Tuesday, 25 August, 2020 I 5 Muharram, 1442 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XI No 56 I 12 Pages I Islamabad Edition
EConomy on right traCk, imran says as CurrEnt aCCount risEs into surPlus g
After posting a deficit of $100m in June 2020, Pakistan’s current account records surplus of $424m in July 2020
ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT
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rIME Minister Imran Khan on Monday said the country’s current account balance had recorded a surplus of $424 million in July, signalling that the economy was “on the right track”. In a tweet, the prime minister noted that in July last year, the country had a current account deficit (CAD) of $613 million while last month the deficit stood at $100m. He attributed the “strong turnaround” in the current account balance to “record remittances” and “continuing recovery in exports, which rose [by] 20 per cent compared to June 2020”. According to data released by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) last week, the
Pakistan
CONFIRMED CASES:
293,261
LAST UPDATED AT 8:51 AM ON AUGUST 24, 2020 DAY'S DEATH TOLL: NEW CASES:
RECOVERED:
496
DEATHS:
276,829 6,244 SINDH:
128,284 KP:
35,766 AJK/GB:
PM attributes ‘strong turnaround’ in current account balance to ‘record remittances and continuous increase in export volume’
country received record-high remittances of $2.768 billion in the first month of the new fiscal year, following the record $23 billion received during the outgoing financial year. “This [$2.768bn] is the highest-ever level of remittances in a single month in Pakistan,” SBP had said. Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar also lauded the current account surplus for July 2020 in a tweet, recalling that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government had “inherited” a deficit of $2 billion “as a legacy of PML-N [Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz]” government, which was in power until 2018. “remember the current account deficits have led to massive external debt and compromises our independence and security,” he added. In a series of tweets, the central bank
Coronavirus in
9
g
PUNJAB:
96,233 BALOCHISTAN:
12,527
ISLAMABAD:
2,254/2,682 15,515
said, “Pakistan’s current account balance swung into a surplus of $424 mn in July 2020 after posting a deficit of $100 mn in June. This is the fourth monthly surplus since last October, and a significant improvement on the deficit of $613 mn in the same month last year.” The statistics revealed that the current account surplus stood at $424 million in July 2020 as compared with the current account deficit of $613 million in the same month of the last year. The current account surplus may be attributed to record inflows of workers’ remittances in July 2020. In the month under review the workers’ remittances rose to $2.77 billion. This is the highest ever level of remittances in a single month in Pakistan, according to the SBP. The SBP said in another tweet, “Strong turnaround is due to a continued recovery in exports and record-high remittances, with support from several policy and administrative initiatives by SBP and government. Exports sustained strong recovery, with m/m growth of further 19.7% in July on top of 25.5% in June.” The exports also exhibited 6.1 percent growth to $2 billion in July 2020 as compared with $1.88 billion in the same month of the last year. On the other hand the import bill of the country declined by 0.7 percent to $3.68 billion in July 2020 as compared with $3.71 in the same month of the last year. The trade deficit narrowed by 7.7 per cent to $1.68 billion in July 2020 as compared with the deficit of $1.83 billion in the same month of the last year.
PML-N presents white paper to discuss PTI’s ‘incompetence’ g
Shehbaz says inflation caused by govt’s policies has brought common man to the ‘brink of destruction’ ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT
The leaders of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) took turns to criticise Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf’s (PTI) performance over the past two years, while presenting a white paper titled “Destruction of national power” in a press conference on Monday. The opposition party’s top leadership accused the government of ruining the economy of the country through its sheer incompetence and policies that favored the elite. They went on to claim that the people today desire the “old Pakistan”. PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif initiated the criticism after he lashed out at Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government saying that they did not care for the issues of the general public and did not know the basics of governance. “When we talk about the tabdeeli sarkar (regime of change), we do not find anything to ac-
Karachi mayor accuses Sindh govt of hindering progress before bidding farwell g
Waseem Akhtar claims Sindh government wants to 'loot the city' KARACHI STAFF REPORT
Karachi Mayor Waseem Akhtar, in the final press conference of his tenure on Monday, accused the Sindh government of hindering progress in the port city, saying the provincial government did not want any development there. Speaking at the head office of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC), Akhtar said that during his tenure, he wrote thousands of letters to the provincial government, the prime minister and the president but not a single reply was recieved. “Who will take these? Not a single reply was given,” the visibly-emotional mayor said, as he tossed away the papers. “Karachi feeds you and your children. You have set up shop here after coming from different districts. This is Paris for you. I have seen the houses you have purchased in Defence and Clifton. Why are you inflicting torture on the people of the city? I have written thousands of letters. I am not joking, the Supreme
knowledge but sadness and pain in the past two years,” he said, adding that inflation caused due to the government’s policies had brought the common man “to the brink of destruction”. He compared this to the tenure of PML-N under Nawaz Sharif’s leadership that carried out “historic development” and completed projects quickly which resulted in the prosperity of the country. He said that the incumbent government had “ridiculed” the ChinaPakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and levelled allegations against the PML-N, but “not a penny’s worth of corruption could be proven and their plans backfired”.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 05
Wheat, sugar prices to come down soon: Hammad Azhar STORY ON PAGE 03
more inside
Imran underscores importance of resolving Kashmir dispute for regional peace STORY ON PAGE 02
Political resistance movement gaining strength in IOK: FM Qureshi Court (SC) should take notice, the prime minister should do something for this city.” “I am not being dramatic. I have spent the last four years stressed because of the Sindh government and the chief minister,” he added. “They do not want development, not just in Karachi but in all of Sindh. They just want to loot the city,” he said, further commenting that the provincial government had “destroyed” Larkana, Sehwan, Dadu, and Mirpurkhas. Akhtar asked what had they done during the past 12 years. “They are nowhere to destroy this
city. They are dividing it. Someone should question them,” he remarked. He also commented on the chief minister having a lesser mandate than him. “Half the population of Sindh, that is my mandate. My mandate is more than the chief minister and no one answers my letters?” he said. He also said that he was unable to fix his departments over the past four years due to a lack of funds. “If I do not have funds, what will I do? Bring them from home?” he remarked.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 05
STORY ON BACK PAGE
Afghan Taliban delegation arrives in Pakistan to discuss peace talks STORY ON PAGE 02
NA passes bills to fulfil FATF obligations STORY ON PAGE 03
02
Tuesday, 25 August, 2020
NEWS
IMrAN uNDerSCoreS IMPortANCe of reSolvINg KAShMIr DISPute for regIoNAl PeACe ALVI URGES IPU TO PLAY ROLE FOR PROTECTING KASHMIRIS; SANJRANI SAYS PAKISTAN BELIEVES IN DIALOGUE FOR RESOLVING ISSUES IsLAMABAD
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STAFF REPORT
RIME Minister Imran Khan Monday, emphasising the important role of the international community and that of Inter-Parliamentary Union’s (IPU) key strategic priorities in resolving the ongoing conflicts in different parts of the world, underscored the importance of a just resolution of Jammu and Kashmir dispute for durable peace and stability in South Asia. The prime minister was talking to InterParliamentary Union (IPU) President Gabriela Cuevas Barron who called on him during her official visit to Pakistan. The premier highlighted the growing wave of ‘Hindutva’ under the RSS-BJP dispensation, which had emerged as a serious
threat not only for minorities in India but also for regional peace and security. The prime minister also underscored Pakistan’s long-standing support for a political solution in Afghanistan and a positive contribution towards an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace and reconciliation process. During the meeting, the prime minister and the IPU president exchanged views on a wide range of issues related to inter-parliamentary cooperation, Covid-19 pandemic, and regional peace and security. PM Imran appreciated Gabriela’s contribution as IPU president to advance the role of parliaments and parliamentarians and highlighted the role of IPU in facilitating parliamentary diplomacy. He also highlighted the unprecedented global health and economic challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic. The prime minis-
PMD forecasts widespread rains in Sindh after two monsoon systems merge kARACHI INP
The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has forecasted widespread rains in Sindh after the monsoon low over eastern Sindh has merged with the low over Rajasthan in India. “The low-pressure area over Eastern Sindh has merged with the low over Rajasthan. Under its influence, widespread rain and thundershowers with a few heavy falls are likely in Tharparker, Umerkot, Sanghar, Badin, Thatta, Mirpur Khas, Hyderabad, and Karachi districts. While at almost all the places in Sukkur, Larkana, Shaheed Benazirabad, and Dadu districts from August 24 – 26, 2020,” according to the weather forecast. The weather department has forecast mainly cloudy weather with chances of rain and thunderstorms in Karachi with isolated heavy falls. The towns of Mithi, Diplo, Nagarparkar, and other areas in Tharparkar received heavy rainfall today. Several low-lying areas in Mithi and Diplo submerged while four to five feet high water reported on the premises of Taluka Hospital Diplo. Hospital staff shifted patients to safer places in an emergency. Earlier, the met office predicted rain, wind-thundershowers up to 150mm in Karachi and other parts of Sindh from today till August 27. Karachi is expected to receive heavy showers with a thunderstorm on August 25, said the MET office. The PMD has also warned of urban flooding across Sindh including Karachi during the aforesaid time period. Meanwhile, rain/wind-thundershowers are also expected in southeastern Balochistan, northeastern Punjab, upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Kashmir and adjoining areas during the next 12 hours.
Strengthening business ties among people of Pakistan-China top priority: PM IsLAMABAD APP
Urging the Chinese business houses to establish their regional offices in Pakistan, Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that strengthening business to business ties among the people of the both countries is a foremost priority of the government. The prime minister was talking to a delegation of Chinese investors along with Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Yao Jing who called on him on Monday. Welcoming the representatives of leading Chinese companies, the premier said that Pakistan accords great importance to strengthening its relations with China. He assured the Chinese investors that his government will accord highest priority to the provision of every possible facilitation to them. He reiterated that Pakistan and China have a shared destiny. The Chinese investors thanked PM Imran for his personal interest in facilitating Chinese investors and the business community in Pakistan. They expressed satisfaction over business-friendly policies of the present government especially in improving ease of doing business. Speaking on the occasion, the Chinese ambassador said that various reforms introduced at policy and implementation level have enhanced confidence of the Chinese business community and Pakistan is being looked as a major partner in development in the post Covid-19 environment.
QURESHI SAYS INDIA’S ILLEGAL AND UNILATERAL ACTIONS POSE A THREAT TO ENTIRE REGION, SAYS PAKISTAN WANTS PEACEFUL RESOLUTION OF KASHMIR DISPUTE ter noted that the government’s emphasis had been on saving lives, securing livelihoods, and stimulating the economy. “The ‘smart lockdown’ policy and other measures taken by the government had led to a significant improvement in the pandemic situation in Pakistan,” the prime minister said. IPU URGED TO PROTECT KASHMIRIS: President Dr Arif Alvi has urged the world community to take notice of Indian oppression in Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK). The president expressed these views while talking to the IPU president, who called on him on Monday. President Alvi said that the people of IOK are in extreme misery as India has unleashed a reign of terror against the innocent people, which is a clear violation of United Nations (UN) resolutions. He expressed the confidence that IPU would play its role to protect
the rights of the people of IOK. Speaking on the occasion, Gabriela, who is also senator for Mexico, said that her country wants to work with Pakistan to promote closer ties in areas of mutual interest. Both sides emphasised the need to further strengthen bilateral relations in all fields to the mutual benefit of the people of Pakistan and Mexico. The president expressed the hope that the visit of the visiting dignitary to Pakistan would help strengthen parliamentary relations between the parliament of Pakistan and IPU member parliaments. DIALOGUE FOR PEACE: Speaking to the visiting dignitary, Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani said that Pakistan believes in dialogue for resolution of disputes and progress and development. He said that the IPU provides a way of dialogue for member states to resolve their issues.
Afghan Taliban delegation arrives in Pakistan to discuss peace process IsLAMABAD INP
A delegation of the Taliban arrived in Pakistan on Monday to discuss the Afghan peace process with the Pakistani leadership, at the invitation of the Foreign Office (FO). FO Spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhry earlier confirmed the report saying that the “delegation has been invited to Pakistan to discuss the way forward in the Afghan peace process”. Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, in a press conference earlier on Monday, confirmed that he would meet with the delegation on Tuesday. The visit comes ahead of the much-delayed intraAfghan peace talks — which were part of the deal signed between the group and the US in February — and was expected to begin August 20 but got delayed. “A high-level Islamic Emirate [Taliban] delegation led by deputy political chief, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, has
left for Pakistan upon the invitation of the country’s Foreign Ministry to discuss the latest on the peace process, state of Afghan refugees in Pakistan, [cross-border] travel of people, and trade between the two neighbours,” Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen said in a series of tweets on Sunday. The spokesperson added that the delegation will hold talks with senior Pakistani officials about recent developments in Afghanistan’s peace process, relaxation, and facilitation of peoples’ movement and trade between the two neighboring countries, issues related to the Afghan refugees in Pakistan and other related topics. A senior official of Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) told foreign media on condition of anonymity that the Taliban delegation was expected to hold meetings with Pakistan’s civilian and military leadership on Monday. Pakistan is seen as a key regional player in helping facilitate a February
troop withdrawal deal between the United States and the Taliban to begin the process of ending 18 years of war. The agreement was intended to quickly lead to talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government but became mired in delays. TALIBAN PRISONERS BEING RELEASED: Prospects of peace in Afghanistan after 19 long years of war brightened earlier this month when Kabul started releasing 400 Taliban prisoners who were described by President Ashraf Ghani as a “danger to the world.” Earlier, a group of 80 prisoners was released, the spokesperson for the National Security Council, Javid Faisal had said, adding that it would “speed up efforts for direct talks and a lasting, nationwide ceasefire”. The release of the 400 militants was approved by a gathering of thousands of prominent Afghans called by Ghani after the authorities initially refused to free the militants.
Hub Power Company signs MoU with govt’s IPPs negotiation committee News Desk The Hub Power Company Limited (HUBC) on Monday notified the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) that the company and a committee for negotiations with Independent Power Producers (IPPs) formed by the federal government have executed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). According to the MoU, fixed Operations and Maintenance (O&M) costs will be reduced by 11 per cent while the existing arrangement of US dollar exchange rate and US
Consumer Price Index (CPI) on the fixed O&M will remain unchanged. Under the MoU, the mechanism for payment of outstanding receivables to HUBC will be reflected in the final agreement which will be signed later. Moreover, the terms of the MoU are subject to the approval of the HUBC Board of Directors and the federal cabinet, prior to the execution of a final agreement between the parties. According to reports, the MoU will expire in six months, however, major progress is expected in two to three months.
The Senate chairman said that Pakistan is striving for regional peace. He said that it is the common agenda of Pakistan and IPU to make the journey of progress pleasant. He also said that the prevailing circumstances provide vast opportunities for enhanced communication. He added that institutional support will have to be advanced using modern technology. He said that conflicts like IOK are a constant reminder to double the efforts for lasting peace, security and betterment of humanity. Sanjrani, highlighting human rights violations by the occupation Indian troops in occupied territory, said that peace and development are linked. He added that global peace and development can be attained when special attention is given to vulnerable groups within the poor and destitute. ‘INDIA JEOPARDISING REGIONAL PEACE’: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, while talking to the IPU president, who along with her delegation called on him at the Foreign Office (FO) on Monday, said that Indian Hindutva ideology and unilateral illegal actions in IOK pose a threat to the entire region. Qureshi said that Pakistan wants a peaceful resolution of Kashmir issue in light of United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions. He said that unarmed civilians of IOK have been facing Indian atrocities in the form of curfew for the past one year. The foreign minister urged the IPU and international community to come forward to give innocent Kashmiris their legitimate right, right to self-determination and save them from Indian tyranny.
NAB arrests Sindh local government secretary KARACHI: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Monday arrested Sindh Local Government Secretary Roshan Ali Shaikh and other suspects for their alleged involvement in a case pertaining to illegally leasing out 265 acres of Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) land in Malir. The senior civil servant was arrested from the Sindh High Court (SHC) after it rejected his request to extend the duration of his pre-arrest bail petition in the case. He was granted interim pre-arrest bail in January last which was subsequently extended. The court, during the hearing of a case, remarked that Shaikh and nine other suspects had been involved in the illegal allotment of land and misused their authority as government officials. The court noticed that the suspects had caused a loss to the national exchequer and should, therefore, be arrested immediately for further action against them. The court also issued orders for the arrest of Ghulam Mustafa Phul, former secretary of the land utilisation department (LUD), former Karachi administrators Fazlur Rehman, former Karachi commissioner Shoukat Hussain Jokhio and others The subject land was originally allotted to the KMC in 1960 for the purpose of setting up wool washing tanneries, but KMC officers illegally issued 276 leases for industrial purposes in connivance with a private person, Muhammad Shoaib, who was arrested by the anti-graft bureau and various official records were retrieved from his residence. KMC directors who are among the suspects have been accused of issuing an authorisation letter for execution of leases in the area of the proposed wool washing tanneries to allow the officers concerned execute leases on behalf of the corporation despite knowing neither any allotment was issued nor any auction was held in respect of the subject lands. STAFF REPORT
20 more buses inducted in BRT Peshawar’s fleet PesHAwAR INP
More than twenty buses have been inducted in the fleet of Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) Peshawar project on Monday to facilitate masses. With the latest induction, the number of buses in BRT Peshawar has now reached 90. The decision has been taken by the authorities after seeing an influx of passengers. Feeder routes of Hayyatabad have been made functional while more routes will be operational within two to three months, the authorities said. On August 13, Prime Minister Imran Khan had inaugurated the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) flagship project, the BRT. The BRT Peshawar project has been built at a cost of around Rs70 billion. About 340,000 common people will enjoy safe, comfortable, and affordable
travel in luxury buses on a daily basis. The BRT is a 27.5-kilometer-long main corridor track with 31 stations, besides seven feeder routes of a total of 62 kilometers with 146 stops to facilitate hundreds of thousands of passengers every day. Work on the bus project was launched in Oct 2017 by the then chief minister, Pervez Khattak, who set a sixmonth deadline for its completion at a cost of Rs49 billion. However, the project suffered delays due to the frequent design changes and other issues, pushing up the project cost. FEEDER ROUTES OF BRT GO OPERATIONAL: Feeder routes of BRT were made operational by the Trans Peshawar on Monday to bring passengers from the suburb areas of Peshawar to the main stations of BRT. Initially, 12-meter-long buses will start operation in Hayatabad and surrounding areas. The operation is aimed at
connecting people of the whole city, who are hiring rickshaws and taxis to reach BRT stations. Several phases of Hayatabad are not connected with BRT main station and these buses will provide transport facilities to the passengers from Phase VII, Phase VI, and Phase II of Hayatabad to the main station. BRT Spokesperson Alamgir Bangash said that the route of Feeder Bus Service will start from the Mall of Hayatabad and through Basharat Market will lead to BRT station, Phase VI terminal. The second route will be from Karkhano Market via Industrial Estate to Phase VII terminal. He said that the third route will be from Mall of Hayatabad through Baghe Naran and Haji Camp to Phase VII terminal. He added that the provision of the best possible travel facility to people was the top priority of the department. Bangash said that the buses would
run with an interval of five minutes duration to pick up the passengers from different areas of Peshawar. “Initially 25 buses will operate from Hayatabad only while the number will be increased as per the demand of the passenger,” he added. Bangash further said the problem of the people living in the far-flung of the city would be resolved when all the feeder routes would start functioning in different stages. In order to maintain cleanliness at BRT, station administration had also imposed a ban on the use of ‘Naswar’ and other narcotics. The decision was taken to maintain the clean environment of the BRT stations, several people were caught redhanded while using narcotics in BRT station and were fined on the spot. Similarly, sharp edge cutting items had also been banned while traveling in BRT.
Tuesday, 25 August, 2020
NEWS
WheAt, SugAr PrICeS to CoMe DoWN SooN: hAMMAD AzhAr IsLAMABAD
I
STAFF REPORT
NDUSTRIES & Production Minister Hammad Azhar said on Monday that prices of wheat and sugar would come down as soon as imported wheat and sugar arrives in the country. Addressing a press briefing along with Information & Broadcasting Minister Shibli Faraz, he said after the arrival of imported wheat and sugar in the country, the hoarders who were storing the commodities would also start releasing their stocks in the open market, which would lead to a further reduction in the prices of wheat and sugar. He said the price of sugar was already on the decline after the reports of the commodity being imported. The minister maintained that the Pakistan Tehreeke-Insaf (PTI) government was striving hard to put the country's economy on the right track. Taking a dig at the previous governments, Hamad Azhar said the two ruling families had looted the state money during their tenures, putting the economy on the verge of default. "The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government had committed criminal acts by dragging the country's economy to a situation from where recovery was nearly impossible, but it was the PTI government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Imran
Karachi mayor accuses Sindh govt of hindering progress before bidding farwell KARACHI: Karachi Mayor Waseem Akhtar, in the final press conference of his tenure on Monday, accused the Sindh government of hindering progress in the port city, saying the provincial government did not want any development there. Speaking at the head office of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC), Akhtar said that during his tenure, he wrote thousands of letters to the provincial government, the prime minister and the president but not a single reply was recieved. “Who will take these? Not a single reply was given,” the visibly-emotional mayor said, as he tossed away the papers. “Karachi feeds you and your children. You have set up shop here after coming from different districts. This is Paris for you. I have seen the houses you have purchased in Defence and Clifton. Why are you inflicting torture on the people of the city? I have written thousands of letters. I am not joking, the Supreme Court (SC) should take notice, the prime minister should do something for this city.” “I am not being dramatic. I have spent the last four years stressed because of the Sindh government and the chief minister,” he added. “They do not want development, not just in Karachi but in all of Sindh. They just want to loot the city,” he said, further commenting that the provincial government had “destroyed” Larkana, Sehwan, Dadu, and Mirpurkhas. Akhtar asked what had they done during the past 12 years. “They are nowhere to destroy this city. They are dividing it. Someone should question them,” he remarked. He also commented on the chief minister having a lesser mandate than him. “Half the population of Sindh, that is my mandate. My mandate is more than the chief minister and no one answers my letters?” he said. He also said that he was unable to fix his departments over the past four years due to a lack of funds. “If I do not have funds, what will I do? Bring them from home?” he remarked. He talked about how in the past four years, he had not bought a car, nor let anybody else buy one. “I saved money,” he said. Akhtar also lashed out on the prime minister for sending the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to the city to help with the situation after the monsoon rainfall. “The prime minister saw two men drowning [in the city] on TV and sent the NDMA. STAFF REPORT
Khan, which had put the economy back on the path of development," he claimed. Azhar said in June 2018, Moody's rating agency had downgraded Pakistan's economy due to the wrong policies of the PML-N government, adding that all international credit rating agencies were now forecasting the outlook of Pakistan's economy as stable. He informed that the current account deficit of Pakistan was reduced from $2 billion per month to a surplus of over $400 million in July 2020. "We also renegotiated the terms and conditions with the independent power producers for the betterment of the power sector." He informed that during the previous regime, over 200 spinning mills were closed but now all of them were running on full capacity. On Covid-19, he said the government had left no stone unturned to ensure that the country’s economy did not fall astray. He said the sale of utility stores had increased by seven times, and that it would come out of operational losses during the current fiscal year. The minister further informed that the government had recently launched a Bus Rapid Transit Project (BRT) in Peshawar to reduce pollution and solve traffic issues of the city. "It is the best ever facility given by the government in the history of Pakistan under which the people of Peshawar are getting full benefits on af-
Buzdar orders tight security for Muharram gatherings, processions LAHORe TLTP
fordable rates." He said the launch of Sehat Insaf Card for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) was also a golden chapter in the history of the country. "For the first time, the entire population of a province is going to be covered through this health insurance scheme and the credit for this landmark achievement goes to the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan," he asserted. "In contrast, the past governments did nothing for the welfare of the poor and the underprivileged." Speaking on the occasion, the information minister said new agreements were being inked with IPPs that would enable the government to purchase cheap electricity from private companies. He said that the past governments had failed to protect the rights of consumers by signing expensive power contracts, adding that it was not possible to undo such contracts unilaterally. He informed that the government was encouraging renewable energy which would ultimately help ease dependence on petroleum fuel and reduce the cost of electricity production.
NA passes bills to fulfil FATF obligations IsLAMABAD TLTP
The National Assembly (NA) on Monday passed four bills aimed at fulfilling the obligations of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) to bring the country out of grey list. Speaking on the occasion, Babar Awan said that they would not tolerate any hindrance over legislation on matters pertaining to the national interest. He further offered the opposition to sit together to bring more transparency on the role of authority tasked to make arrests under the law. Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Accountability Shahzad Akbar said that they have made an amendment to the anti-money laundering bill, passed in 2007, in order to get Pakistan out from the grey list of the FATF. “We took opposition parties into confidence over every amendment and accepted their proposals for bringing improvement in the bill,” he said. Speaking on behalf of the opposition parties, former prime minister and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) lawmaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf said that they had proposed certain amendments in the bill especially regarding its section 10. “We are against the power of arrest in the
bill,” he said, adding that such powers could give anyone the authority to make arrests without prior approval of arrest warrants. He said that under the law, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) is tasked to deal with anti-money laundering cases. “Even the apex court has termed the NAB’s performance as unsatisfactory,” he said while terming it a black law and opposing its passage from the NA. All the amendments moved by the opposition were rejected by the majority of the House. The bills moved by Prime Minister’s Advisor on Parliamentary Affairs Dr Babar Awan included; The Limited Liability Partnership (Amendment) Bill, 2020, The Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2020, The Anti-Money Laundering (Second Amendment) Bill, 2020, and The Islamabad Capital Territory Waqf Properties Bill, 2020. The Limited Liability Partnership (Amendment) Bill, 2020, and The Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2020, will ensure compliance with FATF’s recommendations on anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism by strengthening existing laws. The Islamabad Capital Territory Waqf Properties Bill, 2020, is aimed at proper management, supervision and administration of Waqf properties in the capital territory.
Pak-Afghan border fencing to solidify security, peace: COAS RAwALPINDI STAFF REPORT
Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa visited troops busy in consolidation operations along PakistanAfghanistan Border in Dawatoi sector, North Waziristan. COAS said that Pakistan is committed to peace and stability, and for this it is playing its part by solidifying border security and capacity enhancement of Frontier Corps (FC) and law enforcement agencies (LEAs), said the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Monday. Appreciating the tribal people for their unflinching support in fighting terrorism, the COAS said that peace has largely returned to the region, however it would take collective efforts of the local population, civil administration and LEAs to retain the hard-earned normalcy. “We have to remain vigilant and steadfast to thwart hostile attempts to create
chaos and reverse the gains of Operation Radd Ul Fasaad,” COAS concluded. The recent consolidation operations along Pak-Afghan border ensured effective area domination of some inaccessible pockets of land which were being sporadically used by terrorists as hideouts to target local populace and security apparatus in the rear areas. More than 90 improvised explosive devices (IEDs) were recovered during the course of operations. Fencing of this arduous stretch of border terrain would commence shortly. Security forces have active control of the last remaining stretch of international border now in North Waziristan. This would further enhance security of public in both North and South Waziristan and strengthen checks over illegal crossing of Pak Afghan border. The COAS was also briefed on complementing border security management measures particularly progress of fencing along the complete Pak-Afghan border.
Educational institutes to reopen after coronavirus is over: Shafqat Mahmood IsLAMABAD TLTP
Federal Minister for Education Shafqat Mahmood on Monday announced that the government plans to reopen educational institutes in the country as soon as the coronavirus pandemic is over. We have an inter-provincial meeting of education ministers on September 7, he said while responding to a call attention notice at the floor of the National Assembly and said that the government is going to open schools from September 15. Shafqat said that they had given an incentive of lowering school fee by 20 per cent during the pandemic. “We also issued directives to the provinces
to implement upon the decision,” he said adding that if parents would not pay school fee then it would become difficult for the educational institutes to pay salaries to teachers and other concerned staffers. He said that coronavirus has badly hit schools’ sector and they are mulling over to announce a special package for them from Prime Minister Imran Khan. “The schools could also take advantage of the relief package announced by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP),” he said. Earlier on August 21, Shafqat had said that a final decision to reopen schools that were closed in March to prevent the spread of coronavirus would be taken at an interprovincial education ministers’ conference on September 7. He had said that the Ministry of Health
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would devise standard operating procedures (SOPs) for educational institutions to follow to prevent the spread of the virus. Schools would reopen from September 15 given that the coronavirus situation improves, he added. Lamenting that the pandemic took a heavy toll on the education sector, Shafqat said that he mobilised the forum of the interprovincial education ministers’ conference to deliberate issues related to education. According to a Gallup survey, he said, seven to eight million children have been getting education through the Telechool, an educational television channel, launched by the prime minister in April to make up for academic losses suffered by students due to closure of education institutes.
Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar has ordered the law-enforcement agencies to provide foolproof security to all gatherings and processions during Muharram-ul-Haram while ensuring implementation of standard operating procedures (SOPs) related to coronavirus. The chief minister issued these directions while chairing a high-level meeting on Monday. During the meeting, the chief minister ordered police to ensure proper security for all gatherings and mourning processions during Muharram-ul-Haram. Earlier in the day, the Punjab health department declared an alert for the government hospitals during Muharram-ul-Haram. In a circular, the health department has canceled leaves of doctors, nurses, paramedics, and other staff of government hospitals. The provincial health authorities have also directed teaching hospitals’ administrations to take necessary steps to meet any emergency situation and ensure the availability of life-saving medicines and keeping operation theaters in working condition. The staff of hospitals’ emergency departments have been directed to remain alert until the 10th of Muharram (August 30). The hospitals have also been instructed to keep additional staff on duty in emergency departments on the 9th and 10th of Muharram. Punjab health department had also issued the SOPs aimed to prevent the spread of Covid-19 during the Muharram gatherings and processions.
PIA fired more than 760 staffers for fake degrees: minister IsLAMABAD STAFF REPORT
Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan on Monday revealed the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) management sacked as much as 760 of its staffers including 17 pilots for holding dubious or fake degrees. Speaking to reporters in Taxila, the minister said that licenses of the pilots holding fake degrees were also revoked. The process to terminate the employment of PIA staff charged with possessing fake degrees was initiated last year when the national flag-carrier had fired some 467 of more than 700 staff members who had possibly submitted fake academic documents during their inductions. The airline had at the time also refused to accommodate the instructions from the Senate Standing Committee on Aviation to show leniency and hand down less severe punishments to the staff.
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Tuesday, 25 August, 2020
NEWS
Afridi lAuds KAshmiri journAlists’ resilience AgAinst indiAn stAte terrorism ISLAMABAD
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STAFF REPORT
ARLIAMENTARY Committee on Kashmir Chairman Shehryar Khan Afridi on Monday extolled the journalist fraternity of Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK) for their resilience and courage to speak truth to the power despite intimidations by the fascist Indian regime. Afridi was speaking to a group of journalists from IOK working in Pakistan. The Kashmiri media delegation comprised of Mohammad Ashraf Wani, Ghulam Nabi
Baig, Rais Ahmed, Hilal Ahmed, Shabbir Hussain and Zahoor Ahmed Sofi. On the occasion he congratulated Kashmiri photojournalist Masrat Zahra for winning the prestigious Peter Mackler Award. He said that although Indian regime has lodged a case under anti-terrorism charges against Masrat but the brave journalist has defied all odds to report and reflect the ground situation. Afridi also showered praises on other Kashmiri journalists, including Mukhtar Khan, Dar Yasin and Channi Anand, who won Pulitzer Award recently and said that while the world was acknowledging the
signal the authorities’ attempt to curb the right to freedom of expression. Harassment and intimidation of journalists through draconian laws such as UAPA has created an atmosphere of fear and reprisal, he added. Afridi said that the journalists working in occupied Kashmir are unsung heroes who defying Indian occupation are telling the world the truth about Kashmir. “Gowher Geelani and Masrat Zahra were slapped terrorism charges (UAPA) for reporting facts about Kashmir. Another journalist Qazi Shibli was arrested only for highlighting facts about a fake encounter in Shopian,” he said. Journalist Asif Sultan has been under
work of the Kashmiri journalists, Indian regime was trying its best to gag the Kashmiri media to hide the war crimes being committed by Indian forces in the occupied Kashmir. Afridi said that dozens of Kashmiri journalists have been summoned to police stations and criminal investigations department of the local police in a bid to harass them. He said that such attempts are not only designed to criminalize independent journalism but also seek to muzzle whatever remains of the freedom of the press in a besieged Kashmir. He further said that the First Information Reports (FIR) against journalists in Kashmir
Loan default: Court gives Sharif cousins last chance to appear LAHORE: A banking court on Monday expressed resentment over the cousins of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif for failing to appear in a case against them for allegedly defaulting on bank loans. Judge Munir Joya warned that the accused persons’ identity cards, passports, and bank accounts will be blocked if they do not appear in court in a personal capacity. For the last ten months, they have been getting the case adjourned through their lawyers without showing up, he observed. Adjourning the case until September 7, the court ruled that it is giving Shahid Shafi, Tariq Shafi, Javed Shafi, Ali Pervaiz and Ibrahim Tariq a last chance to appear before it. A lawyer, who represented different banks, stated that the case was instituted against the accused persons for allegedly defaulting on loans worth Rs700 million obtained for Ittifaq and Kashmir sugar mills. It was submitted that the former premier’s cousins were served multiple notices by the banks to pay back the loan but to no avail. The court, therefore, was requested to order action against them as per relevant laws. INP
illegal detention for around two years for writing a piece on Burhan Wani, he added. “There are dozens of journalists who are being summoned by counter-intelligence department of Jammu and Kashmir Police on daily basis and they are forced to reveal their sources. This is all just to pressurise the journalists not to report facts about ongoing genocide in Kashmir,” he further said. Afridi said that fascist Indian regime must understand that the targeting of Kashmiri journalists would not work and rather this fascist approach would provide more courage and energy to the Kashmiri journalists to bring facts to the fore. He urged the world journalist organisations like Committee to Protect Journalists, International Federation of Journalists, International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, Journalists Without Borders and other world organisations to take cognisance of the harassment of Kashmiri journalists and take action to put an end to media curbs in IOK.
Sindh to register madaris as schools through education department KARACHI INP
The Sindh government on Monday announced that it has decided to register all madaris (religious schools) in the province as educational institutions. According to the spokesperson for Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, the decision was taken at a meeting of the apex committee of the provincial government in light of the National Action Plan and other related issues. Briefing the meeting, the Sindh police chief said there were 8,195
religious schools in the province. The committee members subsequently decided that all religious schools in the province would be regularised as educational institutions by the Sindh Education and Literacy Department. According to former Pakistan Madrasah Education Board chairman Dr Aamir Tuaseen, almost all madrasahs in Sindh are registered under Section 21 of the Societies Registration Act 1860, but hundreds of unregistered seminaries are also operating across the province. In 2016, the Sindh Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) had
drafted a “Deeni Madaris Act”. The draft was the first-ever proposed law on the registration of madaris in Pakistan. The proposed legislation was aimed at creating a formal mechanism for registering, regulating and facilitating religious seminaries in the province, according to a report in a local news outlet. The madaris regulation bill was one of the major components of the National Action Plan devised by the centre to counter religious extremism in the country. Sindh had been the first province to start the process of registering madaris.
Techstirr commits revenue towards educating deaf children in Pakistan KARACHI PRESS RELEASE
Techstirr (Pvt) Ltd, a leading global technology company, has signed an a Memorandum of Understanding MoU on Aug 21st in Karachi with Family Educational Services Foundation (FESF) to help donate towards educating deaf children in Pakistan. With offices globally around New York, London and Dubai, Techstirr is now making its mark in Pakistan by opening its office in Karachi, Pakistan. Techstirr CEO recently met up with Ministry of IT and presented the companies grand plans to digitise every business in Pakistan. Speaking on the occasion, Director of Marketing Waleed Khan stated, “Our main aim is to create value. The biggest value proposition we have to offer as people is to give back to our community. Pakistan has over 1 million deaf children, out of which only 50,000 can get an education. This leads to over 950,000 kids who will have no future due to lack of education. These kids just speak a different language than us, sign language.” “I am pleased to announce that we have committed a percentage of our revenue towards educating deaf
Karachi madrassa teachers get bail in torture case KARACHI INP
A local court on Monday granted post-arrest bail to two madrassa teachers arrested in a case related to inflicting torture on minor students. The court approved the bail for Qari Ali Syed and Qari Muhammad Fareed with directives for them to furnish surety bonds of Rs10,000 each to secure their bail. The accused were taken under arrest the other day following a video showing one of the suspects beating up a minor female student with a stick at the religious seminary went viral, eliciting strong reaction with social media users demanding their arrest.
children, by donating to Deaf Reach. Any sale made by our company in Pakistan this will be applicable for, and this is a big benefit for our clients to also contribute towards such a noble cause” said Khan. Deaf Reach Programme Founder/Director Richard Geary mentioned, “Our 7 Deaf Reach Schools, Training Centers, and colleges across Pakistan are meeting the needs of education for the deaf community. For the past 3 decades the Deaf Reach Programme has improved the lives of over 5,000 students and their families by providing academic and skills training programs leading to employment and self-reliance.
Tuesday, 25 August, 2020
94.4Pc coronavirus Patients have recovered; nine more die ISLAMABAD
a
TLTP
lMoST 94.4 percent of patients have recovered from coronavirus in the country, according to the latest statistics issued by the National Command and operation Centre (NCoC) on Monday. The tally of recoveries has reached 276,829 after the recovery of 993 patients over the last twenty-four hours. There are now 10,188 active Covid-19 cases in the country, said NCoC. A total of 496 new coronavirus cases surfaced in the country after tests of 23,655 people over the last 24 hours, bringing the number of confirmed infections in the country to 293,261. Nine new deaths have also been reported during this period, bringing the number of fatalities to 6,244. A total of 1,163 patients are under
PUNJAB REPORTS ZERO DEATHS ON THIRD CONSECUTIVE DAY treatment at 735 hospitals across the country, 115 of whom are struggling for their lives on ventilators. More than 2.4 million tests have been conducted thus far. SIX MORE DIE OF COVID-19 IN SINDH: The government of Sindh reported 172 new coronavirus cases and six associated deaths over the last 24 hours, pushing the number of infections in the province to 128,456 and fatalities to 2,373. Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said that as many as 7,426 samples were tested during this period, out of which 172 turned out to be positive. 266 more patients recuperated from the disease, he added. He said that 122,181 Covid-19 patients have recovered across the province thus far while 3,902 are under treatment in various hospitals, 37 of whom are critically ill and
struggling for their lives on vents. of the total 172 new coronavirus cases, 76 were reported in the port city, CM Murad said. ZERO COVID-19 DEATHS IN PUNJAB FOR THIRD CONSECUTIVE DAY: The government of Punjab on Monday reported 55 new coronavirus cases over the past 24 hours, taking the total number of confirmed cases across the province to 96,233. According to the Punjab Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department, no death related to the contagion was reported in the province for the third straight day. As many as 874,784 samples have been tested for the presence of Covid-19 thus far. Whereas, the number of people recuperating from the infection has surged
to 91,161. The number of people who died of the disease in the province stands at 2,188. The Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department requested people to continue taking precautionary measures to keep the virus at bay until it is completed weeded out. A day earlier, the Punjab government had imposed micro smart lockdown in small neighborhoods of three cities for a period of fourteen days to prevent the spread of deadly coronavirus that has affected over 96,000 people and killed 2,188 across the province. The cities where localities have been sealed include lahore, Rawalpindi, and Gujranwala. More than a dozen areas have been locked down in these cities, including lahore’s 12 areas that reported 28 cases of late. As many as 19,538 residents of the provincial capital will be under lockdown.
PML-N presents white paper to discuss PTI’s ‘incompetence’ contInUeD fRoM pAge 01 He said that today sugar was being sold at over Rs100 per kg and was even imported regardless of the fact that the government had allowed exports previously to benefit certain people. He mentioned that for the first time in 72 years, there was a shortage of wheat in the country even though the harvesting season had no ended, questioning where the millions of tons of wheat that was collected by the government went. “They should know where it went [and was] smuggled to,” he said. Shehbaz further added that the “biggest shock” to the public was when petroleum prices were raised even though the prices were very low internationally. Additionally, he said that the electricity prices were raised as well to control the circular debt, but they have gone beyond the reach of the common man, he added. “Enough electricity exists in the country but load-shedding is still ongoing due to this government’s worst incompetence,” the PMl-N president alleged. Shehbaz said that despite the devaluation of the rupee by around 40 percent, no rise in exports was seen and this was the second time in the history of the country for the GDP growth to have gone down below 0, to -0.4pc. He additionally claimed that the total loans received by the incumbent government in two years equaled all the loans taken during the three tenures of PMl-N. “The ‘NAB-Niazi nexus’ has scared
away the whole investment community from Peshawar to Karachi with its allegations,” he said. Shehbaz also accused the government for ending the provision of free medicines to the patients in dire need of it in Punjab. “They [the government] are surrounded by the elite, they are present in the cabinet. Nobody can question them,” he said. He added that while nobody opposed accountability, “the whole nation is watching the witch-hunting being done in the name of accountability and pushing the opposition to the wall. People are yearning for old Pakistan.” listing what he called the government’s “faux pas” on the foreign policy front, Shehbaz said that the government had dismayed China through its comments on CPEC. Commenting on Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi’s remarks regarding Saudi Arabia’s role to raise the issue of occupied Kashmir, he said that they were “so inappropriate they left the mind in shock”. The country is nosediving despite the unprecedented support the selected government received,” the PMl-N leader said. “Was that Pakistan better or this?” He said that the opposition had extended a hand of cooperation to the government, but the latter had readily spurned it. “Now they need to show results. Saying ‘I will not give NRo’ would not feed people,” Shehbaz concluded. Senior PMl-N leader Khawaja Asif highlighted the government’s alleged failures in the foreign policy domain.
He called the annexation of occupied Kashmir by India and the genocide of Muslims being carried out in India, Pakistan’s “biggest foreign policy failure” in the last two years. “They [government] have done treason with the blood of the martyrs. Kashmiris are praying for Pakistan’s help. This is an abject failure,” he alleged. “They called us a friend of [Indian Prime Minister Narendra] Modi during our last two years [and] they themselves became a facilitator of [Indian spy] Khulbushan Jadhav,” he added. The former foreign minister said that the government could have taken its grievances to the organisation of Islamic Cooperation (oIC) but stated that the body has become “dysfunctional”. “They (oIC) do not even call a ministerial-level meeting on your request,” Asif said, accusing the government of having failed to further the foreign policy in the region. “Pakistan [today] stands alone; its friends are not ready to hold its hands due to these unreliable people and because of the foreign policy flip-flop.” LOSSES IN ENERGY SECTOR: Former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, meanwhile, spoke about the government’s shortcomings in the energy sector. He mentioned that the country’s circular debt stood at Rs1,026 billion at the end of the PMl-N tenure in 2018 while it had now reached, Rs2,200 billion. It meant the PTI added nearly 1200bn to the debt in two years while the PMl-N added Rs462 bil-
lion in five years, Abbasi added. He said the government was focused on “lying” while Pakistan’s circular debt and liabilities were increasing by Rs1.2 billion on a daily basis. Abbasi said bills collection which the PMl-N government had taken to 94 per cent had now fallen back to 80 per cent while transmission losses from up from 18 per cent to 19 per cent. Noting that gas prices had been raised by “141 per cent”, the former premier noted that the country’s two main gas companies had both “gone bankrupt” despite rising prices. “This government’s incompetence in the energy sector has caused losses of thousands of billions,” he said, hinting on corruption in ministries. Shortly after the PMl-N leaders wrapped up their press conference, Information Minister Shibli Faraz and Minister for Industries and Productions Hammad Azhar held their own conference in Islamabad to respond to the claims made by the opposition. Addressing the media, the information minister said that the PMl-N’s comments seemed “hollow” and lacked “substance” for the government to give a detailed response. He added that it was, however, their responsibility to address some of the things they said so that the reality can be presented to the people. “Shehbaz Sharif has spoken as though he has come from another country. The reality is that they are responsible for all the things that they mentioned,” he said.
NEWS
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PPP leader's indictment deferred in assets case SUKKUR STAFF REPORT
The accountability court of Sukkur on Monday deferred the indictment of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Syed Khursheed Shah in the assets beyond means case against him. During the hearing, the counsel for the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) requested the accountability judge Farid Anwar Qazi to defer the indictment as more evidence has been gathered against the former National Assembly opposition leader and other suspects including, his two wives and children. Accepting the request, the court adjourned the hearing till September 8. Speaking to reporters outside court, Shah said that the antigraft agency has failed to register reference against him despite the passage of 12 months and vowed to fight corruption charges levelled against him. The agency had arrested the PPP leader in September last year in a case regarding his alleged assets beyond means. Shah, however, has distanced himself from the properties which the bureau attributed to him, saying that these properties belonged to someone else and he had nothing to do with them.
Karachi mayor accuses sindh govt of hindering progress before bidding farwell contInUeD fRoM pAge 01 He talked about how in the past four years, he had not bought a car, nor let anybody else buy one. “I saved money,” he said. Akhtar also lashed out on the prime minister for sending the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to the city to help with the situation after the monsoon rainfall. “The prime minister saw two men drowning [in the city] on TV and sent the NDMA. PM Sahab, you should come here yourself. This city is responsible for your budget. Nothing can be done by sitting over there. Come and fix the city, nothing is achieved by forming committees,” he said, referring to the new body formed for the city’s betterment. Previously, on August 10, Akhtar had informed reporters that his tenure was ending on August 28 and that he did not foresee local government elections to be held anytime soon. Four days later, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari made a formal announcement that his party’s government in Sindh would control the administrative affairs of Karachi following the completion of the term of the elected local governments, hinting at possible local government elections. last time, the PPP, which has been ruling Sindh for the past over 12 years, took five years to hold the local government elections across the province — that too on the orders of the Supreme Court (SC) — in 2015 after the dissolution of the then district government system in 2010.
LSE survey highlights impact of Covid on Pakistan’s exports An LSE survey
t
neWS DeSK
HE coronavirus pandemic reached Pakistan in March 2020 and like many others, the government responded with a series of lockdowns to limit the spread of the virus. The Innovation Technology Center (ITC) at lahore School of Economics conducted a survey of exporters in June 2020 to measure the impact of the pandemic on export performance during the last few months. The sample size for this survey was 130 firms and the sampling frame consisted of exporters from Karachi, lahore, Sialkot and Faisalabad. The majority of the surveyed exporting firms were from the textile sector while most of the other firms were sports and surgical goods exporters. The firms in the textile sector and the sports goods sector were mostly medium sized firms whereas the majority from the surgical goods sector were small firms. Below are some of the findings from the survey. Falling export volumes mostly compensated for by higher unit prices: Export values did not change for a majority of respondents during the pandemic, with 58pc of exporting firms reporting no change in their export value over the last
three months. However, export volumes have fallen overall dramatically because of the global pandemic with 75pc of firms reporting a fall in their export volumes. This relative stability in export values, with falling export volumes, was the result of an increase in average price with 26pc of firms reporting an increase in the average price per unit of their exported good during the pandemic. 30pc of small exporters were forced to halt exports during the pandemic: A majority of the firms in the survey reported that the value of their exports remained constant. Decomposing this result by size, we see that almost two-thirds of the medium sized firms and about half of both small and large firms reported that their export values did not change during this three-month period. At the same time, there were still firms that reported a decrease in export values: almost 14p c of small firms, 11pc of medium firms and 16pc of large firms reported a decrease in export values. Some firms were able to take advantage of changes in demand and increase the value of their exports: 8pc of small firms, 22pc of medium-sized firms and 29pc of large firms reported an increase in export value from March to May 2020. What is especially interesting is that
while a significant number of firms reported that their export values stayed relatively constant, but there were still significant changes in export volumes. In particular, 82pc of medium sized firms reported that their export volumes fell, while both small and large firms reported 74pc declines in their export volumes. Finally, there were firms that were forced to stop exporting over the threemonth period; this was a particular problem for small exporters where almost 30pc of small exporting firms were forced to stop exporting altogether during this three-month period. 27pc firms exporting to UK experienced a fall value: There were four primary export destinations reported by the firms, namely, USA, UK, Europe and Asia. Europe was the most popular destination with almost half of the firms reported Europe as their main export destination. Exporters to the UK experienced the most significant fall in export value (with 27pc of firms reporting a fall) while almost 9pc of exporters to the US reported falls in export values. Also, almost 11pc of firms exporting to the US reported that they stopped exporting during the pandemic. Exporters to Asia reported the most significant increases in average price per unit (with almost 50% of
CMYK
these exporters reporting an increase) while 45pc of exporters to the UK reported higher prices. The export values for Pakistani exporters to the UK exporters fell despite higher unit prices because export volumes to the UK fell more than the increase in the average prices of exported goods. Exporters facing falling demand: Eightytwo per cent of firms surveyed reported lower demand for their products due to the pandemic. This fall in demand has had the greatest impact on the sports goods sector, with almost 88% reporting a decrease in demand for their products. The textile exporters reported an 83pc decrease in demand while the surgical exporters reported a 66pc fall in demand for their goods. However, the textile sector has been relatively proactive with 19pc of textile exporters switching their production to new products; these new products were mostly Covid-19 related and comprised PPE goods and masks. Export destinations also played a role in determining fall in demand: 81pc of exporters to the UK reported a fall in demand while 86pc per cent of exporters to the US and 70pc of exporters to Asia faced lower demand. Firms were also asked what impact certain government policies had on their exports
during the pandemic. Forty-four per cent of firms stated that depreciation negatively impacted their exports during the pandemic, while only 16pc reported a positive impact of the depreciating rupee on their exports. Conclusions: The coronavirus pandemic has led to negative economic consequences in most countries and Pakistan is no exception. The lSE survey of exporters has found that firms did not report significant changes in the value of their exports which is a promising sign for Pakistan’s economy. Decreased demand and decreased export volume is a concern, though at the moment this has been balanced by higher prices of exported goods. There is room for improvement in terms of the support the government can offer to exporters during this turbulent time, though exporters were generally satisfied. But it is important to note that exporters were weary of further currency depreciation. Nonetheless, the future of Pakistani exports is not only dependent on how the pandemic impacts Pakistan, but how the pandemic impacts the export destination countries as well. So, while the value of Pakistani exports has not changed dramatically during the pandemic so far, falling global demand has the potential to hurt future Pakistani exports.
Tuesday, 25 August, 2020
06 COMMENT
Geopolitical analysis, Pakistani style
Sinking under weight of incompetence PTI needs to strengthen Parliament
A guide for the uninitiated
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few telephone calls by former PM Nawaz Sharif to opposition leaders have led to alarm bells ringing in government quarters. Meanwhile questions are being raised even in PTI circles why the federal cabinet allowed the former PM to go abroad for treatment, thus giving him a virtual NRO. Unable to answer the questions, Advisor on Accountability Shahzad Akbar told a journalist to contact the Agriculture Department for the answer. In a late-night tweet Mr Akbar had to clarify that his statement did not refer to any national security institution and apologized if it had hurt any individual or institution. Those who had helped the PTI come to power were assured that with Mr Khan ensconced as PM his admirers among the expatriates would donate billions of dollars at an appeal from him, he reluctant tax dodgers would rush to pay back their dues that they had held back for decades and those holding black money would voluntarily declare their assets. Thus, every institution would get more funds than it had the capacity to spend. When the PM’s vision was found to be no more than a hallucination, this must have disappointed some of his backers. Soon there were other reasons to worry about. There were statements by important PTI functionaries that denigrated the CPeC, sending a wrong message to China. More recently the FM castigated Saudi Arabia and the OIC. In between there was the unguarded statement by Aviation Minister that damaged the reputation of Pakistan’s pilots and led to a ban on PIA flights to many countries. There are some in PTI who believe there is more to Mr Sharif’s phone calls than meets the eye. While this might be no more than conjecture, this has led to a lot of hullabaloo about getting Mr Sharif extradited. having failed to bring back Mr Ishaq Dar and a number of others related to the Sharif brothers, Mirza Shahzad Akbar is looking for someone else to bell the cat, maybe the IhC or the NAB. The best way for the PTI to complete its fiveyear tenure is however to develop working relations with the opposition, take important issues to the NA and make the Parliament strong.
HASAN AFTAB SAEED
T
he UAe-Israel peace deal has brought the Armageddon back into people’s living rooms, thanks to our analysts. Not that they had ever let the public forget it completely but in normal circumstances even the greatest eschatologists among them are forced to content themselves with the analysis of petty national politics, which – let’s face it – is infinitely more boring in comparison. At best they are compelled to make do with Ghazwa-e-hind, which though exciting is frankly no match for the prospect of death and destruction on a global scale. The journalists who specialize in the end Times have a field day when anything of even nominal importance takes place in the Middle east, like the recent peace deal. All sorts of delicious apocalyptic happenings can then be predicted and looked forward to – things that are gobbled up by their audiences. Of course, eschatology-based geopolitical analysis was not invented by us. We have made it a point never to invent anything, and we have been awfully successful at it. What we do however is adopt things invented by others; and sometimes we manage to make them our own. A brief review of history is in order. From their interpretations of the Old Testament, the Jews first had this idea about one final war where the righteous (the Jews, of course) were going to be victorious. The Christians essentially inherited this idea, making the
Surviving FATF review Blacklisting would be a disaster
Upholding the oath taken by Judges SAlmAN muNir
“I
am ashamed the law is such an ass” appears in George Chapman’s play “Revenge for honour” written in 1654. however, this phrase gained popularity in Charles Dickens’s Oliver Twist in 1838: “If the law supposes that, the law is a ass—a idiot.” Both the law and the english language have changed over time. Perhaps except for the fact that one party, the one that loses a case, always thinks that the law is an ass. While the party that wins, is all praise for the courts and the country’s justice system. Consider the saying of emperor Justinian that “Justice is the constant and perpetual wish to render to everyone his due.” Thus justice essentially means to be just, to be fair. That is the duty of the courts to ensure to be fair and thus help governments in keeping peace by punishing crime and resolving civil disputes so people do not take matters into their own hands. That the law and order is maintained. The idea of justice contains two basic rules, also called the Rules of Natural Justice, which simply mean: everyone is entitled to a fair trial and must be allowed to speak in his defence; and that the judge must be impartial. The Magna Carta, article 40 says “To no one will we sell, to no one will we refuse or delay, right or justice.” While most systems in the world try their best to uphold the rules of natural justice it is generally the second part where they go wrong, if at all. So in my view it is the duty of the courts to keep the second part intact through it’s hierarchy. The Chief Justice of any Supreme Court is required to devote his/her energy to the substance of its decisions along with the mechanics of the Court and the supervision of the subordinate judiciary. Unfortunately, during this century, the Supreme Court of Pakistan has witnessed some of its Chief Justices who became preoccupied by the grandeur of the position and lost focus on the essential duties of the court. They neglected their duty towards judicial reforms, training for judicial officers so essential to impart fair decisions, and most importantly the recruitment process of hiring the best available talent as judicial officers. The United States’ Supreme Court comprises just nine justices including the Chief Justice. William h. Rehnquist, the sixteenth Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court died in September 2005 and was succeeded by John G. Roberts Jr. as the seventeenth
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not say the last part out loud; so, in the US it is quite an exercise in care and caution. Not that the Jews are unaware of what is going on; but smart people that they are, they know that wishes could hardly harm them. Besides, they believe they have the original story according to which they will be the victors. On this count, the Pakistani eschatologists enjoy a distinct advantage over their US counterparts. With nobody except Muslims in their audience, they can be blunt about the process as well as the result. With any development in the Middle east, they can claim with impunity that the realization of Greater Israel has come one step closer. They know that their audiences are not very keen on Greater Israel (as a matter of fact they are not huge fans of the current-sized Israel either), but they also know that they appreciate that as a necessary step toward the larger good at the end. But keen observers of human psychology that they are, they also realize that their audiences also need something here and now. To make it more palatable for them in the present, they predict with exemplary chutzpah the impending collapse of this country or the imminent fragmentation of that one. And whatever the development, they are smart enough to point out how some prophetic narration or the other has come true with its coming to pass. Also, they are apt to tell their listeners how Pakistan’s geostrategic location has just become even more important. For good measure, they also announce the advent of a new bloc (often reproduced ad-nauseum on the social media as ‘block’ by their passionate fans) in which Pakistan is sure to play a pivotal role. Our eschatologists have a profitable thing going, and they have earned every bit of their popularity.
Many of the fundamentalist Christians have this curious love affair with Israel. They cheer every development that makes it stronger in the hope that it will be destroyed as per the predictions. But they dare not say the last part out loud; so, in the US it is quite an exercise in care and caution.
Hasan Aftab Saeed is a connoisseur of music, literature, and food (but not drinks). He can be reached at www.facebook.com/hasanaftabsaeed
The law and a sense of duty
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AKISTAN is up for review by the FATF (Financial Action Task Force) in October with preliminary meetings reportedly starting at the beginning of next month. If the country is found to be still noncompliant on 13 of the 27 major action points that remained unfulfilled in the previous review, it will most likely be placed on the dreaded blacklist by the global money laundering and terrorist financing watchdog. Owing to the Coronavirus the meeting that was scheduled to be held in China in June got postponed, providing much needed time to prepare a presentable case for the FATF. Thankfully, with the pandemic having died down significantly in the country, FATF-specific legislation has been passed in the past few weeks while more militant organisations have been banned. The government has prepared eight bills to be passed in both the lower and upper houses to move Pakistan into the whitelist from grey list where it has been since 2018. Of these, so far, three have been passed with opposition parties also reluctantly supporting the legislation and its purpose. The list of outlawed organisations that has been maintained since 2001 and contains 77 names, has been expanding since 2013 with the very significant addition of Jamaatud Dawa (JuD) and Falah-i-Insaniyat Foundation (FIF) was made last year under the PTI government. For decades such groups had been allowed to freely operate and even contest general elections while there was enough evidence to outrightly ban them and cease their assets, which is what has finally happened owing to FATF pressure. Banned organisations have a tendency to re-emerge under different names, making them difficult to track. Law enforcement authorities must therefore remain vigilant and monitor blacklisted outfits to restrict any such activity. FATF-specific legislation will remain meaningless unless the new laws are implemented by the relevant institutions and authorities. Going forward, if Pakistan is able to avoid being blacklisted by presenting a reasonably good case in front of the FATF, the momentum to stop money laundering and terror financing that has so far been generated out of necessity should not be reduced.
Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad
necessary changes here and there in interpretation. Ironically, they most often cite the Book of Revelation, a book that has not always been thought very highly of when it comes to its place in the scripture – not least by Martin Luther, the initiator of the Protestant Reformation. For when he translated and published the New Testament, he put this book at the back as an appendix. he famously said that the Book of ‘Revelation’ revealed nothing. It soon made its way back as one of the books of the Bible, but the point is that the information contained in it has been doubted (as revelation) in the highest quarters. The Quran too is devoid of any reference to the Armageddon as it is told by many Muslims today, and this fact must have disturbed the early Muslims no end when they realized that they had no answer to the stories told by the Jews and the Christians. Not for long however, because very soon they had also developed an extensive narrative regarding the end Times, which was more or less the same as that of the Christians (the return of the Christ and everything) – only the identity of the winning and the losing groups conveniently switched. eschatology-based geopolitical analysis is a very old and influential genre in the United States. Many conservative journalists are ‘informed’ in their political analysis by a certain narrative of how things will pan out near the end Times. Amy holmes was famously put on the spot by Bill Maher when she referred to that very narrative of the happenings in the last days of history conspiring to help create a great Jewish homeland. ‘What happens next, Amy?’ Maher asked repeatedly, without managing to elicit anything more than a sheepish smile from holmes. ‘They all get killed, don’t they?’ he finally answered himself. Many of the fundamentalist Christians have this curious love affair with Israel. They cheer every development that makes it stronger in the hope that it will be destroyed as per the predictions. But they dare
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Chief Justice on September 29, 2005 at around age 50. Chief Justice Rehnquist was obsessed with getting through the Court’s business and all justices complied with his obsession out of respect and a little fear. One of the obsessions was to start the business of the Court on time no matter what. On one Sunday in the winter of 1998 Washington D.C. was hit by a freak snowstorm which deposited some 21 inches of snow on the ground. The city historically dealt pretty badly with even small amounts of snow so the Federal Government was shut down the following day (Monday). But the Chief Justice thought that the Court should never give in to such elements and ordered Monday arguments to proceed as planned and that jeeps be sent to the homes of justices to bring them to work. The roads were impassable, however, justices conceded to this and one of them, Antonin Scalia, had to walk almost half a mile in waist deep snow to get to the jeep that already had another passenger, justice Anthony M. Kennedy. Worried that they might be late and the business of the Court might be delayed Antonin Scalia said to the driver of the jeep “By the powers invested in me, I authorize you to run these lights!” however, Anthony M. Kennedy warned “Nino, we do not have the power to run a red light”. They were still able to reach the Court at 9.30 with a half hour to spare. Another court car went to fetch Stephen G. Breyer and Ruth Bader Ginsburg who lived near each other. Ruth Bader Ginsburg had decided to wear a long skirt and high heels and found it difficult to walk in snow to get to the car. The driver of the car had to lift the tiny justice in his arms and brought her to the car. (Later Ginsburg wrote a letter of recommendation
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for this driver’s admission to law school.) except for David h. Souter all other justices were on time and the business of the Court commenced as scheduled at 10.00. Chief Justice Rehnquist made no mention of the weather and proceeded with the case of an injured railroad employee with the judgment written by Justice Clarence Thomas. Remember that this was the time when Clinton v. Jones was also pending hearing before the Supreme Court in which Supreme Court some days later held that a sitting President of the United States of America has no immunity from civil litigation against him/her. We can take the following lessons from this short story: 1. The first responsibility of a judge and the court is towards dispensation of justice, without delay, fear or favor. Come hail, come storm, come snow the courts must function. 2. The first duty of the lawyers is similar to that of the judge-assistance to the court for dispensation of justice, without delay or legal rigmarole or personal excuses. 3. Justice for ordinary people takes precedence over anything else. 4. In a civilized society, even a sitting judge of the Supreme Court is not empowered to break the stop light. This is a whole mindset towards upholding the constitution, upholding the oath taken by judges and the lawyers, the rights of the little guys and doing what is required of you without any delay, fear or favor. The time is always right to do the right thing.
The Chief Justice of any Supreme Court is required to devote his/her energy to the substance of its decisions along with the mechanics of the Court and the supervision of the subordinate judiciary. Unfortunately, during this century, the Supreme Court of Pakistan has witnessed some of its Chief Justices who became preoccupied by the grandeur of the position and lost focus on the essential duties of the court.
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Salman Munir is a management consultant and innocence lawyer. He can be reached at as1236m@gmail.com
Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk
Tuesday, 25 August, 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
Need for libraries JIM Rohn has said, “ Reading is essential for those who seek to rise above the ordinary” and the place known best for reading is a library. Unfortunately, Turbat being one of the most developed cities of Balochistan lacks libraries. Reading is not just the source of information but also the tool to shape character and mend the mindset. In entire Turbat, only one library is there which also lacks books and proper management. Balochistan lags behind in every facilities including education. We need knowledge to rise above the ordinary. We demand for proper libraries in Turbat to face no hardships on the path of knowledge. Afroz MJ TurbAT
Acid throwing
Israeli-Arab Alliance An inevitability
Dr AloN BEN-mEir
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he peace agreement between Israel and the UAe lays the foundation for a future Israeli-Arab alliance, which has been quietly developing behind the scenes over the past several years. I believe that over a relatively short period of time, such an alliance will emerge, eventually including nine Arab States: the UAe, Bahrain, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, egypt, and at a later date, Kuwait, Qatar, and the Palestinians, creating a crescent of land extending from the Gulf to the Mediterranean. Such a new alliance will more than likely also include Sudan, Morocco, and other Arab states, and will decisively change the geostrategic dynamic in the Middle east. It has been long since the Arab states ruled out military confrontation with Israel, not only because Israel is militarily formidable and is an unshakable reality with whom they have no direct conflict. To the contrary, they view Israel as a regional nuclear power that can face off against Iran, their common enemy, which will serve their mutual national security interests. In addition, the Arab states and Israel have become wary of Turkey’s President erdogan meddling in the region to promote his neo-Ottoman agenda. Finally, the Arab states have concluded that they can no longer sacrifice their national interests on the altar of Palestinian intransigence to reach a peace agreement with Israel. The fact that the Arab states have come to appreciate Israel’s extraordinary advances in just about every field of science and the benefits from that which they have already been gaining during the last decade, also played an important role in the transformational process that will give birth to the alliance. The impacT on iran’s fuTure regional design: I believe that Iran’s decade-long threats against Israel and the Gulf states was the main cause behind the Israel-UAe deal, which will likely lead to the establishment of an alliance in the near future. An alliance’s implications for Iran would be of historic proportion. Iran has for many years been trying to consolidate its own ‘crescent’ from the Gulf to the Mediterranean, through Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon. Iran will soon face an impenetrable parallel crescent of an Israeli-Arab alliance with a formidable military power that includes nuclear weapons in the hands of the Israelis. Unlike the emerging alliance in which every country will have a high stake and will be resolute to maintain and strengthen it, conversely Iran’s presence in Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon is tenuous at best. In
Iraq there is a growing movement that wants Iran out of the country, and the Iraqi government does not seem to be inclined to suppress it. In Syria, Iran is under a constant Israeli assault while Russia does not want Tehran to deeply entrench itself in the country. Lebanon is in turmoil; although hezbollah exerts immense political influence in the country, the group does not want to confront Israel militarily and remains at the mercy of Iran, whose economy is battered and supply chain of military hardware is regularly attacked by Israel. All the same, the Lebanese government has no quarrel with Israel and given the likely emergence of the Israeli-Arab alliance, Lebanon, including hezbollah, will have to recalibrate their political standing in the face of this likely new emerging reality. Iran understands the implications of the Israeli-UAe peace deal and all Rouhani musters to state is that “They [the UAe] better be mindful. They have committed a huge mistake, a treacherous act. We hope they will realize this and abandon this wrong path.” Iran will face two choices: a) continue its aggressive policies by supporting extremist radical groups, and maintain its efforts to subvert the Gulf states while pursuing the development of nuclear weapons and suffering from the continuing sanctions and an Israeli military and cyber onslaught; or b) accept the new developing reality, curb its nuclear ambitions and agree to enter into new negotiations with the US, salvage its economy, and prevent a regime change, which is front and center in their concerns. Iran will certainly test the grounds first before it changes its posture to ascertain the extent of and speed with which the new emerging alliance will blossom, what will be its military components, and the degree to which the US will be involved. Tehran may well show more restraint in the coming months and will likely opt for the second option to save its economy from a total collapse and preserve the regime, especially since the alliance, once in place, will severely impede its hegemonial ambitions and force it to abandon its strategy of confrontation. a game changer for The palesTinians: As a new alliance emerges, it will have serious implications on the Palestinians. From the time the Israeli-egyptian peace treaty was signed in 1979, through the 1993 Oslo Accords and the Israeli-Jordanian peace treaty in 1995, to the introduction of the Arab Peace Initiative in 2002, the Palestinians missed every opportunity to reach a peace agreement with Israel based on a two-state solution. The Arab states’ decades-long backing of the Palestinians began to gradually erode as they realized that they have become hostage to the Palestinians’ recalcitrance, and were no longer willing to sacrifice their national interests by supporting a ‘lost’ cause. Regardless of the fact that the Palestinians have intensely criticized the UAe-Israeli peace
agreement – with Senior Advisor Nabil Abu Rudeineh saying “the Palestinian leadership rejects and denounces the UAe, Israeli and US trilateral, surprising announcement” and that the deal is a “betrayal of Jerusalem, Al-Aqsa and the Palestinian cause” – they see the writing on the wall. The longer they wait to resume peace negotiations with Israel, the less support and backing they will receive from the Arab states and the weaker their position will become, especially since further annexation of Palestinian land has not been permanently removed from the table, from the perspective of the powerful Israeli extreme right constituency. President Abbas will now be under increasing pressure from the eU and the Arab states not to miss yet another critical opening to engage the Israelis. he must seize the opportunity to reopen negotiations with Israel while they have paused annexation as part of their agreement with the UAe. especially considering the fact that Bahrain and Sudan are in the process of negotiating a similar deal with Israel, which must likewise freeze further annexation, this is the opportune time for Abbas. Otherwise, he stands to lose further grounds and scuttle, perhaps permanently, the prospect of establishing a Palestinian state. hamas too will have to rethink its position, as the significant mounting loss of the Arab states’ backing will become increasingly more acute over time. The sooner it enters into a new peace negotiation with a longterm Hudna (ceasefire) as an interlude to reaching a permanent peace agreement separately or together with the PA, the better off it will be. hamas will also realize that they will no longer be able to rely on either Iran or Turkey for financial and political support once the alliance is in place. Notwithstanding the fact that Trump and Netanyahu played an important role in putting the deal together, the foundation of this peace agreement was laid several years ago. Trump pushed hard to get it done now, as he is desperate for a win of sorts just before the election. Netanyahu, just like Trump, badly needs to demonstrate his statesmanship at this time, not only because of the prospect that his government could collapse any day and he wants a strong record to run on, but also because the clock is running out just before he stands trial on three criminal charges. In the next few months, we will witness how the Israeli-Arab alliance is shaping up. Thanks to Iran, one thing is clear—the alliance will become an irreversible reality because under any circumstances, it will serve not only the Arab states’ collective national security interest, which is first and foremost in their mind, but the promise of security, prosperity, and peace.
Iran understands the implications of the Israeli-UAE peace deal and all Rouhani musters to state is that “They [the UAE] better be mindful. They have committed a huge mistake, a treacherous act. We hope they will realize this and abandon this wrong path.”
Dr Alon Ben-Meir is a professor of international relations at the Centre for Global Affairs at NYU. He teaches courses on international negotiation and Middle Eastern studies. alon@alonben-meir.com
WOMeN face a plethora of problems and acid attack is one of them. Acid throwing has been one of the most hazardous issue for women which hampers them to live without hesitation. Mostly, women have been victims of acid attack when they repudiated proposals of marriage from men. Furthermore, family issues are also the major causes of acid attacks. however, in this modern world where education have spread awareness in every corner of the global, still some people have failed to understand the consequences of acid throwing. Acid throwing not only destroys one’s skin but also the life and dreams. Unfortunately, there were such multiple cases when women have endured acid attack , and they had lost joy for rest of their lives. I strongly urge to the government to apply brakes on acid attack so as to provide women a secuire environment. fArAhnAz fArooq AhMEd TurbAT
Learning to learn IT’S genuinely insightful that which sort of instruction we are providing for our new age. Also it’s not notwithstanding developing the brain of students. Numerous understudies really confront numerous difficulties identify with learning procedure and they don’t know how to learn really and they simply rely upon oral learning. I am not master but rather I have instructed in college understudies and couple of recommendations are really mean it trust so you would execute it. Learning is really a moderate procedure it’s not bit of cake that you will get and eat it. At times learning resembles a piece of your identity. Whatever the dialect is english or Urdu you need to acclimate with the dialect. be that as it may, the fundamental issue which student looked by being powerless english they need to give much time to english by good quality and student can likewise take assistance from online courses. Some of the time taking a course is very troublesome so you can experience publications from daily paper and keep word reference with you initiate your routine with no less than 30 minutes. Besides whatever you read attempt to exact in your own words and offer at some point to composing. Make an underlying stride with little sentences and move with longer ones and bear in mind to do conceptualizing no less than 30 to 40 minutes before composing a piece. When you watch films keep pen and journal in your grasp endeavor to pen down some imperative subtitle on your note pad and utilize while talking. endeavor to duplicate a few writers too that your focuses can converge with scholars on the off chance that you are simply summarizing it implies it’s not your own particular words you are simply replicating. Compose your own particular things what you are considering. Four abilities frantically needs your concentration.you can learn at any age. ShAMin huMAyun Mirpur KhAS
Tolerance TOLeRANCe is not the ability to wait, but the ability to have a good attitude while waiting. Whoever is gifted with patience, is always successful and appreciated. A person who accepts or tolerates trouble without getting furious will always have the sweet fruits. Besides, getting angry and unacceptable manners won’t only destruct our behavior but also destroy our health. Anger is a dreadful ethic that will effect our personality too. Sri Chinmoy quoted,”Inner compassion and out tolerance can easily make a new world.” Tolerance changes us into a better person and shapes our personality as well . It leads us to our destination. A great example of being patient is our beloved holy prophet Muhammad pbuh. While he was spreading Islam, the nonmuslims acted with a cruel manner towards him. They even threw Stones and dirt on him along with putting throne in his way, but he was still patient and his patience extended Islam. Due to his tolerance and patience people became inspired and they embraced Islam. history is filled with examples about great personalities who tolreated and got a successful life. Thus, Tolerance is key to success. MAhinA SAghEEr TurbAT
Interlocking mud-bricks KP Government is facing some issues with some hydro projects, where the project is completed but not connected to the grid. KP Government should use this opportunity to allow setup of hydraulic press Bricks industries near the project and provide cheap electricity to them. This industry uses high pressure created by electric powered hydraulic press to manufacture bricks from mud, without the need for heating. Mud bricks are better quality than current baked bricks, while they also allow buildings to remain cool in Summers. They can be manufactures in designs that allow interlocking increasing building earthquake resistance many folds. On regular electricity rate the manufacturing of mud bricks is expensive than baked bricks, but with reduced rates they can become cheaper than baked bricks. ShAhryAr KhAn bASEEr p Engr pEShAwAr
Tuesday, 25 August, 2020
08 WORLD VIEW
The world's greaT powers will soon face off in lebanon THE US IS LOCKED IN A STRUGGLE WITH CHINA AND RUSSIA OVER IRAN, AND THE PLAYING FIELD IS NOW MOVING TO BEIRUT
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RAN has long been fault line in the politics of great power rivalries, and now it is increasingly so. China and Russia have been investing in the country based on their own calculated desires for the region, but also in the context of their respective rivalries with the US. This, however, does not stop them from being deeply concerned about the costs that could come with their investments in the form of US sanctions targeting Iranian interests. A new flashpoint of the wider tension, however, is in Lebanon. Russia, which has
an expensive alliance with Iran in Syria, has declined to take on the same level of involvement in Lebanon. Iranian allies in Beirut – namely, Hezbollah – have therefore eyed eyeing Chinese funds and expertise to restore the city and its port after this month’s devastating ammonium nitrate explosion demolished them. The speediness and lack of conditionality that comes with Chinese support would provide a shortcut for Hezbollah to preempt any other powers stepping in as the city’s saviour and to bring its dominance of Lebanese politics to the level of a monopoly. Iran’s leadership is seizing the period running up to the US presidential elections to consolidate its agenda in Lebanon, Iraq and the wider region by imposing new facts on the ground while Washington is distracted. The distraction may even last until January, should the incumbent, Donald Trump, lose, requiring a transition period until the new president’s inauguration. For Iran, it is an opportunity to consolidate existing alliances or secure new support with Russia and China in arenas like Lebanon, Syria and Iraq. The next two to four months are, therefore, a precious gift that Tehran
cannot afford to squander. As Iran advances in the region, the Gulf states may be less exposed than their other Arab neighbours – not because they are not in Iran’s crosshairs, but because China and Russia have huge trade interests in the Gulf, especially Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Therefore, Moscow and Beijing may help to contain Iran’s designs for the Gulf region. Lebanon, however, will not be so fortunate. There is little incentive for Russia and China to deter Iran’s prospective takeover of the country. The US will object loudly, and while Gulf states will be unwilling to ignore the implications of growing Iranian influence in Lebanon and a potential showdown between great powers there, there will be a limit to how much they would want to wade in. At the UN Security Council, the greatpower battle now revolves around a “snapback” of comprehensive international sanctions against Iran. The sanctions would be triggered by Iranian non-compliance with the nuclear deal Tehran signed with former US president Barack Obama and European powers in 2015. On Thursday, the US formally initiated Security Council proceedings
Is the almighty dollar slipping?
Project Syndicate NOUrIeL rOUBINI
The recent sharp depreciation of the US dollar has led to concerns that it may lose its role as the main global reserve currency. After all, in addition to the US Federal Reserve’s aggressive monetary easing – which threatens to debase the world’s key fiat currency even further – gold prices and inflation expectations have also been rising. But, to paraphrase Mark Twain, reports of the dollar’s early demise are greatly exaggerated. The greenback’s recent weakness is driven by shorterterm cyclical factors. In the long run, the situation is more complicated: the dollar has both strengths and weaknesses that may or may not undermine its global position over time. Chief among the short-term negative factors is the Fed’s ultra-loose monetary policy. With the United States monetizing ever-larger budget deficits, the Fed’s approach looks more accommodative than that of most other major central banks. The dollar tends to weaken during risk-on episodes, and vice versa. That is why its value peaked during the February-March panic over COVID-19, and then weakened from April onward as market sentiment recovered. Moreover, the Fed’s activation of currency swap lines with other central banks eased the dollar illiquidity that had been pushing the exchange rate higher earlier in the crisis. Now, a flood of global dollars is putting downward pressure on the greenback. Moreover, some developed countries (in Europe and elsewhere) and some emerging markets (such as China and others in Asia) are doing a much better job of containing COVID-19 than the United States is, implying that their economic recoveries may prove to be more resilient. The public-health failures and related economic vulnerabilities in the US are thus further contributing to the dollar’s weakness. It also bears repeating that before the pandemic, the dollar had appreciated by over 30% in nominal and real
(inflation-adjusted) terms since 2011. Given the yawning US external deficit, and because interest rates are not high enough to finance it with capital inflows, a dollar depreciation was necessary to restore US trade competitiveness. And the US turn to protectionism signals that it prefers a weaker dollar to restore external competitiveness. Even in the short run the dollar could strengthen again if – as the latest global growth data suggest – a Vshaped recovery stalls into an anemic U-shaped recovery, let alone a double dip, if the first pandemic wave is not controlled and a second wave kills the recovery before effective vaccines are found. In the medium to long term, multiple factors could preserve the greenback’s global dominance. The dollar will continue to benefit from a broadbased system of flexible exchange rates, limited capital controls, and deep, liquid bond markets. More to the point, there simply is no clear alternative currency that could serve as a broad unit of account, means of payment, and stable store of value. Furthermore, despite its pandemic travails, the potential annual US growth rate, at around 2%, is higher than in most other advanced economies, where it is closer to 1%. The US economy also remains dynamic and competitive in many leading industries, such as technology, biotech, pharmaceuticals, health care, and advanced financial services, all of which will continue to attract capital inflows from abroad. Any country vying for the US position would have to ask itself if it really wants to end up with a strong currency and the associated large current-account deficits that come with meeting the global demand for safe assets (government bonds). This scenario seems rather unattractive for Europe, Japan, or China, where strong exports are central to economic growth. Under the current circumstances, the US is likely to maintain its “exorbitant privilege” as the issuer of safe long-term debt that private and public investors want in their portfolios. The question, then, is what factors might undermine the dollar’s global position over time. First, if the US keeps monetizing large budget deficits, thereby fueling large external deficits, a surge of inflation eventually could debase the dollar and weaken its attractiveness as a reserve currency. Given the current mix of US economic policies, this is a growing risk. Another risk is the loss of US geopolitical hegemony, which is one of the main reasons why so many countries use the dollar in the first
place. There is nothing new about the hegemon’s currency being the global reserve currency. This was the case with Spain in the sixteenth century, the Dutch in the seventeenth century, France in the eighteenth century, and Great Britain in the nineteenth century. If the coming decades bring what many have already called the “Chinese century,” the dollar may well fade as the renminbi rises. Weaponization of the dollar via trade, financial, and technology sanctions could hasten the transition. Even if American voters elect a new president in November, such policies are likely to continue, as the Cold War between the US and China is a long-term trend, and US strategic rivals (China and Russia) and allies alike are already diversifying away from dollar assets that can be sanctioned or seized. At the same time, China has been introducing more flexibility to its own exchange rate, gradually relaxing some capital controls, and creating deeper debt markets. It has convinced more trade and investment partners to use the renminbi as a unit of account, means of payment, and store of value, including in foreign reserves. It is building an alternative to the Western-led Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) system, and working on a digital renminbi that eventually could be internationalized. And its own tech giants are creating huge e-commerce and digital-payments platforms (Alipay and WeChat Pay) that other countries could adopt in their own local currency. So, while the dollar’s position is safe for now, it faces significant challenges in the years and decades ahead. True, neither China’s economic system (state capitalism with financial controls) nor its technocratic-authoritarian political regime has much appeal in the West. But the Chinese model has already become quite attractive to many emerging markets and less democratic countries. Over time, as China’s economic, financial, technological, and geopolitical power expands, its currency may make inroads in many more parts of the world. NourielRoubini, Professor of Economics at New York University's Stern School of Business and Chairman of Roubini Macro Associates, was Senior Economist for International Affairs in the White House’s Council of Economic Advisers during the Clinton Administration. He has worked for the International Monetary Fund, the US Federal Reserve, and the World Bank. His website is NourielRoubini.com, and he is the host of NourielToday.com.
to trigger the snapback, but it has been opposed by European signatories to the nuclear deal on the grounds that, as Mr Trump has since withdrawn the US from the agreement, Washington has no standing to do so. The division between Western allies is encouraging for Russia, as it signals that a harsher, more comprehensive sanctions regime is unlikely to pass. Both Russia and China are eager to do more business in Iran, including potential arms deals. While the US would no doubt react punitively with its own sanctions directed at both countries, they will not be as biting. A full sanctions regime against Russia and even China would have devastating effects for both nations’ economies. If the price of Russia and China’s endorsement of Iran is so costly, then why continue the alliance? And why recognise Hezbollah, which Washington and its allies classify as a terror organisation? Much of it is simply to do with counterbalancing the US, but it is possible that Moscow and Beijing will need to reassess. Indeed, allying with Iran as it embroils itself in increasing complexity – with Hezbollah in
Lebanon and the Popular Mobilisation Front militias in Iraq, as well as the Houthis in Yemen – may just prove more expensive than it is worth. For one thing, they risk alienating Gulf states, particularly if they begin supplying Iran with weapons it will threaten to use against Saudi Arabia or the UAE. Secondly, the US, regardless of which administration sits in the White House, is unlikely to tolerate any flow of Russian and Chinese weaponry to Iran that would allow it to monopolise influence in Iraq and Syria at the expense of American strategic interests. Iran is no doubt unrelenting in its efforts to sway Russia and China to supply it with weapons, anxious that the two countries may hold back due to the threat of sanctions. Its efforts to supplant American and European influence over Beirut’s reconstruction are part of its sales pitch, by showing that in Lebanon Iran is the only game in town. China may decide that Iran is a viable window to wider influence in the Middle East and that its relationships with Arab states are perfectly stable as exclusively bilateral ones. It is only likely to recalculate if it becomes clear that, in the regional polarisation between Iran and the majority of Arab states, it has to choose a clear side. RaghidaDergham is the founder and executive chairwoman of the Beirut Institute.
To anyone familiar with Thailand, what's happening is breath-taking Sydney Morning Herald Peter HartcHer
It's a recurring scene in politics through the last century and into the 21st – masses of demonstrators turning out to tear down a president or a prime minister. But mass protests against a king or queen seemed to be a relic, a very 20thcentury thing. Until now. Growing numbers of Thais last month started taking to the streets to protest against not only their prime minister but also against their king. The case against a prime minister who seized power in a military coup seems pretty conventional. But a king? Why are tens of thousands of Thais, in protests that have now spread across most of the country's provinces, risking jail to demand that the Australian-educated King Vajiralongkorn, also styled Rama X, be deprived of his powers and privileges? Especially when we have long heard of the godlike reverence in which the Thai people hold their king. But the old king is dead. Reverence for the quarter-millennium reign of the Chakri dynasty appears largely to have gone with him. Apart from the Thais on the streets, more than 1 million have joined a Facebook group, Royalist Marketplace, to debate the future of the monarchy. To anyone familiar with Thailand, this is breath-taking. There wasn't just a taboo against criticising the monarch, there was – and still is – a 15-year jail term for the crime of lese-majeste. The police have arrested a few of the main organisers and unsuccessfully tried to force the shutdown of the Facebook group but the authorities so far are treading carefully as the protests continue to build. "It looks like these very brave and astonishingly young protesters are stepping up prepared and braced for the consequences," says Professor Nicholas Farrelly of the University of Tasmania, an expert on south east Asia. "This is a striking historical reordering." Two student activists from Chulalongkorn University write that the protests have created "an atmosphere of hope that has been missing in our country since the military seized power in a 2014 coup". NetiwitChotiphatphaisal and SuphanutAneknumwong say that the protest leaders have "highlighted two key principles: opposition to military coups and
so-called 'grand coalition' governments, which have often been used to prevent change, and the desire for a truly constitutional monarchy". But hold on. Thailand's absolute monarch was dethroned in a bloodless revolution in 1932. Isn't the Thai monarchy already a constitutional one, carrying out ceremonial duties only? Vajiralongkorn is at the centre of this storm because of who he is, what he's been doing and what he's a part of. Long before he took the throne three years ago, he was unpopular. In contrast to his muchloved sister, he showed little interest in the welfare of ordinary Thais. Vajiralongkorn has a reputation as a bad-tempered bully and a playboy. The Australian officers who studied with him at the Royal Military College Duntroon found him to be a very ordinary student and an unimpressive individual. A BBC profile of him reports that in 1981 his mother, Queen Sirikit, described "her son as 'a bit of a Don Juan' and suggesting that he preferred spending his weekends with beautiful women rather than performing duties. In a rare audience with Thai journalists in 1992, he denied the rumours that he was involved with mafia-like figures and underworld businesses." A Thai who circulated this BBC profile was jailed under the lese-majeste law. In a further step to minimise scrutiny, the King of Thailand lives mostly in Germany. Since the pandemic struck, he's hardly set foot in Thailand. This helped galvanise opinion against him. And then there's what he's been doing since assuming the throne. He quickly transferred the royal family's official asset holdings into his personal accounts. At a stroke, that made him the richest monarch in the world with some $US30 billion in wealth. Two months after his coronation, when it was revealed that he had married for the fourth time, he appointed an official concubine, reviving a practice abandoned more than a century ago. Within three months he'd banished her from the palace, reportedly to a military jail. While his dealing with money and the women were bad enough, it's his apparent efforts to revive absolute kingly power that has been the most politically explosive. "There's been a relatively systematic effort to expunge the
1932 revolution from history," says Farrelly."His dislocation of the ambitions and interests of young people in Thailand is now obvious and widely criticised." And then there's what he's part of. The longstanding power elites of Bangkok, including the army, use Vajiralongkorn, as they used his father, to legitimise their grip on power. After the billionaire political upstart Thaksin Shinawatra won the 2001 election and began redistributing wealth and privilege, the establishment closed ranks against him. The army staged a coup, with the blessing of the then king, Vajiralongkorn's father. Ever since, the palace has stood with the army and the political establishment in keeping Thaksin out of the country and his Red Shirt mass support movement off the streets. Much of his support resurged in a new political party, Future Forward. But just when it seemed some change might be possible, the party was outlawed in February. That outrage was followed by the pandemic, which the government used to impose even harsher controls. "Far from helping the elite, the pandemic has helped to make clear that the government under its current leadership is not competent to deal with the huge challenges facing the country," write the student activists. At the same time, the plucky protesters in Hong Kong served as an inspiration for Thailand's youth. Thailand's demonstrators have added a touch of their own, adopting the three-fingered salute of the Hunger Games movie, a sign of defiance of authoritarianism.So it all seems to have come together against the king – the combination of a distasteful persona with abuse of office and complicity with an oppressive elite is an explosive formula. If the movement continues it seems fated to be tested against what Farrelly calls "the unwavering strength of the armed forces and their commitment to use violence to keep Thailand the way they want it to look". The protesters want to keep the movement peaceful. Unfortunately, that would be a case of hope over experience in Thailand's long struggle to find modernity. Peter Hartcher is political editor and international editor of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.
Tuesday, 25 August, 2020
BUSINESS 09
‘Public dEbt managEmEnt imProvEd in Pti govt'S SEcond yEar’
CORPORATE CORNER
ISLAMABAD
ISLAMABAD: Khushhali Microfinance Bank, the leading microfinance bank of Pakistan, has launched a nationwide tree plantation drive entitled “Plant Khushhali” to help uplift the natural environment and work towards curbing climate change.
KARACHI: K-Electric, Pakistan’s sole vertically integrated power utility, and Daraz, Pakistan’s leading ecommerce platform, have entered into a partnership to offer Karachi-based customers a convenient digital payment solution via the Daraz platform.
KP govt to import 150,000 tonnes wheat to plug shortfall BUSINESS DESK The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government on Monday said that it will import 150,000 tonnes of wheat worth Rs8.5 billion in order to fulfill the shortage of flour faced by the province. According to reports, the meeting of the provincial cabinet which approved the decision to import wheat also approved Rs3 billion to flour mills, a sum that will be used to import wheat and ensure the provision of affordable flour to the end consumers. KP Chief Minister’s Special Assistant for Information and Local Government Kamran Muhammad Bangash said that the provincial cabinet has formed a committee which will hold talks with the private sector regarding the procurement of wheat. Earlier on Friday, the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) had allowed the Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) to place an import order of 200,000 tonnes of wheat, following the import of 500,000 tonnes of the same by the private sector. The ECC meeting, chaired by Adviser to Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, had given the TCP a go-ahead for the import of 200,000 tonnes of wheat for Pakistan Agricultural Storage and Services Corporation (PASSCO) after the Ministry of National Food Security and Research Secretary Omar Hamid Khan informed that 500,000 tonnes of wheat were also being imported by the private sector, and that the first shipment was scheduled to reach the country’s port on August 26, 2020. It was observed that the arrival of 700,000 tonnes of wheat in the next couple of months would help defuse price volatility, overcome the shortage and discourage hoarding of this essential commodity in the country.
Half of new E&P blocks to be auctioned in Sept BUSINESS DESK The Petroleum Division (PD) is planning to auction twenty new Exploration & Production (E&P) blocks in September, aiming to step up oil and gas drilling activities in various areas of the country, Ministry of Petroleum said on Monday. “As many as 40 new blocks have been identified, out of which 20 will be put up for auction in September through international tenders,” a senior official privy to petroleum sector developments said while speaking to the media. He said that the country’s existing gas production stands at around 3.7 Billion Cubic Feet per Day (BCFD) compared to a demand of 6 BCFD, adding the gas reserves are depleting at the ratio of 9.5 per cent per year.
u
GHULAM ABBAS
NLIKE the impression that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-led government has taken the country's public debt to exorbitant levels during its first two years in power, the Ministry of Finance claims that public debt management indicators had, in fact, improved significantly during the second year of the incumbent government. Taking to Profit, Finance Division spokesperson Mohsin Chandna stated that the average time of maturity of the total domestic government securities increased from 1.5 years to 2.7 years in the last two years.
MOF SPOKESPERSON SAYS GOVT WILL SOON ISSUE BONDS WORTH RS140BN IN DOMESTIC MARKET Similarly, he added, the proportion of domestic government securities reduced, as the share of debt maturing within one year lowered from 71pc of the total domestic debt to 51pc. The spokesperson said the difference between policy rate and cost of borrowing ten-year fixed-rate bonds was 4.1pc on June 30, 2018, which during the last two fiscal years came down to 1.2pc. However, the indicator of the central bank borrowing, as a percentage of total domestic debt, deteriorated from 28pc in 2018 to
38pc in June 2020. "This was 48pc in the first year of the PTI government but was reduced to 38pc in the second year," said Chandna. He informed that the proportion of fixed-rate government securities also lowered to 38pc from 29pc in June 2018. The spokesperson said that the previous government issued more than Rs250 billion worth of bonds in the domestic market at excessive rates, whereas the PTI government had issued long-term bonds on lower interest rates.
"We have issued Rs38 billion Sukuk bonds in the domestic market for periods of three to 20 years. A sum of Rs16 billion has been issued on 8.1pc interest rate, Rs12 billion on 9.91pc interest rate and Rs10 billion on 10.42pc interest rate. The government will issue bonds worth Rs140 billion in the domestic market in the upcoming months," he said. Chandna said that Pakistan's debtto-GDP ratio has increased to 87pc in the last two years, from 72.1pc in 2018, due to the borrowing of Rs11.3 trillion. "The reasons for this increase are primary balance, interest expenses, exchange rate depreciation and IMF loans, cash balances and effects of accounting policies."
Govt plans to revive PEPCO to bring DISCOs under centralised control BUSINESS DESK The federal government has decided to reactivate Pakistan Electric Power Company (PEPCO) in order to bring all the public sector power distribution companies (DISCOs) under a centralised control. PEPCO has previously been under hibernation for around 10 years and its reactivation is a part of a process that may lead to the privatisation of the DISCOs. According to reports published by local media outlets, PEPCO will have the role of a management agent of the DISCOs under a Management Agent Agreement. Under
a proposal sent to DISCOs the government has suggested the appointment of PEPCO as a managing agent of DISCOs through a binding ten-year agreement, which will be extendable for another 10 years. In its role PEPCO will assist the Privatisation Commission and other departments involved in the government's privatisation process and monitor the performance and management of the DISCOs. It will also be responsible to facilitate DISCOs in the formulation of corporate strategies, performance targets, planning parameters and evaluation measures. PEPCO was established in
1998 as a part of a process to corporatise the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) however it failed to deliver the desired results. Until 2012, DISCOs came under the direct control of PEPCO, however during that time the performance of both PEPCO and DISCOs was found lagging due to political intrusions in the working of the company. Later, the then power minister Syed Naveed Qamar announced the abolishment of PEPCO, however the power ministry failed to complete the entire shutdown process of the company.
220kV grid station inaugurated in Lahore LAHORE STAFF REPORT
Federal Education & Professional Training Minister Shafqat Mahmood and National Transmission & Despatch Company (NTDC) MD Engr Dr Khawaja Riffat Hassan have inaugurated the 220kV GIS Ghazi Grid Station in Lahore. Addressing the inauguration ceremony on Monday, the federal minister congratulated the NTDC management on the completion of the grid station, saying that the incumbent government is committed to providing all basic necessities to the masses at affordable prices. He said this grid station will bring muchneeded relief to consumers of Lahore, as it would improve the city's voltage profile. "The independent power producers (IPPs)power plants were set-up during the 1990s power crisis...the present government has asked IPPs to review their agreement so as to cut down electricity prices. The government is already in negotiations with IPPs and hopes that meetings will ultimately lead to the curtailment of circular debt," the minister said while informing about steps being taken to reduce the cost of electricity.
He directed the LESCO CEO for redressal of consumers' complaints with patience and courtesy, advising power distribution companies (DISCOs) to focus on customer satisfaction. Updating the minister on the project, NTDC Managing Director Engr Dr Khawaja Riffat Hassan said that the company had successfully commissioned and energized the 220kV GIS Ghazi Road Grid Station at a cost of Rs5.66 billion. "A major portion of the funds was provided by KfW-Germany while the remaining was arranged through NTDC's own resources." He informed that the grid station, which has a total capacity of 750MVA, is connected with 500kV NTDC Grid Station (Lahore-South) for dispersal of power from Balloki RLNG Power Plant and Coal-fired Power Plant (Sahiwal) to Lahore Electricity Supply Company (LESCO) areas, mainly DHA, Askari-X, Allama Iqbal Airport, Gulberg, Shalimar, Batapur, and Ghazi Road. The German government, through KfW, provided financing of 11.29 million euros for this project, aiming to help address constraints in the transmission network of Pakistan’s power sector. LESCO CEO, NESPAK officers and General Electric representatives were also present on the occasion.
Export of sports goods up 6.44pc to $26.1m in July ISLAMABAD APP
The export of sports goods from the country increased 6.44pc to $26.169 million in July 2020, as compared to the exports of $24.585 million in July 2019, Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) reported. According to the PBS data, the export of gloves increased 0.61 per cent in July 2020 to $7.118 million from $7.075 million in July 2019. On the other hand, the export of footballs decreased by 9.12 per cent in July 2020 to $12.539 million from $13.797 million in July 2019. The exports of all other sports goods grew by 75.38 per cent, from $3.713 million in July 2019 to $6.512 million in July 2020. The data further revealed that on a month-on-month basis, the exports of sports goods increased by 41.33 per cent in July 2020 compared to $18.516 million in June 2020. On an overall basis, the country’s exports increased by 6.04 per cent in July 2020, while the trade deficit witnessed a reduction of 10.24 per cent during the first month of the current fiscal year compared to the trade deficit of the corresponding month of the last year. The country's trade deficit during July 2020 stood at $1.640 billion compared to the deficit of $1.827 billion during July 2019, according to PBS data. On an overall basis, during July 2020, the country's exports registered 6.04 per cent increase, from $1.886 billion last year to $2 billion during the current year whereas imports declined from $3.713 billion to $3.640 billion, showing a decline of 1.97 per cent. Meanwhile, on a monthon-month basis, exports from the country increased by 25.08 per cent in July 2020 compared to the exports of $1.599 billion in June 2020. Likewise, imports declined by 2.12 per cent in July 2020 compared to the imports of $3.719 billion in June 2020.
MARKET DAILY
Stocks manage modest gains amid volatile activity KARACHI STAFF REPORT
The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) witnessed volatile activity on Monday, with the benchmark index swaying in both directions before settling in the green. Meanwhile, the number of market participants continued to narrow down despite the State Bank of Pakistan's announcement of a current account surplus for the month of July 2020.
"Despite shedding most of the early morning gains, the benchmark index managed to rebound towards the end and closed in the positive territory, mainly on the back of cement, pharma, steel and oil & gas marketing sectors, with the latter two reacting to expectations of an increase in underlying product prices," said a report issued by AHL Ltd. "The exploration & production sector remained under pressure due to news of privatisation of Oil and Gas Development
Company and Pakistan Petroleum Ltd by the government, whereas banking sector stocks followed the recent trend and remained under selling pressure." MARKET SUMMARY: The benchmark KSE-100 Index remained volatile throughout the day, registering its intraday low at 39,473.11 (-148.48 points) and intraday high at 39,824.56 (+202.97 points). It ended higher by 181 points at 39,802.60. Among other indices, the KMI-30 Index added 277.84 points to close at
CMYK
64,002.61, while the KSE All Share Index gathered 72.25 points, settling at 27,930.89. Of the total traded scrips, 190 registered gains, while 119 lower than the previous close. The overall market volumes declined from 400.5 million shares in the previous session to 371.3 million shares (-7pc). Average traded value, on the contrary, increased by 9pc, from $81.7 million to $88.6 million. TRG Pakistan Ltd (TRG +7.50pc) Dewan Cement Ltd (DCL
+9.98pc) and Pace Pakistan Limited (PACE +9.37pc) led the volume chart, exchanging 29.88 million, 23.46 million and 23.45 million, respectively. Although oil & gas exploration (-74.39 points) and fertiliser (-18.91 points) sectors, with minor contributions from 12 other sectors, tried hard to pull the index lower, cement (+73.11 points) with technology & communication (+47.15 points) stood their ground and rescued the index. Among the companies, major contributions came from Lucky Cement Ltd (LUCK +38.56 points), TRG Pakistan Ltd (TRG +37.99 points) and Dawood Hercules Corp Ltd DAWH (+27.33 points).
Tuesday, 25 August, 2020
10 FOREIGN NEWS 10 killed, dozens injured in twin blasts in Philippines SULU AGENCIES
At least 10 people were killed and several others got injured after two explosions, including one reportedly carried out by a female suicide bomber, struck the southern Philippine town of Jolo, according to authorities. Philippine Red Cross Chief Richard Gordon said the explosion hit at approximately noon (04:00 GMT) on Monday in the capital of Sulu, one of the country's southernmost provinces. Gordon, who is also a senator, said that a motorcycle loaded with improvised explosive devices went off near a military truck. The Red Cross office in Jolo is located near the site of the blast. Five soldiers and four civilians were killed in the first explosion. As authorities were cordoning off the area, a second xplosion reportedly carried out by a female suicide bomber hit, killing one person, Major General Corleto Vinluan said, according to news reports. If confirmed, it is only the fourth known suicide attack in the country. At least 24 government troops were injured in the two attacks. The blasts happened not far from the site of a major explosion that killed more than 20 people inside a Catholic church in early 2019, according to state-run PTV channel. Images posted by PTV on social media on Monday showed debris and bodies lying on a street next to a military vehicle. No one has claimed responsibility for the attacks. In a statement, Philippine police chief Gen Archie Francisco Gamboa said he has ordered an investigation into the deadly incident, adding that all perpetrators should be held accountable for the crime. Sulu is known as the stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf Group, an armed group that has allied itself with ISIL (ISIS). Abu Sayyaf has long been battling for independence in the southern region of Mindanao, which they regard as their ancestral homeland dating back to the pre-Spanish colonial period. The group is notorious for kidnappings, robberies and deadly bombings. In June, four soldiers were killed in Jolo following an alleged confrontation with police officers, igniting tensions between the two government forces.
Russian doctors claim to have saved opposition politician's life OMSK AGENCIES
Doctors at the Siberian hospital that first treated Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny said on Monday that they had saved his life but that they had not found traces of poison in his system. Navalny, a longtime opponent of President Vladimir Putin, fell gravely ill on Thursday after what his allies believe was a poisoning and was airlifted to Germany for treatment on Saturday. "We saved his life with great effort and work," head doctor Alexander Murakhovsky told reporters at a news conference in the Siberian city of Omsk. "If we had found some kind of poison that was somehow confirmed then it would have been a lot easier for us. It would have been a clear diagnosis, a clear condition and a well-known course of treatment," said Anatoly Kalinichenko, a senior doctor at the hospital. The Russian doctors did not say on Monday what specifically they had done to save Navalny's life or what they had treated him for. Last week, they said they had diagnosed him with a metabolic disease possibly brought on by low blood sugar.
KilleR SPent yeARS PRePARing FoR nZ moSqUe AttAcKS, coURt tolD CHRISTCHURCH
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AGENCIES
HE Australian man who killed 51 people at two mosques in New Zealand in 2019 meticulously planned his shooting rampage to maximise casualties, a prosecutor said at the start of sentencing hearings on Monday. Brenton Tarrant, a self-confessed white supremacist, has pleaded guilty to 51 murder charges, 40 charges of attempted murder and one charge of committing a terrorist act in relation to the massacre in the southern city of Christchurch, which he streamed live on Facebook. The 29-year-old faces a life prison term, possibly without parole, when he is sentenced later this week. Handcuffed and dressed in grey prison clothes, Tarrant sat impassive as
he looked directly at survivors and family members of those who died speaking about how their lives had been affected by the killings. Crown prosecutor Barnaby Hawes said Tarrant told police after his arrest that he wanted to create fear among the Muslim population. "He intended to instil fear into those he described as invaders, including the Muslim population or more generally non-European immigrants," Hawes said. Tarrant also expressed regret for not taking more lives and had planned to burn the mosques down, Hawes said. Maysoon Salama, mother of 33-yearold Atta Elayyan, who was shot dead as he prayed at the back of the mosque, said she constantly wondered what her son had been thinking in his last moments "armed only with his courage". Elayyan was a goalkeeper for the
New Zealand men's futsal team. "I can't forgive you..." she said. "You gave yourself the authority to take the souls of 51 people. Our only crime in your eyes is that we are Muslims." Gamal Fouda, imam of Al Noor mosque, told Tarrant that he was "misguided and misled". "I can say to the family of the terrorist that they have lost a son and we have lost many from our community, too," Fouda said. "I respect them because they are suffering as we are." While most of Tarrant's victims were at Al Noor mosque, he attacked a second mosque before being detained en route to a third. The attacks prompted a global outpouring of grief, as well as a ban on weapons and closer scrutiny of online platforms. Security was tight outside the
Malaysia's Najib back on the stump despite guilty verdict SLIM AGENCIES
Convicted of corruption less than a month ago and sentenced to 12 years in jail, former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak was back campaigning for a party candidate over the weekend in a by-election for a state assembly seat. Out on bail, Najib is waiting for his appeal date to be set, while standing accused in two other trials and waiting for two more to begin - mostly linked to the looting of billions of dollars from defunct sovereign fund 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB). Despite that, his party - the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) - and its ethnic Chinese and Indian party allies invited Najib to be their star campaigner for a by-election this month in Slim district, about 90 minutes north of the capital Kuala Lumpur. Najib was voted out of office in 2018 amid outrage over the 1MDB scandal. But since then, he has undergone a public relations makeover to shed his image as a blue-blooded member of the elite and broaden his appeal to ordinary Malays. With more than 4 million followers on Facebook and Twitter, he has become more popular on social media than any other Malaysian politician. Having always denied guilt, Najib said the court verdict had not affected his voter appeal, or that of his party. “On the contrary, some people say I have much more sympathy from the people,” Najib told Reuters after breakfasting with supporters during a campaign stop in Perak, a northern state on the Malay Peninsula. BIKER ‘BOSS’: Najib’s fortunes appeared to improve in February as his rivals’ coalition government imploded, and UMNO returned to power in an alliance led by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin. On the stump in rural Perak, Najib was very much in his comfort zone, though the numbers attending election rallies were restricted by coronavirus social dis-
tancing rules. As he arrived at the breakfast gathering, loudspeakers blasted out a thumping rap to deliver Najib’s catchphrase. Using biker slang, the message goes: “What’s to be ashamed of, my boss?” Around a hundred supporters present cheered enthusiastically. Later in the day, he visited homes in communities fringed by palm oil estates and posed for selfies over lunch at a restaurant. Shahrum Abdul Rakeb, a diner, told Reuters Najib had his unwavering support. “We will see how the situation turns out but either way, I still support him,” Shahrum said. “I think the people have begun to realise, we know who is better for us.” Others were also unsure what to believe about 1MDB. “We don’t know for sure whether he is really guilty or not,” said Vangdasalam Govindasamy, a 45-year-old voter. “As far as I am concerned, when he was in power, he did things for us. He helped us.” MAKING A COMEBACK? Some critics say Najib’s camp has employed cybertroopers to amplify social media presence and paid people to show up at rallies. “The momentum that we created... is coming from the people,” Najib said, denying resorting to such tactics. Political analysts say his comments on the economy had resonated with ordinary Malays, the most dominant ethnic group in Malaysia, revitalising his appeal, especially in more rural areas. “On his social media Najib speaks to the Malay working class. He is accepted as one of them,” said Adib Zalkapli, Malaysia director for political consultancy Bower Group Asia. Though he retains his seat in parliament, where Muhyiddin’s alliance holds a wafer-thin majority, Najib cannot contest an election so long as the guilty verdict hangs over him. Najib did not elaborate on his plans but said his priority was to be the “voice of the people”. Few people would bet against him making a comeback if his appeal succeeds or he is granted a royal pardon.
court, with police dogs pacing the streets and snipers on rooftops, television footage showed. High Court judge Cameron Mander said that he had received more than 200 victim impact statements, along with submissions from various organisations. "I have read them all," said Mander, who added that he would not sentence Tarrant before Thursday morning after survivors and family members of victims had had an opportunity to address the court. Many of the people who will give victim impact statements have travelled from overseas for the sentencing, undergoing two weeks of quarantine so they can participate. A murder conviction carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison. The judge can impose a life term without parole, a sentence that has never been used in New Zealand.
US FDA authorises plasma therapy to treat coronavirus WASHINGTON AGENCIES
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorised the use of blood plasma from patients who recovered from COVID-19 as a treatment for the disease, a day after President Donald Trump blamed the agency for impeding the rollout of coronavirus vaccines and therapeutics for political reasons. The announcement on Sunday from the FDA of a socalled "emergency use authorisation" also comes on the eve of the Republican National Convention, where Trump will be nominated to lead his party for four more years. A day before the FDA's announcement, Trump tagged the agency's Commissioner Stephen Hahn in a tweet and said, "The deep state, or whoever, over at the FDA is making it very difficult for drug companies to get people in order to test the vaccines and therapeutics. Obviously, they are hoping to delay the answer until after November 3rd. Must focus on speed, and saving lives!" On Sunday, Trump hailed the FDA move as a "breakthrough". "Everybody working together, we are years ahead of approvals than we would be if we went by the speed levels of the past administration," the Republican president said at a White House news briefing. "You'll be hearing very soon about treatments and vaccines to save lives. We're removing unnecessary barriers and delays, not by cutting corners, but by marshaling the full power of the federal government." The FDA said early evidence suggests blood plasma can decrease mortality and improve the health of patients when administered in the first three days of their hospitalisation.
Trump's diplomatic legacy: lost trust, scarred ties and sanctions WASHINGTON AGENCIES
President Donald Trump made some of his flashiest 2016 campaign pledges in foreign policy areas, such as vowing to reevaluate the U.S. relationship with NATO, abandon a landmark nuclear deal with Iran and bring U.S. troops back from “forever wars.” The Republican president, a former businessman from New York who boasts about his deal-making skills, has delivered on some of his pledges, while partially meeting a few others. Some he has so far completely failed to achieve. If Trump is defeated in the Nov. 3 election by Democratic rival Joe Biden, the new administration’s hardest challenge will be to restore the global standing and trustworthiness of the United States, analysts and former U.S. and European officials say. Biden, vice president under President Barack Obama, will be taking over a scarred transatlantic relationship, deep antagonism with China and sanctions-dominated pressure campaigns against Iran, Syria and Venezuela. Here is a look at some of the key policy priorities of the Trump administration and
potential challenges for Biden: CHINA: A central theme in Trump’s 2016 campaign was to accuse China of “ripping off” the United States while vowing to seal a fair trade deal with Beijing that would help American businesses and create U.S. jobs. After almost two years of tit-for-tat trade war with the world’s second largest economy, Trump has so far managed a stalled first phase of such an agreement. Meanwhile, Washington and Beijing have slapped tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars worth of each others’ goods and the global spread of the coronavirus from China has soured bilateral ties to their worst level in decades, raising fears of a new Cold War. Washington has acted against Beijing on multiple fronts: It ended the special status of Hong Kong, sanctioned top officials over human rights abuses and sought to ban Chinese technology companies from operating in the United States. A Biden administration would have little option but to maintain the hard stance, analysts say, but would likely seek to dial down some rhetoric to create room for engagement. IRAN NUCLEAR DEAL: In 2018, the Trump withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, saying he
could strike a better one. He also launched a “maximum pressure” campaign to choke off Tehran’s sources of income. Despite almost two years of sanctions on everything from oil revenue to minerals and Iran’s central bank, Washington has yet to force a change of behavior by Tehran and bring it back to the negotiating table. Instead, escalating tensions have carried the two nations to the brink of war. Biden has said he would deal with Iran through diplomacy and re-enter the agreement, but only if Iran first returned to compliance with the deal’s restrictions on its nuclear program. NATO & TRANSATLANTIC TIES: Trump has repeatedly complained about the failure of many NATO partners to meet defense spending targets. He has also questioned the continued relevance of the organization created in 1949 at the start of the Cold War with Russia. His attacks soured ties with several European allies, but more members of the alliance have now increased spending to meet its target of two percent of GDP. This year, Trump vowed to cut the number of U.S. troops in Germany, accusing Berlin of taking advantage of the United States while not
meeting its NATO obligations. Analysts say repairing the transatlantic alliance will take time, but should be one of the easier tasks awaiting a potential Biden administration. BRINGING TROOPS HOME: Trump promised in his 2016 campaign to stay out of foreign wars and bring home U.S. troops deployed in Afghanistan, America’s longest war, which is now in its nineteenth year. Washington has begun cutting troop numbers in Afghanistan after striking a deal with the Taliban in February that envisaged the withdrawal of all U.S. troops. This depends, however, on talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government, which have stalled. Trump also ordered a pullout of U.S. troops from Syria. The decision was repeatedly watered down by aides and the military, but numbers have still been reduced by more than half. PARIS CLIMATE DEAL: One of Trump’s most controversial decisions was his withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement, something he had repeatedly vowed to do during the 2016 campaign. Trump said the agreement imposed “draconian” financial and economic burdens on the United States and vowed to negotiate a better one. A new agreement has not materialized.
The Biden campaign said he would recommit to the original Paris deal and lead an effort to get major countries to toughen their domestic targets. MIDDLE EAST: Trump delivered on his 2016 campaign promise to relocate the U.S. Embassy in Israel to divided Jerusalem. The move was slammed by most of the Arab world but won praise from the Israeli government and its supporters, as well as evangelical Christians. His wider Middle East Peace plan was rejected by Palestinians as it allowed Israel to maintain control of long-contested West Bank settlements, but received some encouraging reviews from several Arab states. One, the United Arab Emirates, this month normalized ties with Israel in a historic deal brokered by the United States, a move that many analysts saw as a foreign policy win for Trump at a time when he has been trailing Biden in polls. NORTH KOREA: Trump surprised the world by entering unprecedented talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. He made no progress in persuading Kim to give up his nuclear weapons, but some believe his icebreaking diplomacy could be a building block for a future administration.
Tuesday, 25 August, 2020
SPORTS 11
PAkISTAn, WEAThEr hOlD uP EnGlAnD vICTOry PuSh SouthAmptoN
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AGENCIES
NGLAND'S victory push and James Anderson's quest to reach 600 Test wickets were frustrated by rain, bad light, and a dogged rearguard effort by Pakistan's top order on the fourth day of the third and final Test. After Abid Ali and Shan Masood had successfully negotiated 18 overs in the morning session, a heavy downpour and a significant amount of standing water held play up until 3.45pm. Stuart Broad struck soon after, trapping Masood lbw as he offered no shot to a nipbacker, before Anderson pinned Abid in front for his 599th scalp as the ball began to reverse. But the light deteriorated soon after, and after four overs of spin, the umpires decided to take the players off soon after 6.30pm. Even with much of the focus on Anderson's push to reach his landmark, the first question of the morning revolved around who would open the batting for Pakistan. Azhar Ali, who had promoted himself to open in the follow-on after his masterful, unbeaten hun-
dred from No. 3 in Pakistan's first innings, was able to push himself back down to first drop thanks to Law 25.2, and duly did so. That meant Abid and Masood were tasking with seeing off the new ball. Masood was handed an early life as he pushed outside his off stump against an Anderson outswinger, his edge bursting through Jos Buttler in the fifth over of the innings. That meant England had dropped four chances off Anderson in the space of 37 balls across two innings; this was the first time he had allowed himself as much as a wry smile. Both openers were watchful, but were beaten regularly as Anderson and Broad probed with tight lines and lengths. There was no let-up from England when Chris Woakes and Jofra Archer replaced them, but a jet-black cloud gave Pakistan some respite soon before 12.30pm, as rain - first light, then biblical - came down. After a lengthy mopping-up operation, the umpires decided that play would resume after an early tea interval, with 52 overs due to be bowled in a mammoth evening session. Abid and Masood edged towards a half-century stand, compiling the highest opening partnership by a touring team this
Dom Bess hails James Anderson as England’s GOAT as paceman nears landmark England off-spinner Dom Bess has described James Anderson as the greatest English player of all time after the 38-year-old moved within two wickets of becoming the first pace bowler to claim 600 test victims. Anderson, England’s highest test wicket-taker, claimed his fifth victim of the third test against Pakistan on Sunday. Only spin bowlers Muttiah Muralitharan (800) of Sri Lanka, Australia’s Shane Warne (708) and India’s Anil Kumble (619) have more wickets in the game’s longest format. “He’s the GOAT of bowling and England’s greatest,” Bess said of Anderson. “... It’s phenomenal to stand at point and watch him nick people off, hit people on the shins and take as many poles as he does, so consistently. “There was chat about a potential retirement (recently), then he comes back and absolutely tears it up. It just shows how good he is.” Play was stopped on Sunday due to bad light before Pakistan could bat again and Bess suggested that the players should have come off sooner. “Playing in those conditions, we have to think a little about the players’ wellbeing. Their numbers 10 and 11 facing Jofra Archer in those conditions is seriously dangerous,” Bess said. AGENCIES
Chelsea close in on Thiago Silva transfer on one-year deal Chelsea target Thiago Silva says he will decide his future in the next 24 hours after Sunday's Champions League Final defeat in his final game for Paris Saint-Germain. Silva became a free agent following the 1-0 loss to Bayern Munich – sealed by former PSG forward Kingsley Coman's second-half goal – and he is expected to become Frank Lampard's third summer signing. The Brazilian, 35, is close to agreeing a one-year deal at Stamford Bridge but insists he could play on for another four seasons and played down reports from Italy that he has already agreed a deal with Fiorentina. "This was my last match at PSG," Silva said. "I am sad, I apologise to the supporters [for the defeat]. I want to thank all the fans for their love. I want to play for three or four more years and be at the World Cup in Qatar. "Now I have to look for a new team. Fiorentina? Reports of an agreement are not true," he added in an interview with RMC. "My agent is talking to them and other clubs but nothing is signed yet. Tomorrow or the day after tomorrow I will have to look at the offers and make the best decision for me and my family." Lampard wanted to bring West Ham's Declan Rice back to his boyhood club as a centre-half but the Hammers are reluctant to sell the England international for less than £65million. Having already recruited forward Timo Werner and winger Hakim Ziyech for a combined £80million, Chelsea view Silva as a more cost-effective short-term option to improve their leaky defence, which shipped 54 League goals last season – more than any other side in the top half. Lampard has spoken about the need for a taller and more vocal presence at the back and Silva fits the bill, in spite of his advancing years. AGENCIES
summer in the process, but ended up falling a solitary run short. Masood decided against offering a shot to Broad's in-dipper on a length, which Michael Gough adjudged to be hitting the top of off stump. Masood reviewed, but Hawk-Eye upheld the decision, with the ball shown to be trimming the bails. That brought in Azhar, whose first task was to get out the way of a short, sharp burst from Archer, who again regularly hit the 90mph/145kph mark. Joe Root then asked Broad to slip back into the role he once filled regularly as the enforcer, banging the ball in halfway down. It seems like an unusual move, until the ball began to show signs of reverse-swing towards the end of his spell. That allowed Anderson to pose some real threat on his return, nipping one past Azhar's outside edge with the first ball of his spell. He moved to 599 when he pinned Abid in front, unable to jam the bat down on a fullish inswinger that he tried to work into the leg side. Again, Pakistan reviewed; again, Hawk-Eye showed the ball was clipping the stumps, upholding the on-field decision. Anderson had all of seven balls to reach the 600 mark, as the umpires decided that the
light was too poor for seamers to continue, leaving Dom Bess to operate in tandem with Root. But after four overs of dogged defence, the players were brought off for the light, and drizzle soon after meant stumps were called at 6.45pm.
Warne recalls historic 2001 Eden Gardens Test between Australia, India
‘Bayern Munich win Champions League: Amazing teamwork key to treble season’ AGENCIES When Hansi Flick took over struggling Bayern Munich in November 2019 the media headlines declared that teams should no longer fear the German champions, but outstanding teamwork and a hunger for victory turned the season around, the coach said on Sunday. Bayern beat Paris St Germain 1-0 courtesy of Kingsley Coman’s 59th minute winner to claim their third trophy of the season following their Bundesliga and German Cup double and complete an amazing transformation. “I am proud of this team,” a beaming Flick told reporters. “When I started in November I read the headlines: ‘No
need to fear or respect Bayern Munich anymore’, ‘The team is awful.” “But the development of my team since then has been sensational. We made maximum use of everything. It is not easy to win three titles. It was hard work,” he added. Flick replaced Niko Kovac in November after a 5-1 loss to Eintracht Frankfurt and with Bayern having dropped out of the top three in the Bundesliga. But the former Germany assistant coach almost instantly turned the campaign on its head, leading Bayern to an unbeaten 2020 in every competition. They have won 21 consecutive matches in all competitions and are on a 30-game unbeaten run despite a twomonth break in March due to the
COVID-19 pandemic. Flick reinstalled Thomas Mueller in attack behind Robert Lewandowski and also plucked Jerome Boateng from the bench to restore order in the German side’s defence. “You could see during winter how much determination we have in this team, which is obviously something you wish for as a coach,” Flick said. “The team is eager and we have players with boundless desire to win.” “The only thing that was missing was the fans. Maybe in the future we can have games with fans again. This sport deserves it.” The eight-team Champions League tournament was played in Lisbon in empty stadiums due to the pandemic.
Cricket South Africa calls Jacques Kallis jewel in their crown and is certainly our greatest player of the modern era. He earned his place in every Protea team he represented both as a top-order batsman and as an outstanding swing bowler of lively pace. In addition, his slip catching was legendary and contributed significantly to the successes our fast bowlers enjoyed throughout his career," CSA Acting Chief Executive Kugandrie Govender said in an official release. "Most important of all is the outstanding example he has set for the highest standards of sportsmanship and the traditions of the game to inspire not just aspiring young cricketers but the youth of the entire country. He is indeed one of the crown jewels of the CSA family and I can speak on behalf of the entire nation in congratulating him and saying how proud we all are of him," she added. AGENCIES
With all-rounder Jacques Kallis becoming the latest inductee into the ICC Cricket's Hall of Fame, Cricket South Africa (CSA) said that the former Proteas cricketer is a jewel in their crown. Kallis was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame along with former Australia women's all-rounder Lisa Sthalekar and former Pakistan batsman Zaheer Abbas. The ceremony was live streamed on ICC's social media channels when he was honoured alongside two other all-time greats of the game, Lisa Sthalekar of Australia and Zaheer Abbas of Pakistan. "It is highly fitting that Jacques should be honoured in this way. Jacques' long list of achievements hardly need repeating but suffice it to say he stands alongside the great Sir Garfield Sobers as the greatest batting all-rounder of all time
The overnight forecast suggests that a delayed start is inevitable on the final day, with England eight wickets away from completing a 2-0 series win and Pakistan clinging on for a draw - with World Test Championship points, as well as just pride.
Former leg-spinner Shane Warne recalled how it was being on the field for almost 180 overs and watching VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid script one of Test cricket’s greatest comebacks of all time during the 2001 Test match between India and Australia and Kolkata’s Eden Gardens. In reply to Australia’s first-innings total of 445, India were bundled out for 171. However, after Steve Waugh decided to enforce the follow-on, Dravid and Laxman’s record 376-run partnership for the fifth wicket laid the groundwork for India’s mammoth 657/7 declared, a stage from where they came back to win the Test match, becoming only the third team in history to win a Test after following-on. Warne, who finished with 1/152 from 34 overs, recalled his and Australia’s long day on the field. “I remember standing in slips in between bowling about 4000 overs and getting hammered around the ground. I discussed my favourite movies with Adam Gilchrist, we swapped hats, and tried everything to try and not think about it. My favourite songs... I think we were delirious,” Warne said on air during the third Test between England and Pakistan at the Ageas Bowl. That said, Warne took nothing away from Laxman and Dravid’s effort. Coming together at 248/4, the two batsmen batted an entire day – and a total of 104 overs – with Laxman carving a place for himself scoring in history with a career-best knock of 281. The knock helped raise Laxman’s stocks and he reached unprecedented heights from there. “But they played beautifully, Laxman and Dravid. In my time, it was as good an innings as there was. Laxman’s innings was beautiful, Dravid was exceptional too. AGENCIES
After Neymar's tears, PSG will hope Champions League final was no one-off AGENCIES Paris Saint-Germain will look back at their narrow defeat by Bayern Munich in Sunday's Champions League final in Lisbon and wonder what might have been, while also stealing themselves to come back stronger in Europe's elite club competition in a new season which is already starting. Kingsley Coman's second-half goal decided the final at the Estadio da Luz in Bayern's favour, allowing them to become European champions for the sixth time and denying PSG victory in their first appearance in club football's biggest game. The French champions were left to pay the price for failing to convert the opportunities that came their way -- Neymar was notably denied by a fine Manuel Neuer save early on, but Kylian Mbappe really should have done better than shoot straight at the goalkeeper just before half-time. The two most expensive players in football history were signed, ultimately, to win this game. It was not their night, and Neymar was in tears at the end. "Inconsolable" was the headline on the front page of sports daily L'Equipe on Monday, underneath a photo of the Brazilian crying. But PSG have muscled their way into the very elite of European clubs in the years since Qatar Sports Investments took over in the French capital in 2011 and they will be hopeful of getting to another Champions League final while Neymar and Mbappe are still there.
"Nobody thought we would make it to the final. We were very close to winning it, but that's football," said PSG's Qatari president, Nasser al-Khelaifi. "We are going to work hard to win the Champions League next season because that is our objective and now we believe in it more than before." NOVICES NO MORE: On Sunday they became the seventh consecutive side to lose when appearing in the Champions Leaague final for the first time. At least next time, if there is one, they will not be novices. Coach Thomas Tuchel, who put the defeat down to "bad luck", has been widely praised for getting a team dominated by a couple of superstars to all pull together in the same direction. "The players are right behind the coach. I have heard things about how he supposedly can't handle the dressing room and the star players but the truth is that he is overseeing the best season in the history of the club," said Mbappe of Tuchel ahead of the final. PSG showed fantastic spirit to come from a goal down and beat Atalanta in the quarter-finals and then outclassed RB Leipzig in the semi-finals. They had overturned a firstleg deficit to oust Borussia Dortmund in the last 16, just before the coronavirus shutdown, while in France they won every trophy going last season. Their improved European performances represent enormous progress after often humiliating defeats in pre-
CMYK
vious campaigns. LITTLE TIME TO REFLECT: Yet while there are positives, questions remain and Tuchel has much work to do, and little time to reflect on what might have been -- PSG play their first game of the new Ligue 1 season, away in Lens, on Saturday. The Champions League group stage begins again in October and between now and then Paris may need to get busy in the transfer market. Edinson Cavani, right-back Thomas Meunier and young defensive prospect Tanguy Nianzou Kouassi all left the club under freedom of contract before the 'Final Eight'. The latter has joined Bayern, becoming the latest in a long line of exciting youngsters to walk away from PSG. They can only hope he does not come back to haunt them in the way Coman -- another Paris-born ex-PSG starlet -- did in Lisbon. Skipper Thiago Silva is now out of contract too. Meanwhile Mauro Icardi, whose loan move from Inter Milan was made permanent in May for a reported fee of 55 million euros, played no part at all in the final, raising further questions. "I think we have created a special atmosphere in the squad over the last two years," Tuchel insisted. "We have lost lots of key players, big characters, so now we must create a strong new team which is capable of doing this again. That will be the challenge for us."
Tuesday, 25 August, 2020
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PoLITICaL ReSISTanCe movemenT gaInIng STRengTH In IoK: Fm QuReSHI SAYS NO CHANGE IN SAUDI STANCE ON KASHMIR AND CPEC WILL GATHER PACE IN COMING DAYS ISLAMABAD
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OREIGN Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has said that Kashmiris’ struggle for the right to self-determination has taken a new turn with a political resistance movement gaining strength in Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK). Addressing a press conference on Monday, the foreign minister pointed out that six political parties of IOK have rejected the Indian steps of August 5, 2019. He said that these political parties have forged an alliance, vowing to wage a joint struggle to revive the old status of the territory. He said that this is not an ordinary occurrence but an important development as the joint statement issued by the political parties holds the signatures of Farooq Ab-
dullah and enjoys the support of the Congress party which is the main opposition party in India. He also said that it is a clear message to the Narendra Modi government that the Kashmiris have stood up against the illegal steps of August 5. He added that India undertook the illegal steps to change the demography of the disputed territory and dis-empower the local population. Qureshi said that Prime Minister Imran Khan became Kashmiri people’s voice at every global forum, vehemently raising and drawing world leaders’ attention to the issue. He said that the Indian brutal acts of the last year including military siege and communication blackout have not shaken the resolve of the Kashmiri people. Responding to a question, the foreign minister said there is no change in the stance of Saudi Arabia on Kashmir. He said that both Pakistan and Saudi Arabia
are discussing different proposals. He added that the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has several times passed unambiguous resolutions in support of oppressed Kashmiri people. The foreign minister said that China also has been holding a clear stance on the Kashmir issue that the dispute should be resolved under the United Nations (UN) resolutions.
To a question about the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the foreign minister said that Pakistan and China have been resolutely pursuing the project and the pace of implementation of the project will increase in days to come. He said that CPEC will benefit not only these two countries but will also lead to regional connectivity. Responding to a question about Israel, FM Qureshi said that PM Imran has categorically stated Pakistan’s stance on the issue, which reflects the aspirations of the people of Pakistan. Answering another question, he said that a delegation of Afghan Taliban is in Pakistan for consultations. He said that Pakistan’s facilitating role on the Afghan issue led to a peace agreement between the United States and the Afghan Taliban. He added that the next logical step is intraAfghan dialogue, which should be started at the earliest. He further said China has also been supporting the Afghan peace process. He added that a large number of people in Afghanistan desire peace and stability in the country, however, there are some who want to disturb peace in Afghanistan.
Pompeo in Jerusalem after UAE-Israel deal, will push for other Arab states to follow suit JERUSALEM AGENCIES
Donald Trump officially nominated as Republican presidential candidate WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has been declared the Republican Party’s candidate for the 2020 election at the party’s convention in Charlotte, where he surprised delegates by making an unscheduled appearance. Trump was officially nominated in a roll call vote of 336 delegates at the strippeddown convention in North Carolina on Monday. Though short of its usual extravagance due to the coronavirus pandemic, six delegates from each state and territory were present in person to cast their votes, while other party figures called in remotely. The president surprised the assembled Republicans by appearing in person in an unscheduled visit shortly after his nomination was confirmed. Vice President Mike Pence was also renominated, receiving unanimous support from the assembled delegates. Trump is slated to deliver his acceptance speech from the White House on Thursday, while Pence will speak from Baltimore. Convention speakers include Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Kentucky Republican Senators Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, and ex-New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, along with several Trump family members including First Lady Melania, son Eric, and daughter Ivanka. Both Trump and Pence were running unopposed for the nomination. While a handful of Republicans had initially attempted to challenge Trump, the last of those, Massachusetts governor Bill Weld, dropped out in March after winning just 1.3 percent of the vote in the Iowa caucuses. Pence promised the pair would “make America great again, again” after his renomination, proclaiming it would take at least four more years to “drain the swamp” Trump had promised to do away with in his first campaign. The party voted unanimously not to adopt a policy platform for 2020, instead vowing to “enthusiastically support the President’s America-first agenda.” Trump has been criticized for failing to outline concrete policy objectives for his second term, and an agenda released Sunday – pledging to create 10 million new jobs over the next 10 months, launch one million small businesses, and eradicate the pandemic – raised some eyebrows as his detractors questioned how he proposed to accomplish these goals. AGENCIES
US State Secretary Mike Pompeo visited Jerusalem on Monday to start a five-day Middle East tour focused on Israel’s normalising of ties with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and pushing other Arab states to follow suit. Pompeo, wearing a face mask in the colours of the American flag, met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and was in the coming days also due to visit Sudan, Bahrain, and the UAE, the State Department said. Washington and its close ally Israel hope that the Jewish state will soon be able to normalise ties with other regional countries traditionally hostile to Israel — including several that share the US, UAE’s, and Israeli animosity toward Iran. In Jerusalem, Pompeo and Netanyahu were due to discuss “regional security issues related to Iran’s malicious influence” and “establishing and deepening Israel’s relationships in the region,” the State Department said. Pompeo was also to meet his counterpart Gabi Ashkenazi and Defence Minister Benny Gantz, who is also Israel’s alternate prime minister under a power-sharing deal. Netanyahu said earlier he and Pompeo would talk about “expanding the circle of peace in our region […] We’re working on peace with more countries, and I think there will be
more countries — and in the not-so-distant future”. Israel had previously only signed peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan, which unlike the UAE share borders with Israel and had technically been at war with the Jewish state. ‘LEGACY OF HOSTILITY’: Most Arab League members still do not recognise Israel, which was founded in 1948 — but some of them have sent signals of a potential thaw. Oman and Bahrain were among those who greeted the US-brokered Israel-UAE agreement. The pro-Netanyahu daily Israel Hayom said on Sunday that direct talks with the UAE on the wording of the deal were close to starting and that “a full agreement could be reached within a month” with a signing at the White House. Under the US-brokered agreement announced on August 13, Israel pledged to suspend its previous plans to annex parts of the occupied West Bank, without saying for how long. The Palestinians have slammed the UAE’s move as a “stab in the back” while their own conflict with the Jewish state remains unresolved. Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, on Monday charged that the IsraelUAE deal helps “maintain crimes and violations” against the Palestinians and urged regional and world leaders to “break their silence to bring an end” to the Gaza blockade.
In the latest upsurge of violence, Israel has bombed the coastal strip almost daily since August 6, while balloons carrying firebombs and, less frequently, rocket fire has hit Israel from Gaza. The UAE ambassador to Washington, writing in Israel’s Yediot Aharonot newspaper, argued that closer Israel ties would “help move the region beyond the ugly legacy of hostility and conflicts, towards a destiny of hope, peace, and prosperity”. BAHRAIN, OMAN, SUDAN? The Israel-Emirati pact has sparked speculation on which regional country might be next, with frequent mentions made of Bahrain and Sudan, which is turning its back on the era of strongman Omar al-Bashir who was ousted last year. Israel remains technically at war with Sudan, which for years had supported hardline militant forces. The State Department said Pompeo would meet Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok during his tour, to “express support for deepening the Sudan-Israel relationship”. Pompeo will also meet Bahrain’s Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa before meeting UAE foreign minister Abdullah bin Zayed AlNahyan to discuss the Israel deal, it said. Saudi Arabia, in keeping with decades of policy by the majority of Arab states, has said it will not follow the UAE’s example until Israel has signed a peace deal with the Palestinians.
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Hafeez Shaikh directs FBR to submit regular performance reports ISLAMABAD: Adviser to Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh on Monday directed the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to submit regular reports to the Ministry of Finance (MoF) regarding its performance against the monthly targets. The decision was taken during a meeting held at the MoF to discuss FBR reforms with Hafeez Shaikh in chair. It was decided during the meeting that FBR would submit regular reports on revenue collection along with analysis clearly bifurcating growth patterns in various sectors. The meeting decided that the FBR would also submit regular region wise reports to the Finance Division regarding refunds, new taxpayers, number of POS retailers and resolved complaints. The meeting also decided that FBR would revamp its existing appellate structure. It was further decided that FBR would make all out efforts to fully automate income tax refunds and regularly submit progress reports in this regard to the Finance Division. Matters pertaining to simplifying income tax returns also came under discussion during the meeting. It was decided that FBR would simplify income tax returns on a sectoral basis. Regarding monitoring of Regional Tax Offices (RTOs), Corporate Regional Tax Offices (CRTOs) and Large Taxpayer Units (LTUs), it was decided that FBR would submit regular reports to the MoF and provide breakdown of the monthly targets and performance along with trend analysis based on sectors. The participants of the meeting also decided that FBR would make efforts to publicise its reform initiatives and progress related to them to the taxpayers through mass media. It was also decided that FBR would also produce regular reports regarding smuggling at the country’s borders while clearly indicating the quantity of the seized items. The meeting also agreed to strengthen FBR’s Integrity Management Unit in order to promptly resolve complaints. STAFF REPORT
Leader of India's opposition Congress offers to resign after dissent letter NEW DELHI: The leader of India’s main opposition Congress party offered to resign on Monday, domestic media said, after almost two dozen top leaders called for better decision-making in the party, which has ruled for much of the country’s independent history. The call, made in a letter, is a rare challenge to the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty that has dominated Congress since India won independence in 1947 from colonial ruler Britain. But Prime Minster Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party has dealt the party heavy defeats in two general elections. Italian-born Sonia Gandhi, widow of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, asked the party to relieve her of her role as interim president in a speech to a virtual meeting of the Congress Working Committee, Reuters partner ANI reported. “Sonia Gandhi asks CWC members ‘to begin deliberations towards the process of transition to relieve her from the duty of party president,’” ANI said on Twitter, citing unidentified sources. Two party sources said the signatories to the letter expect the Gandhi family to either play a pro-active role or step down, adding that more than 300 regional Congress politicians also supported the letter. AGNCIES
B2B e-commerce marketplace Dastgyr raises six-figure funding to scale operations LAHORE TAIMOOR HASSAN
B2B e-commerce marketplace Dastgyr has raised undisclosed six-figure funding from angel investors in the United States (US), Pakistan and the Middle East, the company said in a statement on Monday. Dastgyr’s angel round makes it the fourth startup in the B2B e-commerce space that has raised funding this year, with Bazaar, Jugnu and Taajir being the other three. Launched in May 2020 in Lahore and Karachi, Dastgyr is founded by former members of Airlift Technologies who aspire to digitise the small, medium, and large businesses in Pakistan through tech-
nological advancement and development. Founded by Muhammad Owais, Zohaib Ali, Mohammad Awais Chaudhry, Haseeb Siddiqui, Asad Qamar, and Maaz Tariq, Dastgyr enables shopkeepers to place orders, manage their inventory, and budgets, only within a few clicks. Dastgyr started operations as the pandemic advanced and the globe succumbed to the pressures of an economic lockdown during which Pakistan witnessed the rise of resilient companies that took on the challenge to solve the country’s economic problems. Pakistan is home to approximately 600,000 retailers, 60-70pc of which are overlooked by the existing system, which adds to their cost for procurement of goods
and often results in loss of business. “During the Covid lockdown, we spoke with numerous retailers and immediately realised the severity of the supply chain challenges they experience every day. It was, then, a no-brainer to launch immediately!" said Muhammad Owais, dastgyr's co-founder, who is also a Careem and Airlift alumnus. For a company that's only three months old, Dastgyr claims it has managed to take on a considerable market share, and has achieved 133pc of their projected sales, making tens and thousands of deliveries to thousands of retailers within the first 90 days of operations. The company further claims that its unprecedented result has positioned Dastgyr as a true market
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leader as they were able to tap the market potential in the shortest possible time. Zohaib Ali, dastgyr’s co-founder and one of Airlift’s early team members, said, "The early team at Dastgyr has always been motivated to do something that has a direct positive impact on Pakistan. With retail having one of the largest contributions to the country’s economy, we want to simplify the current fragmented landscape so Pakistan can grow and prosper." Dastgyr is poised that it is now set to transform the B2B industry with a business model that not only empowers retailers and creates jobs, but also overcomes the risks associated with being operational during Covid-19.