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SAYS BALOCHISTAN’S GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE BEING STREAMLINED VIA MULTIPLE INITIATIVES

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QUETTA STAFF REPORT

ARETAKER Prime Minister Anwarul Haq Kakar on Tuesday reiterated that under existing laws, the government has the authority to ban and terminate individuals or entities, clarifying that the government operates within the framework of law, neither portraying itself as villains nor heroes of human rights.

Speaking to students in Quetta, PM Kakar engaged in a comprehensive dialogue, addressing key issues ranging from education and youth empowerment to political stability, terrorism and immigration.

He addressed the formation of militias based on language, religion, and race, asserting that such actions lack justifica-

tion and the Constitution did not allow it.

He underscored the importance of upholding the rule of law, rejecting any attempts to justify violence under the guise of human rights.

PM Kakar emphasised that the Constitution allows participation in National and Provincial Assembly elections to voice concerns and grievances without resorting to violence. He highlighted the upcoming elections on February 8, urging citizens to engage in the democratic process by submitting nomination papers and expressing their views through legitimate political channels.

Regarding violence, the caretaker prime minister asserted that the state will determine whether violence is justifiable or not. He pointed to the actions of banned organisations, such as BLA and

ECP once again delays Imran, Fawad’s indictment in contempt case ISLAMABAD

STAFF REPORT

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday once again deferred the indictment of expremier Imran Khan and former federal minister Fawad Ch in a case pertaining to contempt of the electoral body and the chief election commissioner (CEC). A four-member bench of the ECP arrived at Adiala Jail to charge sheet Imran and Fawad who are incarcerated in the jail.

On Dec 6, the ECP had decided to conduct Imran and Fawad’s jail trial in light of the interior ministry’s denial to produce the former premier before the commission, citing security concerns.

Last year, the electoral body had initiated contempt proceedings against the PTI chief, former party leader Asad Umar and Fawad for allegedly using “intemperate” language against the chief election commissioner and the electoral watchdog.

However, instead of appearing before the ECP, the three had challenged the ECP notices and contempt proceedings in various high courts arguing that Section 10 of the Elections Act 2017, which is the statutory provision regarding the commission’s power to punish for contempt, was against the Constitution.

The PTI leaders had also sought from the high courts a declaratory relief from the charges.

But in January, the Supreme Court allowed the ECP to continue proceedings against Imran, Fawad and Umar, and on June 21, the ECP decided to frame charges against the trio, which has yet to be done.

Fawad was arrested from Islamabad on Nov 4 in a corruption case and has been in custody ever since.

At the previous hearing, the electoral watchdog had announced that it would conduct indictment proceedings against the former premier and the ex-information minister in jail and asked the Ministry of Interior to make necessary arrangements in this regard. In the latest development today, the ECP bench deferred the indictment and adjourned the hearing till December 27.

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Rs 15.00 | Vol XIV No 171 I 8 Pages I Karachi Edition

AXIS OF SOME CORRUPT ‘BUREAUCRATS, STAKEHOLDERS’ HAD CRUMPLED WHOLE PROVINCE:PM

PM underscores effective training to benefit country from huge human capital

QUETTA: Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar has said that skilled human resource the most important asset for a nation and to meet the needs of the contemporary world effective training strategy was crucial.

Speaking at launching ceremony of PM’s Youth Skill Development Programme in Quetta on Tuesday, he said in the era of technology and artificialintelligence, there was a need for equipping the youth with necessary upto-date knowledge.

Anwaarul Haq Kakar said that imparting skills to one person did not restrict to him but the families associated with him and also the coming generations benefit from it.

The country was in dire need of such initiatives of social development which resulted in the overall uplift of the people, the PM added.

Balochistan Caretaker Chief Minister Mir Ali Mardan Domki said the

BLF, stating that their activities involve torture and killings. He underscored the government’s responsibility to address violence and maintain law and order.

Kakar has said that the governance structure of Balochistan was being streamlined through multiple initiatives taken by government including reforms

provincial government was committed to providing every possible opportunity to the people of Balochistan.

He said the provincial government had decided to set up the Balochistan Skilled Development Fund under the supervision of the Planning and Development Department.

Ali Mardan Domki said the government of China showed interest to provide a $60 million grant for the development of Balochistan, of which the provincial government had the intention to use fifty percent on skilled development of youth.

Federal Minister for Education Madad Ali Sindhi said imparting skills to youth was the main ingredient of empowering them by helping them qualify for employment. He said the launch of programme from Quetta was significant because it encouraged the local youth to benefit from it who deserved it the most. STAFF REPORT

in bureaucracy.

He said that deputing a blend of upright and hard-working bureaucrats from civil service as well as from the provincial structure was vital to resolve the chronic and complex issues faced by the province.

COAS, US Centcom chief discuss matters of shared interests, regional security

CONTINUED ON PAGE 03

RAWALPINDI

STAFF REPORT

Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen Asim Munir called on Gen Michael Erik Kurilla, the commander of the US Central Command (Centcom), and discussed cooperation in regional security matters, the military’s media affairs wing said on Tuesday.

According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the army chief met the Centcom chief during his visit to Headquarters Central Command at Tampa Bay, Florida.

“During the meeting, matters of shared interests, particularly cooperation in regional security matters came under discussion,” it said.

“Both sides discussed avenues of joint training and reiterated the need for enhancing training interactions between Centcom and the Pakistan Army,” the ISPR said, adding that the COAS also visited Centcom Joint Operations Center during the visit.

The army chief landed in Washington last week on his first official visit to the US. Earlier, Gen Asim Munir met key government officials including US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Secretary of Defence (retired) General Llyod J. Austin, Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland, Deputy National Security Adviser Jonathan Finer and Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff General Charles Q. Brown.

NAB files graft reference against Imran Khan, Bushra Bibi in Toshakhana case ISLAMABAD

STAFF REPORT

In a noteworthy development on Tuesday, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) took a significant step by submitting a reference to the accountability court.

The reference targets former Prime Minister and founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Imran Khan, along with his wife, Bushra Bibi, in relation to the Toshakhana case.

The registrar office of the accountability court is set to take further action after scrutinising the case.

The NAB Rawalpindi, acting on allegations of graft, has named only two accused in the reference – Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi. The NAB prosecutor, Sohail Arif, along with Investigation Officer Mohsin Haroon, submitted the reference to the registrar office for further legal proceedings.

This development comes after the accountability court on Saturday rejected NAB’s request for an extended physical remand of Khan in the Toshakhana case. The court, dismissing the bureau’s plea, declared a 21-day judicial remand for the former PTI chairman. The hearing was adjourned until January 6.

The crux of the accusations revolves around Khan and Bushra allegedly retaining gifts received during their official visits to foreign countries while Imran Khan served as the prime minister. Instead of following the prescribed official protocol by depositing these gifts in the Toshakhana, the couple purportedly kept them and contributed an amount less than the stipulated value into the national treasury.

Bushra, in particular, is accused of holding on to various jewelry items received as gifts during official visits. The list of allegedly retained gifts includes a locket, two rings, two ear tops, and two bracelets received on June 26, 2019. In 2020, she reportedly acquired a diamond-studded gold necklace, ring, bracelet, and ear tops. The list expanded in 2021 with the addition of a necklace, earrings, ring, and bracelet.

Despite repeated requests from the NAB for the return of these gifts, especially the jewelry items, Bushra has allegedly failed to comply. In response, the NAB directed her to appear at the NAB Rawalpindi office on December 11 and bring the specified ornaments with her.

Subsequently, Bushra obtained bail until December 13 in this case from the accountability court in Islamabad.

PBC raises concerns about fairness, transparency of upcoming general elections ISLAMABAD

STAFF REPORT

Bilateral interests, global and regional security issues, and ongoing conflicts were discussed during the meetings.

The COAS also held a meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday during which he reaffirmed Pakistan’s stance on Palestine. He had also urged the UN Security Council to mobilise the international community for an immediate halt to hostilities in Gaza, preventing a humanitarian tragedy.

Furthermore, Gen Munir interacted with the Pakistani diaspora last week at a community dinner hosted by the Pakistan embassy in Washington. Among the attendees were individuals of diverse influence: investors, physicians, IT professionals, engineers, univer-

sity professors, financial experts, and economists.

PAKISTAN MAJOR NONNATO ALLY OF US: STATE DEPT: Earlier on Monday, US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller, during a news briefing in Washington, said Pakistan was a “major non-Nato ally of the United States and a Nato partner”.

“We look forward to partnering with them on regional security and defence cooperation,” he said in response to a question on the army chief’s meeting with Secretary Blinken.

“As you know, he [COAS Munir] was in Washington to meet with a number of officials, including officials here at the State Department, including officials at the Pentagon and elsewhere,” Miller said.

The Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) has expressed reservations about the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and the current Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), Sikandar Sultan Raja. In a statement, the PBC raised concerns about the fairness and transparency of the upcoming general elections, citing an imbalance in the distribution of seats, doubts about the integrity of the electoral process, and a lack of equal opportunities for all political parties.

The PBC’s statement specifically mentioned concerns about the distribution of seats in Jhelum, Gujranwala, and Rawalpindi districts, suggesting that these areas may be underrepresented in the upcoming elections. The statement also noted that the current ratio of population to constituencies is raising questions about the fairness of the electoral process. “It is clear that the conduct of the commission raises serious doubts about the integrity of the general elections,” the PBC statement said. “In the light of these circumstances, the Election Commission cannot turn a blind eye to these critical issues.”

The PBC called on the Supreme Court of Pakistan to take notice of these concerns and to ensure that the upcoming elections are free, fair, and transparent. The Bar Council also announced that it will soon convene an All Pakistan Representative Convention to discuss the issue of electoral reform. “The main objective is not just elections but free, fair and transparent elections,” the PBC statement said. “All stakeholders should be provided with equal opportunities.” The PBC’s statement comes amid growing concerns about the upcoming general elections in Pakistan. The elections are scheduled to be held in 2023, and there is already a great deal of political uncertainty in the country.

Magnitude 6.2 earthquake kills 126 in China’s Gansu, Qinghai provinces CONTINUED ON PAGE 03

BEIJING

STAFF REPORT

A magnitude-6.2 earthquake jolted a remote and mountainous region on the northern edge of the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau just before midnight on Monday, killing at least 126 people and injuring hundreds, according to Chinese state media.

Authorities have swiftly mobilised an array of emergency responses after the quake wrecked roads and infrastructure, triggered landslides, and half buried a village in silt. But rescue work has proved challenging in subzero temperatures, with most of China grappling with below-freezing conditions after a powerful cold wave swept across the country.

Earthquakes are common in western provinces such as Gansu, lying on the eastern boundary of the tectonically active Qinghai-Tibetan plateau. China’s deadliest quake in recent decades was in 2008 when a magnitude-8.0 temblor struck Sichuan, killing nearly 70,000 people.

At 11:59 p.m. local time (1559 GMT) on Monday, the latest quake struck Jishishan county in Gansu at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles), according to China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC).

In Gansu, 105 were killed as of 7:50 a.m.

Tuesday (2350 GMT Monday), and of 397 injured as of 9:30 a.m., 16 were in critical condition, provincial authorities told a news conference. The death tally in Qinghai rose to at least 13 with 182 injured. Officially, 20 people remained missing.

About 2,200 personnel from the Gansu provincial fire department and 900 from the forest brigade, as well as 260 professional emergency rescue workers, were dispatched to the disaster zone, the Xinhua news agency reported, adding that hundreds from the military and police were also deployed.

The province, which has allocated 20 million yuan ($2.8 million) to the local government for emergency response work, also sent supplies that included 2,600 cotton tents, 10,400 folding beds, 10,400 quilts, 10,400

cotton mattresses, and 1,000 sets of stoves.

RACE AGAINST THE COLD: As the disaster area is in a high-altitude region where the weather is cold, rescue efforts are working to prevent secondary disasters caused by factors beyond the quake, Xinhua said.

The temperature in Linxia, Gansu, near where the quake occurred, was about minus 14 degrees Celsius (6.8°F) on Tuesday morning.

Although the 72 hours after a quake are the most likely time to rescue survivors, that will be shortened by the harsh weather, with trapped victims facing higher risk, it said.

Some water, electricity, transportation, communications and other infrastructure have been damaged.

Power to the quake-hit area was being gradually restored, after the state grid sent 18 emergency repair teams, CCTV said. At noon local time, about 88% of the power supply had been restored in Jishishan.

Dozens of highways and rural roads were damaged amid multiple landslides, although no casualties were reported.

State media footage showed fire rescue personnel combing through rubble of collapsed buildings – loose bricks have piled onto a dirt alley in a Gansu village after sliding off a damaged house, while in stronger structures walls held up but roofs had collapsed.

At a university in Gansu’s capital, Lanzhou, some 180 km away from the epicentre, students dressed in down jackets were seen lingering in groups outside their dormitory after the quake, a video posted by

state-backed The Paper showed.

A major hydropower dam 50km from the epicentre was unaffected by the quake.

CCTV reported that the dam, on the upper Yellow River, was operating normally.

In a village in Qinghai, the quake triggered a mudslide that left many houses half-covered in brown silt. Rescuers have deployed drones, excavators and bulldozers to find and rescue survivors, local media reported.

ISLAMABAD: President Dr Arif Alvi was deeply grieved over the loss of precious human lives in China due to earthquake.

According to a statement issued by the President House on Tuesday, he said, “I would like to extend my sincere sympathy and heartfelt condolences on

behalf of the government and people of Pakistan with the bereaved families and people and leadership of China.”

President Dr Arif Alvi said “We share the grief and sorrow of our Chinese brothers and sisters and stand with them in this hour of grief”. STAFF REPORT

President grieved over loss of lives in earthquake

02 NEWS

PM KAKAR ORDERS TO ACCELERATE REHAB OF FLOOD-HIT AREAS IN BALOCHISTAN

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QUETTA

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ARETAKER Prime Minister (PM) Anwaarul Haq Kakar on Tuesday directed the authorities concerned to accelerate the rehabilitation process of the flood-hit families of Balochistan as well as the reconstruction of their damaged houses.

The prime minister, in a meeting held to review the administrative affairs of the province, was briefed about the ongoing reconstruction of the infrastructure damaged by the flood in 2022. PM Kakar instructed the relevant authorities to immediately ensure the water supply to all the deprived areas of the province. The interim prime minister was given a briefing on the water reservoirs of Balochistan, the construction of houses, communication infrastructure, law and justice, fishing, and other sectors.

The premier, who was given a briefing

about the mining sector, said the future of Balochistan’s people was linked with the domestic and foreign investment in the mining and mineral sectors of the province.

PM Kakar instructed to improve the

transportation system in the country and introduce a mechanism of safety certificates, besides establishing a database for issuance and verification of the licenses.

He also directed the relevant authorities

to raise a special patrolling force to curb illegal trawling in the coastal areas. He said a similar force comprising local people should also be formed in Gwadar to do away with illegal trawling. Caretaker Balochistan Chief

Wedneday, 20 December, 2023 | KARACHI

Minister Mir Ali Mardan Khan Domki, Caretaker Federal Information and Broadcasting Minister Murtaza Solangi, Caretaker Federal Education Minister Madad Ali Sindhi, provincial ministers, and senior officers of the provincial administration attended the meeting.

FARMERS’ ISSUE: Meanwhile, PM Kakar also held a meeting with a delegation of Zameendar Action Committee of Balochistan. During the meeting, the delegation members apprised the prime minister of the issues confronting the agriculture sector as well as the power load-shedding in Balochistan. He directed the provincial administration to resolve the problems faced by the farmers in the province including electricity supply, irrigation and others.

The prime minister also asked the Balochistan chief secretary to ensure electricity supply for the agriculture tube wells in the province. “The welfare of the farmers is among the state’s priorities,” he added.

President for promoting virtual education in varsities ISLAMABAD

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Oil falls after US announces to safeguard Red Sea trade ISLAMABAD tLtP

Crude oil prices edged lower on Tuesday after the United States announced the creation of a multinational operation to safeguard Red Sea commerce, which allayed fears of geopolitical risks. As of 1250 hours GMT, Brent, the international benchmark for two-thirds of the world's oil, shed $0.19 (-0.24 percent) to reach $77.76 a barrel. The West Texas Intermediate (WTI), the main oil benchmark for North America, went down by $0.21 (0.29 percent) to $72.26 a barrel. Brent rose by $0.71 on WoW last week while WTI closed last week higher by $0.20. However, the price of Russian Sokol increased by $0.64 (+0.89 percent) to $72.16. Arab Light prices witnessed an increase of $0.63 (+0.79 percent) to reach $80.61 a barrel. On the other hand, the price for Opec Basket went up to $78.03 a barrel with an increase of $1.26 (+1.64 percent). The OPEC Reference Basket of Crudes (ORB) is made up of Saharan Blend, Girassol, Djeno, Zafiro, Rabi Light, Iran Heavy, Basra Light, Kuwait Export, Es Sider, Bonny Light, Arab Light, Murban and Merey. The United States on Tuesday announced the creation of a multinational operation to safeguard Red Sea commerce.

The United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles and Spain are among the nations involved. Though the attacks on shipping have boosted the geopolitical risk premium, the actual effect on oil flows is likely to be limited. The attacks have not hit anything that would interfere with production. Goldman Sachs analysts said the disruption is unlikely to have a large effect on crude and liquefied natural gas (LNG) prices because opportunities to reroute vessels suggest that production should not be directly affected.

Meanwhile, China’s state oil and chemicals giant Sinochem has bought a rare cargo of Venezuelan crude, as Chinese state-owned firms look to acquire cheaper crudes without fear of secondary sanctions now that the US has eased the restrictions on Venezuela. The temporary US sanctions relief from October 2023 to April 2024 now allows the production, lifting, sale, and exportation of oil or gas from Venezuela, and the provision of related goods and services, as well as payment of invoices for goods or services related to oil or gas sector operations in Venezuela. As a result, the top international oil trading houses are back in the business of trading with oil from Venezuela. Refiners willing to take advantage of the eased sanctions have arranged spot purchases of Venezuelan heavy crude, which is cheaper than international benchmarks, although the discount is not as wide as it was a few months ago when the South American country was still under sanctions. Since the US eased the sanctions, demand for Venezuelan crude outside China has increased. India, for example, said last week it would buy oil from Venezuela for the first such purchase since 2020.

President Dr Arif Alvi on Tuesday stressed that every university should start virtual education to promote higher and skilled based education across the country.

Addressing the 13th convocation of Virtual University, the president said that keeping in mind the evolving technology trends, the Higher Education Commission (HEC) had also prepared a policy that was still waiting for final approval, under which all universities would be allowed to impart 30% virtual education to its students.

Dr Arif Alvi said the international educational institutions were rapidly shifting from traditional Brick and Mortar University system to the virtual education system.

In the United States, he said more than 50% of the courses in every university

were now virtual and they were also improving quality.

The president said he had always been the proponent of online education and had been stressing that the online education should be promoted to disseminate knowledge in remote areas of the country. He said the reason behind less development in most of the Muslim countries was that there was still resistance in adopting the new technology. “The change will be possible only after ensuring timely adoption of the evolving technology,” he remarked.

Giving the regional statistics, the president said in Pakistan after only 10% students managed to enroll in higher degrees, while in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, the ratio was at least 25%. He regretted that around 28 million children were out of school in Pakistan. However in the regional countries, there was almost 100%

enrollment in primary classes.

President Alvi maintained that the reason behind low literacy rate in Pakistan was the lack of leadership and lack of preparedness. Further, he said role of every citizen was also important in this regard.

He said when he became the president, total annual enrollment in the virtual university was 28,000 which had increased to 55000 this year which was quite encouraging. He pointed out that the university was running totally on its own resources and it was not seeking any financial support from the government.

The president advised the children to adopt good ethics and morality, and always advocate for love and peace in the society.

“We should always take care of the poor, down trodden and the persons with disabilities,” he added.

Congratulating the degree awarding

China-Pakistan Land Resources Institute launched in JCAT ISLAMABAD

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China-Pakistan Land Resources Institute launched in Jiangxi College of Applied Technology (JCAT).

The signing and inauguration ceremony of “China-Pakistan Land Resources Institute” took place at (JCAT).

Afifa Shajia Awais, education attaché from the Embassy of Pakistan in China, congratulated the ceremony. She emphasized that educational cooperation is a crucial element of China-Pakistan collaboration.

She hopes that the cooperation model of China-Pakistan joint training of professional talents, co-construction, and sharing of advanced vocational ed-

ucation concepts will lead to the training of more excellent Pakistani land resources survey and management professional and technical personnel.

She stated that the embassy will continue to monitor the institute’s development and provide necessary support.

Tao Xiaoju, Deputy Director General of Jiangxi Provincial Department of Natural Resources, participated in the ceremony, Gwadar Pro reported on Tuesday.

He introduced the overall development of Jiangxi and its distinctive mineral advantages. He proposed that the establishment of the institute represents a new milestone in the collaboration between China and Pakistan in the field of education, and another significant achievement of the amicable and prag-

matic partnership between Jiangxi Province and Sindh Province.

He stated that the entire China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is marked by energy and mineral cooperation projects, which demand a significant number of skilled technical professionals specialized in land resources and mineral exploration. It is opportune for JCAT to collaborate with Pakistan, leveraging its expertise in land resource exploration and management.

In the future, over 20 Pakistani students will embark on a new learning journey in China. They will undergo professional technical training and learn the Chinese language to acquire the necessary skills to meet the demands of the international market.

Pakistan’s cultural diversity a source of its strength as federation: PM QUETTA APP

Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ulHaq Kakar on Tuesday said Pakistan as a federation derived its strength from diversity of its cultures, traditions and languages with every ethnicity having a unique binding factor.

“Pakistan is not about monotony or uniculturism, but a blend of cultural identities that strongly hold and integrate each other,” he said at the launch of a Pakistan Television’s programming in Hazargi language. PM Kakar said like other provinces, Balochistan was a rich kladioscope of ethnicities and tribes with their cultures and values imbibed with Baloch values.

He lauded the Hazara community of Balochistan, terming their contribution as significant for the development of Quetta and the province. He mentioned the prominent figures of the Hazara community including former Governor of Balochistan General (retd) Muhammad Musa, Sardar Sadaat and Brigadier Khadim Hussain who earned respect due to their integrity. He paid tribute to

the Hazara community who demonstrated resilience while braving the challenge of terrorism, which hit all segments of the country.

He expressed the resolve that with unity, the nation could defeat the elements that created divide and differences among communities.

PM Kakar vowed to make Balochistan and Pakistan a hub of peace, saying that peace prospers arts.

The prime minister felicitated the Hazaras on the launch of PTV’s programming in their regional language and termed it as a tribute to all the martyrs of Hazara community who sacrificed their lives for the homeland.

He expressed confidence that the talented community would use the platform to highlight their beautiful culture as an important feather to the country’s diversity. PM Kakar said PTV was a historic asset that glued the nation through its outstanding programmes and vowed the government’s continued assistance for the uplift of the organization.

On the occasion, PM Kakar inaugurated the new logo of PTV Bolan. Information Minister Murtaza Solangi

expressed satisfaction that PTV Bolan which was already telecasting programmes in Balochi, Brahvi and Pashto languages had achieved another milestone with the addition of Hazargi language. Solangi mentioned that on his proposal, the prime minister took personal interest in the launch of Hazargi language programme, terming it close to his heart. From today, he said, PTV Bolan would run the terrestrial broadcast for an additional hour to cater to the viewers in far-flung areas. The rebraodcast centres are now 23 with a recent addition of one, he said.

He said PTV Bolan would give equal representation to all the regional languages and would go round the clock. Hazargi poet Qadir Nail paid tribute to PM Kakar and Information Minister Murtaza Solangi for the historic launch of the Hazargi language programme, and said that it made a beautiful addition to the bouquet of regional language programmes.

Singer Zeba Noori sang a Hazargi folk song and the children clad in traditional Balochi dresses presented dances to the tunes of Hazargi songs.

students, the president said the market needed the two-year associate degree as it takes less time to be able to start professional and technical work.

Referring to the atrocities going on in Gaza, President Alvi said the ethics and morality had vanished away in the world.

Rector Virtual University Professor Dr Arshad Saleem Bhatti said the university was playing key role in promoting online education in the country. He highlighted that the students’ strength was also witnessing increase as during current year some 55000 new students got enrolled in the university.

Dr Arshad said the university was also opening its campuses in remote areas to provide quality education in every corner of the country. He informed that the Virtual University was also establishing partnership with the international universities.

Pakistan classic translation book gains popularity in China BEIJING

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Pakistani Literature (Year 1994, Vol.2-3), one of five books in a project focused on mutual translation and publication of classic books between China and Pakistan, has gained popularity in China and is listed good book of Tencent in 2023, Gwadar Pro reported on Tuesday. The book contains over 30 short stories chosen by the Pakistan Academy of Letters and translated and published by Yilin Publishing House. It is the most comprehensive representation of contemporary Pakistani literature. As the initial set of results from the China-Pakistan Classic Translation and Publication Project led by the Import and Export Administration of Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, the publication of this book helps promote exchanges between China and Pakistan and satisfies the desire of Chinese readers to understand Pakistani literature. The thirty or so original novels cover ten local languages, including Urdu, Punjabi, Sindhi, and Pashto. The selection offers a diverse range of styles and rich themes, providing insights into Pakistan’s history, economy, art and cultural traditions. It gives readers a glimpse of a cross-section of modern Pakistani society and its future. Most of the works focus on the daily lives of ordinary Pakistanis. The novels feature various protagonists, including a bride who brings good luck to her family, a gypsy girl who awaits the blossoming of flowers under a fig tree, an artist who breathes life into puppets but becomes one himself, and a painter consumed by an obsession with nature. The book is written in a subtle and witty style, expressing the observations and thoughts of contemporary Pakistani writers, thereby greatly enriching the content of Pakistani literature. Liu Guohui, Deputy Secretary General of the Taofen Foundation, remarked that the book is well-written and authentic, particularly in its precise details and profound portrayal of the protagonists’ psychological states. “The dialogues in the book are simple, animate and engaging. The novels are short and concise, yet sharp and profoundly reflect the richness and colorfulness of Pakistani life, the people’s desire for happiness, and the complex ideas and deep insights of Pakistani society. It is a successful collection of translated novels,” said Liu.

Pak-China exchange conference on investment opportunity held in Beijing ISLAMABAD

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Pakistan-China Exchange Conference on Investment Opportunity was held here at the Pakistani Embassy, aiming to strengthen cooperation in engineering construction, carbon neutrality, new energy, mining and other fields.

With the theme of “New Opportunity, New Cooperation, and New Development”, the conference is expected to present a higher level of cooperation, China Economic Net (CEN) reported on Tuesday.

Khalil ur Rahman Hashmi, Ambassador of Pakistan to China, said in his speech at the conference that he believes that engineering, construction, carbon neutrality, new energy, energy storage, mining development, green and sustainable development and other fields will be the key of future cooperation between the two countries.

“Now we have entered the second phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, our focus is more on B2B cooperation, investment and technology transfer between China and Pakistan, which is also

in line with the vision of the leaders of the two countries,” he stated.

He further said that the Pakistani government has stepped up efforts to facilitate investors and joint ventures in Pakistan.

To this end, the government has established the Special Investment Facilitation Committee (SIFC) to provide “single window” facilities to foreign investors and businessmen by removing all systemic barriers.

The Prime Minister of Pakistan himself chairs the SIFC Supreme Council. Mining and energy, particularly renewable energy, are priority areas for SIFC.

Ghulam Qadir, Commercial Counsellor of Pakistan Embassy in Beijing, introduced the policies and incentives to invest in Pakistan. “We are looking for Chinese investments in different areas, especially industries that are moving from China to Pakistan where we can export value-added products to the world,” he said.

He invited Chinese entrepreneurs to participate in the 3rd Pakistan Engineering and Healthcare Expo to be held in Lahore from January 18 to 20, 2024.

This event will be attended by many Pakistani related companies and exhibitors,

and B2B meetings will be held.

The expo is also expected to pave the way for more achievements in China-Pakistan cooperation.

Lu Chang, Vice Secretary General China Association of International Engineering Consultants, noted that over the past decade, CPEC has achieved fruitful results in providing employment and high-quality sustainable development.

He also said that they are willing to go to Pakistan to participate in this healthcare expo and are ready to work hand in hand with Pakistani entrepreneurs.

DISCOS SEEK HIGHEST FUEL CHARGES ADJUSTMENT FOR 2023

Wedneday, 20 December, 2023 | KARACHI

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MASSIVE TARIFF HIKE ON CARDS AS DISCOS SEEK RS 4.7 PER UNIT INCREASE IN TARIFFS FOR NOVEMBER ISLAMABAD

ahmad ahmadani

N a development poised to jolt consumers, all power distribution companies (DISCOs) — with the exception of K-Electric — have requested a significant increase of Rs 4.6617 per kilowatt hour (kWh) in the electricity tariff, citing fuel charges adjustment (FCA) for November 2023. The requested FCA is the highest for the year 2023 and marks the highest point since June 2022.

The Central Power Purchasing Agency (CPPA), acting on behalf of the DISCOs, has submitted an application to the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) to adjust the electricity tariff under the FCA for November

PM Kakar says govt enjoys authority to ‘ban anyone’ under the law CONTINUED FROM PAGE 01

2023. NEPRA has scheduled a public hearing on the 27th of December 2023 to consider this FCA proposal. Once a verdict is reached, the FCA will be levied on units of electricity consumed in November, against the meter readings recorded throughout December, and will eventually be billed to customers in January. Consequently, the inflationary impact of the decision will be recorded in February 2024.

The CPPA’s application reveals that the total electricity generated from various fuels in November was 7,547 GWh, at a cost of Rs 7.1704 per unit, resulting in a total energy cost of Rs 54,113 million. The data also indicates that the net electricity delivered to DISCOs in November 2023 was 7,288 GWh, at a rate of Rs 9.4448 per unit, with the total cost amounting to Rs 68,834 million.

Anwaarul Haq said, “Our issues are linked with the bad governance, that has been badly affecting the performance of the province for the last few decades”. On the request of the Balochistan government, he deputed a competent bureaucrat Shakeel Qadir Khan along with a team, to ensure meritocracy and to streamline the overall structure of bureaucracy. The prime minister said he specifically instructed the team to fully support the Chief Minister and the provincial government in this regard. There was an axis of some corrupt bureaucrats and other stakeholders who had crumpled the whole province, thus adversely affecting the national economy, he noted. He hoped that the incoming elected government would also remain vigilant in this regard and would continue the process of reforms in future. To a question regarding reservations of the nationalist parties to hold free and fair elections in the province, the prime minister said it was just a routine matter as these parties had something to say to their voters.

Reiterating the government’s resolve to hold free and fair elections across the country, he said the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) would perform its duty to conduct the elections in an appropriate way. “It is our task that we run the day-to-day affairs of the government, implement the state affairs, and then conduct the election,” he said.

Responding to a question about the projects under China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the prime minister said the caretaker setup did not have the mandate to initiate new projects, however he was trying his best to allocate funds for the Quetta-Khuzdar dual carriageway section. He hoped to get the finances for project by the next month.

He said that the children should be given skilled training and the government was ready to provide thousands of skilled trainings. To another question about complaints of some aspirants, he said the government would never allow some people to take bribes for giving government jobs adding recent posts announced in the province had been, cancelled. As regards, the Internet service in Balochistan, the prime minister said this would be resolved in a month or two after completing the project of the firewall.

Asked if he would join any political party after his tenure, he said he had no intention to join any political entity. PM Kakar informed the Pinjra Pull would be operational by the end of February or early March 2024. To another question, he said the Balochistan province had been given the exemption from the government’s recent decision to curtail gas supply.

................... Generation .Percentage of ........Price per ................... (GWh)........ Total Generation....Unit (Rs) Hydel......... 2,755.......... 36.5%.................... 0.0 Coal .......... 1,473.......... 13.1%.................... 15.3 Gas.............695............. 9.2%...................... 14.6 RLNG........ 798............. 10.6%.................... 23.7 Bagasse......27............... 0.4%...................... 6.0 Wind.......... 148............. 2.0%...................... – Solar.......... 50............... 0.7%...................... – Nuclear...... 1,572.......... 20.8%.................... 1.2 Iran............ 30............... 0.4%...................... 27.7

We have already covered in extensive detail as to what an FCA is, and how it is calculated.

Read more: What in the world is a fuel charge adjustment and why is it swelling your bill?

To regurgitate, the FCA represents the disparity between the reference and actual costs. The actual cost can deviate from the reference cost due to fluctuations in the fuel mix and cost.

So, what has precipitated the FCA to clock in at its current level? Rao Aamir Ali, Vice President Research at Arif

Habib, attributes it to the 33% year-onyear decline in nuclear-based generation, the 6% year-on-year decline in windbased generation, and, finally, the 37% year-on-year decline in solar-based power generation.

How much of the FCA requested by the DISCOs will be passed on to the customers? That is anyone’s guess. NEPRA has not matched the requested FCA in any of the months across 2023 till date with the regulator even giving a negative FCA — a rebate to customers — in February.

So, what does all this signify for consumers? “It will undeniably exert an upward pressure on inflation,” declares Afia Malik, Senior Research Economist at PIDE. “For domestic consumers, the demand is already low in winters, so the impact will be minimal.

However, it will have a negative impact on industrial customers particularly given how gas prices have escalated irrespective of its unavailability,” Malik elaborates.

SC dismisses another plea against delimitation in Balochistan ISLAMABAD

Staff RepoRt

The Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday dismissed another plea challenging the delimitations in Balochistan.

On Monday, the SC annulled the Balochistan High Court’s order about delimitations.

Last week, Supreme Court (SC) of Pakistan suspended a Lahore High Court (LHC) order on the appointment of returning officers (ROs) and district

returning officers (DROs) from the bureaucracy, which had cast uncertainty over the holding of general polls.

A three-member bench headed by Acting CJP Justice Sardar Tariq Masood and comprising Justice Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Athar Minallah took up the plea against delimitation in PB12 Balochistan. Applicant Ameer Khan challenged the delimitation process in PB-12, Balochistan, and termed it ‘wrong’ in his plea filed with the SC. At the outset of the hearing, Acting

CJP Justice Tariq Masood said stability is back in the country after the announcement of the general elections date. “Don’t you want to see stability in the country,” he asked the applicant.

Justice Mansoor Ali Shah remarked that following the release of the election program, constituencies cannot be changed. “We will not disturb the election date on such pleas”, he added.

The SC declared that the electoral constituencies cannot be changed after the election schedule is released.

ECP once again delays Imran, Fawad’s indictment in contempt case CONTINUED FROM PAGE 01

Speaking to media outside Adiala Jail, Imran’s lawyer Shoaib Shaheen said Imran’s petition challenging the jail trial was pending before the Lahore High Court.

He contended that orders for the trial were passed without any lawful authority.

“This is an open trial case, only the place of hearing has changed,” he said, adding that the case could be heard transparently only when the media was present. Shaheen further demanded that the media, public, family members and lawyers should be allowed to attend the indictment proceedings. He also complained that Imran’s legal team was not allowed to enter the jail today with the complete case record.

“Our files were checked for half an hour as we waited. Even the ECP members left after waiting,” the lawyer

claimed, adding that the indictment was deferred because neither the PTI counsels nor the advocate general could reach in time for the hearing.

“Where is the level playing field when we can’t discuss the case with Imran?” he asked. “All other political parties except the PTI have been allotted their election symbols. The ECP is responsible for stopping pre-poll rigging,” Shaheen added.

FAWAD FILES PLEA SEEKING OPEN TRIAL: Separately, Fawad, through his counsel Faisal Chaudhry, submitted a plea to the ECP today seeking an open trial for the contempt proceedings. “The proceedings in central jail Adiala are not open, transparent and are in square violation of law and the Constitution,” the former PTI leader contended. He highlighted that “the applicant under article 10-A read with all

other enabling provisions of law and Constitution has a fundamental right to have fair trial and due process”.

Fawad said the ECP had a constitutional duty to extend the constitutional rights to the applicant in letter and spirit.

“It is also strange and shocking that the learned members of the ECP have decided to start proceedings in jail, that in the applicant’s firm opinion is not in accordance with the stature and respect of a constitutional body such like,” he said in the plea. Fawad alleged that “to victimise the political opponents the trials behind the jail walls have become the order of the day”. “The closed-door trial is highly objectionable, without basking of law and in complete derogation of basic Constitutional rights of the applicant as well as in complete negation of international law fundamental human rights and international treaties,” he added.

LHC bars FIA from action against Khadija Shah in money laundering probe till Friday LAHORE

Staff RepoRt

The Lahore High Court on Tuesday barred the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) from taking any disciplinary action against Khadija Shah in an ongoing money laundering inquiry against her.

Single-judge bench comprisng Justice Ali Baqir Najafi heard the petition filed by Advocate Sameer Khosa, the counsel for Khadija Shah and issued the stay order until the next hearing on December 22. Khosa argued that the inquiry against Shah was initiated without a formal complaint or FIR, and based solely on “sumoto” action taken by the FIA. He highlighted five irregularities in the proceedings, including the lack of a complainant and Shah’s repeated arrests in multiple cases. He asserted that the ongoing inquiry was “malicious” and exceeded

the legal grounds for initiating a money laundering investigation. The court acknowledged the concerns raised by Khosa and ordered a temporary halt to any disciplinary action against Shah in relation to the FIA inquiry. This effectively shields Shah from potential arrest or other punitive measures by the agency until the next hearing. The ruling comes as a welcome development for Shah, who has faced a series of legal challenges over the past months. She previously secured bail in four cases but was subsequently arrested in another unrelated case. Her lawyer argued that the repeated arrests amounted to harassment and targeted persecution. The Lahore High Court’s decision has injected uncertainty into the FIA’s money laundering inquiry against Shah.

The upcoming hearing on December 22nd is expected to be crucial in determining the future course of the investigation and Shah’s legal standing.

PSX records 2nd worst session ever, falls by 2,371 points KARACHI

Staff RepoRt

Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) extended its course of correction for the second straight session and witnessed its second highest ever day-on-day points decline on Tuesday.

The benchmark KSE-100 Index shed 2,371.64 points (-3.64 percent) to close at 62,833.03 points. This bloodbath is second to the market's fall on March 16, 2020 when the index shed 2,375.97 points due to emergence of Covid-19. The benchmark index also shed 925 points in the previous session, so the market has shed around 3,300 points in two days.

The market opened on a negative note and remained in the red territory throughout the session.

Across the board selling was witnessed with indexheavy sectors including automobile assemblers, cement, chemical, commercial banks, oil and gas exploration companies, OMCs, pharmaceuticals and refinery trading deep in the red.

The ongoing profit-taking trend came after the bourse had enjoyed a bullish spree that pushed the index beyond the 66,000 points mark. The experts were of the view that correction was expected after the massive bull-run. Moreover, both the year-end and quarter-end are nearing, and the next week will be rollover week, so the market may face jitters in the coming days.

The benchmark index traded in a range of 2,771.25 points, showing an intraday high of 65,132.03 points and an intraday low of 62,360.78 points. Among other indices, the KSE All Share Index shed 1,676.30 points (3.99 percent) to close at 41,967.53 points. The index shed 405.38 points (-0.93 percent) on Monday. Similarly, the KMI All Share Islamic Index shed 1,227.77 points (-4.01 percent) to close at 30,634.14 points after losing 342.29 points (-1.07 percent) in the previous session.

Total volumes traded for the KSE-100 Index decreased by 13.38 million shares to 950 million shares against 963.38 million traded in the previous session.

Similarly, the overall market volumes decreased by 376.49 million shares to 1,513.93 million shares against 1,890.42 million shares traded a session earlier.

Among scrips, KEL topped the volumes with 341.07 million shares, followed by WTL (176.03 million) and CNERGY (131.72 million). Stocks that contributed significantly to the volumes included KEL, WTL, CNERGY, POB, and PTC, which formed over 55 percent of total volumes.

A total of 385 companies traded shares in the stock exchange against 379 in the previous session, out of which shares of 31 closed up, shares of 350 companies closed down while shares of 4 companies remained unchanged. A total of 99 companies traded shares in the KSE-100 Index against 94 in the previous session, out of which share prices of 4 companies closed up, 94

companies closed down and one remained unchanged.

The number of total trades increased to 310,487 from 295,493 in the previous session, while the value traded increased by Rs4.5 billion to Rs29.10 against Rs24.60 billion in the previous session.

In terms of rupee, RMPL remained the top gainer with an increase of Rs150 (+1.54 percent) per share, closing at Rs9,900. The runner-up remained PSEL, the share price of which climbed up by Rs44.63 (+4.13 percent) to Rs1,124.63. UPFL remained the top loser with a decrease of Rs725 (-3.25 percent) per share, closing at Rs21,550, followed by NESTLE, the share price of which fell by Rs400 (-4.71 percent) to close at Rs8,100 per share.

The sectors taking the index towards south were commercial banks (437 points), oil & gas exploration companies (301 points), fertilizer (231 points), cement (191 points), and technology & communication (165 points). The major companies depriving the index of points remained MCB (82 points), OGDC (71 points), DAWH (52 points), SYS (50 points), PPL (50 points), PSO (48 points), ENGRO and HUBC (44 points each), FFC (38 points) and HBL (36 points). The major sector taking the index towards north remained miscellaneous, which added 14 points. The major companies adding points to the index remained PSEL (16 points), PSMC (12 points), MEBL and HCAR (5 points each), and RMPL and SAPT (2 points each).

NEWS 03

Pakistan Steel Mills removed from govt’s privatisation list ISLAMABAD

Ghulam abbaS

The caretaker government has made a significant decision to exclude Pakistan Steel Mills from its list of state-owned entities earmarked for privatisation, as reported by media outlets. In its place, the government has unveiled a revised list featuring 26 state-owned entities (SoEs) to undergo privatisation, marking a strategic move within the ongoing privatisation program. Among these entities, four each belong to the financial and real estate sectors, while the majority, totaling 14 institutions, hail from the struggling energy sector. The newly updated roster for privatisation includes notable entities such as Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) representing the aviation sector.

Additionally, three institutions from the state’s industrial sector are part of this privatisation drive. A significant addition to the privatisation program is the State Life Insurance Corporation (SLIC), indicating a broadened scope for privatisation initiatives.

Notably, power plants, including Balloki, Haveli Bahadur, Guddu, and Nandipur, along with ten state-owned electricity distribution companies, are also part of the active privatisation list from the energy sector. Furthermore, the government has included the House Building Finance Corporation, First Women Bank, Pakistan Engineering Company, and Sindh Engineering Limited in its privatisation agenda. Other state-owned entities slated for privatisation include Services International Hotel Lahore, Jinnah Convention Center Islamabad, and PIA’s Roosevelt Hotel in New York. This revised approach to privatisation reflects a strategic repositioning of state-owned entities for potential privatisation. It was earlier reported that the Ministry of Privatisation formally handed over Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM) to the Ministry of Industries and Production (MoI&P), on 13th November 2023, . This was the first step in trying to privatise the ailing national asset, however the asset is now once again taken off the list.

PTV Bolan fulfills Hazara community demand with Hazargi broadcast: Solangi QUETTA app

Caretaker Federal Minister for Information, Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs Murtaza Solangi said on Tuesday that long standing demand of Hazara community had been fulfilled by start of Hazargi language programmes at Pakistan Television Bolan from today. Delivering his speech at the opening ceremony of "Hazargi language" programme on PTV Bolan, he said the PTV Bolan was already broadcasting programs in Balochi, Pashto and Brahvi languages. PTV Bolan broadcasts were available on cable and satellite, Murtaza Solangi said adding it could also be accessed through terrestrial antennas that would help people in remote areas too. & quot; We are grateful to Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar for encouraging us to take this initiative," Murtaza Solangi remarked. The minister said that PTV Multan telecast’s duration had been extended to 24 hours earlier this month. With the addition of Kan Maitarzai Rebroadcast Center, the number of transmitters of rebroadcast centers has increased from 22 to 23. & quot; Our aim is to ensure equal representation of regional languages on PTV Bolan," Murtaza Solangi maintained.

04 COMMENT

On excellence

Brave new world

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The use of Artificial Intelligence by the PTI raises troubling questions

HE use of Artifical Intelligence by PTI Chairman Imran Khan to address the party’s virtual rally was not without a certain particular irony. After all, at one time Mr Khan had warned his supporters that ‘deep fake’ technology had been used to make sleazy videos of him, and would be released in an effort to blacken his reputation. He himself gave a technical explanation about how AI could be used for this. His opponents argued that he was merely giving out in advance the defence he intended to use when that videoclip was released. As it is, such a video-clip was not released, and any damage to Mr Khan’s reputation was restricted to audio-clips. However, now AI has been used, and by his party, to simulate him addressing an audience.

That audio-clip was played for the audience, for all the world as if Mr Khan was addressing it.

Mr Khan does have the excuse that he is presently in jail, and with the elections right on top of his party, he should begin campaigning. This is made all the more urgent by the fact that he is his party’s best campaigner by far, to the extent that it would only be a slight exaggeration to say that he is his only campaigner. Another way of looking at it would be to say that his party’s entering the electoral fray without his campaigning is like a boxer entering a bout with both arms tied behind his back.

The problem is not so much at Mr Khan’s end, as at the audience’s. What exactly have people heard? His ideas? His words? Him? What do people go to a rally for?

In a large rally, theory may not see the leader on a distant stage, and hear his voice over a tinny loudspeaker. Now large screens are erected so that the audience might see the podium, and the man at it. If it becomes widespread, it would reduce the labour party leaders put in, and simultaneously multiply their presence, as they issue AI audio-clips to a hundred times the rallies they appear at.

It is the first time this method of campaigning has been used, and it was perhaps only because Mr Khan is imprisoned. Countries where politicians are not routinely imprisoned will probably avoid using it, because they might feel the disapproval of the electorate for even this inadvertent deceit. With Bangladesh and India both facing elections next year, it remains to be seen whether the4y take to this method. It also remains to be seen how many PTI officebearers, mostly on the run or under arrest, adopt this method, which is probably also against the law.

And the two types of writing

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HASAN AFTAB SAEED

OT everybody is born with an appreciation for literature. One is either born with it or not. This faculty can be honed and taken to heights with exposure to the best kind of art, especially if one is lucky enough to get a good guide comparatively early in life; but no guru can make an individual who is devoid of artistic sensibility to suddenly start appreciating prose and verse.

You either have it or you do not.

But that is quite all right. Nobody chooses to be born with a particular set of characteristics, any more than anybody can choose which parents to be born to. So, it is all right if your strength is mathematics, medicine, engineering or shopkeeping in any of its various forms but you cannot tell a Ghalib couplet apart from a Wasi Shah’s offering to save your life.

You could very well still be a better human being than those with a discriminating interest in the finer things of life– well, probably not if you are a shopkeeper, but pretty much any other vocation is included. The trouble begins when you not only start taking too seriously your opinions on a subject that requires exposure to and appreciation of quality literature, but you also start dispensing the same passionately.

To paraphrase Jon Eliya, there are plenty of those who insist on writing when they should be reading instead. Add to this group a much larger demographic of those who, while they do not write anything of their own, are compulsive critics of the work of others. Because (like the first group) they have never bothered to read any literature in their life (not the good sort at any rate), they usually make a fool of themselves on account of their utter unfamiliarity with the various literary devices and norms. In an article some time back, I remember asking a rhetorical question regarding a certain group of persecuted people whether they were children of a lesser god. In the comments section, pat came this reply: ‘Don’t you know that God has no children?’

Primary school teachers tell their charges not to use, in their assessment and criticism of classics, the first-person singular for a very good reason. For they

Dedicated to the legacy of late Hameed Nizami

Arif Nizami (Late) Founding Editor

Yousaf Nizami Editor Umar Aziz M. A. Niazi

Every right for every child Joint Editor

Executive Editor

No more excuses will work for child labour

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Dr ZAFAr KHAN SAFDAr

HILD labour is a global issue that is often overlooked by governments and accepted as a necessity.

It has been shown to have negative impacts on physical and mental health, including poor growth, malnutrition, infections, chronic lung disease, and musculoskeletal deformities. Child labour is a prevalent problem that frequently arises from harsh circumstances.

Parental volatility and poverty lead to child labour, which is made worse by unreliable financial markets that distribute short-term gains and long-term costs among several parties. It is dangerous to romanticise the idea that children learn essential life skills from domestic work, as there is no evidence that these skills are associated with better outcomes in school performance, wellbeing, or development. Even seemingly benign tasks like cooking can expose girls to indoor pollution.

The worst forms of child labour are categorized in article 3 of ILO Convention No. 182, which includes all forms of slavery, forced or compulsory labour, prostitution, illicit activities, and work that harms children’s health, safety, or morals. Hazardous work refers to work that exposes children to physical, emotional, or sexual abuse, work underground, underwater, at dangerous heights, or in confined spaces with dangerous machinery, equipment, and tools, or involves manual handling or transport of heavy loads.

It also includes work in an unhealthy environment, under particularly difficult conditions, and in designated hazardous industries or occupations. Unpaid household services, or household chores, refer to services children provide without pay for their own households, such as caring for family members, cleaning, cooking, washing, ironing clothes, and transporting family members to and from work and school.

Millions of children worldwide engage in labour, often exploitative and essential for survival. Labour is nuanced and subjective, and it is important to reflect on the wider realities of children’s lives, including elements of pleasure like friendship, solidarity, dancing, drinking, drug taking, flirting, and sexuality. Integrating

labour into understanding juvenile delinquency leads to a more expansive and reflective comprehension of young people’s involvement in gangs and organized crime. Debate around child exploitation and abuse and experiences of gangs can raise awareness of children’s involvement in organized crime and develop understanding of this complex, sensitive issue.

According to ILO (2021) data, around half of the 160 million children worldwide between the ages of 5 and 14 are full-time employed that constitute 10 percent of child labour globally.

UNICEF estimates 63 million girls and 97 million boys, making up nearly one in ten children.

79 million children, or half, work in hazardous labour that poses a threat to their moral development, health, and safety. Despite an increase of almost 8 million children working over four years, the percentage of children engaged in child labour remained constant. UNICEF estimates that one in five primary school-aged children are not enrolled in school.

Education is considered a route out of poverty and underdevelopment, and compulsory education has helped eradicate child labour in 19th-century Europe, the USA, and Japan. However, today’s competitive global labour market has accentuated the premium on education. Contextual constraints set limits to children’s aspirations and achievements, but they must be overcome. Poverty, tradition, and religion often serve as smokescreens for governments, international agencies, and elites hiding their inaction on child labour, education, and other forms of exclusion.

Pakistan has ratified the ILO Conventions and other international accords, but one of its key challenges is combating child and forced labour. The number of child labour in Pakistan as per ILO estimates is as high as 3.3 million with 13 percent male and 10 percent female.

The foundation of Pakistan’s economy is the agriculture sector, which contributes 19.5 percent of the country’s GDP. 60 percent of Pakistan’s exports are made up of cotton, a vital commodity in the nation’s value chain and source of employment for both men and women. Pakistan is ranked fourth in the world for cotton production and ninth for agriculture output. In Pakistan, but forced work is still a major problem in the cotton industry, with the largest prevalence being in the agricultural sector (74 percent). Children are frequently allowed to work by their parents to support family small enterprises (69 percent) and augment household income (28 percent).

do not want the latter to develop the habit of venturing into opinion before they have considered a work thoroughly on its own merit. Although some of those charges carry that advice into areas it does not belong to (opinion pieces, for example), a vast majority does not heed it at all, with the result that the ensuing criticism is usually nothing more than a series of half-baked opinions. The original text is read very superficially, if at all; half of it having passed completely over the head while the other half having been grossly misunderstood.

The problem has assumed much larger proportions after the advent of the social media.

Creating or appreciating literary writing, then, is not for everybody. Those without that capacity would do well to desist. For there is no shame in not belonging to the category of those blessed by Providence with that talent. So much for writing as an art form.

Writing as a craft, on the other hand, is a whole different story, because it can be learnt by anybody.

It is merely a matter of learning a list of Do’s and Don’ts; or alternatively reading a couple of nonfiction works carefully. Especially in the word processor era, there is no excuse whatever for messing up the basic syntax and grammar. But the number of folks who manage to do it is mind boggling.

What makes the state of affairs even more astounding (and sad) is the fact that educated folks are guilty of it as much as anybody else. Anybody who needs to assess and grade university students’ presentations and theses, or is at the receiving end of their emails, experiences the torment on a daily basis. The students are either indifferent to howlers; or are resigned to the fate of it being beyond their capacity to communicate their ideas any better. There is little scope for improvement in either case.

Some of the engineers and the science guys justify their less than satisfactory communication skills by saying that it is the content that matters. No doubt the content matters. But they fail to realize that they only have words as the vehicles for communicating their content– to date, nobody has managed to invent anything other than language to express ideas and thoughts. The content is supreme, but the way it is presented matters too.

Incorrect syntax can easily alter the meaning of a clause or a sentence from what was originally in-

The incidence of child work fell sharply in Punjab between 2009 and 2021, whereas it peaked in Sindh between 2012 and 2018. Between 2014 and 2021, the rate of child work among females increased, with a larger prevalence among girls in Punjab than among boys.

Less than three percent of youngsters aged 10 to 14 in Islamabad Capital were engaged in economic activity, which was the lowest occurrence. The adverse climatic events that are occurring more frequently in Pakistan’s rural areas are also forcing vulnerable households into poverty and increasing their susceptibility to forced or child labour. To lessen these risks, work and livelihood programs must be a part of recovery and rehabilitation initiatives. Successful engagement in world markets can also reduce child labour.

It is encouraging that the provincial governments are now able to implement laws protecting labour rights, including those protecting adults and children from forced labour and child labour in the textile, apparel, and agricultural industries. There are various steps that can be taken to address child labour, such as expanding access to high-quality education, assisting with programmes that reduce poverty, launching awareness campaigns, bolstering and enforcing current laws, putting in place social programmes that support families, working internationally with organisations and non-governmental organisations, keeping an eye on workplaces to spot and report child labour, promoting corporate responsibility, and integrating local communities in the planning and execution of initiatives. To bring about lasting change, a thorough and well-coordinated effort including local communities, private companies, non-governmental organisations, and government agencies is required.

Reducing child labour can be achieved most effectively through encouraging school attendance. While attending school might provide more benefits, improving school quality also has the unintended consequence of affecting future results. A targeted stipend to families who are taking their children to school is the most promising strategy for reducing child labour. This solution employs a current grant to offset the present expense of removing a child from the workforce, therefore addressing the underlying reasons of child employment.

Every child’s right fosters a bright future by enabling them to develop a distinctive, robust, and beautiful identity.

The writer is Ph.D in Political Science, and visiting faculty at QAU Islamabad. His area of specialization is political development and social change. He can be reached at zafarkhansafdar@yahoo.com and tweet@zafarkhansafdar.

Reducing child labour can be achieved most effectively through encouraging school attendance. While attending school might provide more benefits, improving school quality also has the unintended consequence of affecting future results.

Lahore – Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965

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Wednesday, 20 December 2023

Islamabad – Ph: 051-2204545

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Few things in life are too small to make a difference. Everything is tied up with everything else.

Excellence is a habit– a way of life. It is either there or not. It is not something that can be switched on and off at will. So, if an individual is less than careful in how he uses his words to express himself, he is probably not very careful in his science or engineering either. tended. Even when an error does not alter the meaning, it often requires unnecessary amounts of effort on the part of the reader, thereby diminishing the impact it creates. A typo, or a missing space after a comma (for example)– whether results of carelessness or plain ignorance– more often than not end up reducing the technical estimation of the work as well.

Because for most readers, a lack of meticulousness in seemingly small things renders meticulousness in bigger things (content) doubtful too.

And justifiably so, usually. Because few things in life are too small to make a difference. Everything is tied up with everything else. Excellence is a habit– a way of life. It is either there or not. It is not something that can be switched on and off at will. So, if an individual is less than careful in how he uses his words to express himself, he is probably not very careful in his science or engineering either. Few men hold themselves to high enough standards of excellence. With most of them, this consciousness is missing altogether.

The author is a connoisseur of music, literature, and food (but not drinks). He can be reached at www.facebook.com/hasanaftabsaeed

Editor’s mail

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

Trust tech

IN today’s ever-changing media landscape, transparency and reliability are more critical than ever. With the rise of misinformation and deceptive content, innovative solutions are crucial for upholding news authenticity. One potent solution is integrating blockchain technology into media platforms.

Blockchain’s decentralised, tamper-resistant architecture provides a robust framework for ensuring news content integrity. By securely recording information across a distributed network, blockchain significantly reduces the risk of manipulation and misinformation.

Implementing blockchain-powered measures for media integrity empowers users to verify news authenticity, trace its origin, and hold manipulators accountable. This not only provides accurate information but also cultivates a more trustworthy media environment.

As we witness blockchain’s transformative impact in various industries, its application in media integrity becomes a logical progression.

Governments, media organisations, and technology innovators should collaborate to explore and implement blockchain solutions, enhancing the credibility of our information ecosystem.

Embracing blockchain technology for media integrity is not just a technological advancement but a necessity to preserve the reliability and trustworthiness of our media landscape. Let’s collectively move towards a future where information is not only easily accessible but also verifiable, ensuring a more informed and resilient society.

MUSKAN ABRO KARACHI

Superstitions unmasked

IN the vibrant tapestry of Pakistani traditions, superstitions thread a fascinating narrative, offering intriguing explanations for life’s mysteries.

However, beneath this captivating surface lies a shadowy secret: superstitions can often veil, rather than unveil, the deep-seated psychological issues that harm our society.

In Pakistan, superstitions flourish, coexisting alongside the modern world. Disguised as age-old traditions, some individuals attribute psychological issues to supernatural causes. Firmly believing that mental health problems arise solely from curses, omens, karmic debts, or the mysteries of magic, such as the “nazar-e-bud” (evil eye) and witchcraft.

These beliefs not only keep them in the shadows but also prevent them from seeking professional help, leading to critical delays in addressing their mental health concerns.

Mental health issues, ranging from depression and anxiety to schizophrenia and OCD, are as real as any physical sickness. They do not discriminate based on age, gender, or social standing. The true challenge, however, is the stigma around mental health issues, protected by superstitions like an unbreakable shield. This stigma becomes a challenging barrier to seek help, leaving countless individuals to deal with their conditions in isolation.

The quest for understanding and awareness holds the key to the solution. We need to solve the puzzles surrounding mental health and make it as obvious as any physical illness. Mental health literacy programs in schools and strategic media campaigns can dispel the myths surrounding psychological issues, shedding light on the hidden battles.

The time has come to embark on an enthralling journey to unlock the riddles of superstition and unveil the challenges of mental health. Let’s shine a spotlight on those facing psychological challenges, bringing them into the light of understanding and support.

KANZ FATIMA THAWER LAHORE

Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk

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Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

COMMENT 05

Insight into the public procurement process Wednesday, 20 December 2023

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Power Plants reported as 2012 SCMR 773, the Supreme Taxpayers’ money must be used carefully Court held that the Procurement Authority may take such

MUhaMMaD SaQlaiN arShaD

UBLIC procurement refers to the purchase by governments and state-owned enterprises of goods, services and works. As public procurement accounts for a substantial portion of the taxpayers’ money, governments are expected to carry it out efficiently and with high standards of conduct in order to ensure high quality of service delivery and safeguard the public interest. The size of public procurement is quite considerable in every country. It accounts for a significant proportion of the demand for goods and services in the nation and is increasingly considered an attractive instrument for developing society and nation. As a matter of fact, public procurement has come to play a major role in making society better, and thus, there has been much research in public purchasing and its efficient operations.

Pakistan decided to establish Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) at the federal level, under the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority Ordinance 2002 followed by promulgation of Public Procurement Rules in 2004. The PPRA is an autonomous body endowed with the responsibility of recommending laws and regulations governing public procurements. It is also responsible for monitoring the application of procurement laws and performance of federal procuring agencies with a view to improve governance, management and transparency. The Provincial Governments have independent Acts and Rules of Public Procurement for provincially owned entities.

The Constitution provides certain fundamental rights which are available and enforceable against the Federation. The Federation and Parliament respectively cannot act or pass any law contrary to or in violation of fundamental rights which may result in unequal, discriminatory or arbitrary treatment. At the same time, unlike a private enterprise, the Federation is accountable for its acts. The Public Procurement Policy of Pakistan is based on such a foundation and seeks to achieve transparency and equal treatment for bidders. This Article presents the best practices evolved and prescribed in Pakistan in matters of public procurement.

The Independent Judiciary of Pakistan has also played a positive role in securing the transparent and fair mechanism for public procurement and for formulating the principles on which Pakistan’s public procurement laws and policies rest. There are numerous precedents where courts intervened to uphold the provisions of PPRA laws by directing the procuring agencies to adhere to the process provided therein.

In a leading case of alleged corruption in Rental

measures and exercise such powers as may be necessary for improving governance, management, transparency, accountability and quality of public procurement of goods, services and works in the public sector. Competition to establish transparency between the interested parties is in fact the theme of the PPRA Ordinance, 2002 as well as the Rules framed thereunder. Bidders have to compete with each other by filing their respective bids, therefore, while making procurement of an item like electricity through Rental Power Projects, the Authority is required to fix a reserved price while quoting lump sum Rental Charges, Rental Rate and Reference Fuel Cost Components.

The superior courts had laid the foundation of the law by emphasising on the entitlement to equal treatment who offer tender or quotations for the purchase of goods and further reiterated that the activities of the Government have a public element and, therefore, there should be fairness in procedure and equality. Thus, the Government cannot act in a whimsical or capricious manner, nor can it act as a private giver may.

The PPRA laws including rules framed thereunder at federal and provincial level serve as guidelines to Government ministries or departments providing for procurement of goods, works and services as well as consolidated policy decisions to promote transparency, competition, fairness and to eliminate arbitrariness issued by the Government from time to time. They can be supplemented/detailed as may be warranted. Some of the important measures to achieve the goal are: 1. The bidding document should be user-friendly, selfcontained and unambiguous. Terminology used should be simple such as in common parlance in the industry. The eligibility criteria (past performance, financial position, technical capability etc.) should be specified. Similarly the procedure for preparing and submitting the bidders; deadline for submission; date, time and place for public opening of tenders; criterion for determining responsiveness; tenders evaluating and ranking of tenders and criteria for acceptance should be incorporated in the tender documents in clear terms. Any condition which was not incorporated in the tender document should not be brought into consideration while evaluating the tenders.

2. The tenderer must have a reasonable opportunity to question the tender conditions and/or rejection of the tender and are not permitted to alter or modify the tenders after expiry of the deadline for receipt of tenders. Negotiation with tenderers is severely discouraged. The name of the successful tenderer should be properly notified and informed to the general public also.

3. The general rule is that any tender above a value of Rs 2,000,000 must be through invitation by public advertisement. It must be published in a national newspaper having wide circulation and should also be published in the website of the organisation and the Public Procurement Authority.

An international tender requires the tender notice to be published in international newspapers. The exception to the general rule of advertisement is provided in cases when the demand is certified urgent by the competent authority in the organisation, then the nature of the urgency and reasons why it could not be anticipated earlier should be stated, reasons are given as to why it will not be in public interest to procure the goods or services through advertised tender enquiry; and lastly when the sources of supply are definitely known and the feasibility of fresh sources beyond those being tapped is remote. In such cases a procuring agency can procure through direct contracting.

4. Bids should be received either through a tender drop box or hand delivered to the nominated officials. The guidelines provide that entry of all tender details in registers, duly signed, numbered and initialled by the authorised officials thus ensuring transparency. Each page of the price schedule shall also be initialled along with date. All tenders received in time shall be opened in the presence of authorised representatives of the tenderers whilst announcing the salient features of the tender at the designated date, time and place immediately after the deadline of receipts with minimum time gap in between.

5. To purchase capital equipment, high value plant, machinery etc. of complex and technical nature the tenderers should be asked to bifurcate their quotation in two parts (i.e. two envelope system). The first Part in the tender enquiry is to contain the relevant technical specifications and allied commercial details (“Technical Bid”) and the second, which would only be opened for further scrutiny after the technical offers are accepted, should contain only the price quotation (“Financial Bid”). Both the bids should be sealed in separate covers and put in a bigger cover, all duly super-scribed.

6. All aspects which are to to be taken into account for evaluating the tender, including the method to be adopted for determining the responsiveness, are to be incorporated in the tender enquiry in a clear manner without any ambiguity. Preliminary examination is the first step to see whether they meet the basic requirements of the tender and those which do not are to be treated as unresponsive and ignored.

Factors rendering a tender to be unresponsive include non-signature, ineligibility of the tenderer, earnest

Why I’m optimistic about the future of AI

I believe there is huge potential to use AI to improve lives in low and middle income countries

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CNN

Bill GateS

HIS year marked the first time I used artificial intelligence for work and not just as a novelty. I suspect the same is true for a lot of people. We are at the beginning of a huge technology transition right now.

This is an exciting and confusing time, full of uncertainty about how AI will shape the years ahead — but it’s still clearer than ever how AI can be used to improve productivity and expand access to education, mental health care and more.

My work has always been rooted in a core idea: Innovation is the key to progress.

It’s why I started Microsoft. It’s why Melinda and I started the Gates Foundation more than two decades ago. And it’s why lives around the world have improved so much over the last century.

Since 2000, the world has nearly cut in half the number of children who die before the age of five — and innovation is a big reason why. Scientists came up with new ways to make vaccines that were faster and cheaper but just as safe. They developed new delivery mechanisms that worked in the world’s most remote places, which made it possible to reach more kids, and created new vaccines that protect children from deadly diseases like rotavirus.

In a world with limited resources, you have to find ways to maximize impact. Innovation is the key to getting the most out of every dollar spent. And AI is about to accelerate the rate of new discoveries at a pace we’ve never seen before.

One of the biggest impacts so far is on creating new medicines. AI tools can speed up the process of drug discovery significantly, and some companies are already working on cancer drugs developed this way. A key priority of the Gates Foundation in AI is ensuring these tools are also used to address health issues like AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria that disproportionately affect the world’s poorest.

I believe there is huge potential to use AI to improve lives in low- and middle-income countries. I recently met with several innovators from developing countries during a trip to Senegal. They’re doing amazing AI research with the intention that it will one day benefit people in their own communities. Much of their work is still in the earliest stages of development, but it is

setting the stage for a massive technology boom later this decade.

It’s impressive to see how much creativity is being brought to the table. The teams I met are researching how AI could combat antibiotic-resistant pathogens, help people better assess their risk for HIV, make medical information more accessible to health workers and more. I’m blown away by how innovators from developing countries are trying to tackle some of the biggest challenges facing their own communities.

Consider this horrifying statistic: A woman dies in childbirth or during pregnancy every two minutes. A team from India hopes to use artificial intelligence to improve the odds. ARMMAN’s large language model will one day act as a copilot for health workers treating high-risk pregnancies. It can be used in both English and Telugu, and the coolest part is that it automatically adjusts to the experience level of the person using it — whether you’re a brand new nurse or a midwife with decades of experience.

There is a long road ahead for projects like these. Significant hurdles remain, such as how to scale up projects without sacrificing quality and how to provide adequate backend access to ensure they remain functional over time.

In order to maximize their benefit, we need to tackle some of the broad risks associated with AI, including how to prevent bias and hallucinations. Hallucinations refer to times when an AI system confidently makes some claim that simply is not true, which could be disastrous in a medical context. Although some researchers think hallucinations are a problem inherent to AI technology, I don’t agree. I’m optimistic that, over time, AI models can be taught to distinguish fact from fiction. Ope-

nAI, for example, is doing promising work on this front. (Full disclosure: Microsoft is a major investor and partner in OpenAI.) We must also make sure AI products are tailored to the people who will use them. For example, I’m excited about an AI-based education tutor called Somanasi.

The AI education tools being piloted today are mind-blowing because they are tailored to each individual learner, and Somanasi — which means “learn together” in Swahili — will bring those benefits to students in Kenya. It has been designed to align with local curriculum, as well as with cultural context in mind so it feels familiar to the students who use it.

I’m inspired to see so many researchers already thinking about how we deploy new technologies in low- and middle-income countries. If we make smart investments now, AI can make the world a more equitable place. It can reduce or even eliminate the lag time between when the rich world gets an innovation and when the poor world does. In high-income countries like the United States, I believe we are 18-24 months away from significant levels of AI use by the general population. In African countries, I expect to see a comparable level of use in three years or so. That’s still a gap, but it’s much shorter than the lag times we’ve seen with other innovations.

Reducing this gap is key to reducing inequities around the world. Even during challenging times, I can’t help but feel optimistic about the future when I think about how AI can be used to get game-changing technologies out to the people who need them faster than ever before.

Bill Gates is co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and founder of Breakthrough Energy. This op-ed has been adapted from Bill Gates’ Year Ahead letter.

money deposit condition has not been met, the tenderer has not agreed to some essential condition (payment term, liquidated damage clause, warranty clause, dispute resolution mechanism, applicable laws or any other condition having a significant bearing on the cost/ utility / performance of the required goods or services etc.).

As per 2017 CLC 178 A.M Construction Company Private Limited Vs National Highway Authority, the honourable Lahore High Court has held that public authority should not be bound to give effect to every term mentioned in the tender document, as it had the power to waive technical irregularity of little or no significance.

Public functionaries had the power and authority to deviate from and not insist upon strict compliance of a condition (in the tender). Any irregularity, including immaterial deviation or absence of financial impact during the preliminary examination if found by the procuring agency, may be waived. The tender will be ignored in the event that there is no confirmation to the minor non-comformity (e.g. certified copy of latest Income Tax Return) by the tenderer within a specified date.

7. All the quoted prices in the tender are to be converted into a uniform currency, that is, into Pakistani rupees as per the selling exchange rate established by the State Bank of Pakistan as prevailing on a particular date to be specified in the tender enquiry (generally it is the date of tender opening). Sometimes besides price, the purchase organization also gives special importance to factors like performance, environmental friendly features, running and maintenance costs etc., which are to be clearly stipulated in the tender enquiry.

8. Before accepting the bid, it should be ensured that it was an economic procurement by reference to factors such as last purchase, and current market price of the same/similar goods, cost analysis (raw material, production cost, overheads, etc). Negotiation with bidders is discouraged but can be used strictly only as an exception if bid price is not reasonable. If all the necessary requirements were not fulfilled by the purchase organisation to ensure more than one responsive tender or sufficient number of tenders then the tender should be reissued / re-floated after rectifying the deficiencies. However, if all aspects were fully taken care of and the quoted price is reasonable the contract may also be placed on that one responsive tenderer.

Pakistan’s public procurement policy seeks to ensure transparency, equality and fairness and that public funds are not squandered or misused. The policy also addresses the issue of corruption and fraudulent practices. A shift towards e-procurement is inevitable and it is expected that a policy on that would be adopted soon.

The president of Egypt does not leave by the electoral process The writer is a high court advocate

As is usual in Third World countries, all state institutions backed the incumbent, who is always re-elected

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MIDDLE EAST MONITOR Sherif hilali

N the Arab world, not least Egypt, the president never leaves office by the electoral process stipulated in the constitution, which is subject to amendment according to the vision of the regime, as happened in 2019 in the so-called “mother of the world”. Elections are seen as a formality for renewing the ruler’s term in office and managing the political scene from the seat of power. Only the 2012 presidential election in Egypt, which took place in the wake of the 25 January revolution, broke the mould, but the result was overturned by exploiting the political conflict between the revolutionary forces, resulting in a military coup.

The three days of voting in the Egyptian election passed according to expectations, with Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi “elected” for another term. The constitutional oath of office has become more of a political ritual than a commitment for the postholder to be held accountable. Al-Sisi took the oath amid praise from the heads of the House of Representatives and the Senate and the official media, with an emphasis on the high voter turnout and the people’s representatives’ pledge of allegiance to the president’s policies.

Anyone observer would have noticed that the state institutions were behind every decision, starting from the early electoral procedures and ending with the predictable result announced by the National Elections Authority. What a wonderful democratic scenario! It was all stage-managed from the beginning, of course, with unwelcome candidates excluded from the tightly-controlled process. Nevertheless, the state was keen to present this election as slightly different from the 2014 and 2018 versions, starting with the number of candidates and their platforms, and ending with a fake picture of the masses exercising their right to vote, despite the economic hardships they are experiencing.

In Egypt, there is no such thing as a former president living in retirement. These institutions played their role to perfection, managing every stage of the process, from candidate selection to propaganda, voting, counting and announcing the result. Independent media outlets were threatened with referral to the Public Prosecutor, which is what happened with the websites Mada Masr and Sahih Masr among others.

The state used well-tried tactics in the

election, including transporting voters to polling stations, whether they wanted to go or not, all monitored on social media. State employees were forced to vote and were punished if they did not follow instructions.

Private sector companies were forced to mobilise their workers as well. University students were threatened with losing their yearly grade if they did not vote. Poor people were bribed with money and food to get them to vote for the “right” candidate. Citizens in some places were even stopped in the street and taken to vote in expatriate committees, which seemed to be a way to interfere in the electoral process.

State agencies also tried to block plans for a boycott of the election by insisting beforehand that the result is not “predetermined” and calling on Egyptians to exercise their political rights by voting, at home and abroad. Patriotic songs and propaganda advertisements were produced to encourage voters.

Some pro-regime organisations sought to highlight the votes of their members and publish pictures of them on news sites, almost as if they had been instructed to do so.

Citizens were threatened with a fine if they did not go to vote. While loyalist parties used hundreds of buses to transport people to the polling stations, delegates for candidate Farid Zahran were prevented from attending the vote counts, despite the presence of the other candidates’ delegates.

It is clear, therefore, that the state used all of the administrative and security tools at its disposal to get the desired result; it had apparently unlimited financial capabilities to do this, thanks to businessmen and the state coffers. Even so, it did not convince everyone of even the minimum of credibility for the electoral process. A large segment of the population remains convinced that this was all an elaborate charade with a pre-determined “victory” for Al-Sisi.

Citizens’ interest was focused on guessing the ranking of the other three candidates — Farid Zahran, Abdel-Sanad Yamama and Hazem Omar — to see who would be the runner-up in this fake election. Is it credible to believe that Al-Sisi enjoyed a landslide victory despite the crippling economic crisis in Egypt; the regime’s inability to do anything to stop the slaughter in Gaza; and its failure to deal with the Ethiopian Grand Renaissance Dam project and its effect on the River Nile?

What happened cannot be described as a genuine election; it was faked from a to z by the state to ensure that the president would be pleased, while presenting a positive image of Egyptian “democracy” to the world. Sources at the National Elections Authority said that voter turnout was just 45 per cent, and the free participation of those who did vote cannot be taken for granted. It is clear, therefore, that the legitimacy of the result has to be in doubt, as does that of the strategic decisions that the regime takes in the near future.

The author has interests in democracy, politics and human rights.

ISRAEL POUNDS GAZA, HOUTHIS VOW MORE RED SEA ATTACKS 06 NEWS

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GAZA

AGENCIES

SRAEL kept pounding the shattered Gaza Strip on Tuesday while Yemen’s pro-Palestinian Houthi movement vowed to defy a US-led naval mission and keep hitting Israeli targets in the Red Sea. Israel’s campaign to eradicate Hamas fighters behind an Oct. 7 massacre has left the coastal enclave in ruins, brought widespread hunger and homelessness, and killed nearly 20,000 Gazans, according to the Palestinian enclave’s health ministry.

Under foreign pressure to avoid killing innocents, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the war will not stop until a remaining 129 hostages are freed and Hamas is obliterated after its fighters’ slaying of 1,200 Israelis.

The conflict has spread beyond Hamas-ruled Gaza, including into the Red Sea where Iran-aligned Houthi forces have been attacking vessels with missiles and drones. That has prompted the creation of a multinational naval operation to protect commerce in the area, but the Houthis said they would carry on anyway, possibly with a sea operation every 12 hours.

“Our position will not change in the direction of the Palestinian issue, whether a naval alliance is established or not,” Houthi official Mohammed Abdulsalam told Reuters, saying only Israeli ships or those going to Israel would be targeted.

“Our position in support of Palestine and the Gaza Strip will remain until the end of the siege, the entry of food and medicine, and our support for the oppressed Palestinian people will remain continuous.”

Announcing the naval operation, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in Bahrain that joint patrols would be held

78 opposition MPs suspended to make Indian parliament ‘opposition less’ NEW DELHI

AGENCIES

In what Congress has accused the Bharatiya Janata Party government of trying to bulldoze key legislations in an ‘Opposition-less’ Parliament, 78 MPs from the Opposition were suspended from Parliament on Monday for demanding resignation from Home Minister Amit Shah.

As many as 33 members were suspended from Lok Sabha and 45 from Rajya Sabha after the Opposition refused to budge on their demand for a statement from Home Minister Amit Shah over the breach in Parliament security on December 13, when two protesters jumped into the lower house chamber and opened smoke cans. Monday’s action has taken the total number of opposition MPs suspended from both houses to 92 since last Thursday on the issue.

AAP member Sanjay Singh has been suspended as a Rajya Sabha member from July 24.

On Thursday, the Lok Sabha suspended 13 members for the remaining part of the Winter Session for waving placards and disrupting proceedings over the Parliament security breach issue.

Trinamool member Derek O’Brien was suspended from the Rajya Sabha for the remainder of the Winter Session for unruly behaviour.

In the Lok Sabha, 33 members, including floor leaders of the Congress and DMK, the two large parties in the opposition, were suspended on Monday. While 30 members were suspended for the remainder of the Winter Session in Lok Sabha, three members were suspended, pending the report of the Privileges Committee. The three K Jayakumar, Vijay Vasanth and Abdul Khaleque had climbed on the Speaker’s podium to raise slogans.

Speaker Om Birla told the House about the steps taken by the Lok Sabha secretariat following the security breach incident on December 13 and sought cooperation from all members to run the House smoothly. However, the opposition members were on their feet demanding a statement from Shah and his resignation. Some opposition MPs were also carrying placards with their demands written on them.

Birla objected to the placards being brought into the Lok Sabha, saying it lowers the dignity of the House.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi also appealed to the opposition MPs “with folded hands” to not wave the placards, saying it was agreed at the meeting of the Business Advisory Committee not to carry placards.

in the southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, which encompass a major EastWest global shipping route. “This is an international challenge that demands collective action,” he said.

British maritime security firm Ambrey said on Tuesday it received information of a potential boarding attempt west of Yemen’s Aden port city, adding that the attack was unsuccessful and all crew were safe. Some shippers are rerouting around Africa.

DEATHS MOUNT: In Gaza, Israel’s latest missiles hit the southern Rafah area, where hundreds of thousands of

Palestinian refugees have amassed in recent weeks, killing at least 20 people and wounding dozens of others, according to local health officials.

Residents said they had to dig in the rubble with bare hands. “This is a barbarian act,” said Mohammed Zurub.

Among the dead was Palestinian journalist Adel Zurub and several members of his family, medics said. That raised the number of Palestinian journalists killed to 97, according to the Hamasrun government media office.

In the north, another strike killed 13 people and wounded about 75 in the Jabalia refugee camp, the health ministry said. Israel says it warns of strikes in advance so civilians can escape, and it accuses Hamas of hiding in residential areas.

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees UNRWA said more than 60% of Gaza’s infrastructure was destroyed or damaged, with more than 90% of the 2.3 million population uprooted. “This is a staggering and unprecedented level of destruction and forced displacement, taking place in front of our eyes,” it said.

In the ground war, where Israel has lost 132 soldiers, tanks advanced further into the southern city of Khan Younis and shelled a market area but met heavy resistance, residents said.

Can China get its economic miracle back on track in 2024?

PROFIT

REUTERS

China’s disappointing postCOVID recovery has raised significant doubts about the foundations of its decades of stunning growth and presented Beijing with a tough choice for 2024 and beyond: take on more debt or grow less.

The expectations were that once China ditched its draconian COVID rules, consumers would burst back into malls, foreign investment would resume, factories would rev up and land auctions and home sales stabilise.

Instead, Chinese shoppers are saving for rainy days, foreign firms pulled money out, manufacturers face waning demand from the West, local government finances wobbled, and property developers defaulted.

The dashed expectations have partly vindicated those who always doubted China’s growth model, with some economists even drawing parallels with Japan’s bubble before its “lost decades” of stagnation starting in the 1990s.

China sceptics argue Beijing failed to shift the economy from construction-led development to

consumption-driven growth a decade ago, when it should have done so. Since then, debt has outpaced the economy, reaching levels that local governments and real estate firms now struggle to service.

Policymakers vowed this year to boost consumption, and reduce the economy’s reliance on property. Beijing is guiding banks to lend more to high-end manufacturing, away from real estate.

But a concrete long-term roadmap for cleaning up debt and restructuring the economy remains elusive.

Whatever choices China makes, it will have to account for an ageing and shrinking population, and a difficult geopolitical environment as the West grows wary of doing business with the world’s No.2 economy.

WHY IT MATTERS China likely grew 5%-or-so in 2023, outrunning the global economy. However, beneath that headline is the fact China invests more than 40% of its output – twice as much as the United States – suggesting a significant portion of that is unproductive.

That means many Chinese don’t feel that growth. Youth unemployment topped 21% in June, the last set of figures before China

controversially stopped reporting.

University graduates who studied for advanced-economy jobs are now taking up low-skilled positions to make ends meet while others have seen their wages cut.

In an economy where 70% of household wealth is parked in property, home owners are feeling poorer. Even in one of the few bright spots of the economy, the electric vehicle sector, a price war is causing pain downstream for suppliers and workers.

An employee measures a newly manufactured ball mill machine at a factory in Nantong, Jiangsu province, China June 28, 2019. The national pessimism could present President Xi Jinping with social stability risks, analysts say. If China does slip into a Japan-style decline, it would do so before ever achieving the kind of development Japan did.

That would be felt widely as most global industries depend significantly on suppliers in China.

Africa and Latin America count on China buying their commodities and financing their industrialisation.

WHAT IT MEANS FOR 2024 China’s problems give it little time before it has to make some tough choices.

5,000 Chinese suspects of economic crimes held from over 100 countries: official BEIJING

AGENCIES

More than 5,000 Chinese suspects of economic crimes fleeing overseas have been caught and arrested from over 100 countries and regions by the public security organs across the country since the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), according to China’s Ministry of Public Security (MPS).

A symposium on economic crime investigation work was recently held by the MPS in Suzhou, East China’s Jiangsu Province, to

emphasize the improvement of the public security organs’ professional investigative capabilities and outline the modernization of economic crime investigation work, thepaper.cn reported on Monday.

According to the meeting, since the 19th National Congress of the CPC, public security organs across the country have solved 467,000 cases of various economic crimes, recovering direct economic losses of more than 280 billion yuan ($39.28 billion), apprehended more than 5,000 suspects of economic crimes fleeing overseas

from more than 100 countries and regions, and collaborated with the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) and the National Commission of Supervision to apprehend 14 individuals among the 100 fugitives on Interpol’s Red Notice.

According to meeting notes, nationwide public security economic crime investigation work has consolidated outstanding achievements in combatting against crimes, preventing risks, maintaining stability, and serving the development of other sectors.

Wednesday, 20 December, 2023 | KARACHI

Chinese economy faces more opportunities than challenges in 2024: official BEIJING

STAFF REPORT

China’s Ministry of Finance has allocated the first batch of 237.9 billion yuan ($33.38 billion) of proceeds from a sovereign bond issuance to areas such as post-disaster recovery and reconstruction, high-standard farmland construction and meteorological infrastructure construction.

As part of the 1 trillion yuan special-purpose treasury bonds, the first batch of funds will support more than 2,900 projects, CCTV reported, including 107.5 billion yuan to help with rebuilding and disaster prevention and mitigation.

The first batch of funds will be used directly in infrastructure construction and livelihood programs under a previous plan, which is a move to implement priorities mentioned at the just-concluded Central Economic Work Conference to stabilize social expectations, Hu Qimu, a deputy secretary-general of the digital-real economies integration Forum 50, told the Global Times on Monday.

“In the final sprint for economic growth this year and laying a foundation for next year, the allocation of these funds to the infrastructure sector will help reduce local government debt risks and contribute to a stable economic recovery,” said Hu. The economy faces more opportunities and favorable conditions than challenges in 2024, with more macropolicies to be rolled out next year to bolster the recovery, said an official from the Office of the Central Financial and Economic Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, the Xinhua News Agency reported, in a detailed interpretation of the justconcluded Central Economic Work Conference.

There are sufficient policy tools to use next year, as low consumer prices and low central government debt levels provide room for accelerating monetary and fiscal stimulus, the official said.

“Efforts will be made to boost the consumption shift from a post-COVID-19 recovery to sustained growth,” the official said, calling for further efforts to coordinate domestic demand and improve supply so as to fully leverage China’s ultra-large market advantages.

GDP growth is likely to reach 5.2 percent this year, which will lay a solid foundation for the country’s economic performance next year, Chen Fengying, an economist and former director of the Institute of World Economic Studies at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, told the Global Times on Monday.

“On the one hand, policymakers have recognized the difficulties and challenges facing the economy and announced an array of targeted policies. The policies will continue to produce effects in 2024. On the other hand, the country has made notable progress in sci-tech innovation – represented by the release of Huawei’s Mate 60 smartphones – making the US realize that it can’t contain China anymore,” Chen said.

Multiple international institutions have upgraded their forecasts for the Chinese economy, with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development projecting the Chinese economy will grow by 5.2 percent in 2023 and the IMF saying it will expand by 5.4 percent this year.

Given the sound fundamentals of the Chinese economy, China’s consumption sector will continue to see sustained growth in 2024, Chen said, calling for stepped-up policies to stabilize the real estate market and deal with local government debt risks.

The private economy is a major force in creating jobs.

Only by sparking the vitality of the private sector can we expand employment, increase incomes and boost effective demand, Deng Haiqing, chief economist of AVIC Fund Management Co, told the Global Times on Monday.

The official from the Office of the Central Financial and Economic Affairs Commission pledged efforts to boost the development of the private sector with measures including improving the legal system and introducing more reforms related to market entry to protect the interests and rights of private enterprises.

As the US Federal Reserve recently sent signals of an end of interest rate hikes, the external pressure on the Chinese economy has eased. China’s fiscal and monetary policies will better focus on the domestic situation to promote high-quality development, Deng said.

Uzbekistan-Qatar on the way to steadily increasing interaction TASHKENT

AGENCIES

Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani will pay a visit to Uzbekistan on December 19 at the invitation of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

The Emir of Qatar will participate in the ceremony of awarding the Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani International Award for outstanding achievements in the fight against corruption. It should be noted that this event is being held for the first time in the post-soviet space.

This visit will be the second visit of the Qatari leader to Uzbekistan this year and the third Uzbek-Qatari summit in the last six months. This fact, above all, testifies to the observed unprecedented dynamics in the development of political dialog aimed at the early expansion and strengthening of comprehensive cooperation for the benefit of the people of Uzbekistan and Qatar.

The first and historic state visit of the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani in June this year and the official visit of President Shavkat

Mirziyoyev in October this year gave a powerful impetus to the development of bilateral relations established on November 27, 1997, and opened new prospects for mutually beneficial cooperation.

As a result, more than 24 bilateral documents aimed at further development and deepening of trade and economic, investment, cultural, humanitarian and other spheres of cooperation were signed, as well as agreements worth 12 billion dollars.

The development of such an active dialog is due to the high interest of the parties in expanding bilateral relations and strengthening regional interconnectedness between Central and Southeast Asia. The results of the summits of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and the visits of our head of state to the Arab countries have also demonstrated it. High-level relations are also characterized by active dynamics.

On 14-15 September 2022, Qatari Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sultan Al-Murayhi visited Tashkent to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, where an agreement was

signed on Qatar’s accession to the SCO as a dialogue partner.

The opening of the Qatari Embassy in Tashkent on May 7, 2023 contributed to the strengthening of diplomatic ties. A delegation headed by Qatar’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sultan Al-Murayhi took part in the opening ceremony of the diplomatic mission, as well as the third round of political consultations between the foreign ministries of the two countries held on May 6-8 On March 4-6 this year, the Chairperson of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis Tanzila Narbayeva visited Doha to participate in the 5th UN Conference on Developing Countries. During the stay, the Uzbek parliamentary delegation held a meeting and negotiations with Chairman of the Qatar Advisory Council Hassan Al-Ghanim.

Uzbek Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov’s visit to Qatar on December 1011 was successfully completed. Within the framework of the visit in Doha, negotiations were held with Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Qatar Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim AlThani, Chairman of the Board of Trustees

of the Center for Rule of Law and Fight against Corruption Ali Bin Fetais AlMarri, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassim bin Muhammad Al-Thani, Minister of Transportation Jassim bin Saif bin Ahmed Al Sulaiti, as well as Executive Director of the Islamic Bank Bassel Gamal.

The Uzbek Foreign Minister participated in the 21st Doha Forum “Creating a Shared Future” and met with Chief Executive Officer of Qatar’s «Hassad Food» Company Ali Hilal Al Kuwari. The meetings discussed topical issues on the agenda of bilateral cooperation in political, trade and economic, cultural and humanitarian spheres.

The official opening ceremony of the Embassy of Uzbekistan in Qatar was held during the visit.

Uzbekistan considers Qatar as a promising economic partner in the Middle East. To date, the intensification of relations has entered the topical agenda of the two countries, which is due to mutual interest in realizing the huge untapped potential in this area.

Wednesday, 20 December, 2023 | KARACHI

CORPORATE CORNER Punjab CS reviews progress on EPD Green Building site

The Chief Secretary Punjab Zahid Akhtar Zaman visited the Environment Protection Department (EPD) Green Building site for progress review. EPD green building is a key component of the Punjab Green Development Program. The green building is a first of its kind LEED certified gold standard building in the Public Sector. Designed by the Infrastructure Development Authority of Punjab (IDAP), the seven-storey structure, being constructed on a 5-kanal plot in Gulberg II, integrates green building principles to minimize environmental impacts, reduce resource consumption, and set a standard for future public infrastructure. The sustainable building design aims to create a healthy, productive environment while showcasing energy & water efficiency, waste reduction, and the utilization of solar energy. PR

UBL leads in home remittance market in Pakistan

United Bank Limited (UBL) has once again proven its leadership in the banking industry by winning ‘Highest Remittance Mobilizing Bank of Pakistan’ at the Pakistan Remittance Summit 2023, held in Malaysia. UBL's achievement is attributed to the success of UBL Tezraftaar, which has the highest market share for the home remittances business in the banking industry and caters to the diverse needs of both senders and recipients. The bank has strategically positioned itself as a reliable partner for Pakistani expats by offering seamless and secure channels for remittance flows. This has made UBL Tezraftaar the No 1 Choice for Overseas Pakistanis. The recognition of UBL as the top bank for mobilizing remittances highlights the bank's operational excellence and customer-centric approach. UBL has consistently demonstrated a commitment to digital innovation, offering user-friendly solutions that have earned the trust of a broad range of customers. UBL's extensive network of branches and strategic partnerships with international financial institutions and exchange houses have further streamlined the remittance process and simplified the process of sending funds to beneficiaries in Pakistan. PR

Bank Alfalah, U Microfinance Bank enter collaboration for financing facility of PKR 10b

ISLAMABAD: U Microfinance Bank (U Bank), one of the largest microfinance banks in Pakistan, has forged a strategic partnership with Bank Alfalah Limited, one of the country's largest commercial banks, to secure a short-term financing facility of PKR 10 billion aimed to collaboratively facilitate U Bank's corporate funding.The collaboration was officiated in a formal ceremony held recently in Karachi, where Mr. Mohamed Essa Al Taheri, President & CEO – U Bank, and Mr. Atif Bajwa, President & CEO – Bank Alfalah, signed a Memorandum of Understanding in the presence of key management representatives from both the organizations. The ceremony underlined resilience and harmony within the financial sector in Pakistan and signified a collective effort to drive positive change and a shared commitment towards financial inclusion. Mr. Mohamed Essa Al Taheri, President and CEO - U Bank, spoke about the collaboration: “We are delighted to enter into this strategic alliance with Bank Alfalah that significantly contributes to our efforts towards offering inclusive financial products and services to the underbanked. PR

IBA Karachi organizes public talk titled: ‘Central Asia in Modern Age: Patterns of Transformation’

The Institute of Business Administration (IBA), Karachi organized a public talk on ‘Central Asia in the Modern Age: Patterns of Transformation’ featuring Professor Adeeb Khalid, Jane and Raphael Bernstein Professor of Asian Studies and History and Chair of Department of History, Carleton College. As an eminent historian, Professor Khalid brings a wealth of expertise to unravel the complex tapestry of change in Central Asia. His extensive body of work encompasses four distinct books on Central Asia and the talk centered around his latest book.

This event marked a momentous occasion as it was his second professional talk in Pakistan, a country with a keen interest in the region’s historical narrative.

The talk was attended by students, faculty, historians and prominent scholars. Executive Director, IBA Karachi, Dr. S Akbar Zaidi welcomed Professor Khalid and invited him to shed light on Central Asia’s rich history and its impact on the world.

Professor Khalid thanked Dr. Zaidi and delved into the intricate historical patterns that have molded Central Asia over the years. His nuanced insights provided attendees with a comprehensive understanding of the region’s multifaceted transformation. Speaking about Central Asia’s global significance as well as its specific relevance to Pakistan, he said that South Asia had a strong link with Central Asia. PR

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MUSHAAL LAUDS COAS FOR RAISING KASHMIR DISPUTE IN US IN A BEFITTING MANNER NEWS

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ISLAMABAD

STAFF REPORT

PECIAL Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Human Rights and Women Empowerment, Mushaal Hussein Mullick highly praised the successful visit of Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir to the US during which he raised the longstanding Kashmir dispute in a befitting manner.

Mushaal said that the COAS unequivocally conveyed to United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that peace in South Asia would remain elusive until the resolution of Kashmir dispute in accordance with the UNSC resolutions and the aspirations of Kashmiri people, which gave a fresh impetus to the ongoing Kashmir freedom struggle and a testament that Pakistan was standing firmly with their Kashmiri brothers and sisters in this just war of right to selfdetermination.

The SAPM on Human Rights and Women Empowerment, in a statement, lauded the Army chief for strongly taking

up the unilateral, unconstitutional and illegal Narendra Modi-led Indian government’s efforts to change the special status of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) at the highest level.

She unscored that the Indian notorious government crossed all limits of barbarism and terrorism to silent the dissenting voices in and abroad of India.

Mushaal pointed out that all minority communities were being subjected to brutal state terrorism and coercive ac-

tions, which evident from its global terrorist networks targeting people in Pakistan, Canada and even in America.

The SAPM urged the UN bodies and the world powers to pay attention to the report of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) that exposed the dirty and brutal face of India before the world. She contended that the commission rightly demanded to the Biden administration to designate India as a “country of particular concern”

US govt awards scholarships to 54 undergraduate Pakistani students ISLAMABAD INP

The government of United States has awarded scholarships to 54 Pakistani undergraduate students to study for one semester under the Global Undergraduate Exchange (Global UGRAD) Program.

The United States Educational Foundation in Pakistan (USEFP) administered exchange program provides participants a unique opportunity to enrich their education by spending one semester of nondegree study at a U.S. university or college, said a press release issued on Tuesday.

The students will also volunteer for community engagement projects in American host communities to strengthen their leadership skills during the program.

USEFP organized a pre-departure orientation in Islamabad to equip the students with essential information about American culture, campus life, visa requirements, and travel guidelines.

The spring 2024 cohort represents all four provinces, GilgitBaltistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and the Islamabad Capital Territory, with women making up 61 percent of the group.

Since its inception in 2010, the Global UGRAD Program has supported approximately 2,500 participants who now serve as emerging leaders in their communities across Pakistan. These alumni have been honored with national and international awards for their impactful ini-

tiatives in fields including climate change, health, sports, and education.

Minister Counselor for Public Affairs Bettina Malone shared well wishes with the students as they prepared to embark on the semester exchange. “Your Global UGRAD experience will be life-changing.

Be open, be curious, say yes to opportunities – to join clubs, events, and happenings. Make the most of your time in the United States.”

USEFP Executive Director Rita Akhtar congratulated the students on being selected for this great opportunity, noting that thousands of students from all over Pakistan apply for this merit-based program. “Global UGRAD participants are selected for their potential not just to excel in higher education but to bring change and development to their communities.

The Program gives students a chance to engage in community service activities and builds a spirit of volunteerism, as well as the opportunity to study at excellent colleges and universities in the United States. This semester exchange helps build new friendships and mutual understanding between the people of Pakistan and the United States.”

USEFP is a bi-national commission established in 1950 by the governments of the United States and Pakistan. Since its inception, more than 8,600 Pakistanis and around 950 Americans have participated in USEFP-administered exchange programs. Its mission is to promote mutual understanding between the people of Pakistan and the people of the United States through educational and cultural exchange programs.

KSA announces scholarships for 700 Pakistani students The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has increased the number of scholarships from 600 to 700 for Pakistani students. Official sources told on Tuesday, Pakistani students can avail these scholarships by applying through “Study in Saudi” electronic portal.

The portal provides a one-window comprehensive gateway for international students to apply and process applications for study in the Kingdom i.e., Self-financed, Partial Scholarship and Full Scholarship.

Students can apply for their desired degree which includes almost all disciplines except medical science.

The details of the scholarship are given on the Saudi Mission’s website: https:/studyinsaudi.moe.gov.sa/.

Caretaker minister, French envoy stress interfaith dialogue

Justice Baqar urges PM to allocate rightful portion of natural gas to Sindh

ISLAMABAD INP

ISLAMABAD: An Important meeting held between the Federal Minister of Religious Affairs Aneeq Ahmed and French Ambassador Nicolas Gale, the pressing necessity for interfaith dialogue took center stage. Minister Aneeq Ahmed emphasized the critical need for understanding among different religious beliefs, asserting that the current global scenario doesn't represent a clash of civilizations but a confrontation with ignorance.The occasion saw the esteemed presence of French Ambassador Nicolas Gale, where both parties concurred on the urgency of collaborative efforts to combat extremism and promote inter-religious harmony within their respective societies. Minister Aneeq Ahmed took a firm stance, condemning the ongoing humanitarian crises in the Palestinian Territory, advocating for an immediate cessation of the atrocities and a lasting resolution to the conflict. PR

KARACHI: Caretaker Sindh Chief Minister Justice (Retd) Maqbool Baqar has urged Prime Minister Anwar-ul-Haq to allocate Sindh its rightful portion of natural gas under Article 158 of the Constitution, so that the industrial and business activities in the province may be carried out smoothly.In a DO letter addressed to the prime minister, CM Baqar said that Sindh was facing an acute shortage of gas in all industrial zones, first, due to its complete closure for two days every week (Saturday and Sunday) and secondly, because of deplorably low pressure for the remaining days. The CM pointed out that the situation has crippled the industrial and business activities in the province.

“The industrial and business community has been imploring an uninterrupted supply of gas with full pressure; however, there has been no favourable response from the concerned authorities,” he told the PM and said that since the foreign exchange reserves of Pakistan have already dipped to $12.302 billion, the shortage of gas has only aggravated this situation as exporters are unable to meet the deadlines.According to the excerpt of the letter, the CM told the prime minister that Article 158 of the Constitution was quite clear that the first right of usage of gas was for that province where it is produced: the province of Sindh generates 65 per cent of the total gas of the country. PR

under the US Religious Freedom Act, for targeting religious minorities overseas.

Mushaal highlighted the report revealed that recent efforts by the Indian government to silence activists, journalists, and lawyers abroad posed a serious threat to religious freedom.

The SAPM on Human Rights and Women Empowerment called upon the international community to shun the double standard and take punitive and decisive actions against the rogue Indian state to avert the possible human catastrophe, as it was fast spreading tentacles of its terrorist networks across the globe and became a threat to the world peace.

However, Mushaal made it clear that neither India nor Israel could defuse and suppress the ongoing freedom struggle of Kashmiris and Palestinians through their genocidal actions and use of ruthless power, as both the states had been exercising all options of state terrorism during the last seven decades but they failed to achieve the desired results rather than these merciless measures further ignite the flames of the freedom struggle in both the occupied territories.

Visa collaborates with TECH5 to advance digital government ecosystems

KARACHI: Visa Inc., a world leader in digital payments and TECH5, an innovator in the field of

biometrics and digital identity management, have signed a strategic collaboration agreement focusing on the development and enhancement of digital government ecosystems on a global scale. The two organizations will design a roadmap that encompasses a series of initiatives and projects aimed at establishing a robust foundation for advancing digital payments, digital identity management, and other ecosystem-driven services.

The partnership agreement includes: • Designing and implementing improved digital government ecosystems in selected countries.

• Developing and supporting the Go-to-Market roadmap for a SuperApp and enabling Visa card credentials for citizens and non-residents through multiple digital channels.

• Developing a roadmap to expand card acceptance for government disbursements and payment programs across all platforms.

• Initiating programs for financial literacy and digital inclusion.

• Cooperating in the preparation of regulatory acts for digital payments development.

"We are thrilled to embark on this strategic collaboration with TECH5. Our joint efforts will concentrate on enhancing digital government ecosystems worldwide, with a special focus on advancing digital payments and digital identity management services. PR

Wednesday, 20 December, 2023

Pakistan celebrates OVER 438,000 RETURN HOME: REPATRIATION first dried red Chilli export to China OF ILLEGAL AFGHANS CONTINUES

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Electoral watchdog orders removal of SAPM Ahad Cheema ISLAMABAD

STAFF REPORT

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) Tuesday ordered the removal of Adviser to the Prime Minister on Establishment Ahad Cheema from office in a bid to ensure free and fair polls. Cheema is part of the caretaker government which is appointed to oversee the country’s affairs — with limited powers — till the elections, which are set to take place on February 8, 2024.

In line with the Constitution, the polling body can hire or fire any cabinet member of the interim government to ensure that free and fair elections take place. In August, it had removed several members of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa cabinet for being actively involved in politics. Advocate Syed Aziz Uddin Kaka Khel filed the petition with the ECP on September 29 against caretaker federal cabinet members Cheema and Fawad Hasan Fawad. The hearing against Fawad will take place on December 21.

“If these persons are not removed/replaced from such a key post, the very theme of the constitution and election laws will be struck down and abused,” Kaka Khel’s petition read, noting that both of them enjoyed good ties with ex-prime minister and Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz President Shehbaz Sharif. In its order, the ECP mentioned that the petition seeking the removal of Cheema “was correct” and if he remains in office, the adviser could influence the general elections.

“Ahad Cheema was part of the previous government.

The Cabinet Division should issue a notification to remove Cheema,” the commission said in its order.

In recent days, there had been confusion surrounding the elections. However, the Supreme Court has now shut all doors for delaying the general elections and the polling programme has also been released.

The commission will begin receiving nomination papers from prospective candidates tomorrow (December 20) as Pakistan approaches a crucial general election. The process is slated to begin after the oathtaking of district returning officers (DROs) and returning officers (ROs) by the electoral body as per the Elections Act 2017 today.

ECP asks special seats aspirants to get nomination papers ISLAMABAD

STAFF REPORT

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has instructed candidates aspiring for reserved seats for women and minorities to acquire nomination papers from the relevant Returning Officers and District Election Commissioner from Tuesday by making the required payment. The Election Commission introduced this for public convenience, but candidates must submit their nomination papers to returning officers by December 22.

ECP reveals updated voters’ registration statistics.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has unveiled the comprehensive data, outlining the total number of registered voters across the nation. The ECP conveyed that 53.87 percent of the country’s voters are male, while 46.13 percent are female.

The ECP’s commitment to transparency is evident in this disclosure, providing citizens with accurate electoral information. According to the latest data, the total number of registered voters now exceeds 128.5 million. Within this demographic, over 69.2 million individuals identify as male, constituting a significant portion of the electorate.

Simultaneously, the female voter count is recorded at over 59.3 million, showcasing a strong and active participation of women in the electoral process. This disclosure aligns with the Election Commission’s continuous efforts to keep an updated and easily accessible record of the nation’s voting population.

In Islamabad, the overall voter count is 1.083 million, with 568,406 male voters and 514,623 female voters.

In Punjab, the total voter count exceeds 73.278 million, with over 39.122 million male voters and more than 34.085 million female voters, according to the Election Commission.

ISLAMABAD AGENCIES

HE process of repatriation for irregular Afghans residing in Pakistan is ongoing, with another 1,586 individuals returning to their home country on December 18th. This brings the total number of repatriated Afghans to over 438,000 since the initiative began.

The breakdown of those who returned on December 18th highlights the family nature of the movement, with 365 men, 298 women, and 923 children crossing the border. This trend reflects broader concerns about irregular migration’s impact on vulnerable populations,

particularly women and children.

It’s important to note that even before the official repatriation process commenced, many irregular Afghans were already choosing to return home due to fears of potential arrest. This indicates a complex interplay of factors influencing migration patterns, including economic hardship, security concerns, and family reunification desires. While the repatriation exercise is ongoing across Pakistan, Karachi stands out as a city with a historically large irregular population. The presence of undocumented individuals has been linked to challenges like smuggling and extortion in the city, prompting local authorities to focus on facilitating returns and promoting border security measures.

Dar’s mother accuses Kh Asif of orchestrating ‘police attack’ on her house SIALKOT

STAFF REPORT

Former Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Usman Dar’s mother on Tuesday accused Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) leader Khawaja Asif of orchestrating police attack on her house.

In a video statement released Tuesday, Dar’s mother can be seen appealing to the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa to take notice of the incident.

“I was asleep at home when Khawaja Asif had my house attacked again. [They] broke the door and entered my house,” she said. In the video message posted on social media, Usman Dar’s mother alleged that police raided her house at the behest of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader Khawaja Asif.

In a tearful address, Usman Dar’s mother, alleged that she was targeted in the raid due to her son’s political aspirations.

She alleged that the raiding police party humiliated them, alleging that Kh Asif was doing all “these dirty acts” to refrain her from contesting general elections against him.

She appealed to Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Qazi Faez Isa to take notice of the matter.

Her emotional account claimed that officers entered the house and subjected her to physical abuse, tearing her clothes and injuring her neck.

“This was done to prevent me from contesting the election, but I will contest the election in any

case,” Dar’s mother reiterated her resolve in a voice laced with defiance. “Even if my house is demolished by bulldozers, I will fight against Khawaja Asif.

“I will participate in the elections no matter what comes forth. It’s a decision from my heart and as per the guidance from the Holy Qur’an and Sunnah,” she declared, expressing her readiness to confront Khawaja Asif even if her house is razed to the ground or she is sent to jail.

Umar Dar, another brother, echoed his mother’s sentiments, expressing outrage at the alleged misbehavior towards his family.

He called upon the Chief Justice of Pakistan for swift and impartial justice, emphasizing that such abuse cannot be tolerated under any circumstances. Local authorities have yet to issue an official statement regarding the accusations or the purpose of the raid.

‘KH ASIF DENIES ANY INVOLVEMENT’ Khawaja Asif, meanwhile, has denied any involvement in the incident, calling the allegations “fabrications and baseless attacks.”

In response to the allegations, Khawaja Asif denied any involvement in the incident. “I have never pursued retaliatory politics; I have always fought a political battle, not a personal one with my opponents,” stated Asif on his official social media handle.

He stressed his adherence to principles in political conflicts, expressing respect for opponents’ elders and families.

Addressing Usman Dar di-

rectly, Khawaja Asif questioned the credibility of someone who, once an ardent supporter praising his leader, is now openly criticising him on television. He mentioned referring to Dar’s mother as his sister and condemned what he termed as “despicable politics” forcing him to compromise his family traditions.

On the other hand, the Punjab Police refuted the allegations made

by Dar’s mother, adding another layer of complexity to the unfolding controversy.

Earlier, Sialkot police reportedly raided the house of former Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Usman Dar’s mother and violated sanctity and security of the house by disrespecting the women present there.

POLICE RAIDED HOUSE TO ARREST UMAR DAR: DPO Sialkot District Police Officer (DPO) Hassan Iqbal said that the police raided the house to arrest Umar Dar who, the DPO, claimed was wanted in different cases.

“During the raid, the women in the house used abusive language which was inappropriate,” said the DPO, while dispelling the claims of physical assault on the women.

The officer claimed that Umar Dar took “some steps against the state” after which cases were registered against him and he is in touch with his family on social media.

It should be noted that, after a crackdown launched on PTI workers following May 9 vandalism, police also raided Dar brothers’ house in Sialkot where they ‘mistreated’ and tortured the women.

Over 128.5m voters to decide fate of 175 political parties in polls: data PESHAWAR STAFF REPORT

More than 128.5 million registered voters in Pakistan would decide the fate of 175 political and religious parties during the upcoming general election to be held on February 08, 2024.

According to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) data, total registered voters in Pakistan are 128,585,760 including 69,263,704 male and 59,322,056 female, who would decide the fate of about 175 political and religious parties on February 8, 2024.

The Returning Officers (ROs) on Tuesday issued public notice for filing of nomination papers for the national and provincial assemblies seats, paving the way for smooth conduct of general election.

Chief Secretary Khyber Pathunkhwa, Nadeem Aslam Chaudhry while addressing district returning officers here said that today was a very important day in the country’s election history after the ROs had issued public notice, inviting candidates to file nomination papers for the national and provincial assemblies seats.

He assured the Deputy Returning Officers (DROs) all-out support

in conduct of free, fair and transparent elections in Khyber Pakthunkhwa and said that conducting the general election was a national obligation and together we would be able to hold free, fair and transparent elections in the country.

Urging people and government departments to unite for election, he directed the relevant authorities to ensure accessibility of persons with disability voters to the polling stations so that they could easily exercise their right of vote on February 08, 2024.

According to ECP’s election schedule for 2024 general election, nomination papers could be filed with respective returning officers by the candidates on December 2022, 2023 while names of all nominated candidates would be published on December 23.

Similarly, December 24-30 has been fixed as the last date for filing of appeals against decisions of the Returning Officers regarding rejection/acceptance of nomination papers while the last date for deciding appeals by the Appellate Tribunal was January 03, 2024.

The last date for deciding appeals against decisions of the Returning Officers regarding acceptance or rejection of appeals by the appellate

tribunal is January 10, 2024 while a revised list of candidates would be published on January 11.

The publication of the revised list of candidates has been fixed as January 12 while election symbols to candidates would be allotted on 13th January and polling would be held on February 08, 2024.

This election program would also apply to the seats reserved for women and non-Muslims in the National Assembly and provincial assemblies of Punjab, Sindh, KP and Balochsitan provinces. The last date of filing of a separate priority list for seats reserved for women and non-Muslims before the Returning Officer is December 22, 2023.

Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has issued guidelines for candidates filing nomination papers for seats of national and provincial assemblies. Fee of obtaining one nomination paper’s form is fixed as Rs10, and one candidate can submit a maximum five nomination papers with different proposers/seconders.

The fee for submission of a nomination paper for a national assembly seat is Rs30,000 and Rs20,000 for a provincial assembly seat that was non- refundable.

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PAKISTAN SET TO EMERGE AS SIGNIFICANT SUPPLIER OF CHILLIES TO CHINA PROFIT

GHULAM ABBAS

Pakistan commemorates its inaugural shipment of dried red chillies to China, marking a significant breakthrough in bilateral trade relations.

Pakistan, the 5th most populous country globally and 41st largest economy, has sustained a steady economic growth averaging 2.89 percent over the last five years. The nation’s economic landscape is primarily driven by the services sector, contributing 58.6 % to the GDP, followed by agriculture (22.9 %) and industry (18.5 %).

Agriculture, accounting for 23 % of Pakistan’s GDP and employing 37.4 % of the national labor force, remains a pivotal sector. The country’s agricultural eminence is underscored by its position as the world’s 4th largest exporter of rice, now expanding its exports to include dried red chillies to China.

Recent years witnessed a decline in Pakistan’s dried red chilli exports, prompting strategic collaborations under the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). The successful implementation of a 2021 pilot project testing chilli cultivation in Pakistan laid the foundation for this remarkable achievement.

Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research, Dr. Koasar, hailed this move as a crucial step in fortifying trade ties between the two nations and enhancing global food security.

China’s involvement in contract farming, employing modern technology, and providing training to local farmers, has helped in unlocking the potential for high-quality chilli production in Pakistan. The project’s success on model farms, yielding 700 tons of dried chillies, underscores the promising prospects of this collaboration.

Minister Dr. Gohar Ejaz, Minister of Commerce and Industries, emphasized this breakthrough’s potential to surpass $20 billion in agricultural exports to China in the coming years. Leveraging the Pakistan-China Free Trade Agreement, Pakistan stands to gain substantially with zero tariffs, boosting its competitiveness in the region.

With both governments endorsing signed protocols, Pakistan is set to emerge as a significant supplier of high-quality chillies to the Chinese market, fostering further collaborations and economic growth.

Mr. Zheng Xiaohui, Development Manager at Sichuan Litong Food Co., Ltd., extended gratitude to Dr. Allah Ditta Abid, Director-General, Department of Plant Protection, acknowledging exceptional leadership and professional capabilities in supervising the entire process. Special appreciation was offered to Muhammad Sohail Shahzad, Director Technical DPP, and Mahwish Aziz, Entomologist Quarantine DPP, for their dedicated efforts in initiating and finalizing the protocol with the General Administration of Customs of China (GACC), crucial in expediting the chili exports.

For Pakistan, this milestone signifies not merely an export achievement but heralds its agricultural products’ prosperous journey into the international market as the inaugural shipment sets course for China.

Information Ministry vows zero tolerance against surrogate companies ISLAMABAD

STAFF REPORT

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has vowed zero tolerance against the surrogate companies of the “betting houses”, urging the stakeholders to prevent their promotion through any kind of advertisements during live coverage of the sports events.

Referring to its earlier advisory on the issue, the ministry noted “unambiguous violation” of the same during the live broadcast of Pakistan Cricket team’s tour to Australia on multiple media outlets/channels, including the Pakistan Television, a news release said on Tuesday. The Information Ministry, in its earlier advisory, had urged all the ministries, departments, and organizations not to engage in any kind of contract or cooperation with the surrogate companies illegally operating in Pakistan, especially on print, electronic, and social media. The ministry reiterated its advisory strictly warning the media outlets “not to promote the surrogate companies of betting houses through any kind of advertisements”, besides immediately terminating all existing agreements with them.

The advisory, which had already been sent to the stakeholders, specifically mentioned a list of known surrogate companies “to address any unawareness, and to ensure strict and immediate compliance”.

The ministry also observed that the logos of at least two of the companies clearly mentioned in the earlier advisory were displayed uninterrupted throughout the live broadcast of the stated event that spanned multiple hours across multiple days. The ministry urged the stakeholders to ensure immediate compliance of its instant advisory without fail, investigate reasons and responsible for the non-compliance of the earlier advisory, and submit a copy of the same within a week.

‘Deserters, quitters’ to not get PTI tickets: Barrister Zafar ISLAMABAD

STAFF REPORT

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senator Barrister Ali Zafar on Tuesday ruled out the possibility of any former leader getting ticket for the upcoming elections, scheduled for February 8, 2024.

“The message is very clear for those who left [the party]. [they] will not get the tickets and only those who remained steadfast in difficult times will be preferred,” Barrister Zafar declared while speaking during a talk show on a private channel.

The statement came in response to a

question about a possible return of former PTI leader Usman Dar in reference to the attack on his residence in Sialkot.

Barrister Zafar said that the incident should be probed to find out the facts about it.

When asked if Dar’s mother — who claimed she was “manhandled” during the attack on her house — wants to contest in the polls, the PTI senator said that as far as he knows after his recent conversations with the PTI supremo Imran Khan and other senior leaders, the party has the policy of not accepting anyone who parted ways with the party.

Barrister Zafar said that he doesn’t know if the policy will change later or not.

The residence of Dar, who parted ways with ex-premier Khan’s party earlier in October with explosive revelations, recently came under “attack”, which the Punjab Police said was a “lawful” raid to arrest the exPTI leader’s brother Umer Dar. However, their mother levelled serious allegations against PML-N leader Khawaja Asif, accusing him of being behind the attack on her house.

Speaking about the incident, Barrister Zafar said that he condemns the incident.

“Maybe the people are taking law in their hands,” he said, voicing concerns about a possible rise in such incidents as the elec-

tions draw nearer.

He said that most of the PTI leaders have gone into hiding or are under arrest like the former party chairman.

“It shows that level playing field is not being given to PTI and its leaders but despite that, the party stands by its decision not to boycott the elections, face the challenges linked to the polls and make sure that the designated date of February 8 is not derailed,” he added.

It may be noted that a video message from Dar’s mother came to the fore this evening, where she appealed to Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa to take ac-

tion on the alleged attack at her residence.

“I was asleep at home when Khawaja Asif had my house attacked again. [They] broke the door and entered my house.”

Dar’s mother said come what may, she would file the nomination papers for the upcoming general elections — slated to take place on February 8 next year.

“When they heard that I was submitting my nomination papers, they [Khawaja Asif] sent 20 people to my house who manhandled me. No one can force me into submitting to do what they want,” she said, adding that she would even contest the polls if she was put behind bars.

Published by Asad Nizami at Plot No 66-C, 1st Floor, 21st Commercial Street, Phase-II (Extension), DHA Karachi and printed at Ibn-e-Hassan Printing Press, Hockey Stadium, Karachi, for PT Print (Pvt) Limited. Ph: 021-35381208-9. Email: newsroom@pakistantoday.com.pk