Epaper_23-02-18 KHI

Saturday, 18 February, 2023 I 26 Rajab, 1444

Report sent to Cabinet as probe into country-wide breakdown completed

India’s GAIL explores up to 26pc equity stake in US LNG projects

In partnership with

Profit

FIA launches probe against SNGPL’s alleged corruption in pipeline contracts

Three TerrorisTs killed, 4 embrace marTyrdom in aTTack on kPo

g Police, rangerS PerSonnel clear building after four-hour-long Siege

g Sanaullah SayS too early to determine which terror outfit behind attack

rangers and other law enforcement agencies, also officially confirming that karachi Police office (kPo) had been cleared and all three terrorists had been eliminated.

the cm expressed his grief and sorrow over three martyrdoms in the operation, according to a cm's spokesman. the cm said that 11 injured, who participated in the operation would be provided with best medical treatment.

"the families of martyred cops would be taken care," he said, adding that the nation was united against terrorism.

he also ordered to open the Shahrahe-faisal for the flow of traffic which was diverted to alternative routes.

PM Shebaz urges int’l community to act fast to rescue quake-hit people

‘Jail Bharo Tehreek’ from Feb 22 to drive final nail in ‘govt’s coffin’: Imran

LAHORE stAff report

KARACHI

stAff report

Thesecurity forces cleared the building of karachi Police office (kPo) and its surroundings after a four-hour-long siege friday night, killing all-the-three terrorists who attacked the Police aig office on Shahrah-e-faisal.

according to spokesman for Sindh Police, four persons including two policemen and one rangers solider embraced martyrdom while 15 others including a rangers' personnel sustained injuries during the clearance operation.

according to spokesman for Sindh Police, one of the terrorist was killed due to the explosion in his jacket, while two others were killed in the exchange of fire with the security forces.

moreover, Pakistan rangers' Sindh spokesman also confirmed the completion of operation and clearance of the police office.

Sindh government spokesperson mur-

taza wahab confirmed the news in a tweet from his official twitter handle, stating, "i can so far confirm that the kPo building has been cleared. 3 terrorists have been neutralised."

he also added that four people were martyred including two policemen, one rangers solider and one civilian while 14 others were injured during the terrorist attack.

out of the injured, one person is currently in critical condition and is receiving medical attention at Jinnah hospital.

the major operation was led and participated by deputy igPs rrf, South, east, and other officers and personnel, who fought valiantly against the terrorists.

the personnel of Pakistan rangers Sindh also participated in the operation alongside the police.

earlier, Sindh chief minister Syed murad ali Shah reached the inspector general of Police (igP) Sindh office right after the attack was reported. the cm monitored the complete operation at the command and control center.

he lauded the bravery of police,

according to the reports, the attackers equipped with the latest automatic weapons besieged the police headquarters and started indiscriminate firing. they also propelled two hand grenades into the five-storey building and tried to break into the office.

earlier, the Pakistan rangers Sindh spokesman told that an operation was underway by the anti-terrorism force of rangers as karachi Police head office (kPo), located in Saddar area adjacent to Shahrah-e-faisal, was attacked in the evening.

the attackers had entered the building as gunshots and explosion were also heard near the vicinity of kPo.

Police officials said a heavy contingent of rangers, police and other law enforcement agencies were called as the police cordoned off the surrounding area.

inspector general of Police (igP) Sindh ghulam nabi memon, while talking to media, informed then that two of the attackers were killed. the rangers' spokesman informed that about 8 to 10 terrorists had attacked the building. according to hospital sources, an injured person had been taken to Jinnah hospital from the spot.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 02

Thar coal: Energy Security?

ISLAMABAD

AsAd UllAh KAmrAn

on february 17, 2023, the 330 megawatt lignite-fired power plant operated by hub Power company limited (hubco) began commercial operations. the china Pakistan economic corridor’s thalnova is a 330megawatt mine-mouth lignite-fired power station located at thar coal block ii Sindh (cPec).

hubco, thal limited, novatex limited, china machinery engineering corporation (cmec), and descon engineering ltd are partners in the project. according to the press release from the company, the boiler, turbine, and generator used in the power plant were produced by general electric, of american origin. whereas, other systems in

the power plant are based on european technology. as a result, reliability criteria are raised and emissions are regulated to levels even lower than those permitted by the Sindh environmental Protection agency (SePa). this is to counter the wider argument of air pollution incurred by burning coal for power.

earlier this month, the Private Power and infrastructure board (PPib) declared that the country’s largest thar coalbased power facility has reached commercial operation date (cod). the Shanghai electric project, located at thar block-1 with a generation capacity of 1,320 mw, was implemented as part of the china-Pakistan economic corridor (cPec).

thar coal block-1 Power generating co, a wholly-owned subsidiary of

Shanghai electric, developed the project. the project cost is estimated at around $ 2 billion and is estimated to generate 9 billion units of power per year, saving rs. 250 billion each year, that would have otherwise been used to import gas for power production.

Coal power on the grid… at the moment apart from the two new power plants that achieved cod this month, the country is running five operating coal power plants owned by; thar engro coal Power Project (thar, Sindh), lucky electric Power company limited (karachi, Sindh), Port Qasim electric Power company (karachi, Sindh), china Power hub generation company (hub, balochistan) and huaneng Shandong rui group (Sahiwal, Punjab). the combined capacity of these

Pakistan tehreek-e-insaf (Pti) chairman imran khan on friday announced the launch of the ‘Jail bharo tehreek’ (courting arrests movement) from february 22, elaborating on the [movement] will drive the final nail in the “imported government’s coffin.”

“it’s a reaction…..reaction to protest the ongoing crackdown and highhandedness against Pti members. i am directing my party to gear up preparations for the launch of the movement on wednesday (feb 22),”

Pti chairman imran khan said in a televised address via video link from his Zaman Park residence in lahore friday evening.

the former prime minister said the movement would begin from lahore and then spread to all major cities, encouraging the nation to not be afraid and “break the idol of fear”.

“we will start the movement from lahore, and then kick it off in all other major cities every other day and we will fill all the jails,” he said.

he said that Pti will start filling the jails in all major cities with every passing day. he asked the nation to get their rights from the rulers and not to get afraid of them.

earlier this month, the Pti chief announced that his party leadership would soon start the ‘courting arrests’ movement in response to the government’s roughshod tactics to muz-

zle opposition party leaders through “politically motivated” cases. vehemently protesting the targeting of his party leaders—who have been in the crosshairs of lawenforcement agencies over various charges—imran had asserted the Pti would not remain silent as the government unleashes atrocities on his party’s members. “it was their [coalition government’s] plan to weaken the Pti by terrorising our leaders and workers. we never committed such atrocities in our tenure,” he said on feb 4 in a video address. imran reiterated his claim that Pti leaders Shahbaz gill and azam Swati were tortured and stripped naked by the incumbent government.

“Such brutal actions have not been taken against political opponents in the country’s history. the treatment meted out to Sheikh rashid and fawad chaudhry is in front of everyone,” he remarked.

he expressed gratitude to his supporters who had assembled outside his lahore residence when rumors circulated of his supposed arrest.

the Pti chairman also expressed concerns over what he termed the Pdm government’s tactics to delay elections in Punjab and khyberPakhtunkhwa, saying that if polls are not held within 90 days of the dissolution of the assemblies then the caretaker governments would be deemed illegal.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 03

plants is 1,980 mw and apart from the engro coal power plant in thar, all other plants are currently relying on imported coal to produce electricity. although it must be noted that the lucky electric power plant is configured to use domestic coal; it is temporarily importing coal and will shift to coal extracted from thar once the second phase of expansion of the mine is completed.

adding on the new coal-based power plants to the grid brings the total energy coming from coal at 3630 mw. this is a mighty increase of 80% from the previous year, and all of it is coming from domestically produced coal reducing the strain on the foreign exchange reserves of the country.

Not so easy there…

however, earlier this year Sindh engro coal mining company (Secmc)

in a letter had sought the State bank of Pakistan’s (SbP) approval for establishing lcs for additional mining equipment. in this letter of theirs, the company asked for support regarding SbP’s approval for lc opening needed for critical imports required to keep the mine operational. “we need approval for the opening of our regular lcs to ensure continuous supply of tyres and spares parts for our mining equipment,” read the letter.

the supply chain needed to keep the machines running at the mine can be compromised due to the sensitive foreign exchange situation. these delays directly affect the operations of the mine as a constant flow of spare parts is needed to keep the machinery in running order.

g thalnova iS hubco’S lateSt addition to national grid, uSing domeStically Produced coal from thar; theSe PlantS can Potentially be key to energy Security of country

GoverNMeNT ProPoses CHANGes IN CIvIL servICe sTruCTure

iSLamaBad Ghulam abbaS

THEbureaucracy of Pakistan has often faced criticism for its failure in delivering the goods. Be it corruption, red tapism and irregularities in law enforcement, it is the bureaucracy that comes under the radar. Keeping that in mind, the government has proposed various structural changes in the recruitment and promotion of the officers.

The proposal initially prepared by Ministry of Planning, Development & Special Initiatives (MPD&SI) was shared with the Federal Secretaries for, Establishment, Health and Education; The Special Secretary Cabinet Division; Additional Secretaries for Finance and Planning; Secretary Federal Public Service Commission, Rector National School of Public Policy, Member Governance, Chief Governance and others on Friday.

As per details, during a meeting which was chaired by Minister of PD&SI Ahsan Iqbal, a number of recommendations for improvement in the public sector, prepared

after extensive consultations, were presented. As per documents, the ministry, as one of the major steps, has proposed to provide an option of taking CSS exams in Urdu, while making it bi-lingual, which could result in a major change in the recruitment criterion of officers. The ministry believes that language should not be a barrier to entry for talented candidates.

Another important proposal made for the reforms is to set 16 years of education as the minimum criteria for appearing in the CSS exam. Presently at least 14 years of education is mandatory for appearing in the competitive examination.

Furthermore, another major change that the ministry has proposed is to introduce three professional clusters (general, finance & economics and information) for the CSS exam at the entry level. This is to be done on the basis of relevant professional qualifications.

The same solution was also proposed by former President SBP, Dr Ishrat Hussain, as Advisor to former Prime Minister Imran Khan for Institutional Reforms & Austerity. He was reportedly, more interested in dividing the existing officers into various

Former AGP Malik Qayyum passes away

LaHore Staff RepoRt

Former Lahore High Court judge and Attorney General for Pakistan Malik Muhammad Qayyum passed away aged 79. Malik Qayyum, who is brother of interim Punjab Health Minister Dr Javed Akram and the late politician Muhammad Pervaiz Malik, had served as judge of the Lahore High Court and president of the Supreme Court Bar Association. Malik Qayyum was born on Dec 18, 1944 to former Supreme Court judge Justice Muhammad Akram who was part of the LHC bench which awarded the death sentence to former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif offered condolences on the demise of Malik Qayyum. He said the deceased had a distinguished position in the field of law. He prayed for the departed soul to rest in peace and for the grant of patience to the bereaved family. Malik Qayyum was a senior lawyer of the Supreme Court of Pakistan and advised sitting benches of the higher judiciary on constitutional issues. Qayyum resigned from the LHC following a controversy over a phone transcript in which he was alleged to be approached for fixing a judgment in a high profile political case. He started his career as a legal practitioner in 1964 and was elevated as a judge of the high court in October 1988. He also served as a member of Punjab Election Commission. Justice retired Qayyum resigned as the LHC judge after he was named in a conspiracy regarding the hearing of a case pertaining to former prime minister Benazir Bhutto in 2001. Afterwards, Malik Qayyum started his career as a Supreme Court lawyer and was elected as president of the Supreme Court Bar Association in 2005. He also headed an inquiry panel established by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to investigate match-fixing allegations. The report published in 2000 held several cricketers responsible for match-fixing.

43 MNAs’ resignations:

LHC declines PTI plea seeking suspension of NA speaker’s notification

LaHore Staff RepoRt

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday turned a PTI petition seeking immediately suspension a notification regarding acceptance of resignations of 43 MNAs of the party by the Speaker National Assembly. Justice Shahid Karim heard the petition filed by Riaz Fatyana and 42 other former MNAs against acceptance of their resignations by the Speaker National Assembly and subsequent action of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). During the proceedings, the petitioner’s counsel Barrister Ali Zafar submitted a civil miscellaneous application, stating that the notification regarding acceptance of resignations of his clients by the Speaker National Assembly had been attached with the application.

categories, which remained undone for opposition he faced by the bureaucrats.

The new proposals made by the planning ministry, documents show, however, are to make the changes/ categories in the recruitment process, thus the same may not face opposition from existing officers.

It was also proposed previously that only the relevant officials (like commerce, diplomacy, engineering, medical etc) should head the respective ministries, departments and divisions as secretary/directors etc.

Another reform the ministry proposed is to improve the existing training structure by introducing senior leadership courses. Besides, it has proposed to recruit faculty members at National School of Public Policy (NSPP) and other professional training institutions through a competitive process and improve their remuneration structure.

The proposed reforms included establishing the National University of Public Policy & Administration (NUPPA) on the model of National Defense University, inculcating data sciences and greater utilization of information and

communication technologies for decision making and citizen engagement and introducing training programs for staff in grades 1-16. The proposals further include strengthening FPSC by adding additional members, establishing digital platforms and launching campaigns to attract civil servants from under privileged groups and remote areas. The ministry, through the initiative, wishes to enhance the role of Establishment division as specialized HR Management, career progression and organizational development organization, appoint professional HR Managers at key ministries through a development project at the initial stage, and facilitate annual performance agreements between the ministries and the PM Office.

It has been proposed to introduce Citizen’s Charter as a mechanism for time bound public service delivery to the citizens in Islamabad Capital Territory and introduce Capital Health Authority and Capital Education Authority at Islamabad Capital Territory. As per the documents to introduce Engineers Group in technical ministries, a committee has been proposed to constitute under the chairpersonship of secretary establishment division to prepare a report in this regard within 7 days.

According to insiders, the top bureaucrats, who attended the meeting, have

initially endorsed the proposals. The committee constituted for addressing some technical issues would finalize its findings soon.

It may be mentioned here that Dr Ishrat Husain had previously faced immense challenges in his past efforts to reform the government structure, including downsizing the federal government employees, and successfully reducing the number of government institutions from over 400 to 334. He was tasked to streamline the governance and function of over 4 million civil servants in the country, 1 million in the federal capital and 3 million employed by provincial governments.

As per a statement issued by the ministry, Ahsan Iqbal, during the meeting on Friday, remarked that in view of the emerging digital revolution and resultant empowerment of the citizens, the public sector needs to reinvent itself, in order to ensure quality service delivery. There is a widening trust deficit between the state and the citizens due to deteriorating standards of service delivery. Public sector needs to be agile and innovative to meet the new challenges.

It is high time that Pakistan improves professional capacity in the public sector and aligns recruitment & training systems with the new dynamics.

Farah Gogi, Ahsan Jameel submit response to FIA through lawyer

iSLamaBad Staff RepoRt

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif on Friday demanded exemplary punishment for “cabal of five” for pushing the country into “economic quagmire”.

Talking to media in London, he said the “cabal of five” must not escape punishment as sparing them would be unfortunate, who he said were responsible for country’s prevailing woes.

“Pakistan is facing grave crisis due to these people and they must pay the price of their deeds,” he said, adding they[cabal of five] were responsible for people’s miserable lives.

He said that his four-year rule should be compared with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan’s four-year (mis)rule.

“People themselves should compare the prices of essential items such as of flour, sugar, edible oil and others during 2018 [When the PML(N) left the federal government] and their prices during Imran’s era. Replying to a question about audio leaks of former Punjab chief minster Pervaiz Elahi, he said the alleged audio leaks of Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid-e-Azam) leader were serious and a grave

issue.

“The audio leak case should be referred to Supreme Judicial Council (SJC),” he demanded, seeking them to be examined thoroughly.

Earlier, Maryam Nawaz Sharif held what she termed a “cabal of five” responsible for the prevailing crises in the country, taking the PTI to task over the poor law and order in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and rejecting criticism of “dynastic politics” in the party.

Addressing the party’s first-ever divisional workers convention, the newly-appointed senior vice president and chief organiser claimed that the PMLN would sweep the next election, whenever it was held. “Right now, the country has no choice but Nawaz Sharif and the PML-N,” she said.

“Someone was taking diamond rings, someone was taking plots, someone was making money through the land, someone was sending money to Dubai and someone built a house on several hundred kanals in Chakwal,” she added.

Among the so-called ‘cabal of five’, she named Imran Khan, former CJP Saqib Nisar and retired Justice Asif Khosa, but left little doubt whom she was referring to as the ‘crutches of Imran Khan’ in her speech.

LaHore

Staff RepoRt

While representing the close aides of former prime minister Imran Khan’s wife and former first lady Bushra Bibi, Ahsan Jameel Gujjar and Farah Gogi on Friday Advocate Supreme Court Azhar Siddique submitted the response to the Federal Investigation Agency for a call-up notice issued by the agency. Advocate Siddique said that probing into the allegations of money laundering, the FIA has summoned Farah Gogi and her husband Ahsan Jameel Gujjar for inquiry on Friday, February 17 and issued the notice to them in this regard. The FIA ordered Farah Gogi and Ahsan Jameel Gujjar to bring Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) records and money transfer documents to explain the fair transactions. Azhar Siddique, the counsel for Farah Gogi and Ahsan Jameel Gujjar, submitted his response to the FIA call-up notice. The response stated that as both of them are abroad they could not be presented before the FIA. It is worth mentioning that Rs222.9 million were transferred from Ahsan Jameel Gujjar’s account to Ghousia Builders while Rs840 million suspicious transaction was made from Farah Gogi’s account.

Three terrorists killed, 4 embrace martyrdom in attack on KPO

Continued from page 01

Karachi Police Chief Javed Alam Odho, while talking to media outlets, also confirmed the terrorist attack and informed that the exchange of firing with terrorists was still underway.

The Rangers spokesman informed that about 8 to 10 terrorists had attacked the building. According to hospital sources, an injured person had been taken to Jinnah Hospital from the spot.

The banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) reportedly claimed responsibility for the attack that emerged around 7:15 pm.

Three floors of the five-storey building have been cleared, said Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, adding two floors and the rooftop remained.

Police officials said that armed suspects fired several rounds at the head office located adjacent to the Saddr Police Station. At least 8-10 terrorists were inside the police office, they said.

Additional police contingents from

other areas took part in the operation. The Additional IG who is away from the office has confirmed the militant attack the office and said that the security forces were fighting the terrorists while a heavy contingent of Rangers reached the spot. Rangers, police start operation against terrorists at KPO Rangers and police teams started a joint operation against the terrorists following the armed attack on the Karachi Police Office (KPO) – the Additional Inspector General (AIG) Office.

The Rangers spokesperson said that the quick response force (QRF) of the paramilitary troops surrounded the KPO building and took their positions. An operation was started by Rangers and police to clear the KPO from terrorists.

The spokesperson added that the operation is being conducted on the reported presence of eight to 10 terrorists in the Karachi police chief’s office. Unidentified armed men attacked the police chief’s office in Karachi while explosions were also heard before the gunshots.

The attackers hurled hand grenades from the backyard of the police head office and later they entered the fourstorey building from the same route.

Police said staffers are still present in the police chief’s office when the attackers carried out explosions and gunfire.

‘Premature to determine terror outfit behind Karachi Police attack’

Meanwhile, Federal Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan on Friday said that it was too early to determine which terror outfit could be behind the attack on the Karachi Police Office.

Talking to a private news channel, the interior minister did not rule out the foreign involvement, saying it's premature at this stage to say this with conformity, but it was apparent that police personnel were the target of the attack like Peshawar incident.

Rana Sanaullah said that he had received a briefing on the attack from the Inspector General of Sindh Police Ghulam Nabi Memon and the Sindh chief secretary.

The minister added that as per what

he had been told, there were six to seven terrorists who had stormed the KPO through its front door. The interior minister said the terrorists lobbed grenades to gain access to the police office.

He said as per the Karachi Top cop AIG Javed Akhter Odho, the terrorist had reached the third floor (the top floor of the building) where armed guards and other police officers had engaged the attackers. “But the situation is not clear yet,” he added.

Asked whether he had any prior knowledge about a threat to the attack, Sanaullah denied any such threat alert. “There was a general threat of terrorism across the country but there was no specific threat for this office,” he added.

“Once police and Rangers enter the building, they will be able to neutralize the terrorists,” the interior minister said quoting Karachi’s top cop.

He further said that it was possible that some of the attackers could be wearing ‘explosives-laden suicide vests’. The minister said that he would be able to share more information once the operation is completed.

‘Condemnation pouring in’

The United Nations has condemned Friday's terrorist attack on the office of Karachi's police chief, and expressed condolences to the families of the victims of the attack and to the Pakistani government.

Make an example of ‘cabal of five’ for plunging country into turmoil: Nawaz

TAKING CSS EXAMS IN URDU, DIVIDING CIVIL SERVANTS IN CATEGORIES PROPOSED

‘PoWers To order TrANsFers resT WITH eC, NoT CeC’: sC reINsTATes doGAr As CCPo LAHore

iSLamaBad

Staff RepoRt

Athree-member bench of the Supreme Court Friday suspended the order to transfer former Lahore Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Ghulam Mehmood Dogar and reinstated him as the Lahore CCPO.

The bench led by Justice Ijazul Ahsan passed the order after hearing Dogar’s case. The incumbent caretaker Punjab chief minister appointed Bilal Siddique Kamyana as the Lahore CCPO while transferring Dogar. Senior police officer Kamyana is praised by the PML-N but dreaded by the PTI for crushing its long march to Islamabad in May last year.

Referring to the order for Dogar’s transfer, the top court said that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had given verbal approval to a verbal

request. “The power to order transfers belongs to the election commission, not the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC),” the bench said, adding that the ECP did not delegate its powers in writing to the CEC. “Who called the CEC and requested the transfer?”, a member of the bench Justice Muneeb Akhtar questioned during the proceedings. He further observed saying the individual should have been told to be patient as the ECP will make the decision on the application. Expressing dismay over the situation, Justice Muneeb further questioned how the CEC himself was making decisions on behalf of the entire electoral body. However, the apex court rejected the ECP’s request for more time to submit records on transfer postings. It is pertinent to mention here that the federal government had suspended Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Lahore Ghulam

Mahmood Dogar, a day after Governor House came under attack. “The clock is ticking, tick, tick, tick,” Justice Muneeb remarked. “Ninety days are about to expire and the election commission is asking for more time,” he added, referring to the dissolution of the Punjab Assembly as the Constitution stipulates holding elections within 90 days after a dissolution of an assembly. During the hearing, Justice Ijaz-ul-Ahsan noted that it is the commission’s job to conduct transparent elections and “they are even asking for more time for that”. Meanwhile, the Islamabad High Court Bar Association’s (IHCBA) request to issue an order on the petition for elections in Punjab was also rejected. “Before us is only the transfer case of the Lahore CCPO,” Justice Ahsan said, adding that the issue of the delay in elections in Punjab has already been referred to the Chief Justice of Pakistan.

Report sent to Cabinet as probe into country-wide breakdown completed

Continued

The stability of the recently activated HVDC system especially at Lahore HVDC Converter Station needs to be ensured to avoid the frequent commutation failures. An investigation into more than 300 commutation failures needs to be carried out by NTDC/NPCC on an urgent basis.

FURTHER REPORT DETAILS: The report said that, owing to a shortfall on the night before the blackout, electricity was supplied from south to north. About 5,831 MW was being generated from power plants located in the south of the country while power plants in the north were generating 5,852 MW.

The sequence of events leading to the blackout started unfolding from 7:30am on the morning of January 23. At that time, the system was working normally.

The total demand of the country was 11,683 MW of which the power generators in the south were generating 5,831 MW and those in the north 5,852 MW.

The demand in the south was far less than the generation there. On the other hand, there was a deficit of 4,130 MW between generation and demand in the north, which was being met by supply from the southern generation through hybrid HVAC/HVDC transmission networks.

At 7:32am, the frequency reached 50.75 megahertz, and, as a result, 14 state- and privately-owned power plants suspended power generation operations at 7:34am.

To control the frequency spike, power production from Ghazi Barotha Power House was reduced from 580 MW to 250 MW. However, the system was badly affected due to the reduction in power supply in the north and

resultantly all power plants of the region suspended operations.

The power flow on the AC Corridor (2x500kV circuits from Matiari to Dadu/Moro and 3x500kV from Guddu to north) was 1,730 MW, while 2,400 MW was flowing on the parallel MatiariLahore HVDC transmission line.

A 500kV circuit from Jamshoro to Dadu was already under fault due to a tower collapse (sabotage) for the past few days. Additionally, three 500kV circuits (Moro to Rahim Yar Khan, Guddi 747 to Muzaffargarh and Muzaffargarh to H.B.Shah) were on shutdowns for voltage control during low load demand. Guddu 747 plant was also non-operational.

No spinning reverse and no n-1 contingency provision was present on 500kV circuits from Matiari to Moro/Dadu and from Dadu up to Guddu.

The inquiry report, in its conclusion, said the blackout was due to the system operation including additional power from the south without considering the constrained transmission pathways and without switching on powered off 500kV lines.

Furthermore, the shift operator aggravated the situation by reducing power generation at Ghazi Barotha to create a balance, but that had the opposite effect and actually resulted in a loss of balance.

This was a mistake which was done at the system operator’s end and could have been avoided through pre-event planning.

However, the report added, if we look at all the factors leading to the incident, we need to consider delays in strengthening the AC system that is a requirement for the HVDC system to operate in a stable manner.

In its recommendations, the inquiry report said that WAPDA, in coordination

us sponsors Pakistani entrepreneurs through ‘startup Connect Programme’

KARACHI: The United States Consul General Karachi Nicole Theriot Friday highlighted the valuable contributions of the US-Pakistani diaspora, who are a key partner in the humanitarian, social, and commercial sectors in Pakistan. At a US-Pakistani diaspora conference here, the Consul General Theriot highlighted the longstanding US-Pakistan partnership to advance Pakistan’s economic growth and emphasized continued opportunities for future partnership. While addressing the need for strengthening climate resilience in the country, CG Theriot said, “We are one team working toward the same goal, and the United States is committed to helping the US-Pakistani diaspora and local investors find opportunities and work with Pakistan through the Green Alliance framework to strengthen climate resilience, pursue energy transformation, and foster economic growth.” Staff RepoRt

with NTDC, must investigate the “black start” capabilities at Tarbela, Mangla and Warsak power plants, as these plants repeatedly failed to operate in island models and caused significant restoration delays.

“Black start” is the capability to restart parts in a power system to recover from a blackout without needing electricity. Tarbela, Mangla and Warsak are all hydroelectric generation plants. Performance of governor control system at these plants, the report said, must be verified for “islanded” and synchronised operating modes. Appropriate corrective measures must be taken urgently. After the experience, it is necessary that a proper restoration plan must be established and all the systems be pre-tested under blackout conditions annually. The stability of the recently activated HVDC system, especially at the Lahore HVDC Converter Station, needs to be ensured to avoid the frequent commutation failures.

The terms of reference of the committee were to probe the reasons of the power breakdown, fix responsibility, and recommend remedial measures to prevent such occurrences in future.

Interestingly, the report noted that about 80% of the country’s total demand comes from the north – Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa – and 20% from Sindh and Balochistan.

The power is carried through the hybrid transmission system that comprises 3x500kV AC circuits originating from Jamshoro/Matiari in the south to the north interface, which become 4x500kV AC circuits from Guddu onwards. Also a 660kV HVDC transmission line from Matiari in Sindh to Lahore in Punjab transfers power from plants in the south to the load centres of the north.

The operation of such a power

system becomes very challenging in the winter season when hydropower generation, which is mostly in the north, is at a minimum given that rivers in the north freeze and the water flow, and hence generation, is much lower.

Therefore, a significant amount of demand in the north has to be supplied from cheaper power generation sources located in the south that are not affected by the season, such as coal and nuclear. This power has to be transmitted over a long distance to the northern load centres. Such a system needs a transmission infrastructure that can handle high power transfer and dynamic reactor power sources at the receiving end as well as along the length of the long transmission lines to maintain an acceptable voltage control and system stability. Should the transmission path get restricted or constrained due to any reason, the power transfer capability of this long transmission path is severely compromised.

The recent addition of 660kV HVDC Matiari-Lahore transmission line has enhanced the system’s capability to transmit power from south to north but its effective functioning requires an adequately strong AC system.

Historically, the incidents of total blackout in the country have occurred mostly in December or January at which time electricity demand is at its lowest and generation in the north has also diminished significantly due to low hydro output. The inquiry committee was constituted after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had reportedly expressed displeasure during a cabinet meeting, saying that the power breakdown had damaged the image of Pakistan.

The committee, aside from Minister Malik, had former bureaucrats and chiefs of power plants, as well as academics and experts.

Imran

Continued from page 01

“They [caretaker governments] will be violating Article 6 of the Constitution [if they remain in power after 90 days]. No matter what they do, we will not allow them to rig the elections.” He also slammed the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for making excuses to delay the polls in the both provinces.

Imran Khan said that the Jail Bharo movement will prove the last nail in the government’s coffin.

Imran Khan said that general elections are the only solution to

national issues. He said that the incumbent government is committing constitutional violation by not announcing the election date despite the court orders.

Earlier, PTI chief Imran Khan said that general elections are the only solution to national issues. He said that the incumbent government is committing constitutional violation by not announcing the election date despite the court orders. The PTI chief made the statement while chairing an important session regarding the Jail Bharo movement. During the

session, the movement’s focal person Ejaz Chaudhry gave a briefing on the preparations.

Sources said initial lists have been prepared for the first phase of the “courting arrests movement.” Chaudhry said that a large number of PTI activists and supporters are ready to be part of the movement.

Imran Khan was also apprised of the visits to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and central Punjab. The focal person said that the nationals will surrender after the formal announcement of Imran Khan.

Continued from BaCk page

This arrangement, Salman argues, has expanded the universe of customers within a certain bank that they can lend to now by about 15-30%. From the active accounts at a bank, the credit scoring system of AdalFi qualifies between 15-30% of additional bank customers for loans. In the initial phase, AdalFi is enabling banks to give out unsecured loans, which will be followed by credit scoring for loans that are collateralised. The startup does not lend any money itself. AdalFi’s monetisation model is also what sets it apart. From whatever income the bank earns from the loan disbursed using AdalFi’s credit scoring system, it gets a percentage share from that which forms its become. But since those loans are being given on AdalFi’s credit scoring model, if there is a default on any of these loans, the outstanding principal amount, on a pro rata basis, is deducted from the fee that is due to AdalFi. “What that means is we really have skin in the game. If our models blow up, we wouldnt make any money and we only make money when bank loans that are actually repaid. This creates a tremendous alignment of interests,” says Salman Akhtar. So far, AdalFi has signed up 14 commercial banks to anable them for such lending system. The number of loans disbursed so far is 70,000 using the fintech company’s credit scoring model, with the NPLs (non-performing loans) significantly below 0.1%. “That doesnt mean it is going to stay this way. A 0.1% is in itself too low an NPL but that’s the data right now.” Part of the reason why AdalFi might have such low NPL’s because it is data rich because of Techlogix’s partnership with banks. From conventional commercial plans, AdalFi will soon be moving on to signing partnerships with digital banks. “For the digital banks, we are very natural partners because they will only start making serious money when they start giving out loans. Transaction fee income is not going to add up to much. We are a very natural fit for all the digital banks,” Salman says. Since AdalFi does not do any lending, the bulk of the funding will go towards increasing the team size and operational expenses.

Thar coal: energy security?

Continued from page 01

The Thar coal based power plants rely on a constant supply of coal from the mine, any obstacles in this chain would affect the operations of the power plants and can potentially lead to rolling blackouts or worse. Energy experts have also questioned Pakistan’s ability to finance more of the proposed coal fleet because China and Japan, two of the largest financiers of coal units in developing nations, have recently withdrawn their support for fossil fuel projects due to pressure from environmentalists and Western governments. And to cap it all, according to the Finance supplementary bill, the government has increased sales tax from 17 to 18% on locally produced Coal, a subsequent impact of which is bound to be seen in commodity prices. The Energy minister Khurram Dastagir, however, told the media that Pakistan plans to increase domestic coal-fired power capacity to 10 gigawatts (GW) in the medium-term, from 2.31 GW currently. How the country plans to achieve these ambitious targets is what needs to be explained.

from BaCk page

With $7.5m in fresh funds, how is AdalFi enabling commercial banks to lend to their customers?

‘Jail Bharo Tehreek’ from Feb 22 to drive final nail in ‘govt’s coffin’:

48 arrested as Basant celeBrated in cantt despite Ban

RAWALPINDI Staff RepoRt

BASANTwas celebrated in different areas of the Rawalpindi Cantonment despite a ban, while police arrested 48 kite flyers and sellers and recovered thousands of kites and kite flying string rolls.

According to a police spokesman, Rawalpindi police arrested 21 on Friday and 27 violators were rounded up on Thursday night during the crackdown.

Police had made it clear that kite flying was banned and strict action would be taken against the violators, but the enthusiasts celebrated the Basant night on Thursday and Friday without fearing the consequences.

The Rawalpindi Kite Flying Association said: “We have banned the use of metal strings and aerial firing during Basant. There is no justification to ban Basant anymore.”

Kite sellers also sold kites on black market and delivered kites to people in vehicles with tinted windows.

Basant festivity was seen in different

areas, including Tench Bhatta, Peoples Colony, Dhok Syedan, Dhok Chirag Din, Dhok Chaudhary, Lal Kurti, Tariqabad, Rahimabad, Tahmaspabad, Gulistan Colony, Adara, Girja, Chauhar Harpal, Dhok Mastiq, Gawalmandi, Daryaabad and other areas.

In several areas, particularly in the old city, police faced great difficulty in arresting kite flyers.

Rawalpindi police, on the directives of City Police Officer (CPO) Syed Khalid Mehmood Hamdani, continued a special crackdown against kite sellers and flyers on Friday.

The spokesman said all police stations of the cities had been directed to accelerate the ongoing operations against kite-flying ban violators while special teams under the supervision of senior police officers were also conducting raids in different areas.

Superintendent of Police, Potohar Muhammad Waqas Khan said that all available resources were being utilized to deal with kite flying.

He said Police under the supervision of Senior Superintendent of Police, Investiga-

tion, Zunaira Azfar on Thursday conducted a flag march in Potohar Division to curb kite flying.

SP Potohar Muhammad Waqas Khan, Divisional SDPOs, SHOs, Elite Force, Traffic Police, and Dolphin Squad participated in the flag march, he added.

SSP Zunaira Azfar said the police have conducted a flag march in different areas of Potohar Division to maintain law and order and to warn the kite flyers and those involved in the aerial firing.

The flag march started from SP Potohar Town Office and culminated at starting point after passing through Katcheri Chowk, Chungi Number 22, Bakra Mandi, Dhoke Syedan, Baraf Khana Chowk, Peoples Colony Morr, Akhri Stop, Aadra, Wasim Market, Boher Mosque and Qasae Chowk.

The spokesman said flag marches were being conducted in various areas to make the security plan more effective and added that strict vigilance would be maintained like in previous years to maintain law and order in the city and to curb the dangerous kite flying.

HEC set to establish NAHE Regional Centre in Punjab

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has finalized the groundwork for establishing a regional centre of National Academy of Higher Education (NAHE) in Punjab. The HEC, under its Higher Education Development in Pakistan (HEDP) project, aims to strengthen its NAHE – an academic wing of HEC launched in 2019 to improve the quality of teaching, research, and governance in higher education institutions (HEIs) across Pakistan.

Establishment of four NAHE regional centres was envisioned during the life of

HEDP project.

To address the immediate need of quality training facilities for academia in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, two chapters were notified in these two provinces, last year.

Moving forward, two more are to be established in Punjab and Sindh.

In this regard, a two-day consultative workshop was held with the regional stakeholders of Punjab, for establishing the NAHE regional centre in Lahore.

The workshop was chaired by Programme Coordinator, HEDP, Dr Mahmoodul Hassan Butt, while more than 40 stakeholders, including vice chancellors and deans were present.

political instability causing economic crisis in country: ashrafi

ISLAMABAD

Staff RepoRt

Prime Minister’s Special Representative for Interfaith Harmony and Middle East Hafiz Muhammad Tahir

Mehmood Ashrafi informed that Pakistan Ulema Council announced to mark the 33rd foundation day of the PUC from February 18 to 28 across the country. the Council was established in 1990. Ashrafi, who is the PUC chairman, said a number of programmes including conventions and seminars would be part of ten-day celebrations and in March, Paigham-e-Islam Conference would also be held. He said the PUC was member of various national and international organizations and played its vibrant role for inter-sect and inter-faith harmony on the globe. Ashrafi said the PUC had set some targets to achieve in the year 2023 and 2024, and the system of Khilafat-e-Rashida was on its main agenda. He said it would continue its efforts to establish the system of Khilafat-e-Rashida in the country as it was based on justice and equality. He said today’s “judicial system is in dire need of reforms as it is not serving the purposes of general public who are languishing in jails for years but it was hearing political cases on top priority”. Ashrafi said there would be no use of elections if political and religious parties did not introduce electoral reforms and make it mandatory for all the contesting parties to accept the results of elections open-heartedly. He raised the question that what would be the solution if someone did not accept the mandate of winning party in the elections as it would cost huge public funds spending. Ashrafi said Pakistan was lagging behind other nations due to political instability in the country. If Ulema and Mashaykh could be united under the umbrella of Paigham-e-Pakistan then why not political leaders could reach a consensus in the shape of ‘Charter of Pakistan’ to get out the country of prevailing social, political and economic crisis, he added. He asked all the stakeholders to create a congenial environment and sit together at one table to remove their differences and put the country on road to progress. Ashrafi said if someone was accused of desecration of the Holy Quran or blasphemy of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) would be punished by the court of law, also adding that nobody would be given free hand to be complainant, judge and executioner.

laws spanning over 209 years available on Balochistan official web

The participants provided their valuable inputs on the envisioned role of the NAHE regional centre and how it would build the capacities of faculty and administration in performing their roles more efficiently.

The participants suggested that the centre should also be replicated in other regions of the province to meet their needs.

The implementation of the revised Undergraduate Education Policy (UEP) was also discussed at length, and HEIs extended their support to HEC for its implementation.

They were also briefed on the upcoming HEC initiatives to further improve the

higher education system in the country. They suggested involving universities in designing capacity building programmes for faculty and administration.

Dr Salvador Malo, a World Bank consultant, was also engaged during the session via video conference. He is assisting HEDP in assessment of learning outcomes through the use of an international test at national level in Pakistan. The international test has been contextualized for use in Pakistan with his help. Dr Malo is assisting HEDP to develop and embed flexible integral education and promote relevant competencies and critical learning skills via revised UEP implementation.

PTI moves LHC against acceptance of 70 MNAs resignation

LAHORE

Staff RepoRt

Invoking jurisdiction of the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) urged the court to declare National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf decision illegal who accepted 70 MNAs’ resignations without providing hearing opportunity in the matter.

Making Speaker NA, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), and others as respondents in the matter the PTI MNAs, including Fawad Chaudhry, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Pervaiz Khattak and others

challenged the acceptance of their resignations as MNAs by NA speaker.

In the petitions, the former lawmakers maintained that without hearing their viewpoint, the NA speaker accepted resignations.

Urging the LHC to nullify the decision of speaker Raja Pervaiz Asharaf the petitioner prayed the court to issue directives to the Election Commission of Pakistan to denotifying order in this regard. “Therefore, it is prayed to the court to declare the acceptance of PTI lawmakers’ resignations null and void,” the petition read.

Earlier in the day, the LHC

sought replies from National Assembly (NA) Speaker Raja Parvez Ashraf and other respondents in a case pertaining to the acceptance of 43 PTI MNAs’ resignations. Justice Shahid Kareem took up the petition filed by 43 PTI leaders, including Riaz Fatyana, against the NA speaker’s move for accepting their resignations without due process. The LHC has directed the NA Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf to submit his reply till March 07 in the case. Earlier, the Lahore High Court (LHC) suspended the Election Commission of Pakistan’s notification that de-notified 43 MNAs of the PTI.

Polio immunization campaign continues in 39 districts

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

A sub-national polio vaccination campaign on Friday continued in 39 districts of the country to vaccinate more than six million children under the age of five years. The drive was started after sewage samples in Lahore tested positive for wild poliovirus last month. The polio drive continued in nine districts, including the seven endemic districts of Bannu, D.I.Khan, Tank, Lakki Marwat, North Waziristan, Upper South Waziristan and Lower South Waziristan in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and two districts of Punjab including Lahore and Faisal-

abad. The drive was conducted after two environmental samples collected from two separate sites in Lahore tested positive for wild poliovirus in January. The first positive sample of 2023 was detected on January 19 and was genetically linked to the poliovirus found in the Nangarhar province of Afghanistan in November 2022, according to the national polio lab at the National Institute of Health. This was the first evidence of cross-border transmission in more than a year. The second positive sample was reported on January 27, which was genetically linked to a virus circulating in south Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).

In a statement, Minister for Na-

tional Health Services, Abdul Qadir Patel encouraged parents and caregivers to ensure that their children are vaccinated in this and every campaign to protect them from the disability-causing virus and to stop it from gaining a foothold in their communities.

He said the presence of wild poliovirus with genetic links to the virus in Afghanistan and south KP in sewage samples is evidence that the virus was moving with people and circulating in our communities.

The minister said, “Poliovirus on any side of the border is a threat to children in both countries. Only repeated doses of the oral polio vaccine can offer life-long protection.”

QUETTA Staff RepoRt

Balochistan Law Department (BLD) has compiled all the laws covering the past 209 years from 1812 to 2021, all the compiled volumes were uploaded on the website of the Law Department for convenience of lawyers, public and departments. This was disclosed by Parliamentary Secretary Law and Parliamentary Affairs ,Science and Information Technology Dr. Rubaba Khan Buledi when Director Codification section of Law Department Mr. Muzmal Hussain, Deputy Director Mr.Hafeezullah, and former Director Parliamentary Affairs Mr.Saeedullah met here and presented the last certified updated complete and final published volumes to her during the meeting. Dr. Rubaba Khan Buledi paid great tribute to the entire team including the director and deputy director of codification section for completing the task within a short period of time. She praised the high quality of work in printing and publishing and said that completion of the last volumes was pending for the last 29 years, which have been updated and compiled. The first certified volume of the Balochistan Law Department was published in 1988, which included laws, orders, and ordinances from 1812 to 1962. A second volume was published in 1992 containing updates from 1963 to 1969, a third volume was publicized in 1994 which compiled all information from the 1970 to the 1980 saying these three volumes were completed and published in six years, since then, work in this regard was suspended .

Marriyum meets turkish earthquake women victims in adiyaman

ADIYAMAN

Staff RepoRt

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb on Friday met the earthquakeaffected women in Adiyaman, Turkiye. The minister on the occasion hugged the victims and expressed her profound grief over the loss of life and property in the earthquake, a press release said. She expressed solidarity with the government and the people of Turkiye on behalf of the government and the people of Pakistan. “The Government of Pakistan stands with its Turkish brothers and sisters in this hour of difficulty,” she remarked. Marriyum Aurangzeb said Pakistan would provide all possible help for the rehabilitation of the earthquake victims.

RefoRms, investoRs-conducive enviRonment to help pakistan combat economic issues: us envoy

momentum especially in terms of strong people to people contact and economic ties”.

corporate corner

pRINCIPALDeputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs at the US Department of State, Elizabeth Horst Friday said that long-lasting reforms in the economic sector and creating businessconducive environment for the investors could help Pakistan cope with the prevailing economic issues.

“Pakistan has a lot of investment potential in various sectors of economy, while the robust policies can help attract local and foreign investment in the country, ensuring sustainable development”, she said while responding to the questions of the students in an interactive session.

The session was held here at National University of Science and Technology (NUST)’s Lincoln Corner. The US high official was accompanied by United States Ambassador to Pakistan, Donald Blome.

She said, “The US recognizes the fact that Pakistan has been a victim of terrorism, and has rendered endless sacrifices in its fight against terrorism.

“The recent attack in Peshawar Police Lines mosque is a reminder that a lot of work needs to be done to wipe out terrorism completely.

“Terrorism is a global issue which needs to be addressed through ensuring that the space for terrorists shrinks, and root causes are eliminated”, she said.

“United States is an active partner of Pakistan in its

islamabad police file case against unknown person after ‘pet’ leopard runs amok in residential area

ISLAMABAD

Staff report

The Islamabad Police on Friday opened a criminal investigation against an unknown person for “domesticating” a leopard, a day after it ran free and injured several people in an upscale residential area of the capital. Yesterday, video clips of the feline jumping across walls and navigating roads in the Defence Housing Authority (DHA) Phase II neighbourhood of Islamabad went viral on social media, leading to an hours-long effort by authorities to capture it.

On Friday Islamabad Police tweeted that its Sahala Police Station, under whose jurisdiction DHA Phase II falls under, booked an unidentified suspect under sections 324 (attempt to commit murder) and 289 (negligent conduct with respect to animal) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

The leopard was a pet in an unknown person’s home, the police alleged. “The suspect endangered the lives of citizens by keeping dangerous animals,” it said in a second tweet. “The search for the accused is ongoing, legal action will be taken after arresting him soon.”

Climate Change Minister Sherry Rehman tweeted a video of the big cat sitting on the ground, saying this “leopard who escaped from a private zoo last night in Islamabad is alive and well at our Animal Rescue centre at the old zoo”. She added: “Its six-hour capture operation injured one of our Wildlife staff quite badly. Costs to the community and the animal could have been much higher. STOP private zoos.”

struggle against terror and we will continue working together for finding out solutions to end the root causes of terrorism”, she said. About climate change impacts on the world environment, Elizabeth Horst said that there were no easy solutions to address the climate change issue which was impacting the citizens globally.

“This is the time that we have to join hands and come up with the solutions to mitigate climate change impacts, when countries like Pakistan are witnessing transition into the new technologies”, she said.

Earlier in her opening remarks, Elizabeth Horst said, “The United States and Pakistan have been enjoying cordial relations for the last 75 years, having a positive

“Although sometimes these relations get little bit distracted due to the regional and security issues that are going on, but at the heart of Pakistan-US relations is, its people to people contact and growth”, she said.

She said that the US had been offering an extensive range of educational, cultural and exchange programmes to Pakistani students which were fostering bilateral relations and people to people contacts.

“The US-Pakistan Green Alliance is the most exciting part of bilateral cooperation to address global climate crisis. The US administration recognizes that this is the crisis that no country can manage by itself. I am hopeful that both the countries will come up with such solutions to address climate crisis under this alliance, enabling us to look into global as well as local problems.

“Pakistanis have endured a terrible flooding last year, and we have to address climate crisis together.”

She pointed out the need for the countries to come up with the best possible solutions to address climate change in which “the science and technology sector will be most important to ensure comfortable life style of people along with addressing climate issue.”

Along with the public sector efforts for micro-economic stability, private sector should also contribute for economic growth in the country. Talking about the value of democracy and freedom in the society, she said that the current US administration was focusing on strengthening democracy and human rights.

Pirzada urges handing over of children to CPI in presence of lady police

ISLAMABAD Staff report

Federal Minister for Human Rights Mian Riaz Hussain Pirzada, being the patron, chaired the third meeting of Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) Child Protection Advisory Board here in the Ministry of Human Rights, Islamabad on Friday.

The objective of the meeting was to discuss the pending issues of the Child Protection Institute (CPI) and Zainab Alert Response and Recovery Agency (ZARRA).

The Advisory Board is mandated, under the Child Protection Act, 2018, to advise the government on matters relating to policy, legislation and implementation of the rights of children at ICT level.

In the meeting, Board unanimously approved to move for certain amendments in the relevant section/clause of the act to change

the composition of the Advisory Board to make it more practical and viable.

The Director General CPI Ms Rabeea Hadi requested the representative of the Inspector General of Police in Islamabad for more coordination and support in tracing of Afghan Children, their reunification and particularly in the rehabilitation of drug addict children those are handed over to CPI by the police.

During the meeting, issues of

pakistan navy promotes two commodores

relocation and construction of customized building of CPI, resource allocation, drafting of supplementary rules, institutionalization of Helpline 1099, Prime Minister Performance Delivery Unit and ZARRA and recruitment of staff for both CPI and ZARRA also came under the discussion.

Moreover, the board discussed the proposal to move for necessary legislation for the adoption of unclaimed children from the CPI.

Riaz Hussain Pirzada urged the Islamabad Police to make sure the availability of lady police while handing over the custody of children to CPI for making this process more protected.

The Minister also advised the concerned authorities of CPI and ZARRA to fully utilize the human, tangible and financial resources to make both CPI and ZARRA fully functional and effective for the better safety of children in ICT.

ANF seizes 741.693kg drugs worth US $ 17.827m

RAWALPINDI

Staff report

Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) Pakistan has seized 741.693 Kg drugs and 6020 Liters Hydrochloric Acid (HCL) of worth US$ 17.827 Million and arrested 19 culprits from different parts of the country.

According to press release, ANF impounded 4 vehicles while conducting 30 counter narcotics operations throughout the country. The seized drugs comprised 5.338 Kg Heroin, 689.741 Kg Hashish, 14 Kg Opium, 11.556 Kg Methamphetamine (Ice), 20.430 Kg Amphetamine and 3376 Diazepam Tabs of 0.628 Kgs.

ANF Balochistan recovered 239.200 Kg drugs and 6020 Liters Hydrochloric Acid (HCL) in 5 operations and impounded a vehicle. The seized drugs comprised of 3 Kg Heroin, 227 Kg Hashish and 9.200 Kg Methamphetamine.

ANF Punjab recovered 202.580 Kg drugs in 4 operations while arrested two persons involved in drugs

smuggling and impounded a vehicle. The seized drugs comprised of 1.080 Kg Heroin, 14 Kg Opium and 187.500 Kg Hashish.

ANF KPK recovered 221.767 Kg drugs in 11 operations while arrested 4 persons involved in drugs smuggling. The seized drugs comprised of 199.841 Kg Hashish, 1.496 Kg Methamphetamine and 20.430 Kg Amphetamine.

ANF Sindh recovered 73.980 Kg drugs in 4 operations while arrested 7 persons including 3 women involved in drugs smuggling and impounded 2 vehicles. The seized drugs comprised 1.180 Kg Heroin, 72 Kg Hashish and 0.800 Kg Methamphetamine.

ANF North recovered 4.166 Kg drugs in 6 operations, arrested 6 persons including a foreigner in drugs smuggling. The seized drugs comprised 0.078 Kg Heroin, 3.400 Kg Hashish, 0.060 Kg Methamphetamine (Ice) and 3376 Diazepam Tablets. All cases have been registered at respective ANF Police Stations under CNS Act 1997 and further investigations are under way.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Navy has promoted two Commodores to the rank of Rear Admiral with immediate effect.

Rear Admiral Khyber Zaman is a graduate of Britannia Royal Naval College Dartmouth, UK and was commissioned in Operations Branch of Pakistan Navy in 1994. He is a graduate of PAF Air War College, National Defence University, Islamabad and International College of Defence Studies China. The Flag Officer is a recipient of Sitara-i-Imtiaz (Military).

Rear Admiral Shafquat Hussain Akhtar was commissioned in Operations Branch of Pakistan Navy in 1994. The Flag Officer is a graduate of Pakistan Navy War College, Naval War College, Turkiye, National Defence University, Islamabad and International College of Defence Studies China. The Admiral is a recipient of Sitara-i-lmtiaz (Military). pr

exercise spears of victory, 2023 concludes at king abdulaziz air base

ISLAMABAD: A contingent of Pakistan Air Force participated in Exercise Spears of Victory, 2023 which concluded at Air War Centre Dhahran (King Abdulaziz Air Base), Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The PAF contingent consisted of pride of Pakistan, JF-17 Thunder and F-16 aircraft which roared in the aerial boundaries of our Muslim brethren country while participating in the exercise. The exercise also witnessed participation of modern fighter jets and support elements from PAF and friendly countries. Air Marshal Abdul Moeed Khan, Deputy Chief of the Air Staff (Air Defence) witnessed the closing ceremony of the exercise and appreciated the efforts of PAF contingent for making the exercise a great success. pr

President bemoans delay in filling vacant posts of FUUAST Senate

KARACHI

Staff report

President Dr Arif Alvi on Friday expressed dismay over the inordinate delay in filling the vacant posts of members of the Senate of Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science and Technology (FUUAST).

The president in his direction said the process for appointments should be initiated, before the expiry of the tenure of the forum concerned, or the retirement of the officebearers, so that all matters of important na-

ture could not be disrupted or delayed.

The president expressed these views while presiding over a meeting of the FUUAST Senate, held at Governor House, Karachi, on Friday.

Chairman Higher Education Commission Professor Dr Mukhtar Ahmed, ActingVice Chancellor of FUUAST Professor Dr M Ziauddin, senate members of the university and representatives of the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training attended the meeting.

Speaking on the occasion, the president

said that FUUAST was a prestigious higher education institution of Karachi and stressed the need to address various issues being faced by it to ensure the smooth functioning of the administrative and academic wings of the institution.

He said the ministry of Federal Education and Professional training should fasttrack the process of nominations without further delay.

The president also took notice of the findings of the HEC committee which pointed out irregularities in the selection and

appointment of academic and administrative officials, and other matters and instructed the University administration to submit a detailed report and fix responsibility against those who committed the irregularities.

The Chairman HEC briefed the meeting about the inquiry committee report and the irregularities in the university.

Senate members of FUUAST said that all the important forums including the Senate and academic council should be made fully functional to take timely and prompt decisions.

Baitul Maal MD Amir Fida Paracha and Director General NUML, Brig. Syed Nadir Ali exchanging documents after signing an MoU to support deserving students of NUML in Islamabad. pr

Maulana Abdul Wasay, Federal Minister for Housing and Works inaugurated Life Style Residency Apartments (EHFPRO) Sector G-13, Islamabad. Iftikhar Ali Shallwani, Secretary Housing also attended the ceremony. pr

Approaching the Bench

Ascandal has erupted in which former Punjab Chief Minister Ch Pervez elahi is being seen as fixing a Supreme Court judge. At least, that is what federal Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah accuses him of doing in the course of a phone conversation. Ch Pervez has denied stoutly that he has said anything improper, claiming that he was merely engaging in a discussion about lawyers. That might well be correct, but that does not obviate the need for a thorough probe. Previous audioleaks have tended to show prominent figures in a bad light. Debate has centred around how and when the recordings were made and some of them generated a sort of secondary discussion about how salacious, or even how perverted, were the private lives of prominent persons. however, while they might have been seen as showing the tottering foundations of the social order, they did not show that the country’s institutions were being threatened, these audioclips raise the suspicion that not only is a former chief minister willing to suborn judges of the Supreme Court, but that he has found at least one judge who was willing to be suborned.

The superior judiciary is normally jealous enough of its reputation to be quick to issue contempt notices when it suspects its reputation has been damaged. Contempt in the face of the court, such as when its orders are ignored, are clear enough, but there is more debate about attempts to lower the image of the judiciary. however, the matter must be investigated thoroughly. No judge who given the impression that he is in anyone’s pocket can do justice. On the other hand, if Rana Sanaullah’s suggestions are false, he and whoever misled him, must be punished They must not be allowed to suggest that judges of the superior courts are willing to do anyone’s will.

The judiciary was exempted from the purview of the National Accountability Bureau because it claimed to have an effective accountability mechanism in the shape of the Supreme Judical Council. Now is the time to use that mechanism, as one bad fish should not be allowed to spoil a barrel full of hardworking and learned judges who have dedicated their lives to doing justice.

Reduce the Defence Budget

No future Cold War will bring foreign aid

educated and skilled youth to enable them to run their own small businesses. With the advantage of nuclear assets and missile technology, Pakistan needs a small, trained, affordable military.

Pakistan has to understand that the era of foreign aid to fight proxy wars is over. It is disheartening to see the way the poor of this country are served with emotionalism. The poor have been the victims of nationalist mottos and jihadi calls. Under the spell of nationalism and jihadism, they cannot question the reasons for their perpetual poverty.

The next choke point is the Constitution of Pakistan which has made the army and the judiciary sacred cows. If only this bar could be lifted!

Pakistanis have not yet reaped the benefits of developmental expenditures. One of the reasons is that, despite its yearning, Pakistan is not a welfare state.

ON Pakistan’s trajectory, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a riff– a repeated tune that appears regularly while other parts change (as in a piece of music). It is disgraceful for a sovereign country to assume the status of a begging bowl and keep on seeking the IMF’s help to sustain its economy.

In the recent 10-day loan talks with the IMF, Pakistan has so far agreed to impose taxes of Rs 170 billion, besides reducing untargeted gas and energy subsidies, increasing levy on diesel, and reducing circular debt in energy sectors. It means that a flood of price hikes is impending to strike the masses. The question is this: is it justifiable? For how long would the masses afford taxes and consequent hyperinflation?

For the fiscal year 2022-023, Pakistan announced a defence budget of Rs 1.53 trillion ($7.5 billion). The allocation was a 12 percent increase over the original military expenditure in 20212022. To justify the rise, it was said that the increase would be offset by rising inflation. The question is this: why was inflation on the rise? The answer is this: high expenditures in non-developmental sectors such as defence. That is, in the given state of the economy, high non-developmental expenditures (high defence expenditures) beckon high inflation.

If just one-third of the defence budget, say Rs 500 billion, is spent in the developmental sectors such as education, health, micro-finance, infrastructure (such as road, sewerage, sanitation and water treatment plants), inflation will take a nosedive, as happens in developed countries. For instance, the youth bulge necessitates the presence of the government’s microfinance facility to extend loans to

Instead, Pakistan is a security state, which is in direct contrast to the original, inherited status of Pakistan, a feudal state. Nevertheless, the security state found the judiciary a formidable competitor. After weighing the strength of each other, both joined hands to rule over the country.

Within the context of Pakistan as a security state, an observable trend is that every Chief of Army Staff remained desirous for two things: first, look after the welfare of the Army, even by exacting more funds from the governments; and second, leave a legacy behind to be remembered. As if this were not enough, the next trend crept in: seek more financial benefits, through either getting a job extension or ensuring a post-retirement job. The way retired navy admirals got employed in a real estate-related construction company to serve its interests, retired army generals also followed suit. Loyalty has been boiled down from serving the country to serving the company.

currencies, one of the reasons for the devaluation of the rupee is understood. The question is this: is the IMF ignorant of these practices?

Within the context of Pakistan as a security state, Pakistan revels in the delusion that it would be required for another “Cold War” which could be fought between any two superpowers, say between China and perhaps the usa, and that either of them would be offering Pakistan funds to stay by its side. The delusion is understandable against the background that Pakistan’s whole war machinery has been devised to thrive on a Cold War. If there is no Cold War, Pakistan has to construct one.

Currently, Pakistan has to confront two challenges: first, how to come out of the economic crisis and, second, how to revive the economy. Coming out of the crisis does not automatically mean the revival of the economy. One of the solutions for both the challenges is this: reduce the defence budget by a half

Interestingly, Pakistan also indulges in the delusion that it is the most sought after country in the Muslim World, desperately looking for a leader. The delusion is understandable against the background that Pakistan is ever ready to extend the tentacles of its war machinery to the Middle eastern countries, where otherwise most Pakistanis live as labourers. The current economic crisis has smashed both delusions of Pakistan. All superpowers and all Arab countries have brought Pakistan back to its senses by compelling it to meet the IMF’s conditions first, and then expect any financial help from them. Out of the talks with the IMF, Pakistan has come out successful on only one point: the IMF has permitted Pakistan to raise fund allocation for Benazir Income Support Program (BISP) by Rs 40 billion (from existing Rs 360 billion to Rs 400 billion). here, Pakistan overlooks that the BISP may help the poor withstand abject poverty, but the BISP cannot help the poor come out of the invidious grip of paucity. In the given state of the economy, it means that every year more people would be joining the poverty bracket, thereby instigating any sitting government to allocate more funds to the BISP. Is this the goal of Pakistan?

It is said that Richmond hill (Ontario, Canada) takes pride in offering permanent housing to a number of retired Pakistani generals, air marshals, and admirals, who grace the area with their families. Certainly, Canadian immigration is powerful enough to dilute the nationalism of even stalwarts, who kept on defending Pakistan’s ideological boundaries till the day of retirement. Seek pension and get privileges from Pakistan and live abroad. When millions of rupees are converted into foreign

The Indian Ocean Region Power Play

Finding a balance for Pakistan

The Indian Ocean Region (IOR) is undergoing a paradigm shift, a result of the dynamic interplay of international relations, specifically economic and strategic interests. As a key player in the evolving geopolitics of the region, the IOR, with its proximity to rapidly-growing regions and its role as a major energy and trade artery, holds immense significance in the global political arena. The proliferation of sea-based strategic deterrents and the exponential growth of military and strategic arsenals are further complicating the situation, triggering a new arms race and engendering ambiguity over the intent and capability of regional actors.

A significant factor contributing to the shifting dynamics in the Indian Ocean Region is India’s pursuit of a

blue-water navy. India is fortifying its maritime presence in the region through various means, including an increase in naval capacities, strategic alliances with the USA and the Quad, broadened naval drills like the MALABAR exercise, and the Project Seabird - the country’s largest naval modernization endeavour. Project Seabird aims to modernize and enlarge India’s naval infrastructure with a cutting-edge naval base in Karwar, equipped with advanced features such as deep-draft harbour and training/simulation facilities, to reinforce maritime security and demonstrate naval strength in the IOR. The growth of India’s naval power and its increased presence in the IOR can be seen as a direct challenge to other regional actors, including Pakistan, as it has the potential to disrupt existing security dynamics and undermine regional stability.

India’s investment in Chabahar port has also raised security concerns for Pakistan, as it provides India with access to Afghanistan and central Asia, potentially compromising Pakistan’s strategic position. The close proximity of Chabahar port to Gwadar port, a crucial aspect of the China-Pakistan economic Corridor (CPeC), further exacerbates concerns that India may undermine its development and thus, Pakistan’s strategic standing in the region.

Another factor contributing to the evolving geostrategic environment in the IOR is China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The BRI, which aims to connect China with europe, Africa and the Middle east, is viewed by many as a major contributor to the changing balance of power in the region. The BRI is being implemented through the development of infrastructure and investment in ports, railways, and pipelines, which are viewed by some as tools for Chinese influence and control over regional economies.

Pakistan, as a major Indian Ocean littoral country, has a policy of pursuing economic growth and development in the region. The country aims to realize the economic potential of the region through various initiatives. Pakistan has a significant interest in the BRI, as the country is a key participant in the CPeC, which is a

major component of the BRI.

Pakistan is concerned about the implications of the Indo-US defence partnership on regional security dynamics, as the infusion of advanced military technologies and weapons systems to India from the West has the potential to disrupt the strategic balance in the region. As a result, Pakistan may be compelled to take necessary steps to maintain strategic stability and preserve the credibility of its nuclear deterrent, leading to the possibility of a new arms race in the naval domain and a strain on Pakistan’s limited resources for naval modernization.

Pakistan endeavours to counter India’s increasing military influence in the IOR through diplomatic meas-

Currently, Pakistan has to confront two challenges: first, how to come out of the economic crisis and, second, how to revive the economy. Coming out of the crisis does not automatically mean the revival of the economy. One of the solutions for both the challenges is this: reduce the defence budget by a half.

The writer can be reached at qaisarrashid@yahoo.com

ures. The country has raised its concerns at the United Nations General Assembly and engages in regional security dialogues, such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and the D8 Organization for economic Cooperation. These actions reflect Pakistan’s unease towards India’s military expansion in the IOR and its pursuit for regional peace and stability. In an effort to protect its national interests, Pakistan strives to maintain positive relationships with both China and the USA. however, the onset of great power competition has the potential to exacerbate polarizations in the broader Asian region, creating a challenging dilemma for Pakistan.

As the security scenario in the IOR transforms and novel threats arise, it becomes critical for Pakistan to establish a formidable security strategy. To secure its sovereignty and maintain stability in the rapidly shifting global arena, the nation must evaluate the challenges it faces and craft a strategic solution. A consolidated national effort, incorporating all aspects of national power and taking into account regional and global dynamics, is crucial for achieving success.

The altering security dynamics in the IOR offer Pakistan a chance to establish itself as a pivotal player in regional stability. By leveraging its strengths and forming strategic alliances, Pakistan possesses the capability to make a significant contribution to regional security and fortify its position in the geopolitical arena. With a thorough and proactive approach to regional security, Pakistan can effectively neutralize emerging threats and assert itself as a dependable player in the IOR.

The writer can be reached at:skhattak792@gmail.com

This audioclip shows that not only is a former CM busy fixing the courts, but judges are willing

shafiQ KhataK

The altering security dynamics in the IOR offer Pakistan a chance to establish itself as a pivotal player in regional stability. By leveraging its strengths and forming strategic alliances, Pakistan possesses the capability to make a significant contribution to regional security and fortify its position in the geopolitical arena.

Dr Qaisar rashiD

The resurgence of terrorism

mergers and alliances, and inadequate infrastructure. These four points would provide us with a framework to analyze factors that contributed to the existing turbulent circumstances. First, we talk about the ‘Afghan Policy’. There is no doubt in this that Pakistan’s Afghan policy has backfired. Some overblown expectations led to a myopic Afghan policy: a) Pakistan wanted to corner India by curtailing the latter’s influence in Afghanistan on one hand and by cutting its link with TTP on the other hand. b) Pakistan wanted to maintain its influence over Afghan Taliban and c) Pakistan wanted Afghan Taliban to crack down on TTP militants or to pressurize the latter to soften their demands.

When the Taliban came to power, various political pundits were predicting that Pakistan, China, and Afghanistan would ally. Russia could also be part of this. None of these objectives has been achieved because every objective is inextricably linked with peace. Peace, in turn, is directly linked to controlling TTP.

Suicidal people need empathy

SUICIDe is a very complex and multi- factorial phenomenon that over the last few years has quickly become a global health problem. According to the World health Organisation (WhO), suicide is one of the leading causes of death in the world even though it remains the most preventable cause.

A WhO report has estimated that the rate of suicide in Pakistan in 2019 was 8.9 per 100,000 people. The actual number is suspected to be higher as a lot of cases go unreported. Also, for every death by suicide, there are many more attempts that go unnoticed and undocumented.

Suicide is the most preventable death, with treatment for depression being highly effective. yet, due to barriers, such as stigma, lack of resources and societal pressures, many suffering individuals do not get the help that they desperately need.

Last year on Dec 23, an announce-ment issued by the President house said Section 325 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) had been repealed. Accor- ding to the said section, suicide or attempted suicide was an offence punishable by imprisonment, fine or both. The act of repealing the section has effectively decriminalised the act of suicide.

JANUARy 20 proved to be a horrible day for the nation as a suicide bomber detonated an explosive device in a packed mosque in Peshawar. A faction of TTP, namely Jamaat-ul-Ahraar claimed responsibility. however, a little later the central group of TTP rejected the claim. This rejection is perceived as a mere distraction. The atrocious terrorist attack is thought to be a successful bid to avenge the death of TTP leader Umar Khalid Khorasani.

Preliminary investigations have brought to light that 10 to 12 kg of explosive material was used. A day after this heinous attack on a mosque, TTP militants raided a police station inthe Mianwalidistrict of Punjab. Both incidents show that terrorism is making a comeback in Pakistan. The terrorist attacks kept pace, following the TTP’s move to call off the ceasefire in November. This ceasefire worked for a few months. The TTP’s reluctance to show any flexibility on its demand for the reversal of the FATA merger and to disarm itself paved the way for the failure of negotiations.

2022 witnessed a sequence of terror attacks.

According to the annual securityreportby the Center for Research & Security Studies (CRSS), ‘Five hundred and six terror attacks & counterattacks occurred across the country in 2022. Three hundred and ten attacks occurred only in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and newly merged tribal areas. It means KP faced 62 percent of total attacks. Balochistan with 110 attacks proved to be the second most insecure and vulnerable province. The province of Sindh saw 54 attacks and counter-attacks.Shockingly, Pakistan witnessed 42 attacks per month in 2022. KP being at the top of the terrorists’ list witnessed a surge of 108 percent in the number of attacks. The most distressing fact is that civilians, security personnel, and government officials were 62 percent of the total fatalities. On the other hand, terrorists or insurgents were 38 percent of the total fatalities. We have three main terror groups that target Pakistan: ISKP, TTP, and BLA. Surprisingly, they took the responsibility for only 57 strikes. In terms of areas, Bannu, Lakki Marwat, and North Waziristan were hit the hardest.’

Furthermore, it would be pertinent to identify the factors which led to the resurgence of terrorism in Pakistan. Different analysts and experts have different reasons to offer. A research fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Abdul Basit in his thought-provoking article titled “The Resurgence of Terrorism in Pakistan” put forth four important points: Afghan policy, negotiations, intergroup

The Afghan Taliban’s ascent to power has rejuvenated the TTP. It has infused a new spirit in TTP and has upped its morale. TTP leaders may think that if Afghan Taliban can achieve their desired goals,so can they. To Pakistan’s chagrin, Afghan Taliban neither took stern action against the TTP nor barred it from conducting terrorist attacks in Pakistan.

Why do the Afghan Taliban not take any action? There may be several reasons: a) TTP helped the Afghan Taliban against the USA. That is why the Afghan Taliban are mothering the TTP. The Afghan Taliban’s flexibility towards the TTP makes the latter more operative and effective. b) Another importantviewis that the Afghan Taliban can use the TTP as a tool of strategic autonomy against Pakistan’s security establishment. In simple words, the Afghan Taliban want to reduce their reliance on Pakistan. Islamabad’s leverage over the Afghan Taliban has considerably reduced now.

c) Afghan Taliban need TTP fighters for their mutual enemy: ISKP. ISKP has a different ideology and it is an aspirant of a greater Islamic State including Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Bearing in mind the above-mentioned points, it is asDr Naazir Mahmoodsays, ‘the distinction between good and bad Taliban has evaporated in the thin air’. The good Taliban (Afghan) and Bad Taliban (TTP ) both are involved in boring holes in the border fence, on which Pakistan spent more than $500 million. Those Pakistani people and analysts who were celebrating the Taliban’s victory are regretting their euphoric feelings.

Palpably, India and the Afghan Taliban are inching closer as Indian Finance MinisterNirmala Sitharamanhas recently proposed a $25 million development aid package for Afghanistan in the Union Budget. Taliban spokesman Sohail Shaheen has welcomed the development and remarked that it would make the relations between the two nations better. India has already givende facto recognitionto

the Afghan Taliban government.

The second point is negotiations. The policy of negotiating with TTP could not work in favor of Pakistan. It was an ill-advised move that strengthened the position of the TTP and gave it much-needed time to expand in Pakistan. According toNACTA(National Counter-Terrorism Authority), ‘TTP used the time of peace talks to bolster up its position. In the time of negotiations, a surge in TTP’s attacks was also witnessed’.

If history is taken as a guide, it would be clear that negotiation is not a solution. Pakistan and TTP concludedmore than fivepeace deals but none of them achieved peace. Various experts, civil servants, and former army officers opposed the option of negotiations.Shaukat Javed, the former IGhP Punjab, writes “The history of talks with the terrorists proves that it only works for them. They get legitimacy, space, and strength. Pakistani authorities gave the impression that they were tired of the fighting because of their unsolicited willingness to negotiate”.

Some retired army officers likeGen (Rtd) Tariq Khanthink that we don’t need any peace deal with TTP since we have defeated it. The third point is ‘inter-group mergers and alliances’. Alliances make terrorist groups invincible and enhance their capacity to fight. TTP under the stewardship of Nur Wali Mehsud is investing much energy and attention to reunite the splinter groups. Palpably, more than 22 militant factions have alreadymergedwith the TTP in the last two years. It has played an unavoidable role in the resurgence of terrorism by making TTP more operative and by extending its tentacles to different areas of Pakistan.

The fourth point is “inadequate infrastructure”. KPK seriously lacks counterterrorism infrastructure. According to areportsubmitted to Parliament in December 2022, “Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was not equipped with necessary resources rendering it inefficient at countering terrorism.” The report also outlined that KPK witnessed 300 terror attacks which demand the CTD be reorganized. The report drew a comparison between Punjab and KPK. “There are up to 18 SSPs and two DIGs in Punjab’s CTD as compared to KPK’s one who has been given the additional charge of Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG). As for the funds, KP CTD’s reward fund is Rs. 25 million while Punjab has Rs 276 million in the fund. Apart from that, there exists a 150 percent and 70 percent difference between Shuhada packages and salaries of the two respectively.”

Those are some important factors smoothing the way for the resurgence of terrorism. Our Afghan policy and excessive expectations have achieved nothing remarkable. We have to revisit our Afghan policy. Pakistan must understand that Afghan Taliban will never crackdown against TTP because both are two sides of one coin.

The writer can be reached atwaliejaz04@gmail.com

Now what? Though amending the law is the first big step in the fight against suicide, efforts to incorporate systems to educate the larger community should quickly follow. The lawmakers and advocates of the cause believed that the spirit of the new amendment to decriminalise suicide attempts was to take a preventative approach as opposed to a punitive approach to suicide attempts, and to better understand the reasons behind why one becomes suicidalin the first place. Most studies agree that suicide is closely linked to mental health disorders, with several studies stating that 85-90 per cent of those who die by suicide have suffered from at least one undiagnosed mental disorder. Other factors include previous suicide attempt, personality characteristics (i.e. impulsivity, poor problemsolving skills, memory, mood regulation), family structure, cultural barriers, availability of means, and adverse life events.

efforts must be made to improve the identification, intervention and ultimately prevention of suicide and suicidal behaviour. educating the larger community, such as providing suicide prevention training to parents, students, schools, and businesses, will prove to be beneficial.

Two prominent schools in Karachi have taken the first step in this endeavour using the question-persuade-refer (QPR) training to faculty, staff and administrators. QPR is an evidence-based suicide prevention training and the most widely taught approach in the world.

According to Julie Cerel and her team of researchers at the University of Kentucky, up to 135 people are affected to some degree by every person lost to suicide. Due to the stigma associated with suicide, many suffering from suicidal thoughts do not speak openly about their suffering out of fear of judgment and rejection.

The majority of our population remains dangerously ill-informed about suicide. We must learn to talk comfortably about suicide, and providing training and education in this regard is the first step in achieving this goal.

Though suicide remains a rare event, the more we work to talk about suicide and change the narrative, the more we can prevent this rare event from occurring.

SHEEMA MAJIDUDDIN KARACHI

Justified protests

ThIS is with reference to the report ‘KP policemen take to streets in uniform against Peshawar suicide bombing’ (Feb 2), according to which, demonstrations were held by policemen in several cities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province in the wake of the recent blast in Peshawar’s Police Lines mosque. The demonstration had a one-point charter of demand; protection against terrorists. This was an unprecedented happening, and underscored the helplessness of the bottom tier in a force that is beset with administrative issues.

Right from the level of induction to training and then onwards to postings and transfers, the system is riddled with deficiencies of a serious nature. About one-third of the provincial police force remains deployed on non-combatant duties, including domestic chores of senior personnel in the department. Over time, one-third of the force loses contact with their professional duties.

The unprecedented demonstrations by police personnel in the province was not the handiwork of disgruntled elements in the department, but a voice of sanity against the rather sloppy manner in which the police force is being managed in the province.

SAYED GB SHAH BOKHARI PESHAWAR

Dangerous activity

eVeRy now and then, I come across at various platforms and in different setting discussions and debates over kite flying and its hazards. In my professional capacity as a physician, I recently saw first-hand how dangerous this activity can be. A three-year-old child was brought to hospital with a deep cut on her throat that was caused by a sharp kite string when she was on a motorcycle with her parents in the Garden east area.

She was shifted to the eNT Department of Dr Ruth K.M. Pfau Civil hospital Karachi, for treatment, where she was received by a senior postgraduate trainee doctor, who, after taking all aseptic measures, sutured the wound. Kites are very popular in Pakistan. Over the years, both kiteflying and kite-making skills have evolved. The conventional cotton threads that were used as kite string (maanja) have been replaced by much cheaper but dangerously sharper Chinese maanja, which is based on nonbiodegradable synthetic fibres.

The availability of this particular string has caused a sudden surge in patients who are brought to hospitals with string-related injuries. These apparently trivial looking injuries can also take lives.

even those who favour the continuation of such activities in the name of fun and sports would agree that there should be designated places for kite-flying, while the use of all other areas, including rooftops, should be strictly prohibited for such activities, and strict action should be taken against those who violate the ban. Awareness should be spread among people through electronic media and by information booklets and pamphlets about the danger this activity poses. It is a tragedy that a sport that was supposed to be safe and enjoyable has turned into a killer sport owing to lack of awareness and use of dangerous strings.

WaLi EJaZ NEKOKara

The threat is as great as ever

Our Afghan policy and excessive expectations have achieved nothing remarkable. We have to revisit our Afghan policy. Pakistan must understand that Afghan Taliban will never crackdown against TTP because both are two sides of one coin

IndIa and twItter: why western MedIa gIves ModI a pass and pIles on Musk

TWENTY-ONE YEARS AFTER THE EVENTS IN

and systematic rape of Muslim women” and that “the aim was to purge Muslims from Hindu areas”. it added that the pogroms had purportedly taken place as retribution for an attack on Hindu pilgrims in godhra days earlier blamed on Muslims. The Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), a Hindu nationalist organisation, had planned the massacre in advance.

Middle east eye azad Essa

In mid-January, the BBC released a damning documentary series about indian Prime Minister narendra Modi. The Modi Question, a two-part series, examined Modi’s ascent to power, his longtime association with the Hindu right-wing in india, and the accusations of his complicity in antiMuslim pogroms during his time as chief minister of gujarat in 2002.

within hours of the first episode’s airing, the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government described the film as “propaganda”, and blocked it from being screened in india. Delhi would go on to impose emergency laws to halt public screenings of the film.

naturally, much of the international media’s attention diverted from the findings of the documentary to the intense censorship campaign by the indian government.

And when it became clear that Elon Musk’s Twitter had also succumbed to indian government demands to take down tweets and block content featuring the documentary on Twitter, western publications went into a frenzy. “Elon Musk caves to pressure from india to remove BBC doc critical of Modi,” The intercept wrote. Another headline in Vice said: “‘Free Speech Absolutist’ Elon Musk Censors BBC Doc Critical of india’s PM on Twitter.” “Elon Musk’s Twitter faces censorship allegations in india free speech battle,” wrote nBC. The guardian followed, too, with “indian ban on BBC Modi film puts Musk’s Twitter ‘free speech’ to the test.”

The Musk angle seemed like a smart way to “introduce” the story to American audiences presumably disinterested in “foreign” affairs.

when Musk took over Twitter he said he had done so in the name of “helping humanity” and bringing “free speech back” to the platform. But now that it was complicit in the censorship saga unfolding in india, the US media was eager to point out the tech leader’s hypocrisy.

Even if they bothered to mention that Musk was neither the first nor the only one to have cooperated with Modi in silencing his critics, the singular focus on him was misleading. no one, besides his supporters, had believed he would protect free speech. in other words, that Musk had not lived up to his promise was not actually the news it was made out to be. And the media made no attempt to move the story beyond him.

This angle distracted from the systematic erasure of Modi’s victims that lie at the heart of the documentary Delhi had silenced in favor of embarrassing the tech giant at the center of a culture war. in truth, the Modi government had scored a lowkey PR coup.

MISSING THE URGENT STORY: The first episode of the BBC documentary series, broadcast on 17 January, hinged mostly on the extraordinary revelations of a previously unreleased report written by British diplomats about the gujarat massacre that left more than a thousand people dead.

The report noted that there had been “widespread

The report concluded that the “systematic campaign of violence has all the hallmarks of ethnic cleansing”.

The second episode, which aired on 24 January, focused on Modi’s second term in power and his government’s extraordinary policies that continue to drive india towards a full-blown Hindu majoritarian state.

it examines the anxiety faced by Muslims, the crackdown on the media, and the dismantling of civil society. The damning episode is quite thorough in covering the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) that effectively rendered Muslims as second-class citizens and as outsiders to the Hindu nation.

However, it mostly glosses over the revocation of Article 370, which saw indian-occupied Kashmir lose its semi-autonomous status. it further platforms several Hindu nationalists as a means to explain Modi’s policies and offer “balance”, while struggling to describe Modi’s ethnonationalist measures as anything other than “controversial”.

But even with its shortcomings, the documentary is incriminating. A cursory viewing is enough to know that something has gone very, very wrong in india. ironically, the way the western media dealt with the documentary seemed to uplift the conclusion of the documentary itself: that the western world has no interest in confronting india’s Hindu nationalist surge. in the US, where the mainstream media count themselves as part of the resistance against Donald Trumplike authoritarianism and fascism in the US and abroad, they neglected to ask even the most basic questions as they piled on Musk.

The media made no effort to ask if there would be consequences in the US Congress for Modi. nor did they ponder if other such reports on the gujarat massacre existed in the State Department or the British foreign office that may implicate Modi further. Few mentioned that Modi had been banned in 2005 from travelling to the US under a little known religious freedom law until it was lifted by President Barack obama in 2014. And even fewer bothered to explain that the US government didn’t merely lift the travel restrictions when he became prime minister, but that successive administrations serenaded and invited him to work under the US sphere of influence. “narendra and i visited the memorial to Dr Martin luther King Jr. we reflected on the teachings of King and gandhi and how the diversity of backgrounds and faiths in our countries is a strength we have to protect,” obama wrote on Modi’s first trip to washington as PM. later, Trump invited Modi to enjoy the spoils of the israeli normalisation deals, known as the Abraham Accords. And when the administration swung back to Democratic leadership, President Joe Biden invited india to join the west Asian Bloc, or “i2U2” gathering (india, israel, the United Arab Emirates, and United States) designed to build an unflappable political and economic counter to China and further destroy the Palestinian cause.

US HYPOCRISY: As has been pointed out, both major American parties have welcomed Modi’s india into the

corridors of power, underlining the hypocrisy of the US when it comes to the undemocratic practises and authoritarian behaviour of its allies.

last week, when The Caravan reported that the indian government appeared to have used a fictitious organisation to lobby the US government on its behalf to win approval for its undemocratic decision to revoke Kashmir’s semi-autonomous status, none of the aforementioned western papers bothered to pick up the story.

“The Modi government appears to have taken lobbying efforts in the United States to unprecedented levels. Since coming to power in 2014, it has paid over $10m to lobbying firms through the indian embassy in washington DC,” Urvashi Sarkar wrote.

Today, Biden has several indian Americans, like Amit Jani, a close ally of Modi, and Sunal Shah, whose family has close ties with the overseas branches of the BJP and the RSS, the Hindu para-military organisation, in influential positions in his administration.

naturally, the US government, too, continues to support Delhi’s bid to be a permanent member on the Un Security Council. likewise, indian-American lawmakers like Ro Khanna or Pramila Jayapal, who may have spoken out against developments in india a few years ago, are increasingly silent these days.

Jayapal, who promised she wouldn’t stop calling out human right violations in india, no matter the cost, appeared to do precisely that.

in June 2022, when Representative ilhan omar introduced a resolution calling on the State Department “to designate india as a Country of Particular Concern under the international Religious Freedom Act”, following repeated recommendations by the US Commission on international Religious Freedom for the past three years, both Jayapal and Khanna did not co-sponsor it.

in fact, weeks later, Khanna called on the US government to establish more arms deals with the Hindutvarun Delhi. in 2019, Khanna said that it was the “duty of every American politician of Hindu faith to stand for pluralism, reject Hindutva”, in 2022 actively called on the US government to facilitate more strategic weapons deals with Delhi.

it is odd that none of these publications asked why no resolution condemning indian human rights violations seem to be making their way to the floor, or why a majority of US lawmakers suddenly appear disinterested in talking about india.

ERASING GUJARAT: Twenty-one years after the events in gujarat, hundreds of millions of indian Muslims continue to live in constant fear that another pogrom is only a phone call away.

As featured in the BBC documentary, British diplomats concluded that the gujarat pogrom was given the green light by the indian political establishment. A majority of those who lost their family members, homes, and limbs, have never received justice.

Meanwhile, the story of gujarat has become a blueprint for politicians across the country: demonise, criminalise, and pacify the Muslim minority to win votes from the Hindu majority.

it has become a terrifying existence. Activists are slapped with arbitrary terror charges. Muslim men are subject to intimidation and even lynchings on the street on the mere suspicion of buying beef or dating a Hindu woman.

Homes and mosques belonging to Muslims are regularly demolished on the most fickle of charges, often without judicial oversight. Hate speech is routinely broadcast by mobs as poems and songs over loudspeakers outside mosques and Muslim neighbourhoods.

And all of this has happened with the complicity of American big tech, which has consistently placated Delhi when it came to matters of censorship, including the suspension and banning of users, and restricting the reach of so-called undesirables on social media.

For the past four years, india has held the record for the most government-imposed internet shutdowns. its civil society has been largely dismantled and operates under immense scrutiny and surveillance.

in indian-occupied Kashmir, local journalists who refuse to become hagiographers for Modi’s settler-colonial projects find themselves on no-fly lists. Meanwhile, foreign journalists are rarely given permission to report from the region.

And human rights activists, like Khurram Parvaz, who was recently awarded the highly prestigious Martin Ennals human rights prize for courage, remain in jail.

HATEFUL RHETORIC: The situation only seems to be getting worse. over the last few months, the level of hateful rhetoric has escalated to such an extent that even the documentary, released just weeks ago, feels dated. Today, india’s democratic status barely exists in the imagination of western capitals. Yet they keeping giving india a pass. For example, in the midst of a bitter winter, indian authorities began evicting Kashmiris from their homes, businesses and farmlands under the pretext of an anti-encroachment drive against “illegal” structures.

Amnesty international, which was forced out of india in 2020, raised the alarm over these forced evictions, calling them a “gross violation of human rights”. These details matter as india has transformed into a proto-fascist state in which censorship is both the order and the method of the state.

This week, indian tax agents raided the offices of the BBC in new Delhi. The raid is the standard modus operandi used to intimidate activists or media organisations, highlighting once again that western media’s focus on Musk was both overstated and a distraction.

if these outlets refuse to focus on the urgent story, then they are no different than the indian government erasing its victims. Today, india’s democratic status barely exists in the imagination of western capitals. Yet, they keeping giving india a pass. And that is the real story.

Azad Essa is a senior reporter for Middle East Eye based in New York City. He worked for Al Jazeera English between 2010-2018.

IndIa’s tax raId on the BBC: ModI v the MedIa

Guardian Editorial

Following the deadly sectarian riots in gujarat in 2002 – in which more than 1,000 people, overwhelmingly Muslims, were killed –narendra Modi, then the state’s chief minister, was asked whether he would have done anything differently in retrospect: “The one area where i was very, very weak … was how to handle the media,” the now prime minister replied.

This week’s multi-day raid on BBC offices in Delhi and Mumbai by tax authorities came just weeks after the government lambasted the corporation and blocked its documentary on his handling of the riots and treatment of the Muslim minority in india. The authorities say this is routine. But, as many in india have made clear, this looks more like retaliation than regular bureaucratic proceedings. A spokesman for the ruling Bharatiya Janata party took the opportunity to

describe the BBC as the “most corrupt organisation in the world”. it also follows a clear pattern of intimidatory “tax surveys” at domestic media companies that have displeased the government, and at other organisations, including oxfam india.

Mr Modi’s government has overseen a systematic and escalating crackdown on free media, dissent and civil society more generally, particularly where its aggressive majoritarianism has been challenged. last year, human rights and press freedom groups warned that journalists have been baselessly charged under counter-terrorism and sedition laws and prevented from travelling abroad. Their targeting has emboldened Hindu nationalists to harass them online and in person. indian companies and journalists are clearly

at greatest risk. But the decision to take on the BBC is an indication of the BJP’s growing confidence.

Allegations that Mr Modi was complicit in 2002’s violence are not new, though the documentary revealed that a British government document found him “directly responsible” for not stopping the killing of Muslims. Mr Modi, who has always denied any culpability, was cleared of all charges by a supreme court panel. By using emergency powers to block a programme never due to be aired in india, forcing social media companies to take down posts containing clips and links, and detaining students who planned screenings, officials merely fuelled the desire to watch it.

Similarly, attacking the BBC does far more to dis-

credit Delhi than the broadcaster. india is enjoying being courted by other nations as an economic giant and counterweight to China in Asia. This year, it will host the g20; there is talk of a white House visit for the man who was barred from entering the US after the riots. But its standing rests not only on its economic and geopolitical might, but also its democratic status – despite its erosion by Mr Modi.

The contrast between the outspoken criticism from embattled voices in india and complaisance from powerful leaders elsewhere, is glaring and disgraceful. David Cameron’s government led the international rehabilitation of Mr Modi. The prime minister, Rishi Sunak, tweeted in celebration of Air india’s new multibillion-pound contract with Airbus and Rolls-Royce even as authorities rifled through desks and seized journalists’ phones. That Mr Modi cares about his international reputation is evident from the attempts to silence critics. india’s partners should urge it to restore and respect the democratic values, including free media, that it boasts about.

GUJARAT, HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF INDIAN MUSLIMS CONTINUE TO LIVE IN CONSTANT FEAR THAT ANOTHER POGROM IS ONLY A PHONE CALL AWAY

THE FOCUS ON MUSK DISTRACTED FROM THE SYSTEMATIC ERASURE OF MODI’S VICTIMS THAT LIE AT THE HEART OF THE DOCUMENTARY DELHI HAD SILENCED

THE BJP GOVERNMENT IS INCREASINGLY BRAZEN IN ITS ATTEMPTS TO MUZZLE JOURNALISTS AND CRITICS

corporate corner

Pink People’s Bus Service introduced to facilitate women’s mobility with dignity, safety

KaRaCHI: Access to public transportation is essential for allowing marginalized groups, including poor citizens, the elderly, women, children, and people with disabilities, to achieve their full potential. Though, viable public transportation is a global challenge the PPP’s Sindh Government has made it top priority to seek innovative solutions to overcome these challenges.

The Pink Peoples Bus Service which was recently introduced for the women of Karachi has opened a way of mobility with dignity and safety.

The safety and security concerns deter women from all back grounds, both employed and unemployed from using public transportation, with working women citing harassment as one of the top reasons. Affordability remains one of the other main challenges in terms of women accessing public transportation. pr

Jazz enables TCF to impart digital-age skills to over 250,000 students

Islamabad: Jazz, Pakistan’s leading digital operator and a part of VEON Group, is digitally enabling The Citizens Foundation (TCF) to implement tech-enabled learning across 1,800 TCF schools and ensuring an advanced learning experience for over 250,000 students nationwide. As part of this initiative, 23 computer labs have already been revamped, and a school management app has been introduced in all TCF schools, offering efficiency, transparency, and accuracy of data collection and management for all students, faculty, and non-faculty employees. The blended learning solution for primary students is an innovative approach that combines online and offline education to provide a more interactive and engaging learning experience, while the computer curriculum under DLP (Digital Literacy Program) for grades 6-8 is specifically designed to equip students with digitalage skills. pr

PPAF launches 2nd phase of GRASP Matching Grants for agri-based SMEs

NOT-BY- PROFIT

TAx MEASuRES FAvoRInG RulInG ElITE ShowS CAllouS MIndSET

IslAmAbAd news desk

wRITINGfor News International author Mansoor Ahmad criticizes the tax measures announced by the finance minister, stating that they reflect a callous mindset of the planners who prioritize generating resources that burden the have-nots instead of the haves. Despite the expectation of higher taxes

among the masses, they also anticipated that the elites would also feel the brunt of the economic difficulties experienced by ordinary citizens. Ahmad notes that Pakistan is in a precarious position, where the elite with resources and power remain oblivious to the despair of the common man.

According to Ahmad, there are two types of elite in Pakistan. The first group consists of businessmen who continue to make profits regardless of the state of the economy, while the second includes

the ruling elite, feudal politicians, and top bureaucrats, who do not face the same worries about price hikes or shortages as the general populace.

These ruling elite enjoy various privileges, such as free electricity, gas, and hefty mobile and petrol allowances, among other perks. They also have access to the best medical equipment and world-class treatment in government hospitals, which is not the case for the common man. Ahmad calls for the finance min-

ister to announce measures that cut the perks and privileges of the ruling elite, bureaucrats, and judiciary. He argues that if the country needs to generate resources through higher taxes, then the ruling elite should also bear these expenses like other citizens. Ahmad believes that Pakistan will never progress until those who govern the country experience the difficulties faced by the common man.

To read the full article visit www.thenews.com.pk

Outrage sparked by insufficient terminal capacity

IslAmAbAd news desk

According to Kashif Hussain, a Tribune author, there is a rush of imported containers at Pakistan's terminals, but the storage space for them has run out. This has caused a major decrease in income for terminal operators due to a lack of clearance, which has halted the huge amount of revenue usually received by these terminals.

The Pakistan International Terminal (PICT), a private terminal at Karachi Port, has had to acquire additional space in the KPT yard adjacent to the terminal to store imported containers. However, this has resulted in rent and storage costs becoming bur-

densome. The CEO of Pakistan International Container Terminal, Khurram Aziz Khan, explains that the current situation, along with the foreign exchange crisis and import barriers, has created difficulties for the terminal operators. PICT is a publicly listed company and has to take care of the interests of its shareholders, while also paying dividends on foreign shareholding, he lamented.

Khan believes that the lack of profit on their investment is making it difficult to attract foreign direct investment. He urges the government to focus on trade and industry, instead of trying to solve the foreign exchange crisis.

The export sector is also affected, as their import

Every player of Karachi Kings to get plot as reward for winning PSL: CEO GFS

KARACHI

pr

GFS Builders and Developers organized a grand reception for Karachi Kings at a local hotel in Karachi.

Chief Executive Officer of GFS Builders and Developers, Irfan Wahid, said that GFS has always supported Karachi Kings. This is just a start. I strongly hope that Karachi Kings will become the number one team of PSL and win the final. Every player of Karachi Kings will be given plots as a reward for winning the PSL.

KaRaCHI: Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF) has distributed Matching Grants worth Rs269 million amongst 128 beneficiaries to promote agri-business in Sindh. The initiative aims to contribute to the overall economic development of the province by supporting small and medium enterprises from 6 districts of the provincenamely Karachi, Hyderabad, Tharparkar, Khairpur, Tando Allahyar, Mirpurkhas, Sujawal, Thatta, Tando Muhammad Khan, Shaheed Benazirabad, Matiari and Sanghar.

The Matching Grants were distributed under Growth for Rural Advancement and Sustainable Progress (GRASP) which is an European Union (EU) funded projectbeing implemented byby International Trade Centre (ITC) in collaboration with Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF) and Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO).

Shazia Mari, Federal Minister for Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety; Daniel Clauss, Head of Political Section, Delegation of the European Union to Pakistan; Ghufran Memon, Secretary, Ministry for Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety; Robert Skidmore, Chief Sector and Enterprise Competitiveness, International Trade Centre; Abdul Rahseed Solangi, Secretary Industry and Commerce; Ms Roshan KhursheedBharucha. pr

CEO Irfan Wahid pointed out that apart from the construction business, GFS always took an active part in welfare work and sports activities and this contribution will continue in the future.

Captain of Karachi Kings, Imad Wasim, said that GFS is an international organization. I thank GFS on behalf of the entire team of Karachi Kings and it is always a great pleasure that GFS supports

Karachi Kings as the people of Karachi do. Our entire team is working hard to win the PSL.

Fast bowlers of Karachi Kings, Mohammad Amir, and Imran Tahir also thanked GFS for their support.

On this occasion, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was also signed between the Karachi Kings and GFS.

PTA continues crackdown on illegal sale of SIMs

Islamabad: Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) continued a crackdown on illegal issuance of SIM cards, with successful raids in multiple locations.

In Mingora Swat, a successful raid was conducted by PTA Zonal Office Peshawar in collaboration with FIA Cyber Crime Circle Peshawar against a mobile company franchisee suspected of illegally issuing SIM cards. The suspects used the guise of BISP disbursements to take biometric information (finger/thumb impressions) of subscribers for SIMs issuance.

Similarly, in Lahore, PTA Zonal Office & FIA Cyber Crime Circle Gujranwala conducted raids against three franchisees of a mobile company suspected of illegally issuing SIM cards in Gujranwala, Pasroor, and Narowal. During the raids, BVS devices issued by mobile company and a bank for BISP disbursements, and active SIM cards were confiscated. Five suspects were arrested. pr

consignments are lying at the port, with which they have to manufacture and export products. Despite the unfavorable conditions, the terminal has waived charges of Rs 32 million, in order to provide some relief to the industry. Khan adds that KPT must also waive its storage charges on the containers.

Terminal operators themselves are facing difficulties in the clearance of spare parts, and importing spare parts from Turkey for necessary maintenance is becoming difficult.

Khan highlights the importance of renewing the terminal's 21-year concession agreement, as he fears a monopoly forming at the port for which trade will bear the loss if this does not happen.

To read the full article visit www.tribune.com.pk

FCCu hosts Int’l Conference on Mitigation and Adaptation for Climate change

laHORE: Agriculture in Pakistan is significantly affected by short-term climate variability and longerterm climate change. Periods of severe droughts, followed by devastating floods are common in the country and have contributed to low crop yields, loss of livestock, damage to irrigation infrastructure and food shortages. According to the Climate change Index, droughts will increase in winter affecting the yield of cash harvests. Meanwhile, increase in precipitation in the summer season may cause floods throughout different areas of Pakistan. In this regard, KAM-School of Life Sciences in collaboration with ORIC organized this International Conference at Forman Christian College University Lahore on 6th –9th February 2023. In the inaugural session President Economic Cooperation OrganizationScience Foundation, Prof. Dr. Seyed Komail Tayebi was the Chief Guest. He emphasized on the importance of Mitigation and adaptation technologies in Pakistan for Climate Change. Mr. Rafay Alam, a prominent environmental lawyer talked about the climate crisis and its impacts on our future. Dr. Mahaletchumy Arujanan, Executive Director MABIC discussed science communication as an approach for effective climate action during the inaugural session. This international conference is supported by CropLife Asia, CABI, Pakistan Science Foundation, Babar Ali Foundation, FAO, WWF Pakistan, COMSTECH, HEC, Four Brothers Group and ECO Science Foundation. Their representatives also gave remarks at the ceremony. Dr. Jonathan AddletonRector FCCU welcomed the participants and appreciated Dr. Kauser Abdulla Malik- Director ORIC and Dr. Samina Mehnaz- Chairperson KAM-SLS for successfully organizing this conference. staff report

14th KLF begins to captivate audiences with diverse array of offerings

KARACHI staff report

The much-awaited 14th edition of the Karachi Literature Festival (KLF) commenced here on Friday, marking the beginning of a literary extravaganza that promises to captivate audiences with its vibrant and diverse array of offerings.

The KLF, the flagship literary initiative of Oxford University Press (OUP) Pakistan, brings together a host of luminaries from the world of literature, culture, and academia. The festival offers a unique platform for both emerging and established writers to share their ideas, experiences, and insights, thereby showcasing the best of Pakistan's literary scene. The opening ceremony of the KLF was graced by the presence of Dr Adeebul Hasan Rizvi, the celebrated philanthropist and founder of SIUT,

who served as the chief guest.

The theme of the Karachi Literature Festival (KLF) for this year is "People, Planet, and Possibilities" focusing on the current economic and geopolitical hurdles that the world is facing, as well as the consequences of climate change, such as the catastrophic floods in Pakistan and the recent earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.

In his inaugural address, Mr. Arshad Saeed Hussain, Managing Director, Oxford University Press Pakistan, said, “The Karachi Literature Festival is a beacon of hope and discourse, bringing together participants from around the country and around the world. Our theme for the 14th KLF, 'People, Planet, Possibilities,' reflects the challenging times we find ourselves in.”

Nicole Theriot, US Consul General

Karachi, Martin Dawson, Acting Deputy High

Commissioner, British Deputy High Commission, Alexis Chahtanhtinsky, Consul General of France and Danilo Giurdanella, Consul General of Italy graced the event as Guests of Honour and shared their valuable insights.

The first day of KLF also saw key note speeches by Noorul Huda Shah, Dramatist, short story writer, and poet as well as Sherry Rehman, Federal Minister for Climate Change and Environment.

In two days that follow, the festival will cover a host of literary programmes which will be participated by leading scholars, literary personalities and academic figures from Pakistan and abroad.

Speaking at the event in her keynote speech, Sherry Rehman, Federal Minister for Climate Change and Environment talked about the climate change, conservation of water and the challenges Pakistan faces.

Biden says he will speak TO China’s Xi aBOuT BallOOn inCidenT

WASHINGTON ReuteRs

prESIDENTJoe Biden said he expects to speak with China’s president, Xi Jinping, about what the United States says was a Chinese spy balloon that a US fighter jet shot down early this month after it transited the United States.

“We are not looking for a new cold war,” Biden said.

Biden, in his most extensive remarks about the Chinese balloon and three unidentified objects downed by US fighters, did not say when he would speak with Xi, but said the United States was continuing to engage diplomatically with China on the issue.

“I expect to be speaking with President Xi. I hope we are going to get to the bottom of this, but I make no apologies for taking down that balloon,” Biden said in response to complaints from Beijing.

Separately, the Pentagon’s top China official, Michael Chase, plans to visit Taiwan in the coming days, the Financial Times reported, citing sources. Chase

would be the most senior US defence official to visit the island since 2019. China claims the democratically governed island as its own, while the US for decades has followed a non-committal policy.

After the speech, Biden told NBC News: “I think the last thing that Xi wants

Over 38,000 dead from powerful twin earthquakes in southern Türkiye

ANKARA

Agencies

At least 38,044 people were killed by two strong earthquakes that jolted southern Türkiye on Feb. 6, the country’s disaster agency said early Friday.

The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 quakes were centered in Kahramanmaras and struck 10 other provinces – Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Hatay, Gaziantep, Malatya, Kilis, Osmaniye, Elazig and Sanliurfa. More than 13 million people have been affected by the devastating quakes. Several countries in the region, including Syria and Lebanon, also felt the strong tremors that struck Türkiye in the space of less than 10 hours.

More than 264,389 personnel are currently working in the field, the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) said in a statement.

Nearly 38,044 people have been evacuated from the quake-hit regions so far, according to AFAD. Condolences have poured in from around the world expressing solidarity with Türkiye, with many countries sending rescue teams and aid. A total of 5,753 foreign personnel from 67 nations are currently working in the disaster zone, the country’s Foreign Ministry said on Friday. It also said that 101 countries have offered assistance so far, and two more countries are expected to send rescue teams. – Shelters for victims

Besides rescue teams, blankets, tents, food, and psychological support teams along with over 12,600 vehicles, including excavators, tractors and bulldozers, were also sent to the affected areas.

More than 386,874 tents and 3,282,725 blankets have been sent to the quake-hit zone, said AFAD. After the initial earthquake, an air bridge was established by the Turkish Armed Forces to deliver relief supplies and search and rescue teams to the region.

A large fleet of aircraft, including A-400Ms, carried search and rescue teams and vehicles to the region. Ambulance planes are also using the air bridge.

Two Muslim men killed by ‘cow vigilantes’ in india

AnAdolu Agency

Biden, who had made few public comments about the spate of aerial objects that began with the spotting of the Chinese balloon, broke his silence after US lawmakers demanded more information on the incidents, which have baffled many Americans.

He said the US intelligence community was still trying to learn more about the three unidentified objects: one that was shot down over Alaska, one over Canada and a third that plunged into Lake Huron. The administration has said the objects were downed because they posed a threat to civil aviation.

“We don’t yet know exactly what these three objects were, but nothing right now suggests they were related to the Chinese spy balloon programme or they were surveillance vehicles from any other country,” Biden said.

Police in the northern Indian state of rajasthan have detained six people for their alleged involvement in cow vigilantism and the death of two Muslim youths, a police official said on Friday. According to the family members of the deceased, the two were abducted from Bharatpur in rajasthan by the members of the right-wing Bajrang Dal. Their skeletal remains were found inside a charred vehicle in Bhiwani city in the northern Haryana state on Thursday.

Mohammed Jabir, a cousin of killed men — Nasir, 25, and Junaid, 35, who were residents of Ghatmeeka village — told journalists that members of Bajrang Dal led by Monu Manesar abducted their brothers. “They were beaten up and then set on fire,” he alleged. However, police said that one of the victims was involved in cow smuggling and they are investigating the matter.

is to fundamentally rip the relationship with the United States and with me.” China says the 200-foot (60-metre) balloon shot down was for monitoring weather conditions, but Washington says it clearly was a surveillance balloon with a massive undercarriage containing electronics.

The intelligence community believes the objects were “most likely balloons tied to private companies, recreation or research institutions,” Biden said.

Biden said they might have been spotted due to radar that was enhanced in response to the Chinese balloon.

Chinese investment bank shares plunge as

BEIJING

ReuteRs

China renaissance Holdings Ltd (1911.HK) saw its shares plummet by as much as 50% on Friday after the investment bank said it is unable to contact its Chairman and Chief Executive Bao Fan, in the latest disappearance of a top business executive.

The disappearance of Bao, the company’s founder and controlling shareholder, drove China renaissance’s Hong Kong-listed stock to hit a record low of HK$5 in early trade, wiping off HK$2.8 billion ($357 million) in market value.

The stock regained some ground later in the day to be off by 28% in the Hong Kong market which was down 0.7%. Nearly 30 million shares of the boutique investment bank changed hands on Friday, the highest on record.

“The board is not aware of any information that indicates that Mr. Bao’s unavailability is or might be related to the business and/or operations of the Group which is continuing normally,” the mainland China-based bank said in a lateThursday filing.

A China renaissance spokesperson referred reuters’ request for comment on Friday to the investment bank’s public filing.

The well-known dealmaker’s disappearance is the latest in a series of cases of high-profile Chinese executives going missing with little explanation during a sweeping anticorruption campaign spearheaded

CEO goes missing

by President Xi Jinping.

In 2015 alone, at least five executives became unreachable without prior notice to their companies, including Fosun Group Chairman Guo Guangchang, who Fosun later said was assisting with investigations regarding a personal matter.

The disappearance comes after China’s border reopening and renewed focus on boosting the sagging economy has brightened the outlook for deals, as has an easing of a regulatory crackdown on technology firms.

Bao who previously worked at Credit Suisse Group AG (CSGN.S) and Morgan Stanley (MS.N), has been hailed as one of China’s bestconnected bankers.

He was involved with major technology mergers including the tie-up of ride-hailing firms Didi and Kuaidi, food delivery giants Meituan (3690.HK) and Dianping and travel devices platforms Ctrip (9961.HK) and Qunar.

Deals aDviser: “If a listed company voluntarily discloses that a senior manager or a major shareholder cannot be contacted, it’s truly unusual, as the person might have been out of reach for some time,” said Dickie Wong, executive director of research at Kingston Securities.

Investors’ worst nightmare is that a company’s ability to continue operation is impaired, so a stock sell-off is not surprising given the uncertainty, Wong added.

At the helm of China renaissance, Bao has taken an increas-

ingly active role in the group’s private equity business in recent years, according to two sources with direct knowledge of matter.

The sources declined to named due to sensitivity of the matter.

China renaissance is currently ranked ninth on China’s equity capital markets leagues table for 2023, according to refinitiv, after it advised on Jiangsu Sanfame Polyester Material (600370.SS) $363 million convertible bond last month.

The firm earned $20.6 million in Chinese-related investment banking fees in 2022, down from $43.13 million a year earlier, the data showed.

Bao started China renaissance in 2005 and listed it in Hong Kong in 2018 after raising $346 million.

The bank has acted as adviser for some of China’s biggest tech initial public offerings (IPOs) including those of JD.Com Inc and Kuaishou Technology (1024.HK) as well as Didi’s New York listing in 2021.

Didi ran afoul of the Chinese regulators when in 2021 it pressed ahead with the U.S. stock listing against the regulator’s will, sources previously told reuters.

China renaissance is also an active investor in the tech sector. In 2019, it raised more than 6.5 billion yuan ($945 million) in a yuan-denominated fund.

Bao’s disappearance comes days after property developer Seazen Group Ltd (1030.HK) said it was unable to contact or reach its vice-chairman.

A Bharatpur range police official, Gaurav Srivastava, in a statement, said that they have detained six people and are interrogating them.

“Those named are members of Bajrang Dal but whether they were involved in the crime or not is yet to be ascertained,” he said.

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, while condemning the incident, said that the police have been instructed to take strict action in this matter.

Zelensky to address Munich conference with ukraine in focus

MUNICH, GERMANY Agencies

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky will Friday open the Munich Security Conference, as world leaders gather to renew their vow to back Kyiv against russian forces ahead of the first anniversary of Moscow’s invasion. US-China ties will also be in focus at the threeday gathering, with tensions sky-high after Washington shot down an alleged Chinese surveillance balloon over US territory. But the spotlight will be firmly on Ukraine, just days ahead of the February 24 anniversary of Moscow sending its forces into the country, unleashing war in Europe for the first time in decades. Zelensky will address the official opening event via video link later, with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and France’s President Emmanuel Macron also to speak.

Others attending the gathering include US Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, China’s top diplomat Wang Yi and NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg. russian delegates including Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who was a regular attendee at Munich in the past, have not been invited. representing Ukraine at the conference, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said he planned talks with a series of top officials focused on weapons supplies.

“The priorities will be speeding up the supply of arms and ammunition already promised to Ukraine, and the adoption of political decisions in the future on the provision of combat aircraft for Ukraine,” he said in an Instagram post.

Ukraine’s Western backers, led by the United States, have given it a huge amount of weapons and pledged a barrage of others, including heavy battle tanks long sought by Kyiv to counter russia’s offensive.

Turkey’s deadly quake renews alarm for Istanbul

ISTANBUL Agencies

The 7.8-magnitude earthquake that killed tens of thousands across Turkey’s southeast has reignited fears of an even more catastrophic death toll if a long-feared one hits Istanbul. Seismologists warn that a massive earthquake is likely to strike Turkey’s biggest city — officially home to 16 million people but estimated to hold up to 20 million — by 2030.

The city lies on the northern edge of one of Turkey’s main fault lines and is densely packed. A 7.6-magnitude earthquake with an epicentre on the city’s eastern outskirts killed more than 17,000 people in 1999. The number of Istanbulites has roughly doubled since then.

Independent urban scholar Murat Guney said carnage can be avoided if people will be relocated people from shoddy buildings.

Guney said Istanbul had an ample supply of vacant properties just recently constructed and strong enough to withstand major jolts.

Procrastination could spell doom, he said.

“A major earthquake of up to 7.5 magnitude is expected in Istanbul. Such an earthquake may cause the death of hundreds of thousands of residents while estimates about the number of buildings that will totally collapse or be severely damaged range from 50,000 to 200,000,” Guney told AFP.

“Those high-risk buildings, which are mostly squatter style and not resistant to earthquakes needed immediate transformation before they collapse even following a minor earthquake.”

– Sliver of good news –

The February 6 earthquake claimed the lives of more than 38,000 people in southeastern Turkey and nearly 3,700 in neigh-

bouring Syria.

Officials say more than 55,000 buildings were either levelled or damaged beyond repair. Its impact was felt across a part of Turkey with approximately the same population as Istanbul.

Guney said Istanbul had around 1,166,000 residential buildings. “Of these, 817,000 buildings (70 percent) were constructed before the 1999 earthquake, when there were no construction inspections regarding resistance to earthquakes,” he said.

But there was a sliver of good news: Guney said Istanbul had 150,000 earthquake-resistant properties built after 2008 that still stood empty.

“They either belong to the construction companies that are waiting for customers, or they are the second or third houses of the rich, who do not bother to rent those apartments,” Guney said.

“There is even no need for more con-

struction in Istanbul,” he said. “The number of empty buildings is sufficient to move in those who live in the high-risk buildings.

The 1999 quake prompted the government to impose a special levy that became known as the “earthquake tax”.

RossouW’s 75-RuN help MultaN sultaNs thRash teaM ZalMi

MULTAN stAff RepoRt

MULTANSultans defeated Peshawar Zalmi by 56 runs in the fifth match of Pakistan Super League (PSL) at Multan Cricket Stadium on Friday with an outstanding 75 runs of Rilee Rossouw. Zalmi won the toss and decided to field first. Batting first, Multan Sultan’s openers Muhammad Rizwan and Shan Masood started with a confident partnership of 54 runs before Shan Masood was caught behind on Irshad’s delivery by scoring 20 runs.

The Sultan team Captain Muhammad Rizwan kept on putting pressure with hitting unstoppable boundaries. He contributed 66 runs in the total after he was dismissed by Muqeem. Rossouw’s 75 runs inning helped Sultans to set a target of 211 with 23 runs of miller and 15 runs of Pollard.

Chasing the target, the Zamli’s went under pressure when Captain Babar Azam was LBW in the first delivery of Ihsanullah’s first over by scoring 9 runs leaving his team at 41/1.

The partnership of Haris and Saim Ayub stabilized the batting line up when Haris was run out after scoring 40 runs. Saim Ayub gave and outstanding performance

7th edition of ‘National Women, Men Road Cycling Championship’ begins

pESHAwAR

stAff RepoRt

The 7th edition of the National Women, Men Road Cycling Championship Elite and Junior competitions got underway under the aegis of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Cycling Association and with the collaboration Pakistan Cycling Federation (PCF) on Northern Bypass here on Friday. President of Pakistan Cycling Federation Syed Azhar Ali Shah, President of KP Cycling Association Nisar Ahmad, international technical official Sarmad Khan, and international technical official Syed Nazakat Ali Shah were also present. The 7th edition of the National Women and Men Cycling Road Championship will continue up till February 20 in which more than 110 national and international cyclists from all 12 units including Pakistan Army, Pakistan Wapda, Pakistan Railways, Crank Addicts, SSGC, PCF Technical Official team, POF Wah, Bikestan Cycling Academy, GilgitBaltistan, Islamabad, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are taking part. Earlier, Caretaker Minister for Industries Adnan Jalil graced the occasion as chief guest at the prize distribution ceremony wherein Secretary Sports Captain (Retd) Mushtaq Ahmad and Director General Sports Khalid Khan gave away medals to the individual Time Trials winners in both Women and Men categories. There was a loop of 13.5 km in the 7th edition of the Championship. The Championship is also very important for the International Road Cycle Race to be held in Thailand in June because out of the race, a team from Pakistan would be short-listed purely looking after the performance of the cyclists.

and scored 53 runs before he was bowled on Usama Mir’s turning delivery. Ihsanullah and Usama Mir of Multan Sultans took three wickets each. Rilee Rossouw was declared man of the match.

‘Team Zalmi to work for fielding improvement’

Meanwhile, Peshawar Zalmi’s opener and wicketkeeper Muhammad Haris said that the team would control mistakes and work on the fielding in order to improve performance.

Holding a press conference after the match on Friday at Multan Cricket Stadium, the top-order batsman said that misfielding and no balls by bowlers enable Multan Sultan to set a strong target.

He said the players have been fined over misfielding and no balls in the last match.

Haris said his run-out was his own fault there was no mistake by his partner Saim Ayub. He termed the run-out as the turning point of the match and added that he could make the target easy for the team if it had not happened.

To a question, he said the pitch of Multan was fast as compared to Karachi.

He said it was planning to restrict Sultan’s at a total of 190 runs maximum but they managed to set a strong target because of misfielding.

New Zealand shed ‘tears’, hope for World Cup miracle after Bangladesh win

CApE TOwN

Agencies

New Zealand captain Sophie Devine said New Zealand still had hopes of reaching the Women’s T20 World Cup semi-finals after they trounced Bangladesh by 71 runs at Newlands in Cape Town on Friday.

She admitted it was a long shot but said they would seek to repeat Friday’s dominance when they play their final group match against Sri Lanka in Paarl on Monday.

Suzie Bates hit 81 not out in a New Zealand total of 189 for three – the highest of the tournament. Bangladesh replied with 118 for eight.

“That’s the way we want to play our cricket,” said Devine. “I’m really proud of this group but we’ve got a big game to go.”

New Zealand’s chances of progressing beyond the group stage looked impossible after they lost their first two matches by big margins. They were bowled out for 76 against Australia and 67 against South Africa – the low-

est totals of the tournament.

Despite beating Bangladesh they have a considerable net run rate deficit and their prospects remain slim.

They will need Australia to defeat South Africa by a heavy margin in Gqeberha on Saturday and then New Zealand will need a big win against Sri Lanka.

Even then South Africa will have an opportunity against Bangladesh on Monday to make sure they remain above the White Ferns.

Bates, who became the first woman from any country to reach 1,000 runs in T20 World Cups, said the New Zealand players were “absolutely gutted” after their first two matches.

She said there had been “tears” and “a good look at ourselves” but the players came out on Friday with clear plans after two good days of training.

“We talked about how we wanted to play and we talked about hitting hard and straight down the ground. What pleased me most was that we stuck to exactly what we talked about.”

Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana said her team had conceded “too many runs in the bowling and we couldn’t get many runs in the power play.”

Bates and Bernardine Bezuidenhout (44) laid the foundation for New Zealand with a first-wicket stand of 77 in 8.4 overs, while Maddy Green thrashed an unbeaten 44 off 20 balls to help Bates add 73 in the last seven overs. Bates scored her runs off 61 balls and hit seven fours and a six.

Hannah Rowe struck for the White Ferns with two early Bangladesh wickets and off-spinner Eden Carson took three for 18 as the Bangladeshis slumped to their third successive defeat.

Brief scores: New Zealand 189-3 in 20 overs (S. Bates 81 not out, M. Green 44 not out, B. Bezuidenhout 44; Fahima Khatun 2-36) v Bangladesh 118-8 in 20 overs ( Shorna Akter 31, Murshida Khatun 30; E. Carson 3-18, H. Rowe 2-15). Result: New Zealand won by 71 runs

Toss: New Zealand

South Africa name Bavuma as first Black African Test captain

JOHANNESBURG

Agencies

Temba Bavuma was on Friday named the first black African captain of South Africa’s Test squad in what Cricket South Africa described as “part of a restructure within the leadership group of the national team”.

Dean Elgar was axed as captain, although he remains a member of the squad which starts a series against the West Indies on February 28. Chief selector Victor Mpitsang was another casualty of the shake-up, with CSA stating he had been “released” from the role.

Bavuma became the first black African to captain South Africa at cricket

when he was named leader of the one-day international and Twenty20 international teams in March 2021.

At the same time Elgar was named Test captain. Elgar’s stint as captain started well with Test series wins against West Indies, India and Bangladesh and a shared series away against world champions New Zealand.

But they were heavily beaten in their two most recent series in England and Australia. Bavuma, meanwhile, came under criticism for his poor batting form in T20 internationals, notably in the T20 World Cup in Australia last year.

According to Friday’s statement, Bavuma will remain captain of the oneday team but will relinquish his role in the

T20 side. The announcements were made by Enoch Nkwe, CSA’s director of cricket, who said it had been decided to review the selection system. Mpitsang was relieved of his job.

As an interim measure, the new national team coaches, Shukri Conrad (Test) and Rob Walter (limited overs) will play a leading role in selection.

“Temba is a player that has vast captaincy experience both at domestic level and on the international stage,” said Nkwe.“We trust he will deliver on all our expectations and help carry the team forward after some excellent work by his predecessor Dean during the same period.

“At the same time I would like to sincerely thank Dean for all his commitment

to the role over the past two years.

“He helped the team navigate through some stormy waters and put them in good position on the ICC World Test Championship table.” Nkwe named a 15-man squad for the two Tests against West Indies. Five players who played in the losing series in Australia in December and January – batsmen Sarel Erwee, Rassie van der Dussen and Khaya Zondo, wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne and fast bowler Lungi Ngidi – have been dropped while Theunis de Bruyn has retired.

Uncapped Tony de Zorzi is likely to make his debut as an opening batsman, while Keegan Petersen and Ryan Rickelton return after missing the tour of Australia because of injury.

Khawaja, Handscomb lead Australia fight in 2nd India Test

NEw DELHI

Agencies

Gritty half-centuries from Usman Khawaja and Peter Handscomb guided Australia to a fighting 263 all out against inspired Indian bowlers on Friday’s opening day of the second Test.

India reached 21 for no loss at stumps with the hosts still trailing Australia by 242 runs in New Delhi. Skipper Rohit Sharma, on 13, and KL Rahul, on four, were batting.

Australia worked with spin right from the second over with debutant Matthew Kuhnemann and Nathan Lyon bowling six overs between them.

Handscomb (72 not out) and Khawaja (81) played key knocks to boost Australia’s total after the tourists, who lost the opener of the four-match series inside three days, again elected to bat on another turning track.

Fast bowler Mohammed Shami took four wickets while spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja had three each. “It is always challenging when you have quality bowlers like Ashwin and Jadeja, it is always tough work,” Khawaja told broadcaster Star Sports after the day’s play.

Australia’s 263 was “very competitive, it’s not easy out there,” he added. “There are few cracks. I think tomorrow will tell the tale which way this game is going.”

Shami wrapped up the Australian innings in the final ses-

sion as he bowled Kuhnemann for six.

Khawaja’s knock came to an end before tea, with a stunning one-handed catch from KL Rahul giving left-arm spinner Jadeja his 250th Test wicket. Rahul dived full stretch to his right to grab the ball on a reverse sweep from Khawaja, who fell to his knees in absolute disbelief.

Handscomb and Khawaja had put on 59 crucial runs in the second session before the latter’s departure. But Handscomb kept up the grind and reached his fifth Test half-century in an eighth-wicket stand with skipper Pat Cummins, who made 33 before being trapped lbw by Jadeja.

Earlier Ashwin dismissed wicketkeeper Alex Carey for duck for his third wicket of the day as India once

again called the shots after a mini Australia fightback. The off-spinner struck twice in one over before lunch including Marnus Labuschagne, for 18, and Steve Smith, for a duck, to put the tourists in trouble.

David Warner, who scored one and 10 in Nagpur in the first Test, was the first to go after taking 21 balls to score the first runs of his innings.

He had faced a barrage of short balls by seamer Mohammed Siraj and took a couple of blows, on the elbow and the back of the helmet. Just when it looked like the left-handed opener had settled in, Shami produced a peach of a delivery that pitched and held its line from around the wicket, with the keeper taking the edge behind.

PM ShebAz UrGeS INt’L coMMUNIty to Act fASt to reScUe qUAke-hIt PeoPLe

ADIYAMAN staff report

Primeminister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday said the earthquake in Turkiye was a wake-up call to the international community which should come up to the rescue of the quake-hit nation. The prime minister, in an interview with the Turkish TrT television channel during his visit to the quake-ravaged areas, said the international community, including the Organisation of islamic Cooperation and the United Nations, should support the Turkish people.

“This is my message to the world, including the OiC and the United Nations. This is not politics. Today is question of survival,” he remarked.

He said the earthquake had killed thousands of people, besides causing colossal losses of property.

The prime minister said no doubt Turkiye would do all possible for the rehabilitation of the quake-hit people but no amount of resources could bring the loved ones back. Prime minister Shehbaz said he was there to convey condolences over the destruction caused by the earthquake as Pakistan and Turkiye were “two souls and one heart”.

earlier in an interaction with the media, the prime minister said considering the needs of the quake-ravaged Turkish people, Pakistan would now focus on the pro-

vision of winterised and fireproof tents to Turkiye.

He said Pakistan had been supplying blankets, foodstuff, and other relief goods. However, after his discussion with Turkish President recep Tayyip erdogan, his government had changed its strategy to focus on the supply of winter tents.

He said after his return to Pakistan, he would hold a meeting with the tent manufacturers of Pakistan and devise a plan to ensure the speedy manufacturing of tents to provide temporary shelter to the Turkish brethren.

Prime minister Shehbaz said he had assigned the task to the National Disaster management Authority chairman and assured that the tents would be dispatched by land, air as well as sea routes.

He said the people of Pakistan and Turkiye enjoyed a historical relationship marking islamic brotherhood and recalled the unprecedented Turkish support to Pakistan after it was hit by an earthquake.

He said being a muslim brotherly nation, Pakistan was obliged to support its Turkish brothers and sisters and expressed the hope that both Pakistan and Turkiye would jointly cope with the pervading challenge

‘Two-day solidarity visit completed’

Prime minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday left here for his homeland on completion of a two-day visit to Turkiye to convey condolences to the Turkish people after a strong earthquake caused massive loss of life and property.

Besides meeting Turkish President recep Tayyip erdogan, the prime minister also visited the earthquakeravaged city of Adiyaman where he interacted with the quake victims as well as the rescue workers.

At the airport, the prime minister was seen off by Turkish Trade minister mehmet mus, Transport minister Adil Karaismailoglu, Adiyaman Governor mahmut Çuhadar, President of Turkiye Pakistan Friendship Group in Turkish Parliament Ali Shahin and Turkish diplomatic authorities.

Report sent to Cabinet as probe into country-wide breakdown completed

profIt reuters

india’s largest gas distributor GAiL (india) Ltd (GAiL.NS) is looking to buy an equity stake of up to 26% in a liquefied natural gas (LNG) liquefaction plant or project in the United States, according to a document issued by the company. GAiL had run into supply disruptions last year after russia-owned Gazprom marketing and Trading (GmTS) failed to deliver some LNG cargoes, following western sanctions on moscow over its invasion of Ukraine. The company is, either directly or through its affiliates, “exploring the opportunity” to buy equity from an existing or postcommissioning of a proposed LNG liquefaction plant or project in the U.S., the document dated Feb. 16 said. it did not say how much the indian gas distributor had earmarked for any possible deal. “in addition, GAiL, directly or through any of its affiliates, is interested to source 1 million tonnes per annum LNG from the LNG liquefaction plant or project on a free-on-board basis for a period of 15 years on mutually acceptable terms and conditions,” it said. The document added that the LNG supply contract period may be extended further by 5 or 10 years on a mutual basis, and that supplies are to commence tentatively from the last quarter of 2026. The last date for interested companies to submit their bids to GAiL is march 10, the document said. GAiL is looking for long-term gas import deals to make up for its disrupted supplies and is in talks with Abu Dhabi National Oil Co (ADNOC) and other parties to source gas to meet local demand, GAiL’s head of finance said in January. GAiL had signed a 20-year deal with GmTS in 2012 for annual purchases of an average of 2.5 million tonnes of LNG. GmTS was a unit of Gazprom Germania, now called Sefe, but the parent abandoned the business last April after the western sanctions.

ISLAMABAD

ahmad ahmadani

An inquiry report into the country-wide power breakdown on January 23 has been prepared and has recommended a departmental inquiry before action against key officials of power management bodies, Profit has learnt.

The report prepared by a committee constituted under the convenorship of Petroleum minister musadik malik has been sent to the federal cabinet where it will be discussed in an upcoming meeting, likely to be held next week.

The report, a copy of which is available with Profit, has detailed the reasons behind the breakdown and held officials of the National Transmission and Dispatch Company (NTDC), National electric Power regulatory Association (NePrA), power control management and shift incharge along with his team responsible for the major crisis.

it has recommended departmental inquiry prior to any action against them.

The report said there was no

shortage of electricity when the fault erupted in Lahore on the HVDC (High Voltage Direct Current) system as 600 megawatts additional electricity was added into the system from Sindh.

it is also learnt from the report that the fault in the HVDC system Lahore had erupted a total of 300 times during the last two years but no one paid attention to this.

it also said three power units of the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) were responsible for being unable to immediately restore the power system after the breakdown.

Poor coordination, absence of unity of command among NTDC, NePrA and other concerned institutes, a shortage of experts, and poor technology have been declared as the main reasons behind the breakdown.

The system of generation and transmission is operated by the control room of the National Power Control Center (NPCC) at islamabad, which is the nerve centre.

The report has a number of recommendations, including forming an implementation committee

under the convenorship of the minister for energy (Power Division) to ensure proper preparedness for system blackouts and subsequent restoration. The said committee should ensure proper coordinated planning and execution of the recommendations.

Furthermore, the report recommended the regulator, NePrA and the system operator need to work together to create protocols to handle situations like these when power generators not falling in the economic merit order need to be used for system security.

That coordination, the report said, is missing for which the government needs to issue policy instructions to NePrA. As far as the system restoration is concerned, WAPDA needs to immediately improve the speed governing mechanism at Tarbela.

WAPDA, NTDC and irSA must devise SOPs for low water season (December and January) to resolve water indent issues during the acute emergency situations, such as partial or total system blackout.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 03

LAHorE

taimoor hassan

in 1996, Salman Akhtar and Kewan Khawaja, both miT graduates, established Techlogix, a software company that powers the systems of most of the top Pakistani banks through a partnership with Oracle. Under the partnership, Techlogix implements Oracle’s banking solutions such as core banking and digital banking systems.

A little over two-and-a-half decades later, Salman Akhtar is using the knowledge, relationships and the context of the Pakistani banking sector as well as data gained from Techlogix’s partnerships with banks to enable these financial institutions to do what they won’t, but are good at; that is lending to their own customers.

According to Salman, even bank’s existing customers have abysmal access to finance. One of the reasons for this is that banks do not have sophisticated models to credit score its own customers and proactively offer them loans. As a consequence, access to credit for bank customers is an abysmally low number of 4%.

“There are 50 million bank accounts and out of the total number, only 2 million people have access to any kind of lending. That means 96% of the bank people have no access to lending,” Salman told Profit.

“The high cost of loan origination driven by physical verification of identity, assets and financial health (in the absence of credit scoring) has restricted credit access to a thin, top tier of customers. AdalFi’s digital lending platform allows partner banks to instantly credit score the other 95% of their existing customers who have never been lent to and cross-sell loans to them,” says Salman. AdalFi, which is a hybrid of Urdu word Adal (justice) and Fi (short for finance) that translates as equal access to finance, is enabling banks to be able to lend to their customers through proprietary credit scoring models. On Thursday, the financial technology startup announced closing a $7.5 million funding round to ramp up this business. AdalFi’s funding round was led by middle-eastern COTU Ventures and Chimera Ventures, and Pakistan’s Fatima Gobi Ventures and Zayn Capital. The round was also joined by angel investors including executives from US-based financial services company Plaid.

“AdalFi does two main things: one is building a credit scoring engine which did not exist in Pakistan before. The second is pre-built digital customer journeys which integrate with the core systems of the banks and the digital systems so that it is a plug-n-play thing for them,” says Salman.

if you are a certain Pakistani bank’s customer and have started receiving messages from your bank that you are now, all of a sudden, qualified for a certain loan amount, chances are that the system that is doing that is AdalFi. it has credit scored your profile based on some data points such as history of financial transactions at the bank to qualify you for a certain amount of loan based on that credit scoring.

All you, as a customer, have to do, is agree to the loan and the amount will be disbursed in your account within minutes, without any human interaction.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 03

FIA launches probe against SNGPL’s alleged corruption in pipeline contracts

Prime minister Shehbaz Sharif took serious notice of the failure to meet a loss cutting target by the managing Director (mD) of Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL), and has initiated a probe against billions of rupees worth losses to the national exchequer through gas losses, gas pipeline project and irrational expenditures in the SNGPL.

According to sources, the Federal investigation Agency (FiA) Anti-Corruption Circle Lahore has initiated an enquiry against the officials of SNGPL over alleged corruption in the laying of a 260-kilometrelong gas pipeline project. They said that an internal audit of the company has revealed mega corruption in the construction of Parliamentarians Lounge on the seventh floor of SNGPL Headquarter. Sources added that mD SNGPL Ali Javed Hamdani spent a heavy amount on the construction and decoration of the lounge, along with expenditure on vehicles and consumption of large quantities of fuel through these vehicles. However, further scrutiny of the documents

is still under process, they revealed.

According to documents available, mD SNGPL advised for construction of visitor’s/parliamentarian lounge during the 197th management committee meeting held on July 1, 2021. Accordingly, the management sanctioned rs 7.58 million (excluding GST) on July 7, 2021. Work order of rs 8.6 million was issued to the successful bidder the very next day. However, the tender was floated on 18-08-2021 (49 days before the management sanction) in clear violation of company’s policies and procedure, read more details in the document.

The mD Secretariat, has charged rs five million (67% of the total civil work).

This was charged in violation of the company’s policies and procedures.

it is pertinent to mention that the expenditure charged included new tiles, glass doors, windows, false ceiling, wooden flooring etc which were clearly of capital nature, detailed the document.

Documents available with Profit also disclosed that seven vehicles (excluding the one given to him officially) along with drivers (five permanent and two casual) re-

mained under the use of the mD Secretariat. Previously, three vehicles had been allocated to him excluding their entitled vehicles. The total consumption of fuel pertaining to seven vehicles was 42,904 litres during a period of 23 months from January 1, 2021 to November 30, 2022. Similarly, it has been observed that trackers/data loggers have not been installed in any of these vehicles which is in violation of the 203rd management Committee meeting held on November 26, 2021. Furthermore, the expense of repair and maintenance of the seven vehicles mD was using was rs 2.45 million along with 78 (one way) bookings of air travel to or from Karachi. Out of these 51 were marked as officials while the remaining 27 as private and total cost of air travel to/from Karachi was rs 1.74 million out of which rs 1.25 million was treated as official and rs 0.49 million as private. Detailed scrutiny of air travel is still under process and sufficient documentary evidence is not available to ascertain that all these visits were for official purposes only, said a copy of internal audit report of SNGPL. A copy of notice available with profit

also disclosed that the FiA has asked SNGPL to depute a focal person who should be well conversant with the matter and not implicated in the enquiry for further coordination and early provision of important record related to civil works, details of contractor, procurements (indenting, tendering, purchase, storage) through Camps and Head Office, expenditures, payments in lieu of POL, revenue record of land purchase, crop compensation, details of official tours of all officers and staff etc. Similarly, FiA has asked to provide details of place of postings in last 10 years. Furthermore, FiA has asked six officials of SNGPL including Sibghatullah Suri, (SGm) Projects, Khalid Nawaz, Chief engineer projects, muhammad Sohail, eiC, South Camp, Naseer Kiani, eiC Laki marwat Camp, Amjad Khan, eiC Bannu Camp and Altaf Shah, Supervisor Civil Works of SNGPL to submit details of their assets.

“ A non-compliance of the above or failure to make an honest disclosure will entail that you have nothing to say in your defence and the investigation will proceed on the basis of irrefutable incriminating mate-

rial available on record, said a copy of FiA notice which was sent to Suri. it is pertinent to mention that Pm Sharif is not satisfied with the performance of mD SSGCL and mD SNGPL and he has taken serious notice of the “poor performance” of mDs over their failure to achieve the assigned targets and failing to control gas losses worth billions of rupees. Secretary Petroleum, on finding a directive from the Pm Office, has sought explanation from both the mDs on priority as the Pm directed the petroleum division to hold the management of two companies accountable for failure to achieve the assigned targets.

So far, both sui companies have failed to meet the assigned targets and they also also fell short of UfG reduction target in 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022

Owing to “poor performance”, and failure in meeting loss cutting targets (unaccounted for Gas) which resulted in the loss of billions of rupees, besides depriving Balochistan from the gas supply in winter season have made the premier unhappy with the performance of the mDs of SNGPL & SSGCL, sources earlier told Profit.

ISLAMABAD ahmad ahmadani

With $7.5m in fresh funds, how is Adalfi enabling commercial banks to lend to their customers?

India’s GAIL explores up to 26pc equity stake in US LNG projects

COMMITTEE HOLDS OFFICIALS OF NTDC, NEPRA, POWER CONTROL MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBLE FOR JAN 23 BREAKDOWN