Epaper_23-05-17 LHR

NSC ENDORSES DECISION TO TRY MAY 9 RIOTERS UNDER MILITARY ACT

Former minister Shehryar Afridi, non political wife arrested from Islamabad house

cidents and vowed to bring all culprits to justice without victimizing the innocent people.

Speaking to participants, the prime minister said in the last meeting, he had directed the authorities concerned to register first information reports against the culprits involved in the incidents and arrest them within 72 hours.

He said the people of Pakistan were upset and furious over what happened in the country as the incidents also brought disgrace to the nation.

PM Shehbaz said the Jinnah House that was burnt and destroyed by the miscreants was the abode of the valour troops who were busy with safeguarding the nation from its enemy. Army Chief General Asim Munir on Monday chaired a special corps commanders conference, which decided to try perpetrators, planners and executors of such attacks under the Pakistan Army and official secret act.

The participants reiterated their commitment that any violation of the sanctity and dignity of military installations and public property will not be tolerated and that all elements involved in the Black Day of May 9 will be brought to justice.

The forum made it clear that no concessions will be made against those who attack military installations and locations under any agenda.

took

no

Islamabad, with

warrant and cited

Public Order

law, which allows detention without charges for up to three months but which can be

extended, as the basis for the apprehension. According

PTI and family sources, there is no information about the whereabouts of Shehryar Afridi and his wife. The PTI condemned the violation of sanctity of house by the law enforcement agencies and demanded action against the violation of human rights enshrined in the constitution. The arrests comes as part of an ongoing crackdown on the leadership, activists, and supporters of the party in connection with the violent protests that occurred following the arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan on May 9. The PTI has been facing increased scrutiny and action from law enforcement agencies as a result of the unrest.

TERMINGthe May 9 “the blackest day in the country’s history”, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday said all the miscreants involved in the arson and rioting would be brought to justice and given exemplary punishment.

“Millions of Pakistanis are upset on what happened on May 9 and they are demanding to hold all planners and instigators of the attack on security installations and historic buildings like the Jinnah House in Lahore, accountable”, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif declared while speaking at the meeting of the National Security Committee (NSC) here on Tuesday.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chaired the highpowered NSC meeting, which was attended by senior

cabinet ministers, three services chiefs, DG ISI and other relevant officials. While the civil and military leadership promised to bring to justice those behind the violent protests, they stressed the need for dialogue over confrontation to resolve the political differences.

A statement issued by the PM office after the NSC meeting read: “The meeting endorsed the decision to initiate trials against the perpetrators, conspirators, and facilitators under relevant laws including the Pakistan Army Act and the Official Secrets Act, to ensure justice.”

The meeting reiterated that the policy of ‘zero tolerance’ would be adopted by not tolerating violence and mischief in the country.

The meeting announced May 9 as Black Day at the national level.

The NSC meeting expressed solidarity with the Pakistan armed forces, strongly condemned the violent in-

The meeting directed to ensure strict implementation of rules and regulations of social media so that the propaganda carried out with external patronage and internal facilitation can be tackled and the elements who commit it are brought to justice.

While the NSC vowed to bring to justice those behind violent protests, the civil and military leadership emphasised forging national unity in an increasingly complex geo-strategic environment due to global political conflict and destabilisation policies of hostile powers.

The forum also stressed the need to resolve political differences through dialogue in accordance with democratic values rather than confrontation.

However, observers believe that in the present situation it is not clear if any consensus can be achieved given the crackdown on the PTI and its supporters.

In addition to Afridi’s arrest, Fayazul Hasan Chohan was also taken into custody in Rawalpindi. Chohan, who was on his way to the press club from Liaquat Bagh, was detained by authorities.

ALI ZAIDI’S HOUSE DECLARED AS SUB-

JAIL: Meanwhile, in Sindh, the provincial government has declared the home of former minister Ali Zaidi as a sub-jail. This decision was made following Zaidi’s arrest on May 9 by law enforcement agencies in response to the disturbances in the Baloch Colony area. The arrests of these prominent PTI figures and the declaration of Zaidi’s house as a subjail underscore the intensifying efforts by authorities to maintain law and order amid the recent wave of protests and violence.

IHC EXTENDS IMRAN’S BAIL TILL JUNE 8 IN INCITING VIOLENCE, SEDITION CASES

ISLAMABAD/LAHORE

Staff RepoRt

THE Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday extended Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan’s bail till June 8 in two cases pertaining to inciting violence and sedition and also granted him exemption from court appearance for the day.

On the other hand, an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Lahore on Tuesday extended the interim bail of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan till May 19 in two cases. The IHC heard bail applications filed regarding charges of inciting rebellion

LHC orders removal of Habib’s name from ECL

LAHORE

Staff RepoRt

The Lahore High Court (LHC) has directed the interior ministry to remove the name of former Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) MP Farrukh Habib from the Exit Control List (ECL).

Justice Anwar ul-Haq announced the verdict, which he had reserved earlier on the former minister’s plea seeking the removal of his name from the ECL. The court’s decision came after the completion of arguments by the lawyers on Monday, following which the verdict was reserved on the request to remove Habib’s name from the ECL. Habib, in his request, mentioned that he had intended to travel to Dubai on April 28 but was offloaded from the plane at Lahore airport. He was informed that his name was included on the no-fly list, and his passport and luggage were confiscated at the airport due to his political affiliation listed in the list. In his plea to the court, Habib requested the return of his passport and luggage, and urged the federal government to remove his name from the ECL.

Speaker NA unhappy with delay in New Parliament Lodges project

ISLAMABAD

Staff RepoRt

National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervez Ashraf on Tuesday expressed dismay over poor performance of Capital Development Authority (CDA) over prolonged delay in execution of New Parliament Lodges project. The Speaker NA along with Chairman Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Noor Alam Khan visited Parliament lodges on Tuesday to inspect the progress on construction of 104 additional family suites including 500 servant quarters. On the occasion, they were briefed by senior officers of CDA regarding issues and basic contours of the project construction of New Parliament Lodges. Raja Pervez Ashraf criticizing the poor performance of CDA said that delay of more than a decade in completing this project is tantamount to severe negligence and non professionalism. He also instructed National Assembly Secretariat to arrange meeting with Chairman Senate in order to deliberate upon finding ways to complete this project. He also said that in order to complete such projects there is need to find out of box solution. Chairman PAC Noor Alam Khan highlighted the significance of completing this project in Phases and stressed on the need to complete family suites on priority basis as more than seventy percent work has already be

in institutions and attempted murder. Counsel for PTI chief Imran, Advocate Barrister Gohar and Ali Bukhari appeared before IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq while Advocate General Islamabad Barrister Jahangir Jadoon and Islamabad police officials were also present in court. Imran’s lawyer maintained that they were also filing a plea for Imran’s exemption from court appearance for today. The IHC approved the PTI chief’s request for exemption and extended the bail till June 8 in both cases.

The former prime minister had moved the IHC seeking to quash the FIR registered against him at the Ramna Police Station in the federal capital on the allegations of incit-

ing rebellion in state institutions. During earlier hearing, IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq heard the case and summoned the police and the plaintiff – a district magistrate – to appear before the court in personal capacity at the next hearing.

Imran Khan’s counsel Faisal Chaudhary Advocate requested the court to stop the implementation of the FIR till the next hearing.

Last week, the IHC stopped the authorities from arresting Imran in any case, including “undisclosed ones”, filed against him anywhere in the country till May 15.

HEARING IN ATC LAHORE: The AntiTerrorism Court (ATC) Lahore on Tuesday extended the interim bail of Pakistan

Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan till May 19 in two cases.

ATC Judge Ijaz Ahmad Buttar conducted the proceedings on the bail petitions of the PTI chairman. During the proceedings, Imran Khan did not appear before the court despite the expiry of his interim bail.

However, his counsel submitted an exemption application and pleaded with the court to exempt his client from personal appearance for one-day. The counsel requested the court to adjourn further proceedings till May 19 as he wanted to advance final arguments in the matter.

The court, after hearing arguments of the counsel, reserved its verdict on exemption

IT minister says kept in dark regarding internet and social media blackout

“It’s only going to work against them.”

However, in an interview with Geo News on Tuesday, Syed Amin ul-Haque of Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) clarified that his ministry was not involved in the suspension of mobile internet services, emphasising that the military-dominated Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has operated independently from his division since 2017.

application for a short while. Later, the court announced the reserved verdict and granted exemption from personal appearance for one-day to the PTI chairman.

Racecourse Police had registered the cases against the PTI chief and other party leaders and workers on charges of attacking the police teams and burning official property and vehicles outside his Zaman Park residence. The cases had been registered under sections of Pakistan Penal Code and Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997.

Meanwhile, the court cancelled the interim bail of PTI leaders – Farrukh Habib, Fawad Ch, Hammad Azhar, and others due to non-appearance in the cases.

Sindh home department declares Ali Zaidi’s residence a sub-jail

KARACHI Staff RepoRt

ISLAMABAD MonitoRing RepoRt

The telecommunication minister distanced his department from the recent state-imposed social media blackout to quell massive protests around the arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan, saying he was not consulted or “taken into confidence” regarding the decision.

Moments after Khan was detained by a swarm of paramilitary Rangers on Tuesday, the interior ministry restricted nationwide access to Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. Mobile data

coverage — used by political activists to organise protests on messenger apps such as WhatsApp, but with far larger effects on the wider populace — was also cut. But supporters of the former prime minister quickly found workarounds, leaving social media awash with calls for protest and shaky handheld clips of thousands of demonstrators clashing with police. The clampdown — which lasted until late Friday — was a “crass miscalculation” by authorities, according to Shahzad Ahmad, director of digital rights organisation Bytes for All.

Expressing his views on the situation, the minister stressed that blocking social media or shutting down the internet was not a viable solution to any problem. He further cautioned against relying solely on Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to access blocked sites, asserting that a more open-minded approach was needed.

As an alternative solution, Haque suggested the possibility of limiting internet access to specific areas where necessary, rather than implementing a complete blackout. He also highlighted the detrimental impact of internet service blockades on the information technology (IT) sector, leading to significant financial losses.

IHC bars police from arresting Fawad Ch in ‘any case’ till Wednesday

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday barred Islamabad police from arresting Senior Vice President of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Fawad Chaudhry till May 17 (tomorrow).

Moments after his release avoiding his arrest, the PTI leader managed to get relief as a single-member IHC bench of Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb barred the police from arresting Fawad CH in an “undisclosed” case.

During the hearing, the judge said that the advocate general had apprised the court of two cases registered against Fawad Chaudhry because of which the IHC had only granted the PTI leader bail in two cases.

Later, Justice Aurangzeb approved Fawad Ch’s protective bail for two days and barred the police from arresting the former minister in any case registered against him in Islamabad.

The court also directed that a copy of the order should be sent to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and adjourned the hearing till tomorrow.

Earlier in the day, PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry managed to escape arrest outside the court as the police made a move to detain the former information minister again minutes after getting protective bail for two days.

The Punjab Police attempted to arrest PTI senior leader Fawad Ch from outside the Islamabad High Court. However, the PTI leader managed to escape the scene and swiftly made

his way back into the courtroom.

It is pertinent to mention here that the IHC on Monday ordered authorities to produce Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Vice President Fawad Ch in the court on Tuesday. The plea against the arrest of the former minister for information and broadcasting was taken up by IHC Justice Mian Gul Hassan Aurangzeb. During proceeding, Advocate Faisal Chaudhry argued in the court that the IHC had ordered to not arrest the former minister but he was taken into custody by Islamabad police. “The ICT IG was in the court when the honorable court issued the order,” Faisal Ch informed the court and added the court barred police from arresting the PTI stalwart.

The Sindh home department has declared the residence of the provincial president of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Ali Zaidi, as a sub-jail, in a decision communicated through a notification. The declaration of Zaidi’s residence as a subjail was made in accordance with the powers vested in the Sindh home department under Section 541(1) of the Code of Criminal Procedure, Section 6(a) of the Sindh Prisons and Corrections Services Act, 2019, and Rule 2(1)(s) of the Sindh Prisons and Corrections Services Rules, 2019. This move signifies that Zaidi’s residence will now function as a temporary confinement facility, with the necessary legal provisions and regulations in place. Zaidi, along with other party leaders, has been implicated in a case involving charges of rioting and intimidation. The City Courts police were responsible for registering the case, citing various sections of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) against the accused. The registered case includes charges under Sections 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting with a deadly weapon), 506-B (criminal intimidation), and 34 (common intention) of the PPC. In addition to Zaidi, Leader of the Opposition in the Sindh Assembly Haleem Adil Sheikh, and several others from the opposition party were named as defendants in the case.

ECC approves Rs1b for parliamentarians schemes

CONTINUED FROM BACK PAGE

The ECC further advised the Ministry of Industries & Production to ensure early clearance of subsidy payable by the provinces on imported urea. The committee also allocated Rs. 922 Million in favour of Ministry of Energy (Power Division) for execution of development project “Construction of 2nd Circuit stringing from Jiwani to Gwadar” and Rs. 50 million in favour of Ministry of Poverty Alleviation & Social Safety for SOS Children’s Villages, Pakistan. The chair also approved Rs 550 Million in favour of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting for the publicity/awareness campaigns run by the Federal Government during the current financial year.

Thousands wish to hear ‘good to see you’ in courtrooms: Marriyum

ISLAMABAD

Staff RepoRt Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb on Tuesday said thousands of people facing trials for years wished to hear reassuring words like “good to see you” in courtrooms.

“Judicial bias” was evident particularly in high-profile cases as the above words could be heard in the courtrooms only for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman (PTI) Imran Khan, on whose order arson, vandalism and attacks on military installments, and public and private properties were planned and carried out on May 9, she said while addressing a news conference.

Ironically, she said, no leader of the PTI, including

Imran Khan, condemned the tragic events and even the instructions of the Chief Justice of Pakistan were also ignored in that regard. The entire political career of Imran Khan, she said, “is based on creating chaos and anarchy, mischief, conspiracies and enmity towards the country,” the minister remarked.

Marriyum said despite the fact that the entire nation fully knew about the track record of Imran Khan, he still had the audacity to blame the intelligence agencies for what “his party goons” had done on his own instructions.

She said every Pakistani citizen was upset over the violence and arson by the PTI protesters. The minister recalled that during Imran Khan-led 2014 sit-in, the PTI activists dug graves at the D-Chowk, hung dirty clothes on the boundary walls of the Supreme Court, and at-

tacked the building of Pakistan Television, and all the more it was appreciated by the PTI chairman and other top party leadership. “If Imran Khan had been taken to task in the PTV’s attack case, such incidents would not have happened today,” she added. As regards the May 9 attacks, the minister asked whether the PTI leaders including Murad Saeed and Yasmin Rashid, who were issuing instructions to the workers to further disrupt law and order, were agents of the secret agencies.

Similarly, she said, Imran Khan during his presence in the Islamabad High Court stated that if he was arrested again, there would be more strong reaction than May 9. The minister pointed out that while Imran Khan was the prime minister, he used to do the same thing. If anyone questioned him, either their ribs were broken or they were thrown into the death cells of prisons, she added.

Lambasting the PTI, she said what the enemy could not do in 75 years, its workers had done on May 9, who even attacked the General Headquarters. She recalled that after the Lasbela helicopter crash, in which the Pakistan Army officers were martyred, a campaign was launched against them from the PTI’s social media official accounts.

Similarly, she said, the PTI gangsters attacked the memorials of armed forces martyrs, which hurt the sentiments of their loved ones.

Referring to the Pakistan Democratic Movement’s sit-in on Monday, she said the patriotic parties of Pakistan gave a peaceful political response and the nation had witnessed that on the Shahrah-e-Dastur. It was a public reaction yesterday, but not even a flower pot was broken, she added.

Reacting to Imran Khan’s claims of having proof of

agencies’ involvement in the May 9 incidents, she said had he any evidence, then why he had not presented them in court so far. She said Imran Khan during his government resorted to political victimization of the opposition and put his political opponents in jails in fake cases.

The minister said important buildings, including the Governor House, were in the vicinity of the Jinnah House, but only the latter burnt by the rioters which was highly questionable. No relief could be given to those who burnt the country, she said, adding,”Imran Khan is a liar and a fraud, who cannot befool over 220 million population of Pakistan.” The minister also played the leaked audios of PTI leaders Murad Saeed, Sheikh Imtiaz, Ali Chaudhry, Chaudhry Ejaz, Sagheer Waraich, Khawaja Tariq Rahim, Ejaz Minhas, Yasmin Rashid and Ibad Farooq.

She said the above PTI leaders kept issuing instructions to the party workers to attack the Corps Commander’s House, Army House and other important installations. She appealed to the youth followers of the PTI and their families to realise “what Imran Khan is doing is not politics but terrorism and anti- state activities”. About reduction in petroleum products prices, Marriyum said in the current difficult economic situation, Minister of Finance Ishaq Dar had given relief to the people.

Replying to the questions of media persons, she said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had already made it clear that those involved in the May 9 arson and violence would be tried under the relevant laws. Those who had stopped the Results Transmission System functioning on the polling day of 2018 general election, were also responsible for the loss the nation suffered in the form of Imran Khan becoming the prime minister, she added.

IMRAN’S PETITION AGAINST ARREST IN CASES REGISTERED SINCE MAY 9 REFERRED TO LHC

LAHORE

Staff RepoRt

JUSTICESafdar Saleem Shahid of the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday proposed to the chief justice that a larger bench should decide a petition filed by PTI Chairman Imran Khan against arrest in cases registered on or after May 9, when he was arrested from the premises of the Islamabad High Court in the Al-Qadir Trust case.

The petition named the Punjab inspector general and the state through the Punjab advocate general as respondents.

The plea called on the court to direct the Punjab inspector general to provide a fresh report regarding the registration of

“undisclosed/new FIRs” in Lahore on or after May 9.

It also prayed the court to give Imran “protection of law” and to bar the respondents from arresting the PTI chief in any new criminal case registered on or subsequent to May 9 without the court’s prior permission.

At the outset of the hearing today, Justice Shahid inquired about the PTI chief’s whereabouts. His lawyer, Barrister Salman Safdar, informed the court that his client did not have protective bail. He said that if the court desired, his client could be presented after 11am.

However, the government lawyer opposed this and said that Imran’s plea was inadmissible. He also remarked that the PTI

PTI to begin mass mobilization drive with Muridke public gathering

ISLAMABAD

Staff RepoRt

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leadership greenlighted that the party’s mass mobilization campaign pertaining to the elections— devised by Chairman Imran Khan —-would be executed as per its schedule and the party chairman would address a huge public gathering in Muridke on May 18. The decision was made in an important party organizational meeting chaired by Imran Khan on Tuesday. Briefing the media about the decisions taken in the important meeting, PTI Central Secretary Information Farrukh Habib said that the party officials participated in the meeting through video link from across the country. The participants of the meeting strongly condemned the callous approach and inhuman treatment meted out to people imprisoned after May 9, especially the women and children who were kept in arbitrary places, as they were taken from their homes and the sanctity of the four-wall was violated. Farrukh Habib said that the women were kept in men’s police stations and were being harassed. In the meeting, they condemned the attempts to spread fear and chaos in the country and decided to approach the High Courts to take action against all responsible police officials in this regard. They reiterated their demand that fair, transparent and snap polls were the only constitutional and legal solution to get the country out of the ongoing political and economic crisis. Farrukh Habib stated that PTI believed in the right of the people to rule and decisions making powers should be transferred to the people through voting. During the meeting, they stressed the need for taking measures to restore the atmosphere of confidence. In the meeting, they condemned the illegal arrest of Imran Khan, registering more than 150 bogus cases against him, the conspiracy of the government to shy away from the elections and all the vindictive and politically motivated actions against the party chairman.

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial addressed the controversy surrounding his use of the phrase “good to see you” during his interaction with former prime minister Imran Khan in the Supreme Court during a court appearance last week.

chief was seeking protective bail without appearing before the court. Barrister Safdar responded by saying that his client was not seeking protective bail and asked for the case to be sent to a larger bench. The court subsequently reserved its verdict. In his plea, Imran said more than 100 politically motivated and unlawful FIRs had been registered against him while hundreds of “fabricated” cases had been filed against PTI leaders and workers. It said “thousands” had been illegally detained and the whereabouts of many were unknown. It further said that the “extraordinary nature of the attack on fundamental rights of one of the largest political parties” required the court’s intervention.

It noted that Imran’s pleas for pre-arrest

bail had been fixed before the IHC on May 9 when NAB authorities “attacked” the biometric office and “illegally and unlawfully” arrested the PTI chief.

“[The] petitioner was forcefully abducted in the most condemnable circumstances which are already in the kind notice of this court,” the plea said. It said that Imran remained in NAB’s “illegal and unlawful custody” until he was produced before the court, and was also denied access to his doctors which had resulted in him experiencing “excruciating pains in his leg” after being dragged from his wheelchair at the time of his arrest.

It said Imran “apprehends arrest in relation to the FIRs which [are] not in his knowledge. Petitioner apprehends that

NA passes contempt of Parliament Bill, 2023

ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

The National Assembly on Tuesday passed the Contempt of Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament) Bill, 2023.

The bill moved by Rana Muhammad Qasim Noon, aims at condemning and awarding punishment for the actions that account for breach of the sovereignty and integrity of the Parliament in any form or shade.

In his remarks, Minister for Education Rana Tanveer said this legislation was need of the hour, emphasizing that such laws need to be framed which further improve functioning of the parliament.

The National Assembly also passed a resolution recommending that a Hajj advisory committee be constituted to oversee this year’s Hajj arrangements. It was moved by Shagufta Jumani. According to the resolution, the committee would comprise the Minister for Religious Affairs, chairmen of the standing committees of the National Assembly and the Senate for Religious Affairs and members of both the Houses. The House also passed the National University for Security Sciences, Islamabad Bill, 2023 and the National Excellence Institute Bill, 2023.Earlier addressing Finance Minister Ishaq Dar has stated that coalition government has always tried to extend maximum relief to the masses bearing in mind the country’s international obligations and trends in the international market. He referred to the recent reduction made by the government in the prices of petroleum productions including thirty rupees per liter in diesel and twelve rupees per liter in petrol.

Ishaq Dar said reduction in the price of diesel is eleven percent and its price has been slashed from 288 to 258 rupees per liter. The Finance Minister urged the transporters to reduce their fares keeping in view the reduction made in petroleum products.

Following criticism from the government, the judge explained that he greets everyone with this phrase and emphasised the importance of etiquette and manners.

During a hearing on Tuesday, the chief justice engaged in a conversation with lawyer Asghar Sabzwari, initiating the exchange by expressing his pleasure at

seeing him in court after a long period of time.

In response to the criticism he faced for using the phrase, Justice Bandial clarified that he extends the same greeting to everyone. He further emphasized his deep respect for everyone and highlighted the significance of etiquette and manners in all interactions.

Explainer: How did government cut diesel by Rs30?

PROFIT Daniyal ahMaD

On Monday, May 15, the federal government announced a reduction in the price of petroleum, oil and lubricants (POL). The most significant reductions were in the prices of high-speed diesel (HSD) and motor gasoline (MOGAS), at Rs30 and Rs12 per litre respectively. The former is perhaps one of the most significant revisions made by any government in recent memory. So, how did they manage to achieve this?

Where did the price cut come from?

“The government was able to significantly cut the price of diesel by reducing the foreign exchange adjustment that the Pakistan State Oil (PSO) receives on importing oil,” explains Mustafa Pasha, Chief Investment Officer at Lakson Investments.

The exchange rate adjustment brought some good news for diesel consumers, with a reduction of Rs23.16 per litre. However, petrol users saw a rise of Rs4.46 per litre. “Petrol and diesel prices are always higher than the price of crude oil itself. It’s all about demand and supply. This month, the spread on diesel fell, giving the government the opportunity to reduce diesel and petrol prices in a way that benefits consumers,” explains Yousuf Farooq, Director of Research at Topline Securities.

Is this a weird decision?

“In recent months, there was a significant difference between the interbank rate and the rate at which PSO’s shipments were settled by banks,” states Pasha. “Additionally, confirmation charges for Pakistan skyrocketed due to the perceived risk in settling USD transactions,” Pasha continues. Profit cannot corroborate Pasha’s concerns, but Pasha does elucidate upon why he has them and subsequently why the government did what they did.

“In this case, the cut was aggressive and may have been influenced by political considerations. It could also be an attempt to combat inflation and curb the consumption of smuggled diesel, which does not generate any revenue for the government,” he explains.

However, the greatest of his concerns pertains to the elephant in the room that’s not a part of the current debate regarding the prices. An elephant that’s reeling under its own weight particularly this year.

Lamb to the slaughter?

“To ensure that PSO remains liquid enough to continue its vital role as the primary importer of oil into Pakistan, it’s crucial that the backlog of foreign exchange adjustments is cleared,” explains Pasha. “Although there’s still a partial backlog of foreign exchange adjustments, I believe we’re making progress and most of it has been cleared,” Pasha adds.

PSO’s Q3FY23 financials reveal that its receivables on foreign currency borrowings (FE-25), in terms of the net unfavourable amount of foreign exchange difference, stood at a staggering Rs63.719 billion. This marks a significant increase from the Rs27.755 billion PSO recorded in June 2022. Subsequently, Profit does not share Pasha’s optimism, but rather echoes his concerns. Did the Government then squander an opportunity to add to the momentum in rectifying PSO after having provided it with a grant of $100 million in March? Perhaps. It’s prioritised rectification of the larger macroeconomic situation in the end. Will their gamble pay off? We’ll find out. Farooq highlights how the situation requires surgery to ameliorate the matter. “They’re ensnared in a vicious cycle of circular debt. It’s improbable that the issue will be resolved until comprehensive structural reforms are implemented,” he says, adding that the “federal government should refrain from meddling with the prices of commodities and allow market forces to prevail”.

He said responsibility rests with all including the provincial governments to ensure that the benefit of this relief reaches the common man genuinely. On another points raised by Akbar Chitrali, Ishaq Dar said the government is working to promote Islamic banking in the country. He pointed out that a committee has been established for promotion of Islamic banking.

The Minister said this committee comprising of eminent scholars is working on a fast track basis to further enhance the scope of Islamic banking which currently stands at twenty one percent. He also alluded to the Islamic products introduced by some banks in the country. The National Assembly was informed on Tuesday that awareness campaigns have been launched to check the spread of Monkeypox in the country. Parliamentary Secretary for National Health Services Shazia Sobia told the House while responding to a Calling Attention Notice that the SOPs and guidelines for this infectious disease are the same as those were for the COVID-19. She said alerts have been issued to the hospitals to keep the suspected patients in isolation.

The Parliamentary Secretary said two Monkeypox cases were detected on the 17th of last month and these patients were also kept in isolation. She said we are keeping an eye on the situation vis-à-vis this disease.

without notice (abruptly) his freedom will be curtailed by the state.”

Meanwhile, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) extended bails of Imran in two cases — one pertaining to allegations against top officers of state institutions and the other on the manhandling of PML-N leader Mohsin Ranjha by party workers — until June 8. Barrister Gohar, Imran’s lawyer, appeared in court and filed a request for his client’s exemption from personal appearance, which was approved.

IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq also inquired about the registration of a first information report related to the arrest made from the court’s premises. The attorney general responded that a Supreme Court verdict is pending in the case.

Honda to resume production after longest spell of plant shutdown

CONTINUED FROM BACK PAGE

Furthermore, it is difficult to forecast the exchange rate one year in advance. It is not feasible to operate a business under such circumstances,” he adds. Profit had also approached the aforementioned two Honda officials to see if there had been an update in this particular situation, and if a solution had been worked out. The lack of a response leaves room for speculation.

A YEAR TO FORGET

Honda’s total sales across FY23 are less than half of its sales during the same period last year. Based on data provided by the Pakistan Automotive Manufacturers Association, Honda’s sales across all models during the first 10 months of FY23 (10MFY23) clocked in at 7,489 units, compared to its sales of 41,635 units during the first 10 months of FY22 (10MFY22). This represents a massive contraction of 82% in sales volume. The average number of cars sold per month decreased from 1,623 units in FY22 to 824 units in FY23. The months of the production shutdown itself saw even significantly lower numbers than usual. Honda’s average sales per month until February stood at 965 units but then fell to 261 units during the plant shutdown, with the May numbers yet to be revealed.

Tax on cash withdrawal to make a comeback in new fiscal year

CONTINUED FROM BACK PAGE

Additionally, while measures such as taxing cash withdrawals or deposits may increase revenues for the government, they are regressive and contradict the principle of equitable and fair taxation. It appears that the primary focus is to increase tax collection, potentially at the expense of various sectors of the economy. IMF and World Bank equation

Notably, the government attempted to introduce this tax on cash withdrawals in February 2023 but faced strong resistance from international financial institutions like the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank.

Pakistan and the IMF have not been able to strike a staff-level agreement on the ninth review of the loan programme. The government has also not yet accepted the IMF’s demand to

discuss the next fiscal year’s budget. Given the current friction in relations between Pakistan and the IMF, the government may be more determined to press ahead with its plans.

Nevertheless, the re-imposition of the withholding tax may have consequences for Pakistan’s efforts to secure a $450 million budget support loan from the World Bank. This loan is crucial for the country to address its dwindling foreign exchange reserves. As of May 5, 2023, the SBP’s foreign currency reserves stood at $4.38 billion, down by $74 million as compared to $4.46 billion on April 28. The net reserves held by banks amounted to $5.61 billion. Overall, the liquid foreign currency reserves held by the country stood at $9.99 billion which is sufficient to cover for imports of few weeks only.

Elimination of Hard Dollars in the economy

In order to enhance documentation, and transparency, and reduce the use of physical cash (hard dollars), the RRMC has proposed a significant change regarding foreign currency transactions. They suggested that commercial banks should be entrusted with foreign exchange transactions instead of relying on foreign exchange companies. The only exception would be for outgoing passengers at airports, which can be handled at airport counters, all transactions in foreign currency should be through the banking system, according to a report prepared by the RRMC.

It is important to note that although foreign exchange companies have been involved in facilitating the movement of dollars in and out of the country, some of them have been implicated in cases of money laundering in the past.

Bandial says ‘good to see you’ his standard greeting for all

Back to talks?

Adjournment of Punjab polls case shows that talks are the only solution

tHE supreme Court has adjourned to next week its hearing of a suo motu reference about the Punjab assembly elections, without taking any of the drastic actions that was being predicted against the Prime Minister, members of the Cabinet, and treasury Mnas. this action was being predicted because the Court had declared itself bent on applying the april 14 date it had set for fresh elections. its failure to have the date it set meant that it had failed to have its order obeyed for the second time this year. the first time was also over an election, which the Election Commission of Pakistan refused to conduct, of the islamabad local councils. speculation cannot be avoided about the influence of the PDM sit-in, taking place, at the time of the sitting of the three-member Bench hearing the case. Just down the road, down Constitution avenue, Parliament had also met in joint session. the national assembly passed a resolution setting up a special committee to draft a reference against the Chief Justice of Pakistan, who was heading the bench. the Bench reverted to a mechanism that had already failed to deliver a solution, that of talks. Once again, the Bench showed that it did not regard as immutable the 90-day limit within the Constitution for general elections after a dissolution, by saying that the political parties should put their heads together and come up with a date that can be agreed on. in principal, this is the best way out, probably the only way out. the ability of politicians to get together and find a way out of whatever difficulty theft might be in, is proverbial; the current dispute over the Us borrowing cap being an example. However, at the moment, there is a practical difficulty. the Pti had selected three negotiators with some difficulty, but two of them have been arrested since last the talks took place, being held during the protests over party chief imran khan’s arrest. Mr khan’s desire for a hardline stance during the negotiations remains unchanged, as does his legendary refusal to talk to those he considers corrupt, so it seems there is a dilemma there for both the Pti and the government. While the government has not had anyone arrested, at the moment it does not have anyone to talk to. it is not a simple matter of releasing negotiators, because the charges involve charges of damaging military installations, and their release would require the establishment to be on board… the supreme Court has given itself a hard row to hoe.

Dedicated to the legacy of late Hameed Nizami

Arif Nizami (Late)

Founding Editor

Yousaf Nizami Editor

M. A. Niazi Joint Editor Umar Aziz Executive Editor

Arab opinion reflects regional changes

The rise of China

Washington Watch

Dr JAmes J ZoGby

In recent years, a significant juggling of relationships has occurred across the arab World. after the debacle of iraq and the dizzying, often incoherent shifts in Us policy over the past 20 years, the Usa is no longer the dominant player it once was. Russia and China have entered the region’s calculus as global powers of influence. and iran, israel, turkey, saudi arabia, and the UaE have emerged as local powers making their presence felt. the region has faced a number of unsettling challenges. Of special concern: destabilization resulting from internal conflicts plaguing several countries, threats posed by iran’s sectarian meddling, and dangers created by israel’s brutality and acquisitiveness in the occupied Palestinian lands.

With the Usa either doing little to calm these troubled waters or actually contributing to roil them, arab countries have been compelled to establish their own paths forward to protect or project their interests.

in 2020, to forestall what many believed was an imminent israeli formal annexation of a large portion of the Palestinian territories, the UaE launched the abrahamic accords. Other countries have since joined. Meanwhile, several regional arab countries have met with and begun opening up to iraq and restoring normal relations with syria. and while israel and some Us hawks thought arab ties with israel would establish a regional bloc against iran, the UaE and now saudi arabia, with help from China, have taken steps to normalize ties with iran.

With these regional shifts and independent arab initiatives, the Usa has been caught unprepared. its outmoded playbook posits israel as the region’s centre of gravity, and iran and syria as pariahs to be shunned and confronted. Following Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, and China’s emergence as a threat to Us global hegemony, the Usa has resurrected the Cold War’s battle cry of “democracy versus authoritarianism.”

How are the new regional alignments playing out in arab opinion? in an effort to assess arab views of

these developments, Zogby Research services has, in recent years, conducted polls in over a dozen arab countries. Here’s what we have found: Having long felt alienated from the Usa and its policies and despite blaming Russia for its assault on Ukraine, arabs don’t want their governments to become involved or follow the Us lead in supporting Ukraine. they view the conflict as a European/Us matter. and, in most arab countries public opinion sees China as the emerging power. acknowledging that the Usa is today more powerful than China, they see the gap closing in the next 10 years, and in 20 years, majorities in every country see China emerging as the world’s power. What’s important, but too often overlooked by Us policymakers, is that where arabs see the Usa’s strong suit in its competition with China is in its “soft power”— its cultural values and its education. What we have learned from our polling is that arabs like the Usa and its values but feel that the Usa doesn’t care about them.

When looking inward, arabs in most countries give the highest scores to Egypt, saudi arabia, and the UaE in their favorability, their roles in the region, and the importance of having ties with them. at the same time, iran and israel are seen as regional threats— with israel being seen as a greater threat than iran in all countries except the UaE, Morocco, and saudi arabia, where iran is seen as slightly more threatening than israel.

Pakistan: Overcoming obstacles to energy security

AminA A GhAfoor

Pakistan has many reasons to worry about its energy security: lack of a sufficient strategic Petroleum Reserve, severe pollution conditions and environmental problems, skyrocketing inflation, political instability, dramatic fluctuation of global energy prices and rising domestic energy prices, and severe shortages of electricity and water.

the challenges facing the Pakistani government are to better manage its dependence on oil and to define a sustainable energy security path, rather than to simply pursue “oil independence.” With a lack of continuous attention and clear strategy to the energy policy undercutting Pakistan’s foreign policy and economic security, integrating energy security issues with other aspects of Pakistan’s foreign policy remains a challenge for islamabad. R. B Fuller said; there are no energy crises, only the crisis of ignorance.

We will start with a brief review over Pakistan’s indicative Generation Capacity Expansion Plan iGCEP 2022-31. Current installed Energy is 43,775 MW as on 30 June 2022 and targeted energy generation is 69,372 MW, respectively by the year 2031. Here is the summary of the plan; we must appreciate that the government is focused and planning to overcome the energy crisis. Few main strength of indicative Generation Capacity Expansion plan (iGCEP) 2021 ~ 2030 are that government is willing to use the power of water in the form of hydro energy. However, there are a few technical aspects which may require more effort by the relevant officials and if ignored can cause serious financial and manpower damage. Here is the snag list of indicative Generation Capacity Expansion plan (iGCEP) 2021 ~ 2030, it is based on 1. Outdated Generation, transmission and distribution systems, 2. Zero focus on improvement of existing system, line losses, maintenance of machinery, 3. Obsession for Dams; dams may sound a perfect solution for energy generation but they carry a bucket of jumbles like we have internal conflicts of provinces, they require high budgets, it takes long term tenures for construction, usual lack of research on water reserve and climate changes, 4. neg-

lected Renewables; solar Energy (the targeted solar energy is only four percebt, despite the fact that Pakistan is blessed with a great irradiance graph), mistreated coastal line of our land which is approximately 990 km, 5. Coal Reserves ; total reserve of coal is approximately 3,377 million tons (enough for energy generation for more than a century), but why is our coal untreated and totally untouched? While the rest of the world is using coal, why nobody thought to change the data written in our books which says our coal will take 70 years to be matured so that we can use it and we have been reading it since 70-plus years, 5. taking Maximum benefit of Professional Engineers and think tanks; energy generation is a complete technical matter which requires critical analysis on planning, execution and implementation. 6. the “industrial Zones” which were being ignored in the plan; industries are strongly linked with our economy-but government however forgot to take them onboard, un-defined industrial zones, there have been no discussion on the need of industries, businessmen and industrial think tanks should also be taken on board to cater their energy need as well, 7. no emphasis on advanced technology, 8. Public awareness on electricity theft, 98. Public awareness for domestic solar plants, 10. For developing countries like us, the government should give awareness through campaigns on benefits of solar panels for our domestic needs. this will help to put our government at some ease. 11. Poor planning may lead towards loss of finances and skill power as there is no technical data provided, and there is zero emphasis on advanced technology, 11. Government’s poor management of circular debt, and 12. in iGCEP planning is not made for centuries but only for years.

in the current stage of industrialization― especially in Pakistan― energy security is essential for economic security. Economic security, in turn, is a critical element of national security and an objective of foreign policy. Pakistan has various and plentiful natural endowments, such as minerals, metals, and coal among other natural resources; it is not a resource-poor country. Full use of these resources will definitely lead to selfreliance and self-sufficiency. We can take help from our friend China by using their energy security model for promoting energy conservation through three corresponding objectives: eco-

nomic efficiency, the reduction of poverty, and environmental preservation. to obtain economic efficiency, the energy sector is expected to transform from the planned economy to the marketoriented economy. the industrialization economic model of the West, that relies heavily on high carbon output, may not be a good example to follow. Pakistan needs to design its own energy security given its natural resource endowments, technological level, and potential growth. though Pakistan has strong potential for growth in the hydro-power, nuclear, wind, and natural gas sectors, in the short run it may consider making full use of its coal resources in order to alleviate oil dependence or dam conflicts. in the medium run or long run, Pakistan should build a low-carbon economy by conducting R&D in clean coal technology and developing renewable energy. Policies based on a single-minded pursuit of resources or a unilateral approach to energy security will lead to national energy insecurity and damage the credibility of Pakistan’s diplomacy.

Like many countries, Pakistan realizes that foreign policy should not be completely subordinated to resource diplomacy.

Given the multi-faceted nature of energy security, multilateral agreements between nations and regions will become more and more important in ensuring the availability of energy resources and possibly regulating their exploitation and consumption. Pakistan and other regional states may need to establish ties to coordinate in times of energy price and supply shocks so that member countries can better prepare for a sudden energy crisis and improve cooperation. Energy crisis will continue to pose challenges to islamabad in both the short and the long run.

Foreign policy and domestic economic policy are inseparably entangled with each other. Energy policy should be an important part of foreign policy as long as Pakistan’s economy continues to grow and sustain well. nevertheless, Pakistan may need to continue to define and search for an energy security path in order to balance energy security with Pakistan’s accountability and responsibility to its nation, environment, and international society for a better, brighter, breathable future for next generations.

The writer can be reached at amina.a.ghafoor@gmail.com

also noteworthy is that of all five arab countries that have peace agreements with israel, only in the UaE has there been any warming of attitudes toward that state. in Egypt, Jordan, Bahrain, and Morocco, favourable attitudes toward israel remain quite low. and despite the overwhelming majority of saudis who report negative attitudes toward israel, a sizable minority of saudis say that ties might still be beneficial.

Palestinians and Palestinian citizens of israel have consistently favourable views toward the major arab countries (UaE, saudthe i arabia, and Egypt) that are playing a role in their region. and all have negative views toward iran. the Palestinian respondents also display mixed views toward the abrahamic accords and its impact on their lives, with the Palestinian citizens of israel and the Palestinians of East Jerusalem being more favourably inclined toward the accords than the Palestinians who live in the West Bank and Gaza. among Palestinian citizens of israel, a substantial majority say that the accords have either had a positive impact on their lives or could be positive in the future. these findings from recent polling point to the clear reality that arab opinion is mostly aligned with changes occurring across the region. they no longer see the Usa as “the only player in town.” they have no interest in following the Us lead and have growing respect for China’s role in the region. While there are strong negatives associated with both iran and israel, there is recognition that a new regional dynamic is unfolding in which arabs need to define their own paths forward.

Other findings suggest that both iran and israel should understand that current moves toward regional integration will only continue to grow if behaviour changes- with iran ending its meddlesome role in several countries and israel advancing justice and rights for the Palestinian people.

The writer is resident of the Arab American Institute

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

Poor system

in Pakistan, we can see a wave of various literary festivals, seminars and conferences held in multiple cities. People from different walks of life show their presence either as hosts, guests or participants to get insight on a wide range of topics.

Earlier, such a trend was limited to the big cities of the country, but today we can see literary festivals and seminars in numerous cities. the essence of such events is to discuss matters with the intent to mitigate the issues faced by people on various fronts. these events are usually sponsored by provincial governments, non-governmental organisations (nGOs), embassies and profit-oriented companies, including multinational organisations.

ironically, the entities that sponsor such programmes are the basic exploiters or the ones responsible at least partly for the issues that are discussed on these very platforms. For instance, a fertiliser-producing company sponsors the conference on climate change which should be, in fact, held accountable for the destruction of the environment. there can be many examples added to exhibit this irony.

this paints a positive picture of the capitalist vicious structure that creates financial constraints and shows the hypocritical behaviour of the system. these are the perils of the structural dominance of capitalism that despite damaging society, such multinational companies are presented as entities building a better society.

as a result, the outcome of such events is limited to papers and social media chatter without any productive implications.

TAHIR GADEHI SEHWAN SHAREEF

Postdoctoral training

Many higher education institutions in Pakistan offer PhD degree programmes in various fields of knowledge. nevertheless, the wellestablished global norm of offering a postdoctoral position after ending a doctoral degree still needs to be realised in our part of the world. Customarily, the postdoctoral position is a logical step necessary for transforming a PhD degree holder into an independent researcher. in principle, someone with a post- doctorate is eligible to attain a tenured academic position. Moreover, it is also possible for postdoctoral fellows to pursue non-faculty careers with duly optimised professional training they get while working in the capacity of a postdoctorate. to introduce the postdoctoral fellowship programme in our country, there is a need to devise policies for the training scheme and support system. this is necessary to set up a frame-work for postdoctorate, faculty members and administration staff, and to build linkages involving universities, other academic and research institutions in the country and industries that are active across the country.

initially, the Office of Research innovation and Commercialisation (ORiC) may be given an additional role to achieve institutional recommendation and support. it is essential to make policies pertaining to employment and training, and to establish industry-academia linkages, especially regarding technical issues that industries need to resolve with the help of academia. With an increasing trend of enrolment in PhD programmes, it is necessary to motivate young scholars to adopt a path that might lead to a successful academic/research career. the postdoctoral programmes will lower the faculty burden, enhance the quality of research, and lead to an overall projection of industry-academia linkages and motivation of young researchers. the state must consider supporting postdoctoral fellowship programmes in local universities in consultation with the trained professionals working in various institutions of higher learning.

These findings from recent polling point to the clear reality that Arab opinion is mostly aligned with changes occurring across the region. They no longer see the USA as „the only player in town.‰

Energy crisis will continue to pose challenges to Islamabad in both the short and the long run. Foreign policy and domestic economic policy are inseparably entangled with each other.

The Western development model requires too much energy

Behind slogans against Pakistan’s Military

a university and was placed on “physical remand” for eight days; On the other hand, khan has denied any wrongdoing. in February, aftab sultan, chairman of the national accountability Bureau (naB), had resigned from his position, reportedly after refusing to comply with the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government which had allegedly asked him to arrest imran khan. He resigned because he refused to build a case against him.

many in all big cities. Pti leader Fawad Chaudhry who was arrested outside the supreme Court when he had expressed fears that plans were being made to extend the tenure of the current coalition government by declaring an emergency. He emphasized that elections must be held to transfer the government to the elected officials, and he criticized those who were putting the country’s future at risk.

“TWO things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and i’m not sure about the universe.” this saying 6f albert Einstein’s is very fit in this current situation of Pakistan. tensions between military and Pti supporters escalated in big cities of Pakistan after the arrest of former Prime Minister imran khan on May 9. Being an army officer’s wife, it was very painful for me to hear chanting slogans against Pakistan’s military. i was thinking who would come to give blood to our troops during war when Pakistan always remains under war threats from its neighbo4r country? Who will struggle to join Pak army when there will be no more respect for this most powerful institution of Pakistan?

Later on May 11, Pakistan’s supreme Court ruled the arrest of khan to be illegal and ordered for him to be immediately released. supreme Court Chief justice also asked khan to seek relief the next day from the islamabad High Court, where he was arrested, on the issue of naB arrest warrant and said khan will have to accept the decision of the court in this regard. the Chief Justice also asked khan to issue an appeal to his supporters to remain peaceful, as the country faced growing turmoil in its streets.

‘imran khan will be arrested; tensions would escalate, then it would be easy to skip elections;’ the rumors of this plan had been in the news everywhere in the media by Pti supporters since February 2023 which was continuously negated by the caretaker government in the last two months.

now former prime minister imran khan was arrested on May 9 inside the islamabad High Court where he was signing the papers for his bail in another case. Pakistan’s anti-corruption agency naB arrested imran khan apparently in a bogus case when only four days had left for elections decided by the supreme Court.

He is accused of illegally acquiring land to construct

Going back, On March 3, President arif alvi announced april 30 as the date for general elections in Punjab— keeping in view that the ECP proposed the Punjab general polls date between april 30 to May 7. Later the supreme Court fixed May 14 as the general polls date for Punjab. Pakistan’s interior Minister Rana sanaullah’s comments came after the top court nullified a decision by the election regulator to postpone polls in the Punjab province “When circumstances develop, the option of emergency is stated in the constitution.” it becomes a way to declare a state of emergency in case the country is threatened by war or external aggression, or by internal disturbance.

after khan’s arrest, his political party, Pakistan tehreek insaf, called for peaceful protests across Pakistan. Before his own arrest, Pti Vice Chairman shah Mahmood Qureshi had reiterated the party’s call for “peaceful protest”. Pti supporters began marches in various cities and burned state buildings. Within hours, roads had been blocked on main thoroughfares in major cities. the police fired tear gas shells at the protesters in all big cities. not only Pti workers, but the common mass who are khan’s supporters came on roads to protest in high anger.

Pakistan is facing a multidimensional crisis. the economy is teetering on collapse due to a political crisis, the rupee is plummeting and inflation at decades-high levels, devastating floods, and a significant shortage of energy. Despite concerns raised by Pti workers, as well as the opposition party in the past, the government in December of last year ruled out the possibility of imposing an economic emergency.

Twice the elections have already been postponed despite a clear popular demand and categorical orders of the Supreme Court. Now if the Pakistan Army takes control in three provinces, it would not be difficult for the military to conduct elections. Elections are the only solution to calm down the situation and create a cool and friendly atmosphere in Pakistan

in this escalation, many had been killed and hundreds were injured including some policemen. the police have arrested hundreds of supporters of khan, including former ministers, for violence after his arrest. Mobile data services were shut for a third day while twitter, youtube and Facebook were disrupted, as security forces tried to restore order after violence killed

US supplies weapons to 57% of ‘authoritarian’ regimes

“These findings fly in the face of Biden’s preferred framing of international politics as a ‘battle between democracies and autocracies,’” says the author of a new report

Data released in March showed that the U.S. accounted for 40 percent of global weapons exports from 2018 to 2022

of Gothenburg in sweden, which uses a classification system called Regimes of the World.

“Of the 84 countries codified as autocracies under the Regimes of the World system in 2022, the United states sold weapons to at least 48, or 57%, of them,” semler wrote.

“the ‘at least’ qualifier is necessary because several factors frustrate the accurate tracking of U.s. weapons sales. the state Department’s report of commercial arms sales during the fiscal year makes prodigious use of ‘various’ in its recipients category; as a result, the specific recipients for nearly $11 billion in weapons sales are not disclosed.”

Unfortunately, the crisis comes as the nation of 220 million people grapples with an acute economic crisis. and now after khan’s illegal arrest, the largest protests took place in the cities of Lahore and Peshawar, both political strongholds for khan, and saw crowds clash with security forces. authorities in three of the country’s four provinces have imposed an emergency order banning all gatherings. the military has been called into islamabad and khyber Pakhtunkhwa to provide security assistance. khan has repeatedly accused the military of conspiring with Prime Minister Mian shehbaz sharif to remove him from office, even calling out a senior official by name and accusing him of being behind the shooting that injured him in november2022. Going on khan’s claims, his supporters have targeted their rage toward the military, fervently taking to social media to put out messages against the establishment and current Government. khan’s supporters are mostly from urban middle class and youngsters. this has put increased pressure on the military establishment. Here this would be wrong to say that the establishment has been solely responsible for derailing democracy. in fact, it happens only when some political parties join hands with the establishment.

in this scenario, it is clear that the army’s coalition with 14 political parties cannot afford khan’s return to power. However, it would not be wrong that such a move would have “severe consequences” for the country’s democratic institutions. the imposition of a state of emergency and denied access to internet with illegal arrest of big mass would likely result in the suspension of civil liberties, and the curtailing of press freedom. in turn, it would lead to further chaos and instability, creating hurdles for Pakistan to attract foreign investment and maintain its economic growth when it is already badly suffering from inflation.

twice the elections have already been postponed despite a clear popular demand and categorical orders of the supreme Court. now if the Pakistan army takes control in three provinces, it would not be difficult for the military to conduct elections. Elections are the only solution to calm down the situation and create a cool and friendly atmosphere in Pakistan.

the Pak army remains Pakistan’s most powerful institution, having ruled the south asian nation directly for close to half its 75-year history through three coups.

But now i feel sorry for the Pakistan army who has been pushed in this anger when every army officer and his family enjoyed love and respect by common mass being a sign of high values, dignity and patriotism. alas! We are going to lose all this respect for the army due to some political parties who drag Pak army in politics for their interests.

The writer can be contacted at aishaz99@gmail.com and tweets @aishaz99

Why Erdoğan is the favourite as Turkey’s presidential election heads into runoff

His better-than-expected performance in the first round puts him in the driver’s seat CONVERSATION

than the akP while maintaining their support for his own candidacy within the presidential race. it is not uncommon to hear people in turkey complain about corruption and dissatisfaction in the country’s economic performance who keep voting for Erdoğan as national leader.

Meanwhile, regions hit by an earthquake earlier this year did not punish Erdoğan for the poor initial response as severely as many had expected.

COMMON DREAMS

Kenny stAncil

PREsiDEnt Joe Biden claims that the United states is leading “democracies” in a fight against “autocracies” to establish a peaceful international order, but his administration approved weapons sales to nearly threefifths of the world’s authoritarian countries in 2022. that’s according to a new analysis conducted by security Policy Reform institute cofounder stephen semler and published thursday in the intercept.

the U.s. has been the world’s largest arms dealer since the end of the Cold War. Data released in March showed that the U.s. accounted for 40 percent of global weapons exports from 2018 to 2022.

as semler explained: “in general, these exports are funded through grants or sales. there are two pathways for the latter category: foreign military sales and direct commercial sales. the U.s. government acts as an intermediary for FMs acquisitions: it buys the materiel from a company first and then delivers the goods to the foreign recipient. DCs acquisitions are more straightforward: they’re the result of an agreement between a U.s. company and a foreign government. Both categories of sales require the government’s approval.

Country-level data for last year’s DCs authorizations was released in late april through the state Department’s Directorate of Defense trade Controls. FMs figures for fiscal year 2022 were released earlier this year through the Pentagon’s Defense security Cooperation agency. according to their data, a total of 142 countries and territories bought weapons from the U.s. in 2022, for a total of $85 billion in bilateral sales.”

to determine how many of those governments were democratic and how many were autocratic, semler relied on data from the Varieties of Democracy project at the University

“the Regimes of the World system is just one of the several indices that measure democracy worldwide, but running the same analysis with other popular indices produces similar results,” semler observed. “For example, Freedom House listed 195 countries and for each one labeled whether it qualified as an electoral democracy in its annual Freedom in the World report. Of the 85 countries Freedom House did not designate as an electoral democracy, the United states sold weapons to 49, or 58%, of them in fiscal year 2022.”

Despite the White House’s lofty rhetoric, it is actively bolstering the military power of a majority of the world’s authoritarian countries, from saudi arabia and the United arab Emirates to dozens of others, including some overlooked by researchers at the University of Gothenburg.

For instance, the Varieties of Democracy project characterizes israel as a “liberal democracy” even though human rights groups around the world have condemned it as a decidedly anti-democratic apartheid state. Washington, meanwhile, showers israel with $3.8 billion in military support each year, resources that the government uses to violently dispossess and frequently kill Palestinians at will.

as semler put in his “speaking security” newsletter, “these findings fly in the face of Biden’s preferred framing of international politics as a “battle between democracies and autocracies.”

the president’s narrative “lends itself more

to a self-righteous foreign policy than an honest or productive one,” semler argued. “Dividing the world between democratic and autocratic countries—in the spirit of ‘with us or against us’—makes conflict more likely and has had a chilling effect on calls for diplomacy and détente. it’s also harder to cooperate with the international community while insisting you’re locked in an existential fight with roughly half of them.”

Kenny Stancil is a staff writer for Common Dreams.

TURkEy is heading toward a presidential runoff election on May 28, after no candidate won more than half the votes in the first round – the barrier needed to be declared an outright winner. incumbent Recep tayyip Erdoğan, who has ruled the country for two decades, defied polls by coming closest. He will now face off against opposition leader kemal kılıçdaroğlu in a second-round vote.

1) WHAT HAPPENED IN THE FIRST ROUND OF VOTING?

turkish voters participated in two elections on May 14, 2023: one for the presidency and one for the nation’s parliament. as of writing, 99.9% of ballot boxes have reported.

With 49.6% of the vote, President Erdoğan’s governing coalition – which consists of his own conservative Justice and Development Party, or akP, the nationalist MHP and smaller islamist parties – earned a majority of seats within the parliament: 322 of the available 600. although the de jure authority of parliament was curtailed substantively as the result of a 2017 referendum, controlling it would enable Erdoğan to govern without worrying about any serious challenge from parliament. if he wins the presidency, he will have a solid legislative support for his agenda. in the presidential race, Erdoğan earned 49.5% of the vote, which means that he will have a runoff election on May 28, 2023, with kılıçdaroğlu, who earned 44.9% of the vote. kılıçdaroğlu is the joint candidate of “the table of six” coalition – an opposition bloc that consists of parties that are secular and nationalist as well as conservative – two of which have split from the akP. in the second round, whoever reaches 50% will become the president. But Erdoğan is heading into the vote with a clear advantage and momentum, especially given that polls before the vote suggested he would come second in the first round.

2) WHY DID ERDOĞAN DO BETTER THAN PREDICTED?

Multiple reasons can account for Erdoğan’s strong performance. although turkish citizens have suffered from severe inflation, it appears that Erdoğan’s message of putting national security interests above economic challenges convinced a substantial portion of his conservative and nationalist base. this is despite the fact that Erdoğan’s party, akP, keeps losing popularity, particularly in metropolitan districts. the percentage of nationwide support for akP declined from 42.5% in 2018 to 35.6% in 2023.

However, Erdoğan manages to remain afloat by adding small islamist and nationalist parties to his coalition. By doing that, he has allowed his base to vote for coalition parties other

i should also add that turkey’s commitment to free and fair elections has been questioned. Erdoğan uses state resources and his control over the judiciary and a significant portion of the media for his own advantage. in a few instances, the opposition candidates were intimidated by vigilantes. there were also missteps by his main rival that undermined his turnout. kılıçdaroğlu has been the head of the Republican People’s Party or CHP, since 2010. Under his chairmanship, his party has lost every single election and referendum except for a 2019 local ballot. kılıçdaroğlu did not allow any public debates on his candidacy and blocked the nomination of two popular mayors, Ekrem İmamoğlu and Mansur yavaş, early on. He tasked the “table of six” leaders with the nomination process, which was a means for him to bypass the need for primary elections and earn some mandate for his candidacy. He promised the four small parties various positions, including ministers, vice presidents and the nomination of 77 parliamentarians on CHP’s list, in order for them to nominate him. Meanwhile he used the support of these parties to pressure Meral akşener, the leader of iyi Party, to accept his candidacy. although akşener reluctantly accepted, a substantive base of iyi voted in the presidential ballot for the third candidate, sinan Oğan, who earned 5.2% of the vote.

Over the years, kılıçdaroğlu has been accused of establishing a patrimonial and hierarchical governance structure, rewarding his loyalists and isolating people who dared to challenge him. Media outlets that are financially supported by his party have fired journalists critical of him. as a result, his own media did not critically evaluate his candidacy, and news of his popularity may have been inflated.

Meanwhile, the ideological orientation of CHP – social democracy – has, i believe, gradually eroded, with the party becoming more of a catchall organization without a clear direction. added to this, a substantial number of voters may have been wary of a coalition government. turkish citizens suffered substantively during the coalition governments from 1990s through 2002 because of political instability and economic recession.

Finally, turnout in kurdish-majority cities remained rather low, and nationalist voters wary of any ties to HDP, the kurdish nationalist party, shied away from voting for kılıçdaroğluu.

3)

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

the better-than-expected performance from Erdoğan puts him in the driver’s seat heading into the second-round vote. an Erdoğan win would consolidate his authoritarian style of governance. it could also further weaken the opposition, with indicators that the two main opposition parties may experience a leadership struggle. Meanwhile, turkish citizens will go to the ballot once again on March 31, 2024, for local elections. the two main opposition parties previously nominated joint candidates, who succeeded in winning mayoral positions in key metropolitan areas. a potential division within the opposition could enable Erdoğan’s governing akP to expand its control over these major municipalities, such as istanbul and ankara. Moving forward, this would be very bad news for the opposition. Erdoğan has been in power since 2002. He has ruled the country longer than any other turkish president and even many Ottoman sultans. an additional five years would allow him to consolidate his authority within the state institutions even further.

US ON TRACK FOR JUNE 1 DEFAULT WITHOUT DEBT CEILING HIKE, TREASURY SAYS

THEU.S. Treasury Department reiterated Monday it expects to be able to pay the U.S. government’s bills only through June 1 without a debt limit increase, increasing pressure on congressional Republicans and the White House to reach a deal in coming days.

In her second letter to Congress in two weeks, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen confirmed that the agency will be unlikely to meet all U.S. government payment obligations by early June, triggering the first-ever U.S. default. The debt ceiling could become binding by June 1, she said.

The new date reflects further data on revenues and payments received since Yellen’s told Congress on May 1 that Treasury would likely run out of cash to pay government bills in early June, and potentially

as early as June 1. It comes a day before U.S. President Joe Biden is expected to meet House Speaker Kevin McCarthy for talks, and ahead of an overseas trip for the President that starts Wednesday.

The actual date Treasury exhausts extraordinary measures could be a number of days or weeks later than these estimates, Yellen said in today’s letter, a shift from May 1’s letter that warned only of “”a number of weeks later.” She said she will provide an additional update to Congress next week as more information becomes available.

Biden travels to Japan on Wednesday for a Group of Seven leaders summit, then to Australia, a trip that will take about a week. McCarthy said Monday there had been no progress in marathon talks at the staff level throughout the weekend.

Yellen has repeatedly warned that failure by Congress to raise the $31.4 trillion federal debt limit could spark a “constitutional crisis” and would unleash an “eco-

nomic and financial catastrophe” for the U.S. and global economies.

The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office last week said the United States faces

China sees Netherlands as priority partner in EU: Chinese premier

CHINA AGENCIES

China sees the Netherlands as a priority partner in the European Union (EU) and is willing to work together to promote cooperation in various fields to yield new results, Chinese Premier Li Qiang said on Tuesday. Li made the remarks during a phone conversation with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte.

China and the Netherlands agreed to push forward their open and practical comprehensive cooperative partnership, which is in line with the interests of the

mark

RAMALLAH

AFP

Thousands from across the occupied West Bank demonstrated Monday, waving Palestinian flags to mark the 75th anniversary of the “Nakba” or “catastrophe” associated with Israel’s contentious creation. According to the UN, more than

two countries and their peoples, Li said. The Chinese side will continue to expan market access and strengthen intellectual property protection, Li said, adding that China welcomes more competitive enterprises and more high-quality products from the Netherlands to enter the Chinese market. t is hoped that the Netherlands will provide an open, fair and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese enterprises to invest there, Li said. The Chinese premier said China will work with the Netherlands to deepen cooperation in agriculture, water conservatory and new energy, promote

760,000 Palestinians fled or were expelled from their homes in 1948. In Ramallah, the seat of the Palestinian Authority, protesters carried black banners that read “Return” and also raised images of old keys, a symbol of the Palestinians’ plight and demand for recognition of their right to return.

Commemoration of the Nakba this year comes during heigtened tensions in the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land, which has claimed more than 170 lives on both sides since the start of the year. 35 people, almost all of them Palestinian, were killed during five days of fighting between Israel and armed groups in the blockaded Gaza Strip last week.

Israel was established on May 14, 1948 following a United Nations vote in November 1947 that divided the British Mandate for Palestine into a Jewish and an Arab state. A day after Israel declared state-

cultural and people-to-people exchanges, and enhance cooperation in multilateral fields, such as addressing climate change. Both China and the Netherlands are beneficiaries and supporters of economic globalization and free trade, Li said.

He called on the Netherlands to adhere to market principles and rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO), safeguard the common interests of the two countries and their enterprises, and maintain the smooth flow of the global industrial and supply chains. China’s EU policy has maintained a high degree of continuity and stability, Li said, adding

hood, five Arab armies attacked the young nation. In the war that ensued, Israel defeated the Arab forces. During the conflict, more than 600 communities were destroyed or depopulated by Jewish forces, according to the Israeli organisation Zochrot.

Palestinians have since demanded a right to return, which Israel has steadfastly denied, claiming it would be tantamount to a demographic surrender of the state’s Jewish nature. According to the United Nations, there are now 5.9 million Palestinian refugees living in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. Israel celebrated its 75th Independence Day on April 26, according to the Jewish calendar.

‘RESPECT INTERNATIONAL RES-

OLUTIONS’: For the first time, the United Nations commemorated Nakba at its headquarters in New York on Monday, after a resolution was passed in November. Palestinian Authority president Mahmud Abbas, whose “State of Palestine” has UN observer status, spoke in Arabic at a special session of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People. “We demand today officially, in

a “significant risk” of defaulting on payment obligations within the first two weeks of June without a debt ceiling hike, with payment operations uncertain throughout May.

that both sides should practice true multilateralism and jointly oppose bloc confrontation and a “new Cold War.” The Chinese premier expressed his belief that the Netherlands will push Europe to uphold strategic autonomy to contribute more to advancing the development of China-EU relations.

Hailing China as an important partner of the Netherlands, Rutte called for maintaining close high-level exchanges with China and deepening cooperation to push forward the development of the open and practical comprehensive cooperative partnership of the two countries.

The Netherlands is willing to continue to be the link and bridge for cooperation and exchanges between the EU and China, he said.

The two sides also exchanged views on regional and international issues of common concern.

West Bank

accordance with international law and international resolutions, to make sure that Israel respects these resolutions or suspend Israel’s membership of the UN,” Abbas said, referring to hundreds of UN resolutions over the years that Palestinians view as guaranteeing their rights. During the hour-long speech, he said that Nakba “did not start in 1948 and it did not stop after that date.”

“Israel the occupying power continues its occupation and its aggression against the Palestinian people and continues to deny this Nakba and rejects international resolutions regarding the return of Palestinian refugees to their homeland.”

‘NOT A NUMBER’: Back in Ramallah, 64-year-old Khairy Hanun, dressed in a traditional Palestinian costume, was carrying an old suitcase and an old key, symbolising the displacement of 1948. “We are here to tell the occupation (Israel) that it was like this that they have chased away our parents and grandparents, only with the clothes on their backs”, said Hanun, a resident of Tulkarm in the northern West Bank.

Some analysts, including the Congressional Budget Office, have suggested that Treasury could last as long as August without a default if it can access June 15 quarterly tax payments and new borrowing measures that become available June 30.

Yellen urged action as soon as possible in Monday’s letter. “We have learned from past debt limit impasses that waiting until the last minute to suspend or increase the debt limit can cause serious harm to business and consumer confidence, raise shortterm borrowing costs for taxpayers, and negatively impact the credit rating of the United States,” Yellen said. She said Treasury’s borrowing costs had already increased substantially for securities maturing in early June “If Congress fails to increase the debt limit, it would cause severe hardship to American families, harm our global leadership position, and raise questions about our ability to defend our national security interests,” she said.

China’s April data show economic recovery losing steam, testing policymakers

CHINA REUTERS

China’s April industrial output and retail sales growth undershot forecasts, suggesting the economy lost momentum at the beginning of the second quarter and intensifying pressure on policymakers to shore up a wobbly post-COVID recovery. Tuesday’s batch of data, which also showed a further decline in property investment, adds to concerns about the outlook for the world’s second-biggest economy as both its domestic and export engines of growth remain underpowered. Industrial output grew 5.6% in April from a year earlier, accelerating from the 3.9% pace seen in March, data released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed. It was well below expectations for a 10.9% increase in a Reuters poll of analysts although it marked the quickest growth rate since September 2022. Retail sales, a gauge of consumption, jumped 18.4%, up sharply from a 10.6% increase in March for their fastest increase since March 2021. Analysts had expected 21.0% growth. The year-on-year figures were heavily skewed by contractions last April when the financial hub of Shanghai and other major cities were under stringent anti-virus lockdowns and curbs, which severely impacted growth in the Asian giant in 2022. “Today’s weaker-than-expected data show how difficult it is to keep the growth engine running after restarting it,” said Bruce Pang, chief economist at Jones Lang Lasalle. Nomura economists took an even dimmer view: “As disappointment kicks in, we see a rising risk of downward spiral, resulting in weaker activity data, rising unemployment, persistent disinflation, falling market interest rates and a weaker currency.” “Year-over-year growth in Q2 may still look elevated, thanks to a low base, but sequential growth could experience a material decline,” they said. POLICY SUPPORT: Indeed, other data over the past week showing shrinking imports in April, deepening factory gate deflation and worse-than-expected bank loans signalled weak domestic demand, raising pressures on policymakers to shore up the economic recovery as global growth falters. China’s central bank kept the interest rate unchanged on Monday as expected, but markets are betting on more monetary easing in the coming months as the commodities data also highlighted pockets of weakness across the economy.

Palestinians

75 years since ‘Catastrophe’ in occupied

CORPORATE CORNER

FFC delegate presents FFC’s ESG Journey at joint session of SECP & ICAP

Fauji Fertilizer Company Limited nominee was invited as guest speaker in the joint session organized by Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan (ICAP) on Capacity building and Sustainability disclosures & reporting at Lahore. The session was attended by diverse stakeholders comprising of representation from regulators, companies, multilateral institutions, professional bodies, capital market institutions and business forums. Syed Imran Rizvi, being member of PSX-ESG Task force & Steering Committee, represented FFC. He apprised the house about FFC’s ESG journey while appreciating the efforts of SECP, PSX & PICG in leading the ESG drive and creating awareness among various segments of corporate sector The Chairman SECP presented him with the SECP memento. PR

Telenor Microfinance Bank achieves profitability in March 2023 with impressive revenue growth in Q1'23

Telenor Microfinance Bank (TMB), operator of Pakistan’s leading digital financial services platform, easypaisa, has reported its financial results for Q1 2023, showcasing a strong performance despite challenging economic conditions. TMB's unaudited financial statements indicate a significant increase in its revenue, with the bank achieving Positive EBTDA during the quarter and Profit after tax for the month of March 2023 becoming the first digital platform in Pakistan to achieve Scale and Profitability.

TMB's strong performance was also reflected in EBTDA of PKR 227M for Q1 2023 which has shown YoY increase of 113%.TMB's revenue for Q1 2023 increased by 52% YoY. This growth was largely driven by the Bank's strong emphasis on digital first initiatives, value creation for users and improved unit economics which enabled the Bank to reach exponential scale and generate sustainable growth. PR

NOT-BY- PROFIT PAKISTAN'S ECONOMY AND REPUTATION SUFFER AS INTERNET SUSPENSION TAKES EFFECT

WRITINGfor The Express Tribune, Ariha Fatimah reports that Pakistan has experienced a significant blow to both its economy and reputation following the suspension of internet services and social media applications by the government. The move has resulted in the loss of Rs2.49 billion and widespread outrage among citizens who view it as an attack on freedom of expression.

The decision to suspend internet services was made by the interior ministry in response to violent protests that

IT SECTOR ALONE SUFFERS RS10B LOSS IN THREE DAYS

erupted following the arrest of PTI Chairman Imran Khan. The blackout lasted for several days, disrupting businesses, e-commerce, and online education. This is not the first time the government has resorted to internet blockades, but this particular incident has been widely criticized as an attack on freedom of expression and a violation of human rights in a democratic state.

The impact of the suspension has been felt in a number of areas. The business sector has suffered a major hit, with the Federal Board of Revenue losing around Rs2 billion in revenue.

Constitution plays key role for shaping up nation: LHC CJ

MULTAN STAFF REPORT

Lahore High Court(LHC) Chief Justice, Muhammad

Ameer Bhatti, said on Tuesday that the Constitution played a key role in shaping up the nation and values like independence, equality and justice are its centre.

Addressing a ceremony held in connection with celebrating golden jubilee of Constitution of Pakistan at BZU Gilani Law College here, he said that it was formulated after hard work and labour of day and night 50 years back and had come into effect in 1973. He informed that each one of us slauted the Constitution adding that it was the torch bearer of democracy and our hope and belief.

The LHC CJ noted that we have to follow it in letter and spirit for a better future and added that public and parliament rights, the appointment of judges and minority rights were some of its features.

The judiciary is playing its role in accordance with the constitution, the CJ said, adding that the golden jubilee teaches us to emerge as the best nation.

Former LHC CJ, Qasim Khan, said that it was unfortunate that everybody was defining the constitution with his own will.

He maintained that the constitution was a pact between the state and the public adding that it was bound to make people abide by it.

The Pakistan Software Export Association (PSEA) estimates that the IT sector alone suffered a loss of Rs10 billion in just three days. Millions of daily wagers who rely on online modes of income were also deprived of their livelihoods due to the blackout.

International bodies, including the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and Amnesty International, have expressed concerns over the information lockdown, calling for the restoration of internet services in the country and for the government to respect fundamental freedoms. The

Sub-national immunization campaign continues

ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

The Sub-National Immunization campaign continued on Tuesday in selected districts of all provinces to vaccinate approximately 23 million children across the country. The campaign is being implemented in two phases. The first phase is from May 15 - 19 in 12 districts of Punjab including Islamabad, 18 districts of Baluchistan and 17 districts of Sindh. While the second Phase will be conducted from May 22 to 26 in 22 districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and May 29 to June 05 in seven districts of Southern KP and Quetta. Approximately 100,000 trained and dedicated “Sehat Muhafiz” have been engaged in the vaccination drive to inoculate the targeted children at their doorstep.

“I urge all parents and caregivers to ensure the vaccination of eligible children during the campaign to save them from the debilitating disease. Polio is incurable, and vaccines can protect our children,” Federal Health Minister Abdul Qadir Patel said. “The frontline health workers have been playing a vital role in keeping our children safe from the debilitating effects of polio. Despite facing many challenges, they have been working tirelessly."

"We recognise the important contributions of the health workers to achieve the goal of polio eradication," said the Minister. Coordinator of the National Emergency Operations Centre, Dr Shahzad Baig said, “Let’s work together and play our part to protect our children from vaccine-preventable disease." He said, "I particularly urge all parents and caregivers to get their children vaccinated instead of hiding them or refusing to take the necessary drops during all vaccination drives. It is important to realise that the polio virus still exists in our surroundings, and no child is safe until all children are truly vaccinated."

He said that the Sehat Tahhafuz Helpline 1166 and 24/7 WhatsApp Helpline 0346-777-65-46 will be available to assist parents and caregivers in reporting missed children. He added that repeated polio vaccination campaigns are imperative for building immunity among children and preventing lifelong paralysis.

Naila becomes first Pakistani climber to ascend six world peaks higher than 8,000 meters

ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Renowned Pakistani climber Naila Kiani successfully climbed 4th highest Peak Mt. Lhotse (8516-M) on May 16, 2023 – and only two days before, Naila conquered Mt. Everest on May 14, 2023.

Now Naila has becomes the first Pakistani woman to climb Mount Lhotse and the country’s fastest woman to ascend six peaks higher than 8,000 metres. Naila has already conquered Mt. Everest, and Mt. Annapurna this season. She and Pasang Temba Sherpa arrived at the summit of Mount Lhotse at 8:13 a.m. Naila had climbed K2, G-I, and G-II before her most recent achievements. She is a Pakistani banker living in Dubai who is also an amateur boxer and a mother to two daughters. In addition, Naila Kiani ascent of Mount Everest this season was the first international ascent by a climber.

Another good news that Ms Nadia Azad (British Pakistani) and Pemba Chhiri Sherpa reached the summit of the fourth highest mountain of the world on May 16, 2023, at 11:00 am, they reached the summit. Nadia has completed three 14-thousanders this season including Everest on May 14 and Annapurna on April 15, 2023.

President Alpine

Club of Pakistan, Mr. Abu Zafar Sadiq congratulated both the female climbers. He opined that such achievements by Pakistani women would attract young girls to adventure sports n learn to encounter challenges in their lives n become more responsible n productive member of the society.

shutdown has also damaged Pakistan's reputation as a reliable place for investment and business operations, further exacerbating the country's economic challenges. Moving forward, the government must strike a balance between security concerns and the need for free and open access to the internet. The consequences of the internet shutdown are likely to be felt for some time to come, as Pakistan struggles to restore its image and rebuild its economy. It is crucial that the government takes swift action to address the concerns raised by citizens and the international community.

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

Balochistan reshuffles additional secretaries

QUETTA STAFF REPORT

Government of Balochistan reshuffles Additional Secretaries, says a notification issued today.

Abdul Salam (BCS/B-19), Additional Secretary, Food Department has been transferred and posted as Additional Secretary, Home and Tribal Affairs Department vice captain (Retd) Zulfiqar Ali Karar. Muhammad Qaseem Kakar (PAS/BS-19), additional Secretary, Forest and Wildlife Department has been transferred and posted as Additional Secretary Food Department vice Abdul Salam. Captain (Retd) Zulfiqar Ali Karar (PAS/BS-18), Additional Secretary, Home and Tribal Affairs Department has been transferred and posted as Additional Secretary, Health Department. Shujaat Ali (BSS/BS-18), Additional Secretary, Home and Tribal Affairs Department has been transferred and posted as Additional Secretary, Finance Department vice Hafiz Muhammad Qasim while Hafiz Muhammad Qasim (BCS/BS-18), Additional Secretary, Finance Department has been transferred and posted as Additional Secretary, Home and Tribal Affairs Department vice Shujaat Ali.

ICAP hosts most awaited CFO Conference 2023

KARACHI STAFF REPORT

The Professional Accountants in Business (PAIB) Committee of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan (ICAP) successfully organized the highly anticipated CFO Conference 2023 on a theme of Resilient CFO - Balancing the Agenda for Tomorrow at a local hotel Karachi.

Mr. M. Ali Latif, President ICAP in his address highlighted the crucial role that Chief Financial Officers play in guiding organizations through challenging times while effectively managing their long-term strategic priorities. He said that this conference underscores the significance of possessing essential qualities such as visionary thinking, agility, innovation, and digital expertise in order to thrive in today's rapidly evolving business landscape. Moreover, this year's CFO Conference holds special significance as it coincides with the prestigious Professional Excellence Awards (PEA) ceremony, honouring exceptional ICAP members in the business and industry for their outstanding contributions, exemplary performance & leadership, and remarkable value addition within their respective organizations.

EXPEDITE FLOUR SUPPLY TO KP, NEGLIGENCE NOT TO BE TOLERATED, DIRECTS PM

ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

PRIMEMinister Shehbaz

Sharif on Tuesday directed to expedite the supply of flour from Punjab to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to end the crisis of commodity in the KP.

In a statement issued from PM Office, he clarified that negligence of any kind in this regard would not be tolerated.

Shehbaz Sharif asked the interim governments of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to improve their coordination in order to ensure a fast supply of flour.

The premier earlier had ordered to ensure an uninterrupted supply of flour in KP to end the flour crisis in the province.

The statement mentioned that the

Govt to impose tax on non-filers over purchase of immovable properties

prime minister himself was supervising the process of flour supply to KP.

The PM further directed the federal and provincial departments to ensure steps for implementation of recommendations contained in the Commission’s report, which was formed over the grievances of students of Balochistan province.

The PM assured that all steps would be taken to address Baloch students’ issues as they had been the assets of the country, adding the country’s progress and development was linked with their prosperity, said a press release issued by PM Office.

He also appreciated the efforts of the Commission to furnish a comprehensive report with honesty and diligence.

Convenor of the Commission Sardar Akhtar Mengal (MNA) and members

Honda to resume production after longest spell of plant shutdown

PROFIT

DANIYAL AHMAD

Honda on Monday notified the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) that it will be recommencing production activities in the forthcoming weeks. This decision signifies the culmination of the company’s lengthiest official plant shutdown, which lasted from March 9 to May 15. Nevertheless, as of present, the plant remains inactive and Honda has yet to disclose the precise date when production will resume.

The notification marks the termination of Honda’s official 68-day plant shutdown. Profit reached out to contact Maqsood Ur Rehman Rehmani, Vice President and Company Secretary of Honda Cars, and Amir Nazir, General Manager of Sales & Marketing at Honda Cars, for commentary regarding the situation. Regrettably, neither of them responded to Profit’s request for comment, exacerbating the uncertainty surrounding when production will recommence.

Why did Honda shutdown production?

Honda’s car plant originally shut down from March 9 to March 31. This was later extended until April 15, then till April 30, and now then till May 15. This spell of non-production days (NPD) exceeds Honda’s previous longest stretch of NPDs from March 24, 2020, to May 19, 2020 amidst the Covid19 pandemic. Maqsood Rehmani, Vice President & Company Secretary at Honda Cars, informed Profit in an earlier conversation that the government has mandated that they obtain 365-day usance LC from their suppliers for completely knocked-down (CKD) kits and other parts.

A usance LC is a type of trade finance instrument that guarantees the confirming bank (exporter’s bank) that the issuing bank (importer’s bank) will make the payment by a specified future date. “We have been instructed to obtain 365-day usance LCs from our suppliers and make the payment in 365 days,” explains Rehmani. “However, it is highly unlikely that any supplier would agree to provide us with materials for payment one year later. Furthermore, it is difficult to forecast the exchange rate one year in advance. It is not feasible to operate a business under such circumstances,” he adds. Profit had also approached the aforementioned two Honda officials to see if there had been an update in this particular situation, and if a solution had been worked out. The lack of a response leaves room for speculation.

Continued on page 03

Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed, Senator Kamran Murtaza, Afrasiab Khattak, Nasir Mehmood Khosa and major (retd) Husnain additional secretary Senate attended the meeting.

Minister for Defence Khawaja

Muhammad Asif, Minister for Interior Rana Sanaullah, Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarrar, PM’s Adviser Ahad Cheema and other senior officials were also present during the meeting.

PM Shehbaz Sharif further said that the political leadership of the country was giving a message of peace, friendship and prosperity to the people of the province, adding all issues of the province including the missing persons should be resolved by all the stakeholders collectively.

He stressed for taking up suitable steps, within the confines of the law and constitution, over the issue of missing persons. Through adoption of mechanism for partnership and close cooperation, national unity and progress could be ensured, he added.

The prime minister said that Pakistan’s progress and prosperity was linked with Balochistan province and directed for ensuring provision of development funds to the province.

The government was striving to bring the womenfolk and the deprived segments of society into the mainstream of development, he maintained.

The Commission was established under the Islamabad High Court’s directive during September 2022.

ECC okays Rs1b for parliamentarians schemes

g

RS1.6BN APPROVED FOR RESTORATION OF ROADS IN FLOOD AFFECTED AREAS

PROFIT

SHAHZAD PARACHA

The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet has approved Rs 1 billion funds for parliamentarians schemes under the SDGs Achievement Programme (SAP).

Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar chaired the meeting of the ECC of the Cabinet on Tuesday. Cabinet Division has informed the ECC that funds to the tune of Rs 70 billion were allocated during 2022-23 while additional funds of Rs 17 billion and Rs3 billion through TSG were also allocated subsequently.

On the recommendations of the steering committee on SAP, an amount of Rs 90 billion has already been released to the respective ministries and provincial governments, under the cabinet division’s demand for execution of development schemes.

The sub-committee of the steering committee on SAP, in its 3rd meeting held on April 19, 2023

pointed out that in the larger public interest many schemes of the deprived area still required to be financed and implemented. However, the ministry of planning, development and special initiative on May 4, 2023 has surrendered an amount of Rs 1 billion only in favour of the cabinet division.

The SAP was designed to meet the global Sustainable Development Goals by being responsive to the demands of the residents of an area/ region. It is meant to address the on ground difficulties faced by citizens in the fields of education, health, sanitation, and access to drinking water etc.

Restoration of roads damaged during flood 2022

The ECC has also approved Rs 1.666 billion in favour of NHA to meet its expenditure incurred on restoration of roads damaged during flood 2022.

The Ministry of Communication informed the ECC that during flood 2022, Pakistan experienced record-breaking rainfall of 176% higher than national 30-year average.

Continued on page 03

tax on cash withdrawal to make a comeback in new fiscal year

g RRMC PROPOSES REVIVAL OF WT ON CASH WITHDRAWAL, BANKING TRANSACTIONS AND ELIMINATION OF PHYSICAL DOLLARS FROM ECONOMY

PROFIT MARIAM UMAR FAROOQ

The Reform and Revenue Mobilisation Commission (RRMC), the government’s tax commission, chaired by Ashfaq Tola, has put forth intriguing proposals. It proposed the re-introduction of withholding tax on cash withdrawal and banking transactions and the elimination of hard dollars from the market. These recommendations aim to address the country’s narrow tax base and strengthen tax administration, which has long been regarded as weak and inefficient. Tax on cash withdrawals

Pakistan’s tax system suffers from a significant disparity: despite 7.6 million individuals being regis-

tered with the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), only 3.6 million actually file tax returns, which amounts to less than 50% of the registered taxpayers. Pakistan has a population of 246 million, yet only 7.6 million pay taxes which means that 96% of the population does not pay taxes which reflects the inefficiency of the system.

Government sources have indicated that the FBR is actively considering re-imposing a 0.6% tax on cash withdrawals, banking instruments, and banking transactions, with the potential implementation starting in July of this year. The RRMC report has significantly strengthened the government’s stance on the imposition of withholding tax, as it supports the revival of these taxes for non-filers.

Continued on page 03

The federal government is likely to impose taxes on non-filers, on the buying and selling of immovable property in the upcoming budget (2023-24).

Sources close to the development said that the FBR under World Bank’ Pakistan Raises Revenue Project (PRRP) is working on harmonization of the valuation of immovable properties between FBR and the provincial governments/districts.

Under this project, FBR has prepared proposals to further increase the tax rate for non filers on purchase of property. This move will incentivise property owners to file taxes leading to an overall larger tax net. Presently, the government in budget 2022-23 increased the tax rate from 100 percent to 250 percent in case of the purchase of property by persons who are not active taxpayers.

FBR will also target those registered property agents who are involved in business transactions between the buyers and sellers of immovable properties to ensure payment of taxes.

Sources also said that the FBR will issue increased values of immovable properties from July 1, 2023.

The FBR has started the process of the updation of valuation tables of properties across Pakistan in consultation with the provincial authorities.

The FBR has asked the senior members of the Board of Revenues, Sindh, Balochistan, Punjab, KhyberPakhtunkhwa, and Gilgit-Baltistan to issue instructions to the divisional and district heads, for the nomination of representatives of the Board of Revenue. These representatives will partake in consultation/consideration with the teams constituted by the chief commissioners of Regional Tax Offices.

CAD surplus continues in April amid decreased imports

PROFIT

Data released by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on Tuesday revealed that Pakistan’s current account recorded a surplus for the second consecutive month in April, primarily driven by reduced imports.

In April, the country achieved a surplus of $18 million, a significant improvement compared to the current account deficit of $640 million recorded last year. This follows the surplus of $654 million in March, marking the first surplus since November 2020 and the highest since February 2015.

Over the course of the current fiscal year’s 10 months, the current account deficit reached $3.25 billion, showcasing a remarkable decline of 76% compared to the $13.65 billion deficit during the same period last year. The SBP data highlights a 38% year-on-year reduction in the import of goods, amounting to $3.7 billion in April. Similarly, exports experienced a 33% decline, reaching $2.11 billion. Remittances also decreased by 29%, totaling $2.2 billion. Facing critically low foreign exchange reserves last year, the government implemented restrictions on imports of non-essential items. Although some of these restrictions have been eased, companies from various sectors have voiced concerns about banks’ reluctance to open letters of credit (LCs). As a result, several manufacturers, particularly in the automotive sector, have temporarily halted production due to inventory shortages.

Furthermore, international institutions such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank, and Asian Development Bank have revised Pakistan’s growth forecasts downwards, projecting an economic expansion ranging from 0.4% to 0.6% for the current fiscal year.

Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves have dwindled to $4.38 billion as of May 5, an amount insufficient to cover even one month’s worth of imports. To mitigate the risk of default as reserves reach a critical level, the country is working to revive a crucial loan program with the IMF.

imran urges supporters to ‘await’ his call for achieving ‘real freedom’

LAHORE STAFF REPORT

Former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan on Tuesday urged his supporters to prepare for his upcoming call for “peaceful protests” for achieving “haqiqi azadi” in the country. In a video message released on Tuesday, the former prime minister expressed deep concern over what he called the “widespread human rights violations” taking place across Pakistan. He denounced the gross violation of fundamental rights, with peaceful protesters, including women and children, being allegedly subjected to torture. Khan further highlighted the destruction of ordinary citizens’ homes, which was being widely publicised through electronic and social media channels to “spread fear among the masses.” Drawing an analogy to the founder of the Mongol Empire, Genghis Khan, the PTI chief pointed out that whenever he conquered a city, he would inflict significant casualties while sparing a few individuals to relay the message of his ruthlessness, leading others to surrender without resistance. Khan argued that a similar strategy was being employed in Pakistan today. Citizens were being unlawfully detained, subjected to torture, and their properties were being damaged, all of which were being broadcasted on television and social media platforms to intimidate the public.

Imran Khan emphasised that there was no precedence in the country’s history where women faced such humiliation and torture as they were currently enduring. He lamented that people were being abducted and arrested on the streets to deter ‘peaceful’ demonstrations, denying them their fundamental right. He declared that the nation must recognise that it was time to fight for “true independence” and be prepared to make sacrifices.