Epaper – August 28 ISB 2020 by Pakistan Today

Friday, 28 August, 2020 I 8 Muharram, 1442 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XI No 59 I 12 Pages I Islamabad Edition

karaChi submerged in water g

19 More die in Port city aS rain wreakS havoc; arMy eStabliSheS flood eMergency control centre

Sindh governor SayS PM iMran Monitoring Situation ariSing out of torrential rainS

KARACHI staff report

S many as 19 people died in various rain-related incidents in the port city on thursday, taking the tally of deaths during the three-day monsoon spell in the city to 30. Meteorological officials said downpours in august have shattered the 89-year-old record for the city. Some 484mm (19 inches) of rain has fallen this month so far, 130mm on thursday alone, they said. according to data released by the Met department, Pakistan air force (Paf) faisal base recorded 130 millimetres of rain while nazimabad has recorded 105.6mm since thursday morning. Mausamiyat received 74.3mm of rain, while Saadi town recorded 72mm. about 98.5mm of rain was recorded in Paf Masroor base, Surjani received 73mm while kemari recorded 82.5mm. Many major arteries witnessed severe traffic jams. Power was suspended in several areas as a precautionary measure, a k-electric spokesperson said. karachi commissioner Muhammad Suhail rajput urged people not to leave their homes during the spell which, according to a Met office prediction, is expected to continue for another two days. videos and photos making rounds on social media showed submerged cars and motorcycles and water entering houses and buildings, wreaking havoc in the provincial capital. Scores of social media users, including federal Minister ali Zaidi, posted videos and pictures showing defence housing authority flooded with rainwater after heavy showers pounded the city for hours. “this is dha khi,” Zaidi wrote on twitter, adding, “bang in front of my housewhich is now partly flooded- but many homes in the neighborhood are under 4 feet of water”. “May allah have mercy on those who live in low lying areas of this city,” he said in another tweet.

“this is dha Phase 6 karachi. what is happening in the low-lying areas of khi today is devastating yet once again. testing times for karachiites yet again! no doubt allah tests those he loves the most,” he said in another tweet. Sindh governor imran ismail, in a tweet, said that Prime Minister imran khan is monitoring the situation that has arisen in karachi due to the torrential rains. “briefed PM imran khan over Sindh rain situation, karachi needs special attention. this is an unusual and abnormal rain situation which requires an emergency response. PM is monitoring the situation and assured to take any action

Coronavirus in

Pakistan

CONFIRMED CASES:

294,638

LAST UPDATED AT 10:07 AM ON AUGUST 26, 2020 DAY'S DEATH TOLL: NEW CASES:

RECOVERED:

445

DEATHS:

279,561 6,274 SINDH:

128,877 KP:

35,893 AJK/GB:

PUNJAB:

96,540 BALOCHISTAN:

12,721

ISLAMABAD:

2,272/2,773 15,562

required,” tweeted ismail. RELIEF, RESCUE OPERATION CONTINUES: in a statement, the military’s media wing inter-Services Public relations (iSPr) said that many areas were inundated and people stranded due to heavy rains in various parts of Sindh. an army flood emergency control centre has been established in karachi for assisting flood victims while a medical camp has been set up at the district centre of gulberg, liaquatabad and new karachi for providing necessary medical care, the inter-Services Public relations said. it said the dewatering of more than

36 sites in karachi had been completed while cooked meals covering 10,000 people had been distributed among flood victims in various areas. Meanwhile, army engineers completed the enhancement of the bund along M9 near the northern bypass to avoid flooding. army troops also filled a breach in the Malir river near Quaidabad, according to the iSPr. “Pakistan army engineer boats are busy shifting people to safer places,” the statement said. a relief and medical camp has also been established in latifabad area of hyderabad. food was provided to the

NCOC for following top to bottom approach in schools reopening ISLAMABAD staff report

the national command and operation center (ncoc) on thursday recommended for following a top to bottom approach in reopening educational institutions across the country by starting from the universities to the high schools on a rotation basis. the ncoc morning session was held with a single point agenda of reopening educational institutions across Pakistan. representatives of educational institutions, including public and private institutions as well as religious seminaries were invited at the ncoc session for taking all stakeholders on board, consultations and consensus-based decisions for opening of various institutions from university to school levels. all focal representatives from provinces, azad Jammu and kashmir (aJk) and gilgit-baltistan (gb) joined the meeting through video-link, said a press statement. the ncoc briefed the participants about the current covid-19 situation in Pakistan, the region and the world. “Participants were informed about risks and challenges in-

volved after opening educational institutions as it involved children of all ages,” said the statement. it added that the meeting was told that the “challenges” that the country may face once institutes open were developed after “hectic and lengthy consultations” that the ncoc held with international experts, academia and think tanks working on the opening up of the educational sector. according to the statement, the ncoc suggested its strategy to participants about the gradual opening up of educational institutions based on “best practices and input from various experts”. “educational institutions be opened on top to bottom approach (university, college, high schools) on a rotation basis. timings of various institutions be staggered and various activities which involve contact and mass gatherings, including co-curricular activities, be suspended” recommended the ncoc. the body also urged that the educational institutions will have to ensure that all covid-19 protocols are followed and asked them to prepare them before the final decision, which is expected to be taken on September 7. the centre said that the

tracking, tracing and testing strategy followed by the government will curb the spread of the virus. “for this, enhanced testing of symptomatic children, teachers and school staff will be very beneficial,” recommended the ncoc. Meanwhile, all provinces, aJk and gb apprised also the forum about the steps being taken by the for the reopening of schools which included consultations with various educational institutions in their respective areas including teachers training and covid-19 awareness. Special assistant to the Prime Minister on health dr faisal Sultan said that even though the decision to reopen educational institutes will be taken through consensus, the ncoc and health Ministry will intimately monitor the disease statistics on daily basis. dr faisal said that an itbased monitoring mechanism be developed to ensure health guidelines and covid-19 containment measures.

affected population while army engineers were busy in dewatering various areas, it added. according to the iSPr, army troops “have been forwardly placed at dadu for any eventuality and spillover at nai gaj dam”. the banks of Puran nullah in tehsil Jhudo of Mirpurkhas district had been damaged due to heavy rains, as a result of which water entered the nearest five villages. however, the breach was plugged with the combined efforts of army troops and civil administration to stop the flow of water to these areas, the iSPr said. Meanwhile, the personnel of Pakistan rangers Sindh continued the relief and rescue operation in the rain-affected areas of karachi in a coordinated manner. according to the rangers spokesperson, the rangers constituted separate teams for relief and rescue work to carry out the operation in a faster manner while reserve teams were also present in various areas to deal with any kind of emergency. rations were also being distributed in the areas where food supply is low with the help of philanthropists. rangers asked the people to contact rangers helpline 1101, rangers check post or whatsapp number 0347-9001111 for immediate assistance regarding rescue or relief. Pakistan navy’s rescue and relief operation also continued in various parts of the city during heavy spell of rain. Pakistan navy emergency response and rescue teams evacuated stranded people to safer places and recovered bodies being washed away in flash flood, a Pakistan navy press release said.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

Won’t leave people of Karachi alone, vows PM Imran STORY ON PAGE 03

more inside

Imran urges Opp to unite with govt on Kashmir and FATF issues STORY ON PAGE 02

never committed corruption of single penny, Shehbaz tells court STORY ON PAGE 02

World must hold India accountable for crimes against Kashmiris: FO STORY ON BACK PAGE

Covid-19 recovery rate reaches 94.88pc in country

Pakistan urges equitable access to coronavirus vaccine

STORY ON PAGE 03

Friday, 28 August, 2020

NewS

imran urges oPP to unite with govt on Kashmir and fatf issues ISLAMABAD

PREMIER SAYS PTI GOVT BELIEVES IN RULE OF LAW, ELIMINATION OF CORRUPTION

STAFF REPORT

RIME Minister Imran Khan on Thursday urged the opposition to stay united on national issues like the Kashmir crisis and Pakistan’s exclusion from the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) grey list. In an exclusive interview with a private news channel, he said that the incumbent government believes in rule of law contrary to previous regimes where law was meant to poor only. He said that no government has been blackmailed to this extent in the past. He said that holding of non-party elections led to corruption. Regarding health reports of Pakistan

Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Nawaz Sharif, the Prime Minister said medical opinion of expert doctors was the only reason of allowing him to go abroad. PM Imran said that economic indicators of the country are on positive trajectory. He urged the opposition to stay united on national issues like Kashmir crisis and Pakistan’s exclusion from FATF grey list. The premier said India has been lobbying to include Pakistan on FATF’s blacklist for last two years. He said that the only interest of opposition is to go against the national interest just to save its vested

shots fired outside residence of mPa abdul rasheed in Karachi

interest. PM Imran said that the government will call joint session of the parliament next week for legislation on FATF’s rulings. Commenting upon NAB’s fair and transparent role, he said 95 per cent cases of opposition were registered during their own tenures. He added that even the chairman of the bureau was appointed by the mutual consultations of the PML-N and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP). The premier termed granting of national reconciliation ordinance (NRO) to the opposition tantamount to compromising Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) man-

Never committed corruption of single penny, Shehbaz tells court LAHORE

KARACHI

INP

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President and Opposition Leader in National Assembly (NA) Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday appeared before accountability court in money laundering case. During the hearing, Shehbaz said that he has not committed corruption of a single penny. I never took salary from the national exchequer, he added. The PML-N leader further stated that he had brought international investment worth billions of rupees to Pakistan during his tenure. Meanwhile, the accountability judge assured to take the decision as per law. Talking to the media after the hearing, the PML-N leader said that the Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaf (PTI) government is doing politics on ex-premier Nawaz Sharif’s health. The federal authorities had allowed Nawaz Sharif to travel abroad, he added. Shehbaz further expressed hope that all the political parties will participate in All Parties Conference (APC). INVESTIGATION REPORT: Ac-

Unidentified gunmen fired shots outside the residence of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Sindh Assembly MPA Abdul Rasheed in city’s area of Lyari on Thursday. Rasheed and his family members remained safe during the incident. The police after getting the information reached the residence of provincial lawmaker. In his reaction over the incident, the Sindh Assembly MPA said that according to eye-witnesses two accused opened fire at his residence, who were riding motorcycle and fled away. He ruled out impression of any threats to him and claimed that attack was meant to pressurise him after he started to raise voice against corruption and for the basic rights of the masses. “Such cowardly attacks cannot keep me away from serving the masses,” Abdul Rasheed vowed. Meanwhile, the police have recovered shells of the bullet fired at the residence of the MPA and further investigation into the matter was underway.

ministry shares ways to report blasphemous content on internet ISLAMABAD APP

The Ministry of Religious Affairs has asked the citizenry to report the incidents of blasphemy and objectionable or sectarian content on the internet to its research wing for action. In a statement, a spokesperson said to report any such material to the ministry via email reportblasphemytomora@gmail.com or at its Facebook page for its removal and legal action against those responsible. The complaint can also be registered through WhatsApp at +92-06-333-255-5. According to the country’s cyber laws, publishing or sharing of objectionable content on social media or any such electronic medium is a crime liable to various punishments.

faraz assures of optimum steps to resolve media’s problems

ifesto. Counting on his party’s two-year achievements, he said that when PTI assumed the power, the major challenge was to save the country from bankruptcy. He added that despite of coronavirus pandemic, the government earned more revenues than its expectations during the last month. The premier said that Pakistan’s stock market is showing positive indicators by means of the historic incentives announced for construction sector which gained the trust of investors. He said that master plans for all major cities of the country are being devised to prevent the damages of urbanization. In this regard, he added, Ravi Riverfront Urban City in Lahore and Bundal Island City in Karachi are being developed the pattern of the Federal Capital.

Court issues non-bailable arrest warrants for suleman shehbaz LAHORE: An accountability court in Lahore on Thursday issued nonbailable arrest warrants for Suleman Shehbaz, the son of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif, in a money laundering reference against the members of the Sharif family. The court, in its order, directed authorities to arrest Suleman, who has been residing in London since 2018, and present him before the court in the next hearing. The court also asked authorities to submit a report in this regard in the next hearing. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in 2019 declared Suleman a proclaimed offender for deliberately avoiding arrest despite being required in the investigation against him. In June last, the agency decided to seek the help of Interpol and the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency to bring him back from there. APP

cording to the NAB investigation report, chief financial officer of Sharif family, Muhammad Usman, laundered money for the Shehbaz family. Usman started working for the Sharif family in 2005 at Ramzan Sugar Mills for Rs 90,000 per month. In 2006, the Nawaz family acquired Hudaibiya Engineering from the Shehbaz family and in 2007, the Shehbaz family made more companies, including the Sharif Feed Mill, to expand

their business. The bank accounts of Shehbaz’s wife Nusrat Shehbaz and his sons were used for foreign remittances and loans. On the direction of Salman, Waqar Trading Company made fake foreign remittances of Rs600 million, the report stated. The entire amount was transferred to Suleman Shehbaz’s personal account via cheque but it is not known where he receives his money from, it added.

Bilawal invites all political leaders to join relief, rescue operation in rain-hit areas of Sindh ISLAMABAD APP

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal BhuttoZardari on Thursday urged all the political leaders to set aside their differences and join relief and rescue operation being carried out in rain-hit areas of Sindh especially in Karachi. In a telephonic conversation with Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, he said that the current torrential rain spell had broken all the previous records of 100 years in Karachi and other parts of the province, said a press release. He said that safeguarding the masses, their lives, properties and assets was the collective responsibility, adding that blame-game must end in the greater national interest. The PPP chairman urged all the stakeholders to contribute in the ameliorating situation instead of politicising a pure natural disaster. Bilawal asked CM Murad to utilise

all available resources to drain out the stagnant rainwater from the low-lying areas of Karachi for the restoration of normal life. He urged the federal government to play its part by contributing maximum efforts because nature had rolled out a litmus test for the nation to display its unity and collective steps. He said that rescue and relief operation must be expedited as life of each and every citizen was very important for the state as well as the government tiers. He again asked the PPP elected representatives, office-bearers and workers to help the people at this trying time. Bilawal praised those who had already been working 24/7 to assist the affected citizens during this worst monsoon season across Sindh. He called for well-coordinated emergency steps to control the heavy downpour ravages, its current and aftershocks as nation required unified response to the calamity, which humans had no power to overcome overnight.

Proposed nab rules submitted in sC ISLAMABAD TLTP

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Thursday submitted new proposed rules to the Supreme Court (SC), laying down the role of the accountability watchdog’s chairman in making appointments, arrests, approval of references and other functions. The fresh rules were framed under section 34 of the NAB law and gave chairman NAB the authority to appoint director generals and directors in the institution. The chairman NAB will issue guidelines for the arrest of a person accused of corrupt practices and it would be mandatory for all officials to follow them. The chairman would give a final nod for any reference against the accused and only he would have the authority to decide on it and issue guidelines for the reference. The reference would be filed a month later after approval from the chairman. Under the proposed rules, the chairman would have the authority to hire officials on BPS-19 and above grades while Director General Human Resource would make appointments on vacant posts between BPS-16 to BPS-18. Director Human Resource would make appointments on BPS-1 to BPS-15 posts. The fresh proposed rules also lay down guidelines for arrests, reference, voluntary return of the amount, and plea bargain. Complaint and its verification, inquiry, and investigation process are also defined under new proposed rules. It added that complaints received to the NAB headquarters would be sent to the concerned NAB office and would be presented before the regional board within one month of being received. The regional board would be bound to verify the complaint within eight weeks and would convert it into an inquiry after receiving credible information on it. Arrests could be made during the inquiry process if required and the NAB officials would be bound to complete the inquiry process within a month and could get an extension of one month in the period if needed. The chairman NAB could further extend the period by three weeks. The investigation officer would also be bound to maintain a diary of the investigation process, the new proposed rules submitted to the apex court read.

anti-money laundering legislation is a requirement of fatf: law minister ISLAMABAD PPI

Federal Minister for Law and Justice Barrister Dr Muhammad Farogh Naseem has said that Anti-Money Laundering (AML) legislation is a requirement to meet the criteria laid out by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). In a television interview, he said it is wrong to suggest that making arrests without warrant in money laundering cases is not a requirement of FATF. He said that according to Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) there are a number of offences for which arrests can be made without warrants. An arrest without warrant is not a violation of the Constitution. He said that there are cognisable offences in which the police can arrest a suspect without a warrant and non-cognisable offences in which the permission has to be sought by the court to apprehend the suspect for questioning even in the countries like Canada and the United States. He said that public is being misled to think the bills that are being presented in the Senate are not connected with FATF or are not FATF requirements. He said that not a single clause is there which does not meet the criteria laid out by FATF.

ISLAMABAD APP

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Senator Shibli Faraz on Thursday said that the government believed in the freedom of expression and would take all possible steps for the resolution of media community’s problems. Addressing an event at the National Press Club, he expressed the hope that newly-elected office-bearers would come up to the expectations of fellow journalists and work for resolution of their problems. Congratulating newlyelected office bearers of the press club, Faraz said that there had been excellent standard for the selection of journalists’ representatives. He said that having superb leadership usually helped in ensuring liaison with the government, adding mutual trust and respect might also help in resolving many difficult issues. He said that he was grateful to the journalist community for showing respect towards him due to the contribution of his father Urdu poet Ahmed Faraz who belonged to the pen profession.

Senate body lauds NCHD for educating 0.8m children in far-flung areas ISLAMABAD APP

Senate Functional Committee on Problems of Less Developed Areas Thursday appreciated the National Commission of Human Development (NCHD) for imparting quality education to the children living in remote areas across the country. The teachers were educating the students without any benefits with the min-

imum wage Rs8,000 that was commendable, the Senate body apprised that met with Usman Khan Kakar in the chair. The committee chairman told the members that around 800,000 children were being educated through non-formal system throughout the country. Federal Minister for Education and Vocational Training Shafqat Mahmood told the committee that the matters pertaining to NCHD and Basic Education Com-

munity School (BECS) was taken up in the Council of Common Interests (CCI) and it would be transferred to the provinces by June 2021 with their consent. He assured the committee for enhancement in the salaries of teachers working at far-flung areas. The body was also informed that there were 6,461 teachers working in 5715 NCHD schools were imparting education to 306,000 children between the

ages of five to nine years. Kakar said that in order to secure the future of these teachers, the planning would be reviewed in the committee meeting by summoning the four chief secretaries and the provincial ministers of education and secretaries. The committee recommended to refer the issues of employees to the provinces so that they could work without fear and danger.

Friday, 28 August, 2020

NewS

Ji refuses to attend oPP allianCe’s meeting, blames PPP, Pml-n for PubliC issues ISLAMABAD

MIAN ABRAR

HILE the Opposition parties are contemplating efforts to convene an All Parties’ Conference (APC), the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) has distanced itself from the opposition’s meeting, blaming the major opposition parties, including Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) responsible for disunity among opposition ranks. JI Deputy Chief Liaquat Baloch on Thursday held a meeting with chief of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazal (JUI-F) Chairman Maulana Fazlur Rehman at the latter’s residence and conveyed a message of JI chief Senator Sirajul Haq. It merits mention that the JI is a part of the Mutahidda Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) along with the JUI-F and smaller religious groups, and had contested the 2018 general elections together. However, it is yet to be seen if the JI lawmakers in both houses of the parliament as well as the provincial as-

semblies would take part in the opposition protests or not. According to a source in JI, Baloch thanked the opposition alliance for inviting the JI to its consultative meeting and said that the incompetence and failure of the government is evident. “Though Baloch criticised the government’s handling of Kashmir and Palestine issues, but said in the same breath that the opposition’s role was also disappointing,” the source added. “After the engineered elections, Imran Khan’s government has failed on every front. The political, constitutional and parliamentary crisis is intensifying. JI has no differences with the anti-government struggle of Maulana Fazl and the opposition parties. But we believe that the PML-N and the PPP have weakened the opposition with their recent moves,” the source quoted Baloch as telling Maulana Fazl. Baloch further said that JI has decided to play the role of ‘true opposition’ in the light of its past experiences of alliance with the PPP and PML-N. “We have decided to remain in the field. We will keep in touch with the opposition

Pm orders to keep women with minor crimes in prisons near homes ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday issued important directives regarding helpless women in jails and ordered to keep the female inmates with minor crimes in prisons which are near their homes. The premier has instructed Federal Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari to hold consultations with the attorney general in this regard. Protection of human rights is the foremost priority of this government, he said. PM Imran maintained that civilized societies are recognised by ensuring protection of human rights. The PM has also taken notice of the plight of women in jails and decided to improve their condition. STAFF REPORT

Pakistan urges equitable access to coronavirus vaccine ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN) Munir Akram has stressed the need for fair and equitable access to a coronavirus vaccine when it is developed. Speaking at a webinar on the pandemic, Akram said that every country should have access to any effective vaccine without any discrimination, according to a statement issued on Thursday. Akram said that the member states of the UN Economic and Social Council are faced with three challenges at the same time: the first is the fight against the coronavirus and its results, the second is to discern and work towards achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs) and the third global challenge is about a threat to the climate. He said that developed countries channeled a whopping $10 trillion for economic revival in view of the global downturn brought on by the contagion while underdeveloped countries could not even arrange even one part of that amount. TLTP

ihC adjourns schools reopening case for a week ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday adjourned the hearing in a case seeking opening of educational institution in the federal capital which were closed in steps to control coronavirus outbreak. IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah, hearing the case, asked the petitioner’s lawyer to give arguments in support of his case on the next date of hearing. The bench, however, said it was the authority of the executive to take decision pertaining to the above matter. The petitioner’s lawyer pleaded that his client had already approached the relevant forum in light of court’s directives to address their grievances but nothing happened. At this, the chief justice said that it was the power of executive and this court could not interfere into it. The lawyer prayed the court to grant him more time for preparation. After this, the court adjourned hearing of the case for a week. APP

parties but at this stage, the JI will not attend the joint meeting of the opposition parties. Rather, we will contact Maulana Fazl and other opposition leaders separately to discuss national issues when and if required,” the JI leader said. Meanwhile, addressing the JI workers in Lower Dir, Senator Haq equally criticised the government and the socalled opposition parties, terming them two sides of a same coin. He said that no legislation was made to address the gen-

uine public issues in past two years of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) rule. He said that the masses witnessed the PTI, PML-N and PPP united on the foreign imposed agenda of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF)-related legislation. He further said that the people at large were desperate and unable to make both ends’ meet due to skyrocketing inflation. He added that thousands had lost jobs due to the ill-conceived economic policies of the ruling party.

won’t leave people of Karachi alone, vows PM Imran KARACHI TLTP

Expressing concerns over torrential rains in Karachi and other parts of Sindh, Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday said that the federal government will not leave the people of Karachi alone in this difficult situation. The prime minister telephoned Sindh Governor Imran Ismail and expressed concern over disturbance of normal life in the metropolis due to recent rains. He ordered Governor Ismail to speed up relief efforts in rainhit areas of the city and move stranded people to safe places. He also directed for provision of food to people affected by torrential rains. “The federal government will not leave people of Karachi alone,” said the prime minister and added that he is fully aware of the problems being faced by people of Karachi and monitoring the situation. Later, Sindh Governor Imran Ismail, in a tweet, said that Prime Minister Imran Khan is monitoring the situation that has arisen in Karachi due to the torrential rains. “Briefed PM Imran Khan over Sindh rain situation, Karachi needs special attention. This is an unusual and abnormal rain situation which requires an emergency response. PM is monitoring the situation and assured to take any action required,” tweeted Ismail. It is pertinent to mention here that heavy monsoon

rains battered large swathes of the metropolis on Thursday, inundating major roads and low-lying areas and causing severe traffic jams on several major arteries of the city. Commuters waded through knee-deep waters, chestdeep in some areas, as vehicles were submerged with torrential rains adding to traffic woes. Power outages were also witnessed in many areas as K-Electric’s feeders tripped, suspending power supply. Knee-deep rainwater also gathered at Saddar, MA Jinnah Road and Tibet Centre, Sohrab Goth, Shara-eFaisal, Malir and Landhi, Safoora Chowrangi, NIPA Chowrangi, Hassan Square and People’s Chowrangi.

‘Development of construction sector key to economic stability, growth’ ISLAMABAD TLTP

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday said that the development of the construction sector is the key to stability and growth of the national economy. The prime minister said this while chairing the weekly meeting of the National Coordination Committee for Housing, Construction and Development. He said that the government gives top priority to the development of the construction industry and the provision of facilities to investors, builders and developers. He directed all the chief secretaries to accelerate the process of approval of pending applications pertaining to the sector. Capital Development Authority (CDA) chairman apprised the prime minister on various developments in the construction sector including concessions given to the sector in the Federal Capital Territory, approvals granted for commercial and residential construction and

new projects in Park Enclave-III and the Blue Area. He also briefed the prime minister regarding the progress in the auction of commercial plots and complete automation of CDA. The prime minister was informed that the fee for floor area ratio has been reduced by 55 per cent and insurance and mortgage facilities have been simplified. The CDA chairman further informed that since midJune, 429 applications out of a total of 578 applications for residential and commercial projects have been approved while work on the rest is in progress. Speaking on the occasion, the Punjab chief secretary said that since July, 2,129 applications have been received in Punjab out of which 1,285 have been approved while 844 are in the process of approval. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) chief secretary also informed that out of the 1,935 applications received in KP, 802 commercial, 332 residential and 64 housing societies have been approved while the rest are under consideration.

hub dam water level nears maximum CaPaCity after 13 years KARACHI: The ongoing spell of torrential rains in Karachi and Sindh have increased the water level in Hub Dam to 338 feet and are likely to fill it to its maximum capacity (339 feet) for the first time in 13 years. The Hub Dam, which supplies drinking water to Karachi and meets the water needs of several areas in Balochistan, had last been filled to maximum capacity in 2007. A spokesperson of Karachi Water Board has said that the water level in Hub Dam has risen to 338 feet presently. The spillway of the reservoir will be opened after an inflow of one feet more water in the dam. The increasing water level in the dam will improve the water supply in District West of Karachi, which receives water supply from Hub reservoir. Karachi gets 100 million gallons of water daily from Hub Dam. Owing to the low water supply from the dam, many areas in the West and Central districts of Karachi face acute water shortage. The catchment area of Hub River is spread over hundreds of kilometers in Balochistan and Sindh. The Hub Dam, located 56 km from Karachi with a total capacity of 339 feet, is extended to 24,300 acres with a gross storage capacity of 857,000 acre-feet water. STAFF REPORT

tarbela dam likely to attain its maximum conservation level: irsa ISLAMABAD: Tarbela dam is likely to attain its maximum conservation level (MCL) of 1550 feet on Thursday as water level has reached to 1549 feet. According to the Indus River System Authority (IRSA), water level in Tarbela and Mangla has touched to 1,549 feet and 1,239.75 feet against their MCL of 1,550 feet and 1,242 feet respectively. The total water storage in major reservoirs in Tarbela, Mangla and Chashma was recorded as 13.236 million-acre feet (MAF). Owing to rainy spells, the inflow in all major rivers has also surged and it was recorded as 473,000 cusecs against outflow of 432,000 cusecs. Water level in the Indus River at Tarbela Dam was 1,549.00 feet, which was 153.00 feet higher than its dead level 1,386 feet. Water inflow in the dam was recorded as 212,300 cusecs and outflow as 183,100 cusecs. The water level in the Jhelum River at Mangla Dam was 1239.75 feet, which was 199.75 feet higher than its dead level of 1040 feet whereas the inflow and outflow of water was recorded as 81,100 cusecs and 69,700 cusecs respectively. The release of water at Kalabagh, Taunsa and Sukkur was recorded as 196,500, 207,600 and 208,900 cusecs respectively. Similarly, from the Kabul River a total of 42,000 cusecs of water was released at Nowshera and 116,300 cusecs released from the Chenab River at Marala. APP

Covid-19 recovery rate reaches 94.88pc in country ISLAMABAD: The cases of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) have been decreasing in the country as there are now 8,803 active cases in the country, said the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Thursday. According to the latest statistics, 279,561 patients have recovered from coronavirus in the country so far. The recovery rate has reached 94.88 per cent in the country. The country reported 445 new coronavirus cases and six deaths over the previous 24 hours, lifting the number of infections to 294,638, and fatalities to 6,274. A total of 23, 441 coronavirus tests were carried out over the last 24 hours. Around 1,076 patients are under treatment in 735 hospitals across the country, out of whom 114 are on ventilators. So far, Sindh as reported 128,877 infections, Punjab 96,540, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) 35,893, Balochistan 12,721, Islamabad 15,562, Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) 2,773, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) has reported 2,272 cases. Meanwhile, India Thursday reported a record daily jump of 75,760 coronavirus infections, taking its total caseload to 3.31 million as cases surged across the country, data from the federal health ministry showed. India is the worst affected country in Asia and third behind the United States and Brazil in terms of total cases. It has posted the highest singleday caseloads in the world since August 7. Deaths in the same 24-hour period increased by 1,023, taking the death toll to 60,472. TLTP

No notification for new Keamari district issued yet, SHC told KARACHI TLTP

The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Thursday adjourned the hearing of a plea, challenging the establishment of Keamari district, for an indefinite period after it was informed that no such notification has been issued yet. The court turned down a request by PTI MNA Aamir Liaquat Hussain to issue notices on his petition challenging the

Sindh government’s decision of carving a seventh district out of Karachi. Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, who headed a two-judge bench, observed that the court cannot put the Sindh government on notice in the case until a notification regarding the formation of Keamari district in question is submitted to it. He said that the court has to determine what unlawful act the provincial government has committed. “Karachi used to be a district and then

was divided into four districts. Malir district was carved out of it and Korangi was later given the status of a district and now Keamari has been declared the seventh district. We have to see what illegal act was committed,” the judge remarked. When asked, the advocate general Sindh told the bench that no notification regarding the formation of the Keamari district has been issued yet. A lawyer representing the petitioner said the Sindh Assembly passed a bill in

this regard on August 24. The hearing was adjourned for an indefinite period. Aamir stated in his petition that the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP)-led provincial government’s move to create Keamari district by bifurcating Karachi’s West district reeks of bias. It did not even take the local government into confidence on the creation of the new district, he added. He requested the court to declare such a move illegal.

Friday, 28 August, 2020

News

Civil SERvAntS to PRotESt foR inStitutionAl REfoRmS in SEPtEmbER LAHORE

SHAHAB OMER

HE All Pakistan Provincial Civil Services Association (APPCSA) will hold a protest convention at Lahore in the middle of September in order to realise the Task Force on Institutional and Civil Service Reforms, Pakistan Today learnt on Thursday. According to APPCSA Coordinator Tariq Mahmood Awan, “All other stakeholders involved in process of civil service re-

forms will honour their commitment to denotify 687 provincial posts to the provincial services as declared in approved minutes of the meeting consisting of adviser on institutional reforms, establishment and secretary establishment with APPCSA.” “It is very sad that it was declared that 687 provincial posts shall be de-notified till July 20 but after the lapse of more than one month, the promise has not been fulfilled. Provincial civil servants are fully cooperating with all civil service reforms initiatives but they are being befooled and

Air Chief inaugurates artificial intelligence & computing centre ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Mujahid Anwar Khan inaugurated the Center of Artificial Intelligence and Computing on Thursday. Addressing the inaugural ceremony, the Air Chief said this institution will help improve the operational capacity of Pakistan Air Force (PAF), according to a statement. He said that the objective to establish this centre is to promote research in the artificial intelligence sector as the technology in the 21st century has completely changed the war strategy. He further said that technology has altered the characteristics of warfare in the 21st century and the vision of establishing the centre is to harness the potential of artificial intelligence and its integration in PAF’s operational domain. He termed the establishment of the Center of Artificial Intelligence and Computing a landmark initiative in the evolutionary journey of PAF which would lead artificial intelligence research and development in both civil and military spheres. Earlier, Air Marshal Aamir Masood, Deputy Chief of the Air Staff (Training), in his welcome address, gave a broad overview of the newly established centre. The event was attended by former air chiefs, principal staff officers and senior serving and retired PAF officers.

deceived on each occasion. For the last two years, it has become a new administrative tradition by DMG-led committees and especially offices of chief secretaries and additional chief secretaries in all provinces to back out all written commitments with PMS officers only to hold monopoly of DMG officers,” Awan added. “As far as Punjab is concerned, the offices of chief secretary and additional chief secretary in particular have gone so biased that they have become virtually the offices of DMG officers and are intentionally destroy-

ing the careers of PMS officers. They are neither holding training, promotional boards nor fulfilling their written commitments done in the last two years. This state of affairs has pushed PMS officers in blind alley. The APPCSA and PMSA are trying to present their grievances to the federal and provincial governments and a number of written representations have been filed in the last two years. Thankfully to the governments, they form committees to redress the issues but these committees are monopolised by the DMG officers whose only interest is to hold the mo-

About 115 people rescued owing flood RAWALPINDI APP

About 100 of people have been rescued from flood water from the area of Sharoon colony located near Sawan nullah. According to a spokesman of Rescue 1122, due to torrential rains, the water level raised Thursday morning and entered into the houses, resultantly the individuals got stuck. On information, the rescuers started the operation and evacuated about 100 persons from the water and shifted them to the safer place. No deaths were immediately re-

ported, he said. The spokesman said that the rescuers were fully alert and had been provided with all the necessary equipment to cope with any situation. Meanwhile, in another operation, the rescuers rescued 15 persons from a van after getting stuck in flood water on Sawan bridge. On other hand, the district administration claimed to have finalized all-out arrangements to combat flood like situation by taking all departments concerned, including Civil Defence, Rescue 1122, Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) and other related departments on board, and adopting foolproof mechanism to pro-

vide maximum relief to masses in emergency like situation, he added. The administration on the directives of Rawalpindi Commissioner Captain (r) Muhammad Mehmood, had also set up a special control room to monitor flood situation in Nullahs particularly Leh. According to meteorological department, Rain-wind/thundershowers are expected in Islamabad, upper Punjab, upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) in next 24 hours, while more rain-thunderstorm is also expected at isolated places in coastal areas of Sindh and eastern Balochistan.

NAB expands scope of liquor case probe, decides to summon six oﬃcials LAHORE INP

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Thursday has expanded scope of investigation into liquor license case and decided to summon six officials, including a senior bureaucrat. According to details, the anti-corruption watchdog will record statement of specialised secretary and former Excise secretary Nabeel Awan. On August 15, the anti-graft agency had sought details of salary, movable and immovable properties, source of income and utility bills from Punjab Chief Minister Sardar

Usman Buzdar in the liquor licence case. The details of his private and foreign trips had also been sought, while information of inherited property was also sought. Buzdar had also been asked about details regarding gas, electricity, telephone and mobile-phone bills and the number of employees he has. The anti-graft watchdog had also sought details of assets purchased, leased or received in the form of auctions and gifts. The bureau also asked the chief minister to provide details of when and to whom the assets not owned by Bazdar were sold. Previously, the chief minister had appeared before a combined investigation team of the NAB in Lahore without security and protocol.

RRFUDP is game changer project of PTI: Buzdar LAHORE INP

Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar has said that the Ravi River Front Urban Development Project (RRFUDP) is a game changer project of Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaf (PTI) while no government of past could dare to start the project. RRFUDP Chairman Rashid Aziz called on the chief minister on Thursday. At the occasion, Buzdar said that the credit of initiation of this project goes to PTI government lead by Prime Minister Imran Khan while the previous government could not do anything for the project.

The CM said that no one can deny economic, social and environmental need of this project while the project will bring revolution in economic activities and promotion of the investment. He said that this project has a prime importance regarding decreasing environmental pollution of the city while the project will provide opportunity of investment of billions of rupees to overseas Pakistanis, local and international investors and will also create job opportunities for thousands of people. Besides the use of 90 per cent of local goods it will promote industries in Pakistan, he added.

nopoly on the highest administrative offices without authority of law and denying PMS officers their lawful positions,” he further said. “This unwarranted situation has propelled APPCSA and PMSA Punjab in particular to raise their voice for their rights. A protest convention of APPCSA will be held in Lahore in middle of September followed by a series of strong protests country wide until 687 provincial posts are not de-notified and Punjab chief secretary and additional chief secretary’s office fulfill their promises. PMS officers worked 24/7 in Covid-19 crisis with many martyred, and put all their legal rights on the back burner but DMGs have only exploited the position. DMGs-led offices have developed this new governance model that until the concerned create hue and cry, the written agreements will not be honored. Under this proposition, PMS officers will be doing protests all over the country for ensuring de-notifying of 687 provincial posts to provinces as committed,” he concluded.

Six PEoPlE killEd, two injuREd in HAfizAbAd, lARkAnA ligHtEning inCidEntS ISLAMABAD: At least six persons were killed and two sustained injuries in lightening incidents that occurred in Hafizabad and Khairpur area of Larkana district, Rescue sources reported on Thursday evening. According to details, in the first incident, three persons were killed by lightening that fell on them in Hafizabad area of Punjab province. The two other people were also received injuries in the same incident. The Rescue team rushed to the site and shifted the ill-fated persons to the hospital for emergency treatment. In the second incident, three young people, including a child, were struck by lightning which fell on them in Khairpur area of Larkana district. APP

Passing out ceremony of 242 Rescue personnel held at ESA LAHORE: The Passing Out ceremony of 242 Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) was held at Emergency Services Academy (ESA) on Thursday. Punjab Senior Minister Abdul Aleem Khan was the chief guest of the ceremony. Besides, Punjab Emergency Services Director-General Dr Rizwan Naseer, AS Home Sulman Ghani, MPA Dr. Azimuddin Zahid Lakhvi, senior officers from Rescue Headquarters, ESA, and a large number of Rescue personnel, their parents, family and friends attended the ceremony. In his welcoming address, Punjab Rescue DG Dr Rizwan Naseer took oath from graduating Rescue personnel and congratulated them on the successful completion of their professional training and becoming part of the Service. He said that Rescue Service has rescued over 8.4 million victims of emergencies since its inception in October 2004. “The Rescue Fire Service has also responded to over 148,000 fire emergencies and saved losses worth over Rs450 billion with professional firefighting on modern lines. This ESA is not only providing training to the Rescue personnel of Punjab but also providing technical assistance to the other provinces through Punjab Government for replication of this lifesaving model of the service. Now, the ESA has trained over 19,000 personnel for Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Baluchistan, and Aman Foundation from Karachi since its inception,” he said. STAFF REPORT

Afridi acclaims unflinching Turkish support for oppressed people of IOK ISLAMABAD APP

Parliamentary Committee on Kashmir Chairman Shehryar Afridi Thursday lauded the unflinching and continued support by the people and the government of Turkey for the cause of oppressed people of Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK). Afridi said that freedom was around the corner and soon Kashmiris would exercise their right to plebiscite according to the United Nations (UN) resolutions. He made these remarks during a meeting with Turkish Ambassador Mustafa Yurdakul. He appreciated the bold stance adopted by the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for Kashmir issue that has helped further

highlight the Kashmir issue at the international fora. Afridi said that President Erdogan played vital role in exposing Hindutva designs against the people of Kashmir and Indian minorities as the goons of proscribed Rashtariya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) were lynching Muslims, Christians, Sikhs and Dalit Hindus with impunity and the Indian authorities were providing assistance in actions against the Indian minorities and Kashmiris. He said that the Hindutva regime is destabilizing regional peace. He said that since three nuclear powers including Pakistan, China and India were major players in the region, any misadventure on Kashmir may jeopardise regional peace, affecting more than half of the world’s population. While admiring President Erdogan’s gov-

ernment, Afridi said that Turkey made the whole world realize what Muslims as Ummah have achieved. “Turkey has been playing leading role for whole Ummah to stand united against their common enemy,” said Afridi. He emphasised on urgency for bringing attention of international media to the Indian atrocities committed in IOK. Afridi recommended engaging the academia, students and youth to highlight Indian atrocities in Kashmir through art and culture which could be projected through diplomatic forums and new initiatives in highlighting struggles of Kashmiris globally. He lauded Turkish Embassy’s role in playing key role to further cement undying Pakistan-Turkey relations.

Friday, 28 August, 2020

ToP BuReaucRaTs loBBying foR WoRld BanK’s ed PosiTion: souRces ISLAMABAD

SHAHZAD PARACHA

OME of the top bureaucrats of the country are reportedly lobbying for the position of Pakistan’s Executive Director (ED) at the World Bank (WB). According to sources, bureaucrats who are lobbying for the WB’s position include, Finance Secretary Naveed Kamran Baloch, Establishment Division Secretary Ijaz Munir and former State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) governor Tariq Bajwa. Earlier, the Economic Affairs Division (EAD) had proposed four names for the position which include Azam Khan, Naveed Kamran

Baloch, Ijaz Munir and Tariq Bajwa. Presently, Shahid Ashraf Tarar is serving as Pakistan’s Executive Director at the WB. His three year tenure is due to end in October this year. According to documents, the salary package offered to a WB executive director amounts to Rs2.5 to Rs3 million per month. According to sources, an adviser to the prime minister is backing Kamran Baloch for the position citing his good performance as the finance secretary. SBP’s former governor Tariq Bajwa has also withdrawn himself as the member of Punjab National Finance Commission in a bid to lobby for the WB executive director post. The WB executive director is hired to defend development proj-

ects of seven countries, provide input on their macroeconomic reports, opinions on global economic issues and to defend quotas and voting rights of their constituency. According to sources, the EAD has proposed a four year tenure for the next WB executive director. Sources further added that currently there is no specific tenure for this slot. They said that during Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) last tenure an official remained in the position for a period of five years adding that the WB gives pensions to officers who serve for a minimum of five years. Moreover, sources further said that Secretary to the Prime Minister (PM) Azam Khan might also be chosen for the position because of his closeness to the PM.

NEWS 05 AGP to audit Covid-19 related expenditures THE AUDIT IS EXPECTED TO BRING CLARITY REGARDING WHETHER FUNDS UTILISED FOR COMBATING THE CORONAVIRUS HAD BEEN SPENT IN A TRANSPARENT AND EFFICIENT MANNER ISLAMABAD SHAHZAD PARACHA

The Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) on Thursday said that it has decided to audit the expenditures made on the country’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic. According to sources, the AGP has plans to produce several short reports pertaining to Covid-19 expenditures in order to provide a timely input to the legislature and the executive regarding the government's drive against the deadly pandemic. The Auditor General of Pakistan Javaid Jehangir on Thursday chaired a meeting to discuss the strategy pertaining to the audit of Covid-19 related expenditures. He stressed that all the field officers including Director General

Audit (Climate Change and Environment) and Director General Social Safety Nets should act in a coordinated manner to produce quality audit reports regarding Covid-19 related expenditures. The audit is expected to bring clarity regarding whether funds utilised for combating the coronavirus had been spent in a transparent and efficient manner. It was decided in the meeting that audit officers will cover all the possible areas related to Covid-19 expenditures including procurement of goods and services, advertisements, storage, relief funds, quarantine centers, services by hospitals and public health institutions, testing and procurement and distribution of ration. The AGP said that the use of new or existing Information Technology (IT) resources will make the audit more productive and result oriented.

Peshawar BRT distributes Karachi submerged 300,000 plus ‘Zu cards’ in water within two weeks coNtINUED oN PAgE 01 TRANSPESHAWAR OFFICIALS SAY AROUND 100,000 PASSENGERS ON AVERAGE USE THE BRT SERVICE ON A DAILY BASIS PESHAWAR AZIZ BUNERI

The Peshawar Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) service during the first two weeks of its operation has distributed around 315,000 ‘Zu cards’ to people living in the provincial capital. Out of the 315,000 ‘Zu cards’, around 41,000 were purchased by people while the rest were distributed by TransPeshawar officials. According to TransPeshawar officials, an average of 100,000 passengers are using the service on a daily basis. Officials added that this number is expected to increase in the future keeping in mind the interest shown by the people regarding the project. Three days ago, Peshawar BRT’s Hayatabad feeder route was inaugurated. Other feeder routes are also expected to be inaugurated in the coming weeks which will increase the number of passengers. Asmat Shah, a resident of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s (KP) district Tank while talking to Profit said that prior to the inauguration of the BRT service, people used to use old buses and vans which would take hours to reach their destination due to congestion on roads adding that the BRT service has made travel easier for people living in KP’s provincial capital. Passengers who have used the new BRT service while talking to Profit expressed satisfaction over the service, but said that it would take at least six months for them to give a final verdict on the quality and efficiency of the service.

In assistance to civil administration, Pakistan Navy Emergency Response teams along with boats and requisite life-saving equipment were deployed in different areas of the city, including Diamond City Malir, Shah Faisal Town, Korangi Crossing, Sammo goth and Bahria Town Karachi. During search and rescue operations, Pakistan Navy divers recovered two dead bodies from Shah Faisal Town and Korangi crossing areas while 55 individuals were evacuated from flooded areas of Malir and Korangi crossing. Besides, Rescue teams have also evacuated 20 families stranded in Sammo Goth and shifted them to safe place. Pakistan Navy’s helicopter conducted aerial recce of Korangi crossing, Quaidabad (Malir nadi), and Goth Shafi Muhammad while aerial recce with the help of a quadcopter was also carried out in Saddar Town in support of relief operations to localise individuals requiring assistance. Additionally, ration bags and cooked meal was also dropped at various areas. FLIGHT SCHEDULE DISRUPTED: Meanwhile, the flight schedule was disrupted at Jinnah International Airport Karachi due to rough weather and heavy rainfall. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) announced the suspension of a number of its flights on Thursday due to torrential rains in the port city. A Lahore-bound private airline flight-522 and Islamabad bound PK-368 flight have been delayed, said the CAA spokesperson. Moreover, Karachi to Faisalabad flight PK-540 and Lahore-bound Pakistan International Airline (PIA) flight PK-304 have also been delayed.

Imran Khan’s government is safe SULMAN ALI Last month, Pakistan’s politics once again echoed with the ‘minus one’ rumors. Different sources and media reports claimed that Prime Minister Imran Khan will no longer be a part of the current government, because the establishment is not satisfied with his two-year performance as the premier of the country. Reports started to further circulate, and rumors reverberated when Imran Khan, himself, discussed the issue during his speech in the National Assembly. The ‘minus one’ term has always been popular in the national politics of Pakistan. It signifies accusing, and targeting, solely the prime minister for national issues and masses’ woes, making the office unstable, leading to the fall of the head of the government. At the disposal of establishment and opposition, the PM is kept on his toes through this tactic. It is also considered to have strategic significance with regards to targeting heads of political parties. Experts also claim that this political tool can be used as ‘face saving’ for those ousted or targeted, who then do not have to own their failures. The ousted PM blames ‘hidden hands’ for his ousting, diverting the attention from their failed politics. Meanwhile, it also saves the secondary tiers of the ruling party, the opposition and other secret hands from the blames. It is often considered a win-win situation for all involved. However, PM Imran Khan does not seem to be in a mood to be targeted by this formula. During his fiery speech in the house, Khan said the opposition’s hopes of ‘minus one’ cannot succeed, saying his gov-

CMYK

ernment cannot be pulled down unless it stands by its principles. “In case I do not remain in office, the other members of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) will not spare those elements tainted with corruption and money laundering cases,” the premier said. Experts say this shows that Khan is hinting that if he goes, everyone goes, or if someone tries to pull him down, he will take everyone with him. “Forget minus one, it’s actually going to be minus PTI,” said senior PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal. He slammed the government’s performance, adding that “Imran Khan is defaming Pakistan due to his actions.” Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said it isn’t the opposition, but Imran Khan himself, who spoke of the ‘minus one’ formula. He further said that democracy is under threat from Imran Khan and his ego. Meanwhile, PTI leader Planning Minister Asad Umar rejects such news. He maintains Imran Khan is not going anywhere and he will complete his mission of making a ‘Naya Pakistan’. “The Imran Khan I know, will never leave his mission midway. His struggle didn’t start two-year ago, rather it is a 24-year-old mission and he will complete in every condition,” he said. Senior journalist and analyst Hamid Mir claims that the PTI has lost simple majority in the National Assembly, as it needed 172 votes, but got only 160 to pass national budget. Mir further said that the prime minister is currently in very tough condition because he knows that it will be hard to save his seat. “Our sources have said that there is intra-party negotiation in PTI to de-

cide the options, in case Imran Khan is removed as prime minister,” Mir said, adding that there are three-four names under consideration. Senior analyst Najam Sethi noted that Imran Khan will be the victim of ‘minus one’ due to a number of reasons, including hunting down the PPP and the PML-N, failure to gather a competent team, and the growing distance between Khan and his ‘selectors’. Hence, Sethi claims, the establishment has decided to step back, go back to the drawing board and search for alternative solutions. Till the end of June, and start of July, the echoes of ‘minus one’ were strong among the political corridors. The major reason behind that belief was government’s apparent failure against Covid-19, increasing inflation and failing economy. However, in August, the situation has changed a bit, and the surprised vanishing of Covid-19 from Pakistan. The federal government is taking the credit for it and Imran Khan’s ‘smart lockdown’ policy. This ‘success’ against Covid19 has indeed played a positive role for Khan and his office. Furthermore, Moody’s sustained Pakistan’s economic outlook as stable, which was under consideration, followed by several FATF bills government has passed to take Pakistan out from the grey list. In a latest online poll by a private English daily, 69% citizens have shown satisfaction with the second-year performance of Khan government. Observers say that while these indicators suggest that the ‘minus one’ threat might have diminished for Imran Khan for the time being, in Pakistani politics it remains a constant threat.

Friday, 28 August, 2020

06 COMMENT

Blame game in the big city

Climate change Spelling doom for the unprepared

LEVEN dead bodies were recovered after Tuesday’s rains in Karachi, with several people still missing. The rainfall reportedly broke the past record of nearly 100 years. With climate change playing havoc all over the world and Pakistan being supposedly the fifth most vulnerable country, it is likely to suffer a lot if planning is not made to alleviate the damage. What has happened in Karachi could occur in Lahore, Peshawar and Quetta in years to come. Drought and increase in temperature could cause national tragedies. Karachi is the provincial capital of Sindh. So basically the provincial government is responsible for dealing with the city’s problems. What must not be forgotten however is that millions of people living in Karachi have come from all nooks and corners of the country, especially Punjab and KP. Thus the entire country has a stake in Karachi and a responsibility to share the burden of the Sindh government. The federal government has an important role to play in damage control. Prime Minister Imran Khan owes it to Karachiites who elected him with big majority, showing that they have high expectations from him, to do something about their problems. What is more, the city elected as many as 14 PTI MNAs. There is a need to undertake emergency measures like cleansing the city drains and removing the illegal structures that stand in the way of free flow of the rainwater. Many had expected that the measure would be taken by the city and provincial governments ahead of the rainy season. That they failed to perform their duty goes to their discredit. One does not expect the federal government to seek political mileage out of Karachi’s sufferings. Instead of blaming the PTI’s rivals for everything that goes wrong in the country, the federal government needs to prove that it can deliver on major issues faced by the people, natural calamities being high on the list. Along with the shortterm measures there is also a need to make medium-term and long-term policies. Priority must be given to strengthening the civilian institutions instead of burdening the army which is performing the arduous task of defending the country’s borders. There is also a need to develop appropriate projects, programmes and plans to protect the most vulnerable population, taking all stakeholders on board.

Things are getting out of hand at Penpoint m a NiaZi

hE woes of Karachi bulk larger than those of one city, even though it is the largest of the country. It is an illustration of what happens when there is a clash among the three levels of governance, federal, provincial and local. At the same time, it is possible to make out the process as owing itself to climate change. Pakistan is predicted to be among the countries worst affected by climate change, and the most visible consequence is going to be the loss of Karachi, as sea levels are swollen by polar ice melt to levels higher than its land. In the meantime, though, weather events are assuming increasing severity. This year, the monsoon has been worse than usual, which is a little paradoxical considering that climate change will also lead to desertification. however, it fits in with the prediction of extreme weather events. It should not be forgotten that climate change will not lead to sudden catastrophes, but conditions for life will keep on getting worse, just as they have now for so many residents of the city. Karachi only became a Muhajir city after Partition, when Muslims from uP and the old Ambala Division, now haryana state, came to Pakistan. A lot of Muslims also came from Bihar, Madras and hyderabad; migration from India continued, though later migrants made a more conscious decision, and left more because of a seeking of more opportunities, rather than the panicked desire to stay alive that forced some of the original migrants to move. Two other groups should be mentioned, whose majority moved elsewhere: Punjabi-speaking Muslims (from the Jullunder and Lahore Divisions) generally moved to West Punjab, large numbers being settled in the canal colony districts, and Muslims from Bihar, urdu-speakers who generally moved to East Pakistan, where after 1971, a problem was created. They insisted they were Pakistanis, and are still called ‘stranded Pakistanis’. They also tried to get to Karachi. Thus there were many who had gone through a forced migration twice: from Bihar in

Force without direction

rIME MINISTEr Imran Khan’s approval of Youth Affairs SAPM usman Dar’s presentation, and decision to allow the PTI’s Tiger Force an expanded mandate reflects his confidence in the capabilities of the set-up, though it also ignores the fact that the Tiger Force, set up with much fanfare recently, has not bothered to perform the task it was set up to perform in the first place, which was to assist the government during the covid-19 lockdown, mainly by keeping people at home by helping them with the chores that took them outside, like paying bills, getting groceries and other supplies, and withdrawing money from banks. Instead, now the Force, which fell down flat on the above tasks, perhaps because they were too boring, will keep an eye on government offices, educational institutions, markets and police stations, not to forget land record offices and kutcheries, and report public complaints. Sending members of the public, especially the young and motivated, may sound good, but it assumes that the vast horde of bureaucrats, who man these offices, will cooperate, which they will not, even if not corrupt. Given the fact that they will be young and mostly unemployed, the Force members may try to generate incomes, an expense which will be borne by users. This move will also alienate party members, who will wonder why adults (them) are not being allowed the privilege of monitoring government offices. The PTI base consists of those who are tired of the corruption in government, and elected PM Imran Khan to end it. That core will not look kindly on the anti-corruption drive at what might be described as the ground level being given into the hands of the kind of Johnnies-come-lately who are to join the Tiger Force in the recruitment drive at the universities, which reopen in a couple of weeks, and which was also approved by Mr Khan. The Tiger Force may combine the elements of youth and desire for accountability. however, there is as yet no vetting mechanism that people do not enter it for the wrong reasons. After all, the public service commissions, despite vast experience, have not been able to recruit honest government officials, who now have to be monitored. So who will monitor these monitors?

Children suﬀer when parents part Fahad ahmad Siddiqi

ur society is seeing a paradigm shift in marriages. Divorces are rising, and more and more middle and lower middle-class couples are opting for divorce, resulting in bitter child custody battles. Often the innocent children are used as a tool for vengeance by vindictive litigants who feel no hesitation to inflict severe emotional trauma on the child. Children of divorced couples bear the brunt. Couples commonly use children as pawns in a game of emotional chess. In due course the parents move on in their lives and onto another partners, but children carry the trauma of being manipulated. In my legal experience I have seen a large number of such children suffering from personality problems, disorders, and substance abuse, criminal and anti-social traits, and so on. The law on the guardianship and custody is the Guardians and Wards Act, 1890. The primary consideration in guardian courts whilst granting custody is the minor’s welfare. In custody proceedings pending adjudication in a family/guardian court there are three parties to the said proceedings, the custodial parent, the non-custodial parent and the minor. Family matters are not to be decided strictly on the yardstick of procedural laws or any other principle aimed at the observance of technicalities; the court’s paramount consideration must be the minor’s welfare, and in such a matter must act in loco parentis. In the vast majority of cases in our courts, noncustodial parents are subjected to abuse and victimization in the name of procedural technicalities especially during the pendency of divorce and custody proceedings. Even after waiting for months for the first face-to-face meeting with his or her own children, the non-custodial parent gets an extremely limited visitation schedule. This visitation schedule is often as little as once a month for two hours within court premises. Surprisingly, this visitation schedule is being followed widely in the guardian courts for decades and has now become a precedent. Even this can be conveniently avoided by a custodial parent simply by presenting a fake medical certificate. In such cases the non-custodial parent is left with no choice but to wait for the next scheduled meeting. The guardian courts are generally casual towards such excuses from custodial parents. Because of this extremely limited access, allowed only after a prolonged battle of seven or eight months

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whose father was a Muhajir who settled in rawalpindi, there was a combination which has never been repeated. however, the city’s problems were not solved. They illustrated why the Muhajir issue is not synonymous with Karachi. Musharraf’ father was based in Karachi, in the Foreign office, but Musharraf himself went to college in Lahore, and after attending the Pakistan Military Academy at Kakul, was posted all over the country, and while Shaukat Aziz went to college in rawalpindi, he did his MBA and started working in Karachi. however, he soon went abroad, where he stayed until he returned to become Finance Minister and then PM. Another consequence of the woes of Karachi has been the seeking of savior figures. The MQM would have gotten nowhere without Altaf hussain, and the PTI would not have partially replaced it without Imran Khan at its head. Mustafa Kamal tried the formula with his Pak Sarzameen Party, as the only Mayor of Karachi (he was designated Nazim under the Musharraf Martial Law). An earlier MQM predecessor, Dr Farooq Sattar, remained in Altaf’s shadow, while the outgoing Mayor, Waseem Akhtar, has ended his tenure on a very woeful note. A major problem was that of the three-way split among the tiers of government. At present, it is deeply exacerbated, with the MQM controlling the city, the PPP the province, and the PTI the Centre. As the PPP and the PTI jostle to score brownie points, Karachi gets caught in the crossfire. Meanwhile, the weather’s attacks are fiercer than ever. The problem is not merely of one city, but a tenth of the country’s residents. The problems it faces are because of an emergency, one that is not handled well by a committee of all stakeholders, and which requires the building of a consensus. Apart from the problems faced by Karachi’s residents, who include a lot of non-Mohajirs, the example for the future is not very instructive. Climate change is not something Pakistan can do much about, because it is not a very big polluter. however, it will face the effects, and not just in Karachi. Fighting for political scraps among the three tiers of government will solve nothing, not least the challenges ahead.

The writer is a member of staff.

Development of the parental alienation syndrome

Plan to use Tiger Force ignores past failures

Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

1947, and from Bangladesh in 1971. Then there were those who migrated from what are now India’s Gujarat and rajasthan states. But one of the groups of migrants may be described as a kind of blowback, Muslims from Bombay. Bombay itself was an artificial creation, gaining in strength because it was the headquarters of the British East India Company’s Bombay Presidency. Karachi was until the 19th century Kulachi villge, a Baloch fishing village on the Makran Coast. It was selected as the capital of Karachi Commissionerate as part of Bombay Presidency when it conquered Sindh, and its natural harbor made it a fit place to develop a port for North India. It should be noted that Sindh was conquered by the British as a prelude to the First Afghan War, because it led to the passes, the main being the Bolan. Another reason to capture it was to prevent the kingdom of Punjab under ranjit Singh from doing so. The British were fascinated by the navigability of the Indus from the Punjab, down to the sea, through Sindh. Developing Karachi as a port seemed to have involved learning from the Bombay experience, and then, during World War II, it proved invaluable, as a second port for India. Karachi became the capital of Sind when it was carved out of the Bombay Presidency, and of Pakistan when it came into being in 1947. Thus, like Bombay, which was not really part of Maharashtra, Karachi was not really part of Sindh. Maharashtra had Pune as the real centre of Marathi culture, while hyderabad, the old Talpur capital, was the cultural capital of Sindh. however, after Partition, the cities of Sindh saw Muhajirs build up majorities there. The Muhajir question has got mixed up with the Karachi problem. The Karachi problem is essentially that of any Third-World megapolis, whether New Delhi, or Cairo, or Lagos, or Mexico City, which can be summed up as too much population pressure. All Karachi residents suffer from its problems, yet it seen as a peculiarly Muhajir problem. According to a former MQM leader from hyderabad, Altaf hussain said that the problems of Muhajirs would be solved if a Muhajir became Prime Minister. Even that has been thrown at the problem. Gen Pervez Musharraf was a Muhajir, the first since Liaquat Ali Khan to head the government. And when Shaukat Aziz became Prime Minister,

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generally, it is always the child who suffers. Our Family Justice System does not appreciate that a child’s mind is like a perishable commodity. With time it is easy to change the innocent mind. Within months, after lack of interaction with the non-custodial parent and constant brainwashing by the custodial parent and family, the child starts forgetting and even disliking the non-custodial parent who was once deeply loved. Psychiatrists have named it Parental Alienation Syndrome. It is often starts developing in children when the parents separate or begin divorce proceedings. A parent may, remove or retain the child from the other parent, seeking to gain an advantage in the expected or pending custody proceedings, or because that parent fears losing the child in them. A parent may refuse to return a child at the end of an access visit or even flee with the child to prevent an access visit. This very retention by the parent itself creates tangible effects on a child. Our family judicial system, while adjudicating custody cases is oblivious of how to manage estrangement cases. What is required is for judges to comprehend is that the custodial parent (mothers mostly) can be rationally sick, or fiendish, or both, in how she manages the youngster so as to look for retribution on a non custodial parent (fathers mostly) who has been close more or less recently. What such contesting parents neglect is that they are hurting the minor child both in the short and long term by denying him or her a decent parent just because they wish to get vengeance from their ex-spouse. Various signs or markers of alienation can be recognized. Not every one shows up in all cases. Whoever gets a minor child to loathe the other parent is blameworthy of making mischief for the minor child in the present and will continue in future. There is impressive evidence showing the damage done to children alienated against a noncustodial parent when minors. Expanding research has likewise demonstrated that when they grow up such children experience illeffects from the harm done by an estranging custodial parent. The worst possible thing that can happen in a child’s life, apart from losing a parent, is to become a football in a parents’ divorce and custody battles. Whilst the spouses and their families try to best other, the child’s trauma may sometimes be overshadowed by the parties’ hurt and anger. Some signs of an Alienated child are: 1. Absence of free thinking, mirroring the alienator’s musings and emotions. 2. The custodial parent tries to shorten all correspondence between the minor child and the other parent 3. The noncustodial parent is blamed for everything

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that has turned out badly with the minor. 4. The child calls the noncustodial parent a liar and other damaging names like the estranging guardian. 5. The youngster abuses, demonstrates disregard, and embarrasses the estranged parent regularly on front of the alienator. 6. Contesting parents entice the minor child and will keep on doing this while in control of the minor child, yet deny that they are doing anything other than urging the minor child to go to the other parent. 7. The minor is made to feel sorry for any affection towards the non-custodial parent, and will deny any association with the non-custodial parent, dreading what the alienator would do to him or her. 8. Such children no more know truth from falsehoods. 9. It is not just what the alienator says but how. While telling a minor child “father might want to take you out,” it can be said showing positive or negative emotions. The minor child takes this as opposed to the verbal message. There is no simple approach to distance, particularly iF the estranged guardian has had little contact with the child for some time. The alienator and the child then are a “group” who work against the noncustodial parent to prevent contact with the child. A number of the techniques that are prescribed for managing the procedure of parental alienation might appear to be great however it is a compelling circumstance that one is confronting when managing the staggering force of the alienator. Continuous efforts are required and these must be upheld unequivocally by the court as well. A mix of both reason and feeling yet above all else stability must be given to the minor child to make them mindful of the harm that has and is continuing so as to stop living with such a negative mentality towards one parent. The only recourse is for the noncustodial parent to have adequate access. In guardianship matters, courts are required to exercise quasi-parental jurisdiction. Our judicial system must acknowledge that contesting parents have an inherent right to adequate and reasonable visitation of the minor, especially the non custodial parent, mostly the father, inherently the natural guardian. The Guardian Court should facilitate a congenial, homely and friendly environment and a reasonable visitation schedule to the non-custodial parent. Courtroom of a Guardian Judge or a separate room within the Court premises is not conducive to visitations or meetings. It lacks basic facilities and is not comparable to a homely environment. Meeting for two hours once in a month cannot serve the purpose. The writer can be reached at qaslaw@gmail.com

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Friday, 28 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

My City AFTEr all the struggle and voices, the Tharushah to Nusharo Froze link road is now under construction. The long-standing dilapidated condition of the road claimed many lives, caused several injuries and procrastinated emergency cases from addressing them. The shabby road would also impede speedy traveling taking more than half an hour for an 8-minute drive. Discussing delay in construction or other things which had occurred in the past would be nothing but a never-ending debate that, of course, is a waste of time. The best way forward is to appreciate the speedy construction of the road. This is the fruitful result of those who raised their voices, held protests or made a bulk of complaints for its immediate construction and more praises to those who lead them. Sarfraz ali Soomro Tharu Shah

Full-time Culture Minister needed

Eradicating terrorism through economic development The Western media has created an entirely false impression

SultaN m hali

hINA has been the centerpiece of western media, not for its boldly tackling the scourge of covid-19 or its extending a helping hand to the international community in their hour of need, but for allegedly suppressing the uighurs of Xinjiang. The fact is that some uighurs, the Muslim majority residing in Xinjiang, were instigated by vested interests to commit acts of extremism, terrorism and separatism. These fanatical and misled elements were tackled by the Chinese government in a concerted manner. A wellthought-out strategy was planned and executed, based on bringing prosperity to the region so that the quality of life of the uighurs could be raised and they could become a part of the mainstream. Simultaneously, hardcore miscreants were apprehended and brought into the ambit of law and severely dealt with. Minor offenders were invited to re-indoctrination centers, which provided them the opportunity to acquaint themselves with the Chinese Constitution and law, and get vocational training of their choice. The policy was successful but the western propaganda persists. This scribe took the initiative of launching the Pak-China Friendship Forum and organizing a webinar on the subject of “Success of Chinese Policies against Extremism in Xinjiang”. Senator Nisar Memon, the former Minister for Information and Broadcasting, chaired the webinar while four eminent speakers from Pakistan and four from abroad read papers. The Pakistani speakers comprised Professor Dr. Shafei Moiz hali, Ambassador Javed hafiz, Group Captain (retd.) S.M. hali and Engineer Zamir Awan. The foreign speakers were David Bromwich, National President of New Zealand China Friendship Society, renowned academic Professor Zhou rong from China, Christine Bierre, Editor in Chief of the monthly Nouvelle Solidarité and an expert at the Schiller Institute of France, and William Jones, the Washington Bureau Chief for the weekly magazine, Executive Intelligence Review (EIr). It is a pity that the western media won’t talk about the billions of dollars that China has invested in Xinjiang, modernizing the cities, building 21 airports, linking the region with bullet trains. In 2018, the 21 airports in Xinjiang han-

dled 33 million passengers. The Chinese government’s efforts are reflected in the exponential GDP growth of the Xinjiang region, which is about $171 billion. regarding the Muslim minority, there are thousands of mosques in Xinjiang, a region whose recorded history goes back more than 2000 years to when the ancient Silk road linked China to Italy and Greece. In China, there are mosques that were built in the 10th century, which demonstrates the tolerance and respect for religious rights in Chinese society. unfortunately, another source for crazy propaganda is the social media, where people post sensational fake photos and videos that quickly go viral. For example, a video of Indonesian police beating up a thief was posted as “Chinese beating up a Muslim for reading the Quran.” And that stupid video got millions of views. In another case, a photo from a Sex/BDSM Club in Taiwan was used to claim that uyghurs were being tortured in China. A viral video in 2020 claimed to show handcuffed and blindfolded uyghurs being led by the police. It was actually an old video from another province (Guizhou) where some non-uyghur (han) people were arrested in a massive financial fraud. Christine Bierre of France stated that wild accusations that China had imprisoned millions of uighurs in Xinjiang invoked a first letter inspired by the uSA and signed by 22 countries sent that month to the uN, calling for a full-fledged investigation. 34 other countries sent their own letter, rebutting the first one, and fully supporting China’s anti-terrorist policies in Xinjiang. Since then the crescendo of accusations has reached nearly pre-war levels, China being accused of using the uighurs as forced labour and even of engaging in mass sterilization of the uighur women! The French scholar asked: “Who can believe those accusations which come essentially from uS secretary of State Mike ‘Armageddon’ Pompeo ? In a speech given to students at the Texas A & M university campus on 15 April 2019, Pompeo himself confessed that when he was Director at the CIA between 2017-2018 “we lied, we cheated, and we stole’’, violating thus the motto of the West Point cadets. how to believe such accusations from a country notorious for its use of prisoner-labour paid peanuts, in private prisons listed on Wall Street ?” The cultural patrimony of China’s 56 different ethnic groups is highly protected, just as is their religious practice, on condition that such activities have nothing to do with separatism, terrorism or religious extremism. The Quran, the Bible and other religious books are made accessible to all via libraries and the Internet, and 20 million Muslims practice in 39,000 clean and modern mosques, cared for by the State, of which 25,000 are in Xinjiang, as can some 100 million Christians and a similar number of Buddhists. Not only is the Chinese government not trying to eliminate the uighur minority, but it has launched policies that will bring development to the Xinjiang, and more generally, to the Western part of China, creating therefore the basis for solving the complicated social problems of poverty and ethnic integration, manipulated by the enemies of China in the West since back in the early 1990s. This was the “Going West” policy adopted for the first time in 1999, aimed at reducing the disequilibrium between the Western provinces of China which had lagged far behind the mar-

itime provinces in terms of living standards, through a dirigiste investment policy to develop industrial production and infrastructure. This policy has been renewed several times since. In 2013, President Xi Jinping brought this policy a leap forward with the launching of the Belt and road Initiative which made the Xinjiang province, with its borders with eight nations (russia, Mongolia, India, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrghyzstan, Afghanistan and Tajikistan), the outpost to the Eurasian continent. These policies have led to a massive development of infrastructure. All of Xinjiang has access to clean water! In terms of transports, an expressway was built between Beijing and urumqi, capital of Xinjiang, as well as a TGV from Lanzhou-Xinjiang. Excellent and extended modern road systems have been developed in Xinjiang, creating the basis for a vast improvement of tourism and trade. In Xinjiang alone, since 2013, 111 roads have been built connecting to five neighboring countries. Three other railways are in construction and 30 airports will be ready by 2022. Digital facilities throughout the country and payment by phones have vastly increased the E commerce and opened direct markets between producers and consumers throughout China. According to a report published by the Bureau of information of the Chinese State Council affairs, the GDP in Xinjiang, grew by 8.3 percent as a yearly average between 1952 and 2018. The average GDP per capita yearly growth was of 5.7 percent during the same period. The region is today leading in China in the area of agricultural mechanization and efficient irrigation for water conservation. Thus, terrorism is being eradicated through economic development. In that context, all parts of Xinjiang, the rich North with its han majority, just as the poor South populated by uighurs, are benefiting from growth. In 2017, according to Professor Gao Jianglong of the Xinjiang Academy of Social sciences, 470,000 jobs were created in the urban areas, and 2.7 million in the rural. The per capita revenue in 2017, compared to 2016, was 30,775 million yuan in the urban areas and 11,045 million yuan in the rural areas, i.e. a 10.1percent growth in the urban areas and of 9.9 percent in the rural. As one can see, it’s this difference which subsists in living standards between the south, and the richer areas in the north, that the government will have to work on in order to eliminate ethnic tensions totally, having resulted from a rapid growth of the han population in that territory which used to be populated essentially by uighurs, a difference which is based on the higher level of competence of the hans. The targeted policies of the government towards the four prefectures of the south of Xinjiang, have also shown very good results. From 2014 to 2018, 2.31 million people, among which were 1.89 million from the South of Xinjiang, were lifted out of poverty. The improvement of the level of subsistence is due also to the continuous reinforcement of 9 programmes of social protection directed towards employment, education, medical services and social assistance. Where in the West are efforts of that dimension being carried out to uplift the level of a poor population? Sultan M Hali is a retired Group Captain and author of the book Defence & Diplomacy. Currently he is a columnist, analyst and TV talk show host.

BESIDES economic sector revival and development of other priority sectors, there is also dire need for promotion of art and culture in the country in furtherance of projection of soft, positive and progressive image of Pakistan and its peace loving people within the country and also in foreign countries. This is to request Prime Minister Imran Khan to induct a whole time Culture Minister in his cabinet with immediate effect to ensure promotion of art and culture of Pakistan within the country and abroad. Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA) and other public sector art and culture related bodies are currently being looked after by the Federal Education Minister who is holding additional charge of the National history and Literary heritage Division under whose control PNCA falls. Because of his heavy commitments as the Education Minister,he is not finding enough time to visit the PNCA regularly to set its house in order and also ensure promotion of art and culture. It is also submitted for the kind information of the Prime Minister that the interest of the minister holding additional charge can very well be judged by the bitter fact that on his express directions the organizers of first-ever international Islamabad Art Festival held last month had paid money to PNCA for use of its space while all other facilities and places were provided free . This just one instance in the larger interest to ensure promotion of art and culture should be enough to convince the worthy prime minister that the country direly needs a full time culture minister at the earliest possible lest the PNCA and other public sector cultural bodies start crumbling due to lack of interest at the appropriate higher levels. Thanks. muhammaD murTaza lahorE

Urban flooding in Karachi hAVING ruled for twelve years in Sindh,Karachi’s serious problems are not fixed yet by PPP.Provincial and local governments are at conflict with each other.Deliverable municipality in Karachi seems to be far cry.The current monsoon spell ‘Sagaar’ has brought heavy rains in Karachi.Lowlying areas have turned into rivers. Additionally,main roads and highways are terribly flooded.Three to four feet accumulated-water can be seen most parts of metropolian city,Karachi. residents face difficulty in reaching their destination.heavy rains are multiplying their worries and in some areas rain-water has entered residential areas which carried away their utensils and other things which were kept at their homes.Government has disappeared from the scene and seems unwilling to pay heed to people’s grievances.Declaring rain emergency is not the solution to deep-rooted problems but fixing the problems is. QaSim Jan TurbaT

Beggars on road AS traffic increases by the day, it is necessary to manage it safely. One important task to achieving this is to curb the presence of beggars at every signal. They create major traffic hazards, endangering their lives and those of others. In Pakistan, begging has become a profession. Almost at every traffic stop, one is greeted by beggars. They gather around a car as soon as it stops at a signal. The most awful thing is that they encourage their children to also beg and most of them are physically fit to work. They can do manual labour if they so desire. Instead, women carry their babies and beg while making emotionally blackmailing statements as if they are well trained in the art. healthy beggars should be made to work and the disabled should be maintained at state expense. The authorities should take steps and save the people from this nuisance, not to mention the hazards at traffic signals. aaShir SalEEm Karachi

Senseless education system A trend has begin that the private sectors demanded for the fees after reopening the institutions. As there were lockdown due to Covid-19 it took about 7 months to take off everything. So, isn’t it a foolish question that parents should submit the fees of the off-days, as there wasn’t anything to learn? Then why demanding the fees? Don’t you know that Balochistan, being the poor province, that there people can’t even afford three times fOod well, but the greedy principals demand what their need is, they are blind to see the parents who were not able to pay the fees before as being in their workshops then how they can submit even through there wasn’t any job or work during Covid-19. It’s not only my request, it’s the humble request of all the parents who seriously want PSA JAr KECh to take an action to the greedy institutions that they shOuld stop the new trend of taking fees. zahra baiG hoTh TurbaT

Friday, 28 August, 2020

08 WORLD VIEW

The making of a hindu india IF INDIA IS TODAY A HINDU NATION, IT IS ALSO A TINDERBOX IN WHICH THE SELF IS DEFINED BY THE PERPETUAL HATRED OF OTHERS

al Jazeera

Uday Chandra

N August 5, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for a Hindu temple in the northern city of Ayodhya. This fulfilled the orders of India's Supreme Court, which last November awarded a victory to those who have long been campaigning to build a temple there, in place of a Mughal-era mosque that was demolished by a right-wing Hindu mob in 1992. The speculation that the mosque was built on the ruins of an ancient temple marking the mythological birthplace of the epic hero Ram remains unproven. The groundbreaking ceremony for the temple was set on that particular date to commemorate the altering of the country's constitution to justify a shift from indirect to direct colonialism in the disputed Muslimmajority region of Indian Occupied Kashmir exactly a year ago. The temple construction in Ayodhya, just like the constitutional amendment that revoked the Indian Occupied Kashmir's limited autonomy, is a calculated move by the Modi government to consolidate the new majoritarian polity in India. Today, we are witnessing the final stages of the project to remake India into a Hindu nation, but little is being said about the fabulous falsehoods and cunning sleights of hand that this ambitious project was built upon. COLONIAL ORIGINS: The word "Hindu" is a Persianate derivative of "Sindhu", Sanskrit for the Indus River. Only during India's colonial encounter in the 19th century did "Hindu" become an ascriptive label for a wide range of practices and ideas across South Asia that do not fall within the three world religions labelled "Islam", "Christianity", and "Buddhism". But this

term defined by negation did not mean much to those located within a mosaic of Indic ritual and philosophical traditions that lacked a holy book based on divine revelation. Scholars have attributed the invention of "Hinduism" as much to men from dominant castes who sought to reform and remake a colonised society as to colonial missionaries. These 19th-century reformers sought to go back to ancient texts such as the Vedas or the Upanishads to propose a de-ritualised, quasi-monotheistic creed for a modern India. Such a move mimicked the textualist methods of the Protestant Reformation, and the then fashionable European efforts to appropriate ancient Sanskrit spiritual texts to construct an "Aryan" race identity. The reformers were answering British criticisms of Indic polytheisms as "beastly" and "superstitious". They enthusiastically embraced the colonial view of Muslims being wholly separate from Hindus, ignoring the accommodations and intermixing over centuries that had produced shared ritual, intellectual, sartorial, culinary, and musical traditions between the two groups. As the reforming Hindu men worked to draw sharp lines between "Hindus" and "Muslims", the newly emerging print media became their accomplice. The adoption of the Nagri script by reformist groups such as the Arya Samaj contrasted with the shared orality of a public sphere defined by the Hindustani language. Devanagari, the divine Nagri as it became known, also started to be used alongside Urdu and English in the new world of print technology, helping reformists in their efforts to create a distinct Hindu identity. Then, as it is now, the chief obstacle to transforming India into a Hindu nation was the caste system which divided society into strict hierarchical groups. To accommodate the lower orders of society, the conservatism of the Brahmins, the traditional priestly class who sit atop the rigid caste hierarchy, had to be diluted. But to de-brahminise Hinduism would have dissolved the abstract new polity of the reformers' imagination into a melange of lived traditions across the localities and regions of India.

FROM THE COLONIAL TO THE POST-COLONIAL: A century ago, the arrival of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi on the political scene provided a solution to the reformers' dilemma. Gandhi claimed that his religion as much as that of most "Hindus" was Sanatan Dharma, the perennial faith, not the new-fangled textual abstractions put forward by the reformers. Caste, he argued, was a necessary evil in the subcontinental life. It could neither be wished away nor reformed out of existence. A hierarchical society, suggested Gandhi, could learn to be humane and to avoid excesses. Vertical hierarchies could be held together by horizontal alliances between those of similar rank, whether at the top or the bottom. Hindu and Muslim elites could be tied together by common interests of peace and prosperity just as the Hindu and Muslim masses were held together by shared solidarities of class and occupation. The Gandhian solution to the problem was largely embraced by the anti-colonial movement in India led by the Congress party. Muhammad Ali Jinnah, who led the campaign for a separate state of Pakistan, had also endorsed the Gandhian solution in British India, but he was prescient to realise that its appeal would wane steadily with modernisation once the fortunes of Indian Muslims were placed at the mercy of a consolidated Hindu majority. The principal critics of the Gandhian solution - anti-caste thinkers such as BhimraoRamjiAmbedkar and theorists of Hindu nationalism such as VinayakDamodarSavarkar - preferred a modern and egalitarian solution to the problem faced by the 19th-century reformers. Both Ambedkar and Savarkar sought equality in politics and society, not hierarchy. Yet Ambedkar reposed his faith in new constitutional liberalism derived from the French and American constitutions. Savarkar endeavoured, by contrast, to create a new political religion, called Hindutva (Hindu-ness) to unify India along the lines of the Italian Risorgimento. In the early decades after independence, the Congress governments balanced the hierarchical accommodationist view

This is how the Israeli army 'deters' Palestinian activists THE IDF MUST MAKE SURE THERE ARE NO MORE SUCH DEVICES IN THE AREA, AND THAT THERE ARE NO OTHER LOCATIONS WHERE ORANGE BOXES AWAIT CURIOUS CHILDREN OR THEIR PARENTS Haaretz Editorial

It started out like a regular story: A family, a concerned mother and a curious little boy checking out his surroundings. But there’s nothing regular about the life of Palestinians in the occupied territories, and this story gradually turned into a nightmare. Last Thursday afternoon, in the West Bank village of Qaddum, a 7year-old boy noticed an orange box covered in string and fabric, and ran to pick it up. His mother, who was with him, called to other family members to examine it first. Two of them picked up the box, shook it, and heard noise. After another shake there was an explosion, and one of the relatives was lightly wounded in his hand and face. It turned out the box was an improvised explosive made by the Israel Defense Forces, and that there were at least three such devices planted by the army “to serve as a deterrent.” Why? Because Qaddum is the only village in the territories

that still demonstrates against the occupation every week, which the army regards as “regular, violent disturbances over a number of years.” This hair-raising tale was revealed Wednesday by Haaretz reporters Hagar Shezaf and YanivKubovich. Last Wednesday night soldiers from the Nahal Brigade’s reconnaissance battalion planted at least three such improvised explosives along the side of a road that is used by residents and is very close to homes. The soldiers camouflaged the devices with stones, fabric and ammunition boxes and left them in the village primed to explode if anyone touched them. The IDF spokesman’s response breaks records for dissembling. “After it was discovered that this could cause injury, the forces removed them from the area.” Are we talking about a new practice in the IDF’s repertoire in the territories? Who gave the go-ahead to place improvised explosives along roads that village resi-

dents, including children, frequent? Is there a military legal adviser anywhere who would approve such a thing? Why were live explosives left unsupervised? Who prepared them? Were they placed with the knowledge or approval of senior division commanders? The army refuses to answer. These questions must not be left open. Whether this is some kind of new procedure or a personal initiative “from the field,” it crosses a red line and it was lucky it didn’t end with serious casualties. This phenomenon must be shut down and those responsible punished. The IDF must make sure there are no more such devices in the area, and that there are no other locations where orange boxes await curious children or their parents. Following queries by Haaretz, the Judea and Samaria Division Commander, Brig. Gen. YanivAlaluf, launched an investigation. But bitter experience shows that we can’t expect much from such probes.

proposed by Gandhi with modernism rooted in equal citizenship regardless of caste or faith. This was an era in which all were equal citizens of India, even Kashmiris, even if long-standing social hierarchies remained intact. Elite Muslims and Christians featured prominently in public life just as they had done in the colonial era. With economic liberalisation and neoliberal globalisation since 1980, the old hierarchies have been shaken up. The myriad castes that constitute Indian society have been shattered into infinitesimal fragments, which have given rise to fractalised identities vying for equality at the expense of each other. The centrifugal force in pursuit of equality in public life led to dissensus, not a new national consensus. In response, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), particularly under Modi, has revived Savarkar's vision of Hindutva as a political religion, albeit in a distinctly populist vein. One's religious beliefs and practices matter less in Hindutva than an absolute commitment to a Hindu "rashtra" or polity. The fractalised selves of postliberalisation have been brought together by the centripetal force of electoral rituals, digital media, and a new Hindu state, all of which offer an insurgent sense of equality. POLITICAL HINDUISM: Rhetorically, the Hindu rashtra is opposed to discrimination based on caste for political Hindus. Modi's own humble origins and his rise to power are presented as clinching evidence of a new egalitarian modernism. But, in practice, Hindutva is willing to accommodate the everyday oppressions that define Indian society. In effect, some are more equal than others. Conservatism is now couched increasingly in the modern semantics of class ("rich" and "poor") rather than in traditional caste terms. Those who do not identify as political Hindus - Muslims, Christians, leftists, anti-caste activists - are the new objects of discrimination and exclusion. In principle, if individuals from these groups embrace Hindutva, they, too, would be considered political Hindus. The lines are, in sum, permeable, and everything is negotiable in the new Hindu polity. At least for now, the Hindu rashtra is a highly personalised regime, almost a cult, in which Modi is the state and countenances no opposition, not even from the judiciary or the central bank. Civil society, the media and academia are treated with suspicion because they breed dissent. Through a mix of carrot and stick, the media have been compelled to voice propaganda, and prominent journalists, activists, and academics have been arrested or bullied into silence.

The electoral system is now dominated by a single political party committed to Hindutva, namely, the BJP. Other parties, including the Congress, have been compelled now to speak the language of Hindutva and acquiesce in the new political religion. Oddly enough, we know little about the ritual lives and personal beliefs of Modi or his predecessors. The new political religion of Hindutva seems to define itself almost entirely by negation vis-a-vis the Muslim (or Christian) Other. Other Indic traditions defined traditionally in opposition to Hinduism - Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism - are simply seen as Hindu offshoots. The territorial boundaries of the nation are sacralised in Hindu India. Nowhere is this more apparent than in Indian Occupied Kashmir, where long-standing legal arrangements have been forcibly undone. These violent rituals of integration are meant to build communitas among political Hindus, the true citizens of the new polity. Settler colonialism is now expected to complete this process of national integration. Kashmiri Muslims as colonial subjects stand metonymically for all Indian Muslims. The project of subjugating religious minorities is now regarded as a sacred duty in the service of the nation. By contrast, ethnic minorities in northeast India are encouraged to negotiate the terms of their political assimilation within Hindu India. In response to activists' claims about indigenity in these regions bordering China and Myanmar, the BJP now claims that all Indigenous peoples of India are Hindu, and all Hindus are, by definition, indigenous to India. Hindutva is, undoubtedly, an abstract political religion, stripped of contextual or historical depth. This is precisely what the colonial-era reformers and Savarkar had dreamed of: an all-India Hinduism that reins in the problem of caste via the dazzling dream of equal citizenship. Not only is a Hindu rashtra now a reality, but the Muslim Other has been subjugated within it. The inauguration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, much like the colonisation of Indian Occupied Kashmir, has accomplished both tasks in the highly symbolic and theatrical world of Hindutva. If India is today a Hindu nation, it is also a tinderbox in which the self is defined by the perpetual hatred of others. Whenever India's youth tire of this majoritarian politics of hate, they will reflect on the paths not taken to make their country a prosperous, equitable, and decent. Uday Chandra teaches politics and history at Georgetown University, Qatar.

Wearing masks in schools: listen to the WHO Guardian Editorial

When the World Health Organization for the first time issued guidance last weekend that children aged 12 and over should wear masks to help tackle the coronavirus pandemic, one would have hoped ministers would sit up and listen. Instead they took to the airwaves to say they would stick to their plan for England’s schools to limit the spread of the disease by keeping children unmasked in “small bubbles”. The Scottish government did take the WHO seriously, announcing that secondary school pupils would have to wear face coverings when moving through corridors. This is a sensible strategy. Even homemade face coverings can protect both the wearer and others. Crucially their use helps prevent asymptomatic people from passing on the virus. Even with social distancing and handwashing, the evidence suggests that a face mask can still be effective indoors. Scotland’s policy seeks, as a start, to balance the safety benefits of face masks with the potential detrimental impact on teaching when visual cues are missing. Given that children are meant to wear masks in other enclosed spaces such as shops and trains, it is no surprise that they would also don a face covering in schools.

THE GOVERNMENT’S KNEEJERK NATIONALISM MEANT ENGLAND MISSED TAKING A LEAD IN TACKLING CORONAVIRUS Well, it would not be a surprise unless one was not paying attention to international best practice or trends in global science. For those nations like France that are perhaps engaged more deeply with the issues, the public was told a day before the WHO announcement that face coverings for pupils were to be made mandatory. But if you are part of a UK government that relishes being at odds with the rest of the world and sees political advantage in thumbing its nose at know-it-all foreigners, then you stick to your national delusions. Hence cabinet ministers on Tuesday morning were still insisting that there was no need to change the advice to parents and pupils that wearing a face covering was “not recommended” in schools. However, with pressure building from devolved administrations, the prime minister has been forced to U-turn. Gone are the objections. Schools in England can now require face masks and it will be mandatory in areas where Covid is spreading fast. Mr Johnson puts his retreat down to the shifting advice he receives. Yet the only new

information is that from the WHO. Building a political project on being leery towards international organisations in the midst of a global pandemic comes at a price. Who knew? To change cultural norms on face coverings requires clear messaging about being socially responsible. It also takes time. At the beginning of July only about half of English people who left home reported wearing a face covering at least once a week. It took four weeks of ministerial exhortation and introducing fines after making masks mandatory in shops and on public transport for that figure to rise to 96%. Such a change cannot be effected overnight in schools. This is tricky stuff: a recent scientific paper on wearing masks argued reasonably that “the child’s will must not be forced”. What is needed is education and engagement of both pupils and parents. That is more likely to be delivered by the sombre acumen exhibited by the first ministers of the devolved parliaments than by the slapdash hype and prickly isolationism of the UK’s prime minister.

Friday, 28 August, 2020

businEss 09 corporate corner SNGPL denies reports of additional Rs350bn burden on RLNG consumers LAHORE: Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) on Thursday issued a reply against reports published in the local media regarding an additional burden of Rs350 billion on consumers of Regasified Liquefied Natural Gas (RLNG). The company said that RLNG pricing mechanism was approved by the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the cabinet in 2016 wherein it was decided that RLNG sale will be a ring-fenced activity and its price will be determined by the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) in line with policy guidelines issued by the federal government. Under these guidelines the federal government advised OGRA that while determining monthly RLNG prices it would apply two separate Unaccounted for Gas (UFG) benchmarks for transmission, where mostly power sector consumers fall, and distribution segment consumers, where retail industrial and CNG consumers are served, the company said. Transmission segment was advised to be charged a maximum of 0.5 per cent UFG benchmark while for the distribution segment, actual UFG of the company as determined by OGRA for the preceding year, has to be taken as a benchmark, the company further said. “It is pertinent to mention here that in the system only one UFG benchmark of about 7 per cent is considered in the entire network i.e. both for transmission and distribution and at the end, consumer prices cover uniform benchmark for transmission and distribution consumers. In fact one unified benchmark for indigenous gas pricing has been in vogue since 2003-04 which ensures that lower transmission losses compensate for higher distribution losses owing to gas being supplied to far flung and law and order affected areas. UFG for law and order affected domestic consumers goes up to 90 per cent while the same is also much higher than the benchmark for domestic consumers,” a statement issued by the company said. In case of RLNG pricing, the objective of segregating and setting a lower UFG benchmark for transmission segment consumers is to pass on a minimum possible cost to the electricity end consumers which is the biggest single consumer of RLNG. Had a uniform benchmark of about 7 per cent been fixed for the whole RLNG sector the cost of UFG for five years period would have been Rs105 billion as against Rs55 billion which has been accounted for under the current mechanism of two separate bench marks. So in fact the current UFG benchmark for RLNG is much more stringent than the System Gas UFG benchmark and is being wrongly criticized by certain segments for their own ulterior motives.” PRESS RELEASE

Nestlé Pakistan initiates monsoon tree plantation drive LAHORE: Nestlé Pakistan on Thursday kick-started its monsoon tree plantation drive along with Parks and Horticulture Authority Lahore. The activity, in line with Nestlé’s commitment with Prime Minister’s Clean Green Pakistan initiative, is geared towards fostering a culture of sustained cleanliness and environmental well-being. “The Clean Green Pakistan initiative reflects the Prime Minister’s pledge towards addressing the climate change challenge. We have commenced the tree plantation activity for this year, under the Nestlé’s Cares initiative, our global employee volunteer programme that will encompass more tree plantation drives across our operational areas,” said Nestlé Pakistan Head of Corporate Affairs Waqar Ahmad. PRESS RELEASE

Decisions on Roosevelt Hotel to be taken inline with national interests, says Hafeez Shaikh ISLAMABAD: Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh on Thursday said that all decisions related to the Roosevelt Hotel would be taken in a transparent manner while keeping Pakistan’s national interests in mind. The adviser said this while chairing a meeting of the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) during which the committee was given an update on issues pertaining to the Roosevelt Hotel. Hafeez Shaikh said that all stakeholders including the aviation secretary should be included in the discussions and negotiations on issues related to the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) owned hotel in the United States (US). APP

BoI uNveILS thRee yeaR INveStmeNt PRomotIoN StRateGy, aImS to take FDI to $5BN By 2023 ISLAMABAD

GhULAm ABBAS

HE Board of Investment (BOI) on Thursday unveiled an Investment Promotion Strategy for the three year period 2020 to 2023 announcing a Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) target of Rs5 billion by 2023. As per the strategy, the FDI target for 2020-21 stands at $4 billion, $4.5 billion for 2021-22, and $5 billion for 2022-23. The Investment Promotion Strategy was launched at a seminar organised by BoI in collaboration with the World Bank (WB), International Finance Corporation and the Commonwealth Office of the United Kingdom. The Sixth Ease of Doing Business Reform Action Plan was also launched on the occasion. As per the strategy, the BoI also aims to generate a minimum of 50 new leads tracked in the board’s newly introduced Investment Relation Management System (IRMS), out of which the board anticipates that ten leads will result in investments amounting to $200 million during the next year. The investment strategy also includes priority sectors which have been selected through a structured sector scanning process. The priority sectors include food and beverages, auto and auto parts, Information Technology (IT) and IT-enabled services, logistics and

value-added textiles. These sectors were selected on a multi-dimensional criteria, based on comparative and competitive advantage, employment generation capability, import substitution, export potential and global outward FDI trends. The Investment Promotion Strategy provides a comprehensive investment cycle consisting of policy advocacy, market research, investment facilitation, promotion, protection and after-care services. An important element of the strategy is the branding of Pakistan as an investment-friendly destination for investors. Speaking on the occasion, BoI Secretary Fareena Mazhar explained that the new investment promotion strategy focuses on proactively engaging investors in priority sectors and ensuring that BOI provides the support and facilitation services needed to assist them with their investments. Supporting existing investors to solve regulatory and other issues is a key part of BOI’s commitment to serve investors in Pakistan, she said. She lauded the efforts of various federal and provincial departments for improving the business environment in the country, and specifically mentioned Pakistan Regulatory Modernisation Initiative (PRMI) and emphasised that every province has its own comparative and competitive advantage and providing enabling business environment is the key to making good use of this advantage.

While referring to excellent coordination between federal and provincial governments of Sindh and Punjab, the BoI secretary said that it has become a successful model of collaboration and would be replicated in other federating units as well for the benefit of the whole country. Sindh Investment Department Director Qurat-ul-Ain while speaking on the occasion stated that the provincial government is keen to improve the business environment in the province and informed that the Sindh Doing Business Reforms Council (SDBRC) has already been actively working in this regard. She informed that a dedicated Doing Business Reforms Implementation Unit has been coordinating with all the government functionaries, private sector organisations and all other related business stakeholders so that anyone who wants to start or run a business in Sindh, can easily get licenses, permits and other relevant permissions. Punjab Planning and Development Secretary Imran Sikandar Baloch said that the Punjab government is striving hard to implement a comprehensive reform agenda. He said that obtaining a building permit has been simplified through electronic submission of applications and the integration of Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) and Traffic Engineering and Transport Planning Agency (TEPA) with the Lahore Devel-

Stocks extend rally with 219-point gain NEWS DESK The Pakistan Stock Exchange’s (PSX) KSE 100 index on Thursday, closed higher by 219.35 points at 41,081.94 points compared to 40,862.59 on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the KMI 30 index added 110.06 points on Wednesday and closed the day at 65,588.43 points while the KSE All Share index appreciated by 299.211.99 points before settling at 28,777.36 points. On the economic front the government has decided to keep gas prices unchanged for the time being, despite Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority’s (OGRA) decision to reduce gas prices by 6 per cent from July 1. According to an earlier notification, OGRA had reduced the price of gas for Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited (SNGPL) consumers by 6 per cent and Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGCL) consumers by 5.68 per cent. According to the latest figures released by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) the central government’s debt surged by 10.44 per cent to Rs35,106 billion in June 2020. Out of the total debt 66 per cent is from domestic sources and 34 percent is from external sources. Moreover, Daily Special Convertible Rupee Accounts (SCRA) position showed a net outflow of $20.59 million as on August 25, 2020. Overall stock market volumes improved from 507.95 million shares in the last session to 544.63 million shares. The Bank of Punjab (BOP -3.89 per cent) topped the volume chart with 39.73 million shares exchanged, followed by TRG Pakistan Limited (TRG +6.23 per cent) and K-Electric Limited (KEL +2.11 per

cent). The scrips had 36.93 million shares and 28.45 million shares traded respectively. Sectors contributing most points to the KSE 100 index included technology and communication sector (50.23 points), cement sector (35.03 points) and power generation and distribution sector (34.07 points). Company-wise, TRG Pakistan Limited (TRG 36.74 points), Hub Power Company Limited (HUBC 29.57 points) and Colgate Palmolive Limited (COLG 26.89 points) added most points to the index. The power generation and distribution sector gained 1.48 per cent in its cumulative capitalisation. Hub Power Company Limited (HUBC +1.62 per cent), K-Electric Limited (KEL +2.11 per cent) and Pakgen Power Limited (PKGP +6.36 per cent) all closed positive. Saif Power Limited (SPWL +5.78 per cent) announced an Earnings per Share (EPS) of Rs1.44 for 2QFY20 as compared to Rs2.07 in the same period of last year. The company also announced interim cash dividend of Rs1.25. The Bank of Punjab (BOP -3.89 per cent) published an EPS of Rs0.81 (2QFY20) as compared to Rs0.80 in the same period of last year. Nimir Resins Limited (NRSL -2.52 per cent) declared an EPS of Rs0.45 for FY20 compared to Rs0.54 in FY19. Global equity markets on the other hand saw a negative trend. Crude oil prices also slipped lower with WTI crude oil price falling by -0.30 per cent to $43.25 while brent crude oil price declined by -0.09 per cent to $46.12.

Asim Bajwa announces over 1,100 jobs for Thar Block-1 project ISLAMABAD NEWS DESK

China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPECC) Authority Chairman Asim Saleem Bajwa on Thursday announced more than 1,100 jobs related to the Thar Block-1 project

being undertaken by Shanghai Electric under CPEC. While taking to Twitter, The CPEC Authority Chairman said that local candidates will be preferred for jobs in TharBlock-1 given that the candidates fulfill the required criteria

and qualification. Earlier on August 15, Asim Bajwa had announced the launch of a three-month internship programme at the authority aimed at human and social development. The internship programme has a capacity of 100 interns.

opment Authority (LDA). He also intimated that a host of measures have been taken to facilitate registering of property and contract enforcement in Punjab. World Bank’s Country Director for Pakistan Najy Benhassine appreciated the efforts of the federal government as well as Punjab and Sindh governments and said that the reform process needs a lot of efforts on the behalf of the public sector. Improvement in Ease of Doing Business in Pakistan is the result of a collective and coordinated efforts by the federal and provincial governments over the last few years. This momentum needs to be sustained in the coming years for Pakistan to continue to make progress, he said. IFC Principal Country Officer Shabana Khawar said that the new investment strategy owing to Covid-19 is a very timely process. Both the World Bank and IFC assured to continue their cooperation with the BOI and the provincial governments with an objective to improve the investment climate in Pakistan. The Sixth Ease of Doing Business Reform Action Plan seeks to simplify registration for sales tax registration, online one-window facility of Sindh Building Control Authority, amendments in building bylaws of LDA, introduction of designated courts for commercial cases by LHC and the enactment of Corporate Rehabilitation Act 2018.

Bank of Punjab’s total assets cross Rs1tr during first half of 2020 LAHORE PRESS RELEASE

Bank of Punjab on Thursday released its financial results for the half year ended June 30, 2020 announcing that its total assets crossed the Rs1 trillion mark and stood at Rs1.0184 trillion as against Rs868.9 billion on December 31, 2019. The bank also announced earnings for the period which stood at Rs3.6 billion with earnings per share (EPS) of Rs1.37. While reviewing the bank’s performance for the first six months of the year 2020, the banks board appreciated the efforts of the bank’s management and staff members for ensuring provision of banking services to clients under a tough operating environment amid the Covid-19 pandemic. The board expressed its satisfaction on the bank’s overall financial performance. The bank said that during the second quarter of the year 2020, economic depression created by the Covid-19 pandemic started taking its toll. However, owing to better return from investments, the bank was able to minimise the adverse impact and record substantial capital gains. Net Interest Margin (NIM) remained at Rs11.5 billion compared to Rs13.1 billion during the corresponding period of last year. However, non-markup interest income increased to Rs6.9 billion as against Rs 1.8 billion showing a substantial increase of 283 per cent. During the first half of the year, pre-provision profit improved to Rs9.8 billion as against Rs8 billion during the corresponding period of last year thereby registering a rise of 23 per cent. However, the bank posted an after tax profit of Rs3.6 billion as against Rs4 billion earned during the first half of the year 2019.

Pakistani fintech CEO accused of $1.9mn fraud, denies allegation LAHORE BABAR KhAN JAvED AND TAimooR hASSAN

Ghazanfar Ali Khan, the CEO of Zing Digicomm, has been accused by his business partner, Aurangzeb Khan, of defrauding him, in a first information report (FIR) registered with Liaquatabad Police Station Lahore. Ghazanfar flatly denies the allegations. Zing Digicomm is headquartered at the prestigious Arfa Karim Tower in Lahore and provides Fintech solutions to the banking industry, developed in collaboration with its Chinese technology partner (Shanghai F-Road). According to the FIR, Aurangzeb Khan said that in mid-2017 Ghazanfar secured an Rs50 million investment from China and an additional Rs150 million investment – worth a total of $1.9 million at the time – to create

CEO SAYS AURANGZEB KHAN NEVER PAID FOR SHARES, NOT AN OWNER IN COMPANY a branchless banking service. With a banking and telecommunications background across, Ghazanfar Ali Khan was granted sweat equity to handle the top-line growth. Aurangzeb Khan claims that to date he has not seen a profit despite the business seemingly winning large contracts. According to the FIR filed by Aurangzeb Khan, Ghazanfar Ali Khan created his own similarly named businesses and routed closed deals to his own entity, duping customers and defrauding not only the principal partner but also investors. The FIR, citing the SECP database, reads that Zing Digicom was

founded by Ghazanfar Ali Khan and Aurangzeb Khan, with an equity split of 34 per cent and 66 per cent respectively. Zing Technologies, originally incorporated under a different name in 2016 that was changed to Zing Technologies in January 2019, was founded by Ghazanfar Ali Khan, with ownership split between him and one Umer Hayat Khan from Habib Bank Limited (HBL). Besides Zing Digicom and Zing Technologies, Ghazanfar also owns Zing Solutions and Zing Logistics, all carrying same prefix. Speaking to Profit, Ghazanfar Ali Khan denied the police charges and considers them

CMYK

to be allegations, adding that Zing Technologies offers services that do not resemble that of Zing Digicom. He further adds that the company, Zing Digicom, that Aurangzeb claims to be a partner in, never paid for the shares he subscribed for in the company, therefore, he does not hold any ownership in the company. “It’s a business dispute between the parties involved and doesn’t involve any fraud, wrong doing or stealing of any monies. This must be settled as per the business laws of the country,” said Ghazanfar. Both parties had earlier approached Model Town Police for the same case, which was, allegedly, dismissed by the Model Town Police for not having merit. The police, according to Ghazanfar, said that the case fell under the jurisdiction of the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan

(SECP) instead of the police. However, the FIR, after sometime, was registered at Liaquatabad Police Station. Abid Ali, a representative from Liaquatabad Police Station told Profit that Ghazanfar Ali Khan was never arrested and that the accused secured a pre-arrest bail after the FIR, adding that police investigation has yet to begin. Aurangzeb Khan claims that the deception has impacted his reputation in China and his subsequent credibility in bringing CPEC related projects to Pakistan. On the contrary, Ghazanfar says that Aurangzeb is misrepresenting the public and the police by calling himself an investor in CPEC. The verification in this regard was provided by the Government of Pakistan. Profit has seen the documents that back this claim.

Friday, 28 August, 2020

10 FOREIGN NEWS Russia launches probe into hospitalisation of Kremlin critic MOSCOW AGENCIES

Russia’s Interior Ministry said on Thursday it was launching an investigation into the hospitalisation of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny over what his allies suspect was a poisoning. Navalny, 44, is in a medically induced coma in a Berlin hospital where he was airlifted on Saturday after collapsing during a flight from the Siberian city of Tomsk to Moscow. The German clinic treating him said its initial medical examination pointed to poisoning, though Russian doctors who had treated Navalny in a Siberian hospital have contradicted that diagnosis. The transportation unit of the Siberian branch of the Interior Ministry said it was carrying out the preliminary probe after Nalavny’s flight made an emergency landing in the city of Omsk. It said it had inspected the hotel room where Navalny had been staying in Tomsk and the routes he had taken in the city, as well as analysed video surveillance footage from the area. It added that it had not found any drugs or other potent substances. The Kremlin said this week it wanted the circumstances surrounding Navalny’s condition to come to light and that it hoped the incident would not hurt its relations with the West. Germany, France and other countries have called on Russia to investigate. European Union ministers are set to discuss Navalny’s condition this week. French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Thursday he was bemused by Russia not taking a transparent approach over the possible poisoning of Navalny.

Turkey to make no concessions in eastern Mediterranean: Erdogan ANKARA AGENCIES

Turkey has said that it will hold live-fire exercises in the eastern Mediterranean on September 1 and 2, the latest in a series of military drills that have fuelled tensions with Greece. The Turkish navy issued the latest advisory, known as a Navtex, on Thursday saying it will hold the shooting exercises in the eastern Mediterranean off the coast of Iskenderun, northeast of Cyprus. Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned he would make "no concessions" in the eastern Mediterranean and that Ankara is determined to do whatever is necessary to obtain its rights in the Black, Aegean and Mediterranean Seas. Speaking at an event on Wednesday commemorating the 11th-century military victory by Seljuk Turks over the Byzantine empire at Malazgirt, Erdogan also called on Turkey's counterparts to avoid mistakes that he said would bring their destruction. "We don't have our eye on someone else's territory, sovereignty and interests, but we will make no concessions on that which is ours," Erdogan said, urging Greece to "avoid wrongs that will be the path to ruin". "We will not compromise what is ours... We are determined to do whatever is necessary." The two NATO states have been locked in a bitter dispute over control of eastern Mediterranean waters that escalated after Ankara sent a seismic survey vessel to the disputed region this month - a move that Athens called illegal. Turkey accused France of stoking tensions after Paris said it would join Italy, Greece and Cyprus in three-day air and sea military exercises in the eastern Mediterranean. Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said Ankara would not be deterred by the show of force. "To believe that it would be possible to thwart the Turkish armed forces' operations with exercises and similar activities is nothing more than a pipe dream," Akar said in an interview with state-run Anadolu news agency. The accusation came as European Union foreign ministers were set to meet in Berlin as they try to persuade EU member Greece and its neighbour Turkey to pull back from the brink of conflict. The ministers were expected to debate a range of sanctions and other policy options that might convince Turkey to temper its insistence on drilling for energy reserves in disputed parts of the eastern Mediterranean. Turkish foreign ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy said the deployment of French military aircraft in the Republic of Cyprus violated treaties regarding the control and administration of the island after independence from Britain in 1960.

NZ MosquE shooTER sENTENcEd To lifE wiThouT paRolE foR KilliNg 51 MusliMs

New Zealand judge sentenced white supremacist Brenton Tarrant to life in prison without parole on Thursday for killing 51 Muslims in the country’s deadliest shooting, saying the sentence was not enough punishment for the “wicked” crimes. It was the first time a court in New Zealand had sentenced a person to prison for the rest of their life. Tarrant, a 29-year-old Australian, admitted to 51 charges of murder, 40 counts of attempted murder and one charge of committing a terrorist act during the 2019 shooting rampage at two Christchurch mosques which he livestreamed on Facebook. High Court Judge Cameron Mander said in Christchurch on Thursday that a finite term would not be sufficient. “Your crimes, however, are so wicked that even if you are detained until you die it will not exhaust the requirements of punishment and denunciation,” said Mander in handing down the sentence. “As far as I am able to gauge, you are empty of any empathy for your victims,” he said. The judge asked Tarrant before handing down the sentence if he had any com-

ment. Dressed in grey prison clothes and surrounded by guards, Tarrant nodded when asked if he was aware he had the right to make submissions, but he did not speak. NZ MUSLIMS WELCOME JUSTICE: Prosecutors told the court earlier that Tarrant wanted to instill fear in those he described as invaders and that he carefully planned the attacks to cause maximum carnage. “Today the legal procedures for this heinous crime have been done. No punishment will bring our loved ones back,” said Gamal Fouda, the imam of Al Noor mosque which was targeted. “Extremists are all the same. Whether they use religion, nationalism or any other ideology. All extremists, they represent hate. But we are here today. We respect love, compassion, Muslim and non-Muslim people of faith and of no faith.” Tarrant, who represented himself during the hearings but did not make submissions, said through a lawyer in court on Thursday that he did not oppose the prosecution’s application for a life without parole sentence. “The hatred that lies at the heart of your hostility to particular members of

the community that you came to this country to murder has no place here – it has no place anywhere,” Mander said. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said she was relieved that “that person will never see the light of day”. “The trauma of March 15 is not easily healed but today I hope is the last where we have any cause to hear or utter the name of the terrorist behind it. His deserves to be a lifetime of complete and utter silence,” she said. Ardern praised survivors and families of the victims who gave emotionally charged statements in court this week, calling for Tarrant to be sentenced to life without parole. “I want to acknowledge the strength of our Muslim community who shared their words in court over the past few days,” she said. “You relived the horrific events of March 15 to chronicle what happened that day and the pain it has left behind.” “Nothing will take the pain away but I hope you felt the arms of New Zealand around you through this whole process, and I hope you continue to feel that through all the days that follow.” DESIRE TO CREATE TERROR: Tar-

US, China trade jibes as military tensions worsen WASHINGTON AGENCIES

The United States and China traded jibes as military tensions grow between the world’s two largest economies, with the US defence chief vowing not to “cede an inch” in the Pacific and China saying Washington was risking soldiers’ lives. Both are at loggerheads over issues from technology and human rights to Chinese military activities in the disputed South China Sea, with each accusing the other of deliberately provocative behaviour. In the latest US move against China ahead of November’s presidential election, Washington on Wednesday blacklisted 24 Chinese companies and targeted individuals over construction and military actions in the busy South China Sea waterway. In Hawaii, US Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Beijing is using an aggressive military modernisation programme in a bid to project power globally. “To advance the CCP’s agenda,

the People’s Liberation Army continues to pursue an aggressive modernisation plan to achieve a world class military by the middle of the century,” Esper said, referring to the ruling Chinese Communist Party. “This will undoubtedly involve the PLA’s provocative behaviour in the South and East China Seas, and anywhere else the Chinese government has deemed critical to its interests.” However, the United States also wants to “hopefully continue to work with the People’s Republic of China to get them back on a trajectory that is more aligned with the international rules based order,” Esper added. Speaking before a regional tour, Esper described the Indo-Pacific as the epicentre of a “great power competition with China”. He added, “We’re not going to cede this region, an inch of ground if you will, to another country, any other country that thinks their form of government, their views on human rights, their views on sovereignty, their views on freedom of the press, freedom of religion, freedom of as-

sembly, all those things, that somehow that’s better than what many of us share.” In Beijing, China’s Defence Ministry shot back at “certain US politicians” it said were damaging Sino-US military ties in the runup to the November election for their own selfish gain, even seeking to create military clashes. “This kind of behaviour puts the lives of frontline officers and soldiers on both sides at risk,” spokesman Wu Qian told reporters at a monthly briefing on Thursday. China is not scared of “provocation and pressure” from the United States, and will resolutely defend itself and not allow the United States to cause trouble, he added. “We hope the US side will truly adopt a strategic vision, view China’s development with an open and rational attitude, and leave behind the quagmire of anxiety and entanglement.” The tension, including China’s drills this week along its coast, have sparked fears of accidental conflict, against which Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen warned on Thursday.

Pompeo meets Oman's Sultan on last leg of Mideast tour U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met the Sultan of Oman on Thursday as part of a Middle East tour following a U.S.-brokered deal on normalising relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. In a meeting with Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said, Pompeo said on Twitter he discussed “the importance of building regional peace, stability, and prosperity through a united Gulf Cooperation Council”. Sultan Haitham took power in January after Sultan Qaboos bin Said died after a half century at the helm of the Gulf country. In a turbulent region, Oman has maintained its neutrality. It has kept friendly relations with a range of regional actors, including arch-foes the United States and Iran - for whom Oman has acted as a go-between. Last week Oman’s foreign affairs portfolio was given to Badr al-Busaidi. Previously the title of foreign minister had been held by the Sultan, and Yousuf bin Alawi had been the longstanding minister responsible for foreign affairs. Israel’s intelligence minister said a few days after the UAE-Israel accord was announced on Aug. 13 that Bahrain and Oman could be the next Gulf Arab countries to formalise ties with the country. In 2018 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Oman and discussed peace initiatives in the Middle East with then-Omani leader Sultan Qaboos. Oman praised the U.S.-sponsored accord between UAE and Israel, but has not commented on its own prospects for normalised relations.AGENCIES

Indian traders sue Amazon over unfair business practices NEW DELHI AGENCIES

The US e-commerce behemoth Amazon could face a new regulatory challenge in India as a group representing over 2,000 vendors has filed a lawsuit claiming the retailer’s mistreatment may drive some sellers out of business. In a claim filed to the Competition Commission of India (CCI) earlier this month, the All India Online Vendors Association accused Amazon of unfair business practices. In the legal filing, the group claims that Amazon India’s wholesale arm

purchases massive volumes of goods directly from manufacturers and then sells them at a loss to companies it favors. Those firms then sell the products on Amazon marketplace in India at discounts of up to 45 percent. The report named Amazon’s affiliate Cloudtail – the single largest seller on the Amazon India platform – as one of the firms taking advantage of such preferential treatment. According to a 700-page filing, such selected sellers enjoy lower fees when they list their goods on the platform, making it more difficult for independent online retailers to compete. For example, Cloud-

tail allegedly pays 6.3 percent for electronic products, while independent sellers pay roughly a 28.1 percent fee. Last year, Cloudtail had to briefly suspend operations to restructure its ownership in order to comply with India’s direct investment policy for e-commerce. According to the Economic Times, Amazon had to half its indirect holding in the online retailer to 24 percent. “This anti-competitive arrangement ... is causing foreclosure of competition by driving independent sellers out of the market,” the group wrote in the legal filing. The lawyer of the association confirmed

the case filing to the outlet. The Indian regulatory body is unlikely to make the details of the case public, but is set to decide whether the case should proceed in the coming weeks. While Amazon is heavily investing in India, the company has already been in hot water over its “predatory” trade practices. In January, India's anti-trust regulator opened a similar investigation over violation of competition laws by Amazon and its Indian rival, Walmart-owned Flipkar. The US online giant denies the allegations, and said that the probe, that is “bereft of foundation,” would cause “irreparable” losses.

rant had asserted in a pre-sentence report that he was not racist or xenophobic, the judge said. Rather, Tarrant said he felt ostracised and had wanted to damage society, and had acted on delusional beliefs. However, state prosecutor Mark Zarifeh had told the court: “The offending was motivated by an entrenched racist and xenophobic ideology and a desire to create terror within the Muslim community and beyond.” New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters called for Tarrant to be deported to Australia to serve out his sentence. “Justice today was delivered to the terrorist and murderer for his cowardly and horrific crimes in Christchurch. It is right that we will never see or hear from him ever again,” said Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison. Morrison said no request had been made to transfer Tarrant to Australia and he expected he would serve his sentence in New Zealand where he was convicted. Before Tarrant, triple-murderer William Bell was serving the longest sentence in New Zealand with a minimum non-parole prison term of 30 years for his 2001 crimes. AGENCIES

Russia develops system to detect suicide bombers in crowds MOSCOW AGENCIES

While opinions on Russia’s military intervention in Syria have always been mixed back home, there’s one outcome that everyone will see as a positive. The army has discovered a way of locating suicide bombers in crowded areas. Servicemen of the Russian Ground Forces’ Fifth Scientific Regiment have unveiled a new device at the Army-2020 international military and technical forum, which is capable of detecting suicide belts and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in crowds. It features a set of sensors, software and a mobile operator’s dashboard, according to the developer, and can function at mass events, large venues, crowded places, checkpoints and within transport infrastructure, TASS reports. “If there is a suicide bomber in the crowd, the system will detect them thanks to a unique radio frequency signature, characteristic only of suicide belts or IEDs,” a representative of the 5th Scientific Regiment said. “The operator will receive information about the object’s location, it’s distance to the nearest sensor, and – in case of moving targets – about the target’s movement, which would allow the operator to sound an alarm and give commands to neutralize the threat.” According to the developer, the invention of the system was inspired by the Russian Army’s experience in Syria. “The work began about three years ago, when our servicemen detected and seized a large number of belts and IEDs during the transportation of militants, the repatriation of refugees and mine-defusing operations,” the developer explained. “The seized suicide belts and IEDs were studied and catalogued; this led to discovery of features, unique to improvised explosives,” he continued. “For example, our system will never mix up a terrorist with a man carrying a bag of bolts from a store.” He emphasized that the system had finalized testing and will soon be shipped to a security agency. Currently, there are 17 scientific regiments in Russia, involving more than 650 people. There are also four scientific and production regiments, with over 200 members. The Army-2020 international military-technical forum opened at the Patriot conference and exhibition center near Moscow on Monday and will run until Saturday. Some demonstrations are underway at the Alabino shooting range, the Kubinka air base, and the Ashuluk range in Astrakhan Region. The forum’s organizers expect guests from around 100 countries. More than 1,500 organizations and manufacturers will present approximately 28,000 exhibits. Nearly 700 pieces of modern weaponry and other military hardware will be on display. TLTP

Friday, 28 August, 2020

SPORTS 11

RAmIz RAjA lASheS ouT AT TeAm AfTeR englAnD TeST SeRIeS loSS

AGENCIES

ORMER captain Ramiz Raja lashed out at the current Pakistan team led by Azhar Ali after the Test series loss against England. Pakistan displayed an insipid performance in the third Test, allowing England to register 583/8 dec in the first innings, and then getting bundled out for 273. Heavy rainfall in the last two days led to the match ending in a draw after the hosts had enforced a follow-on. But the draw meant that England, who already had 1-0 lead, had won the threematch Test series. Speaking in a video uploaded on his Youtube channel, Raja pointed fingers at the senior players in the team and asked them what is their role in the team. “There are problems in the Pakistan camp, not just of late but from a while now as far as away tours are concerned. This year we lost to South Africa, Australia and now England. We compete in the first Test but progressively our form tapers off as the series progresses,” Raja said. “What is the role of senior players? Will they keep on failing and will we still keep playing them? Why are we hesitant to bring in new players, especially bats-

men? “Decision making has to be strong. Experimentation and ruthless strong decision is the only way up,” the Pakistan batting legend added. Raja also went on to praise England fast bowler James Anderson for his performance who picked his 600th Test wicket in the match, becoming the first pacer to reach the mark. “James Anderson got his 600th wicket by dismissing Azhar Ali and became the first fast bowler to reach 600 Test wickets. His performance is like someone who has

Thinking about a forced break? Think about Sir Don and World War II, says Tendulkar The Covid-19-forced break and the uncertainty it brought has turned the athletes into a worried lot but iconic cricketer Sachin Tendulkar has advice for them. Tendulkar has asked the worried athletes to find inspiration from Sir Donald Bradman, who missed out on eight years of Test cricket between 1939 to 1945 due to World War II but did not let it affect his performance. Even such a long period couldn't make Bradman rusty as he was hungry as ever during the final phase of his career finishing with an unbeatable average of 99.94 from 52 games. "Sir Don Bradman was away from cricket for several years due to World War II, yet has the highest Test batting average," Tendulkar wrote on twitter while remembering the 'greatest' of them on his 112th birth anniversary. "Today, with concerns about athletes' form due to uncertainties and long breaks, his career stands even taller as a source of inspiration. Happy birthday Sir Don," he further wrote. In fact, when PTI had asked him about how players will cope up with this long six-month break before the IPL starts, the maestro had spoken about days till the 1990s when there used to be a dedicated cricket season in India. "If I am not mistaken, one phase during 90s, between March, 1994 and October, 1995, for close to 18 months, we had hardly played in Test matches (five in all)," Tendulkar remembered. AGENCIES

Bryan brothers bring curtain down on legendary tennis double act PARIS: US men's doubles duo Bob and Mike Bryan announced the end of their legendary record-shattering tennis career on Thursday, just days before the US Open where they made their Grand Slam debut in 1995. "Our loyalty toward each other never wavered and we are leaving professional tennis with zero regrets," announced Bob, who with his twin brother Mike captured an Open era team record 119 trophies. That haul included all four Grand Slams, all nine ATP Masters 1000s and Olympic gold at London 2012. The brothers hold the all-time team record of 16 major titles from 30 grand slam finals. "We'll miss the competition and camaraderie amongst the players. We'll also miss the excitement of gearing up for a big match and playing for the roar of the fans," Bob added. Mike Bryan said they had felt now was "the right time to walk away". "We've given over 20 years to the Tour, and we are now looking forward to the next chapter of our lives," he said. "We feel very blessed to have been able to play the game of doubles for so long. We are grateful to have had the opportunities in the beginning of the year to play and say our goodbyes to the fans. APP

successfully climbed Mount Everest. “James Anderson gave respect to Test cricket and thus he got respect in return. He wanted to become a great Test player and so he became,” Raja signed off. England and Pakistan will play threematch T20 series against England starting from August 28th. England have right mix to be world’s best test side, says Root England’s hard-earned test series wins over the summer with a blend of youth and experience show the side’s drive to be the number one team in the world, according to captain Joe Root. England beat the West Indies 2-1 and Pakistan 1-0 in a rain-hit series which, coupled with their success in South Africa at the start of the year, continue an upward trajectory with new players in the team. “To have won both series is a great achievement for the group,” Root told reporters. “Young guys have continued to keep improving and show their worth within the squad, while we have also seen some special individual performances from senior players, who showed they can keep driving this team forward.” Opener Dom Sibley, Ollie Pope and Zak Crawley are three young batsmen who have shown their potential, the latter scor-

ing an eye-catching 267 against Pakistan in Tuesday’s drawn test that is the tenth highest score by an Englishman ever. Veteran pace bowler James Anderson reached 600 test wickets in the same game and said afterwards he now has 700 in his sights, while 34-year-old Stuart Broad’s 29 wickets in the two series at an average of 13.41 suggest he has plenty more to give. Root believes that attitude off the pitch, as well as skill on it, will be a major factor in how this side develops over the next few years. “The thing I’m excited about is the environment we have in the dressing room. The attitude of the guys about how they want to keep improving and learning about the game, even the senior players. “I think that is what gives a great opportunity to get to that number one spot down the line. England are uncertain of their next test assignment due to the COVID-19 pandemic as they head into home limited overs series with Pakistan and Australia, and Root admits that will create a delicate balancing act for their five-day specialists. “It’s going to be important that whenever it is we get the opportunity to play (tests) again, we have some form of cricket before that. We just have to wait and see.”

England's Jason Roy out of Pakistan T20s LONDON APP

England's Jason Roy has been ruled out of the upcoming three-match Twenty20 series against Pakistan after sustaining a left side strain, team management announced Thursday. The Surrey top-order batsman suffered the injury this week in the team's preparation at Emirates Old Trafford, the venue for the series opener on Friday. Roy will remain with the squad and commence his rehabilitation programme with a view to featuring in next month's white-ball series against Australia, a team statement said. England white-ball captain Eoin Morgan, speaking to reporters later Thursday, said: "Unfortunately he tweaked his side two days ago now and will be ruled out for the three games in order to give him time to prepare for both series against Australia. "At the moment we don't anticipate it being anything serious but we want to give him every chance to be fit for Australia, both series, the T20s and 50over," Morgan added. "We will see how he progresses over the next three or four days and be able to report back then." World Cup winner Roy's absence could create an opening for Yorkshire's Dawid Malan or Somerset's Tom Ban-

ton, with none of England's leading multi-format players who appeared in the recent 1-0 Test series win over Pakistan selected for the T20s as officials maintain two separate squad 'bubbles' amid the coronavirus. Morgan, however, was coy about the composition of a revamped top three, saying: "We have (decided) but we won't be disclosing it until tomorrow at the toss." 'NEXT MAN IN': Malan, a team-mate of Morgan's at Middlesex before joining Yorkshire ahead of this season, has a superb T20 international average of over 52, with one hundred and five fifties from just 10 matches at this level.

"Every time he is available, he has put himself forward as the next man in simply by weight of runs and the rate at which he has scored them," said Morgan of Malan. Asked about rising star Banton's prospects, Morgan added: "Naturally he is a top-order batter but in a time where we have top-order batters in abundance and actually lack middle-order players, it is sometimes difficult to get him in in the position that is his strength." Morgan said England had no plans to call up a reserve player as cover for Roy given that, with all-rounders Joe Denly and Moeen Ali already in the squad, "we have all bases covered".

Djokovic cruises into semis where Bautista Agut awaits Novak Djokovic cruised past Germany’s JanLennard Struff 6-3 6-1 on Wednesday to reach a record-equalling eighth Western & Southern Open semi-final where he will face Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut. The semi-finals will be played on Friday, scheduled as the final day of the event, after organisers joined other sporting events in suspending play on Thursday in protest against racial injustice. World number one Djokovic took advantage of a series of errors by Struff to grab control of the match and closed out the 62-minute encounter with a love service break to extend his unbeaten run to 24 matches. “It was great. I started a little bit tight in my opening couple of service games ... Ever since I made that break at the beginning of the first set, I never looked back,” said Djokovic. “I really played very aggressive whenever I had the chance and I was going for my shots.” With the win, Djokovic tied Jimmy Connors, Stefan Edberg, Roger Federer and Bill Talbert’s semi-final totals at the ATP Masters 1000 event. Earlier, Bautista Agut produced a stunning comeback to defeat third seed Daniil Medvedev 1-6 6-4 6-3 and reach his maiden semi-final in the event, which is being played at Flushing Meadows, New York instead of Cincinnati due to COVID-19. Bautista Agut’s chances of victory appeared distant after the 24-year-old Russian cruised through the first set and had three break point chances early in the second. But the 32-year-old Bautista Agut began to play freer, charging the net and serving with more confidence. “After the first set, I was thinking a lot of bad things,” he said with a laugh. “I had to fight a lot in the second set. It was a really tough match.” In other quarterfinal matches, Greek fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas advanced after Reilly Opelka, who was leading 6-5, retired due to a knee injury. Tsitsipas will play Milos Raonic, a 4-6 7-6(2) 7-5 winner over Serbian Filip Krajinovic, for a spot in the final. Raonic, a former world number three, said he considered not playing his quarter-final in solidarity with the protests over the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, in the city of Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Sunday. The Canadian urged players and administrators to join hands and take an unified stand following Naomi Osaka’s decision to pull out of her semi-final in protest over racial injustice. “I think a bigger demonstration needs to happen and a bigger disturbance needs to happen,” said Raonic, who was speaking before the tennis governing bodies jointly announced the postponement of Thursday’s fixtures. “I think it’s about everybody being on the same page. If three guys, four guys step up tomorrow, but everything continues as normal on Monday when the U.S. Open starts, you know, have we taken that next small step after not playing the first day?” AGENCIES

NBA postpones games after Bucks boycott, other sports follow suit AGENCIES The National Basketball Association (NBA) postponed all three playoff games on Wednesday after the Milwaukee Bucks boycotted Game 5 of their series against the Orlando Magic to protest racial injustice, triggering similar moves across other sports. The action by the Wisconsin-based team follows the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, in the city of Kenosha, also in Wisconsin, on Sunday. Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer and the Women’s NBA also postponed games, while two-times tennis Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka joined the protests by pulling out of a tournament after reaching the semi-finals. The Bucks players said in a statement they were unable to focus on basketball due to the events in Kenosha. “Over the last few days in our home state of Wisconsin we have seen the horrendous video of Jacob Blake being shot in the back seven times by a police officer in Kenosha and the additional shooting of protesters,” they said.

“Despite the overwhelming plea for change there has been no action so our focus today cannot be on basketball.” In addition to the Bucks-Magic game, the NBA said the Houston Rockets-Oklahoma City Thunder and Los Angeles Lakers-Portland Trail Blazers games would be rescheduled. “WE DEMAND CHANGE. SICK OF IT,” tweeted LeBron James, the four-times NBA Most Valuable Player. Former U.S. President Barack Obama praised the Bucks in a Twitter post that included a video clip of an emotional Los Angeles Clippers head coach Doc Rivers talking about Blake. “I commend the players on the @Bucks for standing up for what they believe in, coaches like @DocRivers, and the @NBA and @WNBA for setting an example. It’s going to take all our institutions to stand up for our values,” wrote Obama. ‘SHINE A LIGHT’: Major League Baseball postponed games in Milwaukee, San Diego and San Francisco scheduled for Wednesday while Major League Soccer decided to postpone

CMYK

the five remaining games on its schedule. “Given the pain in the communities of Wisconsin and beyond following the shooting of Jacob Blake, we respect the decisions of a number of players not to play tonight,” MLB said in a statement. The WNBA also postponed three games scheduled for Wednesday. Players on the reigning WNBA champion Washington Mystics wore T-shirts that depicted seven bloody bullet holes on their backs. World number 10 tennis player Osaka withdrew from a U.S. Open tune-up tournament after she reached the semi-finals. “As a Black woman I feel as though there are much more important matters at hand that need immediate attention, rather than watching me play tennis,” Osaka said. Kenosha has been rocked by civil unrest and violence since Sunday, when police shot Blake, 29, in the back at close range in an incident captured on video. Blake is paralyzed and is being treated for his injuries. A 17-year-old identified as Kyle Rittenhouse was arrested and charged with homicide on Wednesday in connection

with gunfire that killed two people and wounded a third during a third night of protests on Tuesday. The Magic, who trail 3-1 in the bestof-seven, first-round series, left the court when it was clear the Bucks were not going to play. Beyonce’s song “Freedom” rang out in the empty Orlando arena as the clock counting down to the start of the game ran out. The Bucks ownership said they were not aware ahead of time of what the players were planning but supported them. “The only way to bring about change is to shine a light on racial injustices that are happening in front of us,” coowners Marc Lasry, Wes Edens and Jamie Dinan said in a statement. Athletes from around the world have united behind anti-racism protests sparked by the death of George Floyd, a Black man in police custody in Minneapolis in May. Since the NBA restarted its Covid-19 hit season in a bubble-like campus at Disney World in Florida, courts have the words “Black Lives Matter” painted on them and many players are wearing jerseys with social justice slogans.

Friday, 28 August, 2020

PRAyER TImINGS

NEWS

World MuST Hold indiA ACCounTAblE for CriMES AGAinST kASHMiriS: fo ISLAMABAD

Pakistan seeks access to Probe into 9 Pakistani Hindus’ killing in JodHPur

STAFF REPORT

AKISTAN has categorically stated that there is no change in its policy on Kashmir dispute and the world community must use all tools at its disposal to hold India accountable for its crimes against Kashmiris. At his weekly news briefing on Thursday, Foreign Office (FO) Spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri said that the solution of the lingering dispute lies in granting the right of self-determination to the Kashmiri people through a fair and impartial plebiscite under the umbrella of the United Nations (UN). The spokesperson called upon India to

reverse its unilateral and illegal actions of August 5 last year, lift restrictions, release all the prisoners and revoke the draconian laws in the occupied territory. He said the domiciles issued post-August 5, 2019, in the occupied valley should also be declared null and void. He said that New Delhi should allow unfettered access to the UN Military Observer Group and human rights observers

TAlibAn kill four SurvivorS of AfGHAniSTAn flASH floodS Taliban fighters killed four civilians on Thursday during clashes with Afghan forces in the central province of Parwan, amid rescue work after flash floods claimed more than 150 lives, officials said. It was the latest violence amid peace talks between the warring sides that have been delayed over the issue of prisoner releases, as part of efforts to end the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan, which has spanned nearly two decades. “Taliban fighters opened fire on civilians fleeing areas worst hit by the flash floods,” said Abdul Shukoor Qudoosi, a district official in Bagram, home to the country’s biggest U.S. military base and the site of the clashes. “Taliban were clashing with Afghan forces and they killed civilians who were in an autorickshaw near an army checkpoint,” Qudoosi said, adding that it appeared as if the Islamist militants mistook the passengers for Afghan soldiers. One Afghan soldier was killed and two were injured. A Taliban spokesmen was not immediately available to comment. The death toll from the floods rose to 150, with at least 250 people injured, as survivors and rescue workers sifted the debris of more than 1,500 homes destroyed to the north of the capital, Kabul. Authorities moved more than 900 families out of parts of the mountainous province that had been devastated by the floods, which were triggered by exceptionally heavy rain this week. “The search is still on, as many people, we fear, are still buried under the rocks and rubble,” said Tamim Azimi, a spokesman for the ministry of disaster management. “The situation is very grim, the scale of loss is intense.” Security forces, officials and survivors have trudged through deep mud in the search for survivors while the effort to clear the disaster area has stretched more than 28 hours, hampered by blocked and damaged roads. The dead included many children, survivors said. The death toll was expected to rise as families prepared for mass burials, while mounds of rubble remain to be cleared. Afghanistan regularly suffers from drought but can be lashed by very heavy rain during the south Asian monsoon season. AGENCIES

Govt utilising all resources to revive SEZs: Hammad Azhar ISLAMABAD: Minister for Industries and Production Hammad Azhar on Thursday said that the government is utilising all available resources to revive Special Economic Zones (SEZs) and develop the underprivileged areas of the country. Talking to a private TV channel, he said that the government is taking practical steps to make SEZs instruments of industrial production, economic growth, export promotion and employment generation. Hammad Azhar said that the government wants to introduce a one window operation in SEZs to facilitate local and foreign investors. He said that the government has made serious efforts to promote tourism as an industry in the country in order to generate revenue and provide employment opportunities to the local population. PPI

and organizations to the Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK). He warned the world community to be cognizant of the dangerous consequences of India’s belligerent rhetoric and irresponsible actions for peace and security in the region. The spokesperson termed a so-called charge sheet by India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) a mischievous attempt to implicate Pakistan in the Pulwama attack in IOK last year. He said that in response to a paper shared by the Indian government following the Pulwama attack, Pakistan constituted a high-level investigation team to examine its contents. Highlighting the developments in the foreign policy domain during last week, the

spokesperson referred to Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s visit to China on August 20-21 to lead the Pakistan side in the 2nd Round of Round of China-Pakistan Foreign Ministers’ Strategic Dialogue. He said that during the visit, the two sides discussed views on Covid-19, bilateral and international issues besides agreeing to take measures to safeguard mutual interests. The joint communiqué reiterated that the enduring Pakistan-China partnership was the anchor of peace and stability in the region and beyond. Both the countries agreed to further strengthen cooperation to develop anti-Covid-19 vaccines. Apprising media of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s telephonic conversation with

Virgin Atlantic to launch direct flights between UK, Pakistan from December NEWS DESK Virgin Atlantic airline on Thursday announced that it will operate flights between the UK and Pakistan from December 2020. According to reports the new flights will fly on three new routes which include, London Heathrow to Lahore, London Heathrow to Islamabad and Manchester to Islamabad. Virgin Atlantic Chief Commercial Officer JuhaJarvinen expressed excitement on the prospect of flights to and from Pakistan. “Pakistan is an extremely exciting opportunity for us. It boasts one of the largest foreign-born populations in both the UK and the US and, as people start to travel to visit loved ones, we’re anticipating that the demand to visit friends and relatives will increase post Covid-19,” he said. “Both Lahore and Islamabad are popular year-round destinations and we look forward to welcoming travellers onboard as demand for leisure and busi-

ness travel gradually increases to the region,” he added. “We also see a significant opportunity to increase competition in the US – Pakistan market. Using the strength of our transatlantic services we’re able to offer customers the shortest journey to and from destinations in the US such as New York, Los Angeles and Washington by connecting through London Heathrow”. Tickets for flights between the UK and Pakistan will go on sale from September 2020. As well as flying customers, Virgin Atlantic will offer a fast, efficient cargo service presenting new opportunities for companies looking to export and import goods such as fresh produce and textiles between prime markets in the UK, US and Pakistan. “Trade in goods and services between the UK and Pakistan is worth some £3.3 billion a year, rising 4.7 per cent year-on-year in 2019, with high volumes of goods such as textiles, apparel and machinery,” the company

said. “The UK is the third biggest global market for Pakistani exporters after the US and China and their main trade lane in Europe”. Virgin Atlantic Cargo Managing Director Dominic Kennedy added: “The import and export market for goods between the UK and Pakistan is extremely healthy, so we’re delighted to be offering our cargo customers another prime route with such positive growth opportunities. This is supported by our fast connections over London to Europe, the US and Africa, and this potential will become even greater as Virgin Atlantic continues to reintroduce more routes and frequencies as part of our Covid recovery plan.” Virgin Atlantic restarted passenger flying on July 20, after a three month hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic and is currently operating flights to New York JFK, Los Angeles, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Barbados and Miami with further routes expected to be added throughout September and October.

463m children unable to access remote schooling: uniceF NEW YORK AGENCIES

An estimated 463 million children have been unable to access remote learning amid the coronavirus pandemic and widespread school closures, according to the United Nations children's fund. A new report published on Thursday by UNICEF said at least one-third of the world's schoolchildren lack the equipment or electronic access that would allow them to pursue distance education. "The sheer number of children whose education was completely disrupted for months on end is a global education emergency," Henrietta Fore, executive director of UNICEF, said in a statement. "The repercussions could be felt in economies and societies for decades to come," she said. The coronavirus pandemic has caused the largest

disruption to education in history, with schools closed in some 160 countries in mid-July, affecting an estimated 1.5 billion students, according to the UN. A new report published in July by international charity Save the Children said nearly 10 million children may never go back to school because of deep budget cuts and rising poverty caused by the pandemic. In an attempt to prevent the spread of the virus, many countries switched to online learning, but aid groups say this has only widened the learning gap between children from rich and poor families. The UNICEF report underlined gaping geographical differences in children's access to distance education, with far fewer affected in Europe, for example, than in Africa or parts of Asia. The report is based on data gathered from roughly 100 countries, measuring public access

to the internet, television and radio. Even children with adequate access may face other obstacles to distance education - whether the lack of a good workspace at home, pressure to do other work for the family, or a lack of technical support when computer problems arise, the UNICEF report said. Of the students around the world unable to access virtual education, 67 million are in Eastern and Southern Africa, 54 million in western and central Africa, 80 million in the Pacific and East Asia, 37 million in the Middle East and North Africa, 147 million in South Asia, and 13 million in Latin America and the Caribbean. No figures were given for Canada or the United States the worst-affected country by the virus - where the issue of reopening of schools has sparked fierce political debate and concern among educators.

digital finance becomes lifeline during pandemic: un report NEW YORK AGENCIES

A new report launched by the United Nations (UN) has said that digital finance has become a lifeline during the crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. "The unprecedented social and economic crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic has put a spotlight on the role of digital finance in providing relief for millions around the world, supporting businesses and protecting jobs and livelihoods," read a report by the UN Secretary-General's Task Force on Digital Finance, launched by the UN chief Antonio Guterres. While the pandemic demonstrates the immediate benefits of digital finance, the disruptive potential of digitalization in transforming finance is immense. Mobile payment technologies have transformed mobile phones into financial tools for more than a billion people, said the report. The report highlights how billions of people around the world are responding to the Covid-19 pandemic using digital tools to work, spend and socialize. It argues there is an historic opportunity to har-

ness digitalization in placing citizens, the ultimate owners of the world's financial resources, in control of finance to ensure that it meets their needs, today and in the future. Centrally, the report spells out how digital finance can be harnessed in ways that empower citizens as tax-payers and investors in envisaging a digital transformation at scale that better aligns people's money with their needs, collectively expressed by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The task force identifies five catalytic opportunities for harnessing digitalization in aligning financing with the SDGs. Together they cover much of global finance, including aligning the vast pools flowing through global capital markets with the SDGs, increasing the effectiveness and accountability of public finance that makes up a major part of the global economy, channeling digitally-aggregated domestic savings into long-term development finance, informing citizens how to link their consumer spending with the SDGs and accelerating the lifeblood financing for the employment and income-generating world of small and medium-sized businesses.

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

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High Council for Reconciliation in Afghanistan Chairman Abdullah Abdullah, the spokesperson said the former emphasised the importance of Pak-Afghan bilateral relations and reiterated commitment to further deepen the ties and enhance cooperation in all fields. Besides mentioning the fiveday visit of Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) President Gabriela Cuevas Barron of Pakistan and her interaction with senior leadership, the spokesperson also condemned the recent drone and missile attacks by Houthi Militia targeting Saudi Arabia. Pertaining to the death of nine Pakistani Hindu family members in Indian Jodhpur city, the spokesperson reiterated Pakistan’s call for providing consular access, presence of Mission’s doctor during postmortem and share updates on the investigation. When asked about convicted Indian spy Kulbushan Jadhav’s case, the spokesperson said that Pakistan is committed to fully implement the judgment of the International Court of Justice (ICJ). He, however, lamented that India is trying to frustrate Pakistan’s efforts in this regard. He said that the judgment of the ICJ clearly states that the review and reconsideration of Jadhav’s convic-

Pakistan to continue efforts for regional peace, stability: fM ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has said that Pakistan will continue its efforts in maintaining peace and stability in the region. The foreign minister was addressing a consultative meeting of former foreign secretaries on Thursday. The meeting reviewed the Indian aggression in IOK, Afghan peace process and regional security. The foreign minister said that the innocent and unarmed Kashmiris have been facing the worst curfew over the last one year. He said that the supporters of secular India are also protesting against the Hindutva policy. He said that India is continuously committing violations at Line of Control (LoC) targeting innocent citizens to divert attention from its internal anarchy. Qureshi said that it is an effort of Pakistan that the Intra-Afghan dialogue immediately moves forward. He described his recent meeting with the Afghan Taliban in Islamabad very useful. He said that there was consensus in the meeting that there is only a political solution to the Afghan conflict which is possible only through dialogue. The foreign minister said that Prime Minister Imran Khan’s stance on a political solution is now also being acknowledged by the US, Russia, China and important countries of the region. Meanwhile, FM Qureshi chaired the 14th meeting of the Advisory Council for Foreign Affairs on Thursday. The meeting discussed the regional peace and security situation with particular reference to Afghan peace process and the situation in Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK). The foreign minister apprised the meeting about the progress made so far in the Afghan peace process. He said that Pakistan has effectively drawn world attention towards the Indian brutalities against innocent Kashmiri people. STAFF REPORT

ECC delays decision on passing of fuel charge adjustments to consumers ISLAMABAD: The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) on Thursday failed to take a decision regarding the passing on of Fuel Charge Adjustments (FCA) to consumers due to stiff resistance from some committee members. According to sources during a meeting of the ECC presided over by Adviser to Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, some committee members expressed reservations regarding the proposed decision stating that any further increase in power tariffs would further annoy consumers who are already suffering from high rates of electricity. Earlier on August 7, National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) had notified FCA for the period November 2019 to June 2020 which was to be passed on to the consumers in August and September 2020. The FCA rate for the month of August 2020 was proposed at Rs2.4226 per unit for domestic consumers who consume upto 300 units and Rs1.1711 per unit for other categories of consumers. The FCA rate for the month of September 2020 was proposed at Rs2.8603 per unit for domestic consumers who consume upto 300 units and Rs1.0982 per unit for other consumers. The Power Division was of the view that any delay in charging FCA would result in a cash shortfall of around Rs17 billion for the power sector. SHAHZAD PARACHA