Epaper_24-05-11 KHI

reserved seats, leading to the de-seating of the Punjab ruling alliance members SIC s Malik Aftab raised objections and read out the Supreme Court s decision regarding the members elected on reserved seats At which, the speaker validated the opposition member ’s point of order and ordered the suspension of the membership of the nominated members on the reserved seats of the ruling alliance immediately Following the speaker s ruling, 24 women reserved seats and three minorities’ seats fell vacant in the Punjab Assembly The suspension of 27 members also decreased the number of seats of the ruling party to 200 while the Sunni Itte-

had Council holds 106 seats and the PPP is the third-largest party with 15 seats in the provincial assembly Similarly, the PML-Q has 11 seats, the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) has 7 seats while the PML-Z Majlis-e-Wahdatul Muslimeen (MWM) and Tehreeke-Labaik Pakistan (TLP) each hold one seat in the Punjab Assembly Among those suspended from reserved minority seats are Tariq Masih Gul Waseem Anjum and Basruji Meanwhile members of the Sunni Ittehad Council lauded the speaker s decision by thumping the table

On December 22 2023 the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had stripped the PTI of its election symbol due to irregularities in its intra-party elections The Supreme Court later upheld the ECP’s order leading the party to field its candidates as independents in the February 8 general elections

Subsequently, independent candidates supported by the PTI joined the SIC and applied to the ECP for allocation of seats reserved for women and minorities in the national and provincial legislatures However on March 4 the ECP dismissed the request citing the SIC s failure to submit a priority list of candidates for reserved seats prior to the polls The SIC challenged the order in the PHC, which on March 14 upheld the ECP’s decision The SIC later appealed to the Supreme Court which suspended the PHC ruling in favour of PTI ‘PPP dashes PML-N hopes’

Meanwhile, the PPP dashed the ruling party’s hope about the former

iCube-Qamar unveils first image of Moon from lunar orbit

S TA F F R E P O R T

The iCube-Qamar, Pakistan’s inaugural lunar satellite mission unveiled the premiere snapshot of the moon taken within its lunar orbit announced by the Institute of Space Technology on Friday Previously, the satellite relayed an image while traversing the lunar orbit This marks a significant milestone as per the IST with Qamar being Pakistan s pioneer satellite to venture into lunar orbit, completing a full rotation every 12 hours “The iCube-Qamar will capture images of the lunar orbit from a vantage point 200 kilometers above the moon s surface, stated the IST It added that the signals of iCube-Qamar will be received on Earth by covering a distance of 360 000 to 400 000 km iCube-Qamar has made three rounds around the moon the IST said The first image was received two days after IST announced that the satellite was successfully deployed in orbit on May 8 at 1:14pm Pakistan time The scientist termed the development a great success overall

Following its deployment the satellite will take images of the desired lunar surfaces in a carefully selected 12-hour elliptical orbit The iCube-Qamar was launched on board China’s Chang’e-6 from Hainan China on May 3 Ahead of the launch of the satellite last week Dr Khurram said that the Pakistani satellite will take different pictures of the surface of the moon after which Pakistan will have its own satellite images of the moon for research

The satellite was designed and developed by the Islamabad-based Institute of Space Technology (IST) in collaboration with China s Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) and Pakistan’s national space agency Suparco iCube-Qamar orbiter car-

TIran releases 28 Pakistani prisoners on humanitarian grounds

on Friday released and repatriated

Pakistani prisoners as per Pakistani request made during the recent visit of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi

According to an official handout released by Iranian Embassy, the sentence of Pakistani national prisoners was suspended on humanitarian grounds and to further cement the bilateral relations between the two brotherly countries to facilitate the release of the prisoners

As agreed, following the recent visit of the Iranian President to Pakistan, some 28 Pakistani prisoners were released and returned to the brotherly country of Pakistan with the suspension of their prison sentences cherishing Is-

lamic benignity and due to the humanitarian goals, said the statement

No further details were shared by the Embassy It merits mention that an Iranian delegation on on April 4 had called on Minister for Law and Justice senator Azam Nazeer Tarar to discuss issues of mutual interests The Iranian delegation was led by Dr Askar Galailan, Deputy Justice Minister for Human Rights and International Affairs

The Iranian delegation said that there are currently 160 Pakistani prisoners in Iran s jails while 60 Iranian prisoners were in custody in Pakistan Considering the plight of their loved ones and the relatives of the imprisoned Pakistanis, the Iranian delegation had proposed to release the Pakistani inmates

The delegation suggested that in the

first phase the prisoners would be released on humanitarian grounds and sent back to Pakistan Likewise, Pakistan should also release the Iranian prisoners and send them back to Iran Law Minister had welcomed this proposal with open heart and assured all possible cooperation from his side Steps must be taken with the support of Ministry of Interior for those who are not involved in any legal crime, it was agreed In addition, in the meeting, it was also agreed to provide travel and business facilities to improve tourism and trade relations In the end it was reiterated to play a positive role from both sides

Later, during the visit of Iranian President Raisi, the commitment was reiterated and both sides agreed to release the inmates

Punjab govt revives laptop scheme after seven years

LAHORE: After a hiatus of seven years Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has given the green light to reinstate the laptop scheme In a recent meeting chaired by CM Maryam to discuss reforms in the higher education sector, it was decided to reintroduce the provision of state-of-the-art laptops to students in Punjab after a prolonged interval The meeting which focused on advancing higher education and improving student facilities such as laptops and transportation revealed that more than 0 65 million students are currently enrolled in public and private universities across Punjab Of these students, 44% are male and 56% are female Senior Provincial Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, Provincial Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat Information Minister Azma Zahid Bukhari along with other officials were present at the meeting Earlier, on May 26, 2023, the then-Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Youth Affairs, Shaza Fatima Khawaja, had announced the government’s intention to relaunch the laptop scheme in 2023 as part of the Prime Minister Youth Programme Khawaja had disclosed plans to distribute 100 000 laptops to the youth Expressing regret over the scheme s discontinuation by the previous government Khawaja highlighted the importance of laptops, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, in facilitating education and employment opportunities for the youth S ta f f R e p o R t

ADVERSE EFFECTS ON DIGITAL PAKISTAN AND INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS

PR OFIT

N e w S D e S k

The Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA) represented by its Head of Asia Pacific Julian Gorman has voiced apprehensions regarding the Federal Board of Revenue s (FBR) recent policy The policy mandates the blocking of mobile SIMs for individuals absent from the active taxpayer list for Tax Year 2023 In a letter addressed to the Minister of State for Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja, Gorman criticized the In-

come Tax General Order (ITGO) enacted by the FBR on April 30 2024

This order could lead to the deactivation of over 500,000 SIMs, a move that GSMA argues could derail the progress towards Digital Pakistan and FBR’s own digitization efforts GSMA highlighted several concerns including potential violations of citizen rights the impact on livelihoods and restricted access to crucial services and information The organization pointed out that the measure could disproportionately affect women noting that only 27% of SIMs are registered to female Computerised National Identity Cards (CNICs)

The body also warned of broader societal impacts such as gender disparities interruptions to educational endeavors diminished foreign investment confidence and complications in financial transactions and e-commerce GSMA recommended that instead of punitive approaches, the FBR should consider alternative, less disruptive methods of enhancing tax collection They advocate for maintaining uninterrupted mobile service access to all citizens suggesting that fostering voluntary compliance and economic inclusivity would be more effective The GSMA s letter also referenced their Mobile Gender Gap Report and resources on Children and Mobile Technology offering further guidance on crafting inclusive policies that protect individual rights while promoting broader social and economic benefits

Y

Investiture

ceremony of Karachi Corps takes place in

C heap solar panels hit loc al markets

tiaz (Military), Tamgha-i-Imtiaz (Military), and Tamgha-i-Basalat awards were conferred on army officers and soldiers during the ceremony

At least 14 officers were awarded Sitara-i-Imtiaz (Military) while 19 were awarded Tamgha-i-Imtiaz (Military) for rendering services to the armed forces

The next of kin of nine soldiers received Tamghai-Basalat on behalf of the martyrs

A large number of senior army officers and families of awardees attended the ceremony The chief guest General Iftikhar also interacted with families of martyrs and paid tribute to their services

‘Blow to Ruling Alliance’: 27 Punjab MPAs on reser ved seats suspended following SC order

CONTINUED FR OM PAGE 01

Rather Bilawal, during the meeting, emphasized the need for making the purchase of wheat mandatory , they added The leader termed the reports suggesting that the PPP was joining the cabinet after the budget “speculative saying that no such discussion had taken place during the meetings between the two sides

It is to be noted that recently the party sources had revealed that the ruling allies – the PML-N and PPP were close to a power-sharing deal and Bilawal was likely to return as the country’s foreign minister

Earlier this month the premier and Bilawal had met at the PM s House to finalise the names of the governors for Punjab Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan

According to an official statement PM Shehbaz and Bilawal discussed the overall political situation in the country

Ethiopia offers 10-year tax break to Pakistani investors g AMBA SSADOR ANNOUNCES SIGNIFICANT TAX HOLIDAY FOR PAKISTANI INVESTORS, ENHANCING TRADE RELATIONSHIP AND OPENING NEW OPPORTUNITIES IN HIS COUNTRY

P E C A a

TH E approval by the Prime Minister of amendments to the Pakistan Electronic Crimes Act gives rise to the impression that there is an element within the federal bureaucracy which is rendered uncomfortable by the kind of freedom of speech that social media platforms represent It is not that this is a party issue No matter what the affiliation of the government, it attempts to control social media The PTI s attempts ended with the Islamabad High Court striking down its amendments to the PECA as violative of the constitutionally guaranteed right to freedom of speech The amendments allow the setting up a Digital Rights Protection Authority which will also apparently have the right of asking for sources In short, the Information Ministry is to get its own police force, and will not have to rely on the FIA, which falls under the Interior Ministry Social media should not be misused to spread falsehoods but it should be noticed that social media has led to an upsurge of so-called citizens’ journalism and whistleblowing One of the reasons why the mainstream media has not been able to control the narrative about Gaza has been the use by Gazans of social media to record their tribulations This has clearly disturbed official media managers, who have established an elaborate control mechanism for both electronic and print media However, as the Gaza example shows control is not possible As for the spread of disinformation that rests ultimately on the strength of the dispute resolution mechanism The flaws of the justice system should not be used as an excuse to impose restrictions which will ultimately be used to exercise control If the government could ensure that civil cases were speedily adjudicated, the disinformation problem would be automatically solved Libel cases if at all brought are not resolved at the trial stage for years and then there is the appeals process with its cumbersomeness and delays Even as it is with all the room for delay, media organizations try to avoid libel suits by internal SOPs ensuring accuracy in what they publish or broadcast After all, they do not just sell

Afghanistan’s deteriorating situation

TH E US withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan in August 2021 marked the end of a 20-year occupation allowing the Taliban to retake control of the country Despite promises of human rights upholding the reality on the ground has been different leading to concerns over the fate of Afghanistan s population, particularly women, minorities, and those resisting Taliban rule The Taliban is focusing on policies similar to those of the 1990s regime This is due to the vast size of Afghanistan where Kabul is vastly different from rural areas and cities allowing local commanders and fighters to implement their radical Sharia law But recently the two main Taliban figures in Afghanistan have written messages for Eid-ul-Fitr that reflect the disagreements between the hardliners and the more moderate factions who wish to abandon more stringent regulations and win over more outside backing The statements were made by Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani who urged the Taliban to be modest and refrain from acting in a way that would annoy Afghans, and Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, who defended the imposition of Islamic law and denounced the international community for its criticism A worldwide audience was also targeted by the messages which asked for assistance and investment from other countries

Over 45 years of conflict in Afghanistan has weakened coping mechanisms, leading to concerns about a potential humanitarian catastrophe Since the Taliban De-Facto Authorities transition, aid has been suspended and humanitarian need has increased by 48 percent with 29 million Afghans requiring assistance By end-2023 four million Afghans were acutely malnourished including 3 2 million children under 5 A ban on women working with NGOs aggravated the crisis, making it harder to deliver aid and monitor the needs of women and girls

The situation worsened last year when Pakistan planned to repatriate over 1 million illegal Afghan refugees and immigrants That now represents a multigenerational displacement crisis with one out of every ten refugees in the world being Afghan by birth in 2023 By end-2024, one out of every five refugees will come from Afghanistan, resulting in around 6 1 million Afghan refugees On top of it, the climate crisis

A n o t h e r v i s i t t o S

in Afghanistan is adding to the misery and posing a significant threat to hundreds of thousands of Afghans, as the country is highly affected by climate change and poorly equipped to handle its effects Between 1951 and 2021 the country experienced a mean annual temperature increase of 1 8ºC double the global average This combined with failing water and sanitation infrastructure has led to a national water crisis affecting 10 million people, raising alarms about food security, nutrition, and healthcare

Pakistan has serious political and security issues as a result of the fall of the Afghan government and the Taliban’s comeback Due to the frequent spillover of the Afghan conflict into Pakistan the country s long and porous border with Afghanistan has presented both opportunities and challenges Pakistan s backing of the Taliban insurgency in the past had caused tensions with the Afghan government and made attempts to mediate a political settlement more difficult A power vacuum left by the fall of the Afghan government might be tapped into by a number of terrorist organisations including those that are antagonistic to Pakistan Extremist groups directly threaten Pakistan s security and stability from Afghanistan, which heightens worries about the rebirth of insurgency and terrorism along the border Pakistan has urgent security concerns as a result of the worsening security situation in Afghanistan where anti-Pakistan militants have found a safe haven due to the presence of terrorist organisations and the refugee inflow Particularly in areas of Pakistan where the Pashtun population is sizable,

A delegation of Saudi businessmen/investors was visiting Pakistan shortly (as it has done) and in this regard the federal government was making brisk preparations appropriately for fully utilizing the visiting delegation for promoting Saudi investment in different sectors

operation in multilateral sectors as well as trade and investment The prime minister said that his visit would be helpful in accelerating the pace of economic partnership between the two countries and resolved to continue making all-out efforts to positively materialize the understanding reached between the top leadership of both Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, pointedly stating that the economic partnership between them heralded a new era of bilateral relations

It may be pointedly stated here that Pakistan and Saudi Arabia enjoy several-decades-old strong trade defence and cultural ties

Both countries have been closely working for increasing bilateral trade and investment deals and Saudi leadership has only recently reaffirmed its commitment for expediting an investment package worth $5 billion

The Prime Minister s visit has provided him an opportunity to promote bilateral relations with the world leaders present but also to further strengthen existing brotherly and friendly relations with the Saudi leadership which has always been responding positively and promptly to help Pakistan and its people in every difficult situation whatever it may be Undoubtedly it was quite a successful and result -oriented visit of PM Shehbaz Sharif who had gone through tirelessly hectic engagements and activities

The writer can be reached at zahidriffat@gmail com

Drastic

MuhaMMaD ZahiD rifat

Dr Zafar Khan SafDar

from launching major military operations in the southern Gazan city of Rafah which would endanger the lives of 1 5 million civilians seeking refuge there Meanwhile the USA is also pursuing aggressive diplomacy with all stakeholders It is feverishly working with the warring parties both Israel and Hamas and interlocutors Qatar Kuwait Jordan and Egypt besides others to bring them to agree on the conditions of ceasefire

The talks were considered not far from reaching a ceasefire, temporary or permanent If the talk succeeds, it would be a big blow to Natanyahu who has from the very beginning been against any ceasefire and had expressed his resolve to obliterate Hamas by military means from Gaza that too without giving any regard to collateral damage in the form of loss of lives and property

A permanent ceasefire could also lead to the collapse of his far-right coalition prompting early elections and his removal from power as his national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and finance minister Bezalel Smotrich, have already threatened to leave and make Netanyahu s coalition collapse , if Israel agrees to a captive deal and ceasefire

To add to the complexity, both Israel and Hamas have divergent interpretations of the various sections of the agreement The first phase of a three-phase agreement would be the

Amidst high-stakes diplomatic maneuvers and military tensions, there remains a faint hope for a deal to at least temporarily halt the conflict which has so far claimed the lives of over 34,700 Palestinians and inflicted widespread devastation on the entire Gaza Strip

e l f o r c e a s e f i r e

six-week pause in fighting, during which according to the Israeli point of view Israel would exchange hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and detainees in Israeli jails for 33 of the most vulnerable hostages held in Gaza But Hamas refused to release all of the 33 prisoners According to Hamas these 33 hostages include those who were still living, and the remains of those who have died Additionally Hamas demanded a framework that would stretch out the hostage release by freeing three on the third day after the pause begins then three more every seven days after that But Hamas refused to release all of the 33 prisoners who would be freed in the first phase were still living, and that the remains of those who have died would be among the releases After the six week pause the negotiation will move to the second phase named sustainable calm which is again interpreted differently by both Israel and Hamas Israel interpreted it as, the two sides would work toward achieving a “sustainable calm” in Gaza after an initial six-week pause in fighting Whereas Hamas interpret it as a permanent cessation of hostilities and a complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip

A permanent ceasefire could also lead to the collapse of his far-right coalition, prompting early elections and his removal from power, as his national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir and finance minister Bezalel Smotrich have already threatened to leave and collapse Netanyahu s coalition if Israel agrees to a captive deal and ceasefire

This pause is par t of an ongoing effor t to deter Israel from launching major military operations in the southern Gazan city of Rafah, which would endanger the lives of 1.5 million civilians seeking refuge there .

Both Israel and Hamas have divergent interpretations of the under discussion agreement The first phase of a three-phase agreement would be the six-week pause in fighting during which according to the Israeli point of view Israel would exchange hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and detainees in Israeli jails for 33 of the most vulnerable hostages held in Gaza Though the text of the draft is still being moved to and fro and its fate hangs in balance, Israel side once again throws a spanner saying that Israeli believed the proposal Hamas had agreed to was very far from Israel s

Under Modi, India has slipped 43 places down the World Press Freedom Index; it now ranks a dismal 159 out of 180 nations

India s history The events of March 21 are part of a pattern that has cast doubt on the legitimacy of India’s election According to this year ’s report by Freedom House a bipartisan think tank that evaluates democracies across the world Modi s government has selectively pursued anti-corruption investigations against opposition politicians while overlooking allegations against political allies Many of those politicians have then been cleared of the charges if they joined Modi’s party: Of 25 opposition leaders probed for corruption 23 saw their charges dropped when they switched parties These and other worrying developments are striking in a country that has long prided itself as the biggest and most unlikely modern democratic success story India conducted its first election during the winter of 1951–2, a mammoth exercise that took five months to complete Indian elections have taken place largely uninterrupted ever since The country s election commission is largely responsible for this success The constitutional body has overseen 17 national elections and hundreds of provincial elections in states as large as European nations; today it caters to nearly 1 billion voters and marshals nearly 15 million workers to conduct a national election The commission is led by a three-person panel whose chief like a high-ranking judge can be removed only if Parliament impeaches them At least since the 1990s chief election commissioners have been independent and powerful figures who inspire fear in politicians and their parties

Narendra Modi has managed to undermine all that during his decade as prime minister In December, his government passed a law amending the selection process for choosing election commissioners such that the executive branch would have the most say over the process That he chose to interfere is little wonder Independent election commissioners had posed an obstacle to Modi almost from the beginning of his political career When Modi was chief minister of the western state of Gujarat in 2002, a spasm

‘ The 1977 elec tions were held fair and square O ne fears that is not going to be the c ase with 2024’

motivations and mocking his Christian identity

By 2019 Modi had mostly taken care of this problem: He was ensconced as prime minister and had rendered the election commission all but toothless having filled the body with handpicked former bureaucrats closely allied with the Hindu right For decades, a stringent code of conduct governed elections in India, and transgressions could result in public censure bans from campaigning and in extreme cases the disqualification of candidates And yet in 2019 the commission heard five complaints against Modi for violating the election code by seeking votes in the name of the military, for example, and appealing to the electorate on religious grounds It somehow contrived to clear Modi in all five cases Five years later Modi is leading an even more incendiary and divisive campaign and the commission appears to be comatose On April 6 Modi described the Congress party s manifesto as reflecting the mentality of the Muslim League, the separatist organization that led to the creation of Pakistan and is widely reviled in India, even though the manifesto made no reference to religion Then, in an election rally on April 21, Modi told voters that the Congress party intended to seize their private wealth and distribute it among India s 200 million Muslims whom he characterized as infiltrators producing more than their share of children Modi s speech almost certainly violated not only the election code but also Indian laws against hate speech and inciting religious discord Perhaps even Modi realized he had gone too far: The transcripts of the speech uploaded to the prime minister ’s website did not include the most offensive passages Even so his remarks caused an uproar in India Political parties and more than 20 000 private citizens complained to the election commission, seeking its intervention If the electoral body did not act, Sagarika Ghose, an opposition legislator wrote on X, “then let’s please wind up the Election Commission and forget about the Model Code of Conduct ” The commission responded timidly with a notice not to Modi but to the president of his Bharatiya Janata Party In the past the commission directly censured political leaders for their violations; today its reluctance to confront the prime minister surprises no one Commissioners know that standing up to Modi can exact a heavy price In 2019 Ashok Lavasa one of the three election commissioners recorded a formal dissent from the decision to exonerate the prime minister on the five complaints Lavasa s phone was placed on a surveillance list while his family endured months of harassment, including tax raids and investigations into his son s business In 2020, Lavasa resigned He had been due to take over as chief election commissioner the following year I reached out to several former election commissioners for comment for this story Two spoke with me off the record kept deferring the date for a formal interview and eventually stopped taking calls or responding to texts One, Om Prakash Rawat, who was chief election commissioner in 2018, dismissed concerns about the commission’s independence as media fictions and suggested that Western democracies had perpetuated them in order to undermine India Rawat told me that he did not think Modi and his party had violated the election code in 2019 or in the present election Modi s speech branding the Congress manifesto as reflecting the mentality of the Muslim League was merely politics as usual, he said As the election season has worn on and the commission has kept quiet, Modi has doubled down on his rhetoric describing the Muslim electorate as “jihadi votes and the BJP has put out animated videos portray-

According to this year ’s repor t by Freedom House, a bipar tisan think tank that evaluates democracies across the world, Modi ’s government ‘has selec tively pursued anticorruption investigations against opposition politicians while overlooking allegations against political allies’

ing Muslims as crafty and predatory animals Arvind Kejriwal the Delhi chief minister was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate a federal agency that investigates financial crimes Since Modi came to power in 2014 the number of investigations the directorate has conducted against political leaders has more than quadrupled, to 121 Of the leaders under investigation, 115 of them 95 percent belonged to opposition parties Kejriwal is the leader of the Aam Aadmi Party an upstart populist outfit that has quickly risen to take charge of two northern provinces A rousing orator Kejriwal was known for his sarcastic and often humorous speeches critical of Modi In the short term, arresting him served the BJP by eliminating a charismatic opposition politician from the campaign trail In the long term, it dealt a blow to a rival who could one day become a national challenger Kejriwal was technically the first chief minister to be arrested in India s history but effectively he was the second In January Hemant Soren the chief minister of the eastern state of Jharkhand, had resigned a few hours before he was arrested by the directorate Like Kejriwal, Soren had a commanding presence in a region where the BJP was markedly weak Few institutions have survived the democratic subversion of the Modi years Soren and Kejriwal approached the courts but an enfeebled judiciary is still vacillating on whether to grant them bail Much of the mainstream news media purvey Hindu-nationalist propaganda, depicting Modi as the personification of the nation and his opponents as corrupt actors intent on destabilizing India A recent analysis of six prominent networks from February through April the months leading up to the election found that 52 percent of their prime-time coverage attacked opposition parties; another 27 percent praised Modi and his government

Under Modi, India has slipped 43 places down the World Press Freedom Index; it now ranks a dismal 159 out of 180 nations Since 2021, Freedom House has categorized India as only “partly free” in its annual reports That same year the V-Dem Institute an independent research organization based in Sweden also reclassified India observing that the world s largest democracy has turned into an electoral autocracy

These days in India, talk often swirls back to the Emergency, India’s previous era of authoritarian rule, in the 1970s under Prime Minister Indira Gandhi The 1977 elections that ended the Emergency produced a staggering upset with Gandhi losing her own parliamentary seat But the Princeton professor Gyan Prakash who wrote a book about the Emergency, told me that the analogy to the present moment was misleading Gandhi freed opposition leaders from prison as elections approached; Modi has been doing the opposite

“The 1977 elections were held fair and square ” Prakash told me One fears that is not going to be the case with 2024 In India s stratified and deeply hierarchical society elections have long been a great equalizer During the campaign season, social boundaries between castes and classes seem momentarily to dissolve as passionate political debates break out in tea stalls and on crowded buses and subways Candidates and parties produce festive road shows on city streets But Modi and his Hindu-nationalist juggernaut have quelled these energies The current election feels sluggish Most cities and towns have been bathed in the

for a one-party state On April 22 a BJP candidate was elected unopposed from the Surat constituency in Gujarat two weeks before elections were scheduled in the city of 1 8 million voters The Congress candidate for the parliamentary seat had been rejected on a technicality; when the party put forward an alternative

Binvasion of Rafah Israel’s assault on Gaza was triggered by an Oct 7 attack by Islamist Hamas militants which by its tallies killed 1 200 The subsequent Israeli bombardment has killed some 35,000 Palestinians, according to local health authorities, and displaced the major-

ity of Gaza s

‘Ball is completely ’ in Israel ’s hands in G aza truce talks, says Hamas

CAIRO: Palestinian militant group Hamas said early Friday that its delegation attending Gaza ceasefire negotiations in Cairo had left the city for Qatar, adding the “ball is now completely” in Israel’s hands “The negotiating delegation left Cairo heading to Doha In practice the occupation (Israel) rejected the proposal submitted by the mediators and raised objections to it on several central issues the group said in a message to other Palestinian factions adding it stood by the proposal Accordingly, the ball is now completely in the hands of the occupation State-linked Egyptian outlet Al-Qahera News reported Thursday that representatives of both camps left Cairo after two days of negotiations aimed at finalising a ceasefire

C hina, Hungar y outline new blueprint for cooperation, development

China and Hungary have decided to elevate bilateral relations to an “all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership for the new era

The decision was announced during the talks between visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban Pushing bilateral relations to new heights, the two leaders affirmed that the decision has charted the course for the future development of China-Hungary relations and will inject new and powerful impetus into bilateral cooperation and create a better future for the two peoples

Noting that this year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Hungary, Xi called on the two countries to continue to be good friends with mutual trust and good partners for win-win cooperation

Chinese President Xi Jinping attends a welcome ceremony jointly held by Hungarian President Tamas

Sulyok and Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Budapest, Hungary, May 9, 2024 /Xinhua

Chinese President Xi Jinping attends a welcome ceremony jointly held by Hungarian President Tamas

Sulyok and Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Budapest

Hungary May 9 2024

Ahead of his visit to Hungary Xi had a signed article published in the Hungarian newspaper Magyar

Nemzet, where he said the bilateral relationship is at its

best in history and has embarked on a golden voyage

The bilateral trade volume in 2023 reached $14 52 billion an increase of 73 percent compared with that in 2013, according to the China-Hungary Investment and Cooperation Report Meanwhile, China s direct investment in Hungary reached 7 6 billion euros in 2023, accounting for 58 percent of Hungary’s total foreign direct investment

Hungary is the first European country to sign a Belt and Road cooperation document with China In recent years the Belt and Road Initiative has synergized more closely with Hungary s Eastern Opening strategy, enhancing bilateral practical cooperation in trade, investment, finance and other areas

Last December Chinese electric vehicle maker BYD announced to build its first European new energy passenger vehicle factory in Hungary which Hungary s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto described as one of the most significant investments in Hungary s economic history

Chinese modernization will surely bring more opportunities to Hungary and other countries in the world Xi told Orban adding that Hungary is welcomed to be China s companion on its path to Chinese modernization

During a meeting with Hungarian President Tamas Sulyok on Thursday, Xi said China is willing to work with Hungary to promote greater synergy between Chinese modernization and Hungary’s Eastern Opening strategy continuously lead in the right direction of the Belt and Road cooperation as well as cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European countries and to deepen and substantiate bilateral cooperation A China-Europe freight train loaded with 110 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) set off for Hungary in Jinhua, east China's Zhejiang Province, May 5, 2024 /CFP A China-Europe freight train loaded with 110 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) set off for Hungary in Jinhua east China s Zhejiang Province May 5 2024 People-to-people connectivity is an endless source of strength for China-Hungary relations Xi stressed in the signed article, adding that the more exchanges between the two peoples, the stronger the foundations of the friendship will be

CORPORATE CORNER

brief continues adding that its objective is to provide competitive edge to the armed forces by equipping them with modern and quality battlefield ammunition ” The Wire states that accordingly MIL products would fall under the munitions list SCOMET – Special Chemicals Organisms Materials Equipment and Technologies – which would require direct authorization by the Department of Defence Production for export The license which was approved in January however was only approved by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade meaning the products that Israel procured were dual-use items, not explicitly for military use, but could be in the form of

GOVT URGED TO NEGOTIATE FTAS TO HELP INCREASE EXPORTS ON INNOVATIVE TRENDS

Dar chairs meeting of Cabinet Committee on Privatisation

ISLAMABAD S TA F F R

P O R T Meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Privatisation

SOE making profits shall be considered for privatisation After deliberating on the privatisation policy guidelines, CCOP considered 84 SOEs in detail in light of SOE Act and Policy and passed the following directions:

Pigeon Flying - A S erious Hazard to Flight Operations

SOLUTION TO ISSUES LIES IN TALKS WITH REPRESENTATIVE PART Y OF ‘70% PEOPLE’: ALVI

Spyware attacks increased by 300% in Pakistan

and

infiltration According to findings by the Kaspersky Managed Detection and Response (MDR) team the frequency of high-severity incidents involving direct human engagement surpassed two per day in 2023 underscoring the severity of the situation The latest report by Kaspersky sheds light on the alarming trend cutting across various industries, with the financial, IT,

of

A

between

in

and

of 2023 and

of

Kaspersky telemetry

in

in

However, there’s a silver lining as banking malware attacks registered a decline of over 50% from 2023 Yet these fluctuations underscore the critical need for continuous enhancement of cybersecurity measures to safeguard Pakistan s digital landscape from an array of dynamic threats According to the report, 22 9% of all detected high-severity incidents were recorded in the government sector IT companies came second (15 4%), closely followed by financial and industrial companies that reported 14 9% and 11 8% of incidents respectively

The annual report provides information about the reported incidents their nature and their distribution by industry and geographic region It also highlights the most common tactics, techniques and tools attackers used in the past year

These results are based on an analysis of MDR incidents detected by the Kaspersky Security Operations Centre (SOC) Regarding the nature of these incidents nearly 25% of them were driven by humans The percentage of malware attacks resulting in serious consequences dipped slightly in 2023 compared to previous years, accounting for just over 12% of the total reported critical incidents

This decline represents the smallest share of highseverity incidents in recent years and can be attributed to the commoditisation of attacks

The 2023 MDR s report also found that the proportion of incidents involving the detection of targeted attack artefacts, publicly available critical vulnerabilities and the use of social engineering was around 4-5% “In 2023, Kaspersky detected a smaller number of high-severity incidents but observed a simultaneous increase in the number of medium and low-severity ones said Hafeez Rehman Technical group manager at Kaspersky

It s important to understand that the low number of high-severity incidents does not necessarily indicate low damage Targeted attacks are now planned more carefully, and become more dangerous “Therefore, we recommend the use of effective automated cybersecurity solutions managed with the help of experienced SOC analysts he added

a

K hyber Pakhtunkhwa to

tax vehicles registered out of province

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has

plans to

development

registered outside the province The proposed legislation, titled the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Road User Charge Bill 2024’, is set to be presented for approval in the near future as confirmed by Advisor on Finance to the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Muzzammil Aslam Under the provisions of the bill, a road user surcharge will be levied on vehicles registered in federal territories and other

provinces, with the aim of generating revenue to support road infrastructure projects within Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Additionally to streamline vehicle registration processes and ensure compliance an announcement regarding the initiation of online vehicle registration in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is anticipated in the coming days Muzzammil Aslam said Efforts are also underway to reform commercial and residential property taxes within the province, said the finance advisor adding that these initiatives are aimed at enhancing revenue collection Speaking on the proposed tax

rates and enforcement mechanisms, Public Relations Officer (PRO) to the Finance Advisor Anwar Khattak Khan clarified that the road user charge bill is primarily targeted at residents of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa whose vehicles are registered outside the province

The Excise Department has already issued universal number plates, facilitating the government’s process to tax vehicles registered out of province and streamline tax collection processes

The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Friday expressed dismay over the lack of progress in years-old missing person cases, issued arrest warrant for the investigating officer for his absence from hearing and sought a report from the senior superintendent of police (SSP)

The bench expressed concern over the non-recovery of Pathan Khan Zahrani went missing from Steel Town five years ago

During proceedings, Justice

Phulpoto remarked that the court was deeply concerned about the non-recovery of missing citizens emphasizing the urgency of timely action to address the grievances of the families

There was no doubt that provincial task forces and joint investigation teams (JIT) were convening meetings but there have been zero results in most cases

the bench maintained

The court questioned why serious steps were not being taken

Regarding the recovery of missing persons Bilal, Musa, and others the bench demanded the federal and provincial governments including other relevant departments submit reports

The court then adjourned the hearing until August 13

Last month, on April 23, the federal government announced that it had decided to reconstitute the cabinet committee on missing

persons which would also have parliamentary representation Earlier this year, on January 2, the country s top judge acknowledged the severity of the missing persons’ issue and expressed optimism about the Supreme Court’s (SC) ability to find a lasting solution Pakistan belongs to all of us and we must collectively address these concerns Blaming each other is futile; that approach has been exhausted We aim to conclusively resolve the missing persons’ problem the court observed

KARACHI