Epaper_28-03-20 ISB

par tnership with

Profit

World Bank warns of ‘lost decade’ in global growth without bold policy shifts

Stakeholders point out serious flaws in OGRAs foreign exchange losses adjustments

Dissenting sC juDges Call for revisiting CjP’s ‘one-man show’

g Tw o S C j u d g e s ’ r u l e s u o m o t u c a s e o n Pu n j a b, K P e l e c t i o n s w a s d i s m i s s e d b y m a j o r i t y

ISLAMABAD S ta f f R e p o R t

in a surprise development two judges of the Supreme Court –

Just ce Syed Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhai – issued a 27-page detailed order on Monday stating that the suo motu case regarding the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) elect ons date announcement was dism ssed by a majority of four judges out of seven

The verdict has further exposed fissures among the apex court judges The two judges also called to revisit the power of the one-man show enjoyed by the office of the Chief Justice of Pakistan in order to strengthen the institution and ensure public trust and conf dence” in the apex court

The order stated that the court could not be dependent on the solitar y decision of one man” but should be regulated through a rulebased system approved by all judges of the court under Article 191 of the Constitution

In regulating the exercise of ts jurisdiction under Article 184(3) including the exercise of suo motu ur sdiction; the const tution of benches to hear such cases; the constitution of Regu ar Benches to hear all the other cases inst tuted in th s Court; and the constitut on of Special Benches it stated

They verdict maintained that the power of do ng a one-man show is

not on y anachron stic, outdated and obsolete but also is antithet ca to good governance and incompatible to modern democrat c norms

One-man show leads to the concentrat on of power n the hands of one individual mak ng the system more susceptible to the abuse of power In contrast a collegial system with checks and ba ances helps prevent the abuse and mistakes in the exercise of power and promotes transparency and accountability

We must not forget that our nstitution draws its strength from public perception

It continued that the CJP was conferred with wide discretion n the matter of constituting Benches and ass gning cases to them under the present Supreme Court Rules 1980 and the unbridled power enjoyed by the Ch ef Justice had brought severe criticism and lowered the ho-

PEMRA prohibits live coverage ahead of Imran Khan’s cour t appearance in Islamabad

ISLAMABAD S ta f f R e p o R t T h e Pa k i s t a n E e c t r o n c M e d i a Re g u l a t o r y A u t h o ri t y ( P E M R A ) i s s u e d a n o t i f c a t i o n o n M o n d a y b a nn i n g l i v e a n d r e c o r d e d c o v e r a g e o f r a l l i e s a n d p u b l i c g a t h e r i n g s i n I s l a m a b a d a h e a d o f f o r m e r p r i m e m i n i s t e r I m r a n K h a n ’ s c o u r t a p p e a r a n c e i n t h e c a p i t a l P E M R A s a i d t h e b a n w i l l c o v e r p u b l i c m e e t n g s a n d r a e s i n t h e I s a m a b a d a r e a f o r M a r c h 2 7 , a n d t h a t t h e l i c e n s e s o f s a t e l l i t e T V c h a n n e l s w i l l b e r e v o ke d f o r v o l a t i n g t h e i n s t r u c t i o n s A c c o r d n g t o t h e n o t i f i c a t i o n t h e l i v e b r o a d c a s t o f v i o l e n t m o b s a n d a t t a c k s o n l a w e n f o r c e m e n t a g e n c i e s i s l i ke y t o s p r e a d c h a o s a n d p a n i c S u c h f o o t a g e o r i m a g e s w e r e s e e n o n T V w i t h o u t a n y e d i t o r i a l o v e r s i g h t d u r i n g t h e r e c e n t s t a n d o f f b e t w e e n p o l i t i c a l p a r t y w o r ke r s a n d l a w e n f o r c e m e n t a g e n c i e s i n La h o r e a n d I s l a m a b a d w h e r e i n t h e v i o l e n t m o b u s e d p e t r o l b o m b s i n j u r i n g a r m l e s s p o l i c e m e n a n d b l a z i n g p o c e v e h i c l e s, i t c a i m e d T h e r e g u l a t o r a d d e d t h e t e l e c a s t o f s u c h f o o t a g e o n d f f e r e n t T V s t a t i o n s c r e a t e d c h a o s a n d p a n i c a m o n g v e w e r s a n d t h e p o l i c e S u c h a c t v s m b y m o b n o t o n l y j e o p a r d i s e s a w a n d o r d e r s i t u a t i o n b u t a l s o m a ke s p u b l i c p r o p e r t e s a n d l i v e s v u n e r a b l e i t c a u t i o n e d

g F o r m a t i o n o f f u l l c o u r t o n l y w a y f o r w a r d : S h a h K h a w a r A d v o c a t e

to case basis after the institution of the cases is complete negat on of fairness transparency and impartiality required of a judicial institution to maintain ts legitimacy and cred bility of its judgments

The udges stated that “ the suo motu proceed ngs n the facts and circumstances of the case are wholly unjustified n the mode and manner they were taken up under Artic e 184(3) of the Constitution besides being initiated with undue haste

PTI to launch report featuring human rights violations against party tomorrow

PM announces free flour distribution for non-BISP poor

nour and prestige of th s Court

The judges advised that “ in order to build a strong open and transparent institution we have to move towards a rule-based institution T h e y a d d e d t h a t w h e r e “ t h e m a t t e r o f c o n s t i t u t i n g a b e n c h f o r h e a r i n g a c a s e u n d e r A r t i c l e 1 8 4 ( 3 ) o f t h e C o n s t t u t i o n i s c o n c e r n e d t h e r e m u s t a l s o b e u n i f o r m i t y a n d t r a n s p a r e n c y w h c h c a n b e b e s t a s s u r e d b y c o n s t t u t i n g a r e g u l a r f i v e o r s e v e n - m e m b e r b e n c h o n c e at the commencement of ever y jud i c i a l y e a r o r t w i c e a y e a r f o r e a c h t e r m o f s i x m o n t h s, b y i n c l u d i n g i n t h a t b e n c h t h e s e n i o r m o s t J u d g e s

o r t h e s e n i o r- m o s t J u d g e s o f e a c h Pr o v i n c e o n t h e s t r e n g t h o f t h s c o u r t w i t h t h e C h i e f J u s t i c e o r t h e S e n o r Pu i s n e J u d g e a s h e a d o f t h a t b e n c h

According to the order, the constituting of spec al benches on case

They furthered that the matter did not constitute a fit case to exercise extraordinar y or gina jurisdiction of the apex court under Article 184(3) and was this not maintainab e as the same constitutiona and legal issues seek ng the same relief are pending and being deliberated upon by the respective Provincial High Courts in Lahore and Peshawar

The order ma ntained that there was no just ficat on to invoke the court s extraordinar y urisdiction to nitiate suo motu proceedings as a single bench of the Lahore High Court has already decided the matter in favour of the pet tioner before the said High Court ”

It added that the intra-court appeals filed against the said judgment were pend ng before the d vision bench of the LHC and none of the petitioners had approached the apex court

Imran gets bail in seven cases related to Islamabad cour t violence

g P h o t o g r a p h e r a n d s u p p o r t e r s o f f o r m e r p r i m e m i n i s t e r a r r e s t e d o n w a y t o h e a r i n g

ISLAMABAD S ta f f R e p o R t

Imran Khan former pr me minister and chairman of the Pak stan Tehreek- -Insaf (PTI) party has been granted interim bail in seven cases reg stered against him following a pol ce crackdown on h s supporters outside the judicia complex on March 18 by the Islamabad High Court (IHC)

In petitions filed at the court Khan requested protect ve bail in the cases reg stered at various po ice stations across the capital which are al linked to the clampdown outside the complex where he appeared in the foreign gifts or Toshakhana case The petitions fi ed through Barr ster Sa man Safdar argued that Khan would suffer irreparable loss f he were to be arrested They also said that as the head of the largest polit ca party there is an apprehension that Khan’s opponents cou d further their polit cal ambitions and nefarious designs if he is not granted bail

A two-member bench of the court, Aamer Farooq and M angul Hassan Aurangzeb has taken up the petit ons

During the hear ng Safdar argued that the bio-metr c verification objection should not be mposed on ind viduals over the age of 60 Justice Farooq responded by saying that bio-metric verification has become much easier now

The awyer explained that they had acquired protective ba l for the PTI chairman from the Lahore High Court (LHC) after which they arrived at the judicial complex but were not allowed to proceed further He further sa d that add tional FIRs against Khan were filed that day Justice Farooq asked Safdar why they bypassed the trial court and came straight to the IHC The lawyer responded he would present the Supreme Court ’s judgments on this matter

The justice also said the security threats to Khan must be genuine as he had been attacked once and the court had asked the chief e ection comm ss oner to provide secur ty to h m several times Jahangir Khan Jadoon advocate general for Isamabad said the tr al court was shifted to the judicial comp ex from a loca court in F8 sector

ISLAMABAD S ta f f R e p o R t P r i m e M i n s t e r S h e h b a z S h a r i f a n n o u n c e d t h a t d e d i c a t e d c o u n t e r s w o u d b e e s t a b l i s h e d t o p r o v i d e f r e e f l o u r b a g s t o n e e d y i n d i v i d u a s n o t r e g i s t e r e d w i t h t h e B e n a z i r I n c o m e S u p p o r t P r o g r a m m e ( B I S P ) a t d i s t r i b u t i o n c e n t r e s a s p a r t o f t h e R a m a d a n Pa c k a g e D u r i n g h i s v s i t t o a f r e e w h e a t f o u r d i s t r i b u t i o n c e n t r e o n M o n d a y t h e p r i m e m i n i s t e r e x p l a n e d t h a t a s g n i f c a n t n u m b e r o f p e o p l e w h o a r e n o t r e gi s t e r e d w t h B I S P a n d l i v i n g b e l o w t h e p o v e r t y l n e d e s e r v e f r e e f l o u r b a g s N a t o n a D a t ab a s e R e g i s t r a t i o n A u t h o r t y ( N A D R A ) a n d P u nj a b I n f o r m a t i o n Te c h n o o g y B o a r d ( P I T B ) h a v e d e v e l o p e d a s y s t e m t o i n c l u d e n o n - B I S P p e op l e w h i c h w i l l b e f u l l y o p e r a t i o n a b y M o n d a y a c c o r d i n g t o t h e p r i m e m i n s t e r N o n - B I S P d es e r v i n g p e o p l e w i l b e e l i g i b e t o r e c e i v e f r e e f l o u r f r o m s e p a r a t e c o u n t e r s a f t e r r e g i s t e r i n g t h e i r n a m e s i n t h e s y s t e m T h e p r i m e m i n i s t e r p r a s e d t h e P u n j a b g o v e r n m e n t a n d t h e R a w a p i n d i a d m n s t r a t i o n f o r w o r k i n g t i r e e s s l y t o m a k e t h e d s t r i b u t i o n p r o c e s s s m o o t h a n d u n i n t e r r u p t e d H e a l s o c o m m e n d e d t h e e f f o r t s o f t h e n t e r i m c h e f m i n i s t e r o f P u n j a b a n d c h e f s e c r e t a r y i n t h e f l o u r d s t r i b u t i o n p r o c e s s D e s p t e s i g n f i c a n t e c o n o m i c c h a l l e n g e s, t h e g o v e r n m e n t i s c o m m t t e d t o w o r k i n g f o r t h e r e i e f o f u n d e r p r i v i l e g e d n d i v i d u a l s a c c o r d i n g t o t h e p r i m e m i n i s t e r H e a s o u r g e d p e o p l e f r o m a l l w a k s o f i f e t o s u p p o r t t h e g o v e r nm e n t n i t s p r o - p o o r e f f o r t s To e n s u r e t h e s m o o t h d i s t r i b u t i o n o f b a g s t o p e o p e h e s a i d h e w o u l d m a k e u n a n n o u n c e d v i s i t s t o f l o u r d i s t r i b u t i o n c e n t r e s a c r o s s t h e p r o v i n c e S h a r f a l s o d r e c t e d o f f c i a l s t o a c c o m m o d a t e i n d iv i d u a l s f r o m K h y b e r Pa k h t u n k h w a , Ka s h m i r, a n d G i l g i t - B a l t i s t a n w h o a r e l i v i n g n P u n j a b b u t n o t r e g i s t e r e d w i t h B I S P

Supreme Cour t calls ECP delay of Punjab election an obstacle to its order

ISLAMABAD S ta f f R e p o R t

The Supreme Court cal ed the order of the E ection Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to delay the elect ons n Punjab wh ch were schedu ed for Apr l 30 until October 8 an obstruction in the way of its directive to hold fresh elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa within a constitutiona timeframe of 90 days

The apex court Monday took up a petition moved by Pakistan Tehreek-Insaf (PTI) against the order of the tribunal to delay the elect ons which it ruled will now be he d together w th general elections n the countr y

A larger bench of five justices headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Band al and comprising justices I az ulAhsan Munib Akhtar Amin ud-Din Khan and Jamal Khan Mandokhail heard the case and ser ved notices on the federation, ECP and caretaker adm nistrations in Punjab and KP

On Wednesday the ECP postponed the e ections for more than five months claiming that it is not possible to ho d and organise the elect ons honestly justly, fa rly, in a peacefu manner It said it would be unab e to provide a leve playing field to all polit cal parties

The move v o ated the Supreme Court ruling earlier this month that a new election be he d within 90 days of the two parliaments be ng disbanded Subsequently Barrister Syed Ali Zafar fi ed a petition on behalf of PTI requesting that the tribunal be directed to ho d the elections on the previously schedu ed date of Apr l 30 It contended that the dec sion violated the Constitution and amounted to amending and subverting it Dur ng the proceedings Zafar informed the Supreme Court that the election commission had failed to comp y with the court s March 1 orders to set a date for e ections n Punjab and

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Presenting his arguments the awyer for the opposition party said the ECP had violated the Supreme Court s orders thrice He exp a ned that the electoral watchdog had re ected the election schedule announced by the president and had now postponed the elections unti October 8, even though it did not have the authority to set a new date for the polls He added that the ECP had overlooked the court s orders and had violated the 90-day period for announcing the election date In response, Justice Mandokhai asked what the pet tioner wanted from the court to which Zafar replied that they wanted the court to ensure the implementation of the Constitut on and its orders At this the judge reminded the lawyer that the execut on of court orders is

S h a h i d K h a q a n a b b a S i c a l lS f o r h o l d i n g ‘ e l e c t i o n S w i t h i n 9 0 d ay S ’

ISLAMABAD S ta f f R e p o R t

tH E f o r m e r p r i m e m i n i s t e r ( P M ) a n d P M L - N l e a d e r o n M o n d a y s a i d t h a t h e i n f a v o u r o f e l e c t i o n s w i t h i n 9 0 d a y s I n a n i n t e r v i e w w i t h p r i v a t e T V n e w s c h a n n e l , t h e P M L - N l e a d e r s a i d t h a t h e s t i l l s t a n d s b y h i s s t a n c e t o h o l d

e l e c t i o n s w i t h i n 9 0 d a y s b u t i t i s E C P ’s r e s p o n s i b i l i t y T h e c o n s t i t u t i o n a l s o a s k s t h e s t a t e i n s t i t u t i o n s t o a s s i s t t h e E C P i n h o l d i n g e l e c t i o n s h e a d d e d T h e f o r m e r p r i m e m i n i s t e r S h a h i d K h a q a n A b b a s i s a i d N o w t h e s u p r e m e c o u r t w i l l s e e t h i s m a t t e r a s t h e E C P h a d s a i d t h e y c a n n o t h o l d e l e c t i o n s H e f u r t h e r s a i d t h a t i f a n y p o l i t i c a l p a r t y v i o l a t e s t h e c o n s t i t u t i o n , t h e s t a t e

law proposed to transfer implementation of media protection law to info ministr y

ISLAMABAD

a p p

Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Murtaza Javed

Abbasi Monday introduced the Protection of Journalists and Media Professionals (Amendment) Bill, 2023 in the National Assembly The bill aims to transfer the responsibility of implementing the Protection of Journalists and Media Professionals Act, 2021 from the Ministry of Human Rights to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting According to the statement of objectives and reasons of the bill, under item no 16: Entry-9 of the Rules of Business 1973 the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting is responsible for liaison and coordination with agencies and media on matters concerning government policies and activities

Therefore the prime minister has directed to make necessary amendments to the Act for its implementation and transferred its implementation to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting The cabinet ratified the above-mentioned decision in its meeting held on January 24 The bill has been referred to the relevant committee for further deliberations

rana Sanaullah wants a civil war in countr y: rasheed

ISLAMABAD

S ta f f R e p o R t

Awami Muslim League president and former interior minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed has stated that we do not want a fight with institutions we only want elections Elections he says will be held within 90 days

Speaking to the media outside the Islamabad High Court on Monday, he said hooliganism and fascism in the country was at its peak Whatever they do, victory will be ours,” the ex-minister was upbeat Rana Sanaullah wanted a civil war in the country, Mr Ahmed said and added that he (Sanaullah) would himself fall prey to it Reacting to Sanaullah’s statement that either they or we would survive Sheikh Rashid said political parties never end but many dirty people have got extinct He warned Sanaullah of throwing challenge on others and expressed the fear that his end might be tragic He reiterated his demand for elections either all over the country simultaneously or step by step He said he was still standing by his statement of a plan to assassinate Imran Khan The former minister said we want to make peace with the institutions on the election date There is no fight with the army or the establishment; our struggle is against those who have plundered the wealth of the country and taken it out Our fight is to the extent that they announce a date for elections

Police arrest Pti activists on imran Khan’s arrival at ihc

ISLAMABAD S ta f f R e p o R t

The Islamabad police took several PTI activists including PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s photographer into custody from Srinagar Highway on Monday The arrests followed the arrival of Mr Khan at the Islamabad High Court (IHC) for pre-arrest bail in seven terrorism cases PTI leader Ghulam Sarwar Khan managed to dodge policemen and escaped Police swung into action after PTI workers allegedly violated Section 144 imposed by the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) to prevent gatherings On its Twitter handle, the PTI shared video clips of workers arrests

t a k e s a c t i o n a g a i n s t i t b u t h e i s n o t i n f a v o u r o f b a s e l e s s a l l e g a t i o n s a g a i n s t p o l i t i c a l p a r t i e s T h e P M L - N l e a d e r S h a h i d K h a q a n A b b a s i s a i d t h a t N a w a z S h a r i f i s h i s l e a d e r M a r y a m N a w a z i s t h e p a r t y s c h i e f o rg a n i z e r a n d S h e h b a z S h a r i f i s t h e p r e s i d e n t o f t h e p a r t y H e d o e s n t b e l i e v e i n t w o l e a d e r s i n o n e p a r t y H e a d d e d t h a t h i s t o r y w i l l t e l l

h o w S h e h b a z S h a r i f b e c a m e t h e P r i m e M i n i s t e r H e a s k e d w h e n S a q i b N i s a r w a s t h e c h i e f j u s t i c e w h a t h e d i d i n h i s t e n u r e c a n h e q u e s t i o n a n y t h i n g n o w ? S h a h i d K h a q a n A b b a s i a d d e d t h a t j a i l i n g p o l i t i c a l l e a d e r s a b u s e a n d h a t r e d i s n o t p a r t o f p o l i t i c s a n d i f p o l i t i c s c a n n o t i m p r o v e t h e q u a l i t y o f p e o p l e s l i f e t h e n a l l p o l i t i c i a n s h a v e f a i l e d

Imran files plea in IHC against Rana S anaullah

ISLAMABAD S ta f f R e p o R t

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan on Monday moved an application against Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah for directly threatening him and his party at the Islamabad High Court (IHC)

According to details, Sanaullah in an interview with a private news channel on Saturday, said that the country’s politics has been brought to the level where the existence of only one of the two [PTI and PML-N] is possible”

Sanaullah had also said that when the ruling party feels that its existence is under threat it can go to any extent against its chief political rival without considering what is illegal or undemocratic

Seeking the IHC s intervention on the matter Imran has requested the court to block his arrest and prevent

y c o n d e m n s I s r a e l i r a i d o n A l -Aq s a M o s q u e

ISLAMABAD S ta f f R e p o R t Pakistan has strongly condemned the raid by Israeli forces on Al Aqsa Mosque during ongoing holy month of Ramadan expelling the worshippers and violating the sanctity of the mosque

In a statement on Monday the Foreign Office s a i d i t i s r e p r e h e n s i b l e t h a t s u c h a t t a c k s o n A l -

Aqsa Mosque by Israeli occupation forces during Ramadan have become a regular feature in recent y e a r s The Foreign Office termed such acts grave violation of fundamental right to freedom of religion and belief and an affront to the religious sentiments of over 1 5 billion Muslims around the world I t s a i d i n d i s c r i m i n a t e u s e o f f o r c e b y I s r a e l i

occupation forces against defenseless Palestinians d e f i e s a l l h u m a n i t a r i a n a n d h u m a n r i g h t s n o r m s and laws and by doing so, Israel has backed out on its own recent commitment to respect the sanctity of Ramadan

The Foreign Office urged the international community to take urgent action to put an end to the Israeli transgressions that have been particularly ascendant since the beginning of this year

The Foreign office while reaffirming Pakistan’s unflinching support to the Palestinian people and the Palestinian cause renewed Pakistan s call for a viable independent and contiguous Palestinian State with pre-1967 borders and Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital in accordance with the relevant United Nations and OIC resolutions

the respondents from acting on their “plans”

Notably in addition to Sanaullah the federal government IG Islamabad and SSP operations have been made respondents to the case

PTI Secretary General Asad Umar has issued a statement saying courts should take notice of Sanaullah s statements adding that the party has no intentions of threatening his existence

We did not make any cases in government he said all cases against Sanaullah were National Accountability Bureau s references

He simultaneously lamented the crackdown on PTI workers, claiming 500 PTI workers have been arrested in Islamabad alone” Similarly, former minister and Awami Muslim League (AML) chief Shiekh Rashid also condemned the interior minister ’s remarks

“They usurped the state ” Rashid said claiming that Sanaullah “wants bloodshed in the country”

another case filed against hassaan niazi in Karachi

KARACHI S ta f f R e p o R t

Pakistanis

among migrants resc ued off Italian coast

ISLAMABAD R e u t e R S

Around 200 migrants including people from Pakistan were rescued from a wooden boat approximately 20 hours after they departed from Zawiya in Libya Some 190 migrants were rescued by Doctors Without Borders (MSF) off the coast of Libya early on Friday (March 24)

T h e m i g r a n t s a l s o i n c l u d e d people from Bangladesh Egypt Eritrea Syria and Palestine who w e r e r e s c u e d f r o m a w o o d e n b o a t a p p r o x i m a t e l y 2 0 h o u r s after they departed from Zawiya in Libya They arrived at the southern Italian port of Bari on Sunday evening aboard the MSF vessel Geo Barents Many sang songs and listened to music during navigation, as they waited to reach a safe port in Italy

A migrant from Pakistan

Toseef, who used to sing at weddings, sang a love song and dedicated it to his wife who was still in Pakistan Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government is forcing migrant rescue ships to dock further and further north along Italy s coastline meaning long journeys that raise their operating costs and strain their ability to continue saving lives Forcing NGO ships

PESHAWAR S ta f f R e p o R t C a r e t a k e r C h i e f M i n i s t e r K h y b e r P a k h t u n k h w a M u h a m m a d A z a m K h a n h a s d i r e c t e d t h e concerned authorities to improve the mechanism o f p r o v i s i o n o f f r e e f l o u r t o t h e d e s e r v i n g a n d n e e d y p e o p l e i n t h e p r o v i n c e I n a s t a t e m e n t

to reach ever-more distant ports increases costs at a time when budgets are stretched by inflation and higher fuel costs following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

The new docking destinations policy adds to a December decree which forces NGO ships to request and head to a port without delay after each rescue rather than continue looking for boats in distress

i s s u e d i n P e s h a w a r o n M o n d a y h e a s k e d t h e D i s t r i c t A d m i n i s t r a t i o n o ff i c i a l s t o e n s u r e t h e i r p r e s e n c e o n g r o u n d d u r i n g d i s t r i b u t i o n o f f r e e f l o u r a c r o s s K h y b e r P a k h t u n k h w a Muhammad Azam Khan stressed the need for p r o p e r m o n i t o r i n g o f t h e p r o c e s s o f f r e e f l o u r d i s t r i b u t i o n s o t h a t t h e n e e d y a n d p o o r f a m i l i e s can get the flour

P T I re a d y fo r t a l k s b u t g ov t h a s m a l a fi d e i nte nt i o n : Q u re s h i

ISLAMABAD S ta f f R e p o R t

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf Vice-Chairman Shah

Mahmood Qureshi said on Monday that issues relating to elections could be resolved through

Imran Khan’s attendance at court

e h o p e d t h a t c o u r t w o u l d p r o t e c t t h e constitution “We stand by the superior judiciary Our workers were arrested in Punjab As many as 2 000 P T I s u p p o r t e r s w e r e a r r e s t e d I d o l o f t h e f e a r h a s been broken he maintained T h e P T I l e a d e r s a i d t h a t h i s p a r t y w a s n o t a v o i d i n g n e g o t i a t i o n s b u t g o v e r n m e n t h a d a m a l a f i d e i n t e n t i o n b e h i n d O n o n e s i d e t h e g o v e r n m e n t w a s t a l k i n g a b o u t n e g o t i a t i o n s b u t o n the other side it was arresting PTI workers He said g o v e r n m e n t a n d P T I c o u l d s i t t o g e t h e r a n d t a l k about elections, country was experiencing political i n s t a b i l i t y Q u r e s h i s a i d I s h a q D a r ’s s t a t e m e n t i n

A case was registered Monday against Hassaan Niazi nephew of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, and his associates in Karachi The case was registered in the Jamshed Quarters police station on the complaint of a citizen named Muhammad Iqbal In a video shared by Hassaan Niazi on social media, he incited the people to rebellion,” the text of the first information report (FIR) read “Hassaan Niazi addressed the national defense institutions and threatened them His statement had angered the people ” it added

PPP wins big in unofficial results of Sindh local government repolling

KARACHI S ta f f R e p o R t

The Pakistan People s Party (PPP) emerged as the biggest winner in Sunday s local government polls held in various Union Councils wards across Sindh according to unofficial results The party won 39 seats while the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) won six seats Independent candidates secured nine seats, making the results inconclusive The PPP also won 10 out of 16 chairmen and vice chairmen seats, while independent candidates and GDA contestants secured three and two seats, respectively Based on the unofficial party position results, PPP took the lead with 21 general member seats out of a total of 32 seats Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Pakistan and GDA secured one seat each while an independent candidate won 11 member district council seats Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) won one general member seat each and the PTI candidate secured one seat of chairman and vice-chairman The PPP won 22 general member seats while the independent candidate bagged four seats The voting was held in 15 districts of Sindh in response to widespread allegations of rigging during previous local government elections A total of 109,687 registered voters were expected to cast their votes, with 59,310 male and 50,377 female voters The local government polls were facilitated by 15 district returning officers, 26 returning officers, and 52 assistant returning officers with a total of 81 polling stations established across 15 districts

railway Minister announces 10 to 15pc reduction in train fares

LAHORE

S ta f f R e p o R t

Minister for Railways and Aviation Khawaja Saad

Rafique has announced 10 to 15 percent reduction in the fares of freight trains Addressing a news conference in Lahore on Monday, he said Pakistan Railway has formulated a 100-day plan, according to which new cargo trains will run between Peshawar and Karachi The Minister said that two more trains are going to run on the pattern of Green Line He said the inclusion of two more trains will help reduce load significantly on Green Line train He said Pakistan Railways land will be used for commercial purposes He said Pakistan Railways has made a plan to convert its offices and stations to solar energy Talking about PIA he said the airline will soon launch direct flights for England and Europe

Pa ki s t a n s t ro n g l

CM KP direc ts to improve mechanism of provision of free flour

alvi diSPleaSed over cda’S ‘diScriMinatory act’ of non-allotMent of reSidential quarter to woMan eMPloyee

directing CDA to allot the quarter to the female employee

While rejecting CDA s representation against the orders of the Wafaqi Mohtasib

the President said that the most unfortunate part of the CDA s defence was that allotment could only be made to a male and could not be made to a female for the same services

“This is highly discriminatory, CDA is directed to improve its rules that are ensuring such misogynist practices and send the report to Wafaqi Mohtasib of the same in 60 days he said

President Alvi said that CDA had discriminated against the female employee and upheld Wafaqi Mohtasib s orders

The president underscored that Pakistan could not progress if its female equal

imran gets bail in seven cases related to islamabad cour t violence

COntInuED fROM PAgE 01

He also held Khan responsible for not ensuring a peaceful environment, pointing out that people had burned cars while he did not even get out of the car Justice Farooq inquired what the petitioner would do if the administration gave irresponsible statements to which he replied that party would arrange its own security if the administration did not provide it Finally the judges granted interim bail to Khan following which he left the high court Earlier in the day a video posted on the opposition party s Twitter account showed Khan entering the court premises surrounded by a large contingent of Islamabad police S U P P O RT E R S A R R E S T E D: Meanwhile, supporters and workers of the party have been arrested ahead of the hearing According to Shireen Mazari, a party leader and former minister, Khan’s photographer, Imran G, and three other people were taken into police custody while on their way to the court She tweeted that the four individuals were “unarmed civilians” and had been arrested without committing any crime The group was allegedly taken to Ramna police station

gov t making hectic effor ts to provide relief to common man: na told

ISLAMABAD S ta f f R e p o R t

The National Assembly which met at Parliament House in Islamabad on Monday with Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf in the chair was informed that the government is making hectic efforts to provide relief to the common man keeping in view the current inflationary trends

Responding to the queries of the members during Question Hour in the House today, Minister of State for Finance Aisha Ghaus Pasha said we have enhanced the stipends under Benazir Income Support Program to support the deserving families She said, Ramadan package has also been given to provide essential commodities to the people at reduced rates She said the government is also planning to provide targeted subsidy on petroleum products The Minister of State said it is our effort to bring down the inflation which has both domestic and international factors She said we need the cooperation of the provinces to check the price hike Aisha Ghaus Pasha said the government is also giving priority to the tax revenue mobilization in view of the current economic challenges and to reduce deficits She said a committee has been formed to expedite tax cases pending in different courts Responding to a question the Minister of State said the government is committed to an interestfree economy She said a committee has been constituted and deliberations are underway to prepare a transformational plan in this regard Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Murtaza Javed Abbassi told the House that National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has received data of the houses destroyed in recent floods from the three provinces, while data from two federating units is still awaited He said minimum compensation for fully damaged houses has been revised up to five hundred thousand rupees and for partially damaged houses it has been fixed at two hundred and fifty thousand rupees Responding to a Calling Attention Notice Minister of State for Interior Abdul Rehman Khan Kanju said FIA is taking steps to check human trafficking with the cooperation of international organizations He said the capacity building of the relevant departments is also being done to deal with this menace Meanwhile the Protection of Journalists and Media Professionals

Amendment Bill, 2023 and the Press, Newspapers, News Agencies and Books Registration Amendment

Bill, 2023 were also laid before the House These were laid by Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Murtaza Javed Abbassi At the outset, newly elected

MNA Muhammad Mohsin Leghari took oath of his office Speaker National Assembly Raja Pervaiz Ashraf administered the oath to him

members of the society were discriminated against in such a manner

He said that it was against the spirit of the founders of Pakistan the fair practices of Islam, and also the Constitution

He directed CDA to comply with Wafaqi Mohtasib s orders and redress the grievance of the complainant and, if so required, and seek the approval of the competent authority/forum without further loss of time

Shahnaz Begum (the complainant) had alleged that her late husband was an exwasher man attached with CDA and he had applied for allotment of a Dhobi quarter She joined CDA as a washerwoman

after the death of her husband and made a request for the allotment of a quarter but CDA issued the same to another employee who was junior to her in the seniority list

Feeling aggrieved, she approached Wafaqi Mohtasib who passed the order that maladministration on the part of CDA was evident as it had discriminated against the complainant and was recommended to issue allotment orders for the quarter in question to the complainant and submit a compliance report within 30 days

The CDA filed a representation against the orders of the Wafaqi Mohtasib and contended that from the beginning the accommodation had been allotted to CDA s

N A s p e a ke r d i re c t s M o I to t a ke a

ISLAMABAD

S ta f f R e p o R t

National Assembly Speaker Raja

Pervaiz Ashraf on Monday directed the Ministry of Interior (MoI) to take action against those officials involved in acts of violence against journalists during the appearance of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chief Imran Khan before at the Islamabad High Court (IHC)

During the Joint Session of the Parliament, the journalists staged a walkout from the Press Gallery to protest the government’s failure in taking action against those involved in violence the arrest of journalist

COntInuED fROM PAgE 01

Siddique Jan and not forming a commission as enshrined in the Protection of Journalists and Media Professionals Act 2021 besides the lingering issue of unpaid salaries by media houses

The speaker in his ruling said I hereby direct the Interior Ministry to probe violence against journalists and the elements involved in the violence should be brought to justice

About non-payment of salaries to journalists, he said, right now the National Assembly s Standing Committee on Information is considering the issue and the journalists would be given representation in it

Once a constitutional issue is pending before a Provincial High Court, keeping in view the Federal structure of our Constitution the autonomy and independence of the apex provincial constitutional court, should not be readily interfered with but rather be supported to strengthen the provincial autonomy and avoid undermining the autonomy of the provincial constitutional courts

The order concluded that even otherwise without prejudice to the above such matters should best be resolved by the Parliament

Justices Shah and Mandokhail highlighted that they were in agreement with the decisions of Justice Yahya Afridi and Justice Athar Minallah when they questioned the intent of the suo motu and urged the constitution of a full bench

The judges dismissed the present constitution petitions and dropped the suo motu proceedings

F O R m AT i O n O F F U l l c O U RT O n ly wAy

F O RwA R D: S h A h K h AwA R A D vO c AT E:

Commenting over the judgement of two judges Shah Khawar Advocate told Pakistan Today that the judgement was alarming and it required immediate review of the situation

There is a clear divide among the judges the larger bench that heard the petition filed by PTI today against postponement of the Punjab elections

was an off shoot of the same case This was perhaps the reason that Justice Mandokhail today had raised a question arguing which judgement of the top court had been violated he said Shah Khawar Advocate said that following the verdict by the two judges on Monday the previous judgement has become controversial

It is incumbent upon the chief justice to put the matter before a full court which is the way forward

The judgement to hold Punjab election on April 30 has also become controversial now after this majority judgement and impartiality of the Supreme Court is under question Wisdom requires that the Chief Justice form a full court to take up the case failing which the respect would be under question ” he added

Asked whether the bench was also divided on political lines as was the case back in 1997 when the bench had revolted against the then Chief Justice Syed Sajjad Ali Shah Shah Khawar Advocate said the division of the bench was not political in nature and rather it s a matter of interpretation of law

The judges are honouarble and one may not jump to conclusion but extreme positions taken by judges on powers of the chief justice and rest of the judges require immediate rethink and review Things are getting controversial now and the repute of the court is being questioned ” he concluded

Ce n s u s s t a f f f a i l e d to re a c h s eve ra l a re a s : M Q M - P

The MQM-P’s Rabita (Coordination) Committee has pointed out that the census staff had failed to reach several areas I t a n n o u n c e d t h a t i f t h e r e w e r e e r r o r s i n t h e s t a t i s t i c s o f t h e o n g o i n g 7 t h P o p u l a t i o n a n d H o u s i n g C e n s u s i n t h e c o u n t r y t h e p a r t y w o u l d conduct its own head count D u r i n g a h u d d l e o f t h e M Q M - P s R a b i t a Committee presided over by the party s convener K h a l i d M a q b o o l S i d d i q u i s o u r c e s s a i d t h e participants discussed a range of issues including the country s political situation, census and local government by-elections The party expressed its grave concerns over the process of the country s

i c i p a n t s o f t h e m e e t i n g f u r t h e r m a i n t a i n e d t h a t i n m a n y a r e a s , s e v e r a l p e o p l e living in the same building had been counted as a s i n g l e i n d i v i d u a l E a r l i e r t h i s m o n t h , o n t h e

MQM-P’s demand, the prime minister had ordered to extend the census from three to 10 days and to m a r k e a c h f l a t i n s t e a d o f t h e m a i n e n t r a n c e o f multi-storied buildings I n F e b r u a r y t h e p a r t y h a d w r i t t e n a l e t t e r t o the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) chairman s a y i n g t h a t a l l o c a t i n g o n l y t h r e e d a y s f o r c o n d u c t i n g t h e c e n s u s i n t h e d e n s e l y - p o p u l a t e d Karachi was not enough The letter had read that at least 10 days should be set aside for household head counts

stakeholders point out ‘serious flaws’ in OGR As foreign exchange losses adjustments

COntInuED fROM BACK PAgE

Your impartiality is critical to ensuring that the interests of all stakeholders are protected and that the industry thrives on innovation and healthy competition ”

Furthermore, OMAP is highly disappointed with the recent vague statement issued to newspapers in response to the allegations of disbursement of foreign exchange losses adjustment to non-deserving entities

The statement issued is quite weak unclear and fails to address the actual issue at hand

The allegations of disbursement of foreign exchange losses adjustment to non-deserving entities are serious and require a thorough investigation

Instead of providing a clear explanation of how these entities were selected and why they were given preferential treatment your statement merely refutes the allegations without providing any evidence or explanation

Furthermore the statement does not address the larger issue of OGRA policies in favor of big oil marketing companies and discriminatory policies towards emerging OMCs This is a major concern for the industry and the people of Pakistan, and it requires a clear and transparent response from the regulator He wrote that OMAP, being the true representative of emerging OMCs, is deeply troubled by this biased behavior and believes it goes against the very principles of fairness and competition that

our society is based on As a result new emerging oil marketing companies are being compelled to adopt other remedial ways to get their rights which will not only impact the industry negatively but also tarnish the image of OGRA as a fair regulatory authority

T h e r e f o r e I u rg e y o u t o r e c o n s i d e r y o u r decisions and policies and work towards creating a l e v e l p l a y i n g f i e l d f o r a l l p l a y e r s , h e s a i d a d d i n g t h a t t h e n e w e m e rg i n g o i l m a r k e t i n g c o m p a n i e s d e s e r v e a f a i r c h a n c e t o s u c c e e d , a n d i t i s y o u r r e s p o n s i b i l i t y t o e n s u r e t h a t t h e y a r e n o t u n f a i r l y d i s a d v a n t a g e d We h o p e y o u w i l l t a k e a p p r o p r i a t e

th e market

male employees (washermen) and it had never been allotted to any female (washerwoman)

The CDA further argued that Dhobi had been defined as an adult male working Dhobi and the relatives of Dhobi meant adult blood relations viz father, brother, and son

After perusal of the record and hearing the parties, it was observed that CDA had already issued allotment of another quarter to a female washerwoman in the year 2000

The president therefore rejected CDA’s representation and upheld Wafaqi Mohtasib s orders to issue the allotment letters of the quarter in question to the female Dhobi

lhc gives directive to police to resolve imran’s securit y issue

COntInuED fROM BACK PAgE T h e f o r m e r p r i m e m i n i s t e r s u b m i t t e d t h a t h i s p o p u l a r i t y i n t h e p o l i t i c a l a r e n a h a s b e c o m e a c a u s e o f c o n c e r n f o r h i s p o l i t i c a l a d v e r s a r i e s w h o a f t e r t h e f a i l u r e o f s e v e r a l c r i m i n a l c a s e s h a v e n o w r e s o r t e d t o t h e o p i n i o n o f “ e l i m i n a t i n g h i m a l t o g e t h e r f o r t h e p o l i t i c a l s c e n e a s f i n a l d i s p o s a l He also stated that since he was ousted from the government the present regime decided to lodge a series of bogus cases against the him and senior leadership of PTI who were also subjected to torture on the basis of serious charges like sedition and mutiny A l l s t a t e m a c h i n e r y w a s m i s u s e d w i t h t h e s o l e o b j e c t o f p o l i t i c a l v i c t i m i z a t i o n a n d s c o r e - s e t t l i n g B e i n g a g g r i e v e d b y m a l i c i o u s c a m p a i g n l a u n c h e d a g a i n s t h i m a n d s e n i o r m e m b e r s b y r e g i s t e r i n g b a s e l e s s a n d f a l s e c a s e s a c r o s s P a k i s t a n , t h e P T I d e c i d e d t o p r o t e s t a g a i n s t i n c u m b e n t P a k i s t a n D e m o c r a t i c M o v e m e n t ( P D M ) a n d a n n o u n c e d “ h a q e q i A z a d i M a r c h ” t h e p e t i t i o n r e a d T h e o u s t e d p r e m i e r c o n t e n d e d t h a t t h e a s s a s s i n a t i o n a t t e m p t w a s p r o p e r l y p l a n n e d a n d e x e c u t e d a t t h e b e h e s t o f t h e p o l i t i c a l a d v e r s a r i e s o f t h e p e t i t i o n e r w h o w e r e o f i m m e n s e p o p u l a r i t y T h e p e t i t i o n e r w i s h e s t o f i g h t w i t h p o l i t i c a l l y m o t i v a t e d c a s e s b u t d u e t o i n a d e q u a t e a r r a n g e m e n t s h e r e m a i n e d u n a b l e t o a t t e n d s o m e h e a r i n g s p h y s i c a l l y, t h e p e t i t i o n a d d e d I m r a n , i n h i s p e t i t i o n , a l s o s o u g h t s t r i c t a c t i o n a g a i n s t r e s p o n d e n t s f o r f a i l i n g t o m a i n t a i n l a w a n d o r d e r o n c o u r t p r e m i s e s d u r i n g h i s c o u r t p r o c e e d i n g s T h e p e t i t i o n f u r t h e r s o u g h t “ n o a d v e r s e a c t i o n a n d n o a r r e s t ” u n t i l h e i s p r o v i d e d p r o p e r s e c u r i t y f o r c o u r t a t t e n d a n c e a n d a p p e a r a n c e s P e t i t i o n e r w a s w i t n e s s e d a p p e a r i n g b e f o r e t h e A n t i - Te r r o r i s m C o u r t ( AT C ) b a n k i n g c o u r t j u d i c i a l c o m p l e x a n d L a h o r e H i g h C o u r t ( L H C ) P r i o r t o t h e a s s a s s i n a t i o n a t t e m p t o n h i s l i f e p e t i t i o n e r n e v e r h e s i t a t e d f r o m p e r f o r m i n g h i s l e g a l o b l i g a t i o n s a d d e d t h e p e t i t i o n T h e p e t i t i o n e r w i s h e s t o f i g h t w i t h p o l i t i c a l l y m o t i v a t e d c a s e s b u t d u e t o i n a d e q u a t e a n i m p r o p e r a r r a n g e m e n t s p e t i t i o n e r r e m a i n e d u n a b l e t o a t t e n d s o m e h e a r i n g s p h y s i c a l l y D e s p i t e a f a i l e d a s s a s s i n a t i o n a t t e m p t t h a t l e t h i m c r i t i c a l l y w o u n d e d a n d d e s p i t e s e v e r a l d e m a n d s t o p r o v i d e p r o p e r a n d i n a d e q u a t e s e c u r i t y t h e R e s p o n d e n t s d e l i b e r a t e l y a r e e x p o s i n g t h e p e t i t i o n e r s o t h a t h e m a y f a l l a p r e y t o a n y a t t a c k t h a t m a y b e l a u n c h e d o r d i r e c t e d t o w a r d s h i m ” r e a d t h e p e t i t i o n H e r e q u e s t e d t h e c o u r t t o d i r e c t t h e c o n c e r n e d q u a r t e r s t o p r o v i d e h i m f o o l p r o o f s e c u r i t y a n d p e r m i s s i o n t o m a r k a t t e n d a n c e i n t o c o u r t p r o c e e d i n g s t h r o u g h v i d e o l i n k t o a v o i d f u r t h e r u n t o w a r d i n c i d e n t

c t i o n a g a i n s t

o ffi c i a l

D i s s e nt i n g s C j u d g e s c a l l fo r rev i s i t i n g C J P ’s ‘o n e - m a n s h ow ’

g

- h a p p y w i t h b a n s

The more things change….

IF all you have is a hammer all problems will look like nails And in the government s hammer-only arsenal, a blanket ban through Pemra is used often, regardless of who is in government

The Pakistan electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) Monday barred the television channels from live and recorded coverage of rallies or public gatherings by any party, organisation, or individual being held in the federal capital The rationale is yet another smattering of the usual:

Such footages/images were seen on TV screens without any editorial oversight during a recent standoff between political party workers and law enforcing agencies in lahore wherein, a violent mob used petrol bombs, injuring armless policemen and blazing police vehicles The live telecast of such footages on different satellite TV channels created chaos and panic among the viewers and Police

That’s an argument for better law enforcement and not for banning coverage It might also be an argument for not letting things come to a pass politically, for there to be such conflagration Yes hell is other people and yes the political opposition might be behaving unreasonably but what is politics if not the art of the possible?

Granted there can be limits to such possibilities and a sitting government might have to take some unsavoury (but legal) steps But why should they involve the banning of coverage of political rallies?

The previous dispensation used to live in the first half of the last century given how it used to block newspaper routes as well, ensuring that entire housing societies don t get particular newspapers in the morning, in addition to arm-twisting the local TV cable operators to ensure a particular set of TV channels aren t broadcast The incumbent government might not have done that but have taken the legal route of banning things through Pemra

None of the governments realise themselves, or is informed by the state’s information apparatus that even if we discount for the principles being violated in this banning spree, they won’t achieve much of any desired effect either, because news content is increasingly being consumed on digital platforms and social media The internet networks cannot be shutdown given how much foreign exchange our ever burgeoning IT industry gets us And even if in the throes of desperation, the internet services are shut down momentarily all the backlog cellphone footage piled up during the blackout will be uploaded nigh immediately when things are back online

We need more transparency less opacity

Dedicated to the legac y of late Hameed Nizami Arif

PA k I S TA N is facing so grave multiple crises that political leaders and media have ignored many important issues and matters

In this regard Indian Spy kulbushan Jadhav s case also needs attention to keep it in the limelight kulbushan Jadhav, alias hussain Mubarek Patel, is an Indian spy (terrorist) who was apprehended on March 3, 2016 during a counter-intelligence operation from Mashkel, Balochistan province, while he was travelling to Pakistan on an Iranian passport

A serving Indian Navy officer Jadhav was involved in espionage, acts of terrorism, and sabotage against the state of Pakistan especially in the Balochistan his cynical activities cost Pakistan thousands of lives and hence he was awarded death sentence in April 2017 by the the Field General Court

Martial (FGCM)

Yadhav joined the Indian National Defence Academy in 1987 and was commissioned in the engineering branch of the Indian Navy in 1991 During his service years, he was promoted to the rank of Naval Commander

Notably, in a video statement, kulbhushan openly admitted that he was the serving agent of Indian secret agency RAW in Balochistan, and during his stay, he contacted various Baloch separatist leaders and insurgents, including Dr Allah Nazar Baloch to execute the task to damage the China-Pakistan economic Corridor project (CPeC) he confessed that he spied for India and was assigned with the task to create unrest in karachi and Balolchitan to destabilize Pakistan

In this context addressing a joint press conference with the then Federal Minister for Information P e r v a i z R a s h e e d t h e t h e n D i r e c t o r G e n e r a l o f

I n t e r- S e r v i c e s P u b l i c R e l a t i o n s ( I S P R ) l t G e n

Asim Saleem Bajwa said on March 29, 2016: kulbushan Yadav s arrest is a rare case that does not happen very often he pointed out that Yadav was a n a c t i v e o ff i c e r o f t h e I n d i a n N a v y p r i o r t o h i s

joining RAW he also served as a scrap dealer and had a jewelry business in Chahbahar Iran after he joined RAW in 2013

During interrogation Jadhav revealed that at Wadh khuzdar he was in contact with haji Baloch whom he provided financial and logistic support including separatists and the Islamic State network in karachi he elaborated that his job was to hold meetings with Baloch insurgents and collaborate with them to carryout terrorist activities leading to the killing or maiming of thousands Pakistani citizens Jadhav disclosed that he had met haji Baloch several times, sometimes for planning sectarian violence in karachi and the rest of Sindh province he also told that the masterminds of the Safoora bus attack where gunmen shot dead 45 Ismaili passengers were also in contact with haji Baloch While upon information provided by Jadhav Pakistan s intelligence agencies arrested hundreds of undercover operatives, working to sabotage peace in Pakistan, saving thousands of innocent lives from potential harm

Meanwhile, the haguebased International Court of Justice (ICJ) announced its verdict about the case of kulbhushan Jadhav In its judgment ICJ President Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf stated that Pakistan should review the case while considering under the laws of Pakistan The Court however rejected all other remedies sought by India, which included the annulment of the military court decision convicting Jadhav, restricting Pakistan from executing the sentence, securing Jadhav s release and ordering his return to India Therefore, Islamabad was given options somehow an appeal should lie before the civilian courts in this case

Indian officials

And the Foreign Office (FO) on July 18 2019 announced: As a responsible state Pakistan will grant consular access to Commander kulbushan Jadhav according to Pakistani laws for which modalities are being worked out with India

Nevertheless, Islamabad on September 2, 2019 provided Jadhav an unimpeded, uninterrupted and recorded consular access in line with the international legal norms and commitments But, New Delhi fumed in anger and frustration after its convicted spy Jadhav supported Pakistan’s stance during his meeting with top Indian diplomat in Islamabad Besides showing optimistic approach on humanitarian ground Pakistan had also allowed mother and wife of Indian convicted spy kulbhushan Jadhav to meet him They visited Pakistan on December 25 2017 and met him at the office of Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad

It is mentionable that in their self-created arguments India s lawyers had told the ICJ that the case was farcical and based on malicious propaganda Pakistan s lawyers hit back by accusing Jadhav of terrorism Pakistan s attorney general stated that Jadhav’s “unlawful activities were directed at creating anarchy in Pakistan and particularly targeted the China-Pakistan economic Corridor”

During interrogation, Jadhav revealed that at Wadh, Khuzdar, he was in contact with Haji Baloch whom he provided financial and logistic suppor t including separatists and the Islamic State network in Karachi.

While challenging his sentence in the ICJ India had fabricated the story which also claimed that the spy kulbhushan Jadhav was kidnapped from Iran where he had business interests after retiring from the Navy In fact, Yadhav was running a network of terror from Iran to sponsor terrorism in Pakistan, and was in collusion with terrorist outfits such as BlA BRA MQM (militant wing) TTP leJ and Daish (ISIl) Many of these groups have conducted a number of terrorist related assaults in Pakistan Iran Afghanistan including some other countries of South Asia

Nonetheless Yadhav remains a living proof of Indian hostility and state-sponsored terrorism against Pakistan The world must take notice of Indian inimical designs and policy of aggression against its neighbours

On April 10, 2017, Pakistan’s Army Chief General Qamar Bajwa had endorsed the death penalty for Jadhav In June 2017 the Indian spy had filed a mercy petition against the death penalty in which he again confessed to his involvement in terrorist activities in Pakistan however before Pakistani authorities could make a final decision the ICJ after being approached by New Delhi had ordered a stay in his execution through an interim order

On July 17, 2019, after a petition lodged by India, the International Court of Justice ordered Pakistan to allow Jadhav full and unimpeded consular access to

s e e n a n d u n h e a r d

Th e issue of refugees is a complex and pressing global concern Millions of individuals around the world have been forced to flee their homes due to conflict persecution and other forms of violence These refugees often find themselves in precarious situations, without access to basic necessities such as shelter, food, and healthcare The United Nations high Commissioner for Refugees (UNhCR) was established in 1950 with the mandate of protecting and supporting refugees around the world T h e a g e n c y h a s p l a y e d a c r u c i a l r o l e i n providing humanitarian assistance to those in need as well as advocating for the rights of r e f u g e e s o n a g l o b a l s c a l e D e s p i t e t h e b e s t e ff o r t s o f t h e U N h C R t h e r e a r e c e r t a i n r egions where the agency has fallen short in fulf i l l i n g i t s m a n d a t e Tw o s u c h r e g i o n s a r e M a l a y s i a a n d P a k i s t a n w h e r e t h e U N h C R offices have been criticized for their poor performance in addressing the needs of refugees In Malaysia, the UNhCR has been criticized f o r f a i l i n g t o a d e q u a t e l y p r o t e c t r e f u g e e s from arrest, detention, and deportation by the Malaysian government The country is not a signatory to the 1951 UN Refugee Convention and as such it is not bound by its provisions This has left refugees in a vulnerable position with little recourse when it comes to seeking legal protection The UNhCR in Malaysia has also been accused of failing to provide adequate assistance to refugees in terms of housing healthcare and education Many refugees in Malaysia are forced to live in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions, with little access to basic services

The government has a policy of detaining refugees and asylum seekers who are found to be in the country without proper documentation This has led to a situation where refugees are often forced to live in hiding unable to access essential services for fear of being discovered and detained One example of this is the case of Syed Fawad Ali Shah a Pakistani refugee journalist who was registered with UNhCR Malaysia Fawad was abducted in Malaysia and taken to Pakistan where he was held in detention for several months he was subsequently released but now faces false charges filed by the police and the FIA cybercrime circle his name has also been added to a stop list maintained by Pakistan s Federal Investigation Agency’s Immigration to prevent him from leaving the country and exposing corruption in Pakistani institutions

Despite the danger he faces the UNhCR and the International Organization for Migra-

tion

(IOM) have failed to provide Fawad with a safe haven This has left him in a precarious situation, with little hope of escaping the persecution he faces In Pakistan the situation is equally dire The country is home to millions of refugees including Afghans Bangladeshis and Uyghurs Many of these refugees live in makeshift camps or urban slums without access to basic services such as healthcare legal aid education and sanitation The UNhCR in Pakistan has been criticized for its lack of action in protecting refugees from forced deportation This has led to situations where refugees are sent back to their home countries, where they face grave danger, imprisonment, or even death One example of this is the situation facing the Uyghurs refugees in Pakistan The Uyghurs are a Muslim minority group from China those have faced persecution and violence at the hands of the China government Many have fled to neighboring countries such as Myanmar, Russia, India and Pakistan where they are seeking refuge however in Pakistan the Uyghurs are not recognized as refugees This has left them in a precarious situation with little legal protection or access to basic services In recent years there have been reports of Uyghurs refugees being forcibly deported from Pakistan to China The situation for refugees in Pakistan and Malaysia is complex and multifaceted, with a range of challenges that must be addressed by the UNhCR and other relevant actors One of the key issues facing refugees in these countries is the lack of legal protections afforded to them In Malaysia the country’s non-signatory status to the 1951 UN Refugee Convention has left refugees in a vulnerable p o s i t i o n w i t h l i t t l e l e g a l r e c o u r s e w h e n i t comes to seeking protection The Malaysian government has a policy of detaining and dep o r t i n g r e f u g e e s w h o a r e f o u n d t o b e i n t h e country without proper documentation, which has led to a situation where many refugees are forced to live in hiding, unable to access basic s e r v i c e s f o r f e a r o f b e i n g d i s c o v e r e d S i m il a r l y, i n P a k i s t a n , r e f u g e e s f a c e a r a n g e o f legal challenges

The UNHCR in Pakistan has been criticiz ed for its lack of action in protecting refug ees from forced depor tation. This has led to situations where refug ees are sent back to their home countries, where they face grave dang er, imprisonment, or even death

ligations under the convention This has led to situations where refugees are deported back to their home countries, where they may face persecution imprisonment or even death In addition to these legal challenges refugees in Pakistan and Malaysia also face a range of practical challenges when it comes to accessing basic services such as housing healthcare and education Many refugees are forced to live in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions which has led to a range of health issues There have been outbreaks of infectious diseases such as tuberculosis and dengue fever, which have further exacerbated the challenges faced by refugees in these countries The lack of access to education is also a significant challenge facing refugees in Pakistan and Malaysia The UNhCR and other relevant actors must work to address these challenges and provide adequate support and protection to refugees in these countries

This may involve working with the governments of Malaysia and Pakistan to ensure that refugees are afforded legal protections and are not subjected to forced deportation It may also involve providing support for basic services such as housing healthcare and education as well as working to combat discrimination and prejudice against refugees in these countries One area where the UNhCR and other actors can make a significant difference is in the area of resettlement Resettlement is the process of relocating refugees to a third country where they can rebuild their lives in safety and dignity h o w e v e r r e s e t t l e m e n t i s a c o m p l e x a n d time-consuming process and there are often far more refugees in need of resettlement than there are available spaces In order to address this challenge the UNhCR and other actors must work to increase the number of available resettlement spaces and to streamline the resettlement process This may involve working w i t h g o v e r n m e n t s a r o u n d t h

them to accept more refugees for re-

Although in the remote past and in the recent past, various agents of RAW were captured in Pakistan, yet the case of kulbushan Yadav has exposed the real face of India’s ruthless terrorism while New Delhi has openly been trying to save kulbushan from the execution

We can conclude undoubtedly that Indian role in Pakistan became naked after the arrest of kulbhushan Yadav and his confession clearly proved that Indian RAW has a well-organized espionage system in Pakistan

Sajjad Shaukat writes on international affairs and is author of the book: US vs Islamic Militants, Invisible Balance of Power: Dangerous Shift in International Relations and can be reached at: sajjad logic@yahoo com

E d i t o r ’ s m a i l

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

Being overweight and its problems

M A l N U T R I T I O N is a state of deficiency at macro and micro levels owing to deficient or surplus consumption of energy and nutrients The term encompasses under-nutrition, over-nutrition and micronutrient deficiencies, indicating intake issues related to vital minerals and vitamins in diet

Under-nutrition includes stunting, wasting and being underweight, while excess of nutrients or calorie consumption is defined as overweight and obesity According to the World health Organisation (WhO), more than one billion people suffer from obesity with 39 million children 340 million adolescents and 650 million adults being obese A report published by the World Obesity Federation in the ‘World Obesity Atlas 2022’ projected that about one in five women and one in seven men will be affected worldwide by obesity by the year 2030

With one-fifth of world s population South Asia is facing significant health problems in the form of obesity The WhO reported that 58 1 per cent Pakistanis are overweight and 43 9pc are in the obese category It is alarming that around 40pc of children in Pakistan are overweight or obese earlier this month (March 4), the World Obesity Day was observed as a reminder of the widespread menace which is actually largely controllable The day is observed to raise awareness about the global epidemic of obesity and its serious implications on health The day encourages individuals, communities and the government to take action by tackling obesity, which is the leading cause of preventable death globally Its widespread prevalence can be attributed to the availability of convenient and processed foods as well as the huge popularity of high-fat foods sweetened sugary drinks and beverages in Pakistan Simultaneously a sedentary lifestyle due to the widespread use of digital gadgets has decreased the level of physical activity efforts to combat obesity must include public health initiatives to change diet and physical activity patterns by creating green spaces walking or cycling tracks and recreational parks close to residential areas where women, children and men may spend time in healthy physical activities The promotion of balanced diet should be encouraged at home and schools with the aim of raising a healthy generation It is time to reverse this predictable disease, which requires a multi-faceted approach in prevention and treatment by involving healthcare providers, policymakers, general public, higher authorities and food industries

TABINDA ASHRAF SHAHID ISLAMABAD

Bad driving and its consequences

R O A D accidents are all too common here and despite efforts to improve road safety, the number of mishaps has remained high Also, with the increase in population, a significant spike in such accidents has been noted over the years According to official statistics, over 5,000 road accidents in the country over the last three years have resulted in as many deaths and some 15 000 injuries even though a number of motorways have been constructed and the condition of highways has been improved serious accidents continue to take place One of the main issues is that many drivers in Pakistan are untrained or have only informal training which leads to reckless driving and poor decision-making on the roads Additionally the passenger buses lack basic safety features like seat belts and air bags To make meaningful progress in terms of reducing the number of accidents, continued investment in road infra-structure and driver education is necessary Besides, stricter enforcement of traffic laws and penalties for reckless driving can help discourage dangerous behaviour on the roads In this regard, a national transport policy needs to be introduced, making it compulsory for transporters and private vehicle-owners to compensate the victims of their reckless behaviour

While Pakistan is a signatory to the 1951 UN Refugee Convention there are concerns that the country is not fully adhering to its ob-

FAWAD

HASHMEY LAHORE

D o n ’ t f o r g e t I n d i a n s p y K u l b u s h a n ’ s c a s e

A u r a t M a r c h

they all belong to a robust patriarchal background, they have no apprehension with the rights of women, they don’t care how brutally women are being treated in this country, and they are the honourable devotees of Islam and the defenders of Islam let me scrutinize their thoughts The most conspicuous issue they have with the Aurat march is slogans

Most of the time they come up with the most famous slogan of Aurat March mera jism meri marzi (My body my choice) It is a slogan used in Aurat March to grapple with the issue of sexual harassment forced marriages marital rapes and reproductive choices which is a health issue Any sane individual will not find this slogan unmannered but people with obscenity in their minds will impede this slogan to the bed only

AC C O R D I N G to the Global Gender Gap index report, Pakistan ranked as the fourth most dangerous country for women, 153/156 for women empowerment 145/156 for economic participation and opportunity 135/156 for educational attainment and 143/156 for health and survival If you search anything about gender discrimination in Pakistan you will uncover this country vying in the last row

Still people dare to question the Aurat march which is the only substantial non-governmental and non-profit organization working on women s rights in a country where women aren t considered equal citizens and be murdered, raped, and thrown acid on their faces for the lanky inconvenience or no convenience at all

On the 8th of March, people marched to demand fundamental women’s rights which are their essential human rights I have followed the Aurat march on different social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube to see how it has proceeded Usually I ignore the videos of different Youtubers who deliberately try to cover the March to ask nonsense questions of the participants to mortify them

They come with the agenda of an anti-Aurat march

They consider themselves a journalist even though they are not but they believe that any person with a camera and mic is a journalist But journalism has morals but these so-called YouTubers do not have basic etiquette But this time I give it a shot and decided to watch their videos to know about their opinions regarding Aurat March

There are a few things that I noticed in all of them;

This insane populace believes that when they go home and wished for to have sex with their wives they should not be halted no matter what They are not fond of hearing No and when they hear No they end up doing marital rapes, domestic violence, or most often beheading their wives and burning them But if we look at the chronology of this slogan it emanated from men during feudalism who were enslaved by their masters

Today it is the slogan of feminism so men shouldn t consider it controversial because it was started by them Another thing which they come up with is that Islam has given women all the rights then why are they marching?

To answer this Yes Islam has given women rights but have you let them practice those rights? What I notice in them is that they have only read one thing from the entirety of Islam and that is women should cover their bodies I ask them, when have you seen women roaming naked on the streets?

Not being biased, I have never caught a glimpse of any woman wandering unclothed on the streets and I know you too haven’t So it is a baseless allegation that women do not cover their bodies Anyway wearing jeans and a shirt isn’t considered a stripped dress code but the religion of some insane people comes under threat when they see women wearing these attires their Islam doesn t come under threat when Zainab was raped when Noor Mukdam was brutally murdered mullahs doing sexual activities with the children with Quran in their hands and recently man killed his wife because the tea wasn t good

Yes, where were you then who preach Islam every year in the Aurat march? Aurat march isn t a threat to Islam or any other religion It is a baseless assertion that people who participate in this march aren’t religious Peo-

ple from different religious beliefs can participate in this March and they will be treated equally in March

It is a citizens voice quelled citizens of the country due to the stronghold of patriarchy in the country These citizens demand equal rights not less not more Another argument that they come up with is that Aurat March nurtures homosexuality

First of all, homosexuality exists in all parts of the world and it is a reality It has a long history

Secondly scientific evidence supports the idea that homosexuality is a natural and intrinsic aspect of human sexuality rather than a choice or learned behavior

In 1979, Zia introduced the Hudood ordinance which introduced strict laws and punishments for crimes

However, these laws primarily discriminated against women and it had made it difficult for women to repor t sexual assault

Research has shown that sexual orientation is tenacious by a complex interplay of genetic, hormonal, and environmental factors But if you carefully witness the Aurat march it supports the rights of the people It has nothing to do with anyone s personal relationship The patriarchal social structure is so potent in this country that it is indeed strenuous to smash free of all the agents of this structure who are frequently being the reason for remorse for themselves and the country

Patriarchy has never let them thrive in their evolution period It has a definite link with the policies of General Zia who is not alive today but the country is still suffering in every realm because of his rigorous policies

Zia boosted a hidebound and patriarchal version of Islam in this country and it has curbed the participation of women in public spheres

In 1979 Zia introduced the hudood ordinance which introduced strict laws and punishments for crimes however these laws primarily discriminated against women and it had made it difficult for women to report sexual assault If they report them they become the victim of character assassination and ended up being avenged even for their rapes Aurat March is a ray of hope for the women of this country who are continuously being mauled since the inception of Pakistan This movement is very peaceful and not misunderstood It is only misunderstood by the populace who fear the pre-eminence of women As long as we continue to march, our voices will only grow louder, our movement will only get vigorous, and the destiny we dream of, where women are truly free, will only get nigher And remember, the Aurat March is not just a oncea-year event; it’s a powerful reminder that women’s rights are human rights and they deserve to be acknowledged esteemed and protected every day

The writer holds a degree in International Relations and he tweets at @usama 1599

W h y d o s o m e p e o p l e g e t a d d i c t e d a n d o t h e r s d o n o t ?

Scr oll a n I r u d h k a l a

MoScow TiMeS

d m t r y g l u k h ov S k y

Th e trial in absentia of exiled Russian author Dmitry Glukhovsky began in a Moscow court on March 21

Glukhovsky has been charged with spreading deliberately false information about the Russian army over his outspoken criticism of Russia’s war in Ukraine This is his open letter to the court addressing the charges against him

We need the law to protect the weak from the strong and to protect the strong from the temptation to target the weak We need the law to hold criminals accountable and to prevent new crimes To eradicate the worst in humans and to nurture the best

There is nothing more important and precious than your life Your life belongs only to you and to you alone No one has the right to take it away from you No one has the right to hurt those you love And no one has the right to order you to kill an innocent person

If a law is passed that forces me to kill the innocent, my duty is to break this law If a law is passed that forces me to cover up the murder of the innocent I must violate this law too If a law is passed that forbids me from telling the truth about others killing the innocent I am not obligated to abide by it

It s irrelevant if the murderers are our own s o l d i e r s I t s i r r e l e v a n t i f t h e y w e r e f o l l o w i n g orders issued by their commanding officer or by the commander-in-chief A soldier killing an innocent person is a criminal In fact, he is worse t h a n a r e g u l a r c r i m i n a l a s h e i s b a c k e d b y a n e n o r m o u s o rg a n i z e d f o r c e t h a t t h e v i c t i m i s helpless against Cases of torture, rape and extrajudicial killings have all been documented in Ukraine

The bodies hands tied behind their backs with the white ribbons that Russian soldiers order Ukrainian civilians to wear have been exhumed These are facts

This has already happened You cannot ban the truth You can only try to conceal it in order to carry on with your killings torture and rape with total impunity

T h e w a r a g a i n s t U k r a i n e i s t h e m o s t d estructive and dehumanizing thing that has happ e n e d t o R u s s i a i n r e c e n t m e m o r y Wi t h o u t reason or cause, my country invaded the territory of our neighbor that we used to consider a b r o t h e r l y s t a t e I t s e n t o u t t a n k s t o s e i z e t h e U k r a i n i a n c a p i t a l I t s e n t p l a n e s t o b o m b U k r a i n i a n c i t i e s I t r u i n e d c o u n t l e s s h u m a n lives It razed dozens of cities and settlements to the ground It occupied Ukrainian lands and called them its own with utter disregard for international law

This war has no justification Its horror and senselessness are too obvious But the people who ordered the invasion Vladimir Putin and his close circle cannot back down as they are the real criminals and they are afraid of being punished for their crime Russia is now ruled by force alone This breaks people s backs bends the law and steamrolls the legal system to allow the authorities to continue breaking the backs of the weak and bending the law to their will This is why Russia is introducing anti-human laws T h e y f o r b i d u s f r o m c a l l i n g t h e w a r a w a r : w e a r e t o l d t o s a y s p e c i a l m i l i t a r y o p e r a t i o n instead This is done so that they won t have to b e h e l d a c c o u n t a b l e i n f r o n t o f t h e i r o w n c i t iz e n s a b o u t h o w m a n y U k r a i n i a n s h a v e b e e n k i l l e d f o r n o t h i n g ; a n d h o w m a n y R u ss i a n s l o s t t h e i r l i v e s i n v a i n To s i l e n c e a n y o n e w h o d a r e s s p e a k o u t To s e n d t h e m t o p r i s o n f o r 1 0 o r 1 5 y e a r s

They forbid us from calling out the state s lies and from seeing the truth There are even laws forcing us to say that proven facts are deliberately false information They have allowed the killings of the innocent They ordered us to cover up their crimes to free criminals To encourage criminals to kill again

Those in power are giving us a crash course in how to believe that unimaginable evil is normal, even welcome They are trying to force us t o a b a n d o n o u r b a s i c m o r a l p r i n c i p l e s , w h i c h w e h a v e b e e n t a u g h t f r o m c h i l d h o o d b y o u r parents They are forcing us to get used to lies and murders

There is a reason for this ban on speaking the truth and this demand to proclaim lies in public

The reason is to rid a new generation of Russians of any self-respect To break their dignity to make them give up on themselves in fear of unfair punishment and to make them renounce their moral code

The war against Ukraine is the most destructive and dehumanizing thing that has happened to Russia in recent memory

But, unable to dehumanize Ukrainians, the Russian government is dehumanizing its own citizens The scale of destruction in Ukraine can be seen with the naked eye, even from space While the destructive processes launched by a government obsessed with self-preservation in the soul of the Russian nation in the very fabric of our society are unseen for now they threaten the very existence of Russia itself

In order to save themselves the Russian government is destroying its once beautiful and prosperous neighbor But it is also destroying Russia my homeland There is nothing I can do to stop it, but I cannot stay silent I am confident that I am telling the truth by exposing the crimes of the Russian army in Ukraine I am confident that the Defense Ministry and the Russian leadership are lying and have been lying for some time in an attempt to justify this terrible senseless war I am confident that I am not the one committing the crime against Russia and its future here they are There are certain laws that no one must ever abide by And I won t adhere to them either

Dmitry Glukhovsky is a journalist and author of the bestselling dystopian novel Metro 2033 and its sequels

Th I S chapter takes up a frequently asked question: to what extent are the processes involved in the initiation and maintenance of addiction influenced by genetics and to what extent by the environment? In general there are three types of genetic evidence which can tell us whether an illness is hereditary or not

These are:

1 Family Studies: If the occurrence of an illness is higher in the first-degree relatives (parents siblings children) of a person suffering from an illness as compared to the seconddegree relatives (cousins, uncles, aunts, nephews, nieces), who in turn have higher rates as compared to the general population, it is strongly indicative that heredity has a role to play however, close family members also share the same environment and so family studies alone may not be enough to prove that heredity is responsible for addictions any more than shared environment For example if the parents drink chances are high that bottles of whiskey or vodka may be lying around the house and be easily available to an adolescent Chances are also high for the parents to be more tolerant of their child taking a sip once in a while than in a family where everybody is a teetotaller So how do we know if the reason is the parents genes or their permissive attitude?

2 Adoption Studies: If children who are adopted soon after birth show a higher incidence of addictions when they grow up than the members of their adopted family and that incidence is more like the incidence in their biological family, it would mean that genetics plays a more important role in causing addictions than the environment If the opposite is true, one would be correct in concluding that environmental factors are more important in causing addictions than genetic factors

3 Twin Studies: Identical twins share genetic material which is the exact replica of each other while non-identical twins genetically speaking are like regular siblings When both members of a pair of twins suffer from the same illness they are said to be concordant for that illness If concordance rates for an illness in a series of identical twins are much higher than concordance rates in a series of non-identical twins it is safe to assume that in the causation of that particular disease, genetic factors have a major role to play since the environment during early childhood is the same for both sets of twins

In the case of addictions, family, adoption, and twin studies all show that an individual’s risk for addiction tends to be proportional to the degree of genetic relationship to a relative with addiction Various genetic studies have shown that addictions have a moderate to high hereditability A safe estimate would be that at least 50% of the burden of causation is shared by genetic factors and the rest by social and environmental factors such as the availability of drugs and stress

A significant view on the shifting balance of genetic and environmental influences has been obtained from the developmental perspective The Virginia Twin Study in a series of publications revealed that in early adolescence the initiation and use of nicotine, alcohol, and cannabis are more strongly determined by familial and social factors like permissiveness and availability, but these gradually decline in importance during progression to young and middle adulthood, when the effects of genetic factors become the maximum

As a broad rule, environmental and social factors like easy availability and social sanction are more important in initiating drug use at a young age and genetic factors play a more important part in determining who eventually becomes addicted and who does not Simply put if a drug is available during adolescence and parental controls lax there are more chances of a young person using that drug but not all of them grow up to be addicted to those drugs To a large extent genetic factors determine who does and who does not

The moderate to high heritability of addiction disorder is paradoxical because addictions initially depend on the availability of the addictive agent, and it is the individual s choice to use it or not The availability of addictive agents is determined by the culture, social policy, religion, economic status and narco-trafficking, and it changes across time and place

Thus, the Twin Studies on addiction indicate that under particular societal scenarios, genes play a substantial role in causation of addictions like other complex diseases such as obesity diabetes cancer and coronary heart disease addictions are strongly influenced by genetic background but also

by lifestyle and individual choices

however what is inherited is a generic addiction trait not the propensity to develop addiction to a specific drug or behaviour In a genetically predisposed person which drug or behaviour the person will get addicted to would depend totally upon access permissiveness and the environment

One summer, a couple of years back, a young man was brought by his parents and twin brother to my outpatients clinic for treatment It was a nuclear family unit, which was a part of an extended business family living in connected houses and involved in wool trade in the downtown part of the city

The patient was in his late twenties and had been using heroin for several years he had been admitted multiple times to psychiatry and addiction treatment units at various city hospitals each of these admissions had resulted in remissions lasting a few weeks to a couple of months Repeated questions by the resident psychiatrist about history of addictions in any other members of the family was met with indignant denials

This of course is possible but here we had the patient s identical twin sitting right next to him whom the family swore was totally unlike his brother – highly responsible an ideal son and utterly devoid of any addiction

I sensed that the young man (the ideal twin) had something in his mouth As things unravelled, it came to light that he had been using tobacco for even longer than his twin brother had been snorting heroin And a dentist’s warning one year back after he discovered a suspicious patch of discoloured mucosa in his mouth had made no difference Also the father had been drinking half a bottle of whiskey every day for over 15 years even after a diagnosis of inflammation of the oesophagus

None of them were considered by the family to be addicts since alcohol and tobacco were not thought to be addictions

Also the patient s uncle the father s brother had left home at the age of 25 without telling anybody and was gone without a trace

After 15 years a neighbour had spotted him in an ashram adjoining a temple in haridwar with a group of ganja-smoking sadhus, whom he was living with This indicated a mixed behaviour and drug addiction When the family went to see him, he had met them cordially but refused to go back home saying that he was happy where he was however, none of these three members of the family were considered to be suffering from an “addiction” like the young man with heroin use They were not even considered fit to be mentioned in the context of addictions even after being specifically asked about addiction in any other family member

As for me looking at the family afresh provided me with the possible genetic connection between the patient s heroin addiction his twin brother s advanced nicotine addiction his father s alcoholism and his uncle s behavioural and cannabis addiction

THOSE IN POWER ARE GIVING US A CRASH COURSE IN HOW TO BELIEVE THAT UNIMAGINABLE EVIL IS NORMAL, EVEN WELCOME

When governments make immoral laws, it is our dut y to disobey them

uSama aSghar

MiAn ABRAR C h i n A

CHINESE President Xi Jinping on Sunday reiterated China s commitment to opening-up in a congratulatory letter to a high-level dialogue forum that saw the gathering of officials from international organizations, global executives, and economists, sending a strong signal to participants that the nation will continue to create new opportunities for a world that has been derailed by regional conflicts and disturbances

Coming as fears about a spillover effect of the Silicon Valley Bank failure send fresh shudders through the markets, and growing protectionism and geopolitical conflicts are casting a shadow on the already weakening global economic recovery, the three-day event, China Development Forum (CDF), marks a rare and precious global dialogue platform for global elites to settle concerns and seek for growth in the unprecedented changes ” observers said Xi said in the letter that at present momentous changes of a like not seen in a century are accelerating across the world, regional conflicts and disturbances are frequent and the global economic recovery is sluggish The facilitation of a global economic recovery requires consensus and cooperation he said according to a report from the Xinhua News Agency

He noted that China will remain committed to its fundamental national policy of opening to the outside world pursue a mutually beneficial strategy of opening up, and

continue to create new opportunities for the world with new advances in China s development China will steadily expand institutional opening up with regard to rules, regulations, management and standards, and will work with all countries and all parties to share the opportunities from its institutional opening up, Xi said

Chinese Premier Li Qiang will meet with foreign representatives attending the forum on Monday Lu Hao Chair of the CDF 2023 and President of Development Research Center of the State council said on Sunday morning indicating the nation’s emphasis on foreign investment

Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang, who read Xi’s letter at the opening ceremony of the CDF stressed that China will advance opening-up and share market op-

portunities with the world in a keynote speech on Sunday In an apparent move to brush aside foreign misunderstanding of China’s policies Ding emphasized the importance of establishing a new development pattern, explaining that China aims to foster a more open dual circulation economic model involving both domestic and foreign markets rather than a closed domestic loop

The CDF 2023 themed “Economic Recovery: Opportunities and Cooperation is an annual event hosted by the Development Research Center of the State Council, China’s Cabinet It is the first major conference to be held in the country after the conclusion of the annual two sessions The 2023 meeting also marks the first time this event has been held offline since the epidemic outbreak in 2020

US says no indication Russia has moved nuclear weapons

The United States has seen no indication that Russia has yet moved any nuclear weapons, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Sunday, after Moscow announced it would station tactical nuclear arms in Belarus

President Vladimir Putin s announcement on Saturday that Russia would station tactical nuclear weapons in neighbour and ally Belarus sparked condemnation from international bodies and Ukraine which Moscow invaded last February We have not seen any indication that he (Putin) has made good on this pledge or moved any nuclear weapons around ” Kirby told CBS’s Face the Nation With fears of a nuclear war rising since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, experts believe that any strike carried out

by Moscow would likely involve smallsize battlefield weapons called “tactical” as opposed to strategic high-powered long-range nuclear weapons Kirby said, however, that Washington has “seen no indication he has any intention to use nuclear weapons, period, inside Ukraine The United States monitors the situation daily he added but that so far there was nothing that would cause us to change our own strategic deterrent posture ” Putin said the deployment was similar to moves from the United States which stores such weapons in bases across Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Turkey an analogy western allies called misleading Russia is due to start training crews on pril 3 and plans to finish the construction of a special storage facility for tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus by July 1 Kyiv on Sunday said it was seeking an

emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council over the announcement The NATO alliance branded the move as dangerous and irresponsible ” EU threatens new sanctions on Minsk if Belarus hosts Russian nukes On the other hand, the EU s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Sunday that Brussels was ready to impose new sanctions on Belarus if Minsk were to host Russian nuclear weapons

“Belarus hosting Russian nuclear weapons would mean an irresponsible escalation and threat to European security Belarus can still stop it, it is their choice The EU stands ready to respond with further sanctions ” he tweeted Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Saturday his country would station tactical nuclear arms in Belarus Putin said the deployment was similar to moves from the United States, which stores such weapons in bases

A booster for world China s economy is seeing a strong rebound which matters for the country itself and matters for the world ” said Kristalina Georgieva managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Sunday during a panel discussion at the CDF 2023

Georgieva said in a statement the IMF sent to the Global Times that the robust rebound means China is set to account for around one third of global growth in 2023 –giving a welcome lift to the world economy

And beyond the direct contribution to global growth, our analysis shows that a 1 percentage point increase in GDP growth in China leads to 0 3 percentage point increase in growth in other Asian economies, on average – a welcome boost,” Georgieva said

“The world is in trouble And in times of trouble there is one thing that is always very positive – dialogue and communication We need more of this,” Denis Depoux, Global Managing Director Roland Berger told the Global Times in an interview on the sidelines of the forum on Saturday

It is very important that right after the two sessions this dialogue can take place in place in person with many people coming from overseas Meeting with Chinese leaders both government leaders and corporate leaders to exchange and to bring back a common understanding of the situation and the way forward, Depoux said

The CDF is seen as an opportunity to introduce China s economic policies to the world and shore up confidence across the global economy Kang Yong chief economist at KPMG China told the Global Times

across Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Turkey an analogy western allies called misleading

With fears of a nuclear war rising since the invasion, experts believe that any Russian strike would likely involve small-size battlefield weapons, called tactical as opposed to strategic highpowered long-range nuclear weapons

The Ukrainian foreign ministry accused Russia of breaching its obligations, and of undermining the “nuclear disarmament architecture and the international security system in general

It called on all members of the international community to convey to the criminal Putin regime the categorical unacceptability of its latest nuclear provocations

In the interview broadcast Saturday Putin said the move to deploy tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus was nothing unusual”

Nor th Korea fires t wo ballistic missiles towards eastern waters

seOUL

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North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles Monday, South Korea s military said, the latest in its flurry of weapons tests in recent weeks

The launch comes as Seoul and Washington are carrying out a joint amphibious landing exercise, just days after wrapping up their largest combined military drills in five years Thursday

North Korea views all such exercises as rehearsals for invasion and has repeatedly warned it would take overwhelming action in response Our military detected two shortrange ballistic missiles fired from around Junghwa area in North Hwanghae province from 07:47 am (2247 GMT) towards the East Sea,” South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said referring to the body of water also known as the Sea of Japan

“Our military has strengthened surveillance and vigilance against additional launches, while maintaining a full readiness posture through close cooperation between South Korea and the

United States it added Japan s defence ministry also confirmed the launch, with Japanese media citing officials as saying both missiles are believed to have flown on an irregular trajectory before falling outside of Japan’s exclusive economic zone e x c u s e F o r m o r e m i s s i l e s : O n F r i d a y, N o r t h K o r e a s s t a t e m e d i a c l a i m e d t h e j o i n t t r a i n i n g b e t w e e n Seoul and Washington was practice for o c c u p y i n g N o r t h K o r e a w h i c h called for stronger war deterrents inc l u d i n g “ t h e m o r e d e v e l o p e d , m u l t i -

f a c e t e d a n d o ff e n s i v e n u c l e a r a t t a c k

c a p a b i l i t y Pyongyang has carried out military drills of its own in response including test-firing a new nuclear-capable underwater drone and conducting its second intercontinental ballistic missile launch this year

Analysts previously said North Korea would likely use the exercises as an excuse to carry out more missile launches and perhaps even a nuclear test North Korea s state media said Friday the “underwater nuclear attack

drone” drill which was personally overseen by leader Kim Jong Un was staged to alert the enemy to an actual nuclear crisis”

The weapon’s mission is to “stealthily infiltrate into operational waters and make a super-scale radioactive tsunami to destroy naval striker groups and major operational ports of the enemy the Korean Central News Agency reported

The agency also said Pyongyang had fired strategic cruise missiles tipped with a test warhead simulating a nuclear warhead” on Wednesday ‘irreversible’ nuclear power: Analysts questioned North Korea s claims, saying that they were not the same as a credible demonstration of capability

But they added that Pyongyang was moving on from simply stockpiling nuclear warheads and attempting to advance and diversify launch mediums

After a record-breaking year of weapons tests and growing nuclear threats from Pyongyang in 2022 Seoul and Washington have ramped up security cooperation

on the sidelines of the forum noting that China will continue to contribute its wisdom and strength to promote the recovery and development of the global economy cooperation not decoupling’: More than 100 representatives of overseas multinationals, leaders of international organizations and well-known scholars are attending the CDF with a strong presence of US firms despite a rising tech rivalry between the world’s two largest economies Prominent US business leaders such as Apple CEO Tim Cook billionaire investor Ray Dalio, Cristiano Amon, CEO of US chip giant Qualcomm Albert Bourla CEO of Pfizer and Jon Moeller CEO of consumer goods giant Procter & Gamble, were all in attendance

“It is hoped that the US will abandon its zero-sum mentality stop using unscrupulous means to contain and suppress China, and work with China to push China-US relations to overcome current difficulties and return to a healthy and stable track Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang said as he welcomed US business representatives to Beijing on Saturday

Participants refuted the China decoupling” push at the forum as some foreign media have been hyping so-called China threats in order to kick China out of the industrial chain

Foreign direct investment in China and Europe links our economies and is a significant counter to the notion of decoupling Oliver Zipse, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG told the forum on Sunday

saudi authorities plan expansion in grand mosque to ser ve visitors

Saudi Arabia s General Presidency of the Grand Holy Mosque and the Prophet s Holy Mosque, represented by the Northern Expansion Agency, has provided 120 praying areas in the new expansion of the Grand Holy Mosque that offer services and equipped with plans automated equipment and human cadres who work round the clock to ensure the comfort and safety of Umrah performers and worshippers during the holy month of Ramazan The presidency also allocated a number of entry and exit doors the main gate of King Abdullah No 100 and gates No 104 106 112 173 175 and 176 from the north gates No 114 116 119 121 and 123 from the west, and gates No 162, 165 and 169 from the east which, according to Assistant Undersecretary of the Northern Expansion for Management Affairs Eng Walid Al-Masoudi facilitate the arrival of worshippers to the praying areas Al-Masoudi said: As worshippers arrive in Ramazan, the agency ensures quality services, from their arrival to their entry from the main or subsidiary gates of the building in coordination with the competent agencies of the presidency and the authorities concerned with the expansion of the operation of the escalators in all available spaces SPA reported There are 362 escalators and 26 elevators; moreover, all praying areas have been provided with 22,000 carpets, and over 12 000 containers with Zamzam water ”

ar tists fight ai programs that copy their st yles

sAn FRAnciscO A F P

Artists outraged by artificial intelligence that copies in seconds the styles they have sacrificed years to develop are waging battle online and in court Fury erupted in the art community last year with the release of generative artificial intelligence (AI) programs that can convincingly carry out commands such as drawing a dog like cartoonist Sarah Andersen would, or a nymph the way illustrator Karla Ortiz might do Such style-swiping AI works are cranked out without the original artist s consent credit or compensation the three C s at the heart of a fight to change all that In January, artists including Andersen and Ortiz filed a class-action lawsuit against DreamUp Midjourney and Stable Diffusion three image-generating AI models programmed with art found online Andersen told AFP she felt “violated” when first she saw an AI drawing that copied the style of her Fangs comic book work She fired off an indignant reaction on Twitter; it went viral, and other incensed artists reached out to her with stories of their own Backers of the suit hope to establish legal precedent governing generative AI models that copy artists’ styles Artists want AI creators to be required to secure permission for works used in training software with an option to remove it

Pakistan- origin Humza Yousaf wins race to become S cotland ’s new leader

Agencies

Scottish nationalists picked Humza

Yousaf to be the country s next leader on Monday after a bitterly fought contest that exposed deep divisions in his party over policy and a stalled independence campaign

The 37-year-old practicing Muslim succeeds Nicola Sturgeon as leader of the governing Scottish National Party (SNP) and will take over as head of the semi-autonomous government once he wins an approval vote in the Scottish parliament Setting out his goals Yousaf

said he would concentrate on tackling the cost of living crisis ending the divisions in the party, and making a renewed push for independence The people of Scotland need independence now more than ever before and we will be the generation that delivers independence ” he said in a speech in Edinburgh after the results were announced Yousaf ’s victory was confirmed at the country’s national rugby ground after a six-week campaign where the three candidates spent much of the contest criticising each other ’s record in a series of personal attacks The SNP s unity, which had

been one of its strengths broke down over arguments about how to achieve a second independence referendum and the best way to introduce social reforms such as transgender rights Yousaf takes over a party with an overriding objective to end Scotland s three-centuries-long union with England His predecessor stepped down after the British government repeatedly blocked a route to a new vote on independence

While about four in 10 Scots support independence, according to a poll this month the departure of Sturgeon a charismatic and commanding leader may ini-

tially slow some of the momentum behind a break up of the United Kingdom The often bad-tempered leadership contest has relieved some pressure on British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak who is dealing with divisions in his own party, waves of industrial action and high levels of inflation

Frontrunner: Yousaf won 52 per cent of the vote of SNP members in the second round of counting beating Kate Forbes the finance secretary, who got 48pc Ash Regan, who had quit the government because of her opposition to proposed changes to gender recognition, was eliminated in the

first round of counting Coree Brown Swan a lecturer in politics at Queen s University Belfast, said it would be difficult for the party to unite after a divisive leadership contest It s a broad church of a party, which incorporates lots of different ideologies and opinions on things beyond independence, she said “How do you get everyone moving in the same direction again?”

The frontrunner to replace Sturgeon, Yousaf has stressed continuity with her record, including her push to make it easier for transgender people to gain official recognition to change their gender

C h i n a r e a f f i r m s o p e n i n g - u p, s t r e s s e s

C o o p e r at i o n at D e v e lo p m e n t f o r u m

corporate corner

NOT-BY- PROFIT

S ta g f l at i o n : a c h a l l e n g e f o r

p o l i c y m a k e r S i n pa k i

Islamabad N E W S D E S K

2016-17 & 201718 Both students were awarded Gold Medals Students graduated with distinction were also awarded Medals and Certificates Students who stood First Second and Third were also awarded Cash prizes amounting to Rs 3 2 and1 lac

respectively Major General Abdul Khaliq HI(M) (R) Principal Wah Medical College while addressing the ceremony, lauded the efforts of Faculty in educating and training students in professional manners, and appreciated their hard work and dedication He said Wah Medical College has been utilizing latest techniques to promote Research Culture in the institution as quality education is our hallmark Wah Medical College always encourages co-curricular activities alongwith Training & education, he added In this regard teachers and students are engaged in mobilizing Social Health including School Health Program Anti-Polio campaign and health related issues WMC is playing vital role in Cancer Awareness program as well Moreover Department of Bio-Chemistry has started MPhil and PhD programs Lt Gen Wasim Alamgir, HI(M), Vice Chancellor National University of Medical Sciences congratulated the successful students and their parents He noted that environment in Wah Medical college was suitable for curricular & co-curricular activities and lauded professional expertise of Wah Medical College faculty members p r

A sk ari Bank elec ts new direc tors

WR I T I n G for The Express Tribune, author Fahd Rehman explains that Pakistan is currently experiencing political turbulence that is causing economic uncertainty

According to the author the lingering political situation is leading to a cat and mouse game between opposing political parties further exacerbating the already fragile political landscape The government s temporary pause in dialogue with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is also contributing to the economic uncertainty The IMF plays an important role in stabilizing Pakistan s economy, and any delays or standoffs in dialogue can have significant consequences

Furthermore the dwindling foreign exchange reserves which are hovering around $4 6 billion are posing a significant challenge to the government To maintain a minimal level of reserves the

government has imposed import curbs, which have slowed down the economy

As a result, a significant number of large-scale manufacturing plants are bound to shut down due to the shortage of raw materials and intermediate inputs Pakistan s economy has become increasingly dependent on imports as critics have come down hard on the import substitution strategy and pushed for export-led growth Proponents of exportled growth have been maintaining this position since the 1990s when a policy shift was taken to orient the economy towards the so-called export-led growth However, they may not have anticipated the current situation where business firms need to compete on price and quality, requiring time and effort to achieve mastery The process of learning by doing is essential for businesses to become competitive but it requires an enormous amount of effort where firms act in small steps and these steps are combined to achieve mastery Unfortunately many firms fail to

achieve this mastery, and only a few firms become successful in this vein

Business firms must plough back to expand and remain competitive in the globalized world This requires industrial capitalists to focus on their core business and stay away from speculative business activities

However the country's industrial capitalists engage in real estate and other speculative activities and even invest their profits in buying stocks These quick capital gains divert their attention from their core business resulting in a mushroom growth in housing schemes

The unplanned growth of housing schemes has already started to create havoc for the metropolitan cities The cities are experiencing water, noise, and air pollution, and green land is being converted into brown land in haste There is a need to properly assess the cultivated area as food grains are not meeting the domestic needs In addition there is a shortage of food grains which is making them more expensive day by day For instance the support price of

wheat was fixed at Rs2,200 per 40 kg in 2022, which has been jacked up to Rs4,000 per 40 kg in 2023 as the impact of devaluation of the rupee played a major role in it The expensive food grains increase the money wage of the working class In a labor-intensive industry high money wages make products expensive As a result expensive products lose their competitiveness in a tough competitive environment In short Pakistan s economy is experiencing stagflation where unemployment increases along with acceleration in prices This is a complicated situation for policymakers to address, and it remains to be seen how the government will deal with this situation in the coming months It is clear, however, that the government will need to take a comprehensive approach to address the country s economic challenges including the need to shift towards more sustainable and competitive business practices To re a d t h e f u l l a r t i c l e v i s i t www tribune com pk

Evolution of data protec tion laws and regulations

Islamabad N E W S D E S K

P e r s o n a l i n f o r m a t i o n i s a v a l u a b l e asset in today s world and protecting it i s c r u c i a l A c c o r d i n g t o t h e a r t i c l e i n T h e E x p r e s s Tr i b u n e , t h e a u t h o r b elieves that data privacy is an evolving c o n c e r n , w i t h t h e r i s e o f t h e i n t e r n e t a n d i n c r e a s i n g o n l i n e s h a r i n g o f p e rsonal information The definition of personal data has expanded to include sensitive informa-

tion such as biometrics and location making it difficult to determine what is protected by law L a w s a n d r e g u l a t i o n s g o v e r n i n g d a t a p r i v a c y a r e c o n s t a n t l y e v o l v i n g , and the increasing use of artificial intelligence makes it more complicated H o w e v e r, s t e p s s u c h a s c r e a t i n g a w a r e n e s s , i m p l e m e n t i n g s e c u r i t y

Tamasha launches ‘Family Bizniss ’ , featuring struggles of a middle - class Pakistani family

Islamabad p r

of the Bank for a period of next three years w e f March 29 2023 subject to the clearance of the State Bank of Pakistan Further Mr Atif R Bokhari President & CEO of the Bank shall continue to be a deemed director in terms of Article 131 of the Articles of Association of the Bank read with Section 188 (3) of the Companies Act, 2017 p r

Indus Hospital & Childlife Foundation sign MoU

Karachi: Indus Hospital Health Network (IHHN) & ChildLife Foundation have signed an MoU for both leading nonprofit health organizations to share best practices particularly Telemedicine Moreover both organizations will also collaborate and develop a mechanism for patient referral at each other s facilities The MoU was signed by Dr Zafar Zaidi CEO Indus Hospital and Dr Ahson Rabbani CEO ChildLife Foundation, on behalf of their organizations This collaboration is a testimony of the innovative Telemedicine services ChildLife team has developed and scaled to 130+ government hospitals We are honored to partner with Indus Hospital to share our telemedicine practices and experience, to save lives with this virtual emergency care model throughout the country The initiative of building a process for patient-referral with IHHN is really a moment of pride as this will allow us to spread the cause of providing free-of-cost healthcare services throughout Pakistan said Dr Ahson Rabbani This partnership covers sharing best practices on Telemedicine Referral and Quality of Care Indus Hospital provides quality healthcare absolutely freeof-cost to millions of deserving patients through its countrywide network of hospitals in Pakistan In partnership with ChildLife Foundation, we aim to extend our reach to the untapped geographic areas of Pakistan through telemedicine p r

NUST ranks No 160 globally, No. 1 among Pakistani Engineering & Technology varsities islamabad: The National University of Sciences & Technology (NUST) Pakistan has ascended 19 positions in Engineering & Technology to stand at #160 globally, and retained #1 position in Pakistan for the 7th consecutive year as per QS World University Ranking by Subject 2023 Overall, NUST has stood first in Pakistan across 6 subject areas including Electrical & Electronics Engineering; Computer Science; Mechanical Aeronautical & Manufacturing Engineering; Chemical Engineering; Civil & Structural Engineering; and Material Science NUST currently stands at #334 in the World University Rankings, #67 in Asia University Rankings and #41 in World Young University Rankings besides being number 1 in Pakistan in all three categories As a comprehensive university, NUST focuses on an array of disciplines viz , Engineering, Information Technology (IT), Applied Biosciences, Management Sciences, Social Sciences etc while ensuring quality at all tiers in line with the university s vision to develop as a progressive fourth generation university p r

Pakistan s largest homegrown OTT platform, Tamasha, has launched its first-ever original series, “Family Bizniss”, in collaboration with Big Bang Entertainment The launch event was recently held at the Jazz Digital Headquarters attended by Kaan Terzioglu CEO of VEOn Group; Aamir Ibrahim CEO Jazz; Aamer Ejaz Chief Digital Officer Jazz; and leading actor and producer of the series Fahad Mustafa The series dives into the struggles of a middle-class family while also exploring the relationship between coming-of-age children and their parents Staying true to its values, Tamasha has also attempted to educate the audience about entrepreneurship and digital inclusion in a comical way as the characters are shown hustling to establish an online business in an attempt to help

KarachI p r

Engro Foundation, the social investment arm of Engro Corporation, has announced national Disability & Development Forum (nDF) and ConnectHear as the two recipients of I Am The Change (IATC) Impact Awards 2022

Initiated in 2012 IATC is the flagship initiative of Engro Foundation to recognize and reward philanthropic and social enterprises that are creating an impact in the development sector The IATC Impact Awards 2022 attracted more than 100 entries in the categories of Social Development and Social Enterprise The entries were adjudicated by the IATC team at Engro Foundation, along with an independent jury comprising Laila Jamil (Director, British Council), Madiha

m e a s u r e s c o n d u c t i n g r i s k a s s e s sm e n t s a n d p r o v i d i n g t r a i n i n g c a n b e taken to protect personal data P a k i s t a n h a s t a k e n s t e p s t o w a r d s d a t a p r o t e c t i o n , b u t c o n c e r n s r e m a i n about the effectiveness of measures in practice Future developments in pers o n a l d a t a p r o t e c t i o n m a y i n c l u d e s t r e n g t h e n i n g r e g u l a t i o n s , i n c r e a s i n g

their retiring father and also to escape their socioeconomic class

Family Bizniss will star one of the country s most renowned artists Asim Azhar which will be his acting debut for OTT alongside Mah-e-nur Haider, Saife Hasan, Salma Hasan, Bushra Habib, and Hussain Moshin However, what truly sets this show apart is its comedic approach towards otherwise serious themes, such as socio-economic class differences and generation gaps, and this is something that appeals to youngsters as well as mature audiences

“The global streaming platforms focus on larger market segments which is why they don’t take Pakistan s multiethnic and multilingual demographic into account said Aamer Ejaz Chief Digital Officer of Jazz Cultivating a culture of pocket-friendly local content that promotes digital inclusion as shown in Family Bizniss is what Tamasha plans on achieving

Rehman (Co-Founder & CEO Phygital)

Muhammad Waqas (Co-Founder & CEO WonderTree) Zehra Mehdi Aneek (Director ESG and Sustainability K-Electric) and Fauzia Viqar (Chair, SPDC) Following an extensive review of the applications, national Disability & Development Forum (Social Development) and ConnectHear (Social Enterprise) were selected as the award recipients Each of these recipients will be given a cash prize of PKR 2 5 million in recognition of their efforts and support to scale up their initiatives

Since 2014 national Disability & Development Forum (nDF) has been striving to empower people with disabilities through awareness and skill development while also focusing on disability rights health environment poverty reduction and gender mainstreaming in underprivileged communities

t r a n s p a r e n c y a n d g r e a t e r c o n s u m e r awareness A s i n d i v i d u a l s a n d o rg a n i z a t i o n s b e c o m e m o r e a w a r e o f d a t a p r i v a c y and security, efforts to protect personal data will increase To read the full article visit www tribune com pk

NdcTech Modernizes core banking platform for S amba Bank

i s l a m a b a d: NdcTech a premium technology services firm transforming banks and financial institutions globally has successfully modernized the core banking system of Samba Bank onto the latest release of Temenos Transact Samba Bank Limited is a subsidiary of Saudi National Bank (SNB) KSA in Pakistan offering personal and corporate banking services including current and savings accounts loans investments and a host of digital services The bank serves a sizable customer base and has a branch network across 14 major cities in Pakistan Over the years Samba Bank has fostered a longterm partnership with NdcTech and Temenos to fulfill their vision of hyper-scaling the bank s presence through digitization rather than traditional channels The bank needed to upgrade to a modern, flexible, and scalable core banking system that could support its business growth objectives Moving onto the latest release of Temenos Transact is a steppingstone for the bank to harmonize its IT infrastructure and speed up digitization The flexible, modular, and scalable platform by Temenos is API driven making it capable to fulfil the complex needs of banks and financial institutions NdcTech unique implementation methodology incorporating innovative tools and techniques accelerated this transformation for the bank The team successfully upgraded all modules for Samba bank including Core, Retail, Lending, Deposits, FCM, and Trade finance to the latest release of Temenos Transact NdcTech combined the use of the latest version of Pakistan Model Bank to meet the local regulatory requirements, update tax changes, and modernize trade processes for the bank NdcTech also incorporated an Image-Based Cheque clearing system and low balance alert system for the bank to reap benefits of the modern functionalities for seamless banking operations Samba Bank is now on the path to realize the benefits of the dynamic and efficient platform to achieve long term growth The bank has gained greater product agility, improved timeto-value and accelerated speed of innovation to make business decisions rapidly The new system enables faster transaction processing times, automates several manual processes and reduces operational costs, resulting in improved efficiency and productivity It also allows the bank to develop and market new products easily and rapidly This flexibility enables the bank to respond quickly to the changing market dynamics and enhance competitiveness in the banking industry On this occasion, Ahmad Tariq Azam, President & CEO (Acting), Samba Bank Limited said: We are pleased to announce that Samba Bank has successfully modernized its Core Banking Platform onto the latest release of Temenos Transact with NdcTech as the strategic partner p r

Ufone 4G launches WhatsApp ser vice for hassle-free customer experience

Engro Foundation recognizes NDF, Connec tHear with IATC Impac t Awards 2022

ECC dEfErs PrICE INCrEAsE of 119 drUgs

in recent months

The government however has rejected

the demand propelling pharmaceutical companies to either stop or go into a limited-scale production of scores of essential and non-essential medicines M a k i n g m a t t e r s w o r s e , t h e i mp o r t e r s h a v e s t o p p e d o r d r a s t i c a l l y r ed u c e d t h e i m p o r t s o f a b o u t 1 0 0 c r u c i a l m e d i c i n e s r e l a t e d t o g e n e r a l a n e s t h e s i a p l a s m a - d e r i v e d p r o d u c t s , v a c c i n e s , o nc o l o g y p r o d u c t s , a n d b i o l o g i c a l p r o du c t s c a u s i n g a d e a r t h o f m e d i c i n e s a c r o s s t h e c o u n t r y Earlier, president of Pakistan Media Association (PMA), Usman Mako, said that, “We suggest that instead of increasing

prices the government and the pharmaceutical industry together share the burden of inflation and rupee devaluation”

Reportedly a senior official from the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) claimed that pharmaceutical companies are “not exactly in loss” but their profits are shrinking There is an estimated 20-25% loss in that pharmaceutical companies are currently enduring due to the dollar-rupee disparity and rising inflation But to claim that they are not in a position to run their businesses is not true,” he added other develoPments : The ECC

World Bank warns of ‘ lost dec ade’ in global growth without bold polic y shif ts

WASHINGTON

R e u t e R S

Average potential global economic growth will slump to a three-decade low of 2 2% per year through 2030 ushering in a lost decade for the world s economy, unless policymakers adopt ambitious initiatives to boost labor supply, productivity and investment the World Bank warned on Monday

Failure to reverse the expected broad-based slowdown in potential gross domestic product (GDP) growth would have profound implications for the world s ability to tackle climate change and reduce poverty it said in a new report But concerted efforts to boost investment in sustainable sectors, cut trade costs leverage growth in services and expand labor force participation could boost potential GDP growth by up

to 0 7 percentage point to 2 9% the report said “A lost decade could be in the making for the global economy ” said World Bank chief economist Indermit Gill adding that policies which incentivized work, increased productivity, and accelerated investment could reverse the trend

The average GDP growth rate is a sort of “speed limit” for the global economy charting the maximum long-term rate at which it can grow without sparking excess inflation

The report said the overlapping crises of the past few years including the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia s invasion of Ukraine, had ended nearly three decades of sustained economic growth, adding to building worries about slowing productivity, which is essential for income growth and higher wages As a result average potential growth in

Mansoor Usman Awan appointed new attorney general

ISLAMABAD

S ta f f R e p o R t

President Dr Arif Alvi on Monday appointed Mansoor Usman Awan as the new attorney general of Pakistan (AGP) after accepting the resignation of Shehzad Ata Elahi A statement issued by the Aiwani-Sadr said that the president had accepted the resignation of Elahi who had quit the top law last week for personal reasons and had appointed Awan as the AGP under Article 100 of the Constitution on the advice of the prime minister The Ministry of Law and Justice subsequently notified Awan as the new AGP The notification said Awan would have the rank and status of a federal minister In his resignation letter that he addressed to the president on March 24 Elahi had cited personal reasons for tendering his resignation However, he later issued a clarification denying that he had been asked to resign Elahi was appointed as the AGP on February 2 after Awan who s nomination for becoming the country s principal law officer was approved by the president in December last year, expressed his inability to take charge as the AGP Awan had conveyed his intention to not take the office in a letter to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Due to unavoidable professional commitments I will be unable to serve as the AGP at this time he had said at the time A source close to him had told that Awan was frustrated by the inordinate delay on part of the law ministry to issue the notification of his appointment

GDP was seen dropping to 2 2% from 2022-2030, down from 2 6% in 201121, and nearly a third lower than the 3 5% rate seen from 2000-2010 Low investment will also slow growth in developing economies, with their average GDP growth dropping to 4% for the rest of the 2020s from 5% in 2011-2021 and 6% from 2000-2010

Rising productivity, higher incomes and declining inflation helped one out of four developing countries reach highincome status over the past three decades, but those economic forces are now in retreat the report said

It said productivity was likely to grow at its slowest clip since 2000, investment growth in 2022-2024 would be half the rate seen in the last 20 years and international trade was growing at a much slower rate

To change the trajectory and attract more investment policymakers should

prioritize taming inflation ensuring financial-sector stability and reducing debt Increased climate-friendly investment in transportation and energy climate-smart agriculture and manufacturing, and land and water systems could boost potential growth by up to 0 3 percentage point per year it said Lowering the costs associated with shipping, logistics, and regulations could boost trade it said calling for changes to remove the current bias toward carbon-intensive goods inherent in many countries’ tariff schedules and eliminate restrictions on access to environmentally friendly goods and services Boosting exports of digital services could result in big productivity gains while raising labor force participation rates for women and others could raise global potential growth rates by as much as 0 2 percentage point a year by 2030

PTI to launch repor t featuring human rights violations against par ty today

ISLAMABAD

S ta f f R e p o R t

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) is all set to launch a report today Tuesday which summarises all the human rights violations against PTI from May 25 till now”

While talking to a country leading Newspaper PTI central leader Fawad Chaudhry said the party is launching a report on Tuesday (tomorrow) which summarises “all the human rights violations against PTI from May 25 till now”

He alleged that the government in Pakistan is involved in crimes and custodial torture for political reasons” When pressed on the allegations of a political witch-hunt led by PTI when Mr Khan was in power Mr Chaudhry said: This is a false parallel, it s rubbish

There is a difference between what happened then and now As members of the embattled Pakistan Tehreek-iInsaf face a slew of cases late-night arrests and even alleged enforced disappearances, representatives of the party in the United Kingdom and Europe have sprung into action by staging protests writing to MPs and speaking with human rights organisations to inform them about the crackdown against the party at the hands of the PDM government PTI s focal person for UK and Europe Sahibzada Chico Jahangir said the party doesn t want anything

from the international community but it is certainly calling upon the Pakistan government to hold free and fair elections

“The European countries specially are very prodemocracy and pro-human rights the source said adding that though it is obvious no intervention is expected, they are keen to know our point of view regarding what’s going on”

Separately PTI member and former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser approached the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), a global organisation of national parliaments about the “political victimisation assassination attempts and attacks on PTI

Mr Qaiser wrote a letter to the IPU, which has 179 members in which he criticised the PDM government as being fascist and accused it of illegal policies and severe violations of human rights

Mr Qaiser hoped the forum would take notice of the situation and play its role in protecting the people of Pakistan

In the last week, large PTI protests have been held in London outside Parliament House and 10 Downing Street as well as a sizeable demonstration in Brussels outside the European Parliament At each of these protests, chants in favour of Imran Khan and against PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif were heard

Stakeholders point out ‘serious

considered and approved a summary of Ministry of Energy (Petroleum Division) regarding arrangement of Finance Facility for funding Government of Balochistan’s share obligation in Reko-Diq project The dispute settlement with directions to the Finance Division to arrange payment of markup amounting to Rs 6 23 billion for the period from March 31 2022 to December 30, 2022 to the National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) for the short term finance facility of Rs 65 billion

The ECC also deferred a summary of the Ministry of Aviation on the engagement of International Finance Corporation as transaction advisor for the outsourcing of three airports

LHC gives directive to police to resolve Imran’s securit y issue

LAHORE S ta f f R e p o R t

The Lahore High Court on Monday directed superintendent (SP) security to resolve Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s security issue in accordance with the law Justice Abid Aziz Sheikh made the remarks during the hearing on the former prime minister s plea seeking “foolproof security and permission to mark his attendance into court’s proceedings through video link” to avoid any incident after he survived an assassination attempt at Wazirabad last year For permission linked to video link appearance Justice Sheikh directed the petitioner to approach the concerned court Imran had filed a petition through advocate Azhar Siddique In previous proceedings, the court had directed Siddique to visit Imran’s Zaman Park residence for the sake of satisfaction after a deadlock erupted between police high-ups and PTI s leadership over the deployment of security personnel Police told the court that sufficient police officials had been deployed at Zaman Park while the PTI’s leadership argued that no security had been deployed They appeared before the court and said that 123 police officials had been deployed there while PTI’s leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi differed from the version of the police maintaining a lack of police security at the premises Petition: Sharing information from his credible sources Imran contended in his petition that “he would yet again be targeted during his exposure in the court hearings and appearances

PTI responsible for inflation, economic crisis: Mar yam Nawaz

LAHORE S ta f f R e p o R t

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senior Vice President and Chief Organizer Maryam Nawaz on Monday said that the previous Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government was responsible for current inflation and economic crisis in the country The four year rule of PTI was full of rampant corruption and bad governance she said adding that nothing was done for the welfare of the people except giving them hollow slogans Speaking during a meeting of the party spokespersons chaired by her Maryam Nawaz said that baseless promises of providing millions of jobs and houses were made by the PTI but not a single job or house was provided practically She said that PTI chief Imran Khan claimed to end corruption in 90 days whereas the country went 14 grade up in corruption index during PTI tenure Commenting on 10 point agenda given by PTI chief she said these were only lies like past as he did not have any agenda for the people Maryam Nawaz said that real objective of PTI chief was to protect himself from cases registered against him Irrefutable evidences were there against Imran Khan in cases including Toshakhana Tyrian and foreign funding, she added She said that the people had rejected the negative politics of PTI The meeting reviewed party stance and policies in detail and decision was taken to present the facts before the people It was also decided to tell the people facts about four year corrupt rule of the PTI which resulted in economic devastation

flaws’

in

As foreign exchange losses adjustments

OGRA S h a h a b o m e R

The stakeholders of the oil sector have pointed out serious flaws in the policy of the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) regarding Foreign Exchange losses adjustments, Profit learnt here on Sunday

The reference was made to the meeting organized by OGRA on March 21 2023 at ODGC House to discuss the Mechanism of Exchange Rate Adjustment The agenda of the meeting was to discuss unfair and unjustified working & distribution of FX losses

In this regard, the Chairman of the Oil Marketing Association of Pakistan OMAP wrote a letter to Chairman OGRA Masroor Khan demanding his attention to the questions raised by all the stakeholders present in the meeting

In the letter Chairman OMAP Tariq Wazir Ali addressed the Chairman OGRA and held him responsible for distress to emerging oil marketing companies He

wrote Your lack of action on these matters is causing great distress to emerging oil marketing companies who are struggling to compete with the established players in the market Your deliberate negligence towards these demands has been deeply condemned by all oil marketing companies in a recent meeting and it is clear that this issue needs to be addressed urgently

The letter of OMAP further explained the meeting’s proceedings that in the Question-Answer session the industry pointed out very clearly that the entire industry barring PSO is facing an existential crisis and this is mainly driven by the lack of a coherent policy by OGRA It was specified that in a regulated environment it was the duty of OGRA to ensure that the industry gets a level playing field and that the industry has been miserably failed by the regulator, you have consistently failed to settle foreign exchange losses adjustment negative IFEM pricing oil marketing companies margin revision,

and other related issues Chairman OMAP Tariq Wazir Ali went on to say regarding alarming OGRA of the situation multiple times and said “The record is evident that OMAP is repeatedly knocking on doors of OGRA and Petroleum Ministry to adopt an efficient mechanism for FX losses disbursement to ensure that each penny of national money goes to the true & eligible entities, without any pick & choose and ill-intended calculation to fetch a fortune for non-entitled entities Serious flaws were pointed out in the mechanism due to which the exchange losses due to the industry have not been compensated Instead, the industry pointed out scenarios whereby the OGRA formula has allowed FX compensation to companies who did not even import any cargo All top companies including multinational players pointed out the serious flaws in the formula and demanded OGRA to fix the formula and ensure a level playing field for the industry except PSO being the

benchmark company

During the meeting, OMAP strongly suggested the establishment of FAP (Foreign Exchange Adjustment Pool) for justified distribution of FX losses among genuine & rightful entities hence barring any unfair & unjustified distribution due to favoritism actual losses in line with the pricing formula are reimbursed to the affected companies and resultant saving to the national exchequer the prime need of the hour

The OMCs representatives also registered a serious concern that besides clearcut instructions given by the Minister of State on Petroleum in very loud words the regulator failed to initiate OMCs Margins review, negative IFEM, and stock holding cost and had only focused on negating the demands of the industry on exchange losses OGRA s refusal to create a level playing field is not only causing huge losses to the OMCs which is an existential threat a bad name for the current Govt being contradictory with their directives and objective to

bring ease in doing business and making essential commodities accessible and affordable for the general public

The regulator ’s current role is also seriously closing the doors for new FDIs in the sector and also impacting investor confidence and the ability of the sector to maintain strategic reserves

In the letter, Tariq Wazir Ali wrote, It was very unfortunate to observe that on the hidden instruction of the regulator OMAP the only legal entity & strong voice of emerging OMCs was denied the right to present its complete point of view, in a very derogatory & deprecatory way that seems to be a preplanned intrigue The role of OGRA is to regulate the oil and gas sector and ensure a level playing field for all players However your recent actions seem to suggest a clear bias towards the big players, which is not only unfair but also goes against the very purpose of your organization

As the guardian of this industry it is your responsibility to ensure that all players, big or small, are treated equally and that there is no favoritism