Rs300b tax collection is estimated under new measurement
‘Darnomics’ inflicts catastrophic damage on Pakistan’s economy: Hammad
Crude oil accord in March: Pak-Russia ‘holistic energy security plan’ by year-end: Musadik
Imran Khan undeterred despite Fawad’s arrest
AbdullAh NiAzi, shAhzAd pArAchA & shAhNAwAz Ali
ona day of significant reckoning for pakistan’s economy, the rate of the rupee fell sharply both on the interbank and on the open market going back to the same levels it was at before Ishaq dar replaced Miftah Ismail as Finance Minister.
elsewhere in the federal capital, preparations went underway for the arrival of a team of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that will visit pakistan at the end of the month to discuss the fund’s 9th review. Meanwhile down south in karachi, the state bank of pakistan’s dollar reserves fell by $923 million to merely $3.68 billion — making the arrival of the IMF team all the more important.
While the incumbent finance minister was nowhere to be found, presumably mopping up the proverbial egg on his face, pakistan is now placed at a very delicate juncture. While the public will rightfully have become sick and tired by now of hearing of another ‘delicate moment of national history’ every Monday and thursday, the activity on a single day has opened a number of avenues that could lead to either default or pakistan being saved by the bell.
Whatever happens, the 26th of January has put a dark red line under Ishaq dar’s fourth tenure as pakistan’s finance minister. taking the mantle from Miftah Ismail only four months ago, dar had come in on the back of big promises to the party leadership that he could wrestle the dollar down to rs 200 and set the pMl-n up for an election victory. What he has done instead is
see his legacy fall, throw his party under the electoral bus, and throw an economy that was gingerly making its way away from default off track and put it in serious danger. so what happened on this one significant day, and how will it play out in the immediate future?
The IMF comes calling as reserves fall the day began with the sobering news that reserves held by the central bank dropped to a mere $3.7 billion — the lowest level they have been at since February 2014. total liquid foreign reserves held by the country stood at $9.5 billion. net foreign reserves held by commercial banks stood at $5.8 billion. last week, foreign exchange reserves held by the sbp rose by $258 million to $4.6 billion. the immediate concern, of course, was that a large chunk of these reserves have been parked in pakistan by friendly companies to save pakistan from defaulting.
It has also been reported that payments to chinese commercial banks were made on the 24th of January causing the reserves to fall below the $4 billion mark. In the last 4 months pakistan’s reserves have fallen by more than $5 billion dollars, endangering the country’s financial sustainability.
Former foreign minister Miftah Ismail, while talking to media, stated that pakistan is now in the need of an IMF program more than ever and it seems that the current finance minister has now come to terms with this. Various experts believe that the state bank’s move to let the dollar rate be decided by market forces today, will prove to be beneficial for pakistan.
the sbp’s free float move will hence, not only pave the way for the 9th review of the IMF’s extended Fund Facility, but will also curb the black market for dollar exchange bringing reserves back to official channels, and hence the sbp.
but even with this bleak situation, there seemed a ray of hope with the announcement that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) team will visit pakistan on January 31 to February 9, 2023 to continue the discussions under the ninth eFF review. “at the request of the authorities, an in-person Fund mission is scheduled to visit Islamabad January 31st – February 9th to continue the discussions under the ninth eFF review,” the IMF’s representative in pakistan, esther pérez ruiz, tells profit.
the IMF team will be visiting at a time when the entire country is desperate to get the IMF deal as it teeters on the brink of default. While the country’s political leadership is at odds, both the government has expressed a desire to comply with IMF demands and former prime minister Imran khan has also said that if he returns to power he will pursue talks with the IMF. sources said that the government has assured the IMF in virtual meetings that it will promulgate an ordinance for the imposition of over rs 200 billion new taxes to meet the revenue target of the current fiscal year.
she further said that the mission will focus on policies to restore domestic and external sustainability, including to strengthen the fiscal position with durable and high quality measures while supporting the vulnerable and those affected by the floods; restore the viability of the power sector and reverse the continued accumulation of circular debt; and reestablish the proper functioning of the Fx market, allowing the exchange rate to clear the Fx shortage. the IMF country representative maintained that stronger policy efforts and reforms are critical to reduce the current elevated uncertainty
that weighs on the outlook, strengthen pakistan’s resilience, and obtain financing support from official partners and the markets that is vital for pakistan’s sustainable development. It is pertinent to mention here that the IMF for the last few days was pressing pakistan to impose over rs200 billion new taxes besides market based exchange rate as well as increase in energy prices in order to resume the loan program. The dollar breaks its shackles, this time for real there was a bustling noise, all over pakistan, as the market opened on thursday. the dollar was quoted at 235 in the interbank exchange, and was being quoted at 247 in the open market at 10:30. this was a 4 rupee depreciation, compared to the rate at which the interbank trade closed on Wednesday. however, this depreciation was peanuts compared to the depreciation that was about to come.
Within an hour, the dollar took another nosedive and was being quoted above 239, in the interbank trade. by this time the open market had taken its due course and started trading at 252. It is important to note that 252 is the same rate at which the exchange companies association of pakistan was trading on Wednesday before they brought it down to 243 after a meeting with the state bank. but that was also not all. Within 2 hours, the pakistani rupee touched its historically lowest level against the greenbacks. by the 1:30 mark, the rupee was being quoted at as much as rs. 255/ usd in the interbank trade. Meanwhile the open market trades were then being recorded between 255 to 259.
CONTINUED ON PAGE
g natIonal transMIssIon and despatch coMpany has proVIded a suMMary oF What happened on MornIng oF 23rd January leadIng to a natIonal blackout
proffit report
AhmAd AhmAdANi & AsAd ullAh KAmrAN
on Monday, a catastrophic failure in the national grid caused the worst electrical outage in months across the country, crippling life and spotlighting the country’s ageing energy infrastructure. profit has obtained a report of the national transmissions and despatch company detailing how the blackout played out.
the report, published on the 24th January explains the blackout. the company has conceded that the system protection mechanism in place did not prevent the cascade impact of tripping, which plunged the entire country into darkness on January 23.
authorities began restoring electricity to millions of people late on the same night while an investigation was launched to determine the reasons for the outage. the blackout lasted more than 12 hours in the majority of the regions, while in some areas it lasted even longer.
The basics
When you turn on an appliance, such as your
kettle or laptop charger, it is powered by alternating current. this indicates that the electricity alternates between positive and negative voltage. this back-and-forth motion, or “oscillation,” is referred to as electrical frequency.
grid frequency, measured in hertz (hz), is a technical term that refers to the number of times the alternation cycle occurs every second. currently, 50 hz is the most prevalent frequency used in the bulk of the world’s power systems, including pakistan’s. because the equipment in your house, factory, or office is designed to run at 50 hz within a narrow tolerance, maintaining the frequency of our power supply is critical. this is the reason why everyone turns their appliances off when there’s a fluctuation in the voltage or frequency of electricity. If this isn’t done there’s a possibility of equipment and appliances being damaged.
the issue is that frequency can be difficult to control; if the exact amount of electricity needed is not matched by generation, the frequency of the electricity on the grid can be affected.
What happened?
the report reads that, “system frequency [had]
gone up to 50.75 hertz (hz) and severe hunting was observed… that caused load and voltage variation on transmission lines. as a result… transmission lines tripped which resulted in isolation of [the] north and south system followed by blocking of [the] hVdc (high Voltage direct current) system”.
according to the initial statements by the minister of energy khurram datagir and the ministry, the system experienced a “loss of frequency that caused a major breakdown”. this seems to be inconsistent with the report of ntdc that categorically states that the frequency had gone up.
n an interview, the minister of energy khurram dastagir explained what happened. “In winter, the demand for electricity reduces nationwide, hence, as an economic measure, we temporarily close down our power generation systems at night.”
but when the power plants were restarted on the morning of January 23, “frequency variation and voltage fluctuation,” were discovered in southern pakistan, “somewhere between dadu and Jamshoro,” he said. consequently, this led to the “power generating units to shut down one by one.”
this is wholly inconsistent with what the report of the ntdc states, fundamentally if there is more demand for electricity than supply, for example, frequency will reduce. When there is an excess of supply, frequency rises.
now if we were to go by this understanding then the system tripped because there was an excess supply of electricity, and the claims of the minister that a “loss” of frequency caused the system to trip are incorrect.
the report also breaks down the scale of the blackout, right prior to the incident the total generation stood at 11,356 megawatts(MW) and a frequency of 50.31 hz. at the time of the incident 23rd January at exactly 7:34 am the frequency spiked to 50.57 hz. this caused a chain reaction in which large 500 kv supply power cables tripped. the thing to point out here is the fact the frequency was operating on a higher level prior to the spike on the morning of the black out. this should’ve initially served as a warning to the regulators that supply exceeded the demand causing a rise in the frequency.
tHEgeneral council of Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) on Thursday removed former prime minister Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain as the party chief, amid emerging differences within its ranks.
His brother, Chaudhry Wajahat Hussain, who along with his cousin and former Punjab chief minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi is allied with Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) of Imran Khan, was chosen as the new party president, while Kamil Ali Agha was selected as the central secretary-general.
The event comes days after Shujaat, then president of PML-Q, suspended the basic membership of Elahi, in response to the latter’s statement about a possible merger
with the opposition PTI. A show-cause notice served to Elahi mentioned that the PML-Q president called
PESHAWAR Staff RepoRt
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Haji Ghulam Ali Thursday administered oath to 15 members of the interim cabinet. A notification issued by the administrative department of the provincial government announced the cabinet was being appointed under Article 224(1A) of the Constitution. Those who took the oath included former police chief Syed Masood Shah, Barrister Sanwal Nazir, Bakht Nawaz, Fazal Elahi, Adnan Jalil, Shafi Ullah Khan, Shahid Khan Khattak, Haji Ghufran, Khushdil Khan Malik, Taj Muhammad Afridi, Muhammad Ali Shah, retired Justice Irshad Qaiser, Manzoor Khan Afridi, Abdul Haleem Qasuriya, and Hamid Shah. The portfolios of the ministers have yet not been announced, but Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader and former provincial finance minister Taimur Jhagra raised objections over the newlyappointed interim cabinet. He shared the notification of appointments over Twitter saying, “Sadly, this looks like a PDM cabinet, barring a couple of names.” The PDM has been challenging the Imran Khan-led government and has been running a movement against it since last year, demanding the resignation of the prime minister and dissolution of the assemblies.
ISLAMABAD
Staff RepoRt
Pakistan and the United States are currently in a new process of re-engagement, with productive and cooperative collaboration being undertaken in different matters, said Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, spokesperson of the Foreign Office, on Thursday. Ned Price, American State Department spokesman, had said earlier this week that the country had granted concessions to other countries for buying oil fromRussia, and that Pakistan could use these concessions as well. Baloch spokesperson noted that Pakistan appreciated its close friendship with the United States, and that there was a process of re-engagement between the two countries. When asked about the case of Abdul Rehman Makki, who had been listed by the United Nations without being given the chance to defend himself, the spokesperson stated the decision had been made by the UN via its listing procedure and that Pakistan, as a responsible member of the international community, follows decisions made by the agency and its institutions. The spokesperson also dismissed claims of backdoor diplomacy between Pakistan and India, stating that at this stage, no dialogue was taking place between the two countries. Hina Rabbani Khar, deputy foreign minister, is set to lead the Pakistan delegation to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva later this month.
an urgent meeting of the senior leaders, where it was noted that the provincial president did not have the authority to merge the party with PTI.
The statement went on to say that PMLQ, as a political party, maintains its individual identity, vote bank, party discipline, and rules and regulations which Elahi violated through his statements.
The notice demanded an explanation from Elahi within seven days, otherwise, action would be taken against him under the party constitution’s Article 16 and Article 50.
The decision to issue a show-cause notice to Elahi was made during a highlevel party meeting that included Tariq Bashir Cheema, the then secretarygeneral, Chaudhry Salik Hussain, the senior vice president, and Chaudhry Shafay Hussain, a senior leader.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) leaders – Tariq Bashir Cheema and Salik Chaudhry Thursday termed Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain legal and constitutional head of the party, saying Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi’s move to re-elect party’s leadership was unconstitutional and illegal. Addressing media here in Islamabad on Thursday, Tariq Bashir Cheema said decisions regarding the leadership of party will be made in Party’s General Council meeting that will be held soon with Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain in the chair. “We had scheduled meeting of the general council in Islamabad for today and leadership of all the four provinces were supposed to be here but due to Ch Shujaat’s illness, the meeting could not take place”, Cheema informed. He declared that Pervaiz Elahi cannot change the party leadership single handedly as the final decision regarding party’s head will be announced by the Election Commission of Pakistan. He said: “They know about the ongoing drama in Lahore but will respond when the right time comes. That group plans to formally merge with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), though it would not bother them whatever party Parvez Elahi joins.” Staff RepoRt
ISLAMABAD
Staff RepoRt
Hina Rabbani Khar informed the Senate there was currently no backchannel diplomacy occurring between Pakistan and India, maintaining that talks with the neighbouring nation could only take place after New Delhi reversed the August 2019 revocation of the semiautonomous status of occupied Kashmir. The statement of the deputy foreign minister follows an invite from India to Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari
and Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial to attend the foreign ministers’ and chief justices’ meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), scheduled for May. Pakistan has not yet responded to the invite.
Last week, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had asked his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi to hold serious and sincere talks to resolve burning issues, including Kashmir, and appealed to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) leadership to play an important role in bringing India and Pakistan to the table.
During the Senate session, Khar said that backchannel diplomacy should only take place when it is result-oriented. She pointed out that Pakistan had always taken initiatives to promote peace, but India’s cross-border hostility was of a unique type, as highlighted by the BBC documentary on Modi. Khar also said that international forums frequently request Pakistan for the normalization of relations with India. In response, she emphasized that these requests should be met with consideration of the aggressive messages received from
India.She went on to express that Pakistan has a strong interest in promoting regional potential, but the hostile statements made by Indian government officials, such as regarding the use of nuclear weapons, hinder progress towards positive relations.
During the session, Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) Senator Danesh Kumar praised the Kartarpur Corridor and suggested promoting religious tourism between Pakistan and India by highlighting the ancient Hinglaj Mata temple located in Balochistan. He noted that the temple, which is over 5,000 years old, has significance for Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India as well. The senator expressed hope that promoting this archaeological site would improve the social circumstances of the people in the coastal area and asked Khar to take a similar peace-building initiative as the Kartarpur Corridor.
of Rs7.94 billion in Abbottabad.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government is getting historic loans amounting to Rs130 billion from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for water supply, construction of parks and recreational areas, drainage and garbage disposal in six major cities of the province.
Initially, the project was proposed for Peshawar, Mardan, Kohat and Abbottabad but later Mingora and Bannu were also included in the list. It is also expected that the project would be extended to all divisional headquarters in the future.
The provincial Planning and Development (P&D) Department has completed the preliminary paperwork for awarding the contract costing Rs22 billion to a contractor from Balochistan province who is also a Senator of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.
According to the documents of the P&D department, out of the loan received from ADB, contracts worth Rs22 billion are being awarded to a company called Metracon. According to documents, another senator’s company ZKB from Balochistan is also being awarded contracts worth Rs30 billion from the same project. The same company has also been awarded the contract of Swat Motorway Phase-2 worth 37bn rupees.
Former Chief Minister Mahmood Khan has laid the foundation stones of several schemes under this mega project in the last months of his government. Metracan Company was awarded the contract for the installation of sewage treatment plant at the cost of Rs8.31 billion in Mardan through a bid that was approved on August 2, 2022 and letter of approval was issued on August 15, 2022. The same company was awarded the contract for water supply line maintenance and rehabilitation at a cost
ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt
Documents show that after the initial paperwork, the same company was awarded the contract for the construction of water supply scheme and water treatment plant worth Rs5.80 billion in Mingora which was also approved and a letter of approval was issued on 16 October 2022.
According to the documents, loan of Rs130 billion is being borrowed from the ADB for projects for water supply, construction of parks and recreational areas, drainage and garbage disposal in Peshawar, Mardan, Abbottabad, Kohat, Mingora and Bannu. It also includes rehabilitation of water supply system in Abbottabad and establishment of new water treatment plant, construction of Adventure Family Park and Cricket Ground and uplifting of old market Abbottabad city. These projects will be completed at an estimated cost of Rs11.68 billion. Similarly, a total of Rs9 billion will be spent on the construction of recreational places/parks in Kohat, Mardan, Mingora and Peshawar, while the construction of sewage treatment plant in Kohat will cost Rs7.50 billion. Agreements have been signed for implementation of sewage treatment plant in Mardan at a cost of Rs8.30 billion and water supply network in Mingora at a cost of Rs20 billion. Under the KP Cities Improvement Project, Rs6.73 billion have been allocated to the construction of a sewage system and a new sewage treatment plant in Kohat. Similarly, the water supply system restoration project in Kohat will be completed at an estimated cost of Rs4.65 billion. A total of Rs560 million will be spent on the business development and community center for women and sports complex in Kohat. Under the Project, a total of Rs4 billion will be spent on three mega projects in Peshawar: improvement and maintenance of water supply system, expansion and improvement of Bagh-e-Naran and establishment of a new Park.
ISLAMABAD
Staff RepoRt
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has expressed his hope that the newly appointed caretaker chief minister of Punjab, Mohsin Naqvi, will fulfil his constitutional duties and help ensure a fair, transparent, and impartial election process.
The prime minister met with Naqvi in
Islamabad and wished him well in his new role. He encouraged Naqvi to work in accordance with the constitution and strive to guarantee a free and equal election.
Sharif also praised the efforts of the Punjab government in ensuring the stability of the province.
He emphasised the importance of the caretaker government in providing a level playing field for all political parties and
maintaining a neutral environment for the upcoming elections.
Sharif also agreed that the caretaker government must remain impartial and unbiased and that the government should be a bridge between the outgoing and incoming administrations.
The prime minister and the caretaker chief executive discussed issues related to the upcoming elections and the steps that
needed to be taken in order to ensure a successful election.
They agreed that the caretaker government must remain neutral and independent and must ensure that the rights of all citizens are respected. Sharif expressed his confidence that the caretaker government will fulfil its duties in accordance with the constitution and pave the way for a free and fair election.
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday issued notices to respondents in a case regarding legislation for the protection of journalists’ rights. Chief Justice Aamer Farooq heard the cases filed by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), and Islamabad High Court Journalists Association (IHCJA). At the outset of the hearing, the chief justice asked whether there was any progress regarding legislation for the protection of journalists’ rights as the Implementation Tribunal for Newspaper Employees (ITNE) chairman had been making efforts in that regard. Umar Ijaz Gilani Advocate informed the court that the draft bill had been sent to the Information Ministry. On this, the chief justice remarked that the ITNE was working for the rights of newspapers’ employees and even its chairman had also prepared a draft bill in that regard. He observed that he could not understand the laws related to newspapers. The lawyer said the ITNE comprised only a chairman and now the concept of members and benches was also being introduced. CJ Aamer Farooq said the government should realize the things and even it was better if the Parliament passed the legislation in that regard. To a court’s query, anchorperson Hamid Mir said he was in favour of the legislation for the journalists of electronic media. Former IHC chief justice Athar Minallah had given him an assignment regarding the “cross-media”, and he had submitted written suggestions in that regard. The chief justice remarked that there was also an issue of non-payment of journalists’ salaries. The journalists had to make multiple visits to tribunals for even small amounts (owed by their employers), he noted. Hamid Mir said many journalists even did not have written job proofs. The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) had been authorized in the law to protect the rights of journalists, he added. The chief justice said whether there could be any resistance on the matter. Hamid Mir replied that it was possible that the association of media owners might create hurdles in it.
LAHORE
Staff RepoRt
tHE11-member interim cabinet of caretaker Punjab Chief Minister Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi took oath of their offices here on Thursday.
Punjab Governor Balighur Rehman administered oath to the caretaker cabinet members. They included health expert Dr Javed Akram, former bureaucrat Nasim Sadiq, senior journalist Amir Mir, cricketer
ISLAMABAD
Staff RepoRt
Wahab Riaz as Sports Minister, Bilal Afzal, SM Tanveer, Ibrahim Murad, Tamkinat Karim, Dr Jamal Nasir, Mansoor Qadir, and Syed Azfar Ali Nasir.
After the caretaker ministers took the oath of office, interim Punjab CM Mohsin Naqvi felicitated them.
Talking about the newly-formed caretaker setup, the chief minister said the Punjab caretaker administration was absolutely apolitical and unbiased, saying working on a one point agenda of ensuring free, fair and transparent election.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and Pakistan on Thursday discussed matters of mutual interests and agreed to enhance bilateral trade volume between the brotherly two countries. Nawaf Saeed A Almalkiy, Ambassador and Commercial Attache of Saudi Arabia to Pakistan called on Federal Minister for Commerce Syed Naveed Qamar here, said a press release issued by the Ministry of Commerce. Syed Naveed Qamar highlighted the need to enhance cooperation in the field of trade and investment between the countries and emphasized the need for closer economic ties. He said that the Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Islamabad is making its utmost efforts to promote the economic relationship between the two countries and thanked Nawaf Saeed A. Almalkiy for his efforts in this regard. The Ambassador and Commercial Attache expressed his satisfaction over the existing level of economic cooperation between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia and expressed the desire to further expand economic cooperation in all areas.
ISLAMABAD
Staff RepoRt
Pakistan has reiterated to raise its voice on the continuing grave human rights abuses in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). At her weekly news briefing in Islamabad on Thursday, Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said Pakistan will also continue to extend unstinted moral, political and diplomatic support to the people of Jammu and Kashmir in their quest for self-determination in accordance with the relevant UN Security Council resolution. She said we pay rich tribute to the sacrifices of martyrs of three massacres committed by the Indian occupation forces in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir during the month of January in the 1990s. With regard to situation in Afghanistan, the Spokesperson said Pakistan stresses the importance of peace and stability in our neighbourhood. She said we underscore our
Speaking about the polls in Punjab, Mr Naqvi pledged that the elections will take place in a peaceful environment in fair and free manner.
Earlier today, the members of the newlyformed cabinet of caretaker Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Azam Khan took oath amid concerns expressed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
KP Governor Haji Ghulam Ali administered oath to the 12 ministers and three advisers at a ceremony which was attended by the chief minister and other
officials.The 15-member cabinet comprises former IG Masood Shah, retired Justice Irshad Qaiser, Barrister Saawal Nazir, Bakht Nawaz, Shafiullah Khan, Haji Ghafran,
ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt
Pakistan and Russia have reaffirmed their commitment to continuing practical engagement with Afghanistan to ensure stability and peace in the war-torn country, the Foreign Office said on Thursday.
The two governments also expressed their commitment to joint efforts to solve issues related to regional security, said the ministry in a statement.
The statement came after a meeting between Russian Special Representative for Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov and Deputy Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar here Wednesday.
The two diplomats agreed to remain actively engaged to promote peace, stability and economic development in the region for the welfare of the people.
Underscoring that a peaceful neighbourhood remained a strategic imperative for Pakistan, Khar stressed that Afghanistan, with its location as a bridge between central and south Asia, is central to achieving the full potential of socio-economic development and
ISLAMABAD
Staff RepoRt
regional connectivity. The minister also reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to working with other regional countries to achieve the goals.
He urged the international community to extend assistance and support in order to address urgent humanitarian needs and to provide a sustainable pathway for Afghanistan’s prosperity and development.
Chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan Thursday challenged the jurisdiction of the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in the PTV and Parliament attack case against him. Former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s legal team filed an application under Section 23A of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) in the ATC, challenging in jurisdiction of the court to take up the case. Advocate Naeem Haider Panjutha, the counsel for the petitioner, argued before ATC Judge Raja Jawad Abbas Hasan that the case is not of terrorism court, therefore, it should be transferred to the relevant court. Panjutha said that a peaceful protest was held, on which provisions of terrorism were imposed. He furthered that the protest was held within the constitutional framework, adding that the case does not constitute terrorism provisions. After hearing the arguments of the PTI chief’s lawyer, the court issued a notice seeking arguments on the application from the prosecution and adjourned the hearing of the case till February 9. On August 31, 2014, during a protest against the then PML-N government, the PTI and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) workers marched toward the Prime Minister’s House and the police were ordered to thwart their march. Subsequent clashes between the protesters and law enforcers resulted in the deaths of three PAT workers. Hundreds of others, including both demonstrators and policemen, were wounded. Imran, PAT leader Tahirul Qadri, and others along with hundreds of protesters had briefly seized and shut down the state broadcaster on September 1, 2014.
COntInuED fROM PAgE 01
The market closed at Rs. 255.43/ USD as per the State Bank of Pakistan, whereas open market rate was as high as 263. While talking to Profit on Wednesday, Secretary ECAP Zafar Paracha said “We believe that the exchange companies rate should be above the 255 Rupee mark and we will get there gradually.”. However, the interbank movement within 3 hours has thrown away the gradual goals of the open market. There has been no response from the Secretary ECAP, vis a vis earlier statements, as of now.
Despite a 24 Rupee depreciation within a single day, there are little to no sellers of the USD in the market. Exchange companies are still citing unavailability of dollars as an excuse for not selling.
Even though the experts claim that the real exchange rate is around 255, the people believe that the dollar rate is upwards of 270. These notions are appreciated by the black market traders, and a lack of communication by the State Bank, does not help either. Even in the interbank market, the volume traded is around $15 million at the day end.
However, it is widely believed that the depreciation of rupee is finally a good gesture that Pakistan direly needed. CEO topline Securities and PSX Analyst, Mohammad Sohail says that, “This valuation of rupee, based on market forces will help Pakistan’s falling exports and remittances through the banking channels and might also help with the 9th review”. He said that the bank rate was being kept in a narrow band from September onwards which gave rise to a black market, which is likely to go away after this step.
Fahad Rauf, the head of equity research at Ismail Iqbal Securities, stated that this is possibly the biggest single day depreciation of rupee since the 2000s. He stated that not having a “managed” rupee may not be huge, but the pressure on Pakistané’s external account would be eased, encouraging exporters and discouraging the black market.
Many believe that the move to make the immediate depreciation was led by the IMF review as Pakistan started virtual negotiations with the IMF on Wednesday. A more pertinent question would be what did Pakistan gain by keeping the exchange rate where it was earlier and how did Pakistan manage it?
KARACHI
Staff RepoRt
A judicial magistrate in Karachi East zone on Thursday indicted Dania Shah, the widow of late televangelist-turnedpolitician Aamir Liaquat Hussain, for allegedly releasing controversial videos of her late husband. The case was registered by Dua Aamir, the deceased TV host’s daughter, weeks after indecent videos of Hussain went viral. Hussain, 50, was found unconscious at his home in Karachi by one of his employees in June of last year and was taken to a hospital where he was later pronounced dead. Shah was arrested on December 15 last year and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) officials informed the court that she is accused of leaking the indecent videos. Shah pleaded not guilty to the charges levelled against her and the court adjourned the hearing, summoning case witnesses on February 2.
The exact occurrence that caused this hike in frequency is still unknown, this is simply due to the fact that anything could have occurred at any location on the grid. It can be caused by severe weather, human error, equipment failure, or even animal interference.
Bottom line this spike triggered the power plants safety mechanisms that shut down all of the 23 power plants supplying power to the grid.
To put it simply the entire grid works on the fundamental principle of circuit breakers. An electrical circuit breaker is a switching mechanism that can be operated manually or automatically to control and protect the electrical power system and the electrical devices that are linked to it.
When there is too much electricity flowing through the circuit breaker, it trips,
or it cannot handle the excess current load. This means that the flow of power is interrupted to prevent overheating or further damage to your circuits. Now apply the same principle on the national grid. Power plants are built to run within a specific frequency range, the same as a circuit breaker; if there’s a higher frequency in the system, there is a risk of them disconnecting from the grid after a particular amount of time or suddenly depending upon the location of the fault.
How did tHey get tHe power back?
If the entire national high voltage electricity network — the grid — loses power, individual power stations must be restarted before they can power the country.
To operate, power plants often require an electrical supply similar to how a car needs a battery to power the ignition.
However, with a total power outage, there is no centrally-connected electricity available at scale to restart the system. As a result, it must be restarted from scratch.
This process is known as “Black start”. Black Start’s operation is actually quite straightforward. Smaller power sources start larger ones, and so on until the entire country is powered up again.Some power plants simply do not have the ability to be the starting point of this complex reboot.
But some modern gas power plants are able to restart rapidly on demand. In the case of Pakistan the restoration of the southern region began from the “UCH-I” power plant in district Nasirabad, Balochistan.
This gas powered plant is owned by the Uch Power Limited company, having a capacity of 586 MW. The interesting fact about this plant is that it has a “black start facility up to 220 kv” according to the
NTDC report. The importance of this power plant cannot be understated.
Simultaneously for the northern region, the restoration process began from Tarbela, Warsak and Mangla.This is simply due to the fact that hydropower possesses all of the properties that make it excellent for black start.
Reservoirs hold enough water to power turbines during a black start operation with no special preparation. According to an Oak Ridge National Laboratory study, hydro facilities may be restarted fast with minimal station power.
Although the report highlights that, “the generating units at Tarbela and Mangla couldn’t maintain stability and tripped a number of times during the restoration process”. Consequently, generating from Warsak was extended to the other dams initiating the reboot.
This essentially marked the start of the restoration as electricity from these power
plants was sent to other plants so that they could reboot and resume operations.
According to the report the restoration process began with the Uch power plant in Balochistan at 9:39 am on Monday morning. And the grid was completely restored with the final power plant to be restarted at 4:57 am the next morning.
interesting observations
Although NTDC or the government have not yet established the exact reason causing the power black out and it is impossible to determine it at this point. However, as per some observers the first domino that initiated the blackout was the 747 MW gas power plant located in Guddu, Sindh. The initial issues in the transmission network were observed in three 500kv heavy power lines connected to the power plant in question. Additionally the same power plant was the last to be restored at 4:57 am the next morning.
Dollar jumps, reserves fall and IMF calls as Dar’s folly comes back to bite
NEW YORK
anadolu agency
THEUN’s deputy secretarygeneral called on Muslim nations Wednesday to remind Afghanistan’s de facto authorities, the Taliban, that women have rights in Islam.
Amina Mohammed traveled to a few countries including Turkey, Indonesia and some of the Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia, before her delegation visited Afghanistan to gain insights from an engagement with the Taliban.
”There’s a proposal on the table now
that the UN together with the OIC — the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation — would co-convene with a number of countries an international conference within March on women in the Muslim world, and this would bring in the issues of Afghanistan, but also the region,” she told reporters at UN headquarters after completing a four-day trip to Afghanistan.
”When Malala (Yousafzai) was shot, she was shot in Pakistan. So there is a regional problem. There is a region that needs to also come to the front with pushing for the rights of women in Islam.”
She emphasized that it is very important for Muslim countries to come to-
ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt
Kashmiris across the Line of Control and the world over observed Indian Republic Day, on January 26, as Black Day to protest against the continued denial by India of their right to selfdetermination in accordance with the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions.
In Indian Illegally Occupied Kashmir (IIOJK), the day was marked by a complete strike whereas protest rallies and demonstrations were held in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan and world-over. The All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) had given a call for observing Black Day and was supported by other freedom-loving organizations and leaders.
In IIOJK, the Indian authorities had turned the whole territory into military garrison and had intensified checking and frisking in Srinagar city and other parts of the valley.
In Islamabad, the APHC (AJK Chapter) staged a protest in front of the Indian High Commission. The protest was also joined by heads and leaders of various political parties of AJK. Speaking on the occasion, the speakers said India had no right to celebrate its Republic Day in IIOJK, which it had occupied against Kashmiris’ will.
APHC-AJK Convener, Mehmood Ahmed Saghar, while speaking on the occasion said India had been using brutal tactics to suppress the Kashmiris’ freedom sentiment but miserably failed in its nefarious designs. The protesters were holding black flags and banners and placards with slogans against India and in favour of Kashmir’s freedom from Indian occupation.
gether and remind the Taliban that women have rights in Islam.
”A lot of what we have to deal with is how we travel the Taliban from the 13th century to the 21st, and that’s a journey,” she said. The Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan on August 15, 2021 followed by the disruption of international financial assistance has left the worn-torn country in economic, humanitarian and human rights crises.
The Taliban regime has recently moved to close universities to female students across the country until further notice and has barred girls from attending secondary school, restricted women and girls’
freedom of movement, excluded women from most areas of the workforce and banned women from using parks, gyms and public bath houses. Women and girls have been deprived of their rights, including the right to education, and disappeared from public life under the Taliban.
Thousands of women have since lost their jobs or were forced to resign from government institutions and the private sector. Girls have also been prevented from attending middle and high schools. Many women have demanded that their rights be reinstated by taking to the streets, protesting and organizing campaigns.
KARACHI anadolu agency
Turkey handed over another batch of relief goods for the flood victims at a ceremony in Karachi.
Nearly 900 tons of relief goods, including food and kitchen items, blankets, warm clothes, cleaning material, and mattresses, were brought by a Turkish ship that anchored at Karachi port.
Turkish Consul General in Karachi, Cemal Sangu, on behalf of Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), handed over the relief items to the governor of Sindh, Kamran Tessori.
Speaking at the ceremony, Sangu said that another vessel carrying 900 tons of relief items will arrive in Karachi on February 4.
“We want to tell the flood victims that you are not alone at this trying time. The people of Türkiye are with you,” Sangu said.
Tessori, in his remarks, thanked Ankara for its “consistent” support to the flood victims across the country.
The two countries, he observed, share a similar view on regional and global issues, and have stood beside each other in testing times.
AFAD Provincial Director Ibrahim Avsar, and Karachi representative of the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA), Khalil Ibrahim Basaran, also attended the ceremony.
Torrential rains and unprecedented floods brought a third of the country under water in September last, affecting some 33 million people, and washing away hundreds of thousands of animals, houses, bridges, schools, hospitals, and other infrastructures.
The near-apocalyptic floods also killed over 1,700 people, in addition to causing a whopping loss of 30 billion dollars to the country’s already sputtering economy.
So far, Ankara has sent 15 planes and 13 “goodness trains” loaded with relief goods, including tents, food, medicine, kitchen items, vaccine, and other supplies to the flood-hit regions.
AFAD also provided more than 30,000 tents in 19 regions, providing temporary housing to 200,000 displaced people.
The Turkish charity also set up three tent cities in Jamshoro, Dadu and Noshehro Feroz districts of Sindh — the regions hit hard by rains and floods.
ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt
Chairman Capital Development Authority (CDA)
Capt. (r) Noor ul Amin Mengal Thursday directed the official concerned to take immediate steps to start the ‘Purple Line Metro Bus Service’ on Inter-Junction Principal (IJP) Road.
The decision was taken during a meeting regarding Metro bus service chaired by him.
Speaking on the occasion chairman said that the route of the Blue Line bus service should be extended up to Rawat to facilitate maximum commuters.
Mengal also directed to start Metro bus service on more new routes and extend the jurisdiction of the existing bus services so that standard travel facilities can be provided to the citizens.
He said that the Silver Line bus service should be started from the Taramri area and all the new metro bus services should be aligned with the existing metro bus service operations.
Moreover, the chairman has issued instructions that steps should be taken to run electronic buses on a government-to-government basis on the routes of Metro Bus Services. It was also decided that the students and citizens above 60 years of age would be given 50 percent discount on the buses, while children below 10 years of age to be provided free traveling facilities.
Member Engineering, Syed Munawar Shah, Member Administration, Amir Abbas Khan and other senior officials of related departments attended the meeting.
KAGHAN
Staff RepoRt
After four days of continuous heavy snowfall, the skies in the Kaghan and Naran valleys were cleared on Thursday. Kaghan and Shugran received more than 4 feet of snow while Naran and adjoining areas have received more than 7 feet of snow.
According to the details, after a long time during the winter season, Kaghan and Naran valleys received record heavy snowfall which also dropped the temperatures in Naran -7, Kaghan at 03 and in Shugran -1.
Tourists were allowed to reach Shugran and Kaghan while police have installed barricades on Mansehra Naran Jalkhad (MNJ) road to stop all sorts of vehicular traffic from Kaghan to Naran and onward areas as heavy snowfall up to 7 feet has blocked the entire region.
The Met Department has forecast another snow and rainfall spell in the upper parts of the Hazara division which would further decrease the temperatures in the region.
On the other side, a large number of tourists despite all odds have reached Kaghan and
QUETTA Staff RepoRt
Balochistan Fisheries Department has started working to construct three jetties in the coastal areas of the province.
Talking to APP, an official of the Fisheries department said that the government has planned to construct three jetties at Kund Malir, Aurmara, Jiwani apart from various initiatives taken for the welfare of fishermen.
The initiative is a landmark to boost the fisheries business as there is only one landing facility for more than 10,000 fishing vessels and 88,000 fishermen, he added.
Under the initiative, modern techniques would be used to build the jetties in the coastal areas in order to promote the fishing business in the province.
“The province has the capacity to produce good quality fish and would generate more revenue by providing access to the global market,” he said.
The government has already signed an agreement with the Turkish company to conduct a feasibility survey for the construction of jetties at Kund
Malir, Aurmara, Jiwani under the Gwadar-Lasbela Livelihood Support Project (GLLSP).
Under this agreement, the Turkish engineering company would provide technical and construction support to develop jetties on modern lines for promoting the fisheries industry of Balochistan.
He said the roads and other infrastructure were also being upgraded for easy access of the local fishermen to the port for transferring fish to the markets.
The official said the provincial government has also decided to provide basic facilities to the fishermen and other people associated with the fisheries.
“The government will take more steps to save the fishermen’s livelihood and life”, he ensured adding the department should complete the land requisition process soon to establish more jetties in the coastal areas.
The Balochistan government was making serious efforts to frame the master plan of the coastal belt soon as the province possessed a plethora of tourist attractions along the 750-kilometer coastal belt.
UNITED NATIONS
Staff report
aMBASSADORIALmeeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) nations, convened by Pakistan, condemned the recent abhorrent act of desecration of the Quran in Sweden as well as in the Netherlands.
In a statement, the meeting said those vile acts were recent manifestations of Islamophobia.
Pakistan is the current chair of the Islamic
Conference of Foreign Ministers (ICFM).
The meeting, which was presided over by Pakistan’s UN Ambassador Munir Akram, also decided to organise a special meeting at the UN in New York to commemorate the Day to Combat Islamophobia in accordance with the landmark resolution adopted by the General Assembly last year.
“Through this event, the OIC countries would call for international solidarity and cooperation in combating and dismantling anti-Muslim rhetoric and practices including
racial profiling, discrimination, negative stereotyping and stigmatization of Muslims,” the Pakistani envoy said. As a follow-up of the resolution, he added: “the OIC will urge the UN SecretaryGeneral to formulate an action plan, in coordination with the OIC countries, to halt and reverse Islamophobia.”
The envoy also informed the OIC meeting that On International Women’s Day (8 March), Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari will host and chair a
High-Level Conference in New York on Women in Islam.
The OIC nations greatly appreciated and reiterated their strong support to Pakistan towards the initiatives during this meeting, it was pointed out.
Among other agenda items, Wednesday’s meeting of the OIC endorsed Tajikistan’s candidature for election to the Security Council for the term 2028-2029.
Ambassador Riyad Mansour, Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine to the
United Nations, briefed the OIC meeting on the recent disturbing developments in Palestine, Jerusalem including the violations of the sanctity of the al-Aqsa Mosque.
KArACHI
Staff report
The Transport Department Sindh has taken an important initiative and decided to launch Pink People's Bus Service reserved for women. The new bus service is being launched keeping in view the commuting problems of working women particularly.
The decision to this effect has been taken in a meeting chaired by Information, Transport & Mass Transit Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon at his resident due to his health reasons.
Provincial Minister announced that Pink People's Bus Service will be launched from February 1, and added that Model Colony, Shahrah-e-Faisal, to
Tower route has been selected for the first route of Pink People's Bus Service. He said that Pink Bus service will operate every 20 minutes in morning and evening during office hours, while it will operate after every hour during normal hours.
The provincial minister said that after launch of orange, red and white bus service in Karachi, now pink bus service is being started for women only. He said that Pakistan People's Party is moving fast towards fulfilling its promises made with the people of Karachi. The meeting also reviewed the operations of People's Bus Service in Sukkur, Larkana, Hyderabad and the launch of remaining Routes including route No. 4, 5, 6 and 7 in Karachi.
The provincial minister directed that the opera-
KArACHI pr
Mr. Asim Ahmad, Chairman Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has appreciated the role and contribution of Pakistan Customs towards the development of national economy in areas of revenue collection, prevention of smuggling, protection of local industry and enforcement of safe goods for public health. He said this while addressing an elegant ceremony held to celebrate the International Customs Day-2023 at Custom House, Peshawar on Thursday which was also attended by Mr. Mohammad Saleem, Chief Collector Customs (KP), Mr. Faiz Ahmed Chadhar, Director General Intelligence & Investigation Customs, Mr. Aqeel Ahmad Siddiqui, Chief Commissioner RTO Peshawar, Mr. Ejaz Khan, CCPO Peshawar, Collector, Collectorate of Customs (Enforcement) Peshawar, Dr. Moin-Ud-Din Ahmad Wani, diplomats, officers of the Collectorates/Directorates of all field formations of KP Customs, Clearing Agents and representatives from trade bodies and media. Proceedings of the day began with laying of floral wreath at Yadgar-e-Shuhada at Custom House, Peshawar followed by Guard of Honor. Addressing the ceremony, the Chief Guest, Chairman FBR deliberated upon this year’s World Customs Organisation’s theme i.e “Nurturing the Next Generation: Promoting a Culture of KnowledgeSharing and Professional Pride in Customs.” pr
Islamabad: The book launch ceremony of “Alternative to the IMF and Other Out of the Box Solutions” by Dr. Shahida Wizarat was held on Thursday, January 26, 2023. Mr. Bashir Janmohammad, Chancellor IoBM was the honorary Chief Guest at the occasion. He was accompanied by some distinguished speakers including Ambassador (Retired) Syed Hasan Javed, Pakistan's Former Ambassador to Germany, Singapore and Mauritius; Engineer Abdul Jabbar, VP FPCCI; and Mr. Azhar Jamil,Chairman Citizens Alliance and Qaumi Mahaz-e-Azadi. During his welcome address, Mr. Talib Karim, President IoBM said that the IMF has been in the news, particularly with regard to Pakistan’s economy. He urged the need to develop a short-term strategy on how to repay debts that Pakistan owes. “I hope that the right people will read this book and implement the ideas presented,” he added. Expressing his opinion on the facts and perspectives provided in the book, Ambassador Hasan Javed said, “This book is a remarkable addition to the literature available on this subject. pr
Aga Khan University, today, completed a 2-day training session of over 90 doctors from across 30 districts of Sindh, on life saving interventions, including CPR and Bleeding Control. The training was conducted under the ambit of the Pakistan Life Savers Programme (PLSP) hosted in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, Government of Sindh, who identified and nominated the participating doctors for the programme.
The training, conducted by the PLSP Secretariat based at AKU’s Centre of Excellence for Trauma and Emergencies (CETE) was designed to equip the participants with essential skills that will help them to effectively train community members in life-saving skills. The participating doctors will now be tasked with disseminating the information further and implementing the programme, particularly in educational institutions, across the province of Sindh. Established in 2020, the Pakistan Life Savers Programme is a collaboration between leading healthcare organizations and the Government of Sindh, with a vision
to empower the youth with life-saving skills. The collaborative effort aims to train 10 million citizens over its course of efforts.
To mark the completion of the 2-day training session, AKU hosted a private ceremony with the participating doctors and dignitaries from the Government of Sindh. Those attending included the Honorable Minister of Health, Dr.Azra Pechuho, Parliamentary Secretary of Health, Mr. Qasim Siraj Soomro, and Director General of Health Services, Dr. Jumman Bahoto.
The chief guest of the event, the Honourable Minister of Health, Dr. Azra Fazal Pechuho stated "Through an MOU with the AKU's Pakistan Life Savers Programme and with help from PLSP's Master Trainers, we will prepare a force of trainers from the Health Department, Government of Sindh. These trainers will then go on and train the people of Sindh in life-saving skills, districtwise." Assuring full support for the programme, the Minister continued, "We will also be proposing budgetary allocation for the dispensing of life-saving skills in our upcoming budget and will try our best to enforce bystander protection laws".
KArACHI Staff report
The Sindh High Court (SHC) has ordered the federal government, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), and the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to inform it of the progress made in removing online defamatory content against actresses Mehwish Hayat and Kubra Khan.
The actresses had moved the court against a slanderous social media campaign motivated by insinuations made by a military critic who apparently accused actors Sajal Ali, Khan, and Hayat of being used as “honey traps” by the top brass of the Pakistan Army.
Adil Raja earlier this month claimed in a YouTube video that
some of the nation’s female actors were used by the military to trap politicians. He didn’t name any actors but he ended up revealing the actors’ initials. Soon after the video went viral, social media users were quick to make assumptions that the actors in question are Ali, Khan, and Hayat. During the hearing on Thursday, the court inquired about the progress made in removing the said content.
Justice Naimatullah Phulpoto asked: “The court had issued directives for the removal of content, has [the content] been removed?”
The federal government, FIA, and PTA officials submitted their replies to the pleas. The government’s lawyer maintained that Hayat’s statement has been recorded while Khan’s statement has yet to be recorded.
tions of the People's Bus Service should be started in Sukkur by January 29.
He also directed the Managing Director Sindh Mass Transit Authority to visit the remaining routes of the People's Bus Service in Karachi and inspect the ongoing repair work of the routes.
He said that operations of people's bus service bus should be started on routes 4, 5, 6 and 7 of Karachi as soon as possible, so that more and more citizens of Karachi should have access to modern public transport facility.
Secretary Transport Abdul Haleem Sheikh, Managing Director Sindh Mass Transit Authority Zubair Chana, Operations Manager NRTC Abdul Shakoor attended the meeting.
pr
Zohaib Khan, Chairman of Pakistan Software Houses Association (P@SHA), has expressed his profound concerns that despite being fully-backed by the prime minister, the IT export growth initiatives are not being supported by State Bank and FBR.
He added that the seriousness of the Prime Minister lies in the fact that he himself is heading the high-level committee on the country's digital economy and has made Chairman P@SHA part of it. Zohaib Khan stated that PM, on
P@SHA’s request, had advised SBP to ensure commercial banks allow 35 percent retention of foreign currency into special foreign currency accounts (FCYs). This facility was made mandatory for the banks to remove any discretion exercised by the banks; however, commercial banks have made the facility mandatory for the companies as well even if companies do not wish to retain forex.
This has created panic in the industry once again about the uncertainty of policy and its implementation.
tHE rupee fell from rs 231 to rs 255 in the interbank market on thursday, its biggest loss in percentage terms, as the government allowed its free float, one of the crucial demands by the international Monetary fund for the resumption of its Extended structural adjustment facility, with the rupee likely to sink even lower, as the market correction is not yet complete.
federal finance Minister ishaq Dar has already announced the intention of taking the fiscal measures the iMf had demanded, which include a mini-budget which will raise gas and fuel prices, raising gas prices 74 percent and power prices rs 7.50 per unit, and raising excise duties on cigarettes, drinks and luxury items, an additionalwithholding tax on bank transactions, as well as freely floating the rupee. the free float will have inflationary effects almost immediately. imported goods will be sold at rates based on the new parity with the dollar and will provide windfall profits to retailers.
the real vehicle for inflation will be in fuel prices. the fall in the rupee has been enough to absorb any except the most extraordinary fall in global oil prices, with the result that there will additional inflation as goods transport and power rates become more expensive. it may be noted that senator Dar’s attempt to defend the rupee, which was the policy measure he was best associated with, has come to an abrupt end. this was inevitable, with professional economists calling his attempts ill-advised, and with the rupee sinking lower with every trading session, it becoming clearer that the policy could not be sustained with having a lot of money to throw around. senator Dar came to the finance Ministry last year to bring down the inflation ruining his party’s electoral hopes. His assumption that inflation was imported proved simplistic, and instead, Pakistan is faced with the sort of inflation it has never seen.
With Pakistan down to forex reserves of around $3.3 billion, just enough to cover a few weeks of imports, that money is simply not there. With even friendly countries like China and saudi arabia not willing to help unless the iMf programme is restored, there is no real choice left. However, these measures might well have come very late, too late in fact to avert a default, that unthinkable eventuality which has now become a possibility every time a debt servicing payment rolls around.
Arif Nizami (Late) Founding Editor M. A. Niazi Joint Editor
Be careful what you wish for
THE Pti got its wish, and managed a dissolution of both provincial assemblies. However, that did not lead to its further wish, that the national assembly be dissolved, and fresh elections held. instead, it got the resignations of 113 of its Mnas accepted, in three batches. that torpedoed a move for the Pti to return to the assemblies, saying that they were withdrawing their resignations, and taking part in the proceedings of the House. the Pti had won 149 seats in 2018, and imran Khan had got 176 votes in the election for PM. However, the 139 members of the parliamentary party not just mitted the smaller parties which had allied with the Pti, but also 21 Pti Mnas who did not resign, and have taken their seats in the assembly with raja riaz as their leader, and consequently he is Leader of the opposition. there were 123 resignations received, of which, after the acceptance of 113, 10 remain unaccepted, and thus the members are liable to return to the House. if the resigning members were allowed back, this would mean that raja riaz could no longer remain Leader of the opposition, or parliamentary party leader. the demand that the Chairmanship of the Public accounts Committee also be allocated to it also makes sense. Usually, the Leader of the opposition is elected Chairman of the Committee of which he is a member. However, when is another matter? it may be remembered that Benazir Bhutto was elected Chairman of the foreign relations Committee in the 1990-1993 assembly, but that took place just before the dissolution of the House under article 58 (2b) by President Ghulam ishaq Khan in 1993.
the Pti’s reasoning seems a little flawed, being too narrowly focused on the politics of ins and outs. there is a national economic crisis, which is a mixture of a foreign exchange crisis, a bout of inflation and flood damage. Under these circumstances, the dissolution of two assemblies was perhaps too radical a step. Just as the Pti’s dissolution was perhaps not fully thought through, the acceptance of the resignations may have been more of a kneejerk reaction than anything else.
the White House. speaker Kevin McCarthy may not be the leader of the republican Party because former President Donald trump is still very powerful, and may run again for President in 2024. However, House speaker nancy Pelosi was very much the Democrat leader while trump was President.
Yousaf Nizami Editor
Umar Aziz Executive Editor Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad Joint Editor
it also illustrated that a Pakistani presiding officer is partisan in the end, more like Us presiding officers that the speaker of the House of Commons, whose neutrality is supposed to be a given. He can afford to be neutral, because all the partisan work is done by the whips. the speaker has to observe neutrality in the conduct of debates, and by sticking to the rules which ensure the accountability of the Executive, through the various means by which the ministers have to answer for their departments. that also applies to the speaker of the Us House of representatives, but the speakership is now a partisan office, not in the role he or she plays, which continues to be one of neutrality while in the chair, but is considered the leader of the party if it does not occupy
the presiding officer of the Us senate does not have this quality, because he is the Vice-President. (the indian Vice-President also has this job, and presides over the upper house of indian Parliament, the rajya sabha.) the Us President and Vice-President belong to the same party, so that solves the problem. the President in Pakistan has the senate Chairman as a sort of deputy, even though elected by the senate itself. that provision was probably copied from the american constitution via the indian. the neutrality of the Pakistani speaker is thus subordinated to political goals. the speakership and the Prime Ministership are linked. speaker Meraj Khalid was the first to become PM, being appointed caretaker PM in 1993, but one of his successors as speaker, Yousaf reza Gilani, became PM. He was succeeded by raja Pervez ashraf, who has now become speaker. raja Pervez might look to his namesake Pervez Elahi, who has been Punjab speaker twice and CM twice. Punjab has got another example in Manzoor Wattoo, who became CM after having served as speaker. as a matter of fact, Balochistan provides the example of present CM abdul Quddus Bizenjo, who was speaker before having taken office as CM last year. He had been briefly CM in 2018. also from Balochistan are those CMs who have been Deputy Chairman of the senate, like Humayun Khan Marri (who was a caretaker CM) and Jan Mohammad Jamali. are former PMs parked in the speakership? or are CM or PM hopefuls given the speakership as a sort of consolation prize? only Wattoo seems to have parlayed his speakership into the Chief Ministership. However, it should not be ignored that speakers may promote their ambitions even if they had none on taking office. to expect them to remain truly neutral is only possible if, as in the UK, the other parties do not oppose re-elections. the speakership is not a gift of the majority party, but speakers are re-elected even if the other party wins. also, the speakership should be the culmination of a political career, with no prospect of any office in the future. (it need not be the Prime Ministership.
The main consequence of the resignations being accepted is that Shehbaz Sharif will consult with Raja Riaz when the House heads to dissolution over the caretaker PM. If the PTI manages even a partial return, he will consult Imran or his nominee. If the matter goes to a joint committee, again, the PTI nominees will not be friendly. If the ECP decides, the result of the pressure it exerts over the ECP’s pick for Punjab CM will be crucial
Hamid nasir Chattha, fakhar imam, Gohar ayub and fehmida Mirza have all served as federal ministers after having served as speaker). instead, it seems to be seen as the equivalent of a senior Cabinet position. there is a difference: it is not a hire-and-fire job. a Cabinet Minister can always be sacked by the PM advising the President to do so, but a speaker has to be voted out of office. no speaker has been voted out by the government which elected him. this is another example of British traditions being abandoned. as a matter of fact, the speaker’s neutrality is a bit of a myth, which developed in the 19th century. initially, the speaker was merely one of the members who spoke the House of Commons’ decisions to the King. that person had to preside over debates to find out what to say. one of the requirements was impartiality in giving members the opportunity to speak. otherwise, he remained a member of the Cabinet. a memory of that remains in the House Business Committee; the bipartisan body chaired by the speaker, which settles the agenda of the House for each session. it was only in the 19th century that he moved to a greater neutrality, and truly became what he is today, the custodian of the whole House.
However, now the Pti wishes to attempt a partial return to the House. Members whose resignations have been accepted want the acceptance retracted. resignation, it seems, is being equated with a walkout, which is a means of protest, but not final. resignation does not mean finality, for the member may contest the resulting by-election. However, the Pti seems to have learnt the wrong lesson from the 2014 dharna that its Mnas can resign in protest, and come back when they want. as a political tactic, it does not seem to have worked, because the Pti does not seem to have a fallback plan for if the bluff was called, and the resignations accepted.
the main consequence of the resignations being accepted is that shehbaz sharif will consult with raja riaz when the House heads to dissolution over the caretaker PM. if the Pti manages even a partial return, he will consult imran or his nominee. if the matter goes to a joint committee, again, the Pti nominees will not be friendly. if the ECP decides, the result of the pressure it exerts over the ECP’s pick for Punjab CM will be crucial.
The writer is a member of staff
ture or specifically the norms followed by the rss. this policy of saffronizing india has covered almost all aspects of india. the current BJP government under PM Modi is saffronizing the media, education, public spaces, nationalism, and overall the people’s brain with its political rhetoric and media discourse. all these activities are being used to legitimize their rule and to keep their sole identity alive to remain in power.
is taking advantage of this by using Bollywood as a platform to create hardcore Hindu extremists and further fulfill their agenda.
way station’ to ‘Deen Dayal Upadhyaya’, a right-wing Hindu ideologue.
Saffronisation is not a policy of indianization, but a mere game of power politics played by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), a political wing of the right-wing extremist organization rashtriya swayamsevak sangh (rss). the policy of saffronisation or neologisms like Hindu rashtriya and akhand Bharat are a mere tool for legitimizing its violent acts and atrocities and its power in the state as the saviour of Hindus in india. the BJP has gotten into power with this extremist approach and has turned india from the largest secular democracy to a saffronized state dictated by Hindu fundamentalists. saffronisation is a policy inspired by the word ‘saffron’ which is worn by hardcore Hindu extremists. it is a policy of redefining india according to the Hindu cul-
BJP leaders are of the opinion that modifying india’s schoolbooks and educational system is not an act of saffronization, but instead it is an indianization of education, liberating it from the colonialist viewpoint of the West. nevertheless, the change is based on a greater emphasis on the Hindu identity and principles. this point of view can be seen in rss’s ideology, which is mainly shaped by Dinanath Batra, former secretary of Vidya Bharati (a school supported by rss). He has proposed to take out from the curriculum Mirza Ghalib’s couplets, an extract from the autobiography of artist Maqbool fida Husain, to remove the statement about Mughal Emperor akbar’s “sulh-i-Kul” policy that speaks of the equality of all religions in the eyes of God, and even a statement of PM Manmohan singh that condemns acts of violence against sikhs. these ideas demonstrate how the concept of “western influence” is being used to generate a leading discourse based on the beliefs of the rss, making schools their recruitment and training centres.
Ever since the BJP took power, there has been an observable saffronisation of the Bollywood industry. a plethora of movies depicting Hindu rulers of the past have been produced, often manipulating history in order to glorify them. this has resulted in the formation of a “Hindu vs Muslim” binary opposition, helping to accomplish the objectives of the rss. the level of sensitivity of this topic can be seen through the riots caused by the controversy surrounding the movie Padmaavat and Deepika Padukone’s saffron-coloured dress in Pathaan. these controversies are proof of the great impact that Bollywood has on people’s minds. the BJP
the BJP has also tried to saffronize the public spaces by renaming the existing roads, railway stations and airports named after the Muslim ruler to the Hindu ideologues in order to raise the Hindu identity among Hindu extremists. Examples of this saffronisation can be found in the renaming of ‘aurangzeb road’ to ‘a.P.J abdul Kalam’, a pro-BJP former President of india, in 2015, and the renaming of ‘Mughalsarai Junction rail-
The RSS is trying to create a Hindu nation based on Hindu cultural superiority by using political rhetoric and media discourse, and by the illtreatment of Muslims and other minorities. In deconstructing the fascist ideologies of Mussolini, Hitler, and Modi, one similarity that is eminent is the struggle for power. Indeed, the policy of saffronisation is nothing but power politics.
india has been the site of numerous violent events, particularly targeting Muslims, and also Dalits, and sikhs. With 24 out of 29 states banning cow slaughter, the BJP has been implementing Hindu nationalist policies which disregard other religious traditions. this has been seen in the criminalization of interfaith relationships (Love Jihad) and the wearing of hijabs. People have been killed for the possession of beef and there have been reports of caste-based violence against Dalits, such as rapes, and the ritual of ‘sidi’ where they have to pierce their flesh and tie themselves to a wooden pole. the Gujarat Massacre, where the Modi-led government and the rss committed an atrocious act of violence against Muslims, has only served to increase Hindu extremism in india.
the fascist regime of the BJP is trying to redefine the nationalism of india based on religion as a Hindu nation and creating a binary opposition. this fascist agenda has its roots in the fascism practised by Mussolini in italy and Hitler in Germany, which was based on creating a nation based on their extremist political rhetoric, the superiority of their nation and culture, and the extermination of a large number of Jews. these ideas are also fascinating to the rss, and the policies of the rss can be viewed as a reflection of the fascist ideals of Mussolini and Hitler.
the rss is trying to create a Hindu nation based on Hindu cultural superiority by using political rhetoric and media discourse, and by the ill-treatment of Muslims and other minorities. in deconstructing the fascist ideologies of Mussolini, Hitler, and Modi, one similarity that is eminent is the struggle for power. indeed, the policy of saffronisation is nothing but power politics. it is a question of survival for them to keep this extremist right-wing approach alive for keeping themselves in power
The writer can be reached at muhammadshahbazrajper135@gmail.com
The rupee’s fall means that the government is going to go to the IMFMuhAMMAd ShAhbAZ RAjPeR
it has become customary for our econo- mic wizards to suggest privatisation of industries and institutions as a panacea for the nation’s economic woes. former finance minister Miftah ismail is one of them who recently endorsed privatisa-tion and termed it a saviour for the rather wobbling economy. in his opinion, education and health sectors should be outsourced and the public be compensated with subsidised education and health through vouchers or insurance. if this is done, what is the guarantee that such subsidies and vouchers would not be exclusive for a particular class having the desired political loyalty? Moreover, who will ensure transparency in the disburse-ment of these subsidies and vouchers?
the minister also favours privatisation of the national airline as well as electricity and natural gas distribution and supply companies, calling them a burden on the national exchequer. they may all be a burden on the feeble economy, but when a part of our body does not work, it is not cut away from the body; it is rather cured or managed. Likewise, when the parents reach an age when they stop benefiting us, they are not, and should never be, alienated. He has also advocated establishing major private-sector hospitals in different cities as a means to providing healthcare to the masses. this really challenges one’s intellect. are the existing private hospitals in the country providing healthcare facilities to the poor or are they exclusively meant for the rich?
Even as Myanmar carries out joint border patrolling with Bangladesh, it supplies weapons to destabilize it
SufIAN SIddIqueAjoint military exercise was conducted by Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and Myanmar Border Guard force (BGP) at naf river in teknaf, Cox’s Bazar, this week.
BGB teknaf 2 Battalion Commander Lt Col sheikh Khalid Mohammad iftekhar gave this information in a press release. it is said that in order to effectively secure the BangladeshMyanmar Border, a joint patrol started at the naf river at the zero line of the border following all the protocols of border management around 9:30 am. the 12-member BGB patrol team was led by teknaf battalion Co Colonel sheikh and 12 members of BGP led the patrol team led by BGP Mongdu no. 1 branch captain Lt. Col. Ye Y show.
Colonel Khalid said that joint patrolling had been suspended for almost three years from March 2020 due to the outbreak of covid-19 worldwide and the situation on the Myanmar border since July 2022, which was adversely affecting border management. in this context, with the efforts of the border guard forces of both countries, it was decided to start this joint patrol with the consent of both countries in the BGBBGP battalion commanders flag meeting on october 30. the border guards of both countries started joint patrolling operations.
the BGB Co also said that a courtesy meeting was held at the Co level during the joint exercise. it was said in the meeting that as a result of the joint patrolling, full control of the respective border guard forces will be established on the islands in the naf river located along the border and which were used as shelters for smuggling or criminal gangs. the joint patrolling will continue in the future as well. it is strongly hoped that the border forces of both the countries will thus be able to keep their own borders safe by cont.
in this regard, Bangladesh Home Minister asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said, rohingya would not be only Bangladesh’s challenge. the whole world will be challenged. the rohingya left everything and came to Bangladesh. so, they could be tempted by any temptation. for that, they can become victims of international terrorists.
Kamal said that three groups of rohingyas are causing the recent clashes at the tumbru border with various incitements. the rohingyas who have taken refuge in Bangladesh are creating chaos. there are three-four groups among the rohingyas. some are engaging in yaba business, some are fighting themselves. Kamal also said that the law-and-order forces have been put on the highest alert.
Exciting bordEr situation: if the active insurgents among the rohingya who have taken refuge in Bangladesh cannot be controlled now, then the border situation and its sovereignty may be threatened, apart from the overall security system. in their opinion, the country is creating instability on the border as part of various conspiracies with Myanmar and Bangladesh to prevent the repatriation of rohingyas by proving them terrorists. the Myanmar army is supplying heavy weapons including grenades to some rohingya terrorists in addition to drugs.
Law enforcement agencies are also worried about the use of sophisticated grenades by these terrorists after the use of sophisticated weapons like the M-16 and aK-47. according to the information provided by them, multiple clashes and shootings have occurred between two groups fighting to maintain their supremacy in multiple shelter camps in Ukhia in four months. at least 23 people died. 10 of them are rohingya. apart from this, 37 people were abducted from Ukhia alone in the last four months. among them, 11 people were rescued by law-and-order forces. the rest had to be ransomed. the abductees are 17 rohingya and 20 locals. the rohingya terrorists hiding in the Ukhia-teknaf shelter camp of Cox’s Bazar are using sophisticated weapons to increase their firepower. rohingya leaders are being targeted and killed. 23 people have been killed in the last four months in the camp. recently, a talented intelligence officer was killed by rohingya terrorists during a drug and weapons recovery operation. the question of the locals is, where do they get weapons in protected areas like camps? there is no good answer. Horrible crimes like drug and human trafficking worth hundreds of crores of takas are taking place in the camps. Heinous acts like human and women trafficking have been going on for the last few years. it is feared that the violence may spread. if they are not brought under control now, the country’s sovereignty may be threatened.
the rohingya terrorist who is being talked about from Bali Khali camp in Ukhia. since the recovery of the grenade, the panic in the camp is increasing.
in this regard, the sHo Ukhia sheikh Mohammad ali said that the green grenade found in the rohingya settlement is similar to argus grenade. on investigation, the police came to know that the grenade belonged to the nabi force. arrested and injured during the incident, nabi is one of the accomplices of rohingya terrorist nabi Hussain. so, to know how the grenade came to his house, Mohammad nabi would be remanded and questioned, said the sHo.
On the one hand, the Myanmar government continues to discuss the repatriation of the Rohingyas, while on the other, the camps are being systematically disrupted with the help of terrorists there. In particular, the allegations of direct cooperation with ARSA and Nabi Hussain forces are long-standing.
on January 17, during the search of BGB’s hideout of drug dealers on Palang Khali border of Ukhia Upazila, drug kingpin and terrorist nabi Hossain Bahini fired over 200 rounds at BGB. BGB fired back in selfdefence. However, there were no casualties.
on the other hand, members of the armed group rohingya salvation army (arsa) and members of rohingya solidarity organization (rso) clashed at the zero line of the tumbru border at around 6 am last Wednesday. Houses of rohingyas were set on fire from Wednesday afternoon. the shooting continued until 9 pm.
More than 10 were injured.
4200 rohingyas of 621 families lived in this camp on the zero line of tumbru border. the residents of the border area said that they are living miserable days. Habiba Begum (45), a resident of the Ghumdhum Konapara rohingya refugee camp, said that one-third of the rohingya’s homes had been burnt down. as a result, many have taken refuge in two schools. Habiba Begum said, “i don’t know where my three sons are now.” according to the information of the law enforcement agencies, the law enforcement agencies have been shaken since the recent recovery of a grenade from the house of nabi Hussain,
in this direction, after the recovery of grenades, several reliable sources claim that there are hundreds of grenades and a large number of sophisticated weapons in totardia secret hideout on the border, which is said to be nabi Hussain’s base. from there the weapons were taken to different camps. the grenades are claimed to be made in Myanmar. the alleged arsa members are also not lagging behind in collecting weapons. they have also stockpiled weapons by setting up bases on the border with the cooperation of Myanmar. there are allegations that some actors are providing heavy weapons including grenades to the rohingya terrorists as part of various conspiracies, along with drugs, to create instability in Bangladesh. Myanmar wants to block the repatriation of rohingyas by proving them terrorists. security agencies monitoring rohingya terrorists have information that nabi Hussain and arsa have been supplied by the Myanmar army with a large number of Myanmar-made grenades as well as heavy weapons. one nabi Hussain has hundreds of grenades in his hands, and is able to carry out large-scale attacks in and outside the camp. an intelligence agency source confirmed that the matter has already been reported to the highest level of the government. on the one hand, the Myanmar government continues to discuss the repatriation of the rohingyas, while on the other, the camps are being systematically disrupted with the help of terrorists there. in particular, the allegations of direct cooperation with arsa and nabi Hussain forces are long-standing. the main goal of some actors is to destabilize the camps and portray the rohingya as terrorists through killings between the two groups. Because of this, rohingya terrorists can come and go in Myanmar without any hindrance.
the writer is a freelance columnist
With suggestions like these, we should all be actually grateful to the former finance minister for not suggesting the privatisation of defence services, police and courts. in a recent statement, Balochistan chief minister said the province had spent about rs40 billion on security matters. should we consider that as a burden as well, and think in terms of outsourcing security affairs? Mass-scale outsourcing of public-sector industries, institutions and services is surly not the solution. Even if all state institutions are privatised, our economic wizards have little idea how to use the billions of dollars they think the country will earn by selling off the proverbial family silver.
Besides, there is no guarantee that these billions of dollars would not be plundered. the only possible solution to the crises is good governance, impartial accounta-bility, transparency and the rule of law in the country. and, critically, all these need to be done on a sustained basis without which there is no hope of things ever going steady for the country.
SYED FAREED AHMED QUETTA
aftEr electricity loadshedding in the summer, shortage of natural gas for heating homes in these harsh winters is the new crisis people across the country have been facing. Pakistan is not alone in facing a severe energy crisis, as the rest of the world, especially Europe, is also suffering from gas shortages for various reasons, the most relevant currently being the lack of natural gas supply from russia owing to its war with Ukraine.
Pakistanis, however, are no strangers to the shortage of natural gas, especially in winters, as gas loadshedding has been a norm in large parts of the country for as long as anyone can remember. But this year the gas situation is perhaps the worst, with gas loadshedding in cities and areas that had never suffered on this count in the past. although households, commercial establishments and government offices have adopted renewable energy sources, like solar panels, in recent years, special attention needs to be given to what could be a ‘gold mine’ when it comes to natural gas. the natural gas, more commonly known as sui gas in Pakistan, is essentially methane in its composition. this methane is currently available in multiple forms, including liquefied natural gas (LnG), liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), compressed natural gas (CnG) and natural gas. the least used option is that of biogas. at the government level, it is practically nonexistent. Methane produced from biodegra-dable sources is a practical solution to our crisis, as animal dung, or manure, is produced abundantly every day, and so far its only practical use is as a natural fertiliser. Biogas in other countries is currently being used for multiple purposes, from producing electricity to heating homes. in Pakistan, the alternative Energy Development Board (aEDB) does recognise biomass as a source to produce electricity, but biogas as a source of heating and cooking has still not been developed the way it should have been. though individual and financially well-off cattle farmers are using biogas in a captive sense, we need to give special attention to this source of energy for domestic and industrial use. the policymakers need to work on this project so that biogas can be used as a viable alternative energy source in addition to natural gas, whose reserves have been diminishing in the country. Biogas can be produced at a low cost compared to imported gas, and this can also address the shortfall in the winters.
ABDUL MOIZ ISLAMABADtHE recent decision to allow a rapist to go unpunished after he married his victim is a slap in the face of human rights. a local jirga facilitated an out-of-court settlement between the families of the victim and the offender. this settlement is a clear reflection of the deep-rooted patriarchal mindset of society. Women are often treated like subjects with no voice or choice. the ruling is a step backwards in terms of ensuring justice, and a step forward in normalising the rape culture. this is an absurd development, especially in the context of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), where women’s lives are often controlled by their male guardians under the pretext of socio-religious obligations. another serious issue faced by the rape survivors is the social stigma that forces them to stay quiet about the heinous crime. the situation is alarming as, according to recent reports, a woman is raped in Pakistan every two hours. More than 21,000 women were reported to have been raped in just last four years and the unreported cases outnumbered the reported ones. the patriarchal mindset prevailing in all sections of society cannot be turned overnight, but providing justice to the victim is essential under all circumstances. ZARQUM
PReSIDeNT Putin’s declaration of partial mobilisation is a sign of the utter failure of Russia’s Ukraine strategy since February’s invasion. That Putin waited so long before declaring mobilisation is partly because it involves an implicit recognition of this failure, and of the fact that the “special military operation” is in fact a full-scale war, which Russia seems to be losing. It is also because he feared – rightly – a backlash from the Russian public. his regime is now in serious danger. Another major defeat would most probably bring it down.
What could be much more dangerous than the mobilisation itself is the combination of this announcement with the decision to hold referendums in the eastern Donbas (recognised as independent by Russia in February), and the other territories occupied by Russian forces during the invasion.
The key question is not the results of the “votes” on joining Russia themselves, which are a foregone conclusion, but whether the Russian government and parliament move immediately to annex these territories. If they do, it will be a sign that Moscow has given up any hope of peace and is ready to fight on indefinitely; for this annexation could never be accepted by Ukraine or the west and be part of any agreed settlement. The very best that could be hoped for in Ukraine will then be a series of unstable ceasefires punctuated by war, as has been the case in Kashmir for the past 75 years.
It will become apparent within the next week whether this is in fact Moscow’s intention, or whether the referendums are instead a move to create bargaining chips for future negotiation. It should be remembered that the Donbas separatist republics declared independence from Ukraine in 2014, but it was only eight years later, on the eve of war this February, that Moscow officially recognised their independence. In the meantime, Moscow negotiated with Ukraine and the west on the return of these territories to Ukraine with guarantees of full autonomy, under the Minsk II agreement of 2015.
This time, too, the referendums may be a threat to annex if the west does not seek a compromise, rather than a prelude to immediate annexation. Some hope that this may be the case was given by Putin’s approving reference in his speech last week to Ukraine’s peace offer of March, which included a treaty of neutrality and a shelving of the territorial disputes for future negotiation. The reasons for the collapse of those peace negotiations are highly disputed, but in Russia’s version of events it was the west that blocked them and Ukraine that abandoned them.
The reasons why Moscow might want a
ceasefire are obvious. Putin’s original plan, to capture Kyiv and turn Ukraine into a client state, failed utterly. The fall-back plan, to capture the Russian-speaking areas of the east and south, was fought to a standstill far short of many of its key goals, and is now in serious danger of being rolled back by Ukrainian counteroffensives. Putin’s regime has been badly shaken by its defeat in Kharkiv province. If Ukraine were to drive Russia from Kherson or large parts of the Donbas, Putin’s survival in power would be in question.
If there is no ceasefire or peace negotiations, Russia does have means of serious escalation. It could defend the remaining occupied territories, while vastly intensifying attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure that have already begun. If Russia does annex the occupied territories, then it is possible that Putin may threaten nuclear strikes to defend what Moscow would then define as Russian sovereign territory. As the Biden administration makes it increasingly obvious that it is changing the US one China policy, Russia can also hope that in response China will greatly increase military and financial aid.
In the meantime, as we are already seeing, unrest in Russian society is bound to
PAST COVERT OPS AND SABOTAGE PROVIDE CLUES TO THE APPARENTLY DELIBERATE DESTRUCTION OF NORD STREAM PIPELINES
its last sails. It’s clear that europe itself wouldn’t benefit from that. Nor does it benefit at all from any of its own anti-Russian sanctions. But who gave Brussels that idea, to harm its own economy in the first place?
rachElmarsdEn.com
rachEl MarsdEn
SPeCUlATIoN abounds since both Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines, designed to carry cheap Russian gas to europe, were damaged this week in what officials widely describe as deliberate acts of sabotage. Who could be responsible? Incidents buried in the past may provide a clue.
Speculation abounds, and typically in a direction colored by the preexisting biases of the person speculating – which is hardly helpful.
let’s start with the end result and work backwards. The outcome ultimately means that europe’s economic impetus for ever seeking peace with Russia has been seriously undermined, if not literally destroyed. Someone has taken it upon themselves to demolish the remaining bridges between the two. Until now, there was always a chance of reconciliation.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said himself recently that all the eU needed to do to pull itself out of its self-imposed energy crisis was to push the button on its gas supply from Russia and drop the anti-Russian sanctions that prevent it from doing so.
People in the streets of German cities protesting against Berlin’s blind following of Brussels’ anti-Russia sanctions also knew that was the answer. But now that option has been taken off the table. The eU is now adrift amid a deepening energy crisis and someone burned
At the onset of the Ukrainian conflict, it was Washington that egged on the eU to mirror measures that Washington itself had adopted in an effort to deprive Moscow of revenues to fuel its interests and objectives in Ukraine. The problem is that the eU’s economy was far more entwined with Russia’s than America’s. Any sense that US President Joe Biden and his administration may have given eU leaders, that they’d be there to help the bloc soften the blow of its self-sacrificial sanctions, has since been replaced by a harsh, pragmatic reality. US shale executives have explained to Western media that they simply lack the capacity to ramp up production for europe’s winter crunch, even amid the growing rationing, deindustrialization, and risk of blackouts.
So, pressure has recently been increasing on eU member states to achieve a rapid diplomatic, peaceful resolution. But any reconnection of Nord Stream gas would have been a blow to US economic ambitions, which eventually include turning the eU into a dependent liquefied natural gas client. To that end, US officials have even tried to market their natural gas in the past as “freedom molecules,” in contrast to the “authoritarian” Russian gas.
Biden himself said of Nord Stream 2 during a press conference on February 7, before the Ukraine conflict had even popped off, that “we will bring an end to it,” despite it being out of American control. But even long before that, the US was sanctioning and bullying european companies into halting construction on Nord Stream 2 under the pretext of saving europe from Russia. It’s worth noting that europe didn’t really have problems with Russia this century until the US decided to make Ukraine an outpost for the State Department. Not only did Gazprom, Russia’s stateowned operator of the pipeline, persist against all odds to finish it, but it’s really the only leverage that Moscow has in europe. Attributing to Moscow the recent sabotage of their own
grow. This discontent is compounded by a mixture – often present at the same time in the minds of Russians – of opposition to the war itself and fury at the incompetence of its conduct by Putin and his entourage.
If this continues, then a coup against Putin will become a real possibility. This would not necessarily be violent, and might indeed not appear publicly at all. Instead, a delegation of establishment figures would go to Putin and tell him that, to preserve the regime itself, it is necessary for him (and a few other top figures implicated in military failure, such as the defence minister, Sergei Shoigu) to step down, in return for guarantees of immunity from prosecution and security of property. Something not unlike this happened when Yeltsin handed over power to Putin in 1999.
Members of the Russian establishment who took such a step would be running grave risks: for themselves personally if the move failed, but also for the Russian establishment and Russia itself, if a change of leadership led to a split in the elite, political chaos and a radical weakening of the central state.
They would therefore most probably need some assurance that if Putin could be
HOME, IT’S TIME THE WEST TRIED TO NEGOTIATE A WAY BACK FROM THE BRINK
removed, the west would be prepared to offer his successor a deal that would allow the new government to claim some measure of Russian success. otherwise, ruling over a weakened state and military, and faced with what Russians would view as western demands for unconditional surrender, the new government would assume the catastrophic burden of Weimar German democracy after the first world war, permanently branded as the regime of surrender and national humiliation.
looking at this prospect, a successor to Putin would very likely blame him personally for everything that has gone wrong in Ukraine, while answering growing calls by Russian hardliners to declare complete national mobilisation and greatly intensify the war. This could spread the war beyond Ukraine’s borders. If we wish to avoid this prospect, there is still time for the west to take up Putin’s implicit offer of talks; but not much time.
Anatol Lieven is director of the Eurasia programme at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft.
economic interests in europe seems absurd. The damage done to the pipelines now means that to prevent them from being completely filled with sea water and destroyed, Russia is forced to keep pumping gas through them and into the sea at their own expense. What exactly does Moscow gain from any of this? Conversely, what does Washington gain? Nothing less than Brussels’ full dependence, which proved elusive when europe could split its interests between the east and west.
As for who possesses the technical ability to execute underwater pipeline sabotage, both Russia and the US do. Much has been made in the past of the potential for cutting undersea cables – defined as an act of war by UK defense chief Admiral Sir Tony Radakin. The US actually has a history in such operations, having tapped into undersea cables to spy on the Soviet Union in the 1970s operation Ivy Bells, according to public records about operation Ivy Bells. Washington also has sabotaged Soviet gas pipelines before, albeit indirectly – according to Thomas C. Reed, a former Air Force secretary who served on the National Security Council in 1982, when then-US President Ronald Reagan allegedly approved a plan for the CIA to sabotage components of a pipeline operated by the Soviet Union. The objective was to prevent Western europe from importing natural gas from the Soviets. Sound familiar?
Time and inquiry will uncover the culprit eventually – if we’re lucky. eU officials are vowing to get to the bottom of it. “All available information indicates leaks are the result of a deliberate act. Deliberate disruption of european energy infrastructure is utterly unacceptable and will be met with a robust and united response,” Tweeted the bloc’s chief diplomat, Josep Borrell. Perhaps investigators could pay a visit to Radoslaw Sikorski, european Parliament member and former Polish foreign minister, who tweeted a photo of the disaster aftermath along with the note, “Thank you, USA.”
But if it indeed turns out that Washington committed what some consider to be an act of war against europe’s economy, will Brussels have the heart to really confront it? or will Brussels continue to find justifications to remain complicit in its own demise?
Rachel Marsden is a columnist, political strategist, and host of independently produced talk-shows in French and English.
NOTABLY, THE SC JUDGMENT TALKS OF FAMILIAL AND CONJUGAL VIOLENCE, INCLUDING WOMEN WHO CONCEIVE OUT OF MARITAL RAPE AMONG THOSE WHO CAN SEEK TERMINATION OF PREGNANCY WITHIN THE SPECIFIED PERIOD
IN RECOGNISING EVERY WOMAN, MARRIED AND SINGLE, AS ARBITER OF HER OWN BODY, SC’S ABORTION JUDGMENT IS MOMENTOUS
IndIan ExprEss Editorial
The Supreme Court has delivered a seminal judgment that could have a significant impact in enlarging and expanding women’s reproductive rights in the country. The apex court bench comprising Justices DY Chandrachud, Surya Kant and AS Bopanna said that all women — whether married or in consensual relationships, and including “persons other than cis-gender women” — are entitled to seek an abortion within 20-24 weeks of the pregnancy. The bench was hearing the case of a 25-year-old unmarried woman, whose plea for termination of her pregnancy in the 24th week was turned down by a division bench of the Delhi high Court on the ground that the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Rules, 2003, did not extend to unmarried women in consensual relationships.
In a country where the woman’s body has, more often than not, been a site of the patriarchy index, the Supreme Court’s recognition of her right to equality and, equally significantly, to her agency and choice, is momentous. In recent times, in comparison to many other countries, including the US — where the landmark Roe vs Wade judgment granting constitutional validity to the right to abort was recently overturned — abortion laws in India have moved in a more progressive direction, but much more needs to be done. Under Section 312 of the Indian
Penal Code, 1860, abortion remains a criminal offence, to which the MTP Act provides exceptions, and, even within the wider ambit of the much-needed recent amendments to the law, it continues to adhere to hetero-patriarchal structures that make the approval of others integral to abortion-related services and do not recognise a broader gender spectrum. Five decades after the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act was passed in 1971, the MTP (Amendment) Act, 2021, introduced crucial and welcome changes, including the right to terminate unwanted pregnancies caused by contraceptive failure. Now, in calling for a less restrictive and more “purposive interpretation” of the amendments and seeking to further free them from social conservatism, the Supreme Court on Thursday has opened up valuable room for greater freedom. The support of the law is only the first step in what is, in reality, a harrowing fight for reproductive and bodily autonomy on the ground, but it is crucial.
Notably, the SC judgment talks of familial and conjugal violence, including women who conceive out of marital rape among those who can seek termination of pregnancy within the specified period. While the judgment specifies its validity only within the purview of the MTP (Amendment) Act, it remains to be seen how this will be implemented, given that marital rape is still not a criminal offence in India. Yet, in its recognition of every woman as the arbiter of her own body and in respecting her right to choose, Thursday’s judgment is important and laudable.
THE KEY QUESTION IS NOT THE RESULTS OF THE “VOTES” ON JOINING RUSSIA THEMSELVES, WHICH ARE A FOREGONE CONCLUSION, BUT WHETHER THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT AND PARLIAMENT MOVE IMMEDIATELY TO ANNEX THESE TERRITORIES. IF THEY DO, IT WILL BE A SIGN THAT MOSCOW HAS GIVEN UP ANY HOPE OF PEACE AND IS READY TO FIGHT ON INDEFINITELY
WITH PUTIN MIRED IN THE UKRAINE WAR AND FACING UNREST AT
lahore
Staff REpoRt
MCB Bank Limited, one of Pakistan’s leading banks, has entered into a strategic partnership with Telenor Pakistan, a leading telecommunication services provider, to facilitate its digital banking customers with greater access to Telenor Pakistan’s prepaid recharge services, special bundles and post-paid services.
Under the partnership, MCB Live users will be able to pay for new Telenor packages, special bundles, post-paid services and a host of other services directly from within the MCB Live app, at a single click of a button. The integration provides MCB Live users greater flexibility and convenience in acquiring Telenor Pakistan’s services on the go
IsLAmAbAd: Pakistan Bureau of statistics (PBS) is striving hard for the smooth execution of 7th Population and Housing Census which will be conducted digitally for the first time in history of Pakistan. PBS, has completed all the necessary preparations for conduct of census, accordingly one of the key requirements is nomination of Provincial Census Commissioners by provincial governments as per General Statistics Reorganization Act 2011. As the execution of Field Enumeration is the responsibility of Provincial Governmentstherefore an orientation session was arranged for all provincial Census Commissioners/Census Commissioners of provinces/region. DrNaeemuz Zafar, Chief Census Commissionerwelcomed all participants from Provinces and briefly explained that the role of the Provincial Census Commissioners is crucial for smooth. pR
IsLAmAbAd: Chairman Capital Development Authority Captain (R) Noorul Amin Mengal presided over a meeting at CDA headquarters regarding Metro bus service in the city at CDA headquarters on Thursday. The meeting was attended by Member Engineering, Member Admin and other officers of the relvant formations. In the meeting, a detailed briefing was given to Chairman Capital Development Authority Captain (R) Noorul Amin Mengal regarding the operations of Metro bus service and its routes. On this occasion, Chairman CDA Noorul Amin Mengal issued instructions and said that Metro bus service should be expanded on new routes in the city of Islamabad and along with this the service of the existing bus services should also be expanded. pR
IsLAmAbAd: Sohail Aftab has defended his PHD Thesis successfully with distinction as he obtains SummaCum-Laude. He did his PHD research from University of Hamburg, Germany being a scholarship holder of German Academic Exchange Service (GAES) under the supervision of a prominent privacy law scholar Professor Dr. Marion Albers. His thesis topic was “Protecting the right to privacy in Pakistan” learning from theoretical approaches and European Experiences”. Under his thesis, Mr. Sohail Aftab has undertaken an extensive content analysis of Pakistani media and has highlighted media’s intrusive practices in its coverage of sexual violence and issues related to children and women. pR
from wherever they may be.
The agreement was signed between Mr. Shahzad Ishaq – Group Head Digital Banking, MCB Bank and Mr. Umair Mohsin – Chief Marketing Officer, Telenor Pakistan at MCB House, Lahore in the presence of Mr. Jaffar Abbas Shirazi – Division Head Digital Channels & Branchless Bank-
ing MCB Bank, Ms. Ambreen Latif Bawany – Head Marketing MCB Bank and other representatives from MCB Bank and Telenor Pakistan.
Speaking at the occasion, Mr. Shahzad Ishaq, Group Head Digital Banking, MCB Bank lauded the shared objective of creating customer convenience and enhancing customer experi-
Islamabad pR
Federal Minister of Education & Professional Training Rana Tanveer Hussain while addressing the inauguration ceremony of Student Facilitation Center equipped with modern facilities and Online Attestation Portal at the Secretariat of Inter Board Committee of Chairman (IBCC) said that without revolution and innovation in the education system of the country, the development and stability is not possible. The ladder of development of nations is education, despite the economic situation of the country, education is the first priority of the government. IBCC's Student Facilitation Center equipped with modern facilities and Attestation Portal will be a milestone for resolving student problems.
IBCC is solving the problems of students by bringing positive changes in the system day by day. With the inauguration of online attestation portal student don’t need to visit IBCC. In addition, Federal Board has installed a self operated machine “KISOK” at IBCC facilitation center, which benefits the students of FBISE and they don’t have to visit Federal Board for verification of their documents and to get sealed envelope. They can also pay their fee and generate applications through KISOK.
On this occasion, Secretary IBCC Dr. Ghulam Ali
Malah said that educated youth will lead Pakistan on the path of development, most of the country's population is youth who have the right to be educated. IBCC is working hard to solve the problems of the student and bringing automative reforms within the organization. The initiative of QR based attestation and equivalence certificates, the students don’t have to visit IBCC for verification purpose. The can verify their documents from anywhere around the world within no minute. In addition to this, the inauguration of state of the art Facilitation Center the students will benefit from it. IBCC is also bringing digital payment module in all their processes, with the addition of this facility the student don’t need to stand in the long queues for submission of their fee, they can submit it through mobile banking etc.
Islamabad pR
Overseas Pakistanis Foundation (OPF) in line with the vision of honorable Prime Minster of Pakistan is developing the capacity of returnee migrants and providing them with trade-specific toolkits as an In-Kind support to help them start sustained self-employment.
In this connection, a ceremony was organized in Islamabad under OPF’s Pak – German Facilitation & Reintegration Centre (PGFRC) where toolkits were handed over to 170 returning migrants in the fields of culinary arts, fashion designing, information technology, motorcycle mechanic, solar technician, electrician, plumber, carpenter, and mason received their toolkits alongwith Loader Rickshaws, Passenger Rikshaw and Motorcycles for self-employment. These returnee migrants had also completed a comprehensive business development training from PGFRC in their selected trades.
Federal Minister for Overseas Pakistanis &
Human Resource Development, Mr. Sajid Hussain Turi was the chief guest at the ceremony. Dr. Amer Sheikh, Managing Director OPF, Dr. Sebastian Paust, Head of Development Cooperation, Embassy of Federal Republic of Germany, Mr. Tobias Becker, Country Director, GIZ, members of Senate and National Assembly Standing Committees on Overseas Pakistanis & HRD, Members, OPF Board of Governors, senior government officials, representatives of international organizations and civil society representatives also attended the ceremony.
ence through offering Telenor packages and bundles to MCB Bank customers. He also said that “Having a direct connectivity between leading players in banking and telecommunication will be a beginning of deeper cooperation between the two companies. We will continue building sharedvalue to succeed our customers.”
Mr. Umair Mohsin, Chief Marketing Officer, Telenor Pakistan also added, “We’re continuously exploring new channels to facilitate our customers, and this partnership is a testament to that. Through our digital collaboration with MCB, we are creating even more accessibility for our customers so they can recharge their package and make product/bundle purchases from the comfort of their homes. Direct integration with MCB will give sustainable connectivity and improved portfolio.”
LAHORE: Chairman, Pakistan Red Crescent Society, Sardar Shahid Ahmed Laghari says PRCS will expand its humanitarian programs in Punjab province with the support of donors and National Headquarter will take all possible measures to strengthen Red Crescent Punjab to ensure efficient delivery of humanitarian services to vulnerable communities, he said this on his visit to PRCS Punjab Provincial Headquarter and Red Crescent College and Teaching Hospital in Dina Nath here on Thursday. PRCS Chairman visited and inspected various departments at PHQ and Red Crescent Medical College and Teaching Hospital in Dina Nath. Chairman PRCS Punjab Branch Justice (R) Sheikh Ahmed Farooq briefed the Chairman about the ongoing programs and activities of PRCS provincial branch. Sardar Shahid Ahmed Laghari appreciated the humanitarian work done by Red Crescent Punjab branch. He stressed upon improving the PHQ's capacity, volunteers base, and its coordination with National Headquarter and with district chapters so that humanitarian services can be rendered to the vulnerable communities in effective and efficient manner. pR
KARAcHI: Following the meeting of the Board of Directors, Lucky Core Industries Limited announced its financial results for the quarter and six months ended December 31, 2022. Financial Highlights:
During the period under review, the Company entered into a Share Purchase Agreement with Morinaga Milk Industry Co. Ltd Japan (Morinaga Milk), for a partial divestment of approximately 26.5% of the issued and paid up capital of Nutrico Morinaga Private Limited (NMPL). Accordingly, as per IFRS 5 –Non-current Assets Held for Sale and Discontinued Operations, the same has been classified as discontinued operations in the financial statements for the half year ended December 31, 2022. On a consolidated basis (including the results of the Company’s subsidiaries: Lucky Core PowerGen Limited (PowerGen) (formerly ICI Pakistan PowerGen Limited), Net Turnover for the six months period from continuing operations under review rose by 6% to PKR 49,582 million compared to the same period last year (SPLY). pR
The Bank of Punjab celebrated opening of its 780th branch in Lahore on 25th January 2023, making a total of 116 branches opened during 2022 only. Mr. Zafar Masud (President & CEO – BOP) along with key officials of the bank attended this occasion. Speaking at the event, Mr. Zafar Masud (President & CEO – BOP) appreciated the efforts of the team in achieving the milestone of highest ever branch opening in a single year by the Bank of Punjab.
He added that by opening 116 branches in 2022, Bank has taken a lead in the industry which by any standards is a remarkable achievement.
In his address to the team, he shared his vision of expanding the Bank of Punjab’s total branch network to 1000 branches by the year 2025 which will give the bank adequate coverage throughout the country. He also emphasized on the growing need of Islamic banking and advised the team to further enhance their focus on Islamic branches expansion.
Mr. Masud mentioned that as part of a pilot, bank is planning to convert a few conventional branches from
our Public sector department to Islamic Banking which will support and help the Government in executing its Islamic Banking initiatives.
Recognition certificates were also distributed among the officials who played a pivotal role in the opening of highest number of branches in a single year taking the total branches network size to 780 (Conventional and Islamic). The Bank of Punjab plans to open another 110 branches in the year 2023 with major focus on Islamic Banking. This expansion will cover and improve the Bank’s presence in major parts of the country and help in securing low-cost private sector deposits.
Kyiv, UKraine Agencies
RussIAnforces fired dozens of missiles at ukraine on Thursday in a blistering wave of strikes targeting energy infrastructure, a day after Germany and the united states pledged heavy tanks for Kyiv.
The latest wave of attacks came as the Kremlin said Moscow perceived the tank deliveries “as direct involvement in the conflict” and ukraine conceded it was facing mounting pressure from Russian troops on the eastern front.
On a road near the eastern frontline city of Bakhmut, a team of medics welcomed the long-awaited promise of heavy tanks.
“This should have happened sooner, and in bigger quantities,” a doctor called Liza told AFP, adding that she was “very thankful.”
On Wednesday, the united states announced it will provide 31 Abrams tanks to help ukraine repel Russia’s invasion, mirroring a similar move by Germany.
German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said on Thursday that Leopard tanks pledged by Berlin will arrive in “late March, early April.”
Training of ukrainian troops on German Marder infantry fighting vehicles will start in the next few days, he added, and “a little later” for the ukrainian soldiers who will be trained on the Leopard.
In Kyiv, the ukrainian army said its forces had destroyed 47 out of the 55 missiles launched by Russia in a new wave of attacks on Thursday. Russian missiles killed one person and wounded two more in the capital, said Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko.
The 55-year-old man was killed by fragments of a missile that was shot down by ukrainian air defence systems, city officials said.
– Emergency shutdowns –
since October, Russia has been launching regular mass strikes against energy infrastructure across ukraine, with temperatures currently near zero degrees Celsius (32 degrees Fahrenheit).
Energy Minister German Galushchenko accused Russia of seeking to “create a systemic failure in ukraine’s energy system.”
“Emergency shutdowns have been introduced. The most difficult situation is currently in the regions of Kyiv, Odessa and Vinnytsia,” Galushchenko added after the latest strikes. In the southern region of Odessa on the Black sea, “such a situation may last for several days until the damaged power facilities are restored,” energy provider DTEK said.
The attacks delayed the visit of French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, who arrived in Odessa to discuss aid with ukraine’s top diplomat Dmytro Kuleba.
ukraine’s air force also said Thursday its units shot down all 24 Iranian-made drones launched by Russian forces from near southern ukraine. By announcing heavy tank deliveries, the united states and Germany swept aside long-standing misgivings and signalled a new surge of Western support for a counteroffensive against the Russian invasion.
– ‘Intensifying’ Donetsk front –German Chancellor Olaf scholz gave the green light to Germany sending 14 Leopard 2 tanks — a decision that opens the floodgates to several other European countries armed with Leopards to send their own contributions.
Jenin, Palestinian Territories: Israeli forces in a West Bank raid killed nine Palestinians Thursday, said officials in the occupied territory.
The Palestinian health ministry accused Israeli forces of deliberately firing tear gas inside a hospital’s paediatric ward, leaving children choking. The bloodiest day in the West Bank in years erupted during a raid on the crowded refugee camp in the northern city of Jenin, where gunshots rang through the streets and smoke billowed from burning street barricades.
The Palestinian health ministry said the death toll from the clashes rose to “nine martyrs” including a woman, and that 20 people were wounded before the Israeli forces withdrew mid-morning.
Palestinian health minister Mai al-Kaila charged that “occupation forces stormed Jenin Government Hospital and intentionally fired tear gas canisters at the paediatric department in the hospital”.
Israel’s army denied the forces entered the hospital.
“But the activity was not far away from the hospital and it is possible some tear gar entered through an open window,” a spokesman told AFP. Agencies
LAHORE staff report
ina major accolade for Pakistan cricket, captain Babar Azam was named one-day player of the year by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Thursday.
This marks the second consecutive year that Azam, 28, has received the award, which recognizes his exceptional performance and match-winning abilities.
The ICC noted that Azam amassed an impressive 679 runs from just nine ODIs in the past year, with an average of 84.87
and three centuries and five halfcenturies to his name.
Additionally, Azam maintained his position as the topranked batter on the ICC Men’s ODI Player Rankings, a title he has held since July 2021.
The ICC also praised Azam for his leadership as Pakistan’s captain, leading his team to just one loss throughout the year, against Australia in Lahore.
Cricket statistician Mazher Arshad described Azam as “truly an ODI great,” and the ICC highlighted his score of 114 against Australia in Lahore as his most memorable performance of the year.
Free registrations are open for all gaming enthusiasts under PTCL’s Group’s newly launched gaming platform ‘GameKey’ Islamabad – January 26, 2023: Pakistan’s largest telecommunications group – PTCL & Ufone 4G – is bringing aboard professional and aspiring gamers from across Pakistan to compete in a thrilling PUBG MOBILE tournament on its gaming platform, ‘GameKey’. PTCL Group launched GameKey – a one-window access platform to a curated selection of the most popular online games to provide a seamless and rewarding playing experience to all gamers.
Pakistan has recently witnessed a rising gaming culture with a marked upsurge in the number of professional gamers and gaming squads that compete in national and international tournaments, thereby successfully putting Pakistan on the global gaming landscape. PTCL’s GameKey aims to strengthen the country’s gaming landscape by nurturing new talent and promoting professional gamers.
‘GameKey Arena’ is driven by the same motivation to help explore new gaming talent while providing a state-of-the-art platform for established players to showcase their talent and mastery of the sport.
Registrations for GameKey Arena are open
MILAN afp
With 86 minutes gone of their last Serie A home match AC Milan’s title defence was very much alive, two goals to the good against Roma and set to maintain the five-point gap separating the champions and league leaders napoli. Less than three weeks later and their hopes of retaining the Scudetto are hanging by a thread after a sudden slump which has allowed napoli to charge 12 clear almost completely unopposed, and led to them being knocked out of the Italian Cup and losing the Super Cup to Inter Milan. Two quickfire goals from Roger Ibanez and Tammy Abraham snatched a shock draw for a dismal Roma that night at the San Siro, and since then Milan have looked a shadow of the team who last year snatched the title from neighbours Inter. The partying which exploded last Spring in celebration of Milan’s first league crown since 2011 felt like a distant memory on Tuesday night when Lazio demolished Stefano Pioli’s side 4-0 and moved a point behind them in third place. Pioli all-but conceded the title after a miserable display in Rome, admitting that “right now a lot of things aren’t working” as previously reliable performers either get injured or underwhelm on the field.
Director Paolo Maldini insisted on Tuesday that the season “doesn’t seem like a huge disaster” but the Milan icon has been criticised for flop summer signings including Belgium attacker Charles De Ketelaere and Sergino Dest, whose display on Tuesday at left-back in place of injured Theo Hernandez was calamitous.
On Sunday Milan host struggling Sassuolo — the team whose ground fans invaded en masse to witness a long-awaited title triumph in May — the perfect opportunity to set their season back on course.
But it would take a complete implosion for napoli to let slip a historic first title since 1990, after racking up an incredible 50 points at the halfway stage of the season.
till 30th January for professional and aspiring PUBG MOBILE players from across the country, regardless of their data network. The nationwide qualifiers will take place online from 1st to 8th February, while the Grand Finale is set to happen on 12th February in Lahore.
LAHORE staff report
SQ Seagold and FG/Din Polo on Thursday registered thrilling victories in the 3rd Allama Iqbal Polo Tournament sponsored by Lahore Smart City (LSC) here at Pakistan Park Cavalry Ground on Thursday. The first match of the day proved a thrilling encounter, where SQ Seagold Polo Team defeating Bn Polo Team 6-5½. From the winning team, Raja Jalal Arsalan emerged as hero of the day as he pumped in three tremendous goals while Mir Huzaifa Ahmed banged in a brace and Omer Asjad Malhi struck one. Haider naseem thrashed in two goals while Babar naseem and Raja Samiullah converted one each for Bn Polo Team, which also had one-and-a-half goal handicap advantage.
Bn Polo started the match well by converting a 60-yard penalty to take 1-0 lead, which couldn’t last long and SQ Seagold Polo hammered an equalizer to level the score at 1-1. The second chukker was then dominated by SQ Seagold Polo, who thrashed in three back-to-back goals to gain a 4-1 lead. The third chukker was evenly poised as both the teams converted one goal each with SQ Seagold still enjoying 5-2 lead. The fourth and last chukker was dominated by Bn Polo as they slammed in two goals against one by SQ Seagold, which won the match by 6-5½ as Bn Polo had one-and-a-half goal handicap advantage.
FG/Din Polo Team defeated Inara Polo/Black Horse Paints by 7-6 in a nail-biting second match of the day.
Mian Abbas Mukhtar cracked a convincing quartet while Saqib Khan Khakwani hammered a hat-trick of goals for FG/Din Polo. nico Roberts, who replaced Hissam Ali Hyder, fired in four goals while Abdul Rehman Monnoo and Daniyal Shaikh scored one goal each for Inara Polo/Black Horse Paints.
Both the teams started well and scored one goal each to make it 1-1. Inara/Black Horse Paints played better polo in the second chukker and converted three goals against two by FG/Din Polo to take a slight 4-3 lead. FG/Din Polo then made their presence felt and banged in a brace against one by their opponents to equalize the score at 5-5. The fourth and decisive chukker saw FG/Din Polo converting two goals against one by Inara/Black Horse to win the thrilling encounter by a narrow margin of 7-6. Two matches will be played tomorrow (Friday) here at Jinnah Polo Fields at 2:30 PM and 3:30 PM respectively.
profIt report
tHEFederal Board of Revenue (FBR) has drafted a proposal for new tax measures to collect Rs 300 billion through Tax Amendment Ordinance, 2023. Initially the revenue impact was Rs 200 billion, but now has been increased to Rs 300 billion. The revenue impact of nonfiling bankers is estimated at Rs 45 billion, which is expected to be collected.
The 1-3% flood levy on imports is expected to to collect Rs 60 billion. Although the World Bank disagrees with
the levy. Profit reached out to Neha Ravail Abdul Khaliq, external affairs and communications consultant who conveyed the Bank’s point of view. “By increasing import duties with this levy, the policy increases the (already high) levels of protection in specific sectors (and not in others), distorting the allocation of resources in the economy, negatively affecting productivity, and importantly, increasing relative profits of selling in the protected domestic market rather than in export markets. Thus, the flood levy acts implicitly as an export tax,” she communicated. She further said that,
ISLAMABAD staff report
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday reiterated that Pakistan great attached importance to its longstanding ties with the US, saying structured and broad-based Pakistan-US engagement was critical to advancing both countries’ shared goals in bilateral and regional domains.
Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif was talking to US Ambassador to Pakistan Donald Blome who called on him at Prime Minister Officer here on Thursday.
On the occasion, the prime minister thanked the United States for its continued support for Pakistan’s post-flood reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts, including at the recently held International Conference on Resilient Pakistan in Geneva. The prime minister reaffirmed Pakistan’s resolve to deepen economic and trade engagement with the United States. PM Shehbaz Sharif reiterated that Pakistan attached importance to its longstanding ties with the US. He noted the recent momentum in high-level bilateral exchanges and stressed that structured and broad-based Pakistan-US engagement was critical to advancing both countries’ shared goals. Speaking on the occasion, US Ambassador Blome said that the United States would continue supporting Pakistan’s post-flood recovery as well as the government’s efforts for economic development and reform.
In September last year, PM Shehbaz Sharif said that Pakistan’s relations with the United States (US) should not be seen through the prism of Afghanistan or the lens of China.
The prime minister expressed these remarks while attending a diplomatic reception held at the US embassy to commemorate the 75 years of relations between Pakistan and the United States.
PM Shehbaz Sharif said that the US should not see relations with Pakistan through the lens of Afghanistan or China as they should stand on their own. He reiterated the desire to rebuild Pak-US ties based on trust, respect and mutual understanding.
It is a matter of great honor to recall that the United States was one of very first countries which offered full recognition to Pakistan, said Shehbaz Sharif. “Let bygones be bygones,” he said and stressed that it was time for the two countries to move forward and find ways to warm up relations to levels seen in the past.
ISLAMABAD staff report
“The bank believes that instead of levying yet another import tax, the Government may consider, for example, reducing import duty exemptions granted to non-exporting firms under the fifth-schedule of the tariff code.”
The new tax measurement expects to collect Rs 10 billion on imported and locally-assembled vehicles. It also aims to collect Rs 20 billion from tax on banks’ foreign exchange income. Similarly, the Federal Excise Duty (FED) on sugary drinks would generate Rs 60 billion. The proposed impact of further raise in the FED on cigarettes
has been estimated at Rs 25-30 billion. The ordinance permits an increased tax collection from the real estate sector, estimated around Rs 20-30 billion. After consultation with the IMF, the FED on sugary drinks and cigarettes will be increased if the month’s revenue collection underforms. On the flip side, however, the FBR has suggested tax exemption on import of raw materials and inputs for the manufacturing of exports. These proposals are under discussion between the FBR and ministry of finance but not have not been approved yet.
ISLAMABAD staff report
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) General Secretary
Central Punjab and former federal minister Hamad Azhar said that Darnomics has once again inflicted catastrophic damage to Pakistan’s already teetering economy, as rupee plunged to an all-time low at Rs255 against the US dollar in the interbank market, plunging by around Rs25 after the government ended its control over the rupee-dollar exchange rate.
Addressing a press conference here on Thursday, he said that local currency was trading at Rs255 against the dollar during intraday trade, which clearly showed the finance minister’s incompetence and inaptness.
He said that whenever Ishaq Dar became the finance minister, he always tried to fix the exchange rate, but it always proved counterproductive, resultantly the country and its people paid heavy price for his flawed economic approach.
Hammad said that Dar had wasted $32 billion in 2016/17 just to keep the exchange rate at 105, but he could not control it, as the dollar reached to 117 against rupee instantly when Miftah Ismail took the charge as acting finance minister.
He said that when PTI government was ousted, dollar was trading at 182.93, adding that if the autonomy of the State Bank had been intact and political stability maintained, the dollar would have hardly reached 200 against rupee.
Hammad said that the rupee fast depreciated due to the political and economic disaster of the last 9 months and situation would be deteriorated further in next few months because no financial institution and donor was ready to hold talks with this transitional government.
He warned that due to flawed and wrong economic policies of Dar and Miftah Ismail, the country could face serious shortage of essential goods including food, raw materials, industrial materials and even essential medicines, besides hyperinflation.
He said that these two so-called economists inflicted irreparable damage to the country’s fast booming economy, which was growing at a rate of 6 percent during PTI government.
Talking about the illegal detention of PTI Senior Vice President Fawad Chaudhry, Hammad said that the entire world saw the terrible face of this regime the way they presented Fawad before the court whose face was covered with a cloth.
“They brought Fawad like he is a terrorist, and criminal roams free. I want to clearly state here that Fawad is Pakistan’s hero now,” he added.
He said that Fawad always spoke about freedom of press, democracy and supremacy of law, besides he was the most powerful voice of civil rights and minority rights.
However, he made it clear that they could not dent the repute and status of Fawad through their shameful act and behavior, but he it further increased his respect and popularity and emerged as a hero that was the obvious reason that all the channels received instructions to downplay his case.
Talking about Pervaiz Elahi’s remarks, Hammad said that he was our best ally, but he must bear in mind that PTI was the popular political force across the country because it changed the course of Pakistani politics altogether.
“If PTI today has a huge vote bank throughout the country, it’s because Imran Khan has defeated the old type politics. We knew difficulties will come after dissolution but we are ready to render any sacrifice for the larger state interest,” he added.
He said that the dream of truly independent country cannot be achieved through compromises, bargaining, political expediency and NROs.
“The country is being destroyed and our conscience does not allow us to enjoy the governments,” he maintained.
He said that all the political parties which were still pursuing traditional style of politics of political expediency, power politics, conspiracies and politics of NROs were fast losing their political capital.
ISLAMABAD staff report
Former prime minister and Pakistan
Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan said on Thursday that the treatment being meted out to Chaudhry Fawad Hussain— ”being abducted, treated like a terrorist, given physical remand on a sham FIR”—are all signs of problems being faced by the country today.
PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry was taken into custody on Wednesday morning after an FIR was registered against him at Islamabad’s Kohsar police station by the Election Commission of Pakistan for “threatening” members of the commission, including the chief, and their families.
The arrest of the outspoken critic of the ruling PDM coalition during a predawn raid at his house potentially delivered a blow to the party in which he serves as vice president.
“The treatment being meted out to Fawad Ch – being abducted, treated like a terrorist,
given physical remand on a sham FIR –shows all that is wrong with Pak today,” Imran wrote on his official Twitter handle.
He said that there was no justice, just the law of the jungle in the country.
“If State & cabal of crooks think they can create an environment of fear & terrify us into submission, they have got it all wrong,” he maintained. The ex-premier said that the people are more determined to stand up against the fascism.
“My party & I are more resolute than ever before to fight against these fascist forces for democracy, rule of law & justice for our people,” he concluded.
As per the complaint lodged in the case, Fawad described the status of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja as that of a “clerk”, who stamps orders conveyed to him.
The complaint elaborates how the PTI leader had contested the appointment of Mohsin Naqvi as the caretaker chief minister while threatening the commission, and those
it comprises. It further mentions how Fawad incited the people against them.
As per the complaint, Fawad alleged that all those involved in the events of May 25, those “who committed the worst violation of human rights”, were being brought back.
It elaborates that Fawad said that those individuals should not be posted in Punjab, but if they were indeed posted there, then the members of the Election Commission, their families and these individuals were being “warned”.
“If a series of abuses happened to us, you will have to pay back for this series of abuses,” the First Information Report (FIR) quoted the PTI leader as saying.
“This speech has created a permanent threat to the lives of Election Commission members and their families,” the report added.
“This speech of Fawad Chaudhary has also expressed hatred against the caretaker chief minister of Punjab and his constitutional government,” the FIR mentioned.
“Due to this, disdain and mistrust have been created among the people against the consti-
Minister of State for Petroleum Dr Musadik Malik on Thursday said Pakistan would sign an agreement with Russia in March to get inexpensive crude oil besides a ‘holistic energy security plan’ by the year-end, which would be beneficial for both countries.
“In March, all commercial terms of the agreement will be finalized with Russia, following which lowcost crude oil will start arriving in Pakistan. It will be beneficial for both countries,” he said while addressing a news conference here.
Besides, the minister said a ‘holistic energy security plan’ between Pakistan and Russia would be completed by the year end, encompassing Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and piped gas and other petroleum products.
He said there was another agreement under which Pakistan would be able to buy spot LNG cargoes from two companies identified by Russia, during the next winter season.
Dr Musadik Malik said this year the government, under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, made an effective winter-gas management plan that helped ensure better supply to domestic consumers as compared to the last 10 years. He said there was no doubt that gas consumers faced difficulties due to gas shortage and low-gas pressure, but the government made utmost efforts to minimize their sufferings.
ISLAMABAD Ghulam abbas
While considering the ever depleting gas reserves, short supply, increasing demands and losses in the gas sector of the country, the government, along with other measures, aims at raising the gas prices at par with the electricity in the country, a move which may further burden the inflation hit consumers.
Through developing a gas pricing mechanism, gas prices especially in the domestic sector can be rationalized where gas and electricity prices come to parity to reduce the increasing demand. These were discussed during an important meeting, which was held here to discuss “Pakistan Natural Gas: Policy Issues & Way Forward” prepared by Integrated Energy Planning (IEP), Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives (M/o PD&SI) on Thursday.
The meeting was attended by Ahsan Iqbal, Minister of PD&SI, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Khurram Dastagir Khan, Minister of Energy, and representatives of different energy sector organizations including Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA), Directorate General of Gas, Pakistan LNG Limited (PLL), Interstate Gas System (ISGS), Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL), Central Power Purchasing Agency (CPPAG), Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL), and Sui Southern Gas Company Limited (SSGC).
As per details, during the meeting an overview of the present status of production, import, and supply of natural gas in the country was discussed, followed by recommendations to improve the gas supply and demand through short-term and long-term policy interventions aimed at different levels. One of the proposed mechanisms discussed during the meeting was demandside management of gas including the substitution of natural gas in the domestic sector with electricity.
tutional government.”
Fawad said his own morale was high but what was happening in the country did not bode well for it.
“These people want that nobody who
mentions the name of Imran Khan remains. This struggle actually belongs to the Kaptaan, we are merely standing by his side,” he added. Fawad hoped that Imran would succeed in his struggle.
