PM DIRECTS INCREASING APPELL ATE TRIBUNALS TO 100 TO ACCELERATE TA X CASE HANDLING
to prepare proposals for reforming the Pakistan Revenue Automation Authority (PRAL) The PM was informed that the implementation of the Integrated Transit Trade Management System (ITTMS) project was scheduled to commence from October 2024 Under the ITTMS initiative, International Standard One-
The prime minister assured timely funding for upgrading the customs system and directed the FBR to devise a strategy for designing and implementing the new software system
instructed the relevant authorities to employ the latest technology and the best personnel for the digitization of the FBR Shehbaz Sharif instructed the implementation of a unified sales tax system for all taxpayers by October 2024 The prime minister was briefed that a unified sales tax return system successfully implemented by the telecom sector was being introduced for taxpayer convenience FBR aimed to integrate with revenue authorities across the country through a unified sales tax platform
The prime minister was informed about the reforms in Inland Revenue and Customs along with the progress achieved in digitizing the FBR in the last eight weeks The prime minister was informed that McKinsey a globally recognized consultant, was overseeing the digitization process of the FBR, and positive outcomes from this initiative have begun to surface The PM was informed that there were 83,579 tax-related cases amounting to Rs 3 2 trillion pending in various courts and tribunals It was conveyed in the forum that during the current government’s tenure several initiatives have been undertaken to
Pakistan
to ‘abolish’
five ministries including IT by July 30
The government of Pakistan to finalize the abolishment of five ministries, including the Ministries of Information Technology (IT) Industry and Production Health Kashmir Affairs and States and Frontier Regions (SAFRON) by July 30 According to sources the future of the employees of the abolished ministries is being discussed, with various proposals under consideration The proposed solutions include golden handshake package for employees who are about to retire, absorption into other ministries and inclusion in the surplus pool sources added The Institutional Reforms Cell in collaboration with the relevant ministries has prepared the proposals Sources said that the proposed packages will also be discussed with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) The final decision will be taken after briefing Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif on the matter sources added Earlier PM Shehbaz decided to abolish five federal ministries and sought a plan from the relevant ministries They added that the relevant ministries started working on providing recommendations as directed by PM Shehbaz to abolish the same The sources added that the decision to abolish the ministries was taken in line with the demands made by Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari who had been advocating for the abolition of certain federal ministries In his maiden address to nation after assuming PM s Office, he noted that all such ministries and government departments which, instead of serving had become a burden on the country and its people, would be shut down
Govt insists, PTI rejects appointment of ad-hoc judges
Federal Law Minister Azam
Nazeer Tarar on Thursday asserted that the Constitution allows the appointment of ad-hoc judges while PTI reiterated opposition to the appointments, describing it as a move based on dishonesty
In an interview the law minister said that the appointment of ad hoc judges is determined not by the Chief Justice but by the Judicial Commission of Pakistan Hence in his opinion, ad hoc judges should be appointed as the Constitution permits it On the hand, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar while addressing a press conference in Islamabad emphasised that the matter has been referred to the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) to prevent what he termed was an attempt to install ‘like-minded judges’
“Four judges are being installed during holidays the matter of judges should not be made controversial, the PTI supremo added
The federal law further stated that constitutional amendments are necessary for reforms in the judicial system and that reports of Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa s tenure extension are incorrect
He argued that the debate over extending the service tenure of government employees has arisen due to increased pension costs
There has been an increase in the retirement age of government employees worldwide
Thus the government has to pay a heavy amount in pensions
Tarar further said that the proposal to extend the service tenure of
usually government-friendly judicial system overturned
all government employees, including judges, was under consideration
“The authority to amend the constitution lies with the Parliament the law minister stated Azam Nazeer Tarar said that the recent decisions of the Supreme Court have provided an opportunity for a certain group to strengthen Eight judges have declared the constitutionality of specific seats
MPs who were sent home without hearing are also coming in
review The issue of imposing Ar-
ticle 6 on PTI leaders can be brought to Parliament”, the minister pointed out Omar Ayub criticises cases against party s MNAs Meanwhile, PTI leader Omar Ayub criticised what he called the fabrication of cases against their party’s National Assembly members He denouncing cases against Imran Khan and other party leader describing them as baseless accusations aimed at tarnishing their reputation
KARACHI S TA F F R E P O R T
Following Justice (r) Mushir Alam s refusal to become ad-hoc judge, another seasoned former judge of the Supreme Court (SC) Justice (r) Maqbool Baqar also declined the offer to be appointed an ad-hoc judge in the apex court
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has voiced strong opposition to the ad-hoc appointments in the SC, describing the move as a ‘poly to fix bench ’ PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar criticized the appointments alleging they were tainted with dishonesty and announced plans to challenge them in the Supreme Judicial Council
Reportedly initially supportive of the appointment Justice (r) Maqbool excused himself from
accepting the offer citing personal and domestic reasons Justice Maqbool expressed gratitude for the nomination but ultimately decided against accepting the prestigious role Meanwhile reports indicate that Justice (retired) Mazhar Alam Miankhel and Justice (retired) Sardar Tariq Masood have expressed their willingness to take up the ad hoc judge positions, demonstrating their continued commitment to judicial service
The issue surfaced following a letter from Justice (retired) Mushir Alam to Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa, who also heads the Supreme Judicial Council overseeing these appointments In his letter, Justice Alam expressed gratitude for the nomination but regretfully declined due to current circumstances
all of the over 100 charges against Khan, we expect that the government would bring a new case against him rather than allow the popular opposition leader to go free” Regarding the International Monetary Fund s (IMF) programme the firm said that it expected the Shehbaz Sharif-led coalition government to remain in power over the coming 18 months and will succeed in pushing through with IMF-mandated fiscal reforms” BMI stated two key reasons why it expected the alliance to endure over the medium term; the powers that
Surge in steel impor ts drives up prices amidst local produc tion decline
7 T H A N N I V E R S A R Y O F P L A ’ S F O U N D I N G
s ta f f r e p o r t
TH Anniversary of the founding of People s Liberation Army (PLA) of China was hosted at GHQ on Thursday Mr Jiang Zaidong Ambassador of the People s Republic of China to Pakistan was the Chief Guest on the occasion Major General Wang Zhong, Defence Attaché, Chinese Embassy officials & Officers from tri-services of Pakistan attended the event General Syed Asim Munir, NI (M),
Chief of Army Staff (COAS) while welcoming the Chinese guests, congratulated the PLA and praised PLA’s contribution to Chinese defence security and nation development He further added that Pakistan-China relations are exceptional and have always weathered the vicissitudes of strategic environment with mutual trust and unwavering belief in each other ’s support “Relations between Pakistan Army and Peoples Liberation Army are strong and both militaries continue to engage in bilateral military cooperation demonstrating the iron clad brotherhood between the two countries, COAS concluded
Speaking on the occasion, the Chinese Ambassador thanked COAS for hosting the event for the 97th anniversary of the founding of the PLA Pakistani military has always been at the forefront of countering terrorism and has made great sacrifices for the peace and stability of Pakistan and the region, Chinese ambassador remarked “We stand ready to work with our brethren to combat terrorism and firmly believe that no force can destroy the ironclad friendship between China and Pakistan and the brotherhood between the two militaries, Chinese ambassador said
A shura obser ved with reverence nationwide under stringent sec urit y measures
Durrani welcomes federal gov t decision to reconsider ban on PTI
LAHORE
Monsoon tragedies strike Punjab, t wo young lives lost in Gujrat
GUJRAT s ta f f r e p o r t
Two children died after heavy rain caused the roof of their house to collapse in Gujrat on Thursday morning Gujrat was among many cities lashed by hours-long heavy downpour as a new monsoon spell hit Jhelum, Samhni, Bhimber, Koh-e-Sulaimani, Sherani, and Danasar The two children who died in the roof collapse in Gujrat were aged between five and eight Meanwhile the highway linking Zhob with Dera Ismail Khan was closed after a heavy landslide occurred on the road Rain Wind/Thundershower Forecast: The National Disaster Management Authority s National Emergencies Operation Centre has anticipated monsoon rain coupled with wind/thundershower in Kashmir, Islamabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa central and northeastern Punjab until
Sunday (July 21) with occasional gaps Consequently, Swat, Mingora, Battagram, Mardan, Swabi, Haripur, Abbottabad, Kashmir, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Chakwal, Jhelum, Gujranwala, Lahore, and Sialkot are expected to receive rain accumulation exceeding 50mm This may cause increased water flow in local streams and nullahs creating flash flooding situations The rainfall may cause urban flooding and increased water levels in nullahs, and strong winds and lightning strikes are also expected
The NDMA has issued instructions to all relevant departments to take necessary precautions to mitigate the possible effects of flooding and extreme weather
The public has been advised to take precautions to avoid flooding and to ensure their safety from lightning strikes It s recommended to avoid going outside during bad weather and keep a safe distance from electrical poles and wires
FIA-NCB Interpol arrests nine wanted criminals from UAE
This announcement followed the Supreme Court s verdict declaring the PTI eligible for reserved seats and Imran Khan and spouse’s acquittal in Iddat case which seemed poised to bolster the party’s standing in the National Assembly The proposed ban has sparked widespread criticism with various political factions labeling the move as
six months the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) National Central Bureau (NCB) Interpol of Pakistan successfully apprehended 66 accused individuals wanted for serious crimes across various countries
Bangladesh PM pledges ac tion as students mourn fallen classmates
PPP seems to find banning the PTI tough to swallow
TH E PML(N) decision to ban the PTI and to prosecute its leaders for high treason seems to be running into trouble both within and outside the party as political forces fear it might be going too far Certainly it now appears much much easier said than done The attitude of the PPP seems to be crucial, as it is not only the main ally of the PML(N), but also the only party which has banned another, though admittedly half a century and two martial laws ago The importance of the matter should not be underestimated as even though the Constitution itself goes into the matter in some detail that was the only ban ever imposed, and even neither military government had not tried it
While Farhatullah Babar came out in opposition to the ban, there was a quick riposte by Nayyar Bukhari, his successor as party information secretary that there had been no decision on the matter which could only happen when the PML(N) raised it with either President Asif Zardari or party chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar s statement that the ban would only be imposed if the allies went along with the idea, should be seen as positioning the party to walk back on the decision, by saying that the allies had not agreed, and could also be seen as initiating a process of consultation That process should have probably been initiated before it was announced unilaterally as a PML(N) decision
Perhaps it would have been useful to have consulted the PPP, though at this distance, those PPP leaders who had even been born at the time, would have been striplings far removed from the corridors of power President Zardari was barely of age himself when the 1974 ban occurred It did not end well for while the National Awami Party was duly banned a new Awami National Party was born from its ashes, after first the National Democratic Party was born The ban, imposed after the assassination of NWFP Governor Aftab Sherpao, was upheld by the Supreme Court It was a different era, when the Supreme Court was more respectful of the wishes of the government and confirmed the ban on the NAP but allowed the Hyderabad Tribunal to go ahead It took the imposition of the Zia Martial Law for the Hyderabad Tribunal to be wound up If the PTI is banned, and Imran tried for high treason, will the Supreme Court be so obliging this time?
Dedicated to the legac y of late Hameed Nizami Arif Nizami (Late) Founding Editor
M A Niazi Editor Pakistan Today Babar Nizami
Editor Profit
e n d e r r e
E R H A P S the only fly in the ointment for the PTI has been that while the Supreme Court has restored its existence as a parliamentary party, it has not done anything to restore to founder Imran Khan the Prime Ministership The existence of a PTI parliamentary party while Imran is in jail is a little like the proverbial boiled egg without salt for the purpose of the PTI is to see Imran PM That democracy is restored defended or left entirely alone is not the concern of the PTI, or indeed of any political party
The real collision is about to take place As the judiciary takes apart the various means by which Imran was ousted from office the PTI broken and the election result twisted there is an ominous silence about the events of 9 May 2023 when the response to the first arrest of Imran Khan was a series of attacks on Army installations, including GHQ and Corps Commander House Lahore As Imran finds the cases against him being overturned, he is now in jail solely on remand in a NAB Toshakhana case, He has been arrested in the 9 May 2023 cases for which he will require bail He seems to be bumping up against a red line for another symbol of PTI villany Sanam Javed has been rearrested in a fresh case Those who have refused to forget, have apparently refused to let go The refusal of remand in that case, was followed by arrest in an Islamabad case The Islamabad High Court ordered her release and forbade her arrest in any fresh case Clearly those efforts to keep her behind bars were taken to the last extent She has become too important a symbol to be let go with a display of sportsman s spirit As Imran probably knows, sports is like war, and there are usually no prisoners taken During the 29th century, after England had propagated sports all around the world but especially to Europe and the USA there developed the ethos of the sportsman s spirit which was also the spirit of the amateur who was supposed to be more concerned with how the game was played, race run or shot-put thrown, rather than the actual result This spirit extended to politics, where results were supposed to be accepted One could say that the professionalization of sports has extended to politics with the
results The Supreme Court actually was asked to resolve one of the blind spots of the Constitution It allows for independents but with the provisions providing for allocation of reserved seats, it assumes party allocation The incentive for independents to join a party is that if they do not join a party, they will lose their input into those seats It should be noted that the allocation must be made according to a list of candidates who have filed nomination papers at the same time as the candidates for the various constituencies The Returning Officers for reserved seats are the provincial election commissioners The women s seats are distributed to the various provinces, with the result that the allocations reflect the results of the parties in the general constituencies Now the PTI has not been able to file a list of women nominees because it was banned and nor has the Sunni Ittehad Council, which the PTIbacked independents later joined A problem arose
v e
the business enterprises on the basis of ultimate beneficial ownership where women hold more than 51 percent shareholding Second regulatory bodies should emphasize incorporating women-responsive procurement principles that promote gender equality Public Procurement accounts for 10 to 15 percent of the GDP in developed countries Public procurement laws could play a pivotal role in advancing socio-economic objectives for women Some countries have implemented convincing measures to promote the buy from women-owned approach, integrating it into their procurement regulatory frameworks For instance:
n Tanzania in its Public Procurement Act 2016 allocates 30 percent of government tenders to enterprises led by women youth older persons and people with disabilities
n Kenya has a policy of reserving 30 percent of procurement spending for women-owned enterprises as well as those owned by youth and people with disabilities
n South Africa s Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment has affirmative procurement provisions that apply to women-owned enterprises
n Botswana, Chile and India, among other countries, have some type of policy that supports women-owned enterprises in the public procurement process
n The USA has a target of five percent of federal procurement spending to be allocated to small women-owned enterprises
To inculcate a gender-responsive procure-
ment approach, regulatory bodies and procuring agencies should maintain a database classifying enterprises owned, controlled and operated by women Quotas can be reserved for awarding contracts under a certain financial threshold essentially to women-owned SMEs Additional weightages can be allocated during the evaluation process Procurement agencies may devise eligibility requirements in a manner, allowing maximum participation of women-owned enterprises
Access to information is one of the stumbling blocks for women entrepreneurs to participate in public procurement Partnerships and collaboration with academia to impart efficacious and productive training regarding public procurement laws will certainly eliminate the knowledge barrier and allow them to compete successfully Taking leverage from emerging IT technology outreach may be augmented by introducing virtual training programs through e-learning modules particularly in all local languages
Effective monitoring framework would be essential to fortify the efforts being made Standard guidelines would be required to incorporate gender statistics and sex disaggregated data while registering business enterprises and at other procurement stages Gender-responsive procurement strategy should include quantitative indicators to understand supplier pool diversification and on the basis of qualitative indicators policy should identify the obstacles being confronted by such suppliers to participate in public procurement with full potential
The government has reaffirmed its pledge by launching the 5Es framework which is a positive omen However in order to translate the vision of equity and empowerment for gender parity, multi-pronged initiatives, integrated approach, combined policy initiatives coupled with practical support and legislative reforms are required to create a more inclusive and equitable economic landscape in Pakistan
The writer is Director (Monitoring & Evaluation) of the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority, Islamabad
Mitigating suicide vehicle attacks
TH E government s decision to ban the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) will again land in the Supreme Court of Pakistan As many as 10 judges of the court have recently declared PTI to be a legitimate party despite being stripped of the bat-symbol for the purpose of 2024 elections Then why has the government taken such a bold measure as banning the PTI if the prospects of succeeding are negligible? The answer is that perhaps it is a thought-through plan
Regardless of the merits and context the Federal Government avails this authority under Article 17(2) of the Constitution read with Section 212(2) of the Elections Act 2017 Undoubtedly, they are trying to eventually invoke Section 213 of Elections Act and disqualify PTI MNAs and MPAs from national and provincial assemblies respectively From contesting the reserved seats alone the government wants to annihilate PTI from the Parliament altogether Moreover, the government is well aware that the recently enacted Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Act 2023 mandates that the benches at the Supreme Court are to be constituted by a three-member committee One may hope that the bench that will hear the reference under Article 17 will be constituted without undue disagreements among committee members Despite being an internal matter of the Supreme Court any potential disagreements may give the government a chance to further politicize the case as well as the bench even before commencement of the reference Once initiated this reference will most likely result in yet another lengthy litigation in the apex court Unlike advisory jurisdiction, the decision of the Supreme Court in such a reference holds finality with far-reaching consequences on democracy
Importantly the PML(N)-led government has already announced it will file a review petition against the reserved-seats judgement It is pinning its hopes on serious “lacunae” in the larger bench’s decision The review petition in the reserved seats case and the reference to ban PTI will likely have a strong bearing on each other For some political analysts this move by the government
may merely be a means to influence the larger bench in the review petition, if any However, constitutionally, it is true that the Supreme Court is to soon find itself in a difficult spot apart from obvious reasons As per Supreme Court Rules of 1980 the review petition may be filed within 30 days of the Supreme Court s decision whereby the reference to ban a political party has to be within 15 days as per Constitution Strategically, it suggests that the government may file reference to ban PTI prior to the review in the reserved seats case The same documents and evidence that the government may present in the reference before the Supreme Court related to the foreign-funding, cipher, May 9 and treason cases may be used to meet the criteria of “fresh evidence”as required for a review petition under the Supreme Court Rules
Another apprehension though not indicated by the government yet is that the government may attempt to pack the Supreme Court with more judges Article 176 plainly allows Parliament to determine the number of judges through an Act of Parliament, and the same has happened in many countries with a divided apex court The government with support of political allies may consider increasing the numerical strength of Supreme Court judges through the Parliament under the garb of judicial reforms or high pendency of cases in the top court Getting such a law through Parliament is likelier for the government until the reserved seats allotted to the PTI are actually filled in Parliament If manifested this would not be a new phenomenon in the parliamentary history of even one s own country Considerable attempts have been made in the past to increase the number of judges in the Supreme Court
In 2016 Babar Awan (then affiliated with PPP) as Senator moved a Bill demanding one fourth of the total number of judges of the Supreme Court shall be women The said Bill was opposed by the government on grounds that Article 177(2) did not distinguish the appointment of Supreme Court judges on the basis of sex and/or gender Again in 2023 Senator Fawzia Arshad belonging to PTI made an attempt to pack the Supreme Court under the auspices of Article 176 This was done under the garb of women s representation, demanding the total number of judges be increased to 18 including on
cable is applicable while constituting the bench for a review petition Therefore, theoretically, the review petition in the reserved seats may be put before a full bench with the new incumbent judges as result of courtpacking- albeit this likely sounds too farfetched and assumptive Further with the recent
Banning political par ties endang er federation and often fail to suppress political ideologies Such a reference before the Supreme Cour t will be the first such precedent in the constitutional histor y of Pakistan Where the Supreme Cour t will g et an oppor tunity to develop new jurisprudence on Ar ticle 17, the apex cour t will be carr ying the burdens of democracy on their shoulders
Is Saudi Arabia becoming a global gas leader?
Total proven gas reser ves for Russia stand at around 48 Tcm, for Iran at about 34 Tcm, and for Qatar over 24 Tcm
and 2020 as analysed in full in my new book on the new global oil market order It could also replace some of the oil used in domestic power generation, so freeing up more highvalue crude for export over time Last year Saudi Arabia generated slightly less than 70 percent of its electricity from gas with the vast bulk of the remainder from oil The key question for this gas field, then, is will it achieve what it is meant to? March this year saw an unexpected sudden increase of 15 Tcf in the level of gas deposits apparently now contained in the field If true this would take the total reserves in the eastern Saudi field – which is the largest unconventional non-oil associated gas field in the country, and potentially the biggest shale gas development outside the U S – up to about 229 Tcf or about 6 5 trillion cubic metres (Tcm) By comparison total proven gas reserves for Russia stand at around 48 Tcm, for Iran at about 34 Tcm, and for Qatar over 24 Tcm At the same time, the amount of crude oil being burned for domestic energy consumption has risen in the past few years to well over 500 000 barrels per day In the extreme temperatures of the summer months, this rises to around 900,000 bpd as air conditioners remain on full for much of the period The longstanding plan was that production from Jafurah should reach 2 2 billion cubic feet per day (bcf/d) of gas production by 2036 The new plan is for sales gas (gas at the outlet of a plant that is primarily methane) production to
of
s esti-
crease in demand between now and 2030 Moreover based on independent industry estimates of the changing demographics of Saudi Arabia and the corollary changing power demand patterns the Kingdom will probably need gas production of around 23-25 bcf/d within the next 15 years just to cover its own power and industrial demand In sum, then, even if the quality of the Jafurah find is unparalleled in the history of Saudi gas finds, the Kingdom would still be in deficit in its power generation sector if there was a straight switch from crude oil burning to gas-only burning Over and above the practical shortcomings of these announcements certainly in Jafurah s case, they do highlight an increasing awareness by the Saudis that gas, especially LNG, has been the key emergency energy source since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 and is likely to remain so in an increasingly dangerous world It is readily available in the spot markets and can be moved quickly to anywhere required, unlike gas or oil sent through pipelines Unlike pipelined energy as well the movement of LNG does not require the build-out of vast acreage of pipelines across varying terrains and the associated heavy infrastructure that supports it They also highlight that the Kingdom understands that the U S led the way in engineering a massive increase in LNG availability for it and its key allies with the express intention of making its NATO partners less vulnerable to Russian threats to remove gas and oil supplies from them
The U S s success in doing this remains the key reason why Russia did not go unpunished for yet another invasion of a European sovereign state – as it did with Ukraine in 2014 and Georgia in 2008 as detailed in my latest book on the new global oil market order Indeed, the U S went from zero LNG exports before 2016, to become the world’s biggest exporter of the gas, with around 86 million metric tonnes of LNG shipped in 2022 And around twothirds of all the U S s LNG exports since Russia invaded Ukraine have gone to Europe Given the U S s dominance in this field, and Saudi Arabia’s awareness that it has fallen behind in this sector these two announcements from Riyadh may signal new opportunities for Washington to restore a beneficial relationship for it with the Kingdom The very recent signing of a landmark 20-year deal for the U S ’s NextDecade Corporation to sell LNG to Saudi Aramco may well end up having a significance way beyond the confines of the energy market Simon Watkins is a former senior FX trader and salesman financial journalist and best-selling author
B eginning in the 1970s, India’s judiciar y and police began instituting a series of prac tices that have resulted in where we are today: a nation whose Constitution gives citizens freedom of religion but whose establishment disallows it through indiscriminate use of criminal law
ligion, conversion by free exercise of conscience had to be recognised” People must not fear the idea of a right to propagate Munshi said because “whatever conversions take place are only the result of persuasion and not because of material advantages Note that conversion was always accepted as the
DO Indians have freedom of religion?
Meaning, do they have the right to invite others into their faith and the right to easily leave their faith? The Constitution says yes, but the laws say no India is an unusual nation where propagation is both a fundamental right and a criminal offence A fundamental right is defined as one that enjoys a high level of protection from encroachment by the state But Article 25 (right to freely profess and propagate religion) doesn t enjoy such protection In effect, the Constitution tells us we are free to propagate but when we do so the police shows up and takes us away On July 11 this year it was reported that the Allahabad High Court rejected the bail of a man named Shriniwas Rav Nayak with the observation that the Constitution confers on each individual the fundamental right to profess, practice and propagate his religion However, the individual right to freedom of conscience and religion cannot be extended to construe a collective right to proselytise On the subcontinent Nepal doesn t allow conversions while Pakistan has the same phrasing as India does, with the same restrictions There is no real freedom of religion in Pakistan, just as the honest observer will conclude there isn’t in India But this is not what was intended by those who wrote the Constitution The Constituent Assembly debate on religious freedom happened on December 6 1948 It came after meetings of the Minorities Committee and the Committee on Fundamental Rights, which discussed the issue in detail and produced a text, which is today Article 25 It reads: “Right to freedom of religion: Subject to public order morality and health and the other provisions of this Part all persons are equally entitled to freedom of conscience and the right freely to profess practise and propagate religion
The key word here is propagate , which the dictionary defines as to spread and promote, and to breed The context in which the word was debated by India’s Constituent Assembly was of conversions specifically by Christians Gujarat s K M Munshi the Hindu conservative was part of a group that arrived at the text and he said of the word propagate that: I know it was on this word that the Christian community laid the greatest emphasis, not because they wanted to convert people aggressively, but because the word ‘propagate’ was a fundamental part of their tenet And so long as religion is re-
tians feel on this right to propagate their religion Anthony, the founder of a school network around India, congratulated the majority for retaining in spite of its contentious character” the words “to propagate” “a right which is regarded as perhaps the most fundamental of Christian rights” T T Krishnamachari said Dalits became Christian because of the status it gave them that Hindu reform would deter such conversions, and that the right to propagate also applied to Hindus and Arya Samaj members who were free to carry out their conversion activities, which they called “Shuddhi” The point here is that the meaning of the word propagate was understood by all as the right to in Munshi s words persuade people to join their faith That is to convert But what would happen instead in India, as we see around us, is that the State would step in to not only the right to propagate but also the individual’s right to change his/her religion The only opposition in the Constituent Assembly came from a 26-year-old man from Odisha who wanted the word propagate removed This was Loknath Misra brother of Ranganath Misra, who would later become Chief Justice of India, and uncle of Dipak Misra, also to become Chief Justice Loknath Misra said he didn’t have any problem with propagation “If people should propagate their religion let them do so” he said
SAlmAn FArrukh
this will
foundation for building China into a great modern socialist country in all respects by the middle of this century, it noted The reform tasks laid out in the resolution shall be completed by the time the People s Republic of China celebrates its 80th founding anniversary in 2029 said the communique The Central Committee made systematic plans for further deepening reform comprehensively, it added In building a high-standard socialist market economy the role of the market must be better leveraged with a fairer and more dynamic market environment to be fostered and resource allocation to be made as efficient and productive as possible Restrictions on the market will be lifted while effective regulation will be ensured to better maintain order in the market and remedy market failures said the communique In promoting high-quality development the communique urged deepening supplyside structural reform improving incentive and constraint mechanisms for promoting high-quality development, and creating new drivers and strengths for realizing growth
“We will improve the institutions and mechanisms for fostering new quality productive forces in line with local conditions for promoting full integration between the
real economy and the digital economy for developing the service sector for modernizing infrastructure, and for enhancing the resilience and security of industrial and supply chains,” it stated In supporting all-around innovation the Party will deepen comprehensive reform in education structural scientific and technological reform and institutional reforms for talent development In improving macroeconomic governance, the communique urged pursuing coordinated reforms in the fiscal, tax, financial, and other major sectors and enhancing the consistency of macro policy orientation with the national strategic planning system and policy coordination mechanisms to be improved On integrated urban and rural development, the Party must promote equal exchanges and two-way flows of production factors between the cities and the countryside so as to narrow the disparities between the two and promote their common prosperity and development according to the communique Reform of the land system will be deepened, it added
Describing opening up as a “defining feature of Chinese modernization,” the communique said that the Party will “steadily expand institutional opening up deepen the foreign trade structural reform further reform the management systems for inward and outward investment, improve planning for regional opening up, and refine the mechanisms for high-quality cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative ” Xi Jinping Li Qiang Zhao Leji Wang Huning Cai Qi Ding Xuexiang and Li Xi attend the third plenary session of the 20th
Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee in Beijing, capital of China The plenary session was held from
President Biden tests positive for Covid, PM Shehbaz
ex tends recover y wishes
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has extended good wishes to US President Joe Biden for his “swift and complete” recovery after he tested positive for Covid19 President Biden has entered isolation impacting his campaign trail activities In a post on the X platform on Thursday morning, PM Shehbaz
The 81-year-old Democrat reassured reporters with a thumbs-up and expressed that he felt good as he left a trip to Las Vegas early to isolate at his beach home in Delaware This period of isolation will sideline him from the campaign trail temporarily On X Biden thanked his well-wishers, stating, I will be isolating as I recover, and during this time I will continue to work to get the job done for the American people ” This infection arrives at a pivotal moment in Biden s campaign especially fol-
save lives and alleviate the ongoing disaster without delay Fu condemned the continued military operations and the collective punishment of the people of Gaza, calling for an immediate halt to hostilities
“The closure of the floating pier has once again made it clear that land transportation routes are the most effective means to expand humanitarian access at scale Fu mentioned urging Israel to lift blockades and open all land crossings to ensure the swift and safe delivery of humanitarian aid He also condemned attacks on humanitarian agencies and their personnel, demanding thorough investigations and accountability
Fu reiterated China’s firm support for the establishment of an independent State of Palestine and highlighted the importance of respecting the will of the Palestinian people in discussions on postwar gover-
lowing a challenging debate against Donald Trump that raised concerns
nance He stated “It is vital to respect the will of the Palestinian people and address the legitimate concerns of regional countries He also called for the convening of a larger more authoritative international peace conference to establish a concrete timetable and road map for the implementation of the two-state solution
Highlighting the spillover effects of the conflict, Fu expressed concern about the growing instability in the Middle East “China calls on all parties to exercise calm and restraint refrain from actions that exacerbate tensions and work together to prevent havoc that could engulf the entire Middle East region, he stated Fu committed to China s continued efforts to bring an end to the fighting, alleviate the humanitarian catastrophe, and support the implementation of the two-state solution Fu Cong China’s permanent representative to the United Nations on Wednesday emphasized that the twostate solution is the sole viable method for resolving the Middle East issue
The two-state solution is the only viable way to resolve the Middle East question, Fu told the UN Security Council in an open debate on the Middle East, including the Palestinian question Fu highlighted the dire situation in Gaza which has suffered from continuous conflict and a severe humanitarian crisis with over 38 000 civilian deaths reported
He stated, The international community must pool all its efforts to promote a ceasefire in order to save lives and alleviate the ongoing disaster without delay ” Fu condemned the continued military operations and the collective punishment of the people of Gaza calling for an immediate halt to hostilities
“The closure of the floating pier has once again made it clear that land transportation routes are the most effective means to expand humanitarian access at scale Fu mentioned urging Israel to lift blockades and open all land crossings to ensure the swift and safe delivery of humanitarian aid He also condemned attacks on humanitarian agencies and their personnel, demanding thorough investigations and accountability Fu reiterated China’s firm support for the establishment of an independent State of Palestine and highlighted the importance of respecting the will of the Palestinian people in discussions on postwar governance He stated, It is vital to respect the will of the Palestinian people and address the legitimate concerns of regional countries ” He also called for the convening of a larger more authoritative international peace conference to establish a concrete timetable and road map for the implementation of the two-state solution Highlighting the spillover effects of the conflict Fu expressed concern about the growing instability in the Middle East China calls on all parties to exercise calm and restraint, refrain from actions that exacerbate tensions and work together to prevent havoc that could engulf the entire Middle East region he stated Fu committed to China s continued efforts to bring an end to the fighting, alleviate the humanitarian catastrophe, and support the implementation of the twostate solution
CORPORATE CORNER
iESCO takes another customer-friendly
Tongwei, a Chinese photovoltaic company having global presence, Thursday announced the introduction of its innovative solar energy products in Pakistan at an event
Tongwei: Shine On Lahore in Lahore, marking the debut of Tongwei s TNC-G12/G12R series modules in Pakistan, showcasing Tongwei s cutting-edge PV technology and product advantages At this event which was held at a local hotel and attracted significant interest from Tongwei s local partners, the company showcased
its TNC-G12/G12R series modules which feature a number of advantages including high efficiency, low temperature coefficient and minimal degradation Based on strict control over incoming material quality the modules adopt Tongwei s self-developed cells ushering the industry into an era of highpower performance with enhanced quality and efficiency
Tongwei's TNC-G12/G12R series modules which will provide more diverse options for technology-hungry local market use silicon-based materials supplied by Tongwei s integrated industrial chain and select high-quality auxil-
iary materials globally ensuring high efficiency from the source The TNC-G12/G12R not only brings dual benefits of efficiency and returns, but its unique low-voltage design allows the TNC-G12R to have more modules in series compared to the TNC-M10 within the same 1500V system increasing the power per string by over 12% It also saves on cables, racks, and installation costs The large-size design also enhances transportation efficiency with the TNC-G12R achieving over 4% more loading capacity in both 40-foot containers and 17 5-meter trucks, effectively reducing transportation costs
FAWAD SAYS POLITICS CAN’T MOVE FORWARD SANS IMRAN AS SANAULL AH INSISTS ON INVOKING ARTICLE 17
ISLAMABAD S TA F F R E P O R T
Former Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, Azam Khan, on Thursday provided significant revelations regarding the ongoing £190 million reference case
During his testimony Khan disclosed that Shahzad Akbar aide on accountability to former Prime Minister Imran Khan had personally handed him a signed note requesting cabinet approval for the matter
According to Khan, the note bearing Akbar ’s signature was delivered confidentially accompanied by instructions from the prime minister himself to seek cabinet endorsement Upon receiving the note, Khan promptly forwarded the file to the cabinet secretary for formal presentation However, due to a prior commitment Khan was un-
able to attend the subsequent cabinet meeting
In his statement during the proceedings, Khan confirmed the authenticity of a document presented by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) stating “My signature is indeed on that document ” The accountability court had
summoned Azam Khan along with former Defense Minister Pervez Khattak Zubeida Jalal and Patwari Gohar Abbas, as witnesses in the high-profile £190 million reference case The case has drawn significant attention due to its implications involving senior government officials and financial dealings
LHC reshuffles administrative committee; assigns 7
S TA F F R E P O R T
In a groundbreaking initiative for women s empowerment in rural Sindh,
K arachi heatwave claims
19 including drug users
Karachi is currently grappling with a severe heatwave which has tragically resulted in the discovery of 19 bodies across various neighborhoods in the city within the past 24 hours Among these six were found in Liari The victims many identified as drug users, highlight the vulnerability of marginalized communities during extreme weather conditions Authorities from the Sindh Health Department have confirmed two deaths directly attributed to heatstroke emphasizing the seriousness of the situation The bodies were found in locations including II Chandrigar Road, Liyari Chowk, Baloch Colony Jahanabad, Super Highway New Sabzi Mandi, Old
Golimar, Be Nazir Park, and Clifton Boat Basin, painting a grim picture of the toll from the ongoing heatwave Rescue officials indicate that these deaths are primarily linked to drug addiction exacerbated by the intense heat The bodies have been respectfully moved to facilities managed by the Edhi Foundation and Chhipa Welfare for further processing According to recent statistics from the Sindh Health Department, 49 new cases of heatstroke were admitted to government hospitals on July 17 alone Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) recorded three cases while both Civil Hospital and Liaquatabad Government Hospital reported 22 cases each New Karachi Hospital registered two cases, reflecting the widespread impact of the heatwave on public health
ISLAMABAD
KARACHI