Epaper_23-04-8 LHR

NSC ThuMBS uP for ‘MulTi-ProNged CoMPreheNSive’ ANTi-Terror oPerATioN

g

ATTRIBUTES RECENT SPATE oF TERRoR To SoFT CoRNER, THoUGHTLESS PoLICy ToWARdS BANNEd MILITANT GRoUP

ISLAMABAD

Staff RepoRt

THENational Security Committee (NSC) on Friday approved a multi-pronged comprehensive operation with the support of the government and the nation to eradicate the menace of terrorism from the country with a new resolve, determination and valour.

The 41st meeting of the National Security Committee (NSC) – the principal decision-making body on national security matters – was held with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in the chair. The meeting was attended by senior civil and military leadership, including Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto zardari, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, Finance Minister Ishaq dar, Chief of Army Staff Gen Asim Munir, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Gen Sahir Shamshad Mirza, all services chiefs and chief ministers.

The NSC meeting held at the Prime Minister’s House, which was a continuation of the meeting held after the terrorist attack on the Peshawar Police Lines on January 2, 2023.

The committee review the internal and external situation of law and order in the country at lengthen.

At the start of the meeting, the participants paid tribute to those

g PM dISCUSSES oVERALL SITUATIoN WITH CoAS, dG ISI IN MEETING PRIoR To NSC HUddLE

in large numbers, the country’s peace and stability were destroyed, the press release added. It underlined that this peace and stability were attained after “countless sacrifices and continuous efforts”.

According to the press release, the NSC expressed the determination to defeat the “nefarious designs” of the country’s enemies and resolved that all possible efforts would be made to maintain the “peace and order achieved by the great sacrifices and continuous efforts of the martyrs”.

“The meeting acknowledged the sacrifices and efforts of the security forces for providing lasting peace to the nation,” the press release said, adding that the forum reiterated its commitment to continue its activities till the end of terrorism from Pakistan.

who were martyred in Gayari sector tragedy on April 7, 2012.

Emphasizing comprehensive national security, it was declared that relief to the people was of central importance. The forum was told that the government was taking measures in this connection.

The meeting acknowledged the sacrifices and efforts of the security forces for ensuring permanent peace for the nation. The forum reiterated the resolve to continue operation till eradication of terrorism from Pakistan.

‘Soft corner’ for ttP blamed for riSe in terroriSm: The NSC concluded that the recent spate of terror-

Maryam Nawaz urges CJP Bandial to step down

LAHORE agencieS

The Chief organizer of ruling Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) Maryam Nawaz Friday urged Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial to “resign” as his tilt toward her rival party, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf of Imran Khan is glaring. She made two tweets on Friday soon after ending the National Security Meeting in Islamabad. In her first tweet, Maryam said, “CJP Umar Ata Bandiyal has committed flagrant violations of law & constitution to favour Imran Khan/Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf”. This blatant abuse of authority has led to an unprecedented revolt-like situation in the SC of Pak. Judges of impeccable repute have raised serious questions on CJP’s conduct & bias.” Adding in the first tweet, she said in her second message, “No CJ has ever been accused of such misconduct. His tilt towards PTI is glaring. CJP Bandiyal must RESIGN.”

“’This blatant abuse of authority has led to an unprecedented revolt-like situation in the SC of Pakistan,” she added. She said ”Judges of impeccable repute have raised serious questions on CJP’s conduct and bias.” on April 4, the top court voided the order of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) regarding delay in elections in Punjab, ordering polls on May 14.

A three-member special bench led by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial and comprising Justice Munib Akhtar and Justice Ijazul Ahsan declared the ECP’s order unconstitutional.

The court directed the federal government to issue Rs21 billion funds to Election Commission by April 10 and asked the electoral watchdog to submit a report in court before the deadline.

Joining ‘dissenting’ judges, Justice

Minallah maintains suo moto dismissed 4-3

ism in the country was a consequence of a “soft corner” for the banned militant group Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan and a “thoughtless policy” towards the terror outfit, both of which were “contrary to the public’s expectations”.

As a result, the press release said, “terrorists were not just allowed to return to the country unimpeded but dangerous TTP militants were also released from jails in the name of confidence building”. With the return of these “dangerous terrorists” and as a consequence of assistance being provided from various militant organisations operating in Afghanistan

The participants of the meeting further paid tribute to the martyrs of the Gayari sector tragedy on April 7, 2012, when at least 140 people, including Pakistan Army personnel and civilians, were martyred after an avalanche struck an army camp near the Siachen glacier.

It was agreed that in the new multi-pronged and comprehensive operation, combined efforts at diplomatic, security, economic and social levels would be undertaken for the elimination of the menace of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 03

dar cancels visit to US amid political uncertainty

g TARIq BAJWA MAy REPLACE dAR AS PAKISTAN'S REPRESENTATIVE AT WB-IMF SPRING MEETINGS

PROfIt iSlamaBaD

Pakistan’s Finance Minister, Ishaq dar, has canceled his trip to the United States where he was scheduled to meet with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) management for the removal of bottlenecks in the staff-level agreement regarding the revival of the stalled bailout package. dar was also set to attend the spring meetings of the World Bank-IMF in Washington from April 10 to 16. Highly placed sources have revealed that the minister will not be attending the meetings due to the prevailing political uncertainty and developing judicial crisis in Pakistan.

The finance minister had planned to address the concerns of the financial and political worlds regarding the continuity of the government, future economic plans, and bridging the trust deficit with the multilateral lenders. However, the deepening political uncertainty and developing judicial crisis have reportedly led to the cancellation of his trip to Washington.

The cancellation of dar’s trip might also lead to the cancellation of meetings with his counterparts in Saudi Arabia and the UK state minister for development. Minister for Economic Affairs, Sardar Ayaz

Sadiq, who usually represents Pakistan at the World Bank, will also not be going to the United States due to the prevailing uncertain political conditions.

Finance Secretary Hamed yaqoob Sheikh and Economic Affairs Secretary Kazim Niaz will now represent the government at the WB-IMF spring meetings. While a secretary is considered equal to a deputy minister, it remains unclear if they will be able to meet with high-ranking foreign officials. Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Finance, Tariq Bajwa, may replace dar. However, diplomatic protocol issues may prevent Bajwa from meeting with the presidents of various multilateral institutions and finance ministers of different countries. dar had scheduled meetings with the presidents of the World Bank, Asian development Bank, and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank – the three multilateral creditors crucial to Pakistan’s plans to raise $6 billion in additional loans to meet the last IMF condition. He also had a confirmed meeting with IMF deputy Managing director, Antoinette Monsio Sayeh, next Thursday, but Managing director Ms. Kristalina Georgieva did not give time for the meeting.

IMF Resident Representative Esther Perez stated, “The Pakistan delegation will have a high-level

meeting during the spring meetings with IMF’s deputy managing director Ms. Sayeh, who follows Pakistan closely.”

dar was scheduled to begin his trip with an opening meeting with the IMF’s Mission Chief to Pakistan, Nathan Porter, on Monday. However, Pakistan and the IMF were no longer actively negotiating after the government’s sudden fiscally irresponsible move of announcing petrol subsidies. Although the government claimed that the petrol subsidy would not affect the budget, it did not apparently guarantee that.

Janet yellen, the Treasury Secretary, also had not given an appointment, nor did Waly Adeyemo, the Treasury deputy Secretary. Similarly, Samantha Power, the USAId administrator, was also not available for the meeting, but a meeting had been scheduled with the assistant administrator of the USAId to South Asia.

Jihad Azour, the director of the Middle East and Central Asia department of the IMF, was also scheduled to meet with the finance minister. The sources said that a meeting had also been planned with the IMF fiscal affairs department aimed at discussing issues like a whopping Rs 276 billion shortfall in tax collection during the first nine months of the fiscal year.

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ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

Justice Athar Minallah maintained on Friday that the Supreme Court’s (SC) suo moto notice over the delay in the announcement of provincial assembly elections was dismissed by a majority 43 ruling. The apex court had issued orders maintaining that the court was split 3-2 on March 1 and empowered President Arif Alvi to announce the date of the Punjab Assembly elections, while directing the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) governor to set the election date for the provincial assembly in consultation with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

According to the latter interpretation, Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Munib Akhtar and Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar supported the verdict, while Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail and Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah dissented by opposing the admissibility of the suo moto case. The ruling has since been marred by conflicting interpretations, notably with CJ Bandial defending the orders and the government terming it a “minority ruing”.

This ambiguity was not created by the government or any other party involved in the case but the top court judges themselves through their order. It was witnessed that the suo moto proceedings in the matter exposed severe rift within the SC judges. At the outset of the hearing in February, Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi had recused themselves as questions were raised on their presence on the bench.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 03

Security forces nick notorious terrorist, founder of outlawed BNA

RAWALPINDI

Staff RepoRt

In a high-profile successful intelligence-based operation, the lead intelligence agency successfully apprehended a high-value target (HVT) Gulzar Imam alias Shambay, the InterServices Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement on Friday. The military’s media wing revealed that he has been a hardcore militant as well as the founder and leader of the banned outfit Baloch National Army (BNA) which came into being after the amalgamation of the Baloch Republican Army (BRA) and United Baloch Army (UBA).

“BNA has been responsible for dozens of violent terrorist attacks in Pakistan including attacks on law enforcement agencies (LEAs) installations in Panjgur and Noshki,” the ISPR said.

The statement mentioned that Gulzar Imam also remained as deputy to Brahamdagh Bugti in Baloch Republican Army (BRA) till 2018. The military’s media wing stated that the apprehended militant was also instrumental in the formation of Baloch Raji Aajoi Sangar (BRAS) and remained its operational head.

“His visits to Afghanistan and India are also on the record; his linkages with hostile intelligence agencies (HIAs) are being investigated,” it stated.

Suzuki, United drive up two-wheeler prices amid industry-wide hike

portfolio are

LAHORE

Daniyal ahmaD

Within a week of Atlas Honda and yamah’s decision to increase prices across their portfolio, Suzuki and United Motorcycles have decided to join in on the price hikes. The price revisions mark the second and fourth upward price revisions by Suzuki and United Motorcycles respectively.

United’s new prices

The new prices across United’s motorcycle portfolio are as follows:

The price revision marks the fourth price increase by United in 2023. The previous increases occurred on February 1, February 16, and March 7. Suzuki’s new prices The new prices across Suzuki’s motorcycles

“As

closed due to restrictions on imports. As a result, there has been no production or sales, and Pak Suzuki has incurred huge losses of billions of rupees in some months. despite the economic instability and uncertainty, Pak Suzuki has retained its employees and provided full support to vendors and dealers,” Shafiq continues.

“It is a critical time for everyone, including Pak Suzuki. Unfortunately, there is no information about how long these restrictions and instability will continue.

FIA StArtS INqUIry INto IrreGUlArItIeS, MoNopoly IN FooD MINIStry’S DepArtMeNt

iSLamabad

Ghulam abbas

tHEFederal Investigative Agency

(FIA) has launched an investigation into the alleged irregularities and monopoly of private firms in the Department of Plant Protection (DPP), an attached department of the Ministry of Food Security and Research (MoFS&R). The inquiry report, prepared by a committee on the directives of the Prime Minister Secretariat, was submitted to the Secretary MoFS&R early last year, but the influential private firms that control the department succeeded in shelving it for over a year.

The 15-page report, which is now exclusively available with this scribe, reveals that a powerful mafia practically runs the affairs of the DPP, especially in the major role of the fumigation process of all imported and exported agriculture items.

The committee was assigned to investigate the controversy over the import of Methyl Bromide (MB), used for fumigation, and the monopoly in this sphere. The report states that it appears that DPP is no longer a federal entity as far as the issuance of biosecurity and phytosanitary certificates is concerned, as it is influenced and practically run by the fumigators who virtually control the entire value chain of the business.

The report further highlights that the majority of the department officers are compromised and/or afraid of doing

anything against the mafia for fear of repercussions, and that there is a subculture of corruption, backbiting, infighting, and responsibility-shirking that has seeped into the very roots of the organization. The Director General (DG), all directors, and deputy directors are part of the problem rather than the solution, even if some of them may not be financially corrupt.

The report also states that the importer of Methyl Bromide and fumigating companies were all one party, due to which not only there is a monopoly, but also higher costs being charged to importers/exporters by the fumigators. The decision about the right price of fumigation can not be left to private actors if the volume of private actors’ business is a result of regulatory action. If fumigators collude with the department, it will increase the cost of imports and exports and lead to unreasonable profits.

The Prime Minister Secretariat had directed the food ministry to address the issues and fix responsibility for any wrongdoing that may have occurred in the past in December 2021 after hearing complaints about the monopoly of a company in DPP. However, the ministry kept the report secretly without any further action, apparently after the change of government in the center. The PM office has also reportedly shown its strong displeasure over the ignorance of the ministry regarding this important issue, which ultimately undermines the country’s exports.

A HIStory of CorruptIon AnD MonopoLISAtIon:

In September

2021, the FIA initiated an investigation into the issuance of bogus phyto certificates by the MoFS&R and DPP. Both organisation are infamous for their malpractices involving corruption and monopolisation. A series of documents submitted to the Prime Minister’s office, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), FIA and other relevant authorities revealed the ubiquitous corruption dominating the agricultural sector in Pakistan, facilitated by officials in MoFS&R and DPP.

The documents referred to a ‘mafia,’ that controlled all operations and remained unaffected despite numerous complaints registered by a plethora of trade bodies such as the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI), Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) and other trade associations. Simultaneously, importers and exporters of agricultural products were reportedly harassed by the DPP staff at seaports and airports on a regular basis.

According to details, a particular blue-eyed company had been given the contract for importing methyl bromide (used for fumigation), while other companies were deterred from engaging in the business. Additionally, other related agricultural contracts had been awarded to its sister companies, carving out a clear monopoly.

Ahmad and Kamran Traders (Pvt)

wrote a letter to the Prime Minister detailing that a singular company, National Chemicals, was importing methyl bromide from the USA. “Though there are 54 fumigation companies that are registered with the DPP, only their sister fumigation companies namely Adeel Pesticides, Pak Pansy, Pest Management Pentagon Fumigation Services, and Tahir Fumigation Expert are importing and exporting fumigating goods and charging sky high rates.”

Ironically, the company itself had been denied the registration by DPP officials.

The complaint further elucidated that methyl bromide was only permitted for use in order to control quarantine pests around the world. However, malpractice reigned Pakistan and the chemical was blindly utilised to fumigate every good entering the country, without any legal checks.

According to the available documents, three FIA inquiries ENQ-21/2021, No, 68/2021, No, 518/2021 and one NAB enquiry No, 4924/19 were in process against the ministry and its plant protection department officials at present.

Further allegations entailed that the fumigators and relevant DPP officials issued fake fumigation certificates with exported containers.

Another allegation against Director Quarantine, Sohail Shehzad stated that he had received hundreds of complaints from abroad which he kept deleting, as he used his personal email along with the official government email ID. He was not available

KSA, pAKIStAN SIGN $240M loAN AGreeMeNt For MohMAND DAM proJeCt

profit staff RepoRt

Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have signed a loan agreement worth $240m to support the Mohmand Multipurpose Dam Project, according to a statement released by the Ministry of Economic Affairs. The signing ceremony was attended by Sultan Abdulrahman AlMarshad, CEO of the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD), Kazim Niaz, Federal Secretary for the Ministry of Economic Affairs, and Nawaf bin Said Al-Malki, Saudi Ambassador to Pakistan.

The project aims to provide a major hydropower complex to contribute to Pakistan’s energy security, increase sustainable water supply for agriculture and human consumption, and improve resilience to floods. The project will also generate 800MW of electricity

Suzuki, United drive up two-wheeler prices amid industry-wide hike

Continued from page 01

production capacity by using renewable energy sources.

Co-financed by SFD, OPEC, Islamic Development Bank, and the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development, the project aligns with

High demurrage charges, inflation, increased overhead expenses, economic uncertainties, increased international, national, and local raw material and accessory costs, the worsening forex situation, and the failure to open LCs are all causing significant difficulties. This situation has made it very difficult for Pak Suzuki to maintain current selling prices,” Shafiq adds. Why are prices continuously on the rise in 2023?

“The automotive industry is facing a perfect storm of challenges,” according to Muhammad Sabir Shaikh, Chairman of the Association of Pakistan Motorcycle Assemblers Chairman of the Association of Pakistan Motorcycle Assemblers “The Rupee’s devaluation has created a currency crisis, and the absence of new letters of credit (L/Cs) has left the industry reeling. The production suspension by all bike and car assemblers has resulted in a supply drought, and the high prices and short supply of completely knocked down (CKD) units have put the brakes on sales,” Shaikh continues. “To add fuel to the fire, leasing costs have spiked, and both bike and car users are feeling the heat of high fuel costs,” Shaikh adds.

Golden Jubilee of 1973 Constitution celebration starts from Monday

ISLAMABAD: Speaker National Assembly Raja

Pervaiz Ashraf has said that a comprehensive one month long celebration will be organized in connection with the Golden Jubilee of the 1973 Constitution. In his remarks in the House on Friday, he said these celebrations will begin on Monday at 10 in the morning at the Parliament House in Islamabad. The Speaker said a national constitutional convention is being organized in the House. Different segments of the society including constitutional heads of the provinces, vice chancellors of universities, women, social and political workers and students have been invited to attend the convention. He asked the members of the National Assembly, especially the Ministers and Opposition members to ensure their presence in this event.Raja Pervaiz Ashraf said we have to give a message to the youth on this day that while rising above our differences, we have the capabilities to celebrate our successes and national festivals in a befitting manner. Staff Report

SDG-2 (Food Security), SDG-6 (Clean Water), and SDG-7 (Clean Energy) and embodies SDG-17 (Partnerships for the Goals).

The statement noted that the project is expected to enhance water and food

security, and improve the standard of living for people in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where almost 80% of the population resides in rural areas, boosting the region’s socioeconomic development by creating employment opportunities and reducing poverty levels.

During the signing ceremony, the CEO of SFD expressed that this initiative is an extension of the fund’s continued support for development projects and programmes in Pakistan since its inception. He also highlighted the significance of joint cooperation between development funds, as evidenced by this project.

Dr Niaz expressed his sincere appreciation and gratitude to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for its unwavering support towards the development sector in Pakistan through the SFD.

Toyota looks to overhaul EV strategy as new CEO takes charge

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“Some of the statements that came out of Toyota when Akio Toyoda was CEO sort of made it sound kind of like hybrids are going to be there forever. No, it’s your standby, it’s your hedge. EVs have to be first,” said CLSA analyst Christopher Richter. Environmentalists and investors also have been increasingly vocal about the need for Toyota to move faster.

Tesla made almost eight times the profit per vehicle as Toyota for the third quarter, partly because of its ability to simplify production and reduce cost. EVs are now expected to globally represent more than half of total vehicle production by 2030. Meeting that demand will be critical for Toyota. So far it has fallen short – its initial battery EV, the bZ4X, suffered an early recall and has had only limited sales.

In the United States, where the growth of EVs is outpacing that of the overall market, Toyota’s lack of battery electric models appears to be hurting sales. Toyota reported U.S. sales fell by nearly 9% during the first quarter while General Motors Co (GM.N) saw an 18% boost, helped by greater demand for EVs from fleet and commercial customers. GM sold more than 20,000 electric vehicles during the first quarter while Toyota and

its luxury brand Lexus sold about 1,880 battery electrics. And while Toyota/Lexus sales of electrified vehicles – mostly hybrids with a smattering of battery electric and hydrogen vehicles – came to just under 119,000, that represented a slide of 10.7%.

U.S. consumers making the switch to electric vehicles are largely doing so from Toyota and Honda Motor Co (7267.T), data from S&P Global Mobility showed in November. If Toyota doesn’t pursue electric vehicles under Sato, the company “will be leaving money on the table,” said Katherine Garcia, director of the Clean Transportation for All Campaign at the Sierra Club, pointing to the growth of EVs across U.S. states.

In his briefing on Friday, Sato is also expected to lay out a strategy that emphasises “diverse powertrains”, one of the people said. In doing so, he will stress that gasoline hybrids will remain key to its business even as it ramps up EVs. Some of Toyota’s suppliers have also privately expressed concern about its slow embrace of EVs.

According to one executive at a Toyota supplier who declined to be identified, some have been looking at increasing business with other manufacturers to hedge their risk when it comes to EVs. But that could change depending on the automaker’s strategy, the executive added.

Senate told no country can modify Indus Water Treaty unilaterally

iSLamabad staff RepoRt

Minister for Climate Change Sherry Rehman on Friday apprised the Senate that the incumbent government was cognizant of its responsibility, saying no country could modify Indus Water Treaty unilaterally.

Responding to a Calling Attention Notice raised by Leader of Opposition Dr Shahzad Waseem, Kamran Murtaza, Mushahid Hussain Sayed and others about India’s notice to Pakistan through the

Indus Water Commission on January 25, 2023 for revision of the Indus Water Treaty, she said that no one should be panic as the treaty could not be revised unless both parties, Pakistan and India, agreed on it. She said Pakistan received a vague letter from India on January 25 for revision of the treaty and deliberately was done by Modi regime apparently for domestic consumption and gain in Indian elections. Soon after receiving the letter, the relevant departments have started their deliberation and the Prime Minister has been given a briefing, she added.

for comment despite repeated attempts by Profit.

Moreover, on the alleged advice of ‘corrupt’ officials at DPP, a methyl bromide manufacturing Chinese company, Linhai Jianxin Chemical Co. Ltd., had recently issued an exclusive dealership for the Pentagon fumigation, a sister company of National Chemicals, while canceling other companies’ letter of authorisation without any valid reason, despite the fact that Pentagon did not have a registration certificate.

According to sources, despite the widespread cases of corruption, mismanagement and incompetency of such an integral government organisation, the DPP had remained without a head since October, 2020. Furthemore, it continued to function without a regular director general (DG) for over a decade now. Given the dire situation, various trade associations demanded the Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan to form a JIT to investigate the DPP’s affairs. The JIT, they believed, should also check the assets and travel histories of alleged corrupt officers to explore the depths of the organisation’s corruption. MovIng forWArD: The present-day investigation comes as a relief for the stakeholders of the country’s agriculture industry, who have been bearing the brunt of the fumigators’ monopoly and corruption for years. The FIA has summoned officials of DPP for a hearing in Islamabad on April 03, 2023, to investigate the matter further.

Ghandhara Nissan halts production for rest of April amidst paint shop upgrades

Continued from baCk page

In 2002, Ghandhara Industries acquired the controlling stake in Ghandhara Nissan Limited, ending the joint venture. Over time, the company added more models such as Nissan Patrol, Nissan Clipper, and Datsun Go. Furthermore, 2018 marked GNL’s introduction of Dongfeng vehicles under license, while 2019 saw the company sign an agreement with French automaker Renault to produce and distribute its vehicles in Pakistan. The company continued to produce vehicles under the Nissan and Datsun brands until 2020, when it ceased production due to changes in government policies. In recent years, Ghandhara has also entered into agreements with Dongfeng Motor Corporation and Renault, and most recently with Chery Automobile Co., Ltd for the manufacturing and distribution of their passenger vehicles in Pakistan. On February 4, 2021, Ghandhara entered into an agreement with Chery Automobile Co., Ltd for the manufacturing and distribution of Chery’s passenger vehicles. As part of the agreement with Chery, Ghandhara has been locally manufacturing the Chery Tiggo 4 Pro and Chery Tiggo 8 Pro since March 31, 2022.

Business confidence continues to steep down amidst economic crises: Gallup

Continued from baCk page

More than half (57%) of businesses surveyed have not undergone layoffs in the last quarter, but 38% do report a decrease in their workforce during this time. 58% of businesses surveyed said that they raised average output prices in the last quarter. Of these, 45% raised those prices between 20% and 50%. The majority (72%) of businesses surveyed are concerned by Pakistan’s potential default. Of these, nearly half (49%) express significantly high concern. 17% of survey respondents are not concerned at all. 44% of businesses surveyed said ‘yes’ to daily load shedding this quarter, which is 28% less than the previous quarter. Of those businesses that said yes to load shedding, nearly 3 out of 4 (73%) this quarter report facing 4 hours or less of load shedding every day, compared to the previous quarter when a similar proportion of businesses (77%) reported getting 5-6 hours or less. More than three quarters of the businesses surveyed have not established a digital presence for themselves. 76% do not have WhatsApp for business, 86% do not have a website, and 85% do not have a Facebook account. Bilal Ijaz Gilani, Executive Director Gallup Pakistan and Chief architect of the Gallup Pakistan Business Confidence Index Pakistan notes: “Businesses in Pakistan are faced with multiple calamities : decades high inflation killing consumer purchasing power , absolute lack of stability in political system causing overall despair not just in business community but their consumers and lastly no end in sight with respect to looming threat of sovereign default. In past many decades of reading the pulse of business community in Pakistan, we have not seen such dire times being reported”.

Dar cancels visit to US amid political uncertainty

Continued from page 01

Additionally, the finance minister was set to meet with the representatives of the three international credit rating agencies that had downgraded Pakistan, temporarily closing the doors for borrowing from international capital markets. The finance ministry had also lined up meetings with the representatives of foreign commercial banks, aimed at convincing them to provide commercial loans to meet the external financing requirements.

CeNSUS: pM ShArIF ASSUreS MqM-p oF GrIevANCeS reDreSSAl

iSLamabad staff RepoRt

pRIMEMinister (PM) Shehbaz

Sharif on Friday assured Muttahida Qaumi MovementPakistan (MQM-P) of the redressal of grievances on the digital census. The assurance from the PM came after a delegation of MQM-P shared their grievances in a meeting with him on the census.

The MQM delegation comprised of Amin Ulhaq, Farooq Sattar and Javed Hanif, while Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Ayaz Sadiq also participated in the meeting.

The MQM maintained that once again was a ‘deliberate conspiracy’ to reduce the

population of Sindh especially Karachi. “If PM Shehbaz Sharif did not address the issue, MQM-P will not kept quiet and will hit the streets”, the party warned.

Farooq Sattar said there is no staff in some places to conduct census and the residents of several buildings are counted as one. If the census is not done properly in Karachi then the metropolis will not get the resources it needs.

Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif assured MQM-P that the concerns regarding the census would be addressed soon?

Sources said that the Prime Minister had sought a detailed report from the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS). The premier has also constituted a technical committee headed by Ahsan Iqbal to look into the

matter and redress grievances of MQM.

pM

LAunCHeS MentAL HeALtH App ‘HuMrAAz’ HeLpLIne: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday launched a mobile application and helpline to address the issues related to mental health.The App titled “Humraaz” and toll-free helpline 1166 would provide free mental health assistance to the people.

“On this World Health Day, I am pleased to announce the launch of Government’s first dedicated mental health App #Humraaz & helpline,” he said in a tweet.

The prime minister said citizens’ wellbeing and especially mental health was paramount for the society’s improvement.

“We need to remove taboo around mental health,” he added.

PPIB unanimously decides withdrawal of all suits against IPPs

iSLamabad

ahmad ahmadani

The Private Power Infrastructure Board (PPIB) has unanimously decided withdrawal of all suits, applications, petitions against the Independent Power Producers (IPPs) subject to simultaneous withdrawal of all proceedings, applications and writs filed by the IPPs against PPIB.

The PPIB, while considering the recommendations of a project committee, took this decision unanimously in its 138th meeting held on March 16, 2023 under the chairmanship of Secretary,

IhC bars FIA, police from arresting Murad Saeed

iSLamabad staff RepoRt

Ministry of Energy (Power Division).

According to available documents, Managing Director (MD) PPIB apprised the Board meeting that in 2011 an issue arose between IPPs and National Transmission and Desptach Company (NTDC) on account of delay/nonpayment under Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs). The IPPs claimed that they were unable to meet the capacity obligations under the respective PPAs due to non-payment of invoices by NTDC, resulting in their inability to procure fuel. Therefore, IPPs claimed that they were ‘deemed available’ under their respective PPAs and NTDC was not

entitled to deduct capacity payment thereunder. This triggered a series of litigation and London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA) arbitration before various courts/forums. Later, the federal cabinet constituted a committee to negotiate with IPPs and after successive rounds of discussions, a settlement agreement was reached with IPPs, whereby it was agreed that all pending legal claims will be withdrawn upon satisfaction of the settlement terms.

In view of settlement agreement (SA), honourable Supreme Court of Pakistan (SCP) disposed of a Civil Petition for Leave to Appeal (CPLA) arising out of

turkish CG stresses interfaith relations for interaction between people of different religious traditions

LaHore staff RepoRt

one of the orders of Lahore High Court and in light of SCP’s decision and terms of SA, all litigation for/against GoP now needs to be withdrawn. Considering recommendations of the project’s committee, the Board unanimously decided to approve withdrawal of all suits, applications, petitions by Government of Pakistan (GOP)/PPIB against the IPPs subject to simultaneous withdrawal of all proceedings, applications and writs filed by the IPPs against GoP/PPIB in respect of disputes whether through a joint statement or otherwise as deemed appropriate, said documents.

NSC thumbs up for ‘multi-pronged

Continued from page 01

Pakistan (ECP) to hold elections in Punjab on May 14.

While granting a restraining order, the Islamabad High Court on Friday barred the police and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) from arresting Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Murad Saeed. The IHC issued the order after hearing a plea filed by PTI leader Murad Saeed, seeking details of the cases against him and a stay order on his arrest. During the hearing, the court directed the police and FIA not to take any action against Murad Saeed until the next hearing. The court also issued a notice to the police and FIA, seeking details of the cases registered against Murad Saeed before the next hearing.

punjab polls: Marriyum refutes rumors regarding withdrawal of nomination papers

iSLamabad staff RepoRt

Minister for Information and Broadcasting

Marriyum Aurangzeb has refuted rumors about the withdrawal of nomination papers by the ruling parties’ candidates for the election of Punjab Assembly. In a statement, she said that no such decision has been taken by the leadership of the parties to the ruling alliance. Marriyum Aurangzeb said the parties in the coalition government want elections across the country simultaneously, but these reports are baseless and concocted. She also urged the media to verify from the spokesperson of the parties before publishing such news.

police nab 5 suspects involved in prof Ajmal Sawand’s murder

karaCHi staff RepoRt

Police after perpetual raids in different areas of Kashmore have arrested five suspects allegdely involved in killing of Prof Ajmal Sawand’s murder case, Police official told media on Friday.

According to the detail a distinguished scholar in the field of computer science who had been serving as a teacher at the Institute of Business Administration (IBA) was shot dead over an ongoing tribal enmity on Thursday morning. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Kandhkot Irfan Ali Samo said that police have been searching the houses of Sundrani tribe members who were allegedly involved in the killing of Ajmal Sawand. He confirmed that police have arrested five suspects and transferred to an undisclosed location. The SSP said the police have also set to fire several hideouts of the suspects to hunt them. Police said prof. Ajmal Sawand was on his way back to Sukkur from his Shawli village when attackers hiding in nearby forest along the road opened fire at his car in the Shalo area of Kandhkot, which resulted in his death. Dr Sawand did his PhD from Paris Descartes University and had been teaching at IBA for the last eight years. Police said two groups of Sundrani and Sawand clans had an ongoing enmity since 2022 due to a clash that erupted between them on a matter of “honour”.

A high level committee was formed which within two weeks would present its recommendations for the implementation of the policy and to draw its parameters.

The NSC also lauded the arrest of the founder of the banned militant group Baloch National Army, Gulzar Imam alias Shambay, as announced by the military’s media wing earlier today. “The committee strongly condemned the efforts to spread foreign-sponsored poisonous propaganda against state institutions and their leadership on social media under the guise of ulterior motives, as well as growing divisions and hatred in society, determining that this affects national security,” the press release said. Earlier, a meeting of parliamentary leaders was held which was attended by Federal Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar and other leaders including Khalid Maqbool, Aslam Bhutani, Khalid Magsi and Khurram Dastgir. However, there is so far been no official word on the high-powered huddle.

However, sources said the meeting would take stock of the “current situation”, particularly after the Supreme Court ruling that directed the Election Commission of

On the other hand, former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has claimed that the PDM coalition government has called the NSC meeting in an attempt to use national security as a pretext for the postponement of elections.

COAS calls on PM Shehbaz ahead of NSC meeting

Earlier, Army Chief General Asim Munir met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif hours before the start of the most important meeting of National Security Committee (NSC) on Friday. As per the official sources, both the prime minister and the army chief held a discussion on the situation of the country at PM House in Islamabad. Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Director General (DG) Nadeem Anjum was also present in the meeting. Earlier today, PTI leader Shireen Mazari commented that the NSC meeting would be crucial. She said it would be critical in shaping the future course of action regarding the country’s security. “NSC meeting today will reveal a lot about whether Constitution & Rule of Law will be upheld or whether law of the jungle will prevail & the vicious vendetta against Imran Khan & PTI will continue,” she tweeted.

on 11th anniversary

iSLamabad staff RepoRt

The eleventh anniversary of the Gayari tragedy was observed Friday to pay homage to those who embraced martyrdom in the deadly avalanche near

Continued form page 01

Meanwhile, two more judges, Justice Afridi and Justice Minallah were said to have disassociated themselves from the proceedings as they expressed their opinion on the maintainability of the petitions on the matter.

Justice Minallah on Friday stated that he has read the detailed reasoning of Justice Shah and Justive Mandokhail and that he “agrees with their opinion, particularly regarding the final outcome of the petitions and the suo motu assumption of jurisdiction by a majority of 4 to 3 because this was the understanding in the meeting held in the anteroom on February 27.”

“It is noted that I had not recused nor had any reason to dissociate myself,” he said in a 23-page note dismissing suo motu case regarding the announcement of the polling date of the Punjab Assembly.

‘QueStIonABLe ConDuCt’: The senior judge maintained that “the manner and mode in which these proceedings were initiated have unnecessarily exposed the court to political controversies”.

“It has invited objections from

Gayari

the Siachen Glacier region. Siachen is in Kashmir. The no-man’s-land is 20,000 feet (6,000 metres) above sea level. Military experts say the inhospitable climate and avalanche-prone terrain have claimed more lives than gunfire. On 7 April 2012, a massive ice

Turkish Consul General Emir Ozbay while appreciating diversity in Pakistan noted importance of strengthening and developing of interfaith relations for a cooperative, constructive, and positive interaction between people of different religious traditions. “I am sure that the interfaith Iftar dinner is an opportunity to understand and show respect for religious identities of fellow citizens besides publically an appreciation of values of each other,” he said while speaking during the Iftar dinner, hosted jointly by the Youth Council for Interfaith, Peace and Harmony (YCIPH), FACES Pakistan and the National Council for Interfaith, Peace and Harmony (NCIPH). Speakers on the occasion said that fasting, practiced in all religions in one form or the other, promotes sacrifice, discipline, fortitude and empathy with the poor. The Interfaith Iftar dinner was attended by eminent religious scholars, spiritual leaders and young people from different areas, including Sheikhupura and Okara districts, as an opportunity to join those friends for an evening meal as they break their fast. FACES Pakistan founder Javaid William expressed his gratitude to the participants in attendance for joining the interfaith Iftar dinner. “We always want interfaith dialogue that involves promoting understanding between different beliefs to increase acceptance of each other,” he said. “I hope that all discussion on engaging table will hopefully satisfy the mind, the body and the soul of the participants,” he said. Speaking on the occasion, Dr Majid Abel, Shakeel Ur Rehman Nasir, Hindu leader Bhagat Lal, Syed Kazim Raza Naqvi, Mufti Syed Ashiq Hussain and others said that all religions bring a message of peace, harmony and tranquility. They urged the young people to adopt the culture of tolerance and acceptance and play their role for the promotion of peace, and peaceful coexistence. The participants characterized the interfaith Iftar dinner as remarkable in its nature which brings forth harmony among followers of diverse faiths. They were all happy that they broke bread and fast together at one place. They said that such events were the best way to bring people from different religions together as well as bridge the gap between communities.

avalanche struck a Pakistani military headquarters at Gayari, 30 km west of the Siachen Glacier terminus, near the Siachen glacier region. The area located in a deep valley at 3,775 metres (12,385 feet) above sea level, the Gayari base is one of the most important Pakistani bases

in the area. The Northern Infantry Battalion in Gayari Sector was being led by Lt Colonel, Tanveer. As a result, 129 Army personnel were martyred after being trapped under avalanche. After the incident, Pakistan Army initiated a search operation which went on for nearly two months. On 29th May 2012, all the victims were declared martyrs. Gayari base is one of the most important Pakistani bases in the area. It is a vital supply hub for troops and material passing through to more remote bases, and is not far from a military hospital.

political stakeholders in an already polarised political environment. The objections have also been submitted in writing. This obviously has consequences for the trust the people ought to repose in the impartiality of the court.

“The court, by proceeding in a premature matter, will be stepping into already murky waters of the domain of politics. It is likely to erode public confidence.

“The assumption of suo motu jurisdiction in itself may raise concerns in the mind of an informed outside observer.

In the circumstances, the rights of litigants whose cases are pending before us would be prejudiced, besides eroding public trust in the independence and impartiality of the court. This could have been avoided if a full court was to take up these cases.

“It would have ensured the legitimacy of the proceedings,” Justice Minallah lamented.

SC ‘ADvAnCIng poLItICAL StrAtegIeS’: The SC judge also raised serious questions over the dissolution of the Punjab Assembly by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) saying that

the court “cannot and must not appear or be seen as advancing the political strategies of political stakeholders”.

“The dissolution of the provincial legislature as part of the political strategy of the stakeholders raises questions. Is such conduct in consonance with the scheme of constitutional democracy? Is it not in itself a violation of the constitution?

Should this court allow its forum to be exploited for advancing political strategies or appear to be encouraging undemocratic conduct? Should this court not take notice of forum shopping by political stakeholders by invoking the jurisdictions of high courts and this court simultaneously? This court cannot and must not appear or be seen as advancing the political strategies of political stakeholders.

“The public trust will be eroded in the independence and impartiality of the court if it appears or is seen to encourage undemocratic norms and values.

“The court would be unwittingly weakening the Majlis-e-Shoora (parliament) and the forums created under the constitution by encouraging political

stakeholders to add their disputes to our dockets.

“The political stakeholders must establish their bona fides before their petitions could be entertained. The conduct of the stakeholders has created an unprecedented political instability by resorting to conduct that is devoid of the democratic values of tolerance, dialogue and debate.

“The conduct of the stakeholders does not entitle them to invoke the jurisdiction of this court under Article 184(3) of the constitution lest it is seen or appears to facilitate or promote undemocratic values and strategies,” Justice Minillah stated.

“It is ironic and unimaginable for the political stakeholders to involve the court in resolving political disputes which ought to have been settled in the forums created for this purpose under the constitution,” he stressed.

A DArk pASt: Reflecting on the apex court’s history, Justice Minallah highlighted the uncomfortable fact that the SC had in the past engaged in activity unbecoming of an institution of its stature.

COMMENT

The stitch in time?

SAuDi ArABiA’S assurance of financial support to Pakistan has been conveyed to the international Monetary Fund, and talks with the united Arab emirates are also ongoing over their support. One the uAe talks achieve finality, it will be conveyed to the iMF. this was disclosed on thursday by Minister of State for Finance, Dr Ayesha ghaus Pasha. the details of the commitments by these two countries to Pakistan had been demanded by the iMF, and were the last remaining conditions for the iMF to resume its programme, and not just release a tranche of rs 1.1 billion, but open the door to Pakistan getting assistance from other multilateral agencies, such as the World Bank. the Saudi assistance, of about $ 2 billion, is new money, not merely a rollover of debt which has fallen due: that it has already done. However, this will not be spending money but a fresh deposit with the State Bank of Pakistan. While it will swell the figure of foreign exchange reserves, this money is not meant to be spent. in short, its only purpose will be to make the for reserves look better, and meet the target of $10 billion in reserves by end-June. they stood at $4.2 billion in their latest reading. this is the last conditionality given by the iMF prior to receiving the programme, unless it comes up with something else. As vit is, Pakistan finds itself in a difficult place. the iMF loan now does not depend on Pakistani actions, but those of other countries. it might be noted that the iMF is able thus to play a role in economies from which it had been excluded because those economies were too strong to ever approach it for a loan. the peculiar reaction of Finance Minister ishaq Dar, who has cried off attending the World Bank’s and iM’s annual meetings in Washington this year seem a little more triumphant than they should. true, there are important political issues at home, such as the current political crisis, and thursday’s National Security committee demanded his presence, but Senator Dar should realize that the government’s political troubles are largely because the economy has been sputtering, which is owed partly to his failure to get the iMF tranche so far. He may well be Mian Nawaz Sharif’s eyes and ears in the Shehbaz cabinet, but he has failed to do what he was sent to do: kickstart the economy.

Dedicated to the legacy of late Hameed

Arif Nizami (Late)

Founding Editor

Yousaf Nizami Editor

M. A. Niazi Joint Editor Umar Aziz Executive Editor

Supreme Court stands exposed

Dr QaiSar raShiD

PAkiStAN is an interesting country. every individual hitched to power yearns yo jump into the political arena– the fray– to capitalize on the situation. the Army wants to have a role in politics. the higher judiciary also wants to play politics. interestingly, politicians, the real actors of politics, struggle for survival in politics. the chief Justice of Pakistan, Mr Justice umar Ata Bandial, faces the crisis of credibility-cum-legitimacy. Mr Justice Bandial’s advice to the politicians to sit down together and come up with an agreed solution for by-elections in Punjab and khyber Pakhtunkhwa failed to convince the listeners– and even bystanders– because he himself failed to prevent the Supreme court from being divided on the same issue. that is, his advice foundered on the same touchstone that he established for politicians. there is a revolt inside the house of the Sc. led by Justice Qazi Faiz esa (who is respected widely), there are judges who differ from chief Justice Bandial. the difference of opinion hinges on two main points: first, the absolute power vested in the chair of the cJP to take suo motu notices should be scattered amongst a bench of three or five judges; and second, the absolute authority lying in the office of the cJP to make and break benches be dissolved. certainly, in a democratic milieu, which is fast gripping the country, an island of absolute power is anachronistic. everyone– be it the Army or the Supreme court– has to submit to the dictate of democracy, the spirit of the constitution. the age of authoritarianism, in whatever form, is over.

Nevertheless, the general demand of the dissenting judges is that there should be rules to run the administrative affairs of the Sc by converting it from a one-man show to a consultative body, and that, once established, the rules be followed in letter and spirit. Moreover, the rules should be such as not to revolve around the chair of the cJP; instead, the rules should be both democratic and inclusive.

Sensing the mood and resolve of the dissenting judges, Parliament passed a necessary bill, which is yet to attain the status of an Act until after the President signs it. it is known that President Arif Alvi would make his all efforts to delay signing the bill, as he sides with Mr Justice Bandial to keep on concentrating powers in the office of the cJP.

Mr Justice Bandial and his like-minded judges are considered the last group standing to defend the otherwise hybrid-regime experiment which brought more harm to the economy and the body politic than supposed imagined benefits. the general perception is that the group makes all concerted efforts to mould the law into a desired shape– in the name of interpreting the constitution. in the efforts, the underlying presumption seems to be that the law is a subject which is understandable only to the interpreters and which cannot be understood by the educated class of Pakistan. enmeshed in this fallacy, the group has been passing comments and issuing judgements which bring into question the credibility and legitimacy of the Sc.

Woefully, led by Mr Justice Bandial, the likeminded judges are turning a blind eye to the decisions of the chief Ministers of both the provinces to dissolve provincial assemblies prematurely. that is, the like-minded cohort is shying away from issuing a verdict on the validity of the decisions which ravaged the electoral mandate held by elected public representatives sitting on the opposition benches in the dissolved Assemblies. instead, the cohort wants to set the startng point after the dissolution of the provincial assemblies. the preference is an act of blatant injustice to the people of Pakistan. the constitution does not permit the Sc to select a starting point of its own choice. the chief Ministers, who dissolved their respective provincial assemblies, were not holding an absolute majority in their assemblies. they did not consult the opposition leaders before dissolving the assemblies. By doing so, they created a political chaos which the like-minded cohort of the Sc has been trying to convert into the favour of one political party, the Pakistan tehreek insaf, the main beneficiary. Why could Mr Justice Bandial not take a suo motu notice on the violation of the electoral mandate held by the opposition benches in both the dissolved provincial assemblies? How could the like-minded cohort tolerate the premature dissolution of two provincial assemblies? issued on April 4, the decision is saying that byelections be held in both the provinces on May 14, overlooking the fact that general elections are due to be held in October. the three member bench, which issued the decision, knew well that the by-election conducting exercise just four months before general elections would cost the national exchequer billions of rupees. it is apparent that the verdict is meant for forcing the election commission and the sitting government to hold general elections in May instead of October to save money.

to elaborate, the implied message of the verdict of April 4 is that, since the provincial assemblies of two provinces were dissolved prematurely, the general elections should also be held prematurely. regrettably, instead of questioning the premature dissolution of provincial assemblies, the like-minded cohort is putting the whole political and electoral sys-

Addressing Pakistan’s agriculture productivity conundrum

The mainstay of the economy must be brought into the modern age

integrated marketing system both at the national and international levels has resulted in fetching low prices for cash crops such as rice and cotton.

landowners.

The political chaos which emerged from the premature dissolution of provincial assemblies also laid the SC exposed: first, there are judges who disagree with the misinterpretation of the Constitution, and second, there are judges who are averse to the concentration of power in the office of the CJP. Now, Mr Justice Bandial is making all efforts to show that the majority is on his side– no matter how thin that majority might be

tem into a premature mode. regrettably, instead of resolving the political crisis, the decision has accentuated the crisis.

the political chaos which emerged from the premature dissolution of provincial assemblies also laid the Sc exposed: first, there are judges who disagree with the misinterpretation of the constitution, and second, there are judges who are averse to the concentration of power in the office of the cJP. Now, Mr Justice Bandial is making all efforts to show that the majority is on his side – no matter how thin that majority might be.

Nevertheless, the whole episode is an interesting case study to find out how a cohort of judges expresses its bias and keeps on bending the law– in the name of the interpretation of the constitution.

The writer can be reached at qaisarrashid@yahoo.com

Editor’s mail

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

Letters should be addressed to Pakistan today exclusively

Unemployment or Inflation - we will suffer

Agriculture in Pakistan is currently in a state of disarray and there is an urgent need for effective measures to revitalize the sector. At the centre of this issue is the alarming decline in total Factor Productivity (tFP) in the agricultural sector, a critical measure of its efficiency and productivity. tFP considers all inputs of capital and technology to provide a comprehensive assessment of the agricultural sector’s performance. unfortunately, tFP in Pakistan’s agriculture sector has been on a downward spiral, despite being responsible for providing employment to 37.4 percent of the population and contributing 22.7 percent to the country’s gDP.

A World Bank report “From Swimming in Sand to High and Sustainable growth in Pakistan” confirms the tFP in the agriculture sector has remained stagnant, trailing behind all other countries, as it has expanded at an annual rate of less than 1.5 percent which is four times lower than the South Asian average. likewise, the average output in the agriculture sector grew annually by 0.7 percent, whereas the South Asian average expanded by 2.8 percent over the same period.

One of the primary factors negatively contributing to this decline is the shortage of irrigation water, resulting in low yield. According to the Pakistan council of research in Water resources (PcrWr), nearly 50 percent of the total land area suffers from water scarcity, and the water availability per capita has decreased from 5,260 cubic metres per year in 1951 to less than 1,000 cubic metres per year by 2021.

this has led to a decline in irrigated land, which negatively affects tFP. the indus river System Authority (irSA) expects an 18 percent irrigation water shortage during the rabi growing season of 2022-23 from November to May. Furthermore, an inefficient water pricing system and the under-pricing of water-intensive crops such as sugarcane and rice, have also prevented diversification toward higher-value crops, further reducing overall productivity.

Another significant factor contributing to reduced tFP is outdated and labour-intensive farming methods. Most farmers in Pakistan still use non-certified seeds, which are often of low quality, resulting in lower crop yields.

According to a study conducted by the State Bank of Pakistan in 2021, 40 percent of farmers relied on informal seed systems. in addition to this, Pakistan’s fragmented and poorly

Apart from human factors, natural calamities such as floods and locust attacks have further reduced productivity. the country experienced the worst locust attack in 2020, affecting 60 districts and causing losses of around $3 billion. though in 2021 the locust attack was not as severe, however, when combined with the flood; the net effect on the crop was devastating, impacting more than 36 percent of the land area.

Moreover, the frequent floods in Pakistan have dealt a severe blow to the crops, resulting in a substantial decline in agricultural yield. As per a recent report by the Planning commission of Pakistan, the 2022 floods ravaged the agriculture and food sectors, causing damage amounting to rs 800 billion, while the long-term ramifications for these sectors could be approximately rs 1.98 trillion ($9.24 billion). these calamitous events have highlighted the urgency of adopting improved agricultural practices.

to increase tFP in agriculture, both Federal and Provincial governments can take action by implementing two types of intervention. the first tier aims to bridge the yield gap and includes measures such as water efficiency, post-harvest storage, seed sector reforms, and mechanization.

the second tier includes horizontal expansion and measures such as international cooperation, value chain development, and promotion of organic farming.

to address the issue of water exploitation in the agriculture sector, the government needs to increase the rate of irrigation water per acre and simultaneously, adopt innovative farming techniques, such as drip irrigation and vertical farming systems, to further reduce water consumption. Pakistan can follow the example of the Dutch government which encourages its farmers to adopt modern methods and provides them with incentives to do so. By adopting similar policies, the Pakistani government can incentivize farmers to use water resources efficiently and prevent overexploitation by large

in Pakistan, the use of high-yield hybrid seeds of cotton, wheat, and rice has gained momentum in recent years. However, to optimize productivity and profitability, farmers require a more complex and technical approach to crop production. this approach involves the use of new agricultural inputs and skills, such as precision farming techniques, crop rotation, and optimal use of fertilizers and pesticides. the government should increase the capacity of pre-existing agriculture-based vocational institutes and incubators to train farmers and provide them with technical expertise on how to use these new inputs and techniques. Our current agricultural subsidy system does not effectively incentivize productivity because of the disparity between value-adding crops (fruits and vegetables) and cash crops (cotton, sugarcane, rice, and wheat). the government can address this issue by implementing zone-based subsidies that specifically target and encourage productivity in different regions. By doing so, farmers would receive subsidies that align with the crops that are most profitable in that particular area, ultimately leading to increased productivity. it is crucial to explore innovative strategies that can aid small farmers in accessing new technologies and markets. One way to achieve this is by promoting contract-based corporate farming models. recently the uSA announced its Fertilizer right project in Pakistan, which involves a significant investment of $4.5 million to improve the efficiency of the agriculture sector. if implemented effectively, this initiative has the potential to significantly enhance total factor productivity. to ensure the prosperity of Pakistan’s agricultural sector it is crucial to allocate resources towards water conservation, modern technologies, public-private partnerships, and precision farming techniques.

The writer is a researcher at the Centre for Aerospace and Security Studies (CASS), Lahore, Pakistan. She can be reached at

AS it is clear that unemployment has become one of the most challenging issues in Pakistan. People are facing hardships even more. unemployment is forcing people to starve. lack of food and shelter is leading them towards mental stress, frustration and suicide. this is putting a negative impact on youth as well. Drugs addicts, smugglers, terrorists and people like them are engaging young one’s in such evil activities which is not good for them. in the last few years, snatching, killing and other street crimes are reaching heights and the cause is straight visible to the eyes: inflation, high rates on basic needs of life and the rising unemployment. People who have jobs are also unable to meet their basic needs these days due to less earning or it can be said that sparse earning which is not enough for a family.

illiteracy, overgrowth of population, flawed education systems, less money, health stress and mental disturbance are the major issues and some reasons for weak economic conditions. in Pakistan the unemployment rate has increased up to 6.40% (source- Pakistan bureau of statics) and if this continues it will increase to its peak in no time. Our government should implement various actions to improve the weak economic conditions of Pakistan.

SYEDA ABEER FATIMA KARACHI

Unjustified delay

tHiS is with reference to the editorial ‘Delayed polls’ (March 24). As a concerned citizen of the country, i am deeply troubled by the potential ramifications of the postponement of elections and the apparent lack of commitment to democratic norms, and the constitutional obligations of the election commission of Pakistan (ecP).

it is the right of the people to choose their representatives through a free and fair electoral process. the repeated delays and concerns about the security situation in Punjab have raised serious questions about the ecP’s ability to hold any elections in a free and fair environment.

the establishment should also provide the security that is required to undertake the electoral exercise. the security situation in Punjab has been volatile in recent times, and this is a matter of grave concern for the whole process. every authority and institution in the country should focus on fulfilling their respective constitutional obligations, and hold the elections in a free and fair environment. the right of the people of Pakistan must be respected, and democratic norms must be upheld.

FIDA KARIM KARACHI

Politics or terror?

tHe area around Zaman Park in lahore recently presented a picture of a battlefield or a war zone. the opposition and its supporters have brought the area to a standstill, causing serious disturbance to the area residents. even on a good day, people in tents roam around like fanatics in what has always been a perfectly residential area. there is total chaos and madness happening around Zaman Park, with people being attacked and injured by party activists. My mother lives in the area and has suffered a great deal. People present in tents even tried to harass and attack my mother’s car and steal her laptop. these goons created such a nuisance in the area as residents have been virtually captive in their own homes. they cannot go to the park and move around freely without feeling threatened by the presence of party workers, or whoever they are. People have been living in constant fear of what might happen next. Such lawlessness must come to an end.

Saudi Arabia and the UAE seem to have met the IMF’s demands

Why were the provincial assemblies dissolved in the first place?

Sabina babar

To ensure the prosperity of Pakistan’s agricultural sector it is crucial to allocate resources towards water conservation, modern technologies, publicprivate partnerships, and precision farming techniques

Scope of a renewable power control centre in Pakistan

As renewables grow in share, their uncertain and variable nature cannot be ignored

largely similar. the SO’s whole function revolves around planning, scheduling, and dispatching the available resources to serve the expected demand in its system reliably and economically.

economic considerations are paramount, but three additional factors also influence the SO’s scheduling and dispatch process: (i) the ability of these resources to cater to intra-hour fluctuation in demand (called “regulation”);

Dr ShahiD rahim

POWer generation from renewable sources like solar and wind offers numerous benefits to the country, but their uncertain and variable nature poses multiple challenges when their share in the grid rises beyond certain levels. Without storage, renewable power plants are considered “non-dispatchable” as a system operator (SO) cannot rely on them to serve the changing demand in their systems. Below, we discuss the scope of a renewable power control center (rPcc), between these plants and the SO that can ease considerably this uncertainty and variability.

renewable power generation technologies are inherently different from their conventional competitors. unlike the latter which rely on stocks of exhaustible primary resources, solar and wind technologies use natural flows of primary energy resources. Despite being ubiquitous and renewable, these resources are scattered, diffused, unpredictable, and variable. Adding renewable capacity in the grid at any significant level poses both planning and operational challenges.

two key issues planners face in developing longterm optimal plans are: (i) how much firm capacity a candidate power plant will contribute to ensure reliability in their system; and (ii) how much energy it will contribute to the total requirement. Any miscalculation can lead to both allocative and productive inefficiencies. Determining both these values for renewables is not only difficult but can be contentious.

Demand in most grids follows a daily trend. From a minimum, it rises to a crest and then returns to the same minimum. the minimum demand, maximum demand, and the way it rises and falls can vary from day to day, season to season, and year to year, but the pattern is

(ii) ramping up or down to follow the demand as it rises and falls (called “load-following”); and (iii) to assist in handling any contingency in the system (called “operating reserve”). the SO’s task becomes more difficult when we add renewable plants in the grid because, in addition to the random variation in demand and system conditions, now it must handle the uncertainty and variability of the primary energy resource, solar radiation or wind speed, at the plant site.

At low shares in the grid, like the four to five percent we currently have, power and energy from renewable plants can be treated as negative loads. the SO can ignore their capacity and serve the net demand through extra cycling of conventional plants. But as their share rises, like the 20 percent by 2025 and 30 percent by 2030 our country is targeting, we cannot ignore such issues as this can result in heavy technical and financial penalties.

What makes a power plant “dispatchable”? it’s the ability of the SO to use and control it on command— turn it on or off, synchronize it with or de-synchronize it from the system, and raise or lower its output. Obviously, solar and wind power plants do not fit the above criteria. the easiest way to make them “dispatchable” is to add on-site storage to cover their uncertainty and variability. unfortunately, it adds considerably to the plant’s cost, sometimes as much as 100 percent.

Many other techniques can be used to cover the uncertainty and variability of renewable plants. For instance, by providing extra quick-start and fast-response conventional plants, by building additional flexibility in the grid, by building large storage facilities like pumpedhydro, by dispersing these plants over wider areas, by integrating regional grids, or by aligning demand with the availability of renewable resource. each involves its own complexity and cost.

regardless of which option is used, effective handling of these challenges needs a cutting-edge weather

and resource forecasting system to help planners in quantifying the patterns of solar and wind resource availability at various locations. For long-term planning, historical statistics and satellite-based data is generally adequate. these are, however, less useful for operational purposes that require finer spatial and temporal resolution of resource availability. A combination of physical and satellite data along-with sophisticated analytic modelling capability becomes essential to enable the SO to schedule and dispatch available renewable capacity to derive maximum benefits from them.

Some basic forecasting capability is essential for any renewable power producer to offer the capacity and output of its plant to the SO for scheduling and dispatch. the scale, complexity, and cost of the forecasting system would be unrealistic. expecting the SO to maintain such a system at its end is also unrealistic as it would add further to its already complex functions. Also, it may not be perceived as impartial by some parties. A new function in the form of a “renewable power control centre (rPcc)” offers a useful and cost-effective solution as a middle entity between the renewable power producers and the system operator.

An rPcc will offer multiple benefits to the country in upscaling the adoption of renewable plants and their optimal utilization. using a state-of-the-art weather and resource forecasting system and by linking it with actual data from plants, grid, and satellites, the rPcc can predict with a much better certainty, the availability and out-

put of individual plants, and after some processing, offer it to the SO for scheduling and dispatch. this arrangement holds greater promise for optimizing renewables’ contribution to the grid while mitigating their uncertainty and variability.

Many other countries have either already developed such centres or are in the process of doing it. One such facility has been functioning successfully in Spain since 2006. it’s considered the lynchpin of Spain’s power grid and has been a key to its emerging as a world leader in developing and integrating solar and wind power generation in its power grid. this control centre of renewable energies (cecre) under Spain’s transmission system operator, red eléctrica De españa, has been the main contributor to its serving routinely over 40 percent, and occasionally even up to 80 percent, of the country’s electricity demand via solar and wind generation. it’s remarkable as Spain is not a renewable resource rich country; its ties with the other european power grids are also minimal and weak.

Another such facility is the renewable resource forecasting and dispatch centre being developed by Morocco, with the World Bank’s assistance. its objectives are: real-time tracking of generation from individual renewable plants, geo-spatial visualization of energy generation, close coordination with the national dispatch centre for smooth grid operation, and to act as a single information repository and coordination point for renewable energy in the country. Some other countries, notably india and Saudi Arabia, are also considering developing similar control centres.

Our government should also consider developing such a centre in our country. its timely development will play a pivotal role in achieving its renewable power generation targets. this centre’s access to primary resource data at plant sites, plant characteristics, and real-time grid operating conditions, will equip it to assess their impact on supply-demand balance and offer the SO a package of renewable capacity, energy, and ancillary services with a great deal of certainty. this will also help the country derive maximum benefits from these facilities.

The writer is a freelance consultant specializing in sustainable energy and power system planning and development. He can be reached via email at: msrahim@hotmail.com

The dollar is dead, long live the dollar How artificial intelligence impacts moral decision making

GZERO ian bremmer

Every now and then, a story about some country seeking to diversify away from the uS dollar kicks off a frenzy about the inevitable collapse of dollar dominance.

lately, there’s been more than a few such headlines, including: Naturally, these have provided a fertile ground for gold bugs, crypto shills, hyperinflation truthers, techno-libertarians, antiimperialists (read: anti-uS zealots), and run-of-themill grifters to stoke fear about the dollar’s imminent death and its supposedly catastrophic consequences for the united States and the global economy. But even mainstream media outlets and smart, well-meaning analysts have gotten swept into the current wave of hysteria.

Doomsayers offer numerous reasons for the dollar’s demise. they point to everything from china’s meteoric rise to superpower and the emerging multipolarity of the global system, to America’s stagnant productivity growth, chronic fiscal deficits, monetary expansion, growing debt burden, trade wars, financial fragility, and imperial overreach, to challenges from disruptive technologies like central bank digital currencies and crypto-assets. yet rumors of the dollar’s death are greatly exaggerated. going by most usage measures, the dollar remains incontrovertibly dominant in global trade and finance, if a little less so than at its apex.

Whereas most currencies are only used domestically or in cross-border transactions that directly involve the currency’s issuer, the dollar continues to be widely used for funding, pricing, trade invoicing and settlement, and cross-border borrowing and lending even when the uS is not involved. While the dollar’s share of the central banks’ $12 trillion foreign exchange reserves has indeed declined since 1999, it is still nearly twice that of the euro, yen, pound, and yuan combined – the same as it was a decade ago. its nearest competitor for global currency status, the euro, accounts for barely 20% of central bank reserves compared to the dollar’s 58%, followed by the Japanese yen at 5%. the much-touted chinese yuan lags far behind at under 3% of foreign exchange reserves. even china, in an environment of intensifying geopolitical competition with the uS and having just witnessed Washington’s weaponization of the dollar against russia, has had no choice but to continue accumulating dollar-denominated assets.

Why has dollar dominance remained so sticky? in large part, it’s because incumbency is self-reinforcing. People use dollars because other people use dollars; dollar dominance begets continued dollar dominance.

But it’s not just turtles all the way down. the dollar has inherently desirable features: it is at once highly stable, liquid, safe, and convertible. And uS financial markets are by far the largest, deepest, and most liquid in the world, offering an abundance of attractive dollar-denominated assets foreign investors can trade. No other market comes remotely close. As we saw during the recent banking panic, every time turmoil roils global markets, the dollar strengthens as investors flock to the most plentiful and liquid safe assets in existence. in fact, the dollar emerged from the crisis nearly as strong as it’s been in 20 years relative to other major currencies.

Doomsayers offer numerous reasons for the dollar’s demise

ultimately, investors want to hold dollar assets because America’s economic, political, and institutional fundamentals inspire credibility and confidence. the uS has the world’s strongest military, the best research universities, the most dynamic and innovative private sector, a general openness to trade and capital flows, relatively stable governing institutions, an independent central bank, sound macroeconomic policies, strong property rights, and a robust rule of law. People all over the world trust the uS government to safeguard the value of their assets and honor their rights over them, making the dollar the ultimate safe-haven currency and uS government bonds the world’s most valued safe assets.

None of this means that the dollar’s advantage can’t slip, of course. After all, every reserve currency that came before the dollar was dominant until the very moment it ceased to be.

For much of the 19th century, the global currency of choice was the British pound, owing to the British empire’s vast territorial reach, economic supremacy, and advanced banking and legal system. it was only definitively displaced by the uS dollar once the uS had become an economic superpower. Following World War ii, uS gDP accounted for roughly half of the world total, so it made sense for the dollar to be the global means of exchange, unit of accounting, and store of value.

America’s economic supremacy has since waned, its share of global output now a fraction of what it was in 1945. this trend has led many to worry that the dollar will soon follow in sterling’s footsteps. But there’s a big difference between now and then: When the pound lost its status, there was another currency on the sidelines ready to take its place. today, there is no such challenger.

Of the putatively serious candidates to dethrone “king Dollar,” the euro is not a viable alternative because of europe’s persistent fragmentation. Despite having a sizeable economy, well-developed financial markets, decently free trade and capital openness, and generally robust institutions, europe lacks true capital markets, banking, fiscal, and political union. ever since the 2009 eurozone crisis, european bond markets have been much more fragmented and shallower than America’s, leaving investors with a dearth of high-quality euro-denominated assets. While the pandemic did push the eu to finally issue common debt to fund recovery efforts, that move alone was not sufficient to boost the euro’s international role, as markets know that even if full fiscal and financial integration was on the horizon – a big if – political integration isn’t.

the chinese yuan, meanwhile, is not a viable alternative because of Beijing’s authoritarian and statist bent. in fact, Xi Jinping’s policy preferences – economic self-reliance, financial stability, common prosperity, and political control of the economy – run directly counter to his global-currency ambitions.

Despite its growing role in the global economy

and long-standing desire to unseat the dollar, china lacks the investor protections, institutional quality, and capital market openness required to internationalize a yuan that is still not fully convertible overseas. Persistent currency and capital controls, an opaque banking system with too many non-performing loans, spotty contract enforcement, and often arbitrary and draconian regulations will all continue to undermine Beijing’s efforts to elevate the yuan.

last and most definitely least, so-called cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin are not a viable alternative because they are speculative assets with no intrinsic or legislated value. By contrast, as legal tender, the uS dollar is backed by America’s current and future wealth – and by the uS government’s ability to tax it.

i say “so-called” cryptocurrencies because these digital tulips are not really currencies or money: they are very expensive and slow to transact in, they can rarely be used to pay taxes or buy groceries, and they are far too volatile to be useful as means of payment, stores of value, or units of account. Nor are they truly decentralized, as the FtX meltdown proved. to be clear, it’s not completely accepted that losing reserve currency status would be a bad thing for the united States. in the 1960s, France’s thenfinance minister valéry giscard d’estaing famously claimed that being the issuer of the global reserve currency afforded America an “exorbitant privilege,” allowing it to borrow cheaply from the rest of the world and live beyond its means.

But there’s a downside (or “exorbitant burden”) to uSD reserve status: Foreigners’ insatiable appetite for dollar assets pushes up the dollar’s value, making American exports artificially expensive, harming American manufacturers, increasing American unemployment, suppressing American wages, forcing America to run chronic deficits, and widening American inequality. One could argue that the uS should welcome – and, indeed, work toward – a smaller role for the dollar, and that contenders like china and europe should be loath to replace it. the most serious threat to dollar dominance might come not from abroad (europe, china) or from beyond (cyberspace) but from within. the united States is still the most powerful nation on earth, but it’s also the most politically divided and dysfunctional of all the major industrial democracies. the single biggest risk to the dollar’s global status is that growing inequality, tribalism, polarization, and gridlock eventually undermine trust in America’s stability and credibility.

At the end of the day, though, no matter how much the dollar seems to lose its shine, global currency status is about relative – not absolute – advantages. Without a viable challenger, it’s very unlikely that the dollar will lose its special role anytime soon – for better or worse. you can’t replace something with nothing.

Engaging the ethics of artificial intelligence

PsychOlOGy TOday

WenDy L Patrick

WitHiN many professions, the use of artificial intelligence (Ai) can make jobs easier and more efficient. it can save companies time and money, but sometimes at human cost. Although we worry about eliminating jobs for people who need them, in many cases, Ai can augment rather than replace human labor, by performing mundane or time-consuming tasks that employees may be happy to delegate to digital assistants. But what about other job responsibilities, like working in teams, interacting with others, and making collaborative business decisions?

the reality is that no one earns “employee of the Month” simply by going through the motions. Along the same lines, can Ai similarly be designed to pursue not merely competence but excellence? And what role do designers play in programming professionalism? research reveals why these questions are important.

MORAL DILEMMAS: Zaixuan Zhang et al. (2022) examined the link between Ai and moral dilemmas, evaluating the perception of ethical decision-making using Ai. they found that Ais are perceived as more likely than humans to make utilitarian choices when faced with moral dilemmas. they described the utilitarian approach as one that accepts harm and focuses on outcomes, as compared to the deontological approach, which rejects harm, focusing instead on the nature of the moral action.

Zhang et al. also found that the perception of warmth explains the perceived differences in the way humans and Ai make decisions, which were evident across a variety of different types of moral dilemmas.

examining a different angle, Jonathan gratch and Nathanael J. Fast (2022) examined the extent to which Ai assistants might facilitate unethical behavior. they explored the new ways in which Ai is trained to exercise and experience power through performing interpersonal tasks such as negotiating deals, interviewing and hiring workers, and even managing and evaluating work, in connection with the extent to which such personalization permits users to dictate the ethical values that drive Ai behavior. gratch and Fast recognize that acting through human agents (indirect agency) has the potential to weaken ethical estimation so that people believe they are behaving ethically yet demonstrate a lesser degree of benevolence for the recipients of their power, find themselves less blameworthy for ethical lapses, and expect a lesser degree of negative consequences as a result of unethical behavior. gratch and Fast then examined research that illustrates how, within a wide variety of social tasks, individuals may behave less ethically and may be more willing to deceive others when interacting through Ai.

it appears that perhaps important conversations and decisions should still be made by humans, not machines. the fact that Ai has advanced to the point where virtual assistants can participate both behind the scenes and interpersonally does not mean that it is necessarily an adequate replacement for human interactions. Sometimes the best intelligence is authentic, not artificial, as many decisions are better made in person.

Our government should also consider developing such a centre in our country. Its timely development will play a pivotal role in achieving its renewable power generation targets.

US weaponS left In afghanIStan BeIng USed By ttp, Baloch SepaRatIStS foR mIlItancy In pakIStan: RepoRt

iSLaMaBaD Agencies

aFTERthe United States pulled out its troops from Afghanistan, it left behind military equipment and weapons worth $7 billion which later boosted the military capabilities of the banned Tahreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Baloch separatist groups. According to a report by Radio Free Europe, the US left behind weapons and equipment including firearms, communications gear, and even armored vehicles which gave the militants a “vast war chest.” Pakistan always desired not to indulge into blame game with Afghanistan and had repeatedly urged the IAG to establish its writ in the country.

The RFERL report rejected Kabul’s claims that TTP was not using Afghan soil against Pakistan as the presence of TTP, ISKP and other terrorist groups in Afghanistan was an undeniable reality.

The report said that using the US weapons and equipment, bot the TTP and Baloch separatist groups were waging insurgencies against the government in Pakistan, which has witnessed a surge in violence over the past two years. “These weapons have added to the lethality of such groups,” said Asfandyar Mir, a senior analyst at the United States Institute of Peace.

Experts say armed groups have obtained advanced US weapons and equipment like M16 machine guns and M4 assault rifles, night-vision goggles, and military communication gear.

Ukraine conflict: Russia has ‘very likely’ seized Bakhmut center

Ukrainian Agencies

British intelligence has reported that Russian forces have very likely seized the center of Bakhmut and are threatening a major supply route for Ukrainian forces to the west. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy had said earlier this week his troops would retreat from the town, the main focus of Russia’s assault on Ukraine for months, if they came under risk of encirclement. “Russia has made further gains and has now highly likely advanced into the town center, and has seized the west bank of the Bakhmutka River. Ukraine’s key 0506 supply route to the west of the town is likely severely threatened,” the UK report said. In contrast, Eastern Military Command spokesperson Serhiy Cherevatyi said Ukraine still controlled the situation in Bakhmut and understood Russian intentions. “The situation is difficult, the enemy is concentrating maximum efforts to capture Bakhmut. However it is suffering serious losses and not reaching strategic success,” Cherevatyi said by telephone. The battle for Bakhmut, one of the last urban centers in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk province yet to fall to Russian forces, has experienced some of the bloodiest fighting in the conflict. Donetsk is one of four provinces in eastern and southern Ukraine that Russia has legally moved to integrate into its own territory, despite vast swathes of the regions still being controlled by Kyiv’s troops. Ukraine has said it is fighting on in Bakhmut to wear down Russian forces before a coming counter-offensive bolstered by advanced Western-supplied weapons. A regional transport and logistics hub, Bakhmut would give Russia a platform from which to advance on two bigger cities in Donetsk, Kramatorsk and Sloviansk. Zelenskyy told CNN last month that he feared Russian forces would have “an open road” to the two cities if they took the town, adding that his order to hold it was a tactical decision. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, speaking alongside his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Ankara, said he was concerned about the potential intensification of the conflict in the spring. Lavrov, in turn, reiterated that Russia’s security concerns had been ignored by the West and said its interests must be taken into account. Asked if he would meet with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken at UN headquarters, Lavrov stressed Moscow would never refuse serious proposals for dialogue.

Abdul Sayed, a Sweden-based researcher who tracks the TTP, said the group’s access to sophisticated combat weapons has had a “terrifying” impact, especially on the lesser-equipped police force in Pakistan.

According to the Pakistan Institute of Peace Studies (PIPS), a think tank in Islamabad, the number of terrorist attacks in the country increased by 27 percent last year compared to 2021. At least 419 people were killed, while 734 were injured in 262 terrorist attacks last year.

The Taliban spokesperson however rejected claims that it has supplied TTP fighters with US weapons and equipment.

“If some weapons are being smuggled, they are far fewer and not of much concern,” the report quoted Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman said.

Israel strikes Gaza and Lebanon

GaZa

Agencies

Israel’s military has launched air attacks on Southern Lebanon and the Gaza Strip following a spate of reported rocket attacks on the country. The escalation in tensions comes after Israeli forces stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem on successive days this week, firing stun grenades and attacking Palestinians as they gathered for Ramadan prayers.

Israel announced it was “striking in Lebanon” in a short statement at 4:07am (01:07 GMT) on Friday, saying it was targeting Hamas. Hours earlier, it launched raids on Gaza, a besieged Palestinian enclave controlled by Hamas.

A Lebanese military unit has located a rocket launcher near the town of Marjayoun in southern Lebanon, which lies

about six kilometers north of the Israeli town of Metula. The Lebanese army said over Twitter that its forces were working to dismantle the launcher, which contained a number of unlaunched missiles.

The latest round of so-called “clashes” – sparked when Israeli police decided to mark the Muslim holy month of Ramadan by repeatedly attacking Palestinian worshippers at Jerusalem’s

Al-Aqsa Mosque – has produced predictably disproportionate casualties.

Israeli police are deployed at the AlAqsa Mosque compound in the Old City of Jerusalem, Wednesday, April 5, 2023. Palestinian media reported police attacked Palestinian worshippers, raising fears of wider tension as Islamic and Jewish holidays overlap. Although Israel has blamed Hamas for Thursday’s attack, which took place as Hamas head Ismail Haniyeh was visiting Lebanon, security experts said Hezbollah, the powerful Shia group which helps Israel’s main enemy Iran project its power across the region, must have given its permission. “It’s not Hezbollah shooting, but it’s hard to believe that Hezbollah didn’t know about it,” Tamir Hayman, a former head of Israeli military intelligence, said on Twitter.

China-France-EU

trilateral talks set course for cementing ties

China MiAn AbrAr

During talks with visiting French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Thursday, Chinese President Xi Jinping stressed that cooperation and common ground between China and the EU outweigh competition and differences, and China is prepared to work with the EU to set the right direction and tone for China-EU ties, fully resume exchanges at all levels and revitalize mutually-beneficial cooperation in various fields, injecting fresh impetus into China-EU relations and global peace, stability and prosperity.

Observers said that China’s signal for enhancing cooperation during the two European leaders’ visit is set to stabilize

relations and dispel certain concerns from Europe, at a juncture when the relations need to be restarted and boosted after the differences of recent years and lack of direct communication. Moreover, Xi’s proposed joint call with France on political settlement of the Ukraine crisis ushers in an important step for China and France to jointly push for a peaceful resolution of the ongoing crisis, and shows China’s wisdom and capability in mediating peace talks.

In meeting with Macron who is on a state visit to China on Thursday, Xi said China and France are permanent members of the UN Security Council and major countries with a tradition of independence. They are firm advocates for a multi-polar world and for greater democracy in international relations. They have the ability and responsi-

Two black US lawmakers expelled for joining gun control protest

TEnnESSEE Agencies

Tennessee’s Republican-led state legislature on Thursday expelled two black Democratic lawmakers who led gun control protests at the state capitol in the wake of a school shooting. US President Joe Biden condemned the action as “shocking” and an effort “to punish, silence and expel duly-elected representatives of the people of Tennessee.”

The pair were among what became known as the “Tennessee three” — a trio of representatives who led protest chants a week ago from the House floor using a bullhorn, as peaceful demonstrators rallied in the gallery of the Nashville capitol building.

The three had not been recognized to speak and were accused of breaching House decorum and floor rules.

Lawmakers voted along mostly party lines to expel Justin Jones (72 to 25) and Justin Pearson (69 to 26). A

vote to expel the third member of the group, Gloria Johnson, failed (65 to 30). Expulsion requires a twothirds majority of the 99-member House.

With the expulsion of Jones and Pearson, Republicans ousted two of the youngest Black lawmakers in the legislature. Johnson, who did not lead the chants with the bullhorn, is white. Six Republicans broke with their party to vote against Johnson’s expulsion, The Tennessean newspaper reported.

Pearson and Jones had first walked up to the House podium during the floor session and used a bullhorn to lead gun reform chants, and were later joined by Johnson, The Tennessean reported.

Hundreds of protesters had gathered at the capitol last Thursday to rally for gun control after a shooter killed three young pupils and three staff at a private Christian elementary school on March 27. The 28year-old shooter fired 152 rounds from three firearms at the Nashville private Christian school during the rampage. Biden characterized the proceedings against the three lawmakers as undemocratic retribution. “Three kids and three officials gunned down in yet another mass shooting,” Biden wrote on Twitter. “And what are GOP officials focused on? Punishing lawmakers who joined thousands of peaceful protesters calling for action. It’s shocking, undemocratic, and without precedent.”

In a statement he reiterated his call for Congress to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, and require background checks for all gun sales.

It is rare for lawmakers in Tennessee to expel an elected member of the

bility to rise above differences and obstacles, keep to the overall direction of a comprehensive strategic partnership that is stable, mutually beneficial, enterprising and dynamic, and practice true multilateralism for global peace, stability and prosperity, the Chinese president said.

Xi said Macron’s visit to China is the first by a European head of state after the full resumption of China’s exchanges with the world and the successful conclusion of China’s “two sessions.” The visit will inject new momentum and bring new vitality to China-Europe relations.

China supports Europe in achieving strategic autonomy, upholds that the China-Europe relationship is not targeted at, subjugated to, or controlled by any third party, and believes that Europe will take an independent approach to developing its relations with China, Xi said. On

General Assembly, a step usually only taken for egregious misconduct. School shootings are strikingly common in the United States, as are calls in the aftermath for action on gun control, a hot-button political issue in the country. Republican-led Tennessee has in recent years loosened gun laws. In 2021, Governor Bill Lee championed a law passed that year allowing anyone aged 21 and up to carry a firearm, both openly and concealed, without a permit.

The United States, a country of around 330 million people, is awash with some 400 million guns.

Thursday afternoon, Xi also had a trilateral meeting with Macron and Ursula von der Leyen at the Great Hall of the People.

Xi pointed out that the concurrent visit to China by President Macron and President von der Leyen demonstrates the positive desire of the European Union (EU) to grow relations with China and advances the common interests of China and the EU.

In a complex and volatile world beset by the protracted Ukraine crisis, faltering global recovery, volatile financial markets and growing difficulties facing developing countries, China and the EU need to stay committed to dialogue and cooperation, uphold world peace and stability, foster common development and prosperity, promote human progress, and address global challenges together, Xi said.

Indian editors decry govt move to police online news

INDIA: The Editors Guild of India is deeply disturbed by the government’s move to police news on social media through a self-appointed fact-checking unit, the industry body said on Friday, describing the new rules as draconian and akin to censorship. The amendments to the country’s IT rules make it obligatory on platforms “not to publish, share or host fake, false or misleading information” about the government. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration has been in repeated tussles with various social media platforms when they failed to heed demands that certain content or accounts be taken down for allegedly spreading misinformation. Agencies

NOT-BY- PROFIT Potential daMage to key Cash CroPs as Pakistan graPPles with Multi-deCade low water levels

isLAmAbAd news desk

PAkISTANis facing a significant water shortage of 37% during the current kharif cropping season, which could potentially damage important cash crops such as cotton. This situation comes months after unprecedented floods in the country.

The Indus River System Authority (Irsa) held a meeting on Thursday to discuss the water situation, and it was decided to continue with the current three-tier formula for distributing water shares among the provinces.

During the meeting, it was noted that Punjab and Sindh would face a 27% water shortage in the early kharif season and 10% in the late kharif season. However, there were differences between the two provinces over con-

veyance losses. Conveyance losses refer to the amount of available water that is lost to theft, leakage, evaporation, or absorbed by soil or canals and cannot reach farmlands.

To resolve the issue, a committee was set up, led by Irsa's member for khyber Pakhtunkhwa, "to determine actual system conveyance losses." The committee will be responsible for determining the actual amount of water loss and devising recommendations based on actual discharge measurements to resolve the problem.

The meeting was attended by representatives of the four provinces, as well as members of Irsa and the Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda). The water availability criteria were finalized based on Wapda's revised Tarbela 5 operational constraints.

As a result, it was agreed upon with a consensus that the irrigation water

ASM recognizes NSU Vice Chancellor as Mentor and Futuristic Leader

A letter addressed to the Vice Chancellor of the National Skills University Islamabad states, "On behalf of the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) and the Subcommittee on Minority Education, I am pleased to inform you that you have been selected to be a mentor in the ASM Future Leaders Mentoring Fellowship (FLMF) program. ASM is excited to support you as you build relationships with your fellows." This international recognition explicitly recognizes the leadership and scholarly contributions of Prof. Dr. Muhammad Mukhtar, currently serving as Vice Chancellor of the National Skills University Islamabad and Vice Chairman of the National Technology Council Pakistan. Pr

IESCO issues power suspension schedules for Saturday

According to Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESCO)’s spokesman, System Maintenance/Development Work is in process. Therefore power supply of below mentioned feeders/areas will be temporary suspended as per given schedule:On 08th April 2023, From 07:00 AM to 11:00 AM, Islamabad Circle, Suhdran Road, CM Pak Zong, Rahara, Tramiree, Chatta Bakhtawar, Lahtra Road, ISI, Curry (Old Bahria) Feeders, Rawalpindi City Circle, Madinah Colony, Masryal Road, Miltabad, Dhok Chaudharyan Feeders, Cantt Circle Rawalpindi, Chahan, Chontra, Rajar, Chakri, SPD, SPF, Kahota City-II, Hanif Shaheed Feeders, Chakwal Circle, Lilla Town, Ahmedabad, Tuba, Basharat, Kaler Kahar, PAF, Maini feeders and surrounding areas will remain closed. IESCO management apologizes to its esteemed customers for the power outage. If the work is completed ahead of time, the power supply can be restored even before the scheduled time. Pr

CM for sustainable steps to prevent roads deterioration

shortage in the Indus zone would be 37% in early kharif and 15% in late kharif. The shortage in the JhelumChenab would be 10% in early kharif and negligible in late kharif.

The cropping season in Pakistan usually lasts from April to September, and key crops include rice, sugar cane, cotton, maize, and mash. The meeting noted total river flows at about 95.32 million acre-feet (MAF) and total system losses at 13.96m acre-feet. The total water availability for the entire season, including 14.58m acre-feet in early kharif and 55.42m acre-feet in late kharif, would be 70m acre-feet. However, after allowing 7.26m acrefeet of mandatory discharges for downstream kotri for environmental commitments, the total water availability at canal heads for distribution among the provinces would be just 62.74m acre-feet.

Balochistan and kP remain exempt from a cut in their water share due to infrastructure constraints. Punjab estimated conveyance losses at 78%, while Sindh estimated losses of 35% and 40% between the Chashma and kotri barrages. The sources said that Sindh had recorded its position for removing the exemption of water cuts from Balochistan and kP and water distribution under Para 2 of the 1991 water apportionment accord. However, the meeting agreed that Irsa could not change distribution practices currently in place. The water shortage is a cause for concern as it could lead to a decline in crop production and negatively impact the economy of the country. The situation highlights the importance of managing water resources efficiently and effectively to avoid such shortages in the future.

NUST, Jiaotong University to establish ‘Intelligent Transportation Int’l Joint Laboratory’ at NUST

isLAmAbAd Pr

The National University of Sciences & Technology (NUST-Islamabad) and Shandong Jiaotong University, China have reached an understanding whereby a state-of-the-art “Intelligent Transportation International Joint Laboratory” will be established at NUST. Initiated by China Study Centre at NUST, the partnership is aimed at promoting research and development in the field of Intelligent Transportation, and will augur well for achieving multiple Sustainable Development Goals (viz. Sustainable Cities & Communities; Industry, Innova-

tion, Infrastructure, etc) by promoting sustainable, efficient, and inclusive transportation systems in the two countries.

Dr Osman Hasan, Pro-Rector Academics, and Vice President Mr Jiang Huaping signed the agreement virtually on be-

Savyour and Indus Hospital & Health Network have inked an MoU, to support the latter’s mission of providing free-ofcost, quality healthcare to the underserved people of Pakistan. Saad Gadit, Co-Founder and COO of Savyour (left) and Dr Abdul Bari Khan, Founding President of IHHN

inDrive joins forces with Akhuwat to reconstruct flood-affected schools across Sindh

half of NUST and Shandong Jiaotong University respectively. Lt Gen (Retd) Engr Javed Mahmood Bukhari, Rector NUST, also graced the occasion with his presence, besides members of senior management and faculty from both universities.

GIKI, Chinese Varsity sign MoU to develop partnership

PEsHAWAR InP

Ghulam Ishaq khan Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology and Northwestern Polytechnical University (NPU), a leading Chinese research varsity signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Friday to develop partnerships in various mutually agreed fields of science and technology.

The MoU was inked by Prof Dr Fazal Ahmad khalid, Rector GIk Institute and Dr Li Ziwei, Vice Dean (Deputy Director) of the Office of International Cooperation, NPU. The agreement came into force soon after the signatures and will remain in effect for a period of five years.

The MoU is aimed to set out the general terms of cooper-

ation between the two universities to promote science and technology and to foster collaboration in relevant fields of education, research and technology on the basis of reciprocity and mutual benefit.

With the purpose of capacity building in advanced technology acquisition, both universities have agreed to cooperate through short-term training; student cultivation programs, postdoctoral fellowships; establishment of joint research laboratories; joint workshops, symposia and lectures of matters of mutual interest; strengthening institutional collaboration; faculty and students exchange and any other areas of collaboration may be added from time to time with mutual consensus.

Under the working mecha-

nism, they agreed that research institutions affiliated with the two parties are encouraged to formulate and sign cooperative documents on specific cooperative programs while encouraging joint working groups to work out detailed cooperative plans.

The MoU said that publications and intellectual property shall be determined on a caseto-case basis by the two parties in conformity with their respective policies.

Officials said that in case of dispute or controversy relating to any aspect of the agreement, the two parties would use their best efforts to settle it amicably through negotiation and the MoU shall be governed by and interpreted in accordance with the laws of Pakistan and the laws of People's Republic of China.

karachi: inDrive, the global mobility and urban services platform, has donated PKR 10 Million to the Akhuwat foundation for reconstruction of schools to support children's education. The donated amount will aid the Thatta and Thar region in the rebuilding of schools that were affected by the devastating floods and heavy monsoon rains in the Sindh region in 2022. The primary purpose of providing these funds is to help students carry on with their education and stand on their own two feet with dignity.From June to October 2022, floods in Pakistan killed 1,739 people and caused ₨ 3.2 trillion in damage and ₨ 3.3 trillion in economic losses. The catastrophic floods in Pakistan have destroyed nearly 27,000 schools, preventing more than 2 million children from attending school and resuming their education. Pr

QAU VC stresses importance of good governance, novel initiatives as varsity's priority

islamabad: Prof. Dr Niaz Ahmad Akhtar (SI), the Vice Chancellor of Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU), vowed to establish practices of good governance by enabling statutory bodies to conduct regular meetings and make decisions without interruption.In an exclusive interview with APP on Thursday, he highlighted the university's progress on multiple fronts, ranging from new initiatives to governance. He also emphasised the importance of good governance and novel initiatives as the university's priority.According to Dr Niaz, the proper functioning of these bodies will build trust among stakeholders and help the institution achieve its objectives effectively. Within three weeks of his joining the university, the Finance and Planning Committee, Selection Board, and Syndicate meetings have already been conducted. Pr

PBM urges philanthropists to help Sweet Homes

LAHORE APP

Caretaker Chief Minister Punjab Mohsin Naqvi chaired a meeting on axle load management at his office where he directed to take sustainable steps to prevent roads from deteriorating. Attended by officials, including the chief secretary, IG police, ACS (home), chairman P&D and representatives from various departments including law, industries, local government, C&W, information and transport, the meeting discussed introducing amendments to the Industry Rules of 1996 and Provincial Motor Vehicles Ordinance of 1965.

The meeting reviewed a proposal to install digital weigh stations on selected major roads in Punjab. The C&W department will develop a digital weighing policy to restrict overloaded vehicles and enhance safety. Punjab Highway Police will verify the approved weight in freight vehicles, and digital weigh scales will be linked to the PITB app. The weight data of each freight vehicle will be accessible through the respective district's dashboard. Moreover, weighing machines in crushing plants, grain markets, cement, sugar, fertilizer factories, and other industries will also be connected to the PITB app. The proposed measures aim to promote sustainable road management in Punjab and protect the infrastructure from damage caused by overloading.

appoints VCs of four universities with additional charge

(right) can be seen in the picture. Pr

Ms. Sadia Rashid, President Hamdard Foundation Pakistan, Dr. Sara Salman Zuberi, Head, WHO Sub-Office, Sindh along with young speakers in a group photo taken at the end of 31st International Children's Health Conference, held at Hamdard Corporate Office, organized by HFP and Hamdard Public School to mark International Health Day. Pr

‘COnTrOVErsiAl’ CJP musT quiT AfTEr JusTiCE minAllAh’s nOTE: mArriyum

iSLAMABAD staff RepoRt

fEDERALMinister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum

Aurangzeb on Friday demanded that Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial must step down as his position has become controversial, especially after Justice Athar Minallah’s note in the Punjab polls case. The statement comes after Justice Minallah, earlier in the day, maintained that the Supreme Court’s suo moto notice over the delay in the announcement of provincial assembly elections was dismissed by a majority 4-3 ruling.

Justice Minallah stated that he has read the detailed reasoning of Justice Shah and Justice Mandokhail and that he “agrees with their opinion, particularly regarding the final outcome of the petitions and the suo moto assumption of jurisdiction by a majority of 4 to 3 because this was the understanding in the meeting held in the anteroom on February 27.”

“It is noted that I had not recused nor had any reason to dissociate myself,” he said in a 23-page note dismissing suo

moto case regarding the announcement of the polling date of the Punjab Assembly. “Justice Athar Minullah has made a major decision today. Following this decision, the majority of judges have reached a conclusion. The decision made by Justice Minullah today raises questions about the judicial process,” Marriyum Aurangzeb said while addressing a press conference in Islamabad. She said that CJP’s suo moto notice has already been dismissed with 4-3 vote. However, she added that a threemember bench was formed on petition that was already “dismissed”. “When there was no petition, questions arise as to why the bench was formed and why a decision was made,” she said.

The information minister said that the four judges on the bench had urged to make a full court bench, adding that the political parties too were in favour of constituting a full bench so the people could accept the decision.

“Political parties do not shy away from elections, but this is no longer just an election issue. It has become a matter of ‘bench fixing’,” she added.

Marriyum wondered what the need

Business confidence continues to steep down amidst economic crises: Gallup

INFLATION, RUPEE DEPRECIATION AND LOAN DEFAULT LEAVE BUSINESS

COMMUNITY WORRIED ABOUT FUTURE

profit islamaBaD

According to a Gallup Pakistan Survey conducted in the first quarter of 2023, the Gallup Business Confidence Index report, pessimism about the conditions and prospects of their businesses had risen among owners. Last year’s political instability has carried over to combine with various economic crises and exacerbate business insecurity. The current situation of delay of IMF negotiations and finance minister Dar’s cancellation of trip to the US, the largest commutative contributor to the IMF with veto power on the decisions, has further added to the anxieties of the business community. In the meanwhile, the rupee continues to depreciate and import restrictions stand still. All this has been reflected in the survey.

The survey is the ninth of a quarterly Business Confidence Survey by Gallup Pakistan. Business Confidence Index is an important barometer capturing the sentiments of the business community in any country and used across the world by policy makers. The survey was conducted in the first quarter of 2023 with around 520 businesses across Pakistan. As per findings of the report, on all 3 strands the value was negative which meant that more businesses had lack of confidence in the Business situation of Pakistan. The number fell slightly during the current quarter, carrying on the downward trend observed since the end of the previous year.

At least 66% of businesses perceive themselves facing bad or worse conditions. There is a 7% increase in those businesses reporting very bad business conditions. Slight fall observed in Gallup Pakistan Business Situation Net score this quarter. Around 70% of businesses perceive bad conditions in Sindh and KPK, and 64% in Punjab. Most business types reported the business being in a bad state. In the construction, cosmetics, and industrial machines/equipment sector there was a 50-50 split between good and bad conditions

This quarter, 7% more businesses than in the previous quarter think that their business will be worse off in the future. 61% in Q1 2023 said future expectations are negative, while only 38% expect things to improve at all. The Net Future Business Confidence score has worsened by 11% since the previous quarter and is now at -22%.

No improvement from last quarter

Business community perceptions regarding the direction of the country remain consistent with the previous quarter. Negative perceptions are at an all time high, with 90% of businesses surveyed opining that the country is headed in the wrong direction. Similar to Q4 2022, inflation is the most cited problem in this quarter that businesses (45%) would like the government to solve. Compared to last quarter, 10% more want the government to help with currency depreciation but 7% fewer believe the government should provide relief on utility prices.

Continued on page 02

for “judicial facilitation” was and questioned why the judges distanced themselves from the issue.

According to the minister, the decision is unprecedented in the history of the judiciary and the Constitution.

She questioned why Justice Ijazul Ahsan was chosen for the three-member bench who, according to her, was a “controversial” judge.

“If a constitutional crisis arises from the Supreme Court itself then it raises the question who will trust its decisions,” she questioned.

The federal minister stated that despite all the factors involved, a decision is made and imposed on the government to follow it.

Marriyum said that political parties were present in court but their voices were not heard, adding that the lawyers from all political parties were present, yet none of them were given a chance to speak.

“But Asad Umar was invited [to the court] and was asked to provide details about the economy.”

The minister raised the question of whether the reason for this was because former prime minister Imran Khan and

Toyota looks to overhaul EV strategy as new CEO takes charge

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PTI were seeking elections. “Why 13 parties were ignored. At least you could’ve listened for the honour of the Supreme Court,” she added.

The federal minister stated that the illegal use of powers and arbitrary interpretation of the Constitution cannot be accepted.

A three-member SC bench comprising Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Munib Akhtar had announced the verdict on the PTI’s petition challenging the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) move to postpone the Punjab Assembly polls till October 8. The chief justice announced that elections in Punjab would be held on May 14 as it declared the ECP’s decision “unconstitutional”.

The government, in an unusual move, rejected the Supreme Court’s decision terming it a “minority verdict” while the National Assembly on Thursday passed a resolution against the top court.

The lower house of parliament urged the government and the premier not to obey the apex court orders as it was a “minority verdict”.

ghandhara nissan halts production for rest of april amidst paint shop upgrades

COMPANY

WILL OBSERVE PRODUCTION

LAHorE

Daniyal ahmaD

Ghandhara Nissan Limited has notified the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) that it will be observing a production halt from April 10 to May 1. It has attributed the decision to the extensive upgrades that its paint shop will undergo throughout this time period.

This will be the second spell of inactivity by Ghandhara Nissan with the previous spell lasting from March 6 to March 10 with the company deciding to engage in production only in alternate weeks thereafter. This time the spell of inactivity will be because of Nissan’s own decision. whereas the spell observed in March was a result of the industry-wide raw material import shortages.

In the notification to PSX, the company did not specify the reasons for upgrading their paint shop. However, it is reasonable to assume that the decision may be related to the plans recently un-

HALT FROM APRIL 10 TO MAY 1

veiled by their partner, Chery Automobile Co., Ltd. earlier this year. Looking at the storied manufacturer: Ghandhara Nissan Limited has a long and storied history that stretches back over six decades. It was established in 1953 by the General Motors Overseas Distribution Company of the USA. The company started off by producing Bedford trucks and buses, as well as Vauxhall cars. In 1963, the company was purchased by Lt. General (Retd.) Habibullah Khan, who renamed it Ghandhara Industries Limited, and expanded the company’s product line. During the 1970s, the government of Pakistan nationalized the company and renamed it National Motors Limited. Under the new ownership, the company’s major products were Bedford trucks and buses, as well as Toyota Hiace pickups and Toyota cars. In 1984, Ghandhara Industries added ISUZU vehicles to its existing Bedford models and Toyota vehicles. However,

the Toyota franchise was transferred from National Motors to the House of Habib in 1985.

In 1992, Ghandhara Industries was reacquired from the government by Lt. General (Retd.) Habibullah Khan Khattak. Two years later, in 1994, Lt. General (Retd.) Habibullah Khan Khattak passed away, and his son, Mr. Ahmed Kuli Khan Khattak, was appointed as Chief Executive. Under his leadership, the company made significant progress, including the acquisition of the majority of shares in the joint venture with Nissan Motor Company Limited that had been established in 1981. The joint venture had focused on producing light commercial vehicles and passenger cars in Pakistan, and in 1992, Ghandhara acquired the majority of shares in the venture and subsequently renamed it as Ghandhara Nissan Limited. As part of this partnership, Ghandhara Nissan began producing vehicles under the Nissan and Datsun brands in Pakistan.

Continued on page 02

dollar rate falls in interbank but market once again calling the bluff

OPEN MARKET BACK TO SPECULATING; BRACING FOR DEFAULT IS SAFER BET

iSLAMABAD shahnawaz ali

Since October 2022, there has been a discrepancy in the prices of the dollars at the interbank level and that at the open market level. Sometimes that discrepancy was driven by market forces while other times it was subdued by self-imposed price caps. The discrepancy became prominent in January right before the dollar rate first touched the 255 mark. The little discrepancy that was left behind, was cleared in the first week of March when the greenback hit its highest ever level (285) against the rupee in a single day’s trade.

Ever since that plummeting of the rupee against the dollar, the interbank and the open market rate have been at a stalemate. Both these rates have been hovering around 290 and it was thought that some semblance of stability might have been achieved. The market anticipated that the price of the greenbacks had reached its peak and for the first time in a few months, the market started see-

ing some selling of the US Dollars.

But this feeling of stability was short-lived. As delays in the staff-level agreement with the IMF have reached a 2-month mark, the speculators have started seeing default as an imminent reality. In such circumstances, the market has seen a drying up in selling activity but more importantly, the chatter that the value of dollar is in fact upwards of 300 is now public discourse. Even when the interbank rate dropped below 284, after the confirmation of a pledge of $2 billion dollars from the Saudi government, the open market stood firmly at 290+.

This results in the booming of the business of the black market fear mongers and also creates an excessive demand for dollars in the market. As of 7th April, the interbank dollar rate stood at 284 Rs/dollar whereas the open market quotations obtained by Profit stood at 293 Rs./dollar. Let us see how the regulator reacts to the gap this time. Is another depreciation around the corner or will the IMF tranche make it in time?

After making sweeping changes to its leadership team, Japan’s Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T) is looking at a factory floor overhaul as it maps out a move to a new, dedicated platform for battery electric vehicles, four people familiar with the matter said.

Koji Sato may confirm that new EV architecture is in the works at his first briefing as CEO on Friday, one of the people has said. It was, however, not immediately clear as of Thursday evening as to whether the plan had been formally approved.

The world’s biggest automaker increasingly recognizes it needs to match Tesla Inc’s (TSLA.O) design and manufacturing innovations if it is to drive down production costs and turn its all-electric business into a higher margin one as its Silicon Valley rival has done, another person said.

It continues to study the issue, that person said.

A new EV platform, if implemented, would be the result of a far-reaching review of Toyota’s electric-car strategy undertaken last year.

Slow to push hard into battery electrics, such a move by Toyota would bring the automaker into line with other global rivals. Its current production architecture, the e-TNGA system, was launched in 2019 and produces electric vehicles on the same assembly line as gasoline cars and hybrids.

E-TNGA can’t, however, provide the cost savings

Tesla has managed with its massive Giga Press casting machines and other manufacturing innovations. The sources declined to be identified because the information was confidential. Asked for comment, Toyota said questions could be asked at Friday’s briefing.

Sato, Toyoda’s hand-picked successor, recently attended an internal presentation that focused on the need for a dedicated battery-electric platform, a more competitive system to manage heat generated by the battery as well as other innovations influenced by Tesla’s playbook, according to a third person.

The briefing was given by the former chief competitive officer tasked with the EV strategy review, Shigeki Terashi, according to the person. Several projects that were supposed to take advantage of the e-TNGA platform are now being delayed or cancelled, a separate person said.

A LONG TIME COMING

A shift for Toyota is long overdue, critics say. Under former CEO Akio Toyoda, the founder’s grandson who became chairman on April 1 when Sato took the top job, Toyota saw global demand for battery electrics outstrip its modest estimates.

Continued on page 02

Airbnb shares fall after probe into unpleasant customer experiences

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ReuteRs

Shares of Airbnb Inc (ABNB.O) fell as much as 6% on Thursday after an online independent publication released a report that probed unpleasant experiences that customers had during stays booked through the short-term rental platform.

According to The Bear Cave report, horror incidents of guests staying at individually managed Airbnbs abound on the internet, including surprise cleaning requirements and last-minute cancellations as well as numerous examples of guests finding hidden cameras in bedrooms and bathrooms.

The company’s shares were last down 5% in afternoon trading. Airbnb’s revenue in 2022 was up 40% year over year and it was the company’s most profitable year on record. The San-Fransico-based company reported a 16% increase in active listings in the fourth quarter of 2022 over the same period in 2021. Nights and experiences booked rose 20% from a year earlier but missed analysts’ estimates.

Earlier this year, travel companies said they had not yet seen a decrease in demand despite concerns of a slowing economy.

Last month, a fire broke out in a building in Montreal being used by long-term residents and short-term guests who booked lodgings through Airbnb. City officials said the units in the residential building were not supposed to be rented those purposes. Some of the company’s top professional hosts have cut out Airbnb and built their own booking platforms and are offering cheaper deals.

The increase in professionally managed properties will directly compete against the company and may further threaten its revenues, according to the report. But some analysts are more optimistic about Airbnb’s prospects. “Airbnb.. sits in a much more favorable supply market, and looks much more like Amazon: everything on Amazon is pretty much purchasable another way, but that does not make it a less valuable platform,” Bernstein analyst Richard Clarke said in a note. Airbnb laid off in March some recruiting staff to reduce costs and protect margins.

Foreign investors getting ‘troubling message’ over govt’s defiance against SC: imran

LAHorE staff RepoRt

Former prime minister and chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan on Friday expressed concerns over the brewing judicial crises, warning that foreign investors may be getting a troubling message after the Pakistani government’s decision to not accept the Supreme Court’s decision in the Punjab polls delay case.

Khan’s comments came after the federal government demanded that Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial step down, claiming that his position had become “controversial” after Justice Athar Minallah’s note in the case.

Justice Minallah stated that the Supreme Court’s suo motu notice over the delay in the announcement of provincial assembly elections was dismissed by a majority 4-3 ruling. This ruling was rejected by the government, who labeled it a “minority verdict”, with the

National Assembly also passing a resolution against the top court. Khan took to Twitter to express his concerns over the situation, warning that investors may lack confidence in a country’s judicial system if the government disregards court orders. He said, “Investors need security of contracts & that means faith in judicial system. What confidence can they have when govt itself casting aside SC orders?

This happens in a banana republic.”

The PTI chief also claimed that the sedition cases filed against him and the imprisonment of senior party leader Ali Amin Gandapur are attempts to undermine their party’s ability to contest elections.

He alleged that this was part of a “London Plan” in which Nawaz Sharif was given assurances that PTI would be crushed before elections through fake cases and imprisonment of its leadership.

Imran Khan has been pushing for assembly elections in Punjab and Khyber-

Pakhtunkhwa provinces as part of a campaign to force an early general election that he has waged since being forced from office a year ago after losing a vote of confidence.

However, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has rejected Imran Khan’s call for an early general election and his government had backed the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) delay in the votes in the two provinces to Oct 8.

The commission cited a lack of resources and the government agreed, saying it was not possible to organise the provincial elections while the country was struggling with an economic crisis and with a general election due around early October anyway.

But the Supreme Court ruled that the delay was illegal and voting in the two provinces should be held between April 30 and May 15.

A three-member SC bench comprising Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Ijazul Ahsan, and Justice Munib Akhtar had announced the verdict on the PTI’s peti-

tion challenging the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) move to postpone the Punjab Assembly polls till October 8.

The government’s refusal to accept the Supreme Court’s decision has raised con-

cerns about the state of country’s democracy and judicial system. It remains to be seen how this situation will be resolved and what impact it will have on the country’s economy and its relations with foreign investors.