Epaper_23-03-30 LHR

Nation to give PTI landslide victory in polls, hopes Imran

GovernmenT curTails chief jusTice’s powers wiTh new bill

ISLAMABAD staff report

THENational Assembly passed the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Bill, 2023 on Wednesday to restrict the ability of the chief justice of Pakistan to take suo motu notice in an individual capacity, creating a new constitutional crisis in Pakistan.

Minister for law and Justice

Azam Nazeer Tarar presented the bill, declaring there is no need for a constitutional amendment. Mohsin Dawar of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) proposed amendments that were accepted, and the Standing Committee on law and Justice approved the cabinet’s proposed amendments earlier in the day.

The panel, chaired by Pakistan Muslim league-Nawaz (PMl-N) MP Bashir Mehmood Virk, cleared the bill with additional amendments, including the right to appeal against suo motu verdicts taken up to 30 days before the passing of the lawyers’ Protection Act and the requirement that any case involving the interpretation of the Constitution be heard by a bench of at least five judges.

The meeting was attended by several officials, including Tarar, his deputy Shahadat Awan, PMl-N MPs Mohsin Ranjha and Ramesh Kumar Vankwani.

‘CONSTiTUTiONAl RiGHT’

Speaking on the floor of the

house before the adoption of the bill, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif clarified the Parliament was not attempting to seize powers from the

Supreme Court, but was instead legislating in accordance with its constitutional right. The minister revealed that a bill similar to the Supreme

Court (Practice and Procedure) Bill 2023 had been drafted 15 years ago but had been opposed by a bench of the apex court.

Asif noted that the bill was not adding any parliamentarians, but rather included judges from the Supreme Court, adding that the powers of one individual were being diluted and divided among three judges. He emphasized that the Parliament was making the process transparent and was empowered by the constitution, while all other institutions were extensions of it. He also called for a review of the law regarding the disqualification of former prime minister yusuf Raza Gillani and criticised the disqualification of deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif without the right to appeal.

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SCBA: Won’t allow clipping judiciary’s power

iSlAmABAd: Abid Zuberi, President of Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), has asserted that the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Bill 2023 was aimed to suppress an institution, vowing that they will not allow anyone to curtail judiciary’s power. Talking to journalists in Islamabad, the SCBA president noted that as per the Constitution, election should be held within 90 days of dissolution of assemblies. Abid Zuberi questioned the authority of Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for changing the election date, saying that the electoral watchdog would have filed a review petition if it had any objection to the date. The SCBA president further said that the bar association was not affiliated with any political party. “However, allegations are levelled against us for standing with a victim,” he said. “It is time to impose Article 6 on those who violated the constitution and law”, he stressed, adding that Article 5 and 90 of the constitution will be violated if elections are not held within 90 days. Referring to Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Bill 2023, Zuberi questioned the time the bill was president in the Parliament. “The bill’s aim was to suppress an institution,” he said, adding that they would not allow curtailing of judiciary’s power. staff report

judges: SC

ISLAMABAD staff report

A divisional bench of Supreme Court of Pakistan, with a majority of 2 to 1, on Wednesday ruled that all cases under Article 184 (3) be postponed until amendments are made to Supreme Court Rules 1980 regarding the discretionary powers of Chief Justice of Pakistan to form benches.

The verdict by Justice Qazi Faez Isa-led bench came following the passage of the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Bill 2023, by the National Assembly, aims at “clipping powers” of the Chief Justice of Pakistan to take suo moto notice in an individual capacity.

The two judges passed the order in a case pertaining to the 2018 regulation of the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) that suggested an award of 20 additional marks to candidates for memorising the Holy Quran by heart to get MBBS or BDS degrees.

The case was heard by Justice Isa, Justice Aminuddin as well as Justice Shahid Waheed — who gave dissenting note.

CJP Umar Ata Bandial had formed a three-judge special bench, led by Justice Qazi Faez Isa, to hear the suo moto case related to examining the grant of 20 additional marks to a Hafiz-e-Quran student while admitting them for an MBBS/BDS degree.

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‘imF verifying financing from China, UAE and Saudia’

g MINISTER SAyS

ISLAMABAD shahzad paracha

The Minister of State for Finance and Revenue, Ayesha Ghous Pasha, stated that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is verifying external financing from friendly countries such as China, UAE and Saudi Arabia on Wednesday.

She claimed this in a briefing at the senate’s Finance and Revenue Committee under the chairmanship of Senator Saleem Mandviwalla which was met to discuss IMF program and foreign exchange dollar instability.

“All the prerequisite actions have been taken and the only touch point left is external financing which is being verified by the IMF from China, UAE and Saudi Arabia,” said Pasha. She elaborated that there were concerns about securing financing from brotherly countries. But since yesterday evening, progress is being made on the issue. Pasha reiterated that all IMF agenda items have been met by and there was no cause for worry at this point in time. China has already helped and assurances will come from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, she insisted.

The state minister also said that this time the lender wants no leaf unturned, pointing towards the difficult but necessary economic decision the government recently took such as the imposition of Rs 170 billion in additional taxes, and

EU takes Pakistan off ‘list of high-risk third countries’

g PAKISTAN WAS PUT oN lIST IN oCT 2018

The European Union (EU) has removed Pakistan from the “list of High-Risk Third Countries” after which Pakistani businesses and individuals will no longer be subjected to “Enhanced Customer Due Diligence” by the regionals body’s legal and economic operators. A statement issued by the Ministry of Commerce today said the EU authorities have removed Pakistan from the list of those nations which have strategic deficiencies in the Anti Money laundering/Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AMl/CFT) regime that pose significant threat to their financial system.

price hikes and reforms in the energy sector. discussion on energy and forex exchange

Senator Farooq H. Naek inquired on the newly introduced petrol subsidy by the government to which the minister of state replied that the petrol subsidy has not yet been put into practice and a plan is being worked out.

Naek also recommended a draft of a regular program on food subsidy for the lower middle class. He emphasized that food inflation is at high and the government should envisage a plan to provide food subsidies instead of providing free food, as the latter would encourage beggary. The chairman of Exchange Companies Association of Pakistan, Malik Bostan, also briefed members on the issue of foreign exchange dollar instability. The association discussed various recommendations and assured that if policies are revised and restrictions are relaxed by keeping in view the current economic situation of the country, dollar stability can be achieved.

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despite security threats, Pakistan held elections for past two decades: CJP

ISLAMABAD staff report

Responding to concerns raised by the Elections Commission of Pakistan (ECP) about security threats to timely elections, the chief justice of Pakistan noted that despite facing militancy for the past two decades, elections have been held regularly in Pakistan.

The remarks by Umar Ata Bandial came as Supreme Court resumed hearing the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) petition requesting that the tribunal be directed to hold the elections on the previously scheduled date of April 30. It contends that the decision to delay the polls violated the Constitution and amounted to amending and subverting it.

The apex court heard divergent views from a five-judge bench, chaired by Justice Bandial and including justices Ijaz ulAhsan, Munib Akhtar, Jamal Khan Mandokhail, and Amin ud-Din Khan.

Among those present at the hearing were Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) lawyer Farooq H. Naek, Irfan Qadir, PTI lawyer Barrister Ali Zafar, and ECP counsel Sajeel Swati.

At one point in the hearing, Justice Mandokhail questioned the commission’s lawyer on whose orders the commission had acted. Swati responded the ECP had followed the March 1 verdict and had promptly reached out to the president, who had set April 30 as the date for polls in Punjab. The commission then issued a schedule for the elections and started preparations accordingly, he said.

However, Justice Mandokhail inquired if the ECP had read the brief order given by Justice Shah and himself in the March 1 Supreme Court order. Swati responded that there may have been some misunderstanding. Justice Akhtar also questioned whether the brief order said that the March 1 verdict was passed in a 4-3 majority, noting it was not written anywhere in the original order. He emphasized that a minority decision cannot prevail over a majority decision, and that the law is clear that a minority decision holds no significance.

At this, the chief justice interjected, saying the matter should stay within their chambers, but Justice Mandokhail persisted in asking about the ECP’s position after the detailed decision.

According to the delegated regulation, “Following the measures implemented to address the action plans agreed with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), Nicaragua, Pakistan and Zimbabwe have remedied the strategic deficiencies in their respective AMl/CFT regimes and no longer pose a significant AMl/CFT threat to the international financial system. Taking into account their relevance under the revised methodology, the Commission considers that these jurisdictions no longer have strategic deficiencies in their respective AMl/CFT frameworks and do not pose a significant threat to the financial system of the European Union.” As a consequence of the said measure, the “obligated Entities” in EU member states would no longer be required to apply “Enhanced Customer Due Diligence” while dealing with individuals and legal entities established in Pakistan.

The “obligated Entities” include (a) credit institutions, (b) financial institutions and (c) the natural or legal persons acting in the exercise of their professional activities. The list of persons includes auditors, external accountants and tax advisors.

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All IMF CoNDITIoNS FUlFIllED, No CAUSE FoR WoRRy AT THIS PoINT IN TIME

No rule gives CJP power to make special benches, select

SC bIll rAISES hoPES oF ConvICtEd Ex-PrEMIErS

ISLAMABAD StAff RepoRt

tHEpassage of the Supreme Court Practice and Procedure Bill 2023 on Wednesday has raised hopes of former premiers Nawaz Sharif and Yousuf Raza Gilani to file appeals against their convictions as they faced suo motu proceedings initiated by the chief justice of Pakistan.

Several others, who were convicted in suo motu cases during the tenures of former CJPs Iftikhar Chaudhry and Mian Saqib Nisar, are also expected to benefit if the bill becomes law.

Sources said people who were affected by suo motu proceedings during the tenures of ex-CJPs Chaudhry and Nisar, respectively, would be able to challenge the Supreme Court’s verdicts against them within a month subject to the bill turning into law. The people affected by suo motu

proceedings include estranged PTI leader Jahangir Tareen and the residents of the nowdemolished Nasla Tower in Karachi.

In November 2021, with sullen faces and teary eyes, residents of Nasla Tower were racing against the deadline to vacate the building on the orders of the Supreme Court.

The top court had ruled on demolishing the building built partly on the service lane in the Sindhi Muslim Cooperative Housing Society.

The builder had connived with government officials, who had turned a blind eye to the illegal construction.

The victims of the building scam paid inflated wages to the workers to move their belongings on the day of the deadline. The loading vehicles were brought on the 4th floor parking space of the Nasla Tower to facilitate evacuation.

Drivers of pickups and minitrucks kept making rounds throughout the day till late in the evening to haul away the belongings of

lhC extends stay order against de-notification of PtI’s Punjab lawmakers

LAHore StAff RepoRt

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday extended the stay order against the notification issued by the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) whereby it had de-notified National Assembly members of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) from Punjab. The order was passed by Justice Shahid Karim who heard a petition filed by former lawmakers of PTI. During the proceeding, the government counsel told the court that the ECP submitted its answer while they needed time to submit a reply by the speaker. Upon which, Justice Karim ordered extension in the stay order against ECP’s notification until further notice. In the petitions, the former lawmakers maintained the NA speaker accepted their resignations without giving them a chance to express their viewpoints. The assembly members withdrew their resignations before they were officially approved. The Supreme Court’s rules were not followed when the resignations were approved, it added. The court should declare null and void the move to accept the resignation of the Speaker of the National Assembly.

IhC summons interior ministry’s official on plea of CM Gb

ISLAMABAD StAff RepoRt

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday summoned a senior official of the Interior Ministry in a case against banning the entrance of security personnel of GB’s chief minister in other provinces. The court instructed the ministry to clarify that under what law such notification had been issued. Justice Mohsin Akhter Kayani heard the case filed by Chief Minister Gilgit Baltistan (GB). The petition stated that the interior ministry had imposed the ban on GB’s CM and Governor to take their security in other provinces. As per the notification issued by the Interior Ministry, the concerned province would be responsible to provide security to the CM GB and governor on their visit, it added. The petition contended that the notification dated March 24 was an illegal act and prayed the court to strike it down.

Sanaullah understands ECP has authority to postpone elections

ISLAMABAD StAff RepoRt

Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah has said that general elections in the whole country must be held simultaneously. Speaking to media here on Wednesday, he said if elections were held in phases, no one would accept results. Referring to the PTI plea before Supreme Court on postponement of elections by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), Sanaullah said according to our understanding, the ECP has the authority to do so. In a possible reference to Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Bill, 2023, tabled in the National Assembly on Tuesday night, the minister said the parliament did its duty at the right time. Sanaullah said that unfortunately decisions were taken in the past which created rift in the society. A decision of the Supreme Court cannot be an internal matter as the whole nation is connected with this matter, he added. The ambiguity on this issue should be removed, and it could be removed by a full court, he continued. He expressed the hope that the apex court would guide the nation on the issue.

‘IMF verifying financing from China, UAE and Saudia’

ConntInueD froM pAge 01

He added that Pakistan is an economically stable country if focus is given on agriculture and natural resources then it doesn’t require an IMF deal. In recommendations, he emphasized to cease the Afghan-Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement which entailed the state bank to deposit up to $10,000 without verification. The exchange companies association added that they bought $4 billion in the country last year and has the capacity to bring $1 million every month.

the people who had made the mistake of buying or renting out apartments of a building built illegally by the construction

company with the connivance of Sindh government officials.

The labourers used the lift to bring their

valuable home appliances including refrigerators, air conditioners, furniture, decorative items, kitchen ware and pile them in the vehicles which were immediately shifted.

In December 2021, an FIR registered at Ferozabad police station nominated officers of the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA), Sindhi Muslim Cooperative Housing Society (SCHS), and other relevant departments for allowing the illegal construction of Nasla Tower.

Earlier this month, an anti-corruption court in Karachi indicted 18 people including a former director general of the SBCA as well as the director of the design department in the Nasla Tower case. The right to appeal would apply to suo motu cases earlier than those decided during the tenures of these former CJPs. Those affected by these proceedings initiated under Article 184(3) would be able to file an appeal against the SC verdicts against them within 30 days.

Bilawal holds Imran responsible for economic turmoil, resurgence of terrorism

ISLAMABAD

StAff RepoRt

Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Wednesday slammed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman Imran Khan for his policies, holding him responsible for the current economic turmoil and wave of terrorism in the country.

“It’s unfortunate the terrorism eliminated due to sacrifices of the Pakistan army, police and the common people has been haunting back due to poor policies of by Imran Khan during his three and half years in rule”, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said while speaking on the floor of the National Assembly. He asserted that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan and his team were responsible for the prevailing economic crisis.

He said Imran Khan had brought back thousands of terrorists and

extremists living in Afghanistan and settled them in the merged tribal areas.

The foreign minister said that the people of the merged areas of erstwhile FATA had rendered matchless sacrifices for elimination of terrorism and restoration of peace across the country.

He said that non-political actors were responsible for bringing Imran Khan into power. He said that democracy in the country had been restored by the sacrifices of the political workers and their leadership.

Bilawal Bhutto said that keeping in view the interest of the country and for the strengthening of democracy, two main political parties had signed the Charter of Democracy (CoD).

After this, he said, the country was moving to progress, prosperity and development. He said that the constitution of 1973 was restored to its original shape and the 18th amendment

approved with consensus to bring harmony in the provinces.

He said that after the signing of the 18th amendment, National Finance Commission (NFC) had been given to provinces and gave the identification to people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

He said that non-political forces started hybrid war against the political forces after the signing of the CoD.

He said that through media character assassination of the political leadership was started by the non-political forces.

The foreign minister said that Imran Khan’s government was changed through constitutional ways. He asked the Prime Minister to take action and file the cases against the person who had violated the constitution and law of the land. Bilawal said that the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Bill, 2023 was introduced to strengthen the judicial system in the country.

Government curtails chief justice’s powers with new bill

ContInueD froM pAge 01

The minister said the Parliament was not infringing on anyone else’s rights and that the institution of the judiciary should have some democracy in it.

Minister for Climate Change

Senator Sherry Rehman also spoke in support of the law, stating that it is the sovereign and constitutional right of the lower house of the parliament. She emphasised that the legislation was not meant to influence an institution and that the Parliament was exercising its sovereign right and power. Referring to the history of the country, she said it was time to reverse the law that had conferred all the powers of bench formation and hearing of cases to one person, which had been in effect for 43 years.

Senator Rehman also called for a political process to resolve the political crisis leading to an economic crisis in the country. She added that the government was not playing politics on this matter and that justice must be done and seemed to be done.

Lawyers Welfare & Protection Bill 2023 approved: Meanwhile, the National Assembly also approved the Lawyers Welfare and Protection Bill 2023 with a consensus. The bill was tabled by Federal Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar.

The federal minister presented the legislation that stated that the profession of lawyers plays a pivotal role in the administration of justice, the defense of human rights, democracy, and the rule of law.

However, the recent incidents of assault, criminal force, intimidation,

and threats caused to advocates, while they discharge their professional duties, have reached alarming heights, it said.

“This has also resulted in law and order situations and deficiencies in rendering professional services by advocates to their clients apart from causing a deep sense of fear in the minds of advocates,” the Bills said.

The Bill intended that in order to protect advocates from the said assaults, criminal force, intimidation and threats, it is necessary to enact legislation to protect advocates while discharging their professional duties.

In this regard, the Bill titled “The Lawyers Welfare and Protection Bill, 2023” was prepared wherein, a mechanism has been devised to ensure that the advocates can render professional services without fear or

EU takes Pakistan off ‘list of high-risk third countries’

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Notaries and other independent legal professionals, where they participate, whether by acting on behalf of and for their client in any financial or real estate transaction, or by assisting in the planning or carrying out of transactions for their client concerning the:

i. buying and selling of real property or business entities;

ii. managing of client money, securities or other assets

iii. opening or management of bank, savings or securities accounts

iv. organization of contributions necessary for the creation, operation or management

of companies; v. creation, operation or management of trusts, companies, foundations, or similar structures; The Obligated Entities’ list also includes trust or company service providers not already covered under point (a) or (b), estate agents and other persons trading in goods to the extent that payments are made or received in cash in an amount of EUR 10,000 or more, whether the transaction is carried out in a single operation or in several operations which appear to be linked. Pakistan was included in the “List of High-Risk Countries” on October 22, 2018 by the European Union.

The placement of Pakistan in the list had created an undue regulatory burden on “Obligated Entities” in the EU and there were instances whereby some of them had refused to entertain legal and financial transactions with individuals and entities based in Pakistan.

The ministry said that the new development would add to the comfort level of the European economic operators and is likely to ease the cost and time of legal and financial transactions by Pakistani entities and individuals in the region. UK had removed Pakistan form the high-risk list in November 2022.

external influence for the ultimate cause of the administration of justice and the rule of law.

Moreover, the law was also in consonance with the various UN General Assembly Resolutions and in line with the Eighth United Nations Congress held in September, 199O at Havana, Cuba, where it adopted the “Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers” which provides that the Governments shall ensure that layers are able to perform all of their professional functions without intimidation, hindrance, harassment or improper interference and where the security of lawyers is threatened as a result of discharging their functions, they shall be adequately safeguarded by the authorities.

The Bill was designed to achieve the aforesaid objectives, it said.

Pakistan sends two more aid ships to earthquake-hit Syria

ISLAMABAD

StAff RepoRt

In a move to demonstrate its commitment to supporting Syria during difficult times, Pakistan has sent two more aid ships carrying 200 tons of relief goods and medical supplies to the earthquake-hit areas of the country. According to local media reports, the ships arrived at Syria’s Lattakia port, with each carrying electric generators for schools, medical and other aid centres. Pakistan’s Ambassador in Damascus, Shahid Akhtar, emphasized that the arrival of the second aid ship within ten days demonstrates Pakistan’s unwavering support for Syria, stating that two more aid ships are expected to arrive soon. He also highlighted the arrival of food and humanitarian items via Pakistani airlines as a sign of Pakistan’s commitment to helping the quake-affected people. Lattakia Governor Taiseer Habib expressed his gratitude to the Pakistani government for its support, particularly in sending rescue teams and providing aid via Syrian airlines.

Report reveals Pakistan as one of nations impacted by terrorism

ISLAMABAD AnAdolu Agency.

Burkina Faso is the most affected by terrorism on the African continent and the second most-affected worldwide in 2022, according to the latest global terrorism report that was.

The Global Terrorism Index (GTI) 2023, a report published by the Australia-based global

Institute for Economics and Peace, showed that the Sahel region of sub-Saharan Africa is now the epicentre of terrorism, accounting for more deaths from terrorism in 2022 than South Asia, the Middle East and North Africa combined. Across the Sahel, 22,074 people died in 6,408 terror attacks between 2007 and 2022, it said. In Burkina Faso, 8,564

victims were registered, putting the country in the second position in the world for the most-affected countries, behind Afghanistan. Terror attacks in the Sahel region increased by more than 2,000 percent in the past 15 years, it said. Somalia, Mali and Syria ranked third, fourth and fifth, respectively. Others in the ranking are Pakistan, Iraq,

Nigeria, Burma and Niger.

“Of particular concern are two countries, Burkina Faso and Mali, which accounted for 73 percent of terrorism deaths in the Sahel in 2022 and 52 percent of all deaths from terrorism in subSaharan Africa,” it said.

Most attacks are attributed to unknown insurgents although Daesh and the Al-Qaeda and Daesh/ISIS affiliate — Support

Group for Islam and Muslims (JNIM) operate in the two countries, according to the report.The report, however, showed that terror attacks around the world reduced in 2022 for the first time since 2019 — from 5,463 to 3,955 compared to 2021. And with it, the number of fatalities fell by almost 9 percent — from 7,328 to 6,701 deaths.

IGP-lEd SESSIon okAyS ProMotIon oF

2,000 PolICE oFFICErS, oFFICIAlS

LAHore StAff RepoRt

dUEto special efforts of Punjab Inspector General of Police Dr Usman Anwar, the process of promotion of about 2,000 officers and personnel in the Punjab Police has been completed according to their merit and seniority.

During the promotion board sessions chaired by the Punjab IG Police, 41 DSPs were promoted to the rank of SP, 85 inspectors were promoted to the rank of DSP and 270 sub-inspectors were promoted to the posts of inspectors and senior traffic wardens.

Similarly, the process of more than 1500 promotions on the posts of constables

to head constables, head constables to ASIs, ASIs to sub-inspectors in the ranges and districts has also been almost completed and a notification of these promotions is being issued in a phased manner.

Meanwhile, the IGP met 41 DSPs who were promoted to the rank of SP at the Central Police Office and pinned badges of the new ranks to the promoted officer along with Additional IGs, DIGs and other senior officers.

On the occasion, IGP Dr Usman Anwar greeted all the promoted officers and officials and directed them to perform their duty more diligently than before. He while addressing the SPs said that as the department had ensured resolution of your problems, convert this honor into the spirit of service to the

Shahbaz Gill allowed to travel abroad for four weeks

LAHore StAff RepoRt

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday allowed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader and former SAPM Shahbaz Gill to travel to the United States (US) for four weeks. A three-member bench headed by the LHC chief justice heard Gill’s petition filed against the inclusion of his name in the Exit Control Lists (ECL). After hearing arguments, the court allowed Shahbaz Gill to travel abroad for one time and ordered the removal of his name from ECL. The court also sought a response from the federal government regarding the inclusion of Shahbaz Gill’s name in the ECL. The former special assistant to the prime minister’s name was put on the exit list on the Islamabad administration’s request last year in November. It is pertinent to mention here that a case was registered against Gill at the Kohsar police station, Islamabad. He was accused of creating a divide in the state institution.

balochistan govt to run green buses in Quetta

QuettA StAff RepoRt

Balochistan government has decided to start green bus service in Quetta in the span of three months.

According to official sources, Chief Minister Balochistan Mir Abdul Quddus Bizenjo has directed the Chief Secretary to ensure the start of green bus service in the provincial capital within three months, which will provide decent travel facilities to the citizens of Quetta. During the tenure of former Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan, the Balochistan government had prepared a plan to purchase 100 buses to provide better travel services in Quetta, but the transport department initially purchased eight buses to run to Baleli and Sariab in the first phase. Meanwhile, Jam Kamal had to resign due to the no confidence motion, so these eight green buses were kept in a warehouse. In this regard, the present provincial government says the previous government prepared an inadequate feasibility report regarding green buses and no proper standard operating procedure was created. According to official sources, the construction of Quetta’s Sariab Road will be completed by May this year, after which green buses facility will be started from Baleli to Sariab.

Govt attempting to bring parliament, judiciary face to face, says Sheikh rashid

rAWALpInDI

StAff RepoRt

Awami Muslim League (AML) chief Sheikh Rashid Ahmed came down hard on the government for targeting judiciary, saying it was pushing parliament and judiciary towards confrontation. In a series of tweets, the former interior minister said it was not new that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) had attacked the judiciary. He said the government was making futile attempts to prevent elections by tabling a bill regarding curtailing powers of the chief justice of Pakistan. He said all institutions of the country, including prime minister, were meant to obey the orders of the Supreme Court, adding that those defying the court orders would face treason charges.

Mr Ahmed said the government lacked intention to hold elections instead of funds and security, adding that the government was not in a position to face the public. He said as per the constitution elections must be held within 90 days. The AML chief said attempts to run away from elections would be tantamount to damaging the democratic system. He said inflation and unemployment rates had surged to an alarming level. He said the whole country was marred by division and heading towards a civil war. “We will have to take important decisions,” he said.

people and provide them immediate and all possible relief.

Dr Usman Anwar expressed the hope that you will convey the progress and justice received from the department to the people and ensure all possible justice to the oppressed while stopping the hands of the oppressors. He said that departmental promotion according to merit and seniority is the basic right of every officer and official in which no delay or hindrance shall be tolerated. The IGP said that after the permission of the Election Commission, the vacant posts in the police force are being filled through departmental promotions. IGP added that in second phase, process of promotion of officers and officials is also going on according to merit and seniority.

Greece arrests two Pakistani men with links to Iran for ‘planning attack’

AtHenS Afp

Greek police told AFP they had arrested two young Pakistanis of Iranian origin over planned anti-Semitic attacks in central Athens, as Israel accused Tehran of being behind the plot.

Israel said it was a fresh attempt by arch-foe Iran “to promote terror against Israeli and Jewish targets abroad.”

“After the investigation of the suspects in Greece, the Mossad helped untangle the intelligence of the network, its operational methods and ties to Iran,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said referring to Israel’s national intelligence agency.

“As part of the investigation, it emerged that the infrastructure in Greece was part of a broad Iranian network, operated from Iran toward many countries,” a statement said.

Greek police spokeswoman Konstantina Dimoglidou told AFP the “mastermind” of the cell is “a Pakistani who lives outside Europe.” A police source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the person lived in Iran.

“After coordinated actions by the Greek police and the National Intelligence Service, a terrorist network was dismantled which, from abroad, was planning strikes against carefully selected targets on Greek territory,” a police statement said. Police said the network had “already chosen the target of the attack” and were planning how to execute it. Greece’s Jewish community numbers around 5,000.

The Greek police source told AFP the two Pakistanis of Iranian origin were aged 27 and 29 and were planning attacks on areas frequented by Israelis in central Athens.

The source said the men were targeting a building which houses a synagogue and a Jewish restaurant.

Pakistan and Malaysia agree to strengthen ties across various domains

ISLAMABAD StAff RepoRt

Pakistan and Malaysia have agreed to enhance their engagement and establish new areas of collaboration, according to a joint statement released by the two countries following their second round of Bilateral Political Consultations.

The talks, held on Tuesday in Kuala Lumpur, were co-chaired by Additional Foreign Secretary (Asia and Pacific), Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, and Dato’ Norman Bin Muhamad, Deputy Secretary-General (Bilateral Affairs) of Malaysia.

During the discussions, both sides renewed their commitment to strengthening the strategic partnership between Pakistan and Malaysia.

The two countries have agreed to increase cooperation in various domains, including bilateral trade and investment, defence and security, agriculture and food security, energy, health, education, and

science and technology. The joint statement also highlighted the importance of parliamentary exchanges and people-to-people contacts to encourage further engagement between the two countries. In addition, the hiring of additional Pakistani manpower to Malaysia was agreed upon.

Pakistan and Malaysia also discussed a range of regional and global issues of mutual interest, such as regional peace and security, Islamophobia, and climate change. Both sides reiterated their interest in close cooperation at multilateral platforms, including the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OUC) and the United Nations.

Pakistan expressed its desire for enhanced engagement with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), leading to a full-dialogue partnership. Baloch also conveyed Pakistan’s gratitude to Malaysia for its generous support and humanitarian assistance for flood-hit people in Pakistan.

The mobile phones of the two arrested men had allowed investigators to capture conversations, videos and sketches of the places targeted, according to the same source. The country has not been the target of any terrorist attacks in recent years.

Greek police said the suspects were trying to undermine state security and its “international relations.”

Earlier on Tuesday, Greece’s under-fire prime minister announced elections would be held on May 21, as popular anger seethes over government failures blamed in last month’s train tragedy that killed 57 people.

PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis, whose four-year term is to end in July, is seeking re-election on pledges of safety improvements after the nation’s worst rail disaster and strengthening the economy.

His government has also pledged to tighten security and prevent illegal migration by sealing its frontier with help from the EU’s border agency Frontex.

China’s BRI experience shared by all countries: Ahsan Iqbal

The real beauty in BRI is the spirit of sharing. China shares its success with developing countries,” emphasized Ahsan Iqbal Chaudhary, minister for planning, development and special initiatives, during the ongoing Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2023. The Belt and Road Initiative welcomes everyone to jointly explore opportunities for shared growth, providing developing countries with the most critical investment to fill in gaps in the economy, said the Minister, according to a report carried by Gwadar Pro on Wednesday. “For example, when Pakistan was only able to provide electricity for 16-18 hours a day, China-under the BRI-allowed its companies to invest in the energy sector when no other foreign investors were coming”.“Over the years, China has actively shared its own successful development concepts, models, roads and plans, providing a broad cooperation platform for developing countries and helping promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind,” Ahsan Iqbal noted. As for the future, Ahsan Iqbal believes that the world is going through the process of Industry 4.0 and digitalization. If digitalization is not caught up, the gap between rich and poor will widen. The high-tech companies and communication companies in BRI have boosted Pakistan’s digital development, enabling technology to enhance education and facilitate life. Projects like this could provide lessons for other regions as they catch up on the digital wave.

The looming confrontation

Parliament’s restricting the Chief Justice will not resolve the issue

THe passage by the national Assembly of the Supreme Court Practice and Procedure Bill 2023 may be seen as the first salvo in the conflict between the Supreme Court and Parliament, or rather between two of the three pillars of state, the Judiciary and the executive. While the question of holding of elections to the Punjab and KP Assemblies within 90 days has gone much higher, to a struggle for which branch of the state is to enjoy supremacy. it should be noted that the Bill attempts to restrict the powers of the Chief Justice, by making them collegial rather than individual. The power of constituting benches, and that of making suo motu references, is presently in the hands of the Chief Justice of Pakistan; the bill places it in the hands of a three-man committee comprising the CJP and the two senior most judges of the court after him. The Bill would not affect benches already constituted, nor suo motu references already made, but it would restrain the CJP from acting with unfettered discretion for the remainder of his term, which ends with his retirement in September.

The legislation comes because the incumbent government feels that it is not getting a fair shake from the judiciary, which it feels inclined to favour PTi chief imran Khan, ousted as PM in March. The CJP, in one view, brought this legislation on his own head. it all started with his constituting benches that almost always decided in favour of the PTi, but reached a climax with his taking suo motu notice of the Punjab Assembly dissolution, and then deciding in favour of the holding of elections even over the election Commission’s reluctance, mirrored by the federal government’s.

Parliament is trying to restore a balance, and stop the apparent interference, but the enthusiasm with which politicians themselves took matters to the Judicial arm, especially since the no-confidence vote against the previous government, may have given the Supreme Court ideas. it might now act to strike down the new Supreme Court Act as unconstitutional, but it is also possible that history may repeat itself, and the executive may find allies in the Supreme Court willing to reverse such a striking down. Whatever the way matters unfold, it will be unpleasant, and the executive will be as much a loser, if not more, as the Judiciary. only political forces can now escape the destruction ahead, and that is if all political parties put their heads together. However, the PTi has called the others names so long that they are no longer ready to trust it. Until there is a settlement, things will not be pretty.

to the legacy of late Hameed

Arif Nizami (Late)

Founding Editor

Yousaf Nizami Editor

M. A. Niazi Joint Editor Umar Aziz Executive Editor

Rana’s fear of anarchy

AS interior Minister Rana Sanaullah is seriously concerned about anarchy for which he is blaming imran Khan, the most popular political leader of the country, there seems to be a lack of focus and realization on his part. ever since the partyless elections of 1985, Pakistan has been sliding towards an anarchic state.

Disorder prevails in most state institutions together with misgovernance. iK has only highlighted the plight of the common man and seeks course correction to bring back the order that once existed. The Model Town tragedy under Rana Sahib as Home Minister was a clear demonstration of anarchy together with the introduction of the Master Anarchists like the gullu Butt’s of gawalmandi.

Adhocism invariably leads to chaos and anarchy.

SoPs, documentation, and paper work is the best way to combat this menace but unfortunately half-literate individuals have been at the helm since 1985. Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was the last Prime Minister who did file work. His notings on the file kept the bureaucracy on their toes. order prevailed.

Zia on the other hand as the President only wanted to support the status quo. According to the late lt. gen gshulam Jillani it was Zia’s strategy to do nothing, he just sat on the files. After his death in August 1988, a roomful of files were retrieved.

it was during the PMl(n) regimes that most of the city record of lahore was destroyed through arson.

Courts are now full of civil litigation. Then there is a long list of SRos (Statutory Regulatory orders) that were issued to facilitate Sharif group’ business interests. Mian Sharif (Abba Ji) believed that; “ everyone has a price, pay and get your job done “; rules and regulations were flouted. Hiring against merit and out-ofturn promotions became the norm, creating disorder in civilian institutions, with the police being the worst.

Nizami

last year, before the change of government, i was waiting to meet the SAPM. During the conversation the PS mentioned that he had worked with Ch nisar Ali Khan when he was the interior Minister. i was curious to know about his expertise in file work. i was very surprised when i was told that he personally reviewed all the files with immaculate follow-up. Perhaps he was the only exception to the overall ‘Mukmuka’ approach of the PMl(n) leadership. lately he has been talking about his challenges within

the party including the formation of the iJi (islami Jamhoori ittehad) that was formed by the iSi under lt gen Asad Durrani to elevate nawaz Sharif at the federal level. it was an act of sabotaging democracy much beyond the prevailing state-sponsored anarchy. Today the islamic Republic of Pakistanneeds a major course correction. The prevailing anarchy ‘Rana and gullu Butt’ style has to be replaced with order. it is a perfect example of the pot calling the kettle black. As the first free-born generation of Pakistan we have witnessed the rise and fall of our motherland in our lifetime. For decades most civilian institutions remained functional; today most of them are nonfunctional and in a chaotic state. The interior Minister complains that Zaman Park has become a no-go area. During her election campaign against the late Kulsoom nawaz, Dr Yasmin Rashid gave a list to the Commissioner of such outof-bounds areas in gawalmandi and Bilal ganj controlled by the gullu Butts of the PMl(n) where total lawlessness prevailed. even utility bills were not paid there. indeed Zaman Park is a no go area for the thugs who have looted this country in connivance with their corrupt-to-the-core police force raised from the ruffians of gawalmandi. on every TV panel discussion Rana Sahib and his party complains about his arrest by the Anti narcotics Force for possession of contraband stuff. AnF works under the Pakistan Army and Ministry of narcotics Control. The Director general is a grade 21 officer in uniform. The executive authority is exercised by the Dg not by the Minister. Most inexperienced Ministersmake tall claims on the

Religion: Universal Themes and Reality

Religions vary in detail, but have much in common

tions, from a heaven-like paradise to reincarnation.

d.Redemption and salvation: Many religions offer the belief that individuals can achieve salvation or redemption from the consequences of their actions, either through their own efforts or through divine grace. e. Community: Religion often provides a sense of community and belonging through shared beliefs, practices, and rituals.

Religion is a complex and multifaceted concept that refers to a set of beliefs, practices, and cultural systems centered around the worship of a higher power or powers. There is a vast diversity of religious beliefs and practices throughout the world, and the concept of religion has evolved and changed over time.

The role of religion in society varies greatly, but it often serves as a source of comfort, meaning, and morality for individuals and communities. Many religions offer a sense of community and belonging through shared rituals and practices, as well as guidance on how to live a good and virtuous life. Religion often involves the belief in a supernatural power or powers, such as a god or gods, who created and sustain the universe. in many religions, this power is believed to be benevolent and to have a plan for humanity.

Some religions also include beliefs in spirits, angels, and demons, and in the afterlife. Religion is often closely tied to a particular cultural and historical context, and many religious traditions have specific texts, practices, and rituals that are unique to that tradition. Some of the major world religions include Christianity, islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, and Sikhism. Religion has played a major role in shaping human history and continues to be a powerful force in the world today. it has inspired great works of art and literature, and has motivated people to undertake acts of kindness and charity, as well as acts of violence and conflict. Despite its many positive aspects, religion can also be a source of division and conflict, particularly when religious beliefs and practices come into conflict with scientific explanations of the world, or with the beliefs and practices of other religions.

global religions have many common themes that are found across different traditions. Some of these themes include: a. The existence of a higher power: Many religions believe in the existence of a supreme being, such as god, Allah, or Brahman, who is the creator and sustainer of the universe.

b. Morality: Many religions offer guidance on how to live a good and virtuous life, and often include codes of ethics and moral behaviour.

c. The afterlife: Many religions include beliefs in an afterlife, in which the soul continues to exist after the death of the physical body. The nature of this afterlife can vary greatly across different tradi-

The quest for meaning and purpose: Religion can offer answers to the big questions of life, such as the meaning of existence and the purpose of suffering. f. Rituals and ceremonies: Many religions include specific rituals and ceremonies, such as prayer, worship, sacraments, and pilgrimage, that serve to reinforce beliefs and bring people together. g. Texts and scriptures: Many religions have sacred texts that are considered to contain the teachings and messages of the divine, and serve as a source of authority and guidance for followers. it is important to note that these themes are not universal across all religions and can take on different forms and interpretations within different traditions.

Religion can have a significant impact on daily life for many people, influencing their beliefs, behaviour, and values. in the context, there are many ways in which religion can influence daily life: Religion often provides a moral and ethical framework that guides individuals in their daily decisions and actions. For example, many religious teachings emphasize the importance of honesty, compassion, and selflessness, which can shape a person’s behaviour and interactions with others.

The spheres of religious influence include:

a. Practices and rituals: Religion often includes specific practices and rituals that individuals engage in regularly. This could include daily prayer, weekly worship services, or other religious observances. These practices can provide structure and meaning to a person’s daily life. b. Community: Religion can also play an important role in building and maintaining a sense of community. Many religious groups provide opportunities for social interaction and support, and these relationships can have a positive impact on a person’s well-being.

c. Worldview: Religion can shape an individual’s perspective on the world, including their beliefs about the nature of existence, the purpose of life, and the origin of the universe. This worldview can inform the way they approach various aspects of daily life, such as

relationships, work, and personal goals. it’s important to note that the impact of religion on daily life can vary greatly depending on the individual and their specific religious beliefs and practices. Additionally, religion can also have negative impacts, such as promoting division and intolerance, and it’s important to be mindful of these effects as well.

Religion and social traditions are often closely intertwined, as religious beliefs and practices can play a significant role in shaping cultural norms and values. in many cases, religious practices become woven into the fabric of a society’s traditions and are passed down from generation to generation.

For example, religious holidays and festivals can become important social events that bring communities together and serve as markers of cultural identity. Religious practices such as prayer or meditation can also become integrated into daily life, serving as a source of comfort, stability, and meaning for individuals. in some cultures, religious beliefs and practices are also used to reinforce social hierarchies and maintain the status quo. Religious teachings are alsoused rarely to justify discrimination against certain groups, or to maintain patriarchal structures that restrict the rights of women. However, it’s also important to note that religion and social tradition can evolve and change over time, as new religious movements emerge, existing traditions are challenged, or cultural and societal changes occur. The

feedback of the department over which they exercise no administrative control. if Rana Sahib was illegally interned he should initiate an inquiry against the Dg who ordered the search and arrest. Arresting innocent people is an act of anarchy which should not go unpunished. nor does it justify the current high-handedness of the PDM government. My retired Khaki friends maintain that a serving general would never indulge in factitious cases.There is a serious missing link which Rana Sahib should investigate. on March 18, the attack on the house of a former PM in Zaman Park was an act of anarchy. it looked like a war zone. According to Comrade Aitzaz Ahsan, his house next door was also not spared. Violence leads to anarchy which should be avoided. in the UK the police force is kept unarmed and under strict discipline not to enter public places without warrants. in the USA as there are no Arms licences, people carry weapons for self-defence. The ‘ Right to bear Arms ‘ is recognised as a fundamental right. in order to deal with armed individuals, the police also carry weapons. exchanges usually get out of hand with loss of human lives. As an experienced politician Rana Sahib has an opportunity to restore order in the departments operating under his Ministry. The ongoing disorder since 1985 has to be contained otherwise anarchy will prevail with disastrous consequences for the country and its people.

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

Editor’s mail

Targeting ‘outsiders’

RegARDleSS of how vigilant one might remain against the tricksters, the swindlers always seem to be a step ahead of the rest, evolving their ‘techniques’ to grab their prey. one such ‘technique’ is to ‘professionally’ identify an outsider who may be new to the city.

The street criminals in Hyderabad’s Qasimabad area appear to have taken a lead in this regard.

Recently, my brother was stripped of whatever valuables he had in his pocket at the time. Upon reaching Qasimabad area, two individuals approached him and engaged him in unnecessary conversation. one asked him the address of, say, ‘Pakora’ Chowk, while the other started frisking his pockets, leaving them empty. My brother could not utter a single word owing to the fear that the muggers might be armed and may harm him in case he resisted. The culprits took away Rs10,000 and my brother’s ATM cards. Just a few days earlier, two of my cousins happened to be in the same area for taking tuition classes and they suffered a similar fate at the hands of another set of muggers. i know of two other individuals who have faced similar incidents. The one thing common among all these victims is that they happened to be new to the city, having come to Hyderabad for various purposes. We have come to Hyderabad from other cities in search of livelihood and educational opportunities, not to be the targets of such brazen crimes.

We, like many others who come here for studying and finding a livelihood, landed in Hyderabad to study without knowing one bit that we could be the prime target of muggers and street criminals because they have ‘mastered’ the art of identifying the outsiders. The district management and other relevant authorities should apprehend the muggers who continue to blatantly deprive the poor newcomers of their hard-earned money and valuables.

ZAINAB

ALI HYDERABAD

Let us stop cheating

MenTioneD on every currency note in the country in the past was a reminder about the primacy of legal income; ‘earning halal sustenance is worship’. Probably it is no more there because we actually never quite understood the saying in its true spirit.

Some of us ensure that our religious acts of worship are flawless because the witness of those acts is the Almighty Himself. Why then we do not exercise the same amount of caution in activities that are a source of our livelihood?

Shouldn’t we bear in mind that the sanctity of our services or business transactions is as venerable as other acts of worship prescribed upon us?

Assume a hypothetical scenario. if our monthly salaries are guaranteed and our jobs are secure, how many of us will work with sincerity? Barring a few, i feel most will not. This is the root cause of most of our problems. employees do not work properly. employers do not understand their obligations. And, remember, the government is the biggest employer in the country. Collectively, organisations do not do what they are supposed to do. A trader on the street is not honest in his dealings. To solve this, we need to perform the activities that are associated with our livelihood with utmost devotion. Teachers must teach properly. A doctor must feel obligated to attend to the patients as humans and not as monetary units. Businessmen should practise fair dealings, and people holding government positions should behave the same way. The day this happens, there will be a gradual but meaningful change in Pakistan.

We need to realise the importance of doing our work with dedication and commitment. All successful people in the world are already aware of this principle. This will surely lead to a better Pakistan. i, therefore, assert that in devotion to our work lies not only the solution but that it is also a path — the sole path, actually — to our salvation.

As an experienced politician Rana Sahib has an opportunity to restore order in the departments operating under his Ministry. The ongoing disorder since 1985 has to be contained otherwise anarchy will prevail with disastrous consequences for the country and its people

Dr FariD a malik

Dr rajkumar Singh

The Zaman Park raid was anarchic

Religious beliefs and practices are also used to reinforce social hierarchies and maintain the status quo. Religious teachings are also used rarely to justify discrimination against certain groups, or to maintain patriarchal structures that restrict the rights of women.

Politicisation of Indian armed forces

THeRe are a host of events that reflect that the evils of politicization and sycophancy have percolated deeply into the indian armed forces. india’s prime minister narendra Modi is convinced that his macho image (36-inch chest, surgical strikes, gung-ho anti-Pakistan rants, and so on) catapulted the BJP to electoral wins.

After Pulwama, he announced having given a “free hand” to his armed forces for retaliation against nuclear Pakistan. The sycophantic military officers adopted a policy of preferring extremist Hindu military officers over those with a moderate turn of mind.

Modi began to ebulliently participate in military functions to celebrate Republic Day, the so-called Kargil Victory and similar other functions. Professional and moderate army officers began to be ignored in promotions and transfers. The indian Army began to be used as a political tool to suppress opponents and impose the BJP and RSS Hindutva agenda in all realms of life.

gen Bipen Rawat, who died in a helicopter crash, was controversially promoted as indian army chief and later as the first chief of defence staff. Four retired military officers with marked anti-Pakistan mindset were appointed as governors and lieutenant governors of indian states and Union Territories. . They included lt gen (retd) Kaiwalya Trivikram Parnaik as governor of Arunachal Pradesh; Adm Devendra Kumar Joshi as lieutenant governor of Andaman and nicobar islands; former DCoAS lt gen gurmit Singh as governor of Uttarakhand, and Brigadier B D Mishra (retired) as lieutenant governor of ladakh.

The favouritism was extended to civilians also. BJP protégé Justice (retired) S Abdul nazeer was elevated to the Supreme Court, where he was one of the judges who delivered the 2019 Ayodhya verdict. After his retirement in January, he was appointed governor of Andhra Pradesh. There is muffled resentment in armed forces about favouritism towards pro-BJP officers. even a former navy chief had to say “evil of Sycophancy” will undermine india’s military’.

An acerbic debate erupted in recent days in the print and online media “concerning not only mediocre officers manning the services higher command structure, but also the burgeoning military-politician nexus that guarantees

Persecution of Muslims goes on unchecked

reciprocal benefit”. The political influence has marred discipline in armed forces. An increasing number of armed forces personnel have been “charged and convicted of corruption, illegally off-loading subsidised canteen goods, especially liquor, on the black market.”

Senior ranks lobbying politicians for promotions and employment after retirement have steadily proliferated in recent years Civil courts and military tribunals are flooded with promotion-related cases.

A|rmy officers once did not sheepishly follow politicians’ unreasonable orders. gen Sam Manekshaw, india’s army chief between 1969 and early 1973.was asked by Prime Minister indira gandhi to invade the erstwhile east Pakistan (now Bangladesh) in early 1971 . Manekshaw refused her order. He pointed out that east Pakistan was as large as France. The monsoon would flood east Pakistani rivers. He suggested it would take at least 10 months before the country’s forces could become combat-ready. He also pointed out China could intervene.He stressed that “it would be unwise to rely on diplomatic assurances’ to the contrary. He proposed that india wait for the winter snow to block the northern passes to obviate Peking’s involvement. The hiatus would also give the indian forces time to prepare for war.” indira gandhi listened; and Bangladesh came into being in December 1971”.

indian armed forces lost its professional competence due to the Third Pay Commission in 1973.The commission diluted officer ranks to enhance career prospects. Periodic cadre reviews thereafter, further led to a lopsided rank structure, creating a situation where lieutenant generals, and their equivalents in the navy and air force, began discharging duties previously performed by middle ranking colonels and half-colonels r equivalent.

Adm Arun Prakash, a former indian navy chief, lamented obsequiousness and servility within the services, especially the Army. He declared that “we all know that age, rank and financial status demand much more deference in india than anywhere else in the world”.

Prakash admitted that many fine officers did not get promoted for either their ‘non-conformity or forthright views’ or both. He went on to add that the ‘evil of sycophancy will undermine the roots of india’s military’ unless the senior leadership curbs it ruthlessly.

Many senior service personnel are increasingly iden-

tifying themselves with the Hindu nationalist BJP-led administration that in turn seeks to exploit military achievements for political gain.

After the BJP ascendancy since 2014, “political expediency” has been factored into several of their tactical operational plans and wider strategic decisions. This symbiotic relationship has suited both.

BJP politicians successfully exploited what passed for military gains on the election campaign trail, to project the BJP’s ‘robust’ handling of national security issues.

This is best illustrated by the September 2016 socalled ‘surgical strikes’ against militant launch pads across the loC in Kashmir and the iAFs reported bombing of an islamic terrorist training centre at Balakot in February 2019.

The BJP benefitedfrom the hype spun around the “mythical” success of the “surgical strikes” in the 2016 UP elections and the 2019 general elections.

To glorify Hindu icons, the BJP renamed many Moghal monuments. india’s Mughalsarai railway station, near Varanasi, was renamed Deen Dayal Upadhyaya, for a right-wing Hindu leader who died there in 1968.

Allahabad was renamed Prayagraj, a word that links the Hindu pilgrimage site there. The name Allahabad dated to the 16th century is a legacy of the Mughal emperor Akbar.

Maharashtra state renamed Bombay as Mumbai, a nod to the city’s patron goddess Mumbadevi.: Madras became Chennai; Calcutta, Kolkata; and Bangalore, Bengaluru.

Yogi Adityanath, UP CM, is in the forefront spearheading the demand to rename Hyderabad as Bhgyanagar (after the Bhagya laxmi temple). The ruling BJP wants Taj Mahal to be renamed as Tajo Mahalya (temple)

Renaming of roads, schools, colleges and other institutions is most pronounced in occupied Kashmir. government colleges are now named after soldiers killed in action. one wonders whether this gimmick would reduce suicides by personnel posted in the occupied state.

You cannot walk across Srinagar without being reminded by renamed roads of the Dogra princes. After being stripped of statehood, buildings (a hospital, a cricket stadium and a conference centre) bearing Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah’s name have been renamed, for instance, with Maharana Pratap Singh (Park) and Amar Singh (College).

The occupied state’s flag has been replaced with india’s national flag on government buildings, and

Twitter widens its censorship of Modi’s critics

ments have fueled repressive conditions on the ground.

“Punjab is a de facto police state,” said Sukhman Dhami, co-director of ensaaf, a human rights organization focused on Punjab. “Despite being one of the tiniest states in india, it has one of the highest density of police personnel, stations and checkpoints — as is typical of many of india’s minority-majority states — as well as a huge number of military encampments because it shares a border with Pakistan and Kashmir.”

Modi’s Hindu nationalist government has justified its efforts to arrest followers of Amritpal Singh by claiming that he was promoting separatism and “disturbing communal harmony” in recent speeches.

india’s independence Day functions have been made compulsory in schools. over76 schools and other buildings have been renamed, mostly in Jammu division, and 25 in the valley. An auditorium run by the information department in Srinagar has been renamed after Raj Begum. A government degree college in Srinagar has been named after the Kashmiri playwright, Moti lal Kemmu.

Fanaticism of political leaders is understandable. But Hindutva influence in armed forces and judiciary is alarming. So it is particularly in view of aHindu religious assembly’s call for Muslim genocide. in 2002, the year after Modi became gujarat CM, over 2,000 people, mostly Muslims, were killed and about 200,000 more displaced in anti-Muslim riots. large numbers of girls were raped; men cut to pieces and burned alive with kerosene or burning tyres. Pregnant women had their wombs slit open and the foetuses smashed in front of their eyes.

A report by Human Rights Watch asserted that Modi’s administration was complicit in the massacres. “The attacks were planned in advance,” a senior researcher for the organisation said, “and organised with the extensive participation of the police and state government officials.”

Modi never apologised for his government’s failure to protect the minority. in a rare comment on the subject, he said he regretted the Muslims’ suffering as he would a “puppy being run over by a car”.

Arundhati Roy wrote “The practice of bulldozing Muslim homes and businesses for purely punitive reasons is proof that india is ‘transitioning pretty brazenly into a criminal Hindu fascist enterprise.”

The indian Supreme Court held that a mosque was inessential for Muslim worship. Those offering prayers indoors were dragged out and FiRs registered against them. Thousands of mosque-loudspeakers were confiscated. even licensed speakers were forced to maintain minimum volume. Yogi Adityanath stopped funding perimeter walls of Muslim graveyards. “in a video which surfaced in 2014, Adityanath reportedly stated that: ‘if Muslims take oneHindu girl [love Jihad] we’ll take 100 Muslim girls. if they kill one Hindu, we’ll kill 100 Muslims’’. “We are submerged in a pool of fear’, a Muslim woman from Uttar Pradesh says”. To escape persecution, Muslims take refuge in Muslim munch, a branch of Rashtra Swayemsevak Sangh (whose ideologues called Muslims hissing snakes).

The writer is a freelance journalist, has served in the Pakistan government for 39 years and holds degrees in economics, business administration, and law. He can be reached at amjedjaaved@gmail.com

France is on fire

tiple allegations of police brutality, something that has fueled the fire of demonstrations in recent years, including during the Yellow Jacket crisis.

Macron, in his first TV interview after forcing the reform through parliament, implicitly compared violent protests with subversive riots in the U.S. or in Brazil. Trade unions that organized strikes also look increasingly aware that things could get out of control. on Friday, the head of trade union CFDT offered an olive branch to Macron as he proposed a pause on the reform for six months and a meeting with the unions again, even with the help of a mediator. “it would calm things down,” he told RTl radio.

TWo months after teaming up with the indian government to censor a BBC documentary on human rights abuses by Prime Minister narendra Modi, Twitter is yet again collaborating with india to impose an extraordinarily broad crackdown on speech. last week, the indian government imposed an internet blackout across the northern state of Punjab, home to 30 million people, as it conducted a manhunt for a local Sikh nationalist leader, Amritpal Singh. The shutdown paralyzed internet and SMS communications in Punjab (some indian users told The intercept that the shutdown was targeted at mobile devices).

While Punjab police detained hundreds of suspected followers of Singh, Twitter accounts from over 100 prominent politicians, activists, and journalists in india and abroad have been blocked in india at the request of the government. on Monday, the account of the BBC news Punjabi was also blocked — the second time in a few months that the indian government has used Twitter to throttle BBC services in its country. The Twitter account for Jagmeet Singh (no relation to Amritpal), a leading progressive Sikh Canadian politician and critic of Modi, was also not viewable inside india.

Under the leadership of owner and Ceo elon Musk, Twitter has promised to reduce censorship and allow a broader range of voices on the platform. But after The intercept reported on Musk’s censorship of the BBC documentary in January, as well as Twitter’s intervention against high-profile accounts who shared it, Musk said that he had been too busy to focus on the issue. “First i’ve heard,” Musk wrote on January 25. “it is not possible for me to fix every aspect of Twitter worldwide overnight, while still running Tesla and SpaceX, among other things.”

Two months later, he still hasn’t found the time. Musk had previously pledged to step down as Twitter Ceo, but no public progress has been made since his announcement.

While Modi’s suppression has focused on Punjab, Twitter’s collaboration has been nationwide, restricting public debate about the government’s aggressive move. Critics say that the company is failing the most basic test of allowing the platform to operate freely under conditions of government pressure.

“in india, Twitter, Facebook, and other social media companies have today become handmaidens to authoritarianism,” said Arjun Sethi, a human rights lawyer and adjunct professor of law at georgetown University law Center. “They routinely agree to requests not just to block social media accounts not just originating in india, but all over the world.”

Punjab was the site of a brutal government counterinsurgency campaign in the ’80s and ’90s that targeted a separatist movement that sought to create an independent state for Sikhs. More recently, Punjab was the site of massive protests by farmers groups against bills to deregulate agricultural markets. The power struggles between the government and resistance move-

in late February, Singh’s followers sacked a Punjab police station in an attempt to free allies held there. The indian media reported that the attack triggered the government’s response. in the void left by Twitter blocks and the internet shutdown across much of the region, indian news outlets, increasingly themselves under the thumb of the ruling government and its allies, have filled the airwaves with speculation on Singh’s whereabouts. on Tuesday, indian news reports claimed that CCTV footage appeared to show Singh walking around Delhi masked and without a turban.

The Modi administration has told the public a story of a dangerous, radical preacher who must be stopped at any cost. efforts by dissidents to contextualize Modi’s crackdown within his increasingly intolerant and authoritarian nationalism have been smothered by Twitter.

“People within Punjab are unable to reach one another, and members of the diaspora are unable to reach their family members, friends, and colleagues,” Sethi told The intercept. “india leads the world in terms of government imposed blackouts and regularly imposes them as a part of mass censorship and disinformation campaigns. Human rights defenders documenting atrocities in Punjab are blocked, and activists in the diaspora raising information about what is happening on the ground are blocked as well.”

Modi’s government tried to throttle Twitter even before Musk’s takeover. Twitter india staff have been threatened with arrest over refusals to block government critics and faced other forms of pressure inside the country. At the time that Musk took charge of the company, it had a mere 20 percent compliance rate with indian government requests. Following massive layoffs that reduced 90 percent of Twitter india’s staff, the platform appears to have become far more obliging in the face of government pressure, as its actions to censor its critics now show.

Musk, who has consistently characterized his acquisition of Twitter as a triumph of free speech, has framed his compliance as mere deference to the will of governments in countries where Twitter operates. “like i said, my preference is to hew close to the laws of countries in which Twitter operates,” Musk tweeted last year. “if the citizens want something banned, then pass a law to do so, otherwise it should be allowed.”

Critics say that Musk’s policy of deferring to government requests is dangerous and irresponsible, as it empowers governments to suppress speech they find inconvenient. And a request from the executive branch is not necessarily the same thing as an order from a court; under previous ownership, Twitter regularly fought such requests from government officials, including those in the Modi administration.

As the manhunt for Singh and his supporters continues, large protests have broken out in foreign countries with large Punjabi diasporas, including a protest in london that resulted in the vandalism of the indian embassy. Despite this backlash, Modi appears to be pressing ahead with internet shutdowns.

“The main thing that the indian government is trying to accomplish is to protect the reputation of Modi,” said Dhami.

“They have a zero tolerance for anything that harms his reputation, and what triggers them most of all is a sense that his reputation is being attacked.”

FRAnCe is protesting against emmanuel Macron’s plans to raise the retirement age. After months of strikes and protests, tension reached its peak on Thursday, with some violent outbursts in Paris that brought back memories from the months-long Yellow Jacket movement. Protests are impacting the country’s daily life and even France’s international agenda, with the elysée postponing a long-awaited visit by King Charles iii to Paris. Trade unions have called for another big day of strikes next Tuesday, the 10th since the beginning of demonstrations, but other smaller, spontaneous protests are erupting in parallel, another reminder of the Yellow Jacket marches.

HOW DID WE GET THERE? Strikes and protests against the pensions overhaul started at the beginning of the year and escalated this week, after the government forced the text through parliament amid fears that it would not have enough votes. Protesters PoliTiCo spoke with are furious with Macron for the reform — which would raise the retirement age from 62 to 64, and extend contributions to get a full pension — but also for bypassing a parliamentary vote.

ARE THE YELLOW JACKETS MAKING A COMEBACK? not really. There are several differences between ongoing protests and the spontaneous movement that blocked the whole country during Macron’s first mandate. Before turning into a massive antiMacron movement, the Yellow Jackets started as a protest against a fuel tax mostly led by lower-middle class people from rural areas who use their cars to go to work. Violent actions and vandalism have been a key feature of Yellow Jacket protests everywhere in France.

That’s different from the current demonstrations, where violence mostly erupted in the aftermath of union-led, traditional protests or in follow-up, small-scale protests. one thing they both have in common is widespread popular support. More than 60 percent of the French are in favor of stronger protests to make the government step back, according to a ifop poll published Thursday.

However, there are increasing signs that French authorities are bracing for the worst and that the specter of the Yellow Jackets is looming over France. Some protesters were wearing their fluorescent uniform during marches in Paris and some small spontaneous Yellow Jacket meetings are popping up around the country.

Police agents on the ground have warned the government that they are experiencing the same violence they had to face during the Yellow Jacket movement. They are also mul-

IS MACRON GOING TO CAVE? The French president so far has given no signs that he could change his mind. in his Wednesday TV interview, he defended the reform and argued that unions didn’t come up with alternative proposals to reform the pensions system — something they immediately countered.

At a european Council press conference in Brussels on Friday, Macron condemned violence and said he was ready to discuss with unions other issues such as work conditions and salaries.

DOES THE OPPOSITION HAVE LEVERAGE? in theory, the reform is done. After bypassing the parliamentary vote on the text, the government led by Prime Minister elisabeth Borne survived a no-confidence vote with only a nine-vote margin last Monday.

There is however one last political hurdle for Macron to overcome at France’s Constitutional Council, where constitutional judges will have to decide whether the text is in line with the constitution, especially when it comes to the adoption procedure. in parallel, the Constitutional Council is assessing a request by opposition lawmakers to hold a referendum on the text.

The latter move is unlikely to succeed but opposition leaders have been ramping up the pressure on magistrates to rule the reform, or part of it, unconstitutional.

BUT REALLY … HOW SPOILED ARE

THE FRENCH? Macron was quick to point out that the retirement age in France is among the lowest in europe — a comparison that could make international observers wonder why the French are so reluctant to adapt their pension system to rising life expectancy. opponents have argued there are many ways to reform the system and make it financially balanced, and that raising the retirement age is particularly unfair to the poor and people who have started work early, mostly in blue-collar, physically demanding jobs.

“We are a country where the debate is demanding, where the demand for social rights is high, this has also made our history, our social model,” France’s Transport Minister and Macron’s top ally Clément Beaune told PoliTiCo in an interview last week, adding that this is “also something to be proud of.”

Pension systems are hard to compare and France is closer to its neighbors when comparing the effective retirement age. Most importantly, French discontent goes widely beyond the merits of the reform. At last year’s parliamentary election, Macron lost an outright majority in the French national Assembly and the decision to skip a parliamentary vote on the reform further exposed the president’s weakness. That constitutional maneuver added a new layer to existing angriness, protesters say.

TWITTER ACCOUNTS FROM OVER 100 PROMINENT POLITICIANS, ACTIVISTS, AND JOURNALISTS IN INDIA AND ABROAD HAVE BEEN BLOCKED IN INDIA AT THE REQUEST OF THE GOVERNMENT

“IN INDIA, TWITTER, FACEBOOK, AND OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA COMPANIES HAVE TODAY BECOME HANDMAIDENS TO AUTHORITARIANISM”

MORE THAN 60 PERCENT OF THE FRENCH ARE IN FAVOR OF STRONGER PROTESTS TO MAKE THE GOVERNMENT STEP BACK

Politico giOrgiO lEali

ChinA tO reSOlutely fight bACk tSAi’S

OffiCiAl COntACt with uS OffiCiAlS

IsLAMABAD

stAFF RePoRt

CHINAhas warned of resolute measures to fight back if Taiwan regional leader has contact with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy during her transit in the US, as China firmly opposes any form of official interaction between the US and the Chinese island, opposes the visit of the regional leader to the US in any name or under whatever pretext and opposes the US’ violation of the one-China principle. While some Western media outlets said that the meeting between the regional leader Tsai Ing-wen and McCarthy has drawn anger from the Chinese mainland and touches a flashpoint in the US-China ties, Chinese experts said since the then-House speaker Nancy Pelosi’s provocative visit to Taiwan in August 2022 changed the status quo of the Taiwan Straits, the mainland has remained vigilant about any interaction between the US and the island and is fully prepared to take any instant reaction any time. Tsai’s trip will also likely draw firm responses from the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA), experts said.

Tsai left on Wednesday for a trip to Central America and she is scheduled to transit through New York first and Los Angeles on the way back, Reuters reported. While not

officially confirmed, she is expected to meet McCarthy while in California, the media report said. “If Taiwan’s regional leader Tsai Ing-wen meets with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, it would be a provocation that seriously violates the one-China principle, un-

dermines China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity as well as damages peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits. And we will take resolute measures to counter this,” a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council remarked on Wednesday.

Tsai’s transit through the US is in essence a provocative act of “seeking independence by relying on the US” and seeking opportunities to sell out the idea of Taiwan secession to the international community as well as solicit support from anti-China forces in the

‘Taiwan president’ heads to US, Central America to shore up ties

TAIPEI AFP

‘Taiwan President’ Tsai Ing-wen was due to leave for the United States on Wednesday, a stop on her way to firm ties with Guatemala and Belize after China snapped up another of the island’s few diplomatic allies last week.

Belize and Guatemala are among just 13 countries that officially recognise democratic Taipei over Beijing, after Honduras opened diplomatic relations with China on Sunday.

China views the island as part of its territory, to be retaken one day. Under its “One China” principle, no country may maintain official ties with both Beijing and Taipei.

After first visiting New York, President Tsai will continue her 10-day trip by meeting her Guatemalan counterpart Alejandro Giammattei and Belize Prime Minister John Briceno, her office said. She will then stop in Los Angeles on her ay back to Taiwan.

US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has said he will meet Tsai in California, a move protested by Beijing. Taiwanese authorities have not confirmed the meeting with McCarthy, or Tsai’s itinerary while in New York.

Last year, a visit by McCarthy’s predecessor to Taiwan sparked an angry response from Beijing, with the Chinese military conducting drills at an unprecedented scale around the island. Taipei said the exercises

were preparation for an “invasion.”

Official vs unOfficial ties: Analysts say the Taiwanese president’s US stopover comes at a key time, with Beijing having ramped up military, economic and diplomatic pressure on the island since Tsai came to power in 2016, poaching nine of its diplomatic allies since then.

“Beijing’s attempts to poach Taiwan’s diplomatic partners will lead to Taiwan developing closer ties with the United States,” said James Lee, a researcher on US-Taiwan relations at Taiwan’s Academia Sinica.

While the visit had been on the cards before Honduras announced its switch, Lee said the timing of the trip does have “symbolism”.

Musk, experts urge pause on training AI systems more powerful than GPT-4

REuTERs

Elon Musk and a group of artificial intelligence experts and industry executives are calling for a six-month pause in training systems more powerful than OpenAI’s newly launched model GPT-4, they said in an open letter, citing potential risks to society and humanity.

The letter, issued by the non-profit Future of Life Institute and signed by more than 1,000 people including Musk, Stability AI CEO Emad Mostaque, researchers at Alphabetowned (GOOGL.O) DeepMind, as well

as AI heavyweights Yoshua Bengio and Stuart Russell, called for a pause on advanced AI development until shared safety protocols for such designs were developed, implemented and audited by independent experts. “Powerful AI systems should be developed only once we are confident that their effects will be positive and their risks will be manageable,” the letter said.

The letter also detailed potential risks to society and civilization by human-competitive AI systems in the form of economic and political disruptions, and called on developers to work with policymakers on governance and

regulatory authorities. The letter comes as EU police force Europol on Monday joined a chorus of ethical and legal concerns over advanced AI like ChatGPT, warning about the potential misuse of the system in phishing attempts, disinformation and cybercrime. Musk, whose carmaker Tesla (TSLA.O) is using AI for an autopilot system, has been vocal about his concerns about AI. Since its release last year, Microsoft-backed OpenAI’s ChatGPT has prompted rivals to accelerate developing similar large language models, and companies to integrate

generative AI models into their products. Sam Altman, chief executive at OpenAI, hasn’t signed the letter, a spokesperson at Future of Life told Reuters. OpenAI didn’t immediately respond to request for comment.

“The letter isn’t perfect, but the spirit is right: we need to slow down until we better understand the ramifications,” said Gary Marcus, a professor at New York University who signed the letter. “They can cause serious harm… the big players are becoming increasingly secretive about what they are doing, which makes it hard for society to defend against whatever harms may materialize.”

Credit Suisse has violated US tax evasion deal, Senate Committee finds

LONDON ReuteRs

Credit Suisse violated a 2014 plea deal with U.S. authorities by continuing to help ultra-wealthy Americans evade taxes and concealing more than $700 million from the government, the U.S. Senate Finance Committee found on Wednesday.

After concluding a two-year investigation into Credit Suisse –which this month agreed to a rescue takeover by rival UBS – the committee said it had uncovered “major violations” of the 2014 agreement between the Swiss lender and the U.S. Department of Justice for enabling tax evasion.

These violations included failing to disclose nearly $100 million in secret offshore accounts belonging to a single family of U.S. taxpayers, which it said represented an “ongoing and potentially criminal conspiracy”. In an emailed statement, Credit Suisse said it did not tolerate tax evasion and had been cooperating with U.S. authorities.

“Credit Suisse’s new leadership team has cooperated with the Committee’s inquiry and has supported the work of Senator Wyden, including in respect of suggested policy solutions to help strengthen the financial industry’s ability to detect undisclosed U.S. persons,” the bank said, referring to Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden.

In a statement Wyden said: “At the center of this investigation are

US, said Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council. Some US media outlets noted that the trip comes at a sensitive time as US-China relations have been at a low point after the US blatantly shot down a Chinese unmanned airship for civilian use last month and has continued curbing China’s high tech development. Delayed high-level talks between Washington and Beijing also weigh on the already strained bilateral ties. “The attitude of the US and its level of reception are very sensitive.

The DPP authorities understand that such a move is playing with fire but they have to be obedient to Washington in playing the ‘Taiwan card,'” Zhu Songling, a professor at the Institute of Taiwan Studies of Beijing Union University, told the Global Times on Wednesday. Given the overall political will and the anti-China hostilities inside the US government, Washington will continue playing the “Taiwan card,” which won’t be helpful for the China-US relations, Zhu said. MOnitOring clOsely: Despite repeated warnings from the Chinese side, the US has been making excuses for Tsai’s transit. For example, senior US officials were quoted as saying in media reports ahead of her departure that such transits are routine and the Chinese side should not “overreact.”

Saudi Arabia joins Shanghai Cooperation Organisation as ties with China grow

RIYADH ReuteRs

greedy Swiss bankers and catnapping government regulators, and the result appears to be a massive, ongoing conspiracy to help ultrawealthy U.S. citizens to evade taxes and rip off their fellow Americans.” Representatives for the U.S. Department of Justice did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Credit Suisse in 2014 became the largest bank in 20 years to plead guilty to a U.S. criminal charge, agreeing to pay a $2.5 billion fine to authorities for helping Americans evade taxes in a conspiracy that spanned decades.

It was one of a string of scandals that rocked Switzerland’s second-biggest lender and contributed to it being forced into the arms of UBS.

Saudi Arabia’s cabinet approved on Wednesday a decision to join the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), as Riyadh builds a long-term partnership with China despite US security concerns. Saudi Arabia has approved a memorandum on granting the kingdom the status of a dialogue partner in the organisation, state news agency SPA said. The SCO is a political and security union of countries spanning much of Eurasia, including China, India and Russia. Formed in 2001 by Russia, China and former Soviet states in Central Asia, the body has been expanded to include India and Pakistan, with a view to playing a bigger role as a counterweight to Western influence in the region. Iran also signed documents for full membership last year. Joining the SCO was discussed during a visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to Saudi Arabia last December, sources have told Reuters. Dialogue partner status will be a first step within the organisation before granting the kingdom full membership in the mid-term, they said. The decision followed an announcement by Saudi Aramco which raised its multi-billion dollar investment in China on Tuesday, by finalising a planned joint venture in northeast China and acquiring a stake in a privately controlled petrochemical group. Riyadh’s growing ties with Beijing have raised security concerns in Washington, its traditional ally. Washington says Chinese attempts to exert influence around the world will not change US policy toward the Middle East.

NOT-BY- PROFIT

Wasted Water: agriculture mismanagement contributes to Pakistan's Water crisis

SMArtEr tEChnologIES And wAtEr rESoUrCE MAnAgEMEnt StrAtEgIES kEy to SolvIng wAtEr CrISIS

WRITINGfor The Express Tribune, author Usman Hanif explains that Pakistan is facing the consequences of climate change through natural disasters such as droughts and floods, despite contributing less than 1% of global carbon emissions.

Agriculture is the largest consumer of freshwater in Pakistan, but mismanagement has led to almost 50% of water being wasted. By adopting water resource management strategies from progressive countries and introducing smarter technologies like drip irrigation and sprinklers, Pakistan's farming community can use water resources more efficiently. It is becoming evident that

Second Pakistan Navy Ship Moawin reaches Syria on relief mission

islamabad: Second Pakistan Navy Ship MOAWIN, deployed on international Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) mission reached Lattakia, Syria. The ship brought second consignment of relief goods comprising warm clothing, blankets and ration for earthquake affectees of Syria.

Upon arrival at port Lattakia (Syria), the ship was received by Governor of Lattakia, Ambassador of Pakistan to Syria, Cdr of Syrian Naval Forces and other dignitaries. During interaction with mission commander onboard PNS MOAWIN, Governor of Lattakia expressed gratitude to Government of Pakistan and Pakistan Navy for providing exceptional support during the time of need. Earlier Pakistan Navy Ship NASR also visited Syria for HADR mission and handed over 700 tons relief goods to Syrian officials. pr

Protection of life, property of citizens top priority, says SSP Operations

islamabad: SSP Operations Malik Jameel Zafar chaired an important meeting regarding crime and security. The meeting was attended by Zonal DPOs, SDPOs, and SHOs of all police stations. The SSP (Operations) reviewed the performance of the police stations in detail and gave cash rewards and certificates of appreciation to the best performing SHOs of Khanna, Koral and Kirpa police stations, while on increasing crime rate and weak administrative control and the SHO Bani Gala and SHO Karachi Company police stations were charged sheet and removed and warning was given to SHO Noon, Sihala, Tarnol and Nilore police stations. pr

Bestway Cement opens Line-I of 2.3 million TPA at Mianwali

islamabad: Bestway Cement Limited, Pakistan’s largest cement producer achieved yet another milestone. The Company commenced production and despatches of cement at its greenfield plant in District Mianwali. The plant is Bestway’s 8th production line with an annual production capacity of 2.3 million tonnes of cement. The state-of–the-art and most environmentally friendly plant has its own Waste Heat Recovery Power Plant of 9 MWs and 20 MWs of Solar Power generation thereby meeting more than half of its energy requirement through green and renewable means. pr

Meezan Bank enters strategic collaboration with PaySa to expand Point of Sale Payment Services

karachi: Meezan Bank, Pakistan’s leading Islamic bank and PaySa, a fintech startup specializing in digital payments, have partnered to enable Point of Sale (POS) payment services to tap into the country’s booming digital payment ecosystem. pr

over-usage of water for irrigation purposes not only lowers the water table but also harms soil health and affects the productivity of the agriculture sector.

The private sector has also taken steps to address the issue of water usage, with companies like Nestlé Pakistan launching initiatives to improve water use efficiency in their direct agricultural supply chain.

corporate corner

However, there is a need for awareness and adoption of water-efficient crops to manage domestic water usage and avoid contamination of freshwater due to sewerage water. Despite the water crisis, technological advancements provide hope for Pakistan to become an efficient user of its watershed and avoid destruction.

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

UAE company keen to promote financial inclusion of SMEs in Pakistan

Islamabad pr

A delegation of UAE-based company InvoiceMate visited Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry to introduce their invoice management system on blockchain for promoting financial inclusion of SMEs in Pakistan.

Muhammad

Salman Anjum Founder & CEO, Saeed Alhebsi CoFounder of InvoiceMate and Advisor on Artificial Intelligence to the Ministry of Human Resource & Emiratization of UAE, Rafael Shulz Founder BlockchainPunk Labs of Germany, Muhammad Zeeshan Abid Co-Founder & Product Design Lead at InvoiceMate were in the delegation. Ms. Rashida Bajwa, Assistant Director (ME-I), Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan accompanied the delegation.

Speaking at the occasion, Ahsan Zafar Bakhtawari, President, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (ICCI) welcomed the UAE delegation and assured them of full support in rolling out the blockchain powered financial inclusion enabler InvoiceMate for SMEs in

National Foods’ ‘Signature Dish’ Brings Unsung Chefs to Limelight

karachi: National Foods Limited has launched The ‘Signature Dish’ campaign to highlight the unsung heroes of Pakistan’s culinary world.

The Food Services Division of National Foods pays tribute to the legendary chefs who are masters in their field and are behind the delicious cuisines made in popular restaurants of Pakistan. The campaign has been launched recently to feature Pakistan’s acclaimed chefs, and their ‘signature dishes’. On the whole, the campaign is highlighting ten prominent chefs with their ten unique, signature dishes in the three cities of the country namely Lahore, Karachi, and Islamabad. The campaign features episodes which show the uniqueness of each chef and the love they put into their signature dishes. National Foods, with its 52 years of legacy and vast product portfolio, has provided many chefs the tools to discover their Signature cooking styles and dishes. The company strives to elevate communities and create a better lifestyle to enrich communities. pr

32nd annual general meeting of Bank of Punjab held

Pakistan. He lauded the efforts of InvoiceMate for revolutionizing invoice financing by enabling financial inclusion of SMEs and informal businesses. He said that the financial inclusion of SME is very important to accelerate the economic growth in Pakistan. He said that SMEs get only around 6% credit of the total private sector credit in Pakistan, which is less than 1% of GDP and is a major hurdle in their growth and stressed that the government should increase credit to SMEs to at least 20 percent that would boost business activities and put Pakistan on the path of sustainable growth.

Speaking at the occasion, Muhammad Salman Anjum

Founder & CEO, Saeed Alhebsi Co-Founder of InvoiceMate said that they are keen to create sustainable financial inclusion opportunities in the Pakistan market. They gave a detailed briefing to the business community about all the aspects of the world's first blockchain-powered invoice management and financing solution that enables invoice automation. It comes with function specific features that provide efficient results, while saving money & resources. They said that InvoiceMate uses emerging technologies like blockchain & AI that provides multiple benefits to the businesses including 70-80% reduction in payable workload, 60-70% reduction.

Court issues notices regarding testimony of four witnesses in Sara Inam murder case

Islamabad App

A local court on Wednesday issued notices to respondents regarding the statement of four more witnesses in Sara Inam murder case. District and Session Judge Ata Rabani heard the murder case. During the hearing, Prosecutor Rana Hassan Abbas submitted an application to the court seeking permission to present four more witnesses.

The court served notices to respondents and adjourned the case till April 5.

Making the switch

Smoking and second-hand smoking are the most preventable causes of death globally. For decades several regulations have been introduced to curb the number of smokers, yet the numbers remain unaffected.

Consumers today are aware of the dangers of smoking and the threat it poses to their health, yet they continue the habit. When you smoke a cigarette, you’re not only inhaling the combusted tobacco and nicotine but also hundreds of other toxic chemicals that have been scientifically proven as responsible for several pulmonary and heart diseases.

The best solution has forever remained quitting. However, there are those people who choose to continue to smoke. For these people there are now scientifically developed, less harmful alternatives available to help them achieve their goal of switching and making better choices. Global studies on the subject have shown that the vast majority of the people who step away from cigarettes, tend to find their way back, sooner or later. For that reason, it’s important to keep in mind the role of nicotine as it holds the key to help con-

ogdCl

Islamabad pr

Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) is the largest exploration & production company in Pakistan working across the nation.

The company has an impressive track record of carrying out social work in areas where it operates for welfare of local communities.

OGDCL has always exceeded its CSR obligations and spent more on welfare projects for the communities

sumers make better choices. Seeing how the majority of smokers choose to continue smoking, experts globally have been working to provide less harmful alternatives to smoking which include ecigarettes, vapes, snus and heated tobacco products. The general opinion on the matter among global scientific communities is that when a smoker completely switches to alternatives containing limited quantities of nicotine, they have greater chances of being successful. These products give the smokers the same sensation of smoking but with less harmful effects on health. So basically, you’re exposing yourself to less harmful chemicals while regulating your nicotine requirement for long-term effectiveness.

In recent years, countries including Japan, the US, UK, Sweden, Norway, and Iceland have also seen a significant decline in their cigarette sales - and the common element is adult smokers having access to less harmful, non-combustible alternatives. If Pakistan aims to decrease its number ofsmokers, it should follow a similar route to making smoking less harmful for smokers who refuse to quit altogether by providing them access to alternatives.

nearby it’s operational areas. Most of the places where company operates are remote with limited health facilities for the locals. OGDCL provides health facilities at its locations to the locals, however in cases where emergency care is required, people face difficulty for moving the patients to hospitals. Keeping this hardship to account, OGDCL has devised a program to distribute fully equipped 100 ambulances worth Rs. 200 million to District Headquarter (DHQ), Tehsil Headquarter (THQ)

lahore: The 32nd Annual General Meeting of the members of The Bank of Punjab was held at Avari Hotel, Shahra-e-Quaid-e-Azam, Lahore on Wednesday, 29th March 2023 at 09:30 a.m. The meeting was attended by members of the Board of Directors, Bank’s Senior Management and a large number of shareholders. During the Annual General Meeting, a brief presentation on Bank’s financial performance was given to the shareholders. The participants were apprised that during the year 2022, Bank’s Balance Sheet grew by 24% and reached the level of Rs. 1.48 Trillion. As on December 31, 2022, Bank’s deposits stood at the level of Rs.1.23 Trillion showing a commendable growth of 22%. With prudent management of resources, aggressive business expansion and introduction of new products & services, the Bank has been able to post before tax profit of Rs. 18.51 billion during year 2022. The Effective Tax Rate increased by 10% over the corresponding period vide Finance Act 2022. Accordingly, the Bank posted After Tax Profit of Rs. 10.83 Billion. Earnings per Share (EPS) for year 2022 remained at Rs. 3.64 per share against Rs. 4.18 per share during year 2021. pr

Energy giants sign MoU to pursue green hydrogen projects in Pakistan and beyond

islamabad: Leading exploration and production (E&P) companies Oil & Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL), Pak-Arab Refinery Limited (PARCO), Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL), Mari Petroleum Company Limited (MPCL), and Government Holdings Private Limited (GHPL) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to explore and pursue green hydrogen opportunities within and outside Pakistan. The collaboration aims to drive the energy transition towards a more sustainable future, leveraging each company's expertise and resources. The MoU was signed by Ahmed Hayat Lak, MD/CEO OGDCL; Shahid Mahmood Khan, MD PARCO; Imran Abbasy, MD/CEO PPL; Fahim Haider, MD/CEO MPCL; and Masood Nabi, MD GHPL on behalf of their respective companies. Federal Secretary of Petroleum Division, Capt (R) Muhammad Mahmood, witnessed the MoU signing ceremony held here on Wednesday at the OGDCL Head Office, Islamabad. Under the MoU, OGDCL, PARCO, PPL, MPCL, and GHPL will consider joint venture projects and areas of mutual cooperation for green energy initiatives. Companies will also establish a joint fund to raise equity for hydrogen projects. pr

Pakistan

hospitals and Basic Health Units (BHU) across the country. The ambulances will play a major role in strengthening the referral system, a key aspect in achieving health coverage. The delivery of these ambulances will enhance the ability of public health services to respond to medical emergencies, provide timely referrals for patients in severe and life threatening conditions, especially for people living in hard-toreach areas or those not able to afford transportation.

launches program to distribute 100 ambulances across

A group photo of PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari with Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Memon, Local Bodies Minister Nasir Hussain Shah and MPA Suhail Anwar Siyal after a meeting in Dubai. pr

PrESIdEnT EyES ‘CrISIS rESOluTIOn rOlE’ In CurrEnT SITuATIOn

ISLAMABAD app

PRESIDENTDr Arif Alvi on Wednesday stressed that he had always played a role for the resolution of national issues and was now ready to make such efforts with a ‘crises resolution role’ in the current situation. In an interview with a TV channel, the president, to a query regarding approval of the judicial reforms bill, replied that it could have been tabled in the Parliament at an appropriate time, considering the ongoing situation.

He said he had heard different analysis, opinions and discussions related to the judicial reforms and opined that it might be addressed after taking the judiciary into confidence as well.

Responding to another question, he said he would take the right decision over the said bill after receiving the final document. The president observed that the use of force could give rise to issues and in democratic countries, issues were being addressed through the development of consensus.

He said the pressure on institutions

led to cracks and stressed that the Constitution should not be disfigured.

The president regretted that in the past, the 1973 Constitution was wrapped after four years of its enforcement.

He observed that in the current situation, division of thinking was apparent whether it was within the political parties, parliament or judiciary and underlined that they all should strive to save Pakistan and the Constitution.

Regarding a question about the Election Commission of Pakistan’s decision to set a new date for polls in Punjab, the president said the Supreme Court was seized of the issue and it would decide it.

But after listening and reading media reports, he wondered if the holding of the election depended upon the issues. The nation wanted a responsible outcome, he added.

The president, to a query, replied that if polls were not held within 90 days, the institutions concerned should accept the responsibility for the delay.

In the tussle between the democratic forces, there might be opportunities for the undemocratic forces, he added.

About the prime minister’s letter in response to his earlier letter, the president

Imran moves court against non-bailable arrest warrant in judge threatening case

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

PTI Chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan on Wednesday filed a petition in a District and Sessions court against the non-bailable arrest warrant issued by a local court in a case registered on charges of using threatening language against Judge Zeba Chaudhry and chief of Islamabad police. PTI chief filed the plea through his counsels – Faisal Chaudhry and Ali Bukhari. In the petition, he stated that the high court had granted bail to Imran Khan till April 6 amid security reasons.

The petitioner further pointed out that there were severe threats to the life of the PTI chief that’s why a plea for exemption from personal appearance was filed in the court. Hereby the Judicial Magistrate’s order should be immediately suspended, he requested the court.

Earlier on Wednesday, an Islamabad court issued nonbailable arrest warrants for former prime minister Imran Khan in a case of hurling threats at a woman judge, and ordered authorities to present him before the court on April 18. In the previous hearing held on March 24, the court had converted the non-bailable arrest warrant into a bailable one at the request of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), during a case hearing against Khan, in which he is accused of using threatening language against Zeba Chaudhry and chief of Islamabad police.

During the recent hearing, prosecutor Rizwan Abbasi appeared before Judicial Magistrate Malik Aman’s court, while Khan was represented by his counsel, Faisal Chaudhry. Abbasi also pointed out that Khan’s request for exemption from attendance had been granted in each hearing. Following the hearing of arguments, the judge announced the verdict, directing the authorities to take Khan into custody and present him before the court on April 18. Khan had previously contested the nonbailable arrest warrants in the district court, claiming that his health issues and threats to his life had prevented him from appearing before the court.

FIA barred from pursuing cybercrime charges against Tarin

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has been restrained from pursuing the cybercrime case against the former finance minister, Shaukat Tarin, until he makes another statement. According to reports, the case will only be pursued if Tarin speaks out about the matter, as no progress has been made on the case since its registration. The accused has not been declared a proclaimed offender by the court, and the FIA has yet to take measures to contact Interpol. It should be noted that Tarin was accused of pressurizing the finance ministers of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab to sabotage the deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). However, there has been no update on the case, and it has not been submitted to the court for legal proceedings.

maintained that due to the responsibility of his office, he could not remain ‘deaf and dumb’ regarding the recent human rights incidents as highlighted by the media.

He said during the tenure of the previous Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government, he had talked to the then minister for human rights over such issues as he could not ignore them.

He agreed that the rights issue during 2021 was not good and it grew in the succeeding year.

The president to another question said the difference of opinion in the judiciary was possible as witnessed in the United States and the United Kingdom, but he stressed, personality-based differences were not good.

Talking about his audio leak, he trashed it as irrelevant and said he had been advocating for respecting people’s privacy and encroaching on individuals’ privacy as unethical, immoral and illegal as it fell into ‘Gheebat’.

The president said the polarization in society was too dangerous and he wanted to reduce it.

Referring to his past role in diffusing political tensions, the president said he

could not succeed in his efforts.

President Alvi said the present chief of army staff’s statement regarding the military’s role provided a window for the politicians to work collectively for the democratic system.

Expressing his concerns, the president said the federal and provincial governments could not announce awards for any individual under relevant constitutional provisions, as it was a prerogative of the president.

He said he had raised the issue during the PTI’s tenure. Citing the unanimous adoption of the 1973 Constitution, the president said it reflected the ‘brilliance of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’.

To a comment, he agreed that the disqualification of politicians or political parties was no solution to the issues.

He said he always credited former president Asif Ali Zardari for raising the slogan of ‘Pakistan Khappay’ after the assassination of Benazir Bhutto as nothing could save the country from another serious crisis at that time. He further observed that the lives of all politicians were precious and they should be provided protection.

Pakistan Railways set to float tender allowing facilities to be

utilised for advertising

LAHORE

LAHORE Daniyal ahmaD

Pakistan Railways is planning to monetise its infrastructure as an advertising medium by inviting companies to use its facilities for advertising purposes. The facilities that are included in the tender will consist of the Lahore Railway Station, two rail carriages, railway crossings, and a few outdoor properties that are owned by the Ministry of Railways in Lahore.

According to Najam Saeed, the CEO of Railway Construction Pakistan Limited (RAILCOP), “Pakistan Railways has ample space all over the country that could be used as an advertising medium.” The tender is expected to be announced in a week’s time.

What’s up for grabs?

Saeed explained that advertisers will have access to the parking area, platforms, staircases, bridges, and other infrastructure at the Lahore Railway Station. Two trains will also be available for advertisers to use, allowing them to “utilise the

COMPANY COMMENCES INT'L OPERATIONS TWO AND A HALF YEARS AFTER ENTERING LOCAL MARKET

AirSial Limited is the latest Pakistani airline to enter the international market with its decision to launch daily direct flights to Jeddah from Lahore and Islamabad. The first flight to Jeddah took-off from Lahore on March 29. AirSial will operate four weekly flights each from Lahore and Islamabad, utilising Airbus A320s with an all-economy configuration of 180 seats.

This service will initially be available from these two cities and later expanded to include Karachi, Sialkot, and Peshawar in the second phase. “The domestic market is typically very small in Pakistan so whenever an airline begins operations, their aim is to eventually commence international operations. Once they do so, then sky’s the limit, ” says Ameen Ahsan, CEO of AirSial.

“The greatest demand for Pakistani travellers going abroad is for Umrah, and Jeddah is the destination of choice for the majority of them. Airlines typically commence their international operations from this route, and so have we,” Ahsan adds.

Getting till here

AirSial, based out of Sialkot, is the third largest private Pakistani airline. The company was founded by members of the Sialkot Chambers of Commerce in 2017 with it commencing operations on December 25, 2020. The company has, however, had to wait longer than the designated period outlined by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to obtain its licence to operate international flights. The CAA outlines that designated airlines become eligible to commence operations on international routes after one year of continued satisfactory operations on domestic routes. AirSial has had to wait two and a half years.

Saudi Arabia and beyond?

“We plan to add Riyadh, Dammam, Medina, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Muscat, and Kuwait in the future as part of our first phase of international expansion,” says Ahsan. “We will look at Europe and the rest of the world as part of our second phase,” Ahsan continues.

space available inside the trains themselves, and also wrap the outsides of the train too.”

Why Lahore?

Saeed stated that the decision to focus on Lahore is because it is the headquarters of Pakistan Railways and has connections to the rest of Pakistan. By utilising the Lahore Railway Station, Pakistan Railways aims to cater to an “accumulated 150,000 personnel per day consisting of passengers departing, arriving passengers, and railway station visitors.”

A repeat of history?

This is not the first time Pakistan Railways has attempted to monetise its assets for advertising purposes.

In 2014, the organisation launched a pilot project to offer branding opportunities to companies across the seat covers, internal walls of passenger coaches, and toilets on the Tezgam, Khyber Mail, and Awaam Express. However, the initiative was unsuccessful. This initiative, however, based on the information, looks to mitigate the problems faced by its predecessor by adopting a more grand approach to the issue.

Fate of ‘selection’ to be decided before ‘election’: Maryam Nawaz

KASUR Staff RepoRt

Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz

(PML-N) Senior Vice President and Chief Organiser Maryam Nawaz on Wednesday launched a diatribe against PTI chief Imran Khan, saying “fate of the selection will be decided before election.”

While addressing a public gathering in Kuddian Khas Kasur here, Maryam Nawaz alleged that a coward person was hiding behind the mask of a political leader. She added that the nation knows everything about the evil of Imran Khan now.

She further alleged that Khan turned out to be a ‘wristwatch thief’ after the departure of his facilitators.

Maryam slammed the PTI chief by saying that the person who talked about the equality of law is now an absconder and he used to give excuses of his plastered leg whenever he is summoned by the court while his

workers were busy hurling petrol bombs on the police teams. She alleged that PTI leaders used Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) police to attack the Punjab police. “I have never seen such a coward man in the 75-year history of the country. First of all, he does not get out of his house and whenever he gets out of there, he sits in a bullet-proof vehicle and wears a veil like a bride.”

He criticised that the socalled leader is asking the nation to shatter the idols of fear from inside a bullet-proof glass and telling new stories of his assassination plots every day. She added that Khan’s children are safe in London but the nation’s youth are left helpless on the roads. She said that the existence of ‘evil’ in the government will bring more disasters to the country.

AirSial’s decision to go international does come at a time when international carriers are at odds with the Pakistani government over the issue of being able to repatriate their funds. The issue has previously also led to carriers such as Emirates, and Turkish Airways removing access to their low cost inventory to Pakistan based sales agents.

Following Punjab, ECP sets Oct 8 as election date for KP

ISLAMABAD

Staff RepoRt

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has notified October 8 as the date for provincial elections for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, it emerged on Wednesday. The ECP notification was dated March 27 and said the election programme would be issued in a due course of time. This is the same date to which the ECP postponed the general elections for the Punjab Assembly. Taking a cue from the ECP move, KP Governor Ghulam Ali on Friday had proposed the same date for the holding of elections in his province as well. The Supreme Court on March 1 had ruled that elections in KP and Punjab should be held within 90 days, after the dissolution of provincial assemblies in January, or on a date that “deviates to the barest minimum” from the constitutional deadline. The KP governor, in his fourth letter to the ECP had invited the commission’s attention to several militant attacks. The governor wrote that since the ECP had lately postponed elections in Punjab and announced Oct 8 as the new date, the same date was proposed for holding elections in KP in the larger public interest. Claiming that the apex court’s orders would be fully implemented, he had said he desired free, fair and peaceful polls in the province, but residents of tribal districts were protesting against the conduct of general elections before the announcement of new census results, he added. According to the KP governor, the security situation in the province was completely different from that of Punjab.

Nation to give PTI landslide victory in polls, hopes Imran

LAHORE Staff RepoRt

Former prime minister and Pakistan

Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Wednesday expressed his hope that the nation will give his party a landslide victory in the next general elections, saying there will be no need for “crutches”.

“We have been struggling for and want to make efforts for betterment of the people on a large scale, which is only possible with the formation of a government in the future with a heavy mandate,” former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan said during a meeting with a delegation of retired additional and sessions court judges at his Zaman Park residence in Lahore.

On the occasion, the delegation members expressed solidarity with Imran on be-

half of 297 members.

Talking to the retired judge, Imran said that PTI is never afraid of negotiations or talks, but discussion will take place on election matters only.

“It is important for us to consider how we can protect the ordinary citizens. We will move forward with the agenda of reforms in the country and establish the rule of law for the betterment of society, which has become essential,” he said.

The remarks come as PTI presses for early elections in the country which, according to the party, were essential for the economic revival of Pakistan.

On Saturday, the deposed premier presented his party’s roadmap for economic prosperity at a public rally at Lahore’s Minar-e-Pakistan.

He emphasised that the country needs difficult decisions to be made to revamp governance and increase exports. Khan

pointed out that Pakistan doesn’t collect sufficient taxes, resulting in an outflow of dollars that exceeds the inflow.

He said that if exports increase, the inflow of dollars would also increase. He also urged the need for a complete revamp of governance to achieve economic prosperity.

The deposed premier stated that a “surgery” was needed in Pakistan to put the house in order, and if that were done, overseas Pakistanis would bring their dollars to the country. He suggested incentivising overseas Pakistanis to invest and proposed VIP status for exporters.

The PTI chief highlighted the IT and tourism sectors’ growth during his party’s tenure and emphasised increasing productivity in the agriculture sector. He also proposed restructuring all government corporations, including Pakistan International Airlines (PIA).

According to Khan, only 2.5 million

Pakistanis out of 220 million people pay taxes. He stressed the need to increase the tax base to achieve progress, and said PTI collected record taxes during its tenure.

Khan also said that the PTI government introduced health cards, which the current government has stopped, but his party would revive the initiative.

AirSial expands into int’l market with direct flights to Jeddah

RAILWAY STATION, CERTAIN CROSSINGS, AND TWO RAIL CARRIAGES WILL BE PART OF INITIAL PILOT PROGRAMME AS RAILWAYS ATTEMPTS TO MONETISE INFRASTRUCTURE