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ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

HE Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday issued notices to the finance secretary, State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Governor Jameel Ahmad, Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) Mansoor Awan and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) over the government’s failure to release Rs21 billion for Punjab and KP elections. The apex court has directed the top bureaucrats to appear in the judges’ chamber on April 14.

its April 4 verdict — an SC bench comprising Chief

Ahsan and Justice Munib Akhtar — had ordered the government to provide Rs21 billion in funds to the ECP to conduct elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by April 10. The court had directed the ECP to provide a report to the court on whether or not the government complied with the order on April 11.

The government, meanwhile, has referred the matter to Parliament to decide.

g OBSERVES GOVT’S FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH COURT ORDER IS PRIMA FACIE DISOBEDIENCE

Subsequently, the court issued a notice to the SBP governor and the next senior most official of the bank, and directed them to appear before the chamber of the judges on April 14 (Friday) at 11am. It directed them to bring the record and details of money owned by the federal government lying with or under the control, custody or management of the central bank.

lAhore sehr: 4:13 AM iftAr: 6:32 PM

fiqAh-e-hAnfiA islAMAbAd sehr: 4:14 AM iftAr: 6:40 PM

PUNJAB ELECTIONS islAMAbAd sehr: 4:04 AM iftAr: 6:50 PM

kArAchi sehr: 4:54 AM iftAr: 6:53 PM fiqAh-e-jAfAriA

kArAchi sehr: 4:44 AM iftAr: 7:03 PM

In a notice issued by the SC registrar on Wednesday, the apex court noted that the report submitted by the ECP yesterday stated “no funds have at all been released and provided to it as required by the order of the court”.

“The failure of the federal government to comply with the order of the court as aforesaid is prima facie disobedience,” it observed. “The consequences that can flow from such prima facie defiance of the court are well settled and known.

“Every person who embarks upon,

NEPRA makes electricity more expensive

ISLAMABAD AHMAD AHMADANI

NEPRA, in its decision, said that the electricity consumers will have to make additional payments in three months. However, this additional charge will not be applied to K Electric.

Due to the increase in the cost of electricity, there will be an additional burden of more than 15 billion 45 crore rupees on the consumers, said sources. They added that the decision has been made after considering the rising cost of fuel and other factors that affect the generation and distribution of electricity in the country.

It is pertinent to mention that if the government approves the decision, the consumers will have to make extra payments on their electricity bills. And, this decision to increase the electricity price has caused concern among the general public, especially at a time when the masses are already facing skyrocketing inflation.

encourages or instigates disobedience or defiance of the court can be held liable and accountable,” the notice pointed out.

It highlighted that the “disobedience” by the federal government would put the conduct of timely elections as mandated by the Constitution in “jeopardy”.

“The question of the provision of funds for such a vital constitutional purpose is something that requires immediate attention which takes priority over proceeding against those who may have committed contempt of the court,” the SC said.

The court also issued notices to the AGP, the finance secretary and the “next most senior official” in the Ministry of Finance for an in-person appearance the same day. “The said officials shall bring with them all the relevant record and shall place before the court a detailed report as to why the order of the court made in para 5 of Const. P. 5/2023 has not been complied with, as stated by the commission,” it said. Issuing similar notices to the ECP secretary and director general law, the court directed them to prepare and submit the full record pertaining to the general elections to the Punjab and KP assemblies. ELECTION COMMISSION OF PAKISTAN REPORT: The election watchdog submitted a one-page report in the top court, informing about the government’s reluctance to issue the Rs21 billion funds as ordered by the court for the elections to the Punjab and KP assemblies.

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Congressman writes to Blinken about ‘HR abuses’ in Pakistan

WASHINGTON STAFF REPORT

United States Congressman Brad Sherman has written to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, voicing concerns over “democracy, human rights, and rule of law” violations in Pakistan, it emerged on Wednesday.

In a letter dated April 11, Sherman asked Blinken to “guide the United States’ Pakistan policy toward a greater commitment to human rights and to use all US diplomatic channels to urge Pakistani authorities to investigate the alleged abuses and to hold accountable anybody who may be responsible”.

“I urge the authorities to make sure that going forward political figures or citizens who simply

want to demonstrate are not subjected to anti-democratic consequences,” he added.

He highlighted several alleged cases of human rights violations in Pakistan, including cases against PTI Chairman Imran Khan and media ban on his speeches, detention of protesters, the alleged torture of PTI leader Shahbaz Gill and journalist Jameel Farooqui, and the recent arrest of PTI leader Ali Amin Gandapur. The letter also mentioned the delay in Punjab and KP elections — terming it “another sign of skirting democratic processes” — as well as Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah’s statement that “either he (Imran) will be eliminated from the political arena or us

(PML-N)”.

It said: “The United States does not involve itself in Pakistan’s internal governmental matters — I respect its Constitution and its democratic process — but we must not shy away from raising our voice when the human rights of the Pakistani people are at stake.

It recalled Human Rights Watch’s statement asking for “urgent investigations into Mr Gill’s complaints” and questioning sedition charges against him.

Regarding the ban on broadcasting Imran’s speeches, Sherman also recalled Amnesty International’s statement that called it a “disturbing demonstration of targeting critical voices”.

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SC hears pleas against bill ‘clipping’ CJP’s powers today

ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

The larger bench of the Supreme Court (SC), comprising eight judges, will take up three identical petitions against the recently passed bill seeking to curtail suo moto powers of the chief justice of Pakistan (CJP) on Thursday (today).

The Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Bill 2023, aims at ‘clipping’ the powers of the office of the Chief Justice of Pakistan.

The bill was initially passed by both houses of parliament and subsequently sent to the President for his assent. He, however, sent it back, saying that the proposed law is “beyond the competence of parliament”.

On Monday, the government convened a joint session of the parliament to pass the bill with certain amendments, amid strong opposition by the PTI lawmakers. According to the roster issued on Wednesday, the eight-member bench is comprised of: CJP Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Ijazul Ahsan, Justice Munib Akhtar, Justice Sayyad Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Justice Ayesha Malik, Justice Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi and Justice Shahid Waheed.

Both Justice Qazi Faez Isa and Justice Aminuddin Khan are not part of bench who have earlier ruled that the CJP did not have the power to make special benches or decide its members and ordered the postponement of all suo moto matters.

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DERA GHAZI KHAN STAFF REPORT

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday visited the free flour distribution centre here and reviewed the overall arrangements.

The prime minister inquired about the problems faced by the beneficiaries of the scheme gathered there to receive free flour bags under the PM’s Special Ramzan Package and directed the authorities concerned to immediately resolve all their issues.

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Maryam Aurangzeb accompanied the prime minster.

PM VISITS FREE FLOUR DISTRIBUTION

CENTRE: During the visit free flour distribution centre, PM Shehbaz Sharif was informed that so far, some 4.9 million flour bags had been distributed to the deserving families in Dera Ghazi Khan Division alone. On the occasion, the prime minister said the distribution process of free flour was going on smoothly under the supervision of the Punjab Chief Minister. He also directed giving priority to women, the elderly and the handicapped during the distribution process. He also personally distributed free flour bags to the elderly citizens as well as differently-abled people.

PM Shehbaz said the country was facing challenges but with the blessings of the Almighty, the coalition government was on track to steer it out of the crisis. He said for the first time in history, the government was providing free flour to the needy. After Ramzan, he said the government would continue subsidies on wheat flour for the deserving.

He also expressed his resolve to build Pakistan as per the vision of Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Allama Muhammad Iqbal.

Meanwhile, representatives of the Girls Guide Association (GGA) also met with the prime minister at the distribution point.

The prime minister was informed that the Association –a representative forum of girls’ colleges of the district –was actively supporting the distribution process by guiding the people. PM Shehbaz lauded the efforts of the Association. The occasion, PM Shahbaz Sharif announced to provide a bus to the girls’ guide training centre and promised the development of the training centre.

The PM was informed that 5,000 girls were registered under the girls’ guide campaign in the DG Khan division. Commissioner DG Khan Dr Nasir Mahmood Bashir gave a detailed briefing to the PM stating that over 4.8 million free wheat flour bags have so far been distributed among the poor people through 44 centres set up in all the four districts including DG Khan, Layyah, Rajanpur and Muzaffargarh.

The results are in: Paper continues to dominate payments landscape

g SBP’S QUARTERLY REPORT HIGHLIGHTS HOW E-COMMERCE TRANSACTIONS HAVE FALLEN WHILE POS AND RAAST TRANSACTIONS HAVE SEEN AN UPTICK AnAlysis

KARACHI MARIAM UMAR FAROOQ

The verdict for last year is in. Despite the ongoing efforts to promote digital banking, paper-based transactions continue to dominate the payments landscape in Pakistan according to the recently released numbers from the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP).

The SBP released the first and second quarterly reports on the Payment Systems Review for the Fiscal Year 2022-23, which covers a time period from July to December 2022. The SBP has been sitting on the reports for a few months and has only now gotten around to releasing them. While digital payments seem to be on a downward

trend, it is not all bad news, particular for the central bank. According to the same data, the number of transactions through the SBP’s RAAST platform have seen a steady increase. In addition to this, transactions made at Point of Sale machines using debit and credit cards have also seen an uptick.

How much have digital payments fallen

The value of transactions conducted through paper-based methods stood at Rs 54.8 trillion at the end of Q2FY23, while transactions through e-banking amounted to Rs 42.3 trillion. Although the value of paper-based transactions increased by 2.7% from Rs 46.7 trillion in Q2 FY22 to Rs 54.8 trillion in Q2 FY23, the volume of these transactions declined by 6.4%. This suggests that for larger value transactions, paper-based methods are still preferred by businesses and individuals. The report also shed light on the signifi-

cant growth of internet and mobile phone banking users. Since Q4FY22, the number of internet banking users has increased by 21% (10.1 million users) and the number of mobile phone banking users has increased by 22% (15.0 million users). Transactions conducted through these channels have also shown continued growth in both quarters, with a combined quarterly growth rate of 11% in both volume and value in Q1FY23. In Q2FY23, volume grew by 18% and value by 15%.

Increased penetration of mobile and internet banking has led to an increase in ebanking. Contrastingly, the value of e-banking transactions declined by 5% in the first quarter of fiscal year 2023, while the volume increased by 4%. However, in the second quarter of 2023, e-banking showed impressive improvement in both volume (12.6%) and value (6.5%) of transactions,

reaching 515 million and Rs 42.5 trillion, respectively. On the contrary, the number of ecommerce transactions declined in both quarters but the value of these transactions increased by 11.6% in Q1FY23 and 2.2% in Q2FY23. This suggests that high inflation has impacted the number of e-commerce transactions, resulting in a lower volume but higher value of transactions.

RAAST records steady growth

One of the key highlights of the report is the impressive growth of Raast, the instant payment system launched by SBP.

Raast was launched in 2021. Its first phase – bulk payments – was launched in January 2021. The other phase – Person to Person (P2P) was launched in February 2022. Within the two years, the number of Raast users has skyrocketed from 15 million in June 2022 to a staggering 25.8 million by

December 2022, showing an astounding growth rate of 72% in just six months. Similarly, the number of transactions processed through Raast has witnessed a remarkable increase, from 7.1 million in June 2022 to 21.5 million in December 2022, reflecting a staggering growth rate of 202.1%. The value of these transactions has also witnessed a significant surge, reaching Rs 578.6 billion in December 2022, compared to Rs 98.4 billion in June 2022, marking an impressive growth rate of 488.1%.

POS transactions continue to grow

The report also highlights the growth of Point-of-Sale (POS) deployments across the country, which increased by 3.8% compared to the previous fiscal year FY22, reaching a total of 108,899 by the end of Q2FY23.

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PreSideNt exhortS Political leaderShiP to Sit together for couNtry’S future

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

PRESIDENTDr Arif Alvi on Monday emphasized that the entire political leadership of the country should show magnanimity by burying their bitterness and come forward for the country’s progress and prosperity.

Pakistan was once a fast-developing country in the region, but now other countries were leading the path which required serious retrospection, he opined.

The president was addressing at the Paigham-e-Islam Conference as a chief guest. The event was attended by a large number of ambassadors, Ulema, parliamentarians and scholars.

The holy month of Ramazan taught the Muslims of the quality of forgiveness, therefore, all the political leadership of the country should emulate that quality in the face of prevailing challenges faced by the country, he added.

The president said considering the current challenges faced by the Muslim Ummah, it was imperative to draw strength from the Islamic values and qualities.

He said besides focusing on economic stability, the Muslim countries should also concentrate on seeking the knowledge, enabling them to address the contemporary challenges.

The president said he was appalled at the spectacles of macabre aggression and violence unleashed on the innocent people of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) and Palestine.

A danger of genocide was lurking over the Muslims in India as the mosques were being demolished with suppressed religious identity and freedom, he added.

He said it was indeed a difficult time for the Muslim Ummah, but he was optimistic that through collective efforts, cooperation and unity, they would overcome all the challenges.

The president further regretted that from human history, it was evident that mankind had not learnt from its bitter experiences of wrangling and tussles. The human race had witnessed large-scale massacres. He said the teachings of the Holy Quran were eternal in nature which provided guidance to the human beings.

The president stressed upon the teaching of certain Islamic values to the coming

generations, including the supreme quality of forgiveness. The Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) was an embodiment of that quality who forgave all his tormentors.

President Alvi also lauded the role of leadership of Saudi Arabia for resuming ties with Iran.

Earlier, Ambassador of Kingdom of

CBD’s work on Kalma Chowk underpass is almost done. Will it be worth it?

LAHORE pRofit RepoRt

Commuters in Lahore may receive some respite soon with the completion of the Rs 5 billion Kalm Chowk Remodelling Project currently being undertaken for the development of the city’s Central Business District (CBD).

The Punjab Central Business District Development Authority (PCBDDA) announced on Wednesday that it has “almost” completed the mammoth project, opening the Central Business District (CBD) Punjab Boulevard and Upper roads of the Centre Point and CBD underpass for motorists.

“We are currently focusing on the completion of underpass-1 that originates from Kalma Chowk Underpass, takes a right turn and finally connects the CBD and the centrepoint underpass leading to Firdaus market,” said PCBDDA Executive Director (Technical) Riaz Hussain.

With construction work starting in December, the project constitutes two parts: the construction of the CBD Punjab Boulevard and the remodelling of Kalma Chowk Underpass.

Why is the project even being undertaken?

The project aims to offer motorists a signal-free drive from Barkat Market (Garden Town) to Cavalry via Kalma Chowk, Centre Point and Lal Shahbaz Qalandar underpasses and Barkat Market to Mozang and Cantt via Kalma Chowk Underpass.

It’s meant to improve Lahore’s traffic congestion, and is part and parcel of an effort to improve access to Lahore’s Central Business District (CBD). The CBD project is a major undertaking of the Punjab Government billed to utilise government owned land for urban regeneration. The government claims that the efforts of the district will attract investors to the area and boost economic development in the province.

Yet there is more than meets the eye

imran Khan lodges protest on ‘abduction’ of his security in-charge

LAHORE

Staff RepoRt

Former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Wednesday claimed that his security in-charge Iftikhar Ghumman has been abducted. “When [PTI leader] Ali Amin was abducted, the DPO told sessions judge in DIK that he would take a contempt charge but had to take custody of Ali Amin as orders came ‘from above’,” Imran wrote on his official Twitter account. The former prime minister claimed that now his security in-charge Iftikhar Ghumman has been abducted, terming it “all part of London plan where former prime minister Nawaz Sharif was given assurances that PTI would be crushed”. He further claimed that individuals close to him, including his party’s leadership, were being harassed, abducted, tortured, and confronted with sham cases across Pakistan, which he believes are a violation of the Constitution and the rule of law.

Last month, Imran Khan’s focal person on social media, Azhar Mashwani, also remained missing from Lahore for eight days. In the First Information Report (FIR) of the disappearance of the PTI activist, Mashwani’s brother Mazharul Hasan stated that on March 23 at 3:30 PM, Mashwani went missing after he left for Zaman Park from Lahore’s

when it comes to the CBD and its projects, including the extension of the Kalma Chowk extension project.

Environmental experts and urban researchers say that the infrastructural development is not meant for public interest and incurs a huge environmental cost in addition to the massive Rs 5 billion development bill.

The CBD, however, has said that they are generating funds for the project themselves. Essentially, the project has taken under utilised government land and by developing it into a high-rise residential project and selling that land, has raised money for development work. However, this land is still very much government owned and thus within the ownership of the tax-paying public.

The project has regularly been marketed as an “amenity” for Lahore’s residents with the authority’s guarantees of safe, comfortable and hassle-free routes for commuters during the phases’ construction. the route: The project’s

construction begins from the Kalma Chowk underpass, separates it from the first underpass access towards the Lahore Central Business District, and then opens to another underpass, as it turns towards Firdaus Market (Ali Zeb Road) from Centre Point. The first underpass measuring 632 metres will have two barrels and a 5.1 metres vertical clearance. The second underpass from Barkat Market to CBD area at Walton will be of 285 metres and have two barrels (each of 35 feet width and 17 feet vertical clearance).

The project will ultimately offer signal-free access to motorists from the CBD project area (including Ali Zeb Road and Walton) towards Firdaus Market and finally to Cavalry Ground through Lal Shahbaz Qalandar underpass.This means that if you were to drive through Gulberg main boulevard, you will find no signals from Centre Point till Siddique Trade Centre, and then from Jail Road till Mozang/Qartaba Chowk.

Govt to take strict action against smugglers of essential items: Rana Sanaullah

ISLAMABAD

Staff RepoRt

The government on Wednesday vowed to take strict action against those elements involved in smuggling of essential items and to make border control system more active and monitor inter-provincial transportation.

These decision were made in the meeting cochaired by Minister for Interior Rana Sanaullah Khan and Minister for Defence Khawaja Muhammad Asif which reviewed the measures regarding the prevention of smuggling of wheat, sugar, fertilizer and other essential items.

Minister for Commerce Syed Naveed Qamar, Minister for National Food Security Tariq Bashir Cheema, Minister for Industries Makhdoom Murtaza

Mehmood, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Revenue Tariq Mehmood Pasha, Interior Secretary Ali Murtaza, Chairman Federal Board of Revenue Asif Ahmed and representatives of federal and provincial institutions also attended the meeting.

Minister for Interior reiterated the government’s resolve to take strict action against elements involved

in smuggling and their facilitators. He directed to ensure the implementation of a track and trace system on essential items so that the elements involved in the smuggling of these items can be checked.

He instructed to prevent the excessive supply of essential commodities in the border districts and take action against those involved in the excessive stocking. The minister said strict action will be taken against officers and staff involved in smuggling. For this purpose, he stressed the need of lunching joint operations and intelligence sharing of the institutions

He said that the smuggling of essential commodities out of the country needs an emergent step to control it. He asked representatives of institutions to ensure strict action against those who are involved in this illegal activity as well as their facilitators.

The minister said that the implementation of joint check posts and joint patrolling should be ensured as soon as possible. He said there is a need to make the border control system more active and monitor interprovincial transportation to check smuggling of essential commodities.

Saudi Arabia to Pakistan, Nawaf bin Said AlMalki highlighted the significance of fraternal, historic and brotherly ties between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.

He said the close and warm ties were rooted deeply and shaped by shared mutual interests, adding the people of Kingdom and the Muslim countries held Pakistan in high esteem.

Malki said both the countries had been working closely to further strengthen their mutual cooperation in diverse fields, including trade and investment.

He reiterated that Saudi Arabia would continue extending its support to the people of Pakistan through different development initiatives.

Ambassador of Palestine to Pakistan, Ahmed Rabei conveyed his gratitude on behalf of the Palestinian people for the solidarity and support shown to the Palestinian cause by the Pakistani people, government and political leadership.

He also highlighted the recent surge of brutalities by the occupation Israeli forces in the holy month of Ramazan.

Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed, Hafiz Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi and other speakers also spoke on the occasion.

lhc bars NaB, ace from taking action against imran till april 24

LAHORE

Staff RepoRt

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday stopped the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and the Punjab Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) from taking coercive measures against Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaf chairman Imran Khan till April 24. The court also sought details of cases registered against the PTI leadership from the NAB and ACE. Justice Tariq Saleem Sheikh passed the orders while hearing a petition filed by Imran Khan for details of cases registered against him and other PTI leaders. As the proceedings started, federal and provincial law officers submitted reports about details of cases registered against the PTI leadership and workers. The federal law officer submitted a list of 43 cases and the provincial law officer submitted a list of 84 cases registered against the PTI leadership, adding that 6 cases were registered in Punjab and 28 were registered in Islamabad against Imran Khan. The federal law officer also apprised the court that the Federal Investigation Agency had also registered a case against Imran Khan. At this stage, the court addressed NAB’s counsel and questioned how many cases were registered by the bureau against the PTI leadership. To which, the NAB’s counsel sought time for submitting details of the cases. Subsequently, the court adjourned further hearing till April 24 and stopped NAB and ACE from taking any coercive measures against the PTI chairman till the next date of hearing, besides seeking details of the cases. The court further observed that since the police had provided details of the cases, therefore, it withdrew the orders of coercive measures, given on last hearing, to the extent of the cases.

three terrorists bite the dust in Bajaur iBo

RAWALPINDI

Staff RepoRt

Security forces killed three terrorists during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) conducted in Loesum area of Bajaur district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), ISPR said on Wednesday. According to the InterServices Public Relations (ISPR), security Forces conducted an intelligence-based operation in Loesum area of District Bajaur on 11 April 2023. During conduct of the operation, intense fire exchange took place between own troops and terrorists. Resultantly, three terrorists were killed. Weapons and ammunition were also recovered from the killed terrorists, who remained actively involved in multiple terrorist activities against security forces as well as extortion and target killings of innocent citizens, the ISPR release said. Locals of the area appreciated the operation and expressed their full support to security forces, determined to eliminate menace of terrorism from the area.

Kh Farooq named acting PM as AJK SC takes up Tanvir’s appeal against disqualification today Sikh Baisakhi festival ends at Nankana Sahib

LAHORE Staff RepoRt

The three-day celebrations of Baisakhi festival at Nankana Sahib Gurdwara Janam Asthan have been concluded on Wednesday. Like every year, 2,470 Sikh pilgrims from around the globe, including India, participated in the religious festival of Baisakhi. Sikh pilgrims were sent to Hasan Abdal by special 58 air-conditioned coaches amid tight security. The Sikh pilgrims stayed at Nankana for three days and performed their religious rituals. The best arrangements were made regarding accommodation, food and transport of Sikh pilgrims. The Sikh pilgrims said they are extremely grateful to the government of Pakistan for making the best arrangements. The [Pakistani] people here have given us a lot of love, we felt like we were in our own home,” Sikh pilgrims said. Every year a large number of Sikh pilgrims from all over the world, including India, visit Pakistan to participate in various religious festivals and events.

MUZAFFARABAD

Staff RepoRt

The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Supreme Court on Wednesday fixed for hearing Sardar Tanveer Ilyas’s appeal against his disqualification on Thursday (today) after initially rejecting his appeal on technical grounds while Khawaja Farooq Ahmad has been appointed as acting AJK prime minister.

A full court bench of the AJK High Court on Tuesday disqualified Azad Jammu and Kashmir prime minister Sardar Tanveer Ilyas for contempt of court.

Earlier in the day, an appeal against the decision was rejected by the Chief Justice of AJK, declaring it ‘faulty’ as the appellant was mentioned as Prime Minister.

The Registrar of the court rejected the appeal thrice raising objections and at last when finally objections were removed, the court time was over and the hearing was deferred for Thursday (today).

The appellant raised significant legal questions on the Judgment of the High Court, contending the order was unlawful and prayed the court to declare it null and void.

A separate plea for granting an interim relief has also been filed with the main appeal seeking the court to suspend the high court order till final disposal of

the appeal. Leading lawyer Sardar Abdul Razaq Khan, the counsel for the appellant, said the high court order was without any legal grounds and justifications and was liable to be declared null and void. He said the Election Commission had issued disqualification notification of the Prime Minister without having any lawful authority. He said a minimum of 2 years imprisonment was required for disqualification of a person from public office while the maximum punishment in the contempt case was six months. He said the court has punished his client without framing a charge and giving him the opportunity of fair trial thus having no legal effects.

NotificatioN of actiNg Prime miNister:

Meanwhile, a notification in this regard was issued by the President House Muzaffarabad after AJK President Barrister Sultan Mehmood Chaudhry signed the summary late on Tuesday.

“The president of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, in exercise of powers vested in him under sub-article (1) of Article 17 of the AJK Constitution, is pleased to call upon Khawaja Farooq Ahmed, the most senior minister, to perform functions of the Office of the Prime Minister until a new prime minister has been appointed and elected upon his office,” it said.

According to the notification, Khawaja Farooq Ahmad will remain acting prime minister of the Azad Kashmir till the appointment of new Leader of the House. Mr Ahmad is a veteran politician who is in politics for more than three decades.

aPeal’s ProceediNgs iN sc: During the hearing of the petition against disqualification on Wednesday, AJK Supreme Court Chief Justice Saeed Akram inquired from the petitioner’s lawyer why he wrote ‘Prime Minister Sardar Tanveer Ilyas’. Write him as former prime minister, the AJK top judge told him off.

The lawyer told the court sheepishly that it should be read and written as former. The judge objected how the court could read what was not written in the text.

“He (Tanveer Ilyas) has been de-notified (by the election commission). This is Supreme Court, it’s not a joke,” Justice Akram rebuked the petitioner’s lawyers.

However, SC Chief Justice Raja Saeed Akram rejected the appeal saying that it was “incompetently worded”. He noted that the plea mentioned Ilyas as the prime minister even though the high court’s order was still holding ground. After this, the court dismissed former prime minister’s appeal on technical grounds.

The judge asked the lawyers to submit another appeal, “we see whether we will entertain it or not.”

cliMate MiNiStery iSSueS heatwave guideliNeS to ProviNceS for effective MaNageMeNt: Sherry

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

fEDERALMinister for Climate Change, Senator Sherry Rehman on Wednesday said the Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination has issued heatwave guidelines to the provinces and relevant stakeholders to cope with the imminent threat of extreme temperature rise in the Summers and prevent any serious losses.

In a series of tweets, the federal minister said

that the Ministry had issued necessary standard operating procedures (SOPs) to provinces regarding arrangements for possible heat waves in the summer season. Senator Rehman underlined that every year heat waves cost losses of lives, agriculture and the economy along with other damages.She added that in order to avoid these losses, along with the administration, the citizens also had to take precautionary measures and preemptive arrangements.

These administrative SOPs regarding heatwaves were formulated by the Ministry of Climate Change

vice chief of Naval Staff calls on finance Minister

Task Force, whereas all provinces and stakeholders were consulted in formulating SOPs.

“All district and provincial authorities and concerned institutions should start preparations regarding heat wave. We have recommended the provinces to set up heatwave response centres at the Union Council level as well as a national level control room for information and coordinated efforts”, Sherry Rehman said. These SOPs included public awareness campaigns along with other recommendations to combat heatwaves, she added.

SC hears pleas against bill ‘clipping’ CJP’s powers today

CONtINUED FROM PAgE 01

The order was later recalled by a sixmember larger bench. Later in a judicial note, Justice Faez Isa said that the bench did not “constitute a constitutional court”. The larger bench will take up three identical petitions filed under Article 184(3) of the Constitution by Advocate Muhammad Shafay Munir, Raja Amer Khan, Chaudhry Ghulam Hussain and others.

Article 184(3) of the Constitution sets out the SC’s original jurisdiction, and enables it to assume jurisdiction in matters involving a question of “public importance” with reference to the “enforcement of any of the fundamental rights” of Pakistan’s citizens.

The petition filed by Advocate Munir insisted that the plea had been filed to safeguard and secure the Constitution and independence of the judiciary.

He contended that the petitioner believed in the supremacy of the Constitution, the rule of law, and independence of the judiciary and had always strived and struggled to protect

the Constitution, independence of the judiciary and fundamental rights guaranteed under the Constitution.

The respondents named in the petition included the federal government through the secretaries of law, Senate and National Assembly. PoliticiaNs reactl: After the pleas were fixed for hearing, PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry tweeted: “Now that the chief justice of Pakistan has formed a bench comprising a majority of judges of the Supreme Court, people who considered a larger bench a solution to problems will hopefully be satisfied.”

Meanwhile, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Interior and PML-N leader Attaullah Tarar said, “Fixing a law that has not been enforced yet for hearing before a like-minded bench at a lightning speed is an insult to parliament.”

Passage of the bill: The bill was approved by the federal cabinet on March 28 and the National Assembly passed it a day later after a few amendments suggested by the Standing Committee on Law and Justice.

On March 30, it was passed by the

Pakistan committed to timely completion of cPec: Sanjrani

ISLAMABAD

Staff RepoRt

Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani has said that Pakistan is committed to timely completion of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). He was talking to a three-member delegation of Chinese Embassy in Pakistan headed by China’s Charge d’Affaires Pang Chunxue, who called on him here in Islamabad on Wednesday. The Chairman said China’s investment in Pakistan under CPEC has provided new employment opportunities to the youth. He said with the completion of CPEC, the entire region will develop and the elements opposed to the Pakistan-China Economic Corridor will never succeed in their nefarious purposes. Sadiq Sanjrani said the government is taking all measures to protect Chinese citizens. He also appreciated China’s key role in establishing good relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

crisis-hit Pia employees deprived of salaries

ISLAMABAD

Staff RepoRt

The employees were deprived of salaries for the month of March due to the financial crisis the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) is faced with. According to the PIA sources, the employees could not be paid salaries on time as the airlines ran short of funds after payment to the international institutions. Pilots, engineers and Class IV employees were also not paid. “The PIA is faced with a financial crisis, but we are paying the salaries,” the PIA spokesperson said. “Grade 1 to 4 employees have been paid salaries. The rest of the PIA employees will also be paid salaries before Eidul Fitr,” he added.

the results are in: Paper continues to dominate payments landscape

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The first half of 2023 witnessed a significant growth in both the number of transactions and the value of payments made through POS, with a remarkable 59% increase in transactions from 59.5 million in first half of fiscal year 21-22 to 94.8 million in the same corresponding months in fiscal year 22-23 and a substantial 57% increase in payment value from 313.1 billion in half of fiscal year 21-22 to 493.2 billion in first half of fiscal year 22-23. Specifically, in December 2022, a total e-commerce merchants registered stood at 11,438,

Senate and then referred to the president for his approval.

The president, however, returned it, with the objection that it was a “colourable legislation”. In his detailed reply, which he also posted on Twitter, the president said that he thought it fit and proper to return the bill, in accordance with the Constitution, with “the request for reconsideration in order to meet the scrutiny about its validity (if assailed in the court of law)”.

He underlined that Article 191 of the Constitution empowered the SC “to make rules regulating the practice and procedure of the Court”.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, however, had termed the president’s move to be “most unfortunate”. “Through his conduct, he has belittled the august affice by acting as a worker of the PTI, one who is beholden to Imran Niazi more than the Constitution and demands of his office,” he said.

On Monday, the bill was passed by the parliament’s joint session with a few amendments. As per the Constitution, the bill will be sent to the president once

again for his assent, and if he does not sign it within ten days, assent will be deemed to have been granted.

According to the fresh legislation, a three-member bench consisting of the CJP and the two senior-most judges of the apex court will decide whether or not to take up a matter suo motu.

Previously, this was solely the prerogative of the CJP.

The law also states that every cause, matter, or appeal before the apex court would be heard and disposed of by a bench, constituted by a committee made up of the chief justice and the two senior-most judges.

The legislation also includes the right to file an appeal within 30 days of the judgement in a suo motu case and that any case involving constitutional interpretation will not have a bench of fewer than five judges.

The bill would allow former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and other parliamentarians disqualified by the Supreme Court under suo motu powers (such as Jahangir Tareen) to appeal their disqualification within 30 days of the law’s enactment.

issues notices to AGP, ECP, finance secretary over non-provision of funds

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The report also stated that the caretaker government of Punjab had informed the election watchdog that due to resource constraints, the government could only sanction 75,000 security personnel against the demand for 300,000 security forces.

It may be mentioned that the the SC had in its verdict ordered the Punjab caretaker cabinet and in particular, the chief secretary and the police chief, to provide a plan acceptable to the ECP for providing sufficient personnel for election duty and security purposes.

In case, the Punjab government and its officials must, in the discharge of constitutional and legal duties and responsibilities, proactively provide all aid and assistance to the commission for the holding and conduct of the general election, as per the judgement.

Govt’s hesitation in issuing funds: The federal government’s

hesitation in issuing funds is being interpreted as an apparent attempt to delay elections, at least until October, which is evidenced by the tabling of the money bill in parliament.

Earlier this week, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar tabled a bill in the National Assembly and Senate seeking the release of funds for holding elections in Punjab and KP.

The bill, titled ‘Charged Sum for General Election (Provincial Assemblies of Punjab & Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) Bill 2023’, stated that funds required for conducting elections in both the provinces shall be “an expenditure charged upon the Federal Consolidated Fund (FCF)”, which it said comprises all revenues received by the federal government, all loans raised by the government and all money received by it in repayment of any loan.

The bill stated that it shall “override other laws” and have effect “notwithstanding anything

contained in any other law, rules and regulations” when it was in force. It added that the proposed law would stand repealed once elections for both the assemblies were held, noting that the general elections and polls to the Sindh and Balochistan assemblies need not be held for it to be repealed.

On the other hand, a number of resolutions have been passed by lawmakers seeking simultaneous elections instead of split polls after the dissolution of KP and Punjab assemblies, as envisaged by the top court in its recent judgement.

On Monday, the Senate passed a resolution endorsing joint elections whereas the KP caretaker cabinet also put its weight behind general elections across the country on the same day.

Moreover, a resolution passed by the Balochistan Assembly cited the economic crisis and the ongoing census exercise as it advocated a delay in elections.

Dar stresses reinvigorated role of Pakistan Development Fund, SOEs

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

Finance Minister Senator Ishaq Dar has stressed to reinvigorate the role of Pakistan Development Fund (PDF) and State Owned Enterprises (SOEs) considering business plan, governance structure and financial viability with the concept of accountability to safeguard public assets.

As per the details, Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar chaired a meeting on SECP’s matters at the Finance Division.

SAPM on Finance Mr. Tariq Bajwa, Chairman SECP Akif Saeed and senior officers from the Finance Division attended the meeting.

The meeting discussed and reviewed the progress of Securities Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) related to the role of Pakistan Development Fund (PDF) and State Owned Enterprises (SOEs).

The meeting also discussed modalities for bringing improvement in the governance of SOEs & line ministries and restructuring of PDF in order to revitalize its role to promote infrastructure in the country in the context of SOE Act 2023.

Finance Minister Senator Ishaq Dar stressed to reinvigorate the role of PDF and SOEs considering business plan, governance structure and financial viability with the concept of accountability to safeguard public assets.

Ahsan Iqbal reviews progress on digital census

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

Minister for Planning Development and Special Initiatives Professor Ahsan Iqbal on Wednesday directed the constitution of a committee, comprising the Planning Secretary, Provincial Chief Secretaries and Chief Census Commissioner, to devise a mechanism and look into the matter of ‘undercount’ in big cities.

The body would suggest a way forward to resolve the confronted issues, ensuring a transparent and credible Census Field Operation.

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

Vice Admiral Naveed Ashraf, Vice Chief of Naval Staff here on Monday called on Minister for Finance and Revenue Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar. The meeting discussed the prevailing economic and security situation of the country, said a press release. The minister commended the efforts of Pakistan Navy in protecting the country’s sea frontiers and maritime interests of Pakistan. Ishaq Dar further expressed confidence on the role of Pakistan Navy in safeguarding the maritime boundaries and extended the government’s full support to Pakistan Navy. The Vice Chief of Naval Staff thanked the Finance Minister for his support and appreciation.

NdMa predicts more devastating floods this year

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA)

Chairman, Lt Gen Inam Haider has predicted that there is a 72% chance of devastating floods in Pakistan this year. According to media reports, while giving briefing to Public Accounts Committee (PAC), the Chairman NDMA said that the rapid increase in the temperature, glacier melting and early monsoon can result in floods. He said that the NDMA and climate change ministry are monitoring 17 satellites and 36 flood early warning systems will be placed. The Chairman NDMA informed the committee if similar catastrophic floods like last year happened now then the country will land in a huge economic crisis. Earlier, the National Flood Response Coordination Committee’s (NFRCC) latest figures showed that the catastrophic floods in Pakistan resulted in the destruction of over 1,76,153 acres of crops, 4,66,366 homes affected, and over 2,16,974 cattle. In Balochistan, over 3,90,201 homes have been affected while 124 people have lost their lives amid floods. In Gilgit Baltistan, 23 people were reported dead, and 8,479 homes were affected due to floods.

ihc instructs NaB to file complaint in sessions court

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday directed the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to submit the complaint to the sessions court after completing the investigation in one month with regard to alleged fraud of 60 million pounds in the United Kingdom (UK). The court disposed of the petition of accused against freezing of his assets and said that this case fell in the jurisdiction of the sessions court. A two-judge bench, comprising Justice Mohsin Akhter Kayani and Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir, heard the case. The Nation Accountability Bureau had initiated an inquiry against the accused on a request from abroad. The accountability court had endorsed the decision of NAB to freeze the assets of the accused. In a written order, the IHC directed the investigation officer to submit complaint to the sessions court after completion of the investigation wherein the relevant court would take the decision regarding the assets of the accused. The order said that NAB amendments had been introduced after the appeals were filed and UK authorities had also ended up the course. It said that the sessions court would hear the case from the beginning and the appellant were free to file applications on fresh grounds.

congressman writes to Blinken about ‘hr abuses’ in Pakistan

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It removed the price floor of 1.5% on MDR and capped IRF at 0.2% for debit cards and 0.7% for credit cards. The impact of these policy changes on the number of POS deployed and the number of payment cards issued in the upcoming quarters remains to be seen, and will reveal the success or counterintuitiveness of these measures by the SBP.

The minister made these directions while chairing a meeting via Zoom to review progress over the ongoing exercise of Census Field Operation, a news release said.

Among others, the meeting was attended by Sindh

SPARCO and other stakeholders. The Planning Minister also directed convening a meeting of the Census Monitoring Committee for necessary deliberation to complete the task within the given timeframe.

During the meeting, the minister also directed SPARCO to conduct geo-tagging to identify the count of missing slums.

On the matter of election delay, Sherman mentioned the government’s demand for a full-court bench and said “scholars argue that such an en banc review is not called for by Pakistani law”. He added it “would be helpful if the foreign law experts at the State Department could confirm this conclusion”. The letter also listed various other “concerns about conduct by the government or its agents” such as extrajudicial killings, forced disappearances, political prisoners, serious restrictions on internet freedom, substantial interference with the freedom of peaceful assembly, severe restrictions of religious freedom, threats of violence targeting LGBT+ persons among others. PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry hailed Sherman’s letter in a tweet, saying, “Letter by a senior member of USA Congress Foreign Affairs committee to Secretary Blinken shows the growing concerns of international community on the HR abuses in Pakistan by a fascist government.” He called on the European Union and United Kingdom parliamentarians to “raise [the] issue of human rights abuses in their jurisdictions as well”. Recently, Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin said she was working towards getting the support of 100 Congress members to write to Blinken asking him to “push for democratic values” in Pakistan. Following the PTI’s efforts to improve its image in the US and inform the international community of the crackdown against the party at the hands of the PDM government, a number of US representatives and leaders have been voicing their concerns, echoing the PTI’s grievances. PTI leaders in the United Kingdom and Europe have also sprung into action by staging protests, writing to MPs and speaking with human rights organisations to inform them about the government’s actions against the PTI. In August 2022, the PTI US chapter hired a public relations firm to improve its image in the US after Imran’s ousterrelated allegations portrayed the PTI as anti-American. The agreement revealed that the party was to pay the firm $25,000-$30,000 per month. Similarly, it was revealed last month that the PTI in March 2023 had hired a second lobbying firm in the US to make Americans aware of the threat to Imran’s life.

SC

IMF sees things getting worse

IMF’s growth and inflation forecasts show an economy in deep trouble

it is not so much that the international Monetary Fund’s forecasts for GDP growth and inflation are bad. Perhaps more worrying is that the latest estimates are revised, and that revision is downwards. in other words, the economy is in even deeper trouble than the iMF originally thought. the estimates are corresponding to the ones by the asian Development Bank and the World Bank. that means that there is more less an agreement among the three institutions that are to lend to Pakistan. the iMF estimate is the most crucial, for iMF resumption of its programme will mean that Pakistan will be a virtual certainty for aDB and World Bank loans. However, the growth predicted for the current fiscal, of 0.5 percent, which is markedly lower than the already anemic 3.5 percent growth it predicted in october. this does reflect the impact of the floods last monsoon, but it must be seen with the prediction of inflation at 27 percent. the earlier inflation prediction was 20 percent.

the earlier predictions came after a fiscal 2023 with GDP growth of 6 percent and inflation of 12 percent. the economy is thus experiencing low growth and high inflation. apart from the electoral implications, the picture is of an economy importing its inflation. this prediction is all the more worrying as it has lowered its headline global inflation forecast to 7 percent, compared to the 8.7 percent it recorded in 2023. the picture that emerges is of an economy at least in recession, if not out-and-out depression, where prices are not allowed to fall because of the hiking of interest rates by the State Bank. the result is stagflation, which is not a good place for the economy to be. one problem that economies like Pakistan’s, dependent on imports of oil, edible oil and lifesaving medicines, is that they cannot recover without the world recovering. While the iMF has predicted a global GDP growth of 2.8 percent this year, growing slowly over the next five years to 3 percent, that does not jumpstart Pakistan’s exports. Pakistan is in the unfortunate position of having to export to survive, but not having enough to export. the only prospect for the future is in information technology. even that is a future possibility rather than a present reality. However, too much store is being placed on traditional methods and monetarist methods. Policymakers are showing an intellectual bankruptcy as they pursue them, making them part of the problem, rather than of the solution.

Dedicated to the legacy of late Hameed Nizami

Arif Nizami (Late) Founding Editor

Yousaf Nizami Editor

BarwanKhilari at the crease

When the game is handed over to 12th Men

championships (Cricket, Hockey, Squash, Billiards, Yachting), today we have none. then the 12th men managed to come to the crease who can neither hold the match nor team together, and the Hanifs, Mushtaq’s, and Kardars have long perished.

Disaster or tragedy launches the Barwan Khilari once the match ends the 12th Man returns to the bench where he belongs. the playing eleven is expected to deliver from the very first ball while the 12th man watches from the bench.

introducing reforms. By the mid-1980s a new generation took control of the ‘colonial levers of power’ and started to enjoy unlimited, unaccountable authority. the enemy within the system was grossly overlooked who managed to build a team of players of their choice mostly available on the sidelines, the ‘12th Men’. today they have turned into ‘Mafias’ to be dealt with who thrive under the prevailing disorder as anarchy suits them. attempts at restoring order are thwarted by them. the team of ‘Barwan Khilaris’ refuses to leave the pitch to go back to the bench where they rightfully belong. the match has now turned into a melee with no clear winners/players.

Dr FAriD A MAlik

SinCe april 2022, when the playing eleven were pushed out of the pitch, the 12th player has been at the crease. in his epic poem Barwan Khilari, the legendary poet iftikhar arif discusses the approach and thinking of a player who spends most of his playing time sitting on the bench watching the game hoping and praying for a disaster to take place enabling him to enter the arena. it is indeed interesting that while the current Prime Minister complains about the alleged rigging in the 2018 elections, the former PM of his own party has admitted that all elections in the past have been manipulated. in other words the country has been denied genuine political leadership since July 1977. Zia the Master tormentor termed this ‘Positive results’. Part of this strategy was to enter a team of Barwan Khilaris in the arena. Such players lack the talent to play long innings. they enter the field, hitting wildly and keep running till they run themselves out. in the case of Mian nawaz Sharif, the first run out was by his mentor President ishaq Khan, the second by his handpicked Sipah-e-Salar and third by his choicest judge/lawyer. He was found short of his crease every time the ball hit the stumps. only regular 11 players are capable of staying for a long term on the pitch, the 12th man is not. He’s destined to sit on the benches to watch and learn before he is qualified to be a part of the playing eleven.

i remember the cricket days of the little Master, Hanif Muhammad, who used to open the innings for Pakistan in tests and many times remained not out till the end.it was always perfect, unblemished but boring batting. During one of these contests at the Gaddafi Stadium he batted for almost three days. those were dull boring days for the public, no fours or sixes, only singles. after the match was over we managed to reach the Master Batsman. He was in pain with body cramps. in his words; “ i am required to hold the innings otherwise the team crumbles”.

His holding spirit is revered till today. as a new Cricketing nation Pakistan lacked the depth of talent to win against much superior and experienced teams of UK, australia and West indies but by the sheaer grit of a few could only force draws. then one day team Pakistan lifted the World Cup. in the year 1994 the islamic republic of Pakistan had five world

lt Gen attiq-ur-rehman ( r ) narrates an interesting encounter with General Douglas Gracey, the last Gora army Chief, who lamented; “We are leaving, now you will destroy all institutions built by us, including the army”. General attiq was quick to reply; “Pakistan army has one of the finest officers of the world, i am also a decorated soldier “. Gracey replied’ “nepotism and favouritism will destroy institutions “. His fears have come true. today most civilian institutions have become non-functional due to blatant violation of merit in selection and promotions. only the armed Forces remain intact as they have resisted the repeated onslaughts by MnS; the rest have fallen apart. Unless this encroachment is stopped even the armed Forces will not be spared. MnS keeps coming back to the pitch despite being the 12th man destined for the bench, not the crease. the founding fathers of Pakistan built institutions with their sweat and blood. as a country we started from ground zero. Pundits had given the new country six months to collapse and return to the indian Union but they were proven wrong. While the focus was on running the new set-up not much effort was put into

The fertile

The conscience of the world is asleep

The latest Israeli attack on the Al-Aqsa mosque is ignored by the world the way Indian atrocieties in Kashmir are

AttiyA MunAwer

International Day of Conscience is celebrated every april5 around the world and this year it was also celebrated with great enthusiasm. on the one hand, the celebrations of international conscience were being held and on the other hand, the Zionist forces were brutally attacking the al-aqsa Mosque. in the al-Qibli mosque, the worshippers were being subjected to torture, stun grenades were being fired at the fasting people sitting in the prayer hall but the world conscience kept sleeping with its ears covered. no one tried to wake up from the sleep of unconsciousness, nor has anyone raised a voice against israeli atrocities. the alleged global consciousness has slept in such a deep sleep of indifference that it is not waking up.

What else will happen to the indifference of the world that barbaric atrocities are being committed in Syria, Palestine and Kashmir? thousands of people are being killed, children are being buried alive and the hands of barbarians are reaching towards the honour of mothers and

The international human rights organizations, including the United Nations, should be awakened and the United Nations should immediately stop the increasing atrocities on Palestinians and Kashmiris. The OIC also has to be mobilized in this regard.

sisters. this dense game of fire and blood is being played continuously, but there is no one to stop the hands of cruelty, as the world remains a silent spectator. on one side, verbal condemnation is being made and on the other side is being supported, the result of which is that the morale of the oppressors has increased and the cruelty is increasing instead of decreasing. it has become obvious to all that the policy of the world powers and institutions is different for the Muslims around the world than for the West. if we look at the role of the United nations, its actions also prove that there is no policy towards Muslims or may suggest that it has adopted a double standard for Muslims around the world while the rights of the people of the West are completely protected. on the one hand, the United nations is working on a duplicitous policy for Muslims, on the other hand, the oiC is not playing its effective role. the rulers of the Muslim world will have to make a systematic plan to fight the war of their rights and make the world realize their rights. the people of the West will never be sincere in solving the problems of Muslims because their interests are connected with the problems of the Muslims and they will never want the Muslims to get rid of the slavery. there is no doubt that the people of the West are trying to strengthen their grip on the Muslims while the Muslims are struggling to get rid of their slavery. on the one hand, extreme cruelty is being inflicted on the Muslims of Syria and Palestine and on the other hand, atrocities are being committed day in and day out in occupied Kashmir. People are shocked to see the brutality with which Kashmiris are being killed but the Kashmiris have been suffering from state terrorism for a long time. the silence of international human rights organizations and the United nations on the slaughter of Kashmiris is momen-

tous. How long will these nominal international human rights organizations and international institutions continue to be silent spectators and watch the atrocities being committed on Muslims? they can continue to show indifference to the atrocities on Muslims as much as they want, but they will have to do something to maintain their reputation.

no religion in the world allows human beings to be treated the way Palestinians and Kashmiris are being treated. on the one hand, they are being deprived of their right to self-determination and on the other hand, human values are being trampled by shedding their blood. these heinous acts are being repeated again and again; israel and india are openly violating human rights and the world powers are supporting them instead of stopping them. their own people have also protested many times but instead of listening to this, the world conscience is being kept asleep. are the United nations and international human rights organizations blindfolded and crying in the ears? no attention is being paid to the calls of innocent Palestinians and Kashmiris, nor are steps being taken to stop the atrocities committed against them. the increase in atrocities committed in Palestine and occupied Kashmir is not enough to be condemned.

the international human rights organizations, including the United nations, should be awakened and the United nations should immediately stop the increasing atrocities on Palestine and Kashmiris. the oiC also has to be mobilized in this regard. Until the Muslim ummah unites and plays an effective role, the conscience of the world will not be awakened, nor will the ongoing persecution of the oppressed Muslims be stopped.

The writer tweets @AttiyaMunawer

order has to be restored for the game to resume under the rules as enshrined in the constitution. the role of the 12th Man has been clearly defined which needs to be enforced. We need a playing eleven selected through strict merit not a nod of the powerful to the waiting 12th Man to enter the arena and take over the game. three run outs and then run-aways should be enough to throw in the bat and leave gracefully. the game must go on but without the control of the Barwan Khilaris. Pakistan needs able and fit players to enter the arena, thereby pushing out the players off the bench. the fertile mind of ifthikar arif saw the threat of the Barawan Khalari decades ago. Perhaps he saw the emerging storm that we are facing today which refuses to die down. the big question being asked is; ‘

Who will chase the 12th man from the pitch?’ Will it be the Kaptaan or the Coach or both to bring back the glamour to the game?

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

Editor’s mail

Send your letters to: Letters to Editor, Pakistan today, 4-Shaarey Fatima Jinnah, Lahore, Pakistan. E-mail: letters@pakistantoday.com.pk Letters should be addressed

Research may help animal feed sector

aniMal feed refers to food that is specifically formulated and fed to domesticated animals, such as cattle, poultry, fish, and pets, in order to provide the necessary nutrients for their growth, maintenance and reproduction. the availability and utilisation of these feed resources vary depending on regional and seasonal factors, such as climate, water availability and crop production. the animal feed industry in the country is largely dominated by small- and medium-sized enterprises, and is rapidly growing due to the increasing demand. Come to think of it, the growth of the local feed industry is a testament to the country’s thriving agriculture sector and its commitment to supporting the livestock and poultry industries.

However, the industry is facing major challenges that are hampering its growth. there is a serious shortage of raw material. Pakistan relies heavily on imported raw material for animal feed. We now need to encourage in every possible way local agriculture and farming practices, and explore alternative sources to address the issue in a professional manner. economic factors, such as inflation, high interest rates, and devaluation of the local currency, also affect the profitability of feed mills. Diversifying product lines, controlling costs, and maintaining a strong financial position are needed to mitigate the impact of economic factors.

We also have to live with inadequate technology and poor infrastructure. the industry lacks proper research and development facilities and is still using traditional and outdated technology, which reduces the efficiency and quality of its products. the government should provide support and investment to modernise the equipment that is being used in the industry. the animal feed industry is a major contributor to environmental pollution and degradation. implementing eco-friendly practices, such as using biodegradable materials, reducing waste and emissions, and encouraging the use of renewable energy sources can help reduce the impact of bio-spherical contaminations. lack of adequate quality control steps can result in substandard products, which may lead to inconsistent quality of feed as well as damage to the commercial reputation of the mill. By implementing stringent quality control measures, feed mills can ensure the safety and quality of their products and maintain their reputation in the market.

Power failures can disrupt mills operations and raise production costs, resulting in significant losses. there should be alternative and energyefficient technologies, such as solar energy, backup generators, etc., so that feed mills may reduce their energy costs, and, at the same time, ensure continuity of the production process during power shortages.

inefficient transportation and logistical networks can lead to higher costs and longer delivery times. By investing in more efficient transportation and logistical networks, feed mills can reduce delivery times while bringing the costs down. the government provides limited support to the animal feed industry, and there is a lack of incentives for investment in the sector. Feed mills bodies should seek government subsidies an Finding and retaining skilled labour can be a major challenge for feed mills. Providing competitive compensation and benefits, investing in employee training and development, and promoting a positive work environment is needed immediately to attract and retain skilled labour. there is a lack of awareness about animal nutrition among the farmers, which can lead to improper feeding practices. Feed mills should conduct training and awareness programmes for farmers on the importance of proper animal nutrition and feeding practices. the lack of regulations and enforcement in the feed industry can lead to the use of harmful ingredients and unethical practices. the government should enforce regulations to ensure the quality and safety of feed, and regularly inspect feed mills to prevent unethical practices. in order to overcome these challenges the country requires a proactive approach in addition to innovative solutions, and a commitment to target continuous improvement. By implementing relevant strategies, the government can ensure the survival and growth of the animal feed industry.

mind of Ifthikar Arif saw the threat of the Barawan Khalari decades ago. Perhaps he saw the emerging storm that we are facing today which refuses to die down.

navigating opportunities and challenges COMMENT

efits of the alliance.

Pakistan’s role in the BRICS alliance

the potential to significantly enhance Pakistan’s economic growth and development, providing new opportunities for trade and investment.

ened their economic and political ties, with the two countries engaging in major infrastructure projects and energy deals. this partnership has the potential to significantly impact the balance of power in the region and beyond, and Pakistan will need to closely monitor these developments to ensure its national interests are protected.

THe BriCS (Brazil, russia, india, China, and South africa) alliance is quickly emerging as a major global economic force, posing a significant challenge to the Western world’s hegemony. in recent years, the BriCS countries have grown significantly, and they collectively represent more than 40 percent of the world’s population and around 23 percent of its GDP. this growth trajectory has brought new opportunities and challenges for the West, and Pakistan is poised to play a critical role in this shift. the West has long been the dominant economic and political force in the world, with the US dollar as the global reserve currency. However, the BriCS alliance has begun to challenge this status quo, with plans to introduce a new reserve currency that will be more diversified and less dependent on the US dollar. this move has the potential to significantly impact the Western world’s economy and shift the balance of power globally.

Pakistan, as a strategically located country at the crossroads of South asia, Central asia, and the Middle east, is well-positioned to play a critical role in the BriCS alliance’s future. the country’s participation in the China-Pakistan economic Corridor (CPeC) project has already strengthened its ties with China, a key member of the BriCS alliance. Moreover, Pakistan has also signed a free trade agreement with China, which further strengthens its economic ties with the alliance.

Pakistan’s role in the BriCS alliance’s future is not limited to its relationship with China. the country has also begun to explore closer ties with other BriCS members, such as russia and Brazil. these relationships have

However, as with any major shift in the global economy, there are also challenges that must be addressed. the West is unlikely to give up its dominance easily, and there are likely to be geopolitical tensions and economic rivalries as the BriCS alliance continues to grow. Pakistan will need to carefully navigate these challenges and work to strengthen its relationships with all major global powers, including the US and its allies, as it seeks to capitalize on the opportunities presented by the shift in the global balance of power.

the emergence of the BriCS alliance as a major global economic force presents both opportunities and challenges for the Western world and Pakistan. the alliance’s plans to introduce a new reserve currency and increase economic cooperation among its members will have significant implications for the global economy. Pakistan’s strategic location and growing ties with key BriCS members position it to play a critical role in this shift, but it must also navigate the geopolitical and economic challenges that come with it. as the global balance of power continues to shift, Pakistan must remain vigilant and work to strengthen its relationships with all major global powers to ensure its economic growth and development.

one of the key developments in recent years has been the changing relationship between Saudi arabia and iran, two major players in the Middle east. While the two countries have long been at odds, there have been some recent signs of rapprochement, which could have significant implications for the region’s political stability and the balance of power. Pakistan, as a close ally of Saudi arabia, will need to navigate this changing landscape carefully to avoid getting caught in the crossfire.

Similarly, russia and turkey have recently strength-

South africa, as the only african member of the BriCS alliance, also presents a significant opportunity for Pakistan. the country’s large and growing market offers new opportunities for trade and investment, which could help to diversify Pakistan’s economy and reduce its dependence on a few key sectors.

another major impact of the BriCS alliance’s emergence is the potential end of the hegemony of the US dollar as the global reserve currency. the introduction of a new reserve currency that is less dependent on the dollar would have significant implications for the global economy, and Pakistan will need to carefully monitor these developments to ensure its economic stability. in addition to these broader geopolitical considerations, the emergence of the BriCS alliance is also likely to have a significant impact on Pakistan’s domestic political situation. as the country seeks to position itself as a key player in the alliance, there is likely to be increased political competition and polarization, as various groups seek to leverage this shift in global power for their own ends.

as Pakistan navigates its role in the BriCS alliance, it must be mindful of the potential consequences of inaction or missteps. if Pakistan fails to seize the opportunities presented by the shift in the global balance of power, india could become the dominant player in the alliance, leaving Pakistan behind. india, as a fellow member of the BriCS alliance, is also seeking to leverage this shift in global power to its advantage. the country has already taken significant steps to strengthen its economic and political ties with other members of the alliance, such as China and russia. if Pakistan does not take similar steps, it risks being left behind and losing out on the potential ben-

How Hindutva has weaponised Hinduism

the assailants – whereas they have suffered the most losses”.

MUSHROOMING HINDUTVA OUTFITS: Fertile ground for the incendiary attacks by religious festival processions is prepared in many ways. one of these is the sprouting of an abundance of Hindutva organisations. a resident of Khargone in Madhya Pradesh observed to a reporter of the Wire, “Five years ago, only the Shiv Sena was active here. today, we have the Bajrang Dal, Shiv Sena, Gau rakshak Dal, Karni Sena, VHP, Sakal Hindu Samaj…in all about eight or nine sansthans.”

to avoid this scenario, Pakistan will need to carefully consider its approach to the alliance, building strong relationships with all major global powers, and ensuring that it is actively engaged in shaping the direction of the alliance. this will require a proactive and strategic approach that takes into account the country’s unique geopolitical and economic position.

Pakistan must be mindful of the potential consequences of inaction or missteps in its approach to the BriCS alliance. if the country does not play its role carefully, it risks being left behind, with india occupying the main position in the alliance. to avoid this scenario, Pakistan must take a proactive and strategic approach, building strong relationships with all major global powers and actively shaping the direction of the alliance.

the political instability in Pakistan could potentially hinder the country’s ability to fully leverage the opportunities presented by the emergence of the BriCS alliance. a stable and consistent government that is able to provide clear policies and direction is essential for attracting foreign investment and building strong relationships with other members of the alliance.

if the political situation in Pakistan remains unstable, it could deter foreign investors and potential partners from engaging with the country, which would limit its ability to benefit from the opportunities presented by the alliance. additionally, the lack of consensus and clear direction within the government could hinder Pakistan’s ability to effectively negotiate and secure beneficial trade and investment deals with other members of the alliance. therefore, it is imperative that Pakistan takes steps to address its political instability and create a more stable and consistent political environment. this could include strengthening democratic institutions, improving governance, and promoting political stability through consensus-building and dialogue.

the political instability in Pakistan is a potential obstacle to the country’s ability to fully leverage the opportunities presented by the BriCS alliance. it is crucial for Pakistan to address its political instability and create a more stable political environment in order to attract foreign investment, build strong relationships with other members of the alliance, and maximize the benefits of this important shift in the global balance of power.

The writer can be reached at fayyazsalih@gmail.com and tweets @fayyazSHussain

CannaBIS CulTIvaTIon

While cannabis farming has been legalised in Uttarakhand, bhang was removed from the list of intoxicating drugs in Gujarat; UP and MP have similar policies

rama, Jai Shri ram.”

or the even more raucously hateful: “the day that Hindus awaken, the consequences will be/that the skull-cap wearer will bow down and say Victory to lord rama/the day my blood boils, i will show you your place/then i will not speak, only my sword will.”

at some point during these incitements – slogans, hate songs and dances, men wielding weapons – stones are pelted from the mosques. this is invariably followed by extensive arson, targeting shops and houses, mostly of Muslims, and of mosques and dargahs.

Tribune

DUrinG the festival of ram navami last week, scores of towns and cities across nine states in india – Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Karnataka (all ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party), and Delhi and West Bengal – were engulfed in stone pelting, bloodletting, aggressive sloganeering and arson, ignited by mobs in militant processions. Hundreds more lurched at the edge. When i was writing this, communal fires were yet to be doused in West Bengal and Bihar.

“routes of Wrath”, a sterling report by a group of lawyers and other citizens (led by lawyer Chander Uday Singh and with a foreword by retired Supreme Court Justice rohinton nariman), scrutinises the worryingly similar rash communal violence during ram navami and Hanuman Jayanti in april last year. the report, released on March 18, detects recurring patterns that show these incidents are systematically orchestrated to terrorise and provoke Muslims, cause extensive damage to their properties and shrines, and through these, construct a bitter communal fracture.

A TEMPLATE FOR VIOLENCE, HATE: a careful study of the findings of their report helps illuminate the source of the fires that once again have been ignited across the land this year.

the report records in april 2022 the destruction through burning and looting of at least 100 shops and homes, the injury of 100 people in these acts of violence across states, and the killing of at least four people. it identifies as the immediate spark that led to this cavalcade of violence everywhere to be the routes of the religious processions.

it notes that traditionally, temples organised rath yatras in which decorated idols of ram, often of ram as a baby, were paraded in flower-decked processions, usually in the vicinity of temples. But over the years, ram navami processions have been taken over by militant Hindutva organisations.

the reason for this is, as the report notes, because “the figure of ram is central to the political imagination of the Sangh”. the attempt is to coerce an artificial homogenisation on an incalculably plural faith tradition, with a single deity and uniform rituals and religious practices, all of which are entirely alien to the practice of the Hindu religion.

the celebration of the festival has taken the form of “grand processions of pomp and ceremony attempting to cover entire cities”, involving, in the words of social scientist Megha Kumar, “cavalcades of vehicles, each carrying dozens of men, shouting slogans and frequently carrying arms”.

these processions have become increasingly violent, associated with scattered incidents of communal savagery in 2014, 2016, 2018, 2019 and resoundingly in the last two years.

Yet, as Singh, one of the writers of the report, observes, “they are portrayed by the Hindu right and the mainstream media as innocuous displays of religiosity, and blame is typically assigned to those who would challenge such displays”, the Muslim residents of these localities.

tensions are ratcheted even higher when the festival coincides with the holy month of ramzan, enabling the state and the compliant media to project “Muslims uniformly as

one advantage for the BJP and its ideological fountainhead, the rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, of these hydraheaded formations is to formally claim to courts of law no association with the most hateful rhetoric and violence of these “fringe groups”, even while harvesting all the electoral bounties of hate and polarisation.

in fact, they are not the fringe. the mainstream and the more overtly hateful organisations all concertedly play their roles in a coordinated social and political strategy. this range of Hindutva organisations join hands with vigilante groups and street gangs to sustain a climate of everyday terror that peaks during festivals like ram navami. the processions become visible, visceral assertions of political and social domination of religious minorities through hate and fear.

VITRIOLIC SPEECH, DISTRIBUTING WEAPONS: the environment of hate and fear is further animated by runaway hate speech in the build-up to the festivals. open calls are made for genocide and mass rapes, for the economic boycott of Muslims and barring them from living in portions of the town where Hindus reside. the state administrations mostly look the other way.

there are also many instances of the public distribution of weapons such as trishuls and swords at widely attended mass events. For instance, in March last year, 5,000 trishuls and daggers were distributed in Himmatnagar in Gujarat in a program led by Praveen tagodia of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, as well as the MP Dipsinh rathore and Mla raju Chavda.

Manoj Kumar, the national president of the rashtriya Bajrang Dal, is reported to have made hateful and sexually charged speech at this programme, according to the report.

religious events like the birth of ram are cynically deployed for strident hate, by choosing routes and timings that have nothing to do with traditional Hindu religious beliefs, but instead target Muslim places of worship and Muslim neighbourhoods.

typically, the processions are made up of young men in saffron scarves, shirts and bandanas, waving weapons such as swords, tridents, bricks and batons. they gather outside mosques, at hours that deliberately overlap with the namaz or the breaking of the ramzan fast, and taunt and incite Muslims. even when the slogans are ostensibly “religious” or “patriotic”, they are coded with political hate messaging, such as “Jai Shri ram” or “Vande Mataram”. But more often, the slogans are offensive, insulting, even obscene.

PARADING HATE OUTSIDE MOSQUES: in these processions, the young men dance wildly to blaring music. these are not devotional songs, but are the growing staple of Hindutva pop, outrageously popular on Youtube and Whatsapp. the BJP social media cell openly augments their circulation. there is little in these songs that celebrate Hindu gods. instead, they bemoan the alleged passivity and disunity of Hindus, urge them to unite and take up arms, call for mass killing, celebrate the construction of the ram temple, and decry the alleged perfidy of Muslims with crimes such as cow slaughter and love jihad. Scroll reported on the lyrics of a small sample of what it aptly describes as Disc Jockey Hindutva: “We are hardcore Hindus, we will create a new history/ We will enter the homes of enemies, and will cut off their heads. (…) in every home, saffron flags will be seen, the reign of rama will return/there is only one slogan, one name/Victory to lord

the “loot and arson from mobs ransacking houses and shops in the Muslim-majority neighbourhoods where the processions typically instigated violence, resulted in people suffering major, life-changing losses …of their savings, documents of identity and proof of residence and ownership, and their means of livelihood”, says the “routes of Wrath” report.

STATE, ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT: the report also establishes the culpability of state administrations in BJPruled states in supporting this comprehensive mutation of religious festivals into militaristic hate displays designed to subjugate Muslim citizens.

the provocation and incitement to violence by the Hindutva gangs is rarely prevented and even more rarely punished – not the hate speeches, the hate songs, the aggressive display of weapons, the hateful sloganeering, and the violence that follows. the resulting carnage overwhelmingly targets the properties of Muslims, yet they invariably form the bulk of those who are charged with crimes.

the state displays brazenly, unashamedly, whose side it is on. First, it does nothing to prevent the movement of processions on routes that could spark violence. once the violence breaks out, in report after report the police are found to be culpably absent, or standing by doing nothing to control or punish the hate speech, hate music or hate attacks.

last year, just days after the communal violence in BJP ruled states (also in aam aadami Party-ruled Delhi), the properties of Muslims were bulldozed without even the pretence of the rule of law.

last year, Madhya Pradesh Home Minister narottam Mishra had declared ferociously, “Jis ghar se pathar aaye hain, us ghar ko hi pathoron ka dher banaenge. each house from which stones were pelted, will be reduced to piles of stones.”

His belligerence ignores the fact that there is no law in the country that permits the state to demolish the properties of those who have committed any crimes. also, before the state can decide that a person has indeed committed a crime, due process must be followed. But all this has been thrust aside. it is as though now for Muslim residents the protections of the Constitution no longer apply.

Hindutva has transmuted ram from a symbol of righteousness, duty, compassion and devotion, into a wrathful combative warrior raging against the politically constructed “enemy within”. the festival to celebrate the birth of ram with fasting and prayers has been transformed into an occasion for public displays of hateful aggression by throngs of frenzied young men bearing saffron flags and weapons directed against Muslim neighbours and places of worship.

the festival has become even more of a tinder box when it coincides with ramzan, sacred to Muslims who also ritually fast and pray, as it did this year and the last. in these ways, we today stand witness to the particularly “dangerous forms of instigation and provocation that majoritarian festivals can provide cover for”, in the unfolding of communal violence that renders india as a “severely threatened democracy”. But most of india – governments, the political leadership, the media, academia and ordinary citizens – still choose to blame the victim, or look away.

Harsh Mander is a human rights activist, peace worker, writer, and teacher. He works with survivors of mass violence and hunger, and homeless persons and street children.

ConSiDerinG to legalise cannabis cultivation, the Himachal Pradesh government has formed a committee that will look into its pros and cons. this thinking stems from the traditional production and use of ganja or bhang for recreational purposes. also, the weed is well-known for its effective medicinal properties. Hemp is also used industrially to make fabric, ropes and shoes. Growing this grass on barren tracts of land would make it a profitable proposition for the farmers, besides generating jobs and revenue for HP. the argument that since people are cultivating and using it anyway, it is better that it is done legally holds good as it would keep them away from the crosshairs of the law and, at the same time, fill the state’s coffers. at the heart of the matter is the long-brewing tussle between culture and policing over the recreational use of organic substances. taking cannabis out of the purview of the harsh narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances act, 1985, entails the risk of a spike in the number of people accessing it. Studies around the world where marijuana has been legalised — such as many states in the US and Mexico — point to a sharp rise in the number of youth consuming pot. its detrimental effect on the consumers’ health, including physical, mental or developmental impairments related to pot, is worrisome. More so is the likelihood of cannabis becoming the gateway drug to the more dangerous synthetic ones like the deadly and addictive heroin. Policymakers will have to take utmost care to ensure that its ill effects are widely and regularly propagated, especially in schools and colleges. if HP green-lights cannabis cultivation, it will join the club of states that have climbed down from taking a draconian stand on the matter. While cannabis farming has been legalised in Uttarakhand, bhang was removed from the list of intoxicating drugs in Gujarat; UP and MP have similar policies. this posture also aligns with the one that india took in the Un in 2020 when it joined the majority of the countries in batting for the exclusion of marijuana from the category of most dangerous synthetic drugs.

The ‘Routes of Wrath’ report shows a recurring pattern by Hindutva organisations aimed at provoking and terrorising Muslims to create a communal chasm

FAyyAz sAliH HussAin

The political instability in Pakistan is a potential obstacle to the country’s ability to fully leverage the opportunities presented by the BRICS alliance.

XI JInpIng callS on pla to enhance combat readIneSS

bejing

staff CoRRespondent

cHINESEPresident Xi Jinping has called on the country’s armed forces to strengthen training and combat readiness. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks as he inspected the navy of the Southern Theater Command of the People’s Liberation Army.

Chinese President Xi Jinping takes a group photo with officers and soldiers when inspecting the navy of the Southern Theater Command of the People's Liberation Army, April 11, 2023. /CMG

Chinese President Xi Jinping takes a group photo with officers and soldiers when inspecting the navy of the Southern Theater Command of the People’s Liberation Army.

President Xi Jinping emphasized the im-

portance of carrying out the military strategies of the new era, training and preparing for war, and accelerating transformation to boost the modernization levels of the armed forces on all fronts.

He also called for resolutely defending China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights, as well as striving to maintain stability in its surrounding area, Xi told the PLA officers and soldiers.

Xi also urged to intensify military training under combat conditions and underscored the importance of military research and innovation in developing new methods and means of warfare and promoting the use of new armaments in combat.

China urges U.S. to explain leaked intel and spying on other countries

Noting the leaked Pentagon documents, Wang Wenbin, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said during a regular press conference on Wednesday that the United States should explain to the interna-

tional community why it is spying on other countries.

Wang made the remarks in response to a query on the recent reports of Pentagon’s leaked documents, which reveal the deep involvement of the U.S. in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, as well as its continuing close surveillance of allies, including Israel and South Korea.

Citing multiple media reports, Wang said the leaked intelligence documents show the U.S. is deeply involved in the Ukraine crisis and that it is still using its technological advantages to secretly spy on countries around the world, including its allies. The leaks have already drawn responses from some foreign governments. For example, South Korea’s presidential office said on Monday it will demand the U.S. to take appropriate action over reports of the U.S.’s alleged spying on its top security officials, once details of the matter are confirmed.

South Korea to conduct first launch of commercial-grade satellite

south koreA agenCies

South Korea plans to conduct its first launch of a commercial-grade satellite aboard a domestically built rocket next month as part of its space development program, officials said Tuesday.

South Korea’s officials say its homegrown Nuri space launch vehicle has no military purposes. But some experts say the development of such rockets would eventually help the country acquire technologies needed to build bigger missiles and launch reconnaissance satellites.

In June last year, South Korea conducted its first satellite launch using the

Nuri rocket. That launch involved what South Korean officials called a “performance verification” satellite mainly designed to examine the capacity of the rocket while next month’s event is meant to put a commercial-grade satellite into orbit for the first time.

The country’s Science Ministry said the rocket will blast off from its space launch center on a southern island on May 24. A ministry statement said it had set a backup launch date from May 2531, in case of possible schedule changes due to weather.

The rocket will carry one main satellite called “Next Generation Small Satellite 2” and seven other smaller cube-shaped satellites. The main satel-

lite is tasked with verifying imaging radar technology and observing cosmic radiation in near-Earth orbit, the statement said. The Nuri rocket is seen at the Naro Space Center in Goheung, South Korea, March 28, 2023. /Korea Aerospace Research Institute he Nuri rocket is seen at the Naro Space Center in Goheung, South Korea, March 28, 2023. /Korea Aerospace Research Institute

Authorities have completed the assembly of the rocket’s first and second stages and are conducting final environmental tests of the eight satellites that are to be placed on the rocket’s third stage.

Last year’s launch was the Nuri

rocket’s second liftoff. In its first launch in 2021, the rocket’s dummy payload reached the desired altitude but failed to enter orbit. After next month’s launch, South Korea plans three more Nuri rocket launches, officials said.

“The third launch of Nuri is of great significance as it is the first attempt to launch a commercial-grade satellite and the first time a private company will jointly manufacture the homegrown Nuri rocket,” Oh Taeseok, the country’s first vice science minister, was quoted as saying in the ministry statement.

South Korea, the world’s 10th largest economy, is a major producer of semiconductors, automobiles and smartphones. But its space development program lags behind that of its neighbors China, India and Japan. Since the early 1990s, South Korea has sent a series of satellites into space, but all of them involved foreign rocket technology or launch sites.

US begins study of possible rules to regulate AI like ChatGPT

profit ReuteRs

The Biden administration said Tuesday it is seeking public comments on potential accountability measures for artificial intelligence (AI) systems as questions loom about its impact on national security and education. ChatGPT, an AI program that recently grabbed the public’s attention for its ability to write answers quickly to a wide range of queries, in particular has attracted U.S. lawmakers’ attention as it has grown to be the fastestgrowing consumer application in

history with more than 100 million monthly active users.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration, a Commerce Department agency that advises the White House on telecommunications and information policy, wants input as there is “growing regulatory interest” in an AI “accountability mechanism.”

The agency wants to know if there are measures that could be put in place to provide assurance “that AI systems are legal, effective, ethical, safe, and otherwise trustworthy.” “Responsible AI systems could bring enormous benefits,

but only if we address their potential consequences and harms. For these systems to reach their full potential, companies and consumers need to be able to trust them,” said NTIA Administrator Alan Davidson. President Joe Biden last week said it remained to be seen whether AI is dangerous.

“Tech companies have a responsibility, in my view, to make sure their products are safe before making them public,” he said. ChatGPT, which has wowed some users with quick responses to questions and caused distress for others with inaccuracies, is made by California-based OpenAI and

Iranian delegation arrives in Saudia amid thaw between regional powers

Agencies

An Iranian delegation arrived in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday to pave the way for reopening diplomatic missions as the Gulf rivals prepare to normalise relations, seven years after an acrimonious split. The announcement came just days after a Saudi delegation made a similar visit to Tehran hot on the heels of a historic meeting in China between the two governments’ foreign ministers who vowed to bring stability to the turbulent region. “The Iranian delegation arrived in Riyadh on Wednesday to visit and reopen the Iranian embassy and consulate in accordance with the recent agreement between the two countries,” Iran’s official IRNA news agency reported. “One team is due to to travel to Jeddah to prepare for the reopening of Iran’s consulate there and its representation in the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, while the other will remain in Riyadh to reopen the embassy,” IRNA added. Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi has been invited to Saudi Arabia, according to Tehran, in what would be the first visit of its kind since Mohammad Khatami went in 1999.

backed by Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O). NTIA plans to draft a report as it looks at “efforts to ensure AI systems work as claimed – and without causing harm” and said the effort will inform the Biden Administration’s ongoing work to “ensure a cohesive and comprehensive federal government approach to AI-related risks and opportunities.” A tech ethics group, the Center for Artificial Intelligence and Digital Policy, asked the U.S. Federal Trade Commission to stop OpenAI from issuing new commercial releases of GPT-4 saying it was “biased, deceptive, and a risk to privacy and public safety.”

China supports all measures conducive to political settlement of Afghan issue: statement

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staff CoRRespondent

Under the new circumstances, Afghanistan should be a platform for cooperation among various parties rather than geopolitical games, and China supports all plans and measures

that are conducive to political settlement of the Afghan issue, says an 11point statement released by China, detailing its stance on the Afghanistan issue.

The statement, titled “China’s Position on the Afghan Issue,” was released by the Chinese Foreign Ministry

on Wednesday.

It said China respects the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Afghanistan, respects the independent choices made by the Afghan people, and respects the religious beliefs and national customs of Afghanistan. China never interferes in Afghanistan’s internal affairs, never seeks selfish interests in Afghanistan, and never pursues so-called sphere of influence, it added.

Noting China supports moderate and prudent governance in Afghanistan, the statement said China hopes that Afghanistan would build an open and inclusive political structure, adopt moderate and prudent domestic and foreign policies, and that Afghan Interim Government would protect the basic rights and interests of all Afghan people, including women, children and all ethnic groups. To help Afghanistan realize independent and sustainable development at an early date, the statement said

China will continue to do its best to support Afghanistan with reconstruction and development, fulfill its assistance pledges, promote steady progress in economic, trade and investment cooperation, and actively carry out cooperation in fields like medical care, poverty alleviation, agriculture, and disaster prevention and mitigation. China also welcomes Afghanistan’s participation in Belt and Road cooperation and supports Afghanistan’s integration into regional economic cooperation and connectivity that will transform it from a “land-locked country” to a “land-linked country,” according to the statement.In terms of countering terrorism, China hopes that Afghanistan will take more effective measures to crack down on all terrorist forces, including the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, with greater determination, and earnestly ensure the safety and security of citizens, institutions and projects of China and other countries in Afghanistan, the statement said.

CABINET APPROVES LAW FOR SINDH ELECTRIC POWER REGULATORY AUTHORITY

KARACHI STAFF REPORT

THE Sindh cabinet on Wednesday formally approved to establish the Sindh Electric Power Regulatory Authority (SEPRA).

Provincial cabinet in a session granted approval of a draft of the law for establishing the provincial electric power regulatory authority.

“It is a historic decision of the Sindh government,” provincial government spokesman Murtaza Wahab said in a statement. “With this decision we could supply cheaper electricity to the people of our province,” Wahab said in a statement.

“The government will get pass the law governing the Sindh Electric Power Regulatory Authority, from the Sindh

IG Railways appreciates staff who rescued passenger

lahore: IG Railways Dr. Rao Sardar Ali Khan commended the personnel who saved the life of a passenger at Rawalpindi station and awarded a cash reward of one lakh rupees and certificates of appreciation. A few days ago, Head Constables Lal Rooz Khan and Adeel Ahmed had saved a passenger from a major accident at Rawalpindi railway station. Railway passenger Kazim Saleem was getting off the moving train Rehman Baba at Rawalpindi Railway Station, when his foot slipped and he started to fall under the train.The passenger was saved by conscientious and dutifulness of the personnel. The footage of the incident also circulated on social media for a few days.

IG Railways appreciated the performance of railways police personnel and awarded cash reward and certificates of appreciation to the two head constables by inviting them to Central Police Office Railways. PR

MMBL, MateSol unite to improve MSMEs Cash flow through stateof-art Invoice Financing

islamabad: Pakistan's leading microfinance institution, Mobilink Microfinance Bank Ltd. (MMBL) and MateSol, a blockchain-based invoice verification platform with a global footprint, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to offer better access to invoice financing for Micro Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). As per the partnership agreement, MMBL will utilize MateSol's innovative blockchain-based invoice management system ‘InvoiceMate’ to finance invoices, offering MSMEs swift, hassle-free, secure, and transparent invoice financing solutions. With Specialization in Web 3.0 and Enterprise Blockchain, MateSol offers solutions for different verticals of the industry. InvoiceMate being world’s first-ever invoice management system on the blockchain, is the flagship product of MateSol. PR

Shibli Faraz gets bail in Zaman Park riots case

LAHORE: A sessions court in Lahore has granted bail to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senator Shibli Faraz till April 27 in a case pertaining to violence against police and creating hurdles in party head Imran Khan’s arrest. As per details, the court also order PTI Senator Shibli Faraz to include himself in the investigation. The court also summoned record from the police on the next hearing. The bail plea was rejected earlier as he did not appear before the court. INP

Assembly,” he said. According to the draft of the law, Sindh will distribute the electricity, which will be generated in the province.

Provincial energy minister Imtiaz Shaikh, had floated the idea in February last year, about setting up the authority at the provincial level like the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA). “The constitution allows the province to establish a power regulatory authority,” energy minister said. “This authority is needed to move the energy projects forward.” Provincial cabinet had constituted a committee of the law and energy departments to prepare a legislative bill of the authority in view of the constitutional, legal and technical aspects of the issue.

Alliance of China-Pakistan Research Centers launched

ISLAMABAD

STAFF REPORT

The Centre for BRI and China Studies- Institute of Peace and Diplomatic Studies and Pakistan Research Center, Inner Mongolia Honder College of Arts and Sciences, China have established the Alliance of China-Pakistan Research Centers to enhance collaboration and understanding between Pakistani and Chinese academic institutions. This alliance aims to strengthen the longstanding bond between the two countries. The alliance's launch marks a significant step towards promoting academic collaboration between Pakistan and China. The coalition will facilitate joint research projects, exchange programs, and other academic activities to promote mutual learning and understanding. During the launch event, the directors of participating institutions discussed various ideas to advance the alliance practically, including creating a combined research journal, establishing a website to share in-

‘Health for All’ : Experts call for greater integration, efforts towards tech enabled HealthCare

The Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in the South (COMSATS) organized third leg of the series of ‘Regional Webinars on Digital Health in its Member States’. The webinar was participated by the health experts from Middle East and Central Asia. They called for joint efforts in promoting digital health as means to achieving citizens centric healthcare systems that reaches out far and wide with efficiency and cost-effective access by all. The webinar was organized to join the world community in observing World Health Day commemorated on 7th of April. Sharing his views at the inaugural session, the Executive Director COMSATS, Ambassador Dr. M. Nafees Zakaria, noted that digital technologies have been instrumental in supporting the delivery of healthcare services, enabling remote consultations, and facilitating the monitoring of patients' health status. He expressed hope that by working together, we can leverage the power of digital technologies to transform healthcare delivery, improve health outcomes. PR

EU Ambassador calls on Federal Minister Riaz Pirzada

formation, implementing joint research programs, enhancing the capacity of research centers, fostering student and research exchange, publishing joint research papers, hosting research events, and inviting institutions to join the alliance. The speakers emphasized the importance of research center alliances in fostering academic exchanges, promoting joint research projects, and enhancing the quality of higher education in both countries. They also highlighted the role of such collaborations in

exploring new avenues of cooperation, particularly in building regional connectivity, economic, cultural, infrastructure, and trade development, including technology exchanges. The participants expressed their commitment to promoting research center alliances between Pakistan and China and exploring new areas of cooperation to achieve common goals. They called for more joint academic programs, research projects, and student exchanges between the two countries.

Pakistan, Turkiye agree to keep up cooperation in multiple fields

ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Pakistan and Turkiye on Wednesday agreed to keep up bilateral cooperation in multiple fields including trade, investment, defence, education and culture.

The bilateral ties were discussed in a meeting between For-

eign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and the Ambassador of Turkiye in Islamabad Dr Mehmet Paçaci, who called on him here.

The foreign minister said that Pakistan and Turkiye enjoyed fraternal brotherly relations as both countries stood by each other in the hour of distress.

The Turkish envoy thanked

Pakistan for extending support following an earthquake in his country. Foreign Minister Bilawal also thanked Turkiye for supporting Pakistan following the devastating floods. Both sides also resolved to continue cooperating with each other on bilateral as well as multilateral forums.

PEF partner schools delegation calls on deputy operations chief

LAHORE STAFF REPORT

A delegation comprising of 10 partner schools affiliated with the Foundation Assisted Schools (FAS) recently visited the Punjab Education Foundation (PEF) head office. The purpose of their visit was to meet with Deputy Managing Director (Operations) Qurat ul Ain Memon to discuss various issues related to education.

During the meeting, the partners raised concerns regarding the new admission policy for the academic year 2023-24. They requested PEF to give them enough time for affiliation in the board and also requested to verify the results of secondary students from Nadra B-Form.

The partners also requested PEF to allow the establishment of gender-wise new campuses and to provide adequate time for gender-wise and gradewise registration.

Memon listened attentively to all their com-

plaints and assured them that she would address their concerns in accordance with the rules and regulations of PEF.

Memon appreciated the efforts of PEF partners and acknowledged their contribution to the field of education. She also informed the partners that the PEF administration was actively engaging with various international development organizations to secure financial resources for the Foundation.

The official further added that more deprived children could be brought into the education stream of PEF through mutual cooperation with these organizations. Memon also shared that the PEF would resume the district coordination meetings, which would help in solving the problems faced by the partners. She urged the partners who were being fined for not providing adequate facilities in schools to rectify their lapses immediately to avoid heavy penalties.

At the end of the meeting, all the partners expressed their gratitude to Memon for taking the time to meet with them despite her busy schedule.

islamabad: Ambassador of the European Union to Pakistan H.E. Dr. Riina Kionka called on Federal Minister for Human Rights Mian Riaz Hussain Pirzada on 11 April, 2023 in his office. Matters of mutual interest and cooperation particularly the upcoming report on GSP+ progress made in various aspects and challenges were discussed in this mecting.Federal Minister for Human Rights welcomed the Ambassador and said that Pakistan has been enjoying good relations with European countries and these relations are based on mutual respect and shared international obligations. He appreciated the continuing support of European Union through the GSP+ status for Pakistan. He said that our commitments under the UN Charter and our obligations towards international conventions and agreements remained a high priority of the government.Dr. Riina Kionka appreciated the efforts of the Government of Pakistan in implementation of its human rights agenda and indicated that European Union would continue to help Pakistan in implementation of this agenda. She said that continuous efforts are required to overcome challenges and European Union would continue its support in this regard. PR

STOP TB Partnership, Pfizer host symposium to highlight rising TB cases

Pakistan 12th April 2023, Every year Stop TB Partnership and its partners unite to raise public awareness of the devastating health, social, and economic impacts of TB and call for an end to this epidemic. A seminar was organized by the Stop TB Partnership Pakistan in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Sindh and Pfizer Pakistan to commemorate this day. The event was attended by leading stakeholders including member NGOs, TB survivors, members of academia, and print and electronic media. Dr. Sharaf Ali Shah, Vice Chair of Stop TB Pakistan, updated the audience on the current situation of TB in Pakistan. He informed that 611,000 estimated people fell ill due to TB in Pakistan in 2021 whereas 48000 HIV-negative and 2100 HIVpositive people died due to TB in the country, and only 55% of cases were notified. Highlighting the reasons for low TB case notification he said that poor understanding of TB and its symptoms (lack of awareness) PR

Govt terminates contract of acting Chief National Industrial Relations Commission

ISLAMABAD SHAHZAD PARACHA

The federal government has terminated the contract of acting Chairman National Industrial Relations Commission (NIRC) Noor Zaman. According to the document, the Cabinet on the summary of the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resources Development Division terminated the contract of Member NIRC Noor Zaman.

The federal government reappointed Noor Zaman as member NIRC in September 2021 for his third term though his eligibility to be member was challenged in IHC and his term is supposed to complete in September 2023.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Overseas Pakistan in September 2022 gave charge of Acting chairman NIRC to Noor Zaman after the expiry of the term of former chairman Main Shakir Ullah Jan.

The removal of Member NIRC with the elections of Pakistan Workers Federation as

sources said that the department has not stopped the elections on the request of unions.

Meanwhile, the executive body of PWF had also filed no confidence motion against General Secretary Chaudhry Yasin.

Recently, the Ministry of Overseas has transferred the acting chairman/member to Lahore from Islamabad over this matter however Islamabad High Court, while granting the stay, directed the ministry of overseas to withdraw his transfer.

It is pertinent to note that FIA is also investigating alleged corruption cases against Noor zaman and Deputy Registrar Naveed Anwar Khokhar who was also appointed without due qualification and applications against his illegal appointment have also been filed against as member NIRC which is still pending.

According to a video that emerged, the last day labor leaders and workers chanted slogans and abuses against terminated Chairman Noor Zaman and Deputy Registrar

Naveed Anwar Khokhar who is allegedly the front man of terminated acting chairman of NIRC, now transferred to Karachi. Rotten eggs , tomatoes and shoes were thrown over learned chairman Noor zaman.

It also happened earlier that Khokhar was transferred to Karachi and Noor Zaman to Lahore to defuse the intensity of corruption cases and their illegal appointments.

Acting Chairman/ Senior Member NIRC Noor Zaman in his recent order stated that the office has received two notifications no 1(12)/2022-NIRC dated 3/4/2023 issued with the approval of Secretary Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis & HRD Islamabad regarding transfer of two judicial officers of NIRC. These notifications have been examined in the light of the provisions of Industrial Relations Act 2012 regarding appointment of members and staff of NIRC.

Section 55(1) of IRA 2012 provides that the chairman shall exercise general superintendence over the affairs of NIRC. Section 55

(2) ibid provides that the chairman shall constitute benches of the commision while section 56 ibid provides that the chairman may nominate senior members of NIRC to perform functions of chairman during his absence.

The Chairman NIRC vide standing order dated 9/11/2021 constituted the bench of the undersigned at Islamabad and also assigned the case pertaining to the jurisdiction of NIRC bench at Peshawar.

The chairman vide standing order no 6(01)/2000-Admn dated 30/8/2022 assigned the undersigned the bench to hear and decide the cases pertaining to the registration/cancellation of trade unions, federations and like otherwise, the internal elections amendments in the constitutions and determination of CBA in respect of trade unions and federations and allied matters pending/instituted fresh.

The chairman also nominated the undersigned vide standing order no 6(01)/2000-admn dated September 2, 2022 to perform the functions of chairman during absence of chairman.

Similarly, Abdul Qayyam Khan has been assigned the cases pertaining to the jurisdiction of the benches at NIRC Lahore and Multan vide standing orders dated 14/5/2022 and 30/8/2022 respectively.

It may be seens that the Secretary of the Ministry of OP & HRD has no authority to interfere in Judicial and administrative functions of the commission.

Industrial Relations Act 2012 has not provided any role to the Secretary of the Ministry otherwise the members of the commission have been appointed in BS-21 and Secretary OP&HRD has no authority to transfer an officer of BS-21 of the federal government.

The instant notifications tantamount to constitution and reconstitution of benches for which Secretary OP & HRD has no powers under IRA 2012 therefore, it is direct interference in judicial matters and abuse of proceedings of the benches of the Commission, the affairs and functions of the commission run under IRA 2012.

IMF CONFIDENT ABOUT AGREEMENT WITH PAKISTAN: FINANCE MINISTRY

PROFIT

ISLAMABAD

THE International Monetary Fund (IMF) has expressed optimism in reaching a staff-level agreement (SLA) with Pakistan, according to a statement by the Finance Ministry that quoted IMF Director Middle East and Central Asia Department Jihad Azour after a meeting with the Pakistani delegation that attended the IMF/World Bank Spring meetings in the United States. Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar joined the meeting virtually from Islamabad, according to the statement.

Azour expressed his confidence that the SLA would be signed soon, followed by the IMF Board’s approval. This statement provides hope for Pakistan, which is in dire need of economic stability.

Azour encouraged Pakistan to continue making progress in various sectors and to complete the program on time, adding that “IMF will play its

positive role in bringing economic stability in Pakistan.”

Pakistan has already fulfilled all prior actions necessary to secure the IMF loan tranche, and the delay in the program is due to commitments from friendly countries. With Saudi Arabia having already committed $2 billion in funds, sources suggest that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will also provide $1 billion to Pakistan by the end of the week. These funds are part of a $6.5 billion bailout package that the IMF approved in 2019, which is critical for Pakistan to avoid defaulting on external payment obligations.

The agreement will also unlock other bilateral and multilateral financing avenues for Pakistan to bolster its foreign exchange reserves, which have dwindled to four weeks’ worth of import cover. The agreement would help the country steer out of a balance of payment crisis, which is currently affecting the nation’s economic prospects.

In the face of a dollar shortage, Pakistan’s growth forecast has been revised

Cigarette smuggling plummets by 39% in just two months due to recent FED hike

70 NEW CIGARETTE BRANDS HAVE CROPPED UP IN LAST TWO MONTHS

ISLAMABAD GHULAM ABBAS

The smuggling of cigarettes has increased by 39% in just two months since the government raised an estimated 154% in Federal Excise Duty (FED) on cigarettes. The effects of this hike trickled down to taxes, causing a major hike in cigarette taxes, jolting Pakistan’s legitimate tobacco industry. As a consequence of cigarette prices hitting the roof, the tobacco market has been flooded with over 70 new brands of cigarettes during this short span of just two months.

During a media briefing session, on Wednesday, representatives of the Pakistan Tobacco Company Limited (PTC) disclosed that the incidence of illicit cigarettes has sharply increased due to the availability of smuggled cigarettes at cheaper rates. This has forced price-conscious consumers to turn to cheaper, smuggled, and illicit cigarettes.

PTC officials revealed that from within the period between July 2021 to March 2022, PTC’s contribution to the national exchequer was Rs 85 billion. However, the revenue collected during the same period this year only increased by a meager 14% to Rs 97 billion, despite an excise increase of over 200% in both tiers of cigarettes since June 2022. Such disappointing figures are constantly discouraging investment and are threatening the Large-Scale Manufacturing (LSM) sector in Pakistan.

The representatives informed that PTC contributes to around 80% of the total revenue collected from the tobacco industry, whereas only 2% is contributed by the illicit sector. The officials also revealed that sales volumes for March 2023 have completely flipped, with legitimate industry sales standing at 1.84 billion sticks in March, as opposed to 4.84 billion sticks in Jan 2023 (pre-mini budget). Similarly, the illicit volume has expanded exponentially from 2.85 billion sticks in January 2023 to 4.8 billion sticks in March 2023.

According to PTC data, more than 100 brands of smuggled cigarettes without graphic health warnings have flooded the market, blatantly disregarding all regulations set by the Government of Pakistan, without even fearing the possibility of getting caught. PTC officials recorded a 30% increase in sales of smuggled cigarettes during March 2023. Enforcement agencies require an iron hold on the illicit sector to plug this growing cleft between the legitimate and illicit sectors. The implementation of track and trace must be consistent and in full letter and spirit. A nationwide enforcement campaign to curtail the menace of illicit cigarettes must be carried out to ensure the right results for the already ailing economy. Before the mini-budget released in February 2023, the excise on a pack of Tier 1 cigarettes was 130 rupees, whereas it was increased to Rs 330 in the minibudget, amounting to an increase of 154%.

Similarly, the excise on a pack of Tier 2 cigarettes was increased from Rs 41 to Rs 101, amounting to an increase of 146%. Despite the drastic increase in both tiers, the Retail Price Threshold was increased by a meager 35% to Rs 9,000 per 1,000 cigarettes.

Govt raises Rs143.74b in fixed rate PIB auction

downward by the IMF to 0.5% from the previous estimate of 2%. The dollar shortage has resulted in supply chain disruptions and companies suspending production, leading to a gloomy economic outlook for the country.

During the meeting, both sides discussed progress made with the ongoing IMF program and the implementation of prior actions, especially those discussed during the IMF mission’s visit to Pakistan. The finance minister shared that due to local commitments, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had asked him to remain in Pakistan, causing him to cancel his scheduled visit to Washington, DC.

Dar informed the IMF team about the economic challenges faced by the country and the government’s vision for achieving macroeconomic stability. He also assured the IMF that all prior actions for the ninth review under the Extended Fund Facility had already been completed, and that the government is fully committed to fulfilling its obligations as agreed with the IMF.

Pakistan moves closer to securing IMF loan as UAE pledges $1bn financing Pakistan is reportedly close to securing a loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) after Saudi Arabia pledged $2 billion and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is expected to provide a written guarantee for $1 billion financing to help the country avoid default. The IMF has asked Pakistan to secure external financing from friendly countries and multilateral partners to fund its balance of payment gap for this fiscal year. The country is facing one of its biggest economic crises in history, with high interest rates, record consumer prices, a dollar shortage, and supply chain disruptions leading to companies stopping production. The IMF has cut its growth forecast for the country to 0.5% from the earlier estimate of 2%. The deal with the IMF will also unlock other financing avenues to help Pakistan shore up its foreign exchange reserves and steer out of a balance of payment crisis.

Panther Tyres records highest quarterly profit in two years

RECORDS 79.45% QOQ AND 2228.57% YOY INCREASE IN EARNINGS DESPITE SLUGGISH ECONOMY

LAHORE

DANIYAL AHMAD

Panther Tyres released their earnings for Q3FY23 to the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on April 12. The company came out swinging by recording a final earnings of Rs 236.6 million, a whopping 79.45% quarter-onquarter (QoQ) increase on its Rs 131.8 million in Q2FY23. The Rs 236.6 million is also an unprecedented 2228.57% year-onyear (YoY) increase on the Rs 10.16 million it recorded in Q3FY22. Panther’s 9MFY23 earnings, however, stand at Rs 101.2 million. This is a 62.46% YoY decrease from its 9MFY22 profit of Rs 269.6 million.

The disparity in Panther’s Q3FY23 and 9MFY23 earnings is attributable to the loss it incurred in Q1FY23.

What’s Panther Tyres?

Established in 1983, Panther Tyres Limited is a prominent manufacturer and supplier of tyres, tubes, lubricants, and spare parts within Pakistan. It holds a leading position in the motorcycle tyre market for both OEM and replacement segments

within Pakistan and exports its products to various regions including Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Europe. The company operates a sophisticated factory on a 30-acre site dedicated to the production of tyre and tube products along the Lahore-Sheikhupura Road, in Sheikhupura. The company’s customer base includes prominent firms such as Pak Suzuki, Yamaha, Atlas Honda, United Motorcycles, Millat Tractors, Asia Hero, Road Prince, Super Power, Super Star, Sazgar, Qingqi, and Unique. Q3FY23 Earnings

The company recorded a total revenue of Rs 4.88 billion for the quarter ending March 31, with a final gross profit of Rs 813.8 million. The company’s gross profit stood at a QoQ increase of 34.75% from the Rs 603.9 million seen in Q2FY23 whilst on a YoY basis, it grew by 87.12% from the previous year’s Rs 447.8 million. The company’s Q2FY23 gross profit margin (GPM) stood at 16.67%, higher than both its Q2FY23 GPM of 12.54%, and Q3FY22 GPM of 10.12%.

The company’s operating profit clocked in at Rs 529.8 million. This amounted to a 73.97% QoQ increase from the previous quarters Rs 304.5 million, and a 133.2% YoY increase from the previous years’ Rs 227.18 million. Panther’s cost of finance also rose to Rs 257.9 million. This was a QoQ increase of 16.84%, and a YoY increase of 47.35% from the previous interest expenses of Rs 220.7 million and Rs 175 million respectively.

The company’s tax expense rose on a QoQ but fell YoY. It rose by Rs 83 million from the Rs 48 million rebate it received in Q2FY23. On a YoY basis, it fell 15.94% from Rs 41.97 million in Q3FY22 to Rs 35 million in Q2FY23.

What’s the reason for the rally Saad Khan, Head of Research at IGI Finex Securities Limited, attributes the increase in overall net sales to higher retail prices. “As a result, the company’s gross margins improved significantly QoQ from 12.54% to 16.67%,” says Khan. He adds that “contained overheads have also played a role in boosting the operating margin from 5.86% to 10.42% QoQ.

Ms Khar to attend meeting of ‘Afghanistan’s Neighbouring Countries’ in Samarkand

ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar will lead the Pakistani delegation in the 4th Meeting of the Neighbouring Countries of Afghanistan to be held in Samarkand tomorrow.

On the sidelines of the meeting, the minister of state will hold bilateral meetings with leaders of other partic ipating delegations, a Foreign Office press release said.

The Neighbouring Countries of Afghanistan mechanism was established in 2021 on Pakistan’s ini tiative with a view to evolving a regional approach on the situation in Afghanistan.

Pakistan hosted the first meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Neighbouring Countries on September 8, 2021, and participated in the second meeting held in Tehran, Iran in November 2021, and the third meeting held in Tunxi, China in March 2022.

The mechanism will contribute towards forging

a consensus among the neighbouring countries of Afghanistan, who are the most direct stakeholders of the situation in the war-torn country.

Pakistan will continue to support all efforts to advance the shared objectives of a peaceful, stable, sovereign, prosperous and connected Afghanistan.

PROFIT ISLAMABAD

The government has exceeded its target of raising Rs100 billion through the auction of fixed-rate Pakistan Investment Bonds (PIBs) on Wednesday. According to data from the central bank, the government raised a total of Rs. 143.74 billion in the auction.

The auction saw the cut-off yields for 3-year PIBs increase by 34 basis points (bps), from 18.0500 percent on March 15 to 18.3988 percent on April 12.

The government accepted Rs142.57 billion for 3-year PIBs, while rejecting bids for 5-year and 10-year PIBs. Notably, no bids were received for the 15-year, 20year, and 30-year PIBs. In addition, the government also raised Rs1.17 billion through non-competitive bids, bringing the total amount raised in the auction to Rs143.74 billion. This is a significant increase from the previous PIBs auction on March 15, where the government had raised only Rs26.4 billion against the same target of Rs100 billion.

Imran’s first Nikah with Bushra Bibi was not as per Shariah, Mufti Saeed tells court

The first Nikah of former prime minister and PTI Chairman Imran Khan with Bushra Bibi was not in accordance with Shariah as the Iddat (waiting period for a divorcee or a widow) had not expired at that time, said main witness Nikah khawan Mufti Muhammad Saeed Khan while testifying before a local court here on Wednesday. Mufti Saeed told the court of Senior Civil Judge Nasr Minallah Baloch hearing a petition filed by citizen Muhammad Hanif complaining that Imran Khan and Bushra solemnized Nikah when Bushra Bibi was still in Iddat, that the first Nikah of Imran Khan and Bushra bibi was solemnized in January 2018 while the second Nikah was held after one month.

Giving his testimony, Mufti Saeed told the court that Imran called him on January 1, 2018, requesting him to solemnize his Nikah with Bushra Bibi. The Mufti agreed. He said he had cordial relations with Imran as he was the member of PTI core committee. He said Imran took him to the Defence area of Lahore where he was to perform his Nikah. He said that a lady was also in attendance with Bushra Bibi on that day. The Mufti said that on his inquiry, the lady told him that she was Bushra Bibi’s sister. The Mufti said that he had asked the lady if all the Shariah conditions were met before Bushra Bibi’s Nikah. She assured him on it.

Mufti Saeed said that on her assurance, he solemnized Imran’s Nikah with Bushra Bibi and after their Nikah, the couple started living together in Islamabad.

But, the Mufti told the court, after one month, in February 2018, Imran again contacted him and requested him to redo his Nikah solemnization. Imran told him that at time of his Nikah with Bushra Bibi, her period of Iddat was not expired as Bushra got divorce from her first husband in November 2017. Mufti went on to say that Imran had told him that there was a prediction that he (Imran) would become prime minister if he contracted Nikah with Bushra Bibi. The Nikah reciter told the court that Imran’s first Nikah was not as per the Shariah law and both Imran and Bushra, despite knowing this, contracted Nikah and arranged a wedding ceremony.

Protest planned against disappearance of Pakistan’s top taxpayer

SHIKARPUR STAFF REPORT

The residents of Shikarpur on Wednesday announced staging a sit-in on Babarloi Bypass against the disappearance of Pakistan’s top taxpayer Ayaz Mehr.

“The national highway will be blocked in protest,” Dr Naveed Mehr, brother of Ayaz Mehr, said. “We stopped our community and workers for 24 hours, and we cannot stop them any longer,” he added.

“If [my] brother is not released by tomorrow, the national highway connecting Sindh and Punjab will be blocked,” he announced.

“We are the top tax payer of Pakistan. We have been forced to take to the streets,” Dr Naveed Mehr said.

Auto industry in turmoil: March sales crash to half of last year’s numbers

LAHORE DANIYAL AHMAD

The Pakistan Automotive Manufacturers Association (PAMA) on Tuesday released total industry sales data for the month of March. The results are damning to say the least with overall sales clocking in at 96,950 units sold across all of PAMA’s members.

This amounts to a month-on-month (MoM) reduction of 14% from the 113,062 units sold in February, and a year-on-year (YoY) 47% from the 184,428 units sold in March of last year.

Brand-wise performance

On a YoY basis, not a single company fared better. However, on a MoM basis, Suzuki, Toyota, Millat Tractors, Ravi, and Yamaha came out as beneficiaries in March. Suzuki, in particular, came out swinging with

a whopping 155% MoM increase in sales.

In contrast to Suzuki’s rally, Ghandhara Nissan fared the worst on a MoM basis with its 74% sales contraction. On a YoY basis, Millat Tractors fared the best with only a 14% decline in sales whilst its direct competitor Al-Ghazi fared the worst YoY with a sales contraction of 88%.

Looking at brand wise best performers in the passenger car category, Honda’s City & Civic, Toyota Corolla & Yaris, Suzuki’s Alto, Hyundai’s Tucson, and Sazgar’s H6 retained their position as their respective brands best selling vehicles from February.

The brand-wise winners in the passenger car category have not changed on an annual basis for almost all the companies, apart from Sazgar. It’s best selling passenger vehicle for March 2022 was its BAIC BJ40L.

Segment wise performance

Similar to brand wise performance, all automotive segments fared worse on a YoY basis. On a MoM basis, only the passenger car segment fared better by clocking in 56% higher sales than in February 2023.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, buses fared the worst on a MoM basis. Buses saw a 79% MoM contraction in their sales figures. On a YoY, basis light commercial vehicles fared the best due to only recording a decline of 15% whilst three wheelers saw the worst decline at 71%.

A segment wise analysis reveals that Suzuki recorded the highest sales in the passenger car segments dethroning Honda from February and retaining the position it also held in March 2022.

In the truck segment, Master Motors had the highest sales in the month of March 2023, an aberration from Ghandhara’s dominance

seen in February 2023 and March 2022. Toyota dominated the bus segment for March 2023 through its group company Hinopak making for an interesting dynamic when seen in light of the previous month and year which were dominated by Ghandhara Nissan and Master respectively. The light commercial vehicle, tractor, two wheeler, and three wheeler segments all had their usual winners in the forms of Hyundai, Millat Tractors, Atlas Honda, and Sazgar, respectively.

Unwrapping the carnage

“The numbers are not surprising at all because industry production has nosedived due to unavailability of completely knocked-down kits etc. amid import restrictions. So sales have also taken a hit,” says Mustafa Mustansir, Director of Research and Business Development at Taurus Securities. Similarly, “The recent sales drop in

the automobile industry is largely due to import compression policies, and it seems like supply shortfall is outpacing demand decline,” adds Sateesh Balani, Head of Research at Providus Capital. “I don’t see the situation improving at least for the rest of the current fiscal year. The thing is localisation levels are extremely low except for a few models. Some demand attrition has also taken place due to soaring prices, auto financing becoming expensive due to record high interest rates plus restrictions on consumer financing,” Mustansir muses.

Balani does provide a silver lining to this entire ordeal that the automotive sector is currently victim to, “The current scenario would also create pent-up demand for the future, and whenever supply normalises, we can see a strong rebound in sales. Another factor to watch out will be agricultural output in the country, which is a key determinant of discretionary product demand,”.

MONTHLY SALES DIP BY 14PC, ANNUAL SALES 47PC LOWER THAN MARCH 22’S FIGURE