Epaper_23-01-18 KHI

P O W E R P O L I T I C S

ECP dEnotifiEs 35 morE Pti mnAs As sPEAkEr nA

ACCEPts

who

were elected as Pti Mnas on reserved seats for women from Punjab, were also denotified the de-notification of the lawmakers comes days after Pti chief imran stated that Prime Min ster Shehbaz Shar f would be asked to take the vote of confidence with

gise how Pti s turncoats can be stopped from siding w th the ruling coal tion of Pakistan democratic Movement (PdM) Speaking to the med a in Lahore earlier today, Pti ’s fawad chaudhr y said that the after the dissolution of the khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab assembl es the party would focus on “ sending the government home he said that the Pti wanted to sit down with the federal government to work on an electoral framework he noted that wh le Pakistan s economic woes were substantial they could be solved f political stabil ty was brought we want the federal government to sit with us for [formulating] an e ection framework But n the current situation the federal government is adamant on not ho d ng e ections he sa d that the Pti had formed a committee headed by Per vaiz khattak that would go to the na speaker and ask for party members to be given the offices of leader of the oppos tion parliamentar y leader and chairman of the public accounts committee “ we are hopefu that the plan for ousting the federal government will be completed in a few weeks ”

‘Another Attempt to run AwAy from generAl elections : Reacting to the denotif cation of the lawmakers, fawad “ thanked ” the na speaker for accepting the resignations

stepping closer to imran’s goal: Kp cm signs summar y for dissolution of provincial assembly

S

khyber Pakhtunkhwa ch ef Minister Mahmood khan tuesday n ght s gned a summar y, advising Governor haji Ghulam al to disso ve the provincial assembly stepping closer to Pakistan tehreek-e-insaf (Pti) cha rman imran khan s plan to pave the way for general e ections in the countr y the kP chief minister s move for kP assembly d ssolut on ensued the Punjab assembly d sso ved by ch Per vaiz elahi after Governor Balighur Rehman refrained from signing the summar y sent to h m the Pti chairman had announced the dissolut on of the khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Pun ab assemb ies in november last year however the p ans were delayed due to consultations w th allies and countermeasures adopted by the rul ng all es in the centre the kP government spokesperson Barrister Muhammad ali Saif conf rmed the development saying that the summar y for the disso ution of the assembly has been for warded to the governor even if the governor does not approve the summar y, the assemb y will automatically stand d ssolved

after 48 hours he added the Governor house confirmed receiving the advice to d ssolve the assemb y the advice to dissolve the assembly has been received Governor a i told the media adding that he would decide on the matter according to the aw and constitution hours before the dissolution of the kP assembly national assembly Speaker Raja Per va z ashraf on tuesday finally accepted the resignations of 35 members of the lower house of parl ament 34 belong ng to the imran khan-led Pakistan tehreek-e-insaf (Pti) as well as awam Muslim League (aML) chief She kh Rashid

a s a d Q a s e r Q a s m S u r i, Pe r v e z k h a t t a k, a l i a m i n G a n d a p u r M u r a d S a e e d, S h e h r y a r k h a n a f r i d i, a n d i m r a n k h a t t a k a r e a m o n g t h e l a w m a ke r s w h o s e r e s i g n a t i o n s h a v e b e e n a c c e p t e d t h e speaker also accepted the r e s i g n a t i o n t e n d e r e d b y aw a m i M u s l i m Le a g u e ( a M L ) c h i e f S h e i k h Ra s h i d the move to d ssolve the legis ature was made after an online meet ng between party cha rman imran khan the prov ncial cabinet and former kP governor Shah farman at the chief Minister s house

pr ofIt report

the econom c coordination committee (ecc) of the cabinet has approved duty Reduction for import of second hand tractors the move is a part of benef ts meant to be passed on to farmers through the Prime Minister s kissan Package 2022 federal Minister for f nance and Revenue Senator Mohammad ishaq dar pres ded over the meeting of the economic coordination committee (ecc) of the cabinet in pursuance of Prime Minister s announcement of the kissan Package-2022 Min str y of nat onal food Security and Research (MnfSR) prepared and presented a detai ed Package to the ecc includ ng a proposal regarding import of up to 5year-old tractors with duty reduction Kissan package and tractor industr y the kissan Package is a Rs1 800 billion support package that the Government of Pakistan announced on october 31 the package was part of a series of measures that the Government had taken on the backdrop of the terrible flood ng across the summer

8701 9220 8701 9320 8701 9400 and 8701 9500 with depreciation allowance in value at not exceeding 50% of value of tractor ”: date of f rst registration of tractor n the countr y of export shall be taken as date of manufacturing ”; (c) “

correspond

said that fBR also has proposed to ma ntain the existing mechanism for depreciation per month and up to a maximum of 60%, to faci itate the end k ssan package Moreover fBR has also suggested to include Pct 8701 9290 in the proposal to make it all nclusive for agriculture tractors

for the purpose of determining the year of manufacture for a used tractor, the shipment shal accompany a certificate from oeM or a certificate of f rst registration or a PSi issued by one of the PSi companies l sted at append x-h iPo 2022, verifying the year of manufactur ng other decisions

the f nance division also presented a summar y on proposals of State Bank of Pak stan (SBP) regarding equity nvestment of uSd 4 9 m llion by fauji foundat on for acquis tion of shares of daharki Power holding Limited and submitted that the Govt a lowed fauji foundation to make equity investment abroad of uS$ 12 million in daharki Power holdings L m ted ’ n 2008 fauji foundation as an development Bank and dahark Power holdings Limited, Bvi entered into an agreement in 2008, wh ch provided adB the right to exercise the put option in respect of 2 750 000 shares subscribed by t the ecc considered the proposals of SBP and al owed equity investment of uS$ 4 9 m llion by fauji foundation for acquisition of 2 750 000 shares (18 64% stake) of daharki Power ho dings Limited and granted wa ver/exempt on to

fauji foundat on from the pol cy enumerated in foreign exchange Manual being incorporated as a trust under charitable endowment act 1980 the Ministr y of energy (Petro eum division) presented a summar y for assignment of work ng interest in exp oration icences/Blocks the ecc after discuss on approved assignment of 34% working interest of M/s Pak stan oilfie ds L mited (PoL) and 6% of M/s attock oil company Limited (aoc) to M/s Polskie Gornictwo naftowe i Gazowinictwo S a (Polish oil and Gas company) (PoGc) in kirthar South Block (Sindh)

invoices

as per

pASHAWAr

ta f f r e P o r t

S h a h z a d Pa r ac h a

S a l e e m J a d o o n A

day after Pti chairman imran khan dropped a hint at return to the national assembly Speaker Raja Per vaiz ashraf on tuesday accepted res gnations of 35 Pti lawmakers, prompting the election commiss on of Pak stan (ecP) to de-not fy 35 Mnas – 33 general and two reser ved seats in addition to the 35 Pti lawmakers the ecP also de-not fied awam Muslim League (aML) chief Sheikh Rash d ahmed according to an ecP notification 35 seats of the nationa assemb y are now vacant including 33 general and two reser ved seats the 33 Mnas de-notif ed inc ude Murad Saeed, na 04; omer ayub khan, na 17; asad Qaiser na 18; Per vaiz khattak na 25; imran khattak, na 26; Shehar yar afridi, na 32; ali amin khan, na 38; noor ul haq Qadr , na 43; Raja khurram Shahzad nawaz na 52; ali nawaz awan, na 53; asad umer, na 54; Sadaqat a khan na 57; Ghulam Sardar khan na 59; Sheikh Rashid Shafique na 60; Sheikh Rashid ahmed, na 62; Mansoor hayat khan na 63; fawad ahmed na 67; M Sanaul ah khan Mastikhe na 97; Muhammad hammad azhar, na 126; Shafqat Mehmood khan na 130; Ma ik Muhammad amir dogar, na 155; Makhdoom Shah Mehmood hussain Qureshi na 156; Zartaj Gu na 191; faheem khan na 241; Saif ur Rehman, na 242; Muhammad alamgir khan, na 243; Syed al haider na 244; aftab hussa n Shafique na 247; attau lah na 250; aftab Jehang r, na 252; Muhammad as am khan, na 254; Muhammad na eeb haroon na 256 and Muhammad Qasim khan Suri, na 265 a iya hamza Ma ik and kanwal Shauzab

Pti dissident Raja Riaz ho ding the parl amentar y party leader ’s position in the nat onal assembly Pti fears that he may dec de to vote in favour of the prime min ster if President dr arif alv asks Shehbaz Sharif to take the trust vote Raja Riaz eads the group of Pti Mnas who did not tender their resignations when the party decided to quit the assembly in the aftermath of imran s ouster in a meeting with media persons at his Zaman Park res dence on Monday imran said planning and consultations with party leaders as we l as legal experts were afoot to strate-

PML-N forwards t wo NaMes for caretaker cM sLot

that

Naqvi and Ahad Khan Cheema for caretaker chief minister slot

As Hamza Shehbaz is not present in the country, he nominated MPA Malik Ahmed Khan to further coordinate with the Punjab chief minister on the issue of caretaker CM

Earlier, Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) Malik Ahmad Khan held a meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday and revealed that Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) has finalized the names for the caretaker chief

PtI blasts gov t for not disclosing toshakhana’s 50-year record despite cour t order

ISLAMABAD S ta f f r e P o r t

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leadership blasted the government for non-disclosure of the 50-year record of Toshakhana gifts despite the court’s orders, saying that if the Toshakhana records were made public it would expose all the thieves of the country PTI Central Secretary General Asad Umar and PTI Central Secretary Information Farrukh Habib said that the PTI Chairman Imran Khan disclosed all the records of the gifts received from the Toshakhana while the government of crooks was resisting the court orders fearing that it could put them in the troubled water Asad Umar raised a question that why the imported government was so reluctant to give the 50-year record of Toshakhana which was being sought by the court He said that the legs of all the thieves were trembling as the disclosure of the details of Toshakhana gifts would expose them Talking about the economic debacle, Asad Umar said that out of 22 sectors of large scale manufacturing, 15 have negative growth in July to November while four have zero growth He went on to say that the devastation was widespread across the industrial landscape He further revealed that large scale manufacturing continued to shrink vs last year, as it downed 5 5% in in November as compared to the same month last year, adding that from July to December the large scale manufacturing down by 3 6% “Each passing day of this imported government sinks Pakistan further into disaster,” he added

Membership of 25 MPs restored on filing mandatory statements of assets

ISLAMABAD

S ta f f r e P o r t

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday restored the membership of 25 parliamentarians and allowed them to function as members of Senate and National Assembly on filing their mandatory statements of assets and liabilities to the commission According to an ECP official, the parliamentarians, who were suspended over non-submission of their asset details, had now filed their statements of assets and liabilities, and fulfilled the legal requirement in conformance with the relevant election laws It is pertinent to mention here that the ECP had suspended the membership of 271 parliamentarians for non-submission of till their statements of assets and liabilities The membership of four Senators, including Rana Mahmood-ul-Hassan Ahmed Khan, Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar and Saeed Ahmed Hashmi has been restored While 21 National Assembly members including Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Raja Riaz Ahmed, Noor Alam Khan, Saad Waseem Shaza Fatima Khawaja Shahida Rehmani and others have been restored The Election Rules, 2017 provide that every member of an assembly and Senate would submit to the ECP on or before December 31st each year, a copy of his statement of assets and liabilities, including assets and liabilities of his spouse and dependent children as on June 30 on Form B The election rules also provide that the Commission on January 16, by an order, suspend the membership of a member of an assembly and Senate who fails to submit the statement of assets and liabilities by January 15, and such member will cease to function till he or she files the statement of assets and liabilities

minister of Punjab

After the meeting, SAPM said he had completed consultation with the premier over the matter He added that the names will be forwarded to Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari Malik refused to reveal any of the names till they get approval from coalition partners SAPM said that after approval from Zardari the premier will send these names to Punjab Governor Baligh ur Rehman

Earlier in the day Prime Minister

Shehbaz

Shujaat Hussain and PDM chief

The prime minister also held consultations with the ally parties leaders on the political situation of the country she said

COAS vows to thwar t enemies attempts to destabilize Balochistan

RAWALPINDI

Chief Of Army Staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Munir Tuesday visited Khuzdar and Basima areas of Balochistan and reviewed formation’s operational preparedness along with measures being taken to ensure a peaceful and secure environment

According to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the COAS was briefed on prevailing security situation and formation s operational preparedness along with measures being taken to ensure a peaceful and secure environment

While interacting with troops COAS emphasized on maintaining optimum operational readiness to thwart the attempts by foreign sponsored and supported hostile elements to destabilize Balochistan the

military’s media wing said We are aware of the nefarious designs of external enemies of Pakistan to disturb the hard earned peaceful environment in Balochistan,” COAS remarked The COAS said that Army’s deployment and operations are being focused in Balochistan to provide enabling environment for benevolent people centric socioeconomic development, the military’s media wing said on Tuesday Earlier on arrival COAS was received by Lieutenant General Asif Ghafoor, Commander Quetta Corps Last month, the country’s top military commanders vowed to fight against terrorists without any distinction” as the scourge of terrorism has reared its ugly head again with a fresh wave of attacks in the country

The reiteration of the resolve was made in a huddle of the corps commanders at the GHQ which was presided over by Army Chief General Syed Asim Munir

fazal: No elections in Punjab and kP following dissolution of assemblies

PESHAWAR

M o n i to r i n g r e P o r t

NA passes bills to enhance punishment for disrespecting Ummahatul Momineen, Ahle-Bait, Sahaba

ISLAMABAD S ta f f r e P o r t

The National Assembly on Tuesday passed two private member bills including the Criminal Laws (Amendment) Bill 2020 and Legal Practitioners and Bar Councils (Amendment) Bill, 2021 as reported by the standing committees

The bills were piloted by Moulana Abdul Akbar Chitrali and Dr Nafisa Shah in the House respectively The statement of objects and reasons of the Criminal Laws (Amendment) Bill 2020 says that a few people are involved in blasphemy on the internet and social media etc, and they upload such pages and messages covertly

However, due to Capital Punishment in section 298c, the ratio of people involved in blasphemy of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) is very low The fact may be observed that disrespecting the Companion of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) and other sacred personalities not only promotes terrorism and disruption in the

country but also hurts people from all walks of life

In section 298-A of the Pakistan Penal Code, the punishment against the person who disrespects the wives family and Companions of the Holy Prophet (PBUH), is imprisonment for a minimum of three years period along with a nominal penalty while this is a bailable crime Due to this simple punishment the criminals, despite, the punishment, commit the same crime again Hence, due to such simple punishment the people try on their own to punish the criminal which increases the violence

It is the responsibility of Parliament to review all factors by which terrorist activities promote and prosper within Pakistan by comprehending this matter with sensitivity and seriousness

Moreover some crimes mentioned in the list of crimes are very lesser in nature than disrespect of Ummahatul Momineen, Ahle-Bait, Khulfa-eRashideen and Sahaba-e-Kiram but their punishments are more than that mentioned in section 295-A of Pakistan Panel Code

M a u l a n a F a z a l u r- R e h m a n , l e a d e r o f t h e f a r- r i g h t J a m i a t U l e m a - i - I s l a m - F a z l ( J U I - F ) p a r t y, d e c l a r e d t h e r e w i l l n o t b e a n y e l e c t i o n s i n t h e p r o v i n c e s o f P u n j a b a n d K h y b e r P a k h t u n k h w a f o l l o w i n g t h e d i s s o l u t i o n o f l o c a l l e g i s l a t u r e s , w i t h o u t e l a b o r a t i n g f u r t h e r A s n a p e l e c t i o n w i l l b e h e l d i n P u n j a b a f t e r t h e c h i e f m i n i s t e r, C h a u d h r y P e r v a i z E l a h i , t r i g g e r e d t h e p o l l l a s t w e e k b y c a l l i n g f o r t h e l e g i s l a t u r e t o b e d i s s o l v e d , p u t t i n g p r e s s u r e o n t h e c e n t r a l g o v e r n m e n t o f S h e h b a z S h a r i f a h e a d o f t h e p l a n n e d g e n e r a l e l e c t i o n H o l d i n g e l e c t i o n s i n a p r o v i n c e w i t h 11 0 m i l l i o n p e o p l e , a r o u n d h a l f o f P a k i s t a n ’s p o p u l a t i o n , w o u l d b e a n e x p e n s i v e , l o g i s t i c a l l y c o m p l i c a t e d e x e r c i s e f o r a g o v e r n m e n t d e p e n d e n t o n f o r e i g n a i d a n d r e e l i n g f r o m t h e i m p a c t o f l a s t y e a r ’s d e v a s t a t i n g f l o o d s B y b r i n g i n g f o r w a r d a p r o v i n c i a l v o t e , h o w e v e r p o l i t i c a l a n a l y s t s s a y P a k i s t a n Te h r e e k - iI n s a f ( P T I ) c o u l d p r e s s u r e t h e g o v e r n m e n t i n t o h o l d i n g a c o u n t r y w i d e e l e c t i o n e a r l i e r t o a v o i d t h e h u g e d o u b l e c o s t o f t w o v o t e s C o m m e n t i n g o n t h e a p p a r e n t r e l u c t a n c e o f t h e g o v e r n m e n t o f t h e P a k i s t a n D e m o c r a t i c M o v e m e n t ( P D M ) a l l i a n c e w h i c h h e h e a d s t o h o l d e a r l y e l e c t i o n s R e h m a n w h o w a s s p e a k i n g t o r e p o r t e r s a f t e r a t t e n d i n g a c o n v e n t i o n i n P e s h a w a r o n M o n d a y, i n s i s t e d t h a t n a t i o n a l p o l i t i c s s h o u l d b e c a r r i e d o u t i n a c c o r d a n c e w i t h c o n s t i t u t i o n a l p r o v i s i o n s a n d n o t s u b j e c t t o a n y o n e s w h i m s H e w e n t o n t o c l a i m t h a t t h e o u s t i n g o f f o r m e r p r i m e m i n i s t e r I m r a n K h a n w a s a r e s u l t o f P D M e ff o r t s r a t h e r t h a n a f o r e i g n c o n s p i r a c y H e a l s o d i s c u s s e d t h e C o n s t i t u t i o n a n d P a k i s t a n s p o l i t i c a l s y s t e m s t a t i n g t h a t i t i s b a s e d o n f o u r p i l l a r s : I s l a m , d e m o c r a c y, f e d e r a l i s m , a n d p a r l i a m e n t a r y d e m o c r a c y H e e m p h a s i s e d t h a t P a k i s t a n i s a n I s l a m i c c o u n t r y a s d e c l a r e d b y t h e C o n s t i t u t i o n a n d c a n n o t a d o p t s e c u l a r i s m D u r i n g t h e c o n v e r s a t i o n , t h e p o l i t i c i a n a l s o t o u c h e d u p o n p o l i t i c a l i s s u e s s u c h a s t h e w a r i n A f g h a n i s t a n a n d t h e s u p p r e s s i o n o f M u s l i m s i n o t h e r c o u n t r i e s

PMO: Talks with India on hold until reversal of K ashmir autonomy revoc ation

ISLAMABAD

In a statement released on Tuesday, the Prime Minister ’s Office (PMO) made it clear that any talks with India can only take place after the country reverses its illegal action of August 5 2019 ”

This action, according to the PMO, was aimed at altering the demography of the Muslim-majority state of Indian-occupied

Kashmir The statement emphasised that without India s revocation of this step, negotiations are not possible ”

This statement comes a day after Shehbaz Sharif called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India to hold serious and sincere talks to resolve issues, including the ongoing conflict in Kashmir, and suggested the United Arab Emirates (UAE) leadership could play a key role in bringing India and Pakistan to the negotiating table

Tensions rose high when India unilaterally revoked the autonomous status of its part of Kashmir later in 2019 which Sharif said resulted in “flagrant” human rights violations in occupied Kashmir Ever since, official talks between the two countries have been suspended, although there were some backdoor diplomacy attempts to resume negotiations one brokered by the UAE in 2021

“My message to the Indian leadership and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is let’s

sit down at the table and have serious and sincere talks to resolve our burning issues, like Kashmir ” Sharif said in an interview with Al Arabiya news channel on Tuesday

He said he had taken up the issue with UAE’s president Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed in his recent visit to the Emirates

“He’s a brother of Pakistan He also has good relations with India He can play a very important role to bring the two countries on the talking table,” Sharif said

The two arch-rival nuclear powers have fought three wars since independence from British rule in 1947 Two of the wars were over Kashmir, a disputed Himalayan region, which both nations claim Each controls half of it

The two neighbours got closer to a fullscale war in 2019 when the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) downed an intruding Indian MiG-21 aircraft and captured its pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, after the plane crashed in Azad Jammu and Kashmir

It was the second corpse commanders’ conference Gen Munir chaired since taking over the baton of command from Gen (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa who doff his uniform after the completion of his extended tenure last month However, no statement was issued by the military after the first huddle

ISLAMABAD

S ta f f r e P o r t

PA K I S TA N Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has forwarded two names for appointment of caretaker chief minister to Punjab Governor Muhamamd Baligur-Rehman

In a letter issued here on Tuesday, Hamza Shehbaz, being the Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Assembly forwarded the names of Syed Mohsin Raza

Sharif held consultations with the leaders of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) to finalize the name for caretaker Chief Minister of Punjab The prime minister in a telephonic conversation discussed the matter with former president Asif Ali Zardari of Pakistan People’s Party, Muslim League (Q) chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and PDM chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb stated

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif telephoned top leadership of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) to hold consultations on the name of caretaker chief minister of Punjab I n a t w e e t , s h e s a i d t h a t

LAHORE: Rescue 1122 firefighters trying to put off fire erupted in spare parts warehouse on Montgomery Road Photo by zuba r Mehfooz

J a M a at a N N o u N c e s P r o t e s t a g a I N s t r I g g I N g

M I s c o N d u c t ’ I N s I N d h Lo c a L g o v e r N M e N t v o t e

JA M A AT- E - I S L A M I has called for countrywide protests against the results of the local government elections in Karachi and Hyderabad, alleging that the results have been engineered Siraj ul-Haq, party chief, while speaking to the press late on Monday said the delay

Pakistan joins nations in urging Israel to end sanctions on Palestinians

NEW YORK a f P

Some 40 countries on Monday called on Israel to lift sanctions it imposed on the Palestinian Authority earlier this month over its push to get the UN’s top court to issue an advisory opinion on the Israeli occupation On December 30 the General Assembly passed a resolution requesting an opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the issue of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories In retaliation Israel announced a series of sanctions, including financial ones, on January 6 against the Palestinian Authority to make it “pay the price” for pushing for the resolution In a statement to journalists Monday, the United Nations member states, reaffirming their unwavering support for the ICJ and international law expressed “deep concern regarding the Israeli government’s decision to impose punitive measures against the Palestinian people, leadership and civil society following the request by the General Assembly” to the court “Regardless of each country s position on the resolution, we reject punitive measures in response to a request for an advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice, and more broadly in response to a General Assembly resolution, and call for their immediate reversal the members said The statement is signed by countries that voted for this resolution Algeria, Argentina, Belgium, Ireland, Pakistan and South Africa among others but also by some that abstained Japan, France and South Korea and others that voted against, like Germany and Estonia

Pakistan warns of taliban defections to IsIs amid afghan economic crisis

NEW YORK S ta f f r e P o r t

In an interview with Newsweek, Pakistan s UN Ambassador Munir Akram warned of potential Taliban defections to ISIS-K if the current economic woes in Afghanistan continue He specifically named insurgent groups such as the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), but also the regional ISIS-Khorasan branch, called ISIS-K or ISIL-K, saying that sometimes these groups worked together against Pakistan s interests Akram further warned that other groups such as the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) and Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) also needed to be combated but that such efforts on the part of the Taliban would be difficult to achieve as long as the government found itself short on income “We have to deal with this,” Ambassador Akram said, “and we are determined to deal with it internally ” And while he said, “we’ve dealt with this in the past,” the diplomat warned that new challenges have emerged in trying to influence the Taliban-led government and that it was in their immediate interest to take on all of these groups Now we have a situation in Afghanistan where the Taliban need to be convinced to deal with all of the terrorist movements, not only ISIL-K, which they are fighting, but others,” Akram said “We understand the situation, but we have to find an effective strategy for dealing with it ” Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari recently spoke with his Afghan counterpart, Amir Khan Muttaq, offering his condolences over the attack near the foreign ministry in Kabul

in the release of results by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) was raising doubts He said that JI had emerged as a big party in the elections, and the polling agents’ results prove that the party has a majority Party spokesperson Qaiser Sharif also said the party had given a call for protests on Tuesday Meanwhile, the chief of the party s Karachi chapter Hafiz Naeem ur-Rehman said the people of the provincial capital voted for JI as the biggest party in the city

Rehman, criticising the government, said the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) connived with some individuals of the ECP and returning officers to plunder JI’s mandate He also said the tribunal played a “brave” role by holding the elections on the scheduled date, but the body’s preparation and arrangements weren t up to the mark Rehman further alleged the deputy commissioner of West Zone and assistant commissioner of Shah Faisal changed the

results He added that JI will stage sit-ins outside the office of the ROs who changed the results, and the biggest protest will be at the office of the deputy returning officer where the most rigging took place Finally Rehman said that JI is open for talks with every party but first the counting of its seats should be done properly He said JI chief Haq has spoken to the chief election commissioner in this regard, and that Karachi s mayor would be from JI

K P f i n a n c e d e p t f a i l s t o u s e a n n u a l d eve l o p m e n t f u n d suspect in murder of law yer afridi held in custody for two days

PESHAWAR

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Finance Department hardly managed to spend some funds on three projects out of seven development projects, included in the Annual Development Program (ADP)

The provincial government had allocated Rs 18 22 billion to seven projects of the finance department of the current financial year ’s ADP of which the finance department has released Rs505 989 million in the last six months while the department has spent Rs 130 million on three projects until August

The provincial government has spent Rs6 7 million allocated for the project to increase the capacity of the finance department, while Rs 120

million, out of Rs3 965 billion, has been spent on KP Revenue Mobilization and Resource Management Program Similarly the provincial government has Rs3 8 million out of Rs 14 2 billion on the better development project

The KP finance department sources said that the rate of allocated funds’ spending was extremely slow during the last six months while department has failed to utilize even a single rupee on three projects till August

The political “cold war” said the sources between the provincial and federal governments has led the province into a very critical situation as not only the ongoing uplift projects of the finance department have been delayed, but also important projects, included in the ADP of other departments, got delayed due to lack of funds

PESHAWAR

ISLAMABAD S

ta f f r e P o r t

Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal has said China’s ‘Belt and Road Initiative’ (BRI) is aligned with Pakistan’s development strategy and national interests

According to a Radio Pakistan’s report in an interview with China Economic Net, he said the initiative has boosted Pakistan’s economy and living standards of its people over the last decade through China-Pakistan Economic Corridor

The Minister said the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) will assist Pakistan in contributing

to better connectivity of economic powers in Central and South Asia, making the region the future hub of the world’s economy

He said during the next stage of CPEC, Pakistan will explore trade activities, with special emphasis on business to business cooperation with China Ahsan Iqbal said the government will play a role in connecting business schools between the two countries and assist the business community in better understanding of Chinese market

He said as China’s all-weather strategic partner and direct beneficiary of BRI Pakistan s energy infrastructure, technology, and industrial sectors have all fetched benefits since the start of CPEC

Pakistan sees rise in malaria and tuberc ulosis infec tions

DAVOS

Climate change is increasing malaria infections in Pakistan, among other nations, the executive director of the world s biggest health fund said in Davos

Huge surges in malaria infections followed recent floods in Pakistan and cyclones in Mozambique in 2021 said Peter Sands the executive director of the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria

“Whenever you have an extreme weather event it s fairly common to have a surge of malaria he said at the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos The increase in extreme weather events, and the resulting large pools of standing water that attracts mosquitoes, are leaving poorer populations vulnerable He said climate change was also changing the geography of mosquitoes The highlands of Africa, in Kenya and Ethiopia, are now succumbing to malaria because of a shift in the low temperatures that once made the area unsustainable for mosquitoes

Sands runs the world s largest global fund which invests in fighting tuberculosis, malaria and HIV/AIDS in some of the poorest nations in the world The fund which set a target of raising $18 billion, has so far raised $15 7 billion, the largest amount of money ever raised in global health Part of the shortfall he said was a billion-dollar hit from currency fluctuations that affected donations

Looking ahead, climate change is just one of the factors that could hamper efforts to eradicate the diseases, Sands said The war in Ukraine has led to a worsening of AIDS and tuberculosis

In middle-income countries such as India, Pakistan and Indonesia, tuberculosis cases amongst the poorest populations are also rising

With fears of a global recession rising, Sands said those countries would come under increased pressure “I think the big concern from our perspective is what happens to health budgets in the 120 or so countries we are investing ” And even within those health budgets, how much is being taken up by Covid?”

RUDA’s industrial zone emulates measures to fight pollution

in

Keeping in view the prevalent policy, RUDA has initiated a comprehensive plan to monitor, control and mitigate the effects of pollution in its territorial limits

“Very comprehensive measures are initiated in RUDA Industrial Zone 1 where a survey is underway to collect data effecting the environment on one hand and suggesting the measures to address the problems of

environmental degradation on the other says a handout issued here

“This exercise will result in the mitigation of the factors contributing towards the smog of the city which is otherwise being aggravated by the unbridled use of vehicles, emitting petrochemical fumes in the atmosphere

RUDA is also facilitating the existing industries to acquire environmental NOC from EPA,” the statement said Converging on the other realm of development

added

A suspect has been remanded in police custody for the alleged killing of Abdul Lateef Afridi, a prominent lawyer and former president of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) on Monday The 80-year-old was sitting in the Peshawar High Court (PHC) bar room when Adnan Samiullah Afridi opened fire at him, according to police He was rushed to Lady Reading Hospital but could not survive The suspect was arrested from the crime scene and moved to East Cantonment Police Station where a case was registered against him An officer at the police station said Adnan had confessed to the crime and that he had killed the victim over a family feud Separately, Muhammad Ijaz Khan, the chief of Peshawar police, formed a fact-finding committee, with the senior superintendent of police (SSP) of investigations as its head to determine how the attackers managed to sneak a weapon into the court’s premises The committee has been asked to submit its report within 24 hours The suspect was presented before Judicial Magistrate Badar Munir Tuesday who accepted the police plea and remanded Adnan into custody for two days He has also confessed to a murder at the police station, maintaining the attack was motivated by a longstanding family feud The slain barrister was among seven people acquitted in December of the charge of killing anti-terrorism court (ATC) judge Aftab Afridi and his four family members in 2021 after the judge declared the prosecution had failed to prove its case against the lawyer and his son Judge Afridi, who was posted to Swat, had come under a gun attack near Ambar Interchange in the Swabi district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on April 4 2021 when he was travelling in his vehicle with his family on the Peshawar-Islamabad Motorway The ambush had killed the judge, his wife and his pregnant daughter-in-law along with her three-year-old son and injured his guard and driver The court’s decision to acquit the suspects had sparked controversy, with many questioning why the prosecution failed to bring the real perpetrators of the audacious murder to justice

‘China’s BRI aligned with Pakistan’s development strategy, national interests ’

LAHORE

the area RUDA has undertaken the laying of sewerage and constructions of roads in the phase 1 of RUDA’s Industrial Area

For achieving better design delineations and linking the internal communication arteries, an entrance gate, measuring 80 feet wide and 35 feet long is being constructed Ravi industrial Estate Association has already appreciated the efforts made by RUDA in improving the operational and environmental atmospherics of the area it

KARACHI

CPEC EPIC MANIFEStAtIoN oF PAk-CHINA All wEAtHEr StrAtEgIC PArtNErSHIP: SPEAkEr

SP E A K E R of National Assembly Raja Pervez Ashraf Tuesday described China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) as epic manifestation of ironclad friendship and all-weather strategic cooperative partnership between Pakistan and China

Addressing the launch of All-Pakistan Chinese Enterprises’ Association (APCEA) sustainable development report 2022, he said the project was mutually beneficial for both countries rather than the whole region could reap benefits from the project owing to its viability

The event was jointly organized by the SDGs Secretariat of the National Assembly of Pakistan in collaboration with APCEA at the Pakistan Institute of Parliamentary Services

He also said that sustainable economic development had always remained a top objective for Pakistan despite challenges CPEC had played a massive role in the attainment of the above objective through enhanced connectivity and socioeconomic development SDGs Secretariat in collaboration with APCEA organized the launch of a report titled APCEA Sustainable Development Report 2022” The report provides a comprehensive overview of the CPEC projects in Pakistan while highlighting the contribution of the CPEC in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda

The speaker said the CPEC was one significant strategic imperative that had received attention in Pakistan and around the world The project’s continuing second phase had shifted its emphasis to the Pakistani education industry, economics, infrastructure, and sustainability includ-

Police on guard as anti-polio drive under way in Malakand

Malakand Regional Police Officer (RPO) Muhammad Sajjad Khan Monday said that strict measures had been adopted for the safety and security of health workers busy carrying out polio vaccination during the ongoing anti-polio campaign Speaking to local media persons after the five-day anti-polio campaign launched in Malakand division, the RPO said that the safety and protection of the polio teams were the top priority of police for which concrete measures had been taken He said that about 12,603 security personnel were providing security to the health workers and vaccinators A heavy police force has been deployed across Malakand division for the effective and peaceful conduct of the five-day anti-polio campaign To keep an eye on suspected elements a number of blockades have been established At the same time, the campaign is being closely monitored to avoid any unpleasant incident across the division,” he informed He issued orders to all the district police officers to supervise polio teams in their respective districts and ensure security of the polio teams, police officers and children who were being vaccinated “Make sure use of bulletproof jacket and helmet and avoid using mobile phones while performing duty During the polio campaign, blockades have been set up on entry and exit points as well as on main highways across the division to keep an eye on suspicious elements,” he said and added that all resources were being utilized to make the anti-polio campaign a success He stressed that repeated polio vaccination was imperative for building strong immunity among children to prevent them from lifelong paralysis “About a total of 12603 police officers and officials are working with polio teams across the division, including 3342 in Swat district, 1163 in Buner district, 1286 in Shangla district, 2263 in Lower Dir

ing the opening of technical education institutions and the initiation and expansion of student exchange programs, he added Mr Wang Jie, Executive Vice Chairman APCEA and CEO of Bank of China Limited Pakistan Operations, in his welcome address elucidated the vital need for realizing the importance of sustainable development and taking all possible corrective actions APCEA Sustainable Development Report 2022 briefly summarizes the sustainable development achievements of Chinese enterprises in the year 2022

He expressed APCEA s beliefs about the terms “sustainability” and “sustainable development” which go beyond generating renewable energy He stated that Chinese enterprises practice sustainable development in all aspects, to support Pak-China relations Consequently, their guiding princi-

ple is the fulfillment of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), including reliability, technological advancement, the welfare of the local community, and the development of their talents

Romina Khurshid Alam, Convener National Parliamentary Taskforce on SDGs, while highlighting the key takeaways from the report she stated that with Pakistan s youth bulge in mind and the Phase II of the CPEC, there is a need to prioritize the construction of new schools, technical and vocational training facilities, and higher education institutions while also renovating the existing ones

She further highlighted the role of CPEC towards the sustainable development goals especially SDGs 7 (Clean Energy), 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), 13 (Protect the Planet), and 17 (Partnership for Goals)

Petition filed in IHC against dissolution of Punjab, KP assemblies

ISLAMABAD

A petition had been moved to Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday challenging the dissolution of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assemblies by the Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf

Petitioner Shaukat Rasheed had named chief secretaries of two provinces, establishment division, ministry of inter-provincial coordination, secretary of parliamentary affairs, and PTI as respondents in the case

The petition said that as per the constitution, an assembly had a five-year term and it was sup-

posed to work for the welfare of the people It was necessary to have solid grounds to dissolve the assembly and it couldn t be done for the sake of personal wishes, it added

It further said no public referendum was conducted before dissolving the Punjab assembly and no any solid reason was mentioned in the summary The petitioner prayed the court to set aside the decision regarding the dissolution of the assembly without any reason

He said that dissolving the assemblies was an act to disrespect the public mandate Such decisions for political gains would cause a financial burden on the country s economy he said

FM Bilawal, Chinese Vice Premier agree to further enhance Sino-Pak partnership

Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Tuesday met Chinese Vice Premier, Liu He at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Switzerland

Both sides discussed the multifaceted economic cooperation between Pakistan and China and

agreed to maintain close coordination to further enhance the mutually beneficial partnership between the two countries, a brief statement issued here by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said

Center helping Balochistan youth to acquire skilled based education under CPEC

ISLAMABAD

s

The federal government is providing better opportunities to the youth of Baluchistan especially that of Gwadar to acquire modern education and technical skills under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) In order to shape and enhance the skills of the active population of Gwadar, Federal Government has launched many initiatives One such initiative is vocational training in various engineering disciplines The objectives of the project also include the development and generation of technical know-how in the field of precision mechanics, instrument technology, and die and mold technology Technical Training Center for Precision Mechanics and Instrument Technology, Gwadar is one such CPECrelated project which has been built for Rs 1200 million The center will also provide consultancy services to the local industry on designing mechanical products, jigsaws, and fixtures which will help in skilling the local community, increasing exports, and creating employment opportunities

Qasim Suri approaches IHC against FIA’s action

ISLAMABAD

s ta f f r e p o r t

Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI)’s leader Qasim Suri on Tuesday approached the Islamabad High Court (IHC) against FIA s notice on inappropriate tweet about TV anchor Saleem Safi

He stated in his plea that a complain was filed to the Federal Investigation (FIA) on basis of political rivalry Journalist Saleem Safi had alleged him for trying to target his personal life as the twitter comment had affected the privacy of his family, he added He said that being an activist of PTI, he defended the ideology of Imran Khan at every forum The tweet which was referred by the complainant was an answer of journalist’s tweet dated December 28

Qasim Suri said that he had commented about the journalistic career of Saleem Safi which had no connection with his personal life There was also no any provocative material in his tweet and he had never commented on privacy of his family, he said

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Tuesday directed the Narcotics Control Division to submit a complete overall report on irregularities found under its departments in the next meeting scheduled to be held on January 25 particularly the registration of bogus drug cases against politicians and others individuals The meeting was chaired by MNA Noor Alam Khan, who queried the authority concerned on the procedures and rules followed by the Narcotics Control departments during the registration of such cases The authorities told the committee that there was a need of sometime to compile a comprehensive report for a briefing over the matter The chairman of the committee directed the authorities concerned to appear after full preparation in the next meeting to be held in the coming week and no excuses would be entertained He mentioned that nobody was above the law but fake cases of heroin should not be registered against anyone for political victimization Noor Alam Khan strictly urged that this practice should be abolished from Narcotics Control Division on a permanent basis to ensure transparency in its investigation processes He further said the previous government had registered a heroin case against Minister for Interior Rana Sanaullah through Narcotics Control Division during its regime It is embarrassing to see in the video that officials of Narcotics Control have asked for money from people at Islamabad International Airport which defamed the country he added

ISLAMABAD

PAC seeks report on irregularities unearthed in constituent departments of Narcotics Division

SWAT

ISLAMABAD

ISLAMABAD

MINISTEr dENouNCES AudIo dISCuSSING

MP ABduCTIoN To dEThroNE ShArIf

TH E interior minister requested the chief justice and the speaker of the National Assembly to take action following the release of a leaked audio recording apparently discussing the abduction of an MP as rumours

that the president would ask for a vote of confidence from the prime minister mount The reco rd ing, w h ich has b een circulating on social media reportedly features t w o P a k i s t a n M u s l i m L e a g u e - Q u a i d ( P M L - Q ) l a w m a k e r s , H u s s a i n E l a h i a n d Chaudhry Wajahat Hussain discussing the a b d u c t i o n o f a w o m a n l a w m a k e r i n t h e National Assembly

In the audio which is slightly over a minute long, t h e t w o m e n c a n b e h e a r d s t r a t e g i z i n g o n a p o t e n t i a l v o t e o f c o n f idence for Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif T h e P a k i s t a n Te h r e e k - i - I n s a f ( P T I ) h a s hinted at returning to parliament to ensure t h a t t u r n c o a t s d o n o t a i d S h a r i f i n o btaining the vote of confidence R a n a S a n a u l l a h K h a n h a s c o n -

President for realizing full potential of Pak- China bilateral trade

ISLAMABAD S ta f f R e p o R t

President Dr Arif Alvi on Tuesday stressed enhancing bilateral trade with China, which currently stood at $27 8 billion, and said the strengthening of businesses could prove mutual reward

Talking to the outgoing Chinese Ambassador Nong Rong here at the Aiwan-e-Sadr, the president said under the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), 19 projects were completed, 28 were under construction, and 41 were in the pipeline President Alvi said CPEC was a transformational flagship project of the Belt and Road Initiative, which had the potential to act as the pivot of regional peace and connectivity The expeditious completion of four broad clusters of cooperation – Gwadar Port and its auxiliary features,

Power Politics: ECP denotifies 35 more PTI MNAs as Speaker accepts resignations

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PTI leader Hammad Azhar alleged that the Election Commission had “received orders from Avenfield” Another clumsy attempt to run away from general elections ” he said

PTI’s Zulfi Bukhari said that the NA speaker had claimed he couldn t accept the resignations collectively and each lawmaker had to verify their resignations individually “Imran Khan thinks of re-entering the National Assembly to seek a vote of no-confidence against Shehbaz Sharif Within minutes there’s a mass acceptance,” he said

PTI s en masse resignations: The PTI had announced mass resignations from the National Assembly in April last year, a day after party chief Imran Khan s ouster as the prime minister through a no-confidence vote and shortly before Shehbaz Sharif was elected as his successor

National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervez Ashraf on July 28 2022 accepted the resignations of only 11 PTI lawmakers who had resigned after the vote of no confidence against the former PM

The PTI had first challenged the move in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on August 1, contesting that it was “unsustainable” The IHC however had dismissed the petition on Sept 6, 2022

The party then approached the Supreme Court praying it to set aside the IHC order, terming it “vague, cursory, and against the law” A decision on the PTI’s plea in the apex court is still pending Ashraf told a PTI delegation on Dec 29, 2022 that the party’s lawmakers would be summoned individually for verification of their resignations as the latter insisted on them being accepted in one go

energy projects, transport infrastructure and industrial cooperation including the development of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) – would change trade, business and investment outlook of the country, he said

The president observed that with shifts underway on the world stage, there was a need to further expedite the progress on CPEC so that the goods should start moving from South China to the Gwadar Port and upward in a regular manner

The second phase of CPEC should be pursued expeditiously to promote agriculture; innovation and IT sector; industrial cooperation; livelihood generation and poverty alleviation; automobiles, textiles and leather manufacturing; and shifting of Chinese industries to Pakistan wherever possible, he added

The president said that the signing of China-Pakistan Free Trade Agreement in January 2020 had fur-

d e m n e d t h e a l l e g e d p l a n n i n g o f t h e a bd u c t i o n o f a w o m a n , s t a t i n g t h a t t h e P T I ’s i n t e n t i o n t o “ b u y t h e c o n s c i e n c e ” o f P M L - Q a n d P a k i s t a n M u s l i m L e a g u e - N a w a z ( P M L - N ) l a w m a k e r s h a s b e e n “ e x p o s e d b e f o r e t h e p u b l i c ” H e c a l l e d o n t h e c h i e f j u s t i c e U m a r Ata Bandial, to take note of the audio and this “trade of conscience,” and urged Raja

ther liberalized the trade resulting in a significant expansion in trade volumes, noting that as per data for the first 11 months of 2021 bilateral trade reached a record high at $27 8 billion registering an increase of 60 percent with the corresponding period of 2020 Pakistan’s exports amounting to $3 6 billion also registered an increase of 68% year over year, he added The president expressed his satisfaction over the encompassing cooperation between the two countries in the fields of defence to socio-economic development He conveyed his deepest gratitude to the people of China and President Xi Jinping for extending generous financial support to Pakistan which helped the country to deal effectively with the financial situation faced by it and during global warming-induced super floods last year which proved helpful in alleviating the suffering of the flood affected persons He said the Chinese grant to the Presidency would be used to build a digital outreach platform to provide help to people under stress or facing mental health issues He said the First Lady during her upcoming visit to United Kingdom would engage the psychologists and psychiatrists of the Pakistani diaspora in the United Kingdom to seek their active involvement to provide online counselling and advice to people facing mental health situations

Stepping closer to Imran’s goal: KP CM signs summar y for dissolution of provincial assembly

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In a statement, Chief Minister Mahmood Khan thanked the government and opposition lawmakers, as well as members of the civil service, for their service over the past four years

He also expressed confidence that his party will establish a government with a two-thirds majority in the upcoming general elections, which must be held by October

Furthermore the chief minister stated there was instability in the country due to “imported” rulers, a reference to the government of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) at the Centre and that getting rid of the corrupt gang had become inevitable He also thanked the public of KP for posing their trust in him

C a b i n e t ta k e n o n b o a r d a b o u t a s s e m b ly d i s s o l u t i o n: Earlier, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan on Tuesday informed the provincial cabinet that a summary to dissolve provincial assembly would immediately be moved to the Governor and also expressed gratitude to cabinet members, MPAs and bureaucracy for their support to his government

Presiding over the 86th cabinet meeting here at the CM house, Mahmood Khan said that the four-year in power spent very good and he was

grateful to people of KP for endorsing trust in him, adding that dissolution of assembly would not be delayed any further and the summary would be moved to the Governor immediately in vital nation interest He hoped that PTI would come to power again with two third majority after winning the next general elections

On the other hand, PML-N supreme leader Nawaz Sharif attending an important party meeting via video link from London had directed its leaders and workers to start preparing for elections in Punjab and pledged that the central government would not be “blackmailed” by the PTI chief ’s demand to hold snap elections in the country

The former prime minister has been demanding general elections since he was ousted in April after losing a contentious parliamentary vote of confidence marred by allegations of military involvement He has also led nationwide protests against his successor, Shehbaz Sharif Shehbaz has repeatedly rejected Khan s demands, saying elections will be held as scheduled later this year According to a party insider, the elder Sharif, too, has been categorical about the former prime minister ’s demand “Nawaz had said come what may, we will not be blackmailed by Khan s demand The general elections will be held on time,” he said

Dar lauds Nong Rong’s contributions in enhancing Pak-China ties

I n t h e r e c o r d i n g , a m a n b e l i e v e d t

E l a h i i s h e a r d s a y i n g t h a t “ t h e

o m a n c a n b e a b d u c t e d ”

Elahi allegedly responds by saying he would suggest the idea to Moonis and that the woman could be sent on “vacations ”

I t s h o u l d b e n o t e d t h e n a m e o f t h e w o m a n i s n o t m e n t i o n e d i n t h e a u d i o b y either Hussain or Elahi Q League leaders h a v e d e m a n d e d t h a t a n i n v e s t i g a t i o n b e carried out to verify the authenticity of the alarming audio and the involvement of the two if it is found to be true

Telenor appoints Mindshare as their Media Agency

pr

Telenor has appointed Mindshare as its media agency for both traditional and digital, following a competitive pitch Mindshare Pakistan, part of GroupM, is the largest media buying house in Pakistan and is continuously thriving on data digital and technology along with its conventional portfolio of business The agency also secured gold wins for Campaign Asia s Media and Digital Media Agency of the Year recently Understanding the significance of a data-driven approach, this partnership between Telenor and Mindshare is set to bring several positive changes for both parties and the telecom industry Telenor, with its vast reach, customer base and real-time data, will benefit greatly from Mindshare’s expertise in media, digital and buying "We are truly honored to be appointed as Telenor s media agency in Pakistan This provides us with an incredible opportunity to work with one of the most robust telcos My team and I are extremely delighted and motivated to apply the best of our thinking and capabilities to create winning momentum for Telenor The tech-driven mindset and the agility in adapting to new challenges are few of the many reasons why the synergy between the two organizations seems promising and passionate " said Agha Zohaib, Managing Director, Mindshare Pakistan

Summit Bank Ltd holds Extraordinar y General Meeting

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Summit Bank Limited is pleased to announce that a key milestone relating to equity injection from H E Nasser Abdulla Hussain Lootah (the Investor) a UAE National and a long standing friend of Pakistan, has been completed In this regard, the shareholders of the Bank at their Extraordinary General Meeting held on January 16 2023 passed the requisite resolutions authorizing the equity injection The President of the Bank, Jawad Majid Khan, emphasized that the Investor s commitment to the Bank is demonstrated by the fact that despite the current economic situation of the country, he has already placed the requisite funds i e PKR 10 Billion with the Bank as advance against proposed issuance of shares The completion of the transaction will enable the Investor to acquire a majority equity stake and management control of the Bank, subject to regulatory approvals Going forward, the Investor intends to convert the Bank to a full-fledged Islamic Bank

ECC moves on Kissan Package promises, energy issues

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PTI rejec ts S indh LG polls results; demands probe

He said that said Sindh government used state resources to manipulate the polls results a n d u s e d s e v e r a l t a c t i c s t o k e e p t h e v o t e r turnout low

Lashing out at the PPP for using state machineries to manipulate LG polls Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senior Vice President Fawad Chaudhry said that the PTI rejected the results of second phase of local body elections in Sindh, demanding an investigation into the rigging of LG polls

Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday, Fawad said that the manner in which elections held, new precedents of rigging were set as Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah and PPP’s Sindh government tried to keep voters away from elections by issuing security and bomb blasts alerts

Fawad stated that today it became clear as to why PDM was opposing EVMs as If EVM machines were used, the voting results would have not been delayed He said that the LG polls was made a joke as the results of Karachi local body elections could not come despite lapse of three days

Reacting over the government’s nominations, Fawad said that names proposed by PML-N for the caretaker chief minister were a joke and non-serious It is a joke if they have proposed these names but they haven’t been communicated to us,” he said, adding

that the names proposed by the PTI and the PML-Q were serious

“We think that consensus should be developed on those names,” he said and added that Ahmed Nawaz Sukhera and Nasir Khosa were good citizens Fawad noted how Malik Ahmed had stated earlier that flexibility could be demonstrated with regards to the names suggested by the PTI

In an apparent reference to reports claiming that Khosa had refused to take up the mantle of caretaker CM Fawad said: “I request Nasir Khosa to change his mind This will be his contribution to Pakistan I can imagine that it is a difficult thing He said the country s entire bureaucracy was well aware of the reputation of the two

Another

ISLAMABAD S ta f f R e p o R t

Pervaiz Ashraf the speaker to do the same

o b e

p a r l i a m e nt a r y l e a d e r r i g h t n o w i s M o o n i s E l a h i [ ] b u t h e h a s t h r e e a n d w e a r e t w o ” T h e o t h e r v o i c e , b e l i e v e d t o b e t h a t o f H u s s a i n t h e n p r o p o s e s t h a t a w

LAHore

summary was presented regarding the Enhancement of Oil and Gas production from Tal Block (KPK) proposing sale of gas from Mamikhel South discovery to third parties in accordance with the Petroleum Concessions Agreement (PCA) It was also submitted that the State Owned Entities (SOEs) have around 70% working interest in TAL exploration Licence This arrangement will be to the benefit of the Government of Pakistan in the form of increased dividends and taxes and it will be an opportunity to enhance private sector participation The ECC considered and approved the proposal The ECC considered and approved a summary submitted by the Ministry of Commerce on policy regarding B2B barter trade mechanism, especially where there is absence of banking channels and generally to facilitate trade with other countries

ISLAMABAD S ta f f R e p o R t

Finance Minister Ishaq Dar on Tuesday lauded the outgoing Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Nong Rong’s contributions in enhancing and cementing

decades old brotherly ties between Pakistan and China and facilitating Chinese government s all out support to Pakistan He made the remarks during a lunch hosted by him in honor of the outgoing Chinese Ambassador Ishaq Dar extended best wishes of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to Nong Rong

Talking Kashmir

PR I M E M I n I S T E R Shehbaz Sharif asking his Indian counterpart to sit down and have serious and sincere talks’ over ‘burning issues including Kashmir ’ is a welcome step towards attempting to normalize relations with our recalcitrant Eastern neighbour India’s consistent unsubstantiated allegations of Pakistan sponsoring terrorism can only be addressed in any meaningful and satisfactory way if the former is able to produce credible and tangible proof of this activity so that the latter can take necessary action to make things right For this, a conversation has to be had by sitting across each other on the negotiating table, not through hyperbolic statements by foreign offices or colorful jingoistic television programming

But perhaps the larger issue at hand is that of Kashmir Spontaneous protests broke out all over the Valley after Indian Prime Minister narendra Modi rescinded the status of Indian-Occupied Kashmir in August 2019 India tried to put down the protests through draconian measures With separatist leaderships in jail, and peaceful protesters dispersed by recourse to pellet guns, this forced young political activists to turn into militants Instead of realizing that militancy in IOK was a homegrown affair, India blamed it on Pakistan This further strained relations between Pakistan and India

Any war between India and Pakistan, who both possess nuclear bombs, could be devastating not only for the two neighbouring countries, but also the entire region and beyond The only way out for India is to seek the resolution of the issue through talks with Kashmiris and Pakistan, who are also stakeholders in the resolution of issue For decades Pak-India tension has forced both to spend an extra large chunk of their budgets on defence instead of education, health and poverty alleviation

While fully supporting the Kashmiris’ right of selfdetermination at all international forums, Pakistan should simultaneously try to normalize relations with new Delhi Improved relations could become a factor in a peaceful resolution of the conflict An enhanced PakIndia trade and facilitation of people-to-people interaction can create strong peace lobbies in both the countries that could help in the resolution of all disputes especially the Kashmir issue

Hebron and Jerusalem: The impact of loss of control

Another step in tearing Palestinians out of the land

and professional well-being of the Palestinians who lived in the neighbouring towns and villages of the Hebron district To protect the settlers travelling from the nearby settlement of Kiryat Arba, the Israeli military established numerous checkpoints and closed side roads

ulation of East Jerusalem

M A Niazi Joint Editor

In

Editor

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

a b

AT its core, the struggle over the future of Jerusalem isn t only about religion Though it may sound sacrilegious to some, the core issue extends beyond historical claims to holy sites or who gets to pray where and when It’s also about power Specifically, it’s about Israel’s continuing penchant for flaunting their power, while Palestinians make a last-ditch effort to salvage some shred of control over their lives

This power struggle can be viewed through many lenses, but nowhere is it more clearly visible than in the tale of two Palestinian cities East Jerusalem and Hebron and the connections that bind their fate

In 1994, after an extremist Israeli settler, Baruch Goldstein, massacred 29 Palestinian worshipers in Hebron’s Al Ibrahimi Mosque, the Israelis imposed several repressive measures that particularly impacted Hebron and Jerusalem The Israelis claimed that they implemented these measures in order to preempt any Palestinian retaliation for the massacre And so while an Israeli committed the crime it was the Palestinians who paid the price

In Hebron, Palestinians living in close proximity to the few hundred Israeli settlers who had illegally occupied buildings on Hebron’s Shuhada Street were evicted from their homes Additionally, the Israeli military deployed over 1 000 well-armed soldiers and closed off major streets effectively shutting down the souq

Where thousands of Hebronites once strolled and shopped now there were empty streets and closed shops with graffiti covering the walls of Arab shops: stars of David, and Hebrew slogans reading Death to the Arabs” and “Goldstein is our hero ”

The stress and hardship this placed on Hebron was obvious as was the disruption to the economic

The situation borders on the absurd Residents from two Palestinian villages could no longer drive the short distance to Hebron to shop and visit with relatives and friends The route was cut by military blockades at two points, roughly 50 metres apart Arabs driving from the villages were forced to park on one side and then walk to the next barricade to secure a taxi into Hebron Settler rioting, empty Arab shops police beatings of Palestinians, the closure of the old city and the destruction of its economy the daily harassment and pressure this became daily life of Hebron

Equally distressing were the measures the Israelis implemented at the Al Ibrahimi Mosque the scene of the massacre They took complete control of the building and physically divided it into Jewish and Muslim sections, with almost two-thirds reserved for a Jewish synagogue While Jews have relatively free access to the building Palestinians are forced to wait in humiliating lines and pass through numerous Israeli controlled checkpoints to enter

In reality, what Israel calls East Jerusalem encompasses a large swath of the West Bank including 28 Palestinian villages For decades this metropolitan area served as the hub for the region It s where Palestinians shopped, worked, went to the theatre, got medical attention and social services It was the centre and now it was closed Jerusalemites who economically benefited from employment servicing their compatriots lost their jobs, as did those who lived beyond the boundaries of the now closed city who were unable to navigate the checkpoints to go to work in Jerusalem

Their reaction is not as Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, a senior member of the current Israeli government, claims, born of racism or antisemitism Rather, it’s because they fear that what happened to the Al Ibrahimi Mosque is what the future holds for Al Aqsa And this they can’t abide It is a religious issue to be sure, but, at its core, it’s about their need to protect the last semblance of control they feel they have

To add insult to injury, on dates of religious importance to Judaism, Israelis routinely close the entire Mosque and its surroundings to Palestinians And recently Israel announced plans to seize land around the Mosque to build an elevator to provide access for Jewish worshippers

I say that the fate of Jerusalem and Hebron are connected for two reasons First, as part of the “protective” measures taken post-Goldstein, Israel instituted the complete closure of East Jerusalem from the rest of the West Bank This closure was even more complete than the one instituted in Hebron, with profound economic, social, cultural, political, and even psychological consequences for the Palestinian pop-

a

game changer in the global arena

The BRICS countries have a growing military and political influence on the global stage By forming a bloc, the BRICS countries can exert a collective influence and present a united front on issues of their mutual concern BRICS is a bloc whose name stands for the five member countries: Brazil, Russia, India, China, and

The absence of jobs and opportunities for the young Palestinians in Jerusalem has produced both cynicism and despair as has the closure which, for all intents and purposes, cut the heart of Palestine away from the est of its body

Like their kinfolk in Hebron, as they lost control over their lives and futures Palestinians in Jerusalem lost hope And as they witness increasing settlement construction land confiscations, and home demolitions as part of Israel s effort to Judaize the city that loss of hope has turned to resentment and resistance

The one place indeed the only place, where Palestinians feel any semblance of control is at the Haram al Sharif and the Al Aqsa Mosque And this brings me to the second reason why the fate of the two cities is inextricably linked

When Palestinians see the increased numbers of heavily guarded Israelis invading the Haram area the acts of incitement that accompany these “visits,” and the declared intent of Israeli extremists to seize control of the area, they feel profoundly threatened

Their reaction is not as Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir a senior member of the current Israeli government, claims, born of racism or antisemitism Rather, it’s because they fear that what happened to the Al Ibrahimi Mosque is what the future holds for Al Aqsa And this they can’t abide It is a religious issue to be sure, but, at its core, it s about their need to protect the last semblance of control they feel they have

o i n i n g B R I C S : A s t r a t e g i c g a m e c h a n g e r

2030 programme Saudi

country,

As a

There have indeed been discussions in the past about expanding the membership of the BRICS grouping, but to date, no new members have been admitted Saudi Arabia has recently applied to join the BRICS; however, the admission of the oil-rich Kingdom will be based on the consensus of all the countries of the bloc It is important to note that the BRICS countries are sovereign nations with their interests and priorities, and any decision to expand the grouping would likely require consensus among all member countries It is also possible that other factors, such as the potential impact on the group s dynamics and goals could be taken into consideration in any decision to admit new members

In the BRICS summit of 2023, the inclusion of Saudia Arabia will be expected to be discussed On December 8, a meeting between China’s President Xi Jinping and Saudi King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud saw an optimistic approach between China and the Arab world If Saudi Arabia were to join the group, it could potentially bring additional economic and political influence to the bloc because of its vast energy resources

We can understand Riyadh’s submission to join BRICS through multilateralism and national interest Saudia Arabia is a Petro-state and earns 80 percent of its export income from oil According to the Brookings Institute report 2020, “profits from oil export are expected to turn down due to expected decline in global demand by 2040” To reduce oil dependence and diversify its economic resources, Saudi Arabia launched the Saudi Vision

The

including healthcare, technology, and infrastructure It is not uncommon for countries with significant economic power to have more autonomy in their foreign relations and to be able to choose their partners more selectively

If BRICS decides to build up its membership with Saudi Arabia, it will stop Petro Dollar recycling Saudi selling oil offers the USA a $7 trillion benefit which may shape a bilateral currency exchange deal under which the BRICS countries would not have to buy oil in dollars, especially India and China the two largest users of oil The USA will experience a significant blow since China alone owns $1 trillion in US Treasuries Without buying oil in dollars, the Chinese may sell those bonds, putting a dent in the US economy, so even if China merely withdraws its treasury bonds the USA will have one trillion dollars less in bonds If Saudi Arabia joins BRICS the break becomes almost definite

Saudi Arabia is seeking to reduce its reliance on any single country and to increase its influence on the global stage This can be seen as an effort to move away from a traditional role as a provider of raw materials and towards a more active role in shaping global events

The writer is a Research Officer at Centre for International Strategic Studies AJK She can be reached at Nsheikh536@gmail com

The writer is President of the Arab American Institute

the book, BRICS and Global Governance, emerging markets and developing countries are increasingly playing a defining role in those trends particularly in the growing cooperation among emerging markets and developing countries in the form of south–south cooperation It was also said by the Greek philosopher, Heraclitus, famously said, change is the only constant in life Similarly, international relations are not immune to change Saudi Arabia is speculated to join BRICS, which can potentially be a strategic

South Africa Together, these countries represent a significant portion of the world’s population and economic output BRICS accounts for nearly 42 percent of the world population, 27 percent of the land area, and 32 percent of global GDP (PPP) If the grouping were to be expanded; it could potentially increase the global influence of the BRICS bloc

Arabia has indeed sought to diversify its partnerships in recent years

major oilproducing

the Kingdom has long had close ties with the USA, but it has also been looking to strengthen its relationships with other countries, particularly in Asia

agreement to sell oil to China in exchange for Chinese currency (the yuan) is one example of this Saudi Arabia is a major player in the global economy, and its decisions can have significant impacts on the international market As a major exporter of oil, it can regulate global oil prices and has played a key role in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) The country also has a large and diverse economy, with significant investments in various sectors

WASHINGTON WATCH

Dr JAmeS J ZOGby

Yousaf Nizami

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

Saudi Arabia is seeking to reduce its reliance on any single country and to increase its influence on the global stage . This can be seen as an effor t to move away from a traditional role as a provider of raw materials and towards a more active role in shaping global events

Heathrow nuclear scare?

LA S T month during routine scanning of cargo at the Heathrow Airport, the British police came across a package with a very small quantity of uranium

The undeclared material was discovered on a passenger flight on 29 December The Indian news agencies and Daily Mail Online reported January 10 “it was destined for an Iranian business with premises in the UK”

Being not of weapon grade the uranium was incapable of being used for improvising a “dirty bomb” (a radiation dispersal device) However, some news agencies and uncanny experts tried to whip up “dirty bomb” scare out of the incident Hamish De Bretton-Gordon, former commander of the UK s nuclear defence regiment lent credence to the unfounded scare He said: ‘Uranium can give off very high levels of poisonous radiation It could be used in a dirty bomb ’ Indian news agencies and the Daily Mail Online, in their reports, magnified “a very small quantity into several kilograms of uranium It was claimed that the package “originated” in Pakistan though it was headed for an Iranian business in Britain

British Police Commander Richard Smith clarified: ‘I want to reassure the public that the amount of contaminated material was extremely small and has been assessed by experts as posing no threat to the public Although our investigation remains ongoing, from our inquiries so far, it does not appear to be linked to any direct threat

‘As the public would expect, however, we will continue to follow up on all available lines of enquiry to ensure this is definitely the case

‘However, it does highlight the excellent capability we and our partners have in place to monitor our ports and borders in order to keep the public safe from any potential threats to their safety and security that might be coming into the UK ’ ‘The material has been identified as being contaminated with uranium ’ India’s own record is dismal Let us recall a few incidents

India has a sprawling civil and military nuclear programme that spreads over several states In an article in The Diplomat Sitara noor highlighted shortcomings in the safety and security of India’s nuclear facilities In India’s radio-active bazaar: Recurring incidents involving theft and sale of nuclear materials demonstrate why

India must develop an independent nuclear regulatory body, she said: ‘While global markets are taking a dip due to economic recession, India s illicit uranium market seems to be flourishing In February, eight people including two Indian officials were apprehended in nepal for illegally possessing and attempting to sell uranium-like substance” The material was reportedly smuggled from India This was not just a one-off incident theft and sale of nuclear and radioactive material in India is a recurring phenomenon Earlier in May 2021, reports of the seizure of 7 kilograms of highly radio-active uranium worth 210 million Indian rupees from a scrap dealer raised serious concern about India s nuclear security capabilities Over the past two decades over 200 kilograms of nuclear and radio-active materials has reportedly disappeared from Indian facilities Frequent incidents of loss and theft of nuclear and radio-active materials in India indicate the failure of the nuclear security systems at multiple levels First there seems to be a gap in the material accounting and control systems to ensure that not even an iota of material is left unaccounted Second, the nature of incidents in India hints at the involvement of insiders someone working at the nuclear facilities or mining sites working independently or colluding with an outsider This indicates the serious risk of insider threat and a failure of personnel reliability program

The Heathrow nuclear material is now seen as ‘deadly’ but the UK-based media ag ency repor ted that the uranium was ‘not weapons-grade’ – and so could not be used to manufacture a thermonuclear weapon. It appears that “dir ty bomb” is a hoax to exploit nouveau-nuclear or nuclear-threshold nations.

Third the recurrence of nuclear security lapses with such impunity indicates serious issues with nuclear security culture in India ’

It is much easier and cheaper to make a chemical or biological bomb than a “dirty bomb” (It is believed that the chemical bombs used by Saddam s Iraq against Iran were made with Indian know-how) Though a “dirty bomb” has never been used by any “terrorist”, a bio/chemical bomb was actually used by Japan s former doomsday-cult Guru Shoko Asahara

The Guru stands sentenced to death “for masterminding the deadly 1995 nerve/chemical gas (sarin) attack on the Tokyo subway and a string of other crimes that killed 27 people”

The cult s quest for biological weapons was overshadowed by its chemical attack capability

The cult members were trying to develop botulinum toxin by utilizing toxin of the green mamba snake and poisonous mushroom spores, Regarding use of chemical/biological weapons by terrorists , Professor Ramesh Chandra points out in his Global Terrorism “The US government indicates that these weapons are well within the reach of terrorists

According to the Central Intelligence Agency, ‘Terrorist interest in chemical and biological weapons is not surprising, given the relative ease with which some of these weapons can be produced in simple laboratories Although popular fiction and national attention have focused on terrorist use of nuclear weapons, chemical and biological weapons are more likely choices for such groups’” not only sarin, but also several other chemical agents like mustard tabun soman and VX are capable of dual use as pesticides and as chemical weapons Chandra points out, chemical warfare agents ‘can quite literally be manufactured in a kitchen or basement in quantities sufficient for mass-casualty attacks Experts agree that it is more difficult to manufacture Sarin gas, used by the “terrorists” in Japan, than mustard, tabun, soman, et al To some experts an effective bio-terrorism facility could be built for $ 200 000 to $2 million B i o l o g i c a l weapons too are easier to manufacture than “dirty bombs” Viruses could cause smallpox Venezuelan equine encephalitis and hemorrhagic fevers like Ebola The threat of biological weapons is obvious from the fact that: (1) The charges for anthrax, Q fever (Coxiella burnetti) and Venezuelian equine encephalomyeletus cultures from a leading US culture collection are about $45, $80, and $81 respectively Besides, nature abounds with microscopic killers Bacillus anthracis resides in hides and carcasses of wild or domesticated animals and plagues in prairie dogs, chipmunks, black rats, deer mouse and coyotes Chandra states that “The cost estimates for a bio-terrorism facility vary quite widely from $200,000 to $2 million Instructions for how to mass produce purify, and concentrate microbes can be found in textbooks and scientific journals”

The Heathrow nuclear material is now seen as ‘deadly’ but the UK-based media agency reported that the uranium was ‘not weapons-grade’ – and so could not be used to manufacture a thermo-nuclear weapon It appears that “dirty bomb” is a hoax to exploit nouveau-nuclear or nuclear-threshold nations It could be a weapon of mass disruption, but not a weapon of mass destruction Real threat emanates from chemical or bio-weapons

The writer is a freelance journalist, has served in the Pakistan government for 39 years and holds degrees in economics business administration, and law He can be reached at amjedjaaved@gmail com

Marking papers is a serious business

I n Pakistan, there are 145 universities in the public sector and 99 in the private sector registered with the Higher Education Commission (HEC) All these universities are following the HEC policy guidelines for the implementation of a uniform semester system in higher education institutions of the country

Section 11 1 of the guidelines reads in each semester students may be required to appear in quizzes, tests, midterms, final examinations, presentations (individual/group), group discussion, and submit projects/assignments/lab reports etc These assignment marks (to be determined by the teacher concerned) will have different weightage contributing towards the overall assessment in per cent ”

Some teachers use this authority and ask the senior students to mark the papers of the juniors This has happened at various institutions, including Islamia College University, Peshawar, and Islamia University, Bahawalpur according to the students enrolled in those institutions

So, how should a paper be made and marked? It depends on the semester teacher Who should be given the grace marks? It also depends on the semester teacher Who should be a failure? To a great extent it also depends on the semester teacher It is because of these guidelines that university students cannot say a word against their teachers even when the teachers are not present there These guidelines bound the students to obey and surrender before their teachers They cannot complain against their subject teachers even if they are not teaching well; or even when they are not teaching at all On the part of the teachers, they teach the way they like, follow the method they prefer, and those who have a permanent job have the luxury of being as whimsical as they want to

To have the examination answer sheets officially marked by a designated third party is a great option we have The third party could be of two types It could be other teachers of the same university having similar expertise to that of the concerned ones, and the third party could also be the teachers of nearby universities By adopting such a policy, we may save our teachers from such false allegations, and our students from getting black-mailed ABDUL

SALAM ISLAMABAD

SBP deadline

T H E State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) issued repeated reminders that old banknotes of Rs10 Rs50 Rs100 and Rs1 000 denominations can be exchanged from the Banking Services Corporation (BSC) I wonder why should there be a cut-off date for the exchange of legally issued banknotes that have been withdrawn Many senior citizens sometimes misplace their currency, and they should not be penalised for forgetting to exchange their legally issued banknotes within the deadline

The Bank of England has a citizen-friendly policy under which the withdrawn notes can always be exchanged not just with the bank itself, but also at designated banks and post offices There is no ‘last date’ for exchange The SBP should do away with the concept of deadlines in such cases

KHALID HYDER RAWALPINDI

Saffron fanatics

W I T H another Bollywood film coming up for release, fanatics in India are at it again, finding something or the other to claim their sentiments have been hurt The extremists, as is almost always the case, are being led by prominent figures of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)

The current thing to have ‘hurt’ the sentiments is the supposed disrespect of the saffron colour However, the extremists the Hindu Taliban in India, we may well call them use religion only when it suits them and serves their interests The politics of religion in India is at a dangerous level whichever you look at it One is allowed to make hate speech, spread violence against other religious communities, indulge in corruption, and commit fraud if one is wearing the saffron colour, but wearing the same colour in a movie song is objectionable BJP power is based on communal politics The higher the level of hatred in society is the more popular the BJP gets The two entities happen to be directly pro-portional, and that is what the problem seems to be with India and Indian politics

ANWAR SAYAB KHAN BANNU

Writing as meditation

WRITInG helps one think critically and pay attention to the present moment When you write with a pen, as opposed to typing, more body systems are involved and, therefore, your ability to focus improves phenomenally Writing is a slow process which often makes it preferable to typing Rough drafts pop up in our minds all the time, but when you write with a pen, you have to hold on to a thought for a longer time than when you are typing it This makes writing a more composed and mature process We all know that not every thought is worth pursuing and it is hand-writing that can be a preliminary filter for better, worth-spreading thoughts

Writing engages more body systems than does typing When you write a sentence, your hand appreciates the structure of each alphabet For writing ‘cat’, you have to draw the half-circle of ‘c’ and acknowledge its structural differen-ces from a and t But when you type cat all you need from your hand is to perform a monotonous activity of pressing on the keyboard ‘c’, ‘a’ and ‘t’ In other words, writing entails more attentional and muscular investment than typing Keeping these aspects in mind I have started focussed pen writing (FPW) activities and would like to encourage others to do the same During FPW sessions lasting 30 minutes, one has to avoid using mobile or the internet Away from the startle of getting notifications FPW has the potential to become a meditation session when you are so engrossed in the present moment that you forget the world around you

Likewise FPW allows you to appreciate the power and serenity of being quiet The amount of useless talk we often engage in on a daily basis is mindboggling Talking, although faster than writing, is often a waste of time and mind When you are comfortable in the company of people enjoying silence during FPW sessions, a different kind of bond is formed where the act of speaking becomes redundant It is a wonderful sensation to have in life

JAMSHED ARSLAN KARACHI

A m J e D J A Av e D

B r u n o M a Ç Ã E S

aconsensus is beginning to form that a new war in Ukraine has become inevitable In large measure this is due to the escalation in both rhetoric and military preparedness coming from Moscow Combined they create a situation where the costs of retreating for Russia might now be too high The clout and credibility acquired over the last decade which people close to the Kremlin applaud as a return to superpower status would suddenly evaporate were President Vladimir Putin to order the troops amassed on Ukraine s borders to return home

At present, it seems very unlikely that the Kremlin will get more than symbolic concessions from Washington much fewer than it perhaps hopes to get after more concrete tokens of Russian determination The problem is not just that Washington will never make the kind of commitments about NATO expansion that Russia has demanded, but that most people in the Biden Administration think such commitments are a red herring Putin is less interested in substantive commitments than in the spectacle of Russian assertiveness and American retreat A deal would invite further provocations from an emboldened Russian leader hence the gloomy forecasts

The question, were Russia to make a move, is what kind Kremlin insiders such as longtime foreign policy advisor Sergey Karaganov have downplayed the prospect of an invasion followed by territorial occupation as leading nowhere “The seizure of Ukraine is not included in our military plans, he recently said, if only for the reason that capturing a country with a destroyed infrastructure and an angry population is the worst possible scenario Similarly, a document authored by a number of leading Ukrainian military experts argues that “a large-scale offensive operation in an attempt to hold large occupied territories is an adventure that has no

WhaT happens nexT in UkRaine coUld change eURope foReveR

chance of a positive outcome for Russia ” One mooted possibility is an amphibious invasion through the Sea of Azov Such an operation would not be easy to accomplish Ukrainian forces have been preparing for just such a scenario since 2014 and would be able to put up sufficient resistance that a Russian invasion would become prohibitively costly, measured in either Russian casualties or the time needed to conclude the hostilities Russia could always combine a ground invasion with massive air support, but at what cost in civilian lives? As a former european head of State put it to me this week, “the big question is whether it will be also an air war If yes, it will be a slaughter If not, it will not be easy for Russia ”

Putin is certainly aware of the dynamics of public opinion in Western democracies News of repeated atrocities in Ukraine would lead to the adoption of the most punitive economic sanctions And then there is the possibility of a Ukrainian insurgency, inevitably supported by the West In urban areas and in the west of the country, Russian troops and even transport convoys would be subject to isolated but deadly attacks Sabotage would be another weapon of Ukrainian insurgent groups and even targeted assassinations could not be ruled out When I talked to a number of security and intelligence officers in Kyiv in 2018 they offered that argument as final reassurance that Russia would not try to invade and occupy further Ukrainian territory, including the famed land bridge connecting the Donbas to Crimea or isolated bridgeheads somewhere on the Black Sea Coast

Although militarily less ambitious and therefore less risky than an outright invasion and occupation other kinds of military intervention might be politically bolder, as the intervention in Syria in 2015 undoubtedly was One model Putin might be tempted by is the punitive strike In a way he would be mimicking American practice as exemplified by the air strikes Bill Clinton ordered against Iraq after it refused to cooperate with weapons inspections while overturning the existing American monopoly on the use of military power, a monopoly already breached in Syria The logic of a punitive strike would flow naturally from the ratcheting up of tensions we have seen in recent weeks

New incidents may be manufactured in coming days, after which Putin would address Russia and the world, explaining that he had no alternative but to order a series of air strikes and limited ground operations against targets inside Ukraine, as a way to eliminate a threat against Russian interests his goal would be to degrade Ukrainian defence capacities, provoke a political crisis in Kyiv and affirm a new precedent for Ukraine and beyond A symbol of imperial power rather than an ugly battle for territory

After a humiliating military defeat, Ukrainian President Zelensky might even be ousted by a Moscowaligned new government in Kyiv, as suggested by revelations from the British Foreign Office over the weekend And with Ukrainian defenses significantly degraded, Russia would be in a privileged position to launch new hostilities at any time in the future

If the strikes end after a week or so, and mass civilian casualties are avoided, would they qualify as the kind of “minor incursion” President Biden thinks one could live with? We know european countries remain deeply divided over what level of Russian aggression should trigger sanctions, with Germany even pushing for an energy exemption in proposed dollar sanctions on Russia Given these constraints, the Western response might be kept within certain limits but neither Ukraine nor world politics would survive unchanged

The existing security order in europe would be broken beyond repair europeans would suddenly be living in a world where Russia would have a claim to intervene anywhere in its near abroad or even beyond, any time it felt important interests were at stake The Russian television anchor Dmitry Kiselyov, known as a reliable Kremlin mouthpiece, explained on air during the past weekend that the current crisis is not about Ukraine: “The scale is much bigger ” he is right, but then the military endgame is unlikely to be the prolonged and costly battle for territorial control over Ukraine a new Chechnya, as Boris Johnson called it earlier this week that Western leaders keep warning Moscow about The crisis is not about Ukraine but about Russia If Washington is serious about limiting Russian power, it

should focus less on what comes after a Russian attack than on offering Ukraine the tools to defend itself, especially during the initial stages of conflict when air and standoff missile strikes will be deployed against military bases, power plants, key transportation nodes and other critical infrastructure A visit to Washington by Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov in November detailed an urgent need for air defense capabilities Ukraine believes the ability to shoot down Russian aircraft can deter Putin from invading We no longer live in the old liberal order where rules must be enforced and violators punished We live in a new order where power must be balanced with power The U S must reflect on whether it can afford to reduce its presence in europe before a proper counterweight to Russia has been created in Brussels The pivot to Asia may need to wait for a solution to the european crisis As for europeans, they need to quickly prepare themselves for a new world, where their sovereignty and security may well be at stake economic sanctions may influence how the Kremlin plans its actions in the next few months and years, but they cannot change the underlying dynamics The existing order is starting to buckle and Washington needs to decide how best to replace it with new arrangements Does it prefer to reach a grand bargain with Moscow whereby the two powers divide europe among themselves? Or does it prefer to encourage and support the development of a new european pole capable of balancing Russian power? Should Biden spend the rest of his term in fruitless summits with Putin or should he sit at the table with the european Union and Britain to discuss how europe can become a sovereign actor in foreign policy and security? To me the choice seems an obvious one, but what is frustrating about the current crisis is how we keep avoiding the larger questions of political order By hesitating we allow others to assume the role of reformers and innovators eurasia, the supercontinent is being reshaped before our eyes

n s u l t a n t a t F l i n t G l o b a l

Russia has upper hand on energy sanc tions

E d i to r i a l

Th e Australian economy seems to have just turned a corner that will h a v e m a j o r c o n s e q u e n c e s f o r b u s i n e s s e s p e o p l e p a y i n g o ff m o r t g a g e s a n d p o l i t i c a l d e b a t e The news is that inflation, which had been dormant for almost a decade is rising The c o n s u m e r p r i c e i n d e x , w h i c h m e a s u r e s a “basket” of goods and services for an ave r a g e h o u s e h o l d r o s e b y 3 5 p e r c e n t i n 2 0 2 1 I f i n f l a t i o n k e e p s r i s i n g , p r e s s u r e w i l l g r o w o n t h e R e s e r v e B a n k o f A u st r a l i a t o r a i s e i n t e r e s t r a t e s w h i c h h a v e b e e n s t u c k a t t h e h i s t o r i c l o w o f 0 1 p e r cent since November 2020 The RBA has a target of keeping inflation in a band between 2 per cent and 3 per cent

The rise in inflation was driven by some short-term or one-off factors such as a rise in petrol prices and the end of government subsidies to homebuyers but many economists believe inflation is probably to last The underlying rate of inflation which adjusts for these one-off impacts rose to 2 6 in 2021 its highest in eight years

The RBA has previously said it would not raise rates until 2023 or 2024 to give the economy time to recover from the pandemic but many bank economists say that the unexpectedly rapid rise in inflation will force it to move sooner

Almost no one expects the RBA to raise rates at its first meeting of the year next Tuesday but RBA governor Philip Lowe will probably provide some signals about how fast he expects to return rates to a more normal level The RBA will probably wait for the next official inflation data in April before raising rates

There are good grounds for the RBA to be cautious Some economists say the rise in inflation has been exaggerated by shortages and bottlenecks caused by the pandemic; once things return to normal prices will stop rising so fast Some argue that the RBA should wait for signs that wages are rising strongly before worrying about inflation The pandemic, of course, is still a huge unknown The rise in inflation is a global phenomenon and it seems like a solid bet that it is coming to Australia The market now expects official interest rates will be about 1 percentage point higher by the end of this year

T h a t w i l l b e b a d n e w s f o r m o r t g a g e h o l d e r s F i x e d - r a t e t h r e e - y e a r m o r t g a g e s h a v e a l r e a d y c l i m b e d f r o m j u s t 2 p e r c e n t t o 3 p e r c e n t i n t h e p a s t f e w m o n t h s a s banks prepare for the expected increase in the cost of funding the loans higher rates c o u l d p u t a n e n d t o t h e c r a z y b o o m i n h o u s e p r i c e s a n d p e r h a p s r a i s e l e v e l s o f m o r t g a g e s t r e s s f o r m a n y l o w - a n d m i dd l e - i n c o m e e a r n e r s I n v e s t m e n t m a r k e t s a r e a l r e a d y s h a ki n g b e c a u s e h i g h e r i n t e r e s t r a t e s m a k e i t l e s s a t t r a c t i v e t o b o r r o w t o i n v e s t i n s h a r e s o r c r y p t o c u r r e n c i e s T h e S & P / A S X 2 0 0 h a s f a l l e n 7 p e r c e n t t h i s y e a r B i t c o i n i s d o w n 2 7 p e r c e n t T h e r e i s a p o l i t i c a l d i m e n s i o n t o t h i s d e e p c h a n g e i n t h e e c o n o m y I n t e r e s t r a t e s a n d “ t h e c o s t o f l i v i n g ” p r e s s u r e s w i l l b ec o m e m a j o r t o p i c s a t t h e n e x t f e d e r a l e l e c t i o n The rise in interest rates to a normal level after 10 years, during which interest rates only went down, is good news because it shows the economy is recovering But there will be winners and losers along the way households and investors will have to change their mindsets

talk-

u p i t s a b i l i t y t o i m p o s e

i a t h a t w i l l d e t e r i t f r o m military action against Ukraine

The problem is that economic sanctions a r e a t w o - w a y s t r e e t a n d R u s s i a h a s positioned itself to have the upper hand in an economic war

europe is on the brink of an energy crisis, in part engineered by Russia, and it would be a serious casualty in an economic war In contrast the U S would benefit by expanding its gas exports to europe europe imports one third of its natural gas from Russia with Germany getting half its imports from Moscow Gas accounts for 30% of Germany s total energy consumption Russia is anxious to start up the $11 billion Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which brings gas directly to Germany across the Baltic Sea The Trump administration, keen to export liquefied natural gas (LNG) to europe, sanctioned the companies building Nord Stream 2 in 2019 delaying its construction Biden pledged to waive those sanctions in May 2021, and in July Germany and the U S agreed to pay Kyiv $1 billion to compensate for lost transit fees, assuming Russia will cut back on gas deliveries via Ukraine

The pipeline was completed in September 2021 but is still awaiting regulatory approval from the German authorities Germany’s ruling coalition is split on the issue: the Social Democrats want the pipeline the Greens do not

Despite conceding on Nord Stream 2, the Biden administration is nevertheless interested in expanding LNG sales to europe Amos hochstein, the State Depart-

ment’s senior advisor for energy security, worked for the Tellurian LNG company from 2017-20

In addition to the tussle over Nord Stream 2 Russia is also pushing back against the european Union’s policy of switching from long-term contracts to the spot market for natural gas sales Gazprom prefers ten-year contracts with prices determined by average global oil prices to cover the costs of developing new fields Qatar, the leading exporter of LNG to Asia, also relies on long-term contracts

The eU s ideological commitment to deregulation is behind its push towards spot prices They are also favored by the powerful financial lobby who can profit from speculation in futures markets, but are shut out by direct contracts between suppliers and customers

O v e r t h e p a s t y e a r, R u s s i a h a s c u t b a c k o n g a s s a l e s t h r o u g h t h e s p o t m a rk e t w h i l e m e e t i n g i t s l o n g - t e r m c o nt r a c t u a l o b l i g a t i o n s t o e u r o p e a n c u s t o m e r s I t a l s o p u t l e s s g a s i n t o s t o ra g e f a c i l i t i e s i n e u r o p e T h i s c a u s e d a s q u e e z e i n g a s m a r k e t s , w i t h w h o l e s a l e g a s p r i c e s c l o s i n g t h e y e a r u p 3 5 0 % h o u s e h o l d s a c r o s s e u r o p e a r e n o w f a ci n g m o n t h l y b i l l s t h a t a r e 3 0 - 5 0 % h i g h e r, a n d s o m e i n d u s t r i a l g a s u s e r s a r e c u t t i n g b a c k o n p r o d u c t i o n o f f e rt i l i z e r, a l u m i n u m , s t e e l a n d o t h e r e ne r g y - i n t e n s i v e p r o d u c t s S o m e s m a l l e n e rg y t r a d e r s h a v e g o n e b a n k r u p t , a n d o t h e r s a r e l o o k i n g f o r g o v e r n m e n t b a i l o u t s O n e m e a s u r e o f G e r m a n e l e ct r i c i t y p r i c e s h a s h i t 3 0 0 e u r o s p e r m e g a w a t t h o u r u p f r o m a n a v e r a g e u n d e r € 5 0 o v e r t h e l a s t d e c a d e A c c o r d i n g t o a r e p o r t p u b l i s h e d b y t h e B r u s s e l s - b a s e d B r u e g e l I n s t i t u t e r eleased, Russia currently supplies 18 ter-

awatt hours (TWh) of gas per week to europe against capacity of 54 TWh Norway provides another 18 TWh and LNG adds 35 TWh As of the end of January, europe s gas storage facilities were 38% full, down from an average of over 50% in previous years

The continent barely has enough import capacity to make up the shortfall if Russia were to cease all gas deliveries Most of the LNG regasification capacity is in Spain and the U K , and there are not enough pipelines to ship that gas to other countries Germany itself has no LNG terminals In any case, there is little spare global LNG production and tanker capacity with much already locked into other longterm contracts

T h e g l o b a l L N G m a r k e t o f 5 , 0 0 0 TWh cannot sustain a sudden 1 000 TWh b o o s t i n d e m a n d f r o m e u r o p e T h e r e would also be a crippling price war with Asian customers

europe would have to cut demand, and bring back some coal and nuclear power plants Germany just closed three of its six nuclear plants, and intends to shutter the remaining three by the end of this year These steps would be anathema to the Greens in the coalition and would undermine the pledges at November s COP26 summit in Glasgow to move away from coal

I f t h e w e a t h e r t u r n s c o l d , e u r o p e a n gas reserves will be exhausted by March, and prices will skyrocket Assuming the s t a n d - o ff c o n t i n u e s , t h e r e w o u l d b e t h e challenge of replenishing gas storage for n e x t w i n t e r A s t h e B r u e g e l r e p o r t c o ncludes: “reaching the scale required to entirely replace Russian volumes would be at best very expensive and at worst physically impossible ”

TiMe

MoScow TiMeS

Sydney Morning Herald

Ri sing i nflati on is about to ch ange the economic debate

H O U S E H O L D S A N D I N V E S T O R S W I L L H AV E T O C H A N G E T H E I R M I N D S E T S

E U R O P E I M P O RTS O N E T H I R D O F I TS N AT U R A L G AS F R O M RU S S I A W I T H G E R M A N Y G E T T I N G H A L F I TS I M P O RTS F R O M M O S COW

corporate corner

Pakistan likely to organize roadshow of Pakistani Products in china

guring well for its economic and trade relations with other countries in the world, including Pakistan

Rec tor COMSATS University c alls for promotion of women entrepreneurship

show of Pakistani products in China this year said Mr Ghulam Qadir, Commercial Counsellor of the Embassy of Pakistan in China In an interview with China Economic Net (CEN), he said “As China relaxes its Covid-19-related restrictions I think a major turnaround will happen for Pakistani producers I hope that Pakistani producers, exporters, and manufacturers will come here and explore this wonderful market”, On Jan 8, China lifted quarantine requirements for inbound travelers au-

The Commercial Counsellor shares that Pakistan business opportunity conferences and trilateral business opportunity conferences are in pipeline for more frequent exchanges between the two brotherly countries Various cultural festivities like food, cuisine, and fashion shows shall be held

Looking back to the past year, Mr Ghulam Qadir acknowledged it has been a difficult year for the global economy In spite of this, breakthroughs have been achieved “Pakistan’s cherry has been allowed to be exported to China which amounts to a US$2 billion market Our sesame seed export to China

surged by 50 percent on a year-on-year basis to US$59 09 million in Jan-Sept 2022 Pakistan’s rice exports to China crossed the historical figure of one million tons We are also finalizing trade protocols for daily products and meat products It s around US$20 billion market” he exemplified This year, he said, the focus will be put on e-commerce In China, most of the selling takes place through e-commerce So, we are sensitizing our Pakistani exporters and manufacturers to come to China and use the wonderful facilities provided by the Chinese and provincial governments for warehousing rent-free offices and all the rest of other facilities”, he told CEN Joint ventures will continue being

AIOU announces admission, entr y test schedule for MS/Mphil, PhD

purely on merit basis

m i c c o m p l e x , m a i n c a m p u s A I O U I s l a m a b a d f r o m F e b r u a r y 1 7 t o 2 2 Admissions in BS, MS/Mphil and Ph D programs for Semester Spring 2023 will continue till February 15Admission forms and prospectuses for these programs are available on the University s website Students can apply through online mode only Admission in BS programs will be given

Memorial of Shaheed Head Constable Munawar Hussain inaugurated

It is necessary to pass the entry test to get admission in MS/M phil and PhD programs According to the details the entrance tests of the Mphil and PhD programs of the Faculty of Education will be held on February 17 and the interviews on February 18

The tests of the Faculty of Arabic and Islamic Studies will be held on February 20 and the interviews will be held on February 21 Entry test for faculty of sciences will be held on February 21 interviews on February 22, while the Faculty of Social S c i e n c e s a n d H u m a n i t i e s e n t r a n c e t e s t w i l l b e h e l d o n F e b r u a r y 2 2 a n d i n t e rviews on February 23

Atomc amp, Jazz host Ar tificial Intelligence S ummit 2023 today

PR

Atomcamp, in collaboration with Jazz, is hosting an Artificial Intelligence Summit on Wednesday, 18th January 2023 at National Incubation Centre (H-9/1, Islamabad) Other partners for this event include the Ministry of IT & Telecom, NIC, Special Technology Zones Authority and Tech Destination Pakistan

Over the course of the event, participants will have the opportunity to learn more about the state of artificial intelligence in Pakistan and the existing opportunities and pitfalls of the AI ecosystem In the event the Ministry of IT & Telecom will present a draft of their National AI Policy for Pakistan, Moreover, panel discussions will be also be held where speakers from all walks of life will discuss policymaking and skill building in AI At the event atomcamp will also release its report on the AI ecosystem in Pakistan Artificial Intelligence is a fast growing and dynamic space across the globe As recent developments have shown, AI holds the key to the future and is predicted to generate millions of dollars for the global economy Technologies powered by AI can be used by individuals and organizations to make better decisions automate

routine tasks and create new content from scratch As it stands AI is poised to transform all industries from healthcare and agriculture to finance and logistics While Pakistan has an emerging IT industry the role that AI plays in the existing ecosystem demands more attention and dialogue With its trend growing IT exports and rich human capital, Pakistan could benefit greatly by actively supporting and bolstering its Artificial Intelligence eco-system However for this to happen there needs to be comprehensive dialogue on the role that AI is currently playing and the potential role it can play in Pakistan with the support of the private sector and government

This is the aim of the Artificial Intelligence Summit-to provide a platform for discussion on key issues related to AI in Pakistan such as the policy and regulatory framework, the positioning of AI related products and services in local and global markets and the skills and training required by Pakistani professionals to tackle AI head on Through this forum, we hope to bring together professionals from all walks of life such as government officials, leading private sector players and academia to shed a light on what exactly is the path forward for AI in Pakistan and how each stakeholder can contribute

O l d b o o k s h o p ’s r a r e c o l l e c t i o n d r aw s i n r e a

ple who are looking for an affordable way to build their personal library

Old books are becoming increasingly popular among book readers due to a number of factors including cheap prices, the desire for authenticity, and the perceived value of older editions

Secondhand bookstores such as Nazir Rare and Antique Bookshop in Lahore are specialized in selling rare books which carry a wide range of old books, first editions, limited editions, and other rare or hard-to-find titles

Talking to the Associated Press of Pakistan on Tuesday, a customer, Saeed Ahmed, said that old book shops can be a great place for book collectors to find rare or hard-to-find titles as well as for peo-

He said many old bookshops also carry other types of antique items, such as maps, prints, and other collectables which make them a destination for collectors of all kinds

A student, Sara Aftab, said that many old bookshops buy books from the public and that becomes a good way for people to sell the old books that they no longer want and make some extra money to trade for other books

She said old bookshops are a great resource for anyone interested in collecting or reading old books She said old bookshops offer a wide range of titles at affordable prices and provide a unique shopping experience for book lovers and collectors

A research scholar at Federal Urdu University of Arts, Sciences and Technology in Islamabad while commenting on the old books said that various publishers are offering up to 50 percent discount on the new books while owners of old bookshops purchase the books at a cheaper price to resell them to needy readers at higher profit margins

When contacted by the press the owner of an old bookshop in the F-10 sector of Islamabad, Nadeem Iqbal said they purchase used books at the quarter price and resell them at half price

He said that the publishers offer a discount on the books which are printed in the bulk but such sales lack variety He said that the collection of old book shops, variety, old editions, and rare collections make such outlets popular among the public

encouraged to help move Pakistani products up the value chain and find broader market “We want the sesame to be converted into sesame oil and byproducts cotton yarn into textile and final products, and broken rice into animal feed and noodles made in Pakistan The market is huge” he said Mr Ghulam Qadir introduced that as 2023 marks the Pakistan-China Year of Tourism Exchanges there will be some very special packages and a complete guidebook to facilitate travel from China to Pakistan Talking about the Belt and Road initiative which marks its ten-year anniversary this year, Mr Ghulam Qadir told CEN that Pakistan was one of the pioneer participants and a beneficiary of BRI

well

of the visit of HABIBMETRO Sirat’s Shariah Board Chairman Tan Sri Dr Daud Bakar, a globally renowned Malaysian Shariah scholar and awardwinning author Dr Daud is the Founder & Group Chairman of Amanie Group and is a Shariah Board Member of various foreign banks He has been awarded with The Royal Award for Islamic Finance 2022’ by the King of Malaysia During the day-long summit, Tan Sri Dr Daud Bakar held interactive sessions with diverse audience groups and discussed emerging opportunities and challenges in the global Islamic banking industry Speaking at the event, Tan Sri Dr Daud Bakar, said, “I am extremely delighted and privileged to be here in Pakistan and to represent HABIBMETRO Bank, which has established itself as one of the most trusted financial institutions here in Pakistan, courtesy its global vision of advancing forward and playing a pivotal role in shaping the Islamic finance sector of the country P R

First HABIBMETRO S irat Islamic Banking S ummit held in K arachi

K a R a c H I: HABIBMETRO Sirat – The Islamic banking brand of HABIBMETRO Bank, organized the first HABIBMETRO Sirat Islamic banking summit which was attended by various stakeholders including SBP, PSX & SECP officials as

as CEO’s and Shariah Board Members of various banks, Shariah scholars, and businessmen The Summit was held in honor

I s l a m a b a d: Caroline Cummings, Chief Executive of US based non-profit, Regional Accelerator & Innovation Network (RAIN) visited the Business Incubation Center facility at COMSATS University Islamabad on Tuesday to further cooperation on women entrepreneurship During the visit Ms Cummings held one-on-one interactions with female students and facultyof COMSATS University Islamabad and discussed ways to promote women-ledenterprises under a US-funded project for Pakistani women entrepreneurs As part of the programMs Cummingsalso delivered a talk on “Women-Led Entrepreneurship” and informed participants about the opportunities of securing funding from the US State Department under the aegis of the Higher Education Commission, Pakistan P R

I s l a mabad: A memorial was built on G-9 Chaman Road in the federal capital named after the policeman who was martyred in a terrorist attack, a police public relations officer said He said that, CPO Operations Sohail Zafar Chatha and President Islamabad chamber of commerce Ahsan Zafar Bakhtawari inaugurated Munawar Shaheed Chowk at Sector G-9 chaman road According to details, on January 17, 2022, head constables Munawar Hussain, Roz Amin, Azhar Iqbal and Mohammad Rashid were on picket duty under the supervision of ASI Arshad Mehmood in Karachi Company police station jurisdiction They set up a checkpoint at Jillani Chowk when two terrorists on motorbike opened fire at the police party The officials retaliated and three suffered bullet wounds The terrorists were killed on the spot, while the policemen were shifted to hospital, where the head constable Munawar Hussain embraced martyrdom The Capital Police Officer Operations Sohail Zafar Chattha along with President Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry Ahsan Zafar Bakhtawari formally inaugurated Munawar Shaheed Chowk on the occasion of his first death anniversary P R

laHORE a P P

l a H O R E: Evacuee Trust Property Board Chairman Habibur Rehman Gillani chairs board meeting Board Secretary Nasir Akram, CEO Kartarpura Abu Bakar Aftab Sheikh, Aamir Hashmi, Rana Shahid Saleem and Sanaullah Khan are also present Staff Photo

Daftarkhwan is launching its newest coworking space- Alpha, in the National Aerospace Science and Technology Park (NASTP), in partnership with Aviation City Pakistan a project spearheaded by the Pakistan Air Force PR

Jazz CEO Aamir Ibrahim signs MoU with Fatima Jinnah Women University Vice Chancellor Saima Hamid as it extends Digital Pakistan Fellowship Program to students of FJWU PR

Far-right group militants go on trial For macron assassination plot

time and three others suspected of far-right links in the eastern French Moselle region

indian passenger’s video of nepal plane crash emerges as relatives mourn dead

NEW DELHI

adozen people with links to a French far-right group go on trial Tuesday accused of plotting to assassinate President Emmanuel Macron and commit a string of other attacks Prosecutors say the 13 members of the group, Les Barjols, conspired to engineer a putsch, which involved a plan for an attack on Macron during a public appearance in 2018

Citing evidence collected online, from telephone conversations and meetings, they say the suspects also planned to kill migrants and attack mosques

None of the plots allegedly prepared by the 11 men and two women aged between 26 and 66 ever came to anything, which caused prosecutors to downgrade some of the initial charges over the course of their four-year investigation The main remaining accusation is a charge of conspiring to commit a terrorist act, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison

A lawyer for the defence Lucile Collot said the prosecution’s case was based “on the fiction that a violent act was going to happen”, calling the accusation of a planned terrorist act misplaced

In 2018, France’s domestic intelligence services received a tip-off saying that a far-right militant based in the French Alps region, Jean-Pierre Bouyer, was planning

to attack Macron during a World War I peace treaty centenary commemoration in November of that year

French anti-terror prosecutors began investigating on October 31, against a backdrop of boiling social anger in France over rising fuel prices which was later to result in the creation of the Yellow Vest protest movement ‘S o m e t i m e S e x t r e m e’

On November 6 police arrested Bouyer 62 at the

Searching Bouyer ’s car, they found a commandostyle fighting knife and an army vest In his home they discovered firearms and ammunition

Police then went on to arrest other members of the Barjols movement, an extreme-right nationalist and antiimmigration group formed on Facebook in 2017 and holding secret meetings Its presumed leader, Denis Collinet, was arrested in 2020

One meeting held in the Moselle region marked the beginning of the conspiracy with members making plans to blow up mosques and kill Macron as well as kidnap members of parliament and overthrow the government

During some meetings, group members conducted target practice, and trained in first aid techniques

In posts on Facebook, Bouyer called on his followers to “eliminate those who want to harm you” and called Macron “a little hysterical dictator”

During his detention Bouyer told police that he had wanted to “kill Macron”, and hinted that one of his coaccused had hoped to approach the president during a meet-and-greet in a crowd and stab him with a ceramicbladed knife, but later said the remarks had been just talk

“ H e a d m i t s t h a t t h e r e w e r e s u c h d i s c u s s i o n s , b u t they never went any further,” his lawyer Olivia Ronen told AFP

London police facing questions after officer admits serial rapes

a f p

Britain’s largest police force was facing fresh scrutiny about its vetting procedures after an officer admitted 24 counts of rape and a string of sexual assaults over nearly two decades David Carrick s crimes described by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s office as “appalling” is the most high-profile police case since a fellow officer kidnapped, raped and murdered a young woman in 2021 Then, as now, background checks by

the Metropolitan Police in London were found lacking, leaving it battling to regain dented public confidence Carrick, 48, appeared in court in London on Monday and pleaded guilty to four counts of rape, as well as false imprisonment and indecent assault against a 40year-old woman in 2003

Reporting restrictions were lifted on his admission at a previous hearing in December of 43 charges involving 11 other women including 20 counts of rape over a 16-year period to September 2020 He will be sentenced over two days

from February 6 The Met which polices a population of more than eight million people over 620 square miles (1,605 square kilometres) in the British capital, called Carrick a “prolific, serial sex offender” Met Commissioner Mark Rowley apologised to Carrick’s victims, saying he “abused women in the most disgusting manner” and went unpunished due to systemic failures

“We have failed And I’m sorry He should not have been a police officer,” Rowley said in a statement The Met revealed that a thorough review of former soldier Carrick’s service and complaints record was

conducted in October 2021 after he was first charged with rape That found he was already on police systems for a series of off-duty incidents before and after he joined the force Yet none of those complaints of rape, domestic violence and harassment had led to criminal sanctions or internal disciplinary proceedings The Met “failed in two respects Rowley admitted It should have been more intrusive and joined the dots on this repeated misogyny over a couple of decades and should have been more determined to root out such a misogynist”, he said

Search teams retrieved the flight data and cockpit voice recorders Monday of a passenger plane that plummeted into a gorge on approach to a new airport in the foothills of the Himalayas officials said, as investigators looked for the cause of Nepal’s deadliest plane crash in 30 years At least 69 of the 72 people aboard were killed and officials believe the three missing are also dead Rescuers combed through the debris, scattered down a 300-meterdeep (984-foot-deep) gorge, for them

Many of the passengers on Sunday’s flight were returning home to Pokhara, though the city is also popular with tourists since it’s the gateway to the Annapurna Circuit hiking trail

On Monday evening relatives and friends were still gathered outside a local hospital, some shouting at officials to speed up the postmortems so they could hold funerals for their loved ones Later, some did receive the bodies of relatives It’s still not clear what caused the crash, which took place less than a minute’s flight from the airport on a mild day with little wind In footage taken by a passenger out of a window as the plane came in for a landing buildings, roads and greenery are visible below The video, by Sonu Jaiswal and verified by The Associated Press then shows a violent jolt and a series of jerky images accompanied by yelling before flames fill the screen

Nepal’s Civil Aviation Authority said the aircraft last made contact with the airport, which began operations only two weeks ago from near Seti Gorge A witness who recorded footage of the plane’s descent said it looked like a normal landing until the plane suddenly veered to the left “I saw that, and I was shocked,” said Diwas Bohora “I thought that today everything will be finished here after it crashes, I will also be dead ” After it crashed, red flames erupted and the ground shook violently, Bohora said Seeing that scene, I was scared,” he added Amit Singh, an experienced pilot and founder of India s Safety Matters Foundation said Bohora’s video appears to show a stall, a situation in which a plane loses lift, especially likely at low airspeeds

NoNg R oNg N e w s D e s k

In October 2020, I flew over the towering Karakorum Mountains and arrived in the beautiful city of Islamabad with joy and expectation Now I feel so reluctant to leave this beloved country to end my tenure as the Chinese ambassador

Over the past two years, I have been making friends sincerely, promoting cooperation devotedly, seeking development whole-heartedly I truly felt the iron-clad friendship between China and Pakistan is higher than the mountains and deeper than the sea I visited four provinces of Pakistan, witnessed the ongoing development of CPEC, facilitated the interaction between the leaders, and enjoyed the enhanced cooperation of various fields

Looking back on the past two years, the evolution of the international situation has become more profound and complex, the COVID-19 pandemic together with the Ukraine crisis has brought severe negative impact and much uncertainties to the world, and human society is faced with unprecedented challenges Under the strong leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at the core, China has continuously made new and great achievements

In 2022 the CPC successfully convened the 20th National Congress, drawing up a grand blueprint for advancing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernisation, and the solemn mission of building a community with a shared future for mankind China will act as a responsible major country to promote cooperation and friendship and inject new dynamics of development for its neighbours, including Pakistan, and the world as a whole

Against this backdrop, I am pleased to see the high-level interactions between China and Pakistan The leaders of the two sides have maintained close exchanges through various ways Last year, President Xi Jinping met with the Prime Ministers of Pakistan three times Prime Minister Shehbaz paid a successful visit to China in November becoming the first head of government to visit China after the 20th CPC National Congress

The two sides issued a joint statement and signed 21 cooperation documents

Not long ago, Premier Li Keqiang spoke with Prime Minister Shehbaz, and the new Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang had a telephone call with Foreign Minister Bilawal immediately after taking office The two sides reiterated to promote practical cooperation in key areas and expedite the development of China-Pakistan relations With the strong guidance of the leaders, China and Pakistan are making great strides towards building a closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future in the new era

I am pleased to see that China and Pakistan have continued to deepen their political trust Friendship with China has always been a cross-party consensus in Pakistan During the 20th CPC Congress, China received 58 congratulatory letters from more than 20 political parties and organisations in Pakistan

The two countries support each other on issues of core interests and major concerns The Pakistani side firmly adheres to the oneChina policy China supports Pakistan s sovereignty, territorial integrity, security, and promotes its social-economic development and prosperity Actions have proved that no matter how the international situation changes, the friendship between China and Pakistan remains unbreakable

I am pleased to see that the building of CPEC has achieved many fruitful results

From the initial layout focusing on Gwadar port, transport infrastructure, energy and industry and gradually adding JWGs on socialeconomic development, agriculture, science and information technology, and international cooperation and coordination etc CPEC has become an important platform for all-round cooperation between China and Pakistan

Just name some progress for recent two years, as Gwadar East Bay Expressway has been opened to traffic the construction of the new Gwadar airport has been accelerated, the Technical and Vocational Institute has been handed over to Pakistan Karot Hydropower Project has got its COD, and K3 Nuclear Power Plant together with TEL and Nova Power Plants all started operation Both sides agreed to actively promote the ML-1 project and the KCR project

As a landmark project of “Belt and Road Initiative”, CPEC has brought a total of

$25 4 billion in direct investment $17 55 billion in revenue, $2 12 billion in taxes, and created 192,000 jobs for Pakistan， helping Pakistan to add 6000 megawatts of electricity, 510km of highway and 886km of national core transmission network laying a solid foundation for Pakistan’s economic and social development

I am pleased to see that bilateral trade has a good momentum of development The second phase of China–Pakistan Free Trade Agreement has shown its effectiveness Supporting policies such as currency swaps have been continuously improved Facilitation initiatives such as the export of high-quality agricultural products to China have been steadily promoted The economic and trade cooperation between the two countries has maintained at high level China has become Pakistan’s largest trading partner for eight years in a row

In particular, Pakistan s agricultural exports to China are growing rapidly, with a trade surplus of 13 times increase in 2021, and total agricultural export volume is expected to exceed US $1 billion in 2022 During the meeting with President Xi Jinping, Prime Minister Shehbaz said that deepening cooperation in CPEC and other areas with China is the future direction and the only choice for Pakistan China will join hands with Pakistan to better transform Pakistan’s geographical advantages resource advantages and labor advantages into export competitiveness and economic growth

I am pleased to see that cooperation in other fields also has been promoted in an allround way As an important pillar of our unique friendship, the relations between the armed forces have achieved fruitful progress and will deepen cooperation in areas of training, joint exercises and military technology, contributing to the maintenance of regional peace and stability

People-to-people exchanges have overcome the difficulties of the COVID and remained active More than 140 activities were held during the 70th anniversary of the diplomatic ties With the easing of the relevant policies and the resumption of flights, the exchanges will surely increase in 2023, the China-Pakistan Year of Tourism

I am pleased to see that the people of China and Pakistan keep assisting and supporting each other in times of difficulties and need Since the outbreak of the COVID pandemic, China and Pakistan have joined hands and helped each other When China faced shortage of medical supplies, Pakistan sent a special plane to deliver the medicines

Vice versa, the Chinese government assisted Pakistan with testing reagents and masks and making Pakistan the first country to receive vaccines donated by Chinese government and army Last year, Pakistan was hit by historic flood China sent timely support to its iron-clad friend Chinese government military enterprises society and individuals provided more than $160 million in aid, ranking first among all countries

At the recent International Conference on Climate resilience Pakistan, China pledged another 100 million US dollars of aid I myself went to the Bugti district of Balochistan to distribute Chinese relief supplies to the people affected by the flood As Prime Minister Shabaz said, no country is as sincere as China in helping developing countries As an old Chinese saying goes amity between the people holds the key to sound state-to-state relations The people of the two countries share great love with true sentiments and with concrete actions

One special episode I would like to share is that in 1956, Geng Biao, then ambassador to Pakistan, planted a bamboo tree in Chinese Embassy in Karachi to commemorate Premier Zhou Enlai’s visit to Pakistan In 2021, my embassy colleagues and I introduced this bamboo to the Embassy in Islamabad to inherit this good legacy As time flies, now this bamboo has sprouted new branches, lush and vibrant, just like the friendship between China and Pakistan, which has been passed on from generation to generation

A Chinese poem goes as “bosom friends could be closer than biological brothers ” I have regarded my Pakistani friends as my brothers and sisters, and Pakistan as my second hometown The two-years time in Islamabad remains a lifetime of Pakistani friendship I will leave with the best memories, and my heart will stay in Pakistan forever

Allama Iqbal said that, many universes exist beyond the stars, more ordeals of love still awaiting As good neighbour linked by fate, sincere friend sharing weal and woe, and true brother standing by each other, China and Pakistan are now at a new historical stage We will take the important consensus of the leaders of the two countries as the guide to continuously deepen friendship, jointly promote the CPEC and build a closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future in the new era

I sincerely wish Pakistan prosperity and its people happiness and health May the ironclad friendship between China and Pakistan last forever May the cooperation between the two countries more prosperous May China and Pakistan continue to write new legends

Chin-Pak Dosti Zindabad!

The author is Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan

LoNDoN

T

PARIS a f p

M b A p p e b A C K b u T p S G S u F F e R A n O T H e R D e F e AT

1 earlier on Sunday with a Wissam Ben Yedder hat-trick

R e n n e s , w h o h a v e w o n a c l u b r e c o r d n i n t h c o n s e c u t i v e h o m e g a m e i n t h e t o p f l i g h t , p r e v a i l e d t h a n k s t o H a m a r i Tr ao r e ’s s e c o n d - h a l f g o a l a s t h e v i s i t o r s s u f f e r e d t h e i r s e c o n d l o s s i n t h r e e l e a g u e o u t i n g s PSG have 47 points from 19 games while second-placed RC Lens are on 44, with Olympique de Marseille third two points further adrift Despite the win Rennes slipped down to fifth on 37 points, behind Monaco on goal difference after the principality side destroyed AC Ajaccio 7-

I am disappointed with our performance because we conceded too many chances and created nothing,” said PSG coach Christophe Galtier, who complained of a “total absence of a presence in the penalty box” after opting to leave Mbappe on the bench at kick-off This was the first time that Mbappe, Lionel Messi and Neymar had appeared on the pitch together since PSG s superstar attacking trio returned from the World Cup Messi had been afforded an extended holiday after guiding Argentina to glory in Doha and scored on his return in a 2-0 win against Angers in midweek Mbappe, scorer of a hat-trick for France in the World Cup final as they lost on penalties to Argentina, had played in his club s first two games after the tournament before missing their last two as he took a holiday in New York with

What Ronaldo c an expec t in S audi

ag e n c i e S

Ronaldo, 37, says he’s embracing the challenge of the Saudi Pro League a step into the unknown for a player who is more used to Real Madrid’s heaving Santiago Bernabeu stadium or the “Theatre of Dreams”, Manchester United’s Old Trafford

The transition has been eased by the combined 400 million euros he’ll receive in wages from his new team, Al Nassr, and a separate payment to act as an ambassador for an expected Saudi World Cup bid, according to sources close to the club But it will be a big adjustment for the five-time Ballon d’Or winner, who will soon be running out at modest venues including the 6,000-seat Al Batin Stadium After an exhibition appearance

against his great rival Lionel Messi’s Paris Saint-Germain in the Saudi capital Riyadh on Thursday Ronaldo will make his Saudi Pro League debut for Al Nassr on Sunday The 16-team league will take Ronaldo from Dammam on the Gulf coast to Jeddah on the Red Sea, as well as desertbound provincial cities such as Majma’ah and Hofuf, a hub for Saudi Arabia’s date industry

While Al Hilal and Al Ittihad, the giants of Saudi football, play in 62,000-capacity home grounds, a handful of Pro League teams have small venues for less than 10,000 fans, and some pitches are surrounded by running tracks

“Sometimes the stadiums are not in the best condition,” Moqbel alZabni, editor-in-chief of the Al Riyadiah newspaper told AFP cautioning

that empty seats are a common sight “The attendances that Ronaldo is used to will not exist We are not used to seeing stadiums full to capacity,” he said Ronaldo s home ground will be Al Nassr ’s 25,000-capacity Mrsool Park, which lies on a university campus in Riyadh and was packed for his gala unveiling earlier this month Chartered planes will ferry the superstar and his team-mates to away games, club sources said, sparing him long coach trips through the desert landscape

Even the evenings, when many games are played, can remain above 30C (86 Fahrenheit) in August and September, and from March until the end of the season “The weather will pose a challenge to Ronaldo but I think he will adapt and excel ” said

Rublev ends former finalist Thiem’s Australian Open

MelbouRne

The 2020 finalist Dominic Thiem s Australian Open ended in the first round on Tuesday, with the former world number three crashing out to fifth seed Andrey Rublev in a setback on his return from injury While Russia’s Rublev held a clear advantage in terms of current ranking Thiem had a far greater Grand Slam pedigree as the US Open champion in 2020 He is also a two-time finalist at Roland Garros But the Austrian, ranked 98, was outplayed in 36 Celsius (96 8 Fahrenheit) heat as he continued his return from a wrist injury which kept him off court for nine months across the 2021 and 2022 seasons Rublev banked a 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 win on John Cain Arena his first of the year after two defeats in warm-up events, with either Australia s Max Purcell or Finland s Emil Ruusuvuori his next opponent “First of all I’m happy that I was able to get through in straight sets It was super hot today so happy I can save some energy for future matches,” said Rublev, who reached the quarter-finals at Melbourne in 2021 and won four titles last year

20-K Cup 2023: Four more matches decided

12th Rashid

D

Habib Golf 2023 to begin on Thursday

KARACHI S ta f f R e p o R t

B a n k A L - H a b i b ’s 1 2 t h R a s h i d D H a b i b M e m o r i a l N a t i o n a l P r o f e s s i o n a l G o l f To u rn a m e n t 2 0 2 3 w i l l t e e o ff o n T h u r s d a y, 1 9 t h J a n u a r y a t t h e K a r a c h i G o l f C l u b ( K G C ) T h e f i n a l r o u n d w i l l b e p l a y e d o n S u n d a y, 2 2 n d J a n u a r y M o r e t h a n h u n d r e d t o p g o l f e r s w i l l c o m p e t e i n t h e P r o f e s s i o n a l s c a t e g o r y f o r t h e m o s t c o v e t e d f o u r- d a y n at i o n a l t r o p h y o f t h e a n n u a l G o l f s e a s o n L a s t y e a r, Wa h e e d B a l o c h o f K G C c a r d e d 2 7 8 , 1 0 u n d e r p a r, t o w i n t h e t o u r n a m e n t i n a p l a y o ff w i t h M u h a m m a d S h a b b i r I q b a l o f I s l a m a b a d w i t h M u h a m m a d M u n i r o f R a w a l p i n d i p l a c e d a s t h e s e c o n d r u n n e ru p P r i o r t o t h i s e v e n t , a t w o - d a y m a t c h f o r l o c a l K G C P r o f e s s i o n a l s , S e n i o r P r o f e ss i o n a l s a n d K G C C a d d i e s , t h e 2 2 n d e d i t i o n o f R a s h i d D H a b i b M e m o r i a l G o l f To u r n am e n t , w i l l b e p l a y e d o n 1 7 t h a n d 1 8 t h J a nu a r y, w i t h t h e a i m t o s u p p o r t a n d d e v e l o p p r o f e s s i o n a l g o l f a t K G C T h e t o t a l P r i z e M o n e y o f P K R 1 0 m i l l i o n i n c l u d e s P K R 7 9 5 m f o r B e s t P e r f o r m e r s i n N a t i o n a l P r o f e s s i o n a l C a t e g o r y a g g r e g a t e P K R 1 4 m f o r K G C P r o f e s s i o n a l s , C a d d i e s a n d S e n i o r P r o s , a s w e l l a s A p p e a r a n c e M o n e y o f P K R 6 5 0 0 0 0 T h e A p p e a r a n c e M o n e y i s d i s t r i b u t e d a m o n g s t t h e t o p f i v e P r o f e ss i o n a l s a n d t o p t h r e e S e n i o r P r o f e s s i o n a l s , a s p e r P G F c u r r e n t r a n k i n g T h e l u c k y p l a y e r s a c h i e v i n g f i r s t h o l e - i n - o n e w i l l a l s o b e r e w a r d e d w i t h a To y o t a C o r o l l a a n d a S u z u k i A l t o i n n a t i o n a l a n d l o c a l c a te g o r i e s r e s p e c t i v e l y

MelbouRne

ag e n c i e S

Andy Murray rolled back the years to defeat 13th seed Matteo Berrettini in a five-set epic at the Australian Open on Tuesday on a day when sweltering heat and then heavy rain played havoc

There was also controversy off the court on day two after organisers banned Russian and Belarusian flags at Melbourne Park

Novak Djokovic was set to make his eagerly anticipated return to the Grand Slam later Tuesday, following his ban and deportation last year

The day looked set to belong to the 35-year-old Murray and Melbourne s famously fickle weather

The Briton saved match point to defeat Italy s Berrettini 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 6-7 (7/9) 7-6 (10/6) in 4hrs 49mins on Rod Laver Arena, where the roof was closed because of the extreme heat

I will be feeling this this evening and tomorrow,” the former world number one, who plays with a metal hip after career-saving surgery said “But right now unbelievably happy and proud of myself ”

The three-time major winner faces either Fabio Fognini or Thanasi Kokkinakis in round two

Also in the men s draw Russia s fifth seed Andrey Rublev ended the tournament of 2020 finalist Dominic Thiem 6-3 6-4 6-2 in 36 degrees Celsius (96 8 Fahrenheit) temperatures

Former US Open champion Thiem was outplayed as he continued his return from a wrist injury that kept him off the court for nine months across the 2021 and 2022 seasons As the mercury rose, the heat forced play to be halted on outside courts The roofs were closed on the three main stadiums: Rod Laver Arena, Margaret Court Arena and John Cain Arena

Play resumed on the outside courts about three hours later, only to be disrupted again in the evening when a storm hit dumping torrential rain that forced players back into the locker room About 90 more minutes of play were lost

Britain’s Dan Evans Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain, Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov and Diego Schwartzman of Argentina all rolled into round two Eighth-seeded Taylor Fritz of the United States defeated Nikoloz Basilashvili from Georgia while 12th seed Alexander Zverev needed a fifth set before finally seeing off Juan Pablo Varillas Ninth seed Holger Rune also won in straight sets

Serbia’s Djokovic was deported on the eve of last year s Australian Open because of his stance on Covid vaccines

But the 35-year-old will be back when he faces Roberto Carballes Baena of Spain in his opener and looks likely to be given a warm reception by the Rod Laver Arena crowd

On Tuesday, Tennis Australia banned Russian and Belarusian flags after a complaint from the Ukrainian am-

e e n M

n g a t

a s t t w o m a t c h e s , w i t h U k r a i n i a n f a n s r e p o r t e d l y c a l l i n g s e c u r i t y a n d p

Four more matches were decided in the 20-K Cup 2023 T20 Cricket Tournament as the winning teams notched up easy wins against their respective rivals here at various venues on Tuesday All-rounder Shahrukh Ali guided Township Whites to a 43-run victory over Prince Club in the 25th match of the tournament Township Whites, batting first, posted 164-8 on the board in 20 overs with Shahrukh Ali smashing 33-ball 55 and while Hamza Akbar slammed 37 Asif Ghafoor claimed 3 wickets 25 Prince Club failed to chase the target and were all out for 121 in 19 4 overs Only Burhan Riaz (35), Ammar Tariq (16) and Sham ud Din (12) batted well Shoaib bagged 3-19 while Shahrukh Ali, Mohammad Yasin and Kamran Afzal took two wickets each Shahrukh Ali was named player of the match Awais Zafar ’s century steered Model Town Greens to a superb 7-wicket success over Golden Star Cricket Club in the 26th match of the tournament Model Town Greens, batting first posted a mammoth total of 200-7 in 20 overs Awais Zafar hammered unbeaten 111 runs off 48 balls with the help of 6 fours and 10 sixes Bilal Dar fired a fabulous fifty (56) for the winning team M Junaid got 4 wickets and Abrar Ahmad took two Shinning Club routed Model Town Whites by 52 runs in the 27th match of the tournament Shinning Club, batting first, scored 152-5 in 20 overs Ulfat Rasool cracked unbeaten 56 while Rao Khayyam struck 34 and Abdul Salam 27 For Model Town Whites M Ikhlaq captured 3 scalps Brilliant bowling by Zahid ul Hassan (4 for 12) helped Shinning Club restrict Model Town Whites to 100-9 in 20 overs Rao Khayam also bowled well and bagged 2 for 22 Farhan Khan slammed 29 runs and Muhammad Ikhlaq 13 runs respectively for Model Town Whites Ali Garh Club emerged as triumphant by 7 wickets against Apollo Club in the 28th match of the tournament Apollo Club, batting first, piled up a low total of 114-7 in 20 overs Usaid Amin scored 34 and Reyan Nadeem 18 Ali Shafi and Shahid Bhutta grabbed two wickets each and Ali Usman one Ali Garh Cricket Club chased the target comfortably for the loss of just 3 wickets in 13 1 overs Muhammad Faizan hammered 37 runs and Zeeshan Ashraf 28 and Hazrat Wali 21 Nisar Ahmad, Mohammad Rameez and Umair Butt got one wicket each On Wednesday (January 18, 2023), five matches will be played at different venues of the city In the 29th match of the tournament, Model Town Greens will take on Pak Lions, in the 30th match, Yu Slim Club will face Shah Kamal Club, in the 31st match, Model Town Club will play against Model Town Whites, in the 32nd match, Ludhiana Club will vie against Ali Garh Club and in the 33rd match Shah Faisal Club will compete against Valencia Gymkhana

bassador

o l i c e t o t h e s t a n d s “ T h e b a n i s e ff e c t i v e i m m e d i a t e l y, ” s a i d Te n n i s A u s t r a l i a

PARIS ag e n c e S

KYLIAN Mbappe made his return from a post-World Cup holiday but Paris St Germain went down 1-0 away to Stade Rennais in Ligue 1 on Sunday, a result which leaves them just three points clear at the top of the table halfway through the season

teammate Achraf Hakimi

Hugo Ekitike started up front alongside Messi and Neymar Mbappe replaced

Traore swept in a cutback from

Adrien Truffert in the 65th minute PSG’s Juan Bernat had a half-volley tipped over the bar by Steve Mandanda in the 81st before the capital side threw everything at Rennes in vain

RIYADH

Murray wins Australian Open five -set epic as weather plays havoc

LS M P o S t S N e G at I v e G R o w t H

f o R 5 t H c o N S e c u t I v e M o N t H

3 58% during the first five months (JulyNovember) of 2022-23 when compared with the same period of the previous year

wI T H the economic slowdown in the country, the negative growth in Large Scale Manufacturing (LSM) continued for the fifth consecutive month as it posted a 5 49 % decline in November 2022

What is the Quantum Index for Large Scale Manufacturing?

Quantum Index of Manufacturing (QIM) measures the changes in production of Large Scale Manufacturing Industries (LSMI) overtime, on a monthly as well as cumulative basis The weights presently used for the QIM were derived from the Census of Manufacturing Industries (CMI) 2005-2006 How badly did the LSMI Perform over the Fiscal year?

As per the data released by Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) the overall output of the LSM sector declined by

i

According to the Provisional Quantum Index Numbers (QIM) of Large Scale Manufacturing Industries (LSMI) released on Tuesday, LSMI output decreased by 5 49% for November 2022 when compared with November 2021 but increased by 3 55% when compared with October 2022

The QIM estimated for July-November 2022-23 is 111 41, and for November 2022 is 112 30

As per the LSM data with base year 2015-16 the main contributors towards decline are food (-1 02), tobacco (-0 57), textile (-2 47) garments (4 46), petroleum products (-1 02), cement (-1 16), pharmaceuticals (-1 34) and automobiles (-1 27)

The sectors showing growth during July-Nov 2022-23 compared to July-Nov 2021-22 are wearing apparel (51 48%) leather products (8 18%), electrical equipments (1 06%), furniture (99 29%) and

other manufacturing (football) (59 69%)

The decline in LSM comes as Pakistan’s economy has crumbled alongside a simmering political crisis with the rupee plummeting and inflation at decades-high levels, while devastating floods and a major shortage of energy have piled on further pressure

During the period from July-November, 2022 the sectors showing growth included clothing 4 46 %, leather products 0 06 % electrical equipment 0 04 percent, furniture 1 53% while other manufacturing grew by 0 17%

Meanwhile, the sectors showing a decline during the period under review included food 1 022%, beverages 0 26%, tobacco 0 57%, textile 2 47% wood products 0 05, paper and board 0 07% coke and petroleum products 1 02%, chemicals 0 06%, pharmaceuticals 1 34%, rubber products 0 02%, no metallic mineral products 0 95% iron and steel products 0 04%, fabricated metal 0 09%, wood products 0 05%,

machinery and equipment 0 24% automobiles and other transport equipment 1 27 and 0 36 % respectively

It may be mentioned here that the decline in growth of LSM started in July 2022 when the LSM growth contracted by 1 9 percent Similarly it declined by around 1 percent in August and 3 percent in September In October 2022 it declined by 8 percent

The deceleration in industrial output during the current fiscal year indicates that economic growth will slip further in the next quarter As per the experts the third quarter will be more disturbing owing to expected electricity/gas tariff hike and suspension of gas supplies to industrial units in winter

Economists have been raising concerns about a slowdown caused by record energy and raw material prices Moreover, export-based manufacturers have already hinted at a decline in their productions due to higher cost of energy and other inputs

Power regulator allows tariff adjustment hike of up to Rs4.46/unit

a h m a d a h m a da n i A t h r e e - d a y s e s s i o n o f P a k i s t a n R u s s i a I n t e r G o v e r n m e n t a l C o m m i s s i o n ( I G C ) i s s c h e d u l e d t o s t a r t o n We d n e s d a y t o d i s c u s s a n d f i n a l i s e t h e i m p o r t o f c h e a p R u s s i a n o i l a n d L i q u e f i e d N a t u r a l G a s ( L N G ) t o P a k i s t a n a n d i n t h i s r e g a r d a R u s s i a n d e l e g a t i o n h a s a r r i v e d i n I s l a m a b a d o n Tu e s d a y A c c o r d i n g t o s o u r c e s , t h e c o m m i s s i o n ’s 8 t h s e s s i o n o n t r a d e , e c o n o m i c , s c i e n t i f i c a n d t e c h n i c a l c o o p e r a t i o n w i l l b e h e l d f r o m t h e 1 8 t h t o t h e 2 0 t h o f J a n u a r y i n I s l a m a b a d A h i g h - l e v e l R u s s i a n d e l e g a t i o n h e a d e d b y M i n i s t e r f o r E n e rg y, N G S h u l g i n o v, a r r i v e d i n I s l a m a b a d o n Tu e s d a y D u r i n g t h e I G C R u s s i a n d e l e g a t i o n w i l l b e h e a d e d b y i t s M i n i s t e r f o r E n e rg y, N G S h u l g i n o v w h i l e M i n i s t e r f o r E c o n o m i c A ff a i r s , S a r d a r Ay a z S a d i q w i l l l e a d P a k i s t a n i t e a m a n d t e c h n i c a l t e a m s o f b o t h c o u n t r i e s w i l l d i s c u s s m a t t e r s r e l a t e d t o t r a d e a n d i n v e s t m e n t , a g r i c u l t u r e e n e rg y c u s t o m s i n d u s t r y e d u c a t i o n s c i e n c e a n d t e c h n o l o g y, i n f o r m a t i o n a n d c o m m u n i c a t i o n t e c h n o l o g i e s , c o m m u n i c a t i o n ( r o a d s a n d p o s t a l s e r v i c e ) r a i l w a y s a n d f i n a n c e D u r i n g I G C , b o t h s i d e s w i l l n e g o t i a t e o n i m p o r t o f c r u d e o i l a n d p e t r o l e u m p r o d u c t s a t a 3 0 p e r c e n t d i s c o u n t a n d p u r c h a s e o f L N G f r o m R u s s i a , s a i d s o u r c e s T h e y a d d e d t h a t i f P a k i s t a n i s a b l e t o s e c u r e t h e d e a l s a t d i s c o u n t e d r a t e s , t h i s w o u l d a l l o w t h e c a s h - s t r a p p e d c o u n t r y t o s a v e $ 2 b i l l i o n p e r a n n u m T h e s o u r c e s s a i d t h a t b o t h s i d e s w i l l a l s o t a k e u p m a t t e r s p e r t a i n i n g t o a v e n u e s o f e n h a n c e d b i l a t e r a l t r a d e a n d i n v e s t m e n t d u r i n g t h i s I G C T h e y s a i d t h a t t h e t w o s i d e s w i l l e x p l o r e t h e o p p o r t u n i t i e s a n d p r o s p e c t s f o r m u t u a l l y b e n e f i c i a l c o o p e r a t i o n i n t h e o i l a n d g a s s e c t o r i n P a k i s t a n w h i l e i n t r o d u c t i o n a n d u s e o f R u s s i a n a d v a n c e d t e c h n o l o g i e s f o r t h e a p p l i c a t i o n o f m e t h o d s t o i n c r e a s e o i l a n d g a s r e c o v e r y a t f i e l d s i n P a k i s t a n w i l l a l s o b e d i s c u s s e d T h e y s a i d t h e t w o s i d e s w i l l t a k e u p a v e n u e s o f b i l a t e r a l c o o p e r a t i o n i n t h e f i e l d o f h y d r o p o w e r a n d r e n e w a b l e e n e rg y r e s o u r c e s S i m i l a r l y, i n t e n s i f y i n g c o o p e r a t i o n w i t h s t a t e a n d p r i v a t e s t r u c t u r e s o f

P a k i s t a n i n t h e f i e l d o f g e o l o g i c a l e x p l o r a t i o n f o r h y d r o c a r b o n s a n d m i n e r a l s w i l l b e a l s o d i s c u s s e d w h i l e a l r e a d y a g r e e d m a t t e r s p e r t a i n i n g t o m u t u a l c o o p e r a t i o n a r e l i k e l y t o b e d i s c u s s e d a n d m a y b e f i n a l i s e d d u r i n g t h i s I G C s a i d s o u r c e s

T h e y a d d e d t h a t S t a t e M i n i s t e r f o r P e t r o l e u m M u s a d i k M a l i k w i l l a l s o p a r t i c i p a t e i n t h e I G C w h i l e o ff i c i a l s o f P a k i s t a n s p e t r o l e u m e c o n o m i c a ff a i r s a n d f o r e i g n a ff a i r s d i v i s i o n w i l l a l s o a t t e n d t h e 8 t h s e s s i o n o f I G C P a k i s t a n ’s M i n i s t e r o f S t a t e ( P e t r o l e u m D i v i s i o n ) M u s a d i k M a l i k h a d a n n o u n c e d i n D e c e m b e r 2 0 2 2 t h a t R u s s i a h a d a g r e e d t o p r o v i d e c r u d e o i l a t d i s c o u n t e d p r i c e s , a d e v e l o p m e n t t h a t c o u l d p o t e n t i a l l y b r i n g d o w n t h e e n e rg y i m p o r t c o s t f o r P a k i s t a n P a k i s t a n ’s F e d e r a l M i n i s t e r f o r F i n a n c e I s h a q D a r h a d e a r l i e r s a i d t h a t Wa s h i n g t o n w o u l d n o t s t o p P a k i s t a n f r o m b u y i n g t h e c o m m o d i t y f r o m R u s s i a b e c a u s e n e i g h b o u r i n g I n d i a h a s a l s o b e e n d o i n g t h e s a m e I t i s p e r t i n e n t t o m e n t i o n t h a t t h e t w o s i d e s - P a k i s t a n & R u s s i a - h a d s o f a r e x p r e s s e d t h e i r w i l l i n g n e s s t o r e m o v e e x i s t i n g b a r r i e r s a n d r e s t r i c t i o n s i n m u t u a l t r a d e i n g o o d s , s e r v i c e s

Pakistan’s largest Investment Banking firm to acquire efG Hermes?

pr ofIt report

In a notice to the Pakistan Stock exchange, on Tuesday, JS Global Capital Limited (JSGCL) has announced “intention to acquire majority ordinary shares and control” of EFG Hermes Pakistan Limited

JSGCL is a subsidiary of JS Bank Limited The company regards itself as the largest investment banking and broking firm of Pakistan JS Bank has established itself as one of the most credible names in investment banking, especially in the last decade JS, namely Jahangir Siddiqui and Co first started in Pakistan as early as 1971

The acquisition in question is subject to the requisite regulatory approvals from the Pakistan Stock Exchange and the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) The announcement of an intention to acquire was made under section 96 of the Securities Act, 2015 EFG Hermes is a leading financial services corporation in the Middle East and Africa The company inaugurated its office in Pakistan, making it the first foreign investment bank to directly enter the market since 2008 and the first foreign broker to have a local footprint in Pakistan The firm acquired Pakistani brokerage Invest and Finance Securities Ltd (IFSL), which has since operated as EFG Hermes Pakistan Limited

PSX witnesses bloodbath as 100-Index sheds more than 1378 points

pr ofIt report

The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) has allowed power distribution companies (DISCOs) to collect up to an additional Rs 4 46 per unit from electricity consumers on account of periodic adjustment in tariff for the first quarter of Financial Year (FY) 2022-23

The power regulator on November 15 2022 held a public hearing on requests filed by DISCOs for the periodic adjustment According to NEPRA s decision, DISCOs will collect Rs 1 49 per unit to Rs 4 46 per unit from different categories of power consumers under the head ‘periodic adjustment in tariff ’ which will be charged during the next two months, that is, February and March 2023

This hike in power tariff will be applicable on all categories of power consumers except lifeline consumers and the consumers of K-Electric (KE)

As per NEPRA’s decision, the ministry of energy (MoE) requested that the adjustment be recovered without changing consumer rates –which the power regulator accepted

This is being done in the interest of the consumer as the determined first quarterly adjustment will only replace the existing applicable quarterly adjustment rates and there will be no additional burden on the consumers,” read the NEPRA decision

The hearing was attended by the MoE, the power division DISCOs the Central Power Purchasing Authority (CPPA-G), and other stakeholders, as well as members of the media and the general public

DISCOs, in their petition, sought adjustment of variation in capacity charges, variable operation and maintenance (O&M), use of system charges and market operator fees And, in order to work out the instant quarterly adjustments of DISCOs, NEPRA obtained details of actual power purchase cost billed by CPPA-G to DISCOs for the period

NEPRA has determined a positive adjustment of Rs 41,938 million on account of variation in capacity charges, variable O&M, additional recovery on incremental sales, use of system charges, market operator fee and FCA impact on transmission and distribution losses for the first quarter of FY 2022-23, which is July to September 2022 said NEPRA s decision

It is pertinent to mention here that quarterly adjustments would not be passed on to Bl, B2, B3 and B4 industrial consumers to the extent of incremental sales till continuation of the package, in line with the Authority’s decision dated December 1st, 2020

NEPRA has sent its decision to the federal government prior to its notification in the official gazette as per section 31(7) of the NEPRA Act

Political turmoil continues taking toll on all spheres of economy as bench mark 100-index of the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) nosedived on Tuesday, losing 1 378 54 points and recorded a negative change of 3 47 percent to close at 38,342 21 against 39,720 75 points the previous day

According PSX officials a total of 205 906 982 shares were traded during the day as compared to 105,542,468 shares the previous day, whereas the price of shares stood at Rs6 710 billion against Rs3 203 billion on the last trading day

During the day business at the PSX, as many as 340 companies traded their shares, of them only 34 recorded gains while the rest 281 sustained losses, whereas the share price of 25 companies remained unchanged

T h e t h r e e t o p - t r a d i n g c o m p a n i e s w e r e K - E l e c t r i c w i t h 2 9 , 9 1 2 , 4 7 3 s h a r e s a t R s 2 0 7 p e r s h a r e , Wo r l d C A l l Te l e c o m w i t h 1 4 , 4 7 9 , 6 2 3 s h a r e s a t R s 1 1 0 p e r s h a r e , a n d S u i N o r t h G a s w i t h 9 , 6 8 9 , 6 5 0 s h a r e s a t R s 3 5 3 3 p e r s h a r e

Nestle Pakistan witnessed a maximum increase of Rs196 00 per share price, closing at Rs5,595 00, whereas the runner-up was Pak Services with a Rs 104 00 rise in its per share price to Rs 439 92

Bhanero Textile witnessed a maximum decrease of Rs 76 80 per share closing at Rs 948 20 followed by Bata (Pak) with Rs 69 00 decline to close at Rs 851 00

ISLAMABAD

p o r t

Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Umar

Ata Bandial on Tuesday said that the c o u r t i n t e n d e d t o c o n c l u d e t h e N A B amendment case early as it was eventually affecting the execution process of accountability law in the country “We need independent investigation officers and prosecutors as their i n c o m p e t e n c y i s a ff e c t i n g t h e a cc o u n t a b i l i t y s y s t e m U n t i l n o w, 3 8 6 references had been returned after the amendments in the law,” Chief Justice Umar Ata Badial noted while a leading a two member bench of the apex c o u r t , h e a r i n g P T I C h i e f I m r a n K h a n ’s p e t i t i o n a g a i n s t a m e n d m e n t s to NAB Law

D u r i n g h e a r i n g , t h e c h i e f j u s t i c e said that there were reports in media regarding the return of PTI to the Parl i a m e n t W h e t h e r t h e g o v e r n m e n t would sit with the PTI to address the m a j o r i s s u e s i f i t j o i n e d t h e P a r l i a -

ment, he asked

The CJP instructed the government’s counsel to ask its client that whether the court should refer the legislation matter again to the Parliament F e d e r a l g o v e r n m e n t ’s c o u n s e l M a k h d o m A l i K h a n s a i d t h a t h e c o u l d n ’t r e s p o n d w i t h o u t t a k i n g guideline from his client He said that e v e r y t h i n g w a s e v i d e n t a n d c l e a r i n the parliamentary system, adding the PTI could move the NAB amendment bill after joining the House

He said that there was no democracy without the politics and there was also a model of national government after World War-II No law was ever r e v o k e d o n t h e b a s i s o f a s s u m p t i o n about the intention of members Parliament, he said

T h e l a w y e r f u r t h e r s a i d s p e c i f i c P T I ’s l e a d e r s g o t r e l i e f d u e t o t h e a m e n d m e n t s i n t h e N A B l a w b u t n o o n e h a d c h a l l e n g e d t h i s T h e N A B c a s e w a s p r e p a r e d a g a i n s t a f o r m e r p r i m e m i n i s t e r e x - f i n a n c e m i n i s t e r

and chief executive of an institution, a n d t h e y w e r e l a t e r a c q u i t t e d a f t e r man y y ear s in p r is o n Th e N A B h ad been used for political engineering in the past, he added J u s t i c e I j a z u l A h s a n r e m a r k e d that the legislation should be enacted with mutual consensus instead of majority in the Parliament National int e r e s t s s h o u l d b e g i v e n p r i o r i t y i n m a t t e r o f a m e n d m e n t s i n l a w, h e added

Justice Ahsan said there was hope h o p e d t h a t t h e g o v e r n m e n t a n d P T I would enact legislation with consens u s H e q u e s t i o n e d t h a t w h e t h e r t h e NAB amendments were the amnesty scheme or not

Addressing PTI’s lawyer Khawaja Haris, Justice Mansoor Ali Shah said the PTI could move NAB amendment bill in the House Why it was not joining the House, he asked H e q u e s t i o n e d t h a t w h e t h e r t h e court could extend its jurisdiction on t h e c o n d u c t o f m e m b e r s o f P a r l i a -

ment Why the court should decide the c a s e o f a p e r s o n w h o d i d n t w a n t t o join the Parliament, he said H e f u r t h e r o b s e r v e d t h a t I m r a n Khan neither wanted to be part of Parliament’s debate, nor he was ready to a c c e p t i t s d e c i s i o n s T h e w h o l e s y stem was being frozen due to this fact o r, h e a d d e d a n d a s k e d w h e t h e r t h e returned references couldn t be moved to any other forum

Khwaja Haris took the stance that the PTI had left the House under a political decision Federal government’s lawyer said that there were also other forums for these cases in the country

He said that the court had declared in GDCI case that the received money w o u l d b e s p e n t o n l y o n g a s p r o j e c t s b u t t h e s a i d f u n d s d i s a p p e a r e d f r o m the exchequer He said that the money returned to the NAB as result of plea bargains, was also not deposited to the national exchequer

The court adjourned further hearing of the case till January 18

pr ofIt report

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J S G C L A N N O U N C E S I N T E N T I O N

TO ACQ U I R E E F G H E R M E S PA K I S TA N L I M I T E D

ISLAMABAD s ta f f r e p o r t