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ELECTIONS ON FEB 8 ‘UNDER ALL CIRCUMSTANCES’: INTERIOR MINISTER friday, 2 february, 2024 I 21 Rajab, 1445

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Dr Gohar Ejaz says there should be no ambiguity in anyone’s mind about elections on Feb 8

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ISLAMABAD

Staff RepoRt

ARETAKER Interior Minister Dr Gohar Ejaz said on Thursday reiterated the government’s resolve to ensure that the elections would be held on February 8, in free, fair, and peaceful manner.

“There should be no ambiguity or uncertainty in anyone’s mind about the elections [on February 8]. The ECP and the caretaker government will ensure the conduct of elections, and they will take place on February 8 under all circumstances,” he said while speaking to the media following the ECP meeting.

The caretaker interior minister’s statement comes following an important meeting of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) regarding the security concerns in Balochistan and KhyberPakhtunkhwa.

The high-level huddle held a day after the assassination of a PTI-affiliated inde-

pendent candidate in KP’s Bajaur district and the killing of an ANP activist in Balochistan’s Qilla Abdullah.

Yesterday also saw a spurt in violence, including a grenade attack on the election campaign office of PPP candidate, Ali Madad Jatak, on Quetta’s Sariab Road. A similar grenade attack was carried out at the residence of another PPP candidate, Mir Zahoor Buledi, in Kech district of Balochistan.

On Tuesday, a bomb blast on a main road in Balochistan’s Sibi during an election rally led by Saddam Tareen, a PTI-affiliated independent candidate for NA-253 (Ziarat) constituency, leaving at least four people dead and five others injured.

The meeting, chaired by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja, was attended of key officials, including Secretary Election Commission Dr Asif Hussain, Caretaker Interior Minister Gohar Ejaz, Interior Secretary Aftab Akbar Durrani, chief secretaries of Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa,

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High-level ECP huddle assesses preparations, and security for upcoming elections

for three NA seats from Islamabad will begin on Friday (tomorrow). As per the electoral watchdog’s plan, the ballot papers to Gwadar, Panjgur, Kecch, Kharan, Bajaur, and Kurram will be transported via C-130 and helicopters. The country is scheduled to go to general election to the National Assembly and provincial assemblies of Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces on February 08.

The Election Commission of Pakistan had announced the election schedule on December 15. The election will be held on 336 seats of the lower house and a party that wins at least 169 seats will be eligible to form the next government of the country.

cidents of lawlessness in Balochistan and KP were aimed at creating fear among the masses. He said that the security agencies have implemented robust security arrangements in all four provinces and people should cast their votes with confidence as the elections will strengthen stability in the country.

Dr Ejaz further commented on events in Balochistan, clarifying, “The incidents occurring in Balochistan are not related to the elections but are acts of terrorism.

There is no political polarisation in Balochistan; our major challenge in Balochistan is terrorism, and the security agencies are commendably protecting the country.”

Meanwhile, CEC Sultan, while talking to the media, said that the meeting was held to assess the preparations for the upcoming elections, focusing on the security of candidates and voters. He said that the meeting addressed the security concerns related to elections in KhyberPakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, adding that security measures are actively being implemented to ensure the safety of candidates and voters.

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and inspector generals.

Representatives from intelligence agencies were also present to provide briefings on the security situation. Gohar presented a comprehensive overview of the security conditions in Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, with reports placed before the ECP officials.

The interior minister said that the in-

‘Poor Law & Order’: ECP decides to ‘airlift’ ballot papers to KP, Balochistan’s areas ISLAMABAD

Staff RepoRt

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) Thursday decided to airlift ballot papers to Balochistan and KP given the deteriorating law and order situation.

According to ECP officials, the electoral watchdog has planned the printing of 260 million ballot papers for the general elections 2024. Under the plan, the printing of ballot papers for Balochistan’s constituencies has been completed, while 90pc printing work for KP and Punjab and seventy percent of ballot papers printing for Sindh province have been completed.

The official sources informed the printing of ballot papers

ECP announces Feb 8 as public holiday countrywide ISLAMABAD

Staff RepoRt

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has declared February 8 (Thursday), the day the nation goes to poll for general elections, a public holiday nationwide. The election commission has also issued a notification for the holiday on Thursday, February 8. According to the election commission, a maximum number of people will be able to exercise their right to vote due to the public holiday. On Wednesday, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) made it clear that the polls will be held on February 8 across the country. Chief Election Commissioner Sikander Sultan Raja presided over a meeting of the electoral watchdog in Islamabad. On this occasion, the CEC said: “No proposals are being reviewed about delaying the polls in KP and Balochistan.” During the meeting, matters regarding the publication of ballot papers were also discussed. The CEC stated: “After today, papers from the constituencies with printing regulations cannot be printed. The special features paper has been discontinued, and printing corporations are also facing a shortage of resources.”

Rs 20.00 | Vol XIV No 215 I 8 Pages I Lahore Edition

Caretaker Cabinet greenlights hike in prices of 146 life-saving drugs

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PM says govt devising policies to benefit both common man and pharmaceutical industr y ISLAMABAD

Staff RepoRt

The caretaker federal cabinet on Thursday greenlit a hike in the prices of 146 essential life-saving medicines, state-run Radio Pakistan reported.

According to Radio Pakistan, the hike in prices was recommended by the Ministry of National Health considering the rising prices of raw materials in the global market. The cabinet meeting was chaired by interim Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar in Islamabad. During the meeting, PM Kakar said the government was taking “every possible step” for the provision of medicines to the common man at a suitable price. He added that the government was devising policies that would not only benefit the common man but also the pharmaceutical industry.

“The prime minister directed to prepare recommendations to further improve the performance of the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (Drap).

“He further directed to speed up the actions against hoarding and smuggling of drugs. For the deregulation of drug prices, the prime minister said suggestions should be forwarded to prepare a draft summary for legislation by the next elected parliament,” Radio Pakistan said.

In a statement issued from the PM’s House, PM

Kakar said the government was framing such policies which would benefit the common man and also help develop the pharmaceutical industry.

On the occasion, officials of the Ministry of National Health Services and DRAP briefed the participants that through the online portal of the Authority, citizens could file complaints regarding the non-availability of medicines in the market.

On the recommendation of the Ministry of Finance, the cabinet approved the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Competition Commission of Pakistan and the State Administration of Market Regulation (SAMR) China.

Under the MOU, exchange of information and technical capacity would increase between the two countries.

The cabinet, on the recommendation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, allowed renowned Pakistani psychologist Muhammad Saleem Khan Tareen to receive the award of Member of the British Empire from King Charles (III), in honour of his services in the field of psychology.

It also allowed Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu to receive the Gold Medal for Aeronautical Merit awarded by Italy, in recognition of his services for the increased cooperation between the air forces of the two countries.

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PTI to hold intra-party elections on February 5 ISLAMABAD

Staff RepoRt

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Thursday announced to hold its intra-party elections on February 5. The intra-party elections schedule was released by Federal Election Commissioner Raoof Hassan on PTI’s official X account. On Dec 22, the electoral watchdog stripped Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) of its electoral symbol ‘bat’ symbol in a decision on founding member Akbar S. Babar’s petition challenging the intra-party elections to be in line with the rules. Following the decision, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) moved to Peshawar High Court, from where it got temporary relief as the decision of the electoral body was nullified, but it did not last for long, as the ECP filed a review on the decision, which was accepted by the two-member bench of PHC. Later, PTI challenged the decision of the Peshawar High Court in the Supreme Court, but the court also upheld the decision of the high court.

India involved in terrorist incidents inside Pakistan: FO ISLAMABAD

Foreign Office has said that India is involved in terrorist incidents inside Pakistan. At her weekly news briefing in Islamabad on Thursday, Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said the Indian external affairs ministry has not denied the veracity of our credible evidence regarding New Delhi’s involvement in extra territorial and extra judicial killings in Pakistan. She said Pakistan has also shared the evidence of India’s involvement in terror acts with friendly countries and other relevant countries especially the ones with which we need further cooperation in holding to account the individuals behind the terror acts. The spokesperson India’s charges of terrorism against Pakistan are neither new nor credible, describing them as ridiculous. She pointed out that India has been involved in terror incidents and extra territorial and extra judicial killings in countries around the world. Mumtaz Zahra Baloch also voiced serious concerns over the attacks on Muslim places of worship in India. She said there is a concerted campaign to demolish mosques in India and replace them with temples.

These acts, she said, will remain a blot on the face of Indian democracy for the times to come. The spokesperson said Pakistan will observe Kashmir Solidarity Day on Monday next. She said an elaborate program has been outlined to mark the day. She said Pakistan will continue to extend moral, political and diplomatic support to the Kashmiri people for the just and peaceful settlement of Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with the UN Security Council Resolutions. Responding to a question, the spokesperson said Pakistan has been raising concerns over the terror threat emanating from Afghanistan. She urged the Afghan authorities to take immediate and effective action against the terror entities and handover their leadership to Pakistan.

ECC approves additional Rs7.5b in wheat subsidy for Gilgit Baltistan g

Protests by GB public yields results after forty three days ISLAMABAD

Ghulam abbaS

The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) convened on Thursday and approved an additional grant of Rs 7.5 billion to address the escalating crisis in Gilgit Baltistan (GB) related to the hike in subsidized wheat prices. This decision ensures the release of the required 150,000 metric tons of wheat to the mountainous region during the current financial year.

The ECC’s decision comes in the wake of a persistent 43-day protest across GB, triggered by a surge in the price of subsidized wheat. The protest compelled the regional government to retract the notification of the proposed increase in wheat prices.

Alongside the price hike, the shortage of wheat aggravated the situation, with insufficient funds for purchasing the required wheat from PASSCO leading to a shortfall

from the center. Following a comprehensive summary prepared by the GB Council, Ministry of Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit Baltistan, and endorsed by the Ministry of Food Security and Research and Ministry of Finance, the ECC approved the additional funding of Rs 7.5 billion required to release the wheat quota to GB. In a move to prevent a recurrence of such crises, the ECC also gave the green light to the allocation of 160,000 metric tons of wheat to GB in the next financial year (2024-25). To facilitate this commitment, an estimated Rs 17 billion may need to be allocated in the next budget for wheat subsidies, according to an official source.

During the ECC meeting, a summary regarding a comprehensive sustainable plan for the price rationalization of subsidized wheat in GB was presented. The Federal Government traditionally provides budgetary requirements for GB as a grant-in-aid

through the Finance Division. The allocated budget of Rs. 9.5 billion for the fiscal year 2023-24 aimed to provide 150,000 metric tons of wheat (75% local & 25% imported) on subsidized rates for GB. However, due to the rise in wheat prices, both local and imported, the allocated budget is expected to be exhausted after the supply of 84,998 metric tons till January 2024. The potential stoppage of wheat supply to GB due to deficit funds could lead to severe repercussions and widespread upheavals throughout the region.

The ECC, in response to the crisis, established a committee in July 2023, comprising the Secretary Finance Division (convener), Secretary M/o National Food Security & Research Division, and Secretary M/o KA&GB. This committee held multiple meetings to deliberate and propose a Comprehensive Sustainable Plan for Price Rationalization of Subsidized Wheat in GB.

Staff RepoRt

Considering the latest scenario, previous years’ wheat release positions to GB, and the ground situation, the Ministry of Kashmir Affairs & Gilgit-Baltistan proposed several recommendations during the ECC meeting: The ECC was informed that the GB Government revised the sale price of wheat from Rs. 20/Kg to Rs. 36/Kg, effective from January 1, 2024. This decision, coupled with the enhanced rates and wheat shortage, led to protests and law & order situations in the strategically vital region despite extreme weather conditions.

The ECC was urged to reconsider the 2011 decision to bring the sale price of wheat for GB to 70% of the wheat prices in the rest of the country, considering the existing circumstances of high wheat prices.

The proposal suggested making the existing ratio of 75:25 of local: imported wheat 100% local to reduce the financial

CONTINUED ON PAGE 03 burden on the federal government, resulting in savings of Rs. 700.000 million for the remaining months of the current fiscal year and Rs. 1,432.000 million for the next financial year 2024-25 Immediate exclusion of the 5th Quintile of BISP beneficiaries from the subsidized wheat category was recommended, potentially saving Rs. 829.880 million for the current fiscal year. The ECC was urged to consider a three-year plan of the GB Government for increasing the yield and local cultivation of indigenous wheat, emphasizing timely implementation.

Approval was sought for the provision of an approved quota of 150,000 MT for the current fiscal year and a quantity of 160,000 MT for the next financial year to address potential food security challenges in GB. Additional funds amounting to Rs. 7.5 billion were proposed for approval by the ECC to cover the wheat shortfall for the current fiscal year. The GB Government was instructed to ensure the participation of flour mills from GB in the prequalification process of Utility Stores Corporation for the supply of wheat flour in GB to avoid shortages.

The ECC’s decisions reflect a comprehensive and holistic approach to addressing the immediate wheat crisis in GB while outlining a sustainable plan for the future.

02 NEWS

CDWP APPROVES DEVELOPMENT PROJECT WORTH RS2BN

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THREE PROJECTS WORTH RS136.660B RECOMMENDED TO ECNEC FOR FURTHER CONSIDERATION PROFIT

news desk

HE Central Development Working Party (CDWP) on Thursday approved a development project worth Rs 2 billion and recommended three other projects worth Rs 136.660 billion to the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) for further consideration.

Chaired by Deputy Chairman Planning Commission Mohammad Jehanzeb Khan, the CDWP meeting held here was attended by Secretary Planning, Awais

Manzur Sumra, senior officials from the Planning Commission and Federal Ministries and Divisions, and Chairman ACS (Dev) from provincial governments.

In the physical planning and housing sector, the CDWP approved the “Construction of Litigants Facilitation Center for Litigants of District Courts in Sector G-10/1 Islamabad” with a budget of Rs 1,989.990 million.

This project aims to provide a comprehensive facility for litigants and lawyers, including amenities such as a Litigants Facilitation Center, Cafeteria, Multipurpose Hall, Banks, Dispensary, Shop, Bar Room,

FBR exceeds revenue target by Rs35b in seven months

Prayer Hall, Library, Day Care, Office of IBA and IBC, along with landscaping and internal road.

In the energy sector, the CDWP recommended the “Expansion of 48MW Jagran Hydropower Station (Phase-II) in District Neelum, AJ&K (Revised)” with a cost of Rs. 14,744 million.

The Power Development Organization of the Government of AJK will manage the project, with Rs. 12,717.764 million sourced from AFD and the remaining Rs. 1,277.753 million proposed from the Public Sector Development Program (PSDP).

For the transport and communication sector, the Ministry of Communications proposed the “2nd Carriageway Torkham Jalalabad Road Project, Afghanistan,” with a budget of Rs. 16,465.883 million.

This project, recommended for

Bulls start pointing horns at bears in PSX g

KSE-100 INDEX SURGES BY 414 POINTS OR 0.67% PROFIT

news desk

PROFIT

news desk

The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has collected Rs 5,150 billion in the first seven months (July-Jan) of the current fiscal year (FY24), surpassing the set target of Rs 5,115 billion by Rs 35 billion. This represents a growth of 29.6% from the Rs 3,973 billion collected in the same period of the previous fiscal year (FY23). The FBR maintained its impressive performance in January 2024, collecting Rs 681 billion, which is 24.95% higher than the Rs 545 billion collected in January 2023. However, the FBR fell short by Rs 9 billion of its target of Rs 690 billion for January 2024. The FBR also exceeded the sixmonth (July-Dec) target of Rs 4,425 billion, as agreed with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), by Rs 43 billion, collecting Rs 4,468 billion. This shows an increase of more than Rs 1 trillion from the Rs 3,428 billion collected in the corresponding six months of FY23. The FBR achieved these results despite issuing refunds of Rs 230 billion, compared to Rs 177 billion in the same period of FY23, and facing import compression. The Chairman FBR praised the efforts of Member (Customs Operations), Member (IR Operations), and their teams for accomplishing this challenging task.

ECNEC consideration, designates the National Highway Authority as the executing agency. Upon completion, the road will be handed over to the Ministry of Public Works, Government of Afghanistan.

The project is financed through the Public Sector Development Program (PSDP) and aims to assist Afghanistan in the reconstruction/rehabilitation of its road network.

Another project in the transport and communication sector, the “Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Rural Road Development Project,” worth Rs 105,450 million, was also recommended to ECNEC for further consideration. The project is proposed to be financed through foreign funding, with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) contributing Rs. 91,200.00 million (86.5%) and the Government of KP contributing Rs. 14,249.00 million (13.5%).

The benchmark KSE-100 Index of the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) gained 414.55 points or 0.67% on Thursday in a pre-election rally session.

According to the PSX website, the KSE-100 index closed at 62,393.73 level. During intraday trading, troughs were visible in the afternoon, and crest patterns started to emerge in the evening before the market closed.

In recent days, the KSE-100 index has been experiencing a downturn due to various reasons.

“The KSE-100 index witnessed a decrease of 472 points / -0.8% MoM during Jan’24 to close at 61,979 points”, said Arif Habib Limited.

Market analysts hold varying opinions regarding the recent phenomenon of selling pressure. Nonetheless, market moguls are forecasting a swift recovery in the post-election period. The monthly economic outlook report published by the Finance Division also provides concrete facts that encourage optimism about future economic performance. The outlook report showed some positive economic indicators for the first half of the fiscal year 2023-24.

The GDP growth increased to 2.13% in the first quarter, the current account deficit contracted to $831 million, and the foreign direct investment surged by 34.8%.

However, the economy also faced some challenges, such as high inflation, which stood at 28.8% in the first six months, and a widening fiscal deficit, which reached 2.3% of GDP. The stock market also performed well, as the market capitalization of the PSX increased by Rs 334 billion to Rs 9,063 billion by the end of December 2023. Therefore, the recent recovery in the business and economic environment potentially can positively impact the PSX performance in the post-election period.

Govt to crackdown on tax-evading sugar mills g

COMMERCE MINISTER REJECTS SUGAR INDUSTRY'S PROPOSAL TO IMPORT RAW SUGAR FOR EXPORT PURPOSES PROFIT

monitoring desk

The caretaker government has decided to launch a crackdown on sugar mills that are evading taxes, and the sugar industry’s proposal to import raw sugar for export purposes.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the Sugar Advisory Board (SAB), chaired by the caretaker Minister for Commerce Gohar Ijaz.

The minister warned the sugar industry that action will be taken against those mills that are not paying their due taxes. He also rejected the industry’s proposal to import raw sugar for export purposes, saying that it would distort the local market prices and hurt the public interest. The meeting was informed that the sugar production estimates for this year are 6.5 million tons, due to higher crop yields, compared to 6.2 million tons at the start of the season.

The minister said that there is a surplus of one million tons of sugar, even after accounting for the reduced sugarcane area and the curbing of sugar smuggling to neighbouring countries.

The minister said that the government’s priorities are to ensure the supply of essential commodities at low rates and to safeguard the interests of sugarcane farmers. He asked the sugar industry to submit their raw sugar import plan for the government’s consideration.

Kia Pakistan hikes prices of Picanto, Sportage by Rs 250,000 g

MANUAL PICANTO AND ALPHA SPORTAGE NOW COST RS 3,600,000 AND RS 7,550,000 RESPECTIVELY PROFIT

news desk

Kia Pakistan has announced a price hike of Rs 250,000 for the manual variant of Picanto and the Alpha variant of Sportage, effective from February 1, 2024.

According to an official notification, the new ex-factory price of the manual variant of Picanto is Rs 3,600,000, up from Rs 3,350,000. The price includes the cost of CVT.

Similarly, the new ex-factory price of the Alpha variant of Sportage is Rs 7,550,000, up from Rs 7,300,000.

The price also includes the cost of CVT. KIA has not given any specific reason for this decision, which comes as a surprise to many customers and dealers. The company said that booking of both vehicles is open on partial payment, and that all new orders from February 1, 2024, will be invoiced and delivered at the new ex-factory prices.

The customers can still avail the limited cashback offer of Rs 150,000 on all variants of Sportage until February 29, 2024.

The notification also clarified that the ex-factory prices are exclusive of freight and insurance charges, and that any additional duties and taxes imposed by the government at the time of delivery will be borne by the customer.

Friday, 2 February, 2024 | LAHORE

India Froze Paytm Bank after years of warnings about data flows

PROFIT

BloomBerg

India’s banking regulator stunned the finance and tech industries by abruptly suspending much of digital giant Paytm’s business late Wednesday. But the surprise move came only after the watchdog had warned the fintech pioneer repeatedly in the past two years about questionable dealings between its popular payments app and its lesserknown banking arm. A technical audit by the Reserve Bank of India found money and data traffic flows between the tightly regulated Paytm Payments Bank Ltd. and the rest of the Paytm universe that created accounting and supervisory problems, according to people familiar with the matter. The regulator had warned Paytm about such issues before, but they remained unresolved, the people said, asking not to be identified because the matter isn’t public. The action against Paytm Payments Bank followed years of non-compliance with central bank rules, including on customer due diligence, use of funds and technology infrastructure, the source said. Paytm’s stock fell to a sixweek low of 609 rupees, erasing around $1.2 billion in value from the company also known as One 97 Communications. The stock ended down 20% in its biggest daily drop since listing in 2021. The bank, which houses all of Paytm’s 330 million wallet accounts, is important to the company’s app and wallet eco-system, which could be hit if Paytm cannot find banking partners to replace its payments bank.

Paytm CEO Vijay Shekhar Sharma said on the analyst call the RBI action is a “speed bump”, and that the company was working to develop partnerships with banks other than Paytm Payments Bank following the regulatory order.

Mari Petroleum drills, tests new gas well in Sindh PROFIT

news desk

Mari Petroleum Company Limited (MPCL) announced Thursday the successful drilling and testing of a new development well in the Mari Deep field in Sindh. Mari Petroleum informed the Pakistan Stock Market through a notice that the gas from the well will be processed at the Sachal Gas Processing Complex (SGPC) and supplied to the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL).

This will enhance the utilisation of the SGPC and optimise the reservoir management of the Mari Deep field. The well was spudded on December 17, 2023, and reached a depth of 2,975 meters. The well test showed a gas flow of 19 million standard cubic feet per day (MMSCFD) and a condensate flow of 8.3 barrels per day (BPD), with a wellhead flowing pressure of 2,448 pounds per square inch (Psi) at a 40/64-inch choke size. The well, named Mari Deep-20, is located in the Goru-B formation of the Mari Development and Production Lease (D&PL) area. MPCL is the operator of the Mari D&PL with a 100% working interest. Mari Petroleum Company Limited is a public limited company incorporated in Pakistan on December 4, 1984. The company is principally engaged in exploration, production and sale of hydrocarbons.

Pakistan introduces Tight Gas Policy to propel exploration, production g

TIGHT GAS (EXPLORATION & PRODUCTION) POLICY 2024 INTRODUCED WITH OBJECTIVE OF FOSTERING INVESTMENT, DRIVING TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENTS ISLAMABAD

AhmAd AhmAdAni

In a bid to encourage the exploration and production of Tight Gas reserves, Pakistan has introduced a comprehensive policy that delineates essential provisions related to lease terms, pricing incentives, and operational guidelines.

The policy titled “Tight Gas (Exploration & Production) Policy 2024” has been introduced with the objective of fostering investment, driving technological advancements, and promoting the efficient utilization of Tight Gas resources.

LEASE TERM & RENEWAL: The initial term of the development and production lease for Tight Gas will extend up to 30 years, aligning with the proposed Field Development Plan (FDP). Renewal for an additional period, not exceeding 10 years, is possible with justifications deemed acceptable by the Government. If the Tight Gas Reservoir extends into a free area, the lease area may be extended to the adjoining free area based on technical justifications.

In cases of discovering Tight Gas under existing Development and Production

Leases (D&PL), amendments will be made to include rights for the Tight Gas Reservoir separately. Upon expiration of conventional gas rights, the area held for conventional reservoir production will be relinquished, provided it does not impede gas pricing.

GAS PRICING INCENTIVES: To exploit Tight Gas Reserves, a 40% premium on the zonal price of Petroleum (Exploration and Production) Policy 2012 will be applicable. This pricing incentive applies to existing and future exploration licenses, Petroleum Concessions Agreements (PCAs), Mining Leases, and Development and Production (D&P) leases meeting Tight Gas qualifications under Section 4 of the policy.

The provisional incentive price will be notified by OGRA or any authority designated by the Federal Government once Initial Third-Party Certification confirms a Tight Gas discovery. The final incentive price will be announced upon the granting of D&PL/OML. The Government, with the Operator’s consent, holds the first right of refusal for gas sales within Pakistan.

ROYALTY AND TAX REGULATIONS: A royalty of 12.5% of the petroleum’s value

at the field gate will be payable. Operating losses can be carried forward for a maximum of fifteen (15) years. In cases where both conventional and tight gases are produced from the same D&P lease, lease-related fees shall not be duplicated.

PRODUCTION SUSPENSION AND REVIEW: Operators are allowed a cumulative one-year suspension of production, subject to technical and economic justifications. The Regulator/Authority may grant further extensions on a case-by-case basis.

The Tight Gas Policy will undergo a mandatory review after five years, with periodic reviews of the List of Consultants/Laboratories (Section 7) during the policy term.

TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER INCENTIVES: To encourage technology transfer and the use of state-of-the-art equipment, machinery by the services sector will be exempted from Customs duty or other duties. Necessary amendments to existing regulations will be made to accommodate this provision.

APPLICABILITY & EFFECT OF THE POLICY: The Tight Gas (Exploration & Production) Policy is effective from the date of its publication in the official Gazette. Incentives apply to gas discoveries qualifying as “Tight Gas” under existing and future Exploration Licences (EL), Petroleum Concessions Agreements (PCA), and Development & Production Leases (D&P)/fields and Mining Leases (ML). Existing tight gas

discoveries that have not been developed as of the effective date of this Policy are also eligible for incentives, subject to specific conditions outlined in the policy.

CONFLICT RESOLUTION: In case of conflict with the general terms of an existing Petroleum Concession Agreement (PCA) or Oil Mining Lease (OML) or Development and Production Lease (D&PL), the provisions of this Policy prevail concerning Tight Gas. However, other Operator rights continue to prevail.

IMPLEMENTATION REQUIREMENTS: To avail the incentives of this pol-

icy, a Model Supplemental Agreement (SA) will be developed, and SA to the respective Petroleum Concession Agreement (PCA) shall be executed.

It is pertinent to mention here that Tight Gas (Exploration & Production) Policy 2024 seeks to create an environment conducive to attracting investments, encouraging the application of cutting-edge technologies, and ensuring the optimal utilization of the valuable Tight Gas reservoirs within the region.

Through these initiatives, Pakistan aims to not only boost its energy sector but also to position itself as a key player in the global arena for responsible and innovative resource management.

NEWS 03

INFLATION RISES TO 28.3% YOY FOR JANUARY

Friday, 2 February, 2024 | LAHORE

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CPI HAS BEEN ABOVE 20% SINCE JULY 2023 PROFIT

news desk

AKISTAN’S inflation rate remained high as the Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased by 28.3% year-on-year (YoY) and 1.8% month-on-month (MoM) in January 2024, according to the latest data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).

The CPI inflation rate was slightly lower than the 29.7% YoY and 0.8% MoM recorded in December 2023, but still higher than the 27.6% YoY and 2.9% MoM recorded in January 2023.

The CPI inflation rate has been above 20% since July 2023, reflecting the persistent upward pressure on the prices of essential commodities.

Fly Jinnah to start international flights from Islamabad to Sharjah PROFIT

monitoring desk

Fly Jinnah, Pakistan’s low-cost carrier, is set to launch its first international flight from Islamabad to Sharjah on February 17, 2024.

The airline, which has been operating domestically since October 2022, will offer double daily non-stop flights between the two cities. With the addition of Sharjah, Fly Jinnah now serves six major cities in Pakistan, namely Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar, and Quetta, as well as one in the UAE. The airline plans to add more international routes in the near future, to cater to the growing demand for low-cost travel. Fly Jinnah has also added two new Airbus A320 aircraft to its existing fleet of three, to cater to the increasing demand for reliable and affordable air travel.

‘Poor Law & Order’: ECP decides to ‘airlift’ ballot papers to KP, Balochistan’s areas CONTINUED FROM PAGE 01

REDUCED SIZE OF BALLOT PAPERS: Meanwhile, the ECP decided to reduce the size of the ballot paper for the upcoming election.

In a high-level meeting convened to discuss the reprinting of ballot papers in certain constituencies, the ECP said that the decision to downsize the ballot paper was a response to the shortage of special security paper and time constraints. The commission has decided that in areas where a reprint of ballot papers is deemed necessary, the printing process will commence only after the completion of the printing of ballot papers for all other Constituencies across the country. The ECP discussed the challenges posed by the need to reprint ballot papers in some constituencies, particularly in obtaining the required special security paper and completing the printing process in a timely manner. In 2018, a total of 800 tons were utilized for printing ballot papers. However, the surge in the number of candidates in the 2024 elections has increased the requirement to a staggering 2400 tons.

India involved in terrorist incidents inside Pakistan: FO CONTINUED FROM PAGE 01

When asked about the killing of nine Pakistani workers in Iran, the spokesperson said this was an inhumane act which has been condemned both by Pakistan and Iran. She said Pakistan expects the Iranian authorities to share details of the attack as soon as the investigation into the incident is completed. Mumtaz Zahra Baloch called for full implementation of International Court of Justice’s judgment to uphold human rights, dignity and identity of Palestinian people as per the UN charter and international laws. She said the UN Security Council should play its mandated role to impose a ceasefire and protect the people of Gaza from ongoing atrocities.

The urban CPI inflation rate was 30.2% YoY and 1.8% MoM in January 2024, compared to 30.9% YoY and 0.7% MoM in December 2023 and 24.4% YoY and 2.4% MoM in January 2023.

The rural CPI inflation rate was 25.7% YoY and 1.9% MoM in January 2024, compared to 27.9% YoY and 1.0% MoM in December 2023 and 32.3% YoY and 3.6% MoM in January 2023.

The main drivers of inflation in January 2024 were food and beverages, which increased by 37.4% YoY and 3.5% MoM, and housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels, which increased by 28.9% YoY and 3.1% MoM. The prices of chicken, tomatoes, onions, eggs, fresh vegetables, pulse gram, fish, tea, dry fruits, fresh fruits, pulse moong, gur, sugar, besan and meat increased significantly on a MoM basis, while the prices of potatoes, cooking oil, vegetable ghee and mustard oil decreased slightly.

On a YoY basis, the prices of tomatoes,

cigarettes, fresh vegetables, condiments and spices, sugar, beans, gur, beverages, tea, eggs, pulse mash, wheat flour, potatoes, dry fruits, sweetmeat, dessert preparation, milk powder, rice, pulse masoor, pan prepared, readymade food and wheat products increased sharply, while the prices of mustard oil, onions and vegetable ghee decreased marginally.

The prices of non-food items also increased in January 2024, mainly due to the rise in the prices of communication services, woolen readymade garments, electricity charges, liquified hydrocarbons, marriage hall charges, personal grooming services, solid fuel, garbage collection and furniture and furnishing on a MoM basis, and the decrease in the prices of motor fuel, construction input items, motor vehicles and motor vehicle accessories.

The Sensitive Price Index (SPI), which tracks the prices of 51 essential items on a weekly basis, increased by 36.2% YoY and 2.0% MoM in January 2024, compared to

35.3% YoY and 3.8% MoM in December 2023 and 30.5% YoY and 1.3% MoM in January 2023.

The Wholesale Price Index (WPI), which measures the change in the prices of goods traded in bulk, increased by 27.0% YoY and 1.5% MoM in January 2024, com-

SSGC board allows Imran Maniar to continue serving as MD SSGC ISLAMABAD

stAff report

Sui Southern Gas Company Limited (SSGC) Board has decided that incumbent managing director (MD)/Chief Executive Officer (CEO), SSGC, Imran Maniar will continue to serve as MD/CEO of the SSGC until his reappointment or the appointment of his successor Before the expiry of job contract of Imran Maniar, the Company Secretary of SSGC, in a letter dated February 01, 2024 to the General Manager, Pakistan Stock Exchange Limited, informed that “the SSGC Board of Directors has decided that Mr. Imran Maniar will continue to serve as MD/CEO – SSGC in terms of Section 187/3 of the Companies Act, 2017, until his reappointment or the appointment of his successor by

the Company Board”.

You are requested to disseminate the information to the Member of the Exchange accordingly,” reads SSGC letter.

The current MD/CEO SSGC, Imran Maniar, joined the gas company on February 4, 2021, on a three-year contract, which was set to automatically expire on February 3, 2024. However, the SSGC Board has now allowed Imran Maniar to continue serve as MD SSGC. Earlier, Petroleum Division, in a letter dated 28th December 2023 to Company Secretary of SSGC, advised SSGC Board to ensure continuity of the present management including continuity of the present incumbent MD. “The Board may initiate the necessary hiring processes, however any new appointment/changes at senior management positions may only be formally decided by the new incoming Board,”

said Petroleum Division’s letter.

Despite the advice/directions of petroleum division to the SSGC Board with regard to the extension of the MD SSGC, the SSGC Board sought legal opinion about the terms of the contract of MD. Upon this, Petroleum Division, in another letter titled “Elections of Board of Directors of SSGC” dated 25th January, 2024 to the Company Secretary SSGC, informed that the petroleum division’s advice/direction dated 28th December, 2023 was about the extension of the incumbent MD in terms of Section 187 of the Companies Act, 2017 on the basis of legal grounds/opinion.

It is pertinent to mention that Profit had earlier carried a story to elaborate the intervention of petroleum division to prevent the ousting of the Managing Director (MD) of Sui Southern Gas Company Limited (SSGCL).

Elections on Feb 8 ‘under all circumstances’: Interior minister CONTINUED FROM PAGE 01

He said that the elections are scheduled to take place nationwide on February 8, and there is no ambiguity regarding its date. He clarified that the ECP does not have the authority to control the internet in extraordinary situations or sensitive areas. “According to the security agencies, the internet will be available in the country on the election day,” he added.

Terming the security situation in Balochistan and K-P “not normal”, he said that the law enforcement agencies are fully committed to their efforts, and the inspector generals of KhyberPakhtunkhwa and Balochistan have as-

sured candidates of enhanced security.

Meanwhile, the ECP, while taking notice of the blasts in Quetta, Turbat and Jaffarabad, has sought immediate report from Chief Secretary and Inspector General of Police Balochistan in this regard. The CEC, while taking notice of the aerial firing in the election campaign of a political party in Sukkur, has sought immediate report from the Chief Secretary and Inspector General Sindh.

The CEC also directed the IG Sindh Police to take action against those involved in the incident as per law of the land.

COMMITTED TO ENSURE SECURITY FOR ELECTION 2024:

Caretaker Cabinet greenlights hike in prices of 146 life-saving drugs CONTINUED FROM PAGE 01

The cabinet approved the decisions taken in the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Energy (CCOE) held on January 26, besides endorsing the decisions of the Cabinet Committee on Legislative Cases taken on January 26 and 31, 2024.

During the meeting, the health ministry and Drap authorities informed the participants that citizens could file complaints regarding the non-availability of medicines in the market through the authority’s online portal. A countrywide persistent shortage of several life-saving drugs has opened floodgates of smuggled drugs in the market and the patients are forced to pay three to five times higher prices to buy the essential medicines than their actual rates. The drug crisis hit most parts of the country hard after caretaker Health Minister Dr Nadeem Jan and the Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (PPMA) locked horns over the review of the prices of 262 drugs of hardship cases.

According to the documents, the proposed prices of 262 drugs were reviewed and approved by Drap under its policy in November 2022. It had sent the same to the health ministry to consider them in the cabinet meeting to issue a notification but the matter was pending since then. The situation had aggravated when the caretaker health minister opposed Drap’s decision and left the matter of 262 hardship cases to be decided by the ‘upcoming government’ while the manufacturers’ association declared the decision disastrous, saying it could jeopardise the health and safety of individuals battling severe diseases besides the drug industry.

Meanwhile, Caretaker Interior Minister Dr Gohar Ejaz said the government is committed to ensure that the elections are held freely, fairly, and peacefully.

He was chairing a review meeting here Thursday to assess the overall security situation ahead of the upcoming elections.

During the meeting, the administration provided a detailed briefing on the security situation.

Speaking on the occasion, the Inferior Minister said that close collaboration with all stakeholders is being undertaken to ensure that the security environment is conducive for a smooth electoral process.

US strongly condemns any violence which undermines electoral process in Pakistan WASHINGTON

stAff report

US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller in his media briefing in Washington on Wednesday said that the United States condemns any violence which undermines the electoral process [in Pakistan].

Replying to a question regarding deadly attack on PTI election rally, Matthew Miller said that we [the United States] extend our deepest sympathies to those affected by the attack. We believe in the resilience of the Pakistani people and their ability to recover, he said.

He said that this attack is one of many we have seen in the last month against multiple parties across Pakistan.

The election commission itself has come under attack in several places. He said that we strongly condemn any violence which undermines the electoral process and added that the Pakistani people have the right to choose their leader without fear of reprisal or violence.

He further said that we want to see free and fair elections take place in Pakistan. Matthew Miller said that we remain committed to working with Pakistan to address the shared threat posed by terrorist groups throughout the region and we support the Pakistani Government’s efforts to combat terrorism. We strongly condemn any violence which undermines the electoral process in Pakistan.

37 British journalists issued visas to cover Pakistan elections LONDON

monitoring report

The international observers on the invitation of the caretaker government are set to monitor the February 8 general elections, including dozens of foreign journalists who have also been issued visas for coverage of polls.

The government said the issuance of visas showcases the commitment to ensuring free and fair elections by the constitutional mandate.

The caretaker government and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) are committed to conducting elections with fairness and adherence to the constitutional mandate, said a source commenting on the visas issued to journalists and observers.

On February 8, Pakistan’s general elections guarantee a prompt and demo-

cratic power transition and the state institutions are resolute in guaranteeing free and fair elections and are committed to fulfilling their roles within the constitutional parameters assigned by the government, said the senior government source.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan High Commission in London has granted visas to 37 British journalists, including The Times’ Christina Lamb, for coverage of the upcoming general elections. Lamb was previously deported from Pakistan and later denied visas over several years.

Teams from CNN, Sky, BBC, and ITV are also on their way to Pakistan to cover the electoral proceedings.

Some have already arrived and the remaining are reaching this week. The Telegraph and Channel 4 News teams are set to provide coverage for the polls.

According to the high commission in

London, all of them will contribute to ensuring the conduct of free and fair elections, in accordance with the directives of the Pakistani government.

According to a list seen by Geo News, the 37 journalists including Christina Lamb, The Times; David Smallwood, CBC; Ben Famer, The Telegraph; Dominic John, CNN; Krever Mick Brinkman, CNN; Shelley Joanna Marie, CNN; Lynne O’ Donnell, Foreign Policy Magazine; Messey Dean Anthony, Sky News; Steven Harry Gerald, Sky News; Britton Jake Anthony, Sky News; Cordelia Lynch, Sky News; Sharp Duncan, Sky News; Scholes Katherine Victoria, Sky News; Adam Campbell, BBC News; Mohamed Madi, BBC News; Jamie Paul Jones, BBC News; Paul Michael Adams, BBC News: and Rajini Vaidyanathan, BBC News.

The list also inlcudes Imogen

Alexandra Berenice, BBC News; Cunningham Christopher, Sky News; Mockler Richard, Sky News; Crawford Alex, Sky News; Pachael Thorn, Sky News; James Pensley, Sky News; Emma Murphy, ITV; Lucky Watson, ITV;Natalie Wright Producer, ITV; Natasha Tierney, ITV; Mark Nelson, ITV; Kenneth Stewart, Sky News; Stuart Ramsay, Sky News; Dominique Van Heerden F, Sky News; Martin Vowles, Sky News;Toby Nash, Sky News; Millicent Florence Teasdale, Channel 4 News; Freddie Gower, Channel 4 News and John William Bevir, Feature Story.

On Jan 23, caretaker Federal Minister for Information Murtaza Solangi mentioned that 49 visas for Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi had been issued, with 32 requests still under process.

The manual visa system in India was causing delays.

pared to 27.3% YoY and no change in December 2023 and 28.5% YoY and 1.8% MoM in January 2023.

The high inflation rate has eroded the purchasing power of the consumers and affected their living standards, especially the low-income and vulnerable groups.

Pakistan’s reserves drop by $54m due to external debt payments PROFIT

news desk

In the latest report by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), the country’s foreign exchange reserves have decreased by $54 million within a week, as revealed in data published on Thursday. As of January 26, the SBP’s foreign currency reserves stand at $8.216 billion, down from $8.270 billion recorded on January 19. The central bank clarified that the reduction is primarily attributed to external debt repayments, as stated in a brief release accompanying the report. Taking a comprehensive view of liquid foreign currency reserves, including those held by banks other than the SBP, the total reserves in the country amount to $13.262 billion. This represents a $79 million decrease from the previous week.

Specifically, net reserves held by banks (excluding the SBP) dropped by $25 million during the week, reaching $5.046 billion. Adding to the financial landscape, Pakistan has recently approached China requesting a one-year extension for the repayment of a $2 billion debt. The deadline for the $2 billion loan from China is slated for March 23, 2024. This development introduces additional complexities as Pakistan manages external financial commitments amidst fluctuations in foreign exchange reserves.

Intermarket Securities withdraws acquisition bid, opts for merger EFG Hermes PROFIT

news desk

Intermarket Securities Limited (IMS) on Thursday withdrew its public offer to acquire at least 51% of the shares and control of EFG Hermes Pakistan Limited (EFG Pakistan). Instead, IMS has agreed with EFG Pakistan to merge the two entities, creating a new entity that will operate under the EFG Hermes brand.

This announcement was made by Multiline Securities Limited, the offer manager, in a notice sent to the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX). The merger is subject to the approval of the shareholders, regulators, and the Sindh High Court. The notice also stated that the board of directors of IMS and EFG Pakistan have agreed in principle to proceed with the merger in terms of a scheme of amalgamation. In a public announcement on November 21, 2023, IMS declared their intention to acquire at least 51% shareholding and control of EFG Hermes. EFG Hermes Pakistan Limited was incorporated on September 27, 1999 as a Private Limited Company and converted into public unquoted company in November 2006. The company is Trading Right Entitlement Certificate (TREC) Holder of PSX. It is engaged in financial brokerage, corporate finance and financial research.

04 COMMENT

Have the babies stopped dying?

Friday, 2 February, 2024

Election machine chugs on

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ICC the next step

Even Chairman Imran Khan will not be on the ballot on February 8, the PTI fights on

HE PTI has had another first. It has held the first ever online general body meeting of a political party in Pakistan, if not in the world, adding to the first ever Artificial Intelligence-generated video-clip of an address (by Chairman Imran Khan to a ‘virtual rally’ at the beginning of the current election campaign) and the first ever AI-generated article (Mr Khan’s article from jail for The Economist). Even though there is less than a week left until the polling day, Mr Khan has taken his election petitions against the rejection of his nomination papers by three Returning Officers to the Supreme Court, where they have been returned with instructions to remove the lacunae contained in them. Even if the Supreme Court was to give them immediate hearing and grant immediate relief, the Election Commission of Pakistan had earlier announced that it was going ahead with the printing of ballot papers. The has twice before ignored Supreme Court instructions, and may well do so another time. It is also relevant that since the original disqualification by the ECP because of the conviction in the asset concealment case, Mr Khan has been convicted in two more cases.

It almost seems that the PTI is preparing itself for life after the elections. Mr Khan had his papers rejected by three different ROs. Those rejections were upheld on appeal by an Election Tribunal of the Lahore High Court, and a further appeal has gone to the Supreme Court, in the hope that he will be declared eligible. Now he might miss out on the election itself, but even without anyone resigning, there should be a large number of by-elections against seats given up by winners of more than one seat, and a path to Parliament would be opened.

Another decision that the PTI seems to have taken is to get back its symbol. Its general body meeting was originally held in person in Islamabad, at its Secretariat, but was allegedly dispersed by the police. The online meeting appointed Gohar Ayub Khan as chief organizer and empowered him to name a chief election commissioner, to which post he appointed Mr Raoof Hassan. Once elections are held to various posts, the party’s election symbol can then be issued. That means that the PTI will be able to give tickets for all by-elections in the coming Parliament. The PTI is trying to prove there is life after February 9.

At Penpoint M A NIAZI

HE decision by the International Court of Justice does not find Israel guilty of genocide in Gaza, but it takes the allegation seriously. It does not accept the Israeli plea that it is carrying out its attack on the people of Gaza to defend itself against the attacks launched on Israel on October 7 by Hamas, which rules Gaza.

This reflects the refusal of the world to go along with the Israeli point of view, and accept one more egregious Israeli claim. Israel has killed too many Palestinians to claim victimhood this time. It might be counter-intuitive, but the Zionists parlayed their having suffered the Holocaust into acceptance of the state of Israel on the territory of the Palestine Mandate. The West turned a blind eye to the slaughter of about 15,000 Palestinians, and the expulsion of about 750,000 more. Already, 14,000 Palestinians in Gaza, with no end to the slaughter in sight, which indicates that the present blood-letting might end up worse than that of the Nakba of 1948. As there are about 3 million Palestinians squeezed inside the Gaza Strip, if they are displaced, it may well imply a bigger expulsion than that of 1948.

The Israeli government has been told to provide a report on what has been done to stop incitement.

Again, this is a sop to the liberal conscience, which cannot tolerate so much slaughter. One of the most blatant and obvious aspects of Israel’s deliberation were the public statements by Israeli cabinet ministers, rightwingers forming part of Netanyahu’s coalition, which denied Palestinians their humanity, and called for their slaughter. Perhaps more disturbing were the telecasts of Israeli children singing bloodthirsty songs.

For example, Israel’s far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich stated the “voluntary migration” of Palestinians is the “right humanitarian solution” for Gaza, echoing the views of others including Danny Danon, a former Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations and Knesset member Ram BenBarak who published a commentary to this effect in the Wall Street Journal. Israel’s Defense minister Yoav Gallant stated that “we are fighting human animals” and announced a “complete siege” on Gaza with no electricity, no food, no fuel.” Major General Ghassan Alian repeated this language, adding “there will be no electricity and no water [in Gaza], there will only be destruction. You wanted hell, you will get hell,” and Prime Minister Netanyahu recently rejected all attempts at a ceasefire or the establishment of a Palestinian state.

The interesting aspect of the affair is whether the International Court of Justice can get involved.

Israel is not a state party which has ratified the Statute of Rome and thus accepted the jurisdiction of the ICC. However, the alleged war crimes and acts of genocide have been committed on Palestinian soil, which makes any accused liable. Palestine was allowed to accede to the Statute of Rome after

Dedicated to the legacy of late Hameed Nizami

Arif Nizami (Late) Founding Editor

it was given observer status at the United Nations.

There is a catch, though. The ICJ will also take cognizance of the Hamas attack on October 7.

Hamas has not been willing to have that action examined judicially, with the possibility of its officials being accused of crimes against humanity, or acts of genocide.

Of course, an ICC prosecution will involve some internal politics. Already, eight state parties have formally called for an investigation. Then there is the problem of the Africa Group. The African countries, the largest single group, is already exercised by the unfair attention it feels it has been getting from the ICC. South Africa having taken the case to the ICJ had this in view, and along with the Comoros and Djibouti, it is one of the three African states among the eight which have formally made a referral to the ICC Prosecutor for investigation. This is even though the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda was set up by the US Security Council by the UN Security Council. The massacre of the Tutsis by Hutus is considered an example of genocide, and the subsequent convictions of numerous Hutus is considered a guideline for the ICC. Similarly, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia was also set up by a UNSC resolution, and it too serves as a guideline for the ICC. If a Security Council resolution is required to set up a tribunal, then Israel will look to the USA to prevent any such thing. There would also be the question of how exactly to get hold of any accused, Israeli or Palestinian, because like the ICJ, the ICC does not have an independent enforcement mechanism, and depends on domestic police forces. In furtherance of this, if Israeli police were to bring charges against servicemen for actions amounting to genocide, even if on lesser charges, they would still have priority. However, this is unlikely to happen. Even the filing of charges would mean an admission that a crime has occurred, and that Israel does not admit.

The claims that some of the October 7 casualties were inflicted by the Israeli Defence Forces in pursuit of the doctrine that even hostages may be killed in the process of eliminating the kidnappers, mean that if Hamas fighters are charged with genocide or crimes against humanity, IDF personnel might be co-accused, or at least summoned by the defence to testify.

Babar Nizami Editor Profit

ChatGPT is bringing a plague of plagiarism

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Mujeeb AlI SAMo

HE world is shifting to live wholly dependent on Artificial Intelligence. It has become part and parcel of our lives. There is hardly any individual who keeps up with the modern world without being aware of the use of AI tools. But the fact remains that we cannot ignore the hazards of AI in our everyday life. Indeed, I appreciate the inventions and new technological tools introduced into our lives for the ease of humans, but it should not be that Artificial Intelligence supersedes humans in terms of creativity, labour, and menial tasks.

You may agree with me or not in this, but I have some reasonable observations about the misuse of AI, particularly ChatGPT, by students and teachers in school learning assignments. Their use of AI ChatGPT is not only confined to school learning assignments; I have observed its use in administration departments as well. It is sometimes appreciable if it does not mar human talent. The official correspondence letters and requisitions are generated through ChatGPT. Their language is overly explanatory and lacks expression. It further weakens the administration’s competence to correspond when the ChatGPT application is not in their reach. It should be trimmed out.

I have seen many official letters to me which were generated; they were overly explanatory and lacked the official touch, with the content self-written by the concerned. This dependence questions the durability and learning capability of the administration office holder.

What concerns me more is that I have observed excessive use of ChatGPT in schools.

Students find shortcuts to success. They fail to put effort into learning something meaningful.

They lack writing style and fail to learn more vocabulary for fluent language. The students are not working hard to learn new knowledge by referring to different sources. They are not visiting the library for research and finding the solution to the queries regarding the subject.

Instead of working hard, they have started working smart, as they think. They are becoming dependent learners by using the knowledge of ChatGPT and presenting it to the teacher as their own effort.

I have assigned the task to students to write a passage on a topic in English to check their language and knowledge about the subject. The

students the very next day submitted their writeups. I was surprised to see the similarity in the content and language, which was identical. The layout and setting of the paragraphs and the style of expression were identical. There are certain words repeatedly used There are a few telltale signs to detect the write-up and where it is taken from. Similar words like underscore, highlight, significant, indelible mark, additionally, reflection, landscape, pervasive, holistic, delve, explore, among others, are some indicators that a write-up is ChatGPT generated, like (In a fast-paced moving world, In the tapestry, etc.)

The above-mentioned indicators are a few to mention for the reader’s knowledge. There are many to know that there is no creativity or effort put by the person in the write-up. These cheating practices are academic dishonesty.

They must be discouraged. Our students are already hardly qualified with proper education.

Further, what spoils them is too much use of AI Apps like ChatGPT to generate content for their school assignments.

What is disheartening me most is the printed articles in the newspapers. I feel em-

The writer is a member of staff

The ICJ did the bare minimum that it could, showing that the world powers may want to help out Israel, but perhaps it has gone too far this time, and will either have to give up its cherished objective of eliminating all Gazans, or defy the world. That it has done before, but now it led to a court case.Oppressor parties donÊt like them

Academic dishonesty in the AI Era M. A. Niazi

Editor Pakistan Today

It would seem that Israel has overreached itself.

The only similarity between the Nakba and today is the death toll. No one has been able to flee to safety; there is no ‘out of sight, out of mind’ phenomenon to dull observers’ consciences. Instead, as in 1948, of fleeing to other countries, the Gazans are stuck, while the places to which they have fled have become unsafe. The Israelis are now free to kill them all at leisure.

It is that which seems to be raising if not quite hackles, then at least eyebrows, in the West. First, there is the human suffering, which no human being of conscience can tolerate. Then there is the conceptual obstacle, of an attempt at genocide.

Again, the world’s peacemaking mechanisms are being challenged very practically. The wiping out of an entire people is not an easy task. The Jews survived the Holocaust to found Israel and attempt their own genocide.

An important dimension is the violation of the laws and customs of war. The bombing of hospitals, for example, has not raised any of the protests that would be expected from professional military men.

It may be because professional military men are trained to conquer, with the minimum of casualties on both sides, not slaughter people. Unarmed civilians, hospitals, and aid convoys are always spared.

Meanwhile, the war seems to be up a notch, as the Houthis have begun menacing shipping passing through the Suez Canal into the Red Sea. Backed

by Iran, Yemen-based, they seem to be asking for the same sort of Western response which led Britain to make Yemen a colony: a desire to make shipping safe. The killing of three US servicemen by a drone strike in Jordan intensifies the crisis. Israel also has an interest, for it has a port on the Red Sea. Can the world tolerate a closure? The Suez Canal was closed due to war in October 1956 to March 1957.

The war had been precipitated by Egypt nationalizing the Canal.

The ICJ did the bare minimum that it could, showing that the world powers may want to help out Israel, but perhaps it has gone too far this time, and will either have to give up its cherished objective of eliminating all Gazans, or defy the world. That it has done before, but now it led to a court case. Oppressor parties don’t like them.

Editor’s mail

barrassed when I read the articles published in the newspapers, duly edited and analyzed by the editor before printing them for the news story. They are also copy and paste and generated through ChatGPT. I have taken further liberty to talk to them through phone and sent them emails that it doesn’t suit the profession of the editor to print the story without making proper checks and evaluations of the content, whether it is self-written or ChatGPT-generated.

If such a practice is weighted, then our creativity is at stake. It is time to realize the hazards of the misuse of ChatGPT and AI tools before we lose creativity. I was given a book by my crony to write a review. When I started reading it I found the content was ChatGPt generated.

Not even a single paragraph was written. by the author with his mind. This academic as well as intellectual dishonesty is not tenable for future readers. We must discourage these plagiaristic practices and encourage the thought that creativity is better than cheating practices .

The writer can be at mujeebalisamo110@gmail.com

reached

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

AI and bloodshed

THE integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in warfare presents a dynamic spectrum of risks and benefits. While AI promises enhanced battlefield efficiency and potentially reduces human casualties, its potential for misuse and unforeseen consequences raises, or should raise, grave concerns for the mankind at large. AI offers opportunities for improved targeting and effectiveness, but its vulnerabilities and ethical implications demand cautious deliberation. How bad things can go has been shown by Israel, which has been violating all the relevant international laws. Israel is using Habsora, an AI-based system. The system, also called the ‘mass assassination factory’, enables the army to generate targets quicker than before to kill on a mass level even when looking for a single target. The emphasis is on quantity, not quality. The system focusses on the area where the target may be present, and kill all present there. The use of Habsora explains the reasons for Palestinians deaths in such huge numbers. It has been established that respon-sibility to find a target has been delegated to a computer programme rather than a sentient entity capable of reasoning through moral and ethical quandaries and adhering to international laws.

ZAHID SHAHANI KARACHI

Rabies vaccine

THERE is a severe shortage of rabies vaccine in the province of Balochistan.

It not only poses a direct threat to individuals at the risk of exposure to rabies, but also raises concerns about a potential public health crisis in the region. Rabies is transmitted through animal saliva, and is fatal once the symptoms become visible. It is crucial to administer the rabies vaccine as promptly as possible to prevent the disease from setting in after the exposure.

The shortage of rabies vaccine is caused by a number of factors, such as inadequate and ineffective supply chains, logistical challenges, and a general lack of aware- ness about the importance of rabies prevention.

ATTA SHAD PANJGUR

Agricultural revolution

WHILE cotton remains integral to Pakistan’s agricultural landscape, promoting agricultural diversification is a strategic imperative to mitigate risks associated with over-reliance on a single commodity. Encouraging farmers to explore alternative crops bolsters resilience and ensures adaptability to changing climatic conditions. This comprehensive approach, taking into account economic contribution, climate-resilient practices, pest management, quality improvement and economic support, is needed to ensure sustainable growth in the long term.

INTIKHAB ULFAT KARACHI

There are a few telltale signs to detect the write-up and where it is taken from. Similar words like underscore, highlight, significant, indelible mark, additionally, reflection, landscape, pervasive, holistic, delve, explore, among others, are some indicators that a write-up is ChatGPT generated, like (In a fast-paced moving world, In the tapestry, etc.)

Lahore – Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965

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Islamabad – Ph: 051-2204545

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Gridlock

EVERY morning, there is a complete traffic chaos around Khyaban-iSaadi, Boat Basin and Sea View areas as some elite schools are situated there. Those who drop their children to schools park their vehicles in three parallel lines, leaving only one narrow strip for the move- ment of general traffic. Resultantly, a massive gridlock is encountered by the motorists. The same scenario unfolds in the afternoon when all those vehicles return to the scene to take the children home after school. The policemen in the area act like silent spectators. Probably, they are too scared to touch the untouchables.

SHAKIL BAIG KARACHI

Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk

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Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

COMMENT 05

Creatio ex nihilo Friday, 2 February, 2024

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Understanding how Hinduism began helps understanding the Mosque-mandir controversy Jalal tarar

UST this week, the BJP’s pet project achieved fulfilment in the inauguration of the Ram Mandir at Ayodhya.

Aside from beaming film stars and decorated pandits, the event was obviously political in nature.

It’s election year, not that Rahul Gandhi’s INDIA coalition needs any encouragement to go all out. The stakes are already too high. I’m certainly not the first person to explore the explosive rise of Hindu nationalism, the deliberate confusion of mythology and history about Ayodhya, Ram and the Babri Masjid, nor even the role of nationalism in helping populists do their bidding.

But militant Hindu nationalism cannot be born in vacuum, it needed first the existence of Hinduism as a coherent and unified religious organization, or Church as Durkheim called it.

It might be worthwhile, therefore, to trace the “creation” of Hinduism, long before BJP came to the fore.

And, as always, etymology is our guiding friend. The term “Hinduism” is largely a modern construct, and there is no evidence to suggest that South Asians who we now call ‘Hindus’ identified with it in the mediaeval or prehistoric age. The word is absent in the Vedas, the oldest surviving text in South Asia. Thankfully for our understanding, Narayan Jha has held that where this term is used in ancient records, it alludes to geography, not religion.

Some have held that Hindu comes from Sindhu, which refers to River Indus. Thus, Persian and Arab chroniclers noted the demarcation between ‘Sind’ and ‘Hind’ being the Indus-Sarasvati area. As the borders of the Achaemenid and, later, Arab empires ended roughly at what is today Pakistani Sindh, the area beyond it became Hind, or Hindustan. A lot of people, including me until recently, believed this meant ‘the land of the Hindus’. And by Hindus, we meant those adhering to a particular religion we call Hinduism.

But what really is a religion? Can we apply a European metric to a part of the

world Chaudhary Rehmat Ali called Dinia (literally ‘abode of deens’)? Not quite. For one, there is no accurate translation for the word in Sanskrit. Dharm cannot be equated to a religion, it is a moral framework for life.

Thus, Krishna steels Arjuna’s resolve in Mahabharata’s Bhagavad Gita that fighting and killing his cousins and other family members and friends was his dharm, his duty as a Kshatriya warrior.

In any case, even Islam does not claim to be merely a religion but a deen, a complete code of life. On another level, several religious movements emerged as a challenge to Brahminic-Sanskriticism (yes, that would be the accurate term) and its varna hierarchy that informed jati – caste, that old evil. But adhering to different dharma did not mean they discarded the common Indic milieu and religio-philosophical grammar and vernacular.

Thus, we see the existence and acceptance of Brahma in Buddhism, reincarnation and vegetarianism in Jainism and karma in Sikhism.

This does not make these dharms ‘Hindu’ just because Siddhartha Gautama, Mahavira and Baba Guru Nanak knew of and used ‘Hindu’ terminology.

My point is the boundaries between Indic religions were much more fluid in the precolonial era than they are today. Sudipta Kaviraj uses the notion of fuzzy identities to describe this phenomenon in the premodern era. For instance, a Jain might be a regular temple-goer, and no one would bat an

eye. ‘Hinduism’ itself was not a uniform set of beliefs that make up a religion in the European sense of the word, rather it was a collection or hotch potch of mingling and overlapping beliefs that Max Müller called henotheism: monotheism in principle and polytheism in fact. One could pray to Shiva while also nodding to Vishnu. It had the remarkable ability to act as a sponge to soak up developments anywhere in South Asia.

An ancient Greece-styled pantheon of deities with neatly demarcated jurisdictions didn’t exist.

So, what changed? Even before the British Raj had been established, David Lorenzen has held Hinduism solidified in the interaction and conflict between Muslims

In these desperate times, no one can afford to forget the colonial origins of modern Hinduism, whose inevitably militant and extremist version that is the RSS and BJP now threatens two billion South Asians.

But repeating it can problematize this history and, hopefully someday, return creation back to the void from which it had emerged

and Brahminic-Sanskriticists between 1200 and 1500; Kabir’s poetry has traces of violent communal conflict.

Then, colonialism happened. The white man, hyped up on a rationalism-crazy, hopped around the world, trying to reimagine it in his own image. Along with not-sosubtle divide-and-rule, communal censuses were introduced. The Sikhs had to publish a pamphlet titled ‘We Are Not Hindus’ to show the gora sahib not everyone who didn’t pray in a Masjid became a Hindu by default. Even today, Wikipedia notes that 1.2 billion Earthlings are Hindus, with no distinction over whether one is a Shaivite or a Vishnavite, or even believing in someone/thing else.

An existing boundary was fossilized by the colonizer. This explains why the 1979 World Hindu Conference could not agree on a definition of Hinduism: delegates were trying to define something that had eluded one-dimensional definition for centuries. But as the colonizer packaged just every deen/dharm in South Asia into neatly separated containers, some religious groups helped them out. Organizations like the Arya Samaj and the RSS aspired to a unity that is more associated with Abrahamic monotheism by creating conversion rituals that had never existed because dharm had, for millennia, been associated with one’s jati. Of course, this process was not this simple; history is complex and often involves contingency and the existence of multiple factors.

But the clock had started. Hindu nation-

alism could not have been born without first the birth of the idea that a singular Hinduism existed (one should always be wary of something that ends with -ism). Saffron politics would have had no appeal without the receptors feeling a common loyalty to it. Benedict Anderson’s imagined community had been created. And it was on a dangerous path, for itself, others around it, the land itself and all its inhabitants.

History was reimagined as a neat classification into Hindu, Muslim and British eras.

Whether or not a mandir had been demolished at Ayodhya to build a mosque, it was entrenched in popular imagination that the Muslims– not just Babur or his governor– dismantled a temple and built a mosque over it.

See it this way and it seems that Ayodhya was inevitable. Let there be no doubt about it– there will be more Ayodhyas in the future. Here, evidence was shaky but the confusion between mythology and history led the way. What about all the mosques, stupas and gurdwaras about which it is provable that they stand atop razed temples?

In these desperate times, no one can afford to forget the colonial origins of modern Hinduism, whose inevitably militant and extremist version that is the RSS and BJP now threatens two billion South Asians. But repeating it can problematize this history and, hopefully someday, return creation back to the void from which it had emerged.

Why the US sent the CIA chief to Why ‘the rest’ are handle Israel-Hamas negotiations rejecting the West

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BradlEy BlankEnship

S President Joe Biden has deployed overseas his CIA Director William Burns, who served as secretary of state and deputy secretary of state under President Barack Obama, to try and broker a deal between Israel and Hamas.

Details of what exactly Burns discussed with highlevel diplomatic and intelligence officials from Egypt, Qatar, and Israel are unknown at this time. It is reported, however, that Israel’s latest proposal would see a 60-day pause in combat in return for the staggered release of more than 100 captives still held by Hamas, with women and children first, then civilian men, military members, and the remains of hostages who died in captivity.

While, indeed, the CIA chief’s met with peers from the intelligence community, his attendance displays something that reflects poorly on the state of US diplomacy, and implies a lack of savoir faire at the State Department.

It should be noted that the US government has many different offices, bureaus, and departments that compete against one another for funding and clout. For decades, the CIA and the State Department had tried to stay apart. It has been noted, for example, by CIA founding member Miles Copeland Jr. that the State Department was originally averse to some of its covert activities, such as agents using diplomatic credentials as cover. During the Cold War, Copeland said, the State Department not only refused to take part in CIA activities but did not even want to be informed about them, as in the case of the coup d’etat in Syria in the 1960s.

In modern times there has been a convergence between these two agencies, and others, too, which reflects the priorities of successive administrations. Under President George W. Bush, Colin Powell, a military man, became the first Secretary of State to serve on the Joint Chiefs of Staff while in that role. This showed that Powell, Washington’s head diplomat, was to be intimately involved in the American war effort in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Judicial reforms

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Fast-tracking of appointments is a must TRIBUNE

Editorial

HIEF Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud has called for addressing the structural issues affecting the judiciary, such as the pendency of cases, archaic procedures and the culture of adjournments. Speaking at a function to mark the diamond jubilee of the Supreme Court, he stressed upon developing a culture of professionalism. The CJI flagged the contentious issue of long vacations in higher courts and said he was ready for a conversation on alternatives such as flexitime for lawyers and judges.

The pendency of cases in Indian courts crossed the 5crore mark last year. These include over 4.4 crore cases in district and taluka/tehsil courts and around 62 lakh in high courts. The judiciary has barely 21,000 judges to

During the administration of former President Donald Trump, he promoted Mike Pompeo from CIA director to Secretary of State. The Trump administration’s foreign policy style thus shifted to a much more aggressive and subversive approach, emulating how the CIA conducts its business. This was particularly aimed at undermining the resurgence of China, as well as ratcheting up tensions with Russia.

In contrast, President Joe Biden enlisted William Burns, a long-time diplomat, as his CIA director. According to Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson, Colin Powell’s former chief of staff, this pick was because of Burns’ reliability, experience, and honesty – traits becoming of a diplomat.

Biden apparently did not want someone who’d gained their professional experience from the CIA to head the spy agency, probably because such people are prone to what Pompeo described as lying, cheating, and stealing.

The fact that the director of the CIA is getting so intimately involved in negotiations between Israel and Hamas, having already been a part of the November agreement that led to the release of Palestinian and Israeli hostages and to a week-long ceasefire, may perhaps be worrying. It could be interpreted that the US is not actually interested in real diplomacy but rather in trying to threaten Hamas leaders into surrendering on behalf of West Jerusalem.

While that may indeed be the case, since the Israeli government is committed to a total military victory in Gaza and the Biden administration is backing West Jerusalem almost unconditionally, it says more about the fact that the State Department lacks the requisite leadership and know-how to handle this situation.

As Burns has been managing negotiations between Israel and Hamas, Secretary of State Antony Blinken wrapped up a West Africa trip that analysts believe was an attempt

by Washington to shore up transatlantic trade in light of instability in the Middle East. He also stuck to the same tired script with regard to China, invoking ‘debt-trap diplomacy’ and unfair labor and trade practices. Meanwhile, protesters sat outside Blinken’s Arlington, Virginia home demanding a ceasefire in Gaza – apparently unaware that he’s not even the one leading diplomatic efforts currently.

A lack of leadership on behalf of Blinken at this defining moment in the conflict in Gaza, as American soldiers die in the Middle East and international trade is threatened by Houthi attacks on ships that use the Suez Canal, is apparent.

The fact that the CIA has had to step in at this juncture demonstrates the sorry state of US diplomacy, underscoring the gradual but inevitable decline of American soft power.

Bradley Blankenship is an American journalist, columnist and political commentator.

handle this staggering caseload. The inadequate working strength of judges — well short of the number of sanctioned posts, especially at the district level — has a bearing on the disposal of cases and the delivery of justice.

The district judiciary, rightly described by the CJI as the first point of contact for the citizens, is in urgent need of reforms to improve its functioning.

The delay in recommending or approving judicial appointments is a major stumbling block. It was a decade ago that the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) Act was enacted. The legislation had laid down the procedure to be followed by the NJAC for recommending names for appointment as the CJI and Supreme Court judge and the Chief Justice and judge of high courts. However, in 2015, the apex court had struck down the Act as ‘unconstitutional’ and upheld the collegium system of appointments. The NJAC can be made a viable alternative to the existing system, provided the executive and the judiciary are on the same page. With President Droupadi Murmu endorsing the proposed All India Judicial Service a couple of months ago, it’s time to revive the debate on the NJAC and give it a relook.

The writer is a freelance columnist

Biden may soon regret his wholehearted embrace of Netanyahu

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PROJECT SYNDICATE FaWaZ a. GErGEs

S the war in Gaza enters its fourth month, many in the Middle East and across the Global South have been struck both by the ferocity of Israel’s military campaign and

by Western governments’ unwavering support for it. To them, this is as much US President Joe Biden’s war as it is Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s, and the continuing indifference to the scale of the devastation has reaffirmed how cheap Arab lives appear to be to Western leaders.

For those who lived through the Cold War and witnessed how Western powers dealt with post-colonial states and their peoples, recent events are all too familiar.

As I argue in my new book, What Really Went Wrong: The West and the Failure of Democracy in the Middle East, the United States and other Western countries, mainly the United Kingdom, have for nearly a century pursued an interventionist, militaristic, and anti-democratic foreign policy that largely ignores Middle Eastern peoples’ interests. If anything, Western decisions have been driven historically by the desire to roll back communism and secure the dominance of liberal capitalism.

In pursuit of these twin aims, the US offered Middle Eastern leaders a zero-sum choice: either join in Western-led regional defense alliances and open your economy to global capital, or be considered a foe. In the name of maintaining stability and securing an uninterrupted flow of cheap oil, Western powers struck devil’s pacts with Middle Eastern autocrats and actively contributed to the demise of incipient democratic movements.

Notably, in the early 1950s, when the liberal democrat Mohammed Mossadegh became prime minister of Iran and nationalized the country’s oil, the CIA and MI6 orchestrated a coup and replaced him with the Shah. That self-interested intervention arrested Iran’s democratic development and set the stage for the 1979 Islamic Revolution, which ushered in the theocratic regime that rules to this day.

Similarly, in the 1950s, Gamal Abdel Nasser, a charismatic leader who was positively disposed toward the US, became president of Egypt and decided that it was not in his country’s interest to join a Western-led defense pact. Seeking to humiliate him and force his ouster, America and Britain rescinded support for the massive Aswan High Dam project on the Nile River. What resulted was the Suez Crisis of 1956, which almost caused a world war. In the end, the most popular leader of the most populous Arab state became a bitter enemy of the West.

While the US-led West has certainly taken a heavy-handed approach in other regions as well, Western officials have long rationalized their neo-imperial mission in the Middle East by claiming that the combination of Islam and Arab culture is incompatible with democracy. The implication is that brutal strongmen are essential to the stability that the West so values.

The lesson for those strongmen has been unambiguous: repression and human-rights abuses will be

ignored as long as America’s orders are followed. For the people of the region, the lesson has been no less plain: their lives and rights mean little in the West’s calculus – notwithstanding all its lofty rhetoric about democracy and the rule of law. The invasion and decades-long occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq made that abundantly clear.

Barack Obama was the first US president to hint at a different approach. Speaking at the US Military Academy at West Point in 2014, he decried America’s perpetual wartime footing and tendency to shoot first and ask questions later. America’s costliest mistakes in the region had come not from restraint, he argued, but from the “willingness to rush into military adventures without thinking through the consequences – without building international support and legitimacy for … action; without leveling with the American people about the sacrifices required.”

Sadly, Obama’s sober perspective appears to be lost on Biden, who belongs to the Cold War generation of American leadership. Until last October, Biden had devoted little time or attention to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He readily accepted the untenable status quo of perpetual Palestinian suffering, and focused instead on trying to expand the Abraham Accords. Those agreements, brokered by the Trump administration, sought to normalize Israel’s relations with Arab autocrats in exchange for security assistance and protection, thereby ending the region’s commitment to Palestinian statehood.

Since Hamas’s brutal attack on October 7 – which exposed the folly of Biden and Netanyahu’s approach – there has been neither restraint nor an effort to think through the consequences of the current war. Instead, Biden and his European allies have wholeheartedly endorsed Israel’s all-out assault on Gaza. Even as the civilian death toll has risen at an unprecedented pace, the humanitarian crisis grows more acute by the day, and governments around the world have called for a ceasefire, Biden has shown no willingness to intervene to stop the bloodshed.

Meanwhile, skirmishes on the Israel-Lebanon border and US-led airstrikes on Houthi positions in Yemen and on Iranian-backed militias in Iraq suggest that the conflict may yet escalate further. America and Britain are gradually being sucked into the region yet again, though with eyes wide open this time. Biden claimed to represent a clean break from Trump, but there is no daylight between them when it comes to the Middle East. There and in much of the Global South, Biden will be remembered as just another American president who devalued Arab lives, preaching democracy while supporting repression and violence.

Biden may soon regret his wholehearted embrace of Netanyahu in recent months. Netanyahu, an expert at manipulating the American political process, recently rebuffed Biden’s support for establishing a Palestinian state, insisting that Israel must have security control “over all the territory west of the Jordan [River.]” That pronouncement was timed to the start of the US presidential campaign, in which Trump is his preferred candidate.

Even if Biden ultimately secures a second term, the tragic irony is that the Middle East is less stable today than at any point in its modern history. The West’s strategy has been a colossal failure, and this legacy will burden our world for a very long time.

Fawaz A. Gerges, Professor of International Relations at the London School of Economics, is author of the forthcoming What Really Went Wrong: The West and the Failure of Democracy in the Middle East (Yale University Press, 2024).

06 NEWS

Friday, 2 February, 2024 | LAHORE

XI STRESSES DEVELOPMENT OF NEW PRODUCTIVE FORCES, HIGH-QUALITY DEVELOPMENT BEIJING

staff CoRRespoNDeNt

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, has urged efforts to accelerate the development of new productive forces and firmly promote high-quality development.

Xi made the remarks on Wednesday while presiding over a group study session of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee. He stressed that high-quality development is an unyielding principle in the new era. “Developing new productive forces is the intrinsic requirement and an important focus of promoting high-quality development, and it’s necessary to continue to well leverage innovation to speed up the development of new productive forces,” Xi said.

Noting that promoting high-quality development has become the consensus and conscious action of the whole Party and society in the new era, Xi said there are still many factors restricting high-

quality development, which must be guided by a new productivity theory.

With innovation playing the leading role, new productive forces mean advanced productivity that is free from traditional economic growth mode and productivity development paths, features high technology, high efficiency, and high quality, and comes in line with the new development philosophy, said Xi. New productive forces are driven by revolutionary technological breakthroughs, innovative allocation of production factors, and deep industrial transformation and upgrading, taking the improvement of workers, means of labor, subjects of labor and their optimal combinations as its basic connotation, and a substantial increase in total factor productivity as its core hallmark, Xi said. Marked by innovation and with high quality as the key, new productive forces are, in essence, advanced productivity, Xi said.

He said sci-tech innovation can generate new industries, models and growth drivers, which are the core elements of

developing new productive forces.

Xi called for strengthening sci-tech innovation, especially original and disruptive innovation, accelerating the realization of high-level self-reliance in science and technology, and fighting hard for breakthroughs in core technologies in key fields so that original and disruptive sci-tech innovation outcomes can keep emerging for fostering new growth drivers of new productive forces.

Xi stressed that sci-tech innovations should be applied to specific industries and industrial chains in a timely manner. Efforts should be made to transform and upgrade traditional industries, foster emerging industries, make arrangements for future industries, and improve the modern industrial system.

Xi highlighted enhanced efforts to develop the digital economy, promote the deep integration of the digital economy and the real economy, and build digital industrial clusters with international competitiveness. New productive forces are in itself green productive forces, Xi

said. In this regard, efforts should be made to expedite the green transformation of growth models and contribute to carbon peaking and carbon neutrality. Xi also pointed out the need to strengthen green manufacturing, develop green services, foster green energy, advance green and low-carbon industries and supply chains, and establish a green and lowcarbon circular economy system.

The economic policy toolbox to support green and low-carbon development will be optimized continuously to give play to the driving role of green finance, according to Xi. “We should further deepen reform in an all-round way and form a new type of relations of production appropriate to the development of new productive forces,” Xi said.

Xi stressed efforts to deepen reforms of the economic system and the science and technology management system, work hard to remove bottlenecks that hinder the development of new productive forces and establish a high-standard market system.

Deutsche Bank to cut 3,500 jobs and reward shareholders PROFIT

ReuteRs

Deutsche Bank opens (DBKGn.DE), new tab said on Thursday it would cut 3,500 jobs, buy back shares and pay dividends, in its latest pitch to investors that its turnaround remains on track. The news came as Germany’s biggest bank, seeking to put years of turmoil behind it and focus on steadier retail banking, reported a 30% drop in fourth-quarter profit that still beat analyst expectations.

The bank had already announced plans to cut jobs, but this was the first time it had put a number on the layoffs, equivalent to just under 4% of its global workforce of about 90,000.

The jobs affected will be back office roles.

The share buyback and dividends will total 1.6 billion euros ($1.7

billion) and will take place during the first half of the year. The bank also raised its forecast for revenue growth, and its shares rose 4% in early Frankfurt trade.

The announcements and earnings come at a significant turning point for Deutsche Bank.

Deutsche Bank’s retail unit overtook the investment bank as the main revenue driver in 2023, overturning the latter’s pole position over the previous three years as the retail division benefited from higher interest rates and global deals fizzled.

Analysts expect the retail operations to keep up its streak ahead of the investment bank this year and next even as central banks gear up to cut the interest rates that have supercharged banks’ bottom lines.

Deutsche Bank, which undertook a major

Kia Pakistan hikes prices of Picanto, Sportage by Rs250,000 PROFIOT: Kia Pakistan has announced a price hike of Rs 250,000 for the manual variant of Picanto and the Alpha variant of Sportage, effective from February 1, 2024. According to an official notification, the new exfactory price of the manual variant of Picanto is Rs 3,600,000, up from Rs 3,350,000.

The price includes the cost of CVT. Similarly, the new ex-factory price of the Alpha variant of Sportage is Rs 7,550,000, up from Rs 7,300,000. News Desk

overhaul in 2019 after years of losses, has tried to wean itself off from its dependence on the volatile investment bank for revenues, something that proved difficult. The ascendance of the retail division has come as it has drawn the scorn of regulators after it botched the integration of its Postbank arm.

UGIs marks Kashmir Solidarity Day at special event LAHORE

staff RepoRt

A ceremony was held on Thursday in connection with the Kashmir Solidarity Day observance, by the Unique Group of Institutions (UGIs) Islampura Campus, with Group Chairman Prof. Abdul Manan Khurram in the chair. Addressing the event, the UGI chairman said that getting Kashmir is the right of Pakistan, as Kashmiris are eager to join the country. He said that today is the day to resolve that “we will get Kashmir and our youth will make it possible”. He said that the youth should not give up on the issue of Kashmir and join the peaceful struggle of Kashmiris to strengthen Pakistan by liberating Kashmir. Speaking at the event, Usman Akram, Project Director Unique Group Islampura Campus, said, “We will never let the struggle of Kashmiris go in vain, and we will support Kashmiris till the last breath while maintaining our position that Kashmir is the jugular vein of Pakistan. “We will also support them morally politically in their freedom struggle,” he added. A special documentary on Kashmir was also screened at the event, and students presented Kashmiri songs and tableaus. UGI Vice Chairman Afeef Ashraf Siddiqui, Rector Prof. Amjad Ali Khan, Director Prof. Wasim Anwar Chaudhry, Project Director Unique Samanabad Campus Prof.

Hafiz Mehmood and a large number of teachers and students participated in the event.

Friday, 2 February, 2024 | LAHORE

JANUARY REMAINS VOLATILE FOR PSX AS KSE-100 FALLS 0.8% MOM: REPORT NEWS

CORPORATE CORNER

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MARKET AFFECTED BY POLITICAL UNCERTAINTY AND SIGNIFICANT FOREIGN SELLING, SAYS AKD RESEARCH

SSGC Board of Directors has decided that Mr. Imran Maniar will continue to serve as MD/CEO – SSGC in terms of Section 187/3 of the Companies Act, 2017, until his reappointment or the appointment of his successor by Company Board.

Bank Alfalah records impressive year of growth KARACHI

staff report

The Board of Directors of Bank Alfalah Limited (BAFL), in its meeting held on February 01, 2024, approved the Bank’s financial results for the year ended December 31, 2023. Bank Alfalah delivered exceptional performance during 2023. The Bank has crossed significant milestones of 1,000 branches and Rs. 2 Trillion in deposits, improving its industry ranking in terms of deposit base, total assets and branch footprint. The Bank posted a profit after tax of Rs. 36.456 billion as compared to Rs. 18.206 billion last year, showing over 100% growth. The earnings per share (EPS) stands at Rs. 23.12 (2022: Rs. 10.27). This reflects strong growth momentum in line with the Bank’s strategy. The Board of Directors has declared final cash dividend of Rs. 5.00 per share (50%). This is in addition to an interim cash dividend of Rs. 3.00 (30%). Deposits closed at Rs. 2.085 trillion as at December 31, 2023, representing a 40.2% increase over the previous year.

Probationary officers of 51st common training program visit FBR ISLAMABAD

staff report

The probationary officers of 51st Common Training Programme (CTP) visited the Federal Board of Revenue Headquarters today as part of their preservice training activities. The batch comprised 236 officers including 92 female officers. Upon arrival, the probationers were received warmly by officers of FBR and escorted to the auditorium for a briefing. Member Administration Syed Nadeem Hussain Rizvi chaired the session which was also attended

by Member Inland Revenue-Operations Mir Badshah Khan Wazir, Member Customs-Operations Dr. Farid Iqbal Qureshi and other senior officers of the Revenue Division. On the occasion, Member Administration briefed the visiting officers about the working, structure and functions of FBR. He apprised them about the revenue collection system and various initiatives and interventions being undertaken to broaden the tax base to tap true tax potential for betterment of the national economy.

Faysal Bank, Total Parco sign agreement for digital payments acceptance ISLAMABAD

staff report

Faysal Bank Limited and Total Parco, signed an agreement for the provision of cashless transactions across Total Parco's extensive retail network.

Through this alliance Faysal Bank’s state-of-theart point-of-sale card acceptance solution will provide Total Parco’s customers the ability to make payments via cards as well as NFC solutions.

Commenting on the partnership, Mr. Yousaf Hussain, President & CEO, Faysal Bank, stated, “At Faysal Bank we are privileged to have a multifaceted relationship with Total Parco. This arrangement with Total Parco, is a testament of our agenda to increase the acceptance and digital foot-print across the country through Faysal Bank’s shariah-compliant financial solutions.”

PROFIT

staff report

ANUARY 2024 remained a volatile month for the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) as the benchmark KSE-100 index declined by 0.76% month-onmonth, closing at 61,979 points.

Despite improving macro indicators, political uncertainty and significant foreign selling weighed down the market, AKD Research said in its note.

The initial disturbances stemmed from escalating tensions between Pakistan and Iran, exacerbated by a crossborder attack. However, the situation stabilised with the return of ambassadors the following week.

Following this, the court’s decision on the Cipher and Tosha-khana cases of 10 years and 14 years imprisonment for Ex-PM Imran Khan, further dampened investor confidence, read the note.

Additionally, SBP maintained a cautious stance, keeping interest rates unchanged at 22% during the MPC meeting. This coupled with the lingering impact of political and geo-political shocks, led to a substantial reduction in average traded volumes – a notable drop to 672 million shares from the previous month’s 1,298 million shares.

According to the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), the country recorded a current account surplus of $1.1 billion in the first half of the fiscal year 2023-24, and the foreign exchange reserves increased

to US$23.4 billion by the end of December 2023.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) expressed its satisfaction with Pakistan’s economic performance in its second review of the Extended Fund Facility program.

However, inflation remained high, with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) reaching 29.7% in December 2023 and recorded at 28.3% for January 2024.

This put pressure on the monetary policy and the exchange rate, which depreciated by 2.3% against the US dollar in January 2024.

The brokerage firm said that foreign investors were the main sellers in the market, with a net outflow of $37.2 million in January 2024, wiping out more

Hashoo Group joins hands with FE&PT's NEST Google supports upcoming general to launch hospitality scholarships election 2024 in Pakistan ISLAMABAD

KARACHI

staff report

Continuing its mission to promote accessible education and employment opportunities for the economic upliftment of Pakistan, the country's leading hospitality and tourism conglomerate, Hashoo Group, has collaborated with the National Endowment Scholarships for Talent (NEST) of the Ministry of Federal Education & Professional Training M/o FE&PT, Government of Pakistan, Islamabad. This collaboration will introduce dedicated Hospitality Scholarships in Pakistan to promote the Hospitality & Tourism Sector, marking the first

staff report

time in the country.

The hospitality sector is one of the highest employment-generating sectors, both internationally and locally. Through this impactful initiative, underprivileged students across Pakistan will be eligible to receive scholarships for their twoyear Diploma/Associate Degree Program in hospitality and tourism

offered by Hashoo School of Hospitality Management (HSHM). Additionally, this partnership will provide a gateway for underserved students of the Hashoo Foundation - the corporate social responsibility arm of the Hashoo Group, to benefit from the Nursing, Arts, & Culture Scholarships program that NEST offers.

Pre-event of surgicon 2024: Capital Hospital hosts live bariatric surgery workshop ISLAMABAD

Capital Hospital CDA Islamabad, in collaboration with the Society of Surgeons Pakistan Rawalpindi/Islamabad Chapter, successfully conducted a live Bariatric Surgery Workshop as a prelude to the prestigious Surgicon 2024. The workshop was graced by the presence of Executive Director Capital Hospital as the patron, alongside the Dean of Capital Hospital and Course Director, and the Chief Organizer & Master Trainer of CDA Hospital.

Under the directions of Chairman CDA the workshop featured the benevolent act of performing free bariatric surgeries on three obese CDA employees.

This initiative highlights the commitment of the Capital Development Authority towards the health and well-being of its staff. The workshop illuminated the critical nature of obesity, a leading cause of type 2 di-

abetes, hypertension, obstructive sleep apnea, and numerous other life-threatening diseases. The event underscored the importance of Bariatric surgery as a gold standard treatment for obesity and related ailments.

Course Director and chief organizer and Master Trainer of Capital Hospital skillfully demonstrated a laparoscopic Mini Gastric Bypass, while Deen of the Capital Hospital showed his skills while doing Laparosocpic Sleeve Gastrectomy on couple of morbidly obese patients.

ISLAMABAD

staff report

KARACHI

staff report

Caretaker Federal Minister for Information, Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs Murtaza Solangi on Thursday said that the caretaker government was fully prepared and committed to conduct general elections on February 8. He was addressing a seminar on "Challenges and Roadmap for the New Government", organized by the Press Information Department. The minister said that as the government's spokesperson, he had been reiterating the caretaker government's commitment for holding elections as per the schedule given by the Election Commission of Pakistan.

"The election process should continue in any case and major issues facing the country, including economy, foreign policy, local governments, governance and civil service reforms, should also be discussed to find their solution," he remarked.

Solangi said that despite many flaws in the democratic system and electoral process, everyone was in agreement that the electoral process should not be stopped and elections should be held.

ISLAMABAD

staff repeort

Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) is planning to integrate the Agricultural, Livestock, and Agricultural Machinery Censuses into one by conducting the 7th Agricultural Census from 1st June, 2024.

Provincial administration will be engaged in field operations, monitoring, and supervision of the Census.

The model and resources of last Population Census will be utilized to minimize the cost. Two-tier training model has been devised for field staff.

KARACHI

Fly Jinnah, Pakistan’s low-cost carrier, announces the commencement of its international operations with the launch of its inaugural flight connecting Pakistan’s capital city Islamabad with the city of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates starting from February 17th, 2024.This step marks a significant milestone in the carrier’s growth journey after a successful year of serving domestic routes in Pakistan.

Fly Jinnah will connect both cities with non-stop double daily flights, offering customers seamless and convenient travel options. The new service will also provide customers in Islamabad with the opportunity for further connectivity via Sharjah Airport’s wide network.

Fly Jinnah added two new Airbus A320 aircraft to its existing fleet to support the launch of its interna-

Ravi Urban Development Authority (RUDA) and the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FPCCI) have held the "Investment Reimagined" event, a platform where public and private interests converged to explore concepts, perspectives, and cooperative efforts shaping urban development and financial growth.

The collaborative dialogue “Investment Reimagined” between RUDA and FPCCI took center stage at this groundbreaking event, providing a forum for innovative thinkers to exchange viewpoints on creating an ideal environment for investment opportunities. The Regional Chairman of FPCCI Zaki Ijaz, in his opening speech expressed honor in addressing the event and emphasized FPCCI's crucial role in supporting businesses and contributing to a conducive investment climate aligned with RUDA's vision for sustainable urban development. "At this event, we explore innovative approaches to attract investments, showcasing the FPCCI's commitment to shaping progressive economic policies and fostering a dynamic business environment," said the chairman. He highlighted the collaboration with RUDA as reflective of a shared commitment to regional economic prosperity.

Shell Pakistan conducts free eye camps for mechanics in collaboration with LRBT KARACHI

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industry and to learn from their experiences with the view to selecting, pursuing careers in Oil, Gas and Mineral sector, he added.

Mouzas and Blocks for the census have been identified with the cooperation of Provincial administration. After the successful completion of 7th Population & Housing Census (1st Ever Digital Census), Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) is in the process to conduct the 7th Agricultural Census throughout the country.

PBS has decided to integrate the Agricultural, Livestock, and Agricultural Machinery Censuses into one according to the best international practices and guidelines of the FAO. To initiate the process, PBS has started meetings with Partner Organizations and Provincial Stakeholders. The participation of stake-

Fly Jinnah announces launch of International Operations staff report

RUDA, FPCCI foster collaboration for regional economic growth staff report

Minister for Energy inaugurates Oil, Gas, Minerals Career Expo Federal Minister for Energy, Mr. Muhammad Ali inaugurated the first-ever national level ‘Fuelling Futures Career Expo 2024’ on January 31 at Pakistan China Friendship Centre, Islamabad. The two-day Career Expo has been organised by the Ministry of Energy (Petroleum Division) in collaboration with Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL).

The event witnessed an overwhelming attendance of students, faculty and company representatives.

MD and CEO PPL Mr. Imran Abbasy welcomed the large number of students from across the country and thanked the participating companies and universities for making the two-day Career Expo a success.

The platform provides an opportunity for students to interact with the leaders of the energy and minerals

Supporting elections is a critical part of Google’s responsibility to our users and the democratic process. As Pakistanis take to the polls to vote in the National election to elect representatives for the National Assembly and Provincial Assemblies on February 8th, we’re committed to working with government, industry, and civil society to connect voters with helpful and authoritative information, and keep our platforms safe from abuse. We know that in the run-up to elections, people need useful and relevant information to help them navigate the electoral process. We make reliable information easily available with helpful product features, showing data from trusted, nonpartisan organisations on how and where to vote across our products: Google Search: Our ranking systems are designed to elevate authoritative information and provide context to users on a variety of elections related information.

LAHORE

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7th agricultural census of Pakistan will be conducted in June 2024 Caretaker govt fully committed to holding elections on Feb 8: Solangi

than half of the net inflow of US$71 million in the first half of the fiscal year.

On the other hand, insurance companies were the major buyers, with a net inflow of US$28.9 million in January 2024.

Sector-wise, automobile parts and transport sectors outperformed the market, with monthly returns of 18.6% and 16.9%, respectively. These sectors benefited from the rising demand for vehicles and the government’s infrastructure projects.

On the contrary, refinery, glass & ceramics, and technology sectors underperformed the market, with monthly declines of 13.0%, 10.9%, and 9.9%, respectively. These sectors faced challenges such as low refining margins, high energy costs, and regulatory issues.

tional operations. This strategic expansion brings the total number of aircraft in Fly Jinnah’s fleet to five, enhancing the airline’s capacity to cater to the increasing demand for reliable and affordable air travel.

Commenting on this significant development, Fly Jinnah’s spokesperson said:" Fly Jinnah's fleet expansion, coupled with the launch of international operations, signifies a strategic move towards offering customers more choices for convenient travel options.

This step signifies a milestone for Fly Jinnah, and we are glad to start our international operation by connecting Pakistan’s capital city with Sharjah, the cultural city of the UAE. The start of this service not only underscores our dedication to providing our customers with affordable air travel options but also reflects our commitment to further contribute to the strong economic and trade ties between both nations”.

Shell Pakistan Limited (SPL) organized an eye camp for mechanics in partnership with Layton Rahmatulla Benevolent Trust (LRBT). The mechanics were provided free eye screening to ensure healthy eyesight. As part of its community outreach program, SPL, in collaboration with LRBT, has been providing eye testing to community members. The Chief Executive and Managing Director of Shell Pakistan Limited, Waqar Siddiqui, stated that: “We aim to be a good neighbour wherever we work, by contributing to the well-being of our communities. Shell’s social performance programmes enable us to share with communities the benefits that economic development brings while creating a sustainable business environment.” A team of ophthalmologists and support staff from LRBT conducts these eye tests and dispenses medicine for eye ailments.

IESCO swoop to get rid of electricity theft continues ISLAMABAD

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In The Month Of January 173641 Meters Were Checked, Electricity Theft Was Caught From 2606 Meters. Fines Of 88.92 Million Imposed On Electricity Thieves By Charging 1.9 Million Units To Electricity Thieves, IESCO Teams Recovered 1939.54 Million From 77637 Running And Dead Defaulters Dr. Muhammad Amjad Khan, Chief Executive Officer IESCO Dated 01st February 2024. Actions against power thieves and defaulters are going on vigorously in all operation circles of IESCO. According to the details, in the month of January 2023, IESCO detection teams checked 173641 meters and electricity was stealing from 2606 meters. IESCO imposed fines of 88.92 million by charging 1.95 million units to electricity thieves. By registering 106 FIRs, police arrested 38 electricity thieves. On the other hand, during the on going campaign IESCO recovery teams collected 1939.54 million from 77637 running and dead defaulters. Chief Executive Officer IESCO Dr Muhammad Amjad Khan asked the consumers to pay their electricity bills on time and support IESCO in this national campaign to report electricity thieves on helpline number 118 or Complaint and Monitoring Cell, Islamabad Phone Numbers 051-9252933-34.

CENTURIES-OLD MOSQUE TORN DOWN IN INDIAN CAPITAL Friday, 2 February, 2024

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ULLDOZERS have knocked down a centuries-old mosque in India’s capital, a member of the building’s managing committee said Thursday, during a demolition drive to remove “illegal” structures from a forest reserve.

The demolition comes at a sensitive time in India with nationalist activists emboldened in their long campaign for the replacement of several prominent mosques with

Hindu temples.

The Masjid Akhonji in New Delhi, which its caretakers say is around 600 years old, was home to 22 students enrolled in an Islamic boarding school.

It was torn down on Tuesday in a forest of Mehrauli, an affluent neighbourhood dotted with centuries-old ruins from settlements predating modern Delhi.

Mohammad Zaffar, a member of the mosque’s managing committee, told AFP that it had not received any prior notice before a demolition carried out “in the dark of the night”. He said many graves in the

mosque compound were also desecrated, and no one was allowed to take out copies of the Holy Quran or other materials from inside the mosque before it was razed.

“Many of our revered figures and my own ancestors were buried there. There is no trace of the graves now,” Zaffar told AFP. “The rubble from the mosque and the graves has been removed and dumped somewhere else.”

The Delhi Development Authority, the city’s main land management agency responsible for carrying out the demolitions, did not respond to AFP’s requests for com-

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ment. A heavy police presence had barricaded roads outside the grounds on Thursday and refused access to the site.

The demolition took place barely a week after Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a grand new Hindu temple in the northern city of Ayodhya, built on grounds once home to the centuries-old Babri mosque.

That mosque was torn down in 1992 in a campaign spearheaded by members of Modi’s party, sparking sectarian riots that killed 2,000 people nationwide, most of them Muslims.

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claim to the disputed Gyanvapi mosque in the Indian holy city of Varanasi, which they say was built over a Hindu temple during the Muslim Mughal empire centuries ago.

Hindu worshippers entered the Gyanvapi mosque on Thursday to pray after a local court gave them permission to do so.

Calls for India to enshrine Hindu supremacy have rapidly grown louder since Modi took office in 2014, making the country’s roughly 210-million-strong Muslim minority increasingly anxious about their future.

Shehbaz Sharif reverses stance on being ‘military’s darling’ claim LAHORE

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PM Kakar allows grade 17 to 22 employees to perform Umrah ISLAMABAD

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Caretaker Prime Minister (PM) Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar on Thursday allowed officers of 17 to 22 grades to perform Umrah. According to a notification issued by the Cabinet Division, govt employees from 17 to 22 grades now can embark to Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah. It is to be noted that the government slapped a ban on foreign tours of government employees working in grades 17 to 22. The caretaker government, in a proactive measure, prohibited federal ministers and government servants from traveling abroad until the completion of the election process and the assumption of office by the new government. It is noteworthy that the Election Commission of Pakistan, in collaboration with the President, has scheduled the national and provincial assembly elections for February 8. All necessary preparations for the democratic process of general elections have been successfully completed. This move underscores the commitment of the caretaker government to ensuring a smooth and uninterrupted electoral process, emphasizing the significance of maintaining focus on national affairs during this crucial period.

PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif reverses his previous statement asserting that he had been a “darling of the military establishment” for the last 30 years.

“Had I been close to the establishment, I wouldn’t have gone to jail and been kept in the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) dungeon [in the past],” Mr Shehbaz said in response to a question during a talk with digital media representatives on Wednesday.

In his earlier media interactions, Mr Shehbaz had said, “Main tees saal say establishment ki aankh ka taara hoon (I am

an apple of the eye of the establishment for the last 30 years).

The PML-N leadership has been defending its position of being close to the establishment since the homecoming of former premier Nawaz Sharif in October last year. Even the “Ladla” (blueeyed of the establishment) tag has been haunting the elder Sharif, as his party claims that he will emerge as the “Ladla” of the people.

Rival parties, especially the PPP, have accused the Sharifs of colluding with the powers that be to return to power after the Feb 8 polls. When asked whether the PML-N should sign an agreement with other players to prevent a prime minister

from being sent to jail every two years, Mr Shehbaz avoided a direct reply, saying, “There was no political prisoner in the last tenure of Nawaz Sharif.”

When asked whether the PDM government, led by him, made the lives of the masses miserable in terms of inflation and price hikes, and if it would be different if he got another chance, Mr Shehbaz took credit for saving Pakistan from default during the 16-month PDM government.

He blamed the Imran Khan government for the economic woes of the country but did not express a desire to become premier again. “If Nawaz Sharif comes to power after the Feb 8 polls, he will steer

the country out of crises,” he said.

Mr Shehbaz redefined the party’s earlier narrative “vote ko izzat do (give respect to the ballot)”, saying, “coming up to the expectations of the voters is, in fact, giving respect to the ballot”.

He talked about rigging in the 2018 polls, which he said aimed at stopping the PML-N from returning to power. However, he termed the 2024 election “very important”, stating that it should be free and fair for a “strong democracy and economy”.

He further said that the purpose for which Pakistan came into being had yet to be fulfilled. “We need to learn a lesson from past mistakes to move forward,” he said.

Chinese envoy lauds PAF’s commitment for balance of power in region ISLAMABAD

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Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Pakistan, Jiang Zaidong has commended the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) leadership for its steadfast determination to ensure balance of power in the region.

The ambassador was speaking during his meeting with Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu here on Wednesday.

Matters pertaining to evolving geostrategic environment and regional developments came under discussion during the meeting, said a PAF news release.

The two dignitaries underscored the necessity of revitalizing the framework for operational training across all domains, emphasizing the paramount importance of preparedness and seamless coordination in the face of evolving security challenges. Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu shared broad contours of the PAF’s modernization drive in order to transform Pakistan Air Force into a Next Generation Air Force through induction of niche technologies with a special focus on indigenization and revamping of training.

Highlighting the significance of the longstanding strategic partnership be-

tween the two countries, he emphasized that the PAF leadership wished to further deepen the existing aviation cooperation and exchanges with China in the fields of human resource and technology so as to jointly address shared security challenges.

The Air Chief further said, “Pakistan highly values its strong diplomatic, economic, defence relationship and timetested friendship with China which are based on convergence on all important issues relating to regional peace, security and stability.” The visiting dignitary appreciated Pakistan’s efforts in promoting regional peace.

Both the dignitaries emphasized the

need for enhanced air force to air force collaboration, with a particular emphasis on cutting-edge niche technologies in cyber, space and electronic warfare domains.

They also expressed a firm commitment to fostering bilateral and multilateral operational exercises, aimed at fortifying collective response to emerging threats in the region. “The meeting between the Ch Air Staff is a testament to the strong commitment of both nations to further consolidate their strategic partnership through continued dialogue and military collaboration,” the news release said.

‘High-value target’ killed among two terrorists in Dera Ismail Khan IBO RAWALPINDI

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Security forces killed two terrorists, including a “high-value target (HVT)”, during an intelligencebased operation (IBO) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Dera Ismail Khan district on Thursday, according to the military’s media wing.

A press release issued by the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) said the IBO was conducted based on the reported presence of terrorists.

“During the conduct of operation, intense fire exchange took place between own troops and terrorists as a result of which HVT terrorist ringleader Ashraf Sheikh and terrorist Burhan Ullah were sent to

hell,” the ISPR said.

It added that the two were actively involved in numerous terrorist activities, including the targeted killing of innocent civilians. The ISPR further said that weapons, ammunition and explosives were also recovered.

“Sanitisation operation is being conducted to eliminate any other terrorist found in the area. Locals of the area appreciated the operation and expressed their full support to eliminate the menace of terrorism,” the ISPR said. Security forces had killed a terrorist in an exchange of fire during an IBO in KP’s North Waziristan district on Monday.

Three militants were killed in an IBO in Titterkhel town of Lakki Marwat district on Saturday.

Pakistan has witnessed an uptick in terror activities in the past year, especially in KP and Balochistan after the banned militant Tehreek-iTaliban Pakistan ended its ceasefire with the government in November 2022.

According to an annual security report issued by the Centre for Research and Security Studies, Pakistan witnessed 1,524 violence-related fatalities and 1,463 injuries from 789 terror attacks and counter-terror operations in 2023 — marking a record six-year high.

KP and Balochistan were the primary centres of violence, accounting for over 90 per cent of all fatalities and 84pc of attacks, including incidents of terrorism and security forces operations.

Cause list of IHC CJ’s single bench cancelled ISLAMABAD

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The cause list of all cases of single bench of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) heard by Chief Justice Aamir Farooq, has been cancelled on Thursday.

The cancelled cause list included the petitions of the PTI founder and lawyer Sikandar Zulqarnain. PTI founder and Sikandar Zulqarnain had filed petitions against appointment of two state defence counsels for accused in the cypher case.

Advocate Sikandar Zulqarnain has argued, in the plea, that the court had struck of the right to cross-examination of the defence by appointing state defence counsels. It is to be mentioned here that the Special Court had appointed Malik Abdul Rehman as the PTI founder’s defence counsel and Hazrat Younis to defend former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in the Cypher case. Judge Abual Hasnaat Muhammad Zulqarnain, in the order noted that the defence counsel on January 16 had agreed to conduct the

cross-examinations but did not appear in the next two court hearings. “Despite several opportunities given to the learned counsels for accused persons, this court is left with no choice but to appoint defense counsels for the accused to conduct cross-examination of the prosecution witnesses,” the order stated.

Published by Asad Nizami at Qandeel Printing Press, 4 Queens Road, Lahore, for PT Print (Pvt) Limited. Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965. Email: newsroom@pakistantoday.com.pk