Epaper – April 19 LHR 2021

Monday, 19 April, 2021 I 6 Ramzan-ul-Mubarak, 1442 I Rs 40.00 I Vol XI No 291 I 48 Pages I Lahore Edition

TLP mob aTTacks PoLice sTaTion, hoLds PersonneL hosTage g

g

g lahore oPeraTion halTed 12 PoliCemen Taken hosTage in aTTaCk on nawankoT afTer 5 killed, sCores PoliCe sTaTion injured in violenT Clashes saad rizvi's CniC BloCked, name PlaCed on fourTh sChedule

Lahore: Workers of the banned TLP clash with police personnel in the provincial capital. online

LAHORE/ISLAMABAD

a

staff report

mob of banned Tehreek-e-labbaik Pakistan’s (TlP) supporters barged into the nawankot police station on sunday and held deputy superintendent (dsP) umar farooq, five constables, and two rangers officials hostage for hours, where they reportedly tortured them as well. according to the police statement, the miscreants were armed and attacked rangers/police with petrol bombs, adding that “at least one oil tanker with 50,000 litres of petrol has been taken by the miscreants to the markaz.”

“Police and rangers pushed them back and took back the possession of the police station,” it said, adding that police did not

plan or conduct any operation against the mosque or the madressah. similarly, special assistant to the Chief minister on information dr firdous ashiq awan in a tweet said that the attackers had kidnapped 12 police officials, including the dsP, and taken them to their markaz. meanwhile, the operation to stop the lahore sit-in of the now-proscribed TlP was halted late on sunday, but at least five people were killed and several others, including police officers, were injured.

The police launched an operation to clear the yateem khana Chowk neighbourhood in lahore where activists and supporters of the TlP have been staging a sit-in since monday. according to reports, at least two supporters of the banned TlP were killed and 50 injured in a clash with the lahore police sunday

afternoon.

The protesters had gathered outside the party’s saddar office and were chanting slogans against the arrest of TlP chief saad hussain rizvi. a police team was sent to the area at 8 am to clear the protests. during the operation, a clash broke out between the two groups near multan road.

Bullets were fired and stones were pelted. 11 police officers were injured.

The injured officers have been rushed to a hospital.

Protests by TlP supporters erupted in major cities across the country monday afternoon.

The demonstrations lasted for three days in which hundreds of police officers were injured.

Thousands of supporters were arrested and booked for attacking police officers and blocking roads.

Clashes erupted in lahore between police and workers of TlP late on monday when police arrested its chief, rizvi, after he threatened the government with protests if it did not expel the french ambassador over blasphemous caricatures of holy Prophet (Peace Be upon him). security forces swinging batons and firing teargas moved before dawn to clear sit-ins in lahore. in a video message, a spokesperson for the group, shafiq ameeni, claimed that “forces suddenly attacked [us] at lahore markaz at 8:00 am today morning in which a large number of our workers have been martyred while many are injured”. “[we] will bury [those killed] when the french ambassador exits the country and our agreement [with the government] is implemented,” he added.

The group wants the government to boycott french products and expel the french ambassador under an “agreement” signed with it by the government in february.

PM expresses confidence in new finance minister’s abilities g

Tarin says sBP governor won’T Be removed

ISLAMABAD staff report

Prime minister imran khan has expressed his full confidence in newly-appointed finance minister shaukat Tarin’s abilities and said that he has known him for the last 35 years.

The prime minister said this during a recently held meeting with Tarin at the Prime minister’s house before the latter’s elevation to the ministerial post. “i am confident that shaukat Tarin will come up with better planning for the further stability

of the country’s economy,” the prime minister said. “shaukat Tarin will work in an organised manner for bringing further stability,” the premier added. during the meeting, discussions were held related to the economic situation of the country. federal minister for energy hammad azhar was also in attendance along with the social media team of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-insaf (PTi). speaking on the occasion, the incumbent finance minister said that they have to bring the gdP growth to 6 to 7 per cent in

order to address the economic woes of the country. “The country’s gdP growth should be increased by 6 to 7 per cent,” Tarin maintained. he said that based on his 49 years of experience in the economic sector, he knows what measure should be taken to steer the economy in the right direction. when asked regarding any plans to remove the governor state Bank of Pakistan (sBP), Tarin said there are no chances of his removal as he had brought exemplary reforms in the system.

The participants also asked Tarin regarding his economic plans. it should be recalled that last week, Pm imran had — for the sixth time — reshuffled the federal cabinet and appointed Tarin as the country’s new finance minister.

Tareen had replaced federal minister hammad, who was appointed as the country’s finance minister in march when the premier replaced dr abdul hafeez shaikh. Consequently, hammad was appointed as the minister for energy, replacing omar ayub.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

fiqah-e-hanfia Lahore sehr: 4:03 aM iftar: 6:35 PM

isLaMabad sehr: 4:03 aM iftar: 6:43 PM

karachi sehr: 4:46 aM iftar: 6:57 PM

fiqah-e-jafaria Lahore sehr: 3:53 aM iftar: 6:45 PM

isLaMabad sehr: 3:53 aM iftar: 6:53 PM

karachi sehr: 4:36 aM iftar: 7:07 PM

Pakistan logs highest daily Covid-19 cases, deaths since last June

ISLAMABAD staff report

Pakistan recorded 6,127 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, the highest daily number since june last year, data from the ministry of national health services (monhs) showed on sunday, bringing the total number of cases to 756,285. on june 14, during the first peak, the nation had reported 6,365 cases. with the new cases, the transmission rate climbed to 8.52 percent.

The average number of new infections reported each day has risen by more than 1,000 over the last 3 weeks, 18 percent of its previous peak, a reuters tally showed.

The data also showed 149 people died due to coronavirus-related complications in the same period, bringing the total number of deaths since the beginning of the pandemic in february

last year to 16,243. meanwhile, Punjab detected 3,562 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, its highest single-day rise since the start of the pandemic. The provincial tally of cases has now reached 267,572.

97 more people died from the contagion disease in the province, taking the total number of fatalities to 7,430. government and health officials warn that if the ongoing pace of infections continues for another two weeks, the situation may get worse, as the country’s already weak healthcare system is near saturation. in several district hospitals, nearly 90 per cent of ventilators and oxygen beds are already occupied, while some hospitals are turning away new patients as 100 per cent of beds allocated for coronavirus patients are already taken, according to monhs officials.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

No meeting planned with Indian FM: Qureshi ISLAMABAD staff report

denying the media reports, foreign minister shah mahmood Qureshi has said that no meeting has been scheduled with his indian counterpart during his three-day visit to the uae.

Qureshi, who is currently on a three-day visit to the uae to discuss bilateral relations, said this in an exclusive interview with khaleej Times.

The foreign minister stressed that he is in the uae to discuss bilateral uae-Pakistan relations only. “i am here for a bilateral visit and not an india-specific agenda. my agenda is uae-Pakistan and not india-Pakistan,” he said, adding that meeting with the indian foreign minister, who is scheduled to visit the uae, is not planned. “i don’t think a meeting is set out with the indian foreign minister,” he said. “friends generally, including the uae, have always said that the two countries should sit and resolve issues through a dialogue. india has always been hesitant of a third-party mediation; we welcomed it and were never shy of it,” said Qureshi. he pointed out that there are some positive develop-

ments taking place between the two countries of late. “for example, the recent recommitment to the 2003 ceasefire understanding is a good development because kashmiris on both sides were suffering from unprovoked firing. That, in my view, is a positive development,” he said.

“The fact that the indian Prime minister sent messages to the Pakistani Prime minister on national day is a positive development. also, a toned down rhetoric is a positive development,” he added.

“The fact that india wants to see a peaceful afghanistan and region means that they

recognise it won’t happen if there are two important players not seeing eye to eye,” he said, noting that india will have to revisit some of the unilateral actions that it took which is against the spirit of peace and bilateral discussion. if they are willing to revisit those unilateral actions, then Pakistan is willing to sit and talk,” he added. he said that Pakistan welcomes third-party facilitation but, no matter what friends say, the initiative has to be indigenous. The political will has to be demonstrated by leadership of india and Pakistan.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 053

02

Monday, 19 April, 2021

LAHORE

NEWS

‘UP to 50,000 PaKiStaNiS May be aLLowed to PerforM Hajj tHiS year’

M

AgENcIES

INISTER for Religious Affair and Interfaith Harmony Noorul Haq Qadri has said that Saudi Arabia might allow up to 50,000 Pakistanis to perform Hajj this year amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The minister said that the Hajj 2021

would take place under special circumstances with special norms, rules and regulations, eligibility, criteria and age restrictions. The intending pilgrims would be required to strictly follow Covid-19 standard operating procedures (SOPs) during Hajj, he added.

Qadri said that only those people who have been vaccinated against Covid-19 would be allowed to perform Hajj this year

and his ministry would comply with all conditions to laid out by the Saudi authorities.

He said that the pilgrims of less than 20 or over 50 years of age may not be permitted to perform Hajj this year. “Saudi Arabia may only allow those people having sound health without any serious medical condition.”

However, the minister said that the

Saudi government has not yet given green signal for going ahead with the Hajj arrangements as various Saudi departments including the Hajj and Umrah Ministry, were still weighing different options to make Hajj safe and secure for the pilgrims.

Earlier this month, authorities in the kingdom had announced that only vaccinated or immune worshippers were allowed to perform Umrah and regular

prayers at the Grand Mosque in Makkah and the Prophet’s (Peace Be Upon Him) Mosque in Medina during the holy month of Ramadan.

The kingdom granted permits to only those pilgrims who have already got the two doses of the Covid-19 vaccine, or those who took the first dose 14 days before applying to obtain the permit and those who recovered from the infection already.

PML-N concerned over delay in Shehbaz’s release LAHORE INP

Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz (PML-N) on Sunday expressed reservations over the “conflicting note” issued four days after the court granted bail to party president Shehbaz Sharif. In a statement, PML-N central spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb said this happened for the first time in the judicial history of Pakistan that a conflicting note was issued four days after the bail was granted. “We have been visiting the court for four days to get bail orders but every time we were told those were not signed yet,” she said and added: “It’s very painful.” The Lahore High Court (LHC) had issued its detailed verdict on bail granted to Sharif in the money laundering reference. According to the judgment, in a two-judge bench, Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar granted the bail to Sharif, however, Justice Asjad Javaid Ghural declined the plea. LHC Chief Justice Muhammad Qasim Khan will now appoint a referee judge who would agree to the order of one of the dissenting judges and the bail petition would be rejected or accepted by a majority of 2:1. According to Justice Dogar, due to differences, separate decisions were handed. “The matter will now be placed before the Chief Justice for the appointment of a referee judge,” he said. A two-judge bench on April 13 granted bail to Sharif in the money laundering case. Justice Ghural, in his dissenting note, stated that fellow judge had approved the bail of Sharif despite his refusal whereas Justice Dogar said that the bail was granted on mutual consent. Sharif’s release from prison was halted after one of the judges hearing the matter raised the objection.

Umar Mahmud Kasuri passes away NEwS DESk Umar Mahmud Kasuri, the brother of former foreign minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri, passed away on Sunday due to ill health. The deceased hailed from one of the oldest political families of Punjab. His father Mahmud Ali Kasuri served as the leader of the Indian National Congress and then the All-India Muslim League. He was a part of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and played a key role in the formation of the constitution of 1973. His brother Khurshid served as the foreign minister of Pakistan from November 2002 to November 2007 and is currently the chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) Task Force on Kashmir and a member of the party’s core committee.

ISLAMABAD: A view of empty 7th Avenue in the federal capital on Sunday. ONlINe

Govt bans donations to 79 proscribed, six under scanner organisations ISLAMABAD MIAN AbrAr

The federal government has banned donations to 79 proscribed organisations and their affiliates, as well as six organisations on the watch list.

The government has also issued a list of banned organisations and appealed to the citizens to donate their zakat, alms and donations only to legal charity organisations. It has asked civilians to donate only to the welfare organizations approved by the Punjab Charity Commission.

The government has also appealed to the people to report the collection of donations by these 85 organisations to the toll-free number, 080011111, of the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD).

A list of banned organisations has also been sent to all police stations and an implementation report has been sought in this regard.

The list of banned organisations and their affiliates includes Lashkar-e-Jhangvi,

Sipah-e-Muhammad Pakistan, Jaish-eMuhammad, its affiliates, Al-Rahmat Trust, Bahawalpur, Al-Furqan Trust, Karachi, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Sipah-e-Sahae-Pakistan, Tehreek-e-Jaffar. Pakistan, Tehreek-e-Nifaz Shariat-e-Muhammad, Tehreek-e-Islami, and Al-Qaeda. Other organisations mentioned on the list are Millat-e-Islamia Pakistan, Former Sipahe-Sahaba Pakistan, Khudaim-ul-Salam Former Jaish-e-Muhammad, Islamic Movement of Pakistan, Former Tehreeke-Jaffariah Pakistan, Jamiat-ul-Nassar, Jamaat-ul-Farqan, Hizb ut-Tahrir Khairul Nas International Trust, Splinter Group Jamaat-ud-Dawa, Balochistan Liberation Army, and Islamic Students Movement of Pakistan.

Similarly, Lashkar-e-Islami, Ansarul-Islam, Haji Namdar Group, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, Balochistan Republican Army, Balochistan Liberation Front, Lashkar-e-Balochistan, Balochistan Liberation United Front, Balochistan Armed Defense Organization, Shia Students Action

Committee Gilgit, and Markaz Sabeel Organization Gilgit are banned.

Youth Organization L-Sunnah Gilgit, People’s Peace Committee Lyari, LSunnah Al-Jamaat, Former Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan, Al-Harman Foundation, Rabita Trust, Anjuman Imamia Gilgit-Baltistan, Muslim Students Organization Gilgit, L. Jamaat-e-Islami, Balochistan Fundamentalist Army, Tehreek-e-Nifazaman, Tehreek-eHudoodullah, Balochistan N Wajh Liberation Army, Balochistan Republican Party Azad, Balochistan Unified Army, Islam Mujahideen, Jaish-e-Islam, Balochistan National Liberation Army, Khanna Hikmat Gilgit-Baltistan, and Tehreek-e-Taliban Swat are also banned according to the list.

Tehreek-e-Taliban Mahand has been placed on the list, as well as Tariq Gaddar Group, Abdullah Azam Brigadier, East Turkmenistan Islamic Movement, Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, Islamic Jihad Union, 313 Brigade, Tehreek-e-Taliban Bajaud, Amrba Al-Ma’ruf Wa Nahi An Al-

Awareness campaign to curb cybercrimes against children ISLAMABAD APP

The office of the federal ombudsman in collaboration with the stakeholders has worked out a comprehensive strategy to raise countrywide awareness about cybercrimes against children among different strata of the society, the body’s Commissioner for Children and Transgender Syeda Viquarun Nisa Hashmi said.

Talking to APP, Hashmi said the plan of action on the campaign was chalked out by a sub-committee of a high-level task force, formed by Federal Ombudsman Syed Tahir Shahbaz last year to evolve a holistic plan of action to curb such offenses by addressing systemic issues through short, medium and long term measures.

Hashmi, who is also the convener of the task force, said the initiative was aimed at equipping the public in general and the key stakeholders from across the country in particular with tools and techniques needed for combating cybercrimes against children in an effective manner.

Explaining the strategies, she said multiple detailed sessions would be arranged with parliamentarians, members of the judiciary, and police on the issue, while the people would be sensitised through mosques, lady health workers, and other means. Hashmi further said public service messages would be broadcasted at electronic, print and digital media for extensive sensitization of the citizens about the issues.

The convener said the messages would be

Munkar, Haji Namdar Group, Baloch Stow Dant R Gana Izizan Azad, Unified Baloch Army, and Live Sindh United Front.

ISIS, ISIL, ISIS, ISIS, Jamaat-ulAhrar, Lashkar-e-Jhangwal Alami, Ansar-ul-Hussain, Tehreek-e-Azadi Jammu and Kashmir, Jundullah, Al-Rahma and Welfare Trust R Ganaization, Blue Aristan National Front Abdul Hameed Khan Group, Jamaat-ud-Awat, SubOrganizations, Al-Anfal Trust Lahore and Khidmat-e-Khalq Lahore have also been placed on the list.

Other organisations on the list include Al-Awat Al-Irshad Pakistan Lahore, AlHamd Trust Lahore, Faisalabad, Muskewand, Al-Madinah Foundation Lahore, Moaz Bin Jabal Education Trust Lahore, Welfare of Humanity Fa Foundation, Sub-Organizations, Al-Fadl Foundation Trust Lahore, Al-Ishar Foundation Lahore, Pak-Turkish International CAG Education Foundation, and Hizb-ul-Ahrar.

Moreover, Balochistan Raji Ajoi, R, Sanghar, Jai Sindh National Front, Ariser Group, Sindh Revolutionary Army, Sindh Desh Liberation Army, Khatam-ul-Nabi, Ghazi Force, Ghulam Sahaba, Maymar Trust, Sachal Sarmast Welfare Trust Karachi, Al Jaz Optional Welfare Society Karachi, Al-Akhtar Trust, Al-Rasheed Trust and Tehreek-e-Lubaik Pakistan have been banned by the government of Pakistan.

displayed at public places such as markets, police stations, hospitals, railway stations.

Sharing the strategic objective of the campaign, she said it was meant to increase public awareness on the effects of information technology on the abuse and exploitation of children forms of cybercrimes against children and imbibe skills in children so that they may protect themselves from being trapped.

Under the drive, she said the parliamentarians would be encouraged to bring legal reforms on the issue, whereas initiatives would be taken for inclusion of the subject of cybercrimes against children in the school syllabi.

Hashmi said all the national stakeholders including the public sector especially law enforcement agencies, private sector, civil society organisations, religious groups, media, educational institutions, and international development partners would be mobilised to combat cybercrimes against children.

Monday, 19 April, 2021

LAHORE

NEWS

03

QUreSHi, afgHaN CoUNterPart diSCUSS afgHaN PeaCe ProCeSS ISLAMABAD

f

StAFF rePOrt

OREIGN Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi held a telephonic conversation with his Afghan counterpart Mohammad Hanif Atmar to discuss the Afghan peace process and the withdrawal of the US troops from the war-torn country.

During the conversation, Qureshi, who is in Dubai on a three-day visit, reiterated that a peaceful and stable Afghanistan was in the interest of Pakistan, a press statement said.

He said Islamabad participated in efforts made to establish peace and

stability in the region, including Afghanistan, and sought an end to violence in the neighbouring country.

The top diplomat further reiterated that Pakistan would continue its reconciliation efforts to bring peace and stability to Afghanistan.

He expressed the hope that under the Heart of Asia – Istanbul Process, the Doha Agreement between the US and Afghan Taliban would be helpful in ensuring durable peace.

Turkey will host a peace summit for Afghanistan from April 24 to May 4 meant to jump-start efforts to end the war and sketch out a possible political settlement.

Representatives of the Afghan government,

United States, United Nations, Qatar, and others will take part in the 10-day summit.

Turkey’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday the Afghan government and the Taliban would attend the meeting. But the Taliban later said it will not attend any summits on Afghanistan’s future until all foreign forces leave the country.

Atmar appreciated diplomatic, political, and moral support extended by Pakistan for result-oriented peace dialogue and thanked Qureshi and Islamabad in this regard.

Both sides also agreed to meet in Istanbul. Qureshi also invited Atmar to visit Pakistan following the HoA-IP meeting. The two also exchanged Ramadan greetings.

QURESHI VISITS UAE EXPO: Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Qureshi visited Pakistan Pavilion at the Expo 2020 Dubai site.

On arrival, he was received by the Expo 2020 team and was briefed about their plans for the event. Pakistan team’s Director General Rizwan Tariq informed Qureshi about the pavilion during the tour.

Pakistan Ambassador to the UAE Afzaal Mahmood and Consul General Ahmed Amjad Ali also accompanied Qureshi.

Speaking on the occasion, Qureshi said: “Pakistan Pavilion at the Exp 2020 Dubai site is the testimony of strong relations between UAE and Pakistan. I believe that the Pakistan Pavilion will further help

Cabinet may grant exemption for Darbar Kartarpur Sahib Corridor project ISLAMABAD AHMAd AHMAdANI

The federal cabinet is likely to grant an exemption for the development of the Darbar Kartarpur Sahib Corridor project through the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) Ordinance, 2002.

According to sources, the federal cabinet, which will meet on Tuesday, will take up 13 agenda points, including the granting of the aforementioned exemption under Section 11 of the PPRA Ordinance.

The Kartarpur corridor is a new entry point giving access to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur in Punjab. It is located 4.5km from the Indian border. It is one of the holiest places for Sikhs, where

Baba Guru Nanak Dev Ji settled and preached for last 18 years of his life and is his last resting place also.

Earlier, India and Pakistan had signed a deal under which both countries will allow pilgrims from India to visit one of Sikhism’s holiest shrines in Pakistan without a visa.

Moreover, the cabinet will also take up summaries of commerce, cabinet, railways, federal education and professional training, finance, foreign affairs, national food security and research, national health services, and regulations and coordination divisions.

Therein, the cabinet will take a decision regarding a proposal on the establishment of a centralized database for the collection of information related to essential food commodities.

The meeting would also take a decision on the composition of the board of Joint Investment Companies (JIC) and the delegation of powers to the Strategic Export Control Division.

Likewise, the cabinet will consider the appointment of members of the Board of Governors under the Federal Medical Training Institutes Ordinance, 2020.

The cabinet may grant permission on the shipment of 10 armoured vehicles, including spare parts, arrived under bill of Lading SPRJO1388424 and No. SPRJO 1406659. These vehicles are part of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).

Furthermore, the appointment of National Insurance Company Limited chief executive officer (CEO) will be

ratified. The decision for the appointment was taken during the cabinet meetings held on January 12, 2021, and March 16, 2021.

Similarly, it is expected that there will be ratification of the decisions taken by the cabinet committee on institutional reforms (CCIR) in its meeting held on March 31, 2021, and ratification of the decision taken by the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) in its meeting held on April 4, 2021.

Special assistant to prime minister (SAPM) on power and petroleum, during the course of this meeting, will also give a presentation on the circular debt management plan while the adviser to PM on institutional reforms & austerity will give a presentation on Pakistan Airlines restructuring plan.

strengthen bilateral and trade relations between the two countries.”

According to a Gulf News report, the pavilion was being built at the cost of $28.72 million. The initial cost was estimated to be around $16 million, but it jumped due to some addition to its design.

Expo 2020 Dubai is scheduled to be held between October 1 and March 31 next year under the theme of “Connecting Minds, Creating the future”.

Pakistan Pavilion will showcase the “hidden treasures” of the country including the 7,000-year-old civilisation. Visitors to the pavilion will get to know about the country through a digital audio visual experience.

SKMt Karachi to be opened in 2023: PM kARAcHI StAFF rePOrt

Prime Minister Imran Khan visited the construction site of Shaukat Khanum Memorial Trust (SKMT) in Karachi on Sunday. In a tweet, the prime minister expressed the hope that the facility will be opened in 2023. The prime minister said it will be twice the size of SKMT Lahore and will be equipped with all the latest diagnostic and treatment facilities. He said that Shaukat Khanum Memorial Trust Karachi will service Sindh and southern Balochistan. The prime minister broke ground for the hospital, located in Karachi’s Defence Housing Authority (DHA) area, in 2016. The Shaukat Khanum Memorial Trust, established in the memory of PM Imran Khan’s mother who passed away due to cancer in 1985, has established a number of hospitals, laboratories, and research centres all over Pakistan.

Case lodged for dishonouring Priest King statue at Mohenjo daro MOHENJO DARO tltP

LAHORE: Citizens queue to buy sugar at Ramadan Sahulat Bazaar in the provincial capital. ZUbAIr MeHFOOZ

Smart quarantine in 10 Rawalpindi neighbourhoods RAwALPINDI INP

At least 10 neighbourhoods in Rawalpindi on Sunday were placed under smart quarantine in the wake of the increasing number of coronavirus cases.

The lockdown was imposed in Adiala Road, Mohalla Gulshan, Hashmi Colony, and other residential places.

The decision was taken after the nation reported 149 deaths in the last 24 hours by coronavirus as the number of positive cases has surged to 756,285. The nationwide tally of fatalities has jumped to 16,243.

According to the latest figures by the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), 6,127 persons tested positive for Covid-19 in the past 24

hours. Punjab remains the worst-hit province in terms of deaths followed by Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).

Till now, 7,430 people have lost their lives to the disease in Punjab; 4,551 in Sindh; 2,867 in KP; 636 in Islamabad; 433 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK); 223 in Balochistan; and 103 in GilgitBaltistan (GB).

Furthermore, 272,197 coronavirus

cases have been confirmed in Sindh; 267,572 in Punjab; 105,438 in KP; 69,556 in Islamabad; 20,822 in Balochistan; 15,524 in AJK and 5,176 in GB. Pakistan has so far conducted 11,144,367 tests and 71,836 in the last 24 hours. 659,483 coronavirus patients have recovered in the country whereas 4,446 patients are in critical condition.

Police on Sunday lodged a first information report (FIR) against unknown persons who tried to dishonour the statue of Priest King at a site of Mohenjo Daro – one of the largest settlements of ancient Indus Valley Civilisation. The case was registered by Airport Police Station in Mohenjo Daro on the complaint of the watchman of the archaeological site. “The case has been registered under Section 295-A which deals with deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs,” a duty officer at the police station said. He said that efforts are underway to trace the people who are involved in this cheap act. The case was registered following a photo that went viral on social media in which three visitors were spotted dishonouring the statue of Priest King, an iconic representation of Indus civilisation that is placed at the entrance of the site. There was an outcry on social media including Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and people belonging to different walks of life condemned the act demanding action against the culprits. “We live in a civilised society and it’s insane to disgrace the icon of a civilisation. We should be proud of it,” said a rights activist, adding that strict action must be taken against people involved in it. Soon after the incident, many people in Sindh replaced their profile pictures on Facebook and Twitter with Mohenjo Daro or Priest King’s photo for showing sympathy. In 1927, a seated male soapstone figure was found in a building with unusually ornamental brickwork and a wall-niche.

Though there is no evidence that priests or monarchs ruled Mohenjo Daro, archaeologists dubbed this figure a “Priest-King”. The sculpture shows a neatly bearded man with pierced earlobes and a fillet around his head, possibly all that is left of a once-elaborate hairstyle or head-dress; his hair is combed back. He wears an armband, and a cloak with drilled trefoil, single circle and double circle motifs, which show traces of red. His eyes might have originally been inlaid.

04

Monday, 19 april, 2021

lahore

news

Nearly 100 people die of Covid-19 iN a day iN puNjab lAHORE INP

Punjab on Sunday reported nearly 100 deaths from coronavirus in a day.

According to the statistics provided by the Punjab health department, as many as 97 people succumbed to coronavirus in Punjab,

during the last 24 hours.

This brings the overall death toll to 7,430 in the province.

The health department further revealed that as many as 3,562 cases have been detected in the province during the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of people affected in the province from the infection

SeveN killed, Three iNjured iN NowShera ClaSh NOWSHERA: At least seven persons were killed and three others injured in armed clash over a dispute over water tube well on Sunday.

According to details, two groups, after exchanging hot words over a tube well dispute, traded fire in Spin Kanere area of Nowshera. In cross firing, seven people were killed and three others sustained bullet injuries. The bodies and injured were shifted to hospital where the injured were referred to Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) Peshawar. The police, after registering a case into the incident, started an investigation. INP

3 die aS meloN TruCk CruSheS moTorCyCliSTS KARACHI: Three people died and two others were injured when a truck loaded with watermelons hit a motorcycle at Karachi Super Highway on Sunday. The dead bodies and the injured were shifted to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital as the accident occurred near Bahria Town. Rescue officials said that three people were killed while two persons sustained injuries. Earlier, the TV channel reported that police personnel belonging to the Balochistan force were involved in motorcycle and car theft in Karachi. Steel Town Police in Karachi arrested two policemen as they have CCTV footage of PECHS Society and Azizabad area where these two policemen were found involved in criminal activities. INP

Three passengers for trying to travel using fake Covid-19 reports PESHAWAR INP

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has arrested three people including a woman for trying to travel abroad on fake coronavirus certificates from Baccha Khan International Airport, Peshawar. According to details available with INP, three passengers tried to dodge the airport officials and travel abroad from the Peshawar airport while using fake Covid-19 test reports. However, when the CAA officials counter-checked the test reports, it emerged that they were fake. To this, the passengers- a woman and two others- were offloaded from the plane and handed over to the FIA immigration officials. They were later shifted to the Hayatabad Cell of the FIA for further interrogation into the matter.

to 267,572.

PAKISTAN’S COVID-19 TALLY: Pakistan has reported 149 deaths from coronavirus, making it the country’s highest death toll in a single day since June 29 last year while the positivity rate of infections was recorded at 8.52 per cent.

The number of total deaths has soared to

16,243, according to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Covid-19.

The national tally of confirmed cases climbed to 756,285 as 6,127 new infections surfaced during the same period.

As many as 71,836 samples were tested, out of which 6,127 turned out to be positive with an 8.52 per cent positivity rate. The

number of active cases has soared to 85,102.

The total number of people recuperating from the disease stands at 655,246.

The government and health officials warn that if the ongoing pace of infections continues for another two weeks, the situation may go “worse,” as the country’s already weak health system is saturating.

Masood hails UN report on human rights abuses in IIOJK ISlAMABAD tLtP

Welcoming a letter written by the UN human rights experts to the Indian government regarding the human rights situation in the Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK), AJK President Sardar Masood Khan on Sunday said that the situation is far worse than mentioned in the letter.

He said that the UN rapporteurs have confined their report to mentioning only the violation of some of the rights of Muslims and other minorities, while Narendra Modi’s government in India is engaged in hatching conspiracies against the very existence of Muslims in Jammu and Kashmir.

They want to turn the Muslim majority into a minority and make the territory of Kashmir a complete Hindu state, he added.

“India is trying to reduce the occupied state of Jammu and Kashmir to a political nonentity, reinforce religious and colonial othering of its people and finally strip off their defences. Well, Kashmiris will never cease defending themselves,” the president

said. Five UN human rights experts, through a letter to the Indian government, have voiced their concern over India’s decision to revoke Kashmir’s special status and enact laws that could curtail the political participation of Muslims and other minorities.

The special rapporteurs were for minority issues, promotion, and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression; the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association; contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance; and the special rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief.

President Khan strongly condemned the latest restrictions imposed by the Indian government on Kashmir based journalists for reporting facts about the incidents of violence in IOK, he appealed to the global journalist's bodies to raise their voice against the unjustified restrictions on journalists and media outlets in IOK. “Voices for freedom won’t be muzzled; staged encounters won’t be masked by cutting off information.

Truth is out; will be out. Don’t coerce media persons

Buzdar govt working to provide essential items at fixed price: Firdous lAHORE INP

Special Assistant to Chief Minister Punjab for Information Firdous Ashiq Awan on Sunday said that the Punjab government is working to provide essential commodities to public at government fixed prices.

Firdous, in a series of tweets, said that CM Buzdar is reviewing price and availability of all basic items, including flour and sugar at daily basis and he has di-

rected concerned administration to make price control mechanism more effective.

Buzdar has also instructed officials to ensure availability of all essential products at Ramadan Bazaars as well as open market and ordered strict indiscriminate action against all profiteers, Firdous said.

The CM’s aide further said that government will soon control inflation with the help of public and availability of items at low price will be ensured.

into not reporting on these crimes.

Such restrictions betray insecurity and panic,” Khan said.

He said that restrictions on independent reporting by journalists as an attempt by the Delhi government to infringe on human rights and freedom of expression. He added that journalists in IOK would never accept and endorse the Indian government's illegal activities.

Khan further said that now the situation in IOK has reached the point that Indian military and paramilitary troops stationed in Kashmir have started disobeying the illegal orders. “The latest example of which is the female police officer who said that this is my Kashmir, and I cannot be a part of the persecution against the people here. The female police officer's bold statement cost her job,” he said.

“The day is not far when cops and soldiers in Kashmir will start asking themselves how they would redeem their souls if they continue to be part of these killing sprees at the behest of fascists of a distant, foreign land,” the state president said.

Narowal police bust rapists’ gang LAHORE: Punjab police have arrested three accused rapists from Lahore and Sargodha who were on the run after allegedly raping a teenage girl in Narowal a month ago, police said on Sunday. The accused raped a 16-year-old girl in Narowal and fled from the scene but after a month their hide and seek came to an end as the police arrested the three of them from Lahore and Sargodha. The alleged rapists, all young, took the victim to the fields of village Aino Bajwa in Narowal.

The victim was a guest in the town when the incident occurred. Ahmedabad Police had registered the FIR on the account of the victim’s uncle Shaukat Ali. Police sources said that the latest technology was utilised to nab the rapists and further investigation was underway. INP

NTDC completes 04 more 500 kV Transmission Line Circuits for evacuation of Power from South to Load Centers in the North PRESS RElEASE NTDC Headquarter, WAPDA House Lahore (18 April 2021)In pursuits of early completion of its projects, the National Transmission &Despatch Company Limited (NTDC) has completed 04 more 500 kV transmission line circuits for evacuation of electricity from power plants located in southern parts of the country. The transmission line circuits have been connected with HVDC Converter Station at Matiari. In this regard a virtual ceremony of energization of transmission lines circuits was held at WAPDA House Lahore today. Managing Director NTDC Engr. Dr. Khawaja Riffat Hassan, Deputy Managing Directors, General Managers, Chief Engineers and other officers participated in the ceremony.

While elaborating the details of completed transmission line projects, the NTDC spokesman has said that two 500 kV transmission line circuits for direct connection from 1320 MW Port Qasim coal fired power plant to HVDC Matiari converter station has been energized. While other two 500 kV transmission line circuits for looping in/out with existing 500 kV Jamshoro-Dadu Circuit-I have been energized and connected with HVDC Matiari converter station at Hyderabad. Earlier, the said transmission line was feeding the grid through in/out arrangement at 500 kV Jamshoro-Dadu Circuit-II. These transmission lines shall result in connection of four more 500 kV circuits, in addition to the already commissioned four 500 kV circuits, which will further strengthen the 500 kV NTDC network at Matiari Converter Station. This will also help and facil-

itate for high power testing on ±660 kV HVDC Matiari – Lahore transmission line starting from 1st May 2021. The spokesman further said that for evacuation of electricity from Sindh based power plants, NTDC had planned 10 circuits/transmission lines, out of which, eight 500 kV HVAC transmission line circuits have been completed and energized. However, the remaining 02 transmission line circuits will be completed subsequently. These transmission lines will evacuate power from aforementioned power plant.

Consequently, this power will be transmitted to the Northern load centers of the country through ±660 kV HVDC Matiari– Lahore transmission line CPEC project.

Voices of reason fall silent CIty Notes M A NIAzI Journalists had a torrid time of it last week, for while they were engaged by the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) protests at the arrest of leader Saad Khadim Hussain Rizvi, they were also hit by the deaths of I A Rehman and Zia Shahid. Almost submerged was the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan, which in more peaceful times, would have been the focus of our attention.

While the general public was anxious to learn of what had caused the TLP to go wild, and block their roads, and whether anybody was doing anything about it, two very different journalists were passing away.

Rehman was also a human rights activist, working for many years with the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP). However, it was as a journalist that he was known. He was not just a human rights activist, but he was also a peace activist.

Zia Shahid was not known as an activist, but first as an employee of the most heavily circulated newspaper of the day, and then as the owner of several publications himself, he was the standard-bearer of a brand of popular journalism that cannot be ignored.

It was not that Rehman was an elitist, or that Shahid was anti-intellectual. But they represented two different strands of journalism, and both were content with that. I claim to be an heir to both, not because I am particularly intellectual or popular, but because I learnt something about my profession from both.

That populism is essential, because, as they say, who has seen the peacock dancing in the jungle?

Intellection is also essential, because unless one has thought through one’s position, how can one have anything to dance about? Without thinking, can you dance?

But neither death should obscure the great discovery that the Interior Ministry made during the TLP protests, and which I suspect will be used in future whenever the interior minister sees fit. They ordered the shutdown of all social media after Friday prayers.

Why did they not shut down mobile phones?

Of course, it was all Nawaz Sharif’s doing. In fact, I wonder why nobody has done anything to Sheikh Rasheed, who has shown by his complete silence how much of a patwari he is. Four people have been killed, all for the sake of the French ambassador. I wonder how he is feeling.

Poor Imran Khan, surrounded by traitors! Just look at Jehangir Tareen. He gathered even more Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and ex-PTI leaders and legislators at his court appearance on Saturday. One would have thought the judge would be more impressed by arguments from a good mouthpiece than the bald pates and potbellies on display. Imran himself has said that Tareen caused a huge loss to the national exchequer.

A little unfair for Tareen, I must say. Hopefully, there should be no hitch in his joining the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), should he be so inclined. Personally, I think he is being made to carry the can, just as Nadeem Babar is being made to carry the can for the fuel shortage. Now that Hammad Azhar has been

made the energy minister, he can work on laying the blame where it lies, with Nawaz.

Is Nawaz responsible for the killing of Daunte Wright, who was shot in a Minneapolis suburb even as a police officer is on trial for the killing of George Floyd, because of whom the Black Lives Matter movement started? Wright was killed by a police officer reaching for a Taser pulling out a pistol and firing it.

He was not suspected of a crime, just being pulled over for a suspected traffic violation. He was black. The policewoman was white.

Then there was the shooting of 13-year-old Adam Toledo, who was shot in Chicago, while raising his hands and after dropping his weapon. He was black. The policeman was white. It almost seems that the whole Black Lives Matter movement has failed, and white cops all over the United States are going back to what seems the reason they joined the force: killing blacks.

Well, at least we do not have that problem here. We are all blacks. So, the cops just kill, without bothering about race. They do not bother about guilt either, but hey, do not sweat the small stuff.

Monday, 19 April, 2021

LAHORE

NEWS

PESCO, SNGPL ORDERED tO Cut OFF POwER, GAS OF ILLEGAL hOuSING SOCIEtIES peSHAWAr

t

AZIZ BUNERI

HE Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has directed power supply companies not to stop providing electricity and gas connections to authorised housing societies in the province.

As per details, the KP Local Gov-

ernment Department has sent letters to Sui Northern Gas Pipeline (SNGPL) and Peshawar Electric Supply Company (PESCO) in this regard as the provincial government launches a crackdown against illegal housing schemes.

The letters request the companies to issue field officers instructions to only provide energy to societies which have

No meeting planned with Indian FM: Qureshi contInueD froM pAge 01

obtained NOCs from Tehsil and Town Municipal Administrations (TMAs) as well as local area authorities.

The list of housing societies approved by the Local Government Department has also been sent to both institutions.

On the directives of the federal government, the provincial government has launched a crackdown against illegal

housing societies in the province, including Peshawar, registering FIRs against the fraudsters.

Earlier in January, the Peshawar district administration banned all kinds of transfers and registries of plots in 181 illegal residential colonies including 25 schemes in Tehsil City, 123 in Tehsil Shah Alam, and 24 in Tehsil Saddar and nine in Tehsil Matani.

FBR, World Bank agree to enhance cooperation

They can be suggestive and facilitators but, ultimately, it is the people of South Asia who have to decide what kind of future they visualise for posterity. “Pakistan would appreciate anyone and everyone, including the UAE, playing a positive and constructive role,” he added. “The UAE has a large Pakistan and Indian diaspora. It recognises that Indians and Pakistanis have contributed to the development of the UAE and it has good relations with both. We are happy with the role it can play,” he said during an interview in Dubai on Sunday.

Bitcoin falls $8,000 to three week low NEW YORK: The biggest cryptocurrency by market value dropped from roughly $60,000 to $52,148 in 15 minutes during the Asian session, liquidating almost $4 billion worth of positions in the derivatives market. While the exact reason for the sudden crash is unknown, the market mood may have soured due to rumors that the U.S. Treasury is planning to charge several financial institutions for money laundering using cryptocurrencies. CoinDesk has been unable to independently verify any pending government action. Other altcoins such as XRP (-21.51%), polkadot, litecoin (LTC, -18.36%), bitcoin cash (BCH, -21.07%) have 17% to 20% in the past 24 hours, while dogecoin (DOGE, +17.47%) is nursing a 6% loss, as per CoinDesk 20 data.

Payments-focused XRP and meme cryptocurrency dogecoin recently saw huge retail-led price rallies as Coinbase’s hotly-anticipated listing on Nasdaq on April 14 created general euphoria around the sector. Bitcoin rallied above $60,000 in the days leading up to Coinbase’s listing and clocked a record high of $64,801 on April 14. AGENCIES

ISLAMABAD APP

Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Chairman Asim Ahmad and World Bank Country Director for Pakistan Najy Benhassine have agreed to enhance bilateral cooperation between the two institutions.

In a meeting on Saturday, the two heads discussed World Bank’s ‘Pakistan Raises Revenue’ program worth $400 million, which is aimed at domestic resource mobilisation through the automation of tax collection processes and simplification of tax compliance procedures.

The FBR chairman gave an update on the progress of the reforms agenda covering 10 Disbursement Linked Indicators (DLIs).

He also shared concerns about the difficulties

being encountered while implementing reform interventions such as problems associated to data sharing with provinces and the Sindh High Court’s stay on the track and trace process.

It was decided that the FBR reforms team would deliver a detailed presentation to Benhassine regarding the impediments being faced by the authority especially with regards to Component 1 of the reforms program, covering $320 million.

The FBR is on track to achieve most of the DLIs and has made good progress on automation of key business processes and signing of memorandums of understanding with various authorities for data sharing.

Benhassine agreed to look into concerns raised

by Ahmad over matters that are beyond the scope of FBR’s administrative authority.

Pakistan logs highest daily Covid-19 cases, deaths since last June contInueD froM pAge 01 VACCINATION OF PEOPLE IN 50-59 AGE GROUP: As cases increased and the country reported over 100 fatalities in a single day for the fifth consecutive day, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Saturday announced to start vaccinating people aged 50 to 59 from April 21.

“Decision taken in today’s NCOC meeting to start vaccination of people in the age group of 50 to 59 from Wednesday the 21st of April. Would once again encourage everyone to register for the vaccination,” Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar tweeted.

The government had launched the nationwide Covid-19 vaccination for the general public, starting with older people, in March. The drive began with a focus on the oldest people in the community, generally over the age of 80.

Pakistan has largely relied on donated or imported Chinese vaccines, which had been offered only to health workers and elderly people. But they have not responded in overwhelming numbers to the vaccination campaign, prompting officials to offer the vaccines to a younger cohort. Pakistan hopes to receive 15 million Covid-19 vaccine doses through the UN-backed COVAX programme by next month.

Last week, Asad had said that increased restrictions, broader lockdowns, and strong enforcement of standard operating procedures (SOPs) have started to give dividends.

The rising trend of positivity rate has been flattened, but the number of critical patients and mortality will stay at high levels for some time due to the momentum of the last two weeks, he had said.

So far, more than 1 million people have been vaccinated, and the total number of people who have regis-

tered themselves for vaccination is now over 2 million, according to the minister.

Private hospitals in major cities have also started inoculation with Russia’s Sputnik-V vaccine imported by a private pharmaceutical company.

Health experts believe that the variant of Covid-19 initially discovered in the United Kingdom has been behind the surge in the number of infections in the country.

“The new variant seemed to be more contagious and deadly, and the only way we can control it is to shut all kinds of activities that may play role in the spread of the disease,” Ejaz Ahmad Khan, an infectious disease specialist at the Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad, told Xinhua.

He said that the government is trying hard to control the situation, but the cooperation of the Pakistani people is also very important. “Solely, the government cannot take control of this fatal disease without our help.”

05

DRAP allegedly lobbying against private sector’s Covid-19 vaccine drive ISLAMABAD AHMAD AHMADANI

A lobby in the health sector is allegedly attempting to knock down the private sector’s Covid-19 vaccine facility with the help of the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP), Profit has learnt. According to sources, DRAP is allegedly playing in the hands of a lobby which is leaving no stone unturned to destroy the private sector’s efforts to vaccinate the public in the name of verification of cold chain monitoring and storage conditions of the vaccine supplied by the Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP). As per details, the regulatory body, through a letter dated April 7, had halted the administration of the products from private vaccination centres till the verification of cold chain maintenance and then strangely allowed its resumption the very next day with directions to make necessary arrangements like installation of alarm systems and training of employees for handling of temperature sensitive products. A copy of the letter available copy with Profit confirmed that teams of DRAP officers had inspected private vaccination centres in the federal capital on April 6 before barring them from operating. It is noteworthy that both letters were issued with the approval of DRAP’s chief executive officer (CEO).

Imports touch near three-year high Pakistan’s imports hit near three-year high of $5.66 billion in March with major contribution coming from import of wheat and sugar, oil and gas, fertilisers and pesticides, automobiles, mobile phones and machinery and equipment for industries.

However, according to a report by The Express Tribune based on data provided by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), persistent growth in imports – which grew over 71pc to $5.66 billion in March compared to $3.3 billion in the same month last year – may widen the country’s current account deficit. Exports increased 31pc to $2.36 billion in March compared to $1.81 billion in the same month last year. Import of oil and gas – mainly refined petrol and diesel – surged significantly ahead of the start of wheat harvesting season of FY21. The petroleum group imports surged 66pc to $1.1 billion during the month with refined petroleum products and crude oil imports increasing by 73pc and 97pc, respectively. The import of machinery group surged 72pc to $1.07 billion in March with power generators, mobile phones and apparatus and office and textile machinery imports steering the rise. The transport group imports soared 184pc to $322 million in March with automobiles, motorcycles and their parts showing a growth of 160-250pc in the month compared to the same month of last year. The import of agriculture and other chemicals surged 64pc to $907 million in the month with import of fertilisers and insecticides soaring by 100-136pc.

Textiles remained the singular largest export earning sector of Pakistan. It attracted almost 60pc of the overall export earnings. The export of textile group surged 30pc to $1.35 billion in March 2021 compared to $1.03 billion in the same month of last year, according to PBS. MONITORING REPORT

TLP mob attacks police station, holds personnel hostage contInueD froM pAge 01 The TLP also shared a video of a Punjab police official, who was purportedly abducted by its workers on Sunday. The injured official, seemingly under duress, said that an operation was being carried out to clear the area outside a police station when he was “captured” by the “enraged” crowd.

He said that three people were killed and several others sustained bullet wounds, appealing for a way forward through dialogue.

The government has arrested 1,400 workers. Paramilitary troops were deployed overnight to clear the protests, which has blocked rail tracks, highways and entry and exit routes to major cities, including Islamabad.

RIZVI’S CNIC BLOCKED: In a related development, the Punjab government blocked Rizvi’s computerised national identity card (CNIC) and placed his name in the fourth schedule of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA).

The Fourth Schedule is a list of proscribed individuals who are suspected of terrorism and/or sectarianism under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), 1997. Any individual placed on the watch list is bound to inform the respective police before leaving their hometowns and after return and about their activities.

A notification issued by the provincial Home Department on Sunday confirmed the same. According to the rules, Rizvi will now have to surrender his passport to the authorities.

The group has also been ordered to submit its income and expenditure for all social and political activities and disclose its income sources.

In a meeting of the Punjab Home Department on Saturday, it was suggested that the TLP chief’s and five other party supporter’s names should be placed on the Exit Control List (ECL). A request regarding the matter has been sent to the Interior Ministry.

Earlier this week, the National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA) had recommended the government to take over seminaries run by the party and crackdown on its sources of funding.

NO NEGOTIATIONS WITH TLP: Earlier, Federal Minister for Interior Sheikh Rasheed said the government was not negotiating with the outlawed TLP. “No negotiation process is underway with the TLP,” said the minister.

Giving details of the proscribed organisation’s blockage of roads and highways across the country, Rasheed said 192 locations across the country had been sealed by the banned outfit.

“The situation is a bit tense at Yateem Khana Chowk in Lahore where the Jamia Masjid Rahmatul Lil Alameen is located,” he said. “Currently, all roads including the GT Road and the Murree Expressway are open [for traffic],” he said.

cMYK

The minister said that the GT Road and all main arteries of the country will remain open on April 20. The minister was referencing the date as the banned outfit had planned a protest on April 20 over the alleged nonfulfilment of their demands.

Speaking about the proscribed organisation, Rasheed said that when an outfit is banned, the bank accounts and passports of its members are frozen by the government.

On the other hand, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry on Sunday said that the government believed in negotiations but would not be blackmailed.

In a statement, he said that police and Rangers personnel were abducted in Lahore and an operation was carried out after their abduction. Fawad said the state did not budge to the blackmailing tactics of the banned armed group. He said that Prime Minister Imran Khan, as a devotee of Holy

Prophet (PBUH) has raised the issue of Islamophobia on every forum.

TLP OFFICES SEALED: Meanwhile, the district administration and police in Attock sealed the offices of TLP as part of a crackdown underway against the militant group.

The drive was launched after the government banned the TLP and designated it as a terrorist organisation.

In Attock alone, the police arrested 73 workers of the party while its offices were sealed in Pindigheb and Jand towns of the city. Police said the crackdown was launched in line with the directions of the Ministry of Interior.

Mobile internet services remained suspended in several neighbourhoods of Lahore for the fourth straight day on Sunday.

The facility was blocked in areas including Allama Iqbal Town, Muslim Town, Moon Market, Wahdat Road, Gulberg, Shah Jamal, Shadman and Samanabad.

Monday, 19 April, 2021

06 COMMENT

Is the Pandemic Syndrome going to end?

Coronavirus threat

Vaccines are not going to be enough

T

He covid-19 pandemic is not going to be over anytime soon, not after the failure to control the emergence of deadlier new variants in India and Brazil. The result in both countries has been horrific, causing infection rates to spike, with their doleful trail of an increase in the number of deaths. even if it is conceded that Pakistan has so little contact with Brazil that its variant will not reach our shores without some intermediary, the same cannot be said about the Indian variant, because while there is no direct contact, there is considerable movement between Afghanistan and India, and then Afghanistan and Pakistan. However, there is absolutely no room for complacency. Germs find a way, and are no respecters of boundaries. These variants must be guarded against at a time when the country, along with the rest of the world, is already facing a third wave of the dread disease.

There seems to have been a public relaxation of precautions, with respect to both social distancing and mask-wearing, with the arrival of vaccines. While there have been inefficiencies in our rollout of the vaccine, it also seems clear that even the efficient rollout would not really have dented the coronavirus’s ability to wreak havoc. More pressing for the government is the need to get the citizenry to observe precautions. People have proven singularly thick-skinned, and are apparently ignoring all the appeals by government spokespersons, even the Prime Minister himself. However, the government has to do what it takes.

The government must prepare for an ordeal. The advent of Ramazan has not only brought with it an upsurge in congregations, but also the prospect of eid shopping. Many will remember the incredible scenes of last year, when all caution was thrown to the winds, and the surge of cases afterwards. With cases already surging, another surge may be added by new variants, while Ramazan shopping frenzy will add another. This will only mean the collapse of the healthcare system, which is already stretched to breaking-point. The National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC) has certainly got a lot on its plate, but it can only plan carefully to make sure that that plate does not break. To take one example, the recent Tehrik Labbaik protests created difficulties in delivering hospital supplies, including oxygen for covid-19 patients already fighting for their lives.

The race is on

Fahad Siddique

W

e have gone through a sudden period when an unseen and insignificant virus, one which is unknowing and uncaring, had gripped the entire world. The virus has ranged from the world’s supreme power, the USA, to the former superpower UK and other european countries and the emerging world power, China. Silence had brought death to every country and nation. Humanity, which was moving towards the destination of development, landed on the ground with a thud, everything fell to the ground, as the wheel of daily life stopped and even came to a standstill. We found out that life is a precious commodity that we did not value and that we did not understand its importance. The advent of the coronavirus has made us realize the value of life.

This era continues but in a new colour.

The first vaccine is being talked about in our media. The whole world is in a race to get it. Developed nations have started allocating budgets for this purpose. Nations like ours are also taking donations.

The limit is that there is some hesitation in knowing the negative or positive effects of the use of vaccines.

We are seeing a lot of enthusiasm for SOPs, and there is a lot of excitement about vaccinations, but beyond that, neither before nor after, we need to know and understand. Yes, although there are two opinions about vaccines in developed countries. Just look at the questions and answers that citizens ask their Government …

If I get vaccinated, can I stop wearing a mask?

Government says, NO. If I get vaccinated will the restaurants, bars, schools, fitness clubs, hair salons, etc. reopen and will

Going for Jahangir Tareen

T

He scene seemed familiar, but there was a twist.

The defendant in a criminal case appeared in court while accompanied by a number of political supporters. However, it was not some opposition figure in the dock, but PTI stalwart Jehangir Tareen, who until the sugar prices spiraled out of control, was as close to Prime Minister Imran Khan as anyone, and his companions were PTI legislators. Those were presumably among the MNAs and MPAs who attended the dinner at Mr Tareen’s house who expressed willingness to resign unless Mr Tareen was given justice.

One of the anomalies is that the charges against Mr Tareen do not involve the sugar scam. The FIR has been registered by the FIA for business malpractices, even though it should be the Securities and exchange Commission of Pakistan, which would file the FIR with the FIA as the complainant. Mr Tareen complains that he has been railroaded at the behest of opponents who have gained Mr Khan’s ear, which is why Mr Khan has resorted to such methods. The sugar crisis alone does not explain Mr Khan’s venom, for prosecuting Mr Tareen has not helped bring down the sugar price. Mr Khan himself has gone on record to say that the sugar cartel had cause the common man to pay out billions of rupees extra, but has not got the price down.

Mr Khan must count the political cost. While sitting on the files of some, by expediting the case against Mr Tareen, he is not just losing the services of Mr Tareen, but is creating a focus for opposition within the party.

He is likely to find himself paying a high political cost at the next election, when he will only be bereft of Mr Tareen’s advice on campaigning and on ticket selection, but of the logistical services which only he can provide.

This is apart from the cost of allowing intra-party resentments to build up around Mr Tareen, which is what is happening. While Mr Khan should not bend over backwards to get Tareen off the hook, he should also let him get a fair shake.

Wajeeha Bilal

W

ITH the advancement in science, the authenticity of certain beliefs has been questioned and tested at times. Universal moral beliefs cannot be explained by natural processes and thus require religion. Scientists and religious philosophers make different claims about reality and life, and the reason for these allegations differ as well. As humans we have always struggled with differences of opinion from all sectors that only results in confusion about our existence. But the wonderful thing about our humanity is that our unity is featured in many ways through certain traditions, that defy any scientific and religious contradiction.

A similar feature is fasting, one of the most healing traditions in human history. We might focus on harbouring our differences at times, nonetheless our unique identity is connected through a collective subconsciousness. We have all had one common objective since the beginning of times: our well-being that benefits our mutual existence. Learning to share love through our similarities and the abandonment of our differences is the key to connecting on a universal level. Common practices like fasting lay the foundation for such mutual benefits.

Fasting has been practised by humankind since the beginning of time. What all the great prophets and

Arif Nizami Editor Joint Editor

Umar Aziz Executive Editor

Lahore – Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965

The covid-19 vaccine does not provide immunity, does not eliminate the virus, does not prevent death, does not guarantee you won’t get it, does not stop you from passing it on to others, does not eliminate the need for mask-wearing and social distancing, does not eliminate the need for travel bans, does not eliminate the need for business closures, does not eliminate the need for lockdowns

Fasting has both spiritual and physical benefits

Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami

Managing Editor

term effects (still unknown) or die from the vaccine.

Will I (or my family) be compensated by the vaccine manufacturer or the government? The government answer, absolutely not, the government and vaccine manufacturers have 100 percent zero liability regarding this experimental drug.

So to summarize, the covid-19 vaccine does not provide immunity, does not eliminate the virus, does not prevent death, does not guarantee you won’t get it, does not stop you from passing it on to others, does not eliminate the need for mask-wearing and social distancing, does not eliminate the need for travel bans, does not eliminate the need for business closures, does not eliminate the need for lockdowns and if you take the vaccine and get harmed by it, the companies and the governments will not be liable and you’ll not be compensated.

In this era, the vaccine, as is being loudly propagated. In our case, has been made a matter of life and death. Fear is being spread. Therefore, the wealthy seem willing to pay up to Rs 20,000 for the vaccine. It is an obscure darkness. No one knows in which direction they are running. It looks like we are heading for an unknown deadly destination.

The writer can be reached fahadsiddique999@gmail.com and tweets @fahadsid999

at at

The unification of religion and science

Is the PM counting the political cost?

Yousaf Nizami Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

people be able to get back to work like normal? Government answers, NO. If I get vaccinated will I be resistant to Covid?

The government answers, maybe but we do not know exactly, so probably NOT. If I get vaccinated, at least I won’t be contagious to others – right? The government answer, NO, the vaccine does not stop transmission.

If I get vaccinated, how long will the vaccine last?

Government answer, no one knows, all covid vaccines are still in the experimental stage and it is likely you need to get boosters to stay current.

If I get vaccinated, can I stop social distancing? Government answer, NO. If my parents, grandparents, and myself all get vaccinated, can we hug each other again? Government says, NO. So, what is the benefit of getting vaccinated? The government answer is, “Hoping that the virus won’t kill you”.

Are you sure the vaccine won’t injure or kill me?

The government gives NO guarantees.

If statically the virus won’t kill me (99.97% survival rate), why should I get vaccinated? The government answers, to protect others.

So, if I get vaccinated, I can protect 100% of people I come in contact with? Government answer, NO, absolutely not.

If I experience a severe adverse reaction, long-

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Karachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9

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apostles had in common was that they all practised fasting. An egyptian saying goes, “Humans live on one-quarter of what they eat; on the other three-quarters lives their doctor.” Plato fasted for greater mental efficiency; the “Luther of Medicine”, Paracelsus, called fasting “the greatest remedy”. Fasting contrasts with starvation in one critical way; food is simply accessible, but you choose not to eat it, for a period.

Fasting has been practised for centuries but only recently studies have proved its role in reducing oxidative damage and inflammation, boosting energy and longevity. It has the ability to delay aging and prevent diseases by reducing the side effects caused by chronic dietary interventions.

Dr. James Fung, a leading global expert on intermediate fasting, has reformed the concept of fasting through the many benefits that result from it.

The process of fasting entails insulin levels, signalling the body to start burning stored energy in the absence of frequent meals.

Based on studies, it helps in clearing the bodies’ systems of toxins and promoting autophagy; a process that can help people lose weight, improve brain function, promote longevity, strengthen the immune system, and contribute to self-enlightenment. Autophagy helps you to get rid of faulty parts, stops cancerous growths, and stops metabolic dysfunction like obesity and diabetes. Mark Mattson, a professor of neurosciences, stated that fasting stimulates the production of neurotrophic growth factors, which promote the growth of new neurons in the brain.

The benefits of fasting go beyond weight loss and scientific research. Fasting has been used for the purification of the soul, a mechanism that is common to all sanctified religions. It is a religious tradition that helps to inculcate proper discipline and a fine way of following the routine of self-control. every

Islamabad – Ph: 051-2204545

year, millions of Muslims abstain from eating or drinking from sunrise (Sahr) to sunset (Iftar) throughout the holy month of Ramadan, for about 30 days.

In Islam, fasting is mainly a means to attain spiritual enlightenment and self-mastery. The Holy Quran says: “O believers! Fasting is prescribed for you— as it was for those before you— so perhaps you will become mindful of Allah.” (ii. 183).

Science and religion are based on different aspects of human experience, yet the knowledge possessed by the mind is alleviated through a soulful connection to the heart. Among Allah’s greatest blessings are human minds that can analyze facts which lead to scientific discoveries, which can only result in the strengthening of faith rather than a rejection of it. No fact or faith can divide the world as long as social practices that exist for our mutual well-being are used for enlightening the mind and the soul. The social feature of fasting in Ramadan is that it brings people together to experience mental awareness, religious piety, and devotion.

Thus, the whole Ummah, a word that defies every national border, race, or ethnicity, is inspired by the love of God. Abu Huraira reported Allah’s Messenger (PBUH) as saying: When Ramadan begins, the gates of Heaven are opened, the gates of Hell are locked, and the devils are chained (Bukhari and Muslim).

Fasting with its spiritual and moral significance encompasses a social responsibility that is driven into human consciousness as a religious fact. It is the focus on our similarities (both religious and scientific) not the differences that helps in a true advancement of the human race. Fasting on its own would not be that easy but knowing that we are joined by the entire Ummah in observing our spiritual practice is not only assuaging but an endearing emotion that boosts our natural well-being.

Fasting with its spiritual and moral significance encompasses a social responsibility that is driven into human consciousness as a religious fact. It is the focus on our similarities (both religious and scientific) not the differences that helps in a true advancement of the human race.

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Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk

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The writer is a published author. Her work includes “The Conscious Ego” and “The Beautiful Present”

Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

Monday, 19 April, 2021

COMMENT 07 Editor’s mail Send your letters to: Letters to Editor, Pakistan Today, 4-Shaarey Fatima Jinnah, Lahore, Pakistan.

E-mail: letters@pakistantoday.com.pk Letters should be addressed to Pakistan Today exclusively

Method to prevent child kidnappings CHILD kidnappings are a big issue in Pakistan. Children are being kidnapped every other day. However, the government can still resolve this issue.

One way the government can resolve this issue is by advising parents, especially parents who have children under 12 years old, to not let their children go out alone. The government could further advise these parents to accompany their children whenever their children wish to go outside.

In many of the child kidnapping cases, it was reported that the victims were kidnapped when they went out to buy things from a shop near their homes. even in a case that occurred in September 2020, the victim was kidnapped when the victim went to a shop to buy a food item. Therefore, if the government advises parents to accompany their children, when their children wish to go out, child kidnapping cases could be significantly reduced.

HafSa HuSSain KaRaCHi

Quarantine life

Kashmir Crisis: A challenge to world conscience The failure to end resistance should tell the world that the people must be let free

dr Ghulam NaBi Fai

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eNJAMIN Franklin, a signer of the U.S. Declaration of Independence from Britain, and a man responsible for negotiating a treaty between the colonies and France, asked, “When will mankind be convinced and agree to settle their difficulties by arbitration?”

Perhaps the simple answer to that is that it will occur when power is distributed among men in such a way that it cannot be abused by any individual or nation, and that both personal and national sovereignty is once and for all respected.

Franklin was in fact a loyalist, a man who believed that the king should have more power (it was simpler), but became a patriot and ultimately a believer in liberty and the self-determination of those who wanted to escape tyranny, Franklin obviously believed that resistance by the colonies was a preferable route to capitulation. “They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety”,“ he wrote, “deserve neither safety nor liberty.” With sufficient resistance one has the strength to demand negotiations if winning outright isn’t in the cards. A man who is weak can demand nothing.

The need for both resistance and arbitration in the case of Kashmir is obvious, but we have a balance of power problem just as the colonies did in the beginning. India’s 900,000-plus troops stationed in Kashmir combined with its control over local law enforcement presents a difficult, if not insurmountable, challenge to those willing to resist the foreign occupation.

The presence of such a large number of troops plus 73 years of conflict would seem to most observers a clear indication that Kashmir’s differences with India are intractable and irresolvable given the persistent resistance, despite the serious imbalance of power between the two.

While a lot has been said during the last few sessions of the United Nations General Assembly about international peace and security on one side and conflict resolution on the other, all emphasized the need for cooperation and not confrontation. However, in the end, it was clear that every member nation wanted cooperation that would serve only its own national interest and

not cooperation to serve humanity or the interests of other nations or peoples.

The vision of former Danish PM Lars Lokke Rasmussen, “Today the world again faces a situation where cooperation and dialogue is all too often replaced by force and violence” can hardly be disputed by anyone.

Dr. Syed Nazir Gilani is correct when he said, “If America and Britain could take recourse to humanitarian intervention in Russia and Morocco in 1891 and 1909 to ensure the protection of Jews and Christians, the OIC should have no hesitation to live up to its duty to the Muslims of Kashmir against the inhumane and degrading treatment and killing at the hands of Indian occupation forces” Former US President Barack Obama said, “It is these international principles that helped constrain bigger countries from imposing our will on smaller ones… On this basis, we see some major powers assert themselves in ways that contravene international law.”

Quite true, obviously. But of course President Obama was subtly pointing fingers at Russia and perhaps it would be well if President Obama’s own foreign policy advisors had given heed. US military interorvention in numerous countries in the last three decades, directly or indirectly, such as in Syria, is a matter of history. Zbigniew Brzezinski, national security advisor to President Carter, had proposed that we “disarm” the Russian ships supporting Assad. President Putin had however suggested that Russia’s presence in Syria should lead to negotiations to settle the political differences involved. None of this bloodshed and the displacing of millions of Syrians would have occurred if that had been the policy to begin with.

I fail to understand who prevents these world leaders from using their moral authority to persuade violators of international laws, like India in Kashmir, to abide by these principles.

Perhaps international arms sales and the general military-industrial complex that seems to have a firm grip on foreign policy priorities, might offer a clue, and when world leaders are complicit, it is rather difficult for them to hold any moral high ground with respect to one’s partners. Observing the democratic process and civility in international affairs seems too great a request for people who lack both the will to act responsibly and the maturity to understand the proper role of civil servants of society.

I believe the best way to resolve the Kashmir conflict which directly affects the peace and stability of India and Pakistan is through listening to Mahatma Gandhi, the father of the nation of India who said on 29 July 1947 in Delhi, “The real sovereign of the state are the people.

The ruler is a servant of the people. If he is not so then he is not the ruler. This is my firm belief, and that is why I became a rebel against the British - because the British claimed to be the rulers of India, and I refused to recognize them as such. In Kashmir too the power belongs to the public. Let them do as they want.”

The refusal by India to sit down at the table

with Pakistan or those who represent the aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir indicate that India is not even close to addressing the realities of Kashmir and the will of the people.

This must change. Peace in the region would benefit not only those who are directly impacted by this conflict but India as well, whose economy is seriously drained by the maintenance of such a massive number of troops in Kashmir, and the diversion it creates from other challenges it faces in raising the living standards of its population. Sounder minds must prevail.

More rational methods of dealing with differences must be sought. Repeating the same mistakes while expecting different results has long ago been found to be the path of failure. Seventy-three years should demonstrate a need for a change in policy, a policy that accepts the need for coming together in a process that accepts the right of people of Jammu and Kashmir to determine their own destiny.

The USA has urged both India and Pakistan to settle the Kashmir conflict and come to the table, but it knows much better that bilateral talks have always failed. Third-party engagement or facilitation is needed as it yielded results in persuading India and Pakistan to reach a ceasefire agreement on 25 February 2021 after a lapse of 18 years.

Then Vice-President Biden shook the conscience of the world powers when he spoke about the situation in Bosnia in the United States Senate on 13 December 1995, “A decade and a half ago, war tore this country apart and left at least 100,000 dead… and millions homeless.

The genocide at Srebrenica brought home the unspeakable savagery of that war to the world.

It was a call to conscience. My country– for too long on the sidelines– could no longer stand by.”

President Biden should know that in Kashmir too more than 100,000 people are dead and ‘Genocide Watch’ has issued a Genocide Alert for Kashmir on 15 August 2019. Perhaps, now is the time that President Biden should listen to President John F. Kennedy who spoke at the UN General Assembly on 25 September 1961 “That continuing tide of self-determination, which runs so strong, has our sympathy and our support…

My nation was once a colony, and we know what colonialism means; the exploitation and subjugation of the weak by the powerful, of the many by the few, of the governed who have given no consent to be governed, whatever their continent, their class, or their color.”

Without the support of the USA, the likelihood of the Kashmir conflict dissolving into open warfare again, as it has in the past, with a cost of hundreds of thousands of lives, seems unavoidable. Intervention is of paramount importance by the Biden Administration, for the sake of international peace and security in the region of South Asia and beyond.

Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai is the Secretary General, World Kashmir Awareness Forum, Washington, D.C. He can be reached at: 1-202607-6435 or gnfai2003@yahoo.com

We have been facing and watching this problem for a long time.Due to coronavirus everyone self-quarantines at their homes. And due to quarantine people have been change their routine during these days. People sleep late night and wake up late morning which is also not good for our health. We should follow our old routine which was before this situation.

Some people spend their time playing games like ludo stars etc. Which is very common nowadays. But I think we should spend this time by worshiping Allah. Reciting Holy Quran and pray dua from Allah to forgive us .we should help poor and needy people in these days .for which Allah will reward us inshallah.i am university student I would suggest all these days are very beautiful worship Allah a lot spend more time in worshiping Allah .As we know Ramadan is also coming soon. Prepare yourself for Ramadan. Almost there would be 60% people is recite holy Quran the other is not have not reciting Holy Quran. I am talking about those who have thought holy Quran and are not reciting. I just wrote this letter in simple words so everyone should read this. It’s very Important to understand that we should spend this time by worshiping Allah nowadays.

While sitting free. Kindly please we are Muslims our mission is to happy Allah by worshiping Allah. stay home stay safe but worship Allah and recite holy Quran It’s a student advice. faTiMa GuL iSLaMaBaD

Helping hands “‘Your charity is not accepted until you believe,” “I need the reward more than beggar need the money.”’

Usman ibn Affan(R.A) AFTeR the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, hirelings are suffering from hard times. Many agencies and other social workers are helping them.

But many people are taking it as a way of getting fame, they are helping needy persons with selfies and making videos. Some of them are spreading their fake numbers on social media to make fun of a needy. One of my friends used that fake contact to get help but all in vain. Despite us praying to Allah for our forgiveness we are making fun of needy persons. I argue with all who are doing this kind of thing, please don’t play with someone’s needs because it is not a right way of helping. If you really want to help someone then please help in a way that they don’t feel shame and give lots of prayers to you, and please don’t be worried about your reward.

Allah knows everything.

TuBa SHEiKH iSLaMaBaD

State and religion ReLIGION has always been made a cats paw in Pakistan so as to unify the divided nation on religious lines . Very sorry to say , such policies have always been backfiring , be it Islamization of Zia or giving Kashmir issue a religious colour . The more we make our nation religious the more irrational they become . Pakistan has been witnessing under-developed human resources . Major chunk of our population is emotionally and religiously charged . They can easily be mobilized against minorities and each other on sectarian rifts . Besides, fundamentally religious masses have been challenging the writ of the state by opposing decisions of the government .

Recently , the clerics have announced not to act upon the decision of social distancing . They have rather announced to attend congregation every now and then . The government should take serious notice of the issue . It should also bring radical shifts in its policy paradigm so that religion should be confined to one’s personal interest rather than national interest.

MuHaMMaD SHaHRaM BHuTTo HyDERaBaD

Another virus?

HANTAVIRUS is another virus which is spreading very rapidly and it’s again because of rats . Hantavirus is named for the Hantan River area in South Korea where an early outbreak was observed and was isolated in 1976 by “Ho Wang Lee”. According to researchers, hantavirus is transmitted to people by rodents such as mice and rat. Hantavirus is an infectious disease . Transmission occurs when direct or indirect contact is made with the saliva or waste products of rodents that carry the virus.

Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome is most common in rural areas of Western United States , South America , Canada and now in Asia . early symptoms include fatigue , fever and muscle aches, especially in the large muscle groups ____ thigh , hips , back and shoulders . There is no readily available test to diagnose HPS or even hantavirus infection. Also, there is no specific treatment, cure or vaccine for hantavirus. HPS can be a fatal.It has a mortality rate of 38%. 4 out of 10 patients with HPS do not survive their illness. So, everyone needs to be much careful as it’s also very dangerous and deadly virus.

ZaRa HaBiB RawaLpinDi

Monday, 19 April, 2021

08 WORLD VIEW

Israel stands alOne On Iran IT IS NOW CLEAR THAT ISRAEL HAS BEEN LEFT ON ITS OWN AS THE AMERICANS STRIVE FOR A DIPLOMATIC RESOLUTION OF THE CONFLICT WITH IRAN

Al-MoNitor

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Ben CaSpit

T Gen Gregory Guillot, head of the US Central Command’s Air Force, visited Israel at the end of February. His host, Air Force Commander Maj. Gen. Amikam norkin, took him up personally on an F-15 Eagle for a bird’s eye view of Israel’s borders. The three-star general was also treated to an unprecedented tour of the subterranean operations and control center of the Israeli air force. As norkin was briefing his guest underground, things were heating up at street level. A rocket was fired from the Gaza Strip into Israel’s south, Israel and Syria traded rockets in the north, and other launches were detected elsewhere. The giant map of the air force operations headquarters lit up and norkin assured Guillot that this was not a show put on for his benefit. This is live, it’s happening in real time, norkin told him.

The visiting general was exposed at once to the capabilities of Israeli intelligence, its ability to deal with every rocket launch in real time, to know just where each

will land and to synchronize the response of all the antimissile interception and radar units from one single nerve center. Overflying Israel on the F-15 tactical fighter, Guillot was surprised by the country’s very small size and narrow “waistline” — central Israel, which measures fewer than 20 kilometers (12 miles) in width (not counting the West Bank). It took the plane minutes to traverse the entire State of Israel from east to west.

Guillot’s late February visit reflects the extent of cooperation between the various Israeli and American defense and intelligence agencies, which has been experiencing a golden age in recent years. Israel is the only country in the world other than the United States in which a prototype of the F-35 Stealth fighter is being upgraded with additional armaments and fuel tanks. Israel is the only country permitted to install its own domestically developed technology on the advanced aircraft, which will allow it to share the F-35’s sophisticated command and control system with older fighter planes in the Israeli fleet, such as the F-15 and F-16.

These capabilities, as well as being the only country in the world to dispatch the Stealth on real time operational missions on a daily basis, have drawn the attention of many other air forces. The extensive cooperation with the British, Italian, Greek, German, Emirati and other air forces is breaking all records. Israel’s two main defense assets — the absolute control of the skies over the Middle East and the seemingly inexhaustible information collected by its intelligence community — have turned Israel into a magnet for international cooperation, ardent courting and joint drills.

However, the picture is bleak for Israel’s diplomatic posture on the world stage. Israel is experiencing “withdrawal symptoms” from the high it enjoyed for four years of the Donald Trump presidency. Unlike the welcome presence in many countries of Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi, Mossad director Yossi Cohen, norkin and other top brass, Israel’s foreign affairs arena is under threat of international boycott from Washington and elsewhere.

The businesslike but chilly tone adopted by US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on his visit to Israel on April 11-12 is just the tip of the iceberg with which Israel risks colliding in the coming months. Although this has not been completely verified, Israel apparently did not convey to the Americans in full a detailed warning of the operations and attacks it allegedly planned to mount on Iranian targets over the past two weeks — with suspicious timing proximity to the renewal of talks with Iran on its nuclear program and Austin’s visit to Israel.

Is Israel branding itself, for the second time in six years, as a confrontational power raining on official international parades, as the “enfant terrible” sticking its tongue out at the entire world regarding the handling of the Iran problem? Either Israel has failed to properly heed the lessons of its 2015 clash with Washington (over the Iran nuke deal) or, what is worse, Prime Minister Benjamin netanyahu is ignoring them because he is in dire need of a security and diplomatic emergency in order to form his next government. After the March 2020 elections, he used the coronavirus crisis to rope Blue and White party leader Benny Gantz into joining his govern-

ment, in violation of his pledge to voters. A year later, he is seemingly trying to drum up an escalation vis-a-vis Iran, probably for a similar reason.

Israel has adopted a policy of deliberate ambiguity regarding its low-intensity warfare with Iran, the socalled war between the wars. A long string of attacks on vessels smuggling Iranian oil and/or weapons has been attributed to Israel over the last three years. In recent weeks, however, Israel appears to have abandoned this clandestine posture and displayed a seeming interest in being blamed for certain actions against Iran.

Three such operations have occurred in recent weeks: An airstrike on weapons depots near Damascus, the sabotage at Iran’s uranium enrichment facility in natanz and the Red Sea attack on an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps vessel used to stage operations and gather intelligence. Iran, which usually ignores such attacks and focuses instead on what it perceives as its primary mission — the lifting of the international sanctions crippling its economy — seems to have had a change of heart. On April 13, an Israeli-owned merchant ship — MV Hyperion Ray — was attacked near the Gulf of Oman in the third operation of its kind in two months.

Shortly after, The new York Times reported that senior Israeli officials have conveyed messages to the effect that Israel would not respond to this latest attack, which caused minor damage, and is seeking instead to restore a measure of calm in the arena.

Did someone in Jerusalem get cold feet in view of the speedy escalation of the shadow war with Iran? Has Defense Minister Gantz finally realized the kind of ride netanyahu is taking him on and made it clear he would not let Israel be dragged into a full-scale war? We may soon know more about this dynamic. One thing is certain: Israel has been left more or less on its own to face the US alignment with its allies in striving for a diplomatic resolution of the conflict with Iran rather than escalating sanctions and clashes. Israel’s new allies in the Gulf are backing it up, in silence, but on the real front vis-a-vis the world, Israel stands glaringly alone.

Biden finally got to say no to the generals CRITICS BE DAMNED, THE PRESIDENT IS ENDING THE FOREVER WAR WAGED

BY BUSH, OBAMA, AND TRUMP IN AFGHANISTAN

New Yorker

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SuSan B GlaSSer

n Wednesday, Joe Biden announced the close of the two-decade-long American war in Afghanistan, giving the U.S. military a deadline of the upcoming twentieth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks to withdraw all remaining troops. “It’s time to end the Forever War,” he said, in a speech that was both deeply personal and politically emphatic. Speaking from the White House Treaty Room, where George W. Bush had declared the start of the fight, to root out Al Qaeda and its Taliban enablers, Biden declared that there would be no more extensions of the American military presence, rebuffing pleas of the teetering, pro-Western Afghan government and his own generals. It’s finally, really, for-better-or-worse over. I guess this is how eras end: not with a culminating battle or some movie-thriller crescendo but with a Tuesday-morning leak to the Washington Post and, a day later, a fifteen-minute Presidential speech confirming the historic decision.

Biden pulled the plug in an unsentimental, sober address, with the only passionate notes reserved for the U.S. military personnel who have served in Afghanistan and Iraq over the two decades, including his late son Beau. “War in Afghanistan was never meant to be a multigenerational undertaking,” he said. The President seemed genuinely sick and tired of the endless pleas for just a little more time. “So when will it be the right moment to leave?” he said, pointedly summarizing the arguments that he had dismissed. “One more year? Two more years? Ten more years?” he asked.

On Wednesday, he made the case that the U.S. had long since accomplished its original objectives of neutralizing the Al Qaeda threat from Afghan territory and bringing justice to the 9/11 perpetrator Osama bin Laden. But no amount of clear-eyed argument from Biden could erase the embarrassing historical fact that Afghanistan has now banished another superpower.

America did not lose the war—not exactly—but it did not win, either. And, as Biden pointed out, it could never, in recent years, provide a plausible explanation of what achieving its goals would look like.

Many questions remain, of course: Will there be an iconic, helicopter-out-of-Saigon moment? (Answer: not if the U.S. military can help it.) Will Afghanistan fall victim to the bad- or worst-case scenarios that experts have been warning about for all these years, from a renewed Taliban dictatorship, to vicious factional

street fighting in Kabul, to human-rights catastrophes for Afghanistan’s women and girls? Will international jihadists use the country once again as a base for planning terrorist attacks? To anyone who remembers what happened in Iraq after the U.S. departure, in 2011— when the Islamic State swept across a large swath of both Iraq and Syria and nearly rode into Baghdad itself—these are not abstract fears.

As soon as Biden’s decision was announced, both Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and the Republican senator Lindsey Graham, and also a few Democrats, criticized the move. For the past four years, they had invoked those same scary scenarios in seeking to persuade Donald Trump to keep a U.S. presence there, despite the former President’s repeatedly stated intention to get out. McConnell, with what seemed like an unusually high quotient of political chutzpah, called “precipitously withdrawing” American forces from Afghanistan “a grave mistake.” Whatever you think of Biden’s decision, after twenty years, it is certainly not precipitous.

Progressive Democrats, on the left, and Trumpian America Firsters, on the right, were more supportive, but Jack Reed, the Democratic chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, spoke for many—from both parties—in Washington’s national-security establishment when he called Biden’s decision a “tough call on what may be the least of many bad options.” The tepid support also surely reflected the fact that Biden’s decision went against the Washington consensus, which had continued, more or less, since the later Bush years and through the, Obama and Trump Presidencies. In February, 2020, the Trump Administration signed a deal with the Taliban that pledged a U.S. troop exit by May 1st of this year, in effect kicking it to his successor to ratify or reject the decision.

In the end, though, Biden’s call was not surprising.

Last november, I asked Kori Schake, a veteran of Bush’s Pentagon and national Security Council, what to make of Trump’s post-election push to withdraw the troops before the end of his term, a desire that seemed to influence his decision to fire his Defense Secretary, Mark Esper. (Trump, in fact, seemed to have fired Esper mostly out of pique, having harbored a monthslong grudge against his Defense Secretary for apologizing that he took part in Trump’s controversial Lafayette Square photo op, during last year’s Black Lives Matter protests.) Wasn’t it just another problem for Biden to deal with, I asked? “Looks to me like a gift,” Schake replied, “though that was clearly not Trump’s intention.” By extending Trump’s deadline from May 1st to the politically charged date of September 11th, Biden added months to Trump’s deadline and enabled himself, as Schake told me, on Wednesday, to “strike the pose of looking more cautious” than Trump while still leaving responsibility for the deal on Trump’s ledger, should things go sour. That could be a gift, indeed, and Biden took pains to emphasize in his

speech that the deal was one he “inherited.”

But the truth is that Biden’s decision to leave Afghanistan very much reflects his long-held views. He has pushed to exit Afghanistan ever since he was Obama’s Vice-President. In 2009, he hand-wrote a memo and faxed it to Obama, urging him to refuse to agree to the military’s proposal for a large surge of additional troops into what Biden already viewed as a dead end. Biden lost that argument but never ceded the point, and the subsequent years have proved him right about the bloody stalemate that resulted: an Afghan government shored up by the United States but never strong enough to defeat a resurgent Taliban or negotiate a viable peace deal. Many experts in Washington judged the military impasse as an unfortunate but acceptable trade, given the unpalatable alternatives. not Biden. He recalled in his speech on Wednesday that, back in 2008, he had travelled to Afghanistan, at Obama’s request, to evaluate the situation firsthand. He said he had come essentially to the same conclusion then that he reached anew this week: the U.S. mission as it evolved over time was doomed to failure, because “endless American military force could not create or sustain a durable Afghan government.”

A week after the 9/11 attacks, when I was a Moscow correspondent for the Washington Post, I went to interview Boris Gromov, who had commanded the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan after that country’s own disastrous, decade-long war there. Gromov’s solitary walk across the Friendship Bridge and back to Soviet territory, on February 15, 1989, was a symbol of superpower humiliation just as resonant for Russians as the helicopter taking off from the rooftop in Saigon, in 1975, is for Americans. Gromov warned that, despite what seemed like overwhelming advantages for the United States at the time, it, too, would face a “sea of bloodshed” in going to war in Afghanistan.

His warning was prescient, informed by history and dreadful personal experience, but not even a Russian general would have predicted in the fall of 2001 that the United States would still be on the ground in Afghanistan two decades afterward. The sheer length of the conflict, and the American public’s essential indifference to it, have obscured the fact that the U.S. long ago abandoned, in reality if not in rhetoric, the pretense that this was a war that could be won. There simply was no political appetite for the investment of troops and of money that would have been required.

That led to a large and growing gap between the outsized, even hyperbolic political conversation surrounding Afghanistan as an endless war—America’s longest—and the policy debate surrounding what to do with the small, largely counterterrorism-focussed U.S. force there, a force that in recent years rarely took casualties and engaged in little to no combat. Of the 2,488 U.S. fatalities in Afghanistan, which Biden cited during his speech, some two thousand occurred a decade or more ago. The last U.S. combat fatality in the country

was fourteen months ago. There are currently about two hundred thousand U.S. troops deployed overseas, but just thirty-five hundred are stationed in Afghanistan.

The real debate in successive White Houses has been over whether this force should remain there to serve as a hedge against Al Qaeda, ISIS, or other terrorist groups. But the debate was rarely framed that way publicly, nor was it this week.

“Biden Sets End Date for nation’s Longest War,” the banner headline in Wednesday’s Times read. In truth, the Afghan war will go on, just without the United States participating in it. The annual Global Threats Report, issued by the U.S. intelligence community this week, was both grim and clear on this point.

The “prospects for a peace deal will remain low,” the report says, because the Taliban leadership is “confident it can achieve military victory.” After twenty years of war in Afghanistan, the report devoted only a couple of bullet points to the conflict. This is what moving on looks like.

For several hours before Biden’s speech, his newly appointed intelligence leaders testified before Congress about that global-threats assessment. Afghanistan rated only a couple of questions, and also a muted, if sobering, acknowledgement from Bill Burns, the new C.I.A. director, that the U.S.’s capacity to collect information on potential terrorist threats coming from Afghan territory “will diminish,” and that there will be “significant risk” once the U.S. withdrawal is complete. “That is simply a fact,” he said.

The world of 2021 is just not the world of 2001.

The list of more pressing concerns—recited by Avril Haines, the director of national Intelligence, and elaborated on in the report—began with an aggressive China and extended to Russia, Iran, north Korea, cyberattacks, climate change, global pandemics, financial crises, rising authoritarianism, international terrorist groups, and, in a striking acknowledgement for this annual national-security ritual, domestic violent extremists, such as the pro-Trump mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol, on January 6th. no wonder that Mark Warner, the Democratic chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, called Haines’s testimony “a list of about as many awful things as I have heard in ten minutes as I may have heard in recent times.”

Biden’s withdrawal from Afghanistan must be understood in that context. After a pandemic that has killed close to six hundred thousand Americans, new thinking about what constitutes a threat to the United States is desperately required. More Americans were dying every day during the pandemic’s height than in the entire two decades of the U.S. involvement in the Afghan war. And it was Americans seeking to stop the peaceful transfer of power who attacked the seat of American government, in January. national security is no longer a matter purely of foreign policy. Biden admitted he was making a choice, and maybe it will even prove to be the wrong one. But it’s a choice, he said, to “fight the battles for the next twenty years—not the last twenty.”

Susan B. Glasser is a staff writer at The New Yorker, where she writes a weekly column on life in Washington.

She co-wrote, with Peter Baker, “The Man Who Ran Washington.”

Monday, 19 April, 2021

BUSINESS 09

LAHORE corporate corner celebrate the month with Huawei’s Super Solid Ramzan Deals KARACHI: To celebrate the blessings of Ramadan, the global technology leader - Huawei is offering many highvalued free-gifts for its customers upon the purchase of some of their bestselling devices. The buyers of HUAWEI Nova 7i and the HUAWEI Y7a device will get four fascinating gifts absolutely FREE! These include: a branded JBL speaker, Huawei P-47 wireless headphones, a Coco’ Bluetooth Speaker and a stylish table lamp.

Other customers can also choose to get any one of these fabulous rewards if they purchase a HUAWEI Y6p, Y8p, Y9a, Y6s or Y9 Prime. This offer will remain valid from April 12, till May 11, for purchases made from any Huawei outlet across Pakistan. PRESS RElEASE

Pride of Pakistan: three Pakistani students make acca’s global toppers list KARACHI: The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) has announced the pass rates of its latest exam sitting for March 2021 and three students Kahaf Moid, Fakiha Maqsood and Ali Shan from Pakistan are on the list of its global prizewinners who’ve made the country proud by scoring highest marks among all exam sitters from around the world. Kahaf Moid from Karachi has scored highest marks in Audit and Assurance paper.

Fakiha Maqsood from Faisalabad is the global topper and has scored the highest marks in Advanced Taxation paper. She has also achieved the highest marks by any student in Pakistan in the Strategic Business Reporting exam. Ali Shan form Karachi has scored the highest marks in Financial Reporting exam and has been declared the global prizewinner outshining students from around the world. PRESS RElEASE

ISLAMABAD: Extreme Commerce MagnaCarta College (ECMCC) and Pearson UK join hands for the delivery of BTEC Higher Nationals (Level 4 and Level 5) qualifications in computing and business acceptable across the globe in a ceremony at Serena Hotel Islamabad. PR

KARACHI: Dawlance celebrates its 40th anniversary by launching a special-edition product range. PR

KARACHI: KE celebrates the planting of 100,000 mangroves and launches a drive for plantation of 100,000 more mangroves in partnership with Pakistan Coast Guards as part of the environmental and social implementation programme for BQPS – III. PR

KARACHI: TPL Trakker turns billboard campaign waste material into sustainable initiative by donating the panaflex skins used in their out-of-home campaign to Ra’ana Liaquat Craftsmen’s Colony, (RLCC) and GarbageCAN, empowering hundreds of women across Pakistan by having the panaflex skins up-cycled into making beautiful bags, keychains and other resalable products. PR

SugaR cRiSiS intenSiFieS in PunjaB'S PRovincial caPital LAHORE

D

SHAHAB OMER

ESPITE the government’s claims, the sugar crisis in Lahore could not be overcome and has instead intensified, leaving citizens worried to due to the product’s unavailability in markets during Ramzan.

Vendors of departmental stores said that they were unable to get sugar for customers as it is not available in any of the main wholesale markets.

On the other hand, Utility Stores have laid down a unique condition for giving sugar, making it mandatory to buy other goods worth Rs1,500 for two kilogrammes of sugar.

It may be mentioned here that the government is taking action against the sugar mills and hoarders.

A local vendor, Tariq Shah, informed the scribe that crowds seeking

POLICE RAIDS VARIOUS WAREHOUSES, RECOVERS HUNDREDS OF SUGAR BAGS to buy are coming on a daily basis.

“The situation is even more testing as sugar is used in most of the items made for iftari or sehri,” he said.

Similarly, customers at Ramzan Bazaars in the provincial capital were made to wait in long queues for a mere two kilogrammes of the commodity as well.

Muhammad Arshad, a customer in Ramzan Bazaar, was disappointed at the scenario and said, “I came here early in the morning but the line is so long that I am still here, empty handed despite the passage of hours.”

Sugar is also unavailable in departmental chain stores of Lahore.

Saleem Akhtar, a customer at a departmental store, was of the opinion

that people should stop eating sugar and opt for gurh or shakar (jaggery). “This is a very distressing situation in Ramzan. I have purchased gur and shakkar now and will not get the even when it is available in the markets.”

When the spokesperson of district administration was asked about the hoarding, he replied that Assistant Commissioner (AC) City, Faizan Ahmed, had raided a warehouse in Begum Kot and seized 230 bags of sugar.

“Similarly, AC Shalimar Mansoor Qazi seized 360 bags of sugar in a warehouse at Garhi Shahu while AC Model Town Ibrahim Arbab also took action and fined ANF Mart Kahna, Rs60,000 for selling sugar at Rs95 per kg.

According to the spokesperson,

Pakistan likely to lose $60m loan due to vested interests of bureaucracy

ISLAMABAD SHAHZAD PARACHA

Pakistan is likely to lose a $60 million concessional loan due to vested interests of the bureaucracy, Profit learnt on Sunday.

Sources said that Pakistan and the World Bank had signed a $188 million concessional loan programme, The Pakistan Hydroment and Climate Services Project, to tackle climate change and natural disasters after approvals from CDWP and ECNEC. Under this project, Pakistan has to develop a strong and robust early warning system so that timely outlook, forecast and warnings can be issued to different segments of society including disaster management authorities, the transport and aviation industry, and most importantly farmers who face the brunt of weather calamity.

“The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has to use $60 million funds while a grant of $128 million to provinces for the climate proj-

ect,” sources said, adding that the department has also prepared a comprehensive project with the support of WB and World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) experts to modernise the early warning and meteorological system.

However, sources claim that the current PMD Director General (DG), Muhammad Riaz, has opposed this project as he was neither a part of the team which prepared it nor did he have a formal role in its implementation.

“Instead, he wants to replace it with his own project for which there is no funding and has therefore been misguiding the new Secretary Aviation, Shoukat Ali, and delaying the approval of PC-1,” they added.

Sources also said that the DG has expressed his opposition to the project at a high-level forum chaired by Planning and Economic Affairs Division (EAD) ministers, which caused Pakistan quite an embarrassment in front of the donor organisation as the project has already been signed whereas the Ministry of Planning has already written a letter to the Aviation Division to submit the PC-1.

Under these circumstances, the EAD and WB have expressed grave concerns about this delay in implementation.

Profit learnt that DG Muhammad Riaz’s actions would most likely lead to the cancellation of the concessional financing which had been converted into a grant for PMD. The scribe approached both secretary Aviation and the PMD DG for their comments on this issue but no response was received till the filing of this story.

stored sugar bags will be sold to vendors in different markets at wholesale rates. “Hoarding is not allowed at all.

Deputy Commissioner (DC) Lahore, Mudassar Riaz, has directed to continue a strict crackdown on hoarding,” he added.

When contacted by Profit, DC Mudassar Riaz denied the shortage and said that the district administration has made the best arrangements at the sugar stalls in the Ramzan bazaars.

“Citizens are not facing any difficulties as sugar is being available at Rs65 per kg in Ramzan markets,” he said.

He also said that chairs were installed in all Ramzan bazaars in Lahore two days ago for those who may have to wait to buy anything due to rush hour.

“Men and women are buying sugar with dignity and respect. There is no queue of any kind on sugar stalls,” the Lahore DC said.

FBR warns taxpayers of fake emails The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) on Saturday clarified that the revenue body had not sent any emails regarding income tax defaulters list. In a statement, the revenue body said that it had received information that some hackers were misusing the name of the FBR to fetch the financial data from the people. These fake emails instruct the targeted taxpayers to check the attached Income Tax Defaulters List for their details. Likewise, some emails pretending to contain the password for the attached defaulter list are also being sent to the taxpayers.

FBR has warned that the attachments with such fake emails are infected by harmful viruses and malware. "This nefarious activity apparently by some hackers is a type of spamming used to send viruses and malwares to the taxpayers and other users. To assist taxpayers how to tackle such fake emails, FBR has also provided guidance to the taxpayers which can be seen on www.fbr.gov.pk," the statement said. "Taxpayers are advised to avoid such emails. The emails are being sent from alert@fbr.news which is not an official email address of the FBR," the statement added. MONITORING REPORT

KARACHI: BankIslami has partnered with TPL Life to offer a consolidated Covid-19 Shariah compliant takaful plan for customers’ the entire family with up to Rs30,000 initial benefits upon diagnosis and further hospital cash assistance for each member. PR

Taiwan says it has never sought to use exchange rate for trade advantage TEIPEI AGENCIES

Taiwan has never sought to use foreign exchange rates to gain an unfair trade advantage, the central bank said on Sunday, after the U.S. Treasury said Taiwan tripped thresholds for possible currency manipulation under a 2015 U.S. trade law.

The U.S. Treasury Department on Friday refrained from formally labelling Taiwan, along with Switzerland and Vietnam, as manipulators, citing insufficient evidence under a separate law.

Taiwan’s tech-focused exports have soared during the COVID-19 pandemic because of global demand for laptops, tablets and other equipment to support the work-from-home boom, driving its trade surplus with the United States and jacking up the value of the Taiwan dollar .

The China-U.S. trade war has also boosted U.S. demand for Taiwanese technology.

In a statement, Taiwan’s central bank said it had provided a report to the United States ahead of the Treasury’s decision suggesting they suspend the three criteria used to judge manipulation during the pandemic.

“Due to the special circumstances during the U.S.-China trade dispute and the COVID19 pandemic, the current three U.S. inspection standards should not be used as appropriate indicators for the U.S. to assess the economic, trade and exchange rate policies of its trading counterparts,” it said.

Those thresholds are a more than $20 billion bilateral trade surplus with the United States, foreign currency intervention exceeding 2% of gross domestic product and a global

CMYK

current account surplus exceeding 2% of GDP. The central bank said that when communicating with the United States it had emphasised that Taiwan’s exchange rate policy “aims to maintain an orderly foreign exchange market and financial stability, and has never intended to gain unfair trade advantages”.

Given the global free movement of capital, most foreign exchange transactions have “little relevance” to the import and export situation, it added. “The huge and frequent movement of international funds has become the main cause of exchange rate fluctuations.”

The central bank also noted the close and mutually beneficial bilateral trade relationship Taipei and Washington have, and that they are “important partners in the technology supply chain”.

KARACHI: Soneri Bank Limited has entered into a formal arrangement with Elahi CMC Limited which will not only increase accessibility to finance customers but also bridge the credit financing gap by creating a reliable end-to-end solution for the storage of stocks as effective security for all sorts of businesses inclusive of SMEs, corporate and commercial entities. PR

KARACHI: Team Jubilee Life wins the Insurance Premier League 2020-2021, Season 3. PR

Monday, 19 April, 2021

10 FOREIGN NEWS

LAHORE

‘DIrE nEED of bEDS, oxygEn’: InDIA’S cApItAl unDEr SIEgE from covID-19

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AGENCIES

NDIA’S capital New Delhi recorded 25,500 coronavirus cases in a 24-hour period, with about one in three people tested returning a positive result, its chief minister said, urging the federal government to provide more hospital beds to tackle the crisis.

Less than 100 critical care beds were available in the city of more than 20 million people, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Sunday, as social media was flooded with people complaining about lack of beds, oxygen cylinders and drugs.

"The bigger worry is that in last 24 hours positivity rate has increased to around 30%

from 24% ... The cases are rising very rapidly. The beds are filling fast," Kejriwal told a news briefing.

In a separate statement, the city government said it had informed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's federal administration about "the dire need of beds and oxygen" and beds were now being set up in schools.

New Delhi, which has imposed a weekend curfew, is among the worst hit cities in India, where a second major wave of coronavirus infections is straining health infrastructure. Nationwide, India reported 261,500 new cases on Sunday, taking the total number of cases to nearly 14.8 million, second only to the United States, which has reported more than 31 million infections.

AlExEI nAvAlny’S DAughtEr SAyS hE nEEDS A Doctor The daughter of hunger-striking Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny called on Russian authorities on Sunday to allow a doctor to treat her father in prison, a day after a group of medical professionals warned he is at risk of kidney failure. Navalny, a fierce opponent of Russian President Vladimir Putin, started refusing food on March 31 in protest at what he said was the refusal of prison authorities to provide him with proper medical care for acute back and leg pain. Prison authorities say they have offered Navalny proper medical care but that the 44-year-old opposition politician has refused it and insisted on being treated by a doctor of his choice from outside the facility, a request they have declined. "Allow a doctor to see my dad," Navalny's daughter Dasha, a student at Stanford University, wrote on Twitter. A medical trade union with ties to Navalny said on Saturday he was in critical condition, citing medical tests that it said showed that Navalny's kidneys could soon fail, which could lead to cardiac arrest.

A group of actors, writers, historians, journalists and directors, including Jude Law and J.K. Rowling, wrote an open letter to President Vladimir Putin on Friday urging him to ensure Navalny gets medical care. A group of opposition regional lawmakers also called on Putin on Saturday to make sure Navalny is properly treated. In a television interview with the BBC, Russia's ambassador to Britain accused Navalny of attention-seeking. AGENCIES

Saudi and Iranian officials held talks to patch up relations Senior Saudi and Iranian officials have held direct talks in a bid to repair relations between the two regional rivals, four years after they cut off diplomatic ties, the Financial Times reported on Sunday, citing officials briefed on the discussions. The first round of Saudi-Iranian talks took place in Baghdad on April 9, included discussions about attacks on Saudi Arabia by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi group and were positive, the FT report added, citing one of the officials. Saudi authorities did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment, and Iranian officials were not immediately available for comment. The FT said a senior Saudi official denied any talks with Iran. Iraq's prime minister visited Saudi Arabia late last month. The report comes as Washington and Tehran try to revive a 2015 nuclear accord to which Riyadh had been opposed and as the United States presses for an end to the Yemen conflict, seen in the region as a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Riyadh has called for a nuclear deal with stronger parameters and said Gulf Arab states should join any negotiations on the accord to ensure that this time it addresses Iran's missiles programme and its support for regional proxies. Saudi Arabia and its allies supported former US President Donald Trump's decision in 2018 to quit the world powers' nuclear agreement and reimpose sanctions on Tehran, which responded by breaching several restrictions on its nuclear activities. AGENCIES

IAEA confirms Iran has started enriching uranium to 60pc purity Iran has started the process of enriching uranium to 60% fissile purity at an above-ground nuclear plant at Natanz, the UN nuclear watchdog said on Saturday, confirming earlier statements by Iranian officials. The move has complicated talks aimed at reviving Iran's nuclear deal with major powers as it is a big step towards producing weapons-grade uranium. Iran had previously only reached 20% purity, and that was already a breach of the deal, which says Iran can only enrich to 3.67%.

Iran made the step up to 60% in response to an explosion that damaged equipment at the larger, underground Fuel Enrichment Plant at Natanz. Tehran has blamed Israel and named a man wanted in connection with the blast. "The Agency today verified that Iran had begun the production of UF6 enriched up to 60%... at the (above-ground) Natanz Pilot Fuel Enrichment Plant," the International Atomic Energy Agency said in a statement. UF6 is uranium hexafluoride, the form in which uranium is fed into centrifuges for enrichment. AGENCIES

The country's deaths from Covid-19 rose by a record 1,501 to reach a total of 177,150.

As cases rise across India, criticism is mounting over how Prime Minister Narendra Modi's administration has handled the health crisis, as religious festivals and election rallies attended by thousands continue.

India’s government relaxed almost all lockdown curbs of last year by the beginning of 2021, although some regions including New Delhi and the state of Maharashtra, home to financial hub Mumbai, have introduced localised restrictions.

While Mumbai remains under curfew on all days as per state guidelines, New Delhi has allowed cinema halls to operate at 30% capacity and people to move freely during

weekdays. "There is no option but to lockdown Delhi for 1-2 weeks," said Dr. Ambrish Mithal, a top doctor of endocrinology and diabetes at hospital operator Max Healthcare, adding that weekend curfews "won't do". "(The) situation is unmanageable at present," he said on Twitter.

ELECTION RALLIES: Amid reports of severe shortage of oxygen supplies and critical medicines such as the anti-viral drug Remdesivir, Modi on Saturday asked authorities to pull out all the stops to ramp up production of Covid-19 vaccines and asked his teams to work closely with local governments. But opposition parties, including the Congress party, criticised Modi for addressing large election rallies to help his Hindu

nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) win the state assembly election in the eastern state of West Bengal. Addressing a large gathering of his supporters in West Bengal on Saturday, Modi said: "I can see a sea of masses. I haven't seen a rally like this."

The Aam Aadmi (Common Man) Party, which is in power in the capital, New Delhi, mocked Modi's political rallies by posting pictures on social media of funeral pyres at overburdened crematoriums of the city.

"I deplore his (Modi's) remarks," Yashwant Sinha, a former cabinet minister who broke away from the BJP, said on Twitter, adding that they were insensitive.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi - who has also addressed election rallies in recent weeks - said on Sunday he was suspending all his public rallies in West Bengal.

Amit Shah, the government's interior minister and Modi's close aide, addressed an election rally in the state on Sunday which was attended by thousands of people, few of whom followed social distancing norms, according to a video on his Twitter account.

Adding to the crisis, at least five coronavirus patients died in a hospital fire late on Saturday in Raipur, the capital of the central state of Chhattisgarh.

Czechs expel 18 Russian envoys, accuse Moscow over ammunition depot blast AGENCIES The Czech Republic is expelling 18 Russian diplomats over suspicions that Russian intelligence services were involved in an ammunition depot explosion in 2014, its government said on Saturday.

The central European country is a NATO and EU member state, and the expulsions and allegations have triggered its biggest row with Russia since the end of the communist era in 1989.

Its actions could prompt Russia to consider closing the Czech Republic’s embassy in Moscow, a diplomatic source cited by Russian news agency Interfax suggested. Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis said in a briefing shown live on television that there was “well-grounded suspicion about the involvement of officers of the Russian intelligence service GRU... in the explosion of an ammunitions depot in the Vrbetice area.”

Several explosions shook the Vrbetice depot, 330 km (205 miles) southeast of Prague, in October 2014, killing two employees of a private company that was renting the site from a state military organisation.

Babis called the circumstances “unprecedented and scandalous”, while a Russian lawmaker cited by Interfax described his allegation as absurd.

The US embassy in Prague said on Twitter that

Washington “stands with its steadfast ally, the Czech Republic. We appreciate their significant action to impose costs on Russia for its dangerous actions on Czech soil.” Acting Czech Foreign Minister Jan Hamacek said the 18 Russian embassy staff, identified as secret service personnel, would be ordered to leave within 48 hours.

LINK TO SKRIPAL POISONING? Hamacek drew a parallel with the poisoning of Russian spy Sergei Skripal in Britain in 2018, and Czech police said separately they were searching for two men carrying Russian passports in connection with serious criminal activity in the names of Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov.

Those were the aliases used by two Russian military intelligence officers who British prosecutors charged with Skripal’s attempted murder. They and Moscow both denied involvement. [nL8N2MA0FD] Hamacek said he had “decided to expel all personnel at the Russian embassy in Prague who were clearly identified by our secret services as officers of Russia’s secret services, SVR and GRU.” The Interfax news agency cited Vladimir Dzhabarov, first deputy head of the upper house’s international affairs committee, as saying Prague’s claims were absurd and Russia’s response should be proportionate. Skripal and his daughter Yulia were

Myanmar junta chief to attend ASEAN summit in first foreign trip since coup AGENCIES Myanmar junta chief Min Aung Hlaing will attend an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Indonesia on April 24, Thailand said on Saturday, for his first known foreign trip since he seized power on Feb. 1.

Myanmar has been in upheaval since Min Aung Hlaing ousted an elected government led by democracy champion Aung San Suu Kyi. Security forces have killed 728 people, according to an activist group, in an attempt to crush protests.

In the latest violence, security forces shot and killed two protesters in the ruby-mining town of Mogok, a resident told Reuters, while several small

bombs went off in the main city of Yangon, wounding several people, media outlets reported.

Myanmar's neighbours have been trying to encourage talks between the junta and the ousted government, but the military has shown little willingness to engage. Several of the 10 ASEAN leaders, among them Min Aung Hlaing, confirmed they would attend the meeting in Jakarta, Thai foreign ministry spokesman Tanee Sangrat said.

A spokesman for the junta did not answer calls seeking comment. Pro-democracy politicians including ousted members of parliament on Friday announced the formation of a National Unity Government (NUG) including Suu Kyi and leaders of the anti-coup protests and ethnic minorities.

poisoned with a nerve agent in the English city of Salisbury in March 2018.

The attack prompted the biggest wave of diplomatic expulsions between Moscow and the West since the Cold War. Czech police said Petrov and Boshirov, whose whose birth names British government documents have given as Alexander Mishkin and Anatoly Chepigas, had also used a Moldovan passport in the name of Nicolai Popa and a Tajik one issued in the name of Ruslan Tabarov.

Police said both men were believed to have been in the Czech Republic from Oct. 11 until Oct. 16, 2014, the day of the explosion. They were first in Prague and later in the eastern regions, which is where the depot is based.

Russia would not extradite them, Interfax said, citing an unnamed source.

“Russia’s main law prohibits the extradition to a foreign state of Russian citizens accused of committing a crime on the territory of a foreign state,” the source was quoted as saying. Babis said the Czech investigation linked the suspects to a Russian military intelligence GRU unit 29155. The New York Times reported in 2019 that 29155 was an elite unit inside the Russian intelligence system skilled in subversion, sabotage and assassination.

The NUG has called for international recognition as the legitimate authority, and requested an invitation to the ASEAN meeting in Min Aung Hlaing's place.

It could not immediately be reached for comment.

NEW YEAR AMNESTY: The junta released 23,184 prisoners from jails across the country on Saturday under a New Year amnesty, the Prisons Department said, though few if any democracy activists arrested since the coup were thought to be among them.

Saturday is the first day of Myanmar's New Year and the last day of a five-day holiday that is usually marked with visits to Buddhist temples and raucous water throwing and partying in the streets.

Suu Kyi is among 3,141 people arrested in connection with the coup, according to a tally by the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP).

"These (freed) detainees are mostly from before Feb. 1 but there are also some who were imprisoned afterwards," Prisons Department spokesman Kyaw Tun Oo said by telephone.

China, US agree on need for stronger climate commitments AGENCIES China and the United States agree that stronger pledges to fight climate change should be introduced before a new round of international talks at the end of the year, the two countries said in a joint statement on Sunday. The statement came after a meeting between Chinese climate envoy Xie Zhenhua and his U.S. counterpart, John Kerry, in Shanghai on Thursday and Friday, China's environment ministry said.

"The United States and China are committed to cooperating with each other and with other countries to tackle the climate crisis," their joint statement said.

The two countries will continue to discuss "concrete actions in the 2020s to reduce emissions aimed at keeping the Paris Agreement-aligned temperature limit within reach."

Kerry arrived in Shanghai on Wednesday night under tight COVID-19 protocols and was transferred to a secluded hotel not open to the public. He subse-

quently traveled to Seoul.

His stop in Shanghai was the first high-level visit to China by a Biden administration official since the new president took office, and followed a contentious exchange between officials from the two countries in March in Alaska.

The talks also mark a resumption of climate dialogue between the world's two biggest greenhouse gas emitters. Bilateral discussions ground to a halt during the administration of Donald Trump, who withdrew from the 2015 Paris agreement after claiming it unfairly punished U.S. businesses.

The United States is expected soon to deliver a new pledge to reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in a bid to win back trust from foreign allies. Biden brought the United States back into the Paris climate accord. Li Shuo, senior climate adviser for the environmental group Greenpeace, said China could soon respond to a new U.S. pledge with one of its own, building on the "momentum" of the Shanghai talks.

"The statement in my view is as positive as the politics would allow: It sends a very unequivocal message that on this particular issue (China and the United States) will cooperate. Before the meetings in Shanghai this was not a message that we could assume," Li said.

Biden will hold a virtual summit for dozens of world leaders this week to discuss climate change, to be livestreamed for public viewing. Global climate talks are scheduled Nov. 1-12 in Glasgow.

The statement said the two countries also agreed to discuss specific emission reduction actions including energy storage, carbon capture and hydrogen.

They said they would take action to maximise financing for developing countries to switch to low-carbon energy sources. The Paris agreement encourages countries to submit more ambitious climate pledges if they are able to do so. China has already promised enhanced actions as it tries to meet its goal to become "carbon neutral" by 2060.

Monday, 19 April, 2021

SPORTS 11

LAHORE

Laporta certain Messi wiLL stay after Leading Barca to cup gLory ARGENTINE DELIVERED A VINTAGE PERFORMANCE IN SATURDAY’S 4-0 WIN OVER ATHLETIC BILBAO IN THE COPA DEL REY FINAL SEVILLE

B

AGENCIES

ARCELoNA president Joan Laporta said he was very confident Lionel Messi would choose to stay at the club after the Argentine delivered a vintage performance in Saturday’s 4-0 win over Athletic Bilbao in the Copa del Rey final.

Messi scored a sensational individual goal midway through the second half after strikes from Antoine Griezmann and Frenkie

de Jong had put the Catalans in charge.

He then adorned an outstanding display by netting again before lifting the trophy for the seventh time in his career, his first since becoming club captain in 2018.

Barca’s all-time top scorer and most decorated player has only two months left on his contract and tried to leave last year after falling out with then-president Josep Maria Bartomeu. But Laporta, who presided over Messi’s rise to stardom in his first stint as Barca chief and was elected for a second time last month, said he felt the captain

would stay at the club where he has spent his career since joining aged 13.

“Leo is the best player in the world and has a very strong bond with the club. I’m convinced he wants to stay and we’ll do everything in our hands to make sure he does,” Laporta told reporters. “Today he could see he is backed up by a great team who are capable of playing beautiful football.” Messi gave no hints about his future but commended his side for overcoming a terrible start to their season to go and win the Copa and rejoin a thrilling three-way race for

‘Swiss system’: What a reformed Champions League will look like

PARIS AGENCIES

Plans to radically reform the UEFA Champions League are set to be approved on Monday, when they will be at the top of the agenda at an executive committee meeting of European football’s governing body.

The plans — which are supposed to stave off the threat of a breakaway Super League — are already an open secret.

This is how things are set to change: The changes are essentially all about creating a new format for the group stage, replacing the existing structure in place since 2003. At the moment 32 clubs enter the group stage and are split into eight groups of four teams, who play each other home and away with the top two in each

group advancing to the last 16.

It is understood the plans will see the number of teams in the group stage increase to 36. Discussions have been ongoing about who the additional berths will go to. British newspaper The Times recently reported that two extra spots would go to the clubs with the best coefficient who fail to qualify via domestic competitions but have qualified for the second-tier Europa League.

However European Leagues, a body representing the interests of clubs and leagues in 30 countries, has said it is against places being attributed on historical merit and insists the make-up of European competitions “should reflect the current state of domestic competition”.

France, which is Europe’s fifth-

ranked nation but currently only has two guaranteed places in the group stage, should get an extra spot. The plans will see a complete overhaul of how the group stage works.

Teams will all be placed into one giant pool and will each play 10 games in a socalled ‘Swiss system’ more commonly associated with chess. It is also used in the European petanque championships.

For the draw, clubs will be split into four pots of nine based on UEFA coefficients. Teams will play against 10 different sides, with five games at home and five away. At the end of this phase, the top eight sides will go through to the last 16, with the bottom 12 eliminated.

Meanwhile the sides finishing between ninth and 24th position will play two-legged play-offs, with those between ninth and 16th drawn against a side finishing from 17th to 24th. The winners of those ties will complete the last-16 line-up, with the losers dropping into the Europa League. At the heart of the reforms is the desire to play more games, stated explicitly by Andrea Agnelli earlier this year.

“It is our strong view that more European matches are welcome,” said Agnelli, who is the chairman of the powerful European Club Association as well as Juventus.

This system certainly offers that.

Each team will play 10 group games instead of six, meaning an overall explosion of the number of matches, with 180 in the group stage instead of the current 96.

Flick ready to walk away as one of Bayern Munich’s most successful coaches BERLIN AGENCIES

Hansi Flick wants to walk away from Bayern Munich after an 18-month odyssey saw him go from interim boss to Champions League and treble-winning head coach, yet looks likely to end amidst bitter acrimony.

Flick’s bombshell announcement on Saturday that he wants to terminate his contract comes just eight months after Bayern beat Paris Saint-Germain in last season’s Champions League final.

“It was important for me to tell the team, because we have worked together successfully for almost two years now,” a tense-looking Flick said after a 3-2 win at Wolfsburg. His drawn demeanour was a far cry from the intense celebrations in the Bayern camp after Flick masterminded a jaw-dropping 8-2 thrashing of Lionel Messi’s Barcelona in last season’s Champions League quarter-finals. Under Flick, Bayern had already secured the Bundesliga and German Cup before their sixth triumph in Europe’s premier tournament.

After winning the Champions League, Bayern swept up all before them, adding

the German Super Cup and UEFA Super Cup, before lifting the Club World Cup title in Doha last February.

Flick’s rise was all the more stunning as he was only initially appointed caretaker coach when Niko Kovac was sacked in November 2019. It was the 56-year-old’s first job as a Bundesliga head coach.

“We can all be happy that we chose Hansi Flick and put our trust in him,” said club chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge after Bayern won the Champions League final in Lisbon. “He’s returned that trust a hundredfold.” Yet things have unravelled behind the scenes in the weeks since Bayern were crowned club world champions as tensions simmered between Flick and sports director Hasan Salihamidzic.

Disagreements about player recruitment and squad planning took a toll.

Tensions boiled over after Salihamidzic confirmed Jerome Boateng will not be kept on next season. Flick made it clear he wanted to keep the 32-year-old centre-back. A barrage of questions about his dealings with Salihamidzic resulted in a four-minute monologue last Friday from an exhausted-looking Flick, who first

hinted he was considering leaving.

Flick’s patience was so stretched that he insisted on replying “Next question” whenever asked about Salihamidzic. Sky pundit Lothar Matthaeus has repeatedly predicted Flick would leave at the end of the season because his working relationship with Salihamidzic is no longer “fixable”. Bayern fans will be furious that Flick wants to leave, even after the holders exited the Champions League quarter-finals on Tuesday at the hands of Paris Saint Germain. In a poll by Munich-based paper TZ, 89 percent want the treble-winning coach to stay on. Flick insists his future next season is unclear, but Saturday’s announcement makes him the favourite to replace Joachim Loew as Germany head coach after the Euro 2020 finals.

Flick’s rise to become one of the most successful coaches in Bayern’s history reads like a fairytale, but he had already won football’s biggest prize.

During his 18 months in charge, Flick has put into practice what he learnt in eight years as assistant coach to Loew until walking away after the national team won the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

CMYK

the La Liga title alongside leaders Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid.

“We struggled to get going in the first half of the season and lost a lot of points by being naive but then we got a lot stronger, started playing really well and got ourselves back into the fight,” he said.

Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman paid tribute to Messi and also gave a special men-

tion to Dutch midfielder De Jong, who got two assists in addition to scoring the second goal. “Leo has spent years demonstrating that he is the best player in the world and he was very effective today although we should also highlight what Frenkie did as well as the rest of the team,” he added.

“We played at an extraordinary level tonight and we deserve this Cup.”

Novak Djokovic to host Serbia tournament a year after Covid fiasco BELGRADE AGENCIES

World number one Novak Djokovic will relaunch the Serbia open tournament in Belgrade on Monday, less than a year after a charity event he organised in the city ended in fiasco.

Djokovic was among several players to test positive after last year’s event, which was held in front of thousands of fans with no social distancing. organisers insist that the forthcoming ATP clay court event scheduled for April 19-25 will be very different — no fans will be allowed and Covid protocols will apply. The Novak Tennis Centre in Belgrade will also stage a second clay court event from May 24 on the eve of Roland Garros.

Apart from Djokovic, other top players in Belgrade this week event will include Italy’s Matteo Berrettini as well as Russian sensation Aslan Karatsev who made the Australian open semi-finals earlier this year. The tournament is organised by the 33-year-old’s family with his younger brother Djordje acting as director, and will be played in his “Novak” facility where he regularly trains.

The Serbian capital stepped in, relaunching the Serbia open after a nine-year hiatus, after Budapest withdrew from organising a tournament. Fans will not be allowed in the stands, while the players will have to follow “strict security protocols” prescribed by the ATP, Djordje Djokovic told the N1 TV channel. “Masks will be mandatory, inside and outside. We want to respect the rules in order to protect the players.” He added that the players would be housed in “controlled spaces”, noting that “isolation is currently a necessity”. According to tennis expert Nebojsa Viskovic, organising the tournament by the book is crucial to revamp the world num-

ber one’s tarnished reputation as a host.

“The organisers will certainly want to improve this image (of Djokovic) and this is what motivated their decision that there would be no audience this year,” Viskovic told AFP. Months after tennis went into lockdown last March, Djokovic launched an illfated charity competition in Belgrade.

The Adria Tour packed in 4,000 spectators, players shook hands and took selfies with fans, and ball boys and girls handled sweaty towels. Djokovic and other tennis stars including Dominic Thiem and Alexander Zverev were heavily criticised after being photographed partying shirtless at a teeming Belgrade night club.

The inevitable happened. Djokovic and his wife Jelena were among a clutch of people linked to the event to test positive for the virus — Grigor Dimitrov, Borna Coric and Viktor Troicki also falling ill.

The tournament — branded by the media as a “coronavirus horror show” — was abruptly cancelled because of the infections, Djokovic later saying he was “deeply sorry” that the tournament “caused harm”.

However, the Adria Tour was held in accordance with Serbian regulations at the time — most restrictions had been lifted ahead of parliamentary elections. “We trusted the Serbian government’s coronavirus rules, but we have been too optimistic,” Thiem, who tested negative, said after the tournament.

According to Viskovic, players were also “a little too euphoric” at getting back to the game in front of the fans after months of isolation. “After all, they are only human”, he said. “Perhaps the criticism was too harsh, the organisers did not do anything against the rules,” Serbian player Troicki told AFP. He said the Adria Tour perhaps came too soon, but insisted “this time there will be no problems”.

Fernandinho backs treble-chasing Man City to recover from FA Cup loss LONDON AGENCIES

Manchester City skipper Fernandinho said Saturday’s 1-0 FA Cup semi-final defeat by Chelsea was difficult to take but he backed the team to overcome the disappointment and focus on their upcoming challenges.

Eight-times FA Cup winners Chelsea advanced to another final thanks to a secondhalf goal by Hakim Ziyech. The result ended City’s dream of an unprecedented quadruple of titles, but Fernandinho said they were beaten by the better side.

“It’s a big disappointment to lose an FA Cup semi-final - it’s hard to take. It was an important match for us but they were a bit better than us... congratulations to them,” Fernandinho told reporters.

City, who are 11 points clear at the top of the Premier League, take on Tottenham Hotspur in the League Cup final later this month and are in the Champions League semi-finals where they face Paris St Germain.

Midfielder Fernandinho said his side had to turn their attention to Wednesday’s league game at Aston Villa. City need 11 points from their six remaining games to secure a third league title in four years.

“For the team, which wants to fight for every trophy, we have to refocus as soon as possible and tomorrow we’ll focus on the game at Villa, then the League Cup final,” Fernandinho said.

“Every game we have to be ready to give our best.” City’s defeat was overshadowed by a an ankle injury to playmaker Kevin de Bruyne in the second half.

Monday, 19 April, 2021

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CambrIdgE Exams To TakE PlaCE PEr sChEdulE, ConfIrms EduCaTIon mInIsTEr islAmAbAd

E

staff report

DUCATIoN Minister Shafqat Mahmood announced Sunday confirmed that the Cambridge Assessment International Education (CAIE) date sheet will be followed for the A, AS, o level and IGCSE exams.

The above was announced by the education minister in a series of tweets following a meeting with education and health ministers from all the provinces, as well as Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB).

“There will be no delay or cancellation,” he said.

Moreover, he stated that those students who wish to take their CIEs in the october/November session instead will be allowed to do so in the same fee they have paid already.

“Meeting was also informed that Cambridge has decided not to give teacher assessed grades this year therefore those not taking exams will take them in the next cycle oct/Nov,” the minister said on the mirco-blogging site.

Cambridge has also assured that all standard operating procedures (SoPs) will be strictly followed, the education minister added.

Last month, Shafqat had announced an-

nual assessments for o-level and International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE), previously due to start on May 15, would now begin from May 10.

In a tweet, the minister had said that the decision was taken at the request of CAIE. “After consultation with provinces/stakeholders we have agreed.

Now o level/IGCSE [exams] will start from May 10,” the tweet had read.

In an attached letter, CAIE chief executive officer (CEo) Christine ozden had said that the earlier start would “help us to enable many more students to progress and their

equivalence in the education system will be fairer as they will have a better chance to demonstrate what they have learnt”.

Meanwhile, Punjab Education Minister Murad Raas announced on Sunday that in-person classes for classes 9-12 in coronavirus-affected districts of the province will resume from Monday with 50 per cent attendance on alternate days.

“Classes 9,10,11,12 will open tomorrow April 19th, 2021 with 50% students on Monday and 50% on Thursday,” he said in a tweet.

In March, educational institutions in

seven cities of Punjab were closed down for two weeks in light of rising Covid-19 cases.

Raas said that a staggered approach will be implemented in order to mitigate the virus spread.

He was referring to an earlier tweet in which he had announced the resumptions of classes for grades 9-12 in Lahore, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Sheikhupura, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Sialkot, Multan, Toba Tek Singh, Sargodha, Bahawalpur, Rahim Yar Khan, and Dera Ghazi Khan.

The minister had said the remaining districts would follow their regular schedule. on the other hand, Sindh Education Minister Saeed Ghani announced on Sunday that the provincial government has suspended classes for grade 1 to grade 8 till May 1.

The government initially suspended grade 1-8 classes for two weeks starting April 6. However, it has now extended the suspension in all public and private schools across the province.

The decision was taken in view of a surge in coronavirus infections, Ghani said on Twitter. Educational institutes may continue to educate students online, through homework and other sources, he said.

Classes for 9th, 10th and 11th and 12th grades may continue with 50% attendance in schools and colleges, according to the minister.

At UN, Pakistan calls for universal vaccine coverage to combat Covid-19 NEW YORK CiTY staff report

Pakistan ambassador at the United Nations Munir Akram has said universal vaccine coverage is the “only realistic way out” of the coronavirus pandemic.

In his closing statement at “A Vaccine for all” — a Special Ministerial Meeting organised by the Economic and Social Council (ECoSoC), a body Akram also heads — the ambassador stressed to work with the global bodies that are in the lead for collective action.

In his address, the ambassador also called for scaling up production, addressing intellectual property issues, supporting weak

health systems, removing export restrictions, and funding the World Health organisation (WHo) Access to Covid-19 Tools (ACT)‑Accelerator and CoVAX (Covid-19 Vaccines Global Access) initiative.

He also advocated temporary suspension of the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) restrictions to expand the production of Covid-19 vaccines.

Decisive steps towards universal access to vaccines are a prerequisite for economic recovery, Akram stressed. observing that lives are important than incentives, Akram sought investment in the Covid-19 vaccine developers to boost the production of shots.

He said the world needs to release the stock of excess shots held by some countries and to end the export-related and other restrictions, which he said are displays of vaccine nationalism.

He stressed equipping developing countries to build the logistics, storage, and distribution capacities that they will need to distribute the vaccine equitably within the country. on the occasion, UN General Assembly President Volkan Bozkir said: “No topic is as relevant or pertinent to the world today as that of vaccines.”

Acknowledging that “our efforts have not been perfect”, Bozkir stressed that “we must finish what we have started” and pressed gov-

ernments to recommit to the principles of human solidarity and cooperation.

The progress made to date is the result of countries working with hundreds of companies and thousands of scientists, he said. “Multilateralism at its finest.”

With a view to ensuring the goal of vaccines for all, he said, UN member states should extend resources to CoVAX, invest in vaccine research, production and distribution, donate vaccines to countries in need and tackle misinformation to ensure that everyone is educated on the benefits of inoculation.

“It is the job of the United Nations and its Member States to act on these demands,” Bozkir stressed.

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Eight family members killed in afghanistan mosque shooting JAlAlAbAd agencies

Eight members of the same family were gunned down in an attack on a mosque in eastern Afghanistan, officials said Sunday.

The shooting happened on Saturday night in the city of Jalalabad in Nangarhar province, and was believed to be over a land dispute, the province’s governor Zaiulhaq Amarkhil said. Five brothers and three of their male cousins were killed. “The incident is under investigation but initial information shows a land dispute has caused the incident,” Amarkhil told AFP. Fareed Khan, a spokesman for Nangarhar police, confirmed the attack. Afghanistan, like the rest of the Muslim world, is observing the holy month of Ramadan, when men gather every night to offer special prayers after fasting for the day.

Revenge killings are common in Afghanistan, where families seek justice by carrying out violent acts of vengeance based on an ancient code of honour. So-called blood feuds can last for decades, passing down through generations in a cycle of violence.

India to grant visas to Pakistani players for ICC World T20 NEW dElHi agencies

The cricket team, led by Babar Azam, will have no difficulty in travelling to India for the ICC World T20 in october as the Indian government is set to grant visas to the players.

It has been learnt that BCCI secretary Jay Shah has informed the Apex Council about government’s decision on giving visas to the Pakistan players. “The visa issue of Pakistan cricket team has been sorted. However, whether the fans can travel across the border to watch matches is still not clear,” an Apex Council member said.

Iran, China say signs of progress at nuclear talks TEHRAN agencies

A new understanding is emerging at talks aimed at salvaging Iran’s nuclear deal with global powers, Tehran’s chief negotiator said according to Iranian state media, as China’s delegate also reported progress.

Abbas Araqchi said after a meeting of remaining parties to the 2015 deal that the Iranian delegation had submitted proposed texts on nuclear issues and the lifting of sanctions, and that work on a common text, “at least in areas where there are common views”, could begin. Iran has breached many of the deal’s restrictions on its nuclear activities in response to the US withdrawal and reimposition of sanctions against Tehran under former president Donald Trump. Araqchi was quoted as saying that, while serious disagreements remained, “a new understanding appears to be emerging.”

The second round of talks began on Thursday in a luxury Vienna hotel. The United States, making a new diplomatic push in the Middle East under Joe Biden’s administration, is not present as Iran has declined faceto-face negotiation. However, European Union officials chairing the talks are carrying out shuttle diplomacy with a US delegation based at another hotel across the road. Negotiators are working on steps that both sides must take, on sanctions and nuclear activities, to return to full compliance, but the talks have been further complicated by an explosion at Iran’s main uranium-enrichment facility at Natanz. in today’s issue

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