Epaper_23-05-1 LHR

FEDERAL, PUNJAB GOVTS REFUTE ABBASI’S ALLEGATION OF RS20B CORRUPTION IN FREE FLOUR SCHEME

g PTI SEEKS NAB PROBE INTO ABBASI'S CLAIM

were provided free flour during the month of Ramazan.

Mir highlighted the free flour scheme was jointly funded by both the federal and the provincial government. He lamented that the programme had become a target due to the internal political differences within the PML-N.

The provincial caretaker minister urged Abbasi to either apologise or provide evidence to back the allegations.

“The caretaker Punjab government believes in transparency and impartiality and can give an account of every penny regarding the flour scheme. Therefore, no one can accuse it of corruption,” Mir said.

President returns accountability amendment bill to parliament for ‘reconsideration’

ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

FORMERPrime Minister and leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Shahid

Khaqan Abbasi on Sunday claimed that over Rs20 billion corruption has taken place in the free flour distribution campaign bering run by the PML-N led coalition government.

However, the Punjab caretaker government on Sunday termed corruption allegations made by PML-N’s Shahid Khaqan Abbasi regarding the free flour distribution programme “false and fabricated”.

Abbasi, the PML-N leader and former PM who is part of a group of political mavericks holding a series of nationwide seminars on the current challenges being faced by the country in an effort to develop a consensus on the future course of action required to be taken by all stakeholders to bring Pakistan out of the present mess, had alleged that Rs20 billion was looted during the free floor distribution programme, which was first rolled out in Punjab.

At a seminar at Lahore’s Government College University (GCU), the PML-N leader had talked at length about the issues plaguing governance in the country.

“Whenever there is a problem, the officer is changed but the system remains the same. The officer just fixes a few things. We now identify honest officers. There was a time when we identified dishonest officers,” he said.

“Recently, Rs84bn worth of [free] flour was distributed. I am sorry to say that approximately Rs20bn was looted.

“Look at it any which way. What has the poor man gotten for whom you spent Rs84bn?” he asked, stating that it was impossible to deliver on promises within the current system of governance and called for it to be “redefined”.

“The whole system needs to be changed. It has become so corrupt that it cannot deliver, whether in the Centre or the provinces.”

Although the PML-N leader did not single out the Punjab government, provincial Interim Information Minister Amir Mir issued a statement on Sunday and termed Abbasi’s allegations to be “false and fabricated”. He said that the provincial government had provided relief to millions of beneficiaries under the programme.

“There wasn’t even an ounce of corruption,” Mir said, adding that those making the claims had damaged their own credibility. The Punjab minister claimed that the free flour distribution programme was the province’s most successful scheme yet under which approximately 30 million people

No change in petrol prices for next fortnight, HSD slashed by Rs5

ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Finance Minister Ishaq Dar on Sunday announced that the price of petrol would remain unchanged at Rs282 per litre for the next fortnight while the price of high-speed diesel was reduced by Rs5 per litre to Rs288.

In a video address today, the finance minister announced that the prices of light-diesel oil and kerosene were being reduced by

Rs10 to Rs164.68 and 176.07 per litre, respectively. Dar said the finance ministry had tried its utmost to settle the matter of price changes in the nation’s favour after the recommendation from the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority. He said the final price changes were settled after “many rounds” of discussion. On April 15, Dar had announced an increase of Rs10 per litre in the price of petrol. The prices of diesel and light diesel oil had remained un-

changed at Rs293 and Rs174.68 but the price of kerosene was increased by Rs5.78 to Rs186.07. From April 1-15, the daily consumption of petrol in the country was around 20,000 tonnes and that of high-speed diesel was 15,500 tonnes.

It is estimated that around Rs8,000 to 10,000 tonnes of highspeed diesel was being smuggled into Pakistan daily, while the demand for Iranian petrol was less due to its slightly lower quality and the overall reduction in petrol demand.

Khar urges PM to avoid ‘US appeasement’, prioritise China in leaked memo

ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Pakistan’s internal struggle to balance its relationships with China and the United States has been exposed through a recent leak of a major cache of the latter’s topsecret military intelligence records.

The leaked documents are believed to be the most serious US security breach since more than 700,000 documents, videos and diplomatic cables appeared on the WikiLeaks website in 2010.

The episode embarrassed the US by revealing its spying on allies, including Pakistan, and the purported military vulnerabilities of Ukraine.

This leak, however, did not come to light until it was reported by the New York Times earlier this month even though the documents were posted on a social media website weeks earlier.

Among the leaked documents is a memo authored by Hina Rabbani Khar, deputy foreign minister, entitled

“Pakistan’s Difficult Choices,” reported The Washington Post. The document outlined Pakistan’s conundrum in managing its relations with the US, while also maintaining strong ties with China.

According to the memo, if Pakistan were to adopt an attitude of appeasement towards the West, particularly the US, it could impede the country’s potential for fully realising the benefits of its relationship with China.

The memo suggests that Pakistan can “no longer try to maintain a middle ground between China and the United States,” and must make a strategic decision to prioritise its relationship with Beijing. Another document revealed the prime minister deliberated with an unnamed aide about Pakistan’s stance on the Ukraine conflict during a UN vote on a resolution condemning the violence in Ukraine.

According to the intelligence report, the aide advised Shehbaz Sharif that supporting the measure would signify a shift in Pakistan’s position, as it had previously abstained on a similar resolution.

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April inflation may soar to historic 38pc

ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

The government on Saturday said the inflation rate might heat up to 38% in April — which could break the country’s previous highest record.

It also admitted that the central bank’s contractionary monetary policy could not tame the inflationary expectations.

In the economic outlook for April, the finance ministry said inflation waa expected to remain in the range of 36% to 38%.

The forecast is in line with the market expectations and ground realities.

The highest inflation rate in Pakistan was recorded at 37.8% in December 1973.

However, it may soon be left behind by the recent inflationary wave that has adversely affected the majority of the country’s population.

Last month, the inflation rate was recorded at 35.4%.

The report, prepared by the Economic Adviser Wing of the finance ministry, also conceded that the central bank’s policies were not helping either.

He said that not even a single penny of corruption has taken place in the scheme, and those who make such allegations only hurt their own reputation. He said that the scheme was the most successful scheme in Punjab’s history, benefitting 30 million deserving people. Both the federal and provincial governments contributed funds for the scheme, and politicising it is totally unjustified, he added. He said that either Abbasi should apologise or provide evidence, as there are no corruption allegations on Punjab government. The government is ready to be held accountable for every penny spent, he concluded.

On Saturday night, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb had said that free flour was provided to millions of poor people in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, and Islamabad with full transparency and honesty during the difficult economic times.

Aurangzeb praised the success of this historic scheme, which was made possible through the hard work of administrative officers and officials who worked tirelessly day and night.

“The administrative officers and staff worked day and night to make the landmark scheme a success which is commendable,” she tweeted.

PTI URGES NAB PROBE INTO ABBASI’S ALLEGATIONS: On the other hand, former information minister and PTI Senior Vice President Fawad Chaudhry urged the National Accountability Bureau chairman to initiate an investigation into the claims made by Abbasi and hold the Punjab government accountable.

WHAT IS FREE FLOUR SCHEME: In March, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had announced that “the poorest of the poor” would get wheat flour (Atta) for free during Ramazan.

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President Dr Arif Alvi has sent back the National Accountability (Amendment) Bill 2023 to parliament for reconsideration observing that the amendments brought earlier in the National Accountability Ordinance 1999 were subjudice before the Supreme Court. The president sent back the piece of legislation, in terms of clause (1) (b) of the Article 75 of the Constitution, President Secretariat Press Wing said in a press release on Sunday. The president said that this aspect of the legislation was neither referred to in the bill nor in the prime minister’s advice.

He observed that without considering the implications of a pending matter, further amendments in the National Accountability Ordinance 1999 should be reconsidered. Earlier, the prime minister had sent his advice seeking assent of the president over the said bill.

THE BILL: The Nationals Assembly Standing Committee on Law and Justice on April 10 passed the National Accountability (Amendment) Act, 2023, seeking to remove the legal complications in the transfer of cases from accountability court to relevant forums which do not fall within the jurisdiction of the NAB Ordinance. On April 19, the Senate passed the bill without referring to the standing committee concerned. The bill was moved in the Senate by Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar.

The bill not only empowered the NAB chairman to transfer graft cases involving corruption of less than Rs500 million to the relevant agency, authority or department, but also close the pending inquiries and investigations where he thinks no case is made out.

Under a proviso added to Section 4 of the NAB Ordinance as and when the office of the NAB chairman falls vacant, or when the chairman is absent or unable to perform the functions of his office, due to any action whatsoever, the deputy chairman shall act as the NAB chairman and in absence of deputy chairman, the federal government shall appoint an acting chairman from amongst the senior officers of NAB.

“Although the SBP [State Bank of Pakistan] is enacting [a] contractionary monetary policy, inflationary expectations are not settling down,” the report read.

The SBP has increased the interest rates to a record 21% in the hope of containing the spiralling inflation, but it instead added a huge fiscal cost in the shape of higher debt servicing.

This, in turn, has been fuelling more inflation through borrowings.

The finance ministry’s latest report came on the heels of another one, which conceded that it would take time before the inflation rate slows down to affordable levels.

For the next fiscal year, the government has projected an average inflation rate of 20%.

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ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

CORRUPTION

‘FALSE AND FABRICATED’

LOCALS RALLY FOR PEACE AFTER TERROR ATTACKS IN LAKKI MARWAT

PESHAWAR

StAff RePoRt

Apeace rally was held in response to the recent terror attacks on Pakistan Army installations in Lakki Marwat city on Saturday. Organized by the Olasi Pasoon Tehreek, the rally aimed to protest lawlessness and militancy on the Pakhtun’s land. Many people from diverse backgrounds, including Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement leader Manzoor Pashteen and ANP’s provincial vice-president Shahi Khan Sherani, attended the rally. Banners and black and white flags were raised, and slogans were chanted against lawlessness and in support of peace and harmony.

Speakers at the rally condemned the recent wave of terrorism in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, emphasizing that local residents would not tolerate terrorism or allow anyone to take away their rights.

The speakers urged law enforcement agencies to focus on intelligence-based actions against militants. They also asked the government to take notice of broken roads

Kaghan-Naran road closes after glacier melts

GURIYA

StAff RePoRt

The Kaghan-Naran road is closed for all types of traffic following the melting of a huge glacier, an official of the National Highway Authority (NHA) told here Sunday.

and the lack of basic amenities in the region. They linked the recent violence to an international conspiracy and warned that Pakhtuns would protest in front of the homes of rulers if terrorism on their soil did not cease.

There were multiple attacks, suspected to be terror incidents, reported from different parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) on Thursday night. In Lakki Marwat city, a powerful explosion occurred near the Government

Postgraduate College which houses security forces and a military camp. After the first explosion, several other blasts and heavy gunfire followed, partially damaging houses in the settled area, said locals.

country: Nawaz Sharif

ISLAMABAD StAff RePoRt

PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif said on Sunday people would never forgive those who had ruined the progressing country.

ECP, PTI again lock horns over latter’s May 1 rally

ECP directs PTI to call off May 1 rally, PTI terms notice ‘illegal’

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Sunday issued a show-cause notice to the PTI over violating the Election code of conduct. “It is necessary to seek the permission of the district administration to hold rallies and jalsas,” read the notice. Subsequently, the electoral watchdog directed the PTI to call off its May 1 rally. PTI senior vice president Fawad Chaudhry demanded the ECP to revoke its notice by saying, “The notice is illegal”. Taking to Twitter, he said the party was writing to the ECP to revoke its notice adding that the rally must be allowed to continue according to the schedule. “ECP’s actions prove that it is biased,” he added. He went on to say that the ECP contended that the PTI could not hold a rally on Labour Day. “Socio-political parties stage rallies to show solidarity with labourers and it is surprising to see us barred from holding the rally on May 1,” he added. Mr Chaudhry claimed that the ECP wanted to do everything but hold elections. “Where does the ECP want the country to head,” he argued.

Balochistan CM directs relevant depts to remain alert during rain

QUETTA StAff RePoRt

The NHA official also told that work on removing glaciers and cleaning the road is going on rapidly at Chitta Katha on Naran Road. He said that the route was also blocked from another big glacier at Guriya Chinch Naran. The work will be started after the cleaning of this glacier on Guriya Chinch, he informed. The spokesman of Tourism Authority Muhammad Saad advised the tourists to take good care during the tour to Kaghan and Naran valleys. Tourists should avoid traveling to Naran, he said and added, to ensure the safety of tourists, the district administration, NHA, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Tourism Department, Tourism Authority and Kaghan Development Authority are jointly working on a priority basis to clear the road from the melted glacier blocked the road. He said the tourists can contact Tourism Helpline 1422 for any information or emergency. Tourism awareness information is being published regularly on social media platforms, the spokesman of Tourism Authority added.

Sugar mills reject prices fixed by govt

LAHORE StAff RePoRt

The Pakistan Sugar Mills Association (PSMA) has rejected the ex-mill and retail price of sugar fixed by the federal government. The sugar mill owners have challenged the government decision regarding the prices of the commodity in the Appellate Committee. As per the sources, the mill owners were of the view that they cannot sell sugar – which cost them at Rs115 to Rs120 per kg – for less than Rs100. They warned of moving courts if Appellate Committee rejects their appeal. It is pertinent to mention here that the government, in response to the unprecedented 30 percent surge in retail sugar prices within a matter of weeks, set the retail price of sweetner at Rs98.82/kg.

Addressing a meeting of the PMLN leadership, attended by PM Shehbaz Sharif and others, via video link, he said on one side, negotiations were being held for the sake of the country while on the other side, there was a fight to safeguard vested interests and to degrade the country and its institutions. “No one is ready to guarantee for those who ruined the country for three years,” he added.

The meeting underscored the exchange of thoughts on the country’s economic and political affairs and the party’s matters.

Sharif went on to say that the PMLN-led federal government had to take immediate steps to control skyrocketing inflation adding that policies should be made to give relief to people before

elections. “All political parties should contribute to the country’s development,” he added.

The former PM said his party had pushed the country to the path of progress after a lot of hard work which was washed away by enemies in three years. “People will never forgive them and they will have to save themselves from such people,” he added.

PM Shehbaz Sharif, addressing the

session, said the government would soon announce a piece of good news for the people. “The relief package will lessen the troubles people are facing,” he added.

The PML-N would decide on holding elections in the country on one day after consulting with the allies, he said.

“We have been struggling to put the country on the path of development for a year,” he added.

PTV launches streaming service of archive dramas

PTV’s vast library of content, including TV shows, dramas, documentaries, sports, and other programmes, said the minister for information and broadcasting.

“We have more than 60 years of archives of content digitalised and, I believe, we are sitting on gold,” Marriyum Aurangzeb told reporters. PTV started its transmission in 1964.

PTV is the first TV station to set up an OTT — the streaming of television content via the Internet. Users would have to register but the content would be free, the management said.

The project was initiated in July 2020 by the government of then prime minister Imran Khan and has finally been launched on both Android and iOS platforms.

A delighted Aurangzeb said the platform would connect viewers with a treasure trove, including the golden era of the PTV.

She acknowledged that PTV has produced content that has become a “national treasure,” and popular dramas and shows such as Dhoop Kinare (1987) and Ainak Wala Jin (1993) have become a part of the nation’s collective memory.

ISLAMABAD

StAff RePoRt

Pakistan Television on Sunday announced the launch of an Internet-based streaming service that will give people access to a gold mine of archive content on their TV and mobile phone screens.

The state-owned broadcaster said the over-the-top (OTT) platform dubbed PTV Flix would give viewers access to

The minister said PTV Flix has a rich library of current and old content that users can easily access. She expressed her gratitude to the ministry and the team of PTV for the successful launch, congratulating them for their hard work in making this idea a reality.

In addition, Aurangzeb expressed her appreciation to actors Bushra Ansari, Javed Sheikh, and Khalid Abbas Dar for their participation in the inaugural ceremony.

Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Abdul Quddus Bizenjo expressed sorrow over the loss of precious lives in accidents due to heavy rain in different areas of the province. He also extended his sympathy and condolences to the affected families saying that we prayed that the ongoing rains would be good and healthy. Abdul Quddus Bizenjo also directed all concerned institutions that they should monitor the situation of rain and to remain alert in order to control any untoward situation during forecast period of rain in the province. In the areas affected by heavy rains, complete preparations should be made to deal with any emergency situation, he instructed. The CM also gave direction that maintenance of national highways and link roads in Bolan and other areas should be ensured so that people would not face difficulties during traveling in the areas. He ordered that PDMA Commissioners and Deputy Commissioners should keep the rescue staff alert saying that control rooms should be kept active 24 hours a day for emergencies.

PTI announces names of new officebearers in Sindh

KARACHI

StAff RePoRt

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has announced the names of new office-bearers of the party’s Sindh chapter following the directives of Imran Khan. PTI Secretary General Asad Umar announced the appointment of MNAs Mahmood Moulvi and Saifur Rehman as senior vice presidents of the Sindh chapter. Jamal Siddiqui has been appointed as the information secretary of PTI. Siddiqui replaced the lawmaker Arsalan Ghumman from the post of PTI Sindh information secretary. Moreover, Nisar Shar was appointed additional secretary information and MPA Adeel Ahmed and Ufaq Baloch were appointed deputy information secretaries. A notification was also issued by Asad Umar in this regard. In another development, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) President Fawad Chaudhary said that his party wanted talks with the coalition government to succeed but at the same time contended that it had a “strategy” in place in case the talks failed. “PTI wants the success of negotiations [with the government], but it has formulated a strategy in case of failure of talks,” the former information minister tweeted. He further said that PTI will not remain silent if the government treats the Constitution as garbage and the public as insects.

Government’s energy-saving plan encourages responsible resource utilisation

ISLAMABAD APP

The country’s energy conservation plan, launched by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in January, is seeing the successful implementation of various measures to promote the judicious use of national resources.

The plan focuses on steps such as austerity in the usage of electricity and fuel, and promoting alternative modes like solar technology and electric vehicles.

As part of the plan, the government is encouraging the public to amend its behaviour patterns and avoid wasting national resources. Departments of the federal government have started implementing an official notification to avoid unnecessary electricity usage, which is expected to result in a 30 percent reduction in energy usage.

To cut power consumption, the government has introduced a program to promote the use of energy-efficient fans, imposing

additional duties on inefficient electric fans, and halting their production from July 1.

The use of energy-efficient fans will help save Rs15 billion annually, as they consume 40 to 60 watts of electricity compared to outdated technology that consumes 120 to 130 watts.

Similarly, the production of incandescent bulbs has also been stopped, and a duty has been imposed on them, resulting in an annual savings of Rs23 billion. The government has also introduced reforms in the bylaws of housing societies and building codes to ensure energy-efficient infrastructure.

Other measures include the mandatory installation of conical baffles in geysers within one year to trap heat using less energy, reducing street light illumination by 50 percent to save Rs4 billion per year, and shifting over 150,000 industrial and commercial consumers to an Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) system by June to control power pilferage.

The government is also promoting the use of solar energy through the Prime Minister’s 10,000 megawatts solar energy project, which aims to reduce the import bill of costly diesel and furnace oil.

The project involves supplying electricity to government buildings, tube wells operating on electricity and diesel, and domestic consumers with low consumption.

The solarisation of 671 buildings is already in progress, and another 600 buildings under the Education Ministry are in the process of solarisation.

Moreover, the government is also negotiating with motorcycle manufacturing companies for local production of e-bikes, while slowly phasing out motorcycles that run on petrol. This is expected to save Rs86 billion from the national exchequer.

To promote awareness about energy conservation, the government has launched the Planet Champs application, which aims to educate children on climate, water, and en-

People will not forgive those who destroyed progressing

PAKISTAN HIGHLY VALUES DEEP ROOTED CORDIAL TIES WITH IRAN: ISHAQ DAR

ISLAMABAD StAff RePoRt

FEDERAL Minister for Finance and Revenue Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar has said that Pakistan highly regards its deep rooted cordial relations with Iran, based on age old common religious and cultural similarities.

Talking to the ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Pakistan H.E. Seyed Mohammad Ali Hosseini who called on at Finance Division on Sunday, the minister warmly welcomed the Ambassador and extended compliments on successful completion of his tenure in Pakistan.

Ishaq Dar also highlighted economic outlook of the country and said that despite economic challenges, the country is

Pakistan expresses gratitude to China for citizens’ evacuation from Sudan

ISLAMABAD MonitoRing RePoRt

Pakistan has expressed gratitude to China for helping the country in the evacuation of its citizens stranded in Sudan, said the Foreign Office. The Foreign Office said in a statement on Twitter that a batch of 216 nationals had arrived in Jeddah city of Saudi Arabia from Port Sudan aboard the Chinese navy vessel Weishanhu. “We are grateful to our Chinese friends for this gesture of support and friendship,” added the department. On Saturday morning, the ministry released another statement saying that another batch of 97 people from Pakistan from Port Sudan has arrived at Jinnah International Airport in Karachi via Jeddah. According to the Foreign Office, the people came back home from Jeddah aboard an aircraft of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF).

“Government of Pakistan will continue to facilitate the safe return of stranded Pakistanis,” added the Foreign Office.

Earlier on Friday, the spokesperson of the Foreign Office, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, said Pakistan was engaging with “friendly countries in the region for facilitating this process by providing transport to shift Pakistanis from Sudan.”

Karachi to witness ‘medium to heavy rain’ today

KARACHI StAff RePoRt

One to two hours, said a meteorological analyst on Sunday. The weather in Karachi has become pleasant and the temperature is expected to hover between 33-35 degrees Celsius. According to the details, Malir, Airport, Quaidabad, University Road and Gulshan received rain with lightning and thunder. Other areas include Nipa, Gulistan-eJohar, Clifton, Liaquatabad, Nazimabad, North Nazimabad, Sharea Faisal, and Muhammad Ali Society.

On the other hand, five people lost their lives due to heavy rains and flooding in different areas of Balochistan. According to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), two people died in Khuzdar, two in Lasbela and Machh, and one in Kech. The PDMA said that several mud houses were damaged in Chagai and Panjkur districts while a part of Bolan Pinjra Bridge and another bridge in Sonari collapsed and swept away in flood waters. The bridges are being repaired and the efforts to restore the traffic are underway, said the PDMA.

Pakistan

Meteorological Department (PMD) Chief Meteorologist Sardar Sarfaraz said that Pakistan has been witnessing heavy rains for the last three years. He said that there is no risk of drought this year as this situation only arises in areas that haven’t received rain in two to three years. “Even if there are 10-20% fewer monsoon rains this year, there is no risk of drought,” said the chief meteorologist.

Five die in torrential rains in Balochistan

QUETTA

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StAff

Appreciating the tenure of the Iranian Ambassador in Pakistan, the Finance Minister bid farewell to him and extended best wishes and good luck on behalf of people and government of Pakistan for his future assignments.

Ambassador H.E. Seyed Mohammad Ali Hosseini also stressed upon the potential held by both countries for mutual cooperation and appreciated the cooperation and support of the present government in enhancing the bilateral relations in various fields. He also thanked the Finance Minister for his support and cooperation in strengthening economic and trade relations between the two countries during his stay in Pakistan.

destined to progress and development. He lauded the Ambassador’s contributions in enhancing and cementing the decades old

brotherly ties and fostering economic and trade cooperation between the two countries.

The Ambassador expressed good memories of his stay in Pakistan and support of the people and government of Pakistan in shaping his tenure successful.

Govt appoints eight members in NIRC

ISLAMABAD APP

The Federal Cabinet vide its decision Case No.223/Rule-19/2023 dated 30.04.2023 has approved the appointment of eight members of the National Industrial Relations Commission (NIRC) with immediate effect against nine posts as proposed by the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resources Development (MoOP&HRD).

The newly appointed members of NIRC are Syed Noor ul Hasnain (Retired Civil Servant), Abdul Qayyum (Retired District and Session Judge), Sohail Akram (Retired District and Session Judge), Muhammad Zubair Khan (Retired District and Session Judge), Shabbir Hussain Awan (Retired District and Session Judge), Muhammad Siraj-ul-Islam Khan (Advocate), Abdul Ghani (Advocate), and Munawar Hussain Turi (Advocate).

According to a press release issued here on Sunday, the MoOP&HRD, in compliance with the Cabinet decision, issued formal notifications for the ap-

pointment of members accordingly.

Nine posts of members were vacant for the last few months. The appointment against these vacant posts was required to be made with the approval of the Federal Cabinet. The MoOP&HRD accordingly submitted a summary for the Cabinet on 30.04.2023 forwarding a panel of nominations for appointment against the vacant posts.

The NIRC is an attached department of the MoOP&HRD established under Section 53 of the Industrial Relations Commission (IRA), 2012. The commission is mandated to deal with adjudication of industrial disputes, registration of trade unions, determination of collective bargaining agents, unfair labour practices and individual grievances in trans-provincial establishments and those located in Islamabad.

April inflation may soar to historic 38pc

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The finance ministry reiterated that the headline inflation, measured by the consumer price index (CPI), was expected to remain at elevated levels in the months to come.

It added that its key drivers were the hike in food and energy prices. It continued that currency depreciation and rising administered rates had contributed to jacking up the overall price level. The ministry said global commodity prices were showing a downward trend but still on a higher side compared with the pre-Covid-19 level.

A slow recovery from flood damages have caused the supply of essential crops to remain short of domestic requirements, consequently intensifying the inflation rate.

Contrary to the government’s dilly-dallying approach to revive the International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme, the finance ministry said the successful completion of the global lender’s scheme would pave the way for attracting more capital inflows, further stabilising of the exchange rate and alleviating the inflationary pressures.

Pakistan’s economy was still facing significant challenges characterised by high inflation and a slowdown in

economic activity, the report added. The proposed medium-term economic framework has now estimated that the average inflation in the current fiscal year will remain at 28.5%, while the economic growth might slow down to 0.8%. It expects some improvement in the agricultural sector’s conditions, including availability of inputs like seeds, loans and fertilisers. The monthly report read that the wheat production in this fiscal year remained at 26.8 million metric tons. However, the national food security and research ministry on Friday said the wheat production was 27.4 million tons. According to the food ministry’s estimates, 29 million metric tons of wheat will be available this year, including the carry forward stocks, but it did not report the total consumption requirements.

According to the finance ministry’s monthly report, the temperature might remain slightly above normal in most parts of the country. A gradual rise in temperatures will accelerate the snow melt in the northern areas. The seasonal rainfall may provide water for crops in the main rain-fed areas while the lower parts of the country will remain slightly deficient during the season of Kharif. However, the industrial sector will remain under clouds because of the contractionary

KMC denies selling meat of captive elephant Noor Jehan

KARACHI: The Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) has denied allegations that the meat of captive elephant Noor Jehan was sold after her death at Karachi Zoo. In a statement issued on Twitter, the KMC said reports regarding the sale of the elephant’s meat were baseless and untrue. “There is no truth in the news circulating on social media regarding the sale of meat of the zoo’s elephant Noor Jahan,” Karachi Administrator Dr Saif-ur-Rehman’s said. The KMC clarified that international experts and vets supervised the postmortem and burial of the female elephant and members of international animal welfare organisation Four Paws were present. “The pictures and footage of each and every moment of the female elephant’s postmortem and burial are safe with KMC,” the statement read. The KMC has also announced that it will take legal action against those spreading such rumours to defame KMC and the country. Noor Jehan died due to prolonged health issues and the other female elephant kept captive with her, Madhubala, is likely to be shifted to Safari Park before Eidul Azha due to severe criticism and outcry about its living conditions. StAff RePoRt

Federal, Punjab govts refute Abbasi’s allegation of Rs20b corruption in free flour scheme

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The package was first implemented in Punjab and then in other parts of the country.

The prime minister had directed the authorities to chalk out a strategy for the supply of flour to poor families “as soon as possible”. However, the programme was marred by violence and deaths as citizens thronged distribution points amid a significant increase in inflation in the country.

Incidents of stampede, chaos and snatching of flour bags at the distribution points were reported from various towns of the province. Earlier this month, Punjab caretaker government succumbed to the pressure of the federal authorities and approved expansion of the project at an additional cost of Rs35 billion. The package was to initially cost around

Rs53bn to the provincial kitty as the government was to release 537,000 tonnes of wheat from its stocks to the flour mills for grinding and providing the commodity at the distribution points. The operational cost – administration, security and transportation – of the project was estimated to be Rs7bn.

Media reports alleged that neither the Punjab government, nor bureaucracy was in favour of the scheme in its present form that was leading to deaths and injuries to the deserving people due to overcrowding and mismanagement at the distribution points.

Media reports also quoted officials engaged in the flour distribution also blamed the Punjab Information Technology Board’s ‘flawed’ app developed on the database of the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) for the inordinate delays in the distribution of the commodity.

The sources alleged the provincial authorities made an abortive attempt to convince the premier in their March 7 meeting that deserving people should instead be paid in cash through the BISP database or provided subsidy in the powers bills for offsetting the impact of the historically high inflation.

The officials alleged said the prime minister was also suggested that the subsidy on the flour which the Punjab government was already providing to the masses before setting in of Ramazan at a rate of Rs648 per 10kg bag, could be further increased to facilitate the downtrodden to avoid the mess likely to be caused by the free flour distribution at the makeshift points.

But, the premier rejected this option too and insisted on implementing the plan he desired to introduce.

At least five people were killed due to torrential rains in different parts of the Balochistan province, said the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) on Sunday. Two people were killed in Khuzdar, two in Machh and Lasbela and one was killed in Ketch in rain-related incidents. According to PDMA officials, under the influence of a powerful weather system, several mud houses were damaged in Chagai and Panjgur while parts of Bolan Panjra Bridge and Sonari Bridge were swept away by the Kohlu floodwaters due to recent rains. The PDMA said that the work of repairing the bridges and restoring traffic was underway at both places. Both the main national highways connecting Balochistan with Sindh were closed after torrential rains in Chaman, Pashin, Mastung, Daki, Dera Bugti, Kohlu, Awaran and Naseerabad flooded the streams and nullahs. Traffic was suspended in Bolan area when alternate route of Panjara Bridge was washed away. The Quetta-Karachi Highway near Lasbela was also washed away in the flood torrents. The alternative route of traffic to Karachi was affected while the Quetta-Sabi Highway was closed for all types of traffic. According to officials, after heavy rains and hailstorm in Pakistan-Afghan and Pakistan-Iran border areas of Balochistan, damages have been reported in many areas including Kech, Turbat, Mand and Balu.

Khar urges PM to avoid ‘US appeasement’, prioritise China in leaked memo

CONTINED FROM PAGE 01

The official also noted that Pakistan had the opportunity to negotiate important trade and energy deals with Russia, and that backing the Western-backed resolution could jeopardise those ties. When the UN General Assembly voted on the resolution on February 23, Pakistan joined 32 other countries in abstaining from the resolution. Observers believe developing nations are recalibrating at a moment when the US faces potent new competition, as China projects new economic and military clout and Russia demonstrates its ability to deflect Western pressure. “It’s unclear who will end up in a pole position in 10 years’ time, so they need to diversify their risk and hedge their bets,” Matias Spektor, a scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said.

monetary and fiscal policies. In March, the output of large industries was expected to have increased in comparison with February because of the positive seasonal effects.

However, due to the high-base effect, the year-on-year large scale manufacturing might still be marginally negative. The trend in Monthly Economic Indicator (MEI) during the first nine months of the current fiscal year remained volatile on account of high inflation, high-interest rates, fiscal consolidation, and lack of confidence in economic agents. The finance ministry said for the month of April, it was expected that imports would increase somewhat at a higher level against March. It added that this was because of the government’s decision to provide some relaxation in pro-growth imports to stimulate domestic economic activities. Remittances will remain at the same level as observed in March. The vulnerabilities in the fiscal position have again been exposed because of the extremely poor performance of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR).

The finance ministry said despite the improvement, risks to the fiscal sector still persisted as the FBR tax collection remained below the target because of a slowdown in domestic economic activity and import compression.

Talking past one another

Will the coalition-PTI talks go anywhere?

AT one level, the talks between the coalition government and the PTI are welcome, whether they result in any outcome or not, because the very fact that they are happening means that the PTI is finally talking to the other political parties. But at the same time, it does not seem that those talks are going to have the desired outcome of an agreement on a date for fresh elections. One reason is that PTI chief Imran Khan has said that the government must dissolve the National Assembly at once. PTI leader and one of its negotiators Fawad Chaudhry has said that if the talks fail, the PTI could go for another movement. The talks are being held because the Supreme Court wants them, having expressed readiness to be flexible about the June 14 date it has set, if the parties agree to one date. Despite talk about refusal to talk with the PTI because of Mr Khan’s penchant for U-turns, the coalition, except for the JUI(F), is talking, perhaps more to avoid a contempt charge against the Prime Minister and the Cabinet. The PTI, which has built its entire political narrative on confrontation and calling opponents names, has also found itself wishing for the talks to fail.

Perhaps an indication of how behind-the-scenes players feel is the raid on PTI President Ch Pervaiz Elahi’s house. True, there are charges against him, but they existed before the talks started, and thus the timing cannot be considered coincidental. In fact, Mr Fawad Chaudhry has mentioned it as an example of the government’s bad faith. The timing of the raid is the clearest indication that someone is afraid that there might be an agreement. The coalition may well fear that early elections will mean a PTI victory, and the PTI might be worried about elections going beyond the Chief Justice’s retirement in September, but any agreement would be between political parties. Any failure to reach an agreement would provide ammunition to those forces that argue that politicians cannot be trusted to keep the national interest in view.

At this point, the negotiators must keep their calm and head towards an agreement, not only amongst themselves, but which they must make their principals agree. These politicians are experienced negotiators, and whether they identify contentious issues first, and achieve agreement on them first, or use the opposite method, of identifying and agreeing on easy issues first; whether they choose to deal with modalities first or later, there must be an emphasis on success, not on blaming the other side for failure, as it now appears.

Dedicated

Libraries of the 21st century

to share ideas, collaborate on projects and engage in a range of learning activities that extend beyond traditional classroom activities.

Yousaf Nizami Editor

Wajahat Sultan

COGNITIVE capitalism is an emerging phenomenon that emphasized the importance of cognitive skills to advance in the world. Neoliberalism has widened the gap between privileged and underprivileged populations across the globe. Not accommodating those who are lacking in the cognitive abilities to advance in the contemporary model of economy which favour meritocracy over community-driven progress can create a major shift in the politics, equality index, and future cause of humanity. Cognitive capitalism has created a new form of inequality, eroded social and political trust, and compromised democracy in the 21st century.

With the rise of cognitive skills, those workers who lack the cognitive abilities, high intellectual capacities, and demanding skills to recognize themselves in ever-changing economies are shifted to the margins. Economist Guy Standing argues that there is a threat of a rising Precariat class which is characterized by instability and insecurity. Those workers who have no cognitive abilities to accommodate themselves to a changing skills economy can be characterized as Cognitive Precariat.

Cognitive capitalism which values cognitive skills and high-skilled labour, puts lowskilled labour on the verge of instability and insecurity. They are always vulnerable to losing their jobs or their economic sources. For example, the gig economy can be highlighted and recognized as this phenomenon. The workers in the gig economy have no security and stability in their jobs.

The emergence of AI tools like Chatgpt has removed the jobs of freelance writers which is a potential shift in the employment system. Due to a lack of cognitive skills to cope with the changing environment of automation and artificial intelligence, workers are becoming more insecure and unstable in their performance and identities. As Standing notes, the cognitive precariat is “the new global underclass, lacking not just labour rights but social and economic rights as well”. Capitalism must introduce the ethical commitment to adjust the cognitive Precariat in the 21st century.

The other pitfall of cognitive capitalism is the blurring of the line between work and life. Technology has consumed workers to such an extent that they are always connected to technology for some kind of work. As sociologist David Frayne argues, the pressure to be constantly connected to work through technology can lead to burnout and mental health issues.

THE writing materials and libraries have undergone various changes from the stone age’s bark leaves, clay tablets to papyrus, and parchments to the presents papers. All writing materials were preserved in the libraries, which have a long and rich history dating back to ancient times. The function and role of libraries have evolved from time to time. Still, their mission remains to serve the community through its valuable resources for access to knowledge and information. With the advent and rise of the digital age, libraries have adapted to incorporate new technologies and provide access to digital resources and physical materials. The physical contents are now transforming into digital objects; online databases, ebooks and digital archives have become increasingly common in almost all libraries. The age of clay tablets is converting to e-tablets and people’s tastes are changing enormously.

Similarly, libraries are experiencing new tastes in the 21st-century era. Initially, Project Gutenberg and now Google’s Library projects have made an enormous amount of information available online. Now libraries have not been confined to the four walls but have rushed to the potential customers, whether present or old alums. Libraries of today’s age are democratizing access to knowledge, despite the wealth of information available on the Internet. Libraries provide curated and authoritative sources of information and access to those resources, that people may need help finding online. Libraries of modern eras serve as community hubs and provide spaces for people to gather, learn and connect. They offer various programs and services, from literacy programs to job search assistance and cultural events.

Today libraries are great sources for education, research and community engagement, adapting and evolving to meet the changing needs of society. Libraries are embracing the common learning models and providing a flexible and supportive environment for learning and knowledge creation; such activities ensure that libraries remain an essential resource for education and lifelong learning in the digital age. Libraries in olden ages were repositories of information, but now they have become great sources for exploration, discovery and creativity; these are places where learners from different spheres come together

Libraries of the present era are no longer limited to the physical space within their walls. Modern libraries offer various services outside their walls, both online and in-person; some useful services are online databases through Virtual Private Networks, and one can access e-books, audiobooks, e-journals and other digital content; these services can be accessed from anywhere anytime with an internet connection. Some libraries of the 21st century offer mobile library services which bring library materials to community centres, schools and retirement homes. Libraries in developed countries offer community outreach programs to connect with underserved populations to promote literacy and education, like story-times, book clubs, author talks, etc. In the 21st century, all libraries can only fulfil the demands of potential customers with a limited budget; in this case, they have partnered with other organizations to offer services outside the library walls. Online programmes are yet another good initiative of modern libraries; many libraries offer online programmes for remote users, such as virtual author talks, online book clubs and workshops via Zoom. These programmes can be accessed from anywhere via the Internet. Libraries in the 21st century have adopted innovative technology to reach a wider audience and provide access to information in more efficient ways; for this, they have adopted emerging technologies like

Libraries in the 21st century have adopted innovative technology to reach a wider audience and provide access to information in more efficient ways; for this, they have adopted emerging technologies like Online Public Access Catalogs (OPAC)

Online Public Access Catalogs (OPAC) because, in an earlier age, people used a card catalogue to find their desired information, now libraries have transformed their physical and electronic material via online catalogue where one can find the desired information in both physical and electronic formats. The libraries of the present age have made it easier for librarians to manage the circulation of material for users to borrow and return items; for this, they have designed an Automated Circulation System from which one can check in, check out, and renew library material in sophisticated ways. In modern libraries, many developed countries have adopted Digital Preservation technologies which preserve and make accessible rare and fragile materials. These technologies include digital imaging, digital conversion, digital storage and so on. Some libraries in developed countries have adopted cutting-edge technologies to reach out to their potential customers; a few worthmentioning technologies are Artificial Intelligence, cloud computing, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), Virtual and Augmented Reality, Open Access, Digital Humanities, 3D Printing, mobile applications, Big Data and Internet of Things etc. These technologies offer vital services to potential customers and make them convenient with the latest information. In short, libraries of the present eras are finding new and innovative ways to fulfil and satisfy the needs of their present and retrospective patrons.

The writer is the Deputy Director of Library Services at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad; he can be reached at abidhussain@issi.org.pk

Cognitive capitalism and emerging issues

Technological changes could harm society

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Cheating in exams has repercussions

Moving forward, cognitive capitalism has emerged with new forms of imperialism and hegemony. As world data and knowledge are concentrated in a few hands, the owners of these sources of knowledge can exploit them disproportionately. It has also created a disproportional disparity between those who can own data and who can’t own the data.

As scholar Yochai Benkler argues, the concentration of knowledge and information in the hands of a few “has the potential to make the structure of global governance more like a feudal system “.The subordinated class or super-humans are few in terms of data, knowledge, and production of cognitive abilities. It can hurt the democratic cause which is dedicated to inclusive and participatory dimensions.

It is time to

The cognitive manipulation by such people can cause distrust in society. Distrust can lead to a fading of the trust of the public in institutions and democracy. It needs to consider who is owning the data and there must be a check on the unfettered cognitive skills of people in a free society.

The rise of populism can be characterized as due to the rise of the cognitive Precariat class in the Post-Truth era. As the people are becoming more insecure and unstable about their jobs and employment they are convinced of the radical solutions of the populist leaders which offer lucrative slogans to end all their problems in one stroke.

AN embarrassing ranking on the Trans- parency International’s Corruption Perception Index tells us where to start whenever, and if at all, we decide to begin our return journey. Controversially, the first place where children learn to cheat happens to be the class examination. Even more worrisome is that fact that they are almost always rewarded for that, making them walk with their heads held high. This stimulates the belief that unfair means are justified for high goals.

The cycle continues, and society keeps degenerating as corruption becomes a norm. Sounds familiar, right?

Why do students cheat? This has been an intriguing question for researchers around the world. At home, the reprehensible state of affairs is not a particularly guarded secret. Every year, the beginning of examinations is a bugle call to prospective cheaters to gear up and look for in genious ways to get through exams with ‘flying colours’.

Incidents reporting students running with books in their hands when vigilance teams strike, invigilators accepting bribes, and impersonation of candidates have made headlines, and that continues to be the case. Many factors contribute to this cycle. However, an educational system based on rote learning is the reason behind this menace. The pressure to get enrolled in top-notch colleges makes children cheat in schools. Later, in order to get into the best universities, students feel inclined to cheat in college exams

Finally, algorithms, data manipulation, and infodics are also conceived by those who are efficient in cognitive skills. For example, the social trends to manipulate the masses before the elections are established through vigorous manipulation of data to cause echo chambers and confirmation biases for many. It is important to deceive people which is too demanding in terms of cognitive skills.

It is time to consider the pitfalls of cognitive capitalism which has pushed the world towards the decline of democracies, erosion of trust, and widened the gap between cognitive skills workers and low-skilled workers to make more inclusive and participatory governance in the contemporary context.

The writer is a transportation engineer with postgraduations in English literature and political science

In universities, students mostly cheat because a good grade point average (GPA) is considered helpful in landing a good job. The habit of cheating becomes so integral that it is often not even considered inappropriate. For many students, the system is actual the monster. Research indicates that students are cut out of conversations about school policies and culture. On their part, the teachers care about cheating because it is not fair that students get good grades when they have not followed the teacher’s rules, a student at a university in Lahore told me recently.

Peer pressure is also a factor that makes students cheat to prove themselves to be the smartest in the class or they want to seem ‘cool’ in the eyes of their friends, or try to impress those around them.

A course correction is needed. This will not only help students see a better version of themselves, but will also save immense resources spent on the futile exercise of invigilation. A school where cheating is not necessary would be centred around individualisation and learning. Students would learn and be tested on their knowledge. Teaching should be outcome-based rather than content-based. What is learnt by the students has to be more important than what is taught by the teacher. For universities, open-book exams can be an effective antidote to dealing with the plague of cheating. This way of teaching would not be about time-crunching every lesson, but more about helping a student understand a concept. Most importantly, students must not be afraid of making mistakes while learning. The evaluation should be progress-based rather than glorifying the final result without focussing on the process involved. Besides competing in the class, collaboration must be equally stressed. In American universities, the grades and marks of the students are kept confidential. Marks are communicated to them through personal portals. This helps the students not to adopt unfair means under peer pressure and focus on learning rather than reaching for the correct answer by hook or by crook. It is time for educational institutions to focus more on learning rather than using marks as the only criterion for gauging a student’s ability. I was told by a successful entrepreneur with modest grades that he stopped cheating in exams once he realised that the 40 out of 100 that he scored by studying and utilising his own intellect was more satisfying than the 80 out of 100 which he earlier used to score by cheating. Social pressure perhaps is not the only reason why students resort to cheating. Hectic work schedules and unreasonable deadlines to deliver projects add to the woes of students, forcing them in a way to cheat and plagiarise. Therefore, they must be taught work-life balance from an early age. To curb corruption in society, ethical reforms are needed in educational institutions. Without attending to the students’ emotional, social and psycho-logical needs, we will never be able to create a cheating-free culture in society.

consider the pitfalls of cognitive capitalism which has pushed the world towards the decline of democracies, erosion of trust, and widened the gap between cognitive skilled workers and low-skilled workers to make more inclusive and participatory governance in the contemporary context

The exploitation of our non-human companions COMMENT 05

How we can make a difference to cruelty to animals

extent of the law.

AS I perused my Facebook feed this morning, a chilling headline caught my eye: “Man Arrested for Cruelty to Dog Tied to Scooter.” This begs the question: how many more instances of this kind of depravity, or even organized animal cruelty, are happening beyond our awareness? The sad truth is that animal cruelty has been a pervasive issue for ages, from inflicting pain and harm for specific gain, such as entertainment or zoosadism, to neglect and omission. This despicable behaviour has taken on different forms, from malnutrition, beating, transportation, research, and even slaughter. Even though animals were created to serve humans, we have always added to their misery and agony in one way or another. Regrettably, humans have continued to exploit animals for their own gain, indulging in organized cruelty such as dogfighting, cockfighting, and other offences that frequently accompany other crimes. Behold, the Prophet Muhammad (`PBUH) once imparted these words of wisdom: “Verily, a virtuous deed done unto an animal is akin to a virtuous deed done unto a human, while an act of cruelty towards an animal is akin to an act of cruelty towards a human.” With fervent conviction, the Holy Prophet (PBUH) denounced the heinous practices of notching and slitting the ears of animals, as well as the barbaric custom of adorning the necks of camels with grievous rings.

It is no secret that equine creatures hold great significance during the summertime, serving as a primary mode of transportation for tourists in popular destinations such as Sonamarg and Pahalgam. Alas, fate has dealt these majestic beasts a cruel hand.

In the frigid winters of Kashmir, one may often witness the pitiable sight of horses scavenging in the snow, abandoned by their owners who deem them unprofitable during that season. These magnificent beasts are left to languish for months on end, as the fields are shrouded in a blanket of snow. The heartless inhabitants, infuriated by the horses’ presence, resort to pelting them with stones in a misguided attempt to safeguard their crops, plants, and trees.

As the summer season arrives, the owners of these noble steeds scour the land in search of their missing companions, often attributing their disappearance to the horses’ own volition. Yet, one cannot help but question the circumstances that have led to the dire state of these magnificent beasts. It is imperative that those responsible for their mistreatment be held accountable under the full

Moreover, one cannot help but be dismayed by the inhumane practice of transporting animals on twowheelers, with these hapless creatures dangling precariously in the face of human selfishness, as their proprietors refuse to bear the expense of proper transport. Adding insult to injury, the wanton cruelty meted out to hapless hens who innocently stray into a neighbour’s yard or kitchen garden is nothing short of barbaric, with their legs broken as a punishment for their transgressions. Does the flagrant disregard for the sanctity of life not give one pause, and compel us to contemplate our accountability before the Almighty? Perchance, you have also beheld the appalling sight of chickens being ruthlessly packed into vehicles, left without sustenance or hydration for days on end.

A ghastly truth lurks behind the walls of US laboratories, where over 100 million animals, ranging from mice to monkeys, suffer a dreadful fate each year. These hapless creatures are subjected to grotesque experiments including inhaling toxic fumes, enduring immobilization for hours, having holes drilled into their skulls, or even having their skin burned off and spinal cords crushed. Not only are they tormented during experimentation, but they are stripped of all that is natural and meaningful to them. They languish in sterile cages, are socially isolated and suffer severe psychological trauma. Alas, these sentient beings, capable of emotion and empathy, are treated as nothing more than expendable laboratory tools.

animal testing do not often translate to humans. A research article published in The Journal of the American Medical Association highlights the poor replication of even high-quality animal studies, and cautions patients and physicians to be wary of extrapolating findings from animal research to the care of human disease.

Assist those who are struggling to care for their pets. Neglect is not always an indication of a lack of love. In certain circumstances, the animalÊs owner may be unable to provide the necessary care due to psychological limitations.

Diseases artificially induced in animals in a laboratory are never identical to those that occur naturally in humans. Additionally, the biological differences between animal species further undermine the usefulness of animal experimentation in predicting human outcomes. As Dr Richard Klausner, former National Cancer Institute Director, pointed out, “We have cured mice of cancer for decades, and it simply didn’t work in humans.” Former National Institutes of Health Director, Dr. Elias Zerhouni, admits that animal experimentation in predicting human outcomes. He admits further that animal experimentation has been a boondoggle and urges the adoption of new methodologies to understand human diseases. The sobering truth is that despite at least 85 successful HIV/AIDS vaccines in nonhuman primate studies, every single one has failed to protect humans. One such vaccine even made humans more susceptible to the disease. Even the National Institutes of Health concedes that the therapeutic development process, which includes animal experimentation, has a failure rate exceeding 95 percent and costs over $1 billion per successful drug. It’s time to stop relying on animal experimentation and invest in innovative and effective alternatives that will truly advance medical progress.

seem to be presenting the complete picture, as one study found that news stories about scientific meetings often leave out essential information, leading to a distorted perception of the science presented. Additionally, scientists rarely share the results of animal experiments that didn’t yield expected results, leaving the public in the dark about the inefficacy of animal experimentation.

STRATEGIES TO COMBAT ANIMAL CRUELTY: Assume responsibility as a pet owner. Attend to your pet’s needs and enrich its life with positive experiences. By setting an example of kindness, we can combat animal cruelty. Provide shelter to abandoned animals by fostering them to help them recover and find permanent loving homes. Interfere and report incidents of animal abuse, cruelty or neglect. Take action to stop animal mistreatment and seek help from others if necessary. Teach children to respect animals and demonstrate how to treat them with kindness. Support strict laws for animal welfare and stricter penalties for animal cruelty. Provide shelter to animals in need. You can make a significant difference in the life of an animal that has been mistreated by taking them out of harm’s way.

Recognize that animal neglect can be linked to domestic violence. Often, animal abuse and domestic violence go hand in hand. By reporting suspected incidents, you may be able to help both the animals and the affected family. See “The Link Between Cruelty to Animals and Violence to Humans” for more information Enlighten your peers about the cause. Empower them with knowledge to help combat animal cruelty. It is vital to recognize that animals have the right to live free from fear and suffering. We all have a duty to intervene when these rights are not upheld.

Assist those who are struggling to care for their pets. Neglect is not always an indication of a lack of love. In certain circumstances, the animal’s owner may be unable to provide the necessary care due to psychological limitations. In such cases, it is crucial to remove the pet from the neglectful environment and provide it with the care it deserves. Any act of kindness towards an animal has the potential to positively impact a human’s life as well.

Despite the declining acceptance of animal testing, a significant portion of the population still believes it to be vital for medical advancement. However, the truth is that the majority of animal experiments fail to contribute to improving human health. In fact, the reliability of animal experimentation in medical research is questionable, with numerous studies indicating that findings from

A startling revelation has been uncovered by a research published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. It exposes that universities often overstate the findings of animal experiments conducted in their labs and frequently promote research that has little to do with human health, all while failing to provide crucial details and recognize important limitations. The media also doesn’t

Time to launch Modi-freeIndia movement

Global leaders, especially in the western world, are obsessed with China and Russia. They are trying to pander to Modi against their traditional enemies by conveniently overlooking his misdeeds that actually call for sanctions

has voted them to power twice with huge mandates. Emboldened by such support, Modi has become more ruthless and arrogant.

COUNTERCURRENTS GuRpREEt

SinGh

AS the world’s so-called largest democracy heads for a general election in May, 2024, overseas Indians need to mobilize to rid their home country of a Hindu supremacist leader. Narendra Modi first got elected as the Prime Minister of India in May, 2014. He has completed almost ten years in power. A diehard member of the RSS, a right wing and intolerant cultural organization that wants to transform India into an official Hindu state through social engineering, Modi is the leader of the ruling BJP, which is known for its antiminority stance.

Previously the Chief Minister of Gujarat, Modi was complicit in the 2002 anti-Muslim pogroms. Though he was never charged or convicted, he was denied visa by foreign governments until he got elected to the highest office. His nine years of rule coincides with the release of a BBC documentary that exposes his involvement in the Gujarat episode. Not surprisingly, Modi’s government not only banned the documentary, but tried to browbeat the BBC office in India. However, that is not the only crime committed against humanity by Modi. Attacks on all religious minorities, including Muslims, have increased under his rule. As if this was not enough, Modi and his supporters have intensified their assaults on political critics and the opposition. The police and surveillance agencies are being used to terrorize dissidents. Independent media voices are being trampled with impunity.

In short, Modi has turned the entire India into Gujarat, where political polarization made him the hero of majoritarianism. After all, Gujarat was the laboratory where his experiment with bigotry paid rich dividends, enabling him to sustain power for a very long time. Even today, his party continues to reap the benefits of the 2002 bloodshed. The last assembly election gave them another victory, after the BJP leaders shamelessly invoked the ghosts of the anti-Muslim massacre.

Let’s face it that the RSS and the BJP never hid their designs, and yet the majority

NEWSWEEK

KathERinE ManGu-WaRd

This is not to say that previous governments were perfect and never indulged in wrongdoings. What is unique about a BJP government is that it is being run by the mandate of the RSS that started its journey in 1925.

Through public drills and assemblies across the country from the time of British India, RSS has been able to poison the minds of thousands of people to create an exclusionary Hindu nation. Ironically, they never participated in the freedom struggle, and rather remained disinterested in it. So much so, one of their supporters assassinated Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, a towering leader of the passive resistance movement. Gandhi was murdered for advocating secularism and Hindu-Muslim unity, and for opposing the idea of a Hindu nation. The RSS was briefly banned after this incident.

Modi hypocritically reveres Gandhi, while some of his party colleagues openly admire his killers. Nothing can be more contradictory than Modi’s admiration for a controversial figure, V.D. Savarkar, who was the instigator but acquitted for the lack of evidence. In spite of such baggage, the RSS and the BJP continue to challenge the patriotism of anyone who questions them for the ongoing repression in India. Whoever dares to criticise them can be easily branded as antinational and thrown behind bars.

The world largely remains ignorant to the ugly reality of the RSS, which drew inspiration from tyrants like Hitler. Its founders also justified the Jewish holocaust. But global leaders, especially in the western world, are obsessed with China and Russia. They are trying to pander to Modi against their traditional enemies by conveniently overlooking his misdeeds that actually call for sanctions. They need to be called out by the Indian Diaspora for being selective when it comes to the human rights situation in India. Indians abroad who are concerned with these developments have a time window of one year to work hard to rid India of Modi and the RSS.

The 2024 election is not going to be an ordinary affair. A year later, the RSS will celebrate its birth centenary on a grand scale, and is likely to redefine India as “Hindu Rashtra” where non-Hindus are to be treated as second class citizens. It’s time that the global citizens of Indian heritage get organized and reclaim the country of the dreams of our freedom fighters,

Idon’t think that the way that we fight China is by acting like China. The list of American tech companies that are banned in China is basically all of them, including Slack, Dropbox, and Wikipedia. This is not the right path for us. I have kids, and they’re not on TikTok right now. Have they seen TikTok?

Yeah, of course they have. Because kids are always going to work around their parent’s rules. And by the way, they’re also always going to work around the government’s rules. I trust the US Congress much less with my data than I trust

who had envisioned an egalitarian and humane society. Particularly for those living in North America – where the Ghadar Party was formed in 1913 – this should be a great cause of worry.

The Ghadar movement was started by Indian immigrants to launch an armed uprising against British occupation and establish a secular republic. Let’s follow their example. Today, the ballot has replaced the bullet, and we can think of travelling back to India to strengthen the hands of those who are already fighting against the RSS at personal risk, and encourage our loved ones to defeat the BJP in the May 2024 election. Alternatively, you can remain here and do canvassing either online or through phone calls. Holding public rallies to raise awareness worldwide is another option to sensitize the western media and politicians about what’s happening in India, and to build international pressure to ensure that Modi does not precipitate another 2002-like violence to win the next election. Notably, Modi’s government has failed to deliver on its promises of making India economically self-sufficient and strong. The lack of opportunities is one reason why most migrants are forced to come to Canada from India. This has given Modi a reason to indulge in the politics of religion even more aggressively. So far, he has kept his support base intact by delivering on the BJP’s core promises to the Hindu voters over the years. We need to urge everyone vote strategically, to kick out Modi and bring in another alternative that is secular and tolerant. Nevertheless, we must not give a blank cheque to any non-BJP party. Make them accountable as well, for their past mistakes of either hobnobbing with the RSS, or playing majoritarian politics for short term gains that laid the ground work for Modi to ascend to power. Barring a few parties which have consistently opposed the RSS ideology, others have tried to outdo them by using the Hindu nationalism card out of sheer opportunism. We must identify honest candidates and grassroots level activists who can bring real change. People may not realize that the RSS has already done great harm to Indian society, through penetration in the administration, judiciary, the armed forces, the cinema, the media and the academia; any attempt to dismantle the power structures they have created might take years. Even if Modi and the RSS are ousted, it will still be a long way to go to wipe out the residue of their legacy of hatred.

Gurpreet Singh is a journalist.

Mark Zuckerberg and I don’t trust him much. I would say the strongest arguments are national security concerns, but I still don’t think they’re very good arguments. The main scenario is that it’s blackmail in some form. China gets access to our devices and through our devices maybe a broader vision of what your online behavior looks like. They can already do that through other means. There is absolutely nothing special about TikTok here.

It makes me suspicious when I see a single company being scapegoated when we know that we we’re buying

Let us pray that the Almighty guide us towards compassion for animals and helps us become their voice in the face of adversity. May we all work towards making this world a better place for all living beings.

The writer is pursuing an MSc in zoology. He tweets @peermohdamir and can be reached at ehsaanamy133@gmail.com

Artificial intelligence voice cloning is on the rise

replicates the voice. Such applications emerged a few years ago, but under the generative-AI boom, the apps have improved, become more accessible and are relatively cheap to use.

Murf, Resemble and Speechify are a few popular companies for these services. Most providers offer free trial periods, and range in monthly subscription fees from under $15 for basic plans to over $100 for premium options.

AN Arizona family was terrified a few months ago when what they thought was a kidnapping and ransom call turned out to be a total scam created by artificial intelligence. As reports grow of scam calls that sound identical to loved ones, many fear that AI could be weaponized to threaten people with technology that’s easy to access and only requires a small fee, several minutes and a stable internet connection.

Jennifer DeStefano received an anonymous call one January afternoon while her 15-year-old daughter was out of town for a ski race. DeStefano heard her daughter answer the phone, panicking and screaming, quickly followed by a man’s voice threatening to drug and kidnap DeStefano’s daughter unless he was sent $1 million, CNN reported.

DeStefano was able to reach her daughter a few minutes later, who was fine and puzzled about what had happened, because she hadn’t been abducted and wasn’t involved in the ransom call. Emergency responders helped the family identify the call as a hoax that uses AI. “It was obviously the sound of her voice,” DeStefano told CNN, “the inflection, everything.”

Although data on how prevalent AIpowered scam calls are is limited, stories of similar incidents have continually popped up on TikTok and across other social platforms this year, prompting fear and risk for AI’s potential for harm.

AI scam calls are set up through voice cloning. Once a scammer finds an audio clip of someone’s voice online, they can easily upload it to an online program that

all kinds of stuff from China. China has access to data from American based companies. There are some measures in place to prevent that, and I think there’s some consumer demand for reassurances that your data is not going to China. But it’s not clear to me that the prevention of that piece of the puzzle is the business of Congress, or that banning TikTok would accomplish that.

The second scenario is more sinister, like maybe China’s going to do PSYOPs on us by feeding us content that makes us all into zombie communists or something.

The Federal Trade Commission recommends that if you get a concerning call from a loved one in trouble, call the person who supposedly contacted you back at their regular number and verify the story. If the caller asks for money through questionable channels that are hard to trace, such as wiring, cryptocurrency or gift cards, that could be a sign of a scam. Security experts recommend establishing a safeword with loved ones that can be used in the event of a real emergency and to distinguish a scam.

AI voice cloning has also spread to the music realm, where people use the technology to create songs with vocals that sound identical to popular artists. A song with Drake and the Weeknd’s likeness went viral online this month, even though neither artist had any involvement in creating it. The management company who represents both artists was able to get the song removed from streaming services, solely because of an illegally sampled audio, not for the AI voices. Drake commented, “this is the final straw AI,” after an AI-generated track of him rapping Ice Spice’s Munch also went viral this month.

Other artists like the Canadian musician Grimes are looking to the future where such technology could continue to grow and change the way the music industry operates. “I’ll split 50% royalties on any successful AI generated song that uses my voice,” Grimes tweeted last week. “Feel free to use my voice without penalty.” People can write songs themselves, but record them with famous singers’ voices to attract attention. So far, there’s no legal penalties for music deepfakes, but the New York Times reports that they pose the risks of infringing on artists’ reputations, depriving the vocalists from profit and culturally appropriating BIPOC artists.

This is sort of the election interference misinformation/disinformation argument that maybe subtly China could put pressure on TikTok to tweak our algorithms in ways that would change the outcome of an election. This of course was the allegation that was levied against Facebook I would say somewhat less effectively. We have no evidence that that’s happening right now. It’s a hypothetical, it’s a scary one, but it still does seem to be a hypothetical. We don’t put companies out of business because Congress thought of a scary scenario. We shouldn’t.

AI scam calls are set up through voice cloning. Once a scammer finds an audio clip of someone’s voice online, they can easily upload it to an online program that replicates the voice

pEER MOhaMMad aMiR QuREShi

ECONOMISTS SAY EXPANDING CHINA’S DEMAND KEY TO SUSTAINED ECONOMIC RECOVERY

ISLAMABAD STAFF CORRESPONDENT

ECONOMICexperts have weighed in on the recent Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee meeting on Friday, echoing the official stance of a need to expand China’s domestic demand and manage challenges to promote highquality development.

Zhang Deyong, a researcher at the Institute of Finance and Economics of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that the foundation for the current economic recovery needs to be further consolidated, reported financial news outlet Yicai.

For example, Zhang said, the growth rate of retail industry is not as good as that of tourism and catering industry, in terms of investment structure, growth of private investment has been at a low level, while real estate investment is also still relatively low.

Meanwhile, Chinese think tank China Finance 40 Forum recently released a report recommending several key focus areas to invigorate the Chinese economy. These include: lowering the country’s policy interest rate; driving down the real interest rate and stimulate market

vitality; maintaining credit growth and infrastructure investment supported by policies; maintaining liquidity support for real estate enterprises; and lastly, directing subsidies to low-income groups and introduce measures to support consumption recovery. At the Political Bureau of the CPC

Gas leak at factory in India’s Ludhiana kills 11

PUNJAB,

INDIA AGENCIES

Eleven people died and nine were hospitalised after a gas leak in Ludhiana in the northern Indian state of Punjab, a state lawmaker said on Sunday.

A team from the National Disaster Response Force was at the site along with a team of experts to determine the cause and source of the leak, said Rajinder Pal Kaur Chhina, a member of the legislative assembly in Ludhiana.

Police officials were seen patrolling wearing masks and asking locals to keep out of a cordoned area, according to ANI news agency’s video feed on Twitter.

“The incident happened near a milk shop and a doctor’s clinic although we cannot say for sure where the leak began,” Chhina told Reuters by phone.

“People who came to buy milk in the morning fell unconscious outside,” she said.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann tweeted the leak was from a factory, without providing further details.

A screengrab of a translated tweet by Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann made on April 30, 2023.

A screengrab of a translated tweet by Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann made on April 30, 2023.

“Definitely, it is a gas leak case. The NDRF team is present at the spot to evacuate the people and will conduct the rescue operation,” ANI quoted West Ludhiana Sub Divisional Magistrate Swati as saying.

ANI said a fire brigade team was also present at the site while the police have sealed the area.

A video shared by ANI on Twitter showed a local saying, “I came to know that five members of my family are unconscious.” In the video, police officials could be seen stopping him from going towards the incident site.

Another video showed a resident, Anjan Kumar, telling the reporter that the gas leaked from the factory was poisonous and one “would not be able to breathe” when surrounded by it. Three bodies had “turned blue”, he said.

In August 2022, at least 112 women had been hospitalised after a gas leak occurred at an apparel manufacturing plant in India. However, no deaths were reported at the time.

In May 2020, at least five people were killed and hundreds were hospitalised after a gas leak at a chemical plant in Visakhapatnam, an industrial port city in Andhra Pradesh.

Central Committee meeting held in Beijing, it was emphasized that the recovery and expansion of demand are vital to the continuous recovery of the economy. Officials at the meeting concluded that a proactive fiscal policy must be strengthened to improve efficiency and prudent monetary policy must be precise and powerful enough to “form a joint force” to expand demand. It was also noted that it is necessary to increase the income of urban and rural residents through multiple channels, improve the consumption environment and promote the consumption of services such as cultural tourism. It is also imperative to give full play to the guiding role of government investment and policy incentives, and effectively stimulate private investment, officials said at the meeting. China’s GDP growth exceeded expectations by registering a 4.5-percent year-on-year increase in the first quarter of 2023 as economic activities regains momentum.

UN chief, envoys in key talks on Afghanistan crisis

DOHA

AGENCIES

UN chief Antonio Guterres will gather international envoys at a secret location in Doha on Monday in an increasingly desperate bid to find ways to influence Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers. Considered the world’s biggest humanitarian crisis by the United Nations, Guterres’ quandary has been deepened by the Taliban administration’s move to stop girls from going to school and most women from working, even for UN agencies.

The Taliban government, which took back power in August 2021, will be absent from the talks with representatives from about 25 countries and international organisations, according to diplomats.

Ahead of the talks, a small group of women staged a protest in Kabul on Saturday to oppose any international recognition of the Taliban government. But the UN and Western powers are adamant this will not be discussed.

“Any kind of recognition of

the Taliban is completely off the table,” said US State Department spokesman Vedant Patel.

But apart from confirming that the Taliban leadership is not on the list of participants, the UN has refused to say where in the Qatar capital the talks are being held, or who will join Guterres.

The UN secretary general is to give an update on a review of the world body’s critical relief operation in Afghanistan, ordered in April after the authorities there stopped Afghan women working with UN agencies, diplomats said.

The UN has said it faces an “appalling choice” over whether to maintain its huge operation in the country of 38 million.

Torn apart over the Ukraine war and other global tensions, the UN Security Council powers united on Thursday to condemn the curbs on Afghan women and girls and urge all countries to seek “an urgent reversal” of the policies.

The Afghan foreign ministry rejected the call and said the ban “is an internal social matter of Afghanistan”. Richard Gowan, the

Clashes rock Sudan despite truce as ex-PM warns of ‘nightmare’

SUDAN AGENCIES

Heavy fighting again rocked Sudan’s capital Sunday as tens of thousands have fled the bloody turmoil and a former prime minister warned of the “nightmare” risk of a descent into full-scale civil war.

Army forces clashed with paramilitaries in downtown Khartoum as deadly hostilities have entered a third week despite the latest ceasefire, which was formally set to expire at the end of Sunday.

“There has been very heavy fighting and loud gunfire every few minutes since the early morning on my street,” one southern Khartoum resident told AFP by phone. Clashes were reported around the army headquarters in central Khartoum, and the army also carried out airstrikes in the capital’s twin city of Omdurman across the Nile River.

UN expert for the International Crisis Group, an independent NGO, said the UN is “in a trap over Afghanistan”.

“Guterres has to untangle a very complicated knot. He needs to find a way to keep aid flowing into Afghanistan, but the Taliban ban on women is a huge blow to the UN’s ability to operate in the country.” Gowan said the international community wants the UN to maintain its critical presence.

“There are lots of differences among security council members over Afghanistan. But everyone, including Russia and China, agrees it is better to have the UN in Kabul than not.”

The United Nations has given few indications of what proposals could be made at the meeting.

UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Friday the aim “is to reinvigorate international engagement around common objectives for a durable way forward on Afghanistan”. The global body also wants “unity or commonality of message” on women’s and human rights, countering terrorism and drug trafficking.

TEXAS AGENCIES

A gunman shot dead five neighbours including an 8year old child after neighbours asked the man to stop shooting an AR-15-style weapon in his front yard in Cleveland, Texas, San Jacinto County Sheriff Greg Capers said on Saturday.

Police were still looking for the suspect, who used an AR-15-style rifle in the shooting late on Friday, Capers told Reuters.

Authorities have charged Francisco Oropeza, 38, with five counts of murder and were searching for him Saturday morning, Capers said.

“He is on the run in the Sam Houston National Forest over here in San Jacinto County. We are tracking him with dogs and men on horseback and drones in the air,” said Capers.

Officials from Capers’ office received a call about harassment from Cleveland at around 11:31 p.m.

local time but when they reached the scene they found several victims who had been shot, he said.

There were a total of ten people in the house when the gunman got in and started shooting, said Capers, five of whom survived.

Police said the victims were all from Honduras but officials did not disclose their names, ABC news reported earlier.

The suspect stepped out of his house on Friday night and started shooting in his yard which is when some of the victims stepped out to confront him, Capers said.

“The man walked over to the fence, said ‘hey, we’re trying to keep the baby asleep in here'” he said.

Both parties then went back to their houses, said Caper, where the shooter “topped off his magazine, and walked down his driveway” onto the street then “into the people’s house and started shooting.”

The San Jacinto sheriff said the victims were killed with shots to the head.

Foreign nations have scrambled to evacuate thousands of their citizens by air, road and sea since the fighting plunged the poverty-stricken country into deadly turmoil on April 15. Millions of Sudanese have endured crippling shortages of water, food and other basic supplies, while tens of thousands have fled to neighbouring countries, with more on their way. Satellite images showed long bus convoys at the Egyptian border, while the UN said tens of thousands had escaped to Chad, South Sudan, Ethiopia and the Central African Republic.

The turmoil could deepen further in the power struggle between army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Sudan’s former prime minister Abdalla Hamdok warned that the conflict could deteriorate into one of the world’s worst civil wars if not stopped early.

“God forbid if Sudan is to reach a point of civil war proper… Syria, Yemen, Libya will be a small play,” Hamdok told an event in Nairobi. “I think it would be a nightmare for the world.”

The violence has killed at least 528 people and wounded about 4,600, the health ministry said Saturday, but those figures are likely to be incomplete.

The fighting has affected 12 out of 18 states across Sudan, including the Darfur region, the ministry said.

The UN World Food Programme has warned the violence could plunge millions more into hunger in a country where 15 million people already need aid to stave off famine.

The warring sides have agreed to multiple truces but none has taken hold, as chaos and lawlessness have gripped Khartoum, a city of five million, and other regions.

The latest three-day ceasefire — due to expire at midnight (2200 GMT) Sunday — was agreed Thursday after mediation led by the United States, Saudi Arabia, the African Union and the United Nations.

As the battles have raged regardless, the rival generals have taken aim at each other in the media.

Burhan again branded the RSF a militia that aims “to destroy Sudan” while Daglo called the army chief “a traitor”.

Sudan was ruled for decades by Islamist-backed strongman Omar al-Bashir, who was ousted by the military in 2019 after mass pro-democracy protests. The coup brought Burhan and Daglo to power, and they seized full control in another coup, in 2021, before turning on each three weeks ago.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has urged negotiations to end the bloodshed.

“There is no right to go on fighting for power when the country is falling apart,” he told Saudi-owned Al Arabiya television on Saturday.

“My appeal is for everything to be done to support an African-led initiative for peace in Sudan.”

Guterres also said on Twitter that “the UN is scaling up efforts to help people seeking safety in neighbouring countries”.

About 75,000 have been displaced by the fighting, the UN said. At least 20,000 have escaped to Chad, 4,000 to South Sudan, 3,500 to Ethiopia and 3,000 to the Central African Republic, it added.

The fighting has also triggered a mass exodus of foreigners and international staff.

Turkey nears referendum on Erdogan’s two-decade rule

ISTANBUL STAFF REPORT

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan dives Sunday into the final two-week stretch before a momentous election that has turned into a referendum on his two decades of divisive but transformative rule.

The 69-year-old leader looked fighting fit as he strutted back on stage after a three-day illness and tossed flowers to rapturous crowds at an Istanbul aviation fest on Saturday.

It was the perfect venue for reminding Turks of all they had gained since his Islamic-rooted party ended years of secular rule and launched an era of economic revival and military might.

He was flanked by the president of Azerbaijan and the Ankara-backed premier of Libya — two countries where drones built by his son-in-law’s company helped swing the outcome of wars.

Istanbul itself has become a modern and chaotic megalopolis that has nearly doubled in size since Erdogan came to power in 2003. But hiding beneath the surface are a more recent economic crisis and fierce social divisions that have given the May 14 parliamentary and presidential polls a powder keg feel.

‘POLITICAL COUP ATTEMPT’: The nation of 85 million appears as splintered as ever about whether Erdogan has done more harm than good in the only Muslim-majority country of the NATO defence bloc.

Polls show him running neck-and-neck against secular opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu and his alliance of six disparate parties.

The entry of two minor candidates means that Erdogan and Kilicdaroglu will likely face each other again in a runoff on May 28.

But some of Erdogan’s more hawkish ministers are sounding warnings about Washington leading Western efforts to undermine Turkey’s might through the polls.

Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu referred Friday to US President Joe Biden’s 2019 suggestion that Washington should embolden the opposition “to take on and defeat Erdogan”.

“July 15 was their actual coup attempt,” Soylu said of a failed 2016 military putsch that Erdogan blamed on a US-based Muslim preacher. “And May 14 is their political coup attempt.”

SPLINTERED SOCIETY: Erdogan continues to be lionised across more conservative swathes of Turkey for unshackling religious restrictions and bringing modern homes and jobs to millions of people through construction and state investment.

Turkey is now filled with hospitals and interconnected with airports and highways that stimulate trade and give the vast country a more inclusive feel.

He empowered conservative women by enabling them to stay veiled in school and in civil service — a right that did not exist in the secular state created from the Ottoman Empire’s ashes in 1923.

And he won early support from Turkey’s Kurdish minority by seeking a political solution to their secession movement for an independent state that has claimed tens of thousands of lives.

But his equally passionate detractors point to a more authoritarian streak that emerged with the violent clampdown on protests in 2013 — and became even more apparent with sweeping purges he unleashed after the failed 2016 coup attempt.

Erdogan turned against the Kurds and jailed or stripped tens of thousands of people of their state jobs on oblique “terror” charges that sent chills through Turkish society. His penchant for campaigning and gift for public speaking enabled him to keep winning at the polls.

But the current vote is turning into his toughest because of a huge economic crisis that erupted in late 2021.

DEMOCRATIC TRADITIONS: Erdogan’s biggest problems started when he decided to defy the rules of economics by slashing interest rates to fight inflation.

The lira lost more than half its value and inflation hit an eye-popping 85 percent since his experiment began. Millions lost their savings and fell into deep debt.

Polls show the economy worrying Turks more than any other issue — a point not lost on Kilicdaroglu.

The 74-year-old former civil servant

pledges to restore economic order and bring in vast sums from Western investors who fled the chaos of Erdogan’s more recent rule.

Kilicdaroglu’s party will send out 300,000 monitors to Turkey’s 50,000 polling stations to guarantee a fair outcome on election day. Opposition security pointman Oguz Kaan Salici sounded certain about a smooth transition should Erdogan lose.

“Power will change hands the way it did in 2002,” he said of the year Erdogan’s party first won.

A Western diplomatic source pointed to Turkey’s strong tradition of respecting election results.

Erdogan’s own supporters turned against him when the Turkish leader tried to annul the opposition’s victory in the 2019 mayoral elections in Istanbul.

But the source observed a note of worry among Erdogan’s rank and file.

“For the first time, (ruling party) deputies are openly evoking the possibility of defeat,” the source said.

Five dead in Texas shooting, armed suspect on the loose, ABC News reports

CORPORATE CORNER

UBL remains at the forefront with Q1’23 PBT of Rs. 24.4 bln – growth of 54%

UBL continues its momentum with solid results with Profit After Tax of Rs. 13.9 billion for Q1’23 as against Rs. 9.5 billion for Q1’22, with a growth of 46% year on year. Earnings per share (EPS) stood at Rs. 11.36 for Q1’23 compared to Rs. 7.78 for Q1’22. The Board of Directors, in their meeting held in Islamabad on April 28, 2023, declared a consistently strong dividend payout of Rs. 11.0 per share for Q1’23. UBL maintains healthy capital levels as the Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) stood at 17.6% as at Mar’23, an excess of 5.6% over regulatory minimum requirements and ROE of 28% (Mar’22: 23%).

UBL records strong growth of 49% in top line revenues & increased vigilance on costs

The Bank’s gross revenues stood at Rs. 42.0 billion, growing by 49%, driven by the buildup in the deposit base and a well-positioned investment portfolio. The Bank earned net markup income of Rs. 33.3 billion in Q1’23, up 55% year on year due to a robust growth in average earning assets and improvement in Net interest margins (NIMs) from 4.3% to 5.2% in Q1’23.

Non-Fund Income (NFI) was reported at Rs. 8.8 billion for Q1’23, contributing 21% to total gross revenues. Fee and commission income of Rs. 4.3 billion was earned in Q1’23, an increase of 11% primarily from fees from branch banking operations, income from debit and credit card fees and doubling of income from trade and guarantee business. PR

Cecil Hotel by Pearl-Continental launches in Murree with distinguished guests

Khawaja asif Castigates ex-CjP saqib Nisar Over audiO leaKs

SIALKOT STAFF REPORT

dEFENCEMinister Khawaja

Asif on Sunday lambasted the former chief justice of Pakistan (CJP) Saqib Nisar over the audio leaks, saying that recordings have exposed the former judge’s enmity with Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif.

Addressing a press conference in Sialkot, the defence minister noted that there was no greater honor than the chief justice for the Supreme Court.

“Former chief justice of Pakistan (CJP) Saqib Nisar went too far in his

enmity with Nawaz Sharif,” he said, lambasting the former justice over recent audio leaks. Nisar admitted on TV about his son’s recent audio leak, the minister said.

Khawaja Asif further said that the leaks have not only exposed the former chief justice but also Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaf (PTI) leadership, adding that staying away from power is eating up Imran from within.

The federal minister pointed out that the judiciary’s job was to make decisions as per the Constitution and the law, not hold a panchayat. “Over 51,000 cases are still pending in Supreme Court,” he said, adding people of Pakistan were still waiting for justice.

OGRA advises private investment in gas sector

ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) has advised government to invite private investment to tackle the gas crisis, citing sources.

The regulator has forwarded various proposals to tackle the gas crisis in the country, sources said.

Recommending invitation to

private investment in gas sector, OGRA has said that additional gas supply required private sector’s investment.

The gas regulator has also proposed policy guidelines for competition in gas sector. “There is big difference in the production cost and selling price of gas,” OGRA sources said. “Large scale cross subsidy being given to end this difference,” sources said.

OGRA sources have asked the federal government to formulate policy guidalines for private investment in gas sector. It has also advised steps for tariff rationalization of local and imported gas. Pakistan is facing an acute energy crisis and the country required drastic structural reforms to address aggravating gas and power crises, which cost dearly to the economy of the country.

Smart disaster prevention moot praises the strength of Sino-Pak ties

ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

The first academic conference of China-Pakistan Belt and Road Initiatives (BRI) Joint Laboratory on Smart Disaster Prevention of Major Infrastructures was held on Sunday in Nanjing, China, highlighting and praising the collaboration between the two countries.

Census Operations closed in all areas of disputed population growth claims

Pakistan, the promotion and application of smart disaster prevention technologies in major infrastructure, and the joint training of high-end talents,” he added.

He further said that The Pakistani Embassy in China will further promote more Pakistani universities to join the China Pakistan Belt and Road Joint Laboratory on Smart Disaster Prevention of Major Infrastructures to further deepen cooperation.

ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

islamabad: On the 27th of April, the grand launch of Cecil Hotel by Pearl-Continental took place in Murree, a beautiful hill station in the Punjab province of Pakistan. The event was attended by Mr. and Mrs. Murtaza Hashwani, CEO of PSL and Deputy Chairman, Hashoo Group, ambassadors, members of the diplomatic community and local dignitaries. The highlight of the event was the presence of His Excellency, Mr. Andrew Dalgleish, Acting British High Commissioner, who praised the efforts of Hashoo in restoring this historic property to its former glory. Also present at the event was celebrated author, Mr. Omar Mukhtar Khan, who wrote the book "Once Upon a Time in Murree". Mr. Mukhtar spoke about the history and heritage of Murree, which has been beautifully captured in his book, and how the Cecil Hotel is a fitting tribute to this iconic hill station. Mr. Hasan Najib, Executive Director of Lakhani Group, lauded the commendable efforts of Hashoo Group in resurrecting Cecil Hotel's prominence in Murree. He expressed his optimism for future collaborations between the two entities. PR

Securing life and property of citizens is utmost priority:

SSP Investigation

SSP Investigation Dr. Muhammad Iqbal chaired a meeting and reviewed the performance of the Investigation units. He directed the officers to further improve their performance and expedite the disposal of cases, a police public relation officer said. According to details, following the special directions of Inspector General of Police (IGP) Islamabad Dr. Akbar Nasir Khan, the SSP Investigations chaired a meeting with the officers of Homicide Investigation Unit (HIU), Robbery and Dacoity Unit (RDU) and Special Sexual Offences Investigation Unit (SSOIU) and reviewed the performance of all the units and issued instructions to the officers to further improve the performance of their units. Speaking on the occasion, the SSP Investigation warned the officers that no laxity towards the safety and security of citizens would be tolerated and strict disciplinary action would be initiated against officials showing negligence towards their official duty. He further directed all officers to arrest offenders involved in heinous crimes, especially those involved in murder cases, and increase the ratio of challan of cases and recoveries. PR

Khan Muhammad Wazir, Counselor of Science and Technology at the Embassy of Pakistan in China told China Economic Net that the conference discussed new technologies that could be used to protect major infrastructures from natural disasters, and featured a number of experts from both China and Pakistan.

This event demonstrates the strength of the bilateral relations between China and Pakistan and their commitment to the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

“We hope that the joint laboratory can make more contributions to joint researches between China and

It is worth mentioning that the China-Pakistan Belt and Road Joint Laboratory on Smart Disaster Prevention of Major Infrastructures is the only joint laboratory of civil engineering discipline among three batches of 53 "Belt and Road" joint laboratories. The fruitful sharing, discussion, and exchange at this academic committee meeting will certainly promote the construction and development of the joint laboratory and promote in-depth cooperation between China and the Belt and Road countries such as Pakistan in intelligent disaster prevention.

Skilled workers, professionals leaving country due to economic decline: Atif Ikram

ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Former Vice President of Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) Atif Ikram Sheikh has said that skilled workers and professionals are leaving the country in record numbers for better opportunities which is a great threat to the economy.

In a statement issued here on Sunday, he said that industry and other sectors are finding it difficult to find skilled workers and professionals adding to the economic downturn.

Atif Ikram Sheikh who has also served as President ICCI and Chairman PVMA said that the country is going through uncertainty, people are worried about the economic situation, the political environment is tense and due to lack of purposeful politics, the situation is getting worse with time.

The country is facing several economic and political crises and the whole situation has further weakened the already weak economy, and has made it difficult for people to feed themselves and their children, forcing them to seek a better life elsewhere, he added.

The business leader said that almost a million Pakistanis left the country in just one year for better opportunities and a better life.

The number of Pakistanis going abroad increased by 300 percent in one year which is a perfect recipe for disaster, he said, adding that on average few hundred thousand Pakistanis use to go abroad but now this number has increased to one million, he added.

Atif Ikram Sheikh said that the desire to leave the country is highest among the youth aged 15 to 24 years and those leaving the country are professionals, including doctors, engineers, IT specialists, accountants, associate engineers, teachers and nurses, who are in search of better jobs and a better standard of living.

This is a trend that is becoming common and it is causing a lot of problems for the country. This situation is having a further negative and detrimental impact on Pakistan's economy, with such large numbers of people leaving the country and shrinking the labour force, resulting in a decline in the country's productivity, the business leader observed.

Lack of skilled professionals is making it difficult for the economy to grow. Loss of human capital is leading to brain drain, as our country is losing its best and brightest to other countries. According to a Gallup Pakistan survey, the rate of dissatisfied Pakistanis with the country's economic situation reached 73 percent.

According to a report issued by the Ministry of Finance on debt and inflation, the volume of debt has increased due to the increase in interest rates, and the increase in the exchange rate of the dollar has also increased inflation and debt.

Our debt is expected to be more than 70 percent of the economy by the year 2026, and the inflation rate may be 6.5 percent in the year 2026. The Economist Intelligence Unit has also expressed the fear that the unemployment rate will increase further in Pakistan next year. This year unemployment has increased to 9.6 percent and will increase to 9.9 percent next year. According to the report, interest rates are also likely to rise by another 2 percent to 23 percent and the rupee will remain weak till 2027.

The report states that Pakistan has to repay 77.5 billion dollars of foreign debt in 4 years, to avoid default, a new IMF program will have to be taken. Apart from this, political instability, security, and economic weaknesses have been described as major problems in the report.

The reasons for many Pakistanis leaving the country in this political and economic situation can be varied, but the most common reason is the lack of job opportunities in the country.

Minister of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, Prof. Ahsan Iqbal, directed Provincial Governments to complete the Field verification/coverage of 7th Population and Housing Census till 15th May, 2023 in areas where Population growth is not in line with normal Demographic trends and close the field operation in all areas exhibiting natural trends.

In pursuance of the 12th meeting of the Census Monitoring Committee and meeting with Demographers and Political parties, a follow-up meeting was held on 30th April 2023, with Provincial Chief Secretaries chaired by Minister of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, Prof Ahsan Iqbal to discuss the nomenclature for completion of fieldwork of the 7th Population and Housing Census by May 15, 2023. During the meeting, Prof. Ahsan Iqbal emphasized that Prime Minister, Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has taken strict notice on the repeated extensions of field enumeration activities of the 7th Population and Housing Census, therefore, targeted verification and enumeration operations should be carried out in areas with abnormal Population Growth, where gaps have already been highlighted using the digital systems architected by Pakistan Bureau of Statistics for the first-ever digital census. He stressed that special efforts should be made in urban areas of Punjab, Sindh and KP and ICT to counter issues of under coverage and low coverage. A uniform data-driven policy must be adopted to conclude the field enumeration in all provinces. Strict monitoring of fieldwork and daily sharing of progress with PBS headquarters for onward submission to Minister PD & SI, must be adopted to fill the gaps and successfully concluding this exercise. He further shared that along with under-enumeration, the digital system has also identified over-counting and cases where census exercise has been manipulated or tampered which has resulted in abnormal trends. He strongly directed concerned teams to address such cases strictly to avoid such incidences in future. He once again stressed on the completion of the exercise on 15th May, 2023 for timely handing over data to the Election Commission of Pakistan.

Secretary PD & SI, Syed Zafar Ali Shah informed Pakistan Bureau of Statistics and stakeholders to redouble their efforts to complete the exercise till 15th May, 2023 and to adopt a uniform policy in all blocks throughout the country to complete the exercise.

PsO dominates a challenging energy market

Karachi: Pakistan State Oil (PSO) exhibited exceptional resilience and reported a net profit of PKR 10.3 billion (9MFY22: PKR 64.8 billion) with Earnings

Per Share of PKR 21.9. The company’s strong operational performance and strategic thrust helped increase its market share as it continued to display unyielding perseverance and adaptability in the face of ever-changing market conditions. PR

IMF delaying loans to weaken Pakistan, CPEC its actual target: Chairman PEW

ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Chairman of Pakistan Economy Watch (PEW) Brig. (retd) Aslam Khan has said that International Monetary Fund (IMF) is delaying loans to weaken Pakistan economically and China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is its actual target.

In a statement issued on Sunday, he said that the conditions of the IMF are not coming to an end which is a conspiracy to weaken Pakistan so that it is made to obey orders that are against its national interests.

Brig (retd) Aslam Khan said the lender will not give a loan to Pakistan until we step back from CPEC. That is why, despite fulfilling dozens of conditions, the IMF contin-

ues to make lame excuses, he added. He said that the lame justifications of the IMF have made its intentions clear to all, so Pakistan should part ways with it as soon as possible.

The Chairman PEW said that Pakistan will have to learn to live without the IMF, for which elitism will have to be abandoned.

Due to the delay in the agreement between Pakistan and the IMF, the country's economy has been greatly affected, and the public has also had to pay a heavy price for it.

According to many economists, due to the current economic conditions in Pakistan, the country has no option other than the IMF, as other international financial institutions and many countries have linked the loan to Pakistan with the revival of the IMF programme. He noted that further loans will be avail-

able to Pakistan only after the issuance of instalment by the lender.

Aslam Khan said that the delay in agreement with the IMF has created a situation of uncertainty resulting in the depreciation of the rupee, loss of investment, and adverse effects in the financial market, due to which Pakistan's credit rating continues to decline.

The depreciation of the rupee has made many things expensive, as everything from food to oil is imported.

The decision to suddenly increase electricity, gas, and interest rates was wrong, which has put a lot of burden on the people and the business community.

The government should try hard to get out of the clutches of the IMF as soon as the situation improves, he demanded.

PM SATISFIED OVER 27.5M METRIC TONS BUMPER WHEAT CROP

bumper wheat crop was the result of the incumbent government’s timely decisions and the best governance.

First two Monkeypox patients recover in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Health officials confirmed on Sunday that the first two monkeypox cases reported in Pakistan last week have recovered from the virus.

PRIMEMinister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday attributed production of 27.5 million metric tons record bumper wheat crop in the country to government’s efforts at timely decisions, provision of quality seed, interrupted supply of fertilizer and Kissan package.

Expressing his satisfaction over the country’s produce which surpassed production during the previous ten years, the prime minister thanked Allah Almighty for the blessing.

The prime minister chaired a meeting to review countrywide wheat procurement drive at the official level, PM Office Media Wing said in a press release. The meeting was informed about the production of wheat in the current year, its available stock, carry forward stocks and the procurement targets of

the federal and provincial departments. The meeting was attended by Minister for National Food Security Tariq Bashir Cheema, PM’s Adviser Ahad Khan Cheema, Special Assistant Tariq Bajwa, Caretaker Punjab Minister for Industries

After federal govt, Punjab CM also distances from raid on Elahi’s House

LAHORE STAFF REPORT

Caretaker Punjab Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Sunday criticised the Anti Corruption Establishment (ACE) Punjab team for storming the residence of Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q)’s President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain in a bid to arrest former provincial chief executive and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Central President Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi.

The move comes a day after federal government disowned attack on Elahi’s residence in Lahore, commonly called Zahoor Palace.

In an early morning tweet, Naqvi retweeted a video posted by Shujaat’s son Salik Hussain that showed the ACE team at the main door of their residence.

The caretaker CM said in the tweet that he was “appalled to know that [the] team went to arrest Elahi but stormed Shujaat’s house in which Salik Hussain got injured”.

SM Tanveer and other senior authorities.

The prime minister congratulated the minister for food security and other relevant authorities and appreciated their steps. He said that despite heavy rainfalls and floods in last year, achieving

Felicitating the nation on achieving the milestone, the prime minister said that the government was formulating a strategy for achieving enhanced production next year. Due to mismanagement of the previous government, Pakistan became a wheat importing country, he said, adding the farmers were made to wait in long lines for the whole day to get fertilizers. He said that the provincial and federal departments should directly purchase wheat from farmers to provide them benefits. They should also increase the procurement targets of wheat, so as to ensure its uninterrupted supply throughout the year, he added.

The prime minister also directed for strict action against hoarders. He also directed for provision of required resources through banks to get specified quantity of wheat.

PTI to switch to ‘Plan-B’

government

ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI)

Sunday said the opposition party has a “strategy” in place if negotiations with the government to end an impasse over elections in Punjab failed.

In a tweet, Fawad Chaudhry, senior vice president of the party, emphasised that while the party of former prime minister Imran Khan wanted successful talks, it will not remain silent if the Constitution was disregarded and the public was treated as “insects.”

Calling on the people to prepare for a “movement,” Chaudhry announced that power shows will be held in Lahore, Islamabad, and Peshawar, begin-

if

talks with

on elections fail: Fawad

ning from the capital of Punjab on Monday and culminating in a “historic long march.”

Talks between the ruling Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) coalition and the opposition, facilitated by the Supreme Court, began Thursday and have been seen as a breakthrough in the months-long deadlock on elections.

Presenting its demands during successive sessions, PTI has called for the speedy dissolution of all parliaments and elections no later than August. The party also said that the delay to the election in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa should be granted legal cover through a constitutional amendment and sought the return of its resigned MPs to the National Assembly to achieve this.

In the second round, the government presented its own proposals, reportedly to conduct polls in September to allow for the presentation of the upcoming fiscal year’s budget in June.

The second round concluded on Friday with both sides agreeing to consult with their respective leaderships before re-convening for a final session on Tuesday.

Addressing party workers and supporters on Saturday night, Khan said his party was willing to discuss the election date only after the dissolution of the National Assembly before May 14. This deadline is in accordance with the April 4 order of the Supreme Court regarding elections in Punjab.

The individual deported from Saudi Arabia, treated at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) Hospital in Islamabad, has been discharged, stated the ministry’s officials.

The other person, in home quarantine, is also in stable condition now.

On Sunday, Lahore’s General Hospital (GH) administration reported two new suspected monkeypox cases. The patients, under treatment for two days, display symptoms like fever and red spots, with one also having blisters on the body.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has assured Pakistan of assistance in containing the monkeypox virus. In a statement on Saturday, WHO said it has been working with Pakistan’s government to investigate the virus’s spread.

An official from the Ministry of National Health Services confirmed no localised transmission of monkeypox in Pakistan, and that the risk of international spread remains low. The WHO has not recommended trade restrictions based on current information about monkeypox outbreaks. Monkeypox is a viral illness caused by the monkeypox virus, with common symptoms including a skin rash or mucosal lesions, fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, low energy, and swollen lymph nodes. The virus can be transmitted through contact with infected individuals, materials, or animals.

Hajj flight operation from May 21-22

ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Senator Talha Mahmood has said one hundred and eighty thousand pilgrims will perform the obligation of Hajj this year, and the first Hajj flight will depart on 20 or 21 May. Addressing a press conference, he said, action will be taken against private Hajj operators who will not fulfil their commitments. He said that arrangements were planned to be completed during Ramadan, I cannot arrange an ideal Hajj but I will definitely try to reduce the miseries of public during Hajj.

Senator Talha Mahmood said that when I assumed the Ministry’s charge, there were no arrangements at all. I had to go to Saudi Arabia urgently and now the Hajj operation have started. Thirty-four thousand pilgrims went under the government scheme in 2022, and fortyfive thousand went under the private scheme.