Epaper_23-07-20 KHI

Profit

C Y P H E R - G AT E A ‘ P R E M E D I TAT E D P LO T ’ T O G A I N P O L I T I C A L M I L E A G E : A Z A M K H A N

g B u r e a u c r a t r e c o r d s p u r p o r t e d c o n f e s s i o n s t a t e m e n t u n d e r C r P C 1 6 4 b e f o r e a m a g i s t r a t e

ISLAMABAD S tA f f r e p o r t

AZAM Khan, principal secretary to former prime minister Imran Khan, on Wednesday made startling revelations in a purported confessional statement claiming that the ex-premier had pre-planned the US cypher drama in an attempt to gain political mileage

According to media reports, the ‘missing’ Azam Khan has recorded a statement terming the US cypher a conspiracy used by the former premier to manipulate for creating a narrative against establishment and opposition

In response to the development, Imran termed Azam Khan an “honest man and said he would not accept the statement until he heard the bureaucrat say it himself Azam, who has been missing since last month, has recorded his statement under CrPC 164 before a magistrate the sources added with no information on his whereabouts Khan ousted via a parliamentary vote in April last year had alleged on March 27, 2022, that Washington orchestrated a plan to remove him from office and brandished the cypher at a public rally to back his claims The US has time and again denied such allegations terming them categorically false

According to the reports, the former bureaucrat, in his purported confession, said when he provided the ex-premier with the cypher he was “euphoric” and termed the language

g E x- P M w a s ‘ e u p h o r i c ’ a n d t e r m e d c y p h e r ’ s l a n g u a g e a ‘ U S b l u n d e r, ’ c l a i m s K h a n

tim card” The purported confession further stated that the former premier kept cypher with himself in violation of the prevailing law

When Azam according to the sources, told Imran Khan that the cypher was a secret document and its content could not be disclosed before the public the then-premier suggested a formal meeting with then-foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and then-foreign secretary Sohail Mahmood where they can read the cypher from the foreign ministry’s copy (as Imran Khan’s original copy was still lost) and from minutes of the meeting further decision can be made

FIA summons Imran Khan in Cypher probe on 25th

ISLAMABAD A h m A d A h m A dA n i

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has taken a significant step forward in its cipher probe as it summons Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf (PTI) Imran Khan to appear at the FIA headquarters in Islamabad on July 25 The FIA has issued a notice to the former Prime Minister under section 160 Cr PC in Enquiry No 111/2022 The notice has been sent to Khan’s residences in Banigala, Islamabad; Zaman Park Lahore; and PTI Central Secretariat Islamabad According to the FIA notice a Joint Enquiry Team is conducting an investigation into the charges of prejudicing national security and the interests of the state The probe focuses on the alleged unauthorized disclosure of classified information by Imran Khan, his political associates, and the then Secretary to the Prime Minister through a cipher telegram, its subsequent misuse, and unauthorized retention

as a US blunder The ex-premier told him [Azam] he would display the cypher in front of the public and

Ruling coalition mulls options to dissolve assemblies ahead of schedule

ISLAMABAD m A n A b r A r

The ruling coalition has been mulling options to dissolve the National and Provincial Assemblies ahead of schedule to help gain almost three months (90 days) for electioneering Sources in the ruling parties have confided in Pakistan Today that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Nawaz Sharif and PPP chief Asif Zardari had agreed to dissolve the assemblies on August 8 2023 so as elections could be pushed another one month Parliament s tenure constitutionally expires on August 12 There is only need to take coalition partners on board the decision Hence the prime minister met with MQM-P delegation today Now he would meet other partners and would take them on board including Maulana Fazlur Rehman a source in the government told this scribe The source said that actually the prime minister wanted to get as much time as possible to enable overturn the conviction of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz who plan to lead the PML-N election campaign

The ruling coalition wants Chief Justice Bandial to get retired so Justice Qazi Faiz Issa may overtake the reigns The ruling coalition believes that only then they would be able to get relief from the top court,” the source said The ruling coalition wants to hand over the reins to a caretaker government next month four days before it is constitutionally required to do so in preparation for a general election by November the sources said Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, however, said no date had been set for the general election No decision has so far been taken on the dissolution of the parliament,” she said in a tweet, adding a formal announcement would be made about the election date after a consultation among all coalition partners

PTI plays down ‘cypher statement’ as drama

The confession mentioned that the then-premier decided to call special meetings of the cabinet and the National Security Division to discuss the cypher and note down the minutes of the meetings However he mentioned that till the time he was Imran s principal secretary the cypher was not returned to the Prime Minister s Office as Imran had lost the original document ‘CYPHER GATE CONTROVERSY’

twist the narrative: a foreign conspiracy is being hatched in collusion with local partners and play the vic-

The controversy first emerged on March 27 2022 when Imran less than a month before his ouster brandished a letter, claiming that it was a cypher from a foreign nation, which mentioned that his government should be removed from power He did not reveal the contents of the letter nor mention the name of the nation that had sent it But a few days later, he named the United States and said that Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Affairs

LAHORE S tA f f r e p o r t T h e P a k i s t a n Te h r e e k - e - I n s a f ( P T I ) o n We d n e s d a y r e a c t e d t o f o rm e r p r i m e m i n i s t e r s e x - p r i n c i p a l s e c r e t a r y A z a m K h a n s w h a t t h e y d e s c r i b e d a s c y p h e r d r a m a s t a t e m e n t I n a s t a t e m e n t t h e P T I s p o k e s p e r s o n s a i d t h a t t h e u n v e r i f i e d s t a t e m e n t a s s o c i a t e d w i t h A z a m K h a n i s f u l l o f c o n t r a d i c t i o n s T h e s t a t e m e n t f u r t h e r r e a d t h a t A z a m K h a n ’s d i s a p p e a r a n c e c a s e i s r e g i s t e r e d a n d t h e p o l i c e h a v e f a i l e d t o f i n d h i m o u t A c c o r d i n g t o l e g a l e x p e r t s r e c o r d i n g a s t a t e m e n t b e f o r e t h e m a g i s t r a t e u n d e r A r t i c l e 1 6 4 i s u n i m a g i n a b l e T h e P T I s p o k e s p e r s o n s a i d t h a t t h e f o r m e r p r i m e m i n i s t e r h a s a l r e a d y r e v e a l e d t h e r e a l r e a s o n s a n d o u t c o m e o f t h e f o r c e d d i s a p p e a r a n c e a n d i l l e g a l a r r e s t s F u r t h e r m o r e , N at i o n a l S e c u r i t y C o m m i t t e e ( N S C ) h a s a l r e a d y v e r i f i e d t h e c o nt e n t o f t h e U S c y p h e r, a n d t h e c a b i n e t c o m m i t t e e d e c l a s s i f i e d a n d a n a l y z e d t h e c y p h e r b e f o r e i t w a s t a b l e d t o N S C t h e s p o k e s p e r s o n a d d e d M e a n w h i l e t h e C h a i r m a n S e n a t e a n d P r e s id e n t u rg e d t h e C h i e f J u s t i c e o f P a k i s t a n ( C J P ) t o i n v e s t i g a t e t h e U S c y p h e r I n s t e a d o f f a l s e s t a t e m e n t t h e g o v e r n m e n t s h o u l d i nf o r m t h e n a t i o n a n d c o u r t r e g a r d i n g t h e w h e r e a b o u t s o f A z a m K h a n a n d w h a t a r e t h e c h a rg e s a g a i n s t h i m , t h e P T I s p o k e s p e rs o n s a i d O n t h e o t h e r s i d e , t h e P T I c h a i r m a n a n d f o r m e r p r i m e m i n i s t e r s a i d i n h i s r e a c t i o n t o A z a m K h a n ’s s t a t e m e n t t h a t h e w i l l n o t c o m m e n t o n t h e m a t t e r u n t i l t h e c o m p l e t e i n f o r m a t i o n c o m e s o u t H e s a i d t h a t i t s n o t k n o w n y e t i n w h a t c i r c u m s t a n c e s A z a m K h a n m a d e t h e s e s t a t e m e n t s E a r l i e r A z a m K h a n e x - p r i nc i p a l s e c r e t a r y t o t h e P T I c h a i r m a n a n d f o r m e r p r i m e m i n i s t e r m a d e s t a r t l i n g r e v e l a t i o n s a n d c l a i m e d t h a t t h e f o r m e r P M u s e d U S c y p h e r f o r h i s ‘ p o l i t i c a l g a i n s ’ a n d t o a v e r t a n o - c o n f i d e n c e m o t i o n a g a i n s t h i m Khan who had earlier been “missing” since last month suddenly appeared before the scene and made startling revelations about US cypher while recording his statement under the CrPC 164 before a magistrate

Donald Lu had sought his removal

The cypher was about former Pakistan ambassador to the US Asad Majeed s meeting with Lu

The former prime minister, claiming that he was reading contents from the cypher said that “all will be forgiven for Pakistan if Imran Khan is re-

17 people killed as heavy rains lash par ts of countr y

ISLAMABAD

S tA f f r e p o r t

At least seventeen people were killed in rain-related incidents in across country as heavy monsoon rains lashed parts of country

Out of the 17 deceased thirteen labourers were crushed to death early Wednesday after a wall collapsed due to heavy rains in twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad, the rescue service reported Torrential rains continue to lash the twin cities as the monsoon currents from the Arabian Sea intensified today as forecast by the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) with the highest nearly 200 millimetres rainfall in Rawalpindi Rain-related incidents claim 17 lives in across country

They said the wall was 100-foot wide and 11-foot high, under which the labourers had set up a tent to live at the construction site

The rescue teams reached the site of the incident as soon as they received the report Rescue 1122 officials stated Police said that the rescue workers pulled bodies out from the wall s debris with the help of machines Search for more people likely to be stuck under the rubble is underway, with four being rescued alive so far

Meanwhile an 11-year-old girl was killed in a similar wall collapse incident in Mohammadi Town within the jurisdiction of Khana Police Station of Islamabad

In a separate rain-related incident several people were injured when two buses travelling via IslamabadPeshawar Motorway barreled into each other after losing control due to a slippery road amid a downpour

Rescue 1122 said that their teams are working to aid the injured while the severely injured are being shifted to hospitals in Wah Cantt and Taxila

As per Met Department Shamsabad received up to 188 millimetres of rainfall It poured up to 110 millime-

tres in Chaklala, 138 millimetres in Bokra, 102 millimetres in Golra, 98 millimetres at zero-point, 79 millimetres in Kachehri, 64 millimetres at Islamabad airport, and 44 millimetres in Saidpur

The water level in Nullah Lai rose dangerously high 14 feet near Katarian and 11 feet near Gawalmandi due to incessant rains with army troops called in for rain emergency services

Authorities rang sirens of threat to alert the residents in the surroundings and advised them to evacuate Meanwhile Rescue 1122 has also been alerted in Rawalpindi THREE KILLED IN LAHORE

Three people electrocuted in metropolis Lahore including one person near Ravi River while two children lost their lives in the rain related incidents in city A 35year-old person lost his life when he was electrocuted from switch board in Harbanspura while two kids lost electrocuted from electricity pole while swimming

to reduce

The

per litre on July 15, 2023 In a previous letter, the OCAC claimed that even though PSO did not import any fuel during the first fortnight of July, OGRA “arbitrarily revised” the premium to $ 4 2 per barrel when it should have been $ 11 5 per barrel according to the pricing mechanism However in separate press releases issued on Tuesday, the Petroleum Division and OGRA said the oil industry’s claims were “baseless and unacceptable” and the price reduction was done in accordance with the ECC decision In its latest letter issued in response to those press releases the OCAC dis-

puted OGRA s claim that the ECC decision was faithfully implemented The industry contended that OGRA’s application of the new high-speed diesel premium has inflicted substantial and unjustified losses upon them

The letter further accused OGRA of disregarding the adverse impact on the industry and suggested that the regulator ’s actions are aimed at reducing prices at the expense of the industry OCAC provided specific instances where adjustments were made that deviated from the pricing formula resulting in detrimental effects for the oil industry These instances include unjust adjustments to avoid price increases and changes in the use of exchange rates in pricing computations

The industry warned that these changes without taking into account the actual import of HSD at the reduced premium, have the potential to cripple the industry and jeopardise the availability of HSD in the country

moved from power Then on March 31 the National Security Committee (NSC) took up the matter and decided to issue a strong demarche to the country for its “blatant interference in the internal affairs of Pakistan”

Supreme Cour t seeks government directive on militar y cour t appeals

ISLAMABAD S tA f f r e p o r t

The Supreme Court issued a directive on Wednesday instructing Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) Mansoor Usman Awan to seek guidance from the government concerning the right of appeal in military courts

The directive came during a hearing presided over by a six-judge bench consisting of Justice Ijaz ul-Ahsan Justice Yahya Afridi Justice Munib Akhtar Justice Mazahir Ali Akbar Naqvi Justice Ayesha A Malik and the chief justice, presided over the case The focus of the hearing was a series of petitions challenging the legitimacy of military trials of civilians AGP Awan, addressing the court during the hearing highlighted the substantial financial losses incurred during the violent protests against the unlawful arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan on May 9 amounting to Rs2 5 billion, including Rs1 9 billion of damage to military installations He once again emphasized the need for the formation of a full court to address the matter comprehensively In a previous statement, CJP Bandial expressed concern about subjecting civilians to the rigours and severity of military courts given that they are entitled to certain constitutional protections He also emphasized that such trials were not in accordance with the Constitution The CJP noted that military law is designed to be distinct from ordinary law and is primarily applicable to military personnel One of the key issues raised during the hearing was the lack of transparency in military court verdicts which are not open to the public and cannot be subject to judicial review AGP Awan cited a note from Justice Yahya Afridi, dated June 23, wherein the judge urged the CJP to consider forming a full court comprising all available judges to address the matter effectively Rejecting the government’s request for a full court the chief justice cited the unavailability of judges as the reason for his decision He also expressed his satisfaction with the treatment of suspects facing military trials Earlier this week, the federal government had argued that trying those accused of violence against the armed forces under the Pakistan Army Act (PAA) 1952 was a fitting and proportionate response within the constitutional framework and statutory regime MILITARY TRIALS

The development comes after the outgoing government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif justified trials by the military in cases related to protests, as per the media

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A ZMA KHAN’S STATEMENT ON CYPHER A ‘CHARGE SHEET’ AGAINST IMRAN KHAN: SANAULL AH

ISLAMABAD S ta f f R e p o R t

IN T E R I O R Minister Rana Sanaullah said on Wednesday that the reported confession of ex-principal secretary Azam Khan was a charge sheet against PTI chief Imran Khan

His remarks came as an alleged confession of Azam Imran’s principal secretary when he was prime minister surfaced on social media wherein he claimed that the narrative behind the cipher which the PTI chief has for long presented as evidence of a foreign conspiracy to oust him from the top office was fabricated

Interestingly the development comes a day after the Lahore High Court (LHC) withdrew a stay order against the call-up notice to Imran by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in an inquiry into an audio leak relating to the cipher At the same time, a senior US official also publicly defended Assistant Secretary of State Donald Lu who was blamed by Imran for orchestrating the

PTI chief, wife moves IHC against lower cour t’s verdict in marriage case

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf

(PTI) Chairman Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi on Wednesday challenged the verdict by a District and Sessions court on maintainability of marriage case in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) Yesterday, the district and sessions court Islamabad declared the alleged illegal marriage case against the PTI chairman and his wife as admissible In his plea through Sher Afzal Marwat, the PTI chairman stated that allegations raised in a private complaint do not fall under Section 496 “Complainant of the case Muhammad Hanif raised ‘baseless’ allegations against me and my wife the plea stated and added the complaint is only meant to defame us Terming the plea as inadmissible for the hearing, the PTI chairman has pleaded with the IHC to strike down the decision of the civil judge The alleged Nikkah of the former prime minister and Bushra Bibi was brought to light by Mufti Saeed the cleric who solemnised the couple s Nikkah who claimed that the initial ceremony was not conducted in accordance with Islamic Sharia law, as it occurred during the iddat period of Bushra Bibi The iddat period is a waiting period that a Muslim woman must observe on account of the death of her husband or dissolution of the marriage In 2018 the PTI chief tied the knot with Bushra Bibi after divorce from her former husband Khawar Farid Maneka S ta f f R e p o R t

Pakistan, Iran hold joint consular commission meeting after eight years

TEHRAN: Iran and Pakistan held the sixth joint consular commission meeting following an eight-year hiatus the Iranian Foreign Ministry said The meeting is co-chaired by Iran s Deputy Foreign Minister for Consular Affairs Alireza Bikdeli and Pakistan s Deputy Interior Minister Syed Ali Murtaza in the Iranian capital Tehran on Monday During the meeting, the two sides discussed important consular issues including implementing bilateral judicial agreements on the convicts’ transfer and criminals extradition and expanding judicial cooperation They also talked about improving cooperation between the two countries police and border guards as well as promoting scientific and academic exchanges The fifth joint consular commission meeting of Iran and Pakistan was held in the latter s capital Islamabad in April 2015 S ta f f R e p o R t

no-confidence vote that led to his ouster

At the outset of the press conference in Islamabad, Sanaullah said Azam’s statement was a “charge sheet against Imran Khan Niazi” “It shows who conspired against this country and its institutions and played a game for his personal and political interest while damaging the country s interests On the one hand, he pushed the economy into a crisis and on the other, damaged the country’s foreign ties,” he maintained

The minister said this person had “committed a crime” for which he should be punished at all costs as those who played with the country s interests have confessed their crime And former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi was also fully involved in this crime”, he added

Elaborating on the alleged crime he said “Making a classified document or a [piece of] information public and then taking it in one s possession no person is legally eligible to have it (cipher) in their custody

The minister also likened the case to proceedings initiated against former US presi-

dent Donald Trump on allegations of mishandling classified documents He further alleged that while “Imran told Azam that the cipher had gone missing, my assessment is that he (Imran) still has it”

So the cypher is with him He has not just committed the crime of making it public but he continues to be guilty of a crime by keeping it in his possession until he is arrested in this case and the cypher is recovered, the minister said During the press conference, the interior minister was also asked about whether a case against those involved in the alleged conspiracy would be registered under Article 6 (high treason) of the Constitution

The law department s opinion would be the final [decision] on this, but I think the Official Secrets Act is more relevant [in this case],”

the interior minister said “Nevertheless this is a punishable crime to conspire against the country expose a secret document and use it for your own interests and to damage the country s interest and then to steal it, take it in your possession this is a clear crime under the Official Se-

crets Act and it should be prosecuted

A punishment should be meted out over this and the [cipher] should be recovered,” he said Asked whether this case would also be referred to a “special court” as others being conducted under the Official Secrets Act he replied in the affirmative

Yes this case will definitely be referred to a special court, he said emphatically Responding to a question about the PTI chief s arrest in various cases against him, Sanaullah said “Whether he is arrested first or gets convicted by the court either of these decisions could be made Meanwhile investigations against him in various cases were being conducted in which evidence is also being collected and he is also being prosecuted He also clarified that action in the case pertaining to the cipher would be limited to Imran Qureshi any other of their “political associates possibly involved in the matter

The then-foreign secretary and Azam were not involved in exposing the cipher, keeping it in their private possession and playing it up,” and hence, no action would

Wife challenges detention in LHC as Per vaiz Elahi shifted to Adiala Jail

t

Former Punjab CM and Pakistan Tehreeke-Insaf (PTI) President Pervaiz Elahi has been shifted to the Adiala Jail while his wife has challenged his detention under the Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order

(3 MPO) in the Lahore High Court (LHC)

According to jail officials, Pervaiz Elahi was moved from Camp Jail at 5am on Wednesday (today) and shifted to Adiala via motorway The former Punjab chief minister was arrested under 3 MPO on the orders of deputy commissioner Lahore According to sources within the jail, due to the high-profile nature of the case, Elahi has been transferred with the govern-

days The Lahore deputy commissioner s order said that Elahi would be kept in Lahore Camp Jail where he had already been confined

This decision has been taken after the recommendation made by the Lahore district intelligence committee the notification mentioned

According to the documents obtained by The News the committee has reported that Elahi is PTI s leading member and a flamboyant orator

He can incite people to create a law and order situation The Model Town SP and district intelligence committee have reported that Elahi is capable of creating mischief and disorder and there is a real fear that his sympathisers can harm lives and

Punjab imposes Sec tion 144, c alls in Army to assist police in Ashura security

LAHORE

The Punjab Home Department on Wednesday decided to impose Section 144 and call in Pakistan Army to assist police in maintain law and order and public safety during first 10 days of the holy month of Muharram In this regard, a notification has also been issued to implement Section 144 across Punjab during Ashur-e-Muharram According to the notification, the provincial government has requested for keeping Army personnel stand by to assist the police in maintaining law and order especially in sensitive areas

The Home Department is of the view that help and assistance of the army personnel will be required especially on Muharram 8 9 and Ashura day to ensure public safety in sensitive areas The Army personnel will also be kept stand by along routes of main processions on Muharram 9 and Ashura day The notification also outlines several other restrictions to maintain security during religious observances These measures include a ban on taking out new processions gatherings and any activities that may lead to potential dis-

ruptions of public order Additionally the use of knives swords and sticks during processions has also been strictly prohibited To ensure the safety of residents and participants during Muharram processions, the authorities have also imposed a ban on people standing on the roofs of houses and shops along the procession routes This measure aims to prevent any accidents or incidents that may occur due to overcrowding or unsafe behavior

Furthermore, in an effort to minimize the risks associated with motorcycle-related incidents during the climax

of the religious observance on 9th and 10th Muharram the ban on pillion riding has been implemented This measure seeks to reduce the number of people on the roads thus reducing the potential for accidents and maintaining public safety Section 144 is a legal provision that empowers the local administration to prohibit the assembly of five or more persons public processions and demonstrations to prevent any potential threat to public peace and tranquility In the context of Muharram, the implementation of Section 144 aims to prevent any untoward incidents during this sensitive period

Caretaker chief minister urges swift rainwater drainage

RAWALPINDI S ta f f R e p o R t

Caretaker Punjab Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi issued urgent directives to the district administration and concerned authorities on Wednesday to promptly utilize all available resources for the completion of the rainwater drainage operation

The action was prompted by heavy rainfall in Rawalpindi on Tuesday night, leading to the inundation of low-lying areas

A district administration spokesman revealed that the chief minister had specifically instructed Rescue 1122 Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) and the district administration to prioritise the immediate drainage of water from affected areas Stressing the urgency of the situation, the chief minister ordered officers from relevant institu-

tions to remain in the field until the drainage work was successfully accomplished To address the risk of urban flooding in drains, he emphasized that all necessary precautionary measures should be taken Continuous monitoring of the situation in Lai drain was also advised Following the completion of the drainage operation a comprehensive report was to be submitted to the Chief Minister ’s Office Meanwhile Rawalpindi Commissioner Liaquat Ali Chatha declared a rain emergency in the city due to heavy rainfall since Tuesday night In response, he directed all relevant departments to be on high alert He personally visited various areas in the city to assess the arrangements made by the Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) to mitigate the effects of urban flooding Notably the water level in Kattarian had reached 17 feet while Gawalmandi reported a water level of 13 5 feet

be taken against them, he explained

: While the PML-N praised the alleged confession as evidence of wrongdoing the PTI stood firm on the existence of the cipher Responding to reporters queries after appearing for a hearing at an Islamabad court, the PTI chief said, “Azam Khan is an honest man Until I hear it from his mouth I will not accept any statement PTI s Farrukh Habib responded to the development by alleging that Azam was first abducted, after which all law enforcement and investigative agencies denied having him in their custody

“Today suddenly news emerges that [Azam Khan’s] statement has been recorded to the magistrate under [Section] 164 Habib said

property

They have proposed to keep Elahi under custody for 30 days Two FIRs no 22/604 and 22/1822 have been registered against him at Qila Gujjar Singh Police Station while an FIR 23/1150 has been registered at Ghalib Market Police Station

According to investigations under these FIRs, it has been proved that Elahi and his companions are involved in arson, terrorism, and putting resistance against law enforcement agencies

The deputy commissioner ’s order said Elahi could contact the Punjab government against the decision

Despite getting bail on July 11, Elahi remains incarcerated A local court in Lahore had ordered the PTI president’s release on bail in the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) money laundering case against him Elahi was initially arrested on June 1 in a graft case amid a crackdown on PTI in the wake of the May 9 protests He was rearrested multiple times after this in different cases, including the two money laundering cases

CPEC emerges as most successful, transformative project for Pakistan: minister

ISLAMABAD: China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) emerged as the most successful and transformative project for his country ushering in a new era of regional connectivity and economic prosperity an official said It was the transformative impact of CPEC that China became the top foreign direct investor in Pakistan within just three years of the project s initiation in 2013, Pakistan’s Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal said He made the remarks at a seminar titled “China-Pakistan Economic Corridor at Ten: A Gateway to Regional Connectivity organised by the Islamabad Policy Research Institute, a think tank The minister said China has become a key economic partner of Pakistan through implementing the multi-billion-dollar project Terming CPEC as a game changer for Pakistan and beyond he said that the project has helped Pakistan in overcoming severe energy shortages by adding thousands of megawatts of electricity as well as establishing a vibrant road and rail infrastructure across the country He added that special economic zones (SEZs) and social welfare projects have also been implemented in the country especially in the southwest Gwadar district to boost socio-economic development Highlighting the role of the SEZs in enhancing trade, Iqbal said that China would provide Pakistan with technical knowhow and expertise to increase exports and help the successful execution of the economic zones under the CPEC project Pakistan wants Chinese assistance to increase its exports and in the successful execution of the SEZs, the minister said He said that the second phase of CPEC is business-to-business cooperation not government-to-government

“The country needs to move towards industrial cooperation now under CPEC Pakistan needed export-oriented policies if it wanted to have sustainable economic growth, Iqbal said, stressing the importance of having surplus production of various items to increase the country’s exports m o n i to R n g R e p o R t

neighboring countries, including China, Afghanistan, Iran, and even India

Speakers at a seminar emphasized that Pakistan must not miss out on the enormous opportunity presented by the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project despite the ruling elite s strong social and economic links with the West which have previously impeded progress on the multi-billion-dollar project

The remarks were made during a seminar titled “Navigating Challenging Times: US-China Relations and Pakistan ” organized by the Pak Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS) in Islamabad The event brought together lawmakers former diplomats retired military officers, academics, and regional

trade and international relations experts to discuss the complexities of US-China relations and their impact on Pakistan Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed Chairman of the Senate Standing Committee on Defence and Chairman of the PakistanChina Institute, emphasized that the future lies in regional economic connectivity He stressed the need for Pakistan to open its borders avoid a new cold war and redefine national security to include human security climate change, energy, food security, water scarcity, population, and education Senator Mushahid highlighted the strategic strength of the China-Pakistan relationship stating that China needs Pakistan and vice versa Retired Lieutenant General Muhammad

Masood Aslam former Corps Commander Peshawar emphasized that Beijing has its own strategic interests that drive strategic and economic investments in Pakistan He noted that the rivalry between the US and China has led to a closer relationship between the US and India, which has complex implications for Pakistan and the broader geopolitical landscape of South Asia and the Indian Ocean Aslam urged Pakistan to prioritize economic diplomacy and make it the main pillar of its foreign policy He stressed the importance of focusing on areas such as food security, climate change, health, technology provision counterterrorism and poverty alleviation He emphasized that Pakistan s diplomacy must be closely linked

with its economy Political analyst Afrasiab Khattak echoed the sentiment that Pakistan s historical connections and economic dependence on the West have hindered its transformation He stressed the importance of not missing the great opportunity presented by CPEC and suggested that Pakistan should diversify its economic relations with the Middle East China and neighboring countries as part of its transformation Khattak also warned of a potential new cold war and expressed concerns that Pakistan could be used by the Western world against China, cautioning that militancy structures still exist within the country He called for fundamental policy changes and maintaining relations with all

Farhatullah Babar a leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and former senator emphasized the need for Pakistan to prioritize regional peace and trade which are essential for economic development He called for a review of the country s economic model, stating that the current model is not conducive to growth Amir Rana Director of PIPS highlighted the challenge Pakistan faces in balancing its relations with the US and China He noted that while the US is an old ally, China is Pakistan s neighbor Rana pointed out that vested business interests in Pakistan are primarily tied to the West creating a critical challenge and obstacle to transformation

The seminar shed light on the importance of seizing the opportunities presented by CPEC, navigating the complexities of US-China relations, and redefining Pakistan’s foreign policy to prioritize regional economic connectivity and cooperation

S peakers blame ruling elite for hindering transformation despite Pakistan’s massive oppor tunity with CPEC expansion

MINISTER DISCUSSES ECONOMIC REVIVAL, CULTURAL COOPERATION WITH AUSTRALIA ENVOY

ISLAMABAD

S ta f f R e p o R t

IN a meeting with the Australian ambassador to Pakistan, Neil Hawkins, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb expressed the government s commitment to reviving the economy under the vision of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif

The meeting also focused on strengthening bilateral relations, economic stability, and cooperation in the fields of film, art and culture

Minister Aurangzeb praised the current government s efforts in stabilizing Pakistan s economy crediting government initiatives for the positive economic results that have begun to emerge

She highlighted the establishment of the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) which aims to ensure effective policy implementation for economic recovery and will function as the apex decision-

Ruling coalition mulls options to dissolve assemblies ahead of schedule

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 01

The elections are approaching after months of political and economic turmoil, with uncertainty even to the extent that the vote might be delayed for at least one year A caretaker government has 90 days in which to hold a general election when a government hands over power early but it would have had 60 days if the government had handed over power at the designated time Prime Minister

Shehbaz Sharif s coalition took over after his predecessor, Imran Khan, was ousted in a contentious vote of no confidence in parliament in April of last year Ever since then Khan has been campaigning for a snap election organising protests across the country and raising tensions with the powerful military, which Khan accuses of plotting against him

making forum

The minister emphasized the government s belief in freedom of expression citing the introduction of the Freedom of Expression Bill in Parliament during the government s first week in power

She further mentioned that the Journalists and Media Professionals Protection

(Amendment) Bill was in the process of approval and ample funds had been allocated for the health insurance of journalists and artists in this year s budget

Regarding the film industry, Aurangzeb announced that, for the first time, budgetary allocation had been made for the film industry in the current fiscal year The government’s aim is to showcase Pakistan s culture civilization and heritage to the world through screen tourism

She informed the ambassador about the upcoming National Amateur Film Festival, which is designed to highlight the creativity of Pakistani youth Notably 25 high achievers had been sent to Australia

to participate in the festival

To support the film sector, the government had established a film finance fund worth Rs2 billion and provided several concessions The new film policy would facilitate funds for producing films documentaries and dramas Minister Aurangzeb also encouraged foreign filmmakers to take advantage of

OCAC warns OGRA’s decision to reduce diesel price comes at industry’s expense

special concessions in the field of photog-

raphy and filmmaking in Pakistan

In the realm of journalism the minister revealed that the PEMRA law was undergoing amendments, and journalistic organizations were now represented in the PEMRA authority, a first for the country

The ambassador appreciated the efforts of the current government in stabilizing the economy and achieving an agreement with the International Monetary Fund He also acknowledged Minister Aurangzeb s dedication to promoting film, culture, and freedom of expression in Pakistan

The meeting between Aurangzeb and Neil Hawkins concluded with optimism especially in terms of the Australian company s involvement in the Reko Diq project in Balochistan which is expected to contribute to Pakistan s development The two countries reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening ties and cooperation in various domains fostering a mutually beneficial relationship

Cypher-gate a ‘premeditated plot ’ to gain political mileage: Azam Khan

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 01

Later, after his removal, Prime Minister

Shehbaz Sharif convened a meeting of the NSC which came to the conclusion that it had found no evidence of a foreign conspiracy in the cypher

In the two audio leaks that took the internet by storm and shocked the public after these events, the former prime minister, then-federal minister Asad Umar, and then-principle secretary Azam could allegedly be heard discussing the US cypher and how to use it in their interest

On September 30 the federal cabinet took notice of the matter and constituted a committee to probe the contents of the audio leaks

Summar y sent to President for final NA session tomorrow

ISLAMABAD: The government has decided to summon the National Assembly reportedly for the final session on Thursday evening

A summary to the effect has been sent to the President for summoning the lower house session at 5:00pm on Thursday (tomorrow)

This will be the final session of the outgoing National Assembly that will complete its fiveyear term on August 13 According to media reports key legislation with regard to amendments in the Election Act 2017 and electoral reforms will be the final piece of the legislation to be passed by the current lower house It would also include group photo sessions and farewell speeches of the members of the assembly The heads of parliamentary parties and leader of the opposition Raja Riaz are also expected to address the session

People s Party the ruling party in Sindh has reached to an understanding with the federal government to dissolve the provincial legislature along with the National Assembly S ta f f R e p o Rt

CTD star ts identification process of suicide attackers

PESHAWAR: The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Wednesday sent blood samples of suicide attackers on FC personnel for DNA test and identification An official of KP police said that the teams of CTD visited the blast site here last night and obtained CCTV footages in the vicinity of Hayatabad and also recorded the statements of the residents near the explosion

The teams also obtained the engine and chassis number of the vehicle used in the blast and sent for forensic check and identification of the owner It is pertinent to mention here that a suicide blast occurred on FC’s vehicle in Phase 6 of Hayatabad areas the other day in which eight FC personnel were injured S ta f f R e p o Rt

In October the cabinet gave the green signal to initiate action against the former prime minister and handed over the case to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA)

Once FIA was given the task to probe the matter, it summoned Khan, Umar and other leaders of the party but the PTI chief challenged the summons and secured a stay order from the court

F I A TO P R O B E ‘C Y P H E R-G AT E’

S C A N D A L: On the other hand, Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on Interior and Legal Affairs

Attaullah Tarar on Wednesday said Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has been tasked with investigation into the cypher-gate scandal

Addressing a press conference here the SAPM said that the Lahore High Court (LHC) for the last five months, had issued a stay order to stop proceedings against Imran Khan Niazi for violating Official Secret Act by making public the cypher at a public rally but that stay order has been vacated now and FIA has been allowed to carry out investigation

He claimed that keeping ‘cypher ’ in personal custody and making it public after being removed from the office of the Prime Minister was a crime

It was a violation of the Official Secret Act and the oath of the Prime Minister said Tarrar, adding that Imran Khan Niazi’s close confidant

Azam Khan declared him criminal in his statement

He said after the statement of Azam Khan former principal secretary to Imran Khan Nizai when he was prime minister, the narrative of Absolutely Not” was also exposed that it was fabricated by Imran Niazi for his personal political gains

LHC WITHDRAWS STAY ORDER

AGAINST FIA CALL-UP NOTICE

TO E X-P M: Earlier on Tuesday, the Lahore High Court (LHC) withdrew a stay order against the call-up notice to former prime minister Imran Khan by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in an inquiry into an audio leak relating to the cypher controversy

Justice Ali Baqar Najafi recalled the stay, allowing an appeal of the federal government challenging the stay secured by Mr Khan on Dec 6, 2022 The judge had reserved his verdict after hearing arguments of the government the other day and the verdict was announced on Tuesday

Deputy Attorney General Asad Ali Bajwa argued in court that the FIA had launched an inquiry with lawful authority and summoned the former prime minister He said Mr Khan had concealed facts before the court and secured a stay against the FIA notice Learned counsel for the writ petitioner despite under notice is not available without any prior intimation to this court but the proxy counsel requests for an adjournment and therefore only learned additional and deputy attorney generals are heard Justice Najafi observed in his order

The judge recalled the restraining order by allowing the application of the government

Back in December 2022 the PTI chairman in his writ petition had contended that the FIA initiated the inquiry into the alleged audio leak pertaining to the diplomatic cypher, but the notice sent by FIA was silent about any criminal wrongdoing committed by the petitioner

day reacted to former prime minister ’s ex-principal secretary Azam Khan’s what they described as cypher drama statement

In a statement, the PTI spokesperson said that the unverified statement associated with Azam Khan is full of contradictions The statement further read that Azam Khan’s disappearance case is registered and the police have failed to find him out

According to legal experts, recording a statement before the magistrate under Article 164 is unimaginable The PTI spokesperson said that the former prime minister has already revealed the real reasons and outcome of the forced disappearance and illegal arrests

Furthermore National Security Committee (NSC) has already verified the content of the US cypher, and the cabinet committee declassified and analyzed the cypher before it was tabled to NSC the spokesperson added

Meanwhile the Chairman Senate and President urged the Chief Justice o f P a k i s t a n ( C J P ) t o i n v e s t i g a t e t h e US cypher I n s t e a d o f f a l s e s t a t e m e n t , t h e government should inform the nation and court regarding the whereabouts o f A z a m K h a n a n d w h a t a r e t h e c h a rg e s a g a i n s t h i m t h e P T I spokesperson said

On the other side, the PTI chairman and former prime minister said in his reaction to Azam Khan’s statement that he will not comment on the matter until the complete information comes out He said that it s not known yet in what circumstances Azam Khan made these statements

Earlier, Azam Khan, ex-principal secretary to the PTI chairman and former prime minister made startling revelations and claimed that the former PM used US cypher for his political gains and to avert a no-confidence motion against him

Khan, who had earlier been missing” since last month, suddenly appeared before the scene and made startling revelations about US cypher while recording his statement under the CrPC 164 before a magistrate

FIA summons Imran Khan in Cypher probe on 25th

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 01

The FIA has stated that Imran Khan as the former Prime Minister of Pakistan is aware of the facts pertaining to this probe The notice mentions that two previous notices were issued to Khan for attendance, but he did not comply with them In light of this Imran Khan is once again directed to appear in person on Tuesday July 25 2023 at 12:00 hours at the FIA headquarters in G-9/4, Islamabad, before the Joint Enquiry

Team He is required to bring all relevant information and documents related to the cipher telegram that are believed to be in his possession or under his domain Imran Khan may be asked to truthfully and honestly answer questions regarding the probe The FIA further requests that he provide any documentary evidence supporting his claims related to the aforementioned matter Non-compliance with this notice may imply that Imran Khan has nothing

to say in his defense, and ex-parte action may be initiated based on the available evidence on record

The summoning of Imran Khan by the FIA in the cipher probe marks a significant development in the investigation The outcome of his appearance before the Joint Enquiry Team and the subsequent proceedings will be closely watched, as it could have far-reaching implications for the former Prime Minister and the ongoing investigation into the alleged unauthorized disclosure of classified information

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 01

To address these concerns OCAC called for an urgent meeting with industry representatives to conduct a thorough assessment of the situation based on factual evidence, with the objective of mitigating any potential future impacts on pricing and achieve a mutually agreeable resolution The OCAC s letter sheds light on the industry s mounting concerns and underscores the need for OGRA to take immediate action to address these issues in a fair and equitable manner for both the industry and consumers The industry’s urgent request for a meeting aims to foster an open dialogue between the industry and the regulator in hopes of finding a resolution that safeguards the interests of all stakeholders As the oil industry raises alarm bells, the fate of the HSD price reduction and its consequences for the industry remain uncertain The coming days will likely witness intensified discussions between OCAC and OGRA to find a way forward and ensure a balanced approach to the pricing mechanism in the oil sector

Supreme Cour t seeks government directive on militar y cour t appeals

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 01

Calling the military trial an apt and proportionate response the government told the top court that the Army Act and the Official Secrets Act not only predate the Constitution, but were never, till date, challenged Pakistan s current constitution was imposed in 1973 The government said this in a written response after petitions against military trials of accused civilians were filed by former chief justice Jawwad S Khawaja Aitzaz Ahsan Karamat Ali, and Khan, the chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Sharif announced last week that he will hand over reigns to a caretaker setup next month as general elections in Pakistan are due in October Military trials are being held after an inquiry into the May 9 protests The government told the court: The events of May 9 were neither localised nor isolated and indicated a premeditated and intentional attempt to undermine the country’s armed forces and inhibit the country’s internal security ” The director general of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Maj Gen Ahmad Sharif revealed last month that 102 protesters allegedly involved in the attacks were being tried in military courts, already established under the Army Act Besides the sackings, Sharif added that “strict disciplinary” action was taken against another 15 officers including three major generals and seven brigadier-rank officers At least eight people were killed and over 300 others including policemen wounded in the protests, and thousands of activists and supporters of Khan were detained over their alleged involvement

17 people killed as heav y rains lash par ts of countr y

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 01

PUNJAB CM ORDERS WATER DRAINAGE FROM LOW LYING

AREAS: Taking the risks into account Punjab s interim Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi directed the Pakistan Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) officials to drain rainwater accumulated in the low lying areas of Rawalpindi He ordered emergency steps to be taken in this regard and a progress report should be submitted in the CM office Meanwhile Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) Rawalpindi was also put on high alert to cope with urban flooding while a rain emergency was declared directing the residents settled along Nullah Lai and in low-lying areas to move to safer places WASA managing director said He said that WASA personnel were deployed in different city areas along with heavy machinery, particularly at low-lying areas including Raja Bazar, Bohar Bazar, Jamia Masjid Road, Murree Road, Nadeem Colony, Javed Colony Sadiqabad Satellite Town and other areas Water level in Nallah Lai was being monitored regularly he added

ISLAMABAD S ta f f R e p o R t

The Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) on Wednesday unveiled its manifesto to reflect collective thinking and political character of the party leadership besides outlining a roadmap of public service and national development

Sharing main features of the IPP s manifesto, the party’s Central Information Secretary Firdous Ashiq Awan stated that at the heart of the IPP’s manifesto lies a strong emphasis on upholding the sanctity of Prophethood and defending it making it the party s foremost priority

Moreover, the party s focus on youth empowerment is evident through the introduction of special packages which were unprecedented in previous party manifestos

The youth will have access to easy loans to support their entrepreneurial ventures and benefit from innovative plans aimed at revo-

lutionising the IT sector In an effort to uplift the poor and middle-class families the manifesto promises to provide free electricity up to 300 units per household

Additionally, the labourers will receive a minimum wage of Rs50 000 To promote sustainable agriculture the IPP intends to transfer tube wells to subsidised solar panels and implement agrarian reforms Healthcare and women s empowerment are also high on the IPP s agenda, with plans to establish modern and equipped free dispensaries at the Union Council (UC) level and provide opportunities for women to thrive in various fields Addressing environmental concerns the IPP pledges to introduce airconditioned electric buses for citizens convenience and undertake crucial dam and reservoir projects as part of their sovereign foreign policy manifesto The manifesto also underscores the importance of promoting sports and local

tourism industries protecting minority rights and safeguarding the property and rights of overseas Pakistanis Concrete measures to combat terrorism in the country and improve the systems of the police department, administration judiciary and tax collection are among the IPP s top priorities

The manifesto pledges to engage in responsible foreign policy promoting international cooperation and collaboration It also stresses the significance of developing the sports industry and local tourism while protecting the rights of minorities and overseas Pakistanis On the national security front the manifesto outlines concrete measures to combat terrorism improve the police department administration judiciary and tax collection systems, ensuring a safe and stable environment for citizens Awan declared the manifesto to be the foundation of a ‘Digital Pakistan’, and the IPP envisions becoming the pioneer in establishing a stable strong and prosperous nation

IMF’s conditions

IT was famously said There ain t no such thing as a free lunch” and that clearly applies to the International Monetary Fund s Stand-By Arrangement with Pakistan, whereby it is to give it $3 billion over nine months The IMF has made public its staff report on the new SBA, which has succeeded the last ESAF and it makes it clear that some of the problems of the Pakistani economy are to be tackled, but the focus is on the 2023-2024 Budget passed last month by the National Assembly One of the conditions of the loan is that there are to be no tax amnesties Another condition is going to make the consumer scream, as both power and gas tariffs are going to go up Apparently, the IMF does not see any other way of tackling the circular debt problem which long bedevilled the power sector, and is now developing in the gas sector

Of interest is the insistence on the need to coordinate the interbank and open-market rates did not exceed 1 25 percent for more than three business days At present values, that works out to about Rs 4 That means the sleight of hand associated with Finance Minister Ishaq Dar is ruled out Senator Dar believes that the country is suffering imported inflation, because of the falling s travails are not overstanrupee At the same time, the IMF must concede that it and Senator Dar think alike After all, the IMF is also much concerned about foreign exchange, and has strongly criticized his moves to conserve foreign exchange While Pakistan cannot claim to be out of the woods, whatever the coalition government might say, it has seen some positive developments, After the IMF’s SBA and the Saudi and UAE deposits, there has been a roll-over from the Chinese Exim Bank, which means a further improvement in the country s reserves That has been behind the current account surplus recorded for the fourth consecutive month in June, which meant that the final deficit was $2 56 billion a signal improvement on the $17 48 billion the previous year

The IMF’s own report indicates that Pakistan’s travails are not yet over It says that there must be continued adjustment and creditor support after the SBA is over Clearly, the breathing space the SBA represents is not to reconstruct or reform the economy but merely to transition to a freshly elected government Clearly, there is a greater need than ever for a Charter of the Economy so that creditors can support the country knowing what economic policies are being followed

Dedicated to the legac y of late Hameed Nizami

Arif Nizami (Late)

Founding Editor

Yousaf Nizami Editor

M A Niazi Joint Editor Umar Aziz Executive Editor

TH E armed forces and judiciary have their own internal accountability mechanisms

Accountability is like law, either it applies to everyone or no one According to the Director General ISPR (Inter Services Public Relations) in the aftermath of the May 9 incidents two high level inquiries were conducted by GHQ as part of the internal accountability mechanism of the Army Amongst the sacked serving officers were one-, twoand three-star generals Also included in the list were family members of retired four- and three-star generals There is a Punjabi saying; “Manji thalay daang maaro (Wave your stick under your bed) While action on part of the High Command is appreciable it must continue for the enhanced security of the nation and to stall future adventurism by men in uniform

Till November 2022, five four-star Generals crossed the laid- down constitutional boundaries for which they should be held accountable Ayub Khan who promoted himself as Field Marshal (five stars) abrogated the 1956 constitution and imposed Martial Law in the country Finally when he was forced to leave in March 1969, Yahya Khan took over after deposing Ayub Khan and his imposed 1962 constitution

In the famous Asma Jilani s case, the Supreme Court of Pakistan under Chief Justice Hamoodur Rehman declarnal accountability has not stopped four takeoversed the takeovers by Ayub and Yahya illegal and ordered the release of her father Ghulam Jilani Khan the untiring activist for civilian supremacy and rule of law who was detained under the Martial Law orders

As Bhutto had taken over from Yahya as Chief Martial Law Administrator (CMLA) an interim constitution had to be passed in 1972 under which Martial Law was lifted and Bhutto took oath of office as President He remained in this position till the enactment of the permanent 1973 version Pervez Musharraf was tried and convicted under Article 6 of the constitution after which he had to flee the country to avoid punishment and returned only after his death Zia the fourth usurper and chief tormentor of the nation escaped the law unscathed and so did Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa who has openly admitted to his role in destabilizing an elected government that has led to an unending crisis

Now that the internal accountability mechanism has started it should also investigate the 5 July 1977 take over by Zia and the 19 April 2022 change of government when President Arif Alvi refused to take oath from the cabinet of an under-trial Prime Minister Most analysts are of the opinion that the partyless 1985 elections resulted in the slide down which has continued unabated with the collapse of civilian institutions, with Police being the hardest hit The

destabilization of a functioning civilian regime that started in April last year led to the painful events of May 9 The excessive use of force on peaceful marchers of 25 May 2022 was also unprecedented in the history of political struggle in the country Pakistan has been a constitutional democracy for half a century (1973 to 2023) yet the unanimously agreed agreement between the rulers and ruled has been repeatedly violated by successive military and civilian governments Individuals who violated the legal boundaries were never held accountable for their misdeeds The trial of Pervez Musharraf under Article 6 will go down in history as the hallmark of Nawaz Sharif s political innings It was because of this conviction that General Bajwa chose another clandestine route to power for which he should be held liable Both Zia and Bajwa should face the internal accountability mechanism; it will indeed be a test of the viability of the system Zia for his Operation Fairplay which resulted in Foul Pla and Bajwa for Operation Regime Change which has led to unending instability and return of the Thugs to the corridors of power I had the chance of meeting Gen Muhammad Sharif, as Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee the senior most four-star General at the time of takeover in July 1977 According to him he contacted Zia and asked him to go back to the barracks Zia urged General Sharif to continue as CJSC with a promise to hold elections within the stipulated 90 days When the promise of holding elections was not kept, General Sharif stepped down In the Supreme Court Zia promised to hold elections in the shortest possible time He cheated the nation through a false referendum in which even religion was not spared Zia s misrule continued for

over 11 years till he died in a plane crash in August 1988 paving way for general elections

General Bajwa’s negative role in Kashmir has been recently discussed on the media He forced his extension and then masterminded toppling the elected government and replacing it with corrupt politicians who then took care of their court cases while the economy collapsed Five four-star Generals violated the constitution and ruled against the will of the people for which three of them have been held accountable (Ayub Yahya Musharraf) Zia and Bajwa’s conduct should also be investigated to send a clear message that no one is above the law not even fourstar Generals The process of accountability should not stop at the three-star level for it to be called an All Stars Internal Accountability Process of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan If this does not take place then the internal accountability system should go through thorough review together with the required reforms resulting in strengthening of the vital national institution After which the internal accountability mechanism of the Judiciary should also be reviewed The reference filed against the designated CJ was also mishandled The Supreme Judicial Council failed to implement its findings as the brother judges intervened through a larger bench Internal Accountability can only be effective if neutrality prevails with focus on long term institutional interests while overriding personal loyalties It should apply to all ranks including the four star-Generals who cross the constitutional boundaries

The writer is ex-Chairman Pakistan Science Foundation He can be contacted at: fmaliks@hotmail com

Pakistan’s Voting Dilemma: Societal pressures undermining democracy

streets of Sindh and in political gatherings

E d i t o r ’ s m a i l

Send your letters to: Letters to Editor Pakistan Today 4-Shaarey Fatima Jinnah Lahore Pakistan E-mail: letters@pakistantoday com pk Letters should be addressed to Pakistan Today exclusively

Water scarcit y

VO T I N G in elections is an essential tool that determines the destiny of the state In the case of Pakistan voting has been a lot more than personal free will A number of societal factors play an influential role in voting The Sardars of Balochistan, Waderas of Sindh, Chaudharys of Punjab, and Khans of KPK, all these feudal or tribal lords have an impactg on a particular public There also exists family pressure because of a traditional norm of voting for a particular political party Peer pressure also has an important role in influencing the vote of their close ones

Those pressures can be financial, cultural, religious, psychological, and societal All these voting pressures and failure of free will is a mockery of the democratic system of Pakistan

The feudal elites of Pakistan have a particular public as their workers or labourers who vote according to the will of their Sardar, Wadera, Chaudhary, or Khan Because these people are highly dependent on these feudal elites for their household income and daily wages they cannot prioritize or sacrifice their money by exercising their free will when voting For these people the feudal lords are more important than the government because they support them financially Except for the financial factors, there is also an element of fear to

There is a need for awareness policies from the Government, media and NGOs to highlight the impor tance of voting to the people of Pakistan. Also, the Government of Pakistan should take necessar y steps to overcome pover ty, religious extremism, and feudalism to reduce these societal pressures on the decision-making of a voter

not go against the tribal leaders or feudal elite because as mentioned above, for them such tribal leaders or feudal elite is the government

Because of such public support, these feudal elites accomplish their politcal gains and personal interests

Religion is the most influential tool to dictate someone s actions in a religiously sensitive state like Pakistan There is a prominent role of religious people like Sajjada Nasheens of different shrines, who influence a particular religious public Most of the people blindly follow what their Murshids say to them So, for them, manipulating and convincing a huge public of their followers to vote for a certain party is not a difficult task Because of the religious affiliation the followers are motivated or pressurized to vote according to the will of their ‘Murshid ’ The norm or set tradition of voting for a particular political party is very common in Pakistan

The norm or set tradition of voting for a par ticular political par ty is very common in Pakistan The future generations are born in an environment which pressurizes them to act in a cer tain way, vote for a par ticular political par ty.

In the 21s century, peer pressure has changed from being a circle of friends that one hangs around with, and now its friendship has become digital and so has the peer pressure Social media can be the most important 21 t century tool of pressurizing anyone especially friends to vote for somebody This type of peer effect is most common in the youth of Pakistan The youth is someone who feels a sense of legitimacy by following any trend These actions help politicians to gain free publicity Such youth are also termed Keyboard Warriors for motivation In the case of PTI, Imran Khan and PTI has a huge social media fan following but what happens is that some people in peer pressure or to follow the trend mainly for views, they start supporting the same and it creates a whole peer pressure of voting

SUPPLY of safe clean and drinkable water to the people of Karachi it seems has become an issue that has no immediate solution in the foreseeable future

Let history be witness to the fact that the city that cumulatively pays more taxes than any other in the country has no value in the eyes of the decision-makers who are not bothered if the tax-paying people are in the grip of an intense and protracted water shortage In the same city, the water-tanker mafia continues to thrive owing to maladministration

It was startling to hear a senior politician recently stating publicly that he himself had to purchase tanker water One wonders whether it was a political statement to reveal his own misery or inaptness or a political statement to sound like one of the masses Regardless of what the statement was meant to communicate, it has brought the issue of water scarcity in Karachi under the spotlight It serves as a stark reminder that urgent action, a comprehensive strategy, and constructive planning are needed to address the prevalent water crisis in the mega city This could be achieved by doing away with the tanker mafia and implementing sustainable solutions for the long-term benefit of the city s residents

It is imperative for the government civil society and citizens to come together and work towards ensuring people s access to clean and safe water, which is a fundamental right of every individual The tanker mafia in the city is a shadowy network, which is known for its illegal control over water distribution, charging exorbitant prices for water tankers To control this hydra-headed monster the colossal responsibility solely lies on the shoulders of the ruling party in the province

SYED SADAQAT HUSSAIN KARACHI

Palm trees

The future generations are born in an environment which pressurizes them to act in a certain way, vote for a particular political party This pressure can be based on historical interactions of the family with the party any financial help or sometimes because of strong cultural or religious affinity with such a party

A major example of such family pressure for voting can be seen in the voting pattern in Sindh and such traditional affinity with the Pakistan Peoples Party It could be witnessed that the most famous discourse in the political rhetoric of the PPP is associated with the Bhutto Family So the PPP cashes that political affiliation of such families with the Bhutto family to exploit them and gain votes The chants of Naraye Bhutto, Jiye Bhutto,” can still be heard from the

By analyzing the mentioned social pressures on a particular human being while voting in Pakistan depicts the failure of democracy in the state Free will of the individual is the major characteristic of democratic voting which is unfortunately missing in Pakistan Some of these pressures are not related to the psychology of the people

So, overall, there is a need for awareness policies from the Government, media and NGOs to highlight the importance of voting to the people of Pakistan Also the Government of Pakistan should take necessary steps to overcome poverty religious extremism and feudalism to reduce these societal pressures on the decision-making of a voter

The writer is a freelance columnist

A B O U T six years ago, I wrote a letter Planting palm trees (Feb 6, 2017) about the folly of planting such trees in Islamabad It seems the people running the horticulture department of the Capital Development Authority (CDA) are adamant that they will repeat the experiment over and over again in the hope that someday a miracle will happen and that the full-grown replanted palm trees will survive the inhabitable environment of Islamabad

This year too about hundreds of full-grown palm trees have been planted around the newly-constructed faulty PWD interchange, while the electricity poles planted a year ago for illuminating the relevant portion of the expressway are still not functional It pains me to see these expensive and majestic trees dying due to lack of care and an unfriendly climate In fact, these full-grown palm trees are now nothing but an ugly and hideous sight

It is not that one is against these trees It is just that the trees require care and special attention to grow in the specific weather conditions in this part of the country In the old sectors of Islamabad like F-6 to F-9 the then city planners had planted pine trees, giving Islamabad a beautiful green look The current planners, it seems, are unnecessarily keen on changing the topography of the once beautiful city I have no idea what is the compulsion of replanting full-grown palm trees instead of patronising and sticking to our own indigenous trees like the evergreen pine If the purpose is forestation of Islamabad overnight the authorities are sadly mistaken They will not be able to do this by planting palm trees

Perhaps people sitting in Islamabad want to be identified as Middle Eastern or showing affinity to a tropical region, instead of taking pride in the fact that for all practical purposes, we are south Asian and have to adapt to the environment, lifestyle and customs prevalent here

Even if there is some reason to insist on having palm trees why not plant young saplings instead of replanting full-grown trees? The only reason that comes to mind is that the young saplings need extra care and constant attention over a long period of time and we want the looks rather immediately Or, maybe someone is taking the city fathers for a ride with their consent, possibly

Shahbaz RajpeR

a n B a n g l a d e s h - I n d i a w o r k t o g e t h e r

n I n d o - P a c i f i c S t r a t e g y ?

Sufian Siddique

PAKISTAN has been absent from India’s foreign policy for a long time As the waters of the Indian Ocean have begun to rise in China s global dominance over the past decade the country has been eyeing the eastern shores of the Bay of Bengal from the West Since Bangladesh has a stable government and a rapidly growing economy, it has become an important country in India’s neighbourhood policy Due to the common history and cultural heritage of the two countries relations between India and Bangladesh have been normal and significant progress has been made in several areas including bilateral trade At the same time Indian investment in the country has also increased Ratnadeep Chakraborty and Ekampreet Kaur, the authors who are associated with The Honest Critic, a strategic communications firm; opined that Bangladesh is foremost in getting line of credit or flexible loan from India India s exports to Bangladesh in 2022 were $13 83 billion and imports were $2 billion Currently cooperation between the two countries has increased in the fields of energy, communication, science and technology Bangladesh is importing 1,160 MW of electricity from India

As per the 2017 agreement with the Adani Group India will supply 1 496 MW of electricity from a coalfired power plant in Jharkhand for a period M5 years Bangladesh has also expressed interest in buying military equipment from India, including Tejas light combat aircraft and Dhruva light helicopters, along with protective gear including bulletproof jackets and helmets

The Bangladesh government has recently outlined an Indo-Pacific Strategy with a 15-point outlook policy document The Foreign Ministry published the country s guidelines and objectives for the region at a press conference ahead of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina s key visit to Japan, the US and the UK

The deep-sea port at Matarbari in Bangladesh is seen to be of great strategic importance to Japan and India

The geopolitical importance of Bangladesh’s first deepsea port was evident during the visit of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to India last March as the port has emerged as an important plank of Tokyo s Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) agenda

In the same month, the Japan International Cooperation Agency agreed to give a new loan of 165 billion yen ($1 2 billion) to Bangladesh for development of its strategic infrastructure During his visit to New Delhi Kishida said that Tokyo wants the development of the region from the Bay of Bengal to Northeast India with the cooperation of both Bangladesh and India in South Asia

Bangladesh is moving closer to an embrace of the

Indo-Pacific Strategy pursued by the USA and its Quad partners in the region, which revolves This move comes as the USA and a few key allies have signalled that Bangladesh should be a part of the Indo-Pacific Strategy

Bangladesh essentially aims to balance relations with rival states Analysts say that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina does not keep all eggs in one basket Thus she wants to maintain diplomatic economic and strategic partnerships, albeit unequally , with the USA, Russia, China, the European Union, Arabs and of course India

The current governments in Bangladesh and India are very close, and New Delhi was likely to have encouraged Dhaka to embrace the strategy India-Bangladesh relations would reach a new level Bangladesh could gain trust from the Indian government because India is an active member of the Indo-Pacific alliance Bangladesh, on the other hand, can handle the Chinese predicament intelligently because its goal is to engage structurally rather than militarily Bangladesh essentially sets an example for the other littoral nations by outlining its Indo-Pacific orientation Bangladesh’s Sheikh Hasina government has recently set an outlook for peace in the Indo-Pacific through dialogue and understanding

The outlook has four guiding principles and 15 objectives Four principles are mentioned in the outline

The first of these is ‘friendship with all, enmity with none’ The principles emphasize constructive regional and international cooperation for sustainable development international peace and security humanitarian action and upholding fundamental rights and freedoms

It has 15 objectives One of them is to maintain mutual trust and respect with a view to maintaining peace, prosperity, security and stability for all in the Indo-Pacific region, expanding areas of partnership and cooper-

BangladeshÊs interest in maintaining good relations between the Bangladesh-India governments and participating in IndiaÊs IndoPacific strategy is important. For that, New Delhi will have to go the extra mile to incentivize Indian investment in Bangladesh to realize its own Indo-Pacific strategy

India-China ties at a crossroads

O n e C h i n e s e co m p l a i nt wa s t h at I n d i a ‘d ow n g ra d e d ’ t h e S CO by h o s t i n g a b r i e f o n l i n e s u m m i t rat h e r t h a n h o l d i n g a n i n - p e r s o n m e e t i n g

encountering each other more frequently and in areas where only occasional patrols were seen earlier Both sides agreed that the peace and tranquillity agreements concluded earlier may need to be updated

ation and emphasizing dialogue and understanding To contribute meaningfully and of international value to international disarmament, peacekeeping, peacebuilding and counter-terrorism activities in collaboration with relevant partners in the Indo-Pacific region Bangladesh has to clarify its position on the IndoPacific so that no one can misunderstand or mislead As a result, Bangladesh has moved to a better position

Then, India clearly knew Bangladesh s position on the Indo-Pacific The country’s relationship with Bangladesh will move forward based on this position

Historically Bangladesh’s foreign policy is based on joint cooperative policy; The country wants to avoid geopolitical tension The foreign policy of Bangladesh is friendship with all enmity with none On April 24 this year, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen announced the Indo-Pacific outline of Bangladesh There, he declared a ‘free, free, peaceful, safe and secure Indo-Pacific’ region in the light of the country’s foreign policy This is in line with Bangladesh’s ‘Vision 2041’ goal of becoming a knowledge-based developed country by 2041 India s vision on this matter is in harmony with the Indo-Pacific outline of Bangladesh India stands for a free and orderly Indo-Pacific Although India claims to be neutral; It has western influence The West has been trying to integrate Bangladesh into the Indo-Pacific strategy and has come a long way in this regard by becoming an important trade and investment partner

Bangladesh s strategic location serves as a gateway to both South and Southeast Asia Friendly relations with members of the Quad alliance make Bangladesh an ideal partner for the West and India to engage in their Indo-Pacific vision From India’s side, maintaining the country’s security and ensuring easy access to the critical North-East region and direct access to the Bay of Bengal can only be

possible by involving Bangladesh Along with this, Bangladesh is also important for strengthening India s Act East’ policy and controlling China’s military rise in the region New Delhi is aware of this and is actively engaging Bangladesh through SAARC and BIMSTEC

Since the G20 summit will be held in India this year only Bangladesh has been invited from South Asia in line with the tradition of inviting non-member countries as well Through this, India is giving considerable importance to Bangladesh in its eastern neighbor and IndoPacific vision Beyond India-Bangladesh normal trade relations India is keen to work with Bangladesh on climate change After Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina s visit to Delhi last year there was also a discussion on cooperation in changing energy sources Apart from this the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement-SEPA is going to be signed to further accelerate economic cooperation in various sectors including trade, services, investment between the two countries

As the influence of the US dollar declines both Bangladesh and India have started trading in the Indian rupee as an alternative to reduce their reliance on the dollar for trade and financial transactions However, the SEPA deal will also open up opportunities for joint production centers and seamless supply chains Converting this issue of regional connectivity into a business case will increase growth

Bangladesh s interest in maintaining good relations between the Bangladesh-India governments and participating in India s Indo-Pacific strategy is important For that, New Delhi will have to go the extra mile to incentivize Indian investment in Bangladesh to realize its own Indo-Pacific strategy

The writer is a freelance columnist

INDIA vs Modi

Fo u r c h a l l e n g e s t h at awa i t t h e O p p o s i t i o n’s n e w a l l i a n ce

campaign style

As the new alliance moves to Mumbai for its next meeting of top leaders, it must not lose sight of present and foreseeable challenges, and the opportunities that it has to grab

TRIBUNE

S h ya m S a r a n

Iwas in Beijing earlier this month to participate in the annual World Peace Forum On the sidelines there was a closed-door interaction on the India-China border issue at which several Chinese scholars were present There were also opportunities for conversations with some current and former Chinese officials These provided a window to a range of Chinese perceptions about India and the prospects for India-China relations

The Chinese continue to insist that the border issue should be properly situated as only one component in the full range of relations that it should not be allowed to define their overall character This is an implicit rejection of the Indian position that the situation on the border is abnormal and this cannot but adversely impact bilateral relations According to the Chinese, the border situation is ‘stabilised’ The Indian side acknowledges that progress has been achieved in resolving some areas of friction but others remain One did not perceive any willingness on the part of China to return to the status quo prevailing before the violent clashes at Galwan in eastern Ladakh in June 2020

Despite the two sides having agreed in several peace and tranquillity agreements including the Political Parameters and Guiding Principle for the Settlement of the India-China Border Question (2005) to undertake a joint exercise to clarify the Line of Actual Control (LAC) the Chinese have refused to do so When the charge is made that India has been nibbling away at Chinese territory one has countered this by pointing out that such nibbling could be prevented precisely through a clarification of the LAC, which India is prepared to undertake The answer to this is that at the meeting in 2004, when this exercise commenced, the Indian side had put forward ‘exaggerated’ claims in the western sector which could compromise Chinese territorial claims That China could have rejected these so-called exaggerated claims in its response is not answered Not clarifying the LAC enables China to play on supposed ambiguities to encroach upon Indian-held territory The Indian side has a precise idea of the LAC’s alignment We should not keep saying that there are ‘differing perceptions’ concerning the LAC in some areas This implicitly concedes that the Chinese side has some justification in contesting the LAC as India claims Let the Chinese side contest what we consider the alignment of the LAC We should not even remotely suggest that we have any doubt about where the LAC lies We don’t

There was acknowledgement that with improved infrastructure on both sides Indian and Chinese patrols were

Overall, the standoff at the border is likely to continue and there seems to be no prospect of disengagement of the heavy troop deployment on both sides It is also unlikely that the fresh permanent and semi-permanent structures that China has built on its side of the LAC will be dismantled and removed They represent an enhanced capability which India will need to match There were two straws in the wind A former Chinese PLA officer, who has often commented on the border issue conveyed to me that the Indian perception that the Galwan clashes were a premeditated and planned operation on the part of Chinese forces was wrong that it was an accident I had not heard this before If that is indeed the case, why not restore status quo ante?

More recently, during his meeting with Foreign Minister S Jaishankar in Jakarta, Wang Yi, who is now the Director of the Office of the Chinese Communist Party Commission for Foreign Affairs reportedly said that “both sides should find a mutually acceptable solution to the border problem without letting specific issues define the overall relationship This is a restatement of the Chinese position But he went on to say that he hopes the Indian side will meet China halfway and find a solution to the border issue that is acceptable to both sides”

This seems to be relatively conciliatory language since in the wake of the Galwan incident Chinese statements were claiming that the area was China s sovereign territory which it would defend This left no room for meeting each other halfway Perhaps one is overinterpreting the changed language, but time will tell

My conversations in Beijing took place soon after Prime Minister Modi’s high-profile and successful state visit to Washington Chinese anxiety over progress in the Indo-US relations was palpable There were concerns that India was becoming part of the US strategy of containing China One question put to me was whether India supported a NATO role in Asia I said that in my opinion, NATO is concerned with European security and that Asia has several mechanisms to maintain peace and security in the region, including through ASEAN-led mechanisms There was also anxiety over whether India was trying to exclude China from the Global South I said it was for China to decide whether it was part of the Global South The fact that PM Modi took the initiative to convene a meeting of the Global South as part of preparations for the forthcoming G20 summit seems to have caught China by surprise A reference was made to US attempts to deny ‘developing country’ status to China which may have economic implications

One other Chinese complaint was that India had downgraded the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) by hosting a brief online summit rather than holding an in-person meeting The suspicion was that this had been done under US influence

Overall, one had the impression that China was feeling more unsure of itself and felt that India had proved to be adept and agile in advancing its interests This may also be related to a certain pessimism one found about China s economic prospects even as India seems to have become the new destination for capital and technology flow Does this presage a shift in the stance towards India? Let us see how events unfold hereafter

Shyam Saran is a former foreign secretary and honorary fellow CPR

TH E opposition’s Patna declaration of last month is now more than merely exploratory Swapping Shimla for Bengaluru as the venue for its second big event the two-day meeting of 26 parties in Karnataka ended with the announcement of a national alliance It named itself INDIA, following the acronym-fixated style of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led coalition currently in power INDIA stands for Indian National Development Inclusive Alliance Its verbosity doesn t come in the way of its catchy symbolism But this is as the Congress and other attending parties know, only the first step towards the hard grind of firming up an effective coalition for the 2024 Lok Sabha poll Patna had 16 parties in attendance which swelled to 26 in Bengaluru The Aam Aadmi Party is a notable addition after the Congress expressed its willingness to oppose the centre s ordinance on control over administrative services in Delhi At a time when the coalition era s national alliance playbook is largely underused, if not unused, the new alliance may need to revisit it to steer the process

To begin with the wide range of allies with the Congress as a pivot will need an institutional frame to direct their joint campaign and iron out a number of issues and differences that could crop up The alliance seems alert to the need for a mechanism to deal with these aspects According to The Hindu, the idea of setting up a common secretariat is being considered This will have representatives from the allying parties and will function as the nerve centre for the campaign against the BJP-led government at the centre The alliance is also likely to set up subcommittees for communication and joint strategies, campaign and election events like rallies, and agitation politics against the central government

A key element of the coalition arrangements of the past decades was the instrument of the common minimum programme Even if the pragmatism of alliances meant that such common codes meant little they offered an ideological veneer to the expedient moves of power politics In the nineties, they had different variants in pre-poll pacts as well as postpoll arrangements of coalition governments

While there were murmurs that the new alliance might leave this to post-poll considerations it’s now clear that INDIA will declare a pre-poll programme

As a strategy this is expected to offset the rival

NDA s charge that the alliance lacks ideological cohesion lt s also likely to streamline the alliance s

First in the latest meeting at Bengaluru the Congress ruled out any claim to the prime ministerial face or even the need for a leader of the alliance This is in line with how the question of leadership was brushed aside as inconsequential at the Patna meet

The fledgling coalition is trying to meet two objectives by not talking about the leadership issue The primary one is obviously rooted in not repelling any potential ally by claiming the larger share in power equations if the alliance manages to win the poll The other factor could be tactical, and comes across as defensive, even though it has its use in electoral combat The alliance is duly wary of the BJPled campaign juxtaposing Modi’s appeal against any leader that the opposition combine might project The coalition may reckon that such a match-up will play into the hands of the BJP campaign

Notwithstanding these factors such indecision on leadership is prone to being attacked as early signs of instability, lack of cohesion and the signs of a future power struggle in the new opposition alliance Even in the emerging modes of campaign and more so in personality-driven digital outreach the certitude of a face to pitch can be leveraged against the speculations of a power wrestling among the allies

Second, there is the challenge of how allies are positioned in transferring their votes to other parties in the alliance In some states like West Bengal, Punjab and Kerala to name a few, this will take more than merely a formal alliance to get votes transferred to a common candidate Such problems are less serious in states like Tamil Nadu where a party like the DMK has no serious competition from the Congress or the Left parties But in many of the 11 states that the alliance partners govern, vote transferability will take far more effort to sway core voters

Third the coordination among workers of allying parties is significant

This is more important for parties with strong cadre who have been campaigning against parties which they now find as allies Convincing the cadre to work with the same zeal for the allies, or at least refrain from opposing them, will be a daunting task In the last Lok Sabha poll in 2019, such problems were obvious in Uttar Pradesh when workers of the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party found it difficult to translate the alliance of their two parties into a coordinated campaign on the ground

Fourth, the glue of a vaguely defined antiBJPism, like the anti-Congressism of the sixties and the seventies, may need other supplements if the alliance partners want to run a campaign that pitches a strong national alternative The political tone and tenor of the campaign would be watched not only for what it s assailing but also where it stands for what In pitching a national opposition alliance of 26 parties, the Bengaluru meet has revived the playbook that, in the past decades, saw the clash of rival alliances in national politics In a way it has signs of an alliance-bipolarity of the seventies nineties and the first century of this decade That however doesn t mean that the backdrop hasn t changed It has changed significantly, and in this altered political landscape, alliance wars will have to redefine the arena of contest

CHINA , ALGERIA TO DEEPEN BRI COOPERATION AMID TEBBOUNE’S VISIT

CHINA and Algeria are set to strengthen cooperation under the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) with the scope and depth of investment expanding from traditional sectors such as basic infrastructure and energy to emerging areas like aerospace telecommunications and new energy representatives from Chinese companies said amid Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune s ongoing five-day state visit to China

While made-in-China products and projects have been making remarkable contributions to the livelihoods of Algerians in recent years observers said that deepened cooperation under the BRI framework will constitute a further boost to the North African country accelerating its efforts to diversify away from heavy reliance on energy exports

As Algeria is a major country on the African side of the Mediterranean as well as an Arab nation stronger China-Algeria ties will have a demonstration effect in both Africa and the Arab world showcasing the rich manifestation and pragmatic results of South-South cooperation, observers said Chinese President Xi Jinping said at a

meeting with Tebboune on Tuesday that the two sides need to work together on the implementation of important documents on the BRI and other cooperation, deepen cooperation in such traditional areas as infrastructure petrochemicals mining and agriculture and expand cooperation in high-tech fields including aerospace nuclear energy ICT and renewable energy to nurture new growth

ated a blueprint for how the two countries –being influential developing countries –should press ahead with cooperation under the BRI, as this year marks both the 65th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties and the 10th anniversary of the BRI

In December 2022 China and Algeria signed an executive plan for the joint implementation of the BRI The North African country joined the initiative in 2018

tesy of Power Construction Corp of China

A view of a unit of a photovoltaic (PV) power station in the Algerian South region, in the Sahara Desert hinterland Photo: Courtesy of Power Construction Corp of China

Tata Group and Tata Motors Chairman

Ratan Tata and Land Rover Managing Director Phil Popham pose with a Range Rover during a press conference to announce Jaguar Land Rover's Indian market debut in Mumbai on June 28, 2009 Tata Motors announced the British luxury brands' entry to India but said there were no plans to assemble the vehicles in the country at present Three models from each brand will begin selling June 29 in one of the world s fastest-growing global automobile markets AFP PHOTO/Pal

PILLAI (Photo credit should read PAL

PILLAI/AFP via Getty Images)

India’s Tata Group will build an electric vehicle battery plant in Britain to supply its Jaguar Land Rover factories delivering a major boost for a UK car industry in need of domestic battery production to help secure its future

The announcement marks Britain’s biggest move in the car gigafactory space as it seeks to keep up with the United States and European Union in the

race to develop green industries Tata said on Wednesday it would build its first gigafactory outside of India in Britain with an investment of 4 billion pounds ($5 2 billion), creating up to 4 000 jobs and producing an initial output of 40 gigawatt hours P r i m e M i n i s t e r R i s h i S u n a k s g o v e r n m e n t d e c l i n e d t o d e t a i l t h e f in a n c i a l s u p p o r t i t h a d p r o m i s e d i n o r d e r t o f e n d o ff S p a i n , w h i c h h a d a l s o l o b b i e d t o w i n t h e p r o j e c t T h e

B B C s a i d t h e g o v e r n m e n t w o u l d p r ov i d e s u b s i d i e s w o r t h h u n d r e d s o f m i ll i o n s o f p o u n d s t o Ta t a Britain has lagged European rivals in building electric vehicle (EV) battery gigafactories, with more than 30 planned or under construction across the EU

Britain currently has one small Nissan plant and another in the works

This really does move the needle and acts as a massive beacon for the global car industry to say that the UK is back in business, investment minister Dominic Johnson told Reuters

“Hopefully we’re going to be returning to our peak level car production over

Nor th Korea fires two ballistic missiles into Sea of Japan

SEOUL

A F P

North Korea has fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the sea, Yonhap news agency reported Wednesday hours after an American nuclear-armed submarine made its first South Korean port call in decades The launch was reported by South Korea s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) according to Yonhap who said they were fired early Wednesday from the Sunan area in Pyongyang, and flew some 550 kilometres (340 miles) before splashing into the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan The JCS condemned the launches as “acts of significant provocation” and a clear violation of UN Security Council resolutions

Japan s defence ministry also recorded the launches

We are analysing details but we estimated that they have fallen outside Japan s exclusive economic zone, east of the Korean Peninsula, it said in a tweet The launches are the latest in a series of weapons tests by Pyongyang and come as Seoul and Washington ramp up defence cooperation in the face of soaring tensions with the North On Tuesday they held the first Nuclear Consultative Group meeting in Seoul and announced an American nuclear submarine was making a port visit to Busan for the first time since 1981 The move had been expected to trigger a strong response from North Korea, which baulks at having US nuclear assets deployed around the Korean peninsula

drivers of cooperation

Xi said that China will continue to provide assistance to Algeria as its ability permits to support economic and social development in Algeria China will import more quality products from Algeria and encourage and support Chinese businesses to explore cooperation in Algeria

Observers said that the meeting has cre-

the next five to 10 years

The new plant is expected to be built in Somerset, south-west England, while Jaguar Land Rover s UK factories are near Birmingham, in central England, reflecting the need for heavy batteries to be built near their car plants

Production is due to start in 2026 to supply JLR s future battery electric models, including the Range Rover, Defender, Discovery and Jaguar brands With an initial output of 40 gigawatt hours Britain said the factory would provide almost half of the battery production it needed by 2030 The Faraday Institution predicts Britain will need more than 100 GWh a year by that time

The announcement comes with Britain at a critical stage in free trade talks with India, and Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran said the plan strengthened the company s commitment to the UK and thanked the government for working so closely with us to enable this investment

LIFELINE Industry figures welcomed the announcement as a lifeline to a sector that

In recent years, China has been involved in many landmark projects in Algeria under the facilitation of the initiative, including building railways ports and mosques Algeria has been one of the largest overseas project contracting markets for Chinese companies for years and China is also now the largest builder of infrastructure in Algeria State-owned Power Construction Corp of China (PowerChina) said in a statement it sent to the Global Times on Wednesday that it helped build a unit of a photovoltaic (PV) power station in the Algerian South region in the Sahara Desert hinterland

The unit, with an installed capacity of 233 megawatts, is the country s largest PV project It is also the first large-scale on-grid PV station in Africa

A view of a unit of a photovoltaic (PV) power station in the Algerian South region in the Sahara Desert hinterland Photo: Cour-

otherwise risked being left behind as other countries offer subsidies to support electric carmakers

Under net zero goals Britain plans to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030, and under post-Brexit rules automakers will also need to source more EV components locally to avoid tariffs on UK-EU trade from 2024

Major automakers including Vauxhall-owner Stellantis and Ford warned in May that the looming rules risked making Britain unviable for future investment, prompting the government to say it was trying to ease them

The failure of an EV startup, Britishvolt in January also underlined the difficulties of establishing a home-grown industry amid a shortage of suitable sites Investment minister Johnson said Tesla s 2019 decision to build its gigafactory in Germany had led the government to decide: “We’re never going to let that happen again ” “We were absolutely focused on winning this investment he said adding that government support was one of a range of factors in negotiations

He added that there would be further benefits through the supply chain and from wider interest in the sector

“As soon as it got out that we may be in the running to win this amazing investment we started to get some quite interesting inquiries from other companies, he said

Wang meets K issinger with Beijing’s clear message to Washington

ISLAMABAD

As US climate envoy John Kerry wrapped up his four-day visit to China on Wednesday, China s senior diplomat Wang Yi met the centenarian former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger an old friend of the Chinese people who has made historic contributions to the ice-breaking development in China-US relations

During the meeting held in Beijing, Wang Yi called on the US government to change its current China policy which is now characterized as containment and suppression

The Chinese official also expressed hope that US China policy will have Kissinger-style wisdom and Nixon-style political courage, which was seen by experts as a clear message Beijing delivered to Washington given that US’ China policy under the toxic environment of its domestic politics has deviated from a rational and sound track creating growing obstacles for the bilateral relations

Kerry and Kissinger have become the latest US official or high-

profile public figure to visit China following the trips of some US senior officials including US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen signalling an accelerating resumption of highlevel interactions between the two countries as the bilateral ties have hit the historical low point due to a series of issues such as Washington’s wrong and provocative deeds on the Taiwan question and mishandling of the Chinese balloon incident

Some experts said the resumption of the series of high-level communication channels between the two countries sends out a positive signal of bringing divergences under control and preventing the bilateral relations from derailing off the track

The recent high-level re-engagement between the two countries could also pave the way for the possible meeting between the two heads of state in the second half of 2023, during the G20 Leaders’ Summit or APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting possibly some experts said But where the bilateral relations are heading to in the long run remains

uncertain given that domestic politics in the US still remains toxic and Washington is unlikely to change its unhealthy China policy they noted Wang director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, said Kissinger played an irreplaceable role in enhancing mutual understanding between the two countries China maintains a high degree of continuity in its policy toward the US following the principles raised by the Chinese President Xi Jinping about mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation, which are fundamental and longterm Wang said noting that those are the ways for China and the US to deal with each other correctly China s development has a strong internal driving force and an inevitable historical logic It is impossible to try to transform China, even more so to contain and suppress China Wang said adding that US China policy needs Kissingerstyle wisdom and Nixon-style political courage

“It’s a foundational engineering project for Algeria to achieve its new-energy strategy a spokesperson of PowerChina was quoted as saying in the statement The project embodies a high-quality development path, a direction that BRI cooperation is heading toward at the 10th anniversary of the initiative

In addition to PowerChina and China

State Construction over 1 000 Chinese companies have invested in Algeria in a wide range of sectors such as infrastructure trade energy and agriculture, the Beijing Daily reported on Tuesday “Chinese companies have been very important drivers for the development of Algeria and their roles are set to be more critical amid Algeria s economic diversification push Song Wei a professor at the school of international relations and diplomacy at Beijing Foreign Studies University, told the Global Times on Wednesday Song noted that prosperous cooperation between China and Algeria under the BRI could set an example for South-South cooperation

Hoping to attract tourists, Iran looks to neighbours

TEHRAN A F P

Iran largely shunned by western tourists is making a push to attract visitors from wealthy Gulf Arab states and other nearby countries to boost its sanctions-hit economy The Islamic republic is also drawing more visitors from Russia and China to its ancient sites that date back to the Persian empire and the fabled Silk Road, industry figures say Iran’s Beijing-brokered diplomatic thaw this year with Saudi Arabia paved the way for direct flights and Tehran is also seeking closer ties with other countries from Egypt to Morocco The slow but steady change is noticable at major tourist sights where more visitors can now be heard speaking not English, French or German, but Arabic, Chinese and Russian In the past, we were receiving many tourists from Europe but now those numbers have seen a sharp decline ” said one Tehran travel agency owner 46-year-old Hamid Shateri Europeans are afraid of visiting Iran he said after years of tensions over the country s contested nuclear programme and after Western government warnings against travelling there These days, mostly Chinese and Russian people visit Iran’s historical sites and spectacular scenery and Arab tourists, especially from Iraq come to attend religious ceremonies ”

YEARS OF ISOLATION

Iran has long attracted foreign visitors with its ancient splendours including the cities of Shiraz Isfahan and Mashhad and its 2,500-year-old Persepolis complex It has deserts and snow-capped mountains as well as Gulf and Caspian Sea coastlines, and prides itself on its cuisine and tradition of hospitality A steady stream of mainly European visitors long kept coming despite the strict dress code for women and bans on alcohol and nightlife after the 1979 Islamic Revolution As the largest Shiite Muslim power, Iran also hosts a steady stream of religious pilgrims, many from neighbouring Iraq, to its ancient shrine cities of Mashhad and Qom There were high hopes for a lucrative boost to tourism after Iran and major powers struck a landmark deal in 2015 to restrict its nuclear programme in return for sanctions relief But those hopes were dashed three years later when the then-US president Donald Trump unilaterally pulled out of the agreement Bad news has spiralled since, including the Covid pandemic that hit Iran early and hard Last year, mass protests rocked the country sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini after her arrest for allegedly flouting the dress rules before authorities put down the women-led riots which they blamed on hostile forces abroad Iran has also jailed several Europeans, prompting multiple Western countries to advise their citizens against all travel there, many citing the risk of “arbitrary detention” Last year Iran attracted 4 1 million foreigners less than half the figure for 2019 and accounting for just 0 4 percent of tourist trips worldwide says the UN World Tourism Organisation Tehran has now launched a push to rebuild tourism including by drawing people from the United Arab Emirates and Qatar to the Gulf islands of Kish and Qeshm, which boast beaches, luxury hotels and cheap shopping

RENEWED PUSH

Iran has also sought to attract more visitors from neighbouring Armenia and Azerbaijan despite recent tensions between Baku and Tehran Setting up tourism exhibitions in other countries, advertising through their media and hosting international events are among the programmes to promote tourism,” said Majid Kiani the CEO of northwest Iran’s Aras Free Zone

Europe battles heatwave and fires, record temperatures scorch C hina

PR OFIT

R e u t e R s

Italy put 23 cities on red alert as temperatures could reach 46 Celsius (114 Fahrenheit) on Wednesday, one of the global hotspots as a wave of extreme heat, wildfires and flooding wreak havoc from the United States to China

An intensifying heatwave has hit southern Europe during the peak summer tourist season, breaking records including in Rome and bringing warnings about an increased risk of deaths and heart attacks

Wildfires burned for a third day west of the Greek capital Athens with air water bombers resuming operations at first light and firefighters working throughout the night to keep flames away from coastal refineries

Fanned by erratic winds, the fires have gutted dozens of homes, prompted hundreds of people to flee and blanketed the area in thick smoke Temperatures could climb to 43C on Thursday forecasters said

In China which this week was hosting U S climate envoy John Kerry for talks, tourists defied the heat to visit a giant thermometer showing surface temperatures of

80C In Beijing, which set a new record as temperatures remained above 35C for the 28th day in a row Kerry expressed hope that cooperation to combat global warming could redefine troubled ties between the two superpowers A global pattern of heatwaves that have scorched parts of Europe, Asia and the United States this week have thrown that challenge into sharp relief

Temperatures remained high across much of Italy on Wednesday with 45-46C expected on the Mediterranean island of Sardinia and some inland areas of Sicily likely to see temperatures in the mid-40s

The health ministry said it would active an information hotline and teams of mobile health workers visited the elderly in Rome

These people are afraid they won t make it they are afraid they can t go out said Claudio Consoli a doctor and director of a health unit Joggers took to the streets of the capital early in the morning in an effort to beat the heat While the heatwave appears to be subsiding in Spain residents in Greece were left surveying the wreckage of their homes after the wildfires Everything burned everything I will

throw it all, it s all waste The boiler burned, it’s done, it melted,” said Abbram Paroutsidis 65 Spain warned of the risk of wildfires in most of the country though residents were allowed to return to their homes in La Palma island where a blaze that raged for five days was stabilised in one sector, although it remained active elsewhere Scientists have long warned that climate change caused by greenhouse gas emissions mainly from burning fossil fuels will make heatwaves more frequent severe and deadly They say governments need to drastically reduce emissions to prevent climate catastrophe

In Germany, the heatwave sparked an unlikely discussion on whether workplaces should introduce siestas for workers

In Spain El Corte Inglés one of the country s largest department store chains said sales of air conditioning units had jumped, as had interest in cooling pads for pets and horses EXTREME HEAT, FLOODS IN ASIA

In South Korea heavy rain has pummelled central and southern regions since last week Fourteen deaths occurred in an underpass in the city of Cheongju where

more than a dozen vehicles were swamped on Saturday when a river levee collapsed In the southeastern province of North Gyeongsang 22 people died many from landslides and swirling torrents

In India flash floods landslides and accidents related to heavy rainfall have killed more than 100 people in the north of the country since the onset of the monsoon season on June 1, where rainfall is 41% above

average The Yamuna river reached the compound walls of the Taj Mahal in Agra for the first time in 45 years also submerging several other historical monuments and gardens surrounding the 17th century, white-marble mausoleum The same river flooded parts of the Indian capital including roads surrounding the historic Red Fort and Rajghat – a memorial to Mahatma Gandhi

T h e B r a h m a p u t r a r i v e r w h i c h r u n s t h r o u g h I n d i a s A s s a m s t a t e , a l s o b u r s t i t s b a n k s t h i s m o n t h , e n g u l f i n g a l m o s t h a l f o f t h e K a z i r a n g a N a t i o n a l P a r k –h o m e t o t h e r a r e o n e - h o r n e d r h i n o – i n w a i s t d e e p w a t e r p r o m p t i n g a n i m a l s t o f l e e t o r o a d s a n d h u m a n s e t t l e m e n t s i n s e a r c h o f s a f e g r o u n d In China s western Xinjiang province

tourists with broad-brimmed hats and umbrellas braved scorching temperatures to take selfies by a giant thermometer that displayed a real-time surface temperature of 80C (176 Fahrenheit) Each summer people flock to the Flaming Mountains on the northern rim of Xinjiang s Turpan Depression to see their corrugated slopes of brown-red sandstone and to take in the super-charged heat emanating from the ground

In recent days temperatures in Xinjiang and other parts of Asia as well as Europe and the United States have shattered records

On Sunday, a remote township in the Turpan Depression registered a maximum air temperature of 52 2C smashing China’s national record of 50 3C set in 2015 also in the basin

These unprecedented temperatures have added new urgency for nations around the globe to tackle climate change With the world’s two biggest economies at odds over issues ranging from trade to Taiwan Kerry told Chinese Vice-President Han Zheng on Wednesday that climate change must be handled separately to broader diplomatic problems

I n d i a ’s Tat a c h o o s e s U K fo r $ 5 b n

J a g u a r L a n d R ove r g i g a f a c t o r y

CORPORATE CORNER

U N C H I E F WA R N S O F A I R I S KS T O

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LO B A L P E A C E A N D S E C

NEW YORK a f p

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday warned that artificial intelligence could pose a risk to global peace and security calling on all member states to urgently set up guardrails to keep the technology in check

Inaugural meeting of Engineer Parliamentarians

Marriot Hotel Islamabad

held by Pakistan Engineering

is

by Engr Muhammad Najeeb Haroon MNA/ Chairman PEC & Engr Senator Rukhsana Zuberi Convener-EPC/former chairman PEC which will be attended by the Honorable Members of the Parliamentarians Caucus Engr Senator Rukhsana Zuberi, former Chairperson of PEC has accepted the role of its founding Chair/ Convener EPC to play its leading role as per mandate of this Council All members of the National Assembly and Senate who are Engineers are going to be the Caucus member Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) is a national apex regulatory body constituted through an enactment of the Parliament (PEC Act 1976) to regulate the engineering profession The Council as per its Act has also special mandate to act as a “Think Tank to the Federal Government to provide assistance in all matters pertaining to engineering profession and policies required for the socio-economic development of the country As Chairman PEC, being a practicing Professional Engineer and Member of the Parliament (MNA), it is observed that there is considerable representation of the engineering profession in the upper and lower house of the Parliament across all the Political Parties

Chairman FBR inaugurates tax office at Murree

Mr Asim Ahmad, Chairman Federal Board of Revenue inaugurated the newly constructed Tax House at Murree on Wednesday On this occasion, Member Administration Syed Nadeem Hussain Rizvi and Member Operations-IR Malik Amjad Zubair Tiwana were also present Addressing the participants Chairman FBR said that keeping in view the distance from Rawalpindi it was imperative to establish a Tax Office in Murree to provide tax-related services to the people of the region at their doorstep He stated that FBR is committed to facilitate taxpayers in all possible ways He further commented that various initiatives are being undertaken to broaden the tax base and improve tax compliance Chief Commissioner Inland Revenue RTO Rawalpindi Ms Tehmina Aamer briefed the participants about establishment of Tax House at Murree She said that outreach to the public and facilitation of taxpayers have always been the prime objectives of FBR She added that establishment of Inland Revenue Office at Murree is another step in that direction

IESCO issues rain safet y instructions

ISLAMABAD s ta f f r e p o r t

Like other parts of the country monsoon rains are continuing in IESCO region All necessary instructions have been issued to IESCO field formations to ensure power supply and timely clearance of faults IESCO Chief Dr Muhammad Amjad Khan has said that due to the increase in humidity in the system during the rains, the number of electrical accidents increases They have requested the consumers to keep proper distance from electric poles, wires, transformers and meters and never touch them Do not touch electrical appliances such as refrigerators motors irons and others when the body is wet Avoid ironing clothes with bare feet Do not tied animals near power poles or under transformers at all Do not keep the power switch on standby but turn it off completely If you see a broken electrical wire anywhere, do not go near it and especially teach small children about electrical precautions To avoid short circuiting accident update electric wiring In case of any emergency call the concerned Complaint Office numbers, IESCO HELP LINE 118 or Complaint and Monitoring Cell 051-9252933-34

ISLAMABAD s ta f f r e p o r t

Solid foundation has been laid for cooperation between China and Pakistan in traditional health sector, said Prof Dr M Iqbal Choudhary, Director International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS) University of Karachi

He was addressing the 2nd International Symposium on Traditional Chinese and Unani Medicine held in Changsha, China

Over 400 medicinal professionals from both countries gathered and shared their commitment to strengthen cooperation on traditional medicine

According to M Iqbal Choud-

It is clear that AI will have an impact on every area of our lives, Guterres said at the first UN Security Council meeting on the topic Generative AI has enormous potential for good and evil at scale he added noting that while it could help end poverty or cure cancer, the technology could also have very serious consequences for global peace and security ”

U R I T Y

British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, whose country currently holds the rotating Security Council presidency, said AI “will affect the work of this council It could enhance or disrupt global

strategic stability It challenges our fundamental assumptions about defense and deterrence It poses moral questions about accountability for lethal decisions on the battlefield,” said Cleverly, whose

Punjab introduces digital land sur vey system for Hafizabad, Lodhran

LAHORE s ta f f r e p o r t

In a groundbreaking move towards modernizing land management, Punjab Urban Land System Enhancement(PULSE) has taken a significant step by getting an approval to conduct a digital land survey at Hafizabad and Lodhran districts Under the esteemed Punjab Board of Revenue the state-of-the-art digital land survey has been officially approved

The Board of Revenue Punjab has given the green light for the digitization of land in the districts of Hafizabad and Lodhran Through this ambitious project, a dedicated survey team will be deployed, going door-to-door, to meticulously conduct the digital land survey The primary objective of this initiative is to develop comprehensive computerized maps that encompass every property within the respective regions

The Senior Member of the Board of Revenue Punjab, has issued clear directives to the esteemed Deputy Commissioners and the diligent PULSE team, emphasizing the utmost importance of promptly completing the digital survey Under the visionary PULSE program advanced cadastral mapping techniques will be utilized The identification and demarcation of land ownership including affordable properties will be streamlined and simplified

The implementation of this transparent digital system will revolutionize land record management With accurate and automated land records PULSE will be able to create detailed records with precise measurement maps for each property leaving no room for ambiguity

The officials have urged the residents of Hafizabad and Lodhran to extend their full cooperation to the survey team, facilitating the process of recording transparent and accurate land data By working together the community can ensure a seamless and efficient land survey laying the foundation for future development initiatives

This groundbreaking digital land survey system is expected to play a pivotal role in low-cost housing projects, easing the process of land measurement and allocation Moreover, it will serve as a vital resource for other government authorities by centralizing all relevant land-related data promoting better coordination and effective governance With this cutting-edge digital initiative Punjab is once again leading the way towards a progressive and technology-driven future By harnessing the power of digital solutions, the state is committed to enhancing administrative efficiency promoting transparency and empowering its citizens through accessible and reliable land records

IBF Int ’l Consulting hosts projec t closing toolkit distribution ceremony

IBF international Consulting a leading implementing partner of Programme for Migration Development of GIZ, organized a momentous project closing ceremony followed by in-kind support to beneficiaries as part of its comprehensive training-led employment support project The ceremony marked a significant milestone of the project by empowering returnees and local individuals with the necessary skills and resources to secure sustainable self- employment opportunities in Pakistan

The training-led employment project an initiative of Programme for Migration Development of GIZ in collaboration with IBF and IConsult aims to address the growing need for skilled workers returning from Germany& Europe, Gulf & Middle East, South-East and East Asia, Oceania, North America and Southern Africa The beneficiaries have received training in: Digital Skills, Technical Skills, and Soft Skills Digital skills and technical skills each included four tailormade courses whereas soft skills included business development access to interest-free micro-finance loan schemes and business development training By offering comprehensive training programs, hands-on skill development, and in-kind support, the project aimed to bridge the gap between market and start-ups, fostering sustainable economic growth in Pakistan

The toolkit distribution ceremony, held at Serena Islamabad was attended by esteemed dignitaries government officials community leaders project participants and representatives from partnering organizations The event began with a warm welcome and an overview of the training-led employment project s objectives, delivered by the Director iConsult, Mr Muhammad Kaleem Sindhu

During the ceremony Team Leader of the training-led Employment Ms Sadaf Abid highlighted the importance of equipping individuals with the right tools and knowledge to thrive in the job market She emphasized the role of training programs in empowering participants, especially the returnees, to develop essential skills, such as digital skills, entrepreneurial skills, start-ups that are in high demand in the country

PTA & GSMA organize workshop on mobile gender gap insights in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD s ta f f r e p o r t

Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and Global System for Mobile Communications (GSMA) held a collaborative workshop on "Mobile Gender Gap Insights in Pakistan " at PTA Headquarters today The workshop focused on understanding mobile gender gap and empowering women through Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) T h e w o r k s h o p w a s a t t e n d e d by representatives from Ministry o f I n f o r m a t i o n Te c h n o l o g y &

hary Solid foundation has been made for China and Pakistan to cooperate In the future the two sides will further deepen cooperation in personnel training clinical trials and drug registration in the field of traditional medicine, and jointly promote Chinese medicine to go global Experts from the Sino-Pakistan Cooperation Center for Traditional Chinese Medicine the organizer of the event told China Economic Net (CEN) about the latest developments in the space breeding of 7 Pakistani medicinal plants, a project undertaken by the center in collaboration with bilateral stakeholders

After the plant seeds successfully returned to Pakistan from China s spacecraft Shenzhou 14

Te l e c o m ( M o I T T ) , F e d e r a l I nv e s t i g a t i o n A g e n c y ( F I A ) , P a kistan Alliance for Girls Education (PAGE) NGOs and mobile operators Senior female officers from P TA a l s o p a r t i c i p a t e d i n t h e workshop

Speaking on the occasion, Chairman PTA, Major General (R) Hafeez Ur Rehman emphasized the significance of fostering

three varieties sprouted and are in good condition

Researchers will continue to record the information such as plant height stem width and crown width for composition and efficacy analysis, CEN reporter was told

The center has also set up an international mentors’ team to train TCM professionals in Pakistan and cultivate PhDs and post-docs

At the symposium Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho Sindh Provincial Minister Health and Population Welfare, Department of Health & Population Welfare was presented with the appointment letter of Visiting Professor of the School of Pharmacy Hunan University of Chinese Medicine a host of the meeting

women's participation across all facets of life He particularly highlighted technology-driven areas such as e-commerce software houses and freelancing as avenues where women can significantly contribute if provided with ample opportunities in ICTs He thanked GSMA for their valuable contribution in organizing the workshop

government will host an AI summit later this year Guterres asked member states to put in place a legally binding pact to prohibit lethal autonomous weapons systems by the end of 2026

While AI can be used to identify patterns of violence or to monitor ceasefires, Guterres said he warned that its use by terrorists or governments with ill intent could cause horrific levels of death and destruction

He also warned that malfunctioning AI could wreak havoc, especially if the technology is used in connection with nuclear weapons systems or biotechnology

“I urge agreement on the general principle that human agency and control are essential for nuclear weapons and should never be withdrawn he said He called for a working group to develop options for global AI governance by year s end

And he reiterated his support for a United Nations entity to support efforts to govern the use of AI modeled after the International Atomic Energy Agency or the International Civil Aviation Organization

‘Dolmen Cit y REIT’ announces 18 1pc annualized dividend for F Y23

LAHORE s ta f f r e p o r t

The Board of Directors of Dolmen City REIT (DCR) have declared and approved a final cash dividend of PKR 0 50 per unit, in their meeting held on Tuesday July 18, 2023 This is in addition to the interim dividends of PKR 1 31 per unit already paid to the unit holders On cumulative basis the REIT Scheme has yielded dividend of PKR 1 81 per unit i e 18 1% for the year ended on June 30 2023 Aggregate value of dividends comes to PKR 4 025 billion Resultantly, the REIT scheme has contributed more than PKR 600 million to the exchequer in the form of taxes DCR is Listed on Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) as a closed-end shariah compliant perpetual Rental REIT Scheme governed under REIT Regulations 2022 of the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) According to the management company –Arif Habib Dolmen REIT Management Limited (RMC), DCR has played a pioneering role in the establishment of REIT sector in Pakistan DCR has established itself as a viable new investment instrument for consistently growing rental income from one of the finest real estate assets of the country Strong financial results emanated from an increase in income in all categories cost savings strong property management and continuous growth in footfall as the destination of choice for the shoppers and corporates of Karachi Both property components of DCR; Dolmen City Mall and The Harbour Front (office building) experienced consistently high occupancy

IBA Karachi unveils repor t ‘State of Pakistan's Economy 2023-24’

KARACHI s ta f f r e p o r t

The Institute of Business Administration (IBA) Karachi successfully launched its report titled The State of Pakistan s Economy 2023-24 | Trials and Turmoil: Navigating the Interconnected Challenges of Politics, Economy, and Climate Change The report is authored by the esteemed faculty members of the Department of Economics, School of Economics and Social Sciences (SESS) The report launch was held at the IBA Main Campus This comprehensive report provides a critical analysis of the persistent issues faced by Pakistan and offers valuable recommendations for sustainable economic growth and societal well-being The report sheds light on three key challenges that have significantly impacted the nation: the political situation economic challenges floods and climate change Through extensive research and econometric projections the report offered insightful policy recommendations to address these interconnected challenges Its aim is to guide policymakers academia and the government in improving Pakistan's economy by fostering increased exports, resolving issues in the energy sector, and building resilient communities against floods The event featured a panel discussion comprising renowned experts providing a platform for insightful discussions on the report s findings and recommendations The panelists included Dr Nooreen Mujahid Director Applied Economics Research Centre (AERC), University of Karachi; Dr Ali Hasanain, Associate Professor, LUMS; and Mr Ammar Habib Khan, Chief Executive Officer, CreditBook Financial Services Dr S Akbar Zaidi Executive Director IBA; and Dr Syed Jaffar Ahmed Member Board of Governors (BOG) IBA also attended the discussion which was moderated by Dr Asma Hyder Dean School of Economics and Social Sciences IBA

cooperation in traditional medicine

Two books, namely Zhongjing Spirit and Huxiang Culture, a book on the spirit and culture of traditional Chinese medicine and Materia Medica Homologous with Food were officially released and gifted to Pakistani guests at the event Scholars also exchanged academic ideas regarding the clinical application and basic research of traditional Chinese medicine and Unani medicine such as international laws and regulations on Chinese (herbal) medicine, drug discovery combining ethnic medicine knowledge with modern science, study of medicine resources in the

400 S ino -Pak professionals come togather to strengthen

ISLAMABAD: Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Muhammad Amjad Khan Niazi exchanging views with Gorvernor Sindh Mr Kamran Tessori at Naval Headquartrs

C U R R E N T A C C O U N T S U R P L U S C O N T I N U E S F O R F O U R T H C O N S E C U T I V E M O N T H , R E A C H I N G $ 3 3 4 M I N J U N E

Likewise imports of goods decreased from $71 54 billion a year ago to $51 99 billion, and services imports declined from $13 billion to $8 billion

short-term loan agreements: $3 billion from the IMF and $2 billion from Saudi Arabia along with $1 billion from the United Arab Emirates at the beginning of the new fiscal year

ing essential imports

The State Bank imposed restrictions on imports due to a shortage of dollars, causing imports to fall more than exports As a result the country’s trade deficit narrowed by 43 percent to $27 59 billion in the last fiscal year Goods exports amounted to $27 9 billion during FY23 compared to $32 49 billion the previous year, while services exports remained relatively stable at $7 3 billion

The effort to reduce the current account deficit has taken a toll on the economy, particularly impacting industries reliant on imported goods and raw materials For instance the large-scale manufacturing sector experienced a negative growth rate of 9 4 percent in the first 10 months of FY23

Surprisingly, the current account deficit decreased without assistance from the International Monetary Fund or bilateral sources However the country managed to secure

I M F a s k s fo r a t i g h te r m o n e t a r y p o l i c y f ro m S B P

g Fu n d ’ s d e m a n d t o b e c o n s i d e r e d b y S B P b u t i s i t e c o n o m i c a l l y s u s t a i n a b l e ?

THE IMF DEAL THAT

CAME THROUGH

The IMF approved a 9-month Stand-

By Arrangement (SBA) for Pakistan of $3 arab to support the country and stabilize its teetering economy The economy has been hit by devastating floods ravaging the country, fiscal and external deficits, falling reserves and rampant inflation This arrangement will provide some respite from the challenges that the country faces This arrangement has come at a cost

MEASURES TO BE TAKEN BY THE GOVERNMENT

The IMF has asked the government to carry out certain adjustments in terms of its own fiscal budget which has been presented for FY24 which will look to counter the fiscal deficit the country faces The country has also been asked to carry out structural reforms which are in relation to the energy sector in terms of the cost of electricity and subsidies being given, better State Owned Enterprise (SOE) governance to lessen some of the burden on the resources of the country and to make the country more resilient to climate change These are mostly areas where the government has substantial influence and control and can look to develop policies and guidelines which will enable it to meet these goals

TIGHTER MONETARY POLICY

MEASURES

The IMF has also asked for an appropriately tight monetary policy which will look to counter inflation and work for the betterment of the masses The IMF has asked for a data driven approach in order to tighten the monetary policy which will

address much of the inflation that is prevalent in the country In addition to that the government has been asked to maintain a market determined exchange rate which will absorb any shocks that take place and limit shortages of Foreign Exchange in the country This is one area where the government can face some resistance

AUTONOMY OF STATE BANK

Ever since the SBP Autonomy Independent Bill of 2021 was passed by the parliament, it has meant that the State Bank has policy and institutional autonomy which implies that monetary and exchange rate policies fall under the purview of the bank alone The bank will be able to exercise this power by managing the currency reserves that the bank holds and the decision making is free from any influence of the Ministry of Finance and the federal government The bank has the objective of maintaining inflation in line with the target set by the government This bank is supposed to work with the government to achieve its goals however their decision making process is independent of any direct influence from the government

INDEPENDENCE OF SBP

BROUGHT INTO QUESTION

The independence of the SBP has been brought into question recently as an emergency Monetary Policy Committee meeting was held on 26th June 2023 and interest rates were increased by 100 basis points to 22% The scheduled meeting of the MPC was held on June 12th 2023 where the interest rates were not changed but an emergency meeting was held later where the change was announced There were rumors around the fact that the policy rate was changed with influence from the government in order to satisfy the

IMF as a measure against inflation

The reason given in the press release of the MPC stated that as taxes were being levied in the budget inflation was expected to increase and this was a measure to limit inflation taking place In the staff report press release by the IMF, the SBP has agreed that they will be open to an increase in the policy rate further in the future with meetings scheduled in July and later in the year The pledge is being made as a way to make real policy rate positive which was hovering around17% in May 2023

SBP HAS ITS OWN AGENDA

Experts in the industry feel that SBP is following through on its own mission and that any allegations of interference from the government are misplaced Yousuf Farooq Director Research at Chase Securities states that currently governments are borrowing around Rs 70 to 80 kharabs and banks are prioritizing lending to governments over the private sector “SBP has been injecting cash through Open Market Operations to fill the gap that exists in the economy which has led to a loose monetary policy despite the high interest rates Farooq added In such a condition, it is evident that the central bank will use the policy rate to control inflation Numair Liaqat Country Economist at International Growth Centre Pakistan feels that at this juncture the government and SBP are working towards a common goal of combating inflation and the recent commitment by the central bank is following through on its own policies

He states that “In this case I would say it s less the government imposing its policies on the SBP but more the IMF pushing for monetary tightening i e increase in interest rates to reduce infla-

tion and to support the rebalancing of external account

UNSUSTAINABLE POLICY RATE

Another concern that is dogging the economy is the fact that the policy rate is 22% already which is an all time high and as inflation is persisting, there are chances that the policy rate will be increased in the July MPC It is evident currently that the economy is seeing back breaking policy rate with industrialists decrying the sky high rates With SBP pledging that further increases will be kept into consideration, this might prove to be a further jolt to the economy Investors are worried that the rates are already high and a further increase will make people turn to bank deposits as they are providing much better returns Farooq agrees that the current situation is unsustainable for businesses which are looking to grow and invest but at this point in time, the SBP has to address the bigger issue which is inflation Another way the government can look to ease some of these demand pressures is to have a tighter fiscal policy and better tax management

Mohammed Sohail, CEO of Topline Securities, feels that “the interest rates are high but they will stay at these levels for the short term” The recent inflation figures show that inflation is on the downward trend and inflation is expected to fall in the coming few months further In terms of investing in the stock market, the stock market is trading at a multiple of 3 and the rate increase taking place in June 2023 has been incorporated by the market The recent rally in the market is based on the expectation that inflation will be controlled and are expected to fall in the next 6 to 12 months

E C N E C a p p rove s ‘ Pr i m e M i n i s te r ’s L a p to p S c h e m e’ at a co s t o f R s 1 6 . 8 b

ISLAMABAD

S h a h z a d Pa r ac h a

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) has approved the “Prime Minister ’s Laptop Scheme” at a cost of Rs 16 8 billion

Federal Minister for Finance and

Revenue Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar chaired the meeting of the ECNEC, on Wednesday Sources said that the Ministry of Planning, Development, Reform and Initiative submitted the summary with regard to approval of “Prime Minister s Laptop Scheme It informed the ECNEC that CDWP had approved the project with the directions to review the scope and cost by the member (S&T) before its submission to ECNEC The cost has been rationalized from Rs17 5 billion to Rs16 8 billion as per the decision of CDWP The sponsors have submitted a modified PC-1 at a cost of Rs16 8 billion with FED Rs15 1 billion without change in the scope

As per the Finance ministry, the ECNEC approved a Project of Ministry of Planning, Development, and Special

Initiatives titled “Prime Minister ’s Laptop Scheme to be executed by HEC in Islamabad at a rationalized cost of Rs16 801 230 million including FEC of Rs 15,166 250 million The project is to be financed by the Federal government and the project is t o b e c o m p l e t e d w i t h i n t w o y e a r s i e

2023-2025

The ECNEC also considered and approved a project of the Aviation Division titled Modernization of Hydromet Services of PMD in Pakistan (MHSP) at a cost of Rs 14,498 875 million to be executed in the whole country by Pakistan Meteorological Department The project is financed by the World Bank as a component of “Post-flood 2022 Reconstruction Program A project of Ministry of Water Resources titled Water Requirement for KIV Project Improvement of Kalri Baghar Feeder & Keenjhar Lake – Plain Cement Concrete (PCC) Lining of Karli Baghar Feeder Upper-Phase-I Project” to be executed in District Jamshoro & Thatta of Sindh Province was also considered and approved The cost of the project is estimated to be Rs 39,942 559 million and it

is to be financed at a 50:50 sharing basis by the Federal and the Provincial Government (Govt of Sindh) The project is to be executed by the Irrigation Department of Government of Sindh

ECNEC considered and approved a project of Govt of Punjab titled “Lahore Ring Road-Southern Loop (SL-3) Construction of Road from Raiwind Road upto Multan Road at the total cost of Rs 17 785 850 million without FEC The project is to be executed in the District Lahore of Punjab Province by C&W Dept Govt of Punjab and is to be entirely financed by the Government of Punjab ADP The ECNEC also considered and approved a summary of Ministry of National Food Security & Research regarding project titled Prime Minister s National Programme for Solarization Agriculture Tube Wells Punjab, Sindh, KPK, and Balochistan” and allowed inclusion of existing pumping systems on small dams ponds and river/stream/nullah ponds serving the same purpose as tube-wells A p r o j e c t o f t h e M i n i s t r y o f C o m -

s h a m E x p r e s s w a y ( 4 8 K m ) a t a c o s t o f R s 7 9 1 3 0 8 7 8 m i l l i o n w i t h o u t F E C T h e p r o j e c t i s t o b e e x e c u t e d b y N a t i o n a l H i g h w a y A u t h o r i t y i n D i s t r i c t s o f S h a n g l a a n d S w a t o f K P K P r o v i n c e T h e p r o j e c t i s t o b e f i n a n c e d e n t i r e l y through Federal PSDP Another project of the Ministry of Federal Education & Professional Training titled Pakistan Education Fund was considered and approved in principle at a cost of Rs 14000 million to be executed all over Pakistan by Higher Education Commission NEST and M/o FE&PT The project is to be financed by Federal PSDP 2023-24 to provide scholarships Lastly another project of Ministry o f C o m m u n i c a t i o n s t i t l e d L a h o r eS a h i w a l - B a h w a l n a g a r M o t o r w a y ( 2 9 5 K m s ) P h a s e – I ” w a s a l s o c o n s i d e r e d a n d a p p r o v e d a t a c o s t o f R s

263 795 863 million to be executed in D i s t r i c t s B a h a w a l p u r K a s u r L a h o r e O k a r a P a k p a t t a n S a h i w a l o f P u n j a b Province The project is to be financed by the Federal PSDP

While the pressure of default and foreign exchange reserve issues has eased for now leading to the possibility of better economic growth independent economists and analysts express concerns that the significant decline in imports may make it challenging for the government to meet its growth target The IMF has projected an economic growth rate of 2 5 percent for the current fiscal year

Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan sign tripar tite railway link project

ISLAMABAD

a n a d o l u ag e n c y

Pakistan, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan have signed a tripartite agreement to connect the three countries through a rail network The joint protocol for the Trans-Afghan project which aims to connect Uzbekistan s and Pakistan s railway networks through Afghanistan was signed in Islamabad in the presence of high-ranking railway officials of the three countries, state-run Radio Pakistan reported In a tweet, Afghanistan’s Railway Authority run by the interim Taliban administration also confirmed the development Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and Railway Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique also attended the signing ceremony As planned, the rail route will pass through Termiz, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan s Mazar-i-Sharif and Logar provinces, and culminate in Pakistan via the Kharlachi border crossing in the Kurram tribal district near the Afghan border The line will facilitate both passenger and freight services and would contribute to regional trade and economic growth said the protocol The project is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2027, and trains could carry goods up to 15 million tons a year by 2030

The 760-kilometre (472-mile) railroad is expected to reduce delivery times of cargo between Uzbekistan and Pakistan by about five days aside from reducing the cost of goods transport by at least 40 percent according to estimates

Pakistani passpor t ranked four th lowest in world

ISLAMABAD S ta f f r e P o r t

The Henley Passport Index which has been regularly monitoring the world s most travel-friendly passports since 2006 has released the latest ranking of the world s most powerful passports in 2023 As per the latest rankings, Pakistan s passport has been ranked as the fourth worst in the world because its citizens can only enter 33 countries without a visa in advance Meanwhile Singapore is now officially the most powerful passport in the world with its citizens able to visit 192 travel destinations out of 227 around the world visa-free Japan has been knocked off the top spot on the Henley Passport Index for the first time in five years and bumped into 3rd place Germany, Italy, and Spain all move up into 2nd place with visafree access to 190 destinations Other passports that tied with Japan to rank third place are Austria Finland France Luxembourg South Korea and Sweden The UK appears to have finally turned the corner after a six-year decline, jumping up two places on the latest ranking to 4th place

In a first , Ukraine foreign minister to arrive in Pakistan today

ISLAMABAD a n a d o l u ag e n c y

Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba of Ukraine will arrive in Pakistan s capital Islamabad on Thursday on an official visit, the Foreign Office said Kuleba, during his two-day visit, will meet Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and hold “detailed” talks with Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, said a statement from Foreign Office on Wednesday His visit is the first-ever ministerial visit from Ukraine since the establishment of diplomatic ties between Pakistan and Ukraine in 1992 It is expected to contribute to further strengthening of bilateral ties between the two countries, the statement said

PTCL Group achieves impressive 26.8% revenue growth amidst challenging

g I n d e p e n d e n t e c o n o m i s t s r a i s e c o n c e r n s o v e r g r o w t h t a r g e t a m i d s t i m p o r t s l u m p g I n c r e a s e i n r e v e n u e c a n b e a t t r i b u t e d t o e x c e p t i o n a l p e r f o r m a n c e a c r o s s m u l t i p l e a r e a s , i n c l u d i n g f i x e d b r o a d b a n d , m o b i l e d a t a , b u s i n e s s s o l u t i o n s , a n d b a n k i n g s e r v i c e s

economic conditions

Despite these positive results, PTCL Group has faced several challenges due to the prevailing macroeconomic conditions The escalating energy and fuel tariffs posed obstacles for telecom operators hindering their ability to provide affordable services to consumers Delays in opening letters of credit (LC) affected the network expansion plans of the operators Additionally, the devaluation of the Pakistani Rupee, rising interest rates, and additional super tax imposed on top of regular corporate tax significantly impacted profitability

To mitigate these challenges PTCL Group called for policy interventions by the government to provide relief to the sector The company emphasized the need for support in addressing energy and fuel tariff issues, facilitating network expansion, and mitigating the effects of currency devaluation and taxation Within the PTCL Group PTCL itself achieved a revenue of Rs 46 9 billion representing a 17 3% increase compared to 2022 The company posted an operating profit of Rs 2 9 bn showcasing a 57% growth over the

previous year The net profit stood at Rs 6 9 bn, indicating a 34 5% increase from the same period last year The growth in profitability can be attributed to non-operating income from forex gains and the disposal of obsolete assets due to network upgrades and fiberization PTCL s consumer business demonstrated steady performance, with a 17 2% revenue growth in the fixed broadband business The company focused on expanding its flagship FTTH brand, ‘Flash Fiber,’ achieving significant net subscriber additions and a 106 5% increase in FTTH revenue However voice and wireless revenue streams faced challenges from OTT services and tough competition from cellular operators In the business services segment, PTCL sustained its market leadership in IP bandwidth, cloud, data center, and other ICT services The enterprise business grew by 21 1% compared to last year and carrier and wholesale business achieved a 34 9% overall revenue growth Despite the challenging economic environment overall Business Solutions revenue demonstrated a remarkable

27 4% year-on-year growth

As Pakistan’s national telecom carrier PTCL Group remains committed to delivering innovative solutions that drive the growth of a Digital Pakistan The company collaborated with Vodafone to introduce industryleading IoT products, services, and solutions to the Pakistani market, aimed at accelerating digital enablement and the adoption of connected services

In addition to its financial achievements, PTCL Group actively engaged in corporate social responsibility initiatives The company organized a blood donation campaign in Islamabad and partnered with the Polio Eradication Initiative (PEI) to raise awareness about polio eradication through vaccination

Despite the challenges posed by the economic landscape, PTCL Group’s impressive revenue growth reflects its resilience and commitment to delivering quality services in Pakistan With its continued focus on innovation and customer experience PTCL Group is paving the way for a digitally empowered future