Epaper_24-05-28 ISB

CENTRE, KP GOVT VOW TO JOINTLY WORK TO END PROVINCE’S POWER WOES

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multiple discussions with Naqvi and Leghari, adding that plans were now in place to develop a mechanism to prevent losses to the exchequer and ensure that citizens pay their arrears We as a province will do our part as will our parliamentarians and local government representatives, he added

“This will be a community-based project ” Gandapur said adding that until a mechanism is fully developed KP will receive relief from the center Rome wasn t built in a day; this will take time, CM Gandapur added

He said that both sides had given presentations and that once complete the initiative would benefit the people by providing relief while also benefiting the government by reducing financial losses He added that his administration planned to introduce solar energy to KP to further benefit the public “We will soon be loadsheddingfree the chief minister vowed Meanwhile Leghari labeled the occasion as a joyful day saying that critics will have to accept that despite partisanship and political agendas, the federal government and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf have “recognized the damages done to this country and come together for a solution We all came to the table to discuss this issue (loadshedding), and I am grate-

ful to the interior minister for his role

Leghari added We shared plans and discussed the problems we are facing

We have come up with a solution that we will announce sometime tomorrow (Tuesday), once we have finalized the details ” Leghari said Once everything is set the model in KP will be replicated in other provinces as well

The energy minister echoed the KP chief minister s comments, saying that the initiative will be communitybased,” involving MNAs and MPAs

“This is not just about ending power theft; it s also about ending loadshedding he said adding that the PTI PML-N and other governing parties have come together to revive the country s economy Fielding questions from reporters, Gandapur said that he separated the “position from the institution and noted that he was seated next to the interior minister not Mohsin Naqvi

Though the PML-N stole our mandate, we have to work together for the good of the country,” he said “Imran Khan has always said we (the PTI) have no quarrel with any institution We may have problems with individuals but never institutions

There are political parties, and there are initiatives We must not conflate the two,” the chief minister maintained

Responding to a question Interior Minister Naqvi acknowledged there was a great shortage of electricity in KP We have managed to solve that very intelligently This is something that needs to be appreciated

S audi Arabia plans multi-billion- dollar Aramco share sale by June: repor t

Pakistan to launch multi-mission communication satellite PakSAT-MM1 on May 30 STAFF REPORT Pakistan is all set to launch the multi-mission communication satellite PakSAT-MM-1 on May 30 in collaboration with China

Pakistan’s expor ts to seven regional countries increase by 20% in 10MFY24

g EXPORTS TO AFGHANISTAN, CHINA, BANGLADESH, SRI LANKA, INDIA, NEPAL, AND THE MALDIVES ACCOUNTED FOR $3 655 BILLION WHILE IMPORTS RECORDED $10 925 BILLION

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to $433 567

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to

also decreased by

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from

82% to $542

whereas exports to Sri Lanka rose by 35 83% to $326 995 million from $240 732 The exports to India increased to $1 376 million from $0 250 million in the previous year

Exports to Nepal decreased by 1 38% to $2 420 million from 2 454 million while to Maldives

‘BUNCH OF CRIMINALS’ USING NUCLEAR PROGRAM FOR POLITICAL MILEAGE: PTI

Raza Rabbani c alls for holding grand dialogue to stop institutions from ‘transgression’

T Former Senate chairman Mian Raza Rabbani has called for holding a grand intra-institutional dialogue, wherein the institutions should agree on not to transgress into each other ’s domain Highlighting that the public exhibition of contradictions among institutes was casting long shadows on already fragile political system, Rabbani said, The way forward is a grand intra-institutional dialogue, wherein, each institution agrees not to transgress into each other ’s domain, respecting the trichotomy of power envisaged in the Constitution ” In a press statement the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader said Pakistan was engulfed in multiple crises one being contradiction within ruling elite The conflict of the ruling elite emanated from within and it had historical roots, he maintained He alleged that Pakistan’s establishment had, in history been taking support of the judiciary

The extreme polarised political atmosphere has affected this equation within the ruling elite This intraclass contradiction within the elite is vitiating the functioning of state institutions, he said Rabbani said in a democratic federal parliamentary system, parliament was the final arbiter for intra-elite disputes Hence he said parliament should refrain from becoming a party to the intra-elite disputes “The Committee of the Whole of the Senate of Pakistan should play its role in healing the situation he suggested

Taking a dig at non-implementation of the Constitution in its true spirit, the politico said the Constitution was being treated as a “nose of wax” “It is molded to legitimise the unconstitutional transgression of one institution into the affairs of the other

The PPP leader said all this had created a situation where rule of law has ceased to exist and there appears to be a rule by law It had shaken the constitutional foundations of the state, created structural and political instability, he concluded

derstorms are also expected in Gilgit-Baltistan encompassing regions like Diamir, Astore, Ghizer, Skardu, and Hunza, from the evening of May 28 to June 1 Azad Jammu and Kashmir, including Neelum Valley, Muzaffarabad, Rawalakot, and other areas, will see comparable weather patterns during this period Punjab/Islamabad will experience duststorms and isolated rain from the evening of May 28 to June 1 affecting cities such as Rawalpindi Murree Lahore, and Faisalabad,

and

Police detain three suspects in journalist Nasrullah Gadani murder case

KARACHI

The Sindh High Court on Monday slammed K-Electric over loadshedding in areas where people live hand to mouth The SHC reprimanded the K-Electric lawyer in the case pertaining to unannounced power cuts in Jamshed Quarters on Jahangir Road

SHC’s Justice Salahuddin, who was hearing a petition related to the aforementioned matter, asked the company’s counsel to submit an affidavit and told him to write under oath about the extent of load shedding being done in the area Responding to the court the KElectric lawyer said the company objected on the petitioner who fights cases and charges fees for it

The court remarked how much money could this lawyer have earned from fees and that there are some people who do such cases for public interest

The court also questioned about the financial status of the impacted area s residents responding to which the petitioner said it is mostly comprised of poor middle-class people who do not even have an air conditioner in their homes There is load shedding where people don’t even have an AC and where people have nothing to eat,” the court remarked Meanwhile addressing the prosecutor Justice

Salahuddin Panhwar said: European countries give funds for plantations They pay money to plant trees on thousands of acres here

The judge told the prosecutor that solar panels

should be installed using this money for people in such areas He added that the government won’t install solar panels in schools and libraries

TH E claims by Bahria Town chairman Malik Riaz that he would not bow down to political pressure need to be taken with a grain of salt

There is nothing surprising about the property tycoon facing this pressure His involvement in the Al-Qadir Trust case is a central political issue after all This is the very case in which former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi are implicated, and as per legal experts, the one case that poses the most serious threat to the former premier Malik Riaz is a party in this case accused of bribing Mr Khan and members of his government Perhaps government forces had hoped Mr Riaz would be willing to testify against Mr Khan in exchange for a clean chit, but it seems he is reluctant to do so Instead he has maintained a tacit silence Even in his recent tweet Mr Riaz was rather cryptic

One would do well to remember that the AlQadir trust case also came out of a Supreme Court case that Mr Riaz had been involved in The Supreme Court had fined Bahria Town Rs 460 billion for alleged land grabbing in Karachi At the same time, the National Crime Agency in the UK had charged a fine of nearly $200 million to Mr Riaz for illegal practices in the UK This amount was to be repatriated to Pakistan However, Mr Khan s cabinet allegedly decided to submit this money into the account of the SC in lieu of the Rs 460 billion fine The accusation is that Mr Riaz gave Mr Khan land for the Al-Qadir trust in exchange for this massive favour

This paints a bleak picture for Mr Riaz, whose son is also involved in the case for allegedly buying nearly 300 kanals of land for Farha Shahzadi, a close associate of the former PM’s wife also involved in the case At the same time, if the case results in the SC not counting the submission of the money into their accounts then Bahria Town will be facing default This will mean serious financial strife for Malik Riaz, who has until now seemed untouchable in Pakistan

Has Malik Riaz been abandoned? As of now he does seem to be on his own Only time will tell if the once invincible Mr Riaz will be struck down What we do know is he got here as the result of his own actions

Dedicated to the legac y of late Hameed Nizami Arif Nizami (Late) Founding Editor

M A Niazi Editor Pakistan Today Babar Nizami Editor Profit

including a policeman and injuries to hundreds of people including personnel of the law enforcing agencies besides damage to private and government properties The protest finally ended after the federal government in consultation with the AJK government and other stakeholders accepted the demands of the protestors Consequently the price of electricity

D espite the protest being violent in nature, the govt gave an answer

solved the issue to the satisfaction of all the stakeholders including the leadership of AAC It was hoped that there would be no recurrence of protests and violence in AJK But to the dismay of all concerned the AAC has again given a call for protests from 27 hin case the measures announced were not implemented by then I am of the firm opinion that it is unjustifiable on the part of AAC to re-launch the protest without giving sufficient time to the AJK and Pakistan government to implement the agreed steps The Price of electricity and flour has been reduced immediately and rest of the issues

properties and fomented violence during the protests It has to be accepted ungrudgingly that peaceful protest is a fundamental human right It forms the bedrock of democracy This right is not a mere privilege granted by governments but an essential component of a free and open society However during protests the government has the responsibility to prevent violence and protect public lives property and its own assets It is also incumbent upon the protestors to maintain non-violent behaviour and exhibit respect for the rights of others That element was surely missing during the protests in AJK The quick response by the federal government re-

h o e s o f a n t i q u a t e d s t r

Majority of the people of AJK are peace loving and are satisfied with the measures announced by the government of Pakistan and AJK The AAC must erase its imag e of being flag bearer of the vested interests out to destroy peace and tranquility of the state

a t a g e m s

provocative statements jeopardizes the regional peace and susceptibility Indian intelligence officials claimed that Indian government ordered killings in Pakistan

in

attack was a key platform to BJPs electoral crusade Modi emerged as a national rescuer from the Pulwama charade in 2019 Lok Sabha elections India s defense minister Rajnath Singh said that if terrorists from neighboring country try to disturb peace in India or try to carry out terrorists’ activities in India “we will give them a befitting reply If they run away to Pakistan we will enter Pakistan to kill them The surge in such

According to the Guardian report Indian government assassinated individuals in Pakistan as a part of its strategy to culminate terrorists living on foreign soil With such claims coming out at critical point concerning the ongoing elections give further weight to the allegations of Modi s government involvement in extrajudicial killings in Canada and US that jeopardizes the security and stability Considering the tendencies, Pakistan ought to be ready for any misadventure and avoid any escalation posing a threat to regional peace India’s propaganda against Pakistan driven by the self-fabricated political motivations and anti-Pakistan rhetoric relies on falsehoods and to secure domestic political mileage

Indian intelligence officials claimed that Indian government ordered killings in Pakistan According to the Guardian report, Indian government assassinated individuals in Pakistan as a part of its strategy to culminate terrorists living on foreign soil With such claims coming out at critical point concerning the ongoing elections give further weight to the allegations of ModiÊs government involvement in extrajudicial killings in Canada and US that jeopardizes the security and stability

rana MuhaMMad dilawar

MuhaMMad ashraf

MAY 28 has a special significance in the life of every Pakistani On this day the scientists engineers and technicians of PAEC achieved the unachievable and delivered what they had promised in the form of five nuclear blasts at Chaghi in Balochistan, making the nation’s defense unconquerable Besides some known names who contributed in this herculean task through unmatched contributions for the country s security there were numerous unsung heroes who worked day and night towards achieving this unbelievable mission by a developing country

Apart from defense, PAEC is also the torchbearer in ensuring sustainable development for the country in all spheres of life by using nuclear science and technology for peaceful purposes International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), in line with its Atoms for Peace and Development mandate, supports countries in their efforts to reach the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set out in the United Nations (UN) 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Many countries use nuclear science and technology to contribute to and meet their development objectives in areas including energy, human health, food production, water management and environmental protection

Being member of the Board of Governors of the IAEA Pakistan has been utilizing nuclear technology for peaceful purposes since the inception of PAEC which has contributed immensely in achieving the SDGs PAEC has so far established nineteen (19) Atomic Energy Cancer Hospitals (AECHs) located in all provinces and major cities of the country while the 20 hcancer hospital at Muzaffarabad AJ&K is under construction

These hospitals are helping the government in catering to the healthcare needs of canceraffected patients in the country by providing diagnostic and therapeutic facilities PAECmanaged-cancer hospitals provide diagnostic

and therapeutic facilities to patients at subsidized rates by dint of support from Patient Welfare Society (PWS) of the hospitals and Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal (PBM)

In the field of international cooperation and promotion of the culture of sharing and learning from fellow scientists research PAEC started conducting annual meetings of researchers and scientists in Pakistan A brainchild of the Nobel Laureate of Pakistani origin, Dr Abdul Salam, the idea of holding the annual meeting of topnotch researchers and scientists of the world in Pakistan was adopted by the then Chairman Muneer Ahmed Khan and his successor Dr Ishfaq Ahmad and all successive chairmen of PAEC International Nathiagali Summer College (INSC) on Physics and Contemporary Needs’ has been organized every year since 1976 mostly at the scenic hill resort of Nathiagali So far 7 Nobel laureates and 41000 scientists out of which 1000 were foreigners from 72 countries have participated in the annual springs of scientists in Pakistan to exchange valuable knowledge with their local colleagues and science students

Owing to the untiring efforts of PAEC scientists engineers technicians and researchers Pakistan is proudly an Associate Member of European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) and scientists from the country are actively participating in various research activities at CERN and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Pakistan became Associate Member State of CERN on July 31 2015 the only Asian

As

country to attain this position at that time

Pakistan ratified the status agreement with CERN on August 26, 2015

In the use of nuclear energy for generating electricity PAEC is currently operating six nuclear power plants (NPPs) including Karachi Nuclear Power Plants Unit-2 & Unit-3 commonly known as K-2 and K-3 in Karachi; and C-1, C-2, C-3, C-4 NPPs in Chashma, Mianwali These plants are collectively producing over 3500 megawatts (MWs) of electricity Advantages of nuclear power generated electricity include low per unit cost of generation all-year-round availability and no emissions of greenhouse gases besides being critically important from energy-security point of view

As a responsible nuclear state, a founding member of the IAEA and an emerging player in the field of nuclear power generation Pakistan takes pride in ensuring impeccable security arrangements at all of its nuclear power plants Stringent entry protocols in the form of controlled access of personnel and retina identification for entry at the power plants are some of the measures that help ensure authorized access only

As per international best practices in the field of nuclear power Emergency Preparedness Measures are well in place for timely intervention at these power plants The safety and security are the two highlights of nuclear power plants operating in the country

PAEC has taken the lead in utilizing nuclear technology to improve productivity of agriculture sector through the introduction of

The dark clouds of 1935 Nuremberg have gathered over Indian skies

decade of Modi s leadership of the country

new crop varieties pest control technologies plant nutrition water management animal health and productivity and food decontamination and preservation

Four PAEC agriculture research centers have been established in the three provinces of Pakistan having a major share of the cultivatable land in the country Nuclear Institute of Agriculture (NIA) in Tando Jam established in 1962 was the first such institute followed by Nuclear Institute for Agriculture and Biology (NIAB), in Faisalabad; Nuclear Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA), in Peshawar and National Institute for Biotechnology & Genetic Engineering (NIBGE) in Faisalabad

So far these PAEC-run agriculture centers have developed and evolved more than one hundred and fifty (150) crop varieties for Pakistan For utilization of marginal lands, PAEC has developed technology for the utilization of salt-affected lands and this technology is being provided not only to the local farmers but also at international level

These centers also have a fair share in human resource development through training courses, workshops and internships These courses equally benefit researchers, students and academia from various research organizations and universities NIAB and NIBGE in Faisalabad are also affiliated with Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences (PIEAS) – the leading university of the country for award of MPhil and PhD degrees in Biology and Biotechnology

Taking a big step towards agriculture industrialization and commercialization PAEC recently organized a huddle of agriculture scientists agriculturists and business leaders in the field of agriculture The Agriculture symposium cum exhibition was organized at NIAB and NIBGE institutes in Faisalabad

Titled “Cultivate Innovation to Harvest Business Growth the two-day event was sponsored by Support Industries and Technologies

‘Aham Brahmasmi’: The grandiose self in India

of India; and to exclude undocumented Muslims from a presumption available to Indians of other faiths that they are persecuted minorities from Muslim-majority countries from India s neighbourhood

The rationale offered for the Citizenship Amendment Act is that this is a humanitarian refugee law designed to aid and shelter persecuted minorities from neighbouring countries

But the word persecution finds no mention in the law and its rules There is also no explanation why this amendment only fast-tracks applications for citizenship to non-Muslim undocumented persons from three Muslim-majority countries – Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh Religious persecution is a grim reality in almost every country in India’s neighbourhood – of Hindus Christians and Ahmediyas in Pakistan; Hindus Sikhs and Hazaras in Afghanistan; the Uyghur Muslims and Tibetans in China; Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar; Tamils and Muslims in Sri Lanka; and Hindus in Bangladesh

If it was humanitarian considerations that drove the law, then why should India not have opened its doors to the most savagely persecuted minorities in India s neighbourhood who are among the most persecuted peoples in the world – the Rohingya from Myanmar, Ahmediyas from Pakistan and Uyghurs from China? Is it because all of these people are of Muslim identity except the Hindu Tamils from Sri Lanka?

It is reasonable to speculate that not humanity but ideology actually spurred the law

Just as Israel is the natural home of every Jewish person, the ideology underpinning the 2019 Citizenship Amendment Act is that India is the natural home of Hindus from anywhere in the world But this idea is alien to the secular idea of the country embedded in its constitution the principle that India belongs equally to its non-Hindu citizens

The dread of possible disenfranchisement raised among Indian Muslims by the statute is inflamed partly by periodic declarations by the prime minister and union home minister stigmatising Muslims as “infiltrators” This stirs further with Union home minister Amit Shah s loaded reference to chronology ; that their government first brought in the Citizenship Amendment Act and then would bring in a National Register of Citizenship

Once again, these do not explicitly bar and criminalise relationships of Muslim men with Hindu women in the way the Nuremberg laws did But in the manner that these laws are being interpreted and implemented by the police and even on occasion courts, this is what in practice these laws accomplish India has long been a dangerous place for couples who choose to marry or live with persons of other faiths or “lower” castes Families themselves are known to murder women and men who transgress these societal barriers in what are misnamed honour killings

Their perils have grown manifold with the spread of the toxic Sangh myth of love jihad”, the canard that Muslim men are trained to romantically and sexually trap Hindu women into marriage aiming to convert them to Islam and produce masses of Muslim children as part of a demographic conspiracy But the so-called love jihad laws have raised the dangers to inter-faith couples incrementally

What are popularly termed “love jihad” laws are actually amendments to laws related to religious conversions that debar changes in religion due to marriage These amendments in seven BJP-ruled states during the Modi years require inter-faith couples to apply to state officials and make public announcements of their desire to marry These effectively expose couples in such marriages to the perils of jail and the marriage being declared void and to heightened dangers of vigilante intimidation and violence These multiple hazards are multiplied when couples choose to live together outside marriage

inter-religious marital and sexual unions These two laws reduced Germany’s Jews to non-citizens and criminalised marriages and sex between Jews and Germans In Modi s India laws have been passed that assailed the principle of equal citizenship of Muslims and criminalised religious conversion for inter-religious

The National Register of Citizenship implemented Assam caused immense suffering to millions of residents because it reversed the burden of proof and presumption of innocence All residents had to prove with vintage hard-to-procure documents that you were citizens, and if you failed to do this, the state would presume that you were an illegal immigrant – or “infiltrator”, if you prefer –would declare you a non-citizen and possibly incarcerate you in detention centres

But if you were an undocumented Hindu you had nothing to worry because with the Citizenship Amendment Act now in statute books, you would be presumed to be a persecuted Hindu from Bangladesh, and your citizenship would be fast-tracked Contrarily, the protection of this presumption would be denied to you if you were Muslim Equally fearsome for Indian Muslims has been the spate of what are informally called love jihad laws, that have mushroomed in Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled states during the

These laws in BJP states have been widely interpreted and weaponised by police authorities – and sometimes courts – families of couples in inter-faith relations and vigilantes to forcefully prevent and annul such unions These have drastically curtailed both religious freedoms and the freedom of adults to choose their partners – for companionship, for sex, for romance and for marriage - outside their faith These eclipse the pledges of secular democracy in India’s constitution In Nazi Germany the official resolve to expel Jews the Roma and Sinti people and Black Germans from citizenship was explicit and strident So too was the official determination to make sex and marriage between Jews and Germans a grave crime In Modi’s India the aspirations and sometimes even the public discourse are not dissimilar to Nazi times But the exclusion and criminalisation of the country s Muslim citizens through laws and state action are more covert, as we have seen, with Indian statutes of citizenship and inter-faith marriages not as explicit in their exclusions of Indian Muslims as the Nuremberg laws were of Germany’s Jews Still in their formulation and also in the official discourse and practice that accompanied these, the threats to both equal citizenship rights of Muslims and their consensual inter-faith relations are grave and violative of both the letter and spirit of the constitution The dark clouds of 1935 Nuremberg have gathered ominously today over the Indian skies

I am grateful for research support from Swati Draik and Omair Khan

Ye subah subah subah ki baat hai (Gorakh Pandey)

(King said its night Minister said it is night Sentry said it was night This happening in the morning)

IT is universally recognized that plastic surgery and organ replacement were first performed in India

The evidence of Lord Ganesha s elephant head is conclusive of the matter The Pushpak Viman did not even need the present airport to bring Swayam Shri Ram to Ayodhya and constitutes irrefutable evidence that aircrafts were first invented in India Vedic Science was much more advanced than modern science Our much-acclaimed Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) have not been able to develop a missile which comes back to the silo after annihilating the target like the Brahmastra of ancient times It seems that even the concept of Grandiose Self has been wrongly credited to Sigmund Freud, the father of psychoanalysis The concept was well known to our ancients adept in Vedic psychology as encapsulated in the phrase “Aham Brahmasmi” translatable as “I am the Absolute

Perhaps at times the agony and pangs of separation from and longings of fusion with mother lead to a conflation of the self with the Mother, Motherland and the Absolute The longing for a welded fusion hydra like spreads its tentacles into myriad areas It manifests and articulates itself into One Nation; One Language; One Leader; One Fertilizer; One Food, One Flag Criticism of the self translates into an affront and insult to mother, motherland and “sanatan dharma” or “eternal religion” That the other is different becomes intolerable at an individual level as manifested in the anger in intimate relations and at a collective level in the rage at the chosen enemy community Amidst the blowing of conches and clash of cymbals the very air resounds with the voice of the Undisputed Teacher of the Universe @ Vishwaguru: They will produce more children and outnumber you They will dismember and partition your beloved motherland They will steal your gold, mangalsutras, buffalos, jobs and give it to the other They hate you and will attack you The charismatic leader feeds into our insecurities and anxieties whipping up fears of annihilation The other side

MuhaMMad aftab alaM

H I N E S E Premier Li Qiang said on Monday that China, Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK) should strive to reject external disruption and stay committed to harmonious coexistence and mutual support

Li made the remarks when attending the eighth business summit among China Japan and the ROK together with ROK President Yoon Suk-yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida Li said China, Japan and the ROK, geographically separated by a narrow strip of water, should be peaceful and friendly neighbors He urged the three sides to draw lessons from history

and look to the future conform to the will of the people of the three countries to live and work in peace and contentment strive to eliminate external interference and always live in harmony and uphold solidarity

The deep economic integration of China, Japan and the ROK determines that the three countries should be close neighbors for joint development regard each other as close partners and important opportunities on the road to development They must constantly explore the complementary advantages and cooperation growth points of the three economies to achieve a higher level of mutual benefit and win-win results, Li added Culturally connected, China, Japan and the ROK should be close neighbors that understand each other, he said, urging the three sides to make good use of cultural affinity to promote understanding trust and close cooperation China stands ready to work hand in hand with the ROK and Japan to deepen exchanges and cooperation in various fields, continue to promote the convergence of interests,

mutual affinity between the people and shared destiny accelerate regional integration and open up new prospects of peace stability development and prosperity he said Li said that entrepreneurs play an important role in promoting China-Japan-ROK exchanges and cooperation in the economy and trade as well as other fields He expressed the hope that entrepreneurs will seize the trend of economic globalization deepen industrial coordination continuously improve the level of connectivity and the efficiency of factor allocation make good use of the platform of the China International Supply Chain Expo, and be the defenders of stable industrial and supply chains It is hoped that entrepreneurs will seize the trend of global scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation strengthen joint research and development collaborate on solving key problems jointly push for technological advancement and improvement of industrial competitiveness and be a driving force for deepening innovation and cooperation, Li noted

Death toll from Israeli strikes on Rafah c amp rises to 40:

BEIJING M I A N A B R A R

The Communist Party of China (CPC) leadership on Monday deliberated on policies and measures to accelerate the development of China s central region in the new era and trial provisions concerning accountability for failing to prevent or defuse financial risks Xi Jinping general secretary of the CPC Central Committee presided over a meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee The meeting urged efforts to make further major breakthroughs in speeding up the development of the central region which consists of the provinces of Shanxi Anhui Jiangxi Henan Hubei and Hunan Encompassing a tenth of the nation s land and roughly a quarter of its population, the region is an important base in terms of the country’s grain production energy and raw materials modern equipment manufacturing and high-tech industry and also serves as a comprehensive transportation hub The meeting urged sticking to innovation-driven development and enhancing original scientific and technological research to achieve breakthroughs

Efforts must be made to develop new quality productive forces in accordance with local conditions, accelerate the building of a m o d -

ernized industrial system boost the development of the real economy sector and increase its competitiveness and coordinate efforts in promoting the upgrading of traditional industries while fostering emerging industries and industries of the future The meeting underlined efforts to develop a modernized transportation infrastructure system and facilitate the efficient free and smooth flow of production factors Intelligent robots process transparent conducting films using mechanical arms in Ganzhou City, east China s Jiangxi Province May 22 2024 Intelligent robots process transparent conducting films using mechanical arms in Ganzhou City east China s Jiangxi Province, May 22, 2024 It also urged work to push forward ecological conservation and environmental protection, as well as green and low-carbon development Continued efforts need to be made to pursue integrated development of urban and rural areas, advance rural revitalization across the board and improve the country’s capacity to ensure the

supply of grain energy and other resources The meeting noted that preventing and defusing financial risks is a major challenge that must be overcome in order to achieve high-quality development, as it concerns national security, overall development and the safety of the people’s property In January Xi underlined the need to prevent and defuse

nancial

particularly systemic risks while addressing the opening of a study session at the Party School of the CPC Central Committee (National Academy of Governance) The trial provisions marked the country’s latest move to strengthen financial oversight across the board to prevent and defuse financial risks and promote high-quality development in the financial field The trial provisions are made to promote the Party’s full and rigorous self-governance in the financial field strengthen the centralized unified leadership of the CPC Central Committee in financial work and ensure relevant authorities,

He also called on entrepreneurs to seize the trend of integration and development of human civilizations give full play to their role as a bridge actively support people-to-people exchanges, and be a promoter of expanding cultural exchanges The leaders of the ROK and Japan said that the economic and trade cooperation between the three countries has achieved great results and strongly promoted the development of the global economy They said that the governments and business communities of the three countries should make concerted efforts to further deepen trilateral economy and trade cooperation, promote youth and other people-to-people exchanges, enhance regional investment cooperation, strengthen cooperation with the “Global South” countries through the ROK-Japan-China+X mechanism jointly deal with global issues such as climate change and make positive contributions to promoting the economic development of the three countries and the rest of the world

no MS registry in Pakistan, it is estimated that there are more than 10,000 MS sufferers nationwide In light of the growing burden of MS across the country, he stated that a disease like MS poses not only debilitating physical and health challenges for the sufferer but also grave challenges for the families of sufferers and for society STAFF REPORT

Dissemination Event here on Monday The event was the Final Impact Assessment of the Italian-funded "Programme for Poverty Reduction (PPR) through Rural Development in Balochistan Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa newly merged FATA districts and neighbouring districts marking a resounding success in the collective efforts to combat poverty in Pakistan The programme was implemented by PPAF in collaboration with 17 partner organizations covering 38 union councils across 14 districts in Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa

Addressing to participants the Ambassador of Italy to Pakistan H E Marilina Armellin expressed gratitude to the Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF), the consulting firm IZI Spa, and the federal and provincial authorities for their unwavering dedication to the Programme for Poverty Reduction (PPR) She emphasized the signifi-

Nuclear Technology — An Imperative for National Defense and Development

SAIMA DURRANI

The famous lines of US president John F Kennedy uttered half a century ago “Ask not what your country can do for you-ask what you can do for your country may seem bit clichéd now but the devotional pledge and undercurrents of selfless service embodied in his statement can still inspire anyone anywhere in the world eager to serve one s motherland This notion of selfless service should resonate rather well with us who are still striving to achieve the cherished dream of seeing a prosperous Pakistan among the comity of nations Pakistan today faces formidable social economic and security challenges Many nations have faced similar challenges in history and successfully turned them into opportunities through dedicated commitment of self less hard working individuals Once effectively addressed our challenges likewise offer unprecedented opportunities for transformational progress And if this dedication is coupled with capability in science and technology, the real engine for economic growth, we have the recipe for success at our hands Science and technology (S&T) are fundamental for social and economic progress in developing countries as they have been central in the progress and development of virtually all the nations of the world Nuclear technology, a top notch specialty in its own domain offers a wide array of applications leading to the development push we all aspire Moreover in today s geopolitical scenario the strategic and defense portfolio of any country is measured up against its potential economic viability And it is the growth of this nexus of strong economy and defense which can guarantee a prosperous country It was no mere coincidence that despite initial problems, as early as 1956, an S&T set up the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission PAEC was established by the farsighted leaders to make use of the international trend of atoms for peace initiative of American president Eisenhower This organization not only provided the scientific thrust intended for national development in agriculture, human health energy& industry but also delivered when asked to make the motherland s defense impregnable

The Commission now holds sway over utilization of nuclear technology for a wide array of national development initiatives Incidentally these initiatives are also key tools used to support the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGS) Out of the 17 SDGs of UN agenda PAEC contributes to 11 of them through its dedicated setup of laboratories and institutes As nuclear technology is the most

innovative way to improve agriculture practices PAEC never lagged behind in this arena and recruited its first biologist way back in 1958 which was followed by the establishment of Radiobiology Division in early 60’s at Atomic Energy Centre Lahore

Subsequently first full-fledged Atomic Energy Agriculture Research Center was established in 1962 at Tandojam which was followed by Nuclear Institute for Agriculture and Biology (NIAB) in 1972 at Faisalabad, Nuclear Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA) at Peshawar in 1982 and National institute of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering (NIBGE) in 1994

The Commission took lead in utilizing nuclear technology to improve productivity by developing new crop varieties pest control technologies plant nutrition and water management animal health and productivity and food decontamination and preservation Combining conventional breeding methods with mutation breeding, marker assisted selection and genetic engineering techniques so far more than 150 crop varieties of cotton wheat rice oilseed pulses and fruits and vegetables have been developed which are popular among the farming community of Pakistan

These PAEC agriculture institutes have also developed technologies to improve irrigation techniques that reduce water losses

Alternate cheap sources of nutrients have been identified to efficiently manage plant nutrition and reduced application of chemical fertilizers

Exports play a vital role in the economy of a country and as our exports are mainly (70%) based on agriculture therefore any efforts in this sector contribute directly toward the development of Pakistan Services are being provided by PAEC institutes for removal of contaminants from export commodities through irradiation identification of aflatoxins and drug residues in food and dairy products and DNA based testing of basmati rice and genetically modified organisms Likewise, at Pakistan Radiation Services (PARAS), a subsidiary of PAEC a 10 MeV 20 kW E-Beam plant caters for sterilization of healthcare products manufacturing as well as fulfilling the requirements of export food items to Australia, America, New Zealand, and other European countries In the human health domain PAEC has been providing services in cancer care through use of radiation since 1960s PAEC s 60 years experience of designing, executing and operating cancer hospitals has resulted in 19 Atomic Energy Cancer Hospitals (AECHs) throughout Pakistan One more

AECHs are equipped with latest SPECT-CT Gamma Cameras PET-CT Scanners Cyclotrons Radionuclide therapy and Theranostics facilities Supportive radiology equipment like MRI, CT Scanner, digital X-ray Mammography and ultrasonography/Color Doppler is also available

These PAEC cancer hospitals are equipped with Linear Accelerators, Cobalt-60 Teletherapy, Cyber Knife, Brachytherapy, Digital Simulator and Treatment Planning System Additionally these AECHs are equipped with up-to-date hematology chemical and pathology laboratories to give diagnostic tests services along with treatment under one roof at these hospitals

Production of electricity through nuclear power has evolved over the decades and nuclear reactors now being installed in the world are far superior to their predecessor in term of performance and safety

PAEC currently operates six nuclear power plants at two sites generating 10 percent of electricity through nuclear of the country’s total and almost a quarter of its low-carbon electricity Nuclear power generation is economically competitive in the power market of Pakistan Among these six, four NPPs (C-1, C-2, C-3, & C-4) of cumulative 1 330 MWe capacity are located at the Chashma Nuclear Power Generating Station (CNPGS) Ground breaking for another similar plant named C-5 at Chashma has also taken place

Two NPPs (i e , K-2 & K-3) of the total 2,200 MWe capacity are operating near paradise point of mega polis Karachi K-2 is operating commercially since May 2021 and K-3 since April 2022 During the year 2023, these six nuclear power plants supplied 22,372 million kWh to NTDC system An elaborate and diversified engineering set up of PAEC success-

Nawa z Sharif Set to get elected ‘uNoppoSed’ aS pMl-N preSideNt today

ISLAMABAD

carried out to eliminate any other terrorist found in the area,” the ISPR said

“[The] security forces of Pakistan are determined to eliminate the menace of terrorism and such sacrifices of our brave soldiers further strengthen our resolve

The recent operations in K-P resulted in the martyrdom of

SHC suspends PEMR A’s cour t repor ting ban till June 6