Epaper_23-07-21 LHR

Profit

P ET R O L E U M D E A L E R S T H R E AT E N

N AT I O N W I D E C LO S U R E O F P

ET R O L P U M P S

g A SSOCIATION, HAVING OVER 12,000 MEMBERS NATIONWIDE, ANNOUNCES DECISION AGAINST SURGE IN INFLATION, INFLUX OF SMUGGLED IRANIAN POL PRODUCTS

IN a press conference held at the Pakistan Petroleum Dealers Association (PPDA) headquarters in Lahore representatives of the PPDA expressed their deep concern over the surging inflation rate and the influx of smuggled Iranian petrol and diesel, which they claim has severely impacted their business

The association, with a vast network of over twelve thousand members nationwide announced their decision to forcefully close all petrol pumps across Pakistan from 6:00 am on Saturday 22nd

July 2023, unless their demands are met

The dealers, who play a crucial role in the country’s economy pointed out that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) has drastically increased with inflation rates reaching a staggering 38% compared to 19 9% in the previous year Additionally, the soaring costs of electricity, labor, KIBOR (KIBOR rate), and other necessary expenses have resulted in a significant decrease in their profit margins with some dealers even experiencing negative income

Our association is the largest in Pakistan, and we have been working in agreement with the government since 1999,” stated a spokesperson from the

ECP says ‘fully prepared’ for holding polls on Aug 12

Election Commission of Pakistan Special Secretary Zafar

Iqbal claimed on Thursday that the electoral watchdog was fully prepared for elections and would hold the polls by October 11 if the National Assembly was dissolved on August 12, when its five-year term comes to an end The five-year term of the NA commenced under the then-PTI government on August 12 2018 and will be completed under a PM-Shehbaz-led ruling coalition following the ouster of former premier Imran Khan through a no-confidence vote in April last year The ECP official s statement pertaining to the date of the election comes as political parties, particularly those part of the ruling coalition, increasingly engage in consultations reportedly on the timing of the elections and the caretaker setup among other matters ahead of the polls slated to take place later this year

IHC declares super tax a violation of Constitution

association Initially, we were entitled to a 5% profit, which was gradually reduced to 4% by 2004 The current government’s decision to limit a mere

2 40% profit amounting to six rupees per liter has left us deeply dissatisfied

Despite repeated attempts to engage with the government and address their concerns, the dealers claimed that they have been ignored and their appeals have fallen

E C C a p p r o v e s R s 1 0 b f o r e l e c t i o n s i n F Y 2 0 2 3 - 2 4

The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet, held with Federal Minister For Finance and Revenue Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar in the chair on Thursday approved Rs10 billion for conduct of general elections in FY 2023-2024

The approval was made following a summary tabled by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) regarding the demand for funds of Rs42 528 billion as TSG for conduct of general elections in FY 2023-2024

The ECP is taking all necessary steps to conduct the next general election as per the constitutional responsibility and for this purpose ECP has already asked the Finance division to release the funds

The ECP informed the ECC members that the Finance division has asked the department to move the summary for approval According to Finance division, the ECC allowed Rs10 billion as first release and fur-

ther release on need basis

The ECC also approved Technical Supplementary Grant (TSG) of Rs200 million in favor of the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) of PM Secretariat, which has been established to attract investment from GCC and other countries in the fields of Defence, Agriculture, Mineral, IT, and Energy

The ECC considered a summary of the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting regarding charging electricity rates to Cinema houses In order to revive the film industry in Pakistan the ECC approved the proposal that Cinemas may be charged electricity as per rates admissible to industry

The ECC also considered a summary of Ministry of Commerce regarding export of vegetable ghee/cooking oil from export processing zones to Afghanistan through land route and approved omission of Para 7(6) and para 7(7) of Export Policy Order (EPO) -2022 which specifies the conditions for exports to Afghanistan

n i e s o f I n c o m e Ta x O r d i n a n c e 2 0 0 1 i s u l t r a v i r e s t h e f u n d a m e n t a l r i g h t s a n d a g a i n s t t h e C o n s t i t u t i o n “ [ S e c t i o n ] 4 C , a s i t s t a n d s n o w, f a l l s t o b e u l t r a v i r e s t h e f u n d a m e n t a l r i g h t s u n d e r A r t i c l e s 1 8 2 3 a n d 2 4 r e a d w i t h A r t i c l e 4 o f t h e C o n s t i t u t i o n r e a d a v e r d i c t a u t h o r e d b y J u s t i c e E j a z S a r d a r I s h a q K h a n o n T h u r s d a y R e f e r r i n g t o S u p r e m e C o u r t s v e r d i c t i n t h e I m r a n a Ti w a n a c a s e , t h e c o u r t s a i d S e c t i o n 4 C i s “ h e l d t o b e a g a i n s t t h e s c h e m e o f t h e C o n s t i t u t i o n a n d s h o u l d e i t h e r b e r e a d d o w n o r d e c l a r e d u l t r a v i r e s f o r t h e r e a s o n s g i v e n i n t h i s j u d g m e n t I n t h e l i g h t o f t h e a p e x c o u r t v e r d i c t t h e I H C s a i d t h o s e t a x p a y e r s f r o m w h o m t h e t a x i s c o l l e c t e d i n t h e f o r m o f f i n a l t a x , w i l l n o t b e s u b j e c t t o s u p e r t a x I n t h e d e t a i l e d j u d g m e n t , t h e I H C j u d g e s a i d t h e m o v e t o e x c l u d e p r e v i o u s y e a r s ’ l o s s d e p r e c i a t i o n a n d a m o r t i s a t i o n a l l o w a n c e s f r o m t h e d e f i n i t i o n o f i n c o m e b y m a k i n g c h a n g e s t o t h e d e f i n i t i o n o f i n c o m e i n S e c t i o n 4 C o f t h e I n c o m e Ta x O r d i n a n c e h a s a l s o b e e n d e c l a r e d u n c o n s t i t u t i o n a l “ [ S e c t i o n ] 4 C , a s r e a d d o w n , w i l l h a v e p r o s p e c t i v e a p p l i c a t i o n o n l y a n d w i l l n o t a p p l y t o a n y t r a n s a c t i o n s o r e v e n t s p a s t a n d c l o s e d o n o r b e f o r e 3 0 t h J u n e 2 0 2 2 t h e v e r d i c t a d d e d M o r e o v e r t h e c o u r t s a i d t h e s u p e r t a x w i l l n o t a p p l y t o t h e b e n e v o l e n t f u n d s , p e t r o l e u m a n d e x p l o r a t i o n c o m p a n i e s t o t h e e x t e n t i t s a p p l i c a t i o n r e s u l t s i n t h e t a x a t i o n o f s u c h c o m p a n i e s e x c e e d i n g t h e t h r e s h o l d s s t i p u l a t e d i n R u l e 4 o f t h e F i f t h S c h e d u l e t o t h e O r d i n a n c e I n t h e v e r d i c t t h e c o u r t a l s o t e r m e d t h e m o v e t o l e v y s u p e r t a x a t t h e r a t e o f t e n % o n t e n i n d u s t r i e s a s d i s c r i m i n a t o r y T h e I H C h a s c a n c e l l e d a l l t h e s u p e r t a x n o t i c e s a n d g i v e n i n s t r u c t i o n s t o i s s u e n e w n o t i c e s a s p e r t h e j u d g m e n t S e v e r a l c o m p a n i e s i n c l u d i n g F u j i F e r t i l i z e r C o m p a n y L i m i t e d h a d f i l e d p e t i t i o n s a g a i n s t t h e s u p e r t a x i n t h e I s l a m a b a d H i g h C o u r t T h e p e t i t i o n e r c o m p a n i e s w e r e r e p r e s e n t e d b y a d v o c a t e s S a l m a n A k r a m R a j a , A d n a n H a i d e r R a n d h a w a a n d o t h e r l a w y e r s d e a l i n g w i t h t a x m a t t e r s

I C I D E B L A S T C L A I M S F O U R L I V E S I N P E S H AWA R

BARA

S ta f f R e p o R t

AT l e a s t f o u r p e o p l e w e r e martyred on Thursday in a blast at the tehsil compound office in t h e B a r a a r e a o f K h y b e r t r i b a l district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa

said rescue officials Rescue 1122 officials have so far confirmed the martyrdom of three police officials; at least nine other people including civilians were injured

A critically injured police official succumbed to his injuries while under treatment and another body was recovered from the rubble, said rescue services

The powerful explosion, which police officials said occurred near the main gate of the compound caused a part of the building to collapse and heavy machinery was called to the scene to aid in rescue efforts

A senior police officer said two suicide attackers tried to enter the compound, but timely action by security personnel foiled

the attack Immediate retaliation by personnel killed the attackers he added

A major attack has been foiled said Inspector General (IG) KhyberPakhtunkhwa Police Akhtar Hayat Khan in a brief statement

The provincial Bomb Disposal Unit (BDU) stated that two suicide vests were used in the attack and fragments of hand grenades were also recovered from the site Around 16kgs of explosives was used by terrorists in the attack, added BDU officials

The preliminary investigation revealed that the terrorists arrived at the compound in a white vehicle and tried to gain entry

The martyred policemen were identified as Tayyab and Noor Bahadur while the injured policemen include: Hanif, Abdul Hadi, Ajmal, Zubair, Nawaz and Gulzeb

The injured civilians were identified as Waris Khan and M Arshad Teams of law enforcers and rescue personnel reached the incident site soon after the explosion The area was cordoned off

and the injured were shifted to nearby medical facilities

There were also reports of heavy firing in the area after the explosion

A police spokesperson added that offices of sensitive agencies are located in the area where the explosion took place adding that after the attack security teams entered the premises for retaliatory action

PM SHEHBAZ CONDEMNS ATTACK

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the blast and expressed his deep grief and sorrow over the martyrdom of police officials in the attack

The prime minister directed the relevant authorities to provide the best medical facilities to the injured

He said the police personnel halted the suspects by risking their lives and foiled the nefarious intentions of the terrorists

“The personnel of the law enforcing agencies ensure the safety of the people by risking their lives he added He said he along with the whole nation pay tributes to the brave troops of the Police

PMD forecasts heavy rain, urban

ooding in low-lying areas of country

ISLAMABAD

S ta f f R e p o R t

The Pakistan Meteorological Office (PMD) on Thursday issued an alert cautioning the authorities and residents of Islamabad Rawalpindi and other major cities against heavy rains and subsequent potential urban flooding in low-lying areas during the three-day period – Thursday to

Saturday

According to the PMD weather forecast heavy rain may cause urban flooding in low-lying areas of Islamabad

Rawalpindi Peshawar Sialkot Narowal

Gujranwala and Lahore Heavy rainfall may trigger landslides in vulnerable areas of Murree, Galliyat, Kashmir, Gilgit Baltistan and hilly areas of Khyber

Pakhtunkhwa during the period it added

The PMD cautioned that rain may cause flooding conditions in local Nullahs of Dera Ghazi Khan and adjoining areas of Balochistan during the forecast period

The forecast informed monsoon currents from Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal are penetrating in most parts of the country while a westerly wave is affecting upper parts of the country

Rain-wind/thundershower is expected in Kashmir, Islamabad, Pothohar region including Punjab, northeast and south Balochistan Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh during the period in question

Heavy falls are also likely at isolated places in Kashmir northeast Punjab upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and eastern Sindh during the forecast period

MQM-P urges ECP to hold general elections

Rain with wind/thundershower is expected in Kashmir Islamabad Pothohar region including Punjab northeast and south Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh on Friday

Heavy falls are also likely at isolated places in Kashmir northeast Punjab Pothohar region Islamabad upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and eastern Sindh during the forecast period

During last 24 hours rainfall with few heavy falls, occurred in Punjab, Pothohar region, Islamabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Kashmir upper and central Sindh northeastern Balochistan and GilgitBaltistan according to the weather report

Shehr yar Afridi ‘implicated’ in theft of wheat bags from Bahawalpur: law yer

ISLAMABAD S ta f f R e p o R t

2023

on new census data, delimitations

ISLAMABAD S ta f f R e p o R t

The leadership of Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P) an ally in the ruling coalition on Thursday demanded holding of the general elections 2023 in the country on new census data and delimitations A delegation of MQM-P led by Dr Farooq Sattar on Thursday held a meeting with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) officials

During the meeting, the MQM-P leaders urged ECP to conduct the general elections 2023 on the basis of new census data and delimitations The political party also expressed reservations over flaws in electoral lists and census The MQM-P delegations also presented evidence of flaws in Karachi s electoral lists to the ECP officials Talking to the ECP officials, Dr Farooq Sattar said that the upcoming general polls must be held on new census data He claimed that the flaws in delimitations and voters data can be removed in 15 to 20 days We demanded the prime minister for holding elections on new delimitations The premier has also assured the MQM-P of fulfilling the demand The delegation also expressed serious reservations on the recent census statistics in which Karachi’s population was undercounted Sattar said that 30% of Karachi voters have been shifted to other constituencies far from their current residences The delegation urged the election commission to remove irregularities in the voter lists The ECP assured the MQM-P of addressing the issues The ECP also assured the MQM-P of shifting the millions of Karachi voters to their own constituencies

PTI chief ousted through a constitutional way: Dastagir

ISLAMABAD

S ta f f R e p o R t

Federal Minister for Power Engr Khurram Dastgir Khan has said that no unconstitutional way was adopted for ouster of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government and legal procedure was followed in this connection

W h i l e c o m m e n t i n g o n t h e “ c y p h e r c o n s p i r a c y ” o n T h u r s d a y h e s a i d : “ T h e f r i e n d l y c o u n t r i e s o f P a k i s t a n w e r e u p s e t due to the cypher conspiracy It is possible to recover the economic l o s s B u t w h a t a b o u t t h e d a m a g e t h a t h a d b e e n d o n e t o t h e country’s prestige ” The US ambassador was called

to the foreign office on the cypher conspiracy he claimed asserting the cypher had nothing to do with the change in government Taking a swipe at the PTI chief, Eng Khurram Dastgir said, “The PTI chief is not a truthful and honest in a real context ”

Meanwile Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah accused former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi of involvement in the “cypher conspiracy”

Ta k i n g t o Tw i t t e r, S a n a u l l a h castigated the PTI chief alleging t h a t t h e l a t t e r h a d c o m p r o m i s e d t h e i n t e r e s t s o f t h e c o u n t r y H e asserted: The PTI leadership was acting against the interests of the country

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) senior leader looks to be implicated in yet another case for allegedly facilitating stealing of wheat from a person’s house in Bahawalpur Sher Afzal Marwat the lawyer of Shehryar Afridi posted a tweet claiming that his client had been implicated in a false case A copy of FIR went viral on social media late Thursday evening claiming that Afridi was implicated by one Makhdoom Syed Sibtain Hyder Bukhari s/o Syed Akbar Bukhari, resident of Model Town A, Bahawalpur, against a PTI candidate for provincial assembly Ahmed Usman Channar while Afridi was implicated as a facilitator Secretary General Omar Ayub Khan Thursday strongly condemned what he called the abduction of PTI senior leader Shehryar Khan Afridi from Adyala Jail in the dead of the night after the lockdown and urged Islamabad High Court (IHC) and other courts to take action against this open violation of the constitution and law of the country In a statement PTI Secretary General said that Shehryar Afridi has been moved and abducted from Adyala Jail in the dead of night after lockdown This is in complete violation of the Jail Manual He is under Judicial Remand and is the responsibility of the court ” he added Omar Ayub strongly condemned this total violation of laws We hope that Islamabad High Court and other courts would take action he added

Func tioning of Punjab Police digitalized for efficient public ser vice: IGP

LAHORE S ta f f R e p o R t

Punjab Inspector General of Police

Imran summoned by Supreme Cour t in murder case

ISLAMABAD

The Supreme Court summoned the chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and former prime minister Imran Khan in the murder case of Supreme Court lawyer Abdul Razzaq Shar The former prime minister has been directed to appear before the Supreme Court on July 24 at 10:30 am

A three-judge bench, led by Justice Yahya Khan

Additionally, MQM-P submitted complaints against the provincial election commissioners to the ECP headquarters LAHORE

Afridi presided over the plea of the former prime minister At the beginning of the hearing Latif Khosa the counsel for the PTI chairman requested the court to halt the proceedings of the case In his arguments before the apex court, Khosa contended that the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) constituted by the government is against the law of the land In response Justice Afridi said the accused should surrender himself before the court first Justice Afridi questioned why Khan did not contact the relevant forum to quash the First Information Report (FIR) in the case Khosa replied they had already filed a case in the Balochistan High Court (BHC) before approaching the SC Khosa further claimed that the case against his client was registered based on the complaint of the stepson of the deceased lawyer Justice Naqvi raised a concern regarding the filing of the case when the Investigating Officer (IO) had not named the PTI chairman as an accused The Balochistan advocate general, upon inquiry, confirmed that non-bailable arrest warrants were not issued for the former prime minister based on his information

Punjab (IGP) Dr Usman Anwar on Thursday claimed that the functioning of Punjab Police has been developed on modern technology through software and other programs saying that s why Police Service Centers across the province have been providing fast and efficient service to the citizens

“Equal attention has been paid to and additional resources are being provided to anti-crime operations as well as investigations Similarly thousands of officers have been promoted across the board on merit and seniority basis to raise morale of the police force , Punjab Inspector General of Police Punjab (IGP)

Dr Usman Anwar expressed the views

while talking to under-training officers of 37th Mid-Career Management Course who came on a study visit to the Central Police Office On the occasion the delegation from National Institute of Management Karachi was informed about the working and professional affairs of the Punjab Police The IG police pointed out that health screening of the force was complete and vaccination was underway adding that bravery medals are being launched for successful completion of dangerous operations Dr Usman Anwar informed the training officers of the delegation about service delivery and recent anticrime measures The IGP also answered the questions put forward by the visiting under-training officers Punjab DIG Operations Waqas Nazir briefed the participants of the delegation about police

working and operational procedures

The participants of the delegation were also given a visit to the Martyrs and Ghazi Wall and other parts of the Central Police Office At the end of the visit IG Punjab gave commemorative souvenirs to head of the delegation and other officers

PM S hehbaz, wife and Hamza acquitted in Rs8b money laundering c ase

The accountability court Lahore on Thursday acquitted Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, his son, Hamza Shahbaz wife Nusrat Shehbaz in the Rs8 billion money laundering reference filed by the National Accountability Bureau Accountability Court Judge Qamaruz Zaman announced the verdict reserved earlier while a written order in the case is

acquitted However, a perpetual arrest warrant was issued for PM Shehbaz s daughter, Rabia

Imran, who was declared an absconder in the case

The court also issued instructions to unfreeze the properties of all of the acquitted individuals

The family expressed their belief that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) failed to produce any evidence against them

Subsequently NAB investigators confirmed the lack of evidence In the court s verdict which had been reserved earlier this month it was stated that there was no other choice but to acquit the accused, as NAB had explicitly stated the absence of evidence against them

The reference was filed by the antigraft watchdog in August 2020 during Shehbaz Sharif s tenure as the opposition leader in the National Assembly He was arrested by NAB after the Lahore High

Court denied his bail on September 29

Previously, the court had declared PM Shehbaz’s son Suleman daughter Rabia Imran and son-in-law Haroon Yousaf as absconders for avoiding their appearance in the case s trial proceedings Suleman and Yousaf ended their self-exile last year and returned to the country after securing protective bail from the courts THE CASE

In August 2020 NAB filed an Rs8 billion reference of money laundering against Shehbaz who was the opposition leader at the time his two sons and other family members In this reference, NAB alleged that the family members and benamidars of PM Shehbaz received fake foreign remittances of billions in their personal bank accounts In addition to these remittances the

bureau said, billions of rupees were laundered by way of foreign pay orders, which were deposited in the personal bank accounts of his sons Hamza and Suleman PM Shehbaz his elder son Hamza and daughter Javeria Ali were indicted in the reference besides other accused persons including Fazal Dad Abbasi, Rashid Karamat Muhammad Usman Masroor Anwar Nisar Ahmad Shoaib Qamar and Qasim Qayum Shehbaz s wife Nusrat was also indicted through a pleader as she was still out of the country NAB arrested PM Shehbaz on Sept 28, 2020, after the Lahore High Court (LHC) refused to further extend his prearrest bail He remained in the NAB s custody for 23 days till the trial court sent him on judicial remand on Oct 20 2020

ACCIDENTS SURGE: GOVT TO DEPLOY MOTORWAY POLICE ON GB HIGHWAYS

groundwork for subsequent actions

IN a significant move to enhance traffic safety and promote tourism in Gilgit-Baltistan, Qamar Zaman Kaira, the Adviser on Kashmir and GilgitBaltistan Affairs to the Prime Minister has issued directives for the immediate implementation of motorway police deployments on critical highways

As per details the decision came during a high-level meeting held in Islamabad, where top officials and authorities discussed ways to prevent traffic accidents in the region

The meeting was attended by prominent

figures, including the Secretary of Kashmir Affairs, Chief Secretary of Gilgit-Baltistan, IG Motorway Police IG Gilgit-Baltistan and the Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Communications along with other senior officials The main focus was on devising strategies to ensure safer travel in GilgitBaltistan, a region of immense importance for tourism

Highlighting the significance of GilgitBaltistan as a popular tourist destination Adviser Kaira underscored the government s commitment to ensuring the safety of both visitors and locals Detailed assessments were carried out during the meeting to identify potential danger spots along critical

routes, such as Dasu to Hannya, Jaglot to Skardu, and Babusar to Chilas

A comprehensive survey of approximately 140 locations was completed marking areas deemed hazardous concerning traffic These proactive measures are aimed at safeguarding the lives of travellers and enhancing the overall travel experience in the region During the meeting, the Chief Secretary of Gilgit-Baltistan and officials from the motorway police reported the successful completion of a joint survey of critical routes in the region They identified potential risks along the Dasu to Hannya Jaglot to Skardu, and Babusar to Chilas highways The meticulous survey laid the

Adviser Kaira immediately directed the National Highway Authority (NHA) officials to liaise with the Gilgit-Baltistan government to expedite the implementation of protective barriers and clear signage at the identified sensitive locations Emphasizing the urgency of the matter, he urged swift coordination between the NHA and the Gilgit-Baltistan government to ensure the rapid progress of the action plan Beyond traffic safety the meeting also delved into crucial factors such as staff availability infrastructure and financial matters related to the deployment of motorway police in Gilgit-Baltistan The

SCCI shows concerns over persistent economic slowdown, instability in dollar rates despite govt-IMF agreement

PESHAWAR S ta f f R e p o R t

Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) acting president Ijaz Khan Afridi has expressed grave concern over the persistent economic slowdown and instability in dollar rates despite striking staff level agreement between Government of Pakistan and IMF

In spite of the government-IMF pact, the dollar rate value against Pakistani rupee is increasing on a daily basis, which is highly worrisome, according to a statement here on Thursday quoting Mr

Afridii, he said The SCCI’s acting president said the business community were pinned high hopes about economic improvement and stability in dollar rates after striking a staff level agreement between the government of Pakistan and IMF, however there was no economic improvement and stability in dollar rates

Afridi was of the view that rumours and dreads of the country s economic default had also died instantly after the government-IMF agreement but the economic situation isn t leading to improvement, which was highly

alarming Following the governmentIMF agreement he said there was no justification of appreciation of USD against PKR and persisting economic disorder He added most importantly that the government is not confronting any hurdles or difficulties from financial lenders and international donors

The SCCI’s acting chief emphasized stability in exchange rates is essential for flourishing trade and commercial activities in the country Afridi urged the government to take pragmatic steps to bring economic stability so that businessmen would be in

a better position to craft a vibrant plan for business trade and industrial growth and development he added

Similarly he asked the government to take measures to bring stability in dollar rates besides ensuring its availability at every level so the economic and commercial activities will foster and the country could put on a path of sustainable progress and economic prosperity

The chamber s acting chief also stressed the need for proactive steps to resolve issues of small traders, importers and exporters issues at the earliest

SBP designates UBL, HBL and NBP as D -SIBs for 2023

FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE OF THE BANKS

CONTINUED FROM BACK PAGE

Even though this designation proves to be a seal of approval for the banks themselves, it can also place additional burden on the banks who have to post additional capital requirements while also enhancing their supervisory requirements

Based on the framework NBP has been placed in Bucket D of the Common Equity Tier-1 (CET-1) which means they have to post an additional 2 5% in capital while HBL and UBL are placed in Bucket C and Bucket A requiring 1 5% and 0 5% of additional capital respectively SBP also places branches of Global Systemically Important Banks (G-SIBs) operating in Pakistan under its purview and requires them to hold additional CET-1 capital base as well but in this review no such bank was identified for designation

IMPACT ON ECONOMY

The announcement that has been made is in line with SBP s role as the regulator of the banking industry of the country and looks to make sure that the banks are adhering to international standards of compliance Meeting these guidelines means that the central bank is able to look after the health of the economy and make sure banks are not jeopardizing the state of the economy The regulator ensures that the economy does not fall prey to the profit maximization motive of the banks themselves Mr Aqeel states that these are

NEPRA grants K-Electric 6-month licence extension during renewal process on strict conditions CONTINUED FROM BACK PAGE The authority will closely monitor K-Electric’s compliance with the specified conditions to ensure that consumers interests remain protected With the licence extension in place consumers in Karachi can be assured of uninterrupted power supply as the regulatory process for licence renewal progresses NEPRA will continue to prioritise consumer welfare and industry development as it reviews K-Electric’s

licence renewal application the regulator said

Rashid criticises government’s per formance, calls for transparent elections

RAWALPINDI S ta f f R e p o R t S h e i k h R a s h i d A h m e d t h e h e a d o f h i s f a c t i o n o f t h e M u s l i m L e a g u e e x p r e s s e d c o n c e r n s o v e r t h e g o v e r n m e n t s 1 5 - m o n t h p e r f o r m a n c e s a y i n g t h a t i n f l a t i o n a n d p o v e r t y - s t r i c k e n c i t i z e n s w o u l d h o l d t h e r u l e r s a c c o u n t a b l e o n t h e p o l l i n g d a y i f t r a n s p a r e n t e l e c t i o n s w e r e h e l d I n a l e n g t h y t w e e t p o s t e d i n U r d u , t h e h e a d o f t h e Aw a m i M u s l i m L e a g u e r e m a r k e d t h a t t h e r u l i n g a u t h o r i t i e s h a v e o n l y 2 0 d a y s l e f t t o a c t a s t h e y w i s h , a s t h e y w o n ’t h a v e a n o t h e r o p p o r t u n i t y a f t e r t h a t R e f l e c t i n g o n t h e r u l i n g a l l i a n c e R a s h i d n o t e d t h e d i ff e r i n g s t a n c e s o f i t s c o n s t i t u e n t s T h e J U I - F e x p r e s s e d i n t e n t i o n s t o c o n t e s t p o l l s f r o m a l l c o n s t i t u e n c i e s w h i l e t h e P M L - N r e j e c t e d s e a t a d j u s t m e n t s a n d t h e P P P p l a n n e d t o p a r t i c i p a t e i n d e p e n d e n t l y u s i n g i t s o w n p a r t y s y m b o l R a s h i d r e c a l l e d h i s p r e v i o u s p r e d i c t i o n o f t h e a l l i a n c e s p o t e n t i a l f r a g m e n t a t i o n a n d a d d e d t h a t t h e r u l i n g p a r t i e s w e r e l i k e l y t o f a c e t h e w r a t h o f t h e p e o p l e i n t h e u p c o m i n g e l e c t i o n s D i s c u s s i n g t h e c o u n t r y ’s e c o n o m i c c h a l l e n g e s , R a s h i d e m p h a s i z e d t h a t t h e I M F ’s s t r i n g e n t c o n d i t i o n s w o u l d e x a c e r b a t e p r o b l e m s f o r P a k i s t a n ’s e c o n o m y a n d f u r t h e r h a r m t h e u n d e r p r i v i l e g e d H e p o i n t e d o u t t h a t f r i e n d l y n a t i o n s h a d a l s o a d v i s e d P a k i s t a n t o a d d r e s s i t s d o m e s t i c i s s u e s a n d e n s u r e p o l i t i c a l a n d e c o n o m i c s t a b i l i t y R a s h i d c l a i m e d t h a t t h e i m p o v e r i s h e d c i t i z e n s f e l t a b a n d o n e d a n d l i s t e d s e v e r a l p r e s s i n g i s s u e s i n c l u d i n g b r a i n d r a i n s t a g n a t i o n i n i n d u s t r i a l g r o w t h , l a c k o f i n v e s t m e n t , a n d t h e r i s e i n p o v e r t y

prudent measures that are still relatively new They have basically zero impact on anything” as banks in Pakistan are well-capitalised and profitable Their business is low risk and this announcement will have zero real world application

CONTEXT OF THE FRAMEWORK

This framework was developed as a mechanism by the regulatory bodies around the world in the wake of the Global Financial Crisis of 2008 where it was seen that large financial institutions can grow in size and influence to such an extent that they can create collateral damage in the economy Initially these standards were developed on the global scale to protect global economies from such a contagion but then it was felt that there was a need to have domestic standards to protect the domestic economy and financial stability of the country Once a sample of banks is identified having more than 3% of Pakistan GDP in its asset base the banks are then tested in terms of their size interconnectedness complexity and substitutability The purpose of this framework is to make sure that banks are building an inherent stability within their own balance sheets to protect the financial system from any additional risk they can pose due to their size and operations Once it is felt that they are becoming too big to create a risk of stability within a financial system they have to raise additional equity in order to make sure there is a buffer in case a shock takes place

states Mr Shah He further adds that internal control adopted by the banks thems elves and SBP overs

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

NEPRA raises elec tricity tariff by Rs1.9 per unit as FC A in additional burden on consumers

CONTINUED FROM BACK PAGE

According to NEPRA’s notification, the latest rise in power tariff comes after an application filed by the Central Power Purchasing Agency (CPPA) on DISCOs requesting approval for an increase of Rs 2 05 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) The CPPA s application cited a total energy generation of 12,283 68 gigawatt hours (GWh) in May 2023, incurring a cost of Rs 9 7205/kWh Out of this, 11 954 36 GWh was delivered to DISCOs at a cost of Rs 9 8817/kWh The report submitted by the CPPA provides a detailed breakdown of energy production from various sources including hydel coal RFO gas RLNG, nuclear, import from Iran, mixed sources, wind, bagasse, and solar

Gilgit-Baltistan government pledged its full cooperation, offering necessary resources and infrastructure to support the efforts of the motorway police in ensuring safe and smooth travel on the highways

With these swift and proactive measures in place, Gilgit-Baltistan is set to witness a significant boost in tourism while ensuring the safety and well-being of its visitors and residents The implementation of motorway police deployments coupled with the support of the government is expected to make a positive impact on the region s travel landscape enhancing its reputation as a must-visit destination for both domestic and international travellers

LHC seeks reply from Punjab gov t , others on detention of Ch Per vaiz Elahi

LAHORE S ta f f R e p o R t

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Thursday sought reply from the Punjab government and other respondents in a plea challenging detention of former Punjab CM and PTI President Pervaiz Elahi LHC Justice Shahram Sarwar heard the plea filed by former Punjab CM’s wife Qaisra Elahi Mrs Ch Pervaiz Elahi has made the Punjab government Punjab IG Lahore deputy commissioner and others as respondents in the case The LHC after initial hearing sought replies from the respondents on detention of Ch Pervaiz Elahi It is to be noted that Ch Pervaiz Elahi has been detained for a month under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) in Adiala Jail Deputy Commissioner (DC) Rafia Haider issued the notification stating that the PTI president will remain in custody at Camp Jail Lahore for a period of 30 days in order to prevent public disorder He would stay in Camp Jail under the Superintendent of Camp Jail for the next month The notification said there are three cases against Elahi who may harm law and order It said the former CM is also wanted by the police in these cases However on Wednesday, the PTI president was shifted to Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi from Camp Jail Lahore

ECP says ‘fully prepared’ for holding polls on Aug 12

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 01

For his part, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has announced that the government would be handing over the country’s reins to a caretaker setup in August Meanwhile confusion also persists about whether the coalition partners would go for the normal dissolution of the NA on completion of its term on August 12 or advise the president for an early dissolution According to Article 224 of the Constitution A general election to the National Assembly or a provincial assembly shall be held within a period of 60 days immediately following the day on which the term of the assembly is due to expire unless the Assembly has been sooner dissolved In case of early dissolution the ECP is bound to hold the general elections within a period of 90 days after the dissolution, according to Article 224(2) While most allies have called for holding elections on time, notably the PPP, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said earlier said the assemblies could be dissolved before the scheduled date to “facilitate” the ECP If the assemblies get dissolved earlier the ECP would get more time 90 days to hold elections

ECC approves Rs10b for elections in F Y 2023-24

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 01

NEPRA conducted hearings on July 5, 2023, to review the proposed tariff adjustments and reached a decision despite concerns regarding the additional burden it would place on already struggling power consumers

Consumers have already been burdened in recent months by surging fuel prices, and record-high inflation The rising cost of electricity will not only affect households but also pose challenges to industries and businesses leading to potential increases in the prices of goods and services which The NEPRA notification emphasises that the FCA must be implemented strictly, with concerned DISCOs adhering to court orders regardless of this new tariff increase As the new tariff takes effect in the billing month of July 2023 consumers are advised to be cautious about their electricity usage and explore energy efficient practices to mitigate the financial impact of the higher rates The government and energy regulatory authorities are expected to closely monitor the situation and take necessary measures to ensure that the increase in power tariff does not disproportionately affect the most vulnerable sections of society With energy prices being a crucial factor in economic stability striking a balance between covering costs and ensuring affordable electricity for consumers remains a significant challenge for the authorities

The ECC further allowed amendment in Schedule –IIof EPO-2022 to the extent of removing the exception regarding export of vegetable ghee/cooking oil from EPZs manufacturing bonds and export oriented units to Afghanistan The ECC also considered a summary of the Ministry of National Food Security & Research regarding revision of Cess rates on Tobacco for the year 2023-24 It has asked ECC to approve Rs9 30 per kg cess rate for Plain Area Sub-Mountainous Area Rs5 70 Dark Air-Cured Tobacco (DAC) Rs4 38 White Patta (WP) Rs6 69 Burley Rs4 38 Naswar / Snuff / Hookah and other Rustica Tobacco and its products and Rs6 per KG Sun Cured Virginia (SCV)

The Public Affairs Officer (PAO) of the US Consulate in Peshawar, Monica Davis, visited Mansehra to participate in US educational and environmental programs

During her visit she engaged in discussions with local educational authorities and non-profit organizations to strengthen educational opportunities and promote environmental awareness Davis began her visit by meeting with Hazara University Vice Chancellor Dr Mohsin Nawaz to explore the educational opportunities offered through the US

diplomatic mission to Pakistan

Center, supported by a grant from the Pakistan-US Alumni Network This new centre aims to enhance educational resources and further support students academic pursuits In an effort to promote cultural preservation, Davis also inaugurated Hazara University’s new Archeology Museum During the ceremony, she expressed appreciation for the university leadership s interest and active involvement in such projects Continuing her visit PAO Davis paid a visit to the office of the non-profit organization Global Educational, Economic, and Social Empowerment (GEESE) Here she learned about the project has positively impacted more than 3,500 Pakistani students and over 7,500 individuals to date

organization’s activities, which primarily focus on environmental protection and educational empowerment The US Consulate in Peshawar collaborated with GEESE on a grant to raise awareness about the importance of environmental protection in Mansehra GEESE conducted hospitality management workshops and environmental protection awareness sessions with students Moreover they led tree plantation drives and campaigns to collect and dispose of plastic waste properly The

A zam Khan turning approver seems to have rattled Imran Khan

TH E R E are many advantages to having an official function as your Principal Secretary However there is the disadvantage that he may turn approver, which is to say he may confess to your wrongdoing in which he had a share and thereby entrap you in something untoward That is what Azam Khan has done to Imran Khan whose Secretary he was when the latter was PM His confessional statement is not really new for an audio leak has revealed that the PM ‘had played’ with the cipher which Mr Khan used to show that USA had connived with the then Opposition and the establishment to overthrow Mr Khan However, it should not be forgotten that Zulikar Ali Bhutto was convicted because of the confessional statement of Masood Mahmood the DG of the Federal Security Force, who turned approver to say that Mr Bhutto had ordered the killing of Ahmad Raza Kasuri, whose father Nawab Muhammad Ahmad Khan was murdered instead The making of a statement under Section 169 CrPC, which is before a magistrate who has assured himself that no duress has been applied means that the witness is bound by that statement but he has to repeat it in court, so that the accused s counsel may cross-examine Legal technicalities aside the statement throws into doubt the entire narrative that Mr Khan has built It would be fair if Mr Khan felt that this was ancient history, because he himself has moved on, because somewhere along the line he might have realized that dragging in the USA was not a very good idea, no matter how much the establishment and the coalition could be targeted However, Mr Azam’s claim that Mr Khan had not returned the cipher after taking it, also creates the suspicion that there be liability under the Official Secrets Act involved The PTI s reaction can only be diescribed as angry Clearly someone there has realized that if Mr Azam’s confession can be used to disprove Mr Khan s narrative, then his removal by the Opposition was the result of a constitutional procedure with no foreign conspiracy in the background Mr Azam;s confessional statement comes hot on the heels of the first public defence of Donald Lu the State Department official accused of making the threats against Mr Khan in the impugned cipher, with a denial by the State Department spokeswoman saying that the denial had been conveyed both publicly and privately However this is the first denial of Mr Lu s involvement It is a mark of the polarization of the country that Mr Azam s statement is either to be accepted by opponents of Mr Khan or dismissed by his supporters

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

After the horse has bolted

left and Afghanistan descended into chaos it was the ISI which took credit for the formation and rise of the Taliban

TH E outburst by the Chief of Army Staff and the Defence Minister about Taliban perfidy was perhaps inevitable, after the provision of safe havens to the Tehrik Taliban Pakistan by the Taliban regime of Afghanistan for the Zhib attacks in which nine soldiers were killed the most casualties in a single day this year This showed that the jubilation at the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021 was not quite justified, as it did not bring to power a party friendly to Pakistan, but one which wished to pursue its own agenda Clearly, the ISI’s handling of Afghanistan was deficient somewhere That the ISI is to blame is because of how it monopolized the Pakistani end of the Afghan Jihad in the 1980s when it expanded exponentially under General Ziaul Haq Over 40 years down the line the US expulsion and Taliban takeover was touted as a great Pakistani victory, achieved by the ISI

The ISI cannot be blamed for the Afghan policy alone as it was part of a greater establishment consensus Similarly the ISI alone cannot be blamed for the events of May 9 as there was an establishment consensus which led to it The attacks of May 9 on Army symbols, including Martyrs memorials, were carried out by a party which the establishment had developed as a sort of surrogate, to let it act freely The ISI was the point agency on this issue, as it ‘handled’ the PTI and had provided it many of the services which let it rule It stopped helping and the PTI fell It is no coincidence that PTI chief Imran Khan has targeted the DG C of the ISI because according to the accounts admittedly of his opponents, the main man responsible for his 2018 win, was the then DG’C’ That officer then became DG ISI and to prevent his removal Imran used the need for continuity in the Afghan policy as the reason for opposing his transfer out

While it might be tempting to blame General Faiz for both the PTI and the TTP, this cannot absolve the organisation he headed Neither can be portrayed as a great success, because it seems that there was actually no need to create or bolster the PTI, because the other political parties have shown themselves as willing to play ball as before

At this point it is worth noting the Taliban-Imran connection Both were handled in KP with the Taliban on its border and its leaders educated in its madressas, and the PTI first obtaining power there Imran was known as ‘Taliban Khan’ with reason

The establishment wanted a friendly regime in Kabul because of the threat of a two-front war with India attacking Pakistan from the east and Afghanistan from the northwest It has never happened, but a succession of pro-Indian regimes in Afghanistan kept that fear alive That was why Pakistan accepted Afghan refugees and assisted the Mujahideen in fighting the Soviets When the Soviets

I s l a m o p h o b i a p e r s i s t i n g

oth governments and people in the West have not abandoned their Islamophobia

IT is a very bitter fact that over the years, Islamophobia has become a reality and its manifestations by and large were hate speech discrimination and violence against Muslims which were somehow continuing to proliferate in several parts of the world Pakistan has been voicing its great concern in this regard for quite some time on all international forums drawing the attention of the world at large to take much needed due attention of this fast emerging menace of Islamophobia in furtherance of terrorism

In the midst of growing terrorism and as a consequence of Islamophobia in the West the UN General Assembly on 15 March 2022 had u n a n i m o u s l y a d o p t e d a r e s o l u t i o n d e c l a r i n g March 15 as the International Day to Combat Islamophobia The resolution, adopted by consensus was introduced by Pakistan on behalf o f t h e O rg a n i z a t i o n o f I s l a m i c C o o p e r a t i o n (OIC) was indeed quite welcome and apprec i a b l e i n t h e r i g h t d i r e c t i o n I t w a s a l s o a moral victory for the Muslims to say the least P r i o r i l y, o n 1 5 M a r c h 2 0 1 9 , a 2 8 - y e a r- o l d youth of Australian origin had killed 51 Muslims while they were offering Friday prayers i n y e t a n o t h e r a c t o f t e r r o r i s m i n C h r i s t c h u r c h N e w Z e a l a n d I s l a m o p h o b i a was as such continuing unabatedly worldwide w i t h o u t a n y e ff e c t i v e m e a s u r e s f r o m t h e global power centres

Though the UNGA resolution was by and large welcomed, quite unfortunately it was not taken seriously by the western countries’ governments and the people as incidents of Islamophobia by way of desecration of the Holy Quran publication of blasphemous sketches and cartoons of the Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) and hate speeches here and there continue hurting the sentiments and feelings of the Muslim Ummah every now and then Nothing was the most holiest and sacred for the Muslims than the Holy Quran and the Holy Prophet (PBUH)

The western countries as such never get tired of blowing the trumpet of religious freedom and protection of basic human rights on every occasion but when it comes to their own societies they appear to be lacking all these what they otherwise persistently claimed The

recent rise in the incidents and acts of Islamophobia do highlight a quite disturbing pattern of religious tolerance that continues to persist in the western world In the latest quite despicable, provocative and deplorable act, some extremist elements i n S w e d e n r e s o r t e d t o b u r n i n g o f t h e H o l y Quran outside a mosque in Stockholm on the auspicious occasion of Eidul Azha According to some reports the Swedish police were providing protection to a 37-year-old maniac in the performance of this sinful and disgraceful a c t T h i s w a s n o t t h e f i r s t t i m e t h a t s u c h a hateful and disgraceful act had taken place in Sweden and many other western states Like previous incidents this incident was also wellp l a n n e d a n d e x e c u t e d D e s p i t e r e q u e s t s o f the0mMosque administration the police did n o t l i s t e n a n d a l l o w e d t h e i n c i d e n t t o t a k e p l a c e I n d e e d t h i s a c t l i k e m a n y o t h e r s u c h a c t s w e r e t h e w o r s t f o r m o f I s l a m o p h o b i a w h i c h m u s t b e c o u n t e r e d a n d c o m b a t e d a s well as condemned and deplored Besides the western countries the Islamophobia menace was also quite regretfully encouraged and promoted at the state level in India in furtherance of the Hindutva mindset, and not only Muslims but also other minorities were being targeted regularly Quite obviously, this outrageous act has hurt the sentiments of millions of Muslims across the world They have been rightly angered over the desecration as being part of their faith needless to emphatically state that the Muslims can tolerate anything but the des-

What is the fatal flaw, which turns the efforts of the establishment, and its favoured arm the ISI, not just in vain but against itself? The aims of the Taliban and the Pakistani establishment are different

The Pakistani establishment has the usual nationalistic interests but the Taliban are ideologically driven They might well have their ideology tempered by ruling but it would perhaps be asking too much to ask them to prefer the state of Pakistan over the TTP which consists not only of people sharing their ideology but who are also sedulous imitators of their methods

Those methods succeeded against the USA

The TTP wishes to replicate them casting the Pakistan Army in the role of foreign occupier That cannot be an outcome the ISI contemplated The relationship of the ISI and the TTP is also not clear Another aspect that needs some light how far have personnel become infected with the Taliban ideology

The process is possible because personnel within the ISI are usually ordinary Muslims They are not ideologically well-equipped (except by whatever selflearning they have carried out) and when confronted by the ideology of the Taliban, especially if it is buttressed by Islamic texts, have no counter convincing even to themselves

the PML (Council) to the PTI, but all along there has b een an in s is ten ce o n th e r ig h t to r u le H o wever, if the COAS does not rule himself, the civilian must be obedient Not really obedient, so much a s t a k i n g e s t a b l i s h m e n t i n t e r e s t s i n t o a c c o u n t T h e r e m u s t n o t a r i s e t h e i m p r e s s i o n a m o n g t h e civilian leadership that their popularity counts for anything Imran was the latest in a line of civilian leaders who got that impression

A p a r t f ro m t h e n e e d fo r

The establishment must ask itself if its muchvaunted intelligence agency is as good as it claims, and It has delivered The next question is whether t h e a g e n c y i s i t p e r h a p s b e i n g t a s k e d b e y o n d i t s a b i l i t i e s i n a w a y t h a t throwing more resources at i t w i l l n o t s o l v e I n s h o r t , w h e t h e r t h e e s t a b l i s h m e n t itself is at fault

p a r l i a m e n t a r y ov e rs i g h t ( s o

l o n g a s i t i s m e a n i n g f u l ,

a n d v i d e o s n o t d e g e n e r a t e

i n t o m e m b e rs b e i n g

g u a r a n t e e d t h e i r s e a t s ) ,

t h e r e i s a l s o a n e e d fo r t h e e s t a bl i s h m e n t t o e n g ag e i n

a r e - ex a m i n a t i o n . T h e

c o r p o r a t e p u r p o s e o f t h e

i n s t i t u t i o n a t t h e m o m e n t s e e m s t o b e s t ay i n g i n

p ow e r. I t s h o u l d b e s o m e t h i n g d i f fe r e n t , s o m e t h i n g m o r e ,

s o m e t h i n g l e s s b o r i n g

The same applies to the support for the PTI The establishment was concerned by corruption and found the crusade against it transformed into support, some would argue blind support, for Imran Khan The establishment must not have wanted it this way, but the support for Imran grew greater than loyalty to the institution After May 9 the military and Imran were opposed at every point and military personnel had to make a choice Loyalty to Imran meant disloyalty to the military which had been proposing itself as the country s last surviving institution, the guardian of the country s physical and ideological boundaries, and thus enjoying the right to rule or at least the duty to ensure the country remained on the right track T h e r e h a s b e e n c o n s i d e r a b l e e v o l u t i o n f r o m

Lesser examples of political engineering have been again directed against the establishment when the dream went sour The MQM is a prime example

There may be a proposal for greater civilian oversight Both the USA and the UK have got legislative committees for accountability of security agencies It is worth noting that before that, agencies were developing a political role They were separated from the establishment a trend reversed in Pakistan where a perfectly good Intelligence Bureau while retained, is no longer the lead agency This is not primarily because of military regimes but because the ISI got a major boost from being put in charge of the Afghan jihad

The establishment must be aware that its attempts at using the intelligence agencies to meet ends outside of its constitutional ambit does not work The May 9 attacks as well as the Zhob attacks represent intelligence failures in the strict sense of being predicted but also because their occurrence can be attributed at least in part to their being facilitated by the very agencies that should have helped prevent them

Apart from the need for parliamentary oversight (so long as it is meaningful and does not degenerate into members being guaranteed their seats) there is also a need for the establishment to engage in a reexamination The corporate purpose of the institution at the moment seems to be staying in power It should be something different, something more, something less boring

The writer is a member of staff

E d i t o r ’ s m a i l

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

Still looking for a viable system

T H E R E a r e m a i n l y t w o e l e c t o r a l s y s t e m s w h e n i t c o m e s t o d e m o c r a t i c d i s p e n s a t i o n s : t h e f i r s t - p a s t - t h e - p o s t s y s t e m a n d t h e p r o p o r t i o n a l r e p r e s e n t a t i o n s y s t e m E v e r y t h i n g e l s e i s s i m p l y a n e x t e n s i o n o f o n e o f t h e s e t w o

The former is practised in certain countries, including Pakistan, India, Canada, and several others This system is quite flawed on two counts; it can give government to a party winning the majority in the house even when it does not necessarily have the majority of the popular vote In essence the only thing matters in this system is the number of constituencies won by a party

ecration of Holy Quran I n P a k i s t a n p e o p l e i n l a rg e n u m b e r s c a m e o u t i n s t r e e t s a s s o o n a s t h e y h e a r d about this latest act of Islamophobia in Stockh o l m , S w e d e n O n h i s p a r t , P r i m e M i n i s t e r Shehbaz Sharif while addressing the joint session of Parliament urged all civilized nations and international institutions to play an effect i v e r o l e i n c o m b a t i n g I s l a m o p h o b i a n o t e d that desecration of the Holy Quran was an attempt to create animosity between the Muslims and Christians and any such recurrence of such a condemnable act would not be tolerated He called upon the people to observe Yo u m - e - Ta q d d u s - e - Q u r a n o n J u l y 7 a n d asked Sweden to clarify the position of Holy Quran burning Accordingly the people came out in large in rallies and processions in every nook and corner of the country protesting, dep o r i n g a n d c o n d e m n i n g d e s e c r a t i o n o f t h e H o l y Q u r a n a n d d e m a n d i n g o f t h e w e s t e r n countries to take appropriate measures to ensure such Islamophobia acts do not occur and i n t e r- f a i t h h a r m o n y w a s i n s t i t u t i o n a l l y a n d legally promoted

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on its part called for joint actions against desecration of Holy Quran, and urged application of international law which prohibited any advocacy of religious in a statement issued after an extraordinary meeting in Jeddah Saudi Arabia which was called for deplorable incident which occurred in Sweden

As such condemnable and deplorable acts of Islamophobia continue to take place in one or the other western countries every now and then the Muslim countries ought to take some stronger measures such as recalling their ambassadors lodging protests with the respective governments officially and much more importantly ask their people to boycott the products of the countries where incidents of Islamophobia occur, as and when they do

It has been proved that merely condemnation lodging protest and taking out protest rallies and processions were not effective and the countries where such abhorrent acts take place and the governments remain unmoved like the Swedish government, then such countries should be hit back hard through harsh measures like boycott of their products

The writer can be reached at zahidriffat@gmail com

The bigger flaw in my opinion is that it keeps voters shackled to a party that they may not like or agree with They are forced to vote for the lesser evil because they have to go for the so-called strategic voting to stop the ‘bigger evils’ getting through If they do not vote at all, they would end up wasting their chance of doing even that much

In most countries including Canada major parties favour this firstpast-the-post system because it favours them In other words odds are loaded in their favour in such a system at the cost of the people That is why Canadian prime minister broke his promise to change the system to some modified form of the proportional representation system He had made the promise during his first campaign in 2015

I assume he broke the promise because he could foresee what change it may bring about for the future of his party

It would have ended the pattern of so-called strategic voting which usually favours the liberals in Canada In proportional representation system the whole country is considered a single constituency and political parties are allocated seats proportionate to the percentage of popular votes received from across the country People vote for the party of their choice

They are not forced to vote for candidates within their own constituencies

In Pakistan the first-past-the-post system has its own specific flaws making it a country that is far from being a true democracy at all Changing the electoral system to proportional representation may do the trick as it will give voice to the marginalised groups that currently have no voice in parliament The problem is that the main political parties in Pakistan will never agree to shoot themselves in the foot by actually promoting more representative democracy in the country, as they like democracy only when it favours them

SHAKEEL NIZAMANI CALGARY, CANADA

Scam in Dubai

O N E of my friends recently had a strange experience in Dubai A bank account was opened by this person and a credit card was subsequently issued to him A few days later, there were phone calls on the cellphone number my friend had mentioned in the bank records

The calls were apparently from ‘Dubai Police’, asking for the details of the credit card The person being naive to the system assumed it to be a routine in Dubai and gave the card details to the caller and sure enough within no time lost everything that he had in his bank account

Such scams are common but what was surprising was that this happened in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which has very strict laws Most probably, these fraudsters were operating not from the UAE but from some other country having access to the banks in Dubai

People have to outsmart the system, but then organisations need to upgrade their security and advise their clients who are new to the system about such potential scams

The authorities concerned in the government as well as the banks should take effective remedial measures so that innocent people may not get deprived of their hard-earned money, as being cheated is probably the worst feeling in a person s life

It has been proved that merely condemnation, lodging protest and taking out protest rallies and processions were not effective and the countries where such abhorrent acts take place and the governments remain unmoved like the Swedish government, then such countries should be hit back hard through harsh measures like boycott of their products

B

Increasing Northeast India-Bangladesh-Myanmar trade

If the Ramgarh port connected with Tripura state is fully operational, the people of Greater Chittagong will be able to go to Mymensingh and Sylhet easily by connecting to the Narsingdi-Moulvibazar road from Ramgarh through India to Sylhet Madhavpur In addition to the peace and comfort of the people the usefulness of the Ramgarh land port will not be less than that of Benapole in terms of economic importance Chittagong will surpass Benapole in importance in terms of port-relatedness will become significant in the economy of the entire country The country will advance in foreign trade, join a new chapter of prosperity through successful connectivity

TH E Ramgarh land port under construction in Khagrachari district of Chittagong Hill Tracts will play a positive role in the economic welfare of not only Bangladesh but this entire region It can be said to be a vital initiative for business and economic prosperity Bangladesh s commercial capital Chittagong, tourism city Cox’s Bazar and Chittagong Hill Tracts inhabited by small ethnic groups, and the seven states known as the Seven Sisters in the northeastern region of India will all benefit from the use of this port The Bangladesh-India friendly bond will be stronger in the development of trade and mutual relations

In order to start the operation of this port in full swing, the Road Transport and Bridges Minister inaugurated the 38-km long road widening and modernization work of Chittagong’s Baroyarhat Heyako Ramgarh via virtual connection from Dhaka on May 24 As a result the development work related to Ramgarh land port of Khagrachari went one step further Nirmiaman port is the first and only land port in the Chittagong Hill Tracts Bangladesh-India Friendship Bridge-1 has already been inaugurated around this port, which is established on the river Feni at a place called Ramgarh Mahamuni This bridge connects the two countries The immigration building is also ready In the newly constructed building in front of Maitri Setu various checking functions including customs and immigration of the travelers of the two countries are to be completed

As part of the port-related series of works, the development cost of road widening and modernization to make the road communication system modern and upto-date has been estimated at more than Rs 11 nillion The project will increase the width of the 38-km long road from 5 50 metres to 11 30 metres Apart from this 9 bridges (249 20 m) and 23 culverts (108 m) will be constructed through this project

In this era of globalization no country nor all the regions of the same country can be self-sufficient in the production of any particular product Due to natural and material advantages, specialization in production and division of labour, the exchange of produced goods naturally takes place through mutual agreement Rabindranath Tagore said a long time ago “The West has opened its door from there it will give gifts and take meet and meet and will not go back

Revolutionary development has come in the road management of North Chittagong including Mirsrai Phatikchari to establish fast communication with Ramgarh Through Ramgarh land port, trade with India will be greatly expanded The distance from Chittagong to Benapole is too much It takes a lot of time and costs more On the other hand if Ramgarh port is opened India will be able to receive goods in less time and at less cost This is a positive aspect Both countries will benefit from this Apart from this, Ramgarh port will become important in various activities of Matarbari deep sea port along with Mirsrai economic zone and Chittagong port Besides the concerned department of the government is seriously looking at the issue of railway line extension from Chittagong s Nazirhat to Ramgarh land port

All this is the contribution of the present government We applaud this step of the BD government to move the country forward If this trend continues, Ramgarh will reach a unique height in the future If the road widening and modernization work is completed communication between Ramgarh and Dhaka will be easier In this project there will be 9 bridges with a length of 249 20 metres and 23 bridges with a length of 108 metres The expenditure has been estimated at Tk 11 07 billion Various products from Khagrachari and Rangamati will take less time to reach Dhaka Apart from this, using this land port which is about 112 km from Chittagong Port the transshipment goods will go to India in just 3 hours Besides through this road direct communication will be established with India s North Eastern state of Tripura as well as Meghalaya, Assam, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland and Arunachal Myanmar, Bangladesh and India need friendship for their national interests If India’s investment in

Ex-Indian foreign intel chief A S Dulat asks: Сan Modi bring cheer

to Indian Occupied Kashmir?

times during his brief tenure

On his first visit to Srinagar on July 6 1996 Gowda made it known that everybody, including members of the secessionist groups, were welcome to meet him People trusted his instincts and signs of new found hope was unmistakable in the war-weary Valley During his second visit to the state inside a month he drove in an open jeep from the Rajouri Airport in Jammu to the town covering a distance of more than 2 km startling both then Director of the Special Protection Group (SPG) Shyamal Datta and then Corps Commander, Lieutenant (Lt) General J S Dhillon, who escorted him Lt General Dhillon, now retired but still a keen observer of Kashmir, expressed the view that Gowda’s way was the only way forward for Kashmir today

Bangladesh is maximum it will be good for the country Bangladesh s road and rail connectivity with India has come a long way New doors are opening Trade and commerce with India have increased As a result, both countries are benefiting Bangladesh wants friendship with India for the sake of national development Several investments in Bangladesh have come from India through the Line of Credit (LoC) Laying of foundation stone for widening of Baroyarhat-Heyako-Ramgarh road is also a project of the LoC Maitri Setu-1 has already been completed at Ramgarh As a result, the connection with Chittagong will increase Besides the work of expanding Cox’s Bazar airport is almost finished The BaroyarhatHeyako-Ramgarh road widening and modernization project will be implemented with the funding of LoC-3 of the Government of India and the Development Fund of the Government of Bangladesh A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed in this regard on 5 April 2017 in Delhi The cost of the project is estimated at Tk 11 07 billion Out of this the government will give Tk 5 13 billion and India s loan for the project will be Tk 5 94 billion The project will be implemented in three packages The proposed road will start from Baroyarhat in Mirsarai on the Dhaka-Chittagong National Highway and end at Ramgarh in Khagrachari Ramgarh land port is located at a distance of only 112 km from Chittagong Sea port and 208 km from the capital Dhaka So if this project is implemented Chittagong Sea port and Dhaka will be connected with Sabrum in Tripura and Ramgarh land port in Khagrachari The work is scheduled to be completed on 31 December 2024 Ashoka Buildcon Limited, an Indian contractor, has been given the task of constructing the road Now the people of both the countries want to start the land port in full swing as soon as possible Through this there will be expansion in inter-country trade New doors of economy will be opened According to analysts political boundaries cannot be a barrier to trade so not

only Chittagong Port but also Chittagong Airport can be used by Tripura residents Ramgarh land port will be the new commercial corridor of the two countries

A large population of the region is expecting economic liberation around this land port People from all walks of life hope that Ramgarh land port will join a new golden chapter in successful connectivity Expanding business trade and tourism industries between the two countries and improving people-to-people relations will benefit the entire region A large number of human resources will be used in this work of immense potential Chittagong Port will be used by at least 50 million people of Northeast India Then there will be a lot of revenue Business will expand along with employment which will both increase To bring and transport goods from Northeast India one has to travel 1200 km to go to Calcutta port, on the other hand, the distance to Chittagong port is much less Indians will save time and money to visit Cox’s Bazar, one of the longest beaches in the world Also, people from Chittagong and Chittagong Hill Tracts can easily visit the Seven Sisters Bangladesh and India s trade with Myanmar s Rakhine and Chin provinces can be accelerated Economically this region will be prosperous The massive operation of this port, the first established in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, will open new horizons for the liberation of poor people It will be a blessing for the people of three countries There will be incredible development in all fields including business The appearance of the whole area will change After all if the Ramgarh land port is fully operational, it will contribute to the economy of Bangladesh in this era of globalization and will play a significant role in the development of the socio-economic condition of a large population It will mark a milestone in establishing universal connectivity It is like a brilliant walk across regional boundaries

The writer is a freelance columnist

OpenAI is accused of allowing its AI program to copy a book to its internal database and train on it

IN D I A N Occupied Kashmir has been buzzing with tourists this summer much more than ever since the abrogation of Article 370 of the Indian constitution on August 5 2019 The area in and around scenic Dal Lake is being converted into a smart city and the project, which got a fillip during a G20 tourism meeting in May, is likely to be completed by next year Double decker buses are plying between Dal Gate and Nishat Bagh from 10 am to 10 pm Traffic on the picturesque boulevard is bumper-to-bumper and several new eateries have sprung up – some of them open till midnight Le Délice, a French bakery at Dal Gate, is as good as any in India Hotels are packed and so are flights There are over 30 daily flights between Delhi and Srinagar Seasonal business is flourishing Senior citizens who yearn for normalcy and peace prefer Delhi to Kashmir However time is of the essence and tomorrow may be too late

On the surface everything looks hunky dory but when the volcano the Kashmiris often speak of will erupt – nobody knows In many ways, the situation is reminiscent of the summer of 2016 when the poster boy of homegrown militancy, Burhan Wani, was killed by Indian security forces and all hell broke loose in South Kashmir

Now militants lack a poster boy but the silence of the lambs – a euphemism for innocent murder victims – is frightening Kashmiris speak in one voice that they no longer expect anything from the powers that be

In every nook and corner of Srinagar, people enquire why assembly or state elections are not being held Over 75% of Kashmiris believe that the National Conference (NC) party will be back in power whenever state elections are held For Kashmiris any government of their own would be better than being ruled by outsiders (read New Delhi) What does a man from Uttar Pradesh such as the incumbent Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha know of Kashmir, they point out

NC chief Dr Farooq Abdullah s dismissal by former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1984 was the beginning of the end of democracy in Kashmir Delhi has since been firmly entrenched in the troubled state Though Congress made amends by forging an alliance with NC in 1986 Dr Abdullah was thereafter looked upon as New Delhi s stooge Worse, New Delhi mostly had its eyes off the ball and little or no empathy for the embattled state

If Indian Occupied Kashmir was an integral part of the country, why is no election being held and why should the Prime Minister be afraid to visit? These were questions of the former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda asked his senior officials when he took up the post in 1996 as no PM had been to Kashmir for nine years before him Yet this humble peasant from Mysuru in Karnataka, who served as PM for only 11 months, visited Kashmir four

If PM Narendra Modi was to visit Srinagar and announce restoration of statehood he could also travel in an open jeep and be garlanded Following in the footsteps of his predecessor, P V Narasimha Rao, Gowda understood the crucial aspect of the political and democratic process He persuaded Dr Abdullah to participate in the assembly elections in 1996

Once NC returned to power, Dr Abdullah became synonymous with Kashmir for Gowda Not surprisingly they have remained friends ever since Sadly Kashmir s tallest leader is now persona non-grata with New Delhi

Togetherness which is often referred to as Kashmiriyat – a centuries-old indigenous tradition of communal harmony and religious syncretism in the Kashmir Valley

is also gradually evaporating Its last apostle, Sampat Prakash a Kashmiri more than a Hindu Pandit who prided himself to be a follower of Marx and Lenin and remained a Communist to the very end passed away on July

1 – a few days after his 84th birthday In 1990 when his son reminded him of the massacre of the Kashmiri Pandits, he enquired about the Muslims More recently, when asked whether “Kashmiriyat” was dead or alive, he responded stoically, that it was badly wounded but would never die That may be Kashmir ’s last best hope

For the present hopelessness appears to have engulfed Kashmir Alienation and hatred have grown Islamic radicalization is the biggest threat Kashmir was always a religious issue, despite a bid to give a political and emotive ring to it Now, when every Kashmiri is reminded that he is a Muslim, it has become a full-blown religious issue Separatists may have lost out but separatism is alive and kicking as is the power of the gun even though it has gone into hibernation albeit temporarily The next attack as and when it comes may be deadlier than ever before Theocratic ideology has found its way into every household in Kashmir

When the abrogation of Article 370 took place – in what the Kashmiris believed was an unconstitutional manner –India’s former minister for home affairs, P Chidambaram, referred to it in Parliament as a “monumental blunder ” We were made to believe that Article 370 was done and dusted and Kashmiris were reconciled to it Silence was interpreted as acquiescence The official pledge was to make Indian Occupied Kashmir safer, end militancy and usher in a new era of growth, development and peace in the volatile region Delimitation, however, has not only accentuated fears in the Valley instilling a lack of faith in democracy We claim to be the mother of all democracies but democracy is weeping in Kashmir What is might not be right after all Amarjit Singh Dulat

Mona Awad is suing OpenAI Authors Mona Awad (Bunny, 13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl) and Paul Tremblay (The Cabin at the End of the World) filed a lawsuit against OpenAI last week claiming the books were used to train ChatGPT its artificial intelligence software without their consent

It is the first lawsuit against ChatGPT that concerns copyright, The Guardian reported The only difference from the scenario I’ve outlined is that instead of a human reading a book OpenAI is accused of allowing its AI program to copy a book to its internal database and train on it

r d e r t o p r o v i d e n a t u r a l l a nguage responses to prompts The basis of the laws u i t i s t h a t O p e n A I t r a i n e d i t s e l f o n t h e i r n o v e l s a n d p r o d u c e d a c c u r a t e s u m m a r i e s o f t h e i r w o r k s

w h e n p r o m p t e d N o t a b l y, t h e l a w s u i t d o e s n o t s p e c i f y w h i c h specific parts of Awad and Tremblay s novels have b e e n u n l a w f u l l y c o p i e d a n d r e p r o d u c e d i n t h e summaries The lawsuit alleges OpenAI uses “shadow libraries that illegally publish thousands of copyrighted works (using torrent systems) Their claim is based on a 2020 paper by OpenAI that reveals 15% of their training dataset comes from two internet-based books corpora ” But the lawsuit faces some immediate hurdles The litigants will need to prove that OpenAI most likely copied their works They will also need to demonstrate the likelihood of some economic loss Crucially copyright protection does not extend to ideas Copyright protection is limited to written exp r e s s i o n A n d t h o u g h c o p y i n g s o m e t h i n g t o a database might be an act of infringement that act alone is unlikely to cause significant harm to the economic interests of the authors The real danger is that OpenAI can do some of the things human authors can do

OpenAI is just the first generation of what this technology looks like No doubt, many authors (and other creative producers) are starting to wonder what will happen when OpenAI and similar technologies evolve Moore s Law a calculation that estimates the capacity of digital technology doubles roughly every two years suggests the rate of this development might be exponential W h a t w o u l d h a p p e n i f a s i m i l a r c l a i m w a s r a i s e d i n A u s t r a l i a ? Wo u l d o u r f a i r d e a l i n g l a w s step in and protect the development of technology – o r w o u l d o u r l a w s i d e w i t h t h e a u t h o r s ? T h e U n i t e d S t a t e s h a s t h e d o c t r i n e o f f a i r u s e i n i t s copyright laws I n t h e p a s t , f a i r u s e h a s b e e n u s e d t o d r a w a balance between new technologies and established c o p y r i g h t i n t e r e s t s T h e S o n y v i d e o c a s s e t t e r e c o r d e r c a s e i s a f a m o u s e x a m p l e I n t h e S o n y case a majority of the US Supreme Court permitted homeowners to record their favourite television shows and watch them later so long as they didn t keep the recordings (By comparison, Australia didn t legalise this until 2006 ) Fair use also allowed the rap group 2Live Crew to radically rework and parody Roy Orbison’s song Pretty Woman A u s t r a l i a h a s e ff e c t i v e l y p u t t h e e s s e n c e o f some fair use decisions into its Copyright Act The

Australian Copyright Act contains provisions on time-shifting and fair dealing for parody Yet, Aust r a l i a h a s r e p e a t e d l y d e c l i n e d t o h o u s e f a i r u s e within its law Instead, we rely upon its unwieldy c o u s i n , k n o w n a s t h e d o c t r i n e o f f a i r d e a l i n g A claim like the one Mona Awad and Paul Tremblay a r e m a k i n g a g a i n s t O p e n A I w o u l d l i k e l y f a i l i n Australia

IDEAS ARE NOT PROTECTED: Like the United States, Australian law protects tangible expression, but not ideas People need to be free to use ideas in subsequent works Much the same logic should apply to large-language models such as OpenAI And a formidable barrier emerges in the bedrock ideas of copyright law

Copyright was conceived and refined in an era when writing and copying were done by human beings This means the fundamental concepts within the law relating to subsistence (proving a work’s continued existence) infringement and exceptions are human-centric

This is quite a mountain to climb in any copyright litigation If a human actor has not committed an act of infringement, it might be hard to find another human liable – even though an author might feel aggrieved

Nevertheless the base problem is that Australian law does not house an open-ended legal rule like fair use which can draw a fine balance between technology and authors And we are yet to have the policy debate here about how we will manage the looming conflict between rapidly advancing technologies and authors who depend on their writing for their livelihoods

BEIJING s TA F F c o r r e s P o n d e n T

IN a landmark meeting with former US diplomat Henry Kissinger on Thursday Chinese President Xi Jinping hailed him as an “old friend” whom the Chinese people never forget for his historic contributions to promoting ChinaUS ties and stressed that China and the US can help each other succeed and prosper together The Chinese president also expressed hope that Kissinger and other people of foresight in the US will continue to play a constructive role in restoring China-US ties to the right track

As the China-US relations are again at a critical junction, the world needs to listen to the diplomatic wisdom of influential figures like the centenarian former US secretary of state who has a deep understanding of the concept of power balance and such highlevel reception in China unleashed a positive momentum in bilateral ties showing that China s US policy has always been consistent and China has been sincere to improving ties, Chinese analysts said T h e 1 0 0 - y e a r- o l d i n f l u e n t i a l f o r m e r US official has become the latest high-profile US public figure to visit China followi n g t r i p s m a d e b y s o m e U S i n c u m b e n t o ff i c i a l s s u c h a s U S S e c r e t a r y o f S t a t e

Antony Blinken, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and US climate envoy John Kerry, s i g n a l i n g a n a c c e l e r a t i n g r e s u m p t i o n o f h i g h - l e v e l i n t e r a c t i o n s b e t w e e n t h e t w o countries and creating a positive moment u m f o r i m p r o v i n g t h e b i l a t e r a l r e l a t i o n s that have been entangled in a steep down-

t u r n d u e t o Wa s h i n g t o n ’s w r o n g C h i n a policy aiming at containing and encircling the country

Some Chinese officials and experts also urged the US to seize this momentum to make concrete moves in line with the commitment made by US President Joe Biden in order to bring the bilateral relations back on right track for example by scrapping additional tariffs facilitating people-to-people exchanges and setting boundaries on tech curbs, and most importantly, acting prudently on the Taiwan question

‘OLD FRIEND NEVER FORGOTTEN’

President Xi said at the meeting that Kissinger recently celebrated his 100th birthday and has paid more than 100 visits to China over the years These two 100s give this visit special significance

Xi also said that the Chinese people value friendship, they never forget their old friend, nor Kissinger ’s historic contributions to promoting the growth of China-US relations and enhancing friendship between the two peoples

Xi and Kissinger met at Villa 5 of the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, the venue where the US former secretary of state s first meeting with the Chinese leaders took place more than five decades ago

Fifty-two years ago when China and the US were at a crucial inflection point Chairman Mao Zedong and Premier Zhou Enlai and President Richard Nixon and Kissinger with their extraordinary strategic vision, made the right decision for China-US cooperation and launched the process of normalizing the China-US relationship Xi said

The world is undergoing momentous

transformations unseen in a century and the international landscape is going through major shifts China and the US have once again come to a crossroads which requires another decision by the two sides about where to go from here, Xi said Looking ahead, China and the US can help each other succeed and prosper together The key is to follow the three principles of mutual respect peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation the Chinese top leader said A major message delivered by the Chinese leader is that China’s definition about the China-US relations has been consistent and persistent expressing its initial intention

about the bilateral relations that is “the cooperation between the two countries serves as the biggest guarantee to a stable world Lü Xiang a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Thursday

“The China-US relations are now the biggest global issue because if the relations are not properly handled the already fragile global economy would face a collapse Lü said During the meeting Kissinger stressed that the US-China relationship is essential to peace and prosperity of the two countries and the wider world Under the current circumstances, it is imperative to maintain the principles established by the Shanghai

Iraqi protesters torch Swedish embassy in Baghdad

BAGHDAD A F P

Protesters set fire to Sweden s embassy in the Iraqi capital Baghdad early Thursday, an AFP journalist said, ahead of a planned burning of a Quran in Sweden

Swedish authorities approved an assembly to be held later Thursday outside the Iraqi embassy in Stockholm where organisers plan to burn a copy of the Quran as well as an Iraqi flag

Iraqis have been angered by events in Sweden and Thursday’s protest in Baghdad was organised by supporters of the turbulent religious leader Moqtada Sadr Iraqi riot police fired water cannon to disperse demonstrators away from the embassy while security forces armed with electric batons chased protesters, an AFP photographer on the scene said

“We are mobilised today to denounce the burning of the Quran which is all about love and faith protester Hassan Ahmed told AFP We demand that the Swedish government and the Iraqi government stop this type of initiative

Some protesters had raised copies of the Quran into the air, while others held portraits of Mohamed al-Sadr an important religious cleric and the father of Moqtada Sadr

We didn t wait until morning we broke in at dawn and set fire to the Swedish embassy, a young demonstrator in Baghdad told AFP on Thursday, before chanting Moqtada’s name

Sweden’s foreign ministry told AFP its embassy staff in Baghdad were safe following the incident The Iraqi authorities are responsible for the protection of diplomatic missions

and their staff”, the ministry said, adding that attacks on embassies and diplomats constitute a serious violation of the Vienna Convention Several trucks to extinguish the fire had arrived at the embassy, where skirmishes between Iraqi security forces and demonstrators had broken out, an AFP photographer said It was not immediately clear whether the embassy was empty at the time of the attack or if staff had been evacuated ‘URGENT INVESTIGATION’

Iraq s foreign ministry condemned the embassy torching and called on security forces to identify those responsible “The Iraqi government has instructed the relevant security services to conduct an urgent investigation and take all necessary measures to uncover the circumstances of the incident and identify the perpetrators, the ministry said in a state-

ment Swedish media reported that Salwan Momika an Iraqi refugee in Sweden had organised the event in Stockholm on Thursday Salwan burned a few pages of a copy of the Quran in front of Stockholm s largest mosque on June 28 during Eid alAdha, a holiday celebrated by Muslims around the world That incident prompted supporters of Moqtada an influential religious leader and political dissident in Iraq to storm the Swedish embassy in Baghdad the following day Moqtada has repeatedly mobilised thousands of demonstrators in the streets In the summer of 2022, his supporters invaded Baghdad’s parliament building and staged a sit-in that lasted several weeks At the time Moqtada was involved in a political spat over the appointment of a prime minister

Russia to label Ukraine -bound ships in Black S ea ‘c arriers of militar y c argo’

UKRAINE

Ag e n c i e s

Russia will regard all ships sailing in the waters of the Black Sea to Ukrainian ports as “potential carriers of military cargo ” the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday

Due to the termination of the Black Sea Initiative and the curtailment of the maritime humanitarian corridor, all ships en route to Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea will be considered potential carriers of military cargo from 00:00 Moscow time on July 20 2023 it said

The ministry said countries whose flags are present on those vessels would be viewed as parties to the conflict from the Ukrainian side

It also temporarily declared several areas in the northwestern and southeastern parts of the international waters of the Black Sea dangerous for navigation

Russia and Ukraine signed with Türkiye and the United Nations Black Sea Grain Initiative separately in Istanbul in July 2022 to allow Ukraine to export its grain and other agricultural products through its Black Sea ports Moscow suspended its participation in the agreement

on July 17 2023 when the deal was set to expire, saying it would return to the deal as soon as Russia s part of the agreement is fulfilled Ukraine stated that it hopes to continue the deal after Russia’s withdrawal But Russia’s suspension has caused concerns worldwide

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will continue to explore all possible avenues to ensure that Ukrainian grain, Russian grain, Russian fertilizer are out on the global market,” UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Tuesday Analysts warned that the collapse of the Black Sea export corridor would create market tension and push up food prices over the

medium term Putin says Western countries at fault for Black Sea grain deal collapse President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday accused Western countries of perverting the expired Black Sea grain deal for their own ends but said Russia would immediately return to the agreement if all its conditions were met On Monday Moscow had quit the deal, under which it had allowed Ukraine a year ago to export grain from its Black Sea ports despite the war to alleviate a global food crisis I t s a i d a p a r a l l e l m e m o r a n d u m signed at the same time intended to fac i l i t a t e i t s o w n g r a i n a n d f e r t i l i z e r e xp o r t s i n t h e f a c e o f t h e We s t e r n

a c k o n U k r a i n e h a d been ignored Initially the essence the meaning of the grain deal has a colossal humanitarian significance, Putin said The West has completely emasculated and perverted this essence, and instead of helping countries in real need, the West used the grain deal for political blackmail and in addition made it a tool for enriching transnational corporations speculators in the global grain market

He restated Moscow s position that it would return to the deal as soon as the West met its five key demands, which Putin enumerated:

readmission of the Russian Agricultural Bank (Rosselkhozbank) to the SWIFT payment system; – resumption of exports of agricultural machinery and spare parts to Russia; – removal of restrictions on insurance and access to ports for Russian ships and cargo; – reinstatement of a now-damaged ammonia export pipeline from Russia s Togliatti to Odesa in Ukraine; – the unblocking of accounts and financial activities of Russian fertilizer companies

Communiqué appreciate the utmost impor-

tance China attaches to the one-China principle and move the relationship in a positive direction

However, some US media and observers have been playing down the role that the centenarian former US secretary of state could play in influencing the current policymaking in Washington Asked about Kissinger s trip on Tuesday US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller was quoted as saying in the media reports that the 100-year-old did not represent the US government

Still, Miller noted that Kissinger had briefed American officials on his interactions with Chinese officials in the past and that similar conversations could occur after this trip the New York Times reported

We h a v e s e e n s o m e r a t i o n a l v o i c e s c o m i n g o u t f r o m t h e U S s t r a t e g i c a n d a ca d e m i c s p h e r e s a b o u t t h e U S - C h i n a r e l at i o n s a n d K i s s i n g e r r e p r e s e n t s t h o s e v o i c e s I t ’s i m p o r t a n t t o g a t h e r t h o s e v o i c e s t o e x e r t c e r t a i n i n f l u e n c e t o t h e U S government Sun Chenghao a fellow and h e a d o f U S - E U p r o g r a m a t C e n t e r f o r I nt e r n a t i o n a l S e c u r i t y a n d S t r a t e g y i n Tsi n g h u a U n i v e r s i t y, t o l d t h e G l o b a l Ti m e s o n T h u r s d a y Xie Feng the Chinese Ambassador to the US said at the Aspen Security Forum on Wednesday that the so-called political correctness permeates all aspects of American society He said since he took up his post in the US a month ago, he has had extensive contact with many people from all walks of life who support the development of ChinaUS relations

Exclusive: China’s state banks selling dollars offshore to slow yuan declines, sources say

China s major state-owned banks were seen selling dollars to buy yuan in the offshore spot market in early Asian trades on Thursday, two people with direct knowledge of the matter said Such state bank dollar selling was meant to slow the pace of yuan declines one of the sources said China’s central bank on Thursday also announced a relaxing of a cross-border financing rule making it easier for domestic firms to raise funds from overseas markets and easing depreciation pressure on the yuan currency China s offshore yuan strengthened more than 0 7% to a high of 7 1812 per dollar before last trading at 7 1890 as of 0249 GMT In the onshore market the yuan followed a similar upward bounce but it is still down about 4% against the dollar year-todate making it one of the worst performing Asian currencies for 2023

Top rice expor ter India bans most shipments as monsoon hits crops

PR OFIT r e u T e r s

India has prohibited the export of non-basmati white rice with immediate effect according to a government notice on Thursday after a late start to seasonal monsoon rains hurt the crop and raised fears of a production shortfall The late arrival of the monsoon led to a large rain deficit up to mid-June, before heavy rains since the last week of June erased the shortfall Heavy rainfall in northern parts of India over the last few weeks has damaged newly planted crops in states including Punjab and Haryana and many farmers have had to replant Rice paddy fields in northern states have been submerged for over a week, destroying newly planted seedlings, and forcing farmers to wait for waters to recede so they can replant In other major rice-growing states, including West Bengal Bihar Chhattisgarh Andhra Pradesh and Telangana farmers have prepared paddy nurseries but have been unable to transplant the seedlings due to inadequate rainfall The area under rice cultivation had been expected to increase after New Delhi raised the rice purchase price, but industry officials now estimate a marginal decrease Farmers so far have planted rice paddy on an area 6% smaller than in 2022 While average monsoon rains are ordinarily good for Indian farmers uneven distribution this year has created problems

Pakistan beat Sri Lank a by four wickets to win first of two Tests

GALLE T h e A s s o c i AT e d P r e s s

Pakistan made it a difficult chase at times but the visitors completed a four-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the first Test on Thursday

Pakistan kept losing wickets at regular intervals but opening batsman Imam-ul-Haq scored an unbeaten half-century his eighth in Test cricket to see the tourists through before

lunch on the fifth day

Sri Lanka won the toss and batted, scoring 312, and Pakistan replied with 461 in its first innings The home side scored 279 runs in its second at-bat leaving Pakistan 131 runs to win Pakistan didn t get off to a good start and limped to 48 for three at stumps on day four

When play resumed on the final day, Pakistan needed 83 runs and there were memories of the 2009 Test at Galle That’s when the visitors needed 97 runs with eight wickets in hand chasing a target of 168 but collapsed and were bowled out for 117 Babar Azam added 41 runs for the fourth wicket Thursday with Imam and the run chase looked a mere formality, but Prabath Jayasuriya trapped the Pakistan captain for 24 to give Sri Lanka some hope S a u d S h a k e e l a n d I m a m t h e n added 43 runs for the fifth wicket with t h e f o r m e r b e i n g t h e m o r e d o m i n a n t p a r t n e r w i t h h i s c l e v e r f o o t w o r k a g a i n s t t h e s p i n n e r s H e h a d c o m e d o w n t h e t r a c k a n d e x e c u t e d a n e l e -

gant cover drive off Ramesh Mendis but was caught behind the next ball to give Mendis his first wicket in the innings Jayasuriya claimed h i s f o u r t h w i c k e t w h e n S a r f r a z A h m e d a tt e m p t i n g t o s w e e p w a s c a u g h t a t b a c k w a r d square leg by Kusal Mendis

While wickets were falling on the other end Imam was unbeaten on 50 having faced 84

CORPORATE CORNER

Hamdard K arachi S hura held at Hamdard Pakistan Corporate Headquar ters

KarachI: The monthly meeting of the Hamdard Karachi Shura was held at Hamdard Pakistan Corporate Headquarters yesterday, presided over by Ms Sadia Rashid President of Hamdard Foundation Pakistan The meeting centered around the theme of Respect for Simplicity Renowned industrialist philanthropist and Senior Member of Shura Hamdard, Naushaba Khaleel Sattar, served as the keynote speaker and addressed the attendees, stating that Shura Hamdard is a congregation of intellectuals, established by Shaheed Hakim Mohammed Said Today if there is a role model worthy of emulation on the subject of simplicity it is indeed Shaheed Hakim Mohammed Said himself He was a great personality, embodying good manners, eloquence, and an all-encompassing character His life is a beacon of inspiration for Pakistanis Allah Almighty had blessed him with all comforts, yet he chose to adopt a simple way of living PR

Mobilink Bank collaborates with TIIES and PAFL A to fuel entrepreneurial success

I s l a m a b a d: Mobilink Bank signed two separate Memorandum of Understandings (MOUs) with the International Institute of Entrepreneurship (TIIES) and Pakistan Freelancers Association (PAFLA) respectively These collaborative partnerships aim to bolster financial literacy, inclusivity, and entrepreneurship Under the collaboration, Mobilink Bank, TIIES and PAFLA will organize events and workshops provide support to freelancers offer academic assistance and establish incubation centers across Pakistan Through this strategic alliance and shared commitment, Mobilink Bank, TIIES and PAFLA strive to empower entrepreneurs and drive economic growth The parties will also collaboratively conduct roadshows and executive events all across Pakistan PR

S tandard C har tered announces the launch of Women In Tech Cohor t 5

KarachI: Standard Chartered in partnership with INNOVentures Global (Pvt ) Ltd announces the launch of the 5th cohort of its Women in Tech (WiT) programme in Pakistan A flagship programme of Futuremakers by Standard Chartered, the bank s global initiative to tackle inequality and promote economic inclusion, WiT is designed to help address gender disparity in entrepreneurship Through this programme the Bank supports female-led enterprises via capacity building through business management training and mentoring, provided by its award-winning accelerator programme PR

Telenor Pakistan releases Q2 results, posts 10% revenue growth

Telenor Pakistan today posted double-digit revenue growth of 10% as the topline hit Rs 29 4 billion mark during the second quarter of 2023 up from Rs 26 7 billion it had reported during the same period last year Telenor said that its service revenue increased by 4 percent, primarily due to improved data monetization Revenues witnessed a negative impact due to decreased subscription base during the quarter compared to last year Earnings before interest taxes depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) improved by 8 percent due to higher service revenues and revenues from incoming international interconnect traffic Telenor s wholesale and other mobile revenues reached Rs 6 16 billion during Q2 2023, up from Rs 4 22 billion during the same quarter last year Higher energy prices adverse currency movements and increased contractual costs added to the opex which stood at Rs 12 47 billion during the reported quarter, up from

400KW solar system inaugurated at AIOU

in the Asia-Pacific region excluding Japan Australia and New Zealand The ADB s growth projections for East Asia and South Asia remain unchanged, with China and India expected to expand by 5% and 6 4% in 2023, respectively, and 4 5% and 6 7% in 2024 However the outlook for Southeast Asia has been slightly

trimmed due to weaker global demand for exports The growth rate for Southeast Asia is projected to be 4 6% in 2023 and 4 9% in 2024, down from previous estimates of 4 7% and 5%

O n e p o t e n t i a l p o s i t i v e f a c t o r f o r the region s growth outlook is slower inflation which has allowed most cent r a l b a n k s i n t h e a r e a t o h o l d o ff o n tightening monetary policies, thus supp o r t i n g d o m e s t i c c o n s u m p t i o n I n f l ation in the region is expected to slow to 3 6% in 2023 down from the previous forecast of 4 2% and further decel-

NUST, UNFPA obser ve World Population D ay

I s l a m a b a d: Federal Minister of Education and Professional Training, Rana Tanveer Hussain inaugurated the 400-kilowatt solar system in Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) yesterday He said that AIOU is among the few institutions of the Federal Ministry of Education which have completed the solarization work on time He congratulated the Vice-Chancellor AIOU, Prof Dr Nasir Mahmood for achieving this milestone The Federal Minister further said that the country is going through an energy crisis Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif encouraged solar energy projects in the country especially in government institutions to meet this challenge Rana Tanveer said that the solarization of AIOU will be an important source of green energy along with financial savings He added that the importance of distance learning has increased after covid-19 and asked the university administration to strengthen its regional network further to provide educational opportunities to the people at their doorstep It is pertinent to mention here that AIOU has 54 regional campuses across the country, striving for educational services Vice Chancellor AIOU, Prof Dr Nasir Mehmood said that keeping in mind the shortage of energy resources in the country P R

PNS S hahjahan & Tippu S ultan induc ted in Pak Nav y

I s l a m a b a d: To commemorate the World Population Day, NUST School of Social Sciences & Humanities (S3H) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) jointly organised a seminar – Envisioning a Resilient Future for Pakistan s Population: Challenges and Way

Forward Dr Rubina Ali Assistant Country Representative UNFPA, delivered the keynote address She congratulated S3H on the establishment of Center of Excellence on Population & Wellbeing Studies (CePwS) – a research centre committed to population and demographic studies Dr Rubina said that although the population growth rate is exponential in Pakistan focus must remain on ensuring the rights of every individual She stressed the need for capacity building of individuals as well as institutions to address population related issues P R

C ASS seminar c alls for whole - of-nation approach in countering extremism

K a r a c h I: The induction ceremony of two newly constructed Type 054 A/P Frigates PNS SHAHJAHAN & TIPPU SULTAN held at Karachi Federal Minister for Defence Khawaja Muhammad Asif graced the ceremony as Chief Guest On arrival at PN Dockyard the Honourable Minister was received by Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Muhammad Amjad Khan Niazi The ships are fitted with state-of-theart weapons and sensors having capability to undertake naval operation under multi threat environment The induction of ships in PN Fleet will significantly enhance the Combat Readiness of Pakistan Navy Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Guest acknowledged PN efforts in ensuring seaward defence of Pakistan and contribution towards promoting peace and stability in the region P R

Maulana Abdul Wasay chairs board meeting of Pakistan Housing Authority Foundation

The Centre for Aerospace & Security Studies (CASS), Islamabad, successfully concluded a seminar on ‘Advancing Resilience: Unleashing the Potential of Countering Violent Extremism in Pakistan ’ The event featured insightful presentations from Mohammad Ali Babakhel Additional Inspector General (Operations) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police; MS Azeema Cheema, Director of Research and Strategy at Verso Consulting; and Dr Farhan Zahid, an international counterterrorism expert Mr Mohammad Ali Babakhel’s presentation focused on Pakistan s evolving efforts in countering extremism highlighting both successes and challenges He emphasised the complexity of measuring success in countering extremism, as it cannot be instantly quantified due to its nuanced nature P R

erate to 3 4% in 2024

However, the ADB highlights that Pakistan's growth in FY23 was hindered by tight monetary and fiscal policies aimed at safeguarding macroeconomic stability as well as inflation and significant damage from flooding The projections for Pakistan in FY24 assume that the government will continue implementing reforms as recommended by the IMF under a new policy-support program approved on July 12th, 2023

To read the full article visit www tribune com pk

Word Bank and FBR review progress on PRR projec t

Mr Najy Benhassine, Country Director, World Bank, and Chairman Federal Board of Revenue Mr Asim Ahmad held a meeting today at FBR Headquarters to review the progress of Pakistan Raises Revenue Program during the last financial year The World Bank team included Gailius Draugelis Operations Manager, Tobias Haque, Lead Country Economist, Lucy Pan, Senior Economist, Irum Touqeer, Public Sector Specialist and Shabih Ali Mohib, Manager Member Reforms, FBR, Mr Ardesher Tariq and members of the project team were also present in the meeting PR

BoK

the assertions of Oil industry on pricing mechanism as well as supply disruptions are baseless and unacceptable Moreover, OGRA does not have any mandate to review or amend the policy guidelines issued by the Federal Government OGRA operates an open-door policy P R

Govt ok ays 44pc working interest in K alchas S outh Black for MPCL

Mari Petroleum Company Limited (MPCL) is pleased to announce that Government of Pakistan has approved the assignment of 44% Working

PM VOWS TO BOOST IT EXPORTS TO $25B IN THREE YEARS

S TA F F R E P O R T

PR I M E Minister Shehbaz

Sharif on Thursday said that Pakistan was required to boost its IT exports to $25 billion and investment to $20 billion within a span of two to three years as the government had already devised a mechanism to ensure one-window operations to facilitate the investors

“This is something doable This is difficult but not impossible We have to achieve this target under all circumstances through your support and expertise the prime minister said addressing an information technology (IT) seminar and launching ceremony of multiple ITrelated projects

He told the gathering of diplomats,

IT experts, investors, entrepreneurs, professors and students that the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) would sit with them to discuss issues and find out solutions and move forward like

a corporate culture He said Pakistan was rich with immense youth potential having modern skills, particularly IT, but the export figure hovering around $2 5 billion did not

No escape for PTI chief even if A zam Khan retracts his confession: Musadik

ISLAMABAD

The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) has granted a provisional 6-month extension in K-Electric s distribution licence, which was scheduled to expire on July 20, 2023

The decision, taken by NEPRA during its regulatory meeting on July 17, 2023, aims to provide interim relief to K-Electric and ensure the uninterrupted supply of power to consumers in Karachi However this extension comes with several strict conditions that the private utility company must adhere to during the renewal process K-Electric had submitted an application for the renewal/extension of its 20-year distribution licence No 09/DL/2023 dated July 21 2003 on December 01 2022 The regulator had initially granted K-Electric exclusivity in providing distribution services electric power sales and other incidental activities within its service and concessional territories on a non-discriminatory basis

The renewal process

justify it – owing to lack of support and archaic procedures Citing the example of a neighbouring country that had excelled in the IT field and its exports, the prime minister said Pakistan was also positioned to claim its space Calling the investors his “masters”, the prime minister said the government would extend all-out facilities to them through the SIFC as he himself chaired the Apex Committee meeting and Chief of the Army Staff General Asim Munir was also playing his full role

He said the SIFC would focus on boosting investment in agriculture IT mining and defence production This is seriously a one-window operation with the whole of government sitting there and extending facilities to potential investors without any delay No delay will be tolerated at any cost,” he assured

SBP designates UBL, HBL and NBP as D -SIBs for 2023

g DESIGNATION BODES WELL FOR BANKS THEMSELVES AND HELPS CREATE RESILIENCY IN BANKING INDUSTRY

D-SIBs designation announced for 2023

The State Bank designated United Bank Limited, Habib Bank Limited and National Bank of Pakistan as D-SIBs (Domestic Systemically Important Banks) for 2023 These designations are given under the Framework for D-SIBs which have been notified since April 2018 The SBP adopted this framework after they were implemented on a global scale after the Global Financial Crisis of 2008 The crisis taking place in 2008 highlighted the importance of having enhanced supervision over certain financial institutions which had a greater involvement in the global economy Due to their size and outreach it was seen that as a financial institution collapses they can pose a greater risk to the economy as well In light of this standards were developed and supervisors were tasked to review the frameworks and policies that were applicable to financial institutions operating around the world By having measures and audits in place the stability of the financial system could be safeguarded I think proper identification and monitoring of D-SIBs is a good step to reduce risk of failure of such large banks and consequent impact

on the economy” says Asad Ali Shah ex-senior partner at Deloitte Yousuf Adil Framework developed by SBP The framework that has been developed by SBP is based on the best practices developed by Basel Committee of Banking Supervision (BCBS) in order to determine the designation and supervision of certain banks that it qualifies as D-SIBs The framework allows methodology and identification of D-SIBs that have to adhere to an enhanced regulatory and supervisory regime These designations are awarded to banks which have the potential to absorb a higher amount of losses and can manage additional supervisory conditions placed on them Once these conditions are adhered to, these banks have resilience to any sort of shocks This allows them to develop risk management abilities which helps it counter the impact of any shocks spilling into the economy Banks are scored on a composite basis in terms of their size substitutability, complexity and interconnectedness as these can have a ripple effect in case the financial institution defaults “It is good to see that SBP, which is a relatively good regulator, is implementing this policy which is a global best practice” says Uzair Aqeel a partner at London-based Nairang Capital

S TA F F R E P O R T

Minister of State for Petroleum Dr Musadik Malik on Thursday said that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman was guilty of making public an official secret document’ as he exploited the ‘cypher ’ for political point scoring

Addressing a press conference here on Thursday he said the former prime minister would have no escape even if his principal secretary Azam Khan retracted his confessional statement on that count Musadik Malik said that the PTI chief in a sheer violation of the Official Secrets Act, waved the cypher in a public meeting in the Federal Capital and continued the practice across the country

The PTI chief persistently alleged that the United States had conspired against his government and later claimed that the cipher had been misplaced the state minister said Whether misplacing an official secret document was a trivial matter, he questioned In accordance with the law, he said, the punishment for making a secret document public was 17 years imprisonment and for misplacing three years

He said the PTI chief had been claiming that his government was removed due to a US conspiracy and at the same time was seeking help from Washington

He said the PTI chief had hired a lobbyist in the US who always conspired against the nuclear weapons of Pakistan “If the US conspires against you then why have you hired an anti-Pakistan lobbyist there?” the minister questioned He said receiving ciphers from different countries with objectionable words and calling their ambassadors to protest the same, was a routine matter, but the former prime minister used the US cypher for his political gains

He said it was just a ‘drama’ staged by the PTI chairman as his principal secretary Azam Khan admitted in front of a magistrate that the former prime minister had directed him to exploit the cipher solely for political point scoring

The minister said he had now been proven guilty , and he could not escape from the clutches of law as even Azam Khan retracted his statement

FBR posts junior customs officer to ‘king-making position’ in Customs Dept

The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has posted a junior grade 19 officer to a grade 20 post of chief custom operations in FBR headquarters, on his own pay and scale, Pakistan Today learnt

According to the notification issued by FBR, additional collector of customs, collectorate of customs appraisement Port Muhammad bin Qasim Karachi Yasin Murtaza has been transferred and posted as chief custom operations in FBR headquarters Islamabad on his own pay and scale

based on the units billed during May 2023 and the effects of this increase will be reflected in the bills for July 2023

The latest increase comes days after the regulator announced a hike of Rs 4 96 per unit in the national average tariff to generate Rs 3 98 trillion for power distribution companies (DISCOs) in fiscal year 2024 It said the increase was due to the rupee’s

LONDON

S TA F F R E P O R T

PML-N supremo and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has reportedly abandoned the plan to return to Pakistan immediately

According to sources in the party privy to the development, the decision regarding Nawaz’s return home will now be made in September

P i r o f R a n i p u r f r o m K h a i r p u r, S i n d h , P i r N i a z H u s s a i n J i l a n i , f o r m e r D i s t r i c t N a z i m o f K h a i r p u r, S i n d h a n d H a r o o n K h a n L e g h a r i f r o m K h y b e r P a k h t u n k h w a a n n o u n c e d t h e i r j o i n i n g o f t h e p a r t y w h i c h c l e a r l y i n d i c a t e d t h a t a t t e m p t s t o f o r c e p e o p l e t o l e a v e P T I b y u n l e a s h i n g a r e i g n o f t e r r o r f a i l e d t o y i e l d t h e d e s i r e d r e s u l t s

Contrary, an unprecedented increase has been witnessed in contacts with the PTI leadership by major political personalities from various parts of the country

Pir Niaz Hussain Jilani was elected District Nazim of Khairpur by defeating the daughter of former Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah Haroon Leghari belonged to

devaluation high inflation and interest rates addition of new capacities, and overall low sales growth Pakistan s energy sector is plagued by multiple problems, including a rising circular debt which clocked in at Rs 2 631 arab for the July-April FY23 period Circular debt is racked up when power purchasers fail to pay power producers and is also known as a cash shortfall across the power supply chain A mounting circular debt is a serious problem as it means power companies may be unable to pay for fuel, infrastructure maintenance and upgradation, thus putting the viability of the entire energy system at risk While approving the crucial standby agreement earlier this month the International Monetary Fund (IMF) asked the government to reform the energy sector in terms of the cost of electricity and subsidies being given, which would address the mounting circular debt

The former premier will reach London from Dubai on July 24 and hold important meetings Nawaz had travelled to Saudi Arabia and Dubai before Eidul Azha with his family members

Around a week ago the PMLN leader and PPP Co-Chairman

Asif Ali Zardari had reportedly reached a consensus on the appointment of a caretaker set-up in the

centre ahead of the upcoming general elections The breakthrough occurred during a meeting between the two top leaders in Dubai

According to sources privy to the matter, the meeting between Nawaz and Zardari resulted in an agreement to hold the elections promptly address key concerns related to electoral reforms and the supervisory set-up

the constituency of former federal minister Pervez Khattak

Both personalities expressed their full confidence in the PTI leadership Imran Khan s philosophy of rule of law and Haqeeqi Azadi Both the leaders strongly condemned the ongoing worst human rights violations and massacre of democratic values in the country They expressed their determination that they along with their colleagues would leave no stone unturned to spread the message and manifesto of PTI in the public PTI Central Information Secretary Raoof Hasan was also present in the meeting PTI Chairman welcomed both Pir Niaz Hussain Jilani and Haroon Leghari into the PTI fold

Sources said that Yasin Murtaza is considered to be very close to the incumbent member custom operations Zeba Hai Azhar and the officers of the custom department fear that a junior officer will now begin to play shots choosing his friends for prime positions in the custom department and sideline foes to the peripheral assignments

On the other hand questions have arisen on giving Basit Maqsood Abbasi two prime positions of collector collectorate of customs enforcement, Karachi and the collector, collectorate of customs (exports) custom house Karachi

Sources said that Abbasi is an intimate friend of Yasin Murtaza and his posting at prime positions in Karachi reflects Yasin s enormous influence on the incumbent member custom even before his posting at the king makers position in FBR

Moreover, FIA has established in the investigation of Karachi custom scam that Usman Bajwa and Amir Thaheem the collectors of the above collectorates now captured by collector Abbasi with the influence of Yasin Murtaza were facilitating rackets of smugglers in return allegedly for bribe money amounting to Rs100 million per month

Sources said that Usman Bajwa was suspended from service in 2008 on corruption charges but he was ironically exonerated from the charges on January 21 2013 and also got promotion to the higher grade on the recommendations of FBR high-ups despite the fact that he was not in the promotion zone at that time

In addition, Usman Bajwa is reported to be a relative of Tariq Bajwa, the PM s advisor on Finance which explains how he had earlier defeated all accountability efforts against him and how he had managed to capture one prime position in Karachi after another in succession despite his abduction in Karachi in a huge scam worth billions of rupees when he was collector (enforcement) Karachi in the recent past

However, when asked by this scribe, SAPM Tariq Bajwa denied having any sort of relation with Usman Bajwa, categorically saying he had never had any inquiry [closed]

NEPRA raises elec tricit y tariff by Rs1.9 per unit as FCA in additional burden on consumers

g HIKE COMES DAYS AFTER RISE IN BA SE POWER TARIFF AND TO BE REFLECTED IN BILLS FOR JULY