Epaper_23-03-10 KHI

S tA f f - l E v E l A g R E E m E N t w i t h i m f t O

b E S i g N E d i N f E w d Ay S : i S h A q d A R

iSLAMABAD

mINISTER for F nance and Revenue Ishaq Dar on

Thursday sa d that the staff-leve agreement with the International Monetar y Fund (IMF) would be signed in the next few days as all of the requirements had already been fulfil ed

We are ver y c ose to signing the agreement with the IMF and it would be done n the next few days said the m nister wh e addressing a sem nar tit ed Rev ving econom c stability through strengthen ng of public financial management organ sed by the m nistr y of finance here

The minister said that the Pakistan Muslim league-Nawaz (PMl-N) government had also completed the full programme with the Fund earl er in 2013-16 and was committed to completing it now as we l despite agreeing to tough conditions by the previous government

He said a shattered economy was handed over to the coalition government however it showed commitment and sincer ty to the state by act ng upon all the tough conditions made by the previous government with the IMF

Ishaq Dar regretted that petty po itics was still being p ayed over Pakistan s economy by spreading rumours about falling into default

PAKISTAN NOW IN POSITION TO MOvE FORWARD WITH ‘ FUll CONFIDENCE’

which he said was totally a nonsense attitude

He said the bad economic crisis wh ch the coalition government inherited was even more deeper and complex than that in 2013 and 1990s but with utmost sincerity and

prudent polic es of the government, the countr y had come out of the quagm re We are now in a position to move for ward with full conf dence he said add ng that Pak stan had the resilience to meet the chal-

lenges as it had huge resources to cope with the problems but the only th ng that had been lacking was lack of consistency in po icies and mismanagement in the fiscal sector The min ster informed that the countr y s debt-to-GDP rat o mproved from 73% to 69% n a few years which meant that there was no need to worr y about the debts of the countr y He said even the developed countries such as USA and UK had high debt-to-GDP ratios of over 100% therefore we need not to worr y about He said the countr y s foreign exchange reser ves got down due to the fact that the government had been only paying back the debts and not getting new debts for the last few months Ishaq Dar a so invited all political parties to sit together for reso ving the countr y ’s long-standing economic issues by setting apart the r differences

SbP ’s forex reser ves rise above $4b mark

The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), in a statement issued here on Thursday stated that reser ves held by the central bank ncreased by $487 mi lion to $4 301 0 million while net fore gn reser ves he d by commerc a banks were at $5 453 mill on Fol owing the receipt of $500 mil ion as GoP commerc a loan from China the total liquid fore gn re-

ser ves held by the countr y reached $9,754 0 million as of March 3 it added In the previous week ended on Februar y 24 total iquid fore gn reser ves hold by the countr y was $9 267 9 m llion Among these the fore gn reser ves held by the SBP were $3 814 1 mi lion while net foreign reser ves held by commercial banks were $5 453 8 mil ion M o n to r n g D e S k

Next elections to be held in October: Kh Asif

iSLAMABAD S ta f f r e p o r t

Min ster for Defense Khawaja Muhammad Asif on Thursday said that next elect ons should be held n October this year

We are calling a meeting and inviting applicat ons for conducting elections this year he said while talking to a pr vate te evis on channe

The Elect on Comm ssion of Pak stan (ECP), would make arrangements for free and fair elections he added Comment ng on the po itics of Imran s party he said the countr y could not make progress due to the weak po icies of Imran s last regime

To another question about the insta lation of Imran s party in 2018 elections he said an off cial had made efforts to introduce PTI leader n Pak stan He further sa d that Imran Khan cou d do anyth ng for personal gain He said that PTI eader Imran Khan is p aying politics to regain power in this countr y

ECP seeks Rs15b to make preparations for elections in Punjab, KP

iSLAMABAD

Staff report

Rupee fur ther down by 1.13pc against US dollar

pr ofit report k a r ac h i O n T h u r s d a y t h e Pa k i s t a n i r u p e e e x p e r i e n c e d a d e p r e c i a t i o n o f 1 1 3 % a g a n s t t h e U S d o l l a r s e t t l i n g a t 2 8 2 3 a s r e p o r t e d b y t h e S t a t e B a n k o f Pa k s t a n ( S B P ) Th s decline of Rs3 18 in the nter-bank market followed a decrease of Rs1 25 or 0 45% on Wednesday when the rupee sett ed at 279 12 against the US dollar after three successive gains SBP Governor Jameel Ahmed shared that measures have been taken to control imports, and the current account def cit s expected to be $7 b llion for the current fiscal year wh ch s lower than the budgetar y target of $10 bill on I n t h e i n t e r n a t i o n a l m a r ke t t h e U S d o l l a r w a s n e a r a t h r e e - m o n t h h g h o n T h u r s d a y d u e t o Fe d e r a l Re s e r v e C h a i r J e r o m e Po w e s r e m a r k s t h a t i n t e r e s t r a t e s m a y n e e d t o r i s e f a s t e r t o c u r b i n f l a t i o n A l t h o u g h Po w e l l r e m a n e d c a u t i o u s a b o u t t h e s c a l e a n d p a t h o f f u t u r e r a t e h i ke s b e i n g d e p e n d e n t o n d a t a t h e U S d o l l a r i n d e x, w h i c h m e a s u r e s t h e g r e e n b a c k a g a n s t a b a s ke t o f s i x p e e r s r e m a n e d c o s e t o a t h r e e - m o n t h p e a k h a v i n g i n c r e a s e d b y 1 3 % o n Tu e s d a y A d d t i o n a y o i l p r i c e s f e l l f o r a t h i r d d a y d u e t o c o n c e r n s o v e r r i s i n g i n t e r e s t r a t e s p o t e n t a l e c o n o m i c i m p a c t d e s p t e a s u r p r i s e d r o p i n U S c r u d e i n v e n t o r i e s a n d o p t i m i s m a b o u t C h i n e s e d e m a n d

Federal

Cabinet

approves Hajj 2023, Clean air policies

The Federal Cab net on Thursday approved the Hajj Policy 2023 and the Nat onal Clean Air Pol cy Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, chairing the cabinet meet ng said the authorities shou d prepare a comprehensive and effective strategy as soon as possible n cooperat on with the officials of Saudi Arabia to provide the best possib e travel and lodging faci ities to p lgrims during the Hajj

He appreciated the Ministr y of Climate Change for formulating the C ean Air Policy and directed that necessar y steps should be taken for its effect ve implementation

The Ministr y of Climate Change presented the new policy before the cabinet for approva The cabinet was to d that in the previous years air pollution had risen to dangerous evels in many big cities

According to the Air quality Index Report 2022-23 Karachi and lahore were the cities most affected by air pol ution

It mentioned that due to air po lution the average life of people was reduced by 2 7 years

As per the 2016 report of

the World Bank Pakistan s economy was suffering huge osses because of the air polut on problem

In recent years the number of accidents caused by smog n cities and different diseases spiraled

The M nistr y of Climate Change prepared an extens ve po icy covering a number of subjects ncluding protection of health of citzens steps to reduce per year deaths promotion of agriculture reduction in air pollution and for improvement in qual ty of air in urban and rural areas

The policy recommended to encourage and promote upgradation of fue from Euro 5 standard to Euro 6 introduce str ct laws to control industrial em ssions modernize

agriculture

The effective enactment of policy would be ensured by a National Act on Committee, which wou d provide long term guidance for its implementation and also br ng changes in t after ever y f ve years keeping in view the ground realities

A techn cal committee would also be constituted to come up with a strategy to ensure execut on of the policy and send period cal reports to the Nat ona Act on Committee

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday sought Rs15 bill on from the federal government for gearing up preparations for elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) in the l ght of a Supreme Court verdict

According to detai s demand for the funds was made during a meeting held between off cials of the Election Commission of Pakistan and the F nance Min str y Media reports said that officials from finance m nistr y tabled an over view of the countr y s economic situation The m nistr y was facing severe difficulties for day-to-day expenses” reports said while quoting officials Dur ng the meeting the ECP sought Rs15 bill on from the government for conducting elections in Punjab KP Sources added that the finance ministr y has already provided Rs5 bi lion to commission in this regard The electoral watchdog has tabled its demand to immed ate release of Rs10 bill on Meanwhile sources claimed the ministr y has assured ECP that its demand wil be tabled before the government Offic a s noted that the withdrawal of res gnations from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MNAs saved cost of the by-election

A day earl er the Elect on Commiss on of Pakistan (ECP) had summoned a meet ng with the officials of the Interior and Finance ministries to seek funds and security for the upcoming elections

Ear ier on Monday, the ECP refuted media reports claiming that it had asked for funds from the prime min ster s off ce for upcom ng e ections n Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa

In a statement ssued, an ECP spokesman brushed aside the al egations and stated that the commission had not sent any such letter to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif

PUnjab PollS: The Elect on Commiss on of Pak stan has announced the election schedule for the general election in Pun ab Pol ing for the election of Punjab provincial assembly w ll be held on April 30, the election commission announced Accord ng to the election schedule cand dates could submit their nomination papers from March 12 to 14 while scrutiny of the papers will be held on March 22 The candidates cou d withdraw their nomination papers up to April 05 and election symbols to candidates wi l be allotted on April 06 the ECP announced

FbR imposes 25pc sales tax on a wide range of luxur y items

er electric rickshaws secondhand and worn clothing or footwear

c nematographic equipment and other items specif ed n the Eighth Schedule to the Sa es Tax Act 1990 In addit on to the above the FBR has imposed a 25% sales tax on a range of other goods These goods inc ude aerated water and juices confectioner y vehicles in CBU condit on sanitar y and bathroom wares, carpets (exclud ng those from Afghan stan) chandel ers and light ng devices or equipment choco ates c garettes cigars and e-c garettes, corn flakes and other ready-to-use cereals cosmetics and shaving tems tissue papers crocker y kitchenware and tableware household articles decorat ons or or-

namental art c es dog and cat food only, doors and window frames, fish, footwear fru ts and dr y fruits (excluding those imported through land route or barter mechanism) furn ture home appl ances CBU ice cream ams ellies preser ved fru ts and fruit and vegetab e uices eather jackets and appare s, mattress and sleeping bags, fresh chilled frozen preser ved or processed meat musical instruments pasta arms and ammun tion (exc uding defence stores), shampoos, sunglasses tomato ketchup and sauces a ship designed or adapted for use for recreat on or pleasure or private use an aircraft designed or adapted for

use for recreation or pleasure or private use, articles of jewe r y (both precious meta s and imitation) wristwatches loca ly manufactured or assembled SUvs and CUvs oca ly manufactured or assembled vehicles hav ng an engine capac ty of 1400cc and above and ocally manufactured or assemb ed doub e cab n (4×4) pick-up vehicles This new tax regime s expected to generate signif cant revenue for the government which has been grappling with a widening f scal deficit and the economic fa lout of the COvID-19 pandem c The FBR has urged all relevant parties to comply with the new regulations and pay the requ red sa es tax in a timely and accurate manner

EU EnErgy chiEf tElls companiEs not to sign nEw rUssian lng dEals

reuters

last year following its invasion of ukraine causing an energy crisis of squeezed supplies and record-high prices The eu has vowed to quit russian fossil fuels by 2027, and replaced around two-thirds of russian gas last year

s energy policy chief said on Thursday russia curbed gas supplies to europe

But while Moscow slashed pipeline gas flows, deliveries of russian liquefied natural gas to europe increased last year –to 22 bcm up from around 16 bcm in 2021 according to an eu analysis seen by

shehbaz government must lift ban on pti protests: amnest y

iSLAMABAD s ta f f R e p o R t

The government of Shehbaz Sharif must lift its total ban on opposition protests which violates the right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly rights group amnesty International said, after dozens of participants were arrested and wounded in a police crackdown on a pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (pTI) election rally in Lahore pakistan has been in political turmoil since pro-democracy protests led by former prime minister Imran Khan erupted after his ouster in april of last year, which the multi-party pakistan Democratic Movement (pDM) government attempted to put down on Wednesday the police used water cannons and fired tear gas to disperse his supporters in Lahore at least one rallygoer was killed reportedly in custody and more than 40 were arrested for defying a surprise ban on holding rallies in the city police said The developments followed Khan s launching of provincial election campaigns Tuesday for punjab and Khyber pakhtunkhwa where his party has held a majority in past rounds of voting The blanket ban [on political rallies] is at odds with pakistan s obligations to recognise, respect and facilitate the right to freedom of peaceful assembly as a state party to the International Covenant on Civil and political rights,” amnesty said in a statement “Section 144 [a colonial-era law] should never be used to unduly restrict the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and it needs to be repealed ” amnesty called on the government to immediately lift the ban and all the people arrested solely for exercising their right to protest peacefully should be immediately and unconditionally released

Subsequently in an interview with al-Jazeera Khan accused the government of trying to get him out of the way to contest the elections

UK national appeals gov t to protect his investment in pakistan

LAHore s ta f f R e p o R t an oversees pakistani has appealed to the prime Minister of pakistan and Chief Minister punjab to help save his investment in pakistan as he is facing life threats from the land grabbers who are already occupying his precious piece of land in Lahore Saqib Jalal uddin a uK national along with his lawyer Mushtaq ahmad Mohal said this while holding a press conference at the Lahore press Club on Thursday He said that land grabbers had illegally occupied his land at Model Town Lahore with the support of a political party He said that one Iftikhar uddin killed his mother and aunt to deprive them of their property and terrorise other family members

The accused was sentenced to death after the trial by the session court and his conviction was upheld even by the Supreme Court He said the convicted person was released from jail after 18 years but he is still hurling threats at him and his property worth millions of rupees is still in his illegal occupation

Saqib said that all his minor sisters and brothers had shifted to uK after the murder of their mother and maternal aunt His father had already passed away and no one left in pakistan to look after them and take care of their property He is still unable to visit Lahore as they have serious apprehensions of being attacked by the convict Iftikhar uddin, he added

We can and should get rid of russian gas completely as soon as possible, still keeping in mind our security of supply, eu energy commissioner Kadri Simson told a meeting of eu lawmakers on Thursday “I encourage all member states and all companies to stop buying russian LnG, and not to sign any new gas contracts with russia once the existing contracts have expired ” Simson said adding that this could

also reassure other gas suppliers europe is trying to negotiate deals with The LnG volumes were far lower than the 155 bcm of pipeline gas Moscow had sent europe each year before the ukraine war europe replaced most of those volumes with LnG from alternative suppliers like the united States, renewable energy and energy savings as eu countries begin preparations to secure energy supplies for next winter

S hehbaz invites applic ations for PML-N tickets ahead of

iSLAMABAD s ta f f R e p o R t

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum aurangzeb on Thursday said pakistan Muslim Leaguenawaz (pML-n) president and prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had invited applications from the prospective candidates for party tickets to contest punjab assembly election

The minister in a series of tweets said the pML-n president had also directed the candidates to submit papers

Punjab polls: M arriyum

in their relevant constituencies as the election Commission of pakistan had already announced March 14 as the last date for filing the nomination papers

The interested candidates must reach out the party s Central Secretariat at 180H Model Town Lahore for submission of their applications she added Marriyum said the parliamentary boards were also advised to finalize the lists of candidates for punjab and Khyber pakhtunkhwa elections

She said the pML-n president also directed to work out a strategy for

carrying out the election campaign in the provinces Marriyum cited the message of Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif to the candidates to get prepared for contesting the elections

She said the pML-n had been striving to serve the country and masses

It had had always steered the country out of every crisis under the leadership of Quaid Muhammad nawaz Sharif and would do so again with the blessings of the almighty

She said the reduction in inflation, elimination of terrorism and

Mari Petroleum successfully completes commissioning of facility in Daharki, Sindh

pr ofit report M u h a M M a d R a a fay K h a n

Mari petroleum Company Limited (MarI) has successfully completed commissioning and performance testing of Sachal Gas processing Complex (SGpC) phase-II gas processing facilities in Daharki Sindh

The announcement was made by the company to the pakistan Stock exchange (pSX) on Thursday

We are pleased to inform that after successful completion of construction activities of SGpC phase-II, the phased commissioning and performance testing of the gas processing facilities is now complete,” the notice read

“presently, around 95 Million Standard Cubic Feet per Day (MMSCFD) of pipeline specification gas is being supplied to Sui northern Gas pipelines Limited (SnGpL) via MpCL’s own 20 inch 25 km long cross country gas transmission pipeline connecting SGpC to the SnGpL valve assembly (QV-2) at Muhammadpur The plant is expected to reach its full potential after integration of SGpC phase-I & II and after commissioning of the remaining wells which is ongoing previously on January 20th MarI had announced that it had successfully completed the

construction of SGpC phase-II facilities to process low Btu gas from the Goru-B reservoir of Mari Gas Field located in Daharki at the time, the phased commissioning and testing of the processing facilities was ongoing and was expected to produce 50 MMSCFD of pipeline specification gas The latest announcement has shown Mari beat its own expectations by producing 95 MMSCFD gas Mari petroleum has seven oil and gas fields of which Mari Field Daharki in Sindh is their one and only gas field It currently has 152 wells The Mari Gas Field in Daharki District Ghotki Sindh is approximately 96 kilometres north of Sukkur It was first discovered in 1957 by eSSo eastern and gas was found at a depth of 701 metres (2300 feet) in Lower Kirthar Limestone formation which came to be known as Habib rahi Limestone as we know of it today production of natural gas commenced in 1967 In 1983, Fauji Foundation, the government and oil and Gas Development Company Limited (oGDCL) acquired the entire operations of eSSo including the gas field The new company was called Mari Gas Company Limited which was renamed to Mari petroleum Company Limited (MpCL) in 2012

Mar yam claims ex- C JP K hosa sought extension from Nawaz

LAHore s ta f f R e p o R t

pML-n Senior Vice president Maryam nawaz on Thursday claimed that former chief justice of pakistan (CJp) asif Saeed Khosa had sought an extension from pML-n supremo nawaz Sharif

Maryam made the claim in an exclusive interview with DawnnewsTV show Live With adil Shahzeb, which will air tonight (Thursday) at 10pm

In the interview, Maryam who has railed against Khosa in the past for being part of a conspiracy against nawaz said: “place your hand on the Quran and tell [the world] was your extension as the chief justice not being talked about? “If nawaz Sharif sahab had agreed and he (Khosa) would have gotten an extension then umar ata Bandial would not be the [current] chief justice She said there were even talks of increasing the retirement age of Supreme Court judges which she claimed was for Justice (retd) Khosa s benefit Maryam said that a delegation had conveyed the then chief justice s message to nawaz who was in jail at the time adding that the pML-n supremo had refused to grant an extension

It is pertinent to mention that in 2017, ex-CJp

Khosa headed a SC bench which had disqualified nawaz in the panama papers case ‘Faiz Hamid Has conFessed’: During the interview, Maryam also spoke about former InterServices Intelligence (ISI) director general (DG) retired Lt-Gen Faiz Hamid and said that he had “confessed” to his crime a day earlier Maryam in an interview with a newly-launched digital news outlet had demanded the retired general s court martial for his alleged role in getting her and her father convicted in naB corruption references in 2017 She further said that as of now she wanted to make an example of Gen Hamid Subsequently senior journalist Kamran Khan claimed in a tweet that the former ISI chief had reached out to him and provided a response to the allegations being levelled by Maryam according to the journalist, Gen Hamid argued that in 2017-18, he was simply a major general in the army and asked whether, under military discipline, a lone officer could topple the government Gen Hamid was also quoted by the journalist as saying that it is the chief of army staff has the final say and that all the major decisions seemingly a reference to nawaz s disqualification and subsequent imprisonment were taken by the courts

Simson said the Commission would propose that eu countries extend to next winter a voluntary target to cut their winter gas consumption by 15% The eu appears on track to meet the goal this winter having slashed its gas use by 19 3% from august to January, compared with in recent years

While europe looks set to avoid acute energy shortages this winter, the continent s energy security remains delicate russia is still sending some pipeline gas to europe v i a u k r a i n e , e n o u g h t o t o t a l 2 0 b c m t h i s year if current flows remain stable

The International energy agency has w a r n e d t h a t i f M o s c o w c u t t h o s e deliveries China bought more LnG from g l o b a l m a r k e t s a n d n e x t w i n t e r w a s u n u s u a l l y c o l d e u r o p e c o u l d f a c e f u e l s h o r t a g e s – m a k i n g i t c r u c i a l t h a t g o v e r n m e n t s k e e p u p e ff o r t s t o s a v e energy and boost renewable energy

development of road infrastructure on modern lines were the hallmark of the pML-n governments which ruled the country under the visionary leadership of nawaz Sharif

The minister said Shehbaz Sharif had resolved to chart the country on the path of progress and development like the previous government tenures of pML-n when the country had emerged as an economic force especially after generation of excessive electricity

She said the prime minister had vowed to continue to provide laptops, jobs education scholarships and health to the youth during the current government’s tenure

The minister quoted Shehbaz Sharif as saying that the nation fully knew those who had pushed the country into the economic quagmire through extreme inflation during their government tenure

Un special rappor teurs call for probe into Kakar’s death, ‘kill list’

iSLAMABAD s ta f f R e p o R t

The united nations (un) has called on the government of pakistan to investigate the death of former senator usman Kakar and an alleged Kill List that names several individuals to be eliminated The call was made in a joint letter by four un Special rapporteurs on human rights dated December 27, 2021, which was made public on Monday The letter urged the government to respond within 60 days, failing which the communication and any response received from the government would be made public and also made available in the report to the Human rights Council as of now, the letter does not carry any government response, suggesting that no response has been provided usman Kakar a member of the pashtun minority a former senator and regional leader of the nationalist pakhtunkhwa Milli awami party was found in his house in Quetta Balochistan with blood flowing from a head injury on June 17 2021 The cause of the head injury is unknown but there are concerns that he could have been attacked ex-Senator Kakar had previously received death threats and referred to them as coming from intelligence agencies in his final speech in parliament The joint letter by Morris Tidball-Binz, the Special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary, or arbitrary executions; aua Baldé, the Chair-rapporteur of the Working Group on enforced or Involuntary Disappearances; Mary Lawlor, the Special rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders; and Fernand de Varennes the Special rapporteur on minority issues also expressed concern about an alleged “Kill List ”

fia arrests a xact cEo from airpor t

iSLAMABAD s ta f f R e p o R t

The Federal Investigation authority (FIa) on Thursday arrested Shoaib ahmed Sheikh co-Chairman of BoL TV and axact Chief executive officer (Ceo) from Islamabad airport according to the BoL administration Shoaib Sheikh has been arrested by Federal Investigation authority (FIa) Islamabad Zone In a statement, the FIa said that the BoL TV’s co-Chairman has been arrested over persistent absences The authority has served several summon notices to Sheikh in a case it said However, the investigation agency said, Shoaib Sheikh failed to appear at the FIa headquarters despite several notices Bol TV reported that the TV team went to the airport to receive Shoaib ahmed Shaikh but he did come out of the airport Some unidentified persons reportedly detained him and took him away with them Talking to Bol TV, Senior anchorperson Sami Ibrahim said that Shoaib Shaikh has been kidnapped from the Islamabad airport by some unknown persons and the management of the Bol TV has no idea about them who were they

Autopsy reveals marks of vicious tor ture on PTI worker ’s body: repor t

LAHore

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

ali Bilal also known as Zill-i-Shah a supporter of the opposition pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (pTI) party who died reportedly in police custody, in Lahore Wednesday was in fact viciously assaulted before he passed away, reports citing sources confirmed

The post-mortem examination, conducted by a three-member forensic team from General Hospital revealed evidence of assault on his body with the cause of death determined to be due to torture Gnn reported according to journalist Zarrar Khuhro his post-mortem report says he was beaten Separately Gnn reported it also indicated that Bilal 34 died from shortness of breath during the assault

Whether the video of him in a police van is old or new isn t as important as the fact that there are clear signs of being hit on

and near the head Focusing on video alone is a distraction,” Khuhro noted

The post-mortem report has also been shared with Mohsin naqvi caretaker chief minister of punjab and Javed akram specialised healthcare minister but is yet to be made publicly available the report said naqvi is understood to have ordered an inquiry into the event

Sharing the pictures of the deceased and the image of his identity card, former prime minister Imran Khan tweeted Bilal was unarmed when murdered by the police

He said it was a shameful act that the caretaker government unleashed brutality on unarmed party workers coming to attend the scheduled election rally

“pakistan is in the grip of murderous criminals We will file cases against [provincial police chief] [head of Lahore police] and others for the murder Khan said

In another tweet he posted a video showing Bilal sitting inside a prison van So he was killed while in police custody

such is the murderous bent of the present regime and punjab police he lamented Meanwhile, the united nations has called for an investigation into the incident Farhan Haq, a spokesperson for Secretary General antonio Guterres, in a statement, emphasized that people have the right to peaceful protest, and those who committed violence against demonstrators should be held accountable Guterres also appealed for calm and

restraint to ease tensions in the region

i G P s e t s u P c o m m i t t e e t o

P r o b e P t i w o r k e r’s ‘m u r d e r’:

punjab Inspector General of police Dr usman anwar has formed a Fact Finding Committee for a transparent and impartial investigation into the death of a pTI worker during a crackdown a day ago on those participating in the party s rally following the imposition of Section 144 in Lahore

DIG Headquarters punjab has issued a notification for the two-member f Committee The two-member committee consists of DIG elite Force Sadiq ali Dogar and SSpIaB, Capital City police Lahore, Imran Kishor will conduct a detailed review of all aspects of the incident and submit a report within three days The committee will carry out inquiry into the incidents of police clashes with [pTI] workers especially the death of ali Bilal a pTI worker who the party chairman Imran Khan alleged was murdered by punjab police

as the pTI was about to commence a rally yesterday to express its support for the judiciary the government imposed Section 144 banning all kinds of gatherings

Following the ban police officials had taken scores of pTI workers into custody for violating the ban and used water cannons in an effort to disperse them which had led the pTI chairman to call off the rally

The IGp has directed the committee to submit a report within three days after gathering statements from witnesses and all possible CCTV footage and video clips of the incident The notification listed seven questions that the committee has been tasked with investigating, four of which specifically pertaining to Bilal’s death The punjab IGp asked what were the circumstances that led to Bilal’s death and when and where he died He further asked if Bilal was in police custody as reported on social media The committee would also inquire who took the deceased Bilal ali to the hospital and what was the registration number of the vehicle

imran among pti lEadErs BooKEd for ‘attacKing policE’ in l ahorE

LAHore

s ta f f R e p o R t

senior leaders of pakistan Tehreeke-Insaf (pTI), including chairman Imran Khan, have been charged for allegedly attacking police and using foul language against security institutions in Lahore

The incident took place after Section 144 was imposed to suspend public gatherings in the provincial capital as per the first information report (FIr) filed by a deputy superintendent of police (DSp) in raiwand a group of around 300400 people committed acts of violence in the city and hurled abuse at state institutions

The FIr which was lodged today cites

Section 7 of the anti-Terrorism act (aTa) and Sections 147 149 353 186 302 324 188 427 290 291 and 109 of the pakistan penal Code (ppC)

Furthermore the complaint alleges that party workers were incited to abuse the institutions by former prime minister Khan Hassan niazi Hammad azhar Mian Mahmood ur-rasheed Farrukh Habib Fawad Chaudhry, and ejaz Chaudhry according to the FIr, the violent mob threw stones and attacked police with wooden sticks, resulting in injuries to 13 police personnel, while six pTI workers were also hurt due to violence perpetrated by their own party members responding to the development Chaudhry said he had been in Islamabad for

sethi eyes hBl psl expansion with two new teams. But where does that leave existing franchises?

the past two days, occupied with the preparation of a petition that is scheduled to be heard later today

I have been charged with vandalism in Lahore Guess what kind of officers have been posted by General Dyer Mohsin naqvi [sic] in Lahore he tweeted referring to reginald Dyer who as a British army officer was responsible for the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre in amritsar s e c t i o n 144 L i F t e d: Meanwhile, the Lahore High Court (LHC) was informed by the caretaker government of punjab that the ban on public gatherings imposed in the provincial capital had been lifted The administration of Mohsin naqvi had imposed Section 144 of the Code of Criminal procedure (CrpC) 1898 in the

provincial capital to avoid any untoward incident owing to multiple public gatherings that were planned in the city These included the aurat March on International Women’s Day and the scheduled pTI rally The opposition party had challenged the move in the court claiming that the provincial authorities were obstructing the

election process During the hearing, punjab’s top law officer informed the court the government had lifted Section 144 due to security threats He said that “yesterday was a sensitive day so the implementation of Section 144 was the right step ” Following this announcement the court disposed of pTI leader azhar s petition

M ar yam terms youth real driving force for countr y ’s future

LAHore s ta f f R e p o R t

Senior Vice president and Chief organiser pakistan

Muslim League-nawaz (pML-n) Maryam nawaz on Thursday termed the youth the real driving force of the country, saying that the Muslim League was the only political party which had an ambitious agenda for this major chunk of the population

She said that unlike pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf s mere slogans for the youth, the pML-n was the party which had youths’ more representation in the parliament, which depicted the real picture against hollow slogans addressing the party’s young leadership here she said that the pML-n did not want to use the youth as a fuel for achieving personal agendas rather it wanted to make them part of the decision-making process at national level

She said the majority of the country s population consisted of the youth whether it was rural or urban

population She said there was dire need to give them a right direction so that they could contribute to nationbuilding Maryam nawaz terming the youth real strength of her party said that their participation in organisational matters would be ensured The pML-n had become a youth representative party in a true sense as the party had credit of initiating various schemes aimed at providing better employment and business opportunities to them

Muhammad nawaz Sharif and Shehbaz Sharif worked for making the youth self reliance whenever the pML-n got an opportunity to serve the country, and started various initiatives through financial assistance, scholarships, soft loans, etc

The pML-n chief organiser said that Shehbaz Sharif had introduced education-friendly punjab education endowment Fund project, whereas interestfree loan scheme was also launched by the pML-n government She said the youth was attracted toward the latest technology by providing them with laptops

“There needs to be a serious conversation that actually addresses the league model problem” says atif rana, owner of the Lahore Qalandars His team has been on the forefront of the effort to promote a regional revenue league model “If we manage to get this system in place there is no league in the world that we cannot compete with over the years as the security situation has improved and the tournament has spread all over pakistan this was all bound to happen However there are still some issues says osman Sammiuddin, senior editor at eSpn Cricinfo For starters, the security situation is changing again before our very eyes Then again, what are you going to do about a team like Quetta? You re definitely not going to be playing there for a very long time or hosting international players Do Quetta and Karachi then share the revenue for national Stadium? Will Salman Iqbal agree to that? These are all problems that need to be thought about These are all problems that need to be thought about all in all it is a good way to run the league but it will be a while before that happens The pCB is an old institution that does not like to cede control; they have a very purani sarkari soch With Sethi in charge, he may feel even more strongly about this since he has been here from the beginning

However, Sammiuddin agrees that there need to be more teams in the tournament “You’re a nation of 220 million people You had the Qea trophy where Imran Khan forced the six team system to become a thing and you want quality but you need way more teams and in the pSL especially you need more competition and more liveliness and commercially I don t think it should be an issue to sell the rights to a team for a city like say Faisalabad There should ideally be two more teams coming in d i G i ta L r i G H t s

Meanwhile, commenting further on how he was planning to expand the pSL, Sethi said that the future of the tournament was going to be deeply linked with how the digital broadcasting rights would be managed “The Sale of Digital rights is the future model for financial growth We are on it If DTH comes to pakistan, pSL will fly

If we are able to play some matches in the uSa it would be a great leap for cricket ” he says previous regimes had the wrong perspective

They thought that for psl to be successful foreign players had to play before domestic audiences in local stadiums But that wasn t possible because foreign players were not ready to come to pakistan But i reasoned that tv and digital eyeballs mattered not full house in local stadiums Global Broadcast rights brought in money not gate receipts So I launched psl in dubai and it was a huge financial success, paving the way for it to be gradually branded as a pakistani product which brought international cricket back to pakistan ”

The Lahore police have so far failed to arrest the main accused of the gang of boys who tortured a student in a snooker club in Gulberg a few days ago according to the details a few days ago a video went viral on social media in which a group of young boys attacked a young boy Hayat Sajjad and severely tortured him Later after the social media went viral the Lahore police registered a case and claimed that the accused had been arrested and it was also revealed that the boys who tortured the innocent boy were running an organized gang named Gang 102

However speaking to this scribe Hayat s father Sajjad Ghurki revealed that the police had arrested the boys of the gang but not the main accused

My son did not even know the boys of this gang The gang boys belonged to LaCaS and roots school system while my son is a student of Lahore Grammar School However, some of the gang boys were later released on bail after surrendering their arrest But the boys who tortured my son have not been arrested yet I have also given the names of some of them to the police but the police say that they do not have the addresses of the boys However

now I myself am helping the police by locating the houses of these boys However the gang boys were out on bail they also uploaded the triumphant videos through their gang s social media accounts which hurt many children after this incident, I was contacted by many parents whose children were tortured by this gang The leader of the gang is not a student anywhere and is a relative of a lawyer on whose back he beats up the boys and then uploads videos of these incidents on social media to build his reputation,” Sajjad lamented However Ghurki further informed that against the gang’s spreading fear and panic on social media he has also given an application to the FIa fifteen days ago on which no action has been taken yet on the other hand speaking to pakistan Today SHo Gulberg Imran Khan said that the police already had the addresses of the gang boys and twelve boys were arrested by the police through their effort “It was the police who found the boys We have the addresses of three more boys who will be arrested today We have arrested the boys on the basis of video footage and we have the remand papers of all the arrested Since the case was not for any serious crime all the boys were granted bail by the court, he said

while local and international scholarships were also provided to brilliant and deserving students

She said there were ample opportunities to excel in the field of Information Technology and the youth of the country had a right place to display their skills and get their share in the local as well international market

Maryam regretted that the pTI was using the youth to achieve its political goals but no one was there to lead them as they were called onto the roads every time for agitation while the party chief was hiding in his Zaman park residence

The pML-n senior leader said she was sad to hear about an untoward incident, which happened on Wednesday during a so-called pTI rally, wherein a political worker passed away She said transparent investigation into the incident should be held to ascertain that who was responsible for his death

She regretted that negative thinking was deliberately promoted among the youth during the previous four-year rule of the pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf

sindh cabinet decides to launch operation against dacoits

kArACHi

iSLAMABAD s ta f f R e p o R t

Benazir Income Support program (BISp) has so far registered over 4 00 000 households in the recently launched dynamic national Socio-economic registry (nSer) survey through its registration centers at Tehsil level around 1 70 000 households have been registered in the nSer from the flood-affected districts so that the losses incurred by the households can be estimated to provide assistance according to an official source, the launch of the first ever dynamic nSer in the history of pakistan will enhance the country’s capacity to cope with disasters, pandemics and economic instability by adopting a more effective data collection mechanism for the poor households

The nSer is a landmark achievement and is linked with national Database registration authority (naDra) for data collection as well as validation and can allow swift registration of six distinct types of information for the registry which shall be validated through naDra

PTI delegation meets CEC

iSLAMABAD s

a high-level delegation of the pakistan

Tehreek-e-Insaf (pTI) visited the election Commission

road

The six different types include registration of missed-out households, eligibility appeal cut-off for poor but ineligible households with widows or elderly people, roster updates for regular changes such as marital status, inclusion of new born, changes or correction in education, health, disability and employment information of household members gauging information on households impacted by disasters and their re-registration reassessment of ineligible households for last two years and reassessment of eligible or beneficiary households for last three years

The registry provides registration and information update opportunities to all citizens Since this registry is linked with naDra only naDra-authenticated information can be registered or updated Besides registration centres, an app will also be launched through Google play store which will f

n g o r c o r r e c t i n g t h e i r i n f o r m a t i o n W h i l e mobile registration is also planned for far-off areas which will register household information at their doorsteps

a s t h e d a y s t a r t e d t h e g o v e r n m e n t announced the imposition of Section 144 of the pakistan penal Code (ppC) banning g a t h e r i n g s , r a l l i e s , s i t - i n s e t c , c i t i n g s e c u r i t y t h r e a t s a n d p u b l i c n u i s a n c e , f o r seven days in Lahore after the issuance of the notification, the Lahore police started arresting the pTI a c t i v i s t s o n M a l l r o a d T h e p o l i c e a l s o placed containers and barricades to block the activists’ movement The police presence in the area started increasing as they moved to block all the points leading to Zaman park from all sides It was followed by the deployment of anti-riot Force (arF) prison vans and

The Sindh cabinet after thorough discussion and deliberations has decided to launch a joint wellplanned and decisive operation clean up against dacoits in Katcha areas of the province in which the police of punjab and Balochistan, rangers, and pak army would participate The meeting was presided over by Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad ali Shah here at CM House on Thursday The cabinet authorized Inspector General of police Ghulam nabi Memon to coordinate with his counterparts of Balochistan and punjab so that an operation could be planned in the katcha areas for which an amount of rs 2 79 billion was approved for the procurement of sophisticated Military-Grade Field and surveillance weapons Sindh ministers, advisors, special assistants, Chief Secretary Sohail rajput Chairman p&D Hassan naqvi pSCM Fayaz Jatoi and other concerned secretaries and offers attended the meeting The home department and Inspector General of police briefing the cabinet said that a joint operation in the katcha area of Sindh, Balochistan, and punjab has been planned as per government decision for which procurement of sophisticated field weapons and surveillance equipment would be required The IGp Sindh said that the matter for the purchase of Military Grade Weapons and Surveillance Systems was discussed in the 28th provincial apex Committee meeting held under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Sindh on 5th January 2023 The meeting approved the proposal The IGp told the cabinet that the weapons and surveillance system was required to control hardened criminals/gangs operating in the Katcha area of District Kashmore Shikarpur and Ghotki equipped with sophisticated weapons The cabinet was told that funds amounting to rs 2 796 184 million were required for the procurement of sophisticated/militarygrade weapons to start a joint operation in which the police of three provinces, Sindh, Balochistan, and punjab would launch the operation with the support of rangers and pak army The cabinet approved the proposal of the operation and also sanctioned the amount of rs 2 7 billion and directed the Home Department to seek noC from the Ministry of Interior for the purchase of the said weapons The finance department told the cabinet that the government has already upgraded 3871 IT-related posts and still 3,264 posts from grade BpS-5 to BS-16 were left over The computer operators/lab attendants hardware and other posts have been upgraded The annual financial impact of the up-gradation of the 3 264 IT-related posts on pay amounts to rs 243 706/- million The cabinet approved the up-gradation

is mocking the law which is intolerable behaviour

It stated that the former prime minister neither appeared himself at the last hearing nor did any of his lawyers on his behalf, adding that in such a situation there was no other option but to issue a warrant against him The eCp also ordered the pTI chief to deposit a bond of rs50,000 as a guarantee

L ahore police fail to arrest main acc used of ‘G ang 102’ who tor tured young boy

the theory it s inherent Psycho-analytical theory traces the roots of conflict in human nature the theory says that the existence of this instinct among humans to be distinct naturally pitches humans to conflict with others

INAMullAH MArwAt

We have stepped into the Spring Semester 2023 here at UMt Lahore Both students and faculty are trying to build chemistry with one another in the new courses like always as usually happens every time at the start of a new semester teaching is fun by the way, but the condition is if you have stepped into this profession by choice it s quite hectic, not only at times but, i think, all the time because as a lecturer or maybe someone in any other teaching position, you have to work before the lecture, work during the lecture, and work after the lecture Such is the schedule that you have day in day out i love teaching more in the Fall Semester perhaps because of the short spell of winter we get here in Pakistan every semester we faculty members at the Department of Political Science and international Relations get some courses for teaching each faculty member has an academic forte and opts for subjects accordingly Last semester i got a chance to teach Peace and Conflict Studies to undergraduate students i had studied this subject as part of my MPhil program in international Relations, but so far had not got a chance to teach it Building chemistry initially with students, especially in a subject when you are teaching it for the first time, always takes some time and the same happened; however, the end was epic We not only built good chemistry with each other but loved the whole journey across the subject With each passing week in the semester students not only

started finding the course interesting but i also started coming across a lot of creative ideas regarding how to navigate through the content of the course We ended the course with a mock Pakistan National Assembly session on how to find a solution for the kashmir issue Students enthusiastically participated and suggested creative solutions in the light of Johan Galtung's theory of Positive Peace in the last weeks we covered some potential sources of conflict around us in our daily lives though there are many sources of conflict in the shape of information comprising disinformation, misinformation and malinformation, miscommunication, resources’ distribution, relationships, interests and needs, structures, power, governance, rights culture ideology religion and values and we discussed all these sources in detail yet i would like to share one that i found quite interesting and that resonated with students as well as far as its analysis was concerned that source of conflict is identity identity is defined as a person s sense of "self" and the relation of the "self" to the world in simple words, we all humans have this desire to have a “self” and also this instinct is in us that the “self” we have is recognized by the world around us the desire to have a “self” which is a crucial part of our identity is usually because in the self we feel protected connected and to some extent distinct which is humans cardinal instinct As per Psychoanalytical theory which is a theory of conflict every human has an instinct to be distinct Conflict is within us humans as per

I think we all belong to the human self and that should be the base of our identity Let’s not be freaked out by our bountiful nothingness, in other words our socially constructed identities. Let’s embrace our human identity unconditionally!The first baby step to step into human identity & not be carried away by socially constructed identities in awareness

So, conceptually speaking, part of the identity is having a “self” the other part of identity is that the “self” we have wants its recognition in the world around us both at the micro or individual level and macro level including society culture religion and others Since the self in us believes in becoming distinct and believes in its recognition around the world this assertion on the part of the self in us gives birth to conflicts all around the reason is a majority of the time, the self with which we define ourselves is built upon a particular criterion; carries seeds of exclusion, and has no seeds of inclusivity; thus it’s a direct recipe for conflicts S o t h i s i s h o w a n i d e n t i t y b u i l t u p o n t h e s e l f c r e a t e s a pitch for conflict One interesting a s p e c t o f i d e n t i t y a s a p o t e n t i a l source of conflict is that we don t have one singular identity since we don t have a singular self We h a v e m u l t i p l e i d e n t i t i e s b a s e d upon multiple selves in us When i say multiple identities, i mean ethnic identity, national identity, religious identity, gender identity, and so on in all these identities, t h e r e i s a s e n s e o f “ s e l f ” b u i l t upon a set of ethos and there is an urge in every identity in us for its recognition in the surroundings We n o r m a l l y l i v e i n a s o c i e t y with all these identities in us and t h u s a r e a l l t h e t i m e i n c o n f l i c t with one another for the protection and assertion of our identities Maybe now after d i s s e c t i n g i d e n t i t y a s a p o t e n t i a l s o u r c e o f c o n f l i c t , things might make better sense when you look at ethn i c c l a s h e s , s t a t e s ' f i g h t s , r e l i g i o u s w a r s , s o c i a l

China is competing in a great Asian arms race because it has no other choice

DU R i N G the two sessions of the National People s Congress (NPC) over the weekend China announced that its military budget would increase by 7 2% year on year the news made headlines around the world the Chinese premier s work report submitted to the NPC says the country s military should intensify military training and preparedness across the board, and points to escalating external attempts to suppress and contain China the country s state media reacted conservatively, stressing that the defense spending increase is in keeping with the “single-digit” growth pattern of recent years (7 1% in 2022, 6 8% in 2021, 6 6% in 2020)

Western media took a much different angle with many outlets making obligatory mention of warnings from analysts and officials that China’s real military spending could be much higher than the announced budget For example the Guardian cited the US Department of Defense as claiming it could be up to two times higher these outlets do mention that China s defense budget is still dwarfed by that of the US ($224B versus $772B) before moving on to talk about the size of China s navy and infantry its militarization of the South China Sea and, of course, repeating the warnings emanating from Washington DC that China may invade taiwan soon Such warnings from the US come coupled with a string of deliberate provocations such as official visits to taiwan, flyovers, and ‘freedom of navigation’ operations the US itself has made it a priority to militarize the region and to encircle China None of these points can be found in Western media reports on Beijing’s defense spending – even though they are directly responsible for continued growth in China s military budget

Owing to the US attempt to contain China the Asia-Pacific is now locked in a growing arms race and military competition and Beijing has no choice but to participate Washington has initiated a militarization of the region under the label of its indo-Pacific strategy, with the focus on suppressing the rise of China to do this, the US has created minilateral blocs targeting China, one being the Quad (Australia, india, Japan, US) and the other being AUkUS with Britain Additionally, the US has dramatically increased its deployment of military assets in the region, has pushed the Philippines to increase access to its bases and has also deliberately pushed the taiwan issue and walked back from its existing commitments to China in order to escalate regional

I

schisms, etc ; after all, these clashes depict how our identities at micro and macro levels pitches us for conflicts in other words, how our selves forming the basis of these identities fight with one another for assertion and recognition however the question is whether the identity with which we define ourselves is really who we are or whether it s socially constructed theory says that each identity of ours is a social construct to make the point clear, let me draw a picture in your mind it’s like before we are born we belong to this large human identity however once we are born we are separated from the large human identity We are given a name an ethnic identity, a national identity, a gender identity, and many other identities

After our birth when we start living with these new identities we internalize them We forget our actual human identity and start defining ourselves with socially constructed identities Not only do we define ourselves with socially constructed identities but we also protect these identities and assert them We approach each other under the cloak of these identities We start considering these identities as defining who we are We forget human identity We consider socially constructed identities given to us by society as if they are in our blood, and thus by sticking with socially constructed identities we create a pitch for conflicts identifying ourselves with socially constructed identities, i think, is not a problematic if the whole point is that this is how we can navigate in human society however, defining our whole identity with a particular socially planted identity that is exclusionary, is self-gratifying, is feeding itself at the expense of others and is creating a disconnect, is something we should reconsider I t h i n k w e a l l b e l o n g t o t h e h u m a n s e l f a n d t h a t s h o u l d b e t h e b a s e o f o u r i d e n t i t y L e t s n o t b e f re a k e d o u t b y o u r b o u n t i f u l n o t h i n g n e s s i n o t h e r w o rd s o u r s o c i a l l y c o n s t r u c t e d i d e n t i t i e s L e t s e mb r a c e o u r h u m a n i d e n t i t y u n c o n d i t i o n a l l y ! T h e f i r s t b a b y s t e p t o s t e p i n t o h u m a n i d e n t i t y & n o t b e c a r r i e d a w a y b y s o c i a l l y c o n s t r u c t e d i d e n t i t i e s i n a w a re n e s s !

The writer is a lecturer at Department of Political Science & International Relations at University of Management & Technology Lahore He can be reached at inamullah marwat@umt edu pk

Is Iran ready to build a nuclear bomb or not?

tensions the US has actively encouraged and pushed for the arming of its regional allies too, the most notable example being Japan’s pledge to double its military spending and to buy hundreds of cruise missiles from the US this militarization has been complementary to the parallel expansion of sanctions and embargoes aimed at crushing China’s rise in highend technologies which the US sees as directly contributing to its military capabilities in this sense the technological and military aspects of China-US competition are intrinsically linked all in the name of American supremacy over the region

So facing this growing military encirclement and competition how does China respond? the answer is that it continues to develop and strengthen its military, with the optimism that it can keep up with the United States in the long term the US military budget continues to be over three times the size of China s, which is also sobering for those calling Beijing a “threat ” however, this does not mean that China is incapable, as its resources are concentrated in one region around itself, while the US is aiming for worldwide domination When it comes to raw numbers for example China already has a larger navy than the United States and greater shipbuilding capacity 2023 will be a year of significantly increased tensions it hasn t started well with the US kicking up a storm over an alleged Chinese spy balloon continuing provocations around taiwan and reviving the Covid-19 lab leak theory But will China bite? it seems unlikely

One of the primary goals of this US-led effort is precisely to provoke Beijing so that Washington might be able to induce instability and therefore increase its geopolitical clout over other countries, breaking up positive regional integration that is why China needs to be careful

With Beijing recognizing it is facing US encirclement, it has to defend its critical national interests, but in conjunction, it also needs to play a diplomatic game to reassure other countries simultaneously China does not want ties with india to deteriorate further or to create anxiety for ASeAN claimants in the South China Sea such as vietnam Malaysia indonesia or the Philippines it also wants to avoid europe becoming more militarily involved against China which would represent a great success for the US China strives to be firm but also calm and cautious there is a lot to lose in facing a hostile US, but sitting idly by is not an option A military competition has begun, and it isn t going away Beijing must be strong but also avoid “rocking the boat” too much

N I s R A E l , t h E R u l E o f l

Boston GloBe E d I to r A l B oA r d

si N C e its founding israel has faced a host of external threats to its very existence today however the nation is being rent from within not by the usual fractiousness of its multiparty system but over threats to the independence of its judicial system hundreds of thousands of israelis have taken to the streets to protest what have been put forth as alleged judicial reforms by the ruling right-wing coalition headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hundreds of military reservists, who make up the bulk of the country’s cyber-intelligence units, and Air Force reservists critical to israel’s defense have waged their own protests signing letters threatening to refuse to participate in nonessential duties and training missions if the government goes through with its plan israeli President isaac herzog said this

week that the proposed overhaul of the judicial system endangers the democratic foundations of the State of israel and has created “one of the most difficult moments that the State of israel has ever experienced ” the nation’s independent attorney general said it would give the government “almost unrestrained power” and “weaken constitutional protection over human rights ”

Watching democracy under siege even from afar is never pretty Watching a nation jettison its basic values under a coalition led by a man who remains on trial on charges of bribery fraud and breach of trust strains even the most solid of international friendships Friends don t let friends give up on the rule of law the overhaul of israel s judicial system put forth by Netanyahu and his coalition of ultrareligious parties would allow the knesset, israel’s parliament, to override any judicial decision with a simple majority vote With 61 votes the 120-member body could overturn decades of jurisprudence or

IR A N’S capacity to enrich uranium sometimes seems to be closely correlated with Washington s ability to confuse the debate ten days ago it emerged that tehran s centrifuges were enriching to a level as high as 84 percent very close to the 90 percent level generally accepted as needed for an atomic bomb B u t l a s t S u n d a y, C i A D i r e c t o r Wi l l i a m B u r n s t o l d C B S N e w s F a c e t h e N a t i o n t h a t w h i l e i r a n m a y b e o n l y a m a t t e r o f w e e k s f r o m a c q u i r i n g s u c h h i g h e n r i c h e d u r a n i u m , “ w e d o n ’ t b e l i e v e t h a t t h e S u p r e m e L e a d e r i n i r a n ( A l i k h a m e n e i ) h a s y e t m a d e a d e c i s i o n t o r e s u m e t h e w e a p o n i z a t i o n p r o g r a m t h a t w e j u d g e t h e y s u s p e n d e d o r s t o p p e d a t t h e e n d o f 2 0 0 3 ” U n d e r s e c r e t a r y o f D e f e n s e f o r P o l i c y C o l i n k a h l t o l d a c o n g r e s s i o n a l c o m m i t t e e t h a t i r a n c o u l d m a k e e n o u g h f i s s i l e m a t e r i a l ( h i g h l y - e n r i c h e d u r a n i u m ) f o r o n e n u c l e a r b o m b i n a b o u t 1 2 d a y s i t w a s t h e f i r s t t i m e t h e B i d e n a d m i n i s t r a t i o n h a d o f f e r e d s u c h p r e c i s e c a n d o r

So, are we being told to sit down, calm down and get a grip or not? in what seems like a fastpaced Broadway thriller (or perhaps farce), the international Atomic energy Agency (iAeA) in vienna shared its latest report on iran with the countries on its governing body as well as allowing selected journalists to read the report and take notes but not take away the resulting headlines blazed that the 84 per-

threaten freedom of speech and press israel, after all, has no written constitution When israel has recognized individual rights and the established principles of human rights, the advances have often originated with its Supreme Court the current government has targeted in particular the court-set standard of “unreasonability ” which has allowed judicial review of government decisions and appointments including the recent case of a minister convicted of tax fraud and subsequently found not fit to serve by the Supreme Court Netanyahu s plan would also change the judicial appointment process giving the ruling government a majority on the panel assigned to appoint judges not exactly a prescription for stability in a country that has had five elections in the past four years the nine-member appointing panel currently consists of three Supreme Court judges two representatives of the Bar Association two government ministers and two members of the knesset one of whom is

cent figure was essentially correct although to be precise it was actually 83 7 percent it had been discovered after an inspection of centrifuges at iran s Fordow plant, built deep inside a mountain, revealed a change in pipe work in the days when iran was more cooperative with the iAeA, monitoring equipment would have picked up the increased enrichment level this time, inspectors had to take wiped samples and bring them back to vienna for analysis a much slower process the tempo of headlines confusing or otherwise will only increase in the next few days On March 6 the iAeA s report will be discussed at a b o a r d o f g o v e r n o r s m e e t i n g i n vi e n n a B etween now and then it seems that the agency s director-general Rafael Grossi is likely to make a trip to tehran there is also the prospect of a second report emerging, examining the progress of a separate investigation into three sites in iran w h e r e i n s p e c t o r s f o u n d t r a c e s o f u r a n i u m i n a man-processed state for which iran had no convincing explanation CiA chief Burns acknowle d g e d t o C B S t h a t d e s p i t e n o e v i d e n c e o f weaponization the increased levels and volumes o f e n r i c h e d m a t e r i a l a r e c o n c e r n i n g a s i s p r o g r e s s o n i r a n s m i s s i l e p r o g r a m t h e p r esumed method of delivery F o r h i s p a r t k a h l a c k n o w l e d g e d t h a t t h e v o l u m e s f a r e x c e e d e d t h o s e a l l o w e d u n d e r t h e d o r m a n t J o i n t C o m p r e h e n s i v e P l a n o f A c t i o n ( J C P O A ) f r o m w h i c h P r e s i d e n t tr u m p w i t hd r e w i n 2 0 1 8 k a h l t o l d t h e c o n g r e s s i o n a l c o m m i t t e e t h a t r e s o l v i n g t h e i s s u e d i p l o m a t ic a l l y i s b e t t e r t h a n t h e o t h e r o p t i o n s i t w a s f a r f r o m c l e a r w h e t h e r a m i l i t a r y o p t i o n c o u l d b e d e c i s i v e An immediate challenge to diplomacy is iran’s consistent denial that it has any intention of making an atomic bomb Perhaps we are facing the prospect of a repeat of india’s 1974 advance when it called the blast in a remote desert area a peaceful nuclear explosion it would be clarity that Washington wants to avoid But how?

Simon Henderson is the Baker Fellow and director of the Bernstein Program on Gulf and Energy Policy at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy

usually from the opposition party the selection of Supreme Court judges requires a seven-vote majority herzog is continuing to try to negotiate with both the ruling coalition and major opposition parties over the makeup of that appointing panel and other aspects of the overhaul But the fears within israel of handing its judicial system over to the current government with all its ethical problems are intense in addition to Netanyahu who is still on trial the list of problematic officials in his government is extensive including Aryeh Deri the recently convicted and then ousted head of the ultraorthodox Shas party; itamar Ben-Gvir, a far-right politician convicted of incitement to racism and support for a terrorist group; and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who was arrested in 2005 for protesting the government-ordered withdrawal of israeli citizens from settlements in Gaza that withdrawal the first land-forpeace effort with the Palestinian Authority was ratified by a decision of israel s Supreme Court Smotrich now with a bigger platform from which to rail last week said of a Palestinian village in the West Bank the

scene of a previous attack by israeli settlers, the village of huwara needs to be wiped out i think the State of israel should do it ” he later tried to walk the statement back, but it helps explain the current opposition among much of the military to plans being hatched by a government minister who thinks nothing of proposing israeli soldiers carry out war crimes this week more than 100 American Jewish leaders signed a statement opposing Smotrich s planned visit to the United States next week intended to help sell israeli bonds Some like the liberal Jewish lobbying group J Street, urged the Biden administration to deny Smotrich a visa We agree with israeli opposition leader and former prime minister yair Lapid that Smotrich’s comments constitute ‘incitement to a war crime,’” the group said in a statement Denying a visa to Smotrich would surely send a message that the mindset to which he gave vent is indeed reprehensible But taking in the welcome mat would also signal to the Netanyahu government that continuing down a path where the law is decreed by people like Smotrich is also unacceptable in a trusted ally

A f t e r B r i e f w i n D o w, U S - C h i n A r e l At i o n S h i P B A C K o n r o C K y PAt h

BeIJING

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tH E United States and China thought they had a narrow window to improve relations

It may now have closed Weeks after the US discovery of a suspected Chinese spy balloon, tensions that had been easing have spiked back up, with little sign that either power is ready to make nice again

Chinese President Xi Jinping, who just one month earlier had been preparing to welcome Secretary of State

Antony Blinken on a visit to Beijing canceled over the balloon, warned this week that the United States is pursuing the containment encirclement and suppression of China

President Joe Biden’s administration has infuriated China by targeting trade in advanced chips citing risks of military use, and the tone in the United States is expected only to become harsher as next

year ’s presidential election approaches

The United States has also warned of new sanctions as it publicly presses China on intelligence purported to show that Beijing is considering military aid to Russia to help its war in Ukraine

Avril Haines, the US director of national intelligence told a Senate hearing Wednesday that Xi s speech was the most public and direct criticism that we’ve seen from him to date ”

It “probably reflects growing pessimism in Beijing about China s relationship with the United States, as well as Xi’s growing worries about the trajectory of China s domestic economic development and indigenous technology, innovation challenges that he now blames on the United States ” she said

Haines said that Chinese policymakers increasingly believe they can only advance Xi’s vision of a powerful China “at the expense of US power and influence ” She also said that Xi was determined to assert influence over Taiwan, the self-

Xi stresses enhancing integrated national strategies, strategic capabilities

BeIJING X i N h uA

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday stressed opening new ground for enhancing integrated national strategies and strategic capabilities Xi also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission made the remarks while attending a plenary meeting of the delegation of the People s Liberation Army (PLA) and the People s Armed Police Force, during the first session of the 14th National People’s Congress China’s national legislature Consolidating and enhancing integrated national strategies and strategic capabilities has profound significance in building a modern socialist country in all respects and advancing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts, as well as in achieving the goals for the centenary of the PLA in 2027 and more quickly elevating the armed forces to world-class standards, said Xi Highlighting the goal of maximizing China s national strategic capabilities, Xi called for efforts in integrating the strategic layouts resources and strengths in all areas in a bid to systematically upgrade the country s overall strength to cope with strategic risks, safeguard strategic interests and realize strategic objectives Xi urged efforts to advance collaborative innovation in science and technology, with a focus on independent and original innovation thus building high-level selfreliance and strength in science and technology at a faster pace

Strategic capabilities in emerging fields must be bolstered in pursuit of new advantages in national development and international competitions and the resilience of industrial and supply chains must be enhanced, Xi said Xi ordered coordinating the construction of major infrastructure accelerating the building of national reserves, and making the reserves more capable of safeguarding national security

Consolidating and enhancing integrated national strategies and strategic capabilities must draw momentum from reform and innovation, Xi stressed, urging more progresses in this regard

He also called for efforts to foster a sound atmosphere of caring for, devoting to, building and safeguarding national defense among members of the public to pool strengths for consolidating and enhancing integrated national strategies and strategic capabilities and for building a strong country with a strong military Chinese President Xi Jinping also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, poses for a group photo with deputies from the delegation of the People s Liberation Army (PLA) and the People s Armed Police Force before attending a plenary meeting of the delegation during the first session of the 14th National People’s Congress (NPC) in Beijing capital of China March 8 2023

CDA chief sets up committee to evolve system for kiosks allotment in capital

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governing democracy whose own elections next year have prompted concerns of a robust Chinese reaction

Nonetheless Haines assessed that Beijing still believes it benefits most by preventing a spiraling of tensions and by preserving stability in its relationship with the United States ”

T i T- f o r - TaT c y c l e : Some US officials privately say that the US political and media uproar over the balloon far lower-tech than the routine US spying on China was overwrought, although Blinken had no choice but to cancel his trip as it would have been overshadowed by the spectacle

But US officials remained frustrated that Chinese officials continued to deny the balloon was for espionage Blinken had a tense encounter on February 18 with Chinese foreign policy supremo Wang Yi at the Munich Security Conference where the top US diplomat raised the balloon and Russia President Joe Biden had a much

warmer conversation with Xi in November in Bali where the two leaders said they had agreed to keep disagreements from veering into conflict The meeting on the sidelines of a Group of 20 summit came three months after China staged major military exercises in fury after Nancy Pelosi then US House speaker defiantly visited Taiwan I think there was a moment where it seemed like the deterioration was slowing or perhaps even being arrested that potentially we might be able to put a floor under the relationship, said Jacob Stokes a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security Increasingly, that doesn t seem to be possible in at least the near term without some very creative diplomacy but also potentially a change of views mostly from Beijing, but also by some in Washington as well,” he said “The relationship is clearly deteriorating into tit-for-tat cycle, and it s not clear how we get out of out of that loop

Pak istan’s habitat and climate change resilience

SyedA FIzzA

The environment and climate change impact in Pakistan is crucial to urban development which is strongly related to its rural development as well, where migratory trends, the growth and dynamism of its large agriculture sector and quality of public service delivery in rural areas strongly impact the character of Pakistani settlements

The ongoing climate crisis manifested devastatingly in the form of torrential flooding adds another layer of urgency with which decision-makers in the country need to plan and achieve their urban development objectives Last year majority of the people have lost their lives, over a third of Pakistani settlements including in villages and towns have drowned or been washed away and resultantly being displaced or losing their sources of livelihood

Pakistan s economy is based on agriculture sector which is one of the most vulnerable factors crucial to climate change as it relates to certain aspects such as temperature, precipitation, soil erosion, etc, as the country is facing a serious threat to the development potential of its peoples, their ability to live in safe and secure cities and the relationship with which they interact with their natural environment

In the world’s most populous regions specifically in South Asia rising temperatures uneven precipitation patterns, floods, droughts, and other climatic disasters have had an impact on both socioeconomic sectors and human life

From migration patterns and urban infrastructure to food security and the integrity of its agricultural economy, the country s entire development trajectory is closely related to the ongoing climate change-induced floods Patterns of industrial growth, infrastructure

development and heritage preservation too are closely linked to our ability to mitigate and adapt to the consequences of climate change and its impact on our habitats

It is not unknown to the developmental sector that Pakistan is one of the top ten most vulnerable countries to climate change’ but the socio-political order fails to raise the right questions and develop a functional mechanism through which Pakistan’s climate response is depoliticized and made people-centric Reactive decision-making continues to dominate our response to environmental disasters like the recent floods, resulting in a passivity that allows the status quo to remain Relief efforts significantly managed and led by non-governmental entities, are amped up as a natural disaster hits followed by a gradual decline in attention and prioritization towards building climate resilience

This in turn demands a complete review and overhaul in the manner in which decisions are made in Pakistan’s governance institutions Natural disasters such as torrential rains, floods and ensuing humanitarian disasters are aggravated by past non-planned policies

This requires shared understanding and deliberation to address this ticking bomb question; what does it really mean to be one of the most vulnerable nations to climate change? This also calls for developing a consensus approach and collective rethinking in tackling this existential threat

One tonne of carbon dioxide emissions is allowed by a carbon credit which is a type of permission or tradeable certificate/license Alternately, it could be any greenhouse gas component that must be emitted within limits set

by carbon credits

Initially, the purpose of carbon credit is to limit emissions of greenhouses in the atmosphere in order to reduce the contribution of greenhouse gases that are responsible for global warming

The goal of carbon credits is to lessen an industry s impact to greenhouse gas emissions, especially for new investors Pakistan has a chance to contribute significantly to China s biggest carbon emission trading programme Selling carbon credits to China under this plan could bring in money

Ravi Urban Development Authority (RUDA) Punjab’s largest Infrastructure Authority sets a primary objective of improving the environment, ensuring the rejuvenation of River Ravi and mitigating the effect of climate and its vestiges in the form of air pollution smog poisonous ground water and waste leachate destroying the understory of Lahore E x c e p t f o r f o r e s t r y, a l l a g r icultural subsectors significantly c o n t r i b u t e t o e c o n o m i c g r o w t h R U D A b y t a k i n g a s t r a t e g i c h yd r o l o g i c a l d e v e l o p m e n t i n i t i at i v e i s w e l l a w a r e o f t h e f a c t t h a t w e t l a n d s , s w a m p s , n a t i o n a l p o u n d a g e a n d e c o l o g i c a l p o c ke t s a r e a l o n g a n a t u r a l w a t e r b o d y i s S i n - q u a - n o n f o r t h e s u rv i v a l o f t h e r i v e r a n d t h e b i o d iv e r s i t y t h e r e i n River Ravi as being the home basin for Lahore is facing complex challenges like flooding, droughts, lack of waste water treatment deteriorating water quality, contaminated ground water and loss of habitat and its biodiversity Focusing deliberations on the above mentioned facts, the aim should be to seek practical, actionable responses to make Pakistan’s habitats more climate resilient

The writer can be reached at fizza bukhari125@gmail com

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A dusty logjam of trucks inches across a rut in the mountains splitting Pakistan and Afghanistan, teeming with a cargo of fruit and coal and paying the Taliban authorities for the privilege of passage In downtown Kabul a patrol

of accountants inspects a bazaar, billing shopkeepers for trading honey hair conditioner and gas hobs under the snapping white flag of the country s new rulers Afghanistan is frozen deep in a second winter of humanitarian turmoil since the Taliban seized power in 2021, but cash is changing hands at a dizzying pace

The Taliban administration is

Paris Saint-Germain were convinced that persuading Kylian Mbappe to stay would finally deliver them Champions League glory but the failure to build a strong enough team around the France superstar has contributed to another early European exit

Wednesday’s 2-0 loss to Bayern Munich in Germany saw the Qatar-owned club lose their last-16 tie

3-0 on aggregate and go out in the first knockout round for the fifth time in seven years

PSG’s run to the 2020 final now looks even more like an anomaly coming in a pandemic-hit season when the Champions League was reduced to a minitournament behind closed doors

proving adept at collecting tax and seemingly without the corruption associated with the previous administration

At Torkham on the border, one trucker told AFP that under the old regime he would pay 25,000 Afghani ($280) at illegal checkpoints along a 620-kilometre (380-mile) trip to Mazar-iSharif

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Chairman Capital Development Authority Captain Noor Ul Amin Mengal has constituted a committee to make a proper system for allotment of kiosks in Islamabad The committee comprised upon Director Urban Planning Deputy Director Master Plan and Director DMA According to the details the committee will identify the places for construction of kiosks which will be in accordance with Islamabad Master Plan Similarly kiosks will be allotted on lease through open auction at the recommended sites It is pertinent to mention here that prior to this, there was no clear system for allotment of kiosks in Islamabad The kiosks will be constructed under a specific design to further enhance the beauty of Islamabad Moreover, Chairman Capital Development Authority Captain Noor Alamin Mengal has also constituted a committee for the allotment of open spaces in the city This committee includes Director Urban Planning, Director Coordination, Director Estate Management II, Director Enforcement and SP Traffic Similarly this committee will identify such places where allotment of open spaces will not cause any kind of difficulties to traffic or pedestrians

Governor Balkh Province killed in suicide attack

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Governor of Balkh province in Afghanistan Mulla Mohammad Dawood Muzammil was killed in a suicide bomb attack on Thursday

Seven people including the governor were killed and nine others were injured in the bomb blast Mulla Dawood was the leading figure of Taliban Jamaat ul Ahrar a militant outfit had accepted responsibility for the attack The Jamaat had differences with the governor over the rule in the Balkh province The Jamaat ul Ahrar also had its differences with Daesh which had created further insecurity in Afghanistan Pakistan had condemned this latest act of terrorism

Saudi envoy discloses anecdote behind Japanese crown prince’s first foreign visit to Kingdom

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N e w s D e s k

Saudi Press attaché in Pakistan Dr Naif Alotaibi on Thursday disclosed an interesting anecdote behind Japanese crown prince’s first foreign visit to Kingdom Taking this matter to the Twitter handle he shared a videotape in which it was explained why it was mandatory and pre-condition for any crown prince of Japan to pay his first foreign visit to Saudi Arabia

Highlighting the significance of the historic announcement made by King of Japan the Saudi press attaché said, Loyalty is the mark of kings and great men ” The narrator in the video tape said there was an interesting story behind this courteous gesture which was related to Prince Shah Fahd and the Japanese crown prince

He recalled that in 1952 King George VI passed away and after a year it was announced that his daughter Elizabeth would be appointed as queen of Great Britain The United Kingdom arranged a big gathering for queen’s coronation in which the head of the states kings and crown princes participated On this occasion King Abdulaziz dispatched his son Prince Shah Fahad who was 30 years old to attend the ceremony he added He said Prince Shah Fahad proceeded for London and attended the event He noted that the man sitting behind him was the crown prince of Japan At that time neither he was a king or a crown prince but a simple prince He went to the Japanese crown prince and made him sit in his chair and he settled down himself in the Japanese crown prince’s place setting a high example of morality the narrator maintained

He said due to this courteous act of Prince Shah Fahad, the King of Japan issued a decree that whosoever would be the crown prince of Japan would pay his first visit to Saudi Arabia

Since that day, it was a prerequisite for the newly appointed crown prince of Japan that whenever he would plan any foreign trip he would have to tour Saudi Arabia first, he added

He said the Japanese dynasty was still committed to their words and implementing them in letter and spirit till this day

There were celebrations last May when Mbappe agreed a new three-year contract to stay with Lionel Messi and Neymar in the French capital rather than join Real Madrid The appointments of Portuguese super scout Luis Campos as head of recruitment and Christophe Galtier as coach to replace Mauricio Pochettino were supposed to be followed by the building of an exciting new team

It is hard to argue now that PSG are stronger with the likes of Vitinha and Fabian Ruiz than they were with Angel di Maria and Leandro Paredes last year

It is not about the construction of the squad It is just the story of the season We were missing important players The squad over the two legs was seriously weakened said Galtier on Wednesday This is our maximum

He had a point, with Mbappe only able to make a cameo appearance off the bench after a thigh injury as PSG lost 1-0 to Bayern in the first leg Neymar is missing with an ankle injury while Presnel Kimpembe is out and fellow defenders Marquinhos and Nordi Mukiele both came off during Wednesday s game

It has been a very busy season Players bodies have been asked to do a lot There was the World Cup and obviously when you get to the last 16 it is good to have everyone available, Galtier said PSG placed their hope in Mbappe and Messi turning the tie around in Munich but the latter had little impact while the France superstar saw just 32 touches of the ball

corporate corner

PTA rejecTs cellul Ar oPerATors' demAnd for morATorium on

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CCP ’s seminar on Int ’l

Women’s D ay emphasizes role of women-led SMEs in driving economic growth

Islamabad:: The Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) held a seminar in connection with International

Women s Day to discuss the crucial role of Small & Medium Enterprises in the economy with a special focus on contributions and challenges of women entrepreneurs

The theme of the seminar was Women in SMEs: Challenges and way forward and it was attended by a wide array of stakeholders including the representatives of small businesses, chambers of commerce & industry, commercial counsellors of foreign embassies in Pakistan, women-led SMEs, and regulators The Chairperson CCP Ms Rahat Kaunain Hassan along with the senior officers including female staff members were in attendance In her opening address, Ms Rahat Kaunain Hassan highlighted the critical role of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in driving economic growth She explained that the choice of SMEs as the seminar's theme was due to their impact and estimated contribution of up to 40% of GDP in the economy and being one of the key components of CCP s strategic vision 2020-2023 p r

NhMP officers organize farewell ceremony in honor of IG Khalid Mahmood

A farewell ceremony was organized by National Highways and Motorway Police officers in honor of IG

Khalid Mahmood at Central Police Office Islamabad IG

Khalid Mahmood is retiring from National Highways and Motorway Police after completing his service as Inspector General of Police IG NHMP Khalid Mahmood has recently been promoted in BS-22 by the Federal Government During the service, IG Khalid Mahmood has served in many positions In the farewell ceremony former IsG Dr Muhammad Shoaib Suddle

Afzal Ali Shigri DG FIA Mohsin Hasan Butt

Commandant National Police Academy AD Khawaja, IG

TH E Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has rejected the demand of cellular mobile operators (CMOs) for a moratorium on quality-of-service (QoS) due to concerns that it will negatively impact network and user experience According to official sources, the PTA stated that a moratorium on QoS is not supported as it will degrade network QoS and user experience The PTA emphasized that its primary function is to promote the availability of a wide range of high-quality efficient cost-effective and competitive telecommunication services throughout Pakistan

The NGMS licenses and Cellular Mobile Network QoS Regulations 2021 contain minimum QoS standards for compliance by mobile operators

The PTA conducts regular surveys to ensure that CMOs are maintaining QoS standards The latest survey found that CMOs generally fulfill NGMS QoS

standards but they struggle to meet voice QoS standards Recent licenses issued to CMOs have an obligation to provide 4 Mbps average throughput for data services which must be completed by March 2024 The CMOs had demanded a moratorium on QoS, roll-out obligations, a moratorium on Universal Service Fund (USF), and an R&D fund reduction from two percent to one percent for a one-year duration They also requested a floor price uplift mechanism of voice and data to optimize base price However the PTA responded that providing equipment and power backups is necessary to improve KPIs and a moratorium on QoS is not the solution

The PTA stated that in the context of

Pakistan’s star tup ecosystem falls behind India’s in recent years

Writing for Propakistani author Amir Khalid Qazi explains that over the past few years, South Asia has emerged as a hub for technological innovation and entrepreneurship, with India leading the charge However, despite its rich cultural heritage and vibrant economy Pakistan’s startup ecosystem has failed to keep pace with its neighbor to the east

Understanding the underlying factors that have hindered Pakistan s startup scene is crucial in developing a roadmap for a more robust and thriving ecosystem So why is the startup scene in Pakistan so unfortunate?

According to the author one major factor is the disparity in the number of startups and the corresponding funding received between India and Pakistan, as highlighted in a recent World Bank report This disparity is reflected in the amount of funding received by startups in each country, with India attracting substantial investments from leading venture capital firms such as Sequoia Capital, Accel, and Lightspeed, among others

Islamabad Police Nasir Akbar Khan, retired and in service senior police officers, Additional IsG, DIsG and AIsG of the Motorway Police attended Former IsG Dr Muhammad Shoaib Suddle and Afzal Ali Shigri pinned the batches to IG Khalid Mahmood on his promotion to Grade 22 On this occasion, the officers paid tribute to the services of IG Khalid Mahmood particularly for the Motorway Police while recognizing the valuable contribution of IG Khalid Mahmood in upholding the core values of sincerity and professionalism p r pr

These firms have launched substantial funds with Sequoia Capital launching a $2 billion India fund Accel and Lightspeed raising $500 million+ funds and Tiger Global Management reportedly raising a $6 billion venture fund among others India has now emerged as the third largest producer of unicorn start-

Jazz commits to bridging digital gender divide by enhancing female mobile broadband user base I s l a m a b a d: Jazz, Pakistan’s leading digital operator and a part of VEON Group, has signed a Letter of Intent (LOI)with GSMA a global organization that unifies and represents the mobile ecosystem to extend its commitment to the GSMA Connected Women Initiative to increase its female mobile broadband users and maximize the business capacity of female micro-entrepreneurs Funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the GSMA Connected Women Initiative s primary objective is to increase women empowerment by facilitatingtheir access to financial independence by cultivating and supporting micro-entrepreneurship avenues for them

Under this LOI, GSMA will provide advisory support to Jazz to research how female micro-entrepreneurs use smartphones for their businesses; identify the barriers hindering their growth; and devise new digital and business strategies to address these issues in order to scale their profitability Jazz s collaboration with GSMA is aimed at informing this research increasing smartphone ownership and access to the internet among female micro-entrepreneurs and providing regular updates and feedback on their initiatives p r

Al Baraka Bank (Pakistan) Limited, hosted “Dars-eBaraka” by Mohtaram Maulana Tariq Jamil Sahib on Wednesday, 8th March 2023 at Marriot Hotel, Karachi

The event was attended by customers of the bank, members of the business community & renowned scholars

The event was hosted by Muhammad Atif Hanif (CEO) Al Baraka Bank Pakistan Limited Mohtaram Maulana Tariq Jamil Sahib addressed the audience and shared his knowledge of Islam and the way of life Al Baraka Bank (Pakistan) Limited is a subsidiary of Al Baraka Group B S C It is a leading international Islamic financial group providing financial services through its banking subsidiaries in 15

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N a t i o n a l E l e c t r i c P o w e r R e g u l a t o r y A u t h o r i t y

( N E P R A ) , t h e c o u n t r y ’s s o l e r e g u l a t o r, u n d e r t h e t h e m e “ P o w e r w i t h E q u a l i t y ” c e l e b r a t e d I n t e r n ational Women’s Day to honor and acknowledge the s e r v i c e s a n d a c h i e v e m e n t s o f i t s w o m e n s w o r kf o r c e A g r a c e f u l c e r e m o n y w a s h e l d a t N E P R A

ups the ones that reach the $1 billion mark following US and China

On the other hand the funding received by Pakistani startups pales in comparison totaling only $350 million a 5% decline from the previous year The closing quarter of 2022 was particularly dire, with just $15 5 million raised, marking the worst quarter to date after the first quarter of 2020, according to DataDarbar, a research firm based in Pakistan The sharp decline can be attributed to many factors

The fundamental reason is political instability in Pakistan which has been a persistent challenge that has hindered the country’s economic growth and development including the growth of its startup ecosystem Political instability creates an environment of uncertainty and unpredictability which can discourage both local and international investors from investing in the country For startups in Pakistan political instability can pose significant risks to their operations as it can disrupt supply chains increase costs and negatively impact consumer confidence Furthermore, the lack of stability can make it more difficult for startups to access capital, talent, and other resources, which are crucial for their growth and success International investors may also be deterred from investing in Pakistan due to the country’s political instability They may view the country as a risky investment destination which can limit the flow of foreign investment and hinder the growth of the startup ecosys-

tem The uncertainty and unpredictability associated with political instability can also make it challenging for startups and investors to plan and make long-term investments

Another major obstacle to the growth of Pakistan s startup ecosystem is the lack of support from the government In India, the government has been proactive in promoting entrepreneurship through various initiatives and programs, such as the Startup India campaign In contrast, the Pakistani government has been slow to embrace the startup community and provide the support that is necessary for its growth This includes funding mentorship and access to markets Moreover the ‘red-tapism’ in Pakistan makes it very inefficient for newcomers to consider the Pakistani Market as it produces inefficiency which then causes low productivity Because to get a simple thing implemented the founders have to go through a long chain of command

The lack of access to capital in Pakistan adversely affects the growth trajectory Despite the presence of a few local venture capital firms and angel investors, the startup ecosystem in Pakistan is largely unfunded This limits the ability of entrepreneurs to scale their businesses and develop innovative solutions Furthermore, the lack of investment in the ecosystem discourages potential entrepreneurs from starting their businesses and contributes to the overall lack of innovation

To read the full article visit www propakistani pk

Campaign for registration of house ser vants and tenants in full swing

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countries offering retail corporate treasury and investment banking services, strictly in accordance with the principles of Islamic Shari a

LSE holds 5th annual conference of S ocial S ciences, Media Studies, Ar t and Design

l a h o r e: Lahore School of Economics successfully hosted the Fifth Annual Conference of Social sciences Media Studies

Art and Design on 7th and 8th March 2023 and featured four sessions, including English

Language, Political Science, Media Studies, Art and Design The opening session was addressed by the Prorector of the Lahore School of Economics, Dr Azam Chaudhry, who emphasized the importance of a multidisciplinary research approach for long-term development The conference brought together senior academics researchers and practitioners including Dr Tariq Rahman Dr Mohammad Waseem and Dr Shabnam Khan from diverse backgrounds to explore emerging trends and cutting-edge research in their respective fields The first day of the conference focused on English as a language and notable speakers from various universities were in attendance They stressed on the changing nature of research due to technology and the need for faculty to adopt new theoretical avenues They also highlighted the importance of encouraging creativity in classrooms with a student-centred approach p r

According to the details, following the special orders of Inspector General of Police (IGP) Islamabad Dr Akbar Nasir Khan, the Islamabad Capital Police’s "Knock the Door" campaign for the registration of house employees and tenants is in full swing, a police public relations officer said He said that during the campaign various teams of Islamabad capital police are going to the streets and door-to-door to ensure the registration of tenants and domestic workers as well as to inquire about the problems faced by the citizens In this regard the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) Islamabad has registered a data of 84 house servants and tenants of 145 houses from Shalimar police station jurisdiction The purpose of this campaign is to avoid any untoward incident by maintaining law and order in the federal capital Islamabad adding that the registration of tenants and domestic workers could not only keep a close watch on miscreants but also prevent the elements involved in any kind of suspicious activity Citizens are also requested that they can ask for the identity of a person if someone dressed in civil clothes comes to their house in order to collect the data

Book Launching: 'Pak istan Studies: A Book of Readings,' held

LAHOrE

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A Book of Readings, edited by Dr Sikandar Hayat, Distinguished Professor of History and Dean of Social Sciences, and published by Sang-e-Meel Publications, Lahore (2023), was held at the FC College University Lahore It was attended by a host of participants from the university faculty staff students Deans Chiefs HODs Directors former and current rectors and contributing authors of the book Dr Sikandar Hayat, in his introductory remarks, as expressed in the 'Preface,' explained the need for the book in these words: 'I realized, with dismay, that there was no proper,

accessible book for the students who indeed had to take up the Pakistan Studies course as a compulsory course to complete their degree requirements T h e c o u r s e r e a d i n g s w e r e s e l e c t e d f r o m h e r e a n d t h e r e , f r o m d i f f e r e n t s o u r c e s , l a c k i n g a n y coherence or consistency in t h e i r s t a n d a r d s a p p r o a c h o r s u b s t a n c e M o s t l y t h e s e w e r e c h a n c e s e l e c t i o n s s o m e i n d e e d n o t m e a n t f o r u n d e r g ra d u a t e s t u d e n t s

b e y o n d t h e i r c o m p e t e n c e o r c a p a c i ty Dr Hayat explained that in terms of content, this book is valuable for undergraduate students all over Pakistan as it covers pertinent topics in line with the HEC guidelines on the subject The authors had made a conscious effort to keep the narrative simple straight free of jargon and thus easy to follow and comprehend for students at the undergraduate level

Al Barak a Bank Ltd hosts ‘D ars- e -Barak a’ by Maulana Tariq Jamil

Sethi eyeS hBL PSL exPAnSiOn with t wO new teAMS. But where dOeS thAt LeAve exiSting frAnChiSeS?

LAHORE a b d u l l a h n i a z i

dE-facto chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)

Najam Sethi has said that he is planning on adding two more teams to the HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) in a bid to try and further grow the tournament

Speaking to Profit, Sethi said that interest in the tournament was at an all time high and that the board was looking to utilise Peshawar, Quetta, and Faisalabad all cities where there are international standard stadiums available

However it is worth noting that the plan to introduce new teams into the HBL PSL has been met unfavourably by the owners of the existing franchises that are worried about sharing their profits Sethi s plan, while good for the HBL

PSL in the long-run, threatens to disturb the hard-fought tacit truce that currently exists between the board and the franchise owners

“I want to add two more teams The franchises think this will cut into their profits I disagree and will explain how it will be a win-win for all We will bring Peshawar and Quetta/Faisalabad into the loop he told Profit Sethi had also mentioned bringing more teams into the fold at the start of this year ’s tournament

“There is immense pressure to increase the number of teams in PSL but unfortunately Ehsan Mani and Ramiz Raja made an agreement with the franchises that only six teams will play in the next two years We have to convince the franchises to include two more teams No one will lose anything and if a franchise suffers a loss the PCB will take responsibility, he told the media

Punjab gov t lifts Section 144 in Lahore

LAHORE

The Punjab caretaker government on Thursday lifted the ban from public gatherings imposed in the provincial capital under Section 144

A notification to this effect was also issued by Punjab

Home Department

The interim government in Punjab had imposed Section 144 in the provincial capital for 7 days and had banned major events in order to avoid any untoward incident

“In the context of the prevailing overall security situation in the wake of the recent wave of terrorism and latest threat alerts, it has been necessary to impose Section 144 of Cr P C, 1898 on holding of all kinds of assemblies, gatherings sits-in rallies processions demonstrations jalsas dharnas protests and such like other activities across the district Lahore to avert any untoward incident, the notification added issued by Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Shakeel Ahmed

The provincial government on Wednesday had imposed Section 144 in Lahore, banning public gatherings ahead of PTI s rally

In a notification the Home Department said “it has been observed that number of rallies and protests are held therein on daily basis at different places of District Lahore, which not only pose serious security threats but also disrupt traffic and cause inconvenience to public at large ” There is also a history of terrorist activities in the rallies/ protests, wherein a number of police officials and civilians embraced shahadat it added

The order had come as the PTI prepared to kickstart its election campaign from the provincial capital The party had planned a procession from Zaman Park to Data Darbar

Following the Punjab government’s order the police sealed roads near Zaman Park and arrested a few PTI workers It also stopped female participants using water cannons and tear gas shelling PTI leader Hammad Azhar said that party workers would remain in their constitutional and legal limits even if police resorted to violence

According to police PTI workers had been arrested from Zaman Park and Canal Road

This led the PTI to call of the rally and it ordered its workers to return to their homes in peaceful manner Later on Wednesday, PTI said that one of its workers was killed in the police crackdown against the party workers in Lahore In a Twitter post, PTI chief Imran Khan claimed that the party worker, identified as Ali Bilal, “was killed while in police custody ”

LAHORE

S ta f f R e p o R t

As the support for Imran Khan skyrocketed ahead of the general elections the former prime minister reiterated that his only demand was the conduct of free and fair elections, saying he was willing to speak with anyone but did not need “crutches” to come to power a reference to the country s powerful military establishment

An opinion poll published by Gallup this week found that Khan s approval ratings jumped to 61 percent in February from 36 percent in January last year

During an interview with BBC Urdu the chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) asserted that he would speak to everyone except “looters” of national wealth He accuses the prime minister Shehbaz Sharif and members of his coalition Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government of denting the economy

back in February

The financial model troubles

The HBL PSL follows a financial model where there is a central revenue pool where the tournament’s earnings from broadcasting sponsorship etc are accumulated For the first few years of the tournament, the PCB would take 20% of this revenue pool while the remaining 80% would be split equally between the remaining franchises This system was renegotiated back in 2019 after the introduction of a new franchise to the tournament the Multan Sultans Under former chairman of the board Ramiz Raja, it was decided that the PCB would now take a 5% cut from the central revenue pool while the franchises would split the remaining 95% equally However the main source of revenue for the PCB is

M ansha recommends govt to tax real estate, retail sec tors

MANSHA, MOHAMMAD ALI TABBA BELIEVE THESE SECTORS RECEIVED PREFERENTIAL TREATMENT AT EXPENSE OF INDUSTRIALISTS, SALARIED CLASS

REpORT

During a meeting of a committee constituted by the Pakistani Prime Minister to find avenues for revenue mobilization Mian Muhammad Mansha one of Pakistan s wealthiest individuals, recommended that the government tax the real estate and retail sectors Mansha and fellow committee member Mohammad Ali Tabba stated that these sectors had received preferential treatment at the expense of industrialists and the salaried class and that the government should not put further tax burdens on already heavily taxed sectors The committee requested that the private members provide written recommendations and Mansha and Tabba suggested increasing the share of services in tax collection by taking provinces on board

The PML-N government has had a soft spot for traders who support it and it imposed a fixed tax on retailers in the budget which was later withdrawn Mansha and Tabba encouraged the government to tax the real estate sector and ensure that it

operates through banking channels The committee’s terms of reference were noted to clash with the Reforms and Revenue Mobilisation Commission, which is already working on a plan to expand the narrow tax base The FBR has been struggling to expand the tax base and has been heavily focused on those who are already paying taxes The tax collection target has been raised to Rs7 640 trillion after the imposition of a

mini-budget, but even if the target is met, the tax-to-GDP ratio will remain low at 9% Despite enforcing the mini-budget and currency devaluation, the FBR could not narrow the tax shortfall which was in relation to the old annual tax target of Rs7 470 trillion Sales tax has been the weakest area for the FBR and the salaried class has been made to suffer due to the preferential treatment meted out to the retailers and real estate sector

Power tariff for K arachi to be raised

ISLAMABAD i n p

The Ministry of Energy (Power Division) decided to jack up the power tariff by Rs 4 76 per unit for K-Electric consumers in the context of two different quarterly adjustments

The electricity tariff is likely to get expensive for the consumers of Karachi in the context of two different quarterly adjustments

The stakeholders were likely to approve the latest tariff rate from the federal cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif

In the first quarter adjustment of the financial year electricity tariff will increase by Rs 3 21 per unit while in the second quarter adjustment from

W h e n a s k e d i f t h e m u c h - a n t i c i p a t e d c h a n g e i n m i l i t a r y l e a d e r s h i p i n N o v e mb e r h a d a n y i m p a c t o n t h e a t t i t u d e o f t h e e s t a b l i s h m e n t t o w a r d s h i s o p p o s i t i o n p a r t y, h e s a i d t h a t i t d i d n o t m a k e a n y d i ff e r e n c e t o h i m Khan highlighted that cases were made against members of his party during the tenure of Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa In addition there has been a significant increase in custodial violence against senior political figures such as Senator Azam Swati and Shehbaz Gill

He said he had expressed hope that the new army chief, Gen Asim Munir, would bring about a change in attitude However, he noted this was not the case and the hardships faced by PTI had only increased Khan also clarified that he never invited the army chief or Shahbaz Sharif to speak to him about the elections

He clarified that his party has the backing of the people of Pakistan and does not

COAS reassures commitment to peace in Balochistan despite challenges

QUETTA

S ta f f R e p o R t

The army chief reaffirmed his institution’s commitment to promoting peace and prosperity in Balochistan despite the actions of misguided elements , a vaguely defined term associated with local insurgents active in the southwestern province

During a visit to Gwadar Gen Syed Asim Munir was briefed on the security situation in the province and the operational readiness of the military to protect the projects under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) The army chief acknowledged the efforts of all ranks and urged them to continue their professional commitment to the people of Balochistan according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR)

Additionally, he emphasised the importance of socioeconomic development and announced several welfare projects related to education solar energy fisheries water health sports and livelihood in the nation s largest province by area Mir Abdul Quddus Bizenjo, the chief minister of Balochistan and Lt Gen Asif Ghafoor corps commander of Quetta were present during the visit Since coming under Pakistan s control in 1948, the province of Balochistan has experienced a series of uprisings with separatist groups seeking greater autonomy The latest resurgence of the insurgency in the province has become more lethal and well-organised

Baloch journalist , activist Abid Mir goes missing from Capital cit y

ISLAMABAD

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

Abid Mir, a human rights activist and journalist from Balochistan, has gone missing from Islamabad, a leading newspaper reported

According to his family he disappeared after going to an ATM on Wednesday evening Mir, who is known for his social media activism and his work on human rights in Balochistan was last seen at the Baloch Aurat March which took place on Wednesday Mir s brother Khalid Mir released a video on Twitter in which he stated that the family is in contact with the police to register a missing-persons FIR He further stated that Mir had not been involved in any controversial issues lately, and he did not have any specific threat from anybody Islamabad police however announced later on Thursday night that Mir had returned home

In a tweet, the capital police said that the impression of Abid going missing was false and had been created after the journalist lost contact with his family

The Islamabad police thanked all the citizens and journalists who contacted the force regarding Abid Mir ’s disappearance

The disappearance of the Baloch activist has raised grave concerns on social media The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan has also expressed concern and urged the Islamabad Police to investigate the matter immediately

last year, power tariff will increase by Rs 1 55 per unit ” sources added This tariff hike was decided to maintain a uniform tariff across the country the additional charges will be applicable in 2023 between March and May

It is pertinent to mention here that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif summoned a meeting of the federal cabinet on Thursday [today] at 4 pm

According to sources the federal cabinet meeting will be chaired by PM Shehbaz Shairf in which Hajj Policy 2023 will be presented for approval

The meeting participants will be briefed about the economic situation of the country as well as the finance ministry will also brief on the progress in negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF)

need any kind of support or assistance from the military

According to Khan the Supreme Court had instructed the government to hold the election within 90 days The president had also announced the election date However when PTI announced an election rally well in advance, the police cracked down on our workers and there were incidents of violence Many were arrested and vehicles were smashed K h a n a rg u e d t h a t t h e c a r e t a k e r g o ve r n m e n t ’s p r i m a r y r e s p o n s i b i l i t y i s t o conduct elections Therefore it is difficult f o r h i s p a r t y t o d i g e s t h o w t h e y c a n p r ev e n t r a l l i e s a n d c a m p a i g n s f r o m t a k i n g p l a c e a s t h e s e a r e a n i n t e g r a l p a r t o f t h e e l e c t o r a l p r o c e s s

The former prime minister said the government is fearful of facing the electorate

The PTI had won 37 by-elections within a few months and the government s reputation is such that it cannot face the public on

their own

Many journalists and social media activists have voiced their concern over Mir ’s missing including journalist Hamid Mir Mir worked as a regional editor for Lok Sujag – a multimedia investigative journalism platform that focuses on issues and communities marginalised in the mainstream media and policy discourse

The disappearance of Abid Mir has brought attention to the increasing number of missing persons cases in Pakistan Former Punjab chief minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi has claimed that the number of cases has increased during the tenure of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif The disappearance of Abid Mir is a matter of great concern and it is essential that the authorities take immediate action to ensure his safe return The media community and human rights organisations are closely monitoring the situation and urging the authorities to act swiftly

Their intention is to prevent the elections from taking place at all costs he observed

Khan accused the government of wanting chaos He explained that the clashes with the police on Wednesday noon could have continued into the night but the PTI did not want to offer an opportunity for the government to spill blood and prevent the elections from being held

Khan noted that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had set the election dates as per the Supreme Court’s instructions However it appears that the government is not interested in holding the election

When asked about his strategy in case the election is not held on time Khan said it would be a violation of the Constitution and a contempt of court since the Supreme Court had ordered it

He added that if the election is not held the constitution and the law would be undermined Khan accused the PDM of attempting

t o d i s q u a l i f y o r i m p r i s o n h i m i n o r d e r t o win the election He claimed the nation has turned against the ruling parties and this is why he was able to win the 2018 election Now, with historic levels of inflation, t h e i r p o l i t i c a l f o r t u n e s h a v e b e e n c o mpletely destroyed

He emphasised that his PTI party wants elections to be held simultaneously, including the National Assembly

He believes that this approach benefits the country and the people should be allowed to choose their leaders The incoming government will then have the mandate to address the nation’s chronic problems

Regarding Pervaiz Elahi s appointment as party president Khan said the vice-chairman is the second most important leader in the party Elahi had remained loyal to the party during challenging times and resisted pressure from powerful institutions

As a token of appreciation they had offered him the position of party president