Epaper – April 27 KHI 2021

Tuesday, 27 April, 2021 I 14 Ramzan-ul-Mubarak, 1442 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XI No 298 I 12 Pages I Karachi Edition

SC aCCeptS review petitionS in JuStiCe iSa preSidential referenCe verdiCt ISLAMABAD

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Staff RepoRt

he Supreme Court (SC) on Monday quashed a probe into foreign assets believed to be in possession of Justice Qazi Faez Isa and accepted for hearing a set of review petitions filed by the judge against the verdict in the presidential reference against him. “For the reasons to be recorded later […] review petitions are allowed [for proceedings] and the directions contained in [the] short order passed in [June last year] and other connected matters, along with supporting detailed reasons given in the majority judgment of the same date, are recalled and set-aside,” a short order read.

The petitions were filed last year against a short order and a subsequent detailed judgement on the filing of presidential reference against the judge that accused him of being in possession of assets in the United Kingdom.

On June 19, seven judges of the 10-member

Court declares legal actions taken by FBR and all other forums related to assets of Justice Isa's wife and children as ‘ illegal ’

larger bench had quashed the reference but ordered the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to conduct an inquiry into the assets and submit a report to the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC).

In a 6:4 majority decision on Monday, the bench accepted the request made by Sarina Isa, the judge’s spouse. however, five judges accepted Justice Isa’s review petition while five were against it.

The bench declared actions taken by the top revenue collector and all other bodies into the assets in possession of Sarina Isa and her children as “illegal”.

The report prepared by the FBR could not be challenged in the top judicial body or any other

Troops in every corner of country to enforce Covid SOPs: DG ISPR g

'Purpose of troops' deployment is to help civil institutions, law enforcement agencies' NEWS DESK

Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Major General Babar Iftikhar has said that the troops of the Pakistan Army have reached every corner of the country to aid in the enforcement of the coronavirus standard operating procedures (SOPs) in the latest bid by the federal government to curb the spread of the virus within the country.

The cities where the troops have reached included Islamabad, Peshawar, Mardan, Nowshera, Charsadda, Swabi, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Faisalabad, Multan, Bahawalpur, Gujranwala, Karachi, hyderabad, Quetta and Muzaffarabad, where the positivity rate has reached “dangerous” levels, he said during a press briefing in Rawalpindi.

There are 51 cities where the virus positivity rate is above 5 per cent, according to the ISPR DG. Pakistan currently has 90,000 active cases of the virus. Of these active cases, he added, 570 are on ventilators and 4,300 patients are in critical condition. Pakistan reported the highest 157 deaths in a single day on April 23, Major General Iftikhar said. Over 75 per cent of the total oxygen produced in the country has been allocated for the health sector, he stressed. Oxygen reserved for the industry might have to be reallocated to the health sector if the present coronavirus situation persisted, the ISPR DG added.

The provincial apex committees would hold weekly meetings to discuss the overall situation and analyse areas with high positivity rates after which a plan of action would be decided, the DG ISPR informed media persons. “The primary purpose of deployment of army troops is to help civil institutions and law enforcement agencies,” he said, adding that like the last time, Pakistan Army had decided not to claim any sort of internal security allowance during the deployment.

“We can remain safe only by adhering to the Covid-19 SOPs,” he added. he stressed that the basic responsibility for im-

plementation of SOPs in respect of coronavirus and maintenance of law and order situation is on the shoulders of the civilian institutions. however, Pakistan Army will fully assist the civilian administration in the implementation of SOPs and upkeep of law and order situation.

The ISPR DG’s confirmation came a day after Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad has said that Pakistan Army had been given the responsibility to assist the civil administration to get implemented the SOPs to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.

In a video message on Sunday, the interior minister had said to this effect, a notification had been issued under which Punjab, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Islamabad Capital Territory, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) can seek services of military troops as per their needs for implementation of SOPs in the wake of increasing Covid cases in the country. he said that Sindh has so far not been included in this scheme.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

CONFIRMED CASES: CoronaviruS in

800,452 RECOVERED:

694,046 DEATHS: 17,187

pakiStan SINDH:

LAST UPDATED AT 8:31 AM ON APRIL 26, 2021

DAY'S DEATH TOLL:

NEW CASES:

70 4,825

278,545

PUNJAB:

290,788

ISLAMABAD:

KP:

BALOCHISTAN:

AJK/GB:

114,077

21,743

73,450

16,591/5,258

legal forum, the judgement announced.

After completion of the hearing, Justice Umar Ata Bandial, in his remarks, said that the bench needed time for consultation. earlier this month, the apex court had rejected a petition filed by Justice Isa that sough a live coverage of proceedings of his review petitions.

During the proceedings, Justice Bandial had acknowledged the right of the people to have access to information in matters of public importance under Article 19-A but said the details and modalities of which are yet to be decided by the full court.

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Tuesday, 27 April, 2021

KARACHI

NEWS

PM SeeKS debt reLieF For Poorer NatioNS aMid PaNdeMic ISLAMABAD

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RIME Minister Imran Khan has urged the international community to extend debt relief to developing nations and facilitate their recovery from the Covid-19 crisis.

Addressing the virtual session of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) on Monday, the prime minister said that there is a dire need to mobilise adequate financing for poorer nations.

“For the developing countries, the debt issue must be addressed in a fair and sustainable manner. With my ‘Global Initiative on Debt Relief’, Pakistan has been advocating this cause on all world forums,” PM Khan said, adding that his administration was implementing fiscal reforms in Pakistan as well.

IMRAN EMPHASISED THE NEED FOR COLLECTIVE NATIONAL ACTIONS, REGIONAL COLLABORATION AND MULTILATERAL COOPERATION TO MEET ADVERSE IMPACTS OF COVID-19 The prime minister emphasised the need for collective national actions, regional collaboration, and multilateral cooperation to meet adverse impacts of Covid-19. He suggested four key areas of focus to meet the challenge.

He said, “We have to put the people front and centre for pro-poor and inclusive policies and we need to strengthen public health and social protection systems. These have been the primary objectives for us in Pakistan.”

The prime minister said that peace and development must be anchored in human rights, which should be upheld and protected universally. The international community

Muneeb, others to be placed under Fourth Schedule KARACHI INP

Preparations to include the names of former Ruet-eHilal Committee chief Mufti Muneebur Rehman and others in the Fourth Schedule of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) are underway in connection with the protests and riots of the proscribed Tehreek-eLabbaik Pakistan (TLP). The Fourth Schedule is a list of proscribed individuals who are suspected of terrorism and/or sectarianism under the AntiTerrorism Act (ATA), 1997. After credible intelligence information, their names are included in the list as recommended by the Home Department and can be subjected to restrictions on travel, speech and business. The names being considered include Mufti Muneeb, Haji Rafique Pardesi, Ghulam Ghaus Baghdadi, Maulana Rehan, Amjad Noorani, Ali Muhammad Aslam, Aamir Chootaani and others. The details have been sought from the police stations in Karachi East in this regard. Documents are being compiled by the police and would be sent to the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD).

Maryam urges people to vote for PML-N in Karachi by-poll

LAHORE INP

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz on Monday released a video message in connection with the election campaign in the NA-249 constituency of Karachi, urging the people to vote for her party’s candidate Miftah Ismail. Maryam said: “I wanted to come to Karachi and speak to you directly but [I] did not want to endanger the lives of the public and party workers as coronavirus cases are surging rapidly in the country during the third peak.” The PML-N, she said, wanted to change the destiny of Karachi, and “I am in constant touch with Miftah Ismail”.

She said that only PML-N has the solution to the problems being faced by the people of Karachi and added that the decision will be in favour of Ismail in the by-election. Maryam further said that the biggest problem of the constituency is the unavailability of water. If Ismail succeeds, he will ensure water supply to every house in the constituency, she added.

needs to pay special attention to the situations of foreign occupation.

He said, “In building back, we have the opportunity to model our economies on

more resilient and sustainable grounds.” He said ambitious climate action is a way ahead and Pakistan is accordingly implementing policies for green growth.

Imran said that there is a dire need to adequate financing for mobilise development. The prime minister said, “Only through enhanced regional and international cooperation, we can reopen safely and sustainably, starting with equitable access to affordable vaccines for all.”

The premier is among several heads of state, senior officials and stakeholders from the Asia-Pacific region participating in the 77th UN-ESCAP, which is being held virtually from April 26 to 29, to take stock of the socio-economic impact of Covid-19 and ramp up regional cooperation.

This is not the first time the premier has appealed to international stakeholders for urgent debt relief for developing countries to deal more effectively with the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.

In April last year, he had said he was worried that people in the developing world would die of hunger due to the Covid-19 lockdowns. A few months later, in November, G20 nations had endorsed a plan to extend a freeze in official debt payments by poorer countries, including Pakistan, to mid-2021 and backed a common approach for dealing with debt issues.

Coronavirus claims 70 lives, infects 4,825 in a day: NCOC ISLAMABAD staff RePoRt

Pakistan recorded 4,825 new cases of the coronavirus, taking its total to 800,452, data from the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) showed on Monday. In the last 24 hours, the country registered 70 deaths, taking the nationwide death toll to 17,187, according to the NCOC. A total of 694,046 people have recovered from the disease. With 290,788 confirmed cases, Punjab remained the worst-hit followed

by Sindh where 278,545 people have tested positive, suggested the data.

Meanwhile, the country’s Covid-19 vaccination campaign is in full swing, with authorities urging eligible citizens to get themselves vaccinated against the disease. The daily meeting of the NCOC decided to allow walk-in vaccinations for all people over 50, but said they will need to pre-register prior to receiving their inoculations. “Decision [has been] taken to allow walk-in vaccination of all registered citizens of 50 plus age group,” Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar said in a tweet.

“In today’s NCOC meeting decided to open up registration of 40 plus age citizens starting tomorrow,” he said. “If you are 40 years or older please register and encourage others to register.”

So far, more than 1 million people have been vaccinated against the disease, and the total number of people who have registered themselves for vaccination is now over 2 million, data from the Ministry of National Health Services (MoNHS) suggest.

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

GOVT ADDING BEDS, VENTILATORS: RASHID The government is racing against time to add more beds and ventilators at hospitals, fearing meeting the same fate as India where overwhelmed hospitals, begging for oxygen supplies, have started to

VACCINATION REGISTRATION FOR CITIZENS ABOVE 40 STARTS FROM TODAY suspend new admissions.

The provinces have also started summoning troops to ensure people don’t violate social distancing rules, according to Minister for Interior Sheikh Rashid Ahmad said.

The government has said it will be forced to impose a nationwide lockdown if the COVID-19 situation does not improve this week.

MORE JABS COME IN: A day earlier, three special aircraft of the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) carrying a consignment of one million jabs of Covid-19 vaccine from China left for Pakistan.

“Three PIA Boeing 777 aircraft have brought one million doses. The aircraft had left for China on Saturday,” Arab News quoted PIA spokesperson Abdullah Niazi as saying.

Qadir Bux Sangi, PIA country manager in China, told APP the national flag carrier will also airlift an additional consignment of two million doses on April 29 (Thursday).

He said two special aircraft and a regular PIA flight was utilised to airlift

the doses from China.

‘COMPLACENCY TO RESULT IN SWEEPING RESTRICTIONS’: Last week, Prime Minister Imran Khan said the standard operating procedures (SOPs) against Covid-19, if followed in letter and spirit, would help contain the virus.

If the situation continues to get worse, the government will have to impose lockdowns in cities, something the government does not want and cannot afford because in that case the poor laborers and the daily wagers will suffer the most, Khan said in a televised address recently.

To strictly enforce Covid-19 related measures, the Ministry of Interior on Sunday issued a notification allowing the provinces and administrative units to seek assistance from the army.

Other than restrictions already in place, the government has recently taken fresh measures by closing schools in cities with over 5 percent positivity rate, banning indoor and outdoor dining, and reducing market and office timings. An inter-provincial transport ban and inbound travel restrictions on 23

countries have also been extended.

On Friday, Pakistan saw a record number of 157 deaths from Covid-19 since the outbreak of the pandemic in February of last year, forcing officials to deliberate on stricter measures to be implemented in the coming days if the situation further deteriorates.

The proposed measures include complete closure of less essential services, educational institutes, and a ban on inter-city public transport.

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

The highly contagious variant — known as B.1.1.7 — has become the most common strain of the virus in South Asian countries, including Pakistan.

Scientists at Britain’s Covid-19 Genomics UK Consortium (COG-UK) first detected the variant in September last year in the English county of Kent.

It took almost three months before they discovered that the “Kent variant” was 70 percent more transmissible than existing variants, and further weeks before another shocking discovery: It was also much deadlier.

Health experts in the country warned that the continuous spike in the number of coronavirus cases could push the fatigued healthcare system to the brink of collapse.

“The recent rise in Covid-19 has put immense pressure on our healthcare system. Presently, over 80 percent of the country’s total oxygen capacity is being utilised by the hospitals, and if the situation worsens, we may need to import it from other countries,” Lubna Ansari Baig, a public health expert in Karachi, told Xinhua.

Irresponsible behavior and carelessness on the part of the people has been one of the major reasons behind the spread, she said, adding that “wider adoption of precautionary measures by the general public is an essential solution.”

Everything must be done to avoid oxygen shortage: Shehbaz LAHORE News Desk

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) President and Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly (NA) Shehbaz Sharif has expressed alarm and worry over the oxygen shortage in the country amid rising cases of Covid-19.

In a statement, Shehbaz said all stakeholders must formulate a strategy on emergent grounds to save the country from a crisis like the one prevailing in

India. He urged the government to come up with a better strategy to deal with the new virus variants detected in the country. He proposed that the successful model devised by him during the dengue crisis could also be used.

Shehbaz warned that any confusion, hesitation or procrastination at this lethal stage of Covid-19 in the country would prove to be a fatal mistake.

He said what can be learnt from the world right now is that the only way to defeat this pandemic is to vaccinate as many people as quickly as possible.

The National Assembly opposition leader said it was the government’s criminal negligence that it did not stand for the adequate amount of vaccines which led to the surge of spread in the country.

He stressed that a clear and decisive mindset is needed for crucial administrative decisions right now. A true understanding of the on-ground situation, reliable statistical data and appropriate actions need to be ascertained at all costs, he added.

Shehbaz said daily consultation with

all provinces, Azad Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan should be held on an everyday basis. He urged the nation to cooperate with national institutions in the implementation and practice of Covid-19 protocols. He also asked all public leaders to spread awareness among the people and pursue them to observe precautions.

The PML-N president asked the government to do the wise thing by restoring local bodies so that they could be used effectively in the fight against the new coronavirus.

Tuesday, 27 April, 2021

KARACHI

NEWS

FazL urgEs PPP, aNP tO adMIt thEIr MIstakEs, rEturN tO PdM ISLAMABAD

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MIAN AbrAr

AKISTAN Democratic Movement (PDM) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman Monday reiterated his resolve to overthrow the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government and urged the estranged PDM partners, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Awami National Party (ANP) to accept their mistakes and return to the opposition alliance.

Talking to the media after chairing a meeting of the PDM steering committee, Maulana Fazlur Rehman said that the PDM

was about to launch a mass contact campaign to mobilise the public to overthrow Imran Khan’s government.

He said that a summit of the central leadership of the PDM would be convened soon. He said that the PDM was ready with all its might to confront the government.

Without mention, the names of PPP and ANP, the PDM chief further said that some comrades who have left the PDM should admit their mistakes and return to the PDM fold adhering to his appeal.

He said that in the next meeting, suggestions would be taken from the experts for the betterment of the economy and he was committed to getting rid of this

government.

Asked about the steering committee meeting, Fazlur Rehman said it was suggested during the meeting that a summit should also be convened.

Criticizing the federal government, Fazlur Rehman said that the country’s economy was in shambles, adding that the next PDM meeting will consider how to improve these conditions.

He added that the country was facing another strong wave of Coronavirus disease and the government is forced to go for lockdown again. He alleged that the federal government has not spent a single penny to secure the Covid-19 vaccine.

UK envoy asserts Pakistan red listing was not politically motivated ISLAMABAD News Desk

Nearly three weeks after the British government placed Pakistan in its ‘red list’, UK High Commissioner Christain Turner has issued a clarification regarding the socalled political motivations behind the travel ban.

The application of travel restrictions on Pakistan was purported due to a surge in Covid-19 cases, in reply to which National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) head and Federal Minister for Planning Asad Umar on Twitter questioned the move, asking if it was based on science or foreign policy.

The move was also met with some backlash from the Muslim members of the British parliament itself, who felt it was not a data-driven decision.

The criticism was exacerbated by the fact that Pakistan was placed on the red list, whilst other countries with a higher positivity ratio, such as India, were not.

The move had raised suspicion that the British government might have other motives behind putting restrictions on Pakistan. Replying to the criticism, Christian Turner offered a detailed explanation and even challenged myths doing the rounds about the red listing.

“This was not a political decision. This was not about politics,” Turner told a local news outlet. “The decision was based on data and evidence collected not here in Pakistan but in the UK.” The UK high commissioner said that the move was made after utilising data attained through their own tests. It was not a matter of the number of cases within the country itself, but the number of cases emerging from those that travelled to the UK. In this regard, Turner explained that the UK tests travellers on the second and eighth day after arrival.

He cited three specific reasons as to why Pakistan was put on the red list.

“Firstly, Pakistan was the largest single source of international air travellers into the UK in March; Secondly, Covid positivity amongst those travellers from Pakistan was high – a higher than average percentage of them were tested positive in that day-2 tests.

“Thirdly, our testing showed that some variants of concerns were those variants that we are worried about but were present in passengers from Pakistan including the South African one.”

“I can look at the data [to find out] how many cases [have emerged] in Somalia; how many cases in India and how many cases in Pakistan. What concerns us is the traveler to the UK. “And that’s why we are not relying on the Covid-19 data from Somalia or anywhere else. It’s the numbers that are coming to the UK.” UK High Commissioner Christian Turner outright dismissed any claims about the move being an attempt to punish Pakistan.

“There is no diminishing of the very close ties and affection between the UK and Pakistan and the UK-Pak dosti (friendship),” he remarked.

“We have turned about £20 million aid to help Pakistan fight Covid-19,” he pointed out, underscoring the fact that the UK was making moves to help Pakistan obtain the vaccine and overcome the pandemic.

When asked, the envoy said he could not give any timeline regarding the lifting of the ban on Pakistan. As a high commissioner, he said he would be “happier” if Pakistan was removed from the list sooner.

During the interview, the matter of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo and proscribed offender Nawaz

Eid likely to be on May 14

Sharif was also raised.

Pakistan on Wednesday last had urged the United Kingdom to repatriate the former premier, who is wanted in many cases by the country’s top courts.

An informed source had told Pakistan Today that the repatriation of Nawaz has become a source of controversy between the two countries, as British authorities have a history of ignoring Pakistani requests in such matters.

“The British Home Secretary Priti Patel has been conveyed that it is his responsibility to repatriate Nawaz Sharif to Pakistan, but the UK has not yet cooperated with the Pakistani government in sending Nawaz Sharif back,” the source had said. The source said that British Home Secretary Priti had written a letter addressed to Prime Minister Imran Khan and Accountability Advisor Shehzad Akbar, in which she has said that the British government would consider the request to repatriate Nawaz Sharif to Pakistan in accordance with the international law.

Moreover, Minister for Interior Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed had told media persons that during his meeting with British High Commissioner Christian Turner last week, he had raised the issue of deportation of Nawaz Sharif. To this, Turner said that Pakistan may submit a formal application for deporting Sharif.

When asked about the possibility of Nawaz Sharif being extradited to Pakistan today (Monday), Turner said under the UK immigration laws he was not authorized to talk about individual cases.

However, he did explain how the federal government could secure the extradition of the former prime minister.

“The UK and Pakistan do not currently have an extradition treaty and I have said before on the record I will be very pleased to see those negotiations concluded,” he

said.

He said extradition of any individual was possible “even without a treaty” provided that Pakistan put a formal request for that.

“So there is a mechanism, called extradition as you can ask questions you can make affidavits but under the UK law and under the Pakistani law the only way two countries can formally request an individual to come back is an extradition request.”

“If an extradition request is made then we will respond absolutely accordingly,” the British high commissioner said. He, however, added that the Pakistani government has not yet formally made a request for the extradition of Nawaz.

“My message on this has not changed.

I have said many, many times to many people: we play things with a straight bat; we play by the rule of law – no sweep shots, no googlies, no funny business. We will play this according to our immigration laws with a straight bat,” he stressed.

Another issue discussed during the interview was the matter of the Kashmir dispute. In the recent months, along with the escalating tensions between Pakistan and India over the disputed territory, it has been speculated that UK has been working behind the scenes to improve relations between the two neighbours.

When asked whether the UK was involved in quiet diplomacy, the British high commissioner opted not to respond.

However, he reiterated the oft-stated, media-ready response of how the UK has been advocating for dialogue between the two countries.

“We have always been clear that Kashmir must be resolved between India and Pakistan in accordance with the wishes of the Kashmiri people,” he said, adding that the people of Kashmir are party to this long-standing dispute.

Saudi minister invites Fawad to visit Riyadh ISLAMABAD

KARACHI

APP

INP

Saudi Minister for Media Dr Majid bin Abdullah Alkassabi has invited Pakistan’s Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain to visit Riyadh.

Saudi Ambassador to Pakistan Nawaf Bin Saeed AlMaliki called on the information minister here on Monday and conveyed the invitation on behalf of the Saudi media minister, a news release said. In his letter, the Saudi minister stated that on the occasion of holy month of Ramazan, he desires to invite Fawad to visit Saudi Arabia and perform Umrah. He further stated that the visit would also provide both sides the opportunity to discuss ways and

This year’s Ramadan is predicted to be of 30 days with Eid ul Fitr likely to fall on May 14 (Friday). “The new moon of Shawwal 1442 AH will be born on the night between May 11 and 12 at about 12:01 pm. The sun will set and the age of the moon will be 19 hours and 31 minutes,” Head of the Institute of Space Sciences and Technology, Karachi University, Professor Javed Iqbal told the publication. “The time between sunset and moonset will be only 36 minutes.”

Iqbal explained that the moon will not be visible on May 12 as it will be about 6.5 degrees from the horizon at sunset. Based on this, he said that there is a strong possibility that Ramazan will last 30 days and Eid will fall on May 14. Controversy has traditionally surrounded the citing of the moon in the country every year at the start and culmination of Ramazan.

The controversy splits Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and tribal areas from the rest of the country which results in two different dates for Eid in Pakistan.

Moreover, there may be seven holidays for government employees on the upcoming Eid-ul-Fitr from May 10 to 16, it was rumoured on Monday.

However, it emerged that the so-called notification by the interior ministry was forged. It had been incorrectly stated that a summary has been moved to the federal cabinet for the official holidays.

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means for strengthening of media cooperation. The information minister accepted the invitation and said he would visit Saudi Arabia soon. He said that Pakistan and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia enjoyed deep fraternal ties based on common faith, culture, traditions and values and he would like the media dimension added to these ties. During discussion with the ambassador, the emphasis was laid on the revival and implementation of memorandums of understanding (MoUs) signed between the two countries to strengthen cultural cooperation. Fawad said that collaboration in the field of culture is imperative to understand each other’s values and bring the brotherly people of the two nations closer. The information minister stressed enhanced cooperation in the fields of media and information.

OLM train to resume service today LAHORE TLTP

The Punjab Mass Transit Authority (PMTA) on Monday announced that the operations of the Orange Line Metro train in Lahore will be resumed from Tuesday (today). According to the details, the train has been allowed to resume its regular operations from Tuesday (today) with strict adherence to coronavirusrelated standard operating procedures (SOPs). The train will start regular service from Tuesday (today) morning at 6:00 am.

According to the PMTA general manager operations, the train will not stop at Salauddin metro stations till further notice. It is pertinent to mention here that OLM train and Metro and Speedo bus services had been suspended on 29th of March owing to the Covid-19 lockdown.

Pakistan safe from Indian coronavirus variant, says health ministry ISLAMABAD TLTP

The Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination on Monday said that Pakistan is still safe from the new coronavirus variant in India that has caused massive devastation with a drastic increase in coronavirus infections resulting in a dearth of oxygen supplies across the country. According to the spokesperson from the health ministry, not a single case of Indian coronavirus has been reported in Pakistan yet; however, Pakistan is currently reporting cases of the UK's new coronavirus variant whose first three cases were reported in Karachi in December last year. The spokesperson further noted that land and air travel is currently banned from India as a preventive measure to keep the Indian variant of coronavirus at bay. India's new coronavirus infections hit a record peak for a fifth day on Monday as countries, including Britain, Germany, and the United States, pledged to send urgent medical aid to fight the crisis overwhelming its hospitals.

Infections in the past 24 hours rose to 352,991, with overcrowded hospitals in Delhi and elsewhere turning away patients after running out of supplies of medical oxygen and beds.

No content against minorities in curriculum: Ashrafi ISLAMABAD TLTP

The rights given to minorities by the Constitution of Pakistan and Islamic law cannot be disputed and there is no content in the curriculum against minorities and their sanctities.

Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Interfaith Harmony and the Middle East and Chairman Pakistan Ulema Council Hafiz Muhammad Tahir

Mehmood Ashrafi said this on Monday while talking to visiting delegates of religious scholars of different schools of thought.

Ashrafi said that the one-member minority commission did not consult the Muslim scholars and respective forums before making recommendations on uniform curriculum.

Minority students have a choice whether or not to read the Islamic history and Islamic teachings in the curriculum,

said Ashrafi, adding that there is no content in the educational curriculum against the minorities and their respective sanctities.

"No one will be allowed to usurp the rights of minorities in the country," said the PM's aide. He said that recommendations put forward by the minority commission have also been opposed by the National Minorities Commission.

Talking about the grim Covid-19

situation in India, Ashrafi said that the sentiments of Pakistanis are in line with the Islamic teachings. He said that all possible effort is being put in to provide protection and facilities to the minorities in the country on the instructions of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Ashrafi announced that a 40-member interfaith harmony council is being constituted, adding that some institutions and individuals are making baseless propaganda regarding minorities in the country. "Instances relating to forced conversion and misuse of blasphemy law are being restrained in the country."

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Tuesday, 27 April, 2021

KARACHI

NEWS

SiNDh ShutS eDucAtioNAL iNStitutioNS, SuSPeNDS DiNe-iN ServiceS AS coviD cASeS riSe KARACHI

t

STAFF REPORT

HE Sindh government on Monday announced to close down schools, colleges, and educational institutions across the province and move to remote learning as part of measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

A meeting of the provincial Coronavirus Task Force, chaired by Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah and by members of the cabinet, also decided to suspend dine-in services

at restaurants and cafes and permit only takeaway and delivery services.

Shopping centres across the province will close down at 6:00 pm, it decided. “If cases continue to increase, then markets will be completely closed down,” Shah said during the meeting. Inter-city transport will be suspended from April 29, but goods transport and industries will remain open. During the period, no visits will be allowed in prison.

However, a statement announced, hospitals and medical services will be exempted

from the restrictions. In a Twitter post, Sindh government spokesperson Barrister Murtaza Wahab said that all government offices will operate with 20 per cent attendance.

In a separate statement, a spokesperson for the chief minister said that all government offices in the province will remain closed for an indefinite period of time. “[Provincial] secretaries will call in essential staffers while the rest will work from home,” he said. The restrictions come as confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Sindh climbed to 278,545 after registering 952 new infections

on Monday. The authorities conducted 16,938 tests to receive back a positivity ratio of 5.62 per cent, data suggested.

The province also reported 6 new deaths, raising the toll to 4,599. Meanwhile, the recoveries rose by 158 to 262,296.

During the meeting, the health department informed the participants of the coron-

avirus situation in the province. The participants were told that the province has a total of 664 ICU beds and, of those, 453 beds with ventilators are unoccupied.

The meeting was also told that the Dow University of Health Sciences (Ojha campus), the Trauma Centre, and Gambat Hospital have their own oxygen production plants.

Abbasi appears before NAB in PPL MD appointment case RAWALPINDI TLTP

Former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi appeared on Monday before the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in a new inquiry regarding appointment of managing director of Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL). Abbasi was handed a questionnaire consisting of 26 questions and is required to file his reply within two weeks. Abbasi has been asked to explain his and Arshad Mirza‘s role in the appointment of Syed Wamiq Bokhari as the PPPL MD. The PMLN leader is further required to explain why services of a consultant were sought for the appointment. “Was Wamiq Bokhari not eligible for the top PPL post?” the NAB has asked Abbasi. The bureau questioned if the rules were relaxed for Bokhari’s appointment. The corruption watchdog will decide whether to summon the former premier again or not after he files his reply. The inquiry pertains to alleged financial irregularities in the PPL and illegal appointment of Bokhari as its managing director. Abbasi is alleged to have played a role in the appointment of Bokhari during his stint as petroleum minister. The PML-N leader is already facing two references instituted by the bureau.

One of them pertains to alleged illegal appointments in the Pakistan State Oil (PSO) while the other is related to the award of a LNG Terminal-I contract to a firm at Port Qasim Karachi at exorbitant rates.

183,000 fined for not wearing face masks while driving LAHORE INP

Lahore Police fined as many as 183,000 drivers for not wearing face masks in the last week, it emerged on Monday. As per details, 128,000 motorcyclists, 24,000 rickshaw drivers, and more than 12,000 car drivers were found violating the standard operating procedure (SOP) and were served fine by the traffic wardens on the spot. 1,484 public transport vehicles were also impounded over violating the 50 percent capacity ban, while 13 police cases were also registered. Last week, Lahore police chief Ghulam Mehmood Dogar directed the police that government guidelines be implemented in view of the rising Covid-19 cases. Army troops patrolled roads in Lahore along with police and district officials to ensure enforcement of guidelines. Covid-19 awareness messages were displayed on the vehicles of the troops patrolling the city. “Join hands in the fight against coronavirus,” one of the messages read.

LAHORE: Pakistan Army troops patrol to ensure implementation of coronavirus standard operating procedures in the provincial capital. ONLINE

Shafqat wishes students luck as Cambridge exams start ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training Shafqat Mahmood on Monday wished all students, who are taking the Cambridge exams, the very best and said that these are tough times and difficult decisions have been made keeping the students best interest in view.

Shafqat Mahmood, in a series of tweets, said that British Council is committed to strict implementation of standards operating procedures (SOPs) and the government will also monitor them closely; however, he added that those students and parents who are still not comfortable can switch to October-November cycle without any extra charges.

He further said that he has asked Cambridge to reconsider the 13-month condition for AS students for taking remaining papers considering the extraordinary situation and hoped that a positive decision will come soon. The minister also shared some pictures of the examination halls and stressed that some elements distrib-

uting fake pictures of examination halls for cheap publicity. Their attempt to spread confusion has failed and will continue to fail because they are not interested in students but self-projection, he added.

Cambridge Assessment International Education (CAIE) has started A & O Level examinations in the country, which have been allowed under strict SOPs. In a statement, Cambridge said that they had provided various options for schools and students to support them through the pandemic.

In some syllabuses, candidates could take the component in a way that is easier to manage. For example, AS and A level art and design candidates can produce one piece of course work instead of three.

Schools could apply for exemptions where they feel candidates were not able to complete

the syllabus due to any reason, it added.

The statement further said the candidates can choose not to take a component but can still receive an overall syllabus grade.

Students can receive a grade when for any reason they miss some exams. Cambridge will give result to all students who have taken at least one component of a subject in the MayJune exam series.

Students can defer to a future exam series with the same fee they paid for May-June. The decision is theirs and Cambridge will not investigate. They can do this for one or more subjects. They have till 17 June to make this decision.

Popular subjects in Pakistan will be offered in October-November exam series to facilitate students who decide to defer their entries from May-June 2021 to October-November.

Camel brings books to homeschooling children in Balochistan KARACHI AGENCIES

Plodding his way through the desert in Balochistan, Roshan the camel carries priceless cargo: books for children who can no longer go to school because of coronavirus lockdowns.

The school children, who live in remote villages where the streets are too narrow for vehicles, put on their best clothes and rush out to meet Roshan. They crowd around the animal shouting “the camel is here!”

The schools first closed in response to the Covid-19 pandemic in March last year, and have only opened sporadically since then, with around 50 million school-age children and university students told to continue their education from home.

It’s been especially difficult in places like Balochistan, where in many villages internet access is almost non-existent.

Raheema Jalal, a high school principal who founded the Camel Library project with her sister, Minister for Defence Production Zubaida Jalal, says she started the

library last August because she wanted children around her remote hometown to continue learning despite schools being closed.

The project is a collaboration with the Female Education Trust and Alif Laila Book Bus Society, two NGOs that have been running children’s library projects in the country for 36 years.

Roshan carries the books to four different villages in the district of Kech, visiting each village three times a week and staying for about two hours each time. Children borrow books and return them the next time Roshan

visits. “I like picture books, because when I look at the pictures and the photographs, I can understand the story better,” nine-year-old Ambareen Imran told Reuters.

Jalal hopes to continue and expand the project to cover more villages, but needs funding: around $118 a month is needed now each month for Roshan.

Murad Ali, Roshan’s owner, says he was taken aback when he was first contacted about the project, but thought camels were the sensible mode of transport. He enjoys the trips and seeing the happy children and still earns as much as he used to when he transported firewood.

Tuesday, 27 April, 2021

KARACHI

NEWS

05

PAkIStAn to oPen two moRe boRdeR CRoSSIngS wIth IRAn: RASheed iSLamaBad TLTP

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NTERIOR Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed has said that the government has decided to open two new border crossings at Chowk Aap and Jalgi (Buleda) on Pak-Iran border. The interior minister said this in a tweet after a meeting with Minister for Defence Production Zubaida Jalal on Monday.

Pakistan and Iran opened the third cross-border point Pishin-Mand, adjacent to Kech district in Balochistan, on Wednesday last to enhance trade exchanges.

The interior minister said that new border crossings will not only help boost bilateral trade between Pakistan and Iran but will also promote tourism in the area.

Earlier, Minister for Defence Production Zubaida Jalal on Wednesday said that opening of the third border crossing point is a historic step for Pakistan and Iran and for the people of Balochistan in particular. She said that the relations between the both countries are being strengthened under the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

She said the border crossing will prove to be a milestone in providing employment and trade benefits to the

residents of the area. These border crossings will not only help boost bilateral trade between the two Muslim neighbouring countries, but also promote tourism in the area, she added.

It should be noted that "Pishin" border crossing is the third official crossing between Iran and Pakistan for transit between the two countries after two crossings Mirjavah and Rimdan. Trade exchanges and commutes between the two countries are currently carried out via Mirjaveh and Rimdan borders.

Iranian and Pakistani officials inaugurated the Rimdan-Gabad border crossing in December last year, providing the shortest land route linking the Pakistani port of Gwadar to westward corridors. The crossings will boost the import and export of goods between both countries, as well as the passage of Pakistani travellers towards Iran.

So far $6.6 million have been invested for the construction of the Pishin-Mand crossing which has expanded over 13 hectares of land.

Iran and Pakistan share 950-kilometer of borders and the two countries have created several markets across the border unilaterally; however establishing a joint market is also on the agenda.

PM announces to bring amendment for South Punjab province muLtan TLTP

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday announced to bring a constitutional amendment for the formation of South Punjab province.

Addressing the inauguration ceremony of the South Punjab Secretariat, the prime minister said that South Punjab would become a province and for that, they would move towards bringing a constitutional amendment in the parliament.

He said that it has been decided that South Punjab would get its job quota as per its population. “Construction of the secretariat will also help the people as they will now not have to go to Lahore for resolution of their issues,” Imran Khan said, adding that he would also inaugurate

Bahawalpur secretariat soon.

The prime minister was all praise for Chief Minister Punjab Usman Buzdar

during the ceremony and said he wanted a man for Punjab, who could develop the province as per his vision and whose

everything was for Pakistan and inside Pakistan. “I wanted a man who did not go to London to spend his holidays,” he said while referring towards the Sharif family and said that previously a ‘Bollywood actor’ - referring to Shehbaz Sharif - used to portray himself as a saviour by spending millions in terms of advertisement. He said that there is no comparison between them and Usman Buzdar as currently, efforts are being made to elevate the unprivileged areas of the province.

“I assure you that this would not have happened previously in Punjab,” he said, adding that previous leaders invested in foreign assets and kept their children abroad while Usman Buzdar established shelter homes for people who used to sleep on footpaths within days of being asked.

Troops in every corner of country to enforce Covid SOPs: DG ISPR Continued form page 01 The interior minister had said that the decision to seek services of the army regarding implementation on SOPs was taken at a meeting of the National Coordination Committee (NCC) held on last Friday with Prime Minister Imran Khan in the chair.

He had said that the Pakistan Army has always stood by the nation during critical times, including catastrophes, floods, and earthquakes. He said that around 400,000 Covid cases are being reported in India on a daily basis, making the cremation centres and graveyards equally busy. He said in view of such a situation, Pakistan Army has been assigned the task to get SOPs implemented to contain the spread of the contagion.

Meanwhile, it had emerged on Sunday that following the National Coordination Committee’s (NCC) decision,

the Sindh government has written to the federal government, seeking the deployment of army personnel in the province to ensure adherence to Covid-19 precautionary SOPs. “The services of armed forces of Pakistan in aid of civil power are required under Article 245 of the Constitution of Pakistan,” a letter penned by the home department to the federal interior ministry had said.

“Exact nature of deployment of troops and equipment will be communicated in due course of time after carrying out requisite assessment in consultation with [the] quarters concerned,” the communique had added.

The letter had further stated that, “It is, therefore, requested to kindly accord approval for deployment of armed forces in aid of civil power in the province of Sindh.”

The Pakistan Army was called out on April 23 in aid of civil administration to ensure implementation of pre-

cautionary measures against the rampaging novel coronavirus as the prime minister warned the government might impose lockdown in major cities if the spread of the deadly contagion is not contained.

The ominous warning came as Covid-19 – the deadly respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus – appeared to have gone out of control in India where the healthcare system is staggering amid shortage of oxygen and medicines while crematoriums are being overwhelmed with deluges of bodies.

“If the situation worsens here like it has worsened in India, then we will have to impose lockdowns in cities – something we do not want and cannot afford because, in that case the poor – labourers and the daily-wagers – will suffer the most,” the premier had said during the address to the nation. He had added that he had been resisting calls from his aides who advised him to immediately impose lockdowns in the major cities.

Circular debt to remain over Rs1.1tr by 2023 neWS deSK The power sector circular debt would stay above Rs1.1 trillion by end of fiscal year 2023 against about Rs2.55tr estimated at present. According to a local media report, repeated tariff increases, buying out several old independent power plants (IPPs), fuel conversions, tax rationalisations and timely subsidy payments over the next two years would prevent it from reaching Rs4.7tr by end of FY2023. A combination of ambitious policy actions will rein in circular debt growth to the extent of over Rs2tr in two years. The average tariff is projected to be Rs20.25 per unit by FY2023 from a little over Rs15.4 per unit at present, the report states.

Saudi Arabia introduces SR200 banknote neWS deSK Saudi Arabia’s central bank has introduced a new banknote worth 200 Saudi Riyal. The new banknote was launched on the fifth anniversary of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030. The banknote came into use across the Kingdom on Sunday, April 25. The new note is gray in colour and bears the picture of King Abdulaziz Al Saud along with a 3D logo of Vision 2030.

SC accepts review petitions in Justice Isa presidential reference verdict Continued from page 01 The dissenting note had observed that the aforementioned article created an obligation on state institutions to take the necessary measures to ensure the realisation of the fundamental rights of people to have access to information in matters of public importance. “Cases under Article 184(3) of the Constitution, including review petitions and other matters arising therein, are matters of public importance, and the public have a right to know and see how proceedings in these cases are conducted and concluded by the court,” it had said. “We, therefore, hold that live streaming of court hearings of these cases should be made available for the information of the public through a link on the official website of this court.”

Punjab seeks $500m loan from World Bank neWS deSK The Punjab government is seeking $500 million from the World Bank to provide water to rural areas and address sanitation problems in 16 districts and tehsils to serve a population of 6.65 million in the province.

According to a World Bank document, the project will target districts in Punjab that are the poorest and have the worst outcomes on child stunting, access to and quality of sanitation infrastructure, and bacterial contamination of drinking water at source and at point of use.

Overall, the project is expected to cover about 2,000 villages, main settlements and 8,500 small settlements in Khushab, Mianwali, Sargodha, Chakwal, Bhakkar, Pakpattan, Chiniot, Jhang, Ra-

janpur, Rahim Yar Khan, Dera Ghazi Khan, Lodhran, Bahawalpur, Muzaffargarh, Bahawalnagar and Multan districts.

The project will also support Covid-19 mitigation measures in rural Punjab through a series of measures, and the focus will be on actions that households and communities can take to ensure physical distancing and basic hygiene; small-scale infrastructure to directly promote good hygiene practice; and enhance jobs for unskilled and semi-skilled labour.

The project will develop and use a comprehensive IT-based manage¬ment information system to track project implementation progress, WSS service delivery performance, the flow of public and donor funds earmarked for WASH and related financial management information, and outcome indicators.

Tuesday, 27 April, 2021

06 COMMENT

Slogans vs sincerity

The judge who meddled too much

And the meaning of love

Efforts to make him an example

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uSTiCE faez isa, widely considered an independent-minded judge delivered certain verdicts that were not liked by those who matter.

They wanted his scalp. While the presidential reference against Justice faez isa was being prepared in May 2019, additional attorney general Zahid f.Ebrahim resigned in protest citing government’s ‘attempt to browbeat judiciary.’ as he put it, “it is not about accountability of judges but is a reckless attempt to tar the reputation of independent individuals and could cause irreparable damage to the institution which is the protector of our fundamental rights and the bedrock of our fledgling democracy”.

The legal fraternity termed the reference a mala fide attempt to oust an independent and upright judge, and demanded its withdrawal. in June 2020, the Supreme Court dismissed the presidential reference against Justice faez isa terming it “invalid”.

However, seven of the 10 judges on the bench hearing the case ordered the inland revenue Department and the fBr to seek explanations from the judge’s wife and children on the nature and source of funding for three properties in their names in the united Kingdom and submit a report to the SC registrar. Soon after, the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) initiated inquiry against the judge. Justice isa then approached the apex court, seeking a review of the decision. a seven-judge bench was constituted to hear the petitions but four premier bar associations of the country challenged it and requested that the matter be placed before the CJP to form a larger bench comprising all the judges who had decided the constitutional petitions against the filing of the reference. a ten member bench was set up. The bench has declared legal actions taken by the federal Board of revenue (fBr) and all other forums related to the assets of Justice isa’s wife and children as “illegal”.

Justice isa stands vindicated. But will the judge’s ordeal end here?

The judgment would be disturbing for important players who like Henry ii, King of England, are not likely to take it lying down. The likelihood of further attempts to get rid of the meddlesome judge cannot be ruled out.

HASAN AFTAB SAEED

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ulfiqar ali Bhutto loved to hear incidents of quaid’s life from his army Chief General Gul Hasan, who in his youth was aDC to the father of the Nation. One day, while traveling in the president’s automobile, Hasan narrated the story in which he had told the man on duty to lift the railway-crossing barrier to let the Governor General’s car pass. a visibly upset quaid ordered the barrier down saying, ‘if i won’t obey the law, who will?’ On hearing the heartwarming story, Bhutto was beside himself with emotion. His exhilaration came down more than a notch however when his vehicle suddenly came to a rude halt. The driver explained that it was on account of the red light. To which Bhutto said: ‘To hell with traffic lights… Bhutto is unstoppable!’

We all have our heroes whom we claim to love. That is the easy part. But most of us leave a lot to be desired when it comes to putting money

There is a lot of room for improvement

Coinciding with Shehbaz Sharif’s release

to address the people within the disability community is one of the biggest grey areas present. However, you know some terrible words immediately that is offensive—for example, crippled, victim, poor, unfortunate, etc. The real debate revolves around three terms: disabled, special needs and differently-abled.

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Ml-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz Sharif, who in her father and uncle’s absence has been leading the party and steering an opposition alliance gearing up to oust the PTi government by resigning from parliament en masse and staging a long march, now wants Prime Minister imran Khan to complete his 5-year tenure. although her rationale to take this obvious about-turn is understandable, that if the PM is removed prematurely, he will cry foul claiming he didn’t get a full term to finish the job, there is much more to this abrupt change in party line and direction. it cannot simply be a coincidence that Mian Shehbaz Sharif, leader of the opposition in the National assembly and PMl-N president was released from jail after seven months a few days back and suddenly there is an indication that the political temperature is being dialed down. always favoring a nonconfrontational approach, perhaps his release is somewhat contingent on how well he is able to convince divergent forces within the party to tow the same line. a month ago, the PMl-N and PPP parted ways, essentially cutting out the legs from underneath the grand opposition alliance PDM, due to differences over the methods that should be used to remove PM Khan from office and send his government packing. That the PMl-N has all but abandoned that goal overnight is a kick in the gut for all those who were rooting for the unity and survival of the PDM. Had this change of heart come along earlier, the alliance would probably still be intact. This shift in gears also reflects in Maryam Nawaz’s decision to skip her visit to Karachi where she was scheduled to campaign for Miftah ismail who is contesting the Na-249 bypolls as PMl-N’s candidate. While she has said that the reason for not going is due to the health risk posed by the ongoing lethal third wave of Covid-19, it seems a deliberate and systematic reduction in her political activities is being made to create space that Shehbaz Sharif may fill. Going by these recent developments, the PMl-N and its firebrand leader will adopt a much more lukewarm demeanor with a new face heading the party.

MAHEEN NASEEM

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have lived with Spastic Diplegic Cerebral Palsy since birth. Growing up, whenever i walked into a room, i could not shake the strangeness of a thousand eyes staring right at me with pity, confusion, and, unfortunately, dominance. all i ever wanted growing up was to feel included. But sadly, even after 20 years of living with a disability, most of the world still don’t know the Dos and Don’t of Disability inclusion.

It’s a trIcky game! inclusion is the act of including someone in a group. Over the years, society has improved when it comes to including the disabled/ special needs/ differently-abled community.

However, that doesn’t mean that there is 100 per cent inclusion- No! That only exists in a perfect world.

The world we live in today is far from perfect, and let’s be honest, it will never be perfect. But that doesn’t mean we can’t at least try to improve. i believe that inclusion is a tricky game because it’s often subjective. You’ve heard the saying, “One man’s dream is another man’s nightmare”. Well, it very much applies here. My happy place will not be yours. Similarly, an environment where i feel included might make you uncomfortable. it’s all about different experiences. Yes, we can advise one another; but one can never really know unless they try it for themselves. Just like everything else, inclusion has some grey areas.

Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami

Arif Nizami Editor Managing Editor

Joint Editor

Umar Aziz

the language debate: The language used

Executive Editor

Lahore – Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965

The author is a connoisseur of music, literature, and food (but not drinks). He can be reached at www.facebook.com/hasanaftabsaeed

The dos and don’ts of disability inclusion

Maryam’s U-turn

Yousaf Nizami Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

where our mouth is. Sadly, self-professed love for the prophet (peace be upon him) is rarely any different. it is the actions and attitudes that tell the real story. it is bad enough if one keeps making all the correct noises about loving the prophet (peace be upon him) but makes no effort to follow in his footsteps. it is egregious if one does exactly the opposite of his teachings, and attributes it to his ‘love’ for him. love of the prophet (peace be upon him) is not the biological kind of thing that one feels for one’s offspring, parents, or siblings. Natural and healthy that that sort of love is, the love of the prophet (peace be upon him) is a far nobler thing – at least it ought to be – in that it is rational. it stems from a deep respect – every bit of which has been earned – for the prophet’s (peace be upon him) character and conduct in every circumstance. Where one’s lofty claims are not accompanied by at least a sincere attempt to emulate his conduct, they amount to lip service at best. Can it be anything more than an exercise in hypocrisy and self-deception?

There is so much worth emulating in the prophet’s conduct provided one is rational and sincere. The quran declares the prophet (peace be upon him) to be the ideal for all Muslims. unfortunately, most of us have taken this to mean switching off the mind, praising him at mawlids by reciting formulas learnt by heart but not understood, and thinking our job as done. it is one thing to fulfil the bare minimum religious requirements of dos and don’ts, but quite another to try and follow the best example of the prophet (peace be upon him) – how he made everything as perfect as it was humanly possible: not only acts of worship but the way he treated his companions, subordinates, children, neighbours, his wives, and perfect strangers. The reward for following the footsteps of the prophet, according to the quran, is that God will then love you. and no wonder. This is a man who was born an orphan, who lost his mother when he was six, and his grandfather (and guardian) when he was eight, who buried all but one of his children, who was relentlessly persecuted for siding with the truth. and yet, he remained a picture of kindness and concern

for others, without a trace of bitterness. How many of us facing much smaller challenges resist being mean and unkind to those who have nothing whatever to do with our problems? it is reported that during a friday sermon, a man told the prophet (peace be upon him) that he had some questions on religion, but he had to leave immediately after the prayer. The prophet (peace be upon him) paused his sermon, sat him down in front of him, answered all his questions, and then resumed the sermon. The head of the state with countless commitments, and yet no fuss, no ceremony, no red tape to speak of! Compare this with the attitude of lowly government officials, who claim to be lovers of the prophet (peace be upon him), but who are too ‘important’ to have time or a kind word for anybody. a point to ponder for the self-proclaimed aashiqaan-e-rasool, surely!

One could go on indefinitely. recall the day when the prophet’s (peace be upon him) son ibrahim died. There was a solar eclipse that day. Some people remarked that the sun too was mourning. The prophet (peace be upon him) told them that the sun and the moon were signs of God and they did not bother themselves with the births and deaths of men.

To be so clear-headed – that too on such a devastating occasion! if one claims to love the prophet (peace be upon him) but is superstitious and delusional in everyday life, one must think long and hard about what ‘love’ means anyway.

The prophet (peace be upon him) was a study in continuity of purpose and steadfastness. Despite the countless setbacks he received, never once did he resort to shortcut or compromise on principle. What, then, is one to make of somebody’s ‘love’ for the prophet if he habitually justifies his dubious means by his ends.

Genuine love for the prophet (peace be upon him) is manifested not in slogans but in one’s conduct. Zeal and enthusiasm are no replacements for sincerity. finally, a few words on the madness that was witnessed on the streets last week. One need not be religious to know that hooliganism, violence, blocking of roads, and generally being a public nuisance are deplorable activities. They become especially heinous when they are perpetrated in the name of ‘love for the prophet’.

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Karachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9

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my experIence wIth each of these terms: My issues with being called disabled started early—second grade, to be exact. My English vocabulary started increasing, and i came across words such as discomfort, disadvantage, disrespectful, discourage, etc. all words that are associated with negativity. So, naturally, after hearing the word ‘disabled, my brain automatically took it negatively. Who likes to be labelled something negative? No one! a couple of years down the road and the language improved. We were now known as people with special needs. This is how my brain reacted to the change in the terminology: ‘Special needs... Special...

Needs... Everyone has needs... My needs are special...

Does that make me special? i’m special!’ it was like a breath of fresh air after years of focusing on the negative term ‘dis’. People finally brought a positive word to light- Special! a couple of months went by, and i noticed that most people still behaved the same way despite the language development. Being special should make people want to hang out with you more, right? Wrong! it turns out that just being called special doesn’t exactly make you feel special. The more people used the term ‘special needs’, the more annoyed i got eventually hating the whole term. flash forward to the present. Now people are more open to differences; they celebrate the fact that they are more open-minded and ‘woke.’ i got comfortable with who i am and then came across the word ‘differently-abled’. a term that made me realise that we all are different, and instead of hiding it, i should be proud of my differences because i wouldn’t be the same without them. other opInIons: Some people feel the complete opposite of what i do regarding these terminologies. Some find the word disabled to be completely fine while finding differently-abled offensive and rude. This is exactly why the language grey area exists.

My advice regarding these changes in opinions is to ask someone you know who is disabled/ differently-abled/ has special needs. Some might not have any problem telling you what they are comfortable with, while some might be reluctant to share. if the latter is the case, you could observe the person’s body language to determine yourself. if the person

Islamabad – Ph: 051-2204545

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Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk

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looks uncomfortable or angry with one of the terms, don’t use that one.

There are also cases where people don’t like any of these terms and prefer to be identified by their specific disability. The most common examples of this are people with autism. in my experience, they prefer the phrase ‘having autism’ over autistic, disabled, special needs, differently-abled, etc. normalIsIng: Normalising, another grey area.

Normalising is the action of creating something out of the ordinary into something very commonly known. People don’t realise that some of the methods of normalising can make us upset and angry.

This especially is true when it comes to disabilities such as autism and aDHD. Society tries to make people with autism or aDHD comfortable by saying things like: “Everyone has autism/aDHD to some degree,”; “i know exactly what you’re going through.” ; “i think i might have a little autism/ aDHD”.

Why is this wrong exactly? Think of it this way.

You grow up and experience some limitations and difficulties in life. Then all of a sudden, someone comes up to you in an attempt to cheer you up and be more ‘relatable.’ Despite the sweet and ‘relatable’ attempts, you don’t see them struggling like you or similar to you in any way. You are the only one who seems to be having issues. Will that make you feel good about yourself?

You don’t need to be like them to be there for them.

InclusIon, the rIght way! i see all sorts of book publications releasing new additions of textbooks every year; why can’t they at least try to release braille versions so the visually impaired can be equally educated? i see schools opening different types of school clubs, even video game clubs! in my opinion, if your school can afford new technology for you to sit back and play fortnite, they can certainly afford special education teachers to help students with dyslexia catch up with their work after school. i also see teachers having workshops all year round. Now i don’t know what exactly they are training or discussing about but the number of times i’ve read about a disabled/special needs/differently-abled student being mistreated by a teacher just because they didn’t know how to handle the situation confirms that some schools to this day, don’t discuss inclusion! all my life, i’ve seen people in the disability community trying to learn how to interact with the ‘normal’ population. Well, now, it’s time for the ‘normal’ population to learn how to interact with us.

The writer is currently enrolled at Monash University at their school of Arts and Social Sciences

Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

Tuesday, 27 April, 2021

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

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

Smart lockdown for Eid EId-UL-azHa is one of the most eminent Eid and opportunity which honours the willingness of Ibrahim to sacrifice his son Ismael as an act of obidience to God’s commands . It is a unique day for world’s Muslims. But very surprisingly Muslims mark second Eid of extended lockdown. do you know the strict lockdown is to stop Eid celebrations. although corona cases drop by 80 percent and is not to be curbed at the accurate time . this is only possibly applied while people constantly follow rules of lockdown. Pakistan saw daily virus deaths peak at about 150 in June . this sacrificing Eid was not much interesting as majority of parks in Pakistan were shut down and if opened were bounded by sOPs. the coronavirus is really destructive virus still not finished. I request the authorities of Pakistan to design strict lockdown after Eid so that we earlierly gain a cure for this virus.

Barkatullah turBat

Eid precautions

Israel’s plight An absence of leadership

Dr Alon Ben-Meir

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ast month, Israelis went to the polls for the fourth time in two years. Not surprisingly, like all three previous elections, the result of the fourth one provided no clear winners. Israel’s political system is effectively broken. thirteen of the nearly forty political parties that ran managed to cross the threshold and earn seats in the new Knesset. Ironically, hardly any of the parties ran on specific foreign and domestic policies that would advance the greater interest of the nation. Instead, what looms larger than their socio-economic and national security policies and peace, is the personal ambition of the parties’ leaders who, almost with no exception, feel they are the most qualified to become prime minister.

Following intense horse-trading, whoever ends up forming the next new coalition government—whether it be the camp that wants to unseat Netanyahu or if Netanyahu himself manages to establish the next right-wing government—the prospect that the new government will last the whole four years is practically nonexistent. any future government will be composed of several parties who do not see eye-to-eye on many of the pressing issue facing the country. as a result, the government more often than not settles on the lowest denominators as each coalition partner must compromise on critical issues, which often leads to paralysis both on foreign and domestic policies. One example: the three preceding governments led by Netanyahu failed to pass even a national budget, as no member of the coalition could

agree on the appropriation of funds deemed necessary to run his or her ministry. the sadder part is that if you were to ask any of the aspirants for the position of Prime Minister, be that Naftali Bennett, the leader of Yamina, Yair Lapid, the leader of Yesh atid, or Netanyahu, or any other party leader what their vision of Israel is 10 or 15 years down the line, I do not believe that any of them can articulate such a vision.

Now that Netanyahu has been given the mandate to form the next government, as in the past, the discussion between the various parties will be limited almost exclusively to what ministry each of the coalition partners can control, how much money will be appropriated to the ministry in question, and the prerogatives that each minister can exercise. the past three Netanyahu-led governments made no progress on any single issue of critical importance to the future of the country. to begin with, there is no discussion about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as if by ignoring it, it would simply disappear. the fact remains that every day that passes without a solution, the conflict becomes ever more intractable. Now that there is a new Us administration, the new Israeli government should be prepared to deal with President Biden, who differs dramatically from his predecessor in that he believes in a twostate solution and opposes any further annexation of Palestinian territory. the second disastrous problem Israel faces is the horrifying socio-economic gap. It is hard to imagine that in a country with a thriving economy, the poor are becoming poorer and the rich richer. What is astounding is that even pre-pandemic, more than 21 percent of the Israeli population is under the poverty line (it has skyrocketed to 29.3 percent this year). the majority of those affected are the elderly (including 1 in 4 Holocaust survivors), ultra-Orthodox, arabs, and single parents; many Middle Eastern Jews still bear the brunt of historic poverty and continu-

Indeed, Israel is in desperate need of another Ben-Gurion or Rabin—a morally imbued leader with a vision, who will fight for Israel’s future wellbeing and its very soul. It is the hour of need that produces such a visionary new leader to rise. The time is now.

ing economic and social inequality. Billions are spent on settlement construction and security while scores of neighborhoods of poor Israelis are left to rot. the third problem Israelis refuse to acknowledge is that the Israeli arab parties, which represent more than 20 percent of the population, have never been invited to join a coalition government, as they are assumed to be untrustworthy and should be politically marginalized. It is hard to fathom how the majority of Israeli Jews expects the Israeli arabs to be loyal citizens when they are systematically discriminated against at every turn. It is time for Israel to think of the future—and the future does not bode well for Israel as long as such a huge minority is not integrated into Israel’s socio-economic and political streams. there are several other major problems that none of the Israeli parties are discussing, let alone finding a long-term solution for: what to do with Iran and for how much longer the quiet war between the two countries will go on before it explodes into an all-out war. For how much longer the state of no war and no peace can be sustained with Hezbollah.

What to do with Hamas, and if Israel can maintain the blockade for another decade before a new deadly explosion occurs. the fact that Israel normalized relations with several Gulf arab states offers no solution to these and other challenges.

Four elections in two years, and possibly heading for a fifth one, offers no way out of the acute challenges the country is facing. the Israeli public and their leaders are basking in the illusion that the country is economically prosperous, militarily powerful, and technologically dominant, and that these should sustain it indefinitely. this is all an illusion; what sustains Israel is social cohesiveness, which is wanting; peace with the Palestinians, which is becoming ever more farfetched; equality among the citizenry, which is lacking; and finally, enlightened and visionary leadership, which is tragically absent.

Indeed, Israel is in desperate need of another Ben-Gurion or Rabin—a morally imbued leader with a vision, who will fight for Israel’s future wellbeing and its very soul. It is the hour of need that produces such a visionary new leader to rise. the time is now.

The result of the fourth election in two years clearly points to the dysfunction of Israel’s political system and the many fault lines of Israel’s democracy. Sadly, personal rivalries rather than political platforms that address foreign and domestic policies rule the day.

Dr Alon Ben-Meir is a professor of international relations at the Centre for Global Affairs at NYU. He teaches courses on international negotiation and Middle Eastern studies. alon@alonben-meir.com

tHIs year the Eid has fallen on august 01, which is the month of monsoons. this Eid brings festivities of Qurbani and meat. However, Eid ul duha falling in august has its dangerous side too. Rains, floods, and wet conditions increase the risk of electrocutions. People tend to be lax in their attitude and use electric poles to tie their animal increasing the risk of electrocution of animals and people. similarly, during this season, insects, serpents, and adders thrive and are dangerous to human and cattle alike.

People must be careful in wandering in green areas to graze their animals. a bite of a poisonous adder can be life threatening. If people are not careful in properly disposing off the blood, organs, and hides, they can become the sources of unbearable smell and diseases. Finally, this year we have the added risk of Coronavirus, which may become out of control if people are not careful about precautionary measures such as social distancing and hygiene. While the government is running an awareness campaign to educate people about risks related to Coronavirus, electrocution and disposing off the animal waste, we as people also need to play our part and take responsibility. We should be very careful and aware of all the dangers and celebrate Eid in a manner that it does not become source of tragedy for anyone. raja Shafaatullah ISlamaBad

Don’t open schools as we all know that the pandemic situation is going all over the world. this is the worst time for everyone because COVId-19 has left us in great lose. Like our health, economic and educational system is destroyed very badly. In Pakistan all schools were closed on February 26 after first case of corona was found. so that’s why all the educational institutions closed and destroyed the whole educational system. But as a number of cases arose all the educational institutes were closed then most of the universities, colleges and schools started online classes which resulted in good. Introducing online classes was a great initiative as this helps alot to students to learn from home. PtV also introduced online learning videos which also helped teenagers especially. Now school owners are asking to reopen schools but the thing which we and they need to understand is that nowadays where people are not following sOP’s in markets how will they follow in school. If you want to resume the education system then first reopen university because reopening universities and colleges are another thing because in university and college there are adult students and they shall follow sOP’s but not school. I request the PM and Federal education minister and all related authorities to pay some attention upon this.

WalIullah noonarI larkana

Problem of broken roads IN sachal Goth, G3 stop, wakeel society scheme# 33 Karachi, I want to highlight the problem of broken roads. Our Municipal Corporation wants waking up; and as private appeals to their office had no effect, perhaps a little publicity will do no harm. For the last months sachal Goath road has been almost impassable. the surface is badly broken up by heavy rains , and on dark night it is positively dangerous for vehicles or carriages to pass that way. Moreover, there are heaps of road metal on both sides of the road, which leave very little room in the middle. It is scandalous that we should be inconvenienced in this way for weeks and I hope the public will bring pressure to bear on those responsible so that the road may be put in through repair without further delay kanWal alI karachI

Religion and corona IsLaM is religion of peace and humanity which teaches us each and every manner and sOPs of world, From the very beginning of corona there has been a fight between religion and safety. as we all know this virus reacts when touched, islam teaches us to be at home if you have a disease which spreads by touching.

Everyone was blaming Non muslim countries as if it’s their trick to stop muslims from worshipping but there is a circle of discipline to understand islam because at some points islam wants us to be strict or to ease ourselves because there are more than one way to go through a problem. same for corona, we were surrounded by numerous thoughts stuck in our mind to go to masjid or not, shake hands or not, to hug or not but no one was giving a particular statement proven by islam because these things are related to our culture and pakistanis knows perfectly to manifest cultures. People were really confused and were not performing their roles in (no hand shakes and hugs). they were just chilling here and there, no follow up for hygiene. after sometime virus was taken seriously then Molana’s and Mufti’s showed up and told people what islam says to do during pandemic and everything is going nicely along with sOPs. SuhaIl SaEEd tunIo larkana

Tuesday, 27 April, 2021

08 WORLD VIEW

IrAn moves closer to A dIplomAtIc breAkthrough thAt mAy upset IsrAel ISRAEL’S NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER, THE CHIEF OF STAFF OF THE ARMY, THE HEAD OF MILITARY INTELLIGENCE AND THE DIRECTOR OF THE MOSSAD SPY AGENCY VISITING THE US NEXT WEEK WILL BE WANTING TO CLARIFY WHAT US NEGOTIATOR ROB MALLEY AND HIS TEAM IS DISCUSSING WITH THE IRANIANS

Hill

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SIMON HENDERSON

diplomatic deal with Iran is increasingly likely. Running in parallel, a diplomatic row with Israel is taking shape. Whether the Middle East will be more stable is a matter of debate. the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that the Biden administration has indicated that it is open to easing sanctions on Iran’s economy, including oil and finance. that is a major change from the policy of the trump White House, which was to impose “maximum pressure” on Iran. In diplomatic terms, the White House will be able to argue that it is switching from trying to win a confrontation to managing an issue. the Journal also reported that difficult negotiations over the 2015 nuclear agreement, the Joint Comprehen-

sive Plan of Action (JCPOA), lie ahead. But the Russian negotiator at the talks in Vienna was quoted as saying a deal could be achieved by late May. that doesn’t sound like an arrangement that would appeal to Israel, which simply doesn’t believe that Iran isn’t pursuing a nuclear weapon and is also concerned

by Iran’s support for Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, Bashar al-Assad’s government in Syria, Shia militias in Iraq and Houthi rebels in Yemen. the list is long, as are the ranges of the missiles and drones that tehran has been supplying to its allies and proxies. the Syrian missile fired overnight in the direction of Israel’s nuclear reactor at Dimona is an example of the palette of options Iran has created.

Hence the significance of the Israeli officials due to turn up in the U.S. next week: the national security adviser, the chief of staff of the army, the head of military intelligence, and the director of the Mossad spy agency. they will be wanting to clarify what U.S. negotiator Rob Malley and his team is discussing with the Iranians, supposedly only via intermediaries. Both Washington and Jerusalem no doubt will spin these talks as positively as possible.

So what happened, apart from a change of administration, which seems to have defined itself as being the anti-trump and contains many people who helped negotiate the 2015 accord and saw it as a major foreign policy success for former President Obama? One strong possi-

Narendra Modi and the perils of Covid hubris Financial Times

“I

GIDEON RACHMAN

t can be said with pride, India . . . defeated Covid-19 under the able, sensible, committed and visionary leadership of Prime Minister Modi . . . the party unequivocally hails its leadership for introducing India to the world as a proud and victorious nation in the fight against Covid.” those were the words of a resolution passed

by India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata party, just a few weeks ago in February.

But now India is reeling from a surge in cases. Hospitals are running out of oxygen and acute-care beds. Mass cremations are taking place in makeshift facilities. Heartrending pictures of suffering are being broadcast around the world. Surveys of mortuaries suggest that the number of Covid-19 deaths may be two to five times higher than the official figure of around 2,000 a day. the pandemic punishes hubris. Narendra Modi is not the first world leader to have paid the price for acting too slowly — or declaring victory too early.

In China, where the virus originated, the Xi Jinping government’s first disastrous reaction was to suppress bad news coming out of Wuhan. In the US, Donald trump, then president, repeatedly predicted that the virus would miraculously disappear. In Brazil, President Jair Bolsonaro addressed rallies of anti-lockdown protesters. In Britain, Prime Minister Boris Johnson locked down the country too late. the EU messed up the purchase of vaccines.

But the Modi government has made some distinctive and disastrous errors. Having called the end of the crisis too early, the Indian government opened up too fast. Driven by a desire to win the crucial state of West Bengal, the BJP staged mass election rallies.

Modi declared himself “elated” by a large crowd that turned out to hear him speak a few days ago, even as Covid-19 cases soared. the Kumbh Mela, a religious festival that allows millions of pilgrims to converge on a single town, was allowed to go ahead and even promoted by the Hindu nationalist BJP. the Indian government failed to use the decline in infection after the first wave to prepare properly for a second wave. Emergency oxygen supplies were clearly too low.

Despite the fact that India is the world’s largest producer of vaccines of all sorts, the government was woefully slow to place orders from local manufacturers. It also slowed the approval of proven foreign vaccines for Covid-19, such as the BioNtech/Pfizer jab, while promoting a more experimental Indian-designed vaccine.

National pride played a part in India’s willingness to keep exporting vaccines, even as domestic supply lagged behind. the In-

dian government has promoted the idea that the country is the “pharmacy to the world”.

Geopolitical rivalry with China, which is using vaccine diplomacy to win global influence, was a background factor. Delhi’s willingness to export vaccines to the world also contrasted favourably with the lack of exports from the US and UK. But the Indian government has now banned vaccine exports. It is also speeding up the approval of foreign vaccines.

Modi went into this crisis with sky-high poll ratings, but is clearly vulnerable to a backlash. Having centralised power for many years, he now seems to be shifting the burden of responsibility for dealing with Covid-19 on to state governments.

India’s plight has worldwide implications. there is still a tendency in the west to treat the pandemic as a series of national crises in which countries compete to see who can deal with the virus better. But this is an interconnected global crisis. As tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of the World Health Organization puts it, Covid-19 is an international fire and, “if you hose only one part of it, the rest will keep burning”. Eventually, the fire is likely to spread once again, reigniting in places where it was thought to be extinguished. there is already cause for concern that the UK was too slow to introduce stringent quarantine measures for passengers arriving from India. that is particularly dangerous, given the emergence of new variants of the virus in India that may be more transmissible and vaccine resistant.

Getting medical help to India is now both a humanitarian and a pragmatic necessity for the outside world, which is beginning to respond. For the US, it may also be a geopolitical necessity, given that America regards India as a crucial ally in its growing rivalry with China. the Biden administration’s refusal, so far, to allow the emergency export of vaccines to India is feeding anti-American sentiment in the country, which may not be offset by airlifts of ventilators and other equipment. the outside world should also guard against the kind of complacency that was prevalent in India until recently. the fact that case numbers are falling and vaccination rates are rising in Britain could easily create a dangerous relaxation, similar to the one that India went through a couple of months ago. A recent article in the times proclaimed that “Britain could feel like paradise this summer.” the lesson of India is to guard against premature celebration or hubris. Any improvement in the coronavirus situation should be used as an opportunity to prepare for future waves and to help the international fight against the pandemic. India will not be the last country to witness a tragic resurgence of Covid-19.

bility, to put it simply, is that Saudi Arabia blinked. De facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is coming to terms with the realization that the Biden administration has to be handled differently from the informal WhatsApp relationship he had with Donald trump’s son-in-law and adviser, Jared Kushner. the Financial times broke the news that tehran and Riyadh have been in diplomatic contact via the good offices of the Iraqi government, even if formal relations remain broken. this almost certainly doesn’t mean that MbS, as the crown prince is known, distrusts the Iranians less, but for him it is a small price to pay for becoming less socially unacceptable in the Washington of 2021.

Besides, Riyadh still retains its own nascent nuclear infrastructure, supposedly peaceful, in its back pocket. the surprise to many is that some of these diplomatic moves are not an obvious result of pressure on Iran, which has been squeezed economically by the U.S.-led sanctions. On the nuclear front, Iran claims to have recovered from the setback of a major electric power outage, credited to Israel, at the Natanz enrichment plant. Whether true to not, its subsequent announcement that it was going to increase enrichment to the hitherto unprecedented and significant level of 60 percent caught the world’s attention.

Using centrifuge types supposedly restricted to research only, in the terms of the JCPOA, heightened the tension.

But the use of a centrifuge building unprotected from air

attack gave a veneer of respectability to the claim that the fresh enrichment was for peaceful purposes, rather than a sudden rush for “the bomb.”

Public discussion of Iran’s nuclear capabilities is all too frequently confused by claims that however close tehran is to a critical mass of Uranium-235, it is still a couple of years from actually being able to make a bomb.

For some people, though, the more relevant gamechanger is when Iran can carry out a test explosion, which may well be possible within a few weeks or months of amassing the fissile material. In 1998, when India and Pakistan carried out nuclear tests, I was told by a senior British official that both countries would need to carry out more tests before they each had a nuclear strike capability. Well, guess what? Neither country has carried out any more tests, yet no one doubts that both have plenty of operational nuclear-tipped missiles.

Perhaps the only note of optimism, albeit a dismal one, is that the advent of comparatively cheap and accurate drones and missiles may be making nuclear weapons redundant. But as the attacks on Saudi oil installations and cities show, this is not making the Middle East a safer place.

Simon Henderson is the Baker Fellow and director of the Bernstein Program on Gulf and Energy Policy at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

India’s government has abandoned its citizens to face a deadly second wave alone

Guardian

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RukMINI S

t 7.52pm on 16 April, Vinay Srivastava, a 65-year-old freelance journalist in Lucknow, the capital city of India’s largest state Uttar Pradesh, tweeted the state’s chief minister Yogi Adityanath that his oxygen levels had fallen to 52, but no hospital, doctor or lab was picking up the phone. His symptoms pointed to Covid-19, but he was unable to get a test, and his son went from hospital to hospital through the night, pleading in vain for a bed for his father.

At 3.15pm the next day, Srivastava tweeted the chief minister’s media adviser: “Now my oxygen is 31 when some will come.” Minutes later he was dead. He had never been tested, and his family would have to wait hours for an ambulance to take his body away.

Srivastava’s tweets of his descent transfixed and horrified India’s twitter users. But whether online or offline, one thing has become abundantly clear to all Indians over the last week: the second wave has grown to a tsunami, and the state is unable to cope.

Although the first cases were detected in the country as early as January 2020, India only reached one million confirmed cases on 16 July last year. Until the beginning of June 2020, new cases remained under 10,000 each day. In March last year, the government enforced one of the world’s strictest lockdowns, which lasted for two months. Although these restrictions came at significant costs, some parts of India were able to use this time to build up their healthcare capacity.

Yet the country’s healthcare resources remain acutely constrained. India is ranked 155 of 167 countries on its hospital bed density, and every medical doctor in India

caters to at least 1,511 people, while there is only one nurse to every 670 people (the World Health Organization recommends one doctor per 1,000 people, and one nurse for every 300). the surge, when it came in July and August 2020, was swift, but just as quickly it appeared to be over. By the middle of September, new detected cases declined steadily, hospitalisations fell and deaths declined sharply. If India had then attempted a scientific assessment of its first wave, there might have been lessons for the future.

It would have found that many people were still vulnerable to the virus. India’s most recent nationwide sero-survey conducted during December 2020 and January 2021 indicated that more than one in five Indians had been exposed to the virus, but the proportion of those with antibodies in urban slums was over twelve percentage points higher than in rural areas.

While officially recorded deaths appeared to show that India’s mortality from Covid was far below that in much of the developed world, government authorities largely ignored warnings from the first wave: the death report infrastructure was underpowered at the best of times, and health authorities were actively undercounting Covid deaths. Official mortality data was last recorded in 2018.

Despite its world-class genomic sequencing infrastructure, India also fell far behind on this front. It did virtually no sequencing between July and December 2020, Gagandeep Kang, one of India’s most respected virologists, told me. Even since then, India has sequenced less than 1% of total Covid-19 samples between January and March 2021, citing a lack of funds. this means that many important questions about the Indian outbreak can’t be answered – there are hypotheses that the new “double mutant” variant that originated in India, and is now the UK’s fastest growing variant, could be more transmissible or evade immunity, but there is little evidence to substantiate this yet. Other hypotheses around the new surge include a high rate of reinfections and breakthrough infections in people who are already vaccinated, but again no data is yet available.

Instead, there was triumphalism.

“India has successfully contained the pandemic,” health minister Harsh Vardhan said at the end of January 2021. In 2020, prime minister Narendra Modi had given every indication of having taken the virus deadly seriously. Unlike other global lead-

ers, such as Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro, Modi was relentlessly on-message, always appearing masked. Yet after the September decline, everyone appeared to throw caution to the winds.

Since the beginning of March 2021, Modi has led a seemingly interminable election in five Indian states, continuing to address massive rallies even after his opponents have suspended campaigning because of rising case numbers. Modi has even praised the big crowds he is pulling. His government has also permitted the Kumbh Mela, a once-in-12 years Hindu religious gathering, to be moved from 2022 to 2021 on account of “auspicious dates”. Over one million people have visited the site every day since 11 March, even as local authorities admitted that it was difficult to maintain Covid rules at the gathering. the current case numbers have far surpassed India’s first peak. Since 17 April, India has reported more than 200,000 new cases each day, and the numbers keep rising. Most hospitals in India’s major cities – and many smaller ones – are overrun.

Oxygen is in particularly short supply, even as health authorities suggested that more people in the second wave were reporting shortness of breath. Last year, Modi set up an opaque fund into which charitable donations poured in, and set aside money for 162 oxygen plants. It took the government eight months to invite bids; as of 18 April, only 33 plants had been installed and only a handful were functioning.

Indians have stepped into the void left by the state, rigging up oxygen cylinders for their families, organising via spreadsheets to get drugs to those who need them and setting up mini control rooms to coordinate bed availability. In a televised address on tuesday night, Modi invited comparisons to his address announcing a lockdown with four hours’ notice in March 2020. this time, however, the prime minister had no shock and awe on offer, but little by way of concrete relief either, apart from a previously announced expansion of the vaccination programme that is currently far behind its targets. Since the beginning of the pandemic, Modi has attempted to frame the crisis as a collective experience that Indians are in together. But over the last weeks, it has been abundantly clear to most Indians that they are truly on their own.

Rukmini S is a data journalist based in Chennai, India.

Tuesday, 27 april, 2021

BUSinESS 09

karaCHi CORPORATE CORNER

US ClEARS ByCo in AllEGEd iRAniAn CRUdE oil pRoCUREmEnT CASE AHMAD AHMADANI

KARACHI: Pakistan Navy in collaboration with Sahil Welfare Association distribute at Bin Qasim (Gharo), Keti Bandar, Sujawal, Chuhar Jamali and Shah Bandar. PR

LAHORE: Carrefour distributes toys, clothes and consumer goods to 400 kids at SOS Children’s Villages in Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad with the aim of making their upcoming Eid joyous. PR

Gulf Air and Saudi Arabian Airlines hold talks to enhance partnership MANAMA PR

Gulf Air and Saudi Arabian Airlines (SAUDIA) recently held talks to discuss their close commercial relationships and explore ways to build on the ties by establishing a codeshare agreement which will provide wider choices of domestic destinations in Saudi Arabia and other international destinations across each airline’s network. Gulf Air place its ‘GF’ code on SAUDIA flights from Riyadh and Jeddah to Bahrain, Abha, Jizan, Yanbu, Aljouf, Ha’il as well as Tunis–Carthage airport.

On the other hand, the agreement will see SAUDIA place its ‘SV’ code on Gulf Air flights from Bahrain to Riyadh, Jeddah, Tbilisi, Sialkot, Faisalabad, Baku, and Multan. These codeshare operations will commence from the upcoming summer schedule of 2021. Gulf Air’s Falconflyer members will be able to earn and redeem miles when flying on SAUDIA.

Use Easypaisa to give zakat to your preferred charity organisation in Ramazan KARACHI PRESS RELEASE

Amidst rising cases of Covid-19 during the third wave, donations through Easypaisa are safe and convenient for users, especially during the holy month of Ramadan when a spike is witnessed in the number of donations and charity given by people. The Easypaisa platform has various charitable causes on-board which users can donate to, including the PM Relief Fund, Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital, Edhi Foundation, Saylani Trust, The Citizen’s Foundation, Red Crescent, Care Foundation, Al-Khidmat Foundation and other charities serving various segments across the country.

Users can easily login to their Easypaisa Android App, select donations from the payments menu and donate to the charity of their choice.

Jazz to digitally transform over 1,600 TCF schools nationwide KARACHI PR

Jazz has collaborated with The Citizens Foundation (TCF) to digitally transform 1,652 TCF schools, positively impacting over 266,000 students across Pakistan and Azad Jammu & Kashmir. Jazz will also assist in replacing aging tablets and mobile phones that run TCF’s existing School Management Application allowing principals to collect data more efficiently. Spanning a period of three years, this collaboration will introduce a blended learning curriculum; revamp computer labs, and a digital school management system. By revamping the existing computer labs and installing 500 battery-powered audio-visual rooms, TCF will introduce a new, cutting-edge digital literacy curriculum designed for blended learning. Teachers will combine online educational materials with traditional place-based classroom methods to illustrate concepts that are described in the textbooks. 3,584 TCF teachers will also be trained to use this state-of-the-art technology.

A

ISLAMABAD

FTER reviewing relevant record and documents, the United States (US) Department of State has cleared Byco Petroleum Pakistan Limited (BPPL) in the case pertaining to the alleged Iranian crude oil procurement and closed its sanctions-related inquiry against the company without taking any further action.

Byco is the first refinery in Pakistan with 150,000 barrels per day capacity that has set up Single Point Moring (SPM) a floating liquid port in the deep sea for crude oil shipments. It handles 12 million metric tonnes per year oil imports. The Kemari port and Fotco handles 9 million tonnes per year oil each. Byco SPM also handled crude oil cargoes loaded over 100,000 metric tonnes.

Sources aware of the matter informed that Byco’s management had provided complete relevant record of the maritime traffic to the officials of US State Department which showed that oil shipments were actually came from Oman instead of Iran.

The US Department of State has said that they had found no evidence of a violation of US sanctions based on review of the transaction documents of the company. “After finding no evidence, the US State Department had closed its sanctions-related inquiry into the two shipments without taking any further action against the BPPL,” said sources.

The sources also said that US had earlier raised its concerns about the the two oil shipments which were allegedly brought from Iran.

In this regard, US embassy officials visited Petroleum division following reports of Inquiry Commission which alleged Byco for smuggling of oil from Iran. Similarly, US embassy officials informed the petroleum division that US Department of State was concerned about the alleged oil shipments.

Meanwhile, BPPL extended its full cooperation to assist US authorities by inviting them to visit the company to inspect the record of oil shipments.

As per details, the company appointed attorneys had also held discussions with officials from the US Department of State relating to two shipments of crude oil from Oman to

Karachi in June and July of 2020 on the vessels MT Rhea (IMO 9256468) and MT Elsa (IMO 9237228). Furthermore, the Byco management had also provided the complete record of maritime traffic to the officials which showed that oil shipments were actually came from Oman instead of Iran.

When contacted, Byco’s spokesperson confirmed the information that the alleged inquiry has been closed, adding that it is not possible for any ship to disappear or mislead anyone.

Industry experts were of the opinion that the government appointed inquiry commission on petrol crisis had leveled allegations against Byco without reviewing the relevant records and documents while without going into deep investigation had landed the company (Byco) into severe trouble. They said that this entire fiasco can only be seen a conspiracy against Pakistan by rogue elements which continue to persistently attack the initiatives of the Pakistan to curb smuggling, violations of FATF, Sanctions (OFAC, US Treasury, UK & EU & UN Sanctions).

They said these elements by raising Iran sanction related risk of action against Pakistan only attempted to im-

pact Pakistan’s relations with Iran, Russia and China besides using this to create perception of pattern of sanction violation to impact Gwadar, Russian investment, China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and eventually leverage against Pakistan’s strategic assets programs and other projects as well.

Though Byco has been cleared from all allegations from the US State Department, a renowned global law firm, Internal Government Committee and the Pakistan Customs; however, instead of applauding the success to safeguard the business as well as national interest, has become a tool in the hands of Pakistan’s adversaries and is being penalised by the state for protecting state interest.

A senior industry expert commenting on the issue said that this is an exceptional example of unprecedented success on Byco’s part to have cleared itself from such serious allegations.

It may be mentioned here that Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) were major beneficiaries of the shortage in June 2020 while Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) had also imposed multi-million rupee fine on them in the past.

SHC dismisses petitions of Elahi Group in loan default case KARACHI PR

The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Monday dismissed petitions of Elahi Group in a case pertaining to defaults of significant amounts of payments that were due to a local bank.

The high court dismissed constitutional petitions number D-732 and D-733 of 2020 against the Federation of Pakistan, State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and Bank Islami. The respective petitions were filed

by Danish Elahi and Shazia Arif who are sole proprietors of the Elahi Group of Companies and Zafar

Agencies. According to arguments from the petitioners it was stated that reporting was malafide and illegal constituting an act of coercion to obtain payments from the parties that were not due and that the SBP acted in dereliction of its statutory duty while its functionaries failed to apply their minds to the requests made by the petitioners.

The SHC dismissed both petitions and allowed the electronic Credit Information Bureau (eCIB) to continue reflecting the overdue payments, which stand at Rs1.392 billion according to the plaints, against the accounts of the petitioners, the court order stated. SHC dismisses petitions of Elahi Group in loan default case.

ACCA, IMA report increase in economic confidence across South Asia KARACHI PR

The global economy is bouncing back in terms of confidence, orders, employment and spending, according to the latest ACCA and IMA Global Economic Conditions Survey (GECS).

The survey of senior accountants and finance professional across the world recorded the biggest jump in economic confidence this quarter in the 12 years it has been running. The balance of those more optimistic minus those less optimistic increased by 26 points in this survey.

The GECS is consistent with the view that the global economy stands a good chance of reaching its pre-pandemic level of activity later this year.

The results for South Asia – including Pakistan – point to improved levels of confidence, reflecting better domestic and global demand prospects. As a result, confidence rose sharply in South Asia with only North America recording a bigger increase. But latest spike in Covid-19 cases in India and Pakistan has further muddled the economic outlook for economies in the region. When asked about the prospect of higher inflation, there is a marked contrast between the relatively high expectations of re-

spondents in South Asia, Africa and North America and rather lower expectations in Western Europe.

Across South Asia, activity indicators in the region improved but by less than the global average. There remains a legacy of tens of millions of people in the region who have fallen into poverty as a result of the Covid-19 crisis.

ACCA Chief Economist Micheal Taylor said that the global orders index also increased in the Q1 survey and is consistent with further recovery in the global economy into the second half of 2021. “We now expect global economic activity to return to its pre-Covid level from Q4 2019, later this year,” he added.

UBL reports 44pc growth in profit for 1Q 2021 KARACHI PRESS RELEASE

UBL on a standalone basis has recorded Profit Before Tax (PBT) of Rs12.2 billion for the quarter ended March 31, 2021, up 44 per cent over the corresponding period of last year.

Earnings per share (EPS) were measured at Rs6.05 (Q1’20: Rs4.13). The bank enhanced its dividend payout, declaring dividends of over Rs4.9 billion for the quarter (Rs4 per share), 60pc higher than Q1’2020. The bank’s capital position continues to strengthen with the Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) recorded at 23.8pc as at Mar’21 (Dec’20: 24.4pc), an excess of 11.3pc over the regulatory mini-

mum. Gross revenues were recorded at Rs22.6 billion for Q1’21, growing by 3pc over Q1’20, despite margin compression from lower interest rates. The bank recorded net interest income (NII) of Rs16.9 billion for Q1’21 (Q1’20: Rs17.3 billion). Non-markup income was recorded at Rs5.8 billion for Q1’21, up 24pc on a year-on-year basis, as a result of timely realisation of capital gains on foreign sovereign bonds and equities.

Domestic deposits averaged Rs1.4 trillion in Q1’21, with a year on year growth of 19pc. The increase is mainly due to the strong growth of 20pc in average CASA deposits, which stood at Rs1.2 trillion for Q1’21, with a net increase of over

Rs200 billion year-on-year.

The bank continued its momentum in acquiring new to bank (NTB) customers, as it added approx. 159,000 new current account relationships in Q1’21 (Q1’20: 127,000).

This resulted in the average current deposits growing by 25pc year on year to Rs609 billion in Q1’21. Domestic average savings deposits were measured at Rs582 billion, a strong growth of 15pc year on year. As a result, the average domestic CASA ratio improved from 84.6pc in Q1’20 to 85.6pc in Q1’21.

This aggressive focus on low cost deposits build up as well as the reduction in benchmark rates resulted in a sharp reduction in domestic cost of deposits from 6.4pc in Q1’20 to 3.4pc in

Q1’21. The bank’s net advances stood at Rs541 billion as at March 31, 2021, down 13pc over the previous year.

UBL’s government securities holdings grew to over Rs1.2 trillion, an increase of 40pc over the previous year, with Rs614 billion invested in fixed and floating rate Pakistan Investment Bonds and Rs510 billion deployed within Treasury Bills.

UBL maintained its leadership in the home remittance space, with a market share of approximately 21pc. As part of SBP’s initiative to provide innovative banking solutions to non-resident Pakistanis (NRPs), UBL is actively supporting the Roshan Digital Account, with over $89 million in remittances routed through UBL by March End.

Tuesday, 27 April, 2021

10 FOREIGN NEWS

KARACHI

MyanMar aCTIvIsTs Call for new non-CooperaTIon CaMpaIgn YANGON

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AGENCIES

NTI-COUP activists on Monday called for people to stop paying their electricity bills and agricultural loans, and keep their children away from school, scorning the top general's pledge at a regional summit to end the post-coup crisis.

Scattered protests took place in Myanmar's big cities on Sunday, a day after Senior General Min Aung Hlaing reached an agreement at a summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Indonesia.

The junta chief did not submit to calls for the release of political prisoners, including the leader of the ousted civilian government, Aung San Suu Kyi, and the ASEAN accord lacked any timeline for ending the crisis.

An estimated 750 people have been

killed by security forces, as Myanmar's generals unleashed lethal force in the face of sustained protests against their February 1 coup.

Reuters is unable to confirm the death toll, as the junta has significantly curbed media freedoms, and many journalists have been detained.

A civil disobedience campaign of strikes has crippled the economy and raised the prospect of hunger, international aid agencies have warned.

Pro-democracy activists have called for an intensification of their effort by refusing to pay electricity bills and agricultural loans, and for children to stop going to school.

"All of us, people in townships, wards and then regions and states must work together to make a successful boycott against the military junta," activist KhantWaiPhyo said in a speech at a protest in the central town of Monywa on Sunday.

"We don't participate in their systems, we don't cooperate with them.”

Chad's military council names presidential runner-up padacke as interim pM N'DJAMENA: Chad's new military rulers named Albert Pahimi Padacke as prime minister of a transitional government on Monday a week after President Idriss Deby's battlefield death–an appointment quickly dismissed by an opposition leader. A military council seized power after Deby was killed as he visited troops fighting rebels on April 19. Opposition politicians have called the military takeover a coup, and one said on Monday the army had no right to pick a premier. The transition and the wrangling around it is being closely watched in a country that is a key power in central Africa and a longtime Western ally against militants across the Sahel. The military council headed by Deby's son, Mahamat Idriss Deby, has said it will oversee an 18month transition to elections. But it is coming under international pressure to hand over power to civilians as soon as possible. The African Union has expressed "grave concern" about the military takeover, while France and regional powers are pushing for a civilian-military solution. Padacke served as prime minister from 2016 to 2018, and was seen as one of Deby's allies, despite running against him several times. He came second with 10.3 per cent of the vote in an April 11 election. Deby was declared the winner right before he was killed. YacineAbderamane, president of the opposition Reformist Party, told Reuters he would not accept Padacke's nomination. "It is not up to the transitional military council to designate a prime minister in this isolated manner. We want there to be talks between political parties, civil society and other actors in order to reach a consensus," he said. AGENCIES

eU launches legal action against astraZeneca over vaccine delays BRUSSELS: The European Union has launched legal action against pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca over delivery shortfalls of its coronavirus vaccine, the European Commission said Monday. "The commission has started last Friday a legal action against the company AstraZeneca on the basis of breaches of the advanced purchase agreement," EU Commission spokesman Stefan De Keersmaecker. The legal action was launched on behalf of the bloc's 27 member states, he added. AstraZeneca responded to the EU legal action Monday saying it was without merit and pledged to defend itself strongly in court. "AstraZeneca has fully complied with the Advance Purchase Agreement with the European Commission and will strongly defend itself in court. We believe any litigation is without merit and we welcome this opportunity to resolve this dispute as soon as possible," AstraZeneca said in a statement. The EU's executive body said it was suing AstraZeneca over its failure to respect a contract for the supply of vaccine doses and for not having a "reliable" plan to ensure timely deliveries. Under the contract, the company had committed to making its "best reasonable efforts" to deliver 180 million vaccine doses to the EU in the second quarter of this year, for a total of 300 million in the period from December to June. But the company said in a statement on March 12 it would aim to deliver only one-third of that. A week after that, the EU Commission sent a legal letter to the company in the first step of a formal procedure to resolve disputes. "Some terms of the contract have not been respected and the company has not been in a position to come up with a reliable strategy to ensure timely delivery of doses," the EU spokesman said.

"We want to make sure there is a speedy delivery of a sufficient number of doses that European citizens are entitled to and which have been promised on the basis of the contract," he added. AGENCIES

A spokesman for the junta did not answer calls seeking comment.

Activists criticised a five-point agreement that came out of the ASEAN meeting, to end violence, start a dialogue among all parties, accept aid, and appoint a special ASEAN envoy who would be allowed to visit Myanmar.

The agreement did not mention political prisoners although the statement said the meeting heard calls for their release.

Aung San Suu Kyi, 75, has been charged with various offences including violating a colonial-era official secrets act that could see her jailed for 14 years.

She won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991, and has led Myanmar’s struggle against military rule for decades. The won a second term in a November, and even though the election commission said the vote was fair the military, whose candidates suffered humiliating defeats, alleged it was a fraudulent election.

Aung San Suu Kyi was due to appear

via video link for another hearing in her case on Monday.

She has only been allowed to talk with her lawyers via video link in the presence

of security officials and it is not known if she is even aware of the turmoil that has engulfed the country since the military seized power.

More than 30 soldiers killed in militant attack in northeast Nigeria

ABUJA AGENCIES

Militants overran an army base in northeastern Nigeria, killing more than 30 soldiers before pulling back in the face of air strikes, sources said.

The attackers hit the base in

Mainok town in northeast Borno state on Sunday afternoon, three soldiers and a local resident told Reuters.

Rising insecurity across Nigeria has killed scores of soldiers and civilians this year. Just over a month ago, about 30 soldiers were killed in

four attacks in northeast Nigeria.

A military spokesman reached by phone said they would issue a statement on the incident but declined to comment further.

The sources told Reuters that 33 soldiers were killed in Sunday's attack. The militants wore military camouflage and arrived in around 16 gun trucks and six mine-resistant military vehicles, one of the soldiers said. After several hours, they captured the base and soldiers called in airstrikes.

More soldiers were killed when militants ambushed reinforcements sent to help, the sources said. A resident said the attackers also set ablaze the town's police headquarters.

"I saw them while fighting with soldiers," resident Ba Umar Abba Tuja told Reuters. "When the fighter jet started hovering in the air, the (militants) fled to the community and hid in the primary school."

Tuja said the militants left around midnight.

Mainok is roughly 55 kilometres from Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state. An insurgency has plagued northeast Nigeria for more than a decade, killing more than 30,000 people and displacing at least two million.

Thailand suspends travel from India as it ramps up efforts to contain Covid-19 BANGKOK AGENCIES

As part of efforts to contain the third wave of infections in the Southeast Asian nation, Thailand has suspended issuing travel documents from India over concerns of imported coronavirus cases, as more venues were closed in Bangkok on Monday. India on Monday set a global record for coronavirus cases for a fifth straight day with 352,991 new infections, as its caseload crossed 17 million and with hospitals running out of oxygen, beds, and anti-viral drugs. The Thai embassy in New Delhi said in a statement that certificates of entry for non-Thai nationals traveling from India will be suspended until further notice.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) denied reports that private jets carrying wealthy people from India were flying into Thailand. "We confirm that no chartered flights from Indian millionaires have sought permission from the CAAT to come to Thailand," it said in a statement on the weekend. There would be four repatriation flights from India to Thailand in May, CAAT said. Thailand is dealing with its own outbreak and reported 2,048 new cases on Monday, bringing its total infections to 57,508 and 148 coronavirus-related fatalities.

Berlin conducts rapid testing outside mosques to raise awareness during Ramazan BERLIN AGENCIES

With his head tilted back and his face mask pulled down, Imam Abdallah Hajjir patiently undergoes a nasal swab outside a Berlin mosque to get tested for the coronavirus.

“Negative!” he smiles a few minutes later and heads inside for Friday prayers.

The medical team manning a testing station outside the red-bricked “House of Wisdom” mosque is part of a push by authorities in the German capital to raise Covid awareness among Muslims during the holy fasting month of Ramazan, and among migrant populations more generally.

Sitting at a table in the building's parking lot, the staff made up of Libyans, Syrians and Armenians carry out free rapid testing for a steady stream of worshippers lining up with prayer mats rolled up under their arms.

'PROTECTING SOCIETY': Imam

Abdallah Hajjir, wearing a goldrimmed cap, says encouraging the congregation to get tested is a way “to contribute” to the fight against the pandemic.

“By protecting the members of our community, we are protecting those they come into contact with, so society as a whole,” he told AFP. Around 35 per cent of Berlin residents have a migrant background, and neighbourhoods with the highest proportion of migrants have recorded the highest number of coronavirus cases since the pandemic began a year ago.

They are often also the areas where population density is above average.

Many immigrants live in close quarters in small apartments, or in asylum centres where up to five people sometimes share a single room.

Last October, the OECD sounded the alarm and said migrant workers were “on the frontline” of the pandemic in developed countries.

The Organisation for Economic

Cooperation and Development, a club of some 40 mostly rich nations, estimated that the risk of a coronavirus infection was “at least twice as high” as among the rest of the population.

In Germany as elsewhere, people with foreign backgrounds also tend to be employed in work that can't be done remotely, such as cleaning or caring for the elderly, according to the Dezim institute for research on integration and migration.

As Germany's Covid vaccination drive picks up speed, city authorities are stepping up efforts to try to overcome “the large reservations” held by some migrants about getting jabbed, said Katarina Niewiedzial, Berlin's integration officer.

“There's false information circulating” about the vaccines, she said, ranging from “'It's going to make me sterile' to 'they're going to implant a chip'”.

She said people like the imam “with all the authority they carry” are

best placed to “boost people's confidence” in the Covid jabs.

“The impact is completely different when he uses his sermon, like he did today, to stress the need to protect lives,” she added.

Berlin has also launched coronavirus information podcasts in over a dozen languages, including Arabic, Farsi and Kurdish.

The vaccination of 18,500 refugees living in shared accommodation in Berlin has also got under way.

SIDEWALK PRAYERS: Outside the mosque in Berlin's diverse Moabit neighbourhood, a small group of worshippers have placed their prayer rugs on the asphalt and are listening to the imam's voice carried by loudspeakers from the prayer room.

Pandemic restrictions on the number of people allowed to gather inside the building have left them praying on the sidewalk.

Ablution, has to be carried out before arriving at the mosque.

But Ali, 30, who comes every Friday, says he won't let the virus curbs ruin the holy month of Ramazan for the second year in a row.

“It's a shame we can't have large family gatherings (to break the fast).

But luckily we can have video chats with our relatives,” he says, smiling.

Tuesday, 27 April, 2021

SPORTS 11

KARACHI

NAdAL SAveS mAtCH PoiNt iN FiNAL AgAiNSt tSitSiPAS to CLiNCH BArCeLoNA oPeN BArCELONA

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AGENCIES

AFAEL Nadal saved a championship point to beat Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4, 6-7 (6/8), 7-5 on Sunday and claim a 12th Barcelona Open title in the ATP’s longest match of 2021.

The Spaniard secured his first title of the year and 87th of his career, denying Tsitsipas back-to-back triumphs following his maiden Masters 1000 title at Monte Carlo last week.

Nadal avenged his Australian Open quarter-final loss to Tsitsipas and will return to second in the ATP rankings on Monday by climbing back above Daniil Medvedev after his marathon 3-hour 38minute win.

Second seed Tsitsipas, a Roland Garros semi-finalist in 2020, had won all 17 sets on clay this season and entered the final unbeaten on the surface in nine matches. The Greek built up a 4-2 lead in the opening set after breaking Nadal in the third game but dropped his serve twice in succession as the 20-time Grand Slam champion hit back to win four games in a row.

Fifth-ranked Tsitsipas, who won just three games when the pair met in the 2018 final here, again procured an early break in set two but Nadal responded to haul himself level at 3-all.

Nadal failed to convert two match points as Tsitsipas clung on to hold when trailing 5-4, with the Spaniard saving three break points in the very next game.

Nadal took a 4-2 lead in the tiebreak but the momentum swung back towards Tsitsipas as he won four straight points,

Crisis in South African cricket averted as CSA’s rival factions reach agreement CAPE TOWN AGENCIES

South African cricket stepped back from the brink of an international crisis when officials announced late Sunday evening that the differences between the two rival factions battling for governance of the game had been resolved. In a joint statement issued shortly before midnight, Cricket South Africa’s members’ council and interim board announced that agreement had been reached on a new governance model. The agreement came two days after the country’s sports minister Nathi Mthethwa gave notice that he would withdraw recognition of Cricket South Africa, a move which could have resulted in CSA being suspended from the International Cricket Council. According to the statement, a meeting of CSA’s two factions resolved that a new memorandum of incorporation would be adopted within 48 hours in terms of South Africa’s Companies Act. “The members’ council and the board are very pleased to announce that a crisis has been averted and agreement has been reached on all those outstanding issues,” said the joint statement.

Mthethwa’s threat, which was due to be made official on Friday, followed the failure of the members’ council to endorse the principle of a board comprised of a majority of independent directors at a special general meeting on April 17.

Sunday’s statement said details of the new governance structure would be made public when the legal process had been completed.

Shearer, Henry first inductees into Premier League Hall of Fame blowing two set points before forcing a decider at the third attempt after a double fault from his opponent.

In sharp contrast, the third set went on serve without a single break opportu-

nity until Tsitsipas edged to within a point of the title with Nadal on the ropes serving at 4-5.

Nadal survived though and finally converted his fourth break chance in the

following game, snuffing out a Tsitsipas break point in the final game before clinching his 61st clay-court title. His 12 Barcelona victories are second only to his 13 Roland Garros trophies.

Man City see off Tottenham to win League Cup LONDON AGENCIES

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said winning felt much better with fans in attendance after beating Tottenham 1-0 at Wembley to lift the League Cup for the fourth consecutive year in front of 8,000 supporters on Sunday.

Aymeric Laporte’s header eight minutes from time finally rewarded a dominant performance from City as they extended Spurs’ 13-year wait to win a trophy.

For the first time in 13 months, a football match in England had designated fans from both teams inside the stadium in one of a series of test events at the 90,000 capacity Wembley as coronavirus restrictions are eased.

“It’s not full, but it is much better,” said Guardiola.

“To celebrate with them is much better.

“We played really well. We are incredibly happy to win the first title, four in a row in this competition, but especially because in the last 33 games, we won 30.”

Defeat by Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-finals last weekend means City cannot claim an unprecedented quadruple of trophies this season.

However, they remain on course for a treble with the first leg of their Champions League semi-final

against Paris Saint-Germain to come on Wednesday before possibly sealing the Premier League title next weekend. Victory takes Guardiola’s personal tally of major trophies to 25 across his spells in charge of Barcelona, Bayern Munich and City, seven of which have come in England.

“I was in big clubs: Barcelona, Bayern Munich and here, that’s why it is easier to do it,” added the Catalan.

By contrast, Tottenham’s long wait for just one goes on. Spurs could have no complaints, though, at the end of a chaotic week that saw them sack Jose Mourinho on Monday and, along with City and four other English clubs, pull out of a proposed European Super League amid fan fury.

Son Heung-min was reduced to tears after full-time, but in caretaker boss Ryan Mason’s second game in charge, Spurs were completely outclassed by a far superior side. “It’s difficult to take for everyone associated with the football club,” said former Tottenham midfielder Mason.

“It hurts. I know that feeling and it is normal that they are hurting. This group of players care deeply about this football club. We tried, it wasn’t enough today and it’s tough to take.”

After a slight dip in form in recent weeks, City were

back to their best as they pinned Tottenham back from the first whistle and should have won by a far more comfortable scoreline.

Hugo Lloris’s goal lived a charmed life, particularly during the first half. Raheem Sterling saw a goalbound effort blocked by Toby Alderweireld before Lloris made a stunning save from point-blank range to turn behind Phil Foden’s shot.

A Sterling dink over Lloris then spun just wide before Riyad Mahrez twice flashed powerful efforts inches off target. Despite Harry Kane’s recovery from an ankle injury to start, Tottenham had offered nothing as an attacking threat until Giovani Lo Celso forced Zack Steffen into a fine save a minute into the second half. The majority of the chances continued to come at the other end, but the breakthrough came from an unlikely source as Laporte rose highest to head home Kevin De Bruyne’s free-kick at the back post.

Spurs’ energies were spent after conceding as they failed to muster any response to try and take the game to extra-time. Mahrez had a second goal ruled out for offside in stoppage time. But one goal was enough to ensure City move level with Liverpool on a record eight League Cup triumphs, six of which have come in the last eight years.

LONDON AGENCIES

Former Newcastle United striker Alan Shearer and ex-Arsenal forward Thierry Henry have become the first two players inducted into the Premier League's Hall of Fame, the league said on Monday. Shearer is the Premier League's all-time top scorer, having netted 260 goals across 14 Premier League seasons with Newcastle and Blackburn Rovers. The former England international, who won the Premier League title in the 1994-95 season with Blackburn, is the only player to have scored 100 goals in the competition for two different clubs. "When you look at some of the unbelievable players to have graced the Premier League ... I feel very honoured to join the Hall of Fame," Shearer said in a statement. "All I ever wanted to be was a professional footballer. It was my dream to do that, to win trophies and score at St James’ Park, to wear the number nine. I enjoyed every minute of it."

Former France international Henry scored a clubrecord 175 Premier League goals in 258 matches for Arsenal. He won the league title twice and was a key member of the "Invincibles" team who went unbeaten during the 2003-04 campaign. He also provided a joint-record 20 assists in 2002-03. "To be inducted alongside Alan Shearer as the two first inductees into the Premier League Hall of Fame is more than special," Henry said.

"When I was young, I was just trying to make sure I could get a pair of boots and now we're talking about the Hall of Fame." The league said the Hall of Fame "celebrates the talent and achievements" of those who have featured in the division since its inception in 1992 and that players must have been retired as of Aug. 1, 2020 to be eligible.

Atletico lose to Bilbao, Barcelona beat Villarreal as title race blown wide open BILBAO AGENCIES

Atletico Madrid’s title hopes suffered a setback on Sunday as a shock 2-1 defeat at Athletic Bilbao handed Barcelona the upper hand in a thrilling race at the top of La Liga.

Real Madrid’s draw with Real Betis on Saturday gave Atletico the chance to pull further clear but instead they ended the weekend with their lead reduced, a loss at San Mames the latest twist in Europe’s most unpredictable domestic chase.

Barca had earlier beaten Villarreal by the same scoreline, with Antoine Griezmann’s quick-fire double becoming all the more valuable after another Atletico slip.

Sevilla have largely been overlooked as possible champions in Spain but they are right in the mix as well now after a 2-1 win over Granada puts them just three points off the top and one behind Real Madrid.

Yet Barcelona were the biggest winners, with Ronald Koeman’s team able to go top of the table if they win their game in hand at home to Granada on Thursday, even if Atletico might have a way back given they are still to play at Camp Nou on May 8.

Real Madrid host Sevilla a day later.

“There are four of us in that race and now emotionally, those who have the mental strength will be closer to winning,” said Atletico coach Diego Simeone.

“We still know that we depend on ourselves.” Atletico have first place, for now at least, but they might be the least convincing of all the contenders.

Losing to Athletic Bilbao means they have won only six of their last 14 league games, with the momentum gained from consecutive wins over Eibar and Huesca proving short-lived.

The way some of Simeone’s players dropped to their knees at the final whistle

suggested this result, psychologically, could be difficult to recover from.

Alex Berengeur had already nodded in Ander Capa’s cross in the eighth minute and Athletic should have doubled their advantage in the second half but Oihan Sancet fired over. Luis Suarez, Joao Felix and Thomas Lemar all came on and Atletico grabbed a lifeline when Stefan Savic’s flicked header found its way inside the back post with 13 minutes left.

Simeone pumped his fists, urging his players to seek a winner, but instead there was a sucker-punch from Athletic, Inigo Martinez darting free in the box and powering a superb header past Jan Oblak with four minutes remaining.

GRIEZMANN FIRES BARCA: Barcelona are surely now favourites to add a La Liga title to the Copa del Rey they won earlier this month.

Villarreal struck first through Samuel

CMYK

Chukwueze but Griezmann equalised with a sumptuous lob before capitalising on a misplaced backpass to make it two.

Helped by a red card for Villarreal’s Manu Trigueros shortly after the hour, Barcelona held on for a crucial win.

“The players are hungry to win another trophy,” said Koeman. “The league is closer, I don’t know how much closer, but it is. We are on a good run and if we win the six games left, we will be champions.”

Griezmann started on the bench for the defeat by Real Madrid but has been recalled for the last three games in a row, repaying the faith with a goal now in each.

It remains to be seen whether Barcelona see the 30-year-old as a chance to raise funds in the summer, and also whether the offers are there, but Griezmann now has 23 goals this season, and 15 since the turn of the year.

Sevilla, meanwhile, pushed their case for the title and guaranteed their place in the top

four but their win over Granada will be remembered for the bizarre way it ended.

Both teams were made to come back out and play another minute after referee Ricardo de Burgos admitted he blew too early for full-time.

Sevilla’s players had already left and some of them had started to take their kit off, with midfielder Fernando pictured without his shirt on in the stands, shaking his head in disbelief. Marcos Acuna had to put his boots, socks and shinpads back on.

“The referee stopped it because he thought time was up and then he told us he’d made a mistake,” said Sevilla’s Lucas Ocampos. “It was finished. I’ve never seen anything like it. We had basically taken our kit off.”

Sevilla coach Julen Lopetegui said: “The really important thing is Sevilla has achieved something historic. The effort of these players has been extraordinary.”

Tuesday, 27 April, 2021

PRAyeR TiMings

NEWS

KisAn CARd iniTiATive To TRAnsfoRm AgRiCulTuRe seCToR: Pm MULTAN

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TLTP

RIMe Minister Imran Khan has said that the government’s historic initiative of Kisan Card will transform the agriculture sector in the country, making farmers prosperous. Addressing the distribution ceremony of the first phase of Kisan Cards to provide agriculture loans for farmers in Multan on Monday, the prime minister said the step would help eradicate poverty of around five million farmers across the country.

“Giving strength to farmers means making the country strong,” he said, adding that the government is firm to bring a positive transformation in the lives of farmers.

The prime minister said that the farmers, through this card, will get subsidised fertilizers, seeds and pesticides, besides low-interest loans and compensation for damaged crops in case of any natural calamity.

He expressed confidence that the Kisan

IMRAN SAYS FARMERS WILL BE TRAINED TO INCREASE AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION Card scheme will bring about a revolution in the country by making the life of farmers easy through use of technology, enhancing agricultural production and saving foreign exchange. He said that it will also contribute to poverty reduction particularly in rural areas. Imran Khan said the PTI government has been working on various programmes for agricultural development in the country. He said that a Rs300 billion transformation plan has already been announced for the purpose.

The prime minister said in addition to two major dams, small dams are also being constructed to ensure better water supply for crops. He said the irrigation system is also being improved.

The prime minister said that agriculture has been made part of the China-Pakistan

economic Corridor (CPeC) project for enhancing agricultural production through use of Chinese technology. He said that seed research institutions are being revamped, and efforts are underway for local production of pulses, edible oil and soybean.

The prime minister said that farmers will be trained to increase agricultural production. He said Rs40 billion have been allocated to increase production of milk in the country. For reducing losses of vegetables, fruits and grains; storages and food processing plants will be established.

Imran said the government plans to take steps to considerably enhance production of various agricultural products, including wheat, rice, corn, pulses, fruits, vegetables and fisheries. He said that he himself will supervise the work on the plan aimed at devel-

oping the agriculture sector in the country.

Imran said through agriculture reforms, the government had diverted Rs1,100 billion additional money to farmers and mentioned Rs500 support price on wheat in two years.

He announced an increase in subsidy on DAP (diammonium phosphate) from Rs500 to Rs1,000 under Kisan Card. He said Pakistan’s 12 climatic zones and temperature range between 15-38 degree Celsius offer appropriate conditions for crop diversity.

The earlier imported commodities, including pulses, oil seeds, soya bean and Ispaghol (psyllium husk), would now be grown locally, he added.

On livestock, he said Rs40 billion have been allocated for projects, including import of semen to improve cattle breed and increase of milk production. With export of cheese and milk, Pakistan can earn up to $25 billion, he added. He said loss of perishable fruit and vegetables would be overcome by establishing storage houses and food processing plants. He said the government is

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pursuing the target to double the cereal production including wheat, corn and barley and take steps to cut the imports. Addressing the event, Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar said that, under pilot project of Kisan Card, farmers can purchase seed, fertilizers and pesticides from the registered dealers at subsidised rates.

The chief minister said that farmers can also avail low-interest loans easily and their crops would also be insured using this card.

He said subsidy is also being provided on agricultural machinery and solar system. He said 30,000 service centres have been established across the province where farmers will be facilitated for getting Kisan Card.

He said under this pilot project, a subsidy of Rs17 billion will be provided to farmers in collaboration with the federal government.

The CM said the provision of direct subsidy to growers is aimed to ensure transparency, adding that eight thousand more land record centres, including 3000 in South Punjab, are being established in the province. Buzdar said the government has started the Agricultural emergency Programme with allocation of Rs300 billion and it is being implemented on a fast track basis. He said the Punjab government is providing subsidy of Rs47 billion on provision of agricultural machinery. He said that the Agricultural Policy has been launched in the province and works on agricultural reforms are underway on urgent basis.

Rocket hits Afghan govt compound during ceremony, 16 children hurt

Tareen group to brief PM on ‘victimisation campaign’ today

KABUL Agencies

ISLAMABAD MiAn ABRAR

Those Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmakers supporting the party’s estranged leader Jahangir Tareen will hold a meeting with Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday (today) and brief him regarding the alleged smearing and victimiz ation campaign against the former PTI stalwart. However, there are conflicting claims about the participation of Tareen in the meeting.

According to a PTI source, a meeting between PM Imran Khan and Jahangir Tareen has been fixed. But another source said that Tareen would not be accompanying the PTI delegation.

The source said the Tareen group would inform the Prime Minister about the concerns of Jahangir Tareen regarding the cases against him.

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi also took a tough stance against the Tareen group.

“There are claims that some MNAs and MPAs had taken a stance (on Tareen). No one can deviate from the PTI. Whosoever has been elected with the symbol of bat and with Imran Khan’s vote bank should know that there is a clear line. They may cross the line but such confusions would not be accepted,” Qureshi told a public meeting in Multan where Prime Minister Imran Khan was in attendance.

He said this was a clear message of PTI workers to their lawmakers.

“My dear prime minister, stand firm and don’t worry.

Respect and power are from Allah Almighty. No one gave you power through backdoor,” roared Qureshi.

The source said that the Tareen group would talk to Imran Khan about the FIR case against Tareen and will also present the concerns with him.

The sources said some of the federal ministers and PTI members of the National Assembly (NA) had opposed the idea of a direct meeting of Prime Minister

Pakistan condemns clashes on Gaza border ISLAMABAD sTAff RePoRT

Pakistan on Monday condemned the Saturday morning clashes between Palestinians and Israel security forces in Jerusalem that left at least 78 Arabs hurt.

The immediate spark for the unrest was Israel’s decision to barricade a plaza outside of Jerusalem’s Old City neighbourhood during Ramazan. Palestinians traditionally gather at the spot each evening after prayers and a day-long fast.

Angry that their popular gathering spot was taken away, hundreds of young Palestinian men have taken to the streets each evening, hurling stones, firebombs, and other objects at police, while officers employ stun grenades and water cannons to disperse them.

“Pakistan views the recent alarming de-

velopments in the occupied Palestinian territories with serious concern,” the Foreign Office said in a statement.

The illegal measures of Israeli troops, the statement observed, “have seen an upsurge since the onset of the holy month of Ramazan”.

The unrest resumed on Friday night when Palestinian youths gathered outside the Old City and scuffled with hundreds of Israeli police in riot gear. They threw stones towards police firing water cannons. Others hurled rocks at an Israeli court building and smashed security cameras. The Palestine Red Crescent said eight Palestinians were injured.

Israeli police said the unrest later extended to a nearby Palestinian neighbourhood with Palestinians hurling fire-bombs at officers and throwing stones at Israeli vehicles and homes. Three Palestinians were

Imran Khan with Jahangir Tareen and had advised the premier that any meeting with Jahangir Tareen would send a signal of weakness and of a compromise on accountability.

The source said that majority of PTI National Assembly members and federal ministers said the meeting of the prime minister with Jahangir Tareen will send a negative message and give the impression that the government has compromised over corruption.

These members are of the view that evidence of corruption and money laundering of the Tareen group has been found and Tareen is blackmailing the government. Federal Minister of Kashmir Affairs Ali Amin Gandapur has taken the toughest stance in this regard.

On the other hand, the Tareen group says that it has the support of 45 provincial and national members and more members are in touch with Tareen.

arrested and four officers were injured.

“Pakistan condemns these violent acts carried out by the Israeli occupation forces and urges the international community for prompt action to protect Palestinians,” the statement said. It also condemned “harassment of people coming for prayers, arrests of innocent Palestinians and other arbitrary restrictions in violation of fundamental human rights.”

Another flashpoint of violence was the march by hundreds of mostly young, religious supporters of the Jewish extremist organisation Lehava, the New York Times reported. The marchers had intended to confront young Arabs who have been clashing nightly with police in the vicinity of the Old City.

The statement reiterated Pakistan’s steadfast support for the “Palestinian people’s inalienable right to self-determination”.

“For just and lasting peace, it is imperative to have a two-state solution in accordance with the relevant United Nations and OIC resolutions, with the pre-1967 borders, and Al-Quds Al-Sharif as the capital of a viable, independent and contiguous Palestinian State,” the FO said.

A rocket hit the provincial governor’s compound in Afghanistan’s eastern Kunar province on Monday during a religious ceremony, wounding at least 16 children, local officials said, blaming Taliban insurgents. Fighting between the Afghan government and the Taliban has increased across the country recently as peace talks failed to make progress despite international calls to reduce violence. Iqbal Sayeed, the governor of Kunar, said a Taliban rocket hit the compound’s hall as a Holy Quran recitation competition was taking place. At least 16 children, three Afghan security force members and religious affairs officials were wounded, Sayeed said, and some children are in critical condition.

The Taliban, fighting to overthrow the foreignbacked Afghan government since they were toppled by US-led troops in late 2001, said they were aware of the incident and investigating.

Turkey thanks Pakistan for support after Biden terms 1915 events ‘genocide’ ISLAMABAD TLTP

Turkey has thanked Pakistan for supporting its stance on the events of 1915 related to Armenia and for stressing that ‘one-sided approaches and political categorisation of historical events could undermine polarisation between nations’. “Thank you brotherly Pakistan! Long live Turkey-Pakistan friendship,” the Turkish ministry of foreign affairs tweeted in response to a statement by Pakistan Foreign Office. Pakistan had noted with appreciation Turkey’s constructive approach on the subject including its proposal for a Joint History Commission to ascertain the facts, allowing all to move forward. US President Joe Biden had called the events of 1915 a “genocide,” breaking American presidents’ long-held tradition of refraining from using the term. Turkey’s position on the events of 1915 is that the deaths of the Armenian in eastern Anatolia had taken place when some sided with invading Russians and revolted against Ottoman forces. A subsequent relocation of the Armenian people resulted in numerous casualties. Turkey objects to the presentation of these incidents as “genocide,” describing them as a “tragedy in which both sides suffered casualties”.

India’s coronavirus crisis intensifies as nations pledge aid NEW DELHI Agencies

India’s new coronavirus infections hit a record peak for a fifth day on Monday as countries including Britain, Germany, and the United States pledged to send urgent medical aid to fight the crisis overwhelming its hospitals.

Infections in the past 24 hours rose to 352,991, with overcrowded hospitals in Delhi and elsewhere turning away patients after running out of supplies of medical oxy-

gen and beds.

“Currently the hospital is in beg-andborrow mode and it is an extreme crisis situation,” said a spokesman of the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in the capital.

On Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged all citizens to get vaccinated and exercise caution, while hospitals and doctors have put out urgent notices saying they were unable to cope with the rush of patients.

In some of the worst-hit cities, including the capital, bodies were being burnt in makeshift facilities offering mass services.

Television channel NDTV broadcast images of three health workers in the eastern state of Bihar pulling a body along the ground on its way to cremation, as stretchers ran short.

“If you’ve never been to a cremation, the smell of death never leaves you,” Vipin Narang, a political science professor at MIT in the United States, said on Twitter. “My heart breaks for all my friends and family in Delhi and India going through this hell.”

On Sunday, President Joe Biden said the United States would send raw materials for

vaccines, medical equipment, and protective gear to India. Germany also joined a growing list of countries pledging to send supplies. India, with a population of 1.3 billion, has a tally of 17.31 million infections and 195,123 deaths, after 2,812 deaths overnight, health ministry data showed.

But health experts say the death count is probably far higher.

Politicians, especially Modi, have faced criticism for holding rallies attended by thousands of people, packed close together in stadiums and grounds, despite a brutal

second wave of infections.

Several cities have ordered curfews, while police have been deployed to enforce social distancing and mask-wearing.

Still, about 8.6 million voters were expected to cast ballots on Monday in the eastern state of West Bengal, in the penultimate part of an eight-phase election that will wrap up this week.

Voting for local elections in other parts of India included the most populous state of Uttar Pradesh, which has been reporting an average of 30,000 infections a day.

Published by Arif Nizami at Plot No 66-C, 1st Floor, 21st Commercial Street, Phase-II (Extension), DHA Karachi and printed at Ibn-e-Hassan Printing Press, Hockey Stadium, Karachi, for PT Print (Pvt) Limited. Ph: 021-35381208-9. Email: newsroom@pakistantoday.com.pk