Epaper_23-06-19 LHR

PM SETS UP COMMITTEE TO PROBE GREECE SHIPWRECK INCIDENT AMID

Owner, driver and others booked for Kallar Kahar bus crash

KAHAR S TA F F R E P O R T

The Kallar Kahar police on Sunday registered a case against the motor vehicle exam-

iner, owner, driver, conductor and terminal manager after a passenger bus fatally crashed onto the Motorway II on Sunday At least 13 passengers were killed and 30 others wounded after the speeding Jhang-bound bus turned upside down bumped into the road divider and tossed over the other side of the road in Salt Range According to the First Information Report the passengers had cautioned the terminal manager and driver about condition of the bus A video footage of the incident

families

accident ” he said in a tweet posted in the Urdu language

Russia denies granting ‘special’ oil discount to Pakistan

Earlier last week Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had announced the arrival and unloading of the first cargo of Russian discounted crude oil at the port in Karachi

agreement in an interview to the Voice of America (VOA)

DISCOUNTED CRUDE OIL CARGO LA ST WEEK

Shulginov also clarified that Pakistan’s refineries determined whether to purchase oil or oil products based on their requirements We agreed that the payment would be made in the currencies of friendly countries, Shulginov said when asked for a response to Pakistani assertions that the trade is taking place in Chinese currency He also confirmed that the issue of barter supplies was also discussed but no decision has been made yet C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 03

state media quoted Shulginov as telling reporters on the sidelines of an international economic conference in St Petersburg His remarks raised questions about official Pakistani assertions that Moscow had agreed to supply oil to Islamabad at a discounted price under a deal the two sides negotiated earlier this year Regarding payment in yuan Shulginov stated that they agreed to use currencies of friendly countries While the possibility of barter supplies was discussed, no decision has been made yet C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 03

SAUDI AUTHORITIES GO EXTRA MILE TO FACILITATE STAY OF PAKISTANI PILGRIMS

MAKKAH s tA f f R e P o R t

TH e Saudi authorities, with a strong commitment, are making persistent efforts to ensure the comfort and convenience of over 179,000 Pakistani pilgrims during Hajj 2023 by implementing various measures

The Saudi authorities have opened Bab-e-Abdullah and Jabal-e-Kaaba tunnels for 10,567 Pakistani pilgrims in Makkah

In response to a request from Pakistan, the pilgrims residing in sector one will now be dropped off at Jarwal stop 50 meters from Bab-e-Abdullah for direct access to the Grand Mosque

Female Saudi staff have been working diligently to ensure a smooth stay for 179,000 Pakistani Hujjaj The APP correspondent had a chance to interact with various female staff members attending to the needs of pilgrims in various accommoda-

‘Incompetent’ Dar dug ditch ahead, a pit behind for any incoming gov t , says Sh Rashid

RAWALPINDI: Awami Muslim League chief and former federal interior minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said Sunday that only Sharif family is happy with the economic policies of Finance Minister Ishaq Dar Taking to Twitter on Sunday he wrote that economic experts have rated Dar as the most incompetent finance minister of the country The Sharifs have appointed him; the family has distributed all offices within the family, he added He said that Dar has ruined the economy PM Shehbaz defended Dar and said whoever tried to pull him down he would punish him he said Rashid wrote on the social media website that whether a technocrat or a democrat [government] there is no option [to stabilise economy] but the IMF It would be clear whether the country would default or survive by June 30 If the economy sank, the country would sink “There is a disparity between the speeches of the prime minister and the finance minister on the budget Political instability will bring destruction and ruin he added The former federal minister said that there is a ditch ahead and a pit behind for the incoming government Plan B is unknown It is not an easy task to predict how the political crisis is shaping up Bilawal said that they [the PPP] would win next elections the same way they won [election of mayor] in Karachi He remembered the aid [promised to Sindh] a year after devastating floods, Rashid continued The ex-minister said that five members pass a bill in the assembly, and it is imposed on 240 million people [of Pakistan]

The constitutional political economic and financial crisis in the country has become severe, and the poor are the worst sufferers

No one is there to alleviate their sufferings

Rashid said that people have become conscious They will not vote in the name of development If the poor get the right to vote they would spring a big surprise on everyone

The rulers are living in a fool s paradise they are ignorant of the ground realities; all their decisions are turning against them, Rashid concluded s tA f f R e P o R t

27 PTI workers again held for meeting Imran Khan

ISLAMABAD: Police in Lahore on Sunday again arrested 27 PTI workers, who had been released recently after it was found out that they had visited the Zaman Park residence of former prime minister and PTI Chairman Imran Khan after their release Quoting its sources, the TV channel reported that these workers were arrested at different police pickets while they were returning from Zaman Park They further disclosed that most of those arrested belonged to different districts of Punjab namely Kasur Lahore Gujranwala and Sargodha Following the arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan on May 9, the accused were named in instances including arson and vandalism assaults, violation of Section 144 and hate speeches against state institutions s tA f f R e P o R t

Balochistan presents deficit budget with over Rs700b outlay today

enabling her to attain a leadership position in her country’s workforce

She is dedicated to empowering young women in her nation and contributing to its development The Kingdom s Vision 2030 reform program places significant emphasis on women empowerment, aiming to increase their economic participation and achieve social and economic objectives

These regulations represent a positive stride towards providing women with greater opportunities for leadership roles

tions in Makkah These females appreciate Saudi Arabia s Vision 2030 and consider their service to the Hujjaj a sacred duty, contributing to the country’s development and socio-economic well-being They warmly welcome Pakistani

women pilgrims in Makkah, providing comfort during luggage transportation and other necessary facilities at their residences Dr Alyaa Malibari, a United States-educated individual shares her success story and praises the Kingdom s authorities for

A n o t h e r s t a ff m e m b e r n a m e d O l a h i g h l i g h t s t h e c r u c i a l r o l e o f w o m e n i n s o c i e t y, p a r t i c u l a r l y i n e s s e n t i a l c a r e work She recognizes the importance of women staff in serving female Hujjaj and b e l i e v e s t h a t w o m e n c a n e x c e l i n r o l e s such as educating pilgrims about Islamic t e a c h i n g s e q u a l t o o r e v e n s u r p a s s i n g m e n O l a e x p r e s s e s g r a t i t u d e f o r t h e Kingdom s initiative to empower women under Vision 2030

Journey of prosperity to resume with return of Nawaz Sharif : Dastgir

NAR OWAL s tA f f R e P o R t

Federal Minister for energy engr Khurram Dastgir Khan has said that all electricity-related problems of people are being solved across the country on priority basis

Accompanied by Federal Minister for Planning, Development & Reforms

A h s a n I q b a l h e w a s a d d r e s s i n g t h e opening ceremony of the Construction Division Narowal completed with Rs

170 million here on Sunday

He said the inauguration of the division would not only provide employment to people but also help end load-shedding and improve the supply system “We have added 200-megawatt electricity to the system through coal projects the minister added Khurram Dastgir said the journey of development, which remained stopped for four years of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government, had restarted and it would continue after formation of the Pakistan Muslim

League-Nawaz (PML-N) government for the next five years

The federal minister said that Pakistan was facing several challenges and difficulties and “we have to take the country forward” saying that the journey of service would continue now He said former prime minister Nawaz Sharif s name was written on all major projects from Gwadar to Khunjarab When the lion of the country, Nawaz Sharif would return to the country, development of Pakistan would start again he added I M R A N P L AY I N G W I T H C O U N -

T RY ’ S I N T E R E S T S : Meanwhile

Federal Minister for education and Professional Training Rana Tanveer Hussain said that Pakistan did not need any enemy in the presence of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan as he had been playing with the country s interests continuously He was talking to the media after inaugurating Sui gas supply to Manjh R o a d N o o r p u r a h e r e o n S u n d a y H e s a i d P a k i s t a n w a s o n t h e v e rg e o f

bankruptcy when the Pakistan Democ r

minister claimed that Imran Khan looted the national kitty ruthlessly and caused irreparable damage to the country adding that the PTI chief broke all records of obtaining the foreign loans Rana Tanveer said Imran Khan dubbed others as ‘dacoits and thieves’ but his crony Farah Gogi looted the national wealth with great impunity and shifted it abroad The minister said that Pakistanis posed confidence in the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) in 2013 when the country was facing terrorism and long durations of load-shedding

However the PML-N overcame the menace of terrorism and power outages and put the country on the road to progress and prosperity within 4 years

The PML-N government always preferred public welfare programmes over its interests, he added

Inept S hehbaz, D ar plunge Pakistan into great economic abyss: Farrukh

ISLAMABAD s tA f f R e P o R t

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) West Punjab President Farrukh Habib said that the incompetent and selfish ruling clique plunged the country neck-deep into economic crisis, as the country lost a whopping $7 billion owing to the fast dwindling exports and remittances during the first 11 months of FY23

PTI West Punjab President said that the exports and remittances witnessed an alarming $ 7 billion drop in 11

months of this financial year due to the Shehbaz Sharif and Ishaq Dar s personal priorities and ineptness, putting the country in great economic abyss Whereas he said that these two selfcentered persons struggled hard to secure $1 billion from IMF for which massive power, gas and other new levies are being imposed to fulfill the lender ’s demands Farrukh stated that they ruined the fast booming economy of the country and rendered jobless hundreds and thousands of people in the textile sector

alone PTI West Punjab President made it clear that Pakistan cannot afford any more experiments, as these people put the country into a quagmire of problems compounding the miseries of the people manifolds He stressed the need that the people should be given the right to choose their leadership through immediate, fair and transparent elections in the country, who could have the public mandate and could take decision with public backing so as to get the country out of quagmire of problems

QUETTA: The Balochistan government will unveil fiscal year 2023-24 budget on Monday (today) with an expected outlay of more than Rs700 billion and deficit around Rs150 billion according to a report on Sunday Finance Minister Zamarak Khan Achakzai will present the growth-oriented and propeople budget in the Balochistan Assembly This will be the 5th budget to be presented by the ruling Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) in the assembly The government is expected to announce over Rs200 billion development budget under the Public Sector Development Programme It is likely to increase the salaries of government employees by 15% The provincial government anticipates Rs450 billion from the NFC programme It maintains that the Centre should help the province under the heads of gas royalty bridge financing and relief for flood victims Finance Minister Zamarak Khan said that in the upcoming budget of the province, Rs5 8 billion are being allocated for Health Card, Rs2 7 billion for the supply of medicines in government hospitals Rs2 billion for Balochistan education endowment Fund Rs1 billion for public endowment fund Rs2 billion for people s skill development programme and Rs1 74 billion are being set aside for food security Reportedly, more than 5,000 new posts would be created in the new budget A major chunk of the budget would be allocated for health education agriculture food rural development communication law and order irrigation and drinking water and other sectors s tA f f R e P o R t

Almarah Foundation establishes 5th home for orphans

LAHORE: The Almarah Foundation, a nongovernmental organisation, has established another home of international standard for orphans and deserving children and now more than 100 homeless orphan children would be taken care of at the Almarah orphanages The 5th home was inaugurated at Cavalary Ground here by prominent singer and social worker Abrarul Haq, DIG Mehboob Aslam and Almarah Foundation

Chairperson Sofia Warraich Addressing the ceremony Abrarul Haq appreciated the efforts of Almarah Foundation for welfare and uplift of orphan children and said that it was a challenging task to look after the poor children and orphans, and appreciated the Almarah Foundation for taking up the task effectively to serve a number of such children so far He said he found it necessary to participate in the event and support the noble cause, adding that philanthropists should participate in the noble cause as much as they can Honorary Consul General for Sri Lanka Yasin Joya, speaking at the ceremony, lauded the work of Almarah Foundation and said that homeless orphans also have a right to get an opportunity to live in a nurturing environment obtain a proper education and learn needed skills Foundation Chairperson Sofia Warraich said social and welfare work, started by her father Maj (retd) Rasheed Warraich in 1995 had been continuing without any break She said the initiative was launched with taking the responsibility of six orphans and lodging them in a rented house during the first year of Almarah Foundation establishment, where all necessary facilities were provided to them stAff RePoRt

LAHORE A P P

The all-times maestro, iconic radio-television anchor Tariq Aziz was remembered by the artist and literary community in connection with his third death anniversary

Three years ago Tariq Aziz passed away on June 17, 2020, at the age of 84 due to a heart attack in Lahore

Noted educationist Professor Dr Fakhar-ul-Haq Noori summed up the tragic feelings of demise of Aziz through the exact replication of thought of the renowned classical Urdu poet and critic Meer Taqi Meer, who once had voiced his feelings in his famous verse: Mat Sahl

Hamein Jano, Phirta Hai Falak Barson, Tab Khak Ke Parde Se Insaan Nikaltey Hain

The Shor t D urhak to A zadi

and processed foods He looks like a hearty trencherman, who does not stint on the sweet He looks like someone who has bought joggers, but has never worn them more than once

[Consider us not as something trivial heavens whirl for years before earth splits its veil and yields forth the man]

Tariq Aziz was born in Jalandhar (India) on April 28, 1936 to an Arain family, and he received his primary education from the same origin After Partition in 1947 his family migrated to Pakistan and settled in district Sahiwal (Punjab) where he received his middle and secondary school education He started his career with Radio Pakistan in 1960s as a host, and later on went to become Pakistan’s first male announcer and premier-television (PTV) host

He was known for his work on the PTV s Quiz Show Neelam Ghar which was first aired in 1974 and later the same was renamed as the Tariq Aziz Show , and later was changed to Bazm-e-Tariq Aziz

Tariq Aziz started his film career by working along with the film actor Waheed Murad and film actress Zeba in a film Insaniyat (1967)

Aziz also starred in another Pakistani film “Haar Gaya Insaan”, besides appearing in several television programmes and morning shows while organising telethons for charity purposes

One of his famous movies was Salgirah (1969), which was a highly successful musical movie, and won two Nigar awards for the same year His first film, Insaniyat was released in 1967 while other notable titles Aziz acted in included ’Qasam Us Waqt Ki Katari and Haar Gaya Insan

As a radio television anchor writer actor social trainer and a politician, Tariq Aziz served his audience for decades through

his impressive voice by disseminating universal message of peace, love, knowledge and humanity

Paying tribute to Tariq Aziz former chairman Pakistan Red Crescent Society (PRCS) Abrar-ul-Haq told APP that Pakistan s entertainment industry would remain indebted to Tariq Aziz forever for being a lifelong source of knowledge to students community and entertainment to the country

Ne L S O N Mandela has named his autobiography The Long Walk To Freedom We have got a (self-appointed) holder of the franchise in Fawad Chaudhry, who said about his arrest back in January in a sedition case registered because of the threats he is said to have made against the eCP Chairman that Nelson Mandela was also arrested Of course, Mandela did 27 years in jail Nelson Chaudhry didn t do 27 days in jail, though he did more than 27 hours, and that should count Fawad Chaudhry looks more like Billy Bunter than Mandela Mandela looked like an abstemious man Chaudhry looks like someone who has been placed on a diet, but who refuses to stop indulging in baked goods

He looks like someone who could give Billy Bunter a run for his money in any eating contest One would not think it but Billy Bunter can run when he has to

And so can Fawad Chaudhry The whole

nation might remember his famous bolt back into the Islamabad High Court recently, when he was still very much in the PTI when he saw the police party which had come to arrest him Though he didn t have far to go he collapsed from breathlessness and had to be helped back to the court where he was given refuge What ‘Nelson’ showed was what is known as a durhak That is a bolt of an animal when it is startled It is certainly not as deliberate as a walk Which is what the original Nelson Mandela took towards freedom

Our Nelson, on the other hand, bolted Did anyone know then that the bolt was actually away from the PTI, towards the IPP Of course our Nelson is ahead in a number of respects Mandela remained loyal to the African National Congress his party which still exists Our Nelson collects parties He s been in the PPP, the PML(Q), the PTI, before he landed in the IPP He has not done the round of all parties, not having been in the PML(N) the JUI(F) the JUP or the TLP It might seem that he too secular to join one of

the religious parties, but if the right people tell both him and the party, expect to see him in the Jamaat-e-Islami Mandela did not face any such temptations from BOSS (Bureau Of State Security as the South African spy agency was called) The most crucial advantage that our Nelson has is that durhak The original (or rather first draft, or being an improved version) never went anywhere except at a leisurely walk The journey to freedom was long, but it was covered in a walk ‘Nelson’ Chaudhry bolted to freedom I see that the PPP got Murtaza Wahab elected Mayor of Karachi This is the first time the PPP has got hold of the post Of course, the credit should go to Sindh CM Murad Ali Shah, who made sure he wouldn’t end up in opposition in his own capital Wahab only won because the PTI councillors didn t turn up to vote for the Jamaat-e-Islami candidate as they had agreed Whatever the reason, Murad Ali Shah should take the credit Otherwise Imran will, saying that it was one of those U-turns which is the mark of a great leader The PTI councillors probably didn’t stay away because of their own

U-turn, but because of Murad Ali Shah s persuasive powers I also notice that the PTI collapsed all over the country after June 9, and nowhere more than in Karachi It’s possible that the PTI tried to sell the Jamaat (whose Karachi nazim was running for Mayor) a pup and all those councillors are all underground, in which case Murad Ali Shah had nothing to do Meanwhile, the new Mayor was lucky enough that the Cyclone Biparjoy did not wreak the destruction that it was feared it would and the initial destruction was restricted to the adjoining parts of India Well it s perhaps lucky that Modi is not accusing Murtaza Wahab of diverting the cyclone to his home state The Cyclone was assigned a Bengali name meaning calamity Reminds me of the 1970 Bhola cyclone in east Pakistan which was the worst ever humanitarian disaster in Pakistan with anywhere from 3000 000 to 500 000 dead The Yahya government s response was not great, and the Awami League exploited the issue successfully in the elections after a month Well, looks like this cyclone didn’t bring the seeds of a secession

PTI BERATES ALEEM KHAN FOR HIS ‘ABSURD TALKS’ AGAINST IMRAN, HIS WIFE

PA K I S TA N Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) spokesperson blasted Aleem Khan for his filth-filled and absurd talks against PTI Chairman Imran Khan and his wife, saying that the “Raillu Kattas’ and “Phatichars” gathered maliciously on a one point agenda to target Imran Khan personally but they won t succeed in their nefarious plan PTI s spokesperson, reacting to Abdul Aleem Khan s absurd and baseless talks with Salim Safi in Geo News’ program “Jirga”, strongly criticized him for his immoral and senseless talks regarding PTI Chairman and his wife in a private TV program

He said that Aleem Khan leveled baseless and false accusations against PTI Chairman in a bid to cover up his crimes, however, he added that the absurd and nonsensical talks of PTI defector member were a clear testimony of his political defeat

The PTI spokesperson stated that the person who worked under the leadership of Imran Khan in the past had now turned against him because the later did not pro-

Eidul Adha: Ruet body meets to sight Zil Hajj moon today

vide unlawful relief to the former in his corruption-related case He said that Aleem demanded to provide him illegal relief in graft case but Imran Khan plainly refuted which greatly hurt him due to which he parted ways with PTI

It was said that Aleem Khan established an illegal housing scheme by grabbing the lands of poor, badly affecting from 10,000 to 15,000 people

The spokesperson stated that Aleem Khan committed fraud of Rs 50 billion in the name of private housing scheme, adding that the ringleader of the mafia who amassed billions of rupees from the poor was now hell-bent on busy in character assassination of the respectable and honorable people through the power of illgotten money PTI Spokesperson said Aleem Khan’s

A JK cabinet reviews supplementar y budget for fiscal year 2022-23

talk about a religious and veiled woman was unfortunate and condemnable

He stated that the King’s Party, which was created as a result of conscious selling had completely flopped

PTI spokesperson said that the government-paid channel was relentlessly engaged in anti-PTI propaganda in total disregard of professional, moral principles and journalistic ethics

Under the minus Imran Khan formula PTI Chairman was being targeted personally through raillu kattas and phatichars he added It was said that Aleem Khan was under great illusion that PTI could not run without him, but PTI s popularity graph witnessed immense upsurge after his departure

The spokesperson predicted that the political garbage gathered maliciously on the agenda of absurdity and shamelessness was facing its end today

He said that the malicious propaganda campaign launched against PTI and its chairman through the turncoats would fail at every step PTI Spokesperson vowed that PTI was more popular among the people and was more prepare for the electoral field than before

CM orders admin, police to take action against debris’ dumping along roads

KARACHI: A meeting of the Central Ruet-eHilal Committee will be held on Monday for sighting the crescent of Islamic month of Zil Hajj in Pakistan Maulana Abdul Khabeer Azad, the chairman of the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee will preside over the meeting in Karachi Similarly zonal committees will also hold meetings in various cities including Islamabad Lahore, and Peshawar on the same day It is worth mentioning here that the Central Ruet-eHilal Committee meets on the 29th of every Islamic month and makes the announcement after sighting the moon s tA f f R e P o Rt

Poliovirus detected in KP’s environmental samples

PESHAWAR: Poliovirus has been found in the environmental samples collected from different districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the coordinator for National emergency Operations Center said on Sunday In a statement issued here, the official said that the anti-polio campaign would be held in seven districts of the province The anti-polio drive will be carried out in Peshawar Nowshera Mohmand Hangu Khyber Kohat and Charsadda from Monday (tomorrow) According to the statement, polio drive will also be launched at Pak-Afghan refugee camps At least 14,000 policemen deployed for the security of the polio teams it added earlier this month head of polio programme Dr Shahzad Baig had said that the polio virus was detected in the environmental sample collected from Karachi s Gadap area in May He said the virus was detected in environmental samples collected from Karachi’s Gadap Town UC-4 in the Sohrab Goth area on May 15 this year s tA f f R e P o Rt

Woman gives bir th to quadruplets

DIR LOWER: A woman gave birth to quadruplets at once on Sunday at a private hospital in Timargarh the doctor told media men The woman residing in Maidan who was a delivery patient was brought to the private Jasmin Hospital of Timargarh She was advised to have an operation by a lady doctor of another hospital, but senior gynecologist Lady Dr Lubna Tahir of Jasmin Hospital skillfully delivered the woman in a normal manner without an operation I have one boy and three girls the woman said According to hospital officials, The mother and child are doing well and discharged from hospital after spending several hours in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) ” s tA f f R e P o R t

KARACHI s tA f f R e P o R t

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has directed the district administration and the police of all the districts in Karachi to impound vehicles arrest the drivers and contractors if they are found dumping debris or trash along roads in the city

This is unacceptable, and I would take strict action against the administration and the police if the debris is found to be dumped along the roads ” He issued these directives to the Commissioners during his visit to the city on Sunday morning He was accompanied by provincial minister Sharjeel Inam Memon, Mayor Karachi Murtaza Wahab, Special Assistant Syerd Qasim Naveed, and Deputy Mayor Salman Murad Murad visited different districts particularly Korangi and Malir and found the debris and trash dumped along Korangi Road

The CM got off his vehicle and called the Deputy Commissioner, the superintendent of police, and the DIG and expressed his displeasure in dumping the debris along the road

The CM directed the Commissioner Karachi to issue directives to all the DCs, DIGs, and SSPS to take strict ac-

tion against the vehicles, their owners, and the contractors if they were found dumping debris along the roads I will not tolerate negligence in the matter he said and added that his government was spending millions of rupees on cleaning the city and shifting the debris to the landfill site contrary to it people are dumping their trash and construction material and the debris along the roads ” he

Meanwhile during visit to the under-construction Malir expressway, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah directed the local government department to speed up the work so that one portion of the project from Korangi or Quiadabad could be opened by December

The Chief Minister along with provincial minister Sharjeel Memon, Mayor Karachi Murtaza Wahab, Special Assistant Syed Qasim Naveed and Deputy Mayor Salman Murad visited 39 4 km under-construction Malir expressway from Korangi to Kathore

The Malir expressway project facility was being developed on the left bank of the Malir River to establish Access Controlled High-Speed expressway’ It would have a six-lane with threemeter side shoulders dual carriageway

ISLAMABAD s tA f f R e P o R t

Benazir Income Support Program (BISP) will release the 4th quarterly tranche of Benazir Kafaalat cash assistance from June 19 (Monday)

The fourth quarterly tranche will be Rs 9000/- after a 25 percent increase which was announced by the federal government early this year In addition to Benazir Kafaalat cash assistance, Benazir Taleemi Wazaif stipend’s installment of January to March is also being disbursed to 6 7 million school-going students having at least 70% attendance in school who are registered under Benazir Taleemi Wazaif This time, the disbursement will be made through 1559, especially arranged Camp sites established throughout the country The arrangement of disbursement of

Stipends through Campsites is to facilitate the beneficiaries and ensure transparency Provision of payment through ATMs of HBL and Bank Alfalah would not be available, nor will any payment be made at the POS outside the campsite established by the BISP About Rs 81 billion will be disbursed among 9 million beneficiaries families of Benazir Kafaalat cash assistance while another Rs 16 billion will be doled out to the 6 7 million beneficiaries of Taleemi Wazaif

It is important to note that at the primary level Rs 2000/- is paid to a girl student while Rs1500 is given to a boy student

At the secondary level a girl student and a boy student are paid Rs 3000/- and Rs 2500/- respectively while at the higher secondary level the stipend is Rs 4000/- and Rs 3500/- for the female and male students, respectively Federal Minister for Poverty Allevi-

The expressway way had been designed for 100kph speed on the expressway and 50kph on its interchanges The starting point of the project was Korangi Road before Jam Sadiq Bridge it would have an interchange for Jam Sadiq Bridge at KPT Flyover It would cover Korangi, Shah Faisal Colony (Quaidabad), and would end at Kathore

The project Director of the expressway Niaz Soomro while briefing the Chief Minister said that there were two parts/packages of the expressway project- Jam Sadiq to Quaidabad where the progress of the work had been recorded at around 38 percent

On the other package from Quaidabad to Kathore 15 percent progress had been achieved The CM was told that the project had six interchanges and six straight bridges on which work was in progress

today

ation and Social Safety and Chairperson

BISP Shazia Marri in her message has called upon the registered beneficiaries to receive the full amount of Rs 9000 along with receipt of payment

She has directed the relevant officials to ensure transparency through strict monitoring and vigilance She said that monitoring teams have to watch and supervise the cash disbursement process and ensure stern action against any complaint of leakage or deduction from beneficiaries precious cash assistance She stressed that the beneficiaries should receive their entire amount of Rs 9000/- plus a stipend of Benazir Taleemi Wazaif according to the gender or education level of their child She also emphasized to the beneficiaries to demand a receipt of their payment and to count and check their cash before leaving the POS desk

MIRPUR (AJK): Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) cabinet on Sunday reviewed the supplementary budget for the fiscal year 2022-23

The AJK Cabinet met at Jammu Kashmir house in the federal metropolis on Sunday with Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwar-ul-Haq in the chair AJK Secretary Finance Ismatullah Shah on the occasion presented the figures of the supplementary budget for the financial year 2022-23 before the cabinet The Cabinet also reviewed the recommendations of the Scrutiny Committee constituted with reference to supplementary grants While deferring the demands of some departments in light of the recommendations put forth by the committee the cabinet approved the rest of the demands to be presented in the AJK State Legislative Assembly

The Finance Secretary has been directed to present the demands approved by the cabinet in the Legislative Assembly The cabinet also approved an ordinance for better management of government buildings Under this ordinance better management and maintenance of stateowned buildings within and outside the state would be possible In this regard, the Prime Minister also formed a committee under the chairmanship of the Additional Chief Secretary

The committee has been asked to submit a report within a month regarding the illegal use of the state-owned buildings inside and outside Azad Kashmir The cabinet also approved the proposed ordinance seeking a complete ban on deforestation As per the ordinance, five-year imprisonment has been fixed for those involved in the illicit trade of tree cutting in the forests

Moreover the fine limit for illegal tree cutting has been increased to eleven times Ch Anwar-ul-Haq told the cabinet members that the release of more funds from the federal government was expected during the financial year The cabinet decided to open an account under the title of Mad-eAmanat” in which development/additional funds received from the federal government not being spent before the end of the financial year could be deposited Accountant General Azad Kashmir has been directed to take the necessary action in that regard The cabinet, while expressing a sense of shock over the Greece boat disaster, announced a one-day mourning to mourn the death of innocent people who lost their lives in the tragic incident The cabinet reiterated that human traffickers and travel agents involved would be dealt with strictly according to the law of the land The PM directed the Chief Secretary to stay in touch with the Ministry of external Affairs so that the dead bodies of the victims could be brought back home in time The meeting was attended among others by Senior Minister Colonel (R) Waqar Ahmad Noor and government minister Raja Faisal Mumtaz whereas Chief Secretary Dr M Usman Chachar, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, Additional Chief Secretary General, Secretary Finance Secretary Services Law Secretary and Secretary Information were present on this occasion s tA f f R e P o R t

Russia denies granting ‘special’ oil discount to Pakistan

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Regarding liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports price negotiations are ongoing with discussions focused on long-term contracts However current supplies are based on spot prices which are currently high The discussion is about long-term contracts, but so far, we are talking about spot supplies, and spot gas prices are now high,” he said Local media reports had earlier mentioned that the test shipment aimed to evaluate the crude oil s quality and refined product ratios for future decisions on long-term commercial oil deals Pakistan had reportedly placed an order for the first Russian crude oil cargo at a discounted rate of up to $18 per barrel following Platts crude oil prices with a discount of $16-18 per barrel Pakistan primarily meets approximately 80% of its oil requirements around 154,000 barrels per day, through traditional suppliers from the Gulf and Arab countries, particularly Saudi Arabia and the United Arab emirates

PM sets up committee to probe Greece shipwreck incident amid day of mourning

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The committee will also analyze similar past incidents and actions taken and to take stock of existing legal framework enforcement measures (in the country) and international coordination to prevent control and punish human smuggling

The committee will also prepare short and long term recommendations (including legislation enforcement measures awareness campaigns and improvement of national and international coordination) to apprehend agents facilitators/masterminds/rackets and for the eradication of the menace of human trafficking

The committee will submit the report within one week according to the document

It is pertinent to note that a boat carrying migrants capsized off the coast of Greece on June 15 2023 resulting in deaths of Pakistani/ AJK nationals along with other nationals

The prime minister directed for an immediate crackdown against agents involved in the heinous crime of human trafficking and called for bringing them to justice

The prime minister expressed his deep grief and sorrow over death of Pakistani nationals in the tragic incident that took place off the coast of Greece He said the entire nation including him shared their sympathies with the bereaved families

The prime minister also directed the officials of the Pakistan embassy in Greece to look after 12 Pakistanis rescued from the scene of disaster

Shehbaz also directed for taking further stringent action against the elements involved in human trafficking, besides asking the law enforcement agencies for the identification of such traffickers who had been duping people to undertake such perilous steps

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday assured the nation that those found negligent towards their duty will be held to account in the wake of the heinous act of human smuggling that led to a boat disaster off the coast of Greece

In a tweet on the social media platform Twitter he said In order to ascertain facts in the wake of the tragic incident of the capsizing of the boat in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Greece, I have ordered a high-level inquiry FIA & other law enforcement agencies have been tasked to tighten the noose around the individuals involved in the heinous act of human smuggling I have also directed Pakistan Foreign

t o u n d e r t a k e i m m e d i a t

“I assure the nation that those found negligent towards their duty will be held to account Responsibility will be fixed after the inquiry and heads will roll he added

Upon the directive of the prime minister, Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has deputed DIG Alam Shinwari as focal person to facilitate people with information regarding those who lost lives in the incident and others who were injured

after attention of the House was drawn towards the incident in which dozens drowned including some Pakistanis while attempting to enter Italy illegally from Libya Inspector

Hadi Parestan Tanoli Inspector Abdullah Inspector Waqar Awan and Sub-inspector Irtaza

Ansar were included in the committee All of these members have been posted in FIA antihuman trafficking section The email address and phone numbers of committee members have also been shared and the people have also been advised to share information in this regard whose names would be kept anonymous

The AJK government on Sunday announced a three-day mourning to mourn the deaths and drowning of more than 50 Kashmiri youth who were boarding the packed migrant boat which capsized off the coast of Greece The three-day mourning period is starting from Sunday across Azad Kashmir during which the flag will remain flying at half-mast AJK Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq directed the chief secretary to make contact with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to bring back the dead bodies A list of 27 missing persons of Kotli district was also released after the boat accident Among the missing persons feared to be drowned in the boat accident six youths

from Pandori Kalan area of Wazirabad are also included The youths went missing while going to Italy from Libya

Besides them 10 people belonging to Sarai Alamgir are also missing They were trying to go to Italy Their loved ones back home are unable to make a contact with them and they are overwhelmed with grief

Meanwhile the AJK Police Sunday claimed to have arrested 10 agents who illegally sent Pakistanis to europe via boat

At least 378 people including 298 Pakistanis died and more than 100 were rescued including Pakistanis after a fishing boat overloaded with migrants capsized and sank off Peloponnese in southern Greece a day ago The Azad Jammu and Kashmir government has launched a crackdown on the network involved in human trafficking in the valley after the Greece traffic boat accident۔ DIG Dr Khalid Chohan said 10 agents sent who sent people illegally to europe have been taken into custody and case has been registered at Khoi Rata police station The citizens hailing from Gujranwala Gujarat, Sheikhupura, Mandi Bahauddin, Sialkot, and Kotli in Azad Kashmir, were traveling to europe in the boat The rescue teams rescued group comprises both children and adults

BISP to release 4th quar terly tranche of Rs9k for FY-2022-23 from

Ka l l a r Ka h a r r o a d tr a ge dy ```

TH E overturning of a Rawalpindi-bound bus from Lahore on the M2 near Kallar Kahar was a tragedy waiting to happen Video footage of the bus just before the tragedy indicates that the driver was overspeeding with a vengeance, which was a sure formula for trouble along the twists and turns of Kallar Kahar, with its uncertain twists and turns, and ups and downs The tragedy was probably preventable, and the initial suspicion of brake failure indicates that the checking of vehicles transporting people does not get the attention it deserves The erratic driving by the driver indicates either that he was not properly licensed, or if he was, how corrupt is the process by which licenses are issued It is also very much possible that he was under the influence of some banned substance The culture among transporters that allows this, is only possible with the connivance of various government departments and that is only possible because of the powerful transporters’ mafia which acts more like a protection racket than a trade association

Unfortunately, one of the needless constraints placed by transporters on drivers is the need to arrive on time When drivers reach Kallar Kahar, they know they are near journey’s end, and if there is any delay, now is the time to make it up Since the agreed timing of the journey includes going through Kallar Kahar relatively slowly rushing through this dangerous patch means the time is made up Because drivers know they can cut corners here, they sometimes make a cushion of time against any traffic delays in Lahore city traffic

It is perhaps ironic that Lahore s city traffic is also at the mercy of similarly unlicensed and time-squeezed wagon drivers

If such a great fuss can be raised over pilots’ licensing as was raised under the previous government what prevents the authorities from doing the same for transport vehicle drivers? After all, whether at 600 mph over 40,000 feet in the sky, or at 60 mph at ground level, airline pilots and bus drivers are responsible for a lot of lives The government has a responsibility to both air and ground travellers that they reach their destinations even if there is some delay involved

TH E events that took place on May 9 were not only unpleasant on their own but also painful for the people of Pakistan and all those sane individuals who were anticipati n g t h e s e s o r t s o f e v e n t s a s a r e s u l t o f a continuous rift between the stakeholders from the l a s t y e a r a n d b e y o n d N o P a k i s t a n i w o u l d h a v e

ever imagined people throwing stones at army vehicles or ransacking the memorials of the martyrs

One could wish the day had not come in the history of Pakistan

What happened on May 9 was not destined to h a p p e n t h a t w a y I t w a s a r e s u l t o f c o n t i n u e d r i f t between the stakeholders which resulted in a couple o f m i s c a l c u l a t e d a n d p o l i t i c a l l y m o t i v a t e d s t e p s from all sides

Had sanity prevailed things could have been different Pakistan could have been saved from internal and external embarrassment The people of Pakistan and Pakistan’s Army might not have a faceoff But unfortunately in the battle of egos people lost and the country suffered

The PTI-led government was in its 4th year and on the course to complete its term when it was toppled Ideally, if in place, it would have been near its completion and all the parties would have been gearing up for the general elections instead of fighting for the elections But, it did not happen

It all started with the success of the vote of noconfidence Although a democratic and constitutional step it was ambiguous on its own and its success still creates many doubts

The PTI government at that time was not likely to get good results in upcoming elections had it completed its term The opposition was keeping a check on its performance and things were not looking great for the PTI government at that time T h e P D M c o a l i t i o n t o p p l e d t h e P T I g o v e r nm e n t a n d c a m e t o p o w e r w i t h a p r o m i s e o f e n d i n g t h e s u ff e r i n g o f t h e p e o p l e a n d c o n t r o l l i n g t h e i nflation but further deteriorated the condition of the p e o p l e T h e b u r d e n o n t h e p o o r i n c r e a s e d T h e p r o m i s e w a s n o t f u l f i l l e d A s a r e s u l t , a p a r t y t h a t was likely to suffer defeat in the next general elect i o n s b e c a m e s o p o p u l a r t h a t i t f o u n d n o m a t c h i n t h e P D M c o a l i t i o n

Had the PTI government been allowed to complete its term, the PDM coalition would have been the favorite in the 2023 elections Instead, the popularity of PTI and Imran Khan reached new heights and that was unprecedented in the history of Pakistan The PTI was most likely to sweep the polls

The former PM just needed to manage its popularity and avoid stepping into hot waters But, he continued to build on the narrative that got him unprecedented success and took every possible step for early elections On the other hand the PDM coalition took every step to avoid elections And the results are for everyone to see

Had both these parties waited for their time things would have been different but it was powerthirst that kept on compelling them to take steps that were not needed at all Similarly, had the constitution supreme in the country and the judiciary powerful enough to protect the constitution the situation would have been a lot better The constitution gives a time frame for the elections in case of dissolution of assemblies Elections were anticipated to take place in April in Punjab and KP had the PDM government acted according to the constitutional provisions And going by the previous results of by-elections, PTI was expected to form governments in Punjab and KP

T h e f o r m e r P M I m r a n Khan was arrested on May 9 Ideally there would have b e e n P T I g o v e r n m e n t s i n Punjab and KP if previous trends were anything to go b y H a d t h e s i t u a t i o n s t i l l b e e n t h e s a m e ? I t w o u l d h a v e b e e n e n t i r e l y d i ff e r-

government for the current situation And the worst of all is that the people of Pakistan are hit hard by inflation They are unable to make both ends meet Fuel prices and electricity bills are unbearable

Externally INGOs and lawmakers of different states have expressed their concern about the state of democracy in the country They have raised concerns about Human Rights violations the rule of law and the plight of the poor

H o w e v e r, a m i d a l l t h i s c o n f u s i o n , w h i c h s i d e i s w i n n i n g a n d w h i c h i s l o s i n g ? I t d o e s n o t m a t t e r. W h a t m a t t e r s m o s t i s , i t i s o n l y t h e c o u n t r y, t h e n a t i o n , a n d t h e p e o p l e w h o a r e m a d e t o l o s e

e n t Wi t h t h e P T I g o v e r nm e n t s i n P u n j a b a n d K P w h a t h a p p e n e d o n M a y 9 w o u l d n o t h a v e h a p p e n e d I n t h e c a s e o f v i o l e n t protests, the responsibility would have been on PTI leaders and administration There would have been no blame game Now who is responsible? The PTI’s narrative is that the events were pre-planned and the administration deliberately allowed the protesters to take the law into their own hands It allowed the incidents to happen before taking any action While the PDM government is of the view that PTI leaders and workers are anti-state and they need to be held responsible for the incidents of May 9 This is how it is justifying its crackdown against PTI

Amid all this chaos and unrest Pakistan has been suffering internally and externally

People and the Army came face to face for the first time The desecration of martyrs memorials was equally painful for the families of the martyrs and the whole country After that, there has been a crackdown on PTI workers Concerns about human rights violations have been raised The PTI and its supporters are blaming the establishment and the

Dealing with anti-state elements

stoke the issue of arrests made in regards to the attacks into a situation of human rights violations

It rightly pointed out that they could not take refuge behind this façade because the government and the establishment were in possession of irrefutable evidence of their criminality

It is an undeniable reality that the party and its leadership instead of expressing remorse over what it had done upped the ante against the establishment Its social media warriors and foreign elements supporting the party unleashed an unrelenting campaign in regards to violation of human rights and seeking intervention of the foreign powers to put pressure on the government and also link military assistance to human rights and rule of law

TH E Formation Commanders Conference at GHQ chaired by COAS Gen

Syed Asim Munir last week resolved that the desecrators of monuments of shuhada and those who attacked Jinnah House and military installations would certainly be brought to justice speedily under the Pakistan Army Act and Official Secrets Act which are derivatives of Constitution of Pakistan It was further decided to tighten the noose of law around the planners and masterminds who mounted the hate-ripened and politicallydriven rebellion against the state and the state institutions to achieve their nefarious designs of creating chaos in the country

The commanders also reiterated that efforts to create distortions and attempts to take refuge behind imaginary and mirage of human rights violations to create a smokescreen for hiding the ugly faces of all involved, were absolutely futile and did not stand up to the abundantly collected irrefutable evidence

It was followed by the passage of a resolution by the National Assembly which extended unqualified support to the decisions of the Formation Commanders Conference Nobody in his right mind and imbued with patriotic sentiments can take issue with the determination expressed by the formation commanders and the National Assembly It was a rebellion against the state and it goes without saying that all those who executed the plan and those who masterminded it deserve the harshest possible punishment

It may be recalled that the statement issued by ISPR immediately after that dastardly event, explicitly called it the darkest day in the history of Pakistan and also minced no words as to which political party was responsible for it The Corp Commanders meeting on May 15 had expressed the resolve to try the masterminds planners and those who actually carried out the plan under the Pakistan Army Act and Official Secrets Act The National Security Committee meeting that followed the huddle of the Corp Commanders also thought on the same lines and decided to observe May 9 as a dark day

However the formations commanders Conference in addition to the endorsement of already taken decisions also took notice of the campaign by the PTI and its supporters, both internal and external, who have been trying to

Perhaps it would be pertinent to mention a few examples of the propaganda that was unfurled to malign the country and portraying it in dismal colours at the international level A few days back Imran Khan in a video chat with US Congresswoman Maxine Moore Waters emphasized that Pakistan was facing an immensely challenging situation and it was the most difficult period in the history of the nation Shifting the blame for attacks on military installation on the military establishment and intelligence agencies he insisted that these institutions wielded significant power within Pakistan He pleaded with her to support him and raise her voice in his favour

Imran has also been involved in discussions with several representatives of California including Ted Lieu, Eric Swalwell, Brad Sherman and Mike Leven Representative Sherman composed a letter to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in which he expressed apprehensions regarding infringement upon human rights and the rule of law in Pakistan

Reportedly the PTI s US chapter is campaigning for linking Washington s military aid to Pakistan to the human rights situation Sajid Burki, a focal person of PTI for the USA, met US congressman Greg Casar along with another party member Atif Khan and requested him to play his part in bringing a resolution against the human rights violations in Pakistan

The Congressman pledged his support for democracy, human rights and rule of law in Pakistan, adding that he was co-sponsoring a bill concerning military aid to human rights conditions in the country It is pertinent to point out that a campaign by Pakistani-American Political Action Committee (PAKPAC) also led to more than US Congressmen approaching US Secretary Antony Blinken to pressurize the Pakistan gov-

ernment to improve the human rights situation in the country A rally organized by the PTI outside the White House also appealed to President Biden to refrain from engaging with Pakistan

It was also propagated that the Army had killed 30 people on that day It was also alleged that the women arrested in connection with these attacks were tortured and raped in the jail None other than Imran Khan himself tweeted in this regard Doctored pictures of women showing marks of torture on their bodies were also circulated on the social media This was followed by a deluge of such fake stories on social media Based on these reports some voices were also heard from foreign countries showing concern at the human rights situation in the country

It is pertinent to point out that when the CM Punjab asked Imran Khan and his party to name anyone who was killed by the Army there was no response The allegations regarding torture and rape of women were rubbished by the incarcerated women themselves during their appearance in the court exposing the ill-designed of the party and its leader The formation commanders, in view of the existence of some support within the country for Imran Khan, also thought it appropriate to sound a stern warning to those elements that any attempt on their part to obstruct or thwart the process of defeating the inimical forces would be dealt with iron hands Some quarters believe that it is a warning to the judges sitting in the judiciary who have a soft corner for Imran Khan It may or may not be so, but it surely represents the impregnable resolve of the Army to punish all those responsible for the May 9 mayhem and even deal the same way with those who try to create hindrances in the process

Malik Muhammad Ashraf is an academic

He can be contacted at: ashpak10@gmail com

The formation commanders, in view of the existence of some suppor t within the country for Imran Khan, also thought it appropriate to sound a stern warning to those elements that any attempt on their par t to obstruct or thwar t the process of defeating the inimical forces would be dealt with iron hands.

It is an embarrassment for the people of Pakistan

With the constitution laws institutions and resources we can not devise a system that ensures the rule of law in the country, a continuous cycle of free and fair elections, and a vibrant political culture All this could have been avoided and Pakistan could have been saved from this embarrassment

With the battle of egos and narratives, what has been achieved? Embarrassment instability confusion conflict and economic meltdown The IMF is not ready to provide aid to Pakistan and still we are debating on whether the IMF should interfere in our internal problems or not instead of carving out a plan to breathe without the oxygen from the IMF That defines our priorities

The IMF would not interfere in the internal matters of Pakistan if Pakistan is self-sufficient enough to live without the IMF

The recent election in Karachi for the position of Mayor, which is a much simpler and more compact election than the general elections, is not free from the allegations of rigging The general elections are around the corner And the voice of allegations and rigging is expected to echo soon There has been no effort to control this menace The priorities of the stakeholders have been different

However, amid all this confusion, which side is winning and which is losing? It does not matter What matters most is, it is only the country, the nation, and the people who are made to lose

The writer is freelance columnist

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

Inflated SSGC bill

F O R someone belonging to a very small family gas bills have almost invariably been in three digits, but the bill for April, when there was hardly any gas in the Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) pipeline, was shockingly enough to the tune of Rs2,310

The period coincided with the fasting month of Ramazan and by the time the lady cook who would come all the way from Orangi to Seaview Apartments (mine is No 24) used to arrive at our place there was no gas whatsoever until the evening This resulted in her using the electric stove or for us to order food from outside My SSGC consumer number is 34793300000 (4), and, if history of personal and community experiences is anything to go by, the SSGC bill will repeat itself next month, and will go from bad to worse That is what I fear the most right now Is someone in the utility company listening? If yes will that ‘someone’ do something about it? ASIF NOORANI KARACHI

The teacher that he was

S H O A I B Hashmi was my economics teacher in Government College till 1967, before he went to the London School of Economics (LSE) for his advanced studies He was quite popular among the students for his friendly nature and liberal views

When he would enter the classroom I still remember before taking the rollcall he would take out a packet of cigarettes from his pocket lit a cigarette and would tell his students that they can also smoke in the class if they so liked He would even offer the students to have a cigarette from him if they wanted Coming from a different background, it was something new for me I found it a bit odd probably because I considered smoking to be a bad habit But, more than the cigarette, I am recalling the episode to show his friendly nature and general approach to students and studies I definitely learnt a lot from my time at the college and owe him a lot He was a muchloved teacher at the college His friendly nature revolved around his amazing sense of humour which was actually a blend of the wit and sarcasm of Gawalmandi and Mozang He will be missed intensely and missed forever ALI ASHRAF KHAN KARACHI

Bullying must stop

B U L LY I N G has become rampant, especially in academic institutions This affects children teenagers and adults leading to consequences like depression and anxiety It is disheartening to see that schools are failing to take the necessary steps to address the issue effectively Bullying can take place in various forms such as physical verbal emotional and cyberbullying and is often perpetrated by individuals or groups who seek to intimidate and belittle others Children who are bullied often suffer from low self-esteem, social isolation and emotional trauma, leading to poor academic performance and other negative outcomes Bullying, in fact, can sometimes lead to even more serious and tragic incidents as have been seen in recent years in the country It is imperative that schools take a strong stance against bullying and create a safe and inclusive environment for all students This can be achieved through proactive measures such as awareness campaigns, counselling services, and disciplinary action against perpetrators Parents also need to play a more active role in preventing bullying by educating their children on the negative effects of bullying and teaching them to treat others with respect and kindness Moreover adults must lead by example and refrain from engaging in or tolerating any form of bullying behaviour We must all work together to combat the menace of bullying and create a culture of empathy kindness and respect for one another DR BARYAL

An iron hand

E m e r g e n c e o f G o l d e n R i n g E c o n o m i c B l o c

GREB has too many advantages to ignore

AC C O R D I N G to Kenneth Kriz, a transportation route is a geographical region between two points that connects various hubs and facilitates the movement of people and goods One or more routes connecting economic activity centers make create a corridor These routes share transfer stops but connect to the same terminals with different alignments Therefore, a transit corridor that carries oil, natural gas, coal, electricity, and other commodities between regions of energy and goods supply and consumption might be described as an “economic corridor ”

In our rapidly evolving world there is a political and economic shift in favour of Asia which is expanding quickly and has enormous potential for natural resources and human capital that is still mostly untapped An obvious example in this context is Russia s announced initiative to create a “Greater Eurasian Partnership” on the largest continent in the world, which would include states like Pakistan China India Iran and other regional nations based on their pre-existing cooperation structures (the Eurasian Economic Union the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN)

The notion of the large Central Eurasian regions being geopolitically and economically united allows for the designation of China and Iran as the respective eastern and western poles Russia as the northern pole and Pakistan as the southern pole About 17 percent of the global GDP comprises these four nations Their multifaceted cooperation may not only aid in the expansion of their connection (transport, energy, military-technical, and humanitarian), but also in the inclusive, sustainable socio-economic development aimed at easing tension and bringing about peace in the region

This quadrangular state formation seems natural and may be quite encouraging particularly as all these countries relations with Washington is deteriorating The

USA’s increased economic political and diplomatic pressure on these regimes is responsible for fostering tighter ties between Moscow Islamabad Beijing and Teheran Extending their interstate cooperation on bilateral, quadrilateral, and multilateral levels within various international and regional platforms, such as the United Nations, its specialized agencies, and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, may be beneficial

First and foremost Russia and Pakistan with their ongoing efforts to make up for missed opportunities to advance their mutually beneficial collaboration may be among the entities with the greatest interest in developing this regional interstate cooperation There have been many ups and downs in the interaction between these two countries over the course of their 70 years-plus of interstate history according to a thorough examination of the evolution of their relations As a result of both governments participation in developing the shared economic and security structure of Greater Eurasia their bilateral relations have recently and progressively reached a new level of mutually beneficial partnership

The implementation of the Russian integration project of the EEU, opens the possibility of creating the Greater Eurasian Partnership in tandem with the Chinese megainitiative of the Belt and Road Initiative and its flagship project CPEC In this context Russia supports Pakistan s idea to create a new strategic economic bloc known as the Golden Ring Economic Bloc (GREB), which would also include China, Iran, and Turkey in addition to Russia and Pakistan These five nations, which geographically form a sort of ring around Central Asia and Afghanistan account for over 30 percent of all human and natural resources giving GREB its name The GREB concept appears to be a more focused attempt to promote the country s geostrategic importance for regional connectivity and Eurasian integration in the rapidly changing global and regional environment It is strategically promising and advantageous for all stakeholders The emergence of the GREB initiative as a national geostrategic and geoeconomic concept of self-identification demonstrates Islamabad’s intention to shift its foreign policy towards regional integration by constructing a new variant of a regional economic bloc that does not conflict with, but rather supplements, the existing Russia and China inclusive economic projects of Eurasian integration (GEP-EEU and BRI-CPEC) in order to harmonize all of them Through the connectivity of transportation

Washington’s embrace of Modi carries a price

Concerns over democratic standards will be set aside as the US regales India’s leader this week

stronger India would provide a counter to China’s rise ”

India s government rejects the notion that its democracy is anything other than robust, and its defenders can easily find examples of democratic backsliding in western countries, not least the US

FINANCIAL TIMES J o h n r E E d

IN the weeks and days leading up to Narendra Modi’s state visit to Washington this week, US officials have been outdoing one another with words of adulation that have delighted the Indian leader s supporters and made his critics cringe He is the most popular world leader for a reason, commerce secretary Gina Raimondo said at an India House event in Washington in April wearing a green and yellow sari and gesturing expansively “He is unbelievable visionary and his level of commitment to the people of India is just indescribable E r i c G a r c e t t i , t h e U S a m b a s s a d o r w h o a r r i v e d i n N e w D e l h i l a s t m o n t h , h a s c a l l e d M o d i I n d i a ’s “ g u r u - j i ” a n d A j i t D o v a l t h e p r i m e m i n i s t e r ’s h a r db o i l e d n a t i o n a l s e c u r i t y a d v i s e r n o t o n l y a n a t i o n a l t r e a s u r e b u t a n

international treasure

Local media reported that at a Quad meeting on the sidelines of last month s G7 summit in Hiroshima, President Joe Biden told Modi that he was running out of tickets for next Thursday’s state banquet at the White House because the Indian leader is too popular

In a world of post-pandemic supply chain shifts, a globally disruptive war in U k r a i n e a n d r i s i n g c o n c e r n s a b o u t

China, the US is not alone in rolling out t h e r e d c a r p e t f o r I n d i a F r a n c e ’s Emmanuel Macron has invited Modi to b e i t s g u e s t o f h o n o u r a t n e x t m o n t h s

Bastille Day parade

But this charm campaign has been noted with dismay by India s liberal elites Analysts say western democracies are putting aside human rights principles including concerns about New Delhi’s treatment of minority Muslims and Christians its pressure on nongovernmental organisations and journalism and weakening of democratic standards because they need India as a bulwark against China

“Western countries have decided to look away from the decline in democratic credentials press freedoms or treatment of religious minorities taking place in India because they think they need India to counterweigh China, says Sushant Singh, senior fellow with the Centre for Policy Research “They believe a

From an American point of view, India is hardly the only country where Washington pushes human rights to the side and geopolitical considerations to the fore as seen in its growing alignment on defence with Vietnam, a one-party non-democracy Among other democracies, Israel, with its patchy human rights record and fraying of democratic institutions under Benjamin Netanyahu is a perennial US ally with bipartisan support The question is are we propping up an increasingly illiberal democracy here? asks Derek Grossman, senior defence analyst with the Rand Corporation, of the US-India relationship “In my view we are ” He adds: We have taken the view that geopolitics and countering China is more important to us right now than the valuesbased diplomacy the Biden administration came in saying they would prioritise ” India’s scale is what makes it different both in terms of what its western diplomatic partners are willing to overlook and how much they have to gain from doing so The country is now the world s largest buyer of arms, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute France thanks to an order of 36 Rafale fighter jets is now its second-largest military supplier after Russia with the US third Modi will address Congress on Thursday and preside over the signing of a slew of deals involving US companies, the fruit of a widening US-India partnership in technology and defence

More deals including an expected agreement with GE to build jet engines in India are expected as the country pushes an indigenisation plan to build up local defence production

Despite these priorities, some criticism of India on human rights does emerge from parts of the US administration The state department s most recent Religious Freedom Report listed India among 17 countries of particular concern citing violence and hate speech against Muslims and Christians

But these days, it is usually with a whisper When opposition MP Rahul Gandhi was recently convicted of criminal defamation and stripped of his parliamentary seat the US said it was watching the case in carefully worded language that stressed Washington and New Delhi’s “shared commitment to democratic values”

Analysts following the upcoming visit say any US words on sensitive issues including both human rights and India s ties with Russia, will be similarly delicate, to the extent they are voiced at all

and energy between the nations along the currently resurrected historic Great Silk Road, the world including Russia is becoming more interested in the Central Eurasian region which is developing rapidly but is the least interconnected Due to its convergence with the Russian concept of GEP-EEU Moscow also supports the Chinese mega plan of BRI-CPEC It offers a chance to expand partnerships across Eurasia and achieve a more thorough regionalization of the continent Due to Iran’s significance in helping to stabilize the situation in Central and South Asia Russia supports the option of CPEC’s continued growth through its inclusion in addition to Afghanistan (which borders China and Pakistan)

The establishment of a strategic alliance between these nations inside the CPEC framework can support both regional stability and the socioeconomic development of those nations Moscow is interested in the development and implementation of CPEC principally as a means of enhancing regional connectivity in Greater Eurasia Russian specialists claim their country values Pakistan s geographic location and wants to help it peacefully join the multipolar Eurasian system built through Sino-Russian strategic cooperation Additionally it provides Moscow with a chance to penetrate the brandnew Asian gas supply markets

GLOBAL TIMES

Z h ao M n g h ao

US Secretary of State Antony

Blinken s ongoing China trip is a significant step toward rebooting US-China relations This is the first visit to China by a high-ranking member of President Joe Biden’s cabinet

The visit will also have implications on whether the two heads of state can have a face-to-face meeting in the G20 summit in India in September

Blinken postponed a trip to China due to the balloon incident earlier this year China believes the Biden administration overreacted to the incident and sought to present a tougher stance toward China US-China relations have also hit a freezing point In particular the lack of diplomatic communication has increased tensions between the US and China over issues such as the Taiwan question

In recent months, the Biden administration has repeatedly called on China and the US to resume high-level dialogues The US Department of State has also postponed human rights-related sanctions export controls and other sensitive actions against China in an attempt to avoid even further strain on US-China relations

Recently, high-level exchanges between China and the US have increased significantly In May US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan met with China’s top diplomat Wang Yi in Vienna Austria It is reported that CIA director William Burns also made a secret visit to China in May All these reflected the White House s serious concern about the sharp deterioration of China-US relations

The resumed communication between China and the US is driven by a variety of factors From the US side the Biden administration believes that responsibly managing US-China relations is in the interests of the US and a necessary part of the US strategy

toward China

which the Russian energy behemoth views as a substitute for the flow of European gas A further significant milestone towards regional connection was the arrival of the first shipment of oil from Russia in Pakistan Pakistan has paid for this cheap crude oil in Chinese currency a significant change from the country s US dollar-dominated export payment policy The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs says that in principle, our way is open for the trade of crude oil in Chinese currency Russia has also suggested a land route to deliver oil through Iranian territory By utilizing this corridor the participating nations can utilize barter commerce and similar methods to fully utilize each other s resources and meet their requirements without relying on those states who might otherwise urge them to forgo their national interests Additionally, these nations stand to gain from their unfinished initiatives like the TAPI and IP pipelines Business to Business (B2B) Barter Trade Mechanism 2023 has been introduced by the government of Pakistan recently Pakistan would be permitted to export a wide variety of items to Russia Iran and Afghanistan under the new regulations Pakistan would buy necessary goods from Iran, Russia, and Afghanistan in exchange, including crude oil, LNG, and LPG, to meet its energy needs In addition to ensuring a consistent supply of energy resources, this strategic barter system will help these states become less reliant on conventional trading practices

This economic golden ring can be further strengthened by formalizing a strategic policy fostering greater cooperation, establishing and upholding principles, engaging in fruitful debate, and recognizing and defending the shared interests of all member states

The writer can be reached at guleayeshabhatti@gmail com

y

The US side is highly concerned that the lack of communication between the US and China will lead to an accidental military conflict With the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict dragging on the Biden administration would be in a terrible situation if a military confrontation between the US and Chinese forces would occur in the Taiwan Straits or other regions

Biden has already announced his reelection bid in his 2024, and two simultaneous wars with both China and Russia could cause American voters to abandon the Democratic Party

In addition the US economic recovery still requires cooperation with China The massive government spending pushed by the Biden administration will inevitably have side effects The US Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose again in May indicating that its inflationary pressures remain high A large number of US companies and businesses have expressed their opposition to the Office of the United States Trade Representative about the punitive tariffs imposed on Chinese goods US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen also made clear that the consequences of “decoupling” from China would be “disastrous ”

US allies are also pressing Washington to ease tensions with Beijing In April French President Emmanuel Macron and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen visited China together Provocations by US politicians on the Taiwan question are worrying Europe Macron expressed the attitude of not being a US “vassal” over Taiwan Von der Leyen stressed that it is neither viable - nor in Europe s interest - to decouple from China

The Biden administration has tried to reassure its allies, with Sullivan and Yellen bor-

y

rowing the word de-risking to emphasize that the US side has no intention of decoupling” from China However, the inconsistency between words and deeds on the US side has seriously damaged mutual trust between China and the US In China s view many of the commitments made by the US on relations with China have not been fulfilled, and dialogue with the US has yielded no positive results The US constantly challenges China’s red lines on the Taiwan question Since Biden took office the US government has added a vast number of Chinese companies and research institutions to its Entity List and the number is still growing

When we take a look at the US Congress, the future of US-China relations seems to be more pessimistic The battle between Republicans and Democrats has victimized the USChina relationship Many lawmakers lack a clear understanding of the complexity of the Taiwan question Former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger, who personally experienced World War II and the Cold War, warned before Blinken’s visit to China that both the US and China were “at the top of a precipice” and that military conflict could break out in the Taiwan Straits

There is no real winner in a war between two superpowers and as the top US diplomat Blinken has a responsibility to act with the utmost sincerity and practical moves to avoid the worst-case scenario in US-China relations

The author is a professor at the Institute of International Studies at Fudan University and an adjunct fellow at the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at Renmin University of China

Biden’s challenge: Praise India while cautioning Modi

WASHINGTON POST

E d i to r a l B oa r d

PR I M E M I N I S T E R Narendra Modi of India has come to the United States regularly since he was first elected in 2014 But his arrival at the White House on Thursday will be his first state visit including a South Lawn welcome a state dinner and an address to a joint session of Congress The United States can and must strive to strengthen ties to India during this visit, but it cannot remain silent about Mr Modi’s worrisome democratic backsliding The case for India as a bulwark against China has never been more urgent India one of the world s fastest-growing economies, the most populous nation, a digital powerhouse and a seven-decade-old democracy, however imperfect has immense potential as guardian and pacesetter for a free and open Indo-Pacific region President Biden will talk with Mr Modi about enhanced cooperation in defense clean energy and space, as well as climate change, health security and trade

Some frictions are unavoidable Mr Modi has called for a cease-fire in Ukraine without condemning Russia’s invasion Mr Biden should also press Mr Modi to halt India s weapons sales to the military junta in Myanmar, prolonging and deepening a bloody civil war

What will be more troublesome for Mr

Biden is to raise the retreat from democracy by Mr Modi and his dominant Bharatiya

Janata Party Under the banner of a majoritarian Hindu nationalism they have unleashed violence against Muslims and other minorities, eroded press freedoms and suffocated independent civil society The president needs to be tactful Mr Biden and others who meet Mr Modi should convey to him that democracy and respect for human dignity are force multipliers for India s rising stature in the world and for dealing with its challenges at home A weakened democracy, or a shell of one, will portend a weakened India

Specifically Mr Modi should be encouraged to brake the spiral of communal violence and toxic hate directed at India s roughly 200 million Muslims and other minorities Recent Hindu festivals were marred by violence sparked when Hindus in processions passed through Muslim neighborhoods brandishing weapons and shouting anti-Muslim slogans The government at all levels has adopted laws and policies that systematically discriminate against Muslims and authorities in some states demolished property of Muslims in response to protests Increasingly, the authorities act with impunity, and they are rarely held to account Vigilante attacks go unpunished

At the same time Mr Modi has led a broad assault on freedom of expression and dissent Journalists are under intense pres-

sure some have been arrested and others have been subjected to online harassment

The government controls many media outlets with close ties to the owners as well as with direct orders about what to print or broadcast

It has sought to take down social media posts it does not like In reaction to a BBC documentary about Mr Modi and his relationship with the nation’s Muslims the government attempted to block people from streaming it and then sent tax agents to raid BBC offices in New Delhi and Mumbai

Also alarming is Mr Modi s crackdown on nongovernmental organizations and civil society activists, forcing them to comply with burdensome accounting for foreign funding

A fresh example was recently described in

The Post: Indian tax authorities simultaneously raided three nonprofit organizations that the government believed were critics of Gautam Adani, one of India s richest men and a political ally of Mr Modi The raids were a case study in how the Modi government uses state power to crimp its critics

None of these actions befit the world s most populous democracy There will be a strong temptation by the White House to bring up the issue only privately and keep public remarks upbeat A private conversation is definitely worthwhile But Mr Biden should also say something openly as the leader of one major (imperfect) democracy to another Friends have an obligation to speak the truth to friends

This economic golden ring can be fur ther strengthened by formalizing a strategic policy, fostering greater cooperation, establishing and upholding principles, engaging in fruitful debate, and recognizing and defending the shared interests of all member states

gul-E-ayEsha Bhatti

Blinken has a responsibilit

to act with sincerit

BLINKEN STARTS RARE CHINA TRIP WITH HOPES LOW FOR ANY BREAKTHROUGH

BEIJING, CHINA

A G E N C I E S

US Secretary of State Antony

Blinken began meetings in Beijing on Sunday the first top American diplomat to visit China in five years amid frosty bilateral ties and dim prospects for any breakthrough on the long list of disputes between the world’s two largest economies

Having postponed a February trip after a suspected Chinese spy balloon flew over US airspace Blinken is the highest-ranking U S government official to visit China since President Joe Biden took office in January 2021

Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang greeted Blinken and his group at the door to a villa in the grounds of Beijing’s Diaoyutai State Guest House as the two made small talk in English before shaking hands in front a Chinese and an American flag

After heading into a meeting room, neither Blinken nor Qin made comments in front of reporters who were briefly allowed in

During his stay through Monday

Blinken is also expected to meet with China s top diplomat Wang Yi and possibly President Xi Jinping, seeking to establish open and durable communication channels to ensure the strategic rivalry between the two countries does not spiral into conflict

There is an expectation Blinken s visit will pave the way for more bilateral meetings in coming months, including

possible trips by Treasury Secretary

Janet Yellen and Commerce Secretary

Gina Raimondo

It could also set the stage for meetings between Xi and Biden at multilateral summits later in the year

Biden said on Saturday he hopes to meet with President Xi in the next several months

A November meeting of the two leaders on the Indonesian island of Bali briefly eased fears of a new Cold War but following the flight of the alleged Chinese spy balloon over the United States, high-level communication has been rare

The rest of the world will closely follow Blinken’s trip as any escalation between superpowers could have worldwide repercussions on everything from financial markets to trade routes and practices and global supply chains

There s a recognition on both sides that we do need to have senior-level

Pakistan-China Joint Exhibition now digitally accessible

In a groundbreaking collaboration between Pakistan and China, the “Gandhara Heritage along the Silk Road: A Pakistan-China Joint Exhibition” took place at the esteemed Hall of Literary Brilliance (Wenhua dian) here in the Palace Museum this week

This extraordinary exhibition featuring a total of 203 artifacts, including 173 items from Pakistan and 30 from the Palace Museum, marked a momentous occasion in cultural exchange between the two nations, Gwadar Pro reported on Sunday Now even after its physical conclusion on June 15 this remarkable showcase of history and art can be virtually accessed worldwide through https://gugongzhanlan dpm org cn/exhibitShare/160 and the Palace Museum s official app

The joint exhibition, the first of its kind, served as a platform for the digitization of these historically significant artifacts enabling a broader audience to explore the treasures of Gandhara heritage Individuals from around the globe can embark on a virtual journey to discover captivating artifacts from the comfort of their own homes

The Pakistani artifacts featured in the exhibition were renowned Gandhara stone carvings, early Buddhist bodhisattva sculptures Buddha stories Jataka tales stupa architectural components as well as intricate gold and silverware and jewelry

Nearly 100 dead as Indian states swelter in heat

DELHI

A G E N C I E S

At least 98 people have died in the Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in the last three days due to extreme heat according to officials

As parts of India have been witnessing severe heatwaves in the last few days with temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius at many places, 54 people died in northern Uttar Pradesh and 44 people in eastern Bihar

All 54 deaths in Uttar Pradesh were reported from one Ballia district where at least 400 other people have been admitted to the district hospital for treatment

Medical Superintendent Dr SK Yadav confirming deaths said a team from the state capital Lucknow will be arriving to investigate the matter

They will see whether any other disease is responsible for these deaths

Most of these patients had other accompanying diseases like hypertension and diabetes,” Yadav told Anadolu Ballia district recorded a maximum temperature of 43 C on Saturday

Another 44 people died in the eastern state of Bihar due to hot weather conditions

Out of 44 deaths, 35 people died in Patna city alone, according to broadcaster India Today Nine people have died in other districts of the state

channels of communication ” a senior State Department official told reporters during a refuelling stop in Tokyo en route to Beijing

That we are at an important point in the relationship where I think reducing the risk of miscalculation, or as our Chinese friends often say, stopping the downward spiral in the relationship is something that s important the official said Ties between the countries have deteriorated across the board raising concerns that they might one day clash militarily over the self-ruled island of Taiwan, which China claims as its own They are also at odds over issues ranging from trade U S efforts to hold back China s semiconductor industry and Beijing s human rights track record Particularly alarming for China s neighbours has been its reluctance to engage in regular military-to-military

talks with Washington despite repeated

U S attempts

Speaking at a press conference on Friday before departing for Beijing, Blinken said his trip had three main objectives: Setting up mechanisms for crisis management advancing U S and allies interests and speaking directly about related concerns and exploring areas of potential cooperation If we want to make sure, as we do, that the competition that we have with China doesn’t veer into conflict, the place you start is with communicating ” Blinken said He said he would also be raising the issue of U S citizens detained in China on charges Washington says are politically motivated Among topics likely to be discussed are potentially increasing commercial flights between the two countries a U S official said describing it as a move that would help promote people to people ties although the official did not predict any progress

Still, U S officials in a briefing call previewing the trip earlier in the week played down any expectations of much progress While Blinken’s main goal will be “candid direct and constructive” discussions the officials said breakthroughs are not likely on any major issues including the flow of fentanyl precursors and Americans detained in China Seeking China s cooperation on stemming the flow of fentanyl precursors was a key item on the agenda the U S official said The Chinese side has been reluctant to cooperate on the issue U S officials have said

Evidence suggests Russia blew

Kakhovka dam in Ukraine, repor ts NY T

NEW YORK

R E U T E R S

Evidence suggests this month s destruction of the huge Kakhovka dam in a Russian-controlled area of Ukraine resulted from an inside explosion set off by Russia The New York Times said Citing engineers and explosive experts the newspaper said on Friday that its investigation found evidence suggesting an explosive charge in a passageway running through the dam’s concrete base detonated destroying the structure on June 6

The evidence clearly suggests the dam was crippled by an explosion set off by the side that controls it: Russia, The Times said Separately, a team of international legal experts assisting Ukraine’s prosecutors in their investigation said in preliminary findings on Friday it was highly likely the collapse in Ukraine s Kherson region was caused by explosives planted by Russians

The Kremlin accuses Kyiv of sabotaging the hydroelectric dam which held a reservoir the size of

the US Great Salt Lake to cut off a key source of water for Crimea and distract attention from a faltering counter-offensive against Russian forces

A general view of the Nova Kakhovka dam that was breached in Kherson region Ukraine on June 6 Screen grab taken from a video obtained by Reuters Ukraine accuses Russia of blowing up the Soviet-era dam, under Russian control since the early days of its invasion in 2022, unleashing floodwater across a large swath of the battleground

Israel set to approve thousands of building permits in West Bank

JERUSALEM

A G E N C I E S

Israel’s nationalist-religious government on Sunday tabled plans to approve thousands of building permits in the occupied West Bank despite US pressure to halt settlement expansion that Washington sees as an obstacle to peace with Palestinians

The plans for approval of 4,560 housing units in various areas of the West Bank were included on the agenda of Israel’s Supreme Planning Council that meets next week, although only 1,332 are up for final approval with the remainder still going through the preliminary clearance process

We will continue to develop the settlement of and strengthen the Israeli hold on the territory said Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who also holds a defence portfolio that gives him a leading role in West Bank administration

Most countries deem the settlements built on land captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war as illegal Their presence is one of the fundamental issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict Palestinians seek to establish an independent state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip with East Jerusalem as their capital Peace talks that had been brokered by the United States have been frozen since 2014

Since entering office in January Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu s coalition has approved the promotion of more than 7 000 new housing units most deep in the West Bank

It also amended a law to clear the way for settlers to return to four settlements that had previously been evacuated

In response to Sunday’s Israeli decision the Palestinian Authority which exercises limited selfrule in parts of the West Bank said it would boycott a meeting of the Joint Economic Committee with Israel scheduled for Monday

The Palestinian group Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since 2007, after Israel’s withdrawal of soldiers and settlers, condemned the move, saying it “will not give [Israel[ legitimacy over our land Our people will resist it by all means

Jewish settler groups welcomed the announcement

The people have chosen to continue building in Judea and Samaria and the Jordan Valley and that is the way it should be, said Shlomo Ne eman, mayor of the Gush Etzion Regional Council and Chairman of the Yesha Council using Israel’s biblical names for the West Bank

destroying farmland and cutting off water supplies to civilians Reuters could not independently verify the claims about the explosion s cause

The Times cited engineers as saying only a full examination of the dam after the water drains from it can establish the sequence of events leading to the destruction Erosion from water cascading through the gates could have led to a failure if the dam were poorly designed, or the concrete was substandard but engineers called that unlikely the newspaper said

National squad arrives in B erlin’s Olympia Stadium as Special Olympics kick off

The national squad of Pakistan on Sunday arrived at Berlin’s Olympia Stadium to participate in the opening ceremony of the 16th

Special Olympic World Games

When the national team arrived at the Olympia Stadium, thousands of fans in the stadium greeted the Pakistani team with warm applause and encouraged the players

On this occasion the Olympia Stadium echoed slogans of Pakistan Zindabad

The male athletes of Pakistan wore cultural clothing, shalwarkameez and vest while the female athletes and officials wore different culturally coloured dresses due to which they were the centre

of attention in the ceremony

The athletes looked very excited about the opening ceremony and took pictures and selfies with each other At the World Games Pakistani athlete Sana was honoured to be among the torchbearers of the opening ceremony She walked around the ground with the torch Sana called it a great honour for Pakistan and herself

On this occasion the official opening of the World Games was announced by waiving the flag of the Special Olympics President of Special Olympics, Timothy Shriver, President of Germany Frank Walters and the Head of Delegation of the Pakistani contingent Ronak Lakhani were present at the ceremony Special Olympic Pakistan

Brazil wears black to protest racism

BARCELONA

A G E N C I E S

On a night in which Brazil wore an all-black strip to protest racism in football Vinicius Junior was on the score sheet and in the spotlight in a 4-1 international friendly win over Guinea

The 22-year-old Real Madrid forward has been subjected to frequent racist abuse this season and Brazil decided the friendly was a good opportunity to strike back as the match was staged in Espanyol’s stadium near Barcelona

In a powerful move Brazil abandoned their iconic yellow and green shirts and were instead kitted out in an all-black strip in a stand against racism for the first half of the game

Ambassador Sarwat Gilani and Advisor Yasmin Haider also participated

The live performance of the artists and the laser light show filled the stadium to the delight of the special children

The cartoon characters welcomed the children and the fireworks at the end of the ceremony showered the stadium with colour and light P

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif wished the athletes saying that Pakistan has a strong representation in the global event

“Now is the time to reap the fruit of hard work they put in while preparing for 11 games he wrote in a tweet on Sunday

The Brazilian Football Confederation was behind the gesture accompanied by the slogan of “Com racismo nao tem jogo” (With racism there is no game) Vinicius himself wearing the number 10 shirt got on the score sheet with an 88th minute spot-kick by this time kitted out in Brazil s usual colours Newcastle forward Joelinton was well placed to tap-in the opener on the goal-line on 27 minutes while Rodrygo curled home the second two minutes later Stuttgart striker Serhou Guirassy pulled a goal back with a close range header on 35 minutes but Eder Militao restored the two-goal lead shortly after the restart rising high to meet a cross at the far post Manchester United midfielder Casemiro escaped with a yellow card for a late tackle on Francois Kamano that was at odds with the party atmosphere in the stadium Late in the game, Brazil substitute Malcom was brought down in the box and Vinicius was urged to take the penalty which he hit hard and low enough to beat keeper Ibrahim Kone who had dived the right way Earlier in the week the Spanish and Brazilian football federations presented their plan for a friendly match at the Santiago Bernabeu in March 2024 to combat racism following global outrage at the abuse of Vinicius Junior

UN c alls for reigning in ‘toxic, destruc tive’ hate speech, build civilized world

UNITED NATIONS

A G E N C I E S

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk has called on everyone to work together to build a more respectful and civil world and for effective action to end hate speech

We know that the spread of hate is used by those who want to sow divisions, to scapegoat and to distract from real issues Social media is a remarkably fertile ground for hate speech providing it with both unprecedented reach and speed And hate breeds bigotry discrimination and incitement to violence Turk said, marking International Day for Countering Hate Speech on Sunday, “What must be done? There is no silver bullet no switch to flip that will rid our world of hate online or offline But with targeted and well-resourced measures we can

succeed in limiting its spread, isolating and holding accountable hate-mongers, and building greater respect ”

Globally the spread of hate speech-related laws being misused against journalists and human rights defenders is almost as viral as the spread of hate speech itself, the UN Human Rights Chief said Broad laws – that license States to censor speech they find uncomfortable and to threaten or detain those who question Government policy or criticize officials – violate rights and endanger essential public debate

Rather than criminalizing protected speech we need States and companies to take urgent steps to address incitement to hatred and violence, Turk said The High Commissioner called for multifaceted and well-resourced efforts including: Ratcheting up investment in efforts to combat hate speech in languages other than English and detecting and pivoting greater

attention and investment to fragile contexts, or where early warning signs demand; Listening to those most affected by hate speech and providing better channels for them to raise concerns and get prompt action; Holding companies responsible for what they are – and are not – doing to respect human rights, including by requiring human rights due diligence with regard to their operations and increasing transparency around hate speech policies and practices; Empowering expanded research into how to effectively combat hate speech through greater transparency including by open or affordable API (Application Programming Interface)access; Providing support to those whose mental and physical health are seriously affected by incitement to hatred and violence particularly the well-documented harms caused to women and girls by gender-based hate;

Investing in digital and media literacy programmes, human rights education, and supporting mechanisms to provide independent fact-checking with the participation of journalists and civil society

More also needs to be done to address mega-spreaders – those officials and influencers whose voices have profound impact and whose examples inspire thousands of others,” Turk said “We must build networks and amplify voices that can cut through the hate ”

Earlier UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for efforts to curb online hate and invest in social cohesion Hate is a danger to everyone – and so fighting it must be a job for everyone We must collectively strengthen our defenses,” the top UN official told the Security Council meeting on “the Values of Human Fraternity in Promoting and Sustaining Peace We must reign in the hate that is spread-

ing online, said the secretary-general

The UN chief underscored that hate “fuels humanity’s worst impulses ” noting that it is a catalyst for polarization and radicalization and a conduit for atrocity crimes

It is also a result of these crimes contributing to horrific cycles of violence that can churn for decades It greases the wheels of violence, frays the social fabric, and corrodes the pillars of stability It is, in short, often the bloody heart of the conflict ”

Guterres elaborated

And as part of Our Common Agenda we are working on a Global Digital Compact for an open, free, inclusive, and secure digital future for all, firmly anchored in human rights and nondiscrimination,” he added

The secretary-general called for efforts to “move toward evermore multi-ethnic and multi-religious societies and invest in social cohesion

Acting consul general visits Hainan to discuss various opportunities

BEIJING

Acting Consul General of Pakistan in Guangzhou Sardar Muhammad along with Trade and Investment Counsellor Muhammad Irfan paid two days visit to the free trade port province Hainan here on Sunday

They met with leaders from the Foreign Affairs Office, Provincial Bureau of International Economic Development (IEBD), Council for Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) and Windows to Global Trade (WGT) of the province

During meetings Sardar Muhammad discussed various opportunities Hainan offers as a Free Trade Port for further enhancing cooperation between Pakistan and Hainan in trade, investment, agriculture, Information Technology (IT) and education sectors

While underscoring the importance of more participation of companies from Hainan in exhibitions held in Pakistan and the role of CCPIT in encouraging such participation especially the upcoming Food and Agriculture Expo Sardar Muhammad extended an invitation to the Vice President of CCPIT to attend the upcoming expo

NTDC restores power supply to K-Electric

LAHORE

STAFF REPORT

The National Transmission and Dispatch Company (NTDC) has restored the second transmission line supply electricity to Karachi, according to a report on Sunday

According to spokesman NTDC, cyclone Biparjoy the two transmission lines including 500KV KT3, and the NK’s line Both lines have been restored by the NTDC engineers NTDC and K Electric engineers and staff completed the restoration work of the second line in the wee hours of Sunday night while the first transmission line was restored at 2pm on Saturday According to the spokesperson National Transmission and Dispatch Company (NTDC), power supply from 3 transmission lines to the K-Electric is underway the spokesperson said

It may be noted that the National Transmission & Despatch Company (NTDC) constituted special teams following the directives of the prime minister and the energy minister in the wake of the cyclone Biparjoy threat, which is now over

Minister for Industries and Production visits FPCCI

ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Minister for Industry and Production Makhdoom

Syed Murtaza Mahmood on Sunday visited

Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) The minister also met with President FPCCI Irfan Iqbal Sheikh and discussed ways and means to promote small and medium enterprises in the country Speaking on the occasion

Irfan Iqbal Sheikh urged the need of industrial development to attain rapid economic growth

He said that industrial development will help in increase of export curtail imports and generate employment opportunities for the people

He said that whenever we borrowed from the IMF, our GDP growth decreased instead of increasing and also become a reason for other economic hardship

He said that it takes time for SMEs to quickly integrate and align with larger industrial units and urged the need of proper financing and facilities to SMEs

President FPCCI also suggested to allocating special space for SMEs in special economic zones, besides providing skilled and technical education He urged the government to ensure the provision of special facilities and interest-free loans to promote SMEs in rural areas to curb migration toward the major cities

IESCO issues power suspension schedule for today

According to Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESCO) s spokesman system

maintenance/development work is in process

Therefore power supply of below mentioned

feeders/areas will be temporary suspended as per given schedule:

On 19th June 2023, From 07:00 AM to 12:00 Noon, Islamabad Circle Kaldana, Kohala, Burnan Feeders, From 09:00 AM to 2:00 PM Islamabad Circle Upper Topa Patriata TDCP Feeders Rawalpindi City Circle B-Block 4th Road Jami Masjid Dhok Khaba Bagh

Sardara Social Security Industrial Peer Wadhai

Rajaabad, Nogzi,

HC STRESSES TAPPING PAKISTAN BANGL ADESH TRADE POTENTIAL

ports this year due to global factors Similarly, Pakistan s ability to import has been affected by its current account deficit and global economic factors

HI G H Commissioner of Bangladesh to Pakistan Muhammad Ruhul Alam Siddiqui Sunday called for focusing on the untapped trade potential between the two countries

During a meeting with business community at the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) here, he cited global economic factors, inflation and the ability to import goods as reasons why the trade volume between Pakistan and Bangladesh had not exceeded the US$1 billion mark

The high commissioner acknowledged that Bangladesh imports more from Pakistan than it exports, particularly textile raw materials given Bangladesh’s position as the second-largest exporter of ready-made garments in the world However he noted a significant reduction in Bangladesh s ex-

ISLAMABAD

S TA F F R E P O R T

Renowned national cricketer Mr Haris Rauf has said that sports and non-academic activities are also vital for career building of youth in future

He was speaking as chief guest of the spectacular closing ceremony for Spring Gala 2023 at Female Campus of the International Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI) on Sunday

On the occasion, esteemed dignitaries including the President of the IIUI the Vice President and the Student Advisor of the Female Campus adding to one of the highlights of the evening was the declaration of the Faculty of Social Sciences as the Best Faculty for Sports and Co-curricular Activities

The ceremony also featured the distribution of souvenirs and

Highlighting the importance of regional trade the high commissioner expressed his belief that SAARC had not been successful in harnessing the benefits of trading in the region compared to ASEAN and the EU He lamented the underdevelopment of regional trade in South Asia and stressed the need to explore avenues for mutually beneficial trade Addressing the challenges posed by the global factors the HC called for concerted efforts to achieve a win-win situation in trade between the two countries Recognising Pakistan s potential, he encouraged the LCCI to form a delegation to visit Bangladesh and explore areas of interest for investment

The Bangladeshi HC further mentioned that his country which previously imported fertilizers from Russia and

Ukraine was now prepared to import the commodity from Pakistan With both countries acknowledging the potential for increased trade and cooperation, efforts were underway to strengthen economic ties and explore new avenues of collaboration

The LCCI president said that other than India both Pakistan and Bangladesh were key members of SAARC in terms of the size of their economies, so it was imperative for them to find ways to utilise the platform for enhancing their share in the regional trade He said that although the balance of two-way trade was heavily in favour of Pakistan at present the volume of bilateral trade was still below the actual potential

Considering the size of global trade of Bangladesh that was around US$129 billion (total exports US$63 4 billion and total imports US$65 6 billion) they need to make some concentrated efforts to enhance the present level of bilateral trade

The LCCI president said that accord-

ing to the State Bank of Pakistan statistics the two-way trade between Pakistan and Bangladesh was around US$800 million during 2021-22 Pakistan’s imports from Bangladesh were to the tune of US$77 million while our exports to Bangladesh ranged to US$721 million We expect better trade figures this year as during the first 10 months of current fiscal year (July 2022-April 2023), our exports to Bangladesh stood at US$644 million while our imports from Bangladesh were US$66 million ” he added

The LCCI President said that in order to establish productive economic relations there was a need to address all the issues For this purpose, efforts needed to be employed to facilitate frequent interaction between the business sectors through organizing business delegations Honorary Consul General of Bangladesh Qazi Humayun Fareed and Fareeha Younis EC member also spoke on the occasion

CDA approves various key projects during board meeting

ISLAMABAD S TA F F R E P O R T

shields among the winners of various sports and co-curricular activities The recipients were acknowledged for their outstanding performances and contributions in areas such as athletics and co-curricular activities

Addressing the closing ceremony Haris Rauf congratulated all students for taking part in sports activities and said that such activities are vital for their career building in future He hoped that students shall

bring fame to the nation by participating in sports and academic activities during their stay at the institution and after completing studies

Addressing the closing ceremony, President IIUI Dr Hathal Hamoud Alotaibi said that extracurricular activities are part of the university’s vision as it’s a huge platform to provide maximum opportunities to students during their academic career and all students must take part in such activities

S tudents urge govt to include AIOU in PM’s laptop scheme

ISLAMABAD S TA F F R E P O R T

The students of Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) on Monday demanded the government to include the varsity in the Prime Minister Laptop scheme so that its students especially Ph D and Mphil are facilitated to carry on their higher studies

They were of the view that being the largest public sector university with higher ranks, AIOU was not included in the PM laptop scheme

As per the Impact Ranking 2023 of the Times Higher Education, Allama Iqbal Open University was ranked first among 66 public and private universities in Pakistan while it is ranked 25th among 1304 universities worldwide

The students term the non-inclusion decision as

totally injustice as it would have affect on hundreds of students particularly PhD and Mphil in various disciplines who were carrying forward their education as per other public sector universities

“AIOU is the only university in Pakistan which was included in the top 25 universities of the world ” said Ambreen Iqbal an Mphil scholar while talking to APP Ambreen said that since she and her fellows belong to middle-class families so could not afford to buy laptops for research work adding that the exclusion of AIOU University from PM laptop scheme, dashed down their hopes to get a laptop

Another Ph D scholar Ahsan while quoting their senior fellows said that AIOU students were also ignored in PM s Laptop scheme earlier on the pretext that the university was imparting education through distance learning

PMNIA: Two-day idea-pitching concludes at NUST

2 million

The important meeting of the Capital Development Authority Board was held on Saturday under the Chairmanship of Captain Noorul Amin Mengal at the CDA headquarters The meeting was attended by the all board members of CDA The proceedings of the previous meeting were also approved in the meeting In the meeting, it was decided to establish CDA Capital Medical College in Islamabad In this regard, Chairman CDA has also issued directions to Member planning and Member Estate to determine the place for medical college Similarly approval was given in the board meeting of CDA for allocating space for Fire Brigade and Dispensary in Kahota Triangle, while Dispensary and Fire Brigade Station, Chamber of Commerce and Industrial Association should be constructed on CDA land

Moreover the meeting approved the establishment of more filtration plants in different business centers of Islamabad and CDA will build these filtration plants while the maintenance of these filtration plants will be done by the business community

Pakistan made hunting ground for elites: Rasheed

ISLAMABAD

S TA F F R E P O R T

Former President of the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) Dr Shahid Rasheed Butt said on Sunday Pakistan has been made a hunting ground for the elites Influential people consider Pakistan a gold mine that is being robbed mercilessly to fill their coffers, he said In a statement issued on Sunday, Shahid Rasheed Butt said that no serious attempt has ever been made to expand the scope of taxes in any budget

Tax evaders have always enjoyed a free ride while taxpayers have been broken by continuously increasing the burden on them and this process is still going on with full force, he added The business leader said that the elite have been devouring the country's resources for decades, but there is no end to their rent seeking and greed Shahid Rasheed Butt said that we have been made into a nation where basic needs are impossible to meet justice equality and prosperity are nowhere to be found and the country s survival is linked to begging

SAPM on Interior visits CPO

ISLAMABAD

from June 17 through June 18

The Prime Minister s National Innovation Award (PMNIA), a flagship initiative under the PM Youth Programme to support early-stage startups from across Pakistan, is currently underway in Islamabad

The idea-pitching stage of the highly anticipated event was held at the National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST)

As many as 256 shortlisted candidates from across the country pitched their innovative ideas before an esteemed panel of judges at NUST

The competition will culminate in to the National Award Ceremony at the Prime Minister s Office on June 19 (Monday)

Top 50 contestants from the pitching round at NUST will be awarded a cash prize of up to PKR

Organised under the Prime Minister s Youth Programme through the Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan the National Innovation Award serves as an impetus towards fostering creativity and entrepreneurship and providing opportunities to the youth of Pakistan PMNIA offers equity-free grants enabling young innovators to transform their ideas into viable products and businesses The competition features a diverse group of participants including students professionals and budding entrepreneurs

With the expert jury comprising renowned field experts from various thematic areas and industries, the candidates attempt at putting their best foot forward in hopes of gaining recognition for their innovative ideas and business plans

S TA F F R E P O R T

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Interior Muhammad Jawad Sohrab Malik paid a visit to the Central Police Office Islamabad where he met with Islamabad Capital City Police Officer Dr Akbar Nasir Khan and discussed various important issues a police public relations officer said

He said that, during the meeting, the Special Assistant to the Prime Minister expressed his appreciation for the dedicated efforts of the Islamabad capital police in ensuring the security of the federal capital

As part of his visit he also toured the Safe City Project Islamabad where he received a comprehensive briefing from CPO Safe City regarding various aspects of the project The Special Assistant commended the initiatives taken to safeguard the lives and properties of the citizens, as well as the effective management of law and order in the city He was also briefed that the coverage of the Islamabad Safe City project has been significantly expanded to encompass different areas of the federal capital Additionally the integration of cameras from private buildings, toll plazas, and metro buses with the Safe City system has been successfully implemented

Indonesian envoy classify distinc t ancient heritage as treasure for both countries

selected photographs

The Envoy said, Indonesia and Pakistan are heirs of one of the oldest civilizations in the world with a marked history of religious-cultural communication This exhibition aims to highlight the cross-regional cultural influences through selected photographs and videos of both sides artefacts, sculptures, and inscriptions

“From cuisine to old healing practices, from religious traditions to cultural norms, and ancient history to modern civilization there is

a long list of striking similarities between the two brotherly nations he remarked Elaborating on early historic inter-regional connectivity, the Envoy pointed out that the ancient Gandhara region, mainly comprising the North West region of present-day Pakistan was a melting pot of different civilizations

The spread of Buddhist and Islamic civilization to the Indonesian archipelago is also attributed to the influence of Gandhara civilization,” added the Envoy Ambassador Tugio especially thanked the Lahore Museum for providing generous

support to all the guests for their participation and warmly invited Pakistani friends to the Exhibition to celebrate the rich cultural heritage of the two Muslim brotherly countries Minister of Health Punjab Prof Dr Javed Akram who was called as a chief guest at the inaugural ceremony of the photo exhibition also spoke on the occasion He hailed the Embassy s initiative of organizing the Exhibition to promote the shared cultural heritage He emphasized the need to strengthen academic linkages and people-to-people contacts to materialize the benefits of strong bonds of friendship between the two countries

The week-long exhibition provides a fresh perspective on the cross-regional interaction between the two biggest Muslim-populated countries from the past to the present The exhibition is open to the public until 24th June at the Lahore Museum

Through interactive display the exhibition will allow visitors to trace the confluence of civilization between Indonesia and Pakistan in various ways

The exhibition also features spices and some popular products from Indonesia with the kind support of Indomie, the largest food producer in Indonesia operating in Faisalabad

MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY FACES BACKL ASH FOR QUESTIONABLE APPOINTMENT

ISLAMABAD

G H U L A M A B B A S

TH E Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) is facing criticism yet again as it contemplates appointment a controversial candidate as Director General (DG) Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) in sheer violation of MP-1 rules governing the process According to reliable sources, the Federal Minister of MoST, who recently received a contempt of court notice for disregarding court directives has chosen Nasir Baloch as the candidate for the DG position Baloch was among over 70 candidates shortlisted by the ministry for the role

However, concerns have been raised regarding Baloch’s qualification and experience Documents reveal that the proposed candidate lacks the necessary credentials for the technical post of DG

Despite hesitation from ministry officials to forward Baloch s name to the Estab-

lishment Division or the cabinet for approval, sources claim that the minister is pressuring them to appoint Baloch as DG even before the related case is heard at the Islamabad High Court (IHC)

The controversy surrounding the appointment of DG PSQCA gained momentum last week when the IHC issued contempt of court notices to the minister and secretary of MoST During the proceedings it came to light that the department had been filling the DG position on an acting basis for more than 14 years

Advocate Saifur Rehman the petitioner s counsel, presented compelling evidence before Justice Babar Sattar, exposing the long-standing practice of acting appointments for the DG PSQCA position

Sources indicate that the ministry intends to appoint one of the previously shortlisted candidates to inform the court that a regular head of PSQCA has been appointed However, officials argue that the shortlisting process itself raised suspicions, as it allegedly violated the rules of appointment on the MP-1 scale The

Amid economic turmoil, gov t proposes hike in salar y, privileges of MPs

Amid severe financial crunch, the federal government has proposed an increase in salary, allowances and other privileges of parliamentarians

Overall the federal government has allocated Rs13 billion in budget for Parliamentarians including Chairman and Deputy Chairman Senate Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly and members of lower and upper house of the Parliament

The highest increase has been made in the salaries, allowances as well as travel and transportation expenses of the Speaker Deputy Speaker Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the Senate

The Federal government has allocated Rs264 million in budget for Speaker and Deputy Speaker National Assembly for the next year 2023-24, increasing by Rs173 million as the Finance division had allocated Rs91 3 million budget during the current fiscal year for the Speaker and Deputy Speaker National Assembly

While making an increase of Rs126 million the budget of National Assembly members surged to Rs 1 48 billion in 2023-24 from Rs1 35 billion in 2022-23

Document shows that the government has also increased the budget for the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly which surged to Rs4 7 million in 2023-24 from Rs3 87 million in 2022-23

Meanwhile the government has also raised the budget for Chairman Kashmir Committee by Rs2 4 million to Rs11 9 million in 2023-24 against Rs9 4 million in 2022-23 Similarly the government has also allocated Rs117 million in the budget for Chairman and Deputy Chairman Senate for next fiscal year, recording an increase of Rs49 million

The revised allocated budget for Chairman and Deputy Chairman Senate is recorded at Rs68 9 million during the current year 2022-23

Documents show that the government has allocated Rs651 million budget in 2023-24 for Members of the Senate against the total revised allocation of Rs563 million in 2022-23 This shows an increase of Rs87 6 million in Pay and other allowances of Senators

The document shows that the budget of the Leader of the House and Opposition leader in the Senate has also surged to Rs6 1 million and Rs7 59 million respectively

JI decides to move court against Karachi’s LG polls results

LAHORE STAFF REPORT

Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) chief Sirajul Haq on Sunday announced moving court against the results of local government (LG) elections in Karachi in which

Pakistan People s Party (PPP) emerged as the single largest party Addressing a press conference here on Sunday, the JI chief said that the theft of public mandate in Karachi” was unacceptable to the party, announcing to move court against the local government (LG) elections’ result Sirajul Haq also announced to hold a protest outside the office of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on June 23 JI always stand by people of Karachi and will not allow anyone to steal their trust, he added

Gold prices drop by Rs5,550 per tola for third week

ministry shortlisted only nine candidates out of over 98 applicants, a move deemed as a procedural violation by an official rules

Furthermore concerns have been raised about the interview and selection process The absence of the ministry s secretary, who also serves as the secretary of the election committee, after the retirement of the previous secretary, led to an additional secretary overseeing the process This deviation from the established rules is considered contradictory and irregular Earlier reports indicated that the shortlisted candidates lacked the technical expertise and experience requisite for the DG PSQCA position It was alleged that candidates with relevant qualifications and experience were either pushed down the list or not shortlisted due to political considerations

Dr Shahzad Afzal a renowned expert in standardization and conformity assessment, raised objections to his exclusion from the shortlisted candidates for the DG post Dr Afzal previously

ranked among the top five candidates, accused PSQCA and MoST of violating the Management Position Scale Policy 2020 and the PSQCA Act 1996 He has requested an interview call letter in accordance with the policy to ensure that justice is served in the matter

The appointment of DG PSQCA has been marred by controversy, and the matter is currently sub-judice with the IHC (WP 761/2022 and WP 4070/2021) Dr Afzal who holds international recognition in the field alleged that political grounds influenced the decision to exclude him from the shortlisted candidates Dr Afzal s international recognition has been acknowledged by reputable standardization bodies such as ASTM International (USA) the National Institute of Standards and Technology (USA) and the International Organization for Standardization (Switzerland)

However, an official source at MoST claims that a scrutiny committee shortlisted nine candidates out of 98 applicants based on eligibility criteria

Imran vows to continue fight for ‘real independence’ come what may

LAHORE

S TA F F R E P O R T

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)

Chairman Imran Khan made it clear on Sunday that he had been fighting for the last 27 years to make Pakistan a truly independent country, thus he would remain in Pakistan and would render any sacrifice to make the dream a reality rather than striking a deal or fleeing the country

Addressing the nation on Sunday, PTI Chairman said that he was not striving for gaining power but for the future generation of the country; hence he would not compromise on his goal of Haqeeqi

Azadi come what may

Imran Khan said that he burned his boats and brought everything back home; hence he was going nowhere as he had nothing abroad and would fight for the children of this country Imran Khan said that he repeatedly offered for negotiated settlement to the current crisis and conveyed messages to the incumbent COAS but to no avail

PTI Chairman stated that they should not be mistaken that he was isolated or weaken due to which he was asking for talks adding that he could not see his country was going deep into abyss that was the reason he even held talks with Gen Bajwa

Imran Khan urged the nation that death was better than slavery because slaves had no life as only the free people can fly high and made progress

He said that the reign of terror was unleashed to spread fear and terrorize people however he pressed the nation that they should not be petrified and panicked and should protest peacefully because it was their legal, constitutional and fundamental rights as he could be detained in any fabricated and bogus case anytime

PTI Chairman stated that the ruling parties were heading the country towards destruction because they were little bothered about the country s interest since they were solely battling for power and money

Imran Khan revealed that they were scared of his coming into power again because they felt him a threat for their power and wealth due to which they were hell-bent to destroy the country to block his way to regain power at all costs

Therefore he said that the nation must be prepared for a struggle and all sacrifices because no one would offer them independence in a plate

PTI Chairman warned that the nations succumbed to the oppression and fear remember they had no future at all as living nations stood up for their rights and justice because with justice came freedom

Talking about Greece boat tragedy, Imran Khan said that dreadful and horrifying reports surfacing that most of the victims in the ill-fated ship were Pakistanis

However he said that complete details were yet to come to ascertain the exact numbers of Pakistani

victims in the tragic incident

PTI Chairman said we should ask this question from ourselves what is the circumstances and which are the countries where situations are so deteriorated that the poor people spend their whole family earning to visit European countries for better future by risking their lives

Imran Khan stated that the people of conflict-stricken countries were fleeing the country because there was no rule of law and justice and all business were destroyed

He cited the example of Sudan where civil war erupted that triggered mass exodus alike millions of people migrated from Syria and Libya during civil wars

PTI Chairman said that he had been talking for the last 27 years for rule of law because progress and prosperity directly linked to justice and supremacy of law

He went on to say that people of the strife-stricken countries including Pakistan which ranked in the bottom in rule of law index, left for the most prosperous countries which topped the rank in rule of law index because there were a rule of law and justice

He revealed that Pakistan ranked at 129 out of 140 in rule of index and situation more deteriorated after May 9 mayhem

PTI Chairman said that they were getting now important information that outsiders infiltrated into PTI peaceful protestors inciting them to carry out ransacking and vandalism

China, Pakistan deepens cultural exchanges via translation, publication of classics

and poems by more than 60 Pakistani female writers fully demonstrating the rich achievements of contemporary Pakistani women Zeenat tells the story of a well-educated lady Zeenat, who bravely tackles challenges to reunite with her husband and children On the occasion these classic works were gifted to Pakistani students studying in China Pakistan and China enjoy a proud history of linkages between our writers and intellectuals Under the broad rubric of the Executive Agreement on Cultural Cooperation’ signed in 1965 our two countries have expanded bilateral exchanges in the fields of art culture literature and people-to-people exchanges Pakistani Ambassador to China

The gold rate in Pakistan for a single tola of 24-karat on a week-on-week (WoW) basis fell to Rs221 700 from Rs227 250 according to the data provided by All Pakistan Sarafa Gems and Jewellers Association

Similarly, the gold rate for 10 grams of 24-karat dipped to Rs190,070 from Rs194,830 on WoW basis, showing a decrease of Rs4,760 Likewise, the gold rate for 10 grams of 22-karat fell to Rs174 230 from Rs178 600

As far as Pakistan rupee-US dollar parity is concerned as gold is valued in USD the local unit depreciated 0 09 percent against the greenback in the interbank market on a week-on-week basis

According to the figures shared by the central bank, the rupee fell from 286 93 to 287 19 against the greenback However the rupee surged 2 68 percent against the US dollar in the open market and improved from the range of Rs302-305 to Rs294-297 In global markets the gold price inched down to $1,958 20 from $1,960 70 per ounce, showing a weekly decline of $2 5 (-0 13 percent) for the first time in three weeks

Wanted terrorist , two accomplices killed in Darra Adam Khel IBO

ISLAMABAD

S TA F F R E P O R T

The security forces said on Sunday that they in a successful intelligence-based operation (IBO) killed the most wanted terrorist Zafar Khan alias Zafari and two of his group members in Darra Adam Khel Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa

In another incident a top commander of Balochistan Liberation Front, Nawaz Ali Rind, was killed mysteriously in a gunfight in a neighbouring country, authorities said Sunday

On the night of June 16th and 17th, the security forces – in a highly placed IBO – killed most wanted Tehreeke-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) terrorist commander Zafar Khan alias Zafari in Dara Adam Khel

The other two terrorists were identified as Hasan Khan son of Muhammad Imran, a resident of Bazi Khel, and Anas alias Ali, a resident of Nangarhar, Afghanistan Intelligence agencies and security forces hunt down terrorists by adopting unconventional operational procedures based on corroborated intelligence

According to reports Zafar was a resident of Malan village in Darra Adam Khel and had reached Peshawar from Nangarhar province of Afghanistan on May 22, 2023

He was also a former member of Tehreek-e-Taliban Afghanistan (TTA) and was involved in 26 grenade attacks in Pakistan

Zafari was involved in dozens of terrorist attacks against security forces coal contractors businessmen and influential people and so far had stolen more than Rs100 million in extortion and kidnapping for ransom

The slain terrorist Hasan Khan was an expert in sniping and grenade attacks and was part of Tehreeke-Taliban Afghanistan from 2019 to 2021 and lost Nangar province of Afghanistan several times Terrorist Hasan Khan had joined Tariq Gidar group in 2022 whereas the killed terrorist Anas was an expert sniper and involved in terrorist attacks against security forces in North Waziristan and South Waziristan districts

The local people were fully cooperating with the security agencies against the terrorists due to which these terrorists were not getting any hiding place Due to the rejection of the local population the terrorists were forced to secretly bury their dead terrorists

The coal miners, business community and common people of the area breathed a sigh of relief with the elimination of the wanted terrorists

Moin ul Haque said while attending the 28th Beijing International Book Fair (BIBF) back in 2021 China and Pakistan signed a memorandum on translation and publication of classics back in 2021, in an effort to give fresh impetus to cultural and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries

The two sides agreed to publish 50 classics considered to be the most classic important and toprated in the two countries in the next five years, with the joint efforts of experts in culture and publication from both sides Founded in 1986 Beijing International Book Fair (BIBF) is one of the most influential book exhibition platforms in China and one of the most international book fairs in Asia

The security forces would continue their continuous efforts to make the country safe and free from terrorism with the cooperation of the people B

O U T S I D E C O U N T RY: A top commander of Balochistan Liberation Front, Nawaz Ali Rind, was killed mysteriously in a gunfight in a neighbouring country, authorities said Sunday Nawaz Ali Rind belonged to Awaran area of Balochistan and was a leading activist of BLF He was also involved in attacks on security forces

Meanwhile the arrest of another separatist commander Gulzar Imam Shammay has created rift among militant groups and also damaged the Baloch militant alliance BRAS The arrest of Gulzar Imam aka Shambay and successes of the intelligence agencies have also tensed the terrorist organizations and even they are killing their own commanders

It is worth mentioning that a terrorist Commander of Jamaatul Ahrar Sar Bakaf Mohmand also met the same fate in the past

Film industry’s revival vital to project national narrative: Marriyum

Minister for Information and Broadcasting

Marriyum Aurangzeb on Sunday said that the revival and expansion of Pakistan’s film industry were vital to project the national narrative through screen tourism

Screen tourism presents an opportunity to spread the narrative of Pakistan as seen in the successful examples of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Iran, where budding film industries have thrived”, she said while addressing 25 high achievers of the National Amateur Film Festival Award bound to leave for Australia on Monday

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has sponsored these 25 students oneyear training in New York Academy, Australia

The government was to promote Pakistan’s narrative, focusing on heritage, youth

engagement and tourism through screen tourism she maintained

The minister said it was high time to invest in Pakistan s entertainment industry, which currently enjoyed tax exemptions

“Over the next decade, I foresee a re-

vival of the industry that will allow it to compete with neighbouring countries and even international markets she said adding that the high achievers had the potential to make a significant impact in this field The minister recalled that Pakistan’s film

industry faced a significant setback between 1970 and 2000 causing its growth to stagnate However since 2000 the industry has experienced a boost, although its progress has been hindered by the absence of cinemas and affordability issues, which limited access for the general public she maintained

The minister said the government introduced a film policy in 2017 to address these challenges She said that extensive research and consultations with relevant stakeholders and experts were conducted to develop this comprehensive policy Lessons, she added, were learned from countries with flourishing film industries or successful revivals providing valuable insights Marriyum Aurangzeb said that incentives for the film industry were included in the 2018 budget, and after coming into power again last year, the coalition government established a dedicated film division in

the ministry

The film sector currently enjoyed zero taxation with income tax exemptions for individuals and production houses Import of equipment for film and drama production had also been tax exempted, she said

The minister disclosed that the corporate entities providing funds for film production can claim CSR tax credits from the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) making it a significant incentive

Furthermore she said the government has approved a film finance fund with an initial allocation of Rs 2 billion This fund, operated through the Film Council, will support budding producers in the production of films television dramas and documentaries

The minister said for making entertainment accessible to the general public cinema income has been exempted from taxation for the first ten years, especially for those cinemas offering affordable ticket prices