Epaper – April 3 LHR 2020

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Friday, 3 April, 2020 I 09 Shaban, 1441 I Rs 20.00 I Vol X No 275 I 12 Pages I Lahore Edition

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pm SayS keepIng eCOnOmy aflOat IS eSSentIal tO keep peOple frOm SlIppIng IntO pOVerty

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rIme minister Imran khan on thursday said the government will announce a rs100 billion package for the construction industry as the government tries to keep the country afloat amid the coronavirus pandemic. “we have decided we will give necessary incentives to the construction industry in order to provide job opportunities to people during this time of crisis,” pm Imran said while addressing a ceremony here.

“In america, they have to maintain a balance between coronavirus and the economy but in pakistan, we have to do it between coronavirus and hunger,” he added. “we will support the industrial sector and give them incentives. the commerce ministry has also prepared a list of industries which can be reopened in the current situation,” he said. the prime minister added that the construction of roads and infrastructure does not entail the danger of the spread

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SayS a paCkage wIll be annOunCeD fOr COnStruCtIOn InDuStry tO prOVIDe emplOyment tO DaIly wagerS

of coronavirus. “we will develop the necessary SOps to ensure the safety of workers,” he assured.

He added that promoting industries and giving incentives to the business community was an important step in taking the country forward. “the refund of rs100 billion for the business community is a part of that process. we are ensuring timely refunds to the business community so that they do not face any liquidity issue,” he said.

He added the commerce ministry was in constant contact with the business community to figure out how the challenge posed by the epidemic can be overcome.

Speaking about the virus trajectory in the country, the prime minister said that pakistan had not seen the virus blow up like other countries.

“I am confident that pakistan will overcome this problem,” he said.

He added that weaker segments of the society were at greater risk due to the pandemic, which is why the government is trying to reach out to them under the

coRonaviRus in

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ehsaas programme. “a cash grant of rs12,000 each will be given to 12 million poor families to protect them from the negative impacts of the crisis,” he noted.

He also urged the public to avoid social gatherings during the lockdown as it was extended for two weeks to control the spread of the highly-contagious disease.

He further said that the country’s top leadership was evaluating the situation on daily basis and devising strategies accordingly.

In his address, adviser to prime minister on finance abdul Hafeez Shaikh said that the emergency cash programme announced by the government would benefit around millions of the poor people.

He said that the government has allocated rs200 billion for the people whose earning has been affected by the closure of industries or other workplaces, rs100 billion for employees and owners of small industries, and rs100 billion for refunds to the businessmen, particularly the exporters.

He further said that the pending bills of gas and electricity would be payable during next three months and the government would bear the impact. advisor to prime minister on Commerce, textile, Industries & production and Investment abdul razzak Dawood said that the Drawback of local taxes and levies (Dltl) had been pending for a long time but the incumbent government had decided to pay it without any delay to support the business sector.

He said that a package of rs200 billion would also be announced soon which was in final stage of preparation to uplift the business sector. the ceremony was also attended by Special assistant to prime minister on Information and broad-

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repOrt ClaImS punjab leaDS antI-COrOna battle wItH 15,000 teStS, SInDH at 7,000 LAHORE sTAff rePorT

the total number of coronavirus cases in pakistan neared 2,400 on thursday, killing 33 people since the outbreak hit the country in february. punjab reported 914 cases, whereas in Sindh the total number of COVID-19 cases stood at 761 by 8 pm. In balochistan and Sindh, total infection detected stood at 169 and 276, respectively. In azad kashmir and gilgit-baltistan, a total of 196 cases emerged. Islamabad has a tally of 62.

Sindh minister for Health and population welfare azra pechuho confirmed another death from the novel coronavirus, taking the provincial toll to 11. the patient was 86 years old and a resident of karachi with a history of hypertension. meanwhile, a report published by a local media outlet claimed that punjab has conducted more coronavirus tests than any other province in the country. punjab con-

Dr QIbla ayaz SayS mInOrItIeS SHOulD be prOVIDeD eCOnOmIC relIef wItHOut prejuDICe

CONFIRMED CASES: DEATHS:

COVID-19 tally nears 2,500, death toll at 34

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MULTAN: Healthcare workers and the family members offer funeral prayer for a coronavirus victim while wearing complete protective gear. PPI

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Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) Chairman Dr Qibla ayaz on thursday appealed the general public to offer their friday prayer at home amid preventive measure to avoid the spread of coronavirus. “we need to adopt preven-

tive measures, however, there is no need to create an atmosphere of fear from the virus,” he said while addressing a presser.

Dr ayaz said that mosques should play the role of community centres and instead of arresting prayer leaders, the authorities should seek their support in implementing the preventive measures. “Distribution

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of ration from mosques will prove effective during the ongoing situation,” he said.

Dr ayaz said that the minorities should also be taken care of during the pandemic and economic relief should be given irrespective of religious and ethnic divisions.

He urged the government, civil society and masses to work jointly to defeat coronavirus. giving recommendations for funeral and burial procedures, the CII chairman said that only close relatives should be allowed to attend the proceedings and the burial process should be carried out keeping in view the religious and humanitarian norms. He further called for using the word ‘martyr’ for the ones who die from the virus.

Sindh govt bars public movement from 12-3pm today STORY ON PAGE 02

ducted 15,000 tests compared to 7,000 tests performed in Sindh. kp and balochistan conducted about 1,700 and 1,900 tests owning to lack of resources, it claimed. pakistan was facing trouble in identifying coronavirus patients due to a lack of testing kits. However, planning minister asad umar said on tuesday that the number of testing labs had increased from 13 to 30 since the outbreak and would increase to 32 in the coming days.

He had added that the current testing capacity was 280,000 which was expected to increase to 900,000 by april 15.

PDMA DISTRIBUTES KITS, PPEs: provincial Disaster management authority (pDma) thursday distributed protective kits, face masks, gloves, sanitizers among the health officials in khyber pakhtunkhwa (kp). In a press release, the authority said that district governments have been informed in writing about the goods.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 03

more inside

SHC overturns death sentence of prime accused in Daniel pearl murder case STORY ON PAGE 03

Govt extends utility bills deadline by three months STORY ON PAGE 02

govt mulls borrowing rs300bn to compensate for rs1.2tr package STORY ON PAGE 05

Pakistan rejects India’s ‘illegal’ new domicile law for held Kashmir STORY ON PAGE 02

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Friday, 3 April, 2020

NEWS

Hussain Dawood pledges Rs1bn to bolster fight against corona pandemic NEWS DESK Dawood Hercules Corporation Chairman Hussain Dawood on Thursday pledged Rs1 billion in cash, services and kind to combat COVID-19, on behalf of his family and both the corporations. “We are committed to help solve some of the most pressing issues of our time and it is incumbent upon us to serve our nation best when it needs us most. These are our fundamental values that continue to be at the core of what we strive to achieve,” Hussain said in a press release issued Thursday. “We must work on several fronts concurrently. The need of the hour is to target on reducing the spread and impact of this virus,” he emphasised. The group further said it would focus on disease prevention, with a major focus on testing and diagnostics, protecting and enabling healthcare practitioners and other key workers, who are at the frontline of the fight against this pandemic, enabling patient care and facilities; and to bolster livelihoods and sustenance of the most deserving in society. The company also welcomed the efforts by the government and other organisations who have stepped up to this challenge.

PakiStan RejectS inDia'S 'illegal' new Domicile law FoR HelD kaSHmiR PM IMRAN SAYS PAKISTAN CONDEMNS INDIA’S CONTINUED ATTEMPTS TO ‘ILLEGALLY’ ALTER DEMOGRAPHY IN IOK FO SAYS INDIA’S REORGANISATION ORDER 2020 VIOLATES INTERNATIONAL LAW AND GENEVA CONVENTION ISLAMABAD

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STAFF REPORT

RIMe Minister Imran Khan on Thursday said that Pakistan strongly condemns the Indian government’s continued attempts to “illegally” alter the demography in occupied Kashmir.

He was referring to the new domicile law introduced by the Indian government, under which an Indian citizen, who has lived in occupied Jammu and Kashmir for 15 years, can call the territory their place of domicile. Through a gazette notification issued by the Indian government on Wednesday, a domiciled person has been defined as one who has resided for a period of 15 years in the occupied territory of Jammu and Kashmir or has studied for a period of seven years and appeared in class 10 or 12 examinations in an ed-

ucational institution located there. The prime minister in a post on Twitter said that the new domicile law was in “violation of all international laws and treaties”. Calling the timing of the move “particularly reprehensible”, he said the action sought to exploit the international focus on the Covid-19 pandemic to further the Bharatiya Janata Party’s “Hindutva” agenda.

A statement issued by the Foreign Office earlier in the day also stated that the Reorganisation Order 2020 was a violation of international law and the Geneva Convention.

The statement said Pakistan had been trying to sensitise the world community to India’s attempt to change the “demography and distinct identity” of Kashmir.

“The latest Indian action, at this moment of global health crisis, is particularly reprehensible as it seeks to take advantage of the international community’s focus on the ongoing

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Covid-19 pandemic and further advance Bharatiya Janata Party’s ‘Hindutva’ agenda.”

The statement called on the United Nations and the world community to take notice of India’s actions and hold it “accountable for its persistent violations of international law”. Last month, Pakistan had called on India to lift the communication blockade imposed in occupied Kashmir and ensure supplies of essential commodities in the valley to contain the spread of Covid-19 and mitigate the suffering of Kashmiris. The Indian government had on August 5, 2019 repealed Article 370 of its constitution, stripping occupied Kashmir of its special status. It also divided up occupied Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories; one Jammu and Kashmir, and the other the Buddhist-dominated high altitude region of Ladakh. The bifurcation of the territory came into effect on October 31 last year. A strict lockdown and communications blackout has been in place in occupied Kashmir since August last year, with reports suggesting limited mobile data services and internet were temporarily restored in the region in January.

Kashmir is a disputed territory claimed in full by both India and Pakistan. The UN Security Council has passed multiple resolutions recognising the Kashmir issue as an international dispute and calling for a plebiscite in the valley to give Kashmiris their right of self-determination.

Sindh govt bars public movement from 12-3pm on Friday KARACHI: The Sindh government has announced a complete ban over public movement and activities between 12 and 3pm on Friday. No one will be allowed to leave the house and businesses will be closed. A ban is already in place over congregations for Friday prayers to control the spread of the coronavirus. Sindh Information Minister Nasir Hussain Shah said strict action will be taken against anyone found violating the ban. The Sindh government had banned Friday prayers in the province last week. The order issued by the government said that only three to five mosque staff members (such as the imam and khateeb) are allowed to pray there. Some mosques, however, did not follow the government’s orders and police had to make announcements asking people to go back to their homes. Dozens of people were arrested in the province for violating the orders. The provincial government had imposed a lockdown in Sindh on March 23. Instructions were issued to the authorities that all stores, including grocery shops and petrol pumps, be closed at 5pm. STAFF REPORT

Friday, 3 April, 2020

SHc oveRtuRnS DeatH Sentence oF PRime accuSeD in Daniel PeaRl muRDeR caSe COURT SAYS PROSECUTION FAILED TO PROVE CASE AGAINST AHMED OMER SHEIKH AND THREE OTHERS KARACHI STAFF REPORT

THe Sindh High Court (SHC) on Thursday turned the death sentence awarded to Ahmed Omer Saeed Sheikh, the prime suspect in journalist Daniel Pearl murder case, in a seven-year jail term in addition to acquitting other three suspects, earlier handed life sentences, as it announced its verdict in the case.

The other three suspects are Fahad Naseem, Salman Saqib and Sheikh Adil.

The verdict was announced by a twomember bench, headed by Justice Mohammad Karim Khan Agha – which had reserved the judgement last month on the appeals filed by the convicts in 2002 –

after hearing arguments and examining the record and proceedings of the case.

In the detailed verdict, the bench declared that the prosecution had failed to prove the case against the suspects. However, it said, the judges found Sheikh guilty of being involved in abduction-forransom of the slain journalist and sentenced him seven years in jail, Anadolu Agency reported, citing defense counsel.

However, the bench said, since Sheikh has been in prison for the last 18 years, his seven-year sentence will be counted from the time served, implying that he has already served his sentence.

The court also turned down the appeal of the state, also filed in the same year, seeking enhancement of the sen-

tence. Pearl, the South Asia bureau chief for the Wall Street Journal, was abducted on January 23, 2002, in Karachi and beheaded the next month, reportedly by AlQaeda. His murder sent shock waves throughout the world and was covered extensively in the Western media.

In his autobiography In the Line of Fire: A Memoir, former president Pervaiz Musharraf had claimed that Sheikh, a British national and a student at the London School of economics (reports claim that he did not graduate), was hired by MI6 to engage in “jihadi operations”, adding that “at some point, he probably became a rogue or a double agent”.

THE CASE: In July 2002, following the hearings, an anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Hyderabad had sentenced to death Sheikh and life term to other co-accused.

However, all four convicts had moved the SHC in 2002 challenging their convictions. While arguing the case, the

defense had maintained that the prosecution had “miserably failed” to prove its case against their clients beyond any reasonable doubt and prosecution witnesses were mostly policemen, whose testimonies could not be relied upon.

They had further contended that Naseem and Adil Sheikh’s confessions before a judicial magistrate were defective and not voluntary.

They had argued that the recovery of the laptop from Naseem was shown to have been made on Feb 11, 2002, while computer expert Ronald Joseph had deposed that he was given the computer for verification on Feb 4 and he examined the laptop for six days.

Deputy Prosecutor General Saleem Akhtar had supported the trial court’s verdict and submitted that the prosecution had proved its case against the appellants beyond a shadow of doubt and had requested the court to dismiss the appeals.

Govt extends utility bills deadline by three months ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

govt can't silence media through abusive twitter trends, says Bilawal LARKANA: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Thursday condemned abusive Twitter trends against prominent journalists and termed them attempts to muzzle criticism. “These trends are nothing but another attempt at silencing critics and giving a message to the rest of the media to stay silent or face the consequences.” He said: “If the federal government and PTI social media teams focus as hard on corona awareness as they do on trolling dissenting voices, it would be a far better use of time and resources in these difficult times.” The PPP chief urged that in these extraordinary times, the country needed a unifying response to the unprecedented challenge posed by the coronavirus pandemic. “We cannot afford and must avoid divisive politics and settling of political scores at this critical juncture.” He said that the media played an important part in a democratic dispensation and the world over, media had held governments accountable for their response to one of the worst crises in recent human history. “For those who think media can be bullied into submission must also remember that journalists in Pakistan have a long history of resistance to injustice and tyranny.” STAFF REPORT

Shehbaz urges govt to reduce petrol price by Rs26 LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday urged the federal government to slash petrol price by at least Rs26 in the wake of massive slump in international oil prices. Last week, the government announced to reduce the prices of all petroleum products by Rs 15 per litre for three months, bringing the petrol to Rs96 per litre. Shehbaz, also the National Assembly opposition leader, said the cut won’t have any adverse impact on the expenditures of the Centre given the situation in the global market. The underprivileged people should be taken care of, Shehbaz said, adding that labourers, dailywagers, and people from the lower-middle-class deserved the government’s help. “Traders, industrialists, and the business fraternity have always played a key role during trying times and now, in the current crisis, we have to help and guide them,” he added. The PML-N leader explained that after having discussions in light of the ongoing pandemic, his party had set up a plan of action, which he claimed will help the public get rid of its present woes. Late last month, as the worldwide coronavirus cases shot to more than 700,000 — they are almost a million, as of reporting time — crude oil struck the lowest levels in more than 17 years, with Brent North Sea tumbling to $22.58 per barrel at one point. There are warnings that oil could sink even further as storage tanks around the world approached full capacity. STAFF REPORT

The federal government has decided to extend the deadline for gas and electricity bills by three months owning to a countrywide lockdown in Pakistan to contain the pandemic.

“People do not have to pay their gas and electricity bills immediately,” Adviser to PM on Finance Hafeez Shaikh announced on Thursday.

The government has set aside Rs1 billion to incur these losses,

he added.

Shaikh, while speaking to reporters at the Prime Minister’s House, said that the government will spend Rs70 billion to make up for the decrease in petrol and diesel prices.

“We have removed all duties on food products,” he claimed, adding that the government has procured wheat worth Rs200 billion to help farmers and small landowners.

“We don’t want any contraction in the economy,” he added.

He also said that the government

is going to spend Rs107 billion to refund businessmen.

“Rs30 billion will be given to the Drawback of Local Taxes and Levies (DLTL), Rs10 billion to sales tax for exporters, Rs52 billion will be spent on refund of sales tax, and Rs15 billion on duty drawback,” he added.

He said that the funds are being released and it will continue till next week. “We are in constant contact with all provincial governments and are doing our best to help the people in these crucial times,” he added.

CPEC remains unaffected by corona pandemic ISLAMABAD INP

The federal government has decided to begin work at the China-Pakistan economic Corridor (CPeC) despite the rising trend of the coronavirus pandemic in the country. The decision was taken during the meeting of the National Coordination Committee, attended by the chief ministers of all provinces, federal ministers and top military officials.

The construction industry will also be allowed to operate from tomorrow and the prime minister would announce a package for the industry on Friday.

The premier has completed a consultation with the economic team on the revival of the economy and an advisory would be issued to the provinces for allowing travel of the labourers related to the industry.

The federal government has also decided to issue an advisory for Friday and other prayers under which the local administration is directed to take the decision keeping in view the on-ground situation of coronavirus pandemic. Reports quoting prime minister during the meeting said that they have decided to start operations of the construction sector in order to provide relief to the lower segment of the society.

“The labourers’ employment is associated with the industrial sector,” the premier said, adding that the labour class was currently a top priority of the government.

The prime minister was also briefed on the current status of the pilgrims who had arrived at the Taftan border from Iran. The briefing said that the pilgrims were currently in good health and a majority of them who contracted the virus have recovered from it.

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govt did not follow due process in kPt chairman's removal, says iHc cj ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday maintained the stay order against the removal of Karachi Port Trust (KPT) Chairman Rear Admiral (r) Jamil Akhter and directed the federation to submit a written reply in the matter by April 10. On March 27, the IHC had suspended the federal government’s order terminating Akhtar’s services and had issued notices to the federal government for April 2. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government had appointed Akhtar on November 23, 2017, for three years, but the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government removed him from the post on March 25, citing various reasons. According to a notification issued by the establishment Division on March 25, the federal government had removed Akhtar from the post “forthwith by modifying/reducing his period of initial appointment in terms of Section 11 of the KPT Act, 1886, with immediate effect”. Later, issuing another notification, the establishment Division said that “the federal government is pleased to assign additional charge of the post of the chairman of the KPT to Shakeel Mangnejo (BPS-21), director general of Ports and Shipping, Karachi, under the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, for a period of three months”. Appearing before a single-member bench of IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah on Thursday, Akhtar’s lawyer Raja Zahurul Hassan said that his client’s removal was a violation of the law, adding that by virtue of his office, Akhtar had also been one of the trustees of the KPT.

coviD-19 tally nears 2,400, death toll at 33 CoNtINuED fRoM pAgE 01 According to PDMA, it delivered 50,000 masks in Malakand, 20,000 in Peshawar, 15,000 in Bakka Khel Task camp, 10,000 in DI Khan, 5,000 in North Waziristan and 5,000 in Bannu. In addition to this, 10,000 PPes have also been dispatched to district governments. “We have also provided 1,000 N-95 masks to Hayatabad Medical Complex and 2,300 to the health department,” it said.

CHINA SENDS SUPPLIES WORTH $3M: A special Pakistan International Airline (PIA) flight carrying relief supplies worth $3 million donated by China, landed in Islamabad late Wednesday night. Through a tweet on Thursday morning, Foreign Office Spokesperson Aisha Farooqui said: “We thank Chinese people & leadership for their solidarity & appreciate #China’s continued support to combat #COVID19.” Beijing is at the forefront of Pakistan’s fight against the pandemic which has killed over 47,500 people worldwide. In the last two weeks, it has donated enormous stockpiles of medical equipment and relief goods both at the government and private levels. Today, Pakistan Ambassador in Beijing Naghmana Hashmi announced a further 35 tons of emergency relief supplies donation from the “Chinese entities and individuals”. The Chinese government is also helping Pakistan in building a temporary makeshift hospital in Islamabad.

04 LAHORE

Friday, 3 April, 2020

WEATHER UPDATES FRIDAY

Court seeks arguments on Fawad's acquittal application in assets case LAHORE: An accountability court on Thursday sought arguments from parties on acquittal application filed by Fawad Hassan Fawad, former principal secretary to prime minister, in assets beyond means case. The court directed counsel to appear on next date of hearing, June 18, and advance arguments on the acquittal application. Accountability Court Judge Syed Jawadul Hassan conducted the case proceedings, wherein Fawad Hassan Fawad also appeared. Fawad Hassan Fawad had filed the acquittal application under Section 265-K of Criminal Procedure Code, stating that the National Accountability Bureau had failed to produce any evidence against him in the case. The bureau had alleged that the former principal secretary had accumulated assets beyond his sources of income. APP

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CM insPeCts quARAntine FACilities in GujRAnwAlA, jHeluM LAHORE

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uNJAB Chief Minister Sardar usman Buzdar on Thursday inspected quarantine centers set up for coronavirus patients in Sohdra area of Wazirabad tehsil in Gujranwala and Cadet College Jhelum near Dina.

He inspected both the facilities and announced to set up field hospitals for coronavirus patients at divisional level in Punjab, stated a hand out issued here.

Abundant resources have been provided for dealing with the pandemic and funds will also be provided on a priority basis in future for this purpose, Buzdar assured.

The CM asserted that a most transparent system has been devised to facilitate the daily wagers and government was standing with the masses in this hour of trial.

He pointed out that 1000-bed

field hospital has been installed at Expo Center, Lahore in a short period. Those doing politics over this pandemic, were not loyal to the nation as it was the time to unite the people, he added.

The CM was briefed that the quarantine centre of Muslims Hands Educational Complex Sohdra can accommodate 500 patients and necessary facilities have also been arranged according to the devised SOPs. Similarly, 1000 bed facility had also been arranged in Gujrat for providing treatment facility to the affected people. 11000 inhabitants have been identified in Gujranwala through track trace tests and screening of 3933 was also conducted.

Different facilities were being provided to 700 people who were confined to their residences through a street lockdown. Meanwhile, the expatriate families and those in contact with them were

being regularly screened, the CM was apprised.

The chief minister inspected the 120-bed quarantine centre at Cadet College Jhelum where he was told that coronavirus was confirmed in 28 patients in Jhelum, while 1327 others, who came from abroad, were again screened. Arrangements were been made to keep 552 patients in isolation and this facility will be increased to 1022 beds.

The CM said that screening of all the people coming from abroad was directed and geo-tagging of their residencies will also be done.

Timely steps have been taken by the Punjab government to secure the lives of the citizens and this pandemic will be defeated through joint efforts, he added.

Provincial ministers Dr Yasmeen Rashid and Mian Mahmoodur-Rashid, ACS (urbanization and Infrastructure) and others were also present.

Sarwar hails army, police jawans for COVID-19 duty LAHORE: Governor Punjab Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar Thursday paid rich tribute to Army, Ranger and police jawans performing duty to protect people’s lives during the COVID-19 outbreak in the province.

Governor Punjab visited various parts of the provincial metropolis on Thursday and met police and army jawans at different pickets and check-points. He hailed the law enforcement agencies for their active role in the war on coronavirus pandemic.

Punjab Governor Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar said "Pakistan Army, Punjab Police and other security agencies are our pride and on the front line in this time of trial." He expressed the hope that Pakistani nation would win war against COVID-19 pandemic through unity and national cohesion.

Earlier, Governor Punjab Sarwar inaugurated a 'Coronavirus Telemedicine Helpline Centre' in Sialkot via video-link from the Governor’s House here.

He announced to establish 0 more telemedicine

helpline centers all over Punjab.

“Today, I am also announcing to establish ten more corona telemedicine centers to guide the people about prevention from corona at their homes, and if needed, more such centers will also be established,” he said. Speaking at the ceremony, he said today number of corona telemedicine centers in Punjab has reached 23, adding that people within the country and abroad may contact doctors on phone number 03041112101 round the clock and get guidelines regarding anti-coronavirus measures.

Governor Punjab said 50,000 people, so far have taken guidance from these telemedicine centers, adding that the government will not leave the masses alone in these difficult times.

He also hailed Pakistan Army’s role in fighting coronavirus, adding that the police was the first line of defence the pandemic besides the medical professionals . APP

HRCP concerned over delays in relief effort LAHORE: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) alerts the authorities to the growing frustration among vulnerable families over unnecessary delays in providing them with food rations and other necessities. HRCP believes that the lack of clarity at the level of the federal government – where the Prime Minister apparently takes a different view of the pandemic from other government functionaries – is exacerbating the situation. This delay is likely to create law and order problems sooner than later and could lead to food riots. Instead of wasting further time in creating new entities, existing human resources should be mobilised immediately to distribute rations. These include the courageous polio vaccinators, lady health workers, and trained volunteers of the Civil Defence and Red Crescent, who already have proven access to people at the household level across Pakistan. Local civil society organisations can also be used for this purpose under a coordinated plan. HRCP also demands the restoration of the suspended local governments in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Without functioning local governments, any relief effort will remain an uphill task. STAFF REPORT

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'18 coronavirus patients cured using Hydroxychloroquine and Azithromycin’ LAHORE SHAHAB OMER

Mayo Hospital CEO and Corona Advisory Group Co-Chairperson Professor Dr Asad Aslam on Thursday said that 18 COVID-19 patients have been successfully treated with anti-malaria drug Hydroxychloroquine and antibiotic Azithromycin during the past five days. Speaking to Pakistan Today, he said that eight patients at Mayo Hospital, four at Pakistan Kidney and Liver Institute (PKLI) and five at other hospitals of the province were administered the drugs in the past five days. “The patients were administered two tablets Hydroxychloroquine in the morning and two in the evening on the first day whereas on the remaining four days, they were given one tablet in the morning and one in the evening. Simultaneously, they were given one tablet of Azithromycin in the morning and one in the evening for five days,” he said. Dr Aslam urged the people to avoid self-medication and said that these medicines should only be used upon a doctor’s prescription because they could have serious side effects. “Doctors at private clinics may also prescribe these medicines if any coronavirus patient approaches them” he added.

Friday, 3 April, 2020

NEWS

CORPORATE CORNER

Govt mulls borrowinG rs300bn to compensate for rs1.2tr packaGe ISLAMABAD SHAHZAD PARACHA/GHULAM ABBAS

LAHORE: MCB Bank has donated a sum of Rs5,000,000 to renowned NGO Jahandad Society for Community Development (JSCD) for distribution of food ration packs to needy families during the COVID-19 lockdown.

nestlé pakistan to support vulnerable communities with rs100m in coviD-19 pandemic LAHORE: To meet the nutritional needs of both affectees and frontline workers during these times, Nestlé Pakistan has committed Rs100 million in the national response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As part of the pledge, Nestlé Pakistan will give product and cash donations, which will include 4 million servings of milk, iron fortified dairy products, baby cereals, water and juices. highlighting the efforts, Samer Chedid, CEO, Nestlé Pakistan said, “We will be mobilizing relief to medical facilities (quarantine centers) and food-delivery organizations serving vulnerable families, worth 100 million rupees, in the form of product and cash donations, through national and provincial disaster management authorities and local governments.”

byco announces plans to install DHDs & fcc units KARACHI: Byco Petroleum Pakistan Limited (Byco) has announced its decision to establish a diesel hydro de-sulphurising (DhDS) unit and a fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) unit. The decision was taken during the “Extraordinary General Meeting” of Byco’s shareholders. Amir Abbassciy, Byco’s Chief Executive Officer, commented: “Today we announce yet another decision taken to future proofing our business through continuous improvement of our systems and processes. We have been planning and preparing for these upgrades at our refineries for some time.”

serena extends community support in wake of coviD-19 ISLAMABAD: Serena hotels has started distributing rations to communities in locations surrounding their hotels countrywide to support affected segments at a time when the global coronavirus pandemic is wreaking havoc on the country’s economy. More than 3400 deserving families and households in areas where Serena hotels are located, including in Islamabad, Faisalabad, Quetta, Swat, Gilgit, hunza, Shigar and Khaplu have been provided with rations that include food staples and essentials.

Js bank wins big at asiamoney awards 2020 Reflecting Pakistan’s growing stature in the international financial space, JS Bank won the ‘Best bank for SMEs’ and ‘Best bank for CSR’ awards at the Asiamoney Awards 2020. The bank has won the Asiamoney Best Bank for SME award in 2019 as well.

2019 was a year of growth and development at JS Bank. While not amongst the largest banks in Pakistan, JS Bank is amongst the top three when it comes to lending to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The Bank’s overall SME client roster has increased to approximately 22,000 with parallel business portfolio growth.

“We at JS Bank strive to build value for the customers and communities we serve. We are humbled by the appreciation and will continue to build and introduce offerings that meet market needs.” said Basir Shamsie, President and CEO, JS Bank. “I thank our customers for their continued support and my team for their efforts without whom none of this would have been possible.” PRESS RELEASE

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hE federal government is mulling to borrow Rs300 billion from different sources to meet expenses of the recently announced Rs1.2 trillion economic relief package, aimed at fulfilling the necessary requirements of the public in the wake of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. As people doubt the government’s capacity to even bear the burden of the announced package, the major chunk of the relief package, as expected, will be based on borrowings from different global lenders, sources claimed.

Apart from the tax exemptions and other reliefs being offered to the public, the package announced by Prime Minister Imran Khan is based on assistance (loan) from lenders and saving money through delayed payment of interests.

The government has already requested the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a grant and the fund agreed.

Sources privy to the development said Rs300 billion out of Rs1,200 billion is being considered as relief through tax exemptions. Borrowing and tax relief jointly make half of the announced

package, they added.

Sources said the government would also utilise around Rs150 billion worth of the Public Sector Development Program (PSDP) for this package as the Ministry of Finance (MoF) has already waived the conditions for releases in four quarters of the current fiscal year.

Interestingly, officials of the Ministry of Planning and Development claim there would be no cut in PSDP. As of today, there will be no cut in PSDP, they say and add instead they (officials) have been asked to speed up the spending on development projects. however, sources in MoF clearly indicate a cut of Rs150 billion in PSDP of this financial year.

Sources said the package also includes Rs200 billion worth savings from interest payment and budgetary support worth Rs 150 billion. ADB and WB have also given an amount to the government to mitigate the effects of COVID-19, they added.

In addition, the government would establish a ‘Residual/Emergency Relief Fund’ in which Rs100 billion would be kept to mitigating the impact of COVID19. Moreover, the government would give Rs105 billion to payback sales tax and income tax refunds, duty drawbacks and

customs duty to exporters.

FBR would give Rs75 billion and the Ministry of commerce Rs30 billion to exporters. An amount of Rs50 billion has also been earmarked for the Utility Stores Corporation (USC) to give ration to the poor people with the assistance of BISP. Lastly, the government would also provide Rs6 billion for Pakistan Railways to meet its expenses. As per details related to the tax exemptions, the rate of advance tax on the import of different pulses has been reduced to zero from 2pc. Similarly, individuals and associations of persons providing tea, spices, dry milk and salt to USC without a brand name will pay 1.5pc withholding tax instead of 4.5pc, while and Individuals and AoPs receiving payments from the corporation for supplying ghee, sugar, pulses, and wheat flour will be charged 1.5pc withholding tax instead of 4.5pc.

In addition, the government has also exempted additional customs duty (ADC) @ 2pc on soya bean oil, canola oil, palm oil and sunflower oil (and on these four oil seeds).

The government has allocated Rs200 billion for daily wagers, who were affected due to the lockdown.

Sources said the economic team

would utilise the BISP money for this purpose as around Rs130 to Rs140 billion have to be utilised by the division. The Poverty Alleviation Division has a plan to disburse this amount under regular ‘Kafalat Programme’ and emergency cash assistance on the recommendations of the district administration.

The assistance will be provided for four months besides BISP beneficiaries.

It will be one time dispensation and the cash will be provided either in one installment of Rs12,000 through Kafalat partner banks i.e Bank Alfalah and habib Bank Limited after biometric verification or it may be provided in two installments of Rs6,000 each.

Few days ago, PM’s Adviser on Finance Dr hafeez Shiekh had said the government would give more money to the Poverty Alleviation Division for disbursement of money to daily wagers and the deserving people. According to economists, though the relief under the present virus crisis may give some sigh of relief to the people, the same would ultimately add the economic woes of the government. The further borrowing and relaxation in taxes would multiply the public debt with further reduction in revenue, they fear.

WAPDA to award Diamer-Bhasha Dam contract this month ASAD UMAR SAYS GOVT WILL REQUEST SC TO RELEASE DAM FUND FOR CONSTRUCTION OF BHASHA DAM ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

The Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) has finally decided to award the contract for the much-delayed Diamer-Bhasha Dam this month.

During a recent meeting at the Ministry of Planning, Development and Reforms, WAPDA officials stated that all technical issues related to the award of the contract have been resolved and that the entire process would be completed within the next couple of weeks.

Although the government is yet to arrange the financing for this mega project, it has decided to at least commence work on the main dam project through

available resources, while leaving the power generation part of the project to be considered later. During the meeting, Planning Minister Asad Umar had directed WAPDA to ensure progress on the project as per the set timelines.

The minister was informed that work on already Diamer-Bhasha Dam Project was underway and a cost Rs99.238 billion has been incurred on the project till February 2020, including Rs93.9 billion for land acquisition. It was further informed that WAPDA intends to award the contract for the “main dam & allied structures” within the next couple weeks to start the construction activities within the current financial year.

Further expenditure of around Rs61

billion was planned during the current financial year, including Rs22 billion on resettlement and Rs39 billion on construction-related activities.

The project is divided into six major components, for which separate contracts will be awarded in a phased manner.

The dam part of the project is expected to be completed by Sept 2027, while the overall completion is expected in March 2028.

The meeting was further informed that Prime Minister-Supreme Court Dam Fund has an amount of Rs12.17 billion available with it, which was currently invested in MTBs. In a tweet on Thursday, the minister claimed that the dam fund which was kept

under the supervision of the superior court may be used for construction work of the dam.

“Government will be requesting the court to use this money as part of the expenditure to construct the dam,” he said.

Earlier in January 2020, in a surprising development, WAPDA had sought Rs170.756 billion, through another revised PC-I, for the acquisition of land/resettlement of Diamer-Bhasha Dam Project. The cost of 2nd revised PC-I of the project, which was submitted by WAPDA to MoPD&R, was 68pc higher than the 1st revised PC-I of the Acquisition of Land & Resettlement (AL&R), as the total cost of the project was estimated at Rs101.3 billion in 2015.

Friday, 3 April, 2020

06 COMMENT

Life in lockdown

Overtaken by events A failure of leadership in testing times

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ITH Prime Minister Imran Khan continuing to be indecisive, partial and even obstructive, vital decisions to counter the coronavirus threat on the federal level are being taken by the National Security Committee, albeit belatedly. Among the provinces, the Sindh government alone displayed the capability to take initiatives and efficiency in implementing them. Weeks after the first coronavirus case in Pakistan, the PM finally spoke on the issue saying there was no need for panic, a statement that he keeps repeating. He failed to announce his government’s strategy to deal with the crisis, meanwhile consistently opposing the lockdown imposed by the Sindh government.

Mr Khan was bound to be overtaken by events.

When indecisiveness by a Prime Minister begins to cause harm to the country, and the opposition proves incapable of making the ruling party rectify its course, other forces are likely to step in, a development that is already taking place at a rapid pace. Wary of the PTI government’s incompetence, the National Security Committee constituted a few weeks back a National Coordination Committee (NCC) to evaluate the situation on a day-to-day basis. Within days the NCC decided to set up a National Command and operation Centre (NCoC) to act as the implementation arm of the NCC. on Wednesday, the NCC decided to extend the lockout over the entire country for two weeks. The same day ISPR announced the designation of a serving Army general as convener of the newly-established NCoC. The NCoC convener immediately hosted a briefing for important cabinet members and SAPMs. CoAS Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa and senior military officials also took part in the session which was briefed about the deployment of troops across the country for assisting the civilian agencies and the status of the containment efforts and enforcement measures against Covid-19. The future course of action was also deliberated upon at the meeting. Had the PM displayed leadership instead of leaving “faith and youth” to do the job, the involvement of the unelected sector in policymaking and execution of decisions might have been unnecessary. Hopefully henceforth all sources of proliferation of the coronavirus, including large religious gatherings, will be effectively blocked. Similarly the controversial induction of the Corona Relief Tigers would end, leaving local government bodies to help distribute food wherever needed.

Waiting for the summer heat puts off the crisis, not solves it at Penpoint M a NiaZi

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HE coronavirus pandemic has created a new reality. And the most salient feature is that the world is heading for a depression. Some say it has arrived. That means it is worse for the economy than the Spanish flu, which is not listed as a cause of the Great Depression, which began with the Crash of 1929, which started the freefall in stock values that led to the reverse of growth: contraction. Apart from the wiping out of wealth, it also led to mass unemployment and the destruction of enterprises. Economic recovery was tried repeatedly, but it was not under World War II that the solution propounded by several economists, most notably John Maynard Keynes, was put into practice, and there was truly heavy spending by the state on anything. one of the results of this was the post-War welfare state. Not only was there a need to spend, but there was a revulsion against the suffering that large masses of people underwent during the Depression.

The world has suffered economic crises before, but governments have relied on Keynesian ideas to avoid recessions lasting too long. one requirement was that the world went off the gold standard. That meant that a country did not require gold to back its currency, and there was no longer any restriction on the amount of money in circulation.

Money could be printed. The dollar was the reserve currency of the world because of the strength of the US economy, the third currency in which two countries traded. Every country has to earn dollars by exporting, so as to pay for its imports. The USA is in the happy position of just printing dollars to pay for its imports.

This has had its own disadvantages, like other countries holding vast amounts of dollars, giving them the potential to play with its value. The USA as well as its nearest economic rival, China, have been badly hit by the coronavirus, and the effect of their economies grinding to a halt may put the whole world into a depression. Europe has also been hit, tilting the world further towards depression. one thing missing is a new economic theory. Gov-

Need to reflect and act

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HURSDAy was World Autism Awareness Day, and while the world struggles with the Covid-19 pandemic, this was an opportunity to remind ourselves that those medical conditions which pre-existed before the pandemic, have not gone away. It also served as a reminder that society is less tolerant not just of those who are differently abled because of autism, but generally of all those who are differently abled because of one difference or the other. one of the problems that our society suffers from is that there is too much stigmatization of the differently abled. That has led to this being seen as a moral problem, and one result has been that not enough resources are devoted to special education, and not enough differentiation between various kinds of disability is created.

Physical disabilities, where there are no other mental disabilities, are not catered for. This should be all the more reason why the anti-polio campaign should have been prosecuted more vigorously, as parents feared the prospect of their children not receiving proper facilities anywhere, all their lives. However, vaccinators still need police escorts, and the cavalier neglect of the anti-polio campaign by the present government seems to have been overcome by the new crisis. When ordinary schools and colleges are shut down, it seems something of a needless flourish to think about the adequacy of special education facilities.

However, the theme of this year’s Awareness Day is Transition to Adulthood, which actually fits in with this pandemic. After all, when it is over, all societies will need everyone, and that will include the autistic. They may not fit the norm, but they can pull their weight in society; provided that they are met with acceptance and given the education they deserve. For this to be achieved it is first necessary to spread awareness and then pass meaningful legislation to create a more inclusive and accepting environment for the differently abled.

The economic consequences are not because of the lockdown, but the virus Sidra Shafaqat

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o outdoor activities, No flights, no trains, six feet distance from others that we have to maintain. But why? Because it is time to fight with an invisible enemy ‘CoVID19’. All over the world, the deadly virus is affecting lives of people irrespective of any discrimination between rich or poor economies. The World Health organization has officially declared the outbreak a pandemic. Countries are imposing strict measures to control the spread of coronavirus.

In Pakistan, a total 2118 cases are reported on April 2 with 27 confirmed deaths. The risk assessment of this disease is also high. In this scenario, government forced a lockdown in all regions of the country for up to approximately two weeks. Public transport, markets, parks, offices and other public spots will remain closed. Health professionals are doing their best to combat the CoVID-19 outbreak in Pakistan. All the available resources are being utilized by the government. Hence in a country with one of the lowest public health expenditures as a percentage of GDP in the world, it is of utmost importance to limit the number of infections as much as possible.

However, this is just one side of the situation. on the other hand, the economy is also battling against CoVID-19. A controversial question is that whether the country should be under lockdown or not. Most countries have closed down their borders and implemented nationwide lockdowns. India has announced a 21-day nationwide lockdown with 1.3 billion people confined to their homes, likewise a 21-day lockdown has been in South Africa, while Italy with the highest death toll in world had imposed lockdown on March 10 restricting 60 million citizens to their homes, France, Spain, Norway and New Zealand are also following the same strategy, while on March 23, the UK went into full lockdown.

Here, the need is to evaluate whether an economy like Pakistan can afford the nationwide lockdown or it’s a path towards another bout of troublesome economic downfall. Is the financial situation of our economy able to feed the population without any economic activity? Prime Minister Imran Khan also stated that a complete lockdown in country is not a feasible solution as 25 percent of the

Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami

Arif Nizami Editor Umar Aziz

Asher John

Joint Editor

Executive Editor

Deputy Editor

Lahore – Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965

The writer is a member of staff.

COVID-19: economic impact of nationwide lockdown

World Autism Day

Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

ernments’ economic solutions have been pretty much Keynesian orthodoxy. There has been little of Milton Friedman’s supply-side economics, which focused on not letting the printing of money cause too much inflation. At present, none of the solutions to the economic problem are going out of the Keynesian box.

If there is another depression, where instead of growth, there is contraction, where production falls, strikes, it will have horrendous consequences, particularly in terms of unemployment. A key factor is when the world begins to return to normal. That in turn depends on how effectively governments combat the epidemic. It will not really help if any government is efficient, because inefficiency by another will mean that its own gains are temporary, and limited to the duration for the virus to make a comeback.

There are already attempts by Western governments to attempt a return to normal. That would mean an end to quarantine and social distancing measures, so that people can go back to work. However, that might mean a resurgence of the infection. That will only mean another round of deaths and disruption, and strain on a healthcare system which would not have either recovered from the strain now being placed on it, nor adapted to the new circumstances.

There has been a lot of blame thrown at the healthcare system in the West for not being able to handle the epidemic, and there has been much maligning of the systems of the developing world, which are much more primitive. However, it must be remembered that if the epidemic is not the new normal, there was no reason to prepare for an epidemic. It is also an indication that the world is not ready for a really vicious epidemic, one which spreads faster, and kills many more, than CoVID-19, which does not infect everyone, and which kills only a small proportion of those who do catch it.

At the same time, it should not be complained that this is new-fangled. The coronavirus is not an old disease, which is why it kills its host. However, viral diseases, once they starting causing illness among humans, have a nasty way of staying. True, they no longer kill, allowing their hosts to live, but only one, smallpox, has been actually eliminated, while many, all lumped together as the ‘common cold’, remain to infect Mankind repeatedly. Even now, the only reliable treatment for a viral disease is to let the infection

run its course. As is the case with CoVID-19, the disease is not always fatal, with people with healthy respiratory systems and with good general immunity, surviving. At the moment, not only are scientists working hard to find a vaccine, but are also working on finding an antiviral. While some antivirals are available, they are not as effective as antibiotics, which have answered bacterial infections so effectively that they no longer cause pandemics. Keeping in view that the bubonic plague was bacterial, causing the Black Death, which probably brought feudalism to an end, that was a big plus.

However, viruses haven’t been controlled, and there seem to have been an increasing number of attempts in recent decades, as viruses which infect animals attempt to transfer to humans. Apart from recent attempts by coronaviruses to make the transition, like MERS (which came from camels) and SARS (which is suspected as coming from civet cats) and now CoVID-19 itself (which may have come from bats via pangolins), there have been such diseases as AIDS and Ebola fever, where viruses have made a transition to humans. These were diseases that did not easily cause infections, or were not easily caught, with the result that they were contained. However, victims continue to be snared, and very often die.

Those earlier epidemics were precursors of CoVID-19, which gives rise to the disturbing thought that it might be merely an intermediate stage rather than the final epidemic. China and South Korea are supposed to have had their healthcare systems honed by the experience they had of MERS, so the world now has to brace itself for the next epidemic, which could actually come out of anywhere.

That means that what seems to be the government strategy, of waiting for the hot weather to kill off the virus, may work only temporarily. Some cold viruses remain in summer, and CoVID-19 need be no exception. Not only will it be back in winter, but it will be joined sooner or later by other coronaviruses.

However, it should be remembered that one reason for the apparent instability in global public health, is because of global warming and climate change. Virus populations had developed an equilibrium with various animal species, and remained confined to those animals’ habitats. However, climate change has destroyed many habitats, endangering the species, or making them extinct. The viruses infesting them have to go somewhere, and try their luck with human beings. Climate change deniers like US President Donald Trump are the loudest in claiming that the virus is Chinese, even though they have done their bit for CoVID-19, as well as for any succeeding viral epidemics.

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Karachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9

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population lives below the poverty line. It would stipend of Rs 3,000 ($20) for next four months.

Now there is serious requirement to do a costmake their lives miserable.

Economic activities are crippled. The virus has benefit analysis. The cost includes the aforementioned economic downfall killed off the stock market through the nationwide lockgains. The Federal Comdown whereas the benefit merce Secretary commerce will be in terms of reduction said that exports orders had The government has to manage in CoVID-19 positive cases got cancelled and due to this and a lower number of fatalexport loss can be in the the situation efficiently and ities. Another unintended range of $2 billion to $4 bilcompetently by implementing benefit is the reduction in the lion. The FBR is already facpollution level in the cities ing a massive revenue new economic priorities; due to the closure of factoshortfall. The estimated colpublic transport and relection of revenue till June precise planning to protect jobs ries, duced human activity.

2020 is just Rs 4.4 trillion as Environmental experts have compared to the FBR’s ancompanies and employers, identified the improvement nual target of 5.555 trillion. compensation on payable in the Air Quality Index Former Finance Minister Dr (AQI) of Karachi under the Hafiz Pasha indicated that interest amount to energy lockdown in Sindh due to unemployment rate of 5.8 coronavirus. The AQI in percent reported by the service providers, relief on Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa has Labour Force Survey 2017income tax to companies also dropped, showing 18 may surge to 8.1 percent healthy air quality. This imin fiscal year 2020-21. Not producing products related to provement is also expected only this, inflation and in other major air polluting poverty level will also rise life necessities and health cities, specifically, Lahore. after the industrial shutdown. protection and to announce The government has to A drop in international manage the situation effitourism and a reduction in resome back support for ciently and competently by mittances are other pieces of implementing new ecobad news. The Asian Develexporters.

Along with all this, it nomic priorities; precise opment Bank reported that planning to protect jobs Pakistan economy may face is a major responsibility of companies and employers, losses of $5 billion or may citizens to self-quarantine and compensation on payable ineven more than that. amount to energy servCurrently, in order to provide government a free hand terest ice providers, relief on tackle the situation, an ecoincome tax to companies nomic relief package of Rs to gear up some economic producing products related 900 billion ($5.6 billion) activities in a proper manner to life necessities and health was approved by the Prime protection and to announce Minister on March 24. out under the war of COVID-19 some back support for exof this, Rs 200 billion ($1.25 porters. Along with all this, billion) are assigned for low it is a major responsibility of income groups, particularly for laborers, along with Rs 280 billion ($1.76 billion) citizens to self-quarantine and provide government a for wheat procurement. Whereas, a package of Rs free hand to gear up some economic activities in a 100 billion is to support the agriculture sector and proper manner under the war of CoVID-19. small industries. Furthermore, the PM stated said that Sidra Shafaqat is a freelance columnist over five million people will be provided a monthly

Islamabad – Ph: 051-2204545

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Friday, 3 April, 2020

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

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

Website for Corona AS corona is extensively discussed in social, electronic, and paper media.

The problem is undoubtedly challenging however, being threatened, panic, and anxious may not help coping up the situation. As laymen people believe whatever they were thrown to by overflowing social media tools, therefore, it is an extremely important to make an official and authentic platform nationally and provisionally where information can be pasted and timely updated. These forums will definitely provide a across match for filtering the fake and fabricated piece of information. I humbly wish to notify the authorities to make such an arrangement and propagate through electronic and paper media.

ArEEbA Karachi

Rape culture

Modi’s pandemic lockdown becomes a human tragedy

SultaN M hali

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NDIAN propaganda masters have been giving a spin to Modi’s handling of the CoVID-19 pandemic in India by criticizing Pakistan. Indian news agency ANI quotes Washington-based Gilgit Baltistan (GB) political activist Senge Hasnan Sering as stating “Indian PM Modi is playing a constructive and supportive role as expected from the leader of the world’s fourth-largest economy.

His policy of ‘no citizens left behind’ has earned him recognition from opposition parties who are also supporting his Sunday lockdown directive.”

Senge Hasnan Sering, allegedly an Indian factotum, in the same breath, also took a swipe at Islamabad’s alleged total lack of a coordinated response for combating the CoVID-19 pandemic and the government’s complete apathy towards GB by saying “Although Gilgit-Baltistan is a direct neighbour of China’s Xinjiang, its inhabitants are getting coronavirus infection transmitted from a completely unexpected location like Iran.” To prove his point, Sering remarked, “When compared with Pakistani provinces and Pakistani administered Kashmir, GB has the highest number of positive cases in proportion to population size,” and this is an undisputable fact.

If that were not enough, Indian media is spreading the disinformation that the residents of Azad Jammu Kashmir are incensed that the government of Pakistan has established quarantines for persons testing positive to CoVID-19 in cities of Azad Kashmir, which are housing patients from Punjab.

While the pack of lies of Modi’s deft handling of CoVID-19 outbreak is being propagated in Chanakyan fashion that “tell a lie so often that it appears to be the truth”, it is being negated by independent media sources.

The harsh reality, being reported by internationals news agencies and TV channels with vivid and heartbreaking videos depict the thousands of Indians trudging home in the sweltering heat because they were caught unawares by the sudden lockdown of India by Narendra Modi and his cash-strapped government’s inability to provide food and basic necessities to the people.

Work and wages dried up after India declared a 21-day lockdown with four hours’ notice on the midnight of 24 March, to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

All over India, millions of migrant workers are fleeing its shuttered cities and trekking home to

their villages. These informal workers are the back- be sending planes to bring home one lot, but bone of the big-city economy, constructing houses, leave the other to walk back home,” tweeted cooking food, serving in eateries, delivering take- Shekhar Gupta, founder and editor of The Print.

Simultaneously, bone-chilling stories of the aways, cutting hair in salons, making automobiles, plumbing toilets and delivering newspapers, collapse of Indian economy are rampant. The Inamong other things. Escaping poverty in their vil- dian economy is set to slow down sharply as lages, most of the estimated 100 million of them companies face the prospect of going weeks or live in squalid housing in congested urban ghettos even months with virtually no revenue, and consumer demand is likely to remain soft even after and aspire for upward mobility.

Soutik Biswas, BBC’s India correspondent, the coronavirus crisis blows over because of in his opinion piece titled ‘Coronavirus: India’s bankruptcies, job losses and the resulting psypandemic lockdown turns into a human tragedy’ chological scars.

Forecasters are slashing India’s economic writes that last week’s lockdown turned them into refugees overnight. Their workplaces were growth estimates for the financial year starting 1 shut, and most employees and contractors who April, with most expecting a severe contraction in June quarter output. Last Monday, S&P Global paid them vanished.

Sprawled together, men, women and chil- Ratings cut its estimate for India’s gross domestic dren began their journeys at all hours of the day product (GDP) growth to 3.5 percent from its last week. They carried their paltry belongings─ earlier estimate of 5.2 percent, as it expects the damages to the econusually food, water and omy from the covid-19 clothes─ in cheap rexpandemic for the Asiaine and cloth bags. The Pacific region to be as young men carried Indian policy makers have severe as the one during tatty backpacks. When the Asian financial crithe children were too announced several measures sis of 1997-98. tired to walk, their par“Amid unusually ents carried them on to counter the impact of the high uncertainty, we their shoulders.

They walked under virus on the economy and more forecast Asia-Pacific growth to dive to 2.2 the sun and they are likely to come in the next percent in 2020 with a walked under the stars.

U-shaped recovery takMost said they had run few weeks. While the ing hold only later this out of money and were year— this would push afraid they would government has announced a activity four percentage starve. “India is walkrelief package for those hit points below trend,” it ing home,” headlined in a recent report.

The Indian Express worst by the 21-day nationwide saidIndian policy maknewspaper. ers have announced sevThe staggering exlockdown to prevent eral measures to counter odus was reminiscent of community transmission of the the impact of the virus the flight of refugees on the economy and during the bloody particoronavirus, the Reserve Bank more are likely to come tion in 1947. Millions in the next few weeks. of bedraggled refugees of India (RBI) took a series of While the government had then trekked to east has announced a relief and west Pakistan, in a steps to boost liquidity in the package for those hit migration that displaced banking system and encourage worst by the 21-day na15 million people. tionwide lockdown to This time, hundreds banks to lend prevent community of thousands of migrant transmission of the workers are desperately coronavirus, the Retrying to return home in serve Bank of India their own country. Battling hunger and fatigue, they are bound by a col- (RBI) took a series of steps to boost liquidity in lective will to somehow get back to where they the banking system and encourage banks to lend. belong. Home in the village ensures food and the Last week, International Monetary Fund (IMF) comfort of the family, they say. Prime Minister managing director Kristalina Georgieva said the Narendra Modi apologized for the lockdown global economy could be staring at a recession “which has caused difficulties in your lives, espe- that is as bad as or worse than the global financial cially the poor people”, adding these “tough crisis of 2008. The IMF is expected to substantially reduce its growth estimates for most measures were needed to win this battle.”

Whatever the reason, Mr Modi and the state economies in its World Economic outlook, governments appeared to have bungled in not which is scheduled to be released in April. Reanticipating this exodus which has made a flecting the pessimism, Indian stock markets conmockery of the lockdown and turned it into a tinued their downward march, dumping stocks and conserving cash. The Sensex plunged 4.61 human tragedy.

Mr Modi has been extremely responsive to percent to 28,440.32, while the 50-share index the plight of Indian migrant workers stranded Nifty shed 4.38 percent to 8,281.10.

Clearly, a lockdown to stave off a pandemic abroad: hundreds of them have been brought back home in special flights. But the plight of is turning into a humanitarian crisis. workers at home struck a jarring note.

Sultan M Hali is a retired Group Captain “Wanting to go home in a crisis is natural. If Indian students, tourists, pilgrims stranded over- and author of the book Defence & Diplomacy. seas want to return, so do labourers in big cities. Currently he is a columnist, analyst and TV talk They want to go home to their villages. We can’t show host.

WE all can see the heart-wrenching condition of our society due to increasing higher number of sexually assaulted cases of children who is under 9 to 13 years old. Being a Muslim it’s the worst ever the condition of our society. Not only this after they sex with” little flowers” they brutally killed them.

Here are the following reasons why society is covered with this rape culture. Rape culture is a sociological concept for a setting in which rape is pervasive and normalized due to societal attitudes about gender and sexuality. Behaviors commonly associated with rape culture include victim blaming, slut-shaming, sexual objectification, trivializing rape, denial of widespread rape, refusing to acknowledge the harm caused by sexual violence, or some combination of these. It has been used to describe and explain behavior within social groups, including prison rape and in conflict areas where war rape is used as psychological warfare. Entire societies have been alleged to be rape cultures.The notion of rape culture was developed by second-wave feminists, primarily in the United States, beginning in the 1970s. Critics of the concept dispute the existence or extent of rape culture, arguing that the concept is too narrow or that, although there are cultures where rape is pervasive, the idea of a rape culture can imply that the rapist is not at fault but rather the society that enables rape. There have been many movements that been made in order to address rape culture, such as SlutWalk and Me Too. These movements have helped share people’s stories through the use of hashtags which are embodied and connected to rape.

SHAHZAIb SHAIKH Karachi

TB too, not just Corona EACH year, we commemorate World Tuberculosis (TB) Day on March 24 to raise public awareness about the devastating health, social and economic consequences of TB, and to step up efforts to end the global TB epidemic.

The date marks the day in 1882 when Dr Robert Koch announced that he had discovered the bacterium that causes TB, which opened the way towards diagnosing and curing this disease. TB remains the world’s deadliest infectious killer. Each day, nearly 4500 people lose their lives to TB and close to 30,000 people fall ill with this preventable and curable disease. Global efforts to combat TB have saved an estimated 54 million lives since the year 2000 and reduced the TB mortality rate by 42%. To accelerate the TB response in countries to reach targets.

NorEEN YAr MuHAMMAD Karachi

Sanitizer in the time of Corona AS we all know that coronavirus is spreading rapidly throughout the world. There are 2260 confirmed cases of CoVID-19 in Pakistan. The health agency says, Do wash your hands frequently and thoroughly. This is the smartest thing you can do to prevent the spread of viruses.

Fear of the coronavirus has led people to stock up on the germ-killing gel, leaving store shelves empty and online retailers with sky-high prices set by those trying to profit on the rush. More is on the way, although it’s not clear how long it will take retailers to restock. Do make sure that if you are able to buy a lesser-known brand of hand sanitizer, it’s made of at least 60% alcohol, as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (C.D.C.) rAZI rAHMAN Karachi

Fake news on social media I would like to draw your attention towards the fake news on social media.

As you can see, it has become a trend nowadays that people on social media tell other fake news on anything to fool others. For example, somebody will say that there were a lot of people at the market or will say that the stores were closed or will say that nobody came to that meeting or the teacher has got sick and cannot conduct a class. Then the next day the other finds out that what was told on social media, it didn’t actually happen at all or somebody tells you that nothing like that happened.

The fact is that some people spread fake news for fun to fool others without any reason, this also misguides people. This is nothing more than playing with someone’s life who has no business with you. Social media did help bring people together but also gave rise to many evils that also includes spreading fake news to the people.

ZuHAIb SHAH Karachi

War of water A recent foreign media report has revealed that the Modi-led government of India is planning to stop Pakistan’s share of river water from flowing into Pakistan by the end of this year. Indian authorities are working on a plan to stop 2 TMC of water from the Ujh River, a branch of Ravi, flowing through the Kathua district of Indian occupied Kashmir. Last year, after creating Pulwama drama to frame Pakistan, Modi and his ministers began to threaten Pakistan with water terrorism. Modi has previously claimed that India will block Pakistan’s water supply in the near future.

ZAIYAN AHMED KHAN Karachi

Friday, 3 April, 2020

08 WORLD VIEW

Under Modi, india’s press is not so free anyMore INDIA’S GOVERNMENT HAS PRESSURED ADVERTISERS AND EVEN SHUT DOWN CHANNELS TO SHAPE THE INFORMATION THAT 1.3 BILLION INDIANS RECEIVE. IT’S PART OF A WIDER ASSAULT ON DISSENT NEw YORk TImEs

t

Vindu GoeL And Jeffrey GeTTLemAn

HE Media One anchorman Vinesh Kunhiraman went on air as usual on March 6, ready to tell the station’s five million viewers in India’s Kerala State about the death anniversary of a beloved comedian and the latest news on the coronavirus pandemic.

Just a few minutes into the broadcast, he saw the managing editor rush to the studio floor, gesturing wildly. “I realized something was not right,” Mr. Kunhiraman recalled.

The station’s uplink suddenly went dead. Mr. Kunhiraman’s image dissolved into a blue screen. A bland message told viewers there was no signal. “We regret the inconvenience,” it said.

But this was no technical difficulty. The station had been cut off by an order from India’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. The government decided to block the channel for 48 hours because it had covered February’s biggest news story — the mob attacks on Muslims in New Delhi that flared into broader unrest — in a way that seemed “critical toward Delhi Police and R.S.S.,” the order said.

The R.S.S. is a Hindu-nationalist social movement with close ties to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party.

“It was shocking the central government took such a decision,” said R. Subhash, an editor at Media One. “It was an attack on the freedom of the press.”

India’s free press has played a crucial role in protecting this country’s democracy since its independence from Britain in 1947. But journalists here now feel under attack.

Since Mr. Modi came to power in 2014, they say, his government has tried to control the country’s news media, especially the airwaves, like no other prime minister in decades. Mr. Modi has shrewdly cultivated the media to build a cult of personality that portrays him as the nation’s selfless savior.

At the same time, senior government officials have pressed news outlets — berating editors, cutting off advertising, ordering tax investigations — to ignore the uglier side of his party’s campaign to transform India from a tolerant, religiously diverse country into an assertively Hindu one.

With the coronavirus pandemic, Mr. Modi has gotten more blatant in his attempt to control coverage and, as with other difficult stories, some Indian news executives seem willing to go along. Right before he announced the world’s largest coronavirus lockdown, on 1.3 billion people, Mr. Modi met with top news executives and urged them to publish “inspiring and positive stories” about the government’s efforts. Then, after the lockdown stranded half a million migrant workers, with some dying along the highways, his lawyers persuaded the Supreme Court this week to order all media to “publish the official version” of coronavirus developments, although outlets are still allowed to carry independent reporting.

An association of leading broadcasters was quick to praise the court decision, which many intellectuals said was yet another attack on India’s constitutionally guaranteed freedom of speech.

Through an aide, India’s information and broadcast-

ing minister, Prakash Javadekar, initially agreed to discuss the government’s media policies. But in the two weeks since then, Mr. Javadekar has declined to answer any questions, including a written list emailed to him.

His aide cited the demands of the coronavirus crisis.

India’s media universe is vast, perhaps the biggest in the world: More than 17,000 newspapers, 100,000 magazines, 178 television news channels and countless websites in dozens of languages. Thousands of Facebook pages call themselves news publishers, and YouTube is filled with local bulletins on everything from real estate trends to police raids.

But Mr. Modi’s ministers have leaned on business leaders to cut off support to independent media, slowly strangling their operations. His government has pressured media owners to fire journalists who have criticized the prime minister and told them to stop running features like hate-crime trackers that have embarrassed Mr. Modi’s party.

Mr. Modi is backed up by an army of online allies who discredit and harass independent journalists; female journalists, in particular, have been besieged with abuse and rape threats. And the police say Hindu nationalists were behind the 2017 murder of Gauri Lankesh, a female newspaper editor hailed as one of India’s most crusading journalists.

Like other populist leaders, Mr. Modi and his ministers bristle at any public criticism, whether from business executives, foreign leaders, or even schoolchildren.

And for the most part, Indian news outlets have knuckled under, concluding that since much of the public supports the prime minister, they should, too. Even skeptical journalists censor themselves, afraid to be branded anti-national by a government that equates patriotism with support for Mr. Modi.

His government has also imposed the strictest restrictions on foreign journalists in decades, suddenly and without explanation. Visas have been tightened, and foreign journalists have been banned from hotbeds of unrest such as northeast India and Indian held Kashmir, a Muslim-majority area that was stripped of its statehood in August and put under a severe crackdown.

The Kashmir story was seismic, but many Indian journalists, looking back on it, feel that they toed the government line and overlooked grave human rights abuses.

“We didn’t do justice to the big story,’’ said Rajdeep Sardesai, one of the country’s leading news anchors. “We should have gone out there and reported the situation from the ground aggressively and independently.’’

There were security restrictions on where Indian reporters could go, Mr. Sardesai said, but he admitted it was more than that. “A large section of the Indian media,” he said, “has become a lap dog, not a watchdog.”

The business model in India doesn’t help. Well before Mr. Modi first became prime minister in 2014, newspapers and television stations have relied on government advertising, allowing politicians to reward friendly outlets and punish critics.

And media owners often run other businesses for which they need the government’s favor, making them reluctant to take on those in power.

With the coronavirus pandemic dampening advertising and restricting newspaper circulation, news organizations are now sliding into crisis. One of the most independent, The Indian Express, just decided to cut salaries.

Even as Mr. Modi constantly touts India as the world’s largest democracy, its ranking on the Reporters Without Borders press freedom index is 140 out of 180.

“In the past six years, the Indian media has deterio-

rated,” said Shakuntala Banaji, a media professor at the London School of Economics. “There is no semblance of truth or responsibility left in the vast majority of media reports.”

One corporate boss begged the station to take his company’s logo off the screen, saying the government was squeezing him too hard. Another executive broke down in tears as he canceled a large advertising contract.

No TV channel has come under more pressure from Mr. Modi’s government than NDTV, an influential network that airs in English and Hindi. Mr. Modi’s grudge goes back to 2002, when he was chief minister of Gujarat State, and NDTV journalists reported that his government stood by while hundreds of Muslims were massacred in religiously driven violence.

When Mr. Modi became prime minister, his administration began a full-scale assault on NDTV. The government accused it of laundering money through a deal with NBC, the American TV network. The accusations have dragged on for years, and NDTV denies any wrongdoing.

“The thing in India is, you can file a case, and win it 10 years later,” said Prannoy Roy, one of NDTV’s founders. “The process is the punishment.”

The effort to brand NDTV as unpatriotic has been devastatingly effective. In one November 2016 email, the luxury automaker Daimler told NDTV that it would not proceed with a marketing campaign because “there are people associated with the channel that are linked to anti-India stuff, by the public at large.”

A Daimler spokeswoman said Friday that the email did not reflect the company’s views and that the campaign had been rejected for economic reasons.

As money dried up, the station laid off hundreds of journalists. NDTV now gets much of its advertising from state governments, many of which are controlled by opposition parties.

And after another ABP anchor, Abhisar Sharma, criticized Mr. Modi on live television about public safety, he was pulled off the air the same day. He, too, said he was pressured to quit.

Mr. Sharma then took to YouTube to broadcast his commentary, but pro-Modi trolls followed him into cyberspace. Every time he uploaded a video — and some drew millions of views — YouTube would receive thousands of complaints that he had made inappropriate remarks, Mr. Sharma said. The site’s algorithm then blocked any advertising revenue he would have made.

“You can’t escape them,” he said.

‘STAY FIRMLY WITH THE NATIONAL GOVERNMENT’: Many within India’s news firmament have embraced Mr. Modi, sensing how much the popular mood has swung away from India’s founding secularism and toward Mr. Modi’s brand of strident Hindu nationalism. Right-wing TV anchors, led by Arnab Goswami of Republic TV, compete to outdo one another as the loudest Modi supporters.

As the government announced the crackdown in Indian held Kashmir, M.K. Anand, the managing director of Times Network, sent his editors a directive.

“We are India’s leading news broadcasters,” he wrote in a WhatsApp message, seen by The New York Times. “It is important that we stay firmly with the national government at this juncture instead of focusing on finding faults.”

The Modi government has been particularly concerned about broadcast media, which reach into every corner of the country. It has approved very few new TV channels, and even Bloomberg, the American media giant, has been unable to get a license, despite investing millions of dollars with its Indian partner.

In this environment, sharp criticism of Mr. Modi can end careers. After a host at the Hindi news channel ABP questioned the results of one of the prime minister’s initiatives to help poor farmers, the satellite transmission of the show was interrupted every time it was broadcast, said several people who worked at the station. The channel’s owners pressured the host, Punya Prasun Bajpai, to resign, and as soon as he left, the transmission interruptions stopped, the former employees said.

‘RESPONSIBLE FREEDOM’: The shutdown of Media One and another Kerala television station, Asianet News, in March was a new twist. Both stations broadcast in Malayalam, a local language spoken by less than 3 percent of Indians. And both channels had aired witness accounts that echoed what many other outlets aired during the violence in Delhi: that the police had done little to stop Hindu mobs as they rampaged against Muslims.

But the broadcast ministry claimed that what these two stations reported “could enhance the communal disharmony across the country.” After many complaints about the shutdown, the broadcasting minister, Mr. Javadekar, reversed the orders the next morning. “Press freedom is absolutely essential in a democratic setup and that is the commitment of the Modi government,” Mr. Javadekar said at a news conference, implying that the orders had been issued without his consent. “But let me also say,” he concluded, “that everybody accepts that it has to be a responsible freedom.”

Sameer Yasir, Shalini Venugopal and Hari Kumar contributed reporting.

ATTACKING THE MESSENGER: Small-town journalists have come under government attack, as well. Last August, Pawan Kumar Jaiswal, a part-time journalist who also ran a tiny mobile phone accessories shop, broke a story revealing how poor children in a school near Varanasi, Mr. Modi’s parliamentary constituency, were being fed only flatbread and salt for lunch — a clear violation of government nutrition rules.

After his short video went viral, a state education officer filed a criminal complaint against Mr. Jaiswal, accusing him of conspiracy, false evidence and cheating, a crime that can draw up to seven years in jail.

His source at the school was promptly arrested. Fearing he was next, Mr. Jaiswal fled to New Delhi, where he hid for several weeks. “Sometimes I felt like committing suicide,’’ he said.

Even though an investigation eventually vindicated his reporting and the police dropped the charges against him, Mr. Jaiswal continues to be stalked by people connected to the school, he said. He has reason to be afraid.

Several Indian journalists have been killed in recent years, from a Kashmiri newspaper editor shot outside his office to a young journalist in Chhattisgarh found tied up in a forest.

Vindu Goel, a reporter based in Mumbai, India, covers the impact of technology on South Asia’s economy and culture. He previously reported on technology and social media from San Francisco. He joined The Times from The San Jose Mercury News in 2008.

Jeffrey Gettleman is the South Asia bureau chief, based in New Delhi. He was the winner of a Pulitzer Prize in 2012 for international reporting.

Closing houses of worship during the pandemic is an act of faith and charity EDITORIAL BOARD L A Times

Among the other disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has been the closing of houses of worship and the cancellation of religious gatherings. The arrival of what could be called spiritual distancing was powerfully symbolized last week by images of Pope Francis offering a blessing to an empty St. Peter’s Square. Christians around the world in the coming weeks will be “attending” Easter services via YouTube and Jews will be participating in Passover seders on Zoom.

The alacrity with which mainstream religious groups have responded to the pandemic is admirable, but the idea of suspending public worship also has provoked dissent. We’re referring not only to a handful of religious leaders who have behaved recklessly in holding services in defiance of social distancing norms or government decrees, but also to those clergy members and commentators who, without advocating violation of the law, have questioned the idea.

For example, Cardinal Raymond Burke, the former archbishop of St. Louis and onetime Vatican official who is a hero of conservative Catholics, has criticized the closing of churches for worship — undertaken in some cases even before civil authorities acted to shut down public meetings. (The California Catholic Conference announced a suspension of public celebrations of Mass

IN TIME, CHURCHES, SYNAGOGUES, MOSQUES AND PRIVATE HOMES WILL AGAIN BE FILLED WITH WORSHIPERS. BUT IT WOULD BE TRAGIC — AND FUNDAMENTALLY IRRELIGIOUS — TO RUSH THAT RETURN TO NORMALCY AND RISK HUMAN LIVES on March 18, a day before Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered Californians to stay at home.)

“Even as we have found a way to provide for food and medicine and other necessities of life during a time of contagion, without irresponsibly risking the spread of the contagion, so, in a similar way, we can find a way to provide for the necessities of our spiritual life,” Burke wrote on his blog on March 21. He suggested that worshipers could gather in large churches “without violating the requirements of social distance,” a debatable proposition at best.

A similar argument was proposed in a March 13 article in Foreign Policy magazine by Lyman Stone, a research fellow at the Institute for Family Studies and a Lutheran.

Stone suggested that the lesson of Christian responses to plagues over the years is: “We don’t cancel church.”

Stone, who wrote a handbook that suggests ways for churches to continue to meet in small groups, further argued: “Even as we take Communion from separate plates and cups to minimize risk, forgo hand-shaking or hugging, and sit at a distance from each other, we still commune.” He also suggested that continuing church

services would serve as “a societal roll call, especially for older people: Those who don’t show up should be checked on during the week.”

(The idea that religious services are vital isn’t confined to members of the clergy and commentators. When Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday belatedly issued a stay-at-home order, he included attending religious services as one of the “essential activities” exempt from the order.)

Arguments against suspending worship aren’t just a variation on President Trump’s “aspiration” that American churches would be filled on Easter as part of an expedited economic revitalization. Trump was later persuaded that this wasn’t a good idea.

Many who worry about closing churches or suspending services aren’t cheerleaders for capitalism; they want to defend religious values. Those values include fellowship with other believers — it was an Anglican priest who wrote that “no man is an island” — and of course contact with God. As Burke put it: “In considering what is needed to live, we must not forget that our first consideration is our relationship with God.”

Of course a religious leader would say that. But the bishops and pastors who have decided to close churches for the time being in the interest of public health are also acting on a religious impulse, a reverence for human life.

In an editorial written partly as a response to Stone, the magazine Christianity Today made a powerful case for erring on the side of safety.

The editorial argued that “even if we do practice stringent hygiene and social distancing, coming together as congregations in the face of this pandemic actually mars our witness. Rather than looking courageous and faithful, we come off looking callous and even foolish, not unlike the snake handlers who insisted on playing with poison as a proof of true faith.” It added: “The church remains the church online, too.”

The same can be said of other faiths that must worship virtually as the price of protecting themselves and others from a rampant virus. In time, churches, synagogues, mosques and private homes will again be filled with worshipers. But it would be tragic — and fundamentally irreligious — to rush that return to normalcy and risk human lives.

Friday, 3 April, 2020

BUSINESS 09

‘All resources beinG utilised to Protect econoMy froM virus iMPAct’ hafeez Shaikh SayS after aNNouNCiNg rS1.2tr hiStoriC paCkage, govt Now StriviNg to eNSure traNSpareNt diStributioN of relief moNey ISLAMABAD

PM order immediate redressal of energy sector woes ISLAMABAD APP

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday directed the ministry concerned to accelerate reforms in the energy sector by removing all systemic hurdles and effectively utilising limited resources to ensure relief to the common man. “Problems in the energy sector are directly related to the people’s lives, which necessitates accelerated solution,”the PM observed while chairing a meeting on the reforms process in the power sector.

Energy Minister Omar Ayub, Planning Minister Asad Umar, Finance Adviser Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, Commerce Adviser Abdul Razzak Dawood and Special Assistant to PM on Petroleum Nadeem Babar were also present on the occasion, a PM Office press release said.

Briefing the prime minister on the reforms process in the gas sector and availability of the petroleum products, Nadeem Babar maintained a sufficient stock of products was available in the country. The PM said the resolution of energy-related issues was among the top government priorities and that the reforms process in the sector would continue uninterrupted. He said the availability of limited gas reservoirs necessitated judicious and productive use of the resources. The premier called for considering the availability of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) in areas lacking the supply of natural gas to make people meet their daily needs without cutting trees for the purpose.

Govt starts clinical trial of locally made ventilators LAHORE HASSAN NAQVI

The government has started conducting clinical trials of locally made ventilators and in this regard, the prototypes of two already developed ventilators have been sent to the relevant departments. Talking to Pakistan Today, Science & Technology Minister Chaudhry Fawad Hussain said that the Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) had received 48 designs for ventilators, of which two designs were selected and forwarded to the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) for further approval. “Companies are being shortlisted for these purposes and soon we will start the production of ventilators in Pakistan,” the minister claimed. The Prime Minister’s Task Force on Knowledge Economy has so far received 34 proposals (out of 48), with many prototyes under development phase. Talking to this scribe, Dr Shoab Ahmad Khan, focal person of PM’s Task Force on Knowledge Economy, lauded PEC for taking "leadership role in the ventilators initiative". The focal person said that there are many selfless individuals who are working day and night under the leadership of PEC Chairman Engr Jawad Salim Qureshi and his representatives Brig (r) Tariq Javed. "We are encouraging everyone to keep putting their efforts for the betterment of the country," Dr Khan added.He also appreciated the efforts of Task Force on Coronavirus Chairperson Dr AttaurRehman and S&T Minister Fawad Chaudhry for quickly aligning all the relevant stakeholders. "DRAP was approached to quickly adopt an international emergency standard, preferably a UK-based, for the use of ventilators, while the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) was taken on board to place an order for pilot production of any prototype that passes through the PEC committee evaluation. Health secretary was reached for facilitation of testing services."

A

STAFF REPORT

DVISER to Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh said on Thursday that the government was taking all possible measures to safeguard the masses from the economic impact of Covid-19 pandemic.

Addressing the tax refund cheque distribution ceremony on Thursday, the adviser said that the government had announced the historic Rs1.2 trillion relief package to achieve three particular objectives: provision of security, food and cash to the deserving people.

He informed that the prime minister had already inaugurated a Rs150 billion programme under which 12 million families across the country would be given cash (each family would be given Rs12,000).

“One-third of the country’s population would benefit from this initiative.”

Secondly, he said, in order to protect the business community, which was being badly hit by the closures

of global markets, the government had taken five big decisions, including the provision of Rs200 billion to those employees who were faced with unemployment threats or other difficulties.

He mentioned that the government had also announced Rs100 billion for the SME sector employees and owners, saying that currently if they were facing issues in repaying principle amount or interests, they would be given relaxation.

Hafeez Shaikh said a total of Rs100 billion was being refunded to people, particularly businessmen and exporters, while the government had also set aside another Rs100 billion to bear the burden of deferred payments on account of electricity and gas bills.

“People don’t need to pay their bills immediately and they can defer them for up to three months.”

He said an amount of Rs70 billion was released by the government to the reduce prices of petrol, diesel and other imported oil.

"The government has exempted food products from all types of duties and importantly, it will procure

Covid-19: Software house Netsol announces layoffs, pay cuts BUSINESS DESK NetSol Technologies, Pakistan’s largest software house, has announced a 20-30pc cut in salaries across the board and has laid off several employees.

According to a media report, the decision was taken to reduce costs in the wake of coronavirus crisis.

“In order for the company to stay relevant, the management has decided to reduce the company’s expenses, effective from 1st of April, 2020. It will be implementing a pay cut on employees making more than Rs150,000.

A very limited number of resources making less than Rs150,000 might get a salary cut as well,” stated the company in an internal email sent to employees.

However, salaries for the month of March would remain unchanged.

The email also noted that

SayS all SaleS tax refuNdS will be Cleared withiN a week wheat of around Rs200 billion only to ensure that the farmers are facilitated and the demand for agriculture products is increased," he added. Talking about refunds, the adviser said that Rs100 billion were being refunded in four different ways, including Rs30 billion refunds of Drawback of Local Taxes and Levies (DLTL) through the commerce ministry and Rs10 billion through the FASTER sales tax mechanism.

Similarly, he added, Rs52 billion would be paid as the sales tax refunds to non-exporters, whereas Rs15 billion were being provided in duty drawbacks.

“This brings the total to Rs107 billion, distribution of which will be completed within a week.”

Terming it a historic achievement, he remarked, "I want to say to the PM that it is contribution of your government that no sales tax refund will remain payable."

He said that the federal government was in regularly contact provincial governments in order to ensure that the relief package money was being spent transparently and was reaching those who are affected by the Covid-9 situation.

markEt daily

stocks extend rally as index surpasses 30,000-mark KARACHI STAFF REPORT

the senior management team, across all the regions, had already indured a large pay cut and has asked each division on what can be done to reduce the costs with minimal impact on delivery capabilities.

Meanwhile, employees believe that if the company is going for a pay cut, it should

also reduce their working hours by 20 to 30pc.

According to a company’s internal document, COVID-19 has completely inhibited NetSol’s ability to win any kind of new business in the near to midterm and the effect would be evident in the upcoming third and fourth quarters.

SECP allows firms 30-day relaxation amid coronavirus concerns ISLAMABAD SYEDA MASOOMA

The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) has announced regulatory relief for the corporate sector to dilute the impact of coronavirus.

Realising that companies have been facing difficulties in compliance with regulatory requirements related to communication with shareholders, holding AGMs [annual general meetings] and issuance of financial statements etc, SECP has relaxed regulatory deadlines for listed companies.

The facilitations include i) 30-day relaxation in holding AGMs and filing deadline for first quarter financial statements; ii) companies can circulate the notices of general meetings and annual reports electronically; and iii) as the law does not provide

for any specific relaxation in requirement of holding of the BOD meeting once in every quarter, however, in terms of Section 179 of the Companies Act, companies are encouraged to pass resolution by the directors through circulation.

The requirement for filing quarterly financial statements has not been relaxed except for the first quarter, but the SECP said that due consideration will be given to all underlying circumstances while enforcing regulatory compliance.

Given the extraordinary circumstances, companies are advised to prioritise public safety while ensuring corporate compliance. Companies are encouraged to make necessary arrangements for the use of technology and related applications in order to enable them to work from home to meet regulatory compliances.

Continuing with the positive momentum from the previous session, indices of the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) accumulated decent gains on Thursday, with the benchmark KSE100 ending above the 30,000 mark. Foreign investors remained net sellers on Wednesday, recording a net outflow of $42.90 million. "A jump in international crude prices by approximately 10pc seem to have given the impetus to the market today, with OGDC, PPL and POL trading near cap for most part of the trading session," said an analyst at Arif Habib Ltd. "Institutional buying further boosted the sentiment amid possibility of an announcement of a relief package for construction industry. In anticipation, construction sectors (cement & steel) rallied and hit upper circuits." Gathering 1,336.43 points, the KSE-100 Index jumped past the 30,000 mark to its record its intraday high at 30,842.00. It ended higher by 1,277.09 points at 30,782.66. Among other indices, the KMI-30 Index surged 2,446.87 points to close at 47,812.39, while the KSE All Share Index accumulated 772.79 points, settling at 21,989.20. The overall volumes were recorded at 311.40 million, of which 226.57 million belonged to the KSE-100 scrips. Hascol Petroleum Limited (HASCOL +8.49pc), KElectric Limited (KEL +6.79pc) and Unity Foods Limited (UNITY +7.29pc) topped the volume chart, exchanging 29.54 million, 20.59 million and 19.04 million shares, respectively.

Sectors that drove the index north included banking (+328.00 points), oil & gas exploration (+258.46 points) and cement (+160.49 points).

Among the companies, Oil & Gas Development Company Limited (OGDC +81.44 points), Pak Petroleum Limited (+79.83 points) and Engro Corporation Limited (ENGRO xx points) remained the top contributors to the index.

Adding 8.66pc in its total market capitalization, the refinery sector emerged as the top gainer of the day, with Byco Petroleum Pakistan Limited (BYCO +9.23pc), Pakistan Refinery Limited (PRL +8.90pc), Attock Refinery Limited (ATRL +7.49pc) and National Refinery Limited (NRL +7.50pc) closing with decent gains.

Textile millers seek govt's help as export orders likely to drop 50pc LAHORE STAFF REPORT

Fearing that export orders may drop by 50 per cent in the wake of coronavirus-led lockdown, All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) Punjab Chairman Adil Bashir has demanded the government to freeze the interest cost of loans.

In a news statement issued on Thursday, he also urged the State Bank of Pakistan to issue directions to banks for suspension of interest on the long-term as well as working

capital loans/advances for a period of three months (from April till June).

The Rs100 billion relief announced by the prime minister could be utilised to defray this cost, Bashir added.

He said the government should make arrangements for the deferment of instalments against all loans for a period of one year and issue a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to restart production and protect jobs.”

The APTMA leader also proposed setting up of monitoring committees at district and provincial levels to monitor the produc-

tion activities at mills. Payment of utility bills of the textile industry should be deferred by three months, he added.

Bashir demanded the government to direct the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) for immediate payment of all sales tax refunds of exporters [up to 80pc of the total] within 72 hours of filing such claims.

“In case the lockdown continues beyond one month, the government should share the burden of salaries from funds of Social Security, Employees Old-Age Benefits Institution, Workers Welfare Funds,

and other such arrangements under the control of the government.”

Bashir said major buying chains of textile products namely Inditex Group, JCPenney, Mango, H&M, GAP, Levis, Bed, Bath & Beyond, Nike, American Eagle, and IKEA have already shut their businesses, while many other chains and stores are in the process of closing operations.

“The industry estimates suggest that more than 50pc of orders, which were to be shipped in the next 30 days, have already been deferred or cancelled,” he informed. “It

will add pressure on the cash flow and force many industries to lay off workers especially when there are rampant reports that big buyers are filing bankruptcies.”

In addition to setbacks to exports, he said, COVID-19 has also adversely impacted the domestic commerce due to the lockdown and closing of all shopping outlets.

The APTMA Punjab chief hoped that the government would streamline issues faced by the textile industry without any delay in the larger interests of exports, investment and employment in the country.

Friday, 3 April, 2020

10 FOREIGN NEWS

World food prices decline sharply in March due to pandeMic: un agency ROME

t

AGENCIES

HE United Nations food agency said on Thursday that the world food prices saw a sharp steep in March, due to a drop in demand amid the coronavirus pandemic and a plunge in global oil prices.

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) food price index, which measures monthly changes for a basket of cereals, oilseeds, dairy products, meat and sugar, averaged 172.2 points last month, down 4.3% on February.

“The price drops are largely driven by demand factors, not supply, and the demand factors are influenced by ever-more deteriorating economic prospects,” said FAO Senior Economist Abdolreza Abbassian.

FAO also slightly increased its forecast for cereal production, predicting a crop totalling some 2.721 billion tonnes in 2019, up from a previous forecast of 2.719 billion and some 2.4% higher than the 2018 crop.

FAO’s sugar price index posted the biggest fall, down 19.1% from the previous month. The drop was triggered by a re-

china's shenzhen bans eating of cats and dogs after coronavirus SHENZHEN: The Chinese city of Shenzhen has banned the eating of dogs and cats as part of a wider clampdown on the wildlife trade since the emergence of the new coronavirus.

Scientists suspect the coronavirus passed to humans from animals. Some of the earliest infections were found in people who had exposure to a wildlife market in the central city of Wuhan, where bats, snakes, civets and other animals were sold. The disease has infected more than 935,000 people around the world and killed some 47,000 of them. Authorities in the southern Chinese technology hub said the ban on eating dogs and cats would come into force on May 1. “Dogs and cats as pets have established a much closer relationship with humans than all other animals, and banning the consumption of dogs and cats and other pets is a common practice in developed countries and in Hong Kong and Taiwan,” the city government said in an order posted on Wednesday. “This ban also responds to the demand and spirit of human civilization.” China’s top legislature said in late February it was banning the trade and consumption of wild animals. Provincial and city governments across the country have been moving to enforce the ruling but Shenzhen has been the most explicit about extending that ban to dogs and cats. Dogs, in particular, are eaten in several parts of Asia. Liu Jianping, an official with the Shenzhen Center for Disease Prevention and Control, said that the poultry, livestock and seafood available to consumers were sufficient.

“There is no evidence showing that wildlife is more nutritious than poultry and livestock,” Liu was quoted as saying by the state-owned media Shenzhen Daily. Shenzhen’s initial rules, first proposed in late February, appeared to ban the consumption of turtles and frogs — both common dishes in China’s south. AGENCIES

duction in consumption linked to the virus lockdowns seen in many countries, and lower demand from ethanol producers due to the recent dive in crude oil prices, the Rome-based agency said.

The vegetable oil price index slumped 12%, pushed down by sliding palm oil prices which was linked to a plunge in crude mineral oil prices and growing uncertainty over the impact of coronavirus on the market.

“Oil prices have fallen by more than half during the past month, which catalyzes a large downward impact on biofuels, which are an important source of demand in the markets for sugar and vegetable oils,” said FAO analyst Peter Thoenes. The dairy price index dropped 3%, driven by declining quotations and slowing global import demand for skim and whole milk powders, while the meat index fell by 0.6%.

The cereal price index fell 1.9%, with rice prices bucking the downward trend, rising for the third month running, buoyed by stockpiling spurred by concerns over the pandemic and reports that Vietnam might introduce export bans.

FAO said Vietnam had since downplayed the reports.

While FAO lifted its forecast for 2019 world cereal production, its estimate for 2020 wheat production remained unchanged at 763 million tonnes, close to last year’s record level. “(This) coupled with ample inventories, will help shield food markets from turmoil during the coronavirus storm,” FAO predicted.

Netanyahu re-enters quarantine after Israel health minister contracts COVID-19 JERUSALEM AGENCIES

Israeli Health Minister Yaakov Litzman, a leading member of the ultraOrthodox Jewish community, has tested positive for COVID-19, forcing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to re-enter precautionary quarantine, officials said Thursday.

Netanyahu’s previous quarantine, imposed earlier this week after one of his staffers tested positive for the novel coronavirus, had ended Wednesday night, his office said.

The premier’s new seven-day self-isolation was imposed following his contacts with the 71-year-old Litzman, the prime minister’s office said.

Litzman of the Gur Hassidic sect — whose wife also tested positive — is the most prominent member of the hard-hit ultra-Orthodox community to test positive for the virus that has infected more than 6,200 Israelis.

“Litzman and his wife feel well, are receiving treatment and will be quarantined and supervised,” a health ministry statement said.

The ministry added that its director-general, Moshe Bar Siman Tov, along with other senior officials, will also enter quarantine following contacts with Litzman.

Israeli media also reported that the head of the Mossad spy agency, Yossi Cohen, may also be compelled to self-isolate after having had contact with Litzman, but that information could not be immediately confirmed.

ULTRA ORTHODOX RESTRIC-

TIONS: The rising caseload has spurred Israel to increasingly tighten restrictions, with the latest measures aimed directly at ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities that have resisted social distancing rules.

According to health ministry data, ultra-Orthodox neighbourhoods and cities have become COVID-19 hotspots after leading rabbis had initially ignored and even refuted state orders to close educational institutions and limit synagogue attendance.

Netanyahu on Wednesday said there had been “a very positive change among the ultra-Orthodox public”. He said the ultra-Orthodox, or Haredim in Hebrew, had now “well internalised the danger of the spread of the coronavirus”.

They are “listening to the instructions and behaving responsibly, with full backing from the rabbis,” he added.

In a televised address, Netanyahu said the movement to and from the central Israeli ultra-Orthodox city of Bnei Brak would be reduced “to the necessary minimum”.

The quarantined and sick from Bnei Brak would be taken away to hotels elsewhere in the country, the right-wing premier added.

Netanyahu also told Israelis to wear face masks in public, in a reversal of policy.

“If you do not have a mask, use a scarf or any other face covering that will reduce the spread of the virus to others,” he said.

Prince Harry, Meghan felt ‘exploited’ during their time in the royal family LOS ANGELES AGENCIES

With Prince Harry and Meghan Markle having officially stepped down as senior members of the royal family, the couple moved because they felt ‘trapped’ and wrongfully ‘exploited’ during their time in Britain with the royal family.

A source close to the couple recently came out, claiming that the royal family would “exploit their popularity when convenient.” This led to the pair feeling ‘trapped’ and constrained by their lifestyle, with no choice left by to leave. The insider was quoted talking to the Daily Mail, stating,

CMYK

“They felt that the institution only wanted to trot them out to exploit their popularity when convenient.

Otherwise it wanted to constrain because it was jealous and threatened by their popularity.”

Another confidant of the couple also claimed that the couple “felt the family just couldn’t handle them,” thus “the felt trapped and believed senior establishment figures, including William, were trying to derail them.”

However, there are also reports flooding in which claim that Prince Harry and Meghan blindsided the British monarchy from the beginning. Royal reporter Rebecca English claims “Unknown to anyone, the couple had in fact been ‘plotting’ life outside of Britain.” Not only that, Prince Harry had already informed his royal aids of his plans to leave the royal family shortly after Christmas, even before that news was revealed to the Queen.

95pc of europe’s virus dead over 60 but young not immune, says un LONDON: More than 95 per cent of those who have died of the novel coronavirus in Europe have been over 60 years of age, but young people should not be complacent, the head of the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) office in Europe said on Thursday. Dr Hans Kluge said age is not the only risk factor for getting a severe case of the virus that has put billions under lockdown and upended the world economy. “The very notion that Covid-19 only affects older people is factually wrong,” he said at an online news conference in Copenhagen. “Young people are not invincible.” The comments echoed similar statements from WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. The UN health agency says 10pc to 15pc of people under 50 years of age with the disease have moderate or severe cases. “Severe cases of the disease have been seen in people in their teens or 20s, with many requiring intensive care and some, unfortunately, passing away,” Kluge said. He said recent statistics showed 30,098 people have been reported to have died in Europe, mostly in Italy, France and Spain. “We know that over 95pc of these deaths occurred in those older than 60 years,” he said, with more than half of the dead over 80. Kluge said more than 80pc of those who died had at least one other chronic underlying condition like cardiovascular disease, hypertension or diabetes. “On a positive note, there are reports of people over the age of 100 who were admitted to hospital for Covid-19 and have now — since — made a complete recovery,” he said. AGENCIES

iran, us heat up war of words on iraq despite virus pandemic TEHRAN: Iran said Thursday it “only acts in self-defence” after President Donald Trump warned it against attacks on US troops in Iraq, as a new war of words heated up despite the coronavirus pandemic. Tensions between the arch-foes flared in Iraq where the United States deployed Patriot air defence missiles prompting neighbouring Iran to warn of consequences and demand a US withdrawal. Both countries have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has claimed more than 5,000 lives in the United States and more than 3,000 in Iran. “Unlike the US — which surreptitiously lies, cheats & assassinates — Iran only acts in self-defence,” Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted. “Don’t be misled by usual warmongers, AGAIN,” he said, addressing US President Donald Trump, “Iran starts no wars but teaches lessons to those who do,” he added. Trump warned Iran on Wednesday that it would pay a “heavy price” in the event of further attacks on US troops. He tweeted that “upon information and belief, Iran or its proxies are planning a sneak attack on U.S. troops and/or assets in Iraq.” AGENCIES

Friday, 3 April, 2020

Misbah bats For FUll World test ChaMpionship, eqUal opportUnity Lahore

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Agencies

AKISTAN head coach Misbahul-Haq has called for a "fair and equal" resolution to the World Test Championship when cricket finally resumes even if it means extending the tournament, warning that a shortened competition would fail to give a "true picture" of the standings.

With cricket, like nearly all major sports and activities, forced to a grinding halt because of the coronavirus pandemic, one of the key questions is how to bring the inaugural World Test Championship, which is scheduled to run until June 2021, to an agreeable conclusion. Several series that are part of the Championship have been postponed over the past few weeks, with the scheduling and limited time-frame meaning it is virtually impossible to fulfil all the fixtures before the end date.

"When we finally start moving back to normal life and cricket can resume, every side should get equal opportunities and the tournament shouldn't be shortened," Misbah said in a video press conference. "No matches should be struck off, even if that means prolonging the championship. Every side should get the chance to play all the

games they had scheduled in this cycle.

Otherwise, you won't get the true picture of what the rankings should have actually been and only some teams play all their games. That will disrupt the balance of the tournament. To me, it doesn't matter if this goes beyond 2021 if that's what it will take for everyone to get equal opportunities. That's not a problem."

England's three-match Test series in Sri Lanka and the second Test of Bangladesh's series in Pakistan are among the most notable World Test Championship fixtures to be postponed, but it remains exceedingly likely most, if not all, cricket over the next few months won't go ahead.

That means England's three-match Test se-

ries against West Indies and Pakistan are also in jeopardy, as is West Indies' two-Test series against South Africa.

The seasonal demands of Test cricket mean rescheduling these games before June 2021 is improbable, and if all games in the Championship are to be honoured, extending the tournament would appear to be the only solution. That would mean delaying the start of the second World Test Championship competition, due to start immediately after.

Misbah also spoke about the challenges players faced trying to keep themselves fit while ensuring they stayed home, revealing the coaching staff were monitoring their progress through fitness watches.

"All of our centrally contracted players and those in our wider pool are in complete contact with the coaching staff and the fitness trainer. We send them the training plans that we want them to follow and to keep ourselves in shape to the best of our abilities. We want to ensure when cricket resumes, the physical conditions of our players should be the same as it was before and meets the demands of international cricket. "We have groups online where we check in with players on how they think they're doing. We share plans with them on the exercise regimen to follow even if they

England players opt against pay cut

London Agencies

England's centrally contracted players appear - at this stage - to have declined the offer to accept a temporary pay cut as part of the sport's efforts to combat the challenges set by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tom Harrison, the ECB chief executive, wrote to Tony Irish, his counterpart at the Professional Cricketers' Association (the PCA; the players' union who negotiate pay on behalf of centrally contracted players), on March 29 to broach the subject. ESPNcricinfo has a copy of this letter.

In the letter, Harrison revealed that he personally would be taking a 25% pay cut "for at least three months" as the ECB "confronted‌ the biggest challenge the sport has

known in the modern era." It is understood that other ECB executives have volunteered a 20% pay cut and some staff will be informed on Wednesday morning of a decision to furlough them.

It is unclear how much direct input the players had on the decision, although writing on Twitter, Ben Stokes responded with fury at the suggestion that England's centrally contracted players had personally turned down the request.

While there were some exchanges between the PCA and the players on WhatsApp groups, the PCA stance has remained that pay cuts should only be seen as a last resort. Jos Buttler, meanwhile, is auctioning off the shirt he wore when England clinched the World Cup to raise money for a health service charity.

While the ECB understood they could not compel the players to accept a pay cut, they had hoped they might volunteer one as a "gesture" in an unprecedented crisis. But, after receiving a less than enthusiastic response to the idea, in a media conference on March 31, Harrison said the ECB "are not seeking pay cuts from England players". "In these circumstances," Harrison wrote, "it is my strong belief that a leadership example must be set.

The PCA is yet to receive a proposal from the first-class counties, and will wait for that to arrive before considering it. Irish's most recent public comments stressed the need for collective solutions. Many county players have now been furloughed. While some counties are making-up the full difference between the government contribution and their full salaries, some are not.

There is an additional element of negotiation for centrally contracted players due to the Team England Player Partnership (TEPP), which effectively decides the value of central contracts for international players. Irish is also chair of TEPP. It remains possible that the PCA stance will change but it does seem they have not taken the first opportunity to act in this unprecedented situation.

Coronavirus pause could force global football to change London Agencies

Football has ground to a halt due to the coronavirus pandemic, and the immediate concern is the simple survival of many clubs because of the financial impact, but there is hope that the global game could ultimately emerge better from this crisis.

"We are living through something none of us were used to and which will change us profoundly," Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti told Corriere dello Sport.

Not since World War II has the sport been forced to stop across Europe. The sudden interruption has exposed the deficiencies of a system intoxicated by huge sums of money.

Cutbacks are inevitable in the short term.

"TV money will go down, players and coaches will earn less. Tickets will cost less because people will have less money. The economy will be different and so will football. Maybe it will be better," said Ancelotti.

"As with most things, crisis is an opportunity," football historian and academic David Goldblatt, author of re-

cent book The Age of Football, told AFP, before sounding a warning.

FEwER GAMEs It may also be time to rework the fixture calendar. The fashion for expanding existing tournaments -- like staging a 48-team World Cup and 24-team Club World Cup -- is surely not sustainable.

"It is now high time that we find some rules to say ok, let's get out of this crisis as well as we can, but let's also put safeguards in that manage player loads successfully moving forward," warned Jonas Baer-Hoffmann, general secretary of global players' union FIFPro, as he called for "a much healthier set-up than we what have had lately."

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has acknowledged the calls for change, telling La Gazzetta dello Sport that "we can perhaps reform world football by taking a step back. With different formats. Fewer tournaments, maybe fewer teams, but more balanced."

Goldblatt, meanwhile, believes FIFA need to look again at plans to stage a 48-team World Cup in 2026 all across North America.

don't have access to gym facilities.

"Because we can't practice on the ground, what we can do is make sure we do our homework properly. That goes both for me and the players. We look at the last couple of series we played there and how England played in the last season at home.

We analyse what we can do better so as soon we get the opportunity, we hit the ground running. He did have a few choice words for Sharjeel Khan, acknowledging he had the ability to be an explosive asset in T20 cricket, but expressed disappointment with his fitness levels.

"He has the strike rate you'll need at the top of the order at the World T20, especially against pace bowling on Australian pitches. But I think Sharjeel needs to work harder. He's emerged back onto the scene after such a long time, so the one thing he could have ensured was his fitness, the one thing he could control, was up to the mark.

"If you're serious about making a comeback, the you should have been in perfect physical shape. If he thinks he can come into the side without having made any changes, then selecting him would be an injustice to the other players. I wasn't satisfied to see that at all. Now that there's no cricket, he should be thinking day and night he needs to become super fit."

SPORTS 11

Khabib won't fight in UFC 249 Moscow: Mixed martial arts star Khabib Nurmagomedov said Thursday he would not take part in a UFC card scheduled for April 18, saying he was not prepared to travel amid the coronavirus pandemic. Lightweight champion Nurmagomedov was due to have headlined the UFC 249 event in a bout against Tony Ferguson but said in a post on Instagram he was not willing to leave Russia for the fight. "I understand everything and I'm definitely upset more than you to cancel the fight, probably like all others, I had many plans after the fight, but I can't control it all," Nurmagomedov wrote.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship has already postponed three events after officials were unable to find venues to stage bouts amid restrictions put in place to combat the COVID19 pandemic. The UFC had still not disclosed a venue for the Khabib-Ferguson fight, but president Dana White has spoken of his determination to organise the card. Reports have said the fights were expected to go ahead without fans. Agencies

Friday, 3 April, 2020

NEWS

GlobAl viruS cASeS neAr A Million AS SpAin SeeS record deAthS PARIS

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agencies

ONFIRMED coronavirus cases approached one million around the world on Thursday as Europe reeled from the pandemic and the US prepared for what President Donald Trump warned would be “horrific” days ahead.

The virus claimed thousands more lives in its relentless march across the globe, including nearly 1,000 new deaths in Spain, despite more than half of the planet subjected to some form of lockdown.

And it continued to wreak havoc on the global economy, with Spain reporting its biggest monthly increase in jobless claims on record and the US expected to reveal more massive job losses.

Since emerging in China in December, COVID-19 has infected more than 940,000 people — including at least 500,000 in Europe — and claimed more than 47,000 lives, according to a tally by AFP from official sources.

World Health Organization head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said there had been a “near exponential growth” in new cases over the past five weeks and a doubling of deaths in the past week alone.

“In the next few days, we will reach one million confirmed cases and 50,000 deaths,” he told a virtual news conference on Wednesday, warning that Africa and Latin America needed to be prepared for a wider impact.

‘SLOWDOWN’ IN SPAIN: New figures on infection rates and virus-related deaths would show Thursday whether there were signs the epidemic could be peaking in Europe, where at least 34,000 have died.

Britain and France both reported their highest daily death tolls on Wednesday, but infection rates in Italy and Spain — the two countries hardest hit — were slowing.

Spain said on Thursday it had suffered a record 950 deaths in 24 hours, bringing the total number of fatalities to 10,003.

The number of confirmed cases passed the 110,000 mark, the government said, although the rates of both new infections and deaths continued a downward trend.

“The data show the curve has stabilised” and the epidemic has entered a “slowdown” phase, Health Minister Salvador Illa said.

Spain, the eurozone’s fourth-largest economy, also registered a leap of 302,265 jobless claims last month after imposing a nationwide lockdown since March 14.

The virus has chiefly affected the elderly and those with pre-existing medical conditions, but recent cases have highlighted that it can kill people from all walks of life.

The dead have included a 16-year-old in France, a 12-year-old in Belgium and Ismail

Mohamed Abdullah, 13, in Britain, whose family said the “gentle and kind” boy had no underlying health issues.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson,

himself in isolation after testing positive, announced plans for a massive increase in virus testing after it emerged that just 2,000 of hundreds of thousands of staff in the state-run National Health Service (NHS) had been tested.

US TOLL PASSES 5,000: The United States, which now accounts for almost a quarter of reported global infections, saw its death toll pass 5,000 by the early hours of Thursday, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

Among the latest known US fatalities was a six-week-old baby who was taken to a Connecticut hospital late last week.

“Testing confirmed last night that the newborn was COVID-19 positive,” the state’s Governor Ned Lamont tweeted. “This is absolutely heartbreaking.”

Trump, who was criticised for initially playing down the virus but has stepped up containment efforts in recent days, warned that the situation was going to get much worse.

“We’re going to have a couple of weeks, starting pretty much now, but especially a few days from now, that are going to be horrific,” he said.

“But even in the most challenging of times, Americans do not despair. We do not give in to fear.”

Saudi Arabia imposes 24-hour curfew in Makkah, Medina RIYADH: Saudi Arabia on Thursday declared a 24-hour curfew in all parts of the holy cities of Makkah and Medina cities as part of measures to stem the spread of the coronavirus. "The 24-hour curfew will be imposed in all parts of the cities of Makkah and Medina, with a ban on entry and exit from both cities," the Saudi Interior Ministry said on Twitter. The curfew starts from Thursday “until further notice.” All commercial activities inside the residential neighborhoods of the two cities were also prohibited, except for pharmacies, food products stores, gas stations and banking services, the ministry said. The announcement comes amid uncertainty over Hajj which is due to take place at the end of July, after authorities this week urged Muslims to temporarily defer preparations for the annual pilgrimage. The holy cities were earlier under a 15-hour daily curfew. Moreover, the local authorities had already banned people from entering and exiting the cities as well as prohibiting movement between all provinces. Saudi Arabia, which has reported the highest number of infections in the Gulf, is scrambling to limit the spread of the disease at home. On Thursday, the health ministry said that the deaths from the illness had risen to 21 while 1,885 infections were reported. Last month, Saudi Arabia had suspended Umrah over fears of the coronavirus pandemic spreading to Islam’s holiest cities. Saudi Arabia’s Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud has also warned of a “more difficult” fight ahead against the virus, as the kingdom faces the economic double blow of virus-led shutdowns and crashing oil prices. agencies

COVID-19 may shrink global economy by 1pc: UNDESA SAYS DEVELOPING COUNTRIES AT RISK OF STEEP ECONOMIC DECLINE NEW YORK agencies

The global economy could shrink by up to one per cent in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and may contract even further if restrictions on economic activities are extended without adequate fiscal responses, according to analysis released today by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA).

The DESA briefing finds that millions of workers are at risk of losing their jobs as nearly 100 countries close their national borders. That could translate to a global economic contraction of 0.9 per cent by the end of 2020, or even higher if governments fail to provide income

support and help boost consumer spending.

According to the forecast, lockdowns in Europe and North America are hitting the service sector hard, particularly industries that involve physical interactions such as retail trade, leisure and hospitality, recreation and transportation services. Collectively, such industries account for more than a quarter of all jobs in these economies.

As businesses lose revenue, unemployment is likely to increase sharply, transforming a supply-side shock to a wider demand-side shock for the economy. The severity of the impact will largely depend on the duration of restrictions on the movement of people and economic activities and on the scale and efficacy of responses by national treasuries.

Against that backdrop, UN-DESA is joining a chorus of voices across the UN system calling for well-designed fiscal stimulus packages which prioritize health spending and support households most affected by the pandemic.

“Urgent and bold policy measures are needed, not only to contain the pandemic and save lives, but also to protect the most vulnerable in our societies from economic ruin and to sustain economic growth and financial stability,” said Liu Zhenmin, Under-SecretaryGeneral for Economic and Social Affairs.

Today’s analysis also warns that the adverse effects of prolonged economic restrictions in developed economies will soon spill over to developing countries via trade and investment channels. A sharp decline in consumer spending in the European Union and the United States will reduce imports of consumer goods from developing countries.

Developing countries, particularly those dependent on tourism and commodity exports, face heightened economic risks. Global manufacturing production could contract significantly, and the plummeting number of travellers is likely to hurt the tourism sector in small island developing States, which employs millions of low-skilled workers.

Global polio eradication campaigns suspended for first time in 30 years NEW YORK: The COVID-19 pandemic has dealt an unprecedented blow to the world’s battle against polio, the head of the global organisation to combat the disease told AFP Thursday after it suspended vaccination campaigns for the first time in three decades.

With the coronavirus marching swiftly across the world and nations imposing strict travel restrictions to slow its spread, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) has announced that its health workers cannot continue their immunisation drives — and warned this risks a resurgence of the poliovirus.

“We’re devastated by the fact that we have to stop the activities for a disease that we were working so hard to eradicate,” said the World Health Organisation’s Michel Zaffran, who heads GPEI. There are only two nations remaining where the wild version of the poliovirus continues to spread — Pakistan and Afghanistan — but a strain that has mutated from the vaccine itself has also caused outbreaks in several nations in Africa.

Immunisation campaigns protect against both wild and vaccinederived outbreaks of the virus, which spreads in areas of poor sanitation and contaminated water and can cause irreversible paraly-

More than three-quarters of Americans are under lockdown, including tens of thousands of prisoners, who were told Wednesday they would be confined to their cells for two weeks.

Officials also shuttered the Grand Canyon to prevent tourists gathering there, and New York announced that outdoor basketball courts would be closed as the city grapples with sky-rocketing infections and a severely strained health system.

JAZZ GIANT MARSALIS DIES: The US Labor Department was due on Thursday to provide weekly figures on first-time claims for unemployment benefits after last week’s report showed a record 3.3 million filed claims.

Economists are warning that US job losses could surge to the previously unimaginable range of 10 to 20 million in April.

The virus and the measures taken to contain it have raised fears of the worst global economic downturn since the Great Depression of the 1930s.

It has also claimed the lives of many high-profile figures, including on Wednesday jazz legend Ellis Marsalis, whose family said the “giant of a musician and teacher” died at the age of 85 after contracting the virus.

sis. Children under five are particularly vulnerable.

POLIO COULD ADVANCE AGAIN: Zaffran told AFP that beyond travel restrictions put in place by governments, the new coronavirus itself was considered too great a risk for health workers and the community to continue vaccination drives.

“Many of these activities have been suspended because they bring people together, they increase the mass gathering effect and also the delivery of the vaccine uses a dropper which could actually get contaminated, either by the recipients, or by the health worker,” he said.

An announcement last week

by GPEI said it would halt immunisations until at least June, but Zaffran said it was impossible to predict when they will resume, with decisions likely made on a country-by-country basis.

In the meantime, a devastating disease that the world had come achingly close to snuffing out will be free to spread.

Zaffran said the group was “extremely concerned” that the poliovirus could now start to advance again within Afghanistan and Pakistan and warned that in Africa it could cross borders into countries currently unaffected. agencies

Moody’s says SBP measures will help Pakistani banks GDP FORECAST REDUCED TO 2.0-2.5PC KARACHI MeiRYUM aLi

Moody’s Investors Service on Thursday said in a new report that the recent measures taken by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) will help Pakistani banks.

The global rating agency’s research arm said that “We expect the measures to mitigate banks' asset-quality deterioration amid less business generation and loan growth in an economic slowdown.”

The measures in question were referring to the SBP cutting the policy rate by 150 basis points from 12.5pc to 11pc on March 23.

Then on March 26, the SBP announced in its relief package for borrowers, that it was to relax the regulatory criteria for restructuring of loans until March 31, 2021. Loans that are rescheduled within 180 days from the due date of payment will not be treated as defaults.

The SBP also reduced the capital conservation buffer (CCB) from 2.5 percent to 1.5pc, allowing banks to lend an additional amount of around Rs800 billion Moody’s rates five Pakistani banks: Habib Bank Limited, National Bank of Pakistan, United Bank Ltd, MCB Bank Limited.

“These banks benefit from high or very high levels of government support, which will shield their credit profiles from impairment of their standalone credit assessments,” said Constantinos Kypreos, senior vice president at Moody’s Investor Service.

The policy rate reduction will help maintain credit growth, which will remain below normal GDP growth, according to the report.

“Lower interest rates on loans will

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also improve borrowers’ repayment capacity, however, the lower rates will reduce net interest margins and diminish banks' earnings,” the report warned. As for the lower CCB, it will support banks' lending activities, but might create a potential asset-quality pressure.

The SBP’s loan refinancing, and allowance for delayed principal payments, “lowers the risk of asset impairment and supports the value of securitised assets over the longer term”.

Additionally, the report noted that the SBP has postponed for two months until 30 August 2020 the preparation of pro forma accounts based on the International Financial Reporting Standard No. 9, which requires full implementation by 1 January 2021.

“The delay supports capital ratios that would be adversely affected by higher provisions if IFRS9 were to have taken effect earlier,” the authors of the report noted.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS: In light of the coronavirus pandemic, the authors of the report also said they expected Pakistan's real GDP growth to slow to 2.0-2.5 percent for fiscal 2020, which ends 30 June 2020.

This is lower than the earlier forecast of 2.9percent.

Consumption of services, which has underpinned growth in recent years, will be adversely affected by the movement restrictions.

The authors of the report were also concerned about Pakistan’s textile sector, which accounts for around 60 percent of exports, saying it has been hit by supply-chain disruptions and a decline of orders. Manufacturing loans, mainly to the textile and food sector, accounted for 62 percent of privatesector loans as of 29 February 2020.