Epaper_23-04-20 KHI

SC CAUTIONS AGAINST ‘CONSEQUENCES’ IF RS21B NOT PROVIDED TO ECP

g DECLARES DEFENCE MINISTRY’S PLEA FOR SAME DAY POLLS IN COUNTRY AS INADMISSIBLE

ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

WARNINGthe government over its refusal to release money for elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the Supreme Court on Wednesday cautioned the ruling Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) coalition of “serious consequences” if Rs21 billion were not provided to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). The Supreme Court made it clear that it would not backtrack from its April 4 order to hold the elections in Punjab on May 14 and summoned the leaders or representatives of all political parties, including the Jamaate-Islami, on Thursday (today).

It also declared the defence ministry’s plea for conducting polls in the country at the same time as inadmissible.

The warning came during a hearing on the defence ministry’s request to hold general elections simultaneously across Pakistan after the terms of the national, Sindh, and Balochistan parliaments were completed.

On Tuesday, the defense ministry, headed by Khawaja Asif of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), filed an application in the Supreme Court, requesting it to retract its April 4 order that had set May 14 as the election date for the parliament of Punjab.

A three-judge bench — comprising Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Ijaz ul-Ahsan, and Justice Munib Akhtar — took up the petition.

Justice Bandial, who had received a briefing from military officials the day before, said the Supreme Court had already given a verdict on the Punjab vote and could not backtrack on it, emphasising that it was time to “move on.”

The apex court had been briefed on the security situation by top intelligence officials a day earlier. Justice Bandial noted the director general of Military Operations briefed the bench, with the director general of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency and the defence

secretary also present. While acknowledging the briefing, Justice Bandial pointed out that it was only given after the Supreme Court had announced its verdict. He said that now that the decision had been made, they could not go back and must move forward.

The attorney general for Pakistan (AGP) was called to the rostrum at the outset of the hearing and asked to read

the finance ministry’s report out loud in the courtroom. The report dealt with the issue of funding for conducting polls in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Justice Bandial remarked that the government had earlier claimed that the required funds would be issued via a supplementary grant. However, he pointed out that the matter was eventually sent to parliament. The AGP explained to the court that the National

Assembly Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue had referred the matter to the cabinet and parliament.

Justice Akhtar remarked that a majority of the committee’s members were part of the government, and questioned how the government could be barred from approving a grant. He emphasised that the Constitution gave the government the right to issue a supplementary grant and asked how the assembly could intervene. He also stressed that it was mandatory to have a majority in “financial matters,” and the prime minister should have a majority in the parliament. The AGP replied that the right to approve a supplementary grant lay with parliament, and the NA had already expressed its opinion on the matter through a resolution.

Justice Akhtar asked if the government could not have gotten the supplementary grant approved if it was serious. He also warned that taking post-facto approval of the grant would have been “risky,” and that the expenses would be classified as “unconstitutional” if approval was not granted.

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Parliament already given verdict on Punjab polls: Kh Asif

ISLAMABAD: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Wednesday said that it is a prerogative of the Supreme Court to give its verdict on the issue of elections to Punjab and KP assemblies, but the parliament, too, had given its verdict.

“The parliament has given its verdict on the matter of elections in Punjab”, Kh Asif said during an interview with a private TV programme.

Currently both the executive and the judiciary have reached an impasse due to the government’s dillydallying in carrying out the Supreme Court’s verdict whereby it has ordered elections to the Punjab Assembly on May 14.

“Parliament has given its verdict. There is no ambiguity about it,” he said when asked about the possibility of the Supreme Court (SC) upholding its decision to hold elections in Punjab in May.

Elections to the Punjab Assembly, as well as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, have been due since January when both houses were dissolved.

The defence minister said parliament was the “mother of the Constitution” and a “reflection of the public’s aspirations”, and hence, it “predominates” over other constitu-

PTI decides on legal battle against interim Punjab, KP setups as 90-day tenure nears end

LAHORE

STAFF REPORT

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has decided to file a petition in the Supreme Court seeking appointment of administrators in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as 90day tenure of caretaker governments in both provinces is going to end on April 22. Former Punjab chief minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi, ex-KP CM Mahmood Khan and Fawad Chaudhry will submit the petition as PTI Chairman Imran Khan has given nod for it after consultation. Mr Chaudhry said the interim government could not stay in power beyond 90 days as per the Constitution, adding that the petition will be filed today or tomorrow. The development comes days after Fawad Chaudhry penned a letter to President Dr Arif Alvi on the issue of the expiry of tenure of the caretaker governments in both provinces.

“This is to draw our kind attention towards the breach of mandatory constitutional commands by the Federal Government and The Election Commission of Pakistan,” read the letter. He said the caretaker government are installed for the limited time period of 90 days under article 224 of the Constitution to ensure the fair and transparent elections, adding that the only objective of the interim set up was to facilitate the commission in holding free, fair, just and honest elections in accordance with constitution and law.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 03

tional institutions. On April 4, the SC had ruled that polls in Punjab should be held on May 14, after the Election Commission of Pakistan decided to defer them to October 8. The court observed that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) was bound by the law and Constitution to hold elections within 90 days of the dissolution of an assembly and directed the government to release Rs21 billion to the ECP by April 10 for holding polls in Punjab and KP.

However, the government referred the matter to Parliament which defied the court’s orders and refused to issue the funds. The court then directed the State Bank of Pakistan to release the funds, but the central bank, despite having allocated the amount to the ECP, has not been able to release the funds as it needs the federal cabinet’s approval.

Meanwhile, the federal cabinet — which requires the National Assembly’s (NA) approval for the release of the said funds — has managed through the lower house of parliament the rejection of its own demand for the provision of Rs21bn as a supplementary grant to the ECP for holding polls in the two provinces.

PM reaffirms Pakistan’s desire to fortify fraternal ties with Kuwait, Oman

ISLAMABAD

STAFF REPORT

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday recalled the historical brotherly ties between Pakistan and Kuwait and reaffirmed Pakistan’s desire to fortify the fraternal ties by transforming them into mutually rewarding economic relationship.

The prime minister telephoned Prime Minister of Kuwait Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf al-Sabah, to extend his best wishes and warm greetings on the auspicious occasion of Eidul Fitr, the PM Office Media Wing said in a press release.

The Kuwaiti prime minister warmly reciprocated PM Shehbaz’s Eid greetings and conveyed best wishes for the people of Pakistan.

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of Diplomatic Relations between the two nations. Both leaders agreed to celebrate it in a befitting manner, with the aim of further solidifying the bilateral ties in all areas of mutual interest.

‘SIGNIFICANCE OF PAKOMAN ECONOMIC LINKAGES’: Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday referring to the historic fraternal ties between Pakistan and Oman, emphasized the need for enhancing institutional and economic linkages between the two maritime neighbours.

The prime minister phoned Sultan of Oman Haitham bin Tariq bin Taimur Al Said, to extend his best wishes and warm greetings on the auspicious occasion of Eid-ulFitr, the PM Office Media Wing

President Alvi again returns bill to clip CJP’s powers ‘unsigned’

ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

President Arif Alvi on Wednesday refused to give his assent to a bill, aims at clipping powers of the chief justice of Pakistan’s office, for a second time and observed the matter was sub judice before the apex court. “The matter of competency of legislation and validity of the bill is subjudice now before the highest judicial forum of the country. In deference to the same, thereto no further action is desirable,” he said in his reply.

The Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Bill 2023 is aimed at curtailing “suo motu powers of the Chief Justice of Pakistan in an individual capacity” and giving the right to appeal in all suo motu cases with retrospective effect.

The federal cabinet approved the draft bill on March 28 and then passed by both houses of parliament — the National Assembly and Senate — only for the president to refuse to sign it into law with the observation that it travelled “beyond the competence of parliament”.

However, a joint session of parliament passed it again on April 10 with certain amendments amid a noisy protest by PTI lawmakers.

Now again the bill was referred to President Dr Alvi for his assent and as per the Constitution, in case of the bill not being signed by him within 10 days, his assent would have been deemed granted.

said in a press release.

The prime minister highlighted the immense potential with regard to further strengthening of the brotherly relations, especially in strategic, economic and trade spheres.

The Sultan warmly reciprocated the prime minister’s Eid greetings and conveyed best wishes for the people of Pakistan.

Both leaders reaffirmed their resolve to work closely towards further broadening bilateral relations with a view to achieving common objectives and aspirations of the people of the two countries.

CAD records surplus after two years

PROFIT STAFF REPORT

Pakistan’s current account achieved a surplus of $654 million in March, as per data released by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on Wednesday.

A tweet mentioning the same was made by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, adding that in February 2023, CAD was of $36 million.

This is the first time the country’s current account balance was in surplus since November 2020, and the highest surplus since February 2015. The rise in remittances during the holy month of Ramadan and a fall in imports contributed to this outcome.

In March, the current account deficit stood at $74 million, and for the nine months of the current fiscal year, the deficit

was $3.4 billion, marking a decrease of 74.1% from the same period last year. The SBP report suggests that measures taken to curb the deficit, such as import restrictions, have slowed down the economy’s growth. Former finance adviser Dr Khaqan Najeeb highlighted the impact of import restrictions on the economy, which has led to a near-zero growth rate and rising unemployment. According to experts, the decline in imports has surpassed the fall in exports and remittances. According to the latest SBP data, imports of goods dropped by 34.7% YoY in March, reaching $4 billion. At the same time, exports of goods also fell by 21% to $2.4 billion, and remittances declined by 10.7% YoY to $2.5 billion.

To address the country’s foreign exchange reserves crisis last year, the govern-

ment decided to restrict imports to “essential items.” While some restrictions have been lifted, companies across all sectors have complained about banks not opening letters of credit (LCs). Moreover, the IMF, World Bank, and Asian Development Bank have reduced Pakistan’s growth forecasts for the fiscal year, estimating a growth rate of 0.4% to 0.6%.

Dr Najeeb suggested that the government should finalize an agreement with the IMF to obtain over $1 billion in funds to avoid the risk of default. The IMF agreement would also unlock fresh inflows from other international lending agencies. He also emphasized that the government needs to find a solution to the dollar liquidity crunch. As of April 7, the central bank’s reserves stood at $4 billion, which is insufficient to cover even a month’s imports.

But three days after passage of the bill by the joint session of the parliament, an eight-member bench of the Supreme Court (SC), including CJP Umar Ata Bandial, barred the government from implementing the bill after it becomes a law.

“The moment that the bill receives the assent of the president or it is deemed that such assent has been given, then from that very moment onwards and till further orders, the act that comes into being shall not have, take or be given any effect nor be acted upon in any manner,” read the SC’s interim order.

The apex court’s pre-emptive move has received criticism from the ruling coalition at the Centre. The federal government has also raised objections to the eight-member bench that has taken up the matter, terming it “controversial and unilateral”, and so has the Pakistan Bar Council.

INDIAN TAXI STARTUP BLUSMART PICKS EV FIGHT WITH UBER

PT PROFIT ReuteRS

INDIANride-hailing startup

BluSmart is seeking to challenge Uber and Ola for market share in the country with bets on an all-electric taxi fleet and an aggressive bid to lure disgruntled passengers and drivers from the incumbents.

A clean energy push by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government is expected to significantly change India’s transport industry in years ahead, with major implications for ride-hailing firms.

For dominant players Uber (UBER.N) and SoftBank-backed Ola, a full shift to electric vehicles (EVs) is likely to be a massive undertaking that would come as both companies struggle with driver retention and customer satisfaction issues. s a new entrant, BluSmart is looking to seize the moment by beating its combustion engine-powered rivals on electrification, cleanliness and reliability through direct management of its fleet and drivers. For starters, drivers cannot cancel bookings received on their BluSmart app.

“BluSmart has cracked quality of service with clean cars which are on time. Having your own fleet allows you to do that,” said Jasmeet Khurana who leads a mobility decarbonisation initiative at the World Economic Forum (WEF). “It used the transition to electric to get its foot in the door.” BluSmart has also used Uber’s struggles to drum up investor support.

A confidential BluSmart investor deck from March, reviewed by Reuters, stated “Uber is losing drivers, riders and market share in India”, and its growth model of driver-owners is “crashing” amid soaring fuel prices.

Uber did not respond to a request for comment on this story but its India head Prabhjeet Singh told Reuters in February the company was adding more drivers and vehicles each month and would continue to address service concerns.

Uber started operations in India in 2013 offering cheap fares for riders and high incentives to drivers. Home-grown rival Ola started in 2010.

Both brands boomed across India but have more recently struggled as riders faced high cancellations and drivers got upset with

reduced financial incentives, forcing many to quit. Ola did not respond to a request for comment.

BluSmart, backed by BP’s (BP.L) venture unit, started in 2020 by offering airport rides in Delhi, and later scheduled bookings. It has also expanded to Bengaluru.

In Delhi, 80% of the 2,750 new electric taxis registered between January and October 2022 belonged to BluSmart. EVs accounted for 25% of city’s new taxis, from just 3% in 2019, data from consultancy Redseer showed.

BluSmart has 22 charging and parking hubs in the capital – one of them on the top floor of a multi-level car park, guarded by private security, in a posh neighbourhood where more than 100 cars undergo extensive cleaning each night.

SCALING UP: India’s ride-hailing market is currently worth $13.4 billion – a tenth of China’s – and penetration is just 7%, according to Statista, making the country of 1.4 billion a lucrative opportunity. Modi wants 30% of all cars sold by 2030 to be electric and some states are pushing for more green taxis.

BluSmart is planning to grow its fleet to 14,000 taxis next year and 100,000 in five years, expanding to four more cities, and offer more immediate bookings, like Uber, its CEO Anmol Singh Jaggi told Reuters.

By June its fleet will include customised, small EVs built by Indian company Gensol Engineering (GENO.BO) that will allow it to slash fares.

“The mass market can only be captured with a small EV,” Jaggi said.

However, that strategy also faces challenges.

BluSmart, which operatzs in just two cities with 5,000 vehicles, says it commands 9% market share of Delhi’s ride-hailing market. Uber has 300,000 in more than 100 Indian cities giving it a 43% nationwide share.

BluSmart’s fleet includes pricier EVs from MG Motor and BYD (002594.SZ) but it faces constraints in the number of cars it gets from Tata Motors (TAMO.NS) – the only affordable EV maker in India right now.

Jaggi estimates 40% of BluSmart’s drivers are from Uber or Ola. Nearly two dozen drivers interviewed by Reuters said

Initial census results show Pakistan’s population grows by 25mn in five years

ISLAMABAD anadolu agency

Pakistan’s population has crossed 230 million with an increase of over 25 million over the past five years, initial results of an ongoing census show.

The country’s overall population has reached 233.4 million with an increase of more than 25 million people, Naeem uz-Zafar, chief statistician at the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), told Anadolu.

Zafar said the initial figures are based on 98% findings of the ongoing census, which is scheduled to culminate on April 20.

The country’s population was recorded as 207.68 million after the 2017 census.

The population has increased with an annual growth rate between 1.5 percent and 2 percent, which is likely

SC rebuts reports on lack of audit

ISLAMABAD

Staff RepoRt

The Supreme Court on Wednesday issued a clarification and rebutted news items published in print media which alleged that the top court wasn’t audited for the last 10 years and that the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) summoned the court’s registrar. According to clarification issued by SC PRO, reference news reports regarding audit of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, published widely in the print media on Wednesday, 19th April, 2023, wherein it has been alleged that the said audit has not been conducted for the last ten (10) years and that the Public Accounts Committee has summoned the Registrar Supreme Court accordingly. To set the record straight, the audit of the Supreme Court of Pakistan has been conducted and completed upto 30.06.2021. Audit for the financial year 2021-2022 was under process and could be confirmed from the office of the Auditor General of Pakistan. The court clarified in concrete terms that such reports were contrary to the facts, incorrect, misleading and were based on erroneous information placed before the Public Accounts Committee.

to remain marginally low compared to slightly over 2 percent recorded in 2017.

“These numbers may vary because the work (census) is still in progress in several pockets across the country, particularly in major cities,” Zafar said.

According to him, some pockets in Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Faisalabad, Hyderabad, Multan and other cities have not been properly tabulated due to negligence of the census staff and non-cooperation of households.

Asked if the total population is likely to hit the 250 million figure, Zafar said: “I cannot say anything in this regard at this stage. Something decisive could be said only after these omissions (number of people still not counted in big cities) are covered.”

Punjab remains the most populous province with slightly over 115 million people, followed by Sindh with 52 million, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has 40 million and

Balochistan 18.8 million.

Some 4.2 million and 1.65 million people have been so far counted in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and the Giglit-Baltistan region, respectively.

Islamabad, meanwhile, has a population of 2.1 million. Over 60 percent of the country’s population resides in rural areas.

Karachi remains the most populous city with 15.8 million people, which, according to the preliminary results, stands almost the same as recorded in 2017.

The metropolis’ total population is estiated to cross 17 million after the completion of the remaining census.

Lahore stands second with 13.4 million people compared to 11 million in 2017.

Pakistan is currently the fifth-largest in the world and the second-largest Muslim country after Indonesia in terms of population.

$4b lent on zero-interest in PTI rule, PAC told

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the National Assembly was informed that four billion US dollars were given on zero-interest rate in the PTI tenure.

The disclosure made in the PAC session chaired by its Chairman Noor Alam Khan. “One billion dollars were provided to a petroleum company, while three billion dollars given to 600 people on zero-interest rate.”

The PAC has summoned the list of 600 persons, who borrowed three billion dollars on zero-interest, from the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) after Eid.

The PAC also directed the FIA to take homes, bank balance and properties of the 600 beneficiaries of the loan in its custody.

Chairman PAC Noor Alam Khan has said that former governor State Bank Reza Baqar and former minister of finance Shaukat Tareen have been involved in the dubious transaction of four billion dollars.

A member of the committee Birjis Tahir said in the session that

Ombudsman reviews quarterly performance

LAHORE

Staff RepoRt

The complaints of expatriates approaching the Office of the Punjab Ombudsman should be resolved on a priority basis and in the case of irrelevance, plaintiffs be properly guided about the appropriate forum so that they may approach it for legal relief. This was said by Ombudsman retired Maj. Azam Suleman Khan while presiding over a quarterly review meeting at his office on Wednesday to review the performance of advisors and consultants of regional offices across Punjab during the first three months of the current year. The meeting reviewed the performance of advisors and consultants in resolving public issues, reclaiming government lands from illegal occupants, protecting children’s rights and providing financial relief to complainants. The meeting expressed satisfaction with the use of information technology-based interventions that have helped to make ombudsman offices more accessible to the public inside and outside of the country. The ombudsman directed that final orders related to public complaints should be issued within 24 hours, adding that a monthly performance report be submitted to the head office by the 5th of each month to assess the performance. The meeting expressed satisfaction with the 24/7 helpline 1050 facility which guides and assists people in obtaining relief. Khan emphasised expediting the resolution of public complaints to ensure timely relief to the public.

The office of the Chief Provincial Commissioner for Children is an important forum to ensure the timely resolution of complaints relating to child abuse and this would help to promote a child-friendly society; he noted and concluded that the Office of the Ombudsman has been serving as a mediator to provide individuals with access to justice, promoting trust and confidence in the government institutions.

four billion dollars were provided on Rs 160 per dollar exchange rate. ” US dollar has soared to 280 rupees, which is more than 900 billion rupees of the national economy,” he said. The Public Accounts Committee in a previous meeting summoned the Supreme Court registrar for skipping

they joined for better pay, though some are upset charging eats up too much of daily driving time and incentives are waning.

Beyond an hourly wage, BluSmart last year paid incentives if a driver clocked at least 7,000 rupees ($85) in weekly trip revenue. This now starts from 8,000 rupees ($98), drivers said.

“If I get better earnings elsewhere, even at Uber, I will leave,” said BluSmart driver A. Kumar. “After all, I have to feed my kids.”

REINVENTION: Ola in January said it would launch 10,000 EVs on its platform but gave no timeline.

In February, Uber’s India chief Singh dismissed concerns about BluSmart, saying Uber still offered more diverse ride options, including scooters and autorickshaws.

But an industry executive with direct knowledge of Uber’s thinking said the company internally recognises BluSmart as a challenger and its own EV push is part of its fightback.

Uber wants to have a 100% EV fleet by 2040 globally and is targeting more than 1 million such vehicles in India and South Asia, considering it “a key piece” in its regional growth strategy, a company job ad on LinkedIn said.

In its first move, Uber in February said it will deploy 25,000 Tata EVs in India and partner with fleet operators to manage them, just like BluSmart does. “In a way it (BluSmart) has forced Uber to reimagine how it wants to play in India,” WEF’s Khurana said.

Over 11pc of registered beneficiaries remained deprived of free flour in KP

As free flour programme came to an end, over 0.6 million deserving people could not be benefitted from the programme due to irregularities and mismanagement at distribution points across the province. According to statistics of the KP Food Department, 5.718 million people were registered under the Benazir Income Support Program across the province for free flour. The provincial government distributed free flour to 5.57 million deserving people. In Torghar district, where 26,164 deserving people were registered, only 0.49% beneficiary could be provided with free flour. Similarly, free flour was provided to 67% of the citizens in Tank District, 70% in Mohmand, 74% in Dera Ismail Khan and 79% in Upper Chitral. Supply of flour to more than registered people is also recorded according to which 100.03% people were provided flour in Lower Chitral, 127.24% in Lower Kohistan and 192% in South Upper Waziristan. Thus, a total of 661,149 or 11% deserving people were left deprived of free flour. The provincial government has closed the scheme by providing free flour to more than 88% of registered deservingpeople.

Ejaz alleges manipulated audio in leaked recording

LAHORE

Staff RepoRt

the audit of the apex court for the last 10 years. The PAC chief took notice of not conducting an audit of the Supreme Court during last 10 years.

The PAC chief summoned the Supreme Court registrar after Eidul Fitr holidays into the matter.

Rafique calls for talks with PTI amidst opposition from party members

ISLAMABAD

Staff RepoRt

Minister for Railways Khawaja Saad Rafique has expressed his support for holding talks with the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-iInsaf (PTI) party for the sake of the country, while accusing its chairman Imran Khan of promoting “politics of hatred, slander, and conspiracies.” In a tweet on Wednesday, Rafique declared that the environment has been vitiated by Khan’s “divisive rhetoric,” making it challenging to communicate in an environment of mistrust. However, Rafique believes that despite the conflicts and mistrust, the way out lies in talking to each other for the betterment of Pakistan. According to media reports, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called a meeting of coalition party heads to discuss the issue of holding talks with the PTI. While the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) supported the idea of holding talks, the Jamiat Ulema-iIslam-Fazl (JUI-F) and Jamhoori Watan Party (JWP) opposed it. There are also some hawkish elements within the ruling PML-N who oppose talks with the opposition.Recently, Jamaat-i-Islami leader Siraj ul-Haq held separate meetings with Sharif and Khan, insisting that both sides hold talks. His efforts yielded positive results as both sides gave a “positive response.” The PML-N tasked Ayaz Sadiq and Rafique to hold talks while the PTI formed a three-member panel comprising Pervez Khattak, Mian Mehmood ur-Rashid, and Ejaz Chaudhry for the task.

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leader Ejaz Chaudhry has denied the authenticity of an audio recording that surfaced on Wednesday, claiming that the audio was tampered with. According to Chaudhry, the voice in the audio was indeed his, but three or four clips were added to it, which distorted the original context. The leaked audio allegedly features Chaudhry asking Chaudhry Hafeez, an aspirant for a party ticket for the Punjab election, to donate Rs10 million and meet party chief Imran Khan. Chaudhry was heard telling Hafeez that there is no limit to the donations for the Shaukat Khanum Hospital. The audio introduced a voice as “Chaudhry Hafeez from Nawab Shahwala, talking from Islamabad and wanting a ticket for Rana Shaukat for PP-114.” Hafeez questioned Chaudhry about the amount of money required for the party ticket and the donation for the hospital. Chaudhry replied that the amount for the hospital was Hafeez’s choice, but to meet Khan, the donation should be above Rs10 million. Hafeez then inquired about when to deposit the money and call for a meeting, to which Chaudhry replied that the party would issue tickets in a day or two. Chaudhry said he stands by what he has said and that the audio has been doctored. The PTI leader’s denial casts a shadow on the authenticity of the audio, and the party has yet to issue an official statement regarding the matter.

Court annuls ECP order on vote recount in six Karachi UCs

ISLAMABAD

Staff RepoRt

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday annulled the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) order on the recount of votes in six union councils (UCs) of Karachi. IHC Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan pronounced the decision on Jamaat-eIslami’s (JI) request to stop the recount. JI lawyers Qaiser Imam and Hasan Javed Shorosh, and ECP officials and lawyers of other candidates appeared in the court. After hearing arguments, the IHC had stayed the implementation of the ECP’s orders regarding the recount in the six union councils of Karachi until the next hearing. Subsequently, the court then issued notices to candidates of Karachi’s six union councils (UCs) on which it had stayed a recount of votes. Earlier on March 22, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) ordered the recounting of the votes in six Union Councils (UCs) of Karachi. Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) filed a plea against the alleged rigging and irregularities in Local government (LG) polls. Following the plea, the ECP directed the recounting of votes in six Union Councils (UCs). JI had challenged the result of six UCs which include Mominabad UC-3, Manghopir UC-12, Gulshan-e-Iqbal UC-1, Orangi UC-3, 7 and 8.

PRESIDENT DIRECTS STATE LIFE TO PAY DEATH INSURANCE CLAIM TO WIDOW

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

PRESIDENTDr Arif Alvi on Wednesday directed the State Life Insurance Corporation of Pakistan (SLICP) to pay the death insurance claim worth Rs300,000 to the widow of a deceased policyholder who was denied payment on the ground that her husband’s death was not the direct consequence of road accident but he was a known patient of epilepsy. He also upheld the orders of the Wafaqi Mohtasib directing SLICP to adopt proper procedure/rules/regulations

which were violated by it resulting in maladministration. The President gave this decision while rejecting a representation filed by SLICP against the decision of the Wafaqi Mohtasib (WM).

Akram Masih, the late husband of Mst Rehana Bibi (the complainant), had obtained a life insurance policy from SLICP for the sum assured of Rs300,000 for a period of 20 years. He died in a road accident and, after his death, his wife filed a death insurance claim which was rejected by SLICP claiming that he fell down due to an epilepsy attack and his death was not a direct consequence of the road accident as reflected in the FIR and was a known

Legendary comedian Umer Sharif remembered on birth anniversary

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

Umer Sharif, Pakistan’s king of comedy who had taken the genre of comedy to new highs, was born on April 1955. He started off his career a stage performer by the name Umer Zarif and later on changed his name to Umer Sharif. Two of his very famous comedy plays included ‘Bakra Qiston Pe’ and ‘Buddha Ghar Pe Hai’. He received two National Awards for the film Mr 420 in the category of Best Actor and Director. He also received 10 Nigar Awards. The government had conferred the prestigious Tamgha-e-Imtiaz on him for his contributions in the Pakistani film industry as an actor, producer and comedian. The legendary comedian battled cardiac ailments and was flown out of Pakistan on an air ambulance on September 28, 2021 for surgery in the United States. However, he was admitted to a hospital in Germany during a stopover as his condition deteriorated, and passed away on October 2, 2021.

SC cautions against ‘consequences’ if Rs21b not provided to ECP

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Justice Bandial remarked that there was no previous instance of referring administrative matters to the relevant standing committee, and noted that the funds spent on election were a “necessary” expenditure. During the hearing, the chief justice observed that the electoral watchdog had stated that polls in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa could not be conducted till October. He further noted that the ECP had called for holding elections simultaneously in the country and had cited the security situation.

Justice Bandial said that several questions arose from the ECP’s stance, and questioned what new danger there was for not holding polls in the country. The AGP replied and said that in the past, security forces had performed their duties at one time, but now elections would take place in two provinces separately. He also mentioned that since 2001, security forces were busy at the country’s borders, dealing with external threats.

Justice Akhtar asked whether the army came to the civil government’s aid under Article 245 of the Constitution. The AGP responded that fundamental rights were suspended under Article 245. Justice Akhtar then asked whether fundamental rights were suspended during the 2008 polls, and why the government was not exercising its powers under Article 245. He questioned whether the Constitution was not supreme. Justice Ahsan observed that timely elections were held in Britain during a time of war, and asked where the government had the right to delay polls. He also noted that the top court’s directives regarding funds for polls were being sent from one place to another, and asked what guarantee there was that elections would be held on October 8. Justice Bandial said that it was expected that the government would review its decision and either decide or again refer the matter to the NA. The AGP was instructed to inform the government regarding the court’s directives.

DEFENSE MINISTRY REPORT: In addition to the application, the defense ministry has also submitted a report in court. This report was laid before the Supreme Court in compliance with its directives to the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and other departments to furnish reports after releasing Rs21 billion to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for conducting elections.

PTI’s wrong policies blamed for current wave of terrorism

ISLAMABAD

patient of epilepsy.

Feeling aggrieved, she approached the Wafaqi Mohtasib which passed the order in her favour. SLCIP, then, filed a representation with the President against the order of WM. In his decision, the President observed that the record showed that SLICP had not produced anything to establish that the death of the deceased was a direct consequence of epilepsy despite having all resources at its disposal.

He added that the Ombudsman had rightly observed that SLICP had merely relied on Police Roznamcha without producing any corroborative evidence to support its claim.

The President further pointed out that the Confidential Report of the Field Officer of SLICP depicted that the said officer at the time of issuance of the policy had declared the insured as healthy and categorically stated therein that he knew the deceased policyholder since the last two years, thus, the plea of SLICP was hit by the principle of estoppel. The President held that since the maladministration stood established on the part of SLICP, therefore, SLICP was directed to pay the death insurance claim to the complainant within thirty days of receipt of the President’s order and report compliance to the Wafaqi Mohtasib.

Bilawal Bhutto visits JUI-F chief’s residence to condole over Mufti’s demise

DI KHAN Staff RepoRt

The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman and Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari along with a delegation on Wednesday arrived here at Jamiaat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl

(JUI-F) Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s native home in Abdulkhel to offer condolence on the sad demise of Mufti Abdul Shakoor. The foreign minister condoled with the JUI-F leadership on the demise of Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Mufti Abdul Shakoor who passed away in a tragic road accident in the federal capital on April 15, 2023.

On this occasion, Advisor to the Prime Minister on Kashmir Affairs and

Gilgit Baltistan Qamar Zaman Kaira and State Minister for Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Faisal Karim Kundi also accompanied the PPP Chairman. On their arrival, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and his delegation were welcomed by Maulana Zia-ur-Rehman at the helipad in Abdulkhel. The foreign minister shared grief with JUI-F leadership over the tragic demise of Mufti Abdul Shakoor. He prayed to the Almighty to rest the departed soul in eternal peace. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also conveyed a special message of former President Asif Ali Zardari to Maulana Fazlur Rehman. They also discussed the matters pertaining to holding talks between Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the ruling coalition of the Pakistan

Democratic Movement (PDM).

The meeting also stressed for sustainable democracy and the positive constitutional role of the institutions. The geopolitical situation of the country, especially the challenges being faced by the country on internal and external fronts, was also discussed. Besides, the performance of the PDM government in this regard during the last one year was also reviewed. The meeting also discussed the steps regarding improvement in the matters related to China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the commercial and economic importance of Gwadar and steps to be taken to remedy the damages caused to these projects during the PTI regime.

Once booming Indian startups set for more pain as funding crunch worsens

CONTINUED FROM BACK PAGE

The prospect of fast rising consumption both offline and in India’s digital space helped many startups clock multi-billion-dollar valuations in recent years, with the likes of Sequoia and Tiger Global betting big on businesses which burnt cash to lure consumers in the country of 1.4 billion people.

Global factors such as high rates and inflation have weighed on the investment climate in India and elsewhere – startup funding in the U.S. dropped by around half to $32.5 billion in the first quarter, while in China it fell 60% to $5.6 billion

But India’s startups – which are far more reliant on foreign capital than global peers – have seen a more severe squeeze, which some executives say is also partly due to investors realising that they misjudged consumption growth.

Indian VC firm Blume Ventures said in an April report consumption outside the top 30 million Indian households dropped sharply, and is driven by a “tiny superuser set”.

Despite India’s billion-plus population, food-delivery company Zomato (ZOMT.NS) has just 50 million annual transacting users and

state-backed digital money transfer service UPI is used by just 260 million, the report said.

“Indian startups are not catering to a billion consumers. All of them are selling to the same 100 million. The (consumer) market seems 2-3 times inflated,” said Ankit Nagori, a former top executive of Walmart’s ecommerce arm Flipkart who now runs cloud kitchen startup Curefoods.

FEWER DEALS, CONSOLIDATION IN SIGHT:

The first signs of discontent in the Indian market came after the flop listing of loss-making digital payments firm Paytm (PAYT.NS) in 2021, following which investors and regulators raised questions on whether valuations of many startups were unrealistic. Since then, things have gotten worse. Six investor sources and three startup founders told Reuters they expect the funding environment to worsen and many multi-billion-dollar firms to cut valuations within two years.

In recent weeks, BlackRock (BLK.N) internally halved the valuation of Indian online education firm Byju’s it has invested in to $11.15 billion from $22 billion, while Invesco (IVZ.N) slashed food

delivery firm Swiggy’s valuation by a quarter to $8 billion, disclosures from the U.S. investors show.

And only 271 Indian startups raised funding in Q1 2023, compared with 561 last year, according to CB Insights.

After leading the funding boom in India for years, Japan’s SoftBank (9984.T) has not made a single new investment in the country in the last one year as it waits for a further correction in valuations, two people familiar with its planning said.

SoftBank did not respond to a request for comment. It invested $3 billion in Indian companies in 2021 and another $500 million in 2022, by April that year, Reuters calculations show.

Amid all the pain, banker Shivakumar Ramaswami has sensed an opportunity and is setting up a new M&A desk at his tech-focused investment banking firm Indigoedge as he sees a wave of consolidation –two of his colleagues are only tasked to scout for M&A opportunities.

“So many funded companies hit some scale and then stalled. Everyone needs to find a home, and many of these companies can’t go for an IPO. We are preparing to work with them,” he said.

PTI decides on legal battle against interim Punjab, KP setups as 90-day tenure nears end

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 01

“During such period the care taker governments are vested with only authority and power to run day to day affairs and not to take major policy decision.”

After the dissolution of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial assemblies, the caretaker setups were established in both provinces. However, due to the unconstitutional and illegal actions of the ECP and the PDM government, the mandatory time period for holding the elections within the stipulated time lapsed and the Supreme Court was constrained to fix the time period for

holding elections by using its constitutional jurisdiction, he said. “Therefore, the incumbent caretakers with the tacit approval of the ECP, in violation of all mandatory laws and standards of propriety have been permitted to embark upon the unchartered territories and it is indulged in taking major policy decisions including posting and transfers of the officials to affect the transparency and fairness of the elections,” the former information minister said. “The interim setups in both provinces have completed their constitutional time period and since the constitution does not provide for continuation/extension of the period fixed for the interim set ups.

Markets and malls bustling ahead of Eidul Fitr

ISLAMABAD

Xinhua

With only a few days left until the Muslim festival Eid ul-Fitr, markets and malls are buzzing with enthusiastic shoppers, especially women and children, spending extravagantly while getting into a festive mood to celebrate the upcoming special occasion.

To attract more customers, vibrant aesthetic interiors are adorned with beautiful colourful lights, wooing shoppers to stay late in the markets, some until dawn.

Due to the high influx of customers, many temporary stalls have also popped up in numerous markets, selling bangles, henna, cosmetics and other decorative accessories for women and children. While helping her sister to choose a

dress for Eid, 32-year-old Nazia Ahmed, a resident of Islamabad, said she has been visiting markets in the last two days to select dresses, matching shoes and jewellery for herself and two sisters.

“Eid ul-Fitr is a joyous occasion for Muslims around the world including Pakistan. Everyone around us is getting ready to soak in the spirit of Eid by splurging money on new clothes, shoes, accessories and food […] and why not, after all it’s time to cheer the special day,” Ahmed told Xinhua.

Echoing Ahmed, Rubina Sarfaraz, a school teacher in Rawalpindi, said that Eid is a special occasion for everyone in Pakistan, especially for children.

“I have two children for whom I have bought new dresses of their choice. Eid is the only festival when they get anything they wish for […] The

happiness this jubilant day brings to all of us is immense. I am looking forward to celebrating it to the fullest with my family and friends,” Sarfaraz told Xinhua.

As a large number of people have flocked to the markets, law enforcement agencies have devised a special security plan to manage big crowds and avoid untoward incidents. In an effort to beef up security, hundreds of mobile teams have been deployed in various districts of Pakistan to ensure thorough patrolling in the markets, particularly in sensitive areas. Police pickets have also been erected to provide foolproof security to the citizens.

With an increased influx of shoppers, many business owners have employed extra staff to provide good and timely services to their customers, describing

the occasion as a boon for their businesses.

Imtiaz Khan, a manager at a famous clothing brand in Islamabad, told Xinhua that their business has witnessed huge sales and profits over the past few days as people are showing great interest in buying new clothes for the upcoming occasion. “The overwhelming number of visitors has forced us to hire several more salespeople as we cannot let our customers wait. We are not only selling quality products, but also providing a great experience to our customers,” Khan said. He said that the hustle and bustle in the markets is going to gain momentum in the coming days as the Eid festival closes in, expressing hope to make the celebrations more pleasurable for shoppers.

Staff RepoRt

Federal Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazir Tarar on Wednesday blamed the recent wave of terror on the ‘wrong policy’ of the previous Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government to engage militants and allow them to resettle in Pakistan’s tribal areas. Speaking on the floor of the Senate, he said, sacrifices rendered by Pakistan’s armed forces for the elimination of terrorism had been overshadowed by political issues in the country. He said that it was unfortunate that Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaf is responsible for the current political unrest and economic challenges. The minister recalled that after the withdrawal of US and NATO forces from Afghanistan, the in-camera- briefing was given to lawmakers regarding return of terrorists operating in the Afghanistan. Tarar said that at that time the then opposition parties expressed reservations on the idea of negotiation and their settlement in Pakistan. He said that Pakistan is going through very critical juncture and country’s armed forces and police is being targeted by the terrorists. He said that Pakistan armed forces fighting against the terrorists from the last 30 years courageously. “It was the desire of the government to pass a unanimous resolution to address this issue,” he added.

LHC stays proceedings against former NAB chief in Tayyaba Gul case

LAHORE Staff RepoRt

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday stayed proceedings in an accountability court against former chairman National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal and 20 officers. A twomember bench, headed by LHC Chief Justice Muhammad Ameer Bhatti, passed the orders while hearing petitions, filed by former chairman and others against proceedings before an accountability court. The court also issued notices to Tayyaba Gul and others and sought a reply. Advocate Safdar Shaheen Pirzada represented the former chairman and others and argued that Tayyaba Gul filed baseless applications against former NAB chairman, NAB DG and others at various forums including accountability court. He submitted that illegal proceedings were in process against his clients at these forums. He submitted that Tayyaba Gul filed the applications with mala fide intentions to defame his clients.

Turkish aid agency organises iftar dinner for rescuers

ISLAMABAD anadolu agency

The Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) organised a Ramadan iftar, or fast-breaking dinner, for the teams from Rescue 1122 that took part in search and rescue efforts following the February 6 twin earthquakes in Turkey. Speaking to Anadolu, TIKA’s Islamabad Coordinator Muhsin Balci said they organised the dinner at the Turkish embassy in Islamabad. Lt. Gen. Inam Haider Malik, the chairman of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Turkish Ambassador to Pakistan Mehmet Pacaci, representatives of nongovernmental organisations involved in relief activities after the earthquakes in Turkey and representatives of Turkish institutions and organisations in Pakistan attended the iftar.

Soaring inflation dampens Eid holiday spirit

CONTINUED FROM BACK PAGE

This year, all have reported a significant drop in sales. “Our business is slow,” said Ali, who was hoping to sell hundreds of embroidered shawls in the run-up to Eid. For Fatima Azhar Mehmood, a mother of seven daughters, this Eid will be a budget-conscious one. “I have to shop for them, and at the same time I have to buy things for the house,” she said. Instead of buying off-the-rack clothes for the girls, Fatima went shopping for fabric in the Old Lahore district and plans to home-stitch their holiday outfits. “We have to buy rations, buy things for the children… and our rent is going to be due soon too,” she said.

“Everything is upon us at the same time.” Shocked at the price of goods this year, Amna Asim decided that in her household, only the children would get gifts this year — adult relatives would have to go without. “Shopping for the kids is a must,” she said. “We can’t leave the kids out. Even if we don’t get anything for ourselves we must get something for the kids.”

The signs of collapse

IT dean’t take a rocket scientist to realize that inflation is hurting badly. one just needs to be a shopper with a fixed income. The question of when this would come to an end depends on an improvement in the economy. However, the economy is showing every sign of tanking, and what is perhaps worse, how hapless the government seems. one of the most indicative news items is that Pak Suzuki posted its highest ever quarterly loss, of Rs 12.9 billion, in the January-March quarter just ended. Apart from a dip in sales, caused by a loss of purchasing power, the depreciation of the rupee was also quoted as driving up financial costs, which tripled from the second quarter, and were 12 times higher year-on-year. This result was merely a concrete example of the macro picture, which saw large scale manufacturing output decline 5.56 percent as compared to last year, in the JulyFebruary period, covering the first eight months of this fiscal year. This has been seen in conjunction with the 12.4 percent decline in textile exports in the year so far, which is a precipitous drop in one of the country’s main export categories. Does the exchange rate and its fluctuations have anything to do with this?

The bottom line is that jobs are being destroyed. Falling exports mean smaller orders and layoffs. The applies to large scale manufacturing. Domestic sales are being squeezed, as the unemployed put off spending. Industries dependent on imports (such as the automobile industry) are hard-pressed by the fall in the rupee, and cannot stabilize themselves. The government has failed to remedy the situation, though that it was committed to do. It proved to not be entirely forthright about the exchange rate, and when the IMF ordered a free float, the government failed to take any of the stakeholders into confidence.

As it is, despite placating the IMF as best as it could, and despite fulfilling its conditions, the IMF programme resumption i not in sight. The present economic strategy has failed, and if the Prime Minister does not accept the blame, the Finance Minister must. It is time that a new policy be tried, perhaps by a new Finance Minister. The government was very quick to change the previous Minister, because he was doing what the IMF sad, taking unpopular steps, The previous incumbent also took ‘unpopular steps’ (which actually means raising taxes to appease the IMF), but was turfed out to make way for someone who somehow satisfy both the IMF and the consumer. That did not happen, and not just the government but the whole country is suffering.

Dedicated to the legacy of late Hameed Nizami

Arif Nizami (Late)

Founding Editor

Yousaf Nizami Editor

M. A. Niazi Joint Editor Umar Aziz Executive Editor

Motives behind launch of the PML(N)

to wipe out the PPP

THE Pakistan Muslim League (nawaz) was launched by the third usurper to erase the political legacy of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and his PPP. Earlier in the 1960s, another brand of Muslim League was raised under Ch Zahoor Elahi of Gujrat (PML-Convention). The Muslim League House on Davis Road was also provided for this purpose. At that time, it was presented as the political face of the dictatorship that ran the country.

Pakistan Muslim League (PML) has always claimed to be the successor of the All-India Muslim League (AIML) the founder party of Pakistan which it is not. The AIML was founded in 1906 at Dhaka which then moved the headquarters to Lucknow.

After the creation of Pakistan, Muhammad Ali Jinnah as President of AIML tried to steer the new party and even suggested a new constitution but his efforts were thwarted. Finally, he walked out in frustration after severing all links with the new political entity. Soon most stalwarts left the party (Hussain Shaheed Suhrawardy, Maulvi Fazal-UlHaq, Mian Ifthekar-Ud-Din etc.). Since then, the Muslim League has been a brand name that keeps coming back to hijack the democratic order. It has been the mistress of the dictators.

In 1967, ZAB launched his movement in Lahore.

It was the first real political party of the country. He campaigned under the banner of Islamic Socialism, a term introduced by Dr Khalifa Abdul Hakim in his book Islam and Communism that was published by the Institute of Islamic Culture in the 1960s.

Progressives joined him in droves, and very soon the party spread all over the Western Wing with Lahore as its nucleus. ZAB had special affinity with the city and named it the Leningrad of Pakistan. He even willed to be buried here.

Lahore, the city of intellect remained a PPP stronghold. In the 1970 free and fair elections there was a clean sweep by the party winning all national Assembly seats by huge margins. Dr Mubashir Hasan polled the highest number of votes from Lahore. After being deposed from power in July 1977, ZAB arrived to a hero’s welcome here.

Panic bells started to ring in the corridors of power. It was decided to get rid of Quaid-e-Awam and his political party. He was arrested for the murder of the father of his opponent. Mr Justice K.M.A,

Back to the medieval ages

Samdani of the Lahore High Court bailed him out. He was then arrested under the Martial Law Regulations. A new bench was created under his arch enemy, Chief Justice Maulvi Mushtaq, to try the ExPM. He was kept in the Kot Lakhpat Jail and humiliated in the courtroom yet he kept his poise. Every morning he was driven in a Police Jeep to the LHC premises for the trail. There were no mobs in the court. It was kept as a legal battle. He was awarded the death penalty against which he appealed in the Supreme Court which upheld the decision with a narrow margin of 4 to 3.

While Karachi remained defiant to the first usurper, Lahore remained loyal to ZAB. Zia, the third Military Dictator, desired to take away the city from the stranglehold of PPP. According to Lt Gen Ghulam Jilani Khan, the then Governor of Punjab, he shortlisted three names for the coveted slot of Chief Minister of the province (nawaz Sharif, Hamid nasir Chatta, Chaudhry Ghafoor). nawaz Sharif was chosen by the dictator as he belonged to Lahore. The Shaif family bore a grudge against ZAB as their Ittefaq Foundry had been nationalized during the ZAB regime.

Mian Muhammad Sharif (Abba Ji) the founder of the Ittefaq and Sharif Groups, was known for his unscrupulous business activities. His golden rule was “Everyone has a price; pay it and get the job done “.

Until 1985 the political arena remained relatively corruption-free, but after that it was a free-for-all. nawaz Sharif was given a free hand to control the bastion of power of ZAB’s party. While nawaz’s politics revolved around Zia, Benazir followed her father’s footsteps. It was a clear confrontation between the forces of establishment whose political face was the PML(n) and the democratic order led by PPP.

Despite the all out efforts of the establishment ‘Bhutto’s Legacy’ survived. According to PML(n) stalwart Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, every election since 1970 has been manipulated. In other words, the PML(n) has never gained power without election rigging. In the famous Asghar Khan case, IJI (Islami

Despite the all out efforts of the establishment ‘Bhutto’s Legacy’ survived. According to PML(N) stalwart Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, every election since 1970 has been manipulated. In other words, the PML(N) has never gained power without election rigging. In the famous Asghar Khan case, IJI (Islami Juhamari Ittehad ) was held responsible for the launch of Nawaz Sharif at the federal level. Even money was doled out to the party to contest the election to push the PPP out of the arena

Juhamari Ittehad) was held responsible for the launch of nawaz Sharif at the federal level. Even money was doled out to the party to contest the election to push the PPP out of the arena.

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

Editor’s mail

The Supreme Court’s judges should have remembered that their authority rests of a perception of their fairness

under obligation to give their verdicts while remaining within the ambit ofthe Constitution and the laws enacted by Parliament.

The judiciary is the most sanctified institution of the state and its judges are therefore the most respectable individuals. That respect however does not come automatically. The judges earn that respect through the verdicts that are given in conformity with the Constitution and law, rising above their personal prejudices. The verdicts given by the judges have their implications for the society and the state in case they in any way vitiate the constitution or do not conform to the law enacted by the parliament.

In the medieval ages when the concepts of democracy, sovereignty of people and government of the people, by the people, for the people were alien to the world, the Kings who ruled the states were laws unto themselves. There were no constitutions to regulate their powers. Law was what the Kings would pronounce while adjudicating on issues before them and there was absolutely no check on their indiscretions.

However with the advent of the modern era, the emergence of nation states and acceptance of people’s right to choose their own rulers, the states started adopting constitutions that reflected the will of the people as sovereigns. These constitutions invariably delineated an arrangement for distribution of powers between the pillars of the state known as the trichotomy of powers. The parliament was recognized as the mother of all state institutions which were created through the constitutions adopted by it.

Parliament enacts laws in conformity with the Constitution to run the affairs of the state, the executive in the form of the government formed on the basis of winning franchise of the people is mainly responsible for ameliorating the lot of the people and strengthening the edifice of the state, the judiciary plays the role of custodian of the constitution and protector of fundamental rights of the people as enshrined in it besides making sure that all state organizations including the government strictly follow the constitution and the laws enacted by Parliament. While playing its designated role the judiciary and the judges as its members are also

They have also pitched the Judiciary against the Parliament as well as the Executive which can have disastrous consequences for the country.

Unfortunately our judicial history is replete with verdicts that are, to a great extent, responsible for the nation groping in the dark to find its direction even more than 75 years afterits independence. I will not go into details of all those verdicts and would restrict myself only to the recent indiscretions committed by the judges of the apex court in violation of the constitution and law of the country which have further precipitated the already existing political crisis in the country.

Take for example the opinion given by the Supreme Court on a presidential reference in regards to Article 63A, the details of which are well known to the public and all the stakeholders. The Supreme Court re-wrote the Article notwithstanding the fact that it does have the powers even to change a comma in the text of the Constitution. The judges are not the legislators. They are only supposed to interpret the Constitution and law saying what it means and telling what it should be. So in its opinion on the Article the SC went beyond the domain of its constitutional powers.

This unconstitutional opinion of the apex court triggered a political crisis of humongous proportions particularly in Punjab. The Supreme Court also been in the midst of controversy over its decisions rendered in the backdrop of the dissolution of provincial assemblies of KPK and Punjab, as is evident from the debate on whether the decision regarding taking suo motu notice in regards to elections in Punjab was rejected by 4-3 majority or endorsed by 3-2 majority.

I am afraid that the Supreme Court judges, while saying that ECP had no power to change the date of election in Punjab and its decision was unconstitutional, itself has no constitutional or legal validity. Let us examine how. The Election Act 2017, which is an enactment of Parliament, bestows the responsibility of conducting general

elections in the country in a free, fair and transparent manner on the ECP. Article 224(2) requires the ECP to hold elections within 90 days after the date on which an assembly or assemblies are dissolved.However in case the ECP in view of the existing circumstances and ground realities feels that it cannot fulfill its obligation to hold election within the stipulated period, it can change the date of election as per section 58 of the Election Act 2017 which says “ notwithstanding anything contained in section 57, the Commission may, at any time after the issue of the notification under subsection (1) of that section, make such alterations in the Election Programme announced in that notification for the different stages of the election or may issue a fresh Election Programme as may, in its opinion to be recorded in writing, be necessary for the purposes of this Act.”

The decision to postpone the election by the ECP under this section which is an enactment of the Parliament also enjoys the protection of Article 254 of the Constitution which reiterates “When any act or thing is required by the constitution to be done within a particular period and it is not done within that period, the doing of the act or thing shall not be invalid or otherwise ineffective by reason only that it was not done within that period.”

As is evident, the contention of the Supreme Court judges that the action taken by the ECP was unconstitutional as it did not have power to change the date of election is absolutely wrong. While ordering the ECP to hold elections on May 14 and also giving the schedule of elections, the Supreme Court has also usurped the powers of the ECP given to it under the Election Act 2017. The order of the Supreme Court to the State Bank to release Rs21 billion to the ECP for elections in Punjab and KPK is also against the law. The judges by delivering the above cited verdicts have acted like kings.By committing these indiscretions they have nudged the country back to the medieval ages.

They have also pitched the Judiciary against the Parliament as well as the Executive which can have disastrous consequences for the country. They must remember that they derive their authority and powers from the constitution and cannot impose their own wills in their verdicts like monarchs, setting aside its dictates.

Malik Muhammad Ashraf is an academic. He can be contacted at: ashpak10@gmail.com.

Gas breakdown

IT is indeed agonising for the people to put up with the shortage of natural gas along with frequent power breakdowns. Like many other localities of Karachi, the supply of gas has been virtually suspended in Liaquatabad, a densely populated area of the metropolis, for the last several months. The highly troubling situation has made all gas-related domestic tasks, particularly cooking, quite difficult. Due to the suspension of gas supplies, people of the area are compelled to buy LPG cylinders, which is a significantly expensive affair for lower and lower-middle classes. The authorities concerned should look into the matter on a priority basis and restore routine gas supplies to the affected locality without any delay on any count.

IMF and Pakistan

InTERnATIonAL Monetary Fund is an organization to support the less developed countries. It’s structure and functions is as under: IMF consists of 190 countries of the world. It’s main objects are divided into three phases:

•The fostering Monetary cooperation

•Encouraging the expansion of trade

•Discouraging the policies that would harm prosperity

It should be considered that the IMF stands for works to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth and reduce poverty around the world. The role of IMF in globalization is very matured that it promotes global macro-economic and financial stability and provides policy advice and capacity development support to help the countries build and maintain economies. So, the IMF is a major financial agency of the United nations and an international financial institutions having it’s headquarter in Washington DC United States.

We see that 7 states are not the member of IMF which are: Cuba, north Korea, Monaco, Taiwan, Vatican City, East Taimur and Liechtenstein.

ROLE IN PAKISTAN: Pakistan has been a member of IMF since 1950. Unfortunately, Pakistan’s economic conditions had been shattered for the last 4 decades and the situation is still the same. The whole nation has to bear the destructive and bad economic effect. In the current running years, Pakistan is under the heavy burden and pressure of foreign loans. Whenever Pakistan tries to overcome it’s economic conditions, it has to approach the IMF for further loans. In the light of our worst economic positions, the IMF imposes the special conditions on Pakistan which are not in favor of the nation. Pakistan’s 40% population is under the line of poverty. The whole nation becomes the victim of it’s bad consequences. For the last four years, Pakistan economy was badly shattered and the danger of default was ahead. After the outgoing government, the sitting rulers are trying very much to overcome the situation but these rulers have to bow their heads before the IMF conditionalities.

Due to the unpredictable nature of its economy and its dependence on imports, the IMF has provided loans to Pakistan on 22 occasions with it’s most recent being in 2019. In the covid times, Pakistan got some relaxations to pay the loans. The sister countries like Saudi Arabia, China, UAE and Qatar helped us by giving loans and guarantees. now the IMF is going to consider maximum support to Pakistan. In these days, people of Pakistan are facing huge economic crisis due to the imposition of conditions of IMF. our industry and trade are not in the position for promotion. The IMF has not budged from its demands and Pakistan’s delay in providing some commitments has only damaged trade and economic prospects. It is clear that, the IMF resumption is very much necessary to kick start our economy and work on moving towards the path of recovery. It is hoped that the government can now enter the final stage of this long dialogue and normalize economic activities in Pakistan once again.

Economic indicators show that the economy is tanking

dr farid a Malik

Malik MuhaMMad ashraf

Trying

The economic paradox of Pakistan

Much needs to be fixed

SInCE Independence Pakistan has been trapped in deep-seated problems. In order to explore the crisis state in Pakistan’s economy I want to trace it from the very beginning. Therefore, for better understanding I have divided the economic history of Pakistan into three phases.

First, the era of the experimental economy that starts from Day one of Independence and ends in 1979. This era is marked by a weak economic emblem because after independence the territories which were given to Pakistan according to the Radcliffe award were all deprived of industry and there was no proper economic infrastructure. The most important thing in this era that needs to be highlighted is that we remained hapless to make a constitution after taking nine years. As there was no constitution in the country therefore there was no economic policy either.

Afterwards, the Ayub period started and he introduced a model for economy which is named the Harvard Trickledown model which states that the approach basically means that the best way to help the poor is to give money to the rich. The benefits eventually trickle-down. The same approach was practiced by Ayub Khan as he handed the economy to the 22 elite families of Pakistan in order to grow it at a greater pace and ultimately for the collective good of the country. This model remains deficient in addressing the miseries of the people.

Afterwards, when Bhutto came, he sidelined the Harvard Trickledown model and introduced his own model of nationalization and he made private enterprises stateowned. This was the socialist model and it was absolutely opposite to the Harvard Trickledown model. one of the biggest harms to the country from this model was that the private sector ceased to work and business activities also got reduced. Ultimately this led to massive unemployment.

This is all the tale of the era of experimental economy in which experimentation was done with two opposite models and it harmed the country.

Second, the era of Twisted Economy starts from 1980 and it ends in 2000. It is marked by the Martial law of Ziaul Haq. He had abandoned Bhutto’s nationalization model and wanted to introduce his own model but at that moment there was the commencement of the Soviet

Afghan war and Pakistan was the biggest ally of the USA in it; therefore the USA sent billions of dollars to Pakistan for Afghan jihad aid.

In this era the country ran on US aid. After the end of the Soviet Afghan war Zia died in a plane crash and Benazir came as prime minister and she used to take short term loans from IMF and the World Bank in the midst of economic policy making, but her government was toppled. Likewise, nawaz Sharif did the same and his government was also toppled Then again Benazir and nawaz came but there was no proper economic policy formulation in the country due to the chaotic and uncertain political system in the country.

Then began a new period, the ‘Era of Problematic Economy’ which extends from 2000 to today. In the very start Musharraf realized that Pakistan was going through US sanctions, therefore he helped America in the Afghan war and they gave aid in response. Meanwhile, he formulated his own economic model that is known as the consumer credit model and he started investing all the aid into it.

He began to give loans to all educated people who had business ideas to run small enterprises. As these small enterprises worked and generated revenue therefore the small enterprises converted into the big ones and the economy was standing on its feet. But after 2007 the USA ceased the aid, therefore Pakistan had no money to generate energy to run the industries therefore industries could not cope in the midst of load shedding and ultimately everything stopped flourishing. This was the darkest period of economic history in which Pakistan was trapped into circular debt, current account deficit, fiscal defici;, the industrial sector collapsed, and GDP growth slowed down. Afterwards nawaz Sharif came and he introduced his own model, Crony Capitalism, an economic system characterized by close, mutually advantageous relationships between business leaders and government officials.

He supported and uplifted the iron industry, poultry industry, sugar industry and housing industry at the expense of others therefore a very small group of people

The lying IMF

Abrdn and Amundi or the United States’ BlackRock, which hold a considerable portion of Ghana’s $13 billion in Eurobond debt.

tricontinEntal: inStitutE for Social rESEarch

Vijay Prashad

REMARKABLY, during her visit to Ghana in late March,

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris announced that the U.S. Treasury Department’s office of Technical Assistance will “deploy a full-time resident advisor in 2023 to Accra to assist the Ministry of Finance in developing and executing medium- to long-term reforms needed to improve debt sustainability and support a competitive, dynamic government debt market.”

Ghana certainly faces significant challenges in this arena, with its external debt standing at $36 billion and its debt-to-gross domestic product ratio hovering over 100 percent.

As Harris left Accra, Reuters reported that Ghana had hired the Bermuda-based financial advisor Lazard to represent it in talks with the Paris-based Rothschild & Co., which will represent the international bondholders that are the largest creditors of this cash-strapped nation. Rather than pressure these wealthy bondholders to cancel some of the debt (what is known as a “haircut”) or to extend a moratorium on debt servicing payments, the U.S. government merely provided Ghana with a “technical adviser.”

In December, Ghana signed an agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) through its Extended Credit Facility to receive $3 billion over three years. In return, Ghana’s government agreed to “a wide-ranging economic reform programme” that includes a commitment to “increase domestic resource mobilisation and streamline expenditure.”

In other words, Ghana’s government will conduct an austerity regime against its own people. At the time of this agreement, consumer inflation in the country had risen to 54.1 percent. By January 2023, it was clear that electricity, water, gas and home prices had risen by 82.3 percent over the course of a year.

The World Bank estimates that Ghana’s poverty rate is already 23.4 percent, which it projects will “increase slightly, due to the cumulative effects of increases in electricity and water tariffs, rising food prices, and an increase in [consumption taxes].”

Further cuts to public spending alongside the restructuring of domestic debt will mean despair for almost all of Ghana’s roughly 33 million people.

It is unlikely that the U.S. government’s “full-time resident adviser” on Ghana’s debt will offer either a factually based assessment of the escalating debt or proffer practical solutions to what has become a permanent debt crisis. It is already clear that there will be no focus on the wealthy Western bondholders such as the United Kingdom’s

It is far easier for the U.S. to blame China, even though the country holds less than 10 percent of Ghana’s external debt. That is perhaps the reason why Ghana’s President nana Akufo-Addo told Harris, “There may be an obsession in America about Chinese activities on the [African] continent, but there’s no such obsession here.”

The final section of our latest dossier, “Life or Debt: The Stranglehold of neocolonialism and Africa’s Search for Alternatives,” offers practical policy proposals for countries that are afflicted by permanent debt crises. Among them are suggestions to create progressive tax codes, reform domestic banking infrastructure, build alternative sources of funding to the IMF’s debt-austerity trap and enhance regionalism.

Given that the IMF and the World Bank punish any country that deviates from their orthodoxy, such policies would have been unthinkable even a decade ago. now, with the arrival of alternative sources of financing for development (from China, certainly, but also from other locomotives of the Global South), space has opened up for the poorer nations to build their own national and regional projects that are grounded in genuine, and sovereign, development theories.

As we write in the dossier, “These projects must seize multiple opportunities to raise funds, and the fragility of IMF power must also be utilised to advance fiscal and monetary policies that are built on an agenda committed to solving the problems of the African people, not facilitating the demands of wealthy bondholders and the Western states that back them.”

The principles that ground our dossier emerged out of a statement written by the Collective on African Political Economy (CAPE) entitled “The IMF Is never the Answer,” which is published in the dossier. Among other key reflections, this statement points out that there is a need for a “new kind of institutional apparatus that fosters cooperation rather than competition,” which includes “establishing currency arrangements that bypass the U.S. dollar.”

Why is de-dollarisation such an important point?

U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio provided clear insight to this question: “We won’t have to talk about sanctions in five years because there will be so many countries transacting in currencies other than the dollar that we won’t have the ability to sanction them.”

Reliance upon the dollar not only allows the U.S. to sanction countries; it is also “a strong lever of IMF conditionality,” as the CAPE statement notes. The statement also indicates the importance of the “urgent need to restore and reinvigorate the capacity and autonomy of the African state to deliver on its development agenda.”

This includes increasing the ability of states to mobilise tax revenues and use these funds to build the dignity of their populations. Any approach to de-

flourished and prospered at the expense of a very large chunk of people. In this period one thing that is industrious is the CPEC through which large scale development occurs and still projects have been inaugurated.

Afterwards Imran Khan came and sidelined nawaz Sharif’s Crony Capitalism and he cracked down against the industrialists. He introduced his own model known as Riyasati-Madina. He wanted to uplift the common people but he destroyed the economy. now Shahbaz Sharif is in the chair and he is confused about what to opt for, because his situation is like that of a mechanic of a bicycle but he has to fix the truck.He has no policy, all that he is doing is to fix the mess of the previous government. Till yet he has remained unable to do so.

So this was the economic history of Pakistan now we must extract from our economic history where we are lagging behind. The first thing that comes to mind is that we lack policy implementation. We have seen that there is no continuity of the policy. Every ruler has his/her own economic model or intent to run the economy. Apart from this we have a flawed policy framework and our policy makers do not know what we have to make. In the agriculture sector we invest 45 percent but get 19 percent in

velopment in our times that respects nations’ sovereignty must be focused on creating a new form of financing for development apparatuses as well as a new role for state institutions in this process.

At the mid-April World Bank meeting, Ajay Banga, a former executive from Citigroup and Mastercard, will be anointed as its president. He will be the 14th U.S. citizen to hold this job and the 14th man since the bank’s first president was appointed in 1946. Banga has no experience in the world of development – prior to commercial banking, he was involved in launching the U.S. fast-food franchises Pizza Hut and Kentucky Fried Chicken in India.

Meanwhile, the new Development Bank, also referred to as the BRICS Bank, has just elected its new president, Dilma Rousseff, the former president of Brazil. Rousseff comes to the BRICS Bank with extensive experience in Brazil’s programme to eradicate absolute poverty.

Unlike Banga, who will promote the religion of privatisation, Rousseff will bring her experience of working with robust state policies, such as the income-transfer programme Bolsa Familia (“Family Grant”) and the social protections programme Brasil Sem Miséria (“Brazil Without Extreme Poverty”).

As we note in the dossier, the emergence of the BRICS Bank, alongside other institutions in the Global South, has already begun to put pressure on the IMF and World Bank on key issues such as the exhaustion of the neoliberal debt-austerity model and the need for new tools, including capital controls, for governments to increase the sovereignty of their states and the dignity of their populations.

Ten years ago, the nigerian musician Seun Kuti released a song called “IMF” in his album A Long Way to the Beginning. The song is a damning critique of IMF policy, and the video, directed by Jerome Bernard, develops that critique through the personage of an African businessman being bribed and, ultimately, turned into a zombie. When King Midas touched objects, they turned into gold. When the IMF touches people, they turn into zombies. The art in our dossier is based on images from Seun’s music video, some of which are reproduced in this newsletter. The song is hypnotic:

So much lying from the IMF

People power

So much stealing from the IMF

People power

So much killing from the IMF

People power Manipulation from the IMF

People power Intimidation from the IMF

People power

So much suffering from the IMF

People power

Vijay Prashad is an Indian historian, editor and journalist. He is a writing fellow and chief correspondent at Globetrotter.

return. on the contrary, in the industrial sector we invest 19 percent and get 30 percent output. Just imagine how senseless we are. This is just one example and every department is like that.

Secondly we have political instability because economic policies are always derived from the political system. The tragedy we have is that we did not have a stable political system. Sometimes we have martial law and sometimes hybrid regimes. Apart from this we have polarized politics and institutional imbalances.

Thirdly, the issue we have is fiscal federalism, the supremo never wants to devolve his power to the grass root level. Federal and provincial governments are reluctant to devolve the powers and this generates the problem of tax collection.

Fourthly, the issue we have is fiscal policy in which what happens is that the expenditures exceed the income. This happens due to not earning the money from where it should be, from taxation and state-owned enterprises. We have a fragile system that we cannot generate proper revenue due to corruption and intervention.

Fifthly we have a flawed monetary policy. our banking system never allowed common people to flourish. Banks always opt to give loans to industrialists and never give feasible credit to the middle class to properly prosper.

To see all these paradigms, we will say that Pakistan is in a developmental paradox, it flourished in a limited scope and gives benefits to already rich people. We need an all inclusive economic policy to develop all the sectors and the fabric of the society.

The writer tweets @GIMS

El PaÍS laurENT riChard

In the days leading up to his killing, Rafael Moreno was in contact with Forbidden Stories. The threats the Colombian journalist was receiving were becoming more and more disquieting. This is why Rafael had decided to share the information he was working on with us: so that in case anything happened to him, we could pursue his work.

At 7:10 p.m. on october 16, 2022, Rafael Moreno was shot dead in the city of Montelíbano, in the north of Colombia — a dangerous region dominated by the Gulf Clan, a powerful organized crime group. Immediately after his death, we went to Bogotá. We met with dozens of Colombian, Latin American and international journalists. And on october 23, 30 journalists decided to unite forces to pursue Rafael’s unfinished work.

Six months later, coordinated by Forbidden Stories, journalists from CLIP, Cuestión Pública, El Espectador, France 24, RFI and other partners are

releasing the “Rafael Project.” This collaborative and international investigation is revealing significant information pertaining to environmental and health damage by mining companies in Córdoba, the region of Colombia Rafael is from, and unmasking, for the first time at-scale, a massive system of cronyism and the probable embezzlement of public funds that Rafael had begun to look into.

Like Rafael, dozens of journalists around the world are currently protecting their sensitive information and investigations through the SafeBox network. This new network is quickly growing. Some of these journalists — like Alfredo Guachiré in Paraguay, Paola Ugaz in Peru and Haruna Mohammed Salisu in nigeria — have made the choice to make it publicly known that they’ve joined this network. They are doing this for their own security, so that people who might wish to silence them know their stories will be revealed, one way or another, on a global scale. Days before World Press Freedom Day, it is important to remember that journalism, and the right for every citizen to be informed, is critical to global democracy. Pursuing the work of assassinated journalists is not just a fraternal responsibility, but also a democratic one, ensuring that public interest information — whether it’s about environmental crimes, corruption or human rights violations — is not snuffed out. This is especially true at a time when journalists are under greater and greater threat. To Rafael’s killers: you were wrong. Today, 32 media outlets around the world are publishing Rafael’s investigations. Killing the journalist won’t kill the story.

Laurent Richard is journalist and director of the Forbidden Stories consortium.

Amnesty for black money will be unethical

Daily Star

We wholeheartedly agree with the chief of the Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) who opposed the proposal to reintroduce unconditional amnesty to whiten black money by investing it in real estate.

Recently, the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) made the proposal for a return of this opportunity for five to ten years in order to prevent money from being laundered abroad. Such a suggestion would be considered preposterous under different circumstances. Unfortunately, this is not the first time that we are hearing about this “indulgence”.

In FY 2021, the government gave this opportunity for black money to be legalised through investments in real estate, no questions asked about the source of funds, upon payment of a certain amount of tax. The amnesty allowed black money subject to a 10 percent tax, while a compliant taxpayer had to pay 30 percent in tax which was later reduced to 25 percent. But as the CAB’s president, also a former chief of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), has said: this practice is not acceptable because it would only encourage the illegal accumulation of wealth. Many individuals in the country earn money legally but do not show that in income tax returns, resulting in assets becoming untaxed. Thus, the government’s efforts to improve its tax revenue will be nullified with an unconditional amnesty as it will only encourage tax evasion.

We agree that this move would be unethical and unconstitutional. It will give the wrong message to those who earn illegal income – that it is okay to do so as long as they invest it in real estate later. on the other hand, it is discriminatory towards those who faithfully pay taxes and contribute to the country’s development. Moreover, in the long run, it will be detrimental to our society, with more and more real estate being gobbled up by a certain group of people who do not care how much the prices go up, leading to further inequality of wealth and assets.

The justification given by the FBCCI is that investments in flats, plots, commercial buildings and shopping malls will keep money inside the country and thus curb capital flight. Even if that were true, a country cannot bend the rules of ethics to prevent money from being laundered abroad. Also, can it really be guaranteed that individuals who have, over the years, laundered thousands of crores of illegally-earned takas and bought expensive real estate abroad, will suddenly start investing at home because of this amnesty?

It should be noted that the national Board of Revenue has since imposed rules that taxpayers will have to pay 25 percent on undisclosed funds and pay a 5 percent penalty on payable taxes. We echo the CAB chief’s opinion that all businesses and individuals are responsible for paying their fair share of taxes and abiding by laws and regulations. Therefore, the government should focus on reducing corruption which is the root cause of the massive accumulation of black money. The proposed amnesty, if reinstated, will only increase corruption instead of curbing it.

To see all these paradigms, we will say that Pakistan is in a developmental paradox, it flourished in a limited scope and gives benefits to already rich people.

Killing the journalist won’t kill the story

‘You can kill me, but you won’t silence me’

When King Midas touched objects, they turned into gold. When the IMF touches people, they turn into zombies

THOUSANDS FLEE SUDAN CAPITAL FOLLOWING COLLAPSE OF TRUCE

KHARTOUM, SUDAN agencieS

THOUSANDSof residents fled Sudan’s capital Wednesday as fighting between the army and paramilitaries raged for a fifth day after a 24-hour truce collapsed. Roughly 200 people have already been killed.

The violence erupted on Saturday between the forces of two generals who seized power in a 2021 coup: army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, better known as “Hemedti”, who commands the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

It followed a bitter dispute between Burhan and Dagalo over the planned integration of the RSF into the regular army – a key condition for a final deal aimed at resuming Sudan’s democratic transition. “There is no ceasefire at all,” FRANCE 24’s regional correspondent Bastien Renouil reported from Nairobi, citing sources on the ground.

“The fighting in Khartoum continues and [the sources] say they could hear gunshots all night long, and that now planes are flying over the city bombing locations that they [the army] believe belong to the RSF. The RSF is fighting these planes, shooting anti-aircraft artillery.” Civilians huddled in their homes were becoming increasingly desperate, with dwindling food supplies, power outages, and a lack of running water. Their hopes of being evacuated were

dashed on Tuesday when a 24-hour humanitarian ceasefire collapsed within minutes of its proposed start at 1600 GMT.

STREETS LITTERED WITH BODIES:

On Wednesday morning, thousands of people took matters into their own hands and began leaving their homes in Khartoum, some in cars and others on foot, including women and children. They said the streets were littered with dead bodies, the stench of which filled the air. Governments have starting planning to evacuate thousands of foreigners, among them many UN staff.

Japan said on Wednesday that its defence ministry had begun the “necessary preparations” to evacuate around 60 of its nationals from Sudan, including embassy staff. After the truce collapsed, the army accused the “rebel militia” of failing to commit to it and of continuing “skirmishes around the army headquarters and the airport”. The RSF in turn accused the army of “committing violations” and breaching the ceasefire by launching “sporadic attacks” on its forces and bases around the capital.

FRANCE 24’s Renouil said that the ongoing “communication war” between the army and the RSF has made it extremely difficult to know exactly what is going on. “If the RSF publishes a statement saying that they are in control of this or that building and institution, the army publishes another statement saying that ‘no, that’s not the case’ and that they’re [the ones in control]. So it’s impossible to know exactly what is happening

on the ground.” HOSPITALS BEING SHELLED: The fighting has left at least 185 people dead and more than 1,800 injured, according to the United Nations. But the real figure is thought to be far higher with many wounded unable to reach hospitals, which are themselves being shelled, according to the official doctors’ union. Deafening explosions rattled buildings, windows and the nerves of many terrified residents who hunkered down hoping for an end to the violence.

Offices and residential buildings in the city have been left with shattered windows and facades riddled with bullets. Electricity and water are out in many parts of Khartoum, forcing residents to sneak out during

lulls in fighting to buy food and supplies, witnesses said.

DERAILED TRANSITION: The latest violence, during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, came after more than 120 civilians had already been killed in a crackdown on regular pro-democracy demonstrations over the past 18 months.

Both generals have positioned themselves as saviours of Sudan and guardians of democracy—in a country which has known only brief democratic interludes.

Saturday’s outbreak of violence is the culmination of deep-seated divisions between the army and the RSF, which was created in 2013 by longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir.

Burhan and Dagalo toppled Bashir to-

Deadliest since 2002, Beijing hospital fire death toll rises to 29

BEIJING agencieS

Chinese authorities said on Wednesday they had detained a dozen people over a hospital fire in Beijing that left at least 29 dead and forced desperate survivors to jump out of windows to escape. The blaze, which broke out on Tuesday afternoon at the Changfeng Hospital in China’s capital, killed mostly patients, and left scores of other people injured.

Dramatic footage posted to social media showed people clinging to ropes and jumping from the building, while others perched on external air conditioning units in a desperate bid to shelter from the flames.

The Fengtai district’s deputy mayor expressed his “deep condolences” over the deaths of the 16 women and 13 men killed in the inferno, the deadliest in Beijing in over two decades.

“We feel deep remorse and guilt,” Li Zongrong told journalists as he an-

nounced the toll at a press conference on Wednesday.

“I hereby express our deep condolences for the victims, and express our sincere respects to the victims’ families, the injured and their relatives, and apologise to the people of the whole city,” he said.

Twelve people, including the hospital’s director, have been detained in connection with the fire, said Sun Haitao from Beijing’s public security bureau, adding that representatives from a company renovating the facility were among those being held.

A preliminary probe revealed the blaze had been caused by “sparks generated during the internal renovation and construction of the inpatient department of the hospital”, according to Zhao Yang from the city fire brigade. The sparks “ignited the volatile elements of the flammable paint on the site”, Zhao said.

39 HOSPITALISED: State broadcaster

CCTV reported that out of the dead, 26 were patients at the hospital, two were

Chelsea’s limp Champions League exit completes season from hell

LONDON afp

As Chelsea owner Toddy Boehly surveyed the wreckage of his club’s season from hell after their Champions League exit on Tuesday, the American might have pondered just how long it will be before they feature in the competition again. Chelsea are left with nothing but pride to play for in the final weeks of a disastrous campaign after Real Madrid’s 2-0 victory in the quarter-final second leg at Stamford Bridge completed a 4-0 aggregate success for the holders. Appropriately, the troubled Premier League side once again paid the price for a lack of cutting edge as they wasted a host of chances before succumbing to a pair of clinical Real moves finished by Rodrygo. Since Boehly joined forces with co-owner Behdad Eghbali’s Clearlake Capital to buy Chelsea last year, the west London club have suffered one self-inflicted wound after another. They are languishing in 11th in the Premier League, will finish without a trophy and are unlikely to even qualify for the Europa Conference League, leaving Boehly and Eghbali facing a turbulent close-season as they try to repair Chelsea’s tarnished reputation. In a sign of the turmoil enveloping Chelsea, former Blues striker Didier Drogba ripped into Boehly on French television ahead of the Real game. “I don’t recognise my club. It’s no longer the same club. There is a new owner and a new vision. A dressing room of over 30 players is difficult for a manager,” Drogba said. The question is how much lower can Chelsea sink after suffering four successive defeats since Frank Lampard returned as manager until the end of the season following Graham Potter’s sacking. “Chelsea have had huge success for 20 years, winning the Premier League, qualifying for the Champions League year after year. Maybe this is the year where we aren’t quite where we want to be,” Lampard said. “Manchester United and Arsenal have spent time out of the Champions League. Maybe some clubs are more stable than we are at the minute in terms of the squad. But we can set the building blocks now for where we want to get to.” Boehly’s chaotic influence has turned Chelsea into a laughing stock less than 12 months into his reign.

hospital staff, and one was a patient’s family member. State-run People’s Daily reported that as of Wednesday morning 39 people were being treated in hospital with injuries, and another three had been discharged.

Top city officials visited the hospital shortly after the fire, which broke out at around 1:00 pm on Tuesday and was extinguished half an hour later.

Beijing party secretary Yin Li vowed to “quickly identify the cause of the accident and hold the relevant responsible persons accountable”, according to the Beijing Daily.

AFP journalists on Wednesday saw dozens of people outside the entrance to the hospital, where a large number of police officers were stationed.

Some of the hospital’s windows appeared blackened and at least one was broken.

The facade of one of the hospital buildings was completely blackened by soot. AFP journalists saw people who appeared to be investigators taking photos from inside the blackened building, with

the interior visibly damaged by the flames.

Many family members lost contact with patients in the aftermath of the disaster, the China Youth Daily said in a separate report on Wednesday, adding that many of them were elderly people with mobility problems.

A police officer on the scene on Wednesday told AFP the city “will probably make the appropriate arrangements” to take care of victims’ relatives.

Deadly fires are common in China due to weak safety standards and lax enforcement.

Tuesday’s tragedy was the deadliest in the Chinese capital since a June 2002 fire at an internet cafe killed 25 students.

Ten people died in an apartment block blaze in northwestern Xinjiang in November, sparking protests against Covid-19 lockdowns blamed for hindering rescue efforts. And 38 people were killed in a fire at a factory in central China, also in November, with authorities blaming workers for illegal welding.

APHC urges international community to

play role

for release of Kashmiri detainees

SRINAGAR

Staff RepoRt

In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, the All Parties Hurriyet Conference has appealed to the United Nations and international human rights organizations to put pressure on India to release all Kashmiri political detainees including APHC leadership stuffed under inhuman conditions in jails of India and the occupied territory.

According to a Kashmir media report on Wenesday, the APHC spokesman in a statement issued in Srinagar said India cannot suppress the freedom sentiment of the Kashmiri people through illegal detentions, arrests and harassment.

Expressing his deep concern over the plight of Kashmiri detainees, he said that most of these detainees had spent more than two decades in jails. He said some of these detainees include Dr. Muhammad Shafi Shariati, Dr. Mohammad Qasim Fakhtoo, Ghulam Qadir Butt, Nazir Ahmad Sheikh, Mohammad Ayub Dar, Mohammad Ayub Mir, Javed Ahmad Khan, Wahid Ahmed Naiko, Feroz Ahmed Dar, , Abdul Hameed Tailee, Mohammad Ali Bhat, Tariq Ahmed Mattoo, Mahmood Topi Wala, Bashir Ahmad Pannu, Fayyaz Ahmed, Sharifud-

Din-Gujjar, Muhammad Ashraf Peer, Abdul Ghani Gonee, Lateef Ahmad Waja, Ali Mohammad Kalie, Khalid Mehboob Phalwan, Maqsood Ahmed Bhat, Feroz Ahmed Butt, Pervaiz Ahmed Mir, Mohammad Abbas Wani, Farooq Ahmad Sheikh, Abdul Majeed Baba and Fahdullah.

The APHC spokesman said the illegally detained APHC leaders, activists and youth are subjected to worst physical torture and biased behaviour in the jails of India and the occupied territory. He pointed out that despite continued detention and physical and mental torture, the morale of all Hurriyat leaders and activists was high and they were ready to render any sacrifice for the Kashmir cause. He maintained the people of occupied Jammu and Kashmir are proud of Hurriyat leaders and activists, who are either in jails or striving on ground for achieving a peaceful and sustainable solution to the Kashmir dispute under UN resolutions.

The APHC appealed to the UN Secretary General, António Guterres, the International Committee of Red Cross and all local and international human rights organizations including Asia Watch and Amnesty International to use their clout for the release of the jailed Kashmiris and settlement of the Kashmir dispute in accordance with UN resolutions.

gether in April 2019 following mass protests against his three decades of iron-fisted rule. They have since been allies with their relationship interspersed with brief periods of tensions.

In October 2021, the two men led a military coup against the civilian government which was installed following Bashir’s ouster, derailing an internationally backed transition.

Burhan, a career soldier from northern Sudan who rose through the ranks under Bashir, has maintained his coup was “necessary” to include more factions into politics. But Dagalo has since called the coup a “mistake” that failed to bring about change and invigorated Bashir’s remnants.

Focus on reproductive rights rather than population numbers, UN urges

GENEVA afp

Rather than fixating on the impact of the world’s soaring population, the world should look at women’s reproductive rights to shore up “demographic resilience,” the UN said Wednesday. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) — the UN’s sexual and reproductive health agency — acknowledged there was widespread anxiety over the size of the world’s population, which is expected to peak at around 10.4 billion during the 2080s. But the UNFPA said the focus should be on giving women more power to control when and how they have children. “The question is: ‘Can everyone exercise their fundamental human right to choose the number and spacing of their children?’. Sadly, the answer is a resounding no,” said UNFPA chief Natalia Kanem. She said that “44 percent, almost half of the women, are unable to exercise bodily autonomy. Unable to make choices about contraception, healthcare and whether or with whom to have sex. And globally, nearly half of all pregnancies are unintended.” She said countries with the highest fertility rates contribute the least to global warming and suffer the most from its impact. In its flagship annual “State of World Population” report, the UNFPA found the most commonly-held view is that the world’s population is too big. But it said that passing the eight billion mark “should be a reason to celebrate. It is a milestone representing historic advances for humanity in medicine, science, health, agriculture and education”. “It is time to put aside fear, to turn away from population targets and towards demographic resilience — an ability to adapt to fluctuations in population growth and fertility rate,” it said.

INDIA OVERTAKING CHINA: “The world population is rapidly reordering itself,” Kanem told a press conference. While the population is now the largest ever seen, “the global average fertility rate is the lowest in living memory”. Kanem said the ranking of the world’s most populous countries would change significantly over the next 25 years, with India currently overtaking China at the top. Eight countries will account for half the projected growth in global population by 2050: the Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines and Tanzania. The report said two-thirds of people were living in countries with low fertility. “This is the first time in human history where not every country is getting bigger,” said Kanem. The countries with the highest fertility rates were all in Africa: Niger (6.7), Chad (6.1), DR Congo (6.1) Somalia (6.1) and Mali and the Central African Republic (5.8). The territories with the lowest birth rates were Hong Kong (0.8), South Korea (0.9), Singapore (1.0), Macau and San Marino (1.1) and Aruba and China (1.2). Europe is the only region projected to experience an overall population decline between now and 2050. The report said the world fertility rate per woman was currently 2.3. Life expectancy is 71 for men and 76 for women. “All populations are ageing largely because we’re living longer lives. Since 1990, the average life expectancy has increased by about a decade,” said Kanem.

Shehroze Kashif determined to complete his ‘ambitious’ goal by year end

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

Record-breaking Pakistani mountaineer

Shehroze Kashif on Wednesday said that he would complete his ambitious goal of scaling all 14 peaks above 8,000 metres before the year end.

The 21-year-old has already climbed 11x8000m above peaks with the latest summit taking place on Monday when he along with compatriot Naila Kiani and other members of the Seven Summits Treks’ team successfully ascended Mt. Annapurna 1 (8091-metre), in Nepal’s Gandaki province.

“I’ll next attempt Dhaulagiri (8,167m). But I’ll take a break now for a couple of weeks. My mother is insisting

to comeback and celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr at home. So I’ll proceed back to my country shortly. It will be after four years that I’ll be celebrating eid in my country with my parents. After the eid I’ll come back to climb Dhaulagiri,” Shehroze told APP on phone from Nepal.

A day after climbing Annapurna, both Shehroze and Naila were rescued from the peak after their descent was disrupted due to bad weather.

Born on March 11, 2002, Shehroze made history by becoming the youngest climber in the world to summit K2 on July 27, 2021. He also became the youngest Pakistani to summit Mount Everest on May 11, 2021. After the successful summit of Mount Everest, Sports Board Punjab made him the youth ambassador of

Punjab. He summited Broad Peak at the age of 17, after which he was called ‘The Broad Boy’. He started climbing mountains at the age of 11 with Makra Peak being the first one, followed by Musa ka Musalla and Chembra Peak at 12, Mingli Sar in Shimshal at 13, Khurdopin Pass at 15, and Khosar Gang in alpine style at 18 years of age. Shehroze currently holds two Guinness World Records for being the youngest to climb K2 and the youngest to climb Broad Peak. On May 5, 2022, he became the youngest in the world and the first Pakistani to reach the summit of Kangchenjunga – the third-highest peak in the world. On May 16, 2022, he summited the world’s fourth-highest peak, Mount Lhotse (8,516m), in Nepal. On November

1, 2022, Shehroze was recognized by Guinness World Records for the year 2023 for summiting Mount Everest and K2. In July 2022, Shehroze and Fazal Ali went missing between Camp 4 and Camp 3, after successfully summiting Nanga Parbat. However, the duo was discovered shortly after. With the summit of Annapurna 1, Shehroze has now become the youngest mountaineer in the world to summit 11 peaks above 8000 meters. “I’m in high spirits. I know hardships and difficulties are part of the game when you set off for an expedition. I intend to achieve my goal before the year ends,” he added. If that happens, he will be the youngest mountaineer to have summited all above 8,000 peaks.

snGPl launches ration distribution drive

The financial Toll of chai addicTion in PakisTan

RISING PRICE OF CHAI IS A MAJOR FINANCIAL BURDEN FOR MANY

profIt report

Staff report

WrITINGfor the Dawn, author Fatima Attarwala notes that In Pakistan, drinking chai (tea) is a popular and almost daily ritual for many people. However, due to the necessary sugar and caffeine hit required to sustain momentum throughout the day, some cannot limit their intake to a single cup.

LAhore Staff report

Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) has launched ration distribution drive as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program. It is pertinent to mention that in wake of economic slowdown and inflation in the country, Ministry of Energy (Petroleum Division) had advised SNGPL to distribute ration among the deserving and needy people during the month of Ramzan ul Mubarak.

In light of the said directions and keeping in view the need for such program, the Board of Directors and the Company Management decided to immediately launch the ration distribution drive allocating Rs. 100 million for the program.

In order to identify genuinely deserving people as well as to maintain transparency in the distribution process, SNGPL decided to partner with Alkhidmat Foundation, Saylani Welfare and Akhuwat. The allocated amount for the ration distribution program was distributed among the three organizations. Under the ration distribution program, 10,000 ration bags will be distributed before Eid ul Fitr to families belonging to Lahore, Peshawar, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Sahiwal, Sialkot, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Mardan, Abbottabad, Sargodha, Faisalabad, Sheikhupura, Multan and Bahawalpur. Every family gets ration package worth Rs. 10,000 under the program.

Pnsc, Tajjar-ul-Bahr

Pvt ltd sign ferry Technical services contract

As a result, the increase in the price of tea by 3x

over the last decade, according to data by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, has a significant impact on people's wallets.

A simple cup of tea costs approximately rs50, and if a person consumes three cups a day, every day, the cost multiplies to rs4,500 a month. In a country where the minimum wage is rs15,000, this means that tea drinking can consume a whopping 30% of income.

Pakistan is the largest importer of tea in the world, with annual imports of roughly half a billion dollars. However, instead of relying on imports, the country

Relief Revolutionised: Tayaba and Rahat’s Tokenized Aid Distribution in Pakistan

LAhore pr

Tayaba, a non-profit organization in Lahore, Pakistan, is committed to improving access to clean water and sanitation for marginalized communities in the country. In collaboration with rumsan-rahat, a Nepalese blockchain company focused on social impact, Tayaba has launched the first-ever tokenization of philanthropy in Pakistan.

The project aims at addressing the dire situation in Ghotki District of Sindh, where poverty and lack of clean water accessibility are widespread. The aid tokenization initiative will provide H2O (Help-2-Others) Wheels to 100 female-headed households in Ghotki, using the power of blockchain to make a positive impact.

For the first time in Pakistan, tokenization will be used to ensure transparency, efficiency, and accountability in aid distribution. The project aims to build trust and credibility with donors, funders, and program participants by creating a verifiable and transparent aid ecosystem that helps impact more lives.

Pakistan has the world's third-highest number of unbanked adults with 115 million, representing 53% of the adult population. The aid tokenization initiative aims to promote financial inclusion by providing access to digital wallets in addition to ensuring transparency in aid distribution.

rumsan rahat's open-source blockchain-based aid distribution platform enabled Tayaba and SrSO, the local implementation partner for on-the-ground operations, to manage and oversee an aid distribution project through the rahat dashboard. The platform allows for real-time tracking of distribution activities, while beneficiaries can receive H2O Wheels by redeeming tokens.

"Tayaba is an unconventional social organization that prioritizes efficient resource utilization, which is

reflected in our innovative and high-impact yet lowresource approach. By embracing digital technology like rahat, we can streamline our processes and reduce our environmental impact while ensuring transparency and accountability in the aid distribution process," said Nida Sheikh, CEO of Tayaba.

The project aims to provide much-needed support to female-headed households in the Ghotki District and enhance distribution efficiency, accountability, and transparency. The initiative involves beneficiary assessment and validation, onboarding users, token creation and transfers, and charging beneficiaries via Qr cards or OTP verification.

"We are thrilled to partner with Tayaba to introduce aid tokenization in Pakistan. By utilizing blockchain for good, we aim to empower marginalized communities and bring about positive change," said rumee Singh, Co-founder, rumsan/rahat.

Bilal Bin Saqib, founder of Tayaba, is an award winning social innovator and blockchain enthusiast. He recently pioneered SavePakistan. crypto, the first initiative to tie NFTs to real-world relief products for flood victims. He says, “We envision a future where the power of blockchain technology will transform the landscape of aid distribution and bring about real change in the lives of marginalized communities.

should consider growing local tea. Although some tracts of land in Pakistan are suitable for growing tea leaves, local farmers are not interested due to the high initial investment for plantations and the fact that it takes five to six years before the leaves can be picked to be made into tea.

As the price of milk, creamers, and sugar continues to increase due to inflation and the depreciation of the rupee, the morning cup of chai will become less affordable for many people in Pakistan.

To read the full article visit www.dawn.com

Pakistan, iran vow to explore more areas of bilateral cooperation

ISLAMABAD

Staff report

Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Pakistan H.E. Seyyed Mohammad Ali Hosseini called on Federal Minister for Human Rights Mian Riaz Hussain Pirzada here on Wednesday. It was a farewell meeting on the completion of ambassador’s term in Pakistan. On the occasion, the minister expressed his appreciation for the dedicated services of the ambassador for strengthening the bilateral ties in multiple areas between Pakistan and Iran. He said Pakistan and Iran are two brotherly countries having long political and economic ties ingrained in our century’s old common religious and cultural affinities. Minister said that Pakistan has suffered a lot in its relations with the neighboring countries, as this region has been the international political arena for decades. We have much better human rights situation in Pakistan and other Muslim countries than in the countries those are so-called champions of human rights. Currently, only Pakistan, Iran and Turkiye are extending their unwavering support for the people of Kashmir and Palestine, who are the victims of severe human rights violations in the world.

kArAchI pr

Pakistan National Shipping Corporation (PNSC), through its subsidiary Swat Shipping (Private) Limited entered into a Technical Services Contract for Ferry Services with Tajjar-ul-Bahr (Private) Ltd. Tajjar intends to enter into the business of owning and operating a Ferry Service in Pakistan as well as internationally. PNSC has extensive business, commercial, industrial and technical knowledge, experience, network, contacts and information related to maritime and shipping business in Pakistan and internationally, with the Corporation willing to transmit such knowledge, experience and information in order to enable Tajjar to establish and operate a successful Ferry Service, thereby strengthening Pakistan's blue economy.

cda approves Pc-i of Margalla avenue extension project from n-5 to M-1

ISLAMABAD pr

The Capital Development Authority (CDA)

Wednesday approved PC-I of the Margalla Avenue Extension Project from N-5 to M-1.

The approval was given during a meeting of CDA's Development Working Party (CDA-DWP) which was held under the chairmanship of Chairman Noor ul Amin Mengal. Similarly, the PC-I of Lehtarar Road from Khana Pull to PINSTECH was also approved. Several public welfare projects were approved during the meeting. In addition, in the meeting, PC-II of hiring consultancy service for Kuri Enclave Mixed Use Housing Project was also approved.

Similarly, PC-II of project consultancy service for Orchard Heights was also approved in the meeting. Likewise, PC-II of project consultancy services to conduct Road Safety Audit in Islamabad was also approved in the meeting. Under this project, the consultant will formulate recommendations for smooth and secure traffic on the roads.

Science breakthroughs offer less harmful alternatives to smoking

Despite the numerous health warnings and campaigns against smoking, the habit continues to be a significant health concern globally. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), cigarettes kill more than 8 million people annually, with over 7 million of those deaths being a result of direct tobacco use, and around 1.2 million resulting from non-smokers being exposed to second-hand smoke.

In Pakistan, smoking has become an increasingly widespread issue, with nearly 20.3% of the population being smokers. Smoking-related illnesses, such as lung cancer and heart disease, are also on the rise, putting a significant burden on the healthcare system.

This is where science comes into play with several alternatives to cigarettes that are also scientifically substantiated. The world is shifting towards less harmful alternatives, such as vapes, nicotine pouches, snus, e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, for those

who wish to continue smoking with fewer risks than traditional cigarettes that burn tobacco. These products,though not risk free, present a reduced level of risk than traditional cigarettes. For example, heated tobacco products heat the tobacco, releasing vapor instead of smoke, which reduces the number of toxins released into the air and disintegrates faster than tobacco smoke. Nicotine pouches remove the element of tar completely from a nicotine user’s experience. While these alternatives are not completely risk-free, several countries that have regulated them have seen a significant reduction in their number of smokers. It is essential to note that burning tobacco, as well as other materials, has severe health implications, and stopping altogether is the best course of action. However, for those who choose to consume tobacco by burning it, switching to less harmful alternatives may be a better option.

Foreign Secretary calls for deeper collaboration among COMSATS member states for digitalization

ISLAMABAD pr

Ambassador Dr Asad Majeed Khan, Foreign Secretary of Pakistan, highlighted the importance of digitalization in the context of socio-economic development and called for enhanced cooperation among the COMSATS Member States, particularly for human resource development in this vital field. He noted with pleasure that Pakistan is among the fastest growing exporters of IT products and services, and has one of the highest number of IT freelancers in the world. He was sharing views during a ceremony hosted by COMSATS Secretariat in Islamabad, for which Ambassador Khan was the Chief

Guest. At the occasion, the Foreign Secretary launched COMSATS’ new website, which will serve as a comprehensive web-portal to allow accurate, timely, high paced decision making and information dissemination.

Speaking at the event, the Ex-

oGdcl partners with Tcf to promote quality education

ISLAMABAD pr

Under its Corporate Social Responsibility Program, the Oil & Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) on Tuesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with The Citizens Foundation (TCF) in Islamabad to promote quality education for underprivileged children in Pakistan.

The MOU aims to construct and operationalize primary level schools in the OGDCL's operational areas in collaboration with TCF, to empower local communities.

This initiative will enable out of school children to receive quality education at their doorstep, creating a positive impact in society and transforming the lives of families of these children. It will be a long term partnership for the promotion of education in marginalized sections of society in years to come. OGDCL is a socially conscious organization and strongly believes in giving back to the communities to transform their lives.

ecutive Director COMSATS, Ambassador Dr. Mohammad Nafees Zakaria, stated that COMSATS an intergovernmental organization of 27 developing countries has the capability to achieve its goals and meet the emerging challenges of contemporary times.

This partnership with TCF is aligned with OGDCL's commitment to improving education outcomes in Pakistan and will make a significant contribution to the country's development. The collaboration between OGDCL and TCF is a testament to the importance of public-private partnerships in improving education outcomes in Pakistan.

The other side of the coin in Pakistani domestic politics

prof. Dr. GhoLAM MUJtABA

During an in-house discussion at the Pakistan Policy Institute (PPI) in New Jersey, Professor Dr. Gholam Mujtaba, Chairman of Pakistan Policy Institute USA and Senior Leader of the republican Party, provided a rebuttal to a particular doctor's lobbying efforts on behalf of a group of doctors of Pakistani origin in the US. The doctor was presenting a misguided perception of Pakistani democracy and freedom to US policymakers.

Dr. Mujtaba pointed out that perceptions are not always reality and that there is a second side to the coin in the current campaign launched against Pakistan. He emphasized that supporters of Imran Khan, the former Prime Minister of Pakistan, should also present the case of his anti-American rhetoric before the members of Congress. Dr. Mujtaba made it clear that he is not a sympathizer of any political outfit in Pakistan, unlike the few doctors who are actively lobbying against the current political government of Pakistan.

To support his argument, Dr. Mujtaba provided several examples, highlighting previous governments' performance, policies to deal with the economy, law & order situation, and relationship with other countries. He reminded the audience of Imran's conspiracy in dislodging his government, which provoked antiAmerican street protests in Pakistan. He further talked about Imran's removal from office in conformity to the constitution of Pakistan. Dr. Mujtaba concluded his remarks by emphasizing that he is a strong proponent of

the Pak-US relationship above partisan politics. He urged the need to understand the ground realities before making any judgments and highlighted that intruding into the domestic politics of Pakistan by hearing one side of the story damages the repute and credibility of the current political government in Pakistan. The discussion provided a different perspective to the ongoing campaign against Pakistan and emphasized the need for a balanced approach to understand the ground realities.

LEADING CONSORTIUM EXPRESSES INTEREST IN SILKBANK

PAKISTAN HOUSING FINANCE COMPANY EYES EQUITY INVESTMENT OF RS12B IN SILKBANK

KARACHI MARIAM UMAR FAROOQ

SILKBANK,has once again attracted the interest of investors. In recent news shared with the Pakistan Stock Exchange, the Pakistan Housing Finance Company (PHFC), a subsidiary of Lake City Limited, has proposed an investment of up to Rs 12 billion into Silkbank Limited’s equity. In contrast, the value of the bank is approximately Rs 10 billion on the stock exchange.

PHFC is a Non-Banking Finance Company (NBFC) offering Shariah-compliant home loan products for affordable housing.

PHFC is leading a consortium of an investor group, supported and backed by the renowned management of Burj Capital, which carries the required experience of setting up and successfully managing Islamic and conventional banks in Pakistan. The notice said that Pakistani business conglomerate, Arif Habib Group, will also participate in the consortium as a minority stakeholder. Interestingly, Arif Habib Corporation, a holding company of Arif Habib Group, holds 28.23% of the stake in Silkbank.

The Board of Directors of Silkbank has granted an “in-principle approval” for allowing PHFC to conduct the required due diligence of the bank, which is subject to the approval of the board, shareholders, the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP)

funding crunch worsens

PROFIT REUTERS

A funding squeeze at Indian startups that has already led to layoffs and delayed stock listings is set to worsen as investors reckon with stretched valuations and faltering consumption growth, likely laying the ground for industry consolidation.

Startups in India raised just $2 billion in the first quarter of 2023, 75% lower than the same period of last year, and the smallest quarterly number in nearly three years, figures from data firm CB Insights showed. At this run rate, startups may end up raising less than $10 billion this year, a far cry from the record $30 billion garnered in 2021 and $20 billion in 2022. The slowdown is a setback for startups as well as Prime Minister Narendra Modi who has lauded their success by calling such companies the “backbone of new India”. It could hurt India’s economic growth and its jobs market.

“This is a fundamental reset, not just another blip,” said V.T. Bharadwaj, a former India managing director of Sequoia Capital who now leads venture capital firm A91 Partners. “I don’t think I’ll again see a record fund raise year like 2021 at least for a decade.”

CONTINUED ON PAGE 03

and the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP).

According to a press release issued by Silkbank, it is expected that this investment will provide a significant boost to Silkbank’s financial position and will enable the bank to further expand its operations by investment into its flagship retail and consumer portfolios which continue to be amongst the top performing businesses in the industry. Bank’s consumer division, with credit cards and personal loan products have registered phenomenal growth in recent years which is a testament of the customer confidence reposed in the bank, it read.

Organisations that expressed interest in Silkbank

Silkbank has a history of drawing the attention of investors, including an international investor. Earlier this month, the International Commercial Bank (ICB), a South Sudanese bank, had expressed its intention to invest up to 50 million euros (equivalent to Rs 15.4 billion) in Silkbank.

Amongst the local investors that expressed interest in the bank include Fauji Foundation. In early 2021, Fauji Foundation, which has a stake in Askari Bank, expressed interest to acquire a major stake in Silk Bank. When it lost interest, Habib Bank and Bank Alfalah became interested in acquiring Silk Bank’s consumer portfolio in mid 2021. In May 2022, Park View Enclave (Private) Limited, owned by businessman and politician Aleem Khan, expressed interest in acquiring 51% of the stake in Silk Bank which also withdrew its intention in October 2022, citing a change in its busi-

PM wants fast-track implementation of solarization project

ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

ness priorities.

Why does Silkbank need an investment?

Silkbank has been making losses for a few years now. The bank reported a profit of Rs 13.2 billion in 2018. Thereafter, it reported a net loss of Rs 3.95 billion in 2019 which increased to Rs 6.57 billion at the end of 2020. Its accumulated losses amounted to Rs 20.27 billion at the end of 2020, the latest period for which the bank has published its financial accounts. Its capital stood at Rs 3.16 billion against the prescribed minimum capital requirement of Rs 10 billion at the end of 2020. Similarly, its capital adequacy ratio was -4.45% against the prescribed level of 11.5% on Dec 31, 2020.

Needless to say that the bank is in desperate need of new capital to meet regulatory requirements. Earlier this year, Silkbank said in a press release that the bank is on a growth trajectory. But annual reports have not been made available to the public.

Who has stakes in Silk Bank?

According to Silk Bank’s latest annual report for the year ending December 2020, around 62.91% of the bank’s shares are held by associated companies and related parties. This can be further categorised as the Arif Habib Corporation holds 28.23%, Shaukat Tarin holds 11.55%, the International Finance Corporation holds 7.74%, Zulqurnain Nawaz Chattha 7.76%, Nomura European Investment Ltd 3.93%, Bank Muscat holds 3.48% and Azmat Shahzad Ahmed Tarin holds 0.22%. Separately, the directors and chief executive hold 4.62% of the bank’s shares.

Soaring inflation dampens Eid holiday spirit

PROFIT

AFP

The holiday that marks the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramazan used to be a guaranteed earner for Pakistan’s small shops and businesses — a big-spending week that could match the take from the rest of the year.

This year, however, many worry they will not even make enough to pay their monthly rent, with inflation hitting its highest levels in decades and political turmoil miring the country in uncertainty.

“There are no customers, there are no buyers,” said Shehzad Ahmed, who runs a shop selling bags, jewellery and other goods in Lahore.

The country of more than 220 million people saw year-on-year inflation hit 35.4 per cent in March. Food prices surged more than 47 per cent in 12 months, with transport costs rising by 55 per cent.

Pakistan is deeply in debt and needs to introduce tough reforms to unlock a tranche of a $6.5 billion bailout from the International Monetary Fund in order to avoid default.

The economy has been wrecked by years of financial mismanagement and political instability –- a situation exacerbated by a global energy crisis and devastating floods that left a third of the country under water last year. The end of Ramazan , Eidul Fitr, is celebrated by Muslims around the world by feasting with relatives and friends, exchanging gifts, and dressing up in new clothes and shoes.

The dire economic straits have, however, cast a decidedly sombre mood across the country’s normally vibrant markets.

“There are significantly fewer shoppers compared to last year — and it’s because of inflation,” trader Saif Ali told AFP.

Sheikh Amir, who runs a small shop selling glass bangles and imitation jewellery, said he was usually able to earn enough for the whole year during Eid.

“It’s become very difficult these days,” he said. “We are just going through the motions in the hope that we will be able to make enough to pay the rent for our shops.”

Major shopping districts across the country usually see a surge in spending in the week leading up to the holiday, which begins with the sighting of the new moon, expected this weekend. In urban centres, markets and shops stay open until after midnight — many putting on special offers or sales to attract customers.

Twinkling holiday lights adorn many bazaars to attract customers, while street vendors set up stalls offering special holiday treats.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 03

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday directed for fast implementation of solarization project in the country by immediately removing all the impediments in the import of solar panels and other parts. The prime minister said that a developing country like Pakistan could not afford to generate power by importing costly fuels.

The prime minister expressed these views while chairing a high-level meeting to review progress on the solarization project initiated across the country, the PM Office Media Wing said in a press release.

The meeting was apprised that tenders had been floated for 17 government buildings for which bids were received and their technical examination was being carried out today.

The prime minister observed that with the low-cost solar power generation, the consumers would get an inexpensive power supply, besides its generation would save precious foreign reserves spent on the import of expensive fuels. He also directed for import of solar panels through phased process and desired that solarization process of the government buildings should expeditiously be implemented. It was further apprised that progress on 1200MW Layyah and 600 MW Jhang power projects was in the final stage. After approval of benchmark tariff from NEPRA, the process for installation of solar on 11kv feeder would commence, it was further added.

Moreover, tenders for 50 other government buildings would be issued on A

The meeting was further informed that tender for 600MW KotAddu power project had been issued in which a large number of international and national companies had expressed keen interest.

The meeting was attended by federal ministers, PM’s advisors and senior officials.

‘Minimum power load-shedding in summer’

Meanwhile, the prime minister Shehbaz Sharif directed to ensure minimum load-shedding of electricity during the summer season.

Chairing a meeting to review the situation of electricity load-shedding during summer, and the consumption and production of urea fertilizer, he said the pace of restoration of the Neelum Jhelum project should be increased.

The meeting was informed about the production of electricity and the expected demand during this summer. Furthermore, with regard to the revival of Neelum Jhelum power project, it was told that the project would be fully restored and start generating the cheap and clean electricity in July this year.

The meeting was also informed in detail about the provision of gas to the urea industry, besides data of its production and consumption in the country.

The prime minister directed the relevant authorities to ensure timely production of the urea fertilizer and its supply to the farmers. He said the government was taking all possible steps to minimize per acre cost of the farmers. He said during the last year, the government had given top priority to the agriculture development and prosperity of the farmers.

“I will not let anybody to grasp the rights of the farmers through smuggling of urea fertilizer,” he added.

The prime minister also directed to keep an eye on the demand and supply of the fertilizer. Keeping in view the consumption and production of the fertilizer, he directed to present a comprehensive plan for buffer stock and the provision of gas to the industries.

China says embassy verifying reports of alleged blasphemy by its national

BEIJING

STAFF REPORT

China’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Wang Wenbin, has urged Chinese nationals abroad to comply with local laws and customs, after a Chinese national was held in police custody in Pakistan on accusations of alleged blasphemy.

His comment came after a court ruled that the man, identified by police only as Tian, arrested on blasphemy charges be held in jail for two weeks, pending trial. Under the blasphemy laws, anyone convicted of

blasphemy can be sentenced to death.

Tian was arrested on Sunday night, hours after hundreds of residents and labourers working on the Dasu Dam, the biggest hydropower project in Pakistan, in the town of Komela in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa blocked Karakoram Highway and rallied demanding his arrest.

Tian was part of a group of Chinese working on the dam. He was accused by labourers of blasphemy after criticising two drivers working on the project of taking too much time to pray during work hours.

Tian was whisked away and brought before a court in Abottabad, where he on Monday pleaded not guilty. He also insisted that he did not insult Islam or the prophet, said Arshad Khan, a local police officer. Wenbin said that the Chinese embassy in Islamabad is verifying the information, and that if the incident involves Chinese nationals, the embassy will provide consular protection and assistance as required by its duty. It is not clear from the reports whether the accused is actually Chinese or of Chinese descent.

Kenya puts an end to journalist murder probe collaboration with Pakistan

ISLAMABAD MONITORING REPORT

The government of Kenya has refused to assist Pakistani authorities in their investigation into the murder of investigative journalist Arshad Sharif, according to sources cited in a report in The News.

Pakistan had requested permission to open a new inquiry into the gruesome murder, but was told by Nairobi that the East African country had already provided all possible assistance to the investigators — Omar Shahid Hamid of the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and Dr Athar Waheed of Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).

The Kenyan report into the killing remains unpublished, but according to earlier reports it claimed that Sharif was killed in a “mistaken identity” case by members of the paramilitary General Service Unit. Pakistani authorities have repeatedly requested access to the report, but their requests have been refused.

This has led to frustration and tension between the two countries, with Pakistan citing a lack of cooperation from the Kenyan authorities.

A five-judge bench of the Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice

Umar Ata Bandial, has ordered a new inquiry into the murder. The officials had cited a scathing report by Hamid and Waheed, which alleged a murder conspiracy leading up to Sharif’s assassination, potential complicity by Kenyan police, a clear case of murder plot cover-up, and a lack of will of the Kenyan authorities to investigate the case properly.

However, the Kenyan government has remained steadfast in its position that it has already provided all necessary assistance and that the apex court’s orders were Pakistan’s internal matter.

Sharif was shot dead by Kenyan

police in October last year while returning to Nairobi from Kenya’s Magadi Town. The Kenyan police claimed they opened fire after the vehicle breached a blockade.

The head of a second investigation team, Awais Ahmed, has told the Supreme Court that the team found no solid evidence in Kenya and that the authorities of the foreign country did not provide access to evidence in the case.

Sharif’s family, friends, and media in Pakistan believe that the journalist was killed in a planned murder attack in Kenya.

Once booming Indian startups set for more pain as