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PAKISTAN, IMF REACH STAFF-LEVEL AGREEMENT ON CRUCIAL STANDBY-BAILOUT REVIEW thursday, 16 november, 2023 i 1 Jamada al-awal, 1445

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Upon approval, Pakistan will have access to around $700m

‘Tranche to help Pakistan unlock more funding from other donors’

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ISLAMABAD

Staff RepoRt

AKISTAN reached a staff-level agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on the first review of a $3 billion bailout, wherein the country will receive $700 million after approval from the lender’s Executive Board.

Upon approval, Pakistan will have access to around $700 million, bringing total disbursements under the programme to almost $1.9 billion, the IMF announced in a statement on Wednesday.

Ministry of Finance’s former adviser Dr Khaqan Hassan Najeeb told media that the board’s approval will help Pakistan unlock more funding from other multilateral and bilateral donors. “That is a good development and a satisfying one for Pakistan indeed,” he said, noting that inflation should steadily decline “is the thought process moving forward”. The IMF said the agreement supports the Pakistani authorities’ commitment to ad-

vance the planned fiscal consolidation and accelerate cost-reducing reforms in the energy sector.

The short-term deal also envisages a complete return to a market-determined exchange rate, and pursues state-owned enterprise and governance reforms to attract investment and support job creation while continuing to strengthen social assistance.

“Anchored by the stabilisation policies

under the SBA, a nascent recovery is underway, buoyed by international partners’ support and signs of improved confidence,” the statement added. The Washington-based lender said steadfast execution of the FY24 budget, continued adjustment of energy prices, and renewed flows into the foreign exchange market have lessened fiscal and external pressures. It further said inflation is expected to decline over the coming months amid receding supply constraints and modest demand.

However, Pakistan remains susceptible to significant external risks, including the intensification of geopolitical tensions, resurgent commodity prices, and the further tightening in global financial conditions, as per the IMF. “EFFORTS TO BUILD RESILIENCE NEED TO CONTINUE.” Pakistan clinched the deal with the IMF for the $3 billion short-term loan agreement in June this year, averting the looming default threat, and undertook painful economic reforms including hiking electricity and gas tariffs in line with the Lender’s conditions.

Cabinet thumbs up for 40pc tax on banks’ profit during 2021-22 g

Rs 15.00 | Vol XIV No 137 I 8 Pages I Lahore Edition

Govt committed to economic reform efforts: Caretaker PM ISLAMABAD

Staff RepoRt

Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar reaffirmed the government’s enduring commitment to the reform efforts agreed with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as these were aimed at stabilizing the Pakistan’s economy in the long run. IMF Mission Chief for Pakistan Nathan Porter and IMF Resident Representative for Pakistan Esther Perez Tuiz called on the prime minister and apprised him of the status of the negotiations held at the technical levels with the team of government of Pakistan under the First Review of the Stand-By Arrangement (SBA). Premier Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar thanked the IMF team for its ongoing work with the Pakistan and praised the leadership of the minister for finance and revenue and the contribution of her team in taking the program forward. He also appreciated the role of Governor, State Bank of Pakistan.

Caretaker minister for finance, governor State Bank of Pakistan, chairman Federal Board of Revenue, and senior government officials also attended the meeting. Nathan Porter acknowledged the efforts made by the Government of Pakistan in meeting the various program quarterly targets. He stated that these efforts have resulted in positive conclusion of the technical level talks. He said that both the teams had extensive talks on various aspects of the SBA and appreciated the role played by the finance minister and her team and the governor SBP along with his team in technical level talks.

An IMF mission has been in Pakistan for the last two weeks for technical- and policy-level talks to review whether the government was on track to meet benchmarks set under the $3 billion standby

NEPRA delays decision on transferring above Rs 22b burden to power consumers

Okays amends to Hajj Policy 2024 to allow return of unutilized sponsorship schemes quota to Saudi govt ISLAMABAD

Staff RepoRt

The federal cabinet in its meeting chaired by Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq on Wednesday accorded approval, upon the recommendation of Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), to impose 40 percent tax on windfall profit earned by banks on the foreign exchange transactions during the calendar year of 2021-22.

The Finance Act, 2023 introduced a new section 99D in the Income Tax Ordinance 20121 which would enforce the imposition of tax on windfall income profits and gains of the banks.

The cabinet also approved amendments to Hajj Policy 2024 under which the government and private unutilized sponsorship schemes quota would be returned to the Saudi government, PM Office Media Wing said in a press release.

Besides, in accordance with the Saudi government’s laws, a foolproof monitoring system over the financial arrangements of Hajj groups organizers

would be enforced whereas under the new Hajj policy, the children below the age of 10 years would be able to perform the religious obligation.

For the pilgrims above the age of 80 years, conditions for keeping an assistant/helper would be relaxed. However, Hajj group organizers would enter into agreements with the Hujjaj in this regard, enabling them to enlist services of local supporters during their stay in Saudi Arabia. This condition would be inserted in the agreement for provision of services and its violation would lead to imposition of fine and blacklisting of relevant Hajj group organizer, it was added.

The meeting also sanctioned reduction in the hardship Hajj quota. A total of 50 percent quota of hiring the local supporters would be dedicated to those Pakistani students who are studying in different universities of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and their deployment would be made as welfare staff. The cabinet in its previous meeting had constituted a committee to bring improvement in the Hajj policy 2024 and under its recommendations the above mentioned

ISLAMABAD

ahmad ahmadani

amendments were made.

The meeting also approved holding of negotiations on Bilateral Investment Treaties with Saudi Arabia and Qatar on the recommendation of the Investment Board. Upon the proposal of Ministry of Trade, the cabinet sanctioned constitution of a committee with regard to hearing of appeals against orders of Trade Organizations Regulators, exemption and flexibility in the provisions of Import Policy Order 2022 and Export Policy Order 2022.

The minister for trade would act as convener of the committee whereas ministers for law and planning would be the other members. The federal cabinet, upon the recommendation of the interior ministry, also approved inclusion of Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Kyrgyz Democrat in the business visa list. It also allowed removal of the names of 18 persons from the Exit Control List (ECL) whereas placing of 9 other names in the list on the advice of the interior ministry.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 03

Fact-finding panel probing Faizabad sit-in mandated to grill ex-PM, COAS or CJP: CJP Isa ISLAMABAD

Staff RepoRt

Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa on Wednesday said the government’s fact-finding commission, constituted to probe into the 2017 Faizabad sit-in, was empowered to summon the former prime minister, ex-army chief and thenCJP for ‘questioning.’

“The no one is exempt and the commission have the mandate to call anyone for investigation,” CJP Qazi Faez Isa observed while heading a three-member Supreme Court bench hearing a set of review petitions filed against the SC’s 2019 judgement in the Faizabad sit-in case. The bench, headed by CJP Qazi Faez Isa, comprises Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Aminuddin Khan.

Authored by Justice Isa years before he took oath as the chief justice, the verdict had instructed the De-

fence Ministry and the tri-services chiefs to penalise personnel under their command who were found to have violated their oath.

It had also directed the federal government to monitor those advocating hate, extremism and terrorism and prosecute them in accordance with the law.

Adverse observations were also made against sev-

arrangement agreed in July.

The IMF team led by Nathan Porter visited Islamabad from November 2-15, and held discussions with the authorities on the implementation of the SBA conditions.

The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) on Tuesday reserved its decision on shifting a burden exceeding Rs 22 billion to all the electricity consumers of the country. Earlier, power distribution companies (XWDISCOs) filed request with NEPRA for adjustments on account of capacity charges, transmission charges & market operator fee, the impact of incremental units and impact of T & D losses on FCA and variables operation & maintenance charges for the 1st quarter of FY 2023-24 i-e July to September 2023, in line with the notified mechanism in this regard.

And, the NEPRA on Tuesday conducted hearing on the application of XWDISCOs under the chairmanship of NEPRA chairman Waseem Mukhtar and announced that it would issue final decision later. NEPRA officials, during the course of hearing, said that XWDISCOs have sought a total increase of more than Rs22 billion and 56 crore and its impact will come depending on which month this quarterly adjustment is received from the consumers. They said if the increase in power tariff is approved then the power tariff hike in the next three months will be around Rs 1.25 per unit.

Govt slashes petrol price

by Rs2.04, HSD by Rs6.47

CONTINUED ON PAGE 03

ISLAMABAD

Staff RepoRt

eral government departments for causing inconvenience to the public as the 20-day sit-in paralysed life in the twin cities. Subsequently, the Ministry of Defence, the Intelligence Bureau, the PTI, Pemra, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), AML chief Sheikh Rashid and Ijazul Haq filed petitions against the verdict.

Most of the petitioners, however, withdrew their pleas, prompting the CJP to ask “why is everyone so afraid of speaking the truth”. During proceedings on Wednesday, Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) Mansoor Usman Awan informed the bench that the federal government had formed a new fact-finding commission to probe into the sit-in.

“Comprising three members, the fact-finding committee is tasked with investigation and fixing responsibility for the sit-in besides recommending legal action against them.

The federal government on Wednesday reduced the prices of petrol and high-speed diesel (HSD) by Rs2.04 and Rs6.47 per litre, respectively, for the next fortnight. According to a notification from the Ministry of Finance, the new prices of petrol and HSD are Rs281.34 and Rs296.71. Meanwhile, the prices of kerosene oil and light-diesel oil were reduced by Rs6.05 and Rs9.01 per litre, respectively, to Rs204.98 and Rs180.45. Informed officials had earlier predicted that the prices of petrol and HSD would decline by Rs8 to Rs10 per litre each, mainly due to lower prices in the international market. The officials had said that the international prices of both HSD and petrol had fallen over the past two weeks. However, the rupee had depreciated against the dollar during the same period, reducing the benefit of lower international prices for consumers. For price calculations, officials said that HSD had become about $9 per barrel cheaper on average, down from about $113 to $104, during the week, while the price of petrol had dropped by a dollar from $91 to $90. The rupee, on the other hand, lost Rs6 in value against the dollar, declining from Rs280 to Rs286.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 03

CONTINUED ON PAGE 03

PM Kakar envisages ML-1 as most favourable transit route for region ISLAMABAD

Staff RepoRt

Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar on Wednesday vowed to complete Main Line-1 (ML-1) project on a priority basis as it would improve connectivity between the country’s seaports with its economic zones, describing the ML-1 railway project under CPEC as most favourable transit route for the regional countries.

While chairing a meeting held to discuss ML-1 railway project here at the PM House, PM Anwaarul Haq Kakar said the project would contribute to the improvement of communication network in the country.

The prime minister said there existed huge potential for foreign investment in Pakistan Railways and stressed the need for early materialization of its projects. He stressed meeting the targets of the project within stipulated time and directed the formulation of a comprehensive reform strategy for Pakistan Railways to maximize the benefits of the ML-1.

Emphasizing transparency in the implementation of ML-1, he said the project would result in the creation of new employment opportunities and reduced travel time and freight rates. The meeting was told that the ML-1 project was in its final stage of modalities and its ground-breaking would be performed by early next year.

The project will be completed in two phases. In the first phase, a 930-kilometre-long rail track will be laid from Karachi to Multan. Also, the railway infrastructure damaged by the 2022 flood will be upgraded as per international standards.

In the next phase, the 796-kilometrelong rail track from Multan to Peshawar will be laid in line with the requirements of the future.

The meeting was attended by caretaker federal ministers including Shamshad Akhtar and Sami Saeed, PM’s Adviser Ahad Khan, PM’s Special Assistant Jahanzeb Khan, and senior officials of the ministries concerned.

02 NEWS

MEEZAN EXCHANGE COMPANY GETS CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION FROM SECP

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Thursday, 16 November, 2023 | LAHORE

change, remittances, and other related activities in compliance with the Shariah principles.

The establishment of the exchange company was approved by Meezan Bank’s board in September 2023, with Rs 1 billion as paid-up capital after which the bank obtained the no-objection certificate (NOC) from the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP).

Meezan Bank will now apply to SBP for the license to commence operations of the exchange company, as per the SBP Exchange Companies Manual.

The bank expects to launch the ex-

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EEZAN Exchange Company (Pvt) Limited has received the certificate of incorporation from the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP).

Meezan Bank disclosed to the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) in a stock filing on Wednesday that the exchange company will be its wholly owned subsidiary and will offer services such as currency ex-

SBP gives go-ahead to ASA Microfinance Bank to commence operations

private banks involved in foreign exchange activities were mandated to establish wholly owned Exchange Companies, designed to address the legitimate foreign exchange requirements of the general public.

The SBP also raised the minimum capital requirement for exchange companies from Rs 200 million to Rs 500 million, with the additional stipulation that the capital must be unencumbered by prior losses.

In compliance to the new regulations, major banks including United Bank Limited (UBL), Meezan Bank, MCB Bank Limited (MCB), Bank AL Habib (BAHL),

IMF unhappy with creating group of preferred investors under SIFC PROFIT

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change company in the near future and provide its customers with a convenient and reliable platform for their foreign exchange needs.

REFORMS IN EXCHANGE COMPANIES SECTOR In September, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) introduced a series of structural reforms pertaining to exchange companies, with the primary objective of tightening control over the open market and fortifying governance, internal controls, and compliance standards within the sector.

As a part of this initiative, public and

The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has allowed ASA Microfinance Bank (Pakistan) Limited to commence microfinance lending business nationwide.

The SBP said that the ASA Microfinance Bank (Pakistan) Limited, licensed under the Microfinance Institutions Ordinance 2001, is a wholly owned subsidiary of ASA International Group plc. which is recognized as one of the world’s largest international microfinance institutions.

By commencing the microfinance lending business, ASA Microfinance Bank will be the 12th Microfinance Bank (MFB) to operate in the country.

According to the SBP, microfinance banks (MFBs) play an important role in serving a large number of microcredit borrowers and depositors. They have approximately a three percent share of total advances of the banking system, however, in terms of number of domestic borrowers, MFBs have a share of 58.6 percent, signifying their importance in Pakistan’s credit market, financial inclusion and economy.

The commencement of business by ASA Microfinance Bank (Pakistan) Limited is expected to increase the market share of MFBs regulated by SBP within the overall microfinance sector.

It is expected that ASA Microfinance Bank will contribute towards poverty alleviation and financial inclusion mandate under the Microfinance Institution Ordinance, 2001.

Given the focus on women across their international network, ASA Microfinance Bank (Pakistan) Limited is expected to play an important role towards gender mainstreaming and female empowerment by providing small, socially responsible loans to low-income women entrepreneurs belonging to less-privileged and unbanked segments of the society, the SBP said.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has cautioned Pakistan against establishing a Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) with preferred investors, emphasizing the importance of transparency and accountability in business dealings.

As reported by Dawn, Deputy Chairman Planning Commission Dr Jehanzeb Khan revealed that the IMF mission questioned the necessity of creating another institution like SIFC, expressing concerns about potential distortions and advising against the selection of preferred investors.

During ongoing discussions, the IMF stressed that transparency and ac-

hoarding of foreign exchange and speculative pricing for helping determine the actual value of the rupee.

Sources revealed that the IMF and Pakistani authorities covered most policy-level discussions, with a few outstanding issues. Both sides engaged in clarifications on Tuesday during the finalization of the Memorandum of Economic and Financial Policies (MEFP).

The expectation is for positive conclusions on Wednesday, following which the IMF staff mission will present Pakistan’s case to the executive board for approval of the first quarterly review under the nine-month $3 billion Standby Arrangement signed in July.

This approval would pave the way for Pakistan to receive the $710 million second tranche early next month.

countability should be paramount in such matters.

Dr Khan highlighted that the implementation of the IMF program is in the country’s best interest, citing no current difficulties with IMF advice for enhanced taxation on the wealthy.

He stated that the people have already borne the full burden of the program and its backlog, and the focus should now shift towards easing the situation.

Dr Khan acknowledged that past challenges stemmed from delays and partial implementation of necessary adjustments. However, he noted the satisfaction of the IMF team with the SIFC briefing and explanations provided.

In response to questions, he credited administrative measures against

Implementation of tobacco harm reduction strategies advocated in Pakistan ISLAMABAD

Ghulam abbas

Traditional tobacco control measures have reached a plateau, prompting the call for a shift towards more effective and globally accepted ‘tobacco harm reduction’ (THR) strategies. Renowned researcher and policy advisor, Dr. Muhammad Rizwan Junaid, emphasized the urgent need for these strategies to save over 1.2 million lives in Pakistan.

Speaking at the ‘Break Thru Science’ round table discussion organized by ‘Irada,’ Dr. Rizwan highlighted the potential of THR products in reducing toxic exposures by 80% and decreasing tobacco-related premature deaths by 70%.

Referring to the research study ‘Integrating Harm Reduction Into Tobacco Control’ conducted in London, Dr. Rizwan underscored the importance of providing policymakers and public health experts with estimates of the potential benefits of tobacco harm reduc-

countries, where a significant decrease in smoking figures has been observed. The European Union (EU) has set the ambitious goal of becoming smoke-free by 2040, with a primary focus on adopting THR to drive down smoking rates and reduce related mortality and morbidity.

During the discussion, health experts urged the government to incorporate tobacco harm reduction strategies into public health regulatory frameworks. Emphasizing the importance of proportional regulations on nicotine products based on health risks, they stressed the need to make healthier choices easily accessible.

The initiative ‘Irada’ was acknowledged as a platform recognizing the crucial role tobacco harm reduction plays in minimizing the health impact of smoking in Pakistan. As the country faces a critical juncture in tobacco control, the adoption of THR strategies emerges as a pivotal solution to save lives and promote public health.

tion. The study revealed that countries like Pakistan, South Africa, Bangladesh, and Kazakhstan could significantly save lives through the widespread adoption of THR strategies.

In particular, the study indicated that Pakistan stands to save 1.2 million lives by incorporating THR strategies into its tobacco control policies. Dr. Rizwan urged the government to recognize the transformative potential of THR products, already utilized by 112 million people worldwide, in addressing this national crisis.

Highlighting advancements in biotechnology, pharmaceutical innovation, and diagnostics over the past two decades, Dr. Rizwan pointed out the development of THR products meeting the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) criteria for protecting public health.

Experts at the round table discussion drew attention to the success of tobacco harm reduction strategies in European

Pre-arrest bail of MD of construction company rejected ISLAMABAD

Ejaz arshad ChEEma

Additional District and Sessions Judge (ADSJ) Islamabad (East) Syed Muhammad Haroon on Wednesday dismissed a pre arrest bail of Managing Director of a construction company due to non appearance in bank cheque disowning case.

The judge also ordered police to arrest the accused identified as Lt Col (R) Shehzad Ali Kiani, Managing Director (MD) AAA Associates, and produce him before the court.

“Accused/petitioner Shehzad Ali Kiani who is on ad-interim bail was not present on first, second and third call, which shows that the accused/petitioner has lost interest in the instant pre arrest

bail partition,” observed ADSJ Syed Muhammad Haroon in his verdict.

The judge also remarked that this is a petition for grant of pre arrest bail, wherein the attendance of accused/petitioner is mandatory. “Hence, the instant pre-arrest bail petition is dismissed due to non-ap-

pearance of accused/petitioner. File be consigned to record room after its due completion and compilation,” said ADSJ Syed Muhammad Haroon in his decision.

It may be noted here that Islamabad police had registered cases against AAA Associates MD Lt Col (R) Shehzad Ali Kiyani under section 489F of CrPC with Police Station Luibheer on complaints of investors for not paying the monthly rents for their investments in a project PC OCTA in a private housing society adjacent to GT Road.

The accused managed to obtain pre arrest bail and later on did not appear before court of law. Also, Islamabad police has registered yet another case against AAA Associates Chairman Fawad Bashir Sheikh under section 489F CrPC and started con-

ducting raids to arrest the accused.

The case registered with PS Tarnol on complaint of Maryam Noor, a resident of Bahria Town Phase 7. According to contents of First Information Report (FIR), the complainant Maryam Noor had given Rs 30 million to Fawad Bashir Sheikh for running a business.

Later on, Fawad Bashir Sheikh had issued a bank cheque worth Rs 30 million in her favour which was disowned the bank.

Police registered a case against the accused and began investigation.

It may be noted that Fawad Bashir Sheikh was recently released by a court from Adiala Jail on bail for his alleged involvement in a series of cases of swallowing the hard-earned money of investors and not paying them monthly rents.

Allied Bank Limited (ABL), Faysal Bank Limited (FABL), Bank Alfalah (BAFL), Habib Metropolitan Bank, Askari Bank Limited, Bank of Punjab and Bank of Khyber announced to establish their own forex companies.

The SBP has recently issued no-objection certificate (NOC) to ABL and MCB for establishing their exchange companies.

Notably, Habib Bank Limited (HBL) and the National Bank of Pakistan (NPB) had ventured into exchange companies before the implementation of these new SBP regulatory measures.

Experts call for robust LG structures to drive inclusive climate-resilient infrastructure policies

ISLAMABAD

staff rEport

Experts have urged the government to set up strong local government structures to ensure participatory policy-making for climate-resilient development infrastructure.

Senator Sherry Rehman stated this while speaking at the launch of a research report here on Wednesday that looks into the causes and effects of those floods.

The launch of report was jointly organized by the Alliance for Climate Justice and Clean Energy (ACJCE), a voluntary network of think tanks, civil society organizations, activists and academics, and its founding member organization, Policy Research Institute for Equitable Development (PRIED).

The participants talked about the losses and damages caused by faulty water and drainage infrastructure.

Sherry Rehman emphasized the need for an adaptation strategy to safeguard marginalized communities from the adverse impacts of climate change.

The lead author of the report Dr Ahsan Kamal said that flawed water infrastructure exacerbated the impacts of last year’s super floods in several parts of Pakistan.

The research report is based on case studies on Left Bank Outfall Drain and Right Bank Outfall Drain in Sindh, Chashma Right Bank Canal in Damaan region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab, small dams across Balochistan and large dams in GilgitBaltistan.

According to report, these structures have caused many disasters over the last decade or so because of their unsuitable location, poor design and incompatibility with their natural surroundings.

Zain Moulvi, a legal expert pointed out that IFIs have acknowledged the problems with these projects in at least two cases – namely Left Bank Outfall Drain and Chashma Right Bank Canal. But, he said, this acknowledgement has not led to any changes in these projects let alone to any compensation to the people being affected by them.

At the end of the launch, Azhar Lashary, a director of PRIED demanded that the IFIs must acknowledge their role in creating and complicating Pakistan’s climatic, energy and economic crises. He also demanded that the IFIs must also compensate the communities affected by the projects funded by them, revoke all the loans and surcharges incurred by these projects and work for their decommissioning as well.

Power consumers likely to be burdened as govt mulls Rs1.25/unit increase PROFIT

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Power consumers are likely to face further economic burden as The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) has indicated the possibility of allowing Power Distribution Companies (DISCOs), including K-Electric, to collect an additional Rs1.25/unit under quarterly tariff adjustment from consumers in their utility bills for December 2023, January, and February 2024.

During a public hearing held on Tuesday to address the petition submitted by power companies seeking approval to transfer Rs22.92 billion to power consumers, NEPRA considered the first quarterly adjustments for the fiscal year 2023-24, covering the period from July to September.

NEPRA Chairman Waseem Mukhtar presided over the proceedings, with the authority’s members in attendance. The regulatory authority stated that a reduction in inflation, a strengthened rupee against the dollar, and lower crude oil prices would not lead to a decrease in tariffs. Instead, adjustments would be made through regular quar-

terly and monthly reviews.

Both the federal government and NEPRA recently raised the base tariff, citing high inflation, oil prices, and exchange rates as reasons. However, they now indicate that the tariff change tends to be for June 2024.

Regarding the reported demand from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to further increase power tariffs, NEPRA members clarified that they had not received any petition from the government and, as a result, could not offer a comment on the matter.

While NEPRA has not issued a definitive decision, a potential increase of Rs1.25 per unit was discussed based on the analysis of data provided by the companies, as mentioned by a senior official during the hearing. The authority is expected to announce its final decision in the coming days.

If approved, the positive adjustment will apply to all Discos and K-Electric customers, excluding lifeline customers, based on recent federal government guidelines.

The decision under the Quarterly Tariff Adjustment (QTA) for Discos will automatically apply to K-Electric with the same amount and timeframe.

Representing the Discos, the Central Power Purchasing Agency (CPPA) highlighted various factors, including capacity charges, variable operation and maintenance (O&M) costs, additional recovery on incremental sales, use of system charges, market operator fees, and Fuel Cost Adjustment (FCA) impact on transfer and distribution (T&D) losses for the quarter.

Out of the total additional amount of Rs22.92 billion, Discos sought permission to collect Rs12.96 billion from clients as capacity charges. This amount will be allocated to independent power producers (IPPs) to cover the cost of electricity that Discos did not inject into the national demand due to system constraints or low electricity requirements.

Consumers will also be required to pay Rs4.28 billion as variable O&M costs, Rs6.42 billion for T&D losses on monthly FCA, and Rs10.3 billion for use of system charges and market operator fees.

Based on NEPRA’s decision on November 3, 2021, regarding the federal government’s motion for the winter incentive package, “No quarterly adjustments would be applicable on incremental consumption” for Discos and K-Electric.

The impact of incremental units for the quarter is calculated at a negative Rs11.047 billion, representing the cost of units purchased for industrial incremental sales.

Data shared with NEPRA indicates that various Discos demanded recoveries, with IESCO seeking Rs5.542 billion, Lesco Rs10.305 billion, Fesco Rs4.754 billion, Pesco Rs2.096 billion, Tesco Rs1.195 billion, Hesco Rs1.056 billion, and Sepco Rs926 million. Mepco and Qesco have shown savings of Rs728 million and Rs2.625 billion, respectively. The inefficiencies, power losses, and theft in Discos’ systems will be recovered from consumers in the form of these recoveries.

Thursday, 16 November, 2023 | LAHORE

PRESIDENT ALVI PRESENTS LCCI ‘OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION AWARD’ TO CHINESE SCIENTIST

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ISLAMABAD

staff rEport

RESIDENT Dr. Arif Alvi presented the Outstanding Contribution Award to the first Chinese recipient. The award was bestowed upon Yang Yuanzhu, head researcher for the hybrid rice varieties and vice president of Yuan Longping Hitech, a renowned Chinese Agriculture company, in recognition of their exceptional contribution to the economic development and bilateral trade between Pakistan and China.

It was a historical moment for the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), as it was in connection with its 14th Outstanding Contribution Award celebration, Gwadar Pro reported on Wednesday. The Outstanding Contribution Award is created by the chamber for people who have made a significant contribution to the country’s economic development.

A total of 13 people were honored this

IHC turns down Qureshi’s bail plea in cypher case

time, with Yang Yuanzhu being the first non-Pakistani recipient of the award since its inception. On the occasion, President Dr. Arif Alvi delivered a major speech in which he highly acknowledged and lauded the outstanding contribution of Chinese hybrid

ISLAMABAD

IHC restores Imran’s right of bail in Toshakhana case ISLAMABAD

staff rEport

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday rejected a bail application of former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in cypher case. Justice Aamer Farooq heard the bail plea and had earlier reserved its verdict. Earlier, on Tuesday IHC stayed inprison trial of PTI chief Imran Khan and Vice Chairman Qureshi in the cypher case by a special court established under the Official Secrets Act (OSA). A two-member bench comprising Justice Miangul Hasan Aurangzeb and Justice Suman Rifat Imtiaz also summoned the entire record of the jail trial within two days. The court said that allowing a few family members to attend the hearing did not make it an open court hearing. In the same case, another IHC bench reserved its ruling on the restoration of Imran’s bail application in an accountability court of Islamabad. During the hearing of Imran’s intra-court appeal against his jail trial and appointment of the special court judge in the cipher case, Justice Aurangzeb asked the prosecution to apprise the court that under which circumstances the decision of trial in jail was taken. Justice Aurangzeb recalled that the trial of the accused in the Indira Gandhi assassination case was held inside a jail in India but even then, the journalists, including those who were from BBC, were allowed to cover it. The judge also noted that the manner in which charges were filed in the cipher case could not be termed open court proceedings. He also held the view that the three notifications about jail trials were not in accordance with the IHC rules.

Cabinet thumbs up for 40pc tax on banks’ profit during 2021-22 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 01

While on the recommendation of the ministry of Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit Baltistan, it approved Jammu and Kashmir State Property Budget for the fiscal year 2023-24. For the current year, its budget earmarked at Rs267.590 million. The meeting approved signing of Hong Kong International Convention 2009 for the safe and environment sound recycling of ships and preparation of draft Instrument of Accession in this regard on the suggestion of ministry of maritime affairs. Under the convention, Pakistan would legislate over recycling of ships and training would be imparted to the relevant staff, besides enhancing their capacity. Moreover, for the disposal of any hazardous wastes/materials in the recycling process, availability of the relevant technological instruments would be ensured. The safety of labourers linked with the recycling industry would be ensured. It would hugely benefit ship recycling industry in Pakistan. Upon the advice of Cabinet Secretariat, the federal cabinet also granted exemption to Trading Corporation of Pakistan from the Rules 8, 13, 35, 38 and 40 of the Public Regulatory Authority Rules 2004, for the procurement of 200,000 metric ton urea from the international market.

rice to Pakistan’s food production and foreign exchange earnings from rice exports.

Under the leadership of Yang Yuanzhu, the Yuan Longping High-Tech R&D team has developed a batch of high-quality hybrid rice varieties suitable for marketing in

Pakistan through 10 years of efforts.

In the last three years, the average annual sales of hybrid rice seeds have been around 5 million kg with a market share of about 40 percent, ranking first among all seed companies in Pakistan.

With an annual uplift of over 800,000 acres of mixed rice, an annual increase of over 1.5 million tons of rice and an annual increase of over $300 million in foreign exchange, the team has made an outstanding contribution to the grain increase and economic development of Pakistan.

In 1999, Yuan Longping High-Tech and Pakistan Guard Agricultural Services signed a cooperation agreement to jointly develop hybrid rice in Pakistan and for more than 20 years, the two sides have been working closely to promote hybrid rice in Pakistan to take root, flower and bear fruit.

In 2013, to better utilize the high-quality rice germplasm resources in Pakistan, Yuan Longping High-Tech established Yuan Longping South Asia Seed Research and Development Company in Pakistan.

staff rEport

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday restored the right of bail of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan’s in Toshakhana case and dismissed a similar in the £190 million settlement case on grounds that he had already been arrested in it.

IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq announced the reserved verdict. Last week, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had raised objections to a plea in the IHC for restoring the bail applications of the PTI chief in Toshakhana investigation and the £190 million scam case.

Imran’s bail application was dismissed by an accountability court for not appearing in the court. In his petition in the IHC, Imran contended that since he was under arrest at that time therefore he could not appear in the court in person. He requested the court to reinstate his bail application.

An IHC bench, led by Justice Farooq and including Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri heard the petition.

Deputy NAB Prosecutor General Sardar Muzaffar Abbasi raised the objec-

tion that bail applications could not be restored under the NAB Ordinance.

Two days ago, the NAB arrested Imran in connection with its investigations into the Toshakhana and £190 million corruption cases.

A NAB Rawalpindi team led by Assistant Director Waqarul Hasan arrested Imran from Adiala jail, after taking permission from an accountability court.

The team also interrogated the PTI chairman for over one hour. Imran is currently detained at Adiala Jail in connection with a cypher case registered under the Official Secrets Act, 1923.

A day later, the government approved the law ministry’s request seeking Imran’s in-prison trial in connection with the £190 million settlement case. The

ministry had earlier sent a circulation summary regarding the same to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). The approval was later notified by the law ministry.

Following the government’s approval, NAB’s team arrived at Adiala jail seeking Imran’s physical remand.

Later, an accountability court rejected Imran’s request for a 10-day physical remand in the £190 million settlement case. The hearing took place in Adiala jail, where Judge Muhammad Bashir presided over the proceedings and reserved the judgment.

NAB Prosecutor Muzaffar Abbasi had submitted a written request for a 10-day physical remand for the former premier. However, Salman Safdar, the legal counsel for PTI chairman, opposed the physical remand and filed a judicial remand request. Granting the request, the judge remarked that the PTI chief would remain in judicial remand.

The £190 million (approximately Rs60 billion) settlement case pertains to the money of a property tycoon being laundered and caught by the UK authorities during Imran’s government in 2019. The UK government had informed the Pakistani authorities regarding the money being caught.

NEPRA delays decision on transferring above Rs22b burden to power consumers CONTINUED FROM PAGE 01

They said XWDISCOs reduced power purchase in July, August and September as their purchase of power was decreased by 9.50 percent. XWDISCOs purchased total 38 billion units instead of 42 billion, said NEPRA officials. Adjustments could have been negative if the figures were as per reference cost, they added. Responding to a question, NEPRA officials clarified that increase in power tariff will be applicable to all customers across the country under quarterly adjustment because uniform increase will be applied across the country on the direction of the federal government. They said that implementation of quarterly adjustments in the case of K-Electrics faced delays. They said difference of K-Electric’s quarterly adjustments between the adjustments of the DISCOs is paid by the federal government with subsidy. Final decision regarding power price hike will be issued later, said NEPRA Authority at the end of public hearing on quarterly adjustment sought by the XWDISCOs on account of variation in Power Purchase Price (PPP) for the 1st quarter of fiscal year 2023-24.

According to a summary of adjustment requested by XWDISCOs, the WXDISCOs requested total Rs 12,126 million amount on account of capacity charges for the 1st quarter of FY 2023-24 i-e July to September 2023, in line with the notified mechanism in this regard.

As per details, FESCO has sought Rs 3,639 million amount on account of capacity charges, HESCO requested Rs 9 million amount, IESCO Rs 3,743 million, LESCO Rs 10,450 million, SEPCO Rs138 million and TESCO Rs 927 million while GEPCO requested Rs 620 million cut under the head capacity charges, MEPCO Rs 2,754 million reduction, PESCO Rs 93 million decrease, QESCO Rs 3,313 million cut on account of capacity charges.

Similarly, the ten XWDISCOs requested Rs 4,617 million amount on account of variable O&M charges as FESCO sought Rs1,033 million, GEPCO Rs 471 million, HESCO Rs188 million, IESCO Rs306 million, LESCO Rs 1,021 million, MEPCO Rs 788 million, PESCO Rs488 million, QESCO Rs 173 million, SEPCO Rs 149 million and TESCO asked for Rs 40 million under the same head of variable O&M charges.

Likewise, WXDISCOs advocated for total Rs4,617 million amount under the head UoSC & MbF as FESCO requested Rs 1,528 million amount, GEPCO Rs918 million, HESCO Rs665 million, IESCO Rs 1,190 million, LESCO Rs 2,650 million, MEPCO Rs1,433 million, PESCO Rs 1,004 million, QESCO Rs198 million, SEPCO Rs 358 million and TESCO Rs303 million on account of UoSC & MbF. Furthermore, XWDISCOs pleaded for total Rs 6,617 million amount on ac-

count of impact of T&D losses on monthly FCA as FESCO requested Rs 640 million amount, GEPCO Rs560 million, HESCO Rs496 million, IESCO Rs548 million, LESCO Rs1,124 million, MEPCO Rs1,253 million, PESCO Rs1,260 million, QESCO Rs317 million, SEPCO Rs367 million and TESCO Rs52 million.

It is also learnt from the summary of adjustment requested the XWDISCOs that FESCO has requested total Rs 4,189 million amount on account of capacity charges, transmission charges & market operator fee, the impact of incremental units and impact of T & D losses on FCA and variables operation & maintenance charges for the 1st quarter of FY 2023-24 i-e July to September 2023, in line with the notified mechanism in this regard.

GEPCO sought total Rs 396 million decrease, HESCO Rs 1,056 million, IESCO Rs 5,542 million, LESCO Rs 10,308 million, PESCO Rs2,096 million, SEPCO Rs 926 million, TESCO Rs 1,196 million while MEPCO requested Rs 520 million reduction, PESCO Rs 926 million amount and QESCO Rs 2,625 million decrease on account of capacity charges, transmission charges & market operator fee, the impact of incremental units and impact of T & D losses on FCA and variables operation & maintenance charges for the 1st quarter of FY 2023-24 i-e July to September 2023, in line with the notified mechanism in this regard.

NEWS 03

Shan Masood appointed Test captain, Shaheen Afirdi to lead T20

CONTINUED FROM BACK PAGE

Babar made the major announcement just moments after he met Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Management Committee Chairman Zaka Ashraf at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium, where, sources said, he was offered to remain the team’s skipper in Tests, but he refused. An official statement issued following the meeting said the PCB chief and Babar met had a “cordial meeting” to discuss various aspects and the World Cup performance. “Babar was asked to continue as Test captain, while he has been relieved of captaincy in white-ball cricket for him to focus on one format,” the statement added. After consultation with his family, Babar decided to step down and PCB stands behind his decision, the PCB said. “PCB respects his decision and continues to support him as a player.” In the statement, Ashraf described Babar as truly a world-class player, saying the cricket board wanted him to continue to thrive as a player. “He is one of the best batters Pakistan has ever produced. He is our asset, and we will continue to support him.

His batting prowess is a testament to his dedication and skill. He is a role model for the present generation “We want to see him grow as a great batter and now without his additional burden of the captaincy, he can focus more on his performances to reach even greater heights. We respect his decision and will continue to back him,” the statement added. Babar has featured in 49 Tests and scored 3,772 runs which includes nine centuries and 26 half-centuries. Meanwhile, the PCB has changed the portfolio of the entire coaching staff including Director Cricket Mickey Arthur. All coaches, the PCB said will continue to work in the National Cricket Academy while PCB will announce the new coaching staff in due course for the upcoming series in Australia and New Zealand.

Shehbaz to Bilawal: Will accept whoever public chooses as PM CONTINUED FROM BACK PAGE

Shehbaz clarified that he wasn’t absolving himself of any blame, as human beings made mistakes. He further said that as the nation headed towards elections, they would be led

by Nawaz Sharif. Talking about the disgruntled Baloch settled abroad, he said they would have to be taken on board. Earlier, Shehbaz said politics for the sake of politics was no service. He said he had come to meet Lashkari Raisani whom they had 50-year family ties. Everyone will have to work together for the development of Balochistan and solve its problems. “Nawaz Sharif isn’t a politician, he is a statesman, who loves every province. He has a vision for the development of Balochistan,” Shehbaz added. He said they had come to invite Raisani to join the PML-N because of whom the party will prosper. In the coming days, there will be further progress.

Govt slashes petrol price by Rs2.04, HSD

by Rs6.47 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 01

The government has already reached the maximum permissible limit of Rs60 per litre in petroleum development le vy (PDL), as stipulated by the law. The government’s budget target is to collect Rs869 billion as PDL on petroleum products for the current fiscal year, in accordance with commitments to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Despite a gradual increase in per litre rates on petrol and almost unchanged rates at Rs50 per litre for petrol in the first quarter of the fiscal year, the total PDL collection had exceeded Rs222bn in the first quarter ending September 30, 2023. On October 31, the government had kept the petrol and HSD prices unchanged. Earlier, between August 15 and Sept 15, petrol and HSD prices had surged by Rs58.43 and Rs55.83 per litre, respectively, reaching a historic Rs331 to Rs333 per litre at the retail stage until Sept 30. Subsequently, rates for petrol and diesel were reduced

by Rs52 and Rs26 per litre, respectively, in two cuts with effect from Oct 1 and 16. Presently, the government is charging about Rs80 per litre tax on both petrol and HSD. Despite a zero general sales tax on all petroleum products, the government levies Rs60 per litre as PDL on both products.

Fact-finding panel probing Faizabad sit-in mandated to grill ex-PM, COAS or CJP: CJP Isa CONTINUED FROM PAGE 01

It will submit its findings to the federal government within two months”, he informed. During the previous hearing, former Pemra chief Absar Alam had made revelations on the interference of intelligence agencies and “media coercion” during the Faizabad sit-in.

In an order issued on the petitions earlier this week, the SC had stated that it expects the government to finalise the fact-finding probe on the sit-in within the specified time frame. It had also granted ECP a month to prepare and submit a report on the TLP and its funding.

THE HEARING: As hearing started on Wednesday, the court dismissed Sh Rashid’s review petition after the AML chief appeared before the bench and said he wanted to withdraw his appeal.

Addressing the former minister, the chief justice asked why Rashid had filed a petition when he wanted to withdraw it later. This case was stuck in a limbo for four years, the CJP remarked.

The AML chief said there were some “misunderstandings”. Here, Justice Isa stated that petitions could not be filed on the “orders coming from above”, adding that “everyone knows the truth but no one is courageous

to say it out loud”. For his part, Sh Rashid said it had become difficult to speak the truth these days and clarified that no one had forced him to file the review petition.

“This is not a joke that you will file petitions whenever you want to and withdraw them whenever you wish to,” the chief justice interjected. At the same time, he continued, the question also arises why the appeals were not fixed in such a long time.

“Was the Supreme Court being controlled by forces outside the court at that time?” Justice Isa asked. “First and foremost, we are to be held accountable.”

Subsequently, AGP Awan came to the rostrum and submitted the notification pertaining to the freshly formed fact-finding committee. Here, CJP pointed out that ministers and MNAs who were in power when the sit-in took place were responsible. “If you called for arson and chaos, stand by it. Say you supported it,” he remarked. At that, Rashid started making his way to the rostrum but he was stopped by Justice Isa. “We are talking to your lawyer not you,” he said. Meanwhile, Justice Minallah noted that Rashid was a respectable parliamentarian and clarified that the court did not pass any remarks on him. The CJP commented on the notification, noting concerns about the inclusion of currently serving

individuals in the commission, as their ongoing service could be impacted.

On the other hand, Justice Minallah said every institution should perform its own duties. “Don’t make us do what was done at one time by using powers under Article 184 [of the Constitution],” he stated. Justice Isa then said the court could not doubt the commission beforehand and subsequently dictated the order of the day.

He said the AGP had told the SC that an addition would be made in the TORs of the fact-finding commission to determine if review petitions against the Faizabad dharna were instructions or a coincidence.

The commission, Justice Isa continued, would be empowered to call anyone for investigation and no one would be exempted. It is also empowered to call the names taken by Absar Alam, the ex-prime minister, ex-army chief and the former chief justice, he said.

“We will now hear this case after two months,” he added and adjourned the hearing.

GOVT FORMS NEW COMMISSION: The government had constituted a fact-finding committee last month to ensure compliance with directions included in the 2019 judgement. It had comprised additional secretaries of the ministries of defence, interior and

the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and was expected to furnish its final report to the defence ministry by Dec 1.

However, CJP Isa had rejected the committee during the previous hearing, remarking that the exercise was an “eye wash”. He had also raised questions on the terms of reference (TORs) of the probe.

04 COMMENT

India’s role in global drug trafficking exposed

Balochistan’s electables

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The PML(N)’s gaining support does not bode well for democracy

ML(N) Quaid Mian Nawaz Sharif goes on behaving the way he has since returning to the country from self-imposed exile; as the anointed future Prime Minister. In a scene reminiscent of the 2018 election, only Mian Nawaz took the place of PTI chief Imran Khan. Perhaps the symbol of what was happening was concentrated in the person of Jam Muhammad Kamal. He had served as a minister of state under Mian Nawaz and then Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, but jumped ship in 2018, joining the Balochistan Awami Party and then becoming chief minister when it formed the government. BAP first formed part of Mr Khan’s coalition, but then left him and joined the PDM in forming its government.

PML(N) veterans might like to see this latest development as lost PML(N) sheep coming back to the fold, but it seems more a matter of electables making up their minds as to who is heading for a win, and trying to get a toe in the door. A less charitable view is that those who were delivered in 2018 to the PTI are now being delivered to the PML(N).

It seems the party which contested the 2018 election with the slogan vote ko izzat do (respect the vote) has become a prisoner of the very forces that toppled it, and is eager to take any help it can get to return to power. It may be that that is the only way of obtaining power in Pakistan. If that is the case, then there is very little chance that the people of Pakistan will be heard. The much-touted consensus within the establishment that there would be no further interference in politics, somethin added by none other than then COAS Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa, seems to have gone out of the window, and it seems to be business as usual.

Mian Nawaz may find that electables come at a price. Though they bring enough seats to win a government, they come with strings attached. Part of the problem is the opacity. No one knew what Mr Khan had agreed to in 2018; and no one knows what commitments Mian Nawaz might have made now. This opacity is precisely the reason for the exclusion of the people from a process in which they are supposed to be the ultimate decision-makers; they do not know what has been committed in their name.

India is a major centre of the illegal drug trade

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AJOR drug busts in India have raised alarm bells and serious concerns about the credibility of Indian security agencies in international drug regulatory bodies, as these agencies are playing a double game.

In this regard, on 16 September 2021, the Indian Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) seized a gargantuan consignment of three tons of refined heroin from an Ahmedabad warehouse. Similarly, on September 15, the DRI unearthed one of India’s largest drug hauls— Almost three tonnes of Afghan heroin was seized, estimated to be worth Rs 15,000 crores-from the Mundra port in Gujarat. In recent years, these occurrences continued unabated.

A report suggests a rise in trafficking of drugs for the north-west coast of India, explaining: “Drug cartels succeed in slipping through a much larger amount than what is seized. This indicates India has transitioned into a key narcotics destination… The rising volume in drug trafficking implies that Indian coasts remain vulnerable to the possibility of Narco-terrorism attacks”.

It is now evident that huge drug consignments and suspicious handling by Indian authorities can be termed as tying up loose ends. The shipload of heroin confiscated at the Mundra Port originated from Kandahar and was loaded into two containers at Iran’s Bandar Abbas port. These narcotics were headed to Delhi. Mundra Port is managed by a company owned

by Indian business tycoon Gautam Adani, who is a close friend of Indian PM Narendra Modi.

The Indian authorities are boasting about the seizure as one of the biggest catches ever in the documented history by any drug enforcement agency and projected the Indian government as having a highly skilled anti-narcotics force.

But, the circumstances surrounding the seizure raised eyebrows around the world. Concerned circles asked a plethora of questions which have remained unanswered.

Dedicated to the legacy of late Hameed Nizami

Arif Nizami (Late) Founding Editor

Yousaf Nizami Editor Umar Aziz M. A. Niazi Joint Editor

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Executive Editor

AskAri rAzA MAlik

HE greater the oppression the stronger is the revulsion. Relentless repression could kick the weakest to revolt. When the volcano erupts the weight of the mountains cannot suppress it The difference between living nations matter for their members A saint of old times had said, “The people with faith are alive. Those without it are dead”.

Faith and freedom are essentially intertwined.

The conviction that there is ‘no god but God’ makes the Muslims free and fearless.

Once Omer (RA) saw a prominent man beating a poor mortal. The Caliph was beside himself with rage. “When every man is born free, you have no right to treat him like a slave.”

Freedom is the birthright of all human beings.

Rachid Ghannouchi, a world-famous Tunisian philosopher “defends the value of human freedom from an Islamic perspective.

Ghannouchi argues that mankind’s status as God’s vicegerent (caliph) on earth requires our exercise of reason and freedom. All obligations imposed on mankind by God, beginning with bearing witness to God and His Messenger (PBUH), require the exercise of freedom. He defends multiple conceptions of freedom, beyond freedom from external coercion. Obedience to God renders humans freer than disobedience because it is through religious practice that we learn to control the self and its appetites, and to channel our will towards purposes of ultimate human value. Yet this “positive” conception of freedom nonetheless requires public freedoms and rights to allow humans the space to exercise their moral personality on their own, without coercion or domination.”

The individuals make a nation. Individual freedom is meaningless without unconditional “Public Freedoms”. The first amendment to the US constitution aptly encapsulates the concept of Public Freedoms. It reads: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances”.

A nation is as free as it can independently exercise its right to frame its national policies, without any internal or external constraints, except its national interest; and as it can choose its rulers and follow a system of governess collectively structured by it. Last but not the least,

sAjjAd shAukAt

Alive or Dead

its judiciary is absolutely free and scrupulously honest. It should have the audacity to outrightly reject the evidence of the son of the sitting caliph in establishing his claim against an ordinary citizen.

A living nation asserts itself internally and externally. Assertion is not aggression. It is a polite reminder to others to remain off its turf. It fiercely defends its geographical and ideological frontiers, despite the enemy.

Afghanistan is a nation alive and kicking.

In the first instance, it made a superpower bite the dust and leave Afghanistan in utter disgrace.

In the recent past, it humiliated a combined force of all the remaining superpowers of the world. It is abysmally poor but fiercely free.

While there are many others, atrociously rich but literal slaves.

Once upon a time the Muslims were independent, without fear of any kind, and proud with the overwhelming belief that there was ‘no god but God’. They were hardly a known entity when the Prophet (PBUH) had sent his invitation of Truth to the then superpowers, the Persian and the Byzantine.

A caravan of a few widows and orphans was captured on the Sindh coast. A force was sent from Arabia to Sindh under a 17-year-old commander that defeated the army of Hindu Raja Dahir to rescue the captives.

In the early 1950s, an American couple was kidnapped near the Pakistan-Iran border. The US demanded and the armed forces of both the countries were employed in a rigorous search to recover the kidnapped couple, apparently a well-nigh impossible undertaking.

The nations that are alive jealously guard their rights without caring for the consequences.

Power is no criterion. Iran has done that for over four decades, accepting the dire economic repercussions but unequivocally asserting its freedom and pride.

The living place a high premium on human resource development. They invest heavily in the centre of power, their people, and draw strength from them. The armed forces are one instrument of national security. The real strength lies in the character of the ordinary

Many states within India which have been involved with International Drug Cartels are running illegal multibillion dollar businesses. As per the UNbacked International Narcotics Control Board (INCB), India has become a major hub for illicit drug and trafficking, India shared a major portion in the global drug trade business worth over $650 billion.

From the opium fields of Afghanistan, under the watchful gaze of insurgent warlords, the illicit cultivation of opium poppies fuels India’s drug empire.

India’s insatiable demand is for narcotics, and Afghanistan is the primary source of high-quality heroin and opium. New Delhi has launched a new trade route to landlocked Afghanistan by sea through Iran’s strategic Chabahar port which is a natural gateway for drugs sourced from Afghanistan,, and routed

by Indian drug syndicates.

According to the UN report: “Around 284 million people, aged 15-64 years, used drugs worldwide in 2020, 26 percent increase over the previous decade…

India has the 4th largest quantities of opium seized in 2020. (Representational)…India is one of the world’s single largest opiate markets in terms of users and likely to be vulnerable to increased supply as there are already signs that an intensification of trafficking in opiates originating in Afghanistan may be taking place”.

The UN Office on Drugs and Crime’s (UNODC) World Drug Report 2022 pointed out: “11.2 million people worldwide were injecting drugs…India the world’s largest opiate markets…to southwards and westwards along the traditional Balkan route…Consequences could range from expanded use to increased levels of trafficking and associated organised crime…there is the question of whether the increased availability of opiates could bring an increased number of heroin overdoses and whether increased purity could affect the harm posed by heroin use”.

The report elaborated: “India has the fourth largest quantities of opium seized in 2020 at 5.2 tons

India is a major transit country for drugs which are also being smuggled to Europe and North America. The country also has a significant domestic drug problem, with millions of people addicted to drugs such as heroin, opium, and cannabis

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Karachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9

folk. Without the nation’s support, the fighting machine has limited potential. If an ordinary citizen is demoralized, fearful, insecure and hungry, he becomes diffident. The fight in him is lost to the oppression suffered on a daily basis.

The armed forces are left with nothing to protect their base.

In 1971, the Indian Army knew even the number of bricks laid in our defence works. The Bengalis, defying history and common perceptions had suddenly become alive. More than the enemy, our own brethren hurt us badly, physically, emotionally and psychologically. Our backs were always exposed, not a comfortable prospect by any means.

According to another saint, the majority of the judges’ community will find itself in hell.

Their job is morally highly demanding and their test is arduous. A general impacts his command, a judge influences the entire nation. A God-fearing and courageous judge leads the people by his example, makes the nation fearless and free.

The slave and corrupt judges only catalyze their nation’s demise. “The lack of ethical governance and social justice greatly contribute towards the rise and fall of a nation.”

The Prophet (PBUH) said, “toleration entails abundance and blessings and those lacking it are devoid of God’s grace. Toleration is the basis of wisdom indeed.” Great nations are astonishingly tolerant and broadminded. They can just brush off serious rancour concerning their scriptures and even Prophets. They harbour no false pretensions about honour or religious obsessions. There are no holy cows and no political martyrs, no dynastic claims and no blueblood. They never put their martyrs on sale.

The living beings are watchful, not anachronistic. They perceive and account for the changes in the societal environment. They thus remain forearmed.

The greater the oppression the stronger is the revulsion. Relentless repression could kick the weakest to revolt. When the volcano erupts the weight of the mountains cannot suppress it.

The writer has served in the Pakistan Army as a Major General

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Islamabad – Ph: 051-2204545

and the third highest amount of morphine was also seized from the country the same year at 0.7 tons…In 2020, nine countries in Asia reported seizures amounting to a total of 1.2 tons of tramadol, with India accounting for all but 39 kg. In 2019, India reported seizures amounting to 144 kg, with six other countries reporting combined seizures amounting to 70 kg”.

It added: “llicit opium cultivation takes place in India primarily in, Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttaranchal and Arunachal Pradesh…Drug trade in India involves the organized crime groups, especially at the retail level…High profit and less stringent sentences for drug-related offenses….Efforts towards drug abuse and trade management have not been successful, leading to the expansion of drug use and trade…Vast quantities are smuggled out from India to African countries”.

It is notable that the Italian Police seized a shipload of Tramadol, which they claimed to be sold to the Islamic State in Libya from India. In this respect, the BBC reported: “The Italian Police as saying that the consignment had come from India…Tramadol drugs shipment were traced to be from an Indian pharmaceuticals company, which sold it for $250,000 to a Dubai based importer. Narco-terrorism in India has indigenous and sources through drug trafficking and funding terrorism in the region”.

In this connection, the Vienna-headquartered International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) has published its annual report for 2021, putting the spotlight on the South Asian and the Indian drugs scenario under the topic “analysing of the world situation”. The report disclosed that India is among the “most frequently” listed destinations in the South Asian region for shipping drugs traded over the darknet even as large pharma-companies in the country remain “vulnerable to diversion of their products for narcotics trafficking”.

In the recent past, Indian Border Security Force (BSF) and the Punjab Police have exposed gangs of Indian smugglers using drones for smuggling from across the border. The BSF in a media statement also admitted: “Indian smugglers send drones to Pakistan where their counterparts would load it with drugs and Indian smugglers would fly them back”.

In fact, New Delhi has, also, been using drug money in funding the anti-Pakistan proxies and crossborder terrorism in order to destabilize Pakistan.

Nevertheless, a sinister underbelly of international drug trafficking thrives in India, as it conceals a dark secret which transcends its borders. This is the narrative of India’s Golden Drug Silk Route, and high—stakes patronage which has ensnared powerful business magnates and under the aegis of Indian government officials reached the corridors of political power.

India is a major transit country for drugs which are also being smuggled to Europe and North America. The country also has a significant domestic drug problem, with millions of people addicted to drugs such as heroin, opium, and cannabis.

The acclaimed analysts/subject specialists and mainstream international media are inclined to draw solid conclusions based on recent events and past facts regarding Indian state’s involvement in worldwide sophisticated drug peddling network. Nonetheless, India’s escalating role in global drug trafficking has been exposed.

Sajjad Shaukat writes on international affairs and is author of the book: US vs Islamic Militants, Invisible Balance of Power: Dangerous Shift in International Relations and can be reached at sajjad_logic@yahoo.com

Editor’s mail

The living place a high premium on human resource development. They invest heavily in the centre of power, their people, and draw strength from them. The armed forces are one instrument of national security. The real strength lies in the character of the ordinary folk. Without the nationÊs support, the fighting machine has limited potential. If an ordinary citizen is demoralized, fearful, insecure and hungry, he becomes diffident. The fight in him is lost to the oppression suffered on a daily basis.

Lahore – Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965

Thursday, 16 November, 2023

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

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

Impact of power crisis on business sector

THE soaring power crisis in the country in this extreme weather and suffocating conditions is making it difficult for the people to manage their everyday living. Loadshedding in the locality where I live is done every other hour, and it is all but impossible to plan anything.

I have an ailing mother at home whose oxygen supply must be ensured continuously. However, owing to the crippling power crisis, I have to keep the generator running as a backup round-the-clock which is adding to the expenses. As for the income, it has gone down by more than 30 per cent. I run a small business of atta chakki. With loadshedding of 12 hours every day, operational hours have been reduced, meaning my income has reduced. Besides, employees in my shop cannot be asked to work 24 hours, and for the eight hours that they spend at work, we do not have power for half that time, which means productivity has gone down drastically.

Adding to my misery is the ever-increasing power tariff, which is further topped up with fuel price adjustments on a monthly basis. Since I am the lone breadwinner of the family, things are fast moving where they would soon be beyond my control; or anybody’s control, for that matter. The relevant authorities should handle the matter on a priority basis as it is affecting the physical, emotional and psychological wellbeing of the people.

The rise in fuel prices, electricity and gas tariffs must be kept in control and subsidised so that the masses may have the capacity to run their households.

NUMRA HASSAN ANSARI LAHORE

Politics in Universities

THE increasing trend of conducting political activities in academic institutions, especially universities, is a cause of concern. It poses a threat to the quality of education. University campuses should have an environment that is secure and inclusive. The government must implement regulations that prohibit political activities on campuses. Such measures will enhance the standard of education, and allow the students to form their own viewpoints and judgments free from prevalent external political influences.

RASHID BHANBHRO UMERKOT

Concrete measures

THE main cause of the present economic crunch is a misalignment of energy/power usage and economic priorities. We need some immediate remedial measures. To begin with, the closure of shops and markets around 8pm should strictly be enforced. All private vehicles should be off-road at least one day every week. All private cars having less than four occupants should not be allowed in the fast lane during peak hours in order to encourage ‘high occupancy’ commute patterns. Let us have a trial run in Islamabad.

KHALED ISLAMABAD

Lack of clean water in Johi

JOHI in Dadu district is suffering from scarcity of clean drinking water for years. The water and sanitation system in the whole district is in a shambles. The local municipal committee should make due arrangements to supply clean drinking water by setting up more water filtration plants, and to ensure cleanliness within its area of jurisdiction.

FAROOQUE KHOSO JOHI

Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk

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Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

COMMENT 05

How Iron Dome failed during Hamas attack Thursday, 16 November, 2023

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The defects of the vaunted Israeli defence system hAseeb hAroon

HE Hamas 7 October 2023 attack on Israel has become such a historical incident that will be remembered for ages. Some people label this attack as Israel’s 9/11. This time, Hamas dropped such a rain of missiles on Israel that they never thought about it.

The question is that the rocket attacks on Israel used to happen before, and more than 90 percent were not able to cause much destruction; but were destroyed in the air. The Israel short-range missile defense system “Iron Dome” is used to destroy such types of rockets before they hit any city or village. After the excellent initial successes, this system has recently been deployed in 10 different strategic locations of Israel, which has been protecting the population and important areas for the last 12 years, which means these areas are considered safe from rocket attacks. But in recent attacks, such a thing has not happened, but for the immediate impact, this attack proved to be very lethal. This time the Israel missile defense system seems to have failed to some extent.

This system comprises three main components. The first is a multi-mission radar unit, the second is the control unit, and the third is a rocket launcher. The system works in such a manner that the first radar system identifies the rocket heading toward the protected city and starts its tracking. Iron dome radar is effective over a distance of 4 to 70 km, which means the missile that is 70 km away from the radar can be identified. After the detection of the missile /rocket, the radar system continuously sends the information to the control system.

This component processes information such as rocket direction and speed with the help of an advanced algorithm to determine whether the rocket is likely to pose a threat or not. This system ignores those rockets that are heading to a place where there is no population and doesn’t engage it. But if the launched rocket is going to hit a populated city, protection is necessary, so from the third unit of the system, the interceptor, the missile

Hamas had fired more than 20,000 rockets in merely 20 minutes time, but this system was unable to intercept these rockets accurately, and Israeli government didnÊt tell how many rockets they intercepted so this can only be called guesswork.

is launched to intercept the incoming rocket or missiles.

The interceptor missile explodes when it comes near the launched rocket/missile. The system also tries as much as possible to intercept the rocket at a place where there is no ground population. But if there is population, then the siren rings, and people are advised to stay in their homes. So if there is debris from the launched missile/ rocket, and interceptor missile, then the loss should be minimized. In the whole Iron Dome system, other than the radar unit and control unit, there are three to four launcher units and in every launcher unit, 20 interceptor missiles are fixed. This overall system is called the Iran Dome battery means we can say that in one Iron Dome interceptor, there are 60 -80 interceptor missiles present. This system is completely mobile, which means they can be shifted from one place to another where needed.

According to defense experts, this attack can’t be said to be a complete failure of Israel’s Defense system.

As the system working is understood,the information obtained from the radar is sent to the control system. Here in this unit, the control unit processes the data after which the decision as to whether to launch the rocket or not is to be made. If any system is overloaded for data processing it sometimes doesn’t give such a response as expected from it and according to some experts on 7 October such a thing may have happened.

Hamas in 20 minutes had launched more than 20,000 rockets and for this system to intercept these rockets accurately was not possible at the moment and Israeli government didn’t tell how many rockets they intercepted so this can only be said on guesswork. This is the one possible aspect of the failure of the Iron Dome missile defense system. The second aspect is regarding the limitation of the system. In this attack the Hamas strategy was like this. According to some reports, Israel has 10 Iron Dome batteries that are operational. If we assume that with every Iron Dome battery, four launchers are attached, the total number of installed interceptors at one time would be 800, which means they can destroy 800 launched rockets at one time, and from the Hamas side, the launched rockets total number as per claim is 5000. Keeping in mind that they are not guided rockets and if we accept that only 20 percent of them were a threat, in that means they were going to hit any target. so even then their number is 1000. If the system intercepts 100 percent of the targest, then this number will reach 800 intercepted rockets, and even in this situation there are 200 rockets remaining which hits any target Other than this reloading interceptors in such a short period is not possible, which means if the interceptor launches all 20 missiles at one time then reloading more than 20 missiles is not possible in such a short time. This is the reason that the Iron Dome system fails to some extent.

Discussing the third point which apparently can’t be labelled as the reason for failure, but still deserves to be considered. One missile installed in the interceptor battery costs $50,000, and the total cost of 20 missiles installed in the interceptors launcher is $1 million and the total 10 Iron dome batteries have 800 launchers,

whose millies (obe load) altogether cost $40 million.

On the other hand, one rocket fired by Hamas costs approximately $600, which means a rocket fired at Israel has to be intercepted by a missile of more than 80 times its cost. So concerning cost, this system is not declared as feasible and proved to be too costly.

Iron Dome was prepared by the Israel company Rafael’s advanced defence system with the help of the US and became operational in 2011. This system was developed to protect Israel against the rockets that were launched on it and to protect the Israeli people.

Till 2014 in 3 years, this system had intercepted 1,200 rockets and destroyed them. With time this system was further updated and proved to be the backbone of Israel’s defence system. Due to this in 2022, US Congress granted $1 billion for the upgradation of this system. At this time the USA had two Iron Dome batteries which it got from Israel. During the Russia – Ukraine war, the USA wanted to give this system to

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has already offered a condition: she will sit with the opposition only if President Joe Biden sits with Donald Trump; otherwise, she won’t negotiate

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DAILY STAR Ali riAz

S Assistant Secretary of State Donald Lu’s letter, calling on Bangladesh’s three main political parties to have a dialogue, is not as simple as it sounds.

It demands our attention for two reasons: the timing of the letter and the possibility of the request coming to fruition.

As for the timing, the letter was issued after a meeting of foreign and defence ministers of the US and India in New Delhi. In the meeting, India raised the issue of Bangladesh’s election and conveyed its position “clearly.” According to media reports, the US has not responded. Usually, in bilateral diplomatic meetings, many issues are discussed between the two sides. The issues on which the parties agree are made public through a readout or a joint statement, while both sides remain silent on unresolved issues. This is the usual, unwritten diplomatic practice; one can term this a diplomatic norm.

However, after the New Delhi meeting, Indian Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra told reporters that the issue was discussed in detail and India had conveyed its position. The absence of Bangladesh in the published readout means that there has not been an agreement—or in other words, the US did not agree with the Indian position. This raises the question of what the United States would do, considering that it has been insisting on an inclusive election and has adopted various measures to “lend… support to all those seeking to advance democracy in Bangladesh.” The timing of Donald Lu’s letter conveys the message that the US has remained active in pursuing its policy. As such, one can wonder: is this a message for India, too?

Is there a connection between India’s clarification of its policy and Lu’s letter?

Let’s look at the content of the letter. It urges, as US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas said a few days ago, to hold unconditional dialogue and find a solution to the impasse. Somehow, the letter was sent to BNP, and BNP has acknowledged its receipt. I say “somehow” because, evidently, it was not delivered to the party’s central office. It may be recalled that a letter sent by the Election Commission to BNP, inviting the party to a dialogue, was left at the door of the BNP office as it was locked and under complete control of law enforcement agencies. Although BNP has always said that it is ready to hold talks, it has also said that the talks will only take place after the Sheikh Hasina government resigns. This is viewed as a condition, but it can also be called the agenda of a dialogue.

As a new situation has emerged, hypothetically speaking, if BNP wants to hold talks unconditionally, then the decision to do so will have to

The writer is a freelance columnist

In recent attacks, the Iron DomeÊs limitations and loopholes have come out in the open. According to defence experts, keeping two things under consideration, it is now important for Israel to update this system.

Firstly experts say that this system should be capable of stopping rockets fired simultaneously on a larger scale, means to enhance its capacity. Secondly, the cost per defensive weapon, means the cost of interceptor missiles should also be reduced. This is a very important point that is being pointed out by defence experts.

Reading Donald Lu’s letter, intently be made by its top leaders through discussions among themselves and by securing the nod of the acting chair of the party. As we are aware, those who can make such decisions—that is, top-ranking BNP leaders, including the secretary general of the party, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir—have remained arrested since October 28 on various charges, some of which are outrageous and fictitious at best. They have been denied bail and are languishing in jail. Who then will make this decision? Who will represent BNP? Donald Lu is not the first person to suggest that the way out is a dialogue. However, with the weight of the US behind the letter, it should give pause to the ruling party and the government. AL needs to prove that the rhetoric has substance.

Otherwise, it will strengthen the argument that AL is not willing to have a fair election.

If the ruling party says it is ready to talk, as Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen indicated on Tuesday, the question is—to borrow his words—”with whom?” This question arises not because there is nobody to be represented, but because the government has arrested these leaders and clamped down on all opposition activists. If the government is true to its word, or at least tries to be seen as interested, the first thing it has to do is to release the detained BNP leaders immediately and to end the detentions and persecution that are taking place across the country. Donald Lu’s letter puts this responsibility on the government, fairly and squarely. It is not enough for the Awami League to say “we want dialogue,” or “if there is necessity for dialogue to keep the democratic journey uninterrupted, we will do that.” These are empty talks, vocal callisthenics of some kind. The ruling party knows, as does the entire country, that Donald Lu is not the first person to suggest that the way out is a dialogue. However, with the weight of the US behind the letter, it should give pause to the ruling party and the government. AL needs to prove that the rhetoric has substance. Otherwise, it will strengthen the argument that AL is not willing to have a fair election.

The behaviour of the ruling party in recent months—especially the desperate moves to split BNP, flip disgruntled BNP leaders, pressure local and national leaders using state apparatuses to join the election, and create several King’s parties—indicates that AL is more inclined to have an engineered show than an election, as it did in 2014 and 2018. The clampdown, the belligerent rhetoric, the aggressive posture of the party leaders along with the dispensation of largesse to those who would conduct the election show that the AL is far from agreeable to a solution. This is what “undermining the democratic election process” looks like. The reminder of the US visa policy (commonly referred to as 3Cs) in Donald Lu’s letter should not simply be ignored.

The United States insists on “unconditional dialogue.” Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, as a response to Ambassador Haas’ suggestion, has already offered a condition: she will sit with the opposition only if President Joe Biden sits with Donald Trump; otherwise, she won’t negotiate.

Supporters of the ruling party would say that BNP

Ukraine but Israel had an objection to this. According to reports, due to Hamas’s recent activities, the USA is looking to deliver these batteries back to Israel, so that Israel can improve its defence system In recent attacks, the Iron Dome’s limitations and loopholes have come out in the open. According to defence experts, keeping two things under consideration it is now important for Israel to update this system.

Firstly the experts say that this system should be designed in such a way that when on a larger scale simultaneously when the rocket attacks should be carried out, the system should be capable of stopping the rocket’s means to enhance its capacity. Secondly, the Cost per defensive weapon, means the cost of interceptor missiles should also be reduced. This is a very important point that is being pointed out by defence experts.

has already put forward a condition that they will not sit for talks without the resignation of the prime minister. Putting aside these conditions— which Lu’s letter decided to ignore—there are no objections to the suggestion that a dialogue needs to have an agenda. In fact, no dialogue can be held without a clear agenda.

Bangladesh’s history is replete with instances of such dialogues ending with no results. What can be the agenda in the current situation? Since the current system does not allow for an inclusive, acceptable election, and as a level playing field is not only absent but deliberately being tilted over the years through constitutional and extra-constitutional measures, the agenda of any dialogue must be to find out what new arrangements can be made so that everyone can participate. This means the participation of not only political parties, but of the key stakeholders: the voters. How a guaranteed mechanism can be created for this end should be the agenda. Is the ruling party willing to go for a dialogue to address this? In large measure, their behaviour will determine what kind of role the United States will play in the future.

While all these are up in the air, and uncertainty looms, the Election Commission has announced that the 12th parliamentary election will be held on January 7, 2024. Their moves seem to be consistent with the wishes of the government.

When opposition parties are facing severe persecution, the election commissioners seem to be living in a make-believe world. The statement of the EC secretary that “the country’s environment is favourable for announcing the schedule for the 12th parliamentary election” is testimony to their obliviousness to reality. The comment that the letter won’t affect the election schedule is mind-boggling. Perhaps the EC should try to understand the essence of the letter as much as heed the calls of political parties that an agreement has to be reached before declaring the election schedule.

Perhaps, the letter has a message for the EC, too.

Having learnt of the content of Donald Lu’s letter, we must ask the US administration: if the parties flout the suggestion and the government does not take the initiative, what measures is the US willing to take to extend “support to all those seeking to advance democracy in Bangladesh”?

The US’ visa policy has been “potentially punitive,” but hoping that these actions from the US will be enough to steer the ruling party towards an inclusive election does not seem too realistic.

Neither the visa policy nor the call to hold a dialogue will ensure a free election—which is the first step to saving the country from turning into a one-party state. Expectedly, the US policymakers have thought about this, and perhaps there are other tools in their kit. Which ones are to be used, if any, is a question that Bangladeshis and observers of Bangladeshi politics are pondering.

Ali Riaz is distinguished professor of political science at Illinois State University in the US, nonresident senior fellow of the Atlantic Council, and president of the American Institute of Bangladesh Studies (AIBS).

What New Delhi can learn from Beijing in curbing hazardous smog

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The particulate pollution in China declined by 39.6 percent GLOBAL TIMES

ECENTLY, the BBC reported that the “Indian capital lags behind Beijing in the battle to breathe.” The article highlights that a range of “command-and-control measures” helped Beijing clean up its air, while Delhi’s battle against air pollution stumbles due to inadequate planning, wrongly designed policies, and partisan politics.

On Monday, following the Diwali festival in India, thick smoke filled the air over New Delhi due to fireworks. On the same day, the Swiss group IQAir released a ranking of the world’s top 10 most polluted cities, with New Delhi once again topping the list with an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 407, classified as “hazardous.” Kolkata and Mumbai, two other Indian cities, also made it to the list. In contrast, Beijing had clear blue skies and an AQI less than one-fifth of Delhi’s.

New Delhi is one of the world’s most polluted cities, with air quality worsening every year before the arrival of winter. Influenced by geographical and climatic factors, cold air traps pollutants from vehicles, industry, construction dust, and agricultural waste burning. Additionally, the burning of fireworks during festive occasions, weddings, and other celebrations, along with the use of wood for heating by impoverished individuals, contributes to the worsening air quality. India, heavily reliant on fossil fuels and being the thirdlargest emitter globally, exacerbates the air quality issues.

Although India has committed to global emission reduction plans, challenges related to employment in the coal industry, supporting infrastructure, and energy transition hinder the adoption of more forceful measures.

India, with an electoral system, faces challenges in implementing effective measures as politicians at the union, state and local levels have to take into account the employment of individuals in high-carbon industries such as construction in order to woo votes.

The issue in India is not a lack of awareness but rather a lack of determination, capability, and willingness to consistently enforce emission reduction plans.

In recent years, China has waged a determined war against air pollution. First, under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, China has made significant progress in reducing carbon emissions. Second, in terms of ecological environmental governance, China has implemented continuous actions to prevent air pollution and won the battle for blue skies. Third, economically, China has promoted industrial restructuring, developed a green and low-carbon economy, and advanced clean production and energy conservation. Politically, China has enacted a series of powerful policy measures and established a sound legal system for resource and environmental protection. Culturally, China has conducted ecological civilization education across society, thereby enhancing the general public’s awareness of ecological civilization. Technologically, China has continuously employed modern science and technology to control air pollution. Socially, China has established a green lifestyle, advocating for a nationwide adoption of a green way of life to reduce emissions. A study from the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago reveals that from 2013 to 2020, the particulate pollution in China declined by 39.6 percent.

China has achieved remarkable success in fighting pollution and protecting the environment. It has particularly gained valuable experiences in curbing hazardous smog, which India could learn from. However, in recent years, influenced by border issues, India has reduced its efforts and willingness to cooperate with China on climate issues. Faced with the pressures and economic losses caused by worsening environment, India should abandon outdated confrontational and zero-sum thinking, prioritize its own interests, protect the well-being of its people, manage its relationship with China more effectively, and enhance cooperation with China.

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ISRAEL RAIDS GAZA’S AL SHIFA HOSPITAL, EYE WITNESSES REPORT SHOOTING INSIDE

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GAZA

reuterS

HE Israeli military said it was carrying out a ‘raid’ on Wednesday against Hamas fighters in Al Shifa Hospital, having urged them to surrender with thousands of Palestinian civilians still sheltering inside Gaza Strip’s biggest hospital.

Medical officials in Gaza say more than 11,000 people are confirmed dead from Israeli strikes, around 40% of them children, and countless others were trapped under rubble. Dr. Munir al-Bursh, director-general of the Gaza health ministry, told Al Jazeera television that Israeli forces had raided the western side of the medical complex.

“There are big explosions and dust entered the areas where we are. We believe an explosion occurred inside the hospital,” Bursh said.

Hours later, Gaza health ministry spokesperson Ashraf al-Qidra to Al Jazeera: “The occupation army is now in the basement, and searching the basement. They are inside the complex, shooting and carrying out bombings”.

Israeli forces first raided the surgery and emergency departments, Mohammed Zaqout, the Gaza health ministry’s director of hospitals, told Al Jazeera.

Global calls for a humanitarian ceasefire have mounted in recent days, and the fate of Al Shifa has become a focus of international alarm because of worsening conditions in the

facility, where thousands of patients, medical staff and displaced people have been trapped during the brutal Israeli assault on Gaza in the past five weeks.

Israel claims, without any evidence, that Hamas has a command centre underneath Al Shifa and uses the hospital and tunnels beneath it to conceal military operations and to hold captives. Hamas denies it the Israeli claim. A video released by the Israeli military yesterday showed what the spokesperson claimed to be a list of hostages kept in the hospital, but was in fact a work schedule with days written in Arabic.

In a statement, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) claimed: “Based on intelligence information and an operational necessity, IDF forces are carrying out a precise and targeted operation against Hamas in a specified area in the Shifa hospital.”

The military added: “The IDF forces include medical teams and Arabic speakers, who have undergone specified training to prepare for this complex and sensitive environment, with the intent that no harm is caused to the civilians.”

The US said on Tuesday that its own intelligence supported Israel’s conclusions.

Hamas said on Wednesday that US announcement had effectively given a “green light” for Israel to raid the hospital. The group said it held Israel and US President Joe Biden fully responsible for the operation.

“We do not support striking a hospital from the air and we don’t want to see a firefight in a hospital where innocent people,

helpless people, sick people trying to get medical care they deserve are caught in the crossfire. Hospitals and patients must be protected,” a White House National Security Council spokesperson said in a statement.

Israeli forces have waged fierce street battles against Hamas fighters over the past 10 days before advancing into the centre of Gaza City and surrounding Al Shifa.

In the West Bank, a separate Palestinian enclave not controlled by Hamas, Palestinian Authority Health Minister Mai Alkaila said Israel was “committing a new crime against

humanity, medical staff and patients by besieging” Al Shifa.

“We hold the occupation forces fully responsible for the lives of the medical staff, patients and displaced people in Al Shifa,” Alkaila said in a statement.

DIRE CONDITIONS Al Shifa is a sprawling complex of buildings and courtyards a few hundred metres from Gaza City’s fishing port. Buildings on the western side of the complex, which the Gaza official said was the site of the raid, include the internal medicine and

Xi’s APEC visit signifies hope for China-US ties BEIJING

Staff report

At the invitation of U.S. President Joe Biden, Chinese President Xi Jinping has arrived in San Francisco on Tuesday for a China-U.S. summit and the 30th AsiaPacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Meeting.

The visit to San Francisco marks Xi’s return to the United States after six-plus years and also signifies another face-toface meeting between the two heads of state following last year’s handshake in Bali, Indonesia.

Eight years ago, in a speech on China-U.S. relations at a welcoming dinner hosted by local governments and organizations in Seattle, the United States, Xi said, “We must foster friendly sentiments among our peoples. People-to-people relations underpin state-to-state relations.”

“The foundation of China-U.S. relations lies among the people, the hope is in the people,” Xi reiterated during his meeting with California governor Gavin Newsom last month.

With the upcoming Xi-Biden summit, China has once again extended the hand of friendship toward the other side of the

Pacific.

FROM BEIJING TO SAN FRANCISCO San Francisco is the first U.S. city that was directly reached by a Chinese commercial flight. On Jan. 7, 1981, a Boeing 747SP large passenger aircraft flew over the Pacific Ocean, becoming the first flight between China and the United States linking Beijing, Shanghai, San Francisco, and New York.

Over the past 42 years, busy flights have witnessed increasingly close connections between China and the United States.

Earlier this month, Air China and United Airlines successively resumed direct flights between Beijing and San Francisco, signaling improved relations between the two sides.

At the San Francisco International Airport, Roger Jansen, a retired American photojournalist who had just concluded his trip to China, was eager to share his travel experience.

He said he traveled to Shanghai and Beijing on China’s high-speed bullet train, and enjoyed good food. “Everybody was friendly and nice. You know we should all get together. Not that fight and feud.”

Dennis Simon, a distinguished fellow of the Institute for China-America Studies, is also paying close attention to the upcoming summit.

“They definitely have a very complex agenda that the two men are going to have to address. But first and foremost, they’re going to have to figure out a way to stabilize the relationship,” he said in a recent interview with Xinhua.

“It is incumbent upon both countries and the leaders to find a pathway forward to reduce tensions and to make it worthwhile for the citizenry in both countries to benefit from the engagement between the two governments,” he said.

“I’m a big believer in people-to-people diplomacy. I think if we look at the last 40-plus years of U.S.-China relations, the people-to-people dimension has grown far beyond what anyone would have imagined,” said Simon, who has over 40 years of experience studying and working in China.

MUSIC AS BRIDGE Just as the Golden Gate Bridge spans across San Francisco Bay, facilitating connectivity among local residents, music has acted as a “bridge” between China and the United States.

Fifty years ago, the Philadelphia or-

Thursday, 16 november, 2023 | lahore

chestra came to China, an ice-breaking journey of cultural exchanges between the two countries.

Five decades later, the orchestra performed in Beijing with the China National Symphony Orchestra alongside vocalists from various countries, together creating harmonious symphonies during its ongoing 13th visit to China. Xi, in his reply to a letter from Matias Tarnopolsky, president and CEO of the orchestra, said that he hopes the orchestra and artists from China, the United States and other countries will continue their efforts to strengthen people-to-people ties between China and the United States and spread friendship among peoples of the world.

Valuing the orchestra’s half-century bond with China, Tarnopolsky said he hopes to see the relationship continue to grow and flourish. “Cultural exchange is fundamentally important as a path to understanding between peoples,” said Tarnopolsky. “Music connects us all, be it across geographic boundaries, languages, cultures and centuries.”

Davyd Booth, a violinist and one of the members of the 1973 trip who still plays in the orchestra, said the tour 50 years ago was “one of the most important events” in his life.

dialysis departments.

Hamas says 650 patients and 5,000 to 7,000 other civilians are trapped inside the hospital grounds, under constant fire from Israeli snipers and drones. Amid shortages of fuel, water and supplies, it says 40 patients have died in recent days.

Thirty-six babies are left from the neonatal ward after three died. Without fuel for generators to power incubators, the babies were being kept as warm as possible, lined up eight to a bed.

Palestinians trapped in the hospital dug a mass grave on Tuesday to bury patients who died and no plan was in place to evacuate babies despite Israel announcing an offer to send portable incubators, Qidra, Gaza’s health ministry spokesman, said.

Qidra said there were about 100 bodies decomposing inside and no way to get them out. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was deeply disturbed by the “dramatic loss of life” in the hospitals, his spokesman said. “In the name of humanity, the secretary-general calls for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire,” the spokesman told reporters.

Around two-thirds of Gaza’s 2.3 million people have been made homeless, unable to escape the territory where food, fuel, fresh water and medical supplies are running out.

INTERNATIONAL LAW Israel’s move toward Shifa Hospital has raised questions about how it would interpret international laws on protection of medical facilities and the thousands of displaced people sheltering there, UN human rights officials have said.

Hospitals are protected buildings under international humanitarian law.

Israel said in its statement on Wednesday that it had given Gaza authorities 12 hours to cease military activities within the hospital. “Unfortunately, it did not,” the military statement said.

Suella Braverman calls out Rishi Sunak over ‘betrayal’ in thunderclap letter after sacking LONDON

agenCieS

Former British Home Secretary Suella Braverman has delivered a scathing resignation letter accusing Rishi Sunak of “betrayal” after being ousted as Home Secretary in a significant cabinet reshuffle. Her departure followed allegations of Metropolitan Police bias in handling pro-Palestine protests. In her resignation, posted on her X feed, Braverman claimed Sunak “manifestly and repeatedly failed to deliver” on key policies, asserting his “distinctive style of government means you are incapable of doing so.” She stated, “Either your distinctive style of government means you are incapable of doing so. Or, as I must surely conclude now, you never had any intention of keeping your promises.” Following Braverman’s dismissal, Sunak appointed former Prime Minister Lord David Cameron as foreign minister. The Tory right threatens a revolt, suggesting that Braverman’s supporters may submit letters of no confidence, potentially triggering a leadership vote against Sunak.

Afghan refugees returning from Pakistan in ‘very bad condition,’ says UN official ISTANBUL

anadolu agenCy

Most of the 327,000 Afghan refugees returned from Pakistan are in “very bad condition,” a UN official has said.

“Today, I’m here at the border with Pakistan in Torkham and I’m witnessing thousands of Afghans returning from Pakistan to Afghanistan,” UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator ad interim for Afghanistan, Daniel Endres, said on Tuesday on social media platform X. “Most of them are in a very bad condition. They had to wait for days to reach here,” Endres added.

Tensions between Islamabad and Kabul rose after Pakistan launched a

crackdown on undocumented foreigners, mostly Afghan refugees, and returned hundreds of thousands of them to Afghanistan in recent weeks. “Since midSeptember, a staggering 327.4K undocumented Afghans have returned to Afghanistan from Pakistan. This sudden influx is putting immense pressure on already strained resources and capacity, including shelter and basic services.

Additional support is urgently required,” said the UN official.

Endres stressed that another challenge is that “a major earthquake hit Herat. So all the tents, all the blankets, and all the relief items we have in this country, we have used in the response to that earthquake.” “It is a huge challenge

for us to respond to the returnees from Pakistan in this very moment. And huge numbers are coming,” he pointed out.

Emphasizing the importance of finding temporary solution, he said: “Give them cash grants, food, water, it will be a major challenge above all for the women, for the children.” Recent earthquakes exacerbated Afghanistan’s existing humanitarian crisis. “More than 150,000 already vulnerable people have been affected by a series of earthquakes in Afghanistan,” said UN World Food Program Country Director in Afghanistan Hsiaowei Lee. “They continue to suffer from earthquake after earthquake and storm after storm,” she stated on X.

“Almost half of children under 5 and a quarter of pregnant and breastfeeding women need life-saving nutrition support in the next 12 months,” the UN said in a statement on its website.

“The international community needs to step up to avert a humanitarian catastrophe across Afghanistan,” it stressed.

Last month, consecutive earthquakes in the western Herat province of Afghanistan, located on the border with Iran, caused the death of approximately 2,500 people, forcing the Afghan authorities to issue an international aid request.

More than 10 earthquakes, the largest of which was 6.3 on the Richter scale, wreaked havoc in 16 villages in the Zindejan district.

China’s chipmaking tool manufacturing sector grows significantly BEIJING

Staff CorreSpondent

China’s production of manufacturing equipment for areas such as chips and artificial intelligence (AI) is growing rapidly, with the added value of the manufacturing sector for special equipment for semiconductors recording a significant increase in October, a Chinese official said on Wednesday, a further sign of China’s thriving chipmaking tool manufacturing sector amid relentless crackdowns by the US government.

Despite US officials’ repeated claims that they’re not seeking to contain China during recent talks with Chinese officials, a US government agency has hinted at further intensifying restrictions on the sales of chipmaking tools to China, according to media reports.

Chinese analysts said that the ill-conceived, arbitrary US restrictions have spurred Chinese companies to bolster their capabilities, and doubling down on this lose-lose approach will not help any party and would further spur Chinese

firms to strive for self-reliance. Furthermore, such curbs won’t stop businesses, including those from the US, to seek profits from win-win cooperation.

At a press conference on economic operations in Beijing in October , Liu Aihua, a spokesperson for the National Bureau of Statistics, said that new growth engines for the Chinese economy are expanding, pointing to rapid growth in the production of equipment in related fields.

Specifically, the added value of the manufacturing sector of special equipment for semiconductor devices jumped by 33.9 percent in October, according to Liu. The rise of China’s semiconductor equipment manufacturing sector is reflected in the soaring revenues of major companies. According to China Finance Online, the operating income of the semiconductor equipment sector in the first three quarters of 2023 reached 33.652 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 31.14 percent.

“With demand recovering and inventories improving, localization of semiconductor equipment is likely to exceed

expectations,” the report said.

While China’s chipmaking tool manufacturing capabilities still have far to go to catch up with other countries such as the US, there is a sense of urgency for faster progress in bolstering China’s capabilities, due to ever-intensifying US restrictions, Chinese analysts said.

“With ‘pressure’ from the US, China continues to strive for breakthroughs in the semiconductor field, and Chinese companies are seeking to use Chinesemade chips in their products,” Xiang Ligang, the director-general of the Beijing-based Information Consumption Alliance who closely follows the chip industry, told media.

After many measures seeking to ban sales of advanced chips and chipmaking tools to China, including a sweeping executive order signed by US President Joe Biden last month, a US government agency has hinted at further crackdowns.

The US-China Economic and Security Review Commission said in an annual report that Chinese firms were buying up US chipmaking equipment to

make advanced semiconductors despite the US curbs, while taking aim at Biden’s latest executive order, according to a Reuters report on Wednesday.

The report said that China imported $3.2 billion worth of semiconductor manufacturing machines from the Netherlands, a 96.1 percent increase year-on-year. While the report did not include specific policy recommendations, it urged the US Congress to request an annual evaluation. To Chinese analysts, the report adds to growing signs that the US government will likely further tighten its crackdowns; however, the effect of such measures won’t help the US achieve its goal of containing China’s rise, without hurting its own chip firms first.

“Relevant US government departments have tightened export restrictions time and again, but US chip companies time and again try to find ways to export products to China,” Xiang said, noting that such restrictions seriously hurt US chip firms’ revenues, costs and research and development capabilities.

Thursday, 16 November, 2023 | LAHORE

SINDH CM WELCOMES CHINESE NAVAL FLEET IN PORT CITY

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CORPORATE CORNER

ISLAMABAD: Chief of Naval Staff Adminral Naveed Ashaf exchanging views with H.E Dr Raza Amiri Moghadam, Amabassador of Iran to Pakistan at Naval Headquarters Islamabad. staff report

Islamic Republic of Iran embassy delegation visits CPO; meets ICCPO ISLAMABAD

staff report

According to the details, Ambassador of Islamic Republic of Iran to Pakistan Reza AmiriMoghadam, visited the Central Police Office Islamabad along with a delegation and met with Islamabad Capital City Police Officer (ICCPO) Dr. Akbar Nasir Khan, a public relations officer said.

He said that the Iran embassy delegation discussed various security issues with ICCPO Dr. Akbar Nasir Khan and was briefed about the measures taken by the Islamabad capital police to maintain foolproof security. The delegation discussed the importance of mutual training and the promotion of bilateral visits to further improve the police force of the two countries. The delegation appreciated the Islamabad Capital Police for maintaining law and order in the federal capital and dealing with the agitating gatherings in the best strategy and peaceful manner. The Iranian Ambassador along with his team visited Safe City Islamabad where they were briefed about various sections of Safe City, Command and Control centre, Emergency control centre, dispatch control centre and "Pukar-15" helpline.

ICCPO Dr Akbar Nasir said that the safety of foreign dignitaries and delegations in the federal capital is one of the top priorities of Islamabad capital police and every possible measure will be taken in this regard. At the end ICCPO also presented a police shield to the Iranian Ambassador.

Game Changer: How Data Science is Leveling Up Mobile Gaming

Every swipe, every tap unlocks a world of immersive adventures, all meticulously designed by the true ‘easter-egg’ of gaming – data science. Behind every pixel and power-up, the insights and strategical optimization by data scientists have majorly transformed mobile gaming into an exhilarating experience that not only delights gamers, but also revolutionizes this dynamic industry by offering the unmatched convenience of gaming anytime, anywhere. At the forefront of this digital revolution is none other than Muhammad Zeeshan Munawar, a seasoned IT product manager and CEO of a leading game development company behind the very chart-topping mobile games that gamers around the world are well aware of such as “FPS Sniper Shooting Gun Games”, “Squad Commando 3D” and “Squad Sniper Shooting Games”. With over a decade of experience, visionaries like Zeeshan have played a significant role in the development of the web, mobile app and mobile game products that we know and love today. However, this success story of the industry has not come easy. It is mobile gaming pioneers like Zeeshan who has forged valuable partnerships with industry giants which has ultimately taken the global development of mobile games to new heights.

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ARETAKER Sindh Chief Minister Justice (R ) Maqbool Baqar welcomed the Chinese Naval Fleet at the beautiful city of Karachi Port (East Wharf) and urged Chinese personnel to visit this megalopolis city, which takes pride in its long history of old as well as modern eras protected by its seaport, old and new buildings, its cuisine and especially its people. Karachi is a beautiful blend of urban and rural, old and modern lifestyle.

This he said while speaking at a reception the Chinese Consul General Mr. Yang Yundong had hosted for the Chinese Naval Fleet on the Ship Deck at East Wharf. The reception was attended by Home Minister Brig (R ) Haris Nawaz, Vice Admiral Mouhammad Faisal, Chinese Navy Fleet Commander Mr Sun Bo and others.

The beauty of Karachi and its pleasant breeze in this open sea also welcome the fleet from China. He added that the people of Pakistan and China were already connected with mutual respect, love, and fraternity but the CPEC-related connectivity has narrowed the distance of travel, development, and cooperation altogether. “Under the CPEC and nonCPEC projects, Sindh has become home to our Chinese brothers,” he said. The caretaker chief minister addressing Consul General of China Mr. Yang Yundong,

Commander Fleet Mr. Sun Bo, and other Chinese and Pakistani friends shared his experience of his recent visit to Beijing.

“During my stay in Beijing, I visited business centers, and restaurants walked on the roads, traveled subways, buses and went shopping - I witnessed and observed through the interaction and the visits that China has surpassed all the targets set for human development, apart from development in Science and Technology,” the CM said and added that the philosophy Mr. Xi .has developed was based on sharing his human development experience with other nations through his CPEC and One-Belt-One- Road, the mega development projects ever witnessed in human history.

Justice Baqar said that the Chinese Navy’s fleet visit to Karachi-Pakistan was bound to enhance maritime collaboration between the two navies, Pakistan and China, he said and added that such visits promote peace and security in the region, enhance maritime collaboration and open new avenues of bilateral cooperation between the friendly countries.

Mr. Yang Yundong, the Chinese Consulate General in Karachi, in his speech warmly welcomed all the distinguished guests to the deck reception.

He also welcomed Admiral Liang Yang, who led the Chinese naval fleet to visit Karachi and hold a joint maritime exercise between the Chinese and Pakistani navies.

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He said that, in the annual military cooperation plan, China and Pakistan navies will conduct the “Sea Guardians -3” joint exercise in the northern Arabian Sea in the following days. This is the 3rd time that the two nations have conducted such joint exercises. The Chinese Navy will coordinate closely and communicate extensively with the Pakistani Navy, ensuring the smooth conduct of various activities.

Mr. Yang said the visit of the Chinese navy flotilla is a journey of peace, a journey of cooperation, and a journey of friendship. It aims to further deepen bilateral relations and traditional friendship between China and Pakistan, and enhance realistic military training. Through continuous deepening of exchanges and cooperation, the two navies will further enhance their abilities to jointly respond to maritime security threats and maintain maritime peace. He wishes this joint exercise a complete success, Chinese envoy says.

CG also added that the two sides are committed to building an "upgraded version" of CPEC which is growth-oriented, livelihood-enhancing, innovative, green, and inclusive.

At the same time, positive outcomes have been achieved in the security sector.

Consul General said that the Global Security Initiative as well as the Global Development Initiative and Global Civilization Initiative, which were proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping, have received positive responses in Pakistan.

Corporations urged to prioritise transparency, accountability for net-zero emissions commitment KARACHI

staff report

Industrialists, researchers, academia, and civil society activists came together at the "Champions of Change: A Dialogue with the Private Sector" conference in Karachi on Wednesday, urging corporations to prioritise transparency and accountability in their commitment to achieving net-zero emissions. The discussions centred on the severe impacts of emissions on Pakistan's health, lives, and environment.

The conference paved the way for the launch of two ground-breaking research studies. The first, titled "Scoping Study of Corporate Sector Energy Consumption," conducted by the Indus Consortium in collaboration with the research team of the Centre for Business and Economic Research (CBER), Institute of Business Administration, focused on the energy consumption of corporate sectors, particularly the findings related to Indus Motor Company (IMC) and Coca-Cola Beverages Pakistan. The second study, presented by Alternate Development Services, examined the carbon emissions of the textile and sports industries, titled "Textile and Sports Industry- Assessing Decarbonization and Growth Potential."

CEO of Indus Motor Company, Ali Asghar Jamali, addressing the event as the chief guest said that Toyota’s global commitment included going carbon neutral by 2035 and reaching out to net zero emissions by 2050 while Indus Motor Company was using energy efficient equipment to reduce carbon footprints.

He said that IMC was using the largest solar plant

by any automobile company in the country with 4.5MW energy generation while it’s all buildings were covered with solar panels. amali said that IMC was committed to increasing the green energy share in its overall energy consumption.

Asad Abdullah, Head of Corporate Communications and CSR, IMC, said Toyota was on a mission to reduce its carbon footprints.

He said that IMC was all set to launch the first locally manufactured hybrid vehicle in Pakistan in the next month and has invested $100 million in hybrid vehicle manufacturing, which reduces the consumption of energy, mostly based on fossil fuels.

Hussain Jarwar, CEO Indus Consortium, said that there was no trace of Scope-3 emissions of Indus Motor Company, whose data should be made available if they were being recorded.

He urged that the corporations and IFIs should make efforts to support the affected environment and communities to make their lending Paris-aligned.

Mashood Ali Khan, Former Chairman Pakistan Association of Automotive Parts and Accessories Manufacturers (PAAPAM) said that it was imperative for the auto parts manufacturers to move towards solar energy, which would not only be healthy for the environment but also reduce the cost for the sector.

Asim Jaffry, Country Program Lead, Fair Finance Pakistan said the road to transport was one of the most significant sources of air pollution in Pakistani cities, reducing life expectancy by up to 7 years in Lahore, Faisalabad, Peshawar, Karachi and Islamabad.

Conducive policies key to sustainable growth of pharmaceutical industry: PPMA Chief KARACHI

staff report

Conducive policies, fair pricing mechanisms, and investment in research and development are crucial for the growth of the pharmaceutical sector to meet domestic demand and a sustainable increase in exports to different countries.

This was stated by the Chairman Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (PPMA) Mian Khalid Misbah ur Rehman while inaugurating the 20th Pharma Asia Exhibition and Conference organized by Ecommerce Gateway Pakistan. Speaking as a chief guest, he said the continuation of policies is essential to protect the life-saving sector, which continued to grow its productivity despite various challenges and the high cost of doing business. He urged the pharmaceutical companies to bring efficiency

in their systems to offset the issue of high inflation, Rupee devaluation, high packaging cost, etc.

He further said that pharmaceutical companies should focus on human resources to sustain their business growth effectively. PPMA added that the pharmaceutical companies in Pakistan produce medicine at an international standard; hence, they can explore exports in different countries to bring foreign exchange to the country.

Farhan Anis- Vice President of Ecommerce Gateway Pakistan stated that Pakistan's pharmaceutical industry is a significant contributor to the economy, with an estimated value of $ 3.2 billion and a growth rate of around 15% annually. With over 700 manufacturing units and employs a large workforce and exports to over 60 countries, the industry holds immense potential for further growth and expansion, but it must address

challenges such as improving infrastructure, enhancing research and development capabilities, and strengthening intellectual property rights protection, he added.

The event hosted various seminars on the issues of pharmaceutical industries which was addressed by Chairman PPMA South, President & CEO of Medisure Laboratories, Sheikh Kaiser Waheed, Managing Director of Sante (Pvt.) Ltd., Mr. Tauqeer ul Haq, Managing Director & CEO Martin Dow, Mr. Javed Ghulam Mohammad, President Ecommerce Gateway, Dr. Khursheed Nizam and Vice President Pharma Asia, Mr. Farhan Anis.

This year's event boasts participation from more than 160 international representatives from China, Turkey, Vietnam, UK, Germany and Malaysia, which further solidifies Pharma Asia's status as a globally recognized platform for the pharmaceutical industry with 650 stalls.

President PM&DC attends 15th annual conference on medical regulation ISLAMABAD

staff report

The President of the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PM&DC) Dr. Rizwan Taj took center stage at the 15th Annual Conference on Medical Regulation held in Bali. The esteemed gathering, a premier event in the medical community, brought together regulatory leaders, healthcare professionals, and experts to deliberate on critical issues shaping the landscape of medical regulation. The conference, a pivotal platform for sharing insights and fostering collaboration, featured a diverse range of discussions, workshops, and presentations. President PM&DC Dr. Rizwan Taj actively participated in various sessions, contributing valuable perspectives on the challenges and opportunities facing medical regulation in Pakistan. President PM&DC, in his discussion emphaysised regarding the importance of effective regulation in ensuring the highest standards of healthcare delivery. He emphasized the need for continuous advancements in regulatory frameworks to keep pace with the evolving landscape of medical science and technology.

Federal Food Minister launches ‘Ecological Baseline Survey Report Tharparkar’ ISLAMABAD

staff report

Caretaker Federal Minister Dr. Kausar Abdullah Malik Abdullah Malik while addressing the launching ceremony of “Ecological Baseline Survey Report Tharparkar (Sindh) on Wednesday has said that socioeconomic package is indispensable for livelihood in Tharparkar, botanists, zoologists and technical should effort on it. He said that The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an academic research platform with the help of which we can solve many problems in the environment. Country Representative International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Mr. Mahmood Akhtar Cheema, ex-Senator Javed Jabbar, Professor Z.B Mirza, Botanical Expert Khairpur University Dr. Muzaffar Hussain Sirohi and CEO (SECMS) Amir Iqbal also addressed the partici-

Unity Foods CEO highlights agricultural opportunities for investors at future Summit ISLAMABAD

staff report

Unity Foods Limited, a leading agroproducts company, is the Principal Sponsor of the 7th Edition of The Future Summit, a 2-day event that brings together leading experts and thought-leaders across sectors to deliberate on key issues and opportunities posed to Pakistan. The theme of this annual event this year is “The Big Picture.”

Farrukh Amin, the CEO of Unity Foods was the key note speaker, he opined that as far as the Big Picture for Pakistan is concerned, there are several opportunities in the agriculture sector that local and foreign investors can take up.

In the midst of current economic challenges there has been a drop in per capita income due to factors like the COVID-19 pandemic and floods in 2022. Other na-

tions too have faced similar adversities, with currency depreciation also in Japan, China, and Egypt. He emphasized the agricultural sector's potential in Pakistan, noting its large population, extensive irrigation network, and significant global rankings in wheat, rice, milk, mangoes, cotton, sugarcane, and other crops. Moreover, highlighting recent successes, he stated that a 73% surge in agricultural ex-

ports had been witnessed in October, particularly in rice and sesame seeds to China.

Farrukh Amin provided a comprehensive overview of the agricultural sector's economic contribution, noting also that a 126% growth in cotton production is expected to boost textile exports. He also encouraged local and foreign investors to consider the agricultural sector

as a lucrative opportunity, emphasizing the growing demand for locally produced food and the potential to reduce imports.

Despite current challenges, he expressed optimism, envisioning a positive economic turnaround in Pakistan through collective efforts and investments.

During the speech, it was emphasized that there will always be a demand for food in the country owing to Pakistan’s large and growing population.

Moreover, investment in the food and agriculture sector will not only serve to meet this demand, but also create export opportunities. Giving the example of Pakistan importing US$ 4 billion worth of edible oils and oil seeds, he further stated that there is a clear opportunity for investment in the cultivation of crops that yield edible oils, thus leading to import substitution and saving of precious foreign exchange.

WESTERN MEDIA DEFENDING ISRAELI ATROCITIES AGAINST PALESTINIANS: PM KAKAR

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ARETAKER Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar on Wednesday regretted that western media was defending brutal invasion of besieged Palestinian enclave of Gaza and unprecedented atrocities being committed by Israel against innocent Palestinians.

“Carnage against innocent civilians in Gaza by Israel cannot be justified in any way,” PM Kakar declared while speaking at Margalla Dialogue in Islamabad here on Wednesday.

On the occasion, the caretaker premier

launched a dossier detailing Indian oppression on religious minorities and unveiled the dossier prepared by Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI).

The dossier explains how instances of majoritarian violence have been inflicted on religious minorities since 2014, the year when Narendra Modi and Bharatiya Janata Party came to power. It also adds that 294 incidents of extremism against minorities occurred in the year 2021 alone. It also details how hundreds of churches were burned to the ground in the Manipur incident this year.

The dossier says that dozens of historical mosques in India are under threat and over 1,600 mosques are facing a media campaign.

Speaking at the occasion, Kakar said that India was promoting instability in the region.

He, however, added that Pakistan has emerged as a responsible state and will continue to play a positive role for world peace.

PM Kakar described Hindutva’s emergence as a ‘challenge’, saying that RSS was continuously targeting minorities in India.

“Minorities enjoying ‘complete protection’ in Pakistan”, the Premier added.

He also questioned the prolongation of the Kashmir issue and said that a solution would have to be found eventually. “UN resolutions on the Kashmir issue have been exist in its true sense”, he added.

Keeping in mind Pakistan’s best interests, Kakar desired cordial relations between

Pakistan and India and said a large number of Hindus and Sikhs reside in the country and all religions are respected.

The caretaker prime minister on November 11 strongly condemned Israeli aggression and inhumane blockade of Gaza at the Joint Arab Islamic Extraordinary Summit, held in Riyadh, Suadi Arabia.

At the Margalla Dialogue, organised by the Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI) other speakers including interim Foreign Minister Pakistan Jalil Abbas Jilani, former US ambassador Robin Raphels, Deputy Director at CICR Qin Tian, and Senator Mushahid Hussain also spoke earlier in the day.

Speaking to the audience, Kakar further

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said that Pakistan is looking to the east to boost trade. While mentioning that trade and corridors will benefit the economy, he added that the country has many opportunities to connect with Central Asia.

The prime minister further added that building infrastructure is the need of the hour for the country’s growth.

In a post on the social media platform ‘X’ (formerly known as Twitter), the caretaker prime minister, appreciating the event hosted by IPRI said: “Heartening to see Pakistan’s policymakers come together with renowned international scholars and policy-makers to discuss and find solutions to the challenges facing Pakistan and the region.”

SC bans use of word ‘sahib’ for government officials ISLAMABAD

Staff RepoRt

Chief Justice (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa on Wednesday ordered banning the use of word sahib as suffix to name of government officials while hearing the bail plea of a murder accused from Mardan.

The chief justice while heading a three-member bench, was irked the use of word sahib by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa additional advocate general (AAG) for a police officer. When the chief justice asked him to provide details of the case, the KP AAG said the “DSP sahib can explain.”

Retorting the AAG, the CJP told them: “You have spoiled everyone by calling them sahib. He is a DSP or rather an incompetent DSP,…..and not a sahib…”

He observed: “Use of the word sahib does not reflect an independent nation and when word sahib is used for government employees, they think that they can’t be held accountable.” He ordered sending a copy of the decision regarding the ban [on the word sahib] to the KP IG police, advocate general and home department.

Justice observed that police did not investigate the case, saying it seemed they consider the Supreme Court as a court of magistrate.

He expressed his anger as the AAG

and other officer failed to argue the case.

“Are we here to see the faces of lawyers?

Was the [case] file so heavy that two officers of KP had to bring it to Islamabad?”

The CJP observed why the nation was funding police. A nine-year-old boy had been murdered and police investigation

Shan Masood appointed Test captain, Shaheen Afirdi to lead T20 ISLAMABAD

Staff RepoRt

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has appointed Shan Masood as Test captain, while Shaheen Afridi has been tasked with leading the T20 format of the national team. The development comes shortly after Babar Azam Wednesday announced stepping down as the skipper of the national side from all formats, ending his years-long stint in the leading position, following a humiliating World Cup campaign. 34-year-old Shan has featured in 30 Tests, scoring 1,597 runs, which includes four centuries and seven half-centuries. Shan has been appointed captain till the end of the ICC World Test Championship 202325. Shan’s first assignment as captain will be a three-match Test series against Australia in Australia starting from 14 December. Meanwhile, left-arm pacer Shaheen Shah will lead Pakistan Men’s Team in the T20I format and his first assignment as captain will be the five-match T20I series in New Zealand from 12 to 21 January. 23-year-old Shaheen has bagged 64 wickets in 52 T20Is. Shaheen has also captained Lahore Qalandars in PSL and has helped the side win the tournament twice in two years in the 2022 and 2023 editions. The now-former skipper was under fire for several months after Pakistan failed to perform in the Asia Cup and continued the same momentum into the World Cup — where they crashed out before reaching the semis. “Today, I am stepping down as the captain of Pakistan in all formats. It’s a difficult decision but I feel it is [the] right time for this call,” Babar said in a statement on X, formerly Twitter.

Shehbaz to Bilawal: Will accept whoever public chooses as PM

was incomplete. Due to flawed investigation, the court would release a suspect and they [police] would blame the court, he remarked.

CJP Isa observed that police did not deem it necessary to investigate the case seriously as the dead boy belonged to a

poor family. He asked a police official about his burgeoning waist. You are a member of a force, he said and added that in the past a belt was used [by the officials]. The chief justice expressed his anger when the AAG sought details from the DSP. “Is it a courtroom, or your office? It is irresponsible attitude to do office work in the courtroom,” he remarked.

CJP Isa asked police officer about evidence against the accused. The DSP (investigation) Peshawar replied that two witnesses saw the child with the accused.

The chief justice said that you could add four witnesses [in the case]; where is the evidence?

The DSP said the child used to work in his uncle’s workshop.

The chief justice observed how an uncle let his nephew go with a stranger?

“Why did the workshop inform the child’s family about the incident after 16 days? Why did the police not record the statements of the workshop employees?” he asked the DSP. The KP police [officials] are the worst [investigators], the chief justice continued. He observed that the police did not conduct any investigation to determine who was responsible for the death of the child. Later, the court granted bail to the accused.

Pakistan’s LSMI production declines 3.56% in Sept g

Large Scale Manufacturing Industries output demonstrated a 1.01pc YoY increase Paper & Board (-0.18), and Furniture (-2.09).

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Pakistan’s Large Scale Manufacturing Industries (LSMI) experienced a 3.56 percent month-onmonth decline in production, standing at 112.85 in September 2023 compared to 117.02 in August 2023, as reported by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).

The LSMI output demonstrated a 1.01 percent year-on-year increase, recording 112.85 against the 111.73 figure noted in September 2022.

Looking at the cumulative performance in the first three months of the fiscal year 2023-24 (3MFY24), LSMI exhibited a growth of 0.68 percent when compared to the corresponding period of the previous year.

The key contributors to the overall growth of 0.68 percent in LSMI during this period were Food (0.61), Tobacco (-0.71), Textile (-4.26), Garments (5.47), Petroleum Products (0.86), Chemicals (0.16), Pharmaceuticals (1.81), Cement (0.84), Iron & Steel Products (-0.11), Electrical Equipment (-0.47), Automobiles (-1.45),

Analyzing the production trends from July to September 2023-24 compared to the same period in the previous fiscal year (July-September 2022-23), growth was observed in Food, Beverages, Wearing apparel, Coke & Petroleum Products, Chemicals, Fertilizers, Pharmaceuticals, Non-Metallic Mineral Products, Machinery and Equipment, and Other Manufacturing (Football). Conversely, a decrease was noted in Tobacco, Textile, Iron & Steel Products, Electrical Equipment, Automobiles, Other Transport Equipment, and Furniture.

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QUETTA

Staff RepoRt

PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif has said that they will accept whoever the public chooses as the prime minister, and if the public chooses Nawaz Sharif, then he will be accepted. Shehbaz said this when asked to comment on PPP Chairman Bilawal BhuttoZardari’s recent statements that the next prime minister will be from Sindh and that PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif should focus on Lahore only. He was addressing the media in Quetta along with senior politician Nawab Lashkari Raisani on Wednesday. Further commenting on Bilawal’s remarks, Shehbaz said everyone should do durable politics, adding that whatever happened in Pakistan in the last seven decades was before everyone and there was no use crying over spilt milk now. “It is not appropriate to blame each other. We need to look inward and do some introspection also,” he suggested. About the previous coalition government, he said he wasn’t just sitting at home doing nothing, adding that he went from one place to the other and did everything he could in a coalition government. “We saved the country from going bankrupt. If the state is saved, politics will also be saved. If the state had not survived, the situation would have been worse than Sri Lanka’s,” he stressed. The former premier said people were protesting on the streets, chanting, chanting, etc, adding that saving Pakistan from bankruptcy was a small service. “Inflation had been prevailing for four years. We had to order fertilizer and wheat, as the production was low during the previous government,” he went on to say.

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Seven terrorists ‘eliminated’ in Tank IBO: ISPR RAWALPINDI

Staff RepoRt

At least seven terrorists were killed during fire exchange with security forces in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s Tank district during an intelligence-based operation (IBO), the military said in a statement on Wednesday.

According to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the operation was conducted in Kiri Machan Khel area of Tank after the reported presence of terrorists.

During the conduct of the operation, it said that intense fire exchange took place between own troops and terrorists, as a result of which seven terrorists were killed. ISPR said that hideouts of the terrorists were also busted during the operation. Weapons and ammunition were also recovered from the killed terrorists, who remained actively involved in numerous terrorist activities including recent target killings of police in Tank and surrounding areas, it added. ISPR said that sanitisation operation is being carried out to eliminate any other terrorists found in the area. Locals of the area appreciated the operation and extended their full support to the security forces in elimination of menace of terrorism, it further said.

Bushra Bibi’s bail extended in Toshakhana, £190m cases ISLAMABAD

Staff RepoRt

An accountability court in Islamabad on Wednesday extended the bail of Bushra Bibi, wife of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman, till November 17 in Tosha Khana and NCA £190m cases. Yesterday, the former first lady appeared before the NAB investigators in connection with an ongoing probe into the National Crime Agency (NCA) £190 million scandal. She has been handed over a questionnaire seeking her response to 11 queries. An accountability court judge Muhammad Bashir presided over the hearing regarding the bail application of the former first lady in the Toshakhana and NCA 190 mln pounds cases. In today’s hearing, neither the wife of former prime minister nor her lawyers appeared before the court. Upon the nonpresence of the petitioner, the accountability judge extended the interim bail of Bushra Bibi until November 17. Earlier, the caretaker federal government placed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi’s name on the Exit Control List (ECL), said sources. Former prime minister and PTI chairman Imran Khan’s wife’s name had been placed on ECL in the National Crime Agency (NCA) £190 million scandal, sources privy to the development told ARY News. Her name was put on the ECL on the recommendation of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

Senator durrani proposes five-year ‘national unity government’ ISLAMABAD

Staff RepoRt

Former federal minister and senator Muhammad Ali Durrani on Wednesday proposed an elected ‘National Unity Government’ to foster national cohesion that transcends divisive political lines.

The proposed plan suggested that the National Unity Government should be formed for five years after the general elections.

“The challenges we face today as a nation are formidable, and the requirement for political unity has never been more critical. Let us rise up to this challenge, forgo the personal interests for the collective, rise above partisanship, and embrace the vision for a stronger, more united nation,” Durrani said.

“It is essential that we begin by insulating national interests, democracy, and the sanctity of our institutions from political discord and form a col-

laborative environment between the nation’s government and institutions to achieve a shared objective, rather than perpetuating a culture of confrontation,” he emphasised.

“We are confronted with a pressing need for a renewed approach to governance,” Durrani said while underlining the need to draw inspiration from examples in history. He referenced example from United Kingdom (UK) during World War-II, specifically pointing out the formation of national unity government in the UK, as well as instances in 1988 in Northern Ireland and 1994 in South Africa under the leadership of Nelson Mandela.

Senator Durrani argued that these examples of unity governments proved to be successful in steering their respective countries out of the crises and bring an end to the devisive politics.

“Pakistan currently facing same situation that requires our renewed approach to learn from these examples

remaining in parliamentary and constitutional structure,” he urged.

The proposed plan envisions that the political party securing the majority of seats in the upcoming parliamentary elections will assume leadership in the national government.

Furthermore, the proposal advocates for the absence of an official opposition, with all members committing to uphold the national agenda. According to the proposal, the leading political party will nominate three candidates for the position of Prime Minister, to be elected through a voting process. The cabinet shall not exceed 30 members, selected based on competence and eligibility, collectively representative of all political parties based on their relative number of seats, it said.

Senator Durrani also suggested that the elected government must ensure timely and inclusive local body elections within six months while maintaining a duration consistent with

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national and provincial elections.

In addition, the plan suggested that the government should also commit to the synchronisation of local body elections with national and provincial elections to take place simultaneously at the day of general election for all future electoral cycles.

Senator Durrani resolved to share the plan with public at large including political parties.