Epaper_23-03-09 KHI

Thursday, 9 March, 2023 I 16 Shaban, 1444

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NA panel expresses displeasure over delay in hiring CCP members

Imran calls off lahore rally after PolIce ‘crackdown, brutalItIes’

g BLASTS

PUnJAB PoLICE For ‘MUrDErInG’ UnArMED WorkEr, ArrESTInG SCorES oTHErS

LAHORE staff report

PAkISTAnTehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)

Chairman Imran khan lashed out at the Punjab Police for brutality and murdering the party worker Ali Bilal and vowed that they would file cases against IG, CCPo and others for the murder.

In a strong reaction to the murder of the PTI worker, PTI Chairman said: “Ali Bilal unarmed, our dedicated and passionate PTI worker murdered by Punjab police.”

“Shameful, this brutality on unarmed PTI workers who were coming to attend election rally. Pakistan is in the grip of murderous criminals. We will file cases against IG, CCPo and others for murder,” he added.

Sharing his video, Imran khan said: “This video clearly shows that Ali Bilal, also affectionately called Zille Shah, was alive when taken to police station. So he was killed while in police custody – such is the murderous bent of the present regime and Punjab police.”

Ali Bilal aka Zille Shah participated in the PTI’s rally on Wednesday. In a clash with the police, he was hit by a baton on the head.

Earlier, PTI Chairman, during his address to the nation, after the crackdown on party workers, announced: “Stop everything. We are not taking out the rally that we were supposed to as, I am saddened to say, that all the moves the government are making are aimed at running away from elections.

“They are trying to ensure that chaos spreads and that is why I’m saying to my workers to finish it, we will not carry out the rally,” he said.

The PTI Chairman said that the imported government had launched a crackdown on PTI workers not for the sake of law and order but in an effort to avoid elections in the province.

“We cannot give the government any excuse to delay the elections,” the PTI Chairman, calling on party workers to return to their homes. “They picked up and took

away our people today as well around 100 workers for what reason?” he asked.

The PTI chairman said that his party had launched its election campaign with hardly 55 days left for elections in Punjab and khyber Pakhtunkhwa. “Under what law and in brazen contempt of the Supreme Court, the Punjab caretaker government uses massive police violence against unarmed workers to stop our planned rally?” he asked.

“The only job of caretakers is to ensure fair and free elections. What they are doing is an assault on rule of law, our Constitution and democracy. Above all, once the Supreme Court ruling is defied, it is now law of the jungle,” he said.

It is pertinent to mention here that scores of the PTI workers including women gathered for PTI’s election campaign rally have been arrested, harassed and intimidated who were participating peacefully in the rally.

The Police have resorted to use massive tear gas and also used water cannons to disperse the peaceful PTI workers, resultant in a death of one of the PTI worker. Police officials also smashed the windows of the cars of the participants of the rally to spread fear and panic among the PTI workers. However, they remained disciplined despite all the barbarity and brutality unleashed by the Punjab police.

Earlier, violence flared in the Mall road neighbourhood of central La-

g PTI ACCUSES

SAnAULLAH oF EnCoUrAGInG BLooDSHED To PoSTPonE ELECTIonS

opposition party was scheduled to take out a planned election rally.

The Punjab Police arrested several PTI workers who turned up on Mall road to participate in the rally the party claims to have been taking out in ‘favour of the judiciary’. Police also baton-charged the people after the PTI workers thronged Canal road and set up a temporary bridge. The road leading to Zaman Park from The Mall was blocked with containers.

The PTI had announced a pro-judiciary rally and gave a call to its workers to gather at chief Imran khan’s Zaman Park residence.

hore between police and supporters of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), wounding scores of workers, after the interim government of Mohsin naqvi suspended public gatherings in the provincial capital hours before the

Govt raises Rs1.57tr in T-bill auction

pROfit REpORt

Hours earlier, the Punjab government imposed Section 144 in the city for seven days, citing security concerns and warned the PTI workers against taking to the street. A heavy police contingent and water cannons have been moved near Zaman Park.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 03

‘Fascist govt’ wants

‘Jallianwala Bagh’ like massacre to delay polls: PTI

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leadership lashed out at the “fascist imported” government for using brute force against innocent peaceful PTI protestors and said that the “gang of thieves” wanted to stage “Jallianwala Bagh Massacre” like bloodbath in Lahore to postpone the elections, vowing the PTI would not let them succeed in their nefarious design. PTI leadership, in their strong reactions to the Punjab police highhandedness and brutal use of force against PTI peaceful protestors on Wednesday, said that that the fascist government crossed all limits of barbarism and brutality just to create anarchy in the country to escape the elections since their defeat was unavoidable.

PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi said that the fascist government cabinet of 78 plus jet off across the world on taxpayers money at drop of a hat to speak about human rights. “Yet in Pakistan they beat and attack the very taxpayers who fund their lavish lifestyles – abusing innocent protestors and destroying their property,” he added.

In his strong reaction, PTI Central Secretary General Asad Umar said that the PTI welcomed the ECP’s announcement of the Punjab Assembly election schedule. However, he said that on one hand, the ECP announced polls schedule and on the other Section 144 was imposed, which was nothing but to make a mockery of the democracy.

PTI Senior Vice President Fawad Chaudhry reacted that the ECP’s Punjab polls date announcement was welcoming; however, he added that the electoral watchdog should take notice of the shelling and baton charge on the election rally in Lahore on the order of General Dyer.

ECC fixes Rs3,900/40 kg wheat procurement price

pROfit REpORt isLaMaBaD

The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) approved the assigning of wheat procurement target of 1.80 MMT at rs. 3,900 per 40 kg.

This meeting of the ECC was held under Federal Minister for Finance and revenue Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar.

The Ministry of national Food Security and research (MnFSr) submitted a summary on the fixation of Pakistan Agricultural Storage and Serv-

ices Corporation Ltd’s (PASSCo) wheat procurement targets for the year 2023. It also presented details on public wheat stocks, projected release of wheat from PASSCo’s stocks and carry forward stocks at the start of the new food year on January 4, 2023.

Considering an additional demand of wheat from PASSCo’s stocks by Punjab, Sindh, khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, a minimum level of carry-forward stocks and the prevalent pricing trend in the local wheat market, the ECC approved the recommendation of MnFSr to as-

sign a wheat procurement target of 1.80 MMT at the price of rs. 3,900 per 40kg.

Furthermore, the ECC directed the MnFSr to form a committee to review wheat usage, wheat storage mechanisms/silos in the country and present its findings in 15 days.

The ECC also considered a summary of the Ministry of Inter Provincial Coordination, and granted Technical Supplementary Grant of rs 10 million for the medical treatment of Jan Sher khan, ex-world Squash Champion, who has been diagnosed with multiple health issues.

The Treasury Bills (T-Bills) cut-off yields rose by 120 basis points in the paper auction held on Wednesday, according to data released by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP). The government’s initial target of rs. 1.8 trillion was not met, as it raised rs. 1.57 trillion in the auction. The threemonth T-Bills cut-off yields rose by 105 bps to 20.99 percent, the six-month paper’s cut-off yields increased by 95 bps to 20.84 percent, and the 12-month paper yields went up by 120 bps to 20.98 percent.

The government raised rs. 1,505.4 billion from the three-month paper and rs. 0.3 billion from the sixmonth paper, exceeding its targeted amount. However, it raised only rs. 2 billion from the 12month bond against a target of rs. 600 billion. During the auction, the government raised a total of rs. 1,564 billion for the three-month paper, rs. 2.5 billion for the six-month paper, and rs. 3.4 billion for the 12-month paper.

Furthermore, it raised rs. 1,507.7 billion from the competitive auction and rs. 62.3 billion through non-competitive bids, totaling proceeds of rs. 1,570 billion.

Rupee loses ground against dollar

pROfit inp

The Pakistani rupee depreciated against the US dollar in the interbank market on Wednesday after witnessing a slight recovery in the past two sessions. According to the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), the rupee weakened by rs 1.26 against the dollar in the interbank trading to close at rs 279.12 against the previous day’s closing of rs 277.86. According to the Forex Association of Pakistan (FAP), the buying and selling rates of dollars in the open market were recorded at rs 278.2 and rs 281, respectively.

Sanaullah claims ex-spymaster Faiz Hamid under investigation

iSLAMABAD

staff report

Interior Minister rana Sanaullah said Wednesday said the investigation agencies were conducting an inquiry against former Inter-Services Intelligence chief Lt-Gen (retd) Faiz Hamid and any progress about it will be shared.

While addressing a press conference in Islamabad, following the imposition of Section 144 in Lahore ahead of Aurat March and Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaf’s (PTI) election rally, Sanaullah said only the institution can conduct Faiz’s court martial and the General Headquarters (GHQ) holds the military trial, not the interior ministry.

He said that whatever was being done was required and PTI Chairman Imran khan will be arrested when need be. Moreover, the minister requested Jamat-e-Islami (JI) to organise Haya March on March 7 or 9, instead of March 8 when there are several events, including the Aurat March, which is held on account of International Women’s Day “Aurat March is taking place on March

8, our mothers and sisters are marching in it,” he said, adding that the day holds immense importance for the women.

He said that the women take to the streets to highlight two separate narratives.

SECTIoN 144 IN LAHoRE: While speaking about the ban on public gatherings imposed in Lahore, Sanaullah said that the government imposed Section 144 in light of security reports by the agencies.

The interior minister said that the government imposed Section 144 in light of reports by the security agencies.

He said that PTI had been asked to share the route of their rally but khan’s group didn’t provide any details. “Fitna, anarchy, and chaos are his [khan’s] ways. There are no such people in the system who have stopped the Law Enforcement Agencies [LEAs],” he added.

The minister said that there were several events, including Aurat March and Haya March, simultaneously taking place in Lahore.

While mocking the PTI chief, Sanaullah said, “Imrani fitna announced the burger march” and selected the same place for their election rally which

the Aurat March rally organisers had already picked. He said that “fitna khan found it fit to highlight his own fitna in between” all these happenings.

Sanaullah said that everything was being done in the same area therefore any untoward incident can occur in such a situation.

“on one hand, [khan’s] leg has a plaster on for five months and he can’t move due to 72 years of age,” he said, challenging khan to appear in the courts if he has recovered from the bullet wounds he sustained in a bid on his life in Wazirabad last year. He said that the courts had been seeking replies from the deposed prime minister but he is getting relief instead.

oN KHAN’S ‘RELIEF’: Sanaullah further stated that the courts had been seeking replies from the deposed prime minister but he is getting relief instead.

“Any further relief for him [khan] will raise questions. Judiciary’s impartiality will be hurt,” he added.

Heaping scorn on the PTI chief, Sanaullah said that khan wanted to establish the state of Madina but his ac-

tions are totally opposed to it. He said that khan didn’t want to appear in the courts on the basis of his excuses. “You [khan] don’t even have the de-

fence in three of the cases [against him],” the minister said.

Sanaullah requested the courts not to give any more relief to khan in case he skips the hearings on March 13 again.

‘SBP to facilitate import transactions as balance of payment situation improves’

President, Pm emphasize need for empowering women to bring about development

KP Governor, eCP meetinG ‘fails’ to determine date for KP eleCtions

in the province.

PESHAWAR Staff RepoRt

aconsultative meeting between Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

As the world celebrates International Women’s Day, President Arif Alvi and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday emphasised the need to empower women for the development of society. Both leaders issued separate messages on the day calling for increasing participation of women from all walks of life. President Alvi said, “Pakistan needs to increase women’s access to technology and digital literacy programmes, especially in far-flung areas”. He added that besides providing them access to internet services, laptops and other digital technologies, we should encourage more women to pursue careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) fields. The president furthered that it is essential to provide resources and support to women entrepreneurs and business owners to make them financially independent.

Balochistan police head to lahore to arrest imran Khan

QUETTA Staff RepoRt

A team of Balochistan Police on Wednesday left for Lahore to arrest Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)

Chairman Imran Khan in a case related to inciting speech against state institutions.The police team would visit the Zaman Park with arrest warrants and they are expected to face charged PTI supporters, who earlier attempted to bar the Islamabad police from heading to the residence of their party chief. On Monday, police in the Balochistan capital Quetta lodged a case against the former prime minister at the Bijli Road police station for alleged hate speech against state institution.In the FIR, the complainant said that Islamabad police reached Zaman Park to arrest the PTI chief but he evaded his arrest and later addressed his workers through a video link in which he incited public against institutions. The petitioner said that Mr hurled baseless allegations against security officers and attempted to create unrest in the country. On Sunday, Officers of the capital police arrived at the residence of the former premier in a bid to arrest him after an Islamabad court issued his arrest warrants in the Toshakhana case for avoiding hearings.In a series of tweets, the police also said Khan was “avoiding” arrest, adding that a police superintendent had gone to the room but the 70-yearold politician was not there.

Pti challenges imposition of section 144 in lHC

LAHORE

Staff RepoRt

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has filed a petition in the Lahore High Court (LHC) against the imposition of Section 144 and restrictions on rally. The petition was filed by PTI leader Hammad Azhar in the Lahore High Court (LHC), challenging the imposition of Section 144 and restrictions on organising a rally. While talking to journalists, Hammad Azhar lambasted Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) for imposing what he termed an ‘unconstitutional ban’ ban on PTI chief Imran Khan’s speeches and announced that PTI chief Imran Khan will address PTI workers and supporters on social media today. Hammad Azhar strongly criticised PEMRA for banning PTI chief Imran Khan’s speeches on airing live and recorded on TV channels and termed the move ‘unconstitutional’. The PTI’s senior leader berated the caretaker government and said that the multiple ‘Gullu butt’ and police officials jointly cracked down on the peaceful PTI rally. “Today, for the first time, during the caretaker government, we have seen martial law,” Hamada Azhar said. Hammad Azhar claimed that the police had arrested at least 100 PTI activists at PTI’s peaceful rally from Lahore’s Canal road, adding that the security officials shot a ‘chemical-water cannon’ at party workers and supporters. The former power minister alleged that Punjab’s caretaker government is acting on someone else’s dictation.

Governor Haji Ghulam Ali and Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday remained inconclusive to determine date for election in the province. The KP Governor and members of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) met in Islamabad to determine the date of the general elections in the third most populous and economically significant province of Pakistan.

According to sources privy to the meeting, the meeting between the governor and the ECP members remained [inconclusive].

They said though this meeting was “touted as consultative meeting” to fix a date for elections to the KP Provincial Assembly in the light of a Supreme Court ruling, but nothing came out of it. The KP governor, however, was of the view that he cannot announce the date for elections in KP immediately due to the law and order situation.

Earlier, KP Governor Haji Ghulam Ali had initiated the meeting by suggesting March 7 or 8 as potential dates, prompting the commission to form a consultation team consisting of the secretary, special secretary, and director general of legal affairs.

In response to the commission’s team formation, Ali confirmed March 8 as the date for consultation and requested the ECP be prepared to discuss all matters relevant to ensuring a peaceful election

LAHORE

Staff RepoRt

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) legal team on Wednesday failed to secure protective bails for former prime minister Imran Khan in three different FIRs, following its failure to reach a consensus over appearance of Imran Khan before the court.

The PTI’s legal team approached the LHC for filing protective bails in two FIRs registered with the Ramana Police Station in Islamabad in connection with Imran Khan’s arrival at the Judicial Complex. They also filed a protective bail in an FIR registered with the Bijli Road Police Station in Quetta, Balochistan.

The PTI’s legal team held talks with the LHC’s Additional Registrar, in which the latter emphasized, according to law, presence of the accused in court is a basic principle of protective bail. He added that all judges had left for their

homes and that the office would fix the protective bails, but the petitioner and his team must be present in court.

At which, the PTI counsel replied that the police officials have cordoned off Imran Khan’s Zaman Park residence, making it impossible for him to appear in court. The additional registrar responded that the PTI’s legal team should return tomorrow with the petitioner, and their petitions would be fixed for hearing.

The PTI’s legal team had to take back their petitions and returned “empty handed.”

The protective bails were sought in two FIRs registered with the Ramana Police Station under different sections, including section 7 of the AntiTerrorism Act, during Imran Khan’s arrival at the judicial complex in Islamabad. The third protective bail was sought in an FIR registered with the Bijli Road Police Station in Quetta under different sections, including 153-

As per the Constitution, the ECP holds the responsibility of conducting elections, with support from law enforcement agencies and the caretaker government in maintaining peace during the electoral process. On March 1, the Supreme Court ordered general elections in the provinces of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa must be held within 90 days in a bid to quash fears a fledgling democratic process is about to be derailed.

“Parliamentary democracy is one of the salient features of the Constitution. There can be no parliamentary democracy without parliament or the provincial assemblies […] Elections, and the periodic holding of elections, therefore, underpin the very fabric of the

A, 124-A, and 505 of the Pakistan Penal Code. One of the cases registered with the Ramna Police Station was on a complaint of Station House Officer Rasheed Ahmed. The complaint states that a mob, led by PTI chairman Imran Khan, chanted slogans and tried to enter the Judicial Complex in G-11/1 forcefully. The charged mob carried weapons, held batons, and stones, and threatened officials while damaging official property. They also broke the main gate, tore the cause list and broke furniture.

Former prime minister Imran Khan, along with 19 other PTI leaders and 250 activists, were nominated in the FIR. A second FIR was registered against 20 PTI leaders and 150 activists for almost identical charges.

The failure to secure the protective bails is a significant setback for Imran Khan and the PTI’s legal team. They will now have to wait until tomorrow to present their case before the LHC.

Constitution,” the court order read.

President Arif Alvi, who is a leader of Imran Khan’s party, announced April 9 as the election date for two provinces after the former prime minister requested the chief ministers to dissolve their assemblies in a bid to force early elections.

However, the announcement created a constitutional crisis, with experts questioning the president’s right to take such a decision. The Supreme Court intervened to determine which state institution holds the constitutional responsibility of decide about date for the polls as the Constitution binds that elections must be held within 90 days after the dissolution of a parliament. The national elections are due to be held by October this year.

and now, Pemra bans coverage of Pti rallies

LAHORE

Staff RepoRt

The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) on Wednesday imposed banned on coverage of the Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaf (PTI) rallies, days after the authority banned broadcast of ‘live or recorded’ speeches of the party’s Chairman Imran Khan. The Pemra issued a notification on Wednesday, imposing a ban on the coverage of PTI election rallies on all satellite TV channels with immediate effects. Following the issuance of the Pemra notification, PTI Vice President Fawad Chaudhry took his twitter handle and wrote that “Media has been banned from covering police brutality on protestors as Punjab is under East India Company and Mohsin Naqvi is the new Gen Dyer of Punjab.” Last week, the Pemra imposed a ban on broadcasting ‘live and recorded’ speeches and press conferences of former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan on all satellite TV channels with immediate effect.

Women’s Day marked with calls for empowerment and gender equality

ISLAMABAD

Staff RepoRt

International Women’s Day is being celebrated worldwide including in Pakistan on March 8 to recognise women’s social, economic, cultural, and political achievements.

The UN’s theme this year is “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality.” The topic highlights how technology is crucial to advancing rights but a growing digital gender gap is impacting everything from women’s job opportunities to safety online.

According to the UN, 259 million fewer women have access to the internet than men, and women are largely underrepresented in science, technology, engineering and mathematics careers.

“Bringing women into technology results in more creative solutions and has greater potential for innovations that meet women’s needs and promote gender equality,” says the UN’s website. “Their lack of inclusion, by contrast, comes with massive costs.”

Women gathered for rallies in major cities, including Islamabad, amid tight security. Organisers said they would be peaceful and that the marches are only aimed at seeking rights guaranteed by the constitution. Rabail Akhtar, a schoolteacher who joined a crowd of around 2,000 in Lahore, said she was marching to “demand the security and

safety that women are not afforded in this country and society.”

“Why are they so afraid of women demanding their rights?” Soheila Afzal, a graphic designer also at the marched, asked, referring to the government. Some conservative groups last year threatened to stop simar marches by force. But this year officials beefed up security to protect the marchers. A series of functions and events will be held to mark the day. President Dr Arif Alvi and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif have highlighted the need for empowering women for the development of society. President Alvi stressed the need to increase women’s access to technology and digital literacy programs, especially in remote areas, and encourage

them to pursue careers in STEM fields. He also emphasised the importance of providing resources and support to women entrepreneurs and business owners to make them financially independent.

In his message, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif highlighted the key role of women in society and their contribution to the evolution of human civilisation. He stressed that the entire society must work together to ensure more empowerment, protection, and fair rights for women.

Minister for Climate Change Sherry Rehman noted that International Women’s Day aims to encourage women, recognise their rights, and spread awareness regarding women’s equal status.

She called for women to be granted their constitutional and legal rights and status to lead a socially and economically dignified life.

Senator Rehman dedicated this year’s International Women’s Day to workers, laborers, and flood-affected women across the country, symbolising their struggle.

WHAT IS INTERNATIONAL

WOMEN’S DAY?

IWD is an annual event to celebrate the achievements of women and push for rights progress. It has roots in the US socialist and labour movements of the early 20th century, particularly as women were fighting for better working conditions and the right to vote. The first recorded celebration was in 1911 in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland when over a million people rallied to support women’s rights. Since then, the event has grown not only in size but also in its scope. Focus has expanded to issues ranging from violence against women to parity in the workplace.

While no single group has ownership of the event, the United Nations is often at the forefront of celebrations after it officially recognised IWD in 1977. However, celebrations around the world are usually decentralised, though some countries recognise IWD as a public holiday, including China, Russia and Uganda.

Chinese embassy writes to govt for resolving Port Qasim payments issue

COnTInUED fROM BACk PAgE

ENERgY fROM cOAL: According to the latest data published by NEPRA, in the month of January coal accounted for 28.7% of the country’s total energy consumption at an aggregate cost of Rs 16.11/kwh.

To have a better understanding of the overall energy coming from coal, it would be prudent to break it down into two parts. Firstly the energy being contributed by power plants utilising imported coal; and secondly, power plants using domestically mined coal from Thar.

Currently, there are four coal power plants utilising imported coal to produce electricity. These have a total generation capacity of 4620 MW accounting for

63.6% of the total energy production from coal. There are also a total of four power plants currently utilising Thar coal and have a combined generation capacity of 2640 MW making up the remaining 36.36% of the total energy production from coal.

DOMESTIc cOAL: As the situation with power plants using imported coal deteriorates, plants reliant on local coal also face a certain degree of uncertainty going forward. In a letter written by Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company (SECMC) at the start of the year to the Ministry of Energy, the company expressed its concern regarding the opening of letters of credit and remittances to foreign suppliers.

The letter reads that, “since there was a significant delay in the approval

of opening of letters of credit and foreign remittances, our [SECMC] mine operations are severely affected”.

According to it, the overall financial setback would be USD 40 millions if the mine doesn’t operate for a month. That was at the time when there were only three power plants using Thar coal, now there’s a fourth power plant so the impact would be higher.

However, according to a source familiar with the matter, so far the restrictions on the import of “tyres and spare parts” have not directly affected the productivity of the mine at 7.8 million tonnes per annum.

And according to the same source the issue of payments continues to persist and no resolution has been reached thus far. If the issue is not

resolved mining operations and production will be directly impacted.

Interestingly enough though, primary suppliers of SECMC are also Chinese, and therefore the recent letter written by the Chinese embassy in Islamabad is more worrisome, highlighting the already precarious situation of the country.

The effects of a shut-down at the SECMC mine in Thar would be staggering as it would have a domino effect, particularly concerning power plants using domestic coal for power generation. Now with the summer months around the corner, months which are predicted to be the hottest yet, Pakistan could face very heavy load shedding as demand for electricity steadily increases.

PTI’s legal team fails to secure protective bail for Imran in three cases

maryam naWaz demands Court martial of Gen (r) faiz Hameed

LAHORE Staff RepoRt

PAKISTANMuslim League Nawaz (PML-N) senior vice president Maryam Nawaz has demanded the court martial of former DG ISI Lieutenant General (Lt Gen) Retired Faiz Hameed.

Talking to media persons, Maryam Nawaz alleged that Faiz Hameed had played role in toppling the PML-N government for two years and backing PTI chief Imran Khan’s government which brought destruction to the country.

She said that Faiz Hameed must see his court martial for his unconstitutional role and exemplary punishment should be given to him.

Maryam Nawaz also declared chief justice Saqib Nisar ‘the biggest criminal of the nation’. She alleged that Saqib Nisar had imposed a ‘characterless

person’ on the nation. The PML-N chief organiser claimed that the nation cannot see development and prosperity without witnessing the exemplary punishments of such characters.

Maryam added that Nisar’s statement indicated that he is still active. She said that the nation knows about his [Saqib Nisar] deeds regardless of how many lies he would tell everyone. She said that every individual will have to pay the price of the unconstitutional move.

The PML-N senior vice president claimed that the ‘Vote Ko Izzat Do’ movement spread awareness amongst the nation which gave the biggest dent to the hybrid governance system. She said that she is not in favour of targeting any national institution but she always criticises the elements who played unconstitutional roles and defamed their institutions.

‘SBP to facilitate import transactions as balance of payment situation improves’

COnTInUED fROM BACk PAgE

The committee sought details of the amount of dollars smuggled to Afghanistan in the recent period. It was also noted that due to high international inter banking rates, has resulted in Hundi and black money business, “ we can see the smuggling of dollar and black money business now being done even through infants “ remarked Senator Mohsin Aziz. The committee recommended seriously addressing the issue of varying dollar rate of open market, inter banking and black market and bringing the rate into account so that

everyone receives a fair price.

Saleem Mandviwalla also emphasized that the rupee trade with Afghanistan should also be immediately stopped, which is also contributing to external deficit. He said that the county has reached a $17 billion external deficit which was controlled and monitored better when the CCNL was in exercise and recommended to revive the working of the CCNL.

The committee was also informed by the State Bank officials that the remittances have also come down, so far 2 billion remittances took place and also there was a decline in exports from 7.4

na panel expresses displeasure over delay in hiring CCP members

COnTInUED fROM BACk PAgE

On another note, a committee member, referring to the International Women’s Day, said that simply celebrating women’s day does not fulfil the rights of women and held that practical steps also need to be taken. The Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan added that they had directed all public and private sector banks to allocate 20 to 25% quota to women for employment in the banking sector.

During the discussion on the Calling Attention Notice regarding the privatisation of House Building Finance Corporation (HBFC), the Special Secretary, Finance Division, told the Committee that HBFC has always been in loss and was put in the privatisation list five years ago.

He informed that State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) owned 90% of the corporation’s shares, while HBFC itself remained the owner of only 10% of the shares. In the last period, the government waived off the debt amounting to Rs.166.9 billion, he added.

‘model CCi’ puts devolution issues back on front burner

gUJRAT Staff RepoRt

% during July.

It was informed that the major decline in exports came from food, especially rice by 12 %. Vegetables and fruits exports have also declined by 48 and 37 percent respectively “ The remittances, the FDI and exports have come down, the only thing risen are the loans” senator Mohsin Aziz commented. The committee, while discussing the financial scam involving Bank officials of NBP, HASCOL Petroleum Limited and Byco, was informed that an in-depth inquiry by the FIA is being conducted.

Senator Saleem Mandiviwalla showed

his amazement that even after sending three ex-presidents of a government bank to jail, a recorded embezzlement of 55 billion rupees, the case goes away without accountability. The committee deferred the matter for further deliberation. The matter of additional PSDP demand for the protection and upgradation of Pak China Phase -I OFC project, for the establishment of Cross Border Connectivity Project, was also discussed. It was informed by the officials that once the already given funds have been utilized the remaining funds will also be released.

NAB team in Dubai to investigate Toshakhana case

ISLAMABAD

Staff RepoRt

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has expanded its ongoing investigation into the Toshakhana case against former prime minister Imran Khan.

According to media reports, a four-member NAB team, headed by its director Rizwan Ahmed, has traveled to Dubai to collect crucial information regarding the sale of a precious watch gifted to Imran Khan.

During their trip, the NAB team visited the residence of businessman Umar Farooq, who claimed to have purchased the watch. They also visited the Pakistani embassy in the UAE and some shops as part of their investigation.

It is worth noting that the accountability watchdog has summoned Khan to appear before it on March 9 in connection with the Toshakhana case. The notice sent to Khan mentioned six valuable watches and an iPhone gifted by Qatar’s army chief, which are also included in the investigation.

The Toshakhana issue has become a major point of contention in national politics following the Election

Imran calls off Lahore rally after police ‘crackdown, brutalities’

COnTInUIED fROM PAgE 01

The provincial Home Department, through a notification, suspended “all kinds of protests, demonstrations and sit-ins” in Lahore for a period of seven days. The ban has been imposed in light of the recent “wave of terrorism and threat alerts”, it insisted.

According to the notification, the ban encompasses all activities that involve the gathering of people, including assemblies, gatherings, rallies, processions, and demonstrations.

Interestingly, despite the ban on demonstrations under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), the Aurat March rally marking International Women’s Day was permitted to proceed.

A senior leader from the party, Hammad Azhar, said police detained scores of their supporters ahead of the planned rally, which was to start in Zaman Park.

Police also swung batons and briefly fired tear gas on the road leading to Khan’s house to disperse his supporters. TV footage showed at least one large truck spraying water, scattering protesters.

Videos shared by the party on its Twitter showed police officials smashed car windows.

Fawad Chaudhry, senior vice president of the party, tweeted that

the ban on protests was “the new weapon of the fascist government” of Shehbaz Sharif and its “imperialist forces.”

“The people of Pakistan have always fought for their rights,” Chaudhry added.

The department has also sent a letter to PTI leader Dr Yasmin Rashid. “The leadership of PTI including Chairman PTI is also expected to address the general public/ participants at different places during the scheduled rally in Lahore today. It is also expected that a large number of people are likely to attend the said rally,” it said. The letter stated that the public gatherings are not advisable due to prevailing security situation of the country. “Furthermore, women march Is also going to be held In connection with International Women’s Day” which is likely to draw a large number of participants,” it said.

cENTRE DEfENDS

cRAcKDOWN:

Meanwhile,

Minister for Interior Rana Sanaullah Khan held a press conference in Islamabad to defend the Naqvi government’s decision to impose Section 144 in the provincial capital.

He said that three simultaneous rallies were taking place in the same vicinity: the Aurat March, the Haya March of Jamaat-i-Islami, and the PTI’s election rally. The minister

claimed that in such a situation, any incident could take place, prompting the government to impose Section 144 based on intelligence reports.

According to him, the party failed to share their rally route with authorities, leading the government to impose the restrictions. The minister also criticised Khan for claiming to be unable to walk in court while simultaneously planning a rally.

Sanaullah cited the decision of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) to suspend Khan’s arrest warrant until March 13 and said that no further relief should be granted to the former prime minister. He called for Khan to be punished if he failed to appear in court.

Responding to Sanaullah, Azhar accused Naqvi and his supporters of “ending democracy” by banning political activities in the city during election season.

Speaking to the media outside Khan’s residence, the former minister criticised the caretaker government for hindering the election campaign instead of ensuring fair and free elections.

Claiming that Sanaullah and the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government “wanted bloodshed” in the city, he asked the party workers to remain peaceful, refrain from any clashes and stay where they were.

Commission of Pakistan’s decision to disqualify the PTI chief for making “false statements and incorrect declarations” last month.

A ‘model Council of Common Interests’ (CCI) put the lingering issues of devolution from the centre to the provinces back on the front burner, suggesting plausible measures in four simulation sessions organized by the Department of Political Science and International Relations here at Hafiz Hayat Campus of the University of Gujrat (UoG) on Wednesday. With a view to promoting awareness among the students about the functioning of the CCI as well as the democratic culture of dialogue and discussion, the activity had the collaboration of the Hanns Seidel Foundation (HSF) and ample support of the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan (HEC) and the Senate. As many as 40 students comprised four groups of 10 students each for the simulation purposes, complementing an earlier workshop that acted as a prologue to today’s debating simulation sessions. The four simulation sessions were held under the vigilant but compassionate gaze of the Chairperson of the department Prof. Dr Muhammad Mushtaq. The jury consisted of senior academics Dr Adil Zaman, Dr Shumaila Rafiq and Muhammad Mustansar Billah Hussain, with Shahzada Afzal moderating the proceeding. The model CCIs of students discussed in detail the current issues with regard to the provincial devolution and suggested various plausible measures. The discussion covered the topics of higher education, health, natural resources and the youth and women empowerment. Dean Faculty of Social Sciences Prof. Dr Faisal Mahmood Mirza distributed certificates among the participants. He was flanked by Dr Sultan Mubariz Khan and Dr Muhammad Ramzan Shahid. The five candidates short-listed by the jury will participate at the provincial level of debating democratic devolution contests.

six terrorists killed in north Waziristan iBo: isPr

RAWALPInDI

Staff RepoRt

The security forces on Wednesday killed six terrorists in an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in North Waziristan’s Datakhel area, said Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) in a statement. According to the military’s media wing, the killed terrorists remained actively involved in terrorist activities against the security forces and civilians. The forces also recovered weapons and ammunition from the killed terrorists, it said. “Locals of the area appreciated the security forces’ response and expressed their full support to eliminate the menace of terrorism from the area,” the ISPR added. Last week, security forces gunned down one terrorist during an IntelligenceBased Operation (IBO) in the general area of Mir Ali, North Waziristan district. During the conduct of the operation, intense fire exchange took place between own troops and terrorists. Resultantly, one terrorist was killed. The killed terrorist remained actively involved in terrorist activities against security forces and the killing of innocent citizens, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) had said.

Plans to transfer control of Nandipur Power Plant, GEPCO to PSO

COnTInUED fROM BACk PAgE

The summary however proposes transfer of controlling interests of GEPCO instead of GPP to PSO in deviation from the decision of the federal cabinet, according to the memorandum sent to the Secretary Power Division.

PSO’s key receivable position as of March 7, 2023 disclosed that total receivable of the country’s biggest oil giant stood at Rs 762 billion while it has payables to other companies in the sector in the range of Rs 52.7 billion.

Reportedly, Cabinet Committee on Privatisation (CCoP) considered the Privatisation Division’s summary regarding “privatisation of Guddu Power Plant (GPP) and NPP” on

December 31, 2021 and directed the Privatisation Division to continue the process of financial evaluation of NPP and GPP along with their assets.

The Petroleum Division in consultation with the Power Division along with the Finance Division was tasked to examine the matter of equity transfer to PSO against its receivables and present the issue before Cabinet Committee on Energy (CCoE) in the first place.

The Cabinet, in its decision of January 11, 2022 ratified the CCoP’s decision with the stipulation that “the financial evaluation of Nandipur and Guddu power plants would be carried out subsequent to CCoE’s decision.”

PSO has so far proposed

various non-cash options for the settlement of its receivables in order to unblock its trapped retained earnings from government department and others. The aim is to convert PSO’s non-productive receivables to productive assets while not burdening the government with cash-based settlement.

In regards to the proposed acquisitions, PSO may also be allowed to sell 30% of the power produced under B2B arrangement, whereas the rest can be dispatched to the national grid.

PSO intends to refurbish the asset subsequently to improve their efficiency and position them for the merchant market based on the proposed transaction structure and modalities for NPP and GEPCO.

PTI chief Imran Khan is getting deeper into trouble for a political leader who made the rule of law one of the planks on his platform. While no one denies that he has every right to use all legal remedies and forums to avert injustice, the spectacle of him avoiding arrest does not present an edifying spectacle. even if one was to accept his argument that the charges against him are political persecution, it still does not explain why he has refused to appear before the trial court in the Toshakhana case, where he is supposed to hear the indictment re4ad out against him, and he is supposed to enter a plea. Instead of surrendering to the court, so that presumably he can expose the charges for the falsehoods he claims they are, he has chosen to hide from the police party sent to arrest him. his own political opponents, during his stint in office, also claimed that the charges against them were politically motivated, but duly surrendered to the authorities which came to arrest them.

If Mr Khan shows that he does not respect the law, the Punjab government has shown that it is not far behind. It claimed security threats to impose Section 144 in Lahore, which let it crack down on a PTI rally on Wednesday. how the Punjab government expects any party to campaign when it has imposed a ban on public gatherings, is not known. The Lahore high Court and the Supreme Court have both called for elections to be held to the recently dissolved Punjab Assembly, and there is only a limited time for the April 30 elections, for which the schedule has been issued by the election Commission of Pakistan.

The law is to be upheld by everyone if the elections are to be held. After all, elections are supposed to be held because they are legally prescribed. It should not be assumed that there is an element of choice in obeying a court’s orders. There is also a dangerous trend observable in the Punjab governments order, where the threat of terrorism was used for partisan purposes. Apart from the danger inherent in this, the Punjab government should avoid the sort of behaviour that would lead to its being labelled a mere adjunct of the PDM coalition at the centre. A caretaker government is supposed to be neutral. That neutrality must be accepted by all. That does not seem to be happening.

Dedicated to the legacy of late Hameed Nizami

Arif Nizami (Late)

Founding Editor

Yousaf Nizami Editor

M. A. Niazi Joint Editor Umar Aziz Executive Editor

Need father not premier

The nation is an orphan

The man on the top is either a ‘Premier’ (Prime Minister) or ‘Father’ (Baap). Fatherless individuals are classified as Orphans (Yateem . In Lahore there is a huge Yateem Khana (Orphanage) on Multan Road. The area is called Chowk Yateem Khana.

Despite the patronage of God-fearing people, it is a sad place. Being raised without a father is an uphill struggle for the young and the tender. To understand the plight of the nation, I suggest that those at the helm should spend time with the fatherless to understand their plight.

Unfortunately, the people of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan have been orphans for decades. The father, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, passed away in September 1948 merely a year after the birth of the new nation. Quaid-e-Millat Liaquat Ali Khan was also removed from the arena in October 1951, resulting in free fall for the country and its people.

Pakistan is an ideology, not a piece of land. Conceived by Iqbal and ably delivered by the father of the nation, now it badly seeks a ‘Mentor’ with fatherly instincts. Premiers have repeatedly failed and will continue to do so in the future.

In the words of Comrade Aitzaz Ahsan; “Riasat hogi ma jaisey” (State should be caring like a mother).

Finally Madar-e-Millat Mohtrama Fatima Jinnah had to enter the arena in the 1965 presidential elections. She was declared a traitor and an Indian Agent. In 1967 she was found dead in her house in Karachi under mysterious circumstances. After the first free and fair elections in 1970 two leaders emerged. The Quaid’s Pakistan was dismembered. Sheikh Mujib-ur-Rehman emerged as the Bangabandhu (Father of the Nation) in the eastern Wing while Bhutto picked up the pieces of what remained.

Thus started an era of civilian supremacy’. The 1973 Constitution was unanimously enacted by Parliament. Bhutto took oath as the Premier. Stalled nation building was restarted. The Islamic Republic of Pakistan started to lead the Islamic Ummah. Basic industrialization was initiated, including the steel mill and defence production Industries. The nuclear programme was revamped. The right to travel was recognised. Major reforms were introduced in the Passport Directorate. Ordinary people could now freely travel. The expatriate community started to remit the much needed foreign exchange. Riding on his popular support the Premier dissolved the assemblies ahead of schedule. Little did he know that he had been trapped. he was deposed on 5 July 1977 to be physically eliminated in April 1979. Since then the struggle for civilian supremacy has been ongoing. Currently IK is single handedly leading this movement against all odds.

Khalil-ur-Rehman Qamar, the outstanding writer and intellectual, has recently expressed his views about Imran Khan and his struggle for civilian supremacy.In his words; “ Imran’s struggle for his nation is more like a father’s than a political leader’s”.

Yes indeed, for an ‘Orphan Nation’, father carries special significance. Jinnah was given the title of Quaid-e-Azam, while Bhutto earned the label of Quaid-e-Awam, now it’s IK’s turn as he is currently leading the charge like a father of an ‘orphaned nation’. Incumbent Shahbaz Sharif is the 23rd Premier to lead the nation. In the long list only a few qualify to be respected as father instead of premier. Liaquat Ali Khan the first PM served his nation with honesty and dedication. Khawaja Nazimuddin and hussain Shaheed Suharwardy were fatherly figures. Bhutto rebuilt the shattered country to emerge as leader of the Islamic World. his daughter despite being cornered

by the establishment tried her best and finally met a tragic end like her father. She was bestowed with the title of Subon ki Zanjeer’ ( Chain holding the provinces together ). Pakistan People’s Party remained the only progressive national party for a long time till Asif Zardari turned it into a money-making machine like the establishment-created Rogue Muslim Leagues. Today it is Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) that has emerged as the Subon Ki Zanjeer that is holding the country together. As the 22nd PM IK served the nation to the best of his abilities. his leadership is unmatched while questions have been raised about his management team. hopefully in his second stint in power, there will be a better selection.

Out of the 23 premiers only five stand out, the rest took turns for personal gains. Since 1985 after the partyless elections, the land of the pure has lost its purity. historically it was said that “There’s no business like show business” but now “There’s no business more lucrative than politics”. Today Pakistan has the world’s richest politicians, generals, bureaucrats, judges, businessmen and scientists, and the poorest nation. even the IMF is baffled at the pilferage of borrowed money. The loans have become untenable and so have the pensions. While the Yatims are in rags their caretakers live in luxury, and such a system cannot continue for long. There is a famous saying in Urdu; “Nakhuda Jis Ka Na Ho Us Ka Khuda Hota Hai” (Those who don’t have a pilot, have God). Pakistan is an ideology, not a piece of land. Conceived by Iqbal and ably delivered by the father of the nation, now it badly seeks a ‘Mentor’ with fatherly instincts. Premiers have repeatedly failed and will continue to do so in the future. In the words of Comrade Aitzaz Ahsan; “Riasat hogi ma jaisey” (State should be caring like a mother). Unfortunately today the land of the pure lacks the care of the mother and benevolence of the father. It is not just Yateem but also Miskeen (Motherless). A Yateem and Miskeen nation is now on the look-out for a ‘Father’ will be certainly better off without the likes of the current ‘Stepfathers’ who have exploited the people for their personal good.

I am sure God is listening to the cry of the orphans.

The writer is ex-Chairman, Pakistan Science Foundation. He can be contacted at: fmaliks@hotmail.com.

US-China competition in outer space

The implications for Pakistan’s national security

2024, while China’s Chang’e program has already landed several robotic missions on the moon and plans to send humans to the lunar surface shortly. In addition to lunar exploration, the USA and China are also competing in other areas of space technology, such as satellite development, space-based communications and navigation, and the development of advanced rockets and spacecraft.

The USA and China are not the only countries involved in space competition, however, as other nations such as Russia, Japan, and the european Space Agency are also pursuing ambitious space programmes.

satellite weapons and hypersonic glide vehicles that can disable each other’s satellites. If used, these weapons could severely damage the space infrastructure of many countries including Pakistan, affecting critical services like communication, navigation, and weather forecasting. Pakistan’s military forces heavily rely on satellites for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance. Losing these space-based capabilities would significantly reduce Pakistan’s military preparedness.

Editor’s mail

Hero worship is but an inanity

IT is mind-boggling these days to see people praising their perceived political heroes for their perceived virtues. It seems as if there are quite a few people who cannot do without having a hero, imaginary or otherwise, in life.

The competition between the USA and China to achieve space dominance has intensified in recent years. Both countries are actively developing advanced space technologies like hypersonic missiles, satellite-killing missiles, and so on, to gain military and economic advantages in space. This space race poses serious challenges to Pakistan’s national security.

The use of space for military purposes has been a concern since the dawn of the space age, and the development of these technologies has been the subject of international debate and diplomatic efforts to prevent an arms race in space. The Outer Space Treaty, signed by the USA and the USSR in 1967, prohibits the placement of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction in orbit, but it does not explicitly prohibit the use of other types of weapons in space.

however, it is important to note that space has become an increasingly important domain for national security, economic, and scientific purposes. The USA and China are two major players in this arena and have made significant advancements in space technology and exploration. There have been concerns raised about the potential weaponization of space, including the development and deployment of anti-satellite weapons, which could disrupt or destroy vital communication and navigation systems. however, both countries have also emphasized the importance of peaceful cooperation in space and have participated in joint space projects with other countries.

Nations need to continue to work together to ensure the responsible use of space and to avoid the development of any technologies that could potentially destabilize the global balance of power. The USA and China are currently engaged in a space competition, as both countries seek to establish themselves as leaders in space exploration and technology. This competition involves a range of activities, including human spaceflight, robotic missions, and the development of new space technologies.

One of the most visible aspects of the USChina space competition is the race to return humans to the moon. NASA’s Artemis program aims to land astronauts on the moon by

Overall, the global space race is driving innovation and pushing the boundaries of what is possible in space exploration and technology.

The US and China’s competition in outer space have significant implications for Pakistan, as it is a country that has also been investing in space technology and exploration in recent years.

One implication is that the competition between the USA and China could lead to increased investment and innovation in space technology, which could benefit Pakistan by creating new opportunities for collaboration and technological advancement. At the same time, the competition between the USA and China could also lead to increased geopolitical tensions and competition for resources, which could have negative implications for Pakistan’s space program. For example, if the USA and China begin competing for access to resources on the Moon or other celestial bodies, it could limit Pakistan’s ability to participate in space exploration or benefit from the resources available in space.

In conclusion, the competition between the USA and China for space dominance presents serious challenges to Pakistan’s national security. It is affecting Pakistan’s military capabilities, economic interests, and diplomatic relations. To safeguard its security, Pakistan needs to carefully navigate this space race by balancing its partnerships with both countries and investing in space technologies for self-reliance.

Space activities have become an important driver of economic growth and technological development. By achieving space dominance, the USA and China can gain economic advantages at the cost of other countries. For example, they can monopolize the satellite launch market, restrict access to resources in space, and control space-based solar power generation. This could slow down Pakistan’s space programme and space-related industries, limiting its economic progress. As the USA and China compete for power in space, they are forming exclusive alliances and partnerships with other countries. If Pakistan allies solely with either bloc, it may face diplomatic backlash from the other side. But staying neutral in this space race can also isolate Pakistan diplomatically. This dilemma creates complications for Pakistan in developing cooperative partnerships in space amid the USChina rivalry.

This hero syndrome is so ingrained in the psyche of people in Pakistan that they see no hope in life for themselves and for the country without one. It is this very syndrome that is dictating the political ideology in Pakistan. even dictators are heroes in the eyes of many. This syndrome is exploited by the demagogues with perfection and aplomb. All mainstream political parties live under the shadows of their heroes. Their pitch for selling their ideology revolves around a hero figure that cannot be questioned. Of course, people can question, but there are ways to drown out the ‘dissenting’ voices. Most people fall for it. And this applies to people in all camps influenced by the charm, charisma and magnetism of their respective heroes. I think the first step towards political maturity is to get rid of this hero syndrome that can only be achieved by encouraging people to learn the art and science of critical thinking. Unfortunately, in Pakistan, all education, secular or otherwise, is not education, but complete indoctrination. The ‘pure’ education, as is often advocated by some freaks, is simply a myth as every education system in the world has a tinge of indoctrination about it, and Pakistan is certainly not an exception on this count. however, Pakistan is, indeed, an exception in terms of the scale and magnitude of the chaos its education system has caused as it is dominated by false narratives. Within the existing system, religious education teaches bigotry and secular education teaches greed. The products of such a system can only hope for a hero to come to their rescue because they have never been told that they might be good enough themselves if they focused and worked hard enough. Character-building and critical thinking should be the key ingredients especially of formative education. Any system without these ingredients, in my opinion, is anything but education. False narratives make people delusional who will always take a mirage for an oasis, but will never find water.

SHAKEEL AHMED CALGARY, CANADA

Sacrifice by the poor

ONCe upon a time, there was a severe scarcity of fodder in the forest. The lion said to the goat that sacrifice should be made in this difficult time, so you would eat fodder once and give milk three times a day.

Another potential implication is that Pakistan may be forced to choose between aligning itself with the USA or China in the space domain. This could have broader implications for Pakistan’s foreign policy and its relationship with these major powers.

The USA and China are developing anti-

In conclusion, the competition between the USA and China for space dominance presents serious challenges to Pakistan’s national security. It is affecting Pakistan’s military capabilities, economic interests, and diplomatic relations. To safeguard its security, Pakistan needs to carefully navigate this space race by balancing its partnerships with both countries and investing in space technologies for self-reliance. Overall, Pakistan must focus on its space programme that can withstand external pressures amid the intensifying US-China competition in outer space.

The writer is a Researcher at CISS-AJK

As the fable goes, the goat said to the lion — the king, of course — that there was no point putting all the burden on the weak animals, and that this time the strong should also sacrifise to come out from this difficult time. To this suggestion, the lion said: “You do not know that sacrifice is accepted only when it is fair and just, and we, the strong, are all criminals.” That surely left the poor goat speechless! The fable fits perfectly with our situation, for people bear all the burden of inflation, as they are told that the country is going through a difficult time, and, therefore, the people should offer sacrifices. Just a look at the size of the federal cabinet is enough to make the point. even the prime minister himself would struggle to recall the exact number of ministers, advisers and others with fancy titles. The United States, the largest economy in the world with gross domestic product (GDP) of over $25 trillion, has a cabinet that has all of 16 people. China, the second largest economy with a GDP of around $18 trillion and home to the largest population in the world, has 21 ministers. What justification is there to have the cabinet of the size that we have? We are among the poorest countries in the world, having been ranked 157th on the global economic ladder. There is a lot of input related to the cabinet in the shape of protocols and perks. What is the output? At best, it would be zero, but it may well be in the negative. This is a huge burden on the national kitty. Such self-serving steps by the government will take the country towards bankruptcy. Someone has to take decisions for the betterment of the country and put it on the right track.

Neither the PTI chief nor the Punjab government are showing much respect for the law

MuhaMMad Shahzad akraM

The devastation of war and the G-20 summit COMMENT 05

Resolving the Russo-Ukraine conflict is the big challenge

track. Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine on 24 February 2022 against the US-led imperialist war alliance NATO’s continued expansion into eastern europe and Ukraine’s complicity in that plot. And this is where the global recession began.

dr arpita hazarika

WORLD War II brought the world to the brink of destruction. The world leadership of the time came forward to return to the path of peace. Today, that responsibility has fallen on world leaders. everyone has to play an active role in making the world peaceful, prosperous and safe. This is what is needed most at the moment.

Due to the conflict in Ukraine, climate change and the global crisis of the Covid pandemic, supply systems around the world are on the brink of collapse. There are shortages of daily necessities around the world. The plight of the poor in every country is dire. Poor countries are especially vunder threat. Daily life has become difficult for them. Multilateral institutions like the United Nations have failed to deal with this crisis.

All have failed in the necessary reforms. Because of that, the expectations of the world’s people towards the G20 leadership have increased. In the last conference, Indonesian President Joko Yudodo called for unity and said, we have no other way. Saving the world requires cooperation. The G20 should act as a catalyst for economic recovery. It is not right to divide the world into different parts. We cannot walk down the path of being embroiled in another ``age war’’.

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, that everyone should find a way to end the war in Ukraine. That responsibility is on everyone today. This is not a time for war. everyone should try to find ways to get back on the diplomatic

Developed Western countries including America, Britain, Germany, France have been helping Ukraine with weapons, technology and other necessary aspects since the beginning. According to Russia, the goal of the imperialist camp was to put Ukraine on the path to conflict and seize Russia’s vast natural resources. Just like in the past, the USA recklessly attacked Arab countries like Iraq and Libya. During the discussion at the UN, India’s representative also pointed out the limitations of the proposal. he said, the proposal is not compatible with New Delhi’s desired solution to end the war that has been going on for more than a year and for a far-reaching peace. In fact, Russia also knows that occupying Ukraine is no longer possible.

Anti-Russian Western countries also need to understand that overthrowing Putin is not so simple. If Putin is cornered, the whole world, including Ukraine, may become more miserable in the future. China is on Putin’s side. This relationship between the President of China and Putin is not a personal matter. It should be seen from the perspective of international politics.

Now in this situation the G-20 conference was held in India. In the first week of March, the meeting of the foreign ministers of the G20 member countries was held. Bangladesh also got special importance there as a specially invited country. The main reason for Bangladesh’s importance is its geo-strategic position. At the same time, the financial and social progress of Bangladesh in this subcontinent and good relations with India. The heads of state of the Western countries, including US President Joe Biden, who have visited Kiev, now have only one goal; to provide more weapons to Ukraine. even european countries like Switzerland and Sweden, which were the pioneers of the peace process, have now joined the ranks of these arms suppliers. There is no disagreement that what Russia is doing under the leadership of Vladimir Putin, is wrong. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Putin and publicly urged him to stop the war. he did not support this war. But does continuing to arm Ukraine and fuel the conflict bear a

message of peace? A year has passed since the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The destruction still continues. The damage is only increasing every moment. This Russian attack is not only destroying Ukraine’s economy, but also damaging the world’s prospects for recovery in the post-Covid era.

Protracted war can take dire shape at any moment. It is necessary for all countries to take initiative to stop the war immediately. But do we see that initiative as much as it needs? Meanwhile, India did not vote again on the resolution brought to the United Nations regarding the Russia-Ukraine war. Out of the 193 member states of the General Assembly, 141 countries voted in favor of the resolution. Seven countries voted against. And a total of 32 countries including India, China, Bangladesh abstained from voting. Now abstaining from this vote does not mean that India and Bangladesh are supporting this Russian aggression. Whatever India is doing in terms of its foreign policy, it is doing it in dialogue with Bangladesh, in consultation with Bangladesh. In this regard, the anti-war foreign policy of India and Bangladesh seems to be quite compatible.

Another recent sign of this diplomacy is that the nuclear power equipment of Bangladesh, which has been delayed for a long time, was not arriving in Bangladesh, which was supposed to come to Bangladesh from Russia and was stopped midway, in opposition to NATO, and was openly opposed by the USA. Now it appears that it is reaching Bangladesh. And through India. That is, India is also doing a diplomatic mission in this regard and India has made arrangements to deliver the equipment due to Bangladesh.

As a result, the relationship between India and Bangladesh is getting stronger. This situation has further progressed at the G-20 summit in Delhi. Recently National Security Advisor Ajit Doval went to Russia. he met with Putin and Russian representatives. The most important fact is that despite being Russia’s friend, China has also taken a new initiative to stop this war. China has started a mission in this regard. China’s statement is that this time Russia should also follow the path of peace. A discussion should be started, so that different states go on the path of discussion like this. Why is China taking this initiative?

This is because China also understands that if this war is not allowed to stop, the situation will worsen. The situation of China’s terrible conflict with America will become more complicated. And anyway, China is not

ready for any war. Not for World War III

Modi has also started a track-two dialogue with China. The discussion also suggested that Russia should stop the war in Ukraine, but should not be targeted again by Ukraine. Modi has also created an environment for talks with China’s Xi Jinping to build that understanding with the western countries as well. There is a possibility that this peace message will be created around the summit of G-20.

Discussions have even started in India’s diplomatic circles about the Modi-Xi formula to stop the war. however, the G20 is the forum of the world’s major developed and developing economies. The forum is a platform for discussion on various global issues such as global economy as well as climate change mitigation and sustainable development. G20 countries control about 85 percent of global GDP. Members of this group also control more than 75 percent of global trade. Besides, this alliance is also full of human resources. About two-thirds of the world’s total population are members of this group.

The Group of Twenty or G-20, was formed in 1999 in the wake of the global economic crisis. It was basically a meeting of finance ministers of various states and central bank governors. The aim of the meeting was to formulate effective policies to solve the global economic and financial crisis. At present, the summits of this forum are attended by the heads of state, finance ministers, foreign ministers and senior government officials of each member country. Therefore, there has been a lot of discussion in this conference to establish world peace. Russia-Ukraine war, Sino-US tensions, rising inflation, threat of recession in global economy, nuclear threat from North Korea and the most alarming thing is rising global temperature.

The G-20 alliance must play an influential role in ending the war. The next generation cannot be pushed into another Cold War. A 16-page conference resolution said most members strongly condemned the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia. It also states that the war is causing immense human suffering and putting a strain on the global economy. Keeping these considerations in mind, all the leaders coming to the G-20 conference this year will be active in solving the crisis through discussion instead of war - this is the expectation of the people of the world.

The writer is a freelance columnist

Terrorists

will use

artificial

intelligence, too

ITERATION AND SIMULATION: Staring into an asteroid field, han Solo famously said, “never tell me the odds.” Malign actors want the odds. AI can give them. A sometimes-unsung feature of AI capabilities is that of iteration and simulation. An AI can examine several scenarios and provide guidance on the path that has the greatest likelihood of success. The result is a set of new malevolent plans that are more likely to succeed in their destructive aims. So, what can we do? A few things:

How the Global South can escape the dollar’s stranglehold

is not reliant on the US dollar. The combined GDP of the Brics countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) is more than that of the G7 grouping (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the US, with the european Union being a “non-enumerated member”). These countries can certainly find a better way of working together to build a financial system that is not under the control of the US, which has continually blocked attempts to develop new and fairer rules for global trade.

rCdefense SaM huNter & Joel elSoN

AS AI technology has exploded into public view, it has raised complex questions about the future of education, the employment landscape for arts and media, and even the nature of sentience. These are all important conversations. But, as terrorism researchers with a particular focus on new and emerging threats, we find ourselves asking a different, darker question:

HOW WILL EXTREMISTS USE AI TO HURT

PEOPLE? Stated bluntly, AI will allow malign actors to develop plans and ideas that were more challenging or even impossible prior to widespread access of such technology. In the coming years, we believe that understanding the scope of the threat and developing solutions will be critical. As we’ve explored in previous work on cognition and creativity, expertise is comprised of two components: knowledge (i.e., possessing information) and how that knowledge is organized. The internet has provided just about anyone with access to knowledge. AI, however, organizes that information in a useful way and provides a user-friendly output.

Witness, for example, schoolteachers requesting lesson plans complete with discussion questions, exercises, quizzes, and worksheets. Colloquially, we can think of AI as a pocket expert. On any topic. At any given moment. Indefinitely. Without fatigue. There are four key reasons why tools like these can be dangerous in the hands of terrorists.

LOWERED BAR TO ENTRY: With a pocket expert available to offer deep, organized information on any topic instantaneously, many of the typical barriers around malign acts are removed. An extremist group no longer needs, for example, a chemical engineer who must be recruited and incentivized to join their cause. Instead, information about dangerous compounds can be summarized and synthesized into accessible, digestible, bite-sized chunks perfect for an extremist with no prior knowledge of chemistry.

REDUCED COST: experts are expensive. AI in all its various forms has taken significant resources to develop but is now cheap. Access for everyone means it must be affordable. It is and will continue to be. In many cases, use of AI is free, with tools packaged into existing software. In the case of ChatGPT, for a nominal fee, users with an entry level knowledge of programming can tap directly into the technology.

DIVERSE AND INTEGRATED EXPERTISE: human collaboration is challenging. When experts collaborate successfully, they must communicate, coordinate, and integrate, a process that isn’t always straightforward and usually involves stumbles along the way. The ability to develop and synthesize information from diverse sources on diverse topics is a key, and concerning feature, of this emerging technology. ChatGPT isn’t just a pocket expert. It’s a pocket of experts who can be taught to work well together.

REGULATE: The first path forward is an apolitical acknowledgement that regulation is a necessity. Although imperfect, ChatGPT as an example, does have safeguards in place to protect against asking “how do I hurt the most people?” Careful, thoughtful policy around building such safeguards is critical, particularly in the short-term, as there are currently workarounds for such protections.

historically, there are examples of successfully reigning in new tools and technologies. Dynamite was initially unregulated and used to malicious ends before lawmakers carefully crafted policy limiting its use. Cryptocurrency is a more modern example, with the U.K. passing a law making it easier for law enforcement to seize cryptocurrency linked to terrorism. The U.S. is considering its own laws. Regulating AI will possibly be more difficult, as variants will likely retreat to the darker corners of the web. Yet raising the bar to entry can have a notable impact on the widespread use of AI for malign purposes.

RED-TEAM: The second avenue is red teaming (i.e., generating ideas from the perspective of an adversary) on a large, systematic, and scientific scale. Research indicates that malevolent creativity is largely driven by context. Simply put, many of us have the capacity to think in malevolently creative ways and will do so if the situation demands. The implication here is that we should be putting large teams to the task of thinking like malign actors and using the same tools, in the same ways, against those that seek to cause harm. It is possible – if the broader homeland security enterprise is willing to think like the adversary – to out-creative malign actors.

RECLAIM: It is important to remember that the factors inspiring hate and targeted violence are the root problem – not the tools themselves. It will be incumbent upon those tasked with protecting the public from terrorism and targeted violence to lean into the use of AI technology in their own efforts. Malign actors will have no qualms about what it means to ask AI how to most effectively harm others. Our national security frontline needs to be as adept with this new technology as the bad guys they’re trying to stop.

Just as classroom teachers are exploring ChatGPT as a bulwark against plagiarism, the intelligence community and law enforcement need to expand their cyber education to this front. Our knowledge of AI will almost assuredly grow in the coming years, and new tools and technologies will emerge. Along with them, new issues will certainly present themselves. It is critical to be forward-thinking in our approach – embracing today’s technology to anticipate and mitigate tomorrow’s threats.

Sam Hunter, PhD – Professor of IndustrialOrganizational Psychology at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and Head of Strategic Operations at the National Counterterrorism Innovation, Technology, and Education (NCITE) Center of Excellence.

Joel S. Elson, PhD – Assistant Professor of Information Technology Innovation at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and Head of Information Science and Technology Research Initiatives at the National Counterterrorism Innovation, Technology, and Education (NCITE) Center of Excellence.

and Guardian NoNtobeko hlela

IN 1971 the United States, acting unilaterally, put an end to the gold standard as the basis of the international monetary system. The US dollar became the reserve currency with the result that the US has been able to control financial markets and print money as and when it sees fit.

This gives the US extraordinary global power and, along with the structure of the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the United Nations Security Council, means that although there are some democratic states there is no democracy of states.

Over the years it has often been argued that building a more equitable world requires, among other measures, the democratisation of the global financial system. This would require, along with other steps, a move away from the dollar being the primary global reserve currency.

There have been some proposals to break away from the stranglehold of the dollar. Some have argued that plans to move against the chokehold of the dollar on the economies of the Global South were central to the motivation on the part of the US to remove Iraq’s Saddam hussein and Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi from power.

Now there are renewed attempts to circumvent the near monopoly of the dollar as the primary currency of global trade. The decision by Saudi Arabia to accept other currencies in exchange for its oil is an important development. The move away from the dollar has been suddenly escalated by the war in Ukraine.

Immediately after the war began the West kicked Moscow off the international SWIFT banking system and froze its assets around the world. Russia responded by demanding payments for its gas in its own currency — the rouble. Several countries including Germany, India and Saudi Arabia acquiesced to Russia’s demands, thereby allowing it to bypass some of the sanctions. As a result, an unintended consequence of Western sanctions has been a clear demonstration that international trade can be carried out without reliance on the US dollar. The war, of course, is horrific for its victims. But to note that a war can have multiple outcomes is not to overlook the suffering it causes. For example, World War II unleashed unspeakable horrors and lit a fuse under anti-colonial movements.

NEW POSSIBILITIES: The rapidly developing possibilities for international trade without the mediation of the dollar is a significant moment for the countries of the Global South, which have often found themselves expected to be vassal states of the US in particular, and the West more generally. The power relations are so crude that, as we recently saw in Afghanistan when the US appropriated $9.5-billion from the Afghan central bank, dollar reserves of other countries held in the US central bank are not secure.

The US has a long history of attempting to economically isolate and sanction states that it perceives to be a threat to its power. This goes back to the haitian revolution against slavery in 1804, and was perhaps most infamously encapsulated by president Richard Nixon’s instruction to the CIA in 1970 to “make the economy scream” in Chile to “prevent [Salvadore] Allende from coming to power or to unseat him”.

The economic warfare unleashed on Russia by the West, including the freezing of its dollar denominated reserves, has shown that no country that crosses the US is safe. It should be an urgent wakeup call to the Global South to get going on an alternative financial system that

It seems likely that Brazil’s President Lula da Silva will work to reinvigorate ALBA (the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America), which aims to develop the economic and political integration of countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. This could accelerate the push for greater economic autonomy in the Global South.

The expected inclusion of more countries into Brics is potentially an important opportunity for the grouping to put its house in order and become more focused on what it wants to achieve in this rapidly changing international system. Brics needs to further strengthen its institutions and those of the New Development Bank so that it can be that anchor that creates and sustains an alternate system for countries of the Global South.

Brics and the rest of the countries in the Global South need to use this crisis, and the lessons of Covid-19 lockdowns, to strengthen trade among themselves. This trade should be structured to favour their conditions and to benefit the Global South. Current international trade rules impose barriers and high tariffs on developing countries’ abilities to export value-added products to industrialised countries. Yet there are huge untapped markets in the Global South. These are markets waiting to be fully used and by developing countries bypassing high tariffs and barriers and trading more with each other.

POLITICAL SHIFTS: economics can never be understood in isolation from politics. We will also require a more multilateral system of global governance if we are to build a fairer set of global economic arrangements. The refusal to find a way to the negotiation table with the aim of negotiating an end to the war in Ukraine is an example of this failure of the current global political system.

A clear majority of the leading countries in the Global South have taken a non-aligned position on the war, and have been calling for negotiations since the war started. But their pleas have fallen on deaf ears with the West hellbent on continuing the war at all costs by flooding eastern europe with more and more weapons. This benefits its arms industry and allows the US to further entrench itself in europe, which had been slowly moving further away from Washington’s influence, but it does not benefit the rest of the world and in particular not the Global South.

The prevailing global order is not working for the Global South. It has never worked for the Global South, and is well described as neocolonial. There are major political differences between the Brics countries but they all have a shared stake in developing a more representative and equitable system of global governance, including the World Trade Organisation, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the UN Security Council.

The global economic and political domination of the West is often seen as a natural order of things. Questioning this leadership, or advocating for a more equitable global system, often provokes anxiety and a crisis of identity, including among South Africans who see themselves as part of the West.

But the stakes are too high for acquiescence to the ongoing Western domination of the world. We need a new global order that does not continue the old game of generating wealth in the North and impoverishment in the South. We need a new global order that is as outraged by atrocities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, ethiopia, Yemen, Afghanistan and Guatemala as it is by those in Ukraine. We need a global order in which Africans, along with people from the rest of the Global South, can take their rightful place in the world and in world affairs.

Nontobeka Hlela works for Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research and is seconded to the office of the National Security Advisor as a Researcher, she writes in her personal capacity.

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BRI cReated 420,000 joBs, lIfted 40 mIllIon people out of poveRty: chInese fm

ISLAMABAD Mian abRaR

INthe past decade, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has galvanized nearly $1 trillion, launched over 3,000 cooperation projects, created over 420,000 jobs, and lifted 40 million people out of poverty, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang said here at a press conference on the sidelines of the first session of the 14th National People’s Congress. He said that the Belt and Road Initiative has attracted the participation of over three-fourths of countries in the world and 32 international organiza-

tions.

“Ten years after its inception, BRI has created an array of national landmarks, livelihood projects, and milestones of cooperation”, he said according to Gwadar Pro.

“The China-Laos Railway helps make land-locked Laos a land-linked country. Luban Workshops help young people in over 20 countries acquire vocational skills.

The China-Europe Railway Express has completed more than 65,000 freight services, serving as a health train delivering medical supplies during the pandemic”, he further specified.

This year, China will host the Third

Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. “We will take this as an opportunity and work with relevant parties for more fruitful outcomes from the Belt and Road cooperation”, he highlighted.

Responding to a question on the socalled “debt trap”, Qin said, “China should be the last one to be accused of the so-called debt trap. Data show that multi-lateral financial institutions and commercial creditors account for more than 80 percent of the sovereign debt of developing countries. They are the biggest source of debt burden on developing countries.

Particularly last year, the unprece-

Business experts inspire future leaders seminar held at umt

dented rapid interest rate hikes by the US have led to massive capital outflows in many countries and worsened the debt problems in the countries concerned”.

He told the audience that China has been making efforts to help the countries in distress, and is the biggest contributor to G20’s Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI).

“China will continue to participate constructively in the resolution of international debt issues,” he added.

“Meanwhile, we call on other parties to act together and share the burden fairly. When parties sit together and talk things through, there will be more solutions than problems”, he added.

Argentina makes headway in establishing a cannabis export industry

Argentina’s new cannabis watchdog is overseeing more than 50 projects related to the research and development of cannabis and is establishing a regulatory framework as it bids to enter the potentially lucrative weed export market.

“The industry has incredible potential,” said Gabriel Gimenez, director of the ARICCAME cannabis agency created in January this year, last week.

He said 51 regulated research and development projects are currently taking place around the country, including Cannava in Jujuy province, Agrogenet-

ica Riojana in La Rioja, Biofabrica in Misiones and Medicinal Cannabis in San Juan.

Argentina is looking to build its domestic medical cannabis market and generate foreign currency through exports. It allows cannabis-derived products in pharmacies and has ordered insurers to cover prescriptions for marijuana-based medications, but recreational use is still forbidden.

The country’s National Seed Institute has currently authorized 13 traceable types of cannabis seed.

In Santa Fe province, the medical cannabis research and development center (CIDCam), which has over 200 cannabis plants of various varieties, is

expecting a second harvest this month. The project is intended to help producers experiment with different genetics.

Argentina is hoping the industry could generate 10,000 direct jobs, $500 million in domestic sales and $50 million in exports by 2025, according to a report from the Ministry of Productive Development.

Local firm Pampa Hemp was the first private venture authorized by the health ministry. It started cultivation in 2021 of pharmaceutical-grade cannabis at an experimental station in Buenos Aires province. Pablo Fazio, president of the Argentine Chamber of Cannabis (ARGENCANN) and Pampa Hemp’s co-founder,

said demand could ignite a new domestic industry for products made from the raw material. “That in itself is a revolution,” he said. The chamber comprises some 200 private firms either directly or indirectly linked to the industrial hemp and medical cannabis business.

Latin American countries have been gradually loosening restrictions around the cultivation, distribution, and consumption of cannabis.

Argentina’s smaller neighbor Uruguay was the first modern country to explicitly legalize marijuana in 2013, while recent legislation in Paraguay is seeking to legalize cultivation for medical use.

Elon Musk apologises after ‘mocking’ laid-off Twitter employee

SAN FRANCISCO the aSSociated pReSS

If you’re not told you are fired, are you really fired? At Twitter, probably. And then, sometimes, you get your job back — if you want it.

Haraldur Thorleifsson, who until recently was employed at Twitter, logged in to his computer last Sunday to do some work — only to find himself locked out, along with 200 others. He might have figured, as others before him have in the chaotic months of layoffs and firings since Elon Musk took over the company, that he was out of a job. Instead, after nine days of no answer from Twitter as to whether or not he was still employed, Thorleifsson decided to tweet at Musk to see if he could catch the billionaire’s attention and get an answer to his Schrödinger’s job situation.

“Maybe if enough people retweet

you’ll answer me here?” he wrote on Monday.

Eventually, he got his answer after a surreal Twitter exchange with Musk, who proceeded to quiz him about his work, question his disability and need for accommodations (Thorleifsson, who goes by “Halli,” has muscular dystrophy and uses a wheelchair) and tweet that Thorleifsson has a “prominent, active Twitter account and is wealthy” and the “reason he confronted me in public was to get a big payout.” While the exchange was going on, Thorleifsson said he received an email that he was no longer employed. Late Tuesday afternoon, however, Musk had a change of heart.

“I would like to apologise to Halli for my misunderstanding of his situation. It was based on things I was told that were untrue or, in some cases, true, but not meaningful,” he tweeted. “He is considering remaining at Twitter.”

HBL PSL 8: Battle for play offs gets interesting

LAHORE Staff RepoRt

The loss of Multan Sultans in match against Islamabad United in the 8th edition of Pakistan Super League (PSL) has brought the competition to an interesting position. Shaheen Shah Afridi led Lahore Qalandars and Shadab Khan led Islamabad United have already qualified for play-offs with 12 points each. So far 24 matches have been played in the tournament. Karachi Kings, having played nine

matches, is at the bottom with four points while all other teams will play two matches each. Quetta Gladiators is on number five with four points while Multan Sultans and Peshawar Zalmi are at number three and four, respectively, with eight points each. Quetta Gladiators have to win their both matches from Peshawar Zalmi and Multan Sultans to place them in the top four teams. The match between Multan Sultans and Peshawar Zalmi will be an important one to decide another team that would qualify for the top four teams.

LAHORE

Staff RepoRt

University of Management and Technology (UMT) organized a special seminar on "Future Leaders with Business Leaders" here at UMT Johar Town campus, Lahore. Minister of Local Government and Member Board of Governors of UMT/ILM Trust Ibrahim Hasan Murad and Founder LUMS / Packages Group Syed Babar Ali participated in the seminar as a chief guest speaker. Professor Dr. Sohail Qureshi, UMT senior leadership, faculty and a large number of students were also present on this occasion. The purpose of organizing the event was the interaction of future leaders with eminent business leaders so that they can get guidance for their successful and bright future. Addressing the seminar, Founder Syed Babar Ali paid tribute to the educational efforts of Founder UMT Dr. Hasan Murad Shaheed. He also appreciated Ibrahim Murad's intellect and vision for providing quality education to the youth, providing skill based training and running UMT as a non-profit institution. Mr. Syed Babar said that today's parents pay more attention only to the education of their children, while their grooming is neglected. He also added that there is no shortcut or formula for success, the only way is to work hard and move forward. Never be afraid of failure, but face the failure with truth and move forward fearlessly, he shared. Syed Babar advised the students to do a job before you become a good entrepreneur. Ibrahim Murad Minister Local Government / Member Board of Governors UMT in his address welcomed Syed Babar Ali to UMT and said that people like Syed Babar are an asset of our country and it is a great honor for UMT students to seek guidance from him. At the end of the ceremony, Minister Local Government /Member Board of Governors UMT Ibrahim Murad presented a souvenir to Founder LUMS Syed Babar Ali.

tpl Insurance and takaful Bazaar partner to offer shariah-compliant services

LAHORE Staff RepoRt

TPL Insurance Limited – Window Takaful Operations (WTO), one of the leading insurance providers in Pakistan, has partnered with Takaful Bazaar, an upcoming Takaful digital platform, to offer shariah-compliant services to customers. The partnership aims to promote and offer Shariah Compliant products and smooth the customer handling journey via technology enablement. At an exclusive event held at Pearl Continental, Karachi, Takaful Bazaar announced their collaboration with the captain of the Pakistan cricket team, Babar Azam. The attendees enthusiastically received the announcement, including TPL Insurance and Takaful Bazaar representatives. The partnership between TPL Insurance (WTO) and Takaful Bazaar represents a significant milestone for the Takaful industry in Pakistan, as it provides customers access to a broader range of shariah-compliant products and services. This partnership is also a testament to both companies' innovative and technology-driven approaches to increasing insurance penetration in Pakistan. On this partnership, Mr. Muhammad Aminuddin, CEO of TPL Insurance, said, "TPL Insurance has always been an innovator and tech-enabled company. It is these same concepts which Takaful Bazaar has adopted to increase insurance penetration in the Pakistan market. We are pleased to work alongside Takaful Bazaar and wish Mr. Mustafa Rehman and Mr. Hassan R. Muhammadi all the best in their endeavour to enhance financial inclusion and provide a safety net to the masses."

The Co-founders of Takaful Bazaar, Mr Mustafa Rehman & Hassan R. Muhammadi, reiterated their commitment to providing a financial safety net to the masses in Pakistan, saying, "We have only one goal, which is to provide a financial safety net to the masses in Pakistan. Takaful Bazaar aims to provide a one-stop solution when it comes to takaful. Together with the Takaful industry, we will increase penetration and enhance financial inclusion. Takaful Bazaar aims to provide a one-stop solution for takaful and is committed to enhancing financial inclusion and providing a safety net to the masses in Pakistan. The platform offers a wide range of Shariah Compliant insurance products, including motor, travel, and health insurance. TPL Insurance, on the other hand, is known for its innovative and technology-driven approach to providing insurance products and services in Pakistan. The company has been at the forefront of the insurance industry in Pakistan, offering a range of insurance solutions to meet the diverse needs of its customers. The partnership between TPL Insurance (WTO) and Takaful Bazaar is expected to drive growth and innovation in the Takaful industry in Pakistan. The collaboration between the two companies will enable them to leverage their respective strengths and resources to provide customers with better, more accessible, and affordable Shariah Compliant insurance products and services.

UK cyber security firm warns over ChatGPT

LONDON afp

British cyber security firm Darktrace on Wednesday warned that artificial intelligence bot ChatGPT may have increased the sophistication of phishing scams.

Content creation bot ChatGPT, Silicon Valley’s latest app sensation, was launched by Microsoft-backed start-up OpenAI in November.

“Darktrace does not believe that ChatGPT has yet lowered barriers to entry for threat actors significantly,” the firm said in a results statement.

“But it does believe that it may have helped increase the sophistication of phishing emails, enabling adversaries to create more targeted, personalised, and ultimately, successful attacks.”

Generative AI, of which ChatGPT is an example, can upon request wade through reams of data to conjure up original content – an image, a poem, a thousand-word essay – in seconds.

ChatGPT had “ignited a conversation about the implications of generative AI for cyber security”, Darktrace noted Wednesday.

It added however that email attacks on its customers were “steady” despite the release of ChatGPT, with a decline in the number of those containing malicious links.

Yet it warned that the “linguistic complexity” of those emails – including punctuation, sentence length and text volume – had increased.

“This indicates that cyber-criminals may be redirecting their focus to crafting more sophisticated social engineering scams that ex-

ploit user trust.”

Darktrace also revealed Wednesday that its net profit sank 86 percent to $581 million in the first half of its financial year, or six months to December. Its performance was slammed by surging costs and tax charges.

Darktrace shares rose 1.2 percent to 267.10 pence in London midday deals, but the stock is down 40 percent compared with the same stage last year. The company, which uses cutting-edge artificial intelligence technology to combat cyber attacks, floated on the London stock market in 2021.

However shares have tumbled over the last year and a half on concerns over the group’s accounts, and after US private equity firm Thoma Bravo ended its takeover interest in 2022.

MONTE VERA ReuteRS

corporate corner

Maritime investment pivotal for economic revival of country: DGPMSA

noT-by- profiT

environmenTal fallouT of disPosable vaPes: a GroWinG concern

Islamabad news desk

ISLAMABAD: Maritime investment is pivotal for economic revival of the country, said Rear Admiral Mirza Foad Amin Baig (HI), Director General, Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) in a seminar held at International Islamic University (IIU) on the topic of “Pakistan Maritime Security Agency’s role in security and economy of Pakistan”.

The activity was jointly organized by the Iqbal International Institute for Research and Dialogue (IRD), Department of Politics and IR and PMSA at the Faisal Masjid Campus of the university on Wednesday that was attended by a hundred of students of the social sciences faculty.

Speaking on the occasion, DG PMSA said that Pakistan Navy has the best tactics and war strategies with an approach to deal with the enemy with iron hands. He also highlighted the importance of the role and activity of Pakistan Navy in the region by informing about the details such as international collaborations, exercise and a large security patrol. pr

USC providing subsidy under PM's Relief Package: Spokesman

ISLAMABAD: Utility Stores Corporation (USC) is providing special subsidy on basic items under the Prime Minister's Relief Package. These include flour, sugar, ghee, rice and pulses. The recent wave of inflation, uncertainty in general market prices, non-availability of dollars and increase in general sales tax have led to price revisions by utility stores corporation suppliers.

There is no change in prices for customers registered under the Benazir Income Support Program. Under the Benazir Income Support Program, ghee is being provided at Rs 300 per kg, sugar at Rs 70 per kg, while a 10 kg bag of flour is being provided at Rs 400 per kg.

Ghee will be available for general consumers at Rs 490 per kg after the price hike.

It should be noted that despite the increase, the prices of the items available at the utility stores are very low compared to the general market.

Utility Stores Corporation has completed its preparations for the Ramadan relief package. Ample supply of all subsidized items has been ensured so that the public does not face any kind of problem. pr

PEC launches e-Gateway to boost engineering services’ export

WRITINGfor Financial Times authors Oliver Barnes and Alexandra Heal explain that the use of electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes, has been on the rise in recent years as they have been touted as a less harmful alternative to traditional cigarettes. However, a new trend has emerged among young people with the rise of brightly colored, single-use devices with flavors like "cotton candy" and "green gummy bear." These devices, made popular by Chinese-owned brands like Geek Bar, Elf Bar, and Lost Mary, have become incredibly popular among young people, including those who are not legally old enough to purchase them. This trend has caused concern among parents and educators alike, as the use of these devices has become prevalent in schools. Headteacher Dan Cleary first became aware of the trend when he noticed a sickly sweet scent

lingering outside the school toilets upon pupils' return after the summer holiday last year. Since then, he has had to discipline students regularly for stashing a "vape" in their backpack or blazer pocket.

According to the NHS, 18% of 15-year-olds in England and Wales were using e-cigarettes in February last year, an all-time high. Additionally, the number of 11- to 17-year-olds who were vaping in Britain more than doubled last year from 3.3% in 2021 to 7%. However, this latest vaping craze has created a whole new problem - tons of electronic waste.

Unlike Juul, the previous market leader, which was blamed for sparking a "vaping epidemic" among US teenagers, these single-use e-cigarettes cannot be reused or recharged. The devices are often discarded like cigarette butts outside the school gates, according to Cleary, creating a significant environmental problem.

However, the materials in singleuse vapes could have a valuable second life if recycled properly. Each

device contains about 0.15g of lithium in its battery, a metal classified as a "critical" raw material by the US and EU. The International Energy Agency has warned it could be in short supply within two years as manufacturers race to scale up electric car production. More than 90 tonnes of lithium were used in the production of the $5bn worth of single-use vapes sold globally last year, according to Financial Times estimates based on data from the research group Euromonitor, the consultancy ECigIntelligence and the electricals recycling non-profit Material Focus.

Furthermore, single-use e-cigarettes contain roughly 1,160 tonnes of copper, enough for 1.6mn home electric vehicle chargers. It's clear that these devices represent a significant waste of valuable resources, and manufacturers globally have made little effort to enable the recycling of their products and prevent them from ending up in landfills.

The UK and EU have legal obligations for electronics producers to

fund the recycling of a tonnage equivalent to what they put on the market. However, only 16 out of 150 vape producers and importers in the UK analyzed by Material Focus are registered to do so. Green Fun Alliance, a UK-based distributor owned by the company behind Elf Bar and Lost Mary, only registered late last year despite selling the products in the UK for about two years. Its £600mn of sales accounted for more than 70% of the UK disposable vape market in 2022.

With concerns over the environmental impact of these devices growing, policymakers are becoming increasingly agitated about the waste associated with the product, on top of concerns over underage uptake. Shane MacGuill, head of nicotine research at Euromonitor, believes that regulation already approaching in Europe and parts of the US will quickly become "kryptonite" for the industry.

To read the full article visit www.ft.com

In meeting with businessmen, COAS throws weight behind beleaguered Dar

Islamabad news desk

The chief of the military met with a group of business leaders late on Monday to discuss the nation's economic woes, and assured them Pakistan had overcome the possibility of default and would prevail as a nation, in an apparent show of support to the embattled government combating record-breaking inflation.

Although there is no statement from Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on the meeting, also attended by Ishaq Dar, reports citing sources said that Gen. Syed Asim Munir was optimistic and confident throughout the discussion.

He even asked the businessmen, who belonged to Lahore and Karachi, to remain steadfast and assured them that the economic difficulties would be overcome. Interestingly, the army chief repeatedly referred to Islamic teachings to inspire hope and confidence, according to The News.

The meeting, which Journalist Kamran Khan said lasted for over three hours, is being perceived

as a display of solidarity for the blue-eyed financial wizard of the Shehbaz Sharif administration, who is facing intense criticism from both internal and external sources for the deterioration of the economy and the declining foreign exchange reserves.

Reportedly, the businessmen had requested the meeting, and Dar was invited by Gen. Munir. The meeting was deemed a success, and the businessmen were informed that all prior conditions of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) had been met, and a deal was expected to be completed within days. The IMF had requested that agreements with friendly countries for the provision of dollars to boost the country's foreign exchange reserves be documented. The businessmen were told that commitments had been secured from friendly countries for investments in agriculture, mining, and information technology, with the expectation of advanced equity from these countries. It was reported that the civil

IWMI calls for women inclusivity in all aspects of tech, water management

ISLAMABAD: One of the remarkable e-procurement platform launched first time in Pakistan by PEC to export engineering services internationally. The event was graced by renowned Engineers, diplomats and appraised by Senator, Engr. Rukhsana Zuberi as Chief Guest and Guest of Honor Eric Hahn form European Union.

PEC E-Gateway is one of the important initiatives by the Council committee PPDC – Pakistan Development Committee, working towards creating opportunities and providing resources for engineers across the borders. E-Gateway provides a one-window solution for international companies to engage qualified and registered Pakistani engineers and firms for their business needs. It also offers a new avenue for business development and export the talent of Pakistani engineers. The Washington Accord paved the way for Pakistani engineers to be recognized as professionally accredited and provide their services in member countries and PEC E-gateway is a step in the direction of this growth.

PEC E- Gateway is being launched with a focused objective of promoting local engineering talent in international market through coordinated efforts of overseas engineers for minimizing brain drain at national level. pr

Islamabad pr International Water Management Institute (IWMI) Pakistan celebrated International Women’s Day 2023 and held a seminar and panel discussion under the global UN theme ‘Innovation and technological change, and education in the digital age for achieving gender equality’ in Islamabad. The commemoration on this International Women’s Day 2023 by IWMI was to raise awareness

for inclusivity, technology incorporation and celebrate the Pakistani woman. IWMI through USAID funded activity Water Management for Enhanced Productivity (WMfEP) works on improving

the livelihood and enriching the lives of women in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. As women constitute majority of the workforce in agriculture, their role in the food security of Pakistan is important.

SNGPL marks Int’l Women’s Day

Islamabad pr

An event was organized at the SNGPL Head Office to mark International Women’s Day. Chairperson Board of Directors Roohi Raees Khan was chief Guest of the event.

Speaking on the occasion, Chairperson Board of Directors Roohi Raees Khan said that women are seen engaged in all walks of life today but still a lot needs to be done to protect rights of women. She further said that men and women need to work together to create conducive environment in the society. Roohi Raees Khan added that Sui

Northern has been implementing strict policy regarding workplace harassment.

and military leadership worked together to secure these commitments.

During the meeting, the businessmen asked Gen. Munir why politicians were not being brought together to address the country's serious challenges. They conveyed that the nation expected the military to prevent further polarisation and chaos.

Gen. Munir said the military was playing its role and trying to develop unanimity.

This is not the first time a COAS has held meetings with the country’s business leaders either. In his six years as COAS, General Bajwa held several such meetings including industry titans Mian Mansha, Hussain Dawood, Mohammad Ali Tabba, Gohar Ejaz, Aqel Karim Dhedi, Zubair Tufail, Siraj Qasim Teli, Saqib Shirazi. Later Bajwa himself said in his retirement speech that the Pakistan Army has been involved in political decision-making for a while until it took a conscious decision in February 2022 to step away.

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

Google palns Women Techmakers events to support women developers in Pakistan

Islamabad staff report

Google is organizing seven Women Techmakers (WTM) events in Pakistan this year to support and empower more than 1,550 women developers across five cities. WTM is a global initiative by Google to provide visibility, community, and resources for women in tech. The seven events - which will comprise rallies, workshops, networking events and conferences - will run from March to May, and provide training in various entrepreneurship areas including leadership, technical skills, and how to overcome unique challenges facing women in tech. The first event will start on March 8, which marks International Women’s Day (IWD). The IWD theme for WTM events this year is #DareToBe, where we encourage women to have the courage and confidence to dream big and take risks. Whether it’s bold, resilient or innovative, we invite everyone to think about all the ways they will “Dare To Be” in 2023. Local WTM Ambassadors will host the events with support from Google. The WTM Ambassador program supports women in tech who are looking to create impact and give back to their communities. As an Ambassador, they will engage with their communities by participating in one or more leadership activities on a quarterly basis. Farhan S. Qureshi, Google Regional Director for Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka said: “These events, in collaboration with Women Techmakers (WTM) Ambassadors, don’t only recognize the accomplishments of women in tech.

The issue of money laundering and terror financing

from different countries, as well as the use of various financial instruments and other value-storing assets, are all possible components of such sophisticated techniques.

However, the principle of money laundering is essentially straightforward. It is a method for disguising the proceeds of criminal activity in order to hide their dubious source. In essence, rather than the actual property, money laundering involves the proceeds of criminally obtained property.

support of terrorism, money launderers send illicit funds through legal channels in order to conceal their criminal origins.

Rayaan mIRza

Money laundering and the financing of terrorism pose serious problems for the majority of nations in terms of prevention, identification, and criminal prosecution. The intricacy of these problems is increased by sophisticated methods used to finance terrorism and launder money. A variety of financial institutions, numerous financial transactions, the use of intermediaries like financial advisers, accountants, shell corporations, and other service providers, transfers to, through, and

The funding of terrorism is also a fundamentally simple concept. It is the financial support, in any form, of terrorism or of those who encourage, plan, or engage in terrorism.

The definition of terrorism itself, however, is more complicated because, depending on the nation, it might have important political, religious, and national ramifications. Similar transactional characteristics, primarily involving concealment, frequently distinguish money laundering from terrorist financing. While individuals who finance terrorism transfer cash that may be legal or illicit in origin in such a way as to disguise their source and ultimate use, which is the

However, the outcome is the same: reward. Criminals make money from their conduct when money is laundered; they are rewarded by hiding the criminal activity that results in the unlawful gains and by hiding the source of what looks to be legitimate money.Similar to this, those who support terrorism are rewarded for hiding their sources of funding and hiding the money they use to carry out their terrorist attacks. The methods used to cover up the sources and uses of terrorist financing are substantially the same as those used to launder money. Money used to finance terrorism might come from legal or illegal activity, or from both. Regardless of whether the source is legal or illegal, it is crucial to conceal the source of terrorist financing. The source can still be used to fund terrorism in the future if it can be kept secret. Similar to this, it is crucial for terrorists to hide how they spend the money so that their financing operations go unnoticed. Because of these factors, FATF has

advised that each nation make funding terrorism, terrorist activity, and terrorist organisations a crime by designating these activities as money laundering predicate offences.

The forty money laundering recommendations and the nine special recommendations, according to FATF, form the fundamental basis for stopping, identifying, and repressing both money laundering and terrorism funding. In order to ensure that charities in particular are not utilised, either directly or indirectly, to finance or assist terrorism, governments must take into account increasing the scope of their AML framework to include non-profit organisations. Examining alternate remittance or money transmission methods, including hawalas, is another requirement for CFT activities. This initiative takes into account what steps should be done to prevent terrorists and money launderers from using such organisations.

As mentioned above, a key distinction between money laundering and terrorist funding is that the cash at issue might come from both legal and illegal activity. These

acceptable sources could include gifts or grants of money or other assets made to foundations or charities, which then fund terrorist organisations or terrorist actions. As a result, to address terrorist financing, particular regulations are needed. However, depending on the nature of the predicate offences for money laundering, funds used to finance terrorism that come from illicit sources may already be covered by a nation’s AML system.

Money laundering was initially a source of worry because of its early association with illicit narcotics trade. Drug traffickers wanted to exchange frequently tiny amounts of money into legitimate bank accounts, financial instruments, or other assets. Today, a wide variety of criminal activities, including governmental corruption, the sale of illegal weaponry, and the exploitation and trafficking of people, earn ill-gotten wealth. Money launderers use placement, layering, and integration techniques to transform illegal funds into items that appear to be legitimate, regardless of the crime they are doing.

– ‘SURE’ OF IMF DEAL IN DAYS

CHiNESE EmBaSSy writES tO GOvt fOr rESOLviNG POrt QaSim PaymENtS iSSuE

iSLAMABAD

ahmaD ahmaDani & aSaD ullah KamRan

iNa worrying turn of events, the Chinese government through its embassy in Islamabad had written a letter on February 3, 2023, to Khurram Dastagir, the minister for energy. According to the letter, “CPEC coal fired power plants now face the difficulty of buying coal due to the foreign exchange restriction”.

The letter also expressed its concern regarding the shut down of power plants, “among which the Port Qasim

Power Plant has to be shut down as the coal has run out”. Furthermore, the Chinese expressed their concern regarding capacity payments. The letter read, “the company [Port Qasim Electric Power Company] could not get electricity payment, nor the capacity payment, facing a very difficult situation”. The power plant utilises imported coal and has a generation capacity of 1320 MW.

In a separate letter to the ministry of energy, dated February 14, 2023, the Port Qasim Electric Power Company told the minister that both units of the

Na panel expresses displeasure over delay in hiring CCP members

PRofit iSlamabaD

The National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue has expressed displeasure over the delay in appointment of the Members of the Board of Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP). The panel has directed the Finance Division to finalise the process of board members’ appointment in order to improve the performance of the organisation. The Committee also expressed its dissatisfaction with the delay in appointment of the heads of the National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) and Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL), an issue which has remained unresolved for nearly a year. The 83rd meeting of the Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue was held at the Parliament House in Islamabad under the chairmanship of Member of National Assembly Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh. During the meeting, the chairperson of the CCP noted that the role of the CCP is to foster competition in all spheres of economic activity and to protect consumers from anti-competitive practices. She informed that CCP essentially administers the provisions of the Competition Act, 2010 by means of enforcing the prohibitions against anti-competitive behaviour, undertaking competition advocacy, and conducting research on competition related issues. She said that the CCP has made many achievements over the years, but there remain some unaddressed challenges. She emphasised that there are over 500 cases against CCP’s actions which are pending in different courts. Over 217 appeals also against CCP’s orders are pending in the Competition Appellate Tribunal, she added. A committee member also inquired about the status of the appointment of the board members of CCP. To this, the Special Secretary, Finance Division, informed the Committee that there are four vacancies among the five Members of the CCP. Currently, the Commission has no other member except the Chairperson of CCP. The positions of the Members have been vacant since March, 2022. The secretary also said that 186 applications have been received for the board vacancies from which the candidates are being shortlisted. After the shortlisting process is done, a committee headed by the Minister for Finance will finalise the appointment of these four members.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 03

PHC restores LG representatives in KP

PESHAWAR

Staff RepoRt

The Peshawar High Court (PHC) here Wednesday suspended a notification of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and restored Local Government (LG) representatives in the province.

On February 3, the ECP had suspended all local government functionaries in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa till the announcement of the election results of both provincial assemblies.

The two-member PHC bench comprising Justice Rohul Amin and Justice Arshad Ali announced the verdict after hearing arguments and examining the facts of the case.

During the hearing, the Deputy Attorney General informed the court that the ECP had the powers to suspend local government representatives in the province to ensure transparent and free election of the provincial assembly. He argued that this was not the first time that ECP had suspended local government representatives as it had happened during the 2018 elections.

The ECP had stated that it wanted to ensure that the general election of the provincial assemblies were held in an “honest, just and fair” manner, and to prevent any action on the part of the local government institutions that amounts to influence the results of upcoming general election by depriving candidates from having a level playing field.

On February 10, a PTI tehsil council chairman moved the Peshawar High Court challenging the ECP’s order. In the petition, Mohammad Ishaq Khan Khattak, who heads the Nowshera tehsil council and is the son of former federal minister Pervez Khattak, requested the court to set aside the February 3 ECP notification.

Plans to transfer control of Nandipur Power Plant, GEPCO to PSO

power plant (with a combined generation capacity of 1320 MW) have been shut down. Expanding on this, the CEO of the company Guo Guangling explained in the letter that, “due to outstanding foreign exchange requests with the SBP (State Bank of Pakistan), the coal supplier discontinued shipments after January, 2023”. These external conditions have caused immense pressure on both the finances and the inventory of coal kept by the company, leading to a depletion of the standing inventory and an inability to import new stocks. They had no

IMPORT IT,

choice but to shut down the power plant.

Similarly, several unconfirmed reports from sector experts also indicate that the three other power plants reliant on imported coal have also shut down owing to their inability to procure coal.

Contrary to these claims, some experts who prefer to remain anonymous have stated that these plants are non-operational due to low overall electricity demand, and also that power plants using imported coal are more expensive compared to those using hydel, solar, nuclear and domestic coal.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 02

Real estate entity Al Rehman Developers buys Public News

ACQUISITION OF CHANNEL ANNOUNCED ON SOCIAL MEDIA

LAHoRE Shahab omeR

Lahore based real estate developer, Al Rehman Developers, on Wednesday took to social media announcing that it has bought Public News, which broadcasts national and international news, and current affairs.

Public News was founded in 2018 by media veteran Abdul Jabbar, who passed away in November 2022. Media mogul Yousaf Baig Mirza was appointed as the CEO afterwards.

A journalist associated with Public News informed Profit that the channel had been facing serious financial difficulties for the last two years which also resulted in a delay in the disbursement of staff salaries. He said that in these two years, the channel had also carried out heavy downsizing and discontinued most of their programmes.

“There are now reports that Public News has been bought by Al Rehman Developers but who will pay the dues remains unclear,” he said.

Earlier in the day, a Facebook page named Al Rehman Developers announced that Public News had been bought by the business. “Bringing forth their leadership and vision, we have no doubt that this news channel will thrive and become a reliable source of information for its viewers,” reads the post.

The company’s CEO, Mian Muhammad Mushtaq, runs a housing society named Al Rehman Gardens, which is located on Sharaqpur

Road near Faizpur Interchange in Lahore.

The trend of real estate tycoons venturing into media is not new. Former senior minister Abdul Aleem Khan, who owns Park View Housing Society, bought a national news and current affairs based channel Samaa TV last year. Aleem Khan started a newspaper called Daily Waqt during Musharraf’s regime which was later acquired by Jang Group just after two years of its launch.

Similarly, another news channel SUNO TV is started by Saad Nazir, who runs the Blue World City housing project in Rawalpindi. While rumors that Express Media Group has been bought by property tycoon Malik Riaz are also circulating in the market, there is no confirmation or official announcement regarding the deal yet.

Previously, Malik Riaz bought Aap TV from anchor Aftab Iqbal but it was later the channel was shut down. Malik Riaz had also started a daily newspaper which was later handed over to another party. Similarly, News One channel was bought by Chaudhary Aurangzeb, owner of a housing society Kabir Town.

The media fraternity believes that the real estate sector is increasingly investing in the media industry, mainly to strengthen the former industry. Many housing projects of most real estate developers do not have any legal status. Under the guise of media group ownership, many developers continue to conduct several illegal activities, without having any accountability institutions take action against them.

Honda announces longest plant shutdown since Covid-19

COMPANY WILL NOT PRODUCE CARS FOR REMAINDER OF MARCH

LAHoRE Daniyal ahmaD

Honda Atlas Cars has notified the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) that it will observe non-production days (NPD) from March 9 to March 31, 2021.

The company has attributed the decision to the restrictions placed by the Government of Pakistan in accessing letters of credit to import raw materials, and authorising foreign payments.

Honda will keep its plant shut for a total of 23 calendar days. This marks the longest period the company will have done so since the outbreak of Covid-19, when they observed NPDs from March 24, 2020, to May 19, 2020. Furthermore, this is the longest any automotive manufacturer will have observed NPDs since the onset of the financial crisis last year. The longest duration of NPDs previously was Millat Tractors’ observance earlier this year from January 6 to January 15.

What are the restrictions placed by the Government of Pakistan Honda is talking about?

The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) announced

EPD Circular Letter No. 20 of 2022 on December 22, 2022, as a substitution to its governance over the import of products under Chapters 84, 85, and certain items of Chapter 87. This new system empowered authorised dealers (banks) to validate all transactions for these imports, providing some solace to the ailing automotive industry that had been gravely impacted by the prior mechanism. Shafiq Shaikh, Head of Public Relations and Official Spokesperson at Pak Suzuki Motor Company Limited, lauded the move, stating “This intervention has not only salvaged the industry but also the livelihood of thousands of employees,” to Profit when the Circular was released.

Notwithstanding, authorised dealers were in-

structed to prioritise essential imports over those aligned with conspicuous consumption, prompting concerns about the depth of relief the automotive industry would receive in the immediate future. Munir Bana, Chairman of the Pakistan Association of Auto Parts & Accessories Manufacturers, posited to Profit that “The auto industry does not constitute an essential item, and therefore, SBP will continue to regulate and apportion our imports.”

Honda’s announcement subsequently validated Bana’s assertion. While the new circular offered a welcome respite, it is not a panacea for the industry’s long-standing challenges, as prioritising essential imports may impede its resurgence in the short term.

One after the other

Honda’s recent announcement to suspend its production marks yet another addition to the series of shutdowns experienced by major players within Pakistan’s automotive industry.

This includes Ghandhara Nissan’s declaration of NPDs from March 6 to March 10, and Agriauto Industries’ decision to partially halt its operations for the entirety of March. Sazgar’s four-wheel division plant also had to close earlier this year from February 27 to March 4, while Suzuki has reported multiple plant closures throughout January and February. Toyota had to observe a two-week plant closure from February 1 to February 14, followed by the decision to adopt a single shift upon the resumption of regular production from February 15. Furthermore, Millat Tractors had to implement a plant closure from January 6 to January 15.

These circumstances exemplify the continuous difficulties faced by Pakistan’s automotive industry due to impediments in the supply chain and the inherent economic volatility within the industry.

FINANCE DIVISION SEEKS JUSTIFICATION FOR CONTROL OF GEPCO INSTEAD OF GUDDU POWER PLANT

iSLAMABAD ahmaD ahmaDani

The government has been planning to transfer assets of Nandipur Power Plant (NPP) to a separate entity which would come under the purview of Pakistan State Oil (PSO), mainly to settle the premier oil company’s claims, Profit learnt on Wednesday. According to sources in the power division, PSO is likely to acquire the stake of the government in the Nandipur Power Plant (NPP) and Gujranwala Electric Power Company (GEPCO) against the outstanding dues amounting to more than Rs 100 billion. Further adding that the government has been planning to carve out assets of NPP into a separate entity, transferring its controlling interest to PSO to settle the company’s claims against NPP and Guddu Power Plant (GPP). Similarly, the power division has also proposed transfer of controlling interest of GEPCO to PSO and sought comments from the finance division on the said proposals. Upon this, the Finance Division has sought justification from the power division for proposing transfer of controlling interest of Gujranwala Electric Power Company (GEPCO) instead of Guddu Power Plant (GPP), said sources.

They added that PSO’s circular debt receivables can be reduced if the proposed option is implemented in true spirit as the power plants are income generating assets. According to available copy of an Office

Memorandum of Finance Division titled “Partial Settlement of PSO’s Circular Debt Receivables by Transferring Controlling Stake of Government’s Equity in Power Plants”, the proposed transaction structure for NPP suggest that the government shall move the assets into a separate entity after clearing all its active and contingent liabilities. The proposed transaction is meant to settle PSO’s claims against NPP and Guddu Power Plant (GPP) in lieu of its receivables from afore-referred entities (NPP & GPP).

iSLAMABAD ShahzaD paRacha

After months of deadlock on LCs due to administrative controls put in practice by the State Bank, Governor State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), Jameel Ahmed has said that the central bank will be able to facilitate full import transactions as soon as the balance of Payment situation improves.

Governor Jameel Ahmad on Wednesday assured the Senate Finance and Revenue committee that as soon as the balance of Payment situation improves, banks will be in a better position to facilitate full import transactions. He said that the SBP is fully supporting import of pharmaceutical ingredients with special issues for the packing industry. He further added that the pharmaceutical industry can also import necessary raw material for their own consumption and no prior approval from SBP is required for any import including that of packing material. Earlier this year, the Senate committee was apprised of the delay in the provision of necessary healthcare due to import restrictions faced by the pharmaceutical industry. If the pharmaceutical industry still faces further issues they can approach the SBP, he added. The committee also discussed the LCs of Dawlance, Hayat Kimya and European EV electric cars. The governor assured the committee that issues pertaining to the LCs will be resolved with the revival of the IMF program.

He also said that banks have been advised to remain vigilant and restrict the import of luxury items including luxury vehicles in CBU condition to save precious foreign exchange of the country. The matter was referred to the Ministry of Industries and Production for further deliberation. The committee was also informed that import of essential edibles have been made owing to the month of Ramadan, including the import of $600 million in palm oil.

The finance committee, lamenting the sudden dollar fluctuation, said that the state bank is responsible to control and maintain the actual dollar rate and take solid measures to completely curb black marketing and smuggling of dollars.

The governor SBP admitted that the continuous deficit of the economy is due to the policy induced slow down in response to monetary policy tightening and the administrative measures to counter inflation and address external challenges. It was informed that the total FX reserves of the country have declined to $9.3 billion as of 24 February 2023. He said that the current account deficit is at $3.8 million dollars and will continue to reduce. “Although we were ready for $10 billion, we will be able to attain a $7 billion overall current account deficit by the end of this year”, he vowed. Senator Mohsin Aziz pointed out that around 4 to 5 million dollars are being smuggled every year.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 03

Abraaj founder loses challenge to US extradition on fraud charges

PRofit ReuteRS

The founder of collapsed private equity company Abraaj Group on Wednesday lost a bid to challenge his extradition from London to the United States to face fraud charges. U.S. prosecutors allege Pakistani businessman Arif Naqvi is the architect of a plot to defraud investors including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Naqvi has previously denied the allegations through a public relations firm. Judge Jonathan Swift on Wednesday refused Naqvi permission to bring a judicial review against the 2021 approval of his extradition to the United States.

Naqvi’s lawyer Edward Fitzgerald told London’s High Court on Tuesday that Naqvi was likely to be held in a New Jersey prison where he may have to share a dormitory with violent criminals.

Naqvi also suffers from severe depression and there is a “real risk” of suicide if he is extradited, Fitzgerald argued.

However, lawyers representing the U.S. government said Naqvi has been given assurances that prosecutors will not oppose bail before he stands trial.

The U.S. government’s lawyer Mark Summers said in court filings that the judge in Naqvi’s case is U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan, who granted bail to FTX founder

Sam Bankman-Fried, which is a “strong indication” Naqvi will be granted bail.

Swift ruled on Wednesday that there had been no “material change” in prison conditions since the 2021 ruling approving Naqvi’s extradition. The judge also said that Naqvi’s suicide risk could be adequately managed if he was held in prison.

Naqvi’s lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Naqvi was the founder of Dubai-based

Abraaj, which was the largest buyout fund in the Middle East and North Africa until it collapsed in 2018 after investors raised concerns about the management of its $1 billion healthcare fund. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) alleges Naqvi and his firm raised money for the Abraaj Growth Markets Health Fund, collecting more than $100 million over three years from U.S.-based charitable organisations and other U.S. investors.

DEVELOPMENTS IN ENERGY SECTOR SHOW INDUSTRY’S STRUGGLE TO MINE COAL FROM THAR AND

SIGNALLING TROUBLE IN COMING MONTHS

‘SBP to facilitate import transactions as balance of payment situation improves’