Epaper_23-02-20 LHR

Mar yam questions judiciar y ’s ‘leniency ’ towards Imran ECP boss defies presidential summon for election date

Minister claims former spy chief Faiz sought to repatriate TTP militants

PM for More coordination over relief assistance to turkiye, syria

LAHORE s ta f f r e p o r t

PRIMe Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday sa d that for the purpose of coord nation, all relief ass stance to the earthquake-affected people of Turk ye and Syr a should be dispatched through Nationa Disaster Management Author ty (NDMA)

The pr me minister lauded the human tar an and charity organizations for their ongoing relief work in the quake-hit areas of Turkiye and said that Pakistani human tarian organizations were in the forefront to support

LAHORE

s ta f f r e p o r t

Former prime minister Imran Khan said on Sunday that an audio clip purportedly featuring a conversation between Dr Yasmin Rashid and ex-Lahore CCPO was aimed at sabotaging the Jo nt Invest gat on Team (JIT) probing the attempt on his life, urging the Supreme Court to take notice of how an audio cl p was recorded and leaked

In a te evised address on Sunday the PTI chairman linked the audio clips to an attempt to sabotage the investigat on into the attack on his l fe in Wazirabad last year

When someone needs to be blackma led their aud o cl p is released,” Imran said during an address adding three PTI leaders were also be ng black-

their affected brethren and sisters in these countries

The pr me minister was chairing a high-level meet ng to rev ew the ongoing re ief activities on part of Pakistan in the quake hit Turkiye and Syria

should be sent in accordance w th the requirements of the earthquake-affected people and stressed upon ensur ng of qua ity rel ef goods

g SAYS ReLIeF ITeMS SHOuLD Be SeNT IN vIeW OF AFFeCTeD -PeOPLe’S RequIReMeNTS, NeeDS

The meeting was attended by representatives of edhi Saylani and Al-Kh dmat Foundat on, Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal PM’s Spec a Assistant Syed Tariq Fatemi ambassadors of Pakistan to Turkiye and Syr a and other high offic als, PM Office Media Wing said in a press release

The prime minister during the meeting, obser ved that rel ef ass stance to these countries

The prime minister also constituted a sub-committee to be headed by the min ster for planning The comm ttee would be tasked to share informat on among the government and human tarian organizat ons over the dispatch of relief goods

The prime minister said through exchange of real-time information the quake v ctims of Turkiye and Syria could be supported in a well-organized manner

mailed with deep fake videos

He a so expressed concern about the use of phone-tapping for political gains He questioned whether Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah had obtained permission from the court before tapping phones s nce the law proh bits the tapping of anyone’s phone

Referring to an earlier leaked conversation over landline alleged y featuring his wife, he sa d Bushra Bibi s privacy and fundamental rights were violated w th the unlawful phone-tapping He also sa d that his conversation with his principa secretar y was also recorded and leaked unlawfully when he was sti l the countr y ’s prime m nister

Speaking alongs de Rash d he said that all the officials included in the JIT were removed and some were blackmailed

nto resigning but Dogar stood his ground and told the court that there were three attackers nvolved in the incident

“

In the leaked aud o the PTI eader s speak ng to the po ice officer asking if he had received the posting orders after he was reinstated as the Lahore cap tal police officer (CCPO) by a Supreme Court bench on Friday

As per the audio c ip, the po ice officer replied that no orders had reached him

The former Punjab health min ster without naming anyone stated that she had made the phone call to find out what their intentions are Making an apparent reference to Imran, she conveyed that he was “concerned about the issues surrounding the reinstatement of the former Lahore po ice chief

I M F c h i e f u r g e s Pa k i s t a n t o t a x t h e r i c h , p r o t e c t t h e p o o r

g PAYS TRIBuTe TO PAKISTANI WeLFARe ORGANIzATIONS FOR HuMANITARIAN SeRvICeS IN quAKe-HIT COuNTRIeS MUNICH, GERMANY n e w s d e s k

International Monetar y Fund (IMF) Manag ng Director Krista ina Georgieva has urged Pakistan to take necessar y steps “ to be able to function as a countr y ” and avoid “getting into a dangerous place where its debts need to be restructured She said this while speaking to German broadcaster Deutsche Welle at the Munich Security Conference The statement comes days after Pak stan and the global lender failed to reach a staff level agreement within the stipulated time to revive a stalled $6 5 bil ion bailout package However both the sides agreed on a set of measures that can still help cl nch the deal to avoid a looming default Pa k i s t a n i a u t h o r i t i e s h a d h o p e d t h a t t h e y would convince the IMF about ts good intentions r e g a r d i n g i m p l e m e n t a t i o n o f a l l o u t s t a n d i n g c o n d t o n s i n a g r a d u a l m a n n e r B u t t h e h o p e s were dashed during the 10-day visit by the IMF m s s i o n w h i c h e n d e d o n Fe b r u a r y 9 w i t h o u t a staff level agreement

Speaking at the Munich Conference, Georgieva gave more detai s of the measures that the global lender s expecting the Pakistan s government to ensure

I want to stress that we are emphasising two things Number 1: tax revenues Those who can those that are making good money, they need to contr bute to the economy she said referring to the IMF’s condit ons for the revival of the stalled bailout package

Secondly to have a fairer distribut on of the pressure by moving subs dies only towards the people who really need it the IMF ch ef added

She emphas sed the need for introducing targeted subsidies, saying, “ It should not be like the wealthy benefit from subsidies It shou d be the poor who benefit from them”

The Fund is ver y clear that we want the poor people of Pakistan to be protected she added

“My heart goes to the people of Pakistan,” said Georgieva acknowledging that Pakistan was devastated by unprecedented floods in 2022 which affected over one-third of its population

I m r a n s e e k s S C ’ s ‘ a c t i o n’ t o p r o b e h o w a u d i o c l i p r e c o r d e d , l e a ke d

FIR RegIsteReD: KPO tOll RIses tO FIve As

AnOtheR cOP succumbs tO WOunDs

KARACHI

s tA f f R e p o R t

tHE death toll from the audacious TTP attack on the Karachi Police Office (KPO) rose to five on Sunday as another injured cop succumbed to his wounds while FIR of the incident was registered under terrorism charges against the perpetrators and their facilitators

The hours-long combat between terrorists and law-enforcement agencies comprising Pak Army Special Service Group

(SSG) Pakistan Rangers Sindh and Sindh Police Friday night at the KPO located at Sharea Faisal left four people martyred and 18 injured All three terrorists belonging to the banned militant group Tehreek-i-Taliban

Pakistan (TTP) were killed

Earlier on Sunday the police officer injured in the attack succumbed to his injuries during treatment A statement from the Sindh police spokesperson said that Abdul Latif, 50, had embraced martyrdom

The funeral prayer of the police officer was offered at Police Garden Headquarters and was attended by Sindh Chief Minister

minor ear thquake jolts balochistan district , no casualties repor ted

QUETTA

A 3 2 magnitude earthquake shook the Kharan district of Balochistan on Sunday morning, with tremors felt in various parts of Kharan and nearby areas at 11:00 am

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported that the epicentre of the quake was 29 kilometres southwest of Balochistan, occurring at a depth of 10 kilometres Fortunately there were no reports of any damage or casualties resulting from the earthquake The situation remained under control and there were no immediate rescue or relief efforts required The tremors caused mild panic among the local residents, who were seen rushing out of their homes and workplaces to safer locations The disaster management authorities urged the public to remain calm and not to panic in such situations Earthquakes are common occurrences in Pakistan with the country located on the boundary where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates collide

Although most of the earthquakes are small and cause no significant damage the government has implemented various measures to minimise the loss of life and property in case of a major earthquake

can be killed for siding with Imran: sh Rashid

RAWALPINDI

s tA f f R e p o R t

Former interior minister and Awami Muslim League (AML) Chief Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed on Sunday asserted that he could be assassinated for siding with former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman

Imran Khan Speaking to ARY News programme Aitraz Hai’ the former minister spoke about the days he spent in jail, saying that he would have died in jail if he did not have blankets and sleeping pills Sheikh Rasheed noted that the police officers illegally raided his house and took away his phones The AML chief further said that he would be the first to give arrest in ‘Jail Bharo Tehreek’, claiming “he could be killed for supporting Imran Khan ” The PTI chairman had already pointed out that Asif Ali Zardari was behind a new plot to assassinate him ” he added Speaking about the elections, he urged Supreme Court (SC) of Pakistan to announce the dates for election, saying that the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) was running away from the election and wants to disqualify Imran Earlier in the day, Awami Muslim League (AML) chief and former interior minister Sheikh Rashid urged President Arif Alvi to announce the election date tomorrow (Monday) or resign from his office “As per the constitution, the president can give an election date,” Sheikh Rashid said while talking to media men in Lahore Sheikh Rashid said Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz is yet undecided over contesting by-polls in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Raising

Syed Murad Ali Shah provincial minister Saeed Ghani, IG Police Ghulam Nabi Memon, Additional IG Javed Odho, Commissioner Karachi Iqbal Memon additional IGs DIGs SSP, family members of Shaheed constable and members of Civil Society ‘Martyr paid tributes’: The CM talking to the family members of Shaheed constable said that Abdul Latif was a brave policeman and laid his life while fighting against the terrorists The sacrifice he rendered would always be remembered in history Mr Shah said that he had sustained multiple injuries in the KPO operation “We

tried our best to save his life by providing him with the best medical treatment, but he succumbed – may Allah rest him in peace, he said while talking to the brothers of Shaheed Abdul Latif

The CM carried the casket of the Shaheed constable to the ambulance and prayed for the departed soul

Profile: Shaheed Constable Abdul Latif joined Sindh police on Ex-army quota on February 17, 2014, and was currently serving in Security-I He sustained multiple injuries while fighting against terrorists and was shifted to JPMC where he succumbed

Law yers ’ union plans reference against judge over leaked conversation

ISLAMABAD

s tA f f R e p o R t

The Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) is considering filing a reference against a Supreme Court justice over leaked audio that allegedly involves the judge and former Punjab chief minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi

According to a report by The News the regulating authority for lawyers in Pakistan has scheduled a meeting to discuss the matter

In the leaked audio Elahi a close ally of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan, can be heard allegedly discussing the management of a trial However Elahi denies any wrongdoing and claims the conversation was taped and distorted

T h e P B C m e e t i n g , s c h e d u l e d f o r n e x t w e e k , will be attended by the heads of all provincial bar c o u n c i l s i n c l u d i n g t h e I s l a m a b a d B a r C o u n c i l ( I B C ) I f t h e m e e t i n g a p p r o v e s t h e f i l i n g o f t h e reference, it will be filed in the Supreme Judicial C o u n c i l ( J S C ) a n d t h e d e c i s i o n m i g h t a l s o b e shared with the media H a s s a n R a z a P a s h a , t h e c h a i r m a n o f t h e e x e c u t i v e c o m m i t t e e o f t h e P B C h a s c o n f i r m e d t h a t h e p r e v i o u s l y h e l d a p r e s s c o n f e r e n c e i n Lahore, where he demanded a forensic test of the alleged audio tape Additionally Abid S Zubairi p r e s i d e n t o f t h e S u p r e m e C o u r t B a r A s s o c i a t i o n (SCBA), has deemed the audio leaks as doctored after reviewing the recording

Imran ‘ridic uling’ judiciar y to get bail through ‘ bullying’: Marriyum

ISLAMABAD s tA f f R e p o R t

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum

Aurangzeb said on Sunday that Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaf Chairman Imran Khan was ridiculing and making mockery of the judiciary which was unprecedented In a statement, the minister said that Imran Khan used abusive language every day and threatened

stink by going to jail

that he writes with his hand (as opposed to Usman Buzdar who single-handedly revived the lost art of writing with his feet)

judiciary to get bail through bullying

She said that PML-N was now running a campaign to expose Imran and his facilitators

She said her party was now only campaigning against those who were damaging national economy and making people unemployed The minister said that the PML-N was now only campaigning against foreign agents and Tosha Khana thiefs PML-N is now only campaigning against those who are conspiring against the country”, she remarked

the armed forces war course are surprisingly well-read Imran did go to Oxford, but that doesn t necessarily mean much

After Pervez Musharraf and Amjad Islam

Amjad, it was the turn of Zia Mohyeddin

Of the latter two, I don’t know who will be most regretted Now I do not doubt that General Musharraf will be regretted, especially by his family circle, but I don’t think the regrets at his death are going to be far beyond that circle Perhaps the only person to regret his passing more than that of the literary figures will be Imran Khan Rumours of his being illiterate are not true Credible sources say

However read he does not He doesn t watch Urdu dramas much, so he must have missed much of Amjad Islam Amjad’s dramatic oeuvre And perish the thought that he ever read his poetic oeuvre Zia Mohyuddin was more to do with the performing acts, but one doesn’t associate his sort of work, which was serious, with Imran’s inclinations, which seem to incline more towards melodrama and slapstick

Imran and Muusharraf had this much in common, that neither had the reputation of being an intellectual However military men who have gone through the staff college and

He went ahead and announced that the ‘Jail Bharo Tehrik’ would start on Wednesday I wouldn t like to comment on whether it will succeed or not, but I would certainly like to know when the next step will take place the return of all titles granted by the Government

I suppose those titles would cover Nawab Bahadur and Khan Bahadur, but would they cover Khan Sahib? So what do you call Imran then? And what about any Nawabzadas? Most are not the descendants of rulers of princely states (who prefer the title Sahibzada), but of people who had received the title of Nawab Bahadur Where do they stand? Can they surrender the title?

I wonder if Shaukat Tarin will star in the Jail Bharo Tehrik His must rank as the noisiest

Shaheed Abdul Latif is survived by his widow, six daughters, and one son Fir registered: Meanwhile, a FIR, , a copy of which is available with Dawn com, was registered against the perpetrators and their facilitators on the complaint of Saddar Station House Officer (SHO) Khalid Hussain Hussain said the investigation had been handed over to the Counter-Terrorism Department

The complaint was registered at the CTD police station on Saturday under Sections 34 (common intention) 120 (criminal conspiracy), 302 (murder), 324 (attempted murder), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 427 (mischief causing damage amounting to Rs50) and 460 (breaking into a house for murder) of the Pakistan Penal Code and Sections 3/4 of the Explosive Substances Act, 1908 read with Sections 7 (punishment for acts of terrorism) and 21(1) of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997

WAPDA achieves major milestone as River Indus diver ted

The under-construction Dasu Hydropower Project crossed a major milestone the other day, as the mighty River Indus was successfully diverted following completion of one of the two diversion tunnels Instead of its natural course, the River Indus was now flowing through a 1 33 kilometer (km) long diversion tunnel with 20 meters (m) width and 23m height, said a press release Consequently, construction activities have been initiated on the starter dam leading toward the construction of the main dam of Dasu Hydropower Project General Manager and Project Director Dasu Hydropower Project representatives of the Contractors and the Consultants along with a number of engineers and workers witnessed the historic moment of River Indus diversion Meanwhile WAPDA Chairman Engr Lt Gen Sajjad Ghani (Retd) congratulated the project team on achieving this landmark The diversion system of Dasu Hydropower Project comprises two tunnels –tunnel A and tunnel B Of these, tunnel B is complete, which has the discharge capacity, sufficient to divert water of River Indus during the current lean-flows season, the press release says The 1 5 km long tunnel A, with 20m width and 23m height, will also be ready by mid-April this year to cater to the increased water flows during the high-flows season, it adds Dasu Hydropower Project is a vital component of the leastcost green and clean energy generation plan of WAPDA The project is being constructed across River Indus, upstream of Dasu town in Upper Kohistan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa The 4320 MW Dasu Hydropower Project is planned to be completed in two stages At present, WAPDA is constructing its stage-I with installed generation capacity of 2160 MW and annual energy generation of 12 billion units Stage-I of the project is likely to start electricity generation in 2026 The 2160 MW stage-II, when implemented, will also provide 9 billion units to the National Grid On completion of both stages, Dasu will become the project with the highest annual energy generation in Pakistan i e , 21 billion units per annum on average

arrest not to have taken place The news of the FIA being allowed to arrest him was given more play than most arrests are given If I was him, I would get out of the country Not legally, you see Perhaps in the back of a truck carrying dollars to Afghanistan Imran might have heard of ‘Jail Bharo Tehriks’ from before Partition, and might imagine that they re all fun and games I ve heard that when visiting hours were over, some visitors might choose to stay in prison overnight Jail discipline had broken down so much that it was possible Sometimes prisoners would leave with their friends at night, and not come back till the next day when they would sneak in with the visitors

I’ve also heard of the 1942 Quit India movement, but that was spearheaded by Congress, not the Muslim League So I don’t suppose any party wanting to be on the same page use it as an example

One person who will not help fill the jails is Ali Wazir, the PTM MNA who was jailed for anti-Army remarks He is acknowledged as spiritual leader by some, not because of his incarceration, but his hairstyle Well now that he is free hopefully he will get a haircut I would imagine that the IMF would stop him After all they raised gas prices so much that people are going to cut back on bathing, and so one will have to walk the streets holding one s nose The IMF is not really anti-health, because they’ve had us impose a really massive tax on cigarettes, which should make some people at least stop smoking Or at least cut down Now that would really make the ‘Jail Bharo Tehrik a success Imagine all those unwashed PTI supporters in jail In a trice, the atmosphere would be too nauseous even for the most hardened jail staff

LAHORE: Hundreds of activists of Awami Rickshaw Union along with labourers and workers rally on The Mall against price hike and economic turmoil in the country photo by zubAiR Mehfooz

P O l I t I c A l s y s t e m n O lO n g e R ‘ c A PA b l e ’ O F s O lv I n g c O u n t R y ’ s P R O b l e m s : A b b A s I

KARACHI s tA f f R e p o R t

PAKISTAN Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi regretted that the political system no longer had the competence to solve the country’s issues Pakistan s economic situation which is undergoing a historic crunch couldn’t be improved by putting each other behind the bars, said Abbasi during a press conference

in Karachi, flanked by former senator and Pakistan People s Party (PPP) member

Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar

Instead, a commission should be formed that ascertains the elements responsible for economic deterioration, he suggested Khaqan said that he had no idea about the deterioration of Pakistan s economy until PML-N took power “All of us are responsible for finding the solution to the issues of the country as we belong to different political parties,” he added

Pm for more coordination over relief assistance to turkiye, syria

CoNTINUED fRoM PAgE 01

The meeting was apprised of the details of the relief assistance sent to these two countries through NDMA Chairman NDMA Lt-Gen Inam Haider Malik informed the meeting that under prime minister s previous directive, the cost and preparation time for tents had been decided in consultation with the tent manufacturing industries By the end of next month, the government of Pakistan would send 100 000 winterized tents to Turkiye, which are being prepared keeping in view the weather requirements and in consultation with the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) Faisal Edhi of Edhi Foundation, Maulana Bashir Farooqi of Saylani Trust and Abdul Shakoor of Al Khidmat Foundation briefed the meeting about the details of relief consignments sent to the quake-affected countries which included tents, medicines edible items blankets and warm clothes Besides, medical teams had also been sent to these countries The prime minister appreciated the working of the charity organizations and directed NDMA to keep constant coordination with them He also directed for further strengthening of supply chain of the relief items and asked for submission of a comprehensive mechanism for the next month in this regard

‘WelFare organizations oF pakistan

lauded’: Meanwhile Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif paid rich tribute to the humanitarian welfare organizations of Pakistan over providing rescue and relief services in Turkiye and Syria He said that country s philanthropist organizations have made the nation proud over rendering the relief service in Turkiye and Syria He further said that all the aid going from Pakistan should be integrated through sending it by the NDMA He said that the better provision of relief goods in Syria and Turkiye is possible through NDMA He directed the authorities concerned to dispatch goods in Turkiye and Syria as per their requirement On the directives of the Prime Minister, a sub-committee headed by Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal has been constituted to exchange the information with government institutions and human welfare organizations regarding goods to be dispatched in Turkiye and Syria

Imran seeks sc’s ‘action’ to probe how audio clip recorded, leaked

CoNTINUED fR oM PAgE 01

Dogar replied that the files would be signed after the court time and his people were sitting there to receive the orders She said that she had told Imran that Dogar had yet to receive the orders In the conversation, Rashid asked the police officer if “their night would be passed quietly As Dogar hesitated for a moment, the PTI leader quickly quipped that she had posed a “difficult question right at the outset” The police officer responded that hopefully, everything would be fine It is pertinent to mention that this audio clip was the latest addition in the series of audio leaks surrounding Dogar, as only a couple of days former chief minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi’s conversation with his lawyer about Dogar s case was leaked on social media A JIT formed by the Punjab government, had reportedly concurred with Imran’s claims that the attack was carried out from three different shooting sites The team, which has been reconstituted twice was headed by Dogar Earlier in January though, the government formed a new team to probe the attack “They have posted their own officers The 17 out of 23 officers transferred by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) were the ones involved in the May 25 incident,” Imran said during the televised address, referring to the violence against PTI workers during the party s ‘Azadi March’ last year Imran said only three state agencies had the means to tap phones and alleged that the government blackmailed their opponents to achieve their political motives Deep fake videos are being made ” he deplored

The former premier said that there was interference of establishment in politics which created instability in democratic system Moreover, the PML-N leader reiterated that all was well between him and the party and country’s interest was their priority Criticizing the country’s anti-graft watchdog Abbasi said that the governments don’t last due to the presence of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) How many politicians did NAB hold accountable, he asked

While speaking about Friday’s attack on Karachi Police Office the former premier said that the country had faced such unfortunate incidents and challenges earlier as well He said that these challenges had to be countered now as well Meanwhile, Khokhar said that terrorism is rearing its head which is the failure of political parties ” He said that all parties conference couldn’t be held on the audacious suicide attack on the police lines mosque in Peshawar

Year of war in Uk raine leaves developing nations pick ing up pieces

CoNTINUED

As with other IMF programmes lending was conditional on “fiscal consolidation Provided that Egypt s government adheres to a program of cutting state expenditure, it will receive regular loan instalments over the next four years Though austerity measures typically accompany IMF programmes, they have been criticised for exacerbating social unrest

‘World hunger reMains

severe’

In countries with outsized wheat subsidies, price rises have had humanitarian and fiscal costs More generally though world hunger remains severe,” said Maximo Torero, chief economist at the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)

In 2022, the FAO’s annual food price index, which measures changes in international food prices was up by 14 3 percent from the previous year and 46 percent higher than in 2020 As a result, 222 million people worldwide experienced acute food insecurity last year

“The international community needs to adopt a portfolio approach to improve food resilience in developing countries,”

Torero said referring to international trade bodies, multilateral development banks and even private corporations

First farming and catastrophe insurance schemes can be improved Second, food import sources should be diversified and export restrictions removed And third we can build back better by investing more in the developing country’s agricultural system iMF loans becoMe More expensive Meanwhile war-induced inflation prompted the United States Federal Reserve, as well as other leading central banks to hike interest rates Over the past eleven months, the Fed raised its benchmark rate by approximately 4 5 percentage points in an effort to slow price rises

Attracted to higher yields in the US, investors withdrew their funds from developing country financial assets The financial exodus led to widespread currency depreciations for developing countries against the US dollar On top of higher import prices, a country’s plunging currency also makes servicing foreign debt more expensive To cover the shortfall, mature emerging economies like Brazil and India issued bonds in their own currency To halt depreciations, they also drew down

large stockpiles of international reserves But for most of the developing world, these measures were not an option

With little recourse to borrowing from international private lenders, official bodies like the IMF stepped in to fill the gap An analysis of IMF lending by Boston University showed that, by the end of 2022, the volume of loans disbursed by the IMF totalled $95bn in 27 separate programmes This was greater than the credit outstanding at the end of 2021 already a historical annual peak “A problem for developing countries”, as Argentina’s former Minister of Finance Martin Guzman observed, “is that IMF lending has become more expensive too ” He was referring to the IMF s international reserve currency, known as Special Drawing Rights (SDRs)

The SDR rate is a weighted average of borrowing costs from the five countries that make up the IMF’s reserve currency

In 2022 IMF lending rates rose in tandem with the monetary tightening conditions in four of those five countries he said in reference to the US, the United Kingdom, Japan, China, and the Euro area Guzman added that IMF lending to poor countries should avoid stoking

inflationary cycles” from the advanced economies which constitute the SDR basket and focus instead on balance of payments challenges in borrowing countries

“To cope with a significant number of sovereign defaults over the coming years there should be an independent debt authority as opposed to a lending institution like the IMF which could preside over restructurings in a timely and effective way”, Guzman said

Based on a standardised set of legal principles a global bankruptcy court could provide enhanced creditor-debtor coordination compared with the current market-based approach

While the idea has received support from the UN, it is unlikely that the US and the United Kingdom under whose laws most government bonds are issued would cede the sovereignty of their courts to a supranational body But as Guzman pointed out, “the system we currently have in place leaves debtor countries with too little and too late

Together with an uneven recovery from COVID-19, a surge in food and energy prices as well as widespread currency depreciations, the war in Ukraine has only added to an already hostile environment for debt-distressed developing countries

fRoM BACK PAgE

Kite flying goes unchecKed in pindi

RAWALPINDI

s ta f f r e p o r t

Ki t e flying is going on unchecked in different parts of the city and Cantonment areas despite the ban as a number of kites of different colours and sizes can be seen flying in various areas every year, with the advent of spring people from different areas celebrate the Basant festival, however, the concerned authorities had put a ban on it in a bid to save the lives of the citizens

When asked, Umani Ali, a kite lover opined that while celebrating the event, one can enjoy it for some time He admitted that despite the fact that it was banned, some people wanted to celebrate it for the sake of their happiness

However, Majid who had witnessed an incident in which a minor child got injured due to a kite-flying string spoke totally in favour of the ban as it could save a number of lives

He pointed out that strings made of glass wire or metal had claimed several precious lives and a number of incidents had taken place in different cities in the past when persons particularly while riding on bikes sustained fatal injuries Faisal, a citizen suggested that the Basant festival should be allowed to cel-

ebrate and the administration should allocate special places in a bid to save the lives of people

A police spokesman said that Rawalpindi district police on the directives of the City Police Office had finalized all the arrangements to nab the violators of the ban He said that a complete ban was imposed on selling kites and other materials to discourage this practice and save precious lives

He informed that several kite sellers were sent behind the bars during this month and thousands of kites and kite flying string rolls were recovered from their possession

Basant was celebrated in different

areas of the Rawalpindi Cantonment despite a ban on thursday night and Friday, while police arrested 129 kite flyers and sellers and recovered thousands of kites and kite flying string rolls

Police arrested 102 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 Bas-

ant there is no justification to ban Basant anymore ” Kite sellers also sold kites on the 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 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 the spokesman said strict vigilance would be maintained like in previous years to maintain law and order in the city and to curb the dangerous kite flying

I M F b a i l o u t a l o n e c a n’t p u t e c o n o my b a c k o n t r a c k : B M P

ISLAMABAD s ta f f r e p o r t

As the annual inflation rate has h i t t h e n e w h i g h o f 3 8 4 2 % f o r t h e p r e v i o u s w e e k t h e F e d e r at i o n o f P a k i s t a n C h a m b e r s o f C o m m e r c e a n d i n d u s t r y s

Businessmen Panel has warned t h a t a b a i l o u t f r o m t h e i n t e r n at i o n a l M o n e t a r y F u n d ( i M F ) a l o n e w a s u n l i k e l y t o p u t t h e c o u n t r y ’s e c o n o m y b a c k o n t r a c k , a s t h e m i n i b u d g e t w o u l d further deteriorate the financial s i t u a t i o n i n t h e c o u n t r y A m i d s t c o n t i n u o u s o f h i k e i n c o s t o f p r o d u c t i o n i n t h e c o u n t r y w h a t t h e P a k i s t a n s e c o n o m y r e a l l y n e e d s i s p e rs i s t e n t a n d s o u n d e c o n o m i c m a n a g e m e n t , o b s e r v e d F P C C i f o r m e r p r e s i d e n t a n d B M P C h a i r m a n M i a n A n j u m N i s a r H e a s k e d t h e a u t h o r i t i e s f o r u n d e r t a k i n g e c o n o m i c r e f o r m s a n d i m p r o v i n g t h e r e g u l a t o r y e n v i r o n m e n t t o b o o s t f o r e i g n i n v e s t m e n t s o t h a t f i n a n c i a l s t a b i l i t y c a n b e a c h i e v e d i n t h e l o n g - r u n t h e B u s i n e s s m e n P a n e l ( B M P ) c h i e f s t r e s s e d t h e n e e d f o r r e d u c i n g c o s t o f d o i n g b u s i n e s s b e s i d e s e v o l v i n g a n e w p r i c e c o n t r o l m e c h a n i s m , a s h u g e t a x a t i o n , r i s i n g o i l p r i c e s a n d c o n s t a n t j u m p i n e l e c t r i c i t y a n d g a s t a r i ff s h a v e

KdA , Wildlife rescue injured leopard found on Kaghan highway

MANSEHRA

s ta f f r e p o r t

Kaghan Development Authority (KDA) and Wildlife department officials on Sunday rescued an injured leopard on the Kaghan Highway and transferred it to Dhodial Pheasantry, Mansehra for treatment Range Officer Wildlife Farhan tariq, while talking to the media said the leopard was allegedly hit by a vehicle as it sustained injuries on the legs and back After a complete examination, the leopard was transferred to the pheasantry for further medical assistance, he added According to Range Officer, the age of this male leopard was more than one year Dr Ayaz of Dhodial Peasantry told APP that the leopard was stable in their custody and “we have provided him with initial treatment and kept him in the cage He further said the leopard was fainting with pain when it was brought into the pheasantry “but now it is in aggressive mode after getting initial treatment and stabilization” this was the second incident of leopard injury during the last two and a half months on Kaghan Highway in the first incident, an injured cheetah was recovered by both KDA and the wildlife department it was shifted to Dhodial too but the cheetah could not survive and succumbed to injuries unfortunately Dr Ayaz informed the media that every effort was made to save the cheetah s life but due to a critical head injury, it went into a coma it was about four to five years of age

l i f t e d t h e i n f l a t i o n t o d e c a d e s h i g h l e v e l i n F e b 2 0 2 3 M i a n A n j u m N i s a r w a r n e d t h e a u t h o r i t i e s t h a t i n f l a t i o n a b o v e 6 p e r c e n t c a n h u r t e c on o m i c g r o w t h a n d a c a r e f u l p o l i c y i s r e q u i r e d t o k e e p i t i n c o n t r o l H e s a i d t h a t t h e p a c e o f i n f l a t i o n i s s k y r o c k e t i n g a t a t i m e w h e n t h e e c o n o m i c a ct i v i t y i s s l o w i n g d o w n A s t h e o i l p r i c e s h a v e b e e n increased by another Rs12/liter a n d p o w e r t a r i ff h a s g o n e u p f u r t h e r t h e B M P c h a i r m a n s t a t e d t h a t t h e g o v e r n m e n t h a s d r o p p e d a f u e l b o m b o n t h e b u s i n e s s m e n a f t e r i t s u ff e r e d a n e l e c t r i c s h o c k t o m e e t t h e c o n d i t i o n s o f i M F f o r t h e r ev i v a l o f t h e s t a l l e d l o a n p r og r a m - a r e c i p e t o s h a k e t h e t r a d e a n d i n d u s t r y t h e F P C C i f o r m e r p r e s id e n t s a i d t h a t t h e d e c i s i o n w o u l d p r o v e d e t r i m e n t a l t o t h e i n d u s t r i e s d u e t o h i g h c o s t o f d o i n g b u s i n e s s a n d w i l l a l s o

o p e n t h e f l o o d g a t e s o f i n f l at i o n i n a d d i t i o n t o m a k i n g t h e electricity bills costlier and una ff o r d a b l e f o r t h e c o n s u m e r s , t h e h i k e i n b a s e t a r i ff w o u l d escalate prices of all household g o o d s b e i n g w i d e l y u s e d i n e v e r y h o u s e h o l d , h e a d d e d H e t e r m e d t h e i n c r e a s e i n t a r i ff u n l a w f u l a n d a v i o l a t i o n o f N e P R A’s o w n r u l e s a n d

r e g u l a t i o n s , a s a n y i n c r e a s e i n t a r i ff h a s t o b e d e t e r m i n e d a n d i m p l e m e n t e d o n l y a f t e r h o l di n g p u b l i c h e a r i n g s b u t u n f o rt u n a t e l y t h e y h a v e s o l e l y d e c i d e d t o r a i s e t h e t a r i ff w i t hout holding public hearings, he a rg u e d H e c o n d e m n e d t h e N at i o n a l e l e c t r i c P o w e r R e g u l at o r y A u t h o r i t y s d e c i s i o n t o increase electricity tariffs, stati n g t h a t t h e b u r d e n o f p o w e r t h e f t , m i s m a n a g e m e n t , a n d i ne ff i c i e n c i e s c a n n o t b e s h i f t e d t o c o n s u m e r s o n t h e p r e t e x t o f f u e l a d j u s t m e n t A n j u m N i s a r s a i d t h a t P a ki s t a n s i n d u s t r y h a d b e e n h a r m e d b y t h e h i g h c o s t o f d o i n g b u s i n e s s , w h i c h d i s c o u ra g e d i n v e s t m e n t i n c a p a c i t y a n d c a p a b i l i t y a n d c a l l e d f o r e a s i n g t h e b u r d e n o f h e a v y t a x e s o n t h e p o w e r s e c t o r H e s t a t e d t h a t t h e c o n s t a n t i n c r e a s e i n p o w e r t a r i f f s o n t h e p r e t e x t o f f u e l a d j u s t m e n t h a d i n c r e a s e d e l e c t r i c i t y p r i c e s a n d a d d e d t o t h e a lr e a d y h i g h c o s t o f t r a d e a n d i n d u s t r y S e e k i n g c o m p a r a b l e e n e rg y t a r i ff s f o r d o m e s t i c i nd u s t r i e s i n o r d e r t o c a p t u r e t h e g l o b a l m a r k e t h e s t a t e d t h a t d u e t o h i g h e l e c t r i c i t y r a t e s , p o w e r t h e f t b e c a m e r a m p a n t a s t h e t a r i ff w a s u n a ff o r d a b l e t o c o n s u m e r s

He said the head injury of the cheetah showed that it fell from a high hill while chasing its prey and received critical injuries We have found no signs of torture on its body ” Later, the dead body of the cheetah was shifted to Abbottabad for postmortem

professor shot dead by universit y guard in peshawar

PESHAWAR

s ta f f r e p o r t

A professor of islamia College University, Peshawar was killed allegedly by a guard of the university after a crossfire between both parties on Sunday Police said after a verbal spat both professor and guard, started firing at each other As a result, Professor of english Bashir Ahmad was killed Police said the professor was killed by firing of university guard Police also found five empty shells of bullets of Kalashnikov from the crime scene Police further said that the dead body was shifted to hospital for medico-legal formalities

Raiding teams were dispatched to the guard s home for his arrest Meanwhile, university spokesperson Ali Hoti said that a professor of the academic institution was killed the spokesperson further said that Prof Bashir Ahmad belonged to Mardan He said the professor and guard of the university had old enmity After arguments and verbal brawl, the guard of the university allegedly killed the professor After committing the crime the alleged killer fled from the crime scene Ali Hoti said that the facts would be clear after watching the CCtV footage

Sub -national polio immunization campaign concludes in 39 distric ts

ISLAMABAD

s ta f f r e p o r t

A sub-national polio vaccination campaign concluded on Sunday 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 was conducted 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 Faisalabad the drive was planned after two environmental samples collected from two separate sites in Lahore tested pos-

itive for wild poliovirus in January

According to the national polio lab at the National institute of Health 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 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 KP in a statement Minister for National Health Services, Abdul Qadir Patel said that parents and caregivers should ensure that their children are vaccinated in 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 po-

liovirus with genetic links to the virus in Afghanistan and south KP in sewage samples is evidence that the virus is 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 ”

ImRan’s JaIl BhaRo TehReek noThInG moRe Than a ‘sTunT’: TessoRI

LAHORE

S ta f f R e p o R t

sINDH Governor Kamran Tessori on Sunday stated that Jail Bharo Tehreek’ (courting arrest movement) announced by former prime minister adn PTI Chief Imran Khan is a political stunt and nothing else

“Imran Khan’s Jail Bharo Tehreek’ is just a childish joke and a political stunt and nothing else’ he expressed these views while talking to Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid

(PML-Q) President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain at his residence

During the meeting they discussed several issues in detail Ch Shujaat Hussain appreciated the role of Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan in national politics

Both the leaders viewed that both PTI leadership and workers were not ready for arrests in Jail Bharo Tehreek

Chaudhry Shujaat has also urged upon the country political parties to establish a broader national consensus for the country He viewed that in the current situation not

a single political party can deal with the challenges facing the country, the need of the hour is that all political parties should establish a broader national consensus On skyrocketing price hike he urged upon the government to immediately take all possible steps to provide relief to the common people of the country S i n d h G o v e r n o r K a m r a n Te s s o r i s a i d that the country’s economic challenges require unity and agreement, this is not the time for politics but for joint efforts to get t h e c o u n t r y o u t o f e c o n o m i c d i ff i c u l t i e s

ANF seizes over 1093 kg drugs in 16 operations; arrests 14

RAWALPINDI

S ta f f R e p o R t

Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) Pakistan has seized over 1093 kg of drugs and 586 8 litres of prohibited chemicals arrested 14 accused including two women and impounded three vehicles while conducting 16 counter-narcotics operations across the country during the last 48 hours, said an ANF spokesman here on Sunday

He informed that ANF conducted a raid near Islamabad Tarnol Toll Plaza and recovered 43 2 kg charras and seven kg opium from secret cavities of a pick-up vehicle besides arresting two accused ANF in another operation near Is-

lamabad Motorway Toll Plaza managed to recover 16 kg heroin, 7 2 kg opium and 7 2 kg charras from secret cavities of a car and rounded up two accused including a woman ANF in the third operation recovered 820 g r a m s o f h e r o i n f r o m t h e p o s s e s s i o n o f a R i y a d h - b o u n d p a s -

senger, a resident of Bajaur Agency at Islamabad International Airport In the fourth operation near Islamabad M o t o r w a y To l l P l a z a , A N F r e c o vered 2 4 kg charras from the possess i o n o f a n a c c u s e d r e s i d e n t o f Nowshera In the fifth operation, 489 grams o f h e r o i n w a s r e c o v e r e d a t L a h o r e I n t e r n a t i o n a l A i r p o r t f r o m t h e p o ss e s s i o n o f a B a h r a i n - b o u n d p a s s e n -

ger resident of Kohistan In the sixth operation, ANF and FC conducted a raid in Khyber and recovered 29 kg c h a r r a s f r o m P a k - A f g h a n b o r d e r area In another operation on Karachi

Super-Highway, ANF seized one kg crystal heroin and 900 grams of Ice drug from the possession of a woman resident of Multan

I n t h e e i g h t h o p e r a t i o n n e a r Gwadar and recovered 25 kg charras, 10 kg heroin and 150 kg Ice drug

A N F c o n d u c t e d a r a i d i n t h e C h a m a n a r e a a n d m a n a g e d t o r ec o v e r 5 8 6 8 l i t r e s o f p r o h i b i t e d c h e m i c a l s w h i l e i n a n o t h e r r a i d i n t h e Q u e t t a - H a z a rg a n j i a r e a , A N F also recovered 105 kg charras which were concealed in secret cavities of

“ S t a b i l i t y o f P a k i s t a n i s t h e m o s t i m p o rtant thing at this time There is a need for political stability Imran Khan is only int e r e s t e d i n p o l i t i c s , b e c a u s e o f o n e p e rson’s ego we are facing a serious situation, Imran Khan s Jail Bharu movement is just a c h i l d i s h j o k e , I m r a n K h a n ’s J a i l B h a r o m o v e m e n t i s a s t u n t T h e y a r e n o t r e a d y for arrests he added

Cousin Goes MissinG FroM Gujrat’: Pakistan Muslim League Quaid (PML-Q) leader Moonis Elahi said Saturday that his cousin went missing while travelling

a car In the eleventh operation, ANF seized 490 kg charras from an abandoned house The spokesman further informed that ANF also recovered 90 heroinfilled capsules from the possession of a Doha-bound passenger resident of Faisalabad going on flight no PK-287

I n a n o p e r a t i o n a t B a c h a K h a n International Airport, ANF recovered nine charras-filled capsules from the possession of a Sarjah-bound passenger resident of Bannu going on flight no PK-257 In a joint operation conducted by ANF and FC in Khyber, 18 k g c h a r r a s w a s r e c o v e r e d f r o m t h e

Pak-Afghan Border area

A N F r e c o v e r e d 1 5 0 g r a m s o f w e e d s f r o m t h e p o s s e s s i o n o f t h r e e a c c u s e d n e t t e d f r o m t h e K a r a c h i K o r a n g i R o a d a r e a w h i l e i n a n o pe r a t i o n , A N F r e c o v e r e d 3 0 k g c h a rr a s h i d d e n i n b u s h e s n e a r t h e P a n j g o r- Tu r b a t H i g h w a y a r e a All cases have been registered at respective ANF Police Stations while f u r t h e r i n v e s t i g a t i o n s a r e u n d e r process

to Mandi Bahauddin from Gujrat

In a Twitter message, Moonis Elahi said that his cousin Zegham Gondal went missing while travelling from Gujrat to Mandi Bahauddin He added that his vehicle was also missing following his disappearance

He said that the police, Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) were also unaware of Zegham Gondal s disappearance

Earlier in the month, Moonis Elahi claimed that police and Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) are conducting raids without warrants

Reacting to the police’s raid at Pervaiz Elahi’s residence in Gujrat, the politician had said that police, FIA and other institutions reached Kunjah House again He added that they keep raiding without warrants

The PML-Q leader further said, “By raiding our house you think you will make us leave Imran Khan Think again!

‘Jail bharo tehreek’: Punjab gov t decides against arresting PTI workers

LAHORE S ta f f R e p o R t

The caretaker Punjab government has decided against arresting Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers following Imran Khan’s announcement to start ‘Jail Bharo Tehreek’ According to sources, the caretaker Punjab chief minister Mohsin Naqvi presided over the meeting which was attended by the Punjab Chief Secretary, Inspector General (IG) Punjab and other heads of institutions In the meeting, Mohsin Naqvi instructed not to arrest the PTI members who surrender voluntarily to law enforcement as part of the PTI’s Jail Bharo Tehreek The meeting decided that the PTI workers or leaders should only be arrested if they violate law Meanwhile sources claimed that that the Punjab government ordered the security officials to ensure the law and order situation in the province It is pertinent to mention here that PTI has announced Jail Bharo Tehreek schedule As per details, 200 PTI workers and a six-member group of former MNAs and MNAs will present themselves for arrest on a daily basis from February 22 till March 1st If the party workers and members are not arrested they will sit-in on that place

Gov t releases over Rs 14b for 113 housing sector projects in 7 months

ISLAMABAD S ta f f R e p o R t

Convener, World Minorities Alliance (WMA) and former Federal Minister for Population Welfare, Julius Salik on Sunday welcomed the appreciation for the international interfaith conference to be held in Washington from all the stakeholders at the national level

The Convener WMA in a telephonic conversation from Washington DC told APP that he had received special messages of appreciation from various personalities including Chairman One-Man Commission on Minorities Rights, Dr Shoaib Suddle, Additional Secretary Ministry of Foreign Affairs and others They have lauded the cause highlighted in the upcoming conference agenda and expressed best wishes to him for its successful execution, he added J u l i u s S a l i k a l s o J S a l i k s a i d h e was preparing a catalogue to be dis-

t r i b u t e d a m o n g t h e p a r t i c i p a n t s f o r the conference carrying messages of v a r i o u s i m p o r t a n t p e r s o n a l i t i e s i ncluding the Prime Minister on interfaith harmony

The Conference was the first of its kind at a very critical juncture of history when minorities all over the world including people from all faiths were facing violence based on religion and extremism, he added Salik said the leaders from all faiths would be convened at the international conference to be held on March 19 in Metropolis Baltimore Maryland

He said the aim and objective was one and clear unity of humanity without any prejudice and malice with an open heart for a peaceful future

J Salik added that the country was facing many pressing issues and it demanded national effort to address the prevailing economic crisis

The WMA Convener said the country needed a Christian ambassador in the United States of America to work for improving country’s image and make effective lobbying for writing off the country s debts

He said, “I nominate Cardinal Joseph Cordeiro as the Pakistani Ambassador in the US He is a well reputed person at the global due to his international position in the Church ” Salik believed that a Christian ambassador due to his religious affinity with the Americans who were mostly Roman Catholic could better persuade the leadership of the US government and Congress for a positive and beneficial bilateral engagement between the two states

Recalling his efforts to end poor countries debts, the WMA Convener informed that he had once written the World Bank to write off Pakistan’s debts back in 2002 otherwise he would drink a bowl of poison on Feburary 26, 2002

The World Bank responded to my letter some two days prior to my deadline and wrote that my request was sent to the relevant department for further action he added

ISLAMABAD

S ta f f R e p o R t

The government has so far released funds amounting to Rs 14 252 billion under the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP 2022-23) against a total allocation of around Rs 18 737 billion to execute 113 different projects aimed at ensuring the availability of affordable residential facilities Out of the total authorization/disbursement of Rs 14,252 66 million, around Rs 3,191 77million have been utilized on the housing sector projects during a seven-month period (July-January) of the current fiscal year, according to official data available with APP The budgetary allocation included Rs 12,273 329 million for 107 ongoing projects and Rs 1,711 875 million for six new schemes, As per the PSDP document, an amount of Rs 523 168 million had been earmarked for the rehabilitation and construction roads of in Hyderabad City (20 development schemes) Similarly, an amount of Rs 486 159 million had been kept for the construction of metalled roads in different areas of District Bahawalpur (24 development schemes, while Rs 406 211 million were specified for the construction of black top roads, Purana Duki and Rabbat villages District Duki Regarding the new development schemes, an amount of Rs 1,000 million was allocated for the rehabilitation and construction of roads in SITE Industrial Estate, Karachi

KPK archeology treasure pivotal to attrac t foreign investment

PESHAWAR a p p

Malaika Bibi, an 10-year-old girl student was overjoyed after visiting the world lone Ghandhara Art Peshawar Museum where about 30,000 rare antiquities and artifacts including the complete life story of Lord Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, were kept preserved

Arrived with his father from the Nowshera district to the Peshawar Museum located on Sher Shah Suri Road in the cantonment, the archaeology lover along with family members took a keen interest in the ancient antiquities and artifacts of the Gandhara civilization, weapons of British army and swords of the freedom fighters displayed there

“Today my dream to see all the Ghandhara masterpieces practically at Peshawar Museum came true I am very impressed after seeing/hearing about the complete life story of Lord Buddha she told APP after making a selfie with Lord Buddha’s statute

with a big smile

Peshawar Museum was constructed some 150 years back where over 30 000 rare antiques, artifacts, coins, swords, guns and other antiquities including 16,000 properly showcased and around 14 000 artifacts were lying in cupboards, attracting tourists from across the world Malaika along with her father and brothers were overwhelmed after seeing the ancient dresses of Waziristan tribes, primitive cooking plates and jewelry besides muzzleloader guns mostly used by British army, swords of freedom fighters and punch marked coins

They went around the two-storey building, an amalgamation of British and Mughal architectures which was originally consisted of a main hall and two side aisles on ground and first floor, surmounted by four elegant cupolas and small pinnacle on all corners and commended the rehabilitation and conserved works of KP government

Peshawar Museum was the identity of

Peshawar and its proper projection through digital and social media can bring economic luruls for the country,” she said

It is the only Museum in the world where the complete life story of the Founder of Buddhism, Lord Bhudda was preserved in the form of panels and statues said Bakht Zada Khan, research officer, the archaeology and museums department while talking to APP

He said its main hall constructed in 1906

in memory of Queen Victoria where the complete life story of Lord Bhudda, Buddha Gallery with statues of Lord Bhudda and Buddha Savatta Gallery has princely life of Lord Bhudda draw domestic and foreign tourists in droves Bakht Zada said the museums antiquities help archaeologists to explore the Khyber

Pakhtunkhwa history in its authentic perspective

The Sangaro cave s excavations Mian

Khan, Mardan conducted by the renowned archeologist Ahmad Hasan Dhani and Farid Khan in 1963 had revealed the presence of people’s remains in the Middle Paleolithic period (9,000 to 27,000) years before present in KP He said these people were living in stone-made caves, who fulfilled their food mostly from hunting of birds and animals

The discoveries of primitive rocks bones and hunting tools dating back of Mesolithic or Middle Stone Age (10,000 to 8,600 years before present) during excavations at Khanpur in Haripur district and Sangaro Cave signified presence of humans’ life in Swat and Dir where every stone speaks

He said people started making clay and stones made pots, crockery and others related utensils for kitchen during the Neolithic period or commonly known as new stone-age dating back some 8,000 years before as evident from excavations of historic Mehar Gharh in Balochistan of the Indus Civilization, Rehman Dheri DI Khan and Sheri Khan Tarkai Swabi

S a l i k we l c o m e s m a s s a p p re c i at i o n fo r i n t ’ l i n te r f a i t h

o n fe re n c e d u e i n Wa s h i n g to n

T h e P r e s i d e n t - E C P t

a n g l e

TH E President and the Election Commission of Pakistan, have been corresponding, acrimoniously by bureaucratic standards, over an issue that concerns them only tangentially: why the Punjab and KP Governors did not give a date for fresh elections when their respective assemblies were dissolved a month ago It should be noted that President Arif Alvi is behaving not as the neutral head of state he is supposed to be but as a stalwart of the PTI whose secretary general he was before being elected to his present office The PTI wants, and President Alvi appears to want with it, the provincial assemblies to hold elections not so much because they are a constitutional mandate, but because that can be used to apply pressure for the acceptance of its demand for fresh federal elections The ECP on the other hand, apart from being faced with such difficulties as the lack of returning officers, money or security, says that it does not determine the date of an election for an assembly that is dissolved prematurely The Punjab Governor argues that he didn’t dissolve the Assembly, which was dissolved automatically after advice for dissolution was tendered by the CM The way matters stand, the Governor is going to court again to get a clarification on the Lahore High Court s original ruling that ordered him to set a date for elections after consulting with the ECP The ECP itself is preparing to go into appeal before the original decision Meanwhile, the supreme Court is readying itself to take up the matter suo motu, creating the possibility of the intra-court appeals by the Governor and the ECP being taken up by the supreme Court

Once again, the nation is left to the spectacle of politicians taking essentially political matters to the courts for settlement, which is probably inevitable when partisan ill-will prevents them from sitting down and talking to one another, and seeking a solution through dialogue The question of provincial assembly election dates has seemingly ballooned from a minor glitch into a huge obstacle

It should not be ignored that even if the PTI manages to emerge victorious, and gets a date from the judiciary for the provincial elections It is also perhaps not the right time for politicians to abdicate their own responsibility to the judiciary which itself is roiled by the controversy created audio-clips purportedly showing a politician talking to a judge

The battle over data

TH E battle over data refers to the ongoing struggle for control and ownership of data as well as the conflict over how data should be collected, stored, used, and shared In recent years this battle has become increasingly relevant with the rapid growth of technology and the internet, which has generated an enormous amount of data that has significant economic and social value On one hand, corporations and governments want to collect, store and use data to improve their operations make better decisions and target their products and services more effectively On the other hand, individuals and privacy advocates want to protect their personal information and maintain control over how their data is used

This battle has led to numerous debates and controversies such as the right to privacy the responsibility of companies to protect personal information, and the role of government in regulating the collection and use of data Additionally there are also debates around issues such as data ownership, data portability, and data security

Although the idea of using data as a strategic asset has grown in popularity in recent years, the everyday user is still unable to recognize the true worth of data We are aware that large IT businesses have been gathering data for a very long time We are aware that new laws governing the use of data are developed annually Nevertheless the majority of us are still unaware of how data may affect our society The Economist published an article a few years ago titled The World s Most Valuable Resource Is no longer Oil, but Data ” However, it’s still difficult for most people to comprehend how data may become the new oil

Oil and data are rarely used in their raw forms

The oil that has not been refined cannot be used Oil needs to be extracted processed and distributed in order to be useful The same is true for data The data must first be processed before it is ready for analysis therefore we don t use it right away According to Clive Humby, “Data is the new oil Like oil, data is valuable, but if unrefined, it cannot really be used It has to be changed into gas, plastic, chemicals, etc to create a valuable entity that drives profitable activity so, must data be broken down, and analyzed for it to have value

Data and cyber espionage are closely related because cyber espionage involves the theft or unauthorized access to data Cyber espionage is the use of digital techniques to gain unauthorized access to sensitive or confidential information, such as trade secrets, military or government data, intellectual property, or personal information Nation-states, criminal organizations, and corp o r a t e c o m p e t i t o r s a r e a l l k n o w n t o e n g a g e i n cyber espionage to gain a strategic advantage steal intellectual property or financial data, or gather intelligence on political or military adversaries The use of strong cybersecurity measures such as en-

c r y p t i o n a n d a c c e s s c o n t r o l s , c a n h e l p p r o t e c t a g a i n s t c y b e r e s p i o n a g e b u t i t r e m a i n s a s i g n i f icant threat in today’s digital landscape Pakistan, like many other countries, is grappling with challenges related to data governance and privacy The c o u n t r y h a s i n t r o d u c e d s e v e r a l l a w s a n d r e g u l at i o n s t o m a n a g e a n d p r o t e c t t h e u s e o f p e r s o n a l data and regulate the collection storage and sharing of sensitive information

Great powers use data to gain advantages in various ways including:

S u rv e i l l a n c e a n d i n t e l l i g e n c e :

Great powers often use data to monitor their rivals activities and gather intelligence on potential threats, both domestically and abroad They collect and analyze massive amounts of data from a variety of sources, including communications, social media, and other public and private sources

c y b e r at ta c K S : Great powers engage in cyber-attacks to disrupt or sabotage their rivals’ critical infrastructure, such as power grids, financial systems, or military networks They use data as a tool to penetrate and compromise targeted systems and steal

Ultimately, the battle over data is a complex and ongoing struggle that involves many different stakeholders and will likely continue to evolve as technology advances and our understanding of the impor tance of data grows

sensitive information

e c o n o m i c a n d P o l i t i c a l i n f l u -

e n c e: Great powers leverage data to influence economic and political decisions through propaganda disinformation campaigns, and social media manipulation They use data analytics and artificial intelligence to analyze and target specific groups and individuals with customized messaging that amplifies their strategic objectives

m i l i ta ry o P e r at i o n S : Great powers use data to enhance their military capabilities through the development of advanced weapons systems, realtime situational awareness, and precision targeting Overall, data has become a critical element of great power competition, and its use is likely to continue to increase in the future

One of the most significant battles over data in Pakistan relates to the country s efforts to establish a centralized database of citizens’ biometrics and other personal information, known as the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) The project has been controversial, with concerns raised about the potential for misuse of personal data, especially in the absence of robust data protection laws and regulations

In addition to the NADRA project, Pakistan has also been working to regulate the use of digital platforms and social media In 2020 the government introduced the Citizens Protection (Against Online Harm) Rules, which requires social media companies to register with the government establish offices in Pakistan, and comply with content removal requests The battle over data in Pakistan highlights the need for comprehensive data protection laws and regulations that balance the benefits of data-driven innovation with privacy and security concerns Ultimately the battle over data is a complex and ongoing struggle that involves many different stakeholders and will likely continue to evolve as technology advances and our understanding of the importance of data grows

The writer is a researcher at the Center for International Strategic Studies, AJK, and can be reached at rimsham@gmail com

Reducing the environmental footprint of Pakistan’s Aviation Industr y

As the global aviation industry emerged from the effects of the covid-19 pandemic, its impact on the environment has been an area of increasing focus The European Commission predicted that in the absence of drastic measures, demand for air travel could lead to a 300 percent increase in greenhouse gas emissions over the 2005 levels by the middle of the 21 t century

As a result, there have been invigorated global efforts to reduce the environmental footprint of the aviation industry

In October 2022, the United Nations International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) agreed to the aspirational goal of net zero aviation emissions by 2050, with 193 member countries on board This is to be achieved through measures such as adopting new green aerospace technologies using sustainable Aviation Fuels (sAFs), optimising flight routes, and digitalising airlines’ fuelling operations

However translating this vision into reality would take a lot of work There exists widespread consensus that the long lifespan of aeroplanes and the cost of solutions make aviation one of the hardest-to-abate sectors

For example, while fuel accounts for 20-30 percent of an airlines’ operational costs, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) estimates that sAFs cost two to four times more than any other aviation fuel Hence, production is limited and accounts for only 0 1 percent of global jet fuel consumption similarly replacing the existing fleets with more environmentally friendly units is not easy, as new jets cost hundreds of millions of dollars

Other barriers to decarbonising aviation include, for instance, a lack of regulatory support or the reluctance of

passengers to accept the cost of low-emission solutions

Although developing countries account for a lower proportion of aviation emissions than their developed counterparts, reducing them still remains a huge challenge due to resource constraints, and Pakistan is no exception Despite this, there is a strong need for Pakistan, like other developing countries, to expedite efforts toward reducing aviation emissions to ensure efficiency gains and long-term competitiveness in aviation and fulfil the country’s environmental commitments Research has shown that an increase in air passengers carried will have a significant and positive effect on the environment in the long run in Pakistan, indicating the necessity to reduce aviation-related emissions

The Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) envisions being an environmentally-responsible organisation and all major airports in the country have become IsO14001 (international standard specifying the requirements for an effective environmental management system) certified The country s National Climate Change Policy (NCCP) also identifies reducing aviation emissions as one of the key measures to achieve national climate mitigation targets It recommends that the national airline

plan fleet upgradation, considers fuel-efficient aircraft, and supports ICAO s initiative to reduce aviation emissions through improved Air Traffic Management (ATM), involving free-flight air routes rather than defined routes and improved weather services These would help to reduce not only flight time but also fuel consumption

Over the years, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has added fuel-efficient ATR-72 and A320 aircraft to its fleet ATR-72 is considered the most fuel-efficient aircraft for regional markets due to its optimised speed, lighter structure, and engine designed for short routes

In 2021, Air Blue also inducted the fuel-efficient A321neo aircraft, which consume 20 percent less fuel

To accelerate this, a national action plan must be formulated that outlines short- and medium-term targets for the long-term decarbonisation of Pakistan’s aviation industry and the key measures needed to get there In addition the action plan must clearly state the constraints such as policy and regulatory barriers in developing and adopting green aerospace technology or low levels of Research and Development (R&D) at the national level and the key steps needed to remove them over time The government must conduct consultations with

The government must conduct consultations with key stakeholders in the public and private sectors to carve out a cohesive and practical pathway to deliver on the challenging yet achievable goal of reducing the environmental footprint of Pakistan’s aviation industry, with the vision of bringing it to net zero

key stakeholders in the public and private sectors to carve out a cohesive and practical pathway to deliver on the challenging yet achievable goal of reducing the environmental footprint of Pakistan’s aviation industry, with the vision of bringing it to net zero

Zahra Niazi is a Research Assistant at the Centre for Aerospace & Security Studies (CASS), Islamabad, Pakistan She can be reached at cass thinkers@casstt com

Keywords: sustainable Aviation, Green Aerospace Technologies, Pakistan International Airlines, PIA, ATR72 Fuel-Efficient Aircraft A320 A321neo Aviation Emissions

The debate over provincial elec tions again has politic al issues taken to cour t

M e l t i n g s t a t e o f P a k i s t a n a n d I n d i a n g e n e r a l e l e c t i o n s 2 0 24

tive and economic meltdown

mer COAs Gen Qamar Bajwa and former IsI chief Lt Gen Faiz Hameed were meddling with p o l i t i c s h e w a s b a n n e d f r o m t h e t e l e v i s i o n s c r e e n s a n d h e w a s t a g g e d a s a t r a i t o r a n d a

stooge of India Now the same allegations are raised by former PM Imran Khan against General Bajwa but Khan is allowed to say whatever he wishes to say

IN D I A is not too far from its general elections in 2024 and the ruling BJP is setting its agenda for campaigning Whosoever is following BJP and Congress campaigning can well understand that Rahul Gandhi s “Bharat Jodo Yatra” (connecting India by traveling) has changed the political balance and now Congress would again be a reality in the forthcoming general elections

Indian political commentators claim that neither anti-Muslim nor anti-Pakistan ingredients would be foremost in a recipe of the BJP election campaign, because Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi believes that socially crumbling Pakistan has no importance for India Is Pakistan socially crumbling or is it economically in the Intensive Care Unit? These are debatable points but this is what the Indian leadership is thinking about Pakistan

A political commentary and analysis published by the United states Institute of Peace on February 8, indicates that India may not have any serious issues with Pakistan before its general elections

It mentions that the last major crisis between India and Pakistan was in 2019 with the Pulwama attacks and since February 2021, the border with Pakistan has been unusually quiet with a cease-fire in place that has led to a notable reduction in cross-border firings and cease-fire violations The report says that India and Pakistan are both headed into election years with general elections anticipated in Pakistan this year and India s in 2024 This may add pressure on the Indian leadership to show resolve if there is another crisis

T h e I n d i a n m e d i a , w h i l e f o c u s i n g o n t h e p o l i t i c a l s i t u a t i o n i n P a k i s t a n , h i g h l i g h t s t h e anti-es tablis hment narrative of former P rime Minister Imran Khan and notes that Khan is allowed to question the military establishment, but that privilege was not granted to any other politician of the country When former Prime Minister Mian Nawaz sharif, while addressing his workers in Gujranwala, claimed that for-

Meanwhile, former Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaf (PTI) federal minister shireen Mazari claimed that General Bajwa wanted to resettle members of the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and their families following the Afghan Taliban’s takeover of Kabul she indicated that this was the time when General Faiz was chief of the IsI, and he was also sitting in the meeting when Bajwa discussed this issue with Imran Her remarks came when people were blaming her party for inviting terrorists back to Pakistan from Afghanistan and now she is shifting the burden to army leadership It may be remembered that TTP top leader and spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan managed to escape from military custody in February 2020 when the PTI was in power and neither the military with whom he was confined nor the then government had ever shared details of his historic escape A series of his letters published by the UKbased newspaper G u a rd ia n raised several questions but nobody ever answered his blames and claims

The PTI-Military conflict has gone to the next level where Imran has demanded President Arif Alvi order an inquiry against the former Bajwa on charges of allegedly violating his oath by interfering in politics and controlling the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) This is the same allegation

Mian Nawaz sharif put on the former Army leadership and then Mian Nawaz faced wrath in the 2018 elections

In a letter written to the President on February 14, Imran Khan requested President Alvi who is also the supreme Commander of the Pakistan Armed Forces to open an inquiry against the former COAs for admitting that he (General Bajwa) considered Imran Khan dangerous for the country’ and recorded tapes of his confidential conversations

Indian politicians as well as senior journalists and writers, are of the view that Pakistan’s situation is worsening day by day and putting Pakistan as a campaign ingredient would actually be giving importance to Pakistan that it does not deserve today Meanwhile, they indirectly suggest blaming Pakistan for fanning terrorism in the region would benefit India to portray Pakistan as a dangerous country that is becoming more dangerous after its administra-

Honestly speaking there is no doubt that Pakistan is melting in the same pot it crafted in the early 1980s for melting its enemies or for earning petro-dollars for people in power History is ruthless and after almost 40-plus years everybody irrespective of the political divide, is raising fingers toward a military establishment and blaming it for the social, political, and economic disasters Pakistan is facing today On one hand, the PTI demanding an inquiry against the former chief of the Pakistan Army while on the other, Pakistan Muslim League (N) senior vice president Maryam Nawaz is claiming that ‘remnants’ of former IsI chief General Faiz Hameed were still present in the establishment and supporting Imran she is also questioning the judiciary and safely but surely dragging the judiciary into whatever benefits Imran Khan is getting in courts

In an informal conversation with reporters in Lahore, she called upon the judiciary to hold some individuals accountable” following the emergence of alleged audio leaks of a supreme Court Judge with former Chief Minister Punjab Ch Pervaiz Elahi she claimed that no one had been given as much leniency as Imran Khan wa) being given by the judiciary “Despite being caught red-handed; no action is being taken against him There is no greater injustice than the double standards of justice she remarked On the other hand, skyrocketing price hikes and diminishing economic opportunities are compelling the cowardly and powerless common man to raise questions about the economic cost he is paying for having a military establishment, judiciary, Parliament and bureaucracy There is a perceivable difference that I observe, which is that only politicians and Parliament were under corruption charges in yesteryear but now the public is openly extending the spectrum and other state institutions are in focus

Moreover the public is asking what salaries packages, and even pensions military officials, the judges of the superior judiciary, and bureaucrats are receiving from the public exchequer for not allowing people to know their tax returns There are two options available to people in power one is to open up and share their accounts with the public and the second option is to use more power to snub them for asking such questions Both are applicable but both would bring results that may not be in their favour

The writer is an international award winning journalist who has been in the field since 1988 and appears in national and international media as analyst and political scientist

S e n d y o u r l e t t e r s t o : L e t t e r s t o E d i t o r, Pakistan Today, 4 - S h a a re y F a t i m a J i n n a h L a h o re P a k i s t a n E - m a i l : l e t t e r s @ p a k i s t a n t o d a y c o m p k L e t t e r s s h o u l d b e a d d re s s e d t o Pakistan Today e x c l u s i v e l y

Debt repayment needs revision

T H I s is with reference to the article ‘Debt repayment problem’ (Jan 14), which drew attention to the recurrent current account deficits rooted in the excess of imports compared to exports and remittances successive governments have been resorting to external borrowings to finance the current account deficits resulting in an unsustainable debt burden For addressing this challenge, the write-up opposed the option of import substitution and suggested focussing on exports only One cannot agree with this one-sided and flawed approach

Our exports have high import content, up to 50 per cent or even more Therefore, increase in exports would cause escalation in the import bill

Most of our manufactured goods are dependent on imported raw materials ingredients and ancillary items Thus, import substitution must be accorded top priority to reduce our dependence on foreign sources

This would encourage industrialisation and facilitate local production of finished goods The government must follow a restrictive import policy The Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) and Preferential Trade Agreements (PTAs) signed with different countries have devastated our economy as the trade balance is tilted heavily in favour of our trading partners emanating from the dramatic increase in imports with a marginal rise in exports It must be remembered that there is no way the country’s exports can make a big jump in the short term or medium term due to shortage of exportable surplus and capacity constraint

We have a primitive agriculture and the yields are low Despite being an agrarian country, the nation has become a food importer in addition to deficit in the cotton crop which used to be the backbone of the textile sector The country possesses a very rudi- mentary industrial base and limited manufacturing capacity It will take time to set up new production units that may join the stream in the next few years Even for that to happen, the time to begin is now Time, indeed, is running out India from the very beginning implemented an austere import regime until the early 1990s and focussed on import substitution Today, India has a firm industrial base, being the fifth largest economy in the world with a thriving export sector and forex reserves of $560 billion

While all efforts should be made to increase exports to earn dollars, there is every need to save the precious dollars that we have, and a major step in this direction is import substitution

Import of luxury and non-essential consumer goods must be banned altogether for at least three years to turn our current account deficit into surplus It would provide the much-needed space to service debt payments that are due over the next three years, thus reducing the debt burden

ARIF MAJEED KARACHI

Waiting for a messiah

I N the countryside, people start their day by getting up before sunrise, but in Karachi early morning means something entirely different senior citizens and religious people start their day with the early-morning prayers, schoolchildren and office-going people leave their homes around 7am, while business community prefers to stay in bed till 10am

Two hours each in the morning and evening are peak hours, meaning rush hours During those hours, excavators, dumpers and loaders along with manual janitors or mechanical garbage-collectors are seen on the roads as if to prove their presence, telling us that development or sanitation work is being carried out with due zeal This so-called ‘development’ and sanitation projects only add to the frustration and misery of the commuters The commuters, the poor souls that they are, have to put up with all sorts of issues; lack of public transport system, damaged roads, uneven surfaces ditches dust dirt traffic logjams and inevitable delays Traffic rules and regulations are being violated and police personnel deputed for regulating traffic remain busy the entire day with everything except their duty One can only hope that someday somebody somewhere will come to the rescue of the city and its dwellers The wait is long and uncertain, but that is the only realistic chance of things taking a turn for the better in Karachi

SYED MASOOD HASAN KARACHI

Song and dance

I used to often wonder why we have not been producing social scientists thinkers and philosophers in society I recently got the answer at an event that was part of the students week at my university

One of my fellow students was giving a speech which was reasonably cerebral, but there was hardly anyone listening to it or interested in any way Everyone, however, was seriously interested and enthusiastic as soon as the song-and-dance component started on the stage

Watching this, it suddenly occurred to me that we are not producing social scientists, thinkers and philosophers in society because the young ones have no time for the cerebral; all they want is song and dance

Our students are hardly interested in learning, acquiring knowledge, conducting research or any such thing They surely want their degrees, but the idea of intellectual pursuit puts them off When the youths of a country make social media and frivolities their priority in life, instead of the philosophy of great poet-philosopher Allama Iqbal and the principles of Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah it is naïve even to think about even dreaming of prosperity and respect among the nations of the world

The Quaid had called youth a national asset, but, unfortunately, the asset today is more focussed on entertainment Education is a major weapon and key to success It is a pity that students, even when they happen to be at the campus, do not focus on seeking knowledge

HAJRA RAUF

Political scapegoat

T H E main opposition party desperately needed a scapegoat to blame for its own failures when it was in power In fact, the opposition needed, and still needs, several scapegoats because it had a rather long list of failures But its desperation has touched a new low in national politics

If things are allowed to continue in the same manner, Pakistan will be the ultimate victim

ZESHAN HAMID NEW YORK, USA

a letter from Prometheus agha iqRaR haRooN

The public is asking what salaries, packag es, and even pensions militar y officials, the judg es of the superior judiciar y, and bureaucrats are receiving from the public exchequer, for not allowing people to know their tax returns

Is Pakistan to be written off?

IndIA’s BBC rAId Is Just tHe ModI governMent’s l Atest AttACk on tHe Press

the tax raid, inevitably, was cheered on by the BJP’s vast troll army, which amplifies attacks on Modi s critics and political rivals the new York times editorial board had warned just a day earlier that the government’s attempts to suppress the film were another sign that india’s proud tradition of a free press was at risk undermining its democracy the raid will doubtless inspire more such alarms from abroad

Avisit to the BBC’s offices in new delhi and Mumbai by income tax officials is drawing international attention to the precarious state of press freedoms in india the government of Prime Minister narendra Modi has described it euphemistically as a survey, which is an unsubtle way to characterize a tax raid

there’s no subtlety to the timing, either: nearly three weeks ago, the British broadcaster aired a documentary drawing attention to Modi’s alleged role in deadly sectarian riots that wracked his home state of Gujarat in 2002 Modi is notoriously thin-skinned on this front: His government banned the documentary and tried to block clips on social media platforms as well as screenings in universities

Government spokespersons and leaders of Modi s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party have been building a head of steam against the BBC, accusing it of retaining a colonial mindset (the broadcaster has defended the documentary as “rigorously researched according to the highest editorial standards ” the documentary cites a British Foreign Office report, which raises questions about Modi’s actions during the riots which claimed more than 1,000 victims, mostly Muslims )

But that train has long since left the station Press freedoms in india have been under attack from the start of the Modi era in 2014 Until recently, the main targets for the intolerance of the government and the wrath of the ruling party were domestic media outlets especially the local-language press i got some glimpses of how this works in an illstarred stint as editor of Hindustan times, new delhi’s leading english-language newspaper Just two years in power the Modi government was already demonstrating an intolerance of criticism that was familiar to me from my previous experiences as a foreign correspondent in the dictatorships of the Middle east stories deemed embarrassing to the government or the ruling party led routinely to minatory phone calls from ministers and bureaucrats: the threats ranged from the withholding of ads and the pursuit of punitive lawsuits to investigations into my personal finances and those of my family And yes there were dire warnings about income-tax raids

As an American citizen, i enjoyed a degree of protection not available to other editors And the pressures against metropolitan english-language papers were as nothing compared with what my counterparts in the small-town and vernacular press had to endure in the years since my departure from delhi, things have only gotten worse Cowed into compliance with of-

W h y t h e C h i n a - I r a n

Pr e s i d e n t ebrahim raisi of iran has concluded an official state visit to China, where he met with his counterpart in Beijing Xi Jinping Ahead of the trip raisi published an article in China’s most elite party newspaper, the People s daily, speaking out against “unilateralism” “violent measures” and sanctions, which both countries believe to be the main causes of instability in the world today the visit comes at a critical juncture in the two nations’ geopolitical prospects, as the editorial alludes to Both countries are facing intensifying pressure from the United states which strives to contain and militarily “checkmate” them Having long since given up any pretence of upholding the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with tehran which donald trump withdrew from, the Us has imposed heavy sanctions on the country in a bid to try and cripple its economic and military development similarly, the Us has placed an ever-growing series of embargoes on China’s technology industries and is seeking to encircle it militarily this has led Beijing and tehran to diversify their partnerships away from the West and strive to deepen ties with each other in multiple areas two years ago they signed the 25-year iran–China Cooperation Program, which tentatively pledged $400 billion in investment to the Middle eastern country

Why is China interested in iran? iran is a country with enormous untapped potential in many aspects it is a sleeping power Boasting a population of over 86 million, it is one of the most populous countries in the Middle east and, like China, is a socalled civilization state that is a nation directly evolving from an ancient empire, Persia While iran has been subject to containment policies by the Us since the revolution of 1979 it has proven to be a formidable adversary of the West and thus a critical potential strategic partner for China this takes on further significance when its large-scale oil reserves are taken into consideration China needs greater geopolitical support for facing off against the West and iran is an important part of this

tehran, likewise, sees Beijing as its best bet to escape Washington-imposed containment America’s blatant and wilful disregard of the JCPOA has ended any illusions iran once held about the Us and its allies, and recognizes that it is never going to be able

to prosper unless it finds the political space to do so in a multipolar world in other words, tehran is placing its bets on helping establish a world where there are many powers, as opposed to one unilaterally dominated by the Us, in which it might be able to undercut the influence of sanctions and hostile policies of Us allies such as israel While this means deepening its ties with China, it also involves a close relationship with india and russia two other influential states who stand up to the Us sanctions machine

But in formulating this relationship, does China see iran as an ally? despite Beijing’s warm rhetoric and pledges to tehran, the reality is more complicated While the strategic element outlined above is important for Beijing China is nonetheless attempting to court the entire Middle east simultaneously as part of a wider strategic balancing act While China is willing to deepen its ties with tehran Beijing is not taking sides on conflicts within the Middle east, opting instead for neutrality and “stability” and signing strategic partnership agreements with the likes of saudi Arabia, a rival of iran’s

All this leads to a key driving factor in China’s decision-making: access to oil and energy China is the largest consumer and importer of oil in the world, and its over-reliance on importing oil via maritime routes through its eastern seaboard is a strategic weakness which the Us would seek to exploit in the event of conflict While iran having its own oil is one obvious factor what is more significant is that it also serves as a geographic land bridge into Asia from the Middle east, which makes it a critical part of the Belt and road initiative While China can also buy oil from saudi Arabia, the UAe and others, what these states cannot do is transport the oil to China over land, which would make it less vulnerable to potential Us attacks As a result, China is interested in creating infrastructure in iran, as in neighbouring Afghanistan

Ultimately iran is critical to China s national security in multiple areas: geopolitics, energy and geography Both sides have come to recognize the other as one of their most important geopolitical partnerships in an era of growing Us hostility, aggression and coercion, China and iran are coming together as two states that understand the importance of multipolarity and finding common ground to develop amid Western sanctions China offers growth for iran, while iran also offers security, energy and the potential of a “sleeping power” in the Middle east Both countries want to build a very different world, one which the Us is doing everything it can to prevent

ficial diktat, much of india s media merely cheers on Modi’s abuses of power Only a few weeks ago the most prominent of a dwindling category of independent tV networks was acquired by Gautam Adani, the controversial billionaire and longstanding Modi admirer

More than any action against prominent foreign media, this campaign of coercion and subversion has imperiled what indians are proud to call the world s largest democracy ” it is no accident that Freedom House has for the past two years rated india as only “partially free;” i would be very surprised if its newest report expected next month, doesn’t extend the streak But Modi has paid no price for the democratic retrenchment that has come to characterize his rule neither india s economy nor its standing in the free world has suffered india’s trajectory resembles that of turkey, where the government of President recep tayyip erdogan has used the same combination of economic pressure and intimidation to achieve near-total domination of the media landscape Media outlets in both countries are vulnerable in similar ways their administrations are able to use the leverage that comes from government being a major advertiser to silence criticism since media entities are often part of large family-owned conglomerates, the owners are especially susceptible to bullying and blackmail independent outlets are bought and muzzled by businessmen keen to curry official favor in both countries, governments use tax raids and frivolous lawsuits for harassment intimidation of jour-

nalists by troll armies is routine And supporters of the ruling party are not above physical violence against the most stubborn critics india and turkey have one other thing in common: the indulgence of the West has inculcated a sense of impunity in their leaders Having received little criticism over his bullying of the turkish media, erdogan has been emboldened to target foreign outlets the raid on the BBC suggests Modi is making the same leap and with the same confidence that he need not expect any pushback from abroad the British government keen to strengthen trade ties with india, offered only a pro forma defense of the BBC’s independence and even this has been undermined by Prime Minister rishi sunak who told parliament he “did not agree with the characterization” of Modi in the Foreign Office report the Biden administration seems to have taken much the same see-no-evil, hear-no-evil stance state department spokesman ned Price responded to a question about the controversy with the blandest of bromides:

“We support the importance of a free press around the world ” He softened even this most indirect of criticisms with a homily about the shared values that enact the United states and india as two thriving, vibrant democracies ” thriving and vibrant india may be its democracy however is neither of those things

Bobby Ghosh is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering foreign affairs

Afilm that begins with its protagonist hiding under a sheet is bound to include some manner of unmasking or revelation so it proves with saim sadiq’s Joyland, which won two prizes last year at Cannes and picked up Malala Yousafzai as an executive producer Back home in Pakistan it was a different story the picture, named after the distant fairground glimpsed between the buildings in Lahore, was banned for being un-islamic before being permitted a meagre release once it was shorn of several offending scenes

Haider (Ali Junejo), the man under the sheet in those opening seconds may only be playing hide-and-seek with his nieces, but there is a more profound unveiling to come As the namby-pamby son of a disapproving patriarch, he has a lot to prove Can he slaughter a goat in the courtyard when requested? He cannot is he likely to give his father a grandson? it isn’t looking good

When Haider finally does get a job it s not even one he can brag about Only reluctantly he admits to his wife, Mumtaz (rasti Farooq), that he has been hired as a backing dancer for Biba (Alina Khan), a glamorous trans diva at a nearby “erotic” theatre Mumtaz and her sister-in-law nucchi (sarwat Gilani) are curious enough to scroll through Biba s instagram account where – the horror! – they accidentally hit “like” on a selfie Haider is not a born dancer but Biba, who is brusque and prickly but encouraging with it, puts him through his paces she also persuades him to peel off his t-shirt during

a rooftop rehearsal – another uncovering for Haider, this one transforming him from timid to magically sexualised enchanted by her he goes the extra mile When she orders a promotional cardboard cut-out of herself, he collects it on his moped late one night the errand provides the film with its most dreamlike image the camera travelling behind Haider as he drives while the giant replica Biba stares back at us, one hand planted on her hip she could be a blingy pontiff stood upright in a popemobile that scene, which recalls the obsessive hero of Jerzy skolimowski’s 1970 deep end lugging a cardboard Jane Asher around with him, has elements of both the comic and the poetic this is a woman who meets opposition whenever she occupies the female-only seats on public transport; now here she is (or her double, anyway) completing a nocturnal victory lap of the city the outsized standee also spooks one of the neighbours, who is taken aback when Haider stores it on the roof of his father s home What else to do but drape the offending object in (of course) a sheet? the 31-year-old sadiq (who also wrote and edited the film) knows how to weigh every shot, every cut A heartto-heart between Biba and Haider works perfectly well as a close-up of the two of them the mood is intensified, however, by the cut to a wide shot revealing that they are, in fact in the empty theatre outnumbered by the rows of vacant seats extending in every direction the surrounding space renders the scene paradoxically more intimate Advance word on Joyland suggested it was a trans story when instead it is a movie in which one character happens to be transgender Biba faces her share of prejudice, including playground-style chants from co-workers (“no milk in your bra, just blah blah blah”), but she is the most settled character here, and hardly the only woman under pressure nucchi feels a failure for not producing a son Mumtaz is forced to quit the job she loves, and an elderly, overlooked family friend complains: i m old Almost a ghost Perhaps she should be wearing a sheet too Biba, though, knows exactly who she is by the time Haider starts falling for her He is the one in flux, ambushed by his own desires and prone to thoughtless remarks When Biba reveals that she is saving money for gender-confirming surgery, his reply – that he likes her exactly the way she is – earns him a rebuke she s doing this for herself she snaps not for anyone else He has mistaken her transitioning body for a provisional state of mind, when all that’s left for her in the matter of identity are formalities Her refusal to play nice or pipe down is rather bracing nobody puts Biba in the corner

Ryan Gilbey is the New Statesman s film critic He was named reviewer of the year in the 27 Press Gazette awards and is film critic in residence at Falmouth University

H o w J o y l a n d w a s d e e m e d a n “ u n - I s l a m i c ” l o v e s t o r y

p a r t n e r s h i p m a t t e r s

cPO Operations visits rescue-15

14th KLF cONcLuDES ON hiGh NOtE with huGE turNOut OF LitErAturE ENthuSiAStS

KARACHI

s ta f f r e p o r t

ISLAMABAD: Capital Police Officer (CPO) Operations, Syed Shahzad Nadeem Bukhari visited Rescue-15 in compliance with the special directives of the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Islamabad On the occasion the SSP Operations, SP Plan and Patrolling, SP Headquarter and other senior police officers were also present During the visit CPO Operations reviewed the steps taken for the facilities of police personnel and public During the visit he also met with the staff of Rescue-15 and received a briefing on all administrative matters CPO Operations also checked the records and visited the mess and issued directions to senior officers, stating that more steps should be taken to improve the quality of the mess "The quality of food at the mess should be improved in accordance with prescribed hygienic standards, and residential facilities for police officials should also be ensured " He further said that the welfare of police personnel is among the top priorities of the Islamabad capital police p r

BOP sets r37,500 as minimum salar y for all employees

LAHORE: Three years after the onset of the pandemic, inflation has become one of the main concerns for the global economy The situation in Pakistan is even more exacerbated due to the macroeconomic challenges and catastrophic flooding that it experienced in 2022 T h i s h a s r e s u l t e d i n h i s t o r i c a l l y h i g h i n f l a t i o n a n d a d e p r e c i a t i n g c u r r e n c y t h a t h a s s e v e r e l y a ff e c t e d t h e r e a l i n c o m e s o f c i t i z e n s A s h i g h i n f l a t i o n t a k e s i t s t o l l o n t h e p u r c h a s i n g p o w e r o f p e o p l e , t h e l o w a n d m i d d l e i n c o m e e s p e c i a l l y s a l a r i e d p e o p l e c o n t i n u e t o r e e l f r o m t h e i mp a c t o f h i g h c o m m o d i t y p r i c e s & r i s i n g e l e c t r i c i t y / f u e l p r i c e s T h e B a n k o f P u n j a b , t a k i n g i n t o a c c o u n t t h e c u r r e n t e c o n o m i c c l i m a t e h a s u n d e r t a k e n v a r i o u s i n i t i a t i v e s i n a n e ff o r t t o s u p p o r t l o w e r c a d r e e m p l o y e e s o f t h e B a n k A s a f i r s t s t e p , T h e B a n k o f P u n j a b h a s a n n o u n c e d a n a c r o s s t h e b o a r d m i n i m u m m o n t h l y g r o s s s a l a r y o f P K R 3 7 , 5 0 0 f o r a l l e m p l o y e e s T h i s i n c r e a s e i s i n l i n e w i t h t h e B a n k s c o m m i t m e n t t o b e i n g a f a i r a n d e q u i t a b l e w o r k p l a c e T h i s i n c r e a s e w i l l b e n e f i t a l l e m p l o y e e s r eg a r d l e s s o f g r a d e o r l e v e l

Additionally, the Bank has also removed bars between entry level officer grades clerical and non-clerical staff and linked minimum gross salary with the minimum financial requirement of all grades in recognition of the fact that all of Bank’s employees deserve protection from the inflationary impact Page 2 of 2 Furthermore, in order to acknowledge the talent of employees who have joined the Bank from leading universities in Pakistan and abroad their minimum salary has also been revised in line with the market This will also assist the Bank in attracting good quality resources & talent at competitive salaries

At BOP, the Board of Directors and the Management believe in the wellbeing of all employees The Bank had already taken a number of initiatives during the year 2022 for the welfare of its junior grade employees This latest round of measures only reaffirms our commitment to support junior grade colleagues and the Country at large as we believe that this promotion of pay for performance culture, equity, fairness, merit and transparency, where every effort is being made to adopt the global best practices will help us achieve our vision of being the first ‘Employer of Choice ’ p r

14th Karachi Literature Festival (KLF) concluded Sunday on a high note with a huge turnout of literature enthusiasts on the third and final day The exciting lineup of sessions ensured that attendees did not want to miss out on any of the engaging discussions and thoughtprovoking conversations The festival provided a fitting finale to a celebration of literature, art, and culture that will undoubtedly leave a lasting impact on all those who attended Commenting on this year ’s momentum of KLF, Arshad Saeed Husain, Managing Director of OUP said, “I am humbled and inspired by the overwhelming response we have received from our attendees KLF is not just an event, but a movement that aims to spread the joy of reading and the light of learning across the country I am grateful to all our speakers, panelists, and performers who have traveled from far and wide to be with us and inspire us with their thoughts and ideas ”

Karachi Literature Festival s 14th edition commenced on an exciting note as cricket took to the stage as an opener on the final day The session captivated the audience as the panel of distinguished speakers, including legendary cricketer Waseem Akram, Ali Khan, Ahmer Naqvi and Hadeel Obaid engaged in a thought-provoking discussion Moderated by Nadeem Farooq Paracha the session explored the intertwined relationship between cricket and Pakistan's national identity and political landscape The session also saw the launch of two books by Wasim

Akram titled “Sultan” and Ali Khan’s book whose title was of the same name as the session, “Cricket in Pakistan: Nation, Identity and Politics”

During the same time the Jasmine Hall was abuzz with intellectual stimulation as the distinguished panel session of "Faith and Intellect" engaged in a riveting discussion moderated by Ghazi Salahuddin The panel consisted of thought leaders Kaiser Bengali Syed Salim Raza, and Syed Shabbar Zaidi, who delved deep into the intersection of faith and reason as well as the role of intellect in religious practices

The pressing issue of climate change and its impact on Pakistan was given the attention it deserved at the KLF, with the session "Climate Justice and Embedded Injustices " Moderated by Maha Husain, the panel of experts, including Ahmad Shabbar, Zoha Tunio, and Afia Salaam, explored the disproportionate impact of climate change on vulnerable communities and emphasized the urgent need for collective action to address this looming crisis

IESCO asks govt depts, others for compliance with dues clearance

ISLAMABAD p r

The Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESCO) has asked the government and semi-government defaulting departments for payment of electricity dues immediately as non-compliance may result in disconnection of electricity

According to the press release issued here on Sunday the company outstanding dues against Azad Jammu Kashmir stood at Rs 105,335 million, Defence/MES Rs 3,211 million, CDA Rs 2,880 million Pak Sectt c/o CDA Rs 689 million Cabinet Secretariat c/o CDA Rs 79 million, Cantt Board Chaklala Rs 896 million, WASA Rs 449 million, Defense Production Division Rs 263 million Pakistan PWD Rs 200 million, Hospital under Federal

As the day carried on, a number of sessions took place titled "Untangling South Asia", “Searching for Peace and Security Among Neighbours” and Evolving Geopolitics: Impact on Pakistan” that saw interesting discussions on the complex dynamics of the region These sessions delved into the issues of security, economic development, and political stability, providing a nuanced understanding of the challenges facing Pakistan and the South Asian region

One of the highlights of the day was the session called "From Silver Screen to Mini Screen: Goldmine of OTT Media" which featured Safinah Danish Elahi as the moderator and joined by panelists Faseeh Bari Khan and Sanam Saeed Javed Jabbar and Shamim Ahmed, both prominent figures in Pakistan's political and intellectual landscape, participated in a talk on "The Equitable Tax" The conversation centered around issues related to tax reform and its potential impact on achieving eco-

Government Rs 198 million, Cantt Board Rawalpindi Rs 168 million Ministry of Railways Rs 147 million, Federal Police Rs 146 million, TMA Rawal Town Rs 125 million, Parliament Lodges Rs 112 million PM Secretariat (PWD) Rs 84 million, Ministry of Interior Rs 83 million, Chief Commissioner Islamabad Rs 70 million, Ministry of Health Rs 58 million Ministry of Culture and Sports Rs 54 million, TMA Murree Rs 52 million, Senate c/o CDA Rs 50 million, Punjab Prison and Convict Rs 49 million Minister of Education Rs 47 million , AGE Maintenance (DP) Rs 42 million, Holy Family Hospital Rawalpindi Rs 39 million, FWO Rs 37 million NHA Rs 33 million Punjab Health and Welfare Department Rs 32 million, POF Wah Taxila Rs 30 million, Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation Rs 29 million

CDA chief kicks off spring plantation drive

ISLAMABAD p r

Chairman Capital Development Authority (CDA)

Capt (r) Noorul Amin Mengal inaugurated ceremony held to distribute free fruit trees saplings in connection with Spring Tree Plantation 2023 drive

Ceremony was attended by civil society, citizens and especially large number of children Upon the instructions of the Chairman CDA, fruit plants are being distributed among citizens for planting in their homes These plants include peaches apricots pomegranates, and other fruit plants that are compatible with the local climate and environment

C attle farming vital to alleviate pover ty in rural areas

MULTAN a p p

Livestock is considered as precious asset not only to run kitchen smoothly on daily basis but also help meet expenditures in any emergency situations

About 70 percent of the rural population in the culturally rich region of south Punjab is directly linked to the livestock sector The presence of animals is tantamount to cheque which could be cashed at any time

Livestock had over 14 percent share in gross domestic product (GDP) of the country It has immense potential not to alleviate poverty in rural areas but can also revolutionize the living standards of the people Pakistan is ranked fifth milk producing country The production of milk and meat could be enhanced significantly by working on animals genetics The best semen quality could play a vital role in improving animals’ health, milk and meat production Similarly, it

could also help generate maximum income for the farmers as well as the country’s economy

At national level, about eight million people are rearing cattle According to the animal census and Economic Survey Report, there are 53 4 million big animals in the country Similarly the country has 80 3 million small animals (goats) As per the last Economic Survey Report, the production of milk increased from 61 690 million tonnes to 63,684 million tonnes

Apart from this, district Multan owned

3 611 964 big animals (Buffalo Cow)

2,292,687 small animals (goats, sheep) and

1,525,416 rural poultry Besides this, the farmers also rear 714 camels informed sources in the Livestock Department

In rural areas, it is very easy to rear animals because of the cultural environment easy access to infrastructure and nutrition In rural communities, the role of women farmers in cattle rearing is highly important Without women farmers’ participation, the

livestock sector could not be managed properly, said Deputy Director Livestock Dr Jamshaid Akhtar while talking to APP

He said that livestock was performing an important role in poverty alleviation in rural areas He recalled that the government had launched a special initiative to provide buffalo and cow to widow women, especially hailing from rural areas

The government had a very unique idea to provide animals to those widows whose children were availing school education The Livestock Department provided a good number of small and big animals to the widows after thorough verification from schools concerned The widow women are now successfully running their kitchen Parveen Bibi, wife of late Muhammad Bilal and resident of Mauza Sabra in Jalalpur Pirwala, who got one big animal in 2017, told APP, “I own one buffalo and one calf and it is a good source of regular income” She said that she had also earned Rs

nomic equity and social justice

What would KLF be without the wit and humor of Anwar Maqsood In the session titled “Duusri Mulaqaat”, he and his wife Imrana Maqsood sat down for a conversation with Ahmed Shah at the Main Garden at KLF

T h e s e s s i o n “ S a i n t s , S u f i s a n d S h r i n e s : T h e M y s t i c a l L a n d s c a p e o f S i n d h ” d r e w s p e c i a l a t t e n t i o n f r o m t h e c r o w d a s i t e x p l o r e d t h e r i c h h i st o r y a n d s i g n i f i c a n c e o f S u f i s m a n d i t s i m p a c t o n t h e c u l t u r e a n d s o c i e t y o f S i n d h T h e p a n e l i s t s d i s c u s s e d t h e r o l e o f S u f i s a i n t s , t h e i r t e a c hi n g s a n d t h e s i g n i f i c a n c e o f t h e i r s h r i n e s i n S i n d h

As the evening drew nearer, a number of sessions took place involving renowned international intellectuals including Rassheedah Watts, Krisha Kops Shehan Karunatilaka Damon Galgut and Sinan Antoon

The talk titled Pakistan s Economy: Depth and Resilience” led by Samiullah Siddiqi and joined by Miftah Ismail, Akbar Zaidi, Muhammad Aurangzeb and Azfar Ahsan explored the challenges and opportunities in Pakistan s economy It also highlighted the potential of sectors such as agriculture, industry, and services in driving economic growth and pulling the country out of its current predicaments

During the closing ceremony, Noori's electrifying performance left the crowd in awe as they made their way to the Main Garden Ali Hamza and Ali Noor s memorable hits and high-energy stage presence kept the audience engaged and entertained, making it a truly unforgettable experience for everyone in attendance

SNEOA welcomes posting of Acting MD SNGPL

LAHORE p r

The Sui Northern Executive Officers Association (SNEOA) has welcomed the decision of Board of Directors regarding appointment of Mr Amer Tufail as Acting Managing Director of SNGPL In press statement, the SNEOA said it is an honor to welcome Mr Amir Tufail worthy Managing Director on this honourable leadership position of SNGPL serving the nation through largest integrated gas distribution and transmission network in the country With his versatile experience and dedication we ll accomplish amazing things together We are excited to have him to lead the way as we work together to achieve goals and overcome challenges together in the past The decision of assigning key posts of management to the senior and experienced fellows depicts the true aim of Managing Director towards the growth of organization The longawaited issue of annual increment of officers has been promptly addressed by the new management which has highly induced motivation among all employees of the organisation Moreover, finalization of Annual Appraisals Reports and pending promotions will certainly reduce the demotivation and unrest among the employees We congratulate worthy Managing Director on his new assignment of leading the company towards growth and prosperity and we feel honor to give him full confidence while executing the same

150 000 by selling another three calves of the Buffalo She expressed pleasure and thanked the government for the provision of buffalo which helped her to overcome economic woes Majahid, another poor citizen, and resident of Chowk Shah Abbas informed that h e w a s v e r y m u c h e a g e r t o s a c r i f i c e a n im a l s o n o c c a s i o n o f E i d u l A z h a H e i nf o r m e d t h a t h e p u r c h a s e d a s m a l l a n i m a l a g a i n s t R s 6 0 0 0 a n d n u r t u r e d i t f o r t h e w h o l e y e a r H e e x p r e s s e d p l e a s u r e a n d s h a r e d t h a t h e s a c r i f i c e d t h e a n i m a l f o r first time in his life

Similarly, another two widow women farmers Aseya Bibi and Amna Bibi residents of Jalalpur Pirwala also shared their success stories and praised the government for creation of economic opportunities on a regular basis for their families Razziah Bibi, another female farmer from Rangshah area informed that she got animals on a sharing basis from an investor,

a few years ago Razziah recalled that she was a poor maid before starting the profession of cattle rearing She stated that she owned 20 animals Muhammad Yousuf Khan, another cattle farmer, who also completed six months d i p l o m a f o r C a t t l e F a r m M a n a g e r f r o m M u h a m m a d N a w a z S h a r i f U n i v e r s i t y o f Agriculture (MNSUAM), informed that he had 16 animals Yousuf informed that his son was also a student at Agriculture Univ e r s i t y F a i s a l a b a d Yo u s u f r e m a r k e d t h a t he used to sell one animal for payment of semester fee Animals are a good asset in a n e m e rg e n c y s i t u a t i o n , h e h i n t e d I a l s o managed expenditures on marriages of my two younger brothers by rearing cattle, he remarked Dr Jamshaid Akhtar also observed that Livestock department launched various programmes including calf fattening, save buffalo calf advisory service provision of free of cost animals, poultry units on subsidised prices

U k r a I n e I n m I n d , U S f r a n t I c t o

e r t m I d e a S t S h o w d o w n at U n

WASHINGTON

nor th korea says it fired IcBm as warning to US, Seoul

SEOUL

Ag e n c i e s

bring that resolution to a vote on Monday

t

tH E Biden administration is scrambling to avert a diplomatic crisis over Israeli settlement activity this week at the United Nations that threatens to overshadow and perhaps derail what the US hopes will be a solid five days of focus on condemning the crisis in Ukraine

Secretary of State Antony Blinken made two emergency calls on Saturday from the Munich Security Conference, which he is attending in an as-yet unsuccessful bid to avoid or forestall such a showdown

It remained unclear whether another last-minute intervention might salvage the situation, according to diplomats familiar with the ongoing discussions who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity

Without giving details, the State Department said in nearly identical statements that Blinken had spoken to Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from Munich to “reaffirm the US commitment to a negotiated two-state solution and opposition to policies that endanger its viability

“The secretary underscored the urgent need for Israelis and Palestinians to take

Israeli strike hits hear t of Syria’s securit y elite

BEIRUT

A F P

An Israeli missile strike aimed at Iranian and Hezbollah targets early Sunday killed 15 people and destroyed a building in a Damascus neighbourhood home to much of Syria’s security apparatus, a war monitor said

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the strike which hit close to an Iranian cultural centre had killed 15 people, including civilians “Israeli missiles targeted sites including Iranian militias and the Lebanese Hezbollah, it added

During more than a decade of war in Syria, Israel has carried out hundreds of air strikes against its neighbour, primarily targeting positions of the country’s army, Iranian forces and Hezbollah, allies of the Damascus regime But it rarely hits residential areas of the capital Sunday’s strike hit in Kafr Sousa, home to senior officials, security agencies and intelligence headquarters At 00:22 am (2222 GMT) the Israeli enemy carried out an aerial aggression from the direction of the occupied Golan Heights targeting several areas in Damascus and its vicinity, including residential neighbourhoods,” Syria’s defence ministry said in a statement

In a preliminary toll, it said the strike killed five people, among them a soldier, and injured 15 civilians, some in a critical condition

Israel’s military rarely comments on its strikes against Syria, but regularly asserts that it will not let Iran extend its influence to Israel’s borders

The Syrian regime of President Bashar al-Assad receives military support from Tehran and its allied armed Shiite groups including Hezbollah, which are declared enemies of Israel

steps that restore calm and our strong opposition to unilateral measures that would further escalate tensions,” the statements said Neither statement mentioned the proposed UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate halt to Israeli settlements The Palestinians want to

And neither statement gave any indication as to how the calls ended

But diplomats familiar with the conversations said that in his call to Abbas, Blinken reiterated an offer to the Palestinians for a US package of incentives to entice them to drop or at least delay the resolution

Those incentives included a White House meeting for Abbas with President Joe Biden movement on reopening the American consulate in Jerusalem, and a significant aid package, the diplomats said Abbas was noncommittal, the diplomats said, but also suggested he would not be amenable unless the Israelis agreed to a sixmonth freeze on settlement expansion on land the Palestinians claim for a future state Blinken then called Netanyahu who according to the diplomats, was similarly noncommittal about the six-month settlement freeze Netanyahu also repeated Israeli opposition to reopening the consulate, which was closed during President Donald Trump’s administration, they said

sion in Syria We emptied our emergency stocks in three days ”

The group Doctors Without Borders (MSF) called Sunday for the urgent scaling up” of earthquake aid to northwest Syria as it delivered a convoy laden with emergency assistance

Aid has been slow to reach Syria s rebel-held areas since the February 6 quake killed a combined total of more than 43,000 people across Turkey and Syria

“An urgent increase in the volume of supplies is needed to match the scale of the humanitarian crisis,” said the French aid group

It charged that supplies currently fail to even match pre-earthquake volumes”

Aid is trickling in in negligible amounts for the moment,” said Hakim Khaldi, MSF’s head of mis-

“According to UN data, five days after the earthquake, only 10 trucks had entered” rebel-held areas of Syria through the Bab al-Hawa crossing from Turkey, MSF said

It added that “in the 10 days following the earthquake the number of trucks that crossed the border into northwest Syria was lower than the average weekly number for 2022

A convoy of 14 trucks laden with 1,269 tents and winter kits sent by MSF had arrived in Syria through the Al-Hammam crossing in the Afrin area on Sunday The delivery was arranged outside of the United Nations cross-border humanitarian mechanism the group said Activists and emergency teams in Syria’s northwest have decried a slow UN response to the quake in

rebel-held areas contrasting it with the planeloads of aid that have been delivered to government-controlled airports

Before the quake struck, almost all of the crucial humanitarian aid for the more than four million people living in rebel-controlled areas was being delivered through just one crossing, Bab al-Hawa

The UN announced on Monday that Syrian President Bashar alAssad had agreed to open two more border crossings from Turkey to northwest Syria to allow in aid

Since the quake, the UN has sent more than 170 aid trucks to northwest Syria

T h e c o n f l i c t i n S y r i a s t a r t e d i n 2 0 11 w i t h t h e b r u t a l r e p r e s s i o n o f p e a c e f u l p r o t e s t s a n d e s c a l a t e d t o p u l l i n f o r e i g n p o w e r s a n d g l o b a l j i h a d i s t s

North Korea said Sunday it had test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile as a warning to Washington and Seoul, saying the successful “surprise” drill demonstrated Pyongyang’s capacity to launch a “fatal nuclear counterattack”

In response, the United States and South Korea staged joint air drills featuring a strategic bomber and stealth fighter jets, Seoul said The United States and Japan also held a joint military drill on Sunday Tokyo s defence ministry said North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ordered the “sudden launching drill” at 8:00 am Saturday (2300 GMT Friday) and a Hwasong-15 missile a weapon first tested by the North in 2017, was fired from Pyongyang airport that afternoon, the official KCNA reported South Korea’s military said it detected an ICBM launch at 17:22 (0822 GMT) Saturday Japan said the missile flew for 66 minutes before splashing down in its Exclusive Economic Zone, with their analysis indicating it was capable of hitting the mainland United States North Korea’s leadership hailed the test, its first in seven weeks, saying it showed “the actual war capacity of the ICBM units which are ready for mobile and mighty counterattack state media KCNA said

The launch was “actual proof” of the country’s capacity of fatal nuclear counterattack on the hostile forces”, it said

The South Korean military said Sunday it had staged joint air drills with the United States featuring at least one US B-1B long-range bomber The exercise displayed the timely and immediate deployment of the US extended deterrence assets to the Korean peninsula,” demonstrating the overwhelming force of the allies, the defence ministry said in a statement US and Japanese forces also held a joint exercise on Sunday amid an increasingly severe security environment”, Japan’s defence ministry said, although it offered no details about the type of drill conducted The sanctions-busting North Korean launch came just days before Seoul and Washington are due to start joint tabletop exercises aimed at improving their response in the event of a North Korean nuclear attack Pyongyang warned last week of an “unprecedentedly” strong response to upcoming drills, which it describes as preparations for war and blames for the deteriorating security situation on the Korean peninsula – New milestone? –

The Saturday test is significant as “the event was ordered the day-of and so this is not so much a traditional test but an exercise US-based analyst Ankit Panda told AFP “We should expect to see additional exercises of this sort,” he said

Low danger level’ avalanche warning for four IIOJK distric ts issued

SRINAGAR

s tA F F r e P o r t

tivists led by former minister Harsh Dev Singh held a protest at Choka Nala on Mantalai road against the anti-people policies of the BJP’s puppet regime

The protesters raised slogans against the Public Health Engineering (PHE) Department for depriving them of drinking water in the rural belt He also cautioned the authorities to refrain from evicting the poor and landless farmers from their marginal land holdings which were their only source of survival and livelihood

The protest was joined by hundreds of women, children, old and young from village Kossar, Choka Nala, Banek and adjacent localities which resulted in disruption of vehicular traffic

number to fall by Sunday evening

The agency head also said Turkey’s death toll had risen to 40 689 The total death toll including Syria is now 44,377

Turkiye has ended rescue efforts in all provinces except the two hardest hit by last week’s massive quake that killed tens of thousands of people the Turkish disaster agency said Sunday

“In many of our provinces, search and rescue efforts have been completed They continue in Kahramanmaras and Hatay provinces, the agency s chief Yunus Sezer told reporters in Ankara The epicentre of the 7 8-magnitude earthquake on February 6 was in Pazarcik district in Kahramanmaras

Sezer said search and rescue efforts continued at around 40 buildings in the provinces on the 14th day, but expected this

Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay said Saturday that some 105 000 buildings either collapsed, needed to be demolished or were severely damaged in the quake

There had been breathless coverage since the quake of rescue teams finding survivors That has since slowed down with no survivors found in at least 24 hours

On Saturday, rescuers found a man and a woman alive in the 296th hour in the southern Turkish city of Antakya but their three children did not survive, local media said That came after four people including a 14-year-old boy were rescued Thursday

and Friday

The disaster agency head also said Turkey s death toll had risen to 40 689 The total death toll including Syria is now 44,377

Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay said Saturday that some 105 000 buildings either collapsed, needed to be demolished or were severely damaged in the quake

In a message on Twitter, the disaster agency urged quake victims not to enter severely damaged buildings, even briefly , to get their belongings inside

The government has not given an exact number for how many people have been left homeless Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan however said Tuesday around 2 2 million have been evacuated or left the provinces affected

K arachi Kings thrash Qal andars to seal maiden hBl Psl 8 win

KARACHI

S ta f f R e p o R t

JA M E S Vince and Imad Wasim led Karachi Kings to pile a mammoth 185/5 before Akif Javed-led bowling attack powered the home side to a dominating 67-run victory over arch-rivals Lahore Qalandars in the eighth match of the HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) season eight

Put into bat first, the Kings raised a mammoth 185/5 in the allotted 20 overs at the back of some vital contributions by their openers and skipper Imad

The opening pair of Vince and Matthew Wade worked for the Kings as the pair scripted a solid start with a magnificent 70-run partnership and laid the foundation for a massive total Wicketkeeper batter Wade, the core aggressor of the vital opening partnership had an unlucky dismissal as he got run

out; courtesy of a brilliant effort in the deep by Kamran Ghulam, who cannoned in a perfect throw at the striker ’s end Wade scored 36 off just 24 deliveries

with the help of four boundaries and a six Following Wade’s dismissal, Haider Ali put on a brief partnership with Vince and looked to charge on the struggling

Pakistan wins 3rd position in ‘int’l Kickboxing c’ship’ held in iran

Pakistan clinched third position in the recently concluded International Kickboxing Championship held in Iran by showing a great performance while Iran bagged the overall winner trophy Afghanistan won the second position and Turkiye got fourth position behind third place Pakistan among 10 countries of Asia that participated in this event Teams from ten countries including Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkey, Syria, and Iraq participated in the International Kickboxing Championship played in Iran an international martial art coach Rehmat Gul Afridi told APP here on Sunday He said, Pakistani players have shown their best skills in the competitions organized in this regard Pakistani athlete Nazar Khan won the gold medal after defeating the Iranian athlete in the 51kg final In 63kg, Mohammad Sohail of Pakistan won the title of Gold Middle Laker Best Fighter by knocking out the player from Iran in the final In the semi-final of 54kg, Pakistani player

Khalil-ur-Rahman from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and in the final of 57kg Owais faced defeat by Iranian players Similarly, during the semi-final match of 67kg, Ehsanullah withdrew from the event due to injury

In 71kg, the national player Hameed Ullah won the silver medal by defeating the Iranian player in the final

In this event, Iran team won first position, followed by Afghanistan at second, Pakistan at third while Turkey got the fourth position and Syria took the fifth position and Iraq got the sixth position respectively

Qalandars’ bowlers before Liam Dawson castled him in the 12th over He could score 18 off 16

Haider ’s dismissal triggered a brief collapse as the Kings slipped to 124/4 in the 15th over with in-form Shoaib Malik (10) and Vince departing in quick successions Vince top-scored for the Kings with 46 off 36 deliveries and hit three boundaries and two sixes

Following the brief collapse, skipper Imad took responsibility and launched a counter-attack on the Qalandars bowlers to make sure his side amass a competitive total with Ben Cutting also supporting him amid death overs with his crucial 20-run cameo

The all-rounder struck a quickfire 35 off a mere 19 deliveries, laced with two boundaries and as many sixes

For Qalandars, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Zaman Khan and Dawson made one scalp each

M u l t a n S u l t a n ’s A f r i d i d e s t r oy s I

Fast bowler of Multan Sultan destroyed the batting line of Islamabad United, playing a major role in winning the contest by 52 runs at Multan Cricket Stadium on Sunday

Islamabad United won the toss and decided to bowl first

Batting first, Multan Sultan scored 190 runs at the loss of four wickets with the fifties by the captain Muhammad Rizwan and David Miller Opener Shan Masood returned to the pavilion putting the team under pressure when Muhammad Rizwan with Rilee Rossouw supported the team with a 91 runs partnership Muhammad Rizwan scored 50 runs and Rossouw scored 36 runs

David Miller and Pollard make another strong partnership of 78 runs leading the total to 190 runs with 52 runs contribution from Miller, 32 runs from Pollard, and 3

runs from Khushdil Shah

Tom Curran Faheem Ashraf

Shadab Khan and Roman Raees got one wicket each

The Bowlers of Multan Sultans restricted Islamabad United at a total of 138 runs in 17 5 overs Rassie van der Dussan was the top scorer with 49 runs and Colin Munro with 31 runs

england thrash new Zealand by 267 runs in first test

WELLINGTON a f p

England completed a resounding 267-run win over the Black Caps in the first Test at Mount Maunganui on Sunday, powering to their first win in New Zealand for 15 years

The tourists snared the required five wickets in the opening session of day four, dismissing the Black Caps for 126 after they had resumed at 63-5

Pace bowlers Stuart Broad and James Anderson both finished with four second innings wickets as England took a 1-0 lead in the two-match series

Broad (4-49) laid the groundwork on Saturday night under lights when he tore through New Zealand’s top order, with all four wickets clean bowled to reduce them to 28-5 in pursuit of 394 for victory

Long-time new ball partner James Anderson (4-18) took over as chief tormentor on Sunday, knocking over four tailenders as New Zealand added 63 more runs in 22 3 overs

Only Daryl Mitchell, unbeaten on 57, put up any resistance after resuming his innings on 13, striking two sixes on his way to a sixth Test half-century

It continued Mitchell’s record of rearguard innings against the English, having scored 538 at an average of 108 runs during last June’s 3-0 series defeat in England Michael Bracewell fell for his overnight score of 25 when looping an easy catch off spinner Jack Leach before Anderson began his clean-up job

Abbas Afridi of Multan Sultan took four wickets while Usama Mir, Ihsanullah and Muhammad Ilyas took two wickets each Sultans to continue same performance’ Multan Sultan’s spinner Usama Mir said that the team would continue the same performance in next matches leading the team towards the title

Jadeja stars as India hammer Australia to take 2-0 Test series lead

NEW DELHI: India spinner Ravindra Jadeja on Sunday returned career-best figures of 7-42 to help India take an unbeatable 2-0 Test series lead with a six-wicket thrashing of Australia inside three days of a dramatic match Jadeja, a left-arm orthodox bowler, teamed up with fellow spinner Ravichandran Ashwin to dismiss Australia for 113 in a morning session when the tourists’ batting imploded, thanks to overusing the sweep shot on a tricky New Delhi pitch The hosts romped to their victory target of 115 in the second session guaranteeing that they retain the Border-Gavaskar trophy in the four-match series

They have won their previous three series against Australia and are now close to securing a spot in the World Test Championship final India lost skipper Rohit Sharma, run out after a fluent 31, and Virat Kohli, who surpassed 25,000 international runs during his innings, stumped on 20 Nathan Lyon took two wickets to return a match-haul of seven a f p

All four of New Zealand’s specialist pace bowlers fell to Anderson for single-figure scores including captain Tim Southee for a golden duck Southee faces a challenge to lift his team, who are winless from their last eight Tests

By contrast, England are on a high after tasting their first Test win on New Zealand soil since 2008, having drawn five and lost two matches since They have won 10 off their last 11 Tests playing an adventurous brand of attacking cricket dubbed “Bazball”, under coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes

It was just the second time in 21 day-night Tests that the visiting team has won and ended a streak of five successive losses in the pink ball format for England

They tactically dominated the game, batting aggressively and deliberately timing the end of both their innings so New Zealand had to face a new pink ball in lively seam conditions under lights on days one and three

It meant New Zealand batsmen Kane Williamson

Tom Latham and Henry Nicholls never batted in more benign daylight conditions

That will change in the second Test starting in Wellington on Friday, which will be played under traditional hours

The home side are set to regain the services of seam bowler Matt Henry, who was unavailable for the series opener to attend the birth of his child

Messi snatches dramatic win for PSG af ter Neymar stretchered off

Lionel Messi scored a 95th-minute free-kick to give Paris Saint-Germain a 4-3 win over Lille in an extraordinary Ligue 1 game on Sunday in which Kylian Mbappe scored twice but Neymar was taken off on a stretcher with an apparent ankle injury

Messi’s late winner came after PSG had squandered a two-goal lead and fallen 3-2 behind with Mbappe grabbing a late equaliser before the Argentine’s stunning strike

The result ends a run of three straight defeats for PSG and moves them eight points clear of secondplaced Marseille, who visit Toulouse later and then host the capital club next weekend

“We came through it It wasn’t a great perform-

ance Mbappe told broadcaster Amazon Prime We made lots of mistakes and lost concentration too often and against a quality side you pay dearly for that, but we showed that even when we are not at our best and the context is not exactly favourable we are a different team with different players and we can always find a way ” Of immediate concern to the Parisians will be the injury to Neymar, who looked to be in tears as he was helped onto a stretcher early in the second half after turning his ankle

The Brazilian’s fitness is now likely to dominate headlines in the run-up to next week’s Marseille showdown but also the second leg of PSG’s Champions League last-16 tie against Bayern Munich on March 8

bounce back from a 1-0 home loss to the Germans in the first leg of that European tie and they went ahead early on against Lille through Mbappe, making his first start after returning from a recent thigh injury Neymar soon made it 2-0 against a side PSG beat 7-1 in their last meeting in August but Bafode Diakite pulled one back for fifth-placed Lille midway through the first half The home side then saw Neymar carried off within five minutes of the second half starting, and Lille drew level when Jonathan David converted a penalty for his 17th goal this season following a Marco Verratti foul in the box

“I hope

‘Ney’ is going to come back quickly because he is an important player for us,” Mbappe said Christophe Galtier s team were looking to

Jonathan Bamba made it 3-2 to the away side with a superb finish and the home side looked set for a fourth successive loss before Mbappe converted from a Juan Bernat assist with just three minutes remaining

Y E a r o F wa r i n U k r a i n E l E av E s d E v E lo P i n g n aT i o n s P i C k i n g U P P i E C E s

OF BAT TLE

FE B R u A Ry 24th will mark one year since Russian tanks rolled into ukraine in what was the start of Moscow s full-blown invasion of its neighbour Though ukraine has, remarkably, survived as a sovereign state it continues to suffer from roundthe-clock artillery bombardment

But in addition to the thousands of civilian deaths millions of refugees and extensive infrastructure damage in ukraine, countries far beyond its borders are feeling the detrimental effects of the war

As a second-order effect of Russia s invasion, tens of countries’ currencies cratered against the united States dollar in 2022 which raised the cost of imports

Luc Verfaille, who owns a home appliance company in Cape Town, South Africa, told Al Jazeera that “to absorb the higher expenses from rand [South Africa s currency] depreciation, we had to cut our overheads, including on staff”

Given the complex interplay between geopolitics commodity prices and financial markets, Russia’s invasion sent shockwaves across the global econ-

omy, including developing countries

Admittedly, the implications both within and between developing nations have varied However, there have been some common challenges, including from higher commodity prices

Even before the war, the global recovery from COVID-19 galvanised the market for commodities Pent-up demand from national lockdowns and colossal economic stimulus programmes spurred rapid price gains These trends were amplified by the war

The energy component of the S&P Goldman Sachs Commodity Index, for instance, ended 2022 10 percent higher than what it was at the start of the year

Between January and June, it climbed by 68 percent Given Russia’s key energy market status in 2021 accounting for 14 percent and 18 percent of global oil and gas production respectively the war triggered uncertainty over constrained supplies

But Russia s hydrocarbon output has been largely unaffected by the military conflict and the ratcheting up of sanctions have, so far, had a muted effect on Russia’s “resilient” energy supplies according to the International Energy Agency For the most part,

Moscow has managed to reroute European pipeline exports to emerging market countries like India, China and Turkey albeit at discounts relative to market prices

Across the European union meanwhile, gas flows from Russia fell by 80 percent between May and October

Pipeline constraints threatened swathes of energy-intensive industries, and European countries resorted to liquified natural gas (LNG) to keep factories from shutting Energy and food importers dealt a blow Europe’s scramble for new LNG supplies triggered price rises in the immediate delivery (or spot) market The benchmark spot price for Asian LNG reached a record high last year, leaving numerous developing countries in the region exposed to power shortages For some energy exporters like Nigeria and Angola, higher oil prices were partially offset by the increased costs of maintaining expensive petrol subsidies Clearly, oil importers with petrol subsidies in place, such as Kenya and Ethiopia, fared even worse Similar strains have surfaced in countries with large food subsidy programmes Before the war, Russia and

ukraine were among the world’s top suppliers of barley, maize and sunflower Supply of these and other staples were critically affected by Russia’s invasion

The two countries accounted for almost 30 percent of global wheat exports in 2021 But owing to Russia’s blockade of ukraine’s Black Sea ports, a major shipping route for grains, wheat prices rose by 35 percent in 2022 from the previous year, reaching a record high in March

Countries like Tunisia, Morocco and Egypt one of the world’s largest importers of wheat were badly hit Roughly two-thirds of Egypt’s population receive five loaves of bread, known as eish baladi, every day, costing them just $0 5 a month, well below market costs The difference is covered by a bread subsidy programme, which cost the government $2 8bn last year

Last June Egypt s finance minister noted that elevated wheat prices would raise the cost of the country’s bread subsidy program by $1 5bn in 2022-23 Groaning under the weight of expensive food programmes, the government was recently forced into accepting a $3bn loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF)

Nawaz Sharif

RAWALPINDI

S ta f f r e p o r t

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) senior vice president and chief organiser Maryam Nawaz Sunday questioned the judiciary’s ‘leniency’ towards former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman

Imran Khan

Addressing a party workers convention in Rawalpindi, the PML-N leader claimed that Imran Khan was being given so much leverage and time for court appearances, when her father and party

supremo

were summoned at an hour ’s notice every time Maryam Nawaz claimed that the PTI chief was trying to come into power through judiciary’s support, saying that the one who mocked Nawaz Sharif ’s illness was now seeking exemption from court appearance by showing his ‘plaster’

She also pointed out the development projects initiated by former premier Nawaz Sharif, saying that the motorway had been launched from Rawalpindi, adding every project in the city testified to Nawaz and Shehbaz Sharif ’s love for Rawalpindi

Imran Khan got historic loans worth Rs24,000 billion, but did not spend a single penny on development in Rawalpindi she claimed She noted that the PML-N supremo always inherited a crippling Pakistan, and the troubles created by someone else have always been corrected by him Maryam Nawaz further said that son of the soil Nawaz Sharif will return soon, adding: “but tell me why is he even forced to flee every time?

She also castigated Imran Khan over an agreement with International Monetary Fund (IMF), saying that the

former prime minister should be made to face the Fund and then held accountable for pushing the country to the brink of a collapse and price hike

“The landmine of the IMF deal Imran left behind is being picked up by [Prime Minister] Shehbaz Sharif The economy will take years to improve, and only the PML-N can do that she insisted ‘unprecedented projects for Rawalpindi’

She said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was striving hard and working day and night to steer the country out of the crisis

CALIFORNIA

r e u t e r S

Twitter has said that it will allow only paid subscribers to use text messages as a two-factor authentication (2FA) method to secure their accounts After March 20 only Twitter Blue subscribers will be able to use text messages as their two-factor authentication method,” the company tweeted

Two-factor authentication, meant to make accounts more secure, requires an account holder to use a second authentication method in addition to a password Twitter allows 2FA by text message, authentication app and a security key

The company believes phone-number-based 2FA is being abused by “bad actors,” according to a Wednesday blog post that the company s tweet linked to Twitter owner Elon Musk tweeted “yup” in reply to a user tweet that the company was changing policy “because Telcos used Bot Accounts to Pump 2FA SMS and that the company was losing $60 million a year “on scam SMS ”

The blue check mark, previously free for verified accounts of politicians famous personalities journalists and other public figures, is now open to anyone prepared to pay

Last month, Twitter said it would price Twitter Blue subscription for Android at $11 per month, the same as for iOS subscribers

ECP boss defies presidential summon for election date consultation

ISLAMABAD S ta f f r e p o r t

The head of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has declined President Arif Alvi’s summon for an “urgent meeting” on the date of the elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa due to the matter being already under judicial consideration

In a letter to the president’s secretary, issued through the tribunal s Twitter account Sikandar Sultan Raja cited the “subjudice” nature of the matter at various judicial fora as the reason for excusing himself from holding the consultation with Alvi “It is pertinent to mention that Article 105 read with Article 112 of the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan, 1973, provides the procedure for appointment of poll date in case of dissolution of the provincial assemblies,” it read The commission informed the president s office that it has approached the governors of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for the election dates after the dissolution of the assemblies in both provinces However, the governors have not issued a date yet The letter further mentioned the directive of the Lahore High Court (LHC) for the Punjab election date and explained that the ECP held a consultative meeting with Punjab Baligh ur-Rehman in compliance with the orders But Rehman intended to challenge the judgment and claimed it was not binding on him

Minister claims former spy chief Faiz sought to repatriate TTP militants

ISLAMABAD

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

A minister of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has accused the former director general of the InterServices Intelligence (ISI), retired Gen Faiz Hameed, of attempting to reintroduce the proscribed Tehreek-iTaliban Pakistan (TTP) back into the country Pakistan has recently experienced a surge in terrorist activities, with the latest incident being an attack on the office of the Karachi police chief on Friday night The hours-long confrontation between law-enforcement agencies and militants left four people dead, 18 wounded, and all three attackers killed The central government of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) and the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) opposition have been trading accusations regarding the security situation in the country The coalition has blamed the PTI’s decision to engage in talks with militants, which they argue was never approved by parliament

SOME OF HARSHEST ECONOMIC EFFEC TS OF WAR ARE BEING FELT MUCH FARTHER AFIELD THAN RUSSIA’S THEATRE

w i t t e r t o c h a r g e u s e r s t o s e c u r e a c c o u n t s v i a t e x t m e s s a g e