Epaper_23-06-14 LHR

Profit

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KARACHI/ISLAMABAD

S A L E E M J A D O O N

TH E Pakistan Meteorological Department reported on Tuesday that the Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm (ESCS) BIPARJOY over northeast Arabian Sea moved further north-northwestward and slightly weakened into Very Severe Cyclonic Storm It lies near Latitude 21 2 N & Longitude 66 6 E at a distance of about 410km south of Karachi

According to a PMD report, the system is likely to keep tracking further in north direction during next 12 Hour The tropical cyclone is likely to recurve on June 14 and Cyclone is likely to move north-east while it is likely to collide between Kati Bandar (south-east Sindh) and Indian Gujarat on 15th June (evening)

is continuously monitoring the system and will issue update accordingly

With its prob-

able approach to the southeast Sindh coast widespread wind-dust/thunderstorm rain with some very heavy/ex-

tremely heavy falls accompanied with squally winds of 80-100Km/hour gusting 120km/hour likely in Thatta, Sujawal, Badin, Tharparker, Mirpurkhas & Umerkot districts during 13-17 June Dust/thunderstorm-rain with few heavy falls & accompanied with squally winds of 60-80 Km/hour likely in Karachi Hyderabad, Tando Muhammad Khan, Tando Allayar, Shaheed Benazirabad & Sanghar districts from 14 -16 June

C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 03 ISLAMABAD S H A H Z A D PA R A C H A

The Finance Division informed the Senate Standing committee on Finance and Revenue chaired by Senator Saleem Mandviwala that the proposal is to enhance the ceiling from Rs 50 per liter to Rs 60 per liter under the Petroleum Products (Petroleum Levy) Ordinance 1961

After excluding Fifth Schedule, the federal government can increase levy beyond Rs 50 per litre

The levy is the prerogative of the National Assembly and amendment would allow the federal government to raise PL on POL products officials added

The Minister of State for Finance said that the ministry does not intend to raise the levy to 60 rupees but seeks the necessary space and flexibility to effectively manage the petroleum levy

The chairman committee deferred the matter with regard to giving powers to the cabinet of imposition of Rs 10 per litre PDL on petroleum products

PM aler ts federal, Sindh depts to esnure people’s protection

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday directed the Sindh provincial government National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and other relevant organisations to utilise all-out resources to ensure people s protection keeping in view the Biparjoy cyclone

The prime minister, who chaired a meeting to review the preparedness ahead of the possible impact of the Biparjoy cyclone, asked the Sindh government, NDMA and other organizations to ensure the establishment of mobile hospitals in coastal areas and provide adequate emergency medical assistance there

He said in view of the storm special arrangements of clean drinking water and food should be made at the camps of displaced persons

The prime minister instructed Power Minister Engineer Khurram Dastgir Khan to ensure his presence in the districts S TA F F R E P O R T

Ayesha Pasha hints at electricity, gas tariff hike

S AY S PA K I S TA N H A S P L A N B I F I M F D E A L N OT F I N A L I S E D

is a problem for us however she said that MD IMF had also assured us that the ninth review would be completed soon Pasha said that we have to give tax exemptions to advance the economy as these will increase production and create jobs

Replying to a question on pensions, she said that pension reforms are inevitable and billions of rupees go towards pension A plan of action has to be decided to solve the pension problem the Minister of State for Finance added R e p l y i n g t o t h e q u e s t i o n s h e s a i d t h a t t h e r e i s n o i n t e n t i o n t o f r e e z e f o r e i g n c u r r e n c y a c c o u n t s i n t h e c o u n t r y

Senator Saadia Abbasi said that the heading of section 111 of the Income Tax Ordinance 2001 also needs to be changed Section 111 (unexplained income and assets) should be renamed The word “unexplained” gives a message that Pakistan is a country of money launderers

FBR Member Policy Inland Revenue stated that the people went into litigation even after change of one word in the law and it should remain intact

FBR Member stated that the proposed threshold is similar to the amendment made vide Income Tax Amendment Ordinance 2018, whereby this threshold was reduced to Rs 10 million at the time

Considering the Pak-US dollar back then the threshold of Rs 10 million amounted to around $100 000

The same threshold of $100 000 has been proposed through this Bill 2023

SECP Commissioner Abdul Rehman Warraich informed the committee that FBR cannot ask for the source of investment or income under section 111 of the Income Tax Ordinance 2001

FBR cannot probe tax evasion on the basis of the source of remittance under section 111 of the Ordinance 2001 Adding to that, he said that basically, section 111 taxed unexplained income except foreign remittances coming into Pakistan

He stated that under the Finance Bill 2023, the government has enhanced the monetary limit of foreign remittance remitted from outside Pakistan from five million rupees to the rupee equivalent of $100 000 For this purpose section 111(4) is important which places a bar on asking nature and source of unexplained income/assets

g SENATE BODY APPROVES INCREA SE IN MONETARY LIMIT OF FOREIGN REMITTANCE TO $100,000 ISLAMABAD S H A H Z A D PA R A C H A State Minister for Finance and Revenue Ayesha Ghous Pasha has hinted to increase tariffs of electricity and gas if the IMF agreement is not reached Talking to the media after the meeting of the Senate standing committee on Finance and Revenue, she said that the government will increase electricity and gas prices in case no IMF agreement is reached She said that Economists always work on other options as we have Plan B if the IMF deal doesn’t happen The circular debt of the gas and power sector will be reduced for structural reforms adding that she said that negotiations with the IMF are going on and we have shared budgetary numbers with them The State Minister said that the IMF has been asked to complete the ninth review as time is very short and it

the consumers’ bills on the basis of units billed to the consumers in the month of April 2023 and power distribution companies (DISCOs) will reflect the fuel charges adjustment in respect of April 2023 in the billing month of June 2023 While effecting the Fuel Adjustment Charges the concerned DISCOs shall keep in view and strictly comply with the orders of the courts notwithstanding this order, said NEPRA notification

FINCA Microfinance Bank has been

However, there are more chances of money laundering after an increase of this limit, which cannot be probed by the tax officials of the FBR Listening to all stakeholders the Senate Standing Committee on Finance approved the proposal with regards to enhancing the monetary limit of foreign remittance remitted from outside Pakistan from five million rupees to rupee equivalent of $100,000 The committee approved an increase in withholding tax rate from one percent to 5 percent on payment to non-resident through debit/credit or prepaid cards (2 percent to 10 percent for non-active taxpayers) This proposal would increase the withholding tax (WHT) on international credit card transactions to 2 percent for individuals on Active Taxpayer List (ATL) and 10 percent for non-ATL citizens Member IR Policy FBR stated that the proposal is to discourage foreign exchange outflow on non-essential purchases online and payments made for Netflix or Google accounts

When the Chairman committee asked the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), the concerned official informed that around one billion dollars have been sent abroad through the payments made through 49 million credit and debit cards per year The committee recommended reduction in the rates of the Super Tax from 10 to 7 percent and from 8 to 6 percent Committee members further approved a clause in Finance Bill 2023 that allowed the federal government to collect Rs 200,000 adjustable advance tax, from the employers of foreign workers as domestic helpers in Pakistan

ORGANISATIONS, ITS CUSTOMERS

Noori told Profit “The reasons for considering the merger were a bigger network, more outreach and more avenues

R

j e c t e d r

(kWh) increase in power tariff According to CPPA s application, a total of 10,010 30 giga watt hour (GWh) of energy was generated in April at a cost of Rs 10 2384/kWh Out of this, 9 734 91 GWh was delivered to DISCOs at a cost of Rs 10 3975/kWh The CPPA report provided detailed information on the energy production from various sources during April, including hydel, coal, RFO, gas, RLNG, nuclear, import from Iran, mixed sources, wind, bagasse, and solar On May 31 2023 National Electric Power Regulatory (NEPRA) conducted hearings to review the proposed tariff adjustments for DISCOs Earlier, the Central Power Purchasing Agency (CPPA) had requested NEPRA for a higher rate of Rs 2 01per unit Power consumers of all DISCOs except K-Electric would face additional burden as NEPRA has granted approval for power price hike NEPRA hikes power price by Rs1.61 per unit under FCA for April g POWER CONSUMERS OF ALL DISCOS EXCEPT KE WOULD FACE ADDITIONAL BURDEN DUE TO INCREA SE C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 03 C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 03

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AY 9 R I O T E

R S S H O U L D B E D E A LT W I T H S T E R N LY,

U T N O T U N D E R A R M Y L AW S : R A B B A N I

ISLAMABAD

S ta f f R e p o R t

PPP Senator Raza Rabbani said on Tuesday that while it was important that those involved in May 9 riots be brought to justice, trying civilians under army laws should be avoided as it would have “farreaching repercussions for the state”

The PPP stalwart shared his view while addressing a Senate session where he also linked economic stability to political stability Today we are experiencing the fallouts of the results of a failed rebellion against the state The political instability

today is giving rise to economic stability he said, before shifting his focus to the events of May 9, when countrywide protests had erupted following the arrest of PTI chief

Imran Khan

While the protests were underway social media was flooded with footage of rioting and vandalism at various spots including military installations Subsequently the government decided to try the suspects of vandalism at military installations under army laws, particularly the Pakistan Army Act and Official Secrets Act

Speaking on the matter today Rabbani said strictest of the action should be taken against those who attacked military

installations on May 9

Because otherwise, you will be heading towards another Beer House Putsch of Adolf Hitler” a reference to a failed attempt at a coup by the Nazi Party in Germany in 1923 “So the state must act sternly and the state must enforce its writ But there is a caveat to that he said stressing that this action should be taken within the rule of law

Moreover, he said let political forces take the course that history has destined for them” He went on to say that “by taking actions don’t create monsters and don’t create heroes of vandals If you will take such measures you will make heroes out of those who perpetrated terrorism and get

them sympathy votes

Rabbani said the masterminds of May 9 should also be taken to task

“But there is a caveat to this as well And that is that the trial of civilians under the Army Act and Official Secrets Act should be avoided This is inappropriate It will have its own far-reaching repercussions for the state he added

The senator said while these military laws were not outside the ambit of the Constitution, “but I am sad that the National Assembly passed a resolution [endorsing] military trials” of May 9 suspects “This doesn t suit Parliament He then briefly outlined a plan for the way forward In my

ATC extends interim bail of Imran, Asad Umar till 27th in May 9 vandalism cases

An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Tuesday extended the interim bail of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman

Imran Khan in three different cases related to May 9 riots, including Jinnah House attack case, till June 27

ATC Judge Ijaz Ahmad Buttar conducted the proceedings on the bail petitions of the PTI chairman Imran Khan did not appear before the court during the proceedings However Imran s counsel submitted an application and pleaded with the court to exempt his client from personal appearance for oneday He submitted that Imran Khan was suffering from fever

At this the court allowed the application and exempted the PTI chairman from personal appearance for one-day The court also ordered Imran Khan to join the investigation, besides

seeking an investigation report from the joint investigation team head on the next date of hearing

The Sarwar Road police, Gulberg police and Shadman Town police had registered three different cases against PTI leaders and workers in connection with May 9 riots after the arrest of the party chairman The cases had been registered under sections of Pakistan Penal Code and Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997

ATC EXTENDS INTERIM BAIL OF ASAD UMAR TILL 27TH

Meanwhile the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) extended the interim bail of former PTI secretary general Asad Umar till June 27 in a case of attacking Askari Tower Gulberg during riots on May-9

The court ordered Asad Umar to join the investigation and also sought an investigation report from police on the next date of hearing

ATC Judge Ijaz Ahmad Buttar heard the pre-arrest bail petition of former

GIZ delegation, KP Minister mull cooperation in technical education

PESHAWAR S ta f f R e p o R t

A delegation of the German Development Agency (GIZ) headed by its Coordinator for Sustainable Economic Development Training and Employment in Pakistan Romina Kochius called on Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Caretaker Minister for Industries, Commerce and Technical Education, Mohammad Adnan Jalil here in his office at Civil Secretariat Peshawar on Tuesday During the meeting they discussed issues of mutual cooperation and interest especially in relation to the improvement of the training imparted in the technical training institutes established in the province under Technical & Vocational Education Training (TVET) Support Programme and to build the capacity of these institutes Director General (DG) Industries Barkatullah, Chief Economist of Industries Department officials of Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority and other concerned authorities were also present on the occasion Speaking on the occasion the provincial minister appreciated the cooperation and efforts of the German organization in the preparation of technical skills and other sectors and expressed the hope that the German government would further expand this support

secretary general of PTI During the proceedings Asad Umar appeared before the court on expiry of his interim bail

The Gulberg police had registered a

case under Anti-Terrorism Act against the PTI leaders and workers for damaging public and private properties including Askari Tower

PM embarks on t wo - day visit to Azerbaijan today

ISLAMABAD S ta f f R e p o R t

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is scheduled to pay a two-day official visit to Azerbaijan from Wednesday (June 14-15) on the invitation of President Ilham Aliyev

The members of the federal cabinet representing the priority areas of cooperation with Azerbaijan will be part of the prime minister ’s entourage according to the Foreign Office The prime minister will hold wide-ranging talks with President Ilham Aliyev on key areas of cooperation including trade, investment and energy Regional and global issues of mutual concern and cooperation in multilateral forums will also be discussed

The Pakistan-Azerbaijan relationship is embedded in commonalities of faith, culture and

history, and strengthened by mutual trust and convergence of views on regional and global matters

Frequent leadership-level exchanges highlight the bonds of friendship between the two countries and contribute to closer multifaceted cooperation for the mutual benefit of the people of Pakistan and Azerbaijan

Last week Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif paid a two-day official

visit to Turkiye where he attended President Recep Tayyip Erdogan s oath-taking ceremony on June 3

On the invitation of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the prime minister attended his oath-taking ceremony in Ankara on June 3

During his stay the prime minister also held interaction with the world leaders and discussed bilateral ties and cooperation in diverse fields between Pakistan and their respective countries

He also held meetings with various delegations of business and trade companies and entities of Turkiye and discussed prospects of vast business and investment potential existed between the two brotherly countries in various sectors

The prime minister ’s visit was a reaffirmation of the deep-rooted fraternal ties between Pakistan and Turkiye

Govt working to revive economy, overcome other challenges: Ahsan Iqbal

LAHORE

S ta f f R e p o R t

Federal Minister for Planning Prof Ahsan Iqbal on Tuesday said that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz government during its previous tenure launched significant uplift projects, eliminated terrorism, overcome power outage, revived economy and achieved other milestones for the progress and prosperity of the country

Addressing the inaugural ceremony of newly constructed building of the Department of Energy and Environment Engineering, University of the Punjab, he said that it was pleasing to see completion of Energy & Environment Department’s project which was approved during the PML-N s previous tenure

He said that in 2013 before the PML-N government, the country was facing severe economic challenges, power outage, terrorism, and the

international media was labelling Pakistan as most dangerous country in the world but the PML-N after coming into power adopted comprehensive strategies to restore the country’s image eliminate terrorism overcome load shedding and revive economy of the country

The Minister said the PML-N government in 2013 had introduced a policy of 3Es – Energy sources and solutions, elimination of extremism and economic revival to put the country on road to development and progress which was successfully achieved as more than 11 000 megawatt electricity was generated and added to the national grid only in four years, taking out the country from darkness It was a historic achievement as no government in 65 years could generate and add such electricity capacity in the system he maintained Ahsan Iqbal said that for action

against terrorism and extremism the security forces and law enforcement agencies were provided all resources and support to eliminate terrorism and ensure peace in the country, adding that officials of security forces had rendered great sacrifices in war against terrorism and successfully eliminated the terrorism from the country

Due to China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a number of foreign companies had shown interest in making investment in CPEC projects while the foreign investors declared Pakistan safe haven for foreign investment he asserted

The PML-N government had launched projects to construct roads and motorways of 2,000 kilometers, besides setting up campuses of universities even in under developed areas of the country for imparting higher education to the youth he maintained

S enate body recommends rationalizing super tax, advance tax for non-filer

opinion the way forward is the immediate return to constitutionalism, he said

Today, the Constitution exists but the judiciary has its own interpretation of it, Parliament its own and the executive its own ” he added He further said “We have done these experiments before and they were unsuccessful These experiments gave birth to Frankensteins and monsters

Don t repeat these experiments Stop creating test-tube political parties ” Rabbani also called for an end to political engineering and holding elections on time

When the term of the National Assembly ends the elections should be held within the time stipulated in the Constitution, he stressed Moreover, he said following the completion of the term of the National Assembly, the caretaker government should not remain for a elongated period “This will be very dangerous for the federation And let history not say that the Senate did not warn that it will have very dangerous consequences

Qureshi granted interim bail in two cases

ISLAMABAD S ta f f R e p o R t

A District & Sessions Court in the federal capital on Tuesday granted pre-arrest bail to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi in two cases registered by different police stations in the Federal Capital regarding riot and vandalism of public property on May 9 Additional District and Sessions Judge Syed Haroon Ahmed heard the bail petition in a case registered by the Khanna Police Station against Shah Mehmood Qureshi The PTI leader appeared before the court along with his lawyer Ali Bokhari The court granted bail to the accused till July 4, against surety bonds of Rs10,000 and stopped the police from arresting him till next date Similarly Additional District and Sessions Judge Tahir Abbas Sapra granted interim bail to Qureshi till June 19 in another FIR registered by the Tarnol Police Station against surety bonds of Rs 10,000 The court remarked that the bail petitions of other co-accused were also fixed for June 19 Ali Bokhari Advocate said his client always believed in the supremacy of the law and prayed the court to approve his bail The further hearing in the bail case was then adjourned COURT DISPOSES OF OMAR AYUB’S BAIL PETITION

The Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) Islamabad on Tuesday disposed of the bail petition of PTI’s leader Omar Ayub after it was withdrawn ATC Judge heard the bail petition of Omar Ayub The petitioner s lawyer prayed the court to grant permission to withdraw his bail case The court accepted the request and disposed of the interim bail petition of Omar Ayub

PTI chief failed to provide ‘evidence’ of assassination bid: Sanaullah

VEHARI

S ta f f R e p o R t

Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah on Tuesday asserted that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan has failed to provide the ‘evidence’ of allegations levelled after the assassination attempt on him in Wazirabad Addressing a press conference the federal minister claimed that Imran Khan failed to provide any evidence to a joint investigation team (JIT) probing the assassination attempt, for which the former premier blamed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Rana Sanaullah and a senior military officer During his appearance before the JIT Rana Sanaullah said the PTI chief admitted that he made hearsay allegations, adding that the JIT has declared him [Imran Khan] a liar over false accusations” “When asked about the allegations he [Khan] levelled against the military establishment the PTI chief own his statements and the videos he made after the assassination bid However no proof was provided in this regard the interior minister added Lambasting the former premier over May 9 events, Sanaullah said that he misled the country’s youth by mentioning name of a senior military officer and incited them for violence “Investigation into the May 9 vandalism was underway he said adding that the PTI chief chalked out strategies to provoke the country s youth He presented his arrest on May 9 as a red line and asked the party workers to vandalise the state buildings when he gets arrested, he added

Air route resumed between Lahore and Urumqi

ISLAMABAD S ta f f R e p o R t

China Southern Airlines resumed its flight operations from Lahore to Urumqi on Tuesday with flight number CZ6018, which will provide greater convenience for businessmen and tourists traveling to China from Lahore and neighboring provinces The route will have three return flights per week with a capacity of around 177 passengers per flight according to China Economic Net (CEN) Urumqi a city in northwestern China, has extensive business, cultural and tourist exchanges with Lahore The resumption of flights has attracted the attention and involvement of passengers from both countries Zhang Bing a passenger on the flight said with excitement that before the resumption passengers needed to travel from Lahore to Islamabad one day in advance The opening of flights from Lahore to Urumqi has shortened the entire journey”, he added Afridi, a businessman engaged in the import and export of small commodities between China and Pakistan said that the resumption of flights has improved the efficiency of transportation and reduced logistics costs Zhang Xingru General Manager of China Southern Airlines Company Limited Lahore Office told CEN that this year marks the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative, and the resumption of flights between Urumqi and Lahore will further promote connectivity and boost the high-quality construction of ChinaPakistan Economic Corridor

P E R V I A Z E L A H I C O M P L A I N S O F M A LT R E AT M E N T, N O T B E I N G A L LO W E D T O M E ET FA M I LY

LAHORE

S ta f f R e p o R t

FORMER Punjab chief minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)

Central President Chaudhry Pervaiz

Elahi on Tuesday complained of maltreatment in cusdtody, saying he was being allowed to meet family and kept in a small room for the past 10 days despite deteriorated health

Talking to journalists ahead of his hearing at a local court here on Tuesday, the former Punjab CM said: I am unwell and for 10 days I have been locked up in a tiny room The fan in the room malfunctions, and I am not being permitted to meet my family ”

To questions about his possible plans to leave the PTI Elahi said I am not being allowed to meet anyone how could I hold a press conference?

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 01

All concerned authorities have also been particularly advised to remain ALERT during the forecast period

Removal of billboards, loose installations in Karachi: Sindh Chief

Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah Tuesday paid a surprise visit to the city to ensure the removal of billboards neon signs traffic sign boards and other loose installations to avert damage or any untoward incidents during the cyclonic winds which are expected to lash the city on June 15 M r S h a h w i t h o u t p r o t o c o l accompanied by Chief Secretary Sohail R a j p u t a n d C o m m i s s i o n e r K a r a c h i I q b a l M e m o n s t a r t e d h i s v i s i t r i g h t f r o m S h a h r a h - e - F a i s a l o p p o s i t e F T C building, at the nursery, near the airport t h e f o u n d a t i o n / s t r u c t u r e o f t h e b i l l b o a r d w a s s t i l l f i x e d T h e C M directed the commissioners to activate h i s d e p u t y c o m m i s s i o n e r s a n d D M C s to remove them

The chief minister at Quaidabad visited an old building where not only people were living but billboards were hanging on its rooftop Mr Shah then and there got the board removed and asked the commissioner to shift the people to a secure place Mr Shah then went to Chashman Goth, Rehri Goth, Ibrahim Hyderi, and Korangi Creek to review the shifting of the people from the area

Evacuation from Karachi: Briefing the chief minister of the Commissioner said that the estimated population to be affected during Cyclone is around 40 000 and the suspected population to be shifted to Rescue Points is around 5000 to 10,000 thousand

Lath Basti: Three buildings of educational institutions- Government Primary Schoo Lath Basti Degree College Cattle Colony and Tsunami Center Lath Basi have been designated as relief camps Rehri & Dabla Para: TFC School Rehri Govt hospital Rehri Primary school Rehri Wagoo Da Tsunami Centre Rehri would be relief camps

Chashma Goth: TRelief Camps have been set up at sunami center Ali

Mohammad Khaskheli Goth, Tsunami Center Jatt Para, Primary school Wagoo Darr-II, Secondary School Ali

Mohammad Khaskheli village

Massive closure, job losses loom as APTMA demands competitive energy tariff

CONTINUED FROM BACK PAGE

I am not even being permitted to speak with media persons here, he claimed

“Do you see what condition I am in over here ” the former CM said

Meanwhile the police blocked the media from entering the courtroom and pushed journalists away SHO Shabia Raza said that journalists will not be allowed inside the court under any circumstances

HEARING OF CORRUPTION, POWER ABUSE CASE

In a long legal battle where the AntiCorruption Establishment (ACE) contested the magisterial court s decision to send former chief minister of Punjab and PTI

Central President, Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi on judicial remand instead of a physical remand, Elahi’s legal team gained ground as he was resent to judicial lockup on Tuesday

Earlier this month Elahi was arrested by the ACE once again this time on alleged

Ibrahim Hyderi: Tsunami Center Ibrahim Hyderi, Girls Degree College, Football Ground and Ibrahim Hyderi Primary School

The CM was told that shifting of the people have been started EVACUATION FROM THATTA, SUJAWAL AND BADIN

The Commissioner Hyderabad informed the chief minister that the total vulnerable population of Thatta Sujawal and Badin is 85 022 of which 24105 have been evacuated The evacuation process is in progress and by the late evening another 13,650 would be shifted to safe places The total evacuation would come to 37,755 by Tuesday night

The details are as follows:

Thatta: Out of the 13 000 vulnerable population of Keti Bandar 6000 have been shifted to seven relief camps

The vulnerable population of Gora Bari is around 5000, of them 2000 have been evacuated and housed at three camps

Sujjawal: Sujawal has 36,560 vulnerable population of them 2578 have been shifted to 10 camps Jati has 9027 people prone to the storm of them 3027 have been evacuated and settled at four camps Similarly, out of the 7936 vulnerable population of Kharochan, 3000 have been shifted

Badin: Shaheed Fazel Rahu has 11000 vulnerable population of them 6500 have been shifted to eight camps Out of the 2500 vulnerable population of Badin taluka, 1000 have been shifted Latest cyclonic storm situation:

Commissioner Karachi Iqbal Memon briefing the chief minister said that the Severe Cyclonic Storm (BIPARJOY) over the Northeast Arabian Sea has further moved north-northwestward

The cyclonic storm lies about 410km south of Karachi, and 400km south of Thatta The sustained surface winds are 150-160 Km/hour gusts with 180 Km/hour around the system center and sea conditions are phenomenal around the system center with a maximum wave height of 30 feet

The environmental conditions (sea surface temperature of 29-30°C, low vertical wind shear & upper-level divergence) are in support to sustain its strength through the forecast period

DG RANGERS INSPECTS

SITUATION IN COASTAL AREAS

Director General (DG) Rangers

Sindh Major General Azhar Waqas visited the coastal areas on Tuesday as

charges

of conducting illegal recruitments within the Punjab Assembly during his tenure as Punjab CM Prior to this, Elahi had already been discharged by two separate magisterial courts in two different FIRs registered against him by the ACE

The legal battle on the justifiability of Elahi s judicial remand between the ACE and the former CM s legal team started when a magisterial court turned down ACE’s request of increasing Elahi’s physical remand period and instead sent him on a 14days judicial remand Subsequently the ACE challenged this decision in district and sessions court where the judge suspended the court s previous order of judicial remand and referred the case to the magisterial court Meanwhile, Elahi’s legal team challenged the district court’s order in the Lahore High Court (LHC) which suspended it and issued an order seeking responses

cyclone Biparjoy draws nearer to Pakistan A spokesperson for Sindh Rangers said that Major General Azhar Waqas visited the coastal areas in Thatta Sujawal Badin and Shah Bandar the areas which are likely to be most affected by the cyclone The DG Rangers during the visit held meetings with the coastal sector and wing commanders to review arrangements for the evacuation in the area The process of shifting people to safer places from the coastal belt is underway The Rangers and the civil administration are making an announcement on the loudspeakers for the general public to move to a safer place

The spokesperson further said, DG Rangers further directed the sector commanders to help the civil administration in providing free medical camps and relief goods to the people

Earlier, Corps Commander Karachi, Lt General Babar Iftikhar chaired an emergency conference in Badin to review precautionary measures in the wake of cyclone Biparjoy The emergency conference was attended by the DG Rangers Sindh GoC Hyderabad and other authorities concerned

The Corps Commander Karachi was briefed by the authorities on the precautionary arrangements SINDH CANCELS ALL EXAMS AS CYCLONE NEARS KARACHI

The Sindh government Tuesday cancelled all examinations from tomorrow (Wednesday) in the wake of the Very Severe Cyclonic System (VSCS) Biparjoy which is expected to make its landfall between Karachi and India’s Gujarat on Thursday

Issuing a notification in this regard Karachi s Assistant Commissioner Abid Qamar Shaikh said: All examinations education seminars, summer camps and education-related activities may be cancelled/rescheduled from 14th June 2023 till the end of the storm to avoid any loss of human lives and inconvenience to the general public

The notification said that the cyclone is likely to hit the coastal areas of Karachi Division and cause torrential rains or storms in the city Pak Navy evacuates 700 villagers in Shah Bandar, 64 fishermen rescued from sea Pakistan Navy troops evacuated 700 personnel from various villages of Shah Bandar- a coastal town of district Sujjawal- while 64 fishermen have been

from the concerned quarters As proceedings commenced, the Investigation Officer sought to extend Elahi’s physical remand during the course of the investigation The officer also demanded the recovery of the accused s personal mobile phone for forensic analysis Elahi s legal counsel, Rana Intizar Hussain, strongly opposed the physical remand request, arguing that the FIR had been registered on the basis of a source that had not been disclosed to the person accused He further said that the case was based on false claims of certain statements made by the co-accused Rai Mumtaz Hussain, who had already categorically denied the claims before the court He pointed out that the alleged occurrence took place in 2021 while the FIR was registered in 2023 at a time when the accused was already under ACE custody He

rescued from sea PN Ships are patrolling and maintaining vigilance in open sea to render assistance to vessels in distress amid tropical cyclone Biparjoy said a statement issued here on Tuesday Pakistan Navy has put all its available resources at high alert with requisite assets to provide assistance to the inhabitants of coastal areas of Sindh in case of any emergency amid the tropical cyclone A cyclone monitoring cell has been activated at Headquarters Commander Karachi for monitoring the developments and coordinating the responses the spokesperson informed adding that PN Joint Maritime Information Coordination Center (JMICC) was relaying information at regular intervals to all stakeholders especially fishermen community so that they not to venture out to open sea in rough weather

PN emergency response and medical teams have been deployed at Coastal areas of Balochistan and rural areas of Sindh including Hyderabad, Shaheed Benazirabad Sukkur and Sanghar for swift Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief missions Meanwhile PN hospitals at Karachi are on high alert to deal with any emergency Besides closely monitoring the developments, the spokesperson said, Pakistan Navy was maintaining continuous liaison with National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) provincial government and local administration to provide emergency assistance as and when required

BIPARJOY poses no major risk to power infrastructure, measures ready for unimpeded power supply On the other hand Federal Minister for Power Khurram Dastgir on Tuesday stated that there was no major risk to power infrastructure in the Sindh province due to tropical Cyclone BIPARJOY and all relevant measures were in place to ensure unimpeded power supply

In a joint media briefing the Federal Minister for Power was flanked by Federal Minister for Climate Change and Environmental Coordination Senator Sherry Rehman and Chairman National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Lt-Gen Inam Haider Malik provided a detailed account of decisions taken in a high level meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on intensifying Tropical Cyclone BIPARJOY

Sherry raises alarms about urban flooding in Karachi amid cyclone Biparjoy

KARACHI S ta f f R e p o R t

The Chairman warned that withdrawing the RCET would not only lead to a loss of $10 billion in exports annually but also disrupt the industry’s investment plans to establish 1000 garment units, which would create millions of new jobs APTMA Chairman called for a cost-of-service-based tariff for

Federal Minister for Climate Change Sherry Rehman Tuesday warned of urban flooding and strong windstorm in Karachi amid cyclone Biparjoy Taking to here Twitter handle, she said: “Biparjoy Cyclone is real

in a loss of $10 billion in exports annually and 700 000 employees have already lost their jobs in the textile sector alone Alarmingly millions more are expected to face layoffs if the situation remains unchanged

Without panicking, people need to take PDMA Sindh and PDMA Balochistan advisories seriously for the coastal areas Sherry Rehman further stated that though intensity of cyclone has reduced for Balochistan side but unpredictable so please do not take it casually “ I t i s v a r y i n g i n i n t e n s i t y b u t c a u t i o n i s c r u c i a l e s p n e a r t h e S i n d h c o a s t K a r a c h i w i l l l i k e l y f a c e u r b a n f l o o d i n g g i v e n t h e s c a l e & i n t e n s i t y o f w i n d s P r e c a u t i o n a r y e v a c u a t i o n s i n S e a v i e w a r e a s h a v e

b e g u n We w i l l k e e p y o u u p d a t e d s h e a d d e d With its probable approach to the southeast Sindh coast, widespread wind-dust/thunderstorm rain with some very heavy/extremely heavy falls accompanied by squally (high intensity) winds of 80-100Km/hour gusting 120km/hour likely in Thatta Sujawal, Badin, Tharparker, Mirpurkhas and Umerkot districts from today to 17 June Dust/thunderstorm-rain with few heavy falls and accompanied squally winds of 60-80 Km/hour likely in Karachi Hyderabad Tando Muhammad Khan, Tando Allahyar, Shaheed Benazirabad and Sanghar districts from 14 June (tomorrow) to 16 June High-intensity winds may cause damage to vulnerable structures katcha houses solar panels billboards etc

asserted that no inquiry was conducted and no statement of allegations was given to the accused which was a sheer violation of Article 10-A of the Constitution of Pakistan 1973 When presented with LHC s order in the magisterial court, magistrate Ghulam Murtaza Virk sent the accused Elahi to judicial lockup However, the court also directed the concerned quarters to produce the accused persons including Elahi by June 27 along with a police report as dictated by section 173 of the CrPC

Gov t seeks Parliament’s nod to increase PDL beyond Rs50 per litr

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 01

The tax will be collected at the time of issuance/renewal of work permit/visa to such foreign helpers

The committee also approved waiving off a 2 percent final withholding tax on the purchase of immovable property for non-resident individual POC/NICOP holders where the immovable property is acquired through foreign remittances remitted from abroad The committee accepted the inclusion of Section 113 which pertains to minimum tax on the income of certain individuals Additionally Section 146-D, concerning the recovery of outstanding liabilities under other laws, and Section 152, which allows for applications of exemption certificates related to payments to non-residents were also accepted To encourage exports the committee approved the proposal in Section 154 which treats sales made to Direct Exporters under the Export Facilitation Scheme 2021 as indirect exports subject to a reduced tax rate of 1%, as opposed to the higher rate of 4 5% under Section 153(1)(a) Furthermore, Section 154A, related to tax on the export of services, was also approved Senator Mandviwalla emphasized the need to focus on the IT sector highlighting that it requires incentives and special attention Federal Minister for State Aisha Ghaus Pasha stated that the Finance Minister has held multiple meetings with stakeholders from the IT sector, while Senator Mandviwalla called for allowing IT service providers to maintain their accounts outside Minister Pasha added that the IT sector has been given a 35% allowance but the committee stressed the urgency of resolving the sector s issues Sections related to Tax on Bonus Share as Final Tax were deferred for further clarification

Why did FINCA and Apna MFB decide to shun merger plan?

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 01

Apna Microfinance Bank s financial troubles

Similarly, the auditors flagged “uncertainty relating to Going Concern” in the annual reports for 2022 Apna bank had incurred a substantial loss for the year amounting to Rs 4 5 arab an increase of more than 2 times as compared to its loss in 2021 (2021: Rs 1 9 arab) The bank had accumulated loss of Rs 7 4 arab which is an increase by 2 6 times as compared to an accumulated loss in 2021 of Rs 2 9 arab

Consequently, the bank’s negative net assets (capital) stood at approximately Rs 4 arab Like FINCA Apna bank is struggling in recovering its unsecured nonperforming advances (loans) of Rs approximately 3 5 arab The Bank s ability to continue depends on support from its sponsors / potential sponsors

Senators from both sides of the aisle on Tuesday participated in the debate on the budget 2023-24 in the Upper House of the Parliament and presented various proposals to make it more people-friendly

part in the discussion, Senator Mohsin Aziz said more resources should be generated to overcome economic issues

particularly vigorous efforts for more revenue collection Senator Irfan-ul-Haque Siddiqui appreciated the government’s decision of allocating an amount of Rs 1 billion in the budget for health insurance of working journalists and expressed the hope that the provinces would also follow suit He also hailed sufficient increase in the salaries of government employees upto 35% considering their problems

He questioned How investment will come when agitation, sit-ins and protests are held every day? The opposition had an important role in the government affairs but it was their own decision to leave the Parliament he added Senator Siddiqui said various innovative steps were taken to boost the economy during the tenure of Nawaz Sharif when the inflation rate was under 3 percent and the country was on the right track of economic progress

o

t o e s, e va c u at i o n at b r i s k

Russian oil

O W that the first cargo of Russian crude has landed at Karachi, the government should be allowed a moment of basking in the glory of the achievement, but that should not distract it from the kind of creative thinking that went into this deal, and which prompted it to make a deal which put the national interest ahead of everything The import from Russia has the most obvious advantage in being cheaper being at a high discount because Russia is anxious to sell its oil Perhaps a greater advantage is that the oil is being paid for in Chinese yuan a relief which Pakistan will particularly be grateful for at a time when it is desperately short of foreign exchange Criticism of the utility of the Russian petroleum is being made by PTI circles, with doubts being expressed of the ability of local refineries to handle it, apparently ignoring the fact that the PTI posited as one of the reasons for its government s dismissal being US ire against its agreeing to import Russian crude Somehow, it seems, the crude the PTI would have imported would have been usable; but that imported by the PDM is not

Perhaps more important than such partisan sniping is the need for Pakistan to break the bonds of geopolitics and think in geoeconomic terms The Russian crude deal does not solve the country’s energy nor forex problems but it does alleviate them as does the agreement with Azerbaijan for cheaper LNG They also show the government thinking about the problem, as opposed to a previous situation where the country experienced gas shortages because the government had failed to place orders for LNG in time, which indicated that someone had fallen asleep at the tiller

The government should opt for bolder steps, such that bring more benefit to the country Oil is not the only essential import; so are palm oil and pharmaceuticals If looking more closely at the region particularly at the east can bring Pakistan any benefit in any of these both in price and in reducing dollar dependency this must be availed The advantages of trade with the Central Asian Republics which are all ex-Soviet is bound to yield results just as have come forward from Russia and Azerbaijan, also ex-Soviet, in the energy field

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

Big issues that won’t be discussed in 2024

committees have come to play in funding elections

In 2020 100 individuals gave more than $1 6 billion to political committees supporting candidates and their parties more than 11 percent of the total spent in the entire cycle And the amount raised and spent by the “independent” committees was $3 3 billion, giving them an outsized role in determining the issues raised and shaping the outcome of several contests

NO s o o n e r h a s o n e A m e r i c a n e l e c t i o n cycle ended than another begins Those just elected begin raising money for the n e x t r o u n d w h i l e t h e i r c o n s u l t a n t s g e t busy advising them on which issues will be good for their reelection As a result, the focus of our political debates and elections are more often than not driven by crass posturing geared toward a candidate s personal or partisan advantage and less b y s e r i o u s p o l i c y c o n c e r n s t h a t s e r v e o u r c u r r e n t and future needs

As we approach 2024, it s already becoming clear that partisan heckling over divisive issues will dominate the debates, while many “big issues” will be ignored largely because neither party will see any advantage to embracing them here are three important concerns that will not be discussed in 2024

The biggest big issue that won’t be on the agenda of either of the two parties is the corrupting role of money in our politics ever since the Supreme Court struck down campaign finance reform, the costs of federal elections have skyrocketed In 2020, over $14 billion were spent on presidential and congressional contests more than double the amount spent in 2016

It s not just the amounts that are concerning It s what the money chase has done to our politics The two major political parties no longer exist as organizations focused on providing grassroots activists with state and local structures and meaningful access to decisionmaking Instead, the parties and their related entities have become fundraising vehicles that raise hundreds of millions of dollars each election cycle and then dispense these monies to consulting groups to develop communication strategies advertising campaigns and voter contact (through email phone and social media) to raise more money The issues that matter to the consultants are those that bring in more money even more damaging to the political process is the role that major donors and “independent” political

As we saw in the 2022 elections some billionaires with special interests spent millions funding their own political committees, using them to create massive advertising campaigns to tear down candidates they sought to defeat As a result of the role that big money has come to play in our politics both parties have adapted their entire operations to reflect this money chase And neither appears willing to challenge its corrupting influence They ve successfully rendered it a non-issue, so much so that there have been more stories in the past week about the influence of big money in golf or soccer than there have been in the past two years about the role of money in politics

Another big issue that won t be raised by either party is the absurd amount of money spent to maintain and even upgrade our nuclear arsenal The USA currently possesses over 5 500 nuclear warheads (3 700 active the rest inactive) Russia s stockpile is almost 6,000

Not only do we and the R u s s i a n s p o s s e s s m o r e o f these deadly weapons than o n e c a n r e a s o n a b l y a rg u e a r e e v e n n e e d e d b u t a l s o w e c o n t i n u e t o p r o d u c e n e w w a r h e a d s a n n u a l l y a n d a r e c u r r e n t l y i n t h e process of upgrading, modernizing, and repositioning our arsenal The cost to the US treasury is over $60 billion annually or projected t o b e $ 6 3 4 b i l l i o n f o r t h e next decade

In the same way that neither party will raise the issue of campaign finance reform since they see that as akin to unilateral disarmament it has become taboo in politics to speak of placing serious controls on our nuclear arsenal We have gradually reduced our stockpile of such weapons from over 31 000 in 1967 to today s 5 500 And President Obama did negotiate a mutual reduction treaty with the Russians in 2010 that was supposed to reduce our stockpiles to 1,500 each, but politics intervened and the goals weren’t met and new warheads continued

to preserve our values religion and culture

to be developed

Back in the 1980s Jesse Jackson s presidential campaign attempted to introduce a platform plank calling on the US to pledge no first use of nuclear bombs In making his case, Jackson maintained that neither side could ever use a nuclear warhead since to do so would bring about “mutually assured destruction With thousands of bombs on both sides if one side used the bomb five seconds later the other side would massively retaliate In reality, he argued that there was no first use and no second use In fact, the bomb was no use at all ” The party establishment reacted quite negatively to Jackson, saying that “no first use” would make Democrats appear weak The resolution was defeated and hasn t been raised again One more issue that won t be discussed next year is the ever-increasing and bloated defense budget Now pegged at $842 billion for 2024, an increase of over $126 billion in two years, it will continue to grow, unchecked, in the future While it’s no secret that this amount includes significant waste it has become a “sacred cow” that no one dares to challenge

Because previous congresses have cut taxes for the wealthy thereby reducing revenues while funding wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere, the amount of funds available for needed social programmes has become constricted But with no one like Bernie Sanders running, no one on the national stage from the two major parties will dare to suggest that we cut defense spending and raise taxes on the super wealthy in order to expand Medicare or increase funding for public education

None of this is to suggest that the 2024 election will be without substance Critical social, political, and economic concerns will be debated And given the deep polarization that exists between the two parties on many issues voters will have a real choice

It would however be so much more consequential if the corrupting role of money in politics our costly and useless nuclear stockpile, and the bloated defense budget were also up for debate But, alas, they won’t be on the agenda in 2024

The writer is President of the Arab American Institute

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

Th e issue of marginalization of any religious or ethnic group is a complicated one There are different communities in the world who are living as per their religious traditions however few communities are facing discrimination due to the irresponsible behaviour of their states The Sikh community is one It has seen many ups and down particularly in India Under the Modi government discrimination against it has increased extensively as BJP is on the path to make India a hindu Rashtra (hindu State) There have been instances of, and concerns raised regarding, the marginalization of Sikhs in India

Sikhism is a minority religion in India, with a significant population primarily concentrated in the state of Punjab Tens of thousands of Sikhs are living abroad due to challenges faced in India by the community Like other religious communities Sikhs have faced challenges and instances of discrimination in different periods of history It is essential to consider the historical and political factors that have influenced the relationship between the Sikh community and the Indian state

One significant event in recent history is the 1984 anti-Sikh riots which followed the assassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards The riots resulted in widespread violence against Sikhs, leading to loss of life, property, and displacement This tragic event has had long-lasting effects on the Sikh community and continues to be a sensitive issue

There have also been concerns raised about religious discrimination stereotyping and profiling faced by Sikhs particularly due to their distinct appearance, including turbans and beards Incidents of hate crimes, job discrimination, and social marginalization have been reported in some cases Sikhs have advocated for their rights seeking equal treatment and protections under the law

Owing to the discrimination against the community several Sikh leaders have made an organization called Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) The objective of the organization is to protect the rights of community and expedite their struggle for independent state for Sikhs living across the world

To accomplish this objective the SFJ has been holding referendums in different cities of the world such as London Melbourne New York and now

Sydney All chapters of the referendum have seen massive participation of Sikh community who voted for a separate homeland called Khalistan

Recently on June 4, the SFJ organized a referendum in the Australian city of Sydney Just like other referenda the Sydney chapter also witnessed massive turnout Over 31 000 Sikhs voted for Khalistan in the Referendum in Sydney amid stiff resistance from the Indian government and Indian PM Narendra Modi s personal campaign to stop Sikhs from holding the third phase of the referendum in Australia The Sydney phase of the Khalistan Referendum was or-

ganized to mark the anniversary of the 1984 Operation Blue Star Amritsar Genocide when Indian authorities killed thousands of Sikhs during a bloody attack on Sri harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple) Thousands of Sikh men and women queued outside the Shaheed General Shabeg Singh Khalistan Referendum Voting Centre on Sterling Road Michinbury from 9 am and cast their votes till 5 pm under the supervision of the independent Punjab Referendum Commission which is overseeing the worldwide referendum voting, commissioned by Pro-Khalistan separatist group Sikhs for Justice (SFJ)

Two weeks before the Khalistan Referendum voting in Sydney PM Modi was in Australia where he met the Australian government authorities and urged them to stop Sikhs from going ahead with voting but the Australian government told Modi that while Canberra respected India’s position it was no in position to stop its citizens from expressing their legal and democratic right

The Sikhs for Justice General Counsel Gurpatwant Singh Pannun asserted Sydney Khalistan Referendum voting was a prodigious journey of Sikh sovereigntists from June 1984 while defending Sri Akal Takht Sahib with ‘bombsbullets’ to ‘ballot-voting’ in 2023 to liberate Punjab from Indian occupation

Pannu said the Sydney turnout was a reflection of an extraordinarily growing global support for the liberation of Punjab from Indian occupation

The referendums have sent a clear message that Sikhs want liberation of Punjab from the Indian occupation, in the same way hindus got freedom from the British Raj Dr Bakhshish Singh Sandhu President Council of Khalistan, said Sikhs are under occupation of India and the only solution is liberation he further added that we will liberate Punjab to save Punjab from India,

Religious discrimination and hate crime against the Sikh community has increased in recent years In India, workplace discrimination harms Sikhs in a range of public and private sector jobs including transportation entertainment health care the military and law enforcement by allowing for the biassed interpretation and application of government policies and laws Regardless of the details, time and again the Indian government s policies are interpreted in a way which disproportionately impacts minority communities, particularly Muslims and Sikhs, and the Modi government allows this to keep happening Likewise in some regions of India law enforcement and judicial officials have proven unwilling or unable to seek redress consistently for victims of religiously-motivated violence or to challenge cultures of impunity in areas with a history of communal tensions, which in some cases has fostered a climate of impunity In particular using the violence that targeted Sikhs in 1984 as an example declares that justice remains slow and ineffective for the victims of large-scale communal violence India has not only persecuted minorities within its own borders but has tried to do the same abroad As a party to the relevant UN conventions India is obligated to create laws that will uplift its minorities UN member states also have the obligation to protect these minorities and ensure that other countries are not infringing on minority rights by providing assistance and guidance on how to encourage the protection of religious minorities Moreover the international community must be a stronger advocate for religious minorities by passing stricter legislation that does not tolerate persecution and aims to maintain their full rights as religious minorities and as humans

The writer is a freelance columnist

Futuristic measures

T h e Defence housing Authority (DhA) in Karachi has taken a futuristic step by deciding to put hi-tech polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipes in place of traditional reinforced cement concrete (RCC) ducts This is being done in Phase VI for storm water drainage system These pipes can be used for sewerage systems as well

Traditional storm water drainage system requires fabrication of rectangular RCC channels and curing for 14 days before usage Their flat cover follows the same routine Trenches are excavated and levelled RCC channels are lowered each RCC channel is aligned and joined and top covers are installed A length of 100 feet takes about 30 days after the RCC channels and top covers are fabricated and readied with 14 days of curing During this period, the residents and businesses suffer On the contrary, these unique and lightweight PVC pipes are made onsite; in 50-foot length at a time Joining of the two pipe lengths takes less than an hour and backfilling can be done imme-diately afterwards Several hundred feet of pipes can be laid joined and back- filled within a day

These pipes are also ideal for sewerage The pre-partition RCC sewerage pipes are typically four feet in diameter which was good enough for the size of population in 1947 With urbanisation since then and increase in population, these pipes are severly overloaded Finding overflowing sewerage on M A Jinnah Road and I I Chundrigar Road is quite common Those RCC pipes can be replaced by these PVC pipes easily quickly and economically This novel approach by DhA Karachi to resolve the long-pending storm water drainage issue inthe area will provide an ideal and a quick solution to others across Pakistan Well done DhA!

S NAYYAR IQBAL RAZA KARACHI

An unfor tunate trend

S T U D e N T S till the higher secondary level of education today do not know anything about newspaper reading For this they have no fault of their own Schools and colleges have knowingly turned insular against promoting the habit of newspaper reading

In these institutions libraries provided there is one on the premises appear to be more like archaeological sites Actually the rat race of marks and grades has turned our students into educational robots thatare programmed to focus on nothing but marks and grades It is an awfully deplorable act that even the chains of elite schools and colleges do not provide learners with the opportunity to read newspapers regularly The plight of public-sector educational institutions is really nothing to write home about The fallout of all this is stereotyped ideas and incoherent conceptual analysis especially in essay writing as was noted in the Central Superior Services (CSS) 2020 annual report To nurture the attitude required for acing the CSS exam, newspaper reading must start at an early age

Given the question paper pattern wherein higher weightage is reserved for objective and short questions at secondary and higher secondary levels, students at later stages fail to maintain cohesion and coherence of ideas bestowed upon by open-ended study questions A sine qua non for essay writing is to master the art of cohesion and coherence in description

Reading of editorials and opinion pieces in a newspaper can surely enable the students to achieve the essential standards of essay writing like conceptual clarity, research-based knowledge of the subject, and the argument based on logical reasoning Libraries have to be made functional in educational institutions, and the availability of newspapers therein, and access to them must be ensured by all

In the country s rural areas the lack of expertise among the majority to navigate the digital version of a newspaper also affects newspaper reading habits People do go to public libraries in small cities and towns but the traditional paper version, the hard copy, is often not available for the day owing to issues within the distribution network

The 2024 election would, however, be so much more consequential if the corrupting role of money in politics, our costly and useless nuclear stockpile, and the bloated defense budget were also up for debate But, alas, they wonÊt be on the agenda in 2024

S t r u g g l e f o r K h a l i s t a n

India has not only persecuted minorities within its own borders but has tried to do the same abroad As a par ty to the relevant UN conventions, India is obligated to create laws that will uplift its minorities

The Sydney referendum was one of a series in favour of Khalistan

EA C H year on August 15 India officially celebrates Independence Day Pakistan celebrates its own Independence Day the day before on August 14 The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (national volunteer corps) celebrates this day as Akhand Bharat (Undivided or Greater India) Day India is constitutionally a secular republic But practically it is a majoritarian Hindu state

Narendra Modi is a cherished staunch RSS stalwart

The BJP tries to meticulously comply with the RSS agenda The Citizenship Amendment Act, abolition of disputed Jammu and Kashmir statehood, renaming of Moghal icons (museums, gardens, etc), are obvious examples of the BJP’s subservience to the RSS

India’s prime minister Modi carefully chose the day to inaugurate the new hexagonal parliament The inauguration (May 28) coincides with completion of Modi s fourth year of his second term as prime minister and his ninth year in office May 28 also marked the 140th birth anniversary of the RSS s ideologue, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, The day before, May 27, was the 59th death anniversary of Jawaharlal Nehru India’s first prime minister Symbolically the inauguration pulls the curtain down on the Nehruvian era and heralds the Hindutva epoch visualised by Savarkar in his prolific writings

Savarkar and MS Golwalker are the two most prominent ideologues of the RSS Savarkar erected the superstructure of his philosophical colosseum on the foundation of an ensemble of 19th century nationalist writings Golwalker the second supreme leader of the RSS added to Savarkar s musings In 1938 Golwalker wrote:

To keep up the purity of the nation and its culture Germany shocked the world by her purging the country of the Semitic races[ ]Race pride at its highest has been manifested here [ ] all the constituents of the Nation idea have been boldly vindicated in modern Germany, and that too in the actual present when we can for ourselves see and study them a good lesson for us in Hindustan to learn and profit by[ ] (Angana P Chatterji Thomas Blom Hansen and Christophe Jaffrelot (eds) Majoritarian State: How Hindu Nationalism is Changing0 India, p 160)

The Nazi lesson for India was, they [non-Hindus] may stay in the country wholly subordinated to the Hindu nation, claiming nothing, deserving no privileges, [ not even citizen’s rights (Golwalker MS We or Our Nationhood Defined Nagpur Bharat Prakashan 1938)

Savarkar in his writings did not say a word against Nazis Savarkar even recommended fierce violence against vulnerable enemies like women, children, and minorities In 2004, the Grade X textbook on Social Studies in Modi-ruled Gujarat state, commented “ Hitler lent dignity and prestige to the German people’ (Rao Shrenik Hitler ’s Hindus: The rise and rise of India’s Nazi-loving nationalists Haaretz 14 December 2017 ) Bharatiya Sanskriti (Indian culture) schools teach Hindu ethnic pride coupled with hatred of the non-Hindu Example of a hateful question: Which tyrant got Guru Gobind Singh’s two sons buried alive for refusing to give up Hinduism? (Answer Moghal ruler Aurangzeb)

By tortuous logic all good things are attributed to Hindu icons that fought against Muslim rulers For instance Kapil Kumar explained that caste hierarchy and untouchability originated in India because of Turks The Turks introduced commode to India Hindus who refused to convert to Islam were forced to clean them Thus they became untouchable Even Western icons of science and philosophy are shown to be inferior to ancient Hindu philosophers (Tanika Sarkar, Chapter 8 How the Sangh Parivar Writes and Teaches History Kumar , Kapil 28 November 2017 Pages 151–174 August 2019)

RSS Chief Mohin Bhagwat says: India will again become Akhand Bharat in 15 years not 25 years as predicted by byAkhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad president Swami Rashtriya Pari (of Mahanirvani Akhara) (TimesNowDigital dated April 2022) Golwalker , who shaped the organisation for over three decades said at a press conference in Delhi on August 24 1949 that Pakistan was an “uncertain state As an oft-repeated view he said: As far as possible we must continue our efforts to unite there two divided states If Partition is a settled fact we [the RSS] are here to unsettle it RSS leader Indresh Kumar, patron of the RSSbacked Muslim Rashtriya Manch, spoke at an event in Dadar Kumar predicted that after 2025 people from India could settle and start businesses in Karachi Lahore and Rawalpindi among other cities in neighbouring Pakistan He mused: There was no Pakistan before 1947 Till 1045 AD, the area was called Hindustan It will become Hindustan again after 2025 You can start looking

Hinduism will be transformed into Hindutva with extremism as its core and the theocratic caste system will be revived The Akhand Bharat dream will be hard to achieve because of caste-ridden Hindu society The Hindutva philosophy is based on distorted history, myths and overarching binaries

to settle or start a business in say Karachi Lahore Rawalpindi or Sialkot after 2025 Kumar boasted about the dismemberment of Pakistan via the creation of Bangladesh Delhi has ensured that Bangladesh has a government favourable to us ’ It pooh-poohed those who drafted Indian Constitution s without banking on Manusmriti Through its English mouthpiece Organiser it said on Nov 30, 1949: But in our constitution, there is no mention of the unique constitutional development in ancient Bharat Manu’s laws were written long before Lycurgus of Sparta or Solon of (Athens) To this day his laws excite the admiration of the world and elicit spontaneous obedience and conformity But to our constitutional pundits that means nothing ” Critics of the RSS say Manu s laws are primarily violent edicts targeting women and Dalits On March 10, 2000, RSS chief K S Sudarhsan said:

‘throw away the outdated Indian Constitution which speaks of British legacy ’ On 20 June 2016 Sangh Pracharak K N Govindacharya said: We will rewrite the Constitution to reflect Bharatiyata

The BJP and RSS want an empire with subjects with no Muslim minister or MP or MLA

Even now Muslims are underrepresented in the Indian parliament In India, a ‘Hindu Rashtra’, the Constitution will be based on Manusmriti and Vedic laws India will be renamed Bharat or Hindustan A majoritarian rule will be established and no member of minorities will be allowed to lead the nation The tricolour will be discarded and the saffron flag will be adopted Saying

AI must not become a driver of human rights abuses

It is the responsibilit y of AI companies to ensure their produc ts do not facilitate violations of human rights

hour surveillance machines used against journalists and human rights defenders, are both consequences of the introduction of disruptive technologies whose social and political implications had not been given serious consideration Learning from these developments, the human rights community is calling on companies developing Generative AI products to act immediately to stave off any negative consequences for human rights they may have So what might a human rights-based approach to Generative AI look like? There are three steps, based on evidence and examples from the recent past, that we suggest

Second, it is exactly these same companies that have the power to ensure that AI actually benefits humanity or at the very least does not do harm

They should heed the advice of the human rights community and adopt immediately a due diligence framework that helps them identify, prevent, and mitigate the potential negative impacts of their products

While scientists have long warned of the dangers that AI holds it was not until the recent release of new Generative AI tools that a larger part of the general public realised the negative consequences it can have

Generative AI is a broad term, describing “creative” algorithms that can themselves generate new content, including images text audio video and even computer code These algorithms are trained on massive datasets and then use that training to create outputs that are often indistinguishable from real data – rendering it difficult, if not impossible, to tell if the content was generated by a person, or by an algorithm

To date Generative AI products have taken three main forms: tools like ChatGPT which generate text tools like DallE Midjourney and Stable Diffusion which generate images, and tools like Codex and Copilot which generate computer code

The sudden rise of new Generative AI tools has been unprecedented The ChatGPT chatbot developed by OpenAI took less than two months to reach 100 million users This far outpaces the initial growth of popular platforms like TikTok which took nine months to reach as many people

Throughout history, technology has helped advance human rights but also created harm often in unpredictable ways

When internet search tools social media and mobile technology were first released and as they grew in widespread adoption and accessibility, it was nearly impossible to predict many of the distressing ways that these transformative technologies became drivers and multipliers of human rights abuses around the world

Meta s role in the 2017 ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya in Myanmar for example or the use of almost undetectable spyware deployed to turn mobile phones into 24-

First, in order to fulfil their responsibility to respect human rights, they must immediately implement a rigorous human rights due diligence framework as laid out in the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights This includes proactive and ongoing due diligence to identify actual and potential harms, transparency regarding these harms, and mitigation and remediation where appropriate Second companies developing these technologies must proactively engage with academics civil society actors and community organisations, especially those representing traditionally marginalised communities Although we cannot predict all the ways in which this new technology can cause or contribute to harm we have extensive evidence that marginalised communities are the most likely to suffer the consequences The initial versions of ChatGPT engaged in racial and gender bias, suggesting, for instance, that Indigenous women are “worth” less than people of other races and genders Active engagement with marginalised communities must be part of the product design and policy development processes to better understand the potential impact of these new tools This cannot be done after companies have already caused or contributed to harm

Third, the human rights community itself needs to step up In the absence of regulation to prevent and mitigate the potentially dangerous effects of Generative AI human rights organisations should take the lead in identifying actual and potential harm This means that human rights organisations should themselves help to build a body of deep understanding around these tools and develop research advocacy and engagement that anticipate the transformative power of Generative AI Complacency in the face of this revolutionary moment is not an option – but neither, for that matter, is cynicism

Eliza Campbell is a technology and inequality researcher with Amnesty International focusing on the human rights implications of emerging technologies Michael Kleinman is the Director of Amnesty International s Silicon Valley Initiative, helping lead the organisation’s work on the human rights implications of new and emerging technologies

IN D I A S new triangular parliament building set alongside the old circular colonnaded structure of British colonial rule symbolises its efforts to build a country free from the trappings of past foreign domination But its inauguration has not been straightforward Prime minister Narendra Modi carried a gold sceptre as he presided over the opening last month in the company of Hindu holy men This gave fuel to his opponents, who repeated longstanding claims that he was fraying India’s secular constitutional democracy and argued that president Droupadi Murmu the head of state should have been allowed to open the building Opposition parties boycotted the ceremony and the Indian National Congress s Rahul Gandhi Modi s chief nemesis, dismissed it as a coronation Even after that controversy died down, a three-dimensional map on a mural inside the new building has caused a fresh stir The mural features a backlit outline of the subcontinent without any of its present-day borders stretching west to Pakistan and Afghanistan and east as far as Myanmar The names are archaic and some of the cities labelled are in

‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’ and singing the original version of Vande Matram will be made compulsory

According to Sangh s family members like Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), Bajrang Dal, Christians and Muslims will be sent to the countries ruled by their respective religions Amit Shah called Bengalis “termites’

Despite Akhand Bharat rhetoric the Citizenship Amendment Act allows return of only the Hindus from neighbouring countries to India Those Muslims and Christians who want to stay will undergo Ghar Wapsi or proselytisation Even if Soft Hindutva is adopted Muslims will face severe discrimination and oppression

Pakistan will be considered an enemy state and Bangladeshi infiltrators will be evicted by force

The education system will be completely saffronized and Sanskrit will be declared the national language If not Sanskrit will be made compulsory for all Indians to learn and read ancient Hindu mythological texts Hinduism will be transformed into Hindutva with extremism as its core and the theocratic caste system will be revived

As per Manu’s laws, women will be divested of rights A patriarchal system will rule society, such as while performing namkarm and jatkarm (rituals) Vedic mantras are not to be recited by women because they lack strength and knowledge of Vedic texts Women are impure and represent falsehood

All the sectarian reservations will be abolished The special social, cultural and economic rights given to religious minorities will be abolished

‘Prevention of Cow Slaughter Act’ will be imposed throughout the country and beef will be completely banned As outcasts Dalits will be considered slaves and raping of Dalit women will not be considered a criminal act

The Akhand Bharat dream will be hard to achieve because of caste-ridden Hindu society The Hindutva philosophy is based on distorted history, myths and overarching binaries

The writer is a freelance journalist has served in the Pakistan government for 39 years and holds degrees in economics business administration and law He can be reached at amjedjaaved@gmail com

India’s new map ruffles regional feathers

other countries including Purushpur the Sanskrit name for Peshawar Pakistan

Officials and opposition politicians in Pakistan, Nepal, and most recently Bangladesh have voiced concerns India s foreign ministry insists that the mural depicts the spread of the third century BC empire ruled by Ashoka the Great “and the idea of responsible and people-oriented governance that [he] adopted and propagated But some members of Modi s Bharatiya Janata party had claimed the map represented Akhand Bharat ( undivided India ), a maximalist conception of a greater India floated by some Hindu nationalists that incorporates swaths of neighbouring countries Pralhad Joshi a government minister asserted The resolve is clear Akhand Bharat in a tweet with the hashtag #MyParliamentMyPride on the day of the opening Manoj Kotak, a BJP MP representing Mumbai, also tweeted about “Akhand Bharat in new parliament” adding: “It represents our powerful & self-reliant India Pakistan s foreign ministry declared it was appalled by the statements made by some BJP politicians, and said it was a manifestation of a revisionist and expansionist mindset that seeks to subjugate the identity and culture of not only India’s neighbouring countries but also its own religious minorities

Some of the outrage not least from India s arch-enemy Pakistan may reflect broader tensions, or have been manufactured for domestic political purposes And India is not the only country where maps have caused

problems with the neighbours Hungarian leader Viktor Orbán last year riled Romania and Ukraine when he was seen wearing a football scarf featuring the outlines of a Greater Hungary in the country s pre-1920 borders Chinese maps featuring the Nine Dash Line, its unrecognised claim on most of the South China Sea routinely cause fury in neighbouring countries such as Vietnam

However India s map is literally embedded in stone in a building Modi called a temple of democracy , in a country that styles itself as a regional leader As the largest nation and economy, India ought to reach out in a positive way to its neighbours ” says Aakar Patel an author and government critic The map is going in the opposite direction than we should be going

None of the map s critics is claiming that India has active annexation plans Some point out too that an imaginary “Greater India” incorporating Pakistan and Bangladesh would be home to a huge non-Hindu population running at cross purposes with the BJP s project to create a Hindu rashtra (nation)

What s telling is the speed with which objections have started to ebb away in a region where India is the biggest economy and a growing foreign investor Governing officials in Nepal and Bangladesh which have good relations with the Modi administration initially protested but are now happy to accept the explanation that the map was a historical one Indians will have the chance to judge for themselves when the building opens to the public next month

The relationship between printing new money and inflation

through the printing of new money can also cause inflation

People s behaviour may change if they expect future price increases brought on by an increase in the money supply While manufacturers may raise prices in advance in expectation of increased expenses consumers may increase their spending in anticipation of price increases This self-fulfilling prophecy might increase the pressure on an economy to experience inflation

To address the inflationary effects of printing new money governments and central banks can implement various strategies:

long-term economic trends rather than passing political trends They are able to conduct efficient monetary policies and uphold price stability thanks to their independence

Supply-side reforms: Governments can concentrate on supply-side changes meant to boost the output and effectiveness of goods and services Countries can increase productivity and lessen pricing pressure by eliminating bottlenecks in important industries, enhancing infrastructure, and encouraging investment in education and innovation

The amount of money in an economy is essentially increased when the government creates more currency The delicate balance between the supply of products and services and the quantity of money available to buy them may be upset by this influx of additional money As a result prices usually increase, which causes inflation

The quantity theory of money is the main process by which creating new money causes inflation This idea states that if the money supply doubles prices will eventually double as well This relationship exists because rising aggregate demand is a result of increased money supply When there is a greater demand for the same amount of products and services, sellers may raise prices, which leads to inflation

In addition to the quantity theory of money the creation of inflation expectations

Prudent monetary policy: A tighter monetary policy can be implemented by central banks such as increasing interest rates or lowering the money supply through open market operations By limiting the quantity of money available for expenditure and reducing the level of excessive demand these policies aid in containing inflation

Sound fiscal policy: By lowering budget deficits and exerting restraint over public spending, governments can implement sound fiscal policies Countries can reduce the need to use money creation as a means of funding deficits hence reducing inflationary pressures by avoiding excessive borrowing and controlling government spending Independent central banks: It is essential to protect central banks independence from political influence Independent central banks have the freedom to base decisions on

By increasing the economy s ability to meet rising demand supply-side changes help reduce inflationary pressures

Communication and transparency: Clear communication by central banks and governments regarding their inflation targets and policy actions is essential Transparent communication fosters trust and helps anchor inflation expectations reducing the likelihood of self-fulfilling inflationary spirals International cooperation: In an interconnected global economy, cooperation among nations is vital Governments and central banks can coordinate their policies to prevent excessive money printing and mitigate inflationary spillovers Collaboration in areas such as exchange rate management monetary policy coordination and trade agreements can contribute to stable prices and sustainable economic growth

Bishal Basu works in the banking sector

DR GHULAM MOHEY-UD-DIN

PAKISTAN S overburdened healthcare system can provide better relief to the people through the implementation of certain targeted measures and streamlining of services The healthcare system in its current form is a hybrid of public and private healthcare providers Spending on healthcare is roughly around 3 percent of GDP, with the share of public sector healthcare spending at 1 2 percent of GDP There is a lopsided reliance on the private sector which is evident through the out-of-pocket (OOP) expenditure on health which is more than 60 percent in Pakistan The private sector is generally unregulated and serves the urban, and the relatively wealthy segments of society There is rampant price gouging but little to show for it in terms of quality

There are several dysfunctional areas of the healthcare system that can be optimised to redistribute the burden on existing facilities for the benefit of the people

The National Security Policy (NSP) 2022 identifies health security as an important constituent of "human security " a key pillar of economic security Furthermore the COVID19 pandemic significantly raised the promi-

nence of health as a national security concern

The NSP-2022 reiterates Pakistan’s pledge to address the lack of quality health facilities and highlights the need to invest in preventive curative, and public health ecosystems

The government primarily funds the public sector, which offers free or subsidised services to the general public However, the public sector is beset by numerous challenges including inadequate funding poor infrastructure insufficient human resources poor governance and poor service delivery

In addition, one of the major flaws of the public sector is that the public health infrastructure is based around administrative boundaries instead of international standards of beds-to-population ratio doctors-to-population ratio etc

Pakistan s health infrastructure is organised into primary, secondary, and tertiary levels

Primary-level health

infrastructure comprises basic health units (BHUs), dispensaries, and filter clinics In addition vaccinations immunisations and mother and child health (MCH)-related services are also provided through lady health workers (LHW) and lady health visitors (LHVs) The secondary-level services are offered by tehsil headquarter hospitals (THQs) and district headquarter hospitals

(DHQs) In addition RHCs (rural health centres) also offer limited secondary-level services with 20 medical beds along with primary or basic services The tertiary-level services comprise specialised medical care and medical education I n t h e e x i s t i n g s y s t e m , e a c h t e h s i l h e a d q u a r t e r s i s a l l o c a t e d o n e T H Q a n d e a c h d i s t r i c t h e a d q u a r t e r o n e D H Q i r r es p e c t i v e o f p o p u l a t i o n a n d g e o g r a p h i c spread The number of beds in THQs and DHQs is based to some extent on the popu l a t i o n d i ff e r e n t i a l s a m o n g d i s t r i c t s a n d

tehsils However, the major dilemma of the existing system is that rural blocks or union c o u n c i l s h a v e a t t h e v e r y l e a s t B H U s f o r offering basic healthcare services On the o t h e r h a n d c i t i e s a n d u r b a n c e n t r e s l i k e t e h s i l a n d d i s t r i c t h e a d q u a r t e r s p r i m a r i l y rely on THQs or DHQs with an insufficient number of dispensaries or filter clinics operated by the local government Their ownership is also a problem, as some of these d i s p e n s a r i e s a n d c l i n i c s h a v e b e e n t r a n sf e r r e d t o t h e h e a l t h d e p a r t m e n t b u t s t i l l lack funds and oversight

In addition to providing primary services to the existing urban population of that city, the THQs and DHQs also have to deal with an influx of referral patients from rural

areas of the entire surrounding tehsil and district The under-privileged urban population overwhelms the facilities at these hospitals for primary healthcare needs like fevers, minor illnesses, seasonal flu, etc , whereas the middle class falls back on lowquality private clinics, general practitioners (GPs), quacks, and hakeems for healthcare needs The well-off segments of society go for costly private healthcare service providers specialists and consultants

A n o t h e r p r o b l e m r e l a t e d t o p r i m a r y u r b a n h e a l t h c a r e i s t h e u p g r a d i n g o f

t e h s i l s i n t o d i s t r i c t s , w h i c h a l s o r e s u l t s i n t h e a d m i n i s t r a t i v e u p g r a d i n g o f a T H Q i n t o a D H Q T h e c o n s t r u c t i o n o f n e w b l o c k s a n d p r o v i s i o n o f a d d i t i o n a l b e d s t a k e s t i m e b u t t h e e x i s t i n g p o o r l y e q u i p p e d T H Q s u d d e n l y h a s t o d e a l w i t h t h e b u r d e n o f a n e n t i r e t e h s i l a l o n g w i t h t h e p r o v i s i o n o f p r i m a r y s e r v i c e s t o t h e u r b a n c e n t r e S i m i l a r l y, u p g r a d i n g D H Q s i n t o s p e c i a l i s e d a n d t e a c h i n g h o sp i t a l s a l s o r e s u l t s i n o v e r b u r d e n i n g t h e e x i s t i n g f a c i l i t i e s b y r e q u i r i n g t h e p r o v is i o n o f p r i m a r y s e c o n d a r y a n d t e r t i a r y h e a l t h c a r e a n d t e a c h i n g f a c i l i t i e s f r o m s u c h f a c i l i t i e s Another linked issue is that LHWs and LHVs offering immunisation and mother

Struggling Higher Educ ation Institutions in Pakistan: Urgent need to take innovative measures and increase alloc ation of budget

E d u c a t i o n s e r v e s a s a k e y d r i v i n g f o r c e e n v i s i o n e d t o t u r n t h e d r e a m o f a k n o w l e d g e - b a s e d e c o n o m y i n t o r e a l i t y a n d i t a l s o c o n t r i b u t e s t o t h e a t t a i n m e n t of social goals of humanity creating coh e s i v e n e s s a n d b u i l d i n g g o o d h u m a n b e i n g s M o r e o v e r i t h a s b e e n p l a y i n g a p h e n o m e n a l r o l e i n t h e d e v e l o p m e n t o f n a t i o n s , i n t h e f o r m o f p u b l i c g o o d , e nlightening individuals with cultural valu e s n o r m s a n d n a t i o n a l i n t e r e s t s a n d e n a b l i n g t h e m t o s e r v e h u m a n i t y Tr aditionally it has been considered a publ i c g o o d b e n e f i t i n g n o t o n l y t h e i n d i v i d u a l s w h o g o t a n e d u c a t i o n b u t t h e w h o l e s o c i e t y i n t e r m s o f i t s h u g e r e t u r n s t o s o c i e t y This standpoint about higher educat i o n h a s b e e n a d o m i n a n t s c h o o l o f thought regarding the functions and role o f h i g h e r e d u c a t i o n a s a p u b l i c g o o d a n d i t w a s c o n s i d e r e d a b a s i c h u m a n r i g h t i n t h e U n i t e d N a t i o n s U n i v e r s a l D e c l a r a t i o n o f H u m a n R i g h t s E d u c ation is an investment in the future as it b r i n g s n u m e r o u s e c o n o m i c a n d s o c i a l b e n e f i t s t o i n d i v i d u a l s a n d s o c i e t i e s U s u a l l y m e a s u r e d i n r e l a t i o n t o a n ation s wealth expenditure on education largely comes from public budgets, but it includes funding from individual stud e n t s , t h e i r f a m i l i e s a n d o t h e r p r i v a t e sources as well

According to UNESCO Institute for S t a t i s t i c s ( U I S ) P a k i s t a n i n v e s t s a n n ua l l y 2 4 % o f i t s G D P i n E d u c a t i o n w h i c h i s l e s s i n c o m p a r i s o n t o I n d i a

w h i c h i s 4 5 % K o r e a ' s 4 7 % J a p a n s 3 4 % C h i n a ' s 3 6 % U A E ' s 3 9 % a n d A f r i c a o n a n a v e r a g e 3 8 % F o r a d ev e l o p i n g c o u n t r y r e s e a r c h & d e v e l o pm e n t a c t i v i t i e s i n h i g h e r e d u c a t i o n i n s t i t u t i o n s a r e v e r y i m p o r t a n t b e c a u s e i t i s n e c e s s a r y t o c r e a t e n e w k n o w l e d g e a s w e l l a s t o f i n d s o l u t i o n s t o i n d i g en o u s p r o b l e m s B u t i n P a k i s t a n h i g h e r e d u c a t i o n i n s t i t u t i o n s a n d u n i v e r s i t i e s r e q u i r e c r e a t i v e a n d i n n o v a t i v e s o l ut i o n s f o r t h e i r e c o n o m i c s u r v i v a l C o mm o n l y t h e a n n u a l b u d g e t a l l o c a t i o n i s n o t s u ff i c i e n t t o f u l f i l l t h e r e s e a r c h & d e v e l o p m e n t n e e d s o f u n i v e r s i t i e s

If the government increases the annual budget for higher education and consumes it to raise the standard of education and research then Pakistani universities will lead in the world and would become a choice for students from the Middle East, Africa and Central Asia

Such foreign admissions will be helpful to generate funds Once the cycle starts then it will continue by itself No doubt improving higher education in Pakistan requires a comprehensive approach that addresses various aspects of the education system It is urgent and the need of time to allocate a higher percentage of the national budget to higher education Adequate funding can help improve infrastructure faculty development research facilities and student support services Strengthen the quality assurance mechanisms to ensure that institutions maintain high standards of education Implement rigorous accreditation processes and periodic evaluations

to identify areas for improvement Invest in professional development programs for faculty members to enhance their teaching skills research capabilities and expertise in their respective fields

Encourage faculty members to pursue higher degrees and engage in research activities Establish research centers and allocate resources for research grants to promote a culture of innovation and knowledge creation Encourage collaboration between academia industry and government to address real-world challenges Regularly review and update the curriculum to align it with current industry needs and global trends Include practical skills development experiential learning opportunities and interdisciplinary approaches to equip students with relevant knowledge and skills Foster partnerships between higher education institutions and industries to bridge the gap between academic knowledge and practical skills Encourage internships industrial projects and joint research initiatives to promote applied learning Upgrade technological infrastructure and provide access to digital resources, research databases, and online learning platforms Establish state-ofthe-art laboratories libraries and other necessary facilities to support teaching and research

Increase the number of universities colleges, and specialized institutions to accommodate a larger student population Enhance scholarship programs, financial aid, and outreach initiatives to ensure access for deserving students

from all socio-economic backgrounds

Improve institutional governance accountability and transparency to ensure effective management of resources and maintain high ethical standards Establish clear policies and procedures to promote fairness and meritocracy Foster an entrepreneurial mindset among students by offering incubation centers startup support and entrepreneurship courses Encourage students to develop their own ventures and contribute to the economic growth of the country Facilitate student and faculty exchanges with international institutions to promote cultural understanding global perspectives and knowledge sharing Promote gender equality in higher education by creating an inclusive environment and providing opportunities for female students and faculty Encourage women's participation in STEM fields and leadership roles

No doubt, an increase in the higher education budget is the need of time otherwise it will cause a loss in research and educational paradigm in Pakistan Implementing the above recommendations will require a collective effort from the government, educational institutions, industry stakeholders, and civil society Continuous monitoring evaluation and adaptation of strategies are necessary to ensure long-term improvements in higher education in Pakistan

T h e a u t h o r i s Vi c e C h a n c e l l o r

Khawaja Fareed University of Egnineering and Information Technology Rahim Yar Khan

China c uts shor t-term borrowing costs as economy slides

PR OFIT

R E U T E R S

China s central bank lowered a short-term lending rate for the first time in 10 months on Tuesday, in a bid to restore market confidence and prop up a stalling post-pandemic recovery in the world’s second-largest economy

The cut to the lending rate signals possible easing for longer-term rates over the next week and beyond as demand and investor sentiment weaken,

adding to the case for urgent policy stimulus to sustain growth

The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) cut its seven-day reverse repo rate by 10 basis points to 1 90% from 2 00% on Tuesday when it injected 2 billion yuan ($279 97 million) through the short-term bond instrument The central bank’s rate cut decision was not a complete surprise to the market ” said Ken Cheung chief Asian FX strategist at Mizuho Bank Commercial banks have al-

ready lowered deposit rates, and PBOC governor Yi Gang also mentioned strengthening counter-cyclical adjustment recently ”

The yuan hit a six-month low o 7 1680 per dollar after the rate decision while yields on China s benchmark 10-year government bonds fell to a fresh 7-1/2-month low Cheung said the PBOC may have wanted to mitigate the impact of any future policy easing on the Chinese yuan ahead of the Federal Reserve s policy meeting this week, which is keenly watched by financial markets China remains an outlier among global central banks as it loosens monetary policy to shore up growth while its major peers raise interest rates to counter surging con-

sumer prices

Further interest rate cuts in China would only widen the yield gap with the United States even if the Fed pauses this week sending the yuan lower and accelerating capital outflows China is due to release May credit lending data and activity indicators, including retail sales and industrial production, this week Tuesday’s rate cut suggests policymakers are increasingly worried about the health of China s recovery traders and analysts said This reminds the market of the challenges that the Chinese economy faces during its recovery period ” said Marco Sun chief financial market analyst at MUFG Bank (China) However the market is expecting the PBOC to cut the policy rate further Looking ahead, the PBOC could make marginal adjustments to the policy rate in order to stimulate credit growth and avoid inflation issues in the coming quarters

and child health (MCH) services door-todoor have limited space in BHUs in rural areas where they can offer their services in addition to carrying out field visits and hosting vaccination storage facilities However the LHWs and LHVs operating in urban areas do not have such facilities as there is no provision for BHUs in urban areas despite the fact that they deal with reasonably large and dense populations Thus, people in urban areas cannot go for vaccination in nearby areas if their area or house is missed during the visit of an LHV or LHW

The above-stated issues underscore the need to revamp Pakistan s healthcare ecosystem based on WHO standards and SDGs, ensuring better access and service delivery Furthermore, there is also a dire need to establish additional basic healthcare units urban dispensaries or clinics in each block and locality of urban areas and cities This will improve the provision of basic health facilities as well as decrease pressure on secondary and tertiary-level facilities and hospitals Addressing this missing link in the existing urban health ecosystem will help ensure better utilisation of resources and improve accessibility and quality of services for the people

The author is Director Economic Affairs at the Centre for Aerospace & Security Studies (CASS) Lahore Pakistan He can be reached at casslhr direcon@gmail com

China expands Africa investment to boost trade cooperation

CHINA

AG E N C I E S C h i n a w i l l e x p a n d i n v e s t m e n t i n A f r i c a w i t h v a r i o u s m e a s u r e s i n a b i d t o s t r e n g t h e n e c on o m i c a n d t r a d e c o o p e r a t i o n b e t w e e n t h e t w o s i d e s , C h i n e s e o f f i c i a l s s a i d o n Tu e s d a y T h e r e m a r k s w e r e m a d e a t a p r e s s c o n f e r e n c e h e l d b y t h e M i n i s t r y o f C o m m e r c e a n d t h e H u n a n p r o v i n c i a l d e p a r t m e n t o f c o m m e r c e T h e C e n t r a l C h i n a p r o v i n c e i s t o h o l d t h e t h i r d C h i n a - A f r i c a E c o n o m i c a n d Tr a d e E x p o f r o m J u n e 2 9 t o J u l y 2 i n C h a n g s h a , c a p i t a l o f H u n a n R e p r e s e n t a t i v e s f r o m 5 0 A f r i c a n c o u n t r i e s a n d e i g h t i n t e r n a t i o n a l o r g a n i z at i o n s h a v e r e g i s t e r e d t o a t t e n d t h e e x p o C h i n a i s w i l l i n g t o s i g n o r u p d a t e i n v e s t m e n t p r o m o t i o n a n d p r o t e c t i o n a g r e e m e n t s a n d e l i m i n a t i o n o f d o u b l e t a x a t i o n a g r e e m e n t s w i t h t h e s e c o u n t r i e s t o i m p r o v e t h e l e v e l o f l i b e r a l i z a t i o n a n d t h e f a c i l i t a t i o n o f t r a d e a n d i n v e s t m e n t c o o p e r a t i o n , s a i d D e p u t y C o mm e r c e M i n i s t e r L i F e i a t t h e p r e s s c o n f e re n c e C h i n a w i l l c o n t i n u e t o e n c o u r a g e d o m e s t i c f i r m s t o s t r e n g t h e n c o o p e r a t i o n i n C h i n a - A f r i c a i n d u s t r y a n d s u p p l y c h a i n s b y r e l y i n g o n t r a d e c o o p e r a t i o n z o n e s i n A f r i c a a n d C h i n a w i l l a l s o o r g a n i z e v a r i o u s e x h i b it i o n p l a t f o r m s t o f u r t h e r t a p t h e p o t e n t i a l o f t h e t w o s i d e s , L i a d d e d I n t e r m s o f f i n a n c i a l s u p p o r t C h i n a w i l l a c t i v e l y s u p p o r t a n d e nc o u r a g e C h i n e s e c o m p a n i e s t o m a k e g o o d u s e o f t h e C h i n a - A f r i c a D e v e l o p m e n t F u n d a n d C h i n a - A f r i c a F u n d f o r I n d u s t r i a l C o o p e ra t i o n , L i a d d e d O ff i c i a l d a t a s h o w e d t h a t t o t a l b i l a t e r a l t r a d e e x c e e d e d $ 2 t r i l l i o n i n t h e p a s t d e c a d e , a n d C h i n a h a s r e m a i n e d t h e l a rg e s t t r a d e p a r t n e r f o r A f r i c a

PR OF DR MUHAMMAD SULEMAN TAHIR

CORPORATE CORNER

FBR chief sets up two committees to identify, remove anomalies in Finance Bill 2023

I S L A M A B A D: After the presentation of Federal Budget 2023-24 the Chairman Federal Board of Revenue, Mr Asim Ahmad has constituted two Anomaly Committees i e Anomaly CommitteeBusiness and Anomaly Committee-Technical These committees will identify and remove the business and technical related anomalies identified in the Finance Bill 2023 and present recommendations to FBR for removal of the same The Anomaly Committee-Business will be headed by Dr Khurram Tariq President Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry while co-Chairpersons will be Ms Suraiya Ahmed Butt, Member Customs Policy FBR and Mr Afaque Ahmad Qureshi Member IR-Policy FBR P R

Pakistan nav y on high alert amid tropical c yclone Biparjoy

K A r A c h I: Pakistan Navy has put all its available resources at high alert with requisite assets to provide assistance to the inhabitants of coastal areas of Sindh in case of any emergency amid Tropical Cyclone BIPARJOY PN troops have evacuated 700 personnel from various Goths of Shah Bandar and 64 fishermen have been rescued from sea A cyclone monitoring cell has been activated at Headquarters Commander Karachi for monitoring the developments and coordinating the responses PN Joint Maritime Information Coordination Center (JMICC) is relaying information at regular intervals to all stakeholders especially fishermen community not to venture out to open sea in rough weather PN emergency response and medical teams have been deployed at Coastal areas of Balochistan and rural areas of Sindh including Hyderabad Shaheed Benazirabad Sukkur and Sanghar for swift Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief missions PN Ships are patrolling and maintaining vigilance in open sea to render assistance to vessels in distress PN hospitals at Karachi are on high alert to deal with any emergency P R

Pakistan collaborates with Industrial Global Union to address mines accidents

G e n e v A: The Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development (OP&HRD) Mr Sajid Hussain Turi held a crucial meeting with representatives from the IndustriALL Global Union led by Mr Kamal Assistant Secretary General on the sidelines of the 111th Session of the International Labour Conference The meeting aimed to discuss the critical issue of mines accidents in Pakistan in conformity with ILO conventions He said to recommend to the government to consider ratifying the ILO convention C-176 a fundamental convention on safety and health in mines Mines accidents have unfortunately been a persistent challenge in Pakistan, resulting in the loss of precious lives, causing injuries, and at the same time inflicting significant damage on the mining industry

Recognizing the urgent need to address this issue the Minister for OP&HRD engaged in fruitful discussions with the IndustriALL Global Union a prominent global federation representing workers from various sectors, including mining P R

PR&P PARC to enhance govt ’s initiatives in enhancing nutritious food accessibility

OICCI Survey: PakIStan’S buSIneSS COnfIdenCe SufferS maSSIve deClIne, reaCheS -25%

ISLAMABAD G H U L A M A B B A S

tH E Overseas Investors Chamber of Commerce and Industry

(OICCI) has unveiled its latest Business Confidence Index

(BCI) Survey – Wave 23 re-

vealing a significant slump in overall business confidence in Pakistan

Conducted from March to April

2023 the comprehensive survey paints a gloomy picture for the country’s economic outlook with business confidence plummeting to a negative 25 percent (25%) This represents a staggering 21 percent drop compared to the previous Wave 22 Survey conducted from September to October 2022

The manufacturing sector took the hardest hit recording a sharp decline of 22 percent followed closely by the retail and wholesale trade sector which experienced a 21 percent decline The services sector

also faced a notable setback, with an 18 percent drop in confidence The survey sample comprised 42 percent respondents from the manufacturing sector 35 percent from services and 23 percent from retail and wholesale trade As a result the manufacturing sector s net confidence level stood at a discouraging negative 19 percent, while the services and retail sectors fared worse with negative ratings of 26 percent and 35 percent, respectively Highlighting the major concerns hindering business growth the survey found that a staggering 82 percent of respondents identified super high inflation as a major threat This was closely followed by high taxation (74 percent) and Pak Rupee devaluation (72 percent) These factors, if left unaddressed have the potential to impede business growth in Pakistan It is worth noting that these concerns have remained consistent since the last wave of the Business Confidence Survey The OICCI BCI Survey, which en-

compasses nine major cities covering 80 percent of the GDP, places significant emphasis on key business centers such as Karachi Lahore Rawalpindi-Islamabad and Faisalabad The survey evaluates the regional national sectoral and individual business entity levels over the past six months while also gauging anticipated business and investment conditions for the next six months

Alarming figures emerged from the survey as 75 percent of respondents expressed a negative outlook on the business environment in the past six months a sharp increase from 56 percent in the previous wave Furthermore, the survey revealed a bleak sentiment for the next six months, with 23 percent of respondents anticipating a further decline in business prospects in stark contrast to the mere 2 percent recorded in the previous survey The prevailing sentiment appears to be one of caution and skepticism among respondents regarding future

KMC completes Pak- China Friendship Park, says Tessori

KARACHI

S TA F F R E P O R T

Sindh Governor Kamran Khan

Tessori Tuesday said that the relationship between China and Pakistan is very strong and to further strengthen this friendship Karachi

Metropolitan Corporation has completed the Pak-China Friendship Park We have to deal with cyclone situation bravely; the governor s house is delivering a month’s ration to the people living in the coastal areas to help them

He expressed these views while addressing the opening ceremony of Pakistan China Friendship Park on Kashmir Road on Tuesday On this occasion, Administrator Karachi Dr Syed Saifur Rahman, Consul General of People’s Republic of China Mr Zheng Heo Ivory Coast Indonesia Consul General of Oman Iran Malaysia Russia

Municipal Commissioner Syed Shujaat Hussain were present on this occasion besides Director General Parks Junaidullah Khan, Senior Director Information and Printing and Media Management Ali Hassan

Sajid and other officers Earlier

Governor Sindh along with Administrator Karachi and Consul General of China inaugurated Pakistan China Friendship Park, a large number of citizens were also present on this occasion Governor Sindh Kamran Khan

Tessori said that Friendship is only strengthened when it is repeated time and time again The encroach-

ment mafia had a strong grip on the place where the park is built KMC vacated it with tireless efforts and completed the park in a very short period of time I congratulate KMC for this achievement

He said that this park is a manifestation of our long-standing and warm friendship with the People’s Republic of China the foundation stone of this park was laid on the occasion of Chinese New Year and on behalf of the citizens of Karachi, we sent a message to the citizens of China that we want to maintain a relationship of love and friendship with them KMC has constructed this park very quickly which shows that KMC is using its land for the purpose for which it was established He said that we want to make Karachi a better and developed city together with friendly countries Their encouragement will pave the way for more development projects in the future which will give an opportunity to beautify Karachi He said that two Chinese cities, Beijing and Shanghai, are the twin cities of Karachi It is a matter of pride for us to attribute Pakistan China Friendship Park to our great neighbor China Governor Sindh said that during the last seven months, Administrator Karachi Dr Syed Saifur Rehman and his team have provided basic facilities to the citizens in Karachi The steps that have been taken are not only commendable for which I congratulate KMC and hope that

Mobilink Bank, Vision Building Future team up to address financial disparities

this performance will be continued in the future

Addressing the event Administrator Karachi Dr Syed Saifur Rehman said that the area of this park is four acres and all facilities for the citizens in this park including walking track, jogging track, fountain benches for sitting shade trees Flower beds and beautiful corridors are being constructed He said that the long-standing relations between Pakistan and China have met every test, PakistanChina friendship is as high as the Himalayas, I will request the Consul General of China to build a similar Pak-China Park in China I am grateful to Governor Sindh for that thanks to their trust we could work for the betterment of Karachi, but still a lot remains to be done All the credit for the construction of this park goes to the KMC officers gardeners and contractor who worked very fast and completed it

The Municipality of Karachi has fulfilled its responsibilities by constructing a park at this place Speaking at the ceremony, Consul General of China Mr Zheng Heo said that I congratulate the Municipality of Karachi on the opening of the Pakistan China Friendship Park will further strengthen the friendship of the countries Pakistan and China have always proved to be ideal strategic partners and China has always given importance to Pakistan in its foreign policy

OGDCL bids farewell to employees going to per form hajj under sponsored scheme

business prospects

While the sentiments of OICCI members, representing leading foreign investors, were included in the survey their confidence levels stood at a disheartening negative 19 percent This figure marks a substantial decline from the modest positive 6 percent recorded in the previous wave

Notably, OICCI members consistently exhibit lower business confidence levels compared to non-members a long-standing trend that persists in the current survey Commenting on the survey results Amir Paracha President of OICCI acknowledged that the decline in business confidence came as no surprise given the tumultuous economic landscape and the myriad challenges faced in the past year The acute foreign exchange shortage severely impacted import operations contributing to hyperinflation high interest rates and rapid currency devaluation which have all negatively influenced the overall business environment

ex-SCCI chief, Saudi diplomat discuss enhancing mutual trade, economic cooperation

PESHAWAR

S TA F F R E P O R T

Zulfiqar Ali Khan former president of the Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Chairman, Pak Sri Lanka Business Council Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chapter on Tuesday held a meeting with Mubsher Al-Shehri Commercial Attaché of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) in Pakistan

A press release issued here said the meeting took place in the Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Islamabad during which matters relating to mutual trade promotion and cooperation were discussed The meeting emphasized the need of tapping all available potentials in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and Pakistan

A detailed discussion was held regarding enhancing bilateral trade and launching of joint ventures and projects in the meeting On the occasion the commercial attaché assured to provide all facilities to the business community to boost up the mutual trade and economic relations between the two brotherly Islamic countries Zulfiqar Ali Khan while speaking on the occasion stressed the need of greater partnership in available investment opportunities with the business community of Pakistan generally particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

He said it was reality that KP was lagging behind as compared to other federating units of the country and neglected all the time, which had remained in war for many decades

I S L A

A B A D: (PR&P PARC) To enhance the Government of Pakistan s initiatives in enhancing nutritious food accessibility and meeting global targets by 2030, the Ministry of National Food Security & Research organized a National Consultation focused on reviewing the progress of the "Pakistan National Food System Transformation Pathway The consultation titled Aligning National Practices and Policies for Transforming Pakistan Food Systems, aimed to strengthen the alignment of national practices and policies with the goal of transforming the country's food systems The National Consultation was organized in response to the Government of Pakistan's strong political commitment leading up to the United Nations Food System Summit – Stock Taking Moment-2023

This significant event was inaugurated by the Chairman of Pakistan Agriculture Research Council (PARC) and concluded with remarks from Mr Ejaz Ahmad Bajwa, the focal point and National Convener for Pakistan, who serves as the Joint Secretary of the Ministry of National Food Security & Research The consultation served as a platform for key stakeholders to come together and contribute to the ongoing dialogue on transforming Pakistan s food systems P R

ISLAMABAD: As part of its ongoing mission to advance financial inclusion across the board Mobilink Bank has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Vision-Building Future (VBF) to address existing disparities in the financial sphere through a range of targeted initiatives Under its flagship program, Women Inspirational Network (WIN), Mobilink Bank is geared towards expanding its financial reach by introducing innovative digital and financial solutions to underserved populations To further this dedication the Bank will offer the Bint-eHawwa product suite to the beneficiaries of the VBF fostering women s empowerment and facilitating their path toward financial independence PR

SAP par tners with International Pack aging Films Ltd

KArAchI: SAP has partnered with International Packaging Films Limited (IPAK) to shift all its data on to cloud computing deploying state-of-the-art cloud computing SAP software, S/4HANA Cloud solution, a market leading intelligent ERP solution for cloud computing SAP in collaboration with Abacus Consulting, which is also SAP’s global partner, has transformed IPAK’s business processes by leveraging RISE with SAP to revamp the company s digital landscape Abacus Consulting has accomplished the seamless deployment of SAP S/4HANA Cloud within a remarkable six-month timeframe By implementing RISE with SAP, the company has successfully streamlined and modernized its operations, fostering innovation across various business functions such as Total Records Cash Management Data Services Integration Services PR

ISLAMABAD: Launched in 1985 by sending four employees annually to perform Hajj rituals in its early years, the Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) has gradually expanded its support for employees under its Hajj Sponsorship Scheme This year the company proudly sponsored the pilgrimage for 55 employees Continuing this tradition OGDCL held a dignified ceremony at its Head Office on Tuesday (13-06-2023) to bid farewell to the selected employees for their upcoming Hajj pilgrimage The event aimed to honor these fortunate individuals who have been chosen through transparent balloting to embark on this sacred journey through the companysponsored scheme PR

A P n e C , IIUI agree to enhance mutual cooperation

I S L A M A B A D: International Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI) & The All Pakistan Newspapers and Electronic Media Employees Confederation (APNEC) in an introductory session and a constructive dialogue at university, have agreed to foster career developing equal opportunities for all the segments of society Renowned journalists and educationists called for nurturing youth as per need of the hour keeping in view the new media trends such as positive use of social media The dialogue also witnessed the announcement of honorary presidentship of APNEC to IIUI President, H E Hathal Hamoud Alotaibi in recognition of his untiring services in the education sector across the Muslim world In the session organized by the Department of Protocol & Public Relations (P&PR) of IIUI both sides, reiterating the mutual cooperation, agreed to take initiatives for strengthening the relationship between media and education PR

S I Global S olutions ser ves over 650 c ustomers globally

KArAchI: S I Global Solutions one of the emerging IT and IT-enabled companies has celebrated its 8th work anniversary at its headquarters in Karachi and globally with its associated consultants, remote employees, and freelancers, marking a success of serving more than 650 customers worldwide During the eight years the IT company has expanded its presence in major cities of Pakistan and six different countries with a team of dedicated and specialized ICT professionals in emerging fields, who accomplished 700 projects for foreign clients in more than 30 different countries CEO S I Global Solutions Noman A Said said “SI Global's success story is a testament to their vision for an inclusive and innovative future We are delighted to celebrate our accomplishments and reaffirm our commitment to our customers and the communities we serve With our integrated system integration platform and our talented team of professionals, we will continue to deliver exceptional services that exceed expectations P R

G O V T H I G H LY F O C U S E D O N FA C I L I TAT I N G Y O U T H I N B U D G ET : P M

S TA F F

PR I M E Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday said that the government has highly focused on youth in budget 2023-24 to facilitate youth in starting their entrepreneurship activities which will also helpful in creating more job opportunities in the country

In a statement issued here on Tuesday he said that the confidence and the hope could be revive by eliminating disappointments and ensuring socio-economic development of the country

Premier Shehbaz Sharif said, “By the will of Allah Almighty, the upcoming year will be the year of increased income generation of the people and the country

This was the budget of economic stability and quick development in various sectors including industry, agriculture, information technology and energy, he said adding that the budget would also

provide youth the opportunity to create jobs for others by starting their own entrepreneurship

“Youth are the country’s future and saving their future has always been my top priority he added

Shehbaz Sharif said with the help of initiatives announced by the government in the budget 2023-24, the youth would become the architects of Pakistan’s development by starting their own businesses in IT industry and agriculture sectors

He said the government was providing 100 000 laptops and small loans to the youth on concessional rates for their start ups The government, he said had also offered tax exemptions in the Budget 2023-24 for businesses in IT for encouragement of the youth

The prime minister said the Rs 2000 billion Kissan Package would further expedite the country s journey of agriculture development and prosperity

He said the government would offer more facilities in the agriculture sector

through the budget 2023-24 to ensure food security and to make the youth an important stakeholder in agriculture development of the country PM Shehbaz Sharif said the farmers and the youth of the country would become prosperous by availing the agriculture and business loans offered by the government in the budget 2023-24

‘Railway’s ML-1 to be upgraded for providing trade corridor facilities’

Meanwhile Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday directing the upgradation of Main Line (ML-1) of Pakistan Railways on priority basis said that the government was working on the revival of railways on urgent basis

“ML-1 is the backbone of Pakistan Railways and in the future, Pakistan will provide trade corridor facilities to the regional countries through its railways and seaports systems he said

He stated this while chairing a meeting held here on Tuesday to review reforms in Pakistan Railways and

Bill 2023-24

upgradation of ML-1 The meeting was attended by Minister for Finance Ishaq Dar, Minister for Commerce Syed Naveed Qamar Minister for Railways Khawaja Saad Rafique and other relevant officials PM Shehbaz Sharif observed that people were being facilitated through motorways, public transport, health and education initiatives completed during the PML-N tenures

The meeting was apprised of the ongoing reforms and digitalization of railways In the aftermath of last year s devastating floods Pakistan Railways revived its operations on emergency basis whereas digitalization work was underway Moreover,

Petroleum D ivision sets age limit for MD slot to tr y and doc tor process

g GHPL BOARD SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR DETERMINING CRITERIA FOR CEO APPOINTMENT, NOT PETROLEUM DIVISION

ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

State Minister for Finance Dr Aisha Ghaus Pasha has vowed that Pakistan will make debt payments to Paris Club and have multilateral loan rescheduling in time Talking to media persons after the senate standing committee on finance on Tuesday the minister said that we would neither go to the Paris Club nor the country would default on payments to multilateral international agencies or commercial banks

There is a strong possibility that the restructuring of bilateral loans with some countries can be considered, she added When asked about the central bank governor Jameel Ahmed s recent rebuttal on restructuring bilateral debts in the background the minister said she was unaware of what the governor said and simply stated that Finance Minister Ishaq Dar had already explained everything in this regard

The Minister said that the economic team of the country is constantly in touch with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Fund has held a meeting with the FBR as well as SBP besides meetings with the Finance Division There is regular back and forth meeting with the IMF and the fund is not only taking data but is also seeking details and clarifications

If both sides are engaged and are constantly in touch then there is no reason to lose hope she said Responding to questions about a forex forex amnesty she said that the government is not giving any amnesty to overseas Pakistanis in the budget and with respect to questions about increasing remittances limit; the minister said that this provision was already in the law and it has only been updated following depreciation of exchange rate

The Ministry of Energy (Petroleum Division) is allegedly involved in favoritism in the recruitment process for the position of Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Government Holding Pvt Limited (GHPL)

A letter from the Deputy Secretary of the petroleum division to the GHPL Company Secretary dated 12th May reveals directives that raise concerns about undue influence and potential bias in the selection criteria These alleged manipulations, including an unusually low upper age limit of 50 years, have sparked accusations of favoritism towards a candidate associated with a power company in Punjab

In the letter the Ministry of Energy highlights specific points that should be considered and incorporated into the draft advertisement for the GHPL CEO position These include emphasizing experience related to the oil gas and minerals sector encouraging women s participation, reducing the upper age limit to 50 years, and promoting foreign education and experience

Sources familiar with the matter suggested that the recommended upper age limit of 50 years is a deliberate attempt to allegedly favor a specific candidate, Ahmed Sheharyar, who reportedly has ties to a power company

in Punjab They argue that setting such a low age limit is unusual for top positions in state-owned companies which typically have age limits around 55-62 and above Furthermore, they claimed that the inclusion of specific criteria in the advertisement, allegedly recommended by the petroleum division appeared to favor the aforementioned candidate Interestingly after the publication of the advertisement with the recommended points incorporated, the petroleum division has allegedly withdrawn its Most Immediate letter, said sources They added that this sudden reversal has raised further suspicion and adds to the perception of manipulation in the recruitment process The GHPL board should be responsible for determining the criteria for the CEO appointment

not the petroleum division, said sources adding concerns about transparency accountability and fair competition in the selection process for such a crucial position within GHPL

It is pertinent to mention that the controversy surrounding the Ministry of Energy’s petroleum division ‘s alleged favoritism in the recruitment process for the GHPL CEO position has raised serious questions about governance and fairness The inclusion of specific criteria, particularly the unusually low upper age limit, has fueled allegations of bias and manipulation in favor of a candidate associated with a power company in Punjab As the situation unfolds stakeholders call for a thorough investigation to ensure transparency, integrity, and equal opportunities in the selection of the GHPL CEO

g

COMMITTEES TO HAVE REPRESENTATION FROM CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND OTHER TRADE BODIES

and trade bodies Both the Committees have been duly notified by FBR and are required to submit their suggestions by 19th June 2023

Massive closure, job losses loom as APTMA demands competitive energy tariff

g APTMA CHAIRMAN WARNS WITHDRAWAL OF RCET WOULD LEAD TO LOSS OF $10B IN EXPORTS ANNUALLY

The All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) has issued a dire warning, predicting widespread closures and significant job losses in the textile industry if the government fails to allow the implementation of a Regionally Competitive Energy Tariff (RCET) Chairman of APTMA North Zone Hamid Zaman expressed grave concerns over the potential consequences of denying the export sector a tariff of 9 cents/kWh for electricity and $9/MMbtu for gas across the nation Zaman stressed the urgent need for a fair and level playing field in energy supply urging the government to provide electricity to the textile industry at the actual cost of service excluding cross-subsidies He underscored the importance of maintaining competitiveness both within the country and internationally by ensuring equitable access to gas supplies

Speaking at a post-budget press conference held at the Association’s Zonal office on Monday Zaman was joined by senior APTMA officials including Senior Vice Chairman Kamran Arshad Vice Chairman Asad Shafi Secretary General Raza Baqir, and other esteemed members Zaman referred to the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA), which estimates the actual cost of electricity at Rs 23/kWh (8 2 cents/kWh) for B3 and B4 consumers However this cost escalates to over Rs 40/kWh when factoring in cross-subsidies capacity payments to Independent Power Producers (IPPs) line losses power theft and other charges Zaman argued that it would be unjust to burden the export industry, which already achieves a 100% recovery rate for its bills and experiences zero losses with the costs resulting from such inefficiencies and mismanagement

Zaman further highlighted the exorbitant electricity tariffs in Pakistan compared to neighboring countries

He pointed out that while the regionally competitive energy tariff, including cross-subsidies, reaches 16 cents/kWh in Pakistan, it stands at 8 cents/kWh in India, 10 cents/kWh in Bangladesh, and 6 cents/kWh in Vietnam He stressed that the RCET is not a subsidy as it is determined after excluding crosssubsidies which cannot be exported

Citing a recent study by the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE), the Chairman of the North Zone expressed concern over the potential deindustrialization of Punjab if the RCET is withdrawn The study warns of catastrophic consequences such as layoffs reduced investment declining export shares profit margin contractions and an overall decline in industrial output The study concluded that increasing electricity tariffs for the industry only serves as a cross-subsidy from the industry to other sectors, lacking any legal, economic, or technical justification

Zaman highlighted the textile industry’s struggle for growth without government support stating that it had earned $16 billion in exports during the current fiscal year falling short of the $25 billion target However the industry experienced a surge in textile exports to $19 3 billion during the last fiscal year due to the government’s supportive attitude Continuing the RCET, Zaman argued, would facilitate a significant increase in exports to $50 billion over the next five years The textile sector plans to establish 1000 garment plants in the Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) sector with an investment of $7 billion, resulting in annual exports of $20 billion and employment opportunities for over 700,000 workers

Pakistan to make debt payments to Paris Club, other Lenders in time, says Aisha Pasha

g TALKS WITH IMF ON TRACK. NO AMNESTY FOR OVERSEA S PAKISTANIS, IN BUDGET