Epaper_24-03-20 KHI

In par tnership with SBP likely to raise interest rates by 2pc in bid to unlock IMF programme

Profit

Govt again claims friendly countries will come through ‘in few days’

As confusion reigns over govt’s proposed fuel plan, market confidence dips

PTI To chAlleNge ecP’S PoSTPoNeMeNT of PUNjAb PollS IN APex coUrT TodAy

ISLAMABAD s ta f f r e p o r t

PAKISTAN Tehreek- -Insaf (PTI)

on Thursday announced to fi e a pet tion in the Supreme Court today (Friday) against the e ectoral body s decision of putting off elections in Punjab unt l October

In a surprising development on Wednesday the E ection Commission of Pakistan (ECP) delayed elections in the province until October 8 on the grounds that it could not conduct transparent and peaceful pol s on the schedu ed date of Apr l 30

In an eight-page order the ECP said that t cou d not hold the election honestly, justly and fair y in a peaceful manner due to security threats [and] in the absence of funds and being unable to prov de levelplay ng field to all political parties

It s worth mentioning that PML-N V ce President Mar yam Nawaz has been demanding level-p aying f eld for her party saying that elections can only be held if Imran Khan s sent behind the bars and d squa ified and that her father, Nawaz Shar f, s allowed to return to Pakistan and h s disqual fication verdict is overturned so as he is able to contest elections

Subsequent y, the ECP withdrew its notif cation regard ng the Punjab elect ons and postponed the voting for the prov ncial assembly unti October 8 2023 adding that a fresh election schedule would be announced in due course

We have decided to cha lenge this dec s on legally and a petition will be filed tomorrow Barrister Ali Zafar is work ng on the petition said PTI Sec-

retar y Genera Asad Umar on Thursday

He was addressing a press conference n Lahore flanked by Fawad Chaudhr y the party s sen or v ce president In the petition Umar said the party wi l p ead to the apex court to set aside the ECP s decis on which is aga nst the Constitution as well as Supreme Court s verd ct on Punjab and K-P polls The PTI leader said they wi l request the top court to ensure that elections to Punjab Assembly are held on Apri 30 as per the schedule announced by the ECP earlier in line with court s order

Speaking on the occasion

Fawad said the PTI was moving the apex court against the ECP s unconstitutional move and added that as many as 96 lawyers ’ bodies of the countr y ncluding the Supreme Court Bar Association had also rejected the dec sion to postpone the Punjab polls

PTI wil fully support if any lawyers movement is launched against the

MoST shelves inquir y about illegal appointments at NMIP

ISLAMABAD

G h u l a m a b b a s

Despite clear violation of set rules, findings and recommendations Ministr y of Sc ence and Technology (MoST) has shelved report about i lega appointments and v olations of ru es in National Metro ogy Institute of Pakistan (NMIP) an attached department of the ministr y formerly known as Nat onal Physical and Standards Laborator y (NPSL)

As per documents available with this scribe, the inquir y report submitted to Secretar y MoST has suggested crimina proceedings through FIA against ex sting acting Director General of NMIP Fozia Khan and others for acts of forger y, fabricat on destruction of evidence and for causing unlawful loss to the state

Interestingly as per findings of the inquir y committee headed by former Joint Secretar y/inquir y officer Hassan Ali Khan Laghar irregularities and forger y have been found in the recruitment process of employees by NPSL, initiated in November 2021 The committee has also found that the number of posts has been increased without sanct on and the strength of NPSL The number of posts (BS-1 to BS-15) advert sed were 42 wh le 66 employees were recruited by the department later While suggesting to examine the whole exercise of recruitment n BS01 to BS-15 the committee has special y h gh ighted a case of forger y which has been committed in the case of appointment of Saad Hassan an employee of NMIP (NPSL)

ISLAMABAD s ta f f r e p o r t

ECP decision, he added

The ECP order came at a t me

FBR to invoke foreign jurisdictions for investigation of criminal cases

l a h o r e s e h r: 4:41 a M i f t a r: 6:18 P M

l a h o r e s e h r: 4:31 a M i f t a r: 6:28 P M

when it has increasing y become clear that the pol s n Punjab may not take place on the stipulated date whi e the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) governor has yet to give the timeframe for the assembly election due n the province S u r p r i s i n g a s t m a y s e e m w h e n a l l e y e s w e r e o n t h e j o i n t s e s s o n o f Pa r a m e n t a n d a m e e ti n g o f t h e f e d e r a l c a b n e t o n We d n e s d a y t h e E C P r e l e a s e d i t s o r d e r c a r r y i n g i t s d e c i s i o n o f d el a y n g t h e e l e c t i o n s i n P u n j a b I n t h e f e d e r a l c a b i n e t m e e t i n g t h e ministers op ned that general elections should be he d simultaneous y across the countr y as neither was t p o s s i b l e t o h o l d p o s i n o n y t w o provinces nor did the security and monetar y situation favour them

Aurangzeb: ECP made right decision in defer ring Punjab polls

isl AmAbAd: Information Minister Marr yum Aurangzeb praised the decision of the E ect on Commiss on of Pak stan (ECP) to postpone general elections in Punjab citing security concerns According to Aurangzeb the decision was made in accordance w th Art cle 218 of the Constitut on which mandates that transparent mpartial and fair elections be held She noted that the comm ssion had consu ted with a l stakeho ders before reach ng this conclusion Aurangzeb emphas zed that holding e ections in two provinces on April 30 would have led to controversy and potentially caused a constitutional cris s as it would have resulted in the assembl es in Pun ab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa end ng six months earlier She also suggested that some individuals had reser vations about the election being imposed on two prov nces because of one person s ego a veiled reference to former premier Imran Khan The m nister stressed the importance of polit cal stab lity n the countr y and claimed that the decision had saved the countr y from potential nstability She said the Constitution cannot work at the will of one person and that break ng the Constitution and assembly whenever one wants would not be tolerated s ta f f r e p o r t

President Dr Arif A vi on Thursday conferred Pakistan s prestigious Hilal-i-Imtiaz award on founding ed tor of da y Pakistan Today late Arif N zami [October 1948–21] for his meritor ous ser vices in the fie d of journalism

The awards were conferred posthumously at an invest ture ceremony held at the Aiwane-Sadr in Is amabad The ceremony was attended by the cabinet members d plomats and fam ly members of the recipients of the awards

The award was received by the spouse of Arif Nizam

Mr N zami 72 was born to Hameed Nizami the founder of Nawa- -Waqt Group of newspapers, in Lahore in Oct 1948 Mr Nizami founded daily The Nation in 1986 and ser ved as its founding editor until 2009

In August 2010 Mr Nizami founded daily Pak stan Today and ser ved as its ed tor t ll 2021 He also ser ved as caretaker

Min ster for Information and Postal Ser v ce n year 2013 In 2015 Arif N zami became CEO of Channel 24 He was also the host of a po itical talk show “Debate News Analysis

Mr Arif Nizami is a so known for previously hosting a popular current affairs show on Samaa TV He was also a host in 92 News Ta k Show program Ho Kya Raha Hai

f i q a h-e-h a n f i a i s l a M a b a d s e h r: 4:43 a M i f t a r: 6:25 P M

k a r a c h i s e h r: 5:16 a M i f t a r: 6:45 P M f i q a h-e-j a f a r i a

i s l a M a b a d s e h r: 4:33 a M i f t a r: 6:35 P M

k a r a c h i s e h r: 5:06 a M i f t a r: 6:55 P M

Zalmay Khalilzad urges civil-militar y leadership to change ‘disastrous’ course

ISLAMABAD s ta f f r e p o r t D e s p i t e t h e Fo r e i g n O f f i c e r e j o i n d e r f o r m e r U S d p l o m a t Z a l m a y K h a l i l z a d c o n t n u e d t o d w e l l o n t h e c u r r e n t p o l i t c a l s i t u a t i o n i n Pa k i s t a n a s o n T h u r s d a y h e c a m e u p w t h a n o t h e r s t a t e m e n t u r g i n g t h e c o u n t r y s c i v i l a n d m t a r y l e a d e r s h p t o c h a n g e t h e d s a s t r o u s c o u r s e I n a m e s s a g e o n Tw i t t e r g r e e t i n g M u s m s a r o u n d t h e w o r d o n t h e s t a r t o f Ra m a z a n, K h a l i l z a d u s e d t h e o c c a s o n t o a s k I s l a m c c o u n t r i e s t o r e f l e c t u p o n n t h e h o l y m o n t h I n Pa k i s t a n c i v i l a n d m i l i t a r y l e a d e r s m g h t p o n d e r t h e s t a t e o f t h e r c o u n t r y a n d t h e d i s a s t r o u s c o u r s e i t i s o n I n r e s p e c t f o r t h e i r o b l i g a t i o n s a n d n t h e i n t e r e s t o f t h e r p e o p e t h e y s h o u l d c h a n g e c o u r s e, h e w r o t e T h i s w a s h i s t h r d s t a t e m e n t n a w e e k o n t h e b r e w i n g p o i t i c a l t e n s o n s i n Pa k i s t a n M a n y w e r e t a k e n b y s u r p r i s e t h e m a n n e r i n w h i c h f o r m e r U S d i p o m a t w a s t a k n g k e e n n t e r e s t i n Pa k i s t a n p o l i t i c s a n d m a k i n g s p e c f i c p r o p o s a l s

At UN, Pakistan’s envoy calls on communit y to keep flame of freedom alive NEW YORK s ta f f r e p o r t I n a m e s s a g e c o m m e m o r a t i n g Pa k i s t a n D a y t h e n a t i o n s A m b a s s a d o r t o t h e U n i t e d N a t i o n s M u n i r A k r a m c a l l e d f o r s u p p o r t f o r h i s c o m p a t r o t s b a c k h o m e, p a r t i c u l a r l y t h o s e w h o a r e m a r g i n a l i s e d a n d v u l n e r a b l e A k r a m p a i d t r i b u t e t o M u h a m m a d A l i J i n n a h a n d a t h e l e a d e r s o f t h e f r e e d o m m o v e m e n t w h o f o u g h t f o r t h e c r e a t i o n o f Pa k i s t a n s a y i n g : “ We m u s t ke e p t h e f l a m e o f f r e e d o m a l i v e A c k n o w l e d g i n g t h e p g h t o f Ka s h m r i M u s l i m s v i n g u n d e r I n d i a n o c c u p a t i o n a n d t h e d i s c r i m i n a t i o n a n d v i o l e n c e f a c e d b y o v e r 2 0 0 m i l l i o n M u s l i m s i n I n d i a A m b a s s a d o r A k r a m e x p r e s s e d g r a t i t u d e f o r t h e f r e e d o m s e n j o y e d b y Pa k i s t a n i s i n t h e r s o v e r e i g n a n d n d e p e n d e n t s t a t e H e c r e d t e d t h e f o r e s i g h t a n d s t r e n g t h o f Pa k i s t a n s Fo u n d i n g Fa t h e r s f o r e n a b l i n g t h e c o u n t r y t o l i v e n f r e e d o m i n c l u d i n g t h e f r e e d o m t o p r a c t i c e t h e r f a t h a n d p u r s u e t h e i r c o l l e c t i v e w e l l - b e i n g O n t h i s d a y A k r a m u r g e d h i s f e l l o w Pa k i s t a n i s t o c e l e b r a t e t h e i r s u c c e s s e s a n d t h e s t r e n g t h o f t h e r c o u n t r y a s t h e f i f t h l a r g e s t i n t h e w o r d, a m a j o r m i l i t a r y a n d n u c l e a r w e a p o n s t a t e a n d a p r o p o n e n t o f j u s t i c e a n d e q u a l i t y a c r o s s t h e w o r l d H o w e v e r h e a l s o c a e d f o r d e e p n t r o s p e c t i o n a n d r e m e m b r a n c e o f t h e w s d o m a n d f o r t i t u d e o f t h e i r a n c e s t o r s I n a d d i t i o n A k r a m u r g e d c o m m i t m e n t t o m p r o v i n g t h e c o n d i t o n s o f a l l Pa k s t a n i s e s p e c a l l y t h e p o o r d i s a d v a n t a g e d w e a k a n d v u l n e r a b l e

No requirement in Pak program that inter feres with polls: imF

ISLAMABAD

s ta f f r e p o r t

In an apparent snub to the federal government the nternational Monetar y Fund (IMF) on Thursday made it clear that decisions regarding the constitutional ty feasibility and t ming of prov ncial and general elections “rest solely w th Pakistan’s nstitutions clarify ng that there was no requirement under Pak stan s Extended Fund Fac lity-supported programme which could interfere w th the countr y ’s abil ty to undertake constitutional activities

The statement from the nternational monetar y lender comes a day after the E ection Commission of Pakstan (ECP) decided to put off Punjab Assembly elections by more than five months citing f nancial and secur ty constraints

The ECP s order detailed a meet ng

held on March 9 where n the M n str y of F

nance secretar y briefed the comm ss on that due to the paucity of funds and f nancial crunch, the countr y is fac ng an unprecedented economic crisis and it was under compulsion by IMF programme which has set targets for maintenance of fiscal discip ine and deficit, and it would be d fficu t for [the] government to release funds now for elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab and later down the l ne for Sindh Balochistan and the National Assembly polls

The order a so said that the Punjab chief secretar y, in a meeting held on March 14 had said that “ it shall not be possible for the provincial government to fund the e ections citing various financial commitments as well as the IMF programme s requirement that Punjab maintain a cash surplus of Rs413/9 b llion [s c]

Meanwh le IMF Res dent Representat ve for Pak stan Esther Perez Ruiz made a statementa suggesting that the targets under IMF-supported programmes are set at the aggregate genera government leve (aggregatng across federa and provincial government), and w thin these there is fiscal space to allocate or reprioritise spending and/or raise addit ona revenues to ensure constitut onal activities can take place as required Cash-strapped Pakistan is in a race aga nst time to implement measures to reach an agreement with the IMF The agreement with the IMF on the completion of the ninth review of a $7bn oan programme which has been delayed since ate ast year over a policy framework would not only ead to

aw y e r s ’ L e a d e r H a s s a a n n i a z i s e n t

n 1 4 - d ay j u d i c i a L r e m a n d

ISLAMABAD

S ta f f R e p o R t

aN Islamabad district and sessions court on Thursday sent Hassaan

Niazi, the nephew of PTI Chairman Imran Khan, to jail on 14-day judicial remand in a case related to misbehaving with police officials

Duty Magistrate Mureed Abbas rejected the police’s request for an extension in Niazi’s physical remand and said police had failed to recover anything from the suspect

He added that Niazi should be presented before the court on April 6 Niazi was re-arrested on Monday in a

separate case as he was leaving the Federal Judicial Complex (FJC) after securing prearrest bail in three cases

A new first information report (FIR) which relates to the alleged misbehaviour with officials was registered against him at the Ramna police station

The FIR was registered at the Ramna Police Station on the complaint of Assistant Sub-Inspector Khuban Shah under Sections 34 (common intention), 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 324 (attempted murder), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 427 (mischief causing damage amounting to

Gov t again claims friendly countries will come through ‘in few days’

ContInueD froM BACk pAge

T h e l e a d u p Ahsan’s statement follows similar assurances by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif who is betting against an ailing economy and the ever-increasing fervour for Imran Khan to take back leadership On March 15 the premier had rejected recent reports in the media claiming the deal with the IMF had been delayed because of continuing political uncertainty He went on to say that Pakistan had accepted the harshest of demands set by the IMF and that the deal was 2-3 days away

On March 16, Dar told the country’s upper house of parliament that several countries had made commitments to support Pakistan during previous International Monetary Fund (IMF) reviews, adding that the IMF was now asking for those commitments

“At the time of the previous reviews several friendly countries had made commitments to bilaterally support Pakistan what IMF is now asking (is) that they should actually complete and materialize those commitments he said adding: That s the only delay

However on March 20 the Middle East Eye had reported that Saudi Arabia s decision to refuse to provide any further bailouts or interest-free loans to Pakistan has left the government in Islamabad in shock With the IMF already demanding that Pakistan provide written assurances from lender countries to achieve a staff level accord, hopes of a deal seem bleak Donors and lenders have demanded structural reforms before giving more funds to Pakistan

Pakistan’s creditors are knocking at the door for repayments and short-term inflation has climbed over 45% As things stand Pakistan will need $5 billion external financing to close its financing gap this fiscal year which ends in June to avoid default

The government has been trying to receive loans from friendly countries to try and shore up forex reserves and avoid default Pakistan has previously received a $700m loan from China to help in this regard a s e r i e s o f b a d c a l l s

On August 4, with Miftah Ismail still in charge, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Acting Governor Dr Murtaza Syed had announced that Pakistan was set to get assurances of $4 billion additional financing from friendly countries this week that will pave the way for the revival of the IMF programme

The discussions are taking place on various options to secure assurances for $4 billion financing and we hope that it will be done this week he had said adding that Pakistan was also in discussions with China for additional financing

It was also reported that the UAE was more interested in potentially acquiring some assets, and Saudi Arabia is ready to give loans as well as oil on deferred payments

Although the finance minister did not name the countries who made commitments to Pakistan, Saudi Arabia the United Arab Emirates Qatar and China have helped the country in recent months by rolling over debts and giving dollar deposits and oil on credit

Come September 2022 however with Ishaq Dar now in the hot seat the situation was still in limbo

Dar who during a television interview said he knew how to deal with the IMF since he had been doing it for decades decided to artificially keep the price of the rupee high However this strategy failed within a few months and by January 2023 Pakistan was staring down the possibility of default

The country began facing a shortage of forex reserves that has led to a curb of imports and skyrocketing inflation

On January 31, an IMF delegation visiting Islamabad was unable to agree with Pakistani officials on how much money the country needs to avoid defaulting on external payment obligations They left without a deal on February 9

The IMF wants Pakistan to get the assurance for up to $7 billion to fund this fiscal year s balance of payments gap Dar however is of the opinion that it should be around $5 billion While avoiding answers with regard to debt accumulated in current government tenure owing to currency depreciation the finance minister has so far ruled out imposing financial emergency in the ongoing situation

Rs50) and 506(2) (criminal intimidation) of the Pakistan Penal Code

The FIR alleged that the police had tried to stop Niazi s vehicle but the driver tried to run them over It said that upon being stopped Niazi stepped out of the vehicle verbally abused the police and threatened to shoot them On Tuesday a district and sessions court had remanded Niazi into police custody for two days The same day, Niazi had filed an appeal against the decision

Earlier in the day, the PTI leader was presented in the court of Judicial Magistrate Mureed Abbas Niazi was represented by Advocate Faisal Chaudhry

At the outset of the hearing the

investigating officer (IO) requested the court for an extension in Niazi’s physical remand saying that the “pistol and car [involved in the incident] needed to be recovered

Presenting his arguments Chaudhry opposed the police request for an extension More than 72 hours have passed but they still have to recover the pistol he remarked

Reading out the text of the FIR the lawyer said: In 72 hours, the police could not find out which car it was and on whose name it was registered The suspect is a lawyer by profession and on that day, he had obtained bail in three other cases ” He maintained that cases were being registered on ‘political grounds’ “Hassaan

Niazi s sin is that he is Imran Khan s nephew, he asserted Chaudhry also referred to a case filed against TV anchor Siddique Jan and said that he was discharged when police could not find anything against him “This is [about] lawyers’ cause; it should be seen from a better angle,” he asserted at the conclusion of his arguments

Subsequently Niazi’s other lawyer Ali Bukhari also presented his arguments

The police report stated that Niazi was picked up at 11am but the arrest was made at 4pm he pointed He asserted that his client s arrest was illegal and said that a lot of people sat inside after Niazi s arrest as they feared they could also be arrested

Pakistan begins obser ving most expensive Ramzan ever

February on a year-on-year basis

pr ofIt report Pakistan faces its most challenging Ramadan yet with soaring inflation making headlines each month With prices of essential items at an all-time high, food items of daily use such as flour and onions are being sold for Rs1,295-3,100 and Rs100-200

The Sensitive Price Index (SPI) during the first week of Ramazan in April 2022 to a day ahead of this holy month reveals that consumers are struggling to procure average quality wheat flour with a 20kg bag now priced at Rs1 295-3 100 in various parts of Pakistan compared to Rs800-1 500 per bag last Ramadan Branded fine flour bags weighing 5kg and 10kg are available for Rs820-870 and Rs1 600 respectively, showing an increase of 80-90% over last year Flour no 2 5 and fine varieties, which were priced at Rs65-67 and Rs70-75 per kg, are now tagged at Rs140 and Rs150-160 per kg, respectively

The price of onions has increased to Rs100-200 per

kg compared to Rs40-80 per kg last Ramadan

Consumers are now using Sindh crop as growers have made hectic efforts to re-cultivate the crop The government allowed imports to bridge the supply gap following the flood devastation of crops in Sindh and Balochistan in August last year The price of gram pulse (daal channa) has climbed to Rs220-320 per kg from Rs148-200 per kg, while masoor, moong, and mash rates have surged to Rs240-330, Rs250-350, and Rs280-480 per kg from Rs190-240, Rs116-220, and Rs200-310 per kg since the last Ramadan According to SPI data, one kg ghee pouch of Dalda has risen to Rs570-638 from Rs399-484, and the rate of five-litre Dalda cooking oil has gone up to Rs3 000-3 510 from Rs2 060-2 485 However many retailers are demanding Rs650670 for branded cooking oil and ghee r e c o r d b r e a k i n g i n f l aT i o n: Earlier in February following the hike in fuel prices interest rates and import constraints the inflation in the country has registered an all-time high of 31 6 % in

Even though the officials at PBS termed this inflation as the highest rate since 1973-1974 the economic survey of the same fiscal year shows the inflation of 29 3 % making February s inflation the highest ever in the country s history PBS officials claim that the yearly average inflation for the 19731974 financial year was 32 78% T h e r o a d a h e a d : I n i t s m o n t h l y E c o n o m i c U p d a t e a n d O u t l o o k r e p o r t r e l e a s e d o n F e b r u a r y 2 8 , t h e F i n a n c e M i n i s t r y f o r e c a s t e d t h a t i n f l a t i o n w i l l r e m a i n h i g h i n t h e c o m i n g m o n t h s b e f o r e e a s i n g o u t g r a d u a l l y It is expected that inflation will remain around 28 to 30% in coming months The key reasons are uncertain political and economic environment pass through of currency depreciation recent rise in energy prices and increase in administered prices Although SBP has been enacting contractionary monetary policy the inflationary expectation would take some time to settle

As confusion reigns over govt ’s proposed fuel plan, market confidence dips

ContInueD froM BACk pAge

A staff-level agreement will follow once the few remaining points are closed, Ruiz elaborated “Ensuring there is sufficient financing to support the authorities in the implementation of their policy agenda is the paramount priority ” Well that is one thing not just the IMF but the entire country is concerned about

This relates to the IMF funding because the global lender expects Pakistan to fulfil their conditions one of which is a ban on subsidies Therefore concerns regarding losing the IMF loan rose after the new scheme was announced

Moreover another delay in the funding as communicated by the Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, was the IMF s wish to see countries fulfil the pledges they have made to assist Pakistan in bolstering its finances, before approving the bailout package T h e c u r r e n T s TaT e o f a f fa i r s : As it

stands Pakistan remains the only South Asian country that has failed to secure a bailout from the IMF Sri Lanka secured financing this week while Bangladesh pushes on with carrying out IMF-mandated reforms leaving Pakistan the only one scrambling to meet the demands of the global lender However Pakistan has been taking several measures to revive a stalled $6 5 billion IMF loan programme These measures encompass increases in taxes, fuel prices and a shift to a more market-based exchange rate d a m a g e i n T h e wa k e o f T h i s o ng o i n g e c o n o m i c T u r m o i l : It is an understatement to say that any government policy or decision does not operate in a vacuum The recent petroleum relief package is no different Apart from the risky outcome of this new fuel subsidy there are other implications of it The uncertainty surrounding the outcome of this decision has increased the volatility in the market by ten folds with consequences bleeding into the stock market

The impending threat of not securing a loan from the IMF has caused the stock market to plummet On Tuesday share prices fluctuated within a small range throughout the session after trading began at a low Anxieties fostered by the ongoing politicoeconomic unrest urged investors to approach with caution, shared Arif Habib Ltd The uncertainty of securing an IMF loan led investors to be hesitant, causing volumes on the mainboard of the exchange to dry up Meanwhile, third-tier stocks continued their dominance Analyst Ahsan Mehanti revealed that the dismal data on foreign direct investment showing a 40 per cent fall for July-February on a year-on-year basis was another reason for poor investor participation Consequently the KSE-100 index settled at 40 877 98 points down 40 47 points or 0 1 per cent from the preceding session This reflects that the shocks from the current economic crisis are far reaching and becoming worse with every passing day

Despite international pressure, Pakistan proceeds with the second phase of CPEC

ContInueD froM BACk pAge

This MOC is expected to enter into force on the date of signatures and shall remain valid unless terminated Moreover the activities undertaken during the validity of this MOC shall continue to be governed by its provisions till their completion, unless both sides agree otherwise i n T e r n aT i o n a l p r e s s u r e

The pressure to discontinue the CPEC project comes from Pakistan’s debt issue In 2013, when CPEC initially commenced, Pakistan was indebted to China for $4 1 billion However, by March 2020, this debt had risen by 185% from $4 1 billion to $11 8 billion to China with a total debt of $72 7 billion to all loaners (China and others) combined According to

IMF data, the amount was higher when loan from commercial Chinese banks was factored in, with over $6 74 billion in 2019 This became the source of concern for US government officials and analysts whereby Pakistan’s rapidly growing debt problem to China made CPEC look like a bad idea However it can be argued that the debt issue is not due to Chinese malfeasance but because of Pakistan s own handicapped political economy Moreover the commencement of CPEC set in motion a shift in regional alliances with prominent opposition from India India s main reason for resistance was the CPEC route, which passes through Pakistan s Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan regions that are considered to be areas disputed between Pakistan

Nation celebrates Pakistan D ay

ISLAMABAD S ta f f R e p o R t

As the nation celebrates Pakistan Day on Thursday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Dr Arif Alvi paid homage to the “relentless struggle” of the founding fathers of the country Pakistan Day commemorates the passing of the Lahore Resolution on March 23 1940 when the All-India Muslim League demanded a separate nation for the Muslims of the British Indian Empire

The day dawned with a 31-gun salute in the federal capital and a 21-gun salute in the provincial capitals A change of guards ceremony was also held at the mausoleums of Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah and Allama Iqbal in Karachi and Lahore respectively Special prayers were offered in mosques after Fajr prayers for the progress and prosperity of the country

However the Pakistan Day Military Parade of the Armed Forces at the Aiwan-e-Sadr, scheduled to be held on Pakistan Day, was postponed till Saturday (March 25) due to bad weather Meanwhile, President Dr Arif Alvi, prime minister Shehbaz Sharif and other leaders conveyed their greetings and congratulated the nation In his message to the nation, President Dr Arif Alvi recalled that the country established state institutions made its defence impregnable achieved nuclear deterrence curbed terrorism overcame the Covid-19 pandemic and displayed the spirit of sacrifice and cooperation in the face of natural calamities However he said we still have a long way to go to ensure the rule of law strengthen democracy reduce inequalities in our society empower women provide the rights of persons with disabilities, eradicate terrorism and extremism, ensure the political and economic stability of the country, and protect the

and India Other points of contention towards the project are owed to the potential bolstering of China’s position as the regional hegemon, challenging the highly contested superpower status between India and China Moreover in case of CPEC’s success Pakistan would gain some stability and economic strength As Pakistan s historical rival India would obviously oppose any project that makes this possibility a reality In conclusion despite resistance from international entities Pakistan and China have decided to continue the now decade-old CPEC project This decision is tricky considering Pakistan s destitute economic situation and the desperation with which it needs an IMF bailout Will we get an IMF loan after continuously going after the lender s (and others concerned) wishes?

human rights of our citizens Today we pay tribute to the founding fathers of our nation whose struggles and sacrifices led to the creation of Pakistan he said The president said the persecution of minorities especially the Muslims in India, the rising wave of violence against Muslims, the violation of human rights, and the brutalities being committed by the Indian security forces in the Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir proved that the Muslim leadership of that time made a prudent decision He recalled that at the time of independence the country faced many challenges but despite these challenges it made tremendous achievements in every field through continuous hard work and ability PM Shehbaz felicitated the nation on the occasion saying that today was a reminder that no matter what the challenges human will was capable of attaining the impossible Today the nation pays homage to Pakistan s founding fathers for their political wisdom sagacity & determination to wage a relentless struggle for a separate homeland, the premier tweeted Living nations put themselves to rigorous audit by comparing their performance to the ideals

ISLAMABAD S ta f f R e p o R t T h e I n t e r i o r M i n i s t r y h a s d e c i d e d t o c o n s t i t u t e a s p e c i a l t a s k f o r c e a g a i n s t t h e a n t i - a r m y c a m p a i g n A s p e r d e t a i l s , t h e t a s k f o r c e w i l l i n c l u d e o ff i c e r s f r o m F I A , P TA a n d N A D R A I t w a s r e v e a l e d t h a t m o r e t h a n e i g h t Ti k t o k a c c o u n t s , 4 4 Tw i t t e r a c c o u n t s a n d 5 0 F a c e b o o k a c c o u n s t s d i d t h e p r o p a g a n d a T h e p o l i c e a n d l a w e n f o r c e m e n t a g e n c i e s w i l l a l s o a s s i s t t h e t a s k f o r c e a n d t h e y w i l l a l s o g i v e s u g g e s t i o n t o t h e t a s k f o r c e s o u r c e s a d d e d E a r l i e r P r i m e M i n i s t e r ( P M ) S h e h b a z S h a r i f s t r o n g l y c o n d e m n e d t h e s m e a r c a m p a i g n a g a i n s t t h e a r m y c h i e f G e n e r a l A s i m Munir

PTI hires lobbying firm to improve relations with US decision-makers: repor t

Gov t decides to constitute task force against anti-army campaign

K a r a c H i i t e s c o m p L a i n G a s s u p p Ly c u t s d u r i n G r a m a z a n

kArACHI S ta f f R e p o R t

aM I D unprecedented inflation and t r i c k l i n g i n c o m e s t h e r e s i d e n t s o f K a r a c h i h a v e c o m p l a i n e d f o r f a c i n g y e t a n o t h e r i s s u e o f g a s s u p p l y c u t s a t t h e e v e t h i s

Ramazan Major complaints regarding gas l o a d - s h e d d i n g a n d s h o r t a g e s h a v e b e e n reported from across the metropolis, with

citizens expecting a major cooking crisis d u r i n g t h e h o l y m o n t h S a b a N a v e e d , a r e s i d e n t o f Ly a r i t o l d m e d i a , t h e r e h a s b e e n n o g a s a t h e r h o u s e f o r n e a r l y f o u r m o n t h s n o w “ W h e n y o u s w i t c h o n t h e s t o v e t h e r e i s o n l y a s t a l e s m e l l t h a t comes out of it there is no gas pressure a t a l l t h e m o t h e r o f t h r e e s a i d a d d i n g that her family has permanently shifted to using gas cylinders S a b a elaborated that a 2 5kg gas

cylinder costs her Rs600, which lasts for nearly two weeks “It is not just about the money rather it is a real risk using a gas cylinder with three children under the age of 10 around ” she said She further said that the concerned department does not entertain public complaint to address Moreover Saba revealed that despite the poor supply the gas company was charging them between Rs600 and Rs700 for the utility every month More than 15 kilometres

away, the residents of Gulshan-i-Iqbal are facing a similar ordeal “We only get gas for six hours a day,”

Usman, 28, told “The time when gas is available is from 2am to 4:30am and 4pm to 8pm Otherwise; our stove is cold throughout the day U s m a n i s r e s p o n s i b l e f o r r u n n i n g a h o u s e o f s i x p e o p l e e x c l u d i n g h i m s e l f b u t h a s b e e n j o b l e s s f o r o v e r s i x m o n t h s H e i s a l r e a d y f a c i n g a s e r i o u s f i n a n c i a l

c h a l l e n g e a n d t h e g a s s h o r t a g e h a s o n l y w o r s e n e d h i s w o e s

“They charge us the complete amount of bills there is no compromise on that But when it comes to providing gas it is only we who are compromising Is this fair? he asked Media also received reports that gas was not available in several areas of the upscale Defence Housing Authority area including Phase V Phase 1 Phase VI and Phase VII

R amzan festivit y brings lively atmosphere, hustle bustle in mosques

ISLAMABAD S ta f f R e p o R t

ABHI joins hands with Master Group to provide AbhiS

to employees

LAHore S ta f f R e p o R t

ABHI, an embedded fintech company, has signed an agreement with Master Group of Industries, operating in bedding, textile, automotive, chemical, furniture, and renewable energy industries AbhiSalary will enable Master Group’s employees to access their earned wages ahead of their scheduled payday empowering them with greater financial flexibility and control AbhiSalary allows employees to access a portion of their earned wages before payday within 30 seconds giving them the ability to manage their finances more effectively

By partnering with Master Group ABHI will be able to expand its reach and provide financial wellness to a wider range of employees across the country and financially empower Pakistan We are thrilled to partner with Master Group and provide their employees with AbhiSalary," said Mohammad Zaidi, Director of Business Development & Sales at ABHI

"The financial wellness benefit is designed to help employees access their salaries flexibly and reduce their reliance on expensive payday loans and other forms of short-term credit By partnering with Master Group we can help even more employees take control of their finances achieve their financial goals Instituted in 1963 Master Group is a leading manufacturer of bedding textiles chemicals automotive engineering and power solutions with a strong reputation for employee wellness The partnership with ABHI is part of Master Group s commitment to supporting its employees and providing them with the tools and resources they need to succeed

Impor tant to learn advanced

level First Aid and CPR training for doc tors and paramedic al staff

LAHore p R

Red Crescent Punjab is providing first aid training with the aim of first aid for everyone and the mission to create the first aider in every home First Aid Pre Hospital & Emergency Care is a flagship program working under Red Crescent Punjab with footprints in Punjab and continuously providing free of cost training to Doctors, Paramedical Staff, Medical Professionals, College Students and Teachers, Government Departments, and the Journalist Community on the whole To fulfill the ongoing objective the First Aid Team of Red Crescent Punjab organized a two-day advanced level first aid training with CPR on 21st and 22nd March 2023 at KotKhawajaSaeed Medical and Teaching Hospital Lahore where doctors and paramedical staff of the hospital were given a brief introduction about first aid and CPR with practical demonstrations and real-time practice so that they can able to justify the training by responding to any situation occur in case of emergency

Moreover the audience was also briefed about different types of first aid provided in learning/enhancing basic life-saving skills in case of health emergencies at the workplace be it a bleeding management case an unconscious patient's management, choking, burns management, sudden collapses, other circulatory emergencies in times of Earth Quake, Heat Stroke, etc

In addition, the audience was given a short introduction to the RCRC Movement, Mandate, Mission, Core Functions and Fundamental Principles of Red Crescent Punjab with the objective of creating awareness among trained participants The participants appreciated the training methodology and curriculum of first aid and the contribution of Red Crescent Punjab toward humanity In

ISLAMABAD S ta f f R e p o R t Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah on Thursday said that if the Supreme Court does not make a prudent decision regarding the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) postponing polls in Punjab then the economic and political stability of the country will be impacted In a series of tweets the minister furthered that an unwise decision from the

On the first day of Ramzan rain of light to moderate intensity in Islamabad like other parts of the country had turned the weather pleasant and a large number of faithful visitors rushed to mosques at Sehri time to focus more on religious observances Imams and muezzins of all the mosques in the country had been instructed to keep the place tidy and ensure an adequate supply of power and water during the holy month to meet the requirements of the increased number of Muslims according to a report aired by ptv news channel

Like every year this year too the hustle and bustle in mosques had increased with the advent of Ramzan said a citizen Abbas

A large number of citizens observed Sehri at homes while a huge influx of people was also seen in restaurants as well a shopkeeper at Jinnah Super added The weather became more pleasant with downpours on the first day of the holy month said another citizen adding it brought a shine to the faces of the faithful and hope that the next fasting days would also be pleasant We are making every effort to give the worshippers a conducive environment to offer their prayers at the mosque with serenity and sanctity, said an administrative officer in a local mosque Special arrangements were also made for Sehri and iftar in mosques, said an Imam A heavy rush of the faithful was witnessed in the mosques with the advent of the holy month of Ramzan said another imam of a mosque adding special prayers were also offered for the

prosperity and integrity of the country and the well-being of the people Thousands of people offered Namaz at various mosques on the occasion of the

K ashmiris celebrate Pakistan D ay with full enthusiasm, devotion

MIrpur S ta f f R e p o R t

Kashmiris dwelling on both sides of the Line of Control (LoC) on Thursday celebrated Pakistan Day with full enthusiasm and devotion

The day dawned with payers at Fajr in the mosques where worshippers prayed to the Almighty for the safety, security, integrity, progress and prosperity of Pakistan and the early success of the Kashmiris just and principled struggle for the liberation of Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir from the Indian forced and unlawful occupation

In AJK, flag-hoisting ceremonies to mark the celebration of Pakistan day were held in a befitting manner at all small and major cities and towns Pakistan and AJK flags were hoisted atop all small and major private and public buildings Various private social political and public representative

organisations hosted special programmes to celebrate the day

In Muzaffarabad, Pakistan Day was marked with a major national flag hoisting ceremony – where the national flags of Pakistan and AJK were raised to mark the national day with Kashmiris’ deep-rooted love and affection for Pakistan

Pakistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir flags were hoisted atop all public and private buildings in the State metropolis Special Pakistan Day ceremonies were held in all ten districts of AJK including Muzaffarabad Neelam valley, Jhelum valley, Havaili, Mirpur, Bhimbher, Kotli, Bagh, Sudhnoti, Rawalakot, besides their respective sub-divisional headquarters Speakers in these ceremonies highlighted the significance of the day in the backdrop of the history of the Pakistan movement launched under the dynamic leadership of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah

C hina’s Tianjin College helps empowering Pakistani youth

ISLAMABAD S ta f f R e p o R t

Luban Workshop, an initiative jointly advanced by Pakistan and Tianjin Modern Vocational Technology College, China and Punjab Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority (TEVTA) is empowering local youth by equipping them with technical know-how “So far 33 Pakistani graduates have received both Pakistani vocational training certificate and Chinese academic certificate Ms Zhang Ying director of International Department

Tianjin Modern Vocational Technology College told China Economic Net (CEN)

Under this initiative students first take a sixmonth course of Luban Workshop, then a 24-month study on electrical automation at Tianjin Modern Vocational Technology College, and six-month internship in enterprises in alliance with the workshop “Eight enterprises in Pakistan have entered into industry-education alliance with Luban Workshop, providing employment opportunities to the students” Ms Zhang added

Unveiled at the Punjab TEVTA in 2018 the workshop primarily serves the industrial modernization

of Lahore and Multan to help Pakistan s industrial transformation and agricultural mechanization

To cultivate technical talents with necessary capabilities 32 teachers from Pakistan and China have developed six textbooks one set of simulation software, 160 pieces of courseware, and nearly 1,500 minutes of teaching videos

The star course, Industrial Automation and Robotics which has been included in the technical education and vocational training system of Punjab, has completed 4,000 class hours of teaching in the local area trained 13 572 technical youth in neighboring provinces and seen all the students find

“In collaboration with MNS University of Agriculture Multan we carry out an agricultural machinery training program Following a two-month training last October and November a Chinese company donated a self-propelled corn harvester to MNSUAM and more modern machinery are yet to be introduced to Pakistan Ms Zhang told CEN Annually, an average of 512 local teachers, students, and users with bachelor degree or above receive agricultural training, promoting the mechanization and technological innovation in Pakistan’s agriculture sector

RUDA commemorates World Water D ay

LAHore S ta f f R e p o R t

Ravi Urban Development Authority (RUDA)

commemorated World Water Day on March 22 2023 by emphasizing the significance of water consumption and sanitization for a healthier future

RUDA is committed to promoting sustainable water management practices in its territorial jurisdiction and enhancing water availability and quality To address the water crisis, RUDA is implementing several measures to improve sanitation and water availability in its territorial jurisdiction

The CEO RUDA Imran Amin said, “RUDA’s

apex court would cause anarchy chaos and riots across the country He said that there are different opinions regarding the election and that the Parliament had the authority to guide the government and institutions Sana added that the incumbent government wanted to proceed according to the Constitution

The interior minister stated that on orders from the SC the electoral watchdog gave the election schedule and the government had

efforts towards promoting sustainable water management practices align with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals We are utilizing advanced technologies to improve water quality and availability in the region Geo-membranes help to prevent seepage and control the water level in reservoirs Solid waste management techniques waste-to-energy conversion and afforestation also help us to reduce pollution and preserve water resources Leachate treatment is another crucial aspect of our efforts to ensure sustainable water management practices We are using state-of-the-art technologies to treat leachate a by-product of waste decomposition in landfills, to prevent it from contaminating groundwater, he added

initiated the process under those directives Sana maintained that the government could not even think of revoking the top court s orders Sana added that there will be no level playing field in the National Assembly elections in the presence of the ruling government after the provincial elections, adding that questions would be raised on the conduct of fair and transparent elections The interior minister further said that it would be better for the country if the elections of all the

first sehri of Ramzan said Ali a resident of G-6 Even the youngsters clad in kurta pyjamas and white topi reached the mosque to offer prayers

ecp asked to withdraw decision to postpone punjab election

LAHore S ta f f R e p o R t

Barrister Azhar Siddique, who serves as the chairman of the Judicial Activism Panel, has criticised the decision of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to postpone elections in Punjab on the flimsy pretext of the security situation in the country and the shortage of funds Azhar has written a letter to the tribunal observing the decision to delay the elections is against the Constitution and the law and is also in contempt of the Supreme Court judgment ordering elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa within 90 days The lawyer has argued that the ECP is obligated by the Constitution to hold clear and transparent elections, and the apex court has given a clear order in this regard According to Azhar, postponing the election till October 8 is also a violation of the Constitution and the Election Act, 2017 He has suggested that the ECP should withdraw its decision to postpone the election and complete arrangements to hold the election on April 30 Azhar has warned that if the ECP does not withdraw its decision a contempt of court petition will be filed in the higher courts The development came a day after the election authority announced the postponement of elections in the nation s largest province which were scheduled for April 30 Elections in Punjab will now be held on October 8 together with general elections in the country it said in a late-night notification The Constitution requires that new elections be held within 90 days of the dissolution of any of the legislative assemblies, both central and provincial The government, however, insisted on holding national and provincial elections simultaneously

us lawmaker proposes resolution to declare march 23 as pakistan day

WASHIngton S ta f f R e p o R t

The US House of Representatives introduced a resolution to designate March 23 as “Pakistan Day” with the aim of strengthening Islamabad-Washington relations and recognising the important role played by the Pakistani-American community in inspiring and strengthening the US Congressman Jamaal Bowman of the Democratic Party who represents New York initiated the landmark resolution which would help foster ethnic pride and cultural diversity thereby strengthening the fabric of US communities According to Radio Pakistan, the resolution said that recognising and paying tribute to those who foster ethnic pride and cultural diversity is important and desirable for the United States The resolution also highlighted that Pakistan Day provides an excellent opportunity for all US residents to learn more about Pakistan’s rich heritage and foster an appreciation for its ancient culture among future generations Pakistan s Ambassador to the US Masood Khan thanked Bowman for his initiative which would bring the two countries and their people closer to each other Congressman Bowman also expressed his solidarity with Pakistan which has been hit by a natural disaster and conveyed his message of peace and love to the people of Pakistan

assemblies were transparent, fair, and conducted at the same time in the presence of caretaker governments His statement comes as all eyes are set on Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial in the wake of the ECP’s surprising volte-face to postpone the Punjab elections originally scheduled for April 30 till October 8 CJP Bandial – who has already made it clear that the Supreme Court would interfere in case the polls were delayed – had earlier invoked suo motu jurisdiction to hold general elections of both provincial assemblies within 90 days

Now, the electoral watchdog s announcement has potentially thrown the ball back to the SC s court, renewing debate whether the top court – which was divided over ideological lines – would compel the ECP and executive authorities to hold elections of two provincial assemblies immediately The twist comes at a time when a section of SC judges is being accused of tilting the scales in PTI s favour is purportedly revealed in an alleged video leak of Muhammad Khan Bhatti former principal secretary to ex-chief minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi in which he accused some judicial figures of supporting the PTI

Najia Naqavi Chief Service Quality MMBL and Kashif Maqbool Sehgal Regional Head KP iConsult sign MoU to boost financial inclusion in South, and North Waziristan and Khyber Districts, under the USAIDfunded FATA Economic Revitalization Programme (FERP), facilitated by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) pR

tH e election commission of pakistan s postponing of the punjab poll from April 30 to October 8, did not come as a surprise, because the word out had been that the polls to the two provincial assemblies dissolved by the ptI would not be held within the 90-day time limit prescribed by the constitution It had been confidently asserted that the polls would be held together with those of the other two provincial assemblies and the national Assembly the October 8 date seems appropriate for polls to be held after the expiry in August of the five-year tenure of the current assemblies the ecp s has offered reasoning for its actions because it will have to defend its stance before the Supreme court, whose chief Justice had said a matter of hours before the ecp made public its decision, that the Supreme court would intervene if there was illintent in holding the poll the ecp will have to show absence of ill intent whenever it goes before the Supreme court, it being a safe bet that the postponement will end up in court there are always good reasons why such a complex exercise, involving so many people, will face obstacles But surmounting obstacles is the ecp’s job the two major concerns are money and security the ecp has shown that it has failed to plan in advance Money will always be an issue Security s well Yet the ecp has to keep in mind that any chief minister, any prime minister, may dissolve his assembly, with regard to his own convenience not the ecp’s It has to be ready to step and hold an election true there is little the Supreme court can do when a department says something is impossible If the Finance Ministry says it has no money, their lordships of the Supreme court cannot be expected to pool their salaries

It is perhaps unfortunate that the issue like so many other shows a partisan divide the ptI wants these polls early, as a way of bringing party chief Imran Khan to power the pdM wants the polls put off, to give its drastic economic measures time to work

It is also unfortunate that this divide has become the lens through which the entire judiciary including the Supreme court has its decisions viewed

h e w r i t o f t h e s t a t e

TH e state might claim to have won for the week-long confrontation between ptI chief Imran Khan and the state machinery ended with his submission on the point of confrontation with his appearance before the sessions court in Islamabad which had issued the original warrants for his arrest However Imran might also have claimed to have won because he had shown the state that he was not just a doll of straw to be picked up, but a force to be reckoned with His arrest was not impossible but it was not simply a matter of a police constable appearing outside his door the civil power was not enough it would need military might to take him

At the end of the day he had evaded that which it had been his aim to avoid and the reason why he had defied the borders of the court: he had not been given the indictment and he had thus not entered a plea the toshakhana case remained where it was; stuck Once the indictment is read out to him, and he answers the charge or charges against him, the trial can proceed even in his absence Imran is thus trying to do what Gen pervez Musharraf failed to do when on trial for high treason: prevent the indictment and plea It might be remembered that General Musharraf had done his best to stop it including by holing up in the Armed Forces Institute of cardiology However, ultimately, he came to court and received the indictment the trial then proceeded M u s h a r r a f h a d b e e n s c h e d u l e d t o a p p e a r b efore the Special court on 2 January 2014, when he h a d g o n e t o t h e A F I c H e d i d n o t a p p e a r u n t i l 2 1

F e b r u a r y n o t u n t i l A p r i l 3 0 w a s h e i n d i c t e d h a vi n g p r e v i o u s l y m o v e d a n a p p e a l a g a i n s t t h e c o u r t ’s j u r i s d i c t i o n

He appealed to be allowed to leave the country for medical treatment which was allowed by court with the result that on 18 April 2016, he left the country never to return that did not stop the trial though he was declared an absconder in May the verdict of guilty was announced on 19 december 2019 However, the Lahore High court ruled that the court that tried was not properly constituted and its sentence was struck down on 19 January 2020 the Lahore High court judge3s were Messers Justices Mazhahir Ali Akbar naqvi, Ameer Hussain Bhatti and ch Masood Jehangir Mr Justice naqvi has since been elevated to the Supreme court and has been identified as one of the speakers in a leaked audioclip, the other being former cM ch pervez elahi Mr Justice Bhatti is currently chief Justice of the Lahore /8High court and his son-in-law was a ptI MpA Mr Justice Jehangir retired in 2022 Mr Khan seems to be showing why he is so insistent on early elections which he sees as a path to returning to office He seems to realize that possession of power means untouchability All that has

been revealed of his misdeeds in office, such as the toshakhana scandal the punjab transfers and the Kp health department scams were only uncovered after his fall from power considering that he claims as his mandate the ending of corruption, his voter support should have fallen once the smears had been made against him the coalition must concede that the voter considers them as corrupt or corrupter than Imran the smear against them has succeeded to the extent that corruption is no longer an issue the voter might have also been left cold by the defiance of the state the state remains as it was in the raj: oppressive Imran s opponents claim he defied the state; his supporters said that he asserted his rights However, the freedom from the depredations of the executive does not mean freedom to defy the judiciary narrowing it down the power of the executive is to make accusations which force the judiciary to pass orders Imran wanted blanket bail which was not granted the judiciary could and couldn’t It could only give bail if the executive had taken the initiative of registering a case He was given bail in cases he could identify It was perhaps symbolic that the Islamabad court before which Imran appeared, was exercised by the loss of the paper he had signed to register his presence the judge had to record testimony that he had appeared He has been summoned again for March 30, but there will be discussion on the maintainability of the court first Imran may once again avoid the indictment the Musharraf treason case provides an appropriate example, where the defendant tried to put off the indictment as much as possible Imran’s defence team might have noted that the trial proceeded to a verdict even in the defendant s absence after the indictment was given to the defendant the argument of the defence on maintainability may well be with an eye to the future, as a ground to appeal conviction

Imran seems caught in a bind His defiance of the state may be his only way of returning to his control of it

High court there Imran is said to have failed to declare his daughter on his earlier nomination papers He has taken the plea that he is a private person, and need not explain himself However his claim rests not just on his having resigned from the national Assembly but on not being a candidate anywhere else He had withdrawn fr4om the recent rajanpur by-election some say because he wished not to affect the maintainability argument that seems to mean that unless the court settles the maintainability issue first Imran might find it problematic to contest in any constituency

But that defiance means that he may not return to much of a state to control. The real dang er for Imran then is that he might have set a precedent. Is his defiance based on the same exceptionalism that the USA exhibits? Which he has decried so much to such resounding applause?

It is not so much that Imran fears conviction because he fears going to jail though that is a consideration as the fact that it might lead to him being disqualified under Article 63 (1-h), which says that someone convicted for an offence involving moral turpitude and sentenced to two years imprisonment has remain ineligible for five years after his release that means that if Imran serves less time, so long as the conviction and sentence takes place he is out there is another hurdle coming up that of the tyrian White case, going on before the Islamabad

Heatwave precautionar y measures

abad capital territory

All these agencies health departments line departments, rescue agencies, armed forces, federal ministries and departments have been directed to undertake proactive measures on priority basis to ensure timely preparations and response against likely hazards

In case of heat wave the provincial disaster Management Authorities in collaboration with district dF disaster Management Authorities/local administration have been asked to carry out extensive awareness campaigns for sensitizing the public at large of likely dangers associated with heatwave -like conditions and associated preventive measures

Un p r e c e d e n t e d heavy rains and flash floods in the rivers last year had hit almost one-third of pakistan in Sindh Khyber pakhtunkhwa and punjab provinces and had caused massive losses and damages It was something nightmarish for everyone in the country Almost 1731 people including women and children had lost their lives more than 12000 were injured standing crops over a couple of lakhs acres of land were washed, a large number of houses were either washed away or extensively damaged in the affected areas and numerous structures bridges and roads were also uprooted or swept away the massive devastation which was much more than the 2020 floods was mostly caused due to unpreparedness on the part of the federal and provincial governments agencies and departments concermed were unconerned to say the least By and large the people were also caught by this onslaught of heavy rains and floods

It is good to note and appreciable that the federal and provincial governments concerned departments agencies and others have learnt a lot from the massive devastation caused by the unprecedented unexpected and even unscheduled heavy rains and floods of 2022 which were caused by climate change and heatwave through melting of the snow glaciers and bursting of the snow clouds national disaster Management Authority (ndMA), the apex body for dealing with the natural disasters and taking remedial measures, has already issued a some what comprehensive guidelines for all concerned down the line at the federal and provincial levels alerting them in advance to be all prepared for the upcoming summer season this year the ndMA guidelines have cautioned all that with the onset of summer season, heatwaves forest fires and glacier lake outburst flood events can be expected to happen and occur across the country respectively in the hazard prone areas Based on the vulnerability of different regions the impacts as such can vary hence requiring requisite preparations by the respective disaster management authorities, rescue agencies line departments and administrations at the federal and provincial levels, in Gilgit-Baltistan as well as in the Islam-

All the ministries departments and local administrations have been asked to undertake required measures for protecting children from exposure to heatwave conditions in the educational institutions in the urban and rural areas throughout the country

Accordingly, high-risk areas have also been asked to be identified and establishment of heatstroke treatment centres fully equipped with the required doctors, paramedical staff, medicines and water

Furthermore the Federal Ministry of Health Services regulations and coordination has been asked to issue necessary instructions to all concerned down the line for enhancing departmental and hospital capacities in order to effectively, adequately and properly manage heatwave conditions

Besides issuing essentially required directions and instructions to all concerned agencies institutions, departments and others at the federal ,provincial and district levels, the ndMA has also advised the people at large throughout

the country to take and observe necessary precautionary measures for offsetting adverse effects of possibility of upcoming heatwave ,individually as well as collectively, as the climate changes are rapidly taking place around the globe changing the weather patterns much to the surprise of the people everywhere In pakistan itself weather temperature is already showing an upward trend in March which is supposed to be the month of spring and quite pleasant generally the people have been advised to remain hydrated drink sufficient quantity of water keep drinking water handy for regular intake, stay cool, avoid unnecessary and unessential exposure to direct sunlight and crowded spaces remain informed and updated keep track of local weather conditions in order to avoid exposure to extreme weather conditions and in case of any signs of illness consult a qualified physician and take prescribed medicines accordingly

On its part, the pakistan Meteorological department has also issued a strong warning to the people in the length and breadth of the country

Accordingly, the warning issued by the weather pundits has told the people at large that the country is likely to experience extremely hot days in the coming summer months the country, it said, was likely to witness higher than usual temperatures during the upcoming season and the intensity of the heat was expected to be more than normal from this month of March to May due to less than normal rains, due to decrease of 77 percent in rainfall in February the average day and night temperatures were recorded at 3-5 c resulting in a possibility of a further increase in the intensity of heat, with temperatures higher than normal predicted not only for March but also for months of April and May

As per the pMd warning, previously the average temperatures during March recorded as up to 26 c with a slight increase being observed last year However, this year s temperatures are expected to be even higher leading to an intense heat wave in the coming months

Accordingly the weather pundits have advised the people to take necessary precautionary measures to avoid heat-related illnesses and staying hydrated during the summer season

Besides sounding a stern warning to the people, the weather pundits have also urged the federal and provincial governments to take necessary measures on priority basis for mitigating the adverse effects of the heat wave and minimizing its impact on the population both in the urban and rural areas of the country As pakistan braces itself for the upcoming more than normal hot season, the authorities from top to down levels as the citizens alike direly need to remain vigilant and take necessary precautionary steps to protect themselves and their families and children from the anticipated extremely hot temperatures please

Whatever the results of those two cass, there will be more With the punjab Assembly election due on April 30, Imran is being denied the freedom to campaign this is a significant obstacle for a party that depends so much on its leader In principle, Imran should avoid wasting time as he did not only at Zaman park last week, but at the Islamabad Judicial complex It might be a heady feeling to take on the state and win, but it will not help win control of that state One of the advantages that Imran s defiance of the state has is that it appeals to the schoolboyish partiality towards having authority laid low However, adults should remember that an important reason for the British takeover was that they restored order It is sometimes forgotten that one important reason for the east India company’s imposition of order was post-mughal disorder So long as the Mughals managed to preserve order it didn t bother Only when the disorder interfered with its making money, did it get involved in government Imran seems caught in a bind His defiance of the state may be his only way of returning to his control of it But that defiance means that he may not return to much of a state to control the real danger for Imran then is that he might have set a precedent Is his defiance based on the same exceptionalism that the USA exhibits? Which he has decried so much to such resounding applause?

The writer is a member of staff

E d i t o r ’ s m a i l

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

Aw ful project pace

t H e University road is one of the busiest roads in Karachi currently it is in a mess, and is fast becoming a mess itself the Bus rapid transit (Brt) red Line project is under construction for a few months, but its pace is irritatingly slow the fact is that the pace ‘was’ not ‘is’ slow because for the last at least couple of weeks there is nothing happening at all on that front there is no machinery on site, there is no labour force, and, indeed, no visible construction activity Has the project already been abandoned? By the looks of it that is very much the case the project we were told would be completed in three years even if that was true what were the alternative routes for the traffic to flow across all those years? none the fact is that even the lanes and streets running adjacent to the University road on both sides were not carpeted to provide some relief to the people commuting to and from the area With the pace at which the work is being carried out, there is no chance for the project to be anywhere near completion in three years the current lull in activity suggests it may well take twice as many years if not more Millions of people use the road every day their agony is beyond imagination for those who are lucky enough to avoid using it the project had started months ago and all it has achieved thus far is the intense squeezing of the road resulting in slow traffic the whole day and severe traffic jams during rush hours as can be seen in the accompanying picture above University students and people residing in the area get stuck in dreadful traffic every day Students get late for their academic activities and classes It takes me a university student around 45 minutes to reach the university, which was earlier a matter of 15 minutes the pace of construction should be accelerated to facilitate the citizens of the city as soon as possible

SUKKENA AFZAL KARACHI

A bit of geopolitics

t H e coverage of the Karachi Literature Festival (KLF) was generally good However, no sufficient coverage was given to the sessions related to pakistan’s involvement in geopolitics and evolving foreign policy trends this was despite the fact that panellists such as prof tariq rahman Ahmed rashid, Zahid Hussain, Ikram Sehgal and American scholar Michael Kugelman, expressed their views on crucial international affairs

After their presentations interesting questions were raised by the audience which led to a sort of debate on a variety of issues related to the country s foreign policy, which is a vital part of national existence as a whole In the past, some Indian scholars, such as prof rajmohan, the grandson of Mohandas Gandhi Bengali intellectual dr Ashish nande Lahore-born diplomat Mani Shaker Aiyar Gutam noulakha of the economic and political Weekly of India, Sindhi historian Saaz Aggarwall and many other luminaries had featured in such sessions this time their absence was conspicuous the organisers might have invited some of the Indian scholars and media persons, but seemingly the extremist Modi government in India did not give them the permission to do so this I say because the Indian government did not grant visa to me to participate in a conference held in Vadodra whereas a few years ago when during the Manmohan Singh era 2004-14, I twice attended conferences in India this demonstrates the myopic attitude and animosity of the Bharatiya Janata party (BJp) government towards pakistan and pakistani scholars and even towards Indian scholars and actors who have a positive perception of pakistan

One can hope that things may improve in the future and the organisers will invite scholars like Irfan Habib romela thapar S d Muni Ajay Behera Saaz Aggarwall who are all working in favour of better pakistanIndia relationship, apart from media persons and actors for participating in local events Such individuals will act as a bridge between the peoples of pakistan and India and hopefully between the two governments DR MEHTAB

The ECP has reasons for postponing the Punjab poll but why does it suit one par ty?

As Pakistan braces itself for the upcoming more than normal hot season, the authorities from top to down levels as the citiz ens alike direly need to remain vigilant and take necessar y precautionar y steps to protect themselves and their families and children from the anticipated extremely hot temperatures

Brain drain in Pakistan: a serious concern COMMENT 05

law and order situation For instance, more than 11 million pakistanis live abroad the mass migration in pakistan surged in 2022 as more than 765 000 young qualified professionals left the country in search of employment overseas, particularly as a result of the unstable political and economic conditions at home

Ac c O r d I n G to the Un Human development reports, 64 percent of the population of pakistan (some 148 1 million out of 241 4 million) is less than 30 years old and 29 percent of pakistanis are aged between 15 to 29 According to World economics, pakistan s median age is 20 2 years against a global median of 30 3 years In sum pakistan has a great number of young people in the country a luxury not many countries have today, not even the richest and most developed ones However, the unfortunate reality is that on account of multiple reasons these very energetic young people are reluctant to serve the nation for various reasons, mostly valid Why do the youth not settle in pakistan and the way forward in this regard?

Many intellectuals and skilled people leave pakistan every year due to fewer available opportunities at home they go to other countries to find opportunities to make ends meet Annually some 445 000 students graduate from different universities in pakistan and some 31 percent of them with professional degrees are unemployed Also, pakistan was ranked among the top ten countries with a larger and more skilled labour force But due to lack of opportunities, not only the professional graduates but also the skilled labour has no other choice but to leave the country for better or even ordinary opportunities to earn a livelihood these intellectuals and skilled people are in great demand in the developed parts of the globe because they contribute to the progress and development of societies

Understandably the migration of intellectual and skilled people is most of the time from developing countries to countries with higher opportunities for better living standards and a secure environment Globalization has made it easier to migrate from one country to another the same is the case with pakistan, where people particularly the youth are not willing to live here any more It badly impacts the country s economy and its progress and results in the loss of advanced and creative ideas this culture of leaving pakistan for better opportunities needs serious attention A large pool of intellectual and skilled people is leaving the country because of the ongoing economic crisis, political instability, and a weak

In a Gallup-pakistan Survey, over two-thirds of pakistan s young people said that they would like to work and study overseas and 50 percent said they would not like to return to their homeland On account of better income opportunities, better standards of living, accessibility to technological developments, and more politically stable systems people are motivated to move toward industrialized and economically and politically stable countries such as the USA and the european states Among all the above reasons, 66 percent left the country for career prospects which is the highest

Another factor that encourages highly skilled workers migration is the lack of research and opportunities for better-quality education in the country Besides favouritism and bribery have also overshadowed meritbased selection on various jobs, and because of it, deserving people get disheartened and think of leaving the country According to an attorney rafia Zakaria who writes frequently in the press in a study based on interviews of pakistanis who recently arrived in Italy, over 50 percent of them stated that they had been escaping from conflict and violence while 36 pecent cited an absence of rights and freedom at home, as a reason, to migrate

Moreover the lack of a secure environment for busi-

ness investments is also a reason as many people, instead of paying income tax pay bhatta (extortion money) to mafias and gangs for their security which does not benefit the state Out of frustration, big investors prefer to spend elsewhere because investments abroad are safer compared to those in pakistan It impacts the country through a reduction in tax revenue If the money is invested in the native country, it can generate tax revenues as well as job opportunities

A country s degree of advancement is strongly linked with its intellectual capacity Losing doctors, engineers, scientists, professors or researchers hinder a country’s advancement potential For instance from 1971 till now 29 939 doctors 11 968 nurses 5791 pharmacists, 87,869 engineers, 66,093 accountants, and 230,639 painters/artists have left pakistan for different reasons All of them would have been serving the homeland if they were provided with basic facilities and required opportunities the same is the case with Sri Lanka where its professionals and skilled labour are leaving the country because of the economic crisis the request for new passports in Sri Lanka in 2022 has risen about 250 percent It can be claimed that countries with the least economic progress face an increase in such migrations

it before the country loses its intellectuals and skilled people

It is also proven that when economic development increases, migrations for better opportunities decrease and vice versa the issue can be countered by creating more economic opportunities, a) pakistan should adopt effective policies that are helpful to both the country and its citizens such as providing job opportunities on the basis of education and experience and offering highly qualified people attractive salary packages; b) improving merit-based employment for all individuals, regardless of race nationality or religion; c) entrepreneurship skills can also help the youth to earn a respectable livelihood by themselves; d) creation of opportunities for a massive number of educated and ambitious individuals should be the obligation of lawmakers

Most importantly the government cannot possibly provide jobs to every citizen but can help them by giving them the skills to earn entrepreneurship programmes and training under the national Vocational and technical training commission (nAVttc), and the national Incubation centre (nIc) which provide digital and vocational training and skills to young people to make them eligible for self-employment should be upgraded establishing a safe and productive environment and improving the social and political atmosphere of the country will decrease the rate of such migrations as argued by a european academician Frederic docquier Before we lose all the talent we have, the government should act the issue is simple; however the matter is whether the leadership will acknowledge it before the country loses its intellectuals and skilled people

The writer is Assistant Research Fellow Balochistan Think Tank Network Quetta

A new order in the Middle East?

On March 6 2023 representatives from Iran and Saudi Arabia met in Beijing for discussions brokered by china Four days later, riyadh and tehran announced that they had decided to normalize relations this landmark agreement has the potential to transform the Middle east by realigning its major powers, replacing the current Arab-Iranian divide with a complex web of relationships, and weaving the region into china’s global ambitions For Beijing the announcement was a great leap forward in its rivalry with Washington

It was not supposed to be this way It was the United States that had encouraged Iran and Saudi Arabia to start discussions, in 2021, in an effort to reduce tensions between the Gulf rivals, advance nuclear talks, and bring an end to the conflict in Yemen tehran and riyadh held five rounds of direct talks and informal conversations continued thereafter then, during his visit to Saudi Arabia in July 2022, U S president Joe Biden urged the Gulf cooperation council an intergovernmental union of Bahrain Kuwait Oman Qatar Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab emirates to join with Israel to contain Iran But the Saudi government turned to china instead viewing president Xi Jinping as a better mediator with tehran Involving china, the Saudis believed, was the surest guarantee that a deal with Iran would last since tehran would be unlikely to risk jeopardizing its relations with Beijing by violating such a deal Xi discussed the issue with Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman during his visit to riyadh in december 2022 and then met with Iranian president ebrahim raisi in Beijing in February 2023

Intense discussions between Iran and Saudi Arabia followed during which the two sides agreed to bury the hatchet and normalize relations For both countries Xi s personal intervention was critical Both have longstanding political and economic ties with Beijing, and the chinese president was therefore able to act as a trusted broker between them I f t h e d e a l i s f u l l y i m p l e m e n t e d , te h r a n a n d riyadh will be closely aligned once more It was only in 2016 that diplomatic ties between the countries were s e v e r e d a f t e r a m o b t o r c h e d t h e S a u d i e m b a s s y i n te h r a n n o w, a c c o r d i n g t o t h e n e w a g r e e m e n t , b o t h sides will reopen embassies and the Saudi government will end its support for the Iran International television channel that tehran holds responsible for domestic dissent Both sides will uphold the April 2022 cease-fire in Yemen and begin work on a formal peace agreement to end the civil war in that country Iran will cease supplying Houthi rebels with arms and persuade them to halt their missile attacks on Saudi Arabia In addition, the deal calls for enhanced economic and diplomatic ties between Iran and the Gcc countries and for Iran and its Arab partners to begin discussions on building a new regional security framework Moreover, china will continue to oversee all of these steps the Iranian-Saudi deal has the potential to end one o f t h e r e g i o n s m o s t s i g n i f i c a n t r i v a l r i e s a n d e x t e n d e c o n o m i c t i e s a c r o s s t h e G u l f n o l o n g e r w i l l I r a n s t a n d a l o n e t o c o n f r o n t a n a l l i a n c e o f A r a b s a n d I sraelis, which the United States hoped would do the dif-

ficult job of containing it Instead the deal has the potential to bring Iran closer to its Arab neighbors and gradually stabilize its relations in the region Underscoring this promise the Saudi Finance Minister Mohammed al-Jadaan has pledged that if all goes to plan S a u d i A r a b i a i s r e a d y t o i n v e s t i n I r a n s e c o n o m y raisi has already accepted an invitation to visit riyadh at an unspecified date in a further sign of both sides’ intention to strengthen ties the consequences for the region of such a rapidly developing relationship may be profound

TEHRAN LOOKS EAST: Both tehran and riyadh b e l i e v e t h a t t h e y w i l l b e n e f i t f r o m w o r k i n g t h r o u g h c h i n a t o r e s t o r e r e g i o n a l t i e s F o r b o t h c o u n t r i e s working with Beijing is a new development In 2015 Iran s priority was improving relations with the United S t a t e s a n d e u r o p e I t v i e w e d n e g o t i a t i o n s w i t h i t s neighbors as secondary the result was the Joint comprehensive plan of Action (JcpOA) the nuclear deal with the United States and its fellow permanent memb e r s o f t h e U n S e c u r i t y c o u n c i l , p l u s G e r m a n y which curtailed Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for s a n c t i o n s r e l i e f A f t e r U S p r e s i d e n t d o n a l d tr u m p withdrew American support for the JcpOA in 2018, Saudi Arabia and the Gcc drifted closer to Israel a m o v e t h a t w a s a c c e l e r a t e d b y a n I r a n i a n a t t a c k o n Saudi oil facilities in 2019 Iran in turn then changed its focus, giving new emphasis to improving relations with its neighbors and to regional trade to that end tehran reestablished full diplomatic ties with Kuwait a n d t h e U A e i n 2 0 2 2 B u t t h e B e i j i n g d e a l w i t h t h e Saudis is the larger prize Iran has sought a true opening to the Arab world which could soon be extended to Bahrain and egypt te h r a n w e l c o m e s c h i n a s d e e p e n i n g r o l e i n t h e Middle east because it weakens U S influence in the region and undermines the U S -led sanctions regime that has crippled Iran s economy to that end, better ties with Gcc countries will lessen the threat posed by the trump administration-brokered Abraham Accords which initiated closer intelligence and military coord i n a t i o n b e t w e e n I s r a e l , S a u d i A r a b i a , a n d t h e U A e (and later extended to Morocco and Sudan), thereby extending the shadow war between Iran and Israel to the Gulf Although tehran might be willing to accept bilateral ties between the Gcc and Israel, it could not t o l e r a t e a U S - b a c k e d A r a b - I s r a e l i m i l i t a r y a l l i a n c e a g a i n s t i t S u c h a n a l l i a n c e w o u l d b e a l l t h e m o r e threatening to tehran in the aftermath of failed nuclear talks with the Biden administration, domestic political protests a growing Israeli presence in Azerbaijan and I r a q a n d a n i n c r e a s i n g w i l l i n g n e s s b y I s r a e l s n e w right-wing government to contemplate war in order to stop Iran’s nuclear program

RIYADH’S BALANCING ACT: For Saudi Arabia, the Beijing-led agreement constitutes a more audacious strategic shift relations between riyadh and Washington are at a historic low Saudi Arabian satisfaction with U S policy in the region has been declining since the 2003 invasion of Iraq riyadh was unhappy with the dismantling of Iraq’s government troubled by the nuclear deal angry with U S unwillingness to support Saudi

Arabian interests against Iran in Syria and Yemen and concerned by its failure to defend the kingdom when its oil facilities were attacked by Iran in 2019 riyadh believes that the United States once its stalwart ally is focused on other priorities and it does not believe that Washington has a clear plan for regional security in the wake of the stalled nuclear talks with Iran Saudi leaders are also dissatisfied with the current leadership in Washington president Biden was slow to repair relations after pledging as a candidate to treat the regime as a “pariah,” following the murder of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018

Lacking the advanced military capabilities of its larger and more aggressive neighbors, Saudi Arabia has always been obsessed with its own defense reducing tensions with tehran will not end these concerns but it buys riyadh more time to shore up its security and diversify its strategic options the desire for security led Saudi Arabia to seek ties with Israel over the past decade and the same desire is now motivating its cultivation of china Saudi Arabia s strategy is intended to guarantee its security By assembling a broad network of partners including china Israel and the United States, and by improving relations with adversaries such as Iran, Syria, and turkey, the Saudi regime hopes to shore up its long-term stability

Saudi Arabia has set the ambitious goal of becoming an advanced industrial economy, as well as a cult u r a l a n d t o u r i s m h u b , b y 2 0 3 0 A c h i e v i n g t h i s w i l l require U S military support Israeli security and techn o l o g y t r a d e w i t h e u r o p e a n d c h i n a a n d d o m e s t i c stability the Saudi strategy is at odds with Washington’s conception of regional security, which favors isolating Iran and does not rule out war though there is no clear U S plan to manage it the United States has a l s o s t r u g g l e d t o r e c o g n i z e t h a t i t c a n n o t c l a i m t h a t nothing has changed in its commitments to its Middle eastern partners at the same time as also making clear t h a t i t i s p i v o t i n g a w a y f r o m t h e r e g i o n I n e ff e c t ,

riyadh is showing that if U S policy does not serve Saudi interests then the Saudis will not be beholden to the alliance Wa s h i n g t o n h a s a l s o b e e n s l o w t o r e a l i z e t h a t Saudi Arabia sees itself not as a security vassal of the United States but as a regional power capable of playing an independent role in world politics riyadh bel i e v e s t h a t t h e o l d p a r a d i g m o f U S s e c u r i t y i n e x c h a n g e f o r l o w o i l p r i c e s ” a s o n e S a u d i o ff i c i a l put it is dead Saudi Arabia s vision of strategic autonomy is not simply a reaction to diminishing U S engagement in the Middle east but a statement of the k i n g d o m ’s a m b i t i o n s r i y a d h w a n t s c l o s e a n d i n d ep e n d e n t t i e s w i t h t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s a s w e l l a s w i t h russia and china It also sees itself as playing a crucial role in the region, balancing egypt, Iran, Israel, and turkey to protect its own security and wield regional influence to hold that coveted position, Saudi Arabia must nurture relations with all its neighbors In 2022 riyadh restored ties with turkey; now it is doing the same with Iran next it will be Israel s turn relations with Iran will give the Saudis much needed p o l i t i c a l c o v e r w i t h t h e i r a l l i e s , m e a n i n g t h a t a d e a l with Israel can be presented as a bilateral agreement r a t h e r t h a n a m i l i t a r y a x i s a g a i n s t a n o t h e r M

country the Beijing deal both affirms riyadh’s view of its status in the Middle east and demonstrates its strategic autonomy

SILK ROAD SECURITY: china’s involvement is perhaps the most troubling dimension of the Iranian-Saudi rapprochement Beijing had previously been careful to avoid entanglement in the Middle east But its burgeoning economic interests there have necessitated taking on a diplomatic role as well the region is important to china s Belt and road Initiative; the chinese government has needed to ensure, for example, that its investments in the Saudi energy sector are not threatened by Houthi missiles Moreover china has been steadily expanding its economic footprint in Iran, and it is interested in supporting Moscow’s plan to develop a transit corridor through Iran that would allow russian trade to reach global markets without using the Suez canal the development of this corridor would also allow china to circumvent the Strait of Malacca in the face of the formidable armada that the United States and its allies are building to advance these strategic priorities, Beijing is now preparing to challenge Washington for influence in the Middle east the convergence of the broader strategic interests of china, Iran, and Saudi Arabia suggests that Beijing s breakthrough with Iran and Saudi Arabia is likely to serve as the foundation of a new geopolitical reality in the Middle east this transformation presents a historic challenge for the United States no longer can Washington simply demand that its Arab allies decouple from china and unite behind its leadership to combat Iran that approach is out of date and out of step with its allies’ current needs As one Saudi official put it, “the United States fails to understand that we cannot be allies at the expenses of our interests Saudis do not see their interests served by either war with Iran or confrontation with china What happened in Beijing by no means lessens the threat posed by Iran s nuclear and regional policies However, in the short run, Washington should welcome the lowering of tensions in the Middle east which enables the United States to focus on other global priorities without the pretense of a steadfast commitment to the region the United States should also encourage Saudi Arabia and the Gcc to explore a broader regional security architecture that will reduce the risk of war in the region, provide for maritime security, and cooperate to end long-running regional conflicts Washington must also formulate policies that are in tune with how the region now sees its own interests Otherwise, it will continue to lose influence to china and russia, and the region will drift into nonalignment Any U S reappraisal of its regional strategy must start with understanding the pressures and opportunities that brought riyadh s leadership to Beijing’s doorstep

Establishing a safe and productive environment and improving the social and political atmosphere of the country will decrease the rate of such migrations, as argued by a European academician, Frederic Docquier. Before we lose all the talent we have, the government should act The issue is simple; however, the matter is whether the leadership will acknowledge

I n d I A ’ S R A h U l G A n d h I f O U n d G U I lt y

f d E fA m At I O n O v E R m O d I R E m A R K

ahMEDaBaD ag e n c i e s

AN I n d i a n c o u r t T h u r s d a y found opposition leader Rahul

G a n d h i g u i l t y o f d e f a m a t i o n for a three-year-old campaign t r a i l r e m a r k i m p l y i n g t h a t

P r i m e M i n i s t e r N a r e n d r a M o d i w a s a criminal Modi s government has been widely accused of using the law to target and silence critics and the case in the premier ’s home state of Gujarat is one of several lodged against his chief opponent in recent years Gandhi, the leading face of the opposition Congress party was sentenced to two years imprisonment but immediately granted bail after his lawyers announced their intention to appeal

The case stemmed from a remark made during the 2019 election campaign in which the 52-year-old had asked why “all thieves have Modi as (their) common surname

SOUTH CHINA SEA

His comments were seen as a slur against the prime minister, who went on to win the election in a landslide and those sharing his surname Gandhi s lawyer B M Mangukiya said his client had not meant to insult anyone

When the magistrate asked Gandhi what he had to say in his defence, the Congress leader said that he was fighting to expose corruption in the country Mangukiya told reporters outside the court His comments were not meant to

UK probes troops’ alleged extrajudicial killings in Afghanistan

LOnDOn

hurt or insult any community Gandhi is the son, grandson and great-grandson of a dynasty of former Indian prime ministers beginning with independence leader Jawaharlal Nehru

But the scion of India’s most famous political dynasty has struggled to challenge the electoral juggernaut of Modi and its nationalist appeals to the country s Hindu majority

His Congress party a once-mighty

force with a proud role in ending British colonial rule 75 years ago, is now a shadow of its former self after two landslide election defeats with Gandhi at the helm Gandhi, who was present in court in Surat for the verdict, was greeted by supporters on his arrival He faces at least two other defamation cases elsewhere in the country Gandhi is also on bail in another money laundering case that has been snaking its way through India s glacial legal system for more than a decade He denies any financial impropriety

PL A ‘expels ’ US destroyer trespassing C hinese waters

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) expelled a US destroyer when the latter trespassed into Chinese territorial waters off the Xisha Islands in the South China Sea on Thursday amid continued US attempts to destabilize the region

Without authorization from the Chinese government, guided missile destroyer the USS Milius on Thursday made an illegal intrusion into Chinese territorial waters off the Xisha Islands, sabotaging the peace and stability in the South China Sea Senior Colonel Tian Junli a spokesperson at the PLA Southern Theater Command, said in a press release on the day

The PLA Southern Theater Command organized naval and air forces, tracked, monitored and warned away the US warship in accordance with the law Tian said Command troops will stay on high vigilance at all times and take all necessary measures to resolutely safeguard national sovereignty security as well as peace and stability in the South China Sea, the spokesperson said Launching an immediate response

the PLA displayed that it is ready at all times to counter foreign provocations including those from the US, Song Zhongping, a Chinese military expert and TV

commentator told the Global Times on Thursday

The US has been ramping up provocations on China’s doorstep, attempting

to conduct close-in reconnaissance on China and to deny China of its sovereignty and jurisdiction over the Xisha and Nansha islands, showing US military presence and hegemony in the South China Sea Song said

But the PLA will not give an inch when it comes to territorial integrity, Song added

In late February a US P-8A spy plane took a group of US reporters on a closein reconnaissance operation over the South China Sea during which it was warned away by a PLA fighter jet when it came close to Chinese airspace around the Xisha Islands This latest US warship trespass and the P-8A media tour are a combo move aimed at hyping China threat in the South China Sea and throwing mud at China Song said

F r o m a m i l i t a r y p o i n t o f v i e w, t h e s e t y p e s o f c l o s e - i n r e c o n n a i s s a n c e o p e r a t i o n s a r e a l s o c a r r i e d o u t u n d e r a t a c t i c a l c o n s i d e r a t i o n i n p r e p a r a t i o n f o r p o t e n t i a l m i l i t a r y c o n f l i c t , t h e e xp e r t w a r n e d The world should see clearly that the US is the real trouble maker in the South China Sea, multiple observers noted

Potential T ikTok ban sends adver tisers scrambling

PR OFIT R e u t e R s

Advertisers are seeking any assurances from TikTok the viral app that helped usher in a wave of short-form video across social media, as the Chinese-owned company again faces a potential ban in the U S over national security concerns

When TikTok s Chief Executive Officer Shou Zi Chew testifies before Congress for the first time on Thursday advertisers will be closely watching his appearance for news as well as the reaction of lawmakers several ad agencies told Reuters

TikTok’s U S ad revenue is expected to reach $6 83 billion this year from $780 million in 2020 according to research firm Insider Intelligence The app which is owned by China s ByteDance and is wildly popular among younger users, now has 150 million monthly users in the U S it said on Tuesday

The company faces growing calls from lawmakers who are pressuring the Biden administration to ban the app over concerns that Americans’ user data could fall into the hands of the Chinese government

In recent discussions with ad buyers, TikTok representatives have stuck to the company’s current talking points TikTok employees have played up ongoing plans to separate the user data of Americans and store it in the country The data will be housed in a new division called U S Data Security (USDS), which will be monitored by U S tech company Oracle an effort dubbed Project Texas

At least one major ad firm held a call this week with TikTok sales representatives in an attempt to learn more detail about its data security practices Though TikTok provided an overview of Project Texas, it was

aLI BasIT

PAKISTAN Resolution Day celebrated on 23rd March every year, commemorates the historic Lahore Resolution of 1940 which called for the creation of a separate homeland for the Muslims in British India

In the years leading up to the Lahore Resolution Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah had become increasingly convinced that Muslims could not prosper and live their lives in accordance with their religion culture and ethos in an independent India dominated by the Hindu majority He thus demanded a separate homeland for the Muslims where they would be free from Hindu prejudices of caste, culture and religion

At the Lahore session of the All India Muslim League in 1940 Jinnah delivered a powerful speech in which he stressed on the separate identity of Muslims of the Subcontinent He validated the ‘Two Nation Theory’ and presented colonials with a workable solution to maintain peace in the Subcontinent The opening remarks of Quaid s most important address advocated women’s rights

unable to answer more detailed questions about how it would block U S user data from the Chinese government, said an executive at the ad firm, who declined to be named to discuss a private call

Darren D’Altorio vice president of social media at marketing agency Wpromote said TikTok sent an email on Tuesday to note that it had launched a new website for USDS and included answers to frequently asked questions about the initiative

In a section of the email titled Can the Chinese government request TikTok U S user data? the company wrote that Project Texas “prevents inappropriate access to that data including no approval mechanism by which U S data would be shared with the Chinese government

A TikTok spokesperson said the company is engaging with advertisers in open fact-based and ongoing dialogue that includes providing regular updates and addressing questions about the ways we’re working to build a trusted entertainment platform for users and brands Even with talk of a ban most advertisers have not changed their spending plans on TikTok, media buyers said because discussions of a ban have lingered since 2020 without any result

TikTok CEO Chew plans to tell lawmakers on Thursday that the company has never, and would never, share U S user data with the Chinese government according to written testimony posted by the House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee

But it is a critical moment for TikTok, which has grown exponentially in importance to advertisers as the app s user numbers have surged in the two years since then-President Donald Trump first explored a ban of the app

The renewed concerns over TikTok seem to have

escalated quickly in the past few weeks catching some brands off guard D Altorio said

Some clients that are publicly-traded companies had been reluctant to buy ads on TikTok since 2020, and their wariness has only continued “They say ‘we don t want to touch this he said Vinny Rinaldi, Hershey Co s (HSY N) head of media and analytics, said on Wednesday that the Reese’s Cup maker built a contingency plan if TikTok is shut off in the U S Hershey spends the least on TikTok compared to other social platforms Rinaldi said but it’s an “area of growth (that is) working well His bet is that TikTok users switch to YouTube if the platform shuts down

The current situation also makes some smaller brands with a niche audience hesitant to experiment with ads on TikTok said Adam Telian vice president of media services at marketing agency New Engen, which has worked with The Home Depot and Google Fiber “People are hesitant to make that commitment and investment at a time when they re not sure TikTok will still be around, he said While tension brews in Washington, TikTok has continued to roll out new tools for Madison Avenue

Last month it introduced a feature to let brands easily turn their organic TikTok videos into ads

Advertisers that are using TikTok and seeing strong performance from their ads are recommended to stay the course, said Erik Huberman, CEO of Hawke Media, a marketing consultancy that has worked with Red Bull and Alibaba

Brands that have customers on TikTok will find it difficult to step away until real action happens in Washington, D’Altorio said A ban isn t a ban until it s a ban he said

A judge in the UK on Wednesday launched an independent probe into allegations of dozens summary killings by British troops in Afghanistan Speaking to reporters in London Lord Justice Haddon-Cave the chair of the inquiry, issued a call for anyone with evidence to come forward It is “critical” that those who have violated the law be referred to authorities for the reputation of the armed forces and the country, he said, referring to extremely serious” allegations of more than 50 summary killings by the British Special Air Service (SAS) soldiers in Afghanistan Either the allegations are untrue, or if some of them are true then the military and the country can hold its head high and say we have looked into these properly and thoroughly It s about, ultimately, reputation, Haddon-Cave said Last December, Britain’s Defense Ministry ordered an independent inquiry after a BBC TV documentary reported that soldiers from SAS had killed dozens of people during raids carried out by one SAS squadron in Helmand in 2010-11 “I would urge anyone who has got any information or material, which they think may be relevant to the inquiry, to please get in touch with the inquiry team as soon as possible ” Haddon-Cave said

Citigroup CEO declares ‘this is not a credit crisis’ after U.S. bank failures

PR OFIT R e u t e R s

Citigroup Inc (C N) CEO Jane Fraser on Wednesday expressed confidence in U S banks after a series of closures rattled investors and fueled turmoil in global financial markets The banking system is pretty sound ” and large and regional banks are well-capitalized Fraser told the Economic Club of Washington D C on Wednesday This is not a credit crisis This is a situation where it’s a few banks that have some problems and it s better to make sure that we nip that in the bud, she said In the past two weeks, two U S banks collapsed, Credit Suisse Group AG (CSGN S) was taken over by Swiss rival UBS Group AG (UBSG S) and America s biggest lenders agreed to deposit $30 billion in beleaguered First Republic Bank (FRC N) Fraser ’s public comments were among the first by a large bank CEO since the tumult began Citi, the fourthlargest U S lender, was one of 11 major banks that threw a lifeline to First Republic last week in an effort to help it buy time for restructuring While Citi is not interested in buying First Republic, Fraser said, it contributed $5 billion to the lender as a mark of confidence – and expects to be paid back The move to shore up First Republic was an unprecedented show of unity among banking behemoths that are normally fierce competitors she said We usually try and kill each other in different deals that we re trying to do, Fraser said But in this instance, this is one where we re in a strong position we want to stop what could have been a problem Chief executives of the country s largest banks testify at a Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs hearing on Capitol Hill in WashingtonCitigroup CEO Jane Fraser testifies before a Senate Banking Housing and Urban Affairs hearing on Annual Oversight of the Nation’s Largest Banks” on Capitol Hill in Washington U S September 22 2022 REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein The rescue efforts failed to stop a 15% plunge in First Republic s shares on Wednesday Elsewhere the takeover of another ailing lender Credit Suisse by rival UBS on Sunday was not surprising, Fraser said I don t think anyone was falling off their chair that Credit Suisse ultimately ended up where it did it was really a question of time Fraser said It s been a troubled institution for a long time, she said, citing management instability and various crises Scottish-born Fraser also spoke about her life and career in a wide-ranging interview with Carlyle Group Inc (CG O) Co-Founder David Rubenstein A travel buff with two college-age children she is the first woman to lead a major Wall Street bank As an only child born to an accountant father, Fraser worked as a golf caddy in her youth before attending Cambridge University and Harvard Business School Fraser started her career at Goldman Sachs Group Inc, then became a partner at McKinsey & Co and held several executive roles at Citi before taking the helm two years ago Fraser praised the quick action taken by U S regulators to stop the bank runs that toppled Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank earlier this month from spreading more broadly The Treasury, the Federal Reserve and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation invoked “systemic risk exceptions” that allowed them to guarantee billions of dollars of uninsured customer money

M arch: The Pakistan Resolution D ay

He emphasized the essentiality of women s participation in the socio-political struggle and highlighted their achievements in the upbringing of All India Muslim League Following the footsteps of the founding father, the Pakistan s Armed Forces have significantly contributed in uplifting the slogan of women empowerment by inducting Pakistani women in various fields including medical, education and technical branches of the tri-services Pakistani women in uniform have contributed a lot in service to the country The first ever Pakistani Female Engagement team in any United Nations (UN) mission around the world received UN medals for serving in the Peacekeeping Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2021 A team of 15 Pakistani women officers received major recognition for being the first all-female group from Pakistan to serve in a UN peacekeeping mission This service abroad for peacekeeping mis-

brought an immense respect to Pak-

istan at the global level

At the same occasion, the Quaid further stated that, “We want that the British Government should in fact and actually meet the demands of the Arabs in Palestine Muhammad Ali Jinnah backed the plight of Palestinians eight decades ago In his all-important address he did not forget to show solidarity with Palestinian brethren To date, Pakistan’s stance on Palestine is unchanged On many occasions PM Khan advocated a Two-State solution according to the aspiration and wishes of the people of Palestine Pakistan should continue its unequivocal diplomatic support to the cause and must attempt to mobilize Muslim Ummah to resolve the crisis which has brought enormous pain to the people of Palestine

Jinnah was well aware of the fact that Pakistan’s due to its peculiar geostrategic location and the hostile neighboring environment needs strong Armed Forces to protect

its national interests

Among the Tri-Services

Pakistan Navy was thus designated as an instrument to defend the maritime frontiers and interests of Pakistan

During wartimes

Pakistan Navy has always espoused high standards of professionalism and valour

In 1965

war Operation “Dwarka” launched by Pakistan Navy caused irreparable damage to Indian Navy, vehemently destroyed the Indian Radar system In addition, Pakistan Navy’s submarine Ghazi moved its patrol to Bombay harbor to challenge enemy s ships namely INS Vikrant and INS Mysore to dock out and get destroyed This psychological fear of Ghazi adversely affected the Indian Navy s operational maneuvers Yet again in the 1971 war, sinking of Indian warship Khukri brought an immense wartime casualty by PNS Hangor is the only incident after WWII wherein any conventional submarine sank a warship Furthermore, the detections of Indian Navy submarines by Pakistan Navy evidently portray its effective

employment strategy coupled with superior professional acumen Recent developments and reports of subjugation and ill treatment of Muslims coming out of India validate Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s address at the Lahore Session of All India Muslim League Quaid remarked Muslim India cannot accept any constitution which must necessarily result in a Hindu majority government Hindus and Muslims brought together under a democratic system forced upon the minorities can only mean Hindu Raj ” The prediction of our visionary founding father made eight decades ago stands relevant and applicable today In post1947 India, it was evident that Nehru’s sugar-coated secular democracy was bound to collapse one day or another Today from revocation of Article 370 and Citizenship Amendment Act to Ayodhya Verdict each development embosses Jinnah s words This is what a Hindu Raj forced upon Muslims looks like As renowned Indian author Arundhati Roy said “Modi had been coming since 1925 Nehru s deodorized democracy was destined to fall apart and Gandhi s India was doomed to become Godse’s India

corporate corner

inDrive joins forces with Akhuwat foundation to reconstruct flood-affected schools across Sindh

inDrive the global mobility and urban services platform will distribute PKR 10 Million to the Akhuwat foundation for school reconstruction to support children s education The donated amount will aid the Thatta and Thar region in the rebuilding of schools that were affected by the devastating floods and heavy monsoon rains in the Sindh region in 2022 The primary purpose of providing these funds was to help students carry on with their education and stand on their own two feet with dignity From June to October 2022 floods in Pakistan killed 1 739 people and caused ₨ 3 2 trillion in damage and ₨3 3 trillion in economic losses The catastrophic floods in Pakistan have destroyed nearly 27 000 schools preventing more than 2 million children from attending school and resuming their education The donated amount of PKR 10 million by inDrive will help reconstruct the schools and build new units Aleksandra Kirillina Team Lead of the CSR project at inDrive stated: The flood affected many families; the dreadful situation in the interior of Sindh leaves many people in a devastating situation which forced students to leave their education behind One of the primary pillars of inDrive s mission is serving and empowering communities, and education is our top priority, as a good education is the greatest gift you can give anyone P R

S econd Pakistan Nav y ship with relief goods reaches Turkiye

i s l a m a b a d: Second Pakistan Navy Ship PNS

MOAWIN deployed on international Humanitarian

Assistance & Disaster Relief (HADR) mission reached

Mersin, Turkiye

The ship brought second shipment of relief goods comprising winterized tents and blankets for the earthquake affectees The ship was warmly welcomed by Turkish Naval officials and Pakistan diplomatic staff

To mark solidarity with our Turkish brotherhood, a simple and graceful ceremony was organized onboard PNS MOAWIN to commemorate Pakistan Day The ceremony was attended by Turkish Government and Military officials including Governor of Mersin and Chief of Staff of Turkish Naval Forces along with Ambassador of Pakistan to Turkiye At the ceremony PN Mission Commander expressed condolences on behalf of Chief of the Naval Staff

Admiral Muhammad Amjad Khan Niazi and people of Pakistan for the tragic loss of lives and property and reaffirmed PN resolve to stand with brotherly countries at the time of need Turkish government officials highly appreciated the support provided by the Government of Pakistan P R

NUST, ICESCO join hands to make strides in higher educ ation

i s l a m a b a d: Islamic World Educational, Scientific & Cultural Organization (ICESCO) entered into a partnership with the National University of Sciences & Technology (NUST-Islamabad) on Wednesday The aim is to make collective efforts towards advancing higher education and research particularly in the Islamic countries Lt Gen (Retd) Engr Javed Mahmood

Bukhari Rector NUST and Dr Salim M AlMalik

Director General ICESCO signed the partnership agreement at NUST School of Interdisciplinary Engineering & Science (SINES) Dr Mukhtar Ahmed, Chairman Higher Education Commission of Pakistan, also graced the occasion with his presence Based in Rabat (Morocco), ICESCO is a leading Islamic world organisation promoting educational, scientific, and cultural cooperation As part of the understanding, an ICESCO Chair will be established at NUST to strengthen ties between the two institutions and promote academic and scientific cooperation especially in the field of Data Analytics P R

Meezan Bank recognized as ‘Best Islamic Retail Bank in the World

K a r a c h i: Meezan Bank, Pakistan s leading Islamic Bank and one of the largest banks in the country has been recognized as the global winner of Best Islamic Retail Bank for 2022 by Islamic Finance News (IFN) of REDmoney Group Malaysia The Bank has also achieved a clean sweep of all the six Pakistan-level titles awarded by IFN This achievement serves as a testament to the unparalleled success of Islamic banking both in Pakistan as well as across the world and reflects the Bank s growing strength in various areas of operations

Meezan Bank has retained the ‘Best Islamic Bank in Pakistan’ title for the past 17 years, reflecting its growing strength and ability to deliver innovative Shariah-compliant banking solutions to all categories of customers Commenting on the occasion, Mr Irfan Siddiqui – President & CEO, Meezan Bank, said: “Alhamdullilah, we are honoured to be recognized by IFN as the Best Islamic Retail Bank in the world We are extremely grateful to our customers who continue to advocate for Islamic banking and vote for us each and every year We are also appreciative of our peers and the market for acknowledging our strengths our contributions towards the growth of Islamic finance sector and most importantly our unwavering commitment towards establishing Islamic banking as banking of first choice P R

noT-by- pRofiT

Stronger IPr L awS Can BenefIt SmaLL and medIum-SIzed enterPrISeS In PakIStan

iSlamaBaD

N E W S D E S K

aN article in The Express Tribune on Wednesday highlighted that the leaders in Karachi s business community are advocating for Pakistan to strengthen its intellectual property rights (IPR) system through technology to expand the country's wealth

The President of the Karachi Cham-

ber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI)

Mohammed Tariq Yousuf welcomes the Chairman of the Intellectual Property Organisation (IPO) Farrukh Amil stating that a strong IPR system is critical for the country s economic development, but there is a need for strict enforcement of IPR laws at all levels

The IPO chairman expressed his commitment to simplifying IP procedures through digitalisation, emphasizing the need to simplify the cumbersome

process to allow individuals and companies to register their products and services easily The implementation of stronger IPR laws will benefit small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and multinational enterprises (MNEs) by attracting talent, promoting a long-term business mindset and increasing foreign direct investment (FDI) Pakistan can learn from other countries’ IPR systems, particularly South Korea, to benefit its own system The

IPO chairman acknowledges that intellectual property is neglected in Pakistan and introducing an IP-related curriculum in schools is necessary The critical need for strict enforcement of IPR laws including heavier fines and stricter punishments, is emphasized to protect producers interests and save the public from counterfeit products

To read the full article visit www tribune com pk

S urging unemployment amongst soaring inflation

I N G for Dawn author Mohiuddin Aazim explains that the recent increase in fuel oil and gas prices is devastating for the majority of Pakistanis This coupled with higher electricity tariffs and an increase in the General Sales Tax may

tion and take measures to raise crop yields Unless yields are raised the country will not be able to meet its domestic requirements for major and minor food crops

The author says that In various regions of the world, such as Asia, there has been a significant challenge with

food scarcity The ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine has worsened the issue of food shortages globally Currently, an estimated 349 million individuals across 79 countries are facing severe food insecurity according to the World Food Programme In Pakistan the super floods of 2022 have also negatively impacted food supplies The production of essential foods like rice wheat and maize have fallen below targets and there is a scarcity of pulses and vegetables such as onions This scarcity, combined with a weak rupee, has led to high food inflation

Price controls alone are insufficient to contain such high levels of food infla-

Paperless and c ustomer-friendly:

KE launches digital stamp on e -bills

Karachi S ta f f R E P o R t

K-Electric has taken another innovative step tow a r d s m o v i n g t o a p a p e r l e s s e c o s y s t e m b y i n -

troducing digital stamps for customer bills This will allow customers to maintain digital proof of payment of KE bills with the record accessible from KE Live App Website and WhatsApp Self

Service Portal This step furthers KE s environmentally friendly Hara Qadam initiative and a vision to give customers a seamless and improved digitally connected experience Paid bills for any month will display a green stamp on the top left corner indicating that all dues are cleared In case a customer is clearing their dues in installments, a blue stamp will be shown on the top left corner indicating that current payments have been received These stamps will be automatically updated on the bill within 24

hours of respective payments Prior records of up to 6 months will be accessible from KE s digital channels as well

Beside this, these digitally stamped bills will be acceptable by other stakeholder as well where the customer needs to show proof of payment for any financial transactions E l a b o r a t i n g o n t h e i n i t i a t i v e , S p o k e s p e r s o n K E a n d D i r e c t o r C o m m u n i c a t i o n s I m r a n R a n a stated “We understand that conventionally customers would keep stamped copies of their bills in files to maintain records However today with over 1 million digitally c o n n e c t e d s u b s c r i b e r s w e a r e s e e i n g t h e t r e n d shift significantly and Alternate Delivery Chann e l s a c c o u n t f o r a n e s t i m a t e d 6 2 % o f o u r t o t a l payments Our innovative step is a way to facilitate this transition, while also contributing positively towards the environment by encouraging paperless systems ”

SSGC marks advent of R amzaan with a blissful event

p r

Istaqbaal-e-Ramzaan has become an indispensable feature of SSGC s calendar of events through which Company employees mark the advent of the blessed month of Ramzaan

Every year the event organized by SSGC s Corporate Communication Department, is marked with presence of reputed clerics and naat khuwaans of the country who reinforce significance of the Holy month with their inspiring sermons and naat renditions Wi t h R a m z a a n j u s t a d a y a w a y, t h i s y e a r ’s edition of Istaqbaal-e-Ramzaan held at the Company’s Head Office auditorium was another uplifting and inspiring session attended by packed t o c a p a c i t y a u d i e n c e o f C o m p a n y e m p l o y e e s Imran Maniar Managing Director SSGC graced the occasion as the Chief Guest T h e e v e n t f e a t u r e d r e n o w n e d r e l i g i o u s s c h o l a r A l l a m a M u f t i M u h a m m a d I s m a i l H u s -

Time to reflec t

Kalim Fraooqui

Time is of prime essence now for a nation

75 years old to reflect and mend ways for the way forward Though, 75 years in a nation’s history is not too long, it is long enough to atleast set proper direction and build its stature rather than continue to live with conditions and the perception it unfortunately currently holds in the eyes of the world

The founding fathers adopted a resolution calling for the creation of an independent sovereign state derived from the provinces with Muslim majorities on 23 March 1940 In a short span and with collective desire to gain independence, Pakistan emerged as an independent nation just 7 years later, on the 14th of August,1947 For anyone to consider it was a quick and effortless achievement would be considered naïve Freedom fighters had to sacrifice and give up their own personal freedom and risk organizing a massive movement to achieve their objective of gaining independence In the process they encountered great challenges and immense resistance However it was their collective wisdom endurance and the strategy adopted to face all odds

sain Noorani whose lucid and concise address foc u s e d o n m a n y b e n e f i t s o f R a m z a a n I n h i s t h o u g h t - p r o v o k i n g s p e e c h , M u f t i s a h e b r e i t e rated that Ramzaan provides Muslims with a perf e c t o p p o r t u n i t y t o c l e a n s e t h e i r s i n s a n d s t a r t afresh H e s a i d t h a t t h e t r u e s p i r i t o f R a m z a a n l i e s i n p r a c t i c i n g r e l i g i o u s t o l e r a n c e p a t i e n c e a n d empathy for fellow human beings The event was also graced by two established N a a t K h u w a a n s A l h a a j H a s s a a n B i n K h u r s h i d a n d A l h a a j S y e d K h a l i d H u s s a i n S h a h w h o s e renditions took the Company audience on a totally different plane Earlier Salman A Siddiqui, Head of Corporate Communications welcomed the guests and rendered few self-penned verses on the arrival of R a m z a a n T h i s p r o g r a m w a s g r a c e f u l l y c o nducted by eminent compere of religious events, M u h a m m a d A l i G o h a r a n d c o n c l u d e d w i t h Salaam and Dua lead by Mufti saheb

that led to their victory under the able guidance and leadership of our Quaid

Mohammed Ali Jinnah Many have written about the history leading to the partition of India and the role played by Quaid-e-Azam but the way Stanly Wolpert in his book Jinnah of Pakistan describes him in a single sentence says it all Few individuals significantly alter the course of history Fewer still modify the map of the world Hardly anyone can be credited with creating a nation-state Mohammed Ali Jinnah did all three The demise and the absence of the Quaid hardly after a year of Independence (September 11, 1948), made people realize the void that would be created while Pakistan was in its formative

tion, and other measures must be taken Major and minor food crops require special attention and must be developed with better technology and seeds to meet domestic requirements

There is a need to minimize pre-harvest and post-harvest losses and the productivity of farmworkers must be enhanced Pakistan s agricultural output per worker has only increased by less than 0 7% per year in the past three decades compared to the four-times higher average in South Asia according to a recent World Bank report

To read the full article visit www dawn com

PAF contingent takes charge of guard duties at Mazar- e -Iqbal

lahOrE: Pakistan Day was celebrated at all PAF Bases and installations with traditional zeal and fervor The daylong celebrations started with special prayers after Fajar for the solidarity progress and prosperity of Pakistan and the Muslim World To commemorate this auspicious day in a befitting manner a guard mounting and wreath laying ceremony was held at the mausoleum of great poet and philosopher Allama Muhammad Iqbal A smartly turned out contingent of Pakistan Air Force took over guard duties from Satluj Rangers The Chief Guest, Air Vice Marshal Syed Imran Majid Ali, Air Officer Commanding, PAF Airmen Academy, Korangi Creek laid a floral wreath and offered Fateha at the grave of Allama Iqbal on behalf of Chief of the Air Staff, Airmen and Civilians of Pakistan Air Force Air Commodore Tanveer Ahmed, Base Commander PAF Base, Lahore was also present at the occasion People from all walks of life witnessed the ceremony P R

Governor S indh briefs top brands on Bachat Expo 2023

K a r a c h i: Governor Sindh Mr Kamran Tessori hosted an interactive session in collaboration with Badar Expo Solutions on Monday 20th March 2023 at Governor House to brief top brands of Pakistan on Bachat Expo 2023 to be held during the month of Ramadan Mr Tessori presides over a session to discuss the affect of inflation on the people especially on the lower and middle class and introduced Bachat Expo 2023 as its ultimate solution The meeting was attended by top government officials business leaders representatives from FMCGs including various brands across the country and media houses The meeting aimed to provide an overview of the Bachat Expo and to encourage brands to participate in the event The Expo will be a platform for people to shop on a budget with 30%50% discounts on all items A presentation was also presented by Badar Expo Solutions to discuss and share the execution of the mega expo in Ramadan The Bachat Expo will be held at Expo Centre Karachi from 8th Ramadan –10th Ramadan (31st March 2023 – 2nd April 2023) and is expected to attract a large number of visitors P R

stages Nevertheless the initial two decades luckily had administrators who had witnessed the struggle themselves that led to Pakistan’s independence and were aware of the Quaid s vision

They served without fear or favour with total integrity honesty dedication and sincerity having themselves witness the past and were aware of the great sacrifices made Public servants associated in all spheres of governance served the country to their best ability bringing laurels which even today are remembered by many as the glories of the past and commonly discussed as the golden era of Pakistan

In a bipolar world then Pakistan maneuvered its way keeping the interest of the country and its people supreme Friendship with all and hostility with none was the principle which led nations far and wide to reach out to Pakistan for the development of their own institutional building From planning to governance and from helping setup airlines to banks it was the technocrats from Pakistan who assisted those who considered Pakistan an emerging state to reckon with It was Japan and Germany after the World War II that regained their industrialization in partnership with Pakistan Korea adopted Pakistan’s development program for its own development

Malaysia sought Pakistani legal experts to help them with their constitution

The growing potential and importance of Pakistan in the region was the key factor for Pakistan becoming member in the likes of Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) of 1954 and Central Treat Organization of 1955 (CENTO) Pakistan was amongst the select few countries to be included in such very important pacts and treaties by USA to play its evolving role in the region and specially in Asia for being an emerging country pursuing pertinent policies as a developing country should Consequently, Pakistan was helped by many with its mounting development needs in different areas including its security What may surprise many is the Gazette notification of Pakistan of October 13th, 1950, stating the value of British Pound Sterling at 9 5, US$ 3 5 and with all European currencies below par with even German Mark at 0 75 to the Pakistani Rupee Nahin hai na umeed Iqbal apni kasht-e-veeran se Zara num ho to yeh mitti bari zarkhaiz hay saqi

T h e w r i t e r i s a m e m b e r o f s e v e r a l Bi-Lateral Business Forums in Pakistan a n d t h e M a n a g i n g D i re c t o r o f Technology Links

Gov t allocates sugar expor t quota to defaulter mills

THE TCP HAD REQUESTED NOT TO ALLOW DEFAULTING MILLS TO TRADE, BUT DID NOT RECEIVE ANY RESPONSE

ShAhzAD pArAchA

I

The federal government has allocated sugar export quota to mills that have defaulted on billions of rupees According to Profit s sources, nine sugar mills of top political families have defaulted worth Rs 12 27 billion This includes Abdullah Shah Ghazi sugar mill which is defaulting at Rs 2 11 billion, Haq Bahu Sugar mill at Rs2 2 billion, Macca Sugar mill Rs 926 million Abdullah Sugar mill Depalpur Rs200 7 million Abdullah Sugar mill at Rs 1 678 billion, Haseeb Waqas Rs 384 million, Seri Sugar mill Rs 608 million, TMK Sugar mill Rs 2 064 billion and Tandlianwala Sugar mill Rs 2 044 billion

These sugar mills have failed to supply committed quantities of sugar despite getting 100% advance payments Recently the Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) raised concern to the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) on this matter

PAKISTAN IS TREADING ON THIN ICE BUT REALLY HOW THIN CAN THE ICE BECOME BEFORE CRACKING AND TAKING THE COUNTRY DOWN WITH IT?

The International Monetary Fund s (IMF) resident representative for Pakistan Esther Perez Ruiz has stated that the government’s recent decision to extend a cross-subsidy for fuel was made without consulting with the IMF It was reported by Bloomberg that the statement came from IMF s key official two days after Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif announced a petroleum relief package for low-income people warranting a Rs 50 subsidy per litre of petrol for lowincome individuals The subsidy was doubled to Rs 100 the next day for motorcycle and small car (up to 800cc) owners

The announcement of the relief package was made a few days after the government increased the petrol price by Rs5 to Rs272 per litre succumbing to the IMF s demands

How does the fuel subsidy scheme relate to the eagerly awaited IMF loan?

What a fuel cross-subsidy entails and the possibility of its successful implementation has been explained by Profit

The tl;dr explains how the government plans on funding the subsidy by balancing the gap by charging higher fuel prices from those who own cars bigger than 800cc Whether this scheme will work or not comes later More pressing is the concern to secure the IMF loan

Ruiz disclosed that Fund staff are seeking greater details on the scheme in terms of its operation cost targeting protections against fraud and abuse and offsetting measures, and will carefully discuss these elements with the authorities, adding that Pakistan has made “substantial progress” towards meeting policy commitments needed to unlock the critical IMF funding However, Pakistan is required to meet a few more conditions, before it can secure the loan and circumvent the looming threat of default

on Wednes-

that Pakistan is likely to get confirmation of economic assistance from friendly countries in a few days

The assurances are one of the last few hurdles the International Monetary Fund (IMF) had asked to be cleared by Pakistan before the confirmation of a stafflevel deal

We have fulfilled almost all conditions, which the previous government had agreed upon with the IMF and currently the Fund is demanding confirmation from the friendly countries that are provid-

ing assistance to Pakistan We are hopeful that the confirmation will be received in the coming few days and after that the IMF deal will come on track Iqbal said while talking to journalists after addressing the US-Pakistan Diaspora and Private Sector for Flood Recovery and Rehabilitation Conference

The mantra of just around the corner” has been repeated ad nauseam by the federal government over the past two months since a delegation of the IMF left Pakistan without signing a staff level agreement

The government has been assuring the public of the signing of the agreement within a few days for more than 27 days now But with no solid deadline visibly de-

ISLAMABAD

S ta f f R e p o R t

The federal government announced the formation of a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) on Thursday to probe the “attack” on the Federal Judicial Complex (FJC) in Islamabad Earlier this month Islamabad police lodged a First Information Report (FIR) against Pakistan Tehrek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan and over a dozen other PTI leaders for allegedly attacking police officers, destroying property, setting vehicles on fire, and causing chaos in and outside the FJC

The clashes continued for hours when Imran arrived at the FJC to attend a hearing in the Toshakhana case, with the judge taking Imran’s attendance through a court official as the PTI chief was present at the FJC s gate but could not attend court proceedings due to the protestors attack on the law enforcers

Addressing a press conference here on Thursday

Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah announced the formation of the JIT, which he said would complete its investigation within 14 days

teriorating economic conditions and elections coming sooner than later, the government s efforts now seem to be focused on keeping the nation calm and ensuring a vote bank with half-baked announcements such as giving ‘relief ’ on petrol to low-income segments

Once Pakistan is able to show the available financing, the IMF will convene the board meeting within days The board meeting will approve a $1 2 billion loan tranche in addition to extending the programme tenure to June next year and increasing the total size to $7 billion The funds are part of a bailout package the IMF had approved in 2019

Imran deliberately created an environment so that the court would be unable to hold its proceedings, said the minister He said that Imran Khan intentionally attacked the court complex after preparations, adding that the terrorists will be brought to justice Sanaullah claimed that an “armed mob” entered the FJC by force and created chaos They attacked court rooms, destroyed CCTV cameras and hurled abuses against police officials ” he added He said that Imran Khan had instructed some people to bring the mobs to the court otherwise he would not issue them the PTI party ticker that they were hoping for Earlier in the day a six-member JIT was constituted to investigate 10 cases registered against PTI workers for allegedly attacking police and creating a law and order situation outside Imran Khan’s Zaman Park residence in Lahore while resisting compliance of court orders by the Punjab government last week

According to a notification issued by the Punjab Home Department nine cases have been registered at the Race Course police station and one at Civil Lines police station against the PTI workers

“There are almost 9 sugar mills against whom TCP has an outstanding liability of around Rs 12 27 billion and the cases are subjudice at various courts of law because the respective sugar mills have defaulted in supply of committed quantities of sugar despite getting 100% advance payments” read the agenda presented on January 3 2023 to ECC

Sources said that through the Ministry of Commerce TCP also requested ECC to not allow trading to any of the referred sugar mills TCP also stressed that sugar export quota should be availed only when their total outstanding liability including accrued markup towards the government of Pakistan stands settled However the ECC under the chair of Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and the federal cabinet has not paid heed to such a proposal, sources added

On January 11 2023 ECC allowed 250 000 metric tons of sugar export and directed the provincial Cane Commissioners to allocate quota for export of sugar within seven working days: 61% to Punjab 32% to Sindh and 7% to KPK According to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, the sugar price was recorded at Rs 92 per kg on January 12, 2023 which has now reached Rs 110 per kg According to one official ECC had directed relevant ministries to keep eye on sugar prices and there are reports that sugar is also being smuggled to neighboring countries

Imran demands immediate release of ‘abducted’

A zhar Mashwani

LAhore

S ta f f R e p o R t

Former Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday took to social media blogging site to lodge a strong protest against abduction of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) social media head, Azhar Mashwani, by Police

“Enough is enough Police in Punjab & Islamabad are breaking all laws with impunity as they target PTI Today Azhar Mashwani was abducted in the afternoon from Lahore & his whereabouts are unknown ” he said Khan said that on 18 March Senator Shibli Faraz & Omar Sultan were badly beaten by ICT police despite both having permission to be inside Judicial Complex “Hassaan Niazi was abducted immed[iately] after getting bail & later charged with sham FIRs to keep him lcoked up I am sending pictures of IGs Punjab & ICT & of all officers indulging in this criminal behaviour to int HR orgs so they can identify those working for the state & indulging in abductions illegal break-ins into homes, custodial torture & violence against political ldrs & unarmed workers of PTI Demand immed release of Azhar Mashwani write a visibly frustrated Khan

Despite international pressure, Pak istan proceeds with the second phase of CPEC

Ministry of Law jointly endorsed the draft agreement sources claimed

The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) on Wednesday decided to send Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA) requests to foreign jurisdictions for investigating cases linked to foreign jurisdictions

According to a Customs General Order No 01 of 2023 issued on Wednesday, the customs collector or the director will ensure that in all cases where the accused or the criminal offense has links in a foreign jurisdiction, an MLA request will

The federal government has decided to go ahead with the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) amid the watchful eyes of international entities The federal cabinet has approved the commencement of the second, and

To clarify, BoI is the lead agency of the Joint Working Group (JWG) on industrial cooperation under CPEC from the Pakistani side On the other hand the Chinese counterpart of the BoI is the National Development & Reform Commission (NDRC) China

A framework agreement was also signed between both parties in 2022, which besides other matters of significance, also aims to foster skill development and capacity building of the local workforce This shows the potential skilling and economic advancement that Pakistan anticipates would result from the current endeavor

Here is what happened in the pursuance of the consensus reached in the Framework Agreement and the 10th JCC meeting of CPEC held on 23rd September 2021, the NDRC– China has proposed that an MoC between BoI and the All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU) is likely to be signed in order to strengthen workers exchange under CPEC Industrial Cooperation

China’s Belt and Road Initiative consisting of various economic and infrastructure projects throughout Pakistan

It is a $62 billion project which includes a 3 000-kilometer network of railways oil and gas pipelines connecting both countries, as well as new renewable energy projects

What do the agreed upon conditions of this phase of the CPEC project include?

It was informed that Under the aforementioned MOC, government officials and CPEC-related workforce will go to China Moreover Pakistani officials will be trained according to China s successful industrial model

According to reports, the industrial cooperation agreement between the two neighboring countries will be effective till 2025 with the possibility of further expansion

They elaborated that under the agreement, there will be capacity building and skill development of Pakistan’s CPEC workforce The Ministry of External Affairs and

Sources further hinted that the proposed MoC envisages to conduct exchange programmes of Government officers and workforce associated with CPEC projects, through capacity building and skill development, Chinese language courses, and any other mutually agreed mechanism to promote people to people ties

According to sources BoI and ACFTU have reached consensus on the text of the draft MoC, which has been duly vetted by the Law Division as well as been concurred by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Based on the draft copy, available with Profit, of the MoC between the ACFTU of China and the BoI of Pakistan there will be an agreement between the two entities to promote industrial cooperation within the framework of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Industrial Cooperation (CPEC IC)

In the foreseeable future (2023-2025) and keeping in mind the COVID-19 pandemic both sides will on

the basis of mutual consent hold online workers symposiums at regular intervals, as well as, carry out relevant exchanges and cooperation The online symposium will be designated for the workforces of both countries that are actively engaged in and contributing to the construction of CPEC This will provide a platform to augment people to people exchanges through experience sharing and suggestions for the future development of CPEC

Moreover, online seminars based on the Chinese’s successful experience in development for Special Economic Zones (SEZs) shall also be organized for the concerned stakeholders in Pakistan Following the same timeline, in the next three years, both sides shall initiate an exchange programme by arranging activities in their respective countries to foster practical people to people and cultural exchanges on ground

To provide first hand experience of the successful industrial models in China the Chinese stakeholders shall facilitate the field visits of the concerned teams from Pakistan, including the Chinese SEZs, sources told Profit Likewise in order to mitigate the language barrier between the two countries workforces associated with CPEC, while promoting brotherly relations and cultural ties, both sides shall arrange exchange programmes by holding language learning courses in their respective countries

Furthermore, it was revealed that according to work needs both sides will set up a consultation mechanism This MOC may be amended or modified at any time through mutual written consent of both sides The amendment or modification shall enter into force in the like manner as provided in the Article VII of this MOC

The available copy of the MOC also states that any differences arising out of interpretation or implementation of said MOC shall be settled amicably, through mutual consultations between the ACFTU and the BoI

G ov t fo r m s J I T t o p ro b e

‘at t a c k ’ o n J u d i c i a l Co m p l ex