Epaper – April 27 ISB 2020

CMYK

Monday, 27 April, 2020 I 3 Ramzan-ul-Mubarak, 1441 I Rs 15.00 I Vol X No 299 I 12 Pages I Islamabad Edition

AlArm bells ringing As coronA cAses see shArp spike g

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over 700 cAses recorded IN 24 hours, wIth Most cAses eMerGING IN kArAchI

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FederAl, provINcIAl GoverNMeNts urGe MAsses to tAke coroNAvIrus threAt serIously

Ncoc MeetING revIews rAMzAN GuIdelINes, heAlth sItuAtIoN ANd dAtA INteGrAtIoN

LAHORE/ISLAMABAD/KARACHI

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STAFF REPORT

AkIstAN on sunday recorded over 700 new cases of coronavirus, the biggest one-day jump in cases since February 26, when the contagious virus first emerged in the country.

After the emergence of new cases, the toll stood at 13,328 with 2,936 recoveries and 277 deaths. punjab had 5,446 cases, sindh 4,615, khyber pakhtunkhwa (kp) 1,864, Balochistan, 781, GilgitBaltistan (GB) 318, Islamabad capital territory (Ict) 245 and Azad Jammu and kashmir (AJk) 59. sindh chief Minister Murad Ali shah, in a video message, said that 3,077 of sindh’s total number of coronavirus cases — 4,615 — had been reported from

karachi. “during the past 24 hours, 301 new cases were reported in karachi,” he said, adding that the government will have to establish more field hospitals and isolation centres. “this is the highest figure ever reported during the 61 days of the covId-19 emergency. this illustrates that the situation is going from bad to worse and that we will have to take extraordinary measures to get it under control,” he further said. the chief minister also said that 3,028 tests were conducted in the past 24 hours, which was the highest number of tests carried out in a single day. punjab chief Minister usmaz Buzdar shared additional 52 cases for April 25, taking the day’s total to 527 — the province’s highest so far. he also confirmed three more deaths in addition to the 10 earlier, marking punjab’s highest

daily death toll at 13. pakistan Medical Association (pMA) GB’s General secretary dr Fida hussain said that at least 50 people in GB have contracted coronavirus due to a lack of precautionary measures. “similarly, seven paramedical staff from city hospital also tested positive for the coronavirus. this is an extremely alarming situation,” he added. he requested the government to enforce a stricter lockdown in the region and said that it was “unfair” that salaries of frontline parademics were being cut during a lethal pandemic. kp chief Minister’s Adviser Ajmal wazir, during a media briefing, made a strong appeal to the people to take precautions, pointing out that so far, there is no cure for the coronavirus. wazir told the people that face masks could be prepared at home as well. “the primary purpose is to cover your nose and mouth,” he said. he also paid tribute to dr Javed, who passed away after being infected, and said that “generations will remember” the doctor.

Balochistan chief Minister Jam kamal khan said that he has observed “socialisation” in bazaars and appealed to citizens to maintain social distancing. “A lot of people in villages are still not taking it seriously. we are doing [social distancing] for each other, for our families, for our society. I appeal to you to not take this lightly,” he said.

“If this pandemic spreads and the rush to hospitals increases, it will get out of our hands. even doctors will not be able to do anything,” he warned.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 03

CMYK

Two soldiers martyred in N Waziristan operation RAWALPINDI STAFF REPORT

At least two pakistan Army soldiers embraced martyrdom while five received injuries during an intelligence-based operation (IBo) in khaisura and dossali areas of North waziristan, Inter-services public relations (Ispr) said on sunday.

According to a statement issued by the army’s media wing, security forces conducted the operation on credible information about the presence of terrorists in the area. “during sanitization of the area,

fire exchange took place between terrorists and security forces. resultantly, nine terrorists got killed and one apprehended; whereas, two soldiers embraced shahadat and five got injured.” the martyred soldiers were identified as lance Naik Abdul waheed and sepoy sakum dad. on January 30, two pakistan Army soldiers were martyred during an intelligence-based operation (IBo) on a terrorist hideout in dattakhel, North waziristan, according to a statement issued by the Interservices public relations (Ispr).

fiqah-e-hanfia lahore sehr: 3:52 aM iftar: 6:41 PM

islaMabad sehr: 3:52 aM iftar: 6:49 PM

karachi sehr: 4:37 aM iftar: 7:01 PM

fiqah-e-jafaria lahore sehr: 3:42 aM iftar: 6:51 PM

islaMabad sehr: 3:42 aM iftar: 6:59 PM

karachi sehr: 4:27 aM iftar: 7:11 PM

more inside

Geo chief case: NAB wants Nawaz to be declared absconder STORY ON PAGE 02

Shehbaz blasts govt for delay in sugar, wheat crises reports

STORY ON PAGE 02

Int’l flights to remain suspended till May 15 STORY ON PAGE 03

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Monday, 27 April, 2020

NEWS

ShehbAZ blAStS GOVt fOr DelAy In SuGAr, wheAt CrISeS rePOrtS FIRDOUS HITS BACK, SAYS SHEHBAZ CRITICISING PM ONLY TO STAY POLITICALLY RELEVANT

PML-N CHIEF SAYS IMRAN IS TRYING TO SAVE FRIENDS BY POSTPONING THE RELEASE OF REPORTS ISLAMABAD

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STAFF REpORT

ATIONAL Assembly Opposition Leader and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday blasted Prime Minister Imran Khan over the delay in the release of inquiry reports into the recent sugar and wheat crises, terming the delay a “proof of Imran’s guilt”.

The remarks come a day after the Sugar Forensic Commission (SFC) sought three more weeks to submit its detailed forensic audit report. However, the request will be taken up by the federal cabinet on Tuesday. Shehbaz said that the delay in the report is the validation of the government’s theft of Rs100 billion. “It is an attempt to protect those responsible for the sugar crisis,” he claimed.

“Hiding the report would not hide Imran Khan’s crimes. The nation is aware of who stole wheat and sugar. There is no further need for inquiry or forensic audit.”

Shehbaz alleged that the federal cabinet, the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) and “those who had approved the subsidies” were responsible for the crisis. He also called for Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Khurram Dastagir to be included in the inquiry commission, adding that then “matters would become clear”.

The SFC had been constituted by the government in the first week of April following the release of two separate inquiry

reports of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) into the artificial shortage of sugar and wheat in the country and sudden increase in their prices last year. The inquiry report on sugar had revealed the names of many political bigwigs, including central PTI leader Jahangir Tareen, who had allegedly benefitted from the crisis.

After the release of the report, the opposition had demanded that the premier take stern action against those who had been declared responsible for the crises by the FIA committee. Subsequently, Prime Minister Imran had vowed to take action but said he would do so after receiving the forensic audit report from the commission that he had constituted on the recommendation of the FIA reports.

‘SHEHBAZ TARGETING IMRAN TO STAY RELEVANT’: In its response, the government criticised Shehbaz Sharif for “doing politics in the time of coronavirus”.

Speaking at a press conference in Sialkot, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Fir-

dous Ashiq Awan said that Shehbaz Sharif was trying to “save his political presence” by levelling allegations against Imran Khan.

“Some people have too much free time, they are socially distanced in the political arena as well so they throw bombs at Imran Khan.” Firdous further said that such a commission had been made in Pakistan for the “first time”. She added that the commission had been given a mandate and it took time to conduct forensic audit and analysis which was why the commission had asked for more time. She added that the PTI was taking forward the process of “across the board accountability” and questioned the PML-N chief over whether he had done the same for his family. “Imran Khan does not have family [involved in the sugar crisis] that he needs to protect. It was during the PML-N’s time that the uncle was granting favours to his nephew. Why don’t you do [the] accountability of your own family first?

“Imran Khan and his government will be acquitted in front of the nation [when the report comes],” she added.

NAB to approach court to declare Nawaz proclaimed offender NewS DeSk

Govt will address doctors' 'genuine' grievances, SAPM Zafar says ISLAMABAD: Special Assistant to Prime Minister on National Health Services Dr Zafar Mirza on Sunday assured the doctors fighting against the Covid-19 pandemic of full government support in addressing their grievances. According to APP, Zafar said the federal government was aware of problems being faced by the paramedical staff. Observing that the doctors’ demand to impose a national lockdown was not feasible, the SAPM said that a national quarantine will add to the miseries of the daily wagers who are bearing the brunt of a teetering economy. He said, however, other options including social distancing, smart lockdown, and other precautionary measures besides spotting and sealing Covid-19 hotspots are being exhausted. Zafar rejected the notion that such demands were politically motivated. Yesterday, the Lahore High Court (LHC) had dismissed a petition by young doctors, alleging that the Punjab government is not providing protective gear to medics working at the forefront, noting the petitioners had mala fide intentions. When asked, Zafar said the government is in constant consultation with clerics with regard to the holding of congregational prayers and the agreement, which was reached between the government and the religious scholars, is being implemented in letter and spirit. STAFF REpORT

Khursheed Shah’s family quarantined after employee diagnosed with COVID-19 SUKKUR: A man employed by Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) lawmaker Khursheed Shah on Sunday tested positive for coronavirus. The man has been shifted to a quarantine centre and Shah’s family has been quarantined in their home in Sukkur. DHO Shabbir Dayo confirmed the news. The Sukkur deputy commissioner said that after the man tested positive, Shah’s house was sprayed with disinfectant. The house has been shut off and the entire area sealed. The members of his family currently in Sukkur will be tested for the coronavirus. Shah is himself in the custody of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for the past eight months. He is currently being treated at the NICVD in Karachi. INp

National Accountability Bureau (NAB) spokesperson Nawazish Ali on Sunday said that the anti-graft body will approach an accountability court to declare Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supreme leader Nawaz Sharif a proclaimed offender in a case pertaining to the alleged allotment of a piece of land Jang/Geo Media Group Editor-in-Chief Mir Shakilur Rehman.

Reportedly, the bureau’s Lahore chapter has completed all legal formalities to issue his arrest warrants and it will plead the accountability court in Lahore to declare him proclaimed offender over non-cooperation in the investigation.

The decision was reportedly taken after the former premier, who is one of the accused in the illegal allotment case, failed to appear before the bureau multiple times and did not submit satisfactory answers to the NAB’s questionnaire.

On March 27, NAB had sent a questionnaire to Nawaz and had summoned him to the bureau office on March 31 to record his statement. Earlier, on March 15, NAB’s Lahore office had summoned the former premier to appear before the bureau on March 20, but no response came from him. NAB claims that Nawaz — when he was the Punjab chief minister — allotted a 54-kanal plot of land in 1986 to MSR. Nawaz is currently in London where he is undergoing treatment for various illnesses. Rehman was arrested by the anti-graft watchdog on March 12 when he appeared before the Lahore office of the bureau in relation to the private property case. According to Rehman, the property in question had been bought from a private party and all the evidence, including legal requirements like duty and taxes, were provided to the anti-graft body. Rehman had gone to the bureau’s Lahore office on a call-up notice for verification of the complaint, but the arrest was made.

Ehsaas phase-III from next week, says Nishtar ISLAMABAD App

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Social Protection and Poverty Alleviation Dr Sania Nishtar Sunday said the payment process under the third category of Ehsaas Emergency Cash Program would start from next week.

In a tweet, she said Ehsaas Emergency Cash Information Portal was launched for bringing transparency in the program. The assistance under the first two categories of Ehsaas Emergency Cash Program was being given on the basis of the 2010 survey, she said. The survey was not conducted in North and South Waziristan due to law and order issues.

She said Waziristan’s share in Ehsas Emergency Cash Category-III was according to the population. Nishtar said, under the 8171 SMS scheme, the scrutiny process of 61,164 SMS received from North Waziristan and 62,499 from South Waziristan was underway.

The third category of the program covered all provinces including Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir according to the population, she added.

She said the beneficiaries were being identified

through the data analytics of the National Database Registration Authority (NADRA). She said there was no way for political interference and nepotism in Ehsaas Emergency Cash Program. “Transparency is our number one priority in this social security program,” she added.

92 heAlth PrOfeSSIOnAlS teSt POSItIVe fOr COrOnAVIruS In twO DAyS ISLAMABAD: At least 92 health professionals have tested positive for the novel coronavirus across the country in the last two days, increasing the number of infected doctors, nurses, paramedics and support staff to 345.

According to a National Health Ministry official, the number increased to 345 from 253 on Thursday after new cases were detected among the medical community. The official said that doctors are the most affected class of healthcare professionals when it comes to the infections with over 165 doctors across the country under treatment for the virus. 131 paramedical and support staff, as well as 41 nurses, have also contracted the virus. Apart from the confirmed cases, more than 1,500 doctors, nurses, paramedics and those with whom they came into contact are in quarantine. Many are waiting for their test results after coming into contact with the health professionals who have already tested positive, the official said. The official added that most of the cases of coronavirus among health professionals have been reported from Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Punjab, while a few cases have also been reported from Sindh and the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT). Giving a breakdown of the health professionals afflicted with the novel coronavirus, the health ministry official said that 93 have been infected in Punjab of which 55 are doctors, 16 nurses and 22 paramedics and support staff. The official added that the Nishtar Medical Hospital in Multan and the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) in Lahore were the worst affected health facilities in Punjab, as most of the infected health professionals in that province worked at those two facilities. INp

250 Pakistanis repatriated from Australia ISLAMABAD: As many as 250 stranded Pakistanis were repatriated from Australia through a special Pakistan International Airline flight on Sunday after they were stuck up due to closure of flight operation in the wake of the coronavirus spread. The repatriation of stranded Pakistanis was coordinated by Pakistan High Commission, Canberra, and consulates general in Sydney and Melbourne, said a press statement. Consul General of Pakistan in Melbourne Sardar Adnan Rashid, also representing High Commissioner Babar Amin, saw off the stranded Pakistanis at the Melbourne airport. The consul general said repatriation of Pakistanis manifests the commitment of Prime Minister Imran Khan and the government of Pakistan to reach out and look after welfare of Pakistani diaspora across the world. Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi has also directed all Pakistani missions abroad to facilitate the repatriation of Pakistanis who desire so, he added. The returning Pakistanis thanked the government of Pakistan, the high commission and the consulates general for arranging repatriation to their homeland. They also expressed satisfaction with the efforts being put in by the Pakistani missions in Australia for the welfare and well-being of community members faced with financial and allied difficulties in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. TLTp

Parliamentary committee on coronavirus meets today ISLAMABAD INp

A meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on Coronavirus will be held in Islamabad on Monday with National Assembly Speaker (NA) Asad Qaiser in the chair.

According to a press release, Minister for Industries and Production Hammad Azhar will brief the committee about the impact of lockdown due to COVID-19 and immediate steps required to protect the economy with particular reference to the industrial sector.

Likewise, the adviser to prime minister on commerce will brief the committee about effect of the lockdown with reference to trade and commercial activities in the country.

The committee has also invited representatives of the business community to hear their perspective on the issue in hand besides getting their input for making

appropriate recommendations to government for revival of economy affected by the COVID-19.

On April 20, during the last meeting of the committee, Sindh Health Minister Azra Fazal Pechuho had warned the federal and provincial governments against disastrous consequences of relaxing the lockdown, arguing that the country was yet to hit the peak of the coronavirus pandemic.

She had said that the predictive analysis suggests that the disease would reach its peak at the end of May. “Taking stock of the demographic situation, we would not be able to tackle the situation which could be disastrous if lockdown is relaxed,” she had added.

Dr Azra had said that there was a need for strict implementation of lockdown. “We should not be in a state of denial because speculation of immunity of Pakistanis against this disease is nothing but a myth. There is no immunity against the disease,” she had said and apprised

CMYK

the committee that despite inadequate medical facilities and increasing number of cases, Sindh was trying its best to cope with the situation.

She had said that the situation may worsen in the coming weeks, therefore, strict lockdown should be observed to curb the local transmission of the virus.

The participants of the meeting had called for a unified policy on lockdown.

The NA speaker had urged members of all political parties to work together for a broad-based strategy to fight the COVID-19 outbreak.

Monday, 27 April, 2020

NEWS

Govt to increAse coviD-19 tests to 20,000 per DAy FIRDOUS SAYS DESPITE GOVT INSTRUCTIONS, PUBLIC IS NOT COMPLYING WITH SOCIAL DISTANCING RULES

SIALKOt

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STAFF REPORT

RIME Minister’s Special Assistant on Information and Broadcasting Firdous Ashiq Awan on Sunday sought support from the opposition to combat Covid-19, saying that “no government can defeat such a challenge without the opposition’s help”.

This is the second time that the government has called for unity among benchmarkers from both sides of the aisle to combat the epidemic. It had done so earlier in March as well when it sought suggestions from opposition announcing that those would be incorporated in the national roadmap being devised to handle the situation.

Addressing a press conference in Sialkot, Firdous said she is disappointed

Alarm bells ringing as corona cases see sharp spike COntInuEd fROm pAgE 01 Taking notice of the situation, the government said that the people were not taking the threat seriously. Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan, while speaking to the media, expressed disappointment over the masses’ “failure to grasp the seriousness” of the threat posed by the novel coronavirus. She said that while the government was doing its job, the public was still not fulfilling its responsibility and was not practicing social distancing.

NCOC MEETS TO REVIEW STRATEGY: Meanwhile, a meeting of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) was held to review the implementation of Ramzan guidelines, SME package, health situation and data integration. Minister for Interior Brigadier (r) Ijaz Ahmed Shah apprised the meeting that population in urban areas needs to be continuously educated to follow guidelines and not operate business as usual during Ramzan. He said that it was encouraging to see that people in villages were observing guidelines. He said that the political leadership particularly at district and union council level has most important role to educate masses for public safety and wellbeing. Federal Minister for Planning, Development, Reforms and Special Initiatives Asad Umer said that provinces may be asked to give feedback on compliance by people on Ramzan guidelines on Monday. The forum also dilated upon health situation and future course of action basing on likely projections. The recent surge in the cases is being linked to the relaxation in the lockdown and the decision to allow congregational prayers during the holy month of Ramzan. The doctors from across the country have warned the federal government that the situation will go out of hand if it did not take back its decision on prayers. The government on Friday extended until May 9 the ongoing lockdown aimed at stemming the fast-increasing coronavirus cases in the country. “The coming few weeks are crucial [concerning the coronavirus outbreak]. That’s why the government has decided to further extend the lockdown,” Asad Umar had said, who is also the head of the government’s anti-COVID-19 campaign.

over the masses’ “failure to grasp the seriousness” of the threat posed by the epidemic. “While the government was doing its job, the public was still not fulfilling its responsibility and was not practicing social distancing,” she said.

Pakistan’s coronavirus toll currently stands at 13,144 after the emergence of 435 new cases today. Some 272 deaths have been reported so far. At least 2,936 people have completely recovered, according to the national database. Domestic as well as international observers believe, despite all-out efforts by the government to contain the spread and announcements in this regard, the public response is “disappointing and careless”.

Firdous also urged the implementation of the 20-point plan, pertaining to the holding of congregational prayers, agreed with clerics, and said that the government

will “ensure mosques do not become virus hotspots”. Commenting upon the testing capacity, she said that the government aims to increase the country’s testing capacity to 20,000 tests daily by May. According to her, the increase in the number of patients was also due to increased testing capacity. “We started with some 472 tests a day, now we conduct between 7,000 to 8,000 tests daily.

More tests mean a higher number of patients,” Firdous said. She added that the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) also aimed to increase the number of testing labs across the country from 40 to 60 through public-private partnerships.

The SAPM also reassured doctors that the provincial governments are working on incorporating their recommendations to battle the virus.

Damage to infrastructure, harvest aggravates corona crisis LAHORE KK SHAHID

The government has eased the lockdowns across the country, while simultaneously extending them, there are regions across the country which are more adversely affected than others.

There are many causes for diversity in humanitarian needs, but in certain cases topography and adverse climate has taken its toll. According to the World Food Programme, there are 1.76 million people in Pakistan that have been affected amidst the on going crisis, with over 400,000 in need of food assistance. Azad Jammu and Kashmir remains one of the regions which has faced the harsh impact in recent months.

Amidst multiple reports of continued firing across the Line of Control (LoC) by Indian forces, a lot of the damage in AJK has also been done by the heavy winter snowfall in the first two months of the year. That caused injuries across the region, and damaged infrastructure.

Similar to many parts of Pakistan, there had been food insecurity in AJK even prior to the spread of Covid-19.

However, now the situation has aggravated.

In the Neelum District, road infrastructure was significantly damaged as a result of the avalanches earlier this year. A lot of the food stocks were spoilt as well. A combination of the two – limited food supply and at tens of thousands of families being stranded – created a humanitarian crisis. The crisis, in turn, was exacerbated owing to the Covid-19 pandemic, which meant that like other parts of the country AJK had to be put under lockdown as well.

With roads damaged, this further limited mobility and access to food. There have been similar impacts in other topographically challenging areas of Pakistan as well. In

Balochistan, for instance, more than half of those surveyed by the Provincial Disaster Management Authority in February reported displacement.

However, the crisis remains especially critical in AJK, where certain regions are still difficult to access owing to the damage caused by avalanches. Three of the union councils in Neelum – Dudnial, Kail and Sharda – are accessible and are receiving food supplies, but Guraiz still is inaccessible owing to the damaged infrastructure.

Furthermore, in addition to the infrastructural causes limiting food supplies, locals confirm that stock had already been impacted by the adverse weather conditions.

“The entire country, and in fact the entire world, is going through difficult times, but it has been especially tough in Neelum. The locals haven’t got the harvests that we expected, the food supplies were already less. And now with roads being damaged, many families are completely cut off,” said a local resident Muhammad Shabbir.

“The shortage of supplies has meant that there has been a massive rise in prices of basic food items like wheat and sugar in recent weeks,” noted another resident Ghulam Ahmed. While sugar and wheat crises impacted the entire country, the challenge remains steep in the region. However, the government maintains that it is taking all the needed steps to address food shortage all over the country.

“The government will ensure that ration and food is supplied to the needy across the country in the wake of Covid-19. The Prime Minister has advised the Minister for National Food Security to ensure availability of all food items all over the country,” said Prime Minister’s Special Assistant on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan. Food Department of Azad Jammu and Kashmir maintained at the start of the month that there is no shortage of supplies.

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int'l flights to remain suspended till May 15 ISLAmABAd STAFF REPORT

The government has extended the suspension of international flight operations till May 15 in a bid to contain the spread of Covid-19 in the country. According to a Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) notification: “As per the decision of the government of Pakistan, the suspension of international flight operations as effected earlier has been extended up to Friday, May 15, 2020, at 2359 hours PST.” “The remaining provisions as applicable to the suspension of international flights reflected in previous orders remain unchanged,” it added. The directive comes as the government is striving hard to contain the virus which has affected over 12,000 people in the country, leaving some 268 dead.

The number of recoveries currently stands at 2, 862.

The Aviation Division had suspended inbound international air traffic on Mar 21 initially for a period of two weeks. The suspension, however, received an extension on April 1, three days before the completion of the period. The decision received two further reviews, first on April 9 and then on April 18, before receiving a final 14-day extension on Saturday night. However, the Aviation Divison had permitted special/cargo and relief planes with special approval to continue operations as per the standard operating procedures.

Fo says helping overseas pakistanis with visa extension, repatriation Pakistan’s Foreign Office Spokesperson Dr Aisha Farooqi on Sunday said that Pakistani embassies across the globe were working tirelessly to accommodate overseas Pakistanis amid the global coronavirus outbreak. In a conversation with a local media outlet, she said that Pakistan’s embassies are stretched across the globe in over 100 countries, she said that due to the sheer number of overseas Pakistani’s some difficulties may have come up. Aisha Farooqi also entailed that if the working of Pakistan government and embassies is broken down into prioritized phases then the first priority was given to stranded Pakistanis at various airports in the world, after that the next priority was given to low and mid-range earning Pakistanis in foreign lands. Aisha Farooqi said that phone lines at embassy jammed due for a while because of the influx of calls being received during these testing times, she urged people to remain patient. The spokesperson also said that the embassies are helping overseas Pakistanis with their repatriation, visa extensions and are also giving monetary support to people. She said that a large number of Pakistanis are residents in Gulf countries and are mostly from the labour class, they are low on funds and income as businesses across the world suffer suspensions due to coronavirus. NEwS DESK

Sindh asks FIA for probe after audio clip accuses PPP minister of taking bribes KARACHI PPI

Sindh Minister for Information Syed Nasir Hussain Shah said on Sunday that the Sindh government has written a letter to the Federal Investigation Agency's (FIA) cybercrime cell to investigate the alleged viral audio on social media in which the members of the business community were blaming the Sindh minister for seeking bribe.

Shah said that the FIA's cybercrime cell had been asked to expose the characters who were making baseless allegations against the Sindh government and hoped that soon these people would be exposed and the truth would come out to the people.

In a statement, the minister termed the viral verbal excerpt of the members of the business community against the Sindh government, particularly Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah as unsubstantiated.

Shah also described it as a conspiracy of those who were upset and angry over the praise the Sindh government, especially the Sindh chief minister Syed Murad Ali Shah had been receiving from across the world on his timely actions taken to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus in the province.

He said it was shameful to conspire like that at a time when the provincial government was battling a dangerous pandemic like the Coronavirus. Shah said that members of the business community and industrialists themselves had termed the audio as baseless and unsubstantiated.

The minister said that some miscreants did not like the pro-people policies of the Sindh government. He said that the conspiratorial elements might say whatever they wanted, at this moment in time the focus of the Sindh government was on saving the lives of the people.

Shah said that Sindh government does not care about such miscreants and it would keep on take all necessary steps for the health and lives of the people. The minister said that since February 26, an attempt was being made to somehow disturb the Sindh government and divert it from serving the people. He said that just as these elements had failed in their conspiracies before, this time too they would fail miserably.

Shah said that the conspiratorial elements were very upset with the positive at-

titude of the people towards the Sindh government. The provincial Information Minister said that it was their jealousy that kept forcing them to resort to clever tactics to discredit the Sindh government.

"At a time when the country is facing a pandemic like the coronavirus, all these heinous acts are beyond comprehension," he said. Syed Nasir Hussain Shah urged the people not to listen to these miscreants and to be cautious as the only way they could keep themselves safe from getting affected by Coronavirus was precautions.

The provincial information minister also requested members of the business community not to listen to anyone, adding that, Sindh government was well aware of their problems and soon all of their problems would be resolved.

Monday, 27 April, 2020

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WEATHER UPDATES MONDAY

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for islamaBad, modern Waste management system remains elusive ISLAMABAD

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TOTAL GENERATED GARBAGE BEING DUMPED IN RESIDENTIAL SECTOR I-12

APP

HE dream of installing the firstever modern solid waste management system in the federal capital still remains unrealised, apparently due to financial constraints and bureaucratic snags.

The waste management system, promised by Islamabad Mayor Sheikh Anser Aziz a couple of years ago, was meant to ensure clean and green environment across the city with scientific handling of the total garbage, generated by its urban and rural areas. “Unfortunately, consensus among the major stakeholders could not be developed in the past which caused an inordinate delay in execution of the project,” a top official in the Metropolitan Corporation of Islamabad (MCI) Sanitation Wing told APP on Sunday.

He asserted that the MCI had floated a tender in national dailies during February this year to invite bids for materialising the project but it was cancelled due to the intervention of the Ministry of Climate Change.

He said the ministry had raised some technical objections and asked the MCI to

carry out a feasibility study before initiating the project. “It also stressed over the establishment of scientific dumping site before installation of the modern solid waste management system,” the official added.

“The silver lining is that the project has entered into the advanced stage as the corporation is all set to hire a consultant for carrying out its feasibility study,” he said, adding the MCI would open a technical bid of Rs300 million on April 30 to get the consultancy advisory on the scope modern solid waste management system.

He said the consultant was being hired to devise the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to streamline the process of garbage collection and its disposal. The expert would chalk out a comprehensive plan which included financial model and survey of rural areas for household waste collection, he added.

The official said the entire process of materializing the project would take sev-

extreme hailstorms, rains damage standing crops in swabi SWABI APP

Heavy rain, extreme hailstorms and strong wind last night played havoc and badly affected the standing crops including tabocco, wheat, vegetables and fruits orchards wherein the farmers did nothing but were mums recalling their month’s long hard work. According to the details, heavy torrential rains and hailstorms with strong wind hit the entire district as a result of which the area Nazare, Bachai, Yaqubi, Mathra, Sikandra, Babu Banda, Shen Khela and other areas of Ghadon Amazai, Chotha Lahore, Razar, the standing wheat, tobacco, vegetables, fruits orchards destroyed badly. Khalid Khan, President, Farmers Board, Swabi District, Liaqat Yousafzai, Provincial General Secretary, Farmers Coordination Council, and Haji Muhammad Zahid Khan, former District Nazim, Swabi and ANP Central Leader, called on the Central and Provincial Government to declare Swabi District a disaster area and the affected farmers should to be provided relief. He said that the government should immediately survey the affected area and provide relief to the farmers as soon as possible. He said that tobacco is under the control of the central government while the annual income of the federation from this crop is Rs150 billion. The two major crops of landlords and cultivators, wheat and tobacco, which have been completely destroyed by the blaze, have been declared a disaster by the Swabi district government to compensate the farmers as soon as possible.

eral months. To a query, he said the establishment of permanent landfill site in the federal capital was also part of this project for which a land near Sangjani had been selected after carrying out an Environment Impact Assessment report of the area. The EAI had been submitted to the Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency to obtain the No Objection Certificate, he added.

Currently, the federal capital illustrates a bleak picture when it comes to the handling of tonnes of garbage. The authorities concerned still rely on archaic methods of solid waste collection which not only poses serious threat to the environment but also creates health risk for the residents of the federal capital.

A former employee of the IMC, requesting anonymity said the capital’s garbage has been testing the nerves of its citizens for the last couple of decades. “Islamabad is the face of Pakistan but it has

been lacking a permanent dumping site since its inception.”

A long ago, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) has placed dumpsters of various sizes at the corner of each street of Islamabad to collect the household garbage, he said, terming the method as an outdated in the present times.

“These waste trolleys without proper cover can easily be seen as overflowing in every street of Islamabad due to their timely cleansing by the IMC sanitary workers. Similarly, the establishment of permanent dumping site had also remained a herculean task for the city managers,” he said.

The former employee said the CDA and IMC had taken many abortive attempts in the past to set up a scientific waste site on permanent basis but no headway made in a single case. "It seems that the recent endeavours of MCI may also not see the day of light due to its financial and technical constrains.

He regretted that the total generated garbage was being dumped in a residential sector I-12, where a temporary dumping site was set up a decade ago by the civic agency.

KP govt to allocate major chunk of ADP 2020-21 to health sector: CM PESHAWAR APP

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mehmood Khan on Sunday said the Provincial Government would allocate major chunk of annual development program (ADP 2020-21) for strengthening of health sector in the province.

Termed health sector as the top priority of the provincial government for the Annual Development Program (ADP) of the next financial year, the Chief Minister said in order to develop the health sector and to strengthen it to cater for needs of the prevailing situation, a major chunks of the developmen-

tal funds would be allocated to the health sector. He directed the concerned authorities to start practical work to ensure the availability of required resources for the purpose. The Chief Minister was presiding over a meeting regarding the ADP of the next financial year here.

The meeting reviewed in detail matters related to the proposed initial outline of the ADP for the next financial year with special focus on the priority sectors in the light of the prevailing situation. Besides Advisor to Chief Minister on Information Ajmal Wazir, Chief Secretary Dr Kazim Niaz, Additional Chief Secretary Shakeel Qadir, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Shehab Ali Shah, Secretary Finance

Atif Rehman and other concerned authorities attended the meeting. It was agreed in the meeting that in view of the prevailing emergence situation, health, relief, social welfare, construction and maximum employment generating sectors would be the first priorities of the provincial government's development program for the next financial year. The meeting was informed that the Planning Department has started receiving Concept Notes and Proposals for the next ADP from various departments on the basis of which list of the proposed projects to be included in the ADP would be compiled by the end of this month whereas the ADP will be finalized by 20th of next month.

APP

District administration Peshawar has arrested 166 shopkeepers over violation of lockdown announced by the provincial government for the prevention of the spread of coronavirus pandemic in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, said a press release issued here Sunday. Deputy Commissioner (DC), Peshawar Mohammad Ali Asghar along with Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC), Ishfaq Khan and Assistant Commissioner (AAC), Nauman Ali Shah a large number of persons during a visit to Shuaba Bazaar, Namak Mandi, Dabgari, Hashtnagri and Vegetable Market at Firdous Bazaar.

Similarly, the Assistant Commissioner (AC) City, Sara Rehman carried out checking of bazaars inside the city and ar-

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rested several persons for violation of lockdown and keeping their shops opened while AC Saddar, Islahuddin checked bazaars on Inqilab Road and Phandu Road, AC (Shah Alam) Dr. Ihtesham-ul-Haq arrested several persons from Charsadda Road. Furthermore, all Additional Assistant Commissioners (AACs) inspected bazaars in their respective areas of jurisdiction and collectively arrested 166 persons over violation of the lockdown and keeping their shops opened despite ban.

Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner (DC) Peshawar, Mohammad Ali Asghar has urged upon the traders and shopkeepers to close their shops till 4:00 P.M. and follow the standard operating procedures (SOPs) announced by the government. He also appealed the general public to avoid unnecessary movement outside their house and extend cooperation to district administration in the prevention of the spread of coronavirus.

APP

The restricted human mobility, mainly due to the coronavirus spread, has encouraged wild boars to roam empty streets and roads of Islamabad apparently in search of food.

The piles of garbage and overstuffed waste bins are serving as a source of feast for the hogs which have taken over the city due to limited supply of food to them in their sanctuaries.

“Before the lockdown, a large number of wild boars in the Margalla Hills National Park (MHNP) used to rely on the food thrown by the visitors on trails. Nowadays, the hairy

beasts have descended to the city to establish their colonies on the nullahs’ beds,” Sikhawat Ali, an official of the Islamabad Wildlife Management Board, said while confirming the public complaints regarding the pigs’ presence in the city areas.

Talking to APP, he said most of the wild boars had left the MHNP. Those hogs, which had already established their colonies in the park, did not share their food with the others, forcing them to set up their sanctuaries in such areas where they could get food without consuming much energy."

Highlighting the positive impact of lockdown, Sikhawat said the limited supply of food

8:17

BoK staffers forced to perform duties despite testing positive for corona Peshawar: Seven more employees of the Bank of Khyber (BoK) have been confirmed to have coronavirus (COVID-19) at the Bank’s Headquarter, however, the employees are forced to perform duties as usual, increasing the risk of the virus spreading to other employees. After the confirmation of the bank’s managing director testing positive, the bank sources said that tests of 28 employees were conducted which revealed that three others were also positive. Later, samples of 30 more employees of the bank were conducted in which the tests of four more employees turned out to be positive. Over the past week, the management has conducted tests of more than fifty employees of the bank in which test results of some employees have not been received yet. The bank management remained unavailable for comment despite multiple attempts of contacting them. Aziz Buneri

man kills sevenyear-old niece for 'making noise' A man in Peshawar’s Arbab road locality shot his seven-year-old niece dead for “making too much noise”, according to local police. According to the details, the child named Eshaal was playing with other children in the courtyard two days ago when her uncle Fazal Hayat, who lives upstairs in the same house, opened fire killing the little girl on the spot. After killing the child, he ran away to escape justice. Meanwhile, a video of the incident is doing the rounds on social media. The girl’s father has registered an FIR against the criminal at Thakal police station and search for the suspect is underway. Violence against women and minors remains one of the largest ignored issue in the country as reports of perpetrators within families continue to surface on a daily basis. In March, a man was caught sexually abusing his minor niece and forcing her into prostitution. A juvenile court sentenced the victim’s mother and brother 20 years in prison each for being an accessory to the crime while the man was sent into life imprisonment. news Desk

Peshawar: Advisor to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister on Information and Broadcast Ajmal Wazir on Sunday made a strong appeal to the people to take precautions, pointing out that so far, there is no cure for the Covid-19. “The only way [to protect ourselves] is to take precautions, precautions, precautions,” he said while addressing a news briefing in the provincial capital. “This virus does not come to, you bring it with you when you go outside,” Wazir added. KP’s coronavirus toll currently stands at 1,793 with 93 deaths.

Some 485 people have recovered so far. Wazir said that everything the government was doing to protect the lives of people. He urged people to follow standard operating procedures (SOPs) while going out during the day in order to curb the spread of the virus. sTAFF rePOrT

Wild boars getting comfortable in capital amid zero human activity ISLAMABAD

6:46

precautions only way to fight coronavirus: Wazir

166 shopkeepers arrested over violation of lockdown PESHAWAR

PrAyer Timings

would reduce the population of boars by 50 per cent as their breeding was directly proportional to the availability of food.

To a query, he said according to the Wildlife Ordinance 1979, the killing of wild boars was banned within the boundaries of MHNP. Sikhawat said unfortunately no systematic survey had been conducted to determine the population of the hogs, which could usually weigh some 80 to 100 kilograms. However, a survey would be carried out in the next month, he added.

Meanwhile, the citizens of capital city have expressed their concern over boars roaming in the streets in day-light. They

called for timely removal of waste from the dumpsters, pointing out that the untimely cleansing of bins was a major source of their attraction.

“The presence of pigs into urban areas means giving them access to our homes and gardens which is quite dangerous for our families,” Ishfaq Ahmed, a resident of Sector G-7, said.

They used to emerge from the embankments of nullahs during night but now they could be witnessed in the daylight, he added.

He urged the departments concerned to take decisive actions as the boars now sneaked into their homes posing a serious threat to human lives.

Another wildlife expert, requesting anonymity, said the boars were coming out of their sanctuaries in daylight due to thin presence of people in streets and on roads amid the lockdown.

Monday, 27 April, 2020

NEWS

05

COVID-19

MInISter SAyS CIVIl-MIly leADerSHIP On One PAGe ISLAMABAD

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app

ISPELLING the impression of a rift between civil and military relationship, Minister of Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry on Sunday said that both sides are working jointly against the coronavirus outbreak in the country.

Speaking on a television programme, the minister said that there was no difference of opinion on handling of issues of national interest. Voicing concern over the attitude of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leaders who “using political gimmicks” over the coronavirus situation, he said that the people had confined the leadership of PPP to the areas of interior Sindh. He said that the country was facing a number of challenges, including dwindling economy, poverty, and unemployment, adding that there was dire need to address these matters with collective efforts

and political wisdom.

The minister said that Prime Minister Imran Khan representing is the only leader in Pakistan, who holds unbelievable potential to take the country forward in every field. Responding to a question, he said that narrative built by the opposition parties in the current situation could no longer be effective as the people are now well aware of the role of the premier, who striving hard to improve the lives of the poor masses.

Fawad was of the view that opposition parties were facing agony nowadays because they could not find a wise leader for running the affairs of their constituencies in a proper manner.

Commenting on coronavirus situation, he said that despite extraordinary economic resources, the Western countries could not combat the dangerous virus that had digested thousands of precious lives around the world.

He lauded the administration for taking unprecedented measures in time when first pa-

tient of coronavirus was detected in Pakistan.

“Look at the Americans, Spanish, Italian and England who could not control the vulnerability level in their respective jurisdic-

tions with all modern equipment and financial resources,” he stated.

“Pakistani leadership, on the other hand, had successfully managed to overcome the

As much effect as underarm bowling CITY NOTES M a NIaZI

wonder how much the coronavirus really has an effect. First, I’m assuming that it’s as bad as smallpox, which went from being the Antonine plague in the 2nd century AD to being wiped in the 20th. Still, it was around for a good 1800 years. I’m also assuming that the Antonine plague wasn’t measles, which are still around. But the really important question is whether it will have any effect on the Laws of Cricket.

I suspect that it would have about as much impact as when they finally declared underarm bowling illegal. No close-in fielding, I suppose. Remember when forward short-leg would get hit on the heart and swallow his tongue? I don’t think it’ll happen again. I’m not sure slips can stand next to one another, especially not with a spinner in action.

But I’m not sure that policework will not be affected, especially not good police work, in short successful interrogations. However, I’m sure the police will come up with ways to cause suspects maximum pain while maintaining social distancing.

After all, they came up with methods to beat a suspect to within an inch of his life, without leaving a mark on his body.

But meanwhile, the Sindh police is researching methods to convert lockdown enforcement into an earning opportunity. The remaining police forces are busy working on the PM to impose a lockdown on the remaining three provinces. When a policeman says COVID-19 should be seen as an opportunity, he doesn’t mean a reset of the economy and of social relations.

The PM’s trying to lift the lockdown instead, and seems to believe that the coronavirus will be defeated by going to mosques during Ramzan, and praying

I

hard. Sounds good, but unless the police is put in charge of enforcement, our men in that greenishbrown colour are not going to be able to afford the Eid they deserve. I suppose it’s a relief to know that the ISI is after the coronavirus, which is said to be why Imran visited its HQ. But perhaps a greater reassurance is knowing that the DGMO is also involved, as is the COAS. This is war, after all, and if there was ever a time when every sacred inch of the soil of the Motherland needed defending, this is it.

However, there’s no need to go overboard.

There’s no need to fall prey to China’s strategy to stop the USA being great again. We should all look at what the great state of Georgia is doing. They’re reopening barber-shops and tattoo parlours for business. Great. Now you can be well-coiffed and have a tattoo of the Confederate flag on your forearm. The look would be helped if you were white and weighed at least 600 pounds.

Of course, the sort of people who get tattoos are not necessarily going to catch COVID-19. It’s a little humbling to see that the USA is now leading the number of dead, with more than 50,000 dead by Sunday morning, which was about a quarter of the 200,000 dead all over the world. I wonder how all those people over here feel, whom the USA had apparently promised eternal life, so that they would join in the War on Terror.

Far from getting to grips with the disease, the USA seems to have realized that the cure being worse than the sickness applies more to chloroquine, than to lockdowns. US President Donald Trump bullied India into sending over chloroquine when he thought it would provide a cure. I wonder how he feels now, that clinical tests so Fr show that chloroquine doesn’t seem to affect COVID-19, though it might well kill the patient. Maybe we should stick to prescribing it for malaria.

Already, there’s talk of a return of the virus in winter. Heck, we aren’t out of spring yet. But if flu epidemics in winter are any sign, then the coronavirus will be back. Of course, that would be bad news for Trump, for a spike would coincide with his election. Imran might be able to learn to live with it, because he doesn’t have an election due for some time. You can bet he’ll try a bit of social distancing between the election and any virus spikes.

Are people going to die in the sort of numbers that affect election results? So far, those who are dying are older people, who vote in disproportionate numbers. Whose voters are going to go? Is Imran the Prime Minister of the whole country? That’s a little bit like wondering whether they ask about your political affiliation when you go to the cancer hospital.

Here you are, suffering from agonizing pains, or with an unexplained lump, in fear for your life, and they’re asking fool questions about who you voted for in the 1997 election.

Well, Faisal Edhi, himself now a philanthropist after succeeding his father Abdus Sattar as head of the Edhi Foundation, is down with the coronavirus.

Before he was diagnosed, he went to see the PM. Imran was then tested, and doesn’t have the virus.

Bang went the opportunity of imitating Boris Johnson, who has successfully recovered from it.

Another sick head of government was Kim JongUn, who was recovering from some sort of surgery, after he had a stent inserted after collapsing on a visit to the countryside. The surgeon’s hands trembled, so the North Korean strongmen, who is grossly overweight, died.

Maybe the surgeon’s hands trembled because he was actually a barber, and carrying on the great tradition of barber surgeons. Of course, if he was the barber responsible for Kim’s hairstyle, he was probably no great shakes as a surgeon.

CPIC launches relief for needy trapped in lockdown in Islamabad, Gwadar, Karachi ISLAMABAD pReSS ReleaSe

Grand Health Alliance protest enters day 11 LAHORE: Doctor, nurses and paramedical staff of Punjab continued their strike on Sunday and said that the protests will continue till their demands are met. It has been 11 days since the protest was first initiated by the grand health alliance. For a second subsequent day, the grand alliance members did their Iftar in specialised healthcare wards across the city.

It was reported that the current sit-in protest will continue in the month of Ramzan while Sehar and Iftar both will be observed in the Ministry of Health. Health workers have complained for weeks that the country’s hospitals are suffering chronic shortages of safety gear, prompting the arrest of more than 50 doctors who called for more supplies in Quetta earlier this month. The Young Doctors’ Association (YDA) claimed that the frontline staff have been left vulnerable, with more than 150 medical workers testing positive for the virus nationwide. Staff RepoRt

With the advent of holy month of Ramazan, CPIC, one of the largest developer and real estate companies, has launched a food ration distribution campaign to help the most vulnerable families in Islamabad, Karachi and Gwadar.

Each ration pack includes threemonth food supplies including wheat flour, rice, sugar, lentils, ghee, dates, Rooh Afza and tea.

In addition, 50,000 surgical masks are also being distributed to Doctors, Nurses, key workers & those most at risk.

Talking to media, CPIC board member Lt. General (R) Syed Sabahat Husain said that as a leading developer and key stakeholder in Gwadar, we take it as our responsibility to support the city’s most vulnerable segments.

“On behalf of the group and our valued clients, we have started an initiative to provide ration packs that include three-month essential supplies including rice, flour, wheat, lentils, ghee, roof afza and tea,” he said.

He said that distribution com-

menced earlier this week with CPIC project International Port City acting as the distribution centre however now we will be going door to door distrusting the ration packs to those who didn’t have the means of transport to come to us.

“We would like to thank DG Gwadar Development Authority

Shazeb Kakar, the Gwadar Chamber of Commerce for their ongoing support and the Pakistan Armed forces for their support. As a responsible organisation involved in the cohesive development of Pakistan, we are here to assist all institutions across the country regardless of geographic location,” he added.

situation in all parts of the country despite meager financial reserves,” he added.

Responding to a question, he said that all the national level issues could be handled with collective participation of stakeholders.

Citing the example of the Army Public School (APS) incident, Fawad said that all the political parties had unanimously passed the resolution on implementing the National Action Plan. He added that PM had also taken the bold decision for constituting a committee for resolving the issue of rigging in the election.

The minister said that a similar National Action Plan was need of the hour for tackling the coronavirus crisis and the necessary lockdown in the country. He, however, said that a complete lockdown was not a feasible option for poor nations and suggested that observing standard operating procedures (SOPs) and precautionary measures for protecting the people from the deadly virus would help resolve the problem.

China sends more medical supplies to Pakistan to fight COVID-19 BEIJING: China dispatched more medical supplies through a special Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight to Pakistan on Sunday to help the country fight the coronavirus pandemic. Ventilators, N95 masks, FFP2 masks, protection clothes, goggles, and other necessary medical supplies make up a major portion of the medical supplies which were donated by different institutions in China. According to China Economic Net, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China donated 40 ventilators to Pakistani National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Hunan Daily News contributed 28,000 gloves, 13,800 masks, 2,944 goggles, and 530 protection clothes, Qiaoxin Holdings (Group) Co Ltd gave 40,000 medical masks, and China Communications Construction Co Ltd provided 10,000 surgical masks to NDMA. “Belt and Road” Silk Road Alliance donated 101,500 biomass graphene disposable face masks, Shantou WBM Trading Co. Ltd provided 100,000 medical masks, 5,000 medical eye goggles, 200 forehead temperature guns and other medical supplies, while Haier Pakistan Trading Company donated 50,000 gloves, 4,000 N95 masks, etc. General Institute of Hydropower and Water Resources Planning and Design contributed 12,300 N95 masks and a number of other Chinese companies also donated medical supplies to Pakistan. It is worth mentioning that recently, a special airplane of Pakistan Air Force (PAF) had brought medical supplies from Beijing. Later, another special plane of PIA had left for Islamabad from Beijing with 10.23 tonnes of medical supplies. A team of Chinese doctors along with medical supplies and equipment had also reached Pakistan on two special aircraft on April 24.

The Chinese doctors who have expertise in treating infectious diseases shall support Pakistan’s efforts in fighting against the COVID-19 situation for the coming two months. app

US congressman sympathises with Kashmiris fighting coronavirus in IoK WASHINGTON: US Congressman Andre Carson on Saturday sympathised with the people of Indian Occupied Kashmir (IoK) who were facing difficulties in protecting themselves from coronavirus due to the “draconian restrictions” place on them by the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “My heart remains with the people of #Kashmir during this challenging time,” said the lawmaker from the US state of Indiana. “The draconian restrictions placed upon them

by PM Modi are not only taking away their basic human rights, but also making it more difficult to protect against COVID-19,” said Carson. He also called for the end of the “unjust restrictions” placed on the occupied territory.

Earlier this month, Pakistan expressed sheer concern over the lack of medical supplies for the IoK during the coronavirus pandemic, as the valley continued to face human rights violation and lockdown. Islamabad has also condemned and rejected the introduction of “Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Order 2020” which it termed as an attempt to illegally change the demographic structure of IoK. “This is a clear violation of international law, including the 4th Geneva Convention,” said the FO spokesperson. The official added that the Indian action was a continuation of India’s illegal and unilateral steps since August 5, 2019. The Indian government has announced a new set of laws for the disputed territory that grants domicile rights to Indian citizens in the region — a move sparking fear that it will alter the demographic status of the Muslim dominated territory. The announcement came nearly eight months after the Indian government stripped the region of its limited autonomy that had protected the region for decades from demographic changes.INp

Monday, 27 April, 2020

06 COMMENT

Gross miscarriage of justice

Re-inventing the wheel Why a think tank when there’s a Finance Ministry?

T

Humayun GauHar

“L

aw Courts do not exist in my book”, thus spake the great Zulfikar ali Bhutto to altaf Gauhar way back in the early seventies. In the end, those very law courts warped, damaged, incompetent, self- serving and everything bad got him and murdered him. There is a lesson in humility here.

Truth to tell, the trial, conviction and execution of Zulfikar ali Bhutto by the Lahore High Court and the Supreme Court of Pakistan were the worst miscarriage of justice in Pakistan’s history. Proper restitution is impossible because a life once taken can never be returned. But at the very least, the Supreme Court can admit its culpability and repeal its judgement saying that it was laced with bad intent and the judges were scared out of their wits of General Zia. The majority of the judges were great careerists and chose to follow the dictator’s wishes and rejected Bhutto’s appeal by 4:3 in favour of hanging. This should have been enough to grant him mercy from execution at the very least.

I asked air Marshal asghar Khan what he would do if he were President and he replied, “If it had been a taxi driver I would have granted the mercy appeal, but considering this is Zulfikar ali Bhutto…” when they were three all, one judge held the balance. But he was a weak little shrimp of a man who at least later had the decency to admit that he judged wrongly. Not that that is much solace to the dead man or his heirs.

Bhutto’s execution changed the course of our history forever and warped our society beyond redemption.

But I was talking of miscarriage of justice. There have been other instances too like when the Supreme Court legitimized each and every military ruler who was to come along, namely four and one civilian namely Zulfikar ali Bhutto. No doubt, there have been instances

NAB law lapsing No option but to legislate

B

OTH Houses of Parliament will have to meet and legislate if the government wishes to preserve the protections it gave to businessmen and civil servants from the excesses of NaB (National accountability Bureau). when the government acted to protect them, it did so at once, by promulgating amendments by an ordinance. That ordinance also included restrictions used at once against opposition politicians. However, now that that ordinance is about to lapse after the constitutionally mandated six months, it will have to be presented to Parliament and passed, or else the previous law will stand revived, with all the harmful consequences as before. with the economic effects of the covid-19 pandemic raging, there is all the more reason to prevent a spanner being thrown into the works. It might be recalled that the ordinance was promulgated at a time when the economy was reeling under the impact of the IMF package and businessmen said they had been scared

by NaB and bureaucrats explained fear of future NaB persecution as the reason for their refusal to do anything.

Both the PPP and the PML-N have expressed regret that they failed to rationalize the NaB law while they were in office. Both are seeing it used against them.

Before the PTI undergoes the same painful experience, it must use this readiness among the main opposition parties to make consensual amendments to the law. at the same time, it should not expect to be able to use the NaB law to persecute its own political opponents.

It is another reason why the government must summon Parliament. The hurdle that remains are the differing views of the government and the opposition of how social distancing is to be maintained, but that should be resolved easily. It should be realized that the constitutional scheme requires Parliament to meet frequently, and its duty of carrying out accountability of the government can only be carried out if it meets frequently. It is for that reason a number of days have been specified in the Constitution. and it should be remembered that the Constitution does not allow for any exceptions, not for war, calamity or natural disaster. Does this not reflect the understanding of the Constitution’s drafters even the most dire circumstances would not lead to a suspension of the functions of the Legislature? Or is the government’s refusal to allow the opposition any input so staunch it will allow NaB to hound businessmen and bureaucrats once again?

IMF’s projections in the covId-19 crisis Whither the global economy and financial markets?

Dr Omer JaveD

T

HE International Monetary Fund (IMF) recently published two reports a) ‘world Economic Outlook’ (wEO) titled ‘The Great Lockdown’, and b) ‘Global Financial Stability Report’ (GFSR) titled ‘Global Financial Stability Overview: Markets in the Time of COVID19’. Both these april 2020 reports are dedicated editions of IMF’s flagship reports to assess the current and future directions of impact of covid-19 on the global economy and its markets; while full reports of both wEO and GFSR will follow in May 2020.

The current report of the wEO brings forth a very grim situation of the global economy as a result of the pandemic, indicating ‘It is very likely that this year the global economy will experience its worst recession since the Great Depression, surpassing that seen during the global financial crisis a decade ago. The Great Lockdown, as one might call it, is projected to shrink global growth dramatically. a partial recovery is projected for 2021, with above trend growth rates, but the level of GDP will remain below the pre-virus trend, with considerable uncertainty about the strength of the rebound. Much worse growth outcomes are possible and maybe even likely. This would follow if the pandemic and containment measures last longer, emerg-

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Arif Nizami Editor Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

Umar Aziz

Asher John

Joint Editor

Executive Editor

Deputy Editor

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with the unprincipled Pakistan National alliance, which ganged up to oust him from power. and most interesting of all, what he would have done with Genof great judicial courage also, but they have been few eral Zia ul Haq and his cabal of generals, politicians and far between, starting with the Dosso Case, the and civil servants. One can only wonder.

Tamizuddin case, the asma Jilani case, and so on. I will It should never be forgotten that Zulfikar ali Bhutto not count declaring General Yahya Khan a usurper went to his death like a man. The authorities had alamongst the instances of bravery because he had already lowed him a meeting with his wife and daughter, Begone after having been legitimized by the same court nazir, the day before and told him that this was his last earlier. So there is no point in being brave after the event. meeting. He took his wedding ring off his emaciated Talking of power, they have been given too much finger and returned it to his wife. I am told he kept two of it, what with suo moto notices, contempt notices cigars. He shaved, had tea and apparently some manand the like. when in office, chief justices of the goes. Then he walked up to the door and had to be carSupreme Court thunder and rage as if they themselves ried the rest of the way on a stretcher. That shows how are dictators. Once out, they meekly go into oblivion. human he was. at the scaffold, he got off the stretcher Remember Iftikhar Chaudhry and his nonsense? Try- and walked up, let his executioner Tara Masih tie his ing to determine such earth shattering issues as what arms and legs and body and said what any man would the price of samosas ought to naturally say, “I don’t know be or the parking fee of what will become of my Karachi airport or the alleged wife.” Then Tara Masih put a possession of two bottles of black hood over his head and In the end, the plane returned alcohol by a lady passenger like a man who was fed up of at Islamabad airport. life, Bhutto said, “Finish it.” and a new C-130 took the body anyway, the overreach anyway, Bhutto’s was a to Jacobabad and the dirty deed death foretold. a day was deof the Supreme Court has got to a point where they seem to cided – midnight of 4th and 5th was done. As an ironic twist, I have replaced the army in the of april and the idea was to public perception as interferwhisk his body away to his am told that the plane in which ing in the operation of govancestral graveyard in Sindh Zia ul Haq crashed and died was and quietly bury him like ernment. Before this, we used to think that a civilian thieves in the night before the same C-130. If true, and I government, even if properly dawn broke. The army C-130 elected, was at the mercy of aircraft took off on time, but have no reason to doubt that it the army and its important halfway to Jacobabad, it depolicies were dictated by is, these are the twists and turns veloped engine trouble and them. That may or may not had to return to Chaklala airof fate that I cannot interpret. be so, but certainly now the base in Rawalpindi where in Supreme Court is overreachthe meantime they prepared ing to the point where it tells another plane. Needless to the executive who it can resay, the authorities were move from office. sweating buckets during the planes return. During this Even someone like the special assistant on health, time, the Home Secretary, an erstwhile friend of Dr. Zafar Mirza is asked to be removed for incompe- Bhutto’s, was beside himself with worry that if the plane tence, the court implying what qualifications he has crashed with the body, no one would believe that Bhutto for holding the job. well, I ask, what qualifications do had died. In the end, the plane returned and a new Cthe judges have for being judges? It is high time that 130 took the body to Jacobabad and the dirty deed was we corrected the procedure of appointments not just done. as an ironic twist, I am told that the plane in which of judges, but at every level and base them solely on Zia ul Haq crashed and died was the same C-130. If true, merit not seniority. This whole assumption that after and I have no reason to doubt that it is, these are the a judge retires, the next most senior will become chief twists and turns of fate that I cannot interpret. justice flies in the face of merit as the prime minister Even though I had good reason to dislike Zulfikar keeps talking about. ali Bhutto immensely for what he had done to my faIn the realm of conjecture, I have always won- ther and my family, I have always lamented his exedered what Zulfikar ali Bhutto would have done had cution. May his soul rest in peace. he not been murdered by the judges. Or how he would have played the situation after the Soviet ocHumayun Gauhar can be reached at: cupation of afghanistan. Or what he would have done humayun.gauhar786@gmail.com

Bhutto and the courts that hung him

HE second meeting of the think tank constituted

by Prime Minister Imran Khan to deliberate on the coronavirus-related economic downturn and mitigation of risks recommended a further cut to the policy rate, and a reduction in fuel prices. The question arises why this body was formed in the first place. Is it a quiet substitute for the Economic advisory Council formed by this government soon after it was elected? Or is it some sort of control on the man who chairs it, PM’s Finance adviser, Dr Hafeez Sheikh? The EaC, which got mired in controversy because of the ahmadi faith of one of the members, was more suited to a presidential form of government than a prime ministerial, but this think tank merely formalizes something the PM’s Finance adviser could have done anyway, which was talk to the members.

Further, its recommendations are things that the mantra of autonomy has placed outside the government’s competence. The government cannot directly reduce the policy rate. That can only be done by the State Bank of Pakistan’s Monetary Policy Committee. The MPC is usually amenable to Finance Ministry suggestions, but that means that the Finance Ministry could have simply prepared the necessary summary for the SBP, asking it to cut the policy rate. Similarly, there was no real need for any body but the Finance Ministry to suggest a fuel price cut to OGRa, which is the competent body to do so. The policy rate has been cut twice already, and fuel rates have been cut once.

One of the most common bureaucratic practices has been to hand over to a committee anything one wants no action to be taken. Unfortunately, the coronavirus pandemic will not disappear because it has had a think tank set up to deal with its economic consequences. If the government has no idea of what to do, it should not hide beyond a committee or a think tank and hope that the problem will go away by prayer. The Prime Minister should make sure that his economic team is of sufficient caliber to handle the issue, and it should take action. The think tank is part of the ‘look-busy-do-nothing’ syndrome that afflicts our government machinery and which the PTI has been unable to change.

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ing and developing economies are even more severely hit, tight financial conditions persist, or if widespread scarring effects emerge due to firm closures and extended unemployment.’ wEO expects that the global economy will post a real GDP growth of -3 percent in 2020. at the same time, in advanced economies, the IMF expects the impact will be even more severe where the real GDP growth is likely to be -6.1 percent for 2020, while for emerging markets and developing economies (EMDE), IMF forecasts, will be -1 percent. at the same time, wEO points out that in case the pandemic recedes in the coming months, and with it the lockdowns ease out, then optimistic prospects are likely to be possible for growth in real GDP, in terms of all three regions, whereby for 2021 it is expected to be 5.8 percent globally, 4.5 percent in advanced economies, and 6.6 percent in EMDE. That being said, this optimistic view is only one scenario of IMF, while wEO brings forth even grimmer possibilities depending on the stickiness in terms of comeback attacks of covid-19, and with it, the tightening of the lockdowns.

Moreover, regarding Pakistan specifically, a recent report of IMF, titled ‘Request for purchase under the rapid financing instrument’, points out ‘Pakistan is facing unprecedented health and economic shocks from the rapid propagation of the Covid-19 outbreak.

Growth is expected to contract sharply, by -1.5 percent in FY 2020, as the economy is buffeted by demand and supply shocks. Exports and remittances are expected to decline sharply, which together with a temporary loss of market access, create an urgent balance of payments (BoP) need. In addition, public finances are expected to come under significant pressure from the sudden increase in health- and mitigation-related expenditures as well as the decline in tax revenues.’ with regard to the financial markets in the wake of the covid-19 crisis, GFSR points out ‘This crisis presents a very serious threat to the stability of the global financial system. Following the COVID-19 outbreak, financial conditions tightened at unprecedented speed, exposing some “cracks” in global financial markets. Market volatility spiked and borrowing costs surged on expectations of widespread defaults. Signs of strain emerged in major

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funding markets, including the global US dollar funding market. Historically large capital outflows exacerbated domestic shocks in emerging market economies. These developments have raised the risk that the inability of borrowers to service their debts would put pressure on banks and cause credit markets to freeze up. a prolonged period of dislocation in financial markets could trigger distress among financial institutions, which, in turn, could lead to a credit crunch for nonfinancial borrowers, further exacerbating the economic downturn.’ an important policy focus of State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) for many months has now been on building the amount of portfolio investment, but in the wake of covid-19 crisis, emerging markets overall have seen a significant outflow of portfolio flows, and GFSR calls this ‘a big reversal’, and points out ‘Portfolio flows to emerging markets have experienced a very sharp reversal. Nonresident portfolio outflows from emerging markets reached a record level in dollar terms (more than $100 billion since January 21) and the highest ever relative to their aggregate GDP in the first quarter of 2020. Outflows from asia and from equity markets were initially particularly strong, given their sensitivity to the growth outlook. But outflows from bond markets have become significant more recently.’

Overall, with regard to the impact of the pandemic on emerging markets, GFSR indicates ‘an unprecedented combination of external shocks (COVID-19 pandemic, oil price decline, increased global risk aversion, and a prospect of global recession) led to a broad-based sell-off in emerging and frontier markets.

Emerging market equity prices have fallen by about 20 percent, on net, since mid-January despite the most recent rebound. Currencies of commodity-producing economies (such as Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Russia, and South africa) tumbled by more than 20 percent against the US dollar in the first quarter of 2020.

Currencies of other emerging markets have been relatively less affected... But for some weaker economies, the current shock was particularly severe as the number of distressed sovereign issuers (those with spreads over 1,000 basis points) rose to record levels. Oil-importing economies have generally fared better, but lower remittances, reduced external funding availability, and lower external demand may outweigh the positive impact of lower oil prices.’

Dr Omer Javed holds PhD in Economics degree from the University of Barcelona, and previously worked at International Monetary Fund. He tweets @omerjaved

Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

Monday, 27 April, 2020

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

Embezzling from BISP

Peeping into the post-pandemic world order Whatever else, the world will change

Abdul RAsool syed

A

mid the opacity hovering over the post-pandemic world, one thing is certain, the prevailing global contagion is likely to alter the course of the world.

The chronological account of the world fairly reveals that major natural catastrophes have toppled empires and annihilated dynasties; and this ongoing calamity is moving on the same trajectory with similar intensity and enormity. Hence, it is, like other preceding calamities, going to breed comparable outcomes.

The most probable outcome may be the deglobalization and emergence of centrifugal forces within global capitalism. A similar contention was voiced by Nicolas Tenzer, chair of the Cerap think tank in Paris, who argued that the rising barriers in response to the virus will strengthen “the populist and nationalist forces that have long called for reinforcing borders. It is a true gift for them”. Another veteran US market commentator wrote “the coronavirus’ depressing effects on the global economy and disruptions of supply chain is …driving the last nail into the coffin of the globalists”. However, the process of disintegration of the globalized world has, of course, been underway for some time, as epitomized by Donald Trump’s rejection of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact and his subsequent launch of a trade war against both allies and adversaries; Brexit is another manifestation of this trend. The covid-19 pandemic will lend added momentum to this process, by encouraging businesses in Europe and the USA to move their critical supply lines away from Asia and toward local supplies.

Furthering this strategy, Trump had already sought to decouple the US economy from China by imposing stiff tariffs on Chinese goods and by egging on US companies to dismantle the supply lines they had established and move them home, or to more reliable countries elsewhere. Apple, for example, began last summer to prod its suppliers in China into moving 15 to 30 percent of their production capacity to Southeast Asia. Now, as a result of the coronavirus, US-based multinational corporations like Apple are accelerating plans to establish alternative supply lines outside China or to move them back home. Pressure is also building in Washington for the adoption of tough measures aimed at reducing US reliance on China for security-related technologies, such as advanced computers and electrical gear, and for their expanded production at home.

On the other hand, China is likely to shrink

its dependence on the US market and place greater emphasis on clients in Africa and in south, central and Southeast Asia. The Belt and Road Initiative, Bejing’s primary vehicle of trade, is now experiencing a slowdown as a result of the pandemic, but will no doubt be accorded fresh impetus once the Chinese achieve rehabilitation. As part of this endeavor, China is likely to demand greater use of the yuan in trade and development agreements, progressively edging out the dollar and euro.

Europe too is inclined to drift way from Washington because of Trump’s hostility to NATO and punitive tariffs on European goods.

European leaders, once the current crisis recedes, are likely to enhance their distance from Washington and seek greater autonomy in both economic and political affairs.

All this suggests that we are going to witness more segmented world in the days to come, with three major blocs or trading zones operating more or less according to their own rules and employing the same currency— the dollar in the Western Hemisphere, the euro in Europe and Africa, the yuan in Asia.

Moreover, the pandemic is also going to serve as a test case for the performance of various regimes and governments. Those who manage the crisis effectively may enjoy an upsurge in public support; those that do poor will lose support and may be ousted. The Communist leadership of China, for example, has come under severe stricture from ordinary citizens over its failure to act swiftly in Wuhan and then attempting a cover-up of its malfeasance; in Japan, more than a million posts on Twitter have called for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s resignation because of his clumsy handling of the virus outbreak. Iran’s clerical regime may also face a popular backlash for concealing the extent of the outbreak and then responding to it in haphazard fashion. Eventually, every government will be judged on its performance in addressing the coronavirus.

Inter alia, in aftermath of this dismal outbreak, many industries are going to suffer heavy losses. The industry which is more vulnerable and is more likely to suffer incomparable loss is the oil industry. Oil is the most essential and valuable commodity in international trade and its sale on international markets is critical to the economies of such oil-exporting states as Angola, Iraq, Nigeria, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela. When oil prices are high, the leaders of these countries invest huge sums on major infrastructure projects and bolster social services, thereby reaping public support; when prices are low, they are supposed to minimize government expenditures, causing agony and pain for the masses and inviting revolt.

With the covid-19 pandemic making economic activity collapse around the world, we can expect a long period of low prices— with severe and possibly fatal consequences for the current leadership of major producers.

Among other global shifts, we can also expect many other geopolitical consequences of the covid-19 pandemic. Among these is the progressive unraveling of the overarching strategy that has governed the US military since the end of World War II. Termed as “forward deployment” and “coalition warfare,” it is the US strategy that holds that US forces should fight the nation’s enemies on their borders. This entails permanent deployment of massive US military contingents

in such locations as Germany, Italy, Japan, South Korea, and the greater Persian Gulf— a stance that naturally requires the acquiescence and support of the countries involved. This strategy also requires that US troops be reinforced with those from coalition partners, whether from the NATO countries or under bilateral arrangements, like those with Japan and South Korea. But now, with covid-19, all of this is in jeopardy.

Given the current pandemic, America would like to protect its troops stationed at different places like Italy, Japan, and South Korea, where the virus has been raging and some US personnel have become infected. At even greater risk are the troops deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan, where the communities adjacent to US bases have seen outbreak of Covid-19 as the pilgrims arriving from Iran were severely hit by the corona pathogen. Given these critical circumstances, the future of “coalition warfare” is endangered by the risk of contagion posed by the frequent intermingling of US and allied troops.

Hence, the strategy of “coalition warfare” is unlikely to survive in a world of recurring pandemics and withering alliances.

In addition, production bottlenecks. like the ones in electronic manufacturing, have also created humungous hurdles in fight against the new coronavirus. With this new virus spreading, some governments are giving in to their worst instincts.

Even before the covid-19 outbreak began, Chinese manufacturers made half of the world’s medical masks. These manufacturers ramped up production as a result of crisis, but the Chinese government effectively bought up the country’s entire supply of masks, while also importing large quantities of masks and respirators from abroad. China certainly needed them, but the result of its buying spree was a supply crunch that hobbled other countries’ response to the disease.

Finally, whereas the Trump Administration has exploited the pandemic to pull back on integration, China is using this crisis to showcase its willingness to lead. Despite early mistakes that nearly cost the lives of thousands of people, Beijing has now learnt how to fight the new virus, and it also has stockpiles of required paraphernalia. These are, for sure, valuable assets for China to exert its influence and regain its lost economic niche in the world.

What happened with Italy in early March is worth mentioning here; when it called on other EU countries to provide emergency medical equipment as critical shortages forced its doctors to make heartbreaking decisions about which patients to try to save and which to let die. None of them responded. But China did, offering to sell ventilators, masks, protective suits, and swabs. As the China experts Rush Doshi and Julian Gewirtz have argued, Beijing seeks to portray itself as the leader of the global fight against the new coronavirus in order to promote goodwill and expand its tentacles across the globe.

The post-pandemic world is likely to accommodate many geo-political and geo-economic changes. It may result in the emergence of a new world order. Therefore, once we overcome the menace of the pandemic, we, as a nation, must revisit our domestic and foreign policies and tailor them in accordance with the requirements of post-pandemic world order.

Abdul Rasool Syed is a freelance columnist

THIS shows the government’s sincerity and honesty to help the deserving and curb corruption at all levels in the country. For Pakistan decreasing poverty has become a challenge which must be solved. Names of more than 800,000 ineligible have been deleted from the list of Benazir Income Support program(BISP) and over 4.4 million new names have been included in it.

It is heart wrenching to pen it down that when FIA investigated it they found that out of the total number of eligible beneficiaries, 14,730 were government employees including grade 17 to 20 officers and 127,826 were wives of government employees. This is what corruption is deep rooted in our system. Moreover, in the list there were those people who traveled abroad and were owners of cars.

Currently our country is facing a menace of Poverty due to globe pandemic Covid-19 which seized the entire world. This is a time the government and other authorities collect looted money from such criminals who are wearing the mask of officers and invest them on deserving families that they can feel ease during lockdown.

Lastly, it is not the government’s obligation, we as patriotic nations must contribute a little piece of money as zakat for deserving ones.

SAmEER UmRAni Karachi

Some good news TRAFFIC is gone, gas is affordable, less air pollution, kids are at home with their families, parents are home taking care of their children and spend some quality time together. Fast food replaced by home cooked meals.

Hectic schedules replaced by naps, rest and relaxation. The air seems cleaner. The World quieter. People are conscious about hygiene and health.

Money doesn’t seem to make the World go round anymore. Doctors and nurses arr being praised and recognized instead of athletes and celebrities and we now have time, finally to stop and smell the roses. The positive side above all. I’m pretty sure this was God’s way of telling us to slow down and stop destroying his World and sent us to our rooms to think about what we have done. Let’s make sure next time to protect and preserve our precious Mother Nature so the universe will not punch us again. iqRA SiddiqUi Karachi

LOC ceasefire THE tensions between India and Pakistan flared as both armies targeted civilian areas on Sunday with heavy artillery fire in violation of a 2003 Ceasefire accord. Despite coronavirus threats in the country India has once again created hardships for innocent people being targeted in the Line of Control. However, India is blaming Muslims for the spread of COVID-19 .

During the Ceasefire Indian military was using civilians as human shield to avoid Pakistan’s retaliation. And the increased hostility along the LOC is believed to be linked with Indian government problem and has a great anger on Muslims. Pakistan should attempt an urgent response to tackle this issue.

BARKAtULLAh turbat

IMF terms?

I would like to draw more light to bring the issue to the notice of authorities concerned. It is observed that the mechanism of our country is stopped for not years but decades indeed. Our government can be seen pleading in front of the IMF for bailouts right after each couple of months or a year.

Coming up with the recent report, the government was asked to disclose the terms of agreement reached with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to get a six billion dollar bailout package. As far as I am concerned for my point of views, Pakistan’s government will once again invest this package ruthlessly on insignificant projects and then again implore for another bailout.

The story further disappointed me electricity tariff would go up under a condition set by the agreement despite Prime Minister Imran Khan’s announcement of plans to freeze power and gas tariffs. This uncovers as if the IMF override decisions taken by the Prime Minister and the cabinet.

Where I come to the exposure of mystery the country is being run by the IMF and only some figures. We, the citizens of Pakistan, just need to wait for the “Imminent disaster” for the hit. Rip Pakistan!

ASiF mURAd Karachi

IPP’s leeching Pakistan THERMAL IPPs were setup under the Benezir Bhutto 1994 energy policy. These plants were to run on oil and were established for short period, that is 6 years only. It was envisioned that cheaper alternatives like coal, solar and hydro power plants will be added during these six years.

But due to a number of reasons the other power plants were never established and NEPRA used this excuse to renew the contracts for the IPP’s at the same high rates. While these power plants had lost their power producing capacity over the years.

Therefore in 2008 the PPP government asked USAid to provide new power plants to these IPPs free of cost. During all this time NEPRA failed to highlight the high contract costs, the low power producing capacity or cheaper coal or Hydro power plant construction options for Pakistan, while renewing the IPP contracts every six years.

All in all the IPP’s in collusion with relevant Government organizations have been leeching high profits from Pakistan even during extreme crisis situations like Earthquakes, Floods, Terrorism attacks etc.

Since they never spared Pakistan, therefore the Government should not spare them.

Using the “Act of God” clause in such contracts the Government should end each IPP high costing contract. And than ask them to renegotiate a new contract, if they wish not to lose their whole investment in one day. The new contract should be much cheaper including discount of the past many years.

ShAhRyAR KhAn BASEER Peshawar

Monday, 27 April, 2020

08 WORLD VIEW

Can niCotine treat CoViD-19? FrenCh researChers think so ONE PARTICULARLY WEIRD ELEMENT IS CONFLICTING REPORTS ON WHETHER CIGARETTE SMOKERS ARE MORE OR LESS LIKELY TO GET COVID-19 AND WHETHER THEY HAVE WORSE CASES IF THEY DO

rEason

n

eLizabetH NOLaN brOWN

EW study will test whether nicotine patches can keep the coronavirus away. The more we find out about COVID-19, the less sense it makes. Originally seen as a standard respiratory ailment that primarily affected the lungs, there's mounting evidence that COVID-19 can cause serious damage to the heart, neurological system, and kidneys, too. In young people, it's been shown to sometimes cause sudden strokes, even absent other symptoms. Doctors are also reporting COVID-19 patients with blood clots.

One particularly weird element is conflicting reports on whether cigarette smokers are more or less likely to get COVID-19 and whether they have worse cases if they do.

Now, in France, they're testing whether nicotine may help prevent COVID-19 infections. It might sound zany at first, or like a piece of bad satire about French people

(What's next, testing to see if baguettes and brie cure COVID-19?), but there's actually good evidence that nicotine plays a role in regulating humans' response to the virus.

"It's an interesting possibility," and "we'll know more soon," French Health Minister Olivier Veran said on France Inter radio this week. The mitigating effect of nicotine could explain conflicting results on smokers and COVID-19.

Initially, high rates of smoking in places like China and Italy were offered as reasons why the illness might be striking these places especially hard. In Wuhan, China, "the percent of current and former smokers were higher among the severe cases: 17% and 5%, respectively, than among the nonsevere cases (12% and 1%, respectively)," according to an article published in Nicotine & Tobacco Research on April 3.

Worse outcomes for smokers still might be the case—smoking involves a lot more than just nicotine, and many of the health issues seen in long-term smokers are the same underlying conditions that have been found to provoke more severe symptoms of COVID-19.

Yet "doctors at the Pitie-Salpetriere hospital in Paris observed that few Covid19 patients hospitalized were smokers," notes Bloomberg.

Some have theorized this away by noting that old age is a hospitalization risk factor, and smokers are less likely to live to an older age. But others are trying to tease out whether there's a possible mechanism by which smoking could prove protective.

"Based on the current scientific literature and on new epidemiological data which reveal that current smoking status appears to be a protective factor against the infection by [COVID-19], we hypothesize that the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) plays a key role in the pathophysiology of Covid-19 infection and might represent a target for the prevention and control of Covid-19 infection," wrote French researchers in an April 21 paper.

How would this work? Well, it's known that COVID-19 binds to a protein in the human body called angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), and previous research has shown that nicotine helps regulate ACE2 expression. The authors of the paper hypothesize a way in which this could contribute to a lessening of the hyper-inflammation thought to be responsible for some of the worst cases of COVID-19.

"Until recently, no firm conclusions could be drawn from studies evaluating the rates of current smokers in Covid-19," states the paper. More: All these studies, although

reporting low rates of current smokers, ranging from 1.4% to 12.5%, did not take into account the main potential confounders of smoking including age and sex.

In the study that two of us are reporting, the rates of current smoking remain below 5% even when main confounders for tobacco consumption, i.e. age and sex, in- or outpatient status, were considered. Compared to the French general population, the Covid-19 population exhibited a significantly weaker current daily smoker rate by 80.3 % for outpatients and by 75.4 % for inpatients. Thus, current smoking status appears to be a protective factor against the infection by SARS-CoV-2.

Although the chemistry of tobacco smoke is complex, these data are consistent with the hypothesis that its protective role takes place through direct action on various types of nAChRs expressed in neurons, immune cells (including macrophages), cardiac

In the Gulf, migrant workers fear for their future BETWEEN DRACONIAN MIGRATION LAWS AND THE CONTINUING LOCKDOWNS, MIGRANT WORKERS IN THE GULF ARE FACING INCREASING UNCERTAINTY

opEn dEmocracy rabiya Jaffery

Hassan is a migrant worker from Bangladesh currently working and living in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

He shares a one-bedroom flat with 11 people, all under quarantine after one of his flatmates was tested positive for COVID-19 after a visit to the hospital following a cough and a high fever.

Hassan states that the police visited that evening and placed the building under quarantine. Two days later, a doctor came to test the entire building and, another three days later, Hassan discovered that he and four other flatmates had also tested positive.

“I don’t have any symptoms as such - sometimes I feel like I have a sore-throat at night but then I think my brain is tricking me,” he says in an interview on the phone, one week after he tested positive. “What I am more worried about is money.”

While he is in quarantine, food is being provided by the government but he is uncertain about the circumstances once he recovers and can go back to his flat as his company has neither made clear when work will resume nor if he will be getting paid for his days in quarantine. Hassan isn’t alone - human rights organizations are concerned that the millions of migrant workers in the Gulf will continue to be disproportionately affected by economic uncertainty as host countries implement containment measures to limit coronavirus cases in the region.

The total number of cases in the Gulf states has exceeded 20,000 with over 150 deaths and countries are continuing their ban on most passenger flights and are extending internal lockdowns and curfews to contain the number of growing cases.

“This pandemic has both exposed decades of systematic racial discrimination and deepened the suffering of migrant workers who have long faced exploitation and abuse under the Gulf states’ various kafala systems,” says Hiba Zayadi, Human Rights Watch's Gulf researcher.

The number of cases have been exponentially increasing in the Gulf states and although little information has been released by official authorities about how it is particularly affecting migrant workers, many facilities housing migrants all over the region, such as Qatar’s largest labour camp, have been under lockdowns and many companies, whose staff primarily consists of migrant labor, have also quarantined their workers after positive cases started emerging.

Bilal works for a private supermarket chain in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, and is currently one of the nearly 50 workers from his company that are quarantined after a co-worker tested positive for coronavirus. The workers have all been provided individual rooms in a hotel one of the many in the city that is typically visited by thousands of religious pilgrims - and are being provided three meals a day until the quarantine period is over.

“We are being treated well and a doctor is going to come in to take our tests soon so we can know our results before the two weeks are over,” he says. “But it really depends on the company you work for and how lucky you are - I know some people who are locked up in their regular rooms that they share with 3-4 other men. Everyone is having a very different experience because companies lie to the government.”

Several Gulf countries have announced that they will be introducing policies to alleviate the increased financial hardships migrant workers are going to face as a result of the pandemic. For instance, UAE has announced that all companies must provide housing to laid off workers until they can leave or find another job and Qatar has stated that it will cover the wages of all quarantined migrant workers.

“But time and again, groups like ours have exposed problems with implementation and enforcement of announced reforms that often stem from the kafala system that governs migrant workers itself,” says Zayadi. “I don’t see how or why, now, during this unprecedented crisis, we can trust these governments to properly implement and enforce announced measures to protect migrant workers against financial ruin.”

Uncertainty over financial security remains a common concern for migrant workers throughout the region. “My brother is a taxi driver here and I work in construction and we are both not sure how to continue supporting our families back home,” says Faraz Khan, a Pakistani worker based in Dubai, UAE. “The company I work for has asked us to stay home but we are probably not getting paid, nobody is sure. My brother is still driving his taxi but there are hardly any passengers to pick up so it is almost like having no work.”

Faraz also works as domestic help for two households that he visits on the weekends for 3-4 hours each. He is one of the many migrant workers in the region who have taken up irregular jobs as part-time work, usually working for medium-income expats who don’t have the budget to sponsor and hire fulltime domestic help.

“They asked me to stop coming before the official quarantine began - one house asked me to stop coming since mid-March and the other a week after that,” he says. Both households have told him that he can visit to collect his pay once the ongoing circumstances return to normal. “People who could never imagine living without help have been doing so now because they know we live in very cramped places and are always around people so are probably more likely to get sick,” he says. “Maybe it is true, I don’t know how this disease spreads but it doesn’t matter now because the whole city

has been asked to self-isolate.”

Faraz’s situation is not unique - the demand for domestic workers, all across the region, have steadily declined since the first cases started emerging.

We reached out to two UAE-based cleaning companies and one based in Qatar. All reaffirmed that despite the impact of the lockdown on their business, their staff are still being paid full wages and on time.

Workers, however, have a different story to tell. Sneha, who works for a cleaning service in Sharjah, states that she has yet to be paid for March. Sneha has reached out to a few of the households she’d work at regularly and asked for financial aid because of the uncertainty she’s facing at work.

“The company says it is planning to pay us but we still haven’t received payment for March, and April is almost over. I worked regularly for a few Pakistani and Indian families and they gave me some money which is what I am surviving on right now,” she says. “We still have work though but it is lesser hours a week because hardly anyone is calling for cleaning services.”

Many migrant workers, particularly those who have already lost their jobs or those who are being asked to work without pay, are also seeking to return to their countries of origin but can not do so because of the ban on flights. The Pakistani consulate in the UAE stated to the media that it is able to provide rations of food to those in need but flights back home have been put on hold right now. Flights to India have also been on hold since mid to late March and are expected to resume soon but no specific dates have been confirmed. Nepal has also placed a ban on most citizens returning home leaving thousands of Nepalese workers in the Gulf stranded and, often, without a roof over their heads. The Gulf states, however, are rushing to return expat workers who no longer have jobs back home and are putting pressure on South Asian countries to allow repatriation flights back.

Some of the measures can work in favor of the stranded migrants. Kuwait is running repatriation flights, free of charge, in coordination with countries of origin and Bahrain is also allowing repatriating flights but migrants will have to pay for the tickets. Only migrants who do not have any pending debts can avail the flights.

But in other cases, however, the lack of cooperation between host countries in the Gulf and the countries of origin is leaving migrants even more vulnerable. Amnesty International reports that Qatar informed ‘hundreds of migrant workers’ that they were going for their COVID-19 tests but, instead, put them in a detention center and then, eventually, started to send them back to their countries of origin.

“We’re already seeing states scramble to return migrant workers en masse to their countries in an attempt to wash their hands of the responsibility for them, with the UAE for example threatening to review labor ties with countries of origin that are refusing to take back their citizens, as if those workers were not the ones who carried the Gulf states’ economies on their shoulders,” says Zayadi.

tissue, lungs, and blood vessels.

No one is suggesting that people take up smoking to ward off the new coronavirus.

But nicotine can be introduced into the body in ways other than smoking—French scientists will be using nicotine patches for their upcoming study. And synthetic substitutes for nicotine may be able to overcome any possible addiction issues.

"There are substitutes to nicotine that can be developed in laboratories that would enable [users] to avoid its addictive effects," Veran said on French radio.

Back in the U.S., health regulators were warning that smoking cigarettes or vaping could increase COVID-19 complications.

Food and Drug Administration officials have since backed down on the vaping aspect. "Ecigarette use can expose the lungs to toxic chemicals, but whether those exposures increase the risk of COVID-19 is not known," it told Bloomberg News.

Israel is heading for a Shin Bet police state THE HIGH COURT IS SUPPOSED TO BE A GATEKEEPER, NOT THE SHIN BET’S LAWYER Editorial Haaretz

The High Court of Justice on Thursday heard petitions, including some via online video, against emergency regulations being enacted to control the spread of the coronavirus. These regulations allow the Shin Bet security service and the police to monitor Israelis.

The Health Ministry’s head of public services, Prof.

Siegal Sadetzki, told the court her office was considering expanding surveillance by the Shin Bet significantly.

Sadetzki’s statement should sound a great warning – Israel is now on a slippery slope.

Nothing was more expected than the state’s attempt to expand the use of surveillance methods. The pattern is familiar and dangerous: Start with ostensibly minimal means for a limited time, then expand the means and duration until they become permanent. Now it’s the fight against the coronavirus, tomorrow it will be the fight against crime – and finally the fight against the government’s opponents. History is paved with examples of emergency measures becoming routine.

While no democracy in the world is using those methods in its fight against the coronavirus, Israel wants to expand them. Justice Noam Sohlberg asked at the hearing: “Is it not a state of national security where the law allows the activation of the Shin Bet’s capabilities?” Justice Hanan Melcer added: “The right to life takes precedence over the right to privacy.”

These comments are extremely troubling. The High Court is supposed to be a gatekeeper, not the Shin Bet’s lawyer.

The original sin was of course the occupation. The Shin Bet’s recklessness in the occupied territories, the methods put at its disposal and its almost unlimited powers, with no real judicial and public supervision, are the foundation on which the state now leans in seeking to move these methods into Israel proper. Appallingly, this also was expected.

Security cannot be used as a cover for every breach of privacy, and neither can public health. We must listen to the words of Prof. Hagai Levine, chairman of the Israeli Association of Public Health Physicians: “It’s hard to understand the eagerness to use covert means for whose expediency there isn’t the slightest proof.

The lack of transparency and professionalism undermine the public’s confidence and the public’s health.” Now it’s the High Court’s test. If it legitimizes expanding the means of surveillance, Israelis will find faster than they imagine that they’re living in a police state where the right to privacy has become a dead letter with various excuses and pretexts.

Monday, 27 April, 2020

BUSINESS 09

GasPort LNG terminal achieves ISO certifications

LOCkdOwN: BuSINESSMEN TO ShaRE CONCERNS wITh PaRLIaMENTaRY COMMITTEE TOdaY ISLAMABAD

BuSIneSS DeSk The Pakistan GasPort Consortium Limited (PGPCL), which owns and operates Pakistan’s single largest LNG storage and regasification terminal at Port Qasim, has received ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015, and ISO 45001:2018 certifications. The certifications were issued by the Bureau Veritas Certification Holding SAS—UK Branch for PGPCL’s compliance to global standards for management system standards in LNG, transfer, storage, regasification and RLNG delivery and safety, says a press release. “As GasPort puts high priority in providing a safe and healthy work environment for its team members handling LNG operations, a compliance to such standards will guide the company in scaling up its successful operations and bring in private LNG cargoes by tapping into the lower global LNG spot rates so that the weighted average cost of gas can reduce for the benefit of the industry and households,” noted GasPort Chairman Iqbal Z Ahmed.

PGPCL comprises a state-of-the-art Floating Storage Regasification Unit, which was built in 2016 by Samsung Heavy Industries in Busan, and is permanently moored at Port Qasim under a 15-year agreement between PGPCL and BW Group, a Norway-based shipping company. The unit at the PGPCL Terminal has a storage capacity in excess of 170,000m3 and a peak regasification capacity of 750mmscfd. Since its commercial operations started in January 2018, 95 LNG cargoes have been processed at the terminal and it has injected over 278 BCF of regasified LNG in the Sui network. “The recent ISO certifications for quality management system, effective environmental management system, and health and occupational health management system attest to the strong emphasis,” observed Nasir Gill, who is GasPort project manager. He said GasPort leadership and its foreign partners—BW and Trafigura—place on the well-being of our operational teams, mitigating hazards, and minimising carbon emissions. GasPort is part of Associated Group (AG), one of Pakistan’s leading private-sector business houses specialising in the energy sector.

T

StAff rePort

HE business community will take up with the Parliamentary Committee on Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) on Monday its concerns regarding the impact of the expanded lockdown on businesses and economy across the country.

The committee would meet here with Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaisar in the chair, while Minister for Industries and Production will brief the committee on the impact of lockdown and immediate steps required to protect the economy with particular reference to the industrial sector.

Likewise, the Adviser to the Prime Minister on Commerce will brief the committee in effect to the lockdown with reference to trade and commercial activities in the country.

The committee has also invited representatives of the business community to hear their perspective of the issue in hand besides getting their input for making appropriate recommenda-

tions to the government for revival of economy affected by the COVID-19.

Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) President Mian Anjum Nisar and All Pakistan Anjuman-e-Tajiraan President Ajmal Baloch will brief the Committee regarding the concerns and demands of industrialists, exporters, importers and traders.

The parliamentary committee has also specially invited Ishfaq Yousaf Tola, the Chairman of Economic Advisory Committee of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan (ICAP). Members of the National Assembly Ali Pervaiz Malik, Raja Khurrum Shahzad and Senator Saleem Mandviwala, the Deputy Chairman

FBR directs field formations to provide auditable record of wheat, sugar to AGP

FBR likely to set Rs5.1tr revenue target for FY21: member ISLAMABAD INP

Member Inland Revenue Policy Federal Board of Revenue Dr Hamid Ateeq on Sunday said keeping in consideration the existing and post Covid-19 pandemic situation, the bureau is likely to set the revenue collection target at Rs5,100 billion for the next fiscal year of (2020-21).

Talking to media, he said for the current fiscal year (201920), the downwardly reviewed revenue collection target of Rs3,908 billion would be achieved with the renewal of economic activities. The FBR expected to collect Rs500 billion by the April end, however so far it had collected Rs145 billion and keeping in view this trend the total collections during the month would reach Rs210, he said adding that the COVID-19 had affected the collections. To a question on recently issued different Statutory Notification (SROs) in the current Covid-19 scenario, Ateeq said that FBR had exempted two percent duty on editable oil and withdrew duties on pulses, wheat, flour and sugar items.

“We now expect the price of these items would down by 10 to 15 per cent in coming days.” He said 61 import items had been sent to FBR, which was a necessity in the current circumstances, by the Ministry of Health. The Member IR Policy added that the bureau had reviewed the whole list all 61 items and excluded these 19 items, which existed in generic name and had not been imported by the government. He said FBR had rejected all those items that had an issue of compatibility and quality, adding items worth Rs7 billion items had been imported on emergency basis. Replying to another question on relief package to the constructing industry and fixed tax issue, Ateeq said that FBR had completed all the procedure in this regards after the approval of the ordinance.

ISLAMABAD ShAhzAd PArAchA

The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has directed its field formations to provide auditable records related to sugar and wheat to the teams of the Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP).

According to a documents, the premier tax collection agency has directed its all field officers to ensure the availability of accounts, books, papers and other documents that deal with or form the basis of, or otherwise relevant to audit as required under section 14 (1) of the Auditor General Ordinance 2001.

The AGP had established a

high powered committee under the supervision of the Director General Audit (of the federal government) to conduct a special audit of wheat and sugar crisis along with the subsidies in these sectors.

Four provincial as well as two DGs of the commercial audit have also made part of the committee that has been conducting the audit since April 13, 2020.

The AGP under articles of 169 to 171 of the Constitution could audit the accounts of the federal government and accounts of all relevant authorities and bodies established by or under the control of the federal government.

The document further states that the Governor State Bank of Pakistan, the secretaries of the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of National Food Security and Research, the Ministry of Industries and Production, the provincial secretaries of Finance and Food departments and senior members of all four provincial revenue boards have also directed their officials to ensure the availability of whole record relevant to the audit.

Sources said the DG Audit Punjab had also asked the secretaries of Finance, Food and Agriculture departments to provide records of relevant documents of previous four years.

SAARC CCI: BHC approves replacement of one male member with female QueTTA INP

The Balochistan High Court (BHC) has declared nomination of Daroo Khan as Vice President of the SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SAARC CCI) as valid along with other nomination of the former FPCCI president.

The court also approved replacement of one male member with a female member.

Industry sources are of the view that the BHC’s decision would send a positive message to the international forum that the legal decisions of FPCCI are honoured in letter and spirit.

According to the judgment signed by

Chief Justice BHC Jamal Khan Mandokhel and Justice Nazeer Ahmed Langove in the earlier nomination list submitted by the then FPCCI, only one female member was nominated, whereas article 16 (b) of the Constitution makes it incumbent upon the members body to nominate at least two women.

Though, the previous regime has violated the provisions of the article 16 (b) of the Constitution by not nominating two female members, but it does not nullify the entire nomination. Such list could be rectified by deleting the name of one of the nominated male members from the list and replacing him with a female member.

However, during the course of argu-

ments, the counsel for petitioner stated that in the list submitted on November 28, 2019 by the previous regime of FPCCI, Mazhar Nasir has refused to become a member, as such, one seat has now become vacant.

The bench observed that in the present scenario, one seat has become available, against which, another female member could be nominated. Keeping in view the provisions of sub article (c) of article 16, the sitting FPCCI may recommend the name of suitable female member, so as to ensure the minimum strength of two female members, as provided by the Constitution.

The Bench allowed the constitutional

petition filed by Daroo Khan, former President FPCCI, and declared the nomination of members submitted by the FPCCI on November 28, 2019 except one of the members Mazhar Nasir, as lawful.

The court further directed that FPCCI should immediately nominate one female member so as to complete the required number of the members accordingly so as to make them ready to take oath as per schedule.

The subsequent request made by the present FPCCI through its incumbent president for withdrawal of the list vide letter of January 6, 2020 and re-nomination of members vide letter of January 21, 2020 hence couldn’t be acted upon.

Senate, would also give their input on impact on lockdown due to the COVID-19 and immediate steps required to protect the economy.

Soon after surfacing of the coronavirus in Pakistan, a 25-member parliamentary committee was constituted having equal representation from the National Assembly and the Senate with Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaiser for parliamentary oversight on the measures by the government to curtail the spread of the virus, relief operations and its impact on the country’s economy.

Moreover, the parliamentary committee has already constituted a subcommittee under the convenership of Senator Shibli Faraz with MNAs Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Ms. Shahida Akthar Ali and Senator Muhammad Ali Saif as its members in its 3rd meeting.

The sub-committee has been mandated to examine recommendations of the committee for their implementation. The sub-committee has also been asked to submit its report periodically to the parliamentary committee.

Tea imports contract 15.61pc to $376m in 3QFY20 ISLAMABAD: The tea imports into the country witnessed a decline of 15.61 per cent during the first three quarters of the current fiscal year (2019-20) as against the same period of last fiscal year, the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) reported on Sunday. The tea imports into the country were recorded at $376.240 million during July-March (FY20) as against the import of $445.816 million in July-March (2018-19), according to latest PBS data. In terms of quantity, the tea imports witnessed decline of 8.68pc during the period under review by going down from the import of 170.311 metric tonnes last year to 155.528 metric tonnes during the current year.

The imports of overall food commodities during the period under review declined by 7pc as those declined from $4,261.355 million last year to $3,963.258 million during the current year. On year-on-year basis, the tea imports into the country decreased by 0.69pc during the month of March 2020 compared to the same month of last year. The tea imports into the country in March 2020 were recorded at $51.872 million compared to the import of $52.231 million in March 2019.

On month-on-month basis, the food imports increased by 5.36pc in March 202 when compared to the import of $49.234 million in February 2019, the PBS data further revealed. The country’s overall trade deficit witnessed a significant reduction in the first three quarters of the current financial year and declined by 26.45pc as compared to the corresponding period of last year.

During the period under review, the country’s exports registered about 2.23pc growth, whereas imports reduced by 14.42pc. During the period from July-March (2019-20), the exports witnessed an increase of 2.23pc to reach at $17.451 billion against the export of $17.071 billion of the same period of last year. The country’s imports witnessed a significant decrease of 14.42pc to go down from $40.679 billion in the first three quarters of last financial year to $34.814 billion in the same period of current financial year. Based on the figures, the trade deficit during the period under review was recorded at $17.363 against the deficit of $23.608 during last year, showing a decline of 26.45pc. APP

ECC to consider relief package for small businesses on Monday: minister ISLAMABAD: Minister for Industries and Production Hammad Azhar said on Sunday his ministry would table a relief package for small businesses in the meeting of the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) on Monday to seek approval. In a tweet on his Twitter account, he said, “Millions of small businesses and Industries shall benefit from this package once it is approved by ECC and Cabinet.” Azhar further said his ministry is also working on a “collateral free financing” for SMEs for second phase of the relief package, adding that phase would also include targeted/prioritised relief measures for sectors most hit by the Covid-19. INP

Monday, 27 April, 2020

10 FOREIGN NEWS

YeMen Crisis deePens as seParaTisTs deCLare seLf-governanCe ADEN

Y

AGENCIES

EMEN’S southern separatists early on Sunday declared self-rule of the country’s south as a peace deal with the government crumbled, complicating a long and separate conflict with the Houthis who control much of the north.

The Southern Transitional Council (STC) accused the government of failing to perform its duties and of “conspiring” against the southern cause and said self-governance had begun at midnight.

The government condemned the move and said the separatists — who have long agitated for independence in the south — would be responsible for the “catastrophic and dangerous” outcome.

The breakdown between the one-time allies comes as a Saudi-led coalition, which backs the internationally recognised government in a battle against the Iranaligned Houthi rebels, has extended a unilateral ceasefire aimed at fending off the coronavirus pandemic — a move rejected by the Houthis.

Yemen’s separatists signed a powersharing deal in Riyadh last November that quelled a battle — dubbed a “civil war within a civil war” — for the south that had in August seen them seize control of the second city of Aden.

The Riyadh pact quickly became defunct, failing to meet deadlines for key measures including the formation of a new cabinet with equal representation for southerners, and the reorganisation of military forces.

The STC announced in its statement that it was declaring self-governance in the south starting midnight on Saturday, April 25, 2020. “A self-governing committee will start its work according to a list of tasks assigned by the council’s presidency,” it said.

Aden residents reported heavy deployments of STC forces in the city and a separatist source told AFP they had set up checkpoints “at all government facilities, including the central bank and port of Aden”.

Military vehicles drove through the city with STC flags flying aloft.

The political landscape in the south is complex, and despite the STC’s declaration, some southern cities said they did not recognise the call to self-rule and would remain aligned with the central government.

Yemen’s Foreign Minister Mohammad

al-Hadhrami said the STC move was “a continuation of the armed rebellion last August and a declaration of rejection” of the Riyadh agreement.

DEEP DIVISIONS: Tens of thousands of civilians have been killed over the past five years in the war between the government and the Houthis. Earlier this month, Yemen reported its first case of coronavirus in Hadramawt, a southern government-controlled province, raising fears of an outbreak.

Compounding the country’s troubles, at least 21 people were killed in flash flooding

Train likely belonging to North Korea’s Kim seen at resort town: US monitor PYONGYANG AGENCIES

British PM to return to work on Monday after recovery as UK tops 20,000 death toll LONDON: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will be back at work on Monday, after having recovered from a case of coronavirus that sent him to intensive care for three nights in early April. This was confirmed by a Downing Street spokesperson on Saturday, Johnson, 55, will take back control of a government under pressure from the economic fallout of shutdowns aimed at curbing the spread of the highly infectious virus, as well as a rising death toll. As of Saturday, Britain has recorded more than 20,000 deaths from Covid-19, the disease caused by the virus, making it the fifth country to reach the grim milestone, according to AP. The figure doesn’t include deaths in nursing homes, which could number in the thousands. Criticism is growing over the government response to the pandemic, with limited testing and shortages of protective equipment for medical workers and carers. Johnson’s stand-in leader Dominic Raab has faced questions over how Britain will ease the lockdown without a deadly second wave of infections.

Britain’s interior minister urged Britons to stick to the lockdown rules earlier on Saturday. But many lawmakers want restrictions to be eased to bolster the economy, which budget forecasters say could be heading into its deepest recession in more than 300 years. Johnson was taken to St Thomas’s Hospital in central London suffering from Covid-19 symptoms on April 5, and spent April 6-9 in intensive care. AGENCIES

Lebanon bank attacked with explosive amid economic crisis BEIRUT: Assailants lobbed an explosive device at a bank in Lebanon Saturday, in the latest attack on financial institutions in a country facing its worst economic crisis in decades. The official National News Agency said the night-time assault targeted a branch of Fransabank in the southern port city of Sidon, damaging its glass facade. There were no immediate reports of any casualties. The attack came a day after Prime Minister Hassan Diab said Lebanese bank deposits had plunged $5.7 billion in the first two months of the year, despite curbs on withdrawals and a ban on transfers abroad.

Lebanon is grappling with a severe lack of liquidity and an acute economic crisis that has been compounded since mid-March by a lockdown to combat the novel coronavirus. In recent months, the Lebanese pound, which has been pegged to the US dollar since 1997, has plummeted in value from around 1,500 pounds against the greenback to almost 3,800 on the parallel market.

Banks had gradually restricted dollar withdrawals until halting them altogether last month. The country’s dire economic situation has sparked street protests that first erupted in October last year, as well as several attacks on banks nationwide.

A train likely belonging to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been spotted at a resort town in the country’s east, satellite photos reviewed by a US-based think tank showed, as speculation persists over his health.

The train was parked at a station reserved for the Kim family in Wonsan on April 21 and April 23, the respected 38North website said in a report published Saturday.

38North cautioned that the train’s presence “does not prove the whereabouts of the North Korean leader or indicate anything about his health”.

“But it does lend weight to reports that Kim is staying at an elite area on the country’s eastern coast,” it said.

There has been growing conjecture about Kim’s health since his conspicuous absence from the April 15 celebrations for the birthday of his grandfather Kim II Sung, the regime’s founder — the most important day on the North Korean political calendar.

Kim has not made a public appearance since presiding over a meeting of the Workers’ Party politburo on April 11 and inspecting drills by fighter jets at an air defence unit, which was reported by state media on April 12.

Daily NK, an online media outlet run mostly by North Korean defectors, has reported Kim underwent a cardiovascular procedure earlier this month and was recovering at a villa in North Pyongan province.

Citing an unidentified source inside the country, it said Kim, who is in his mid-30s, had needed urgent treatment due to heavy smoking, obesity and fatigue.

South Korea, which is still technically at war with the North, has played down the report.

CNN, quoting what it said was an anonymous US official, reported that Washington was “monitoring intelligence” that Kim was in “grave danger” after undergoing surgery. But on Thursday, US President Donald Trump rejected reports that Kim was ailing.

“I think the report was incorrect,” Trump told reporters but declined to state when he was last in touch with him.

“We have a good relationship with North Korea, as good as you can have,” he said.

Trump has met Kim three times in historic summitry and has voiced admiration for him, although hopes have dimmed for reaching a comprehensive agreement.

Reporting from inside the isolated North is notoriously difficult, especially on anything to do with its leadership, which is among its most closely guarded secrets.

On Thursday, citing an unidentified government official, South Korean broadcaster SBS reported that Kim appeared to have been in Wonsan for at least the past four days and would soon return to the public eye.

The report added that the military was monitoring Kim’s train, which had been seen in Wonsan, while his personal jet — frequently used by Kim on his trips to Wonsan — remained in Pyongyang.

Previous absences from the public eye on Kim’s part have prompted speculation about his health.

In 2014 he dropped out of sight for nearly six weeks before reappearing with a cane. Days later, the South’s spy agency said he had undergone surgery to remove a cyst from his ankle.

this month, with Aden’s streets submerged and homes destroyed. The United Arab Emirates, like the STC, has a zero-tolerance policy towards the Muslim Brotherhood and Yemen’s Brotherhood-influenced Al-Islah party, which has representatives in the internationally recognised government.

Last August, deadly clashes broke out between the government and STC forces who seized control of Aden, ousting unionist forces who had set up base there when President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi fled the Houthiheld capital Sanaa in February 2015.

Canada's reopening won't depend on immunity: Trudeau ONTARIO: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Saturday that Canada’s approach to reopening its economy from the coronavirus shutdown would be “cautious” and not depend on the development of widespread immunity in the population. “I don’t think there are any of the plans that hinge on certain people or individuals being immune or having immunity to COVID-19,” he said at a daily news briefing. The World Health Organization (WHO) warned Saturday that there was no proof that people who survive infection by COVID-19 gain immunity to the disease. It cautioned against the idea, being entertained by some countries, of issuing “immunity passports” to such people as one step toward reopening economies. Trudeau said immunity is “something we need to have clearer answers to. Until we have those clearer answers, we need to err on the side of more caution.” For now, he added, the emphasis would be on continuing to urge social distancing measures and providing more personal protective equipment. Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public health officer, was even more definitive. “The idea of sort of generating natural immunity is actually not something that… I think should be undertaken,” she said. “We would, you know, really be extremely cautious of that kind of approach,” Tam added. Authorities in Quebec had last week raised the possibility of gradually building collective immunity — or herd immunity — for people in the province. Trudeau met Friday with provincial leaders to discuss how to wind down weeks of confinement. Each province will have to make its own adjustments, Trudeau said, while adding that the national government would retain an important coordinating role to avoid confusion. AGENCIES

From 9-11 to a pandemic, New Yorkers once again put to the test NEW YORK CITY AGENCIES

Nearly two decades after Manhattan’s Twin Towers fell in history’s deadliest attack on US soil, the coronavirus pandemic is once again testing the storied mettle of New Yorkers. The September 11, 2001 terror attack on the World Trade Center left nearly 3,000 people dead and shocked the city with its devastation. In comparison, New Yorkers say the deadly coronavirus pandemic, which has likely killed some 16,000 in the city, is more of a “slow cancer.”

“9-11 was supposed to be the darkest day in New York for a generation,” said New York state’s governor Andrew Cuomo during one of his recent press briefings.

But with the virus’s spread, the governor said “there was no explosion, but it was a silent explosion that just ripples through society.” “With the same randomness, the same evil.” Like Cuomo, many New Yorkers have been evoking 9-11 in comparison to the rapid spread of coronavirus, which has ravaged the densely populated city home to some 8 million people.

Maggie Dubris, a paramedic who was dispatched as part of an ambulance crew to the World Trade Center site on 9-11, though she already had lived through “the biggest disaster of my lifetime.” But the pandemic frightens her even more. “After the Trade Center, you knew you’d survive,” the lower Manhattan resident told AFP. “I would see people down there, there was a reunion, we’d see each other, we’d hug,” Dubris said.

CMYK

With the coronavirus pandemic, “you can’t touch anyone, and you don’t know who really will survive this, we have no idea what is to come here.”

Susan Barnett, a New Yorker who covered the 2001 attacks as a producer at the ABC network, agrees. “9-11 was shocking, this I find so much more frightening because of the global consequences,” she said.

“I am more scared now, I think the consequences are global and they could be

absolutely dire, in terms of human health and survival,” said Barnett, who now works for a non-profit helping hospital in developing countries. #NEWYORKTOUGH: The most populous US city is no stranger to tragedy, and for Barnett, who also lived through the devastating Hurricane Sandy in 2012, New Yorkers “are good at crises.”

“I think what draws people to New York and scares them about New York is you have to be tough,” said Barnett.

“There is a certain person that is attracted to this amazing, diverse, vibrant city,” she said.

“Those of us who are here for the long haul, we are committed to it, we are the ones who will fight the hardships.”

This sense of resilience translates to pride, with the hashtags #NewYorkStrong and #NewYorkTough making the rounds on social media as Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio insist that the city will emerge from the pandemic stronger.

After 9-11 New York “took a terrible beating” but “grew,” said Cuomo. “You take that moment, you learn that lesson and you improve society — and you have to do that here.”

Monday, 27 April, 2020

SPORTS 11

PAris 2024 OLyMPics PLAns ‘ObsOLete’: iOc MeMber Drut Paris

P

Agencies

LANS for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris are “obsolete and outdated” in light of the coronavirus pandemic, IOC member and former French sports minister Guy Drut said Sunday.

Former Olympic champion Drut, who won gold in the 110m hurdles in 1976 and took silver four years before, added in a column for franceinfo that the Olympic Games needed to be “reinvented” to put them more in touch with reality.

“The crisis we’re going through has a lasting impact on our daily lives, our way of life, our economy, our social pact, our choice of society,” wrote Drut.

“It cannot and must not remain without effect on the imperative necessity which is to reinvent ourselves.

“The Olympic and Paralympic Games are no exception to this new context. They too must reinvent themselves.”

The International Olympic Committee, jointly with local organisers, has been

forced into delaying the 2020 Tokyo Olympics by one year to 2021 because of the COVID-19 outbreak.

But Drut, an IOC member since 1996, argued that postponement of dates was just

the tip of the iceberg.

“Can the response to this crisis be translated by simply postponing dates, without the Games model — both economic and organisational — also being

deeply rethought?” asked the 69-year-old, who served as sports minister in France between 1995-7 under Jacques Chirac.

“The beautiful project that we built and carried in the bid phase for Paris 2024 is now obsolete, outdated, out of touch with reality. “If the project is to remain unchanged, we must review its means and refocus on the essential. The first necessity is to make a budgetary reassessment of what Paris 2024 Olympics will cost.

“The Games of yesterday will not be the Games of tomorrow. We have to accept that and together imagine a new model.

“We have to rethink them to adapt them, to keep them relevant to the changing world. They will not be able to take place at any cost, disconnected from reality, on the ‘margins’ of the world.”

In that context, Drut suggested hosting certain events on a single site “whatever the organising country”, citing as an example Tahiti or Hawaii for surfing.

He also proposed limiting the number of additional sports. “It is very expensive to build new equipment for an event that lasts only three, four days,” Drut argued.

Everton ‘appalled’ by Kean’s house party in midst of virus lockdown London Agencies

Arsenal players allowed back to training ground London: Arsenal’s squad will be allowed back to their training ground from next week, although the club stressed they would still have to maintain British government guidelines designed to combat the spread of the coronavirus. The Premier League side’s players will have access to training pitches but on a strict rotational basis that will see them uphold social distancing measures. “Players will be permitted access to our London Colney training grounds next week,” said a club spokesperson.

“Access will be limited, carefully managed and social distancing will be maintained at all times.

“All Colney buildings remain closed. Players will travel alone, do their individual workout and return home.” This week saw Arsenal become the first Premier League club to agree a coronavirus pay cut with their players as manager Mikel Arteta and his stars slashed their wages by 12.5 percent. There are reports Arsenal, whose yearly wage bill is around £230 million ($286 million), will give players their money back in the event that they bridge an eight-point gap and qualify for the Champions League when football restarts. Football is currently suspended indefinitely in England, with the UK under lockdown. Agencies

London Marathon may now be for elite only London: This year’s delayed London Marathon may now be restricted to elite runners only, race organiser Hugh Brasher has said.

However, he added this was just one of “ten scenarios” currently being considered by his team. The 2020 edition of the race through the British capital was meant to take place on Sunday but has been postponed until October 4 because of the coronavirus outbreak. But with no certainty as to when British government lockdown restrictions banning mass gatherings will be lifted, a race that featured nearly 43,000 runners last year may now follow the lead of last month’s Tokyo Marathon, which went ahead with elite runners only. Distance greats Eliud Kipchoge and Kenenisa Bekele are meant to compete in the elite men’s race at this year’s London Marathon and Brasher told the BBC: “We hope we can welcome them back in October but at this stage we just don’t know what is going to happen. “We have to look at it in totality, with three quarters of a million spectators, the medical side, the charities. “We are looking at probably 10 scenarios, and they are changing all the time.” The Berlin Marathon, along with London one of the sport’s six ‘majors’ will not go ahead as planned on September 27 after Germany extended a ban on large-scale gatherings until October 24. Agencies

Everton said they are “appalled” at one of their players widely reported to be Italian international Moise Kean hosting a house party contravening the social distancing measures recommended by the British government due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The 20-year-old striker filmed himself hosting the party, the Daily Mirror reported. The Mirror says Kean sent video clips to a private Snapchat group, with the footage showing female guests giving lap dances.

The caption on one picture was labelled ‘quarantine clean’. Everton issued a statement expressing their fury at the player’s actions — they did not name Kean — on a day when the death toll in hospitals in the United Kingdom passed the 20,000 mark.

“Everton are appalled to learn of an incident in which a first-team player ignored government guidance and club policy in relation to the coronavirus crisis,” read the club statement. “The club has strongly expressed its disappointment to the player and made it clear that such actions are completely unacceptable.” The club added that all their staff had been informed of the government guidelines, which include one piece of exercise a day and to restrict oneself to

social interaction with just those of the household.

“Everton has regularly stressed the importance of following all the government guidelines — including rules and advice for inside and outside of the home — through a series of official communications to all staff members, including players,” the club said.

“The amazing people in the NHS deserve the utmost respect for their hard work and sacrifice. The best way to show them respect is by doing everything we can to protect them.”

Kean, signed for £24 million ($29.7 million) from Juventus last year, is one

of several Premier League players to be held to account for breaking the guidelines. Manchester City and England defender Kyle Walker reportedly broke lockdown rules by hosting a party involving two sex workers.

Tottenham’s Ivory Coast defender Serge Aurier and French midfielder Moussa Sissoko apologised for training together despite the coronavirus restrictions. Their manager Jose Mourinho “accepted his actions were not in line with protocol” after being pictured holding a one-on-one training session in a park with midfielder Tanguy Ndombele.

chelsea opt against pay cut, tell players to donate to charity London: Chelsea have said they will not impose a pay cut on their first-team squad in response to the coronavirus outbreak. But the Premier League side added Saturday they had asked players to continue donating to charities during the ongoing pandemic. It has been reported the west London club have been in talks with their players about a salary reduction of around 10 percent in a bid to reduce costs at a time when football has been suspended because of the virus. That figure, however, is significantly lower than the Premier League’s suggestion of 30 percent for all clubs. But that has not stopped the Stamford Bridge side from taking their own course of action as they highlighted the #PlayersTogether initiative launched by Premier League players earlier this month, which aims to raise and distribute funds for charities supporting Britain’s state-run National Health Service (NHS). “We are grateful to the team for having played their role in assisting the club with community activities as well as all the charitable causes they have been supporting in their respective home countries and through the Players Together initiative supporting the NHS,” said a club statement. The statement added: “At this time, the men’s first team will not be contributing towards the club financially and instead the board have directed the team to focus their efforts on further supporting other charitable causes.” The Blues also said they would not be taking advantage of the UK government’s coronavirus job retention or furlough scheme, with casual workers and matchday staff being compensated by the club through to June 30. Meanwhile, Aston Villa announced they had reached an agreement with players, first-team coaches and senior management to defer 25 percent of their salaries for four months. But the Premier League strugglers added they would not be furloughing staff, with chief executive Christian Purslow saying: “Our players and staff feel great solidarity with the many clubs in the football pyramid who have financial problems. “We believe it is right and proper that the Premier League as a whole takes action on its finances collectively to enable it to be able to continue to provide vital funding throughout the game in England.” Newcastle and Norwich are currently the only two Premier League clubs using the furlough for some of their non-playing staff, while Liverpool, Tottenham and Bournemouth were all forced into U-turns after their plans to use the scheme were met with widespread criticism. Agencies

Archer reveals he’s lost his World Cup medal London Agencies

England fast bowler Jofra Archer said Saturday he’d “gone mad” looking for his World Cup winner’s medal after losing the prized piece of silverware while moving house.

Last year saw the Sussex quick establish himself on the global stage as he helped England win their first men’s 50over global title, with Archer’s 20 wickets at 23.05 the most taken by any member of the champions’ squad.

The 25-year-old, who only made his international debut in 2019, was also given the daunting responsibility of bowling the Super Over in the final at Lord’s.

Archer, however, held his nerve brilliantly as England edged out New Zealand in a thrilling finish decided on boundary countback after the teams’ scores were level after both regulation play and cricket’s answer to ‘extra time’.

But the Barbados-born quick, asked Saturday about where his medal was now, told BBC Radio: “I had it hanging off a portrait someone did for me and sent to me, I had my medal hanging on that.

“I moved flat and the picture is on the new wall but there’s no medal. I turned the house upside down for about a week but I still haven’t managed to find it.

“I know it should be in the house so I will keep eyes out for it but I’ve gone mad looking for it already.”

Archer, who returned to the United Kingdom from Barbados last month, said the fact all major cricket worldwide, including the start of the English season, was suspended because of the pandemic at least gave him time to continue searching for the medal.

“There’s nothing else to do in isolation. It’s all hands on deck.”

Although Archer may have seemed the ‘go-to’ option for England captain Eoin Morgan when it came to picking a bowler for the Super Over, the paceman himself was reluctant to press his own claims given he’d not long been in the side.

Archer, asked when he knew he’d been chosen for the Super Over, replied: “Pretty late. I wasn’t sure until I had to go down there and warm up.

“That doesn’t mean I didn’t want it, I just didn’t think I was in a position to volunteer. I was just coming into the team, I’d

CMYK

played the least amount of games in the squad. I didn’t think it was my time to volunteer. “It was the only Super Over of the

whole tournament, I never actually thought about it or planned for the situation, it just happened.”

Monday, 27 April, 2020

NEWS

LockdownS eASe AS gLobAL infectionS neAr 3 miLLion BARCELONA

S

Agencies

PANISH children were allowed outside on Sunday for the first time in six weeks as countries eased lockdown measures and reopen economies gutted by the coronavirus pandemic that has infected nearly three million people worldwide.

Governments from France to Italy and the United States are gearing up for a partial easing of severe restrictions that have kept more than half of humanity indoors for weeks on end.

Coronavirus cases around the world rose to 2.9 million and deaths have doubled since April 10 — hitting nearly 203,000 people on Sunday — with well over half of them in Europe, according to an AFP tally.

The daily toll in Western countries appeared to be levelling off and even falling, but fears abound in many places of a second surge after restrictions on movement are lifted.

Governments are planning to slowly peel back lockdown measures in order to avoid a sudden rush back to normal life — and the risk of a resurgence amid warnings from the World Health Organisation (WHO) that recovered people might not be immune to re-infection. cHiLDren LeT oUT in sPAin: Spanish families embraced new rules allowing children outside for the first time since March 14, with kids hopping on bicycles and scooters on the streets of Madrid and Barcelona — some wearing

small masks and gloves.

“They are super excited, very, very impatient. They were up at 6:30 am, saying ‘We are going out, We are going out!’,” Inmaculada Paredes told AFP, readying to take her seven and four-yearold kids outdoors.

Under the revised rules, children are allowed out once per day between 9:00 am and 9:00 pm, but cannot venture more than one kilometre from their homes.

The new rules were rolled out as the death toll in the hard-hit country dropped to 288 people on Sunday, the lowest since March 30.

With more than 23,000 fatalities, Spain has the third highest death toll in the world after Italy’s 26,000 and more than 53,000 in the United States.

Other hard-hit countries across Eu-

Saudi Arabia halts executions of those committing crimes as minors RIYADH Agencies

Saudi Arabia will no longer impose the death sentence on individuals who committed crimes while still minors, the state-backed Human Rights Commission (HRC) said in a statement, citing a royal decree by King Salman. “The decree means that any individuals who received a death sentence for crimes committed while he or she is a minor can no longer face execution.

Instead, the individual will receive a prison sentence of no longer than 10 years in a juvenile detention facility,” HRC President Awwad Alawwad said in the statement.

Recently, the General Commission for the Saudi Supreme Court recently took the landmark decision to end flogging as a form of punishment and to be replaced by prison sentences, fines or of both. “The decision is an extension of the human rights reforms introduced under the direction of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and the direct supervision of Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman,” the commission said.

rope are also starting to look toward a slow crawl back to normality.

Italy on Sunday said schools would reopen in September, while many businesses could resume work next week, and France was expected to unveil details of its de-confinement plan on Tuesday.

Belgium said schools and businesses will reopen from mid-May, while Germany started to reopen some shops earlier this week. rAMADAn AT HoMe: Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia on Sunday said it would partially lift its 24-hour curfew, allowing malls and retailers to open their doors during certain hours.

But the kingdom said it would maintain a round-the-clock lockdown in the Muslim holy city of Makkah.

Worshippers in the country joined

hundreds of millions of Muslims around the world who marked the second day of Ramadan at home, avoiding traditional, large family meals to break their day-time fasts under social distancing rules.

Rejecting the advice of top disease experts, the US state of Georgia allowed thousands of businesses to resume operations, from hairdressers to bowling alleys.

“How long are we supposed to imprison ourselves?” questioned 30-yearold Mackenzie Scharf, one of many in Georgia embracing the return to something resembling normalcy.

“This is much safer than going grocery shopping,” she told AFP on the beach at Tybee Island, where her fiveyear-old son flew a kite under a cloudless sky.

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly said he wants to resume business in the world’s biggest economy, even as medical advisors have cautioned against easing lockdown too soon or too fast.

The US leader faced a fresh volley of criticism after suggesting that coronavirus could be treated by shining ultraviolet light inside patients’ bodies, or with injections of household disinfectant.

He lashed out at the media on Twitter, accusing journalists of posing hostile questions, and suggested his daily coronavirus briefings were not worth his time. iMMUniTY WArninG: While new reported cases appear to have plateaued at about 80,000 a day, the world remains in wait as companies and governments race to develop treatments and, eventually, a vaccine for the virus.

Govt eyes changes in 18th Amendment, NFC Award: report In a bid to make changes to the much-debated 18th Amendment and the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award, the federal government has contacted several political parties and has been able to get some support on its decision, a local news outlet reported on Sunday. The report came a day after the government contacted the opposition parties to take them on board regarding the new National Accountability Bureau (NAB) law.

The 18th Amendment was passed in 2010 to provide the provinces with significant decision-making autonomy, whereas the NFC Award pertains to the resource distribution formula among the provinces.

The NFC Award is a constitutional obligation. According to Article 160 of the Constitution, after every five years the president will constitute the NFC for a period of five years. Last year, President Dr Arif Alvi had reconstituted the ninth NFC to formulate a

new resource distribution formula between the Centre and federating units.

Ever since the Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaf (PTI) came into power, the opposition has accused it of conspiring to roll back the 18th Amendment.

In April 2019, President Alvi had hinted at possible changes to the 18th Amendment but ruled out any possibility of it being revoked. The president had said that the amendment could be modified for improvements

but only with consensus among all federating units. He had called for capacity building of provinces, saying that improvements were direly required in governance and reforms, particularly in the taxation system.

Days later, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal BhuttoZardari had lashed out at the government, saying that hell would break loose if efforts were made for bringing a ‘One Unit’ system. news Desk

india’s modi urges citizens to follow lockdown as coronavirus spreads INDIAN WOMAN GANG-RAPED AFTER BEING QUARANTINED ALONE IN SCHOOL Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged Indians to comply with a nationwide lockdown and social distancing measures on Sunday, a day after some of the world’s toughest restrictions were eased slightly while cases of Covid-19 continued to mount. In a radio address, Modi said the country was in the midst of a “war” and the country’s 1.3 billion citizens should not be misled into believing the spread of the virus had been brought fully under control by more than a month of lockdown. “We should not be trapped into over-confidence and nurse the belief that coronavirus has not reached our city, our village, our streets, our office, and so will not reach them,” Modi said. India’s high population density, poor sanitation infrastructure and high levels of internal migration have raised concern over the spread of the virus. The country has reported 26,496 cases of Covid-19, the disease it causes, and 824 deaths. The authorities have set up teams to focus on compliance with lockdown measures imposed on March 25, but experts fear they have not been able to contain the spread of Covid-19.

“Physical distancing, covering the face with a cover or a mask and washing our hands again and again will be the biggest medicine to fight this disease in the days to come,” Modi said. The lockdown, in which domestic and international travel is banned and factories, schools, offices and all shops other than those supplying essential services are shut, is slated to end on May 3, but authorities may extend it. On Saturday, India allowed some small shops in residential areas to reopen with half the usual number of staff members working at any one time wearing masks and gloves. The government announced a spending package of 1.7 trillion Indian rupees ($22.29 billion) in March and told Reuters on Friday it was offering food and cash for essentials to poor and marginalised people and had set up relief camps in various parts of the country. The $2.9 trillion economy, already slowing, may end up not growing at all in the fiscal year that began on April 1, private economists say, putting further pressure on jobs.

Decision reverseD: In Modi’s home state of Gujarat, government officials on Sunday reversed the decision to open several retail outlets, citing growing numbers of infections across the western state. Authorities continued to send hundreds of migrant labourers who had set out on foot from cities where they had lost their livelihoods to their homes or to quarantine centres across India. In the eastern state of Odisha, nearly two dozen fishermen were stopped and quarantined at the coast after they had sailed for five days from the southern coast, an official said. Thousands of people pack coronavirus quarantine centres in government buildings across India, complaining of poor food and sanitation. A lack of social distancing between inmates has led to minor scuffles. Agencies

Trump says briefings not worth his time after disinfectant gaffe WASHINGTON Agencies

President Donald Trump tweeted Saturday that his daily coronavirus briefings were not worth his time, two days after sparking a furor by suggesting patients might be injected with disinfectant to kill an infection.

He appeared to confirm media reports that he was considering halting the briefings, which dominate early-evening cable television news for sometimes more than two hours, out of frustration with questions about his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“What is the purpose of having White House News Conferences when the Lamestream Media asks nothing but hostile questions, & then refuses to report the truth or facts accurately,” Trump wrote.

“They get record ratings, & the American people get nothing but Fake News. Not

worth the time & effort!”

On Thursday the US leader stunned viewers by saying doctors might treat people infected with the coronavirus by shining ultraviolet light inside their bodies, or with injections of household disinfectant.

“Then I see the disinfectant, where it knocks (the virus) out in a minute. One minute. And is there a way we can do something like that, by injection inside or almost a cleaning? Because you see it gets in the lungs and it does a tremendous number on the lungs,” he said.

After a strong rebuff of his suggestion by top medical experts and disinfectant manufacturers, Trump on Friday claimed he had been speaking “sarcastically.”

But he limited that day’s briefing, which usually includes himself, Vice President Mike Pence and members of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, to just 19

minutes, and did not take any questions from reporters.

And on Saturday, after 50 briefings over two months, the White House did not hold one at all.

Trump has used the briefings to occupy television screens and promote his administration’s policies, fend off critics and attack political rivals — from opposition Democrats to China to the US media.

But after more than 53,000 Americans have died from the novel coronavirus, the briefings, opinion polls suggest, have not bolstered Trump’s popularity among voters as he gears up to battle Democrat Joe Biden in the presidential election in November.

An AP-NORC poll published Thursday showed that most Americans — and a crushing majority of Democrats — don’t believe Trump when it comes to the health emergency facing the country.

Published by Arif Nizami at Plot # 7, Al-Baber Centre, F/8 Markaz, Islamabad. Ph: 051-2204545. Email: newsroom@pakistantoday.com.pk