Epaper_23-08-3 KHI

U R K I Y E T O J O I N C P E C

g Says Pak-Turkiye celebrate each others ’ success stories, stand together in face of challenges

KARACHI

S ta f f R e p o R t

PRIME Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday reiterated his invitation to brotherly country Turkiye for joining the ChinaPakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), citing the latter as a natural partner”

The premier made the remarks while addressing the launch of the f o u r t h M i l g e m c l a s s c o r v e t t e a t t h e K a r a c h i S h i p y a r d w h e r e Tu r k i y e Vi c e P r e s i d e n t C e v d e t

Yi l m a z w a s a l s o p r e s e n t In November last year the premier had invited Turkiye to join CPEC to bring about regional prosperity, alleviate poverty and empower people through better education and health facilities

Months earlier he had proposed turning CPEC into a trilateral arrangement between China Pakistan and Turkey so that all three nations could benefit from its potential A d d r e s s i n g t h e c e r e m o n y i n K a r a c h i o n We d n e s d a y, t h e p r em i e r s a i d t h a t P o r t Q a s i m w a s a hub but there was a need to link it

with Gwadar where business had just started CPEC is a roaring success the premier said as he noted that Pakistan and China had recently agreed to launch the second phase of the project

“This will be in multiple directions [ ] and this is bound to increase the quantum of business transactions through sea and land between China and Pakistan, and in that Turkiye is a natural partner

“I would like to once again renew this invitation that let us join hands in this wonderful story of mu-

tual joint progress and prosperity ”

Shehbaz said

At the outset of his speech the premier said that the relations between the two countries were deeprooted and historic “We are united by a common faith heritage and civilisation and we share our perspectives on regional and global issues The relations between our two countries predate the establishment of Pakistan, he said

“We celebrate each others’ success stories and stand together in the face of challenges the premier said

as he recalled the visit of Turkiye

President Tayyip Erdogan during the

2010 floods

PM Shehbaz further said that Turkiye also stood by Pakistan during last year s devastating floods, saying that it was “very valuable and timely help”

He said that the launch of the

warship was another example of the countries’ commitment to supporting the other and to strengthen trade industry and economic cooperation I t h i n k i t i s h i g h t i m e w e f u rther enhance our strategic coopera t i o n a n d a d d o n t o t h i s w o n d e r f u l j o i n t v e n t u r e i n m a n y o t h e r a r e a s ” h e s a i d

ISLAMABAD

S ta f f R e p o R t

The Supreme Court of Pakistan (SC) on Wednesday rejected the plea seeking the formation of a full court bench against military trials of civilians

The development came as a six-judge larger bench, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial and consisting Justice Ijazul Ahsan Justice Munib Akhtar Justice Yahya Afridi Justice Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi and Justice Ayesha A Malik, resumed hearing the plea

Delivering the reserved verdict, CJP Bandial remarked the judicial holidays are currently in progress leading to some judges being unavailable and others on vacation

In light of these circumstances, the court had already established a 9-member larger bench comprising available judges to address the matter ” added CJP

Rejecting the plea for the formation of a full court the top judge emphasised that the unavailability of a full court bench until September was a constraint

TODAY’S HEARING

During the hearing, the Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial turned to the Attorney General inviting him to

share his thoughts In response, the Attorney General highlighted that Faisal Siddiqui’s request had been addressed the previous day He assured the court that all necessary arrangements and assurances have been provided to the detainees involved in the case

The detainees are being granted the opportunity to meet their families and have access to legal representation ensur-

ing a fair trial process

Rejecting the plea for the formation of a full court to examine the issue of conducting trials of civilians in military courts Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial emphasised that the unavailability of a full court bench until September was a constraint He further asserted that the judiciary would continue to carry out its responsibilities diligently irrespective of anyone’s

preferences and affirmed that it is the people who ultimately determine the laws that govern the nation AGP presents list of 102 people under military custody

During the last hearing the AGP told the court that the 102 people under the military s custody were involved in attacks on military installations, alleging that seven of them were involved in the attack on the GHQ, three attacked the army institute 27 attacked the Lahore Corps Commander House four were involved in attacking the Multan garrison and 10 Gujranwala garrison

Moreover, he told the court, eight of the suspects were involved in the attack on the ISI office in Faisalabad, five for the Mianwali base 14 in the Chakdara attack seven Punjab Regiment Center in Mardan while three were involved in the attack on the Abbottabad garrison and 10 on the Bannu Garrison The AGP further told the court that the suspects were arrested on identification through CCTV cameras and other evidence Earlier the petitioner s lawyer said his client did not want chief justice to be affixed with his name at this the CJP said that was why he was respected

COAS Gen Munir lauds PL A’s role in China’s defence, securit y and nation building

g F E L I C I TAT E S P L A O N 9 6 T H F O U N D I N G A N N I V E R S A R Y

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

ISLAMABAD S ta f f R e p o R t Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday fired another salvo to target Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), informing the former ruling party that it “could be declared ineligible to obtain election symbol over its failure to hold intra-party elections

for future election(s)” Referring to its earlier notices, the ECP said the PTI’s intra-party elections were due on June 13 in 2021 under the party s constitution

It said the PTI was intimated/reminded to conduct intra-party elections within the timeframe provided under sections 208, 209 and 215 of the ‘Elections Act 2017 but the party failed to “provide the requisite certificate to this effect

The polls organising authority also said it issued final notice to the PTI in May last year for ensuring the conduct o f i n t r a - p a r t y e l e c t i o n s o n o r b e f o r e 1 3 0 6 2 0 2 2 ( e x t e n d e d d a t e ) , w i t h t h e o b s e r v a t i o n t h a t n o f u r t h e r e x t e n s i o n

shall

be allowed Subsequently, the notice PTI submitted a copy of the amended party’s constitution which was deemed insufficient by the electoral body The ECP referred to Section 209(1) of the Election Act saying every registered political party is bound to provide the ECP with a certificate regarding the conduct of the intra-party elections as provided by law [ ] if any political party fails to comply with the provisions of the said section 209, this Commission is empowered to declare the said political party ineligible to obtain an election symbol,” the notice added Last month, the ECP instructed political parties to submit their applications for the allotment of elections symbols ahead of general polls in the country scheduled for later this year The ECP had directed the parties to attach a list of symbols they prioritise along with their applications, adding that the signature of the party leader is a must “Every application must include the address of the head office of the political party the election commission said It also added that the body would check the eligibility of the parties after receiving the applications In 2018, the PTI was allotted a ‘bat’ symbol to contest the general elections

Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Munir on Wednesday said that Pakistan Army and People’s Liberation Army (PLA) were “brothers in arms” emphasising that the relationship between the two armies will continue to contribute towards safeguarding the collective interests of both the countries the military said Military s media wing the InterServices Public Relations (ISPR), said in a statement that the army chief expressed these remarks on the 96th anniversary of the founding of PLA commemorated at General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi General Munir was the chief guest on the occasion Charge d Affaires of the embassy of the People s Republic of China Pang Chunxue Defence Attache Major General Wang Zhong, Chinese embassy officials, and officers from tri-services of Pakistan attended the event Speaking on the occasion, the Chinese Charge d’Affaires thanked the army chief for hosting the event for the 96th anniversary of the founding of the PLA This all-weather strategic cooperative partnership between China and Pakistan has stood the test of the time and change of international landscapes, the Chinese Charge d Affaires remarked “China and Pakistan have just jointly celebrated the 10th anniversary of the launch of CPEC and in the past months COAS and other military leaders paid successful visits to China which has strongly promoted the relationship between the two militaries, he added According to ISPR, the COAS felicitated the PLA and lauded the PLA s role in China’s defence, security and nation-building While highlighting various facets of the deep-rooted ties between the two states militaries and the people the army chief said: Pakistan-China relationship is unique and robust that has proven its resilience in the face of all challenges The PLA and Pakistan Army are brothers in arms and our relationship will continue to contribute towards safeguarding our collective interests ” the COAS concluded

N A b o d y f e a r s m a j o r i t y o f T E R

P M S H E H B A Z R E I T E R AT E S I N V I TAT I O N T O Pakistan (SBP) He said that the National Assembly needs the precise details of the businessmen who obtained these loans If a loan has been given to companies, the names of these companies will be provided It has been alleged that machinery was imported for industrial use with this money but was subsequently sold in the local market Sheikh further alleged that the serious violations have been committed while giv-

ing these loans to the businessmen “We will not refer the matter to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) or Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) but appraisal of the loans must be done by the SBP MNA Ali Pervez questioned whether the amount has been remitted abroad? If any

growth in the b a c k d r o p o f c h a l l e n g e s b e i n g f a c e d b y the industry during COVID-19 pandemic U n d e r t h e f a c i l i t y c o n c e s s i o n a r y r e f inance was available for purchase of plant and machinery SBP officials further stated that the TERF was a rupee based scheme and no interest free loans were provided under this facility During most of the period financing under TERF was provided at an end user rate 2% below the policy rate Initially the maximum end-user rate was 7% when the scheme was launched on March 17, 2020 The SBP reduced the end user mark-up rates on TERF from 7% to 5% on July 08, 2020 when benchmark SBP policy rate was reduced to 7% F u r t h e r f i n a n c i n g u n d e r T E R F w a s provided by banks/DFIs as per tests and conditions of the scheme and in line with t h e i r c r e d

h a v e a n y r o l e i n s e l e c t i o n o f b o r r o w e r s and disbursement Further, there was no risk sharing from GoP and SBP The entire credit risk was borne by banks/DFIs T h e s c h e m e h a s a l r e a d y e x p i r e d o n

March 31 2021

MNA Ch Barjees Tahir stated that despite repeated requests, the government is not ready to provide a list of the individuals/businessmen who obtained $3 billion l o a n s I n p r o t e s t h e w a l k e d o u t o f t h e committee along with other members including MNAs Chaudhary Khalid Javed, Khalid Hussian Magsi The SBP officials informed the committee that the Tempor a r y E c o n o m i c R e f i n a n c e F a c i l i t y (TERF) along with its Shariah compliant version was introduced by SBP in March 2020 to support economic

Under TERF, a financing amount of Rs 435 billion was approved by banks/DFIs for 626 borrowers, added the SBP officials Apart from TERF the committee looked at problems pertaining to registrations and transfers of real estate The representatives of the real estate sector from all major cities informed the National Assembly Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue that over 95 % of the registrations and transfers of immovable properties have stopped after implementation of section 7E (tax on deemed rental income basis) from July 1 2023 F l o a n s p a r ke d i n r e a l e s t a t e g M a c h i n e r y i m p o r t e d w i t h T E R F m o n e y w a s a l l e g e d l y s o l d i n l o c a l m a r k e t C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 03

OPPOSITION BY L AWMAKERS COMPELS SANJRANI TO REFER BILL

TO AMEND OFFICIAL SECRETS ACT TO RELEVANT COMMITTEE

ISLAMABAD

S ta f f R e p o R t

CH A I R M A N Senate Sadiq Sanjrani on Wednesday had to refer a bill to amend the century-old Official Secrets Act to the relevant standing committee of the Senate on Wednesday after it faced fierce opposition from both sides of the aisle when taken up for passing in the upper house of Parliament

The outgoing government quietly got the Official Secrets (Amendment) Bill, 2023 passed by the National Assembly (NA) yesterday in a bid to grant blanket powers to intelligence agencies, which will be able to raid and detain any citizen even under suspicion of them breaching the law

According to the Senate agenda for today Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan was to move the bill for passing

However, in his absence, Law Minister

Azam Nazeer Tarar presented the bill amid

Wild Poliovirus detected in sewage samples from Peshawar and Rawalpindi

ISLAMABAD

S ta f f R e p o R t

The Pakistan Polio Laboratory at the National Institute of Health (NIH) has detected wild poliovirus in sewage samples from Peshawar and Rawalpindi districts on Wednesday

According to the Pakistan Polio Laboratory at NIH the virus was found in an environmental sample collected from Shaheen Muslim Town in Peshawar and in another collected from Sarai Khola Taxila Type-1 wild poliovirus has been detected in environmental samples in Peshawar said sources The last polio case from Peshawar was reported on July 20 2020

Earlier in July an environmental sample collected from Peshawar had tested positive for wild poliovirus According to the Pakistan Polio Laboratory at the National Institute of Health, the virus was detected in a sewage sample collected from the Naray Khuwar site and is genetically linked to poliovirus in circulation in neighbouring Afghanistan Federal Minister for Health Abdul Qadir Patel had said the PakisČtan Polio Eradication Programme was in close coordination with the Afghanistan Polio Eradication Programme and the two countries were working together on all levels to curb cross-border transmission

KP constructs

37 small dams to store rainwater for irrigation

PESHAWAR

S ta f f R e p o R t

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Government has constructed 37 small dams to store flood and rainwater and bring arid lands under cultivation The dams have a total water storage capacity of 0 3,414 Acres Feet (AF) and irrigate 0 1377 million-acre cultivated (CCA) of land A spokesman for the Small Dams Directorate of the Irrigation Department 24 more small dams are being built in different districts of KP with assistance from the Federal government These dams will have a total water storage capacity of 75,000 AF and irrigate 49 523 acres of land The spokesman said that about 46 000 big and small dams have been constructed in the world including 22 104 dams by China and 5 334 dams by India However, only 150 dams have been built in Pakistan since independence He said that small dams can be constructed in a short span of two to three years, while big dams take 10 to 15 years to build He added that Pakistan will require an additional 76 MAF water by 2050 which can only be achieved by constructing small and medium dams In addition to the 37 small dams that have already been built, the spokesman said that seven medium dams are in the design stage These dams will have a total water storage capacity of 520 884 AF and will generate 31 5 megawatts of power The spokesman said that practical work on the construction of these seven medium dams will start soon

KP gov t bans public gatherings and rallies in province

BAJAUR S ta f f R e p o R t

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa caretaker government has announced province-wide ban on public gatherings and rallies following the deadly suicide bomb blast in Bajaur The KP Home Department issued a circular in this regard on Wednesday and sent it to divisional commissioners and deputy commissioners The Home Department directed all the officials to get the order implemented immediately and strictly There will be ban on public gatherings except the ones allowed by the deputy commissioners, it added The circular cites worsening law and order situation and the increasing terrorism incidents for slapping the ban on public gatherings, political demonstrations and rallies

loud opposition from both sides of the aisle

Following that, Senate Chairperson

Sadiq Sanjrani said the Official Secrets

(Amendment) Bill 2023 stood referred to the standing committee Before the bill to amend the Official Secrets Act was presented, senators from both treasury and opposition benches strongly criticised the legislative process witnessed in the upper house of Parliament during the past week

Jamaat-i-Islami Senator Mushtaq Ahmed said the past week s legislative process had turned the house into a joke globally and on social media and we are ourselves violating our rules and regulations

Why a “floodgate of legislations” was opened in the government’s last days, he wondered Referring to various bills including the Federal Urdu University of Arts

Sciences and Technology Islamabad

(Amendment) Bill 2023 HEC Amendment

Bill 2023 and Official Secrets (Amendment)

Bill, 2023 he said these were “strategic” legislations that would have far-reaching ef-

fects on the country and history

“The government, with few days left in its tenure should not take up these bills ” he added The senator also mentioned that there was no proper opposition in the NA and it was logical to say that a bill should be passed by the Senate since it had been passed by the lower house of Parliament

PPP Senator Raza Rabbani’s criticism was more strongly worded who said “new traditions” were being laid down

He said he felt he was not in the Senate but a princely state where I am blindfolded, handcuffed and I parrot whatever the ministers say or whatever comes after being passed by the cabinet” “My right as an individual member to move an amendment against a law according to my conscience and my dictate is being taken away from me for the last 10 days he added Echoing former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto s words and actions at the UN Security Council where he tore up a resolution, Rabbani said he too was “wasting my time

over here and I will tear up your bills

The veteran senator then ripped a copy of the Federal Urdu University of Arts Sciences and Technology Islamabad (Amendment) Bill amid the thumping of desks from some other members He said his rights as an individual parliamentarian were being walled , adding that his proposed amendments to the Federal Urdu University of Arts Sciences and Technology Islamabad (Amendment) Bill were not circulated

The senators right to deliberate and vote on amendments should not be taken away he said Don t take away this right You are doing this today Tomorrow, when your government will end and you will return to these back benches, what legacy will you bring?

“We are setting bad precedents The matter here is not as much of the basic principle of amendments as much as it of the basic principle of the right of an individual parliamentarian, Rabbani said

“I leave it in your hands,” he concluded his speech, addressing the Senate chairper-

Court rejec ts PTI chief ’s witnesses as Toshakhana case nears conclusion

ISLAMABAD S ta f f R e p o R t

A district and sessions court in Islamabad on Wednesday rejected PTI Chairman Imran Khan s witnesses in the Toshakhana case, saying that the expremier had failed to prove their relevance” in the criminal proceedings against him

Additional District and Sessions

Judge (ADSJ) Humayun Dilawar took up a complaint against Imran filed by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), for concealing details of Toshakana gifts

At the previous hearing, the PTI chief had submitted his response to 35 questions raised by the court

During the hearing today ADSJ Dilawar said the PTI lawyer had submitted a list of defence witnesses but failed to present them in court

The judge noted that a list of four witnesses was given and the court was asked to set a date for the recording of their statements However the suspect didn t record the statements of private witnesses nor did he submit the list of government witnesses, he added

ADSJ Dilawar pointed out that all the witnesses chosen by Imran were tax consultants while the case against the PTI chief was pertaining to hiding assets and submitting a fake affidavit

The court is not looking at entries regarding wealth statements and income tax,” he added Hence, the court ruled that the suspect had failed to prove the relevance of the witnesses and could therefore not be granted permission to present them in court

It subsequently summoned both re-

spondents tomorrow for final arguments at 11am, adding that a verdict would be reserved if they refused to appear in court At the outset of the hearing on Wednesday Imran’s counsel Gohar Khan requested that the court grant his client exemption from attending day s hearing Where are your witnesses?

ADSJ Dilawar inquired In his response, the PTI lawyer sought time till tomorrow (Thursday) to present the witnesses However ECP counsel Amjad Pervaiz objected to the request saying that the court had categorically instructed the PTI to present their witnesses in court on Wednesday No application has been submitted yet to call any government witnesses tell us how these private witnesses are relevant to the case? This case is related to the assets filed by the suspect he argued pointing out that the first three names in the list of witnesses provided by Imran were tax consultants

Amjad then proceeded to read Imran s reply submitted in the case a day earlier out loud in the courtroom “The suspect has himself said in the statement that he does not rely on the tax returns he said

The ECP lawyer further alleged that the time sought to present witnesses was mere delaying tactics Here, the judge directed the lawyers to apprise the court of the witnesses

In his response PTI’s Gohar Khan decried that his client was told to present witnesses in less than 24 hours and once again asked the court to give them more time If the witnesses are not linked to the case, the court may stop them from recording their statement,” he said, assuring that all the witnesses would come to the court and testify whether the documents submitted by Imran were correct or not We expect justice from you we should be given a level-playing field, Barrister Gohar added

Not medics but govt responsible for plight of patients in hospitals: Naqvi

LAHORE S ta f f R e p o R t

Punjab Caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi has admitted that not doctors it was the government which was responsible for the pitiable condition of state-run hospitals While addressing the senior doctors of the Services Hospital Lahore on

Wednesday the caretaker chief minister said he had visited the Services Hospital a couple of days ago and was disappointed to see the condition adding he would not have any of his relatives admitted to its operating theatre Mohsin Naqvi said that every person talks about establishment of new hospitals rather than improving the condition of present facilities

“The number of patients is high in the government hospitals and it s the government rather than doctors which is responsible for the pathetic condition of the Services Hospitals, he deplored The interim chief minister highlighted, “We should not hold doctors responsible for every wrongdoing and we must thank them who shoulder the burden of examining five patients at a time We can produce good results even in weeks and months if we start performing our duties as Pakistanis, he added Naqvi said that the government was trying to improve the condition of hospitals adding the people in general and the hospital staff too should play their pivotal role for the betterment of society The interim CM said, We will remain in the government till the election as we have been given assignment for the time being and are trying to serve the nation and province

son Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam Fazl Senator Kamran Murtaza also took exception to the Federal Urdu University of Arts Sciences and Technology Islamabad (Amendment) Bill saying that his party being a part of the ruling coalition did not mean that they could not voice their opinions

If there s a restriction, we can go out of the house and they can represent [the government] and take responsibility for this legislation ” he added Murtaza said he had asked the parliamentary leader of his party in the NA if had given his consent for the bill, but he clearly said: I was not consulted or told about the bills

Following this heated opposition, the Federal Urdu University of Arts, Sciences and Technology Islamabad (Amendment) Bill 2023 and HEC Amendment Bill 2023 were also referred to the relevant standing committees

The amendments in the secrets act have broadened the definitions of military installations and bring digital and modern means of communication into the law’s ambit

PMTA imposes fee on media coverage of Metro Bus, Orange Line train stations

LAHORE S ta f f R e p o R t

The Punjab Mass Transit Authority (PMTA) has announced the imposition of fee on media coverage of Metro Bus and Orange Line train stations Under the PMTA new guidelines media organizations seeking to cover the mass transit stations will be required to pay a coverage fee, and permission for coverage will be decided based on this payment The authority classified the stations into three categories across the Orange Line In Category A which includes eight stations for which the coverage fee has been set at Rs246,000 per station For Category B, which comprises 10 stations, a coverage fee of Rs185 000 has been imposed while Category C encompassing eight stations for which coverage fee of Rs124 000 has been fixed Moreover it has been clarified that the coverage fee of Rs124,000 will also apply to media organizations intending to cover the Metro Bus service

Iraqi gov t boosts quota for Pakistani Arbaeen devotees 100,000

The government of Iraq has decided to increase the quota of Pakistani pilgrims during Arbaeen from 50 000 to 100 000 The Interior Minister of Iraq Abdul Amir AlShammari made the decision on the request of his Pakistani counterpart Rana Sanaullah who is on a visit to Iraq The Iraqi Interior Minister also approved the issuance of individual visas to Pakistani pilgrims from the Iraqi Embassy in Pakistan in addition to group visas He also assured to reduce the visa fee for Pakistani pilgrims On the occasion, Rana Sanaullah thanked his Iraqi counterpart for providing facilities to pilgrims Talking to his Iraqi counterpart, the Minister said Pakistan respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iraq He said Pakistan fully supports Iraq s efforts of rehabilitation in the country Rana Sanaullah said Iraq can benefit from the counter-terrorism expertise of Pakistan s institutions Meanwhile, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah also called on Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid

PTI kicks out 13 more members including Raja Riaz, Noor Alam

ISLAMABAD S ta f f R e p o R t

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) kicked out 13 more party members including Raja Riaz and Noor Alam Khan for violating the party discipline and issued show-cause notice to Malik Shaukat Ali, ex-MPA Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) to explain his position within two days for attending the newly announced party meeting PTI Secretary General Omar Ayub Khan issued the termination notices to the party s deserters and directed them to refrain from using party name and designation in any manner whatsoever or else legal action would be taken against them Omar terminated the basic PTI membership of Raja Riaz Ahmad Noor Alam Khan Ramesh Kumar Vankwani Ms Nuzhat Pathan, Ms Wajiha Qamar, Sardar Riaz Mehmood Khan Mazari and Rana Muhammad Qasim Noon

Moreover, Nawab Sher, Makhdoomzada Syed Basit Ahmad Sultan, Afzal Khan Dhandla, Muhammad Abdul Ghaffar Wattoo, Aamir Talal Gopang and Ahmad Hussain Deharr were also expelled from the party They were served with show cause notices dated March 19 2022 but they failed to provide a satisfactory reply within the given stipulated time; therefore, they were expelled from the party Similarly Malik Shaukat Ali was served with show-cause notice to explain his position for violating the party policy by attending the meeting of the newly announced party The notification reads: In view of these reported activities, you are hereby called to explain yourself in writing within two days of this notice If your reply is unsatisfactory or you do not respond further action will be taken as per party policy and rules

E C P S E E KS P O L I T I C A L PA R T I E S T O S U B M I T

S TAT E M E N T O F A C C O U N T S F O R F Y 2 0 2 2

2 3

SC rejects plea seeking full cour t to hear petitions

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 01

China-Pakistan joint marine geological sur vey data compiled on Pakistan’s natural resources

A handing over ceremony of China-Pakistan

Joint Marine Geological Survey Data was held here at China Geological Survey (CGS) Headquarters in Beijing Pakistani Ambassador to China Moin ul Haque, Dr Xu Xueyi, Vice President of China Geological Survey, and other senior officials from the Embassy and CGS and Qingdao Institute of Marine Geology attended the event Xu gave a detailed brief about the China Geological Survey s history and its cooperation with Pakistan The two countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for cooperation in the field of Marine Sciences in 2019 which provides a useful basis for cooperation in marine scientific fields and associated research especially for tapping the natural mineral and hydrocarbon resources within territorial waters of Pakistan

In his remarks, Haque thanked China Geological Survey and Qingdao Maritime Institute for arranging the ceremony of handing over of Joint Marine Geological Survey Data He underscored the importance of three joint scientific expeditions already taking place from 2018 to 2022, and expressed confidence that the data collected during these expeditions would be useful for further expanding avenues of research and exploration of natural resources in Pakistan

NA body fears majority of TERF loans parked in real estate

Fo o l p r o o f s e c u r i t y t o C h i n e s e n at i o n a l s t o p p r i o r i t y: I G P

LAHORE S ta f f R e p o R t

Punjab Inspector General of Police Dr Usman Anwar has said that provision of foolproof security to all foreign nationals coming to Punjab, especially Chinese experts investors and citizens is the top priorities of Punjab Police Special protection unit (SPU) equipped with modern training and equipment is carrying out security of Chinese citizens, residences, offices and working sites with extreme zeal ”

Punjab IG Police Dr Usman Anwar expressed the views during a meeting with a senior Chinese delegation led by Chinese Consul General Zhao shiren A senior Chinese delegation led by Chinese Consul General Zhao Shiren visited Central Police Office where they held a detail meeting the Punjab IG Police

On the occasion Dr Usman Anwar said that the friendship between Pakistan and China is higher than Himalayas and deeper than the seas, in the continuation of this eternal friendship, information sharing and mutual cooperation between the Punjab Police and the Chinese Police will be further promoted

The IGP said that an MoU has been signed between the Punjab Police and the Chinese province of Jiangsu regarding cooperation in police affairs Under the MoU, a delegation of Chinese police

officers and other staff will visit Punjab soon he added

He said that Punjab police officers are learning Chinese language for better co-ordination with Chinese police

The Chinese delegation included Mr Due Yue, Director of Political Affairs and Mr Bai Xiaobing

During the meeting security of Chinese citizens promotion of bilateral cooperation and issues of mutual interest were discussed The Chinese Consul General expressed gratitude to the Punjab Police for the excellent security of Chinese citizens working on different projects in Punjab

Mr Zhao Shiren said that the best security is being provided to Chinese citizens working on CPEC and other projects

On the occasion training courses and provision of modern resources were discussed to enhance the effectiveness of the Punjab police

At the end of the meeting, commemorative souvenirs were also exchanged between the Punjab IG Police and the Chinese Consul General DIG Headquarters Humayun Bashir Tarar DIG Operations Waqas Nazir, DIG Sohail Sukhira, AIG Operations and AIG Development and other officers were also present on the occasion

C abinet approves appointment of D r K abir Ahmed S indhu as C hairman CCP

The Federal Cabinet has approved the appointment of Dr Kabir Ahmed Sindhu as the next Chairman of the Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) According to sources the federal cabinet has granted its approval for the appointment of new chairman of the CCP through the circulation of the summary

The CCP was established under the Competition Ordinance, 2007; later on replaced with the Competition Act 2010 Members and Chairman CCP are appointed by the federal government in terms of Section 14 and 17 of the Competition

Act, 2010 read with Rule 3 and 4 of the Competition Commission (Salary, Terms and Conditions of Chairman and Members) Rules 2009 for a term of three years Federal Cabinet vide case No 419/Rule-19/2023 dated 15-07-2023 approved the appointment of the DR Kabir Ahmed Sidhu, Salman Amin, Abdul Rashid Sheikh, and Capt (Retd) Saeed Ahmad Nawaz as Members Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) In pursuance thereof a notification was issued dated 17th July 2023 in compliance of Section 14 (2) and Section 17 of the Competition Act, 2010 The federal government is mandated to appoint the Chairman from amongst

the members of the Commission in terms of Section 14 and 17 of the Competition Act 2010 read with Rule 3 and 4 of the Competition Commission 9salary terms and conditions of the Chairman and Members) Rules 2009

Since the term of Rahat Kunain Hassan, CCP expired on 13-07-2023, the position of Chairman, Competition Commission of Pakistan has fallen vacant To fill that position it was proposed that Dr Kabir Ahmed Sindhu be appointed as Chairman Competition of Pakistan

It is pertinent to mention that Minister for Finance and Revenue has seen and authorized submission of a summary before the cabinet

The CJP said Faisal Siddiqui had demanded a full court on the matter, Chief Justice Petitioner former chief justice Jawad S Khawaja’s counsel told the court that his client wants to be treated as a common citizen CJP Bandial said Khawaja’s constitutional petition is non-political Justice Mazahar Naqvi says the law does not allow to pick and choose, asking that if an inquiry was held, why it was not on record “Those who were directly involved were handed over to military courts,” the AGP said He added that those who entered the Lahore Corps Commander s House were sent to military courts If there is some content available on a forum only then it will be known whether this claim is true or not, the CJP remarked Many people were involved in the attacks, but arrests were made only on the basis of evidence the AGP remarked The reasons for sending the suspects to military courts are not mentioned in the magistrate s order Justice Ayesha Malik remarked It seems that apparently there are only photographs in the name of evidence against the suspects, Justice Naqvi said The CJP said the court does not even have that issue in front of it as first it will have to look at the constitutional status He further said that counsel Faisal Siddiqui submitted an application on behalf of his client on the formation of a full court Siddiqui said their petition has nothing to do with the government’s objections to the bench He added that even a military dictator could not oppose a full court decision Justice Mansoor and Justice Yahya also talked about forming a full court The AGP has assured that no person will be sentenced to death or life imprisonment, he told the court He has also ensured that a trial will not begin without the court’s knowledge Faisal Siddiqui said a full court should be formed when there is a risk of conflict between institutions The CJP questioned how a full court could be formed if some judges have excused themselves from hearing the case

Cabinet approves transfer of NEECA from Science and Technology to Power Division

CONTINUED FROM BACK PAGE

“that the decision taken by the Cabinet Committee of Institutional Reforms to transfer NEECA from Ministry of Energy to Ministry of Science & Technology needs to be reviewed, as this could lead to uncertainties in the implementation of the policy” According to the power division, the challenges of “Energy” both Petroleum and Electricity is the biggest for Pakistan and it shall remain like this in the foreseeable future NEECA s mandate and its technical input is therefore mostly required in the Energy Ministry Therefore, this division proposed before the federal cabinet that the administrative control of NEECA may be transferred back the Ministry of Energy Power Division Accordingly after taking approval of the Prime Minister the power minister has seen and authorize the submission of the summary to the Cabinet

Political, economic devastation take constitution, law to last leg:

RAWALPINDI S ta f f R e p o R t

Awami Muslim League (AML) Chief Sheikh Rashid Ahmed on Wednesday said that the utter political, social and economic devastation in the country has taken the constitution and law to their last legs

Sh Rashid

is chargeable for tax at the rate of 20 % (effective rate 1 % of fair market value of immovable property) Finance Act 2023 has introduced a new subsection (2A) in section 236C of the Ordinance which places a bar on the transferring authority for registering, recording and attesting the transfer of any immovable property unless the seller or transferor has discharged his tax liability under section 7E of the Ordinance and evidence to this effect has been furnished to the transferring authority in the prescribed mode, form and manner

Taking to microblogging website now renamed as X he questioned who would sign any agreement with a government carrying out the inflation march while having just 10 more days in the office

Sh Rashid said the people were to receive the electricity bomb which would be bigger than that of petrol – a reference to the government s move to hike the prices of fuel and utilities

He predicted that the incumbent rulers would make more decisions to ruin the people during the next 10 days, as their objective was to punish, not providing relief, to them

Mocking at the government for holding one conference after another while taking

extreme inflationary measures, the former interior minister said “the world’s largest 85-member cabinet” had committed the economic murder of the poor

However the AML chief opined that the news and hopes of the rulers chanting all is well would come to an end in 10 days Rashid said they [ruling alliance] wanted to delay the general elections as all the talk about 90 days was just an excuse If the Supreme Court failed to get its judgments implemented then the 250 million people could move in any direction in desperation

The government and the PDM leaders were making different statements on the issue of elections, he said, adding that the Election Commission had a great opportunity to deal with the speculations and the objections raised about itself

Calling for fair and transparent polls Rashid said the Election Commission s honour was a matter of life and death for democracy, Pakistan and the masses

Terrorists from Afghanistan c arried out Zhob attack: FO

t Foreign Office spokesperson on Wednesday vehemently expressed its serious reservations and condemnation regarding the usage of Afghan soil against Pakistan saying that Afghan terrorists were involved in the recent terrorist attack in Balochistan s Zhob

At least 12 security personnel were martyred by terrorists in an early morning attack on the Zhob Garrison and another attack in the Sui district on July 12, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) had said

The media wing of the military said that nine troops embraced martyrdom as they thwarted a terrorist attack on the Zhob Garrison Later three more soldiers laid down their lives in another attack in Sui district According to FO spokesperson, the three identified terrorists belonged to the Afghan city of Kandahar The FO has also issued directives to the Afghan embassy in Islamabad to receive the bodies of the terrorists involved in the attack

The foreign office also expressed serious reservation and condemnation over the continuous involvement of terrorists from Afghanistan inside Pakistan

Pakistan has stepped up pressure on the Afghan interim government to tackle the TTP threat as the country’s defence minister and the army chief issued stern warnings to Kabul

There has been a surge in terrorist attacks in Pakistan A series of attacks in Balochistan prompted Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Munir to remind the Afghan Taliban of the promises they made to the international community not to allow their soil to be used against other countries Defence Minister Khawaja Asif went a step further and accused Afghanistan of not

fulfilling the duties of a responsible neighbour He lamented that while Pakistan hosted millions of Afghanistan refugees for decades the Afghan Taliban were providing refuge to people who were spilling the blood in Pakistan After strong criticism, the Afghan Taliban rejected Pakistani claims and said the TTP was not operating out of the Afghan soil The Corps commanders however rejected the Afghan claims and said TTP not only had sanctuaries across the border but also access to the latest weapons

The TTP has emerged as a major stumbling block between Pakistan and the

Afghan Taliban

Contrary to Pakistan’s expectations the Afghan Taliban are reluctant to go after the TTP Officials privately admit that the Afghan Taliban and TTP are different sides of the same coin Since the change of army leadership, Pakistan has been pursuing a more aggressive stance The United States has also backed Pakistan’s call for action against the terrorist sanctuaries in Afghanistan

said it

End-of-term scramble

AN Official Secrets Act Amendment Bill which was passed by the National Assembly on Tuesday, ran into difficulties on Wednesday when the Senate refused to pass it, making the Chairman refer it to the relevant standing committee It must be noted that it is virtually standard procedure for ay bill to be introduced in the House and then referred to the relevant standing committee on which all parties are represented for a close clausewise examination, Generally, the bill as recommended by the standing committee is then passed by the House Two other bills, one amending the Federal Urdu University Act the other amending the Higher Education Commission Act, were also referred to committee Whether the Official Secrets Act Amendment was bad or not, it did raise fears among Senators that it could be used against any opposition, for it gave the right to the intelligence agencies to raid suspects’ houses without warrants and made disclosing identities of agency officials an offence

Part of the problem seems to be the ignoring of legislative procedures The Bill passed though the National Assembly without going through the committee stage and faced the same fort of opposition there That both MNAs and Senators complained that they had not been provided copies of the bill reflects badly on the House Secretariats as well as the Parliamentary Affairs Ministry

They could claim overwork for the government is following tradition in bringing forward all those bills the National Assembly should have passed but had not Most bills are not dramatic high-profile laws, but workaday changes to existing law, and sometimes a new law, which originated in a draft law by a government department getting Cabinet approval after the minister was persuaded to take it there The Bill is then introduced and then usually referred to committee When it is reported out of committee it is then passed and transmitted to the other House That House follows the same procedure If it passes a second version of the Bill then thast version goes to a joint sitting after which it goes to the President for assent This is clearly a complex procedure, and it was shortcircuited in the National Assembly especially by the omission of the committee stage Governnments have developed an unfortunate habit of not introducing legislation at the beginning of a tenure, and then scramble for lost time at the end much as teachers try to complete syllabi before the end of term Legislators in both Houses complained of not being provided copies of the bills, and thus being made to legislate sight unseen

Dedicated to the legac y of late Hameed Nizami

Arif Nizami (Late)

Founding Editor

Yousaf Nizami Editor

M A Niazi

Joint Editor Umar Aziz Executive Editor

TH E year 1958 is unforgettable While Pakistan changed its course with the first Martial Law it was also the start of my academic journey My early-morning kite-flying days came to an abrupt halt when my mother managed to get me admitted to the nearby Cathedral High School located on The Mall Must admit that my kite-flying skills or guddi bazi did not match the mastery of my elders as such I was relegated into support role of holding the pinna (ball of glass-coated twine)

To upgrade my standing I practiced hard every morning Nazir Manzil where we lived had perfect kothas (rooftops) for this purpose I hated sitting in the classroom, crying every morning but to no avail Shah Ji the driver (chauffeur) made sure that I did not come back to fly kites The downside of this heavy handedness was that I was unable to upgrade my skills in this vital sport of Lahore but learnt to read and write which has continued unabated till today

Life was simple Everyone was trying their best

The founding generation of Pakistan took their jobs seriously, there was focus, direction and hope Due to their efforts the entire framework for development was in place My late father Nazir Ahmed Malik worked very hard to re-establish his watch business He was unhappy with his Baby Austin car and was on the lookout for a better option Finally he managed to buy a brand new Fiat Millecento (1100) which then became a family member In those days foreign exchange was in short supply and cars were not imported Officers who were sent abroad for training had to save their daily allowances to buy their transport

I had barely settled down in school and though dealing with Ms Moses was not easy I could feel the brewing tension around As a Muslim League child, I was exposed to politics quite early in life Holding my father ’s hand I stood on the Mall in October 1958 waiting to receive Khan Qayyum Khan, the most popular leader of his time Khan Sahib never made it He was arrested at the Ravi bridge and kept in the dungeons of the Lahore Fort President Iskander Mirza of Dhaka abrogated the 1956 constitution and imposed Martial Law in the country Only a few days later Ayub Khan of Haripur, the first Desi Sipah-e-Salar, got rid of the President and took complete control of the country on 27 Oc-

tober 1958

The family had planned a trip to Karachi

It was my first overnight train journey When my father dropped us at the Railway Station the head of the state was Mirza but when we arrived he was replaced by Khan Incidentally both of them were graduates of the famous Royal Military Academy Sandhurst Clearly the ‘colonial rule’ had been reimposed There was fear and panic in the port city

Businessmen were being arrested The Khakis were flexing their muscles The term Bloody Civilians became popular Till that time Pakistan was a struggling but normal country that was looking forward to elections and a peaceful transfer of power Khan Qayyum Khan was leading the Muslim League while Hussain Shaheed Suharwardy was heading the Awami League Both parties were very popular The dawn of constitutional democracy was within sight when the Sipah-e-Salar and his forces decided to move out of the barracks and enter the corridors of power for which they were neither ready nor trained The republic was debt free everyone including the state functionaries lived within means Honesty and sincerity prevailed, corruption was limited and looked down upon As Lahore was a border town Jinnah rightly selected Karachi to be the capital of the new land Our Bengali brethren were also comfortable with the choice as they could use the Sea route to travel Till today there is a sizable population of Bengalis living there There were no Dams all the Western and Eastern rivers freely flowed into the mighty Indus which then met the salt water of the sea

Such experiments as have failed in the past should not be repeated in 2023. A lot of water has flowed under the bridge . As a generation we have seen it all. Today

After ten years of his misrule when the first usurper decided to celebrate his decade of progress mass protests started led by the students and labour unions Finally he had to step down in March 1969 but by that time damage had been done The Eastern Wing was up in arms due to abrogation of the 1956 constitution menace of corruption had started there was concentration of wealth, debt trap had been laid, three Eastern Rivers were surrendered ( Ravi, Sutlej, Beas ), dams were build with loans to store water in the Western Rivers Pakistan and its development was derailed for all times to come Every intervention that followed later (1969 1977 1999 2022 ) has resulted in further derailment of the country Martial Laws have proven to be the mother of corruption which the nation continues to endure till today While I still lament my inability to develop my guddibazi skills that were snapped in 1958 as my long academic journey had started, the wounds sustained by my motherland continue to bleed till today

It was an unforgettable time

Pakistan is a constitutional democracy where institutional boundaries have been clearly defined Civilian institutions have to be rebuilt, not taken over in connivance with the corrupt and inept politicians that rule the country today

In 1958, Ayub Khan promised fast-track economic growth Western loans poured in as if the money was free Loans and permits were doled out to the favourites Over-invoicing and under-invoicing became the order of the day and valuable foreign exchange was squandered through this mode The Armed Forces started to expand their influence into civilian areas While the founding fathers of Pakistan were pushed out of the political arena through EBDO (Elected Bodies Disqualification Order) a new brand of Muslim League (PML-Convention) was launched to introduce corrupt politicians like the Chaudhrys of Gujrat or the Wattoos of Okara Tarrars of Gujranwala etc

Russian strategic challenges and America

TH E USA initially ignores its opponents but as tensions rise it overemphasizes the threats of their capabilities It has been doing the same in relation to China Geographic distance continues to foster a sense of security and increased connectivity, but this sense creates a tendency for Americans to understand their adversaries more or less As the USA grows closer to China it increasingly portrays China as a dangerous country and increases military spending much to counter the perceived threat While China s geographical location is of utmost importance, on the other hand, China also continues to avoid direct combat

A resurgence of Russia now poses a challenge to the USA as Russia exerts influence in Central Asia and the Caucasus and also threatens to absorb Moldova However it could not fulfill its dream of annexing the Baltic States or dominating any nation in the West

If Russia engages with the Baltic States and secures important allies in Central European countries such as Serbia Bulgaria Greece or Slovakia the rivalry between the USA and Russia will intensify and become more dangerous Russia s tendency to move westward is due to its fear of Western attacks Its interests encompass the region stretching from the Balkans to the Baltics However, its main concern is to the West especially towards and beyond the Carpathians in which direction historical conflicts have arisen

On the other hand The USA prefers naval

It is necessar y to understand what Russia should have and to explore the reasons for its weaknesses Tr ying to know outcomes without it is a futile exercise It requires the most practical insight and the most vivid obser vations of events, decisions, measures and then analysis of them

dominance Considering Russia s potential ability to deploy substantial naval forces in the Atlantic and Pacific, Washington views Russian defense as potentially offensive As a result, the USA maintains control over air and naval forces forcing it to respond primarily by using allied ground forces for major engagements However the results will not be determined by these factors alone Russian military power is currently under significant pressure Russia may face US military power that the USA chooses to deploy in response to Russian actions However the action taken by the rest of Europe Poland the Czech Republic Hungary and Romania matters They could agree to any agreement proposed by thE USA to obtain support and commitment to resist Russian advancement Therefore, this time the front line will be drawn in the Carpathian Mountains instead of Germany, as it was during the Cold War The main front line will be the northern plains of Poland but Russia does not seem likely to initiate military action The main reason is that these nations are vulnerable to Russian aggression and they will align themselves with the USA to stop Russian advancement in the Carpathians and beyond

On the other hand strategic depth is very important to Russia

The accurate assessment of the strategic challenges requires an understanding of a nation s requirements Russia s main requirement is to create distance between itself and potential adversaries west of the Carpathians The factors that led to this conflict and the previous Cold War have had a similar outcome, although this time with less effort on the part of the USA The previous conflict took place in Central Europe while the current conflict will unfold significantly further east

In the past, China aligned itself with Russia, at least initially However, China will remain uninvolved in the current issue Russia previously had complete control over the Caucasus but this time it is facing pressure from both the USA and Turkey in the northern region Furthermore Russia s population size is now small and declining unlike in the past when it was very large Internal

pressures particularly in the south would divert Russia s attention from the West, ultimately leading to a non-violent end Russia has experienced bankruptcy in 1917 and again in 1991, and its military could be feared to be weakened once again after the 2020 case Demographic factors could spell trouble for Russia

On the other hand Europe and the USA may also face demographic challenges but they continue to manage to overcome them through technological advancement Although Russia also has significant technological capabilities in some limited areas its technological capability is lower than that of the USA and Europe Because the USA has immensely useful technologies that it continues to share with its allies Russia is forced to fight this kind of war and has historically participated in it In 1917, manpower shortages led to the collapse of the regime and in 1991 the USSR collapsed because it was unable to compete with US military technology

In the same way the Ukraine conflict has imposed on Russia an essentially conventional conflict that requires large numbers of troops and has resulted in significant casualties It is clear that the Russian military has been showing resilience

It is worth noting that the USA is engaged in war with an exaggerated perception of Russian power Another important factor to consider is that it has been repeatedly emphasized Russia can achieve its goals by expanding its western borders and thus creating more distance between itself and its adversaries Such an effort is limited by the size of its population and the significant number of men required initiating and maintaining armed conflict

In short it is necessary to understand what Russia should have and to explore the reasons for its weaknesses Trying to know outcomes without it is a futile exercise It requires the most practical insight and the most vivid observations of events, decisions, measures and then analysis of them

The writer has a PhD in Political Science and can be reached at akramzaheer86@yahoo com

Again after over six decades the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is at the crossroads Elections are pushed aside while focus is being shifted to rapid economic growth The Prime Minister and the Sipah-e-Salar are seen together Daily sermons are being delivered about the economic revolution about to take place in the country I remember the huge poetraits of Ayub Khan hanging outside the historic Town Hall under the caption Saviour In the end he could only hand over debt and corruption Such experiments as have failed in the past should not be repeated in 2023 A lot of water has flowed under the bridge As a generation we have seen it all Today Pakistan is a constitutional democracy where institutional boundaries have been clearly defined Civilian institutions have to be rebuilt not taken over in connivance with the corrupt and inept politicians that rule the country today

Free and fair elections followed by the return to the barracks of our security men is the only way forward Let the professionals handle the vital areas like Economy Agriculture Education Health and Industrial Growth otherwise it will be a rerun of 1958 which despite my advanced age continues to haunt me till today Unfortunately now I cannot even sink my sorrows through my very first love in sport, guddibazi’

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

E d i t o r ’ s m a i l

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

Women’s life in tribal areas

T H I S is with reference to the report Jirga bars women from recreational spots in Bajaur tehsil (July 17) Even in Afghanistan, according to a government decree, women can travel more than a distance of 45 miles when accompanied by a mehram, but the Bajaur jirga has slapped a ban on women’s visits to tourist/picnic spots with or without the mehram Convening of the Bajaur jirga and the said resolution was spearheaded by leaders of the local chapter of the Fazlur Rehman group of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F) which is also one of the influential members of the ruling coalition There was another resolution of the jirga that ran counter to the ban on women s movements The jirga asked the local authorities to provide jobs only to local residents in the district

When there is such a draconian ban on women’s movement, wherein they cannot visit tourist/picnic spots even if accompanied by their husbands how would tourist families from the rest of the country dare to enter the district? Does anyone realise that tourism creates jobs and income for the locals? What would happen to their future?

While justifying the ban, the local party leaders dubbed the social activity unethical , and in contrast to our customs and traditions based on Islamic principles’ With such a mindset among the local male population one can imagine how women are treated inside the four walls of their houses Women in rural areas live what can at best be described as a slave s life From begetting children and rearing them she has to take personal blame if she fails to give birth to a male child She may bear the consequences in the form of her husband marrying another woman or her own divorce or even death at the hands of in-laws

Preparing food, feeding the large joint family, tending to a herd of domestic animals helping her man in the farming fields and walking home with a heap of dry woods perched over her head is the daily routine a woman has to follow in those circumstances Women rights organisations in big cities like Islamabad Lahore and Karachi have in their mind the living conditions of the urban educated women when they make their demands SAYED GB SHAH BOKHARI

PESHAWAR

Deliver y riders

COVID has resulted in a mushroom growth of e-commerce, and online purchases and deliveries have seen a spike, especially food delivery services across the country In Karachi also many online home delivery businesses have expanded their operations to cater to the growing market demand

This growth has resulted in addition on the city s roads of hundreds of motorcycle riders who are involved in home delivery services Lately, some of these motorbike riders have become moving traffic hazards as they ride at dangerous speeds and with utter disregard for traffic rules in order to speed up their deliveries They suddenly appear on the road out of nowhere and try to jump traffic lights whenever they can They are also often seen riding on the wrong side of the road in order to save time I have recently witnessed many such riders involved in traffic accidents due to their reckless riding Ironically, very few of them wear a safety helmet while riding, which is compulsory under the traffic rules Some of them move on motorcycles with malfunctioning headlights, making it difficult for motorists to see them from a distance past sunset

It should be made mandatory for the home delivery companies to impart road safety training to their respective riders They should also incorporate heavy penalties and disciplinary action in their terms of employment for unsafe riding and violation of traffic rules These companies should also be held liable in case any of their riders is involved in a traffic accident due to such riding

Dr MuhaMMaD akraM Zaheer

PA K I S TA N by every definition is a nation and this nation has never questioned the very rationale of the existence of India While Indians in scores have questioned Pakistan s existence since Day One of the independence of the South Asian rival states Javed Jabbar, a Pakistani author and politician, states that India was never a state The Subcontinent is a region that got independence from Britain in mid-August 1947 Eventually Pakistan and India came on the map of the world Despite this fact many question their freedom in Pakistan This piece is particularly for them It compares the All-Indian National Congress s rule in the subcontinent between 1937-39 with today s India

All Indian National Congress triumphed in five out of eleven provinces and was in a position to make coalition governments in the other two after the 1937 elections which were held under the provisions of the Government of India Act 1935 Congress played a major role in the fall of Sir Saadullah s Government in the province of Assam It refused to form any coalition government with Muslim League and the fear was raised among Muslims that Congress wanted to establish Hindu Raj in the subcontinent

Moreover Congress declared Vande Mataram the national anthem of the subcontinent Muslims even today have grievances regarding this anthem let alone being forced to sing it back then under Congress rule in the late 1930s According to The Hindustan Times, Muslims today refuse to sing Vande Mataram Though it angers Hindutva ideologues, Muslims consider Vande Mataram against the concept of Tawheed (oneness of Allah) For instance stanza four of the anthem addresses India as Thou art Durga Lady and Queen with her hands that strike and her swords of sheen Thou art Lakshmi lotus-throned thus equating India with the Hindu goddesses Lakshmi and Durga while Muslims cannot supplicate to anyone except Allah the Almighty

The Wardha Scheme was introduced during the Congress Rule (1937-39) in the subcontinent which declared the mother tongue of the populace in certain areas and also Hindi as the medium of instruction in schools

Such an approach raised questions how they would tolerate Urdu-speakers if they were unable to bear Urdu as a language Bowing before the portrait of Gandhi was made compulsory in many schools, where Muslims were also in large attendance Remember, Muslims praise Sheikh Ahmad Sirhindi because he refused to bow before the Mughal Emperor Akbar calling it s h i r k and declaring that S a j d a can only be done to Allah the Almighty and no one else

Cow slaughtering was also banned under Congress s rule in many parts of the Subcontinent This sentiment is so ingrained among Hindutva Ideologues that even in today’s secular India, slaughtering a cow attracts life imprisonment in Gujarat Back then between 1937-39, this ban caused 57 communal riots and over 100 000 recorded casualties in just a short period of two years of the Congress rule in the region

In the second half of 1939- the year Congress resigned on the pretext that Britain joined the UK in the Second World War without the consent of Congress or other representative institutions in the Subcontinent On the orders of Muhammad Ali Jinnah the All-India Muslim League observed Day of Deliverance on 22 December 1939 as they got rid of Congress rule Thanks to the All-India National Congress s narrow-mindedness it had made Muslims of the region realize that division of the Subcontinent was inevitable Otherwise, many Muslims might have remained in doubt about either being a part of the ‘Quit India’ movement or the ‘Divide and Quit India’ movement

Those who still ponder whether they were better in a united Subcontinent can decide after reading this part carefully First have a glance at the frontline players in Indian politics today Number one, Narendra Modi, the current premier of the country He has the burden of the massacre of over 2,000 Muslims of Gujarat He gets offended when journalists ask him to say something in his defense in this regard People like Arnab Goswami Tariq

Fateh and General Bakhshi are praised in his circles

Number two Amit Shah the current Home Minister

of India, and the right hand of Narendra Modi openly claimed during election rallies that they (BJP) will purify India from Bengali Muslims Number three, Yogi Adityanath the BJP’s UP CM and most likely future premier of India says Hindus are in danger The Hindus who are in majority in the state and their total number is estimated to be around 1 1 billion today in India are in danger What logic and what common sense? He also openly defends his argument that wherever Muslims are in majority, no one is safe there This is the mindset of a public office-holder there

Second have a glance at a few facts and figures to analyze whether Muslims that remained in India opted for the right choice or committed a blunder As per The Indian Express the illiteracy rate among Muslims in India is 42 7 percent, which is the highest percentage in India The illiteracy rate among Muslim females is high too The Karnataka High Court’s recent decision to uphold the Karnataka state s ban on hijab in classrooms will surely increase the number as many girls are likely to quit schools or colleges if they are forced to go to classrooms without hijab

According to the Mumbai Mirror, Muslim residential areas have become dumping yards of medical waste The Times of India states that the Muslim dropout

T h e m a s k o f s e c u l a r i s m a n d d e m o c r a c y i n I n d i a i s n o t ? O r n o w ? t h i ck e r e n o u g h t o h i d e t h e H i n d u t va n a r r a t i v e b e h i n d i t . L e t i t b e t h e C o n g r e s s r u l e b e t w e e n 1 9 3 7 - 3 9 o r t h e r u l e o f t h e B J P i n t o d ay s I n d i a , s e c u l a r i s m h a s r e m a i n e d a n u n f u l f i l l e d o r a f a l s e p ro m i s e i n I n d i a To c o n cl u d e , M u h a m m a d A l i J i n n a h r i g h t l y s t a t e d , „ A ny i d e a o f a U n i t e d I n d i a c o u l d n e v e r h a v e wo r k e d a n d i n my j u d g m e n t , i t wo u l d h a v e l e d u s t o [ a ] t e r r i f i c d i s a s t e r ‰

rate starts at the age of 11

According to The Indian Express, Muslims and Dalits are turned away from buying or renting a house in metropolitan cities of India As per Al Jazeera a study reveals that Indian Police feel Muslims are more likely to commit crimes It also states that 35 percent of personnel feel that it is natural for a mob to punish the culprit in case of cow slaughter

As per The Indian Express, Muslims, Dalits, and tribals collectively count 39 percent of India s population whereas over 55 percent of total undertrials in India are either Muslims, Dalits, or tribals The war crimes of India against Kashmiris the Supreme Court judgment on the demolition of Babri Masjid idealogue Hindus securing the highest number of votes in the country Gau Rakshak Dal Bajrang Dal and many such instances are eye-openers for those who do not respect their freedom in Pakistan

Asaduddin Owaisi, President of All India Majlis-eIttehadul Muslimeen and a member of Indian Parliament, rightly states “We have two political power centers [in India] One calls Muslims and Dalits as puppies and dogs the other throws crumbs at us and tells us to wag the tail

He adds Why is it that when I oppose the BJP I am called an anti-nationalist? I am called a Jinnah in making

When I oppose the secular parties, I am called communal How is it that these two political parties have appropriated the right [of] nationalism and secularism?”

Now imagine living in such India which is more like Hindu-istan than Bharat or India Though there are people in India who believe in peace and democracy rather than in religion-coated politics Hindutva ideologues seem to outnumber them Particularly the ones who are in authority, who seem to like it this way Non-Hindus were never threatened in India as badly as they are today

The mask of secularism and democracy in India is not? Or now? thicker enough to hide the Hindutva narrative behind it Let it be the Congress rule between 193739 or the rule of the BJP in today s India secularism has remained an unfulfilled or a false promise in India To conclude, Muhammad Ali Jinnah rightly stated, Any idea of a United India could never have worked and in my judgment, it would have led us to [a] terrific disaster ”

The writer is a Research Assistant at Balochistan Think Tank Network Quetta

data is now being created where data limits are reached The models’ processing capacity has doubled every six months, four times faster than the famous prediction by Gordon Moore the co-founder of Intel that the number of integrated circuit components in microprocessors would double every two years This allows for an intensity of learning that is hard to imagine: one day of training one of these algorithms is equivalent to 150 years of human video game training

In addition to its capacity, AI differs qualitatively from computers in two ways First, they are programs that can be quickly downloaded and installed not machines that require expensive and complex complementary infrastructure This has led to extraordinarily fast diffusion: when it was launched ChatGPT was the fastest application to reach 100 million users

EL

g e l U b d e

ST E V E Jobs said that computers were the bicycles of the mind, because they multiplied the mind s capacity Will artificial intelligence (AI) be the airplane of the brain? Or just a distraction? What will be its impact on economic growth, inflation, or inequality? Will it be similar to computers and the internet? Or will this time be different?

The impressive progress shown by AI in recent years suggests that yes it may be different this time AlphaGo was able to beat the world champion of Go, a game so complex that its potential number of positions is 10 and 170 zeros, more than the sum of all the atoms in the universe ChatGPT has been able to pass the entrance exams for U S medical schools and the U S bar DALL-E is capable of generating extremely realistic high-resolution images from a simple textual description

Until now, technology was used to automate repetitive activities Consider, for example, that the word computer comes from “human computers,” the people, mostly women, who computed the necessary calculations armed with paper and pencil or simple calculators The virtue of the computer was its ability to automate an increasing volume of calculations replacing increasingly complex tasks But computers had a limitation: they needed the installation of complementary infrastructure, and humans who knew how to write specific programs to teach them how to perform specific tasks

The rapidly increasing processing power of microprocessors allowed for significant progress: the first versions of AI based on deep learning and neural networks computer programs that roughly simulate the way the human brain learns created programs that learned by themselves, but still required human supervision and specific, structured, and labeled databases For example, if a neural network was trained with X-rays of cancer patients, the program “learned ” based on repetition and trial and error to identify them among a variety of other X-rays These initial versions of AI were limited by the availability of data and the need to structure it

The most recent versions of AI represent a qualitative leap and use foundational models based on generative AI, among which the large language models (LLMs) stand out The technique is similar deep learning with neural networks but it is qualitatively different because they learn by themselves by being able to process human language which by definition is a database that does not need to be labeled and can be applied to a large number of tasks, increasing their power and versatility almost without limit They are models of neural networks with billions of parameters, with a level of complexity that is increasingly close to the human brain trained with databases that capture a good part of universal knowledge

The evolution of these models has been very fast The data used to train them grows exponentially and artificial

The second advantage is that these applications do not require sophisticated programming LLMs are queried in human language and respond in human language or images

For example ChatGPT can be asked: “Write a 1 200-word article in English on the macroeconomic impact of artificial intelligence in the style of Angel Ubide in El País For now

I am not going to reveal if what you are reading has been written by ChatGPT, or by me

The way these applications work is simple : they are probabilistic models that predict which letter, word, pixel or image comes after the previous one At all times models such as ChatGPT or autonomous driving applications decide what is the most reasonable continuation of the last text or image they have generated based on the model of understanding the world they have created with the database they have been trained with As such, any activity that is likely to become a prediction problem falls within the realm of AI

These new generations of AI are therefore revolutionary: they do not automate repetitive tasks but creative tasks

It is the democratization of intelligence Suddenly anyone can write with the style and vocabulary of Nobel laureates write computer programs like top engineers design images like artistic geniuses Among the most repeated verbs in AI patents are recognize, predict, detect, identify, or generate all creative tasks With AI, the level of execution of these tasks can be raised to best practices benefiting all workers and reducing disparities with experts Consider for example that with AI powered navigation systems the barriers to entry to becoming a taxi driver have collapsed And now extend this example to all the activities you can think of Of course, these models are not perfect, and sometimes give incorrect or non-existent answers (the models “hallucinate,” in AI jargon) In part, because the models have been trained in what they have to do not in what they don’t have to do one of the pending challenges for this technology

The macroeconomic impact can be significant The empirical evidence on the effect of these new generations of AI is that it reduces the time to execute tasks and increases its quality, boosting productivity per hour worked In addition, it can accelerate the innovative capacity of society discovering relationships and patterns of behavior in data never imagined before and if combined with advances in robotics the improvement in productivity and potential growth can be exponential raising neutral interest rates while keeping inflation low On the other hand, it will be necessary to reconsider models of organization of work, learning, and education, and income distribution policies

And, like any technological transformation, AI carries risks

The dispute over the use and ownership of the data the potentially malicious use of the algorithms the ecological impact of its high computational intensity the inherent bias in datasets will all require a regulation that puts this process on the right path

s entirely possible that this was written by ChatGPT

IN March 1985 the Wall Street Journal showered India s new prime minister Rajiv Gandhi with its highest praise In an editorial titled Rajiv Reagan, the newspaper compared the 40-year-old Gandhi with “another famous tax cutter we know ” and said that deregulation and tax cuts had triggered a “minor revolution” in India

Three months later on the eve of Gandhi s visit to the US Columbia University economist Jagdish

Bhagwati was even more effusive Far more than China today, India is an economic miracle waiting to happen,” he wrote in the New York Times “And if the miracle is accomplished, the central figure will be the young prime minister ” Bhagwati also praised the reduced tax rates and regulatory easing under Gandhi The early 1980s marked a pivotal historical moment as China and India the world s most populous countries, with virtually identical per capita incomes began liberalizing and opening up their economies Both countries elicited projections of “revolution” and “miracle ”

Yet while China grew rapidly on a strong foundation of human-capital development India shortchanged this aspect of its growth China became an economic superpower; projections that India is next are little more than hype The differences have been long in the making In 1981, the World Bank contrasted China’s “outstandingly high” life expectancy of 64 years to India’s 51 years Chinese citizens were better fed than their Indian counterparts it said Moreover China provided nearly universal health care and its citizens including women enjoyed higher rates of primary education The World Bank report highlighted China s remarkable strides toward gender equality during the Mao Zedong era As Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn said in their 2009 book Half the Sky China particularly its urban areas became one of the best places to grow up female Increased access to education and the higher female labor force participation rate resulted in lower birthrates and improved child-rearing practices Recognizing China’s progress in developing human capital and empowering women, the World Bank made an unusually bold prediction: China would achieve a tremendous increase in living standards within a generation or so

Rather than tax cuts or economic liberalization the World Bank report focused on a historical fact recently emphasized by Brown University economist Oded Galor: Since the dawn of the Industrial Revolution every instance of economic progress the crux of which is sustained productivity growth has been associated with investments in human capital and higher female workforce participation To be sure, market liberal-

ization greatly helped Chinese and Indian growth but China built its successful development strategy on the twin pillars of human capital and gender equality, areas where India has lagged far behind Even after it became more market-oriented China invested impressively in its people outpacing India in raising education and health standards to levels necessary for an internationally competitive workforce The World Bank s 2020 Human Capital Index which measures countries education and health outcomes on a scale of 0 to 1 gave India a score of 0 49, below Nepal and Kenya, both poorer countries China scored 0 65 similar to the much richer in per capita terms Chile and Slovakia

While China s female labor force participation rate has decreased to about 62 percent from about 80 percent in 1990, India s has fallen over the same period from 32 percent to about 25 percent Especially in urban areas, violence against women has deterred Indian women from entering the workforce Together superior human capital and greater gender equality have enabled much higher Chinese total factor productivity growth the most comprehensive measure of resource-use efficiency Assuming that the two economies were equally productive in 1953 (roughly when they embarked on their modernization efforts), China became more than 50 percent more productive by the late 1980s Today China s productivity is nearly double that of India

While 45 percent of Indian workers are still in the highly unproductive agriculture sector China has graduated even from simple, labor-intensive manufacturing to emerge, for example, as a dominant force in global auto markets, especially in electric vehicles China is also better prepared for opportunities Seven Chinese universities are ranked among the world s top 100 with Tsinghua University and Peking University among the top 20 Tsinghua is considered the world s leading university for computer science, while Peking is ranked ninth Likewise, nine Chinese universities are among the top 50 globally in mathematics By contrast, no Indian university including the celebrated Indian Institutes of Technology is ranked among the world s top 100 Chinese scientists have made significant strides in boosting the quantity and quality of their research, particularly in fields such as chemistry, engineering and materials science, and could soon take the lead in artificial intelligence As the figure shows Chinese researchers in academia and industry are rapidly generating high-quality patents

Since the mid-1980s Indian and international observers have predicted that the authoritarian Chinese hare would eventually falter, and the democratic Indian tortoise would win the race Recent events China s harsh COVID-19 restrictions, rising youth unemployment and the adverse repercussions of the Chinese authorities’ ham-handed efforts to rein in the country’s overgrown real-estate sector and large tech companies seem to support this view Yet while China with its deep well of human capital and greater gender equality, stands poised at the frontiers of the old and new economies, Indian leaders and their international counterparts tout a historical ability to leapfrog over a fragile human foundation with shiny digital and physical infrastructure China has a plausible path through its current muddle India by contrast risks falling into blind alleys of unfounded optimism

Ashoka Mody a visiting professor of international economic policy at Princeton University, previously worked for the World Bank and the IMF

AsAdUllAh RAisAni

o s e e w hy Pa k i s t a n wa s n e

Unlike China, India cannot be an economic superpower

A r t i f i c i a l i n t e l l i g e n c e , t h e a i r p l a n e o f t h e b r a i n ?

CHINESE PRIVATE COMPANIES EXCEL IN FORTUNE RANKINGS, HIGHLIGHTING VIGOROUS PRIVATE ECONOMY

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

C h i n e s e p r i v a t e c o m p a n i e s a r e g a i n i n g global spotlight with growing presence on t h e F o r t u n e G l o b a l 5 0 0 l i s t r e l e a s e d o n Wednesday Two star private firms – batt e r y p r o d u c e r C o n t e m p o r a r y A m p e r e x Technology Co (CATL) and food delivery platform Meituan – appeared on the list for the first time Their rapid growth is indicative of the development momentum of Chinese private companies thanks to vigorous government policy support, refuting foreign media outlets irresponsible claim that China is tightening policies or even clamping down on the private sector, experts said

In this year ’s Fortune Global 500 list a total of 39 companies made their debuts or re-entered the list including seven Chinese companies One notable addition is CATL, which achieved sales revenue of $48 8 billion in 2022, securing its first-time entry to the list

The number of internet companies on

the list has increased to eight, with an equal representation of Chinese and American firms The listed internet companies are Amazon Alphabet JD Alibaba Meta Platforms Tencent Meituan and Uber

Similar to CATL the Chinese platform economy representative Meituan also made its debut on the list Experts said that the inclusion of Meituan and CATL is not surpris-

ing, as both companies are representative of their booming and sustainable industries in China The two listed companies represent the two important directions of China’s future development CATL represents China s booming newenergy industry in the context of green development, while Meituan symbolizes the digital and intelligent industry, epitomizing

the dynamic platform economy in the country When combined with artificial intelligence, the platform-based economy will offer ample opportunities for private companies, Wang Peng, an associate research fellow at the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences told the Global Times on Wednesday “Their inclusion in the list injects strong impetus into the growth of China s private sector and marks a milestone of their development, Wang said, adding the government has consistently supported their development Foreign media has been critical of China’s private sector saying it is facing more pressure from regulatory scrutiny and oversight an allegation that experts said is groundless Wang said that some Western media organizations have been continuously disparaging China, and the so-called claims of China suppressing the private economy are an example of this biased narrative ” Li Chang an a professor at the Academy of China Open Economy Studies of the University of International Business and Economics, told the Global Times on Wednesday that claims of some foreign

Toyo t a re va m p s i co n i c L a n d

C r u i s e r w i t h hy b r i d ve r s i o n

be sold as a hybrid in the United States which will give existing owners

less fuel-efficient Land Cruisers

to switch to cleaner cars

Hiroki Nakajima Toyota s chief

officer

offer vehicles that customers

he said

Cruiser models are relatively big cars that come with a higher prof-

China urges US to stop enhancing militar y contact with Taiwan

BEIJING

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

C h i n a u rg e s t h e U S t o e a r n e s t l y a b i d e b y t h e o n e - C h i n a p r i n c i p l e a n d t h e t h r e e C h i n a - U S j o i n t c o m m u n i q u e s a n d s t o p e n h a n c i n g m i l it a r y c o n t a c t w i t h C h i n a s Ta i w a n r e g i o n o r a r mi n g i t b y a n y m e a n s o r u n d e r a n y p r e t e x t , a s p o k e s p e r s o n f o r t h e C h i n e s e F o r e i g n M i n i s t r y s a i d o n We d n e s d a y T h e W h i t e H o u s e w e b s i t e r e c e n t l y a n n o u n c e d t h a t t h e U S w i l l p r o v i d e a r o u n d $ 3 4 5 m i l l i o n i n m i l i t a r y a i d f o r C h i n a ’s Ta i w a n r e g i o n w h i c h m a r k s t h e f i r s t t i m e t h e P r e s i d e n t i a l D r a w d o w n A u t h o r i t y h a s b e e n u s e d f o r Ta i w a n u n d e r t h e B i d e n a d m i n i s t r a t i o n I n r e s p o n s e t o a m e d i a q u e r y, t h e s p o k e s p e r s o n s a i d t h e U S p r o v i s i o n o f m i l i t a r y a i d f o r C h i n a s Ta i w a n r e g i o n s e r i o u s l y v i o l a t e s t h e o n e - C h i n a p r i n c i p l e a n d t h e s t i p u l a t i o n s o f t h e t h r e e C h i n a - U S j o i n t c o m m u n i q u e s , e s p e c i a l l y t h e A u g u s t 1 7 C o m m u n i q u e S u c h m o v e s s e r io u s l y u n d e r m i n e C h i n a s s o v e r e i g n t y a n d s e c ur i t y i n t e r e s t s , a n d h a r m C h i n a - U S r e l a t i o n s , a s w e l l a s p e a c e a n d s t a b i l i t y a c r o s s t h e Ta i w a n S t r a i t s s a i d t h e s p o k e s p e r s o n a d d i n g t h a t C h i n a s t r o n g l y d e p l o r e s a n d f i r m l y r e j e c t s t h i s a n d h a s m a d e s e r i o u s d é m a r c h e s t o t h e U S “ T h e Ta i w a n q u e s t i o n i s a t t h e v e r y c o r e o f C h i n a s c o r e i n t e r e s t s a n d t h e f i r s t r e d l i n e t h a t m u s t n o t b e c r o s s e d i n t h e C h i n a - U S r e l a t i o ns h i p , ” t h e s p o k e s p e r s o n s a i d , u rg i n g t h e U S t o s t o p c r e a t i n g f a c t o r s t h a t c o u l d h e i g h t e n t e ns i o n s i n t h e Ta i w a n S t r a i t s a n d s t o p c o n n i v i n g w i t h a n d s u p p o r t i n g t h e s e p a r a t i s t s a t t e m p t t o s e e k “ Ta i w a n i n d e p e n d e n c e ” b y f o r c e “ N o o n e s h o u l d u n d e r e s t i m a t e t h e s t r o n g r e s o l v e a n d w i l l a s w e l l a s c a p a b i l i t y o f t h e C h i n e s e p e o p l e i n s a f e g u a r d i n g o u r s o v e r e i g n t y a n d t e r r i t o r i a l i nt e g r i t y, ” t h e s p o k e s p e r s o n s a i d

itability for Toyota just as is the case for some other models such as its Alphard van, said Seiji Sugiura, an analyst at Tokai Tokyo Research Institute

“Land Cruisers and Alphards have a high profitability even under the Toyota brand Sugiura said adding that will go up further if models are sold under the Lexus brand

The new Land Cruiser will become available in Japan in the first half of 2024, and come to the United States in the spring of that year Toyota said

adding that suggested retail pricing in the United States will start in the mid$50,000 range

Toyota said it will offer gasoline and diesel-powered versions of the new Land Cruiser in markets such as Western and Eastern Europe and the Middle East and also bring a smaller Land Cruiser version to Japan in the winter

The Land Cruiser and the Lexus LX and GX, which are luxury SUVs, have together sold 11 3 million units as of the end of last month Toyota said

Fitch c uts US credit rating to AA+; Treasur y c alls it ‘arbitrar y ’

Rating agency Fitch on Tuesday downgraded the U S government s top credit rating a move that drew an angry response from the White House and surprised investors coming despite the resolution of the debt ceiling crisis two months ago

Traders immediate response was to embark on a safe-haven push out of stocks and into government bonds and the dollar Fitch downgraded the United States to AA+ from AAA citing fiscal deterioration over the next three years and repeated down-the-wire debt ceiling negotiations that threaten the government s ability to pay its bills Fitch had first flagged the possibility of a downgrade in May, then maintained that position in June after the debt ceiling crisis was resolved, saying it intended to finalize the review in the third quarter of this year With the downgrade it becomes the second major rating agency after Standard & Poor s to strip the United States of its triple-A rating Fitch s move came two months after Democratic President Joe Biden and the Republican-controlled House of Representatives reached a debt ceiling agreement that lifted the government’s $31 4 trillion borrowing limit ending months of political brinkmanship

“In Fitch’s view there has been a steady deterioration in standards of governance over the last 20 years including on fiscal and debt matters notwithstanding the June bipartisan agreement to suspend the debt limit until January 2025, the rating agency said in a statement S Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen disagreed with Fitch’s downgrade, in a statement that called it “arbitrary and based on outdated data ”

The White House had a similar view saying it strongly disagrees with this decision It defies reality to downgrade the United States at a moment when President Biden has delivered the strongest recovery of

any major economy in the world said White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre REPUTATIONAL DENT

Analysts said the move shows the depth of harm caused to the United States by repeated rounds of contentious debate over the debt ceiling which pushed the nation to the brink of default in May

This basically tells you the U S government s spending is a problem said Steven Ricchiuto U S chief economist at Mizuho Securities USA

Fitch said repeated political standoffs and lastminute resolutions over the debt limit have eroded confidence in fiscal management Michael Schulman, chief investment officer at Running Point Capital Advisors said the U S overall will be seen as strong but I think it s a little chink in our armor It is a dent against the U S reputation and standing said Schulman

Others expressed surprise at the timing, even though Fitch had flagged the possibility

U S Senators vote on debt ceiling legislation to avoid a historic default at the U S Capitol in Washington U S Capitol police stand outside the Capitol building as the Senate votes on debt ceiling legislation to avoid a historic default at the U S Capitol in Washington, U S , June 1, 2023 REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/File Photo I don t understand how they (Fitch) have worse information now than before the debt ceiling crisis was resolved,” said Wendy Edelberg, director of The Hamilton Project At The Brookings Institution in Washington D C U S stock futures dropped in European trading suggesting the benchmark indices could open sharply lower later on

The yield on the benchmark U S Treasury note fell 2 basis points on the day to 4 03%, while the cost of insuring U S sovereign debt against default held largely unchanged on the day reflecting a sense of calm among investors about the longer-term impact of the downgrade

India strips passpor ts from several K ashmiris as Modi tightens grip on dissent

INDA ag e n C i e S

The Indian government has suspended the passports of several Kashmiris including journalists in what observers describe as an unprecedented move to stifle dissent in the region

Several Kashmiris living either in Indian-controlled Kashmir or overseas told Middle East Eye that they have received emails from the Indian government over the past 10 days notifying them that their passports had been suspended

The regional passport office in Srinagar referred to Section 10(3) of The Passports Act, 1967, with the claim that the affected parties were a threat to Indian security

However those impacted told MEE that there were no outstanding charges against them

Sources told MEE that at least 10 people, including Kashmiri academics, students and journalists in Indian-controlled Kashmir and abroad had received

notices within the past two weeks

They said that they expect around 7090 people to lose their passports, if not more With most recipients of the emails unwilling to speak publicly on the record fearing further reprisals from the state and the foreign ministry remaining tightlipped, MEE is unable to independently verify the scale of the operation

Earlier on Tuesday, Srinagar passport

officer Devinder Singh told the Indian publication The Wire that they received instructions to suspend the passports of dozens of persons but I can t disclose the exact number

Singh added that some of those on the list had been contacted “about the action being taken” According to the emails seen by MEE those contacted were told to hand over their documents or face unspecified consequences

Neither the spokesperson for the Indian foreign ministry nor the central passport organisation replied to MEE s request for comment and clarification

The Indian embassy in Washington DC also did not reply to MEE s request for comment KASHMIRIS IN DIASPORA

For those Kashmiris living outside of India the developments back in Indiancontrolled Kashmir have hit them hard

Several Kashmiri journalists have found themselves in exile due to the shrinking space for critical reportage back home and the threat of harassment by the Indian authorities One Kashmiri student living outside India who received an email last week notifying him that his passport had been revoked told MEE that his situation was now impossible to resolve “It means an end to my studies and arrest and torture if I return back this time ” the student who asked not to be named for fear of reprisal said The student who suspects that it was his occasional journalism that had landed him in trouble with the authorities, said that it s unclear what his status would be once his travel documents expired

media outlets about China suppressing private firms are flawed since the recent development of the private economy has mainly been influenced by the macroeconomic situation ” As a matter of fact, the Chinese government has implemented measures aimed at bolstering the private sector demonstrating its commitment to creating a healthy and equitable market environment for all types of companies

On Tuesday, eight Chinese ministries jointly released 28 measures to support the private economy The measures include ensuring fair access for private firms to participate in significant national projects and technological initiatives providing increased financial and land support and enhancing legal protection for private companies

It serves as a clear indication of the country’s determination to ramp up its support for the private sector Notably these actions came closely after the issuance of a comprehensive guideline on July 19 by the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council which also focused on boosting the growth of the private economy

CORPORATE CORNER

UMT hosts int’l conference, exhibition on textiles, clothing

LAHORE S ta f f r e p o r t

School of Design and Textile at the University of Management and Technology (UMT) organized a two-day International Conference and Exhibition on Textiles and Clothing at the Expo Center Chairperson Punjab Higher Education Commission Prof Dr Shahid Munir attended the conference as a special guest On this occasion, Rector UMT Dr Asif Raza DG UMT Professor Abid Sherwani Dean School of Design and Textile Dr Mumtaz Hasan Malik Rector NTU Dr Tanveer Hussain and a large number of UMT staff faculty and students also participated With a formal ribbon-cutting, Chairperson Punjab Higher Education Commission, Prof Dr Shahid Munir, accompanied by Rector UMT Dr Asif Raza, and DG UMT Prof Abid Sherwani, visited all the stalls where they praised the exceptional work of the talented students In the exhibition there were 200 stalls where the BS final semester students showcased their impressive final theses, displaying works of fashion, textiles, graphics and interior design Addressing the conference, Rector UMT Dr Asif Raza welcomed the chief guest and other participants and expressed that our students focus on innovative and creative work and appreciated their efforts

Driven by historic growth in current deposits, MCB Bank posts highest ever half yearly profit

LAHORE

S ta f f r e p o r t

The Board of Directors of MCB Bank Limited (MCB) in its meeting under the Chairmanship of Mian Mohammad Mansha on August 02 2023 reviewed performance of the Bank and approved the condensed interim financial statements for the half year ended June 30, 2023 The Board of Directors has declared 2nd interim cash dividend of Rs 7 0 per share i e 70%, in addition to 60% already paid, bringing the total cash dividend for the half year ended June 30 2023 to 130% Through the focused efforts of the bank s management in building no-cost deposits MCB achieved substantial growth in core earnings, resulting in an impressive 65% year-on-year increase in Profit Before Tax (PBT) for the half-year ending on June 30, 2023, reaching Rs 53 84 billion

The revocation of passports comes following other mechanisms, observers note, designed to both discourage and punish dissent

Over the past year hundreds of Kashmiris have also faced immense delays in receiving passports with those with family ties to activism or active dissidents denied passports on account of security reasons The move is part of a larger attempt to reshape the political environment in Kashmir since Narendra Modi’s government revoked Article 370A and Article 35A which stripped Jammu and Kashmir s semi-autonomous status

In August 2019 the Indian government imposed a communication blockade and arrested thousands of Kashmiris as the region’s status changed overnight Observers note that since the revocation of Article 370 and Article 35A civil society in Kashmir has effectively been dismantled while journalists have been locked in an endless cycle of intimidation and harassment, forcing many to abandon their careers

Zindigi, powered by JS Bank launches innovative par tnership with Mastercard to transform mass transit

KARACHI

S ta f f r e p o r t

Zindigi, powered by JS Bank, in collaboration with Mastercard, is set to revolutionize the mass transit system in Karachi This transformative partnership aims to enhance public transport accessibility convenience and financial inclusion for the city s residents Zindigi will launch a stateof-the-art digital payment system, driven by cutting-edge technology In the initial phase, over 1 million customers will receive special Zindigi cards that offer a secure and effortless mode of payment for their public transportation needs The prepaid open-loop contactless cards can be used to pay for daily commutes with a tap

CORPORATE CORNER

RAWALPINDI: Murree Brewery arranged an awareness seminar (Smog Rules 2023) in collaboration with EPA

Commemorating India's Atrocities in Kashmir

fa r h a n Q u ta b s i d d i Q u i

On August 5th, Pakistan observes Youm-e-Istehsal, a day to remember the egregious human rights violations and atrocities committed by India in the disputed region of Jammu and Kashmir This day holds significant importance as it marks the fourth anniversary of India s unilateral decision to revoke the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, stripping the region of its autonomy The day serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing struggle of Kashmiri people and highlights the international community's indifference towards their plight This article aims to shed light on the atrocities committed by India in Kashmir and the pressing need for the global community to address this grave human rights issue India's revocation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019, effectively stripped Jammu and Kashmir of its special status eliminating its autonomy and merging it into the Indian Union This decision was not only unconstitutional but also a brazen violation of the rights of Kashmiris to determine their own fate By unilaterally making such a move, India displayed a blatant disregard for the democratic principles it claims to uphold

Women’s digital, financial inclusion will pave way for Pakistan's progress: Jaz z CEO

ISLAMABAD s ta f f r e p o r t

Jazz CEO, Aamir Ibrahim, has stated that women s financial empowerment and independence are pivotal for driving progress and development He also reiterated commitment to addressing inclusion gaps stating that technology holds the key to viable solutions Aamir shared these thoughts at the launch event of the Digitalisation & Women in Pakistan report produced collaboratively by Jazz the National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW), UNDP, UNFPA, and UN Women The report delves into the gender digital divide in Pakistan and the challenges women face in the digital world It identifies the reasons behind the gender gap in access to technology and provides potential solutions to bridge this digital divide By providing a comprehensive analysis of the issue, this report aims to contribute to ongoing efforts to create a more inclusive and equitable digital environment in Pakistan

A new ship for Pakistan nav y launched

KARACHI

s ta f f r e p o r t

Launching ceremony of PN MILGEM Class Ship

PNS TARIQ (Desig) was held at Karachi Shipyard & Engineering Works (KS&EW) Honourable

Prime Minister of Islamic Republic of Pakistan

Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif graced the occasion as Chief Guest Vice president Republic of Turkiye H E Mr Cevdet Yilmaz also attended the ceremony as Guest of Honour PN MILGEM Class ships are the most technologically advanced surface platforms being constructed for Pakistan

Navy The ships will be fitted with latest Com-

mand & Control Systems including modern weapons and sensors The contract for construction of 04 MILGEM class ships for Pakistan was signed between Ministry of Defence Production, Pakistan and M/s ASFAT (Turkish Firm) in 2018

Under the project two ships are under construction at Istanbul Naval Shipyard while the other two are being constructed at KS&EW Karachi

PTCL Group Introduces 6 months maternit y, 30 days paternit y leaves

ISLAMABAD

s ta f f r e p o r t Pakistan s largest telecommunication and integrated ICT services provider, PTCL Group (PTCL & Ufone 4G) has achieved a momentous milestone in organizational culture by introducing 6 months of Maternity and 30 days of Paternity leaves for its employees The policy guidelines provide ample time for new mothers and fathers to bond and care for their newborns through availing fully paid maternity and paternity leaves, respectively To make it more flexible and convenient, paternity leaves can be availed on a staggered basis during the first year of childbirth The policy changes reflect the ongoing cultural transformation at PTCL Group that aims to promote employee well-being and help its team members support a healthier work-life balance PTCL Group is committed to transforming its policies and has introduced multiple initiatives to foster inclusion and support the physical and mental health and well-being of its employees

ISLAMABAD

G h u l a m a b b a s

THE Senate Standing Committee on Science and Technology led by Senator Sardar Muhammad Shafiq Tareen, has issued a directive to the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) to immediately halt the recruitment process in the Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA)

The committee cited suspicions of unlawfulness and irregularities in the recruitment drive as the reason behind its decision During the meeting held on Wednesday, the committee unanimously demanded the cessation of the recruitment process taking into account a series of complaints and queries that raised questions about the transparency of the

hiring procedure Various official documents also highlighted violations of set quotas and seniority lists, adding to the concerns Senator Sardar Muhammad Shafiq Tareen expressed reservations about the use of Universal Testing Services (UTS) for recruitment questioning why the services of National Testing Service (NTS) and National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) were not employed instead He raised concerns over irregularities in the recruitment process which resulted in several candidates reaching out to the committee The PSQCA officials defended the choice of the lowest bidder for the contract, stating that it was in accordance with government policy The committee chairman further emphasized the issue of “Promotion vacancies ” advertised by the PSQCA urging

that promotions should be granted to deserving employees who have diligently served in the organization for an extended period The PSQCA had advertised these positions and was conducting interviews, but it seemed to overlook eligible current employees for promotion The committee directed the PSQCA to suspend the recruitment process and conduct an investigation into the alleged irregularities

Secretary of MOST, Muhammad Abdullah Khan Sumbal, informed the committee that the ministry had already halted the process of departmental promotions in PSQCA and assured the committee that they would comply with their directive to stop the recruitment process

Additionally, during the meeting, the committee was briefed on the progress of previous recommendations PSQCA officials informed the committee that a

40% cash dividend approved for SNGPL’s shareholders for FY 2021-22

LAHORE s ta f f r e p o r t

The 58th Annual General Meeting of shareholders of Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) was held on Tuesday, August 01, 2023 at Pearl Continental Hotel, Lahore The shareholders of the Company Approved the Annual Accounts for the FY 2021-22 with profit before tax of Rs 15 50 billion profit after tax of Rs 10 37 billion and Earning Per Shares of Rs 16 34 The shareholders also approved Cash Dividend of 40% i e Rs 4 0 per share on the recommendations of the Board of Directors of SNGPL The Shareholders of the Company also re-appointed M/s Yousaf Adil, Chartered Accountant as Auditors of SNGPL for FY 2022-23

Shareholders of the Company also approved the circulation / dissemination of Annual Audited Financial Statements through QR-enabled code and weblinkas notified by the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan

The Chairperson, Ms Roohi Raees Khan, apprised the shareholders that despite numerous economic and financial challenges SNGPL continued to deliver excellent results She further announced that the Company has declared dividends for the sixth consecutive year Chairperson appreciated the efforts of the Management and UFG Control She also appreciated the staff, and skilled manpower for their dedicated efforts for achieving the ambitious targets set by the Board A detailed interactive session was held A number of queries from the shareholders were re-

sponded to by the Management to their satisfaction

Ms Roohi Raees Khan Chairperson Mr Manzoor Ahmed Dr Sohail Razi Khan

Mr Mohammad Haroon Directors Mr Amer Tufail Managing Director Mr Faisal Iqbal Chief Financial Officer and Mr Imtiaz Mehmood, Company Secretary were present in person while Mr Ali Tahir, Mr Shahbaz Tahir Nadeem, Syed Akhtar Ali, Directors attended the meeting via video link Senior Management of the Company was also present at the Annual General Meeting (AGM)

The Chairperson in the presence of the esteemed Board of Directors expressed sincere appreciation for the exemplary endeavors undertaken by the Board Members, Management, and Staff Particular acknowledgment was extended to the Ministry of Energy (Petroleum Division) for their steadfast support and invaluable guidance throughout the course of operations

Meezan Bank introduces Meezan WhatsApp Banking Ser vice for customers

KARACHI s ta f f r e p o r t

Meezan Bank, Pakistan’s leading Islamic bank, has introduced Meezan WhatsApp Banking, a hassle-free service that empowers both individual customers and businesses to conveniently access a wide range of Account Management services without the need to visit the Bank s website or log in to the mobile application

Developed in collaboration with Infobip (Globally

Authorized Vendor), this new service facilitates seamless interaction between Meezan Bank and its customers and is available 24/7 All Meezan customers including those residing abroad can now avail instant services such as checking account balances generating IBAN viewing transaction history downloading account statements, and obtaining tax certificates

The Bank s verified business account on WhatsApp offers customers with a trusted and verifiable channel that can easily be identified through a distinctive green badge in its chat window Further by adopt-

ing a conversational messaging model the service eliminates unnecessary waiting time for the customer

Commenting on this initiative

Mr Irfan Siddiqui –

Founding President & CEO, Meezan Bank said, "The launch of Meezan WhatsApp Banking provides our customers with a globally recognized digital touchpoint that offers instant access to multiple account management services This new service will reinforce our commitment towards delivering state-of-the-art digital solutions for our customers

Mr Faiz ur Rehman Group Head Information Technology at Meezan Bank said, Meezan WhatsApp banking will help us serve our customers through the most commonly used household social media app The high compatibility and acceptance of WhatsApp services around the world has given us a leverage to customize our communications as per customer profiles Notably the utilization of this service incurs no charges for customers and to initiate a conversation with the Bank, customers simply need to send a message to 111-331-331 ”

Bank Alfalah disburses PKR970m for flood-impac ted communities during phase-2 in first half of 2023

KARACHI s ta f f r e p o r t

Bank Alfalah a leading commercial bank in Pakistan, reported the highlights of the first half of 2023 during Phase-2 of its comprehensive rehabilitation and rebuilding initiative which started with immediate rescue and relief in phase1 in 2022

With a steadfast commitment to empowering communities and promoting sustainable development, the bank has joined forces with esteemed partners It has disbursed around PKR 970 million to

address critical sectors such as healthcare, emergency care, housing education and livelihoods Bank Alfalah is embarking on phase-2 of its flood relief efforts focusing on rehabilitation and rebuilding lives This phase encompasses several key areas: sustainable housing, healthcare, education and livelihood support Bank Alfalah a leading commercial bank in Pakistan reported the highlights of the first half of 2023 during Phase-2 of its comprehensive rehabilitation and rebuilding initiative, which started with immediate rescue and relief in

KARACHI s ta f f r e p o r t

Minister for Information Transport and Mass Transit Sharjeel Inam Memon presided over the tenth board meeting of the Sindh Mass Transit Authority (SMTA) in Karachi

phase-1 in 2022

With a steadfast commitment to empowering communities and promoting sustainable development the bank has joined forces with esteemed partners It has disbursed around PKR 970 million to address critical sectors such as healthcare, emergency care, housing education and livelihoods

Bank Alfalah is embarking on phase-2 of its flood relief efforts focusing on rehabilitation and rebuilding lives

This phase encompasses several key areas: sustainable housing, healthcare, education, and livelihood support

contempt application had been filed against the cement industry for non-compliance with the Supreme Court s order to pay the marking fee for using the PSQCA logo Regarding COMSAT University Islamabad (CUI) in Quetta officials assured swift action had been taken and they would present a progress report in the next committee meeting

On the matter of pay scales for COMSATS employees, Senator Sardar Muhammad Shafiq Tareen directed the university management to hold a meeting with staff representatives and submit a report in the upcoming meeting The meeting was attended by Senator Kamran Murtaza, Senator Dr Afnan Ullah Khan, Senator Anwar ul Haq Kakar, Senator Muhammad Humayun Mohmand, along with the Secretary of MOST and other relevant departmental officers

Becoming a value-adding CFO takes integrative thinking, says new ACCA guide

LAHORE s ta f f r e p o r t

Chief financial officers (CFOs) have an immense responsibility and career-defining challenge in helping their organisations navigate complex multi-dimensional problems Businesses and other organisations face significant challenges in introducing sustainability into their business models and strategies They also face increased sustainability reporting and assurance requirements Their processes and systems will need to be updated and transformed to manage these These challenges arise against a backdrop of limited financial resources as well as human and natural resources The long-term survival and success of business can no longer be assured with a narrow focus on financial return alone Today’s CFOs and senior business professionals require a combination of skills behaviours and mindset described as integrative-thinking capabilities according to ACCA s latest research Integrative thinking: the guide to becoming a value-adding CFO Report author Sharon Machado, head of sustainable business at ACCA said ‘CFOs and professionals who are ultimately accountable for well-informed decision making must be integrative in their own thinking They need to consider the balance across the resources and meeting of differing stakeholder needs Often this will be in the face of incomplete complex uncertain or ambiguous information CFOs need to act without being able to reliably predict the outcomes In a fast-changing world, the organisation’s purpose and strategy may need to change, either incrementally or sometimes fundamentally ’

Sharjeel Memon inaugurates mobile healthcare units

KARACHI

s ta f f r e p o r t

Minister for Information Transport and Mass Transit Sindh Sharjeel Inam Memon inaugurated mobile healthcare units in the presence of other dignitaries at a special ceremony held at the National Stadium Karachi Speaking as a special guest, Provincial Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon highlighted the Sindh government's efforts in providing modern and top-notch medical facilities to the people He said that the government has already provided 26 mobile healthcare units consisting of Hino trucks and today an additional 07 units are being provided to further enhance healthcare accessibility for the citizens He stated that the modern mobile healthcare unit, comprising Hino trucks, aims to deliver advanced medical facilities to the residents of remote areas right at their doorsteps Presently mobile healthcare units have been operationalized in 18 remote districts of Sindh each equipped with male and female doctors nurses Xray technicians ECG technicians lab technicians modern medical equipment, and medicines

He said that the modern mobile healthcare unit, housed in Hino trucks, aims to bring modern medical faAKU par tners

with Gilgit-Baltistan government to develop teachers’ capacit y

KARACHI

s ta f f r e p o r t

cludes the addition of 500 buses, as well as the introduction of an environment-friendly electric taxi service During the meeting, the progress in the Red Line Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project was also brought under consideration

The Sindh government aims to expedite

gers enhancing the sense of safety and convenience during

the People

Aga Khan University (AKU) and the Government of Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) have signed an agreement to improve the quality of teaching practices in GB schools The agreement was signed under the guidance of AKU s President Dr Sulaiman Shahabuddin The project titled Education Fellows: A Pilot Project on Hiring of Education Fellows and Improving Quality of Pedagogy in Gilgit-Baltistan, will be implemented by Aga Khan University s Institute for Educational Development (AKU-IED) in collaboration with a consortium comprising Karakorum International University (KIU) Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) and Knowledge Platform (KP) All through the consortium will work in close collaboration with the Directorate of Education, Government of Gilgit-Baltistan

B A N KS T O FA C E 1 0 % S U P E R TA X O N I N C O M E S O V E R R S 3 0 0 M

tax payable under section 147 of the Ordinance

C a b i n e t a p p rove s t r a n s fe r o f N E E C A f ro m S c i e n c e a n d Te c h n o l o g y to Powe r D i v i s i o n

ISLAMABAD a h M a d a h M a da n i

The Federal Cabinet has approved the transfer of the National Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (NEECA) from the Science and Technology Division to the Power Division on Wednesday

According to sources the cabinet has granted its necessary approval regarding the transfer of NEECA through the circulation of summary NEECA was established under National Energy Efficiency & Conservation Act 2016 after dissolution of ENERCON The main objective of establishment of NEECA had been to stipulate mechanisms and procedures for effective use of energy in Pakistan NEECA was working under the administrative control of Power Division

The Cabinet Committee on Institutional Reforms (CCIA) vide its decision in case No CCIR-30-07-2022 dated 09-

03-2022, while approving the summary of Science and Technology Division dated 01-03-2022, transferred NEECA from Power Division to Science & Technology Division The Cabinet vide its decision in Case No 167/Rule-19/2022 dated 02-042022 ratified the said decision of CCIR for transfer of NEECA to Science and Technology Division The Cabinet vide its decision its O M No 4-1/2022-Min-I dated 16-04-2022 has implemented the decision of the Cabinet however necessary amendment in the Rules of Business has not been conveyed as yet

It may be mentioned that this decision had earlier agreed to the proposal of Science & Technology Division for transfer of NEECA to that Division, prior to submission of summary to CCIR by the Science and Technology Division

The matter of transfer of NEECA to Science and Technology Division has been reexamined in this division owing to certain fresh development The grounds for re-considerations are as fol-

lows: Energy Efficiency and Conservation (EE&C) is the part of National Electric Policy, 2021 being mandate of power division Thus, the mandate of NEECA, on EE&C is aligned with the subject of Ministry of Energy (Power and Petroleum Divisions) T h e m a i n p u r p o s e o f t r a n s f e r o f NEECA indicated by the Science and Technology Division was that different t e c h n i c a l i n i t i a t i v e s o f N E E C A a s s p e c i f i e d i n t h e N E E

t

A A

0 1 6 such as Minimum Energy Performance Standards Testing and Building Codes including the energy provisions are dep e n d e n t o n t h e S c i e n c e a n d Te c h n o l -

E C A A c t 2 0 1 6 N E E C A has vast mandate pertaining to EE&C focused on policy formulation and implementation, energy audits, data coll e c t i o n , s u r v e y s , i n s p e c t i o n s ,

awareness, surveillance, and monitori n g e t c i n d i ff e r e n t s e c t o r s o f e c o no m y, w h i c h a r e d i s t i n c t a n d n o t d e p e n d e n t o n S c i e n c e & Te c h n o l o g y D i v i s i o n o r i n s t i t u t i o n s u n d e r i t e xcept the matters pertaining to formulat i o n o f s t a n d a r d s r e q u i r i n g collaboration with National Standards

Body (PSQCA) Globally, Energy Efficiency & Conservation organizations under government control are aligned with ministries of energy in both developing and developed countries alike as in the case of India China Germany UAE and Iran, etc

Recently, the World Bank while reviewing the energy sector has also proposed placing NEECA under the ministry of energy The brief/note of key reforms prepared by the World Bank for implementation in the energy sector reads as under:

S audi Arabia keen to invest in Pakistan’s mining sec tor

Saudi Arabia has expressed its keen desire to invest in Pakistan s mining sector which provides vast opportunities for investment

The desire was expressed by a Saudi Arabian delegation, led by Deputy Minister for Mining, Industries and Minerals Khaled bin Saleh Al-Mudaifer, which called on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad PM Office statement said Wednesday

The Saudi minister appreciated the pro-investors measures of the present government particularly the establishment of Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) Speaking on the occasion, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that Pakistan provides immense investment opportunities to investors particularly in the mining sector He assured the delegation that not only the upcoming interim government but also the next elected government would keep on facilitating the investors

The meeting came after Pakistan Tuesday organised first-ever summit on minerals in Islamabad The event was attended by foreign investors, diplomats, and other notable figures

The summit was organized by the Special Investment Facilitation Council which was established in June to attract foreign investment

Addressing the ceremony Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Pakistan should learn from its bitter experiences of the past and follow the example of Middle Eastern states who had built and strengthened their economies by tapping their mineral wealth Countries like Saudi Arabia and the UAE had set an example for other countries, including Pakistan, by building on oil and gas resources the PM said

COAS Gen Munir, German army chief discuss regional securit y, defence cooperation

RAWALPINDI S ta f f R e p o R t Chief of German Army Lieutenant General Alfonas Mais called on Chief of Army Staff General Syed Asim Munir at the military s General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi on Wednesday and discussed matters of mutual interest regional security and defence cooperation According to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), both parties reiterated their desire to further enhance bilateral relations in all fields The visiting dignitary acknowledged and appreciated Pakistan Army’s successes in the fight against terrorism The German army chief also lauded Pakistan’s continued efforts towards bringing peace and stability in the region said the ISPR Germany is not only the largest and most significant European Union trading partner (by volume and value) for Pakistan it has also provided significant financial assistance to the latter during catastrophic floods

ISLAMABAD M i a n a b R a R C h i n e s e P r e s i d e n t X i J i n p i n g h a s s a i d t h a t C h i n a w o u l d a l w a y s s t a n d f i r m w i t h P a k i s t a n r e g a r dl e s s o f a n y c h a n g e i n t h e i n t e r n a t i o n a l l a n d s c a p e a n d e m p h a s i s e d t h a t b o t h c o u n t r i e s w o u l d c o nt i n u e t o i m p r o v e o v e r a l l p l a n n i n g a n d d e e p e n c o o p e r a t i o n T h e C h i n e s e p r e s i d e n t , i n h i s c o n g r a t u l a t o r y m e s s a g e o n t h e D e c a d e o f t h e C h i n a - P a k i s t a n E c on o m i c C o r r i d o r ( C P E C ) s a i d t h a t C h i n a a n d P a ki s t a n w o u l d c o n t i n u e t o w o r k j o i n t l y t o c a r r y f o r w a r d t h e i r o n c l a d f r i e n d s h i p a n d c o o r d i n a t e d e -

SC again declines PTI chief’s plea seeking relief in Toshakhana case

ISLAMABAD S ta f f R e p o R t

Meanwhile in a follow-up tweet after the ‘Pakistan Minerals Summit in Islamabad Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the importance of mineral resources in national economies has increased manifold due to rapid developments in renewable energy technologies The premier said the summit highlighted the need for setting new target areas, improving exploration strategies and devising new methodologies for extracting minerals

The Supreme Court (SC) rejected for a second time on Wednesday Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan’s request to stay the trial court’s proceedings in the Toshakhana (gift repository) case Just last week the apex court had declined to intervene in the criminal proceedings against the former premier It had instead urged the Islamabad High Court (IHC) to decide the pending petitions filed by the PTI chairman However, Imran s legal team approached the top court once again yesterday, seeking suspension of the trial Notably, the plea had come after a sessions court in Islamabad had rejected the PTI chief ’s request to temporarily defer his trial and ordered him to give his testimony A three-member SC bench headed by Justice Yahya Afridi conducted the hearing today PTI lawyer Khawaja Haris informed the court that the trial court has ordered the witnesses to be produced and that should they fail to do so, the right of defence will be lost “The Islamabad High Court (IHC) took notice on four petitions but did not grant an injunction order Haris told the SC Justice Yahya Afridi urged the PTI chief s counsel to think more about the case It would be better to wait for the high court s directives instead of having the SC issue orders,” he said “Your application had become ineffective ” said the judge “but we still entertained it and issued orders” “We do understand the situation We had expected that the high court would issue better orders for you Justice Afridi observed The relief you had requested for, we already granted [in the last hearing] I am surprised that you still approached the SC,” he added Upon the judge’s prompting, Haris also informed the court that the IHC is scheduled to conduct its hearing on the matter today (Thursday) Our orders had stated that the high court should hear all petitions together said Justice Afridi Perhaps the relief that you are looking for from us, you will get from the IHC, he said, recommending it best for the PTI chief and his legal team to wait for the high court’s verdict Nonetheless the court issued notices on the PTI chief ’s request and summoned the Election Commission officials on August 4 before adjourning proceedings until then

Senate unanimously approves four bills

ISLAMABAD S ta f f R e p o R t

The Upper House of the Parliament in Wednesday s session unanimously approved four bills all introduced with specific objectives and receiving widespread support from the attending members Federal Minister for Law and Justice, Azam Nazir Tarar, introduced The Pakistan Civil Aviation Bill 2023 which proposes a division of the Civil Aviation sector into two separate entities: the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) responsible for regulatory functions and the Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) in charge of commercial and operational aspects of airports

The primary goal of this division was to enhance efficiency improve services and ensure compliance with international standards set by International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) T h e b i l l c o m e s i n t h e w a k e o f t h e s u s p e ns i o n o f P a k i s t a n I n t e r n a t i o n a l A i r l i n e s f l i g h t

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

He said that China and Pakistan would also keep working to take their all-weather strategic cooperative partnership to new heights to make an even greater contribution to peace and prosperity in the two countries and the region

In the message which was also read out by Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng at the ceremony held in Islamabad to commemorate the Decade of CPEC earlier this week, President Xi Jinping said that China would work with Pakistan to achieve high-standard and sustainable outcomes, and further build CPEC into an exemplary project of the Belt and Road Initiative

o p e r a t i o n s i n t h e U K a n d E u r o p e , t r i g g e r e d b y a n i r r e s p o n s i b l e s t a t e m e n t m a d e b y a f o r m e r Av i a t i o n m i n i s t e r, G h u l a m S a r w a r K h a n The Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazir Tarar successfully had another bill titled The Pakistan Air Safety Investigation Bill 2023 passed by the House Minister for Education and Professional Training, Rana Tanveer Hussain, presented The National Commission for Human Development (Amendment) Bill, 2023 The bill’s objective is to enhance the effectiveness of over 7 000 employees of NCHD (National Commission for Human Development)

Minister for Finance Mohammad Ishaq Dar moved The Pakistan Sovereign Wealth Funds Bill, 2023, in the National Assembly The bill aims to establish Pakistan Sovereign Wealth Funds to promote sustainable economic development through the management of fund assets following the best international standards policies and practices The

President Xi said that CPEC was a flagship proje c t o f t h e B R I a n d s i n c e i t s l a u n c h i n 2 0 1 3 b o t h countries have been advancing it under the principle o f e x t e n s i v e c o n s u l t a t i o n , j o i n t c o n t r i b u t i o n a n d s h a r e d b e n e f i t s

The Chinese president said that CPEC had added new impetus to the economic and social development of Pakistan and laid a foundation for regional connectivity and integration He said that CPEC served as a vivid testament to the all-weather friendship between China and Pakistan , and stressed the need for both nations to continue to improve overall planning and scale up bilateral cooperation under it

objective is to maximize the value of these funds for the benefit of future generations

The Minister mentioned that Pakistan possesses the largest gas pipeline valued at 40 to 50 billion dollars and has reserves of minerals and mines worth $6000 billion To start with seven such valuable assets amounting to $8 billion will be placed in the Pakistan Sovereign Wealth Funds Meanwhile, following a heated debate, the Chairman referred Bills, including The Higher Education Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2023; The Federal Urdu University of Arts Sciences and Technology Islamabad (Amendment) Bill 2023; Hajj and Umrah (Regulation) Bill 2023 and The Official Secrets (Amendment) Bill 2023 to relevant committees Senator Raza Rabbani, during a debate on the Federal Urdu University of Arts, Sciences and Technology, Islamabad (Amendment) Bill, 2023, emphasized the need to refer it to the relevant committee as he had proposed eight amendments