Epaper_23-06-11 ISB

DAR FORESEES ‘ALTERNATIVE’

g S AY S K S A, U A E TO T R A N S F E R A D D I T I O N A L $ 2 B A N D $ 1 B LO A N R E S P E C T I V E LY T I L L J U N E 3 0

g I N S I S T S T H E R E ’ S N O P L A N TO A P P R O A C H M U LT I L AT E R A L O R D E V E LO P M E N T I N S T I T U T I O N S F O R D E B T R E S C H E D U L I N G

revoked the practice through amendments, which resulted in commercial banks benefiting and an increase in the policy rate

The Finance Minister said that there had always been a plan to make Pakistan self-sufficient and self-reliant He firmly stated that Pakistan will not default, adding that those who talked about default had themselves made mistakes and were complicit in the economic losses incurred by the country

The minister stated that dignified nations should take proactive measures to prevent economic defaults noting that Pakistan had also followed the same approach

The Finance Minister said that the government is working on developing T-bills which will be provided directly to the general public rather than giving banks so this will break the monopoly of powerful sectors Everyone will see a positive improvement in upcoming days he added

Regarding subsidies the minister acknowledged that the government had provided numerous subsidies

Specifically, he mentioned that over Rs900 billion was allocated solely for the power sector

ISLAMABAD

S TA F F R E P O R T

In a post uploaded on his Twitter handle on Saturday the prime minister stressed: It is here that the Charter of Economy appears to be the only way forward for our political parties to achieve prosperity for our people ”

In the lengthy tweet Shehbaz Sharif referred to the laying of the fiscal budget 2023-24 and said that it represented the beginning of the process to fix the economy s long-term ailments The coalition government had prioritized the right areas that have the potential to spur economic growth, attract investment and make the economy self-sufficient, he added

ISLAMABAD SHAHZAD PARACHA & GHULAM ABBAS

FI N A N C E Minister Ishaq Dar said that Pakistan has an alternative plan in case we could not get the $2 4 billion pending amount from the IMF of ninth and tenth review During a post-budget press conference in Islamabad the Finance Minister said that Saudi Arabia and UAE have given confirmation to transfer additional $2 billion and $1 billion loan respectively till June 30, 2023 so that s why we have mentioned in the budget documents

As for $2 4 billion IMF funding, he said that i have requested the IMF to complete the ninth review as tenth review is not possible now and we are expecting $1 4 billion from IMF and waiting when this will be transferred

If IMF funding is not arranged then we have an alternative option because Pakistan has paid more than $3 5billion to commercial banks due to which not only our external debt has been reduced by almost four billion dollars but we are expecting relief from commercial banks” he added

On another question the Finance Minister replied that As far as Paris Club rescheduling we have no such plan on our menu We will not go for rescheduling multilateral debt

“We will make the payments on time and when they become due ” he said ” I don’t think it is a dignified

Over

At least 28 persons were killed and more than 60 injured in various windstorm, hailing and torrential rain related incidents in different areas of Khyber

Pakhtunkhwa Province on Saturday confirmed Rescue 1122

Spokesperson for Bannu Rescue 1122 Abrar Tariq told the BBC that 23 people have died so far in Bannu alone

According to the statement released by Rescue 1122, three people have died in Lakki Marwat and two in Kirk The highest death toll has so far been reported in Bannu and according to Rescue 1122 the number is expected to rise

According to rescue officials, most of the deaths have been caused by the collapse of walls and roofs during in the windstorm followed by hailing and torrential rain According to the administration relief activities have been launched in several areas and medical assistance is being provided to the injured All stations of Rescue 1122 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are on alert to deal with any untoward incident said an official of the emergency service

He said relief activities continued as due to heavy rain roof collapses occurred at many places in Lakki Marwat, Bannu and other parts of the province

way to go and tell them that we cannot pay That means

you re declaring yourself that you are not in a position [to pay] he clarified

The government can talk to bilateral partners for debt rescheduling but stressed that the relief will not include “haircuts or write-offs’ ‘ , you negotiate for a longer term and this is nothing unusual because of covid flood catastrophe and other things and we can consider bilateral debt rescheduling on backloading the principal and focusing on debt servicing on the other hand he vowed that we will pay to multilateral creditors on time

The Finance Minister also said that while requesting a debt restructuring or write-off was not on the table, negotiations could be pursued for extending the repayment period This option existed and could be explored after the budget process he added

Dar insisted that there were no plans to approach multilateral or development institutions to request debt rescheduling, emphasising Pakistan s commitment to meeting its obligations

The minister emphasised that there was no requirement for rescheduling domestic debt expressing concerns about its impact on the government s ability to function effectively This is not the right time to go domestic debt rescheduling as we have now 22percent policy rate when we have a reasonable policy rate then we will go for domestic debt rescheduling, he added Dar pointed out that the previous government had

He underlined the need to address and improve this sector highlighting the efforts made thus far He also noted that the power sector had been a significant stumbling block in the talks with the IMF but it remained an area of focus

Furthermore, he mentioned the emphasis placed on renewable green energy and clarified that no new subsidies were being introduced in this sector

The minister addressed the circulation of another report regarding the withdrawal of sales tax on edible oil clarifying that no such withdrawal has taken place

When asked about the government s promised targeted subsidy for motorists regarding fuel, the minister clarified that the plan involved charging vehicles above 800cc a higher rate while those below 800cc would receive a discount of Rs50 on fuel

He mentioned that although the plan was feasible it faced challenges in terms of current lending and borrowing process we are undergoing However, he said that this matter was unrelated to the budget

Responding to another question, the Finance minister said that the government has allocated funds for upcoming elections in the budget and JUI-F is our allies and our constitutions have room for delaying elections for one more year

Our intention is clear so that s why we have allocated funds in the budget but we respect our allies, he added

The prime minister maintained that the making of budget (FY2023-24) was particularly a difficult task in view of the persistent challenges arising out of the flood-related relief and rehabilitation global supply chain disruptions and geostrategic upheavals Neverending headwinds of political instability created by Imran Niazi damaged the economy and created uncertainty, as the country remained on the boil for well over a year ” he regretted Shehbaz Sharif mindful of the impact of inflation said the government provided relief to the public sector employees and pensioners in the form of pay raise of up to 35% and 17 5% respectively, and increased minimum wage to Rs32,000

The premier said a more balanced budget that levied no new tax could not have been possible within the existing constraints

The prime minister also commended all those who remained part of this exercise and played their role in the budget-making exercise

PTI’s Qureshi terms launch of Jahangir Tareen’s IPP ‘dead on arrival’

LAHORE S TA F F R E P O R T

He directed National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to ensure steps for relief and rehabilitation in the affected areas

He also ordered for coordination with the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

He asked NDMA to work together with Provincial Disaster Management Authority and Rescue 1122 to ensure complete assistance to the public in affected areas W E AT H E R F O R E C A S T: According to a Met Office forecast shared by the PDMA on Saturday evening, “very hot and dry weather” is expected in most districts of KP over the next 24 hours

PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi described the launch of the newly formed Istehkam-iPakistan Party (IPP) the new home of several PTI deserters as dead on arrival on Saturday Qureshi made the remark while speaking to the media outside an anti-terrorism court in Lahore “There was an accident and a patient was taken to a hospital’s emergency [ward] The doctor examined him and said Dead on arrival So I will say this is a launch which is dead on arrival he said about the IPP

Responding to Qureshi, another one-time confidant of the PTI chief and now a part of the IPP, Aleem Khan said on Twitter, “Respected Qureshi sahib, it is in God’s hand to give honour or humiliation and only He knows who is dead on arrival and whose the end it is Led by Jahangir Khan Tareen who once used to be a close aide of PTI chief Imran Khan the IPP was formally launched on Thursday

hospital after providing medical aid on the spot In a statement, KP Caretaker Information Minister Barrister Feroze Jamal Shah said that a high alert had been issued in the hospitals of the affected districts He said the interim government was in contact with the authorities in the affected areas

rains

Faisalabad Lahore and

P M G R I E V E D O V E R L O S S O F L I V E S I N K P K R A I N S: Prime

Minister Shehbaz Sharif Saturday here expressed grief and sorrow over the loss of precious lives in rains in different areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa The PM sympathised and condoled with the bereaved families, said PM’s media wing

But there were chances of wind/dust storms and isolated rain-thunderstorm in most plain areas of the province in the evening and at night, the statement said

It added that isolated spells of rain and wind/thunderstorms were expected in Chitral Lower and Upper Dir Buner Swat Shangla Kohistan Torghar Battagram Mansehra Abbottabad Bajaur Mohmand Khyber, Orakzai, Kurram and Waziristan districts in the evening and at night

Wind/dust storms may cause damage to loose infrastructure in Kurram Hangu

Orakzai North and South Waziristan

g I T I S B E C O M I N G H A R D E R A N D H A R D E R TO B E L I E V E M R D A R ’ S C L A I M S G I V E N H I S H I S TO R Y O F B E I N G W R O N G C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 03

cluding Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif have regularly claimed that the agreement is “just around the corner ” As the months have passed by, the credibility of this mantra of “just around the corner has taken a serious hit And now we have arrived at the budget for next year It is clear that the government has presented a populist budget in the hopes of gaining some support before the elections It I also seems that Dar is now more than ready to burn bridges with the IMF In an interview right after his budget speech on a private television channel Dar ap-

At the launching ceremony, the former PTI leader was flanked by several other PTI defectors including those who left in the aftermath of the May 9 incidents and amid a state crackdown on it

Those seen on the stage alongside him included former Sindh governor Imran Ismail former PTI financer Aleem Khan, former Azad Kashmir prime minister Tanvir Ilays and former ministers Amir Kayani, Ali Zaidi, and Fayyazul Hassan Chohan, Firdous Ashiq Awan Saeed Akbar Nawani and Nauman Langrial Former federal information minister Fawad Chaudhry who was spotted in the back row deliberately chose not to sit on the stage His uneasy body language gave way to speculations about his decision to join the IPP presumably under pressure On several former PTI leaders joining the new party, Qureshi said today that “every political personality has the right to make their own political decisions”

peared cornered and erratic In his post budget presser on Saturday, he seemed more haggard than defiant He has claimed of course that following the budget process the government is contemplating discussions with bilateral partners regarding debt restructuring As far as Paris Club rescheduling, we have no such plan on our menu We will not go for rescheduling multilateral debt We will make the payments on time and when they become due I don’t think it is a dignified way to go and tell them that we cannot pay That means you re declaring yourself that

you are not in a position [to pay], he said

Right after saying this and assuring the nation that the government had a plan in case the IMF did not come through, Dar claimed that Pakistan will not default adding that those who talked about default had themselves made mistakes and were complicit in the economic losses incurred by the country The claims, of course, are well taken but are hard to believe Whether Pakistan defaults or not is yet to be seen What we do know is that the road will not be as simple as the senator claims

28 dead, dozens injured as rain, thunderstor m wreak havoc in KP, Punjab

J C P M E ET I N G C O N V E N E D F O R E L E VAT I O N O F

T W O J U D G E S T O A P E X C O U R T

ISLAMABAD S ta f f R e p o R t

In order to fill the vacant seats at the apex court, the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) will meet next week to consider the elevation two judges to the Supreme Court confirmed well-placed sources on Saturday T h e J C P m e e t i n g w i l l b e h e l d w i t h C h i e f J u s t i c e o f P a k i s t a n ( C J P ) U m a r A t a B a n d i a l i n t h e c h a i r T h e m e e t i n g w i l l c o n s i d e r e l e v a t i o n o f S i n d h H i g h C o u r t ( S H C ) C h i e f J u s t i c e A h m e d A l i

M u h a m m a d S h a i k h a n d P e s h a w a r H i g h C o u r t ( P H C ) C h i e f J u s t i c e M u s a r r a t H i l a l i t o t h e a p e x c o u r t the sources added Currently, the top court is functioning with 15 judges, including the chief justice, against the sanctioned strength of 17 judges

Last month SC Senior Puisne Judge Justice Qazi Faez Isa penned a letter to CJP Bandial urging him to immediately convene a meeting of the JCP to fill the vacancies of the judges in the apex court He also suggested the names of the chief justices of the SHC and PHC for the posts

The JCP last met in October 2022 where three judges were elevated to the top court

The JCP is a constitutional body that decides appointments to the apex court, high courts, and the Federal Shariat Court

The JCP is headed by the CJP the next senior-most four judges a former chief justice or SC judge the law minister the attorney general and a senior SC advocate nominated by the Pakistan Bar Council

The JCP meeting should consider the names of the two judges on the seniority principle urged Justice Isa

Health insurance card to be issued to working journalists, artists: Dar

ISLAMABAD

S ta f f R e p o R t

Federal Finance Minister Ishaq Dar has announced that government would issue health insurance cards for the Working Journalist and the Artist during the year

2023-24

While talking with a private TV channel Finance Minister stated that government is committed to provide maximum benefits to working journalists and the artists in the country They are serving to promote country soft image around the globe

He said the government announced increasing the minimum pension fixing it at Rs 12,000 and minimum monthly wage from Rs 25,000 to Rs 32,000 within the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT)

He also stated that 17 5% also increased in pension of retired federal government employees

Replying to a question Dar said the

Cyclone Biparjoy: Entr y to Karachi beaches banned

KARACHI

S ta f f R e p o R t

government has provided relief to the federal government employees and pensioners in the form of adhoc relief allowance of up to 35% for those in grades 1-16 and 30% for grades 17-22 and 17 5%, respectively

Commenting on non-filers of income

tax returns, the minister informed that the government has re-imposed a withholding tax on cash withdrawals by them

Announcing relief measures for the salaried class Ishaq Dar said the government had proposed 30-35 percent increase in the salaries on ad-hoc basis and 17 5 percent enhancement in the pensions of the Federal Government employees, realizing their financial hardships due to the increased inflation

The minister said the government had decided to give 35 percent ad-hoc relief i n t h e s a l a r i e s o f e m p l o y e e s f r o m Grade1-16 and 30 percent to Grade-17-

2 2 e m p l o y e e s a i m e d a t i n c r e a s i n g t h e i r purchase power

t facility introduced in c apital to facilitate masses: S anaullah

ISLAMABAD

S ta f f R e p o R t

The Karachi administration has banned fishing sailing swimming and bathing at seas under Section 144 owing to the threat from Very Severe Cyclonic Storm (VSCS) Biparjoy The notification read that the decision had been taken to avoid any untoward incident of shipwreck or drowning In case of violation of the orders the deputy commissioners and assistant commissioners concerned have been authorised to take action in coordination with the concerned senior superintendent of police in the city

The violators will be booked under section 188 PPC, it added The very severe cyclonic storm Biparjoy over east central Arabian Sea moved nearly northward during past six hours and about 910km of south of Karachi the Met Office said on Saturday It is very likely to intensify further move north-northeastwards gradually during the next 24 hours weather reports said The storm will likely to move gradually northnorthwestwards during subsequent three days With its probable north-northeast track, the rain-thunderstorm with some heavy falls and squally winds are expected in Sindh-Makran coast from 13 June night/14 June morning Pakistan Meteorological Department in its Friday night update said that the very severe cyclonic storm over east-central Arabian Sea maintaining its intensity further tracked northeastward during past 12 hours PMD in its night report said that the storm lies at a distance of about 1040km south of Karachi, 1020km south of Thatta and 1110km southeast of Ormara Rain-thunderstorm with some heavy falls and ferocious winds are expected in Sindh-Makran coast from Tuesday night/ Wednesday morning High intensity winds may cause damage to lose and vulnerable structures

Rs5b earmarked for New Gwadar International Airpor t

ISLAMABAD

Pakistan s new Federal budget 2023-24 has allocated about Rs 5 billion in the total cost of New Gwadar International Airport (NGIA) With the allocation, NGIA’s total cost will be increased from Rs 55 4 billion to Rs 60 208 billion Ministry of planning has already approved the Rs 5 billion in the meeting of Central Development Working Committee (CDWP) high-powered government decision-making body, on June 02 in Islamabad, according to a report published by Gwadar Pro on Saturday The government had originally sanctioned the project’s construction at a cost of PKR 7 5 billion in 2010

The first revision of PKR 22 5 billion was approved in 2015 Second revision occurred with revised PC-I at a cost to Rs 51 298 billion in December 2021

Later Rs 55 4 billion was greenlighted October 12, 2020 The NGIA will play a pivotal role in establishing Gwadar ’s strategic importance, meeting the forecasted increase in aviation activity and supporting the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor In relation to the New Gwadar International Airport (NGIA) project the Planning Minister emphasized the importance of providing ample job opportunities to the local population of Gwadar Furthermore, he emphasized that special attention should be given to prioritizing and expediting the completion of critical components of the Gwadar Airport project

T wo PPP, three JI candidates file nominations for Karachi Mayor’s slot on last day

KARACHI

S ta f f R e p o R t

Five candidates – two from PPP and three from Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) have filed nomination papers for the election of Mayor slot, on the last day for submission of nominations for the election scheduled to be on June 15 Similarly six candidates from the PPP JI PML-N and PTI have submitted nomination papers for the seat of Deputy Mayor For the Mayor s slot, PPP s Murtaza Wahab has filed nomination papers for the Mayor ’s slot with Najmi Alam as covering candidate while JI’s Hafiz Naeem, Junaid Mukati and Advocate Saifuddin filed papers for the mayor s election On the other hand Saifuddin Qazi Sadruddin Salman Murad Irshad Shar advocate Karamullah Waqasi Zeeshan Zaib Akram Awan and PML-N s Khawaja Shoaib have filed nomination papers for the city s Deputy Mayor ’s post Earlier, the PML-N’s elected chairmen decided to field their own candidate for the Karachi mayor ’s office while expressing their discontent with the decision of the party s committee headed by Muhammad Zubair to extend support to the PPP The party s UC chairmen had informed the PML-N Sindh president Shah Muhammad Shah about their reservations and asked him to decide the matter

The total number of seats in the City Council is 371 and the Karachi mayor needs the magic number of 186 to win the majority in the council

Federal Minister for Interior Rana

Sanaullah on Saturday said that epassport facility is being introduced in Islamabad while e-passport processing counters will be established at 30 NADRA offices in various cities

This was stated by him after inaugurating Passport Processing Counter for inland online passport renewal facility and e-passport facility for the residents of the federal capital

Rana Sanaullah said that with the introduction of the facility, passport could be renewed online from anywhere in the country without visiting the passport office

The step would significantly reduce the risks of passport fraud and identity theft, which will strengthen international confidence in the country’s passport system, he added

The interior minister said the epassport facility included the advanced security features such as biometric data digital signature and

encryption Through the web portal applicants will be able to submit their applications as well as upload the required documents, and track the progress of their applications he added Rana Sanaullah said digital transformation would not only save

valuable time of the people but it will also make the process of issuance of e-passport easy He said establishing Passport Processing Counters in 30 different cities which will help improve the accessibility of the passport facility to the people

LHC to hear Khadija Shah’s bail plea on Monday

LAHORE S ta f f R e p o R t

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Saturday fixed fashion designer Khadija Shah’s plea seeking bail in a case related to May 9 riots on June 12

Khadija Shah’s legal representatives Syed Sulaiman Shah and Jahanzeb submitted the plea to

the registrar ’s office Following due process, the registrar ’s office issued a cause list officially listing the case for hearing on June 12 The two-member bench assigned to preside over the petition comprises Justice Syed Shahbazar Rizvi Khadija, co-founder and creative director of design house Élan and a vocal Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)

RAWALPINDI S ta f f R e p o R t Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Pakistan Ameer J Sirajul Haq has said

the incumbent government has presented the worst budget in the country s history While addressing the election convention here on Saturday, he said that the rulers made the poor scapegoats on the verbal assurance of the IMF about the issuance of loans Sirajul Haq said that out of the total budget of 14 4 trillion rupees a whopping seven trillion would be utilized for the payment of interest on loans The finance minister he added, had promised to abolish the interest-based economy, but instead, the latter followed the dictations of the IMF, ignoring the decision of the Federal Shariat Court and provisions of the Constitution of Pakistan

supporter, was sent to jail by an AntiTerrorism Court (ATC) in Lahore She had surrendered to the CCPO office in Lahore on May 23 following a manhunt for her arrest She was nominated in an FIR for terrorism and other charges following the attack by alleged PTI supporters on Jinnah House in Lahore on May 9, which is also the Corps Commander House

The election of the mayor and deputy mayor will take place on June 15 June 10 (today) was the last day to submit the nomination paper can The ECP schedule stated that the Returning Officer will check the nomination papers on June 11 (tomorrow) and the finalized list of candidates will be released on June 14 On June 16 the Returning Officers will announce the results whereas the successful candidates will take oath on June 19

Media workers’ woes to be resolved on priorit y basis: Info Secretar y

ISLAMABAD

S ta f f R e p o R t

Federal Secretary for Information and Broadcasting Sohail Ali Khan has said that the problems faced by the media workers would be resolved on priority basis While speaking at the dinner reception organized in honour of the newly-elected office-bearers of the All Pakistan Newspaper Employees Confederation (APNEC) and senior officers of the ministry he said minimum wage for a worker was being increased in the federal budget for financial year 2023-24

Sohail Ali Khan termed the media a strong pillar of state and said its independence in Pakistan is being acknowledged at international level The secretary information said the government had allocated one billion rupees for the health insurance of media workers and journalists in the budget for fiscal year 2023-24 Internal Publicity

Wing Director General Manzoor Ali Memon

Associated Press of Pakistan Managing Director

Muhammad Asim Khichi, Principal Information Officer Mobashir Hassan, Joint Secretary Arshad Munir, Deputy Director General Ms Tahira

Saeeda Director Media Shahab Khan and Director Press Malik Muqarab attended the reception Newly-elected APNEC Chairman Muhammad Siddique Ansar thanked the guests and gave them a detailed briefing regarding the issues being faced by the media

Deep water por t adds to Gwadar’s global impor tance: Kakar

QUETTA

S ta f f R e p o R t

The federal minister, he said, presented no plan for the recovery of the economy in the budget speech The Fata-merged districts with the KP and Balochistan, where the security situation was alarming were completely ignored he said On the one hand he said there was a burden of massive loans and on the other hand the government expenses had increased from 450 billion to 765 billion rupees Instead of imposing heavy taxes in the name of super tax, withholding tax and others, it would have been better if the rulers reduced their expenses and proclaimed self-sufficiency he said The cabinet of 85 ministers and advisors he said became a liability for the poor nation Haq said the government and the judiciary had failed in dispensing justice and establishing across-the-board accountability

B a l o c h i s t a n G o v e r n o r M a l i k A b d u l Wa l i K h a n K a k a r o n S a t u r d a y s a i d t h a t G w a d a r h a s a l w a y s b e e n t h e c e n t e r o f a t t e n t i o n o f g l o b a l e c o n o m i c f o r c e s d u e t o i t s g e o g r a p h i c a l l o c a t i o n b u t t h i s i m p o r t a n c e h a s m a n i f o l d w i t h t h e c o n s t r u c t i o n o f i n t e r n a t i o n a l d e e p w a t e r p o r t G o v e r n o r M a l i k A b d u l Wa l i K h a n K a k a r e x p r e s s e d t h e v i e w s w h i l e t a l k i n g d u r i n g a b r i e f i n g a t t h e D e v e l o p m e n t I n s t i t u t e G w a d a r W h i l e a p p r e c i a t i n g t h e p r o p o s e d c o n s t r u c t i o n a n d d e v e l o p m e n t p r o j e c t a n d t h e r o l e o f G D A h e s a i d t h a t t h e s p e e d o f w o r k o n a l l t h e s m a l l a n d b i g p r o j e c t s u n d e r c o n s t r u c t i o n s h o u l d b e a c c e l e r a t e d s o t h a t t h e l o c a l p e o p l e c o u l d a l s o b e n e f i t f r o m t h e i r f r u i t s

E-passpor

JI chief terms budget worst- ever in countr y ’s histor y

PA K I S TA N , K A Z A K H S TA N A G R E E T O

E X PA N D C O O P E R AT I O N I N D I V E R S E F I E L D S

ISLAMABAD S ta f f R e p o R t

PAKISTAN and Kazakhstan on Saturday have agreed to further expand bilateral cooperation in diverse fields including energy agriculture and energy

The understanding reached during a telephonic conversation between Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif with President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart

Tokayev PM Shehbaz Sharif underscored that Pakistan deeply valued its bilateral relations with Kazakhstan Characterising Pakistan as an important country in the region, the President expressed his country’s desire to further strengthen their long standing bilateral ties During the conversation both countries agreed to further expand bilateral cooperation in the fields of energy agriculture Information Technology textiles and energy

Cour t bars police from arresting Shah Mehmood Qureshi

ISLAMABAD

S ta f f R e p o R t

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Islamabad on Saturday approved Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi s interim bail till June 27 in three different violence cases Accepting Qureshi’s bail pleas against surety bonds worth Rs100,000 each the court stopped police action against the PTI leader till June 27 PTI Vice Chairman and former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi was released from Adiala Jail Rawalpindi on June 6 Addressing media outside Adiala Jail Shah Mehmood Qureshi had said that the ‘flag of justice’ is in his hands and he would meet the PTI chief tomorrow and discuss the current political situation of the country with him He said that the party is facing hardships But don t lose hope as the sun of justice will rise again” It is pertinent to mention here that former foreign minister Qureshi was taken into custody by police in Islamabad following May 9 protests

Shah Mehmood was arrested from Gilgit Baltistan House in Islamabad, soon after the riots erupted across Pakistan following the arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan in the AlQadir Trust case The PTI leader was re-arrested on May 23 moments after he was released from Adiala Jail Shah Mahmood was released from Adiala jail on court orders but was taken into custody right after his release

Cour t reser ves verdict on Asad Umar’s bail plea in section 144 violation case

ISLAMABAD S ta f f R e p o R t

A court in the federal capital on Saturday reserved verdict on a plea filed by PTI leader Asad Umar for ratification of his bail in the case registered against him for violating the Section 144 in Islamabad Judge Sikandar Khan reserved the verdict after hearing arguments from the PTI leader s lawyer and prosecution team He said the decision on the bail petition would be announced on June 19 Mr Umar ’s lawyer said there was no evidence about presence of his client in a rally carried out by the PTI in F9 area of the capital city He argued that Asad Umar was wrongly named in the case The prosecutor said the case registered against the PTI leader included non-bailable offence Talking to media outside the court Mr Umar took a jibe at the budget presented by the government for fiscal year 2023-24 a day earlier

It would have been better if the government had not present this budget,” he quipped

The Prime Minister also invited Kazakh President to visit Pakistan at his earliest convenience Shehbaz Sharif while highlighting the importance of increasing tourism and enhancing people to people contacts, expressed satisfaction that flight operations between two countries will commence soon

Characterizing Pakistan as an important country in the region

Talking to the PM, the President of Kazakhstan expressed his country s desire to further strengthen their long standing bilateral ties The two leaders agreed on the need to further expand bilateral cooperation in the fields of energy agriculture IT textiles and energy The Prime Minister also invited the Kazakh President to pay an official visit to Pakistan at his earliest convenience PM briefed on solarization, Lesco, demand & supply situation

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz

Sharif was called on by Chairman Board of Directors Lahore Electric Supply Company

(Lesco) Hafiz Nauman here on Saturday

During the meeting Hafiz Nauman briefed the prime minister about the power supply and demand situation and steps taken by Lesco to stop theft of electricity

He also informed the PM about the projects of solarization in the jurisdiction of Lesco especially the solarization of grid stations Premier Shehbaz lauded the measures taken by LESCO and directed to complete all projects of public interest instantly PM GRIEVED OVER LOSS OF LIVES IN KPK RAINS

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Saturday here expressed grief and sorrow over the loss of precious lives in rains in different areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

The PM sympathised and condoled with the bereaved families, said PM’s media wing He directed National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to ensure steps for relief and rehabilitation in the affected areas

He also ordered for coordination with the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

He asked NDMA to work together with Provincial Disaster Management Authority and Rescue 1122 to ensure complete assistance to the public in affected areas He directed the local administration to become active besides passing instructions to the leadership and workers of Pakistan Muslim League(N) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to extend help in the relief activities

He sought a report in the next 24 hours

GPA plans 20MW for Gwadar Por t and t wo free Zones

purpose on bulky cost that has been taking a heavy toll on financial bill GPA official said that 20 MW power supply will promise impetus to tenacious economic activities and acceleration of industrialization in Gwadar, Gwadar Port and Gwadar Free Zones Gwadar port has continued to struggle to meet high cost of diesel generated electricity since

2015

about the relief activities and the extent of damages

The prime minister also directed that prior emergency measures should be taken in the wake of the cyclone Biparjoy which was moving towards Karachi He asked NDMA to make prior arrangements in collaboration with the Sindh government and the provincial departments He also directed that full assistance should be given to the people in the situation of rains and storms in Balochistan

ISLAMABAD S ta f f R e p o R t

Gwadar Port Authority (GPA) has finalized plan to supply 20 Megawatts (MWs) of electricity to energize Gwadar Port, Gwadar Free Zone South and Gwadar Free Zone North Around Rs 727 738 million has been earmarked under public sector development program (PSDP) in Federal Budget 2023-24 presented by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar on June 09 Quetta Electric Supply Company (QUESCO) has already okayed administrative and structural procedures to make sure power supply to all three entities COPHC official told Gwadar Pro that COPHC has hired a consultant for designing of transmission line infrastructure

As soon as the layout is finalized, electricity network, to be laid down within the premises of Gwadar Port, will be connected to Main Gwadar Grid

Station

In addition, he said GPA in collaboration with QUESCO set in motion two packages of transmission lines “One package includes around 12 kilometers transmission through Energy corridor (service road) along Eastbay Expressway to outside the boundary of Gwadar Port Second Package includes around 350 meters transmission line from Gwadar Grid Station to Gwadar Free Zone North ” he added “It is highly likely that electricity tariff will vary between Rs 35 to Rs 45 for industrial purpose as per normal and peak hours with uninterrupted manner free from outage like 24 hours,” he disclosed The move will allow Gwadar Port and Gwadar Free Zones to liberate themselves from expensive electricity being produced by installed 8 5 MW diesel-powered generator From 2015 to 2023, Gwadar port is using dieselgenerator apparatus for electricity

Previously Gwadar Port operator had to come up with a proposal to install a 50 MW Independent Power Producer (IPP)’s plant in collaboration with Chinese power producers For long Chinese companies are overstressed by overpriced power production by 8 5 MW generators in Gwadar Free Zone against the backdrop of non-availability of power supply from government After petrol prices soared, the cost of electricity shot up, putting extreme burden on corporate finance Gwadar Port used to purchase diesel for generator at a cost of Rs 20 3 million monthly Chinese companies in Gwadar Free Zone were charged Rs 49 per unit accordingly, which was very high With dollar fluctuation and rising petrol price the monthly purchase cost has soared to Rs 40 million currently a COPHC official said COPHC official said we cannot develop until enough electricity is available At COPHC, we produce electricity by generators which is very expensive ” Chinese investors are keen to shift their industries from China to Pakistan Areas of investment are very diverse and include but not limited to refinery assembly petrochemical, and textile Gwadar Port is poised to reshape the economic landscape of Pakistan in addition to opening multiple avenues for foreign direct investment In this regard Gwadar holds pivotal importance

Two police personnel shot dead in K arachi

KARACHI

S

Khattak says no intention of joining any other political par t y

ISLAMABAD

Former president Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf in KhyberPakhtunkhwa and defence minister Pervez Khattak on Saturday dispelled rumors of his meeting with newlylaunched Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party founder Jehangir Khan Tareen and joining the IPP while clearing the air about his political affiliation Taking to his Twitter handle, the veteran politician from the KP posted on Saturday: I want to make it clear that I have no intention of joining any other political party nor have I had any meeting with Jahangir Khan Tareen The ongoing news circulating in the media about me is unfounded and completely false On June 1 Khattak announced his resignation from all positions of the PTI in the wake of May 9 incidents following the arrest of party chairman Imran Khan During his presser, he said that the political environment of the country was bad “I have decided to leave the post of the party I will decide about the future course of action after consulting with friends”

Law yers’ leader calls for JIT to probe Raz zaq Shar murder

Earlier a Sindh police constable was killed on his way back from a wedding ceremony in the city s Quaidabad area

According to details, unidentified armed men opened fire and killed the police officer, Azeem Haider, near the Surjani moor area of Karachi In a statement SHO Surjani stated that 30-year-old Azim Hyder was returning from a wedding ceremony when he was targeted by armed assailants near the Green Bus Stop in Surjani Moor which resulted in his immediate death The SHO said that the police found a purse and a mobile phone – belonging to the deceased – at the scene Meanwhile, the police stated that the constable was targeted and the incident was not of a robbery resistance

Govt alloc ates Rs 6bn for NAB in budget 2023-24

ISLAMABAD S ta f f R e p o R t

The federal government has allocated Rs 6 billion for National

Accountability Bureau (NAB) budget 2023-24

As per details NAB will get Rs 6 1 billion in the current fiscal year which includes Rs 1 2 billion for salaries

allocated Rs1 804 trillion for defence spending in the budget 2023-24 with an increase of Rs218 billion as compared to the previous fiscal year The government allocated Rs824 65 billion for Pakistan Army, more than Rs368 56 billion for Pakistan Air Force (PAF) and Rs188 24 billion for Pakistan Navy in the fiscal year 2023-24 Over Rs352 53 billion has been allocated for defence services establishment and other defence sections Rs705 billion will be spent on salaries and other allowances of the armed forces employees For operating expenditures, Rs442 billion has been allocated in the defence budget, whereas, 461 billion was allocated for physical assets and Rs195 51 billion for civil works ta f f R e p o R t

1 7pc of GDP

in the

of employees from grade 1-16 and

per cent to grade 17-22 employees aimed

The government has projected a fiscal deficit of Rs7 57tr (7 1pc of GDP) for the upcoming year, which is the highest in history, surpassing the Rs6 4tr recorded during the current fiscal year This will be partially offset by an anticipated Rs650bn provincial cash surplus bringing the consolidated deficit to Rs6 9tr or 6 5pc of GDP Interest payments, or debt servicing, budgeted for FY24 have risen a whopping 85pc from last year to Rs7,303bn accounting for 55pc of total current expenditure making it the single largest expenditure of the government The tax collection target for the FBR has

making up

QUETTA S ta f f R e p o R t

Former President Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), Amanullah Kanrani Advocate demanded the formation of a joint interrogation team (JIT) to probe into the broad daylight murder of senior lawyer Abdul Razzaq Shar Addressing a press conference in Quetta Kanrani stated that police investigation was not enough to investigate this high-profile case rather a JIT should be formed to review all aspects in this regard I demand a fair investigation into this case, Kanrani said, adding that law should take its course and the culprits behind the attack should be brought to justice Razzaq Shar was killed while on his way to court for an important hearing in the Balochistan High Court (BHC) Kanrani recalled The slain lawyer was a petitioner seeking registration of a treason case against the former prime minister Imran Khan Kanrani was the counsel for the slain lawyer in this high-profile case The slain lawyer had accused the former prime minister of committing treason

been set at Rs9 2tr which is 23pc higher than last year s target Following last year s actual high inflation at 28 2pc, the government set a target of 21pc for the next fiscal year

He insisted that the proper and transparent implementation of the PSDP would facilitate the attainment of a 3 5 per cent GDP growth rate with ease

He emphasised that it should be a national goal to steer Pakistan towards the path of development

The minister shared the government’s aim to bring about an agricultural revolution underlining that the country possessed significant untapped potential in this sector

Dar highlighted that debt servicing constitutes one of the largest portions of the current year ’s budget He said efforts would be made to reduce this burden and reverse

the prevailing trend

Dar emphasised the importance of starting somewhere, stating that with economic growth, positive changes will follow He highlighted that employment opportunities would increase leading to the correction of macroeconomic indicators a reduction in inflation and the creation of more jobs Consequently, the policy interest rate would also decrease, he added

The minister stated that there was a customary practice of forming two committees within the FBR one for business-related issues and the other for technical matters

Regarding the GSP Plus status he noted the involvement of human rights and political influence, mentioning that the commerce ministry and Foreign Office were proactively handling the matter

FINANCE Minister Ishaq Dar chose the traditional post-Budget press conference to announce that the government was making plans for a future without the IMF Not normally the forum where major announcements were made, it was possible to see a number of influences at work Clearly, life after the programme does not mean life without the IMF, so there were no bold and brash statements about the IMF and its programmes, and no categorical declarations of independence More to the point, there was no denial that the Budget had been made with the IMF in view, not so much to persuade it to release the remaining part of the stuck-up programme, as to provide a basis on which to build the next programme

Senator Dar ’s statement that the details of this Plan B would only be revealed at the right time combined with his saying that the need of the hour was self-reliance indicated that the government was thinking of import restrictions, perhaps formalizing some of the restraints already in place Unfortunately Pakistan has experienced such curbs already, and for long enough, to realize that they merely mean a contraction of exports, so the savings in the import bill are merely lost in export proceeds One might prefer to pay attention to Mr Dar ’s Minister of State, Dr Ayesha Ghaus Pasha, who had earlier said there was no alternative to the IMF Senator Dar has spoken bravely of Pakistan not defaulting, but with no pressing geopolitical reason to support Pakistan help from friendly countries has been linked to IMF approval

The problem seems to be Pakistan s refusal to abandon China in its confrontation with the USA

The entire Budget is predicated upon Pakistan continuing to have access to the international money markets Too much of Pakistan s budget is going towards debt servicing It is not a matter of finding funds for education and health General administration and defence is going to be paid for from borrowed money soon There is no easy way out, there are no shortcuts

The stagflation Senator Dar is presiding over cannot come to an end in the international environment of instability thast reigns Mr Dar should concentrate on effective measured rather than try to sell the tired old slogans like self-reliance that have been tried in the past and found wanting

Dedicated to the legac y of late Hameed Nizami

Arif Nizami (Late)

Founding Editor

Yousaf Nizami Editor

M A Niazi

Joint Editor Umar Aziz Executive Editor

cIVILIZED nations and governments ruling the state with the mandate of the people invariably show great respect for their senior citizens and take all possible steps to make their lives comfortable as a token of appreciation for the services that they rendered in the development of their countries They are extended multiple privileges that reflect the commitment of the nation to look after their welfare in consonance with tenets of social justice They take pride in their commitment and ability to ensure a productive and dignified life for their aging populations No wonder that some UN Conventions and charters adopted by international organizations also put great emphasis on keeping the elderly people in good stead

The major privilege and state patronage of the senior citizens particularly those who have been government servants during their life, is the pension that is given to them to ensure that in their old age they are able to survive with dignity and respect

The PDM government and its component parties probably do not believe in showing respect to the senior citizens as is evident from the discriminatory treatment meted out to the pensioners in the just announced budget While the government servants in grade 1-16 have been provided 35 percent increase in their salaries and from grade 17-22 favoured with 30 percent raise the pensioners have been shown charity with only 17 5 percent enhancement in their pensions What a shame!

It is difficult to understand the logic behind this unusual callousness Does the government think that the pensioners have not been affected to the same extent by the snowballing inflation as have been the serving government employees? Does it think that the pensioners live in a different world where they are immune from the debilitating impact of the unusual increase in the cost of living? Are the pensioners children of a lesser God or second-rate citizens? The government has surely shown criminal insensitivity to their plight by giving them a raw deal People were

green transformation: the remedy for climateflation and fossilflation

omy is no different In the aftermath of the Global Financial Crisis of 2008, a strong consensus emerged from all stakeholders that a majority of financial institutions had engaged in too many short-term harmful financial activities without any underlying positive environmental and social purpose It was realized that an environmentally, socially, and economically just society is not possible without the financial sector fundamentally reconsidering its strategies, operations, and activities, and aligning them with more ecologically and socially purposeful longer-term aims and objectives delivering greater economic and social value

actually expecting a higher rate of relief for the pensioners than the serving government servants The Prime Minister and the Finance Minister, who never tire of pronouncing their benign credentials laced with the resolve for fairness to all segments of the society from every convenient roof-top have acted contrary to their claims

Their decision to add to the miseries of the pensioners and senior citizens deserves the harshest possible condemnation What the government has done is unfair, against the norms of social justice and also constitutes a breach of Articles of the constitution which prescribe and emphasize equality of citizens Unfortunately in spite of the tall claims of the PDM government, it has miserably failed to come up to the expectations of the masses Its style of governance and management of the economy leaves much to be desired People rightly feel disillusioned with their performance It has now antagonized millions of pensioners as well those who constitute a significant proportion of the voters Pledges and tall claims do not fill the bellies of the people Hearts and minds of the people cannot be won through hollow slogans It becomes even more painful when the government policies assume the hue of discrimination The government is better advised to reconsider the issue in the light of the ground realities with a tinge of compassion to avoid negative fallout

justice and the legal obligations of the ruling government The PTI government also kept that principle in view in their budgets for 2019-20, 2020-21 and 202122 Only the PDM government enjoys the dubious distinction of treating the government servants and pensioners in different ways In the budget for 202223 while the government employees were given a 15 percent raise the pensioners were dismissed with only a five percent increase In the current budget the same prejudicial ploy has been employed for pensioners

The inequitable disposition of the government towards pensioners, makes a fit case for suo motu notice by the Supreme Court It affects millions of pensioners across the country and qualifies as a matter of public interest. The pensioners may not be in a position to hire a lawyer to plead their case in the court of law Therefore the CJ should take suo motu notice of this injustice and discrimination against senior citizens of the country

It is pertinent to point out that in the past all the governments have invariably treated the serving government employees and pensioners at par in regards to raise in their salaries and pensions PPP government during 2008-13 stands out in regards to enhancement in the salaries and pensions and treating them both fairly in conformity with norms of social

Thus, the banking sector needs to realign its ideology towards Green Banking in order to create a distinction between ‘green’ and ‘brown’ financing portfolios Industries globally accepted as green mostly include renewable energy production, distribution, and storage; energy efficiency in domestic and industrial buildings; green transport; recycling; sustainable and climate-smart agriculture; pollution prevention; water conservation; circular economy initiatives and forestation The Pakistan banking industry can provide green and sustainable financing to these industries in order to facilitate the economy s transition to a Just and Green system which will in turn neutralize a number of factors causing inflation Green financing can nurture the development of the Sustainable and Climate Smart Agricultural sector in Pakistan

The disposition of the PDM and PML(N) government towards pensioners and iys insensitivity to the problems of old age is indeed unparalleled in the financial history of Pakistan There is no escape from the reality that the economy of Pakistan is in a pretty bad way There are also no two opinions about the fact that the snowballing inflation has hit all the segments of the society really hard more so the salaried class and the pensioners But there is no justification whatever to make discriminatory decisions If the government felt that it was facing an acute financial crunch it could have announced a uniform increase of 25 percent percent in the salaries and pensions of all grades meeting the demands of social justice as well as the principle of equality of all citizens The inequitable disposition of the government towards pensioners, makes a fit case for suo motu notice by the Supreme Court It affects millions of pensioners across the country and qualifies as a matter of public interest The pensioners may not be in a position to hire a lawyer to plead their case in the court of law Therefore the CJ should take suo motu notice of this injustice and discrimination against senior citizens of the country

Malik Muhammad Ashraf is an academic He can be contacted at: ashpak10@gmail com

E d i t o r ’ s m a i l

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

lack of political maturit y hur ts

IT seems our political parties and political maturity are two poles apart

eVERY day we wake up to a new wave of inflation in our country With each passing day, it is becoming more and more difficult for the average Pakistani to survive this continuously rising storm of inflation as the country inches closer and closer to the state of hyperinflation Currently Pakistan is facing both Climateflation and Fossilflation Inflation in a large number of economic sectors in Pakistan can be directly or indirectly attributed to the phenomenon of Climateflation which is the direct effect of climate change on the price level via its destructive physical impact on infrastructure and the production of goods

An example of this are the rising food prices in Pakistan resulting from the floods which destroyed a vast proportion of the country s agricultural land and its output The other inflation battle that our country has been fighting for the past several decades is Fossilflation where food and energy prices go up because our whole system depends on fossil fuels like oil and gas which are both dangerous for the environment and unpredictable regarding costs Both Climateflation and Fossilflation are predecessors of Food Inflation When approached through a holistic perspective the various types of inflation plaguing our economic system are interconnected and thus can be solved simultaneously and through complementary strategies

Many debates have been held and are still going on regarding the factors or actors behind the country’s catastrophic economic condition

But let us shift our focus towards the solution or the remedy to this situation and possibly a vaccination which may serve to protect our economy or lessen the impacts of any future inflationary shocks The solution to several challenges being faced by Pakistan lies in a Just And Green Transition According to the International Labour Organization (ILO) a Just And Green Transition means greening the economy in a way that is as fair and inclusive as possible to everyone concerned creating decent work opportunities and leaving no one behind

The financial system of an economy is the major driving force behind any transition and the transition towards a Just And Green econ-

The creation of a Just And Green Economic system can also serve as a remedy towards Paki s t a n s economic woes and a vaccination for future i n f l a t i o n a r y shocks The banking industry as a major player in a country s economy, can also play a role in encouraging and i n c e n t i v i z i n g firms or industry sectors to dec a r b o n i z e through sustainable and green financing

The Pakistan banking industry has a long way to go before green and sustainable finance achieves the mainstream scale and effectiveness necessary to address our biggest environmental and societal c h a l l e n g e s

For example, renewable energy sources are more capital-intensive than fossil fuels, which means they have much larger upfront costs and thus face higher funding costs Greenflation is the increase in prices of goods and services or inflation as a result of the transition of the current economy to a green economy It must be understood that for Pakistan the transition towards a Just and Green Ecosystem is synonymous with survival but the longer we take to make this transition the more costintensive it will become for us Pakistan is already far behind in the journey of sustainable development and the effects of Greenflation will be intensified the longer we operate under the business-as-usual scenario

The choices made by the banking sector will play a major role in shaping the economy environment and society in the years to come

In most cases the time horizons in which financial institutions make decisions are often too short to consider the long-term environmental or social effects of the financing portfolio In Pakistan, this short-termism is often intensified by the pressure to deliver positive economic returns to shareholders This can discourage banks from investing in sectors that offer long-term value rather than short-term gain and encourage them to discount the long-term risks of their activities which often include environmental risks Short-termism has particularly significant implications for responding to the climate challenge While the worst impacts of climate change will most likely be felt by future generations the measures needed to avoid catastrophic climate change and its impact on individuals, communities and the financial system are required urgently

During the journey towards a Just and Green economy, we must also not forget the phenomenon of G r e e n f l a t i o n Contrary to the popular belief of green alternatives being cheaper, the concept of G r e e n f l a t i o n explains that the transition from the traditional economic system to a netzero economy, although beneficial on many fronts is in fact initially cost intensive For example, renewable energy sources are more capital-intensive than fossil fuels, which means they have much larger upfront costs and thus face higher funding costs Greenflation is the increase in prices of goods and services or inflation as a result of the transition of the current economy to a green economy It must be understood that for Pakistan the transition towards a Just and Green Ecosystem is synonymous with survival but the longer we take to make this transition the more cost-intensive it will become for us Pakistan is already far behind in the journey of sustainable development and the effects of Greenflation will be intensified the longer we operate under the business-as-usual scenario

The writer has a Ph D in Green Banking and is working as a Chief Manager – Green Banking Department in Bank AL Habib Limited Pakistan He

The anarchy that the nation has been witnessing these days, especially after the arrest of the ousted prime minister in a corruption case, is a perfect example of the political maturity, or the absence of it, of the opposition party Although the repercussions could be disastrous, this political immaturity exists owing to a number of reasons The fundamental problem with young but gullible and impressionable minds is that a major chunk of them are desperate youth lacking in intellect and with no knowledge whatsoever of the country s political history This leads them to believe that whatever their leader is going through is unique, which is obviously not true These legions of activists, supporters and sympathisers tend to follow the blanket narrative, or in some cases just reciprocate the ideas they hear from someone especially parents family and friends This leads to a very narrow one-sided mindset Later these followers become radical supporters even viewing their leader as some sort of a saviour Then we have these elitists and middle class pseudo-intellectuals who actually sell their irrational narrative of us-versus-them angels versus the devil explaining and somehow convincing the masses why they are better than any other political party, presenting a ‘new’ Pakistan free of corruption and social evils, a notion which is ironic in itself They present a false binary of ‘either with us or against us’ There are conflicting perspectives within the elite and the middle class and this is where the problem comes in as the elite from the comfort of their homes incite the middle and lower classes asking them to step out of their homes to save the saviour while they themselves continue to enjoy the spectacle of fire and fury from the comfort of their ivory towers These are the same people who attacked and vandalised the General Headquarters (GHQ), residences of military officers, sensitive military installations and academy a monument of Pakistan Air Force (PAF) aircraft air force bases public transport and even mosques and ambulances to display their so-called street power

It was during the display of this power that we even saw horrific scenes, such as a crazed mob pelting stones at portraits of army martyrs, putting a Radio Pakistan building and hundreds of cattle on fire that left many a goat and sheep burnt alive We also saw an enraged crowd burning a toll collection point built from the hard-earned money of the taxpayers

They were driven by hate and manipulated by the manipulators who were adept at engineering the masses for their political agendas The bigger trouble however is the consequence of what happened on the fateful day (May 9) The mindset behind the whole scene was reflective of the unfortunate tendency of having a strong bias and dogmatic thinking This, in turn, always leads to polarisation in society

Such politics of violence and hatred can never help anyone return to power Destroying public and state property is certainly not the appropriate mechanism; rather advocating for institutional reforms is the right step and the sooner we realise this the better it will be

Civil war and anarchy can never lead to a positive outcome especially in a country that has a state within a state Such violence may make our enemies merrier, but at home, the opposition party has damaged its own image It was like shooting oneself in the foot Is this the right political strategy to regain power?

Such violent politics and disorder have only antagonised the public and reflected upon the failure of the party leadership Had there been some level of political maturity the country would not have witnessed such a brazen display of violence

It may take time to make the necessary transformation, but once this is done, the opposition would emerge as a better political party having a roadmap for the welfare of the people and the prosperity of Pakistan, which should be the actual objective of all political parties across all possible divides What the country needs is cooler calmer heads It needs harmony not polarisation and toxicity in social and political environments Like every other Pakistani I hope sanity will prevail over vested interests

aS Pakistanis were busy with their turmoil, nations around the globe were resetting their preferences for the coming decades in an orderly manner Around the same time, Turks went to polls to elect a potentially powerful President of the republic in a presidential form of government; to implement an ideological agenda Keeping in view Turkey placing in the international arena, Turkish foreign policy shifts under Erdogan during the last two decades, a military coup and its aftermath; it was all predictable that the just concluded Presidential elections were a hot contest

The election once again of the incumbent President throws dice for an objective analysis of the event for the event has many takeaways for Pakistan, struggling with a hotchpotch of a written constitution and the rule of force The takeaways might not affect the Pakistani experience in the short term but have the potential in the long term; of leading towards the better To understand that aspect, one needs to see how the Turkish nation state evolved itself a century ago In 1923, the traditional Khalifat under the Ottomans gave way to a nation state dominated by rebel generals whose worldview differed from that of the now decadent Ottomans The coining of the term, Young Turks refers to that change of guard in Turkish history The debacle the Turkish nation state suffered during the First World War the onslaught of the western powers and its own decadence all contributed in favor of the rebel generals led by the father of the modern Turkish nation state Kamal Ata Turk

The new managers of the Turkish society identified religion as a factor helping that decadence Consequently, the Kemalist generals made it a religious decree of sorts that religiously inclined politicians would not be allowed in post-WW1 Turkey They were partially successful as a docile war-weary Turkish nation did not offer much resistance to their influence in Turkish society Ironically, the Turkish example was also followed

politicians' time to mature

without much change and context in neighbouring Iran The simultaneous secular thrusts in Turkey and Iran falsely triggered a perception that it was an easy excuse to leave all the misfortunes of the state, society, economy and polity at the doorstep of the Mosque It was another story that an objective analysis might potentially throw up different results

Coming back to the Turkish context it was not an easy road to travel on Organizing a party with religious slogans, in a society where the Azan remained off limits for decades the Roman script was enforced and any semblance to the Arabic script was discouraged, was like calling for one’s political and even physical death sentence

For obvious reasons many devout Muslims who tried to make it big in that nation state supported a secular facial profile An otherwise secular politician; Adnan Menderes was instrumental in allowing back the azan during the decades between 195060, and the return of Arabic script These were the steps, which were to prove that the Kemalist establishment made sure that he should be hanged for crimes done; a reference to deviation from secularist worldview as espoused by Ata Turk

putting much of the leadership behind bars in the process However the Islamist flame could not be extinguished and Erbakan was to be elected Prime Minister in 1996, only to be deposed in a palace coup triggered by the generals It was in such an environment that Erdogan won elections in 2002 It was an era when the USA was basking in the unipolar world order with the 9/11 aftermath according it all the required nuisance value to dictate terms Erdogan s early feat of defiance was his refusal to be part of US efforts

what a seventh century mystic combatant reflected in his poetry about restless Turks precipitating a world where things will move fast towards the end

For the political ideology to take root, it is imperative that a realistic scenario is followed Movements generally avoid making multiple enemies Rather they tread a path mixed with caution and cajoling the old order The Turkish Islamist model precisely tried that successfully Without antagonizing the Kemalist deep state, the Islamists gradually moulded the opinion in their favour with economic growth rates and a non-intrusive policy towards the sections of society which did not vote for them Turkey had no moral police to monitor people like Iran; yet many unveiled women or an increasing number of them might have thought of voting for Erdogan

For the Pakistani experience, a radical shift from opportunistic politics to ideological politics is necessary The former party-of-change stalwarts flocking to the kings’ party means they are looking for another opportunistic platform The shift to ideological politics can be realized through a new cadre of political activists, not professional politicians for sale, with no political record or ‘unclean’ connections; or even police record The current blizzard of regimentation is not a suitable course of action for the society as a whole. It has the ingredients to encourage centrifugal forces. As said in these columns; legions of darkness are a killer for a society and polity. Pakistan really needs to grow up in a true sense; not a prisoner to the few empty minds… and logics…

The Islamist factor was to resurrect again in the 1980s when Nejmettin Erbakan was to organize a political grouping in a manner that Islam began to be discussed as a viable option for the polity, economy, and foreign relations With an Islamic revolution in neighbouring Iran, the Kemalist generals were too panicked to resist a coup call Kenan Everen launched a coup in fall 1980

in Iraq; while only a year back the Afghanistan invasion coalition included a Turkish contingent Ever since that period, Erdogan has treaded a political roadmap, where he had variables in hand to manipulate whether the theatre has been domestic or international From neutralizing coup attempts like Sledgehammer to starting the Get Assad project in Syria, Erdogan has proved himself

Likewise despite being a part of NATO and tolerating diplomatic ties with Israel, Turkish foreign policy tried vigorously to compete with Iran for what can be called a strong diplomatic support for the Palestinian cause

Here it did not antagonize the military yet did not follow the path charted out by them

In the case of Pakistan, such Erdoganstyle foreign policy could only be felt in the 1970s under Bhutto At that time US planes could be found over Karachi skies in November 1974 breaking sound barriers under the auspices of the CENTO exercises, while at the same time, a few pilots were stationed at Damascus airport with battle-ready MiG-21s for potential combat with the Israeli air arm and one such dogfight took place in April 1974 Coming to how Pakistan can learn from the Turkish experience that in the end stems from the fact that politicians show the guts

the g7’s nuсlear-weapon-free world

countries to refocus political attention towards the FMCT (the proposed Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty) is simply playing to the gallery

to distance themselves from the established order Currently the orphaned politicians flocking to a new party is not an encouraging sign for the development of a democratic polity in Pakistan The reason being that much space which was gained since December 1988 when BB was elected the PM of Pakistan has been unceremoniously ceded to the military by the PDM; under the influence of the dictum that ‘enemy of the enemy is your friend’

Given the fact that international concern for the loss of democratic space is not very encouraging it will be upon the political forces to adopt two roles; of street and of the ballot simultaneously It would not be an exaggeration that Pakistani democratic forces might have to start afresh in a very discreet way the way Turkish Islamists started from scratch in the aftermath of 1996-1997 events What allowed the Turkish Islamists a better position was that their structures were intact The rest is history

For the Pakistani experience, a radical shift from opportunistic politics to ideological politics is necessary The former partyof-change stalwarts flocking to the kings party means they are looking for another opportunistic platform The shift to ideological politics can be realized through a new cadre of political activists, not professional politicians for sale, with no political record or ‘unclean’ connections; or even police record The current blizzard of regimentation is not a suitable course of action for the society as a whole It has the ingredients to encourage centrifugal forces As said in these columns; legions of darkness are a killer for a society and polity Pakistan really needs to grow up in a true sense; not a prisoner to the few empty minds and logics

The writer is a freelance columnist

the world’s public debt problem

G o v e r n m e n t s a ro u n d t h e g l o b e c a n n o l o n g e r d u c k t h e h a rd c h o i c e s n e e d e d t o t a m e b o r ro w i n g

KANWAL SIBAL r T

tHE choice of Hiroshima as the venue of May s G7 meeting implied that the issue of nuclear disarmament would be highlighted in the summit documents Not surprisingly, the G7 leaders issued the “Hiroshima Vision on Nuclear Disarmament” to mark the occasion It was essentially a ritualistic exercise to cater to Japan s special sensitivities on the nuclear issue as the only country ever subjected to a nuclear attack Not highlighting the nuclear disarmament issue would not have been possible morally, and politically too as Hiroshima is part of Japanese Prime Minister Kishida’s constituency

What was not possible was to give life to something that is virtually moribund Hence the vision statement is not an entirely honest document It is politically self-serving distorts the realities on the ground and contains much posturing

The document begins by acknowledging that Hiroshima is a reminder of the “unprecedented devastation and immense sufferings of the people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki experienced as a result of 1945 atomic bombings However it neither condemns the use of nuclear weapons nor says who was responsible Understandably so since the document is issued in the name of the US among others

The signatories speak of their commitment to “achieving a world without nuclear weapons with undiminished security for all ” The thought behind such an assertion is not clear Nuclear weapons are seen by those possessing them as ultimate providers of security against existential threats If they are eliminated, how would the concept of undiminished security for all operate? Will it be through a deterrent balance in conventional arms, which means more advanced conventional weaponry and more defense allocations? Who are the “all” it speaks of – obviously not the non-nuclear-armed countries?

CHINA QUESTIONS CREDIBILITY OF G7 MEMBERS

The concept of undiminished security and the related concept of equal and indivisible security has not worked in geographies hitherto central to these concepts It has not worked in Europe If it had the world would not be seeing the present conflict in Europe over Ukraine in which nuclear powers are pitted against each other with unpredictable consequences

The document berates as dangerous and irresponsible Russia s nuclear rhetoric, undermining of arms control regimes, and stated intent to deploy nuclear weapons in Belarus ” But in fact, it is the US that abrogated the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty with Russia in 2002 in the belief that it could develop an impenetrable ballistic missile defense Leaving aside the polemics

that in 2019

withdrew from the INF Treaty Trump while in office was even hinting that he would not renew the New START Treaty Now with both Russia and the US suspending the operation of this treaty and associated inspections in the wake of the Ukraine conflict its future has become uncertain Denouncing Russia s intention to deploy nuclear weapons in Belarus raises the question about the existing deployment of US tactical nuclear weapons in six bases in five NATO countries: Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Türkiye If Russia has reminded NATO of its nuclear deterrent in the context of a potential escalation by NATO in the Ukraine conflict with the goal of Russia s strategic defeat the US too has often mentioned that all options were on the table to prevent Iran from going nuclear, leaving it unsaid what all options really meant In any case, the very fact of possessing nuclear weapons implies the potential of their use if deterrence fails If they are not meant to be used in any circumstances then why have them? The US nuclear doctrine has so far not accepted the no first use policy despite non-nuclear countries advocating this as a first step to reduce the nuclear threat to humanity

The G7 vision document says that the overall decline in global nuclear arsenals achieved since the end of the Cold War must continue and not be rev d ” B h b d i i f i i a w S

Similarly, the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) went into limbo long ago Adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1996 it is still not ratified by eight nations including the US Nuclear-armed countries have clearly lost interest in it and they have carved out space for themselves to conduct non-explosive tests to design and develop new and more powerful weapons This is demonstrated when they say in the G7’s ‘Hiroshima Vision’, that “We are resolute in our view that no nation should carry out any nuclear weapon test explosion or other nuclear explosion We remain committed to upholding the global norm against nuclear explosive testing Russia has declared that it will conduct nuclear tests if others do meaning not unilaterally, and this caveat is ignored in the G7 text It is not evident how effective the G7 s unwavering commitment to the goal of North Korea’s complete verifiable and irreversible abandonment of its nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programs” will be given that North Korea has repudiated the NonProliferation Treaty (NPT) and is conducting nuclear tests – the only country to do so

The G7 expresses deep concern about Iran s unabated escalation of its nuclear program, which has no credible civilian justification and brings it dangerously close to actual weapon-related activities ” This is a development resulting from a signal failure of US di l i di ti th JCPOA (th

EDITORIAL BOARD f i n A n c i A l T m e S

mANY governments around the world are managing their public finances like a spendthrift teenager with their first credit card regularly raising their credit limit with little regard for the mounting debt pile Unlike adolescents nations do not have the bank of mum and dad to bail them out They are instead disciplined by financial markets, and central banks cannot endlessly keep buying their debt without stoking inflation Indeed, as interest rates and demands for spending have risen governments across the world can no longer ignore their elevated levels of debt

Although inflation and the economic recovery from Covid-19 have shrunk public debt from its peak it is still well above pre-2020 records at about 96 per cent of global gross domestic product or $86tn Expensive lockdown support packages in rich nations are largely to blame In Europe energy subsidies since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have added to the load Pandemics and wars require a robust response but with significant spending pressures ahead advanced economies will struggle to restrain borrowing

The US finally reached a political settlement to suspend its $31 4tn debt ceiling for two years this week, but its deficits remain on course to rise over the next decade The EU is wrangling over fiscal rules that have been suspended since March 2020 The UK is projected to meet its target to have its debt ratio falling within five years but only if the government sticks to tight post-election spending plans

High debts were less of a problem after the financial crisis, when interest rates were at record lows Now that rates have shot up rapidly alongside total debt, interest spending as a share of GDP is set to remain elevated in many countries over the coming decade Governments have been caught off guard by the shift in monetary policy Japan could be next With national debt standing at more than twice its GDP if its central bank starts to normalise rates its interest spending will push even higher

High interest burdens come just as spending pressures are also rising This includes the costs of acting on climate change, defence commitments prompted by rising geopolitical tensions and rising health and pension outlays as populations age Inequality has also raised demands on benefits and national industrial policies are back in vogue

Treaty? In 2010, former US President Barack Obama authorized a nuclear modernisation programme that would cost $1 trillion over the next 30 years It called for a slew of new cruise missiles, ICBMs, nuclear submarines and long-range bombers over the next three decades The US Congressional Budget Office estimated in May 2021 that the US would spend $634 billion over the next 10 years to sustain and modernize its nuclear arsenal In the document the G7 members reaffirm their “commitment to the ultimate goal of a world without nuclear weapons with undiminished security for all achieved through a realistic pragmatic and responsible approach This is posturing given the caveats attached to this commitment How is realistic pragmatic and responsible defined? The signatories have given themselves all the leeway they need to make a noble-sounding statement without committing themselves to any foreseeable timeline or accountability

To speak of “the immediate commencement of long overdue negotiations of a treaty banning the production of fissile material for use in nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices is an empty bow to Japan which makes it a point to include this in all possible documents it signs For 30 years, there has been no progress on this issue The US, which pushed this treaty initially no longer pursues it Urging “all

way to resolve international concerns regarding Iran’s nuclear program” is therefore extremely ironic In any case the latest geopolitical developments triggered by the Ukraine conflict and the growing US-China confrontation would make it difficult to develop a consensus either amongst the P5+1 nations or in the UN to address the Iranian nuclear issue Meanwhile, Germany is opting out of nuclear power which explains why the G7 mentions that “Those G7 countries which opt for nuclear power recognise that the use of nuclear energy science and technology contributes to providing affordable low-carbon energy

It is cynical to say that Achieving the world we hope to see requires a global effort to take us from the harsh reality to the ideal, no matter how narrow the path may be,” since the prime responsibility for a nuclear-weapon-free world lies on the shoulders of the P5 – the permanent members of the UN Security Council that is the US the UK Russia China and France – which still have either sizeable inventories of nuclear weapons or are expanding them, not to mention declared programmes to modernize them

Kanwal Sibal is a retired Indian foreign secretary and former Ambassador to Russia between 2004 and 2007 He also held ambassadorial positions in Turkey Egypt France and was Deputy Chief of Mission in Washington DC

These pressures come before the fiscal space necessary to battle the next crisis is even factored in With the growth outlook uncertain and the potential for rates to stay higher for longer, caution is warranted As Britain’s gilt crisis last year showed imprudent fiscal plans will lead investors to demand higher yields and financial market instability is a real risk

With poorer nations already paying a premium to borrow, higher debts and rates risk arresting their development

A record number of developing nations are at risk of a debt crisis Zambia, Sri Lanka and Ghana are among recent defaulters Opaque borrowing from China has complicated matters China’s borrowing has also surged with “hidden debt owed by local governments looking ominous

Caught between political and budgetary constraints governments will need to get smarter about how they manage their finances Structural reforms and investments in skills and infrastructure will take on greater importance Patient capital could also be better deployed to help deliver on growth and the green transition Taxes will also need to be more effective for example more comprehensive carbon pricing would help shift the onus on decarbonisation away from public subsidies Developing countries will need to get better at collecting taxes, while global efforts on debt restructuring and raising the firepower of international financial institutions remain vital Borrowing cannot keep rising forever without consequence It is time for governments everywhere to stop ducking the hard choices

‘vision’ is a farce

TRUMP RISKED NATIONAL SECRETS, US PROSECUTORS ALLEGE IN INDICTMENT

WASHINGTON

A G E N C I E S

US prosecutors unsealed a 37count indictment against Donald Trump on Friday accusing the former president of risking some of the country s most sensitive security secrets after leaving the White House in 2021

Trump mishandled classified documents that included information about the secretive U S nuclear program and potential domestic vulnerabilities in the event of an attack the federal indictment said Trump also discussed with his lawyers the possibility of lying to government officials seeking to recover the documents; stored some documents in boxes around a toilet and moved others around his Mar-a-Lago resort home in Florida to prevent them from being found the charges said Wouldn t it be better if we just told them we don’t have anything here?” Trump said to one of his attorneys, according to the 49-page indictment

Unauthorized disclosure of classified documents posed a risk to U S national security, foreign relations, and intelligence gathering, according to the prosecutors The Justice Department made the criminal charges public on a tumultuous

Kissinger vows to keep working for promotion of Sino-US relations for World peace

On the momentous occasion of Henry Kissinger ’s 100th birthday (May 27) the sagacious statesman still continues to divulge his astute observations on the complex realm of US-China relations

With unwavering acuity Kissinger keeps on pensively advising Washington to eschew hasty adversarial tendencies and engage in thoughtful dialogue a course vital for the betterment of humanity Quoting his recent interview with the Economist, published on May 17, the report says Henry Kissinger provided astute insights and cautionary advice on several critical global issues

With a measured perspective he emphasized the imperative of effectively managing the potential risks of a conflict between China and the United States

Expressing deep concern, Kissinger in the interview revealed his alarm at the escalating technological and economic rivalry between China and the United States

He said “We’re in the classic pre-world war one situation where neither side has much margin of political concession and in which any disturbance of the equilibrium can lead to catastrophic consequences

Similarly, during his other recent interview with the Wall Street Journal, Kissinger asserted that “to prevent war with China, the US needs to refrain from being heedlessly adversarial and pursue dialogue instead ”

Recognizing the gravity of the situation he highlighted the intensifying competition between the two nations stressing the need for careful consideration and strategic foresight Kissinger s apprehension underscores the significance of managing this delicate dynamic to ensure stability and cooperation in the global arena

But there are somber apprehensions regarding the Biden administration’s disposition towards heeding the sage counsel of this venerable centenarian

In the case of China Kissinger eloquently articulates that American officials often misinterpret China s intentions, mistakenly assuming a desire for world domination and hegemony Kissinger dispels this notion, explaining that China seeks strength and influence, rather than an iniquitous pursuit of global hegemony Such a perspective provides crucial insights into China s mindset and its approach to shaping the world order Kissinger s nuanced understanding underscores the importance of engaging in dialogue and developing an empathetic comprehension of China s motivations

His discerning perspective serves as a timely reminder that the true gains from avoiding wars far outweigh the fleeting benefits they may appear to offer Regrettably some American politicians have fallen prey to a myopic approach viewing the world through the lens of zerosum games with perceived ideological adversaries

This narrow perspective has resulted in the politicization of US-China relations, with China being unfairly scapegoated for a multitude of domestic challenges

It is crucial for US policymakers to heed Kissinger ’s wisdom and adopt a long-term perspective in shaping their foreign strategy

They must recognize that Sino-US relations hold tremendous global significance and should be approached with the utmost responsibility

Rather than fostering confrontation, the emphasis should be placed on nurturing peace and stability between these two influential nations Partisan politics have undeniably hijacked the US China policy undermining the potential for constructive engagement and cooperation

By abandoning ideological tunnel vision and embracing a pragmatic mindset, American politicians can better grasp the evolving dynamics of international relations

They should prioritize the interests of their country while recognizing that collaboration

day in which two of Trump s lawyers John Rowley and Jim Trusty, quit the case for reasons that were not immediately clear A former aide, Walt Nauta, faces charges of being Trump’s co-conspirator Tr u m p i s d u e t o m a k e a f i r s t a p

pearance in the case in a Miami court on Tuesday

Since Trump would serve any sentences concurrently if convicted, the maximum prison time he would face is 20 years for obstruction of justice a charge carrying the highest penalty

Trump has proclaimed his innocence After the charges were unsealed he attacked U S Special Counsel Jack Smith, who is leading the prosecution, on social media

“He is a Trump Hater – a deranged psycho that shouldn t be involved in any case having to do with Justice Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform

The indictment of a former U S president on federal charges is unprecedented in American history and emerges at a time when Trump is the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination next year Trump and his allies have portrayed the case as political retaliation by the current Democratic President Joe Biden, but Biden has kept his distance

The White House said Biden had no advance knowledge of the indictment

Decr ying ‘witch hunt ’ , Boris Johnson resigns from UK parliament

LONDON

A G E N C I E S

Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson abruptly quit as a member of parliament on Friday in a furious protest against lawmakers investigating his behaviour reopening deep divisions in the ruling Conservative Party ahead of a general election expected next year

Johnson had been under investigation by a parliamentary inquiry looking into whether he misled the House of Commons about lockdown-breaking parties in Downing Street during the COVID-19 pandemic

After Johnson received a confidential letter from the committee, he accused lawmakers investigating him of acting like a kangaroo court and being determined to end his political career

Accusing the committee of mounting a political hit job , Johnson said in a statement: I am being forced out by a tiny handful of people with no evidence to back up their assertions ”

Parliament s privileges committee

the main disciplinary body for lawmakers – had the power to recommend Johnson be suspended from parliament If the suspension is for more than 10 days voters in his constituency could have demanded he stood for re-election to continue as their representative

Johnson hinted that he could return to politics, declaring he was leaving parliament “for now”

But the decision to resign may

be the end of his 22-year political career where he rose from parliament to mayor of London and then built a profile that tipped the balance of the 2016 European Union referendum in favour of Brexit

Johnson whose premiership was cut short in part by anger in his own party and across Britain over COVID rule-breaking lockdown parties in his Downing Street office and residence, said the committee had not found “a shred of evidence” against him

“I am not alone in thinking that a witch hunt is underway to take revenge for Brexit and ultimately to reverse the 2016 referendum result, he said My removal is the necessary first step, and I believe there has been a concerted attempt to bring it about ”

The investigation is chaired by a senior Labour Party lawmaker but the majority of lawmakers on the committee are Conservatives

The committee said it will meet on Monday to conclude its inquiry and will publish its report soon A spokesperson for the committee said Johnson had impugned the integrity of parliament with his resignation statement

AT TA C K O N S U N A K : The resignation will trigger a by-election for his constituency in west London It is the second in a day for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak after an ally of Johnson Nadine Dorries, announced she would step down Angela Rayner, deputy leader of the Labour Party said: “The British public are sick to the back

China to host Russia in joint exercise, senior militar y leaders confirm in talks

BEIJING

A

Russia will participate in a military drill organized by China, senior military leaders from the two countries confirmed in a video conference held on Friday with observers saying that China-Russia joint strategic exercises could become routine Liu Zhenli a member of the Central Military Commission (CMC) and the Chief of Staff at the Joint Staff Department of the CMC, and Valery Gerasimov, Russia’s First Deputy Minister of Defense and the Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces had a video conference on Friday in which they exchanged views on the implementation of consensuses reached by the two heads of states and the deepening of cooperation between the two militaries, China s Ministry of National Defense said in a press release on Friday

The two sides confirmed together that Russia will respond to an invitation by China and participate in the Northern/Interaction-2023 exercise organized by China according to the press release

teeth of this never-ending Tory soap opera played out at their expense Johnson came to power nearly four years ago, promising to deliver Brexit and rescue it from the bitter wrangling that followed the 2016 referendum He shrugged off concerns from some fellow Conservatives that his narcissism failure to deal with details and a reputation for deceit meant he was unsuitable

Some Conservatives enthusiastically backed the former journalist while others despite reservations supported him because he was able to appeal to parts of the electorate that usually rejected their party

That was borne out in the December 2019 election But his administration’s combative and often chaotic approach to governing and the scandals exhausted the goodwill of many of his lawmakers Opinion polls show he is no longer popular with the public at large Johnson used his resignation statement on Friday to deliver an attack on the premiership of Sunak whom he partly blames for ending his government The men who worked closely together during the pandemic, have had a feud since Sunak resigned as finance minister last summer in protest against Johnson’s leadership

“When I left office last year the government was only a handful of points behind in the polls That gap has now massively widened, he said

Our party needs urgently to recapture its sense of momentum and its belief in what this country can do ”

It will mark yet another military cooperation between China and Russia after the two countries just wrapped up the two-day sixth joint aerial strategic patrol in the Asia-Pacific region on Wednesday While the press release did not give more details on the Northern/Interaction-2023 exercise a Chinese military expert who requested anonymity told the Global Times on Sunday that the drill will likely be the second ChinaRussia joint strategic exercise to be held in China

In August 2021, China hosted Russia in the five-day Western/Interaction-2021 joint strategic exercise, also translated as the Zapad/Interaction or the Sibu/Interaction in Northwest China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region which featured a large number of ground and aviation forces and showed the two countries capabilities in jointly tackling regional security issues including terrorism as well as global challenges brought up by countries like the US Russia annually holds its own strategic exercises in four directions, namely the western Zapad, the southern Kavkaz the central Tsentr and the eastern Vostok Now that the China-Russia joint exercises have the Western/Interaction in 2021 and the Northern/Interaction in 2023 such drills could become regular and be held on a rotational basis similar to Russia’s own drills, focusing on military cooperation in different regions, the expert said

The military cooperation between China and Russia is expected to continue to deepen the expert said The video conference between Liu and Gerasimov came at a time when the US recently ramped up military provocations on China, including sending warships and warplanes to the Taiwan Straits and the South China Sea, selling weapons to the island of Taiwan and holding joint exercises with regional allies including Japan and the Philippines targeting China while also continued to fuel the RussiaUkraine conflict with arms supplies to Ukraine Russia and China s coordination efforts in the international arena has a stabilizing effect on the situation in the world, Gerasimov said in the video conference, according to a press release from Russia’s Ministry of Defense Armed forces of the two countries should continue to conduct joint activities in terms of operational and combat training Gerasimov said

Four Colombian children found alive in jungle weeks after plane crash

BOGOTA, COLUMBIA

Four children from an Indigenous community in Colombia were found alive in the country s south on Friday more than five weeks after the plane they were traveling in crashed in thick jungle, Colombia s President Gustavo Petro said

The siblings were rescued by the military near the border between Colombia’s Caqueta and Guaviare provinces close to where the small plane had crashed

The plane – a Cessna 206 – was carrying seven people on a route between Araracuara, in Amazonas province, and San Jose del Guaviare, a city in Guaviare province, when it issued a mayday alert due to engine failure in the early hours of May

1

Three adults including the pilot and the children s mother Magdalena Mucutuy, died as a result of the crash and

their bodies were found inside the plane The four siblings, aged 13, 9, 4, as well as a now 12-month-old baby, survived the impact Narcizo Mucutuy, the grandfather of the three girls and one boy told re-

porters he was delighted at the news of their rescue As the grandfather to my grandchildren who disappeared in the jungles of the Yari, at this moment I am very happy,” he said Photos shared by Colombia’s mili-

tary showed a group of soldiers with the four children in the middle of the jungle

A joy for the whole country! The four children who were lost in the Colombian jungle appeared alive ” Petro said in a message via Twitter Petro initially reported that children had been found on May 17 in a message on Twitter but later deleted the post, saying the information was unconfirmed

“They were together, they are weak, let’s let the doctors assess them They found them it makes me very happy ” Petro told journalists on Friday adding the children had defended themselves alone in the middle of the jungle Rescuers, supported by search dogs, had previously found discarded fruit the children ate to survive, as well as improvised shelters made with jungle vegetation Airplanes and helicopters from Colombia s army and air force participated in the rescue operations

X i urges troops to forge ‘great wall of steel ’ in guarding C hinese borders

BEIJING

President Xi Jinping has called on Chinese border troops to enhance their capabilities in border defense and control to forge a “great wall of steel” along the country’s borders

Xi also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks on Wednesday during a fact-finding trip to survey the work of border management and control and the development of border troops in north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region

While visiting the Inner Mongolia military command of the People s Liberation Army Xi commended the role of the region s border troops in ensuring security and stability on the northern border of the country

Praising China’s progress in border defense work since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012 Xi said the country s border troops have boosted military training and combat preparedness, and resolutely safeguarded border security and the stability in regions along the borders They have effectively safeguarded China’s sovereignty security and development interests he added Stressing the importance of border defense in ensuring national stability and governance, Xi called on border troops to have a stronger sense of mission and responsibility, and guard the borders diligently for the Party and the people Xi underscored the need for continuous efforts to enhance cohesion and forge the soul of the border troops with the Party s new theories as well as to improve their education on the political discipline, discipline

regarding the public and affairs related to foreigners and policies on ethnic and religious affairs He emphasized the importance of ensuring the integrity and a high degree of unity among the border troops

He called for more efforts to intensify troop training and enhance combat preparedness speed up capacity building concerning information technology-enabled border defense and control transform the way border defense duties are performed tighten military discipline, maintain good troop order, and foster more border defense professionals Highlighting cooperation among Party and government departments, the military, law enforcement agencies and ordinary people in border defense as China s unique strength Xi called for joint efforts from all parties to break a new ground in defending the country s borders

CORPORATE CORNER

PAKISTAN, DENMARK AGREE TO BUILD COLL ABORATION IN RENEWABLE ENERGY SECTOR

ISLAMABAD S TA

PA K I S TA N and Denmark have agreed on building collaboration in renewable energy sector, under the recently signed Green Framework Engagement Agreement The agreement was made during a meeting of Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar with Denmark s Minister for Development Cooperation and Global Climate Policy Mr Dan Jørgensen T h e m e e t i n g w a s h e l d i n D e n m a r k a s M s K h a r p a i d a t w o - d a y v i s i t t o D e n m a r k a n d F i n l a n d o n 8 -

Sparx neo 7 ultra-launch

Sparx smartphones powered by Deploy Pvt Ltd is thrilled to announce the launch of their flagship smartphone, the Neo7 Ultra, a perfect blend of design aesthetics, cutting-edge technology, and the powerful performance that Sparx is known for

The Sparx Neo7 Ultra boasts an unparalleled design with its exquisite omni-glass finish combining beauty and durability into one stunning package It is outfitted with a 50-megapixel dual AI camera that will turn moments into professional-quality photographs The 6 52-inch punch-hole display delivers crisp, clear visuals, with a 13 MP frontfacing selfie camera that guarantees stunning self-portraits every time

Running the show under the hood is an Octa-Core processor a powerhouse that ensures smooth lagfree operation even during heavy use

Accompanying this is an impressive 5000mAh battery that ensures long-lasting power, supplemented by Sonic Charge technology for fast and efficient charging P R

C ASS hosts seminar: ‘Role of New, Emerging Technologies in Comprehensive National S ec urity

The Centre for Aerospace & Security Studies (CASS), Islamabad, successfully concluded a seminar on the Role of New & Emerging Technologies in Comprehensive National Security ’

The event brought together renowned experts and policymakers to explore the profound impact of technological advancements on national security strategies In his Keynote Address Lieutenant General Khalid A Kidwai (Retd), Advisor National Command Authority & Former Director General, Strategic Plans Division, Government of Pakistan, emphasised the crucial link between changing technologies and comprehensive national security

He highlighted the need to consider the reliability shelf life and strategic effects of new technologies as they could cause tactical and strategic imbalances General Kidwai underscored the importance of embedding political stability, a sound economy, and social cohesion within the nation’s fabric to ensure comprehensive security

He appreciated CASS for initiating timely debate on a subject that was vitally important and relevant to comprehensive national security P R

IC T Police fine 38,537 over seat-belt violation during c urrent year so far

i s L a m a b a d: Islamabad Capital Police intensified crackdown against the traffic rules violators and issued 38,537 fine tickets to road users for not fastening seat belts while driving during the ongoing year , a police public relations officer said

He said that, following the special directions of CPO

Safe City & Traffic a special campaign is underway to check violations while various squads headed by Chief Traffic Officer Islamabad are performing duties at main roads and boulevards of the city and taking stern action against the violators A campaign is underway to ensure a disciplined traffic system in the city and citizens are also requested to follow the traffic rules in order to maintain a disciplined traffic system in the city Islamabad capital police personnel have been directed to ensure implementation on traffic rules and regulation irrespective of status and rank and demonstrate patience and politeness while issuing traffic violation tickets to the road users The Islamabad capital police is also ensuring strict legal action against other traffic

The MOS hoped that the Danish Minister ’s upcoming visit to Pakistan next week (16-18 June 2023) would be instrumental in this regard She assured Minister Jørgensen warm welcome and full cooperation on government s behalf Meeting with Prehn Rasmus Member of the Danish Parliament, the MOS underscored the importance of parliamentary engagement in further cementing mutual

ties

Discussions were also held on areas where quick progress could be made bilaterally

The MOS engaged with the Danish chapter of the Schiller Institute on Pakistan’s approach to key regional

Pakistan Nav y Ship Tippu S ultan par ticipates in multinational exercise Komodo -23 in Indonesia

ISLAMABAD S TA F F R E P O R T Pakistan Navy Ship TIPPU SUL-

TAN visited port Makassar Indonesia for participation in Multinational Exercise KO-

MODO-23 The visit of PN Ship is aimed at strengthening bilateral ties enhancing interoperability and exploring new vistas of cooperation between Pakistan and Indonesian Navy Upon arrival at Makassar, the ship was warmly welcomed by officials from Indonesian Navy During meetings with Indonesian officials matters of mutual interest bilateral naval collaboration and PN contribution to regional peace and maritime security were discussed Commanding Officer of PN ship conveyed well wishes from Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Muhammad Amjad Khan

Niazi for the people of Indonesia in general and host navy in particular

Later, PNS TIPPU SULTAN participated in International Fleet Review at Makassar which was witnessed by Commander of Indonesian National Armed Forces Concurrently, Ship s officers and crew participated in various conferences, seminars, knowledge sharing sessions and social welfare activities Upon completion of harbour activities ship participated in Search and Rescue (SAR) and

Maritime Interdiction Operations

Exercise at sea along with the ships of Australia, Brunei, China, Italy Japan Malaysia Philippines Russia Singapore Thailand US and Vietnam

Visit of PNS TIPPU SULTAN to Indonesia contributed significantly towards promoting naval collaboration between various maritime nations to improve interoperability while strengthening bilateral associations and existing bonds of friendship with Indonesia

AGP pays tribute to Q uaid- e -A zam, meets S indh CM, governor

and international issues The talk was joined in via zoom by the international president of the Schiller Institute, Helga Zepp-LaRouche She also gave an interview to the leading Danish newspaper Berlingske

On 9 June the MOS called on Johanna Sumuvuori the State Secretary to Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland in Helsinki The two Ministers noted the growing bilateral cooperation, especially in the fields of education and vocational training

The MOS identified Green Energy as a key sector in which significant bilateral collaboration could be developed in near future Minister Khar also exchanged views with her counterpart on regional and global issues of interest

The visit of the Minister of State to Denmark and Finland provided excellent opportunity for high-level political engagement with the two countries

During these visits the MOS held government level interactions and engaged with think tank and local media These engagements are expected to build mutual confidence and trust resulting in mutually beneficial partnerships across various sectors

M&P unveils HP's 13th generation Intel Laptops at Daraz Shopping Expo 2023

L a h o r e: M&P (Muller & Phipps Pakistan), HP s leading distributor in Pakistan, is set to captivate tech enthusiasts with the introduction of HP's cutting-edge 13th Generation Intel Laptops at the highly anticipated Daraz Shopping Expo on June 10 2023 The official HP store on Daraz app i e HP Shop Pakistan is managed by Indus Office Automation in partnership with M&P (Muller & Phipps Pakistan), HP s leading distributor in Pakistan As a renowned industry leader, HP consistently pushes boundaries and redefines the laptop experience The unveiling of the HP Intel 13th Gen Laptops underscores the company s unwavering commitment to delivering state-of-theart solutions that cater to the ever-evolving needs of consumers These laptops integrate the latest Intel processors, delivering unparalleled performance, heightened efficiency, and advanced security features PR

Hamdard University signs

MoUs with 27 companies on collaboration at first-ever industrial meetup

The Auditor General of Pakistan Mr Muhammad Ajmal Gondal, commenced a highly productive visit to Karachi today, which included a series of significant events and meetings aimed at strengthening financial accountability and governance in the province of Sindh The visit encompassed paying respects to Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah inaugurating a state-of-the-art Sports Complex and engaging in discussions with the Chief Minister and Governor of

Sindh To begin the visit the Auditor General paid a solemn tribute to the father of the nation Quaid-eAzam Muhammad Ali Jinnah by visiting his mausoleum With utmost reverence he laid a wreath on behalf of the Auditor General s Office, commemorating Quaid-e-Azam's pivotal role in the creation of Pakistan and his enduring legacy as an advocate for justice equality and good governance Continuing with the visit the Auditor General inaugurated a remarkable Sports Complex at the Accountant General Sindh office This state-of-the-art facility is designed to promote a culture of physical fitness and well-being among the employees Equipped with modern amenities including a cricket ground along with practice nets, indoor sports courts, and outdoor sports fields the Sports Complex aims to foster an active and healthy lifestyle for the staff encouraging camaraderie and overall employee wellbeing Furthermore the Auditor General of Pakistan called on the esteemed Chief Minister of Sindh to engage in crucial discussions pertaining to financial accountability, transparency, and good governance During the meeting they exchanged valuable insights and ideas on enhancing financial management practices strengthening internal controls and ensuring the responsible utilization of public resources The Auditor General expressed his commitment to supporting the provincial government in their endeavors towards improved governance and accountability

Sharjeel Memon invites Chinese company to set up elec tric buses manufec turing plant in Sindh

KARACHI

T

An important meeting regarding the purchase of electric buses was held at the Archives Complex in Karachi chaired by Minister for Information Transport and Mass Transit Sharjeel Inam Memon

The meeting was attended by Secretary of Transport, Saleem Rajput, MD of Sindh Mass Transit Authority, Kamal Dayo, representatives of the Chinese company Charles Cao Asad Muzaffar and others

In the meeting Charles Cao

the representative of Chinese company Jiangsu Alpha Bus provided a briefing on electric buses Minister of Information, Transport, and Mass Transit Sharjeel Inam Memon, sought information about the supply and features of electric buses and chargers

During the meeting Sharjeel Inam Memon expressed the Sindh government s willingness to provide full support if the Chinese company intends to establish a plant in Sindh Sharjeel Inam Memon welcomed the idea of setting up the plant and assured the

company of the government s commitment to purchasing electric buses from them He said that the Sindh government stands ready to extend all necessary assistance to facilitate the company's endeavor

Sharjeel Inam Memon expressed the Sindh government s intention to introduce electric buses and electric taxis as part of a comprehensive service throughout the province He said that the government aims to promote sustainable transportation options and reduce environmental impact by adopting electric vehicles

Pakistani handicraf ts shine at int ’l c ultural industries fair in C hina

SHENZHEN S TA F F R E P O R T

The dazzle of Made-in-Pakistan handicrafts – including wood carving bronze carving carpets – won the hearts of visitors by its beautiful and artsy look and the deeply rooted tradition behind it at the 19th China (Shenzhen) International Cultural Industries Fair (ICIF) this week

Kicked off in Shenzhen, Guangdong, China on June 7 the 5-day national-level fair is expected to inject new impetus into the development of the country’s cultural industry China Economic Net (CEN) reported Saturday

Made-in-Pakistan handicrafts are internationally popular because of their striking appearance, alluring

hues and magnetizing textures In addition, these unique works of craft add to Pakistan’s name worldwide

A visitor told the reporter that the handicraft industry of a country deeply reflects its culture “Like other forms of arts Pakistani handicrafts are the expression of the thoughts and feelings of artisans influenced by their environment culture and social patterns he said adding that he and his friends are quite into such exotic handicrafts Since its founding in 2004, the cultural fair has seen a continuous expansion in its exhibition scale visitor number and internationalization It has become an important platform to promote the development and opening up of China s cultural industries

K a r a c h i: Hamdard University a leading institution renowned for its commitment to academic excellence, successfully organized its firstever Industrial Meetup at the esteemed Pearl Continental Karachi The event served as a platform for forging meaningful partnerships as the university signed Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) with 27 prominent companies establishing a strong foundation for mutual collaboration and advancement The Industrial Meetup brought together industry leaders, distinguished alumni, and representatives from Hamdard University to explore avenues of collaboration and foster an environment of innovation The presence of notable alumni added immense value to the event showcasing the university s influential network of successful professionals These collaborations foster growth and excellence, strengthening academiaindustry partnerships PR

Turi, S ecretar y Workers Welfare Fund attend global meeting in Geneva

Federal Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and HRD along with Secretary Workers Welfare Fund zulfiqar Ahmad attended Global Meeting of Chairs and Secretariats of Inter-State Consultation Mechanisms on Migration (GRCP 10) in Geneva on 10th June 2023 Sajid Hussain Turi said International Cooperation And PartnershipsInter-State Consultation Mechanisms on migration (ISCM) are state-led, restricted, ongoing information-sharing and policy dialogue forums at the regional, interregional or global level for those States with an interest in promoting cooperation in the field of migration ISCMs fills the gap in policy discussion on migration which could reach across national borders Over more than three decades, they have provided an informal, non-binding environment for States to find common ground, to exchange information and experience, and develop a collaborative approach to migration management and governance ISCMs have contributed to shaping common approaches to national migration governance among their constituent States and to the emergence of convergent policy approaches at the regional, interregional and international levels ISCMs have given rise to an array of effective practices and partnership models These include policies standards handbooks initiatives collaboration frameworks and funds PR

C M S H A H U N V E I L S S I N D H ’ S R S 2 . 24 T R A N N U A L B U D G ET W I T H R S 7 0 0 B F O R U P L I F T

SI N D H Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, who also holds the portfolio of Finance Minister on Saturday presented the annual budget for financial year 2023-24 with a huge outlay of Rs2 2 trillion

Addressing the budget session of Sindh Assembly, CM Murad Ali Shah said that the total outlay of the budget for the province is estimated at Rs2,244 billion with a huge development outlay of Rs700 1 billion centres around the rehabilitation of flood-affected people and provides social protection to the poor people of the province

The Sindh government estimates total revenue receipts to be Rs2,209 785 billion representing an increase of 31 56% from the previous financial year 2022-2023 against estimated expenditures of Rs2 247 581 billion representing a deficit of Rs37 795 billion

The chief minister also announced the much-awaited Rs10 billion for the

Sindh Safe Cities Project (Phase-I) for Karachi with a substantial allocation of Rs4 5 billion for the year 2023-24

The chief minister began his speech with a couplet from Sindhi poetry while no lawmaker from the opposition PTI was in attendance Taking a jibe at the opposition party Sindh chief minister said that some parties had been scattered like houses of sand

Presenting the budget the chief minister announced a salary hike of 35pc for the Sindh government employees between grades 1 and 16 and 30pc for the employees between grades 17 and 22

D E V E L O

P M E N T: CM Shah said the government has fixed a sum of Rs410 billion for development schemes The government has allocated Rs380 billion for the annual development program while the total development budget is estimated at Rs689 billion, Shah said “In addition to regular ADP Government of Sindh’s Development portfolio under Public Private Partnership mode stands at Rs 487 billion whereby Projects of Rs 60 billion have already been executed, Projects of Rs 144 billion are

Balochistan gov t to unveil growth-oriented budget with total outlay of Rs700b on June 16

The Balochistan government is probably to unveil its balanced, growth-oriented and pro-people budget for the upcoming fiscal year, with a total outlay of more than Rs 700 billion

The Balochistan government led by Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) would present its 5th budget for the fiscal year 2023-24 in the Provincial Assembly on June 16 with an expected deficit of around Rs150 billion

The government is expected to announce an over Rs 200 billion development budget under Public Sector Development Programme According to finance department sources more than 5 000 new posts would be created in the new budget

A major chunk of the budget would be allocated for health, education, agriculture, food, rural development, communication, law and order, irrigation and drinking water and other sectors which will change the destiny of the people of Balochistan

More money would be allocated for clean water schemes Education health law and order are among the priorities of the government

Bilawal Bhutto reaches Lahore in a bid to woo PTI defectors

ISLAMABAD

S TA F F R E P O R T

Foreign Minister and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto

Zardari arrived in Lahore on Saturday with an objective to net major politicians who have left Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI)

The PPP chairman will stay in Punjab capital for two days During his stay, he will hold meetings with different political personalities

Sources said that around 25-30 politicians belonging to different districts of Punjab will announce joining the Pakistan Peoples Party today

His father former president and PPP Co-Chairman

Asif Ali Zardari is also in Lahore which has become a hub of political activities especially after the emergence of a new political party launched by estranged PTI leader Jehangir Khan Tareen Many PTI deserters are flocking to the Tareen’s party but the PPP is also bagging its share in this jumping ship saga by the Tehreek-i-Insaf s apostates

Zardari held consultations with PML-Q leader Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and several other political figures regarding upcoming general elections in the country

The PPP leadership wants to win over the PTI deserters from central and south Punjab to strengthen party position in these areas

Many PTI leaders have recently announced joining the PPP and a lot more will do the same to remain politically vibrant after a slow but steady dismantling of their party following the violent incidents of May 9

presently at different stages of construction and Projects amounting to Rs 283 billion are at the bidding stage Shah said the government has allocated Rs380 billion for the annual development program while the total development budget is estimated at Rs689 billion

T R A N S P O RT S E C T O R : The chief minister said that the government has set aside Rs13 4 billion for the transport sector in budget 2023-24, a 92pc increase from the amount fixed in the last budget “Rs6 1billion has been allocated for Peoples Bus Service (PBS) project while Rs10bn has been assigned for the purchase of 500 hybrid buses in Fy2023-24

L AW A N

been allocated for fighting dacoits and Rs130 million for

construction of 23 new colleges in different districts of the province Rs25 billion grant for public universities, and Rs 3 billion has been fixed for the construction of flood-damaged schools H E A LT H : It is proposed to set aside Rs20 billion for the development budget of the health department The sales tax collection during 202324 will amount to Rs235 billion while Rs143 billion will be collected on account of excise and taxation CM Murad Ali Shah added The non-tax revenue will stand at Rs32 billion while Rs21 9 billion will be received on account of Public Sector Development Programme, he said

Govt boosts subsidy allocation to address energy challenges in FY2023-24

Federal government has unveiled its federal budget for the fiscal year 2023-24 with a significant increase in subsidy allocation amounting to Rs1 074 2 billion

The power sector emerges as the major beneficiary, receiving a substantial portion of the subsidy allocation This move aims to provide relief to consumers and address the financial challenges faced by the energy sector

The government s initial budgeted subsidy for the ongoing fiscal year 2022-23 was Rs664 billion However, due to various factors including higher payments to Independent Power Plants (IPPs) the actual subsidies swelled to Rs1 103 077 billion according to revised estimates This unexpected increase highlights the importance of bolstering the subsidy allocation to ensure the stability of the power sector

In the next fiscal year the government has earmarked Rs579 075 billion for power sector subsidies reflecting a significant boost from the original allocation of Rs455 billion for the ongoing financial year This increased allocation intends to stabilize electricity prices and provide a cushion for consumers ensuring reliable access to affordable energy throughout the country

Furthermore, the government has allocated Rs310 075 billion for payments to independent power producers (IPPs) in the upcoming fiscal year This allocation is part of the total Rs579 075 billion outlay for subsidies emphasizing the government s commitment to supporting key players in the power sector While the subsidy allocation for the power sector witnesses a substantial increase adjustments have been made for other sectors

as well The inter-distribution companies (DISCOs) tariff differential subsidy has been reduced to Rs150 billion for the next fiscal year, compared to Rs225 billion in the ongoing year Similarly, a subsidy of Rs55 billion has been set aside for tariff differentials in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) in FY2023-24 slightly lower than the revised estimate of Rs75 billion for the ongoing financial year

The subsidy for K-Electric had been raised almost to double at Rs 315 billion for the next fiscal year

The government had allocated Rs 80 billion subsidy for the KElectric consumers during the current year But the actual subsidy went up to Rs 193 billion according to revised estimates Out of the total amount the government has set aside Rs 171 billion for picking up K-Electric s tariff differential against Rs 66 billion in the ongoing year The government had allocated Rs 66 billion for the ongoing financial year but it went up to Rs 173 billion according to revised estimates

An amount of Rs7 billion will be given to K-Electric for the industrial support package against Rs 13 billion for the ongoing financial year

T h e g o v e r n m e n t ’s e ff o r t s t o balance the subsidy allocation can

PTI’s Yasmin Rashid sent on two-day physical remand in Askari Tower vandalism case

LAHORE S TA F F R E P O R T

The Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Saturday sent

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader and former Punjnab health minister Dr Yasmin Rashid on twoday physical remand in the case of vandalism at Askari Tower in Lahore on May 9

As per detail the Anti-Terrorism Court heard the Askari Tower vandalism case against the PTI leader Police produced Dr Yasmin Rashid in the ATC and requested ATC judge Abher Gul to grant physical remand of the PTI leader for further investigation Judge Abher Gul accepted the physical remand plea and directed the police to produce the PTI leader before the court on June 12 Earlier the Interim government of Punjab challenged Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Yasmin Rashid s acquittal in Jinnah House

In a statement, the Punjab police said: All conspirators, planners, and perpetrators of the May 9 incident, including Dr Yasmin Rashid, would be brought to justice ”

The anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Lahore discharged Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Yasmin Rashid in a case linked to the vandalism of Corps Commander House in Lahore, also known as Jinnah House, on May 9 It is pertinent to mention here that PTI Central Punjab President Yasmin Rashid was taken into custody under section three of the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO)

b e s e e n i n i t s d e c i s i o n t o s h e l v e t h e i n d u s t r i a l p a c k a g e s u b s i d y which stood at Rs7 billion in the o n g o i n g y e a r A d d i t i o n a l l y, t h e zero-rated sector will not receive any subsidy in the next financial y e a r d e s p i t e a n a l l o c a t i o n o f R s 6 4 b i l l i o n i n t h e r e v i s e d e s t imates for the current year

In the petroleum sector a substantial subsidy allocation of Rs536 billion has been set aside for consumers However, it is noteworthy that no specific allocation has been made for the LNG sector in the upcoming financial year despite the challenges faced by Pakistan State Oil (PSO) and LNG due to circular debt

Furthermore, the government has allocated funds to support essential goods The Pakistan Agricultural Storage and Services Corporation (Passco) will receive a subsidy of Rs10 billion primarily for wheat operations and maintaining wheat stocks The Utility Stores Corporation has been allocated Rs35 billion to ensure affordable prices for essential goods

Moreover the government has allocated additional subsidies for flood relief Mera Pakistan Mera Ghar Scheme, and other initiatives aimed at supporting key sectors and the general public

Punjab, Islamabad seek to call back army month after deployment under Ar ticle 245

The interim Punjab government and the Islamabad administration have written letters to the Interior Ministry to recall the army deployed under Article 245 (functions of armed forces) of the Constitution to maintain law and order in the face of protest erupted following arrest of PTI chief Imran Khan

On May 9 after the former prime minister was arrested massive protests broke out across the country with a number of protesters gathering outside military cantonments General Headquarters (GHQ) Rawalpindi, and offices of the Frontier Crops

Subsequently, the interior ministry had approved army deployment in Islamabad, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on May 10

Referring to the ministry’s notification on May 10 a letter issued by the Islamabad commissioner s office

today recalled that the army was deployed in the federal capital under Article 245 (functions of armed forces) of the Constitution to maintain law and order

The situation is now satisfactory in the ICT (Islamabad federal territory) and it is therefore requested that the requisition made vide the referred letter may be de-notified, in the best interest of public, the letter, a copy of which is available with Dawn com, read Separately, another letter to the ministry by the Punjab Home Department recalled that the interior ministry had approved army deployment in the province under Article 245 as well as Section 4(3)(ii) of the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997 for maintaining law and order situation across the Punjab province in aid of civil power

The letter dated June 9, also available with Dawn com, stated that “ troops/ assets of the Pakistan Amry may kindly be de-requisitioned with immediate effect under intimation to this department please“

On Saturday the Lahore ATC also granted interim bail to PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi till June 27 in three cases pertaining to May 9 riots and barred the police from arresting him

ATC Judge Ijaz Ahmed Butter heard Qureshi’s pleas for bail and provided him relief with the directives to submit surety bonds of Rs100 000 in each case Separately a sessions court also granted Qureshi interim bail till June 27 and stopped the police from arresting him till then in a case pertaining to blocking a road and hate speech

The case has been registered at Racecourse police station During the hearing additional sessions judge Nadeem Hasan Wasir directed the police to present the record of the case at the next hearing and directed Qureshi to join the investigation

Coalition par tners get lion’s share of Rs950b PSDP for F Y-2023-24

ISLAMABAD S TA F F R E P O R T

To appease political allies the federal government tabled the Rs950 billion Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) in the National Assembly after incorporating more changes Reflecting the needs and wishes of politicians instead of fiscal prudence and discipline, the PSDP 2023-24 is Rs236 billion higher than this fiscal year

The government made significant changes in the PSDP after its approval by the National Economic Council (NEC) on June 6 They were made in light of demands put forward by the allies mainly smaller parties

The PSDP book showed that the government further increased the allocation for certain ministries compared to the document approved by the NEC this week Out of the proposed allocation of Rs950 billion, nearly half has been given to the newly included more than 300 schemes indicating the government’s election priorities This is one of the highest ratios that will put the country s development spending on a wrong track

For the ongoing 871 schemes hardly Rs500 billion has been allocated, which will severely impact work on them and push completion period far behind the schedule This will also increase the cost of completion due to an uncontrolled inflation in the country

According to the PSDP book an allocation of Rs80 billion has been made for the prime minister s initiatives and another Rs90 billion has been earmarked for parliamentarians schemes

Similarly, around Rs50 billion has been set aside for provincial projects despite the federal government being on the brink of default On June 6, the government proposed Rs42 4 billion for the provincial projects but that did not appease its political allies

In the NEC huddle the government also proposed an allocation of Rs2 billion for the development projects of the Defence Division, which has now been increased to Rs3 4 billion, according to the proposed budget

PTI to publish white paper on govt ’s ‘failed economic plan’

Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi

Former finance minister PTI senator Shaukat Tarin and members of the PTI’s economic team attended the meeting Independent economic experts were specially invited to the meeting for opinions and analyses on

Chairman Imran Khan has directed

s economic team to put the facts

murder of countrymen through

such a funny and unrealistic budget but they would be succeeded in their nefarious plan, as people would be apprised about the “fascist” government’s worst economic performance

The PTI would present the full details of the economic devastation at the hands of the imported government through a comprehensive review of the budget

It was decided that the PTI would also present details before the people pertaining to the best performance including historical economic achievements and record growth rate during PTI-led government

Moreover

PTI would apprise the masses of severe negative implications of the budget on inflation, unemployment and people’s purchasing power through the white paper PTI would also bring to the lime light the imported government s inability and ineptitude to dealings with international financial institutions including the IMF to strike workable deals with them to ease Pakistan s economic woes In addition, PTI would highlight the details regarding the criminal behavior of the imported government towards the poor-centric welfare programs and

underprivileged class of the country

It was decided in the meeting that the PTI would update the masses regarding the mushroom growth in the volume of loans and an alarming downslide in foreign exchange reserves during the fascist imported the government

It was decided that Shah Mehmood Qureshi would present the white paper on the budget Mr Qureshi would also present it to the nation through media so as to expose the reality of the imported government the economic catastrophe the caused to the country