Epaper_23-03-11 LHR

Pakistani forex reser ves stabilize, reducing pressure on rupee

In par tnership with

Profit

ECP seeks 353,000 additional troops for Punjab, KP elections

The PSO debt spiral continues

g COurT ADjOurnS CA Se FOr TwO weeKS AFTer Serving nOTiCeS TO igP, Dig, SP LegAL, SHO AnD APPLiCAnT OF CA Se

I m ra n u rg e s n a t i o n to s t a n d u p a g a i n s t ‘c ro o ke d r u l e r s , r i s i n g fa s c i s m’

power consumers to pay additional rs14.24/unit

g new SurCHArge TO Be ADDeD TO BiLLS A S DeFerreD FCA

Giving t e m p o r a r y r e l i e f t o P T i C h a i r m a n i m r a n K h a n t h e B a l o c h s t a n H i g h C o u r t ( B H C ) o n Fr id a y s u s p e n d e d t h e n o nb a i l a b l e a r r e s t w a r r a n t s a g a i n s t h i m i s s u e d b y a l o c a l c o u r t i n h a t e s p e e c h c a s e

The former prime minister had moved BHC after a local court n Quetta on Thursday ssued a nonbailable arrest warrant for imran Khan in a case pertaining to incit ng public against state institutions During the hearing the BHC judge suspended imran Khan s arrest warrants for two weeks and issued notices to the igP Baloch stan Dig SP egal and SHO

The high court also sent notice to plaintiff Khaleel Kakar and ad-

journed the hearings for two weeks

The development came hours after Quetta pol ce on Friday morning reached Lahore to arrest the former premier imran Khan in the hate speech case

The Quetta judicial mag strate issued non-ba lable arrest warrant for the PTi chief following a case

promised funds of $20.073b face delays

g wB’S PreDiCTiOn OF unDiSBurSeD FunDS FOr juLy TO SePTemBer COme TO LiFe

As the cash-strapped nation eyes ass stance from friend y countries and the international monetar y Fund (imF) the economic Affairs Div sion (eAD) has revealed that the balance of undisbursed funds stands at $20 073 b llion from September 2022 n the quarter y report the division noted that the undisbursed balance was $21 121 b llion as of end june 2022 During july-September 2022 disbursement was $2 238 billion including $1 166 billion from the imF which was committed in the seventh and eighth review The undisbursed funds is the amount outstanding from the agreement made by the ender Back n October 2022 the world Bank had predicted a delay n disbursement of at least nine projects Th s also included a potential cancellation of $730 mi lion project and concessionar y financ ng of $400 mi lion due serious problems n their design and execut on t was noted that the cancel ation of the projects can be utilized n f ood-related projects t fo lows proper and timely execution

During the months of ju y to September 2022 a total of $421 16 m llion comm tments were made including $412 60 m llion loans and $8 56 mi lion grants Bank of Ch na also committed 200 mil ion as commercial loans Fore gn-funded pro ects often rema n behind schedule and are restructured due to mplementation-related chal enges These pro ects have mostly been designed by international consultants who are not always n touch w th the ground root problems or falling into a d sagreement about pol cies with the government

registered at the Bijli ghar police station The case was f led against imran Khan for ma gning the national inst tutions The Baloch stan police registered a case against the PTi chairman on the complaint of a citizen – named Abdu Khalil Karak Kakar had a eged that the PTi chief s statement was an attempt

amends

iSLAMABAD s ta f f r e p o r t

Federal min ster for Law and justice Azam nazeer Tarar on Fr day said that the government had proposed amendments to section-iv and v of the nAB law with regard to the references returned by the accountabi ity courts

An ordinance would be issued until the Parliament in session to empower accountab lity courts to transfer references to relevant forums if these do not fall in their jurisdict ons Law minister Azam nazeer Tarar said while addressing a press conference here on Fr day

The m nister said that there had been rumors about the future of the references returned by the accountability courts recently

to destroy public peace and order

g QueTTA POLiCe TeAm HAD reACHeD LAHOre TO ArreST FOrmer Premier in THe CA Se QUETTA s ta f f r e p o r t

The PTi chairman was booked under Pakistan Penal Code – Sect on 505 [Statements conducing to public m schief] Section 124-A [Sedition] and Section 153-A [Promot ng enmity between different groups] Quetta police team reaches l ahore: On the other hand a team of Quetta police on Friday reached Lahore to arrest the former premier and Pakistan Tehreek-e-insaf (PTi) chief imran Khan

The Quetta police team led by Super ntendent Police (SP) City nadeem reached Lahore with the arrest warrant of imran Khan The team led by the SP City includes a sub-inspector, two guards and a driver Sources privy to the development said CCPO Lahore Bilal Siddiq has been informed about the presence of Quetta pol ce in Lahore for imran Khan s arrest

adding that indeed these references were not quashed nstead only their forums had been changed

The min ster said that the nAB chairman wou d be authorized to send these inqu ries and reference to the relevant institut ons “ However investigations nto var ous cases could be c osed only f the court concerned recommend such a move he po nted out add ng that the nAB deputy cha rman would use all the powers of cha rman nAB in his absence

He sa d that prev ously nAB had been accused of pol tical eng neering and the apex court had also made such obser vation during Saad rafiq case

The leadership of PmL-n was acqu tted from nAB ref-

erences by the courts under the previous laws he said

Azam nazeer Tarar said that PTi s government had used the nAB for political purposes add ng that imran Khan had introduced three ord nances dur ng h s tenure

To a quest on, the minister said that under Art c e 19 o f t h e c o n s t i t u t i o n To s h a k h a n a r e c o r d f r o m 2 0 0 0 t o o n w a r d w o u l d b e public soon on website or n p r i n t f o r m w i t h o u t d s c r m inat on after be ng compiled H e h o w e v e r s a d t h a t c o m p i l a t o n To s h a k h a n a r e c o r d s n c e 1 9 4 7 w a s a h u g e a n d t i m e - c o n s u m i n g e x e r c i s e To another questioned he sa d that there was a need for ever y institution to focus and introduce self-accountability system

iSLAMABAD a h M a d a h M a da n i

nat onal electric Power regulator y Authority (nePrA) has al owed the power distribution companies (DiSCOS) and K-e ectr c (Ke) to recover a deferred fuel adjustment surcharge up to rs 14 24 per un t from the electricity consumers in eight months from march to October 2023

The regulator y authority has also allowed the Kelectric to recover deferred fuel adjustment charges from its consumers as we l For Karachi locals the surcharge would be up to rs 13 87 per unit The charges w ll be separate for each slab of consumers based on their consumpt on As per details the power companies wil recover rs 10 34 per unit from domestic protected consumers using 200 units or less per month rs 14 24 per un t from non-protected consumers us ng up to 200 un ts rs 14 24 per unit from those consuming 200-300 units per month and rs 9 90 per un t from private agricultural consumers whereas the breakdown for consumers in Karach is as follows rs 9 97 per unit wil be charged from domestic protect consumers using ess than 200 units per month rs 13 87 per unit from nonprotected consumers using up to 200 units rs 13 87 per un t from those consuming between 200 to 300 units per month and rs 9 90 per unit from private agricu tural consumers

The entire amount will be recovered from the electricity consumers in nstalments from march up ti October 2023 The government was to pass on th s fuel adjustment which was to be originally charged in the months of june and ju y last year However, pr me min ster Shahbaz Sharif had announced to defer it Accord ng to the dec s on of nePrA the ministr y of energy while justifying ts request submitted that rebasing of uniform tariff determined by the regulator which was recommended by it as fina tariff for publication in the off c al gazette was notified by the Federa government in order to not burden the consumers disproportionately in a sequence of rs 3 5/unit in ju y 2022 and rs 3 5/unit in August 2022

Consumers were h t by rs 9 89 per un t of fue charge adjustment (FCA) plus rs 7 per unit of rebasing simu taneously in August 2022 b lling This was an average increase of rs 16 90 per un t over and above the july 2022 rates These ad ustments n tar ff signif cantly increased the e ectricity bills for the months of August and September 2022 moreover, the extensive flooding also affected consumers across the countr y under these d ff cu t conditions the Prime minister of Pakistan decided to stagger the recover y of DiSCOs and K-e ectric FCAs, which were to be charged in August and September 2022 However the government had further deferred its implementat on

remittances slide 9.5pc to $2b in Febr uar y

pr ofiT rEporT i s l a M a b a d

Overseas workers remittances posted a decline of 9 5% to $2 billion on a year-on-year (yoy) basis n Februar y Fy23 as compared with the same month of prev ous year s nf ow of $2 2 b llion On month-on-month basis (mom), the remittances in Februar y Fy23 w tnessed an increase of 4 9% when compared with the nf ow of $1 9 bi lion recorded n januar y Fy23

According to data re eased by State Bank of

Pakistan (SBP) on Friday remittances inflows during Februar y 2023 were mainly sourced from Saudi Arabia ($454 6 mi lion) un ted Arab emirates ($269 2 mi lion), united Kingdom ($324 0 million) and united States of America ($219 4 mil ion)

During the corresponding month overseas Pak stanis living in Bahrain sent $35 6 m ll on from Kuwa t $63 1 m llion, from Qatar $67 8 mil ion whereas $75 0 mill on were dispatched from Oman Similarly the inflows from germany France The netherlands Spa n italy greece Sweden Denmark ire and and Be gium were

recorded at $47 1 mi lion $33 9 mi lion $5 2 m llion $37 4 mill on $66 5 mi lion $25 3 million $5 3 mi lion $6 9 m ll on $9 7 mil ion and $8 1 mil ion respectively

Likewise from malaysia nor way Switzerland Austra ia Canada and japan the workers dispatched $6 5 m llion $8 7 m ll on $3 4 million $46 8 million, $40 4 m ll on, and $5 9 mi lion respectively remittances from South Africa during the month under review stood at $11 8 m l ion while that from South Korea stood at $8 6 million Sim lar y $53 9 million were received from other countr es

For nth time, Dar claims staff-level agreement right around cor ner

g miniSTer ’S PrOmiSeS FAiLeD TO give COnFiDenCe TO mArKeTS, COnTinue TO SHOw negATive TrenDS

pr ofiT rEporT i s l a M a b a d w th uncertainty prevailing over the pending staff level agreement between the Pakistan government and the internat onal monetar y Fund (imF) finance minister ishaq Dar on Thursday once aga n c aimed that the accord would be reached within a few days

Desp te the f nance minister ’s assurances the foreign exchange market reacted negatively with the rupee fal ing in value by 1 13% and anxiety prevailing within the countr y s business community and salaried classes Dar s c aim that the staff level agreement would “ insha lah be within the next few days is not a new one in fact right around the corner has become a constant mantra for the embatt ed

federal government Pakistan had been able to secure the last tranche of $1 17 b llion back in August 2022 under the eadership of former f nance m nister miftah smail

The disbursement had been achieved by ending a massive fuel subsidy introduced by former prime minister imran Khan and by agreeing to other terms of the imF The state bank at the time had more than $8 b llion n fore gn reser ves in September 2022 however ishaq Dar took charge of the finance min str y and further negotiations w th the imF took a different turn Dar who dur ng a television inter v ew said he knew how to deal with the imF since he had been doing it for decades dec ded to artificially keep the price of the rupee high However this strategy failed w thin a few months and by januar y 2023 Pak-

stan was staring down the possibi ity of default The countr y began facing a shortage of forex reser ves that has ed to a curb of imports and skyrocket ng inflation That is when the promises of good news in the next few days began i n t h e a s t t w o m o n t h s a l o n e t h i s p r o m i s e h a s b e e n r e p e a t e d a t l e a s t four t mes either by the finance minister or other rank ng members of cabin e t i n j a n u a r y 2 0 2 3 Pr i m e m n i s t e r S h e h b a z S h a r f a n n o u n c e d t h a t t h e imF team wou d arr ve in Pakistan in 23 days ” to finalize the ninth review for disbursement of remaining $1 1 bi ion o f t h e $ 6 5 b a i l o u t p a c ka g e a pproved in 2019

Since then Dar has been tr ying to keep his chin-up and conv nce the nation that we are out of the water negotiations with the imF have not been so

simp e The imF team left Pakistan on the 9th of Februar y without s gning a staff level agreement since when the government has been scrambling to meet the fund s demands and get the vita $1 1 bill on re eased On Februar y 11th the government bu dozed a mini-budget through the national assembly to placate the imF and agreed to impose rs 170 b llion n addit ona taxes to meet the fund s conditions in the meant me the government has been tr ying to receive loans from friendly countries to tr y and shore up forex reser ves and avoid default Pakistan has previously received a $700m loan from Ch na to help in this regard Pakistan had been able to secure the last tranche of $1 17 b llion back in August 2022 after the imF approved the seventh and eighth reviews of the

package

The state bank at the t me had more than $8 b llion n foreign reser ves but the agreements cou d not bring about macroeconomic stability

The ninth review s facing ma or roadblocks due to non fulfil ment of conditions spec fically in the energy sector untargeted subs d es and pegging the foreign exchange at a lower rate than the market

The cash-strapped nation felt an added pressure due to devastating floods that caused a damage of $30 bil on Dur ng th s time foreign exchange reser ves have dropped from $8 b llion to a dangerous y ow of less than $3 b llion However, subsidies such as the Kissan package have also been slashed and the government has been tr ying to make concessions to receive the ong-overdue tranche

to NaB law afoot regarding retur ned references: law minister

‘Temporary relief’ as BHC suspends imran’s arresT warranTs

Imran's facIlItators 'runnIng away' one after another, says maryam

Faisalabad a p p

ma rya m Nawaz the senior vice president of Pakistan muslim League-Nawaz (PmL-

N) on Friday said that those who conspired against her father former prime minister Nawaz Sharif were now confessing to their involvement in the conspiracy and exposing others who were also involved in it maryam said that "we don't have to do anything they are exposing themselves This is justice from the almighty that we are seeing this," and added that not only were

they confessing, but they were also pointing out others who were part of the conspiracy against Nawaz

"They hatched [the conspiracy] together but now they are being exposed so everybody is looking after themselves all of Imran s facilitators are escaping the country " she said while addressing a PmLN workers' convention in Faisalabad

I say this to Panama bench and [former chief justice] Saqib Nisar you must listen to this this nation will never forgive you no matter how many explanations you offer on Sadiq and ameen she said maryam said that former prime minister Imran Khan, who was an absconder in some

shah mahmood Qureshi says he will ‘lead’ PtI if Imran arrested

laHORE S ta f f R e p o R t

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Vice-Chairman Shah mahmood Qureshi said on Friday that he will lead the party in case his party chairman was arrested The PTI leader made these remarks while talking to the media after securing interim bail in a hooliganism case Talking to media after the hearing Qureshi said that the PTI was the only party that respected the law and state institutions We have always respected the judiciary and will continue to do so in the future, he added In response to a question, Qureshi said: I will take responsibility for the party in case our party chairman Imran Khan gets arrested” Shah mahmood Qureshi also slammed Punjab police for “torturing to death” PTI worker ali Bilal

Punjab election: ecP appoints returning officers

laHORE S ta f f R e p o R t

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Friday appointed District returning Officers (DrOs), returning Officers (rOs) and assistant returning Officers (arOs) for conducting elections across Punjab province The ECP issued a notification announcing the appointment of DrOs ros and arOs for the election across Punjab The notification stated that as many as 36 District returning Officers (DrOs) and 297 returning Officers (rOs) were appointed for election in Punjab adding that all the DrOs and rOs were nominated from Bureaucracy moreover at least 594 assistant returning Officers (arOs) were also appointed The Election Commission of Pakistan said that Saeed Gul was also appointed as rO for women and minority seats

ctD arrests 12 members of banned outfits

laHORE S ta f f R e p o R t

The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) on Friday apprehended 12 terrorists belonging to banned outfits according to details, CTD conducted a grand operation on the hideouts of terrorists in several districts of Punjab including Lahore, Sargodha and arrested 12 terror suspects

During the operation in Lahore, forces arrested three terrorists belonging to banned TTP said CTD spokesperson apart from suicide jackets explosives guns ammunition and literature pertaining to terror activities were recovered from the arrested suspects The arrested terrorist had already planned to carry out an attack in sensitive districts he said

The spokesperson said that 12 cases were registered against the terrorists and the investigation was underway On march 7 the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) in separate Intelligence-Based Operations claimed to have arrested 11 operatives of banned outfits in Karachi according to the CTD spokesperson, the IBOs were carried out in different localities of Karachi During raids as many as 11 ‘operatives’ of banned outfits had been taken into custody, who were wanted in terrorism cases

cases at that time, used to participate in the hearings of Justice (retd) Saqib Nisar and Justice (retd) asif Saeed Khosa but no one bothered to arrest him

She claimed that the Panama bench was not only an enemy of Nawaz but was also an enemy of the poor people of Pakistan who were being provided with rs2 bread and cheap sugar maryam lashed out at Imran for humiliating the nation in front of the ImF by succumbing to its demands Imran is responsible for today s situation They (Panama bench) imposed an incapable incompetent and watch thief on this nation Nation will never forgive them for

generations " She said that the bench imposed a person on this nation who was addicted to drugs and he destroyed the country

Hitting out at the PTI chief for using party workers, particularly women as "human shields" to prevent arrest maryam said that Nawaz Sharif went to jail along with his daughter but he never used his workers as shields whereas Imran is using his female workers for this purpose He checks on his doorstep whether women were protecting him or not at all times she said What happens to our daughters and sisters is shameful Their own lawmakers are saying what is happening at

Zaman Park we cannot even say those things in words

The PmL-N leader said that when courts summon Imran Khan he excuses by saying that he has plaster on his leg "Till there are cases in courts, his plaster will not come off He says he is old and cannot come but when he has to hold a rally he is never too old He is only sick for courts but not for rallies have you seen a bigger hypocrite in your life," she questioned maryam said that his father Nawaz Sharif participated in the lawyers' movement despite life threats Even his foreign friends asked him not to participate but Nawaz said people are waiting for me she added Praying for the PTI worker who lost his life a few days ago she said that she respects workers of all political parties but Imran does not even care about his own workers " I t i s s h a m e f u l I m r a n c a l l e d h i s [ s l a i n w o r k e r s ] f a t h e r t o h i s r e s i d e n c e t o e x p r e s s c o n d o l e n c e O n l y a c o w a r d c a n d o t h a t I m a g i n e i f I m r a n w a s p r i m e m i n i s t e r w h e n C l i n t o n c a l l e d b e f o r e P a k i s t a n ’s n u c l e a r t e s t s

LHC dismisses contempt petition against Fawad C h

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday dismissed a petition seeking contempt of court proceedings against former information minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Fawad Chaudhry over his anti-judiciary remarks The LHC single member bench –

comprising Justice Shujaat ali Khan heard the petition and declared it as inadmissible as advocate Shahid rana sought contempt of court proceedings against Fawad Chaudhry for giving antijudiciary remarks

During the hearing, the court ruled that it could not initiate court proceedings on political statements criticizing judgments Earlier, advocate Saleemullah

moved IHC against Fawad Chaudhry over his derogatory remarks against the judiciary on social media

The petition stated that the PTI leader criticised judiciary after former prime minister Imran Khan issued threats to female judge Zeba Chaudhry

The applicant pleaded with the court to initiate contempt of court proceedings against the PTI leader and punish him according to the law

Cour t remands Bol News CEO in FIA’s c ustody for three days

islaMabad S ta f f R e p o R t

The court of a local judicial magistrate on Friday remanded Bol News and axact CEO Shoaib Sheikh in custody of the Federal Investigation agency (FIa) for three days in a case of allegedly bribing a judge in the axact degree case

The FIa produced the accused before Judicial magistrate Umar Shabbir and requested for his 10day physical remand to carry out an investigation into the case The FIa s investigation officer argued before the court that the high court had ordered an inquiry against the accused and during the investigation transaction of some amount in the account of the former judge was traced However, the judge did not confess to taking any bribe, he added The accused said he had no connection with the transaction and he should have been given some time to join the investigation

Whether the accused, who had transferred the said amount into the judge’s account, had been arrested he asked

49 killed in Karachi roadside muggings in februar y

Prosecutor Ishfaq Naqvi said that a total of 26 accused were nominated in the case and statement of the said former additional district and sessions judge was part of an appeal pending with the high court he added Shoaib Sheikh had filed the appeal without going to jail the prosecutor said He stated that the former judge had confessed before the two high court judges to the bribe and opposed the request of the defence seeking to discharge the accused from the case The counsel for accused Latif Khosa advocate said the inquiry was conducted in 2018 and the FIa was now thinking to file the case a verbal statement could not be considered a confession, he said and prayed to the court to discharge his client from the case The court, however, granted three-day remand of the accused to the FIa Sheikh was arrested by FIa’s antiCorruption Circle on Thursday on charges of bribing a judge according to the first information report (FIr) the anti Corruption Circle Islamabad conducted an inquiry in response to a reference sent by the additional registrar of Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Feb 17 2018

COMSATS Exec utive D irec tor c alls on S ri

L ank an High Commissioner

islaMabad S ta f f R e p o R t

The Executive Director of COmSaTS ambassador Dr mohammad Nafees Zakaria paid a courtesy call on the High Commissioner of Sri Lanka, Vice admiral mohan Wijewickrama, at the Sri Lankan High Commission in Islamabad

The High Commissioner congratulated ambassador Zakaria on his appointment as the Executive Director of COmSaTS, an international intergovernmental organization of 27 member countries The Executive Director COmSaTS thanked the High Commissioner and updated him on

the latest activities and programs of the organization, including the recently held coordinating council meeting at Karachi Pakistan and ongoing programs of COmSaTS’ Centers of Excellence ambassador Zakaria also shared his ideas regarding COmSaTS activities as part of future plans

The High Commissioner proposed a working visit by the Executive Director to Sri Lanka at the earliest possible time emphasizing the Sri Lankan government s full support for COmSaTS He wished ambassador Zakaria a successful tenure as the Executive Director of COmSaTS and reaffirmed Sri Lanka s commitment to furthering cooperation among the member countries

Police books law yer for threatening female distric t officer

Rawalpindi S ta f f R e p o R t

Officials of Police Station Civil Lines on Thursday has booked a lawyer on charges of hurling threats of dire consequences towards a female district officer for launching anti enforcement operation informed sources The accused lawyer has been identified as mudassir malik against whom case was registered under sections 186/188/506 of PPC on complaint of Noshia afzal District Officer regulations they said Police have launched manhunt to arrest the accused sources said accoring to sources Noshia afzal, the applicant, lodged complaint with PS Civil Lines officials stating that District Council often launch operation against encroachments which is its

prime responsibility She added she was informed by the council that according to newspaper reports the residents of adiala road are suffering a lot due to massive encroachments there N o s h i a a f z a l t o l d p o l i c e s h e a l o n g w i t h h e r t e a m c a r r i e d o u t a n o p e r a t i o n a g a i n s t e n c r o a c h m e n t s i n D h a m a m o r r ; i s s u e d f i n e t o shopkeepers and confiscated the goods displayed b y t h e s h o p k e e p e r s o n r o a d s S h e a d d e d t h a t a l a w y e r n a m e l y m u d a s s i r m a l i k e n t e r e d i n h e r office and asked her to return goods of his client w h i c h s h e r e f u s e d t o d o s o a n d s u g g e s t e d t h e lawyer to adopt legal process On which she said the lawyer misbehaved and hurled threats of dire c o n s e q u e n c e s T h e c o m p l a i n a n t a s k e d p o l i c e t o register case against the accused and to arrest him

Punjab c aretaker govt ‘B’ team of PDM: S heikh Rasheed

awami muslim League (amL) Chief Sheikh rasheed ahmad has vehemently criticised the Punjab caretaker government as B team of the PDm for its violent crackdown on the PTI activists in Lahore In a series of tweets, the former interior minister said the way the “caretaker government is defending its action on unarmed PTI rally participants it seems to be the B team of the PDm There has never been such a bloody Section 144 in Pakistan Never in the past had a case been registered on the complaint of police mr ahmad said

He tweeted that police should register the case of ali Bilal s martyrdom on the compliant of his father He also criticised Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Ghulam ali and advised him to be a representative of the state not of maulana Fazlur rehman He said Pakistan was being sandwiched between asia Pacific and Indo Pacific regarding the ImF deal the former minister wrote that america had asked Pakistan to secure an agreement with the lender by itself Sheikh rashid lambasted Finance minister Ishaq Dar and said he claimed that he would devalue dollar below rs200, but the greenback had soared to 300

He tweeted that Shehbaz Sharif and asif Zardari had been searching for election candidates He advised the rulers to respect the decision of Supreme Court as “it is a matter of life and death for democracy in Pakistan ” “Those who are trying to evade elections should be tried by the Supreme Court ” he demanded The former minister came hard on the rulers who are concerned about their politics and not the state Country s survival is in elections The government should make national interest and stability its top priority instead of its own interest, Sheikh rashid wrote

KaRaCHi S ta f f R e p o R t at least 49 people died in mugging incidents in the metropolis during February taking the tally to 99 for the first two months of 2023 according to statistics released by the Citizens Police Liaison Committee (CPLC), a total of 178 vehicles, 4,380 motorbikes, and 2,255 mobile phones were snatched or stolen in February, Out of the 178 automobiles, 163 were stolen and 15 were snatched Similarly of the 4 380 bikes 326 were snatched and 4 054 were stolen The data showed that 2 255 mobile phones worth millions of rupees were stolen from citizens in street crimes The spiraling crime rate and the insecurity felt by citizens have been discussed multiple times in the provincial legislature while high-ranking officials continue to claim that they are improving law and order However it hasn t resulted in any improvement with bandits and streets criminal brazenly committing crime The provincial police department has come under criticism for its alleged involvement in crime or patronage of criminal elements The station house office (SHO) of Quaidabad police station was recently fired for holding a citizen in his custody after another SHO allegedly kidnapped him Officials of another police station had been arrested in connection with the abduction a car showroom owner

gov t gears up for rs110b post-flood reconstruction package in Balochistan

islaMabad S ta f f R e p o R t

The federal government has geared up for implementation rs110 billion (USD 400 million) post-flood rehabilitation and reconstruction package in Balochistan as the first formal meeting of the Steering Committee on Post-Flood 2022 reconstruction and rehabilitation was held on Friday The meeting was co-chaired by Federal minister for Planning Development & Special Initiatives ahsan Iqbal and Provincial ministers for Finance and Planning on the behalf of Chief minister Balochistan and attended by the Secretary ministry of Water resources additional Secretary ministry of Planning representatives from Economic affairs Division provincial representatives of Balochistan and other stakeholders The minister for Planning ahsan Iqbal highlighted that the socioeconomic development of Balochistan had remained a top priority of the PDm government since coming into power in april last year The minister noted that the efforts of the Government were disrupted by the devastating floods which hit the poorest regions of the country hardest especially Balochistan In the wake of the devastating floods the provincial Government lacked the financial resources to support post-flood rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts The Federal Government obtained a loan from the World Bank and is spending this amount on post-flood rehabilitation and livelihood enhancement in Balochistan as a grant The minister for Planning and minister for Finance from the Government of Balochistan appreciated the efforts of the Federal Government for taking special interest in the development of Balochistan and for mobilizing loans for financing post-flood work in Balochistan They emphasized the fiscal challenges faced by the provincial government and thanked the federal government for providing much-needed funds through this project They assured the full cooperation and support of the Government of Balochistan member Social Sector & Devolution rafiullah Kakar informed the participants that the ECNEC had recently approved the project and that the first phase of the project will be completed in two years Under the project the rehabilitation and reconstruction of community infrastructure establishment of a hydro-meteorological early warning system and reconstruction of damaged and partially damaged housing units will be financed Furthermore to address the issues of youth unemployment the federal government will provide 10 000 paid internships to the youth of Balochistan under this project Similarly programs related to agriculture and livelihood are also being implemented so that the losses and deprivation of people can be alleviated remarked the minister while directing the concerned stakeholders to immediately start the projects The top priority of the federal government is to uplift the Balochistan province which remained neglected in the past, said the Planning minister while highlighting the recent initiatives taken by the federal government for the development of the province

ha jj PolIcy 2023: eVery ha a jI to Pay arounD rs1.175m thIs year

abdul Shakoor announced the estimated expenditure for the citizens applying for the government Hajj scheme 2023, a day after the approval of the Hajj Policy 2023 by the Federal Cabinet

President appoints Prof niaz ahmed as Qau Vc

m u f t i a b d u l S h a k o o r i n a p r e s s e r s a i d t h a t t h e e s t i m a t e d e x p e n d i t u r e o f p i l g r i m s in the northern part of Pakistan is liable to

p a y r s 1 1 7 5 m i l l i o n f o r H a j j w h i l e p i l g r i m s i n t h e s o u t h e r n p a r t w i l l b e c h a rg e d r s 1 1 6 5 m i l l i o n H e a n n o u n c e d t h a t t h e H a j j a p p l i c a t i o n s c o u l d b e s u b m i t t e d f r o m m a r c h 1 6 t o m a r c h 3 1 2 0 2 3 t h r o u g h 1 4 d e s i g n a t e d b a n k s a c r o s s t h e c o u n t r y The religious minister said, In the

islaMabad S ta f f R e p o R t President Dr arif alvi has approved the appointment of Professor Dr Niaz ahmed as vice chancellor of Quaide-azam University The president earlier had conducted indepth interviews of three candidates on the recommendations of the search committee The committee had recommended the names of Niaz ahmed akhtar, raheel Qamar and Fazal Khalid The president approved the appointment in line with the act of the Quaid-e-azam University

naB seeks record of farah gogi’s proper t y in Punjab

laHORE S ta f f R e p o R t

The National accountability Bureau (NaB) Friday widened the scope of investigation into the assets beyond means and money laundering case against Farah Khan Gogi and sought th e r e c o r d o f a l l h e r p r o p e r t y a n d a s s e t s f r o m d e v e l o p m e n t a u t h o r i t i e s a c r o s s P u n j a b I n t h i s c o n n e c t i o n t h e a c c o u n t a b i l i t y w a t c h d o g h a s w r i t t e n l e t t e r s t o a l l t h e d e v e l o p m e n t a u t h o r i t i e s a c r o s s P u n j a b p r o v i n c e s e e k i n g d e t a i l s o f p r o p e r t y a n d a s s e t s r e g i s t e r e d i n t h e n a m e o f F a r a h K h a n G o g i a c l o s e f r i e n d o f f o r m e r f i r s t l a d y B u s h r a B i b i T h e N a B i n i t s l e t t e r s s o u g h t t h e r e c o r d o f r e s i d e n t i a l a n d c o m m e r c i a l p r o p e r t y r e g i s t e r e d i n t h e n a m e s o f F a r a h K h a n G o g i a n d h e r h u s b a n d a h s a n J a m e e l a n d a l s o o f t h e p r o p e r t y t h a t h a d b e e n b o u g h t a n d s o l d I t i s t o b e n o t e d h e r e t h a t N a B n o t i c e s h a d a l s o b e e n i s s u e d t o F a r a h K h a n G o g i i n t h e r s 8 4 1 m i l l i o n b a n k t r a n s a c t i o n s c a s e T h e N a B a l s o s o u g h t t h e F B r r e t u r n s d e t a i l s o f F a r a h G o g i f r o m 2 0 1 6 t o 2 0 2 1

gujrat police book 10-year-old boy

GUJRaT S ta f f R e p o R t

What can be described as quite a weird incident police in Gujrat on Friday registered a case against four brothers including a 10-year-old boy and their father for hurling a stone at another child named Faraz according to detail 10-year-old muhammad ali is class fifth student The case was registered on the complaint of Faraz s father and it was against muhammad ali, his three brothers and father Two boys quarreled with each other while playing outside in the street a 10 years old fifth class student muhammad ali threw stone on another child name Faraz and in result he got injury Faraz’ father launched compliant with police against the child his three brothers and their father for hurling a stone at Faraz and get FIr registered against the nominated accused Police taking registered case the boy his brothers and father

sc to take up plea seeking disqualification of President on 16th

islaMabad a p p

The Supreme Court (SC) on Friday fixed for hearing a petition seeking disqualification of President Dr arif alvi a two-member bench of the SC led by Justice Ijazul ahsan will hear the president s disqualification petition on march 16 The petition sought the disqualification of President Dr arif alvi under article 62 1 f In October last year the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had disqualified former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman Imran Khan in the Toshakhana reference under article 63(1)(p) The ECP had stated that Imran Khan submitted a false affidavit and was found involved in corrupt practices and ordered to register criminal cases against the PTI chairman The ECP’s verdict further said that some of the gifts retained from Toshakhana were concealed in his assets

0 p c q u o t a i n t h e government Hajj Scheme 2023 is reserved f o r t h e c i t i z e n s a p p l y i n g f o r p r i v a t e H a j j H a j j e x p e n s e s h a v e i n c r e a s e d b y a l m o s t r s 3 5 0 0 0 0 d u e t o t h e d e p r e c i a t i o n o f t h e r u p e e a g a i n s t t h e d o l l a r, m u f t i S h a k o o r s a i d

PTI Karachi invites applications from aspiring candidates for elec tions

KaRaCHi S ta f f R e p o R t

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf

Pak- C hina collaboration in PV sec tor to jointly combat energy shor tage

islaMabad a p p as Pakistan is one of the most vulnerable countries to the adverse impact of climate change, China's leading solar solutions provider LONGi has long been committed to developing the PV field with local partners to optimizing energy structure in Pakistan

We signed an moU with the Government of Pakistan in July

2019 to invest in the construction of a 50 mW solar power plant in the Bahawalpur, Punjab, as our first step, ali majid, General manager, Pakistan, LONGi Solar, said in an exclusive interview "as for the current overall production capacity of LONGi's green energy projects invested in Pakistan total shipments to Pakistan market w o u l d r e a c h a b o u t 1 G W t h i s y e a r T h e e x p e r i e n c e o f d e v e l o p i n g t h e m a r k e t i n t h e p a s t f e w y e a r s t e l l s m e t h a t i n o r d e r t o b o o s t P V a n d n e w e n e rg y f i e l d investment and awareness, none c a n b e d i s p e n s e d w i t h , " m a j i d added P a k i s t a n s h o u l d e n c o u r a g e more investments in renew able e n e rg y i n f r a s t r u c t u r e t o t h e g r e a t e s t e x t e n t , i n c l u d i n g g o v e r n m e n t a n d p r i v a t e i n v e s t m e n t i n l a rg e - s c a l e s o l a r farms as well as smaller rooftop s o l a r i n s t a l l a t i o n s C E N reported on Friday a s f o r a w a r e n e s s strengthen education around the benefits of green energy such as public education campaigns and o u t r e a c h t o b u s i n e s s e s , c o m m u n i t i e s , a n d s c h o o l s , " majid noted " B e y o n d t h a t , w e c a n increase investment in research a n d d e v e l o p m e n t o f n e w P V

technologies, such as improving the efficiency and performance o f s o l a r p a n e l s , a s w e l l a s d e v e l o p i n g n e w m a t e r i a l s a n d manufacturing processes " " N o w a d a y s , c o n t r a d i c t i o n s b e t w e e n g l o b a l e n e rg y s u p p l y a n d d e m a n d c a u s e d b y geopolitical conflicts to a great extent which is called the first real global energy crisis by the I n t e r n a t i o n a l E n e rg y a g e n c y (IEa) is increasing prominent I n o r d e r t o a l l e v i a t e t h e c o n t r a d i c t i o n , t h e g l o b a l photovoltaic market is booming a s a m a j o r d e m a n d m a r k e t , C h i n a h a s a y e a r- o n - y e a r g r o w t h r a t e o f a b o u t 5 9 % a c c o r d i n g t o t h e d e m a n d f o r e c a s t o f m a j o r c o n s u l t i n g agencies it is estimated that the n e w i n s t a l l e d c a p a c i t y o f p h o t o v o l t a i c s i n t h e w o r l d i s e x p e c t e d t o e x c e e d 3 5 0 G W i n 2 0 2 3 e m p h a s i z e d a l e x L i G e n e r a l m a n a g e r o f C e n t r a l asia branch LONGi I t i s l e a r n e d t h a t h i g h c o s t has brought great challenges to g l o b a l j o i n t r e s p o n s e t o t h e energy crisis F o r e x a m p l e , i n t h e v a s t d e s e r t i f i c a t i o n a r e a s i n t h e m i d d l e E a s t , t h e m a i n i s s u e i s t h e l a c k o f f r e s h w a t e r T h e increase in costs brought about

b y d e s a l i n a t i o n o f s e a w a t e r i s t h e m a i n o b s t a c l e I f t h e f r e s h w a t e r i s s u ff i c i e n t , l a rg e - s c a l e g r e e n i n g w i l l n o t b e d i ff i c u l t , " alex Li believes that this is why P V h a s e p o c h - m a k i n g significance " P h o t o v o l t a i c s c a n i n d e e d change the ecology of our earth b e c a u s e s o l a r e n e rg y d o e s n o t d e p e n d o n a n y r e s o u r c e s a n d t h e s u n s h i n e s o n e v e r y o n e fairly alex Li looked forward to the future H o w t o t u r n f a i r s u n l i g h t i n t o e n e rg y t h a t b e n e f i t s e v e r y o n e i s t h e g o a l w e h a v e always strive for " T h i s y e a r m a r k s t h e 1 0 t h a n n i v e r s a r y o f t h e B e l t a n d r o a d I n i t i a t i v e , a s w e l l a s t h e 1 0 t h a n n i v e r s a r y o f t h e l a u n c h of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor majid stated that the CPEC Phase II is expected to focus on t h e d e v e l o p m e n t o f n e w t e c h n o l o g i e s s u c h a s e n e rg y storage and smart grid systems t o i m p r o v e t h e e ff i c i e n c y a n d reliability of the energy sector N e w e n e rg y e n t e r p r i s e s , i n c l u d i n g L O N G i , a r e l i k e l y t o play a key role in promoting the adoption of renewable energy in Pakistan even the whole South asia region

economic future of Pakistan linked with Balochistan's development: governor

QUETTa a p p

Governor Balochistan malik abdul Wali Khan Kakar on Friday said that the economic future of Pakistan was linked to the development of the province "However for inviting large-scale investment it is necessary to ensure complete peace and security of the province he added These views were expressed by the governor while talking to Pakistan s ambassador to Sudan Behrose Khan reki who called on him at the Governor House Quetta mr Behrose Khan reki also congratulated the governor on assuming the office during the meeting In response to a question, the governor said that proper use of Balochistan's budget and timely completion of projects could reduce our financial problems to a great extent, therefore, it was important that the budget was utilized in a responsible manner He said that Balochistan was rich in natural and mineral resources and the changing conditions had increased the geographical and commercial importance of the province especially Gwadar

India designs of holding elections in IIojK discredited

MiRpUR (aJK) a p p

Former president of Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Srinagar) Dr mubeen Shah emphasized the need to expose the narrative of India holding the socalled elections in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir State to give the sham impression to the world that the disputed valley was their integral part

Power consumers to pay additional rs14.24/unit

COnTinUEd FROM paGE 01

During the course of the hearing, the energy ministry reiterated its stance that the FCas to be charged in august and September 2022 were deferred for some categories of consumers in order to provide relief, considering the revision in base tariff, and impact of floods It highlighted that there was an average increase of rs 16 90 per unit over and above the July 2022 rates as the above adjustments in tariff significantly increased the electricity bills for the months of august and September 2022 Present on the occasion of NEPra s hearing the consumers had strongly opposed the recovery of the deferred surcharge from them and requested the power regulator not to burden them with such higher increase in electricity raise

KaRaCHi S ta f f R e p o R t

The Sindh government has approved the outsourcing of matric and intermediate boards in view of complaints of irregularities in board examinations and results across the province T h e D e p a r t m e n t o f B o a r d s a n d U n i v e r s i t i e s has written a letter to the heads of all matric and intermediate education boards in the province in this regard “Due to several complaints about maladministration and corrupt practices in conducting the examinations and compiling the

results of SSC and HSC minister for Universities & Boards Department Ismail rahoo in his capacity as controlling authority has granted approval to outsourcing the examination system from the forthcoming annual examination 2023 by all boards in a phased manner the letter read

The letter further states that the chairmen of all boards are therefore requested to prioritise examination components for outsourcing through an open competitive bidding process in terms of the SPPra rules, 2010 amended from time to time all boards shall cover the required expenditures from within their budget allocation of CFy 2022-23,” it added

Promised funds of $20 07 3b face delays

COnTinUEd FROM paGE 01

Back then martin raiser World Bank Vice President for South asia highlighted international assistance will be critical to recovery but it can only be effective in supporting a resilient and inclusive recovery if the government maintains the momentum of its economic reforms

China-Pak istan joint AI cancer screening lab put into operation

has been available to surrounding residents after trial diagnosis for the hospital staff proved efficient and reliable Cervical cancer has become the third

most common cancer in Pakistan after head and neck and breast cancers, and around 64 percent of Pakistani women who have this cancer lose their lives as they only discover the disease when it becomes almost incurable in the third or the fourth stage of cancer according to a study by the World Health Organization cervical cancer incidence in Pakistan reached 4 7 per 100 000 women in 2020 However from 2015 to 2019, fewer than 1 in 10 Pakistani women were screened for cervical cancer

Thus aI-powered, efficient and effective screening services can greatly enhance screening coverage China-Pakistan aI Cervical Cancer Screening Program started in 2019 on the ninth meeting of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Joint Cooperation Committee Pakistan s ministry of National Health Services regulations and Coordination is considering equipping more hospitals in Pakistan with such aI devices, CEN added

S i n d h g ov t o k ays o u t s o u rc i n g o f m at r i c , i n te r ex a m i n at i o n s

Justice (r) Saqib Nisar’s heft y pension

P PA R e N T Ly the reputations of senior military officers have become political footballs If PTI chief Imran Khan called for retired COAS Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa to be court-martialled for his support to Ukraine in violation of the government’s policy PML(N) Senior Vice President Maryam Nawaz has called for former DG ISI Lt Gen (retd) Faiz hameed to be courtmartialled for his role in ousting Mian Nawaz Sharif and getting Mr Khan elected as PM however as General hameed had become controversial even before becoming DG ISI, because as DG(C) he was alleged to have overseen the 2018 elections, and then to have ensured that the PTI obtained the requisite majority in Parliament General Bajwa may have taken the bold step of saying that the military had decided not to intervene in politics, something which has always been constitutionally prohibited, despite four martial las being imposed however, if he expected that all would be forgotten, and non one would be held to account for that interference, he was mistaken General hamid has said that whatever might have been done was done on the orders of the Chief While not absolving himself, he has put General Bajwa firmly in the crosshairs The danger for the military men is that the demands for some form of accountability are becoming too loud for the institution itself to ignore without damage to itself Not only is it one of the institutions remaining to the nation, it also performs an extremely vital function

It would thus be only in the fitness of things for the Army to take care of the accountability process itself Interference in politics is only an offence for government servants, civil, military or judicial, and can only be dealt with by the department concerned however, the public memory still remembers how the question of political interference and funding by the ISI raised by Air Marshal (retd) was kept pending by the Supreme Court only for an anodyne judgement to be delivered The present demands should not be allowed to fall on deaf ears The military as an institution should realize that the process started by General Bajwa’s mea culpa is no longer subject to the usual methods of control

It would be a sad irony if the military tried to use the methods it claims it has abandoned to save the skin of a few officers who did neither the country nor their institution any good by violating their oaths as officers

Dedicated to the legac y of late Hameed Nizami

Arif Nizami (Late)

Founding Editor

M A Niazi Joint Editor Umar Aziz Executive Editor

Wh e R e A S the whole country is in the grip of economic crisis, the national exchequer is cheerfully affording Rs 800 000 a month disbursed from the taxpayers money, as pension of the former Chief Justice of Pakistan, Mian Saqib Nisar

The amount is 80 percent of his salary which was Rs 1 million when he served as the chief judge Can anyone believe a poor country like Pakistan– the name of which is now synonymous with a begging bowl– can bear such cumbersome expenses?

I t s e e m s t h a t j u d g e s o f t h e S u p r e m e C o u r t o f Pakistan think they are judges of a Mughal empire discovering by invasions new treasure troves time after time and disbursing the fortune among its employees The judges are forgetful of the reality that the age of having a free lunch offered by the USA to Pakistan in return for acting as a proxy in the region is over In the past few months Pakistan has been learning the hard way: cut your coat according to your cloth

Googly News TV reveals that Mr Justice (retired) Nisar has also been enjoying perks and privileges, which are unheard of in a country begging for cash from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Perks and privileges entail utility services such as free electricity, telephone, water and gas Besides having a branded comfy vehicle with free petrol, Mr Justice (retd) Nisar is also entitled to having support staff comprising a driver private secretary peon and bodyguard, who are paid from the national kitty Can anyone count how expensive this retired judge is to the pockets of taxpayers?

Interestingly, this was a package he got approved from his brother judges on 7 July 2018, just before retirement The summary was ratified by the PTI Government on 18 September 2018 Woefully the same facility is also available to retired presidents and provincial governors, who are considered to have held constitutional offices how can the country afford such hefty salaries pensions, perks and privileges of judges, and other constitutional offices? The sum of money is the concern of every Pakistani who cannot bear the ongoing hyper-inflation Such enormous spending is neither affordable nor acceptable

On February 18 on the sidelines of the Munich

Security Conference, the IMF managing director, Kristalina Georgieva, said that Pakistan should “run as a country and not reach a dangerous point where it needs to rebuild itself She further said There is no debt restructuring for Pakistan Through her public statements, Georgieva warned Pakistan against any lapse that could compel it to ask the IMF for restructuring its debt, as Sri Lanka did in 2022

Georgieva asked Pakistan to take urgent measures including restructuring the economy before it was too late She earnestly advised Pakistan to collect higher taxes from the rich and give benefits to the poor It seems that Georgieva is a Pakistani, a better Pakistani than the judges of the SC and all those claimants of constitutional offices It seems that the IMF has come to know where the rub lies The echelons of power revel in high spending whereas the poor suffer at the hands of inf l a t i o n T h e I M F h a s n o t y e t e n t e r e d i n t o a s t a ff -

l e v e l a g r e e m e n t w i t h P a k i s t a n b e c a u s e t h e I M F thinks that in the present state of affairs it would

b e u n w i s e t o e x t e n d t h e t r a n c h e o f $ 1 2 b i l l i o n which would not be returned The IMF is protecting the money of investors who are running the IMF financially On March 6 the IMF asked Pakistan to c o l l e c t m o n e y t h r o u g h i t s a n n o u n c e d r e f o r m s t o show performance, as the next tranche would not be available before April Surviving March is a herculean task before Pakistan which is still hesitant t o r e d u c e e x p e n s e s U n f o r t u n a t e l y, P a k i s t a n i s overly relying on the Chinese commercial loans to avoid sovereign default What the Googly News TV has not so far exp o s e d i s t h a t , o n t h e R u l e o f L a w I n d e x o f t h e World Justice Project, Pakistan is ranked globally a t 1 2 4 o u t o f 1 3 9 j u r i s d i c t i o n s ( c o u n t r i e s ) i n t h e realm of Civil Justice Furthermore in the sphere of Criminal Justice, Pakistan is placed globally at 1 0 8 a m o n g s t t h e 1 3 9 c o u n t r i e s T h i s i s t h e a pp a l l i n g s t a n d i n g o f P a k i s t a n ’s j u d i c i a r y w h i c h i s d r a w i n g m i l l i o n s o f r u p e e s f r o m t h e n a t i o n a l e xchequer in the name of delivering justice

A case study of the Lahore high Court (LhC) is relevant For instance on 28 November 2022 the LhC administration cancelled the list of hearings for the court of Chief Justice Mohammad Ameer Bhatti for November 29 with the text message announcement that the cases on the list would be rescheduled Now, the mid of March 2023 is approaching, but neither has the list been restored nor have the cases been rescheduled even if the excuse is accepted that the court is busy in larger benches or full court hearings, common sense says that one or two days in a week could be spared to clear the pending individual cases waiting for rescheduling or restoration of the list Mournfully, the court refuses to accept any (civil miscellaneous) application for hearing In Ramadan the next month the hearing frequency would be the lowest; shortly afterwards would be summer vacation The principle established is simple: people should keep on paying taxes to sustain the judiciary

The tribal administration of Balochistan

U n t i l t h e S a rd a r i N i z a m i s a b o l i s h e d, B a r k h a n i n c i d e n t s w i l l re c u r

sons were kept in a private prison by the Sardar

Following protests by the Marri tribesmen, the mother and her two sons were freed from Khetran s prison by Levies personnel Khetran is a powerful tribal leader and a provincial minister for communication and works The detained woman had earlier released a video statement claiming she was being held as a prisoner in a private prison by Sardar Khetran

masses are easier to manipulate and control

One of the most worrying aspects of the tribal system is its impact on the socioeconomic development of women The outdated tribal structure often prohibits women from pursuing education and binds them under strict cultural and tribal norms It can be argued that the lack of progress and education in the region is not only due to the absence of educational institutions but also because of the strict tribal laws and norms that hinder social development

A mu s i n g l y, M r Ju s t i c e ( r e t d ) N i s a r h a s l a u n c h e d a p r e e m p t i v e d r i v e t o r e f u t e t h e a c c u s a t i o n t h a t h e w a s i n c o l l u s i o n w i t h t h e fo r m e r D G I S I L t . G e n ( r e t d ) Fa i z H a m e e d a n d t h e fo r m e r C h i e f o f A r my S t a f f G e n ( r e t d ) Q a m a r J a v e d B a j w a i n d i s l o d g i n g t h e fo r m e r P r i m e M i n i s t e r N a w a z S h a r i f i n 2 0 1 7

which would be answerable to none Georgieva do you also offer any solution for this predicament?

Amusingly, Mr Justice (retd) Nisar has launched a preemptive drive to refute the accusation that he was in collusion with the former DG ISI Lt Gen (retd) Faiz hameed and the former Chief of Army Staff Gen (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa in dislodging the former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in 2017

The judiciary has lost its credibility to the extent that any list of hearings which is not rescheduled or restored is considered to have fallen prey to some sort of collusion the jiggery-pokery Despite being fattened on the taxpayers money the judiciary has devised ways to deny justice

The writer can be reached at qaisarrashid@yahoo com

E d i t o r ’ s m a i l

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

Mob lynching

T h I S is with reference to the report “Mob storms police station lynches blasphemy accused (Feb 12) The insanity on display while lynching the blasphemy suspect in Nankana Sahib tells us how fanatic our society has become Snatching the suspect from police custody in broad daylight and hanging his body after burning him alive is not something novel anymore Such incidents are now recurrent episodes across the country

Th e tribal system of administration was widely practised in almost every society while its presence can still be found in some contemporary societies

In Pakistan, the tribal system known as “Sardari Nizam” is still prevalent, particularly in Balochistan Despite being an ancient and outdated practice, some societies have failed to remove the tribal system due to a lack of good governance economic growth and education Balochistan the largest province in Pakistan, is home to a diverse population consisting of Baloch, Pashtun, and Brahui ethnic groups

The Sardari Nizam is widely practised in Baloch and Brahui areas while the Pashtun areas are relatively free from the influence of tribal leaders, as they do not like to be governed by others

The Sardars or tribal chiefs have maintained their power through oppressive measures such as creating fear, harsh laws, killing and private prisons The Sardari system has been criticized for perpetuating feudalism tribalism and inequality Sardars are often accused of abusing their power and exploiting their communities for personal gain They have also been accused of impeding development and progress in the province by obstructing government initiatives and policies

The Sardari Nizam has once again come under scrutiny after a family of three was allegedly kept in a private prison by Abdul Rehman Khetran, a Khetran Sardar Khan Muhammad Marri alleged that his wife and two

Just like in most of the earlier societies the tribal system in Kalati Balochistan (more or less the present Southern Balochistan) has ancient roots and greater relevance For centuries, the mountainous and dry region was administered by the tribal leaders During the British rule, Robert Sandeman Agent to the Governor-General of the Kalati Balochistan strengthened tribal leaders in their respective territories for smooth and cost-effective administration Under British rule, a “levy” system was introduced in the region which involved establishing paramilitary forces provided by the Sardars

This system, known as the Levies, was continued by the Pakistani government after Independence

Although the British no longer governed the region their legacy of governance persisted The tribal leaders in Balochistan more or less enjoy the same privileges and rights as they did during British rule The bad governance, lack of resources, and political divide have allowed the tribal system to prosper

I t i s i m p e r a t i v e fo r t h e s t a t e t o d i s p l ay z e ro t o l e r a n c e t ow a rd s t r i b a l l e a d e rs w h o p o s s e s s p u n i t i v e p ow e rs . S u ch p ow e rs s h o u l d s o l e ly b e v e s t e d w i t h t h e s t a t e , a n d n o i n d i v i d u a l s h o u l d b e a l l ow e d t o w i e l d t h e m

It is alleged that the tribal system in Balochistan is working under the patronage of the state The Sardars work as a state proxy in the tribal region and in return receive a permit to exercise unrestricted power making them more dangerous and ruthless If true the nexus between the Sardars and the state needs to be broken otherwise the Barkhan incident will keep happening The Sardari Nizam established under British rule needs to be abolished as it has no place in today s world It can only be abolished through good governance, political tolerance, economic growth and education

It is imperative for the state to display zero tolerance towards tribal leaders who possess punitive powers Such powers should solely be vested with the state, and no individual should be allowed to wield them

Many such incidents, often false and fabricated for personal interests or vendetta occur in society without any end in sight Unfortunately this issue has been made so grave and intense that it is now beyond the people who may wish to have a sincere discussion on it Truth be told and for sanity to prevail eventually, this madness of believing to hold carte blanche to issue on-the-spot verdicts of blasphemy must stop now Laws of the land in sane societies are meant for the protection of citizens This is truly unimaginable to watch a tiny mob grab power beyond the state power to carry out with the murder spree This is even more irksome when seen against the backdrop of the revolutionary technologies and modern means of crime management This deeply ingrained psychotic behaviour has much to do with our unchanging discourses It is but natural to do what everyone is already doing

Teachers’ attendance

T h e Sindh education department has decided to launch a project management system (PMS) for marking the attendance of primary and secondary school teachers who have to install an application in android phones to record attendance twice a day The unions of primary and secondary teachers have announced to boycott the training sessions in this regard, and have refused to use this application

The tribal structure in Balochistan poses a significant threat to both the province s security apparatus and its socio-economic development

The tribal system creates barriers to social development as uneducated and underdeveloped

To eliminate the tribal system in Balochistan it is crucial to prioritize the promotion of social cohesion fostering trust between different ethnic groups, and investing in the province’s development This necessitates political determination and a long-term vision that transcends tribal and ethnic barriers

The writer is a Research Officer in Balochistan Think Tank Network BTTN Quetta

In May 2015 the biometric system was introduced for teachers’ attendance and to identify ghost teachers Chief monitoring officers and monitoring assistants at taluka and union council (UC) levels were recruited to record biometric attendance of teachers during random visits to schools This gave better results but could not track ghost teachers completely In several districts, this system also became a victim of corruption even today, when teachers get trans- ferred from one place to another, they can easily get a letter of transfer but a change in biometrics is not easy It is almost impossible to get biometric data changed to the place of posting free of cost Before 2015, a teacher from each UC was selected as a supervisor who would monitor the school and record the attendance of teachers This system worked well for a few years but later some supervisors started taking bribes from the teachers Now once again another project related to the introduction of a new application is being launched to ensure teachers attendance Undoubtedly this application is perfect for recording attendance but there are several issues and reservations that need to be addressed

This application is good to use for the teachers working in cities and urban areas however, its use is almost impossible for teachers working in rural and remote areas where mobile network is hardly available In fact it is not even available at all in some areas Besides senior teachers even have no idea of how to use a smartphone This application needs a strong cellular network which is hardly available in remote areas Also, the system has several issues such as the location of schools is often different from the actual location Teachers have to record their attendance while being within 10 metres of the relevant school building If the location is different, the feature of recording attendance becomes inactive This application is not backed by strong servers and stops working randomly For a while it shows that the attendance has been recorded, but later marks one absent Besides, every teacher has to purchase an android mobile, create an account, make the internet available and keep the mobile battery charged all the time

I T h the season of coup d état or direct military intervention in politics over and the establishment making a tactical withdrawal from manipulating or influencing political developments the political leaders have a heyday They are out to show their true colours! engaged in the noisy brawl of a blame game, they are blaming each other for the current dismal state of affairs: the nation’s fall from grace economic malaise rise of terrorism maladministration and deteriorating lawand-order situation Forming strange alliances amd coalitions of diverse rather opposite and contrasting ideologies and programmes of action there have emerged two political camps: the PDM and PTI They are involved in a pitched battle (of accusations and counter-accusations) fought both inside Parliament and out on the streets The shouting grown into a crescendo is duly relayed through the print and electronic and social media to the distraught nation The core argument is about the holding of early or delayed general elections

The PDM is struggling to cling on to power for as long as it can Its leaders, having just secured freedom through parliamentary reprieve do not wish to end up again in prisons And sensing the pulse of the electorate it can ill afford to enter the electoral arena, hence is making pretexts and excuses for the postponement of elections The PTI, on the other hand is striving to send them packing and take over the reins Seeing a bulge in popularity they are hellbent on holding urgent elections having abused and misused the legal and judicial process against the opponents, they are currently tasting a quid pro quo from the ruling alliance And with a no-holds-barred approach the battle between the two groups lingers on, getting fiercer and more ferocious by the day The casualties unfortunately are the legal and constitutional norms democratic and parliamentary traditions and civilized political discourse

Meanwhile, the country is in dire straits and the nation is experiencing most agonizing moments The successive

y e s o n t h e J u d i c i a r y

governments and especially the four-year rule of the PTI and the incumbent PDM Government, have contributed to the dreadful situation: economic meltdown, high unemployment galloping inflation rise in terrorist acts increase in dacoities/burglaries and soaring street crime

The country is at the verge of financial default and essential items of daily use are fast disappearing from the markets The record inflation has rendered millions hungry and broken the back of the middle class There is no such thing as governance, much less good governance, exposing citizens to suffer oppression and violation of rights without any hope of remedy or relief Consequently there is widespread gloom and depression amongst the people encouraged by the withdrawal of the establishment from the political arena the politicians and especially the leaders who were convicted or underwent trial for taking commissions or skimming billions of rupees from

T h e c o n s t i t u t i o n a l m a n d a t e o f h o l d i n g e l e c t i o n s o n t i m e mu s t b e u p h e l d , n o m a t t e r w h a t t h e c o s t a n d h ow i t m ay a f fe c t t h e p o l i t i c a l p a r t i e s T h e C o u r t n e e d s t o b e o n t h e c o n s t a n t w a t ch a n d i n t e r v e n e w h e n ev e r a n d by w h o m s o ev e r, t h e r e i s a t h r e a t t o t h e d e m o c r a t i c g ov e r n a n c e o r a d ev i a t i o n f ro m t h e c o n s t i t u t i o n a l d i s p e n s a t i o n

The US-Saudi relationship: What’s love got to do with it?

W H O I N T H E I R R I G H T M I N D WO U L D WA N

K E T S I N A

D I S P U T E W I T H T H E WO R L D ’S L E A D I N G O I L E X P O RT E R?

ington remain ironclad and the US is a priority

So what went wrong? That would require a series of columns to answer in full But in summary there has been mistrust on the Saudi side and miscalculation on the US side

The Saudi mistrust is well placed; this is an administration hostile to our leadership from the get-go

It placed Saudi civilian lives at risk when it revoked the designation of the houthis as terrorists, and withdrew Patriot missile batteries from the Kingdom when the Iran-backed militia were deliberately targeting Saudi cities

The US miscalculation took many forms

the national kitty, have the audacity to target the judiciary They are also calling for the abolition of the institutions of accountability in particular the National Accountability Bureau This institution, having been deprived of much of its powers and jurisdiction, thanks to the amendments made to its law by the PTI and PDM and having earned a bad name for being used for selective accountability, is already teetering on the edge The heir apparent of one-party leader is asking for the reversal of court verdicts of conviction against her and her father and insisting on getting a clean chit; or else, elections will not be allowed to be held!

In short the country is in dire straits and is faced with the worst political and economic crisis Institutions like the police, the Federal Investigation Agency and the rest of the bureaucracy are being abused and misused for narrow partisan ends Constitutional mandates are brazenly violated and court verdict, even orders of the Supreme Court, are jeered at The resulting state of affairs undoubtedly poses an existential threat to the very survival of the state and society But apparently there is no way out of the crisis The distraught nation is in deep pain and agony, looking forward to a saviour!

In the given circumstances all eyes are on the judiciary It is the only institution which can and must play its due role After all, the judges of superior courts have taken a solemn oath to “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution” There is hardly any regard or respect for its rules or principles by the Government or Opposition

The sacred document is under threat, even though it is a social contract between the people and regions to form a State and live together as one nation

The institution of the judiciary is no shining example of an effective and efficient institution and the Supreme Court is often maligned for validating successive martial laws in the country This Court is perceived to have been playing second fiddle to the establishment and helping it in toppling political governments and thwarting constitutional rule Undoubtedly it has to its discredit quite a few most controversial verdicts, including sending one Prime Minister to the gallows and disqualifying another for life This is in addition to a spate of most atrocious judgments on the dissolution of Parliament, dismissal of governments and validating the imposition of martial law And quoting erroneous theories and doctrines like “doctrine of necessity” and theory of revolutionary legality not just coup d états were legitimized but the martial law administration per-

mitted to amend the Constitution

It led the country to suffer successive bouts of the rigours of martial law, each one of which wrought greater disaster to the country Thus cases like Federation v Molvi Tamizuddin (1955), State v Dosso (1958), Begum Bhutto v Chief of Army Staff (1977) and Zafar Ali Shah v Gen Pervez Musharraf (2000) will always remind the nation of the dark era of its judicial history

Notwithstanding the above, there were moments, when certain courageous judges resisted pressure stood the ground and decided cases purely on merit and strictly in accordance with the law/Constitution Justice Constantine of the Sindh Chief Court, Justine Cornelius of the Federal Court Chief Justice yaqub Ali Chief Justice Saeed-u-Zaman Siddiqi and Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, are few such examples Other than that, the high Courts and the Supreme Court have the distinction of standing by the law and protecting the fundamental rights of citizens The suo motu powers have been employed for resolving conflicts and disputes and providing socio-economic and political justice to the community The Court intervention in reversing the dissolution of the National Assembly by the former Prime Minister, Mr Imran Khan and ordering the holding of General elections in the provinces of the Punjab and KP despite the reluctance of the PDM Government were well-received by all and sundry It helped in resolving a serious political crisis and prevented a breakdown of the constitutional machinery

The constitutional mandate of holding elections on time must be upheld, no matter what the cost and how it may affect the political parties The Court needs to be on the constant watch and intervene whenever and by whomsoever, there is a threat to the democratic governance or a deviation from the constitutional dispensation

The author served as Registrar Supreme Court and Secretary Law & Justice Commission of Pakistan

IN an interview with Arab News last Sunday, American financier and former White house official Anthony Scaramucci described the 78-year-old US-Saudi relationship as a Catholic marriage Urging leaders in both countries to think long term he said: Our economies our governments our intelligence communities, our defense departments are very much intertwined ” Scaramucci was speaking in Abu Dhabi which was hosting SALT his thought-leadership summit for the second time he revealed plans to bring a version of SALT to Saudi Arabia which he applauded for its ongoing reforms with its best years ahead of it

Not far from the UAe capital, another thought-leadership forum was taking place in the historic Saudi city of AlUla Its focus was a candid discussion of the status of Saudi-US relations It was sponsored by ThINK an affiliate of SRMG which publishes this newspaper at the Maraya hall where the AlUla Declaration was signed two years ago As with the US-Saudi relationship, the AlUla signatories (Saudi Arabia the UAe Bahrain egypt and Qatar) demonstrated that they share unbreakable bonds The declaration ended a 43-month boycott and one of the most dramatic periods in recent Gulf history

Now, had I not known that our interview with Scaramucci was recorded before the AlUla forum I would have said he was either psychic or had been eavesdropping on its discussions

The marriage metaphor was so repeatedly and humorously used that the forum began to sound like a couples therapy session (that those attending were sitting in a large circle might have contributed to that)

Scaramucci has hit the nail on the head: the US-Saudi relationship is indeed like a Catholic marriage Anyone who argues otherwise is either misinformed or delusional Readers may need reminding that whatever the armchair Middle east experts in DC say even at the lowest points of Saudi ties with the current US administration, President Joe Biden’s team was determined not to “rupture the relationship ”

After all who in their right mind would want to damage relations with the Custodian of the Two holy Mosques and thereby upset 2 billion Muslims? And who in their right mind would risk disrupting energy markets in a dispute with the world’s leading oil exporter? equally, Saudi officials have repeatedly said that ties to Wash-

The Biden administration underestimated the popularity of Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, hailed by a vast majority of Saudis as a liberator It also was slow in understanding that it is dealing with a new progressive and different Saudi leadership The Saudi view is simple: Treat us as true partners, not lackeys

It also is evident that Washington has miscalculated its own interests with its constant characterization of Riyadh s relationships with China and Russia as a betrayal American retailers in the early 20th century created the concept that “the customer is always right how, then, does the US think Saudi Arabia should deal with China, its biggest oil customer, purchaser of 1 75 million barrels per day in 2022?

China is also a leading global economy and manufacturing hub that is happy to sell its premium and much-needed products without any drama If the US cannot offer an alternative what should the Kingdom do? Not upgrade its communications networks, or risk the lives of its citizens?

Indeed America itself is so reliant on China that not doing business with it hurts its own interests China holds $867 billion in US debt, second only to Japan It also tops the list of US trading partners with American exports to China supporting a million jobs in 2021

As for Russia, Riyadh s relationship with Moscow is the subject of constant US misrepresentation The Kingdom condemned the Russian invasion at the UN last year; Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky thanked Saudi Arabia for its support; November ’s OPeC+ production cut led to reduced oil prices the US aim all along but despite all that, Washington labeled the Kingdom pro-Russian! The US ignores the benefits of the trust Riyadh has built with Moscow over the years which materialized in last year s prisoner swap with Ukraine and the release of US citizens It is now emerging that this same trust might just might result in a serious discussion to end the war a war for which apart from the ghastly loss of life, the world and the US economy are paying a hefty price

The bottom line? As the AlUla declaration demonstrated, mutual benefits are all that matters; and there are many from which both Riyadh and Washington can benefit beyond the outdated oil for security trope which is no longer valid As Winston Churchill put it: We have no lasting friends, no lasting enemies, only lasting interests ” Or if the US would prefer something more American as Tina Turner sang: What s love got to do with it? Faisal J Abbas is

N G is going very wrong for teenagers

Between 1994 and 2010, the share of British teens who do not consider themselves likeable fell slightly from 6 per cent to 4 per cent; since 2010 it has more than doubled The share who think of themselves as a failure, who worry a lot and who are dissatisfied with their lives also kicked up sharply The same trends are visible across the Atlantic The number of US high school students who say their life often feels meaningless has rocketed in the past 12 years And it’s not just the anglosphere In France rates of depression among 15- to 24-year-olds have quadrupled in the past decade Wherever you look, youth mental health is collapsing, and the inflection point is ominously consistent: 2010 give or take a year or two when smartphones went from luxury to ubiquity

The theory that having social media and other digital delights within arm’s reach 24/7 may be having a harmful effect on mental health is not new Its leading advocate is Jean Twenge, professor of psychology at San Diego State University and author of dozens of pioneering studies on the topic

But it is still far from universally accepted The work of Twenge and her regular co-author Jonathan haidt has at times been criticised for simply surfing the wave of popular opposition to big tech yet as evidence for their arguments mounts, many are now wondering why it has taken us so long to accept what was right in front of us The signs are everywhere First digital socialising has displaced in-person gatherings The share of US teens who meet up in-person with friends less than once a month stood at 3 per cent between 1990 and 2010 but reached 10 per cent by 2019, meanwhile the share who say they are constantly online has now reached 46 per cent

Some counter that it can’t just be that apps are crowding

out real life after all the people who are busiest on Instagram are often the busiest in the real world too But that misses a key dynamic: these trends operate at the generational level not the individual As screen-time has surged everyone hangs out less But the individual-level dynamics are striking too Studies show that the more time teens spend on social media, the worse their mental health is The gradient is steepest for girls who also spend much more time on social media than boys explaining the sharper deterioration among girls mental health than boys

It’s a similar story with the higher rates of depression among liberal teens than conservatives If you suspect liberal kids are more depressed due to growing up in a culture that valorises concern for injustice, I would advise caution First, Twenge’s research points to a likelier explanation: liberal youths simply spend more time online than conservatives Second, we see the same rising trend among conservatives it s just lagging Some suggest that modern society is more open about discussing mental health so what we’re seeing is just a rise in reporting not prevalence But British teens who spend five or more hours a day on social media are at two to three times greater risk of self-harm than their less-online peers It’s a similar story in the US with suicidal ideation Grimmest of all the now-familiar hockey stick trend is also clear in rates of suicide deaths among British and American teens Others point out that correlation is not causation Indeed But we now have a growing body of research showing that reducing time on social media improves mental health

So, what can we do? The most common response is educate kids and parents” But as the cases of obesity and smoking show public information campaigns are notoriously ineffective in the face of addiction

Another option would be to build on the evidence that when people are encouraged to take an extended break from social media some disconnect for good And then there s regulation why not increase the age limit for social apps and punish companies that don’t enforce them? Ultimately though I m not optimistic Combating obesity has been so hard because you can t stop people eating food And fighting social media addiction is hard because you can’t stop people using smartphones and apps Until someone invents the equivalent of a weight-loss drug for Instagram the future looks ominous

the wrong thing Like so much else in the finance world it requires context and a little nuance Obviously, if you were hungry lacking security health care a roof over your head and other basic needs you would not be especially happy At least not in society as we know it today

Perhaps a better question is framed as “What is the value of money beyond its basic utility for survival? Where do the laws of diminishing returns kick in? Where is the line where each additional $X dollars creates little or no increase in happiness or life satisfaction?”

Bloomberg reports on research that found “Contentedness does increase steadily in line with incomes and even accelerates as pay rises beyond $100,000 a year as long as the person enjoys a certain baseline level of happiness to begin with ”

how much? Where is the ceiling? Does everyone experience this the same way? Let’s jump right into it Money and happiness: The 4word question Does money buy happiness? is really asking

That is only part of the twist revealed by the latest research: There is a plateau, but only among the unhappiest 20% of people, and only then when they start earning over $100,000 ” (emphasis added) This suggests that your outlook and personality are perhaps more determinative of your individual happiness levels than we may have previously believed The research (which Danny Kahneman collaborated with) contradicts a 2010 paper by Danny Kahneman and economist Angus Deaton which found happiness plateaus between $60 000 and $90,000 a year So money can buy some happiness, but only up to a point around $500k unless you are one of those unlucky unhappy people that peak around $100k All of which suggests it s nowhere near as clean or simple as we previously imagined

Xi JiNPiNG UNANiMoUSly elected chiNeSe PreSideNt, Prc cMc chAirMAN

BeiJiNG

m a n a b r a r

hI S TO RY was made on Friday as Xi Jinping was unanimously elected president of the People s Republic of China (PRC) and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC) of the People s Republic of China (PRC) at the ongoing session of the 14th National People’s Congress

Nearly 3 000 members of China’s parliament the National People s Congress (NPC), voted unanimously in the Great Hall of the People for Xi The voting lasted for about an hour and the electronic counting was completed in about 15 minutes

In October last year Xi was reconfirmed for another five years as general secretary of the central committee of the ruling Communist Party Xi is the only leader of China who successfully pulled out around 800 million people out of poverty Xi also led a vigorous campaign to purge the country of corruption and introduced new laws to ensure strict party discipline

Over the next two days, officials approved by Xi are set to be appointed or elected to fill top positions in the cabin e t , i n c l u d i n g p r e m i e r- i n - w a i t i n g L i

Qiang, who is expected to be named to

C h i n a ’s N o 2 p o s t p u t t i n g h i m i n charge of managing the world s second largest economy

Xi chatted casually with Li, who was seated to his left as delegates deposited voting slips into electronic ballot boxes

The election of state leaders by the par-

liament comes three months after tough COVID-19 policies were dismantled Except for dozens of top leaders, all other delegates and staff wore masks

Xi will make a speech on Monday before the annual parliamentary session closes, as China faces multiple challenges

Earlier this week, Xi blamed the United States and the West for the difficulties faced by China s economy, remarks unusual from him for being directly at Washington

While the presidential role is largely ceremonial, Xi had already been reelected by the party to chair its central military commission and has started his third five-year term as the Chinese armed forces commander-in-chief

The parliament also elected Zhao Leji 66 as the new parliament chair and Han Zheng, 68, as the new vice president Both are close aides of Xi and were

First Veterinar y and Animal Sciences Universit y of KP opened in Swat

SWaT s y e d s h a h a b u d d i n

The first “University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences

Swat in the history of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was formally inaugurated here on Friday by Khyber

Pakhtunkhwa Livestock Fisheries and Cooperatives

Secretary Mukhtiar Ahmad Khan Regular classes will be launched in the university from Monday In this regard, a function was organized in Kanju Township

On the occasion Vice Chancellor of University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences Swat Prof Dr Umar

Siddique gave a detailed briefing regarding the university and said that in this university established by the former provincial government adding that classes of DVM and DVS will be officially started from Monday with 30 and 40 students in each discipline

Speaking on the occasion Secretary Livestock Fisheries and Cooperative Department Mukhtiar Ahmad Khan said that today is a great day as the first Veterinary and Animal Sciences University of the province was on the land of Swat in the 75-year history of Pakistan “Now youth of the area and province will study Livestock and Animal Sciences in their own province instead of Punjab and other big cities,” he added He regretted that the KP province is self-sufficient in all respects but unfortunately the avaibale resources were never utilized judiciously But today is a happy day as the first-ever Veterinary and Animal Sciences university has been established which has no parallel in the past 75-year history of Pakistan , he rejoiced With the establishment of this university, the production of livestock will also increase here but at the same time it will also develop the economy here he said

The provincial secretary further said that his first priority was to run academia, government and industry together and in this regard all resources were being utilized adding that at the same time the provincial government would provide all kinds of facilities to farmers in KP He said that due to the economic situation the pace of work on building of the university under construction at Ningolai area has affected, but very soon this project will also be completed Initially we have established the university in Kanju Township and launched regular classes to save time of the youth he claimed On the occasion, DG Ejaz Ali, Shah Khosro and District Director Livestock Dr Sarbalund Khan also spoke and highlighted importance of this university

members of the previous team of party leaders at the Politburo Standing Committee

F e l i c i tat i o n s p o u r i n: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was among top leaders who extended felicitations to Xi Jinping on being re-elected as President of China In his message on Friday, the Prime Minister said the government and people of Pakistan congratulate President Xi Jinping on being elected as the President of China for the next five years He said the confidence of the Chinese people and parliament in President Xi Jinping is a recognition of his extraordinary leadership skills Shehbaz Sharif said President Xi Jinping has become a symbol of China s development and people’s prosperity

The PM said under the visionary leadership of President Xi Jinping, China is making remarkable achievements in

every field, including education, health, agriculture, innovation, and technology

Russian President Vladimir Putin also sent a message to his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, warmly congratulating him on his election as Chinese president

Putin said he would like to extend his warm congratulations to Xi on the occasion of his election as president of the People s Republic of China

The decision adopted by the National People’s Congress of China shows that Xi as the head of state enjoys high prestige and that the strategies he has formulated on promoting China s economic and social development and safeguarding China’s interests on the international stage have won the support of the Chinese people, Putin said Putin speaks highly of Xi’s contribution to strengthening the RussiaChina comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination, expressing his firm belief that with joint efforts of both sides the Russia-China cooperation in various fields will continue to yield fruitful results

Kim Jong Un general secretary of the Workers Party of Korea and chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) sent a message to Xi Jinping, congratulating him on his election as Chinese president on Friday

Thongloun Sisoulith general secretary of the Lao People s Revolutionary Party (LPRP) Central Committee and Lao president, on Friday sent a message to Xi Jinping congratulating him on his election as Chinese president

Australia rejec ts India’s request seeking GI tag for basmati rice

the GI Law of the country

It had registered its GI for basmati rice in 2020 after India had falsely claimed its produce of basmati rice to be original in an attempt to hinder Pakistan s trade in the EU

Petition urges British gov t to help end plight of Kashmiri women

LONDON s ta f f r e p o r t

As the international community observed Women s Day on Wednesday the British government was urged to intervene in order to end the plight of women in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIoJK) Fahim Kayani, president Tehreek-e-Kashmir UK led a delegation to 10 Downing Street in London to submit a petition calling on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to hold India accountable on the continued occupation of Kashmir British Parliamentarians Jess Phillips Paul Bristow Afzal Khan Tahir Ali Muhammad Yaseen Lord Qurban Hussain and Sam Tarry besides Councilor Muhammad Aslam who is deputy Leader Luton Borough Council; Rayla Javed vice president of the association of Muslim Lawyers UK; Rehana Ali, information secretary Tehreek-e-Kashmir UK; Sabba Ch student leader and human rights activist were part of the delegation

Earlier, while addressing the British parliament, MP Tahir said it was vital to talk about women in IIoJK “who are being subjected to rape domestic abuse kidnapping forced marriage and torture by Prime Minister Modi s extremist BJP-led government Addressing Sunak Ali asked: “Does the Prime Minister agree with me that the BJP government has exploited women through gender-based violence and does he agree that the UK government should be standing in solidarity with Kashmiri women?”

Sunak replied that Britain has led the way in preventing sexual violence in conflict regions

iSLaMaBaD

g h u l a m a b b a s

The Australian government has rejected India s application for exclusive rights of Basmati rice on the grounds that it is not grown only in India

The development comes while the European Union (EU) remains undecided on a conflict between India and Pakistan over basmati’s Geographical Indication (GI) tag

According to officials the development in Australia will support Pakistan’s case in the EU wherein Islamabad has opposed the Indian application on the grounds that the rice variety is grown in both South Asian countries

A geographical indication (GI) is a sign used on products that have a specific geographical origin and ensures good qualities or a reputation in the region A protected geographical indication does not entitle the holder to prevent someone from making a product using the same techniques that are used in the stan-

dards for that indication

Sources informed Profit that unlike the case in EU, Pakistan did not contest the India’s application in Australia In fact Canberra itself rejected New Delhi s a p p l i c a t i o n k n o w i n g t h a t t h e rice is grown in both the neighb o r i n g c o u n t r i e s H o w e v e r India has reportedly moved the federal court of Australia in appeal against the decision

The trade dispute started back in 2019 when India filed the application for basmati’s name and logo Sources informed Profit that India has applied for the exclusive trade rights of basmati in over 20 countries where the best quality of rice is marketed

After the case in EU, Pakistan has also applied for exclusive GI Tag for Basmati in a number of countries like USA, Thailand, UK and others, they claimed adding that the applications may face opposition from India in the same way Pakistan did in EU

Pakistan registered Basmati as GI product after approval of

The Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) was given the task of registering all the merchant profiles and trade routes and with the Intellectual Property Organisation (IPO)

In September 2020 India had applied for an exclusive GI tag for Basmati rice in the EU The EU had applauded India s application in its official journal, showing basmati rice as an Indian origin product asking if there was any opposition to the application within 90 days

To support its claim of exclusivity India in return referred to various reports and dictionaries to show that the basmati rice is of Indian origin and conveniently left out the part that the same rice is widely produced in Pakistan

Subsequently Pakistan, the second-largest exporter of basmati filed opposition against India s claim The main grounds for opposition were that both Pakistan and India produce basmati and therefore it was a joint product of both the countries

Sindh won’t accept census results if concerns not addressed: Memon

karachi s ta f f r e p o r t

Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon has said that the provincial government has conveyed its reservations about the ongoing digital census to the federal government “If our reservations are not addressed we will not accept the census results, he said while addressing a press conference at the Sindh Archives Complex on Friday

Memon said that the Sindh government would like all political parties and civil society to have full confidence in the digital census Every single person living in the province including those living here illegally should be enumerated so that correct population figures are available with the government

“The data of digital census should also be shared

with the Sindh government ” he demanded

Memon said that PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has publicly expressed the party s reservations about the digital census Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has also raised the matter with the federal government and at various other forums

Now, we are waiting for the federal government to assuage these concerns ” he added The information minister further said that the provincial government was trying to provide maximum relief to people in the holy month of Ramazan “For this purpose the Sindh government has already slashed its expenditures he added The provincial cabinet has been decided to delegate magisterial powers to the Officers of Bureau of Supply to stabilise the prices of daily-use commodities he said adding that the magisterial powers would empower the officers

At 10 Downing Street, the delegation while reminding the British government of its responsibility regarding Kashmir called on Sunak to voice concern over the plight of Kashmiri women and be their support “While facing the brunt of the turmoil stress related disorders have been taking their toll on women More than 5,000 patients per year, majority of them women, visit doctors for psychiatric diseases and worst part is that most of the victims don’t have financial resources to undergo treatment the petition read The British prime minister was also informed about how India repeatedly refuses to allow international aid from reaching IIOJK

New Delhi has halted operations of international groups including Red Cross and other aid and watch groups “It is therefore urged upon your office to kindly take up this issue with Indian authorities to at least allow any British aid group to work in the Indian Illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIoJK)”, the delegation told the British prime minister ’s office through the petition Addressing Sunak, the delegation wrote: It is also requested to your good self to press Indian authorities to allow international legal aid for Kashmiri political prisoners so that they can get justice

Pointing out that India has deployed one million military personnel in IIOJK the petition stated that the everyday actions of Indian forces violate the dignity of the Kashmiri women “Kashmiri women are survivors of world’s biggest sexist military that is Indian military ” it added

FM Bilawal meets President UNGA Korosi

iSLaMaBaD

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Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari met the President of the UN General Assembly, Csaba Korosi in New York ahead of high-level meeting to commemorate the International Day to Combat Islamophobia

Co-convened by the General Assembly president and the foreign minister the meeting will discuss ways and means to deal with growing Islamophobia

The ceremony regarding Islamophobia will be held at the General Assembly Hall on Wednesday

The ceremony is being organized by Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari as the President of the Ministerial Council of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation along with the President of the United Nations General Assembly

The two leaders also discussed the upcoming UN Water Conference 2023

Foreign Minister assured the UNGA President of Pakistan s full cooperation as water is an issue of supreme importance to his country

The water conference will take place at UN Headquarters in New York from 22nd of this month

Iran, S audi Arabia to restore ties in C hina-brokered deal

level, involving security and intelligence officials

encounters were held at a relatively low

corporate corner

Administration at Institute of Business Administration, Punjab University Staff Photo

NOT-BY- PROFIT

OpiniOn: Reaching an agReement with imF will Only pOstpOne the cRisis

Etihad Town recently organized an exciting event at Faletti s Hotel to celebrate the onboarding of its new Strategic Sales Partners who will have exclusive sales rights of the inventory in the company’s latest property project, Etihad Town - Phase II PR

The City S chool S atellite Town Campus holds Annual S por ts G ala

r a w a l p i n d i: The much-awaited event of the session the Annual Sports Gala for Boys (Class 6-8) was held on Friday 10th March 2023 in a lively and frolicsome atmosphere at the Shehnaz Sheikh Hockey Stadium arranged by The City School Satellite Town Campus Rawalpindi It was a day filled with excitement, energy and sportsmanship The event showcased students of various skill levels competing in various sports events including Inter-house athletics, Inter house football matches and tug of war

The day began with the opening ceremony, where the school principal “Saba Quadri” gave a motivational speech, emphasizing the importance of sports and physical activity for students The ceremony was followed by a parade, where students marched around the field proudly waving school and team flags The sporting events were fiercely contested with participants giving their best performances and displaying exemplary sportsmanship Student s competitive spirit was complemented by their enthusiasm and support for their peers creating an atmosphere of unity and team spirit P R

Chief Instruc tor NIM Islamabad visits Punjab IGP, CS’s offices

i s l a m a b a d: Chief Instructor National Institute of Management (NIM) Islamabad Muhammad Masood Ahmed Khan visited the offices of Chief Secretary Punjab and Inspector General of Police in Lahore along with the officers of the 36th Mid-Career Management Course The participants of the course were given a briefing related to government affairs at the Chief Secretary's office and at the Punjab Police offices Officers belonging to different services are participating in the course Such courses are essential for the promotions of officers At the end of the briefing the officers of the respective offices also answered the questions raised by the course participants On this occasion, ommemorative shields were also presented to Masood Ahmad Khan, the head of the delegation of visiting officers by the Punjab Commissioner Office and IG Police P R

wR I T I N G for Dawn author Zubair Khan explains that Pakistan is on the verge of default despite its engagement with the IMF at the end of a three-year program The country s economic issues stem from its own flawed policies but the IMF s stabilization programs have also failed to put Pakistan on a sustainable path

In fact, the IMF has escaped scrutiny for its 22 unsuccessful attempts to address Pakistan's financial troubles IMF programs have built reserves through borrowing funds paying off previous debts with new loans and arranging financing for foreign exchange shortfalls from various sources However each time the programs ended crises re-emerged soon after as the fundamental issue of increasing foreign exchange earnings remained unaddressed

The author is of the view that IMF programs have focused narrowly on re-

ducing fiscal imbalances through revenue measures without considering the impact of these measures on investment economic activity export promotion and income distribution This has resulted in stagnant exports, low investment rates, and collapsing SMEs, leading to rampant unemployment Increasing allocations for income support programs is not sustainable nor a substitute for policies that support the robust growth of SMEs and agriculture

During the current 22nd program Pakistan has followed the IMF stabilization program but both governments during the program period failed to contain expenditures which exceed 20% of GDP The IMF insisted on complex tax measures ignoring their impact on economic activity and resource allocation to the detriment of growth and competitiveness As a result, growth has slumped, exports are declining, inflation

has risen steadily and interest rates have increased to a historical high of 40%

The IMF s dogmatic reliance on higher interest rates to contain inflation and attract capital inflows has proved unsuccessful and high interest rates have crippled industry and increased the burden on the budget Despite high interest rates, inflation has steadily risen, raising the cost of doing business and dampening investment and exports The IMF's prescription to protect interest incomes of banks and creditors from inflation erosion has rewarded the rich but failed to protect the poor from inflation s burden Pakistan s Staff Level Agreement (SLA) with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is still pending with some issues related to gross financing needs and currency intervention remaining unresolved The SLA is expected to be completed in the next few days, followed by board approval, the 9th re-

CDA chief constitutes committee to evolve system for kiosks allotment in c apital

islamabad: Chairman Capital Development Authority

ISLAMABAD P R

Trade cultural and political relations between Pakistan and Iran are improving and it is heartening that every government in Pakistan irrespective of its political affiliation and ideology has worked for improvement of relation between the two brother Islamic countries said the Ambassador of Islamic Republic of Iran to Pakistan, H E Mr Seyed Mohammad Ali Hosseini at the signing ceremony of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) and Islamic Azad University The Iranian ambassador further said that both universities have very strong capabilities and infrastructure that can promote educational cooperation in a good way

Vice Chancellor AIOU Prof Dr Nasir Mehmood said that Iran and Pakistan have deep ties of religion civilization and culture He said that AIOU will play a role to strengthen the relationship between Pakistan and Iran through education Dr Nasir said that not only geographically but we are also connected through culture civilization and religion and we do not need any other support Dr Nasir

said that there are vast learning opportunities for the faculty members of AIOU in Islamic Azad University Vice Chancellor for International Affairs and Foreign Students, Islamic Azad University, Dr Jalal Dorakhshah that there are relations between the people and governments of the two countries and now these relations will continue at the university level as well Dr Zahid Majeed, Director, International Collaboration and Exchange Program gave a detailed briefing on the profile of AIOU and said that our relationship with Iran s universities is as strong as PAK-IRAN friendship

GO celebrates International Women’s D ay

pr Gas & Oil Pakistan Limited (GO) Pakistan s fastest growing oil marketing company celebrated International Women s Day with great enthusiasm and passion

The event was marked by a cake-cutting ceremony at GO Corporate Office in Lahore, along with the presentation of bouquet to female employees at Lahore & Karachi Offices The occasion was attended by the Chief Commercial Officer - Syed Hassan Mehmood Zaidi, Chief Strategy Officer - Mr Ammar Ali Talaat, and General Manager Corporate - Mr Shaukat Ghumman, in addition to the female employees present In his address the Chief Operating Officer Mr

ISLAMABAD P R

P L ) f e a t u r e At t h e s a m e t i m e M & P w i l l o f f e r a n e x p r e s s d e l i ve r y f e a t u r e t o e n s u r e t i m e l y p r o d u c t d e l i ve r y This collaboration will facilitate the development of an efficient delivery process and provide benefits to both Bank Alfalah and M&P Additionally M&P will offer stock management and warehousing solutions for all products purchased through AlfaMall AlfaMall provides customers access to thousands of genuine products from reliable and trusted vendors at the best prices and offers BNPL payment options Customers can use the platform to make online purchases either by paying upfront or in easy installments P R

3rd Women’s Power Run-Marathon for Women Exclusively tomorrow

The

Public auction of commercial shops of PHAF Officers Residency Kuri Road Islamabad is going to be held by Ministry of Housing and Works PHA Found a t i o n T h e a u c t i o n w i l l b e h e l d o n S u n d a y M a r c h 1 2 2 0 2 3 a t 1 0 A M a t P H A F O ff i c e r s R e s i d e n c y K u r i R o a d A l l P a k i s t a n i c i t i z e n

Innovation, digitalisation and investments critic al to tackling power sec tor challenges: Exper ts

islamabad: The University Advancement Office and the US-Pak Centre for Advanced Studies in Energy (USPCAS-E) at NUST in collaboration with Pakistan Renewable Energy Coalition organised a dialogue titled "Resolving Energy Sector Crisis through Digitalisation & Innovation " The event brought together experts from the energy sector policymakers and representatives from various industries to discuss the energy challenges of Pakistan and their potential solutions through digitalisation and innovation Principal USPCAS-E Dr Adeel Waqas Ahmed highlighted the importance of the dialogue in addressing the current challenges facing the energy sector of Pakistan Dr Ashfaq Hasan Khan, Principal NUST School of Social Sciences & Humanities (S3H), shared his insights on the policy, and Ms Sadia Dada, Chief Marketing & Communications Officer KElectric, talked about KE's operational turnaround through innovation and digitalisation The event also featured

Zeeshan Tayyeb, stated, We gather to celebrate International Women s Day, a day to honour the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women around the world

As we reflect on the progress made in advancing gender equality we must also acknowledge the work that still needs to be done As a society it is our responsibility to ensure that women are given equal opportunities respect and recognition He further said On this International Women s Day GO pledges to support and uplift women in our communities to amplify their voices and advocate for their rights GO has also set gender diversity targets to help create a world where every woman can live and work freely and proudly as herself

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 P R

ZTBL, Nadra ink MoU on PM Loan S cheme

islamabad: ZaraiTarqiati Bank Ltd (ZTBL) and National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) on Thursday signed ceremony on PM s Youth, Business and Agriculture Loan Scheme (PMYBAL) for enhancing digitization for agriculture sector The signing ceremony took place between President ZTBL Asad Ullah Habib and Chairman Nadra Muhammad Tariq Malik here at ZTBL head office

The signing ceremony is aimed at verification of the beneficiaries of PM Youth, Business and Agriculture Loan Scheme who will be granted loans by ZTBL under the scheme Under the PM s Loan Scheme, ZTBL has been assigned the target of disbursing Rs7 billion in Tier 3 So far ZTBL has disbursed Rs480 million whereas bank has received approximately 5500 applications Speaking on the occasion Chairman Nadra said ZTBL was the first bank in Pakistan that underwent digitization in 80s adding there was much room for digitization in the country Mr Malik said Nadra was committed to facilitating subsistent farmers including female in financial inclusion in collaboration with ZTBL and assured to support the agriculture financing bank for national cause P R

PCFR hosts seminar on ‘Justice Delayed Justice Denied: Challenges for Pakistan’s Justice System

h i s a d d i t i o n a l r o l e a s t h e M a n a g i n g D i r e c t o r Pa k i s t a n , I ra q a n d A f g h a n i s t a n w i t h e f f e c t f r o m M a r c h , 2 0 2 3 T h e n e w r o l e a n d a d d e d r e s p o n s i b i l i t y a r e a r e s u l t o f S a q u i b ’s o u t s t a n d i n g p e r f o r m a n c e H e h a s p l a y e d a s t r o n g l e a d e r s h i p r o l e i n t ra n s f o r m i n g Pa k i s t a n s p u b l i c a n d p r i va t e s e c t o r e n t e r p r i s e s i n t o d i g i t a l l y d r i v e n e n t i t i e s T h e a n n o u n c e m e n t c a m e s o o n a f t e r t h e v i s i t o f A h m e d A l f a i f i , t h e S e n i o r V i c e P r e s i d e n t & M a n a g i n g D i r e c t o r o f M i d d l e E a s t a n d A f r i c a N o r t h t o Pa k i s t a n D u r i n g h i s v i s i t , A l f a i f i m e t w i t h k e y g o v e r n m e n t a n d p u b l i c s e c t o r o f f i c i a l s i n c l u d i n g M r A h s a n I q b a l Fe d e ra l M i n i s t e r f o r P l a n n i n g D e v e l o p m e n t & S p e c i a l I n i t i a t i v e s D r M u k h t a r A h m e d C h a i r m a n H i g h e r E d u c a t i o n C o m m i s s i o n ( H E C ) a n d M a z h a r A l i S h a h S e c r e t a r y Pa k i s t a n Ra i l w a y s A h m e d A l - Fa i f i i n a m e s s a g e o n t h e c o m p a n y ' s i n t e r n a l b o a r d c o n g ra t u l a t e d S a q u i b o n h i s c o n t i n u o u s d e d i c a t i o n t o b r i n g i n g S A P t o n e w h e i g h t s H e c o m m e n d e d S a q u i b ’s e f f o r t s t o a c h i e v e c o m p a n y g o a l s a n d c o n t r i b u t e t o S A P g r o w t h i n Pa k i s t a n P R

K a r a c h i: Pakistan Council on Foreign Relations (PCFR), a non-profit, independent, nonpartisan, and multidimensional forum, organized a seminar on “Justice Delayed Justice Denied: Challenges for Pakistan’s Justice System and Possible Solutions” at a hotel in Karachi Mr Justice Gulzar Ahmed former Chief Justice of Pakistan Mr Anwar Mansoor Khan former Attorney General of Pakistan and Barrister Salahuddin Ahmed former President of Sindh High Court Bar Association addressed the seminar Mr Ahsan Mukhtar Zubairi Secretary General PCFR presented the welcome address In his address Mr Zubairi said that Judiciary has a fundamental role to maintain order in society

While presenting the introductory remarks Ambassador G R Baluch Senior Board member of PCFR said that this is an important subject in contemporary Pakistan as delay in deciding cases has become the core issue in our justice system Ambassador Baluch further highlighted that modern techniques such as artificial intelligence can help deal with the issues judicial system Barrister Salahuddin said that

in

AIOU inks M oU with Islamic Azad Universit y, I ran

PaKISTaNI FOREx RESERvES STaBILIzE, REdUCINg PRESSURE ON RUPEE

ON Friday, the Pakistani rupee gained Rs2 against the US dollar in the interbank market which analysts attributed to an increase in central bank forex reserves and expectations of an imminent agreement between the government and the International Monetary Fund (IMF)

According to the Exchange Compa-

nies Association of Pakistan (ECAP), the rupee was trading at Rs280 30 at 11:15am today following a 1 13% decline the previous day The dollar closed at Rs282 30, according to the State Bank of Pakistan

ECAP Chairman Malik Bostan stated that if the government finalizes the deal with the IMF, the dollar is expected to drop to Rs270 He added that stabilizing foreign exchange reserves have eased the pressure on the rupee Zafar Paracha, the general secretary of

Promotions to BS 22: Pakistan loses benefits of UN Convention against Corruption

ISLAMABAD

S h a h z a D pa R ac h a

Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has promoted 13 bureaucrats of different occupational groups to grade 22 on March 2 and 3, adding additional financial burden to the country s already sinking economy in shape of promoted bureaucrats’ princely perks privileges salaries and other service benefits

Sources said that the Prime Minister and a chosen group of senior civil bureaucrats held key promotions in the apex civil service of Pakistan The general public which passes its lifetime experiencing the excesses and sometimes utter neglect from many of the bureaucrats has no say in these bureaucrats’ elevations during their service careers

Such elevations in civil service are in stark violation of Pakistan s international obligations under the UN Convention against Corruption This convention, signed by Pakistan in 2005 calls upon the signatory states to encourage and invite public participation in the fight against corruption

If the high powered selection board chaired by PM himself which approves promotions to grade 22 makes public before promotions names of the bureaucrats likely to be promoted to grade 22 and invites evidence supported public comment on the eligibility or otherwise for the promotions under consideration the best and most relevant judge to determine the propriety of promotions to grade 22 would be in the picture to help grant honour to the bureaucrats who serve the public truly as public servants and to withhold such honour from those who rule the public as their masters

A senior official said that there was no want of law in the country adding that what was missing was respect for and obedience to all those laws which just seem to embellish the pages of statute books

One such disrespected and ignored law was made by the Parliament of Pakistan in 2017

The law is Public Interest Disclosure Act, enacted to encourage and invite public participation in the battle against corruption one of Pakistan’s international obligations under the UN Convention Against Corruption

But it seems the public interest disclosure act had been enacted to just show it on the pages of statute books

In reality the departmental heads to whom confidential public interest disclosures are to be addressed by the public have instituted no mechanism to maintain confidentiality of such disclosures and to take action accordingly as required by provisions of the Public Interest Disclosure Act 2017

Sources said that under the Act of 2017 which parliament had enacted to fulfill Pakistan s international obligations under the UN Convention Against Corruption public could make disclosures without any fear about the misuse of authority and corrupt practices of bureaucrats so that corruption could be stopped and prevented during its currency instead of half-heartedly proceeding against the bureaucrats after the conclusion of their corruption at a particular position or post

Sources said that Pakistan was not benefitting from the preventive measures against corruption laid down in the UN convention because heads of the government departments were trampling underfoot the public interest disclosure Act which was meant to benefit Pakistan from the UN preventive strategies against corruption now so widespread in Pakistan

Sources said that the biggest financial gains from the UN convention could be realized by promoting public disclosures about and insulating the whistle-blowers from the wrath of FBR authorities as required by the public interest disclosure Act

Sources said that a complaint under the Act disclosing massive abuses of authority and pervasive corrupt practices by two senior BS 21 custom officials now standing in line for promotion to BS 22 had already been made to the chairman FBR and other members of the high-powered board

ECAP, believes that the rise in SBP reserves and inflow from China has changed the market trend leading people to cash in their payments However Paracha emphasized the need for a consistent trend in the dollar rate as instability creates a negative perception of the country The State Bank of Pakistan reported that its reserves increased by $487m to $4 301bn during the week ending March 3, while total liquid foreign reserves stood at $9 754bn The SBP s reserves

have experienced a significant decline over the past year, dropping from more than $17bn in February 2022 to less than $3bn in early February this year However, recent Chinese assistance of $1 2bn has pushed the reserves higher to $4 3bn Finance Minister Ishaq Dar has stated that the country is very close to signing the staff-level agreement with the IMF but the lender has asked Pakistan to arrange $7bn for debt servicing during the current fiscal year before releasing the $1 1bn tranche

The PSO debt spiral continues

ISLAMABAD a S a D U L L a h K a M R a n

The latest financial reports published by the state owned oil giant have again raised concerns about the company’s financial health The results published late last month paint a very dismal picture of the company s financial performance over the first half of the current financial year

Having the title of the national oil company PSO is responsible for importing the bulk of Pakistan s petroleum products, ranging from liquified natural and crude oil to finished products like motor gas (mogas) and high speed diesel (HSD)

For the half year ending on December 31, 2022, the company incurred a loss of Rs 3 6 billion Similarly in terms of its cash cashflow the company didn t fare any better as it recorded a net decrease of Rs 27 23 billion in its cash and cash equivalents

As the country battles one of its worst cycles of economic and political turmoil the situation is going from bad to worse for the state owned giant The government continues to raise the interest rate in an effort to curb inflation and reduce imports whereas at the same time this policy is staggering the company s financial costs

Can the company pay its debts?

Dissecting the meaning of liquidity i t is basically a corporation s capacity to quickly convert its assets into cash Current assets are frequently used by businesses to meet their short-term financial responsibilities and pay their short-term liabilities

You can do business with more freedom the more liquid your cash is

A company’s ability to cover its current assets which include cash accounts receivable and inventories, against its current obligations is measured by the current ratio (due within a year)

It can be calculated more easily by dividing current assets by current liabilities The better and more liquid the company is, the higher the ratio In the case of PSO, the current ratio stands at 1 27 which is the same as it was in the last quarter a good sign

A company should ideally have a ratio greater than 1 which means it has more current assets than current liabilities But in real life the number alone doesn t cut it It s important to compare ratios to similar companies within the same industry for an accurate comparison

The fast ratio which is also called the acid-test

ratio is identical to the current ratio with the exception that inventory is not taken into account while calculating it Inventory is excluded because it is the most difficult to convert to cash compared to cash short-term investments, and accounts receivable

As a result, inventory has less liquidity than other current assets

A ratio value greater than one is frequently viewed as favorable from the perspective of liquidity, but this depends on the industry

The quick ratio for PSO produces a result of 0 83 which is somewhat less than the 0 87 it produced in the previous quarter

Businesses find it challenging to carry out daily operations without cash Cash flow refers to the net balance of funds entering and leaving a business at a specific point in time, and managing this cash flow is crucial

Operating cash flow ratio is an important business ratio to assess liquidity capability and frequency of current loan repayment It is determined by dividing the operating cash flow by the current liabilities of the company It is preferable to have a larger number because it shows that the company can pay down its current liabilities more regularly

The operating cash flow ratio for PSO is a pitiful -0 19 down by 0 03 from the previous quarter

The negative number shows that throughout the three-month period, more money was spent than was brought in And this is a cause for concern

Without a good operating cash flow ratio the company cannot survive over the long term To stay afloat, a company with a negative ratio must generate additional positive cash flow from either finance or investing activities

We e k l y i n f l a t i o n j u m p s t o 4 2 . 3 p c

UPWARD TREND CONTINUES AS GOVT TAKES MEASURES TO GET $1.1B IMF TRANCHE

PR

The weekly inflation, measured by Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI), witnessed an increase of 1 37 per cent to jump to 42 27pc on a year-on-year basis for the week ended on March 10 a report issued by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS)

The week-on-week inflation is up by 1 37pc

Of the 51 items tracked the prices of 29 items increased, eight items decreased, whereas those of 14 items remained stable The price of tomatoes increased by Rs5 46/kg and potatoes’ price shoots up by Rs5 10/kg Opinion price witnessed r a i s e o f R s 1 2 3 2 / k g d u r i n g t h e l a s t w e e k T h e sugar rate also increased by Rs5 35/kg, according to the PBS report Furthermore flour ghee milk pulses beef tea, salt and other commodities prices also

recorded a surge However it also noted a decrease in the prices of chicken, eggs, and some pulses

The upward trend of inflation continues as Islamabad takes measures to get the $1 1 billion IMF tranche under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) The federal government had also approved a ‘mini-budget’ imposing additional Rs170 billion taxes to boost revenue generation in line with the preconditions of the IMF

RAWALPINDI

S ta f f R e p o R t

As many as Five terrorists were gunned down by security forces in an operation following an intelligencebased operation (IBO) in North Waziristan s Datta Khel general area a day earlier, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) press release said

According to the military’s media wing an intelligencebased operation (IBO) – conducted in North and South Waziristan Districts – was followed by a sanitisation of the area by security forces

During intense exchange of fire five more terrorists were killed, ISPR said Weapons, ammunition and a large quantity of equipment were also recovered from the killed terrorists Pakistan Army is determined to eliminate the menace of terrorism from every inch of our territory with an unflinching resolve

The ISPR said area locals “appreciated the security forces responded and expressed their full support to eliminate the menace of terrorism from the area

PML-N moves ECP to withhold PTI’s electoral symbol

ISLAMABAD S ta f f R e p o R t

The Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) on Friday filed a petition with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) seeking withholding of the electoral symbol “bat” of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)

The PML-N in the petition adopted the stance that that the PTI had submitted false declarations of assets and certificates, violating election rules

Senior PML-N leaders including Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, Mohsin Shahnawaz Ranjha, and Saud Majeed filed the petition, accusing the PTI of intentionally misleading the public and the ECP They also referred to the conviction of PTI Chief Imran Khan by ECP for submitting false statements and incorrect declarations of assets in Toshakhana and prohibited funding cases They said the ECP in a unanimous decision has already found former Prime Minister Imran Khan guilty of corrupt practices and disqualified him from being a member of parliament Speaking to the media Mohsin Shahnawaz Ranjha a senior PML-N leader, emphasized on the ECP to take action against the opposition party, stating that the PTI had declared false assets

ECP seeks 353,000 additional troops for Punjab, KP elections

ISLAMABAD

S ta f f R e p o R t

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Friday sought the deployment of additional 353,000 troops to ensure security during the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa polls Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja is chairing an important meeting of the ECP to review arrangements for the Punjab and KP polls The troops were demanded by the ECP after a briefing from the law enforcement agencies, says in media reports

m r a n u r g e s n a t i o n t o s t a n d u p a g a i n s t ‘c r o o k e d r u l e r s , r i s i n g f a s c i s m ’

LAHoRe

S ta f f R e p o R t

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman

Imran Khan lambasted the ‘fascist’ government for brutally torturing and killing dedicated and ardent PTI worker Ali Bilal aka Zille Shah in custody and urged the nation to stand up against the ‘criminal rulers’ and should be ready for all sacrifices in the holy war for real independence

In his address to the nation on Friday

PTI Chairman said that time was ripe to stand against the crooked rulers imposed on the nation through conspiracy Everyone should get ready to take part in jihad for real independence and we will not retreat come what may, he added

Imran lambasted the government and Punjab police for resorting to severe torture on PTI worker Ali Bilal who received some 26 wounds on his body Imran Khan said that if the nation did dot

stand up against the brutal killing of an innocent person like Zille Shah, then they had no future

“When Man God’s greatest creation falls, he descends below animals even The ones who tortured Ali Bilal, our Zille Shah, to death are worse than animals They have been indulging in custodial torture on Azam Swati Shahbaz Gill and many political workers, overseen by a total psychopath,” he added

“What is happening in Pakistan may be with terrorists or traitors but I have never seen such an incident in my life that a worker who has never fought with anyone in his life

He suffered a deep injury on his head his liver and stomach, his delicate organs were tortured, he added Imran Khan stated that these “psychopaths tortured Azam Swati just for a tweet against the super king in front of his grandchildren and handed him over to unknown persons adding that they were torturing him and telling him that the same thing would happen to Imran Khan

The PTI Chairman went to say that what was Arshad Sharif ’s fault, the whole nation knew that no one could buy him so he did all this with a journalist like him Similarly, Imran Khan stated that the children of social media were picked up on a tweet a parent said that their son was still not able to recover mentally, adding that they wanted to enslave everyone by spreading fear

The PTI Chairman went on to say that Zille Shah loved his country in a very special way His violent death through custodial torture shows the depths to which the corrupt ruthless and cruel ruling elite has sunk, Khan stated Imran Khan vowed that said the PTI would raise the matter of the death of Ali Bilal adding that he said the PTI would move the court against Punjab interim Chief Minister (CM) Mohsin Naqvi, Punjab Inspector General of Police (IGP) Dr Usman Anwar and Lahore Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Bilal Siddique Kamyana

He said the country was going through a time worse than martial law, adding that an infidel society could survive but a cruel society could never be The LHC ordered the Pemra to revoke ban on the broadcasting of his speeches but it was not acted upon” he added He questioned the powerful saying whose influence there was behind forcing Zille Shah’s father to stave off the case against the perpetrators

He went on to say that Punjab police had claimed that they did not kill Bilal adding that who was powerful enough to keep his record obtained by the JIT from surfacing Lahore CCPO was not reinstated despite the court s orders, and KP Governor was not floating the date for the election in the province he added He reiterated who actually was behind all this He said it was up to Pakistanis now what path they wanted to trek now; the path of slavery or the path of real freedom adding that the rulers had destroyed the country and

ending their billions of corruption cases If the incident like that of Lahore had happened in the UK people would have taken to streets against it , he added It would not affect criminals like Nawaz Sharif, PM Shehbaz Sharif and Asif Zardari he said who had their money outside the country and it propelled him to call the masses to stand up for themselves He went on to say that the police had planned beforehand to create chaos and kill people and even had a plan to arrest him to shift to Baloshistan Imran Khan said that e v e n t h o u g h P T I l e a d e r H a m m a d A z h a r had finalised consultations with the police regarding the route the PTI had to follow “ T h e p o l i c e c a m e o u t o f n o w h e r e i n t h e m o r n i n g a n d p l a c e d t h e b a r r i c a d e s h e added They had planned, he said, that they w o u l d l o d g e c a s e s a g a i n s t h i m a f t e r t h e p e o p l e w e r e k i l l e d We r e t h e y d u m b h e questioned to think that he would get Zille Shah killed?

Five terrorists gunned down in Nor th, South Waziristan IBO: ISPR