Epaper_23-07-6 LHR

P M H O P E S F O R B A I LO U T A P P R O VA L

F R O M I M F B O A R D O N J U LY 1 2

ISLAMABAD S tA f f R e p o R t

PRIME Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Wednesday that he hoped the $3 billion short-term bailout for Pakistan would be given final approval by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) board when it meets on July 12

After eight months of negotiations, both sides signed a staff-level agreement on Friday to avert a imminent default on sovereign debt Finance Minister Ishaq Dar has said Pakistan will receive a first instalment of $1 1 billion, but the IMF board’s approval is needed before funds can be disbursed

“The agreement will go through God willing Shehbaz said during a ceremony in Islamabad

Shehbaz also thanked long-time allies China, Saudi Arabia and United

Arab Emirates for their support while his government was in negotiations with the IMF

The allies had pledged bilateral financing or rolled over debts to help slow the drain on Pakistan s foreign currency reserves which by the end of last month were down to

GB speaker faces no-confidence motion amidst political unrest

GILGIT S tA f f R e p o R t

In the aftermath of Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Minister Khalid Khurshid Khan s disqualification, political tensions surge as a no-confidence motion is lodged against house speaker Nazir Ahmed Amjad Hussain, the opposition leader has submitted the motion to the assembly The secretary of the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly Abdur Razzak has promptly issued notices to all lawmakers summoning them to a special session to discuss and vote on the motion Simultaneously, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) party has officially nominated Raja Azam Khan Amacha as the new chief minister of Gilgit-Baltistan The parliamentary party of PTI has proposed his name which received unanimous support from party members demonstrating their strong endorsement of his capabilities and leadership, according to a PTI spokesperson

FM Bilawal Bhutto arrives in US on ‘private visit’

NEW YORK

S tA f f R e p o R t

After concluding his maiden Japan visit Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman and Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Wednesday reached USA on a private visit sources said on Wednesday

Sources privy to the matter said that the foreign minister will stay in the USA for a period of one week where he will hold important conferences being arranged by the US think tank The foreign office is also making efforts to arrange between FM Bilawal Bhutto and US diplomatic officials say sources The foreign minister is visiting USA on a special invitation from US think tank, they say It is pertinent to mention here that Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari recently visited Japan on a four-day visit where he held meetings with Japanese leadership business executives and the Pakistani diaspora During the meetings the matters related to bilateral cooperation in trade and investment came under discussion He also addressed a function organized by the Pakistani diaspora in Tokyo FM Bilawal said Pakistan and Japan have the potential to increase bilateral trade in diverse sectors for mutual benefit The foreign minister said both countries can benefit from investment in agriculture and livestock

NAB

just a little below $4 billion, barely enough to pay for a month of controlled imports

Dar said on Friday that the IMF deal would unlock bilateral lending from friendly governments and other multilateral lenders and Pakistan s reserves could rise up to $15 billion

by the end of this month Pakistan is due to hold a general election by early October though Shehbaz s coalition government only came to power in April last year, after former prime minister Imran Khan lost a confidence vote in parliament T h e g o v e r n m e n t d e s p e r a t e l y n e e d e d t h e I M F b a i l o u t t o a v o i d t h e d e e p e n i n g b a l a n c e o f p a ym e n t s c r i s i s w h i l e d e a l i n g w i t h a n e c o n o m y s u ff e r i n g r e c o r d h i g h i n f l a t i o n , r u n n i n g a t 3 8 % a n n u a l l y i n M a y Shehbaz has had to take unpopular policy decisions demanded by the IMF since February It has already announced an increase in the petroleum levy and it will be raising electricity prices too The government has also committed to raise more than 385 billion rupee ($1 34 billion) in new taxation and in recent days the central bank raised the policy interest rate 22%

Sharif: A decade of CPEC reshaped Pakistan’s development scenario

ISLAMABAD

S tA f f R e p o R t

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praised the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) for its significant contribution to the development of Pakistan during a ceremony commemorating a decade since its signing He emphasized that CPEC had transformed the country s development landscape through the implementation of numerous multi-billion dollar projects The prime minister acknowledged the efforts of both Pakistani and Chinese leadership in making the project a success, highlighting the long-term plan for CPEC that was signed by then-prime minister Nawaz Sharif and President Xi Jinping in July 2013 Sharif commended the transparency of the CPEC project and the $25 4 billion investment made by the Chinese government and companies He acknowledged the dedication of Chinese and Pakistani workers who worked tirelessly to ensure the success of the projects The prime minister expressed gratitude to President Xi for his unwavering support of CPEC and also recognized the contributions of various Pakistani officials and leaders including Finance Minister Ishaq Dar Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal entrepreneurs and workers

LAHORE/PESHAWAR

The 10-hour-long record-breaking rain spell of monsoon on Wednesday wrecked havoc in the provincial metropolis, leaving most parts of the city submerged in rainwater while seven persons died and several others injured in different rain-related incidents

The PDMA claimed that the city received 291 mm rain – heaviest rainfall in 30 years during 10 hours long first spell of monsoon rains

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed the Punjab government to take immediate measures and mobilise the rescue teams across the province Coordinated efforts by the district administration Rescue 1122, Provincial Disaster Management Authority, municipal and other departments should be ensured, he said adding that all possible measures should be taken to protect the citizens lives ac-

cording to a PM Office statement Premier Shehbaz Sharif instructed the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and other federal departments to extend maximum support to the Punjab government if required All necessary steps must be taken to

aware the citizens of any emergency situation, chalk out alternate traffic plans and make arrangements for proper drainage, he maintained The prime minister also instructed to take preventive measures in wake of the monsoon rains in other parts of the coun-

try, besides asking the NDMA and PDMAs to coordinate for necessary arrangements He said the all possible steps should be taken to relocate the people from villages to safe locations besides saving their cattle Similarly he said all necessary measures should be taken to prevent the urban flooding PM Shehbaz also directed to mobilise the respective administrations of Gilgit Baltistan Azad Jammu and Kashmir Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and other hilly areas besides instructing to keep the PM Office updated on all the measures taken According to the PDMA and rescue sources, a couple and their minor child died when roof of a house caved-in due to heavy rain in Misri Shah area while a youth was electrocuted to death when high voltage power line fell into rainwater due to strong wind in Chungi Amar Sidhu area of the city

PR OFIT S h A h n AwA z A l i

When we think of Bonds, the first thing that comes to mind is the cut-throat business of Investment Banking Where yields reign supreme and ratings determine fates But what if the same bond was used to serve a cause and do some good in the society?

paid off after a stipulated time (maturity) along with a specific annual return (yield) How much a bond

known

payments to ‘

favoured’

bid to provide relief to those officials who are hesitant to implement the new agreements because of fears of possible action against them in future

INVESTIGATION IN LIMBO

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

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has once again initiated an inquiry into an alleged high-value scam, delving into the payment of a substantial sum of Rs 500 billion to Independent Power Producers (IPPs) amid concerns of irregularities

facilitated the loan and played a significant role in distributing the funds to the favoured IPPs

prompted by the recently amended NAB Act of 2022 and may once again result in a delay in payments According to sources, the Secretary of the Power Division has been directed to provide the required information by July 11th As part of its renewed inquiry, NAB has specifically requested details regarding the assets declared by the officials involved in the disbursement of funds to the IPPs BACKGROUND The scandal dates back to 2013 and revolves around the borrowing of a substantial Rs 500 billion from various banks to settle outstanding dues owed to the IPPs The Power Division in conjunction with Power Holding Private Limited (PHPL)

NAB s relaunched inquiry aims to shed light on the potential irregularities that may have occurred during this process focusing on both the IPPs and the officials within the Power Division The issue has particularly been in limbo since March 2021, when the NAB investigation into IPPs reportedly put the first instalment of 40 percent of agreed amount of over Rs 400 billion in limbo

In April that same year NAB had written to the power division saying that the government has the full authority to execute their altered agreements with 47 IPPs in a

The decision to relaunch the inquiry demonstrates NAB s unwavering commitment to addressing large-scale financial misconduct By revisiting this investigation the bureau seeks to ensure transparency accountability and responsible use of public funds

The relaunch of this inquiry has sent shockwaves throughout the power sector and the wider business community, sparking concerns about fair competition and the integrity of the industry Stakeholders eagerly await the outcome of NAB s efforts as the investigation is expected to have significant implications for the energy sector

As the inquiry progresses NAB is expected to meticulously scrutinise financial records contracts and relevant documents to build a compelling case against those involved While the outcome of this high-profile investigation remains uncertain, NAB’s decision to relaunch the inquiry instils hope for a more transparent and corruption-free society Citizens eagerly anticipate justice with expectations that this investigation will serve as a strong message deterring potential financial misconduct

REJECTING ISLAMOPHOBIA, CHINA DENOUNCES QURAN DESECRATION IN SWEDEN

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

RE J E C T I N G Islamophobia

China on Tuesday opposed any manifestation of anti-Islam actions No one should be allowed to use freedom of speech as an excuse to stoke conflict and pit one civilisation against another,” Mao

Ning spokeswoman for China’s foreign ministry told reporters in Beijing

She was responding to a recent Quranburning incident in Sweden according to a statement by the Chinese foreign ministry The spokeswoman said China consistently advocates for mutual respect, inclusivity and the exchange of knowledge among civilisations and “firmly condemns extremist actions that target diverse religious beliefs and incite clashes between civilisations

FIA lassoes five Pakistanis ‘working in Israel’

Referring to Chinese President Xi Jinping s proposal for Global Civilisation Initiative Mao said: China will partner with the international community to champion

the Global Civilisation Initiative fostering dialogue and exchanges between civilisations and safeguarding the world s cultural diversity

A 37-year-old man of Iraq origin Salwan Momika publicly burned a copy of the Quran in front of Stockholm Mosque in Sweden last Wednesday while under police protection This act was deliberately timed to coincide with Eid al-Adha a significant Islamic religious festival observed by Muslims worldwide

The incident has sparked widespread condemnation from across the Islamic world, including Turkey, Jordan, Palestine, Saudi Arabia Morocco Iraq Iran Pakistan Senegal Morocco and Mauritania

In a separate incident back in January a far-right politician also burned a copy of the holy book outside the Turkish Embassy in Sweden

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) called for collective measures by Muslim nations to prevent such incidents in the future

Russian hacker involved in targeting Pakistan’s militar y and civil setups

KARACHI: The FIA Crime Circle Mirpurkhas claimed to have arrested five Pakistani nationals illegally working in Israel it came to surface on Wednesday The Federal Investigation Agency in a statement identified five accused as: Noman Siddiqui, Kamil Anwar Kamran Siddiqui Mohammad Zeeshan and Mohammad Anwar Three agents have been at large while five cases have been registered against eight accused a spokesperson of the FIA said The accused were working in Tel Aviv as helper and carwasher,” the spokesperson said “They had got entry pass by an Israeli agent while paying the agent three to four Lac rupees each ” the FIA stated They went to Israel from Jordan flight through a Schengen Visa like arrangement the spokesperson said The FIA spokesperson further said that they were sending money to Pakistan via the Western Union “The arrested men were used to return home from a Jordan airport via Dubai to Karachi ” The accused have been booked under the Passport Act and the Immigration Ordinance The investigation agency conducting raids to arrest other accused, agency stated S ta f f R e p o R t

PIA gets SC’s nod to recruit 205 employees

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan has given its approval to Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) to fill 205 vacant positions within the organization This decision comes after the court had previously imposed a ban on fresh recruitment in the Pakistan International Airlines Corporation Limited (PIACL) on March 31 In response to the ban PIA had appealed to the Supreme Court for an early hearing of its plea seeking permission to hire over 250 new employees On Wednesday, a two-member bench headed by Justice Ijazul Ahsan heard the petition, with the CEO of PIA appearing before the court During the hearing, Justice Ayesha Malik raised a crucial question asking why PIA needed to recruit more individuals when the airline was struggling to pay its dues Justice Ijazul Ahsan also expressed concerns about the quality of PIA s services, stating that new recruitments would further burden the institution by an additional Rs90 million per month In response the PIA CEO explained that the national airline had made a profit of Rs3 billion in the last six months He also outlined plans to revitalize PIA and ensure its financial stability, highlighting the oper a t i o n o f p r o f i t a b l e f l i g h t s a n d t h e c o m m e n c e m e n t o f n e w i n t e r n a t i o n a l a n d n a t i o n a l r o u t e s J u s t i c e I j a z u l A h s a n s o u g h t c l a r i f i c a t i o n o n t h e b a s i s o f t h e s e u p c o m i n g r e c r u i t m e n t s T h e C E O r e s p o n d e d s t a t i n g t h a t t h e h i r i n g p r o c e s s w o u l d b e c o n d u c t e d o n a o n e - y e a r r e n e w a b l e c o n t r a c t b a s i s A f t e r c o n s i d e r i n g a l l a rg u m e n t s p r e s e n t e d , t h e c o u r t d i r e c t e d t h e P I A a d m i n i s t r a t i o n t o e n s u r e t r a n s p a r e n c y t h r o u g h o u t t h e r e c r u i t m e n t p r o c e s s T h e c o u r t g r a n t e d a p p r o v a l t o f i l l 2 0 5 p o s t s i n c l u d i n g p o s i t i o n s f o r p i l o t s c a b i n c r e w a n d e x p e r t s , i n s t e a d o f t h e i n i t i a l l y r e q u e s t e d 2 5 0 p o s t s S ta f f R e p o Rt

There is no change in KE ownership

K A R A C H I: K-Electric on behalf of the company s Board of Directors wishes to communicate that there has been no change in the structure of the board The board members continue to represent the shareholders with a concentrated focus on the growth trajectory of the company in an evolving power sector steadily transitioning towards an open market era The majority shares (66 4%) of the company are listed in the PSX owned by KES Power, a consortium of investors including Aljomaih Power Limited of Saudi Arabia, National Industries Group (Holding), Kuwait, and the Infrastructure and Growth Capital Fund (IGCF) The Government of Pakistan also maintains a shareholding (24 36%) in the company Moreover any changes in the shareholding pattern of the company will be disclosed in line with the stipulated regulations that govern public listed companies in Pakistan p R e S S R e l e a S e

Three soldiers embrace mar t ydom in Nor th Waziristan

R AWA L P I N D I : On 05 July 23, a vehicle borne suicide bomber exploded himself in general area Miran Shah, North Waziristan District Resultantly, Naib Subedar Sahib Khan (age 41 years resident of Mianwali) Naik Muhammad Ibrahim (age 40 years resident of Dera Ismail Khan) and Sepoy Jehangir Khan (age 24 years resident of Mardan) embraced shahadat, while, three innocent civilians got critically injured The suicide bomber intended targeting the security forces’ post however timely interception of the suicide bomber on suspicion by on-duty soldiers prevented a major catastrophe Security forces of Pakistan are determined to eliminate the menace of terrorism and such sacrifices of our brave soldiers further strengthen our resolve S ta f f R e p o Rt

Dar briefs US envoy Blome on IMF stand by agreement

ISLAMABAD S h a h z a d pa R ac h a

The federal government has disclosed in its advisory that a Russian hacker group is involved in targeting Pakistan s military and civil setups

The Cabinet Division in its advisory stated that Kill Net is a Russian APT group that has been targeting Pakistan s military and civil setups with numerous attack vectors including DDoS attacks

According to the advisory, the ProRussian APT group operates from Kremlin, Russia, and has been active since January 2022

Kill Net is known for causing DDoS campaigns against the US and other Ukraine allies and NATO countries in the backdrop of the RussiaUkraine war Kill Net has often targeted Pakistan’s military and civil setups

According to the advisory the Kill Net uses DDoS and brute force dictionary attacks as the main weapons to cause mass service disruption of vulnerable public-facing CII In most cases, Kill Net DDoS attacks have caused short downtime for victims

However it leads to embarrassment for nations globally

The cabinet division has asked government institutions to adopt proactive

preventive measures against DDoS and other cyber-attacks It has advised the institutions to monitor networks at the administration level including file hashes, file locations, logins, and unsuccessful login attempts, and use reputed firewalls, IPS/IDS, and SIEM solutions

The cabinet division has also advised restricting incoming traffic and user permissions to the maximum extent and allowing internet access to specific users on a need basis and restricting data usage rights It has asked government institutions and officials to verify software and documents before downloading via digital code-signing technique In addition the government institutions implement MFA in mailing sys-

tems, administrator controls and other critical systems And always maintain a backup of critical data periodically according to cabinet division

It has advised to regularly change p a s s w o r d s a t t h e a d m i n i s t r a t o r l e v e l as well as regularly patch and update all OS, applications, and other technical equipment

The cabinet division has asked to ensure anti-DDOS service is provided with website domain hosting from ISP and enable firewalls including NextGen Firewall (NGF) Web Application Firewall (WAF), and Network-Based Firewall etc

It has advised enabling SIEM and event logging 24/7 to detect anomalies in internet usage and traffic spikes and ensure fragmentation and multi-content delivery network and filter incoming traffic and block suspicious traffic after deep packet inspection

The cabinet division has advised the government institutions to take other preventive measures including updating applications hardening IT equipment using strong passwords and ensuring data backups

It has network administrators to block all malicious domains, URLs, and hashes of documents at the firewall/network including APT Kill Net

Pakistan continues to be valued par tner of US: CG Mak aneole

RAWALPINDI

S ta f f R e p o R t

Consul General of the American Embassy in Lahore William Makaneole has said that Pakistan has been and continues to be a valued partner of the United States

This was stated by him during his visit to Government Post Graduate College Attock to attend an event as chief guest Deputy Commissioner Attock Rao Atif Raza and Principal Government Post Graduate College Professor Majid

Bhatti welcomed the distinguished guest

Consul General William Makaneole said that the US and Pakistan governments have partnered on many issues and our people-to-people ties are strong

The United States has a broad deep and long-term partnership with the people of Punjab province in the fields of education, economics, health, law, and beyond The US Consulate Lahore is looking forward to deepening and expanding these relationships in the coming years

Speaking on the occasion Deputy Commissioner Attock

Rao Atif Raza said that we welcome William Makaneole

The visit of the US Consul General will further expand the diplomatic commercial mutual and cultural relations between the two countries Culture plays an important role in the mutual relations of countries Culture includes a country’s formation, history, language, customs, music, arts, literature, architecture, food, clothing and other cultural factors This cultural duality separates one country from another because of individuality distinction and differentiation he added

The US Consul General visited various departments of the college on the arrival at Government post graduate college Attock The Principal, Post Graduate College, Attock gave a briefing and highlighted the long history of the college Prof Majid Bhatti said that the region is rich in terms of Potohar culture

ISLAMABAD S ta f f R e p o R t

In a significant step towards fostering a peaceful and violence-free electoral process, Pakistan s major political parties reached a consensus on organizing an All Parties Conference (APC) to address the growing problem of politically motivated extremist language that may incite hatred and violence

The consensus was reached at a dialogue titled Common Resolve for Political Harmony,’ organized by Communications Research Strategies (CRS), a pioneer in strategic communications and researchbased interventions in Pakistan Senior parliamentarians and politicians representing seven prominent political parties, including PML (N), PPP, PTI, ANP, NDM, and MQM, emphasized the need for an all-parties conference (APC) or any other mechanism that would enable con-

Different nations have ruled in this region in different eras Potohar is the name of the overall culture of different nations Punjab Arts Council set up stalls of artisans from all over the province like Paper mache, truck art, stone carving, doll making, beadwork on the occasion of the visit of the American Consul General Assistant Director Punjab Arts Council Muhammad Sulaiman gave a briefing to the chief guest Consul General William Mika Naval regarding the handicrafts of Punjab and also introduced all the artisans to the chief guest The folk dance party gave a special performance on the arrival of the chief guest During the musical performance, William Micah Neville was delighted by the performance of Sunny Prince’s The violin guitar and desk performances were also well received by the audience

structive dialogue among political forces Advisor to the Prime Minister, Qamar

Zaman Kaira Senator Afrasiab Khattak

Senator Pervaiz Rashid Information Secretary PTI Raoof Hassan Senator Anwar ul Haq Kakar SAPM Romina Khurshid Alam, MNA Sabir Qaimkhani, Chaudhry Manzoor Ahmad, member CEC PPP, and Information Secretary ANP (Punjab), Nadeem Sarwar represented their parties Zafarullah Khan former Executive Director Pakistan Institute of Parliamentary Affairs and constitutional literacy advocate moderated the dialogue

Welcoming the participants Aniq Zafar, CEO of CRS, highlighted the emerging situation in the country where political discourse was becoming increasingly harsh with the potential for violence by non-state actors against political forces Recognizing the gravity of the situation the participants stressed the importance of exploring a common ground through Char-

ISLAMABAD:

Finance Minister Ishaq Dar called on US Ambassador to Pakistan

Donald Blome in Islamabad on Wednesday

According to a statement issued by the Finance Division the two sides exchanged views on matters of mutual interest and for enhancing the bilateral investment and trade relations between Pakistan and the United States During the meeting FinMin provided Ambassador Blome with an update on a recent staff-level agreement between Pakistan and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which resulted in a $3 billion stand-by arrangement Minister Dar also emphasised that the government’s policies are geared towards achieving economic stability and fostering long-term development The finance wizard also outlined the key objectives of the policies which aim to place the Pakistani economy on a sustainable growth trajectory Ambassador Blome expressed his confidence in the Pakistani government’s economic policies commending their potential to bring about stability He further assured the FinMin of the United States commitment to supporting and promoting bilateral economic cooperation, trade relations, and investment opportunities between the two nations S ta f f R e p o R t

FIA , police arrest suspect involved in human smuggling

L A H O R E : F e d e r a l I n v e s t i g a t i o n A g e n c y ( F I A ) a n d P u n j a b p o l i c e i n a j o i n t o p e r a t i o n o n We d n e s d a y h a v e a p p r e h e n d e d a s u s p e c t f o r h i s a l l e g e d i n v o l v e m e n t i n h u m a n s m u g g l i n g A c c o r d i n g t o t h e d e t a i l s a h u m a n s m u g g l e r n a m e d M u h a m m a d S a e e d h a s b e e n a p p r e h e n d e d , w h o c a l l o u s l y r o b b e d a c i t i z e n , B i l a l S h a h i d , b y s e n d i n g h i m t o G r e e c e i l l e g a l l y T h e p o l i c e r e c e i v e d a c o m p l a i n t f r o m a c i t i z e n a g a i n s t f o u r i n d i v i d u a l s i n v o l v e d i n h u m a n s m u g g l i n g l e a d i n g t o t h e s w i f t a r r e s t o f t h e h u m a n s m u g g l e r P o l i c e o ff i c i a l s h a v e r e v e a l e d t h a t t h e c u l p r i t s d e c e i v e d c i t i z e n s b y a l l u r i n g t h e m E u r o p e a n e m p l o y m e n t o p p o r t u n i t i e s I n a r e c e n t i n c i d e n t , S a e e d a n d Z a f a r t o o k R s 7 0 0 0 0 0 f r o m B i l a l t o s e n d h i m t o G r e e c e f o r e m p l o y m e n t T h e s p o k e s p e r s o n o f P u n j a b P o l i c e s t a t e d t h a t t h e c u l p r i t s d e p a r t e d B i l a l S h a h i d f r o m K a r a c h i A i r p o r t t o L i b y a v i a Q a t a r I n L i b y a , t h e c u l p r i t s , M u h a m m a d R a f i q a n d J a m s h e d , r e c e i v e d B i l a l S h a h i d a n d h e l d h i m c a p t i v e f o r t h r e e m o n t h s T h e p o l i c e s p o k e s p e r s o n s t a t e d t h a t a f t e r w a r d t h e c u l p r i t s s e n t B i l a l S h a h i d t o G r e e c e t h r o u g h a s e a r o u t e D u r i n g t h e j o u r n e y L i b y a s s e c u r i t y a g e n c i e s a p p r e h e n d e d B i l a l S h a h i d a n d o t h e r t r a v e l e r s T h e s p o k e s p e r s o n f u r t h e r m e n t i o n e d t h a t t h e c u l p r i t s o b t a i n e d B i l a l S h a h i d a n d o t h e r t r a v e l e r s t h r o u g h f o r c e a n d c o e r c i o n i n L i b y a a n d h e l d t h e m a s c a p t i v e s L a t e r t h e y e x t o r t e d $ 5 0 0 0 f r o m B i l a l S h a h i d s f a t h e r a n d a r r a n g e d f o r h i s r e t u r n t o P a k i s t a n S ta f f R e p o R t

ter of Democracy (CoD) 2 to address key structural issues that hindered political and economic growth in the country

One of the primary objectives discussed during the conference was to develop a well-thought-out national consensus against extremism and terrorism, leaving no room for soft corners for existing or new terrorist groups The participants strongly advocated against using such groups for political engineering and called for the immediate de-weaponization of society to curtail the potential threat of violence during upcoming elections

Additionally, the seminar shed light on the ‘economy of terrorism,’ which perpetuated the menace of terrorism in the country Participants acknowledged the need to investigate and address the financial sources that fueled terrorist activities emphasizing its impact on foreign and strategic policy choices To strengthen the political process,

participants expressed interest in establishing a ‘Truth and Reconciliation Commission ’ Such a commission could play a vital role in facilitating reconciliation and resolving past conflicts contributing to the overall stability and inclusivity of the political landscape

In conclusion, the representatives jointly agreed to share the outcomes of the seminar with the leadership of all political parties through a formal letter They also advocated for the timely convening of an all-parties conference (APC) before the elections for a comprehensive debate on the code of conduct for the next elections, ensuring that all voices are heard and represented

This concerted effort towards inclusive dialogue and cooperation among political parties reflects a shared commitment to a free fair and peaceful electoral process in Pakistan, ultimately fostering national unity, stability, and progress

PTI’S OWN PEOPLE EXPOSED PANAMA CONSPIRACY, ONLY NAWA Z

Muslim League-Nawaz Quaid Nawaz Sharif was disqualified under a conspiracy when “Panama verdict was changed to Iqama ”

ity in the provinces to form governments at provincial level

MI N I S T E R for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb on Wednesday said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf ’s own people had exposed the Panama conspiracy

Addressing a press conference here she said that characters behind that conspiracy pushed the country towards multiple crises by imposing an incompetent and inefficient person at the helm of affairs

The minister said that the solution of Pakistan’s probelms lied only with Nawaz Sharif who served thrice as Prime Minister

During the Nawaz Sharif era the economy was stabilized, he gave the people a gift of China Pakistan Economic Corridor , she said adding that great injustice was done to the person who had done great service to the country as prime minister

Taking a jibe at Imran she said the shadowy figures and characters who were burning the country today stood on the container to stop the CPEC project in 2013-14 Marriyum Aurangzeb said on that Pakistan

Seven die as 291mm record-breaking rainfall batters Lahore, surroundings

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 01

In Raiwind a teenager Wali Muhammad 14 drowned in water accumulated in vacant plot and a 55-year old woman was electrocuted to death on Circular Road area of the provincial capital The rescuers informed that in Hinjarwal area an 11-year-old boy was electrocuted while a youth identified as Ehtisham was electrocuted to death in Rashidpura of Baghbanpura area

Similarly, roof of a house came down due to torrential rain near Do Moria Pull resulting in injuries to three people Meanwhile, scores of people were reported injured in rain related incidents across Lahore city 291

The rain began around 4am this morning leaving large portions of the city submerged and wreaking havoc in all low-lying and posh areas of the city According to the data, the highest amount of rainfall was recorded at the heart of Lahore in the area of Lakshmi Chowk where 291 mm rain fell in 10 hours

Meanwhile Jail Road recorded 147 mm while in the Airport area it stood at130 mm at Head Office Gulberg the rain was recorded at 210mm, Upper Mall at 199mm, in Mughalpura at 220mm, in Tajpura at 249mm, in Nishtar Town at 280mm and in Chowk

Nakhuda 205 at mm More than 200 mm of rain was recorded in over a dozen areas across the city Notably a maximum 238 mm of rain was recorded in Lahore last year in 2022 PMD forecasts more Heavy rains for Lahore, other areas Meanwhile, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has predicted heavy rainfall for Lahore and other areas of the province including Sialkot

Narowal Gujranwala Gujrat Jhelum

Rawalpindi, Attock, Chakwal, Toba Tek Singh, and Mandi Bahauddin The department highlighted the infiltration of moist currents from the Arabian Sea into the upper regions of the country Additionally an impact from a westerly wave is being observed in the upper and central parts of Pakistan it added Rain-wind/thundershower is expected in Kashmir Murree, Galliyat, Rawalpindi/Islamabad, Jhelum, Attock, Chakwal, Sargodha, Mianwali, Faisalabad, Jhang T T Singh Bahawalnagar Narowal

Sialkot Sahiwal Gujranwala Gujrat Mandi

Bahauddin Hafizabad Lahore Bhakkar

Layyah Multan and Dera Ghazi Khan districts, the Met office said The Met Office has predicted more such spells on Thursday (today) It said that in KP, rain and thunderstorm is expected in Chitral Dir

Swat Kohistan Mansehra Abbottabad

Malakand Balakot Charsadda Mardan

Peshawar Kohat Kurram Bannu Waziristan and Dera Ismail Khan In its forecast issued yesterday, the PMD had also warned of urban flooding as a result of expected heavy rainfall in low-lying areas of Punjab, Khyber

Pakhtunkhwa Gilgit-Baltistan and Balochistan in the next two days

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 01

The issue size of the bond is set at Rs 2 5 billion, inclusive of a Rs 500 million greenshoe option, with a tenor of three years, including a one-year grace period The proceeds from the bond will be utilised by Kashf to provide micro-infrastructure finance loans exclusively to women-led businesses

It is important to note here that the loans provided by Kashf foundation to female businesses are not subsidised or discounted, rather they have a commercial component What the foundation does is that it facilitates the factions of the society that would otherwise not have access to these markets Being set up under the Section 42 of the Companies Act 2017, Kashf can carry out commercial activity as long as the proceeds are used to serve the same objective rather than making their way to a profiteer Ms Rehman further expounds that We have identified areas in which the micro lending of the money raised through this bond happens So rather than using this money on just working capital loans, Kashf

During the press conference she played a video clip of senior Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaf leader and legal wizard Hamid Khan who told a private TV channel that it appeared that the decision to disqualify Nawaz Sharif in Iqama case was done somewhere else

She said similar statements had also been given by former interior minister and senior PTI leader Syed Ijaz Shah who were not related to PML-N in any way She said that Nawaz Sharif was deposed as Prime Minister through a conspiracy but the country and the masses suffered the most

The minister said that for the last one year the coalition government led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had been trying to revive the country s economy destroyed during 4 years misrule of the PTI

The present regime was also striving to overcome unemployment, load shedding and terrorism which hit the country during Imran Khan’s tenure she added

During the last four years incompetent and inefficient rulers of the past pushed the country towards total destruction

Minister for Information and Broadcasting said that story of Pakistan s destruction had started in 2013 during PTI s sit in When the PML-N came to power in 2013, Pakistan faced inflation, terrorism, unemployment in the country and it was on the verge of default

In 2013 elections the voters understood that only Nawaz Sharif could resolve the country s problems and they voted him into power She said despite launch of Imran s agitation, Nawaz Sharif laid the foundation of political stability within the country and gave a chance to the parties having a major-

The minister said that CPEC was a gift to the region from the leadership of Pakistan and China and it was the vision of PML-N

Quaid Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and President Xi Jinping of China CPEC project played a role in development of Pakistan in every sector from 2013 to 2018 she said As soon as the CPEC project started she said elements conspiring against Pakistan s development were mobilized

When the news of President Xi Jinping s visit to Pakistan came, a man stood on the container against the development of the country and the visit had to be postponed She said the same person on the container called for the civil disobedience movement

Under the CPEC project energy projects were to be started employment opportunities were to be created but this person tried to create hurdles in the way of country s progress

Referring to Imran s criticism of recent IMF deal, she said the present government did not sign this programme adding it was the PTI regime which signed then violated and finally suspended it for political gains last year

NAB L ahore recovers assets wor th Rs440m in ‘Model Housing S cheme’ sc andal

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Lahore on Wednesday claimed to have recovered assets worth Rs440m in connection with Model Housing Scheme scandal during an operation conducted under the supervision of Accountability Courts, Pakistan Today reliably learnt

According to sources and credible information the Accountability Courts received an objection petition seeking cancellation of a warrant Dakhal issued on July 3, 2023 The petitioners – Sheik

Nadeem Anwar and Farooq Saeed Khan, submitted that they had purchased a land measuring 127 kanal and 14-marla from Farhan Cheema through NAB The sale deed of the property had been executed and possession transferred accordingly In a separate transaction, Salman Naeem had acquired a 15-kanal piece of land from Farhan Cheema in 2019

However, it came to light that Salman Naeem had previously filed a Civil Suit on March 16 2020 which is still under adjudication Additionally Salman Naeem and others had attempted to illegally take possession of the property, leading to a civil suit filed on April 13, 2021 Furthermore, Salman Naeem and others had submitted an application for demarcation of the property which is lying pending with the Assistant Commissioner (AC) Model Town Lahore

Another affected party, Zulfigar Majid, had approached the court seeking recovery of his claim from Farhan Cheema through NAB Farhan Cheema appeared in court after receiving notices and claimed ownership of a 22-Kanal land in Mouza Jhulkay He also stated that he had a buyer willing to pay Rs350

million for the property and if given permission he would produce the buyer before the court Following this the buyer appeared in court and provided a recorded statement, which led the court to order demarcation and issue a warrant of possession with the assistance of the AC Model Town and the local police

During the proceedings Dr Farooq Saeed and Sheikh Nadeem Anwar the objectors mentioned earlier, expressed their interest in purchasing the property for Rs440 million, which was a significantly higher offer than the previous one The previous buyer along with the accused Farhan Cheema presented their case offering to deposit Rs350 million within four months However, the objectors offer involved depositing the entire amount of Rs440 million within seven days with an advance payment of Rs50 million through a Pay Order made out to the NAB Chairman

After carefully considering all arguments from the parties involved and taking into account interest of the affected individuals, the accountability court approved the request made by the objectors They were directed to deposit the Pay Order of Rs50 million on the same day while the remaining amount was to be deposited within seven working days

The court also clarified that if any other potential buyer came forward with a higher offer than Rs440 million, willing to pay the full amount in lump sum Pay Orders the sale to Dr Farooq Saeed and Sheikh Nadeem Anwar would be automatically canceled In such a scenario, the objectors would be entitled to receive their deposit amount, and NAB Lahore was instructed to facilitate return of the said amount A spokesperson for the NAB informed that NAB Lahore had filed a corruption reference against an

accused namely Farhan Cheema (owner of Model Housing Enclave and Projects) in a case of cheating on public at large and freezed his 22 kanal land in Mouza Jhulkay present in accused name However, during the course of Inquiry/ Investigation around 275 affectees submitted their claims for recovery of looted money from accused Farhan Cheema & others The NAB Lahore after concluding the Investigation against said accused filed a corruption Reference in Accountability Courts, Lahore during 2019 nominating Farhan Cheema as the prime accused of the case For recovery of plundered money from the accused person the AC Lahore has permitted to sell the freezed property for Rs440 million so the same may be disbursed among 275 affectees of the case Speaking about the recovery NAB Lahore Director General (DG) Amjad Majeed Aulakh has stated that NAB-L would continue to materialize the vision of NAB Chairman Lt-Gen (r) Nazir Ahmed to facilitate the general public on priority basis He also appreciated performance of the Investigation and Prosecution teams whose efforts resulted in recovery of the assets The DG NAB-L envisioned disbursement of recovered money on a fast-track basis under his supervision He also referred to the distribution of billions of rupees among 11880 affectees of Eden Scam, the amount to the tune of Rs16 billion continued to recover through mega Plea Bargain (PB) for which disbursement of first installment is underway that reflects NAB s public friendly vision DG NAB also stated that the Regional Bureau of Lahore has made possible recoveries of billions in the Housing Sector to discourage corruption and cheating in the Real Estate Sector

S afoora Town reviews Muharram plan

KARACHI S ta f

A session of Safoora Town was held under the leadership of Chairman Safoora Town Rashid Khashkeli at the DMC East Committee Room The Vice Chairman of Safoora Town Abdul Haq Baloch along with all elected Chairmen/Vice Chairmen of Safura Town Councilors on designated seats, attended the meeting The Chairman of UC 5, Nauman Ilyas, opened the proceedings with the recitation of the Holy Quran Firstly all members of the council expressed their confidence in the leadership of Chairman Safoora Town Rashid Khashkeli and praised his timely efforts in maintaining cleanliness and addressing sanitation issues after Eid Al-Adha Subsequently, all council members presented their recommendations regarding Muharram-ul-Haram and discussed practical measures to clean sewage lines and drains in anticipation of upcoming rains Finally Chairman Safoora Town Rashid Khashkeli credited his team for their work in cleanliness and sanitation dur-

will prioritise micro-infrastructure To women who can then use the money to rebuild their flood-affected houses or to expand educational facilities or businesses The target audience of these loans is women from low-income households who may be supporting their families ” , says the CEO IZP According to Kashf Foundation the bond issuance is expected to have far-reaching effects on gender equality and financial inclusion in Pakistan Additionally the bond s success will set a precedent for similar transactions in the future, creating a local capital market dedicated to addressing pressing social issues such as gender inequality Furthermore it is projected that the Kashf Foundation s provision of approximately 30 000 new micro-loans with each loan generating 1-2 new jobs, will lead to an estimated 30,000 to 50,000 new job opportunities for women

ing the Eid period, congratulated them, and made it clear that every suggestion given will be discussed with the administrative authority in a meeting to formulate a final course of action Insha Allah thorough arrangements will be made to ensure peace security and cleanliness around the processions and routes of Imambargahs during Muharram-ul-Haram

SHARIF CAN RESOLVE COUNTRY’S PROBLEMS: MARRIYUM K

She said it was Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif who stabilized the country’s economy after coming to power in 2013 completed the IMF program In 2017 the country was on the path of development and only IMF program in the country s history was successfully completed Nawaz Sharif wanted to make the youth of the country economic independence, he wanted to promote IT agriculture sectors and increase exports

She said instead of raising hollow slogans Nawaz Sharif had promised to stabilize the country s economy and fulfilled his promises From 2013 to 2017, 14,000 megawatts of electricity was generated in the country and load shedding eliminated She said that scourge of terrorism was rooted out from the country after launch of the largest anti-terrorist operation in the country s history On the other hand, she said there was a person standing on the container to stop development projects of the country

The minister said there was a conspiracy against Nawaz Sharif because he was giving employment and business to the people removing darkness from the country

Sharif: A decade of CPEC reshaped Pakistan’s development scenario

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 01

While expressing confidence in CPEC s potential to drive progress in agriculture, Special Economic Zones, Information Technology, and mineral resource exploration, he lamented the “misconceptions” created by the previous government of Imran Khan which he claimed led to delays in the project s implementation He thanked China for its support during Pakistan s negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and expressed hope for the final approval of the staff-level agreement during its upcoming board meeting The prime minister emphasized the importance of working diligently to alleviate inflation and uplift the poor, pledging to fulfil the conditions set by the IMF that were previously violated by the previous government He also acknowledged the financial support provided by China as well as the assistance from Saudi Arabia the United Arab Emirates and the Islamic Development Fund (IDF) in overcoming Pakistan s financial crisis The ceremony was attended by Dar, Iqbal, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, and Chinese Charge d’Affaires Pang Chunxue

Four Rear Admirals of Pak Nav y promoted to rank of Vice Admiral

I S L A M A B A D: Four Rear Admirals of Pakistan Navy promoted to the rank of Vice Admiral Vice Admiral Abdul Samad was commissioned in Operations branch of Pakistan Navy in 1990 During his illustrious career, the Flag Officer has served on various Command and Staff appointments His Command appointments include Commanding Officer of PN Submarine and Commander of Submarines Squadron His major Staff appointment was Deputy Chief of Naval Staff (Training & Evaluation) at Naval Headquarters The Admiral is a graduate of Pakistan Navy War College Lahore and National Defence University Islamabad Vice Admiral Abdul Samad is presently serving as Cdr NSFC In recognition of his meritorious services the Flag Officer has been awarded Hilal-i-Imtiaz (Military) Vice Admiral Abid Hameed was commissioned in Marine Engineering branch of Pakistan Navy in 1988 During his illustrious service career the Admiral has held diversified Command & Staff appointments His Command appointments include Managing Director PN Dockyard and Commander Logistics His salient Field and Staff appointments include General Manager Ship Rebuild & Construction at PN Dockyard and Assistant Chief of Naval Staff Projects Works and Maintenance at Naval Headquarters The Admiral is a graduate of Pakistan Navy War College Lahore, National Defence University Islamabad S ta f f R e p o R t

empower women-led businesses

annual interest instalment ensuring an AAA credit rating for the bond even though the entity rating for Kashf as per PACRA What this means is that it increases the confidence of the investors to invest in this bond with ease Knowing that InfraZamin will cover the exposure, the bond becomes a much more attractive option than it already was This guarantee not only enhances the creditworthiness of the bond but also enables Kashf to tap into a diverse pool of investors through the capital markets fostering financial inclusion and attracting potential investors such as mutual funds and NBFCs “IZP is a commercial guarantee company and we work for profit It is a completely business arrangement and we are doing this solely because we think that it makes commercial sense for us to provide this guarantee and for creditors to invest in this bond clarifies Ms Rehman Kashf, the recipient of the bond issuance anticipates significant benefits as well The gender bond opens doors to a wider investor base reducing dependency on banks and diversifying its funding

sources By leveraging InfraZamin’s guarantee Kashf achieves an enhanced credit rating of AAA attracting non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) such as insurance companies and pension funds T H E C AT C H:

The KIBOR currently stands around 22%, annual yield on this bond therefore, in the current circumstances adds up to close to 1/4th of the investment While that is a guaranteed win for someone seeking to buy a safe money market instrument it raises question marks on the resultantly provided micro-loans, which as mentioned earlier, are not free of cost (fi sabilillah) Responding to a question about the high KIBOR rate and resultantly expensive micro-loans Ms Rehman clarifies that Kashf has a Non Performing Lending (NPL) ratio of 0 5% only They have lent to almost 6 6 million women across 27 years They have a strong due diligence on their people and around 70% of their debtors are repeat customers This inspires confidence in Kashf s ability to carry out this process and recover diligently

She also clarifies that “Kashf has a 30 billion rupee balance sheet with an 8 billion in equity 2 5 billion is less than 10% of their balance sheet which alleviates any dangers of a high yielding bond putting the foundation in a vulnerable position

Talking to Profit, the vice president of Investment Banking at Arif Habib Limited Mr Ammad Tahir stated that “We are delighted that InfraZamin Pakistan is taking the lead in promoting private sector infrastructure projects and is acting as a Guarantor providing complete risk protection to bondholders of Kashf Foundation This Gender Bond will not only have social impact but will also play an important role in development of debt capital markets in Pakistan

The introduction of this groundbreaking gender bond signals a new era in Pakistan s capital market, where social issues are addressed through innovative financial instruments This transformative initiative sets the stage for future developments that could likely improve the public-private collaboration on development and social responsibility

ashf Foundation issues first ‘Gender Bond ’ to

Terrorism unchecked

Repor t shows terror incidents rising countr ywide

TH E Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security

Studies has shown that incidents of terrorism have risen sharply in the first half of this year 2023 when compared with the corresponding period last year 2022 Whereas there were 151 attacks in the first half of last year killing 293 people and injuring 487 this year so far, there have been 271 attacks With 389 killed and 656 injured The number of suicide attacks has gone from five to 13, with the number of deaths rising from 77 to 142, and the injured from 225 to 309 The increase is not only alarming but it indicates that there is a failure by the law enforcing agencies to control what is becoming an increasingly worrisome problem

The reason for militancy was supposed to be Taliban, but once they had taken power in 2021, they not only failed to pacify afghanistan, but all those anti-american fighters who had gone to afghanistan apparently returned to Pakistan where the Tehrik Taliban Pakistan attempted to replicate the afghan model in the tribal areas and the rest of the country with the Pakistan army cast as the uS army The pity is that the influx of hardcore militants was predicted One thing also evident from the rise in incidents is that the intelligence agencies are asleep on the job

They should have been gathering intelligence in advance about militant activities, and helping to foil attacks Instead, it seems they have not gathered enough information after the fact to be able to catch the perpetrators another problematic element are the afghan Taliban

They have not been cooperating with Pakistan even though its establishment backed them fully after 9/11

Instead of preventing the TTP from using their soil for terrorism, as was expected by those Pakistanis who celebrated the Taliban victory, they have instead made afghanistan a safe haven There are wheels within wheels an important TTP target has been Gawadar and generally Chinese investment in Pakistan This suits India and the uSa, and there have been lines drawn between India and the TTP This makes it all the more essential for Pakistan s agencies to get down to the serious task of eliminating a militancy that now has no apparent reason

The time for taking the KP government to task which the PTI held until this January and accounting for the vast sums spent on counter-terrorism only for militancy to rise must come but it can wait until the more immediate task of eliminating the terror menace is carried out

Dedicated to the legac y of late Hameed Nizami

Arif Nizami (Late)

Editor

Yousaf Nizami Editor

In the first free and fair elections held in 1970 the most established King s Party of its time formed by the usurper bit the dust Pakistan Muslim League (Convention) was nowhere to be found In the Eastern Wing awami League led by Sheikh Mujib-ur Rehman emerged as the big winner while in the Western part Bhutto’s Pakistan People s Party (PPP) prevailed There were many first-time winners who entered Parliament after the break-up what was left of Pakistan came under the genuinely elected legislature Bhutto was the Leader of the House while the legendary Wali Khan led the Opposition It was the ablest house ever that succeeded in formulating two constitutions (1972 1973) after the Bangladesh debacle the establishment was badly bruised By the next elections in 1977 the trap had been laid by the revitalized establishment a new Kings Coalition under the banner of Pna (Pakistan national alliance) was created for a one-on-one contest with the ruling party Pna and PdM (Pakistan democratic Movement) are similar in many ways While Pna consisted of 9 diverse political parties PdM has 13 in its fold To be safer the 14th member has also been introduced It has been named Isthekam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) So, the contest in 2023 will be 14 versus one, which shows desperation in the establishment ranks as a Muslim League child I am grateful that my father ’s original party all India Muslim League (aIML) was spared exploitation and name misuse this time

Instead of Pakistan Muslim League (PML) a new brand has been introduced called IPP While PML(n) and PML(Q) remain in the field, IPP will be the fresh entrant tasked to bring ‘Isthekam (Stability) that is much needed in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan

Stability comes through participation of masses led by able and popular leaders Merit-driven institutions play an important role as they provide continuity of approach and policies Genuine political leadership emerges from free and fair elections Genuinely elected legislators then set the tone of the executive authority In its chequered political history the republic was able to hold only one free and fair election which seriously dented the hegemony of the establishment The

civil war in the Eastern part resulted in the defeat and surrender of the armed Forces while West Pakistan managed to become a constitutional democracy with the enactment of the consensual 1973 constitution Since then this agreement between the rulers and the ruled has been repeatedly disfigured and abused Zia-ul-Haq the third usurper wanted to rewrite the document like his predecessor did in 1958 by abrogating the 1956 unanimously agreed version Instead he introduced major amendments to consolidate his grip over power Musharraf the fourth dictator thought that the state under his control was above the constitution He got away for the first time but was convicted under article 6 when he tried the same the second time around Hopefully the electoral contest in 2023 will be free and fair to restore democracy in the country a massive turn-out of voters can make all the difference It will certainly bring about the demise of the Kings Parties (PML (n), PML(Q), IPP, BaP, MQM, and so on) new faces will enter Parliament as it happened in the 1970 ballot exercise The debates followed by people-friendly legislation will then restore the credibility of the House which has been missing since the 1985 partyless elections which brought the ‘Kingsmen ‘ into power analysts believe that Kingdom will survive only in the uK as the royals have surrenderd all their powers to the people during the socialist regime of Harold Wilson the Queen was advised to sack the government but she refused as the

T h e m e n a c e o f r i gg i n g

h a s p l a q u e d o u r e l e c t o r a l p ro c e s s a n d s e r i o u s ly

d e n t e d t h e n e u t r a l i t y o f

t h e E l e c t i o n C o m m i s s i o n

T h e  K i n g Ês Pa r t i e s Ê ,

w i t h t h e bl e s s i n g o f t h e

K i n g s , a r e a bl e t o

m a n i p u l a t e t h e p e o p l e Ês

m a n d a t e t h ro u g h t h e

b a l l o t , w h i ch h a s t o s t o p .

authority to elect the Prime Minister rested with Parliament, not the monarch It is because of this historic respect and restraint of the royals that democracy has flourished in the Kingdom It is the will of the people that prevails India is not too far behind with a track record of credible elections held under a neutral Election Commission Pakistan has been unlucky on this account Bhutto, the architect of the 1973 Constitution, had more faith in the higher judiciary than the bureaucracy For this reason, the position of the Chief Election Commission (CEC) was given to members of the higher judiciary Management of logistics plays an important role in the conduct of the elections In India members of the bureaucracy play this role It was with this background that I supported the appointment of a bureaucrat as CEC But it has been a disaster the experiment has badly failed Judges lacked the administrative experience but they were more neutral and fair compared to the current CEC In the words of PML(n) stalwart and former PM Shahid Khaqan abbassi every election after 1970 has been rigged The menace of rigging has plaqued our electoral process and seriously dented the neutrality of the Election Commission The King s Parties with the blessing of the Kings are able to manipulate the people s mandate through the ballot, which has to stop While the royals in the uK behave, the ones in the land of the pure do not Why?

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

Conflict in Sudan causing a humanitarian crisis

Th e e l i te a n d f o re i g n e r s a re a l s o b e i n g ki l l e d

be rule of civilians by 2024 However, General Burhan went back on his word as a result the RSF on 15 april 2023 attacked government sites in the capital city of Khartoum in which an airstrike killed more than 100 people, a minimum 700 people were injured, more than 100,000 people were moved across the border and thousands of people were internally displaced and going to settle in safer places inside the country The state which was already in problems was further sullied in the humanitarian crisis

E d i t o r ’ s m a i l

Send your letters to: Letters to Editor Pakistan Today 4-Shaarey Fatima Jinnah Lahore Pakistan

ing acute malnutrition It is estimated by unICEF that 14 million children are in serious need of humanitarian help Since the conflict started 160 hospitals were attacked in the conflict zone, not only hospitals but different nGO setups were also targeted, the information released by un that 67 percent of hospitals are out of service 162 humanitarian vehicles were stolen 61 offices and 57 warehouses were looted and health workers have been killed People and children are severely suffering from malnutrition, covid-19, Pneumonia, diarrhea, cholera, malaria, and dengue

E-mail: letters@pakistantoday com pk Letters should be addressed to Pakistan Today exclusively

Rising pollution in Indus is a concern

Su d a n has always been afflicted by drastic and lethal conflicts The root causes are not ethnic or political but the state’s weak military which is leading the country to ruin and among the macabre consequences especially is a non-stop humanitarian crisis

It can be seen that the conflict is a struggle for power between two factions of the military, the armed forces of Sudan (aFS) leading By Gen abdel Fattah al-Burhan and a paramilitary group the Rapid Support Force (RSF) led by General Mohamad Hamadan dagalos commonly known as Hemedti

The origin of the conflict is traced back to when Omer al-Bashir remained in power for 30 years in Sudan, but was overthrown in 2019 due to heavy mass protests against his long authoritarian governance corruption accusations economic crisis military interference and political crisis after his downfall the leader of the aFS General al-Burhan took power and became the de facto head of Sudan Before taking power he promised that he would hold an election in 2023 It was a deal with RSF that there would

The conflict has initiated the environment of violence and insecurity, making it difficult to achieve peace and stability in the countr y. The crisis in Sudan resulting from the conflicts had far reaching and painful consequences on the countr y and its people . Effects include displacement, violence , and insecurity

The conflict enters its fourth month and has killed 3000 people, while 11,714 were injured, 2 2 million are displaced and 600,000 have migrated to the neighbouring states, especially Egypt Chad and South Sudan The refugees are particularly from Khartoum city and western region of darfur In the conflict not only locals but members of the elite and foreigners also became victims The governor of west darfur, Khamis abdallah abbakar, was assassinated by the RSF because he publically criticized the action of RSF for spreading genocide in country in the name of demoracy In conflict 15 Syrians 15 Ethiopians nine Eritreans were killed an Indian working in Khartoum was hit by rocket, two americans and one Turkish child was died when rocket hit their homes, and one student from the Republic of Congo was killed when a rocket hit him inside the International university of africa in Khartoum a famous actress of yesteryear asia abdelmajid was killed in Khartoum The singer Shaden Gardood was also killed in Omdurman in a crossfire, the onetime soccer national, Fozi el - Mardi was killed along with his daughter Looking towards another humanitarian aspect of conflict which is food insecurity that has been seriously affecting the people of Sudan with about 20 million people facing insecurity

It was estimated that one third of the population was already in hunger before the current conflict started More than 620,000 people are suffering from malnutrition and more than 100 000 children under the age of five are fac-

The country has a population of more than 24 7 million needing humanitarian assistance $1 5 billion was collected but still $1 5 billion is needed to handle the humanitarian crisis The crisis in Sudan has had a great effect on the country and its people There had been violence, displacement and destruction of essential services and infrastructure and these consequences have created challenges and hurdles to fulfill the basic needs of the population

One of the most significant impacts is the displacement of millions of people out of the country These displaced persons and refugees faced challenges to have shelter, clean water, food and health care These conditions and lack of stability has led the people to continuous suffering

The destruction of infrastructure including hospitals water and sanitation facilities has led to the lack of health care and it had an adverse impact on the future of the population, particularly children and youth

Moreover the conflict has initiated the environment of violence and insecurity, making it difficult to achieve peace and stability in the country The crisis in Sudan resulting from the conflicts had far reaching and painful consequences on the country and its people Effects include displacement, violence, and insecurity Solving all these crises would require immediate efforts focusing on building infrastructure and development Only through collective action and commitment can Sudan move towards a more secure and prosperous future for its people

The writer is a freelance columnist

R E P O RT S suggest Indus River water is no longer fit for consumption by humans or any living organism as the release of municipal and hospital waste as well as industrial runoff have made the river water highly contaminated There are 828 points along the river at which wastewater is discharged into the river The fact that no one quite knows which department actually controls the Indus River tells its own story

People here have a strange notion that raw river water can be used directly for drinking which is not the case even when there is no pollution Municipal wastewater has organic substances including carbohydrates lignin fats soaps synthetic detergents proteins and their decomposed products as well as various natural and synthetic organic chemicals

Municipal wastewater contains a variety of inorganic substances from domestic and industrial sources, including a number of potentially toxic elements, such as arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, mercury and zinc, etc The industrial wastewater typically includes organic and inorganic solids, heavy metals and other compounds Solid waste from hospitals include infectious and genotoxic waste and may include cytotoxic drugs that are used in cancer treatment Conventional wastewater treatment plants do not remove the constituents commonly found in industrial wastewaters Treatment method related to wastewater is actually a three-stage process comprising primary, secondary and tertiary stages Boiling water is not an option safe enough as it only kills anything that is alive, say, microorganisms It does not account for hazardous constituents It can even be counter-productive as during boiling some water vapours get evaporated and the water left behind has a higher concentration of chemicals additionally boiling water that contains volatile organic compounds (VOCs) is dangerous as boiling will release VOCs vapours into the air that is inhaled by the humans depending on duration, the inhaled vapours may cause cancer and organ damage as well as blood and nervous system disorders The matter deserves the attention of the authorities concerned

Boring campuses

a number of universities across the country impose restrictions on students and penalise them for attending or organising functions that enhance their social and cultural development The lack of recognition and support for student-organised functions by universities is disappointing universities enable students to follow their academic pursuits besides providing a platform for holistic growth Functions organised by students such as cultural events, talent shows, and conferences, play a crucial role in fostering creativity, leadership skills and community engagement However, many universities do not actively support or approve such events leaving the students with limited opportunities to showcase their talents and connect with their peers

Taking disciplinary action against students for attending or organising these functions in universities is unfair and counterproductive Instead of discouraging such initiatives, the universities should adopt a more inclusive approach and provide guidance, mentorship, and other necessary resources to help their students organise events within some predefined framework Recognising the importance of extracurricular activities and studentled initiatives the universities should establish a streamlined process for event approvals This would allow the students to take ownership of their university experience fostering a vibrant campus culture and nurturing well-rounded individuals It is high time the universities understood the significance of student-organised functions and created an environment that values creativity, collaboration and personal growth HUMNA TAHIR

Zakir Hussain Magsi

e g a l D a m s

IT is no news that water is a natural gift of God It is no less than a blessing in disguise on earth; It is essential for the survival of all the states It includes developed as well as developing states In order to make optimum use of water, every state aims at developing dams The major reason behind building dams includes flood control irrigation and hydroelectricity production Such dams play a pivotal role to meet the challenges of climate change and variable weather patterns These challenges have been raised exponentially in the shape of monsoon rivers, particularly in India and Pakistan

It is saddening to learn that India, the neighbouring rival state of Pakistan has started posing threats to Pakistan by making ample dams This is another menacing attempt by India other than terrorism using bombing

For the first time India stopped the supply of water to Pakistan from every canal flowing to Pakistan on 1 april 1948 as a result, Pakistan protested and India finally agreed on an interim agreement on 4 May 1948

This agreement was not a permanent solution In the end, another agreement was signed between India and Pakistan in September 1960 which is known as the Indus Water Treaty during ayub Khan s regime despite the fact that this Treaty guaranteed ten years of uninterrupted water supply from India to Pakistan, India is maximizing its use of water from the Indus, Chenab and Jhelum rivers of Pakistan However, millions of people in both countries are solely dependent on water in these rivers

Woefully India is busy in building dams on all the rivers flowing into Pakistan from occupied Kashmir in order to regain control of water of western rivers It is a violation of the Indus Water Treaty History has witnessed that India has left no stone unturned in spoiling Pakistan’s link-canal system, destroying agriculture of Pakistan which is its mainstay and turning Pakistan into a desert

It has become increasingly important for developing states to build dams to store water for hard times but India has the nightmarish dream of causing threat to Pakistan by building dams in order to stop water during crop season and release maximum water during monsoon to sink the country

There is no denying that India has already built 14 hydroelectric plants on Chenab River For blocking the entire water of Chenab for 20-25 days it is building more plants

However, another dam in the making is the Kishanganga hydroelectric project on the neelum River in India it will drop the average flow of neelum water by 21 per cent in Pakistan, and would lead to energy losses amounting to billions of rupees and to serious environmental damage

India can block 7000 cusecs of water per day through Baglihar dam It would divert the River neelum to Wullar Lake and leave very little water for Pakistan

o n s t r u c t i o n

Its negative consequences are that it had reduced the flow of water in Chenab River during the sowing period of august to October 2008 Pakistan lost 23000 cusecs of water Farmers could not irrigate their fields; it badly affected the agriculture sector

Moreover, the construction of 450-MW Baglihar hydropower power project created acute water shortage on the Chenab River The project is 470-feet high and has a 317-meter-wide dam with a storage capacity of 15 billion cusecs

Similarly, Chutak is under construction on River Suru Collapsing of these dams or releasing of large amounts of water from them will endanger the proposed Bhasha dam and submerge Skardu city and airport

The most crucial and the biggest of the five dams is the Sawalkot project located in doda and udhampur districts of occupied Kashmir with a capacity of 1200 MW The project is also higher than the Baghlihar dam It can render Pakistani rivers vulnerable to water shortage

The Sawalkot dam would be highly vulnerable to earthquakes being in the seismic zone of Kashmir Himalayas This could be an environmental disaster for Pakistan as the lower riparian India has already chalked out the plan to build 93 dams at an estimated Rs 230-billion It will make agricultural lands barren in Pakistan as it will almost dry up the rivers India has already finalized 50-60, mediumsized projects Over 100 such projects are planned with cutting of trees intended The resulting environmental impact will also impact Pakistan s water due to the environmental degradation and increased sediment flow Pakistan is already under the impending cloud of

Freedom of speech is used in the West to cover attacks against Muslims

It is absurd for Western governments to defend the vicious racists who insult the sanctities of Muslims and grant them legal cover in the guise of “freedom of speech”, when similar criticism, abuse or attacks on the Holocaust are punishable by imprisonment No freedom of speech or opinion takes precedence when that happens

TH E burning of a copy of the Holy Qur an in front of the Grand Mosque in Stockholm was not the first such incident in Sweden and it is unlikely to be the last

In January, for example, a dutch man burned a copy of the Holy Book in front of the Turkish Embassy in the Swedish capital in protest at Turkiye’s rejection of Sweden’s accession to naTO This sparked a wave of anger among Muslims all over the world and prompted Turkiye to stick to its position on the issue of Sweden s membership of naTO

This latest attack on Muslim sanctities occurred on the day of Eid al-adha, the major Muslim holiday with the approval of the country’s president and legal backing from the courts Police officers protected the criminal responsible

His name is Salwan Momika a Swedish citizen of Iraqi origin Momika is a member of the Sweden democrats party, and the Syriac democratic union Party, as well as the Hawks Syriac Forces a Christian brigade of extremists founded in 2016 after splitting from the Babylon Brigades led by Rayan al-Kildani These brigades fight in the ranks of the Popular Mobilisation Forces in Iraq, and are accused of committing human rights violations as well as stealing civilian homes in the Iraqi province of nineveh C r i m i n a l a c t s a n d i n s u l t s a g a i n s t M u s l i m s and Islam are no longer newsworthy in Europe F r o m t h e n o t o r i o u s C h a r l i e H e b d o c a r t o o n s i n France to arson attacks on mosques and opening f i r e a t w o r s h i p p e r s s u c h i n c i d e n t s h a v e t a k e n place in Germany, the netherlands and denmark, among other places

This indicates a dangerous development in the relationship between the West and Muslim-majority countries whose governments were content with merely issuing statements of condemnation about this latest attack and nothing more no Swedish ambassadors were summoned to send a message to their governments about the Qur an burning, let alone declared to be persona non grata Relations with Sweden weren’t severed I am not getting carried away in my dreams because of the arab leaders weakness despite holding many strong cards that would allow them to deal a harsh blow to Sweden They could boycott Swedish products, for example, which would cost the nordic country around $20 billion is lost exports; the Swedish economy depends heavily on trade and

investment with arab and Muslim countries The economy is already weak at the moment so provoking the Muslim nations could have prompted a damaging backlash But it hasn t happened The arab leaders simply don’t care Europe’s hatred of Islam has been deep rooted since the Middle ages throughout the fall of andalusia and the Crusades all the way to colonialism and the invasions and occupations of Iraq and afghanistan When Europe had achieved what it wanted, it continued to plot against Islam and its people through the education system and discriminatory laws targeting Muslim communities across the continent The resurgence of right-wing politics has introduced the kind of fascist rhetoric against which Europeans fought and died in World War Two an aggressive racism is now prevalent in many countries, especially those which support the Zionist state of Israel, planted in the heart of the Muslim world as a “bastion of European civilisation in a sea of barbarism” all of this is well documented

It is absurd for Western governments to defend the vicious racists who insult the sanctities of Muslims and grant them legal cover in the guise of freedom of speech , when similar criticism, abuse or attacks on the Holocaust are punishable by imprisonment no freedom of speech or opinion takes precedence when that happens unlike the Muslims Jews in Europe and elsewhere are protected by the law in what is fast becoming a one-eyed society without a conscience

The strength of racist trends in European politics, turning them into popular currents, is reflected in the laws of European countries and thus their judiciaries It is ironic that these countries use the slogans of democracy freedom and secularism to deny minorities equal rights Liberty equality fraternity applies to everyone in France apart from Muslims and their faith That is why I believe that the Islamic world must have a clear strategy to resist this Western hostility against Muslims and Islam Political and economic interests must not take priority because we are facing people and governments whose hostility stems from pernicious ideologies whether global Zionism or

is being

water disaster and its availability would plunge to 800 cubic metres per capita annually by 2020 from the current 1200 cubic metres History revealed that 5000 cubic metres of water was available to every Pakistani citizen 60 years ago Torrential monsoon rains have already caused havoc in Pakistan with over 350 deaths and damage to property and livestock in 2022 India released 300 000 cusecs of water downstream into the already flooded rivers of Pakistan it added fuel to fire in flood The situation painted the grim picture of Indian hostility Pakistan has made headways to mitigate these challenges In September 2011, the country had protested the construction of the Kishanganga project and succeeded in getting a stay order regarding its construction fronm the Court of arbitration as it would adversely affect 133 209 hectares of agricultural land in azad Jammu and Kashmir Pakistan has launched multiple attempts to prevent India from building dams on both the Chenab and the neelum rivers for the last two decades India’s building dams would have severe ramification for Pakistan It is a matter of survival for the country

With the construction of dams fears of future water shortages would cause diplomatic tensions between India and Pakistan Losing control over the neelam River would put the life of Mangla dam at risk

For Pakistan, there is still a green signal to get rid of Indian atrocities regarding building dams illegally drastic times call for drastic measures There are two aspects that can pave the way forward for Pakistan: how the country can utilize its own potential and how its potential can be affected by India It is time to reactivate the World Bank arbitration process as the first stance and

D e s a l i n a t i o n t e c h n o l o g i e s s h o u l d b e p o n d e r e d o n b y t h e c u r r e n t g o v e r n m e n t I t c a n t u r n s e a w a t e r, a n i n e x h a u s t i b l e r e s o u r c e , i n t o f r e s h d r i n k a b l e w a t e r. I n t h i s w a y, t h i s w o u l d s t r e n g t h e n t h e w a t e r s e c u r i t y i n b o t h n e i g h b o u r i n g c o u n t r i e s b y p r e v e n t i n g t h e m f r o m r e l y i n g h e a v i l y o n t h e s h a r e d r i v e r. D e s a l i n a t i o n c a n i m p r o v e t h e w a t e r s e c u r i t y i n P a k i s t a n , w i t h d e s a l i n a t e d w a t e r o v e r 1 . 2 b i l l i o n c u b i c m e t r e s a d a y

the pace of work at neelum-Jhelum should be significantly increased as the second Pakistan s water issues with India are as important as the resolution of the Kashmir problem The country should invest in making new large dams and finish the under-construction dams quickly to meet the challenges of India’s hostile state In a nutshell WaPda s Vision 2025 should be turned into action which aimed at planning four storage reservoirs: Yugo, Skardu, Basha and Kalabagh Similarly, the Mohmand dam, a new dam project on the Swat River, must be completed in 2024 and the dasu dam project on the Indus in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in 2028 also desalination technologies should be pondered on by the current government It can turn seawater an inexhaustible resource into fresh drinkable water In this way, this would strengthen the water security in both neighbouring countries by preventing them from relying heavily on the shared river desalination can improve the water security in Pakistan with desalinated water over 1 2 billion cubic metres a day Both states can bring a long-term peaceful end to decades old agreement by relying on seawater as one of the most pragmatic ways in contemporary era

The writer is working with Government of Sindh and is a freelance columnist based in Shikarpur He can be reached at najamro@gmail com

The French riots are a result of miserable conditions in French societ y

AS we write, stories of the riots in France are broadcasting across the world with talk of businesses being looted and everything from town halls to libraries going up in smoke at the hands of rioters These riots are popular revolts revolts against police brutality, against the feeling of being treated as second-rate citizens, against the cost-of-living crisis in France Their origin began on June 27, when seventeen-year-old nahel M was executed by a police officer while trying to escape a roadside police check in one of nanterre s working-class neighborhoods

This murder was not an isolated one; police killings have been soaring since former president Francois Hollande passed a 2017 bill allowing police officers to use firearms in case of civilian non-compliance Since then, the number of victims of police brutality has grown year after year

But if anger was sparked by this particular killing it has been fueled by years of police abuse a 2017 study in France showed that if you were perceived as an arab or black male, you were twenty times more likely to be subject to a police check than the rest of the population and the working-class neighborhoods where these revolts are taking place are severely under-resourced in terms of public services with unemployment rates at 16-20 percent against a national average of 7-8 percent as of today 2 300 arrests have been made and their profiles show some similarities: many of them are teenagers

Very few have criminal records and they tend to be between the ages of fourteen and eighteen On certain evenings, the average age of the arrested rioters is just seventeen

But so far political leaders from across the spectrum have refused to grasp the weight of the problem resorting to false accusations Portions of the government and the right-wing party Les Republicains for instance accuse leftwing La France Insoumise of sowing chaos in the country for seeking political solutions to the riots and refusing to join the blanket condemnation Every time social conflict intensifies this same reproach is always apportioned to the Left from the right wing and the Macronists at the highest level Emmanuel Macron s response has been unsurprisingly authoritarian and brutal More than 45,000 police have been mobilized throughout the country to deal with the revolts In a speech with interior minister Gerald darmanin and prime minister Elisabeth Borne, Macron pledged that these revolts should be swiftly dealt with and that social media and video games were partially to blame for the conduct of teenagers rioters Macron also called for parents to take responsibility and look after their children in the evenings Justice minister Eric dupondMoretti said parents should hold their kids and threatened them with judiciary charges if they did not

Last Friday, the un called for France to “seriously tackle the profound problems of racism among law enforcement ” France answered that “any accusation of systemic racism or discrimination by law enforcement in France was totally unfounded no political announce-

ment or political solution to end these revolts has been proposed by the government

The far right has called for a state of emergency to be declared, with some far-right politicians labelling the moment as a “civilizational war,” arguing that the revolts were led by descendants of immigrants They called for the government to let people put order back in the streets if the government would not; while Macron attacks the radical left fascist militias armed with baseball bats have been spotted in the cities of angers and Lorien, where they have been helping police make arrests, and in Lyon, where fifty fascists marched through the streets chanting “we’re at home ” The police and fascists are singing from similar hymn sheets; in recent days two police unions have issued statements explaining that police forces were at war with pests and savages

What is frightening is that almost no political force is treating this revolt politically The only answer the political class seems to give is a repressive one The lone political party attempting to tackle the situation politically is La France Insoumise whose parliamentary group has proposed solutions to end the crises generating these revolts

The first demand is to repeal the 2017 permit to kill bill which allowed police officers to kill the young nahel as well as calling for a truth and justice commission on serious police violence and a mass investment plan for working-class neighborhoods

Here the radical left is proposing an “emergency plan to overcome the crisis ” This plan involves placing the revolt within the political realm: the revolts are not the result of failing parents social networks or Snapchat but rather a total political crisis The causes of the crisis are longstanding and need to be seriously addressed

In this regard, Jean-Luc Melenchon has said on the LCI television channel that “the question for a politician is not to call for calm or strike poses It is to build calm and for that it is necessary to rationally and concretely solve the problems at hand during the previous presidential elections the movement already called for the restructuring of the IGPn (General Inspectorate of the national Police), the dissolution of the BaC (anti-Crime Brigade), and the establishment of a republican police force free from racism

They also advocated for adopting a significant code of ethics implementing new measures to combat racial profiling and an improved police training program This would involve extending the duration of police training and modifying its content, such as by introducing sociology courses

This crisis reflects the erosion of the situation in France With no action being taken against the dynamics of racial oppression and segregation that are poisoning French society the execution of young nahel acted as an explosive trigger There is an urgent need for political leaders to overhaul police institutions completely and to ensure that the Republican promise of higher education access to employment, and so on no longer stops at the doors of disadvantaged neighborhoods Tomek Skomski is a member of the Parti de Gauche and parliamentary attaché for La France Insoumise

W I T H I R A N ’ S I N C L U S I O N , S C O E Y E S C LO S E R

C O O P E R AT I O N A M I D G LO B A L C H A L L E N G E S

ISLAMABAD

S ta f f C o r r e S p o n d e n t

IRAN on Tuesday officially became the ninth member state of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) a comprehensive regional cooperation organization that covers the largest area and population on the globe

Iran s full-scale admission was formalized at the 23rd meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the organization SCO leaders attended the meeting online

Addressing the meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping welcomed Iran into the SCO family and called on SCO member states to stay in unity and coordination so as to bring more certainty and positive energy to world peace and development

“The people’s wish for a happy life is our goal and peace development and winwin cooperation are the unstoppable trends of the times Xi noted

Calling for making the world a better place, Xi told SCO leaders that China is ready to work with other member states to actively implement the Global Development Initiative (GDI) Global Security Initiative (GSI) and Global Civilization Initiative (GCI) I n a w o r l d o f t u r m o i l a n d t r a n s f o r m at i o n , P r e s i d e n t X i s u c c e s s i v e l y p r o p o s e d t h e G D I , G S I a n d G C I , c o n t r i b u t i n g

C h i n a s s o l u t i o n t o g l o b a l g o v e r n a n c e T h e t h r e e i n i t i a t i v e s a l s o m e e t t h e n e e d s o f t h e S C O t o s t r e n g t h e n i t s t h r e e p i llars, the three major cooperation areas of s e c u r i t y, e c o n o m y a n d p e o p l e - t o - p e o p l e e x c h a n g e s

SAFEGUARDING COMMON

SECURITY

The SCO was born more than two decades ago with a fundamental mission to combat the three forces of terrorism separatism and extremism Over the years, security cooperation has remained a major focus for member states within the SCO framework

To combat the “three forces ” SCO members have made notable strides by expanding intelligence sharing and information exchanges and carrying out joint anti-terror exercises In 2020 alone, SCO member states managed to prevent over 40 terrorist attacks and dismantled more than 50 terrorist groups The organization also functions as a major coordinator of the member countries efforts to clamp down on drug trafficking and transnational organized crimes and handle flare-ups of regional hotspots through such mechanisms as the SCO-Afghanistan

Contact Group

Calling for maintaining regional peace and safeguarding common security Xi pointed out that sustaining peace and security in this region is our common responsi-

bility ”

He added that China stands ready to work with all sides to implement the GSI promote the settlement of international disputes through dialogue and consultation, and encourage political settlement of international and regional hotspots, so as to forge a solid security shield in the region

Covering three-fifths of the Eurasian continent the SCO presents nearly half of the world s population and over 20 percent of the global gross domestic product (GDP) which also means even greater potential for

Forensic stud y shows India buses deal has KGB connec tion

MONITORING REPORT

A German businessman with KGB and Vladimir Putin links is a partner in the major Indian Rs2 800-crore electric buses deal with the controversial Indian-Canadian businessman Sri Ram Tumuluri who has been in news linked with several scandals, the Tricity Daily publication reported

Investigation in Tricity reveals that Sri Ram Tumuluri s German national partner Thomas-Christan Seitz is known for close ties with Kremlin and has worked for the interests of Russia s feared spy agency KGB – now called Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR)

Two years ago, Ram Tumuluri’s England & Wales registered Causis Group Ltd won a tender for supplying The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) with 1 400 electric vehicles Causis registered in the UK but without any operations is wholly owned by Tumuluri Its operating entity is India-registered Causis E-Mobility Pvt Ltd While on paper it is owned by its directors Marudur Subramanyam Chandrasekar and Ravi Kumar Panga, Causis E-Mobility is in reality controlled by Tumuluri

Revelations that Causis Group Ltd has links with the Russian intelligence and Kremlin are alarming According to a forensic study by the publication Causis acquired a 100% stake of German-registered Eurabus GmbH in September 2021 Eurabus was founded and formerly owned by Thomas-Christan Seitz Eurabus

have previously claimed to be in the process of opening EV factories in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Georgia and possibly Tanzania Causis Group Ltd was incorporated in England and Wales on 11 June 2021 under company number 13452464 and the company is 100% owned by Jerseyincorporated New Horizons Investments Limited which in is turn 100% owned by Tumuluri, papers show Causis Group s statutory Directors are Tumuluri, Peter Knez, Charles Paul Rowan, Thomas-Christian Seitz and Gary Anthony Dugan

Examination of original German corporate filings reveals that Eurabus GmbH was registered on 02 July 2015 under company number HRB 168446B Eurabus GmbH s initial share capital was €25 000 and was 100% owned by Euracom Group GmbH, a company managed and controlled by Seitz On 31 October 2019, Eurabus GmbH increased its share capital to €1 105 million On 30 September 2021 Causis Group Ltd acquired 100% stake in Eurabus GmbH from Euracom Group GmbH

Seitz currently registered as resident in an upper class former East Berlin area, grew up in the former German Democratic Republic (GDR) and attended the infamous Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO), where 50% of the graduates are alleged to have gone into the Soviet diplomatic service and 50% into the KGB said the publication journalist who knew of Seitz and wrote a story about

development And the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has offered SCO members a chance to tap the potential and gear up their practical cooperation notably in infrastructure With the construction of transportation services such as the China-KyrgyzstanUzbekistan railway, the China-Central Asia natural gas pipeline and the regular operation of China-Europe freight train services ties among SCO member states have become physically closer We should work together to broaden the

him and his activities in 2008 noted that Seitz graduated from the MGIMO in 1992 The journalist’s article entitled The Russians are Coming in the daily newspaper

Die Welt described Seitz as associated with two Russian security foundations closely linked with Vladimir

Putin

In the article, Seitz is described as “Vice President” of the “Security Academy Waldmünchen” in Bavaria that was a branch of the “Academy for Legal Order Security and Defense Matters in Moscow The Academy was founded by Vladimir Putin himself Putin is described as Member No 1 Under cover of an academic organization, official events were reportedly organised for gathering intelligence in politics and business

The article also states that Seitz and the academy were closely connected to an organisation called the “International Counterterrorism Association also in Moscow That organisation in Germany the article notes can be connected to Karlshorst, Berlin where the KGB had its headquarters S e i t z s t a t e s o n h i s L i n k e d I n p r o f i l e t h a t h e h a s

b e e n M a n a g i n g D i r e c t o r o f E u r a b u s s i n c e O c t o b e r

1 9 9 2 H o w e v e r G e r m a n c o r p o r a t e r e c o r d s r e v e a l e d

E u r a b u s w a s i n c o r p o r a t e d o n l y i n 2 0 1 5 S e i t z w o u l d a p p e a r t o b e r e f e r r i n g t o E u r a c o m G m b H a n d t h e E u r a c o m G r o u p o f c o m p a n i e s t h a t w a s f o u n d e d i n

1 9 9 4 a s f a r a s c a n b e d e t e r m i n e d f r o m c o r p o r a t e r e c o r d s

ccording to a recently published biography entitled “Unbreakable – An Extraordinary Life between East and West” by Dr Werner Resch a business partner of Seitz’s beginning in the early 1990s after the fall of the Berlin Wall Seitz was very big in business with armoured cars in the former Soviet Union

Further research reveals several corporate entities in Germany, the UK and the Czech Republic associated with Seitz, most of them related to producing and selling luxury armoured cars and minibuses Causis’ operating entity in India Causis E-Mobility Pvt Ltd was incorporated on 04 June 2021 in New Delhi under company number U34102DL2021PTC381936 Its statutory Directors and Shareholders are Marudur Subramanyam Chandrasekar and Ravi Kumar Panga

Prior to joining Causis as its Director & CEO in May

2020 Panga was a senior executive at Ashok Leyland an Indian multinational automotive manufacturer Panga is in business with British national James Fitzgerald OKeefe a former contact of Tumuluri s According to Panga s LinkedIn page, he was CEO of EGV Transport India Private Limited, an Indian manufacturing company, in May 2020 for one month

E G V i s r e g i s t e r e d t o t h e s a m e b u s i n e s s a d d r e s s a s C a u s i s E - M o b i l i t y E G V i s 1 0 0 % o w n e d b y U Kr e g i s t e r e d d o r m a n t c o m p a n y E G V Tr a n s p o r t C o r p or a t i o n L i m i t e d w h i c h i n t u r n i s 7 5 % o w n e d b y J a m e s F i t z g e r a l d O K e e f e O K e e f e a n d P a n g a a r e s t a t u t o r y D i r e c t o r s o f E G V M a r u d u r h a s b e e n H e a d o f B u s i n e s s D e v e l o p m e n t a t C a u s i s E - M o b i l i t y s i n c e J u n e 2 0 2 1

Belt and Road as a path of happiness benefiting the whole world Xi said and he told SCO leaders that on the BRI s 10th anniversary, China will hold the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation

The China-SCO local economic and trade cooperation demonstration zone has also brought tangible benefits to local people Its trade with SCO countries surged to 8 1 billion yuan (about $1 1 billion) in 2022 from 850 million yuan (about $117 million) in 2019

Promoting economic growth is a common task for all countries in the region, President Xi stressed during the meeting He called on SCO members to focus on practical cooperation and expedite economic recovery He also vowed to work with all sides to implement the GDI and make the pie of winwin cooperation bigger while voicing against protectionism unilateral sanctions and the overstretching of national security and rejecting moves of setting up barriers decoupling and severing supply chains TIGHTENING BONDS

AMONG PEOPLE

The SCO states are home to many ancient civilizations and ethnic groups with a kaleidoscopic religious and cultural inheritance making efforts to promote cross-cultural exchanges and mutual understanding truly necessary

Early voting for Uzbekistan’s presidential elections held in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD

M a n a b r a r

The Embassy of Uzbekistan in Pakistan organized early voting in the Presidential Elections of Uzbekistan in Lahore and Karachi on Wednesday and the voting process was organized in accordance with the Electoral Code This political event was attended by citizens of Uzbekistan living in these cities and adjacent territories In the polling stations voters have got acquainted with the candidates and their pre-election programs The updated Constitution of the Republic of Uzbekistan has been distributed among citizens the new version of which was approved at a national referendum on April 30 2023 The citizens of Uzbekistan noted the importance of large-scale reforms carried out in the country in all spheres of life, their social oriented nature, highly appreciating the priority of protecting the interests of the citizens in the structure of relations between society and state Today we participated in an important political event and voted for the future of our Uzbekistan We are confident that the President-elect will serve for the further development of our Motherland , said young compatriots Kamila and Alina Saed “Despite the fact that we are abroad, our country ensures the observance of our constitutional rights We feel our involvement in the reform processes in Uzbekistan the significance of our choice This pleases us Such relations with citizens living abroad increase their sense of personal responsibility for the future of the Motherland , – said Mrs Jamila Arifbaeva The citizens also expressed hope that the results of the Presidential Elections will form a solid foundation for the intensive implementation of the goals for the construction of a New Uzbekistan

CORPORATE CORNER

C H U R C H O F PA K I S TA N L E A D E R S H I P

D E N O U N C E S Q U R A N D E S E C R AT I O N I N S W E D E N

LAHORE s ta f f r e p o r t

THE senior leadership of the Church of Pakistan strongly condemns the desecration of the Holy Quran by an Iraqi refugee in Sweden and demands the Swedish government to curb such deliberate acts of provocation from its soil and punish the perpetrators

The bishops of the Church of Pakistan representing the Pakistani Christian community, denounce the burning of the Holy Quran reportedly by an atheist whose intentions were clearly to sow discord and damage peace in the world ” stated a joint press statement issued by Reverend Emmanuel Khokhar spokesperson of the Church of Pakistan

The statement issued by all seven diocesan bishops said that every person who believes in holy books cannot condone the disgusting act of desecrating holy scriptures of any faith Freedom of speech and expression

should never be used as a means to despise others Such actions are committed by individuals who have no association with any religion and they do this to further their own vested interests ” the statement quoted Church of Pakistan s President Bishop Dr Azad Marshall as saying Bishop Marshall said the Pakistani Christian community condemns such ac-

tions and wants to assure our Muslim brethren that we understand their pain and anguish and stand with them in solidarity “We always have and will continue to raise our voices against such recurr i n g r e l i g i o u s l y p r o v o c a t i v e a c t i o n s Such acts overtly encourage hatred exclusion and racism, he said The statem e n t s a i d t h a t r e s o l u t i o n s w e r e a l s o

UNDP hosts session to formulate strategy to confront HIV stigma, discrimination within LEAs

ISLAMABAD s ta f f r e p o r t

The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) hosted the second consultative session at the KPK, FC premises The event, dedicated to formulating an engagement strategy to confront HIV stigma and discrimination within law enforcement agencies (LEAs) brought together an assembly of approximately seventy officials Representatives from the National Highways & Motorway Police (NHMP) Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), KP Police, Frontier Corps (FC), National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), along with esteemed individuals such as Dr Yasir Hayat, Dr Inam of UNICEF KP, Mohammed Shafiq of URDO Safraz Arzo Khan Heer and Zaheer Khattak CEO of URDO were among the participants

The session was inaugurated by the Inspector General (IG) of KP Mr Akhtar Hayat Mr Hayat highlighted the critical need for effective guidelines to enhance law enforcement agencies' sensitivity and responsiveness to

HIV stigma He emphasized that the pillars of awareness effective communication and inclusivity are instrumental in countering stigma and creating a secure, supportive environment for individuals affected by HIV

Adding to this, law enforcement specialist Dr Syed Kaleem Imam advocated for a thoughtful approach by law enforcement agencies towards victims of HIV He underscored the necessity of an innovative methodology that integrates a comprehensive curriculum a cohesive national plan and a uniform mechanism to alleviate the stigma and discrimination experienced by HIV patients

TPL M aps – Helping Pakistani businesses c urb mobilit y woes with Hyper-Loc alized D ata S olutions

As technology advances, so does the way we use and interact with our applications

presented in all major churches of the

C h u r c h o f P a k i s t a n c o n d e m n i n g t h e hateful incidents in Sweden and other European countries, including France, Norway and Denmark

The Church of Pakistan is engaged in service across the country without discrimination of race and color and every religion is respectable for us We have always taught inter-faith harmony, tolerance and love and respect for each other,” the statement emphasized The statement also noted with concern that some vested interests had started social media campaigns against Christians in wake of the incident in Sweden

We categorically denounce such malicious campaigns that are meant to create religious discord and unrest in our society Pakistani Christians have no sympathy for such persons and we are in no way responsible for their actions Our state institutions should take notice of these campaigns and ensure protection of our community members and churches, it concluded

NBP selects PTCL for managed data centre hosting

ISLAMABAD s ta f f r e p o r t

USC

reduces prices of branded

cooking

Utility Stores Corporation has reduced the prices of branded cooking oil with immediate effect

Spokesman According to the spokesperson of Utility Stores Corporation Utility Stores Corporation has reduced the prices of branded cooking oil for the convenience of the public The price of branded cooking oil have been reduced by Rs 85 per litre

Now it will be available on Rs 495/Liter instead of Rs 580 It should be noted that the Utility Stores Corporation is also providing special subsidy of the federal government on five basic items s ta f f r e p o r t

Federal Minister Sajid Turi

explores tourism oppor

tunities

with Chairman of State Tourism Agency, A zerbaijan Fuad Naghiyev BAKU s ta f f r e p o r t

Federal Minister Sajid Turi along with Secretary overseas Pakistanis and human resources development Zulfiqar Haider, and zulfiqar Ahmad secretary workers welfare fund held a fruitful meeting with Chairman of the State Tourism Agency Azerbaijan Fuad Naghiyev in Baku to discuss extensive tourism prospects for both countries The meeting predominantly focused on exploring tourism opportunities in the picturesque northern areas of Pakistan while also shedding light on religious tourism in Punjab Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh During the meeting, Minister Sajid Turi extended warm invitation to Chairman Fuad Naghiyev to witness Pakistan's firsthand by visiting the country This visit will aim to deepen bilateral cooperation between the tourism authorities of Azerbaijan and Pakistan and foster cultural exchange The conversation further delved into discussions surrounding the potential for tour operators in Azerbaijan to explore the incomparable beauty of the northern regions of Pakistan

Recognizing the mutual benefits of such collaboration, Minister Sajid Turi accentuated the importance of strengthening ties between the tourism sectors of both nations This significant gathering follows in the footsteps of the recent visit by Pakistan s Prime Minister Shahbaz Shareef to Azerbaijan showcasing the growing priority placed on bilateral tourism ties

The exchange of ideas and experiences the two nations to enhance the overall tourism sector by sharing best practices and promoting socio-economic growth through increased international tourismFurthermore, Minister Sajid Turi underscored the commitment of the Government of Pakistan to promoting tourism with the vision of the Pakistan People's Party The government's steadfast dedication towards tourism development mirrors its efforts in job creation, infrastructure development, and sustainable tourism practices

One of the biggest advances in recent years has been the rise of cloud-based mobility solutions These solutions enable businesses to access and use mapping data more efficiently and cost-effectively Cloud-based mobility solutions can also reduce costs while facilitating mobility complexity

For example companies are creating mobile order solutions that use mapping apps to let their B2B clients sell directly to end customers and also provide access to information when they are not connected to the internet

In addition cloud-based mobility solutions are also used in

various other industries, such as transportation and logistics, real estate, and emergency services Delivery companies have been using digital mapping apps and hyper-localized data to optimize their routes while optimizing fuel consumption Whereas, real estate agents use mapping to give virtual tours to potential buyers TPL Maps a company dedicated to developing in-house digital mapping solutions that offer comprehensive local routes on par with international players, is making headlines with its recent launch Combining various data sources, such as traffic patterns, demographics and satellite imagery into a single platform is another benefit of cloud-based mobility so-

lutions That makes it possible to get a complete picture of a place and spot trends and patterns that might not have been visible otherwise it simplifies the process of accessing and analyzing data

By providing location data for over 380 cities in Pakistan covering more than 95% of the country, TPL Maps can help businesses in the FSI industry target their marketing efforts more effectively and identify new business opportunities In addition TPL Maps has a vast route system of more than 850,000+ km of roads and 140,000+ boundaries, which can help logistics companies improve delivery times reduce fuel cost and increase customer satisfaction s ta f f r e p o r t

Homebridge by Beaconhouse collaborates with Akhuwat to provide free education to deserving students

ISLAMABAD s ta f f r e p o r t Homebridge by Beaconhouse Pakistan’s first Cambridge certified online A Level programme has joined forces with Akhuwat Foundation to provide free A Level education to deserving students from across Pakistan Students from both O Level and Matriculation will be shortlisted for this ground-breaking initiative, which aims to extend accessibility of the international qualification to a new group of students

Homebridge is Pakistan’s first online Cambridge

International

A Level programme offers students an opportunity to study their Cambridge programme with online lectures, teachers and all the necessary facilities for an uninterrupted learning journey Through this

model students also have access to Beaconhouse campuses for extracurricular activities, libraries, and labs

Under the newly signed MoU, Homebridge and Akhuwat will jointly provide a fully-funded two-year A Level qualification to shortlisted students from public and private schools across Pakistan after a need

CPEC – The road to prosperity and growth amidst challenges

ISLAMABAD

s ta f f r e p o r t

Pakistan-China Study Centre (PCSRC) of Bahria University and the National Institute of Maritime Affairs (NIMA) are delighted to announce collaboration on a seminar on the topic "CPEC - The Road to Prosperity and Growth Amidst Challenges on 7th of July 2023 This seminar is part of the government s celebration of Decade of CPEC (CPEC10Y) from 20 June to 15 July 2023

These celebrations aim to commemorate and revitalize our pledge towards vision to reality of CPEC endeavors which has a significant potential to contribute in our sustainable growth peace and stability The conference is being organized on 7th July 2023 at 9:30 hrs at Bahria University Auditorium Islamabad T h e C h i n a - P a k i s t a n E c o n o m i c C o r r i d o r

(CPEC) is a flagship project of BRI that holds an immense potential for economic development, reg i o n a l c o n n e c t i v i t y a n d s h a r e d p r o s p e r i t y b et w e e n C h i n a a n d P a k i s t a n C P E C h a s b r o u g h t about significant infrastructure development energy cooperation and socio-economic progress in both countries

It has opened up new avenues for trade and inv e s t m e n t s e n h a n c e d c o n n e c t i v i t y t h r o u g h r a i l road and broadband internet; in addition port dev e l o p m e n t a n d h a s p r o m o t e d p e o p l e - t o - p e o p l e exchanges Recognizing the importance of exploring the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead, NIMA a n d B a h r i a U n i v e r s i t y j o i n e d h a n d s t o o rg a n i z e this seminar Contributing their expertise in maritime affairs strategic studies and research coll a b o r a t i o n N I M A a n d B a h i r a U n i v e r s i t y a i m t o p r o m o t e i n f o r m e d d i s c u s s i o n s a n d g e n e r a t e greater insights that can contribute to the ongoing efforts of the government to create an enabling environment for sustainable development and economic growth The seminar will witness the participation of e m i n e n t s c h o l a r s p o l i c y m a k e r s a c a d e m i c i a n m a r i t i m e e x p e r t s a n d r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s f r o m r e l ev a n t i n d u s t r i e s a n d s e c t o r s T h r o u g h a s e r i e s o f presentations, panel discussions, and interactive sessions, the seminar will cover various aspects related to CPEC, including infrastructure develo p m e n t e n e rg y c o o p e r a t i o n t r a d e f a c i l i t a t i o n j o b c r e a t i o n a n d i t s s o c i o - e c o n o m i c i m p a c t o n local communities

Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) and National Bank of Pakistan Limited (NBP) have signed an agreement for provisioning of primary Data Center colocation services at PTCL s Tier-III Data Center facility Zarrar Hasham Khan, Group Chief Business Solutions Officer, PTCL & Ufone 4G and Amin Manji, Group Chief ITG & CTO National Bank of Pakistan, signed the agreement at a signing ceremony recently held at PTCL Zonal office in Karachi Jafar Khalid Group Chief Technology Officer PTCL & Ufone 4G Noman Muzaffar EVP Divisional Head ITG National Bank of Pakistan, Basharat Qureshi, Group VP Enterprise PTCL, Umer Ilyas, Group VP Data Centers PTCL, Umar Farooqi, Group Director Enterprise PTCL, were also present on the occasion along with other senior officials PTCL is providing National Bank of Pakistan with its state-of-the-art infrastructure and platform solutions that are equipped with latest technology & managed security During the signing ceremony, Zarrar Hasham Khan, Group Chief Business Solutions Officer, PTCL & Ufone 4G, said, “We are pleased to enter into a partnership with National Bank of Pakistan to support them in their digital transformation vision As the national carrier of Pakistan PTCL aspires to be at the forefront of assisting state owned institutions in their efforts to adopt cutting edge technology solutions to drive the national digital agenda On the occasion, Amin Manji, Group Chief ITG & CTO National Bank of Pakistan, stated, We are pleased to sign this agreement with PTCL as our trusted partner for infrastructure platform solutions as part of the Bank’s digital transformation strategy This partnership signifies a transformative step forward in the Bank s approach to infrastructure platforms and data management By leveraging PTCL s advanced infrastructure and telecommunications expertise, NBP aims to achieve an enhanced operating leverage, a stronger security and data protection posture, and reduced time-to-market of products and services as the Bank continues its journey to offer a digitally enabled financial lifestyle for its customers and partners

CDA , admin huddle review dengue prevention preparedness

ISLAMABAD s ta f f r e p o r t

Today a meeting under the chairmanship of Chairman CDA / Chief Commissioner ICT Noorul Ameen Mangel and Commissioner Rawalpindi Liaqat Ali Chattha was held in the CDA Secretariat, Islamabad to review dengue prevention preparedness and dengue prevention activities to keep vigilance and proper check on dengue larva from rural and urban area of ICT Member Environment Member Finance DC ICT DC Rawalpindi DG Health Services DG Environment DDG Civic Management and relevant staff of the DHO, ICT attended the meeting Chairman, CDA / Chief Commissioner, ICT directed the relevant formation heads to ensure consistent surveillance of potential dengue breeding spaces and persistent liaison with other departments He further directed to Director Health Services MCI to hire additional 200 personal / work force for a period of three months on daily paid labour for reinforcement of existing work force Chairman, CDA / Chief Commissioner, ICT directed the Deputy Commissioner, ICT to engage a team for the training of existing and newly hired staff to tackle any dengue related situation

K A R A C H I P O R T T R U S T I N C R E A S E S TA R I F F A F T E R T W O D E C A D E S

g Wet charges set to be hiked after reductions over past two decades

the fees that KPT levies for handling and storing the cargo that is loaded or unloaded at the port These include wharfage storage and handling

Wharfage is the charge for using the wharf or quay for loading or unloading cargo Storage is the charge for keeping the cargo at the port premises Handling is the charge for moving the cargo within the port

KPT’S CLAIMED BALANCING ACT

While KPT concedes that the hike in dry charges may have marginal impact on certain sectors it has endeavoured to minimise the burden on the general public It has decided to either maintain or negligibly increase the tariff structure for commodities like edible oil, food, grain, wheat, flour, seeds, fertilisers, meal, pulses, poultry feeds etc essential goods that affect millions of people KPT has also slashed the tariff on transshipment through the Port of Karachi in order to lure more shipping activities and transform KPT into a modern transshipment hub

What are the new costs?

The tariff hike will also affect the wet charges for vessels based on their gross registered tonnage (GRT) GRT is a measure of a vessel’s size and capacity calculated by multiplying the volume of each enclosed space on a vessel by a factor based on its use KPT asserts that its wet charges were reduced in 2003, 2006, and 2010 when compared to 1994 The wet charges in the

revised statutory regulatory order (SRO)

2023 are still less with respect to pilotage, port dues, and berthing when compared to 1994 even though inflation has skyrocketed Further it says that a new slab of GRT 45 001 to 90 000 have been introduced in port dues and berthing charges while capping on vessels of over 90,000 GRT has also been included to mitigate their impact

How much volume will be affected?

The tariff hike will affect a huge volume of cargo and containers that pass through Karachi Port every year According to KPT s statistics in 2022-23 Karachi Port handled 41 85 million tons of cargo and 1 93 million TEUs (twenty feet equivalent unit) of containers down from 51 71 million tons of cargo and 2 21 million TEUs of containers in 2021-22

The breakdown shows that dry cargo import and export in 2022-23 was 30 63 million tons down from 36 64 million tons in 2021-22 Similarly, liquid bulk cargo import and export in 2022-23 was

S A U D I A R A B I A S AY S N E W O I L C U T S S H O W T E A M W O R K W I T H R U S S I A

PR OFIT

R e u t e R s

Russia-Saudi oil cooperation is still going strong as part of the OPEC+ alliance which will do whatever necessary to support the market Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman told a conference on Wednesday OPEC+, a group comprising the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies including Russia which pumps around 40% of the world’s crude has been cutting oil output since November in the face of flagging prices

Saudi Arabia and Russia the world s biggest oil exporters, deepened oil supply cuts on Monday in an effort to send prices higher

Yet the move only briefly lifted the market On Wednesday benchmark

Brent futures were down more than 1% at $75 30 per barrel lower than the $80$100 per barrel than most OPEC nations need to balance their budgets

OPEC says it does not have a price target and is seeking to have a balanced oil market to meet the interests of both consumers and producers

The United States the biggest oil p r o d u c e r o u t s i d e O P E C + h a s r e p e a tedly called on the group to boost production to help the global economy and h a s c r i t i c i s e d S a u d i c o o p e r a t i o n w i t h R u s s i a a f t e r M o s c o w ’s i n v a s i o n o f

Ukraine

But Riyadh has repeatedly rebuffed

U S calls and Prince Abdulaziz said on Wednesday that new joint oil output cuts agreed by Russia and Saudi Arabia this week have again proven sceptics wrong

“Part of what we have done (on

Monday) with the help of our colleagues from Russia was also to mitigate the cynical side of the spectators on what is going on between Saudi and Russia on that specific matter, Prince Abdulaziz said It is quite telling seeing us on Monday coming out with not only our (oil cut) extension but also with validation from the Russian side he told a meeting of oil industry CEOs with ministers from OPEC and allies, known as the OPEC International Seminar OPEC has withheld media access to reporters from Reuters, Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal to cover the event which was partly broadcast online

After the end of the broadcast Prince Abdulaziz told the seminar that OPEC+ would do whatever necessary to support the market, according to a source who attended the meeting

ENOUGH FOR NOW

Additional oil cuts should be enough to help balance the oil market United Arab Emirates energy minister Suhail Al Mazrouei told reporters on Wednesday

“This (the latest addition output cuts) is enough to assess the market and look at the market balance ” Mazrouei told re-

Gilgit-Baltistan top court postpones chief minister ’s election due to procedural irregularities

ISLAMABAD

G h u l a m a b b a s

chase Order Generation for the year 2023 In a comprehensive statement Avanceon explained that the primary goal of this project, valued at approximately $10 million, is to enhance the Drainage Network Operation System This will be achieved by implementing real-time monitoring and control capabilities for assets located across different sites By leveraging a master SCADA station the system will provide early detection of flood risks, blockages, infiltration, surcharging, and other related factors Avanceon will install permanent monitoring and control equipment equipped with Remote Terminal Units (RTUs) drawing power from the nearest local permanent or solar power source The Middle East region has been grappling with the escalating issue of flooding due to rapid urbanization Flash floods have become increasingly common, necessitating proactive measures by municipalities to safeguard both the population and critical infrastructure Under this project Avanceon Limited s subsidiary Octopus Digital, will offer cutting-edge digitalization services and solutions to the customer Their aim is to enhance asset monitoring, efficiency, and optimization through state-of-the-art technologies

The Gilgit-Baltistan Supreme Appellate Court (SAC) has announced the postponement of the election for the new chief minister citing procedural irregularities The decision comes in the wake of the disqualification of former chief minister Khalid Khurshid by the Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Court on the grounds of possessing a fake degree obtained from the region s bar council Following Khurshid s disqualification, several political parties put forth their nominations for the chief ministerial position The PTI nominated Raja Azam the PPP nominated Amjad Advocate the PML-N nominated Engineer Anwar and the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam nominated Rehmat Khaliq The nomination papers were required to be submitted by noon with the election scheduled for 3 pm on the same day

However, a press release from the top court stated that Chief Judge of GB SAC, Justice Sardar Muhammad Shamim Khan, ordered the adjournment of the election Justice Khan instructed GB Assembly Speaker Nazir Ahmed to present a new election schedule in court the following day ensuring a minimum of three days for the election process He also directed that the assembly members should be informed about the election schedule through press, television, or detailed notices

The court expressed concerns about the hurried announcement of the election schedule particularly in light of a pending no-confidence motion against the speaker as per the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly Rule (3) of Procedure and Conduct of Business 2017 The court emphasized the necessity of advertising the election schedule through various media channels and notifying the assembly members about the election via post

In an unexpected turn of events, police officials entered the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly and sealed the premises evacuating journalists and lawmakers present The Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Farman Ali led a heavy police contingent that sealed the assembly hall Journalists and assembly staff were asked to leave the premises, while lawmakers were barred from entering Additionally, Dar Ali Khan Khattak was removed as the GB inspector gen-

eral and replaced by Afzal Mahmood Butt

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party reacted strongly to the police action with ex-chief minister Khalid Khurshid alleging that the election was being delayed to manipulate the PTI s clear majority and influence the party s candidate selection Khurshid further claimed that if these efforts failed, lawmakers, including himself, would be arrested to diminish the PTI’s majority Farrukh Habib a representative of the PTI stated that political engineering was underway in Gilgit-Baltistan He asserted that the chief minister election had been postponed due to the PTI s anticipated victory, which was contributing to increased instability The PTI s Central Information Secretary, Raoof Hassan, emphasized the need for an immediate election accusing the opposition of attempting to delay the process for their own vested interests

Earlier on Tuesday the Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Court disqualified Khalid Khurshid for five years in a fake deg r e e c a s e T h e c a s e w a s h e a r d b y a t h r e e - j u d g e b e n c h which concluded that Khurshid s law degree had not been v e r i f i e d b y t h e U n i v e r s i t y o f L o n d o n a n d w a s d e c l a r e d f a k e b y t h e H i g h e r E d u c a t i o n C o m m i s s i o n ( H E C ) A m e m b e r o f t h e G B A s s e m b l y f r o m t h e P P P G h u l a m S h a h z a d A g h a h a d i n i t i a l l y c h a l l e n g e d K h u r s h i d ’s d egree s eeking his dis qualification under A rticles 62 and 63 of the Constitution The GB Chief Court issued notices to the HEC, the chief minister, the GB Bar Council, and the Election Commission to submit their responses to the issue Following the completion of arguments by all respondents, the bench disqualified Khurshid for five years Additionally a no-confidence motion against Khurshid was submitted by nine opposition lawmakers in the GB Assembly further intensifying the political turmoil

The region s chief election commissioner subsequently de-notified Khurshid as a member of the GB Assembly following the GB Chief Court’s decision

The adjournment of the chief minister election and the disqualification of Khurshid have created a significant political upheaval in Gilgit-Baltistan raising questions about the integrity of the electoral process and the stability of the region s government

11 22 million tons down from 15 07 million tons in 2021-22 The breakdown also shows that import cargo in 2022-23 was 29 08 million tons down from 35 54 million tons in 2021-22 Similarly, liquid bulk cargo import in 2022-23 was 10 29 million tons down from 14 07 million tons in 2021-22

In addition, export cargo in 2022-23 was 12 78 million tons down from 16 17 million tons in 2021-22 The container handling at Karachi Port, including all private container terminals, in 2022-23 was 1 93 million TEUs down from 2 21 million TEUs in 2021-22 The breakdown shows that import containers were 0 97 million TEUs down from 1 10 million TEUs in 2021-22 while export containers were 0 97 million TEUs down from 1 11 million TEUs in 2021-22

Irrespective of this decline KPT stands to earn a pretty penny with the increase in the costs

What is this revenue being used for?

KPT says that the tariff hike will help it finance its future projects that are vital for enhancing its infrastructure and services

Some of these projects are a new multipurpose terminal at East Wharf a deep water container terminal at Keamari Groyne an expansion of cargo handling capacity at West Wharf, and an upgradation of security systems and equipment at the port

Police decide on including PTI chief in GHQ attack case

ISLAMABAD s ta f f R e p o R t

The police on Wednesday decided to include Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s name in the attack on GHQ and military installations case The decision to include Khan s name comes to light after statements recorded by the accused under investigation, sources revealed Violent protests erupted across the country following the whisking away of former prime minister and PTI chairman Imran Khan by Rangers from Islamabad High Court in Al-Qadir Trust case on May 9 During protests GHQ main and other military installations including Corps Commander House Lahore were attacked and vandalized While the deposed premier is expected to face charges related to the planning of the attacks, a decision reached after consultation with legal experts, added sources The cases pertaining to the attack on the GHQ and military installations were registered at RA Bazaar and Newtown police stations ATTACK ON MILITARY INSTALLATIONS

In an unprecedented show of vandalism the violent protesters ransacked the gates of the Pakistan Army s General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi on May 9 PTI supporters had also attacked and caused damage to the historic Corps’ Commander ’s House originally known as Jinnah House and which once served as the residence of the founding father of the nation Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah hours after the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) arrested PTI chief Imran Khan in the AlQadir Trust corruption case on May 9

PM, son file plea for acquittal in money laundering case

LAHORE s ta f f R e p o R t

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his son Hamza Shehbaz have filed a plea seeking acquittal in a billion-rupee money laundering case Amjad Pervaiz, representing Sharif and Shehbaz, submitted the applications on their behalf The legal team strongly emphasized that the NAB reference was baseless and concocted lacking substantial evidence The plea highlighted that all their assets were lawfully declared and transparently recorded in both the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), adhering to legal requirements The petitioner argued that the NAB failed to present any concrete evidence to substantiate the allegations of money laundering Additionally the legal team contended that the case against Sharif and Shehbaz could not be proven beyond doubt They urged the court to acquit both individuals from the reference, considering the lack of substantial evidence against them

Govt takes steps to reduce circ ular debt; pays off Rs142b to IPPs

g Payment of dues to IPPs part of efforts to alleviat burden of circular debt

ent challenge for the energy sector By addressing these outstanding dues the government aims to enhance the overall stability and functioning of the power industry creating a more conducive environment for sustained growth and development said experts Stakeholders have applauded the government s commitment to resolving circular debt issues and implementing necessary measures to ensure the sector s sustainability

The government s proactive approach sets a positive precedent, signaling its dedication to addressing key challenges and fostering a sustainable energy ecosystem in the country said stakeholder

While this significant step towards financial stability is noteworthy, continuous efforts and reforms will be crucial to maintain the progress achieved and create a more financially stable and efficient energy sector in Pakistan