.

Tribune saba Naqvi

aTAL Bihari Vajpayee had the distinction of running a non-Congress coalition government that completed a term in office. The 1998 government, which collapsed in a year, had seen a post-poll alliance of political parties. A year later, pre-poll parleys led to the formation of the NDA government, which lasted an entire term till 2004. In both instances, the BJP hammered out a common minimum programme with its allies. That was necessary in an age when the BJP’s ideology was not accepted by its partners. Since 2014, the BJP has had the numbers to not feel the need for major allies. Therefore, the significant ones such as the JD(U) and the Shiromani Akali Dal have drifted away, while the Shiv Sena is split down the middle. The BJP, however, has made up for the lack of partners by extending its footprint across the country. It also

In states where the Congress is in alliance with regional parties, but as a junior partner, there appear to be greater chances of giving the BJP a tough fight. That includes Bihar, where the Congress is part of the ruling coalition led by the JD(U)/rJD that appears strong from the arithmetical perspective of caste and community. It can certainly challenge the BJP that won 39 of the state’s 40 Lok Sabha seats in 2019 when the Nitish Kumar-led JD(U) was part of the NDA. In Tamil Nadu, the Congress is part of the DMK-led front that is in power in the state that sends 39 MPs to the Lok Sabha.

In Maharashtra, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) was ousted from power after defections in the Shiv Sena last year, but it still hangs in there together as an alliance between the Uddhav Thackeray-led faction of the Shiv Sena, Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party and the Congress. After Uttar Pradesh’s 80 seats, Maharashtra sends the second-largest contingent of 48 MPs to the Lok Sabha and will witness a contest in 2024.

In direct BJP-vs-Congress contests in the General

Many questions have arisen about the Bharat Jodo Yatra led by rahul Gandhi, just touching a small part of the state and not heading to the interiors. The reality is that while the yatra may have got a decent response in the parts of UP it travelled to, the party has no structures left on the ground. The SP, meanwhile, remains the opposition party that has the cadre base to fight as the Mayawati-led BSP, at times, appears to be informally coopted into the BJP’s strategies.

The SP did not join the Bharat Jodo Yatra, but sent good wishes even as some members of the rLD led by Jayant Chaudhary, an ally of the SP front, joined the rahul-led journey. In the face of sheer BJP dominance, the best solution could be a loose front where the Congress actually accepts that it’s only nominally in the Uttar Pradesh game, yet is a national player in a General Election that transfers whatever residual goodwill it has among certain groups to the SP/rLD. The latter, meanwhile, need to get their ground game going such as checking voter list deletions, preparing workers for booth management and

In West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh, the respective ruling regional parties will do the fighting and there is nothing significant left of the Congress in these two states for there to be any competition. There is, however, bad blood from the past but those narratives only become relevant if there is a need to create a post-poll alliance. But south to north, we hit pockets of intense competition such as that in Kerala, from where rahul is now an MP, but his party fights for its seats against the Left Front. In Punjab, there is Aam Aadmi Party that has chosen to be an outlier in all joint opposition strategies. All such parties need to re-examine their strategies, their narratives of enmity with each other and somehow get together.

The key eventually to opposition unity is not just the arithmetical coming together of parties, but their capacity to create a joint narrative, be it of unity in diversity or around issues of poverty, reservation, representation, federalism and against cronyism. For, the BJP will have a prime ministerial face and a narrative around the face. It has already created teams to work on vulnerable seats and begun the groundwork.

Grid Nikhil kumar, mariaNa labbate aNd tom Nagorski

4th Financial Crime Summit on 14th

ISLAMABAD: The 4th Financial Crime Summit will be held this week on January 14, 2023 in Karachi, with the theme

‘Post-FATF Financial Crime Action Plan – Continuing the National Anti-Financial Crime Agenda’. The Summit is being organized by Dellsons Conferences under the banner of Dellsons Associates, together with its Knowledge Partner, A. F. Ferguson & Co., a member firm of the PwC network. The two organizations have been collaborating regularly to put together knowledge sharing and capacity building events for the banking and financial services community, pertaining to a wide range of key topical matters.

Honourable President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan Dr. Arif Alvi is expected to grace the event as the Chief Guest. Speakers and panelists at this high-profile summit include Presidents & CEOs and compliance chiefs of commercial banks and other entities, senior representatives of regulatory bodies and law enforcement agencies, including SBP, SECP, FMU, FBR, FIA, NACTA and PSX among others. There will also be participation of some foreign financial crime experts from across consulting, fintech and academic backgrounds. Speaking on the relevance of the Summit, Ibrahim Amin, Chairman Dellsons stated, “Pakistan has taken great strides in addressing the FATF action plan and coming out of the grey list, with the State Bank of Pakistan and numerous other government bodies playing a key role to achieve the target. PR

PR police rescues two runaway girls

PuNjab, CaliforNia sigN sister-state relatioNshiP

WAShINGTON StAff RePoRt

aNagreement to declare Punjab and California as sister states was signed at the California State Capitol in Sacramento city aimed at bolstering a mutually beneficial relationship.

Anthony Rendon, the speaker of the legislature, signed the agreement on behalf of the state, while Wasif Khurshid, chairman of the Planning and Development Board, signed for the Punjab government.

Pakistan’s ambassador to the US, Masood Khan, witnessed the ceremony. Attending the signing ceremony were former prime minister Yousaf

Raza Gilani, Lieutenant Governor of California Eleni Kounalakis, Rendon, and a large number of Pakistani-American community members.

Ambassador Khan and the visiting Pakistan delegation were received at the assembly and the delegation was recognised and greeted on the floor of the house, according to a press statement issued by the Pakistan embassy.

The agreement would promote mutual trade and commerce and increase the potential for educational, environmental, and cultural relations, the envoy said, adding it would also provide an opportunity to exploit the untapped economic potential and promote people-to-people contacts. California, which is among the top

four economies of the world, and the vibrant middle class of Punjab, would create the required synergies for nurturing a mutually beneficial relationship and a win-win partnership, Khan said.

Earlier, the delegation visited the University of California, Davis, a leading agricultural and veterinary research university and met Chancellor Gary May. The two sides discussed ways to strengthen the collaboration between UC Davis and the University of Agriculture (UAF) in Faisalabad, and agreed to further build on the partnership, according to the press statement.

They also discussed ways and means to promote collaboration in the export of mangoes and dates from Pakistan. UC Davis’ support for hybrid seeds of wheat,

Education Minister inaugurates classes at NSU Muridke Campus

ISLAMABAD PR

LAhore: Help desk of railways police Lahore station has rescued and returned the two teenage vulnerable girls of age between 13-14 years, escaped from Karachi to the Karachi police. The girls were found in a miserable condition by one of the patrolling constables of railways police from Lahore Cantt station. Later, upon interrogation by railways police, it was disclosed by the girls that they had left their homes due to compassionless attitude of their parents. Both the teenage girls are class-fellow of 8th grade. An FIR of kidnapping was also registered on complaint of parents at Korangi police station Karachi. The railways police had been harbouring the girls at help desk Lahore for more than 1 day before handing over to the investigating officer of Karachi Korangi police station in the presence of parents. It is worth mentioning here that, prompt and timely action by railways police have averted the threat and sword of damocles hanging over their heads in the form of sexual abuse and kidnapping, as the girls were found alone sitting and hiding at the corner of stations' platform. During interrogation, it was revealed that girls had travelled in Khyber-Mail Express train and reached the Lahore Cantt station in the late hour of night at around 2:30 hrs. PR

CDA Chief opens rainwater rechargeable well in PMD Sector H-8/2

ISLAMABAD: Chairman Capital Development Authority Captain (R) Muhammad Usman Younis on Tuesday inaugurated the rainwater rechargeable well constructed in PMD Sector H-8/2. On this occasion, DG Water Management and other officers were also with him. Chairman Capital Development Authority Captain (R) Muhammad Usman Younis was told that 100 recharge wells have been constructed at different places in the city. In which 60 rechargeable wells have been completed while work on 40 rechargeable wells is going on rapidly and soon all these rechargeable wells will be completed. Chairman CDA was further informed that more than one million gallon of rain water has been saved from these recharge wells. These wells are built in a place where rain water stand for 12 to 14 hours, which was lost by flowing into the rivers. These water rechargeable wells also have a special filtration system that keeps the water clean from polluted elements. The depth of these wells is about 150 to 160 feet. This water gets absorbed into the underground layer which helps in raising the underground water level. PR

Educational institutes across the world are focusing more on skills education when compared with formal educational programs. In Pakistan, empowering youth with skills is the survival of our nation. This was stated by the Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training after inaugurating the initiation of classes ceremony at the National Skills University Islamabad (NSU)- Muridke Campus, Sheikhupura. According to the Federal Minister, also Pro-Chancellor of NSU, skilled Pakistani youth is being sought across the globe; however, we need institutions following global standards in skills education, so the workforce we produce will have the potential to work globally and bring remittance for their homeland.

On his arrival, the students from the first badge of the National Skills University Islamabad presented flower bouquets to the Federal Education Minister. After the ribbon-cutting ceremony, the minister addressed students, the public, and the faculty of the NSU-Muridke campus. According to him, all 250 students in the first badge and future students’ educational expenses will be borne by the Government of Pakistan. Initially, the university has initiated five sixmonth skills training, including 1) Mobile phone repair technicians, 2) Industrial stitching, 3) Domestic and industrial electricians, 4) Solar system technicians, and 5) Microsoft office applications. The NSU Muridke

campus will offer courses aligning with industrial demands and is recognized as a university for the industry and employers.

Officials from the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training, the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan, and NAVTTC were also at the classes' inauguration ceremony. According to the Federal Education Minister, the NSU campus at Muridke has been established within the shortest possible time and received HEC recognition, requisite prime land of 100 Kanals to build a world-class campus with an initial allocation of PKR 386 million. He appreciated the efforts of the NSU team, mainly the Campus Incharge, Dr. Bilawal Rehman, Mr. Mahmood ul Hassan and M.A. Wallana, involved in raising Muridke Campus under the guidance of Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Muhammad Mukhtar.

cotton and rice also came under discussion. Cooperation on climate-smart agriculture was also discussed during the meeting, it said. The delegation also attended a reception hosted by Dr Asif Mahmood, a prominent Pakistan-American politician, at his residence.

It was attended, among others, by Congresswoman Judy May Chu, Holden, former labour secretary Hilda Solis, representatives from the assembly and a large number of Pak-American community leaders, educationists and social entrepreneurs.

Welcoming the Pakistani delegation to California, Chu highlighted similarities between California and Punjab including strong agricultural bases and vibrant populations of the two sides.

Pakistan ready to showcase tourism potential in New York

ISLAMABAD APP

All efforts have been finalized to showcase the country’s untapped and less explored mesmerizing tourism potential at the travel and adventure show New York scheduled to be held from January 28 to 29. The official sources told APP on Tuesday that Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) along with six provincial and regional tourism departments and 20 private tour operators and hospitality companies to organize the two-day show to highlight the country’s rich tourism potential offshore.

He said the Pakistani delegation would participate in some other sidelines meetings to promote and project the tourism industry potential of Pakistan at the international level.

The country since the offset of the Covid-19 pandemic embraced a huge response at the local level followed by international bloggers, tourists, and nature enthusiasts, particularly, in the area of the Northern region, he added.

He said there are over 6,000 glaciers in the North of the country with vast pastures and meadows nurturing unique ecosystems and habitats unknown to the world which was imperative to be presented internationally to apprise the global community.

Major gas discovery at Mari Ghazij-1 Well located in Mari development and production lease in Sindh

KArAchI PR

By the grace of Almighty Allah, Mari Petroleum Company Limited (MPCL), the Operator of Mari Development & Production Lease (Mari D&PL) with 100% working interest is pleased to announce a gas discovery resulting from its exploratory efforts at Mari Ghazij-1 Exploration Well, drilled in Mari D&PL, located in District Ghotki, Sindh Province. Mari Ghazij-1 exploratory well targeting multiple Ghazij Limestone units in Mari D&PL, was spuddedin on November 24, 2022 and successfully drilled down to the depth of 1,015 meters. The gas flow rate established through Drill Stem Test (DST) is 5.1 Million Standard Cubic Feet Per Day (MMSCFD) with Wellhead Flowing Pressure (WHFP) of 232 Pounds Per Square Inch (Psi) at 64/64 inch choke size.

This was the first dedicated exploratory well targeting multiple Ghazij Limestone units. The concept emerged from Iqbal-1 well wherein a thin limestone unit in Ghazij Formation was found to make minor contribution of ~0.5 MMSCFD to the flow. Based on that, the Limestone units within Ghazij Formation were thoroughly studied in the entire Mari D&PL area to ascertain their reservoir potential and deliverability in the play sweet spot that has been successfully proven through Mari Ghazij-1 discovery. The said discovery in Mari D&PL shows the commitment of MPCL to exploit the hydrocarbon (HC) potential of the Lease and aggressive exploration strategy. It has opened a new avenue and will positively contribute to mitigating energy demand and supply gap from indigenous resources and will add to the hydrocarbon reserves base of MPCL and the Country. Mr. Faheem Haider, Managing Director/CEO MPCL has

Agriculture Reformation in Pakistan

Agriculture makes up 26% of the GDP, and more than half of the Pakistani Labour force relies on agriculture to sustain their lifestyle.

This is a very crucial industry in Pakistan, and its state of affairs needs to be held to a high standard. With this in mind, we see the complete opposite: an inept state, a failed policy, and overall a failing economy. Looking from the standpoint of an average citizen, you can’t help to notice all these issues as a direct result of governmental mismanagement. Looking at the fine print, we see a systemic issue that has put one of the highest value industries in Pakistan at risk of collapse.

The current system is flawed in multiple areas, land is unequally distributed, along with disparities in irrigation systems and fertiliser shipments. Sustainable growth in this sector can solve many food insecurity crises in Pakistan as well. Many salient features of the governmental policies for farmers have been dealt a shorthand for this industry, creating a possible man-made recession via a risky and dangerous sector.

Its flawed mechanism is the result of previous flawed policies that led to this. Before the Bonded Labour Abolition act, many saw themselves working as a serf for rich landowners, increasing the wealth disparity and which is one of the big factors of the credit availability crisis. Previous acts signed

into law by Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto (1971) and Ayub Khan (1968) established a functioning system of land governance and division but led to corruption in the civil services, the mismanagement of irrigation facilities, and systemic discrimination of certain farms from receiving materials. These failures have dictated recent failures, with a new law establishing the need for mass cotton production. This came at the expense of sugar cane production and inadvertently led to Pakistan importing both Sugar and Cotton, which could be easily grown internally. It is highly recommended that provincial governments establish a new system for tenancy along with land distribution. It comes to the conclusion that past laws have made up for the

deficit in current laws.

termed this discovery a success for the company’s geoscientists and said that the company now plans to appraise this discovery to prove its extent and in parallel evaluate its development options. He further added that MPCL’s aim is to contribute in arresting the declining gas production in the country through a combination of maximizing production from current fields and discovering new resources via aggressive exploration strategy targeting high grade prospects within the company’s portfolio. Mr. Waqar Ahmed Malik, Managing Director/CEO of the Fauji Foundation and Chairman MPCL Board of Directors congratulated MPCL’s management for testing this new play concept for exploration in a mature field. MPCL is an integrated exploration and production company, currently operating Pakistan’s largest gas reservoir in the Mari D&P lease area, Daharki, Sindh. With around 23% market share, it is the second largest gas producer in the country.

An effective system of agricultural reformation needs to see the equitable distribution of land along with resources. Establishing this system would lead to higher tenancy rates along with greater agricultural output. It is expected that monetary institutions provide low-interest bank loans and equity to low-credit farmers, agriculture should always be a low-risk investment. Along with investments in farmers, investments in flood systems, insurance and a proper mechanism for sustainable food growth can solve the food crisis within Pakistan. Pakistan lost almost 15 per cent of its rice crop in the floods, and even though Islamabad sends out 150,000 Tonnes of Rice

to Afghanistan a year, instead of focusing on others, a system of effective land management and sustainable agriculture, involving many crops can mend the food crisis within Pakistan.

Overall an active and fundamental shift remains to be seen. A state has a duty to its people and can not backslide in providing each and every citizen with the right to own and cultivate the land. A right which is regularly denied. If Islamabad wants record growth in crops and an increase in GDP, they should be expected to make an effort to amend current laws so as to provide economic and agricultural leverage to farmers, without this Pakistan will be standing on one leg, ready for an economic free fall.

AhMeD ArIf PIrAchA

WASHINGTON ReuteRs

Classifieddocuments from Joe Biden’s vice-presidential days were discovered in November by the Us president’s personal attorneys at a Washington think tank, a White House lawyer said on Monday.

Nearly 10 documents were found at Biden’s office at the Penn Biden Center for diplomacy and Global engagement, CBs News reported earlier, adding that Us attorney General Merrick Garland had asked the Us attorney in Chicago to review the classified documents which were handed over to the National archives.

The classified material was identified by personal attorneys for Biden on November 2, days before the midterm elections, Richard sauber, special counsel to the president, said in a statement on Monday.

Biden had periodically used that office space from mid-2017 until the start of his 2020 presidential campaign. The White House Counsel’s Office notified the National archives on the day of the discovery of those documents, sauber

said, adding the National archives took possession of the material on the following morning.

sauber also said the documents were not the subject of any previous request or inquiry by the National archives.

The documents were discovered when Biden’s personal attorneys “were packing files housed in a locked closet to prepare to vacate office space at the Penn

powerful quake hits off indonesia, rattles islands

jAKARTA aFP

a 7.6-magnitude earthquake hit deep under the ocean off indonesia and east Timor early Tuesday, injuring at least one person after rattling nearby islands, damaging homes and forcing residents to flee in panic.

The epicentre of the quake was 427 kilometres (265 miles) south of the indonesian island of ambon at a depth of 95 kilometres, the Us Geological survey reported. indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics agency (BMKG) said the tremor was felt on the eastern islands of Timor, the Maluku archipelago and Papua. it reported some aftershocks at a magnitude of 5.5.

“i was in bed, then i felt a little shake. i woke up and found out that many of my friends felt it too,” Hamdi, an indonesian in ambon, told afP.

The country’s disaster mitigation agency (BNPB) said at least 15 homes and two schools had been damaged in the Tanimbar islands.The strongest jolt was felt in saumlaki, the archipelago’s biggest town with a population of 8,000 people, it said.

“for casualties, the local disaster agency reported one person was injured. The jolt was felt strongly (in Tanimbar) between three to five seconds,” BNPB spokesperson abdul Muhari said in a statement Tuesday. “People were panicking and fled their homes.” Pictures shared by the agency showed damage to homes in several villages in southwest Maluku Regency.

in one village, the roofs and walls of several damaged houses had collapsed. debris and household items were scattered on the ground.

The quake caused light poles to sway and sent residents running out of buildings and onto streets in Tual, a port in the Maluku archipelago, videos posted by users on Twitter showed. The indonesian geophysics agency warned about a potential tsunami initially, and then lifted the warning.

‘Earth rumbling’ The quake was felt as far as darwin, capital of australia’s Northern Territory, where at least 1,000 people reported it to the australian Geoscience agency.

Biden Center in Washington, dC,” sauber said. He added the White House was cooperating with the Justice department and the National archives.

The Justice department, the National archives and the think tank did not respond to a request for comment. Biden was vice president under former President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2017. sauber’s statement did not mention

the number of classified documents or what they contained or their level of classification. CBs News reported that they did not contain nuclear secrets.

Representative Jamie Raskin, the top democrat on the House of Representatives Oversight Committee, said in a statement that Biden’s attorneys “appear to have taken immediate and proper action” after finding the documents. Raskin said he had confidence Garland will “make an impartial decision about any further action that may be needed.”

The Justice department is separately probing former President donald Trump’s handling of highly sensitive classified documents that he retained at his florida resort after leaving the White House in January 2021.

fBi agents carried out a court-approved search on august 8 of Trump’s Mar-a-lago estate. about 100 documents marked as classified were among thousands of records seized. “When is the fBi going to raid the many homes of Joe Biden, perhaps even the White House? These documents were definitely not declassified,” Trump said in a post on his Truth social platform late on Monday.

‘Heavy, bloody battles’ in Ukraine’s Soledar: Wagner boss

MOSCOW agencies

Russian mercenary group Wagner said on Tuesday it was fighting “heavy, bloody battles” for control of the town of soledar as part of Russia’s months-long offensive to capture Ukraine’s eastern donetsk region.

“On the western outskirts of soledar there are heavy bloody battles. The armed forces of Ukraine are honourably defending the territory of soledar,” Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin said on social media.

The Kremlin-linked businessman, who has been hit with Western sanctions, also dismissed allegations that Ukrainian forces were deserting front lines en masse in soledar.

“let’s be honest with ourselves. The Ukrainian army is bravely fighting for Bakhmut and soledar. Reports of their mass desertion are not true,” Prigozhin said, cited by his press office on Telegram.

soledar is around 15 kilometres (nine miles) from the war-battered city of Bakhmut, which has become the focus of fighting in recent months. The capture of Bakhmut — a city with a pre-war population of 70,000 — is now one of Moscow’s main military ob-

jectives almost a year into its Ukraine mission. a Russian proxy official in donetsk, denis Pushilin, said on Tuesday on Russian state television that soledar was “very close to liberation” by Moscow’s forces.

He admitted that this came “at a very high price” and said Ukrainian forces were “still resisting”.

Prigozhin said earlier this week that soledar was being stormed “exclusively” by Wagner units, saying they were fighting fiercely for the city’s administration building.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his late night address on Monday that his troops were withstanding “new and even tougher assaults” on soledar.

He said the town had been flattened by the fighting. “everything is completely destroyed.” The UK’s defence ministry said on Monday that Moscow’s forces were “likely in control of most” of soledar.

Prigozhin and Wagner’s public persona has vastly grown since the Kremlin sent troops into Ukraine. The businessman has recruited prisoners to fight in Ukraine, promising an amnesty upon their return if they survive.

Classified doCuments from Biden’s time as viCe president found at think tank Xi Jinping

beIjING Mian abRaR

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, on Monday stressed ceaseless efforts in promoting full and rigorous Party self-governance and ensuring the implementation of decisions and plans made at the 20th CPC National Congress.

Xi, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks while addressing the second plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Commission for discipline inspection (CCdi).

in the interests of the Party’s long-term governance, the country’s lasting prosperity and stability and the people’s happiness, full and rigorous Party self-governance should be the Party’s long-term strategy and constant priority, Xi said.

The Party should continue to uphold

strict principles, apply strict measures and foster a rigorous environment for its selfgovernance, and the Party’s self-reform should be carried forward staunchly, he said.

While pushing forward strict self-governance, efforts should also be made to encourage enthusiasm, initiative and creativity among Party members and officials, he added.

To do a good job of governing the country, the Party should do a good job of governing itself, Xi said, noting that the country will become strong only if the Party maintains its strength.

He stressed the importance of running the Party with systems and regulations, and improving the systems for exercising full and rigorous self-governance. Xi ordered strong political oversight to ensure the decisions and plans made at the 20th CPC National Congress are effectively implemented.

Prominent problems should be found in a timely manner, Xi said, listing examples

such as a failure to implement the decisions and prohibitions set by the central leadership, selective or compromised enforcement, protectionism in disregard of the overall interests, and blindly copying others’ solutions.

He ordered measures to effectively remove bottlenecks, obstacles and difficulties in implementation and enforcement, and to refine the mechanisms through which the Party Central Committee’s major decisions and plans are implemented.

High importance should be placed on strengthening Party discipline, and the requirement for strictness should be integrated throughout all processes ranging from the formulation of Party rules and the dissemination of Party discipline to discipline enforcement oversight, he said. This is to ensure that a high degree of self-consciousness can be developed among all Party members in terms of observing Party rules and discipline.

Noting that the fight against corruption

nGo chief presses taliban to reverse ban on afghan women staff

KAbUL aFP

The head of a leading NGO has flown to afghanistan to urge the Taliban to reverse their ban on afghan women aid workers, warning that “lives will be lost” if they fail to do so.

afghanistan is facing one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, international aid agencies say, with its 38 million population hungry and three million children at risk of malnutrition.

several aid groups have suspended their operations in protest at the order that was announced at the end of december, affecting thousands of women NGO staff. The Taliban had “promised through their representatives that there will be no ban on female education or on female workers”, said Jan egeland, secretary-general of the independent Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).

“Clearly, we have been misled by the Taliban government. Clearly, they are making it impossible for us to work now,” he told afP.

egeland said he refused to resume the NRC’s operations in the absence of women workers.

“i’m here to tell Taliban leaders and anyone who can influence them that we need to be able to resume work with female workers. if not, lives will be lost,” he said.

“We cannot work without our female colleagues. We will not work without them.”

after meetings in Kabul, egeland plans to travel to Kandahar, the de facto power centre of the Taliban from where the movement’s supreme leader Hibatullah akhundzada issues his decrees.

FiErcE dEbatE: The hardliners seized power in august 2021, promising a softer version of their brutal 1996-2001 rule that was infamous for human rights abuses.

But they have rapidly squeezed women out of almost all areas of public life over the past several months, banning them from secondary and higher education, public sector work and visiting parks and baths. egeland said several senior Taliban officials are against the decrees, acknowledging that many had sent their daughters to schools operated by NGOs before the war ended.

“i’m hearing that there’s a fierce debate in the Taliban… There is an internal battle and the wrong group seems to have the upper hand now,” he said. Government officials claim the ban was imposed because women were not observing Taliban rules on wearing the hijab, an allegation denied by aid workers. The Taliban government has yet to be officially recognised by any country and only a handful of nations have a presence in afghanistan. egeland called on Western diplomats to return to afghanistan to help apply pressure on protecting human rights.

“We are alone. Where are the development partners? Where are the international financial institutions that were actually underpinning the whole society here?” he said.

‘No work to FuNd’ The NRC has nearly 500 women employees working in areas such as food security, education, legal assistance, water, and sanitation across remote areas of afghanistan.

remains grave and complex, and the Party still faces uphill tasks in preventing new cases and rooting out existing ones, Xi urged enhanced efforts to address both the symptoms and root causes of the problem in a systematic way.

Coordinated steps must be taken to see that officials do not have the audacity, opportunity or desire to become corrupt, Xi said.

To keep pressure on officials so that they do not become corrupt, the deterrent effect of a zero tolerance policy and harsh punishment should be maintained, he said.

Corrupt officials who show no sign of restraint should be punished. Corruption that involves both political and economic elements should be resolutely investigated and dealt with, he said.

action should be taken to prevent leading officials from acting for any interest group or power group, and to forestall any collusion between officials and business

people, or any infiltration of capital into politics that undermines the political ecosystem or the environment for economic development, he said.

The launch of initiatives to uproot prominent sectoral, institutional and regional corruption is also imperative, Xi said.

efforts to ensure officials do not have the opportunity to become corrupt should be intensified, Xi said, calling for advancements in oversight mechanism reform and institutional development in key areas, and for improving institutions and mechanisms to curb corruption.

More measures are needed to ensure that officials do not have the desire to become corrupt, Xi said, stressing the importance of promoting a culture of integrity in the new era.

improving the laws and regulations targeting bribery is important, as is meting out joint punishment for those offering bribes, Xi said, vowing to crack down harshly on political liars with so-called connections.

stresses promoting full, rigorous self-governance in CPC

LAHORE staff report

FORMeRPakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ramiz Raja alleged the Indian cricket board, influenced by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been trying to restrict Pakistan’s international cricket presence.

In a speech at Government College University in Lahore, Raja further stated the International Cricket Council (ICC) is heavily influenced by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) due to the majority of its revenue coming from India.

He emphasized that during his tenure as PCB chief, he took a stance for Pakistan against India’s alleged pressure to change the venue for the Asia Cup, which was originally slated to be hosted by Pakistan.

Raja, who served as PCB chief for little over a year, also claimed that he focused on growth and consistency during his tenure, criticizing the recent overhaul

al-attiyah plays it safe to stay on course for back-to-back dakar wins

RiyAdH agencies

Qatari driver Nasser Al-Attiyah’s strategy of playing it safe saw him move a step closer to retaining his Dakar Rally title and his fifth in all following Tuesday’s ninth stage. The 52-year-old Toyota driver finished 11min 8sec adrift of the stage winner, nine-time world rally champion Sebastien Loeb.

However, the pressure further eased on Al-Attiyah as his closest pursuer overnight, the South driver African Henk Lategan, suffered a mechanical problem and lost 40 minutes. Al-Attiyah holds a lead of 1hr 21min over another Toyota driver, Brazil’s Lucas Moraes, with Loeb a further 19min in arrears.

“Today we did a really good job without any mistakes, without any problems,” said Al-Attiyah, bidding to become the first back to back winner since ‘Mr Dakar’ Stephane Peterhansel in 2016/17.

“We need to take it day by day like this without any problems. We have a big gap now and I hope to finish and to win this Dakar.”

Three-time Dakar Rally car champion Carlos Sainz showed gritty determination in ordering a helicopter ambulance to turn around and return him to his stricken car. The 60-year-old’s Audi came to grief just six kilometres into the stage and as a precaution he and his co-pilot Lucas Cruz were airlifted to hospital.

“The Spaniard wished to have a chance of resuming the race and demanded that the helicopter ambulance turn round and drop him back at his car,” race organisers Amaury Sport Organisation said in a statement.

The two-time world rally champion had lost all hope of a fourth title last Friday when a front wheel came off in an accident.

Despite suffering from chest pain as a result of the mishap he insisted on carrying on and started Tuesday’s stage languishing in 100th spot, over 29 hours in arrears of Al-Attiyah.

of the board’s structure, calling it unfair and demoralizing for young players.

He added that the restoration of the PCB’s 2014 constitution has brought

Pakistani cricket to a “dark age”, and that the new setup has reneged on its promise to provide employment, leading to the firing of over 150 coaches.

Furthermore, Raja said cricket affairs should be run by cricketers and should be kept free from political interference, while commenting on the recent appointment of Shan Masood as Vice-Captain of the one-day team for the New Zealand series, he said, it may cause pressure on the team. Also, he mentioned on wicketkeeper batsman Sarfaraz Ahmed’s benching during his era, he said that Sarfaraz was always part of the Test setup, but the playing eleven was always picked by the coach and captain.

While discussing match-fixing in cricket, Raja called players involved in it “traitors” and said that he does not have any respect for them and from an era where 9 players were fighting for the win and two were just playing around.

Wayne Parnell on SA20, and making return to South Africa set-up

CAPE TOWN agencies

The SA20 tournament, which begins on Tuesday, represents a new era after so much unrest among so many of the country’s players in the last decade.

For years, Kolpak deals –which allowed sportspeople from countries with associate trade agreements with the european Union, such as South Africa, Zimbabwe and Caribbean nations to be afforded the same right to free movement as eU citizens –brought about a talent drain. A host of the country’s brightest talents headed to england for better opportunities and better contracts, trading away their eligibility to play for South Africa in the process.

That practice has now ended, following Britain’s withdrawal from the eU – meaning players are free to return to play for their

country of birth once again. One of the highest profile exits was Wayne Parnell – the left-arm pace bowling all-rounder had played 111 games for the Proteas before he took off to england to sign a Kolpak deal.

For Parnell though, rather than coming to the decision quickly, it was more of a gradual thing. “Going back to 2016 or 2017 there was a thought, but obviously I still felt like I could play

international cricket. The turning point was in 2018, where I didn’t commit to anything but that thought was there,” Parnell says.

“I was in touch with Moeen Ali, he asked me if I wanted to come play for Worcestershire in the Blast, and obviously Moeen’s someone that I really respect. “When I got over to Worcestershire the whole Kolpak thing wasn’t really a proper discussion, it was just playing Blast and a couple of County Championship games.”

That Parnell’s wife was pregnant, and he had already had a taste of county cricket via a couple of stints before his term at New Road, the decision that he came to in 2018 was one that made sense for both him and his family. “When my wife was very close to giving birth [the decision came] just based on the fact that there would be a bit more stability in our lives,” recalls Parnell.

thiem optimistic for australian open after injury woes

SydNEy afp

Former finalist Dominic Thiem said Tuesday he was fit and ready to make an impact at the Australian Open, despite starting preparations with defeat at the Kooyong Classic.

The 2020 finalist at Melbourne Park, who is 99 in the world as he returns from a wrist injury, showed flashes of his best in a 6-4, 6-4 loss to Australian Alex de Minaur at Kooyong.

The 29-year-old Thiem won the US Open in 2020 but injured his right wrist in mid-2021 and was sidelined for eight months.

“The body is good, last year was a good step in the right direction,” said the Austrian, who pushed Novak Djokovic to five sets in the 2020 Australian Open final. “I hope I can continue in that direction this year, hopefully, the Open is a good start.”

The former world number three has shown encouraging signs on his return to the tour, rising from outside the top 350 to breach the top 100 this week after semi-final runs last year at Gstaad, Gijon and Antwerp.

His rapid ranking rise meant he only narrowly missed directly qualifying for the main draw of the Australian Open, which starts in Melbourne on Monday.

But he was handed a wildcard entry and after twice fighting back from a breakdown against De Minaur, remains optimistic about his chances.

“I’m ready to go at the Grand Slam but I don’t know how good I am at the moment,” he said.

“It’s very difficult to go deep in a Slam, all of the players are on a high level. But I had a good preparation so I should be ready — we’ll see.”

He added that the injury was “an interesting experience, probably every top athlete will face at least one major injury during a career”.

“My wildcard is a big honour and also a big possibility (to do well). If I have the chance to make some damage, we will see if I can make that happen,” he said. “I’m glad I’ve left my injury behind, the body feels good.”

Golden Star, Shahkamal Club triumphant in K-20 Cup T20 Tournament

LAHORE staff report

Golden Star Cricket Club and Shahkamal Club emerged as triumphant in the K-20 Cup 2023 T20 Cricket Tournament here on Tuesday.

The event, which is a regular annual club tournament, is being played in the memory of Col Fateh Sher Khan. It is being sponsored by a former cricketer Nabeel Ahmad to revive grassroots cricket and to identity new talent.

Raees Butt’s scintillating knock helped Golden Star Cricket Club to a 23-run victory over Pak Lions in the 10th match of the tournament. Raees played 43 balls to hammer unbeaten 53 runs that included three fours and three sixes while Ali Raza slammed 36 runs and Usama Tahir 19 to help Golden Star

‘Political’ india cricket board trying to isolate Pakistan cricket: ramiz raja PCB

staff report

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said Tuesday that it is in search of the “right person” for the men’s head coach post after considering the appointment of Australian great Mickey Arthur became a “difficult” task.

Newly-appointed chairman of the PCB’s management committee, Najam Sethi, had hinted at hiring a foreign coach for the team as the contracts of Saqlain Mushtaq and Shaun Tait, Pakistan’s current head and bowling coach, expire on February 9.

The Australian great was Pakistan’s head coach when the team won the ICC Champi-

bowlers clinched three wickets each for the winning side. While Ahmad Safi Abdullah grabbed 2 wickets and M Naveed got 1 wicket. For Pak Lions, Hassan Nawaz scored 53 runs and Afzal Tahiri struck 39. For his all-round performance, Raees Butt emerged as player of the match.

Shahkamal Club trounced Shinning Cricket Club by 93 in the 9th match of the tournament. Shinning Club, batting first, scored 155 runs for 5 wickets in the allotted 20 overs. Ibrar Hussain smashed 49 runs, Azizullah 45 and Sheraz Ali unbeaten 16 runs.

Outstanding bowling by Ibrar Hussain (3-6) and Faheem Faisal (3-17) helped Shahkamal Club bundle out Shinning Club at a meager total of 62 runs in 15 overs. Only Syed Kazim Raza (20) and Abdul Salam (15) could cross the double figures.

person’ as hiring Mickey Arthur proves ‘difficult’

ons Trophy in england. He is currently in a long-term coaching agreement with Derbyshire county.

As reports were rife about appointing Arthur, the PCB, in a statement, confirmed that it was in talks with the former national team head coach and sought his services for several international events.

The board said it had approached Arthur with a view to appointing him as the head coach to guide the side through the ACC Asia Cup, ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 and the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

However, the board said, owing to his longterm contract with Derbyshire, it had also dis-

cussed a proposal to act as a consultant to the PCB on a time-sharing basis with Derbyshire.

“Unfortunately, however, this option is proving difficult to materialise for various reasons on both sides,” the cricket board mentioned.

Under the circumstances, the PCB said it will continue its search for the “right person” to fit the slot of the national team head coach. The board, without mentioning, said some top names are already under consideration.

Meanwhile, sources said that former fast bowler Umar Gul has emerged as a strong candidate to replace Tait as bowling coach after interim chief selector Shahid Afridi also recommended his appointment for the slot.

LAHORE

Club post a decent total of 156 for 6 wickets in 20 overs. For Pak Lions, Haris Khan bagged 2 wickets for 25.

Brilliant bowling by Raees Butt and Abrar Ahmed restricted Pak Lions to 133 for 10 wickets in 18 overs. Both the

Pakistan’s textile industry lays off 7 million workers, threatens to shut down

pROfit REpORt MoMina ashraf

aBOUTseven million people in the textile industry have been laid off due to low exports and the economic crisis.

In a press conference held by textile associations on Monday, its representatives said that the government has no policy to ensure and protect the decaying textile industry.

Due to limitations on Letter of credit (LC), the textile sector has been

unable to procure essential raw materials worth as low as $5,000 which has affected consignments as high as $500,000. After the floods, Pakistan lost almost 50% of its cotton crops which resulted in cotton demand to be met with imports as well. Given the reliance on imports, the industry faces constraints towards production and fails to fulfil major international orders.

Profit reached out to Muhammad Naseer Butt, Chairman of Pakistan Hosiery and Manufacturing Association (PHMA) who said that, “the interna-

standing Committee passes import, export bill to place power of approval with minister

tional market hears only one voice that Pakistan is not importing so can’t fulfil the orders. With such a sentiment we can’t promise stability to our international customers.”

But other than import restrictions, the industry has been facing difficulties since 2021. “The industry hasn’t received DLTL (drawback of local taxes and levies) since 2021. In fact, the tax on the industry increased from 3% to 13% in just a year. Such financial crunches are leaving the industry dry,” added Butt.

In November 2022, the industry faced a slump of 19% on Y-o-Y basis to fetch US $ 1.40 billion in revenue, as per the latest provisional data released by All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA).

Just last month, in December 2022, two major textile industries namely Nishat Chunian and Kohinoor Mills announced a temporary shut down due to market conditions.

APTMA predicted that exports could fall below $1 billion per month in 2023.

Imran warns against strikes in Afghanistan amid twin Taliban threats

power in KP — said it was wrong to expect the provincial police to confront the rising wave of terrorism, adding that the terrorists were much more heavily equipped.

“To expect the police to face them (terrorists) with the kind of weapons they have is not possible. Rangers are present in Karachi and terrorism there is not at the level of KP. There is no comparison between them.”

He said terrorists operating in KP were “battlehardened” with access to the latest weaponry abandoned by the US when it pulled out of Afghanistan in 2021.

kaam kaam’ on hold after diamond supreme foam suspends production

pROfit REpORt MoMina ashraf

The Standing Committee on Tuesday unanimously passed the Import and Exports (Control) (Amendment) Bill 2022 that replaces the cabinet with the Minister of Commerce regarding import and export approval.

The Import and Exports (Contro) Act of 1950 is the primary legal instrument which provides the legal basis for the conduct of international trade in Pakistan. Imports and Exports of goods are regulated through Import Policy Order (lPO) and Export Order (EPO), respectively, issued under Section 3(l) of the Act. Keeping in view the exagencies of trade and industry, IPO and EPO are framed and amended, from time to time with the approval of the cabinet.

Profit reached out to a source in the Ministry of Commerce who explained that the amendment in the bill allows power of approval and disapproval with the commerce minister rather than with the cabinet regarding cases of exemption, reimports, reexports and relaxation in prohibitions. The bill reads, “Provided that the Minister-in-charge may, by notification in the official Gazette, for reasons to be recorded in writing, on case-to-case basis and in the interest of trade and commerce of Pakistan, allow one-time permission to import, re-import, export or re-export goods in relaxation of the prohibition contained in the order made under this subsection for the time being in force.”

The bill reads that such an amendment will ensure efficiency in addressing the hardships and concerns of the business community by offering a timesaving process. The committee met on Tuesday afternoon in the Parliament House, Islamabad under the chairmanship of MNA Khursheed Ahmed Junejo to discuss the performance of the Ministry of Commerce and its attached departments. However, the bill will need to be passed by the National Assembly and then Senate to become law.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan came down hard on the imported government’s ministers for issuing irresponsible statements against the Taliban-led Afghan administration in the backdrop of rising terrorism, warning that if the new Afghan government decided to stop cooperating with Pakistan, it could lead to a “never-ending” war against terrorism.

Addressing a seminar on the resurgence of terrorism in Pakistan via video link on Tuesday, PTI Chairman said that the government of crooks was not serious in dealing with the issue of terrorism, as they were more interested in ending their corruption cases due to which terrorism was rearing its ugly head again.

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.

He said that all stakeholders had sat down and were informed about the need for talks with the TTP and the plan to resettle their members. “A military operation can be a part of the overall peace settlement but it is never successful on its own.”

Imran also criticised Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah’s “irresponsible” statements about Pakistan taking action against TTP hideouts in Afghanistan.

He warned that if the new Afghan government decided to stop cooperating with Pakistan, it could lead to a “never-ending” war against terrorism.

Imran also questioned why recent incidents at the Pak-Afghan border were not taken up with the Afghan government, reiterating that another war against terrorism would become a curse for the country if relations with Afghanistan deteriorated.

He said that the federal government would need to tread carefully and seek KP’s input on the overall terror situation. He said that Pakistan should not seek help from the United States as it would lead to internal discord among locals if drone attacks were carried out.

During his address, Imran — whose party is in

Imran said it would be wrong to assume that the KP police could confront such terrorists, at least until the federal government did not pay full attention to the matter.

The PTI chief said terrorism was a very important issue for the country and could have greater consequences if not properly addressed, “especially at a time when our economic conditions can’t bear it at all”.

The PTI chief alleged that the federal government had withheld funds for the tribal districts and did not pay attention to the resettlement of 30,000-40,000 TTP members from Afghanistan.

Imran said the time immediately after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan was a “golden opportunity” to solve the TTP issue since the new Afghan government was “pro-Pakistan” and could exert influence on the TTP.

The seminar was also addressed by Chief Minister Khyber-Pakhtukhwa (KP) Mehmood Khan, PTI Senior leader Murad Saeed, Security analysts Dr. Amir Raza and Imtiaz Gull.

Speaking on the occasion, CM KP Mehmood Khan said that PTI has been in power in KP since 2013. He said that all-out efforts were made to ensure lasting peace in the volatile province.

He said that all institutions were destroyed in former FATA and the PTI government was leaving no stone unturned to uplift the tribal districts.

Speaking on the occasion, Murad Saeed said that the US and West were making secret documents public after every 20 years; however we never brought the fact before the masses ever.

He said that when US was leaving Afghanistan there was apprehension of eruption of civil war in Afghanistan. Murad raised question as what happened all of a sudden that friendly neighboring country turned foe.

Murad reminded that during Imran Khan-led government, neither there was any military operation nor drone strike in any part of the country.

He said that the US started blaming other when it suffered defeat, adding that it was being said that Imran Khan should have not said absolutely not because it upset the US.

Troubling economic conditions have forced Diamond Industries Limited (DIIL), maker of the famous Diamond supreme foams, to temporarily suspend its production. The foam maker made the announcement to the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Monday.

The notification read, “Due to adverse economic conditions in the country and non-availability of imported raw material, the company has suspended its manufacturing operations for a short term with effect from Tuesday, January 10, 2023, till further notice subject to the availability of imported raw material in the country.”

The announcement comes after various manufacturers in the country have announced suspension of operations due to lack of demand and high cost of raw materials. Last Friday, Millat Tractors closed production indefinitely, and last month, Fauji Fertilizer closed its Diammonium Phosphate (DAP) Plant temporarily. Next on the list are Suzuki, which announced its first plant shutdown for 2023 after a string of nonoperational days last year, and Toyota, which shut down production in December for the remainder of the year. Also, KSB Pumps, a major producer of industrial pumps, closed its main hasanabdal factory plant due to a lack of demand.

The textile industry has been facing one of the worst crises in the country’s history. Inflation, lack of demand, and tough economic conditions have forced many textile businesses in the country to either reduce production or close down completely. Last week, Crescent Fibres reduced production by 50%.

Suraj Cotton Mills also reduced its production by 40% due to economic downturn. Earlier last month, Kohinoor Spinning Mills temporarily shut down, citing the worst crisis faced by the textile industry, and Nishat Chunian, another leading textile company, also announced its decision to partially close production around the same time.

Company profile

Diamond Industries Limited was incorporated as a Private Limited Company on June 18, 1989. It commenced its commercial production on November 11, 1989. The principal activity of the company is the manufacture and sale of foam products and PVA products consumed in industry and domestically. High initial turnover and profits of the company made the owners convert it into a public limited company on August 03, 1994.

The manufacturing facility of the company is located at Gadoon Amazai Industrial Estate, Swabi, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa because of the various incentives offered by the government vis-à-vis low cost availability of raw material, infrastructure and various tax concessions in the company’s earlier history. It was established with the latest, high-tech plant available in the world. The installed capacity of the plant is over 12,000 M. Tonnes per annum.

DIIL captures over 25% of the total market share. The company offered its shares for sale to the general public on February 26, 1995 and the issue was oversubscribed by more than six times.

Ab khoob karein aaraam…

Packages Ltd incorporates foreign subsidiary in UAE

marily engaged in commercial trading with import, export, distribution and warehousing as its ancillary activities.”

One of the most iconic and recognisable companies in Pakistan, Packages Limited (PKGS), has incorporated a wholly owned foreign subsidiary in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This is the first subsidiary of the company in the UAE and a continuation of its incorporation of subsidiaries outside of Pakistan. PKGS made the announcement to the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Tuesday.

“We are pleased to inform you that the subsidiary has been incorporated under Dubai Integrated Economic Zones Authority Implementing Regulations, 2022 and registered with Dubai Integrated Economic Zones Authority under the name Packages Trading FZCO. The subsidiary will be pri-

Dubai Integrated Economic Zones was established in 2021 as a supporter and enabler of three leading free zones in Dubai, namely, Dubai Airport Free Zone, Dubai Silicon Oasis and Dubai Commercity. It aims to enhance Dubai’s leading position around the world, by providing a sophisticated and integrated multimedia system based on the highest standards, a wide global network, in addition to a comprehensive portfolio of innovative solutions that meet the aspirations of customers across various vital industries.

The approval for the incorporation of the UAE subsidiary was given in the board of directors (BOD) meeting of PKGS held

on April 27, 2022, last year. Packages Trading FZCO is incorporated after completing all regulatory approvals.

Company profile

Packages Ltd underwent internal restructuring in 2020 and became a holding company. It transferred its manufacturing businesses including folding cartons, flexible packaging, consumer products, mechanical fabrication and roll covers along with all relevant assets and related liabilities to its wholly owned subsidiary (‘Packages Convertors Limited’). The purpose of this arrangement was to develop operating synergies across businesses, managing operations in a focused manner and streamlining the ownership structure.

This means that the performance of Packages Limited is dependent on the func-

tioning of its subsidiaries, Packages Convertors, Bulleh Shah Packaging (Private) Limited, DIC Pakistan Limited, and Packages Real Estate (Private) Limited. Out of all the subsidiaries, Bulleh Shah Packaging has the highest net sales.

Packages has been at the forefront of innovation and leading business in the country ever since it started operation in 1956.

Founded by Syed Babar Ali, one of the sons of legendary colonial era Lahori merchant Syed Maratib Ali, the multinational packaging company based in Lahore began as a joint venture between the Wazir Ali Group, and two Swedish companies named Akerlund and Rausing.

The group now owns a number of companies that include the Coca Cola Bottling plant in Lahore, Packages Mall, Milkpak,

IGI General Insurance, Treet Corporation, Tullo Cooking Oil, amongst many more.

The principle activity of the company is to manage investments in its subsidiary companies, associated companies and joint ventures, engaged in various businesses including manufacturing of packaging materials, tissue, consumer products, industrial inks, paper, paperboard products and corrugated boxes, biaxially oriented polypropylene (‘BOPP’) and cast polypropylene (‘CPP’) films, ground calcium carbonate products, insurance, power generation and real estate.

In the last quarter ending September 2022, the company posted a profit after tax (PAT) of Rs 1,098 million against Rs 1,535 in the previous quarter. Earnings per Share (EPS) of the quarter were Rs 12.29 against Rs 17.17 in the previous quarter.

pROfit REpORt MuhaMMad raafay Khan

‘kaam

pROfit REpORt

MuhaMMad raafay Khan

LAHORE staff report