Epaper_23-05-30 ISB

PM SHEHBA Z TERMS IMRAN AS CAUSE OF ECONOMIC, POLITICAL INSTABILIT Y

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BLAMES IMRAN FOR SCRAPPING IMF

DEAL AND VIOLENT PROTESTS

ISLAMABAD

S TA F F R E P O R T

PR I M E Minister Shehbaz Sharif Monday said Imran Niazi had a role in deepening economic challenges of Pakistan as he scrapped the deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and his non-stop agitation, long marches and sit-ins caused economic and political instability

In a tweet on the social media platform Twitter he said Looks like Imran Niazi s understanding of the economy and the broader environment in which it operates is quite limited He also conveniently forgets his own role in deepening economic challenges From scrapping the IMF deal he has always wished Pakistan to default This is in addition to the adverse impact his politics of non-stop agitation long marches, and dharna has had on the economy in terms of causing political instability Even Pakistani investors would shy away from investing their capital in such an unstable environment deliberately created by Imran Niazi The terrible events of May 9 alone have cost the economy billions of rupees & are an irrefutable endorsement of his nefarious designs This is not to mention the plethora of corruption cases he is involved in he noted

He further said Yes we do face the economic challenges but the doomsday scenario is past us Sincere efforts are being made to address the challenges through economic belt-tightening and timely policy interventions We are also working with friends and partners to bridge the financing gaps where needed The real challenge for us is to reduce our dependence on imports and bring down inflation, which is possible when we make exports, investment and productivity the engine of the economy This is where our efforts are headed ” he concluded

Visibly ‘fuming’ Dar struggles to answer questions on ‘IMF deal failure’

Finance Minister Ishaq Dar on Monday got angry on questions hurled by journalists that was it his failure for not having an (Staff Level Agreement) agreement with the International Monitory Fund (IMF) Ishaq Dar addressed Pakistan’s First International Conference on Islamic Capital Markets here during which he assured the nation that government has been trying to fix the economy The conference was jointly organized by the SECP and AAOIFI Hopes for a resumption of an IMF deal are diminishing, analysts say, with a bailout programme agreed in 2019 due to expire on June 30 at the end of the 2022-23 fiscal year

During the question-answer session a visibly angry Dar refused to answer questions on the new budget and the IMF (deal) Later Dar quickly rebutted the notion asking, Has Pakistan defaulted? He explained the government has ensured all our international payments A journalist asked it is the first time he encountered difficult economic conditions and the economy is not being fixed The finance minister hastened to shun the journalist saying I will see it later Dar said he would like the IMF to clear its 9th review before the budget, which is due to be presented in early June, as all the conditions for that had already been met

The central bank’s foreign reserves have fallen as low as to cover barely a month of controlled imports Pakistan’s economy has slowed with an estimated 0 29% GDP growth for 2022-2023 They have asked for some more things again we are ready to give that too they say that give us budget details, we will give it to them, Dar said in an interview with a private Tv news channel

L O O M I N G D E FA U LT: Only a day back on Sunday, Dar said Pakistan will share its upcoming budget details with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in order to unlock stalled funds

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CALLS PRESIDENT ERDOGAN, FELICITATES ON RE-ELECTION

In the last two decades under your leadership Turkiye made remarkable progress

I believe that under your wise and sagacious leadership Turkiye will continue its journey on the path of progress and prosperity with the same pace ”

“I am certain that Turkiye will play a more effective role for the peace and stability in the Islamic world he said adding Your personal interest in further solidifying and deepening the special relationship between Pakistan and Turkiye is a source of strength and satisfaction”

He said his government was determined to work with President Erdogan to further solidify the bilateral brotherly ties between the two countries in the coming days

Contac t: 0307-7338168 ir fan farooq@pakistantoday com pk

C a b i n e t p l a c e s I m r a n , B u s h r a o n E C L

ISLAMABAD T LT P

The federal cabinet on Monday placed Pakistan

G A N , F E L I C I TAT E S O N R E -

E L E C T I O N: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday telephoned President of Turkiye Recep Tayyip Erdogan and congratulated him on his re-election and expressed best wishes for him

Talking to President Erdogan the PM said ”Your re-election is a recognition of your association with the people of Turkiye and impeccable service President Erdogan won the re-election by securing 52 16 per cent of votes against the candidate of combined opposition in the presidential election held on May 28 In his remarks Shehbaz Sharif said

We are desirous of early holding of the seventh meeting of the Strategic Cooperative Council of the two countries,” the prime minister said adding “We are eager to welcome you on your arrival in Pakistan for participation in the meeting

He told President Erdogan that his participation in the meeting would further promote the strategic cooperation of the two brotherly countries in multidimensional fields

The newly elected President of Turkiye thanked the prime minister and reciprocated the warm sentiments of goodwill

President Erdogan also expressed his best wishes for the government and people of Pakistan

Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi names to the Exit Control List (ECL) due to their alleged involvement in illegal transfer of 190 million pounds in the Al-Qadir Trust case

It is pertinent to mention that Islamabad High Court (IHC) has decided to adjudicate the matter relating to bail applications of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan in the Al-Qadir Trust corruption case on May 31 as the court has issued summon to Khan for the day

A special division IHC bench comprising Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb and Justice Saman Rafat Imtiaz will take up the matter at 2pm on May 31

Following the recommendation of NAB Rawalpindi the cabinet approved the inclusion of the names of Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi in the exit control list through a circular summary Earlier, the federal government decided to add the names of 80 people, including PTI Chairman Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi to the no-fly list Those included in the nofly list and barred from traveling abroad include Imran Khan Bushra Bibi PTI leaders Murad Saeed Maleeka Bukhari Fawad Chaudhry and Hammad Azhar

Real estate tycoon Malik Riaz recorded his statement with the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) along with former ministers of Imran Khan’s cabinet in the Al Qadir University land allotment case The development surfaced on Wednesday as NAB pursues a graft case against Imran Khan

Others included in the case are former federal overseas minister Zulifiqar Bukhari, and former advisor on accountability Shehzad Akbar are also involved in the case were land was allotted for Al Qadir Trust University in exchange for ensuring that the £190 million (Rs70 billion) seized in the UK are returned to Riaz in Pakistan

The Supreme Court adjourned the hearing of the Punjab polls review petition after being caught off guard by the AGP arguing that a new law passed has enlarged the scope of review petitions against judgments

Attorney General of Pakistan (AGP) Mansoor Awan told the Supreme Court (SC) that the new act had been notified under Article 184 (3) of the Constitution

In view of the new law that was signed by President Arif Alvi on Friday, a larger bench will hear review petitions AG Awan informed the court of the development as a three-member bench headed by CJ Bandial comprising Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Munib Akhtar was hearing the ECP’s review petition against the bench’s April 4 order The same three-judge bench had on April 4 ordered the ECP to hold elections in Punjab on May 14

Notably, the federal government and the apex court have been at loggerheads over the provision of polls in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for months During previous proceedings the government had contended that the bench s order encroached on the autonomy of the ECP

Meanwhile, the three-member bench had said that the ECP’s review petition would be heard with an open mind and that the government s past will not be used against it However, under the new law, the review will now be heard by a larger bench

The National Assembly on Friday passed the “Supreme Court (Review of Judgements and Orders) Bill 2023 aimed at giving the right of appeal under Article 184 of the constitution – a right which was not available in the past

The bill states that a review petition may be filed within 60 days of the passing of the original order

The statement of objects and reasons of the bill it is necessary to ensure the fundamental right to justice by providing for meaningful review of judgments and orders

passed by Supreme Court of Pakistan in exercise of its original jurisdiction under Article 184”

Furthermore it states that in case of SC judgments and orders in the exercise of its original jurisdiction under Article 184 of the Constitution, the scope of review shall be the same as an appeal under Article 185 The bench was visibly surprised to know that President Alvi had signed the bill yesterday

This is quite interesting, remarked CJ Bandial before adjourning proceedings indefinitely

Resultantly, Nawaz Sharif and Jahangir Tareen can now file new review petitions within 60 days

However no review petition has been submitted against the judgment which held that disqualification under Article 62 (1) (f) of the Constitution would be for life

A private television claimed the NAB has recorded an initial statement of Malik Riaz in the case It is pertinent to note that Riaz appeared before the bureau at its Rawalpindi office two weeks ago

Sources claimed that Malik Riaz was questioned about his connection with the case and whether he had allotted land for the varsity details of the allotment agreement and any conditions imposed and records of the same Last year in November NAB had sent a callup notices to property tycoon Malik Riaz and asked him to come up with complete record regarding purchase of 458 kanals in Sohawa Tehsil, the agreement through which Bahria Town donated land to Al Qadir Trust along with revenue documents and details of other property transferred by him or by any of his relatives in favor of Al Qadir Trust or any of its trustees

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) ticketholders from Muzaffargarh Jamshed Khan Dasti and Mian Imran Dhanotar called on PTI Chairman Imran Khan and discussed the current political situation and the worst crackdown against PTI across the country

According to the details, PTI ticketholder from Muzaffargarh PP-274 Jamshed Khan Dasti and PTI candidate from PP-273 Mian Imran Dhanotar held a meeting with the party Chairman at his Zaman Park’s residence on Monday On the occasion Dr Saeed and Ayaz Ahmed were also present In the meeting they discussed the the ongoing worst crackdown against PTI and the prevailing political situation discussed threadbare During the meeting, they held out assurance to PTI Chairman that the people of the entire country and especially of Muzaffargarh were standing alongside him this Jihad for real independence of Pakistan

P I A m a n a g e s t o s u c c e s s f u l l y l e a s e Ro o s e v e l t H o t e l .

H o w d i d w e g e t h e r e ?

PR OFIT REPORT

In the latest twist in the saga surrounding the Roosevelt Hotel in Manhattan, Pakistan International Airlines has leased the building to a New York City firm for a period of three years The lease has been signed with the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation which will provide residential facilities to ‘housing migrants’ in the hotel

The hotel has long been a prized possession of Pakistan’s national carrier which has been bleeding money from every possible direction for years on end now Back in December 2022, the Cabinet Committee on Privatisation (CCoP) had been in very serious discussions to sell the hotel in a bid to bolster the PIA’s finances and stop it from being privatised The hotel s origins

In use by Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) since the late 1970s, the Roosevelt Hotel occupies a unique place both in the history of the United States and Pakistan’s national airline One of the grand-old buildings of 19th century New York the hotel

was bought by developer Paul Milstein in July 1978 In the bid for the hotel s ownership Milstein beat out a number of highprofile middle-eastern investors that wanted to form a consortium and buy the hotel The very next year in 1979, Milstein ended up leasing the hotel to the PIA which had partnered with Prince Faisal bin Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al Saud in the transaction The lease cost an estimated $35 million and was to run for 20 years Prince Faisal and

Hotel closure and suggestions galore According to media

ECP review petition: SC adjour ns hearing indefinitely af ter AGP infor ms of new law

ABAD URGES DAR FOR REMOVAL OF EXISTING

30% RD ON IMPORT OF STEEL

ISLAMABAD

S h a h z a d pa R ac h a

WI T H the federal budget around the corner everyone is out worried for their fate in the coming year The finance ministry has tried to mitigate the market sentiment time and again but the market, by and large, is trying its best to protect its own interests, with or without the government’s help

In a similar attempt to protect their bottom line the Association of Builders and Developers of Pakistan (ABAD) has asked Federal Minister for Finance Ishaq Dar for removal of the existing 30 % regulatory duty on import of steel bars in next year ’s budget

According to the Finance ministry A delegation of ABAD called on Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar at FBR on Budget 2023-24 proposals

g DELEGATION ALSO ASKS THE GOVERNMENT TO EX TEND THE DATE OF COMPLETION OF PROJEC TS UNDER 100 C AND 100 D

The delegates from ABAD apprised the Finance Minister of the challenges being currently faced by the construction industry and presented their proposals for the upcoming Federal Budget The delegation also assured to support the Government in its efforts for overcoming the economic challenges and to boost the economic and business activities in the country

According to details, ABAD in its budget proposals requested the Finance minister for removal of the existing 30 % regulatory duty on import of steel bars for revival of the construction industry

They informed that due to the imposition of regulatory duty the cartel of large scale steel manufacturers are having undue advantage and have jacked up steel bar prices to

BARS

Rs 300 000 per metric ton ABAD also asked the government to extend the date of completion of projects under 100 C and 100 D The completion dates of projects under the above sections are 30th September 2023 However due to prevailing difficult economic conditions which has resulted in a 200 % increase in the price of construction material and an increase in bank borrowing cost, the construction activities have slowed down to a great extent Resultantly it has become almost impossible to complete the projects before 30 September 2023 ABAD also asked the federal government to remove double taxation on projects registered under section 100C and 100D They also asked to be charged 10% Capital gain tax if the property is sold within 1

Finance Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar appreciated the proposals presented by the delegation and assured them that the government is taking concrete steps to overcome the economic challenges and for

President direc ts repayment of three wrongly auc tioned impor ted vehicles

ISLAMABAD S ta f f R e p o R t President Dr Arif Alvi has directed Fede r a l B o a r d o f R e v e n u e ( F B R ) t o a p o l og i z e a n d m a k e p a y m e n t t o a c i t i z e n whose three imported vehicles were mish a n d l e d b y C u s t o m s D e p a r t m e n t , wrongly auctioned by Custom officials at a low price of almost Rs 3 million without any notice to him and the Customs Duty paid by him was refunded to some u n a u t h o r i z e d c l e a r i n g a g e n t s w h o l a t e r disappeared with the money

The President directed FBR to verify all receipts/documents, refund the amount as per the assessed value of the vehicles and refund the duties/charges paid in favour of importers/owners He also directed the citizen to provide all documents and reconcile with Customs Department enabling FBR to make payment within 30 days He further observed that interest should be added to the payment since the auction money was lying with the exchequer

The President gave these directions

while accepting a representation filed by Mr Iftikhar Ahmed Awan (the complainant) against the orders of the Wafaqi Mohtasib The complainant had stated that overseas Pakistanis living in Japan legally imported three vehicles for the personal use of their families and the freight against the vehicles was paid However FBR didn t release the vehicles and sold the three cars in an auction at a low price of Rs

3,019,385

Feeling aggrieved, the complainant approached the Wafaqi Mohtasib who directed FBR to make payment of sale proceeds of vehicles to owners after veri-

Elec tions to be held on time: Ahsan Iqbal

LAHORE S ta f f R e p o R t Federal Minister for Planning Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal has said that elections in the country will be held on time

Talking to the media here on Monday he said in a sarcastic vein that “revolutionists could not bear with jails for one or two days He said The way Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf is shattering reminds us of an English language phrase, the house of cards He said the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leadership faced jails even in tough situations but never raised hue and cry Ahsan Iqbal said there were many people in the PTI who did not support the politics of its leadership and the one being promoted on the PTI’s social media He said that no patriotic person could support

fication as to why they were being paid such a low amount The complainant then filed a representation with the President praying that Customs Department should be ordered to make payment of sale proceeds of the vehicles at prevailing market rates as well as refund all the duties/charges which were paid

During the proceedings, it was pointed out that after the completion of all formalities, the ship carrying the vehicles landed at another terminal and the Customs Department auctioned the vehicles without any notice to the importer and that the Customs Duty was refunded to unauthorized clearing agents, which resulted in huge financial loss to the importers/owners During the hearing, FBR’s representative admitted the fault of the Customs personnel in handling the matter due to a lack of communication and system barriers He said that as per Customs Rules if the goods were not cleared within 15 days of the date of arrival at a Customs Station, the same could be sold in an auction

The FBR’s representative further informed that the FBR had initiated discipli-

nary proceedings against the delinquent officials involved in mishandling the matter and they had also been served a charge sheet in pursuance of the order of the Mohtasib He added that the licences of the agents who disappeared with the money had also been cancelled The President concluded that mishandling of the imported vehicles on the part of the Customs Department was not denied and maladministration had been established He said that due to the negligence of officials importers/owners suffered a huge financial loss and mental agony He added that it was a fact that financial loss occurred due to negligence, lack of communication, and deviation from the established clearing system of the Customs The President said that the citizen was aggrieved by the wrong committed by Custom Officials and not due to fault of his own therefore his representation was accepted and FBR was directed to refund the amount as per the value assessed, duties/charges paid in favour of importers/owners, and add interest to the payment

Senate Body passes Emigration Amendment Bill 2023

negative propaganda being promoted by the PTI overseas social media against country’s defence institutions

Ahsan Iqbal said that if burning of residence of Quaid-i-Azam in Ziarat could be termed terrorism then burning of Jinnah House in Lahore could not be ignored by terming it political protest Attacks on country’s institutions could not be termed political protest he said adding that if red line had been crossed and terrorism had been committed then it would be called terrorism He said that if any political worker would play role within the parameters of politics and democracy, then he would be considered as part of democracy To a question he said Pakistan had met all conditions of International Monetary Fund and he hoped that soon matters with the IMF would be finalised which would definitely end uncertainty in the market

The Senate Standing Committee on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development on Monday unanimously passed the Bill titled The Emigration (Amendment) Bill 2023 Meeting of Senate Body was held at Parliament House with Senator Anwar ul Haq Kakar in Chair Senator Shahadat Awan apprised that the Bill aimed to provide ease to emigrants by allowing them to appear in person or virtually for registration of names by their protectors While reviewing the expenses and disputes of EOBI, Senator Shahadat Awan stated that it was informed that the total expense of EOBI is around 1

strengthening the economy of the country

He further reiterated that the Government will try to provide a business friendly budget in order to support the masses and for the economic progress and development in the country The delegation thanked the Finance Minister for considering their budget proposals

Country’s every wall becomes ‘Imran Khan’s Wall’ now: Zulfi

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) senior leader Sayed Zulfi Bukhari on Monday said that a few anti-Imran Khan s posters and walls made with tax payers money would not serve their purpose, as they did not know that every road every city every village of Pakistan has now become ‘Imran Khan’s Wall’ While sharing a video on his twitter handle of an artist drawing PTI Chairman Imran Khan picture on a roadside wall, he said that a few posters and walls made with tax payers money would not have the desired result unfortunately “No victimization tactic can lessen the love of PTI Chairman Imran Khan from hears of people ” he added Zulfi Bukhari said Entire PTI leadership including party chief condemned the May 9 vandalism But different techniques are being used to defame Imran but they will be useless The PTI s senior leader suggested, It is high time to come together and think of Pakistan first ” S ta f f R e p o Rt

BHC grants week to file reply in high treason case against Imran

QUETTA: While accepting a federal government request on Monday the Balochistan High Court granted more time to file a reply during the hearing of a high treason petition against PTI Chairman Imran Khan Appearing before a divisional bench of Chief Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan and Justice Mohammad Amir Rana additional Attorney General for Pakistan requested for some time saying he will submit a reply in a matter for initiating Article 6 proceedings against PTI Chairman Imran Khan Representing Imran Khan before the bench Advocate Amanullah Kanrani appeared in court Additional Attorney General Hafiz Rauf Atta and Deputy Attorney General Mohammad Naseem Kasi representing the federal government, requested the court for some time to file a reply Advocate Kanrani said the government will create a special tribunal like the one against the late former president Gen Pervez Musharraf The court will leave it to the government to proceed as it did in 2013 The Balochistan High Court adjourned the hearing on the high treason petition till June 7 t Lt p

First Chinese student completes PhD in Histor y from PU

LAHORE: Mr Tian Shooting a student of Punjab University Department of History and Pakistan Studies has completed his PhD degree in History He is the first Chinese student to receive this honor He completed his research paper under the supervision of Chairman Department of History Prof Dr Mahboob Hussain The title of his research paper was History of Higher Education in Pakistan: A Special Study of Punjab University The teachers and students of the history department congratulated Mr Tian Shooting and Dr Mahboob Hussain for this achievement S ta f f R e p o Rt

’ Imran K han’s narrative of vic timhood bound to fail: M arriyum

ISLAMABAD S ta f f R e p o R t

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb on Monday debunked another narrative of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf

(PTI) Chairman Imran Khan that the female workers of his party were being harassed in prisons as totally baseless A certified liar who says men are not robots and advocates attacks on women and young girls because of wearing short clothes, is now cooking up a new lie to play the victim in the aftermath of public response to the May 9 tragedy ” the minister said in a long thread in Urdu language on her Twitter handle She was particularly referring to Imran Khan s statement which he made in an interview with a foreign media outlet that If a woman is wearing very few clothes, it will have an impact on the men, unless they’re robots I mean it is common sense”

Marriyum alleged that Tayyba Gul who reached out Imran Khan for justice in a case against the then National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chairman, was abducted and held hostage in the Prime Minister s House The evidence, she provided, was then used to blackmail the NAB chairman so that the then opposition leaders could be put in death cells All the limits were crossed during Imran

government to maltreat the women journalists she said adding the PTI chairman did not even stop there and alleged that the female media persons deliberately sneaked into male-concentrated gatherings This malicious ploy to mislead overseas Pakistanis and the world is bound to fail like Cypher and other dramas,” the minister said while asking Imran Khan to present evidence of his new propaganda of female workers harassment Either present evidence or keep your mouth shut she advised the

is a

allegation which we cannot tolerate in any case Your era of blackmailing and apathy is no more ” Branding Imran Khan as a “media predator she said it was only the PTI leader who could dare to make such horrendous accusations without any evidence However he got exposed every other day with his lies, fabricated videos and pictures, she added

‘Misogynist

VERDICT RESERVED ON ASAD UMAR’S BAIL PLEA IN JUDICIAL COMPLEX ATTACK CASE

ISLAMABAD

S ta f f R e p o R t

TH E Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) of Islamabad has reserved its verdict on PTI leader Asad Umar ’s bail plea in the Judicial Complex attack case

The verdict will be announced today (Tuesday)

During the hearing, ATC Judge Raja Jawad Abbas remarked that this was a unique case of its kind where the alleged terrorist went to attack empty-handed Judge Abbas will pronounce the verdict on Asad Umar s bail application tomorrow The petitioner s counsel said that on the day of the incident, Asad Umar did not even go to the Judicial Complex, adding he was in the Islamabad High Court He further said that CCTV cameras have been installed but Asad Umar could not be seen

Ruling, former ruling par ties failed to promote democratic traditions: Siraj

The judge said that on that day, Judge Zafar Iqbal’s court was held in the same courtroom “I got a message at 1am that night that Judge Iqbal will hold court in my

LAHORE: Amir Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Sirajul

Haq has said that the ruling and former political parties have failed to promote the democratic traditions in the society and they are still desperate for the establishment s support While talking to the members of different social media channels at Mansoorah on Monday, he said that the country could not move forward without empowering the masses to elect their representatives freely and fairly Sirajul Haq congratulated Recep Tayyip Erdogan on his victory in Turkey s presidential election saying the Turkish president is a powerful voice of Islam who always spoke for the rights of the people of Kashmir He hoped the relations between Turkey and Pakistan would further strengthen in future The JI chief said August 14 2023 is most suitable day for the national poll The JI he added had initiated efforts to develop consensus among the political parties on the election date, and it was still trying to bring all of them to the table for dialogue He reiterated the JI had always discouraged the victimization of innocent political workers and their trial in the military courts He added that it also strongly condemned May 9 incidents and considered them an attack on the state Siraj said the fight between the PDM and the PTI was for the protection of self-interests, leading to the prevailing economic political and constitutional crises The inflation and unemployment he added were the result of the flawed economic policies of their governments as they always relied upon the debt-servicing instead of devising plans of self-reliance and discouraging corruption by introducing good governance He said the common man pays taxes of more than two dozen types He said if the state introduced Zakat and Ushar system more than 70 million people would be ready to pay taxes under the Islamic system For this, he said, the government had to win the trust of the public in a sense that their money would not go into the hands of corrupt people The JI he added was the only party which could make it possible and put the country on track S ta f f R e p o R t

PTI forms committee for LG polls preparation

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) constituted a committee for the preparation of forthcoming Local Government (LG) Elections in Punjab The committee would be chaired by former Punjab Assembly Speaker Sibtain Khan which will comprise Humayun Akhtar Riaz Fatyana Rai Aziz Ullah Faisal Sher Jan Tariq Din, Hafiz Farhat Wasim Qadir and Ejaz

Minhas The committee will be reporting directly to the Secretary General on a daily basis through the chair Separately, the PTI also notified Regional Presidents Punjab as Farrukh Habib was appointed as PTI West Punjab President; Sadaqat Ali Abbasi North Punjab Dr Yasmin Rashid Central Punjab and Aun Abbass Buppi was appointed as PTI South Punjab Similarly, the PTI also appointed Regional General Secretaries Punjab as Rai Murtaza was appointed as PTI West Punjab Regional General Secretary; Hammad Azhar Central Punjab and Moeen Qureshi was notified as PTI Regional General Secretary South Punjab S ta f f R e p o Rt

courtroom in the morning,” Judge Abbas remarked Former minister Asad Umar not only brought party workers but also resorted to arson Prosecutor Adnan Ali said The

CONTINUED FROM BACK PAGE

Chairman Board of Trustees AAOIFI

Ebrahim Bin Khalifa Al Khalifa said in his keynote address that the principles of Islamic capital markets foster social and economic development and support sustainable growth, job creation, poverty alleviation and the overall well-being of communities

He reiterated AAOIFI s overall commitment to the Islamic finance industry of Pakistan, as well as its capital market, and assured AAOIFI s full support for improving the quality of the implementation of its standards in the country SECP Chairman Akif Saeed in his speech said that a calculated approach is needed to transform all segments of the financial system to transform into a complete Islamic ecosystem While highlighting key reforms introduced by

SECP in recent years within the sphere of Islamic finance, he assured the audience of SECP’s complete commitment to transform its regulated sectors in accordance with wishes of people of Pakistan as embodied in the Constitution He further laid down priority areas of SECP which include focus on promoting product development & innovative solutions, implementing international best practices in governance and ethical standards enhancing capacity building through collaborations and strengthening the legal and regulatory frameworks for Islamic finance The event was a great attempt at bringing together prominent speakers from Bahrain, Turkey, Malaysia, the UAE, and the UK, in addition to local industry experts scholars and practitioners Through a series of panel discussions and breakout sessions the

judge asked him about any case till date where a terrorist goes to attack unarmed

The prosecutor claimed a campaign has been launched to destabilize all institutions, including the judiciary He added that PTI workers burnt vehicles outside the Judicial Complex

The petitioner ’s counsel Sardar Masroof said that if the PDM protests outside the Supreme Court no case is filed against them He further said the prosecution has lowered the standard of terrorists

Over in the district and sessions court, the PTI leader ’s interim bail was extended in a case registered at the Tarnol police station Additional Sessions Judge Tahir Abbas Supra extended the interim bail till June 5 Asad Umar appeared in the court along with his lawyer Sardar Busy Advocate Babar Awan is abroad, give a future date, requested the lawyer Additional Sessions Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra adjourned the hearing till June 5

Senator Saifullah Niazi rejoins PTI three days after depar ture

KARACHI S ta f f R e p o R t Jamaat-e-Islami on Monday filed a petition in Sindh High Court (SHC) seeking protection of the elected representatives of local councils Petitioner pleads the high court to restrain the chief secretary and I G Police Sindh from harassment of the elected representatives

Petitioner has sought providing details of cases against elected members of different towns The party has also sought court instructions to the election commission, to ensure that all elected representatives of local councils take

oath The Election Commission of Pakistan, the Chief Secretary Sindh and I G Police Sindh have been made party in the petition The oath-taking ceremony of elected representatives in the Karachi Local Bodies elections-2023 took place on May 22 (Monday) A tug of war ongoing between the Pakistan People s Party (PPP) and the JI for the prized post of Karachi Mayor The PPP has emerged as the largest political group in the council with JI as the second largest party and the PTI third

The PTI has announced its support for the Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman, JI s candidate for Karachi s Mayor This sup-

participants highlighted growth opportunities in different segments of the Islamic capital market and non-bank financial sectors There was a broad consensus that a strategic development plan needs to be introduced and implemented for the organized development of Islamic finance across all sectors

On the topic of Islamic fintech, experts agreed that in the fast-changing dynamics of the market, propelled by technological advancements and the growing demand for innovative products that cater to emerging sectors tech-based products and services need special focus and facilitation Participants unanimously resolved that all stakeholders must work together for the shared prosperity of the Muslim Ummah through the development of a sustainable and efficient Islamic financial system

ISLAMABAD: Senator Saifullah Niazi has rejoined Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) three days after leaving the party over May 9 vandalism The party leader had announced to quit the party over May 9 incidents while addressing a press conference in National Press Club However Saifullah Niazi was among the PTI Senators including Faisal Saleem Rehman, Hamayun Mohmand, Zarqa Taimur, Seemi Ezdi, Falak Naz Chitrali, Fiza Muhammad and Zeeshan Khanzada who addressed a joint press conference outside Parliament House on Monday and condemned the May 9 incidents The PTI Senators said that they had also submitted a condemnation resolution in Senate Secretariat Investigations should be conducted against those involved in May 9 mayhem and they should be tried in civilian courts they added The PTI Senators also supported Pakistan army saying that we salute our armed forces During joint press conference when media questioned Saifullah Niazi about his affiliation with PTI, Senator Zarqa replied that they are respectable Senator S ta f f R e p o R t

Police detains 532 suspects in violent protests on May 9

port gives the JI comfortable majority to win the mayor s office But there is a twist in the situation with reports that a number of union committee (UC) chairmen of the PTI were in contact with the PPP but the PTI has refuted the news

The election of the mayor and deputy mayor will take place on June 15 while the nomination papers can be submitted by June 9-10 The ECP schedule stated that the Returning Officer will check the nomination papers on June 11 and release final list of candidates on June 14 On June 16 the Returning Officers will announce the results whereas the successful candidates will take oath on June 19

RAWALPINDI: Police have detained 532 suspects in connection with violent protests on May 9 and the attack on the General Headquarters (GHQ) and other sensitive installations Police have been verifying their alleged involvement in the attack on GHQ and other sensitive installations to determine whether or not they should be tried under the Army Act 1952 Only after the verification will the cases be sent to military courts according to sources The suspects have been detained after FIRs were registered with the Rawal-pindi, Attock, Jhelum and Chakwal police Out of the 532 suspects, 374 had been arrested under section 7 of the AntiTerrorism Act 1997 which outlined punishments for acts of terrorism Police investigation into the GHQ attack case has not been finalised as the verification of suspects two of whom were women activists was underway They said raids were being conducted to arrest all those who have been nominated in the FIRs or identified through CCTV footage human intelligence and other sources Several suspects have fled their homes over fears of arrest The Rawalpindi police have registered 18 FIRs and arrested more than 356 suspects So far, more than 105 suspects have been held in connection with the GHQ attack and the identification parades for 23 have been completed In Rawalpindi district the cases have been registered with the City Police New Town Sadiqabad, Cantt, R A Bazar, Race Course, Westridge, Civil Lines, Morgah, Taxila, Saddar Wah, and Kallar Syedan S ta f f R e p o R t

Punjab CM forms committee to probe PTI allegations of women prisoners ’ mistreatment

LAHORE S ta f f R e p o R t

Punjab Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi Monday formed a two-member committee to investigate allegations levelled by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) of mistreatment of its female supporters in prisons who were arrested after the May 9 vandalism

PTI Chairman Imran Khan had claimed that the party supporters were being molested and harassed and urged the Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial to intervene and take notice of the matter Thousands of PTI workers who have been arrested in connection with the May 9 violence also include women while CM Naqvi had initially claimed that women have been dealt with in line with the law he has now formed a committee to probe the issue According to details, the two-member committee comprising Deputy Commissioner (DC) Lahore Rafia

Haider and Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Investigation Anoosh Masood will visit the Kot Lakhpat jail and will speak to the prisoners

Earlier CM Naqvi had said the PTI was resorting to propaganda regarding women being mistreated in prisons He had revealed that 32 women were arrested and only 11 of them are still in jail now The chief minister added that it is his government s duty to ensure that mothers and sisters remain safe Moreover speaking to reporters SSP Masood rejected all claims regarding the inappropriate treatment of female prisoners She reiterated that a team comprising of female police officers goes for the arrests of women suspects/accused who are then kept under custody in a women s police station where all the staff members are females

The SSP further added that no male staff member is allowed to go there where women prisoners are kept

L H C M O V E D F O R R E M O VA L O F M O H S I N N A Q V I A S P U N J A B C A R ETA K E R C M

Earlier today, PTI chief Khan shared a montage on his Twitter handle showing how female workers were treated during the protests held across the country on May 9 after his arrest from the premises of the Islamabad High Court Never have

women been humiliated for using their constitutional right to protest peacefully in any democracy let alone in one that is Muslim,” the former prime minister wrote He claimed that this was a planned campaign to depoliticise women in the country

Asian International Financial Center set up at Almaty to resolve trade, business issues: Kazakh ambassador

MULTAN S ta f f R e p o R t

Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Pakistan Mr Yerzhan

Kistafin said on Monday that Asian International Financial Center (AIFC) has been set up at Almaty where all business and trade-related problems and issues would be resolved under one roof on European pattern

While addressing a gathering of industrialists at the Multan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) here the Kazakh ambassador said that Kazakhstan House was already operational in Lahore and Karachi and resolving all business and trade-related issues swiftly at one point

He said, area wise his country was 9th largest in the world blessed with innumerable opportunities for new businesses and industries

He added that inputs like oil and electricity were cheaper in cost while laws and facilities were business-friendly

He disclosed that three direct flights per week would

operate from Pakistan to Kazakhstan from June 2023

He promised to issue a business visa within three days on the recommendations of MCCI

He said that 50 per cent of the world’s population lives in Central Asia and business persons can have easy access to this big market by availing business-friendly atmosphere in Kazakhstan

He said that Pakistan and Kazakhstan can benefit each other through cooperation in agriculture, Industry, tourism, technology transfer, health, education, Industry and commerce through joint ventures for the benefit of the people of the two countries

He said both countries have to prepare the younger generation to successfully meet future challenges and added after operations of direct flights, an Expo Center would be developed in Kazakhstan for Pakistani products He said a delegation of Pakistani women entrepreneurs would visit Kazakhstan in Oct 2023 He said an agreement has been finalized with NLC for the promotion of trade and transport between the two countries He

said that services of the Bank of Punjab have been secured for money transactions while talks with other banks were also underway

The Kazakhstan ambassador said that agreements regarding cooperation between universities of both countries student delegations visits and scholarships particularly in the engineering field have been reached Kazakhstan also imported sweet, aromatic and tasty Pakistani mangoes, he added

Earlier, MCCI president Mian Rashid Iqbal highlighted the importance of enhanced trade relations between both countries and demanded that Pakistan be declared as the most favourite nation with a preferential trade agreement He also suggested a national economic zone in Kazakhstan for Pakistani investors He said that joint ventures in engineering Petrochemicals, agriculture and energy sectors can be beneficial for the two countries MCCI senior vice president Nadeem Ahmad Sheikh vice president Asim Saeed Sheikh and former president Mian Muhammad Hussain also spoke

S H C : J I p l e a s e e k s p ro te c t i o n o f

e l e c te d LG re p re s e n t at i ve s

TH E chess match between the superior judiciary and the legislature - which in the absence of members of the opposition benches means the executive, basically - continues

With the deadline of the Supreme Court’s decision on conducting polls in the Punjab having lapsed on the 14th of this month, all bets were off, including, if the more alarmist of the rumour mills in the federal capital were to be believed, a dismissal of the premier

That all has been put on hold as the government s lawyer, Mansoor Usman Awan informed the court that a legislation critical to the case has in fact become the law of the land after being signed by the President

The law states that suo motu judgments of the Supreme Court can be reviewed by a bigger bench The law will have retrospective effect which means that the honourable court’s suo motu decision on April 4th regarding the Punjab polls could be challenged

Whatever arguments for or against the Supreme Court (Review of Judgements and Orders) Bill, 2023 could be made, and there can be many, one thing is clear: the government has enacted this law only for the purposes as can be seen from above

Similarly, the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Bill 2023, that seeks to, amongst other things, limit the powers of the Chief Justice, might have a lot of things going for it but the principal motivation comes from the government being at loggerheads with the current CJP

This is a sad state of affairs where matters as serious as these are seen only in the light of immediate political scuffles

For there to be recourse against a perceived injustice at the hands of a court is a good thing warts and all But it would have been a good thing even without the context of the Punjab polls and the government’s clear unwillingness to carry out the same

Similarly, this should also be a moment of introspection for the court The government, yes, isn t quite the exemplar of democracy, and the flimsy excuses it provides to delay the Punjab polls is evidence enough of that But the court s allegedly partisan decisions have also had a role to play in inducing the sort of desperation that further fuels sneaky behaviour like the one explained above

SH O W me a man who can unlearn silly notions and I will show you somebody who has the capacity to make meaningful progress in learning

A collection of silly ideas deeply entrenched in the mind is the greatest hurdle to intellectual progress Take an apparently innocuous opinion such as man being the best of God’s creation, or the belief that dark tea has a deleterious effect on one’s fair complexion Try making anybody who holds these or other such views see their utter silliness and ninety-nine times out of a hundred you will realize how utterly futile your effort has been

Let me first address a question that may have reared its head in the mind of the reader: What difference can belief howsoever silly on such trivial matters possibly make? The answer to this is that the human mind is supposed to be one whole More than the issue itself it is how one reaches one s conclusions that is important You cannot be whimsical when it comes to some issues and logical on other matters Thinking clearly and logically is a habit, not an arbitrary, case-by-case activity If one is not careful to prune away silly thoughts on the apparently trivial matters it is only a matter of time before one demonstrates a slipshod attitude towards the more serious issues as well Furthermore, reality itself must make a coherent picture in one s mind if one is to place any new items (new knowledge) into the framework already there If reality is a room then your view of it is like a wall-to-wall carpet If it is cut wrong in one c o r n e r i t m a y b e m a d e t o f i t t h e r e b u t w i l l i n -

e v i t a b l y l e a v e a g a p o r a b u l g e s o m e w h e r e e l s e Since unscrutinised ideas constitute a large part of most everybody s view of the world, getting rid of these preconceived notions is imperative if one is t o m a k e a n y c o n t r i b u t i o n b e y o n d r e g u rg i t a t i n g t h o u g h t s a n d i d e a s h e a r d f r o m r a n d o m s o u r c e s many of which one does not even recall Until cons c i e n t i o u s m e n t a l h y g i e n e i s p r a c t i s e d a n d s i l l y ideas are continuously got rid of, no real progress can be made in understanding Unlearning, therefore, is an indispensable part of learning Purging the mind of silly ideas is easier said than done though From the moment one opens one’s eyes

Building a false narrative

ered that they manage to seize the entire missile site along with active nuclear warheads

Tere Bin Laden, Bard of Blood, Rocket

Boys

TH E use of propaganda in movies is not a new concept It has been used by filmmakers for decades to create a narrative that aligns with their beliefs or political agenda One of the most controversial topics that have been used for propaganda purposes is Pakistan s nuclear weapons program Bollywood and Hollywood’s movies have been used to propagate a negative image of Pakistan’s nuclear weapon program This essay will explore the use of propaganda against Pakistan s nuclear weapons in Bollywood and Hollywood movies, the impact it has on the perception of Pakistan, and the historical context of Pakistan’s nuclear weapon program Pakistan’s nuclear weapon program started in 1972 after India’s nuclear test in 1974 The program was initiated to counter India s nuclear threat In 1998 Pakistan conducted nuclear tests and became the seventh-nuclear power in the world The nuclear weapon program gave Pakistan leverage in the region and ensured its security However, the program was met with criticism from the international community especially the United States Bollywood and Hollywood s movies have played a significant role in portraying Pakistan s nuclear weapon program in a negative light One of the most notable movies is The Sum of All Fears,’ directed by Phil Alden Robinson, which depicts a terrorist group acquiring a nuclear weapon from Pakistan There are some examples of Bollywood and Hollywood movies that feature propaganda against Pakistan s nuclear weapons, but they are limited Mission Majnu, a Netflix action flick, has glaring factual inconsistencies despite its claim of being based on real-life incidents and is considered by many in Pakistan as a propaganda film GI Joe 2 is another instance of propaganda against Pakistan as the movie shows that jihadis are so empow-

The use of propaganda in movies has a significant impact on the perception of PakistanÊs nuclear weapon program

The negative portrayal of PakistanÊs nuclear weapon program in movies creates fear and anxiety among the international community.

2, Phantom, Raazi, and Uri: The Surgical Strike are Bollywood movies that continue the tradition of painting Pakistan and its government as hostile and dangerous and its people without necessary empathy often employing Islam as a device to paint Pakistan s nuclear weapons as a threat to global peace However, it is important to note that these movies are not representative of the entire Bollywood and Hollywood industries and should not be taken as a reflection of the views of the entire population

The movie perpetuates the stereotype that Pakistan s nuclear weapon program is not secure and can easily fall into the wrong hands

Another movie is Phantom, directed by Kabir Khan, which portrays Pakistan as a terrorist state that sponsors terrorism and has a secret nuclear program The movie reinforces the narrative that Pakistan s nuclear weapon program is a threat to world peace

The use of propaganda in movies has a significant impact on the perception of Pakistan s nuclear weapon program The negative portrayal of Pakistan’s nuclear weapon program in movies creates fear and anxiety among the international community It reinforces the narrative that Pakistan is a rogue state that cannot be trusted with nuclear weapons The negative perception of Pakistan s nuclear weapon program has led to increased scrutiny and pressure from the international community to disarm

However, it is important to note that Pakistan’s nuclear weapon program is a result of India s nuclear threat The program was initiated to ensure Pakistan s security and deter India s aggression Pakistan s nuclear weapon program is a defensive measure, and it has been used responsibly Pakistan has not used its nuclear weapon program for offensive purposes, and it has maintained a policy of minimum deterrence The negative perception of Pakistan s nuclear weapon program has led to increased scrutiny and pres-

as a baby till the time one dies, there is a relentless barrage of silliness flying around in all directions some of which is bound to stick to the psyche The result if one is not constantly on the lookout for clutter is an extremely unholy mixture of some sound ideas and a lot of nonsense Cherished and long-held views are notoriously difficult to abandon in favour of new ones It is an unfortunate human trait to regard familiar ideas as reasonable no matter how silly they may be Unfamiliar ideas on the other hand, no matter how sound they are appear to make very little sense especially when they are first encountered The familiar beliefs imbibed at the knee of one s parents are especially hard to reconsider objectively owing to all the emotions involved Emotion (or passion) has great utility when it comes to being true to one s principles in the face of adversity But they have zero value when it comes to arriving at those principles In fact they are extremely detrimental to that process Getting rid of the clutter everybody (to a lesser or greater degree) accumulates over the years, then, is no piece of cake What makes it an even more onerous task is the fact that notwithstanding the analogies frequently pressed into service eyes and ears are no cameras or microphones For what is already in the mind regulates

what new data goes in In other words, what one already believes on any given issue controls what fresh evidence is admitted into the thought process This makes correcting the course even more difficult than it otherwise would be This is not to say that the task is impossible; but it calls for relentless vigilance and a spirit of inflexible and lifelong adherence to the truth

There are two distinct domains of knowledg e

When it comes to moral and philosophical questions, one must refer to the Quran for definitive answers No traditional answer, politically correct view or urban leg end matters if it is against the verdict of the Quran If, on the other hand, it is a question about an empirical matter, it is science that will decide the issue . In neither case is there any room for folklore or old-wivesÊ-tales.

There are two distinct domains of knowledge When it comes to moral and philosophical questions, one must refer to the Quran for definitive answers No traditional answer politically correct view or urban legend matters if it is against the verdict of the Quran If on the other hand, it is a question about an empirical matter, it is science that will decide the issue In neither case is there any room for folklore or old-wives’tales Returning to the best of creation question the Quran paints a very different picture to the myth generally believed Regarding our second issue, according to science, drinking dark tea makes your skin no darker than eating blueberry yogurt makes it blue We love our dear aunts and grandmas to death but their views on such subjects usually amount to little more than very charming baloney

The author is a connoisseur of music literature and food (but not drinks) He can be reached at www facebook com/hasanaftabsaeed

E d i t o r ’ s m a i l

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

sure from the international community to disarm

Some ways that Pakistan can counter any negative propaganda against its nuclear weapons:

Use social media platforms to promote positive messages about Pakistan’s nuclear program This can include sharing factual information about the safety and security measures in place as well as highlighting the benefits of having a nuclear deterrent Engage with international media outlets to provide accurate information about Pakistan s nuclear program This can involve inviting journalists to visit nuclear facilities and providing them with access to experts who can answer their questions

Develop a comprehensive public relations strategy that includes outreach to key stakeholders such as policymakers academics and think tanks This can involve hosting events and conferences to promote dialogue and understanding about Pakistan’s nuclear program Foster partnerships with other countries that have nuclear programs to share best practices and promote international cooperation on nuclear issues

Encourage the development of a strong domestic film industry that can produce movies and TV shows that promote positive messages about Pakistan’s nuclear program and its role in global security It is important to note that any efforts to counter negative propaganda should be based on factual information and should avoid engaging in propaganda or misinformation campaigns

In conclusion, the use of propaganda against Pakistan s nuclear weapon program in Bollywood and Hollywood movies is a result of the political agenda of the filmmakers However it is important to understand the historical context of Pakistan s nuclear weapon program and its defensive nature The international community should recognize Pakistan s right to selfdefense and work towards creating a peaceful and stable region

The author holds an MPhil degree in International Relations from Quaid I Azam University Islamabad

Manufacturing can boost the economy

I N D U S T R I E S have a significant role in enhancing a country’s economic development Other than the agriculture sector, there are mainly two key sectors in the national economy; manufacturing and services The manufacturing sector is the one through which a factory manufactures and develops a range of products

In contrast the services sector comprises areas such as construction healthcare, technical support, consultancy, and so on The problem with Pakistan is that the country has moved to the services sector directly from the agriculture sector, leaving the industrial sector by the roadside In the 1960s, Pakistan was known as an agricultural economy and our means of production were directly and indirectly dependent on agricultural derivatives However in recent times the country is known to have a flourishing services sector The problem with such a quick shift towards the services sector is that Pakistan has ignored the backbone of the industry; the manufacturing sector Manufacturing is not only the backbone of the industrial sector, but is a good source to increase the economic size of a country by producing more and more goods The focus on increasing exports means nothing if we are not manufacturing anything worthwhile to export That explains why we have become dependent on imports The automobile sector can present a practical example A major chunk of automobile parts comes via import because there is no industry in Pakistan that can fabricate those parts here That is one of the major issues in the national economy, and it is making us dependent on import-based goods that are expensive to afford and takes away a major chunk of our foreign reserves

To bridge the gap Pakistan must take steps towards developing its manufacturing sector for products that have a higher demand in the world In the present situation Pakistan can achieve that by developing say the semiconductor chip industry Semiconductor chips are in high demand globally Almost all industries, from those producing cellphones to those dealing in fighter jets, needs these chips to run on Therefore, the demand for semiconductor chips is increasing by the day Countries, such as the United States China India and Taiwan are already working to achieve dominance in chip manufacturing This demonstrates how significant the chips are in the world today To develop the semiconductor chip industry Pakistan needs infrastructure and expertise in this domain China can provide expertise to help Pakistan establish this particular industry By seeking assistance from Chinese companies, Pakistan can surely become a chip manufacturer It will also help Pakistan and China to strengthen their bilateral relations Additionally new sectors will also emerge that will create jobs and we will be able to reduce unemployment

ADNAN HUSSAIN SOLANGI SEHWAN SHARIF

Post-graduation woes

P O S T-G R A D U AT I O N training in the field of medical sciences comprises four to five years of fellowship mandatory for a doctor to be qualified as a consultant physician or surgeon A fresh post-graduate candidate is enthusiastic about serving the larger humanity but is subjected to inhuman treatment by the medical community itself It is a routine affair for postgraduate trainee doctors to be insulted by seniors and consultants during their training Every post-graduate has to face questions and comments that are uncalled-for toxic and border on outright taunts Despite being qualified and passionate post-graduate trainee doctors face constant trauma insults anxiety deception frustration and much more Practically speaking postgraduates recede into a shell and are reluctant to take immediate and confident measures Even those who are helpful in their own ways advise the trainees to keep a low profile and to be on the safe side; whatever it means The noble profession of medicine clearly needs brushing up Everyone in the medical profession needs to understand that post-graduate trainee doctors too are humans It is not too hard to act accordingly DR RUQAIYA SARWAR

MuhaMMad Shahzad akraM

Civilians under militar y laws

Army Act of 1952, Civilians, however, can only be prosecuted by federal government order According to the Army Act, the rules of evidence in proceedings before courts martial are the same as those observed by regular civilian criminal courts In addition it is undisputed that according to Article 10A of the 1973 Constitution every person has a fundamental right to a fair trial

There are two issues and defenses in favor of applying military law to civilians According to one side of the argument, using military courts to try civilians undermines the civil judicial system raises concerns about due process transparency and accountability and may result in human rights violations Supporters assert that in order to successfully and swiftly prosecute offenses connected to terrorism while upholding national security, military courts must be used For the first time, the Apex Court carefully examined the legality and constitutionality of the “Brig (Retd) F B Ali’s case PLD 1975 SC 506,” concluding that a civilian who is ordinarily subject to the country s ordinary law may be tried by a Military Court

MI L I TA RY justice is a distinct legal system that applies to members of armed forces and in some cases civilians Throughout numerous countries and times including the First and Second World Wars, military courts have been used to adjudicate civilians for a very long time Examples include the Ancient and Mediaeval Periods Post-Colonial Periods and Contemporary Periods Pakistan Argentina Israel Turkey Thailand China Indonesia Kuwait Sri Lanka Mali Lebanon Malaysia Russia Iran India Cuba Djibouti Eritrea Kenya, Bahrain, Chile, Peru, Mexico, Philippines, Syria, Yemen, Bangladesh, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia are currently among the countries where civilians are occasionally and in special circumstances subject to military laws However the real legal frameworks and processes could be very different

The Pakistan Army Act of 1952 the Pakistan Air Force Act of 1953 and the Pakistan Navy Ordinance of 1961 were the first pieces of legislation to create military tribunals for the purpose of punishing military personnel in Pakistan However, there are several provisions and circumstances when the Military Act also applies to civilians The first modification to Section 2[(d) of the Pakistan Army Act was made by the Defence Services Laws Amendment Ordinance 1967 (3 of 1967) whereby the persons not otherwise subject to this Act came within the ambit of military laws being civilians and accused of seducing or attempting to seduce any person subject to this Act from his duty or allegiance to Government or having committed concerning any work of defense arsenal naval military or air force establishment or station ship or aircraft or otherwise about the naval, military or air force affairs of Pakistan, an offense under the Official Secrets Act, 1923 as well Under the

In the aforementioned decision the Supreme Court thoroughly assessed the validity of Ordinance No 3 of 1967 from a variety of angles, including the touchstone of basic rights guaranteed by our Constitution, namely the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, 1973

In the case of Mushtaq Ahmad V/S Secretary Ministry of Defence PLD 2007 SC 405 the Apex Court upheld the law established in the F B Ali s case holding that if a civilian is found guilty of seducing or attempting to seduce a member of the Pakistani Military Force from his allegiance to the government, he will not be punished under

In the aforementioned decision, the Supreme Court thoroughly assessed the validity of Ordinance No. 3 of 1967 from a variety of angles, including the touchstone of basic rights guaranteed by our Constitution, namely the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, 1973

Karnataka has shown how to defeat Modi

M o d i t u r n e d t h e s t a t e e l e c t i o n i n t o a re f e re n d u m o n h i m s e l f. H e l o s t A n d s o u t h e r n I n d i a i s n o w f re e o f t h e B J P

clues to the struggle the rest of India

faces to reverse the loss of its national, secular identity since Modi came to power in 2014

After all it is not only the Bajrang Dal but the BJP itself – along with its numerous fraternal organisations and informal networks – that work day and night to turn Hindu communities into an anti-minority unitary block Still, even the pursuit of the law as per the Indian Constitution by the state government would make the daily lives of religious minorities much easier

IN D I A S political landscape is again alive with new possibilities after the southern state of Karnataka threw the Hindu supremacist Bhartiya Janata Party out of power in recently-held assembly elections and elected the long-struggling Congress Party

The decisive defeat of the BJP in Karnataka means that now all of southern India is free of BJP rule – dashing the hopes of Prime Minister Narendra Modi s party to use the state as its gateway to a part of the country it has largely failed to win over It s a stinging rebuke for the BJP, which has been saying that it wants to make India free of the Congress

T h e d e f e a t c o n t a i n s o t h e r m e s s a g e s a s w e l l

One cannot forget that Modi’s multiple rallies and roadshows in Karnataka focused on telling the electorate again and again that the Congress ought to b e p u n i s h e d b e c a u s e i t h a d i n s u l t e d h i m T h u s , Modi turned the election into a referendum on himself

He was rejected

In most constituencies where he campaigned, his party lost denting his carefully-built image of invincibility He is trying to distract public attention by flooding TV screens with images of a rally where he addressed the Indian diaspora in Australia but the damage is done

Led by Modi, the BJP had run a campaign that relied heavily on dog whistles and direct references to Muslims portraying India’s largest religious minority – 200 million strong – as a threat Modi also used a highly-controversial and Islamophobic movie released strategically when the campaign was on But this, too, was rejected

The Congress Party s reassertion of its secular resolve during the campaign is extremely significant, including in its suggestion that it might ban the Bajrang Dal one of the most militant arms of t h e R a s h t r i y a S w a y a m s e v a k S a n g h t h e H i n d u supremacist parent body of the BJP Muslims and Christians who have long suffered from the violence of Bajrang Dal, had accepted it as a fait acc o m p l i t h a t t h e y w o u l d h a v e t o l i v e w i t h t h i s violence irrespective of the political party in power

Not any more

The new Congress government in the state has announced that it would reverse the previous BJP administration s fiat to ban the hijab in educational institutions – a move that has reassured Muslims their cultural rights will be protected and respected Priyank Kharge, a minister in the new government, has also said that a controversial ban on cow slaughter will be reviewed: This was used by the ousted BJP government to harass and persecute Muslims but also hurt the rural economy

The return of the rule of law is indeed welcome

But it will be a major challenge for the new government to purge the state of the majoritarian poison the previous government had injected into Karnataka’s society And how it succeeds or fails will offer vital

It is not only the defeat of the BJP but the decisive victory of the Congress which is significant as many analysts had started writing off India s Grand Old Party It will boost the morale of the party in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan where legislative elections are due later this year

The Karnataka elections have also put a seal on the authority of Mallikarjun Kharge the new president of the Congress Party His leadership from the front during the campaign proved wrong those who had alleged he was merely a puppet of the NehruGandhi family that has dominated the Congress Party and indeed Indian politics for most of the past 75 years Kharge a Dalit played a leading role in the process of government-making in the state and has emerged as a team leader He is a fearless orator who appears to have brought a sense of purpose to the organisation of a party that previously looked disoriented in many ways The implications are major

The Congress remains the only political party with a pan-India presence that can take on the BJP Its marginalisation and decimation would have made it very difficult for a coalition of the opposition parties to look credible before the electorate, when they chose their next national government in the 2024 parliamentary elections

This victory has underscored to regional parties why the Congress must remain the fulcrum of any oppositional national front if it is to offer a credible alternative to the BJP

However the obstacles for a national opposition are many and formidable First is the collapse in the independence of Constitutional authorities– from the Election Commission to the courts to law enforcement agencies

Instead of ensuring a level playing field and serving as checks and balances against the executive these previously hallowed institutions are today hollowed-out shells, increasingly partisan, often openly, towards the BJP

The mainstream media campaigns against the opposition and does propaganda for the ruling party Corporate honchos – who also control the media –have not yet deserted the BJP and major electoral funding goes to Modi s party while the opposition is starved of funds

In the next year, India will see anti-Muslim and anti-minority rhetoric grow shriller This is a timetested election plank for the BJP The people of Karnataka have shown that a secular appeal can still find ears and translate into votes The big question is whether the rest of India will heed the South s example and join it in the restoration of India as a country for all with equal rights

section 131 of the Pakistan Penal Code but rather under the provisions of the PA Act or the PAF Because of the provisions of sections 59(4) of the Pakistan Army Act and 71(3) of the Pakistan Air Force Act, as well as Section 59 subsection 4 of the Pakistan Army Act 1952 which is a deeming provision and a non-obstante clause the trial procedure specified by the Act of 1923 is superseded

The 21st Amendment unanimously approved by Parliament, after the Army Public School incident included the Protection of Pakistan Act 2014, Pakistan Army Act 1952,” “Pakistan Air Force Act 1953,” and “Pakistan Navy Ordinance 1961” in order to exempt them from the application of Article 8 and the High Court’s ability to issue writs for any violations that on the surface appear to be inherent in the laws mentioned above

The Supreme Court was presented with this argument

The Pakistan Army (Amendment) Act, 2015 and the 21st Constitutional Amendment were not constitutionally impermissible, according to the majority verdict, since they were approved by the Parliament which had the power to do both within the bounds of the Constitution

The Supreme Court ruled in Said Zaman Khan v Federation of Pakistan (2017 SCMR 1249) that although the crime of which the convict was accused was punishable under the ordinary law of the lands and triable by a Criminal Court, therefore constituting a “civil offense” as defined by subsection (3) of section 8 and liable to be tried by the FGCM due to the provisions of that statute even though the accused was a civilian he participated in attacks against the Pakistan Army The court explicitly declared that the Pakistan Army Act may apply to him even if he was a civilian due to his actions

There is also a need simultaneously to make maximum efforts for taking all steps for holding fair military trials particularly where civilians are involved and have

been charged under the military laws The accused should have the right to legal representation of his choice, should be given enough time and space to prepare their defense, and should be given access to a lawyer at no cost if they are unable to pay for one Additionally the accused should have the right to justice and should have the principles of justice and due process in form of right of statutory appeal before High Court must be upheld as guaranteed under the Constitution Maintaining the innocent until proven guilty rule is important in military trials

This is a fact that in recent political governments including the last in tenure civilians were tried under the military laws and their individual convictions were later challenged before the Superior courts as per practice and laws and some are still pending before the courts Although civilians can be tried in Pakistan under military laws being necessary legal provisions are in place, and the Superior Courts have up to this point endorsed these statutory provisions in various judgments

But still there is an urgent need to concentrate on thorough judicial reforms to strengthen the civilian criminal justice system Increasing the capability independence, and effectiveness of civilian criminal courts to handle matters involving terrorism, national security, and other offenses often handled by military tribunals might be one way to achieve this Time- limited trials removal of outdated criminal laws and procedures with new legislation specialized training for judges and prosecutors infrastructure development and sufficient funding for the civilian judiciary are a few examples

Hafiz Ahsaan Ahmad Khokhar is a practicing Advocate Supreme Court of Pakistan He can be reached at his email hafizahsaan47@gmail com

T i p u S u l t a n : F a l l a c i e s a n d f a c t s

He encouraged the educ ation of both boys and girls, and established several schools and libraries

TI P U S U LTA N, also known as the Tiger of Mysore, was a renowned ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore in Southern India from 1782 to 1799 He was known for his military prowess his efforts to modernize the administration and economy of his kingdom and his resistance against British colonialism Tipu died in battle against the British forces during the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War However, his name and fame has been nullified and distorted for dirty political interests

In recent times Tipu Sultan has become a controversial figure in Indian politics with some politicians and groups seeking to appropriate his legacy for their own political gains In this write-up an effort is made to examine some of the fallacies surrounding Tipu Sultan and the real facts about his life and legacy, supported by historical sources

FALLACY 1: TIPU SULTAN WAS A RELIGIOUS

FANATIC WHO PERSECUTED HINDUS

One of the most common fallacies surrounding Tipu Sultan is that he was a religious fanatic who persecuted Hindus This narrative has been propagated by some politicians and groups in India who seek to promote a divisive communal agenda However, this portrayal of Tipu Sultan is not supported by historical evidence Firstly, it is important to note that Tipu Sultan was a patron of the arts and literature and his court was known for its cultural richness and diversity Many Hindu scholars poets and artists were part of his court and he supported the construction of Hindu temples and the celebration of Hindu festivals

Secondly, Tipu Sultan s administration was known for its religious tolerance According to historian Kate Brittlebank, “Tipu’s kingdom was a place of religious diversity and harmony where both Hindus and Muslims enjoyed religious freedoms and opportunities ” Tipu Sultan abolished the jizya tax on non-Muslims and his officials were instructed to treat all subjects equally regardless of their religion

FALLACY 2: TIPU SULTAN WAS ANTI-BRITISH AND FOUGHT FOR INDIAN INDEPENDENCE

Another fallacy is that he was a nationalist who fought for Indian independence and against British colonialism

This narrative has been promoted by some politicians and groups in India who seek to appropriate Tipu Sultan s legacy for their own political gains However this portrayal of Tipu Sultan is not entirely accurate While it is true that Tipu Sultan resisted British expansion in Southern India and fought against British forces in several battles his primary objective was to protect the sovereignty of his own kingdom rather than to fight for Indian independence as a whole In fact Tipu Sultan sought alliances with other European powers such as France and Turkey in order to counter British influence in the region

Moreover, Tipu Sultan s resistance against British colonialism was not motivated by a belief in Indian nationalism or anti-colonialism as we understand it today As historian Kate Brittlebank notes “Tipu’s actions were not motivated by a modern sense of nationalism or anti-colonialism but rather by a pragmatic understanding of the balance of power in the region and a desire to maintain his own sovereignty

FALLACY 3: TIPU SULTAN WAS A TYRANT WHO

OPPRESSED HIS SUBJECTS

Another fallacy about him is that he was a tyrant who oppressed his subjects This narrative has been propagated by some politicians and groups in India who seek to discredit Tipu Sultan s legacy However this portrayal of Tipu Sultan is not supported by historical evidence Firstly, Tipu Sultan s administration was known for its efficient and modern governance practices He implemented a system of land revenue collection based on actual measurement of land which was more equitable than the earlier system of arbitrary assessment He also established a network of roads and canals to facilitate trade and communication and promoted industries such as silk production and shipbuilding Secondly, Tipu Sultan was known for his concern for

the welfare of his subjects He established hospitals and dispensaries for the poor and provided relief measures during natural disasters and famines He also encouraged the education of both boys and girls and established several schools and libraries However it is important to note that Tipu Sultan was not without flaws He was known to be a strict disciplinarian and imposed severe punishments on those who violated his orders He also conducted several military campaigns against neighboring kingdoms some of which resulted in the loss of lives and property

FACT 1: TIPU SULTAN WAS A MILITARY GENIUS

One of the most remarkable aspects of Tipu Sultan s reign was his military prowess He was an innovative and strategic military leader, and his army was known for its modern weaponry and tactics Tipu Sultan’s use of rockets in warfare was particularly noteworthy and he is credited with being one of the pioneers of modern rocketry According to historian B A Saletore Tipu s military skill was of the highest order, and he was able to hold his own against some of the best European armies of his time Tipu Sultan’s victories against British forces in several battles, including the Battle of Pollilur in 1780 and the Siege of Bangalore in 1791 are testament to his military genius

FACT

2: TIPU SULTAN WAS A PATRON OF ARTS AND CULTURE

Despite his reputation as a military leader, Tipu Sultan was also a patron of the arts and culture He was known for his love of poetry, music, and dance, and his court was a center of artistic and literary activity Tipu Sultan himself was a talented poet and composed several works in Persian and Kannada According to historian C Hayavadana Rao Tipu s court was a melting pot of different cultures and languages, and he encouraged the exchange of ideas and artistic expressions Tipu Sultan patronized several poets, musicians, and artists, including the celebrated Kannada poet Sarvajna Despite the controversies surrounding his legacy Tipu Sultan’s contributions to Indian history and culture continue to inspire people across India and beyond His military prowess his efforts to modernize his kingdom and his patronage of the arts and culture are all aspects of his legacy that continue to resonate with people

In recent years, there have been several efforts to reclaim Tipu Sultan’s legacy for political and communal agendas Let’s have a glance over this In 2015 the government of Karnataka a state in southern India decided to celebrate Tipu Sultan s birth anniversary This decision was met with opposition from some political parties and groups, who claimed that Tipu Sultan was a religious bigot who persecuted Hindus and Christians In 2017, the BJP government in Karnataka decided to stop celebrating Tipu Sultan’s birth anniversary This move was criticized by the opposition parties and some historians

In addition the BJP government in Karnataka decided to remove the chapter on Tipu Sultan from the state s history textbooks in 2019 Furthermore, in 2021, the Karnataka government decided to rename the Bengaluru International Airport after Kempegowda, a 16th-century chieftain This move was criticized by some political parties and groups Even currently during Karnataka state assembly election campaigns political parties continued to stir up communal tensions by tarnishing Tipu Sultan s name In a nutshell the fallacies surrounding Tipu Sultan s legacy are rooted in political and communal agendas rather than historical facts Tipu Sultan was a complex historical figure who cannot be reduced to simplistic labels such as “tyrant” or “nationalist” His legacy is one that continues to inspire people across India and beyond and it is important that we recognize and appreciate the real facts about his life and legacy Political parties are playing lethal game on his name for their vote banks, but this heinous act begot dirty consequences among the people of Karnataka Obaidul Hoque is currently pursuing PG research at Darul Huda Islamic University in Kerala India He also works as an Editor for (Islamonweb net) a Bengali online magazine

ONLY WINNER IS TURKIYE: ERDOGAN CL AIMS

VICTORY IN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

ISTANBUL, TURKIYE

A G E N C I E S

PR E S I D E N T Tayyip Erdogan claimed victory in Turkiye’s presidential election on Sunday a win that would steer his increasingly authoritarian rule into a third decade

Addressing supporters, Erdogan said voters had given him the responsibility to rule for the next five years “The only winner is Turkiye ” he said addressing cheering supporters from atop a bus in Istanbul

Final official results have yet to be released

P M S H E H B A Z C O N G R AT U -

L AT E S E R D O G A N : Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif congratulated Erdogan ahead of the final official results, saying that he was “one of few world leaders whose politics has been anchored in public service

He has been a pillar of strength for the oppressed Muslims and a fervent voice for their inalienable rights His presidential victory and that of AKP in parliamentary elections is significant in so many ways reflecting the trust and confidence of the Turkish people in his dynamic leadership

The bilateral relations between Pakistan and Turkiye will continue to stay on an upward trajectory I keenly look forward to working with him to further

deepen our strategic partnership in line with the excellent brotherhood between our two peoples,” Shehbaz tweeted

F M B I L AWA L G R E E T S E R D O -

G A N: Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said the historic victory reflects the trust of the Turkish nation in his visionary leadership Wishing Türkiye eternal peace and prosperity as we continue our unique journey of brotherhood ”

There was no immediate response to Erdogan’s victory speech from his challenger Kemal Kilicdaroglu

The election had been seen as one of the most consequential yet for Turkiye with the opposition believing it had a strong

chance of unseating Erdogan after his popularity was hit by a cost-of-living crisis Instead, victory will reinforce his image of invincibility after having already redrawn domestic economic security and foreign policy in the Nato member country of 85 million people and positioned Turkiye as a regional power Supporters gathered at his Istanbul residence in anticipation of victory as data reported by both state-run Anadolu agency and the opposition ANKA news agency gave him the edge with nearly 99 per cent of ballot boxes counted The head of the High Election Board earlier told a news conference that Erdo-

gan was leading Kilicdaroglu with 54 47pc support with 54 6pc of ballot boxes logged Erdogan, head of the Islamist-rooted AK Party, appealed to voters with nationalist and conservative rhetoric during a divisive campaign that deflected attention from deep economic troubles

The defeat of Kilicdaroglu who promised to set the country on a more democratic and collaborative path, would likely be cheered in Moscow but mourned in Western capitals and much of the Middle East after Turkiye took a more confrontational and independent stance in foreign affairs

Erdogan supporters who were gathered outside his Istanbul residence chanted Allahu Akbar, or God is Greatest

“I expect everything to become better,” said Nisa, 28, a headscarved woman wearing a headband with Erdogan’s name Another Erdogan supporter said Turkiye would get stronger with him in office for five more years

There are issues, problems in every country around the world, in European countries as well With strong leadership we will overcome Turkiye’s problems as well ” said Mert 39 who had come to celebrate with his son Bugra Oztug 24 who voted for Kilicdaroglu, said she was not surprised at the result, blaming the opposition for failing to change

China unveils Shenzhou-16 crew for space station mission, launch scheduled today

for the upcoming mission which will be his first trip to space

Gui, born in 1986, is also a member of the same group of taikonauts, gained most attention during the Monday showcase not only because of his rare look with a pair of glasses but also of that his university background Gui is the firstever Shenzhou taikonaut that is not from the country s astronaut corps and is a college professor from Beihang University, and he will act as the payload expert in his maiden flight mission to space

Biden, McCar thy reach final deal to avoid U.S. default and now must sell it to Congress

WASHINGTON

U S President Joe Biden on Sunday finalized a budget agreement with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to suspend the $31 4 trillion debt ceiling until January 1, 2025, and said the deal was ready to move to Congress for a vote

“This is a deal that’s good news for the American people Biden told reporters at the White House after a call with McCarthy to put the final touches to a tentative deal they struck on Saturday night

Good news, Biden declared Sunday evening at the White House, noting that it takes the threat of catastrophic default off the table, protects our hardearned and historic economic recovery ”

The deal if approved will prevent the U S government from defaulting on its debt and comes after weeks of heated negotiations between Biden and House Republicans It still needs to pass through a narrowly divided Congress before June 5, when the U S Treasury says it would run short of money to cover all of its obligations

The China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) unveiled the crew of upcoming Shenzhou-16 manned spaceflight mission on Monday Veteran taikonaut Jing Haipeng who will visit space for the fourth time during the mission set to be launched on Tuesday at 9:31 am will serve as the mission commander and lead two fresh faces from the third cohort of Chinese astronauts

Following the traditional pattern of “one veteran plus two younger mem-

bers for the China Space Station crewed missions, Jing, born in 1966, a member of the first batch of taikonauts who has previously participated in Shenzhou-7 manned spaceflight mission in September 2008 served as the mission commander of the Shenzhou-9 mission in June 2012 and Shenzhou-11 in October 2016, will lead the new crew as mission commander and space pilot for the Shenzhou-16 mission Zhu born in 1986 was selected as a candidate of the country s third generation of taikonauts in September 2020 and will serve as the spaceflight engineer

As the first manned spaceflight mission at the China Space Station application and development stage Shenzhou-16 mission will include two dockings and two evacuation returns, according to the CMSA spokesperson Lin Xiqiang on Monday at a press conference in Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Northwest China’s Gansu Province

Shenzhou-16 manned spaceflight mission will for the first time consist of all three types of taikonauts – a space pilot, flight engineer and payload expert It will be the first manned space flight mission for the latter two types of taikonauts Lin told the media

It is planned that China will launch the Shenzhou-16 manned spaceflight mission

from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on Tuesday morning at 9:31 am the Global Times has learned from the CMSA

According to the CMSA, the Shenzhou-16 crew will stay and work in space for about five months and they are tasked to conduct space hand-over with the Shenzhou-15 crew carry out in-orbit experiment of space science and application payload, execute space walks, install payload outside the space station cabin and repair and maintain the space station, among other tasks

The Global Times found that the trio with the average age of 42 6 marked the youngest line-up for the China Space Station manned spaceflight mission, much younger than Shenzhou-12 at 52, -13 at 45 6 and -14 at 44 and Shenzhou-15 at 53 The new crew members are all members of the Communist Party of China Payload experts and spaceflight engineers are all talents with expertise and especially the payload experts who are not necessarily from a professional pilot background The lineup showed the expansion of talents pool for China’s manned space ” Song Zhongping a space watcher and TV commentator told the Global Times on Monday

In the United States a default could cause financial markets to freeze up and spark an international financial crisis Analysts say millions of jobs would vanish borrowing and unemployment rates would jump, and a stock-market plunge could erase trillions of dollars in household wealth It would all but shatter the $24 trillion market for Treasury debt

‘A divided government’

The deal has drawn fire from hardline Republicans and progressive Democrats but Biden and McCarthy are banking on getting enough votes from both sides McCarthy earlier on Sunday predicted he would have the support of a majority of his fellow Republicans, and House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said he expected Democratic support

The agreement would suspend the debt limit through January 1 2025 cap spending in the 2024 and 2025 budgets claw back unused COVID-19 funds speed up the permitting process for some energy projects and include extra work requirements for food aid programs for poor Americans

The 99-page bill would authorize more than $886 billion for security spending in fiscal year 2024 and over $703 billion in non-security spending for the same year not including some adjustments It would also authorize a 1 percent increase for security spending in fiscal year 2025

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell applauded the agreement and called on the Senate to act swiftly to pass it without unnecessary delay once it has gone through the House

While members of the Republican hardline Freedom Caucus said they would try to prevent the agreement from passing in a House vote expected on Wednesday

We re going to try, Representative Chip Roy, a prominent Freedom Caucus member, said in a tweet

Fresh clashes claim 42 lives in Manipur

nel were injured the source said

sniper guns against civilians They came to many villages to burn down homes, local media quoted Singh as saying

violence in Manipur in northeast India an official said confirming comments from the state s chief minister to local media Manipur has been on edge after an explosion of inter-ethnic violence this month killed at least 70 people and left tens of thousands displaced

The state government official who did not wish to be named, said that Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh told reporters earlier on Sunday that security forces killed around 40 “militants” over the last two days

The terrorists have been using M-16 and AK-47 assault rifles and

“We have started taking very strong action against them with the help of the army and other security forces We have got reports some 40 terrorists have been shot dead, Singh was quoted as saying A military source confirmed an uptick of unrest, and said four people had been killed in the past 24 hours

At least three armed miscreants who were trying to set fire to empty houses and fired at the security forces when they tried to stop them, died in retaliatory firing, the source said, declining to be named

“One more armed miscreant was killed in Moreh and three others including two security person-

The far-flung states of northeast India sandwiched between Bangladesh, China and Myanmar have long been a tinderbox of tensions between different ethnic groups

The violence in Manipur earlier in May was between the majority Meitei, who are mostly Hindus and live in around state capital Imphal, and the mainly Christian Kuki tribe in the surrounding hills

The spark was Kuki anger at the prospect of the Meitei being given guaranteed quotas of government jobs and other perks in a form of affirmative action

This also stoked long-held fears among the Kuki that the Meitei might also be allowed to acquire land in areas currently reserved for them and other tribal groups

Sino -EU ties not to be allowed to be dominated by Ukraine crisis: diplomat

Chinese Ambassador to the European Union (EU) Fu Cong has stressed that the China-EU relationship is multifaceted and the two sides should not allow the Ukraine crisis to dominate their broad-ranging relationship

In an interview, Fu said China is doing what it can to facilitate a peaceful settlement of the Ukraine crisis but added that it is not realistic to expect China to take exactly the same position as European countries I do not find it sensible to actually link China s position on the Ukrainian crisis with the bilateral r e l a t i o n s h i p b e t w e e n C h i n a a n d the EU because I don’t think that is fair to China and sensible for the EU said Fu He noted that China s interests are different from Europe s, adding that China maintains good relations

with both Ukraine and Russia

Fu rejected claims that China s 12-point proposal confirmed its firm pro-Russian stance, and stressed that “China is very clear that China stands to support the territorial integrity of all countries ”

I think that is sufficient and everybody takes that message including Russia So have no doubt that China is condoning any side on this issue, he told the British magazine

China is trying to facilitate peace Fu reiterated “Our position is very clear We need to put an immediate stop to the fighting in order to end the senseless killing

That is not the position that some European countries take, Fu pointed, adding “they called for peace, but then they said when the conditions were ripe ”

When asked why Beijing does-

n t condemn Russia in relation to the conflict Fu said China has own diplomatic style And I think at

this stage actually a simple condemnation does not solve the problem It may reduce your space for diplomacy If all countries take the side of one country, then who is going to come out as a mediator for peace? Right? But it doesn’t mean that we are condoning any action specifically in this conflict Dependency is not dangerous I n t e r m s o f t h e E U s s o - c a l l e d d e - r i s k i n g p o l i c y i n r e l a t i o n t o

China, Fu said the European leade r s n e e d t o e x p l a i n t o t h e p u b l i c e x a c t l y w h a t “ d e - r i s k i n g ” e n t a i l s B u t f o r u s l e t m e m a k e i t c l e a r t h a t i f d e - r i s k i n g m e a n s r i d d i n g C h i n a o f t h e g l o b a l i n d u s t r i a l a n d s u p p l y c h a i n s , e s p e c i a l l y i n k e y a r e a s , a n d w h e n i t i n v o l v e s k e y t e c h n o l o g y, w e a r e f i r m l y o pp o s e d t o t h a t ”

Pak-Bulgaria sign Mou to enhance MaritiMe cooPeration

investments in this important field

K arandaaz L aunches

Findings of Comprehensive Repor t on Private Healthc are in Pakistan

Karandaaz is a leading impact investor in Pakistan with the aim to promote access to finance for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSMEs) and financial inclusion of unbanked individuals Karandaaz conducted a highly anticipated webinar to unveil the findings of its groundbreaking report titled Private Healthcare in Pakistan - Gaps

Opportunities and Possibilities

The report comprising Volume 1 & 2, is now available to the public on Karandaaz s website

The webinar commenced with welcome remarks from Mr Waqas ul Hasan, CEO, Karandaaz followed by opening remarks by Dr Shamshad Akhtar, Chairperson Karandaaz Board Ms Fatima Sheikh

Special Secretary (Health) Govt of Punjab delivered the keynote address highlighting the initiatives being taken in the public sector for health delivery, significance of the report and its potential impact on the healthcare sector PR

Grand opening of PC Legac y Nasirabad Hunza: Unveiling a haven of comfort and serenity amidst the majestic mountains of Hunza

PA K I S TA N and Bulgaria on Monday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Maritime Cooperation during a ceremony held in Sofia in the Ministry of Transport and Communication of Bulgaria

According to a press release received here, the MoU was signed by Ambassador of Pakistan to Bulgaria Mariam Madiha Aftab and Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Policies and Minister of Transport and Communication of Bulgaria Hristo Alexiev

The agreement between the two countries will help them to formalize their collaboration in the field of maritime affairs Under the MoU, the two countries would expand and deepen co-

T

Talking to media after the signing ceremony Ambassador Mariam Madiah Aftab said that signing of this MoU was yet another milestone in the continuously strengthening bilateral relations of the two countries and will help the respective authorities of the two countries to establish mutually beneficial collaboration She also highlighted that earlier last month the two countries held the fifth round of Bilateral Political Consultations during which proposals relating to collaboration between the two countries in diverse fields were discussed

I

operation on matters relating to maritime transport, facilitate liaison between their respective bodies dealing with maritime

affairs, increase private sector awareness and cooperation, create mutually beneficial economic opportunities and promote

n te r n at i o n a l Tex t i l e a n d Le at h e r E x h i b i t i o n

KARACHI S TA F F R E P O R T

An extension of its 4th International Textile and Leather exhibition, TEXPO, the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) hosted a fashion show on May 26 and 27 at the Expo Centre in Karachi Welcoming the who’s who of the fashion world chief guests for the two-day fashion extravaganza were Federal Secretary Commerce Muhammad Sualeh Ahmad Faruqui, Chief Executive TDAP Zubair Motiwala, and Secretary Fareed Iqbal Qureshi

An exclusive showcase for the media and foreign buyers the event featured a treasure trove of designs, putting the spotlight on ready-to-wear, resort wear, and luxury pret items All collections showcased at the event were exclu-

sively curated with a focus on sustainable fashion keeping in line with the theme of this year s TEXPO, ‘Weaving the Way to Sustainability’

The second day of the event offered collections by designers and

design houses Shamaeel Ansari, MEME, IVS, Almirah, The Pink Tree Company Sanam Chaudhri Parishae Adnan Diners TIP Spartan Athletics and Ali Xeeshan Shamaeel Ansari opened the show with her collection Western Elegance: The Fusion of Cultures , allowing the audience to step into a world of elegance and sophistication Her showcase was followed by MEME s Streets of Barcelona – a fashion retail concept created in Barcelona that connects the brand with young, independent, cosmopolitan men and women of today Students of the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture (IVS) presented a collection tapping different areas of sustainability ranging from zero waste pattern to denim deconstruction, all the way to reviving cultural surface treatments

P r o m o t i n g c r o s s - b o r d e r t r a d e w i t h I r a n ,

A fg h a n i s t a n g ov t ’s to p p r i o r i t y: K a k a r

QUETTA

Governor Balochistan Malik Abdul Wali Khan Kakar has said that promoting cross-border trade with Iran and Afghanistan is top

priority of the government He stated this while talking to a delegation of Qilla Saifullah led by Nawabzada Mehboob Jogezai who called on him in Quetta on Monday Abdul Wali Khan Kakar said that expanding border trade can

help to eradicate poverty from Balochistan The Governor said that opening of new trade routes at Taftan, Chaman, Nushki, Badini and Qamar Din points will increase the economic and commercial activities in Balochistan

On the occasion, the Ambassador also held a separate meeting with the Minister of Transport and Communication of Bulgaria during which proposals to enhance collaboration between the respective ministries of the two countries were discussed

R e s o l v i n g c u s t o m e r i s s u e s m a d e e a s i e r w i t h C e o

E - K a c h e r y

- I E S CO

i s L a m a b a d: In order to address and promptly resolve consumer complaints regarding electricity Chief Executive IESCO Dr Muhammad Amjad Khan will hold a special session of CEO IESCO E-Kachery The session aims to provide a vision for immediate resolution of consumer complaints and address them directly at their doorstep Dr Muhammad Amjad Khan will be available to listen to electricity related issued face by IESCO consumers from Islamabad Rawalpindi City Rawalpindi Cantt Attock Jhelum Chakwal Circles and surrounding areas The session will take place on Tuesday, May 30, 2023, From 10:00 AM to 12:00 Noon

To communicate with the CEO IESCO and ensure inclusion of their complaints for immediate resolution, consumer are requested to contact through Facebook ID: CEO-IESCO E-Kachery and Tel No 051-9253105 During the registration of complaints consumers should provide their name bill reference number, and contact number PR

Mondelez Pakistan sends teams to flood-affec ted areas as Phase II of par t of its rehabilitation effor ts

May the grand opening of

Legacy Nasirabad Hunza took place in the beautiful valley of Hunza, surrounded by the snow-capped mountains The event was attended by Deputy Chairman and CEO, Hashoo Group, Mr and Mrs Murtaza Hashwani, Senior Minister of Gilgit Baltistan Col Ubaidullah Baig Rani

Atiqa Sahiba of Hunza Shehryar Khan Mir of Hunza

Owners Mr Ayaz Kalani Mr Mehboob Ali Bhulani Mr Fida Ali Sawani and Mr Nizarshah, local dignitaries, Hashoo Group executives and guests from all over Pakistan The brand PC Legacy is a new chain of fourstar hotels by Hashoo Group, which already owns and operates Pearl-Continental Hotels and Hotel One across Pakistan PC Legacy will bridge the gap for travellers between five-star and select-service hotels Situated in one of the world s most picturesque locations, and overlooking Rakaposhi, PC Legacy Nasirabad Hunza offers breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains, allowing guests to immerse themselves in the magnificence of nature P R

Secretar y Housing visits Federal Government Employees Housing Authority

ATC allows trial of 8 accused of May 9 vandalism by militar y cour ts

RAWALPINDI S TA F F R E P O R T

The Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) Rawalpindi on Monday directed the Superintendent of Central Jail Adiala to hand over eight accused of vandalizing the main gate of General Headquarters (GHQ) and other sensitive installations on May 9 to the military authorities

for their trial by the military courts

The ATC issued the order on the application of the Commanding Officer for the custody of the accused detained at the Adiala Jail

The accused including Ali Hassan Lal Shah Shehryar Zulfikar and Farhad Khan were booked by the Police Station Civil Lines, and Muhammad Idris, Umar Farooq, Raja Ehsan and Abdullah by the R A Bazaar Po-

PRCS organizes Mega Youth G athering and Walk to pay tribute to Father of Nation

lice Station, Rawalpindi for vandalism and rioting on May 9 The court in its order observed that the accused's custody (by the military authorities) was sought on grounds that they were found guilty of offences under Sections 3 7 and 9 of the Official Secrets Act 1952 [sic] read with Section2(1)(d) of the Pakistan Army Act, 1952, [which are] exclusively triable by military court”

K- E l e c t r i c ' s S a f e t y

I n i t i at i ve s R e c o g n i z e d

P I D G S a f e t y Awa r d s

During the visit, Iftikhar Ali Shallwani inspected initiatives undertaken by the FGEHA to provide affordable housing options to the people of Karachi He was briefed on the progress made so far, challenges faced and future plans for the ongoing project Secretary housing appreciated the efforts of the authority for timely providing the 400 apartment s possession to the allottees and directed the concerned to timely complete the project and handover the residential plots to the allottees as well Iftikhar Ali Shallwani emphasized on the need for more such projects for the people of Karachi He also emphasized the importance of providing quality housing options to the people and directed project director to ensure that the necessary infrastructure and facilities are in place for the residents He also assured his full support and cooperation in their future endeavors P R

LahOrE: The Pakistan Red Crescent Society

(PRCS) held a Mega Youth Gathering and Awareness Walk to commemorate Red Cross Red Crescent Day The event took place in Lahore here on Monday, starting from Ayub Sports Complex and concluding at Jinnah House The walk was led by PRCS Chairman Sardar Shahid Ahmed Laghari and saw the participation of numerous students PRCS personnel volunteers and individuals from diverse schools of thought During the walk participants displayed placards conveying messages of national unity and service to humanity The main objectives of the event were to foster patriotism, instill positive attitudes among young people, and pay tribute to the founder of the nation and the Pakistan Red Crescent Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali

Jinnah Speaking to the media outside Jinnah House

PRCS Chairman Sardar Shahid Ahmed Laghari condemned the attack on Jinnah House and said that any form of disrespect towards the sacred site and the martyrs would not be tolerated He emphasized that the PRCS is dedicated to promoting positive thinking and practical actions for the betterment of humanity PR

at

Karachi: K-Electric has been recognized by Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG) for best practices in Health, Safety, Environment and Social Governance (HSES) at the Sustainable Development Impact Award 2022 Safety is a core value at KElectric and the company is committed to building safer communities through a top-down approach In addition to investing in infrastructure to provide a safe, uninterrupted supply of electricity, the company’s leadership also remains actively involved in driving a holistic HSES culture The awards recognized KE’s efforts for shaping employee behavior that delivers on HSES strategy its guiding principles KE has been recognized for its numerous Safety and CSR activities training sessions on Safety leadership Risk Assessment, Contractor Safety Management and Public Safety initiatives It s transformational approach to gender equity, which emphasizes the "Roshni Bhaji" women's ambassador campaign has created massive safety awareness within the communities KE CEO also leads a Safety Steering Group which works to ensure that safety remains an essential part of the of the operations Company-wide employees were also engaged through a Safety Week,” during which several activities were held to reinforce the best practices Other activities include ‘Safety Walks’ where management and KE staff evaluate the operating environment to identify and rectify hazards Moreover the extensive school and community programmes raising awareness on public safety risks and mitigation strategies, training at the organisational level on safety leadership, risk assessment, and contractor management is an ongoing task throughout the rganisation Expressing his thanks for the recognition Spokesperson KElectric stated PR

isLamabad: As families from Pakistan s flood-hit regions from last year still work towards rebuilding their lives, Mondelez Pakistan has initiated Phase II of its rehabilitation efforts in the respective areas As part of this initiative the country s leading confectionary manufacturer partnered with Akhuwat Foundation again, and sent teams to Sujawal, a town in interior Sindh that was amongst the worst affected by floods, to facilitate the work of rebuilding the lives of people in the community Ever since the massive floods hit various parts of Pakistan last year people who lost their homes livelihood and loved ones have been trying to piece their lives back together During Phase I of its efforts to support these families, Mondelez donated over PKR 22 million in cash and kind which effectively enabled several families to survive themselves while gradually getting back on their feet In continuation of its commitment to national causes and to fulfill its responsibility as an empathetic and socially responsible corporate entity the organization continues to pledge more time and resources to community development work across various areas in the country which has continued throughout the year PR

DA P h o s t s f a s h i o n s h ow a s p a r t o f 4 t h

Korean Ambassador in Pakistan Mr Suh Sangpyo with Pakistan s Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari PR

F F O R T S T O W E A K E N A R M Y ’ S B O N D W I T H

P E O P L E W I L L N E V E R S U C C E E D : C O A S

CH I E F of Army Staff (COAS)

General Asim Munir on Monday said that those who are making futile efforts to drive a wedge and weaken the unbreakable bond between the people of Pakistan and its armed forces will never be able to succeed the military said in a statement

The army chief expressed these remarks during a visit to Quetta Garrison where he addressed officers of Command & Staff College Quetta, according to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR)

While addressing the officers, the COAS emphasised upon operational preparedness for conventional sub-conventional and fifth-generation warfare

Those who are making futile efforts to drive a wedge and weaken the unbreakable bond between the people of Pakistan and its armed forces will never be able to succeed Insha Allah,” the army chief was quoted as saying by the military s media wing

General Asim said that the armed forces of Pakistan remain perpetually indebted to the valiant and proud people of Pakistan who, through the recent manifestation of their unique love for their armed forces across the length and breadth of the country, have given a befitting reply to the nefarious designs of

Jahangir Tareen to announce new political party ‘very soon’

LAHORE

In a bid to take advantage of the mass exodus of leaders from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) seasoned politician Jahangir Khan Tareen (JKT) once Imran Khan s closest aide is likely to announce his new party, mostly comprising the former ruling party s defectors, during the next few days

The development came during a luncheon hosted in honour of JKT and his aides at the residence of former PTI leader Aleem Khan JKT accompanied by important political personalities is likely to announce the launch of a new political party wellplaced sources said

A day earlier, Tareen made telephonic contacts with more than 100 political leaders, including current and those leaders who have recently bid adieu to the PTI after the May 9 mayhem

The former ruling party has been feeling the heat of the state s might after enraged PTI workers allegedly attacked sensitive military installations including the Lahore Corps Commander s House and the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi following the arrest of party chairman Imran Khan on May 9 a day the army dubbed as “Black Day” The exodus of leaders from the party started when the government decided to try the May 9 vandals in the military courts

Tareen was the secretary general of the PTI before he was ousted from politics in 2017 after the Supreme Court disqualified him for being dishonest on a petition filed by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Hanif Abbasi

However despite the disqualification Tareen remained part of the PTI and was crucial in wooing independent lawmakers to join the Imran Khan-led party after the 2018 elections

PTI’s Shehr yar Afridi being kept in death cell at Adiala Jail, law yer tells IHC

ISLAMABAD

Advocate Sher Afzal Marwat has expressed serious concerns over the detention of PTI leader Shehryar Afridi in a death cell at the Adiala Jail

During a hearing at the Islamabad High Court, the lawyer told Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir about Afridi’s deteriorating health conditions stated that the PTI leader ’s arm was paralyzed Marwat urged the court to grant Afridi permission to meet his children and transfer the PTI leader to an Aclass jail My client is a masters graduate and should be kept in prison according to that, he requested The judge subsequently directed prison officials to submit Afridi’s medical report by June 2 and adjourned the hearing The order was passed on a petition filed by Afridi’s brother seeking the PTI leader ’s bail and better medical facilities in jail

ISLAMABAD

The government has given its approval to policy guidelines for the installation of LPG Air-Mix Plants (AMP) by the private sector

The guidelines outline various provisions and regulations to govern the operation of these plants ensuring transparency and compliance with regulatory standards

According to sources of the petroleum division, the Directorate General of Liquefied Gases of the Ministry of Energy (Pet r o l e u m D i v i s i o n ) h a s c o m m u n i c a t e d t h e a

National Savings to launch Shariah compliant products for investors: Ishaq Dar

g “ISLAMIC FINANCING GREW BY 29% IN PAKISTAN, IN 2022,” DAR SAYS

The Federal Minister for Finance & Revenue, Muhammad Ishaq Dar has said that National Savings will launch Shariah-compliant products for investors in the coming days

The Finance Minister on Monday made these remarks in his keynote address in Pakistan s First International Conference on Islamic Capital Markets, organized jointly by the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) and the Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI)

He said that National Savings is planning to introduce Shariah-compliant solutions for investors

the enemy and their collaborators

The COAS further stated that the nexus between the internal collusive elements and external forces to create instability has amply been exposed to the people of Pakistan “Pak Army, being one of the strongest armies of the world with the

blessings of Allah and undaunted support of proud people of Pak can neither be deterred nor coerced by anyone Alhamdolillah, he added The army chief also visited various welfare schemes for soldiers in Quetta Garrison He was earlier received by Commander Quetta Corps

BUDGET ’

I

U M A R FA R O O Q

The Pakistan Stock Exchange’s (PSX) benchmark KSE-100 index remained bullish on the first working day of the week Monday It ascended by more than 600 points propelled by the anticipation of an investor-friendly budget in the upcoming fiscal year of 2023-2024, which will be presented on June 9

According to the PSX website, the index reached its pinnacle at precisely 12:26 pm soaring up to 41 649 13 points up 1 57 per cent or 643 98 points

The index opened at 41 005 15 and closed at 41 340 06 translating into an increase of 375 52 points or 0 92 per cent

According to Topline Securities CEO Mohammed Sohail, the market rose on the expectation of an ‘investor-friendly budget’ He told Dawn, “The market rose on expectations of an investor-friendly budget especially measures related to tax on reserves that may force listed firms to pay more to shareholders

What is this investor-friendly budget?

The Reform and Revenue Mobilisation Commission (RRMC), the government’s tax commission, chaired by Ashfaq Tola has put forth intriguing proposals One of these proposals includes an income tax of 5% to 7 5% on the accumulated profits (distributable reserves) of listed and non-listed companies According to this commission, this single step could generate Rs338 billion in taxes in one year on a total value of Rs5 44 trillion of company reserves

The Tola Commission has proposed imposing income tax at the rate of 5% for listed companies and 7 5% for non-listed companies to be levied on distributable reserves of such companies This tax intended as an advance tax on dividends would be applicable to the reserves of companies and would subsequently be adjustable against the tax imposed on actual dividend distributions Notably, the concept of an advance tax on dividends already exists in the Ordinance governing Controlled Foreign Companies

Additionally the report released by the commission sheds light on an estimated windfall of Rs141 billion that could be obtained from listed companies that have refrained from distributing dividends in the past three years, despite amassing substantial reserves amounting to Rs2 8 trillion Similarly, the reserves of non-listed companies have reached a notable value of Rs2 6 trillion with the potential to generate an additional annual revenue of Rs197 billion at a tax rate of 7 5%

However, the specifics regarding the scope of the advance tax implementation remain uncertain It is yet to be clarified whether the tax will be imposed on the total reserves, the increase in reserves over the past three years or solely on the earnings accumulated in the current fiscal year

How have investors reacted?

As today s performance of PSX also demonstrates, the investors have become bullish This has been a demand of many investors, as a large number of listed firms either don’t pay dividends or distribute a low amount If these measures are taken this will

have positive implications for the local bourse that is trading at an unbelievably record low PE of 3x”, stated Nasheed Malik of Topline Securities in his analysis

Speaking to Dawn Topline Securities CEO Sohail said the proposed advance tax will be good for the stock market and the government, but hurt growth-oriented companies that need cash to fuel their expansion How have companies responded to this tax?

As the implications of the potential advance tax loomed over the horizon numerous companies listed on the PSX announced their plans to convene board meetings for reasons other than financial results in the coming days Their apparent objective was to prevent the possible expense arising from an advance tax that the government may impose in the 2023-24 budget on their reserves which are retained profits from past years

To evade the grasp of this impending advance tax companies are likely to shield themselves through two distinct strategies: either, by issuing substantial one-time dividends to their shareholders, or, by augmenting their authorized share capital to accommodate the issuance of bonus shares These bonus shares hold a distinct advantage over cash dividends as they remain untaxed unlike their counterparts which bear a 15 per cent tax burden Mohammed Sohail speaking to Dawn opined that the government might also introduce a tax on bonus shares That s why these companies are in apparent haste to get the exercise done before the end of the fiscal year on June 30”, he added Moreover recent examples have emerged where Gatron Industries (GATI) issued a 100% bonus shares Few other companies like Tariq Glass Adamjee Insurance Faisal Spinning Bhanero Textile, Gul Ahmed, Maple leaf, Kohinoor Textile, Gharibwal Cement etc) announced board meetings

The market anticipates similar one-time payouts or an increase in authorized capital creating the necessary space to facilitate the issuance of bonus shares Companies with the highest total reserves on their balance sheets are Oil and Gas Development Company Ltd (Rs965 billion), Pakistan Petroleum Ltd (Rs487 billion), Habib Bank Ltd (Rs262 billion), National Bank of Pakistan Ltd (Rs256 billion) and Pakistan State Oil Company Ltd (Rs217 billion)

These offerings will meet the general public s need for Sharia-compliant investments Adding to that he said that they will be in the form of 1, 3, and 5-year term accounts with monthly, semi-annually, and end-to-maturity profit distributions Ishaq Dar also said that According to the Islamic Finance Development Report 2022 there are 1 679 Islamic financial institutions including 560 Islamic banks operating in 76 countries, with 17 percent YoY growth

In Pakistan, Islamic financing recorded a growth rate of 29 percent in 2022 he added

He stated that “Pakistan has a strategic plan in place to grow Islamic finance and added that we have a financial inclusion strategy that covers all the components needed to create Islamic financing

He emphasized that major financial markets across the globe have exhibited evidence that Islamic finance has already become mainstream, parallel to the global financial system and that it has the potential to tackle extreme poverty and boost shared prosperity SBP Governor Jameel Ahmed communicated the central bank s commitment to transforming the financial sector into a shariahcompliant one He mentioned that SBP and SECP, as part of the federal government’s steering committee, are playing their roles in achieving the aligned goals for the transformation towards an Islamic economic system

Rawalpindi ATC approves handing over of 8 suspects to militar y for trial

A Rawalpindi anti-terrorism court (ATC) directed the superintendent of the garrison city’s Adiala Jail on Monday to hand over eights suspects arrested in connection with vandalism at various locations including military installations during May 9 protests to the military for trial

The court s directives were issued in two separate orders, following the submission of applications by military Commanding Officers Farhan Nazir Qureshi and Muhammad Yasir Nawaz Cheema each seeking the custody of four suspects detained at Adiala Jail in cases registered on May 9 According to the orders Qureshi has sought the custody of suspects nominated in a case registered at Civil Lines police station and Cheema has asked for the custody of suspects booked in a case registered at RA Bazar police station

The orders said the suspects’ custody was sought on grounds that they were found guilty of offences under Sections 3 7 and 9 of the Official Secrets Act 1952 [sic] read with Section2(1)(d) of the Pakistan Army Act 1952, [which are] exclusively triable by military court

The deputy prosecutor general did not raise any objections to the applications and forwarded the request for appropriate orders, the court observed

Citing two previous cases the court accepted the commanding officers request under 549(3) of the Code of Criminal Procedure read with Rule 7(f) of the Criminal Procedure (Military Offenders) Rules 1970 Superintendent Jail, Adiala, Rawalpindi is directed to hand over the custody of the above said accused person[s] to the commanding officer for further proceedings in accordance with law ” both orders read Last week a Lahore ATC also sanctioned the handing over of 16 suspects to the military for trial particularly in connection with vandalism at the Lahore Corps Commander s residence

A day later, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah had announced that 33 suspects 19 in Punjab and 14 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had been handed over to the military until then following attacks on army installations during protests on May 9

Plants by the private sector, ensuring fair competition, consumer information, and adherence to safety and regulatory standards

B u l l s c h a r g e P S X a s i n v e s t o r s e x p e c t f r i e n d l y b u d g e t

g INVESTORS GAIN CONFIDENCE ON THE EXPECTATIONS OF AN ‘ INVESTOR-FRIENDLY