Epaper_22-04-2023 ISB

Profit

A M I D S TAY O R D E R , S U P R E M E

C O U R T B I L L 2 0 2 3 N O T I F I E D A S L AW

g EIGHT-MEMBER APEX COURT BENCH HAD STOPPED IMPLANTATION OF BILL A WEEK AGO

ISLAMABAD

S TA F F R E P O R T

IN the midst of the prevailing political and constitutional the National Assembly Secretariat notified Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Bill 2023 as law despite a stay order issued by an 8-member bench of the Supreme Court halting its implementation

The development was shared by the National Assembly’s official Twitter account on Friday Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Act, 2023 of the Majlis-i-Shoora (Parliament) is deemed to have been assented by the President [ ] under clause (2) of Article 75 of the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan

It is hereby published for general information, the tweet said

A week ago while grating stay order in the matter the eight-member bench of the apex court, led by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umer Ata Bandial, had issued notices to the Federal Government, Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) political parties Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) and the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) in response to pleas challenging the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Bill 2023

The CJP led bench has termed the bill interference with and intrusion into

the independence of the judiciary

However, the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Bill 2023 – curtailing CJP s suo motu powers has become a law on Friday after being passed by the National Assembly (NA), fulfilling all the necessary requirements and regulations The National Assembly of Pakistan shared the bill s copy on its official Twitter handle

On the other hand, President Dr Arif Alvi, for a second time, refused to give his assent to Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Bill 2023 and sent it back to parliament maintaining that the matter

Minister assures petrol subsidy scheme won’t derail IMF deal

Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure)

the rich and cheaper rates for the poor The finance ministry has already answered two detailed questions regarding the petrol subsidy plan in the hopes of satisfying the IMF s concerns The government’s proposal would subsidize petrol for 800cc cars and motorbikes while making petrol prices more expensive for the rich However concerns have been raised that the pricing model used in the gas sector would be challenging to implement transparently for petrol prices The IMF has also questioned the modalities of the subsidy plan and the half-cooked cross-subsidy has caused delays in striking a staff-level agreement with the IMF It remains to be seen how the IMF will respond to the proposal

was now sub judice before the apex court

The bill was approved by the federal cabinet on March 28 and then lower and upper houses passed the instrument

However the president refused to sign it into law with the observation that it travelled “beyond the competence of parliament” Later a Joint Sitting of Parliament passed the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Bill 2023 again on April 10 Three days later, the Supreme Court (SC) barred the government from implementing the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Bill 2023

THE BILL: The passed bill – the

Bill, 2023 – aims at giving the power of taking suo motu notice to a three-member committee comprising senior judges including Chief Justice It also aims to have transparent proceedings in the apex court and includes the right to appeal Regarding the constitution of benches the bill states that every cause matter or appeal before the apex court would be heard and disposed of by a bench constituted by a committee comprising the CJP and the two senior-most judges It added that the decisions of the committee would be taken by a majority Regarding exercising the apex court s original jurisdiction, the bill said that any matter invoking the use of Article 184(3) would first be placed before the above-mentioned committee The bill says that if the committee is of the view that a question of public importance with reference to the enforcement of any of the fundamental rights conferred by Chapter I of Part II of the Constitution is involved, it shall constitute a bench comprising not less than three judges of the Supreme Court of Pakistan which may also include the members of the committee for adjudication of the matter T h e b i l l a d d i t i o n a l l y s a i d t h a t a p a r t y w o u l d h a v e t h e r i g h t t o a p p o i n t i t s c o u n s e l o f c h o i c e f o r f i l i n g a r ev i e w a p p l i c a t i o n u n d e r A r

PM felicitates nation, Muslim Ummah on Eidul Fitr

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday met the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) stalwarts and legal experts to discuss the political situation

According to sources the federal minister for law and justice, Ayaz Sadiq, Saad Rafiq and other leaders were present in the meeting Furthermore former law minister Zahid Hamid and Attorney General Mansoor Usman also had a detailed meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Sources said that the PM discussed the current political situation and the ongoing case in the Supreme Court

: Meanwhile

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif felicitated people of Pakistan and the Muslim Ummah on the auspicious occasion of Eidul Fitr

In a message on the occasion of Eidul Fitr, he prayed that the blessed moment may bring for every Muslim immense happiness and joy of life

He said the fasting month of Ramazan ul Mubarak and worship of Allah evoked feelings of patience contentment and empathy and Eidul Fitr was also an occasion to practically demonstrate these qualities He advised people to take care of the needy, poor, destitute and orphans around them These were difficult times and the sacrifice and love of the well

to do and rich was needed more than in ordinary circumstances he said adding Those who are facing difficulties due to adverse circumstances should be made part of the celebrations of Eid ” Shehbaz Sharif said it was persistent effort of the coalition government to put on the people minimum burden of the difficult economic conditions “We are striving to the maximum to provide relief to the people I believe that Allah Almighty will bring us out of these trying circumstances and comforts of life will return ”

The prime minister emphasized that everybody would have to contribute to take Pakistan to its destination and to restore its lost status, to achieve that purpose constructive thinking focus and constant hard work was needed As the sweetness of Eid follows the fasting month, God willing, our effort and hard work will

PML-N supremo, Mar yam Nawaz meet Saudi Crown Prince Salman: Mar riyum

ISLAMABAD S TA F F R E P O R T

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo

Nawaz Sharif and the party s senior Vice President and Chief Organizer Maryam Nawaz met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman it was reported on Friday

In a tweet posted on her official handle on Friday

Information and broadcasting Minister Marriyum

Aurangzeb said the PML-N leaders discussed further developing Saudi-Pak brotherly relations and solutions to the problems faced by Pakistan

bring economic prosperity in the life of the nation and the country ”

He appealed to his countrymen to not forget the flood affectees on the occasion of Eid and include them in their happiness

“On this occasion we salute the martyrs of the nation who embraced martyrdom while courageously fighting against terrorism and offer our heartfelt condolences to their families May Allah elevate the ranks of these martyrs and give patience to their loved ones Ameen, he added

While expressing solidarity with our Palestinian and Kashmiri brothers and sisters he said We pray that Allah Almighty may bless them with freedom Ameen

He also expressed solidarity with the earthquake affectees of Turkiye and Syria and sympathized with the bereaved families, prayed for the peace of departed souls and patience for the heirs

Moreover Nawaz expressed good wishes for the Saudi leadership

The meeting, that comes at a time Pakistan is going through serious economic and political troubles had not been publicised earlier neither have any pictures of it been released

The PML-N leaders are currently in Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah

Earlier this month Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had told the lower house of the parliament that Saudi Arabia had provided another $2 billion to Pakistan in order to bolster the country s foreign exchange reserves “Showing great kindness Saudi Arabia has provided us another $2 billion while the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has also promised to give us $1b Shehbaz said while speaking on the floor of the Nation

Assembly

In January Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General

Syed Asim Munir met MBS at the winter camp in AlUla, Saudi Arabia, and reviewed bilateral relations between the two countries

According to the Saudi Press Agency, the two leaders also discussed ways to enhance relations between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan in addition to a number of issues of common concern

s t e r T i l e s f a i l s t o p a y f o u r m o n t h s w a g e s o n e v e o f E i d g FACTORY MANAGEMENT TRIED TO PLACATE PROTESTORS WITH RS10,000 PER WORKER AND PROMISE OF RELEA SING THE PAYMENT AFTER EID DESPITE EARLIER PROMISES

a protest chanting slogans against company s CEO Sheikh Mehmood Iqbal

Speaking to Profit one of the workers of the factory Muhammad Bilal informed that for the last four months, on the one hand, the salary has not been paid, while on the other hand the workers are being threatened to prevent them from protesting Sheikh Mehmood the owner of Master Tiles, has withheld our salaries for four months

Although Sheikh is also a big donor to Tablighi Jamaat he refuses to pay the wages to the workers We are constantly protesting for payment of salaries and the bosses are threatening us with severe pun-

ishment, he exclaimed “We also protested outside the Master Tiles factory in Kamonki but the owners did not care instead they started threatening us with the police Sheikh spent around 200 crores on his daughter's wedding but they have not paid the salaries of their 4000 employees for the last four months as tomorrow is Eid They are not billionaires they are trillionaires, their daughter s wedding which took place in 2020 and was called the most expensive wedding in Pakistan The wedding guests were given gifts wrapped in gold foil Their factories are state of the art but they are very cruel when it comes to paying the workers, he lamented Muhammad Muzamil another factory worker informed Profit that the owners and management had promised to make some payments to the workers before Eid but now

the management has reneged on this promise citing ‘poor factory conditions’ “So the workers staged a dharna at the factory gate as a protest but instead of fulfilling their very legitimate demand, the management is threatening them The employees also protested by blocking the GT Road for not getting their salaries but this news could not be aired on any TV channel because it is a heavy advertisement party Now the owners have come down on open hooliganism with the full support of the entire district administration Commissioner Gujranwala and the police Yesterday, after the continuous protest of the workers, the factory management announced the payment of only RS 10 000 per person and made false promises to pay the rest after Eid Due to the dire need of money on Eid, the workers were currently willing

to receive a payment of ten thousand per person, but the cruelty is that this payment was also made to the same workers who were present on spot Later when the rest of the workers came to collect this money, the factory management flatly refused and threatened them with serious consequences, filing cases and arrests through the police forcing them to return home emptyhanded, he informed However, some workers also told Profit that they would continue to protest against the factory owners until their salaries were not paid On the other hand the issue of non-payment by Master Tiles to the workers on the occasion of Eid was also viral on social media Many attempts were made to talk to the company's HR team about the issue of non-payment of salaries but could not be contacted

g PRESIDENT DR ALVI RETURNED THE BILL UNSIGNED TWICE

P R E S I D E N T I M P O S E S F I N E O N

A C C U S E D I N H A R A S S M E N T C A S E

ISLAMABAD

S ta f f r e p o r t

IN order to discourage unnecessary litigation filed on flimsy grounds, President Dr Arif Alvi has imposed a fine upon the accused in a harassment case to bear the airfare charges of the complainant for filing representations on flimsy grounds in a hasty manner and putting the alleged victim under further mental and financial hardships by making her travel from Karachi to Islamabad with her counsel to attend the hearing

The President gave this order in a case of sexual harassment where a female

Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) (the complainant) at Airport Security Force (ASF) posted in Sukkur was allegedly harassed by the Airport Manager

According to her, the accused pressurized her to solemnize marriage with her, however, within four months of the marriage the accused statedly started maltreating her and ultimately handed over the divorce deed to her in the month of February 2022

She alleged that the accused pressurized her to reside with him after the divorce failing which he threatened to destroy her job as he was the Airport Manager

The accused was also reported to have sent indecent WhatsApp messages to the complainant Feeling aggrieved the complainant approached the Federal Ombudsman for Protection against Harassment of Women at Workplace (FOSPAH)

During the course of proceedings before the Ombudsman, the accused filed an application for rejection of the complaint on the ground that it was not maintainable as the allegations were vague and pertained to domestic issues of the parties

The counsel of the accused contended that the competent forum for such issues had been specified in the Domestic Violence (Prevention and Protection) Act 2013 promulgated by the Provincial Assembly of Sindh FOSPAH after hearing the parties rejected his application for dismissal of the complaint The accused then filed a representation with the President assailing FOSPAH s order, which was also rejected

The President rejected his representation by stating that the proceedings in the main case were still pending before FOSPAH wherein the evidence was yet to be recorded to ascertain the factum of harassment or otherwise

He held that the accused had filed the representation unnecessarily to prolong the

LEAS found presence of banned outfits in katcha areas: IG PUNJAB

LAHORE S ta f f r e p o r t I n s p e c t o r G e n e r a l ( I G ) P u n j a b s a i d o n F r i d a y t h a t t h e l a w e n f o r c e m e n t a g e n c i e s ( L E A s ) f o u n d p r e s e n c e o f t e r r o r i s t s o f b a n n e d o u t f i t s d u r i n g t h e a n t i - b a n d i t o p e r a t i o n i n k a t c h a a r e a s T h e I G P u n j a b w h i l e a d d r e s s i n g a p r e s s c o n f e r e n c e a l o n g w i t h c a r e t a k e r i n f o r m a t i o n m i n i s t e r o f P u n j a b a n d c h i e f s e c r e t a r y g a v e t h e d e t a i l s o f t h e a n t i - b a n d i t o p e r a t i o n i n t h e k a t c h a a r e a s H e s a i d t h a t k a t c h a b a n d i t s h a v e c o n n e c t i o n s w i t h t h e b a n n e d o u t f i t s a n d t h r e e r o c k e t a t t a c k s w e r e c a r r i e d o u t b y t h e d a c o i t s o n t h e L E A s H e s a i d t h a t 2 3 , 5 0 0 a c r e s o f l a n d i n c l u d i n g K a t c h a M o r o a n d K a t c h a J a m a l w a s c l e a r e d b y t h e L E A s H e a d d e d t h a t t h e y w i l l c o n s t r u c t 6 0 - k i l o m e t r e r o a d i f e l e c t i o n c o m m i s s i o n g i v e s p e r m i s s i o n T h e I G P u n j a b s a i d t h a t n o t a s i n g l e a b d u c t i o n i n c i d e n t w a s r e p o r t e d i n 2 5 m o n t h s H e s a i d t h a t t h e k a t c h a o p e r a t i o n w a s d e c i d e d b y t h e N a t i o n a l S e c u r i t y C o u n c i l H e s a i d t h a t t h e S i n d h a u t h o r i t i e s a r e c o o r d i n a t i n g t h e L E A s T h e P u n j a b p o l i c e c h i e f s a i d t h a t t h e y f o u n d e v i d e n c e o f t h e p r e s e n c e o f B a l o c h s e p a r a t i s t s i n t h e k a t c h a a r e a s w h e r e a s t w o k i l l e d t e r r o r i s t s d u r i n g t h e o p e r a t i o n w e r e a s s o c i a t e d w i t h t h e b a n n e d Te h r i k - i - Ta l i b a n P a k i s t a n ( T T P ) P u n j a b C a r e t a k e r I n f o r m a t i o n M i n i s t e r A m i r M i r s a i d t h a t i t h a s b e e n d e c i d e d t o e n d n o - g o z o n e s i n t h e k a t c h a a r e a s a n d 11 , 0 0 0 p o l i c e p e r s o n n e l w e r e t a k i n g p a r t i n t h e o p e r a t i o n D o z e n s o f p o l i c e c h e c k p o s t s w e r e e s t a b l i s h e d i n t h e k a t c h a a r e a M i r a n n o u n c e d t h a t t h e g o v e r n m e n t h a s d e c i d e d t o l a y a n e t w o r k o f 6 0 - k m - l o n g r o a d s i n t h e k a t c h a a r e a s a n d s c h o o l s a n d d i s p e n s a r i e s w i l l a l s o b e e s t a b l i s h e d

Gur-made

PESHAWAR a p p

Made of Gur , the traditional Rajjar Methai (sweet) of the Charsadda district on Friday attracted a large number of buyers at its outlets Rajjar, a small bazaar of Charsadda district with plenty of sweet shops, has started attracting sweet lovers in droves from across the province especially from Peshawar Mardan Mohmand Khyber Swabi and Nowshera districts due to its affordable price and delicious taste

Located about one kilometer north of Charsadda City Rajjar bazaar has now turned into a sweets market where a great rush of buyers is being witnessed in all bakery shops

The traditional sweet was brought in substantial quantity in Peshawar, Charsadda, Swabi, Nowshera and Mardan districts where Rajjar sweets are being sold like a hot cake on eve of Eid

The consumers are being seen standing in long queues in front of sweet shops to buy famous tasty sweets being the identity of Charsadda despite the fast of Ramazan Muhammad Yaqoob an owner of Razzar Sweet told APP that this hard-earned business was started by his grandfather

proceedings and such a tendency needed to be discouraged as it was nothing but a timebuying tactic

The President said that it was well settled that no party was allowed to file representations in a hasty manner to cause inordinate delay not only wasting the precious time of the Ombudsman and the President but also dragging the complainant into un-meritorious representations

Such tendency of uncalled-for litigation needs to be discouraged he added The President further said that the preamble of

the Protection against Harassment of Women at the Workplace Act, 2010 explicitly provided that the main objective of the legislation was to provide speedy and expeditious relief by redressing the grievances of the litigants to promote good governance He added that in order to achieve the objective of the Act imposing an exemplary cost on the party filing representations on flimsy grounds was appropriate to curb inordinate delay in the disposal of harassment matters

Terrorists attack police in K atcha area operation

SADIQABAD S ta f f r e p o r t

Terrorists attacked the police with rocket launchers and long range weapons in Katcha Rajwani area of Sadiqabad police said Friday T h e A P C o f t h e p o l i c e s u ff e r e d m i n o r d a m a g e d u r i n g t h e a t t a c k a n d t h e t e r r o r i s t s a n d r o b b e r s w e r e f o r c e d t o r e t r e a t i n t h e r e t a l i a t o r y a c t i o n t h e p o l i c e surrounded 18, 20 suspects and terrorists of the Sukhani and Lathani gang As soon as the incident was reported, the Chief Minister and IG Punjab left for South Punjab to review the latest situation and encourage the soldiers According to the sources, the areas of Kacha Moro and Kacha Jamal have been cleared During last year s operation martyrdoms took place but this year both areas have been cleared without any damage Kacha police operation continues on the thirteenth day meanwhile Rahim Yar Khan police have arrested 20 robbers while three have been killed

Rajjar

He stated that Section 14 of the Reforms

Act 2013 empowered the President to dispose of a representation by passing an order as he deemed fit and such power entailed that such power was to be exercised reasonably fairly justly and for the advancement of the purposes of the enactment

The President stated that the application filed by the accused for rejection of the complaint on the grounds which could not be adjudicated except by appraisal of evidence was nothing but an abuse of the process of law not only to defeat the main objective of the Act but also to put the complainant under further mental and financial hardships who had to travel to Islamabad from Karachi with her counsel to attend the hearing of the representation by incurring airfare cost

The President therefore rejected the representation of the accused and imposed the cost of air travel expenses of the complainant upon the accused

He further directed the Ombudsman to conclude the proceedings expeditiously within a period of ninety days as contemplated in section 8 of its Act, besides ensuring the payment of airfare cost by the accused to the complainant before proceeding ahead

Gov t fails to appoint FPSC Chairman

ISLAMABAD

S ta f f r e p o r t

The Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) has been continuing without its chairperson for the past four months officials said Friday The seat has been vacant since December 16 2022 after Capt (retd) Zahid Saeed resigned The FPSC is a country’s top body that is responsible for making recruitment of civil servants to run government administrative affairs The delay in the posting of a new chairman of FPSC is hampering the way for the promotion of officers waiting for their promotion for months Many important matters are also being delayed due to the absence of the administrative head FPSC Chairman also chairs the Central Selection Board meeting held for the promotion of federal officers from BS-19 to BS-20 and from BS-20 to BS-21 Absence of the head, the body is not properly functioning The Public Service Commission was set up for the first time in British India in 1926 After independence the Commission was established in Pakistan in 1947 under the provision of the government of India Act of 1935 At present the commission is functioning under Article 242 of the constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan It has been provided autonomy under the Rules of Business 1973 and FPSC Regulations 1978 in its working The Commission has also been given administrative as well as to some extent financial autonomy to perform its functions independently The Commission consists of a Chairman and Members

The Chairman is appointed by the President, at his discretion, under Article 242 (IA) of the Constitution of Pakistan, 1973 The members are appointed by the President on the advice of the Prime Minister of Pakistan The Commission is assisted by the Secretary who provides a link between the Commission its Secretariat and the Government Agencies

The spokesman of Punjab Police said the police will provide permanent peace to the people of the area by making the operation successful Meanwhile, taking notice of the custodial torture o f a n a r r e s t e d a c c u s e d b y G u j r a t C I A o ff i c i a l s , c a r e t a k e r P u n j a b C h i e f M i n i s t e r S y e d M o h s i n R a z a

Naqvi on Friday suspended the CIA in-charge

T h e c h i e f m i n i s t e r a l s o o r d e r e d t h e r e m o v a l o f G u j r a t D i s t r i c t P o l i c e O ff i c e r T h o u g h t h e G u j r a t R e g i o n a l P o l i c e O ff i c e r o r d e r e d t o r e g i s t e r a c a s e a g a i n s t t h e c i t y C I A i n - c h a rg e b u t t h e c a s e c o u l d n o t b e l o d g e d Two officers of Gujranwala RPO office viz SPR (IB) and SP (Legal Inquiry) have been nominated as inquiry officers CM Naqvi ordered a legal and departmental action against the responsible officers The RPO vowed strict action against the officers if they were proved guilty in the inquiry He said that the custodial torture will not be tolerated at all He maintained that there is no place for officers who bring shame to the police department

sweets attrac t

Israruddin alias Chacha Halwai in 1930 and was proud to continue his legacy of being belonged to third generation running it today

He said the delicious quality of the sweet differentiates it from the rest of the confectionaries in local markets due to its better taste chemically free and affordable price

The people serve it to relatives, friends and guests as a special item on various occasions including Eid, weddings and children’s birthday parties to strengthen the bond of love and friendship

It is a preferred choice of many poor and whie-collar people being sold for Rs 400450 per kilogram in local markets

Yaqoob said the recipe for the popular sweet had changed over the years adding only butter flour and gur were used by his grandfather in its preparation as sugar was not available in those ancient days

Nowadays it was being prepared with various ingredients including desi ghee, milk, butter, gur and white flour to enhance its taste, he added

He said about 50,000 to 60,000 people were directly or indirectly associated with this business

PML-N leaders approached PTI for talks: Asad Qaiser

PESHAWAR

S ta f f r e p o r t

The former speaker national assembly confirmed that the PML-N leaders approached PTI for talks on the election date As per details Asad Qaiser said that during the meeting with the MQM-P and BAP, the government invited Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf for talks

The Federal Minister of Law and Justice Azam Nazir Tarar, Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) leaders Saad Rafique and Ayaz Sadiq approached Asad Qaiser for talks Asad Qaiser said that PTI has always kept the doors open for talks but the stance on the talks should be submitted to the court as well He added that PTI is ready for talks within a timeframe

people on eve of Eid

Yaqoob said it was being exported to Saudi Arabia Afghanistan Iran Syria and several Middle Eastern countries besides being sent to the US UK and other Western states as a gift for friends and relatives

Rajar sweet is my first choice on Meeti Eid I purchased 20-kilogram sweets including five KG each for my married sisters, maternal uncles and relatives as special Eid gift, said Umar Khan, a resident of Pabbi “I personally like it because it is prepared in milk and gur making it more delicious, tasty and free of adulteration,” he said He said Pakistan can earn valuable foreign exchange by exporting the traditional confectionery to international markets

Focus should be made on its marketing by involving foreign missions to explore new avenues for this popular product

Zeeshan Khan an official of the KP Forest Department said that Rajjar sweet was an essential part of his shopping and his Eid seemed incomplete without it

Yaqoob said the coronavirus pandemic, floods and inflation had affected the business and shopkeepers suffered substantial economic losses

He urged KP government to announce a relief package for the affected shopkeepers of Rajjar sweets

LAHORE: Women busy shopping at a bungles stall on Chand raat in Gulberg Market Photo by Zubair Mehfooz

S A N J R A N I U R G E S U N I T Y, P R O S P E R I T Y O N E I D U L F I T R

ISLAMABAD

S ta f f r e p o r t

Senate Chairman Muhammad Sadiq Sanjrani has extended heartfelt Eid greetings to Muslims worldwide and particularly to Pakistanis urging them to work together to overcome the challenges facing the country

In a message on the auspicious occasion of Eid ul Fitr Sanjrani emphasized the importance of the virtues of piety, discipline, patience, and tolerance cultivated during the month of Ramazan, and called on all Muslims to demonstrate these qualities in their daily lives to achieve success in both this world and the hereafter Muslims are blessed with an immense gift from Allah during the holy month of Ramazan which can lead to success in the hereafter he said adding on the occasion of Eid ul Fitr Allah accepts the prayers and worship of all

Muslims This day is a celebration of the completion of divine mercy and a day of gratitude Allah’s infinite blessings and mercy require us to illuminate our lives

with His guidance, as this is the straight path that leads to success in both this life and the hereafter Muhammad Sadiq Sanjrani

emphasized the importance of including loved ones, neighbors, and the underprivileged in our celebrations, as it is a reflection of the teachings of our religion and society He urged everyone to make a special effort to share the joy of Eid with those around us

The Chairman emphasized the importance of working together to achieve the development and prosperity of the country He stated that Eid-ul-Fitr teaches us to celebrate happiness with peace and love and that a joint action plan is necessary to make our country a symbol of peace

According to him Eid-ul-Fitr holds great significance for the Muslim world, and the Muslim community shares common problems that require collective wisdom to solve He urged everyone to put aside their differences and work towards the development and prosperity of the country on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr

Nayeem Khan ex tends warmest Eid greetings to Muslim Ummah

ISLAMABAD S ta f f r e p o r t

Illegally detained senior All Parties Hurriyat Conference leader Nayeem Ahmed Khan on the auspicious occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr has extended his warmest wishes and greetings to Muslims across the world particularly to the people of Kashmir

According to Kashmir Media Service on Friday, Nayeem Ahmed Khan in a message from New Delhi s infamous Tihar Jail, said amidst Eid celebrations let us not forget the less privileged lot of the society

He said, “Let us not forget the families of those proud sons of the soil who laid down their lives in pursuit of the collective cause the families of those who have been languishing in jails far away from their homes

He urged Muslims to not forget the families who lost

Fawad slams Bilawal’s potential visit to India as disrespectful to Kashmiri sacrifices

ISLAMABAD S ta f f r e p o r t

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Fawad Chaudhry

Friday criticized Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto’s potential visit to India to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting in Goa India Bilawal s plan to attend the SCO session scheduled in India next month will be like stabbing Kashmiris in the back Fawad Chaudhry wrote on the social media platform Twitter Speaking out against the possible visit on Friday, Mr Chaudhry took to Twitter to express his thoughts on the matter Mr Chaudhry declared that Mr Bhutto s visit to India would be disrespectful to the sacrifices made by the Kashmiris

He stated that prioritizing cooperation with India while pushing the Kashmir issue aside was part of an international agenda According to Mr Chaudhry this Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government was imposed on Pakistan to serve this agenda While emphasizing that PTI was in favor of friendly relations with other countries including India Mr Chaudhry stated that PTI would not allow Pakistan to become a puppet state He urged that relations between states should be based on equality and expressed his reservations about Pakistan losing importance to friendly countries The SCO meeting is scheduled to take place in Goa, India Meanwhile, Pakistan Tehreeke-Insaf (PTI) vice president Fawad Chaudhry opposed the reappointment of Usman Buzdar as the Chief Minister (CM) of Punjab Speaking on a private TV Channel, PTI vice president Fawad Chaudhry said there are many ‘surprises’ regarding the tickets allotment as Chairman of PTI Imran Khan himself distributed the tickets for the Punjab Assembly elections While answering a question Fawad Chaudhry said that he will not advise PTI stakeholders to make Usman Buzdar the Chief Minister of Punjab however it would be Imran Khan s decision

LCCI invites budget proposals from business communit y

LAHORE

S h a h a B o M e r

The Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry has invited budget proposals from the business community to prepare LCCI Federal Budget proposals 2023-24

While addressing a gathering of the business community, LCCI President Kashif Anwar said that the businessmen should forward their reservations and doable solutions to the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry LCCI Senior Vice President Zafar Mahmood Chaudhry Vice President Adnan Khalid Butt former office-bearers and Executive Committee members were also present LCCI President said that the business community is facing problems like devaluation of rupee inflation mark-up consignments stuck at ports which have to be solved as soon as possible He said that the industry is facing shortage of raw materials due to the consignments stuck at the ports The President of Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry said that he is talking to the Punjab government regarding the sectors which are facing restrictions due to environmental issues including steel He lauded efforts of the provincial minister for industries SM Tanvir for the cause of trade and industry He said that SM Tanvir is taking the business community on board on all trade and industry related issues and resolving the issues of the steel sector and other industries in the shortest possible time

MWMC star ts installing bins, containers in cit y

MULTAN S ta f f r e p o r t

Multan Waste Management Company (MWMC) has started installing dust bins and containers in order to ensure cleanliness arrangements in the main areas of the city under the directions of Commissioner Multan division Engineer Aamir Khattak The company has installed the dust bins brought from Karachi outside the various worship places and Eid gahs with special awareness banners on which the slogans of Eid Mubarak and adoption of cleanliness culture were written by the administration It is worth mentioning here that the new dust bins were manufactured as per modern ways and the citizens will be able to use it instead of throwing garbage on the roads Meanwhile, the company administration has cancelled the holidays of sanitary staff regarding cleanliness on Eid-ul-Fitr, and control room 1139 would also remain functional for complaints related to cleanliness Deputy Commissioner (DC) Umar Jahangir has assigned a special task to the company to immediately resolve the sanitation and sewage complaints throughout the city during Eid days The cleanliness staff removed the garbage piles and dirt deposits around the mosques and also installed awareness banners in the city on Friday despite the holiday

their homes and hearths as a result of the occupation authorities’ ruthless land eviction, confiscation and house demolishing drive recently “Let us redouble our efforts to alleviate the sufferings of those who are destitute and needy so that they can also celebrate Eid and feel the sense of sharing he added

Senior APHC leader said the true spirit of Eid lies in sharing and caring for the less privileged and poor who deserve to be remembered and supported on this auspicious occasion

There were hundreds and thousands of orphans families of martyrs and jailed Hurriyat activists, who really deserve to be supported during these turbulent times, he maintained Nayeem requested the philanthropists and affluent people of the society to come forward and play their part to alleviate the sufferings of their brethren who have been the worst victims of Indian state terrorism

Blast mining and stone - crushing plants ruined life in Tehsil K hanpur

KHANPUR S ta f f r e p o r t B l a s t m i n i n g a n d s t o n e - c r u s h i n g p l a n t s i n Te h s i l K h a n p u r c r e a t e d havoc and thousands of people are l i v i n g w i t h l i f e t h r e a t s H u g e cracks in the houses and hills can be seen easily

According to the details, locals of various union councils of Khanpur including Pahar Pur and others are protesting from last so many years against blast mining and stone crushing which has ruined their lives and damaged most of the buildings in the area W h i l e t a l k i n g t o t h e m e d i a t h e y s a i d t h a t b e s i d e s t h e d e s t r u c t i o n o f t h e i r h o u s e b y t h e b l a s t i n g m i n i n g i n r e s i d e n t i a l a r e a s h i l l s a n d f o r e s t s w e r e a l s o d a m a g e d , i f t h e s i t u a t i o n p e r s i s t s a n y n a t u r a l c a l a m i t y p a r t i c u l a r l y

Balochistan, Sindh gov t grants special remission to prisoners

ISLAMABAD S ta f f r e p o r t

Balochistan and Sindh governments have granted special remission to all convicted prisoners, languishing in prisons of the provinces for two months and four months respectively Radio Pakistan reported on Friday that the Government of Balochistan has announced sixty days special remission to all convicted prisoners confined in Jails and judicial lockups in the province on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr According to a notification of the Home and Tribal affairs Department the special remission would not be imposed on the prisoners who are involved in anti-state terrorism activities and other heinous crimes Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has granted special remission to all convicted prisoners languishing in Prisons of the province on the eve of Eid-ul-Fitr for four months According to notification of Home Department, special remission will not be given to the convicted of murder, espionage, subversion, anti-state and terrorist activities and those undergoing sentences under the Foreigners Act 1946

Glacier burst prompts road closure in Kaghan, tourists warned

MANSEHRA

e a r t h q u a c k c a n t r i g g e r a d i s a s t e r

They said that continuous blasting has damaged hills, houses and forests in the areas which is a serious threat to the people of the village People said that Tehsil Khanpur is one of the most beautiful areas of the Hazara division which thousands of tourists visit every year to enjoy the beautiful lakes archeological sites

Resc ue operation continues in K hyber Pass on four th day

PESHAWAR S ta f f r e p o r t T h e r e s c u e a n d r e l i e f o p e r a t i o n t o c l e a r t h e r o a d o f debris and take out all the containers buried under the l a n d s l i d e i n t h e K h y b e r P a s s i s u n d e r w a y o n t h e fourth

and natural beauty I f t h e g o v e r n m e n t w o u l d n o t t a k e s e r i o u s a c t i o n a g a i n s t t h e b l a s t m i n i n g a n d s t o n e - c r u s h i n g p l a n t s t h e n i t w o u l d a l s o d e s t r o y t h e r e m a i n i n g b e a u t y o f t h e a r e a T h e y h a v e d e m a n d e d f r o m t h e c h i e f m i n i s t e r o f K P K i m m e d i a t e l y b a n m i n i n g i n r e s i d e n t i a l a r e a s a n d a l s o p a y t h e l o s s e s c a u s e d b y t h e b l a s t i n g

S ta f f r e p o r t

The district administration of Mansehra on Friday announced the closure of the main Kaghan Naran Road for all kind of traffic due to a glacier eruption near Kaghan The eruption has posed a threat to the safety of tourists traveling to the area during Eidul Fitr holidays The district authorities have advised all tourists to avoid traveling to Naran/Kaghan until further notice The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Tourism Department, Rescue 1122, Police, and Kaghan Development Authority are working on a priority basis to ensure the safety of tourists in the area

Te a m s o f P a k A r m y a n d R e s c u e 11 2 2 teams from district Khyber Peshawar Nowshera and M a r d a n a r e a c t i v e l y p a r t i c i p a t i n g i n t h e o n g o i n g search operation Meanwhile the Emergency Service R e s c u e 11 2 2 K h y b e r P a k h t u n k h w a h a s c a n c e l l e d h o l i d a y s o f i t s e m p l o y e e s o n t h e o c c a s i o n o f E i d - u lF i t r R e s c u e 11 2 2 h a s s e t u p s p e c i a l c a m p s a t t h e t o u r i s t s s i t e s f o r p u b l i c s e r v i c e

Furthermore, the district administration has issued instructions to all relevant departments to deal with the emergency situation In case of any emergency tourists can contact the tourist helpline at 1422 for assistance The district control rooms in Mansehra and Balakot can also be contacted for any kind of information or emergency The numbers for the Deputy Commissioner Control Room Mansehra District Police Control Room Mansehra and Assistant Commissioner Balakot Control Room are 0997920174 0997920110, and 0997501008, respectively The district administration has urged all tourists to exercise caution and follow the guidelines issued by the authorities

FBR signs agreements with Tobacco manufac turers to introduce Track and Trace System for A JK

ISLAMABAD S h a h z a d pa r ac h a

Federal Board of Revenue on the instructions of Prime Minister has signed Tripartite Agreements with Tobacco manufacturers to introduce Track and Trace system in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK)

Sources said that FBR held a meeting with Central Board of Revenue (CBR) AJK Manufacturers including Walton Tobacco Company Pak Hill Tobacco Company National Tobacco Industries Hilton Tobacco New Kashmir tobacco Industries Watton Tobacco Company Hilltop Tobacco Company and the Licensee AJCL to introduce Track and Trace system in AJK

Recently, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has tasked Chairman FBR and other ministries or divisions to give proposals with regard to implementation strategy on the implementation of T&T for Tobacco manufacturing companies in AJK

The multinational Tobacco companies in recent days also requested the government to implement Track and trace besides a nationwide enforcement campaign to curtail the menace of illicit cigarettes

Sources said that FBR in its presentation informed the manufacturers about the Track & Trace System and its requirements along with the next steps including Surveys for site readiness and procurements and installation of applicators and production monitoring equipment FBR and CBR communicated that they will conduct surveys after Eid in order to move forward with the provision of Track & Trace System in AJK at the earliest

Sources said that AJK became the hub with over 50percent illicit cigarettes smuggled to other parts of the country and FBR can not only bring the un-registered units into the tax net by implementing T&T but also overcome the illicit trade of cigarettes

The multinational companies such as Pakistan Tobacco and Philip Morris have installed the T&T system while other local manufacturers have partially installed the T&T in their units

The AJK government last month divided the AJK territory into two zones, namely North and South to effectively monitor and control the illicit trade of cigarettes It is pertinent to note that the FBR in January

2021 issued a comprehensive monitoring mechanism in

the form of SRO 96 (I) 2021 to curb illegal smoking in taxable areas from Azad Jammu and Kashmir but unfortunately said SRO couldn t execute in true sense Under this SRO products from Azad Jammu and Kashmir and other tax-exempt areas cannot be supplied to other parts of the country without registration and payment of sales tax

Sources said that FBR is also working on a plan for monitoring of smuggled, counterfeited and non-taxes cigarette sticks being sold at retail shops FBR on Wednesday also made a massive shuffling in Customs Intelligence to identify the players routes and modus operandi for smuggled cigarettes and to control the menace of smuggling

Sources said that FBR team has already been monitoring the sales production

COMMENT

Who will guard the guards?

BY passing the Supreme Court (Procedure and Practises) Act, Parliament may have overcome the refusal of assent by the President, and begun the countdown to its becoming law However, though it may have thus resolved the intra-Legislative despite that way, it has not resolved the dispute it has with the Judiciary, after the Supreme Court has unprecedentedly granted a stay order against the Act, even though it has not yet become law

The Supreme Court has apparently objected to the way the Act curtails the power of the Chief Justice to take suo motu notice and to form benches, while allowing appeals against decisions on suo motu cases because the Court apparently fears that cases might be reopened It seems to fear that if the Act is allowed to operate the Supreme Court’s decision on the Punjab Assembly dissolution made in a suo motu case might come unstuck In that case the Supreme Court’s three-member bench which was trying to enforce that order could not The Supreme Court wishes to exercise its constitutional privilege of acting as the final interpreter of the Constitution but does not seem to have kept in mind that much of its authority rests on perception of its honesty and disinterestedness Fatally to that perception an impression has arisen that the judges are playing for the first time ever a partisan role handing down decisions that favoured a particular political party the PTI Previous 6dd decisions favouring military takeovers may be ascribed to pusillanimity, and are thus qualitatively different This was also supposed to be why the judiciary gave political decisions, even it was perhaps inevitable that decisions favoured one political party or another

Perhaps the only way out would be for the Supreme Court to realize that a loss of confidence in it would lead to a loss of confidence in the Constitution, and in the very system under which the country operates A perception of partisanship is equally damaging, for its means that opponents feel they will be get a fair shake The Supreme Court, and at its head the Chief Justice of Pakistan, must take a step back and address this loss of confidence, rather than try to gain victory over Parliament Parliament must also keep in mind that The Supreme Court is essential to the Constitution, and it too must think of ways to buttress it, rather than defeat it

Dedicated to the legac y of late Hameed Nizami

Arif Nizami (Late)

Editor

Yousaf Nizami Editor

In the realm of intelligence disclosures, the latest leaks from the Pentagon on the intelligence front may not have the same earth-shattering impact as the ones brought to light by Edward Snowden and WikiLeaks in previous years Yet it still stands as a significant source of humiliation for Washington

While a young national Guardsman has been arrested in connection with the ongoing criminal investigation by the Department of Justice there seems to be many layers of intrigue to the already murky situation The most pricking question is whether the leaks were the result of a hack or a deliberate disinformation campaign?

If not a deliberate act of indoctrination, then the leaks serve as yet another example of the disarray within the US intelligence infrastructure The leakage of sensitive and highly classified information has further eroded the credibility and effectiveness of the current security apparatus A mere three months ago the US press and government officials were eagerly and forcefully denouncing China over what they labeled the “spy balloon” affair

These leaks from the Pentagon have laid bare the hypocrisy underlying Washington s propaganda against China s alleged espionage activities and the highly publicized shooting down of a purported Chinese spy balloon in February

The decision by Secretary of State Antony Blinken to postpone a planned visit to China in the aftermath of the balloon incident now appears even more laughable in light of the leak scandal As per the Pentagon, a trove of classified documents was released on the popular online platform Discord of which some were allegedly doctored

The Pentagon has acknowledged that the leaked documents “seem to include delicate and highly classified content yet it has been reticent about making definitive statements regarding the legitimacy of “all” the leaked documents The

On April 10 Mr Justice Qazi Faez Isa addressed the special national Constitutional Convention held in the Hall of the national Assembly, where all judges of the Supreme Court had been invited besides politicians from the opposition Of them only Mr Justice Isa was courteous enough to attend the occasion, which was to mark the golden jubilee of Pakistan’s Constitution, which was ratified on 10 April 1973 Mr Justice Isa senior puisne judge who would soon become the next Chief Justice, represented the SC and expressed its determination to stand by the constitution It was heartening to see Mr Justice Isa delivering a speech He had brought along a pocketsized copy of the constitution to vent his thoughts

With waving the minuscule book Justice Isa proclaimed the supremacy of the constitution which was framed by the then Constituent Assembly It was the constitution that gave birth to the SC and not vice versa If only this point were understood by the SC which transgressed the prescribed constitutional limits in May 2022 by misinterpreting Article 63A The misconstruction is considered tantamount to rewriting the constitution

With waving the tiny book, Mr Justice Isa also

In shor t, Justice Isa’s visit was a step towards bridging the gulf of differences, bordering on acrimony, existing otherwise between the SC and the NA Any attempt of mutual cooperation is bound to open the vista for legislation to improve the SC’s functioning and image

proclaimed the ownership of the constitution retrieving it from the scope of being an orphan disowned by the higher judiciary in the hour of crisis prompted and exploited by military dictators The SC remained notorious for being timid and craven to the foray of the military into running the country by extending the khaki adventurers all possible legal assistance As per practice around his unconstitutional step a military dictator preferred to construct a semblance of a political milieu through assembling together a hodgepodge of opportunist politicians and complaisant religious clerics who would pass a constitutional amendment (such as the 8th Amendment in november 1985 and the 17th Amendment in December 2003) to extend constitutional legitimacy to the act of the abrogation of the constitution Both instances are the reasons why the khaki keeps on looking for prey ever willing to be sacrificed at the altar of one emotive (nationalistic or religious) slogan or the other nevertheless the ownership of the constitution yields Mr Justice Isa s two resolves: first, no misinterpretation of the constitution would be done; and second no submission would be offered to any military dictator

In his address, Justice Isa regretted that, in 1955, the Federal Court of Pakistan (the predecessor of the SC) had ruled in favour of the Governor General Ghulam Muhammad who had dismissed the First Constituent Assembly of (the Dominion of) Pakistan in 1954 The decision heralded the advent of the Doctrine of necessity By doing so it was not only Maulvi Tamiz-ud Din, who was the President (or the Speaker) of the Assembly (representing East Bengal), lost the case as a litigant but it was also united Pakistan which lost the case of its unity

The doctrine spawned in later years, marring the body politic The nA kept on searching for sovereignty Either a military dictator or a bench of the SC kept denying freedom and democracy to the Pakistanis The first fatality was the dismemberment of the country on 16 December 1971

In his address Justice Isa said Sometimes we hate each other more than we hate our enemies This statement was applicable equally to all including politicians and the judges

A few years ago a campaign to tarnish the image of Mr Justice Isa was launched just because, in February 2019, he delivered a judgement questioning the clandestine role of Pakistan’s prime intelligence agency (ISI) in organizing demonstrations by facilitating religiously motivated people against the then sitting government in

The Pentagon leaks stir a new controversy

Pentagon officials have claimed that some of the materials have been manipulated a point that has been deliberately reiterated on multiple occasions so as to find a “cover” for more damaging information particularly with regard to spying on friends According to the reports from The Washington Post, a heightened sense of alarm and panic has gripped the upper ranks of the Department of Defense in the wake of the intelligence leak Officials who have been stunned and infuriated , are reportedly taken aback and incensed by the scandalous release of sensitive information

One distinctive aspect of the recently leaked documents is their freshness, with certain materials appearing to have been authored and circulated within the government as recently as March These documents reportedly contain time-sensitive details regarding the evolving situation on the battlefield in Ukraine, underscoring the gravity of the breach As per leaks the American military estimates reveal a starkly different reality regarding the ongoing conflict in Ukraine than what is routinely touted by Kyiv and its Western allies Contrary to the oft-espoused narrative of a favorable outcome, these assessments paint a bleaker picture of the situation on the ground Such revelations stand to significantly alter the international community s understanding of the conflict and its implications Disclosed in yet another document is a breakdown of the number of American and nATO troops stationed in Ukraine The revelation of these figures holds both significance and sensitivity given the veil of secrecy surrounding the presence of foreign militaries in the country

The figures, though relatively small in number, are of great interest as they shed light on a crucial aspect of the ongoing conflict The document however omits any details regarding the precise location or activities of the purportedly deployed forces Though it is a kind of open secret that friendly governments spy on each other the documents reveal that the US government has been engaged in dubious surveillance practices, and monitoring the private communications of offi-

This is all what was expected of Washington

There is nothing that should be regarded as “new” Nonetheless, this episode has once again exposed the vulnerability and irresponsibility of the intellig ence apparatus of the USA

cials within the Israeli and South Korean governments though they are staunch US allies

For obvious reasons, this revelation has sparked outrage in South Korea, as it suggests that the USA does not trust its ally and is instead covertly spying on it as if it was an adversary

For South Korea, this amounts to a humiliating repudiation of their “loyalty to the UAS ” The situation has escalated to become a pressing political crisis in South Korea

As expected, the leaked documents divulge that China is the special target of these surveillance activities of the Pentagon Concerns have been raised regarding the possibility of China extending support to the Kremlin s war efforts in Ukraine as disclosed in a certain document

Meanwhile the USA remains vigilant in monitoring China s weapons development and naval activities The USA is stepping up its efforts to gather intelligence on how other countries are engaging with China According to several documents, the USA is using signals intelligence, a method of collecting information through electronic surveillance and communications interception, to monitor the interactions between other nations and China Surprisingly, these reports have not touched upon the relatively calm situation in the Taiwan Straits during the period from mid-February to early March

However, it appears from the documents that the USA was closely monitoring two key areas of military intelligence collection regarding China Firstly, China s potential provision of material support to Russia and Secondly the Pentagon was assessing the decision-making around any potential military action in the Taiwan Straits, including the timing and circumstances under which such action may be taken

This is all what was expected of Washington There is nothing that should be regarded as “new” nonetheless, this episode has once again exposed the vulnerability and irresponsibility of the intelligence apparatus of the USA

The writer is a freelance columnist

november-December 2017

On camera men in uniform holding senior positions were found offering financial assistance (cash handouts) to the protestors of the Tehreek-e Labbaik Pakistan Theirs was an act of transgression overstepping the limits of mandate

Instead of doing its mandated work the intelligence agency was involved in working against the sitting government The capture was red-handed In retaliation of his decision on the agency s work the agency turned against him and all hell broke loose against him The intelligence agency cooked up a case against Justice Isa to exclude him from the SC as if he were an enemy of the country

The point is simple: an intelligence agency is not meant for fomenting troubles for a sitting government neither the armed forces nor the intelligence agencies are mandated to indulge themselves in politics or to engage with the media to make and break governments It was also found out that other countries (especially the developed countries such as Canada Australia, norway, Great Britain and the USA) did not maintain secrecy about the mandate of their intelligence agencies People have a right to know who is manipulating the system to achieve what objectives The question is this: what the role of a judge otherwise is, if not to make a sound judgement?

In his discourse Mr Justice Isa also appreciated the mention of fundamental rights as enshrined in the constitution Moreover, he valued Article 19-A (right to information) If people guard their fundamental rights and seek information on what is happening in the government, there would be more (day to day) accountability of the government, instead of people waiting for the electoral day to react The right to information entitles all Pakistanis to know which government servant is holding how many assets of what worth The principle is applicable equally, and without exception to serving judges bureaucrats army officers and legislators The Federal Board of Revenue is not supposed to preclude people s right to seek information on the assets of those who draw salaries from the taxpayers money the national kitty In short, Justice Isa s visit was a step towards bridging the gulf of differences, bordering on acrimony existing otherwise between the SC and the nA Any attempt of mutual cooperation is bound to open the vista for legislation to improve the SC s functioning and image

The writer can be reached at qaisarrashid@yahoo com

E d i t o r ’ s m a i l

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

A clear case of scamming the customers

A few weeks ago, I received a message from my mobile service provider that I have been assigned a certain ringtone and would be charged Rs3 per day plus tax Since I had not asked for any ringtone I was able to get myself unsubscribed after going through the procedure On March 27, I called a friend and got an audio message that his phone was powered off Before ending the call I glanced at the screen and was surprised to see that a call was being clocked and it kept running till I pressed the end call button On March 28, I received a message from 5188 informing me that a free missed call had been sent to the number I had dialled but for subsequent missed calls I would be charged 12 paisa each The procedure for unsubscribing to the service was mentioned Since when and why have the service providers started giving unwanted services to their users without their consent? The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority should restrain all the service providers from adding extra paid services unless specifically requested ASIF JAH KARACHI

A rotten system

M Y house is located in the jurisdiction of Bahadurabad police station in Karachi A few nights ago, the watchman at my residence called me up past midnight telling me that his cousin was being held by the area police who were demanding Rs10 000 to release him

I spoke to the police official on the watchman s cellphone to find out what was happening He told me that the man had been found doing something illegal I asked him why then was he asking for Rs10 000 “This is rishwat (bribe) the police official replied Yes this is what he precisely said telling me: This is how the whole country functions; on rishwat Don t you know that?” When I pleaded with him to let the poor man go, as a special favour to me a person old enough to be his mother he reduced his demand to Rs5 000 He said this was how he paid for the diesel for his official vehicle and that his colleagues were waiting for their share of the booty

To make things even clearer he told me I could call whomsoever I wanted including the chief minister but he would not budge from his demand He also asked me to raise the demand on his behalf that Sindh police should get the same pay and allowances that are enjoyed by their counterparts in Punjab Finally I gave up and left the matter to the discretion of the watchman who as it turned out settled with the police official for a payment of Rs2,000 This was one more instance of how people are harassed by officials at police stations, traffic intersections, driving licence centres and several other public facilities

DR MASUMA HASAN KARACHI

Crowded pilgrimage

I am currently in Saudi Arabia for pilgri- mage on a three-month visit visa

I have observed that the Saudi government has granted visit visa to all those who have come for pilgrimage Officially about 90 million people including Saudi nationals, are undertaking pilgrimage this Ramazan

As a result of such huge crowds, the General Presidency of Harmain has imposed a lot of restrictions on people’s movement Owing to these restrictions those who are above 50 years of age have to make do with a position at the back of every queue, and remain deprived of a chance to feel the spirituality of the two holy mosques The Saudi government needs to review its policy of granting so many visas as it makes managing crowds impossible People apply for Haj and they go for the pilgrimage if they are successful after balloting A similar registration process needs to be initiated for Umrah during Ramazan to avoid such huge crowds

DR IMRAN KHALID

A remedy for poor souls or a rhapsody for more votes?

In Balochistan, each new initiative has a defined path and life cycle as if following some law called the law of fresh starts This life cycle is over and again, haunted by the same ghosts: an alarming situation triggering loud and generous claims by the government the shuffling of files and the forming of committees the cutting of ribbons and digging of ditches and finally the brushing off of the initiative down the same ditches with endless files and officials letting a thick layer of dust settle on the initiative

In case one is wondering why it is so: this is what happens when a province is run not from the policy offices but from the smoke-filled drawing rooms The same drawing-room policymakers once awakened after the completion of their tenure or ouster through political infighting, quite ironically, call for a “new and fresh start” despite having led the previous initiatives themselves to a grinding halt successfully

Each of these policymakers through the course of history, has shown their liking for the beginning of things– the turbo-charged atmosphere filled with hope–and utmost hate for the chalking out of initiatives to the end: it requires courage, hard work and perseverance, qualities found very rarely This is the reason Balochistan since its inception has been subjected to these fresh starts a dozen times, each one staler than the last

Yet, despite what history tells us, the same slogans still echo in the drawing rooms: the latest addition to the leaderboard warmed over for the second time is the Quetta Master Plan And while the first attempt at the Quetta Master plan in 1986, thanks to bureaucratic redtapism couldn’t see the light of the day let’s hope the recent one under the commission of Punjab Urban Unit does

The overall process of Master-planning is divided chiefly into two parts: planning and Implementation Planning is making choices among the open future options and then securing their implementation through the allocation of necessary resources But what makes planning master is its implementation process which is the soul of a master plan A city which is not master planned gets trapped in a laissez-faire development with serious long-term repercussions Quetta is one glaring example

Also, master planning is not a one-time activity; merely drafting one is not enough it’s a thoroughly hectic and continuous process However If the government of Balochistan treats it as a one-time activity, then stay assured this project will go down in the chronicles as one of the biggest wastes of financial and human resources ever in the province s history

The Asian Coalition for Housing Rights (ACHR), an Asia-Pacific network of professionals working on housing and urban issues related to poor communities decided in 2003 to carry out research on planning in eight Asian cities The cities chosen were as different from each other as possible in political, social and physical terms Through an analysis of the successes and failures of these cities in managing growth, four planning principles were identified, applying which cities were seen to be less conflict-prone economically sustainable, and livable for the majority of their population

These are the principles

First, planning must respect the ecology of the area where the city is located failure to do so leaves it more vulnerable to natural disasters, the recent devastating floods in Quetta gave us a vivid example Two, land use has to be determined on the basis of social and environmental considerations, not on land value alone Pushing the poorer segments of the population out of the city creates nothing but disparity fragmentation and economic loss

Quetta, with the construction of elite private housing schemes like Defense Housing Authority (DHA) Quetta and Kasi Bahria Town is well on its way to give a tough competition to the aforementioned cities

Fourth, it is essential to protect the city s cultural heritage both material and immaterial By doing this social and political continuity is established and the citizens of the city are given a sense of identity and pride in their city’s past Also, it aids in bridging socioeconomic and ethnic divides which are crucial given Quetta s multi-ethnic and multicultural nature

The political will, the factor which surpasses all the aforementioned ones in impor tance . Is Balochistan government doing the Quetta master plan as a temporary icebreaker for it makes a lot of noise, a name that sits and tastes well on the tongue and gets it some votes or is it genuinely concerned for the poor souls of Quetta

After the planning phase, special attention has to be given to its implementation tools –protecting the plan on the legal front, zoning, land subdivision and building regulations capital improvement and urban renewal programme, the tax policy, purchase of land for public purposes institutional re-organization and the incentives for the private sector But what the framers of the Quetta Master Plan predominantly need is an autopsy of the previous master plans in Pakistan– the Lahore Islamabad and Karachi Master plans–and learn from their failures following the maxim of Bruno Bernardi; a counsel of Lorenzo de Medici; if I were to choose a book, I would pick the 101 strategies to lose a chess match rather than the 101 strategies to win one for it’s better to learn from the failures of others rather than to hear people flattering themselves

implement and see the master plan all the way through to the end

Third, the timely conduct and implementation of surveys and planning must be ensured, else the authorities would be making plans using a decade or more old settlement maps– they would have to hire a platoon of lawyers to fight those cases in court then Fourth, the establishment of only one and fully authorized executing committee– Master plans cannot be executed while there is bureaucratic infighting over jurisdictions– supported with sufficient human and financial resources– nobody likes uneven and unplanned commercial ribbons stretched across the city the almost normal traffic jams in Quetta is one conspicuous consequence Fifth, the development of an institutionalized coordination mechanism linking the decision-making process of budget infrastructure and development with land management This will ensure transparency as well as accountability

Third, development must tend to the needs of the majority– the lower-income and lower-middle-income groups These groups live in informal settlements far away from their places of work Cities like San Paulo, Rio, Mexico City, and Johannesburg have beautiful planned elite areas but they also have high crime rates and social conflict due to which the rich ghettoized themselves, thus increasing disparity and exclusion

As for the autopsy: first, it should not be another engineering experiment forcing beautification projects and infrastructure development but rather a participatory solution aimed at involving the citizens and getting the voices of the common man heard so that the citizens own the plan as their own Second the committee should not be saturated with bureaucrats it must include local technical experts well versed in ground reality and who can

Central banks in a fragmenting world

This new global map – as I have called these changes elsewhere

is likely to have first-order implications for central banks

One recent study based on data since 1900 finds that geopolitical risks led to high inflation lower economic activity and a fall in international trade And ECB analysis suggests similar outcomes may be expected for the future If global value chains fragment along geopolitical lines the increase in the global level of consumer prices could range between around 5% in the short run and roughly 1% in the long run

These changes also suggest that a second shift in the central bank landscape is taking place: we may see the world becoming more multipolar

During the Pax Americana after 1945 the US dollar became firmly ensconced as the global reserve and transaction currency, and more recently, the euro has risen to second place

and have clear price stability mandates So if faced with persistent supply shocks independent central banks can and will go ahead with ensuring price stability But this can be achieved at a lower cost if other policies are cooperative and help replenish supply capacity For example, if fiscal and structural policies focus on removing supply constraints created by the new geopolitics – such as securing resilient supply chains or diversifying energy production – we could then see a virtuous circle of lower volatility, lower inflation, higher investment, and higher growth But if fiscal policy instead focuses mainly on supporting incomes to offset cost pressures (in excess of temporary and targeted responses to sudden large shocks) that will tend to raise inflation increase borrowing costs and lower investment in new supply

Finally the political will the factor which surpasses all the aforementioned ones in importance Is Balochistan government doing the Quetta master plan as a temporary icebreaker for it makes a lot of noise, a name that sits and tastes well on the tongue and gets it some votes or is it genuinely concerned for the poor souls of Quetta sufferng from diseases like asthma and skin allergies and living in constant fear of an earthquake sweeping and tearing their homes down to rubble– this only time will tell

The writer is working as an Assistant Research Fellow at the Balochistan Think Tank Network (BTTN) Quetta Twitter: @Durrannai

Ar tificial intelligence is expec ted to bring serious innovation to the nex t generation of digital adver tising

IT is a pleasure to be here in new York The global economy has been undergoing a period of transformative change Following the pandemic, Russia’s unjustified war against Ukraine the weaponisation of energy the sudden acceleration of inflation, as well as a growing rivalry between the United States and China, the tectonic plates of geopolitics are shifting faster

We are witnessing a fragmentation of the global economy into competing blocs, with each bloc trying to pull as much of the rest of the world closer to its respective strategic interests and shared values And this fragmentation may well coalesce around two blocs led respectively by the two largest economies in the world

All this could have far-reaching implications across many domains of policymaking And today in my remarks, I would like to explore what the implications might be for central banks

In short we could see two profound effects on the policy environment for central banks: first, we may see more instability as global supply elasticity wanes; and second we could see more multipolarity as geopolitical tensions continue to mount

A CHANGING GLOBAL ECONOMY: In the time after the Cold War the world benefited from a remarkably favourable geopolitical environment

Under the hegemonic leadership of the United States, rules-based international institutions flourished and global trade expanded This led to a deepening of global value chains and, as China joined the world economy, a massive increase in the global labour supply As a result global supply became more elastic to changes in domestic demand leading to a long period of relatively low and stable inflation

That in turn underpinned a policy framework in which independent central banks could focus on stabilising inflation by steering demand without having to pay too much attention to supply-side disruptions

But that period of relative stability may now be giving way to one of lasting instability resulting in lower growth, higher costs and more uncertain trade partnerships

Instead of more elastic global supply, we could face the risk of repeated supply shocks Recent events have laid bare the extent to which critical supplies depend on stable global conditions

That has been most visible in the European energy crisis but it extends to other critical supplies as well

Today the United States is completely dependent on imports for at least 14 critical minerals And Europe depends on China for 98% of its rare earth supply Supply disruptions on these fronts could affect critical sectors in the economy, such as the automobile industry and its transition to electric vehicle production

In response governments are legislating to increase supply security notably through the Inflation Reduction Act in the United States and the strategic autonomy agenda in Europe But that could, in turn, accelerate fragmentation as firms also adjust in anticipation Indeed in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the share of global firms planning to regionalise their supply chain almost doubled – to around 45% – compared with a year earlier

This had a range of mostly beneficial implications for central banks For example the ability of central banks to act as the conductor of the international orchestra” as noted by Keynes, or even firms being able to invoice in their domestic currencies which made import prices more stable

In parallel, Western payments infrastructures assumed an increasingly global role For instance in the decade after the Berlin Wall fell the number of countries using the payments messaging network SWIFT more than doubled

And by 2020 over 90% of cross-border transmissions were being signalled through SWIFT But new trade patterns may have ramifications for payments and international currency reserves

In recent decades China has already increased over 130-fold its bilateral trade in goods with emerging markets and developing economies, with the country also becoming the world’s top exporter And recent research indicates there is a significant correlation between a country s trade with China and its holdings of renminbi as reserves new trade patterns may also lead to new alliances One study finds that alliances can increase the share of a currency in the partner s reserve holdings by roughly 30 percentage points

All this could create an opportunity for certain countries seeking to reduce their dependency on Western payment systems and currency frameworks

be that for reasons of political preference financial dependencies or because of the use of financial sanctions in the past decade

Anecdotal evidence, including official statements suggests that some countries intend to increase their use of alternatives to major traditional currencies for invoicing international trade, such as the Chinese renminbi or the Indian rupee

We are also seeing increased accumulation of gold as an alternative reserve asset, possibly driven by countries with closer geopolitical ties to China and Russia There are also attempts to create alternatives to SWIFT Since 2014 Russia has developed such a system for domestic and cross-border use, with over 50 banks across a dozen countries using it last year And since 2015 China has established its own system to clear payments in renminbi

These developments do not point to any imminent loss of dominance for the US dollar or the euro

So far the data do not show substantial changes in the use of international currencies But they do suggest that international currency status should no longer be taken for granted

POLICY FRAMEWORKS FOR A FRAGMENTING WORLD: How should central banks respond to these twin challenges? We have clear examples of what not to do when faced with a sudden increase in volatility

In the 1970s, central banks faced upheaval in the geopolitical environment as OPEC became more assertive and energy prices that had been stable for decades ballooned They failed to provide an anchor of monetary stability and inflation expectations de-anchored – a mistake that should never be repeated for as long as central banks are independent

In this sense, insofar as geopolitics leads to a fragmentation of the global economy into competing blocs this calls for greater policy cohesion not compromising independence, but recognising interdependence between policies, and how each can best achieve their objective if aligned behind a strategic goal We could see the benefits of this in Europe especially, where the multiplier effect of common action in areas such as industrial policy defence and investing in green and digital technologies is much higher than Member States acting alone There is another benefit, too: achieving the right policy framework will not only determine how our economies fare at home but also how they are viewed globally in a context of greater system competition” And while the international institutions established in the wake of Bretton Woods remain instrumental for fostering a rules-based multilateral order, the prospect of multipolarity raises the stakes for such internal policy cohesion

For a start an economic policy mix that produces less volatile growth and inflation will be key in continuing to attract international investment Although 50-60% of foreign-held US short-term assets are in the hands of governments with strong ties to the United States – meaning they are unlikely to be divested for geopolitical reasons – the single most important factor influencing international currency usage remains strength of fundamentals

By the same token, for Europe, long-delayed projects such as deepening and integrating our capital markets can no longer be viewed solely through the lens of domestic financial policy To put it bluntly, we need to complete the European capital markets union This will be pivotal in determining whether the euro remains among the leading global currencies or others take its place

Central banks also have an important role to play here – even as protagonists For example the manner in which swap lines are used could influence the dynamics of major international currencies Both the Federal Reserve and the ECB within their respective mandates have been proactive in providing offshore liquidity when recent crises have hit But others are moving too, which is consistent with a rising role of their currencies We have already seen the People’s Bank of China set up over 30 bilateral swap lines with other central banks to compensate for the lack of liquid financial markets in renminbi

How central banks navigate the digital era – such as innovating their payment systems and issuing digital currencies – will also be critical for which currencies ultimately rise and fall This is an important reason why the ECB is exploring in depth how a digital euro could best work if launched

So, we need to be ready for the new reality that may well lie ahead The time to think about how to respond to changing geopolitics is not when fragmentation is upon us, but before Because, if I may paraphrase Ernest Hemingway, fragmentation can happen in two ways: gradually and then suddenly Central banks must provide for stability in an age that

HAv E you ever scrolled by an ad that seemed so perfectly geared toward you that it was scary?

That s the power of A I in advertising

The U S advertising industry which is expected to grow by 3 4 percent in 2023 according to Magna often relies on data and A I to target consumers now, the advent of generative A I is sparking what could be a seismic change in how businesses and advertisers work together to craft campaigns according to Harry Kargman founder and CEO of mobile advertising firm Kargo

As part of a push to create more A I jobs in Ireland, the Irish government recently agreed to assist Kargo by funding a 50-person artificial intelligence and machine learning lab in the southeastern Irish city of Waterford, focused on developing proprietary machine learning models These models will power next-generation advertising which Kargman says will level the playing field for small and medium-size businesses, which have more limited marketing budgets compared with their high-cap competitors

Kargman believes that generative A I will empower new ads on your personal devices, like your phone, laptop, and streaming boxes, to be highly personalized, down to the individual consumer “First a human designer will create a portfolio of assets for a campaign, he says Then, we ll use A I to analyze those assets and rearrange them to create dynamic ads optimized for whomever they’re being served to The size of the font the placement of the image the wording of the call to action, all of it is fully customizable in order to drive the best outcome for each individual consumer ” By using A I to both identify targets and create personalized advertisements Kargman says small brands will be able to boost their discoverability without breaking the bank

Brands are intrigued at the prospect, but Kargman admits that the tech is unlikely to go mainstream until it can be guaranteed that the algorithm isn t going to generate brand safety concerns, such as writing offensive messages, slandering competitors or simply creating nonsensical images To assuage these concerns Kargman says one of the new lab s main objectives will be to conduct research on implementing guardrails to ensure all ad content fits within a rigorous set of brand guidelines

How will this change the ways entrepreneurs work with advertisers to craft campaigns? Kargman says that brands will need to be comfortable with a degree of ambiguity, as they won’t be able to review every ad before it goes out This will be easier for some industries than others For instance, pharmaceutical companies have to go through several layers of legal approval before releasing any advertisement so don t expect to see any A I -generated medication ads anytime soon “I think brands that choose to go down this road are going to be very involved with the process ” says Kargman Every business owner has their own degree of risk that they re comfortable with taking in advertising, and this is no different As long as our clients feel like they’re in control of that risk we’re set up for success ”

How artificial intelligence will change your brand’s relationship with advertising

S peech by Christine Lagarde, President of the ECB, at the Council on Foreign Relations’ C Peter McColough S eries on International Economics

C H I N A ’ S F M : B O T H S I D E S O F T H E

TA I W A N S T R A I T B E LO N G T O C H I N A

BEIJING

R e u t e R s

CHINA S Foreign Minister Qin

Gang said on Friday that both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to China, and that it is right and proper for China to uphold its sovereignty Qin made the remarks at the Lanting Forum in Shanghai, where he discussed a wide range of topics from debt, the global economy, and Taiwan

“Recently there has been absurd rhetoric accusing China of upending the status quo disrupting peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, Qin said The logic is absurd and the conclusion dangerous ”

He added that “fair-minded people can see who is engaged in hegemonic bullying and high-minded practices

It is not the Chinese mainland, but the Taiwan independence separatist forces and a handful of countries attempting to disrupt the status quo Qin said Those who play with

fire on Taiwan will eventually get themselves burned China recently held military exercises around the self-ruled island after Taiwan’s president Tsai Ing-wen returned to Taipei following a meeting in Los Angeles with

U S House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy Beijing views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory a claim the government in Taipei strongly rejects and routinely denounces high-level meetings between Taiwanese and foreign leaders and officials

CHINESE MODERNIZATION TO PROVIDE MORE OPPORTUNITIES

TO WORLD: Meanwhile, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang said on Friday that Chinese modernization will not only provide more opportunities to the world but also inject new momentum into the recovery of the global economy and give other developing countries the confidence to pursue their own modernization

“While Chinese modernization is conceived in China the opportunities it brings belong to the world he said in the opening ceremony of the Lanting Forum on Chinese Modernization and the World held in Shang-

Heav y gunfire in Sudan as Eid ceasefire c alls ignored

KHARTOUM Ag e n c i e s Sudan s warring forces battled on Friday with heavy gunfire and explosions in the capital Khartoum and elsewhere in the country, as they ignored appeals by world powers for an end-of-Ramazan ceasefire

More than 300 people have been killed and thousands wounded since the fighting erupted Saturday between forces loyal to Sudan’s army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, the commander of the powerful paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) who is commonly known as Hemeti

The Central Committee of Sudan Doctors said that overnight, as the Eidul Fitr celebrations marking the end of Ramazan began, “several areas of Khartoum were bombed” and reported shelling and clashes for the sixth straight night Khartoum has seen some of the fiercest fighting with air strikes and tanks firing in densely packed districts with most of its five million people sheltering at home in baking heat without electricity, food or water Communications are heavily dis-

rupted Both UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and US State Secretary Antony Blinken called separately for a ceasefire of at least three days to mark Eid, as explosions and gunfire resounded in Khartoum T h e R S F, a p o w e r f u l f o r c e f o r m e d f r o m m e m b e r s o f t h e J a njaweed militia that led years of extreme violence in the western Darfur region, said they would commit to a 7 2 - h o u r c e a s e f i r e s t a r t i n g a t d a w n ( 4 a m G M T ) B u t l i k e t w o p r e v iously declared 24-hour ceasefires it failed to take hold

T witter's blue ticks star t vanishing

SAN FRANCISCO

Tw i t t e r b e g a n t h e m a s s r e m o v a l o f i t s b l u e t i c k s o n T h u r s d a y, a s t h e s y m b o l p r e v i o u s l y u s e d t o s i g n i f y a v e r i f i e d a c c o u n t v a n i s h e d f r o m u s e r s i n c l u d i n g t h e P o p e D o n a l d Tr u m p a n d J u s t i n B i e b e r O w n e r E l o n M u s k w h o h a s s e e n h i s $ 4 4 b i l l i o n i n v e s tm e n t i n t h e s i t e s h r i v e l , e a r l i e r p l e d g e d t o g e t r i d o f w h a t h e d e s c r i b e d a s a " l o r d s & p e a s a n t s s y st e m " H e o ff e r e d i n s t e a d t o s e l l t h e b l u e b a d g e t o a n y o n e w h o w o u l d p a y $ 8 a m o n t h i n a m o v e h e s a i d l a s t y e a r w o u l d " d e m o c r a t i z e j o u r n a l i s m & e m p o w e r t h e v o i c e o f t h e p e o p l e " E a r l i e r d a t e s s e t f o r t h e r o l l b a c k o f t h e t i c k s - - p r e d o m i n a t e l y u s e d b y c e l e b r i t i e s j o u r n a l i s t s a n d p o l i t i c i a n s - - h a v e s l i p p e d b y w i t h o u t n o t i c e a b l e a c t i o n B u t o n T h u r s d a y h i g h - p r o f i l e a c c o u n t s , a s w e l l a s t h o s e o f m a n y r e p o r t e r s a t A F P a n d o t h e r n e w s o rg a n i z at i o n s a p p e a r e d t o h a v e h a d t h e c h e c k m a r k s r em o v e d P o l i t i c i a n s a n d o ff i c i a l b o d i e s a l s o a p p e a r e d t o h a v e b e e n h i t w i t h U S S e n a t o r B r i a n S c h a t z o b j e c t i n g t o t h e p o s s i b l e e ff e c t o n p u b l i c c o n f i d e n c e i n t h e e v e n t o f d i s a s t e r s T h e r e r e a l l y o u g h t t o b e a w a y f o r e m e rg e n c y m a n a g e r s t o v e ri f y t h a t t h e y a r e r e a l o n t h i s w e b s i t e o r i m p o s t e r s w i l l c a u s e s u ff e r i n g a n d d e a t h h e t w e e t e d I a m n o t c o m p l a i n i n g a b o u t m y o w n c h e c k m a r k , I j u s t t h i n k d u r i n g n a t u r a l d i s a s t e r s i t ' s e s s e n t i a l t o k n o w t h a t F E M A i s a c t u a l l y F E M A " h e w r o t e r e f e r r i n g t o t h e F e d e r a l E m e rg e n c y M a n a g e m e n t A g e n c y t h a t s t e p s i n a f t e r h u r r i c a n e s a n d d e a d l y s t o r m s S o m e c e l e b r i t i e s s t i l l h a d t h e b l u e t i c k , d e s p i t e n o t s i g n i n g u p f o r i t M u s k s a i d i n r e s p o n s e t o a n e w s a r t i c l e a b o u t t h o s e c h e c k m a r k s t h a t h e w a s p a yi n g f o r a f e w p e r s o n a l l y " I n r e s p o n s e t o a n o t h e r t w e e t , h e s a i d i t w a s o n l y f o r S t a r Tr e k s Wi l l i a m S h a t n e r b a s k e t b a l l s u p e r s t a r L e B r o n J a m e s a n d a u t h o r S t e p h e n K i n g

The crackle of intense gunfire continued Friday morning, with columns of black smoke rising across the capital ‘Nightmare scenario’: Dozens of Sudanese army supporters protest against the United Arab Emirates’ influence in internal Sudanese politics in Port Sudan on April 20 2023 Arabic slogan on the banner over a crossed picture of the Emirati ambassador in Sudan reads: “The people of (Sudan’s) Red Sea state reject the presence of the UAE ambassador in eastern Sudan No to the foreign inter-

hai Additionally, Qin noted that Chinese modernization will advance the sustainable development of the world and safeguard world peace as China is dedicated to a peaceful path of development and rejects geopo-

ference in the country s affairs

AFP

On Thursday, dozens of Burhan loyalists protested in Port Sudan against the presence of the ambassador of the United Arab Emirates which has been accused of links to Daglo No to the foreign interference in the country’s affairs,” read a banner they carried

Analysts have warned of countries across the region being dragged into the conflict

For the first time since hostilities began a week ago Burhan appeared on television

For Eid this year, our country is bleeding: destruction, desolation and the sound of bullets have taken precedence over joy ” he said in a prerecorded video which showed him sitting behind a desk in military uniform We hope that we will come out of this ordeal more united a single army a single people towards a civilian power

The International Crisis Group (IGC) warned urgent steps were needed to stop a descent into “fullblown civil war” warning “the nightmare scenario that many feared in Sudan is unfolding

Eastern EU farmers fume over Ukraine grain influx

SAEDINENIE BULGARIA

Ag e n c i e s

Angel Vukodinov fumes over the piles of unsold sunflower seeds in his granary in central Bulgaria

Like other farmers in eastern EU nations he blames an influx of Ukrainian grain for the mess

The European Union has allowed Ukraine to export agricultural goods through the bloc after Russia’s invasion disrupted the country’s traditional Black Sea shipping lanes last year Farmers in eastern EU states have protested in recent months, saying the move saturated the market and led to a massive drop in prices in their countries

In response the EU has offered financial aid for farmers impacted by the influx

We have nothing against the Ukrainian people But the compensation offered by the EU for our losses is a joke ” said Vukodinov 61 who has been a farmer for more than 30 years in the central Bulgarian town of Saedinenie

Following protests, authorities in Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia announced over the past week that they would temporarily ban Ukrainian grains though goods are still allowed to transit through amid EU talks to find a solution

Following Russia’s Black Sea blockade last year EU member states agreed to import certain products from Ukraine without quantitative restrictions and customs inspection

The goods were destined for Africa and the Middle East, but they got stuck, partially due to logistical problems including the poor infrastructure in Bulgaria

“The granaries are full, there is no market at all no demand for any farm produce on top of the price dumping said Danka Marincheshka production chief at Vukodinov s family farm ‘UNFAIR TO US’: Bulgarian farming ministry data show that some 940,000 tonnes of Ukrainian sunflower seeds were imported into the EU’s poorest member last year or half of Ukraine s total sunflower seeds exports to the bloc

Neighbouring Romania came second with nearly 360,000 tonnes

“Romanian and EU authorities were unfair to us because contrary to what they promised a big part of the grain which was due to only transit Romania, was left here, said Florentin Bercu, a Romanian union representative The sunflower seeds market in Bulgaria has become oversaturated said Marin Iliev management board member of the Plovdiv Union of Grain Producers “Nobody cared to notice what was happening So these streams that started trickling in became full-flowing rivers the market overflowed and prices tumbled down the farmer added Prices had topped some 870 euros ($950) per tonne in March 2022, right after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine but have since fallen to around 360 euros per tonne which does not cover production expenses including increased fertiliser prices according to Iliev ‘ARISTOCRACY OF BIG FARMERS’: Nikolay Valkanov director of the Sofia-based thinktank InteliAgro however accused an aristocracy of big farmers of holding the country hostage by not selling produce last year while hoping for prices to go up

litical confrontation

The Lanting Forum established by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2010, is a platform for the public and people from the government businesses academia and media outlets to discuss China s foreign policies the international situation and other important matters of mutual interest

Qin said that Chinese modernization entails the common prosperity of over 1 4 billion Chinese people Given China s large population Chinese modernization will also give greater impetus to global economic recovery, he said Qin illustrated the figure of the result o f C h i n e s e m o d e r n i z a t i o n s a y i n g i t h a s l i f t e d o v e r 8 0 0 m i l l i o n p e o p l e o u t o f p o v e r t y, e n l a rg e d t h e m i d d l e - i n c o m e group to over 400 million people, and attracted over 140 countries and regions to b e c o m e C h i n a s t r a d i n g p a r t n e r s A d d it i o n a l l y, Q i n p o i n t e d o u t t h a t e v e r y d a y Chinese direct investment worth 320 mill i o n U S d o l l a r s f l o w s t o t h e r e s t o f t h e w o r l d a n d m o r e t h a n 3 0 0 0 f o r e i g nf u n d e d e n t e r p r i s e s a r e s e t u p i n C h i n a e v e r y d a y O v e r t h e p a s t d e c a d e , C h i n a h a s c o n t r i b u t e d m o r e t o g l o b a l g r o w t h than all the G7 countries combined,” Qin s a i d a d d i n g t h e m o d e r n i z a t i o n o f m o r e t h a n 1 4 b i l l i o n p e o p l e w h i c h i s b i g g e r than the combined population of the develo p e d c o u n t r i e s , w i l l s u r e l y p r o v i d e m o r e opportunities to the world economy

Gov t extends tenure of PCB management Committee

ISLAMABAD s tA f f R e p o R t

The federal government has extended the tenure of the Management Committee of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) with effect from April 22 The approval was granted after the Ministry of Inter Provincial Coordination s Sports Wing sent a summary in this regard It is recalled that the coalition government had formed a management committee under the supervision of Najam Sethi in Dec 2022 to run the affairs of the board after former PCB chief Ramiz Raja was removed from the post The tenue of the committee has expired today April 21 2023 The ministry has now recommended two to four weeks extension in the tenure Meanwhile, PCB has been also directed to submit a comprehensive report of activities so far made under the supervision of Management Committee after revival of PCB’s Constitution 2014 from 22 12 2022 to 20 04 2023 (Annex-Ill) reads the ministry s letter

Ukraine allies vow strong backing at key talks

RAMSTEIN AIR BASE/KYIV GERMANY Ag e n c i e s

International backing for Ukraine holds strong and true , US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said Friday, as he opened a meeting in Germany with allies to discuss further support for Kyiv On the eve of the talks gathering representatives from 50 countries President Volodymyr Zelensky urged Western allies to send more fighter jets and long-range missiles to help repel Russian troops Zelensky had put his requests directly to NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg who visited Kyiv before heading to the Ramstein air base for the meeting Our support for the forces of freedom in Ukraine holds strong and true, Austin said, as he began the discussions, a year on after the format gathering defence leaders was started to coordinate aid for Ukraine “At today’s contact group meeting we’ll focus on three key issues air defence ammunition and enablers said Austin referring to logistics and other support Zelensky had asked for NATO s help to overcome the reluctance of some member states in providing long-range rockets modern fighter jets and armoured vehicles NATO members have sent some Soviet-era fighter jets to Ukraine but no modern planes such as the US-designed F-16 have been pledged despite Ukraine s requests Ukraine s Western supporters have also been reluctant to send long-range rockets because of concerns that Ukraine could use them to hit targets within Russia Stoltenberg acknowledged the need to discuss new platforms of support with the battle now in its second year He also underlined the necessity of ensuring that already supplied weapons continued to work “I think sometimes we underestimate all the logistics that have to be in place just to have operational battle tank capabilities so maybe it s also a bit more boring but the logistics is extremely important This is now a battle of attrition and a battle of attrition becomes a a war of logistics, said the NATO chief Earlier in the week, Ukraine said it had received from allies the first shipment of Patriots seen as one of the most advanced US air defence systems Germany also delivered a promised Iris-T anti-air missile system The kit has been one of Kyiv s key demands from Western allies as it looks to defend itself from Russian missile attacks and roll back Moscow’s invasion In eastern Ukraine’s Lugansk region AFP saw a group of servicemen using British-supplied artillery Several kilometres from Russian positions they worked the artillery piece dug into the ground One hauled shells to the UK-made gun from a nearby cache, while others set coordinates and loaded the barrel before the final order to “Fire!” “There are the planned targets that we work on And some appear unexpectedly for example to repel an assault when the enemy advances said Bogdan a 40-year-old Ukrainian serviceman from the embattled town of Bakhmut The enemy is using few military vehicles Infantry, which is what the enemy has plenty of goes forward ” he said During Stoltenberg’s visit to Kyiv the NATO chief was also pressed on allowing Ukraine to join the alliance but he stressed that that was not the immediate priority All NATO allies have agreed that Ukraine will become a NATO member, but the main focus now is of course on how to ensure that Ukraine prevails ” he said “Without a sovereign independent Ukraine there is no meaning in discussing membership he said

Ac tivists mark Ear th D ay as scientists warn of more ex treme weather

oping countries fight climate change and curb deforestation in Brazil s Amazon rainforest during a meeting with leaders from the world s largest economies UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres told countries attending Biden s Major Economies Forum that a quantum leap in climate action” was required to limit temperature rises to 1 5 degrees Celsius He warned in a recorded Earth Day message that we seem hellbent on destruction Earth Day this year follows weeks of extreme weather with tem-

peratures hitting a record 45 4 degrees Celsius (113 7 Fahrenheit) in Thailand and another punishing heatwave in India, where at least 13 people died of heatstroke at a ceremony last weekend Scientists warned this week that killer heatwaves were putting unprecedented burdens on agriculture, economy and public health globally Average global temperatures could hit record highs this year or in 2024, driven by climate change and the anticipated return of the El Nino” weather phenomenon, climate scientists said on Thursday

POWERCHINA completes phase-I of upstream cutoff wall of Diamer-Basha Dam

the statement read

At the moment construction activities are going at a rapid speed at various sites of DBDP

They include three temporary cable bridges, D/S Cable Bridge and a permanent bridge a diversion tunnel inlet a diversion tunnel outlet diversion tunnel 2 a diversion canal, an upstream cofferdam, a downstream cofferdam, left and right abutments, batching plant, power generation plant and aggregate processing plant DBDP is being constructed on River Indus which is scheduled to be completed in 2028-29 Power China in a JV with FWO is constructing the MW-1 Dam of the project

The Project will have a gross water storage capacity of 8 1 MAF to irrigate 1 23 million acres of additional land With an installed power generation capacity of 4,500 MW, the project will provide more than 18 billion units per annum to the National Grid

Families of police mar t yrs, ghazis honoured

LAHORE s ta f f r e p o r t

IG Punjab honoured the families of 40 martyrs of Lahore police with gold medals and 40 Ghazis with silver medals Awards were also given to officers and personnel of Bahawalpur, Sargodha, Sheikhupura, Rawalpindi and DG Khan Regions

In addition, IG encouraged 131 officers including 50 personnel of Special Protection Unit (SPU) with cash prizes and certificates of appreciation for their outstanding performance during duty

Eight inspectors 46 sub-inspectors 17 ASIs three head constables and seven constables of Bahawalpur Sargodha Sheikhupura, Rawalpindi and DG Khan regions and 50 officials of SPU were awarded Rs10,000 cash and CC1 certificate each

People leave Lahore to celebrate Eid at hometowns

LAHORE s ta f f r e p o r t

Thousands of people left for their home-towns to celebrate Eidul Fitr A large number of people was observed at local bus stations and railway station from where people would go to their native towns

Asad Ameen, a passenger at the Lahore Railway Station told that he and his family were going to Narowal to celebrate Eid with his parents Amir, another passenger said only two trains were available for his home-town, so he was worried how he would be able to travel with his wife and two children

Whereas transporters were charging double fare which irked passengers but they had no choice as no authority was available to protect rights of passengers Shaheen, a commuter works here in an office said he was going to Faisalabad but buses were so over-loaded that he was unable to trvel

On the other hand large number of people thronged the Lahore railway station to travel to their hometowns to celebrate Eid with their families There were long queues of people at the reservation office for tickets, while strict security arrangements had been made by the railway police for the safety of the passengers

There was a rush of men, women and children traveling from Lahore railway station to other cities ahead of the Eid holidays Special trains are also being run by the railway administration to enable maximum people to go to their home areas for the occasion

Customs squad seizes

10,000

sugar,

1,200

fer tiliser bags in Noshki

QUETTA

s ta f f r e p o r t

Collectorate of Customs Balochistan claimed to have seized 10,000 bags of sugar and 1,200 bags of fertiliser worth millions of rupees in a raid conducted in a flour mill in Noshki area of Balochistan province on Friday

Following the directions of Director General, Customs Intelligence, Faiz Ahmed Chudhar, staff of Customs Intelligence under the supervision of Deputy Director Customs Intelligence Fahad Bashir and Inspector Hamid Habib recovered 10,000 bags of sugar and 1,200 bags of fertiliser worth millions of rupees in a raid conducted in a flour mill in district Noshki

PESHAWAR

a p p

The Eid shopping spree on Friday reached to climax in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where great rush of shoppers was witnessed on readmade garments sweets bangles and henna shops on the eve of Eidul Fitr The outlets of traditional bangles and henna were flooded with girls and women in Peshawar where special stalls in shopping centres and markets were established for Chand Raat

The exchange of bangles and henna as special gifts among the girls on Eidul Fitr is an old tradition of the sub-continent especially in Peshawar where the great rush of buyers especially of the girls and students

B A N D I T

O P E R AT I O N I N k AT C H A T O LO g I C A L E N D

PU N J A B Caretaker Chief Minister Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi Friday departed to Rahim Yar Khan to raise the spirits of police officials taking part in Katcha operation against bandits Punjab IG Police Dr Usman Anwar and other concerned officials briefed the chief minister about the ongoing operation against dacoits in the riverine area of Punjab Provincial Information Minister Amir Mir also attended the briefing

Mr Naqvi expressed his satisfaction over the police successes against the criminals during the current operation

He vowed to take the operation against bandits to its logical conclusion

Meanwhile, today is the 13th day of the grand operation against the criminals in the Katcha area of Sadiqabad

The dacoits launched an attack on police with rocket launchers and longrange weapons in Katcha area of Rijwani However, the police retaliated

forcefully making dacoits to retreat

An armoured personnel carrier of police was slightly damaged during the attack by the criminals

According to the police spokesperson the law personnel have laid a siege to 18-20 dangerous criminals and militants belonging to Sikhani and Lathani gangs in the riverine area of Rijwani

He said that katcha areas of Moro and Jamal have been cleared He said last year, police suffered casualties dur-

ing operation in these areas but now the areas have been cleared without any loss

He informed that so far the police arrested 20 dacoits and killed another three in Sadiqabad katcha operation which has entered the day 13th

The spokesperson said that police have cleared an area stretching on thousands of acres of criminal elements He said that with a good antibandit strategy adopted by police, the resistance of Sikhani group has started

J h a n g Powe r P l a n t a c h i eve s s i g n i f i c a n t m i l e s t o n e, n e a r s CO D

BEIJING s ta f f r e p o r t

The Pakistan Jhang 1263 MW thermal power plant operated by China Machinery Engineering Corp (CMEC), has achieved a significant milestone as its turbine generator was successfully connected to the power grid for the first time The unit was operating smoothly and all parameters were meeting the design requirements thus setting a solid foundation for the next 168hour reliability test run of the combined cycle section, China Economic Net (CEN) reported on Friday

After achieving the Commercial Operation Date (COD) of the two gas turbines in August last year, the Jhang project has completed the installation and commissioning of the main and auxiliary systems for the combined cycle section, the steam blowing of two heat recovery boilers hot-state flushing, PPA8 2 testing, and now, the first turbine generator synchronization to the power grid T h e s y n c h r o n i z a t i o n o f t h e c o m b i n e d - c y c l e p o w e r g e n e r a t i o n u n i t w i t h t h e p o w e r g r i d s i g n i f i e s t h a t a l l e q u i p m e n t o n s i t e h a s b e e n p u t i n t o n o r m a l o p e r a t i o n

“The next step will mainly

involve adjusting the unit under different load conditions optimizing the system and its degree of automation, and conducting a 168-hour reliability test said the operation director of the project, Mr He, “The entire project is marching closer and closer to COD ”

Last year the governmentowned company Punjab Thermal Power (Pvt) Ltd (PTPL) signed a contract with China Machinery Engineering Corp (CMEC) to operate two thermal power plants in Punjab’s Jhang district C M E C a l s o s e r v e d a s t h e p l a n t s e n g i n e e r i n g , p r o c u r em e n t , a n d c o n s t r u c t i o n ( E P C ) c o n t r a c t o r

ISLAMABAD s ta f f r e p o r t

Pakistan-China Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCJCCI) President Moazzam Ghurki stressed for utilization of Pakistan’s coal reserves to meet the country’s growing needs in power sector

During a think-tank session here at the PCJCCI secretariat, he maintained that coal was most widely used for cheap electricity generation and currently 36 percent of world’s electricity was being generated through this source

According to Gwadar Pro, Ghurki added that Pakistan had large reserves of coal especially lignite coal which China had imported for USD 8 billion in 2021 from other countries, instead of Pakistan due to the lack of technology and modern methods

The government of Pakistan should introduce modern technology to facilitate the miners with the latest mechanisms, to work on the coal reserves he added

PCJCCI Senior Vice President Fang Yulong said that Pakistan had large reserves of coal, especially lignite coal Its coal deposits in Balochis-

tan Punjab and especially Sindh where Thar desert has the 16th largest coal deposits

He highlighted that owing to global energy insecurity caused due to continuing conflict between Russia and Ukraine many European nations had been compelled to revive their decades-old coal-based electricity plants to avoid energy shortages for their respective countries

PCJCCI Vice President Hamza Khalid said that total coal reserves discovered in Pakistan were 185-billion-ton, but coal mining in Pakistan was facing a lot of issues due to lack of up-gradation of equipment The old methods of mining cause numerous deaths due to suffocation and blasts ” he mentioned

He added that coal reserves in Thar could go a long way to make Pakistan an energy surplus country with the least reliance on imported fuel for power production

In his comments Salahuddin Hanif Secretary General PCJCCI, said that Pakistan could adopt a safe and balanced approach to exploit its vast coal reserve for power generation with the least damage to the environment to overcome energy shortfall without burdening the economy

Bid to smuggle wheat, flour to Afghanistan foiled

RAWALPINDI s ta f f r e p o r t

The officials of the Punjab Food Department on Friday foiled a bid to smuggle wheat and flour to Afghanistan

As per details, over 70 containers loaded with wheat and flour were being smuggled to Afghanistan from Rawalpindi Motorway District food authority officials said 46 containers loaded with wheat and 16 containers of flour were seized during checking The wheat and flour were being smuggled

were being seen in the Henna and Bangles stalls, which are making roaring business

Therefore many shopkeepers have set up colourful stalls in the main markets including Jinnah Street, Deans Trade Centre, Gora Bazaar in cantonment, Meena Bazaar, Karimpura Qissa Khwani and other important locations in Peshawar offering different kinds of henna, cosmetics, earrings, gleaming bangles, embroidered clothes, jewellery, handbags, shoes and colourful dresses as Eid special offer

The shopkeepers selling daily goods and booksellers set up additional stalls of bangles and henna inside their shops keeping in view the girl s attraction towards these Eid items Samina Bibi, (25), who was busy shopping in Jinnah Street Peshawar Cantonment

from Punjab to Afghanistan The containers have been sealed while 16 people have been booked It may be noted that there is a ban on the transportation of wheat from the province

Earlier the Punjab Cabinet granted approval for wheat purchase policy for 2023- 2024

Caretaker Chief Minister Punjab Mohsin Naqvi presided over 8th Cabinet meeting at Chief Minister Office which made decisions to promote merit in the province and elimination of recommendation culture by relaxing rules in the departments and declaring null and void the decision to make inductions through departmental committees

the custodial torture of an arrested accused by Gujrat CIA officials

S i n d h p o l i c e c h a l k s o u t s e c u r i t y p l a n f o r E i d u l F i t r

The Sindh police on Friday chalked out a security plan for Eidul Fitr in Karachi and other parts of the province IG Sindh Police Ghulam Nabi Memon said that according to the plan, more than 33,560 security personnel will perform their duties across the province on Eid

The security plan stated that 9825 personnel will be deployed in Karachi, 8222 in Hyderabad, 1690 in Mirpur Khas, and 6811 in Larkana Sukkur and Shaheed Benazir Abad will get 4000 and 313 respectively

The Sindh police have allocated 4242 spots for Eid prayer across Karachi and the IG Sindh has directed to ensure foolproof security of Eidgahs and other important places to avoid any unforeseen incident

Furthermore, the traffic police will make sure that smooth traffic flow across the province

Earlier the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee announced that the Shawwal moon has not been sighted in Pakistan hence Eidul Fitr will fall on Saturday, April 22

The federal government announced a five-day-long holiday for Eidul Fitr in Pakistan According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Interior, Eidul Fitr holidays will be observed from Friday, April 21 to Tuesday April 25

Three healthcare outlets sealed in capital territor y

ISLAMABAD

s ta f f r e p o r t

The Islamabad Healthcare Regulatory Authority (IHRA) has sealed three Healthcare Establishments (HCEs) in different areas of the Capital Territory

According to IHRA the authority s inspection teams carried out inspections of 42 Healthcare Establishments (HCEs) in different areas of the Capital Territory during the past two weeks

Zahir Khan Clinic, Maryam Clinic and Al-Barka Medical Centre were sealed due to malpractices like the absence of qualified medical staff unhygienic conditions not getting registration with IHRA and functioning during the suspension, the state news agency reported IHRA suspended the services of two Healthcare Establishments (HCEs) over different medical noncompliance Right Ways Rehab Center and Grow Hair Transplant and Skin Care Clinic were also suspended

Similarly 25 Healthcare Establishments were served notices for minor non-compliances and instructed to comply with the directions given by the inspection team

12 HCEs were found closed upon arrival by the inspection teams IHRA teams are also carrying out zone-wise mapping of healthcare establishments in Islamabad and the mapping of 10 HCEs was conducted over two weeks

KP

said that she came here from Nowshera to buy crystal bangles and henna for herself, relatives and friends on Chand Raat “I have bought 10 sets of bangles henna and will use it during Eid days to look different, she said Buying shimmering glass bangles matched with beautiful colours of dresses adorning hands and feet with henna being essential features of eid festivities that multiply our joys” she remarked “This is the cheapest way of taking along your friends and relatives as one can buy a full set of bangles and henna for less than Rs 300 ” she said Malaika (9) who came along with his father for shopping at Deans Center told APP that shopping of bangles and henna always doubles her joy on Eid

Henna, bangles ’ outlets attrac t girls, women as Eid shopping reaches to climax in

P R E S I D E N T O N E I D : D O N ’ T T U R N R E L I G I O U S ,

P O L I T I C A L D I F F E R E N C E S I N T O H AT R E D

He said while Ramazan creates piety in us, it also makes us realise the sufferings, hunger and distress of others

Former senator Enver Baig passes away at 78

AS the nation celebrates Eid-ulFitr on Saturday President Dr Arif Alvi has appealed to the countrymen to not allow their sectarian, religious and political differences to become a source of strife and hatred

The president, in his message to the nation on Eid-ul-Fitr said in order to get out of the current situation facing the country the people needed to adopt the practice of forgiving and follow the teachings of Allah and Holy Prophet (peace be upon him)

The president, who congratulated the entire Pakistani nation and Islamic world on Eid-ul-Fitr said the Holy Prophet (PBUH) also exhorted us to

show mercy and forgive others to seek mercy and forgiveness of Allah Almighty

G7 nations considering near total ban on expor ts to Russia – Kyodo

The Group of Seven (G7) countries are considering a near-total ban on exports to Russia, Kyodo news agency reported on Friday citing Japanese government sources Bloomberg news on Thursday also reported that the United States and Ukraine’s allies were considering “an outright ban on most exports to Russia” That report said officials from G7 nations were discussing the idea before a summit meeting in Japan next month

Asked about the Bloomberg report, Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said the government was aware of it but refrained from commenting on exchanges among G7 countries and like-minded nations about possible further sanctions against Russia

“What is important for ending Russian aggression as soon as possible is that G7 remains united for severe sanctions against Russia and strong support for Ukraine, he told a press briefing

Holding Punjab Assembly elections will lead to civil war: Siraj

Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) emir Sirajul Haq said on Friday that holding only the Punjab Assembly elections will lead to protests and civil war

Speaking to media Mr Haq said Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) chief Maulana Fazlur

Rehman had also been contacted He also wanted the country to improve It will take time to reach the scheduled date of the elections

Sirajul Haq said, “Right now, there is a political crisis in the country Along with the political crisis there is also an economic and constitutional crisis There is no case of common people in the National Assembly, Senate and Supreme Court Stressing the need for holding simultaneous elections, Mr Haq said, “The issue of elections is not only for one or two parties But the 230 million people are concerned about the elections

Speaking about Gwadar, Mr Haq lamented, “Gwadar has been made a spectacle for the whole world Gwadar is a sensitive city regarding CPEC There is a dire need for complete peace in this area In terms of solidarity with Gwadar fishermen the JI is protesting across the country on May 1

“We do not want our country to become Libya It has become difficult for the poor to breathe due to the severe economic hardships he maintained Mr Haq claimed, The judges of the court are not on the same page They are also having a tussle among themselves We do not want conflict In connection with getting on the same page about holding transparent polls we are in constant contact with political parties

He added, The talks have been held with the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Awami National Party (ANP) The prime minister wanted us to leave this closed street Imran Khan also gave a positive response” “The Supreme Court itself said that the political parties should find a way by themselves until April 27 After Eid, we will speed up this process, Mr Haq added

He also urged the countrymen to play their part in moving the country toward political and economic stability

“This realization can be the basis for eradicating poverty and injustice from any society We should make a pledge on this occasion of Eid that we will carry these qualities of piety, and realisation with us throughout the year and play our role in making society prosperous ” the president remarked He said as Pakistan currently faces difficult political and economic situation the people needed to abide by the commandments of Allah Almighty to forgive others if we want Allah to be forgiving to us on the Day of Resurrection He prayed to Allah Almighty to accept our fasts and prayers during Ramazan and grant the country progress and prosperity

S hor t-sellers sit on $1b loss on European banks in

PR OFIT

R E U T E R S

Short-sellers who bet against European banks are set to lose a substantial amount of money in April after the sector bounced back from the shock downfall of Credit

Suisse (CSGN S) in anticipation of strong quarterly earnings

Investors who set up bearish trades believing the sector ’s stock prices would fall further have lost an estimated $1 billion so far this month, according to analytics firm Ortex, after making $2 7 billion in March their largest profit on European bank short positions in more than a year

The STOXX European banks share index ( SX7P) has risen as much as 18% from late March’s lows Italy’s UniCredit (CRDI MI) – one of the top shorted stocks according Ortex and S&P Global Market Intelligence – has rallied 35% since then to its highest since 2016

Rate hikes have significantly boosted interest income and that’s not going to fall right

April

now It is not time yet to leave the financials out of your portfolio, said Carlo Franchini head of institutional clients at Banca Ifigest in Milan

Only a few weeks ago, at the peak of the banking turmoil, markets were bracing for a deep downturn and even for central banks to reverse course and start cutting interest rates

The stress has now eased and investors are once again factoring in more rate hikes helping banking stocks recover but catching short-sellers and other investors who cut their exposure to the sector off guard Banks fail to reflect the positive impact of interest rates so far, they have much stronger capital bases than they’ve had in other times of economic weakness and therefore the European Central Bank has continued to approve (share) buybacks, said James Rutland, fund manager at Invesco in London which has its biggest overweight position within financials

According to Refinitiv IBES,

European financials should report first quarter earnings growth of 31% – the bulk of corporate earnings growth in Europe – with fullyear growth forecast at 19 5%

But a Bank of America survey showed fund managers cut bank exposure in April to the lowest since May 2020 as they piled into more recession-proof defensive sectors

Ortex estimates short interest on European banks is close to 1% of the free share float an 11month high Among the top 15 bank shorts in both Ortex and S&P rankings are BNP (BNPP PA) Santander (SAN MC) and ABN (ABNd AS) which have more than halved their losses since early March Svenska Handelsbanken (SHBa ST) another highly shorted bank remains 12% lower however One area of concern is exposure to commercial real estate and investors will be alert to any sign of emerging stress as European lenders report earnings next week

Former senator Enver Baig, a seasoned politician, a giant in human resource management field and known for his progressive style of politics, died on Friday at the age of 78 The ex-senator s health had deteriorated in recent months and he was being treated for multiple diseases His family announced that he peacefully breathed his last on Friday His Namaz-eJanaza will be offered on Saturday at 2pm at H-11/4 graveyard in Islamabad

During his time in the Senate Baig was a champion of human rights equality and diversity He was also a strong supporter of immigration reform and worked to create policies that would make it easier for immigrants to settle and succeed abroad Senator Baig was widely admired for his integrity intelligence and commitment to public service Also he was known for his unwavering commitment to public service

During his political career, he served as a senator on PPP’s ticket from 2003 to 2009 After PPP, he had joined PML-N in 2012 He had also served as chairperson of the Benazir Income Support Programme between 2013 and 2014 Baig also served as Honorary Council General of The Republic of Uruguay in Pakistan and president of the Pakistan Overseas Employment Promoters Association from 1982 to 1983 He had also chaired different committees

M A K K A H S TA F F R E P O RT

Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith

Harmony Senator Muhammad Talha Mahmood on Friday met with the Secretary-General (SG) of the Muslim World League (MWL) Dr Mohammad bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa, to discuss issues of mutual interest The meeting which took place at Dr AlIssa s house in Makkah was described as inclusive and productive, with both dignitaries sharing their perspectives on various issues

During the meeting, Senator Talha and SG MWL discussed ways to strengthen fraternal ties between their countries and talked about the challenges faced by the Muslim Ummah worldwide, particularly in Sudan and Palestine Dr Al-Issa lauded the heartfelt attachment of the Pakistani people to Saudi Arabia and Haramain Sharifain despite difficult economic conditions

Senator Talha s visit to Saudi Arabia was meant to enhance cooperation and collaboration between the two brotherly countries To achieve this goal, he had been meeting with various officials and leaders including the South Asia Tawaf Company and Zuyuf Al-Bait Services Company (formerly South Asia Institute) Senator Talha also toured the 3D models and archives enclosure based on Hajj facilities He emphasized his primary focus was to decrease Hajj expenses and create maximum facilities for Pakistani pilgrims

He stated, I will leave no stone unturned to make this Hajj operation a success story and directed relevant officials to provide quality facilities at minimum cost

The meeting between Senator Talha and Dr Al-Issa is expected to contribute to efforts aimed at strengthening the bond between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia It also highlights the commitment of both countries to work together to address the challenges faced by the Muslim Ummah Senator Talha s efforts to decrease Hajj expenses and provide maximum facilities for Pakistani pilgrims demonstrate his dedication to the cause

LAHORE

S TA F F R E P O R T

Senior PTI leaders Fawad Chaudhry, Hammad Azhar and Shahbaz Gill have expressed their confidence in party chief Imran Khan despite not being awarded party tickets for contesting the Punjab elections For the elections, which the top court had ordered to be held on May 14 the PTI finalised a list of 297 candidates earlier this week PTI Chairman

Imran Khan had decided to interview all party candidates in person to uphold merit in awarding party tickets

He had previously stated that the team entrusted with the task in 2018 was negligent in performing its duties, therefore, the ex-premier held one-on-one in-

terviews with all candidates to select nominees from April 6 to April 18

According to the list of candidates published on the PTI s website Raja Basharat Chaudhry Parvez Elahi Usmar Dar, Dr Yasmin Rashid, Hashim Dogar, Zain Qureshi and Usman Buzdar have been awarded party tickets

However several senior party leaders were excluded from contesting the polls in Punjab Commenting on the development today, Azhar former federal energy minister said: A few days ago Khan sahab told me that he had thought at length and that the country s biggest challenge was on the economic front, therefore, I was needed in the Centre “The next day I withdrew my nomination papers from all the provincial con-

stituencies, he said Gill, meanwhile, said that several senior party leaders including Fawad and Azhar had submitted their nomination papers for the polls in Punjab Chairman Imran Khan has decided not to give tickets to all of us,” he said “Khan sahab’s decision is accepted wholeheartedly

He said that he was not with the PTI chief for party tickets or for any position, but rather for the latter ’s ideology

Meanwhile Fawad appeared to be crestfallen about not being awarded a party ticket for contesting the polls

Speaking to ARY News Kashif Abbasi on Thursday night, the ex-information minister said that he and other senior leaders did not feel good when

they were not given a party ticket

“Obviously, it didn’t feel good We should have received it But if Khan sahab says no then it means no he said with a chuckle Abbasi then asked whether Buzdar, the former chief minister of the Punjab, had been awarded a ticket

“Buzdar sahab has gotten it Parvez Elahi sahab has gotten it he said He went on to say that Gill had not been given a ticket either

When asked whether Buzdar could become the chief minister again Fawad said: I think he (Buzdar) can [ ] he is the former chief minister so why not?

Fawad further said he couldn t comment on the matter because such decisions were solely the prerogative of the PTI chief

IIOJK faces indian oppression on daily basis during Ramzan: A JK President

MIRPUR (AJK)

Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) President Barrister Sultan Mahmood Chaudhry on Friday said that while celebrating Eid-ul-Fitr with great fervour in the liberated territory we must not forget our defenseless brethren on the other side of the Line of Control (LOC) who were facing the worst Indian repression, and should especially pray for their freedom He said this in a message on the eve of Eid ul Fitr falling on Saturday (April 22) in the country including AJK He maintained Our real Eid will be on the day when our brethren will be cel-

ebrating the occasion in a free environment after freedom from the Indian clutches ” While extending Eid greetings to the Muslims of Pakistan and across the world on behalf of the people of both AJK and occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IIOJK) Sultan Mahmood regretted that our brethren on the other side of the LOC were celebrating this Muslim festival under the Indian guns

The AJK President said We have observed fasts, and offered worship and prayers in a free environment during Ramazan, but our brethren in IIOJK faced new tricks of Indian repression on a daily basis even in this holy month which is painful

He condemned India and its occupation forces for holding the drama of a temporary ceasefire during the month of Ramazan Barrister Sultan Mahmood assured on the occasion that the people of the held territory were not alone in their just struggle “We fully share your pain, miseries, and wounds and our sympathies are with you ” he underlined

The AJK president expressed confidence that IIOJK would see the dawn of the day of freedom shortly, and its people would get their fundamental right to self-determination and would celebrate Eid in an environment free of repression of the Indian occupational forces

Ta l h a m e e t s A l - I s s a t o d i s c u s s i s s u e s o f m u t u a l i n t e r e s t